(Chapter 8)
Mozzie listened to the storm howl outside his modest safe house but he felt safe. Monday was an old cinder block tenement house and built sturdy to withstand the test of time, or so he liked to believe. He had picked the place due to its remoteness and the fact nobody would suspect anyone living there. He owned it under a shell company called Haverstead that said they were hoping to develop it into apartments one day. So far he had been left alone and except for his current guest who was sleeping on the bed, Mozz was content to be as remote as possible.
Elizabeth Burke slept fitfully as he watched her. He had the book in his gloved hands out on the dining table as he searched for a reversal or counter spell to the one Knox meant to perform. He wasn't going to lose Neal and he was darned if he'd lose Peter if only to alleviate the pain El and his friend would feel losing the agent. The Suit had helped him even when he shouldn't have and risked his life so maybe this once he would help out. In a way he could justify it as helping Neal but he like the agent even if he didn't admit to it in public.
"Don't... please. Peter... why? Pe..."
Her voice went quiet as he turned to find her slumped more against the bed. Her body was covered with the blanket warmly, a chill in the air despite his having turned the heat up a little. When El didn't speak again, Mozzie walked over and pulled the covers over her a bit more watching until he knew she was relaxed as he returned to the book.
This was not a normal storm and he suspected some outside power of drawing it up to keep them trapped. There were phrasings in the book that spoke of storms and tempests used to entrap those where someone could get a hold of them. He began to think this storm was such an event. He had to be prepared. There was little time before Knox would make his move and both Neal and Peter would be lost forever. He needed to call Neal if anything but what if Peter... Knox had caught him already? Elizabeth had said he was hurt but was he a prisoner? He pulled out his cell and wrestled with calling until finally he just had to do it. The phone rang a few times before he heard someone pick up.
"Haverstead Realty. I heard you were looking for a 4 bedroom loft."
There was silence on the other end then a sigh of relief.
"Mozz?"
He felt relief at the con's voice and smiled.
"Haversham here. So what's the 411?"
He heard movement and then the closing of a door before Neal answered again.
"Fine so far. Peter seems to be himself for now but I found Satchmo in their tub asleep. He's waking up but slowly. I think Knox may have had Peter sedate him. I found the poor thing in the trash can outside earlier when I first arrived. He's perking up a bit but still sleeping despite the storm. Peter says he doesn't remember hurting anyone but the look on his face tells another story. I think he remembers bits and pieces. How are things on your end?"
Mozzie glanced over at the still sleeping figure of Elizabeth Burke and smiled slightly.
"Good for now. She's sleeping but having nightmares. I don't blame her for what happened. She told me Peter kidnapped her."
He used the agent's name which was unusual but he was feeling a bit more sensitive about things. Knox was hurting the people he cared about and Peter was one of those people since El was his friend. He sighed, hoping to find a solution to their problems soon. They had a plan but they weren't sure if it would work yet. He heard a Neal grunt on the other end.
"He doesn't know about this place, right? I can't move in this storm and El... she's vulnerable right now."
Neal reassured him.
"Peter suspects but we both know he can't know anything. He's downstairs making lunch. I'm in the bathroom. I'll have to ask him about what he does remember. He seems terrified by what he did and could do under Knox's influence."
Mozzie nodded to the phone but knowing Neal was trapped with Knox, whether it be in Peter's form or otherwise, scared him.
"Just be careful. Knox is tricky. He tried to make it look like you stabbed the Suit."
Neal sighed and Mozzie could imagine his friend running a hand through his hair tiredly.
"I know. Just keep her safe for both of our sakes. Thanks Mozz."
They hung up and Mozzie went back to his search for something to help them in the book. Their plan would only work if they had a solution and it was up to Mozzie to find it.
()()()
Peter was certain he was losing a good part of his sanity. He was remembering bits and pieces of what had happened when he kidnapped his wife. He had seen her as if from afar but Knox had been in control, making him hold her down and fake her voice over the cell to Neal. He had lured the young man here using his wife as bait and then... then he had tied her up in the basement below their home. Peter had been captive, unable to help as he found himself in that dark place again. He looked at his wrists as he continued to make sandwiches, bruises evident and that odd mark like a tattoo clearer than it had been but still light enough to be mistaken as a birthmark or bruise. He rubbed at it distractedly and sensed a kind of power coming from it.
You're two halves of the same coin, Peter. He is the light to your stronger, darker self. Only so many spirits are kindred in such a manner. That is why I chose him. His spirit is strong and will be the battery for my own endeavors.
The thought laughed at him, bringing him back to himself as he glanced around in confusion. Had he just been talking to someone? Peter tried to think and realized it must have been Neal. He shrugged as the thought escaped him and he finished the sandwiches, pulling out a bottle of wine for Neal and a bottle of beer for himself. He gazed across the room through the kitchen window at the storm still blasting heavily outside. The house seemed to shake, humming from the thrashing of the wind and rain against his home. He hoped it would survive the storm as he carried all the items to the dining table and waited for Neal to come back downstairs. The young man had insisted on washing up a bit more before he came to eat, freshening up he guessed. Peter thought about his wife and her safety. She was supposedly with Mozzie in some other place but where that was Neal wouldn't tell him. He hoped until he was more himself Neal would never tell him. Knox be damned if he would allow him to hurt his wife or anyone again. He trusted Mozz enough to care for his wife but even what little doubt he had of the con, she wasn't here but safe which was a good thing at the moment.
"Rembrandt for your thoughts?"
The agent looked up and smirked at his partner and friend. He wasn't sure how they would explain things once it was fixed but Hughes would hopefully believe him. They had acquitted him of co-conspiracy with Neal on any level and despite Atkins wanting to put the young man away, they would find proof to the contrary.
"Distracted by the storm. I made sandwiches."
He pointed at a plate that held three whole wheat ham and cheese sandwiches while another before Peter held three obviously deviled ham ones. Neal nodded with a smile as he pulled up a chair and sat near him. He uncorked the bottle and poured himself a glass of the wine and smiled.
"El must have bought this one. It's not a screw top."
Neal was obviously teasing him but under the circumstances they needed a distraction. If only he hadn't mentioned Elizabeth. Neal seemed to realize his mistake.
"Peter..."
He shook his head and popped open his beer, taking a long pull.
"It's ok. I'm ok. Just knowing she's safe..."
Neal nodded back and he realized that was his clue that she was ok. Neal must have talked to Mozzie.
"Good. I just don't want to have to worry about her being hurt. You said you both had a plan?"
He watched the young con nod slightly as he took a bite of his sandwich without saying anything else. He understood his friend's silence was due to Knox being somewhere inside of him. Right now he felt ok but if he was possessed again, who knows what he might do.
"It's ok, Peter. As long as we're alert, there's not much he can do."
The agent nodded, glancing down at his beer as he pushed it aside. Neal gave him a curious look.
"I'll get a soda."
Peter rose from his chair watching Neal drink his wine and take another bite of his sandwich. Things were normal. He was normal for now as he walked just out of view to the fridge and opened it up. He saw some ginger ales on the door, grabbing two as he heard a thud behind him. Peter didn't know what was wrong as he walked back to find Neal out cold on the floor, wine glass laying beside him as the dark crimson liquid seeped into the light colored carpeting. The agent stared for a moment before he quietly made his way to the table, set the drinks down and crouched beside his friend. His hand automatically went to feel for a pulse and breath before a smile touched his lips and he stood up again, wine glass in hand. He walked back into the kitchen, rinsing it out in the sink as a slight grainy grit washed out along with the last dregs of wine. He wiped it with a towel and put it back into the cabinet before grabbing up more towels and walking back to clean up the mess. Neal remained unconscious as the agent finished his task, threw the towels away and walked back, one foot nudging the young man before he sighed.
"Did you ever think I might learn how to act like your friend, snitch?"
Peter smiled but it wasn't his smile but Knox's. The agent pulled a pack of cigarettes out of his pocket and lit one, taking a long pull before blowing out small rings of grayish white smoke. His eyes continued to look down at the unconscious figure as he knelt beside him and felt around the con's pockets until he found what he was looking for.
"I suppose Mozzie is just paranoid enough not to answer but it's worth a try. I want to make sure everyone involved makes it to the party."
Peter gently brushed at the young man's hair, Neal giving a faint groan before going quiet again. He smiled, taking another puff of the cigarette before he walked over to the sink and put it out. He glanced at the cell phone and it suddenly sprang to life, buttons pushing until a combination had been hit and the phone started to dial. Magic had its uses.
()()()
Neal wasn't sure what to think. Peter seemed more himself than ever, the young man taking another sip of the wine. It tasted sweeter than he remembered this year tasting but it was...
His mind started to falter as he tried to think what it was he was trying to think about. It was...
Neal felt his mind going numb, hand shaking slightly before his body seemed to go limp and he collapsed off the chair to the floor, the glass falling beside him. His eyes shut, body unresponsive as he passed out almost immediately, a brief sensation of carpeting against his cheek before he was totally out of it. For an instant, he thought someone was talking to him, brushing his hair as his mind faded into darkness. The gloom swallowed him up for a bit until he seemed to wake in another place, his arms resting beside him on two wooden beams, his body slumped in what seemed to be a large wooden chair. His eyes opened to confirm what he felt, the wooden frame rough under his skin as he moved but found he was firmly strapped to the chair. Thick leather straps held him in place, his hands moving as he tried to pull free and felt small splinters of the chair stick into his skin. It was a roughly hewn chair at best but sturdy enough he couldn't move its bulk with his slight weight and the back was bumpy, his back arched some for comfort. Someone laughed beside him and he looked up to see that thing, the creature that had talked to him before smiling at him as he glared up at her. She had taken the form of Kate again, its smile nothing like the Kate he remembered. He felt nauseous as he remembered its true form, her hand moving to touch his cheek. It felt cool and slimy despite its appearance but he couldn't move away, his head firmly strapped in around the forehead and neck with another larger bit around his mouth gagging him. Her eyes glittered a silvery blue as she drew closer, her lips touching his cheek. Neal shivered at the touch, that smell of fish coming back to him from the other day. It must have been her that had visited him.
You're correct. I did visit you that day. Miss me did you?
She purred at him, Kate's voice in his mind but he knew it was all an illusion as she... it continued to caress his face, stare deeply into his eyes and play with him. Neal didn't know what to expect from it, his heart breaking some at seeing his one there before him again. He wanted to fall for the illusion but under the circumstances...
Perhaps you'd like a little... coercion?
It was unexpected as something that felt like lots of tiny needles poked into his back where the chair pushed in. He gave a muffled cry then relaxed as the pain ceased. Those needles or whatever they were were jabbed into his spine holding him even more in place as the thing that looked like Kate smiled at him.
If you think a bad thought, you'll regret it.
He didn't understand, cursing her in his mind when the pain started. Something like fire flashed through those needles, his body arching and writhing against the agony until finally it stopped and he slumped heavily against the wooden chair. Her hand grasped his chin and raised his eyes to meet hers but he turned his eyes away remembering what had happened the last time. Her lips curled into a dark smile as he felt the pain again, something he couldn't imagine causing him agony as he shuddered within the leather straps then slumped again as it stopped. A bit of drool dribbled from the gag down his chin onto its hand but the thing seemed not to care.
Until you give in, you'll continue to feel pain.
He managed to bring his eyes up and glare at her but not for long as the pain started up again and he thrashed, his mind imagining an electric chair in his head. He'd never seen the act but he'd heard enough stories to curl his hair. She must have read his mind as she kiss his cheek almost tenderly.
I suppose if you're well-done I can still use you.
She laughed, the sound echoing throughout the space as his mind fell into darkness once again. He wondered only one thing as the blackness overcame him: Where was Peter?
()()()
Peter was in his own Hell. He was still strapped securely to the same table as before but seeing everything Knox saw through his eyes. The man was determined to break him before he killed him, using his friendship with Neal to drug the young man and steal his cell phone.
I wonder if your lovely wife will come to your rescue. She's dreaming about you right now. I could add a few elements she might not find so comforting.
Knox laughed at him, a cold chuckle echoing throughout the cavern he was trapped in. The man smiled down at him as he waved a hand a screen appeared on the cavern wall. He saw Elizabeth in darkness calling out. She looked scared but mostly concerned.
El? El... don't look for me!
He wanted her to stay safe, his thoughts interrupted by Knox laughing again.
She can't hear you, Peter but no worries.
The man's tone was ominous as Peter growled slightly, pulling at the manacles and feeling the barbs tear into him. He didn't care as he watched his wife on the screen and wished he could be there to protect her. Finally the pain overwhelmed him and he cried out, laying back against the huge wooden plank exhausted. Knox smiled at him cruelly.
Don't wear yourself out, Peter. You're necessary for the next part. Everything is falling into place.
He narrowed his eyes at the man but Knox shrugged him off, the man's attention on the screen and Elizabeth. She was calling out in the darkness, her lips moving just enough he could see what she was saying. El was calling him and he was helpless to answer.
()()()
Elizabeth woke up in a cold sweat, eyes wide and terrified by something she didn't understand or remember clearly enough to fathom. She had been dreaming, calling to someone and then... then she'd waken up afraid. She glanced around herself a moment, taking in the scene and remembering now where she was. Her heart rate slowed some, her breathing settling to a more normal less shaky rhythm as she calmed down and lay back against the cotton sheets of the bed. She was covered with a warm duvet of dark blue as she stared around the room and relaxed even more. El still didn't understand how she'd come to be in this place, Monday. Mozzie had just suddenly been there and she'd awaken here after finding Neal hurt in her basement. Things made no sense at all to her normally rationally thinking brain. How could things make sense when her husband was hurt somewhere but someone else was using his body to get to Neal? Her thoughts were random and scattered as she pulled them together the more she woke up and finally just gave a frustrated sigh. Hands on or not, this whole situation made no sense. How did a dead man come back to life and in her husband? What was it he wanted and why was he intent on destroying the friendship between Peter and Neal?
The room was empty, silent except for a light dripping from the kitchen area where the sink was. There was a quiet humming from the mini fridge and the creaks and groans of the building as the storm continued to howl outside. The windows were shuttered tight so she didn't worry about anything coming in but her dream. Something kept telling her it was important but what it had been about... she couldn't remember. El sighed, sitting up and swinging her feet around in the cold room. She pulled the blanket around her tighter, socked feet touching the thinly carpeted floor to feel the cold was there too. She continued to shiver as she moved towards the kitchen area and the pot Mozzie had used to make tea. She filled it with water from the dripping faucet then placed it on the burner. A light blue flame sprang up as her hand turned the knob on the gas stove and started it up. Her attention went to the cabinets above where she searched until she found both tea packets and mugs all fastidiously arranged she felt bad digging through. Mozzie was apparently very organized as she pulled out a packet of Chamomile and returned the box back to its spot in the shelf. She choose a mug with images of oriental cranes and cherry blossoms along the side, placing it on the counter by the sink as she walked back over to the couch and sat down again. There was a small TV in the corner but it didn't look used much. She found a remote velcroed to the side, removing it to turn on the set. It was an old CRT set, portable in its time but now a relic of sorts. The set turned on, picture fading into view as she scrolled through the channels waiting for the tea to whistle. She gave a little yawn, curling up on the sofa and staring at the box until her eyes shut and the remote slipped to the floor from her limp fingers.
()()()
Mozzie didn't like leaving Elizabeth alone (despite hating the idea of guests) but he had made preparations which required going out to get some supplies. It was going to take the help of Hikaru and some others he knew to give him tips on what to use against the forces he was helping Neal against. Hikaru seemed to know more than the others about the Necromonicon, giving him some helpful herbs and other items liable to keep him safe. The con gazed down at his watch and realized he had been gone about an hour, the storm still blowing outside like a hurricane. The streets of New York were more or less dead, very few vehicles if any on the road and even less people. Hikaru had been holed up in his apartment behind his junk shop surprised as anyone to find Mozzie on his doorstep. The shopkeeper had told him to stay but he had Elizabeth to think about so he had politely refused, heading back through the wind and torrential rain and showing up on his doorstep soaking wet. He sighed, shaking himself in the doorway as he removed his coat and shook out his umbrella, hanging both on some hooks by the entrance. He was relatively dry otherwise, moving over to the freight elevator and heading up to his main apartment where he'd left Elizabeth. He was just turning towards the elevator when a shadowy form appeared. The little guy gave a gasp of surprise, pausing where he stood. It was Neal.
"Neal?"
The shadow was faint, his friend nothing more than a ghost really as he pointed upwards urgently, mouth moving but no sound coming out. He could just read his friend's lips but not enough to know what he was saying. Suddenly his cell rang, Mozzie jumping from the sudden sound as he opened it up and saw it was from an unknown number. He was still looking at the phantom of his friend when he answered the phone.
"Hello?"
There was static and then a faint voice.
Mozzie? Go... stairs... L... hel...
The call suddenly cut off and the shadow of Neal disappeared as he took a moment to figure out what had just happened. He had a strong feeling he had to go up to find out what was going on as he entered the ancient lift. The ride seemed to take forever, a strange aroma filling his nose as he neared the top and his apartment. Mozzie felt the car shudder and shake as it came to a stop, the vehicle groaning as he pulled the door up and exited. The smell was stronger now as he walked down the short hallway and over to his door where the scent was overpowering he covered his face with a sleeve. He quickly opened up the door, the smell of gas more than obvious. He continued to cover his face as he looked around the room and saw the source of the smell. He quickly moved towards the stove and turned off the burner, then back towards a limp figure on the couch. He carried El as best he could to the open door and over by the elevator before running back to the apartment and opening up as many windows as he could. A bit of rain splashed inside but not enough to worry about as he hurried back to the lift and gently shook Elizabeth Burke.
"El? Hey... wake up!"
Her face was ashen, lips pale with a hint of pink but finally she coughed, wheezed really and started to come to if only a bit. How long she had been in that space, he wasn't sure but if she was alive it thankfully hadn't been long enough. Blue eyes opened and stared up at him glassily, a confused look furrowing her brow.
"M... mmmozzzzz?"
She smiled up at him then closed her eyes again, breathing with a slight wheeze he noticed but breathing nonetheless. He wasn't sure why the gas would have been on like that but he'd noticed the teapot on top of the burner. El must have been making tea but the flame rarely went out so he suspected foul play of some sort as he gently moved her to the lift and they headed back down.
()()()
Neal felt pain, his spirit barely holding out as he was strapped in the chair. Soon he felt a feeling like he was fading, disappearing as darkness covered him and he woke up in a strange yet familiar hallway. It meant something that he was here but he wasn't sure what. The con moved from where a large lift stood towards a door at the very end of the long corridor. He gazed at the door before slowly pushing through it, a sensation like moving through jello or something slushy overcoming him until he was through and on the other side. Weakness washed over him, something pulling him back outside of the room when he saw a figure limp and still on the sofa in the room within. He had a sensation of something in the air that overpowered him even in this form as he was pulled from the room and found himself at the bottom of the elevator shaft. He blinked at the sudden change of scenery, someone nearby shaking water from themselves as he watched. It was Mozzie. Neal took advantage, pointing upwards as he spoke, the little guy pausing, paling ever so slightly.
Mozzie! Elizabeth... she's upstairs. There's gas!
The con was looking at his friend watching him with a curious yet confused look. He knew Mozz could read lips but it was obvious his friend wasn't reading everything he said. Neal had to try something else but what that something was eluded him until he remember something from the book. He noticed Mozz jump, reaching down for something in his pocket and opening up his cell.
Mozzie? Go upstairs quickly! Elizabeth's in danger. She needs help!
The little guy was just listening, brow furrowed with concentration before the scene faded away and Neal felt himself vanishing. Mozz was looking at him one moment then Neal was back in darkness, his spirit floating in the Stygian gloom before a light shone in the distance and he moved towards it. He felt light a moment and then gravity ensued and he felt his body return, pain obvious immediately as was nausea before he bit back the taste of bile and gave a muffled groan. He was coming to, the aches and pains hitting him hard as consciousness returned and his eyes fluttered open. He was panicked, body tight but he couldn't move much, arms pulled back and tied with what felt like zip ties, the room black around him before he realized he was blindfolded. He could make little sound, rags stuffed into his mouth and tape pulled over his lips as he struggled ever so slightly and felt more ties around his knees and ankles. Neal tried to sit up and found it impossible to do so without feeling nauseated, so he stopped not wanting choke with the gag in place. His eyes blinked in the darkness but the cover was effective. He could sense he was on a cool hard surface but that was it, the air chilly and a sound of what seemed to be the storm still battering outside of the area he was in. He shifted some, body still heavy from the drug he'd been given as his ears focused on footsteps nearing, going down steps he imagined and finally stopping close to him.
"Neal?"
Elizabeth's voice broke through as he felt hands gently touch his arm and then begin to pull at the bindings. He heard her speak softly, his head pounding some from the after effects of the drug so he heard very little until her hand caressed his cheek and he felt breath near his ear.
"I'll be back. I need to find something to free you."
He nodded some in reply as she gently removed the gauze from his eyes and tape and rags from his mouth. Neal gave a gasp of breath, coughing and hacking as he watched her blurry form leave back up the stairs. He was curious how long he had been out of it that she was here and conscious. Hadn't he just left her back at Mozzie's safe house? The young man sighed, struggling to get comfy as he glanced around the basement of the Burke home and saw something disturbing. His body was inside what appeared to be a circle drawn with chalk on the basement floor. Elizabeth had walked into and out of the same circle and now something seemed to be following her, a shadowy form but he couldn't cry out, his throat dry from the rags that had been there and the drug still in his system. He watched the dark thing turn and look back at him briefly before they both disappeared out of sight. Neal was desperate now, glancing around for anything to cut himself loose but seeing nothing in the neat basement. He was about to lose hope when he saw the water heater in the corner not so far from him. He wiggled as best he could, sitting up near the cylinder and poking at the panel til he had it open and saw the small flame there. If it went out, they could light it again but for now he had to free himself and this was all he had.
Neal winced, the heat catching his skin some but finally the smell of burning plastic filled his nostrils and he was free, hands prickly as his circulation started up again. He found the flame still glowing as he lit one end of the remains of his binding and started to melt the plastic holding his legs together. Soon he was pushing himself weakly to his feet, nausea still apparent as he stumble towards the stairs and forced himself upwards. He heard harsh voices speaking above and something that sounded like a loud thud as he made it up to the door and pushed it open.
oOoOoOo
Author's Note: Not trying to be slow on updating, just still having issues at home with my 10 yr old PC and work has been one heck of busy lately! I should finish this up soon. Hopefully it's not too disjointed from me typing this up at work when I have the chance. It's been a busy busy semester and not enough time for fun. The good thing is I just got digital cable now so that's going to be fun to explore. 400 channels of nothing to watch. ;)
