For the person who was confused: I already have. Go back and skim over the last few chapters.
Feed the review-a-saurus. Or it will eat you. :::Chomp:::
I own nothing.
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XV. GELIDUS
Seiji felt like he was burning up. He had never been one to get sick, so he wasn't used to running any kind of fever. This was a good thing, however. Despite the discomfort he was in, it was a very good thing. The man was preoccupied with a way to 'help' the seers and the Lady Detective, killing the Partner and others like him, and, in the end, disposing of the unworthy ones.
For the past two days, he had forgotten to sedate Seiji.
And now his body was going through withdrawal.
Seiji pushed the feeling aside. He didn't have time to be distracted by minor things like that. He was putting all of his energy into concentrating on two familiar thought patterns. Three really, if you counted his captor. He had been tracking him for sometime now. Seiji was searching for a friend who was his brother in every way except in the genetic sense. It was proving to be difficult. Perhaps the same thing that kept Halo out of his reach was blocking out Drew, as well. He didn't even bother with Iceani, he had never been able to talk to her mind Seiji. knew they were in New York. Where, was the problem. The second was someone he had only known for a very brief amount of time. The Partner, Jake McCartey. It had been a long time, though, and the way people think change. He thought that he had read his name in the paper; he was a homicide detective now. He wasn't as sure as he had been before, about McCartey being in New York. He was looking anyway.
Seiji wasn't trying to 'talk' with either of them. That would take more than he had at the moment, but that didn't mean that he couldn't influence one of them. He knew where the man was going. He had a tendency to talk about what he was doing.
His brow furrowed. It was was becoming more difficult to focus. He had made it through tougher, and he didn't want another person to die.
Seiji's eyes flew open.
He did it.
He didn't know who, but he did it.
Seiji promptly passed out.
* * * *
It would be time soon. He was so excited that he could finally help the little girl. He had been waiting so long to send Mary to the others. She would like it there. He knew she would. There, she wouldn't have to grow up and learn how truly disgusting and perverted this world was. Mary could keep her innocence. She would always be a child in the other place. With no worries that adults had to face. But then, there were no worries or troubles in the better place.
He would make sure her picture was the prettiest thing he did. So she would be as happy as he was when it was finished.
He smiled when he saw Mary and her mother.
The mother would have to go. She wasn't one of the few. It was too bad, they were both very pretty. He would give the mother a picture too, so Mary wouldn't be sad to see her go.
He needed to wait a little longer. He would get them right before they left.
Then he could move on to the others.
* * * *
Danny had been right. It was a nice day. A nice two days, really. It had warmed up a bit, and the snow had stopped falling. The sky was nearly clear.
Sara Pezzini sipped at her coffee on the bench while she waited for her partner to get through the vendor's line. The Captain was in a bad mood again. Well, that was nothing too unusual, but it was worse today. She didn't want to be around to see what he might do, so she had gone to get coffee. As far way from the station as she could walk.
Jake sat down next to her and let his drink cool off.
"We can't stay out here the whole day."
"I know, Jake. We have a bad guy to catch."
"Yep."
They drank in silence until he broke he broke the moment with a question.
"What?"
" . . . What?"
"I thought I heard my name."
She laughed at him and pulled him out of the bench.
"Let's go back to the station, and the psychiatrist you thought was so 'smart' can see what the voices want."
Jake rolled his eyes at her.
"I forgot to laugh."
Sara looped her arm through Jake's and they walked in the direction of the station. She stumbled to halt when he stopped walking a few minutes later. She looked up to see him staring down a side street.
"Jake?"
"We need to go this way." He pointed down the street.
"No," she said, somewhat confused, "we have to go this way. To the office."
"I know. But we have to go this way. I don't know why."
Jake started down Highland street, leaving Sara behind. She shook her head and followed him. He was walking at a fast pace.
"What's the hurry?"
"I don't know."
There wasn't anything wrong with him, was there? This wasn't typical Jake behavior. She bumped into another person. Sara turned to apologize, only to see the retreating figure of Ian Nottingham. He must have recovered from yesterday. At the moment she didn't care that she was being followed. Sara was more concerned bout her partner's change in demeanor at the moment.
Jake sped up.
"Jake?!"
In the park up ahead a woman screamed.
They both took off running toward the sound. She had a hard time keeping up with Jake. He was fast. Being taller than her didn't help much, too. A man ran across the street with a young girl in his arms. A blonde woman followed, yelling for help. She and Jake followed the man and woman.
"Police!! Halt!!" Sara screamed at the man. He took a look behind him and kept running. She knew where he was headed. The street teed of at a bridge that ran across a small portion of the river. From there he could only go back the way he came, or to the highway.
The Witchblade began to glow. She felt so cold all of the sudden. The feeling lifted as soon as it had come. She ignored it and continued after the man.
She could see the end of the street ahead. The man slowed down and looked behind him again. In his distraction, he missed Nottingham, who had came out of no where and grabbed the girl out of his arms. What was he doing back here?
The man kept going, and slowed down again. The woman couldn't stop in time and ran into him. He took her by the hair and backed up against the railing of the bridge.
"You people don't understand!!!" The man yelled.
He had a knife out against the woman's throat. Jake had stopped several feet in front of him, and Sara had moved to the side of the man. She kept an eye on Nottingham. She couldn't figure out why he had helped her.
"Let go of her, now!" Sara ordered
Jake had pulled his gun and taken aim. She wondered how good a shot he really was.
The man looked at her. And smiled. He was nuts.
"The Lady Detective. I've been wanting to meet you."
"Sir, put your weapon down and step way from the woman." She didn't acknowledge him.
"Why do you do it?" He ignored her order, "You're not like the others. You're one of the few."
Sara glanced at her partner. He hadn't taken his eyes off of the man. Out of the corner of her eye she saw Ian shrug. The man continued on.
"You should be with the others. I need to help them. I was trying to help Mary," the woman sobbed at the mention of her daughter, "But the mother didn't want me to help her."
What? Help her? . . . . . . Oh no.
"You're like Mary, Lady Detective. I know."
"Let go of me." The woman was crying now.
"You know what you are! And you lower yourself by hiding behind the Negative! The Negations are all bad people!!"
He knew about her?
"Sir, I will ask one more time! Put down your weapon and back away from the woman!"
The man's face fell.
"Oh well. There are others to help."
He took the woman's shoulders and pushed her. Jake saw the movement and dropped his gun. The woman went over the bridge. Jake jumped after her. The river was still half frozen.
"Jake!"
Sara ran to the side of the bridge to see the both of them fall into the slow moving water. She looked back up. The man was gone.
"Damn it!!!"
She fumbled for her cell phone. It was missing. She must have dropped earlier. A glove covered hand held one out to her. Ian was still holding the little girl.
"Why are you helping?" She rushed while she dialed.
"I am doing what I am told, Sara."
She didn't have time to answer. The 911 operator had come over the line.
"911 how m-"
"I have an officer and woman down on the Highland and Cross bridge!"
"They're on their way."
She found the side of the overpass and slid down the bank. Where were they? He should be up by now. A sound caught her attention and she turned to see her partner half dragging the woman out of the water. By the time she made it to their side they were completely out of the river, and they were both on the ground.
The sirens came alive in the distance. They needed to get here soon. It started to snow again.
Sara checked the woman. Good, she was still breathing. She turned an pulled Jake's head into her lap. He was too cold.
The sirens got louder.
It was taking too long.
* * * *
Sara stared at the graveyard from the car window. She hated those places. She knew too many people who were there. The car moved when the light turned green, and the graveyard faded into the distance. She turned her head to speak to the driver.
"Hey, Joe, thanks for coming. I didn't have a way to get around since my bike's at home and the car is at the station."
"No problem, Sara. The least I could do."
She smiled at her former boss. She missed him.
"Yeah, I just want to get back to the hospital. The kicked me out since I wasn't family, and after Dante and I got into it."
"They can be like that, can't they? Don't want people disturbing the patients."
"I'm his partner. It should be close enough for them. What do they know?"
"Is McCartey awake yet?"
"When I left he wasn't. The woman, uh, Kate Morgan is. The doctors say that since her clothes were mainly synthetic materials she dried off quicker than Jake. So much for cotton."
"But he'll be all right?"
"Yeah. He has a few burns from the cold, and he might feel really tired for about a week, but he'll be fine."
"That's good."
Joe turned into the precinct parking lot and let Sara out next to her car.
"I'll se you around, Joe. Thank you, again, for the ride."
"I'm never too busy for you, Sara. Now, hurry up so you can get back."
"Bye."
She closed the door and watched him pull out on to the main road. She unlocked the driver's side door and started the engine. The hospital wasn't that far, but she didn't want to be gone that long. Who knows what would happen. Maybe Dante would yell at her for not sticking with her partner, this time. He had already screamed at her for letting her guy get away. What was she supposed to do, huh? Go looking for him and leave Jake and Mary's mother to freeze to death? The Captain's response made her want to break his neck:
If need be.
Bastard.
She followed the signs to emergency room parking and hunted for a space. Danny had mentioned that park. He must have known something. He could have given her more of a hint. She would talk to him about it the next time he made an appearance. She pulled into a space and put the car in park.
The doors swung open and The Captain came outside. They glared at each other in passing. She really hated that man. How did people end up like that? She didn't want to think about it.
Sara walked down the white hall way in the emergency room until she found the right room. In the far end of the room, the person in the bed turned his head to see who was there.
"Pez." He sounded so tired.
"Hey, Jake."
"How the woman?"
"She's fine. She's with her daughter." She pulled up a chair next to him.
"Did you hear what that guy said?"
"I was there."
"It's our guy."
"Yes it is. We have an all points bulletin put on him, and a composite drawing. After you jumped over the side of the bridge he took off. I didn't see him."
"Did Nottingham?"
"I don't know . . . I haven't decided if what you did was brave or stupid."
"Little bit of both. I didn't think the water would be so cold."
She gave him a half smile. It must be a thing with him: to worry about someone else over his own problems.
"Enough of that, Jake. How do you feel?"
"I'm tired."
"You sound like it."
"Yeah . . . I'm really cold, too." He looked down at the bandages on his arms like he hadn't noticed them before. "What's up with that?"
"Burns. From the ice."
"Oh."
"When did you wake up?"
"I don't know."
He was falling asleep on her.
"They told me that I can take you out of here if you want."
Jake nodded his head. She leaned over and kissed him.
"I'll be right back."
* * * *
He stumbled in circles and pulled at his hair. He was mad at himself. How could he?! He wasn't careful! He was supposed to be careful!
He kicked the wall next to him and screamed.
How was he supposed to help people if he wasn't careful?!?!?! The white-haired man wasn't happy to hear about what had happened. Now the police knew what he looked like, but they didn't know where he was. No one knew. Not even the white-haired man.
"No. No no no no no." He sobbed.
He was a failure. He wasn't able to help Mary. Now she would have to stay here with her unworthy mother. And he had been so pleased to see the Lady Detective that he had gotten sloppy. He should have stuck around to make sure the Partner and the mother had died, but he had left.
He backed up against the wall and slid down it. He had to calm down. There were still lots of people who needed his attention. He knew that he would never get to all the seers, but it was frustrating. He shouldn't have gone to such an open place. It was too close to where the police worked anyway.
He wasn't invincible. He wasn't infallible. Humanity had it's limitations. Ego was one of them. He should have known better. He sighed. He would learn from his mistake. That's what mistakes were for. His mother had taught him that. He wouldn't make any more mistakes like that again.
Everything would be fine.
He smiled at the thought. He began to hum the song that his mother had sung to him when he was little. It was the same one he sang to the people he sent on. It always made him happy when he heard it.
Yes.
There would be no more problems.
* * * *
Jake had made Sara take him to the office instead of home. He was still dead tired, but he didn't want to go back to his place. They had decided that this guy could find them wherever they went. They got rid of the hotel room. He could never stay in one for very long. He didn't like them.
The moment he walked through the door the office greeted him with applause and some obnoxious whistling. He gave them a tired smile.
"It's the hero of the hour." Officer Smitty slapped him on the back.
"You know me. I have to be the center of attention."
"You sound like you haven't slept in a year, man."
"I feel like it, dude."
"I'll let the 'dude' slide today. Say, man, what were you thinking?"
"You didn't know, Smitty? That was my audition for Bay Watch." He joked around even when he was about to fall asleep on his feet.
"Yeah yeah. Like they'd want you. I, uh, think your partner is getting a little impatient."
Jake looked up to see Sara with her arms crossed over her chest.
"See you around, Smitty."
"Get well, man."
He walked into their office and shut the door behind him. He sat down and put his head on his desk. Maybe he should have gone home. He was still cold too. The door opened and shut behind him and something was placed on his desk.
Coffee. At five in the afternoon. Cool.
"Thanks, Pez."
"Finish it. Then I take you home."
"Sara. I don't-"
"Dante's orders, rookie."
"Don't do that now."
Jake sat up and reached for the styrofoam cup that she had brought him. It helped keep the chill that had set in his body away for the moment.
"They've been running the composite of our guy through their computerized data banks. Maybe they'll find something."
"Maybe. Um, what about the paper work?"
"I'm bringing that with me when I take you home. It's all in my bag and ready to go."
"Then why did we come here?"
"You told me too, Jake. Remember?"
"Oh."
"Let's get you out of here."
Sara grabbed the keys off of her desk, and helped Jake to his feet. She guided him outside and unlocked the passenger side door. He leaned back into the seat and let the day catch up with him.
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Latin again: cold, frosty, icy, freezing. I'm in a title lag here.
I'm leaving for Chicago. I won't be back until Tuesday.
My brain should have recovered by then.
REVIEW!!!!!!
