FIVE
"So, did you have any trouble?" one man was asking another when six men suddenly came into the plant.
"None at all," said the other man. "It was almost too easy. I don't think the old man even knew what happened. When I glanced back, he was still just walking away as if he didn't have a care in the world."
"Excellent, Anthony," said the first man. "You show promise. Pretty soon you'll be a full-fledged member of the group. Then you can start sharing in all the spoils. You'll have enough money to do whatever you want."
"I just want enough to start a new life somewhere," Anthony said. "I'm not interested in getting rich. Just getting enough to get out of this town."
"That's easily done," the other man said. "Of course, it depends on what you got from the old man. The more things are worth, the sooner you'll get what you deserve."
"I got this," Anthony said, pulling a pocket watch out of his pocket. "It looks old. I'm thinking it's an antique or something. Should be worth quite a bit."
"Yes, indeed," the other man said, reaching for the watch.
"Not so fast," Anthony said, pulling the watch back. "You said no matter what I got it was worth two hundred bucks. Let's see the money. Then you can have a look at the watch."
"Silas, pay the man," said the second man.
"Sure, Malcolm," said another of the men.
He pulled out a large wad of bills. He counted out two hundred dollars and handed it to Anthony. Anthony took the money, looked at it, and then handed the watch to Malcolm. Malcolm stood looking at the watch as Anthony counted the money again.
"It can't be," Malcolm said. "No one's supposed to be able to get this thing. You said you took it off the old man without any trouble?"
"No trouble at all," Anthony said. "Why? Is it worth anything?"
"It could be worth more than you imagine," Malcolm said, holding the watch up for the others to see. "Guys, I think we've just had a change of plans. I don't think we need Anthony any longer. If this is what I think it is, we may have just written out own ticket to the upper levels of the underworld."
"I'd hold off before I cashed in that ticket if I were you," Prue said, stepping out of the office.
"Intruder," Malcolm said. "Silas, take care of her. We'll take care of Anthony."
Prue tapped into her telekinetic power and a pipe lying on the floor suddenly rose and flew at Silas. It struck him in the chest, impaling him. The demon howled in pain and disappeared in a sheet of flames.
"Witch," hissed Malcolm.
"Yeah," Piper said, stepping out of the shadows. "More than one, actually."
"There's actually three of us," Phoebe said, stepping out from behind the tank. "Anthony, move away quickly. You're in a lot of danger."
"What?" Anthony questioned looking around.
Daniel walked out of the office behind Prue. Malcolm saw the old man and for an instant seemed to be undecided about something. Suddenly his face registered a look of recognition. He looked at Daniel and then at the watch.
"The watch keeper," hissed Malcolm, looking at Daniel again. "So this is the watch. And it's mine. This stupid human gave it to me freely. It now belongs to me. And nothing can harm me."
"I wouldn't say that," Piper said, raising her hands and freezing the demon.
Malcolm just laughed. He suddenly changed into his demon form. He stood the same height as Anthony but had green skin. His yellow eyes shined in the shadows of the room. A long tail sprouted from his backside and it swayed slightly from side to side.
"Stupid witch," Malcolm said, holding up the watch. "With this I'm invincible. You're pathetic powers are no use against me." He turned to the remaining demons. "Destroy them. They can't possibly stand against us now."
The remaining men suddenly changed into demons similar to Malcolm. They began to advance on the girls. The sisters each threw their vanquishing potions and three of the demons vanished in a conflagration. Malcolm stood facing the Charmed Ones alone. He simply smiled.
"You can't hurt me," he said, holding up the watch. "No one can. This watch passed freely to my hand. This pathetic human gave it to me. Now its power is mine."
"It was not his to give," Daniel said, stepping up to the front. "Possessing it will afford you some protection. But it hardly makes you invincible. Return it and they may let you leave here alive."
"No chance of that," Malcolm said, holding up the watch again. "Its mine now. There's no way you can take it from me."
"I wouldn't say that exactly," Prue said.
She tapped into her telekinetic power again and the watch suddenly sprang from Malcolm's' hand. If floated across the room and landed gently in her hand. She looked down at the face of the watch.
"This is what you wanted?" she asked Daniel. "This thing doesn't even work. It's stopped at 11:04. What's so important that everyone would risk their lives for it? I want some answers and I want them fast."
"You don't know," Malcolm said suddenly realizing that the girls had no concept of the watch's true nature. "You honestly have no idea what you're holding. Foolish witch. Give me back the watch. I can grant you more power than you ever dreamed of. With it, we can rule the underworld together."
"Not likely," Prue said. "First, I have no desire to rule the underworld. Second, we don't make deals with demons. Third, you're about as ugly as they come. Besides, it doesn't belong to me. Like Daniel said, it's not mine to give."
"Then no one shall have it," Malcolm said. "With the watch keeper dead, it can't be passed on. I will have my victory over you yet."
Before anyone could move, Malcolm launched himself at Daniel. Daniel had moved to the forefront of the group and stood too far away for any of the sisters to help him. As the three turned to attack the demon, Daniel simply raised his hand. The demon froze in midair.
"I may not have the watch in my possession," Daniel said, "but I am the watch keeper. After so many years, I am still able to access much of its powers. Anthony was only able to take the watch because he was destined to. And I cannot allow it to fall into the hands of one such as you."
Daniel waved his hand in front of Malcolm and the demon suddenly vanished. Prue and her sisters looked at each other. Anthony stood looking around completely dumbfounded.
"He will bother us no longer," Daniel said. He turned to Prue. "We have what we came for."
"So, did you have any trouble?" one man was asking another when six men suddenly came into the plant.
"None at all," said the other man. "It was almost too easy. I don't think the old man even knew what happened. When I glanced back, he was still just walking away as if he didn't have a care in the world."
"Excellent, Anthony," said the first man. "You show promise. Pretty soon you'll be a full-fledged member of the group. Then you can start sharing in all the spoils. You'll have enough money to do whatever you want."
"I just want enough to start a new life somewhere," Anthony said. "I'm not interested in getting rich. Just getting enough to get out of this town."
"That's easily done," the other man said. "Of course, it depends on what you got from the old man. The more things are worth, the sooner you'll get what you deserve."
"I got this," Anthony said, pulling a pocket watch out of his pocket. "It looks old. I'm thinking it's an antique or something. Should be worth quite a bit."
"Yes, indeed," the other man said, reaching for the watch.
"Not so fast," Anthony said, pulling the watch back. "You said no matter what I got it was worth two hundred bucks. Let's see the money. Then you can have a look at the watch."
"Silas, pay the man," said the second man.
"Sure, Malcolm," said another of the men.
He pulled out a large wad of bills. He counted out two hundred dollars and handed it to Anthony. Anthony took the money, looked at it, and then handed the watch to Malcolm. Malcolm stood looking at the watch as Anthony counted the money again.
"It can't be," Malcolm said. "No one's supposed to be able to get this thing. You said you took it off the old man without any trouble?"
"No trouble at all," Anthony said. "Why? Is it worth anything?"
"It could be worth more than you imagine," Malcolm said, holding the watch up for the others to see. "Guys, I think we've just had a change of plans. I don't think we need Anthony any longer. If this is what I think it is, we may have just written out own ticket to the upper levels of the underworld."
"I'd hold off before I cashed in that ticket if I were you," Prue said, stepping out of the office.
"Intruder," Malcolm said. "Silas, take care of her. We'll take care of Anthony."
Prue tapped into her telekinetic power and a pipe lying on the floor suddenly rose and flew at Silas. It struck him in the chest, impaling him. The demon howled in pain and disappeared in a sheet of flames.
"Witch," hissed Malcolm.
"Yeah," Piper said, stepping out of the shadows. "More than one, actually."
"There's actually three of us," Phoebe said, stepping out from behind the tank. "Anthony, move away quickly. You're in a lot of danger."
"What?" Anthony questioned looking around.
Daniel walked out of the office behind Prue. Malcolm saw the old man and for an instant seemed to be undecided about something. Suddenly his face registered a look of recognition. He looked at Daniel and then at the watch.
"The watch keeper," hissed Malcolm, looking at Daniel again. "So this is the watch. And it's mine. This stupid human gave it to me freely. It now belongs to me. And nothing can harm me."
"I wouldn't say that," Piper said, raising her hands and freezing the demon.
Malcolm just laughed. He suddenly changed into his demon form. He stood the same height as Anthony but had green skin. His yellow eyes shined in the shadows of the room. A long tail sprouted from his backside and it swayed slightly from side to side.
"Stupid witch," Malcolm said, holding up the watch. "With this I'm invincible. You're pathetic powers are no use against me." He turned to the remaining demons. "Destroy them. They can't possibly stand against us now."
The remaining men suddenly changed into demons similar to Malcolm. They began to advance on the girls. The sisters each threw their vanquishing potions and three of the demons vanished in a conflagration. Malcolm stood facing the Charmed Ones alone. He simply smiled.
"You can't hurt me," he said, holding up the watch. "No one can. This watch passed freely to my hand. This pathetic human gave it to me. Now its power is mine."
"It was not his to give," Daniel said, stepping up to the front. "Possessing it will afford you some protection. But it hardly makes you invincible. Return it and they may let you leave here alive."
"No chance of that," Malcolm said, holding up the watch again. "Its mine now. There's no way you can take it from me."
"I wouldn't say that exactly," Prue said.
She tapped into her telekinetic power again and the watch suddenly sprang from Malcolm's' hand. If floated across the room and landed gently in her hand. She looked down at the face of the watch.
"This is what you wanted?" she asked Daniel. "This thing doesn't even work. It's stopped at 11:04. What's so important that everyone would risk their lives for it? I want some answers and I want them fast."
"You don't know," Malcolm said suddenly realizing that the girls had no concept of the watch's true nature. "You honestly have no idea what you're holding. Foolish witch. Give me back the watch. I can grant you more power than you ever dreamed of. With it, we can rule the underworld together."
"Not likely," Prue said. "First, I have no desire to rule the underworld. Second, we don't make deals with demons. Third, you're about as ugly as they come. Besides, it doesn't belong to me. Like Daniel said, it's not mine to give."
"Then no one shall have it," Malcolm said. "With the watch keeper dead, it can't be passed on. I will have my victory over you yet."
Before anyone could move, Malcolm launched himself at Daniel. Daniel had moved to the forefront of the group and stood too far away for any of the sisters to help him. As the three turned to attack the demon, Daniel simply raised his hand. The demon froze in midair.
"I may not have the watch in my possession," Daniel said, "but I am the watch keeper. After so many years, I am still able to access much of its powers. Anthony was only able to take the watch because he was destined to. And I cannot allow it to fall into the hands of one such as you."
Daniel waved his hand in front of Malcolm and the demon suddenly vanished. Prue and her sisters looked at each other. Anthony stood looking around completely dumbfounded.
"He will bother us no longer," Daniel said. He turned to Prue. "We have what we came for."