Lucious
Lucious stepped out of the van as it pulled up in front of a house in Nevada.
He surveyed the neighbourhood. It was quite early in the morning, and no one was out.
"Patrick?" he called.
One of his accomplices appeared from around the other side.
"I can sense him," Lucious nodded, "he's here."
"Of course he is," Patrick insisted, "want me to move the van?"
"No. If he denies, I'll lead him out."
Lucious put his gloves on, and moved his sunglasses onto his head.
"Ready?" came another accomplice's voice.
"Indeed Michael. Come, Patrick. We may need your... telekinetic abilities."
The two made their way to the front door and stepped up to it.
"Christian and three others are in. Awake," Lucious began softly, "I do not know if there are others asleep. Two mean - one old - and a... experiment in the room with Christian."
Patrick nodded, and knocked on the door.
Varian & Blakesley.
Blakesley sighed irritably and moved away from his computer. As soon as he got onto a line of thought, it never failed. Who would want to visit them anyway? Probably some door to door salesman or Jehovah's Witness...
He walked through the house to the front door, opening it but keeping the security chain on.
"Whatever you're selling, we don't want it. Go away."
He started to close the door.
"Christian, Christian, wake up," Varian said, looking in the direction Lucious was standing.
"Something hunting you has found you..."
Lucious & Christian
Patrick slammed his foot in the door and held it open with his hand.
"I beg to differ..." Lucious almost rolled his eyes.
"Kaleb Blakesley, I presume?"
Christian looked up at Varian, then towards the door.
"What's that supposed to mean?" he asked.
Varian & Blakesley.
Blakesley glared.
"I don't know how you know my name, and I don't care. Go away. I'm not in the mood for visitors."
He slid his hand down into his pocket and gripped the hilt of a scalpel.
"What I say," Varian said, almost dreamily.
"The Bringer of Light...hunts. He finds."
Lucious & Christian
"Regardless of whether you are or not..." Lucious raised an eyebrow, "we've arrived."
He slipped into Kaleb's mind, saw what he was doing, and made him remove his hand from his pocket. Going one better, he made the doctor close the door, unhook the chain, and open it for them before stepping back.
Releasing enough of his hold on him so that Kaleb could watch and speak only, both Lucious and Patrick stepped through the door.
"Where is he?" Patrick asked, looking around.
"Down the hall," Lucious instructed, "second door to your left."
"Bringer of Light?" Christian frowned, confused.
Varian & Blakesley.
Blakesley's eyes were icy cold with rage. He held his tongue for now...waited to see what they wanted. It sounded like Christian.
"Him, ohhhhh, oh dear," Varian said.
She spun, facing the door.
"He's coming. For you."
Lucious & Christian
Christian's eyes darted to the door as he heard the bolts being undone on the outside. The door opened, and a man stepped throug, followed by...
"Racer?" Christian both looked and sounded confused.
"Christian Thomas," Lucious nodded in return, "how nice to see you again. You look a little... different."
Christian just shook his head as he slid back off the table.
"What the hell are you doing here?"
Varian.
Varian snickered and waggled her fingers at Lucius.
"You're lucky I'm collared, la. You seem to be an annoying type of person...and I bet you taste delicious. Mm."
She turned and sauntered over to the bench, sitting on it and crossing her bare legs.
"So, Bringer of Light, what do you want with the darkling childe?"
Lucious & Christian
"You're calling him the 'Bringer of Light'?" Christian raised his eyebrows.
"Christian, I'm hurt..."
"It be none of yer business," Patrick told Varian.
"Settle Patrick. Christian... I'd like you to come with us."
Christian hesitated, looking at him sideways.
"...Why?"
"There will of course be plenty of time for questions at a later moment," Lucious raised an eyebrow.
"No, no..." Christian shook his head, holding his hand up.
"You are the last person on this planet I expected to show up here. Now I know you want something. What do you want?"
"For the moment, Christian, I want you," Lucious insisted.
Varian.
"Psssh, Lucious means Bringer of Light, silly," Varian said condescendingly.
"The name shapes the thing, to some extent. And the king is dying so he wants the heir apparent. That would be you. Can you say power grab? I know you can."
She flipped Lucious off, then studied her nails.
"Key would be nice, Christian."
Lucious & Christian
Christian stepped back a little, his eyes on Lucious.
"Come, Christian."
"What does she mean?" he demanded, worried suddenly.
"Just come with me and I'll explain it all..."
"What does she mean?!" Christian exclaimed, "what the f#!+?"
Varian.
Varian made a sort of whining whimper in her throat and glared at Lucious.
"Get out of my head! Or I swear, I will eat you alive."
She flexed her hand and claws shot out of her fingers as she snarled, exposing lengthening teeth.
"I've had enough of mortals and their antics. Pushy, grabby, greedy. You want him for what he can do for you, how he can bolster your power. Nothing more. Nothing less. But then, why does anyone want anyone? Tanstaafl, Christian. There ain't no such thing as a free lunch. You'd be better off hiding with dragons then with him. They'd only want to eat you."
Christian & Lucious
"What the F#!+ did she mean?!" Christian exclaimed, glaring at Lucious.
Lucious tutted slightly.
"Christian... you don't seem to understand what is happening here. You will come with us whether you like it or not. How hard this has to be is up to you."
"I'm not leaving until you tell me..."
Christian froze suddenly as Lucious slipped into his mind. Sidling around what he had left of a block, he learnt a little about Varian while taking control.
"He'll come with us," Lucious raised an eyebrow, "the key to the dragon's collar has been promised to it. It's tied around his left knee."
Patrick nodded and made his way toward Christian, before beginning to roll up the leg of his pants.
Varian.
Varian tilted her head slightly, watching.
She debated what she was going to do. She knew where the key was now.
"The Spider became the Eye...then Void. Nothing. Death. Well, if it hasn't reached him yet, it will. The Light Bringer seeks the darkling, to make his own grip on the throne sure. The child will destroy the old king, who the new king will be is yet to be decided. The one who is two must decide. This is his fate and his eternal paradox."
She knew they probably wouldn't understand, but sometimes things just needed to be said.
"To catch a snake, you need a mouse. Find the right bait, and all else follows. The key to the cage is hardest to find when it's part of the cage."
Lucious & Christian
Patrick fetched the key and held it up to Lucious, as Christian just stared straight ahead.
"When we leave..." Lucious nodded, "give it to the dragon."
He tilted his head and considered for a moment. Then he made Christian walk over to him.
He looked him over, before making him walk out and to the front door.
"On second thoughts, give the key to it now. It may do away with the doctor for us."
Lucious left the room to follow Christian, before Patrick threw the key to Varian and followed.
Once Patrick was through the front door, Lucious closed it behind them and put a hand on Christian's shoulder as they led him to the van. Then he released his hold on Blakesley.
Varian & Blakesley.
Varian caught the key and giggled. She fitted the gemstone to her collar and sighed as it opened and fell away.
"Ohhh, baby's gonna play!"
She looked at the collar and tossed it into the air before she shifted and shattered it in khe's teeth. With a disdainful growl, khe knocked the door back on its hinges.
Blakesley turned and punched the wall in frustration.
Losing Christian was annoying but not threatening. And what had that man meant about the dragon?
Varian flowed through the hall towards the front door. Blakesley whirled and noticed the hybrid wasn't wearing the collar.
"Oh, god damn it."
He screamed briefly as Varian's teeth sheared through his wrist and collapsed, blood pouring out across the carpet.
"Bye, whitecoat. I'll be back for the rest later, but right now, I just want to fly."
Varian looked upwards and leapt through the roof, spreading ebony wings wide. Khe roared, a sound of triumph and delight.
"Should you have need, darkling, you need but call."
The immense dragon hung there in the sky, backlit by the sun for a moment before khe disappeared.
Lucious & Christian
Lucious took one last look up at the house as Patrick shoved Christian into the back of the van.
Another man took hold of him, and the two proceeded to handcuff him to the seat he was sitting on. His ankles were locked into shackles as Lucious got into the front seat and Michael started the van.
"Man... we really did it," the second man in the back looked Christian up and down as they closed the doors and began to drive away.
He looked up at Lucious.
"We have the Spider's heir," he grinned.