FIVE
Dr. Martin sat in his office looking through a folder. Suddenly, a pillar of flame erupted in his office. When the flames went out, a man wearing a suit stood in its place. Martin didn't even look up.
"I've been expecting you, Lornok," said Martin.
"I imagine you have," said Lornok. "You have some of my underlings here. Did you think I wouldn't come to find out why?"
"Actually," said Martin, "I was counting on it."
"Really?" questioned Lornok. "Nice setup."
"No one would suspect it's anything but a hospital," said Martin. "I've put a lot of work into it."
"So it would seem," said Lornok. "Now, do you want to explain what this is all for? And why you need my underlings? Or should I just vanquish you now for your insolence?"
'I can answer that with three words," said Martin. "Book . . . of . . . Shadows."
"You have my attention," said Lornok. "Not an easy thing for a warlock to do."
"I'm no ordinary warlock," said Martin. "I would have thought an upper level demon like you would have realized that by now. I'm about to do what no warlock or demon has ever been able to do. I'm about to destroy the Charmed Ones."
"Is that all?" laughed the demon. "It's been tried. Every attempt has failed."
"Of course they have," said Martin. "You can't just blink in and go toe to toe with them. They're too powerful. And they get their power from that book."
"We all know that," said Lornok.
"Well, I'm this close to getting my hands on the book," said Martin.
"Not possible," said Lornok. "The book protects itself. No one can even remove it from the house."
It protects itself from us," said Martin, "not from them. And they can remove it any time they want to."
"So, you expect one of them to just hand it to you?" asked Lornok.
"Something like that," said Martin. "Right now, I have Prue Halliwell in a room just down the hall."
"The most powerful Charmed One?" asked Lornok. "Are you insane? How long do you think you can keep her here?"
"Several days so far," said Martin. "That's what all this is for. She's under the impression she's been in a coma for a year. And that both of her sisters are dead. As is their White Lighter. The unfortunate victim of a Dark Lighters' bolt."
"What about her powers?" asked Lornok.
"Suppressed," said Martin. "Her medication includes a drug that inhibits the part of her brain that allows her to use her power. Right now, she couldn't move a pencil."
"Their White Lighter will be able to sense her," said Lornok. "When he does, he'll orb her out immediately.
"Not going to happen," said Martin. "I've had an enchantment put on this place so not even their Elders can detect her or her powers."
"Kill her," said Lornok. "That will end their precious Power of Three."
"And we wouldn't get the book that way," said Martin. "Eventually, someone else would get it and we'd be right back where we are now. This way, I get the book and break the Power of Three."
"I am impressed," said Lornok. "I didn't think a warlock could be so resourceful."
"You demons have always underestimated us," said Martin. "But that's only part of the plan."
"Do tell," said Lornok. "What's the rest of it?"
"Right now," said Martin, "she thinks I'm her doctor. The man who snatched her from the very jaws of death itself. I'm fast becoming her best friend. My only concerns being her health and welfare."
"And for that she'll give you the Book of Shadows?" asked Lornok.
"Indirectly, yes," said Martin. "You see, she also believes that the mortgage company is about to foreclose on her house. Along with everything inside it. Including the Book of Shadows."
"And she can't allow that," said Lornok.
"No, she can't," said Martin. "She has less than one week to get the book out of the manor or loose it forever."
"How does that get the book to you?" asked Lornok.
"She's already asked me to let her go to the house," said Martin, "to retrieve some family heirlooms. In a day or two I will reluctantly agree. But only if I go with her. As weak as I've been keeping her, she won't have much strength. Once she removes the book from the house, I will simply take it from her."
"What about the others?" asked Lornok.
"I've arranged to have them preoccupied somewhere else when she removes the book," said Martin. "That's part of the reason I needed your underlings."
"So, she removes the book and you simply take it," said Lornok. "Very impressive."
"It's even more impressive," said Martin, "when I hand the book over to you."
Lornoks' eyes lit up at the mention of that.
Dr. Martin sat in his office looking through a folder. Suddenly, a pillar of flame erupted in his office. When the flames went out, a man wearing a suit stood in its place. Martin didn't even look up.
"I've been expecting you, Lornok," said Martin.
"I imagine you have," said Lornok. "You have some of my underlings here. Did you think I wouldn't come to find out why?"
"Actually," said Martin, "I was counting on it."
"Really?" questioned Lornok. "Nice setup."
"No one would suspect it's anything but a hospital," said Martin. "I've put a lot of work into it."
"So it would seem," said Lornok. "Now, do you want to explain what this is all for? And why you need my underlings? Or should I just vanquish you now for your insolence?"
'I can answer that with three words," said Martin. "Book . . . of . . . Shadows."
"You have my attention," said Lornok. "Not an easy thing for a warlock to do."
"I'm no ordinary warlock," said Martin. "I would have thought an upper level demon like you would have realized that by now. I'm about to do what no warlock or demon has ever been able to do. I'm about to destroy the Charmed Ones."
"Is that all?" laughed the demon. "It's been tried. Every attempt has failed."
"Of course they have," said Martin. "You can't just blink in and go toe to toe with them. They're too powerful. And they get their power from that book."
"We all know that," said Lornok.
"Well, I'm this close to getting my hands on the book," said Martin.
"Not possible," said Lornok. "The book protects itself. No one can even remove it from the house."
It protects itself from us," said Martin, "not from them. And they can remove it any time they want to."
"So, you expect one of them to just hand it to you?" asked Lornok.
"Something like that," said Martin. "Right now, I have Prue Halliwell in a room just down the hall."
"The most powerful Charmed One?" asked Lornok. "Are you insane? How long do you think you can keep her here?"
"Several days so far," said Martin. "That's what all this is for. She's under the impression she's been in a coma for a year. And that both of her sisters are dead. As is their White Lighter. The unfortunate victim of a Dark Lighters' bolt."
"What about her powers?" asked Lornok.
"Suppressed," said Martin. "Her medication includes a drug that inhibits the part of her brain that allows her to use her power. Right now, she couldn't move a pencil."
"Their White Lighter will be able to sense her," said Lornok. "When he does, he'll orb her out immediately.
"Not going to happen," said Martin. "I've had an enchantment put on this place so not even their Elders can detect her or her powers."
"Kill her," said Lornok. "That will end their precious Power of Three."
"And we wouldn't get the book that way," said Martin. "Eventually, someone else would get it and we'd be right back where we are now. This way, I get the book and break the Power of Three."
"I am impressed," said Lornok. "I didn't think a warlock could be so resourceful."
"You demons have always underestimated us," said Martin. "But that's only part of the plan."
"Do tell," said Lornok. "What's the rest of it?"
"Right now," said Martin, "she thinks I'm her doctor. The man who snatched her from the very jaws of death itself. I'm fast becoming her best friend. My only concerns being her health and welfare."
"And for that she'll give you the Book of Shadows?" asked Lornok.
"Indirectly, yes," said Martin. "You see, she also believes that the mortgage company is about to foreclose on her house. Along with everything inside it. Including the Book of Shadows."
"And she can't allow that," said Lornok.
"No, she can't," said Martin. "She has less than one week to get the book out of the manor or loose it forever."
"How does that get the book to you?" asked Lornok.
"She's already asked me to let her go to the house," said Martin, "to retrieve some family heirlooms. In a day or two I will reluctantly agree. But only if I go with her. As weak as I've been keeping her, she won't have much strength. Once she removes the book from the house, I will simply take it from her."
"What about the others?" asked Lornok.
"I've arranged to have them preoccupied somewhere else when she removes the book," said Martin. "That's part of the reason I needed your underlings."
"So, she removes the book and you simply take it," said Lornok. "Very impressive."
"It's even more impressive," said Martin, "when I hand the book over to you."
Lornoks' eyes lit up at the mention of that.