CHAPTER TWO: MARY

Saturday: 12 noon (time differences…don'tcha love em?)

25th January 1986

London: Watcher's Council

Quentin Travers walked quickly towards his office.  He had been informed that there was an important phone call waiting for him, one that he would want to take.

"Travers here," he said, picking up the telephone.

"Mr Travers," came the excited voice on the other side of the phone.  Travers pressed the phone closer to his ear, the connection shoddy over the long-distance.  "It's Mary Cartwright, sir, calling from New York."

"Ah, yes, Mary," Travers said, only vaguely remembering who she was.  "What can I do for you?"

"I believe I've just found another Potential sir," she said.

Travers sat up quickly.  "Are you certain?  I'd assumed that we'd found them all."

"I'm very certain sir.  She's got the marking of a Slayer, the mole on her shoulder," Mary said.

Travers rubbed his chin thoughtfully and sat back in his desk chair.

"In New York, you say?"

"Yes sir.  She's currently in the hospital, they just brought her in from a car accident," she explained.

"And her parents?" Travers asked.  That was always the hardest part, getting parents to give up their children.  British parents were easier to convince, many of them having heard of the prestigious Watcher's Council, but American, Canadian and Australian parents all seemed to be extremely possessive.  Travers couldn't understand it.

"Her father died in the crash, and her mother's in a coma," Mary said.

Travers smiled.  That certainly made things far easier.

"I have a correspondent in New York, I'll inform him that you've located a Potential.  He'll be in to pick her up as soon as possible," Travers said.

Mary quickly gave Travers the information as to what hospital the girl was in and Travers hung up, only to make another call to New York.

"It's Travers.  I need a favour.  Yes, another Potential.  Yes I know you nearly got arrested last time.  Of course you'll be well compensated.  Yes, in a New York hospital.  Yes, that's the one.  Beth Summers.  Alright.  Thank you.  Of course, Mr Rayne.  Pleasure doing business with you."

Travers smiled as he hung up the phone.  He hated Ethan Rayne with a passion, but if there was something that he had learned about Ethan, the man was willing to do anything to make money.  Even taking children out of hospitals.