Post by Lucy on Jul 21, 2008 22:29:39 GMT -5
"So where does stage two of this war begin?" Lestat asked impatiently as they returned to Lydia's house.
"We have to find those other followers of William," Louis said. "There were three of them."
"At least the lab's destroyed. Now his secret work can't go on. All that's left are those who benefited from it," Jake said.
Veronica had been strangely quiet. Jake noticed and when he stopped the car in Lydia's driveway he reached out and ran a finger across the nearly invisible hairs on her arm.
It caused a shiver to run up her spine and she looked at last into his eyes.
"What's wrong?" he whispered.
Veronica sighed. "I was just thinking that maybe this should be the end of it," she said.
"What?" Lestat asked, whirling around before he closed the car door.
"Well, we've destroyed their possibility of retrieving William's equipment. So in theory they can't begin again. But as I mentioned before, isn't their right to life as much theirs as ours? Why not let them run? Let them live. As I said, what makes us think we have more right to exist than they, when we are both creatures on the fringes of society? How can we say that we deserve to live and they don't?" she asked.
"Because I say so," Lestat said simply.
"Lestat,." Louis warned. "She does have a point. Would it be such a loss if we let them go?"
Lestat was silent. His violet eyes wandered across the side of the car as he mulled over what Veronica had said.
"Uh, something tells me we have bigger problems than William's minions," Jake cut in.
Lydia was striding toward them with purpose, a worried look in her eyes. "William," she said when she reached them.
Ville stood behind her with Mana in his arms.
"Shit," Lestat cursed and began approaching Ville, who led him back around the other side of the house.
The others followed until they saw the scorched mess that was William laying in the grass. He appeared better than he had before, due to Lydia's life-giving blood, but he was still nearly unrecognizable.
"Why didn't you kill him?" Lestat asked.
"I offered a piece of information they couldn't refuse," William said huskily.
"Which reminds me. We spared your life. Now you owe use the whereabouts of the other one," Lydia demanded.
"Other one?" Veronica asked.
"Yes. He says there's a woman on the other side of the world who holds the secrets to his lab and can recreate it. She can even save his life," Lydia replied.
"I can see that he's become a vampire due to changes in his little bloodstream," Lestat said.
"Yes, I have. But she holds the key to restoring me to mortality, and the abilities that come with it. Sun, food, etcetera," William said with a cough.
Jake looked up sharply. "Does that mean she can do it to other vampires, too?"
"What, do you desire to be mortal?" William said with a sneer.
"Can she?" Veronica asked.
"No. In order for it to work there must be a significant amount of my secret ingredient in the bloodstream, and it only works with blood that hasn't been vampirized before it entered it. In other words, if only works if you began as a mortal, not a vampire," William explained.
"And where is she?" Ville demanded.
"Why should I let you know? If I let you know, I'll have no reason anymore for why you shouldn't kill me. I have to preserve myself you know," William said.
"Damn you!" Lydia shouted and kicked him.
Veronica grabbed Lydia's arm and pulled her into an embrace.
"Does she know you need her special potion?" Louis asked William.
"No. We aren't connected telepathically. I have to contact her by phone or e-mail," William replied.
Lestat pulled Louis aside.
"What if we allow him to contact her and when she comes we'll set a trap," he whispered.
"I think our little friend here is smart enough to see through that. We have to make him think he was able to reach her in secret. We have to pretend to make a mistake in order to give him the opportunity to call her and think he has the upper hand. Then she won't be expecting a trap when she comes," Louis replied.
Lestat grinned. "I knew you were good for something," he said.
"We have to find those other followers of William," Louis said. "There were three of them."
"At least the lab's destroyed. Now his secret work can't go on. All that's left are those who benefited from it," Jake said.
Veronica had been strangely quiet. Jake noticed and when he stopped the car in Lydia's driveway he reached out and ran a finger across the nearly invisible hairs on her arm.
It caused a shiver to run up her spine and she looked at last into his eyes.
"What's wrong?" he whispered.
Veronica sighed. "I was just thinking that maybe this should be the end of it," she said.
"What?" Lestat asked, whirling around before he closed the car door.
"Well, we've destroyed their possibility of retrieving William's equipment. So in theory they can't begin again. But as I mentioned before, isn't their right to life as much theirs as ours? Why not let them run? Let them live. As I said, what makes us think we have more right to exist than they, when we are both creatures on the fringes of society? How can we say that we deserve to live and they don't?" she asked.
"Because I say so," Lestat said simply.
"Lestat,." Louis warned. "She does have a point. Would it be such a loss if we let them go?"
Lestat was silent. His violet eyes wandered across the side of the car as he mulled over what Veronica had said.
"Uh, something tells me we have bigger problems than William's minions," Jake cut in.
Lydia was striding toward them with purpose, a worried look in her eyes. "William," she said when she reached them.
Ville stood behind her with Mana in his arms.
"Shit," Lestat cursed and began approaching Ville, who led him back around the other side of the house.
The others followed until they saw the scorched mess that was William laying in the grass. He appeared better than he had before, due to Lydia's life-giving blood, but he was still nearly unrecognizable.
"Why didn't you kill him?" Lestat asked.
"I offered a piece of information they couldn't refuse," William said huskily.
"Which reminds me. We spared your life. Now you owe use the whereabouts of the other one," Lydia demanded.
"Other one?" Veronica asked.
"Yes. He says there's a woman on the other side of the world who holds the secrets to his lab and can recreate it. She can even save his life," Lydia replied.
"I can see that he's become a vampire due to changes in his little bloodstream," Lestat said.
"Yes, I have. But she holds the key to restoring me to mortality, and the abilities that come with it. Sun, food, etcetera," William said with a cough.
Jake looked up sharply. "Does that mean she can do it to other vampires, too?"
"What, do you desire to be mortal?" William said with a sneer.
"Can she?" Veronica asked.
"No. In order for it to work there must be a significant amount of my secret ingredient in the bloodstream, and it only works with blood that hasn't been vampirized before it entered it. In other words, if only works if you began as a mortal, not a vampire," William explained.
"And where is she?" Ville demanded.
"Why should I let you know? If I let you know, I'll have no reason anymore for why you shouldn't kill me. I have to preserve myself you know," William said.
"Damn you!" Lydia shouted and kicked him.
Veronica grabbed Lydia's arm and pulled her into an embrace.
"Does she know you need her special potion?" Louis asked William.
"No. We aren't connected telepathically. I have to contact her by phone or e-mail," William replied.
Lestat pulled Louis aside.
"What if we allow him to contact her and when she comes we'll set a trap," he whispered.
"I think our little friend here is smart enough to see through that. We have to make him think he was able to reach her in secret. We have to pretend to make a mistake in order to give him the opportunity to call her and think he has the upper hand. Then she won't be expecting a trap when she comes," Louis replied.
Lestat grinned. "I knew you were good for something," he said.