The New Year had started with a bang. Not literally of course. For both
Dee and Ryo it had been an evening full of warmth and love, good food,
lots of cuddling, and fireworks for the finale. They had spent a lot of
the first day of the New Year in bed, and Dee had been amazed at how open
Ryo was for male/male sex, for trying out new things, and how he initiated
a lot of their rolls in the hay. He looked at his partner and lover with
new eyes, completely new eyes, and not just because of the second life
he was leading.
The demands on the job were the same as in the old year and nothing
would ever change there. Their latest case had been given to them just
before New Year's and it involved a brutal murder and a lot of problematic
witnesses. Apparently they were scared out of their wits and rumor had
it that the killer belonged to an influential and wealthy family.
Money bought a lot of things; threats too.
What should have been a simple interview of a potential witness who
was finally ready to open up, had turned into a merry chase as the man
in question had no intention to talk to the two police officers. He was
out of the window, onto the fire escape and on the roof in seconds. Dee
and Ryo had followed.
A chase had ensued, taking them over the roofs of New York, through
winding passages between the old buildings of this part of the city, until
the guy had finally decided to descend to ground level again – only to
try and lose them in the maze of alleys and little shops everywhere. Dee
knew the place well. He had hung out around here as a kid way too often
and the old nooks and crannies still existed. It was a definite plus and
when they arrived at an intersection, both breathing hard, he gestured
at Ryo to go down the alley while he circled around to head the guy off.
Ryo acknowledged and followed their fleeing witness.
Ryo wondered where Markus got his energy from. The man was about his
own age, but a lot heavier built, but he had held up quite well in the
chase. It helped that he knew his way around while he and Dee had to double
back once or twice. Ryo noticed the moment they got into a section of town
Dee felt more familiar with because his partner could almost foretell where
the witness was going.
Running down the dark alley, gun ready, he tried to spy a glimpse of
where Markus was. Why was he running anyway? He had called them, wanting
to talk about what he had seen the day the brutal murder had happened,
so why suddenly evade the police?
His thoughts were rudely interrupted by the fact that he had arrived
at a dead end. A ramshackle wall of wooden boards and metal plates had
been erected, effectively cutting the alley in half. Debris littered the
ground. Markus was trapped.
Ryo stopped, looking around for their man, and discovered him with
his back pressed against the side of a building, breathing hard.
"Give up, Markus," Ryo called. "It's over."
"Oh no," was the slightly breathless answer. "Not by a long shot, cop."
A noise behind him alerted Ryo to a second presence and he frowned.
"Markus…" he started.
The other man stepped into the light of the lonely lamp hanging above
them. It shed a yellow circle into the semi-darkness.
"What's going on, Markus? You called us, wanted to talk," Ryo went
on.
Where was Dee? he thought fervently. His partner had wanted to cut
the running man off, but he was probably faced with the barrier now. Or
was someone waiting for him, too?
"Yeah, it's what I said, but you know what, boy? I lied." He snickered.
"You cops are way too trusting."
The man behind him was moving into position and Ryo tensed more. Two
were no problem. He could manage two.
"Why?" he asked.
"Do we need a reason to teach a pig a lesson?" Markus chuckled.
Ryo felt more than saw the man behind him move and the next moment
he swung around, kicking at his opponent. A loud 'oof' told him that he
had hit his target and he immediately whirled around, ready to take on
Markus. The man grinned, brandishing his brass knuckles. Ryo ducked and
the blow hit the wall behind him, splintering the wood. He rammed an elbow
into the man's side and was rewarded with a snarled grunt.
Suddenly there was movement on his left side. He turned to ward off
the next attack when something hit him on the right. It came so sudden,
he barely had any time to register the fact that there was a third person
present before someone kicked him hard in the ribs and he staggered, coughing.
Three? his mind cried. Where had the third been? Why hadn't he seen
him?
The questions were drowned in the adrenaline driven response to fight
for his life even as one of the goons grabbed him, interlocking his arms
with Ryo's and pulling them over his head. His ribcage was exposed, leaving
him vulnerable.
And then he saw the baseball bat.
Dee had cursed when he had run into the makeshift wall. He couldn't
remember it being there when he had scavenged around this part of town
so many years ago. But hey, this was New York and not exactly one of the
better parts. Shit happened.
The sensation came out of the blue.
Suppressed fear, followed by determination.
'Dee, where are you?'
"Ryo?" he murmured.
Anger mixed with fear, and then the sharp pain. He staggered, as if
he had been physically hit in the side, and suddenly he knew.
"Ryo!" he yelled.
His partner was behind the wall. His partner who was being attacked…
Dee stared up at the obstacle, took in the empty barrels, the garbage
piling against the rotting boards, and he started to scale the piece of
junk that separated him from his partner. The moment he could look over
the wall, his blood froze in his veins and his mouth opened in a scream
of denial.
Three men, one of them their witness, were trying to take a piece out
of Ryo. His lover was in the death grip of one heavily built guy who kept
his arms pinned over his head while his partner was trying to smash a wicked
looking baseball bat into the unprotected ribcage. Ryo had managed to ward
the man off once, kicking out with his long legs, but the second time the
one with the bat was ready.
"Ryo!" Dee screamed.
He was too far away, he wouldn't be fast enough…
Markus turned at his cry, his ugly face giving him a wild, manic grin.
The baseball bat descended.
No!
Something inside him broke with a resounding crack. It was as if he
had been locked inside a jar for his whole life, had never really felt,
seen or heard, touched or tasted. His senses exploded, his mind was awash
with sensations alien and familiar in one.
Dee didn't deny the wall of cold, blue fire that screamed up inside
him with a force that shamed every F5 tornado. He welcomed it even as it
tore through him, over him. He reached for it, took a hold of the power,
wielded it as if he had been born with it.
Green eyes flared with what had been locked inside him for too long,
with what he was. His focus was on the three men attacking what was rightfully
his, what belonged to him. Ryo was a singular point in his world, encased
in what seemed to be protective, transparent shields, but the others were
prey.
Let – Him – Go!
The wave rushed along every nerve, setting his body on fire as the
power wrenched from him, agony screaming through an overtaxed brain that
hadn't had to handle that kind of power for close to thirty years. It succumbed
happily to the wall of darkness that followed on the cold fire's heels.
Ryo felt the rush of power flow around him, caressing him feather-light
while it flung the three attackers away, breaking bones and burning clothes.
He heard the screams, the moans, then there was silence. Staggering, he
turned to look at his lover and partner, who stood tall and erect, silent
and powerful at the end of the alley. Power danced around him like a living
being, almost visible to Ryo's eyes, and he knew what had just occurred.
How…? Why…? Dee?!
It couldn't be…! Dee was too old for that kind of power to manifest
without prior indicators…
"Dee?" he croaked.
His partner blinked, looked at him, visibly shell-shocked, then simply
collapsed.
"Dee!"
Ryo ran to him, ignoring the twinges from his bruised ribs and assorted
other areas, and fell to his knees at Dee's side. The younger man was breathing,
his pulse was strong, but he was out cold. No wonder after the display,
McLane thought, still confused.
Then he pushed the confusion aside and pulled out his cell phone. He
dialed a number he knew by heart and listened to the dial tone.
The other side picked up after the first ring.
"McLane, Ryo," he spoke into the cell phone, then added the security
code. "Red One. I need the closest available ally." He gave the other end
the address, then hung up.
All he could do was wait for assistance now, and make them as comfortable
as possible. Pulling Dee up, he settled with his back against the wall,
Dee safely in his arms. He didn't care about the condition of the three
thugs, one of them their witness. For once, police matters took a back
burner to other, more pressing matters.
He had received the emergency call right in the middle of his lunch
break. It was actually lucky because he had left the office to spend his
lunch hour at a deli only a few blocks away. Well, food would have to wait,
he decided, as he took his car through New York traffic to the accident
site. It was icy cold and the roads, while free, were slippery. He deftly
maneuvered the car around cabs and pedestrians that jay-walked between
the cars. Everyone was bundled up tightly, their breaths escaping in puffs
and clouds. Snow had been announced by the end of the week.
Red One. Bad, he mused as he barely made it past a stop light.
It meant a sudden break-through of abilities that had probably left
quite a bit of damage to clean up. He wondered who it was. Teenager? Street
kid? Puberty was the likeliest trigger for paranormal abilities. Some showed
their talents later, but only a few. He had heard of a warlock's powers
breaking through in his late twenties, but he had been showing signs for
a while now. Red One meant quite some substantial manifestation. Warlock?
Wizard?
Stopping the car, he checked for the alley in question, then set the
indicator and drove to the left, parking his car effectively at the mouth
of the street in question to keep anyone from entering. Getting out, he
briskly walked to the end, scanning for the ally who had discovered the
new paranormal and the poor soul who had just had had the shock of his
life time. Damn, it was cold. Shivering, he pushed his gloved hands deeper
into the pockets of his overcoat.
And then he discovered the ally who had called him, as well as the
new paranormal in question.
For the first time, he was the one who received the same shock.
Dark brown eyes looked at him with the same surprise, widening as he
came closer. His own shock deepened as he also identified the unconscious,
dark-haired man in the ally's embrace.
"McLane?" he asked. "You called a Red One?"
Ryo nodded slowly, his shock disappearing behind the professional façade.
"Yes. First level. He took out three men with something that was close
to… I'd say warlock strength."
"What?!"
He stared at the unconscious man, shock settling even deeper, quickly
followed by horror at what it meant. Shit, the new paranormal was already
a grown man… that was more than unusual. It was almost unheard of!
"I felt it brush past me as he attacked the man holding me. It wasn't
just a small burst. It was the real thing. He keeled over from exertion."
He gazed at Dee Latener, fighting for composure as he digested the
news. Part of him thought, 'you felt his power brush past you?!' And you're
still in one piece!', the rest was too busy mentally going through procedure.
"Let's get you out of here first," he decided. "It's damned cold out
here."
Ryo nodded. "His home."
Lieutenant Ross Barclay helped the younger man get the unresponsive,
newly awakened paranormal to his car. They settled him on the back seat,
Ryo sliding in beside him.
Then they were on the way.