Author's Note: I do not claim ownership of the song used in this chapter.

Chapter 3

-Misguided Sons Of Ipswich-

Monday 9:27 p.m. (Same Day) The Varsity

Durnom was a small town just like Ipswich and the club was not hard to find. It was one of the only buildings still lit up. The faint sound of music could be heard as they pulled into the nearby parking lot. There were dozens of cars and as they entered the club, Caleb couldn't believe how packed the place was. It was a large well-lit room and music blared deafeningly loud. There were people dancing, drinking, and just all around having a good time. The current song ended and cut off altogether. The voice of a guy speaking on a microphone sounded out, coming from the center stage which was directly opposite of the door they had just come through. Caleb recognized that voice. It was Chase Collins.

"Hey, is everybody having a good time tonight?" Chase asked the crowd and cheering broke out. They were definitely enjoying themselves. "Okay, well all the regulars already know me, but for those of you who don't, my name's Chase Collins and I'll be singing you a song relating to my own life."

The sons and girls were surprised. Caleb never figured Chase to be the singing type. They got as far as the bar before it was too packed to get any closer and stopped there, watching Chase as he placed the microphone to his lips and began to sing.

"I open my eyes, I try to see but I'm blinded by the white light. I can't remember how, I can't remember why, I'm lying here tonight."

Chase raised the microphone closer to his lips and closed his eyes as the music flowed in him.

"And I can't stand the pain, and I can't make it go away. No I can't stand the pain."

A brief pause and then he broke into the chorus.

"How could this happen to me? I've made my mistakes, got nowhere to run. The night goes on as I'm fading away. I'm sick of this life, I just wanna scream. How could this happen to me?"

Caleb got the feeling that this song was strongly relating to the night when he and Caleb had been in a fight to the death. So Chase did regret the things he had done?

"Everybody's screaming, I try to make a sound but no one hears me. I'm slipping off the edge, I'm hanging by a thread, I wanna start this over again. So I try to hold, on to a time when, nothing mattered, and I can't explain. What happened and I can't erase the things that I've done. No I can't."

The music pounded as it grew loud again. Caleb began to feel slightly sad but it wasn't him that was sad. He began to wonder if Chase's power was somehow subconsciously mixing with his voice, letting his own feeling and emotions spread to his listeners.

"How could this happen to me? I've made my mistakes, got nowhere to run. The night goes on as I'm fading away. I'm sick of this life, I just wanna scream. How could this happen to me? I've made my mistakes, got nowhere to run. The night goes on as I'm fading away. I'm sick of this life, I just wanna scream. How could this happen to me?"

He trailed off and the music ended. Chase thanked everyone and as he did so, looking out at the crowd, he saw them. He paused for a moment and then said goodnight to everyone before walking off the stage and coming over to the sons and Sarah. Kate wandered off to the bathroom right after Chase reached them. He was the first to speak.

"I thought you wanted nothing to do with me." It was a statement, not a question.

Caleb answered him. "You were right about the smoking man. He came to see us. Somehow he knows where I live and where we hang out."

"We want to know everything you've got on this guy. What does he want? Who is he?" Pogue added.

Chase hesitated before replying. "I don't know."

Reid laughed in disbelief. "You don't know? This is just great. I'm so glad we came here."

Caleb glanced at him and then back at Chase. "Well at least tell us how you heard about the smoking man. How did you know he would come looking for us?"

Chase averted his gaze and found the floor.

"Chase?" Sarah questioned.

Finally he spoke. "You won't believe me. It sounds crazy."

"As crazy as the fact that our family bloodlines all pass on power to the firstborn son? Come on, how much crazier could it be?"

Kate stared at her reflection in the mirror. She had been so ready to see Chase again. To be able to talk to him again. Even after all he had done to her, to her friends. She had forgiven him and moved on. Kate sighed and turned the tap, placing her hands under the stream of water. She turned it off again and grabbed a few paper towels, drying her hands. She had begun to realize after she heard Chase sing that song, he hadn't even moved on yet. It wasn't normal to be over something like that this quickly. She wasn't normal. Maybe she was just letting this get to her too much. She rolled her eyes and turned, exiting the bathroom. No sooner had she done so, she was approached by a man. He looked to be in maybe his mid-40's and his gray blue eyes landed on her.

"Hi, I was just wondering. I thought I saw you with Chase Collins. Is that right?"

Kate met the other man's gaze. "That's right. You know Chase?"

The man nodded. "Yeah. My name's John. I'm Chase's father."

Kate was stunned. "Really? Does he know you're here? He's right over there."

She started towards the group but John stopped her. "No."

She stopped and turned back to him. "Oh?"

John seemed embarrassed. "Sorry. It's just, I haven't seen him for a long time."

Kate gave him a look of understanding. John reached into his jacket pocket. "Look, could you just give this to him for me." He held out a necklace with a pendant attached. A silver symbol which was like a curved line with another line running through it.

Kate took it from his hand and nodded. "Of course. Are you sure you don't want to see him? I mean he is your son." She shifted her eyes to watch Chase talking to the guys. When John didn't answer, she turned back but the man was gone.

"Well okay then." Chase said and there was silence all around. "You want to know who told me about the smoking man. Well my mom did."

Sarah tilted her head at him, confused. "What's so strange about that?"

"My mother's been dead for sixteen years."

"Well then how-" Sarah started before Chase cut her off.

"Part of my power when I ascended, is that I can see the dead if they come to me."

Caleb nodded in understanding. "When I ascended, I gained the ability to read the souls of people if I look deep into their eyes and wish to do so."

Caleb gestured in the general direction of the other sons. "Pogue gained the ability to heal others when he ascended, and Reid can heal various illnesses, like poison and stuff."

"Yeah well something must be going down to make my deceased mother come to see me after all this time." Chase put in and then noticed Kate returning from the bathroom. As soon as she came to stand by them, he began to feel funny and he thought the sons noticed and felt it too.

Kate walked up to him. "Chase." She took his hand and placed the necklace in his palm. "Here, your dad wanted me to give this to you."

Upon contact with the necklace, Chase gasped in pain.

"Chase?" Kate asked in confusion and concern.

He gasped in agony and stumbled back against the counter of the bar. "Kate.." He choked out. "Who gave this to you?"

"Uh, um your dad did. Chase what's wrong?" Kate asked worriedly.

"My dad is dead! He died months ago when he willed me his power. Who gave this to-" Chase stopped short and collapsed to the floor.

"Get the necklace out of his hand!" Pogue yelled.

Tyler reached for it but as his hand grazed the necklace, he flinched from the sudden pain and stepped back. The sons recognized that necklace. It was the same one the smoking man had adorned earlier. It was then three men in dark clothes approached them, armed with guns. One of them Kate recognized as the man who had posed as Chase's father. The two she didn't recognize raised their guns at them, ordering them to back away from Chase. A trio of girls standing nearby spotted the guns and one of them screamed. Panic immediately ensued, people screaming and running in different directions. The one that had called himself John, walked up to Chase who had collapsed to his knees in pain. John grabbed him up by the jacket and shoved him against the counter.

"Do you know why you're in so much pain, Mr. Collins?" The man asked him.

Chase's head started to drop as he started to lose consciousness and John grabbed his chin, lifting his head back up so Chase's eyes were level with his own.

"This necklace in your hand is draining your power. Since you have so much of it, well..it hurts a lot."

Following this comment, he took the necklace and placed it around Chase's neck. Chase's eyes rolled to the back of his head and a groan of pain escaped his lips. John slapped him across the face to keep him conscious.

"Hey, don't sleep on me now. I want you to feel it."

The sons looked on, helplessly. They couldn't use their powers this close in proximity to the necklace and the other two men had guns pointed at them. Caleb searched around wildly for some way to help Chase. It was then the smoking man walked into the club and over to them. John turned Chase around and tied his hands behind his back before forcing him out of the club. The smoking man blew out smoke and smiled at the sons and girls.

"Thank you all so much for helping me procure the extremely elusive Mr. Collins." He stood for a moment longer, smiling at them. Then he turned and followed the other man outside.

The other two lowered their guns and left as well. Caleb raced outside after them, the others close behind but the smoking man's limousine was already down the street and soon gone from view. Pogue raced for his motorcycle.

"I'll catch up and follow!" He called back to them. With that said, he put on his helmet and was off.

Pogue trailed the car for about thirty minutes. He kept his distance, with the car barely in his sights so that he wouldn't alert them to his presence. For a moment he lost the car and as he passed a large warehouse which was seemingly abandoned, he nearly missed it. The black car was parked in the back of the building, barely in view of the road. Pogue kept going so he wouldn't get spotted and pulled to the side of the road, well out of range of the warehouse. He tugged off his helmet and concentrated, his eyes clouding into blackness.

"Caleb." He spoke out, calling to his friend. He could feel that Caleb could hear him and he continued.

"I found Chase. They've taken him to a warehouse about a half hour outside of Ipswich. It's a straight shot. I'll wait for you here." He then sat astride his bike, waiting for them.

Chase had been taken to some kind of a warehouse or storage facility. The necklace had stopped hurting him after awhile but he could feel it. Like a large weight hung around his neck. He could feel that his body was completely drained of all paranormal power. When he wore the necklace, he was completely normal. After the car stopped, Chase was forced out of the car by two of the men. The man who referred to himself as "John", switched places with one of the men holding Chase's arm. The man who switched with John went to stand outside the building, clearly as guard. Chase was taken into the building and the smoking man followed. It was one big room and surprisingly well-lit. It had brick walls and concrete flooring. Waiting for them inside, was a man possibly in his 30's with brown hair and green eyes. The eyes reminded him of his own eyes. The man wore blue jeans, a navy blue t-shirt, and a brown jacket. The man crossed the distance to them and smiled at Chase pleasantly.

"Chase Collins. It's great finally getting to meet you after all these years. Based on your previous actions I see you've turned out just like your father."

Judging by Chase's blank stare, apparently introductions were in order. "My name is Shawn Austin. I'm your uncle, Chase."

Those words completely threw Chase off guard. "What?" Was all he could manage to utter.

"Your dad was my brother. Oh, but don't worry, I hated the bastard." He waved his hand in the air, as if to dismiss the topic and continued. "So anyways, now that we're acquainted. I would really like to apologize for how you were brought here. I just couldn't risk anyone stopping us from meeting. Now as to why I brought you here, it's quite simple. I have a proposition."

He motioned to one of the men that flanked Chase and they untied his hands. Austin then peered into Chase's eyes.

"I want you to join me. Together we can make this world a better place. All you have to do is will me the power of authority to the covenant. Yes, you do have the power to do that. Any existing member of the covenant can will someone with the power, the authority over the covenant. You simply say the words and it won't even kill you. Think of all the good we could do for the world."

He paused when a grin broke out across Chase's face. Chase shook his head slowly, as if disappointed by how poorly Austin had given his speech.

"I can't believe how cliché you are. It's just like the typical villain to claim taking absolute power will be for the greater good. The only person it will serve is you. I know better than anyone, how addicting the power can be. Though I am intrigued that you have power too. I thought that only went to the firstborn son."

Despite his annoyance at Chase's mockery of him, he answered. "You heard wrong. The sons of Ipswich are a misguided bunch it would seem. I am not a villain who wants to take over the world. I really do want to use it for the benefit of the people. Think of the crime we could stop with these powers. We'd be unstoppable."

Chase was quick to reply. "See, there you go again with the self-gratitude. I know how to lie. You have yet to master that technique. I can read the hunger for the power in your eyes. Once I willed you the power of authority you would immediately expel all members of the covenant, stripping us of our powers and taking them as your own. What I did a couple months ago. I was an idiot and that kind of mistake isn't gonna happen again. In fact, I think you know you won't be able to talk me into it. You just love to hear yourself talk don't you."

Austin's eyes narrowed. "You're a smart ass too, just like your father. So then let me get this straight, you're saying.." He trailed off, waiting for Chase to finish his sentence.

"I'm saying no, never. I've learned how destructive this power can be and what it can do to a person if you let it consume yourself. I won't let that happen again."

"That's disappointing." Austin said and took a few steps closer to Chase, his eyes studying him. Then announced; "I have had three people will me their power."

Chase was once again surprised. There were others with powers like his own? Others not of the bloodlines? How could this be possible? Unless there were other bloodlines he and the covenant sons had no idea existed. This seemed very likely right about now. Disregarding the fact that there were others like them, Austin had three people will him their powers? Chase stared at him, his eyes widening. The first remnant of fear entered his consciousness. If that was true, this man was extremely powerful.

"So you see, I generally get what I want, Chase. I just need you to say those words. Will it to me, now." He made the demand lightly but it was thick with threat.

Chase pushed the fear away. He didn't have time to be afraid. Maybe this was the price he had to pay for what he'd done to the sons. He clenched his fists tightly and glared at Austin.

"No." Was all he said but it seemed like the very air around the room had stilled.