Vampire: Part One

"**Vampire: Part One**" is the eighth episode of Season 1, the second episode of the Blood-born Assault story arc, and the eighth episode of the show overall. It is the first in a two-part finale.

## Plot

*With Lee captured, Polly learns his secret. The others begin to form a plan to rescue him.*

## Synopsis

### Part One

#### Flash-Back

A younger Isiah stands in the back room of Paperback, examining the privacy it provides. Nynaeve walks in, asking if she can help him with finding anything. He smiles at her and says that "as a matter of fact, yes." He says that he would like to reserve the back room every other week as part of a book club he will be starting. She laughs, asking how she "got enough people who read physical books nowadays" but he says that "that's exactly why I would like to use this room. This room. This library. It's nice and discrete, you know? It'll keep any...prying eyes away." She analyses him for a few moments before dropping her facade and asking "what the hell do you want with this place?" He smiles again, telling her that he's "looking to make a safe haven for people like us. People who don't want to do the things we do." She says that there's no other way, but he shakes his head and reaches into the bag at his arm, pulling out an IV bag of red blood. He says that "it's donated. My friend works at a hospital, you see, and a bag or two of type O going missing every few weeks won't cause too much noise." Nynaeve looks at the bag longingly before whispering "no killing" to herself. He nods, telling her that "I didn't choose this place because of the room, miss Linn."

#### Present-Day

In the same building, the members of the book club are sprawled around. Jill and Strepp sit leaning against the wall while Nynaeve helps patch up Heracles. They don't speak for a while before Heracles pipes up and tells them that "he made his choice, and he chose us. There's not much we can do about that." Nobody responds, but Jill stares at him for an uncomfortable amount of time, making him avert his gaze. Nynaeve finishes and sits back as Isiah and Polly come in. When they see the scene inside, Isiah sighs and Polly rushes in, looking for Lee. She calls out to him, walking into the back room. Isiah looks at Heracles, who shakes his head, while Jill watches as Polly returns, asking where he is. He says that "it seems we were too late." Finally, Polly has had enough and demands to know "what is going on? Where is my brother? I've had enough of this shit, it's driving me insane! Who are you people? Are you who he's been spending so much time with?" Isiah tries to calm her down, but Jill tells her that "you're brother's a vampire. Has been for a while now. We've been trying to help him, but some bad people wanted him. They took him." Polly looks from her to Isiah in disbelief.

At night, Dante heads to Heirloom, where The Widowmaker is sat at one of the tables, his right side in full view. He sits down in front of him before simply saying "you're in the sun." The Widowmaker's face remains still, but the annoyance can be seen in his eyes. Dante goes on to tell him that "the assault's tomorrow afternoon. It's being led by The Scalpel." Again, no reaction. When he asks him what he's going to do, The Widowmaker just says that "I run, the AVD just finds me again. I do nothing, we don't have the firepower to fight back." He leans forward, close to Dante's face, before telling him that "I will find the firepower."

At the AVD, Deacon and Valerie examine a map of the area where the Blood-born's base. Hundreds of small icons dot the areas where officers will be deployed, with names under each of them. Valerie remarks that no matter how the operation goes, there will be a lot of deaths on both sides. Deacon nods and says that he is memorising "each and every name. In an ideal world, I would know everyone in person. This is not an ideal world." Just then, Harriet bursts into the office. She apologises, but tells them that "someone's attacked a convoy carrying weapons. They're all gone. I think they've figured out what we're doing and armed themselves."

At the library, Polly sits in one of the chairs, the news of Lee being a vampire almost too much for her. She ask how he was turned, and Isiah says that someone tried to attack him, but he was saved by another vampire, who turned him to save his life. She then asks if they convinced him not to turn himself in, an accussing look on her face, but Jill then tells her that "he chose not to do it. We gave him the choice, but he said...he said he wanted to stay because of you. He didn't want to never see you again." Polly remains silent for a moment before getting up, yelling that "all this is insane!" Nynaeve brings her a hot drink, telling her that "it is. Believe me, we know."

### Part Two

Harriet and Boris stand in front of an upturned truck. Scratches and dents mark its exterior and the mangled body of a thin man remains in the driver side. Boris peers inside at where all the guns and weapons used to be, before asking "you really think they know? Why wouldn't they just run?" Harriet shrugs, telling him that "we've been chasing them for a while now. Maybe they're making a final stand. The real question is: who told them?" Boris raises his eyebrows before going to the body and asking him is she thinks that someone from the AVD told them. Once again, she shrugs. After a moment, she asks him if he has told his parents about the upcoming assault, to which he shakes his head and tells her that "mum's long gone. Dad won't care either way." She orders him to tell his father before walking away.

In the morning, Polly sleeps on one of the sofas at Paperback. Strepp finishes cleaning up the mess left by Nils, whispering to Isiah—stood at one of the windows—that "the longer we wait, the harder it will be to get him back" to which he asks him if he's "so sure we'll be getting him back?" When he asks what he means, Isiah explains that not everyone may be willing to risk their lives for Lee, stating that "we'd be going against the Blood-born, and I've received word that the AVD are attacking soon."

Jill and Nynaeve walk out of a shop with food in their bags. For a while, nobody speaks, until Nyneave asks Jill why she told Polly like that. Jill looks at her, telling her that "she already knew. Didn't you see it in her face? She's probably known for a while, but wouldn't let herself believe it." Nynaeve nods before saying "you didn't...you didn't have to tell her. Sometimes...I don't know. Sometimes people are better off living in denial." Jill raises her eyebrows and she admits that "the owner of Paperback? Ms Downes? She knows. About us. About me. She has to know, but I don't think she can admit it to herself. She's old, Jill. I don't think telling her what she thinks will do anyone any good." Her face turns sad.

At his flat, Boris sits in front of his TV, a slim piece of glass in front of his wall. He tells it to call Kaneda Anderson. He sits in silence for a few moments as he waits. Eventually, the call cancels as his father doesn't pick up. Boris bows his head and squeezes his eyes shut.

At Paperback, the members of the book club and Polly gather in the back room. Jill, Polly, Nynaeve sit on the table while the Isiah stands at the front and Heracles and Strepp lean against one of the walls. Isiah tells them that "a terrible thing has happened. Our friend has been taken by the most powerful gang in Camden and—as we speak—the Anti-Vampire Department have found their hideout and are gathering for an all out assault. *If* we attempt to go in there and rescue Lee, then there is a very slim chance that we will make it out alive, let alone with him in tow. Lee is, more than likely, injured and under high guard, if not with The Widowmaker himself. *If* we do this, we will most likely fail." For a few moments, nobody speaks. Polly then says that "I shouldn't ask you people to do this. I don't even know you. But you know my brother. Probably more than I do, now. I need him. He's all I have, so I have to ask you to do this. Please. I don't have anything else to give." She tears up, her voice catching in her throat. Jill turns to Isiah, asking "is this even a conversation we need to have? Seriously?" Isiah doesn't answer. Instead, Strepp, looking at the ground, tells her that he's sorry. She looks at him and he says that "I can't go. I...I have—" but she cuts him off, telling him "you risked your life for him before? What changed?" He shakes his head, explaining that "that was different! That wasn't certain death! This is something else. I have...I have people I need to take care of." Jill gets up and approaches him. She calls him a coward and that "he's your friend, and he needs our help!" Heracles moves in her way, telling her that "he's made his choice. You can't force him." Strepp turns and leaves, a pained expression on his face. After that, Isiah asks if anyone else wants to leave, after which nobody moves.

### Part Three

Harriet and Boris gear up in one of the locker rooms, putting padded armour around their chest, throat, and arms. She asks him if he's ready and he shrugs, saying that "I guess I'll find out." She grabs his shoulders and looks him in the eyes before telling him "be careful, Boris. We're in separate squads, so I won't be there to look out for you, so just...don't die. If it looks like you're going to be overwhelmed, retreat. There's no shame in it. I don't want to see your gravestone." Boris doesn't say anything, but he pulls her into a hug, which she reciprocates.

A large crowd of AVD and police gather outside of Scotland Yard, where Deacon stands in front of large black trucks wearing the same armour as everyone else. He calls for everyone's attention, and they stop talking immediately. He says that "this is a momentous occasion. A hundred years ago, the destruction of a whole gang of vampires was something unheard of. And yet here we stand, on the precipice of such an event. Whatever happens, whether we die tonight, or whether we survive to fight another day, the future of New London will be forged with our blood." He holds up his fist and the crowd cheers. They load up into the trucks and Harriet takes one last look at Boris, nodding at him as he climbs into a different one to her's. Sitting down, Valerie tells her to "cheer up. He's going to do great."

At the abandoned factory above the catacombs, a group of vampires stand watch as the trucks show up. Standing on the roof, a young vampire wearing a balaclava waves to them. One of the AVD, a man called Callahan, calls up to them, saying that he advises for all of them so surrender immediately. The vampire says "fuck you, assholes!" and someone is thrown off the side of the building, screaming. It lands on the ground in front of Callahan, who approaches it slowly. It is revealed to be Dante, mangled and bloody, on his forehead, the word "TRAITOR" has been scratched into the flesh.

Under the church, a group of four vampires make their way to the exit. One of them says that they "aren't dying for that guy. He's insane!" They climb the ladder up to the church, where a squad of police is waiting for them, lead by Valerie and Harriet. The vampires try to retreat back down the hole, but Valerie orders them to open fire and tear three of them to shreds, blood spraying everywhere. One manages to get back down and runs to safety, quickly followed by the AVD.

Hearing the shots from a few streets away, the vampire on the top of the building yells "kill 'em!" Vampires inside the factory appear from many windows with guns in hand. They start shooting and Callahan ducks behind one of the walls. As the sun sets, the members of the book club watch the scene from one of the rooftops.

In a large room cut out of the catacombs, Lee is chained up to a wall, his shirt has been ripped off and his face is bloody. He hears the gunshots above ground and looks up as if he would see the people there, but all he sees is The Widowmaker entering the room. He approaches him and picks him up by the throat, saying "we aren't done yet."

## Trivia

* First mention of Bernadette Downes
* First mention of Kaneda Anderson
* First appearance of Callahan Gritt
* Last appearance of Dante Young
* This is the only episode in season 1 in which Lee does not appear for most of it.
	+ If not for his brief appearance at the end, he would not be in this episode at all.