AN: Sorry this took so long. Y'know how it is... life. Anyway, here's another chapter. I think I might have one or two little stories throughout the Legends, too, I don't know. No plans yet. Let me know what you think. Enjoy!
Chapter Three
Cali was asleep on the long sofa of the private jet she'd chartered. It sailed through the air with every window closed, careening away from Dallas at hundreds of miles an hour.
Her nerves hadn't settled after she learned about Zed's dream. The already cautious vampire was even more so, her eyes darting around and her actions twitchy. It should have been obvious how afraid she was that she'd been found when she charted the plane to leave Dallas in the middle of the day. Anyone even remotely calm would have waited until they didn't have to wear long sleeves, gloves, pants, and numerous other adornments alongside an umbrella just to keep shielded from the sun. But not Cali. She was so anxious that she risked igniting in the afternoon sun just to escape.
John was slumped in his seat, his feet kicked up in the adjacent recliner. His jacket was rolled up and under his head as a makeshift pillow. He was desperate for a cigarette, but they were on a non-smoking flight. He couldn't help but feel like it was Cali's doing, probably a slight jab at him for convincing her to join him in Star City. The nicotine gum helped, but it was a poor substitute.
His head rolled lazily to the side to check briefly on her. As before, she was sleeping, looking more like a peaceful corpse than a person. He smiled a little at her.
After a deep breath and heavy sigh, John glanced around the jet he found himself in. It was leaps and bounds beyond anything he would be able to afford. Sure, he might be able to lie his way onto one, but never call up a private airport and book one. But Cali could. She was a vampire, an old one at that, and when you live forever and don't have to pay for things for a number of reasons, it was easy to amass a fortune. An expendable fortune, actually.
Still, he'd happily join along.
John yawned rather obnoxiously as he reached over and grabbed his bag. Before they left, while Cali was making arrangements for the flight, John called Oliver back. Mr. Queen filled him in on what was wrong. Apparently, a once-dead friend had been brought back by a Lazarus Pit. Some people… Humans might have been resourceful and intelligent creatures, but they could be really fucking stupid. It was desperation that did it, and he was guilty of it, too.
When he knew what the task was, John was sure to raid Cali's stash –with her permission, of course. Most of what he'd need could be found in Star City, small tidbits just about anyone had access to, but a couple of things he knew he could use for the spellwork. Besides, the only things he'd brought to Cali's apartment were vampire hunting tools.
From Cali's stash, John grabbed three things. Or, six –technically. Four candles, a brass bowl etched with an incantation that helped people astral project, and a piece of sinew. Sinew, for those who are unaccustomed to biological anatomy, is a tendon –the connecty bit that gives a living creature the ability to move joints. This particular piece was roughly two feet long, no thicker than a pencil, and incredibly powerful. The creature it came from was known for sucking energy and life force from its victim. He hoped he wouldn't have to use it, but it's better to have it, and not need it, than need it and not have it.
John was a regular Boy Scout.
He took another deep breath and let out yet another yawn. His eyes drifted shut as he stowed the nicotine gum in his cheek so he could continue milking it for the addictive chemical while he slept, but not choke.
Eventually, he let himself slip into a shallow slumber.
~!~
The plane landed in Star City around half-past nine that evening. Cali spoke to the crew and made the needed arrangements for a return trip. By the time she'd finished, John had a cab waiting. The Brit gave the address, and they set off toward a derelict nightclub.
When they arrived, Cali and John were greeted by an attractive man with pale hair, stubble on his jaw, and a concerned glint in his blue eyes.
"John, hey." He greeted, extending his hand.
"Oliver, mate. How ya been?" John asked as he shook the young man's hand out of politeness.
"Oh, y'know," He let his sentence dangle. Oliver's eyes drifted to Cali and instantly hardened. "And you are?"
"Cali," She told him.
"She's a friend, mate." John said. "Now, we'd better get this going as soon as possible, yeah?"
"Right," Oliver gave a nod and proceeded to lead them into the club.
It was a massive space, but looked as though it had been abandoned some time ago. In fact, it looked sad now.
Oliver guided them to a hidden elevator, and down to a secret room that was a great deal more modern than the rest of the place. There were computers, training equipment, and costumes alongside weaponry.
"Oh, Christ," Cali grumbled as she shook her head. "You're one of those people in a mask, aren't you?"
Oliver cast her a glance over his shoulder, but said nothing on the matter. Instead, he led them to a small group of people. Four individuals stood around a table where a young woman was laying. Each of them sported a worried and skeptical expression. Cali could smell the tension and it curled her nose.
"Guys," Oliver said, gathering their attention even though there wasn't a need. They were staring already. "This is John Constantine, and… Cali." He was more reluctant to say her name, either because of the 'valley girl' likeness, or because he didn't know what to make of her. "They're here to help."
Oliver proceeded to introduce the others, but Cali doubted she would remember their names. In truth, she probably wouldn't remember which face belonged to which name. There was a Laura, a Thea, a Felicity, and a Diggle. He'd be easier to remember. He was the only other man. And apparently the blonde on the table was Sara.
"Help with what, exactly?" The blonde chick without glasses asked skeptically. Cali guessed that she was Laura, but again, she wasn't entirely certain.
John reached into the breast pocket of his jacket and withdrew a business card. He handed it to her and she had the same expression most did when they saw what John did.
"So, what? Are you going to give her an exorcism?"
"Exorcisms are to remove invasive spirits." He told her as he looked over Sara. "What your sister needs is a restitutionum, A restitutionum will help restore her spirit to her body."
"Have you done this sort of thing before?" The one Cali thought was called Thea asked.
"One, little over a year ago, but it's like ridin' a bike." He smiled.
"Look, I'm sure this is going to take a while, so we should probably get started. I presume you have a list?"
"Sure do." John fished it out of his pocket and handed it to the blonde with glasses. Felicity, maybe. "Sorry, but I didn't have a chance to translate it from Ancient Aramaic."
Cali couldn't help but roll her eyes. He did, he just wanted to sound more mystical to the newbies. He gave her further proof when he spoke again.
Donning another grin, John added, "If I'd known you were surrounded by so many beautiful ladies, Oliver, I woulda come to visit sooner."
With a sigh and a roll of the eyes, Olive grabbed John's arm and dragged him away. Cali shook her head at him.
"Where did Oliver find this guy, the Luxor?" Diggle asked.
"You don't believe in magic?" Cali asked him.
Attention drifted to her. Diggle arched a brow and crossed his arms over his chest. "Not really." He replied.
Her gaze danced over him. She could almost see his life reflected back at her.
"Hm," She muttered before meeting his gaze. "Practical man with a practical view of the world." He straightened his back a little more as though to silently answer her question. "Trust me, soldier boy, there are way more things in the world than you'll ever know, from magic to little beasties."
He scoffed and eyed her skeptically. "So, you're telling me monsters are real too, hm?"
She smiled and knew it was probably a bit unsettling if his hesitation was anything to go by. "Where do you think the stories came from?"
His face fell, going entirely blank, which made her grin more than before. With a small chuckle, she stepped away. While they prepared the scene, Cali decided to explore.
~!~
Roughly thirty minutes later, nearly everything was in place. John was putting the finishing touches on the sigil in the middle of the glowing platform while Cali lit the candles.
"I'm jus' sayin', luv." He stared at the black marks and touched up one place where it had gone a little thin. "Ya could've helped out with this. Ain't like you don't know the symbols."
She smirked to herself while she lit the third of the four candles.
"And you know it's better if you do it." She said. When the wick took the flame, she set it down and grabbed the fourth. "I don't have a drop of magic in me."
"Nah, that's not true." He said as he stepped out of the marks and tossed the paintbrush onto the upside down paint can lid where it would be out of the way. "Yer not too bad at potions."
She scoffed and laughed a little bit. "Potions are like baking, darling. You just follow the instructions."
He chuckled. When the fourth candle was lit, Cali set it down where it needed to be, snapped the Zippo shut, and stood. She offered it back to John who gave her a nod of thanks as he slipped it into his pocket.
Oliver suddenly appeared behind John carrying Sara in his arms.
"Right there in the center, mate." John told him.
The giant blonde did as he said and tenderly laid the limp young woman down as gently as he could. Cali stood off to the side removing her jacket while her keen eyes danced over the gathering crowd. To her surprise, another body was soon added, an older man with a shaved head and a tired expression. Attractive, she thought, but sad. When he spoke to Laura, he made it clear that he was the girl's father, the reason for the sadness.
"I hate to ask," Diggle said, "But what happens if this goes wrong?"
"No worries." John chimed in a falsely chipper tone. "We'll all be too dead to care."
"Oh, knock it off. That's not true." Cali said while John took off his jacket as well.
"It's mostly true." He said innocently. He began to roll up the sleeves of his white shirt.
"Barely." She said. Cali looked at Diggle. "Maybe half of you would die."
His brows rose and a very uncomfortable, "Oh," left his lips.
"Here," Felicity said, drawing attention as she joined the others with Cali's bronze bowl filled with ingredients and a feather. "I think I have everything you need, but I don't know what you'd need a dead peacock feather for."
John took the plume and proceeded to stick it down the back of his shirt in order to satisfy an itch. Again, Cali rolled her eyes. He was playing up for the audience. It was his usual tactic when it came to breaking tension, and giving the people around him something to focus on that isn't the situation at hand.
"Right then," John exclaimed as he took the bowl from her. "Ordinarily, I'd have enough juice to send me and two others into this Netherworld, but," He set the bowl down on the ground next to one of the candles outside the circle and reached for his bag. "Time moves different between worlds. And, no doubt she's gonna have a few things keepin' guard over her in there, so," John removed the piece of sinew and stood once more. "Cali here's gonna play battery."
He unspooled the long strip of tendon, revealing it to the people around him. Every one of the straights scowled.
"What is that?" Thea asked with a grimace. "It looks like skin."
"Not far off." He told her with a crooked grin. "It's sinew from an incubus." He saw the appropriate wave of shock and disbelief sweep through them.
"Bullshit," Diggle said.
That time, John chuckled. "100 percent true, my skeptical friend. With this, I'll be able to siphon the energy from Cali, which'll help me keep the spell goin'." He faced her. "You ready for this?"
There was something in his tone that forced Cali to arch a sarcastic brow. She offered him her wrist.
"I'm a big girl, John, and more than old enough to have a bit of self-control."
He kept his skeptical expression as he wrapped the piece of tendon around her wrist. The second he closed it, before he'd tied it shut, Cali felt a wave of desire wash through every cell in her body. She let out a gasp that held a bit too much excitement in it. Her eyes drifted shut, and her mouth remained partially lax while she relished in the pure delight that was coursing through her. It was delicious.
"On the other hand," She muttered in a voice that betrayed the same. Cali opened her eyes and noticed John flinch. He never looked as tasty as he did at that moment and he must have seen the hunger in her eyes because she heard his heartbeat quicken. "There's no harm in a little indulgence."
"Heh," John let out an uncomfortable breath of a laugh. He tied off the piece around her wrist quickly. "Come on, Cali. Concentrate, yeah?"
Cali felt her body relax and, for some reason, she ran the tip of her tongue along her upper lip. She genuinely wanted to reach forward and grab John, to kiss him deeply and do all manner of things, regardless of their audience.
"Calithea!" John's sharp voice and the loud clap of his hands jolted her back into reality.
Her vision suddenly cleared and the influence of the incubus sinew diminished to a manageable degree. Cali cleared her throat and averted her eyes from his.
"Sorry," She mumbled uncomfortably.
"You with me?" John asked.
Cali nodded. "Yeah," She met his gaze and firmly, with more assertion than before whether it was real or not, she repeated, "I'm fine."
He seemed to weigh her response before he gave her a nod of his own.
"What was that?" A voice asked.
Cali glanced over and noticed everyone staring at her. She didn't know who'd spoken, but it was a feminine voice.
"Your eyes," Felicity mumbled. "They were…"
"Black," John said casually. "Pupil dilation, that's all, luv. Trust me, her real eyes are much more disarming." He turned his attention back to Cali. "You sure 'bout this? Last chance. You know how your kind gets with stuff like this."
Cali took in one deep breath after another to steady herself, but before she could reply, someone else beat her to it.
"Your kind?" A stern voice said from behind. The pair turned their attention to the group and given her expression, it wasn't hard to discern that Laura was the one who spoke, and she really didn't appreciate the comment. "You mean women?"
John let out a small snort of a laugh and stared at her curiously. "No," He chuckled.
Cali decided to interject before Laura or anyone else mistook his comment as sexist. "If I was just a normal human woman, there wouldn't be a problem." She explained plainly.
"The hell does that mean?" Diggle asked with a hint of confused agitation.
She gave him a small smile. "There are more things in Heaven and Earth, Horatio, than are dreamt of in your philosophy." She arched a brow to him. "Monsters and beasties, Mr. Diggle. Monsters and beasties."
"Ah, good ol' Billy Shakespeare. Such a poet." John chuckled.
"He was a lecherous prick." Cali snapped a bit sharply.
John arched a brow at her and grinned while he took the other end of the sinew. "Gonna have to tell me that tale sometime, darlin'." He said to her. "Ready?"
Cali nodded and waited as he wrapped the end of sinew around his wrist multiple times and quickly tied it off. The rush of power hit him almost instantly causing him to let out a loud sigh as a result. He even growled and shook his head a little, like someone had just jammed a syringe filled with adrenaline directly into his heart.
"Right," He said with a hefty sigh. "Let's get this party started."
Cali saw the way he reacted, shaking his head and shifting his weight from one foot to another. He was antsy, and she could see it.
John began to chant shortly after Laura and Oliver took their place in the circle. The room and the building itself shook, but it barely held her attention. She's too busy fighting her urges. Everything in her was begging to lunge after John, to take him in more ways than she could even count. She wanted to kiss him, to more or less bang his brains out, and to feed on him. In fact, she wanted more than to simply feed. She wanted to eat him, to drain him of every single drop o blood.
She was attracted to him in every sense of the word, and it was all a result of the sinew that connected them.
Incubus sinew allowed a man to siphon the energy from anyone tied to the other end, be they male or female. It, more or less, gave them the life force of whoever they were connected to. In a situation like the one they found themselves in, it was useful. It allowed John to use Cali's life force to boost his own because there was no way of knowing how long he and the others would be in the Netherworld. Five minutes in there could equate to hours in the real world. And Cali wasn't human. She had plenty of life force to give.
A succubus sinew would do the same, but obviously, for a woman. It was one of the rare pieces of magical curios that was actually gender specific, likely because they were two specific demons.
Minutes ticked by and Cali could feel the energy pouring out of her, along the piece of tendon, and into John. It was a strange sensation to try and explain, but the closest thing she could compare it to would be holding your arm completely perpendicular to the ground and then pouring cold water on your shoulder. The feeling of it cascading down your arm was the closest thing she could think that resembled what it felt like to have the energy taken from you.
Cali's eyes drifted shut and her jaw fell lax. She did her best to breathe despite not needing the oxygen. It simply gave her something to do, a task that helped distract her mind while she was overrun with emotion. Her heart would be thundering if it could, and she knew a blush would have taken her cheeks. Sometimes she was grateful she was undead.
The longer she was connected to John, the stronger the desire became, and the longer it would linger. That was one of the side effects of using the sinew. Not only did it run the risk of killing the submissive (harder to do when the submissive was already dead) but if they did somehow survive, they would be overcome with lust directed toward the dominant for roughly the same amount of time they'd been connected.
Magic always has a price.
In and out, in and out, over and over she concentrated on her breathing. Her body was growing weaker, succumbing to the sinew, and John was right –vampires didn't do well with things that increased their longing. Hunger meant a lot of things to her kind.
Energy poured from her, taking with it not only her ability to move, but exist. John must have been deploying spells inside the Netherworld because he was taking just so much of her.
She couldn't count the minutes that passed, and had no idea how long she'd been connected to John. The world around her was silent and dark, and simply no longer there. Instead, Cali had slipped to somewhere in her head, a dark recess that she'd never been to before.
It was nothingness and it was welcoming.