Disclaimer: The following is a work of fiction which will include t/t and m/m relationships, and probably some sex too. If it is illegal in your area to read this, or if you are not old enough to read this (you know who you are), stop here. Otherwise, please enjoy.
Chapter 16
I am now posting my stories to my new website, jaygordonstories.com. I'm putting them up there a little in advance so I can make final edits before submitting to Nifty, so if you are interested, you can check it out. Currently, A Light in the Darkness II Chapters 17-23 are available there, (The latest chapters are for registered users only, so if you don't register you won't find them!), as well as new stories not available on Nifty, so check it out if you like the story!
"It's been almost a week," William exclaimed desperately.
"We're doing our best, around the clock," Sebastian said, grabbing his shoulders. "No one is resting, no one is stopping! But we're not getting the information we need. They aren't like us! They don't use high-tech gadgets and they're true believers. You saw that yourself..."
"I know," William said. "But it's killing me a little every day, Sebastian."
Sebastian nodded and leaned forward until their foreheads touched. "I'm sorry, my friend."
"Time's running out, Matt," Daniel said as they sat in his room. "I've got my stuff packed in a couple of duffle bags ready to move quickly, but we haven't figured things out yet..."
"I'm so sorry, Daniel... With everything else that's going on..."
"Matt, I understand! It's just, we're supposed to move next week, and I'm getting scared."
"I'll talk to Sebastian next time I'm over at Xavier's," Matt said, grabbing his friend's hand. Now more than ever, he couldn't let go of Daniel, if the boy didn't want to go.
Chase was crying out in what sounded like low moans to anyone who might walk by, but what he was saying was Gideon. He'd been calling for the angel for a couple of hours; it was the first time he'd been left completely alone, but he had gotten to his true breaking point and couldn't bear it any more. The anger he'd felt building had been held back by a monumental force of will, but with his strength, his will faded. He was desperately near a maddened release of energy. In a flood of light, the angel at last entered the room.
"Gideon, they've got Alex," Chase declared immediately.
"I know, I've been watching him... But they've got people watching the others too, ready to strike. Everyone is in danger and no one knows what is coming. They think that, now that the Order has you, the danger to the rest is past ..."
"You've got to warn them... That will disarm the cult, take away the power it has over me..."
"I cannot," the angel replied. "I am not ALLOWED to interfere..."
"Gideon, Gabriel, please... You're the only one... At least take Alex? Take him away and hide him? Keep him safe. Isn't that your charge?"
Gideon looked at Chase and saw the shape he was in; he was battered and bruised, with cuts on his arms and legs, and blood beneath his fingernails. "My charge was also to keep you safe, and yet here we are... What have they done to you?"
"Torture. They say they just want me to admit the truth, admit who I am. They think I'm the messiah, Gideon! And they think I'm confused about William so they've tried to cure me. They made me watch and they shock me when I get excited. They drove spikes under my fingernails to try to get me to give them the names of people important to me... God what haven't they done?"
"I do not understand His ways any more, Chase..." Gabriel said with disgust.
"I don't understand the workings of heaven, Gabriel, but I'm begging you to save my son, and your spirit mate..."
Gabriel's eyes flashed red, then black, and he nodded, as lightening flashed outside the window and thunder shook the very foundation of the building he was standing in. "I will do what you ask, Chase, this last time..."
"What do you mean?" Chase asked, tears rising to his eyes as he asked, for he knew. Gabriel's disobedience would not be overlooked this time. "You've fallen?"
Gabriel hung his head, but at last indicated no. "But my connection with the Throne has been severed. I have been cut off, as were those who stood by and served neither heaven nor hell at the fall, as I was when we first met... I must go..."
Gabriel was gone in a darkening flash, no longer the smooth disappearing of an angel. And Chase had just enough time to notice that Gabriel's white and silver garments were again the black they had been. Gabriel was again out of favor, cast into the outer realm of the angelic as he had been for a near eternity until his final `triumph' over Sammael. His return had been so short-lived it was almost tragic. But Chase couldn't find it in himself to be sorry. He couldn't let Alex be lost. But could he loose Matt, or his parents and future brothers, or William? What had he gained for Gabriel's loss? Next to nothing.
"Guard! Guard!" Chase called angrily, until two brown-robed figures looking like Franciscan friars approached.
"Yes, my lord," the older one spoke deferentially.
"Do you believe I am who they say I am?" Chase asked. Both men nodded, bowing deeply. "Then do you not know what I will do to you when I am released from this prison?"
"You will be released when you have seen your true calling and emended your errors, my lord..."
"And what makes you think that I can't reach out from this cell and kill every man, woman, child, and animal associated with your cult?" Chase asked angrily.
"Could you do so quickly enough that we wouldn't have time to avenge our deaths upon you?" the younger man sneered.
"Am I then not who you think I am?" Chase smiled malignantly.
The younger man faltered, and retorted weakly, "We have your son! We know who your friends are!"
"Is that so?" Chase asked with venom, before reaching out with his mind and causing the man's neck to constrict as surely as if he was choking him with a vice grip. "Perhaps you need a lesson in what a demigod is capable of..." The man began to lift off the ground as if a gorilla was lifting and choking all at once – an invisible gorilla to be sure. The older man looked on in horror before begging, "STOP! We don't WANT to hurt your friends and family, but WE WILL!"
Chase smiled with a hollow look in his eyes and set the man down on the ground. Just then a phone rang and the older man answered. "Yes... Uh, huh... I see..."
Chase's smile, normally so pure, grew wide and sinister. "You wanted a messiah? Well stand back, and let me show you what that looks like!" Both men cowered and retreated, never taking their eyes off of him. With a tremendous force of effort, fueled by nearly overwhelming anger, Chase put his hand on the charmed door and it fell out, off its hinges. Both men dwarfed Chase, but they cowered before him. "Now, take me to your leader..." He chuckled a little. "Guys! That's funny! Now, MOVE!"
Gideon had Alex, but where to go? He couldn't take the baby to the Temple... Some do-gooder on the Boss's kiss-up list would return the boy and restore the balance. Truth be told, he couldn't hold off a troop of angels if the One decided to put this right. He couldn't go to Eden or any of a thousand other safe dimensions. He thought of a hundred options as he flashed between worlds, hoping to avoid a trail. But where to go?
At last it struck him: The void. With that thought, he was there. The void was a middle dimension; good and evil perfectly balanced each other out. It was a place of truce. Heaven and hell ceded sovereignty here. This space was utilized primarily for disputes between the two. Here the War was ended, here the Accords established, here Raziel's fate was determined by an angelic jury, both righteous and fallen. Gabriel stood in the vast expansive emptiness of the void and conjured a very domestic space around him. He placed Alex in a crib, closed his eyes and exhaled, before stepping aside and casting an elaborate circle.
"I summon you, most magnificent Lord of the Fallen, Chief of all Tempting Spirits, you ancient serpent, Daemon!"
The figure of a demon appeared in sulfur rich smoke that cleared to reveal the fairest form ever beheld by the desiring eye of a homosexual man. Daemon, despite being elevated, oozed the sexuality he had possessed as lord of incubi and succubae. His smooth skin and runner's musculature gilded his small frame well, and his face was a pool to lose one's self in.
"Well, well! Angel, what business has heaven with hell?"
"I come not in the name of the One, Lord Daemon. I have come for ... a favor," he managed to add without sneering too obviously.
Daemon stepped out of the circle as Gabriel broke it and drew near to him, sliding his bare, smooth leg up Gabriel's inner thigh. "Like that? I've not done an angel in ... a long time..."
"Daemon," Gabriel shouted, stepping back. "Clothes, please?" A moment later, Daemon stood before him dressed. "I have rescued Chase's son without permission from the court of the One. I have acted as a rogue angel. I need someone to keep him safe from the agents of heaven... This is the only place I could bring him, and you are the only power that can shelter him from the prying eye of those who would see my disobedience undone!"
"And that disobedience is almost payment enough. Chase will owe me a favor," Daemon smiled.
"But there are limits... Your `favor' cannot require him to violate his nature..."
Daemon nodded, "I know well what would become of me if I hurt any he loves... So I know what I cannot ask of him, though I should very much desire it," Daemon added, closing his eyes and thinking of the soft flesh clothing such a pure soul. "Mmmm..."
"Daemon! Protect the boy!"
Daemon nodded, suddenly serious. Before Gabriel could depart, Daemon called, "Angel? Who is the mother?"
"William... The boy is the result of magickally enhanced fertility. Top secret in the human world of course..."
"Of course," Daemon nodded. Gabriel turned his back, but silently mouthed a cloaking spell that would prevent Daemon from inspecting the baby's spirit too closely. Soon, the only sound to be heard in the void was the sweet song the seductive prince of darkness was singing to sooth baby Alex to sleep.
Sebastian, James, and their whole cohort were gathered with William at Xavier's house planning their next move when Gabriel appeared behind them. Immediately, Sebastian, William and Sam noticed the change in his appearance.
"Where are Chase and Alex?" William yelled, grabbing him by his shoulders. "WHERE?"
"I'm sorry. When I last saw Chase, he was in a cell in a Christian neighborhood of Jerusalem..."
"How did you lose track of him?" William asked.
Gabriel looked down at his black armor and said, "I did what he asked... I took Alex away from his captors, violating my neutrality without a divine decree... I am cut off..."
"Where is Alex?" William asked.
"Safe, and Chase knows it... That means he will be able to act," Gabriel said.
"Which means we need to secure everyone, because they still have us all under surveillance, right? That's what you're not saying, right?" William asked.
"They threaten everyone he loves..."
"Well, we're pretty much all here, except for Matt, and Edward," William said.
"James, Sam is with the battalion guarding your brother now," Sebastian added.
"We should send a group to watch Charlotte and Dave. Most anybody with a connection to us is in danger," William added, and Sebastian nodded.
Carl hurried for the door, and Sebastian nodded for James to go with him; Marcus and Chris followed suit. Meanwhile, Lt. Spencer accompanied William and Xavier to secure Matt, while Sebastian and the others remained with Chase's family on site for protection.
Avery picked up a phone and called a number that connected him with the Council Subnet. "This is Consul Salazar; please alert our security teams to go to high alert. The Order will begin to move."
"Yes, sir!" a woman with an efficient, military tone replied.
Lt. Spencer accompanied William and Xavier to secure Matt
Xavier's car screeched to a stop in front of Matt's house and William was the first out, with Lt. Spencer hot on his heels. William pounded on the door until Matt's mother answered. "William, dear! What's wrong? Have you heard from Chase?"
"Where's Matt?" William asked.
"Chase is alright, isn't he?" the woman asked.
"Yes, ma'am, but we really need to find Matt," William responded.
"He just went over to Daniel's. He left maybe five minutes ago," the woman said.
"He's in the open," Spencer said. "Exposed." The group took off at a jog toward the boy's house, hoping they could overtake Matt, who was doubtlessly walking.
As they made the last turn, they saw him and Daniel crossing the street toward Daniel's house, just as a big black sedan raced up the street toward them. "Shit, there's two of them!" Xavier exclaimed, as a dark SUV sped around the corner behind them. "Spencer, take the sedan. William, get the boys!"
Xavier rubbed his hands together and then threw a fireball at the front left tire of the SUV, causing it to roll over. This alerted the driver of the car, who screeched to a halt in the middle of the road. Meanwhile, Matt quickly turned around and, seeing the accident, grabbed Daniel and dragged him to the ground.
"What's going on?" Daniel asked, stunned.
"The shit is hitting the fan, bro," Matt said. "Keep your head down and your eyes closed!"
"Eyes closed?" the boy stammered.
"Cause you are gonna want to be able to forget this!" Matt replied and sort of draped himself across the boy. He recognized one of the shadowy figures running their way as William, so he was happy to see the cavalry had arrived just in time.
Four men jumped out of the car and pulled out automatic rifles. Lt. Spencer dived behind some bushes, but Xavier was too busy to notice as he was trying to pin the men in the SUV down to keep them from joining the fight. So when one of the men shot at him, he was hit in the leg by a bullet, knocking him to the ground and allowing the men in the SUV to escape with their weapons.
In a moment of anger, William raised his arm at the man who shot his uncle and a lightning bolt jolted the man, who dropped to the ground dead. A couple of the men from the car turned their fire on William, allowing Spencer to drop two more of them. Then he had to turn and cover Xavier, who was dragging himself to safety. William stunned the last man from the car before joining Matt and Daniel in Daniel's yard.
"Are you guys okay?" he asked breathlessly.
"Yeah, go help your uncle," Matt said.
"William?" Daniel asked, confused, as he looked up.
"Yeah, it's me. Hang tight, buddy!" he said as he ran off to drag his uncle behind some trees.
Matt was so busy watching William's back that he didn't notice the door open behind him. Daniel's parents stepped out, his father holding an automatic, his mother a pistol.
"Stand up, Matt," Mr. Simmons said menacingly.
"WHAT?" Matt asked confused.
"DAD, DON'T!" Daniel cried out, not loud enough to catch William's attention and moved between his father and Matt.
"His friend has challenged Abraxos. This must be done!" the boy's mother declared.
"DON'T HURT HIM!" Daniel pleaded, raising his voice and hoping the others would hear.
"Get out of the way, Daniel," his father said, flatly. "I don't want to hurt you, but I will!"
"WHY DAD?" he yelled, and this time William turned, but he was too far away and couldn't get a clear shot at the man. But his wife was open, so William stunned her too.
At that point, Daniel's father opened fire, fully automatic, on the two boys. What happened next surprised everyone. Daniel dropped in front of Matt and raised his arms as if in defense of the defenseless Matt. In his intense fear, he didn't notice that the first few bullets ricocheted off an invisible shield. But then he opened his eyes and realized he wasn't shot. His father paused for a moment before opening fire again.
Daniel's weak shield began to falter – he wasn't a trained priest or wizard after all. First a few bullets penetrated, falling harmless to the ground. But then a relatively slow-moving bullet impacted his chest, knocking out his breath. The next rounds penetrated his shoulder and arm, and then another passed near his lung.
William had closed some of the distance in the meantime, ignoring the men in the SUV, and raised his hand at the man, an angry fire burning in his eyes. Suddenly Alexander Simmons felt an invisible hand around his neck and felt it lift his body off the ground. "YOU SHOT YOUR SON!" William yelled as the red imprint of a hand appeared on the man's neck. Simmons grasped at the invisible hand, but it was entirely immaterial. He tried to form words, but could not. Slowly his face became very red and his struggling grew weak. So William sat him on the ground and the man drew a deep gasp.
In the meantime, William turned and his eyes blazed angrily. With a fearsome voice, he called down a hail of fire on the SUV and the men taking refuge behind it. He didn't let up until the screaming stopped. Moments later, Spencer ran past him toward the boys.
Spencer knelt by Matt, who was crying and frantically putting his hands on Daniel's bloody wounds in a futile attempt to staunch them. "WILLIAM! The boy is bleeding badly!"
Only then did William's eyes soften and he ran over. "What do we do?"
"Get the car! We need to get to the hospital!" Spencer shouted.
William ran back to Matt's house and gave the car a magickal jumpstart. He raced back to Daniel's house and helped load the boy into the back seat. They laid him out and Matt knelt on the floor in front of him, keeping pressure on the wounds. Then William and Spencer helped Xavier into the front seat.
"Xavier, can you direct Spencer to the hospital?"
"Yeah," the man groaned. "What about you?"
"I have the prisoners to take care of," he said grimly. "GO!"
Then he turned and walked toward the car, where one of the gunmen lay, just beginning to move and groan in pain. "Who are you?" William asked, giving him a quick kick in the ribs.
"We are the Order," the man coughed. "And there is nothing you can do to stop us!"
"You'd be amazed at what we can do!" William hissed.
"We have the Master, and we have hostages very dear to him. He will come `round!" the goon replied.
"You people took the love of my life, the father of my child. Before this is over, if any of you are left alive, you'll wish you'd never been born," William growled as he leaned over the man. Putting his hand over the man's midsection, he growled, "SEVER!", and the man went numb below the waist. Then as he stood over the man, he stomped on his shoulders until he heard a sickening crunch on each side.
"WHY?" the man cried out.
"Because I want you to live to see the new world!" William shouted as he turned his back on the man and approached Daniel's parents with a fire in his eyes.
Marcus and Chris rode in the backseat, silent and nervous, as James drove them toward Edward's house.
"He'll be alright, won't he?" Carl asked, plaintive and unsure.
His tone made Marcus even more nervous. "He'll be fine," the man said. James nodded, but his jaw clinched tight.
"Sebastian?" Lt. Spencer called into the phone. "We're on our way to the hospital!"
"What happened?" the vampire asked, worried.
"Two vehicles full of armed men pulled up about the time we arrived at Daniel's house," Spencer began.
"Daniel's house?"
"Matt was on his way to Daniel's house with the boy. Anyway two carloads of armed humans arrived to abduct or kill Matt. We neutralized them, but Xavier was shot in the leg. Daniel has at least three gunshot wounds." As quietly as he could, he whispered, "I don't think he's going to make it."
"Let me speak to William," Sebastian said.
"He stayed behind with the prisoners."
"Prisoners?" Sebastian asked.
"Daniel's parents, and a soldier," Spencer said.
"We'll see you at the hospital," Sebastian said. Slamming down the phone, Sebastian cursed, "Damn it! Avery!"
The man ran downstairs. "Sebastian?"
"They had trouble at the boy Daniel's house. They're rushing Xavier to the hospital – he's fine, Aiden, minor wound in the leg – but they left William with the prisoners. I need you to go stop him."
"Get him?"
"Stop him," Sebastian sighed, "from doing what he's probably already started!"
Avery's eyes snapped open and he nodded, disappearing almost instantly through a portal.
William stood with one hand over Daniel's mother, holding her down, while he alternated between choking and smacking the man with his projected hand.
"William, put him down!" Avery called as he stepped on to the lawn.
"WHY? He hasn't told me what he knows!" William yelled.
"And he won't!" Avery responded.
"HE WILL!" William responded, shooting electricity through the man, restricting it just enough to avoid harming his brain.
"He is a true believer, William. He won't. I PROMISE YOU THAT!" Avery said, placing a hand on the boy.
"Then he is of no use to me," William said. "He killed his son!"
William raised his hand to dispatch the man, but Avery squeezed his arm and said, "Don't!" But he saw the fire in the boy's eyes and in the blink of an eye, Avery raised his own hand and twisted it sharply, and the man fell dead. "I couldn't let you do it," Avery said, softly.
"I wanted to do it," William sighed.
"I know," Avery responded. "That's why I couldn't let you."
"What about her?" William asked.
"SHE might be willing to talk. Let's take her back to your place and see what we can get," Avery said. And a moment later, they were gone.
"Help! We need help!" Spencer called as he jumped out of the car at the ER entrance. "I've got two men with gunshot wounds!"
The emergency crew jumped into action and ran to the car with gurneys. "The guy in the front has one in the leg," one male nurse called.
"The boy in the back looks real bad," another replied. Quickly they removed the two of them from the car and wheeled them inside. Matt followed Daniel's gurney until some orderlies grabbed him.
"You have to wait out here," the older of the two men said.
"But he's my ... friend," Matt cried.
"Come on, son," the man replied. "I'll show you where you can wait. They'll let you see him when they can. Come on." He guided Matt to a seat like a little boy, and Spencer found him there a few minutes later.
"Matt?" Spencer said, shaking his shoulder. "Matt, I need to secure the area around the operating rooms. Some guys are on their way."
Matt sat listening numbly, but nodded slowly at last. Then he put his head in his hands and began to cry. Spencer sat down next to him and put an arm around the boy for comfort until the others arrived.
Sebastian had called for a force of battle wizards to guard Chase's family while he was gone, and he left Avery in charge. "William, Aiden, let's get to the hospital! I understand Xavier is perfectly fine, but they don't expect Daniel to last the hour."
William choked back a sob and nodded. A few moments later the three of them walked into the hospital. Aiden bullied his way in to see Xavier, and would guard him, while Sebastian turned himself invisible to go see after Daniel. William sat by Matt and relieved Spencer, who went to secure the area against intruders.
"Matt," William whispered.
"He's dying," Matt said, forlorn. "Since I lost Chase, he's been there for me; now what's left?"
"Chase will come back," William whispered.
"That," Matt said, "isn't when I lost Chase. Ever since what happened in the spring, and then with you guys moving... For ten years, I never went a day without seeing him. And then, suddenly, I get to see him like once a week. I know you guys have a life and everything, but... Daniel's been there for me, you know?"
"I'm sorry," William said, looking away and squeezing Matt, feeling guilty.
"Isn't there something you can do?" Matt pled.
"I'm ... not that powerful," William said sadly. "If Chase were here..."
Matt nodded, and both boys jumped as Sebastian appeared sitting across from them. "There is something I can do, but you need to decide soon..."
Matt looked shocked. "I can't make that decision for him!"
"There is," Sebastian paused for impact, "no one else. He is yours."
Matt put his head down and said, as if to himself, `My God! What should I do?' Then he looked up. "Can I see him?"
Sebastian nodded and arranged it so that the hospital staff couldn't see Matt and William, so they all went back together.
Just before they turned onto Edward's street, James put the phone down. "Everybody, get ready. There was an armed team ready to pick Matt off. They injured Xavier and Daniel is dying."
"Oh God, Oh God," Carl said to himself, as tears threatened. And then he totally lost it as they pulled up to the house. The front door was open.
The hysterical boy leapt from the car and ran into the house. James and the others found him kneeling in a doorway sobbing over someone. "He's gone," Carl cried out, and their hearts stopped for a moment. "They took him!"
"Who is that?" Chris asked softly.
"His mom. They killed his mom!" Carl stood and punched a hole in the drywall. "GOD!"
"Guys, we've got to go. Let's regroup at the hospital," James said. "WE WILL FIND HIM, CARL!"
When they arrived at the hospital they couldn't find the others, but Spencer found them. "Everyone except Xavier and Aiden are in Daniel's room. They're trying to decide what to do."
"What do you mean?" Chris asked.
James's eyes were sad. "If Matt asks him, Sebastian will save Daniel."
They all hurried to join their comrades in the crowded room. Carl's face, and Edward's absence, did not go unnoticed, and Matt's tears began again as he whispered, "Not Edward too? Please..."
Carl nodded and wiped tears from his eyes.
"There's nothing else you can do? No other way?" Matt asked, turning his gaze on the boy who was slipping away moment by moment.
Sebastian shook his head.
"I can't let him go, but I can't decide that for him." Matt said.
"I understand. We'll give you a moment," Sebastian said softly.
{SOUND TRACK NOTE: REPRISE "Europe's Skies"}
Matt slipped his hand beneath Daniel's and squeezed. "I'm sorry," he leaned in and whispered to the boy.
"Matt?" Daniel struggled to gasp.
"I'm here," Matt said through a wracking sob. "Daniel, listen to me. I can save you, but ... I know this will sound strange, but do you believe in vampires?"
Daniel shook his head, and Matt misunderstood, thinking he didn't believe. "Not that," Daniel corrected.
"You knew, then?" Matt asked, hurt rising.
"Not anything about the plan," he whispered. "Not about Chase or any of this! I'm sorry. You must hate me..."
"No," Matt said, shaking his head and laughing through his tears. "You're my friend! I love you!"
Daniel smiled and grimaced. "I don't have much time, so I might as well... You remember the song I sang that night at karaoke?" Matt nodded, and he continued, "It was for you... Would it be a sin if I can't help falling in love with you?" he asked with a weakening smile.
Matt stared at him in shock, but didn't pull away and his eyes filled with tears. "Daniel..."
"It's okay," the boy coughed. "I know you don't..."
"Hush," Matt said, stroking Daniel's cheek. "I wish we had more time."
"Really?" Daniel asked, even then not daring to hope on that enigmatic proclamation.
"Really." Matt replied.
"I wish I could stay," Daniel sighed as he sort of went limp.
Matt released his hand and ran to the hall. "Get in here!" When the room was full, Matt asked, "None of you are powerful enough to do this?"
"NO!" Sebastian said again for effect.
"But what if you pooled your power? I mean, Sebastian, James and Spencer, Marcus... William and Aiden... That would be a major kick-start, right?"
"Well," Sebastian said, in a tone that said it was possible. "No, it's too dangerous."
"He's dying, what's the harm?" Matt demanded.
"We'd need a conduit, and there is a good chance the conduit would be destroyed," Sebastian replied. Seeing this made no impact on Matt, he added, "The conduit is a person!"
"I'll do it," Matt said, fiercely. William looked into his eyes and saw something he'd never seen there before.
"But," Sebastian began to argue.
"Okay," William said, meeting Matt's eyes with a steady gaze.
"What?" Sebastian asked, incredulous. "NO! Not you!"
"He has his reasons," William said, to which Matt nodded his thanks. There was an understanding between them. What William had seen in his eyes, no one else could.
"What kind of energy do we need to combine?" Marcus asked.
"The energy must be matched to both the task and the conduit, if the vessel is to survive," Sebastian said gravely.
"Love," William said. "Concentrate and funnel the power of love, unadulterated, into Matt. He'll know what to do." William looked around the room at his assembled friends. "I think we all know that power?"
Matt sat on the edge of the bed and put his hands on Daniel's wounds, covering all three with his two hands. "I'm ready," he said.
"NO, you aren't," Sebastian grumbled, but he was the first to put his hands on the boy's shoulder. One by one all the men put both hands on Matt's back, arms, and leg, wherever they could get contact. "Ready?"
Matt nodded, and all at once, his world went white. The energy of a hundred thousand suns burned behind his eyes, and he nearly drowned in its fire. But then he heard a voice. "Matt!"
"Chase?" Matt asked, mentally seeing the boy smiling.
"What are you doing?" Chase asked. "If I can hear you, you are in way over your head!"
"I know," Matt laughed to himself. "But Daniel is dying! They – his parents – shot him. I asked the others to funnel their power through me to save him, but I don't know how to control it."
"What kind of power are your receiving?" Chase asked patiently.
"William told them love," Matt said, causing Chase to laugh.
"Really?" Chase asked, continuing to giggle.
"Really!" Matt replied, testily. "Sue me! Chase, I can't let him go, not now!"
"Picture Daniel in your mind. See him not as he is now, but as he was, unharmed. Perhaps even happy. If you're going to fix him, you might as well help him out there too! Can you call that picture to mind?"
Matt smiled, and said, "I already have!"
"Imagine the power you are feeling pooling behind your eyes flowing from you like water and into that image. Can you feel it?" Chase asked.
After a few moments, Matt did feel a trickle, relieving the pressure in his head. Then the trickle became a stream and then a river. "It's happening," he said.
"Now you know what's left to do?" Chase asked, and though Matt didn't know how, he could feel Chase winking.
"Shut up!" he laughed. "And don't watch! You can ask the others about it later! But where are you?"
Just before the energy in Matt was almost completely expended, and their cosmic link broken, Chase whispered, "Monastery in Jerusalem."
All this transpired in the space of a couple of seconds. Those in the room only saw Matt go rigid, and then relax. All were shocked when he opened his eyes, still glowing with unwavering power, leaned over the boy, and kissed him softly on the lips. Suddenly the light in Matt's eyes filled the room.
When they could all see again, everyone rushed to Matt's side, as he lay limply draped over Daniel. But then Daniel stirred. "What happened?"
"Matt saved you," Sebastian said.
"Not a vampire?" the boy asked with fear.
"No, child, I did nothing," Sebastian said with a sweet smile, enjoying the series of looks that passed over the boy's face. "I'm nothing like what you expected, eh?"
"No," Daniel said. He put a hand on Matt's back and felt his heart beating. "Thank God," Daniel said.
A few minutes passed before Matt came around, and Daniel brought his lips to the boy's ear and said, "Was I dreaming?"
Matt smiled weakly and turned his head, letting his lips play lightly over the boy's cheek. "I'm glad we have more time," he whispered.
Daniel gave him a big hug, but Matt suddenly pulled away. "Sorry," he mouthed to Daniel. Then louder, "But I almost forgot! I know where they're keeping Chase!"
As the gasps and random questions like, "How?" passed, Matt said, "They have a secret headquarters in Jerusalem."
"The Order of Days?" Daniel asked, and all eyes were on him. "They have a stronghold in the Christian Quarter. Their leader is a man named Abraxos." Seeing the searching looks he added, "What? I had no idea what they were up to, but I was curious! I've been secretly listening in on them for years."
Sebastian shook his head with a smile. "Let's get everyone back to the house, now. We're more secure there! We need to question the witness."
Chase hobbled down the last corridor toward the big wooden double door. He blasted it open and found a big open room with a large chair by the fire. He could see a man seated there. "Hello, Chase. How are you?"
"In pain," Chase said, flatly. "Angry! Looking for some payback!"
"Of course," the man laughed. "Have you not realized who you are?"
"I AM CHASE ABERNATHY, HIGH PRIEST OF THE GOD OF ISRAEL!" Chase roared with his waning energy. "You have no idea what you've done, what you are doing!"
"I'm afraid I do. We've been preparing for this day for so many generations. You may have gotten your child away from us, but we have others by now! Your ploy has failed!"
"What? Who?" Chase asked, his heart failing.
Abraxos smiled and nodded toward the screen on the far wall. "Chase?" Edward called out.
"My God, Edward, are you okay?"
"They killed mom, Chase! They're bringing me on a plane somewhere!"
"They're coming here, Chase," Abraxos smiled. "To see you!"
"They?"
Abraxos clicked through screen after screen. Some faces he recognized instantly, others were merely familiar. "All these people's lives depend on you!"
"Matt?"
"We did try, but it seems your friends showed up too soon. We did injure a couple of yours though! Daniel is likely dead, and Xavier was shot."
Chase looked stricken, his face went white. "No more," he said, his tears beginning to flow. "No more..."
"I think we understand each other then?" Abraxos concluded with a smile and had a chair brought in for Chase. "We need to talk."
They all gathered in around the living room at Aiden and Xavier's house, Xavier with his leg up on an ottoman. Avery had set up a teleconference on speakerphone with Americ and Musa, mobilizing Council resources and putting out alerts for the Order of Days and their leadership.
"We've detained some of their local leaders in Cairo, Avery," Musa announced. "So far, they have resisted our interrogations."
"We have our own member to interrogate," Sebastian said, joining the conversation, with an apologetic look at Daniel, who was relaxing on the couch.
"Musa, do you have any agents who specialize in mindreading?" William asked.
"That depends on what you mean," Musa said cagily.
"I mean, do you have someone who can force their way into a human mind and have a look around?" William asked impatiently.
"Yes, but it's painful, intrusive, and can result in long-term brain damage if the subject is unwilling," Musa responded.
"Do it," William declared.
"But," Musa began to object, but William cut him off.
"Musa, do you ever intend to let these people go?" William asked.
"Well, probably," Musa replied.
"Then they're dead men walking," William announced chillingly.
"Very well," Musa responded. "We'll report when we have something."
"Goodbye, my friend," Sebastian said. "Perhaps we'll see you soon."
"That will be my sincere pleasure," the North African consul responded.
After the phone was hung up, they all sat around quietly for a moment. It was Daniel who broke the silence. "What are you going to do with my mother?"
Sebastian looked at him and said, "That does depend."
"On?" he pressed.
"On what she can tell us and how sincere she is," Sebastian said, looking warily at William. Daniel turned his gaze to William as well.
"If she gives us what we need, we'll let her live," he allowed. "For you..."
The boy nodded, but tears welled up in his eyes. He knew his mother, and he knew she would never give in.
Matt got up and walked over to William and inclined his head to the kitchen, indicating that they needed to talk. "Think you could take it easy on him? He just found out his parents were plotting to kill us, and were willing to kill him to do it. Then he almost died. And he knows he's part of all that's happened!"
"I told him, for him, we'd..."
"Spare her if she talks? THANKS! She's a loony-bin fanatic who's been in a cult for who knows how long? God Almighty, William! And what's with the blood rampage?"
"Chase," William began.
"We've all lost him, William, and we all want him back!" Matt turned away a moment, before adding. "NEED him back! But we can't just go around killing people, can we? There have to be limits! WE AREN'T LIKE THEM, ARE WE?"
William looked at the pain in Matt's face and was about to speak but just exhaled deeply, before drawing his friend – the closest thing he had left to Chase, the boy who had been his love's constant companion – into a hug. "I'm sorry, Matt. You're right, of course..."
After a few minutes they returned to the living room and William sat down next to Daniel, noticing the boy flinch and feeling his own gut clench in response. "She's your mother... Nothing's going to happen to her, but we do need information."
Suddenly, the phone rang again. "Yes," Sebastian asked as he picked up the phone. A moment later he said, "Are you okay?" Then he closed his eyes and listened, before putting the phone down. "Avery," he said. "I need you to..."
"What is it?" James asked as Sebastian fell silent, looking at him.
"It's your brother," Sebastian said, turning to James. "They've got him and Billy."
"But ... Sam and a whole battalion of... No!" James declared. "NO!"
Sebastian's eyes misted over. "Avery, I need you to get over there and secure the scene. Get the wounded back here."
"Sam?" Aiden asked, his face impassive.
"Hurt, but he'll recover. Unlike most of the others... They sent a huge assault force of professionals trained to shoot to kill. They wanted Josh and Billy to hold over us, as if Chase wasn't enough," Sebastian said, drawing James into his arms.
As Avery moved to go, William rose to join him, and no one stopped him. In fact, Xavier nodded with pride from his chair.
Thanks to Mary for reading a draft of this chapter and responding.
More to come soon. If you enjoyed this story, you might consider my other on-going stories at Nifty, Fantasy/SciFi, Devil's Gambit, as well as Feels Like Falling in Highschool.
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