TWENTY-THREE

"I don't understand," said Paige. "Why me? What did I do to deserve this?"

"It's not like that, sweetie," said Phoebe. "Being a witch isn't a punishment. It's not even a reward. It's just the way things are. Some of us are born witches. You just have to accept it."

"What do I do now?" Paige asked. "I can't go back to what I was doing. I can't help hunt down witches. It would be like sending my own family to prison."

"You may not have to," said Phoebe. "Look, we came to talk to you because we need your help. If you can help us we just might be able to make a whole lot of changes and you won't have to worry about being a witch."

"How can I help you?" Paige asked. "I'm just a journalist."

"A very respected journalist," said Prue.

"Before we tell you how you can help us," said Phoebe, "we need to tell you why you need to help us. It all started a couple of days ago when I cast a spell to try and figure out why my power wasn't working lately."

"No offense but that just sounds crazy," said Paige.

"I know how it sounds," said Phoebe. "They don't really believe me either and they're used to what magic can do. I can only imagine how it must sound to you."

"So this Nostradamus," said Paige. "He's supposed to be some kind of prophet or something?"

"Not exactly," said Phoebe. "A lot of people think the quatrains he wrote predicted future events. Of course there are a lot of people who think none of it is true. The point is that when I brought him from the past it somehow caused the timeline to fold over on itself. And everything became convoluted."

"Okay," said Paige, "let's say I believe you. Let's say I buy this whole time folding thing. What does that have to do with me?"

"When they arrested me they also arrested Nostradamus," said Phoebe. "I have no idea what they did with him or where he is. Until we find him there's no way we can put things right."

"We know you have some very powerful connections," said Piper. "We also know that you can get information that no one else can get."

"And you think I can help you find this Nostradamus?" Paige questioned.

"We were hoping you'd at least try," said Prue. "According to Phoebe he's not a witch . . . "

"That I know of," Phoebe interrupted.

"That she knows of," Prue repeated. "At least we know he wasn't brought to the same camp we were in. We though that – with your connections – you might be able to find out what they did with him."

"Well, it's possible," said Paige. "I could claim I'm doing a piece on recently captured witches or something. I'd have to know a little bit more about him. Where was he arrested at?"

"In our manor," said Phoebe. "That's where this all started."

"The Halliwell manor?" Paige questioned.

"Yes," said Phoebe. "We were in my room on the computer when the police just broke in on us and arrested us. That's the last I saw him."

"That would be sector 12," said Paige. "The Halliwell manor is one of the most protected buildings in the country. Ever since the – you – were arrested there have been rumors of powerful magic items hidden in the house. The authorities have searched it several times but haven't found anything. It's restricted because they don't want to risk someone finding something they haven't been able to find."

"There's nothing to find," said Prue. "The only things that we had there were potion ingredients and things like that. No all-powerful magical items that might destroy the world."

"The government couldn't be sure of that," said Paige. "You know how paranoid they are when it comes to witches. If he was found in there and found not to be a witch he would have been taken to F.B.I. headquarters for interrogation."

"That's just great," said Piper. "From what I've heard F.B.I. headquarters is the last place we want to go. Their security is just about as heavy as that at the camp."

"They won't learn much from him," said Phoebe. "He hadn't even begun to learn about our time. He couldn't seem to understand about the simplest things like electricity."

"That might be different," said Paige. "If he told them he was from the past they might think he's delusional. Or schizophrenic. If that's the case they would have sent him to a psychiatric hospital for observation and evaluation."

"That would make things easier," said Leo.

"How?" Phoebe asked.

"The mentally ill aren't considered a magical threat," said Paige. "The institutions are high on the list of places with security scans. They're scanned a few times a year as a matter of routine but most don't have any security devices. If he's in one of those it will be a lot easier to get to him."

"How do we find out where he is?" Phoebe asked.

"I could talk to the classification section," said Paige. "They would know where he was sent. But getting in there might be a problem. Now that I'm a witch they might detect me. That would be risky."

"What about the commandant of an internment camp?" Prue asked. "Would he have that information?"

"Probably," said Paige. "He'd get a full report on any new witches assigned to his camp. That would also include anyone caught with them and their disposition. Why do you ask?"

"Well," said Prue, "at the camp the security orbs were around the internment perimeter. But there weren't any outside the internment area itself."

"Of course not," said Leo. "There's no need for them. All the witches are inside the internment area itself. All of the guards assigned to the camps are thoroughly screened."

"Well, Phoebe was brought to our camp," said Prue. "So Andy probably has all the information on Nostradamus. Including what they did with him."

"That could be risky," said Leo. "Those camps are all very suspicious of anyone who visits them. And they all have portable scanners. If Trudeau should decide to scan you . . . "

"Scan me?" questioned Paige. "The darling of the news world? The only newscaster who's personal friends with Secretary Bennett? The person who, on a nightly basis, helps identify and facilitate the capture witches all over the country? I'm thinking that's not an issue."

"Point taken," said Leo.

"Secretary Bennett?" Phoebe asked.

"The Secretary of Homeland Security," said Paige. "It's because of him I got my job as a network anchor."

"It's just strange, that's all," said Phoebe. "Our father's name is Bennett."

"Yes, of course," said Prue. "Dear old daddy. The man responsible for us being in that damned camp."

"I don't understand," said Phoebe.

"There's a reason that Secretary Bennett and dad have the same last name," said Piper. "Daddy is Secretary Bennett."

"Dad is the Secretary of Homeland Security?" Phoebe asked.

"Yes," said Leo. "He was appointed by the President when he turned in his wife as a witch. That was twenty-four years ago and he's been Homeland Secretary ever since."

"And responsible for the internment and deaths of hundreds or even thousands of witches ever since," said Prue. "Including personally interning us in that camp."

Phoebe could hardly believe what they were telling her.