Morganville Vampires 6
Rachel Caine
Claire has birthday cake at her parents house. She is disappointed because she expected her 17th birthday to be with her friends. Instead, Shane is in a cage in vampire central, Michael is under Bishop’s control, and Eve is calling her an evil minion. Sees the moving ink under her skin and hopes it is fading. She doesn’t believe in magic and is determined Bishops control over her is somehow scientific. Her dad gives her a silver necklace with a heart pendant and her mom gives her a dress. She tells them she has to go to the lab to help Myrnin, who she still hasn’t forgiven for betraying her. Her mom asks her not to leave, but she says she doesn’t have a choice. Her dad warns her of the dangers of being in love with Shane, but she says she has to try to make things right. She takes the only picture she has of her with her former roommates and leaves the house.
Claire decides to go down to the location temporarily holding the Mayor’s office. On the way, she can feel people staring at her because they know she is Bishop’s errand girl. She asks to talk with Richard and an older man gives her his spot. She asks about Shane, but he says she will have to ask Bishop to let her see him. She goes to the vampire part of town and sees Bishop. Michael is in the room under Bishop’s control from the bite marks in his neck. Myrnin is also there. Bishop sees no reason to grant her a favor and threatens to kill Shane to keep her from asking to see him again. Claire begs him to let Shane live. Myrnin mentions it will be worse for Claire is she sees Shane before he dies. Bishop agrees to let Shane live if she delivers a death warrant to Detective Joe Hess. She tries to refuse, but Bishop says he will kill Shane right away if she does. She runs out of the building with the warrant.
When she enters the police station, the officer at the desk asks what she is there for. She says she has a message for Detective Hess from Bishop. When he comes out, Hess has Claire follow him back to his office. He opens the letter, but doesn’t tell Claire what it is regarding. He tells her it isn’t her fault and to go on with her birthday. Claire finds a quiet place to cry before cleaning herself up and returning to Bishop. He tells Myrnin to take her to see Shane. Myrnin grabs her wrist and leads her to the jail cells. She has a few minute to talk to Shane and he promises they will both live through the current situation. Myrnin drags Claire away from her boyfriend and leads her to a quiet room. He stops acting crazy and Amelie, Oliver, and their loyal vampires appear through a portal. Amelie makes Myrnin promise to protect Claire. When Claire asks what they are doing there, Myrnin jokes that they are going to rescue her boyfriend. Claire is disappointed when she realizes they do not have that intention. She tells Amelie if they don’t rescue Shane and his father, Frank, she will destroy all the notes and medication they have that keeps the vampires from going crazy. Amelie agrees to the condition. When Claire also insists that the humans and vampires co-exist as equals, Amelie looses her cool. She tells Claire there are only 800 vampires left in the world and she cannot put human lives over them. Claire says she cannot agree to help them if they are going to continue treating humans as nothing more than cattle. Amelie grabs Claire by the throat and threatens her. Sam steps in to tell Amelie that she is being unreasonable. The vampire queen of Morganville tells Myrnin to get Claire out of there immediately. He does as he is told.
After stepping out of the portal, Claire is surprised to find they have arrived at the Glass house. Eve is there and tells them to leave, reminding Claire she doesn’t live there anymore. Claire takes a few minutes to try to convince Eve that they aren’t all evil and doing Bishop’s will because they want to. Against Myrnin’s advice, Claire tells Eve that Michael is working for Amelie and isn’t really under Bishop’s control. Eve and Claire hug. Eve leaves for work and tells them to get out. They take the portal again and end up in the Morganville High School. Myrnin takes her through the throng of students to a part of the building that isn’t used (meant for Morganville’s population growth, which hasn’t happened). He has set up a lab and temporary safe haven for Dr. Mills to continue working on the cure and maintenance drug. He has been producing crystals quickly and the liquid as fast as possible. He admits he has been studying the origins of the disease and suggests that Bishop created it in order to maintain control over the other vampires. Which is also why he is the only one with antibodies against the disease. Claire suggest they drug Bishop through his food to be able to get more blood from him, but realizes that means they would have to drug a person. They quickly realize this isn’t feasible because it would kill the human before Bishop drank from him or her. Myrnin thinks he can get Bishop upset enough with him to get him to drink from him. They leave Dr. Mills to continue working. Myrnin starts to lead Claire saying he has something to show her.
They arrive in Myrnin’s lab and it has been ransacked. He is surprised at how disappointed that he will have to rebuild everything. He walks through the broken glass and clears off a spot on the floor. He starts punching holes into it until there is an opening that he drops down into. Claire follows him to the edge and he tells her to jump down. He promises to catch her. Upon her landing, Myrnin points out the skeleton she is standing on and tells her to follow him. He takes her into a large cavern and introduces her to Ada, the vampire computer. Ada was previously one of his assistants. When he went crazy and killed her, the only way he could save her was to make the structure from wood and glass that holds her brain. She has an attitude about being stuck in a box for all eternity. Myrnin tells her Ada is how the vampires keep Morganville under control. She can form a presence in places that have portal doors and used that to save Michael in the Glass house. Myrnin takes her hand and puts it against the machine. There is a stinging and when she is able to pull away, her palm is bleeding. Myrnin explains that Ada needs blood to survive. He tells Ada, who now knows Claire, to obey all her commands. He gives Claire a piece of paper that contains the sequences she will need to maintain Ada. He points out that they will be in big trouble if the computer turns on them.
Myrnin covers up the hole in the lab floor so any visitors would be less likely to stumble on Ada. He tells Claire they will have to walk because he has closed down the portals to the lab to keep others from disturbing it any further. Claire wants to call for a ride, but Myrnin insists they will be fine walking. Suddenly, he tells shoves her to the ground and tells her not to move as he goes out to take down a vampire that was sent by Bishop. When the other vampire reaches for Claire, Myrnin tells her to run. Claire gets to the vampire car that was left and locks the doors. She honks the horn and calls for Myrnin and he knocks on the window a few seconds later. He gets in and ends up driving because Claire can’t see out the window. He drives her home. Once safely inside her parents’ house, Claire showers and goes to her room. Michael is there waiting for her. She tells him she already knows he isn’t evil and she had to tell Eve the truth as well. Both say they are okay and hug before he leaves. The next morning, Claire remembers that she has a physics test and heads down to campus. As the TA is handing out the packets, Monica and her crew show up to talk to Claire. The TA allows Claire the interruption because Monica uses her relationship with Bishop as a threat. Once they are in a semi-private area, Monica asks about her brother’s disappearance. Claire points out that she likes Richard and no one is more likely to help her than him. She will let Monica know if she finds anything out. Monica lets her return to class. After flying through the test, Claire goes to the campus coffee shop to talk to Eve. While they are talking about Michael’s visit to Eve the previous night, a boy named Dean Simms comes and sits with them. Claire goes on to tell Eve she is going to try to help Monica find her brother. As Eve is advising against this, Dean says he knows Shane. They both look at him, knowing he is going to be killed soon if he continues working for Frank Collins. He wants to know where Frank and Shane are. Claire and Eve note that he doesn’t look much like a vampire hunter. He admits that his brother was the one that joined up with Frank’s group. Dean and Shane had become friends. When Shane returned to Morganville, Frank sent Dean to watch out for him. Enrolling in TPU was the best cover he could come up with. Though he seems determined to rescue Frank and Shane, Eve and Claire tell him to get out of town while he still can. Claire pictures Bishop killing Shane and takes off. She calls Hannah Moses (new police chief) to ask about Richard. Hannah assures her that Richard is fine, but they can’t share strategy for her because she was drafted by the other team. Claire passes Common Grounds and sees some movement inside the closed down coffee shop. She decides to investigate against her better judgement. Theo Goldman brings her inside with the rest of his family. He explains they are leaving that night. The vampire family wants to take Claire with them. She reminds them of the tattoo on her arm that Bishop uses to control her. Theo’s wife looks at it and believes the effects are fading. Claire points out that she can’t leave Shane and her parents. Theo says they two of their vampires , Clarence and Minnie, are currently breaking Shane out of jail. A few of Theo’s grandchildren speak up about not wanting to leave Morganville. Theo’s wife goes to calm their complaints. Ysandre shows up with Clarence and Minnie. A small army of Bishops vampires follow her in. Ysandre introduces Pennywell before grabbing Claire to send her to Bishop.
Two unknown vampires take Claire through the city’s underground tunnels to Bishop’s office. He asks her if she knew about Goldman’s plan and she admits that she didn’t. Shane is brought in and he lunges for Bishop. Michael has to hold him back. He continues to fight the vampire for a few moments before Claire notices a change in his attitude. Bishop announces that he plans to let Shane go free, but they will first be taught not to defy him. Frank Collins is brought in next. Bishop wastes no time in turning him into a vampire. He orders Michael to take his friends home. Michael takes them directly to the Glass house. Claire tells Michael to give Shane some space and he leaves them alone. Shane and Claire sit in the hallway for a few minutes talking. When Shane says he doesn’t want to stay there, Claire takes it as he doesn’t want to be with her and she tries to stalk off. They make up quickly and decide they are ready to have sex. Shane quickly showers while Claire keeps herself from changing her mind. They have sex and afterwards decide it felt right.
In the morning, Claire goes downstairs and Eve and Michael both seem to already know that she had sex with Shane. Neither makes too big of a deal about it. Suddenly, Hannah arrives. She starts talking about how there is a plan to get the people in the most danger (including Claire’s parents) out of Morganville. Myrnin appears to confirm. Eve and Shane are on the list for evacuation, but both refuse to leave. Claire was supposed to leave with them and have Patience Goldman keep Bishop from finding them through the fading tattoo on her arm. Myrnin confirms they are being held and he will try to get them out, but isn’t sure he’ll be able to. Suddenly, he starts mixing up words. Claire gives him the vial of red crystals from her bag and he takes them. He tells her to get everyone out of the room and she does. He goes from trying to keep from becoming a monster to collapsing like the dead. Claire needs to get him to Dr. Mills for the cure. Claire takes Michael and Hannah into the school and tells them to wait in the basement while she retrieves Dr. Mills. When she gets to the rooms the doctor was using, they are empty and completely clean. Ada, the computer, appears in a ghostly form and tells Claire she needs to find use her bracelet to find Amelie to save Myrnin. Ada starts to fade and says she needs blood. Claire pricks her finger with a thumb tack and lets it drip onto her bracelet. Amelie arrives with Oliver and a few other vampires. She admits that Ada showed her how to contact Amelie using the bracelet and tells her about Myrnin’s sickness. Amelie sends her away not wanting to take any risks and then takes her group to help Myrnin. Hannah joins her outside soon after and says they need to get people on the bus out of town quickly. At the Danvers’ house, Hannah explains that they need to leave, but Claire cannot go with them. Her parents think it is because of Shane. Claire admits she had sex, but Hannah jumps in to say they have to leave or else they are putting everyone (including Claire) in more danger. They get to the busses to see Monica arguing with Richard about going with them. He sends her on the bus to watch after their mother. The Danvers hesitate getting on until Hannah explains they are endangering everyone by not leaving immediately. Claire’s father is furious. Shane comes up to her and hugs her, making her feel safe for a few moments before he is sent off to a warehouse for heavy lifting. Some people go to make sure everyone is informed of Bishop’s mandatory town meeting for that night. Claire goes with Joe Hess in his car to find people on Hannah’s list for evacuation. She asks about the death warrant she delivered to him and he shows it to her. Eve’s name is on it, but he guarantees her it will not happen. They come to an apartment complex and go to knock on the door. There isn’t an answer, but as they start to walk away, they hear a faint call for help. Hess kicks the door in and brings out a high school girl named Theresa. He calls for help and has Claire apply pressure to the bite marks on her neck while he goes back in to look for her younger siblings. No one else is found alive. Hess explains that sort of thing has been happening all over town. They get the remaining people out of Morganville on another bus and those that are left are in the warehouse. Claire can feel Bishop’s pull through the tattoo and warns Shane. She gets more anxious as the call pulls her. She ends up crying in frustration and Shane holds her until Hannah gives her a sedative. They put her in a bed to sleep and leave her in the dark. Rather than falling asleep, Claire sees Ada, who tells her to get one of the emergency phones. Claire answers one and Ada tells her Dr. Mills needs her help. She gets up and goes through the portal Ada makes and lands in the prison were the sick vampires were kept. The cells are now empty. Ada leads her to a wall that Claire hesitates before walking through. She finds the sick vampires in there, but they just watch her. Ada says they will leave her alone and leads her to Dr. Mills. She wakes him up and helps him put crystals into individual doses so they can be distributed. Ada then warns them they have to get out of there. Naomi and her sister (two of the sick vampires) are grateful for their help, but seem tempted to eat them. Claire and Dr. Mills quickly follow Ada back through the wall. As they start to leave, Dr. Mills in knocked unconscious from behind. Ada tells her to run, but she refuses to leave him. Ada disappears and Frank Collins comes out from the shadows.
Dr. Mills is still breathing. Claire uses her backpack to throw off Frank and get the doctor to where Ada was standing. She goes back for he duffle bags, but Frank catches her arm. Her wooden stakes fall to the ground and he remembers that he used to kill vampires. He lets Claire go and asks her to tell Shane that he loves him. She tells him Shane loves him too before she takes the doctor and the bag through the portal to Amelie’s study. Dr. Mills is taken away for help. Amelie has gathered her war counsel: Oliver, Sam, Micheal, and a few other vampires. Claire gives Amelie the bag of supplies. Amelie knows they will need more of Bishop’s blood for a real cure. Jason appears and Oliver is ready to kill him. Claire asks how Jason got there and Jason admits he knows how to use the portals. Amelie is furious and demands to know how he learned. Sam admits he taught Jason as a way to protect himself from Brandon’s abuse. Amelie dismisses them all and gets back to work planning with Oliver. Claire uses the portal to get them back to the Glass House where Shane and Eve are waiting. Shane and Michael want to kick Jason out, but Eve convinces them to let him hide in the secret room upstairs. Their rides arrive, Francois and Ysandre, to take them to Bishop’s mandatory meeting. Claire asks Ada to close down the portal to their house. Ada eventually agrees but has an attitude about it. Francois tries to bait Shane into a fight, but Claire is able to keep him calm enough not to attack. They get into town and the humans are separated by their protectors. Since Shane and Eve don’t have protectors, they are herded into the middle group. Claire and Michael are routed onto the giant stage. Richard secretly gives Claire a silver knife in case of emergency. Bishop points out how Richard has betrayed him and evacuated people from town, but Richard denies it. Oliver arrives with Sam and Amelie in chains. Myrnin comes stumbling onto the stage drunk. Bishop injects him with the cure and then decides to kill Sam. Amelie screams as her father drains her lover’s blood. Claire shoves her knife into Ysandre’s back as Michael rushes for his grandfather. Oliver frees Amelie and the fighting begins. Shane makes his way to the stage and throws a knife into Bishop’s chest. The wound bleeds much more than expected. Oliver frees Amelie as she explains she, Sam, and Myrnin were all poisoned. Oliver gives Amelie and Myrnin the antidote. Bishop escapes through a portal. Myrnin brings up a portal and goes to Ada. She doesn’t want to tell them where Bishop went. Myrnin gives her his blood and afterwards gives her Claire’s blood as well. He asks that Ada remove Bishop’s access from the system and she does. She also reveals Jason and his friend Dean have access to the portals. Myrnin requests their access be removed as well and she complies. She lets them know Bishop is at the university. Michael brings Shane and Eve to them. Myrnin tunes the portal to the university and then all go through.
Myrnin is already gone by the time they all make it through the portal into the college’s administration building. They start their hunt for Bishop by following Myrnin’s trail, but Bishop leaps out and grabs Claire. He drags her to the top of the building and starts trying to take the book from here. She is able to keep hold of it and kick him away from her. She runs towards the edge of the building and is ready to jump off the edge when Michael joins her to get her back to the ground safely. They head to the library and Bishop follows. Michael tries to slow him down while Eve and Shane grab decoy books and continue to run with Claire. Outside, the three split up with Bishop right behind them. The vampire follows Shane and Clair heads towards a statue of Bishop that has a gas jet representing an eternal flame of knowledge. She tries to burn the book, but it won’t burn. She starts ripping out the pages and finally is able to incinerate them. Just as Bishop is about to grab what is left of the book, Myrnin arrives and takes it from Clair. He gives Bishop a page with a spell on it that engulfs the other vampire in flames. Myrnin injects him with the disease that drove him mad. They are all relieved it is over. After a few days of sleep, Claire goes to join her roommates for dinner. They let her know Sam’s funeral is that night. Michael’s parents are coming back to Morganville for the first time since his mom left to get cancer treatment. When they arrive at the church for the funeral, Oliver is there to lead them to the front of the service where Michael’s parents are. When he hugs his mom, he tells her there was nothing he could have done to save his grandfather. She already knows and says he is too much like Sam. After the service, Amelie goes up to the coffin and opens it to give Sam one last kiss. She announces that Morganville will change to make vampires and humans equal as Sam demanded 50 years ago. Four weeks later, Morganville is getting restored and back in order. Oliver’s is packed when he opens back up and Claire and Shane go for some coffee. Monica returns to town and joins their table. Shane leaves to go to work and Claire gets ready to leave as well. She runs into Dean on the way out. He wants to meet up with Shane and she invites him to dinner at the Glass House. He offers to walk with her and she waits for him to gather his things. When they are alone, he uses his backpack to knock her out. Claire wakes up to Dean and Jason talking. Jason doesn’t want to kill Claire. Dean wants to use her to frame a vampire. Ada appears behind them and Claire asks for her help. Jason leaves not wanting to be a part of it. Ada opens a portal to the Glass House. Shane see’s Claire tied to the chair, but the portal closes before he can get to her. The next portal that opens allows Frank Collins through. He puts Dean on the other side of the portal and takes the needle out of Claire’s arm that is draining her blood. He takes the jug of her blood before leaving and Claire passes out. Eve calls Amelie to demand her help. Amelie calls on Ada, who admits she knows where Claire is. Amelie and Oliver take Claire to the hospital, which is where she wakes up. Her friends are there. Myrnin says he has more to teach her and learn from her before she leaves Morganville. Her parents kick everyone out to let her sleep. When she wakes up, her roommates are all there. Michael and Eve leave for his gig at Common Grounds. Shane stays with Claire and she is happy.