Legacy 204: Battle Royal

Part 8

Xxx

After returning from Maldovia and filling out his field report, Reed closed his laptop and stared at the empty walls around him. Since he was always out on missions, his apartment was small and functional, lacking any personal belongings or decoration. He had always preferred it like that, so he could leave whenever he needed to and never look back. Tonight, his apartment suddenly felt different, it seemed small and lonely. Maybe it was because of the Halliwells and their constant talk about family, or the fact that one of them had stirred something in him. Either way, Reed didn't feel like being alone, so he called the person that he was closest to.

"Hey, it's me." Reed said. "Are you busy?"

"No, I'm at home." Billie replied. "We're deciding what to do for dinner. What's going on?"

"I don't know." Reed said. "I just wanted to check in, I guess."

"You never call without a reason." Billie noted. "Did something happen in Maldovia? Are you hurt?"

"No, I'm fine." Reed replied as he cleared his throat. "I could some use company though."

"Now you definitely have me worried." Billie remarked.

"Yeah, don't rub it in." Reed replied annoyed. "So can I come over or not?"

"Of course, Lincoln." Billie said. "You know you're always welcome here. This is still your home, whether you want to admit it or not."

"I know." Reed noted with a smile. "I'll be over soon."

"Great, you can pick up some Chinese food on your way." Billie replied. "You know the order."

Reed ended the call and wondered if Billie had ever cooked a meal on her own. He grabbed his coat and headed out. It had been months since he had seen the kids. He had watched and helped them grow up, they used to look at him like an older brother. However, Reed had been on so many missions the last few years that they had practically become strangers to him. He picked up the Chinese food and arrived at Billie's house in a suburban neighborhood of Washington, DC. As he walked up the front porch, Billie opened the door to let him in.

"I'm glad you're here." Billie said as she hugged him. "Are you sure you're okay?"

"I'm fine." Reed replied. "I guess I was just feeling sentimental. Don't make a big deal about it."

"I read your report while you were on your way." Billie noted. "You told the Halliwells who you are."

"I figured it was the best to work with them to stop the threat." Reed said. "You said yourself that we might need them at some point."

"You did the right thing." Billie replied. "I think we're definitely going to need them soon, but we can talk about that at the office tomorrow."

"Why not reach out to them yourself?" Reed asked.

"You know we're not exactly on speaking terms anymore." Billie replied. "Not since…"

At that moment, Reed heard someone coming down the stairs and call out his name in an excited voice. Charlie, the thirteen year old son of Billie, threw himself around Reed. The blond boy had grown a lot over the last year and was already taller than his mom. Reed noticed that he was wearing a football jersey.

"Hey buddy." Reed said. "Good to see you. Did you finally make the cut?"

"You bet." Charlie replied. "I'm still on the bench most games, but at least I'm on the team. We missed you, Link."

"Not all of us did." Another voice sounded.

Reed turned around and saw Alexandra, nicknamed Lexie, standing in the door of the living room. She was fifteen and looked a lot like her mother, a spitting image and with a similar attitude. She seemed less than thrilled about seeing him, which he could understand.

"Be nice, Lexie." Billie said. "Lincoln is a part of this family."

"Yeah, only when it's convenient to him." Lexie remarked. "He couldn't bother to show up for our last few birthdays or Christmas."

"I know, I'm sorry." Reed replied. "You guys have always been great to me and I haven't always appreciated that. I'll try to make it up to you."

"Well, Chinese food is a good first step." Lexie replied with a shrug. "Let's eat."

Lexie flung her hand and the bag of Chinese food telekinetically flew out Reed's hands and into hers, after which she entered the living room. Billie stormed after her, yelling something about personal gain and a snickering Charlie followed. Reed put away his coat and saw an old picture of the four of them on a side table. Seeing the picture made him realize that he had a family that cared for him. It was time to stop being alone and he smiled as a certain person popped up in his mind.

Xxx

In the dark Egyptian desert, Selene stood before an underground pyramid that she had uncovered with her shadow magic. She could sense Amun clearly now, trapped inside the ancient structure. Soon another member of the Trinity would be free, after which they could finally invade the Heavens and free the last member of their collective. Bryce appeared next to her through dark orbs and handed her a flaming torch. Together, they descended the stairway into the darkness.

"So what's this Amun like?" Bryce asked.

"He was the wisest of us, an inventor." Selene replied. "When we created your kind, he provided you with your weapons and poison."

"He created the Darklighter poison?" Bryce asked. "Sounds brutal."

"He was actually quite kind-hearted." Selene noted. "Out of all three of us, he resented what we became the most."

"How did you become what you are, anyway?" Bryce asked. "Elders don't decide to go evil all of the sudden for no reason."

"That's a story for another time." Selene replied. "We are here."

Selene and Bryce reached the bottom of the stairs and found themselves in front of a large stone door. There were various warnings carved into the stone, hieroglyphics. The Elders had enlisted powerful mages to trap Amun here. The prison was undoubtedly guarded, but that did not matter. Selene raised her hands and powerful tentacles of shadow started to tear the stone apart. Various sarcophaguses around them began to tremble and undead mummies crawled out. Bryce struck one with the torch, causing it to erupt in flames.

"Of course there are mummies." Bryce remarked. "How about something original?"

"They are just a distraction." Selene said. "Take cover."

Bryce ducked as Selene raised her hands and unleashed a circular wave of shadows that destroyed the mummies. She then directed the shadow into the stone door and caused it to shatter. They went into the next room and found a reversed golden pyramid in the center of the larger pyramid they were in. She could feel Amun inside, but sensed a curse had been placed on it.

"I am sorry, Bryce." Selene said. "You will be set free once the Trinity has been reunited, but for now, a sacrifice is needed."

"What?" Bryce asked. "No, wait. What about my revenge?"

Selene wrapped one of her shadow tentacles around Bryce and lifted him off the ground. He screamed and struggled as she placed him on the top of the pyramid. Instantly, the gold began to engulf his body like quicksand. Once he was fully absorbed, the pyramid started to glow and a figure was expelled from it, landing in the sand. Amun was wearing grey prisoner robes, while his dark skin and black hair were glistening in gold dust. He started brushing it off as he rose to his feet.

"Welcome back, my friend." Selene said.

"How long has it been?" Amun asked.

"I have much to tell you, but not here." Selene replied. "Your escape will not go unnoticed and we cannot face the full might of the Heavens just yet."

"Why face the Heavens?" Amun asked. "We are free."

"We still need to free Baldr." Selene replied. "He is up there, where Odin can keep watch over him."

"Odin is not the only one up there." Amun noted. "Are you sure you want to face them again after everything that has happened?"

"We don't have a choice." Selene said. "We need to finish what we started, no matter how painful some reunions might be."

"I guess it can't be helped then." Amun replied.

Amun looked at the old grey robes he was wearing and frowned. He waved his hand over the crude fabric and transmuted it into a cloak of gold embossed cotton. The two members of the Trinity nodded at each other and disappeared through columns of grey orbs.

Xxx

The End