Reality Crisis

The trip from die Festung and the neighboring cities to the new colony was not uneventful. In spite of what some might think of Belia, she regretted the loss of those whose vehicle had driven through yet another crack in reality. Even Eric Northman. Perhaps especially Eric because she could respect that he'd been able to bring some order to the vampires in this world. And order was a thing that was gravely needed for their people to survive. She had a feeling that she could nudge some, like the Winchesters, to take care of the vampire population if they got out of hand. And yet... and yet, there were those who believed that there were a reason all of the imports were here. What Belia herself believed mattered less than allowing the sense of hope that having the Chosen around brought to them.

Jackson and his group took their leave almost as soon as the remainder of the caravan made it inside the small area that they would now claim as their own. It had once been a suburb, though the name had long since passed from her memory. It was unimportant and she had more than enough names of people who had surrendered to the slow, agonizing death of the world as she knew it. The name of this place was inconsequential. They would choose a new name. Perhaps they would choose two names and carve it up, divide it down the middle so that Erik Lehnsherr could have the space he desired for his people. It didn't please her, but if that's what was needed to keep the peace then she would make that concession.

There were more dead zones in this area. The place wasn't surrounded by them because of course that would make it impossible for many of the Chosen to join them here. But there were a few on the outskirts and they would hopefully keep reality from tearing itself open here.

She addressed people once they were inside the area. A wall would need to be built, but for now they would just have to take turns keeping watch by night and building during the day. There were houses to be divvied up and not quite enough for everyone to have their own. They would need to share. Many of the houses had three or four bedrooms so people should be able to fit quite comfortably within them. The lawns were near jungles of growth in some places and yet in others, the grass was brown and long dead and forgotten. The houses themselves had once been moderate sized homes for those who might have had families and lives here and yet now they stood in various states of disrepair. Paint peeling, roofs in need of patching, windows broken. It was all fixable with enough time. They would prioritize what was needed and work together on it. With any luck, they would be here long enough to turn this place into a new home. As much as anywhere could be home in this hollowed out shell of a world.

Belia didn't sleep that first night. She wasn't taking watch, but she merely did what she could to direct her people on where things should go, where they could sleep, who should take watch, and so on. She allowed space for Erik to do the same for his people. They would have to meet again soon to draw up agreements for occupying the same space. Yet for now, they all had to work together to make this place as safe as they could.

After the meeting with Jackson, Lehnsherr, and Northman, Belia called together everyone staying within her walls for the announcement. Jackson had agreed to lead everyone out of this area and to an area that was hopefully safe for now. That particular area had close proximity to dead spots which would hopefully slow any potential rends in the fabric of their reality for now.

In the town meeting, she made it clear that leaving was the best option. However, she also made it clear that no one would be forced to leave. While she might want to, she couldn't force anyone to do something that they didn't want to. She just hoped that they all saw reason and that no one chose to stay behind to whatever fate awaited them within these crumbling walls.

The departure would occur the following morning, giving everyone time to pack up what they could. And hopefully to get over any insensible thoughts about staying behind.

Belia didn't have much of her own to pack. Nothing she cared about, aside from that library. Even that was not as important as it might be otherwise. There was a library very near the settlement that Jackson would lead them to. A library that was more important than she wanted it to be. If any of them were overly curious-and she was sure many would be-the text of the actual prophecy was rumored to be in that library. Were it not for the other leaders accompanying them on this trip, Belia might have made arrangements to have some of her men obtain that prophecy before anyone else could.

As such, she had larger concerns and helping Jackson lead her people to safety was the top priority.

It was just like the first cataclysm. Buildings disappearing, bringing people on the street nearby with them. Not to mention the people inside. The casualties were huge. And given the tiny population on this world, Belia wasn't sure that their race could survive much more.

On a more personal level, she was blocking out memories of that first disaster and all it had claimed of hers. A husband, children, a life that was so alien to her that it must have been someone else living it. Belia Ohorek certainly wasn't that woman anymore.

No, she'd bartered away much in the way of her humanity and beliefs in fighting tooth and nail to ensure that her people survived. She had no regrets but that didn't mean that she particularly enjoyed what she'd become. Or what had become of her life.

She spent as little time as possible musing on such thoughts and instead went into action. The cities they'd all built in this area were no longer secure. Once the reality started ripping apart, they would have to move on and find a more stable spot and hope that the tears didn't catch up with them again. All the while knowing that it was just a matter of time. They could buy themselves days or weeks, possibly even months, if they moved fast enough.

She sent out messengers to Sanctuary and New Troy and even requested that the Superboy try to find Jackson. If anyone could help them find a new home, it would be Jackson.

And then she waited.

Belia's men were always on the watch for new visitors to die Festung. She was still collecting her Chosen, though she'd certainly given them a lot more free reign than in those early days. Those first arrivals had shown her that trying to control them or hang onto them like a precious resource was not the most effective way of ensuring the alliance with those that might be able to save her people.

She still made an effort to meet each Chosen and give them the proper welcome. To do her best to make them feel comfortable here. She'd already lost some and in her mind, every Chosen living in New Troy or Sanctuary was one that might not be immediately available to help her people should the worst come to pass.

Belia waited patiently in the reception room while her guards went out to summon the latest arrival. She did wonder who it might be this time. Some names were more familiar than others, but she'd certainly spent her share of time studying the contents of that library in anticipation of who might arrive next.

Belia's people had had a difficult few days. She had just now ensured that the cracks in the walls were at least temporarily guarded so her people could be safe. It wasn't perfect and it wasn't a forever fix, unfortunately. But it was enough that she could leave temporarily. As much as she might hate leaving die Festung, it needed to be done in the moment.

She'd heard quite a bit about the new leader of New Troy but hadn't yet had the chance to meet him. This had been by design because of course she'd heard the rumors about what he'd done to poor, if deserving, Dr. Lucius. She had no sorrow for the man's seemingly well-deserved ending, but a sense of self preservation had kept her away from the neighboring community until now.

Now, however, things had changed. The earthquakes had changed the landscape and had made everything less stable. Her wall was the most obvious symptom of this, but there were other small indicators. It might not be safe in this area anymore.

Either way, Belia felt that it was her duty to reach out to the neighboring community and see how they had fared in all of this. Perhaps the quakes had only been within her walls, but she felt as though that couldn't be the case.

So she took an envoy of armed guards and made her way across the ruins to New Troy. She'd sent a messenger ahead, though the messenger only preceded her by an hour or so. It would have to be enough time since there were no reliable means of conversation outside of that. At least, none that joined die Festung and New Troy.

Her people slowed as they reached the gate to New Troy. Though they were armed, their hands remained visible and empty as a show that no aggression was meant. Belia stepped in front of her men and nodded to Eric's guards.

"Belia Ohorek of die Festung and delegation, here to see our leader if he'll have us."

The niceties were observed. Whether she liked it or not, this was Eric's territory at the moment.

Dinah had mentioned finding the city of die Festing and seeking out a few people in hopes of starting her own colony. A place where people could trust others around them. A place they could be safe and feel safe. She knew that she would never feel safe being under the watch of a stranger, and she wasn't sure how everyone else in this place (or the Sanctuary) dealt with that. There had to be something, considering people stayed. What it was though, Selina wasn't quite sure. She was a loner. She acted as she pleased and did what she wanted. Obeying rules wasn't in her set of skills.

However, scaling walls was when she was properly equipped. This world had left her without the basic essentials to her trade save for her bullwhip, which wasn't doing her much good at that point. So, instead of the usual silent infiltration Selina decided to walk right in through the gate and past the guards. She hadn't any trouble finding the city but the forest itself was vast and a little frightening. She was used to being on her own, however, so she didn't let it get to her that much.

Her eyes widened a little at the city, looking at everything. She stopped to absorb the atmosphere and almost collapsed at the sight. She had been living in a forest when there was clearly a city here with people, and proper housing. What was she thinking? She should've been out scouting before for decent places to stay in a world like this. If this place was here, she wondered to herself what the rest of the world was like. What it held. What was out there. She had yet to meet any real danger but she wasn't going to take any chances either.

Finally regaining herself, Selina pushed through the city. She watched the people. They made her a little nervous but nobody seemed to be paying her any mind despite her being armed. She breathed out an exasperated huff and finally began asking around. The people here seemed nice enough. They told her that Belia was the leader and that she would be the person to see if Selina needed anything. Belia seemed to be the one that made all of the decisions. Maybe Belia and Selina could be allies. Maybe not. The Cat would just have to wait and see.

There was a place where this leader of the people resided and it was there Selina went to look for her, unsure of what to expect. When she reached the place where the few folks had told her Belia was, Selina stepped inside and looked around for any sign of life.

Belia had a lot on her mind these days. Then again, that was normal for her, wasn't it? Whatever the case, things had gotten worse over the last year. The most recent concern was the blackouts that seemed to have occurred in all of her people. Some saw flashes of what seemed like the future. Others saw nothing at all. Belia had been one of those to see nothing. She had her suspicions about what that could mean, and they didn't make her happy. In fact, she was even more prickly these days than usual. She hadn't told anyone. What good would it do? If her suspicions were right, sharing that information could potentially cause a panic. She was angry at the prospect because her work here wasn't done. She hadn't done all that she could for her people. She didn't know what would become of them if she fell, and that simply made her want to lash out.

As it was, there were plenty of other things to distract her from worrying about something that could or come to pass. Her main concern at the moment were the strange disappearances happening outside of the walls. Her people had a lot of whispered rumors about what the creature looked like. About its speed and size. Some were more fantastic than others.

Belia had no trouble believing that some of the fantastic accounts were true. She even had her guesses as to what it might be. Which meant that she also had an idea of which of her Chosen would be able to put the creature down for good.

She called her guards and requested that they bring her the Winchesters. She told them to ask nicely, since she knew how stubborn the boys could be. She even told them to inform the brothers that their help was needed with something. She didn't give any further information, save to tell them that lives were at stake.

Once her guards had been dispatched, then she settled in to wait for the two hunters to make an appearance.

While the Chosen had shared their food stash, Belia still insisted on distributing food from her own storage. The food given by the chosen few would last for awhile, but not forever. And Belia still had food to offer her people and she would continue to do so as a reminder that she had a constant supply for them whereas the exorbitant gifts from the Chosen were just that-one time gifts, a passing fancy if you would.

She was unaware that someone had gotten into her food storage and replaced one of the crates of energy/nutrition bars with some that had been...tampered with. If she had known about that, then it's certain that the person responsible for that mischief would be caught and punished severely. Beyond that, if she was aware of the side effects that might come from eating the energy bars, she wouldn't have eaten one herself.

The change didn't take all that long. In fact, almost as soon as she'd finished the bar, everything seemed to shift. Belia blinked her eyes in confusion and looked around her surroundings. They were distantly familiar, but the memories associated with this place and these...adults that were everywhere... those felt surreal, like she'd watched a movie once that contained this setting and these people.

"Madam Ohorek?" one of the guards that was at her side asked. "Are you quite all right?"

Belia didn't answer to the name right away. After all, it wasn't her maiden name. In fact, to her, it was just another vague memory. With time, she might make her peace with the fact that all of those things in the back of her head had happened to her. But for now, her mind just refused to accept it.

"What time is it?" she asked, as a door nearby opened, revealing just how dark it was outside. "I need to get home. My mom's going to be frantic."

"Madam Ohorek, are you quite all right?" the guard repeated. When the woman who was his leader still didn't answer, he tried a different tactic. "Belia?"

Belia snapped her head up in response and tucked a lock of hair behind her ears.

"That's my name," she said. "Do you have a phone? I really need to call my mom and have her pick me up."

"Mada-Belia," the guard corrected himself. "I think I should escort you back to your quarters, maybe get you some tea. You'll feel better after you've had the chance to rest."

There was panic in his voice, though he was trying very hard to hear it. In this world, with all that was going on, having their leader out of commission was unacceptable. It could mean disaster for the community.

Belia wrinkled her nose.

"Tea? Why would I want tea? But I'll take a milkshake if you have one."

The guard blinked in surprise and put his hand on the woman's shoulder. This wasn't protocol, but then again nothing about this situation was protocol.

"Come on, let's see what you have in your kitchen. I can't promise a milkshake, but I'm sure we'll find you something."

Something in those memories of Belia's told her that she could trust him. Her nose was still wrinkled in disgust from the idea of drinking tea, but all the same she exhaled loudly and rolled her eyes before following the guard's lead.

Of course, Dresden had told her where to go in order to acquire some housing. Lara went in that direction. But she found something far more acceptable standing outside the building the supposed "leader" was in. An attractive male. He seemed to be a guard of some sort, and that was fine by Lara.

Within ten minutes, she had him eating out of her hand. Literally. And the little nips she fed off him were glorious.

That had been some time ago. Now, Lara was sprawled on his bed, taking nibbles from his ear to sate the last of her Hunger, and he was enjoying every moment, groaning and moaning with lust every time she shifted against his skin.

Things had been crazier than usual lately. Belia, who had fought so hard to have control over things so she could ensure the protection of her people, was extremely irritated with this turn of events. People were coming and going. Duplicates had shown up-and how duplicates would work into the prophecy, she was at a loss. And then so many had gone missing.

Now, most were returned from wherever it was they had been, but not all. Some were still gone, whether lost to the wilds or to the rock in the sky that seemed to have screwed up so much.

She had also heard rumors of extra supplies showing up in the quarters of the chosen and possibly even in the basement of the building for the chosen ones. This did not make her happy. If there was going to be extra food or a wider variety of food, she should have control of it. She should be the one to oversee how it was distributed and to whom. As it was, the Chosen already had too much power at their hands-power that she had yet to trust that they would use it responsibly. Some, perhaps, but not all.

Belia let herself into the building for the Chosen quarters and started to head down to the basement storage. She would start there and work her way up, talking to who she could and seeing exactly what was going on.

There were more new people. Belia could swear that they were coming in faster than ever. While there was the chance that the addition of more chosen ones could tip the scales in their favor, Belia was still too pessimistic to believe that all would be a force for good, but that didn't stop her from trying to keep all of them under her thumb.

She had chosen to meet with Peter separately. He was a bit of an unknown quantity to her. So much power, yet she couldn't quite peg what he might do in this situation. He had too much power to be handled carelessly. They all had too much power really, but some were more likely to play well with others.

She waited patiently in the room that had been used so frequently for visits with newcomers now. Waited for this particular chosen one to respond to the summons.

Belia Ohorek sat at her desk, waiting. They'd gotten word to her rather quickly about the strange sites outside the city as well as the strange one who entered with one of the hunters. She had her own network always watching for something or someone new, as she felt the more information she had, the better she could serve her people.

She had to make choices everyday that she knew most wouldn't understand, certainly not the Chosen. One of these choices had long ago been that she would make sure she knew everything that came and went in her city and around her city. Now, she had someone new to deal with, although the attitude was that this new one was much stranger than any they'd seen.

Belia was willing to overlook strange if it came with a way to save her people and her world. Of course, she knew that all of this came with a price. Currently the price was quickly becoming a sense of distrust among the Chosen, which she would accept as long as they stayed. She would find away to save everyone, possibly not matter the cost.

The situation was getting more dire now. Belia could tell that the walls between realities were getting more strained. More 'chosen' were showing up than ever. The apartment building that had been cleared out to accommodate potential new arrivals to this world now held a lot more than simply the two that had been the first arrivals.

She wanted very badly to believe that they would be the saviors of her world, as many of her people believed. She was too cynical for that however. Instead, she believed that they had the potential to help and could just as likely bring an end to even this meager existence that her people had had to fight tooth and nail for.

Extending hospitality, attempting to keep the chosen in her city and under her thumb was the best way she could think of to maintain control of the situation. She would do what she could to make sure that they had motivation to help and to ensure that she had enough warning to do something to prevent any of them causing this world lasting harm.


It wasn't perfect nor was it guaranteed, but it was all she had.

Her guards had notified her of the small handful of new arrivals that had shown up recently and so she sent them back out to collect the new chosen that had come to die Festung for a greeting. They were instructed to extend the invitation politely and only to use force if lives were in danger.

She waited in the room that was now much more frequently used for greeting newcomers. A wide array of food was spread out on the table, simply waiting for the chosen to indulge themselves if they so chose.

John was still reeling from suddenly finding himself in a new world, one with monsters and an apocalypse and super powered people, but at least he was more or less calm now. Or at least, he had been until armed guards came up and demanded he follow them. He’d been walking down the street cautiously exploring the city he found himself in now when they’d cornered him.

He wanted to know why, but they didn’t seem to want to talk and he really wasn’t in a position to argue with them, even if he wasn’t a man of peace. Still clutching his bible (he’d let go of the paperwork, donating it to a kindling pile since it didn’t seem he’d need to be organizing fund raisers for the Dallas humane society anytime soon) the pastor followed the guards into a new building. He looked around nervously, not usually a man to be anxious. But the guards weren’t friendly and he wasn’t used to militant forces pushing him around on an alien world.

They stopped in front of a door and he stood, looking around and saying a quiet prayer for his own safety. It was all he could think to do.

( --- )

Nothing was settled in his head when he first woke up. Whatever the rough looking blonde man had done had sent his thoughts wild and flooded him with the stark reality of this world and his surroundings. Slowly after the spell keeping him asleep wore off his focus came back to its normal sharpness.

There were strips of cloth tied around his wrists with strange writing on them. They seemed to come from his own clothing and whenever he tried to touch them it was like he lost all control of his muscles.

And he couldn't even sense the magnetic field much less use it.

This was unacceptable.

Jackson had radioed ahead to let her know that his group was stopping to do some trading. Belia tolerated the man, but she couldn’t say no to trades of things that Jackson’s small band of travelers found out in the wild. It saved her from sending men out into the dangers of the wild to find treasures themselves. And it helped Jackson’s people to continue surviving.

Regardless of her feelings about their leader, she still wanted to do what could be done to ensure that the human race continued on.

This time around, Belia’s interest was piqued by the visit. She’d heard a rumor that Jackson had some of the chosen in his midst. She was most anxious to meet them and see if she could persuade them to take up residence at die Festung. She could offer far more in the way of protection and comfort than Jackson could after all.

( It Takes Two to Tango )

Belia's guards had alerted her to the new arrival as soon as he had appeared outside the gates. Sam had gotten there first before they could escort the man in, but she had taken that as an opportunity to learn more. Her spy in the bar had reported things back that were quite... enlightening.

And a concern. She knew full well that if the chosen decided to organize, she would have her work cut out for her. She needed to do what she could to circumvent that which meant putting up a cooperative front for now.

She waited for the new arrival-Jack Harkness-to be escorted inside and fiddled ever so slightly with the spread of sandwiches and drinks that were awaiting him.

There were quite a few newcomers to die Festung, courtesy of that bastard over at New Troy and his indecent treatment of them. Belia didn't enjoy the idea of the man treating the chosen like they were his own personal playthings, however she couldn't complain about the fact that her offer of sanctuary had to seem infinitely better than the accommodations at New Troy.

All of the chosen had now been offered apartments at the building that she'd had vacated for them during the arrival of Dean Winchester and Dinah Lance. The building had been mostly empty already and it was finely appointed and fitting of the potential saviors of their world.

All had been offered arrangements except one. An apartment was currently being prepared and furnished within the basement of the building, but she wanted to speak with the vampire first. She had holy water and a stake at the ready though she didn't expect to need either.

The vampire known as Spike was a bit of a wild card, but if she could convince him that it was within his best interests to play nice then she believed that nobody within the city walls would have reason to fear him.

Belia had asked one of her guards to escort Spike to her receiving room and she waited patiently, ready with the packets of pig's blood that were currently cooling in the ice box.

Dean Winchester was back in her camp. Again. This time, there hadn't been a quarantine. Thanks to the wards set up by the wizard, Netvors couldn't pass through the main entrance. Of course, she had left out any mention of the rear entrance because she still needed a way to bring them into captivity for her own purposes.

For now her focus was on the chosen that had returned to her camp. She didn't like that he felt like he could waltz in and out of the camp as he pleased, but for now she needed him. He had apparently brought two newcomers with him. More chosen. It was easy to pick out the chosen few from those native to this world. Everything from their manner of dress to the way they walked was different.

She'd instructed her guards to escort (withour force) the three to meet her. She would call for Dresden soon enough as well. Her spy had revealed that Dr. Lucius had a very powerful playing chip in captivity and Belia knew that if she informed Mr. Dresden that the Archive was in captivity, the wizard would rush off to the rescue. She thought it was better for all involved to make sure that these four worked together. There was a far higher chance of success if they did so, and she couldn't afford to have them fail.

The woman paced slowly back and forth as yet another group of chosen were waiting in the quarantined cells. She liked that more were passing over, and even more were coming to her city. She had heard rumors of what was happening in New Troy; that old man thought he had a right to do such things to the ones who would get them out of the delimna. Then again, the woman wasn't exactly innocent when it came to the chosen ones. She wasn't happy that she knew exactly where one of her recent acquisitions was now fighting in that man's arenas. It didn't help that the man who'd shown up with her was off doing whatever his kind did, hunting?

"Bring them to me." Belia nodded slightly to some of her men who went to collect the newcomers. She settled in her usual seat to wait. Her hands clasped before her; she looked like a ruler, the ruler. Her jaw was set. These people would stay this time. She would not let them go like the others had. She would not lose them to the Wilds or to New Troy.

"Bring water." She motioned for glasses and fresh water to be brought. She knew that the quarantined chosen would be fed, but she wanted them to feel refreshed. "Make sure their rooms are prepared."