Chapter 73

Taranto, Italy

When he returned to the small and rather seedy Hotel de Vittorio, Phillip smiled broadly at the sight of the four children grouped on the divan in the lobby.

Madrigal, the first to sense him rose, flinging her arms about him. "You came for us!" she cried. The others gathered around.

"There now… was there ever any doubt?" Phillip held her for a moment and reached out to brush the hair on the smallest ones with his fingers and smile at Micah… attempting to appear stolid and grown-up off to one side. "Let's go upstairs." Phillip retrieved his room key with a smile at the clerk. "My children… I told you I was meeting my children." The clerk nodded, but gazed at Chou and Denis curiously as the re-united "family" climbed the lobby stairs to the mezzanine level and vanished down the hallway.

Within Phillip's room, the two youngest children climbed onto one of the beds and stretched out to sleep while Madrigal and Micah faced Phillip.

"They've had a hard time. They handled most of the drugged food and water," Micah reported. "Some is still in their system."

Phillip nodded with understanding, his gaze on the boys, a gaze filled with guilt for having failed them all… at their having to go through this little adventure. Phillip knew he should have done more… been better prepared… something. Letting out a great sigh, the Greek pulled the map out of his back pocket and spread it on the table.

"How is Denara?" Madrigal asked.

"She's fine. She and Ursa are in a safe-house."

"And Luke? She's dead… isn't she?"

Phillip nodded as he pulled out his PPC and began entering the map coordinates into an email.

"And… the others… Val and…" Micah's voice trailed off and he glanced around as if the walls might have ears.

"Fine," Phillip said absently. Suddenly he smiled with a wink. "The coordinates of where I followed them to match with some a friend sent." He straightened and grinned. "We'll need to take another look at what's going on there. Interested?" Phillip gazed at the older two children… not as children… but as fellow immortals. The Watchers had misjudged them… and the two smaller ones… Phillip would not make the same mistake.

Micah nodded grimly. "For Luke!" He held out a fist.

"For Luke," repeated Madrigal as she held out her fist and lay it atop Michahs's. Then she smiled. "For all of us."

Phillip laughed as he followed suit… adding his massive fist to theirs. "Then here's what we'll do…"

-----

Paris

Alisaunne brushed up against a tourist taking snapshots of his family… apologised profusely and walked away… his cell phone in her pocket. She'd not keep it… but she needed to try Duncan's cellphone number and she was reluctant to use another public phone. Punching in the number as she walked she heard it ring…

"Hello?" Duncan's voice answered.

Alisaunne closed her eyes in a silent prayer. "I think someone has Ian," she whispered.

She heard a sound of relief on the other end. "Where are you now?"

Alisaunne looked around. "I don't know… not really. I've been wandering."

Duncan barked an address. "Can you find that?"

"Yes… I think so. Why not a church?"

"Because we're helpless on holy ground." The line went dead.

Alisaunne tossed the phone in a trash receptacle and crossed to a newsstand where she purchased a map of Paris. Spreading it out… she located the address Duncan had given her and looked about for a street sign to figure out where she was. Once she knew… she found the location on the map and planned the best route to where she'd meet Duncan. Alisaunne folded the map and glanced around again to see if anyone was paying any attention to her. No one was. She rammed the map into a coat pocket… feeling the comfort of her blades inside the lining… and began the long walk… to the Louvre.

-----

Duncan lay his head against the steering wheel. "She's fine… they don't have her," he murmured to Amanda.

He felt her rub one hand gently across the knotted muscles of his shoulders. "Why is she so important?"

Duncan shook his head. "She's the only one of my students who remains. They've all died Amanda. I failed all of them. I won't fail her."

Amanda leaned her head against his shoulder. "We won't fail."

He smiled and kissed her hair… suddenly wishing once more for the bed and breakfast… as if something unfinished yet lay between them. Duncan shook his head to clear it and pulled out his PPC. "Once we've collected her… we'll check out this location Katya sent."

"Suppose it's nothing." Amanda said as she straightened. "If Methos were being held in Paris… wouldn't Ellie know? And shouldn't we try to find her as well?"

"We will," Duncan nodded. "But I have to collect Alisaunne first. Ellie's more than capable of looking after herself and Derrick."

"Derrick?"

Duncan stared at her. He was suddenly aware that he'd never mentioned Derrick to Amanda. "He's a boy Ellie and Methos were raising."

"One of us?"

Duncan nodded. "Still pre-immortal from what Ellie said the other night."

"How old is he Duncan… I mean… if something happened to him… would he be old enough to survive?"

Duncan shook his head. "He'd be about Richie's age now. He needs more time."

"Duncan?"

He stared at her.

"Who is he? Your voice changes… when you speak of him… as if he's someone important."

Duncan nodded. "He may be Amanda. He apparently has some of Darius' memories… but they didn't make sense to him when he was smaller. If he grows up… they might… but Ellie says he's beginning to forget them."

"Darius' memories?" Amanda sat back wide-eyed. "Which ones?" She glanced at his bag with the laptop. "The one's that will solve that game of yours?"

"I don't know. I only know he asked me for time to grow up." Duncan started the car and headed to meet Alisaunne while Amanda sat quietly… trying to organize all the bits and pieces into a cohesive whole. But as of yet… they still remained a puzzle.

-----

Amy entered Joe's place grateful that no one was here but her father. He glanced up at her… worry in his eyes.

"What's wrong?"

"Who are you protecting?" Amy asked. "Who is she?"

Astounded, Joe leaned back in chair. "What are you talking about?"

Amy paced about the bar. "A female sliced up a Watcher at St. Julien Le Pauvre last night. I intercepted his report… but I don't know how long I can sit on it. The word is bound to get out."

Joe shook his head. "Tell me what happened."

"Mischkov has put someone on the church… It seems he's looking for someone… a female known to frequent that area. Thankfully the man will live… and he wasn't in Mischkov's inner circle… but Joe… once this gets out… Mischkov will tear that area apart to find her. And since you were seen there recently… he may decide to tear you apart, too."

"This doesn't make sense," Joe shook his head. He pulled out the cell phone and punched in a number. "Mac… stay away from Darius' church… it's being watched." He hung up. "Voice mail account." Joe rose. "Get back… and stay safe. I'll talk to Gautier and the others. We may need to speed things up a bit."

Amy nodded, reached over to kiss his cheek fearfully and then left. If they weren't very, very careful… they might all die.

-----

Burt Meyers continued his watch outside the Paris Watcher Headquarters. He'd seen Amy tear out of here earlier and she hadn't even noticed him… or if she had… she'd known not to approach. He had called in several favors with some old buddies of his and the group of them were keeping their eyes on the place, ready to move when any transport left the area.

"They are only holding them here… the three of them," Amy had told him. "I'm not certain why they haven't moved them yet."

"They must be waiting for at least one more… an important one," Burt had said. "It's the only thing that makes sense." So Burt and the others watched and waited. Joe had given them the locations of several other Watcher land holdings in Paris… but apparently those were just personnel quarters and business covers. So far… they had no idea where the kidnapped immortals were being held.

Burt had also put a team on his mother-in-law's house. "Protect her and the twins at all costs," Burt had told them. He had to know his children were safe if he were to pursue his investigation. His children were what mattered.

"Two cars entering from the south," came the voice in his earpiece. Burt replied quietly and shifted position slightly to be certain he wasn't visible from the road. The two cars pulled into the expanse before the estate and three men exited the two vehicles. They stood for a moment talking… and then went inside.

"Be ready… they may be ready to move them," Burt whispered, hoping that however and whichever direction they took… his people would be able to follow. If they lost them… they'd have to start over… wait for another immortal to go down.

Thoughts about Nick Wolfe stirred about in Burt's mind. The ex-cop had vanished years ago at the start of all this evidently. Was his friend still alive? Or was he trapped in some sort of drugged captivity somewhere. According to Joe… no one had seen the young immortal in years. Amy, in fact, may have been the last Watcher to see him alive. Amanda had been seen recently… Amy said… but not Nick Wolfe.

Burt had known men who'd been held captive in wartime… or as the result of covert activities around the world. It was never easy… and the longer it went on… the worse the psychological damage. Some of the men… once freed… were never the same. Even if Burt and his group managed to find and free the immortals… would they recover? Joe said some of them were centuries old… that they had a wealth of knowledge and experience… that even if they were drugged… they'd recover. Burt wasn't so sure. And what about the young ones… like Nick… still young enough to be in their first life. What would this do to them?

He hunkered down in his spot once more and lifted the binoculars. Was that some movement? He spoke into his small mike and got a report. Five men and three women were on the eastern veranda. Benson thought he could get close enough to hear what was said. Burt waited.

-----

Avril Mishkov glared at his team. "We have suffered a major setback. Those specimens were needed," he said darkly. Running a hand through his thinning hair he was aware that he was losing control. He took three deep cleansing breaths and smiled at the others… motioning them to have a seat.

"I dealt with the idiot who lost the children," Salinas said. Mischkov noted a fine sheen of perspiration on the man's upper lip. He was clearly nervous.

"Reports indicate the children had help… but the other two were unable to offer any clues as to his identity." Salinas' assistant added.

Mischkov slowly nodded. "The unknown warrior from Niebos, perhaps. Certainly Ursa would not have the mental capacity to pull this off and vanish again."

"Are we so certain of that? Where is he now?" Jenna Case slowly crossed her legs as she settled more comfortably in her chair.

Mischkov shook his head. "The team in Greece saw him with the other child in Athens… and then they vanished. They're still looking for them."

"Likely he's gone underground… Didn't he live in the Paris sewers at one time?"

Mischkov nodded. "But I don't think he's done that this time. He's in an unfamiliar country. Have them check out monasteries and other religious communities in the area."

"I thought he was to be killed?" Jenna asked.

Mischkov shook his head. "He was not seen as important originally. But with all that's happened… he might be. Rawlins wants the older ones gathered. Older in actual years… not physical ones. Evidently some new piece of information has arisen in his project. He's wanting all those whose ages number in the thousands of years… not the hundreds. Even those whose mental capacity is… shall I say… limited at best."

Mischkov turned from the group and slipped his hand inside his jacket. He withrew the gun, turned and fired between Salinas' eyes. "He failed. Make certain none of the rest of you fail." Avril Mischkov replaced the gun in his jacket, straightened his cuffs and nodded curtly as he returned to the building. He had decided to pay another call on his three patients. Perhaps one of them would answer the new questions he had. Too bad he couldn't kill one of them… but Rawlins had been most specific about that. All captured immortals were to be held and shipped to him when he asked for them. None were to be killed… no matter what.

But Avril Mischkov had begun to wonder what it would be like to take a head and watch the quickening flow into another one from a close distance. He'd always been so far away. What if he were right there… would some of it flow into him? Would it hurt? Or would it be something wonderful? Why was it the immortals longed for this power… what did it offer them? He licked his dry lips in anticipation. If he could get another one… and not report this one… then he could kill one and see what happened… but first… Avril Mischkov needed his people to find one more… just a young one.

By the time the elevator opened on the medical level, Mischkov was practically humming in anticipation.