Bring the Vampire Revolution! (continued, alternate)

[Jessica's POV]

The driver slowly brings the coach bus down a secluded drive. The bus exits a long path through the trees, and finds itself in front of a large building that looks like a warehouse. By now, most of the humans on the bus have quieted down. Some are crying, but many stare blankly in front of them. During the drive, Jessica would frown when she heard "vampire" mentioned in hushed tones. Some of the humans refused to accept the truth, but most understood what Jessica and the others were.

The uncertainty is tying Jessica up in knots. Despite being surrounded by warm human meals, for the one of the first times, she isn't very hungry. At the end of this night, either we defeat Elizabeth. Or I'm dead. One of the two.

C: Jade stayed at home. E and I are already here. Count Chocula and Count von Count in place. No more texts. Have fun with Miko and Diana.

The text from Catherine is good news, Jade appears to be out of the picture. That will make this easier. Jessica smiles at the absurdity of the "codenames" given to Carmilla and Mary, respectively, by Catherine. As if it matters.

A large door opens, and the bus pulls inside. The door closes behind them. It's time Jessica thinks, the pit in her stomach growing.

"Alright, time to get off!" Diana says, and the driver opens the door.

Diana and the humans file off the bus, with Jessica and Miko bringing up the rear to ensure that no humans are left behind. Jessica leaves the bus last, stepping into the brightly lit warehouse. The walls are lined with Diana's machines: the "iron maidens" for exsanguinating the cattle, the "milkers" for slowly draining them over a course of several years, and some machines that she doesn't yet recognize. (In her revolutionary fever, Jessica had focused more on the politics: the engineering was Diana's job.) There is an incinerator for waste, and refrigerated tanks for blood. Jessica sees a large wire mesh cage for holding the livestock. She shudders.

"Diana, it's amazing" Jessica says, feigning enthusiasm. Need to keep up the facade. Diana gives Jessica an odd look, but then smiles. Does she know?

"You can thank Kay and the American taxpayer" Diana laughs. "Subsequent iterations will be more automated, unfortunately this proof of concept will have to be somewhat manual."

Miko and Jessica herd the humans into a large wire cage to wait for processing. Some protest and resist, but are roughly shoved into the cage anyway. Miko orders the humans to strip.

"Please. Let us go" one of the humans pleads, grabbing Jessica's shirt sleeve. Jessica yanks her arm back, and pushes the human forward. There is nothing that I can do for you.

Elizabeth and Catherine exit a side office, walking towards the vampiresses. Jessica looks at Catherine, but Catherine swiftly looks away. Probably smart Jessica thinks.

"Wonderful work, children. I can smell their fear" Elizabeth says, closing her eyes and breathing deeply. Elizabeth kisses Diana, Miko and Jessica in turn. "Diana, this facility is marvelous. Shall we begin?"

Elizabeth moves to sit down at a table in front of the cage, with Diana sitting on her right side.

"Bring us the first" Elizabeth says. Miko goes into to the cage and fishes out a human male, dragging him to the table. Jessica closes the cage as Miko pushes the human to his knees.

"What's your name?" Diana asks kindly.

"M...Mark" the human says, petrified.

"Mark, you stand accused of belonging to an inferior species. of being a man" Diana says disdainfully. "How do you plead?"

Mark stares blankly forward, overwhelmed by what is happening.

"Very well" Diana says.

Elizabeth looks the human over, head cocked to the side. After a pause, she renders her judgement.

"Exsanguination" Elizabeth says dispassionately. Miko and Jessica step forward and roughly drag Mark to his feet, and bring him to one of the iron maidens along the wall. Jessica, trying not to look the human in the eyes, pushes him inside as Miko starts the machine. The large cage doors slam shut, and Jessica watches nervously as a dozen wide needles jab into the human. The humans in the cage begin to scream, but are silenced by Catherine. There is an audible pumping sound. Within twenty seconds the human has passed out, and within thirty he's expired. The doors swing open and the corpse falls to the floor. Miko goes to the blood tank next to the machine, turns a spigot, and dispenses a few ounces of the fresh blood into a glass. Jessica can smell the blood. She holds it up to the light, and then brings it to Elizabeth.

"I don't want male blood" Elizabeth scoffs, "save that garbage for the halflings." Miko shrugs, and downs the blood herself.

"Next!" Elizabeth says, sighing.

Catherine brings another human forward, a young woman.

"Name?" Diana asks.

"Caitlyn" the girl replies.

"Caitlyn, you stand accused of belonging to an inferior species" Diana says. "How do you plead?"

"Not guilty" the girl says defiantly, and Elizabeth smiles.

"Step forward, child" Elizabeth says, and the naked girl stands up and hesitantly walks forward to the table. Elizabeth reaches across the table, yanks the girl's wrist forward, and quickly bites down into it. She feeds for just a second.

"Her blood's not bad" Elizabeth says. "Her sentence is milking."

Catherine grabs the girl by the arm. The girl twists in Catherine's grip, and Catherine slaps her hard across the face. Caitlyn goes still. Catherine brings her to one of the milking machines. Catherine and Jessica bind her into the machine, where two long needles pierce her neck. Catherine and Jessica exchange a quick look. Catherine's expression says "keep it together", before looking away. A white fluid is pumped into the human's neck and Caitlyn's head lolls forward as she passes out, and a humming sound can be heard as her blood begins to flow out.

Elizabeth turns to the cages humans. "How does it feel to understand that your race is not the dominant one on this planet? How does it feel, to see your future: nourishing us?" Elizabeth asks rhetorically. The despairing humans are too shocked and scared to say anything.

Maybe. Maybe not Jessica thinks. Hopefully not.

"Next!" Elizabeth says.

After about forty minutes, most of the humans have been processed. The seven males were summarily drained. Of the twenty-five women, six are drained, thirteen are placed in milkers, and three are set aside for hybridization. Three remain in the cage.

Jessica looks at the wall of humans being slowly bled. She listens to the hypnotic pumping of the machines. She imagines of this on a global scale, and cringes internally. Every human, enslaved to Elizabeth. Forever. But not if Carmilla and I can help it!

"Ladies, good work tonight" Elizabeth says, standing up and walking back into the office. "The rest are yours to play with." Miko wastes no time, yanking a woman from the cage, and biting deeply into the woman's throat. The woman whimpers as Miko begins to drain her. With Elizabeth in the office and Miko focused on her kill, Jessica and Catherine seize the short moment alone to discuss.

"Elizabeth and I will probably drive back to the mansion in ten minutes or so. I've enthralled her driver to take a specific route only. It will just be Elizabeth and me in the car. Mary and Carmilla are waiting at a secluded bend in the route. We'll finish this tonight. Just keep Miko and Diana here, away from their phones!" Catherine whispers hurriedly. Jessica just nods, frowning.

"It will be fine" Catherine says, cupping Jessica's cheek and lifting her face. Jessica is taken aback by the moment of tenderness from Catherine. Catherine gives Jessica a quick kiss on the lips. Catherine looks at the cage and smiles wickedly at Jessica.

"Might as well" Catherine says, shrugging. Going into the cage, she grabs one of the two remaining women. Catherine abruptly rips the girl's blouse off, buttons flying everywhere, and sinks her fangs into the girl's breast. The girl shrieks as Catherine gulps down her blood. Catherine looks up at Jessica, blood glistening on her smiling lips. Her expression says "come feed with me", but Jessica isn't hungry.

The office door opens, and Elizabeth walks out with Diana.

"Diana is going to stay here to monitor the machinery with her thralls" Elizabeth says, as Diana starts to check different dials and readouts on the monstrous contraptions with some human assistants. "Jessica, Miko -- why don't you come back with Catherine and me. I've had Jade prepare a special celebration for us at the mansion. Why don't you grab that girl" Elizabeth says, pointing at the last caged human "for the car ride."

This isn't the plan Jessica thinks fretfully.