Here I go again... still don't own the copyright on this, still making the
characters go through the rungs of my demented imagination... Please Read
and Review folks!
They had had more than a few close calls on the ground floor, but Piper's ability to freeze time had come in very handy. What none of them knew however, was which room Cunningham kept his ill-gotten gains, so they had spread out slightly once they got up onto the first floor. There were fewer offices and almost no people here. Andrews' office had been empty when they crept by and now they were starting to head inwards to the middle of the building, Cole leading and Tom acting as the rearguard.
Just as Cole walked cautiously around a corner and into a long corridor that ended in a pair of double doors, they heard it: the sharp crack of an automatic pistol in the room ahead, followed by a hoarse shout and a succession of further shots.
"Damn!" groaned Cole, and hurtled down towards the door. Behind him Phoebe protested: "No, Cole, wait for us!"
It was too late - Cole smashed through the doors and skidded to a halt on the tiled floor of the room inside with a startled yelp. In front of him an old man was lying on the floor, while close by another man was holding a smoking gun in shaking hands. He was staring incredulously at Tethos, who in the middle of shaking himself slightly. There was a slight clatter as several uneven discs that had once been bullets fell out of his robes and onto the floor.
"That can't hurt me," Tethos was saying to the man as Cole entered.
Cole stretched out his hand and filled it as much white and blue energy as he could handle in his cupped palm. "Try this then!" he said and launched the ball of energy straight at the side of the red demon's head. There was a 'sphut' noise and the energy ball weakly fizzled away into nothingness as it impacted. Cole gaped and then launched another one, with the same result.
Tethos looked at him and then sighed. "Balthazar," he said wearily. "I never thought that you would lower yourself to take the Source's coin. What's the bounty now? I always thought that you were smarter than that." He reached up and, opening his taloned hand, grasped a handful of air. "Goodbye Balthazar."
Cole felt an invisible iron hand clamp itself to his throat and start to squeeze as he was lifted upwards, his feet leaving the ground and his back slamming into the wall behind him. He reached down desperately, but there was nothing to grasp, nothing he could do to stop this terrible remorseless squeezing on his windpipe. He choked and the edges of his sight started to go black... and then Phoebe charged into the room with her sisters and the others.
"No!" she screamed and threw herself in front of Cole. Tethos blinked and stepped back and whatever force he was using to hold Cole eased. Clutching at his bruised throat Cole slumped down to his knees and coughed raggedly.
Things happened rapidly then. Phoebe flicked her coat open and pulled out a long throwing dagger, twirled it by the blade carefully and then launched it at Tethos, Paige gestured to disintegrate the demon and Tom and Theresa both launched bolts of lightening at him. Andrews took the time to stop gaping at the newcomers and then flicked a release on his automatic, threw the empty magazine away, slapped a new one in and started blazing away. "What the hell is this thing?" he screamed at the top of his lungs. "And can someone check on Mr Cunningham?!"
Tom gestured with his free hand and Cunningham slid to one side, allowing Paige to check his pulse. She looked up and shook her head.
By now there was quite a large cloud of smoke where Tethos had been standing. Then there came a loud roar of anger and the demon stepped out, unharmed and crumpling Phoebe's dagger as if it was made of tinfoil.
"What is this?" he demanded, looking at Phoebe. "You're witches! How can you protect that... thing!" he pointed at Cole, who had recovered enough to stand. "It's a demon! The demon Balthazar! It works for the Source of All Evil!"
"Not any more," replied Phoebe evenly, standing in front of Cole protectively. "He doesn't work for the Source any more!"
Tethos glowered at her. "Evil is evil," he hissed.
"Look who's talking," said Piper and then recoiled as Tethos threw back his hood and directed a red-eyed glare at her. There were more bony protrusions on his cheekbones and temples, and his long black hair was tied back.
"What would you know of evil? Real evil?" He stepped back a pace. "I've wasted enough time here," he said and stamped on the floor with one clawed foot. There was a sudden whooshing noise and a crackling wall of red energy shot up in front of him, dividing the room in two.
Piper gestured to freeze the energy and then looked down in bafflement at her hands as nothing happened. She gestured again and then stared at Tethos, who was pulling his hood back into place. He chuckled. "Try all you like. You'll never freeze that." Turning, Tom called over to Andrews. "Where is it? Tell us?"
The head of security came out of his daze and stared at him. "What are you doing here?"
"We don't have bloody time for this! Where's the rod? The picture we showed you? Where is it??"
The former marine looked around the room and then pointed - to a display cabinet beyond the energy barrier. "There."
The witches stared impotently as Tethos walked towards the cabinet.
"Tom can't you..." started Theresa, but Tom shook his head angrily. "I can't feel it... can't summon it."
The demon stopped and looked down at the white rod, his teeth gleaming white in a smile that looked obscene on his face. Then he leant down and breathed gently on the glass, which rippled and melted away, dribbling down to the floor.
As he reached for the last piece of the Hammer of Ra, Paige let out a squeak of desperation. "Fist of... Osiris!"
Just before Tethos's talons closed around the rod it disappeared upwards in a storm of white and blue fireflies before rematerialising in the hands of the startled young witch who let out a whoop of triumph.
Then she turned to hear a loud crash as an enraged Tethos threw the remains of the cabinet against the wall. "Give me that!" he bellowed.
"Um... nope! Guys, get close, Cole get Mr security out of the way."
Tethos was halfway across the room now and was gesturing to part the energy wall he had erected. The Charmed Ones grasped hands with Tom and Theresa and then suddenly they were gone in the whirling flash of a Whitelighter. The demon blinked as he skidded to a stop and then looked at Cole as he grabbed Andrews' arm.
"See you around, Tethos," he grinned and the two shimmered out.
Every piece of glass in the room shattered as Tethos let out a bellow of anguish that shook the floor.
*********************************************************************
The sudden reappearance of the five in the middle of the hallway didn't do very much to Molly's nerves, which were stretched enough as it was. Fortunately she refrained from throwing the potion bomb that she'd just finished making.
"Damn it," she yelped, "Give some bloody warning next time!"
Leo emerged in the doorway and then let out a sigh of relief as he saw his wife, who he wrapped up into a heartfelt hug. "Did you get it?"
Paige grinned proudly and held up the Fist of Osiris. "Yeah, but I almost forgot what it was called when I orbed it over. Almost called it the Fist of Whatsit."
"Where's Cole?" asked the Whitelighter.
"He's dealing with Andrews, the head of security there," said Tom seriously. "We might have a problem here. We arrived to find Andrews shooting at Tethos and this bloke Cunningham lying at their feet."
Wincing Leo looked down at Piper. "Was he... ripped up like the others?"
"No..." she replied slowly, looking back up at him. "That's the funny thing, he wasn't physically harmed that I could see. Paige honey, you checked him, what happened to him?"
She shrugged. "I think it was his heart. I've seen a heart attack and this looked like it. He was kinda old."
The air shimmered and Cole reappeared, rubbing at his bruised neck. Slumping onto the sofa he smiled at painfully at Phoebe, who was running her hands gingerly around the marks on his neck. "I dumped him just outside the front door, told him not to go anywhere near the room until Tethos had left and then shimmered out. He didn't seem very happy."
"I can imagine said Piper dryly. Then she perked up. "Maybe our luck is changing?"
*********************************************************************
Gorgos shimmered warily into the room and then blinked at the devastation around him. Cabinets were lying around him in shattered pieces and the tiles were slippery with shattered glass and scattered artefacts. There was no sign of anyone, but the demon could hear a rumble of voices far below. Through a broken set of doors he could see a corridor that must have led to a window, for he could see the flashing blue and red lights of the police cars he'd glimpsed outside reflected on the walls.
He sniffed carefully. There were so many scents here. Death was one of them and he licked his lips in delight as he savoured the smell. Someone had died here... and the smile died as he smelt the other odours that permeated the room. Witches had been here... at least four or five, he wasn't sure. And something else, he puzzled. Something had the stench of a Whitelighter, but it felt wrong, different somehow.
The other two smells were distinctive though. Tethos had been here, and Gorgos snarled in hatred and fear. And so had... Balthazar. The snarl redoubled in ferocity. That meant that the Charmed Ones had been here.
Gorgos sniffed around the room, trying to work out what had happened. The best he could work out - humans had been here, too many of them, fouling the air and confusing the scents - there had been some kind of fight, between the witches and Tethos. Who had won? He was unsure until he found a small crystal object that had somehow escaped the destruction of the room. That half-witch, half-Whitelighter stench was strong there.
Gorgos straightened up and threw the object to the ground. So, the Charmed Ones had the last piece.
The Source would be very interested to hear that.
They had had more than a few close calls on the ground floor, but Piper's ability to freeze time had come in very handy. What none of them knew however, was which room Cunningham kept his ill-gotten gains, so they had spread out slightly once they got up onto the first floor. There were fewer offices and almost no people here. Andrews' office had been empty when they crept by and now they were starting to head inwards to the middle of the building, Cole leading and Tom acting as the rearguard.
Just as Cole walked cautiously around a corner and into a long corridor that ended in a pair of double doors, they heard it: the sharp crack of an automatic pistol in the room ahead, followed by a hoarse shout and a succession of further shots.
"Damn!" groaned Cole, and hurtled down towards the door. Behind him Phoebe protested: "No, Cole, wait for us!"
It was too late - Cole smashed through the doors and skidded to a halt on the tiled floor of the room inside with a startled yelp. In front of him an old man was lying on the floor, while close by another man was holding a smoking gun in shaking hands. He was staring incredulously at Tethos, who in the middle of shaking himself slightly. There was a slight clatter as several uneven discs that had once been bullets fell out of his robes and onto the floor.
"That can't hurt me," Tethos was saying to the man as Cole entered.
Cole stretched out his hand and filled it as much white and blue energy as he could handle in his cupped palm. "Try this then!" he said and launched the ball of energy straight at the side of the red demon's head. There was a 'sphut' noise and the energy ball weakly fizzled away into nothingness as it impacted. Cole gaped and then launched another one, with the same result.
Tethos looked at him and then sighed. "Balthazar," he said wearily. "I never thought that you would lower yourself to take the Source's coin. What's the bounty now? I always thought that you were smarter than that." He reached up and, opening his taloned hand, grasped a handful of air. "Goodbye Balthazar."
Cole felt an invisible iron hand clamp itself to his throat and start to squeeze as he was lifted upwards, his feet leaving the ground and his back slamming into the wall behind him. He reached down desperately, but there was nothing to grasp, nothing he could do to stop this terrible remorseless squeezing on his windpipe. He choked and the edges of his sight started to go black... and then Phoebe charged into the room with her sisters and the others.
"No!" she screamed and threw herself in front of Cole. Tethos blinked and stepped back and whatever force he was using to hold Cole eased. Clutching at his bruised throat Cole slumped down to his knees and coughed raggedly.
Things happened rapidly then. Phoebe flicked her coat open and pulled out a long throwing dagger, twirled it by the blade carefully and then launched it at Tethos, Paige gestured to disintegrate the demon and Tom and Theresa both launched bolts of lightening at him. Andrews took the time to stop gaping at the newcomers and then flicked a release on his automatic, threw the empty magazine away, slapped a new one in and started blazing away. "What the hell is this thing?" he screamed at the top of his lungs. "And can someone check on Mr Cunningham?!"
Tom gestured with his free hand and Cunningham slid to one side, allowing Paige to check his pulse. She looked up and shook her head.
By now there was quite a large cloud of smoke where Tethos had been standing. Then there came a loud roar of anger and the demon stepped out, unharmed and crumpling Phoebe's dagger as if it was made of tinfoil.
"What is this?" he demanded, looking at Phoebe. "You're witches! How can you protect that... thing!" he pointed at Cole, who had recovered enough to stand. "It's a demon! The demon Balthazar! It works for the Source of All Evil!"
"Not any more," replied Phoebe evenly, standing in front of Cole protectively. "He doesn't work for the Source any more!"
Tethos glowered at her. "Evil is evil," he hissed.
"Look who's talking," said Piper and then recoiled as Tethos threw back his hood and directed a red-eyed glare at her. There were more bony protrusions on his cheekbones and temples, and his long black hair was tied back.
"What would you know of evil? Real evil?" He stepped back a pace. "I've wasted enough time here," he said and stamped on the floor with one clawed foot. There was a sudden whooshing noise and a crackling wall of red energy shot up in front of him, dividing the room in two.
Piper gestured to freeze the energy and then looked down in bafflement at her hands as nothing happened. She gestured again and then stared at Tethos, who was pulling his hood back into place. He chuckled. "Try all you like. You'll never freeze that." Turning, Tom called over to Andrews. "Where is it? Tell us?"
The head of security came out of his daze and stared at him. "What are you doing here?"
"We don't have bloody time for this! Where's the rod? The picture we showed you? Where is it??"
The former marine looked around the room and then pointed - to a display cabinet beyond the energy barrier. "There."
The witches stared impotently as Tethos walked towards the cabinet.
"Tom can't you..." started Theresa, but Tom shook his head angrily. "I can't feel it... can't summon it."
The demon stopped and looked down at the white rod, his teeth gleaming white in a smile that looked obscene on his face. Then he leant down and breathed gently on the glass, which rippled and melted away, dribbling down to the floor.
As he reached for the last piece of the Hammer of Ra, Paige let out a squeak of desperation. "Fist of... Osiris!"
Just before Tethos's talons closed around the rod it disappeared upwards in a storm of white and blue fireflies before rematerialising in the hands of the startled young witch who let out a whoop of triumph.
Then she turned to hear a loud crash as an enraged Tethos threw the remains of the cabinet against the wall. "Give me that!" he bellowed.
"Um... nope! Guys, get close, Cole get Mr security out of the way."
Tethos was halfway across the room now and was gesturing to part the energy wall he had erected. The Charmed Ones grasped hands with Tom and Theresa and then suddenly they were gone in the whirling flash of a Whitelighter. The demon blinked as he skidded to a stop and then looked at Cole as he grabbed Andrews' arm.
"See you around, Tethos," he grinned and the two shimmered out.
Every piece of glass in the room shattered as Tethos let out a bellow of anguish that shook the floor.
*********************************************************************
The sudden reappearance of the five in the middle of the hallway didn't do very much to Molly's nerves, which were stretched enough as it was. Fortunately she refrained from throwing the potion bomb that she'd just finished making.
"Damn it," she yelped, "Give some bloody warning next time!"
Leo emerged in the doorway and then let out a sigh of relief as he saw his wife, who he wrapped up into a heartfelt hug. "Did you get it?"
Paige grinned proudly and held up the Fist of Osiris. "Yeah, but I almost forgot what it was called when I orbed it over. Almost called it the Fist of Whatsit."
"Where's Cole?" asked the Whitelighter.
"He's dealing with Andrews, the head of security there," said Tom seriously. "We might have a problem here. We arrived to find Andrews shooting at Tethos and this bloke Cunningham lying at their feet."
Wincing Leo looked down at Piper. "Was he... ripped up like the others?"
"No..." she replied slowly, looking back up at him. "That's the funny thing, he wasn't physically harmed that I could see. Paige honey, you checked him, what happened to him?"
She shrugged. "I think it was his heart. I've seen a heart attack and this looked like it. He was kinda old."
The air shimmered and Cole reappeared, rubbing at his bruised neck. Slumping onto the sofa he smiled at painfully at Phoebe, who was running her hands gingerly around the marks on his neck. "I dumped him just outside the front door, told him not to go anywhere near the room until Tethos had left and then shimmered out. He didn't seem very happy."
"I can imagine said Piper dryly. Then she perked up. "Maybe our luck is changing?"
*********************************************************************
Gorgos shimmered warily into the room and then blinked at the devastation around him. Cabinets were lying around him in shattered pieces and the tiles were slippery with shattered glass and scattered artefacts. There was no sign of anyone, but the demon could hear a rumble of voices far below. Through a broken set of doors he could see a corridor that must have led to a window, for he could see the flashing blue and red lights of the police cars he'd glimpsed outside reflected on the walls.
He sniffed carefully. There were so many scents here. Death was one of them and he licked his lips in delight as he savoured the smell. Someone had died here... and the smile died as he smelt the other odours that permeated the room. Witches had been here... at least four or five, he wasn't sure. And something else, he puzzled. Something had the stench of a Whitelighter, but it felt wrong, different somehow.
The other two smells were distinctive though. Tethos had been here, and Gorgos snarled in hatred and fear. And so had... Balthazar. The snarl redoubled in ferocity. That meant that the Charmed Ones had been here.
Gorgos sniffed around the room, trying to work out what had happened. The best he could work out - humans had been here, too many of them, fouling the air and confusing the scents - there had been some kind of fight, between the witches and Tethos. Who had won? He was unsure until he found a small crystal object that had somehow escaped the destruction of the room. That half-witch, half-Whitelighter stench was strong there.
Gorgos straightened up and threw the object to the ground. So, the Charmed Ones had the last piece.
The Source would be very interested to hear that.
