Disclaimer: I and my writing accociates own the characters, but not the world. That belongs to the owners of Angel and Higlander.
Episode title: "Drac"
Teaser
The sound of Wagner music brought Jim Corrigan out of his sleep. The music was coming from the upstairs bedroom of Herbert Schmidt, and apparently nothing could stop the music from sounding all over the house. After putting his pillow over his face as a vain attempt to stop the sound, Jim sighed and lit a cigarette. He lay for a while, watching the smoke curl and swirl up in front of his eyes, before swinging his legs out of bed and putting the smoke out in the ashtray.
The bedroom was cluttered, but not overly so – after Andrew Picardt had moved in about a year ago, he had made an effort to clean the house up and remove some of the clutter that had accumulated over the years. His souvenirs from his life had been many, and when he had bought the house he had taken all the items he had kept in storage across the country and had them shipped here. He still preferred décor from his "own time" – the 20's and 30's – so both furniture and lamps was mainly from that time period. That, however, had been changed somewhat when he hired Mercedes – the first thing she had done was use his credit card to buy potted plants and paint samples.
"At least I managed to put my foot down at the friggin' throw pillows!", Jim thought, as he walked into his bathroom and looked in the mirror.
The sight that greeted him was the same as ever – as was the case for all the immortals, he would assume. His beard still grew, his hair too…but the face never changed, never got any new lines or marks. In a way, he almost hoped that something would change one day – not many people could understand the feeling a man got from seeing his own face unchanged for more than the lifespan of any normal human.
Finishing his duties in the bathroom, Jim got dressed and headed downstairs. The smell of coffee came from the kitchen, indicating that Mercedes had started the breakfast. Even though no one wanted to imply that she was hired to cook, there was a general uniform opinion that her Mexican coffee and breakfast was amazing. That had flattered her enough to persuade her to make it most of the days a week. On the other hand, it was always one of the others that made dinner, as having worked in a restaurant for the last many years had giver her all the contact with Mexican food she ever needed.
Andrew was already in the kitchen, drinking coffee and reading what looked like a computer magazine, while his laptop beeped silently on the chair beside him.
"Morning, chief!", he exclaimed.
"I told you not to call me that. Especially not in the morning", Jim said dryly, and poured himself a cup of coffee.
"Sorry, Jim. Had a rough night?"
"No, but a bad wake-up call. How the hell can you sleep next to him?"
Andrew stuck his hand in his pocket, and showed 2 yellow objects. "Earplugs. Works like a charm. But how Murph can sleep, I don't know. He's still asleep!"
There were steps outside, and Mercedes came in, closely followed by Herbert.
"…and so, my cousin Miguel said that he could keep his car, because it had the looks of a immigrant transport, and he left."
"So did he get a car some other time?"
"You're not getting the story, are you?"
Herbert was about to answer, when a voice came from the speaker on the wall – the one connected to the lobby's intercom.
"Hello…." A woman's voice said, "…is…is anyone there….I need….help…"
The group all looked at each other for a second, and then moved towards the door in a swift motion, that made it quite hard to actually get though it. Within a few moments, they were all pouring out into the lobby, with Herbert in the lead.
A woman – or almost a girl, Jim thought – was standing leaning over Mercedes' desk. She had obviously come in from the street and found no one at the desk, and then simply activated the intercom. She was blond, very thin and frail-looking, with big dark shadows under her blue eyes.
She turned her face towards them as they came in, swayed a bit on her feet – and then, began to fall into a faint. Herbert, who was the closest, quickly reached out his arms and grabbed her. She fell limply against him.
"What the hell…?" Andrew said.
"Put her on the couch in the office!", Jim said and led the way through the door.
Herbert held the unconscious girl in his arms, and put her gently down on the brown leather couch. In doing so, her cardigan got pushed up over her arm, and her arm was exposed.
Mercedes gasped. "Dios mio!"
On the girls arm, there were obvious bite marks and scratches from what looked like claws. In fact, the arm was downright covered in these bloody marks.
Andrew leaned forward and looked at the arm, and then, looking puzzled, unbuttoned the front of the cardigan and opened it.
The girl was only wearing a tank top, and from what they could see, the marks weren't limited to her arm. Her entire body was covered in them. And from several of them, a small trickle of blood was still flowing.
Fade to black
Part 1
The girl opened her eyes, and moaned softly.
"Here. Drink this."
Andrew held a glass of water to her lips, and she drank greedily.
"Slowly. There's more where that came from. You must have taken quite a loss of bodily fluids."
The girl swallowed, and looked at him.
"Yes, I…I have…"
"Now, just relax, young lady", Jim said. He was sitting on the edge of his desk with a leg on the floor and looking interested at the girl on his couch, "you're among friends here. Can you tell us what happened to you?"
The girl put her head down against the pillow, and sighed. "It….it is a very strange story."
Her voice had a strange accent, east European Jim would think, possibly Rumanian or Hungarian.
"We hear strange stories all the time here", Andrew said dryly.
"One could say we specialize in them", Herbert added.
"So tell us what happened, and we'll help you!" Mercedes finished. Jim just smiled, enjoying the sound of a team at work.
"Well…my name is Lenora. Lenora Romanov. I am from Burgoviste in Rumania."
"I guessed as much", Jim mumbled under his breath, as Lenora went on:
"I am here in San Francisco as part of the eastern European music festival this month…we are playing in the Guilder Hall downtown. But I am sure you have seen my marks, and guessed that they are the reason I come to you. But it is no easy tale to tell. You see…I have been attacked by a invisible demon every night of my life."
The Tempus team exchanged glances. They had had some dealings with demons in the past, but most of them had been relatively peaceful ones, that minded their own business.
"Since I was a very little girl, I have been awoken at night – every night – by sharp pains somewhere on my body. And when I looked, there would either be scratches, like this, or bite marks, like this." She indicated the two different marks on her arm.
"When I was very young, I did not understand this, I merely accepted it and learned to live with it. Now, however, something has happened to make me want to end this!"
"What was it that prompted you?" Herbert asked.
"When I was chosen by the musical college to go to America, I was so proud to represent my country. And something wonderful happened. The first 10 days I was here, I did not feel any pain at night. For the first time in my life, it was as if the demon had decided to let me alone. And then, this morning…"
She shivered with the memory, and Mercedes put her arm around her.
"…this morning, I was awoken in the small hours of the morning, by a pain as terrible as I have never felt before. It was as if a thousand beasts were attacking me all at once. All the old cuts were torn open, new ones came, and all the while I felt so helpless, as if the…the demon could just kill me then and there. And then, finally it stopped and I crawled out of bed. And there, on the floor under the bed, was a brochure for your agency!"
"Lucky coincidence!", Jim remarked and lit a cigarette.
"Luck has nothing to do with it", Mercedes said proudly, "I toured hotels and asked them to put some in their rooms. Aggressive marketing. It's like my cousin Juan always said: You have to tell people where you are, and what you do, except if the people are polizia."
"So…can you help me?" Lenora asked with tears in her eyes, "I am so scared of the demon now. It's like it is jealous, or angry, and I want it out!"
"Well, we will do our best, Miss Romanov."
"Lenora. Please."
"All right, Lenora. First of all, I think you need a shower and something to eat and drink. Mercedes, would you take Lenora to the bathroom and give her some towels? And Andrew, would you wake Murph up?"
"No need", Murph's voice came from the door, "I'm up. My wife woke me up and said there was something going on down here."
Jim sighed. Murph's wife had been dead for 16 years, but he was not the one to question a mystical thing.
"Great, Murph. Guys, I think, we should talk. Mercedes, when you've shown Lenora the bathroom, come down here, and let's have a meeting."
The 2 girls left the room, and Jim looked at the other members of the team.
"Well…?"
"She doesn't have the feel of a supernatural", Andrew said, leaning back in his chair, "I'd have to examine her to be absolutely sure, which I would like to do by the way, to see what the marks match with. But she's no ghoul. I can say that much."
"Herbert?"
"She has some residual feel of magic energy clinging to her, but it's hard to say what it is. Lots of people have a spark of magic cling to them now and again, if they pick the right flowers or touch something with a strong magic aura. But off hand, I think she is just what she says she is: A victim."
"Murph?"
"I have no idea. I just barely caught a glimpse of her. What's the buzz, anyway?"
Jim held up a hand to Murph, indicating he had to wait.
"I sensed nothing in her, either. And she looks like she really needs our help. I say we take her case. Andrew, if you want to perform a medical examination on her, I'd say it was a pretty good idea. We should set up the guest bedroom for her, and one of us should stay with her at all times."
Mercedes came into the office, and shook her head with disbelief.
"I just saw her take off her shirt…those terrible marks cover all of her body. I mean ALL of her body. What could do such things?"
"That's what I want you to find out. Take some pictures of the wounds with that new digital camera you bought, and start checking the files for anything that would match this. Andrew – can she use your connection?"
Andrew nodded. No one was really sure where Andrew's connections went, but it was obvious that they were powerful and well informed.
"Then, I want Herbert to check out any possibility of making some sort of magic barrier. Something a demon could not pass and get to her. Do you think that would be possible?"
"I don't know. I'll find out."
"Good. In the mean time, I'll stay close to her, and make sure nothing happens right now. She said it had only happened at night, but after the experience she had this morning, I think it's safe to say all bets are off. All right, let's get to work."
They all got up, and left the office. Jim lit another cigarette, and headed for the bathroom, from where the sound of running water could be heard. He sat down outside the door, waiting for Lenora to finish.
Part 2
Andrew laid out his medical gear, carefully placing it on the table in the order he expected to need it. For a man as impulsive and curious as he was, looking at him preparing to use his medical skills was like watching a butterfly make his cocoon. Even though his eyes still sparkled with curiosity, even though he was still smiling – he was all of a sudden focused in a way he rarely was.
Lenora came in from the corridor, drying her hair in a towel and wearing a bathrobe. She smiled a little insecurely, and looked around at the room. Andrew had simply set up his examination in the guest room, where she would later be sleeping, and the medical equipment gave the room a strange feel to it.
"Am…am I too early?" Lenora asked, and pointed to the layout of stethoscopes and ophthalmoscopes on the little table.
"Not at all. Come in and make yourself comfortable."
Andrew put on a pair of thin rubber gloves, and sat on a little wheeled chair next to the bed, where Lenora lay down.
"I'm just going to give you a light examination. I'm not going to cut or prick you, although I would like to ask you for a blood sample."
"That's fine."
"Good." Andrew took out a syringe and drew a little blood from Lenora's arm. She lay perfectly still, looking up at him with her big eyes that seemed to contain endless nuances of blue.
Putting the sample away, he pulled up the sleeve of the bathrobe and examined the marks on the arm. He measured them, pressed gently on one to see the edges of the wound move, and scraped a tiny bit of the caked blood off one.
"Have any of these ever been infected?" he asked her, looking at a particularly deep gash right under her shoulder.
"Sometimes. My mother would put on an ointment when I was a kid. Now, I usually put disinfectant on in the morning."
Andrew shook his head in silent disbelief, thinking of all the days the little girl Lenora had once been had woken up bleeding and in pain. It sent a chill down his spine.
The marks were something quite special, he discovered. There were often so clear marks after the teeth that he probably would be able to reconstruct a model of the mouth, had he been a dentist. As it was now, all he could determine was that the marks did not come from any known animal, or for that matter, human. Whatever had sunk its teeth into Lenora was definitely paranormal.
Andrew finally took some extra snapshots of the marks on Lenora's back and shoulders. He considered photographing the ones on her chest, but decided that she probably would be uncomfortable with it. She didn't look like she was used to taking her clothes off in front of strange men.
He gathered up his equipment and samples, and smiled at Lenora.
"You go ahead and take a nap, if you want to. You've had quite a chock. Do these marks also appear if you sleep in the day?"
"Not usually."
"All right, I'm going to give you a mild sedative. Just to make you relax. Then, when you wake up, we'll talk more."
"All right, but…Mr. Picardt?"
"Call me Andrew. Mr. Picardt is my dad."
"Andrew…would you do me a favor, and…stay in here, until I have fallen asleep? I…I really don't want to be alone…"
"I understand. Let me just put the sample in the fridge, and get something to read, and then I'll sit with you. Do you want me to call Jim while I'm gone?"
"Yes that would….be nice." She put her hand on her forehead and fell back in the bed. "I feel like such a child. Asking daddy to sit with me so the monster under the bed doesn't get me!"
Andrew's smile became a little pale. "There are things in the darkness, Lenora. And it's no shame to be afraid of them. Now, I'll be right back."
He went out into the corridor where Jim waited, smoking and reading a book.
"Stay with her, while I go put this away, would you?"
"Sure."
Jim looked into the room, and let his eyes rest on Lenora, who was lying on top of the covers in her bathrobe, and now pulling a spare blanket over herself. She seemed very fragile, as if she was made of glass, he thought, and turned his head to give her some privacy. But as he turned his eyes, something flickered in the edge of his vision. He spun, looking for the source of the motion, but there was nothing there.
He put down his book, and began to get up, as the door suddenly slammed shut to the guest room. He was on his feet instantly, running for the door, while shouting Andrew's name to alert him.
The door was locked. He pulled hard on the handle, feeling the lock slide back – and discovered that it was no lock. Something or someone was holding the door shut against him, pushing back with great strength. Jim felt the familiar feeling of running fire in his blood, as he called upon the power of the quickening to increase his strength.
From downstairs, he could hear running footsteps, but he could hear something else from inside the room that urged him to move faster- Lenora was screaming in fear and pain.
He took a step back, and threw himself at the door, feeling strong as a weightlifter. He hit the door with enormous force, shattering it upon impact, and he almost fell into the room. Behind him, Andrew came up the stairs, his gun in one hand and the digital camera in the other.
Jim began to get to his feet, but froze in the motion. He simply stared.
"Great flatfooted centipedes!" he whispered, almost in awe.
Lenora's bed seemed to be under attack from all sides. There was something tugging at the sheets on one side, something ripping the headrest back and forth with a crunching sound of wood splintering, something pushing it down so the springs groaned, but the central attack was on Lenora herself. Her arm was sticking out in a strange angle, obviously dislocated, there was fresh blood on her cheek from a slash of a claw, something was pulling her hair, and something was holding her suspended about 30 centimeters above the wildly bucking bed. But what was mostly frightening was – that there was nothing there. All the attackers were completely invisible.
The two men simply stared for a few seconds, but then the screams of Lenora made them move again. Andrew jumped forward to grab the girl, while Jim tried to get up on the bed, pulling his sword out from the "nowhere" he usually kept it.
Andrew grabbed Lenora's body, and felt her go limp in his arms, passing out from the pain. At the same time, something invisible grabbed hold of his legs, and tore them out from under him. He lost his balance and fell backwards into a stuffed chair, holding Lenora tight.
Jim's sword seemed to cut right through the invisible attackers, for no screams of pain was heard, nor did the attack cease. He struck out with his fist, felt something move against him and touch him, struck at it with a powerful blow, but to no effect.
And then, as suddenly as it had begun, it ended.
The bed stopped bouncing, the splintering sound ceased – and the only sound was the two men's heavy breathing.
"What the hell just happened?" Andrew asked, his voice sounding strange to his own ears in the suddenly silent room.
Jim only shook his head, and crawled off the bed, looking at Lenora in Andrew's arms. She was unconscious, most likely from shock.
"Her arm…" Jim said, noting the unnatural angle it was in.
"Dislocated. I can fix it, but I think I'd better give her a real sedative first. It's going to hurt like hell."
"I know. I've dislocated a few limbs in my time. During the French revolution, for instance, and when I was with Cortez in South America. See what you can do."
Andrew carefully laid the unconscious girl on the bed, and went for his black bag.
"I sure hope Herbert and Mercedes have better luck that we do!" he mumbled.
Part 3
Herbert and Mercedes stepped through the door to "Bekam", and smelled the familiar smell of magic. Herbert thought it smelled like old spells gone bad, Mercedes thought the smell was more like old spices that had been saved too long. Nevertheless, the magic shop's aroma was always a slightly unsettling one.
A few customers was browsing the store, which even in the midday heat was cool and filled with it's own murky twilight. The man behind the counter smiled as Herbert came up to him. He was an arab, dressed in a white flowing garment with golden symbols on it.
"Ahh, mister Schmidt. So good to see you. And what can I, a humble merchant, sell you on this fine day?"
"I'm not looking for merchandise today, Fazil. I'm looking for information. Do you know anyone who will be able to make a protective circle to ward of supernaturals? Demons in particular."
Fazil rubbed his chin. "Maybe. But that…oh, excuse me for a moment…"
He took a couple of steps towards a couple of teenagers, who had sat down on a pile of blankets.
"Excuse me, most honorable gentlemen, but please do not sit on the flying carpets. They do not like it…"
The two teenagers got to their feet quickly, but one of them stumbled, and Fazil smiled apologetically.
"Yes, see, I warned you, Sir. They can be quite vindictive…."
He turned back to Herbert.
"Yes, mister Schmidt. I think I know of a man who might be able to help you. He is called Brack, and you should be able to find him here…."He wrote an address on a receipt."….but you should be aware that such information…ah…does not come free these days. Even I, a humble merchant, must live."
"I understand." Herbert let an envelope slip into Fazil's hand, where it vanished like a mirage.
"Are those really flying carpets, you sell?" Mercedes asked with her eyes on the pile of blankets.
"Those old things? Well…I suppose they are…if the price is right…" Fazil smiled, and his teeth seemed very white in the gloomy store. "Would you be interested in one, beautiful lady?"
"Don't listen to him, Mercedes", Herbert said and put a hand on her arm, "he's full of tricks."
"Ah, but tricks are my trade, mister Schmidt. Would you care to see some jewels, that was once worn by Ramses the second's favorite wife?"
"Would I EVER?"
"Some other time, perhaps….." Herbert began, but he was overruled. Fazil had already pulled out a tray from under the counter with some old Egyptian jewelry, and he could only watch as over the course of the next hour, Mercedes bought a necklace, two rings and a tiara.
When they finally came out into the warm Californian sunlight, Herbert felt like he would never get the smell of the store out of his nose.
Fazil waved them a goodbye from the door.
"Farewell, my excellent friends. Come back anytime. And bring your friends…."
The address Fazil had given them was in a large residential complex on the outskirts of San Francisco. Mercedes got out of the car, and put on her sunglasses.
"Doesn't seem like the place you'd find a powerful mage, you know."
"On the other hand, does our house look like the home of a guy who for all we know could be thousands of years old?"
"Yes it does! No one who is not immortal would decorate their house like the '20s."
"You could be right. Strange that no one noticed it before…"
They crossed a parking lot, and walked into the building.
"This looks like "the matrix"!", Mercedes commented, as they walked through the corridors to find the right apartment.
"I hope not. I like to be the only Schmidt in sunglasses." Herbert said with a smile.
They finally reached apartment 245 C, and Herbert rang the doorbell. The little sign under it simply said "Brack".
A moment went by. Then a hoarse and strange voice sounded from the other side of the door
"You are a mage come looking for a mage. Why?"
Herbert cleared his throat.
"We're looking for someone who can make a protective circle. Fazil sent me. He said you might be able to help us."
"Fazil sent you, eh? Then I suppose you can come in. But do not touch anything."
The sound of a bolt being unlocked came from the other side of the door, and the door slowly slid open. Mercedes and Herbert stepped into a room lit only by what seemed like hundreds of candle flames – only there was no candle connected to the flames, they hovered all around in mid air.
A man, dressed in a hooded sweatshirt and black jeans stood just inside the door, and closed it behind them. At first, it seemed like a hooded sweatshirt, but upon closer inspection it was clear that it was something far more extraordinary. Where his head should have been was a dark hood with nothing inside it except darkness, and when he closed the door, they noticed that his hands were the same. He seemed like a shadow in three dimensions.
Mercedes swallowed, and Herbert fidgeted with the iron cross in his pocket.
"So…a protective circle…." Brack said, and moved through the apartment with a gliding ease that made him seem even more shadowy, "I think I might have something for you."
He opened a small closet in the wall, and pulled out a bottle full of a green powder.
"This will do. Pour it around the place you want to protect, and no demon will be able to cross the barrier. Well…" he said and tilted his head in an angle that was probably his way of smiling, "except of course if they are more powerful than me…."
He handed the bottle to Herbert, who took it with slightly uncertain fingers. He made very sure his hands did not come into contact with Brack's fingers.
"Now, how are you going to repay me for this help?", Brack asked in a slightly inquisitive tone.
"Um…we have money…" Mercedes began, but Brack cut her off. "I don't need money, young lady. If I wanted money, I could have it in a heartbeat, if I had any. But I require something more. Something…special…in payment for doing you this service."
"Well, what did you have in mind?" Herbert asked.
The dark figure seemed to think about it for a moment.
"I would like to have something from you, young lady. To remember when you grazed my humble regio with your presence."
"I'm not sure, "Mercedes said, taking a step back, "I've heard it's supposed to be a bad idea to give away personal stuff. My cousin Connie once…."
"It was not meant as a topic of debate. If you want the bottle, you give me something of yours."
Herbert put a hand on Mercedes' shoulder.
"It's all right, Mercedes. Just give him one of your rings."
"My rings? But…"
"Just give him…one…of your…rings!" Herbert said, touching her hand where the ring she had bought half an hour ago sat. She nodded.
"Oh…well, all right…."
She pulled off the ring, and put it on a small table next to her.
"Well, if that is all…we really should be going…." Herbert said, taking a step back towards the door.
"I will see you again", Brack said as he made a gesture with his hand. The door swung open, and they stepped through it. The last they saw of Brack was a shadowy hand closing the door.
Mercedes began to say something, but Herbert held up his hand, indicating her to wait until they got outside the building.
When they sat in the car, they both breathed a sigh of relief.
"I thought you should not give wizards and demons personal things?", Mercedes said and straightened her hair. She felt dirty, after just the few minutes in Brack's apartment.
"You shouldn't. But you'd just gotten this ring. It hadn't been on you long enough to form an arcane link to you. On the other hand, it's probably been in Fazil's store long enough to form one to him…"
"So what's going to happen?"
"I'd say that if Brack wanted to use that ring to spy on you in the shower, he is going to be very, very surprised…"
He started the car, and they headed for home.
Part 4
When they all gathered in the office in the late afternoon, Mercedes and Herbert looked astonished at Jim and Andrew when they told the story of the invisible attackers.
"Dios Mio, Andrew. It was a good thing that you were there to save her when she fell!" Mercedes said in a voice that made Jim rub his sore shoulder and wonder if was indeed getting to old for this life.
"All right" he cut in, "we have the stuff for the protective circle. And there hasn't been any incidents since the one this morning. However, Lenora has been unconscious ever since, partly because of Andrew's tranquilizer. That means, we can set up the circle in the fitness room downstairs, where the possibilities of moving around are better – and there are no doors that the demon can close between us and it."
"I already carried the bed down in the basement" Murph said and stopped his pipe, "made it up, too. Nice, green sheets."
"Great, Murph. I'll carry Lenora down there, and we will wait for nightfall. I want 2 man shifts, rotating every…four hours. I'll take the first one with Murph, as he slept all day, and we are both smokers. Andrew and Herbert take the second one."
"What about me?" Mercedes asked.
"You're relieved of watch duty. If there really IS a demon – and after what we saw today, I think there is a pretty good chance of that – I don't want you anywhere near it."
"Jim, you are doing it again. I am not a little girl, you know. I am a full member of the team, same as anyone. I want to pull my weight!"
Jim sighed.
"All right, you're on the second shift. Go get some sleep when we are done here. But first, what did you find out about the bite marks?"
"Essentially what Andrew has confirmed. They don't match any known animal, and they don't match any known demon either. So it's a complete mystery."
"Great. No leads, and back to square one. Herbert, make the magic circle around the bed, and then get to bed. Andrew, help him. And Mercedes, get some sleep."
"All right, Jim."
"This might get rough, folks. Whatever Andrew and I messed with today, it wasn't kidding around. It really wants to hurt Lenora."
As darkness fell over San Francisco, Jim descended the basement stairs to the training room to find Murph sitting by Lenora's bedside, smoking a pipe.
"Hi, Jim. What's the buzz?"
"I sent the rest of the team to bed, and made sure they actually went to sleep. This is going to be a long night, Murph. Are you ready for it?"
"I brought two packs of tobacco, and just put on a fresh adult diaper, if an accident should happen."
"Okay, Murph. A little too much information there…"
"Sorry, Jim."
"Never mind. Is she sleeping soundly?"
Jim leaned over the bed and looked at Lenora's face. It looked peaceful, but the face had no sign of life. It might as well have been a mask.
"She's awfully quiet, the little angel. I guess what you went through with her today really threw her out of the loop."
"You could say that. Where is the circle?"
Murph pointed to a ring of green powder that was spread out around the bed. "It's supposed to glow in the dark."
"All right." Jim sat down on a chair on the other side of the bed, facing Murph. "Now – we wait."
For more than 2 hours, everything seemed peaceful. The only sounds in the room were breathing and the occasional match being lit to light a pipe or cigarette. Then, a soft moan came from Lenora. Both men leaned forward in their chairs, looking intently at the sleeping girl.
"Listen…" Murph whispered.
Lenora's eyes moved behind her closed lids. It looked like she was dreaming, and her head moved slightly from side to side. Her tongue licked her lips, and she moaned again.
"Is she having a nightmare, you think?", Murph asked, but before Jim could answer, a green glow filled the room. It was the glow of the protective ring.
Dust from the ring was rising into the air, moving about in strange patterns. To Jim, it looked like something out of a science fiction movie, a force shield or protective field. It looked like some force was trying to come through the barrier. Murph got to his feet, moving with surprising speed. Jim suddenly noticed that Murph was wearing the steel gloves and gauntlets from his armor. He reached for the place where the energy seemed to focus, and a bright blue spark leaped from thin air into his arm. With a roar of pain, Murph was thrown back.
Lenora suddenly opened her eyes and sat up in bed. She let out a ear-splitting scream, and stared at the green swirls of color.
"Lenora, relax! You're safe inside the circle. Don't move from your bed!" Jim shouted, but it was too late. Lenora was already trying to get out of her bed, and running the opposite way, away from the light. Jim jumped forward, but was stopped in mid-stride by the barrier.
"I can't cross the barrier! I'm a supernatural creature, so I cannot cross!" it flew through his mind, but at the same moment, he heard approaching footsteps.
Herbert, Andrew and Mercedes all came running down the stairs, with Andrew in the lead. He was fully dressed, whereas Mercedes was in pajamas, and Herbert wearing a bathrobe over t-shirt and boxer shorts.
All the three team members quickly assessed the situation. Herbert stopped on the stair, where his aim was clearest, and started speaking the words of the spell that would produce a bolt of lightning from his fingertips. Andrew leaped over the banister, running for the protective ring, and Mercedes was carrying a large cross, that she brandished like a club.
The presence in the air seemed unsure, and appeared to move slightly, shifting its focus. However, as Andrew bolted past it, it seemed to decide he was a threat. An invisible claw seemed to lash out at him, and he lost his footing, stumbling into the ring. He reached out and grabbed the bed, barely managing not to fall. Lenora was almost out of the bed, as his body blocked her way. He pushed himself down on top of her, keeping her down with his weight, knowing that they, as humans would be safest inside the protective ring.
Herbert finished his spell, and a blue bolt of lightning sprung from his hand and flew through the basement in a shower of sparks. It hit something, and for a moment, a figure appeared in midair – a figure that looked to be all claws and teeth and arms. The closest analogy any of them could think of was the monster in the movie Alien.
It howled in pain, and as it was confused, Mercedes hammered her cross into the writhing mass.
The green glow seemed to explode, and what felt like a massive wave of air rushed at them, throwing them all to the ground. Then, everything felt silent.
Jim lifted his head and looked at the rest of his team. They were all getting to their feet, and staring at what was laying at the floor.
A mass of what looked like ectoplasm quivered, seeming to shape and reshape every moment. Things seemed to form, teeth, faces and claws, but most only stayed for a moment and then faded away. Then, a mouth became solid, and a voice sounded. It was inhuman and hoarse, and the tone was desperate.
"kthaaarga…fenya….e…lenora…tchedirooo……faustia….muharg….nicha….kuuuuuuurrrrr……"
Then, it fell silent.
The only sound in the basement now, was Lenora sobbing with fear underneath Andrew's body.
Herbert got to his feet, and brushed off his robe.
"Well", he said, walking to the others, "I guess we got the demon."
Part 5
"I cannot thank you enough", Lenora said, standing up and shaking first Jim's, then Andrew's hand.
"We were just doing our job, Lenora", Jim said and smiled.
"And as long as the checks don't bounce, that's thanks enough", Andrew continued.
"Take care of yourself", Murph commented, inhaling the smoke from his pipe.
"We were glad to have been able to help you", Mercedes said, and handed Lenora her jacket. "And if there is anything we can do for you, let us know. And drop by next time you are in town."
"I will. I thank all of you. You have liberated me. Now, I feel free…free to live my life and do…whatever I want…without some invisible guard dog snapping at my heels."
"Keep that attitude", Herbert said, and shook her hand as she walked through the door to the lobby.
"Safe journey back home", Mercedes yelled, as the door closed behind Lenora.
The team members all looked at each other.
"I need coffee. What about you?", Murph asked.
"Good idea. I feel so exhausted. Evil mages and demons all in the same day….dios mio!"
Murph, Mercedes and Herbert left the office and headed for the kitchen. Andrew looked at Jim, who still was behind his desk.
"Did you know…I know a few phrases of Sumerian?"
"No, I didn't. Why?"
"Because I'm pretty sure that whatever we destroyed in the basement was no demon."
"What do you mean?"
"I didn't feel like telling the whole group this, but…fenya is ancient Sumerian for protector or guardian. And Nicha…Nicha is the name of one of the deities of the Parthenon of Sumeria. He's the protector of order…basically, the opposing force to Sethi, the chaos god."
"What are you saying?"
"I'm saying…maybe we have only seen the tip of the iceberg here. Maybe we were duped. And maybe – just maybe – we helped take something out of the game that was helping keeping balance in this world."
They looked at each other in silence for a moment. Then, Mercedes voice came from the kitchen.
"Are you guys coming or not?"
"We are!", Andrew said, and headed for the door. He turned and looked at Jim again.
"But, hey…I'm no linguist. I could be wrong."
He walked out of the office, and left Jim alone. He turned and looked at the beautiful wiew of his city from the window, and wondered if he had just helped make that city – and that world - a lot less safe.
Fade to black and credits