Legacy 116: Birds of a Phoenix Feather

Part 6

Xxx

In the office of John Henson, Penny stood in front of the demonic intruders led by the red-haired woman. She looked around for an escape, but realized the demons were blocking the only exit. Knowing that she had to keep Theo and his father safe, she positioned herself between them and the demons. Theo stepped forward as well, though Penny gave him a look that told him to stay back. He was the innocent here, so she had to protect him. The red-haired woman smiled as she met Penny halfway the office.

"Brave little witch." The woman said. "But you won't be able to protect them."

"Who are you?" Penny asked. "Why are you after Theo?"

"The name is Nanta." The woman replied. "And I'm not after the boy, not really. I'm only interested in eliminating the competition."

"Why would a demon be interested in a mortal company?" Penny asked. "Need money for a new wardrobe? Because that pantsuit is really out of style."

"I should have expected such a sharp tongue from a Halliwell." Nanta remarked.

"You know who I am?" Penny asked.

"Of course." Nanta replied. "I encountered your mother and aunts long ago. But I'm not here to dig up the past. I came to deal with the present."

"No." Penny said as she tapped into her hypnosis power, causing her voice to echo. "You need to leave and take your demons with you."

"Foolish girl." Nanta replied with a smile. "Do you really think a power like that will work on me?"

"It was worth a shot." Penny remarked.

"Enough." John Henson said as he rose from his chair and walked over. "This doesn't involve her or my son. Let them go. You're after me."

"Dad, no." Theo objected.

"Well, well, this is interesting." Nanta replied. "Looks like success is not the only thing you care about after all, John. It's too little too late, though, as your soul has already been claimed."

"Let's just make a deal." John said.

"You have nothing left to offer." Nanta noted. "With your death, your company will be ruined and Wahlstrom International will rise to the top."

"I knew Victoria was behind this." John replied. "Or are you the one really in control?"

"Victoria is nothing without me." Nanta said. "I created her and taught her everything she knows. But you will take that information to the grave."

Nanta nodded at one of her demons and he threw a fireball at John. Penny quickly pushed him aside and levitated to avoid the fireball. She called out for Chris before leaping down and kicking the demon in the chest. Meanwhile, Theo grabbed his father and they took cover behind the desk. Another demon near Penny formed a fireball, though she saw his attack coming.

"Attack your allies!" Penny commanded through hypnosis.

The demon nodded and instead threw the fireball at another demon, vanquishing him. He charged at the rest of the demons, though he was vanquished before he could land another hit. When the demons turned back to Penny, she levitated to avoid more fireballs. At that moment, John saw an opening and tried to escape while dragging Theo with him.

"Not so fast." Nanta said.

Nanta summoned a gun in her hand and shot John in the chest. Theo screamed for his father as he caught him in his arms, causing them both to fall to the floor. Penny wanted to help them, but she was forced to duck behind the desk to avoid a barrage of fireballs.

"No, dad. Please!" Theo cried out as he cradled his father.

"Kill the boy and the witch." Nanta ordered her demons.

The demons nodded and formed fireballs. At that moment, a column of orbs appeared in the office and manifested in Chris. When the demons threw their fireballs at him, he deviated them back and vanquished the demons. Realizing that her forces were destroyed, Nanta glared at Chris and Penny before disappearing through a shimmer.

"Good thing you called." Chris said.

"Please, you have to help my dad." Theo called out.

Penny and Chris ran over to Theo and kneeled down. Chris tried to stop the bleeding by putting pressure on the wound, though Penny feared that it was too late. When John noticed Penny, he grabbed her arm and she could feel his thoughts in her head. Memories flashed before her eyes. She saw a beautiful woman in a hotel lying dead on the floor with a demon standing over her. She then saw a suitcase of money being handed over to Bianca. Finally, her mind was flooded with memories of Theo growing up. Penny could feel the love John had for his son. At that moment, his grip lessened and Penny could feel he was gone.

"We need to call…" Chris started to say, though he stopped when he realized John was dead.

"No, no, no!" Theo called out. "We have to call an ambulance. He can still make it!"

"Theo." Penny said as she placed a hand on his shoulder. "He is gone. I'm so sorry."

"No!" Theo cried out.

"Penny, we're not safe here." Chris said.

"I know." Penny said with a nod before turning to Theo. "Look, I know it hurts, but your father loved you. He would want you to be safe."

"I can't leave him." Theo replied.

"We'll get justice for him." Chris added. "But you're still a target."

"The only thing you can do for him now is stay alive." Penny said as she took his hand. "Please come with me."

"Alright." Theo said after a moment.

Penny nodded at Chris and he placed a hand on her shoulder, taking the three of them away in a column of orbs. When they were gone, Karliah appeared through a small whirlwind. She looked at John with a saddened look, feeling a little sorry the man she had worked with for decades.

"I'm sorry, John, but you were on borrowed time anyway." Karliah noted.

Karliah reluctantly held out her hand and John started to glow as his soul rose up from his body. He looked around confused for a moment, then screamed as he dissolved and was contained in a sphere of fire. Once it was done, the flaming sphere floated to the Oracle. She took it in her hands before disappearing through a gust of wind.

Xxx

In her office at Wahlstrom International, Victoria stared at the security footage of the fight between her demons and the two intruders. She had been alerted the presence of the woman by Nanta, though the guy had been an unwelcome surprise. If he hadn't intervened, her demons would have easily caught the woman. She wondered who these people were and how they dared to break into her office. Victoria stopped the video and zoomed in on the guy's face. He was quite handsome despite being so troublesome. If they had met another way, she could have fallen for him.

"I'll find you." Victoria promised as she touched the screen. "And I'll make you pay."

"Don't make threats you cannot follow up on." Nanta remarked as she appeared in the office through a shimmer.

"You're back." Victoria noted. "Any news?"

"John Henson is dead." Nanta replied coldly. "That's one part of the problem taken care of."

"He's dead?" Victoria asked with a satisfied smile. "That's great news. Now we can take all of his clients and ruin Henson Holdings."

"All in due time." Nanta said. "As I said, he was only part of the problem. Now we have to deal with the witches."

"The witches shouldn't be a problem." Victoria replied. "Our demonic blood makes us immune to their powers."

"Witches are more than just their powers, foolish girl." Nanta said. "Especially the assassin, she's one of the Phoenix."

"But if John is dead, why would she still come after me?" Victoria asked with a frown. "She has no reason left to kill me."

"The Phoenix don't break a contract, not even when their client is killed." Nanta explained. "She is a threat that needs to be dealt with. We also need to kill the good witches and the boy, as he knows too much."

"How are we going to deal with them?" Victoria asked.

"They will come for you, dear." Nanta replied. "Which makes you the excellent bait to set a trap."

"You want to use me as bait?!" Victoria called out as she rose from her chair. "You can't do that, you need me to run this business. You have no claim over it without me."

"Listen to me very carefully." Nanta said in a threatening manner. "I created you, I gave you all of this. I've been patient over the years, as you were my best creation, but don't think for a second that you're actually in charge here."

Victoria wanted to argue, but bit her lip to remain silent. She wanted to be free of her controlling demonic creator, but she was powerless against her. The only way to be free was if the witches vanquished Nanta for her. Instead of being the bait, she could set her own trap with a few demons loyal to her instead of her mentor. With Nanta gone, she could finally make her own choices. She would no longer be the puppet, but the one pulling the strings.

"I'm sorry." Victoria lied. "I know you want what's best for me."

"Good." Nanta replied. "You will have everything you ever wanted, as long as you understand that I'm the one in control."

"I understand perfectly." Victoria said.

Nanta nodded and left the office. Victoria sighed as she sat back down and stared at the computer screen. She would use the witches to vanquish her mentor and then have her demons kill the witches, as well as Theo. She smiled at the thought of her plan succeeding, as it would mean all her enemies were dead in one fell swoop.

Xxx

At the Halliwell Manor, Chris, Penny and Theo appeared in the hallway through a column of orbs. While they had managed to vanquish a few demonic minions, the one in charge had escaped and they had lost an innocent. Frustrated by this, Chris started pacing around. Penny had taken a huge risk and he was angry with her for that, as she had put herself and Theo in danger. However, he was also angry at himself for letting her, all so he could chase after Bianca, a woman that didn't even recognize him. Meanwhile, Penny helped Theo to the couch.

"You should get some rest. Go to sleep for now." Penny said.

Theo nodded and instantly fell asleep, making it obvious that Penny had used hypnosis on him. She put his feet up on the couch and headed over to her cousin.

"I put him to sleep so we can figure this out." Penny explained. "He needs time to grief and he's not getting any with that demon running around."

"Smart." Chris replied. "It's for his own protection."

"Things are such a mess." Penny called out as she ran her hand through her hair. "I don't even know what we're supposed to do."

"We need to start working together, at least." Chris replied. "Taking Theo to his father was dangerous."

"Excuse me?" Penny asked with a frown. "Are we going to place blame here? Because if that's the case, we need to talk about Bianca, aka the mystery woman that saved us."

"What?" Chris asked surprised. "How did you..?"

"I picked up your thoughts earlier. You know her." Penny replied. "Who is she and why are you so obsessed with her?"

"Alright." Chris said. "I'll tell you everything."

Chris and Penny sat down and he started explaining how he knew about Bianca, though he only told her the most important stuff and left out certain details, as there were things he wanted to keep to himself. He also told his cousin about their encounter at Wahlstrom International.

"And she doesn't even recognize you." Penny remarked. "That's painful."

"Yeah, it's not great." Chris admitted. "I'm sorry I got angry before. You were only trying to help Theo."

"No, you were right." Penny replied. "It was dangerous taking Theo there, I should have waited. I'm part of the reason why Theo lost his dad."

"Don't blame yourself." Chris said. "John Henson got himself involved with demons, he was already a target. You have nothing to do with his death."

"I guess, but now Theo had to watch his father die." Penny said. "How will he ever forgive me?"

"At least he knows the truth." Chris noted. "That's something."

"I hope so." Penny replied as she looked over at a sleeping Theo. "He's been through a lot."

"The best way we can help him now is to make sure he is safe." Chris said. "Which means we have to take care of Nanta."

"And Victoria Wahlstrom." Penny added. "She's working with that hag."

"I'll go check the Book of Shadows to see if there is a potion or spell to vanquish her." Chris said. "You should stay here with Theo in case he wakes up."

"I will." Penny said. "Thanks, Chris."

Chris headed upstairs while Penny moved over to the couch and sat down next to her innocent, placing a blanket over him. Chris had never seen Penny care for someone like that and realized she had feelings for Theo. As far as he remembered, she had never been serious about a guy like that before. It made Chris even more determined to put a stop to Nanta's plans. He needed to put Bianca out of his mind and focus on helping Penny.

Chris entered the attic and headed to the Book of Shadows. The name Nanta sounded familiar to him, so he used his powers to quickly scan its content. It flipped to a page written by his mother. However, before Chris could read it, he felt the sharp sting of a blade at his back. He instinctively knew it was Bianca standing behind him and raised his hands.

"You should pay more attention to your surroundings." Bianca said.

"Are we really doing this again?" Chris asked. "Why did you follow me?"

"Because you're interfering with my mark." Bianca replied.

"The man who hired you is dead." Chris said. "But I guess the Phoenix have an honor code that means you have to fulfill the contract."

"You're pretty smart." Bianca noted. "But I need you to stop getting in my way."

"Is that the only reason you're here?" Chris asked.

"You're not the only one who does research." Bianca replied. "I knew Victoria wasn't acting alone, now I know which demon is backing her."

"What do you know about Nanta?" Chris asked.

"This isn't a trade, I'm not telling you anything." Bianca replied.

"Don't forget I offered." Chris remarked.

Before Bianca could react, Chris waved his hand and telekinetically threw the Phoenix back into a couch behind them. He turned to face her and barely avoided an Energy Ball. Bianca reached for her athame, but Chris called it to his hand. Bianca then leaped up and disappeared in a shimmer, only to reappear behind him. She kicked his hand, causing the athame to fly into the air, though before she could catch it, Chris flung her across the attic and pinned her against the wall.

"You're pretty good." Bianca noted with a smile.

"Thanks, so are you." Chris retorted. "So can we finally talk now?"

xxx