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

Feedback: Always appreciated.

The Lone Wolf

She would always prefer to be out in the field rather than analysing data, but Selene was surprised to find that her current research was actually proving to be rather interesting. The implications of the early historical records of the war were disturbing, but when she started looking between the lines she found herself wondering more about what the coven hadn't been told over the centuries.

There were obvious records about Lucian's first attack on the coven, when he had rallied the local lycans to mount a daylight offensive that only the Elders and a few others survived, but there was very little about what had actually provoked that initial attack in the first place. In the past Selene would have accepted that as Lucian just deciding that it had been a good time to attack, but after meeting Michael, she had to admit to herself that it couldn't be that simple. If Lucian had as much self-control as Michael did, it was hard to imagine a lycan with that much of a sense of self just charging a vampire fortress for no reason, but as it was there was nothing in the archives to indicate the catalyst for Lucian's attack. If there had been time, Selene would have been interested in following that avenue of inquiry further, but as it was she had to prioritise protecting the coven and Michael from Lucian's schemes.

She had become so desperate that she had even considered suggesting to Kahn that they could Awaken Viktor ahead of schedule to make an appeal on Michael's behalf, but it hadn't taken long for her to realise that wasn't a practical solution. Even if she could convince Kahn that it was worth the risk, neither she or Kahn had the mental training necessary to give Viktor a full memory 'download' of her suspicions. Kahn didn't know enough about the situation to give the Elder a clear picture, and if Selene tried anything herself Viktor would likely end up focusing on the memories of the months she'd spent helping Michael over her more recent suspicions about Kraven. No matter how much she wanted to trust her sire, his hatred of lycans was so deeply entrenched that he would almost certainly focus on that detail and not properly register everything else she wanted to share with him. Viktor's commitment to the vampire race couldn't be questioned, but that meant he would be too uncompromising at any suggestion of betrayal no matter how justified Selene felt she had been.

Looking back, this was the first time Selene regretted focusing on her weapons and combat skills over other, less obviously combat-relevant skills. Viktor had done his best to encourage an interest in the wider politics of the coven, but Selene was only now starting to realise that she should have taken more of an interest. She'd told herself that she was focusing on what was really important, but without her reputation as a Death Dealer, she didn't have the connections to be sure anyone else would believe her about Kraven's scheme.

When Kahn came back to her room, Selene was frankly grateful to have something else to think about in this complicated mess, even if he was carrying a large bag with what could only be weapons. Whatever he had to tell her, it would at least be an opponent that she could likely handle more directly than this historical research.

"Kraven's sending Soren and his men to collect Amelia."

"Soren?" Selene repeated in surprise, before her eyes narrowed in contempt as the pieces fell into place. "Oh, of course he would…"

"What?"

"If Kraven is working with the lycans, do you think he'll let any Elder have a chance to interfere if he can stop it?" Selene observed. "Obviously Amelia and Marcus would be at risk during the transition, and Viktor's obviously no threat to any plans in his current state, but if any of them had the slightest suspicion of anything they would have the authority to order a more active investigation into Kraven's activities then what we've been able to do so far."

"But… attacking an Elder?" Kahn looked at her with growing incredulity. "Selene, we can't even be sure what he's planning-?"

"But we both know that the coven is essentially vulnerable during an Awakening," Selene pointed out. "We may consolidate our forces here to ensure the Elders' protection, but if an enemy knew where to go it wouldn't be impossible for someone to get inside and do some serious damage before we could properly retaliate."

"…True," Kahn acknowledged. He wanted to object to the idea that he would ever do less than his best, but as Selene had observed, the security required for an Awakening was always a challenge. With the right inside man, it wouldn't be impossible for an enemy to get inside the mansion if they had a suitable plan…

"So what do you suggest?" he looked uncertainly at Selene; when he felt this off-kilter at so many uncertainties, he wanted some kind of assurance of their next step. "If Soren is involved, we can't exactly warn Amelia before she arrives-"

"Can't we?" Selene grinned.

"What are you thinking?" Kahn looked at her with a thoughtful smile.

"Whatever Kraven's done, I think we can both agree that he doesn't have the imagination to do anything particularly elaborate if he's going against Amelia," Selene explained. "I'd guess that the plan is simply to intercept her train when it arrives at the station and let the lycans attack, so all we need to do is intercept the train before it arrives and warn her own forces what to expect."

"…Risky, but workable," Kahn nodded cautiously as he considered the idea before he indicated the window. "I took your window off the security alarm, so we can leave right now if you want."

"Out the window?"

"I have a feeling we don't want Kraven to know we're going anywhere," Kahn observed. "I've left orders with my staff to keep an eye on things while I deal with some personal concerns; they'll call me if something happens."

"And until then, they have plausible deniability," Selene nodded in understanding as she stood up. "Let's go."

Not for the first time, Selene was grateful that Kraven's biggest weakness as a tactician was his ego. She didn't doubt that he'd taken precautions against anyone attacking him directly while he made his plans, but he had always struck Selene as the kind of person who was so used to confronting his enemies directly that he wasn't prepared to face someone coming at him from another angle. Add in that he probably assumed his authority over the coven was greater than it actually was, and she liked to hope that most vampires would turn on him given the right incentive; her only challenge at the moment was finding enough convincing evidence to support her claim.

Frankly, Selene would be prepared to bet (if she was the type to make bets) that Kraven didn't even know about the emergency garage, or if he ever had it was just in the sense that he'd filled out the paperwork to approve it and then forgotten all about it. It had been common to keep horses away from the main house in past centuries as the animals tended to get uncomfortable around vampires when they were being trained early on. Once cars had become common, there was obviously no need for the Death Dealers to keep horses as a means of transport, but the idea of keeping some cars outside the main building had been an easy call for the Death Dealers just in case they needed something on shorter notice. She and Kahn had spotted a few extra guards around the edge of the mansion as they left via her window, but it had been simple to avoid them on their way to the emergency garage a short distance from the main gates. The drive away from the mansion had been particularly fast for the first few minutes to ensure they got ahead of anyone who might have decided to follow them, but once they reached the public roads Selene adjusted her speed to a more regular rate.

"You do realise that Amelia's entourage aren't going to stop in advance just because we want them to?" Kahn observed, looking uncomfortable in the passenger seat. Selene didn't like to feel like she was essentially putting her friend in a position to be an extra when he was the head of the Death Dealers, but as Kahn had pointed out, he was used to directing others so he had no problem letting someone else take charge in the current situation.

"I'm aware," Selene replied, turning up the speed as she spoke. "But we have the route the train will take on schedule, and I know a few areas where this road and the line will intersect."

"…I don't know if I should be concerned that we're seriously considering this," Kahn looked cautiously at her. "Are you suggesting-?"

"Can you think of a better way to get on board before they reach the station?" Selene pointed out. "Soren and his men can secure the destination point as much as they like, but Kraven doesn't have the imagination to think of us attempting something like this."

"Which doesn't automatically make it a good plan-"

"But better than most of the obvious alternatives," Selene said, her tone firm as she took a couple of sharp corners, heading anxiously for her chosen intersection point. In terms of desperate plans, she admitted that she had briefly found herself considering the idea of calling Michael for back-up, but that idea had been quickly abandoned. Her friend might be getting better control of his wolf side, but dumping a lycan in the middle of a group of Death Dealers guarding an Elder was just asking for trouble. Even in Selene's most optimistic thoughts, that just led to Michael getting killed by some other vampire who wouldn't be interested in hearing her explanation for why this particular lycan wasn't dead already. Once she had actually managed to save Amelia and expose Kraven's treachery, she'd do her best to explain Michael's situation and hope that the Elder would be willing to show him leniency.

Despite his own apprehension, Kahn seemed to accept her current plan as he simply settled into the passenger seat in silence as she continued towards her chosen destination. One advantage of Selene's plan was that the Elders appreciated status and comfort over speed, which meant that Amelia hadn't updated her train since she originally purchased it. While the Elder could have acquired a new train over the last century, from what Selene had heard the female Elder preferred to stick with what worked rather than bother with upgrades. The current train might not be the fastest model on the market, but it was sturdy and reliable, and from what Selene had heard the carriages were designed for maximum comfort.

She had never had the pleasure of meeting Amelia on the train herself, but a part of Selene was still curious to see how the Elder styled herself in relative private, even if the obvious priority was to protect her.

Most of the journey was essentially a blur, Selene's mind focused on the goal she'd planned out the moment she realised that an Elder was in danger. Obviously the priority was to get on board the train and warn Amelia, but after they had managed to save her and expose Kraven…

"…Is it wrong to realise that I'm glad Viktor isn't here?"

"Viktor?" Kahn looked at Selene in surprise. "Obviously you wouldn't want him to be in danger-"

"That's not what I meant," Selene cut Kahn off, slightly regretting the enhanced senses that made it so easy for her to keep up this speed and this conversation at the same time. "I mean… as much as part of me would want him here… even if I owe everything I've become to him… another part of me is glad I don't have to justify my actions to him yet."

"Michael," Kahn said after a brief silence, looking at her with a cautious curiosity. "He… means that much to you?"

Somehow, even when part of Selene had been expecting someone to ask that question, it still came as a shock when it was actually said out loud. The issue of what Michael meant to her should have been a simple question to answer, considering everything she'd told herself about his potential as an asset, but after everything he'd shared with her since that first moment of contact… the films they'd watched together… the way he reacted to her even in his transformed state…

"He's… important to me," she said at last, hoping that Kahn wouldn't ask for more. She'd never been comfortable discussing emotional issues like this in the past, but part of that could just as easily have been because she hadn't really had to deal with such issues for decades. Even after knowing Michael for months, the idea that she had a social contact outside the Death Dealers felt almost as strange as the idea that she had spent this much time with a lycan without killing him. The idea of there being more to their relationship than that…

Selene wouldn't say that she was against it, but the priority right now was to ensure Amelia's safety. Once she had done something to both expose Kraven's lies and hopefully earn a favour from the active Elder, she might feel more comfortable considering what might happen in her future with Michael.

At least I'll be sure that he has a future…

Even with Selene's best efforts, by the time they reached the intersection point the train was starting to come into range further down the track. Bringing the car to a halt close to a short bridge over the track, Selene and Kahn practically leapt out of the car and headed for the bridge, taking up position on the edge of the bridge as they waited for the train. The jump would have been risky at best for any human, but with the long training of the Death Dealers, neither vampire was concerned about that part of the current plan. As soon as the train reached the bridge, both of them leapt from the bridge and rolled along the roof of the train before leaping back to their feet, running along until they reached the end of the carriages.

After they had jumped down to the back of the train, Kahn opened the rear door and walked inside, Selene closing the door behind them. The two had only walked a short distance into the red-walled carriage interior before they found themselves facing a trio of Amelia's personal Death Dealers, the other vampires pointing their weapons at the intruders.

"We are not here to do any harm," Kahn said, raising his arms as he addressed the new arrivals, clearly trusting Selene to follow his example. "We wish to speak with Amelia on an urgent matter."