Blueblood 4: Dracula - 21. We Make Our Move

Things were very busy after that. Dragon went to get Nicolae and his wife and have them ready to go. I dealt with Iustina and Repetate.

As always, they smiled at me as I entered their cell. Perhaps Colin was right, they did like me more than other people. I had quit using the translator with them because they seemed to understand what I was saying…is was less about the language, but the tone and how I said it. I brought up the laptop making their eyes light up. “Yes, we’ll see some more cartoons later, I promise, but I have something you need to see.” I watched their faces show curiosity. I pulled up the web page I chose about airlines and air travel. “This…” I pointed at the picture of a waiting airplane, “…is an airplane. We get on board it. See?” The scene showed people boarding the airplane and getting to seats as the flight attendants helped them with their carry-ons. Then the scene went to the plane going down the runway and lifting in the air, “…these people are flying to somewhere.” The scene was in daylight. “You…” I pointed at them, “…are going to do that tonight.” I knew they got it when I watched their eyes grow in alarm. “You’ll be safe,” I assured. “You can’t be out in the daytime, I know that,” I said. “We have a special way for you to travel and stay out of the sun. I will be with you.” I watched their look of uneasiness lessen. “We don’t want you hurt. George will be with you as well and Colin, but I will be traveling with you in that container to keep you safe. I won’t leave you to travel alone.” The fact they didn’t speak didn’t mean they couldn’t communicate. I saw the look come on their faces and perhaps because I spent so much time with them I knew that look meant clearly “why?” I smiled at them. “You guys are very important. We have to protect you from some bad people that want to harm us. They will harm you, too. We won’t let that happen.” I watched as they seem to understand. How they knew, I couldn’t understand. Perhaps the length of their lives and the many languages over the countless centuries made it easier, though I doubted anyone ever really spoke to them and just screamed, but they knew what I meant. “We are taking somewhere safe.” They pointed at the computer screen. “Yes. You will fly.” I looked around the cell that had been their home for decades. “Is there anything you want to take with you?” I looked at their puzzled faces. “Is there something you want to keep? Something yours?” I realized, they really didn’t do much other than drink their daily amount of blood, sleep and wait for Dragon to visit. Then I came around and I added to their routine with my daily visits. I smiled again. “I just don’t want you to be upset.”

After that, I went to find Colin. Our lives were possible because of what he did. Keeping track of the business, monitoring investments and the other things for the VUN. Walking through the caverns, I was impressed with what Dragon and his people did to make it livable. It was getting colder outside, but the temperature down here was pretty constant. I found Colin as he was poring over something on his laptop as he had that thing in his ear, but not for translating. He was on a phone call. He wasn’t doing business, but getting things ready so we could leave.

“…and we leave as soon as we get to the airport and load them up. The helicopter is coming to pick us up and take us to the base, we load the Old Ones in the container and take off from the old Soviet Base. The pilots need to have the Disflavor.” He said. “Right.” He nodded, even though who he was nodding about couldn’t see him. “We’ll be ready.” He said and pulled the earpiece out, sighed and leaned back as he rubbed his face from fatigue.

I came up behind him as he sat, putting my arms around his neck from behind leaning in and kissed the top of his head and began messaging his shoulders which made him groan appreciatively. “We might be vampires and not die due to illness, but we still get tired.” I came around and pulled a chair over next to him. “You need to rest, baby.”

Colin smiled at me and leaned in to kiss me directly in a more…personal way. “You’ve gotten no more rest than I have.” He smiled as he rubbed his forehead against mine as he looked at me with those emerald eyes. “We’ll try to get some rest on the plane.” Then I saw his eyes get a look of embarrassment. “About what I said to you about Sorin…I’m sorry…” he paused as he was thinking what to say.

I kissed him again. “You have feelings…and for those few moments, you felt jealous.” I smiled.

Colin looked away a little. “Yeah, I shouldn’t have been.”

I pulled his face back to look at me and smiled. “Of course, you should,” I said immediately. “I hope you do get jealous, Colin.” I saw his got a surprised look. “Another man…you felt, threatened what you knew was yours…threatened what you know belongs to you…me.” I smiled brightly. “I am yours, Colin. I do belong to you.” I smiled lifting his left hand. “I put this ring I put on your finger to tell the world, you belong to me.” I held up my left hand. “You put this on my finger to tell the world, I belong to you. Just you and only you.” I kissed him again. “I love you, Colin. When we married, I told all the guests and family that we were a couple…you and me…making our lives one. Sorin is a nice man. I like him, but I love you. You occupy a part of me that no one could take the place of…my heart. There will be no one else.” I smiled as I looked in those eyes that were now smiling with the rest of his face. “I’m sorry you had that feeling, but I'm glad you felt it. You told me again, you know I’m yours. I will be more careful among other people.”

Colin chuckled. “You shouldn’t have to do that.”

“But I will,” I assured. “I say again, I love you. If that helps you from having those feeling again, I will do so willingly. You’re a part of me now. I’m not losing you. I will never leave you…just don’t…belt anybody or anything like that and we’re good.” Then I grinned. “How I knew I wasn’t his type was when he was having problems with the whole vampire thing. He admitted to not being able to accept it in his head and the gay part he didn’t want to be involved. He admitted to me he didn’t get the gay thing.”

“Oh?”

I nodded. “Well, I had him clarify that statement where he admitted we all have things that attract us and I won’t be attracted to what he is attracted to.” I chuckled. “Believe me, I wasn’t.”

Colin grinned. “Which is?”

I sat back. “I can’t tell you that! If you want to know, ask him!”

“Doctor/patient confidentiality. I get it.”

“One more time.” I chuckled. “I’m not a doctor.”

Colin nodded. “Right. Did you tell the Old Ones what was going to happen soon?” Colin asked.

I nodded. “I did. They really do understand a lot more than we think they can.” I said. “I showed them images of a plane and people boarding it and taking off. I got through to them they were going to do that. They understood.”

Colin smiled as he ran his fingers in my hair. “You have a way…it’s almost magical in relating to others, even Old Ones. You may not have those letters next to your name, but you’re as good as any doctor.” Then he looked resolved as he looked back. “After this is over…and it will be over,” he assured, “I think we need to go back to that island a while. To reconnect.”

I had felt it, too. We were still very much in love, but this life recently was pulling us apart. I nodded. “I think that’s a great idea…just you and me…”

“…no clothes and a lot of sun.” Colin continued as his lips were close enough to mine I felt them move against mine. “No vampires…no serum…”

“Yes, it will just be us.”

That’s when we heard him walk in. “Oh…pardon me,” George said smiling at what he saw and stopped. “Sorry.” He was about to walk out again.

“Just kissing my husband, George; nothing else for now,” Colin said smiling sitting up. “What’s up?”

“It’s the other vampires,” George said. “Dimitri and others are beginning their week. Our leaving tonight, I can’t be here to monitor their injections.”

I looked confused. “But George, that’s why we brought Dr. Petran here, to help you. Can’t she do it?”

“She has a conflict a few of those nights,” George said. “She has a busy practice and a life.” He stated the obvious.

“What about our group in England?” I asked Colin. “They have medical people there and they know the serum and how to administer it. Besides we could use other vampires here. They can help.”

Colin nodded. “Yes! They have other vampires!” He grinned kissing me. “Am I thick? They are part of VUN! We’ll bring them here!” He kissed me quickly and put the earpiece back in. “I’m calling Edwin at Thornwood.”

I chuckled as I kissed him back quickly. “You’re not thick, but you always take care of things and always do it yourself. We’re a family with Edwin and his group. I just reminded you.” I patted him on the arm. “You would have thought of eventually.”

Colin kissed me again and tapped some keys on the keyboard to call Edwin at Thornwood.

Colin, George and I went back to the house we rented. George and Burke were going back to the United States and stay for a while. Burke didn’t want George to go alone and I wasn’t surprised he wanted to stay with him. Colin and I just got some things to go and come back. Colin was speaking on the phone to make sure Nicolae and his wife were ready to go with their children. The thing was…we were doing things that weren’t …authorized. The helicopter to pick us and Iustina and Repetate up could fly low and avoid detection…we hoped. Our plane was taking off, landing at the old Soviet base where we would load quickly and take off again before we raised too many eyebrows…and their eyebrows would be raised. They had the airstrip…a not really maintained airstrip, but it was there.

Stan came into our room suddenly. “Guys! I found out about Iilya!”

Colin turned to Stan. “What? You mean the vampire?”

“No! Iilya the KGB agent!” He pulled up the file he had on his tablet. “He was…is Iilya Vasin.” He said almost happy, more about being able to discover what was difficult to find, but he did! “I even have his photo. It’s him. He was officially MIA in 1966.” He said excitedly. “This guy is a really bad man.” He shook his head. “According to the records, he was suspected about a string of murders…three of them were his superiors!”

I was surprised. “And they kept him?”

“Hell, they promoted him!” Stan said. “It seems a man of his caliber was valuable to these particular Soviets.”

“Those files were accessible?” Colin asked.

Stan didn’t say a word, but gave Colin the look that said, “of course not.” “Buddy and I got them, okay? They tried to destroy many records after the Soviet Union collapsed, but some were digitized, and other records which Buddy began searching through since we met Iilya. That Delkenzie translation program translated Russian easily.” He nodded appreciatively. “I guess Mitch wasn’t kidding when he said he worked harder on Russian. He did that language first and Buddy breezed right through it. Well, Buddy pieced together those records and…we got it!” He went on more excited in triumph. “Get this, he was made what he is! Just like Repetate and Iustina!”

“What!?” I said astonished.

Stan was nodding. “Yes! There was nothing added or given like a formula or anything…maybe some chemicals to enhance the conditioning, but he along with some other children in the late 1940s and 1950s were taken and literally programmed! I mean as in hypnosis and conditioning to overthrow and take control of any situation. He was so undercover, even others in the government didn’t know about him and the other agents!”

“That makes sense,” Colin said nodding.

“It does?” I asked Colin.

“I was alive then, remember?” Colin shrugged. “I was underground in New York, but we heard about what was happening then and there were rumors galore about what the Reds were doing. I watched TV then and listened to the radio, it was full of rumors and theories, even the ones about the area of Russia where they were raising some of their people in Russian versions of small-town America over there to be the perfect sleeper agents. Conditioned and could blend effortlessly in communities in America and be triggered with a code word and do all sorts of damage.”

I instantly thought of three movies where those premises were used but kept it to myself. I stood up slowly as I thought out loud. “It sounds like his conditioning was different and a lot more intense.”

“So?” Colin said.

“He’s just like Iustina and Repetate.” I said simply.

“No, he’s not!” Colin said quickly. “Iustina and Repetate killed in the past. We know that; we are the result of those they didn’t kill. Iilya is planning to kill in little more than a week.” He said coming over to me. “Iilya was created by a government that was bent on taking over many nations, including the United States.”

“Especially the United States.” I nodded. “I know…or at least, I read about the Soviet threat in school.”

“Iustina and Repetate don’t kill now because they’re locked away and given blood, they don’t need to kill now,” Colin said. “We can’t give Iilya what he needs to stop him from doing what he’s planning.”

“I just wish we didn’t have to kill anyone,” I said sadly.

“I don’t see we have many choices,” Colin said. “If Iustina and Repetate did get out and threatened to kill again, wouldn’t you agree they should be stopped meaning they would die?”

I realized what he was saying and I smiled. “Yes, but…it’s different with those two Old Ones. They’re only a threat to people who aren’t vampires or not on Disflavor. They’re innocent…I was considering that Iilya was possibly innocent.” I saw his surprise. “He was a child when he was taken to become this…agent.”

“We need Repetate and Iustina.” Colin said. “We don’t need Iilya!”

“Because we don’t need Iilya!?” I nodded a little angry. “I know, but he’s a person! A human being. I don’t think anyone should be killed because we think he has no purpose or meets our needs.” I got up and was almost ranting. “I won’t kill indiscriminately! No one should.”

Colin sighed and nodded. “No, but I know he’s not doing this sort of soul search like you are before he strikes.”

“Because we aren’t what he is!” I said. “He was made like he is. You have humanity in you, you always have. His was taken out. Colin, you know I hate killing so much as a bug when I have to. I usually catch it and set it free outside, but a man…I am having regrets.”

Colin looked with a frustrated expression but smiled tolerantly. “No, that’s not it…if you can think of way no one dies, fine, but he’s leading a group of vampires to kill. He and Lucian are going to be making more vampires and killing people…and kill us if they can!”

I nodded as I looked away feeling helpless as I knew the possible inevitability. “I know, I know. We won’t have a choice. I just don’t like it.”

Colin brought me to him kissing me quickly. “I know.” He looked at his watch. “It will be sundown in an hour.” He said smiling as he hugged me. “Let’s get the boys ready.”

I smiled when he said that. “The boys?” I repeated. “That almost sounded like you’re beginning to like them.”

Colin nodded as he began to walk with me back to the cell where Iustina and Repetate was. “I like them just fine.” He smiled at me. “I’m not as fond as you are of them, but I like them just fine. We better head out.”