Gideon landed in Willoughby too near dawn to begin his search, so he quickly disappeared through a manhole cover into the sewers beneath the streets. Willoughby was much farther west of Bergstad than Laughton, a fact that made Gideon uneasy in light of Corbin's recent abduction. Allender Manor was now on the edge of a single nights journey, so if he were needed his aid would not be readily available; though Amanda was there should another unexpected threat arise. Safely hidden from the rising sun, he hid also from such troubling thoughts by pulling out his cell phone and searching the internet for a layout of Willoughby's streets, as well as Alex J. Murphy's address.

    The day came and went in Willoughby and not long after the sun vanished over the modern horizon Gideon snuck out of the sewers. A brief call to Amanda at Allender Manor assured him that all was well with the people he considered family, so he walked to a more active part of the city where he hailed a cab to take him across town to the the Murphy residence. Upon arriving at the gated-drive of the prominent house which was privately secluded, Gideon paid the driver then sent the cab away after a generous tip. 

    He wandered casually over to a pole-mounted intercom device, which he noticed was watched diligently by a camera perched atop one of the gates brick pedestals, then he pushed the intercom button and adjusted his clothes to make sure he was presentable as he waited for a response.

    A delightfully soft, feminine voice flowed smoothly from the intercom speaker, saying,"May I help you?"

    "Good evening," Gideon greeted, standing formally in front of the intercom as if it were the person speaking to him. "Is this the Murphy residence?" 

    "Yes, this is the Murphy residence," the delicate voice answered unassumingly.

    "Forgive my intrusion, but my name is Gideon, and I have traveled from afar to speak with Alex Murphy," he explained.

    The voice from the intercom responded promptly. "What matter have you to discuss with Alex?"

    "The matter of Dr. Vincent Walsh," Gideon proclaimed boldly.

    There was a revealing pause before the voice answered,"Please, come up to the house Gideon, and Alex will see you."

    The automated gates were remotely triggered and their electric motors hummed as they  pushed open the sturdy gates to allow entry. Gideon passed through them, paying them no heed as they closed behind him with a clank after he was well on his way up the drive. With his vampire eyes Gideon could see the meticulously landscaped lawn perfectly in the dark of night. As he neared the house a light above the front door flared on to illuminate the modest stoop awaiting his arrival.

    When he approached the door it was opened, revealing a casually dressed young woman with long brown hair and a sunny disposition that disarmed Gideon with a welcoming smile. He returned a cordial smile of his own as he stopped at the threshold of the door and waited for a proper invitation.

    The young woman stepped aside, swinging her arm out to motion Gideon into the house, then said with a friendly glow,"Please, come in."

    Gideon bowed mannerly, recognizing her voice as the one from the intercom, then he uttered his thanks and stepped past her into the house where he stopped once again to wait for his hostess who was closing the door.

    "My name is Sara," she revealed with a polite smile as she turned to him. "If you'll follow me, I'll take you to Alex's den where he'll meet with you."

    Gideon agreed with a grateful nod of his head, then followed behind Sara as she led him through the house to the den. As he walked behind her he noticed a bright red tendril of hair which flowed boldly on the outter layer of her chestnut locks. The curious tendril seemed to sparkle like glitter under the passing lights of the house, and Gideon found it difficult to notice anything else as he followed her.

    There was something about her that seemed off to Gideon, whose attention quickly became wrapped up in her instead of observing the inner rooms of the house as they passed through. Something about her was, different, and his superhuman senses were busy trying to determine exactly what made her seem unusual despite her otherwise normal appearance. 

    He could hear her heart beating, though it had an irregular tempo, but the alluring aroma of fresh blood that all humans unknowingly emitted to vampires was not present. The typical invisible field of body heat, which the cool flesh of the undead was keenly sensitive to, radiated around her but was slightly more intense, as if she were running a high fever; though she displayed no signs of such through her lively demeanor.

    Gideon walked along, caught up in analyzing these peculiar details when Sara stopped, breaking his concentration as his steps came to an abrupt halt to keep from walking into her. She opened a door to a brightly lit room and turned back to Gideon with an inviting expression as she motioned for him to enter ahead of her, which he did with a refocused state of mind as he remembered why he was there.    

    Gideon stepped into the den, which was more like a research lab of sorts. The walls were covered by various charts and marker boards with equations and formulas scribbled all over them. Hand-drawn designs and blueprints for what appeared to be highly complex machine parts were scattered in piles on several work benches, as well as a variety of tiny servo motors and the necessary assortment of precision tools needed to work on them.

    The presence of a man sitting at one of the work benches, examining something closely under a magnifying glass, kept Gideon from observing the rooms contents any further. None of what he had discovered thus far was anywhere near what he had expected to find, and he was finding it difficult to keep his interest on Dr. Walsh steady; until the man looked up from the work bench.

    A sudden realization washed over Gideon when his eyes met those of a memorized face from Merrick's computer files, Dr. Vincent Walsh. The hair was colored and arranged differently, but the face was undoubtedly the same, even behind square-rimmed glasses meant to help disguise it. Gideon wasted no time in cutting through the thin facade. Stepping toward the man with the satisfaction of a solved mystery he announced with a knowing tone,"Vincent Walsh...Dr. Vincent Walsh."

    A flash of surprise swept across Vincent's face as he cut his eyes to look past Gideon with a signaling look of mild panic to Sara, who stood near the door. She quickly came up behind Gideon, reached around his throat, and flung him up against the closest wall where she kept him pinned with an outstretched arm. She looked upon him with a pleasant expression that was strangely void of any malicious intent, despite her threatening hold on him.

    Gideon was stunned, but wisely did not resist as he marveled at the astonishing strength that such a dainty young woman wielded, a strength that rivaled his own. Unable to turn his head in Sara's iron grasp, Gideon cut his eyes toward Vincent, who removed his glasses and stood up from the desk.

    Feeling confident that Gideon was hopelessly subdued, Vincent walked over to Sara who turned her head and received a pleased smile from him, then he looked up at Gideon who remained unusually calm. "So Gideon, before Sara crushes the life out of you, what business have you here?"  

    Gideon's feet dangled off the floor as he stared down Sara's arm at Vincent, who stood by her side with his arms folded across his chest as he waited for some kind of response. Sara showed no signs of weakening though she had been keeping Gideon's bulk pressed against the wall by his throat. Her outstretched arm never even trembled under his weight.

    Aside from wanting to escape from such a helpless position, Gideon knew that gaining the upper hand in the situation would be the only way to find the answers he came looking for. Reaching deep inside himself he mustered all his great strength then, in a blur, raised both his arms over his head until both his hands merged into one fist. He brought that fist down on Sara's arm with all his growling might, forcing it to cave at the elbow and tearing her hand away from his throat.

    The impact from the blow made Sara stumble into Vincent, who was knocked down. As soon as Gideon's feet hit the floor he grabbed Sara, spun her around, and pinned her against the wall by the throat. In a dizzying flash the two had traded places, though Sara seemed oddly unconcerned about being overpowered. She simply gazed at Gideon's snarling face with a curious expression and said,"Wow, you're really strong!"

    Gideon was angry, but Sara's uncommon reaction tempered that anger. He clenched his free hand into a fist which he raised to threaten her, though in doing so he only meant to gain Vincent's cooperation.

  "No! Please, don't hurt her!" Vincent pleaded urgently as he jumped to his feet and cautiously approached Gideon with his hands up in surrender. 

    Gideon acknowledged Vincent with an alert turn of his head then froze. Again Vincent pleaded for Sara, but more calmly. "Please, I'll do anything, just don't hurt her."

    Gideon calmed himself, keeping his eyes trained on Vincent, then he assured in a slightly irritated manner,"I did not come here to hurt anyone."

    With his hands still up in surrender, Vincent answered,"Okay. Okay. I apologize, just let her go and we'll start over, more peacefully."

    Gideon's eyes narrowed at Vincent's offer as he considered whether or not to trust the man, then he looked back at Sara, whose unconcerned, almost entertained expression puzzled him greatly. He carefully withdrew his hand from her slender throat and stepped back away from her.

    Vincent quickly went to Sara and took her arm, examining it frantically for any damage as she watched him curiously with a smile, then he darted his glance around her neck to make sure she wasn't hurt anywhere.

    "It's okay Vincent, I'm fine," she assured, to relieve him from his obvious worry.

    He paused to study the earnest expression she wore for him, then he sighed heavily with relief as he closed his eyes and they both leaned their foreheads together in a mutual gesture of affection. After a calming moment he pulled away to turn toward Gideon, who for the moment had been all but forgotten. Looking Gideon up and down with wonder, Vincent said,"Who are you? Sara has the strength of twenty men, not just anyone could overpower her like that."

    Gideon slid his arms around his back, cocked a knowing eyebrow, then answered,"I think we should all have a seat. There is much to discuss between us tonight."