A/N: And now for probably my favorite chapter...
Chapter 18
John didn't know how long he'd been in the cell. Might have been a day, might have been less. He didn't have his watch, there wasn't a clock anywhere to be seen, and he was three quarters loopy from lack of sleep, thirst, and hunger. Nobody had come to check on him, and his only companion had been the vampire. It hadn't moved from its spot by the bars, and it was still just standing there, staring at him. He didn't dare sleep while still in its presence – the first time he stretched out on the cold floor and dozed off he could feel the vampire trying to get into his head, and that snapped him awake immediately. So he spent hours pacing the cell, trying to keep himself awake. When he could no longer do that because he was so shaky, he sat down in a corner as close as he could to the force field, his knees drawn up and his arms resting on top. And a dozen times he followed the same routine afterward; first his head would droop until it was resting on his forearms, and when he'd start to doze off he'd tip into the force field. That worked better than a bucket of cold water in the face.
And every time it happened, the damn vampire would laugh. It wasn't much of a laugh, just a dry raspy sound that was barely heard, but it was a laugh nonetheless.
He really hated the undead.
John had his head sitting on his forearms, and he wasn't even aware he had nodded off until his shoulder hit that damn force field. "Shit!" he yelled as he pulled away. Then he heard that damn wheezy chuckle. "Oh, will you shut the HELL UP!!" he yelled so loud his own throat hurt and the veins and cords of his neck stood out. He settled back into his cramped, ass numbing position.
"You are amusing, changeling," the vampire rasped.
"Fuck you!" John bellowed back.
"Why do you continue to fight me? What I have to offer is far more pleasant than anything these … humans have planned for you. Let me set you free. Give in, it is only a matter of time." He bared his teeth, and for a second his black tongue flicked out across his ivory fangs. "I can ease your suffering."
John was tired enough he found himself actually listening. He started to get to his feet, but when he lost his balance and fell into the force field, again, that snapped him out of the light trance. He bellowed, and cussed, and generally threw a tantrum until his blood was pumping and his heart was pounding. And the vampire laughed. God, he really hated the fucking undead. He sat back down and glared at the thing.
There was the sound of a heavy door sliding open somewhere beyond the cells. John instantly shot to his feet and only swayed a little. His pulse was hammering in his temples as he watched Kolya and his men enter, all of them deliberately averting their gaze from the vampire. It turned its head and hissed faintly but did not move.
Kolya stopped in front of John's cell, a faintly amused smile barely lighting his face. "Were you able to get some rest?" he asked lightly.
John was as far away from the colonel as he could get and pacing. He rubbed his mouth as he went three steps, turned, went three steps. "Oh, like you really give a shit," he said as he put his hands on his hips. He forced himself to stand still, but the adrenaline that was pumping from pure rage had him moving again a second later. Three steps, turn, three steps, turn. And Kolya just watched him with that damn smirk on his face. If only that damn force field wasn't between him and that asshole ...
His thoughts must have flitted across his face because Kolya chuckled. "You seem tense," he said rather condescendingly as he deliberately stepped closer to the bars.
"Could be the present company," John snarled back . He twitched his chin towards the vampire. "Chuckles, there – not so much." That made the smug fucker's smile falter. John stopped and held his arms out. "So, c'mon, damn it! Do your worst. I'm sick of this waiting shit," he yelled.
"Yes, do get on with it," the vampire rasped quietly. "You play with your victims as much as we do. Perhaps even more so. It is truly pathetic."
Kolya's amusement disappeared completely, and the muscles along his jaw bunched.
"He does have a point," John said through his teeth, and when he saw Kolya frown he couldn't help smiling smugly. "What, you been taking lessons?"
"Silence," Kolya gritted out.
The vampire smiled, but a second later his face crumpled and took on a parody of pain. When it spoke its voice wasn't the dry, sandpapery tone from earlier. It was younger, and oh, so frail and human. "Why do you forsake me so, father?"
John thought it was just more vampire mind games until he felt the wave of grief mixed with fury come off the colonel. He looked at the man and saw his mask was completely gone, and the raw emotions that showed were almost too much to bear.
"Please, don't leave me in here," the vampire said again, the hurt and pleading in its voice completely at odds with its horrible appearance. "Let me out. Please."
Kolya snapped. "You are not my son!" he yelled at the vampire, his control slipping. "Michael … is … dead!"
"Father, you hurt me," Michael said in his former voice. Then the lips drew back and he started laughing in that dry, undead way that reminded John of scuffing his feet through fall leaves.
"Drop the shield," Kolya whispered. When one of his men balked he repeated, "Drop the shield!" The green disappeared in a flash and Kolya had his sidearm in his hand. He emptied the Beretta's clip into Michael in a matter of seconds. The vampire rocked with every shot but didn't make a move to attack or retreat, then it slowly toppled backwards and collapsed in a boneless heap, dead eyes staring upwards and thick brackish blood oozing out of its wounds. The smell of rot filled the air.
And still it laughed.
The second the shield lowered John dashed forward, but drowned out by the nine mil were two softer discharges. The two tranquilizer darts caught John in the stomach and he doubled over as his hands found the bars. He backed up and pulled them out immediately, but whatever they used this time worked much faster. His knees hit the concrete, hard, and he sat down on his heels like he was back at Ronon's Aikido class. He stayed like that, too, his mouth open in a WTF expression before another dart hit him and the door to the cell slid open. This stuff made him feel completely numb as he fumbled that last dart out of his thigh, and he was fully aware of Kolya coming in and standing over him. John grinned crookedly up at the colonel as he swayed but still remained upright. "Got his looks from Mom, huh?" he barely slurred out. He saw Kolya backhand the gun at him but didn't feel a thing before everything exploded in white.
-oOo-
This time when John came to his left cheek was pressed against slightly warmer tile instead of concrete. Not much of an improvement. But everything smelled sterile, and that was much better than the sickeningly sweet, cloying odor of decay any day. He was still numb, and when he tried to open his right eye, he couldn't. So he lifted his head a little and opened his left eye, and as he got his right forearm under him and braced against the floor the first thing he saw was a little puddle of drool. He immediately felt his mouth with his left hand. Yup, his cheek was even soaked. As he wiped that away he decided he felt like he'd been hit with a full body dose of Novocain, and it wasn't as pleasant as it sounded.
John lifted his head and took stock of his new surroundings. Looked like a private hospital room all done in ceramic tile. There was a single hospital style bed, a fluorescent light on the wall above it, ports for oxygen – yup, just like a hospital room. And in the corner was a stainless steel sink and toilet. John whimpered at the sight. He tried to get to his feet, but his legs just wouldn't cooperate, so he wound up crawling over to them. He used the toilet for leverage and pulled himself up to the sink. A second later he had the water on and had his face under the stream. He drank until he practically burbled, and by the time his thirst was satiated his legs were starting to work again. But that also meant all the little aches and pains were starting to voice their opinions as well.
He shut the water off, and with hands still braced on the sink John finally looked at his reflection in the polished steel mirror on the wall. His right eye and cheek were swollen and purple, and on his forehead was another bruise as well. There were actually some hand towels and washcloths stocked in a small shelf by the sink, so he grabbed a towel and soaked it in cold water. He hissed when he held it to his eye and cheek, but damn that felt good.
John turned to his right to see what the rest of the room looked like and froze. The entire wall by the door was a floor to ceiling window that looked out into a wide hallway, and the door was basically a frosted glass panel in a heavy frame with a handle. And across from his new cell was another room just like his.
And its occupant was watching him calmly, her head slightly cocked to one side.
John staggered over to the window and put a hand on it to steady himself. The woman had flawless café au lait skin and bronze hair, and her eyes were the color of old pennies. She wore no make-up but she was still almost too beautiful to be real. She was also wearing scrubs, and what he could see of her arms showed definition and strength in those graceful limbs. She smiled at him and bowed her head briefly, and even though they were separated by fifteen feet and two layers of very thick glass he could feel the cool, quiet power radiating from her.
"You're … you're Sidhe," he whispered, his breath briefly fogging the glass. Holy crap – Kolya captured a fucking Faerie! he thought to himself, his mouth hanging slightly open. Oh, man, is that going to piss off her clan. Then he felt a faint flutter in his mind, and a second later he heard her voice in his head.
Yes, it is.
John sat down heavily on the floor. She smiled again and he heard her musical laughter flutter through his head a second later.
End Note: Author stands on tippy toes and peers out into smoke a rubble left by Kolya Bomb. "Um, hello? Hellooooooooo?"
