Danger Zone
By Divamercury
Sorry that I tend to be AWOL quite frequently but I'm back! I'll try really hard to post more soon but right now my life is really hectic. Enjoy Chapter 18!
Chapter 18
After I'd eaten some dinner and had taken some time to calm down from my eventful afternoon, my thoughts began to run a little more smoothly than before. I was actually able to have a somewhat pleasant conversation with the Associates and forgot about my problems for longer than a millisecond. At least, until they became the topic of the conversation.
"Well, we've got some good news, Sara. We were able to trace Dante's phone call, although it was pretty difficult to isolate the signal with all of the different ones bouncing all over the place," Will announced.
"What did you do?"
Will looked around but none of the people who had helped him were there. "I think we tapped into the cell tower, but I'm not exactly sure" he said helplessly.
A technology whiz Will was not.
"Okay, so, where does that put us as far as progress goes?" I asked.
"Well, we couldn't get it down to the exact location of the call, but we have narrowed it down to a small, specific sector on the easternmost side of the warehouse district. There are only about five buildings that we'd need to check out."
"Good. Great work. Now all I have to do is find the right one and clean the Bulls out of it. And in order to do that, I need sleep. See you guys in the morning." I got up from the table and climbed the two flights of stairs to my allotted bedroom, where I sat on my bed and flopped backward onto the mattress. I stared up at the ceiling and started talking to myself.
"Well, Sara, you've almost got this in the bag. Just got to wait for Raven to show up from wherever it is that she's hiding out and then it'll be basically done. The press will have a field day."
Heaving a sigh, I sat up and looked around the room. The drawers of the bureau had clothes in them already and I rifled through them until I found a gray tank top and matching gray slacks. I held them out in front of me and wondered, How did they know my size? Is nothing sacred anymore?' I got ready for bed, undressing quickly in the semi-darkness and putting them on. As I turned back the covers of the bed, a figure appeared beside me.
"Hey there, Pez."
I jumped and whirled around. The figure bounced backwards, even though he didn't have to; I could have gone straight through him.
"Danny! Jeez, you scared me. I'll never get used to your little disappearing-reappearing act."
"Sorry for the heart attack, Pez. I just came to check up on yousee how you were handling this."
"Well, I'm surviving. How I'm not sure, butDanny, did you know that Ian was my Guardian?"
"Well, yes and no."
"What the hell is that supposed to mean?" More cryptic shit? I had hoped we were past that by now.
"I didn't know that you would choose him, but I knew that he had the potential to become your Guardian. You seriously miss him, don't you?"
I nodded, although I'm sure that he knew that from the beginning. "Is he okay, Danny? Do you know, and if you do, can you tell me?"
"He's finewithin reason. Dante's smacked him around a little bit but only because he's chained down."
My eyes widened. There had been chains in my dream. I didn't like where this was going.
"I dare say that he'll get his once Ian isn't restrained anymore."
"I guess so. Look, I know you're probably going to tell me that there's nothing else you can tell me, butis there anything you can tell me? Like where Ian is?" Danny stayed silent. "Guess not."
"Sorry, Pez. You know the drill."
"Yeah, well. I wish you were here, partner. You would really be helpful in the physical realm. Now I'm just worried that you'll have to prepare a place for me over there."
"This side isn't ready for you, Pez." There was a gleam in his eyes.
"What, meaning that it's not my time to die or that "the other side" isn't big enough to hold me?"
"Both," Danny said with a laugh. "But you might like to know that there's no coffee over here, just so you're prepared for a rough afterlife."
"You've got to be kidding. There's no coffee in paradise?"
"Sorry, Pez, but no. If I weren't already dead the withdrawal would be killing me. As it is it's just enough to annoy the hell out of me."
"Then I really don't want to end up over there yet. No offense."
"Trust me, none taken. But try and rest easy, Pez. I know that's a big demand, but you can trust Raven. You know that. She'll do all she can to help outif she and Mac don't kill each other first."
"You noticed that, too?" I inquired. "I have a feeling the fur will fly between those two. They're both so caught up in trying to keep me safe that a clash is highly likely."
"Well, you're an important personyou're the Wielder. And both of them were born to keep you safe. Get used to the overprotection; it probably won't be getting much better."
"Oh, great. Just what I wanted to hear. At least Ian doesn't baby me," I said. When I caught Danny's Look, I added, "Much."
He seemed to accept that. "At any rate, you've gotta sleep and I've gotta fly. So, bye for now, Pez. Don't worry; he's all right and I have no doubt that you and Raven working together will get him out of this mess."
"Thanks, partner. See ya," I said as he disappeared. I got into bed and turned out the light, falling into a solid sleep.
* * *
Mac was really making me nervous. She was very jumpy, pacing all around the large "living room" of the warehouse, and I was tempted to shake her to snap her out of the trance she was in as she paced.
"Mac, just chill out. You're not going to help Sara by wearing a hole in the floor," I remarked, sinking into a large cozy leather chair.
"I suppose you're right, Gabe. It's justgrrrr! The thought of actually having to put up with that Raven womanit's just infuriating."
"Again, chill out. She'll be a big help. We'll get this mess over with, she'll leave and get out of your hair and then everything will be good again until the next group of crazy people comes after Sara. Or the Witchblade. Or even both."
"I guess. But that doesn't mean I'm going to like her. The nerve of her, calling me a fool, treating me like a child!" She took this opportunity to fume silently for a few minutes, and I made an unspoken plea to anyone who happened to be listening.
Good grief, please let this be over soon, for all of our sakes. If Mac keeps going on like this I might have to resign from this group. She's driving me insane! Just let this work out without any of the good guys dying. Maybe then I'll actually be able to make some moneyWonder if that last shrunken head sold for as much as I was hoping for?' Aloud I said, "Listen, it's getting late. Why don't we follow Sara's example and get some sleep? We can't function at all without rest and it wouldn't help Sara and Ian any if we fall asleep on the job."
She sighed heavily. "Yeah. You're right. Better turn in. Come on, let's go."
"Is that an invitation?" I asked teasingly, expecting a teasing response.
"Do you want it to be?" She sounded serious. I wasn't expecting that.
"Ummmm" I faltered, blushing. I couldn't think of a good answer to that.
Mac grinned. "Maybe now's not the best time," she joked, and we headed upstairs together, separating at the stairs and taking rooms on either side of Sara's, careful not to disturb her sleep.
