[When the camera comes on, it's to what is very clearly a science lab. But like, an old-timey one - and also possibly one that doubles as a classroom. The floors are wooden, as are the low shelves that hold most of the spare odds and ends (mostly vials and related). The two tables in the room hold a wide variety of scientific apparatuses (mostly old-fashioned biochem devices), and in the back there's a chalkboard that's quite liberally covered with scientific notations.
There are five people in the room: Tesla is one, and is the most immediately recognizable (partially due to the presence of That Mustache), as is Helen. Although given that she's blonde rather than the brunette she is on the Barge and is also (sensibly, given the apparent era) wearing a dress, it might not be so easy to recognize her on first glance. The others all either have their back to the camera or otherwise not immediately familiar.
Absolutely none of them are wearing labcoats. Or any sort of protective gear, for that matter.
Helen is the first to speak, and though her voice is much lighter in tone than it's ever been on the Barge it's still recognizable as her voice.]
Nigel, the Source Blood, please.
[There's a moment of silence at that, but eventually one of the men - presumably the one she's addressing finishes working on what he's doing and passes her a microscope slide full of some sort of blood. Helen nods, as she takes it and then turns to another of the men.]
John, the culture?
[The man she's address looks up at that, with a nod.]
Ready and waiting.
[No sooner has he finished speaking than he starts to take it over to Helen. While he does so, the final man in the room - who'd previously been working at the chalkboard - speaks up.]
Remember the protocols. No mistakes.
Relax, James, [Tesla speaks up, his voice still carrying the accent of his home country] we've done our homework.
[Without missing a beat, Nigel speaks up from where's he's half-leaning against the table.]
Please, Tesla, we're improvising and you know it.
[Judging by the grin Tesla offers in return, this sort of back and forth is something he and Nigel do fairly regularly.]
Well, perhaps it's too rich for your blood, hmm?
[There's a laugh from Nigel at that, and a brief shake of his head.]
Oh, I'm in, mate. Just to see what happens to you.
[He crosses over to the other side of the room, at that, both Tesla and Helen (and John, who has come over to stand next to Helen) watch as he passes by. Before he gets to wherever he might have been going, though, the doorknob rattles. A moment later, the door opens and still another man steps into the room.
All three of them at the table look over at the door, at that; James likewise looks up from his equations with an expression that's partway between confusion and shock. It is, however, Helen who breaks the silence first.]
Oh, for heaven's sake.
[She sighs, and just barely manages to throw a cloth over a bowl that looks to be full of some kind of blood. Behind her, Tesla sighs and rolls his eyes before commenting.]
I thought I locked the door.
Oh, you did. [The newcomer answers, gesturing over his shoulder at the door with one thumb. Unsurprisingly, this prompts a round of unimpressed and otherwise annoyed looks from everyone else in the room, but the newcomers pays them no heed as he steps further into the room.] I was just wondering how the experiment was coming along.
[There's a brief moment of silence, and then John speaks up, his voice taking on a slightly less welcoming tone.]
Don't you have somewhere else to be? A lecture, or...?
[This is clearly intended as a dismissal, but the newcomer simply comes barrelling right along, as if the fact hasn't even occurred to him.]
Must be very important, whatever it is. It's been keeping you all quite busy, the last few weeks. [He steps close enough to one of the tables to be able to start flipping through one of the notebooks resting there; while the camera isn't close enough to pick up just what happens to be in the notebook, it's clearly important, judging by the way that Tesla steps forward and gently closes it before the newcomer can read too much.
Nigel is the next to speak up though, and it doesn't sound like he's at all amused.]
I believe Mr. Worth has been spying on us.
I believe you're right. [Helen agrees before turning to Worth] Mr. Worth--
Adam, please. [Worth corrects, as if he hasn't just been accused of spying by two people.] You can trust me.
[Judging by the looks the others give him, they don't seem to be inclined to agree with this assessment. Not that Adam shows any sign of noticing as he continues on, pointing out various things on the workbench.]
Secret shipments of plasma? Sounds very exciting.
[This time it's James' turn to offer a completely unimpressed look; Adam ignores this too, to take another step over to the workbench.]
Is it some kind of new breakthrough of some sort?
[He goes so far as to actually pick on of the bottles off the workbench at that, and this appears to be the final straw, as John steps forward to confront Adam. Not violently, mind, but he has at least a half a foot of height on Adam and is fairly physically imposing besides; as if finally realizing that he's being herded out, Adam's comments take on a different tone.]
I could be quite useful to you. [John offers a non-committal 'mm-hmm' at that, as he keeps bodily shooing Adam out of the lab.] Top marks in me anatomy course.
[Druitt says nothing further, and after a nod and 'yeah okay' sort of gesture Adam steps back out the door. There's a beat of pause, a sigh of what looks like relief on Tesla's end and then John locks the door behind Adam before turning back to the others as the video goes dark.]
[When it comes back, it's very clearly in the same lab as before. And probably not long after Adam Worth has been shooed out. Tesla is carefully lowering some sort of wood-and-wire contraption over the neck of a glass bottle, Helen and James are at the chalkboard, and John is clearing off the table where the microscope had been earlier. This time, John is the first to speak.]
You have to admit he's brilliant.
And British. [Nigel adds from where he's hovering near the end of one of the workbenches, shooting a shit-eating grin at Tesla, who barely even turns to look at Nigel as he answers.]
Hysterical.
[He's not laughing, but neither does he seem to have taken too much offense at Nigel's comment either. Either way, Helen speaks up next, taking a step away from the chalkboard.]
Does anyone else notice something odd about Adam?
He just pointed it out. [Tesla comments, gesturing at Nigel with some sort of electrical lead.] He's British.
[He offers a wink in Nigel's direction at that, and flicker of grin, though James is the next to pick up the conversation.]
Excitable little chap, isn't he?
[The tone of his voice makes it clear this is really a backhanded compliment at best; Nigel speaks up again as Tesla touches the two leads he's been holding together, making them spark.]
Anyone read his monograph on forced tissue regeneration?
That thing he did with dormice? [John asks, looking up from his work just in time to catch Nigel's nod.] Poor creatures grew two heads.
[Helen takes the conversational thread next, turning back in Nigel's direction.]
Very nearly worked though. A daring theory to say the least.
I'd lean more towards 'twisted' myself. [Nigel counters, sounding like he doesn't really share Helen's thought on the matter; before Helen can offer her own counterargument, Tesla speaks up again.]
Twisted, daring, it doesn't matter. The point is, we don't need anyone else. The five of us are enough.
[He turns towards Helen as he speaks, and when he's done, she nods.]
I agree. As clever as Adam is, our group is fine without him.
[There's a round of nods from the others in the room, and the video cuts out.]
[Like the previous video, this one looks to take place in the Victorian era, or thereabouts. It doesn't take place in the lab of the earlier though. Rather, it looks like some sort of sitting room; Helen is sitting in a chair in the middle of the room, John kneeling on one side of her and James standing behind, while Tesla draws up a needle from a vial that looks for all the world like it's full of blood.]
It's ready.
[The comment is Tesla's, as he crosses over to stand at Helen's left side, needle in hand; Nigel comments from somewhere off screen before Helen has a chance to answer Tesla's comment.]
You don't have to go first. John or I could have a go first.
[This is clearly directed at Helen, although it's James he speaks up next.]
He's right. No need for unnecessary heroics. The side effects are completely unknown.
[There's a pause, as Helen offers a smile.]
Thank you, gentlemen. But this experiment was of my design. I shall be the one to prove its worth.
[John takes Helen's hand at that, and the look he offers her is very much one of concern, and more than that, a concern born out of love.]
Helen. You're certain?
[There's a pause, as Helen looks back at him, and while there's reason enough to think that she's also nervous about what might happen she absolutely means to go through with it.]
We've risked too much to turn back now. We need to know.
[There's a pause as they share a Look, and then Helen turns back to Tesla, with a nod.]
You may proceed, Nikola.
[Tesla doesn't nod, but he does step carefully forward, brushing Helen's sleeve - which had already been rolled up some - out of the way as he brings the needle in just shy of piercing her skin. And there he stops for a moment, glancing up at Helen as if for confirmation. It's only when she offers another brief nod that he gently slides the needle her arm, depressing the plunger. Helen gasps a little, at that, although whether it's to do with nerves or something with the Source Blood itself is another question entirely.
Either way, Tesla doesn't stop until the plunger slides home. And no sooner has he done so when Helen cries out, eyes going wide and hands clenching around John and Tesla's. For a long moment, she stays that way, breathing hard and apparently unable to do much else, although she does briefly glance over to John, concern and distress written on her face. But eventually, whatever pain has resulted of the experiment recedes, leaving Helen ... entirely unchanged.
In fact, the only real effect seems to be that she's a bit wobbly when she climbs to her feet; John helps steady her without so much as second thought, although as she doesn't seem to have quite regained her capability for speech, James speaks up instead.]
Slightly more anticlimactic than I would have expected.
[Tesla shrugs in answer.]
It's hardly as if anyone has done this before.
[And thus, it's not like they have any idea of what to expect either; over near the other side of the room John murmurs something to Helen, his words pass mostly unheard, but her response is clear enough.]
No. No, I'm alright. Please, continue.
[John lingers a bit longer, but after an encouraging nod, he turns to Tesla.]
If you're ready?
[Tesla nods at the question.]
Of course.
[John takes the seat at that, Tesla drawing up another syringeful of blood. As before the injection seems to be distinctly uncomfortable. This time though, the reason becomes abruptly more apparent. While Helen seems to have been left unchanged, no sooner has the needle left John's arm when he abruptly vanishes in a curl of orange smoke, leaving the other four surprised, and then concerned; a burst of conversation follows, everyone talking over each other as they try to figure out just what has happened.
A few minutes later, there's a knock on the door and John enters, looking a little sheepish, and explains that he seems to have be transported elsewhere with little more than a thought; once the burst of conversation the injections continue. James is next (to no apparent effect, though he complains of a mild headache) and then Nigel (who promptly fades out of sight, though his clothes remain visible, leaving him a very odd sight until he manages to figure out how to flicker back into view.)
And then it's Tesla's turn. Since he can't very well inject himself Helen takes over instead.
Like all the others, the injection seems to be distinctly uncomfortable. Enough so that even he can't help but cry out, eyes gone wide and unseeing, as he grips the arms of the chair hard enough that the wood begins to creak, just before he passes out. Unsurprisingly, this prompts a round of concerned noises from all the others present; from the sound of things they're very nearly to asking whether or not they'll need to resuscitate him, and if so how when he finally gasps, stirring to life even as his fingers grow into talons.
In the background, Nigel swears, and James echoes the sentiment in slightly less crude terms, as Tesla's eyes snap open. They're not human eyes either. Instead, they're dead black, and full of an entirely unnatural hunger; rather than speak, he rises from the chair with an almost preternatural grace, gaze flickering to each of the others in the room, sizing them up almost as a predator would prey.
The video cuts out.]
((video link: 6:06 - 7:34 [and then into headcanon]))
And generally people don't just... become vampires. It's not communicable, like it is other worlds.
[It's not impossible to turn other people into vampires, and the memory clip as much as confirms it. But it's not easy either, which is why he'd turned to such ... unusual methods.]
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
Source Blood experiments
headcanon/The Five (6:06-7:24); For King and Country (2:26 - 3:54; 4:27 - 5:04)
no subject
There are five people in the room: Tesla is one, and is the most immediately recognizable (partially due to the presence of That Mustache), as is Helen. Although given that she's blonde rather than the brunette she is on the Barge and is also (sensibly, given the apparent era) wearing a dress, it might not be so easy to recognize her on first glance. The others all either have their back to the camera or otherwise not immediately familiar.
Absolutely none of them are wearing labcoats. Or any sort of protective gear, for that matter.
Helen is the first to speak, and though her voice is much lighter in tone than it's ever been on the Barge it's still recognizable as her voice.]
Nigel, the Source Blood, please.
[There's a moment of silence at that, but eventually one of the men - presumably the one she's addressing finishes working on what he's doing and passes her a microscope slide full of some sort of blood. Helen nods, as she takes it and then turns to another of the men.]
John, the culture?
[The man she's address looks up at that, with a nod.]
Ready and waiting.
[No sooner has he finished speaking than he starts to take it over to Helen. While he does so, the final man in the room - who'd previously been working at the chalkboard - speaks up.]
Remember the protocols. No mistakes.
Relax, James, [Tesla speaks up, his voice still carrying the accent of his home country] we've done our homework.
[Without missing a beat, Nigel speaks up from where's he's half-leaning against the table.]
Please, Tesla, we're improvising and you know it.
[Judging by the grin Tesla offers in return, this sort of back and forth is something he and Nigel do fairly regularly.]
Well, perhaps it's too rich for your blood, hmm?
[There's a laugh from Nigel at that, and a brief shake of his head.]
Oh, I'm in, mate. Just to see what happens to you.
[He crosses over to the other side of the room, at that, both Tesla and Helen (and John, who has come over to stand next to Helen) watch as he passes by. Before he gets to wherever he might have been going, though, the doorknob rattles. A moment later, the door opens and still another man steps into the room.
All three of them at the table look over at the door, at that; James likewise looks up from his equations with an expression that's partway between confusion and shock. It is, however, Helen who breaks the silence first.]
Oh, for heaven's sake.
[She sighs, and just barely manages to throw a cloth over a bowl that looks to be full of some kind of blood. Behind her, Tesla sighs and rolls his eyes before commenting.]
I thought I locked the door.
Oh, you did. [The newcomer answers, gesturing over his shoulder at the door with one thumb. Unsurprisingly, this prompts a round of unimpressed and otherwise annoyed looks from everyone else in the room, but the newcomers pays them no heed as he steps further into the room.] I was just wondering how the experiment was coming along.
[There's a brief moment of silence, and then John speaks up, his voice taking on a slightly less welcoming tone.]
Don't you have somewhere else to be? A lecture, or...?
[This is clearly intended as a dismissal, but the newcomer simply comes barrelling right along, as if the fact hasn't even occurred to him.]
Must be very important, whatever it is. It's been keeping you all quite busy, the last few weeks. [He steps close enough to one of the tables to be able to start flipping through one of the notebooks resting there; while the camera isn't close enough to pick up just what happens to be in the notebook, it's clearly important, judging by the way that Tesla steps forward and gently closes it before the newcomer can read too much.
Nigel is the next to speak up though, and it doesn't sound like he's at all amused.]
I believe Mr. Worth has been spying on us.
I believe you're right. [Helen agrees before turning to Worth] Mr. Worth--
Adam, please. [Worth corrects, as if he hasn't just been accused of spying by two people.] You can trust me.
[Judging by the looks the others give him, they don't seem to be inclined to agree with this assessment. Not that Adam shows any sign of noticing as he continues on, pointing out various things on the workbench.]
Secret shipments of plasma? Sounds very exciting.
[This time it's James' turn to offer a completely unimpressed look; Adam ignores this too, to take another step over to the workbench.]
Is it some kind of new breakthrough of some sort?
[He goes so far as to actually pick on of the bottles off the workbench at that, and this appears to be the final straw, as John steps forward to confront Adam. Not violently, mind, but he has at least a half a foot of height on Adam and is fairly physically imposing besides; as if finally realizing that he's being herded out, Adam's comments take on a different tone.]
I could be quite useful to you. [John offers a non-committal 'mm-hmm' at that, as he keeps bodily shooing Adam out of the lab.] Top marks in me anatomy course.
[Druitt says nothing further, and after a nod and 'yeah okay' sort of gesture Adam steps back out the door. There's a beat of pause, a sigh of what looks like relief on Tesla's end and then John locks the door behind Adam before turning back to the others as the video goes dark.]
[When it comes back, it's very clearly in the same lab as before. And probably not long after Adam Worth has been shooed out. Tesla is carefully lowering some sort of wood-and-wire contraption over the neck of a glass bottle, Helen and James are at the chalkboard, and John is clearing off the table where the microscope had been earlier. This time, John is the first to speak.]
You have to admit he's brilliant.
And British. [Nigel adds from where he's hovering near the end of one of the workbenches, shooting a shit-eating grin at Tesla, who barely even turns to look at Nigel as he answers.]
Hysterical.
[He's not laughing, but neither does he seem to have taken too much offense at Nigel's comment either. Either way, Helen speaks up next, taking a step away from the chalkboard.]
Does anyone else notice something odd about Adam?
He just pointed it out. [Tesla comments, gesturing at Nigel with some sort of electrical lead.] He's British.
[He offers a wink in Nigel's direction at that, and flicker of grin, though James is the next to pick up the conversation.]
Excitable little chap, isn't he?
[The tone of his voice makes it clear this is really a backhanded compliment at best; Nigel speaks up again as Tesla touches the two leads he's been holding together, making them spark.]
Anyone read his monograph on forced tissue regeneration?
That thing he did with dormice? [John asks, looking up from his work just in time to catch Nigel's nod.] Poor creatures grew two heads.
[Helen takes the conversational thread next, turning back in Nigel's direction.]
Very nearly worked though. A daring theory to say the least.
I'd lean more towards 'twisted' myself. [Nigel counters, sounding like he doesn't really share Helen's thought on the matter; before Helen can offer her own counterargument, Tesla speaks up again.]
Twisted, daring, it doesn't matter. The point is, we don't need anyone else. The five of us are enough.
[He turns towards Helen as he speaks, and when he's done, she nods.]
I agree. As clever as Adam is, our group is fine without him.
[There's a round of nods from the others in the room, and the video cuts out.]
((video link: 2:26 - 3:54; 4:27 - 5:11))
cw: needles, physical transformations, mild body horror(?)
It's ready.
[The comment is Tesla's, as he crosses over to stand at Helen's left side, needle in hand; Nigel comments from somewhere off screen before Helen has a chance to answer Tesla's comment.]
You don't have to go first. John or I could have a go first.
[This is clearly directed at Helen, although it's James he speaks up next.]
He's right. No need for unnecessary heroics. The side effects are completely unknown.
[There's a pause, as Helen offers a smile.]
Thank you, gentlemen. But this experiment was of my design. I shall be the one to prove its worth.
[John takes Helen's hand at that, and the look he offers her is very much one of concern, and more than that, a concern born out of love.]
Helen. You're certain?
[There's a pause, as Helen looks back at him, and while there's reason enough to think that she's also nervous about what might happen she absolutely means to go through with it.]
We've risked too much to turn back now. We need to know.
[There's a pause as they share a Look, and then Helen turns back to Tesla, with a nod.]
You may proceed, Nikola.
[Tesla doesn't nod, but he does step carefully forward, brushing Helen's sleeve - which had already been rolled up some - out of the way as he brings the needle in just shy of piercing her skin. And there he stops for a moment, glancing up at Helen as if for confirmation. It's only when she offers another brief nod that he gently slides the needle her arm, depressing the plunger. Helen gasps a little, at that, although whether it's to do with nerves or something with the Source Blood itself is another question entirely.
Either way, Tesla doesn't stop until the plunger slides home. And no sooner has he done so when Helen cries out, eyes going wide and hands clenching around John and Tesla's. For a long moment, she stays that way, breathing hard and apparently unable to do much else, although she does briefly glance over to John, concern and distress written on her face. But eventually, whatever pain has resulted of the experiment recedes, leaving Helen ... entirely unchanged.
In fact, the only real effect seems to be that she's a bit wobbly when she climbs to her feet; John helps steady her without so much as second thought, although as she doesn't seem to have quite regained her capability for speech, James speaks up instead.]
Slightly more anticlimactic than I would have expected.
[Tesla shrugs in answer.]
It's hardly as if anyone has done this before.
[And thus, it's not like they have any idea of what to expect either; over near the other side of the room John murmurs something to Helen, his words pass mostly unheard, but her response is clear enough.]
No. No, I'm alright. Please, continue.
[John lingers a bit longer, but after an encouraging nod, he turns to Tesla.]
If you're ready?
[Tesla nods at the question.]
Of course.
[John takes the seat at that, Tesla drawing up another syringeful of blood. As before the injection seems to be distinctly uncomfortable. This time though, the reason becomes abruptly more apparent. While Helen seems to have been left unchanged, no sooner has the needle left John's arm when he abruptly vanishes in a curl of orange smoke, leaving the other four surprised, and then concerned; a burst of conversation follows, everyone talking over each other as they try to figure out just what has happened.
A few minutes later, there's a knock on the door and John enters, looking a little sheepish, and explains that he seems to have be transported elsewhere with little more than a thought; once the burst of conversation the injections continue. James is next (to no apparent effect, though he complains of a mild headache) and then Nigel (who promptly fades out of sight, though his clothes remain visible, leaving him a very odd sight until he manages to figure out how to flicker back into view.)
And then it's Tesla's turn. Since he can't very well inject himself Helen takes over instead.
Like all the others, the injection seems to be distinctly uncomfortable. Enough so that even he can't help but cry out, eyes gone wide and unseeing, as he grips the arms of the chair hard enough that the wood begins to creak, just before he passes out. Unsurprisingly, this prompts a round of concerned noises from all the others present; from the sound of things they're very nearly to asking whether or not they'll need to resuscitate him, and if so how when he finally gasps, stirring to life even as his fingers grow into talons.
In the background, Nigel swears, and James echoes the sentiment in slightly less crude terms, as Tesla's eyes snap open. They're not human eyes either. Instead, they're dead black, and full of an entirely unnatural hunger; rather than speak, he rises from the chair with an almost preternatural grace, gaze flickering to each of the others in the room, sizing them up almost as a predator would prey.
The video cuts out.]
((video link: 6:06 - 7:34 [and then into headcanon]))
[private text]
So dying isn't usually part of the process of becoming a vampire where you're from?
Reply to this
[private text]
And generally people don't just... become vampires. It's not communicable, like it is other worlds.
[It's not impossible to turn other people into vampires, and the memory clip as much as confirms it. But it's not easy either, which is why he'd turned to such ... unusual methods.]
[private text]
[private text]