[Helen, Tesla and another woman are standing in what looks, mostly like a room carved out of stone. Given the pillars that are covered with some sort of writing (the camera isn't close enough to pick out exactly what sort of writing it is, much less what language it might be - only the faint glimmers of curves and edges on the metal plaques set into the pillars suggests that it's even there at all), it looks like somewhere that wouldn't be entirely out of place in some sort of funerary structure.]
Could you excuse us for just one moment? [The voice is Helen's, addressed to the other woman, just before she pulls Tesla off to one corner of the room. Only then does she continue on, in hushed tones.] I don't like any of this. We have no idea where that tunnel leads.
[Tesla, on the other hand, appears to be somewhat less impressed.]
Why would she lie to us?
[The distinctly unimpressed expression that Helen offers in return is probably more than enough to explain her feelings on the matter all the same, annoyance creeping into her voice.]
The woman is used to ruling over a population of serfs. You don't think she's working her own agenda?
Look, [Tesla answers, apparently unwilling to admit Helen has a point] if she were actually bent on world domination, why would she complicate our trip out of here?
You're assuming all of us are going. [It's a good point, in all fairness. But Helen doesn't stop there.] You're familiar with the farmer and the chicken parable?
I am. [There's a note of mild annoyance creeping into Tesla's voice now.] Which are you in this story? The chicken, or the fox?
The farmer. [Helen counters, without so much as missing a bit, and with traces of her own annoyance creeping into her voice.] I don't feel safe letting her go first and I certainly don't feel safe leaving her behind.
[Again, the point is probably a good one. But Tesla seems to be more inclined to dig his heels in rather than yield to the logic in Helen's comments.]
You have a sasquatch for a butler and you travel the world with history's most notorious murderer and now you don't feel safe? Helen, green is not a good color on you.
[The comment prompts a laugh out of Helen.]
Don't be ridiculous.
[Tesla, on the other hand, seems to be entirely commented to his insinuation that Helen might be jealous; she's barely finished speaking before he's continuing right along, glancing briefly over at the other woman, who seems to be busying herself with something on the far side of the room.]
She's intelligent, powerful, remarkably well-preserved for her age... everything I look for in a woman. [The briefest of pauses, and then his voice picks up a tone of annoyance, one which grows throughout his next sentence.] And unlike someone I know, she's actually interested in me.
[If Helen is at all bothered by this outburst, she doesn't much show it. Mostly, she seems fed up with having to deal with Tesla, which is backed up by her comment.]
I'm not engaging in this childish conversation.
[Tesla on the other hand, is more than willing to. And more to the point, isn't inclined to stop.]
The more you deny it, the truer it is.
[If he wanted to goad Helen back into the conversation, that seems to have done it, since she comes right back with a retort of her own.]
Oh, that's an excellent scientific method. [This is offered with all the sarcasm and irritation she can muster, which is fairly considerable.] Really, really good.
[It's at this point that the other woman rejoins the conversation, crossing the room in - quite literally - the blink of an eye.]
I can hear you, you know. [There's not even a trace of shame in her voice either. Rather she sounds smug about it.] Vampire, remember?
[Helen recoils, at that - or possibly the suddenness of her arrival, moving to stand next to Tesla, who mostly looks unimpressed.]
You need to learn to trust me.
[This is addressed to Helen, who stands her ground, coming back with] And if I don't?
That's when bad things start to happen.
[The other woman smiles a bit, at that, while Helen draws in a breath and takes a step back. Which is likely a perfectly legitimate response as the other woman abruptly bares her fangs and rushes Helen, slamming her back against one of the pillars.]
Afina!
[The voice is Nikola's, just off screen, the camera refocusing to catch his expression of shock. This is, presumably, the name of the other woman, but either way she doesn't react, shoving Helen to the ground before rounding on Tesla and catching his arms in her hands. He tries to break free, but to no avail, Afina eventually forcing him down to his knees before sinking her fangs into his wrist; he gasps in shock, probably at the sudden turn of events and the discomfort of it.]
What are you doing?
[He's still struggling, helpless to do even so much as break free of Afina's grasp until she breaks free of till she pulls away from his wrist and pulls him to his feet.
Which is not the reprieve it seems to be; she shoves him backwards and he goes stumbling back a few steps... and straight over the edge of a pit trap. As he falls, screaming, the video snaps back to Afina, and her parting shot in response, complete with self-satisfied grin:]
Changing the rules.
[The video cuts out.]
[And picks up again, close in on Tesla face down at the bottom of the pit trap, head tilted at an uncomfortable-looking. For a moment it almost looks like he's dead - he's certainly not moving and doesn't seem to breathing either. Then there's a sudden gasp of breath and his eyes snap open. A moment later, he starts pushing himself up, with a soft comment of 'ow' accompanying the clicks and snaps of what sounds like most of the joints in his arms snapping back into place. His neck follows suit as he rolls that also back into place with another soft comment ("Oh, that hurts.") and then he's shoving himself to all fours and then properly to his feet. There's one last set of cracks and snaps as he rolls his neck again and then his shoulders before turning to look at the (small) space at the bottom of the shaft and then up at the small square of light overhead that marks the opening.
It's a long way up. Several stories at least.]
Oh, very nice.
[Let it never be said that Tesla lets not having someone to talk to keep from being utterly annoyed. There's a brief pause, a sigh, and than he thrusts out his arms, calling on his vampiric ancestry as claws spring forth from his hands; his fangs follow suit as he throws his head back and jumps.
Clear out of the frame. There's a long moment where all the camera shows is the smooth stone wall of the shaft, then a clatter of something hard against stone, and Tesla's voice.]
No. No.
[A groan of frustration, rapidly descending until Tesla comes into frame again, landing with a heavy thud.]
That backstabbing, blood-sucking, bitch.
[The camera cuts out again.]
[And in a moment later, refocusing at a point just above Tesla as he slides back down from his latest jump attempt, claws grating against the stone as he tries - and fails - to get any sort of purchase. This time, he stays where he is when he lands, breathing hard as he looks first at his claws and then back at the (undamaged) stone wall.]
Son of a...
[His voice trails off there as he slams his palm against the wall in frustration.]
Afina! [This is called up towards the square of light overhead, no doubt in the hope that someone is still up there.] Come on! I thought we had something. Call it... [a pause as he make a 'searching for words' sort of gesture with one hand, talons still out] heat, attraction. [Another pause.] You and me, we were gonna...
[His voice trails off as he realizes no one's going to answer. There's a beat of silence and then, bitterly and to himself:]
Helen and Tesla are walking through what looks like some sort of underground labyrinth. Or at least something that might be a labyrinth. Either way it's very clearly all been carved out of stone; Tesla leading the way as if he knows where he's going. A moment later, they arrive in front of a sort of tunnel, studded with little lights and a series of some sort of emitters. A plaque above the tunnel reads 'Amplus Navitas.'
"Ah," Helen comments as Tesla draws to a stop, "your test."
"Yeah."
The comment is halfway to a sigh; although not one of relief. Instead it sounds like the sort of sigh someone might offer when faced with an unpleasant task that needs to be done all the same. Helen, as if noticing this fact, seems to be trying to comfort him, almost, when she speaks up again
"You tried to steal the blood once before; that means you've done the test."
"No," Tesla corrects, "I tried to steal it. I never succeeded in getting the key."
He points down the emitter-studded hallway at a low plinth on the other side. It's a little too far to see what, if anything, might be on the plinth. But rather than address that fact, he draws in another shaky breath - something entirely out of keeping, for a man who's usually so in control of himself, and Helen absolutely notices.
"You're afraid."
Tesla doesn't even try to deny it, continuing on instead.
"Your father managed to rig this tunnel here" one of his fingers draws a circle in the air that encompasses the whole of the tunnel before them "with a massive geomagnetic current, voltage derived directly from the earth. Do you have any idea how much electricity that is?"
Another shaky breath as he raises his eyebrows at Helen.
"He knew you were hard to kill."
This is offered with the verbal equivalent of a shrug on Helen's end. And as if sensing that he's not going to get any further reprieve Tesla simply dives into his next response, as if by doing so he can pretend that he isn't going to have to deal with what comes next.
"Well, this might just do it."
He takes a few steps back, shakes out his arms, and then steps hurriedly forward into the tunnel, as if he might back out if he gives himself even half the chance. The reason why becomes clear almost immediately - no sooner has he stepped into the tunnel when the nearest set of emitters comes suddenly to life, the massive current he'd spoken off lashing out at him from all directions. In fact, it looks like nothing so much as if he's in the middle of a sea of lightning; he struggles forward, each step won only with difficulty and were it not for the flash and flare of it, one might very nearly imagine he fighting against a torrent of water.
It doesn't sound comfortable either, though what few noises his makes are very nearly drowned by the crackle of the electricity. A bare handful of steps in, the tone of them change as he taps into his vampiric heritage, drawing on all he has to get through the trial he's been set.
Mercifully, the tunnel is comparatively short, and though it takes a few grueling moments longer, Tesla manages to come out the other side, collapsing on his knees in front of the plinth. One hand flails uncoordinatedly at the top for a moment before he manages to sort of pull himself up enough to be kneeling at the edge; the camera flicks back down the tunnel to catch Helen's look of concern before coming back to him as he delicately plucks an oddly-shaped key out of the plinth.
Then, and only then, does he use the plinth to lever himself up to a standing position, and someone looking closely might spot that his clothes are gently smoking, even as he offers a grin to Helen. She, in turn, makes a 'come on back' gesture at him and he steps out into the tunnel without a second thought.
...Only for the lightning to kick back in again. This time, though, he recoils instead of pushing through, rubbing his face with a hand.
"Your father really didn't like me, did he?"
This is called down the tunnel to Helen, who winces a little before answering back.
"You're an acquired taste."
"Uh-huh," Tesla murmurs, mostly to himself, with a grimace, and the video cuts out.
[The video opens on what appears to be some sort of villa. More specifically, an open-air balcony of same; given what little can be seen in the background it's probably somewhere equatorial, and on a body of water, although natural or man-made is a little less clear. Helen, Tesla, and a younger man are sitting around a table; Tesla has a laptop in front of him and is eyeing it with some irritation.
That same irritation is audible in his voice too, when he speaks up.]
I don't get it. I adhered to all the protocols. Have a look for yourself.
[Without even missing a beat, Tesla turns the laptop around so that Helen can see; she barely even looks at the screen before she answers.]
And yet the incubation period was drastically truncated.
[A young woman walks into view then, carrying a tray of drinks - presumably she's associated with the villa (or whatever the building houses), but none of the others pay her any mind. Although the conversation does stop momentarily; when the woman leaves, it's the young man who speaks up, with a slight roll of his eyes.]
Instant vampires.
[Instead of directly commenting, Tesla picks up from Helen's last comment.]
So maybe there's some sort of environmental variable I didn't take into account.
[He still doesn't sound entirely pleased either, and he barely even glances at the young man once he speaks up.]
What, like weather, or diet, lifestyle?
Death. [Helen interjects, and this Tesla listens to, echoing the comment back at her with a look of mild confusion.]
Death?
Death would be the last thing that an immortal would think of. [Helen clarifies, and it's clear that she's not entirely pleased. Tesla, on the other hand, looks very nearly taken aback by the realization; the expression persists as he speaks up, although bit by bit one can see the wheels starting to turn.]
This first kid died in a car accident.
[The young man nods in response, adding in his own two cents.]
And then showed up two days later, alive.
Chad Spencer.
[Helen is the one to offer the name, enunciation perfectly crisp, and still carrying tones of disapproval. Tesla, of course, doesn't seem to bat so much as an eye at either.]
Yes, I remember him. [Tesla answers instead] Alpha-male type.
[This, however, doesn't seem to be enough for Helen, who prompts him further.]
If a human, having undergone your treatment, dies...
[Her voice trails off there, and Tesla picks up almost immediately thereafter.]
...the vampire gene would kick in. It was programmed to survive at all costs.
[Which is, if not exactly what Helen had been looking for, at least not entirely beyond what she might have expected - halfway through Tesla's explanation, she offers an 'I thought so' sort of smile that turns into an eye roll the longer he speaks. She doesn't speak up immediately thereafter though: the young man does instead, as if he's trying to put together the pieces of the puzzle, while Tesla pulls the laptop back around to him with a look of frustration.]
Okay, so Chad comes back to life and starts rounding up the other patients.
And killing them, [Helen continues, as if in confirmation] thereby triggering their vampire genetics.
[Tesla slams the laptop closed at that, rising to his feet.]
The little bastard. [That much is offered quietly. The rest is not, voice rising as he stalks over to the rail of the balcony.] This was supposed to be my party! Nobody hijacks Nikola Tesla!
[The catacombs, again. Probably earlier than the last memory although it's hard to tell for certain. On the other hand, Helen doesn't seem to be arguing with Tesla, which is a pretty good sign. Meanwhile, Tesla himself is warming up to the topic at hand, which sounds like it's something to do with the nature of vampires.]
As though a vial of stale water blessed by some priest would have any other effect than a bad taste in my-”
[His voice trails off there, as a worrying sort of rumble starts up from somewhere behind the two of them. He and Helen both look back at the same time, clearly concerned (although possibly for different reasons.]
Earthquake?
Worse [Tesla corrects, shoving Helen down a side path mere seconds before a massive shockwave comes barreling down the main corridor. Helen, tucked out of the way as she is, avoids getting hit. Tesla isn't so lucky, and the shockwave catches him dead on.
There's a brief gasp as it connects; the unmistakable sound of someone having all the air knocked out of them all at once, as the shockwave lifts him clear off his feet. And off-screen, the sound of debris clattering to the ground the only sound that follows.
A moment later, when the rattling dies down, Helen pokes her head back into the main corridor. Hesistantly at first, as if she's checking to make sure it's safe, and then more thoroughly, once she realizes Tesla isn't where he'd been before. A moment later, the light of her flashlight catches him at the end of the corridor, impaled on a broken piece of wood.
He's not moving either, and given the way he's hanging limp, it looks an awful lot like he's dead.]
Nikola.
[There's what sounds like genuine concern as she steps forward towards him, the light of her flashlight falling on him as she does, and to be honest, it doesn't improve how he looks. Not this this stops her from stepping closer anyway, mind. She stops when she's only barely a few feet away, and it looks like she might actually speak again, when Tesla abruptly gasps, coming back to life with a grin.]
I vant to suck your blood.
[This is offered in Tesla's very best terrible Dracula impression, which prompts a long-suffering sigh from Helen. In fact, she doesn't even address it when she speaks up again.]
Get down from there.
[Judging by the effort Tesla has to put into this, it's easy said than done - and not really helped by the fact that his feet are hanging several feet off the ground. But he manages, eventually, dropping to his feet with a sigh that probably a little bit relief and a little bit complaint.]
Irony is [he begins, as he starts to poke idly at the blood-stained hole in his shirt (and chest)] I once owned the patent to that weapon. I never should have sold it to Edison, cheapskate that he was.
[The catacombs, yet again. This one is probably the latest of the set thus far, although that's mostly only based on the fact that Helen seems to be absolutely furious as she rounds on Tesla, her voice the particular sort of sharp that is absolutely meant to wound as she slowly steps towards him.
(In the background, his creations can be seen hovering but not approaching.)]
Guess I can tell you, that at Oxford... No one liked you.
[This doesn't really seem to have the effect it was meant to, unfortunately. In fact, as best as can be judged (the fact that Tesla's fangs are out makes it a little harder to tell) his voice sounds almost condescending.]
Aw. Was it because I was a genius?
[If anything, this seems to make Helen angrier, and she does the verbal equivalent of twisting the knife further when she answers.]
No. Because you were an obnoxious ass.
[Tesla offers a grin and a soft laugh at that.]
Well. [And here there's a brief suggestion that the laugh might have been covering for something. There's a pause, a blink, and a briefly downcast look before he looks back up at Helen.] Guess who’s still standing?
[Before Helen can even think of answering, there's a sort of 'zort'-ing noise; she jumps back as Tesla gasps - a short noise of discomfort - as the camera pulls back and down to catch the reason for both. Namely, that there's a bloody fist sticking out of his abdomen.]
John!
[The comment is Helen's, and sounds to be one of surprise. Tesla, unsurprisingly, isn't really in a state to be inclined to speak, but he does look up and over his shoulder to the man standing there - presumably, he's both the person Helen had been addressing and the person to whom the blood-covered fist belongs.]
Hello, Nikola.
[That perfunctory greeting out of the way - and it's offered with a sort of smile in the face of Tesla's continued surprise - John pulls his fist out of Nikola's torso; Tesla offers a gurgling sort of cry of pain and drops like a stone.
This, in turns, gets the attention of his creations, who growl in anger as they approach Helen and John. There's a beat of pause, Helen stepping back and away from the angry vampires, and then John puts a hand on her arm. There's another 'zort', and a swirl of orange energy, and then they're gone, leaving Tesla collapsed off screen.
The video flickers, and cuts out.]
[When it cuts back in, it's very clearly some time later, for all that it's still underground. For one thing, it's clearly somewhere that's a less a catacomb and more a giant underground chamber of some sort. For another, Tesla seems to be entirely recovered from the damage that John had done in their previous encounter. The camera is hovering near his shoulder, at just the right angle to catch the people standing in a loose line opposite him: John, dressed much as he had been previously, Helen, a man who appears to have stepped directly out of the Victorian Era in so far as his dress sense goes, a young man, and a young woman.
None of them seem to be pleased to see Tesla, John least of all. In fact, he takes half a step forward, the Victorian man catching him by the shoulder while Helen calls:]
John!
[John stills, but levels a glare at Tesla as he speaks; the comment is directed more at Helen, rather than Tesla himself.]
Oh, I know he's difficult to kill, but I'm sure there are ways.
[There's an undeniable aura of menace in his voice, the sort that suggests that he'd be perfectly willing to try. Still, if it bothers Tesla he does a good job of not showing it, and in fact, this might be perfectly normal, between the two of them, given that he only holds up a finger in a 'just a minute' sort of gesture.]
Is that before or after you retrieve the blood? Because, frankly, good luck with that if I'm dead. You know, you can't do it without me. [He takes a step forward towards the other at that.] Nice move last time we met, Johnny.
[A pause, as he cracks his neck.]
Mm... took me a while to get over it.
[John, in return, offers little more than a smile before answering in kind.]
Not long enough, old boy. Care for another helping?
[Tesla pulls a face at the idea, and the video cuts out, this time for good.]
[The video opens up on what looks like the entrance hall to some grand building. In the background, a pair of staircases lead up to a second floor, but the action is focused around a pile of of what looks like fairly hard-core hiking equipment in the middle of the room. Helen is standing on side of it, opposite her are the rest of the group who'd confronted Tesla in the previous memory (albeit somewhat better lit, outside of the cave).
Helen's the first to speak, and it sounds rather like she's a general addressing her troops.]
Once inside the subterranean passages, we'll each be responsible for securing our designated keys.
[The bearded man - the one whose dress sense very much seems to lean to the Victorian - briefly holds up a hand.]
Does no one else see the madness in all this?
[Helen's head tilts a little to one side at this but she doesn't seem to be too put out otherwise. Rather, she sounds almost curious when she answers.]
You don't believe I can accomplish Nikola's task.
[The answer comes back almost immediately, as if this isn't an uncommon occurrence between the two of them.]
One, he had the powers of an ancient vampire. Two, he fell asleep in Edison's electric chair at full current. I don't see your skill sets overlapping.
[The video opens up in the parking lot of what looks like either some sort of hotel or a villa. Given that Helen is wearing the same clothes as she had been when they'd been discussing his plans to take a second chance at reviving his species (as is the young man who'd been present for that discussion as well), it's probably the latter.
Naturally, it's Tesla who speaks up first, and it's pretty clear that he's continuing a conversation that had already been under way.]
Oh. Oh, I'm selfish?
[Unsurprisingly, Helen sounds distinctly less than amused by this, she turns to glance over at Tesla, even as the three of them continue walking.]
Shocking, I know.
Because I tried to save my race from extinction?
[Tesla offers an 'are we really doing this?' sort of smile to go with the comment, and to be fair, it's almost a good point. If one ignores the various ethical concerns involved in what he's been doing. Which Helen very clearly isn't, and when she answers she's very clearly on the angry end of 'fed up with this shit'.]
Because you used innocent children in a potentially deadly experiment.
There was that. [The young man chimes in, either in an effort to be helpful, or simply to get in on the conversation.
Either way, Tesla just rolls his eyes and raises his hands as if to say, yeah whatever.]
Professional jealousy.
[The implied accusation doesn't seem make Helen any happier, unsurprisingly, her voice rising into something approaching anger.]
You've no idea what you've unleashed! [The conversation derails there as three teenagers - two male, one female - in sunglasses come sauntering out from behind a semi.] Ah, let me guess. This must be your graduating class.
[Tesla doesn't directly answer. Instead, he approaches the teen who seems to be the leader of the little group, looking him over approvingly.] Incredible...it worked.
[There's a brief pause, as the leader's gaze flicks over Tesla in return.]
You're coming with us.
[His voice is lower than one might expect, and a little bit growly; he's barely even finished speaking when the other young man of the group steps forward as if to grab Tesla's arm.]
But you didn't even say please.
[This is pretty clearly a delaying tactic, given that he's barely finishes speaking when he calls on his vampiric ancestry, fangs and talons springing forth... and then he steps back as the three teens follow suit, leaving Helen and young man with her to fight the vampires.
A moment later, after she's managed to temporarily repel the attack of one of the three, Helen calls back to Tesla:]
Nikola, what the hell are you doing?
[Tesla doesn't directly answer the question, but given the way he mostly seems to be content to lurk on the edges of the fight and the comment he offers when he does finally speak up, it's clear that he's mostly just sort of. Observing what his latest creations are capable of.]
Crude, yet magnificent.
[It's at this put that a car comes out of nowhere and runs straight into Tesla - he goes down, flailing, as the two teenaged vampires break free of the fight. They drag an unprotesting Tesla to the car, before throwing him into the trunk and peeling off, leaving Helen, the young man who'd been with her before, and the female vampire behind.]
[When the video picks up again, it's pretty clear that some time has passed. Partly for the fact that Tesla is now standing in the middle of what looks like a fairly posh apartment, but also for the fact that it's clearly night.
Standing opposite Tesla are the two young men from the previous encounter, and a young woman; it's the same young man who seemed to be the leader of the group last time who speaks up, glancing briefly to the others (who are flanking him) as he does.]
This was your idea, remember?
No, no. [Tesla begins, and he sounds both displeased and perhaps a little desperate] The spontaneous generation of vampires decades ahead of schedule [he pronounces that last the British way] was not my idea. I had a plan, an intricate, ingenious design, and, strange as it may sound, it did not involve you blowing away your friends and taking over. Do you have any idea what you've become?
[The leader of the little group of teenaged vampires doesn't seem to be the least bit impressed by Tesla's rant, although it's the other young man who answers.]
Well, that's why you're here, to fill in the gaps for us.
[Tesla's answer comes almost immediately, for all that he's likely still not super thrilled with the situation.]
Sanguine vampiris. [He begins, as he starts to slowly circle the others.] The preeminent race on the planet. Born for greatness, bred to rule. Kings and pharaohs.There was a time when we sighed,and the world trembled.
We know. [The young woman purrs, sounding entirely too self-satisfied.] We read your journal.
Look, let's just cut to the chase, okay? [The leader of the group interjects.] You chose us not because of who we are, but because of who we'll become.
[Tesla turns away from the group at that, a look of distaste on his face as he does so.]
How astute.
[This comment goes entirely unanswered, as the leader of the group continues on.]
Our parents have more money than God, and they hold positions of power and influence all over this world.
[This, at least, gets Tesla's attention and he turns, slowly, to face the others as he speaks.]
And in a few decades' time, you would have stepped into their shoes, creating a new ruling class, returning us to the old ways.
[This, however, doesn't seem to quite be to the taste of the leader of the group.]
So let's bring it on. [he begins, not so much impatient as entirely sure of himself.] Now. And if anyone stands in our way, they'll die.
Nice. [Tesla answers, lips curling in exasperation and disgust.] All the subtlety of brain surgery with a chainsaw.
[There's a huff of laughter from the leader at that, either at the absurdity of the imagery or the fact that Tesla isn't quite what any of them might have expected.]
But why wait? We're here right now.
[This, at least, manages to turn Tesla's tone into something closer to amusement when he speaks again, although it's very clearly the sort of amusement that has an understood 'yeah no' attached to it.]
Oh, and you think that your 24 years' experience has prepped you for ruling the earth?
What are you saying? [The leader asks, clearly not quite as good as picking up on the unspoken bits of what Tesla has to say as some of people who know him better are.]
I'm saying you'll blow it. [Tesla clarifies, and the leader's lips pull into a thin line as he steps back a pace.] You've turned what was supposed to be a symphony into rock and roll! [A brief pause and then he's abruptly yelling although it trails off a little at the end of the outburst.] French-Canadian rock and roll.
[At the end of his tirade, he turns back to look out over the balcony he's half-leaning against. Behind his back, the leader of the vampires rubs his face a bit before turning back to Tesla - who still isn't looking at him.]
You know, I was hoping you'd be a little bit more cooperative.
[Halfway through the comment, Tesla turns in that direction a little, but it isn't until he starts his own that he finishes turning, a bright - and likely partially forced - smile on his face.]
Yeah, well, life's a bitch, and then you don't die. [He holds the grin for a beat, before half-turning away in disgust again; at a brief nod from their leader the other two vampires approach him without a word.] Oh, what, we're going to do this old-school? Is that it? You're not facing Magnus. This is me. [With a hiss, he calls forth his vampiric ancestry, claws held up as if ready to attack at a moment's notice] Bring it on, kiddies.
[The camera winks out.
And back in, at a lower angle and from outside the building - from this angle it's clear that what had looked like a posh apartment is more likely the sort of suite one happens to find at the top of high-rises. A moment later, Tesla comes into frame, falling rapidly - whatever sort of fight went down earlier it doesn't seem to have gone well at all.
As he falls further, the camera pans down, catching the brief moments of flailing before he lands - heavily - on a car, which all but crumples under him. And no surprise, really, given that he'd likely been falling at terminal velocity. Or at least, what would have been terminal if he weren't also an immortal vampire.
As it is, the camera simply pulls in closer. Close enough to catch his groan as he pulls in a breath, rolling his head to one side a little before he speaks.]
I hate them. ['Them' is presumably the vampires he's created, and judging by the lack of immediate vitriol in his voice, it's more of a complaint about the situation than anything else.] Oh, I hate them.
[It's only then that he rolls off the ruined hulk of a car, rolling his neck and shoulders to snap everything back into place, as the video cuts out again, this time for good.]
[The inside of what looks like a tech lab. There are multiple computers on a desk and another that looks to be set into a nearby wall; two young men who look to be in their mid-20s (one wearing a t-shirt and one in a more formal jacket) and what looks to be a sasquatch are standing around the desk. The sasquatch is wearing a hoodie.]
Uuuuugh, [the guy in a t-shirt groans] why is this so hard?
Do you remember a few days ago, [the other guy asks] when the lawn sprinklers wouldn't shut off?
[The sasquatch nods before adding in:] Yesterday, the security door in the hallway kept going up and down and up and down.
[He gestures 'up and down' with one finger as he says the words.]
Yeah, [the guy in a t-shirt cuts in, in the tone of frustrated IT people everywhere] it's a glitch in the maintenance program. It happens sometimes.
[The sasquatch offers a disbelieving "uh-huh" at that, but before anyone else can say anything there's a pinging noise from one of the computers; IT guy glances down at it before commenting:]
That's the front gate.
What? [The other guy asks, surprised.] It's 2:30 in the morning. Who is it?
[This time, it's the sasquatch who answers, a brief moment later.]
One of Magnus' old codes.
[This is, apparently, a surprise to most everyone in the room, but eventually the guy in the jacket speaks up.]
I'll get it.
[There's another noise from the computer as he leaves, which prompts the IT to very nearly hurl his keyboard in frustration.]
Ooo, you're really pissing me off.
[This is, presumably, addressed at whatever he's working on, given that neither of the others react in the slightest to the outburst. Instead, the sasquatch speaks up again.]
You think there's a connection between all these glitches and the spider-bot?
That's what I'm trying to find out. [IT guy looks up from his screen at that, clearly frustrated.] But every time I try to backtrace the anomaly... [the computer bleeps again, and he tilts his head at what's displayed on screen.] Really? A hidden sector?
That you didn't create?
[That earns the sasquatch a flat look.]
Would I be this surprised if I created it? And this thing has big giant firewalls. [A pause as he pokes around a bit more.] It's just...
Speak. [The sasquatch prompts. There's yet another brief pause and then:]
Who has the ability to hide an entire system sector in a system that I built?
[The camera cuts away abruptly, coming in again in what looks like nothing so much as the entry hall of a very grand building. The guy in a jacket from before is approaching a door - presumably the front door mentioned earlier. Not that he looks entirely pleased to be doing so, and even less so when he opens the door to find Tesla standing there, back turned to the door. He turns around as it opens, the motion both fluid and utterly dramatic.]
Tesla, isn't it...
[He doesn't get to finish the sentence before Tesla interrupts, and he sounds distinctly displeased.]
Where. Is he?
Research lab.
[There's a shrug to go with the words, as if to suggest that he isn't super thrilled by any of this but doesn't want to argue, as Tesla steps in.]
Thank you. [Not that Tesla sounds any less irritated mind, and he hurries off in what's presumably the direction of the research lab.] Heinrich!
[This last is bellowed as he goes, and is presumably the name of one of the two people still in the research lab; the man who'd opened the door watches Tesla go with an expression halfway between bemusement and annoyance as he shuts the door again.
The camera cuts again, back to the lab as Tesla comes storming in.]
What the hell do you think you're doing?
[IT guy's head snaps up at that.]
Ah, you! [He does not sound thrilled either.] I see now.
[There'd probably have been more to his comment, but Tesla doesn't seem to be in a patient mood, shoving him out of the way to take a look at what's displayed on the computer screen and then up at the sasquatch, who doesn't look at all pleased about the intrusion.]
Oh dear god. [He sighs.] And the inmates are running the asylum.
[It's at this point that Helen enters, the man who'd opened the door for Tesla trailing behind her - presumably, he's gone to fetch her while he was off-screen.]
Nikola?
[Tesla sighs, clearly expecting Helen to not be pleased (and to be fair, she isn't). IT guy, meanwhile, takes Tesla's momentary silence to jump in with an accusation of his own.]
He did it!
[This is, admittedly, entirely unhelpful, and Helen clearly hasn't quite picked up on what's going down. Although she certainly doesn't sound pleased when she answers.]
What?
He did it. [This is offered in a rumbled echo from the sasquatch, as the man who'd followed Tesla asks:]
The sprinklers?
The hidden sector! [IT guy corrects, clearly frustrated. Tesla meanwhile, seems to be the only person in the room who isn't (currently) irritated, asking only:]
How did you find it?
[This is, apparently, not the right answer, as IT guy comes immediately back with a question of his own, suspicion hanging heavy on his words.]
What are you hiding?
[Which is all well and good, but is very certainly not helping clear up matters any; the next person to speak up is Helen, voice sharp and strident.]
Will you all please stop talking in code!
[The man who followed her in answers, as if it's second nature to explain things.]
The computer issues we've been having lately.
They're... they're not issues. [IT guy offers in quiet counterpoint.] They're glitches.
[Either way, this seems to be answer enough for Helen, who turns towards Tesla.]
Nikola. What have you done?
[Tesla glances up at that, but doesn't directly answer either. Instead he takes a slightly different tack, voice taking on a slightly defensive tone.]
Why do you always assume it's my fault?
[There's a sharp laugh from Helen at that, and a roll of her eyes as she answers.]
Oh, let me count the ways.
[IT guy jumps in again at that, offering another fragment of information Helen's way.]
He roofied our system.
Did you? [The voice is that of the man who'd followed Helen in, currently standing just behind Helen, with his arms crossed. When Tesla answers, it's clear that he's on the defensive now. Not that he isn't still answering, mind, but he doesn't sound pleased that it's necessary.]
It should have been fine. It would have been fine, if Enrico the wonder wolf [there's a brief nod in IT guy's direction, who seems to take direct offense at the comment] hadn't gone nosing around.
[Helen and the sasquatch both sigh at that, although Helen is the one who speaks up, in distinctly long-suffering tones.]
What is it this time.
Berate me if you must-- [Tesla begins, although Helen interrupts before he can finish the thought]
I must.
--but the only reason we're facing this unfortunate situation [Tesla continues on, without even missing some much as beat] is because I tried to save your life.
[Judging by the laugh Helen offers in response, she doesn't quite believe him. Although neither does she seem to be willing to tell him to get out either.]
Oh, this is going to be good.
[In fact, it sounds almost like she's directly prompting Tesla to make his excuses, which he does without so much as a second thought.]
Well, you do recall your first foray into Hollow Earth, when your tracking beacon disappeared?
[He pauses there, for just a moment, Helen offering a "go on" into the silence.]
Fearing the worst, I naturally sprang into action. But the only way I could get the proper coordinates to send Druitt down, I had to patch that little Praxian [a pause as he searches for the right word] brain-spider into your computer system.
[IT guy blinks at that, giving Tesla a funny look before speaking up.]
Yeah, but that was months ago, and you unpatched it.
[Tesla looks around the room at that, as if looking for something he doesn't seem to find, before turning back to IT guy and shrugging.]
Yeah, well, I guess it left behind a little easter egg.
[This is offered in the most 'well, what can you do' tone of voice he can manage, which doesn't seem to so much as get off the ground, judging by Helen's comment in return, which mostly sounds highly unimpressed.]
A virus.
No, no, [Tesla corrects] nothing like that. [There's a brief moment there, where the faces of all those in the room show some form of relief and there's a round of quiet sighs.
And then Tesla continues on.] It's a sentient, organic nanite.
[Which changes the mood of the room in no time flat. Helen, eyes wide in shock, only manages a disbelieving "what?; the sasquatch offers a quiet "not good", and IT guy sinks down over the desk. Helen is the first to recover properly, turning on Tesla.]
It-- it didn't cross your mind to mention this to anyone?
Well, you were all so busy. [Tesla has the grace to look at least a little sheepish, though.] And besides, [he continues, gesturing with both hands towards the computer monitor] I quarantined it!
In a hidden sector.
[By the tone of Helen's voice it doesn't sound like she thinks this is really adequate to the problem at hand. For his part, Tesla simply nods at the comment before continuing on.]
Behind a veritable Fort Knox of firewalls.
[From his position behind Helen, the other man can't help but point out on small detail that Tesla has thus far been steering clear of.]
But it got out.
Not that this seems to faze Tesla too much, given that he doesn't seem to be taken back much at all when he answers.]
Right. Because little... [his voice trails off as he gestures to IT guy, who throws up his hands in frustration. But his words seem to have a prompted a realization from Helen, who speaks up almost hesitantly into the silence.]
Ah. Well. That may actually be... my fault. [A brief pause and a prompting "Helen?" from Tesla.] I've been having Henry move some of our more sensitive data to a secure cloud. Of our system, out of the prying eyes of SCIU. [She pronounces the acronym as one word - "skew" - and with a great deal of venom.]
No offense. [Chimes in the young man standing behind her.]
None taken, scooter. Thanks.
[This is shot back without so much as a pause, on Tesla's end, and he briefly leans in the direction of the man he's talking to, as if to give the words more impact.
Still, it's Helen who picks up the thread of the conversation, once the sniping is done.]
Henry did warn me that during the changeover, there might be a nanosecond where our defensive firewalls might be vulnerable.
Yeah, [IT guy - Henry - agrees, with a pointed look] I warned you.
[This news doesn't appear to leave Tesla very impressed, and he crosses his arms before turning towards Helen.]
But you took the chance anyway.
Well, given the course of recent events, [Helen begins, sounding slightly defensive in turn] I felt it was a calculated risk worth taking.
Oh, Helen. [Tesla sounds genuinely disapproving, now, and he shakes his head in reproach.] How could you be so... irresponsible?
[There's a beat of silence, and an expression of what's probably best to call outrage on Helen's face; when she speaks again her voice is sharp and angry.]
Didn't know you'd left behind a Praxian booby-trap, did I?
[It's a good point. But it doesn't sway Tesla in the slightest, who only continues to look distinctly unimpressed.]
So your cavalier incompetence is now my fault?
[Helen rolls her eyes at that, and looks away, as if she absolutely cannot believe this is the conversation they're having right now. A moment later, she sighs and turns back to Tesla, calmer now, even if she might be forcing it.]
The point is: [she shakes her head in something like disbelief] how do we fix it?
We can't. [The quiet voice is Henry's, who still hasn't moved from behind the computer he's been standing at; as everyone else in the room turns to look at him, he continues on.] This is organic, sentient tech, people. From Praxis. It's bits and bytes and brains all in one.
[Tesla glances over at Henry's screen for a moment and then adds in his own two cents.]
And judging by this data, it's evolving.
Growing? [the sasquatch asks, sounding both surprised and concerned about the process; Henry nods grimly.]
It's gathering bits and pieces from everywhere.
That's why it released the spider-bot, [the young man behind Helen comments, although the realization is likely one that he's only just had] to learn from us.
Okay, [Helen begins, closing her eyes briefly as if that alone will help banish the headache that the whole scenario has become] worst case scenario?
[There's a brief and very tense pause before Henry speaks up again.]
Gobbles up everything, data becomes compromised, we lose complete control of critical Sanctuary function.
I don't like it when you visit. [The sasquatch grumbles, comment clearly aimed at Tesla. And it's not a unreasonable complaint either - he has rather made things a nightmare in only a few short minutes. Not that he seems inclined to back down either; he already looks like he's getting ready to loose a few choice words of his own when Helen cuts back in.]
There has to be a way to stop it.
[Henry's expression, on the other hand, says otherwise.]
Listen, [he begins] I think I need to explain again. It is Praxian, okay? It's not going to turn tail with a few simple keystrokes. Hell, I don't even speak its language.
[It's an innocuous sounding comment, but Tesla's head abruptly snaps up, like he's caught wind of a particularly tantalizing scent.]
Hold your horses, Hénri. You may have just blundered into something remotely useful.
[It's a backhanded compliment at best, but Henry's muttered "Uh... thanks" goes all but unnoticed as Tesla turns towards Helen, who's raised an eyebrow in his direction.]
Nikola?
[It's very definitely meant as a question, but as to what is a little unclear, although Tesla seems to understand what she's asking.]
Oh yeah.
[She tilts her head and then continues on.]
You're not going where I think you're going.
[Tesla doesn't even bat an eye at the implied question. Instead he answers with out blinking an eye, and from that point they simply trade comments back and forth, much to the growing consternation of everyone else in the room]
["What are they talking about?" the sasquatch murmurs in the background, crossing behind Helen and Tesla (who don't even seem to notice) to stand next to the man who had previously been behind Helen; "I dunno" he answers, shaking his head in utter confusion.
Meanwhile, when Tesla doesn't answer her question, Helen continues on.]
You realize this is unprecedented.
Never stopped us before.
Potentially dangerous.
Fraidy-cat.
[Helen pauses there, tilting her head at Tesla's last comment as if to say "that's really the insult you're going with"; the brief moment of silence gives Will time to break into their heated back and forth.]
Alright, you guys are making me really nervous, and I don't even know what you're talking about.
[Tesla offers a brief grin to Helen - asking her to do the honors, perhaps - and while she offers an unimpressed look she speaks up.]
Very well, then. If you're up for it.
[Apparently, she's no more heard Henry's comment than Tesla has, given that he doesn't address it any more than she had, choosing instead to respond to Helen's.]
I wouldn't miss it for the world.
[This time the other man in the room interjects, in tones not dissimilar to that of a frustrated teacher.]
Would you like to share with the rest of the class, please.
[He glances at Helen and then over to Tesla as he says it; Tesla glances back to Helen, nods, and then speaks up.]
We're going in.
In. [the other man echoes, still confused.] In. In where?
In there. [Helen answers, nodding to the computer Henry had been working at; there's a brief moment of silence, and then the video ends.]
[The video opens up on what appears to be some sort of lab. Or at least, it's a room full of computers, anyway, most of which seem to be displaying the result of some kind of blood scan. Helen is standing loosely in the middle of the room, facing down a young man who seem to be flat out pissed; his is the first voice to break the silence, and it sounds like the video has come in in the middle of an argument.]
He has a psychiatric disorder!
[Helen spreads her hands as if to say 'what do you want me to do', and while it's clear enough she's also angry, she's not yet at the point of all out rage either.]
We didn't understand the mind back then, Will! We only knew he was a threat.
[Whoever the 'he' they're talking about is, her response doesn't seem to garner her any favor from Will, who comes shooting right back with a very pointed:]
To the public, or to your work?
[That, presumably is meant to mean "the work of the Sanctuary". Or at least, that seems to be how Helen reads it at any rate.]
How dare you? [She snaps, which is impressive, given that it's still recognizable as a question.] You've no idea what--
[Her voice trails off into a violent fit of coughing there - one that Steve might well recognize from when the alternate Tesla had been around. By the time she's finished there's distinct traces of blood on the surgical gloves she's been wearing. Will, standing behind her at this point, isn't able to see them, but her coughing fit does, at least, seem to have pulled him back from the edge of anger.]
Hey... [he begins, taking a step closer to Helen as if to offer a hand of comfort. Helen seems to want none of it, prompting a questioning "Magnus?" from him before she turns and storms out of the room.]
Magnus, wait a sec! [He calls after her, to no apparent avail.] Magnus...
[As she storms around the corner and out of sight, Tesla steps round the corner.]
You know better than to follow an angry woman out of the room. [A pause as he steps all the way into the room.] Just let her go. She's not exactly herself right now.
[Faced with Tesla, all the anger that had previously faded seems to come rushing back into Will's expression; he snatches the file that Tesla had been holding out of his hands with a look that very much says that he'd rather be doing anything else just at the moment. That done, he stalks off to the other end of the room, Tesla following; since he still doesn't say anything, Tesla takes the opportunity to instead, as Will opens the file.]
It's spread.
[Whatever "it" is, Will does finally speak up at that, looking over the file as he does so.]
Lymph nodes... kidneys?
[It sounds, mostly, like he's talking to himself, but Tesla chimes in, helpfully pointing out something else in the file.]
Upper spine.
[Will sighs, offering a minute, but somber nod, and then:]
She needs to see this.
[Presumably, he's talking about Helen, and it's a fair consideration since she is the one who happens to be ill.]
No, [Tesla interjects] I don't think you understand. With this much damage...
[He doesn't get to finish the thought, as Will cuts back in.]
We'll find a treatment.
[It sounds, mostly, like he's trying to convince himself that they can. Tesla, for his part, doesn't seem to buy it even for a bit.]
And if we don't, she dies, Adam dies, we don't get into the city and all of it's secrets are lost.
Then that's what happens. Will snaps, frustration boiling over, as he finally glances over to Tesla.] We deal with it.
[There's a brief pause, as Tesla looks up towards the ceiling and then back down at Will before commenting quietly:]
I don't think so.
[The video cuts out there. When it comes back in again, it's somewhere much more recognizable. If only because it happens to be Helen's office, and thus, Helen's cabin. Helen herself is standing behind her desk, facing down a tall, bald man; Will and another young man are hovering in the background.]
Show him the map, Helen.
[The bald man is the one speaking, and his voice is quiet, and yet no less forceful for it.]
And put all that power in his hands? Helen counters, clearly neither impressed nor cowed - whoever the 'he' in question is, the bald man doesn't miss a beat before answering in return.]
I'll handle Hyde, one deranged killer to another.
[If Helen has at all mentioned the finer details of her past that might well make the bald man's identity clear: John Druitt, better known to history as Jack the Ripper. Either way, Helen is very clearly still not enamored of the idea, and the tone of her voice says as much.]
It's too risky.
We're back to square one. [Sighs Will, from the background, and with that one comment he makes it pretty clear that the four of them have been trying to figure out the solution to the problem at hand for some time.]
Really? [offers the other young man, who happens to be leaning against a chair.] We were so close.
[Druitt sighs, at that, and turns away from Helen's desk as if in resignation; Helen herself picks up the thread of the conversation, voice full of steely determination.]
We'll find a way, but Adam Worth is not getting that map, not on my watch!
[It's at that point that Tesla steps in, with several sheets of yellowed paper in his hand, picking up the thread of conversation as neatly as if he'd be queued.]
Oh, about that...
[Helen blinks at his appearance, standing a little straighter, but despite the oddity of his arrival, asks only:]
Where have you been?
[Which implies that the meeting going on is some sort of all staff meeting, and that Tesla is late, a fact that he doesn't address. He does, however, answer her question, as he crosses over to her desk.]
In the library, boning up on the Sanctuary charter.
[This doesn't seem to impress the rest of the assembling crowd, although it's Will who breaks the silence with a exasperated 'helpful,' prompting Tesla to turn his way.]
Wait for it, sonny. [That said, he turns back to Helen.] Apparently, if the Sanctuary head becomes physically or psychologically compromised, the second in command takes over.
[As if she knows what he's playing at, Helen's head tilts, fixing Tesla with a 'are you really going there' sort of look as she crosses her arms.]
Dude, [the other young man comments softly] that is beyond cold.
Nikola... [Helen warns, shaking her head gently as if to say 'don't do this.' But Tesla is utterly unmoved. Cold or not, he seems to have made up his mind and he absolutely means to stick to it. He even goes so far as to offer the slightest of nods in her direction, as if to say that he really is going through with it.
Druitt, standing behind them and unable to see either the expressions they've traded or the whole point of Tesla's declarations those far, takes the moment of silence to speak up, sounding largely annoyed.]
Where are you going with this?
[Fortunately enough, Tesla is willing to answer the question, although he doesn't turn away from Helen. That or the next thing he has to say just conveniently happens to answer Druitt's question. It's a little hard to tell.]
Officially, it's not your watch anymore, and the question of whether or not we show Adam Worth the map is no longer your decision. [Helen shakes her head in disbelief at that, but Tesla continues on, undaunted, as he turns to face Will.] Over to you, William. What's it going to be?
[The camera remains on long enough to catch the various reactions to that - Will's shock, Druitt's disbelief, and Helen looking rather like the rug has been pulled out from under her feet and a little bit betrayed besides - and then it cuts out.]
[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.]
The landscape the video opens up on is... bleak to say the least. The landscape is blasted and pitted; the few trees that haven't been cut down for fuel or fence posts are barren and lifeless. In fact, there's very little all to indicate any sort of context for this memory and the fact that it's the dead of night doesn't help; far in the distance there's some kind of structure but it's too far off and too dark to make it out clearly.
A moment passes and then a person steps into view. A soldier, wearing a uniform that Steve no doubt knows well - a WWII German uniform. Which explains when this is. And possibly also what the structure looming in the distance is, given the blasted landscape around it. The soldier stops, for a moment, looking nervously around him... and then a figure coalesces out of the faint shadows offered by a thatch of dead trees - in the blink of an eye he's on the soldier, teeth sinking into the man's neck. The soldier startles at that, twisting away, a look of horror on his face as he looks back at Tesla in full-on vampire mode, the light of the moon casting devilish shadows over him.
To the soldier's credit he does start to raise his gun; but there's a menacing snarl from Tesla and the man, already half-terrified, flees into the darkness.
Only once the soldier has vanished into the darkness does Tesla let go of his vampiric ancestry, a look of utter disgust on his face as he vanishes back into the darkness.
This time, the memory opens up in what looks like a laboratory. And old-fashioned one, though, dating to a time period a good bit before Steve was born - it's all over wooden surfaces and glass tubes. Over on one end of the room, Helen is talking quietly with a pair of men (James Watson and John Druitt, if Steve has seen enough from other memories to recognize them), nearer the 'camera' Tesla is bent over what looks like some sort of engine, trading casual barbs with yet another man.
In fact, it seems as if the memory's come in in the middle of the conversation, Tesla says something that does quite register; the sound kicks in properly just in time to here the answer he receives.
"Maybe you just don't get our kind of humor."
Tesla jerks upright at that, eyes searching over the other man's face as if trying to figure out how it had been meant. And when all he can find is smirk, smug as you please, he freezes, stalking out without so much as a word to anyone else. And utterly unaware of the confused looks he leaves in his wake - nor the glares that are aimed at the man he'd been speaking with besides.
For a time he simply walks aimless, but eventually he settles in on a window that overlooks what looks like a university quad, an open bottle of wine clutched tight enough that his knuckles are white with the force of his grip, eyes screwed shut as he rests his forehead against the glass of the window. It's only after a long moment that anyone else shows up, and when someone does, it's the same man that Tesla had been arguing with; while he clear hears the man's approach he doesn't turn away from the window.
"Not now, Helen," Tesla grumbles. "I'll apologize for upsetting people later. Just let..."
"I don't think it's you she wants to apologize," the other man comments softly and Tesla startles upright, turning to look at him with an hard and unyielding expression. Whatever the reason he's reacted the way he has he's not at all pleased.
"I'll tell her you were by, then," Tesla answers, his words clipped and all but dripping with ice; a moment of silence follows, and then the other man moves cautiously to rest against the wall near where Tesla has set himself up.
"That's not how this works," the other man begins. "When friends hurt each other, what happens is the one who did the hurting comes and says he's sorry, and asks what he can do to redeem himself." A pause as the other man makes an attempt at a smile. "Even if he doesn't quite understand what he did wrong...?"
Tesla, on the other hand is having none of it, his expression still sullen and defiant, albeit with the faintest trace of shame sneaking in around the edges.
"It's nothing," he mutters, turning away from the other man again, taking a pull from the wine bottle as he does.
"It's not nothing." The answer comes snapped back, the other man half-reaching to pull the bottle away, and then thinking better of it. "Nothing is when I call you every dirty name under the sun, and you knock me down a peg or twenty with about two sentances in return, because we've done that a hundred times and it's never ... It's never done this to you. I've never done this to you."
If Tesla is listening, however, he shows no outward sign of it. Simply keeps his back turned, angry and hurting in a way most people on the Barge have never seen him, when he's usually far more willing to pass comment on whatever it is that's bothering him; when the other man realizes he's being ignored, he draws a hand through his hair with a sigh of frustration and tries again.
"I'm sorry," he begins, getting straight to the point and sounding halfway tired besides. "I figured it was a game, that you gave as you got, and had fun doing it. It wasn't aimed to knock you down. Never was. Never figured you could be knocked down. But it doesn't matter. I'll bloody stop, if that's what's needed. Only bloody tell me, you bastard! Tell me what I did wrong, and I'll bloody fix it!"
There's still no answer from Tesla and it's only when the other man turns to go, the floor creaking slightly as he does that Tesla speaks up, the accent of his homeland hanging thick and heavy on his words and making him sound tired too.
"The last time someone told me I did not understand their country's humour," Tesla begins. "They did so after having used me for months on the promise of a future, the promise of enough money to make my own way, that they never intended to give me. Because it turned out that the joke I did not get was myself. My own foolish hope. The humour I did not understand was their laughing at me." There's a laugh then, dark and almost humorless. "My apologies. When you said that ... For a moment, I feared ... Never mind. I'm sure I will understand the joke soon enough."
Tesla turns then, finally, a bitter sort of wry smile on his lips... and then blinks at the rage he can see plainly in the other man's face. Rage not at him, but for him, that Edison might have used him so cruelly without a thought for what effect it might have on Tesla himself.
"That's not a joke," the other man finally manages to get out, voice choked with restrained anger. "I would not ... I would never ..."
"I know," Tesla answers softly, as his smile turns rueful and he holds out the bottle of wine to the other man in a gesture that's at least halfway to apology. "I didn't think you would. I was just ... Look, it's only been a year. I get a little ..." A pause as he tries to find the right words and fails. "Look, just forget it, will you? Just forget it, and we'll go back in and have a proper fight, make Helen stop worrying ..."
Tesla waves a hand in frustration and dismissal, as if he can undo everything that's just been with that alone, and there's relief on the other man's face as he takes the wine bottle. There's a considering sort of look that follows, one that takes in the way Tesla seems to be less wound up in anger and pain, and then the other man speaks again.
"Not on your life." It's shot back easily, but there's a sense that he's testing the water a little. Seeing if they really are back to normal. "If I so much as look at you wrong for the next few days, she'll skin me and feed the remains to something with far more teeth than any real animal ought to have. You can go pick fights with James for a while, mate. I'm waiting until the coast is clear."
There's a flicker of a pause, and then a grin spreads across Tesla's face. "Oh?" he drawls, and now the light is back in his eyes again, friendly and taunting. ""Afraid of a woman now, are we, Nigel?"
At this, the last of the tension goes out of Nigel.
"Not a bit of it," Nigel shoots back, passing the bottle back over to Tesla. "I've an entirely healthy fear of Helen Magnus, which is another thing entirely. And you should talk, or are you going to do your cursing in English any time soon? I may not speak Serbian or Hungarian, but it doesn't take a genius to figure out the meaning of some of those words yesterday ..."
This prompts a genuine laugh from Tesla, as he hops down from the ledge he'd situated himself on, sliding an friendly arm around Nigel's shoulder as they start to make their way to the laboratory.
"I'll start using colourful language in front of Helen just as soon as you and John do. James, of course, we shan't speak of, because the day James uses foul language in front of a lady ..."
"Is the day the seas rise and swallow the earth," Nigel finishes, with a nod and grin as the scene winks out.
And almost immediately comes back in, only this time in a hotel room. Tesla's, probably, given that he's just walked in through the door and doesn't seem to be at all pleased to find Nigel waiting for him; neither of them look much older than they'd been in the previous memory, but to be fair, Tesla is a vampire. (Nigel's excuse is unclear but so to is any indication as to how far apart the two memories are.)
"Nigel," Tesla comments and there's a world of emotion in that comment, annoyance and (somewhat reluctant) joy both. "I'd tell you to make yourself at home, but obviously you already have. Stop drinking the last of my wine, you reprobate!"
Nigel, however, seems to be entirely unrepentant, and unbothered by the accusation besides; he rises to his feet and wanders over to shake Tesla's hand, which Tesla accepts after a moment of careful side-eye. (Which also fails to make a dent in Nigel's cheer.)
"You know me," Nigel offers instead with a shrug, "I take my luxuries where I can find them."
"Yes, I know," Tesla answers in return, stalking past Nigel to claim some of the wine for himself. "Largely from other people, I remember." There's a brief moment of silence as Tesla plops down into the chair Nigel's just recently vacated, and then he continues on. "Not to put too fine a point on this, Nigel, but I'm not really in the mood for entertaining guests at the minute. I've scheduled the evening for being very depressed, so if you don't mind ...?"
Nigel blinks at the comment, but otherwise doesn't seem to be offended by either the bluntness or the casual insinuation that he's made a life of petty thievery. Instead, he simply watches Tesla, who is apparently not in the mood for such things, judge by the glare he offers in return and the way his eyes briefly flicker vampire-dark by way of a subtle threat. Which prompts another blink from Nigel and then an outright grin and a rueful headshake as Nigel takes the chair adjacent.
"You are in a filthy mood, aren't you?" Nigel comments, as he refills his glass. "I'd heard you were having trouble, lately. I hadn't realised it was this bad."
This prompts a snarl from Tesla, to which Nigel offers a sympathetic look.
"Finances a bother, are they?"
Judging by the snort from Tesla in response, the answer is yes, but he answers anyway, even if his voice is thick with bitterness.
"If you'd call the loss of funding from patents, the loss of my current investors and my blacklisting against future ones, not to mention looming bankruptcy, a bother ... then yes." A pause, and Tesla offers a sharp and almost too-savage grin. "Yes, I'm having a little bit of financial difficulty, how kind of you to notice."
"My pleasure," Nigel responds, but it's sympathy in his voice rather than anything else, and that sympathy stays as he continues on. "Dream a little too big again?"
There's a laugh from Tesla at that, half-bitter. But it seems that Nigel might have the right of it, given that Tesla is at least willing to answer the question.
"It turns out," Tesla begins, "That the construction of something aimed at the production of free, wireless energy does not sit well with the forces of American big business. Though it may well save the world, it is useless, nay, a crime, unless it also makes them a tasty profit." A pause and a sigh, as Tesla's gaze turns back to his wine glass. "Something I should have learned years ago, I think."
"Oh, undoubtedly," Nigel comments with a sad sort of smile, so softly that it almost passes unheard. "But then you're as bad an idealist as the other two. Always were. You and Helen and James. Trying to change the world, no matter that all you get is a kick in the teeth in return. I always figured you'd run afoul of it one day."
"Did you now," Tesla murmurs, raising an eyebrow, before shrugging as if to say 'well, fair enough' and continuing on. "Well, it appears you may have been right. Congratulations. A life of petty crime does indeed turn out to be the superior route. Or at least, the more reliable."
"Don't be like that," Nigel comments, but there's no sting in the rebuke. "Besides. I have a little something that might cheer you up. Resulting, I might add, from my 'life of petty crime'."
That catches Tesla's attention, especially when it's paired with the absolutely devilish grin the Nigel offers to go with it.
"You remember your old friend Edison?"
Tesla stiffens at the mention of the name, a grimace passing across his face.
"No, no," Nigel counters. "You'll like this, trust me."
"I'd better," Tesla grumbles. "I'm in no mood to deal with Edison right now."
"Yeah, yeah, I know," Nigel answers, in attempt to calm the waters a little before jumping into to his story. "You remember, about four years ago, there was a little scandal about Edison stealing a film from a New York theatre, copying it, and selling all over the city? Little thing called 'A Trip to the Moon'?" He pause briefly and Tesla nods, though it's clear he's not getting it yet. "I heard about it from an old friend of mine. You remember Herbert Wells? Wrote that ... interesting book about me back in '97?"
The book Nigel means is The Invisible Man, but neither Nigel nor Tesla say as much.
"Well, the film was based partly on another book of his. 'The First Men in the Moon'." A pause, a smile, and then Nigel's narrative abruptly switches tack. "It just reminded me, is all. Reminded me that wasn't the first time someone I knew ran afoul of old Thomas. Wasn't the first time he'd driven a friend of mine to bankruptcy. So ... I decided maybe it was time to take a little holiday in the good old United States."
Another pause and this time Nigel's grin is much sharper, and judging by the way Tesla seems to sit up and take notice, Nigel's well and truly caught his attention.
"What have you done?" The question's not at all accusatory, and in fact it looks almost like Tesla wants to know the answer.
"You probably wouldn't have heard," Nigel comments. "They've done a damned good job of hushing it up. But there's been a rash of burglaries around Edison's companies. Impossible thefts, that a man might have had to be invisible to carry."
And just like that Tesla's entire demeanor changes, as a viciously delighted grin spreads across his face.
"You stole from him. You actually stole from Edison."
"Mostly from General Electric," Nigel corrects. "But I nicked a few things from his estate in Glenmont, too."
Tesla, for his part, looks to be practically over the moon at this. "Twenty years ago he all but runs me out of the country, practically into the waiting arms of the Five, and now... the Invisible Man comes to rob his money out from under his nose. The past almost literally coming back to haunt."
"I do a good line as a ghost," Nigel agrees amiably, with a grin of his own; a comfortable silence stretching out between them until at length Tesla speaks up again.
"You're right, Nigel. That does make me feel better. Thank you."
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
Teslen banter
Chimera (3:40 - 8:33)
getting shoved down a pit trap - (Awakening - 6:56 - 8:30; 2:33 - 3:17; 5:33 - 5:57)
Bhalasaam trial
2:08 - 2:55; 3:31-4:12
lightning effects start @2:46
forgetting death was a thing (sleepers)
4:50-5:44
putting his needs above others'
For King and Country (4:11 - 5:11; 11:23 - end; previous drabble)
echo of deals convo
being hard to kill
getting staked (The Five 8:42 -end; beginning - 0:36; previous drabble)
getting sucker-punched by Druitt (The Five 3:22-3:50)/follow-up in Revelations, part 2 beginning to 0:25)
falling asleep in Edison's electric chair - (Revelations, part 1 0:30-0:46)
car scene - (Sleepers beginning - 0:54)
falling off a building - (Sleepers 1:28 - 3:38; previous drabble
world domination attempts
The Five (1:33 - 2:08; 4:18 - 5:21; 6:57 - 8:16) ; previous drabble
Sleepers (0:16-1:44; 2:23-3:10)
Source Blood experiments
headcanon/The Five (6:06-7:24); For King and Country (2:26 - 3:54; 4:27 - 5:04)
cw: blood-drinking, apparent death, severe joint dislocation
Could you excuse us for just one moment? [The voice is Helen's, addressed to the other woman, just before she pulls Tesla off to one corner of the room. Only then does she continue on, in hushed tones.] I don't like any of this. We have no idea where that tunnel leads.
[Tesla, on the other hand, appears to be somewhat less impressed.]
Why would she lie to us?
[The distinctly unimpressed expression that Helen offers in return is probably more than enough to explain her feelings on the matter all the same, annoyance creeping into her voice.]
The woman is used to ruling over a population of serfs. You don't think she's working her own agenda?
Look, [Tesla answers, apparently unwilling to admit Helen has a point] if she were actually bent on world domination, why would she complicate our trip out of here?
You're assuming all of us are going. [It's a good point, in all fairness. But Helen doesn't stop there.] You're familiar with the farmer and the chicken parable?
I am. [There's a note of mild annoyance creeping into Tesla's voice now.] Which are you in this story? The chicken, or the fox?
The farmer. [Helen counters, without so much as missing a bit, and with traces of her own annoyance creeping into her voice.] I don't feel safe letting her go first and I certainly don't feel safe leaving her behind.
[Again, the point is probably a good one. But Tesla seems to be more inclined to dig his heels in rather than yield to the logic in Helen's comments.]
You have a sasquatch for a butler and you travel the world with history's most notorious murderer and now you don't feel safe? Helen, green is not a good color on you.
[The comment prompts a laugh out of Helen.]
Don't be ridiculous.
[Tesla, on the other hand, seems to be entirely commented to his insinuation that Helen might be jealous; she's barely finished speaking before he's continuing right along, glancing briefly over at the other woman, who seems to be busying herself with something on the far side of the room.]
She's intelligent, powerful, remarkably well-preserved for her age... everything I look for in a woman. [The briefest of pauses, and then his voice picks up a tone of annoyance, one which grows throughout his next sentence.] And unlike someone I know, she's actually interested in me.
[If Helen is at all bothered by this outburst, she doesn't much show it. Mostly, she seems fed up with having to deal with Tesla, which is backed up by her comment.]
I'm not engaging in this childish conversation.
[Tesla on the other hand, is more than willing to. And more to the point, isn't inclined to stop.]
The more you deny it, the truer it is.
[If he wanted to goad Helen back into the conversation, that seems to have done it, since she comes right back with a retort of her own.]
Oh, that's an excellent scientific method. [This is offered with all the sarcasm and irritation she can muster, which is fairly considerable.] Really, really good.
[It's at this point that the other woman rejoins the conversation, crossing the room in - quite literally - the blink of an eye.]
I can hear you, you know. [There's not even a trace of shame in her voice either. Rather she sounds smug about it.] Vampire, remember?
[Helen recoils, at that - or possibly the suddenness of her arrival, moving to stand next to Tesla, who mostly looks unimpressed.]
You need to learn to trust me.
[This is addressed to Helen, who stands her ground, coming back with] And if I don't?
That's when bad things start to happen.
[The other woman smiles a bit, at that, while Helen draws in a breath and takes a step back. Which is likely a perfectly legitimate response as the other woman abruptly bares her fangs and rushes Helen, slamming her back against one of the pillars.]
Afina!
[The voice is Nikola's, just off screen, the camera refocusing to catch his expression of shock. This is, presumably, the name of the other woman, but either way she doesn't react, shoving Helen to the ground before rounding on Tesla and catching his arms in her hands. He tries to break free, but to no avail, Afina eventually forcing him down to his knees before sinking her fangs into his wrist; he gasps in shock, probably at the sudden turn of events and the discomfort of it.]
What are you doing?
[He's still struggling, helpless to do even so much as break free of Afina's grasp until she breaks free of till she pulls away from his wrist and pulls him to his feet.
Which is not the reprieve it seems to be; she shoves him backwards and he goes stumbling back a few steps... and straight over the edge of a pit trap. As he falls, screaming, the video snaps back to Afina, and her parting shot in response, complete with self-satisfied grin:]
Changing the rules.
[The video cuts out.]
[And picks up again, close in on Tesla face down at the bottom of the pit trap, head tilted at an uncomfortable-looking. For a moment it almost looks like he's dead - he's certainly not moving and doesn't seem to breathing either. Then there's a sudden gasp of breath and his eyes snap open. A moment later, he starts pushing himself up, with a soft comment of 'ow' accompanying the clicks and snaps of what sounds like most of the joints in his arms snapping back into place. His neck follows suit as he rolls that also back into place with another soft comment ("Oh, that hurts.") and then he's shoving himself to all fours and then properly to his feet. There's one last set of cracks and snaps as he rolls his neck again and then his shoulders before turning to look at the (small) space at the bottom of the shaft and then up at the small square of light overhead that marks the opening.
It's a long way up. Several stories at least.]
Oh, very nice.
[Let it never be said that Tesla lets not having someone to talk to keep from being utterly annoyed. There's a brief pause, a sigh, and than he thrusts out his arms, calling on his vampiric ancestry as claws spring forth from his hands; his fangs follow suit as he throws his head back and jumps.
Clear out of the frame. There's a long moment where all the camera shows is the smooth stone wall of the shaft, then a clatter of something hard against stone, and Tesla's voice.]
No. No.
[A groan of frustration, rapidly descending until Tesla comes into frame again, landing with a heavy thud.]
That backstabbing, blood-sucking, bitch.
[The camera cuts out again.]
[And in a moment later, refocusing at a point just above Tesla as he slides back down from his latest jump attempt, claws grating against the stone as he tries - and fails - to get any sort of purchase. This time, he stays where he is when he lands, breathing hard as he looks first at his claws and then back at the (undamaged) stone wall.]
Son of a...
[His voice trails off there as he slams his palm against the wall in frustration.]
Afina! [This is called up towards the square of light overhead, no doubt in the hope that someone is still up there.] Come on! I thought we had something. Call it... [a pause as he make a 'searching for words' sort of gesture with one hand, talons still out] heat, attraction. [Another pause.] You and me, we were gonna...
[His voice trails off as he realizes no one's going to answer. There's a beat of silence and then, bitterly and to himself:]
I hate her.
((video links: 6:56-8:30; 2:33-3:17; 5:33 - 5:57))
cw: electrocution
"Ah," Helen comments as Tesla draws to a stop, "your test."
"Yeah."
The comment is halfway to a sigh; although not one of relief. Instead it sounds like the sort of sigh someone might offer when faced with an unpleasant task that needs to be done all the same. Helen, as if noticing this fact, seems to be trying to comfort him, almost, when she speaks up again
"You tried to steal the blood once before; that means you've done the test."
"No," Tesla corrects, "I tried to steal it. I never succeeded in getting the key."
He points down the emitter-studded hallway at a low plinth on the other side. It's a little too far to see what, if anything, might be on the plinth. But rather than address that fact, he draws in another shaky breath - something entirely out of keeping, for a man who's usually so in control of himself, and Helen absolutely notices.
"You're afraid."
Tesla doesn't even try to deny it, continuing on instead.
"Your father managed to rig this tunnel here" one of his fingers draws a circle in the air that encompasses the whole of the tunnel before them "with a massive geomagnetic current, voltage derived directly from the earth. Do you have any idea how much electricity that is?"
Another shaky breath as he raises his eyebrows at Helen.
"He knew you were hard to kill."
This is offered with the verbal equivalent of a shrug on Helen's end. And as if sensing that he's not going to get any further reprieve Tesla simply dives into his next response, as if by doing so he can pretend that he isn't going to have to deal with what comes next.
"Well, this might just do it."
He takes a few steps back, shakes out his arms, and then steps hurriedly forward into the tunnel, as if he might back out if he gives himself even half the chance. The reason why becomes clear almost immediately - no sooner has he stepped into the tunnel when the nearest set of emitters comes suddenly to life, the massive current he'd spoken off lashing out at him from all directions. In fact, it looks like nothing so much as if he's in the middle of a sea of lightning; he struggles forward, each step won only with difficulty and were it not for the flash and flare of it, one might very nearly imagine he fighting against a torrent of water.
It doesn't sound comfortable either, though what few noises his makes are very nearly drowned by the crackle of the electricity. A bare handful of steps in, the tone of them change as he taps into his vampiric heritage, drawing on all he has to get through the trial he's been set.
Mercifully, the tunnel is comparatively short, and though it takes a few grueling moments longer, Tesla manages to come out the other side, collapsing on his knees in front of the plinth. One hand flails uncoordinatedly at the top for a moment before he manages to sort of pull himself up enough to be kneeling at the edge; the camera flicks back down the tunnel to catch Helen's look of concern before coming back to him as he delicately plucks an oddly-shaped key out of the plinth.
Then, and only then, does he use the plinth to lever himself up to a standing position, and someone looking closely might spot that his clothes are gently smoking, even as he offers a grin to Helen. She, in turn, makes a 'come on back' gesture at him and he steps out into the tunnel without a second thought.
...Only for the lightning to kick back in again. This time, though, he recoils instead of pushing through, rubbing his face with a hand.
"Your father really didn't like me, did he?"
This is called down the tunnel to Helen, who winces a little before answering back.
"You're an acquired taste."
"Uh-huh," Tesla murmurs, mostly to himself, with a grimace, and the video cuts out.
((video link: 2:08 - 2:55; 3:31-4:12 cw: flashing lights))
cw: mentions of death, allusions to morally dubious experimentation
That same irritation is audible in his voice too, when he speaks up.]
I don't get it. I adhered to all the protocols. Have a look for yourself.
[Without even missing a beat, Tesla turns the laptop around so that Helen can see; she barely even looks at the screen before she answers.]
And yet the incubation period was drastically truncated.
[A young woman walks into view then, carrying a tray of drinks - presumably she's associated with the villa (or whatever the building houses), but none of the others pay her any mind. Although the conversation does stop momentarily; when the woman leaves, it's the young man who speaks up, with a slight roll of his eyes.]
Instant vampires.
[Instead of directly commenting, Tesla picks up from Helen's last comment.]
So maybe there's some sort of environmental variable I didn't take into account.
[He still doesn't sound entirely pleased either, and he barely even glances at the young man once he speaks up.]
What, like weather, or diet, lifestyle?
Death. [Helen interjects, and this Tesla listens to, echoing the comment back at her with a look of mild confusion.]
Death?
Death would be the last thing that an immortal would think of. [Helen clarifies, and it's clear that she's not entirely pleased. Tesla, on the other hand, looks very nearly taken aback by the realization; the expression persists as he speaks up, although bit by bit one can see the wheels starting to turn.]
This first kid died in a car accident.
[The young man nods in response, adding in his own two cents.]
And then showed up two days later, alive.
Chad Spencer.
[Helen is the one to offer the name, enunciation perfectly crisp, and still carrying tones of disapproval. Tesla, of course, doesn't seem to bat so much as an eye at either.]
Yes, I remember him. [Tesla answers instead] Alpha-male type.
[This, however, doesn't seem to be enough for Helen, who prompts him further.]
If a human, having undergone your treatment, dies...
[Her voice trails off there, and Tesla picks up almost immediately thereafter.]
...the vampire gene would kick in. It was programmed to survive at all costs.
[Which is, if not exactly what Helen had been looking for, at least not entirely beyond what she might have expected - halfway through Tesla's explanation, she offers an 'I thought so' sort of smile that turns into an eye roll the longer he speaks. She doesn't speak up immediately thereafter though: the young man does instead, as if he's trying to put together the pieces of the puzzle, while Tesla pulls the laptop back around to him with a look of frustration.]
Okay, so Chad comes back to life and starts rounding up the other patients.
And killing them, [Helen continues, as if in confirmation] thereby triggering their vampire genetics.
[Tesla slams the laptop closed at that, rising to his feet.]
The little bastard. [That much is offered quietly. The rest is not, voice rising as he stalks over to the rail of the balcony.] This was supposed to be my party! Nobody hijacks Nikola Tesla!
((video link: 4:51-5:44))
cw: blood, impalement
As though a vial of stale water blessed by some priest would have any other effect than a bad taste in my-”
[His voice trails off there, as a worrying sort of rumble starts up from somewhere behind the two of them. He and Helen both look back at the same time, clearly concerned (although possibly for different reasons.]
Earthquake?
Worse [Tesla corrects, shoving Helen down a side path mere seconds before a massive shockwave comes barreling down the main corridor. Helen, tucked out of the way as she is, avoids getting hit. Tesla isn't so lucky, and the shockwave catches him dead on.
There's a brief gasp as it connects; the unmistakable sound of someone having all the air knocked out of them all at once, as the shockwave lifts him clear off his feet. And off-screen, the sound of debris clattering to the ground the only sound that follows.
A moment later, when the rattling dies down, Helen pokes her head back into the main corridor. Hesistantly at first, as if she's checking to make sure it's safe, and then more thoroughly, once she realizes Tesla isn't where he'd been before. A moment later, the light of her flashlight catches him at the end of the corridor, impaled on a broken piece of wood.
He's not moving either, and given the way he's hanging limp, it looks an awful lot like he's dead.]
Nikola.
[There's what sounds like genuine concern as she steps forward towards him, the light of her flashlight falling on him as she does, and to be honest, it doesn't improve how he looks. Not this this stops her from stepping closer anyway, mind. She stops when she's only barely a few feet away, and it looks like she might actually speak again, when Tesla abruptly gasps, coming back to life with a grin.]
I vant to suck your blood.
[This is offered in Tesla's very best terrible Dracula impression, which prompts a long-suffering sigh from Helen. In fact, she doesn't even address it when she speaks up again.]
Get down from there.
[Judging by the effort Tesla has to put into this, it's easy said than done - and not really helped by the fact that his feet are hanging several feet off the ground. But he manages, eventually, dropping to his feet with a sigh that probably a little bit relief and a little bit complaint.]
Irony is [he begins, as he starts to poke idly at the blood-stained hole in his shirt (and chest)] I once owned the patent to that weapon. I never should have sold it to Edison, cheapskate that he was.
((video links: 8:42-end; beginning - 0:36))
cw: blood, graphic violence
(In the background, his creations can be seen hovering but not approaching.)]
Guess I can tell you, that at Oxford... No one liked you.
[This doesn't really seem to have the effect it was meant to, unfortunately. In fact, as best as can be judged (the fact that Tesla's fangs are out makes it a little harder to tell) his voice sounds almost condescending.]
Aw. Was it because I was a genius?
[If anything, this seems to make Helen angrier, and she does the verbal equivalent of twisting the knife further when she answers.]
No. Because you were an obnoxious ass.
[Tesla offers a grin and a soft laugh at that.]
Well. [And here there's a brief suggestion that the laugh might have been covering for something. There's a pause, a blink, and a briefly downcast look before he looks back up at Helen.] Guess who’s still standing?
[Before Helen can even think of answering, there's a sort of 'zort'-ing noise; she jumps back as Tesla gasps - a short noise of discomfort - as the camera pulls back and down to catch the reason for both. Namely, that there's a bloody fist sticking out of his abdomen.]
John!
[The comment is Helen's, and sounds to be one of surprise. Tesla, unsurprisingly, isn't really in a state to be inclined to speak, but he does look up and over his shoulder to the man standing there - presumably, he's both the person Helen had been addressing and the person to whom the blood-covered fist belongs.]
Hello, Nikola.
[That perfunctory greeting out of the way - and it's offered with a sort of smile in the face of Tesla's continued surprise - John pulls his fist out of Nikola's torso; Tesla offers a gurgling sort of cry of pain and drops like a stone.
This, in turns, gets the attention of his creations, who growl in anger as they approach Helen and John. There's a beat of pause, Helen stepping back and away from the angry vampires, and then John puts a hand on her arm. There's another 'zort', and a swirl of orange energy, and then they're gone, leaving Tesla collapsed off screen.
The video flickers, and cuts out.]
[When it cuts back in, it's very clearly some time later, for all that it's still underground. For one thing, it's clearly somewhere that's a less a catacomb and more a giant underground chamber of some sort. For another, Tesla seems to be entirely recovered from the damage that John had done in their previous encounter. The camera is hovering near his shoulder, at just the right angle to catch the people standing in a loose line opposite him: John, dressed much as he had been previously, Helen, a man who appears to have stepped directly out of the Victorian Era in so far as his dress sense goes, a young man, and a young woman.
None of them seem to be pleased to see Tesla, John least of all. In fact, he takes half a step forward, the Victorian man catching him by the shoulder while Helen calls:]
John!
[John stills, but levels a glare at Tesla as he speaks; the comment is directed more at Helen, rather than Tesla himself.]
Oh, I know he's difficult to kill, but I'm sure there are ways.
[There's an undeniable aura of menace in his voice, the sort that suggests that he'd be perfectly willing to try. Still, if it bothers Tesla he does a good job of not showing it, and in fact, this might be perfectly normal, between the two of them, given that he only holds up a finger in a 'just a minute' sort of gesture.]
Is that before or after you retrieve the blood? Because, frankly, good luck with that if I'm dead. You know, you can't do it without me. [He takes a step forward towards the other at that.] Nice move last time we met, Johnny.
[A pause, as he cracks his neck.]
Mm... took me a while to get over it.
[John, in return, offers little more than a smile before answering in kind.]
Not long enough, old boy. Care for another helping?
[Tesla pulls a face at the idea, and the video cuts out, this time for good.]
((video links: 3:22-3:50; beginning - 0:25))
no subject
Helen's the first to speak, and it sounds rather like she's a general addressing her troops.]
Once inside the subterranean passages, we'll each be responsible for securing our designated keys.
[The bearded man - the one whose dress sense very much seems to lean to the Victorian - briefly holds up a hand.]
Does no one else see the madness in all this?
[Helen's head tilts a little to one side at this but she doesn't seem to be too put out otherwise. Rather, she sounds almost curious when she answers.]
You don't believe I can accomplish Nikola's task.
[The answer comes back almost immediately, as if this isn't an uncommon occurrence between the two of them.]
One, he had the powers of an ancient vampire. Two, he fell asleep in Edison's electric chair at full current. I don't see your skill sets overlapping.
((video link: 0:30 - 0:46))
cw: mention of experimentation on dubiously willing (teen) subjects
Naturally, it's Tesla who speaks up first, and it's pretty clear that he's continuing a conversation that had already been under way.]
Oh. Oh, I'm selfish?
[Unsurprisingly, Helen sounds distinctly less than amused by this, she turns to glance over at Tesla, even as the three of them continue walking.]
Shocking, I know.
Because I tried to save my race from extinction?
[Tesla offers an 'are we really doing this?' sort of smile to go with the comment, and to be fair, it's almost a good point. If one ignores the various ethical concerns involved in what he's been doing. Which Helen very clearly isn't, and when she answers she's very clearly on the angry end of 'fed up with this shit'.]
Because you used innocent children in a potentially deadly experiment.
There was that. [The young man chimes in, either in an effort to be helpful, or simply to get in on the conversation.
Either way, Tesla just rolls his eyes and raises his hands as if to say, yeah whatever.]
Professional jealousy.
[The implied accusation doesn't seem make Helen any happier, unsurprisingly, her voice rising into something approaching anger.]
You've no idea what you've unleashed! [The conversation derails there as three teenagers - two male, one female - in sunglasses come sauntering out from behind a semi.] Ah, let me guess. This must be your graduating class.
[Tesla doesn't directly answer. Instead, he approaches the teen who seems to be the leader of the little group, looking him over approvingly.] Incredible...it worked.
[There's a brief pause, as the leader's gaze flicks over Tesla in return.]
You're coming with us.
[His voice is lower than one might expect, and a little bit growly; he's barely even finished speaking when the other young man of the group steps forward as if to grab Tesla's arm.]
But you didn't even say please.
[This is pretty clearly a delaying tactic, given that he's barely finishes speaking when he calls on his vampiric ancestry, fangs and talons springing forth... and then he steps back as the three teens follow suit, leaving Helen and young man with her to fight the vampires.
A moment later, after she's managed to temporarily repel the attack of one of the three, Helen calls back to Tesla:]
Nikola, what the hell are you doing?
[Tesla doesn't directly answer the question, but given the way he mostly seems to be content to lurk on the edges of the fight and the comment he offers when he does finally speak up, it's clear that he's mostly just sort of. Observing what his latest creations are capable of.]
Crude, yet magnificent.
[It's at this put that a car comes out of nowhere and runs straight into Tesla - he goes down, flailing, as the two teenaged vampires break free of the fight. They drag an unprotesting Tesla to the car, before throwing him into the trunk and peeling off, leaving Helen, the young man who'd been with her before, and the female vampire behind.]
[When the video picks up again, it's pretty clear that some time has passed. Partly for the fact that Tesla is now standing in the middle of what looks like a fairly posh apartment, but also for the fact that it's clearly night.
Standing opposite Tesla are the two young men from the previous encounter, and a young woman; it's the same young man who seemed to be the leader of the group last time who speaks up, glancing briefly to the others (who are flanking him) as he does.]
This was your idea, remember?
No, no. [Tesla begins, and he sounds both displeased and perhaps a little desperate] The spontaneous generation of vampires decades ahead of schedule [he pronounces that last the British way] was not my idea. I had a plan, an intricate, ingenious design, and, strange as it may sound, it did not involve you blowing away your friends and taking over. Do you have any idea what you've become?
[The leader of the little group of teenaged vampires doesn't seem to be the least bit impressed by Tesla's rant, although it's the other young man who answers.]
Well, that's why you're here, to fill in the gaps for us.
[Tesla's answer comes almost immediately, for all that he's likely still not super thrilled with the situation.]
Sanguine vampiris. [He begins, as he starts to slowly circle the others.] The preeminent race on the planet. Born for greatness, bred to rule. Kings and pharaohs.There was a time when we sighed,and the world trembled.
We know. [The young woman purrs, sounding entirely too self-satisfied.] We read your journal.
Look, let's just cut to the chase, okay? [The leader of the group interjects.] You chose us not because of who we are, but because of who we'll become.
[Tesla turns away from the group at that, a look of distaste on his face as he does so.]
How astute.
[This comment goes entirely unanswered, as the leader of the group continues on.]
Our parents have more money than God, and they hold positions of power and influence all over this world.
[This, at least, gets Tesla's attention and he turns, slowly, to face the others as he speaks.]
And in a few decades' time, you would have stepped into their shoes, creating a new ruling class, returning us to the old ways.
[This, however, doesn't seem to quite be to the taste of the leader of the group.]
So let's bring it on. [he begins, not so much impatient as entirely sure of himself.] Now. And if anyone stands in our way, they'll die.
Nice. [Tesla answers, lips curling in exasperation and disgust.] All the subtlety of brain surgery with a chainsaw.
[There's a huff of laughter from the leader at that, either at the absurdity of the imagery or the fact that Tesla isn't quite what any of them might have expected.]
But why wait? We're here right now.
[This, at least, manages to turn Tesla's tone into something closer to amusement when he speaks again, although it's very clearly the sort of amusement that has an understood 'yeah no' attached to it.]
Oh, and you think that your 24 years' experience has prepped you for ruling the earth?
What are you saying? [The leader asks, clearly not quite as good as picking up on the unspoken bits of what Tesla has to say as some of people who know him better are.]
I'm saying you'll blow it. [Tesla clarifies, and the leader's lips pull into a thin line as he steps back a pace.] You've turned what was supposed to be a symphony into rock and roll! [A brief pause and then he's abruptly yelling although it trails off a little at the end of the outburst.] French-Canadian rock and roll.
[At the end of his tirade, he turns back to look out over the balcony he's half-leaning against. Behind his back, the leader of the vampires rubs his face a bit before turning back to Tesla - who still isn't looking at him.]
You know, I was hoping you'd be a little bit more cooperative.
[Halfway through the comment, Tesla turns in that direction a little, but it isn't until he starts his own that he finishes turning, a bright - and likely partially forced - smile on his face.]
Yeah, well, life's a bitch, and then you don't die. [He holds the grin for a beat, before half-turning away in disgust again; at a brief nod from their leader the other two vampires approach him without a word.] Oh, what, we're going to do this old-school? Is that it? You're not facing Magnus. This is me. [With a hiss, he calls forth his vampiric ancestry, claws held up as if ready to attack at a moment's notice] Bring it on, kiddies.
[The camera winks out.
And back in, at a lower angle and from outside the building - from this angle it's clear that what had looked like a posh apartment is more likely the sort of suite one happens to find at the top of high-rises. A moment later, Tesla comes into frame, falling rapidly - whatever sort of fight went down earlier it doesn't seem to have gone well at all.
As he falls further, the camera pans down, catching the brief moments of flailing before he lands - heavily - on a car, which all but crumples under him. And no surprise, really, given that he'd likely been falling at terminal velocity. Or at least, what would have been terminal if he weren't also an immortal vampire.
As it is, the camera simply pulls in closer. Close enough to catch his groan as he pulls in a breath, rolling his head to one side a little before he speaks.]
I hate them. ['Them' is presumably the vampires he's created, and judging by the lack of immediate vitriol in his voice, it's more of a complaint about the situation than anything else.] Oh, I hate them.
[It's only then that he rolls off the ruined hulk of a car, rolling his neck and shoulders to snap everything back into place, as the video cuts out again, this time for good.]
((video links: beginning - 0:54; 1:27 - 3:38))
1/2
Uuuuugh, [the guy in a t-shirt groans] why is this so hard?
Do you remember a few days ago, [the other guy asks] when the lawn sprinklers wouldn't shut off?
[The sasquatch nods before adding in:] Yesterday, the security door in the hallway kept going up and down and up and down.
[He gestures 'up and down' with one finger as he says the words.]
Yeah, [the guy in a t-shirt cuts in, in the tone of frustrated IT people everywhere] it's a glitch in the maintenance program. It happens sometimes.
[The sasquatch offers a disbelieving "uh-huh" at that, but before anyone else can say anything there's a pinging noise from one of the computers; IT guy glances down at it before commenting:]
That's the front gate.
What? [The other guy asks, surprised.] It's 2:30 in the morning. Who is it?
[This time, it's the sasquatch who answers, a brief moment later.]
One of Magnus' old codes.
[This is, apparently, a surprise to most everyone in the room, but eventually the guy in the jacket speaks up.]
I'll get it.
[There's another noise from the computer as he leaves, which prompts the IT to very nearly hurl his keyboard in frustration.]
Ooo, you're really pissing me off.
[This is, presumably, addressed at whatever he's working on, given that neither of the others react in the slightest to the outburst. Instead, the sasquatch speaks up again.]
You think there's a connection between all these glitches and the spider-bot?
That's what I'm trying to find out. [IT guy looks up from his screen at that, clearly frustrated.] But every time I try to backtrace the anomaly... [the computer bleeps again, and he tilts his head at what's displayed on screen.] Really? A hidden sector?
That you didn't create?
[That earns the sasquatch a flat look.]
Would I be this surprised if I created it? And this thing has big giant firewalls. [A pause as he pokes around a bit more.] It's just...
Speak. [The sasquatch prompts. There's yet another brief pause and then:]
Who has the ability to hide an entire system sector in a system that I built?
[The camera cuts away abruptly, coming in again in what looks like nothing so much as the entry hall of a very grand building. The guy in a jacket from before is approaching a door - presumably the front door mentioned earlier. Not that he looks entirely pleased to be doing so, and even less so when he opens the door to find Tesla standing there, back turned to the door. He turns around as it opens, the motion both fluid and utterly dramatic.]
Tesla, isn't it...
[He doesn't get to finish the sentence before Tesla interrupts, and he sounds distinctly displeased.]
Where. Is he?
Research lab.
[There's a shrug to go with the words, as if to suggest that he isn't super thrilled by any of this but doesn't want to argue, as Tesla steps in.]
Thank you. [Not that Tesla sounds any less irritated mind, and he hurries off in what's presumably the direction of the research lab.] Heinrich!
[This last is bellowed as he goes, and is presumably the name of one of the two people still in the research lab; the man who'd opened the door watches Tesla go with an expression halfway between bemusement and annoyance as he shuts the door again.
The camera cuts again, back to the lab as Tesla comes storming in.]
What the hell do you think you're doing?
[IT guy's head snaps up at that.]
Ah, you! [He does not sound thrilled either.] I see now.
[There'd probably have been more to his comment, but Tesla doesn't seem to be in a patient mood, shoving him out of the way to take a look at what's displayed on the computer screen and then up at the sasquatch, who doesn't look at all pleased about the intrusion.]
Oh dear god. [He sighs.] And the inmates are running the asylum.
[It's at this point that Helen enters, the man who'd opened the door for Tesla trailing behind her - presumably, he's gone to fetch her while he was off-screen.]
Nikola?
[Tesla sighs, clearly expecting Helen to not be pleased (and to be fair, she isn't). IT guy, meanwhile, takes Tesla's momentary silence to jump in with an accusation of his own.]
He did it!
[This is, admittedly, entirely unhelpful, and Helen clearly hasn't quite picked up on what's going down. Although she certainly doesn't sound pleased when she answers.]
What?
He did it. [This is offered in a rumbled echo from the sasquatch, as the man who'd followed Tesla asks:]
The sprinklers?
The hidden sector! [IT guy corrects, clearly frustrated. Tesla meanwhile, seems to be the only person in the room who isn't (currently) irritated, asking only:]
How did you find it?
[This is, apparently, not the right answer, as IT guy comes immediately back with a question of his own, suspicion hanging heavy on his words.]
What are you hiding?
[Which is all well and good, but is very certainly not helping clear up matters any; the next person to speak up is Helen, voice sharp and strident.]
Will you all please stop talking in code!
[The man who followed her in answers, as if it's second nature to explain things.]
The computer issues we've been having lately.
They're... they're not issues. [IT guy offers in quiet counterpoint.] They're glitches.
[Either way, this seems to be answer enough for Helen, who turns towards Tesla.]
Nikola. What have you done?
[Tesla glances up at that, but doesn't directly answer either. Instead he takes a slightly different tack, voice taking on a slightly defensive tone.]
Why do you always assume it's my fault?
[There's a sharp laugh from Helen at that, and a roll of her eyes as she answers.]
Oh, let me count the ways.
[IT guy jumps in again at that, offering another fragment of information Helen's way.]
He roofied our system.
Did you? [The voice is that of the man who'd followed Helen in, currently standing just behind Helen, with his arms crossed. When Tesla answers, it's clear that he's on the defensive now. Not that he isn't still answering, mind, but he doesn't sound pleased that it's necessary.]
It should have been fine. It would have been fine, if Enrico the wonder wolf [there's a brief nod in IT guy's direction, who seems to take direct offense at the comment] hadn't gone nosing around.
[Helen and the sasquatch both sigh at that, although Helen is the one who speaks up, in distinctly long-suffering tones.]
What is it this time.
Berate me if you must-- [Tesla begins, although Helen interrupts before he can finish the thought]
I must.
--but the only reason we're facing this unfortunate situation [Tesla continues on, without even missing some much as beat] is because I tried to save your life.
[Judging by the laugh Helen offers in response, she doesn't quite believe him. Although neither does she seem to be willing to tell him to get out either.]
Oh, this is going to be good.
[In fact, it sounds almost like she's directly prompting Tesla to make his excuses, which he does without so much as a second thought.]
Well, you do recall your first foray into Hollow Earth, when your tracking beacon disappeared?
[He pauses there, for just a moment, Helen offering a "go on" into the silence.]
Fearing the worst, I naturally sprang into action. But the only way I could get the proper coordinates to send Druitt down, I had to patch that little Praxian [a pause as he searches for the right word] brain-spider into your computer system.
[IT guy blinks at that, giving Tesla a funny look before speaking up.]
Yeah, but that was months ago, and you unpatched it.
[Tesla looks around the room at that, as if looking for something he doesn't seem to find, before turning back to IT guy and shrugging.]
Yeah, well, I guess it left behind a little easter egg.
[This is offered in the most 'well, what can you do' tone of voice he can manage, which doesn't seem to so much as get off the ground, judging by Helen's comment in return, which mostly sounds highly unimpressed.]
A virus.
No, no, [Tesla corrects] nothing like that. [There's a brief moment there, where the faces of all those in the room show some form of relief and there's a round of quiet sighs.
And then Tesla continues on.] It's a sentient, organic nanite.
[Which changes the mood of the room in no time flat. Helen, eyes wide in shock, only manages a disbelieving "what?; the sasquatch offers a quiet "not good", and IT guy sinks down over the desk. Helen is the first to recover properly, turning on Tesla.]
It-- it didn't cross your mind to mention this to anyone?
Well, you were all so busy. [Tesla has the grace to look at least a little sheepish, though.] And besides, [he continues, gesturing with both hands towards the computer monitor] I quarantined it!
In a hidden sector.
[By the tone of Helen's voice it doesn't sound like she thinks this is really adequate to the problem at hand. For his part, Tesla simply nods at the comment before continuing on.]
Behind a veritable Fort Knox of firewalls.
[From his position behind Helen, the other man can't help but point out on small detail that Tesla has thus far been steering clear of.]
But it got out.
Not that this seems to faze Tesla too much, given that he doesn't seem to be taken back much at all when he answers.]
Right. Because little... [his voice trails off as he gestures to IT guy, who throws up his hands in frustration. But his words seem to have a prompted a realization from Helen, who speaks up almost hesitantly into the silence.]
Ah. Well. That may actually be... my fault. [A brief pause and a prompting "Helen?" from Tesla.] I've been having Henry move some of our more sensitive data to a secure cloud. Of our system, out of the prying eyes of SCIU. [She pronounces the acronym as one word - "skew" - and with a great deal of venom.]
No offense. [Chimes in the young man standing behind her.]
None taken, scooter. Thanks.
[This is shot back without so much as a pause, on Tesla's end, and he briefly leans in the direction of the man he's talking to, as if to give the words more impact.
Still, it's Helen who picks up the thread of the conversation, once the sniping is done.]
Henry did warn me that during the changeover, there might be a nanosecond where our defensive firewalls might be vulnerable.
Yeah, [IT guy - Henry - agrees, with a pointed look] I warned you.
[This news doesn't appear to leave Tesla very impressed, and he crosses his arms before turning towards Helen.]
But you took the chance anyway.
Well, given the course of recent events, [Helen begins, sounding slightly defensive in turn] I felt it was a calculated risk worth taking.
Oh, Helen. [Tesla sounds genuinely disapproving, now, and he shakes his head in reproach.] How could you be so... irresponsible?
[There's a beat of silence, and an expression of what's probably best to call outrage on Helen's face; when she speaks again her voice is sharp and angry.]
Didn't know you'd left behind a Praxian booby-trap, did I?
[It's a good point. But it doesn't sway Tesla in the slightest, who only continues to look distinctly unimpressed.]
So your cavalier incompetence is now my fault?
[Helen rolls her eyes at that, and looks away, as if she absolutely cannot believe this is the conversation they're having right now. A moment later, she sighs and turns back to Tesla, calmer now, even if she might be forcing it.]
The point is: [she shakes her head in something like disbelief] how do we fix it?
We can't. [The quiet voice is Henry's, who still hasn't moved from behind the computer he's been standing at; as everyone else in the room turns to look at him, he continues on.] This is organic, sentient tech, people. From Praxis. It's bits and bytes and brains all in one.
[Tesla glances over at Henry's screen for a moment and then adds in his own two cents.]
And judging by this data, it's evolving.
Growing? [the sasquatch asks, sounding both surprised and concerned about the process; Henry nods grimly.]
It's gathering bits and pieces from everywhere.
That's why it released the spider-bot, [the young man behind Helen comments, although the realization is likely one that he's only just had] to learn from us.
Okay, [Helen begins, closing her eyes briefly as if that alone will help banish the headache that the whole scenario has become] worst case scenario?
[There's a brief and very tense pause before Henry speaks up again.]
Gobbles up everything, data becomes compromised, we lose complete control of critical Sanctuary function.
I don't like it when you visit. [The sasquatch grumbles, comment clearly aimed at Tesla. And it's not a unreasonable complaint either - he has rather made things a nightmare in only a few short minutes. Not that he seems inclined to back down either; he already looks like he's getting ready to loose a few choice words of his own when Helen cuts back in.]
There has to be a way to stop it.
[Henry's expression, on the other hand, says otherwise.]
Listen, [he begins] I think I need to explain again. It is Praxian, okay? It's not going to turn tail with a few simple keystrokes. Hell, I don't even speak its language.
[It's an innocuous sounding comment, but Tesla's head abruptly snaps up, like he's caught wind of a particularly tantalizing scent.]
Hold your horses, Hénri. You may have just blundered into something remotely useful.
[It's a backhanded compliment at best, but Henry's muttered "Uh... thanks" goes all but unnoticed as Tesla turns towards Helen, who's raised an eyebrow in his direction.]
Nikola?
[It's very definitely meant as a question, but as to what is a little unclear, although Tesla seems to understand what she's asking.]
Oh yeah.
[She tilts her head and then continues on.]
You're not going where I think you're going.
[Tesla doesn't even bat an eye at the implied question. Instead he answers with out blinking an eye, and from that point they simply trade comments back and forth, much to the growing consternation of everyone else in the room]
We have to learn to speak its language.
You're serious?
no subject
Meanwhile, when Tesla doesn't answer her question, Helen continues on.]
You realize this is unprecedented.
Never stopped us before.
Potentially dangerous.
Fraidy-cat.
[Helen pauses there, tilting her head at Tesla's last comment as if to say "that's really the insult you're going with"; the brief moment of silence gives Will time to break into their heated back and forth.]
Alright, you guys are making me really nervous, and I don't even know what you're talking about.
[Tesla offers a brief grin to Helen - asking her to do the honors, perhaps - and while she offers an unimpressed look she speaks up.]
Very well, then. If you're up for it.
[Apparently, she's no more heard Henry's comment than Tesla has, given that he doesn't address it any more than she had, choosing instead to respond to Helen's.]
I wouldn't miss it for the world.
[This time the other man in the room interjects, in tones not dissimilar to that of a frustrated teacher.]
Would you like to share with the rest of the class, please.
[He glances at Helen and then over to Tesla as he says it; Tesla glances back to Helen, nods, and then speaks up.]
We're going in.
In. [the other man echoes, still confused.] In. In where?
In there. [Helen answers, nodding to the computer Henry had been working at; there's a brief moment of silence, and then the video ends.]
((video link: 3:40 - 8:33))
no subject
He has a psychiatric disorder!
[Helen spreads her hands as if to say 'what do you want me to do', and while it's clear enough she's also angry, she's not yet at the point of all out rage either.]
We didn't understand the mind back then, Will! We only knew he was a threat.
[Whoever the 'he' they're talking about is, her response doesn't seem to garner her any favor from Will, who comes shooting right back with a very pointed:]
To the public, or to your work?
[That, presumably is meant to mean "the work of the Sanctuary". Or at least, that seems to be how Helen reads it at any rate.]
How dare you? [She snaps, which is impressive, given that it's still recognizable as a question.] You've no idea what--
[Her voice trails off into a violent fit of coughing there - one that Steve might well recognize from when the alternate Tesla had been around. By the time she's finished there's distinct traces of blood on the surgical gloves she's been wearing. Will, standing behind her at this point, isn't able to see them, but her coughing fit does, at least, seem to have pulled him back from the edge of anger.]
Hey... [he begins, taking a step closer to Helen as if to offer a hand of comfort. Helen seems to want none of it, prompting a questioning "Magnus?" from him before she turns and storms out of the room.]
Magnus, wait a sec! [He calls after her, to no apparent avail.] Magnus...
[As she storms around the corner and out of sight, Tesla steps round the corner.]
You know better than to follow an angry woman out of the room. [A pause as he steps all the way into the room.] Just let her go. She's not exactly herself right now.
[Faced with Tesla, all the anger that had previously faded seems to come rushing back into Will's expression; he snatches the file that Tesla had been holding out of his hands with a look that very much says that he'd rather be doing anything else just at the moment. That done, he stalks off to the other end of the room, Tesla following; since he still doesn't say anything, Tesla takes the opportunity to instead, as Will opens the file.]
It's spread.
[Whatever "it" is, Will does finally speak up at that, looking over the file as he does so.]
Lymph nodes... kidneys?
[It sounds, mostly, like he's talking to himself, but Tesla chimes in, helpfully pointing out something else in the file.]
Upper spine.
[Will sighs, offering a minute, but somber nod, and then:]
She needs to see this.
[Presumably, he's talking about Helen, and it's a fair consideration since she is the one who happens to be ill.]
No, [Tesla interjects] I don't think you understand. With this much damage...
[He doesn't get to finish the thought, as Will cuts back in.]
We'll find a treatment.
[It sounds, mostly, like he's trying to convince himself that they can. Tesla, for his part, doesn't seem to buy it even for a bit.]
And if we don't, she dies, Adam dies, we don't get into the city and all of it's secrets are lost.
Then that's what happens. Will snaps, frustration boiling over, as he finally glances over to Tesla.] We deal with it.
[There's a brief pause, as Tesla looks up towards the ceiling and then back down at Will before commenting quietly:]
I don't think so.
[The video cuts out there. When it comes back in again, it's somewhere much more recognizable. If only because it happens to be Helen's office, and thus, Helen's cabin. Helen herself is standing behind her desk, facing down a tall, bald man; Will and another young man are hovering in the background.]
Show him the map, Helen.
[The bald man is the one speaking, and his voice is quiet, and yet no less forceful for it.]
And put all that power in his hands? Helen counters, clearly neither impressed nor cowed - whoever the 'he' in question is, the bald man doesn't miss a beat before answering in return.]
I'll handle Hyde, one deranged killer to another.
[If Helen has at all mentioned the finer details of her past that might well make the bald man's identity clear: John Druitt, better known to history as Jack the Ripper. Either way, Helen is very clearly still not enamored of the idea, and the tone of her voice says as much.]
It's too risky.
We're back to square one. [Sighs Will, from the background, and with that one comment he makes it pretty clear that the four of them have been trying to figure out the solution to the problem at hand for some time.]
Really? [offers the other young man, who happens to be leaning against a chair.] We were so close.
[Druitt sighs, at that, and turns away from Helen's desk as if in resignation; Helen herself picks up the thread of the conversation, voice full of steely determination.]
We'll find a way, but Adam Worth is not getting that map, not on my watch!
[It's at that point that Tesla steps in, with several sheets of yellowed paper in his hand, picking up the thread of conversation as neatly as if he'd be queued.]
Oh, about that...
[Helen blinks at his appearance, standing a little straighter, but despite the oddity of his arrival, asks only:]
Where have you been?
[Which implies that the meeting going on is some sort of all staff meeting, and that Tesla is late, a fact that he doesn't address. He does, however, answer her question, as he crosses over to her desk.]
In the library, boning up on the Sanctuary charter.
[This doesn't seem to impress the rest of the assembling crowd, although it's Will who breaks the silence with a exasperated 'helpful,' prompting Tesla to turn his way.]
Wait for it, sonny. [That said, he turns back to Helen.] Apparently, if the Sanctuary head becomes physically or psychologically compromised, the second in command takes over.
[As if she knows what he's playing at, Helen's head tilts, fixing Tesla with a 'are you really going there' sort of look as she crosses her arms.]
Dude, [the other young man comments softly] that is beyond cold.
Nikola... [Helen warns, shaking her head gently as if to say 'don't do this.' But Tesla is utterly unmoved. Cold or not, he seems to have made up his mind and he absolutely means to stick to it. He even goes so far as to offer the slightest of nods in her direction, as if to say that he really is going through with it.
Druitt, standing behind them and unable to see either the expressions they've traded or the whole point of Tesla's declarations those far, takes the moment of silence to speak up, sounding largely annoyed.]
Where are you going with this?
[Fortunately enough, Tesla is willing to answer the question, although he doesn't turn away from Helen. That or the next thing he has to say just conveniently happens to answer Druitt's question. It's a little hard to tell.]
Officially, it's not your watch anymore, and the question of whether or not we show Adam Worth the map is no longer your decision. [Helen shakes her head in disbelief at that, but Tesla continues on, undaunted, as he turns to face Will.] Over to you, William. What's it going to be?
[The camera remains on long enough to catch the various reactions to that - Will's shock, Druitt's disbelief, and Helen looking rather like the rug has been pulled out from under her feet and a little bit betrayed besides - and then it cuts out.]
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.]
no subject
https://archiveofourown.org/works/411261 / https://archiveofourown.org/works/411266 (Edison :: Nigel)
[private text]
[private text]
cw: nazis (in historical context)
A moment passes and then a person steps into view. A soldier, wearing a uniform that Steve no doubt knows well - a WWII German uniform. Which explains when this is. And possibly also what the structure looming in the distance is, given the blasted landscape around it. The soldier stops, for a moment, looking nervously around him... and then a figure coalesces out of the faint shadows offered by a thatch of dead trees - in the blink of an eye he's on the soldier, teeth sinking into the man's neck. The soldier startles at that, twisting away, a look of horror on his face as he looks back at Tesla in full-on vampire mode, the light of the moon casting devilish shadows over him.
To the soldier's credit he does start to raise his gun; but there's a menacing snarl from Tesla and the man, already half-terrified, flees into the darkness.
Only once the soldier has vanished into the darkness does Tesla let go of his vampiric ancestry, a look of utter disgust on his face as he vanishes back into the darkness.
1/2
In fact, it seems as if the memory's come in in the middle of the conversation, Tesla says something that does quite register; the sound kicks in properly just in time to here the answer he receives.
"Maybe you just don't get our kind of humor."
Tesla jerks upright at that, eyes searching over the other man's face as if trying to figure out how it had been meant. And when all he can find is smirk, smug as you please, he freezes, stalking out without so much as a word to anyone else. And utterly unaware of the confused looks he leaves in his wake - nor the glares that are aimed at the man he'd been speaking with besides.
For a time he simply walks aimless, but eventually he settles in on a window that overlooks what looks like a university quad, an open bottle of wine clutched tight enough that his knuckles are white with the force of his grip, eyes screwed shut as he rests his forehead against the glass of the window. It's only after a long moment that anyone else shows up, and when someone does, it's the same man that Tesla had been arguing with; while he clear hears the man's approach he doesn't turn away from the window.
"Not now, Helen," Tesla grumbles. "I'll apologize for upsetting people later. Just let..."
"I don't think it's you she wants to apologize," the other man comments softly and Tesla startles upright, turning to look at him with an hard and unyielding expression. Whatever the reason he's reacted the way he has he's not at all pleased.
"I'll tell her you were by, then," Tesla answers, his words clipped and all but dripping with ice; a moment of silence follows, and then the other man moves cautiously to rest against the wall near where Tesla has set himself up.
"That's not how this works," the other man begins. "When friends hurt each other, what happens is the one who did the hurting comes and says he's sorry, and asks what he can do to redeem himself." A pause as the other man makes an attempt at a smile. "Even if he doesn't quite understand what he did wrong...?"
Tesla, on the other hand is having none of it, his expression still sullen and defiant, albeit with the faintest trace of shame sneaking in around the edges.
"It's nothing," he mutters, turning away from the other man again, taking a pull from the wine bottle as he does.
"It's not nothing." The answer comes snapped back, the other man half-reaching to pull the bottle away, and then thinking better of it. "Nothing is when I call you every dirty name under the sun, and you knock me down a peg or twenty with about two sentances in return, because we've done that a hundred times and it's never ... It's never done this to you. I've never done this to you."
If Tesla is listening, however, he shows no outward sign of it. Simply keeps his back turned, angry and hurting in a way most people on the Barge have never seen him, when he's usually far more willing to pass comment on whatever it is that's bothering him; when the other man realizes he's being ignored, he draws a hand through his hair with a sigh of frustration and tries again.
"I'm sorry," he begins, getting straight to the point and sounding halfway tired besides. "I figured it was a game, that you gave as you got, and had fun doing it. It wasn't aimed to knock you down. Never was. Never figured you could be knocked down. But it doesn't matter. I'll bloody stop, if that's what's needed. Only bloody tell me, you bastard! Tell me what I did wrong, and I'll bloody fix it!"
There's still no answer from Tesla and it's only when the other man turns to go, the floor creaking slightly as he does that Tesla speaks up, the accent of his homeland hanging thick and heavy on his words and making him sound tired too.
"The last time someone told me I did not understand their country's humour," Tesla begins. "They did so after having used me for months on the promise of a future, the promise of enough money to make my own way, that they never intended to give me. Because it turned out that the joke I did not get was myself. My own foolish hope. The humour I did not understand was their laughing at me." There's a laugh then, dark and almost humorless. "My apologies. When you said that ... For a moment, I feared ... Never mind. I'm sure I will understand the joke soon enough."
Tesla turns then, finally, a bitter sort of wry smile on his lips... and then blinks at the rage he can see plainly in the other man's face. Rage not at him, but for him, that Edison might have used him so cruelly without a thought for what effect it might have on Tesla himself.
"That's not a joke," the other man finally manages to get out, voice choked with restrained anger. "I would not ... I would never ..."
"I know," Tesla answers softly, as his smile turns rueful and he holds out the bottle of wine to the other man in a gesture that's at least halfway to apology. "I didn't think you would. I was just ... Look, it's only been a year. I get a little ..." A pause as he tries to find the right words and fails. "Look, just forget it, will you? Just forget it, and we'll go back in and have a proper fight, make Helen stop worrying ..."
Tesla waves a hand in frustration and dismissal, as if he can undo everything that's just been with that alone, and there's relief on the other man's face as he takes the wine bottle. There's a considering sort of look that follows, one that takes in the way Tesla seems to be less wound up in anger and pain, and then the other man speaks again.
"Not on your life." It's shot back easily, but there's a sense that he's testing the water a little. Seeing if they really are back to normal. "If I so much as look at you wrong for the next few days, she'll skin me and feed the remains to something with far more teeth than any real animal ought to have. You can go pick fights with James for a while, mate. I'm waiting until the coast is clear."
There's a flicker of a pause, and then a grin spreads across Tesla's face. "Oh?" he drawls, and now the light is back in his eyes again, friendly and taunting. ""Afraid of a woman now, are we, Nigel?"
At this, the last of the tension goes out of Nigel.
"Not a bit of it," Nigel shoots back, passing the bottle back over to Tesla. "I've an entirely healthy fear of Helen Magnus, which is another thing entirely. And you should talk, or are you going to do your cursing in English any time soon? I may not speak Serbian or Hungarian, but it doesn't take a genius to figure out the meaning of some of those words yesterday ..."
This prompts a genuine laugh from Tesla, as he hops down from the ledge he'd situated himself on, sliding an friendly arm around Nigel's shoulder as they start to make their way to the laboratory.
"I'll start using colourful language in front of Helen just as soon as you and John do. James, of course, we shan't speak of, because the day James uses foul language in front of a lady ..."
"Is the day the seas rise and swallow the earth," Nigel finishes, with a nod and grin as the scene winks out.
no subject
"Nigel," Tesla comments and there's a world of emotion in that comment, annoyance and (somewhat reluctant) joy both. "I'd tell you to make yourself at home, but obviously you already have. Stop drinking the last of my wine, you reprobate!"
Nigel, however, seems to be entirely unrepentant, and unbothered by the accusation besides; he rises to his feet and wanders over to shake Tesla's hand, which Tesla accepts after a moment of careful side-eye. (Which also fails to make a dent in Nigel's cheer.)
"You know me," Nigel offers instead with a shrug, "I take my luxuries where I can find them."
"Yes, I know," Tesla answers in return, stalking past Nigel to claim some of the wine for himself. "Largely from other people, I remember." There's a brief moment of silence as Tesla plops down into the chair Nigel's just recently vacated, and then he continues on. "Not to put too fine a point on this, Nigel, but I'm not really in the mood for entertaining guests at the minute. I've scheduled the evening for being very depressed, so if you don't mind ...?"
Nigel blinks at the comment, but otherwise doesn't seem to be offended by either the bluntness or the casual insinuation that he's made a life of petty thievery. Instead, he simply watches Tesla, who is apparently not in the mood for such things, judge by the glare he offers in return and the way his eyes briefly flicker vampire-dark by way of a subtle threat. Which prompts another blink from Nigel and then an outright grin and a rueful headshake as Nigel takes the chair adjacent.
"You are in a filthy mood, aren't you?" Nigel comments, as he refills his glass. "I'd heard you were having trouble, lately. I hadn't realised it was this bad."
This prompts a snarl from Tesla, to which Nigel offers a sympathetic look.
"Finances a bother, are they?"
Judging by the snort from Tesla in response, the answer is yes, but he answers anyway, even if his voice is thick with bitterness.
"If you'd call the loss of funding from patents, the loss of my current investors and my blacklisting against future ones, not to mention looming bankruptcy, a bother ... then yes." A pause, and Tesla offers a sharp and almost too-savage grin. "Yes, I'm having a little bit of financial difficulty, how kind of you to notice."
"My pleasure," Nigel responds, but it's sympathy in his voice rather than anything else, and that sympathy stays as he continues on. "Dream a little too big again?"
There's a laugh from Tesla at that, half-bitter. But it seems that Nigel might have the right of it, given that Tesla is at least willing to answer the question.
"It turns out," Tesla begins, "That the construction of something aimed at the production of free, wireless energy does not sit well with the forces of American big business. Though it may well save the world, it is useless, nay, a crime, unless it also makes them a tasty profit." A pause and a sigh, as Tesla's gaze turns back to his wine glass. "Something I should have learned years ago, I think."
"Oh, undoubtedly," Nigel comments with a sad sort of smile, so softly that it almost passes unheard. "But then you're as bad an idealist as the other two. Always were. You and Helen and James. Trying to change the world, no matter that all you get is a kick in the teeth in return. I always figured you'd run afoul of it one day."
"Did you now," Tesla murmurs, raising an eyebrow, before shrugging as if to say 'well, fair enough' and continuing on. "Well, it appears you may have been right. Congratulations. A life of petty crime does indeed turn out to be the superior route. Or at least, the more reliable."
"Don't be like that," Nigel comments, but there's no sting in the rebuke. "Besides. I have a little something that might cheer you up. Resulting, I might add, from my 'life of petty crime'."
That catches Tesla's attention, especially when it's paired with the absolutely devilish grin the Nigel offers to go with it.
"You remember your old friend Edison?"
Tesla stiffens at the mention of the name, a grimace passing across his face.
"No, no," Nigel counters. "You'll like this, trust me."
"I'd better," Tesla grumbles. "I'm in no mood to deal with Edison right now."
"Yeah, yeah, I know," Nigel answers, in attempt to calm the waters a little before jumping into to his story. "You remember, about four years ago, there was a little scandal about Edison stealing a film from a New York theatre, copying it, and selling all over the city? Little thing called 'A Trip to the Moon'?" He pause briefly and Tesla nods, though it's clear he's not getting it yet. "I heard about it from an old friend of mine. You remember Herbert Wells? Wrote that ... interesting book about me back in '97?"
The book Nigel means is The Invisible Man, but neither Nigel nor Tesla say as much.
"Well, the film was based partly on another book of his. 'The First Men in the Moon'." A pause, a smile, and then Nigel's narrative abruptly switches tack. "It just reminded me, is all. Reminded me that wasn't the first time someone I knew ran afoul of old Thomas. Wasn't the first time he'd driven a friend of mine to bankruptcy. So ... I decided maybe it was time to take a little holiday in the good old United States."
Another pause and this time Nigel's grin is much sharper, and judging by the way Tesla seems to sit up and take notice, Nigel's well and truly caught his attention.
"What have you done?" The question's not at all accusatory, and in fact it looks almost like Tesla wants to know the answer.
"You probably wouldn't have heard," Nigel comments. "They've done a damned good job of hushing it up. But there's been a rash of burglaries around Edison's companies. Impossible thefts, that a man might have had to be invisible to carry."
And just like that Tesla's entire demeanor changes, as a viciously delighted grin spreads across his face.
"You stole from him. You actually stole from Edison."
"Mostly from General Electric," Nigel corrects. "But I nicked a few things from his estate in Glenmont, too."
Tesla, for his part, looks to be practically over the moon at this. "Twenty years ago he all but runs me out of the country, practically into the waiting arms of the Five, and now... the Invisible Man comes to rob his money out from under his nose. The past almost literally coming back to haunt."
"I do a good line as a ghost," Nigel agrees amiably, with a grin of his own; a comfortable silence stretching out between them until at length Tesla speaks up again.
"You're right, Nigel. That does make me feel better. Thank you."
And with that, the memory ends.
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