Chapter Five.
They had waited an hour after all the lights were out before they made their move. Sweatshirt moved to a box, opened it and clipped several wires and smiled.
"No more alarm." He giggled as he looked at his companions. "Hell I have been studying this place for months. "Come on, all we have to do now is get in and get what we came for. Then we leave." He began to move carefully toward the front door. "Told you it was gonna be an easy job." Pulling out a small black case from his pocket, Sweatshirt began working on the lock and smiled as he was able to easily open the door. "Come on, stay close. I know exactly where we are going." Silently the three moved through the warehouse toward the back of the shop. "It's right over here." As they turned the corner, they all stopped and stared. There in front of one case stood Dianna, her hair and gown seemed to whip around her body and head by a wind that shouldn't have been there. She was staring at the object with glassy eyes, almost as though she were sleepwalking.
"What do we do now?" Blue shirt asked nervously.
"Take what we want." Sweatshirt leered at Dianna as he neared. "Hey baby." He touched her on the shoulder, causing her to spin around. Her eyes were huge, her pupils almost obscuring the blueness of her irises. "Damn, you on something?"
"Leave while you can." She said in a whisper, looking through all three of the men.
"But we just got here baby." Sweatshirt grabbed her upper arms roughly and tried to pull her close. He was surprised as she jerked out of his grasp, almost making him loose her balance. "That wasn't very nice." He grabbed her again, backhanded her across the face and pushed her hard, sending her reeling into the case, shattering it. "You really should play nice." He watched as Dianna moaned, face down in the midst of broken glass. "What did you think you were going to do? Take the bracelet? Did you sleep with the old man just to get in here?" He spat on the floor then looked at the other two. "What are you waiting for, look for the bracelet."
"Dianna? What's happening?" Gabriel's voice neared as Dianna stirred slightly. "Wha…" He stopped as he came close enough to see the men and Dianna laying on the floor, her arms scratched and bleeding from the shards that she lay on "What have you done to Dianna?"
"Nothing yet old man." Sweatshirt growled as the other two began searching the floor. "We were just talking when she tripped and fell into that case there." He pointed to where Dianna was still laying, trying to move.
"Oh no…" Gabriel's eyes widened and filled with tears as he saw a sparkle on her wrist. "No, not yet." Looking back at the men, he charged them, falling forward as Sweatshirt hit him hard in the stomach. "Let her go! She's not ready for you yet!"
"You shouldn't have come in here old man." Sweatshirt hit Gabriel hard, knocking him cold, then he turned his attention back to Dianna and physically pulled her too her feet. "See what happens when you don't play nice?"
"Let go of me!" She started to struggle as her senses began to return. "What did you do to Gabriel?" She saw her friend, the protector of her youth, laying on the floor, unmoving. "Gabriel!" More hands grabbed her, trying to subdue her as her struggles increased.
"Shut up bitch!" Sweatshirt slapped her again, making her lip bleed. Suddenly she stopped struggling and stared at him, her eyes becoming unfocused. "That's it. Just play nice and we'll get out of here sooner." He glared at Blue shirt and the other, wearing a tank top. "Find the bracelet." His eyes shifted back to Dianna. "Then you can have some if you want it."
"She has it." Blue shirt said as he pointed to Dianna's wrist. "It's on her."
"So it is." Sweatshirt reached out to take the bracelet off Dianna's wrist. As he did, Dianna suddenly jerked out of his grasp and took a step back. "You still want to play?"
"I said to get out while you can." Suddenly the room was filled with a metallic clatter. "Last chance." Dianna raised her hand, which was suddenly covered with a silver gauntlet. "I won't warn you again."
"What are you going to do." Sweatshirt took a step forward, but stopped when he felt Blue shirt's hand on his arm.
"Let's just get out of here. Something's not right."
"I'm not done yet." Sweatshirt shook off the hand and again moved toward Dianna as Gabriel began to stir slightly. "I want that bracelet Bitch!"
"Then come and get it." Dianna leered as she simply stood still, her armored hand still raised in a fist.
"Dianna, no." Gabriel's words were a whisper as he tried to stop what he knew was about to happen. "Don't let him touch her!" He shouted at the two other men. "I don't know what she will do!" The warning came too late. Before either of the men could react, Sweatshirt had grabbed the gauntlet. As flesh touched metal his body was thrown by an invisible force across the room, where he sunk to the floor, unmoving, staring into nothing. "DIANNA!" Gabriel screamed once more, finally breaking the Witchblade's spell over the woman. She looked at the fallen man, at her hand, then as she blinked she stared at Gabriel, who was working his way carefully to his feet. "Dianna, stop her now. You can do it."
"Gabriel, what's happening." She cried as the gauntlet once again became a bracelet around her small wrist. "I didn't mean to do it." She reached out for him as her body began to sway and her knee's buckle. "Help me Gabriel." He rushed to her, ignoring the sharp pain as he stepped on broken pieces of glass. Wrapping his arms around her, he cooed as she continued to weep. "What did I do?"
"Get him out of here." Gabriel growled at the still standing men. "Get him out of here now and don't mention anything you saw tonight and I won't contact the police. Do you understand me?"
"But what about him? What happened to him?" Blue shirt asked as he carefully walked over to the senseless man. "What did she do to him?"
"Get him out! Keep your mouth shut or by God I'll make sure the same thing happens to you. Do you understand me?" Gabriel's voice was strained with fierce anger as he stood, picking up Dianna's small body. "If I see any of you ever again, you'll pay dearly. Do I make myself clear!" He could feel her body wrack against his chest as she sobbed deeply.
As the two practically dragged their companion out, Gabriel followed close behind until they were out the door. He then turned and put Dianna softly on a chair and moved to relock the door. He turned and stared at her with growing concern. She had curled into a fetal position, hiding her face with her hands. It was then he noticed that the bracelet had begun to change. It seemed to be growing some kind of metallic tendrils, that had already covered the back of her hand and was now working it's way up her arm slowly. Quickly, not understanding why, he picked her up, took her to her bedroom and gently laid her down, making sure she was covered, then he went to the phone and dialed a number.
"Sara," he didn't wait for an answer. "Something is happening to Dianna. She has the Witchblade on and…" He stopped and rolled his eyes, not really listening to the ranting from Sara. "Look I need you over here now! I don't know what is happening and I am afraid. Please, get here as soon as you can." He listened for a moment. "Yeah, it would be good to bring Ian. Sara, hurry. Ring when you get here."
As Sara slowly put the receiver down, she looked up and was unsurprised that Ian stood there, fully dressed.
"We must get to the Princess quickly." His words were soft yet urgent. "It has begun."
"What has begun Ian." Sara quickly pulled a sweater over the sleeveless shirt she was wearing as she followed the darkly dressed man out the door toward one of the cars.
"The Witchblade has begun testing the Princess to see if she is a worthy Wielder." Ian waited till Sara unlocked the passenger door then quickly got in. "We must go to her and watch her."
"A test?" Sara sat behind the wheel, her mind suddenly remembering that she too, in another time had been tested. "Ian." She looked across the car at the man who had begun to wake up. "Did you watch over me?"
"I started too, but you had another to watch over you." His eyes were fixed forward. "Come, we must get too her quickly."
They had waited an hour after all the lights were out before they made their move. Sweatshirt moved to a box, opened it and clipped several wires and smiled.
"No more alarm." He giggled as he looked at his companions. "Hell I have been studying this place for months. "Come on, all we have to do now is get in and get what we came for. Then we leave." He began to move carefully toward the front door. "Told you it was gonna be an easy job." Pulling out a small black case from his pocket, Sweatshirt began working on the lock and smiled as he was able to easily open the door. "Come on, stay close. I know exactly where we are going." Silently the three moved through the warehouse toward the back of the shop. "It's right over here." As they turned the corner, they all stopped and stared. There in front of one case stood Dianna, her hair and gown seemed to whip around her body and head by a wind that shouldn't have been there. She was staring at the object with glassy eyes, almost as though she were sleepwalking.
"What do we do now?" Blue shirt asked nervously.
"Take what we want." Sweatshirt leered at Dianna as he neared. "Hey baby." He touched her on the shoulder, causing her to spin around. Her eyes were huge, her pupils almost obscuring the blueness of her irises. "Damn, you on something?"
"Leave while you can." She said in a whisper, looking through all three of the men.
"But we just got here baby." Sweatshirt grabbed her upper arms roughly and tried to pull her close. He was surprised as she jerked out of his grasp, almost making him loose her balance. "That wasn't very nice." He grabbed her again, backhanded her across the face and pushed her hard, sending her reeling into the case, shattering it. "You really should play nice." He watched as Dianna moaned, face down in the midst of broken glass. "What did you think you were going to do? Take the bracelet? Did you sleep with the old man just to get in here?" He spat on the floor then looked at the other two. "What are you waiting for, look for the bracelet."
"Dianna? What's happening?" Gabriel's voice neared as Dianna stirred slightly. "Wha…" He stopped as he came close enough to see the men and Dianna laying on the floor, her arms scratched and bleeding from the shards that she lay on "What have you done to Dianna?"
"Nothing yet old man." Sweatshirt growled as the other two began searching the floor. "We were just talking when she tripped and fell into that case there." He pointed to where Dianna was still laying, trying to move.
"Oh no…" Gabriel's eyes widened and filled with tears as he saw a sparkle on her wrist. "No, not yet." Looking back at the men, he charged them, falling forward as Sweatshirt hit him hard in the stomach. "Let her go! She's not ready for you yet!"
"You shouldn't have come in here old man." Sweatshirt hit Gabriel hard, knocking him cold, then he turned his attention back to Dianna and physically pulled her too her feet. "See what happens when you don't play nice?"
"Let go of me!" She started to struggle as her senses began to return. "What did you do to Gabriel?" She saw her friend, the protector of her youth, laying on the floor, unmoving. "Gabriel!" More hands grabbed her, trying to subdue her as her struggles increased.
"Shut up bitch!" Sweatshirt slapped her again, making her lip bleed. Suddenly she stopped struggling and stared at him, her eyes becoming unfocused. "That's it. Just play nice and we'll get out of here sooner." He glared at Blue shirt and the other, wearing a tank top. "Find the bracelet." His eyes shifted back to Dianna. "Then you can have some if you want it."
"She has it." Blue shirt said as he pointed to Dianna's wrist. "It's on her."
"So it is." Sweatshirt reached out to take the bracelet off Dianna's wrist. As he did, Dianna suddenly jerked out of his grasp and took a step back. "You still want to play?"
"I said to get out while you can." Suddenly the room was filled with a metallic clatter. "Last chance." Dianna raised her hand, which was suddenly covered with a silver gauntlet. "I won't warn you again."
"What are you going to do." Sweatshirt took a step forward, but stopped when he felt Blue shirt's hand on his arm.
"Let's just get out of here. Something's not right."
"I'm not done yet." Sweatshirt shook off the hand and again moved toward Dianna as Gabriel began to stir slightly. "I want that bracelet Bitch!"
"Then come and get it." Dianna leered as she simply stood still, her armored hand still raised in a fist.
"Dianna, no." Gabriel's words were a whisper as he tried to stop what he knew was about to happen. "Don't let him touch her!" He shouted at the two other men. "I don't know what she will do!" The warning came too late. Before either of the men could react, Sweatshirt had grabbed the gauntlet. As flesh touched metal his body was thrown by an invisible force across the room, where he sunk to the floor, unmoving, staring into nothing. "DIANNA!" Gabriel screamed once more, finally breaking the Witchblade's spell over the woman. She looked at the fallen man, at her hand, then as she blinked she stared at Gabriel, who was working his way carefully to his feet. "Dianna, stop her now. You can do it."
"Gabriel, what's happening." She cried as the gauntlet once again became a bracelet around her small wrist. "I didn't mean to do it." She reached out for him as her body began to sway and her knee's buckle. "Help me Gabriel." He rushed to her, ignoring the sharp pain as he stepped on broken pieces of glass. Wrapping his arms around her, he cooed as she continued to weep. "What did I do?"
"Get him out of here." Gabriel growled at the still standing men. "Get him out of here now and don't mention anything you saw tonight and I won't contact the police. Do you understand me?"
"But what about him? What happened to him?" Blue shirt asked as he carefully walked over to the senseless man. "What did she do to him?"
"Get him out! Keep your mouth shut or by God I'll make sure the same thing happens to you. Do you understand me?" Gabriel's voice was strained with fierce anger as he stood, picking up Dianna's small body. "If I see any of you ever again, you'll pay dearly. Do I make myself clear!" He could feel her body wrack against his chest as she sobbed deeply.
As the two practically dragged their companion out, Gabriel followed close behind until they were out the door. He then turned and put Dianna softly on a chair and moved to relock the door. He turned and stared at her with growing concern. She had curled into a fetal position, hiding her face with her hands. It was then he noticed that the bracelet had begun to change. It seemed to be growing some kind of metallic tendrils, that had already covered the back of her hand and was now working it's way up her arm slowly. Quickly, not understanding why, he picked her up, took her to her bedroom and gently laid her down, making sure she was covered, then he went to the phone and dialed a number.
"Sara," he didn't wait for an answer. "Something is happening to Dianna. She has the Witchblade on and…" He stopped and rolled his eyes, not really listening to the ranting from Sara. "Look I need you over here now! I don't know what is happening and I am afraid. Please, get here as soon as you can." He listened for a moment. "Yeah, it would be good to bring Ian. Sara, hurry. Ring when you get here."
As Sara slowly put the receiver down, she looked up and was unsurprised that Ian stood there, fully dressed.
"We must get to the Princess quickly." His words were soft yet urgent. "It has begun."
"What has begun Ian." Sara quickly pulled a sweater over the sleeveless shirt she was wearing as she followed the darkly dressed man out the door toward one of the cars.
"The Witchblade has begun testing the Princess to see if she is a worthy Wielder." Ian waited till Sara unlocked the passenger door then quickly got in. "We must go to her and watch her."
"A test?" Sara sat behind the wheel, her mind suddenly remembering that she too, in another time had been tested. "Ian." She looked across the car at the man who had begun to wake up. "Did you watch over me?"
"I started too, but you had another to watch over you." His eyes were fixed forward. "Come, we must get too her quickly."