Salazar's Tower, New Covington - a little later

[allie_vamp]

Salazar had changed into a new suit jacket before escorting Allie back into the elevator and down into the lower levels of the tower. He led the way down a dimly lit corridor and through a guarded door into a stark white room that reeked of blood and chemicals. Individual beds lined one wall and every one held a body. Moans of anguish drifted through the air as the bodies thrashed weakly, held in place by thick leather straps. Several pale figures in white coats moved among the cots, checking on the patients.



"Dr. Emerson," Salazar said as one of the white coated vampires approached him. "What is the status of those infected?"

"At this point?" The doctor shook his head. "They're fucked. Sorry to put it so bluntly, but that's how it is. I'm probably going to need a whole new batch to study by the end of the week. I might start shooting this group in the head to get them to stop screeching and babbling at me nonstop."

"I'm not going to risk sending my people into the Fringe to retrieve more test subjects for you, Dr. Emerson. You will have to make do with these," Salazar warned. "And our 'volunteer.' Is he still alive?"

Emerson's face fell. "Yes," he murmured. "Barely. I'm beginning to think we should just take his head and put him out of his misery." He looked at the Prince for consent, but Salazar remained impassive. The doctor nodded slowly. "You want to see him? Follow me."

Allie was trying to control her growing impatience. "I thought we were going to see Kanin," she said as they trailed the doctor down another hallway. "You gave your word you would release him."

The Prince smiled coldly. "Patience, girl. I assure you, Kanin is not going anywhere. But before you meet your sire, I want you to see this."

This was a rotting corpse laying on a mattress in a dark room. It's flesh was decayed and blackened in areas, showing hints of bone beneath. The skin of its chest cavity had withered and shriveled away and ribs poked up through disintegrating flesh. Its skull lay on the pillow, gazing sightlessly at the ceiling, much of the skin rotted away. Allie could see the curve of bone in its jaw, the outline of teeth through its wasted cheek. Just as she started to wonder why Salazar would show her this, the corpse turned its head and stared right at her with brght, glassy eyes and opened its mouth in a silent scream.

It was a vampire, or it had been once, Allie realized. She could its fangs and hear them click as it opned and closed its mouth. Horrified, Allie realized he was alert. He knew what was happening to him.

"Disturbing, is it not?" Salazar asked as he stepped to Allie's side.

"What happened to him?"

"He was volunteered for an experiment," the Prince explained, resting his hand on the bed railing. "And was given the infected blood of the humans in the Fringe. This is what happens when we feed on the sick outside. Not only does the virus affect humans, it carries over to any vampire who bites one fo the infected. We start to rot away from the inside, until our bodies are so damaged they cannot sustatin us anymore. Now you understand why we must find this madman," he continued. "If a cure is not found, we could all end up like this."

Point made, Salazar turned away. After one last look at the horrific corpse, Allie hurried after him.

They traveled down more hallways and several flights of stairs until they ended up in front of a massive pair of steel doors, padlocked shut and barred from the outside. Salazar gestured and the guards removed the bar and unlocked the chains. The doors opened with an earsplitting groan.

A bloated, hulking figure lumbered towards them and eyed Allie curiously.

"Take us to Kanin," Salazar ordered.

The jailor grunted and lurched down the corridor. They followed, stepping over puddles and weaving around pillars until they reached the last cell. Through the bars Allie could see a pale, ragged shape, shirtless and filthy, huddled against the far wall. Heavy iron chains dangled from rings set into the wall, jangling sofly as the figure shifted on the hard ground.

Salazar and the guards stopped, but Allie edged closer until she was touching the cell door. "Kanin, I'm here."

He raised his head and Allie shuddered in horror. The face was his, but the man staring across the cell was a shadow of the mentor Allie remembered. His eyes were hollow and sunken as he stared at Allie with not spark of recognition, no sense of self, nothing but Hunger. His lips curled back, revealing deadly fangs and he lunged forward with a roar.

Allie jerked back, even as the chains brought him up short, several feet from the bars. She clenched her fists, refusing to believe that Kanin was gone. He was too strong. There had to be something of him left.

"He can't hear you now, girl," the Prince said, a pleased smile on his face. "He doesn't recognize you, or me, or anyone. All he knows at this moment is Hunger. Let us hope that his mind is still intact when he comes out of his blood frenzy."

Guards approached, bags of blood in their hands. They tossed them at Kanin's feet and he fell on them instantly, ripping the bags to shreds in seconds and gulping down the blood inside, until his lips and hands were dripping with red and the floor of his cell was spattered with it.

"Now it is up to you," Salazar stated, dropping a small iron key into Allie's palm. "If you think you can reach him, you may go into his cell and ree him from his chains. But be warned-if he is truly Lost, he will attack you viciously, and if that happens, we will not open the cell door again. You wil be trapped with a mindless, savage Master vampire and he will tear you apart. So be very certain, Kanin's daughter. Are you sure you want to do this? Do you trust your sire that much?"

Allie closed her fist around the key. "Just open the door."

At Salazar's nod, the massive vampire jailer unlocked the door and held it open, then locked it securely once Allie had stepped through. Slowly but deliberately, she moved forward until she stood just outside the reach of Kanin's chains.

"It's Allison. Can you hear me?" she asked very softly. "I'm going to set you free. I don't know if you can understand what I'm saying right now, but I'd appreciate it if you didn't try to kill me when I get close."

Kanin shifted the tiniest bit, but he gave no indication that he'd heard or understood what Allie had said. For the first time Allie was truly afraid. Not because she might lose Kanin, but because for the first time she could see the true demon that hid under Kanin's normally cool facade. Stripped down of awareness, of logic and reason, he was just a monster waiting to feed. The monster she could become.

Still moving slowly, Allie undid the iron shackles that bound her sire with shaking hands. As the last iron cuff fell away, Kanin finally moved. His head came up and turned towards Allie as if he'd just realized how close she was. For a split second she met his blank, glass stare and dared to hope.

Then his lips curled back from his fangs and she knew she was dead.

Allie threw herself backwards as Kanin snarled and lunged, his eyes bright with madness. She wasn't nearly fast enough. Kanin grabbed her leg and dragged her to him, despite her desperate kicks. One hand clamped over her throat, squeezing hard.

Standing, Kanin yanked Allie upright and slammed her into the wall. Her head struck the stone with a crack, but she barely felt that pain as Kanin brought his head down and sank his teeth into the side of her neck.

It was pure, blinding agony. "Kanin," Allie gritted out. "Kanin, please. Stop."

Abruptly, Kanin froze. The hand around Allie's throat loosened slightly and his fangs slid from her neck. "You..." Kanin said, his voice low and raspy. He blinked and his eyes began to clear, the glassiness fading. "I...know you."

Allie nodded painfully. "It's me," she whispered, her own voice ragged. "That ngith in the rain, when you saved me from the rabids.? Do you remember?"

Kanin closed his eyes, his face tormented. When he opened them, Allie watched the last of the madness fade away to be replaced by horror, shame, guilt and despair as recognition broke through at last. "Allison."

"Yeah," Allie nodded, almost collapsing in relief. "It's me. Damn you, Kanin. You were a pain in the ass to find, you know that?"

Kanin didn't answer. Without warning, his hands rose, cradling Allie's face as she went rigid. His stare was awed, hopeful, as if he couldn't believe she was real. "You're here." He closed his eyes again as he bowed his head. "You came."

"You came," he repeated, even as the Prince beckoned them both to freedom.





Dr. Emerson had insisted that Kanin remain under supervision for a least a night while he recovered from being starved for so long. Allie had worried about leaving him, but Salazar had assured her he would be well taken care of. After all, Kanin needed to be alive and well to go after Sarren.


"I have business to attend," Salazar had told her. "If you have need of me, please inform a pet or a guard. I've told you where you can find your temporary quarters, and the servants can attend to your other needs. Feel free to wander about, but remember, you are not to leave the tower until you are ready to go after Sarren. I suggest you do that soon. Tomorrow, perhaps. As soon as the sun goes down."


"Well leave when Kanin is well enough," Allie said flatly.


The Prince's mouth twitched in a humorless smile. "Trust me girl. You do not have long. And neither does Kanin."


With that warning echoing in her head, Allie headed for the elevator. She wanted to make sure Kaidan and Zeke were okay, then she wanted to sleep.

Zeke	Despite having been shown a room to use for the duration of his stay in the Tower, Zeke was waiting in the hall across from the elevator. He wasn't going to be able to rest easily until he knew Allie was okay.
Kaidan	Kaidan wasn't far away, leaning against the wall as he waited. "I'm not the only one who thinks this is a terrible idea, right?"
Zeke	"You're right," Zeke admitted. "But it might be the only chance there is to save the people in this city."
Kaidan	"Working with a vampire prince who treats all these people like playthings?" Kaidan threw him a look. "Who might turn on us at any moment he damn well pleases? I don't like those odds."
Zeke	"Can you do anything to change them though?" he asked. "You might be able to walk away. We're just the humans, I doubt Salazar cares all that much about us, he's focused on Allie and Kanin. But she's not going to walk away. And I'm not leaving her.
Kaidan	"I'm not leaving her either," Kaidan said steadily. "And maybe I'm just shouting pointlessly into the void, I don't know. But I have to say something. I can't just ignore my conscience because I happen to like Allie."
Zeke	"Say what you like. I don't disagree with you. This whole place...This whole world. Is wrong. Life shouldn't be this cheap." Zeke looked down, remembering Darren, trapped in a cage, being torn apart by rabids just to entertain Jackal's raiders. "Nothing's going to change, at least not over night. But I'm going to do what I can. One little thing at a time. And if right now that means tracking down Sarren, I'll do it. Not for Salazar, but for those people we left behind in the Fringe. He's written them off. But if we can find a cure, they might have a chance."
Kaidan	Kaidan was quiet for a moment. "I can respect that," he said finally. He liked Zeke.
Zeke	"Good. Because we're going to need all the help we can get if we have any hope of finding him." The elevator dinged its arrival, immediately drawing Zeke's attention as the doors opened. "God, Allie. What the hell happened? Are you alright?"
Allie	Self-consciously Allie's hand went to the still oozing marks at her throat. "I'm fine. They'll heal in a day or two. Don't worry." She looked around, not particularly surprised that Jackal wasn't there. "Everything quiet up here?"
Kaidan	"Jesus," Kaidan said, walking up close without even bothering to think about it. "I'm putting some medi-gel on that." He reached for his omni-tool.
Allie	"Fine." Medi-gel probably wouldn't do much, but Allie still tipped her head to the side. "You realize I've healed from a lot worse then this."
Kaidan	"You realize I'm a trained combat medic," Kaidan retorted. Actually... had he ever told her that? Probably not. Whatever the case, he held up his omni-tool and sprayed a small quantity of medi-gel on her neck. He'd brought plenty.
Allie	"I didn't know that," Allie said, resisting the urge to poke at the gel. "Thanks."
Zeke	"How did it go down there?" Zeke asked, stepping close and hesitantly resting a hand on Allie's waist. "Is Kanin all right?"
Allie	"He'll be okay. Now." She glanced at Zeke's hand before taking it in her own. "He's resting for now."
Kaidan	"Any idea when we're getting out of here?" Kaidan asked, taking a step aside. He wasn't getting in the way of this one.
Allie	Run Kaidan! Run far away from the star-crossed lovers! "Tomorrow. Well tonight. As soon as the sun sets," Allie told him. "Which means we should get some rest while we can." Sunrise was approaching, she could feel it deep inside. "Do I want to know where Jackal went?"
Zeke	"Last I saw him," Zeke said, "he was with a few other vampires. They were getting along fine. They went upstairs. I didn't follow, just in case someone got hungry."
Allie	"Smart." Allie debated trying to track Jackal down and tell him how things had gone with Kanin, but she doubted he'd really care. Maybe that was the reason she was such a horrible vampire, she cared too much. "Let him have his fun for the night. I'm sure Salazar will make sure he's where he needs to be tonight."
Zeke	"I'm sure he will," Zeke nodded. "He seems like he's used to things going his way." He ducked his head, suddenly not so confident. "Allie do you think we could talk for a bit?"
Kaidan	Kaidan immediately held his hands up and took a step back. "Right, I'll clear the room," he said. "Maybe make sure Jackal isn't doing anything to screw us all over." Heading to the exit now...
Allie	Allie looked between Zeke and Kaidan, half tempted to follow Kaidan and find Jackal just because it would probably be easier then actually talking about feelings and just what the hell was going between her and Zeke. But that was the easy way out and when had she ever chosen easy? "Kick his ass if he is. But be careful." Yes, Kaidan was more then capable of handling himself. But until they were back in Fandom, Allie was going to worry.
Kaidan	"I'll be fine," Kaidan said, then slipped out of the room. Hey, good for Allie.
Zeke	Zeke definitely owed Kaidan a favor for his quick exit. "Come on," Zeke said, tugging gently on Allie's hand. "There's got to be a better place we can talk then a hallway." It took a little searching but eventually they found a quiet balcony at the end of deserted hallway. His eyes focused on the lights of the other two towers, Zeke leaned on the railing and spoke quietly. "I missed you, you know. The whole time I was in Eden, I couldn't stop thinking of you. When I woke up and and they'd told me you had gone...I wanted to go after you then, but I knew I had to take care of the others, that they were my first, my most important responsibility."
Allie	"They were," Allie agreed. "That was the way it was supposed to be. How were they doing when you left?"
Zeke	Zeke tightened his hold on Allie's hand before he continued. "The kids are great. They were adopted by a couple that couldn't have kids of their own. They have chickens and cats and goats, and everything they could ever want. Jake married one of the nurses at the checkpoint clinic, and Silas and Teresa moved into a little cottage by the lake's edge. They're all happy. They're finally home." Zeke smiled, even as his eyes glimmered. "But there was still one person missing. One person I still want to bring home."
Allie	"Eden's not my home." Allie wasn't sure where home was any longer. Was it here in this world of violence and death, or was it Fandom with all its quirks. "That's the one place in this whole world where there are no vampires or rabids, the one place humans are free. They already kicked me out once, Zeke. They're not going to let me walk back in."
Zeke	"You're not like the others," Zeke whispered. "I know you. I've seen you." He turned and pulled Allie closer. "You're the one vampire in the world they might let in. When this is all over, you could come back with me. We could go to Eden together."
Allie	"Stop," Allie murmured, putting her hands on his chest. The Hunger was there. It made her want to step close, pull him in and sink her fangs into his neck like she'd done once before. "I can't, Zeke. I'm still a vampire. That's not going to change. I can't...I won't risk it." "Why didn't you stay there?" she asked, pulling away from his arms. "You were home, Zeke. It was what you were looking for, what you always wanted. Why did you leave?"
Zeke	Letting out a breath, Zeke shrugged. "It wasn't home without you."
Allie	Searching for words, Allie let her gaze drift to the window and the view outside. The sky over the crumbling buildings had faded from black to midnight blue and many of the stars had faded. She stepped back as Zeke stepped towards her and shook her head. "I'm sorry. Good night, Zeke," she said simply and walked down the hall, leaving him alone.