Bilis smiled benignly as Gwen ran out of his shop and into the arcade. "That went well!" He murmured, to no one in particular. Walking to the door, he turned the sign to closed and pulled down the beige coloured blind. A Siamese cat nudged his legs, looking up at him, it's cold blue eyes a mirror of his own.
"Soon enough my dear," Bilis murmured, bending down and picking it up, the cat angled it's head and briefly showed it's teeth. "Time to see how our friend is progressing I think," he murmured, putting the cat down, it ran off towards the back of the shop and up the steps that led to the next level
Bilis followed the cat up the short flight of steps, leading to a store room of sorts, with a sparse kitchen and an old fashioned, oak table set in the centre of it, draped with heavily brocaded red cloth and a chair sitting expectantly beside it. The cat bounced effortlessly from the chair onto the table, then walked, tail in the air, around a glass pyramid that stood in the centre.
"Now Math," Bilis smirked and shook his head at the cat, "You must try and practice a little patience, you know what happened last time!"
The cat blinked at him, then yowled dolefully, plucking at the cloth with it's claws. Bilis smiled indulgently back and tutted vague disapproval. Math blinked slowly, then sat down, tucking it's tail lazily over it's back paws, the only sign of impatience- the very tip of it's tail, as it tapped rhythmically against it's paw.
Bilis smirked, and sat down slowly in the chair, nudging it closer to the table, he re-aligned his neck, then ran his hand slowly down over his cravat, straightened his waistcoat and let out a slow breath.
Lodging his elbows onto the edge of the table he leaned towards the pyramid, fingers outstretched towards it, he closed his eyes and began breathing slowly, his head tipped backwards and his lips began to form silent words. Math watched, fascinated, its eyes wide and expectant.
His eyes slowly opened, a slight smile played across his lips and he nodded briefly. "I have him," he murmured. Math's body stiffened in anticipation.
Bilis reached out and touched the base of the pyramid with his finger tips, and waited.
The pyramid suddenly began to change colour, images swirling around inside it. Bilis tapped the base twice, the images faded, leaving one clear vision, a man leaning on a bar, lost in thought- it was Owen Harper.
Leaning forward slightly as he concentrated on the image of Owen, he whispered the other man's name, and waited, he had clearly been heard. Owen straightened up at the sound of Diane's voice, he turned, and stared at her.
Bilis's eyes narrowed, he would have to be careful, not push too hard, Owen was vulnerable and a prime target, but he was also capable of recognising that he was being manipulated, especially if he over-egged the pudding. He had to believe that he was touching her-above anything else he must believe that.
He pressed his lips together concentrating harder, Owen reached out, running his hand down her arm.
Bilis murmured something, then suddenly pulled back, "Damn!" He glared at Math. "I just hope that was enough to get him running back to the hub." He looked back at the image, Owen stood distraught, tears falling.
Bilis shook his head sadly, "Poor soul," he said vaguely, then shrugged, and stood up.
"Time for stage two," he smirked at the cat, then turned to a sideboard, opened a drawer and took out a dagger. "You stay here," he told Math. Walking to the table, he hooked his hand under the cat's body and lifted it off the table, then turned and leaned down to put it onto the floor.
. . . .
The room around him shimmered, blending together with another, this one was dark and rank smelling. The silence fractured by the strident demands of alarms, echoing around him, red lights flashing in time to their rhythm.
He turned, a man was standing by the door, clearly unsure what to do.
Bilis smiled and walked towards him, the man was telling him who he was, not that there was any need for that- he was the reason he was here after all!
He walked right up to him, pausing for a second, half expecting him to see the dagger and realise what was about to happen, but he didn't.
Bilis stabbed him.
Rhys stared, unable to make sense of what had happened, Bilis followed through, making sure that there could be no mistake.
Rhys fell to the floor.
Wiping the blade clean he moved away, pausing briefly, then looking back- a job well done he thought contentedly, and left.
Seconds later, Bilis Manger was back home with his cat.
. . . .
He busied himself in the kitchen, tipping boiling water into a teapot, then swirled it briefly and tipped it out. Opening up a caddy, he spooned in tea leaves, then added the water. Moving it onto the tray, he then checked the milk jug, nodding approval that it had enough for what he was likely to want.
Picking up the tray he carried it back to the table, putting it down in front of the pyramid. Pouring himself a cup, he settled back in the chair, cup in hand and sipped thoughtfully as he watched.
Glancing across towards the cat, who was stretched out in his basket, he took another sip from his cup. "Perhaps now might be a good time to check that everything is in place?"
Math blinked lazily back at him, then mewed and slowly stood up, stretched and trotted back towards him.
Bilis nodded, moved the tray out of the way, then pulled aside the table cloth, removed a large sketch pad, then flipped the cloth back, and smoothed it carefully.
"Right, let's have a look shall we?"
Math stretched up it's front paws against his knee, then sprang effortlessly into his lap, settled its self, eyes alert, waiting for Bilis to open the pad. His gaze flipped briefly towards the pyramid, he could see Rhys lying on the floor, the door flew open, and Gwen began to scream. Jack attempting to calm her down and check for vital signs.
"Plenty of time," he murmured turning his attention back to the pad.
His finger hovered at the top of the list, he stabbed the first item. "Turn of the century," he said, Math's head nodded as if in agreement."We made a very good start there, I think, much more complete than I dared hope, of course it could never have been 100 per cent-there was Jack," he said and sighed, "There's always Jack!"
Bilis's finger lingered, by a name on his list, "Such a shame about him," he murmured, " He would have done the job well, 'til he went and got himself killed," Bilis sighed. "Terribly inconvenient, and a bus!" he shook his head disdainfully. "Oh well, these little things are sent to try us," he smiled down at Math, who turned its head up towards him and nodded slightly.
"Then a friend suggested Owen," he smiled at Math, who purred back at him, "But then her husband got killed and we so nearly lost him."
Bilis shook his head, "But we saved it all with that little spray," he sighed, "Such a shame about Katie, sweet child- poor Owen."
He glanced briefly at the pyramid, taking yet another sip from his teacup, "My don't they enjoy grief!" he winced, "She's practically wallowing in it!" He shook his head in disbelief, then went back to his list.
"Where was I?" he murmured peering down, "Oh yes, of course, Owen's dear Katie."
. . . .
Bilis smiled contentedly, as he remembered the day he had sat in the corridor, clutching a small, expensive looking box, and waiting.
Katie eventually passed him, she was vaguely aware of a thin, angular man, sitting pensively waiting, probably for a doctor, she thought vaguely, as she passed.
"Oh, excuse me dear," Bilis stood up, smiling at her as she turned back, "I don't want to trouble you, but I was wondering..." he paused, simpering sightly.
Katie smiled at him patiently and waited, for him to tell her what he wanted. Bilis gave her a slightly lost look, at the same time waving the box towards her, "I bought this for my niece, she isn't very well poor child, but the trouble is, I'm not sure if perhaps it's a little," he shrugged uncertainly, "Old fashioned?" he ventured.
Katie peered down at the box, its name wasn't familiar, and she shook her head, "I'm sorry I don't know," she said smiling back at him, "But I'm sure she'll like it."
Bilis sighed, "Perhaps if you could just smell a little and see if you think..." he looked pleadingly into her eyes, and Katie reluctantly agreed. Not quite sure what to expect, she was pleasantly surprised when the faint smell of roses, mixed in with some kind of spice wafted gently in the air.
"It smells lovely," she smiled back at him, "I'm sure your niece will love it."
Apparently relieved, he thanked her, and Katie turned away. Turning into one of the side wards, she glanced back, the man had vanished- must have gone into one of the side wards she thought vaguely.
The scent still hung around her, it as quite pleasant, although oddly it made her head feel slightly woozy for some reason. She laughed, too many late nights with Owen Harper, she thought, that man will be the death of me!
. . . .
Bilis turned his attention back to the list yet again, his finger stabbing at a name, just below Katie's. "And of course the friend had to go- Owen was getting far too close to her!" Bilis pursed his lips, then continued on down the list of names, "Still she was useful, he changed after that-exactly what we wanted."
Someone began to bang noisily on the shop door, he glared towards the stairs, "Honestly! Can't they read?" He grumbled, pushing Math off his knee, then standing up, he went to see if they were still there.
A man came towards the side window and waved at him, Bilis shook his head, "Closed," he mouthed at him, the man gave him an impatient look and marched off swearing.
"Sometimes, I do wonder my dear," he said, looking over at Math, who gave him a disparaging look.
Walking back to the table, he glanced down at the list. "Oh yes! Dear Gwen, " he smirked. "Now that was getting awkward. She was thinking of leaving Rhys, and that would never have done!"
"Meant having to use the rift incident sooner that I'd planned- still it sorted things out nicely. Owen was besotted, and Gwen decamped back to old faithful."
He sniffed, some people were so easy to manipulate! Mind you it was inevitable that she wouldn't just sit quietly by and let him recuperate, if she had it would have made things very awkward! Especially as he had been force to play his ace earlier than he had meant to- but Gwen being Gwen, she had blundered in at the wrong time!
He smirked, she really was remarkably useful sometimes. Although the real savour of all that had been a mobile phone, he hated them, but they were ridiculously useful sometimes, not to mention easy to manipulate with.
Sending that text so they knew where Owen was, that had saved him from having to start from scratch, yet again. They never bothered to check where it had come from either- too busy playing at being the Cavalry!
Something caught his attention, and he glanced at the pyramid, "Ah, there you are dear boy, I wondered how long it would take," he smiled as he watched Owen arriving at the top of the autopsy steps, then watched him, as he looked down at Rhys's body and then rushed towards Gwen, pulling her away from Jack.
Bilis was suddenly nervous, "Go on girl, push him away... yes!" he grinned and rubbed his hands together, "That should do it," he held his breath waiting.
Owen raced back up the stairs, the others following.
Owen faced Jack, gun in hand, then shot him three times. Bilis clapped his hands, "Oh my! I wasn't expecting that, dear boy! What a bonus," he giggled and glanced over at Math, who waved it's tail and practically grinned back.
Bilis licked his lips, "Won't be long now," he held his breath, the tension mounting.
Suddenly the teacup began to rattle in its saucer, he stared at it-waiting. The walls began to shake, he clapped his hands in delight.
"You stay here, just in case," he turned back, "I'll have to go out and see them in a minute, it would be churlish no to thank them properly for all their help," he said smiling broadly, "I really couldn't have done it without them, I'm sure Abbadon will add his thanks to my own when the time is right."
. . . .
Staggering out into the street, trying to get their bearings, the first thing that greeted them was Bilis, standing quietly waiting, he smiled a welcome.
"Ah, there you all are at last!" he announced, cheerfully, his gaze flipping briefly towards Owen, "Nice grouping my boy, shame about the target, still never mind... one of these days."
Owen glared back at him. Bilis shrugged, "Oh do cheer up! You've been amazing, you've done everything I wanted you to do," he glanced briefly at Jack, "Can't expect to win them all."
Bilis's attention turned to Gwen, "Oh my! And no idea of the power you could wield, I could never have done it without you- and he certainly wouldn't have," he said, his eyes flipping briefly back to Owen.
Still weak, Jack struggled to stand upright and face him, "What the hell do you want, Bilis?" he demanded.
"Want?" Bilis tipped his head back and laughed, "My dear boy, I don't want, anything... I already have it- or I soon will have."
Surveying them as if they were some kind of vaguely amusing exhibit, he looked idly at Jack, "The alpha male, injured, but still keeping his status with the yapping youngster," he raised his eyebrows briefly at Owen, "But you know, if I were you, I'd worry more about the stealthy approach from the rear!" His gaze flipped briefly toward Ianto, "That's usually where the killer blow comes from."
Ianto blinked nervously at him, not sure how to respond.
"Ignore him, divide and conquer... it's the oldest trick in the book," Jack yelled, with as much strength as he could muster.
Bilis shook his head, amused by Jack's words,"Oh my dear! I don't need to divide you- I've already conquered."
For a second Jack just stared at him, "Conquered who?" he demanded, leaning back on Gwen for support, he could feel his strength failing again.
Suddenly looking bored, Bilis shrugged, "Didn't I say? You really are so slow on the uptake sometimes. Perhaps I should say it a little slower?" Raising his eyebrows, he continued, "I really just came to say thank you for all your help, because without you none of this would have been possible."
"None of what?" Gwen demanded, her anger rising.
"Why, this," Bilis raised his hands, "Hail, Abbadon, the great devourer, he - is - come!"
They turned, and stared in horror at the figure. As it approached, it's shadow of death reaching out with chilling inevitability.
Bilis smirked and disappeared.
. . . .
The clocks all began to strike the hour together, echoing around the small shop, deafening to anyone but Bilis, who stood in the midst of it all, laughing.
The End