Most of them stay dead...

Part 8

---/---

"I don't know what else to say Zoe, I was here all day. It just didn't happen. If you don't believe me you can check yourself, the video recordings don't lie. You're a scientist examine the evidence." Dr Bloxham insisted, turning the computer screen around so her boss could take a look. "See twelve hours of recording, from when you left at five this morning and came back."

Frowning Zoe scrolled through the closed-circuit surveillance footage, dragging the curser along and speeding up the video, minutes passed in seconds...chess...lots of time spent on chess. Then there was some pacing about and sitting down but Veronica was right, there was none of the threatening behaviour Dracula had accused them of.

"I don't understand, why would they lie?"

"To mess with your head?" Dr Bloxham offered. "To try and turn you against your friends and colleagues? Divide and conquer. Who knows what they have planned, they are vampires, you can't expect them to behave like real people. We just need to go back to the protocols you designed; they are test subjects, not people."

Yet as much sense as Veronica was making, Zoe was still stuck on how believable it had all been. "I mean Dracula I could understand; mind games are his forte but Agatha too? She loathes him, why would she back him up?"

"Zoe, I'm saying this as your friend, so please don't take it the wrong way, but that creature in there is not your family. Agatha Van Helsing was an inspiration and a hero, but she died a 123 years ago. Whatever remains of her in that cage, is not the same woman who gave her life to stop Dracula...I mean just look..." Veronica gestured to the window that looked down over the glass cage. "Would Agatha Van Helsing ever allow that?"

Pausing to glance down, Zoe had to admit Veronica was right. Her aunt Agatha would never sit, happily side by side with her killer, allowing him to teach the art of navigating the internet.

"No...No you're right. I'm sorry I even questioned you."

"That's ok, I'm not just your colleague I'm your friend. I know how much you have on your plate, just remember from now to keep your analytical head on. You wouldn't want the board to think you've been compromised. They will stick you out on gardening leave, and don't you want to make these last few months really count?"

---/---

When Zoe Van Helsing returned, she brought with her four parcels of blood, and two staff members, who were certainly not hired for their brains.

Dracula as usual took to testing the blood samples first, his nose curling at three of them. "No these will not do..."

"Well they are all you will be getting, so drink them or starve, its up to you. I am not here to pander to your unreasonable demands Count."

Frowning at Zoe's change in attitude, Dracula handed the one decent sample to Agatha. He had fed earlier, and was capable of going without, if necessary. "Is this how you treat the other members of your staff Dr Helsing?"

"Only when they have been wasting my time." Zoe countered, meeting his gaze without flinching. "Didn't you think I would check out the truth of your accusations?"

"I had hoped you would..."

"Why, so I would waste my time clearing up your ridiculous lies, rather than getting on with some real work?"

"Oh, they were my lies?" Dracula scoffed, his quick mind already grasping that Zoe had been turned against them. Well that was their one tenuous ally down, an unfortunate turn of events, but nothing he would lose sleep over...well he wouldn't but one glance at Agatha...

"Zoe, I don't know what other people have said but we weren't lying. I swear it on our family honour..."

"You are not my family." Zoe insisted, Dr Bloxham's words on repeat in her mind.