Fic: "The Vampire As Metaphor..." Part XIV...
reg...@aol.com
William Soames Walthrop...
PG 13
Summary: A lost work of one William Soames Walthrop (...aka Spike) as
it was delivered at one of Cicely Addams' house parties, shortly
before Will's demise. See the reference to it in "Drusilla"...
Disclaimer: All BTVS characters remain the property of Joss Whedon,
Mutant Enemy, and all other owner/creators of the Buffy the Vampire
Slayer series...
Contributions to the recovery of the lost works of England's third
worst poet are always welcomed...
***
Part XIV...
Omaha, Nebraska…Eastern terminus of the new transcontinental railroad…
Separated from the ever-sprawling Eastern rail network by the great
Missouri River, not yet spanned by rail bridge…Freight inspection
station for the Union Pacific Railroad…
“That’s one fine piece, doc…” the railroad conductor noted…Eyeing the
fine suit of armor in crate now opened for inspection…
“Yes, a family heirloom…I hope to donate it to the new San Francisco
Museum of Art and Natural History once we get it to California…” a
somewhat wan and well-wrapped against the few remaining stray beams of
sunlight but ever polite Heinrich Nast… “Dr. Nast” for purposes of
this little jaunt…Smilingly noted…
“That’s fine of ya…I imagine the boys out there could use some bullet-
proofin’…” wink and grin… “Just kiddin’ doc…It’s a fine town…Little
wild but that’s the West…”
“Indeed, a fine and growing city…I’m always amazed to see the growth
each time I come out…” Nast nodded… “And the high-spirits appeal to
me…”
Indeed, nothing warms the blood more…And nothing like a new and
growing metropolis as capital for my new global monarchy…Like New
Rome, San Francisco shall benefit from the attention of the One who
shall unite the world…Assuming nothing can be done with that little
town nearer the Mouth…
Though one may question the benefits to the human inhabitants…
“Well, all looks fine here…” the conductor tapped the suit… “Shall we
crate ‘er back up?...”
“That’ll be fine…” Nast nodded… “Thanks for attending to this…” he
offered a gloved hand… “Forgive my not removing the gloves…Skin
remains sensitive since my accident in the laboratory…”
“That’s a shame…” the conductor gingerly shook the proffered hand…
“Hope it’s improvin’…”
“Better every trip out…” Nast smiled… “But still must watch that sun…”
“I’ll fetch the boys to seal it up…When do you head out, doc?...”
“A few days…Just a little business here to settle, awaiting my
partners…And a few more crates enroute I must see to…Medical
equipment, very delicate…”
“Well, the line’s been pretty clear…No troubles recently…You should
have a pretty smooth trip…”
“Excellent, as always …Thank you again…” Nast, pleasantly…Watching as
the conductor headed out of the inspection room…
“Gregor?...” he hissed to the suit of armor…
“Unnnh…” slight groan…
“You did very well, my boy…Just remain quiet until I contact you again…
It won’t be long…”
“Unnh…”
“I expect the others within a few days…Then we’ll all be off to
California and the Hellmouth together and I’ll be able to let you roam
a bit by night…It’s really quite an experience, this new railroad line…
Across the Great American Desert, seeing the wild men of the plains,
and the famous buffalo herds…I’m sure it will be enjoyable and
memorable…”
“Unnnh…”
“That’s the spirit…Remember, no killing unless absolutely necessary
until I give the all-clear…”
Enjoyable for some of us, that is…Memorable for all…
Including perhaps some less than utterly faithful minions…
***
Early breakfast at the Germania…Potter having left the table and his
blushing…Actually quite red under Smackles’ hard stare…Bride to fetch
bags and check on their traveling companion, Miss De Russell…
“What you lookin’ at, Willie?...” she glared…
“You did, didn’t you?...” he sighed…
“Shut yer trap…I know what I’m doin’…Leave limey-boy to me…”
“I thought we’d be leaving him in an early hole in the ground…” he
noted…
“And now ya think otherwise?...”
“No…I think you’re thinkin’ otherwise…”
“When the Slayer wants yer opinion, she’ll ask…She ain’t askin’…”
Elizabeth, grimly…Smoothing her traveling skirt and taking a sip of
coffee…
“Anyways…He’s nobody…I gave him his chance last night…Nothing…” she
noted, overly casual…Shrugging…
Well, not ‘nothing’ in every sense of the word…In fact, kinda
impressive…Lil’ poet/dentist had more spunk than I thought…
“Yep…” Smackles replied, coolly… “Gave him his chance all night…
Right…”
“You want this cup down yer throat, smartass?...” she eyed him…Setting
her cup down with slam…
“If he’s with…Them…This is exactly what he’d be doin’…” Smackles
noted… “Wormin’ his way…”
“I’ve handled the worst They throw…I can handle Petey Patter…” fierce
stare… “You just keep your end up, Watcher…”
“You’re lettin’ him read the Book…You’re lettin’ him get to ya…”
Smackles, accusing tone…
“Keep it down…” she hissed… “I tole ya ta keep yer end up, Watcher…Or
maybe I’ll be throwing two idiots to the other side as bait…Time you
remembered who’s in charge of this operation, Smackles…”
“Right…” Smackles flushed, turning away to look at his newspaper…
Long silence…
“Sides…No better way to check him out then to let him get close…A
little…” she tried… “As for the Book, we need to know…”
“Sure…” Willie replied, not looking at her…
“Well, it wouldn’t look right…” she insisted… “Get those suspicions
goin’…”
“You got otherworlders comin’ through your hotel bedroom every night
to check?...” he looked at her briefly…
“Fine…” he put up a hand at her raging glare… “You got him where you
want him…Sure…” he returned to the paper…
She sputtered a moment but eyeing the hotel patrons now starting to
come in in greater numbers thought better of it…
“He’s not gettin’ to me…” she whispered… “And when the time comes I’ll
throw him to them without a second thought…”
“Then I’m sorry for you, Slayer…” Willie said, quietly…Returning to
his paper…
***
Temporary warehouse lair near the Germania…
“What now?...” Olive stared at Vladimir who seemed a trifle uncertain…
Staring at the crates they were to occupy until safely aboard the
train for Chicago…Two vampiral minions of Nast’s assigned to Olive
standing by to seal them…
“You say the crates are connected to the coffins by electrified
wire…?” he asked… “Isn’t that a bit dangerous?...”
“Not now…Once we’re aboard, our little friend will give us a rap and
connect the wires…”
He eyed the patiently waiting former cleaning girl…Now a demurely
pretty little middle class girl looking wanly sad over the death of
her beloved parents…
Her?...
Granted her diction and bearing have improved under Olive’s intensive
training but…Somehow I don’t see her as an electrical wizard…
“Vladimir, either get in or find a way to board the train on your own…
Or stay here and see if you can dodge Heinrich’s wrath, not to mention
the jeers when I put it round you were quaking over facing the
Slayer…” Olive noted, bright smile…
He frowned…Still, the Hellmouth and its power…And the likely doom of
the Earth…Awaiting…
And prospects for survival in NYC given Nast’s well-established
position here under his bane not being exactly good…
He reluctantly got in as Olive entered hers…Pulling the wooden cover
over…
“Oh…” Olive paused, holding the cover open, addressing the male
standing ready to seal her in… “Philip?...You did find a suitable
couple for the coffins?...”
“Fortyish, middle-class, from out of town…” he nodded… “Nice folks,
actually, passed a pleasant evening showing them the sights of New
York…”
“Make sure ‘Olivia’ gets a good look at them before you seal the
coffins…” she noted… “Be a good girl, Olivia and do as Philip and
Marcus tell you…”
“Yes, ma’am…” the newly rechristened ‘Olivia’ nodded…Philip assisting
Olive with the crate cover and starting to nail it down…
Lord…Vladimir sighed, carefully adjusting the coverlet in his crate
over him…I’m sure she gave me the one with some light leaking through
the wood slats…
I do hope my idiots don’t screw up the shipment of my own grand old
coffin…I mean I enjoy a little travel but I’ve never had that taste
for the new Granduncle Vlad had… “Lets all move to England, the new
center of world power…” “I’m going to try redemption for your
grandaunt’s sake…”
Please… Well thank the demon gods someone in the family Dracule has a
little respect for tradition and the joy and comfort of home and
familiar settings…
It may well be the only thing standing in the way of Nast and his mad
plans…
***
Germania chief clerk Miss Ana was in a sourer mood than usual…Given
her fiancee’s announced intention of following the Potters to
California…
“Somethin’ not right about them…” he noted…
“Something’s not right about you going after them...Since when does
the Port send its chief dick across the West to track down a crate
bustin’?...” she frowned…Narrow-eyed stare…
“Alex…You’re not telling Ana everything…” she insisted…
“Don’t worry…Everything’s set with the Port…The boys want this one
settled…”
Well, at least…The Big Boys do…And they’ll see the Port authorities go
along…
“They’re gonna know something’s up when they see you on the train…”
“I can handle their kind…” he noted firmly… “’Sides I’m not planning
to hide…If it makes ‘em sloppy to see me tagging after, all the
better…”
“Sloppy as in hittin’ a certain detective over the head one night in
some hick town…” she glared…
“All part of the job, An…But they won’t get the better of me…”
God…If I’d just told that girl no dice on that twenty to slip Potter
in…Still, Alex’s got that bloodhound look…He’d be after her and the
limey in any case…
Right, better she’s hitched…
And speakin’ of hitchin’…
“Alex…You know it might look a little better if you was on yer own
honeymoon…” she suggested…
He eyed her…To CA for a honeymoon?...He’d been thinking more a trip to
Coney Island, maybe to Jersey or up the Hudson to some nice hotel…
On the other hand…While he doubted it would fool anyone, would be on
the Government’s nickel…
But what would Ma say?...The folks already considered Ana a rather
bold piece…
“We got the license…Just find some preacher in some place along the
way…” she noted…
“Thought you wanted a proper weddin’…” he stared…
“Better a fast one on the fly then you runnin’ off to CA alone…” she
returned… “And the money could go towards a house…Unless you got more
on your mind than your work on this one…”
“An…” he frowned…
***