Chapter 3: Surrogate
--Tipton Hotel Boston: Suite 2330, 1:30pm--
"I told you something was weird about Nathan." Cody socked Zack's shoulder.
"Is that what it's calling itself?" Gwen asked.
Zack answered her question. "Yeah, he's a new bellhop; tall, pale, brown ponytail, kind of creepy. Cody's scared stiff around him." Zack was met with a venomous glare from his brother.
Gwen didn't take notice of the exchange. "With good reason. If he's the demon I think he is, we should all be on our guard."
Max seemed to have taken greater interest in the conversation. "Why? What can he do?"
"This is only guesswork from my investigation, but I believe that his real name is Gabriel. He's a powerful upper level demon, not very intelligent, but dangerous nonetheless. He has the agility and strength of a jaguar."
"Psh." Zack snorted. "So does just about every other demon we've ever fought."
"Well there's more." Gwen admitted. "He also has a sort of sixth sense that allows him to anticipate his opponent's moves before they happen."
Zack thought for a moment, putting his detective skills to work (it came second nature to him by now. "So what would he want someone like Nicole for?"
"She's a very powerful young witch. A fire-starter no less. That alone makes her a valuable asset, but from what I've gathered, there's something a little… more to her powers than that. She might even be able to give you boys a run for your money if she decides to attack."
"But why would she do that?"
"If Nicole is just wandering the hotel of her own free will, then I think it's safe to assume that she's following Gabriel by choice. You said she was pretending to be his surrogate, correct?"
"It's probably just another demonic power play." Cody surmised. "You know, some demon trying to gather enough followers to take over the underworld."
"Just what we need," Max huffed, "another Source."
"You may be right about that." Gwen agreed. "But like I said, Gabriel's not a very intelligent demon. I doubt he has the brains to pull off something like that. He's probably just a hired gun."
While the other three took in the situation with hardened expressions, Zack's face seemed to have regained some its long lost enthusiasm. He was actually smiling. This sounded big. Not just big, probably the biggest thing he and his brother had agreed to take on since The Heir. The thin barely visible pink scar on his cheek began to throb from his excitement. "So it looks like the plan is, get Nicole out, trap Gabriel, and find out who he's working for." The others gave him incredulous looks. "What? That is what we're doing right? Pretty straight forward. The usual."
"There's nothing usual about our job." Cody reminded him, sounding very much like he was lecturing Zack. The whole 'protector' thing had a way of getting under Zack's skin, although he tried not to show it. Arguments and power struggles between the two of them had almost cost them innocents in the past. And more often than not (even though it pained Zack to admit it) Cody was usually right.
"You know what I mean. How tough can this guy be? I think a concentrated fireball with mine and your powers ought to stun him long enough."
Cody annoyed his brother further by shaking his head and giving him a familiar look. It was the kind of look he gave him when he was hesitant to tell him that Zack might have to lag back.
"No." Zack said automatically. "No you're not leaving me behind to do the fearless leader thing."
"It's not that we're leaving you behind." Cody tried to smooth things over. "It's just that I think it's better if we save you as a trump card for this situation, and let me be the point man."
"But my power's the strongest." Zack argued, feeling a little embarrassed that Gwen was witnessing him lose a struggle in their sibling rivalry.
"But mine and Max's powers make us the fastest. If things come down to force, your fireballs won't do much about Nathan's sixth sense. If we went hand to hand, my telekinesis might be able to even things for us. And if things get too heated, Max will be there to orb me right out."
"So what am I supposed to do?" Zack tried not to whine. "Stand guard?"
"Well considering that we're likely to be doing this within the hotel," Max reasoned, "I'd feel better about not using your firepower either. We already owe Mr. Moseby for a couple of the doors and windows. He can't keep covering for us."
"Sorry Zack. But unless we really really need your pyrokinesis, it might be better for you to hang back." Cody really did mean the apology. After all, the whole reason they had taken this case was so Zack could have one last chance to jump back into the good vs. evil game before their lives as witches came to an indefinite stand-still. Thankfully, Gwen was smart enough to pick up on the situation as well.
"If it's alright, I think it would be best if I stayed behind with Zack. My powers might not do any good against something like Gabriel either. And I'd feel a little better if Zack was with me." Cody mouthed a silent thank you to her.
Zack's face immediately softened. "I guess I could do that." He deliberated for a moment longer. "But if things get the tiniest bit out of control, you'll call me in, right?"
"Of course." Cody agreed.
--Tipton Hotel, sixth floor corridor; 3:20pm--
"Alright, just play it cool." Cody reminded Max for the fiftieth time while they waited for an answer from the door. She got the vague feeling he was just trying to calm his own nerves. "Remember what Gwen said. If he catches on that this is a setup, he'll grab Nicole and jet."
"Yeah, I got that."
"Is Nicole in there?" He asked, not picking up on the irritation in her voice.
Max focused her senses beyond the door. Now that she knew Nicole was a witch, it was easier to pick up on her presence. "Yeah, she's in there. But the signal's faint. She's probably sleeping. Weird, she seems a little old to go down for a nap at three in the afternoon."
"You ever see Zack when we get home from school? I used to stick chips by his nose and watch his snoring suck them up." They both chuckled at that. Cody stole a glance down the hall to make sure that Gwen and Zack were keeping out of sight. Zack was peering around the corner, ready to duck out of view the moment the door opened. At least he hadn't argued further when Gwen had agreed to stay with him. Cody knew his brother well enough to know that he couldn't resist a girl batting their big pretty eyes at him.
There was silence that seemed to stretch on forever after Max knocked on the door. It wasn't just who they were visiting that made the two of them anxious, it was the suite number; suite 666. Not only was that a creepy little number all by itself, this very suite held memories for both of them that they would sooner forget. Once the door opened however, they both decided they could've endured the silence a little longer. Nathan was out of his uniform and wearing casual black jeans and a navy blue sleeveless. His pale blue eyes were as icy as ever. His mud brown hair was pulled back as usual to expose his prominent cheekbones. Though he was pale and thin, the long muscles along his arms suggested that he was physically fit, despite an apparent aversion to sunlight. His eyes narrowed when they landed on Cody. He was no stranger to the antics of him and his twin.
He spoke in an unrecognizable accent. His English didn't sound broken or forced. On the contrary, sounded a little too perfect, too clear, with his hard C's sounding slightly more pronounced than what was normal. "Kan I help you?"
"Um…" Cody stuttered until Max gently (in her view anyway) nudged his side with her elbow. "I was just wondering if we could—"
But Nathan cut him off, shifting his gaze to Max. "You… I don't think I've seen you around here before. Are you an akquaintance of his?"
Max thought quickly, remembering the excuse they had for coming here. She'd had a lot of practice in this field. Whitelighters had to come up with fake backgrounds all the time. "Actually, I just transferred into his school. We're… um… old friends. He mentioned that someone lived here that I think I might know."
"You must be mistaken." Nathan moved to shut the door, but Max was persistent.
"Nicole Sanchez?"
The man's expression hardened into one of suspicion. "How do you know Nikole?"
"I think she used to go to my old school. San Gabriel?" Trying to implicate the demon's name may have been pretty dangerous, but it was the only thing Max could think of at the time to convince him to let them in. If Gwen was right about him, he would very likely try to dismember them once they got inside. Her fingers twitched, readying to reach for her athame in an instant.
Nathan's face remained hard as marble. "Kome in. Nikole is asleep right now, but I'll see if I kan wake her. She'll be glad to have visitors."
"I'll bet." Max muttered under her breath. Nathan moved aside to allow them in, keeping his hand on the doorknob. She and Cody exchanged wary glances before stepping into the suite. Already, Cody could feel the adrenaline, letting his experience of three years of being a witch take over. He readied his power, feeling it flow down his arms and into his already clenched fists at his sides. They stepped inside, and were half surprised to find that the suite looked nothing at all like they remembered it. But of course it wouldn't. Nathan seemed like the type that had more to worry about; the type that had to blend in. Nothing at all like… Cody didn't finish the thought. Instead his eyes darted from side to side in search for the one they had come for.
"Uncle Nate?" Came an airy voice that sounded more like an echo. "Who is it?" A slight dark haired girl entered the living room through the adjacent bedroom, rubbing her eyes whose pale coloring were startling in her olive toned skin. Even more striking was the white streak just above her left ear.
Their eyes were fixed on her at once. And while they were occupied with this new distraction, Nathan casually closed the door, and in a quick subtle movement, so that the pair wouldn't hear, he locked it and fastened the bolt.
--Adjacent Corridor--
"Okay, they're in." Zack reported to Gwen as he quickly ducked out of Nathan's view. "Nothing to do now but wait."
Gwen shrugged. "Guess so. Your brother sure can take charge, can't he."
"Yeah." Zack answered sullenly. "That's him; our 'Fearless Leader'."
Gwen didn't seem to notice his annoyance. "It doesn't seem like he and your whitelighter get along very well though."
"Oh Max? They like each other enough. Let's just say there's a lot of… history there."
She appeared to take an interest in the way he said that. "Oh. What do you mean by history? An old girlfriend?"
"Yeah. Never really got why they broke it off. But things tend to be pretty tense around here since then." Zack bit his lip. He actually knew very well what their reason was, but he didn't like to talk about it. They had lost innocents before, and each time had hurt, but they really took that one hard. Quickly he changed the subject. "So what can you do? You are a witch right?"
Gwen seemed a little offended by the question. "What else would I be?"
"I don't know. You're not a nymph or an elf. You could probably pass as a demon though."
"Demon?" the set of her mouth hardened.
"Not that that's a bad thing!" Zack corrected as best he could. "I mean, I've meet some pretty good looking demons in my line of work. Like this one named Na—" Gwen put her hands on her hips. "Sorry, I really didn't mean it like that."
"Good. Now take your foot out of your mouth and start again."
"Sorry. I just meant to ask what you could do. What's your witch power?"
Her face softened a little. She seemed to like the emphasis he put on the word witch. "Deflection." She answered flatly. "But I've picked up a few other tricks since I've been at Magic School, but nothing that would really help me against Gabriel. I can deflect energy balls, but not fists."
"Sounds awesome." Zack was only half listening. He stole another glance down the hall.
"I'm sure they're alright." Gwen assured him.
"I'm sure they are too. Probably wrapping things up as we speak." There was a little resentment in his voice."
Gwen quirked one eyebrow at him. "You don't sound too happy about it."
"Sorry." Zack kind of apologized. "The whole leader thing gets a little old though."
"Sibling rivalry?"
"Is it that obvious?"
"A little. But I come from a big family, so I know what it looks like. Don't worry about it. I'm sure you're every bit as talented as he is. He just sounds like he has the more level head is all. You're probably the hotheaded one." She smiled at her rather obvious pun.
Zack let a small crimson flame dance on his palm. "No argument there." Their brief chuckle was cut short abruptly by an echoing crash and a string cursing.
"Son of a—"
Zack and Gwen rounded the corner to find an infuriated Max getting to her feet after having been slammed against the wall across the doorway to Nathan's suite, which now hung by its hinges. Without even looking at them, she leaped to her feet and jumped back through the broken doorway, athame in hand.
"That's our cue." Zack took Gwen's hand and they both sprinted down the hall into the suite which was alive and roaring now. Cody was spinning whirling kicks and wild punches at his adversary, his telekinesis giving his attacks speed that made him almost a blur. But it wasn't his brother that was holding Zack's attention. Nathan still seemed to be the pale long muscled young man they'd seen before, but along his arms were bulging black veins. His fingers had grown actual black talon like claws. And his eyes had gone from the cool icy color they had been to heated pools of black, like hot tar. Even the whites of his eyes had vanished. Zack had only seen those kinds of eyes one other time, and the memory filled him with terror, but also with that special adrenaline that had allowed him to survive these encounters over and over in the last three years. Fire roared to life in his hands. With deadly aim he threw two powerful balls of fire of the darkest shade of red. However Nathan retracted away from Cody's kick and dodged the projectiles all in one fluid moment.
"His sixth sense!" Cody shouted, though it nearly cost him as Nathan came at him with his left claw.
"He can dodge those kinds of attacks because he knows they're coming." Max explained, keeping a surprisingly level voice in this circumstance. "I can't even orb close to him because he'll just hit me when I reform."
Zack bared his arms with practiced precision. "Then I'll have to take it up a notch." The fire in his hands began to spread until all of his arms below the elbows were in flames. While Cody spun into the air to deliver two fast kicks into his jaw, Zack moved in with his blazing arms, giving the demon two powerful jabs into his kidneys.
Gabriel roared and backhanded Zack across the face. The blow sent him flying into the far wall. The impact knocked the wind out of him. Then the demon rounded on Cody, snatching him by the ankle. He swung him up and brought him down hard into the coffee table, splintering it in half. He brandished his claws, moving in on Cody to finish the job when he was struck in the chest by a shaft of purple lightning. The bolt from Max's dagger blew him off his feet to collide with the wall behind him, shattering the lamp that had been there against his head. Gabriel was back on his feet in an instant, leaping over the couch with inhuman speed to reach Max. But Cody struggled to get to his hands and knees. With a flick of his wrist, his powers flung Gabriel to the side where Zack, already back on his feet, met him with a blazing fist into his abdomen. Then with a fiery kick into his side, he was on the ground.
"STOP!" Everyone in the room turned to where the cry had rang out from. Nicole, nearly forgotten in the confusion was crouched in a fetal position in the farthest corner of the room. Her hands were pressed tightly to the sides of her head, and her eyes were screwed shut as though she were suffering from an incredible migraine. "Stop!" she cried again, and this time, blue sparks shot from her body. They flashed again and again until her entire body was engulfed in blue flames. While the others appeared confused, the expression on Gabriel's face showed pure terror.
"NO!" The demon lunged for her before Zack could stop him. But his arms were spread out in a strange protective fashion. He reached her and threw his arms around the girl, apparently unaffected by the unnatural blue flames. Nicole screamed once more and soon her fire reached its limit, setting off a deafening explosion. Zack shielded his eyes and braced for the impact. But it never came. He opened his eyes again, and when his vision adjusted to the blinding blue light, he saw that Gwen had moved in front of him. In front of her was a spinning white disk, apparently of pure energy. There was another explosion, the strain knocking Gwen to her knees, and the shattering of glass, and then the scene was clear again. The Suite was in utter shambles, with scorch marks all along the walls, and not one single piece of furniture left intact. Zack helped Gwen back to her feet. Her face was covered with a glistening sheen of sweat.
"What was that? Not even my fire can do anything that big."
"Wow Zack," Max grunted while also regaining her footing. "You just got showed up by a little girl."
"We all did." Cody reminded her. Apparently they too had been shielded from the blast. Remembering the task at hand, he scanned the room for where Nathan and Nicole had ended up. They were nowhere in sight, and the window was shattered. He and his brother rushed to peer down at the street six stories below. They were met with the stares of curious bystanders who had seen the explosion and were trying to see what had happened, but there was no sign of the demon or the girl he had carried off. They were already gone.
