Disclaimer: Everything you recognise from the film series isn't mine.

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The Lone Wolf

The more time he spent in Ordghaz after Amelia's Awakening, the more Lucian found himself wondering if he had ruined his own plans by rallying the werewolves against the vampires so quickly after Sonja's death. He appreciated that he hadn't exactly been in a position to think rationally after everything he had lost during those dark days, and he had needed the numbers to have any chance of doing serious damage to the Death Dealers, but after everything that had happened since his attempt to abduct Michael Corvin he was starting to see that his approach may have also had its disadvantages. If he had mounted a more discreet campaign and made it clear that his main goal was to avenge Sonja by killing Viktor, he might have been able to make more of an impression on the vampires and give himself a chance to find another way.

It wasn't as though he suddenly thought that approach would have been easier, but it might have given him a chance to get what he was after in a more direct manner. He had been consumed by rage against the vampires as a whole after Sonja's death, but if he had taken the time to try and convince some of the council that he hadn't been responsible for that… Viktor's intelligence and strength of will had earned him the respect of other vampires, but he was coming to realise that it hadn't made the Elder entirely popular. Viktor had been able to build up a new reputation after Lucian's attack destroyed most of the Council (he still wondered how the Elder had escaped after their duel in the sewers), but if Lucian had taken his time to think more about what he was doing…

In any case, he couldn't change what had happened in the past, so all he had right now was the hope that he could do better from this point on. He still wasn't sure if Amelia's plans to help William would accomplish anything, but he could appreciate the symbolic value behind her efforts. Even if nothing came of it, the notion of a vampire Elder even trying to help the original werewolf would show that the vampires as a whole were willing to do more for the lycans than even Lucian could have hoped for in the past. Sonja had obviously respected him as an equal, and Lucian wouldn't judge her for not doing more when so few lycans had ever given her reason to think that their people could be more than animals, but that Amelia was willing to do this much was enough for now.

He slightly regretted that he couldn't have joined them on this particular excursion, but right now Singe's scientific expertise was more useful, and he and Raze were needed to keep an eye on things back in Budapest. Amelia had been able to appoint her own regent to keep an eye on the vampires while she was away, but while Lucian was contemplating stepping down from his position it was best for him to stay and keep an eye on the lycans during this transition of power for the moment. Even if Marcus was able to keep his brother under control, Amelia was necessary as the only person able to make sure Marcus didn't go too far. Kahn was leading a group of Death Dealers if extra security was needed, and Singe had brought a few extra lycans along for potential reinforcement. Michael Corvin had also joined the mission in case having another relative present would help get through to William in his current mental state, although Lucian was sure he wasn't the only one speculating that Michael had only used that as an excuse to stay with Selene.

Still, for the moment, he was going to do something he hadn't done for as long as he could remember and go out for the night, taking advantage of the opportunities presented by this developing truce to enjoy the relative peace of Budapest. Lucian had been in hiding for so long that he couldn't even remember a time when he could just go out and have a walk somewhere… there was just something appealing about the idea of basically doing nothing for once…

A part of Selene pondered the irony that she had only achieved this apparent high position in the coven when nobody was actively trying to give it to her any more. Viktor had tried to encourage her to have more ambition when she had been content to just be a good soldier, and obviously Kraven had done his best to offer her power even if that had only been with the 'condition' of her becoming his consort, but now she had become a key part of the new alliance between the vampires and the lycans simply because she had decided to do something other than shoot Michael Corvin when she realised he was a lycan.

It was still amazing to her that everything had changed so much simply because she had decided to do something other than shoot a lycan, especially when that decision had been motivated by a desire to learn more about a pack that turned out to not exist. It was even more amazing to her that she had come to care so much about Michael despite knowing what he was, but the fact that this choice had led to her taking part in a peace movement with the lycans…

If the me of a year ago knew what I would become…

Selene forced that particular thought down, fully aware that her younger self would have probably shot Michael just to stop him 'corrupting' her without sufficient context. As it was, right now she chose to focus on looking down on territory she hadn't seen for centuries from a completely new perspective, travelling by helicopter to retrace the steps she'd taken when she was a mortal child to find the site of her father's greatest work. The fine details had obviously changed since those long-ago days, but now that she was thinking back on those days, she could spot a few landmarks, such as a distinctive cliff-face or the trees that had just been a small copse and were now a larger forest.

"There," she said at last, indicating a particular mountain ridge. "Follow that trail, and we'll find the fortress."

"Fortress?" Kahn looked curiously at Selene. "I thought this was a prison?"

"My father was instructed to create an intimidating impression when building this place," Selene explained as the helicopters adjusted their flight path. "I think the goal was to ensure that anybody who did find the fortress would choose to avoid it out of fear of whoever might live there."

"A reasonable idea," Amelia nodded in acknowledgement at the younger vampire. "What else do you remember?"

"A few details about the path from the main gate, and… I think I remember how the lock is meant to work… ultimately, it's nothing that we can't just refine when we get there."

"And we're sure we can stop him going on a new rampage?" Michael looked anxiously around at the others. "I mean, if this guy was that dangerous back in the day…"

"He'll be weakened from hunger and we're prepared to keep him contained," Kahn said, giving Michael a reassuring nod. "It would still be a risk to face William unarmed, but if we're careful about provoking him… I wouldn't say everything will go smoothly, but I think we can make this work."

"Don't want to jinx it, huh?" Michael smiled carefully over at the dark-skinned vampire. "I… guess I can go with that."

"There," Selene said, as the prison fortress came into view up ahead. Perched on top of a smaller hill surrounded by mountains, it had clearly fallen into disrepair since its original construction and the complete lack of maintenance, but overall it was still in surprisingly good shape given its age, with most of the towers still standing even if the exterior walls were no longer completely intact.

"Head back around towards the river," Selene said, the helicopter adjusting its flight path to respond to her instructions. As it turned around, Selene held up a hand as she looked thoughtfully at the scene below, trying to take it in while recalling how she would have seen it as a child, until she nodded. "There it is; that dip in the cliff."

"How did anyone get inside this place from there?" Singe asked, wincing at the state of the ruins before them.

"There was a river entrance in that area back when the fortress was constructed," Selene observed, indicating the relevant part of the cliff. "It must be submerged now."

"Looks like we're getting wet," Kahn shrugged, checking his guns as he glanced over at Michael. "I take it you can swim?"

"Yeah," Michael nodded, opening his mouth as though about to ask a question before he stopped himself. Selene guessed that he'd been planning to ask about diving equipment before he remembered that everyone here was so physically enhanced that oxygen wasn't likely to be an issue.

Once the group had collected their weapons and confirmed that the pilot was to remain in radio contact, they leapt from the vehicle and into the water below. Looking ahead, Selene saw the tunnel she recalled from when she and her sister had accompanied their father when he was going to work. The rest of the group close behind her, Selene swam resolutely towards the tunnel, eventually entering the dark stone and beginning to move into the old fortress. Selene hadn't had much reason to practise holding her breath like this for a while, but she was only just beginning to feel short of oxygen before she realised the roof of the tunnel wasn't there any more and ascended to find herself inside the fortress.

The tunnel in front of her was full of damaged and half-submerged construction equipment, which at least supported her memories of the project. From what she could recall, after a certain point, her father had been ordered to stop his work and leave the fortress as it was, which reinforced her growing suspicion that Viktor had publically claimed this place was intended to be a fortress and the plans for it to be a more focused prison had been relatively discreet.

As the rest of the 'strike team' emerged from the water behind her, Selene led the way into the large chamber at the end of the water-filled corridor. The wooden walkways were still surprisingly intact- she wondered if it was a sign of the quality of the woodwork or the fortress's design had protected them from the worst of the weather- and the stone walls and stairs had come through surprisingly well after this long. She could just hear the helicopter as it flew around the fortress, but the stone walls had an odd echo effect that made it harder to keep track of where it was. Selene guessed the pilot was trying to find a good point to wait overhead until they were ready to confirm that they had found William and were ready to move him, but

"What way?" Amelia asked from behind her.

"…This way," Selene said after a moment's thought. She obviously hadn't seen the moment when William was left in this prison, but the memory of exactly where she had seen the locket being prepared for a key was sticking out in her mind now that she was thinking on it. The lower path leading to the prison cell was flooded up to waist level, and some of the wooden supports had collapsed and rotted, but overall Selene was impressed at how her father's work had held up over the centuries. She paused for a moment beside a childish sketch of a sun, fingers wistfully tracing the pattern from long ago.

"Was that…?" Michael asked from behind her.

"Mine," Selene nodded, fighting down the urge to let out a tear or two at the memory. "And my sister… we were only around six years old at the time."

"Whoa…" Michael looked at the drawing with a slight smile even as his expression also showed his shock at the implications regarding Selene's age. Selene would be happy to clarify later that she was fairly sure her father had designed a much later prison for William rather than him being responsible for keeping the first werewolf contained from the beginning, but this wasn't the time for that talk.

Walking onward a little further, the group arrived at what seemed to be a blank stone wall, but it only took a few moments of thought for Selene to recall the secret door her father had created for this part of the fortress. Taking the amulet and the circular key out of her pocket, Selene locked the two together and the 'teeth' extended out from the edges. Moving towards the door, she took a moment to feel for the lock- it was now underwater and she had obviously been shorter the last time she was here- before she placed the circular object in position and turned it. Once the device gave a confirming click, she stepped back as the wall in front of the group slid upwards, revealing another partially flooded corridor on the other side with a short flight of steps at the end.

Recalling the plan they had previously discussed, Selene stepped aside to allow Marcus to take the lead, the eldest vampire walking forward just a bit faster than decorum would normally allow to approach the sarcophagus-like structure at the other end of the small hall. Selene wasn't sure if this had been a deliberate design choice on her father's part or if Viktor had at least offered some ideas about his desires, but a part of her was glad that she wouldn't have to learn the answer for certain.

In any case, she, Amelia and Kahn took up position around the 'sarcophagus' while Michael moved forward to join Marcus, leaving Singe at the back. The hope was that Michael's connection to the Corvinus bloodline would help appeal to William's humanity, while Singe was best kept at the back until they were ready for him to examine William in more depth. As Marcus placed the key and turned it once again, 'clamps' around the main circle opened up and chains around the sarcophagus-like door were pulled away, followed by hatches popping open and the final door opening to reveal the still form of the original werewolf.

Even with the tales she had heard for the last few hours and the centuries she had spent fighting lycans, Selene couldn't stop herself feeling a brief chill at the sight. Even in the dark and after centuries of isolation, William's sheer white fur made him an intimidating sight, and somehow his relatively frail appearance made it seem worse, as though he was a ghost of a lycan rather than a living being. For a moment there was silence, but then William let out a loud snarl and walked out of the 'sarcophagus', the chains that had been holding him breaking with ease.

"No, William, stop!" Marcus said, holding up a hand as the werewolf advanced while Marcus retreated to the wall. Amelia, Kahn and Selene's hands moved to their weapons, but Marcus waved them back with one hand even as the other remained outstretched towards his brother.

"Be still, brother, it's me!" the eldest vampire said, even as William's initial snarls faded to what even Selene had to concede sounded like a curious growl. "I'd no sooner harm you than myself… and I bring you Julius's descendant also."

Julius? Selene briefly asked herself, before Marcus stepped slightly to the side and waved Michael over. She tensed as her lycan… friend… walked over to stand with Marcus in front of William, but Selene let herself relax slightly as William still seemed to be curious rather than hostile.

"Uh… hi?" Michael said, looking tentatively up at the original werewolf. "So… I think you're my… great-uncle or something? Probably a lot more 'greats' in there…"

Selene's hands remained over her weapons as William's head moved so that he was sniffing closely at Michael, but she took care to hold back. She still wasn't sure if Marcus was right to think that he had any kind of influence over his brother, but if William wasn't given a reason to attack, they might still have a chance to get out of this without anyone getting hurt…

"Michael and I… our friends think that they can help you, William," Marcus said, moving to stand beside Michael as he looked up at his brother. "It will be difficult, but… if you let us, we believe that we can bring you back to who you were."

William let out a cautious growl and tilted his head in a manner that gave the impression he was at least listening, although whether he understood any of it was another matter.

"You're just… you're going to need to trust us, OK?" Michael said, stepping forward slightly as he held up his hands. Selene wasn't sure if William was truly aware of the full connection between himself and Michael, but the way he cautiously sniffed at Michael at least suggested he registered something about his once-mortal descendant. "We think we can help you… but you have to let us…"

As William turned to look at her, Amelia and Kahn, Selene tensed in preparation for an attack, but the first werewolf simply sniffed and stared at them, even if Selene noted Marcus placing a hand on his brother's neck.

"Easy, William," the Elder said, although Selene took note of how he looked back at her and Kahn in particular. "Nobody here will hurt you… this is all safe…"

William still let out a low growl, but for the moment he at least seemed willing to follow Marcus's example as the vampire Corvinus led his lupine brother to the other end of the corridor. Amelia, Selene and Kahn carefully moved to the side as William walked by, allowing Singe and Michael to basically take point so that they could take care to avoid provoking the wolf.

This… might work… Selene allowed herself to hope as they approached the main hall. If we can just get William somewhere secure to work on treating him…

The sound of someone landing on the ground in the main hall was enough to stop Selene's hope that this was going to be simple. The rest of the group all froze as they registered the sound, and the way William's growl became more openly hostile made it clear that something had happened. Unsure what was going on, Selene kept her hands near her guns and moved cautiously forward, the others falling into position behind her, Kahn right behind her while the Elders and the lycans gathered around William. Peering carefully around the corner, Selene was initially just confused when she saw another group of Death Dealers, but fought down the urge to swear when she recognised one of them.

"Semira," she whispered as she looked back at Kahn.

"Damnit," Kahn said, glancing around the corner to confirm the presence of Viktor's other former protégé for himself. "That's not good…"