A/N: I'm sorry to keep everybody waiting, especially with a cliffhanger like that, but I was finishing up my other stories first. Now, I'm ready to get back into this story and updates will be coming weekly. Enjoy the chapter!


Chapter Nine

Tech Support

The Warehouse

The world seemed to slow down as Rephaim watched Stevie Rae fall backward in a spray of her own blood. Bree caught her before she could crack her head on the wooden floor, and laid her down gently. Rephaim couldn't hold back any longer, he lunged toward Stevie Rae at the same time he saw Darius move out of the corner of his eye. He took Bree's place by Stevie Rae's head, smoothing her hair back away from her face. Her eyes were glassy as she stared up at the ceiling, but she recognized him when he leaned over her. She opened her mouth to say something, but Rephaim shook his head.

"No, don't speak," he told her, picking up her bloodied hand and squeezing it. "Save your strength."

"That's right," Selene commanded the room. "Don't speak. Don't move."

Suddenly, Rephaim couldn't move, his body was frozen in an invisible cage. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw that Bree was frozen as well, her hands still over the wound in Stevie Rae's side. Rephaim guessed that Selene had put a spell over the whole room. He cursed silently to himself, each second they wasted was a second Stevie Rae didn't have. She could be slipping away right now. No, he wouldn't think like that, he had to be strong for her.

"I did not give anybody permission to move," Selene explained, her temper reeling. "There are plenty more bullets with that one came from. You do not want to tempt me."

"Like you've tempted me, darling?" came Kalona's voice. "We need to talk."

"Then, talk," Selene snapped at him.

"Eh, eh, there are some things that should not be discussed in front of our hostages," Kalona tisked as he stomped over to the doorway. "In the office. Now." He didn't wait for her to respond, he just swept out of the room, seething. Selene sighed loudly and reluctantly followed Kalona. At the last second, she flourished her hand and everybody was released from the spell. She stopped to whisper something to somebody in the dark hallway. After a second, Dallas came into the room with a sly grin on his face.

"Well, well, well, looks like I'm in charge now, boys and girls," Dallas announced, walking to the center of the room. He ran his gaze over each hostage. "Everybody back to your corners, now!" His eyes landed on Stevie Rae, and his face flickered with an unspoken emotion for a second.

Unbound from the spell, Darius had made his way over to help Stevie Rae. Rephaim still held her in his lap, and Bree sat helpless off to the side. Stevie Rae let out another cry of pain as Darius touched her wound.

"What can I do?" Bree asked, wringing her hands. Stevie Rae's blood was already starting to dry on her hands and she tried her best not to look at them.

"There's nothing really even I can do?" Darius regretfully explained. "The only thing we can do is try and stop the bleeding."

"We need towels then, right?" Rephaim stammered, tripping over his words. He was so worried for Stevie Rae, he almost couldn't see straight. He pushed a blond curl off her cheek and tried to give her a reassuring smile. It came out faltering. Stevie Rae reached up slowly with a shaking hand and grasped his hand.

Knowing there was little chance of finding towels in this place, as if the powers that be would allow them to go look, Bree unzipped her soft pink sweatshirt, slipping it off her shoulders. "Will this help?" Bree asked, handing the sweatshirt to Darius. "I have no fond attachments to it." She tried for a laugh, but it only came out as a gasping intake of breath.

Darius smiled gratefully at her as he took the sweatshirt. He pressed the article to Stevie Rae's gunshot wound, pressing hard to stem the blood flow, a temporary solution. A small whimper escaped Stevie Rae's lips and her body tensed away from the pressure. Rephaim gripped her tighter.

"You're hurting her," he told Darius.

Darius gave him a sympathetic look. "I'm sorry, Rephaim," he apologized. "But we have to stop the bleeding, and without any drugs, it's not going to be pain free."

Rephaim touched his head to Stevie Rae's, whispering apologies.

At that moment, Dallas broke out of his reverie and stalked over to them. "Ok, doc, your time is up," he said, dragging Darius away from Stevie Rae. He barely had enough time to protest that they need to keep pressure on the wound. Bree fumbled to take over what Darius had been doing. Dallas pushed Darius away, from both Stevie Rae and Alisa.

Hunter, what are we going to do? Sky thought to her cousin as she sat rigidly against the wall, her arms crossed. Hunter tore his gaze away from the wounded Stevie Rae and looked at her, shaking his head a little. He didn't say anything back to her, but he didn't have to. She already knew what he was feeling, because she was feeling the same way. Hopelessness. Sky let out a slow breath.

"This is getting out-of-control," she muttered out loud. "We're all just sitting ducks."

Aphrodite stared levelly at Dallas. "Selene and Kalona are out of the room," she stated. "I think it's time we did something effective."

Sky's head whipped around to face her. "What?"

Aphrodite was already standing up, heading for Dallas. "Hey, Electra-boy!" she called. The raven mockers and red fledglings grew to attention, taking a few steps toward the prophetess. Dallas only turned around slowly with an amused look on his face. The other hostages looked on in fear and curiosity.

"Aphrodite, sit down," Darius told her, quietly.

"You want a more up close view of myself," Dallas grinned, disgustingly. He quickly wrapped his hands around her neck, nearly picking her up off the floor. "Sorry, babe, I'm not in the mood right now. So, I think it's time for you to go back-"

"THAT WAS NOT YOUR CALL TO MAKE!"

The booming voice echoed through the hallway and reached the hostages in their room. Everybody jumped, startled, and stared toward the doorway. The atmosphere was no different inside the office-like room. Selene paced in front of the large boarded up windows, while Kalona stood on the other side of the large, oak desk, his wrath coming off him in waves.

"I don't know why you're so angry," Selene shrugged her shoulders, speaking just as loudly. "They're all just hostages."

"I warned you that that girl and my son were off-limits!" Kalona shouted.

"Sentimentality has made you lose focus," Selene pointed out, crossing her arms. She stepped closer to the winged immortal. "The point of a hostage is to die for our cause, anything more is just a waste of time. Now, I suggest you get your emotions in check, and remember what it is we're here to do."

Kalona glared at her, taking a step forehead. "You stand here playing the part of the emotionless leader," he accused. "but you were the one who melted with sentimentality at the mere mention of your son in danger."

Selene pursed her lips together and turned her back on him. She admitted to herself, that she had let down her guard and let her emotions rule her head. That couldn't happen again, she had to stay cool and detached. It was the only way that would insure her that both her and her son would get out of this alive. But first, Selene had to make sure that she found Cal before Neferet did.

Kalona stood with his hands on his hips, his anger cooling. He became rational and detached again. "Ok, so, Zoey and Morgan have escaped," Kalona talked it out. "The first thing they're going to do is come looking for these guys," He nodded his head toward the other room. "Of course, Neferet probably already knows that..."

Composed, Selene turned back around to face Kalona and approached the desk. "We'll be waiting for them when they do arrive." She tapped her fingernails on the top of the black laptop sitting on the desk. "We'll need a little assistance from the technical one. Would you please go fetch him for me?" She smiled sweetly at him.

Kalona glared at her, but didn't answer. He walked the few steps over to one wall, opening up a cabinet that hung there. He took something out and spun back around on his heel. "I will fetch the young man," Kalona acquiesced. "But if you order me around one more time, I will kill your son." Having said the last word, he strode out of the office without a backward glance.

Kalona strode back into the hostage room, into the scene unfolding with Dallas and Aphrodite. "Well, well, well, what do we have here?" he said, rhetorically. "Was it bad behavior or did you just get bored and decided on some torture?" Neither one of them answered, and Kalona pulled Aphrodite out of Dallas' grip. "You are becoming a nuisance, darling. I'm running out of tolerance for you." He pulled her back over to Sky and pushed her down. "Now, sit down, or I'll hand you over to my trigger-happy other half."

He walked away without another word. Next, Kalona approached Bree, Stevie Rae, and Rephaim. The group was a little bit more calmer, not by much. Bree kept pressure on the wound, and grew tense at Kalona's nearness. He dropped the bandages and gauze in Bree's lap. She jumped, startled. Rephaim glanced up at his father, surprised. Stevie Rae just stared at the ceiling, glassy-eyed, trying to take even breaths.

"Here, fix her up," Kalona explained. Then, he took Rephaim's arm and dragged him away from Stevie Rae back to his old spot. Kalona whispered only to him. "Don't fight me." Rephaim looked at him, confused.

Kalona acted like he didn't say anything. He just took one step over, to stand in front of Mary K and Jack. Mary K cowered more into herself, avoiding Kalona's eyes. Jack reluctantly met Kalona's gaze, trying for bravery.

"It appears that your services are needed," Kalona stated.

"What?-" Jack started to ask. Kalona interrupted him when he pulled him up by his arm. Mary K cried out and tried to grab Jack to protect him but she shank back at Kalona's stare. Jack gave her an apologetic look for having to leave her alone, and relinquished to Kalona's pull.

"If any of them causes any trouble while I'm gone, kill them," Kalona instructed the raven mockers and red fledglings. "We don't need all of them alive." He left the room with Jack in tow.

Damien watched Jack leave the room, worriedly. Hunter, however, watched them with curiosity. "Something's happened," Hunter whispered, still looking at the doorway. "Their plan is starting to unravel and they're trying to cover their tracks." He saw movement out of the corner of his eye and turned his head slightly to look. Darius was just taking the rest of the bandages and gauze from Bree, he glanced up briefly at a nearby red fledgling. When they didn't move, Darius carried the supplies over to Shaunee for Alisa's wound. Then, he moved back to where he had been, by himself.

Damien rubbed his hands down his face, blowing air out of his cheeks, trying to calm himself. "Kalona said that they needed Jack's expertise," he whispered back to Hunter. "Jack has an affinity for technology. He's a genius about it. What could they want him for?" He sat with his chin on his hand, puzzling over the situation.

"I think Selene received a phone call about Morgan and Zoey escaping," Hunter replied. His arm dropped onto his raised knee. As happy as he was to know Morgan had escaped, he was still afraid for her because she was still in danger. "Maybe they need Jack to track them down. This could all be coming to an end very soon, whether we're alive or not."

"What do we do?" Damien asked, glancing over at Hunter.

Hunter looked Damien straight in the eye. "We get ready," he said.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Morgan, Cal, Zoey, and Stark

After what seemed like an hour, they slowed from a run to a walk. The forest had thinned out around them and they could make out the shape of buildings in the distance. Morgan leaned her hand against a tree to catch her breath as she strained to pick up sounds of their pursuers. As far as she could tell, they'd lost whoever had been chasing them. She looked around at the others; Stark was stalking the edge of their little clearing with his bow and arrow, it was as if he were expecting an ambush, and Zoey stood looking flushed and just as out of breath as she was. Cal was a few feet away from her, shuffling through his backpack. After about a minute, Cal straightened up with three water bottles in his hand. He approached Morgan tentatively and held out one of the water bottles to her.

Morgan took the water bottle, giving him a small smile of gratitude. Cal, then, offered a water bottle to Zoey, who took it with a thank you of her own. They replenished their thirst from their run and regrouped. Stark came back toward them after scanning the periphery. He took the bottle Zoey had held out to him, taking a swig of water.

"Ok, you two are the ones who live here," Stark said to Morgan and Cal. "Where are we?"

Cal looked around helplessly, not recognizing his surroundings. It was up to Morgan then to get them out of here. She looked around a small feeling tingling at the back of her mind as if she had stood here before. Then, one of the buildings in the distance became clearer and her eyes widened as she remembered where she was. Excitement thrummed through her as Morgan realized that they weren't all doomed.

Morgan turned back to face the others. "I know where we are!" she said, excitedly. "We're in downtown Widow's Vale, behind Practical Magick. It's an occult bookstore, Alyce, the owner, should be there. She's also a witch, she can help us."

Morgan ran off in the direction of the bookstore before anybody could stop her. "Morgan, wait!" Cal shouted after her. He ran after her so that she didn't go off by herself.

Zoey was just about to go after the two of them, when Stark took her elbow. "Z, this is our chance," Stark said. "We need to break ties with them, and go find the others. We don't need to drag them into this."

She looked at him, confused, shaking her head. "Stark, they're already a part of this," Zoey told him. "We need to see this through to the end." She looked him squarely in the eye, persistent. Then, she turned and followed the path Morgan and Cal had taken. Stark groaned under his breath, but went after her without a doubt.

When they finally caught up to the other two at the front of the bookstore, Morgan was relentlessly pulling on the door handle and calling out for Alyce to open the door, despite Cal trying to get her to stop. Zoey realized why, when she saw the closed sign in the window. The store was dark and nothing moved inside. It was obvious no one was inside. Just then, a loud caw came from the sky.

Stark, who had been scanning the street for potential threats, had his bow up and arrow trained to the sky in less time than it took to breathe. It only turned out to be a crow, just a regular crow, but Stark kept his bow out just in case. "We have to get off the street," Stark told them. "We're too exposed out here."

"Urghh!" Zoey let out a frustrated groan, causing the others to look at her. "I keep trying to get Stevie Rae on her cell phone, but she's not answering. Stark, I'm starting to get worried. What if something happened to them?" Stark gave her arm a reassuring rub. Zoey pulled herself together and turned to Morgan. "Are we far from the warehouses?"

Morgan bit her lip, looking up and down the street. "I don't know," she answered. "We might not be that far."

Zoey nodded, "Let's go there, then." The others nodded in agreement. Maybe there, they'll be able to find something out about what was going on and find a way to stop it.

"Ok, then," Cal said, taking the lead. He started down an alley, going the back ways. "Stick to the shadows, everyone. We don't need to alert anyone to our presence."

"I'm not an idiot," Stark mumbled in response, taking the rear. He glared at Cal as he walked, anxious for when he could finally get rid of him.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

The Warehouse

Selene pulled Jack down the dark hallway of the warehouse to another door just a few feet away from the hostage room. Jack wanted to ask her where she was taking him or what she wanted from him, but fear constricted him, keeping him nearly paralyzed. Selene opened the door to the office, giving Jack a push inside. Jack stumbled into the room, but remained on his feet. He gulped, shakily, and turned around to face Selene, who was just closing the door. It was just the two of them in the room, alone.

Selene grinned at him, not reassuringly, and walked around to the desk. She pulled out the chair, gesturing to him. "Have a seat," she instructed him.

Jack watched her carefully, afraid that she could reach out and strike him at any moment. He moved over and sat down in the chair slowly. He looked up at her, warily waiting his next instructions. Selene patted him on the shoulder, praising him for listening. She, then, leaned over him and opened the laptop that sat on the desk in front of him.

"What do you see?" Selene asked him as she straightened back up and pointed to the computer screen.

Jack looked up at Selene, then at the laptop. He licked his lips, and said, "Um, it looks...surveillance footage." He was confused as to why she was showing him this, and what exactly she needed him to do.

"Very good," Selene replied. "Now, you are going to sit here and watch that screen. If anyone shows up on any of those cameras, you will tell me. You are not permitted to leave this room." Jack looked down just as Selene snapped a handcuff around his right wrist and the other end to the arm of the chair. She grinned at him again. "Any questions?"

Jack cleared his throat, quietly. "Wh-wh-," he stuttered, then tried again. "Who am I...supposed to be looking for?"

Selene leaned down to his level, one hand on the back of the chair and the other hand on the desk. "Your friends," she simply told him.

Jack gulped, having been afraid of the answer. He didn't like the thought of sending Selene and Kalona after Zoey and Stark. Selene saw his hesitation and quickly added, "And if you try to protect your friends, well then, one of your fellow hostages will pay the price. Do you understand?"

Jack nodded reluctantly, meeting her harsh gaze.

"Now, be a good little hostage, and follow my instructions," Selene added, one final time. She walked over to the door. "I'll be checking on you periodically. Behave yourself." With that, Selene swept out of the door and was gone.


A/N: Did you like it? Let me know what you thought in a review. :)