The Storm Chapter 12

The Storm Touches Down

The Cascade Museum, 18 November.

"Well, what do you think?"  Blair focused his attention on the two figures on the wide portico.

"I don't know.  Doesn't look like they're fighting."  Brian Rafe glanced over at the police observer.  "Would he force her to go to the station if she refused?"

"That depends on a lot of things, Rafe."  He turned worried blue eyes on the pair, watching as the sentinel laid his hand on the young woman's back.  She didn't seem to be fighting him and after a long moment, she leaned against him, letting Jim pull her to her feet.  "Looks like they're heading out."

"I guess we'd better not let them catch us spying on them."  Rafe responded softly, turning toward the car.

Blair didn't say anything.  He simply met his sentinel's glance before turning to follow the nattily dressed detective. 

Outside the Central Precinct, 18 November.

Jim pulled the truck to a stop in the parking lot across from the station. He didn't want to pull into the parking garage and force AJ to into an enclosed area filled with police cruisers and police officers.  She had agreed to come with him to the precinct, but he wasn't about to push it.  She was already pale and shaking.

"Hidalga?" Jim kept his voice gentle as he spoke to her.

Wide eyes turned to meet his.  "I'm ready."

"Right."  Jim murmured with a rueful smile.  She was a stubborn cuss. "Just don't stop in the middle of the street.  Too much traffic.  If you want to stop before we go inside, I'll understand."

She turned away, her eyes on the station doors again and he heard the faint whisper of a prayer.  It amazed him to hear the familiar Latin words she was murmuring under her breath when she was scared – he'd expected Quechua, but instead he got old Latin.  Vaguely, he realized it was a prayer he had heard Sally recite many times – one asking for strength and aid in times of trials.  Still shaking his head, Jim got out of the truck and went to the passenger door.

"Ready to meet my friends, my tribe?"  He asked quietly.

She nodded and let him pull her from the truck.  Once on the sidewalk though, she froze. She shook her head, backing into the truck.  "How about we don't do this?  I don't have to be part of the tribe.  I'll live without it."

"Kyrie Alessandre."  Jim growled the words softly but their affect was startling.

"Da, ee shto vyi hatit'yte ya magoo?" //What more do you want from me?// The pale face turned to him. "I'm scared and it's stupid and I know it."

"What did you say?"  He was puzzled by the strange words.

"I know your police are safer than the ones I met in SudAmerica.  I know I don't have to be afraid of them – but it doesn't stop the fear."  She replied, biting her lip in frustration.  Then she closed her eyes and Jim could see and hear her calming herself.

"No, I was asking what you said before you said you were afraid."  He watched as a frown appeared over her eyes and then she shrugged it away.  The absolute blankness that came to her face sent chills up the sentinel's spine.  "Let's head on in."

She nodded, eyes opening.  "It's snowing again."

"Yes, it is.  I think Cascade likes you, instead of raining it's been snowing since your arrival."  Jim placed his hand on her arm and escorted her into the crosswalk.  "Too bad it doesn't just give us a nice normal fall with sunny, almost warm days."

"My kind of luck."  AJ responded.  "Why did you call me that?"

"What? Kyrie? It's part of you name… the one you remember from before your accident, right?"  Jim replied.  At her nod he grinned.  "I figured it would break through your fear for a moment.  If you don't like it, I won't call you that."

Her head tilted as she thought about it as they stepped onto the plaza.  "I don't mind. I'm only used to Zel and Cage calling me that.  I could get used to it, I guess."

"Or do you prefer only letting Brian use that name?" Jim fought a laugh at the red flooding the young woman's face.  "It's okay, I think it's cute."

"You would."  AJ curled her lips at him and then her face became a mask as they stepped into the precinct.

"Detective Ellison."  Sergeant Howard smiled at them as Jim led AJ to the sign in desk.  He handed the visitor logbook to the detective, noting the quiet terror in the woman's eyes.  He'd see that kind of terror before, but not in people walking in of their own free will.  He almost said something, but caught the detective's quick head movement.

"Sergeant Howard, this is my little sister, AJ Fortaleza."  The quiet words shocked the older officer.  Around him, several other officers turned to get a look at the woman half hidden by the big detective.  "AJ, this is Sergeant Howard.  He's one of the nicest officers on the force."

"Pleased to meet you, miss."  Sergeant Howard leaned over the counter to shake her hand and decided the bright eyes and faint smile were worth the effort.

"Thank you, sergeant. I am happy to meet you as well."  AJ knew her accent was confusing the man, but his genuine friendliness made her smile at him.  She took the visitor's pass he handed her and attached it to her parka.

"Come on, kid.  We've got people waiting for us."  Jim's grin was almost infectious as he ushered her past the desk.

"Who?"

"Blair and Brian are upstairs. We're going to lunch with them, after I introduce you to everyone."  The sentinel heard the instant spike in her heart rate and he chuckled.  He was not about to tell her that both of the young men had witnessed the scene on the museum steps or the fact that he knew for a fact that Rafe had broken a lot of traffic laws to get them back so fast.  As it was, both were hovering near the elevator, waiting for their arrival. "Nervous about seeing him here?"

"No. Just…" She looked away embarrassed.

They stopped at the elevator door, waiting for the car to arrive.  Several uniformed officers escorting prisoners joined them. Eyes focused on the silvery cuffs and chains on their wrists, AJ backed into Ellison. Seeing the problem, he quickly shifted so she was tucked against the wall and he stood between her and the prisoners.

"Hey, Ellison." One of the uniforms acknowledged the detective.  "How's Sandburg? I haven't seen much of him lately."

At the comment, AJ peered at the man, noting the wide smile and friendly eyes. 

"Tom.  Blair's fine, he's been busy at the university this week."  Jim replied, noting the movement of the woman beside him. He shifted so she didn't have to peer around his shoulder.  "Tom Dixon, this is my sister, AJ Fortaleza.  She's visiting from Peru."

The officer didn't ask the questions that were instantly in his eyes. Instead he simply nodded. "Ms. Fortaleza."

"Officer," AJ's eyes widened as she caught the prisoner's movement beside the smiling officer's partner.

Even as she spoke, the handcuffed man grabbed for his guard's weapon.  The move caught all three uniformed officers by surprise.  Before they could move, the youngest officer had a pistol digging into his throat.  She saw his name tag fly off his uniform and barely had time to read it, K. Carmine, before she felt as if her scalp was being ripped off her already throbbing head.

The armed convict's companions had taken advantage of their friends' actions and one had managed to grab AJ's long braid, dragging her into their group.  The third man wrapped his arm around her throat, pulling her tightly against his chest.  She watched as Tom Dixon, Jim, and the other guard backed away, their hands raised placatingly, eying the men and their hostages warily.

"Where are the keys?"  The man snarled.  Around him police officers were moving civilians out of the line of fire. He kept his back to the wall and kept glancing from one target to another.

"Let them go."  Ellison kept his hands out spread, trying not to panic the man in front of him. "There's nowhere for you to run.  You've already got too many witnesses to get away with this."

"Right.  We've got a cop and a cop's sister as hostages. You won't risk us hurting them." The man replied, tightening his grip on the cop in question.

Beside him, AJ had her fingers curled around the arm at her throat.  Her eyes were locked on the sentinel, waiting for him to give her a clue as to how he wanted her to react.  The faint shake of his head made her close her eyes in frustration.  She stiffened as the man behind her whispered in her ear. 

"In your dreams."  She heard the sentinel whisper in response to the man's crude words and she saw the mounting fury in Ellison's eyes. This was not supposed to happen. She was not supposed to be used as a bargaining chip against a sentinel. Around her the sound of running feet and the faint alarms told their own story. The rest of the PD was coming to the aid of their own. The three men in the funny orange coveralls didn't have a chance and that meant trouble for her and the other captive.

 "You don't want us hurting her, do you Detective?" The man behind her taunted the sentinel. As his hand began to move on her, AJ decided that she wasn't about to let this continue.

"If you do not stop right now, I will remove your hand at the wrist and force feed it to you."  She growled.  The man behind her froze at the pure fury in her voice and the one with the pistol turned a stunned face to her. The police officer grimaced, choking at the change in position.  "Let him breathe, you idiota. If you kill him, you die too."

"AJ, don't." The soft warning from Ellison made AJ smile. 

She slipped her hand inside her parka; glad she'd never gotten around to zipping it closed.  Her fingers wrapped around the small pouch hanging from her belt, her eyes meeting the sentinel's.  Slowly she pulled out a dart.  She'd neglected to paint a new set with curare and this was her last one.  She let her eyebrow raise and saw the small motion as Jim signaled the one with the pistol.

"Goodnight, sweet prince." She quoted as her arm whipped up, slamming into the hand with the pistol.  The dart pierced deeply into his wrist as the pistol fell from the numb fingers.  A split-second later, the curare dropped him to the floor.

As she moved, Jim attacked the prisoner on her left, slamming him against the wall.  The man's weak grip on AJ's braid loosened as he grappled with the angry detective.  The moment it fell from his hand, Ellison tossed the man towards the waiting wall of police officers.  He was subdued and quickly shoved out of their way as the group turned to face the last of the escapees.

At the moves of both the detective and the hostage, he had stepped backwards, pulling AJ with him.  Seeing the collected wall of police officers, he tightened his grip, making the edges of AJ's vision go dark.

"Stay back or I'll snap her neck!" The man yelled.

AJ gasped painfully, trying to make out Ellison's face.  She could sense his rage and a voice in the back of her mind began chanting for blood.  The man let up slightly and she took a deep breath.  The worry in the sentinel's eyes as well as the guilt she could read in his voice as he tried talking to her captor broke through her control.  No one was allowed to use a sagrado against a sentinel. 

The king knife's rage was building, it was bound to her, as it had been bound since the night she had sworn with her blood to protect this sentinel. By ritual and by right, no one was allowed to hold a sagrado once those vows were made.  The knife screamed for blood, the ancient chants singing through her mind as it called to her for revenge. She couldn't let this happen.  She didn't even hesitate, as she let her training take over.

Slamming her head back, she nearly screamed in pain as the man's nose smashed against the bruises on her skull. She turned the pain and her fury on him, moving with a speed she had not realized she possessed. 

"Rafe! Catch her before she kills him!" She dimly recognized Ellison's voice but it was vague and faraway.  The rage burned, begging her to kill the man who had tried to hold her hostage against the sentinel.  The whispery voice of the king knife became stronger, promising her revenge for her humiliation.

Arms came from behind her and wrapped themselves around her, pinning her arms.  A voice whispered in her ear.  The soft voice, filled with worry and love was all it took, and immediately both the unusual rage and the knife's voice were gone.  Only the pain remained and she sagged in the familiar grip.

"Kyrie?"  Brian's voice made her open her eyes and try to focus on him.  "Hey, bright eyes. Head hurt again?"

She nodded painfully.  "Forgot about it."

"Thought so when I saw you ram him."  Brian was amused.  "So, do you need to see the doctor or can I let you go?"

"Mmm."  She turned in his arms and let him tuck her head under his chin.

"Why is it that anytime Jim brings someone to the precinct something happens?"  Blair's voice came from behind them.  The observer was looking around the crowded lobby, shaking his head at the sight of all the worried looks being shot their way. From the glowers of the detectives helping escort the troublemakers away, he knew he'd missed something. "Is she okay, Brian?"

"I think so.  Just aggravated her headache."  He cradled her head with his hand, gently touching the bandage. "No blood, so I don't think she tore any of the stitches.  How's Carmine?"

"Shaken. Bet he doesn't look away from his prisoners again."  Jim replied.  "Hidalga, open your eyes and look at me."

AJ opened her eyes and glared at the sentinel.  He grinned and held up his hand, asking, "How many fingers?"

"Iskay."

"In English."

"Two." 

"Rafe, is she okay, bro?" The new voice caught her attention and AJ saw three big men approaching.  The worried looks and the concerned voices made her frown slightly.  She didn't know them, so why were they worried about her.  She knew she'd seen them in the crowd of police officers, but that was it.

Rafe almost laughed at the confused look on her face.  The rumor mill was already spreading the idea that Ellison's little sister was in town.  It wouldn't take long for the news of her contented sojourn in his arms to follow, so he decided to liven it up a little. Leaning down, he gently placed a kiss on her lips.  He grinned at her bemused expression. 

"She's going to be fine, Henri." He replied quietly, turning Kyrie to face the rest of the Major Crimes department.

"Miss Fortaleza," Simon Banks looked down at the woman blinking at him bemusedly and fought a grin.  Brian had definitely calmed her down, befuddled her too.  "How about we take this up to the offices?  There will be less people there and I think you'd prefer a little oasis of calm."

She looked from Simon's expectant smile and his offered arm to Rafe's amused grin and nodded her acquiescence. Immediately he let his arms drop from her waist and let her step away.  He followed as the captain gently led her onto the elevator.

"Nice lady." Brown teased, his happy grin full of amusement at the scene he'd just witnessed. "And completely wrapped around his fingers."

"That's true. And he's about as badly besotted as she is."  Ellison added, gesturing that the rest of them would wait for the next elevator.  "Better let it go."

"Why?"  Joel asked watching the door close.

"In three moves she disarmed one assailant and broke free of another, breaking his nose and shattering his wrist."  The detective quickly stepped into the next elevator.  "Do you really think she needs to be crowded right now?  Even with Rafe right there beside her?"


The two big men looked at each other warily.  "And she's your sister?"

Jim smiled.  "Yep."

"Aw, this is gonna be a fun match."  Joel mused.  "Rafe is as shy and quiet a cop as I've ever seen and she's as dangerous as you are.  She won't hurt him, will she?"

"What makes you think Rafe isn't dangerous?"  Henri asked in reply.  He'd managed once to get his partner drunk enough to talk about his life before coming to the US. He promised himself never to let the other man get drunk again – the icy fury and determination in the mild speaking, fancy dresser had scared him witless.  "He took on the hand to hand instructor and took him down faster than anyone on record except Ellison."

Both Taggart and Ellison looked at Brown thoughtfully.  Neither were too surprised, the S.W.A.T. leader had been seriously upset by Rafe's transfer and had only yielded when Rafe promised to help out if he was needed.  They also knew the quiet man had a reputation among the sharpshooters, but he never said much about it so they didn't ask.  Now they wondered what else they'd missed.

Once in the bullpen, Jim fought off a grin.  AJ was ensconced at Rafe's desk, with Rafe introducing her to the others.  Jim and Blair stood back and watched as Henri and Joel quickly joined the group talking to the couple.

"Well, at least she seems to fit in."  Blair commented quietly, an amused smile on his face.

"It's what she is."  Jim replied, eyes thoughtful.  "Think about it, Chief. How long would she survive if she couldn't make alliances?  Now that she knows she's accepted, life just got easier on all of us."

Blair nodded.  "But you're not the one doing the introductions. That doesn't fit the pattern."

"I brought her here.  I introduced her to the desk sergeant and several others.  After that idiot downstairs grabbed her, I gave her to Brian."  The sentinel was watching AJ, his mind busy, thinking about what had happened.  "I publicly acknowledged her as part of my tribe and gave my approval for her to be seeing Rafe."  He sighed.  "But there was something else going on down there, and I don't understand it."

"What happened, Jim?  I mean besides the fact that I thought she was going to rip that guy's head off?"  Blair asked, his attention fully on his sentinel.

"I'm not too sure."  The sentinel shrugged. "I'll tell you as soon as I figure it out."

"Do that."  Blair settled against the desk, half perching on a corner.  From the look he shot the older man, the sentinel knew it would be brought up again when the guide could help him figure it all out if he needed to.  "Sure makes an interesting scene, doesn't it?"

"Yeah, it does." The two men grinned.

It was not obvious, but Rafe had tucked Fortaleza in the corner behind his desk. The wall and the desk kept the other detectives from crowding her.  AJ kept her eyes averted until Brian actually introduced them to her.  She was polite, meeting their eyes and shaking their hands, but otherwise she was very much staying securely in his shadow.  The detectives quickly adjusted their voices and gestures, softening and gentling their approach. 

At least that was the situation until Megan and the other ladies of Major Crimes arrived. The Australian laughed aloud and quickly managed to displace Rafe, pulling Felicia Jean with her as she exclaimed,  "You're Rafe's secret lady? How on earth did you keep Ellison from finding out?"

"I just…"

"Avoided telling him or me!  I thought we agreed we were going to be friends?"  She rolled her eyes and gave the younger woman a quick hug.  "You have to tell me how you pulled it off.  Have you met Felicia?"

The sentinel grinned as her uncomfortable expression melted into one of slow acceptance.  "I think this is going to work out just fine."

"Depends on what Simon's about to say."  Blair murmured, having seen the Captain's door opening.

Simon placed a bottle of Tylenol on Rafe's desk, "You said you had a headache, this should help."

"Gracias, Capítan." She grinned, picking up the bottle and reading the back of it. The quick glance she shot at Jim and Blair reassured her and she opened it, pouring out the painkillers. 

"Kitten? Catch."  Jim called, holding up a sealed bottle of water.  At her raised hand, he tossed it across the room.  The photographer dropped the pills onto Rafe's desk, both hands coming up reflexively to catch the plastic bottle.

Henri and the others grinned broadly at the interplay.  As she quickly downed the pills, H turned on the senior detective, a speculative look on his face.  "If you call her kitten, what does she call you?"

Jim shot a quick glare at her, but she was already responding with a quiet, "A pain."

The innocent expression and Blair's choked laughter was all it took.  Henri rolled his eyes at his partner and began laughing. Ellison only glared harder and Fortaleza blinked at him before grinning wickedly. "I take it they're always like this?"

Rafe shrugged and grinned.  "Sometimes… when both are in good moods."

"Okay, people."  Simon interrupted.  His gruff demeanor was spoiled by the smile lurking in his eyes and at corner of his mouth.  "You all have work to do – so get to it."

Blair fought a grin as he picked up his coffee mug from the corner of Jim's desk.  It was cold.  He took a quick sip, grimacing at the bitter dregs, and deciding he definitely needed a new cup of coffee.  "So do you think this'll fix the trust problem?"

"It better."  Jim replied, eying the pile of evidence bags on his desk.  He raised an eyebrow at his guide and picked up a couple of them. "Let's go find out."

Blair followed a step behind as the detective crossed to Rafe's desk.  He laid the evidence bags on the desktop, smoothing the plastic out so the stones were fully displayed. "Hidalga? Can you give me any clues as to what these are?"

Her silver and green eyes flickered quickly from the sentinel to his guide before landing on the evidence bags.  Her eyes widened as her face went pale.  Gingerly, she tugged one free of the long fingers trapping it against the wood.  The oily gray and black stone in the bag seemed to wink at Jim as the evidence bag slid from his grasp.

The cautious way she handled the top of the plastic bag, making sure the stone never got close to her fingers and the fierce frown as she studied it bothered the detectives.  Very carefully she set it back down, as far from her as she could without dropping it on the floor.  He noticed that she picked up the second bag with less trepidation and set it back down in front of her.  "Are there more?"

Jim nodded and gestured to his desk.  AJ looked past him and winced at the site of them.  "You want to see them?"

"No. But I must." The soft words didn't hide the slight quaver in her voice.  She closed her eyes, rubbing lightly at the bandage on her temple.

Blair nodded at Jim's gesture and went over to the desk and scooped up the pile of evidence bags, sliding them onto a file folder. After placing them on Rafe's desk, he moved to Jim's side. Something about the stones seemed to grate on his nerves, setting off internal alarms, and the feeling was getting worse.

AJ's moves were quick and economical.  Taking a quick look at each stone, she flicked the bags into different groups.  The sharp flips of her wrist and the slight thumps of the stones hitting the wooden desktop drew a circle of observers.  Halfway through examining the stones she frowned, glancing at the lone black and gray stone on the far side of the desk.  She grabbed an empty coffee mug, upended it, and placed it over the stone.  Then she went back to sorting the other evidence bags.

Once they were sorted, she picked up pen and pointed at the first grouping of evidence bags, nine in all.  "This group is Etruscan.  These two are door guards – marked with the gods of the underworld, fire, strength, and pain.  Whoever disturbs these or the door they guard face their wrath – death by dismemberment and/or torture.  These are warding stones – territorial markers. Innocuous. Can be used to mark an initiate of one of the gods, like an amulet. These taboo markers – they mark those destined for ordeal sacrifice, to satisfy the blood lust of the gods. This one is a gate token – believed to mark safe passage from one world to the next."

The pen moved to the next group of stones.  "Old Minoan. Door guards to the labyrinth and the mysteries of the gods."  One by one, without pausing, she identified the parent religions and the meanings of the different markers.  Sumerian. Hittite. Toltec. Natche. Nuatl. Egyptian. Mithraic. Pre-Vedic Indic. And there were several she couldn't name at all.

"What's the common denominator?"  Blair asked quietly.

Fortaleza's forehead wrinkled as she stared at the groups of stones.  "They were all small death cults, most with sun worship as a major part of their religion.  Where did they come from?"

"All over Cascade."  Jim replied shortly.

"How long have they been showing up?"

"The first one was found at a crime scene in July."  Henri Brown replied.

AJ swayed, her eyes closing briefly.  Immediately, Rafe moved forward, steadying her with an arm around her shoulders.  For a moment fear was etched across her face.  When it vanished she turned her attention back to Jim.  "We are in big trouble, Enqueri."

"What do you mean?"  Jim asked, moving in front of her.  He crouched down, surprised by the naked fear he'd seen.

She shook her head, grabbing her backpack and opening one of the side pockets.  She quickly pulled out several maps and a set of colored pens.  Thrusting them into Jim's hands, she glanced around the bullpen.  "Do you have a place I can spread these out?" She asked, pushing the stacks of evidence bags onto a file folder.

Jim nodded and stood, leading her to the conference room.  There he paused, "Um, kid… everything in here is—"

"I know, classified. Don't talk about it without permission in triplicate."  AJ's voice was flat but she grinned briefly.  "I've done this kind of stuff before."

"Okay."  He set the maps down on the empty conference table.

Completely ignoring the photographs and diagrams pinned to the walls, AJ dropped the evidence bags on the table.  Within minutes she had her different maps spread out on the table and was studying the notations on one of the evidence bags.  With Blair's help, she puzzled out the notations on the evidence bags and they began adding information to her maps.

"Your sister knows about the Cult we're fightin'?"  Joel's quiet question snapped Jim's attention from AJ to the group of detectives watching her and Blair work.

"She's an anthropologist, Joel."  The sentinel replied.

"Then why did she have all those things already marked on the map?"  Megan asked, eyes narrowing thoughtfully.  "I know she specializes in abo religions, but this is a bit too much of a coincidence."

"Don't go there, Connor."  Jim growled before Rafe could respond to the veiled accusation.  "AJ has worked as a specialist for the government.  She can't say exactly what she did and neither can I – but she can help us put this together.  As long as she doesn't cross the line by discussing classified material and the Feds don't realize I've gotten her to look over our problem, there shouldn't be any trouble."

"Wait a minute, Jim."  Felicia Jean's astonished murmur was loud enough to make both anthropologists look up from their work.  "Are you saying your sister is the special consultant from whom you got all that information?"

"No.  He's not saying that."  AJ answered, looking back down at the maps.  "He can't say that, because I didn't tell him about it. The cult as a whole is classified. I'm helping you with the probable identification of ward stones and sacrificial markings."

"You've done this before haven't you?"  Felicia Jean had seen the haunted look in the younger woman's eyes, and she recognized it.  She'd worked with Federal agents with the same look in their eyes – usually on murder cases, copycat killers, or escaped/released prior offenders. 

"I couldn't say, if I had."  She picked up another evidence bag and stared at it.

The soft reply was all the Texan needed to hear and she turned away with a curse spoken under her breath.  As she headed back to her desk, she paused and glared at floor before glancing at sentinel, shrugging.  "I guess it's none of my business, but she's too young for the Feds to be her dragging into this kind of stuff."

Jim only nodded, not wanting to think about the words or their meaning.  He looked over at the small crowd of detectives watching the conference room.  Some were surreptitiously watching from their desks, pretending to be doing paperwork. Others, like Joel, Henri, and Simon were watching from just outside the conference room.  He glanced at Brian Rafe and saw him staring at the overturned mug on his desk.  The edges of the evidence bag stood out where they curled against the weight of the porcelain mug.

"Jim? Make sure he leaves it alone."  The words made him turn, but AJ wasn't looking at him, she was still staring at her map. 

"Why? It's evidence."  Jim asked, watching her work. He could feel the hair on his neck beginning to stand on end.  How AJ knew Rafe was staring at the stone was not something he really wanted to think about. There were too many things about this case that he didn't want to think about.

"That one was set here, in your station. It's live."  The calm reply stunned him and the men by the door.

Jim strode over to the desk and looked at the evidence bag.  Brian glanced over at him. "No ID number or location on it." He said, gesturing to the blank area that should be labeled.

"She said it's live." Jim replied.

"I know."  The younger man shot a look at him and then glanced back down at the mug.  He missed the look the sentinel shot at him. "Guess that means she wants us to leave it alone?"

"Yep."  The sentinel thought about picking up the mug to take a look at the stone.  The sudden forbidding growl made him freeze mid-thought. The panther paced nearby, teeth bared and fur disheveled. He stepped back, thoughtfully.  It hadn't protested earlier, so why now?

"Ellison, Rafe. Get over here."  Simon's roared command brought both men into the conference room.

AJ was staring at the list of possible cult sacrifices with a frown.  Beside her, Blair was asking her if she was all right.  The young woman ignored him, moving to the picture display.  Suddenly she turned to the observer, "Blair, do you have Zel's journal with you?"

"No, they're all at the loft."  He replied, eyes widening.  "Which one do you need?"

"I don't need any of them.  You might want to look at the one from five years ago or maybe the one from 1983."  She moved back to the maps, marking in red the sites listed on the wall.  "I don't really know if they'll help, but Zel spent a good part of his life trying to stop these people."

"How much can you tell us about the cult?"  Simon asked.

She shook her head.  "Anything I'd know is classified.  I can point you to people who can help you, but I can't answer your questions."

"Why is what you know classified?"  Joel asked her, worried.

She smiled wryly, wrapping her arms around herself.  "I'm only a consultant. I don't understand the ways of the government. I follow my orders and never volunteer anything I don't have to.  It keeps me alive."

"Let it be, Joel."  Brian's voice was soft as he passed the other detectives.  He stepped close to AJ, letting one hand rest on her arm.  "You okay?"

She nodded, reaching for his hand.  "This is farther along than I was told it was."

"What does that mean?"  Jim's question made her look around Brian's side.

"It's a problem.  But I can handle it."  She replied.

"Hey, what's this doing here?"  Cassie Welles called from the bullpen.  Jim and the other detectives turned in time to see her pick up the evidence bag and open it.  Rafe's mug lay on its side on the desk.  Cassie poured the stone into her palm.  "I've been looking all over the place for this."

Simon quickly strode over to the forensic technician and stared at the clay stone as she rolled it around on her palm.  "That's yours Ms. Welles?"

"Yeah, a friend of mine made it for me.  It matches the one I wear."  Cassie raised her hand and touched a finger to the stone necklace at her throat.  "Roberto said that keeping one at my desk would be good luck."

"Are you delivering something to this department?"  Captain Banks' voice was cool as he watched the woman fidget, rearranging things on Rafe's desk.  When she shook her head he quietly told her that Serena needed her in the labs. With a sniff and a flounce the forensic worker stalked out of the bullpen.

"Cassie?"  Blair's shocked whisper echoed softly in the conference area.  "AJ why didn't you say something?"

"It's not my place to say things against your friends.  I just made sure she stays away from my exhibit."  The answer made him shake his head. 

"Who else have you seen wearing those markers?"  Jim growled.

"No one.  Just your Ms. Welles."  She refused to look up at anyone.  "I doubt she even knows what it is."

"Does anyone know her friend – the one who gave it to her?"  Brian asked quietly.

The group all shook their heads.  Simon grabbed a phone.  "Serena? Captain Banks.  We've got a problem.  Cassie's wearing one of those stones and she's got another of them on her desk."

He waited a minute and nodded.  "Serena's on her way up.  She's bringing Dan with her."

"AJ, what's the best way to stop the cult from taking Cassie?"  Jim's question made the woman go pale.

"Either you lock her up where no one you don't trust can reach her and I mean no one. Or you give them a substitute."  She turned wide eyes up to face the sentinel staring down at her.  Sadly she asked,  "How important is she to the tribe?"

"That's not the point, kid."

"Kyrie, there's got to be another way."  Brian whispered, his hand tightening on hers.

"Not that I know of.  There have been a handful of failed sacrifices – after the person has been chosen." Fortaleza shook her head thoughtfully.  "And those were stopped by warfare, the victims taken by the warriors.  They lived."

"So what's the urgent rush, Simon?"  Dan Wolfe's voice came through the doorway.  "Serena told me to get here as fast as I could.  She'll be on her way as soon as she quits yelling at Cassie."  The big man's eyes widened and his face broke out in a smile as he caught sight of the young woman between Rafe and Ellison.  "You got yourselves a ghost hunter!"

"Yakima?"  She asked.

"You put your mark next to mine at the back door a couple of weeks ago."  He replied, stepping forward and extending his hand.  "I'm Dr. Dan Wolfe.  I'm the chief medical examiner.

"AJ Fortaleza, anthropologist and photojournalist."  She replied, shaking his hand.  "I saw the inclusor linking your mark to mine.  Thank you."

"I've worked with the Ghosts before, back while I was in the Marines.  Group called themselves Shadows."  He gestured to the vest AJ wore.  "Their scout didn't have that many signs though."

She glanced at the symbols on her vest and nodded.  "Shadows were pretty young when they met you.  I've heard about you and what you did for the kinsmen."

Simon cleared his throat. "Dan, you know Ellison's sister?"

The ME looked at Fortaleza, and shook his head.  "You're the girl the gossip train is talking about?  It figures.  Congratulations, Rafe.  Heard about that too."

"Dr. Wolfe worked with one of my tribe's other clans, the Shadow Walkers.  He patched them up very well during Desert Storm.  Risked his life for them."  Fortaleza smiled.  "My kinsmen spread the word that the tribe owed him."

"I was just doing my job," Dan replied softly.

"The rest of your unit refused to leave without you and your patient.  The colonel wanted to Court Marshall you."  She shook her head.  "You held out long enough for the chain of command to get word to the right people.  My cousin didn't get shot for spying, her husband got the medical treatment he deserved, and you got an official reprimand, two medals, and a broken collarbone.  That was above and beyond duty."

"I'm a doctor.  When I can save a life, I will."  Dan's firm words made her nod.

"We still say we owe you, Dr. Wolfe.  We accept you did your duty, but we owe you for the lengths you went on our account."  An impish grin crossed her lips.  "Vasha has a son and a daughter now.  Daniel and Evangeline."

"She didn't."  Dan sighed, a fond smile crossing his face.  "I told her no child should be saddled with my name."

"Not my fault."

"Simon, Dan?"  Serena's arrival brought the conversation to a halt. 

Fortaleza quickly withdrew, sitting at a chair to study the maps.  With her head bent over the maps, the chief of the forensics department couldn't quite see her or realize she wasn't another member of the Major Crimes Unit.  Subtly, Blair, Rafe, and Henri covered her quiet retreat, allowing Simon and Ellison to explain the situation to Serena and Dan.

"You're not telling us something."  Rafe kept his voice low, not wanting to call Serena's attention to them.

"Your friend, Ms. Welles, told you wrong. The necklace and the stone are not luck.  They mark her as property of the priests and their altars."  AJ refused to look up from the map.  Her fingers quickly mapped out lines and borders between markings.  "Where are the gangs?"

"AJ," Blair's urgent whisper brought her head up.  "What can we do? Cassie is a friend."

"Everyone is someone's friend, Blair." She picked up a green pen and made a small mark on the map.  Then she met his eyes.  "What do you want me to do? I cannot persuade her that her qosa is planning on sacrificing her.  She does not like me and I do not like her. She will ignore me or think I want him in my bed. Either way I cannot stop her."

"Whoa.  You're saying the guy she's dating is one of the cult members?"  H forced himself to keep his voice low.

"He is a priest, not a member. She wears his marker.  He would not let her be with another."  There was no emotion in AJ's voice as she spoke.  "They are good at what they do.  When they wish to seduce a man or a woman – they rarely fail.  If you want her to live through this — do not let her leave the building alone. Get her away – far away and quickly.  The stone is active now. That means the time for her to be taken is soon.  From the colors and markings I would say in the next group of sacrifices."

"Aw, man."  Henri bowed his head.  "I'll go pass the word to Jim and the others."

"He knows."  Blair replied, watching the fierce expression on Jim's face as he repeated AJ's words to Serena and Dan.  The forensic chief cursed and spun heading for the door followed by Simon and Joel.

"Why didn't you say something earlier?"  Brian asked the question he knew the others wanted to ask.

"I am one person.  I thought she was a willing sacrifice.  Those I cannot stop or interfere with.  It is forbidden." 

"She's a person and no one deserves to die like that."  Henri growled.

"If your friend jumps from the bridge, is it your fault?"  Fortaleza's face was calm, only her glittering eyes showing any emotion.  "I have tried to stop the willing before -- for my troubles I was shot.  My friend left me bleeding on the forest floor and walked up the steps to the altar of her own free will."

"I…" H's face fell as he realized his blunder.

"You didn't know, H."  Brian replied, turning his attention back to AJ.  "How did you get away?"

"Who said I did?"  The silver-green eyes went flat as she answered him.  "I was dragged to the alter, to watch her death. Afterwards I was given the honor of following her  – only the perfect shot of a passing group of hunters kept me alive. They had recognized me and stepped in. The ransom for my life nearly broke my people."

"That sucks."  Blair murmured.

"Hidalga?"  Jim's quiet voice and the hand he dropped on her shoulder were both gentle.  "You need to be heading out. Joel just went to pick up the Feds and we don't want them getting anywhere near you."

She nodded, "I'll leave you the map.  It needs to have the local gang territories marked on it, then you may be able to figure out the next place the cult will use."

"Got it."  Jim held her chair as she stood.  "No wandering around out there, do you understand me?"

She rolled her eyes at him in response.

"Actually, I need to talk to her for a minute before you take her back to the museum."  Rafe jumped in.  He gestured for Dan to wait another moment before leaving.  "Kyrie, do you have any pictures of Ayuane?  Dan needs one for the ID."

AJ closed her eyes and shook her head.  "No. No pictures here.  I can id the body and call his family."

"You knew the guy on the altar?"  Henri asked.  Blair and Jim both winced, realizing who it had to be.  They had seen the body in the museum and neither wanted to see it again.

She nodded and followed Rafe and Dan out the door.  The slump in her shoulders and the hesitant steps were painful to watch.

"That's gotta hurt."  Henri commented quietly.


"You don't even realize, H."  Jim murmured. 

Major Crimes Bullpen, Late Afternoon.

"Captain Banks. I'm Agent Devereaux, FBI. We're here to take care of this problem you have. You think it's a cult?"  The agent smiled slickly and extended his hand.

"Agent Devereaux, have you ever heard of knocking before barging into a police captain's office?"  Simon Banks disliked the man on sight.  Not only was the insincere smile a dead give away as to the agent's feeling about the Cascade PD, but his words and attitude betrayed his disbelief over the situation.  Simon had worked with good FBI agents before and he had hoped that the agents sent from DC would be good ones this time, too.

"My apologies, sir. I thought you would want to speak to me immediately."  Brown eyes glanced around the room, not impressed by what he saw.  "After all, your department has over 50 d-b's and wanted Quantico's opinion."

"Agent Devereaux, I requested an opinion on the sacrificial styles.  I did not request your agency to send you to me. I can always request that they have you returned to DC."  Simon growled, looming over the smaller man by several inches.  He measured the man with his eyes, noting that he would be smaller than Ellison and with his attitude, it was obvious Devereaux considered himself to be a big man.  He couldn't wait to see that meeting – it was bound to be an interesting one.

"No, sir, you cannot.  This happens to be part of the multi-state investigation and as such, it is a Federal matter."  The oily smile crossed his face again.  "Now, I would like to see your files on the foundry case and any others that you think may be linked to the investigation."

Simon knew there was a reason he had sent Ellison and Sandburg home for the day. He decided he then and there, he was not looking forward to the meeting between the Federal Agent and his top detective.  The man's attitude promised to enrage the ex-Ranger and that would cause nothing but trouble.

"We've got a conference room ready for you."  Simon found himself responding shortly.  He only hoped Henri had managed to get everything copied for his people's private files.  Otherwise, at least three detectives were going to get reprimanded for sneaking into the FBI agent's lair.  He just knew that this jerk was about to order them off the case.

Devereaux glanced around, noting the pictures and diagrams dispassionately before nodding.  He raised a hand imperiously, beckoning the silent suits waiting in the bullpen to join him. The senior agent didn't introduce them, Simon noticed.  Instead, he commented condescendingly, "This will do nicely, Captain Banks.  As soon as we've gone over the information, we'll go over it with your people.  Say, 8:00 tomorrow morning?"

Before Simon could reply, the man started to shut the door. Then he paused, "Oh, we were advised that there's photographer who's very familiar with this kind of stuff.  A Mr. E. Alex Fortaleza y Trujillo," the agent stumbled badly over the name.  "Have you heard of him?"

Simon kept his face expressionless, "Nope.  Never heard of him. Do you think he's part of the cult?"

"I was only told to look for the man.  My superior said he'd be helpful."  Devereaux smiled again.  "If you hear about him anywhere, please, let me know."  The agent shut the conference room door on Simon's face.

"Aw, hell."  Simon murmured under his breath.  Life just got a little bit harder.  Now, instead of making sure the Feds didn't find out about her, they had to actively keep Fortaleza out of the FBI's hands.  To make things worse, they were actively looking for her… but then again, they were looking for a him.  He smiled.  Cage was out of the country, if Simon played it just right, maybe he could convince Devereaux that Cage was Alex.  Maybe this would work.  He pulled out his cell phone; he had plans to make.