A/N: Yet again, all fancharacters used (including my own) are credited back to their creators in the copies of the "Cry Wolf" chapters that are in my deviantArt gallery, as these chapters were uploaded there first. (If you don't know my dA username, it's Yoruhoshi.) R&R please!

Chapter 16: The Escape Plan Fails

[Lance's POV:]

The enclosure was beautiful, an enchanting scene from the greatest imaginations of rainforest-lovers. Lush plants sprang from the soft earthen floor, exotic trees grew to towering heights, and lovely flowers the like of which most Gothamites had never, (and probably would never,) lay eyes on made splashes of color among the many, varying shades of green. There were faint snatches of birdsong from time to time and a cool, clean smell in the air, the sort that only comes from earth refreshed by rainfall. And despite the damp scent in the air, the temperature was perfectly comfortable.

All in all, a picturesque scene.

I loathed it with a passion.

I paced back and forth behind the Plexiglas, trying to think of any conceivable manner possible to use for means of an escape. True, Dorian had always possessed a questionable level of sanity, but this just spoke of utter depravity. A quick glance to the other Plexiglas wall that separated our enclosure from Tygrus's revealed nothing but more flora. A sense of guilt and sympathy twisted a knot in my chest. I knew he was in there, hiding somewhere perhaps, in his anger and regret, because Dorian had put him in there.

"Just to prevent you from getting any ideas about interfering with this experiment, dear Tygrus." He had said.

Infuriated, I looked away to the much, much smaller pen across the atrium from the one in which I was encased. At first there was nothing, but after a moment, a figure slammed into the Plexiglas wall paneling with the force of a bullet train, shouting in wordless, incoherent rage.

"Give it up, Robert." I sighed, feeling my shoulders beginning to sink in the first vestiges of defeat as I pressed my hands against the walls of the 'cage.' "Without your full strength, you will only cause yourself injury."

He sank to the floor, clutching his sore arm and baring his long canine teeth as he hissed in pain.

"Whaddya want me t'do, Lance? Just give up?"

"Did any suggestion of the sort come from my mouth? What I want you to do is stop for a moment and try to use the brain I know is between your ears somewhere."

"You think any sort of hard thinking is going to help us out of our situation, Lance?" Came a snort from nearby. I glanced over my shoulder, somehow unsurprised to find Eva glaring at me. Truth to tell, the blame in the matter did lie with me. After all, if not for my giving in to Dorian's whims and begging for her to accompany us, she would not be in this predicament. I let out a ragged sigh.

"Better to keep a clear head and try to see something that may work to such an advantage than to waste energy needlessly." I answered. I was hoping she would answer, but she only scowled at me before looking away, and I was left to study the areas beyond our cell on my own. For a long time, silence pervaded the air everywhere and the minutes passed slowly with little change to our exotic surroundings. Finally, after I had gauged that maybe a few hours had slipped into obscurity, something occurred that jarred me out of a stupor I hadn't realized I'd fallen into. An exterior door on the far end of the building to admit Dorian, who was followed by Garth the ape-man. And slung over Garth's shoulders was all-too-familiar form with a head covered with long, curly blonde hair.

"Gerard!" I gasped, and Rook and Eva both jerked, looking up in alarm. There was no mistaking it once I heard the groggy moan from the figure; I would recognize the sound of my butler's voice in a crowded stadium across the city. Dorian approached Rook's enclosure, stopping a few yards short of coming into contact with the Plexiglas, and he folded his arms calmly, dark eyes studying my dear friend with an expression I knew too well.

"Put him in there with the vampire, Garth." He remarked coolly, and the ape-man hastened to obey. I frowned, wondering what game the older man was playing at, but a glance at Rook revealed it. Separated from his plasma pills, he was suffering the effects of the Thirst more keenly than before, and looking worse the wear for it.

"Dorian!" I roared, slamming my fists repeatedly against the Plexiglas to get his attention. "Let him go! Gerard has nothing to do with this!"

"Of course he doesn't, my boy." He replied calmly. "But it would be inconsiderate not to offer Robert a snack while I develop a higher dosage of the plasma pills."

I snarled, wishing I could break through the walls of this over-glorified pen and toss the old scientist to the ground. But I wasn't about to toss away my own advice from earlier about saving energy, and so I was left to watch and seethe as Garth unceremoniously threw Gerard into Rook's enclosure like an oversized sack of potatoes.

"Done, sir." Garth murmured, quickly backing away and sealing the opening once more, as though worried he would be the vampire's first choice of victim. He needn't have worried, however; vampires probably weren't too keen on ape-man for fare.

"Excellent." Dorian said brightly, taking a few steps closer to observe. Rook looked up at me, very human concern shining in his eyes, and then stepped closer to Gerard, who stirred, shaking his head and struggling to sit up. His movements were sluggish, and from what I was able to discern, he sounded drugged. For all we knew, he probably was. I let out another low growl, feeling anger flare bright and scorching within me, and it took me a second to realize Eva was standing next to me, pressing against the Plexiglas with an unreadable expression. Across from us, Gerard finally managed to sit up, touching a hand to his temple and wincing in pain, unaware of Rook twitching and fidgeting close by.

"Lance," Eva said warily, "I may not be a big fan of your Barbie doll butler, but can't we do something before Fangs there kills him?"

I bit my lower lip in frustration, concern battling my anger. Furious though I was, I did not want to witness the death of my loyal servant, and especially not at the hands of my closest friend, who had abstained from feeding on humans since he had been Turned. But of course, I couldn't do anything at the moment, and I had my doubts at attempting to transform and break free.

But a second later, my worries were abolished.

Rook had taken another step closer to Gerard, only to recoil a breath later, hissing and baring his long canines as he backed away.

"Augh, sick! You reek, goldilocks!" He yelled, making us all blink in surprise. What in the world was he talking about? Gerard always adhered to the standard of "cleanliness is next to godliness," and I had never known Rook to complain about personal hygiene of others, considering how often he bothered attending to his own.

"Beg your pardon, my boy?" Dorian sounded more than bewildered, a rare occurrance.

"Garlic!" Rook hissed, making gagging sounds. "He ate garlic! Ugh!"

"For your information," Gerard muttered, speaking up for the first time, "I had that shrimp and tetrazinni plate yesterday for lunch."

"And you still smell like it! It's like, oozing out your pores!"

"Considering I've been prevented from bathing since then, that's unsurprising. Revolting, but unsurprising."

I let out a sigh of relief. I had never thought the garlic bit of vampire lore held true, but considering how sharp Rook's senses were, the smell was probably far more than he wanted to handle. For once, Gerard Montaine's expensive taste in cuisine had proved truly life-saving.

"How curious." Dorian murmured, stroking his chin and frowning in thought. "No matter. At the very least, that should help keep you docile, Robert. Now if you'll excuse me, I have to return to my work on your pills. And when I come back..."

He glanced toward Eva and I, and a shudder of fright raced up and down my spine.

"Then it'll be your turn."

I sucked in a breath, tensing as the door thudded shut behind he and Garth, booming like cannonfire throughout the entire building. Next to me, Eva shook her head and scowled.

"Guy's a creep." She growled.

"Gee, really?" Rook said sarcastically from across the atrium. "We didn't notice. No idea whatsoever. Thank you for pointing that out, Captain Obvious."

"Watch it, Lieutenant Sarcasm," she shot back, "Or I might break those baby fangs."

"You wanna go, wolf-girl?"

"With you? Hah, you'd barely be warm-up!"

"Are you arguing?" Gerard asked calmly, and it took me a moment to recall he probably couldn't hear too well through both layers of Plexiglas. I exhaled in irritation.

"Both of you, stop it. Useless bickering is only wasting more energy." I said wearily. "What we should do, is try to think of a means by which to escape, once the...good doctor returns."

"You think we can actually fight back?" Eva asked skeptically.

"No, I think that's part of what Lance is getting at," Rook said slowly, the sound of comprehension dawning in his tones, "We think we can't fight back, because that's what 'Doctor God' wants us to think. Am I right?"

Hardly the point I had been trying to drive at, but I could make do with it.

"Suprising to think there's actually a functioning brain somewhere in that thick head of yours." Gerard muttered, and it was with a great deal of restraint that we both avoided responding to his quip.

"Robert raises a very true point, Miss Eva." I explained. "Emile Dorian may not look like much, but he is particularly adept at manipulating others."

"But he's hardly done anything to even-I dunno, imply we can't leave." She objected.

"Father doesn't need to," a voice so quiet my lycanthian ears had a moment of trouble catching it, came from behind us, and we turned to the adjacent enclosure to see Tygrus watching us, "He knows a lot about how people work. He knows how people tend to panic in a tight situation. He doesn't need to say much at all."

Her scowl tightened, and I caught a glimpse of the muscles in her powerful arms tensing. A sharp new scent began to fill the air, a strong musk of anger, wolf, and near-adrenaline, and it surprised me for a moment; was she going to transform? Tentatively, I reached for her shoulder, hoping to calm her down.

"Tygrus is right, the man is an expert in the art of warping one's perception." I said gently.

"Point behind that is," Rook interjected, "He wouldn't expect us to ever think of fighting back!"

"All the more reason why we ought to devise some sort of strategy to do so!" I finished. "Now get to work on it, Rook."

"You guys are crazy," Eva responded, a smile creeping onto her features, "But I'm alright with this kind of crazy. So what are we going to do?"

Rook's plan was simple enough: await Dorian's return to the atrium, whereupon he and I would attempt to distract the older man with conversation, while Eva and Gerard would search for air vents or other possible escape routes. In the event Dorian noted their absence, we were to try to distract him from that as well, making up any plausible excuse as to why they were nowhere to be seen. Tygrus, bless him, readily volunteered to back up any claims we made; after all, the doctor was more likely to believe whatever we said if his 'son' confirmed it. Then, whenever they got free, Eva would knock out Dorian and Garth, while Gerard freed us and found out where our pilot had disappeared to. From there, we would retrieve Rook's plasma pills and make a break for my jet, to get back home. It wasn't an airtight plan, nor was it foolproof, but it was the best we could come up with under pressure.

Finally, the hour drew near. There were no timepieces or method of physically tracking when Dorian would return, but somehow I knew. I just felt it deep in my being. I took to pacing the length of the Plexiglas wall, and Eva vanished into the vegetation behind me, presumably getting a head start on searching for the vents.

"Sir?"

I raised my head from my anxious pondering and found Gerard staring at me from the other enclosure, typical frown back in place on his mouth and his brow furrowed in concern. I knew he probably wouldn't be able to hear me, so I cocked my head, hoping to give him some indication I was listening.

"I don't have a good feeling about this," he said calmly, "There are too many things that could go wrong."

I bit my lower lip, attempting to contain my own treacherous anxiety. I knew this, but we didn't have time to focus on all the problem variables in the plan. Still, I nodded once in acknowledgment.

"However, for what it's worth," he went on, more of his worry coming through in his expression, "I will do my best to try to find that vent. And...tell Miss Eva I said good luck to her as well."

I offered him a smile and another nod. Good old Gerard. For all he was only human, I couldn't think of a time he hadn't come through for me. After a brief moment, he too disappeared into the foliage and vanished, leaving only Rook and I to converse until the doctor returned.

"Well, this is just peachy." My young friend muttered. "If we get outta here, I'm gonna kill her."

"Who?" I prompted.

"The vampire who Turned me in the first place." He replied. "If it weren't for her, none of us would be here waiting for whatever the hell Dorian's gonna do...because if she hadn't Turned me, I would need those damn pills."

That was a relief to hear; I'd worried he had been referring to Eva. Still, my mind kept wandering to a very different woman, and I absently wondered how she was doing. Was she having coffee and reading right now? Was she asleep? Was she up late and chatting on the phone with friends?

Alright, perhaps it wasn't such an absent train of thought. I had difficulty in trying to get Jeanette out of my head, she was just too fascinating and intriguing. I wanted to get to know her more, to find out what sort of activities she enjoyed, to see if she would be willing to go out to dinner sometime...Granted, it was easier to focus on the situation at hand, but I still couldn't dismiss her from my thoughts.

"Lance? Lance!"

"Hmm? Sorry, what?" I asked, nearly jumping out of my skin when I realized Rook was addressing me.

"Lance, you big twat." He muttered, smiling sadly. "We'll get out of here. You'll see her again."

I froze, my spine going rigid, and I averted my gaze, turning my mouth down in the best attempt I could muster at a sour scowl.

"Don't know what you're talking about."

He grinned in that bedamned knowing way of his, and before he could make a remark, the door to the atrium opened with a deafening bang, and Dorian strode in, cane nestled in the crook of his arm, glint of triumph glittering in his eye, and his typical stride of arrogance in place. I opened my mouth to speak, bracing myself for our plan to fall into place...

"Where are Miss Eva and Mister Montaine?" Dorian asked immediately, tone cool and even as he adjusted the lapels on his cuffs.

"Toilet break, Dorian," Rook said quickly, "People gotta pee sometimes, you know."

"The likelihood of the two of them both needing to use restroom facilities at the exact same time is miniscule, Robert. Do not presume to mock my intelligence." He shot back calmly. "Tell them both to abandon this idiotic plan you've devised, or I'll gas your enclosures."

My heart leapt into my throat and Rook seemed to go paler than normal.

"Father!" Tygrus roared, surging to his feet and slamming his massive paw-hands against the Plexiglas. "Don't do this!"

"And it is rebellious outbursts like that," Dorian added, gaze drifting past me to Tygrus, "Why you're encaged, dear Tygrus."

A snarl built in my throat, and caught Dorian's attention.

"You have thirty seconds to recall the others, Lancelot." He said, expression never changing. "I'm sure you can tell I'm not bluffing in this matter."

I ground my teeth in frustration. I knew Dorian, and he wasn't bluffing, damn him. More than ever, I understood Eva's urge to transform and attempt to break free through force. Subconsciously I felt the pull to do so, to set the wolf lurking below the surface loose.

"Fifteen seconds, Lancelot. Are you really going to bring this down upon all of you for the sake of stubborn rigidity?"

The seconds ticked by too fast for my liking. I figured we had about five seconds left when, without warning, a loud ringing sound started up that assaulted my ears and had me flinching in pain. Was that an alarm system?

"Garth!" Dorian shouted back through the door, eyes going wide in a rare show of panic, "What in God's name is going on?!"

"Doc!" Garth shouted back, dashing into the room, gasping for breath, "We got us some intruders!"