Okay the cliffy ending was evil I admit it but I know you liked it. Admit
it. So here is Ch. 18.
*-*-*-*-*
The gun went off, a few women on the floor screamed in fear. Dylan lunged at Getty sending both of them toppling onto the stage. "No," the first word spoken since his childhood erupted from the Thin Man's throat. He leaped from the box, did a flip and landed on the stage near the crumpled pair. Anthony reached down and pulled the dart from Dylan's arm. She wasn't moving.
Getty removed himself from underneath his newly found daughter. "Dylan," he asked tears in his eyes as he rolled her over.
Anthony thought she had never looked more like an angel than she did at that moment. Her fiery hair, a riot of curls spread out on the stage forming a halo around her head. Her red bow lips slightly parted. He gently touched her cheek, and jerked his hand back. She felt like she was on fire, the virus was catching hold.
Getty stood and called out to the audience, "Is there a doctor? We need a doctor." His voice was filled with urgency and anguish.
Vivian's voice rang out through the hall. "A doctor won't help her now." Jorge appeared and wheeled her to the middle of the main aisle.
Natalie who was busy turning Daniels over to the police officers, who were there for security, watched Vivian. Alex and Bosley stood speechless as Vivian removed a gun from her purse. "You brought this on yourself," she called to the man on stage. "Donald Getty, man of peace." Vivian laughed a contemptuous laugh. "This is what your peace did to me. Do you see me Mr. Getty? Erase all the evidence of your misdeeds you want it will always come back eventually. This," she said addressing the audience. "Is what Donald Getty's peace is. He and his company made the missile that did this to me. If he hadn't signed that fake government contract and had to black-market the missiles made for it this wouldn't have happened." The auditorium was silent as she continued. "You should be thanking me for reuniting you with your precious, little girl."
*-*-*-*-*
After Getty's request for a doctor, a man from the audience climbed up on stage. He placed his hand on Dylan's forehead. "My God, the girl is burning up. What the hell, happened?" Anthony signaled to the dart. He pulled out his medical bag and took her blood pressure. We need an ambulance. Has anyone called for one? Anthony shrugged. The doctor pulled out his cell phone and dialed 9-11.
"Dylan," Anthony whispered as he held her hand. He knew he wasn't worthy of her, Vivian reminded him of that, but he couldn't help, no matter how hard her tried, how he felt about the angel. He had denied his feelings over and over until they became too obvious even for himself to ignore.
She opened her eyes at the sound of his voice and smiled a weak smile. "You talked." He nodded. He wished he could help her. He didn't know what to do and if the virus worked as fast as Vivian said it would there was no time to help her anyway. Her eyes roamed to the doctor. "It's a virus," Dylan said coughing.
"A virus, how do you know that? Is it contagious," he asked the girl. Dylan was tired. She wanted to answer his questions. It might be the only way she could survive this but she couldn't stay awake. She closed her eyes again.
The doctor turned to Anthony, "We need to get her backstage. Can you carry her?" Again Anthony nodded. He knelt to pick her up but a gunshot ringing though the theater stopped him.
"You aren't taking her anywhere Anthony," called Vivian. "Leave her there so everyone can watch her die for her father's mistake." Getty looked at the Thin Man. So he was the assassin the angels had warned him about. He then realized that the man also met the description of the man his daughter said she loved. He looked at the thin man's body language and realized it was obvious that the man loved his daughter as well.
"Natalie," said Alex into the molar mike. "I'm going for the body guard. You go for Gloria. We can both go for Vivian."
Natalie slipped down an aisle, around by the wall and approached from the back of the room. Alex did the same thing on the other side the theater. Jorge saw her coming and fended off her attack. Natalie went for Gloria. The FBI agent fired her gun. "Get down," hollered Natalie to the audience, but they had underestimated Vivian as she placed the gun against Natalie's spine. "I wouldn't move if I were you," she said to the blonde angel. "In fact I think you are good collateral to get out of here. Call off your friend." Natalie didn't move. Vivian pushed the gun into her back harder, "I said call off your friend."
"Alex!"
Alex kept fighting Jorge. "Alex," yelled Natalie louder. The Asian angel and the bodyguard stopped. "Alex be a dear and have a seat," said Vivian motioning to a Gloria's now vacant place. Alex sat down thinking to herself, "Dylan was right before, Vivian is insane."
Natalie looked up at the scene on stage. The millionaire was on his knees looking at Dylan's lifeless body. The doctor was holding Dylan's wrist, checking her pulse. The Thin Man was standing watching the action on the floor of the theater. That is when Natalie got an idea. She had always been amazed at how well he could communicate with eye. She only hoped she could get her idea across to him half as well.
Anthony looked at his angel laying on the stage and felt the anger welling up inside of him. He looked at Vivian and knew if she escaped tonight she wouldn't escape him, not for long. Then the angel called Natalie caught his eye. She kept looking at his hand and at Vivian. He understood what she wanted and he would gladly oblige. He said a silent prayer, something he hadn't done in ages, and pulled the sword from its sheath. He knew the length of the blade would make it awkward especially at the distance, and he hoped that everyone stayed where they were.
"What are you going to do with that Anthony," crowed Vivian. "You take one step off that stage and I'll kill the other two angels as well." Anthony lowered the sword. "I never figured you as one to have a soft spot for them. Because of them you nearly died too, because of Getty. Did you forget you were there when the missile exploded too? Remember your jacket catching on fire? Just like a man, being led by his." she was interrupted by Dylan throwing up behind him. "Looks like the virus is going into phase two."
Anthony turned looking at Dylan and heard the doctor said to Getty, "Turn her head so she doesn't choke to death." Dylan's skin was a pale ash color. Anthony turned back to Vivian and let out a scream as he raised the sword and threw it much like a knife throwing act at a circus. The blade whistled through the air. Natalie jumped to the side, and Vivian's eye grew wide as the sword penetrated her chest, puncturing her heart with its razor sharp tip.
Matthews screamed, "You bastard!" The two shots she fired towards the stage missing Anthony completely. She then dropped to her knees and cried over her deceased sister. The police came in and arrested Gloria and the Jorge and the angels ran to the stage.
"Dylan," called the angels in unison standing around her. "Will she be okay," Natalie asked the doctor.
"Honestly I don't know. I haven't seen anything like this before."
"She said it was a virus, it was supposed to be fast acting and kill quickly. Dylan said something about it causing the body to lose all its fluids," said Alex to the doctor.
"That will help, when the ambulance gets here I can tell the paramedics to hook her up to an IV and we can replenish her so she doesn't dehydrate, but right now I am worried about her fever."
Anthony stood off to the side watching. He blamed himself for her condition. "If I hadn't lost the gun to Daniels. If I had beaten her at the competition. If if if. " He knew it was only time until he was arrested for the murder of Vivian Woods if he stayed around. Leaving Dylan was something he didn't want to do but had to. He hoped that once she was taken to a hospital her condition would change. In the chaos of the paramedics coming onto the stage he snuck out of the theater and disappeared into the night.
*-*-*-*-*
The angels, Bosley, and Getty sat in the waiting room waiting for word on Dylan's condition. Six hours had passed and there was no change in her condition for better or worse. Hopeful looks crossed their faces every time a doctor or nurse would come out of the door marked "Hospital Staff Only". "I can't take this," said Alex standing and pacing. "What are we going to do if she doesn't make it?"
"Don't talk that way Alex. Dylan is stronger than she looks," said Natalie. "Gosh I wish Pete was here."
"Did someone call?"
Natalie and Alex turned to see Pete and Jason standing in next to the vending machines. They each ran to their respective boyfriends. "What are you doing here," asked Alex.
Jason looked to Pete for permission to tell. Pete nodded for him to go on. "Charlie called us and told us what happened. He said we should go to the airport and tickets were waiting for us."
"So here we are," said Pete.
"And Spike?"
"Max will be checking in on him."
The door that they had been closely watching opened and Dr. Johnson, from the theater came out. Getty spotted him first. "Is there any change?"
"What is the virus," asked Alex.
The doctor held up his hands to try to quiet them. He knew they had tons of questions for which they wanted answers. "First her condition is unchanged, she is stable but the fever is still very high. Second, the virus is designer. It was made to target a specific persons' DNA. I assume that person is you Mr. Getty."
Natalie leaned over and whispered in Pete's ear. "Getty is her father."
The doctor continued, "It's not affecting her the same way it would affect you because well obviously she isn't you. It is still affecting her because she is your daughter. I think that had someone else became infected it would manifest itself as nothing more than a mild case of the flu. We hope at this point to keep her stable and let it run its course."
"And if it gets worse," asked Alex.
"We pray it doesn't," answered the doctor.
*-*-*-*-*
The gun went off, a few women on the floor screamed in fear. Dylan lunged at Getty sending both of them toppling onto the stage. "No," the first word spoken since his childhood erupted from the Thin Man's throat. He leaped from the box, did a flip and landed on the stage near the crumpled pair. Anthony reached down and pulled the dart from Dylan's arm. She wasn't moving.
Getty removed himself from underneath his newly found daughter. "Dylan," he asked tears in his eyes as he rolled her over.
Anthony thought she had never looked more like an angel than she did at that moment. Her fiery hair, a riot of curls spread out on the stage forming a halo around her head. Her red bow lips slightly parted. He gently touched her cheek, and jerked his hand back. She felt like she was on fire, the virus was catching hold.
Getty stood and called out to the audience, "Is there a doctor? We need a doctor." His voice was filled with urgency and anguish.
Vivian's voice rang out through the hall. "A doctor won't help her now." Jorge appeared and wheeled her to the middle of the main aisle.
Natalie who was busy turning Daniels over to the police officers, who were there for security, watched Vivian. Alex and Bosley stood speechless as Vivian removed a gun from her purse. "You brought this on yourself," she called to the man on stage. "Donald Getty, man of peace." Vivian laughed a contemptuous laugh. "This is what your peace did to me. Do you see me Mr. Getty? Erase all the evidence of your misdeeds you want it will always come back eventually. This," she said addressing the audience. "Is what Donald Getty's peace is. He and his company made the missile that did this to me. If he hadn't signed that fake government contract and had to black-market the missiles made for it this wouldn't have happened." The auditorium was silent as she continued. "You should be thanking me for reuniting you with your precious, little girl."
*-*-*-*-*
After Getty's request for a doctor, a man from the audience climbed up on stage. He placed his hand on Dylan's forehead. "My God, the girl is burning up. What the hell, happened?" Anthony signaled to the dart. He pulled out his medical bag and took her blood pressure. We need an ambulance. Has anyone called for one? Anthony shrugged. The doctor pulled out his cell phone and dialed 9-11.
"Dylan," Anthony whispered as he held her hand. He knew he wasn't worthy of her, Vivian reminded him of that, but he couldn't help, no matter how hard her tried, how he felt about the angel. He had denied his feelings over and over until they became too obvious even for himself to ignore.
She opened her eyes at the sound of his voice and smiled a weak smile. "You talked." He nodded. He wished he could help her. He didn't know what to do and if the virus worked as fast as Vivian said it would there was no time to help her anyway. Her eyes roamed to the doctor. "It's a virus," Dylan said coughing.
"A virus, how do you know that? Is it contagious," he asked the girl. Dylan was tired. She wanted to answer his questions. It might be the only way she could survive this but she couldn't stay awake. She closed her eyes again.
The doctor turned to Anthony, "We need to get her backstage. Can you carry her?" Again Anthony nodded. He knelt to pick her up but a gunshot ringing though the theater stopped him.
"You aren't taking her anywhere Anthony," called Vivian. "Leave her there so everyone can watch her die for her father's mistake." Getty looked at the Thin Man. So he was the assassin the angels had warned him about. He then realized that the man also met the description of the man his daughter said she loved. He looked at the thin man's body language and realized it was obvious that the man loved his daughter as well.
"Natalie," said Alex into the molar mike. "I'm going for the body guard. You go for Gloria. We can both go for Vivian."
Natalie slipped down an aisle, around by the wall and approached from the back of the room. Alex did the same thing on the other side the theater. Jorge saw her coming and fended off her attack. Natalie went for Gloria. The FBI agent fired her gun. "Get down," hollered Natalie to the audience, but they had underestimated Vivian as she placed the gun against Natalie's spine. "I wouldn't move if I were you," she said to the blonde angel. "In fact I think you are good collateral to get out of here. Call off your friend." Natalie didn't move. Vivian pushed the gun into her back harder, "I said call off your friend."
"Alex!"
Alex kept fighting Jorge. "Alex," yelled Natalie louder. The Asian angel and the bodyguard stopped. "Alex be a dear and have a seat," said Vivian motioning to a Gloria's now vacant place. Alex sat down thinking to herself, "Dylan was right before, Vivian is insane."
Natalie looked up at the scene on stage. The millionaire was on his knees looking at Dylan's lifeless body. The doctor was holding Dylan's wrist, checking her pulse. The Thin Man was standing watching the action on the floor of the theater. That is when Natalie got an idea. She had always been amazed at how well he could communicate with eye. She only hoped she could get her idea across to him half as well.
Anthony looked at his angel laying on the stage and felt the anger welling up inside of him. He looked at Vivian and knew if she escaped tonight she wouldn't escape him, not for long. Then the angel called Natalie caught his eye. She kept looking at his hand and at Vivian. He understood what she wanted and he would gladly oblige. He said a silent prayer, something he hadn't done in ages, and pulled the sword from its sheath. He knew the length of the blade would make it awkward especially at the distance, and he hoped that everyone stayed where they were.
"What are you going to do with that Anthony," crowed Vivian. "You take one step off that stage and I'll kill the other two angels as well." Anthony lowered the sword. "I never figured you as one to have a soft spot for them. Because of them you nearly died too, because of Getty. Did you forget you were there when the missile exploded too? Remember your jacket catching on fire? Just like a man, being led by his." she was interrupted by Dylan throwing up behind him. "Looks like the virus is going into phase two."
Anthony turned looking at Dylan and heard the doctor said to Getty, "Turn her head so she doesn't choke to death." Dylan's skin was a pale ash color. Anthony turned back to Vivian and let out a scream as he raised the sword and threw it much like a knife throwing act at a circus. The blade whistled through the air. Natalie jumped to the side, and Vivian's eye grew wide as the sword penetrated her chest, puncturing her heart with its razor sharp tip.
Matthews screamed, "You bastard!" The two shots she fired towards the stage missing Anthony completely. She then dropped to her knees and cried over her deceased sister. The police came in and arrested Gloria and the Jorge and the angels ran to the stage.
"Dylan," called the angels in unison standing around her. "Will she be okay," Natalie asked the doctor.
"Honestly I don't know. I haven't seen anything like this before."
"She said it was a virus, it was supposed to be fast acting and kill quickly. Dylan said something about it causing the body to lose all its fluids," said Alex to the doctor.
"That will help, when the ambulance gets here I can tell the paramedics to hook her up to an IV and we can replenish her so she doesn't dehydrate, but right now I am worried about her fever."
Anthony stood off to the side watching. He blamed himself for her condition. "If I hadn't lost the gun to Daniels. If I had beaten her at the competition. If if if. " He knew it was only time until he was arrested for the murder of Vivian Woods if he stayed around. Leaving Dylan was something he didn't want to do but had to. He hoped that once she was taken to a hospital her condition would change. In the chaos of the paramedics coming onto the stage he snuck out of the theater and disappeared into the night.
*-*-*-*-*
The angels, Bosley, and Getty sat in the waiting room waiting for word on Dylan's condition. Six hours had passed and there was no change in her condition for better or worse. Hopeful looks crossed their faces every time a doctor or nurse would come out of the door marked "Hospital Staff Only". "I can't take this," said Alex standing and pacing. "What are we going to do if she doesn't make it?"
"Don't talk that way Alex. Dylan is stronger than she looks," said Natalie. "Gosh I wish Pete was here."
"Did someone call?"
Natalie and Alex turned to see Pete and Jason standing in next to the vending machines. They each ran to their respective boyfriends. "What are you doing here," asked Alex.
Jason looked to Pete for permission to tell. Pete nodded for him to go on. "Charlie called us and told us what happened. He said we should go to the airport and tickets were waiting for us."
"So here we are," said Pete.
"And Spike?"
"Max will be checking in on him."
The door that they had been closely watching opened and Dr. Johnson, from the theater came out. Getty spotted him first. "Is there any change?"
"What is the virus," asked Alex.
The doctor held up his hands to try to quiet them. He knew they had tons of questions for which they wanted answers. "First her condition is unchanged, she is stable but the fever is still very high. Second, the virus is designer. It was made to target a specific persons' DNA. I assume that person is you Mr. Getty."
Natalie leaned over and whispered in Pete's ear. "Getty is her father."
The doctor continued, "It's not affecting her the same way it would affect you because well obviously she isn't you. It is still affecting her because she is your daughter. I think that had someone else became infected it would manifest itself as nothing more than a mild case of the flu. We hope at this point to keep her stable and let it run its course."
"And if it gets worse," asked Alex.
"We pray it doesn't," answered the doctor.