VI
With Philip - or rather, Tallander - sedated for the time being, the San Francisco House was able to convene in the lounge. Alex Moreau tapped her foot nervously as she perched on the edge of a chair; Rachel Corrigan was tight-lipped and worriedly Nick Boyle glared ineffectually into the fireplace, his face as black as thunder. He hated this kind of pointless inaction. Katherine Corrigan was not present; Rachel was concerned that her daughter should not experience any more worry than was already placed on her narrow child's shoulders. The door opened slowly, and they looked up as one.
"Good evening." The thing that looked like Derek Rayne greeted them, pleasantly enough. He surveyed the sea of anxious and angry faces with calm eyes.
"I expect you want to know," he went on quietly, "who I am, and what I am doing here." He smiled round expectantly, but was met with no answering smile from the others. Nick looked about ready to spring at him. With a small sigh, the interloper settled himself on the couch, near Rachel, who started at him with such wide-eyed alarm that he couldn't help smiling.
"Please. I'm not likely to attempt anything with everyone surrounding me like this. I'm not some kind of superhuman, you know." Evidently no-one believed him. Rachel shifted uncomfortably in her seat, then spoke.
"I think you should dispense with the conciliation and just get to the point, Mr....?"
"Officer." He corrected. "Officer Paul Reichlok." Alex sat up suddenly, her eyes brightening with revelation.
"The man from the newspaper report! The one who was killed in the same accident that originally killed Tallander!"
"Precisely, Miss Moreau." He nodded politely to her. "But that, I'm afraid, was no accident, something which your Precept suspected. That is why he agreed to my presence here." Nick leapt to his feet. This was too much!
"You mean Derek just invited you to possess him?"
"Not possess, Nick." The young man blanched at such familiar use of his name. "Derek knew that San Francisco House alone could not defeat Tallander. He was aware that only one who knew him and understood his darkness could hope to achieve that. A smart man, Derek Rayne. Very smart."
"Wait." Noticeably less alarmed now - there was a genuine ring to the man's tone which comforted her - Rachel spoke up. "How do you know about the Legacy?" She received a wry smile in response.
"Because," Reichlok replied, "I was Precept of the Boston House in 1875, until my death in 1902." A collective semi-gasp went up from around the room. Reichlok seemed perversely pleased at the effect he had created. "Let us say," he went on with a wicked smile, "that I policed the undead." He broke into laughter; a sound very unlike Derek's own light, rare chuckle, but not unpleasant in itself. Alex found herself smiling faintly; his laugh had an infectious quality which was hard to ignore. She found herself thinking that Paul Reichlok must have been quite a man to know in life. Rachel and Nick stared at her in amazement, and she smiled a little shamefully.
"I guess we're all a little stir-crazy." Reichlok nodded.
"There's something I'd like to know." Alex went on, feeling it necessary to redeem herself in the eyes of her colleagues. "How did you persuade Derek to just let you take over his body, as you claim? I find it hard to believe that he could be so impulsive where the safety of Philip and even the whole Legacy could be at stake." Nick snorted at this, earning him a surprising glare from the visitor.
"As I said," he replied, addressing Alex and Rachel, "your Precept is a smart man. I must admit that his remarkable psi ability didn't harm my case, either; he saw through me the events which happened almost a hundred years ago; saw what Tallander was, saw who I was; and made his decision on the basis of what he saw. Reasonably enough?"
"Hardly." Nick spoke for the first time, his eyes burning with repressed rage. "How the hell can you two just sit here and listen to this?" he demanded, rounding on the women. "We don't know that a word of this is the truth - and even if it is, how do we know we can trust Derek?" To their astonishment, Reichlok leapt to his feet and fixed Nick with a vicious glare. "You may question my integrity, Mr. Boyle," his cool tone did not match the venom in his eyes. "I can understand and respect that; after all you don't know me, and I could be a danger to the Legacy and all those whom you hold dear. But I will not accept your snide, slanderous treatment of Derek Rayne's character! A man who has risked his life for you more times than either of you probably remember! I must say it hardly seems to me that you are worthy of the respect and affection he has for you." The tirade over, Reichlok sank back in his seat, slowly simmering down, frowning in annoyance at his own foolhardiness in allowing his temper to get the better of him, knowing no doubt that it would harm his case. Rachel and Alex looked aghast; Nick looked bewildered. and, surprisingly, chastened.
"Okay." He muttered. "I'm sorry. I didn't really think that Derek was working against us." He glanced at the others, who were still staring at Reichlok.
"I accept your apology on his behalf, Nick." The other replied, smiling slightly to indicate that the flash of anger was fully under his control. Nick looked at Alex and Rachel. "That still doesn't mean we should accept what this guy is saying as the truth." No-one replied.
"Well?"
"I believe him." Rachel said slowly. Nick frowned, and turned to Alex. "What about you?"
"I believe him too, Nick." She held up a hand to forestall Boyle's angry objections. "But I think we should wait for some definite proof."
"Proof?" Reichlok shook his head. "I don't see how I can prove any of what I'm saying." He gave a small shrug, as if he had not expected such a ridiculous suggestion.
"If we could speak to Derek," Rachel began. The visitor sighed.
"Doctor Corrigan, regretfully this is not a horror B-movie; I can't simply switch from person to person so easily. Have you any idea of how painful it was for Derek in the first place? 'Possession' as you like to call it, is neither easy nor harmless. Derek Rayne was noble enough to accept the agony in order to defeat Tallander." Rachel looked abashed but said nothing. Alex passed a hand over her eyes, suddenly overwhelmed by it all; in a voice which trembled with the threat of tears, she inquired,
"Is that why you're here, officer Reichlok? To defeat Tallander?"
"Why else, Alex? You must believe me," he met each of the gazes, finally focusing on Nick, who still stared with cold belligerence. "I'm on your side, the side of the good. I would no more be tempted by the dark side than your Derek Rayne would. We're very alike, he and I. There is no material proof I can give you that what I say is true; all I can ask is that you look at me, consider my words, and judge for yourselves. If you have as much respect for Derek's strength and compassion that I believe you do, you will judge rightly." At the end of this impassioned, but softly spoken speech, Reichlok raised his head and met the eyes of each individual in the room; quiet eyes which held the same expression of benevolence, calm, trustabiity and profound inner strength as Derek Rayne's. Rachel gazed into them and knew that she would trust this man with her life, her friend's, even her daughter's. Alex gazed into them and saw, somewhere, deep inside, the same passion and tenderness, hidden by an outward aura of calm, that she had come to love and value in Derek. Nick gazed into those eyes and saw the same fire which burned in his own reckless soul, in the form of a man who had protected him in one way or another all his life. But was that enough reason to gamble his own life, the others, perhaps even to risk the whole Legacy? He lowered his eyes. "I believe you."
It was enough.
With Philip - or rather, Tallander - sedated for the time being, the San Francisco House was able to convene in the lounge. Alex Moreau tapped her foot nervously as she perched on the edge of a chair; Rachel Corrigan was tight-lipped and worriedly Nick Boyle glared ineffectually into the fireplace, his face as black as thunder. He hated this kind of pointless inaction. Katherine Corrigan was not present; Rachel was concerned that her daughter should not experience any more worry than was already placed on her narrow child's shoulders. The door opened slowly, and they looked up as one.
"Good evening." The thing that looked like Derek Rayne greeted them, pleasantly enough. He surveyed the sea of anxious and angry faces with calm eyes.
"I expect you want to know," he went on quietly, "who I am, and what I am doing here." He smiled round expectantly, but was met with no answering smile from the others. Nick looked about ready to spring at him. With a small sigh, the interloper settled himself on the couch, near Rachel, who started at him with such wide-eyed alarm that he couldn't help smiling.
"Please. I'm not likely to attempt anything with everyone surrounding me like this. I'm not some kind of superhuman, you know." Evidently no-one believed him. Rachel shifted uncomfortably in her seat, then spoke.
"I think you should dispense with the conciliation and just get to the point, Mr....?"
"Officer." He corrected. "Officer Paul Reichlok." Alex sat up suddenly, her eyes brightening with revelation.
"The man from the newspaper report! The one who was killed in the same accident that originally killed Tallander!"
"Precisely, Miss Moreau." He nodded politely to her. "But that, I'm afraid, was no accident, something which your Precept suspected. That is why he agreed to my presence here." Nick leapt to his feet. This was too much!
"You mean Derek just invited you to possess him?"
"Not possess, Nick." The young man blanched at such familiar use of his name. "Derek knew that San Francisco House alone could not defeat Tallander. He was aware that only one who knew him and understood his darkness could hope to achieve that. A smart man, Derek Rayne. Very smart."
"Wait." Noticeably less alarmed now - there was a genuine ring to the man's tone which comforted her - Rachel spoke up. "How do you know about the Legacy?" She received a wry smile in response.
"Because," Reichlok replied, "I was Precept of the Boston House in 1875, until my death in 1902." A collective semi-gasp went up from around the room. Reichlok seemed perversely pleased at the effect he had created. "Let us say," he went on with a wicked smile, "that I policed the undead." He broke into laughter; a sound very unlike Derek's own light, rare chuckle, but not unpleasant in itself. Alex found herself smiling faintly; his laugh had an infectious quality which was hard to ignore. She found herself thinking that Paul Reichlok must have been quite a man to know in life. Rachel and Nick stared at her in amazement, and she smiled a little shamefully.
"I guess we're all a little stir-crazy." Reichlok nodded.
"There's something I'd like to know." Alex went on, feeling it necessary to redeem herself in the eyes of her colleagues. "How did you persuade Derek to just let you take over his body, as you claim? I find it hard to believe that he could be so impulsive where the safety of Philip and even the whole Legacy could be at stake." Nick snorted at this, earning him a surprising glare from the visitor.
"As I said," he replied, addressing Alex and Rachel, "your Precept is a smart man. I must admit that his remarkable psi ability didn't harm my case, either; he saw through me the events which happened almost a hundred years ago; saw what Tallander was, saw who I was; and made his decision on the basis of what he saw. Reasonably enough?"
"Hardly." Nick spoke for the first time, his eyes burning with repressed rage. "How the hell can you two just sit here and listen to this?" he demanded, rounding on the women. "We don't know that a word of this is the truth - and even if it is, how do we know we can trust Derek?" To their astonishment, Reichlok leapt to his feet and fixed Nick with a vicious glare. "You may question my integrity, Mr. Boyle," his cool tone did not match the venom in his eyes. "I can understand and respect that; after all you don't know me, and I could be a danger to the Legacy and all those whom you hold dear. But I will not accept your snide, slanderous treatment of Derek Rayne's character! A man who has risked his life for you more times than either of you probably remember! I must say it hardly seems to me that you are worthy of the respect and affection he has for you." The tirade over, Reichlok sank back in his seat, slowly simmering down, frowning in annoyance at his own foolhardiness in allowing his temper to get the better of him, knowing no doubt that it would harm his case. Rachel and Alex looked aghast; Nick looked bewildered. and, surprisingly, chastened.
"Okay." He muttered. "I'm sorry. I didn't really think that Derek was working against us." He glanced at the others, who were still staring at Reichlok.
"I accept your apology on his behalf, Nick." The other replied, smiling slightly to indicate that the flash of anger was fully under his control. Nick looked at Alex and Rachel. "That still doesn't mean we should accept what this guy is saying as the truth." No-one replied.
"Well?"
"I believe him." Rachel said slowly. Nick frowned, and turned to Alex. "What about you?"
"I believe him too, Nick." She held up a hand to forestall Boyle's angry objections. "But I think we should wait for some definite proof."
"Proof?" Reichlok shook his head. "I don't see how I can prove any of what I'm saying." He gave a small shrug, as if he had not expected such a ridiculous suggestion.
"If we could speak to Derek," Rachel began. The visitor sighed.
"Doctor Corrigan, regretfully this is not a horror B-movie; I can't simply switch from person to person so easily. Have you any idea of how painful it was for Derek in the first place? 'Possession' as you like to call it, is neither easy nor harmless. Derek Rayne was noble enough to accept the agony in order to defeat Tallander." Rachel looked abashed but said nothing. Alex passed a hand over her eyes, suddenly overwhelmed by it all; in a voice which trembled with the threat of tears, she inquired,
"Is that why you're here, officer Reichlok? To defeat Tallander?"
"Why else, Alex? You must believe me," he met each of the gazes, finally focusing on Nick, who still stared with cold belligerence. "I'm on your side, the side of the good. I would no more be tempted by the dark side than your Derek Rayne would. We're very alike, he and I. There is no material proof I can give you that what I say is true; all I can ask is that you look at me, consider my words, and judge for yourselves. If you have as much respect for Derek's strength and compassion that I believe you do, you will judge rightly." At the end of this impassioned, but softly spoken speech, Reichlok raised his head and met the eyes of each individual in the room; quiet eyes which held the same expression of benevolence, calm, trustabiity and profound inner strength as Derek Rayne's. Rachel gazed into them and knew that she would trust this man with her life, her friend's, even her daughter's. Alex gazed into them and saw, somewhere, deep inside, the same passion and tenderness, hidden by an outward aura of calm, that she had come to love and value in Derek. Nick gazed into those eyes and saw the same fire which burned in his own reckless soul, in the form of a man who had protected him in one way or another all his life. But was that enough reason to gamble his own life, the others, perhaps even to risk the whole Legacy? He lowered his eyes. "I believe you."
It was enough.
