Found

Deidra opened her eyes and saw a stark white ceiling. She tried to move her head to look around so she could figure out where she was, but she couldn’t move it. Panic started to claim her as she realized she could not even move her toes or fingers. She let out a breath, and then her vision was flooded by Mr. Travers’ face above her own. All she could do was stare fiercely into his cold brown eyes.

He held a syringe in his right hand. He pushed the pump inward and some of the clear liquid squirted out of the needle, releasing air bubbles. Deidra hoped this was the antidote he had talked about earlier, since it was a clear liquid instead of amber in color like before.

Travers rolled up her shirt sleeve on her right arm, and punctured her shoulder with the needle, pushing the chemical into her blood stream. Even though Deidra couldn’t move, she could still feel, and the drug burned into her. She could feel it moving down her arm, into her fingertips, as it scalded her insides. The burning sensation continued up her shoulder like a fire ball, and it seemed to penetrate into her heart. She blacked out again.

When she awakened for the second time, everything came flooding back at once. She tried to move, and this time she was able to barely move her left hand up a bit from the coverlet of the bed. There was an I.V. in the back of her hand in which to hydrate her, or dispense more drugs. She was so weak that just the small expense of energy it took to examine her hand exhausted her. It flopped back down on the bed like a fish of out of water.

“Now you will listen,” Travers said. Deidra slowly turned her head on her pillow, and saw Travers sitting in a chair to her right. He was still dressed in the same gray tweed suit he had on at the Sestons. There didn’t seem to be anyone else in the room, or anything else. Just her in the bed, Travers in the chair, and white walls. The door, painted white, was to Travers’ back.

“I’m only going to speak of this once, and I’m only telling you of this, so you will know what kind of man I am; a man not to be underestimated, or challenged. You will know some of what I am capable of, and you will stay in your place.”

Deidra could only look at him, the terror showing in her eyes. Travers saw the terror, and it pleased him. He smiled as he proceeded with the telling. “Sixteen years ago I was part of the research and support team on the Watcher’s Council. We were in the midst of researching the Milano demons for the Slayer Luisa, and her Watcher, Giles. The Milano demons had forced open a portal in between our dimensions. From what we could decipher, they planned on taking Luisa into their dimension, which would keep the portal opened permanently, allowing them to take over ours. I was researching their dimension when I came across the prophecy. It was only written in the one original text, and as soon as I had read it, I burned it.” Travers licked his lips, relishing his story. It pleased him to have this moment to relish. He had waited a long time for it.

Whatever substance Deidra had been infected with this second time, it wasn’t much better than the first. She still could barely move, and was so weak that breathing was an effort. She could only hope that her organs were not effected. She struggled to concentrate on Travers.

“The prophecy came to be my destiny. I would fulfill it. It told the way to rule the world, to open all the portals of all the dimensions. And the master who opened the portals, would rule over them all. That master is me…it will be me. And you are one of my tools.”

That got Deidra’s full attention, and she really wished she could talk, because she’d tell this beast of a man how crazy he was!

Travers could see the mocking in her eyes, and he slapped her soundly across the face. Deidra’s eyes filled up with tears, and spilled down her cheeks. She couldn’t lift her hands to wipe them away, so they fell and dampened her pillow.

He sat back down in the chair and resumed his tirade. “The key to opening these portals is the fruit of a slayer; a child of a slayer. That child is the key, and who ever uses the key would rule all the dimensions that bleed into one for all eternity. No Slayer had ever given birth before. It was not permitted. The Slayer’s super strength, and healing powers, also prevented conception from ever occurring. There was one window of opportunity however. The Cruciamentum.”

Deidra knew of the Cruciamentum. It was a Latin word, that meant torture or torment. It was a test given to the Slayer on her 18th birthday. Rupert and her had read of it together. It was one of the aspects of being a Watcher that Rupert did not agree with. In the test, the Slayer is unknowingly drugged by her Watcher, and she becomes weak, and all of her slayer strength evaporates. Then the slayer is lured to a trap with a vampire, and must use her wits and intellce tce to fight the vampire, instead of her power and strength. Not all slayers survive the test. In fact, Luisa, Mr. Giles’ Slayer, did not.

“I know you understand what the Cruciamentum is. I made sure that Mr. Giles exposed it to you early. You see, I have planned this conversation with you from the beginning. I want you to understand, and side with me, instead of against me. I know it is in your nature to fight me, but I hope you will be smarter than that, and realize that you can sit by my side when the new dimension is formed.”

Deidra closed her eyes, and fought the urge to vomit. She was scared to show him how much he scared her, and how disgusting his plot was, but she couldn’t control her actions. He didn’t seem to notice however. He was lost in his own world, his own darkness, and he proceeded with his history.

“During the test, drugs are administered that weaken the Slayer. For all intent purposes, the Slayer is just like any other normal woman at that time, perhaps even weaker. Hence, conception could occur, although not guaranteed. I enabled it so that I was put in charge of procuring the drugs administered to Luisa. It didn’t take much work to include a fertility drug in the mix that Mr. Giles would be giving her. But Luisa would not be facing a vampire. She would be facing me. Of course, the Council nor Mr. Giles knew anything of that.

Mr. Giles instructed Luisa to arrive at a time and place pre-arranged. They all thought she would be meeting Torak, the Vampire. When Luisa arrived alone, as with instructions for the test, I overpowered her. Without going into much detail that’s not needed, let’s suffice it to say that you were conceived.”

Rape. Deidra was conceived in rape. Nothing could have been worse to hear. That meant that Mr. Giles Slayer, Luisa, was her mother, and everything that they had been led to believe was false. In all these years, they had all been told that Torak had indeed killed Luisa. But obviously Mr. Giles found out the truth. Did he know all along? Did he send Luisa there to be raped? And was Luisa really dead?

Deidra opened her eyes and again looked at Travers. Now she wanted to know all that she could. She needed to know who she was. She needed to know the truth.

“The Council was told that Torak killed Luisa. In fact, I had her hidden away until your birth. Unfortunately, or fortunately depending on your point of view, Luisa died in child birth.”

Travers got up from the chair then and started to pace as his story progressed. “I’m sure you are wondering how much Mr. Giles knew. At the point of the Cruciamentum, he knew nothing. Blackmail works wonders however. It tends to keep people’s mouths closed when they know that they could lose everything if they talk. You see, Mr. Giles had a secret, and if that secret had gotten out he would lose his wife and new baby, and his job…possibly his life even. But I knew his secret.”

TBC