QUEST FOR
THE LUNATI TREASURE
Episode #8
"Sin
City 2"
Through the smoke and burning flames all around him Stephen Garza inched closer and closer to his sister. Unable to raise himself from his knees, he crawled. Every cackle from Barbus seemed to intensify as Garza got closer. Garza tried to ignore the demon's laughter, as he reached out and finally took hold of his sister's hand.
Barbus howled, piercing a nearby car window.
"Listen closely, human!" Barbus ordered, as he pointed to Garza on the ground. "The vengeance of the Ja'Vey has been executed. I will leave you to wallow in the frailty of humanity."
Within a moment, Barbus was gone. Garza did not look at him, but he heard every word he spoke. With each syllable he grew angrier, but it was only after Barbus's departure that Garza found his dizziness subsiding.
He gathered Sienna into his arms, tightly rocking her as he held tight to her wrist, feeling no pulse. He ignored her bloody wounds and closed his eyes, filling his mind with images of her smiling face.
"Don't do this," he muttered. "Don't..."
In the distance, he could hear the familiar sounds of approaching sirens. His eyes never opened.
Several squad cars, a fire truck and two ambulances arrived on the scene. Sergeant James Durst emerged from the lead squad car and ran over to his fallen friend.
"Garza!" he yelled. "Are you hurt?"
His eyes veered to Sienna.
"Oh no," Durst mumbled sadly.
He turned his head back to the rescue workers.
"Get over here!" he shouted. "We got one down."
Two emergency medical technicians rushed to their side, but when the first reached out for Sienna, Garza swatted her hand away.
"Don't touch her!" Garza screamed.
"Garza…Stephen," Durst spoke, calmly placing his hand on the detective's shoulder. "I'm sorry."
Garza's eyes slowly fluttered open and looked into Durst's. The sergeant could see the utter devastation in his soul, as a tear ran down his cheek.
"Let them have her," Durst said, keeping his voice as calm and sympathetic as possible. "It'll be okay. They won't let anyone hurt her."
Garza released his hold on Sienna's body and the paramedics began checking her vitals as a gurney arrived. Garza watched as they placed Sienna's body on it and wheeled her into a waiting ambulance. With the doors still open, he watched them try to resuscitate his sister with no luck. His eyes were unwavering.
At his side on the ground, Durst never let go of his friend's shoulder. Though they couldn't hear the dialogue between the paramedics, they understood what it meant when the two workers shook their heads and pulled a sheet up over Sienna's body. Durst lowered his head.
"What happened here?" he asked Garza, who seemed to be stuck in a trance, still focused on Sienna.
Bishop and Addie Malcolm walked quickly into the cave home, making their way through the winding passages easily, as they trudged towards their destination with great purpose.
As they entered Tarok's chamber they saw him seated in his self-made thrown, levitated above the ground thanks to Tarok's manipulation of electromagnetic power.
"You're not going to believe what's happened out there!" Bishop said, clearly disturbed.
"With the Ja'Vey on the loose, I will not be surprised," Tarok said, with a chuckle.
"They practically destroyed downtown!" Addie exclaimed. "You're laughing?"
"The Ja'Vey have been trapped within the tablet for decades…the humans of the city desecrated their territory," Tarok said, with a smile. "They do enjoy their revenge."
"Well, I guess you better hope they don't take some out on you," Bishop said, annoyed. "After all, you're their oldest living enemy, aren't you?"
Tarok seemed more peeved by Bishop's words. He stood up from his seat and lowered himself to the ground, with his eyes focused squarely on his Black hunter.
"You are beginning to irritate me," Tarok said.
"This isn't what we signed on for," Bishop said, unrelenting. "You never said anything about destroying cities! Don't you realize what you've unleashed? Don't you care?"
Tarok let out a moan of anger, as he extended his palm towards the Malcolm siblings, sending a wave of blue energy directly towards their heads. Tarok smiled, as he felt more powerful torturing them. But as he saw Bishop fall to his knees, clutching his head and screaming in pain, he noticed that Addie was not falling so easily. His eyes conveyed his dismay as the Yellow hunter held onto her brother, trying to hold him up as well.
Tarok released his lightning hold on them, and tried to appear unfazed by Addie's ability to withstand the brunt of his power.
"You are right," he said, seething at Bishop. "I do not care! I do not care about Silver City. I do not care about what the Ja'Vey destroy…as long as they find me my treasure."
"You still haven't gotten them to do that, either," Addie said, boldly.
"I will," Tarok said, as he turned away from the two.
As Bishop & Addie regained their bearings, Tarok walked over to his altar where the tablet lay.
"With this tablet, I can control the Ja'Vey," Tarok explained. "I am not without understanding. That is why you two are still alive and that is why I have allowed the Ja'Vey to indulge in their…previous vendettas. But no more. It is time for them to work for me."
Tarok raised his arms above his head, creating another electrical storm around his body. He began to chant in a language the Malcolms did not understand. As he did so, a mysterious cloud of energy rose from the stone tablet. Bishop and Addie stared at the cloud, as it continued to rise until it reached the top of the cavern. The cloud traveled through the ceiling of the cavern as if it weren't there. Tarok turned to face his crew.
"They will be here soon," he said, with a smile.
On the other side of Silver City, Barbus entered an abandoned warehouse, in a secluded part of town. In the darkness of the large structure, he could not see the two comrades he had come to meet. He knew that Abaddon and Gadarel were present, though, from their unmistakable scents.
"Come, my warriors!" he called out into the darkness.
Within seconds, he saw two pairs of glowing eyes approaching him. He could also hear subtle chuckles.
"I return with news of death," Barbus said.
"So, we did keep Garza busy long enough?" Gadarel inquired.
"Yes," Barbus said. "He arrived home just in time to find his loved one slaughtered."
"How was it?" Abaddon asked, as he stepped up beside his leader.
"I will not soon forget the taste of her blood…or the smell of her fear," Barbus said, as he howled in delight.
"If only you had allowed us to destroy Garza as well," Abaddon said, impatiently. "He is the son of the hunter. I'm certain of it."
"In due time, Abaddon," Barbus replied. "The male hunters are strong and we are not yet at full power. But we will be. We must properly secure the tablet…and our freedom with it."
At that moment, the dark cloud traveled down upon them, circling around their heads quickly, before invading their brains and causing them the equivalent of human migraines. As they held their head, the annoyance within them spread.
"Tarok is becoming a nuisance," Gadarel spoke. "This is certainly his summons."
"He is using the tablet against us," Abaddon said. "He must be destroyed."
"Now, now Abaddon," Barbus said, grunting through his pain. "He is our link to the past and he may yet prove useful. Tarok will be separated from the tablet and once we have it, we will make sure that no one is able to send us back to its prison."
Barbus howled, despite the pain piercing his brain. Abaddon and Gadarel followed suit, as they all leapt out of the warehouse, heading back towards Tarok's cave at top speed.
The Silver City Police Department was busier than ever. The Department of Detectives seemed to be the center of all the new attention. As Becca Shields maneuvered her way past several detectives, she could hear them chatting with one another about the events of the last few days. When she spotted Sergeant Durst shaking the hand of the mayor of Silver City, she paused until the mayor was out of range. Then she walked over to him.
"Sarge, what's the situation on Garza?" Becca asked, sadly.
She glanced over at his desk and saw his empty chair. Becca had heard about the fire at Garza's apartment when the neighbor's call came into the station. In fact, the entire station was abuzz with the information.
"Sienna didn't make it," Durst said, somberly. "She was pronounced dead at the scene."
Becca closed her eyes, lowering her head.
"Oh no," she muttered. "Garza must be a mess. Where is he?"
"Hospital," Durst revealed. "I left him to meet with a grief counselor."
Becca folded her arms, as she shook her head, still unable to believe her friend's tremendous loss. As she turned her head away from Durst, she caught sight of something even more shocking. She sighed.
"Uh oh," she said, loud enough for Durst to hear. "Must have been a short meeting."
"What?" Durst said, as he peeked around Becca and saw Garza approaching.
Garza walked towards his desk, seemingly focused on that one spot. Durst, however, was soon blocking his path with Becca close behind.
"Stephen, what are you doing here?" Durst asked, sympathetically.
"Where else am I supposed to go?" Garza said.
Becca could feel her emotion rising for him, as she heard his voice. It was full of so many emotions, but the ones she heard most were despair and hopelessness.
"I thought you were gonna stay and talk with a counselor?"
"I didn't want to," Garza said.
"It's hard, Stephen," Becca said, as she rubbed his arm. "But it can really help."
Garza pulled his arm away from her, as his demeanor turned more sour.
"I'm doing things my own way! And, what's with this Stephen stuff? I haven't been called that since—" Garza stopped abruptly when he realized that his grandmother was the last person to call him by his first name before Sienna's death. "Just stop treating me different."
"So, you just want to act like everything's normal, like everything's fine?" Durst said, not understanding.
"Nothing will ever be fine again!" Garza yelled so loud that all eyes turned to him. "Never."
Durst reached out for him, but Garza moved away from his touch, moving closer to his desk.
"I can't let you back on duty like this," Durst said, somberly. "I'm sorry, buddy. Why don't you just go to my place? You can stay with me until everything gets sorted. I've got the space…with Megan gone."
Durst reached into his pocket and pulled out his keys. Garza pushed his hand away.
"Just let me do something," Garza said, pleading with his boss and friend. "I can't—I can't be anywhere else right now or I might go crazy."
"Garza, you can't just—" Becca spoke, but was cut off by Durst.
"Becca, I'll handle this," Durst said to her.
Becca nodded to him and then looked back at Garza.
"Call me if you need anything," she told him, before leaving.
Garza nodded, as he sat down at his desk.
"You can stay…for a while," Durst said. "But as soon as I get a break from all this madness, I'm getting you out of here."
Garza didn't respond. He simply sat at his desk, staring at his sister's photograph.
Durst let out a troubling sigh as he walked back towards his office, only to be flagged down by his secretary.
"Sergeant, there's someone here to see you. He says it's very important," Janice said.
"Who is it?"
"He says his name is Doctor Ian Hartford," she replied.
"Probably someone from the hospital wondering where Garza went to," Durst said, a bit confused.
"I don't think so, sir," Janice said. "He's waiting in your office."
Durst glanced into his office. It's glass wall left nothing private. Inside he saw the man in question seated in front of his desk, as a young blond woman stood next to him.
"Thanks. I'll take care of it," Durst said, as he grabbed the door handle and entered. "Dr. Hartford?"
Ian gave a courteous smile, as he shook Durst's hand, revealing to him that he couldn't stand with his greeting.
"Hello, Sergeant. This is my assistant, Jessica Lorrie," Ian said.
Jessica smiled as she shook Durst's hand.
"Hi," she greeted.
"Well Doctor, what brings you and your assistant here?"
"The officers downstairs said that you were the person to talk to regarding the recent attacks downtown," Hartford said.
"Do you have information to share on the case?" Durst wondered.
"Actually, I came to warn you," Ian revealed.
"Warn me?"
"To warn all of you," Ian said. "These creatures are like nothing you've ever dealt with before and I don't think the Silver City P.D. is equipped to handle this kind of threat."
"What are you trying to say? That we shouldn't attempt to do our jobs and protect the city?" Durst said, looking incredulous.
"I'm saying that you should leave this situation to those that are more…equipped to stop the threat."
"Why do I get the feeling you have the answer?" Durst said, sarcastically.
"The fire and devastation downtown may have continued last night had there not been outside interference," Ian said. "Your people couldn't get to those fires and they certainly couldn't stop those creatures. My people did."
"Your people?"
"The two individuals who fought off the attack work for me," Ian said, as he looked up at Jessica.
She gave a supportive smile. As Ian continued his explanation to Durst, Jessica's eyes veered away from them and she glanced out the glass wall of Durst's office where Detective Garza caught her eye. She remembered him from the night of the attack and his attempts to stop the Ja'Vey.
"We don't deal in vigilante justice around here, Doc," Durst said, seriously, as he looked a little closer at Hartford. "You know Doc, I think we've met before. Police banquet a couple years back…yeah. It was held at the Hartford Historical Society, right?"
Hartford nodded.
"Wow, I hardly recognized you with all that extra hair…and the wheelchair," Durst said, curiously. "I hadn't heard you were in an accident."
"My handicap is not the issue here," Hartford said, sternly. "I'm trying to save you and your men a lot of casualties. Don't confront those demons again!"
"I don't take orders from you, Hartford, no matter how much taxes you pay," Durst said.
Outside the office, Garza found himself still staring at his sister's photograph, unable to take his eyes away. There was no reason to, he thought to himself. Then, he heard a strangely familiar voice.
"Detective Stephen Garza," she spoke.
Garza looked up to see Jessica Lorrie was reading the nameplate on his desk. Garza frowned, as he couldn't place her voice, knowing he would have remembered meeting such a beautiful woman.
"Do I know you?" he asked.
"No, not really," Jessica said, her voice tainted with sadness. "My name's Jessica Lorrie. I just—I read about your sister in this morning's paper. It's terrible. I'm sorry."
"What for?" Garza said, as he looked into her eyes, seeing her sincerity. "It wasn't your fault."
"Maybe not…but still. I'm sorry for your loss," Jessica said, sensing that Garza didn't want her sympathy. "I apologize for bothering you."
As she turned to walk away, Jessica heard Garza's chair squeak slightly as he stood up.
"Wait," he called out.
Jessica turned back to face him.
"Your voice…I know it," Garza said, trying to rack his brain.
"The attack downtown," Jessica said. "I called out to you after you collapsed on the street."
"It was you," Garza said, finally remembering. "In the pink costume?"
"Guilty," Jessica said, with a bit of a smile. She had almost expected him to call her out the moment he saw her. Then, she realized she wasn't wearing any trace of pink, except for her lip gloss. "It was the least I could do, after you helped me by distracting them."
"What were you doing out there with those things?"
"I was trying to stop them," Jessica said. "I still am. I'm just sorry that we couldn't get to them before…"
Garza's mind fell once again on his sister.
"I don't think there's anything anyone could do," Garza said, as his head lowered. "The one that attacked me in the alley—he killed her. He waited for me. He wanted me to see what he had done."
Jessica's look of sadness turned to one of confusion and curiosity, as she listened closely to Garza's words. Before she could ponder the situation further, she could hear the approach of her boss. She turned her head and saw Ian rolling himself towards her. He wasn't happy.
"Let's go, Jess," Ian said, as he glanced back at Durst's office. "It doesn't seem they want to listen to reason around here."
"Yes, Dr. Hartford," Jessica responded, as she took control of Ian's wheelchair and began pushing.
As she passed Garza, she stopped for a brief moment.
"Again, Detective, I'm so sorry," she said.
Garza looked into her eyes and nodded, sending her silent thanks as she walked away.
Bishop and Addie Malcolm watched Tarok as he paced in a circle. Addie was amazed that even though the ancient Lunati man wasn't paying attention to his feet, they were leaving an exact circle of footprints in the dirt. He never wavered from that motion, until all three of them were caught off-guard by howling coming from just outside the cave.
"They're back," Bishop said, his voice full of disdain.
He didn't want to deal with these creatures anymore and he couldn't ignore Addie's bad feeling either. He walked over towards the altar, standing against the cavern wall. Addie followed suit. They watched from afar as Barbus entered, flanked by Gadarel and Abaddon. The three creatures, glanced at the young hunters upon their entrance, but it was clear their focus was on Tarok, whom they knew had summoned them. Barbus walked right up to face Tarok, who was now standing in the middle of his footprint circle.
"We do not appreciate being summoned against our will," Barbus said, bearing his fangs.
"You must obey," Tarok said, standing his ground.
"Says who?" Gadarel said, impatiently, as he moved towards Tarok.
Abaddon, the calmer of the two, pulled his comrade back.
"I released you from your prison," Tarok said, as he pointed to the tablet. "If you do not assist me in finding my treasure, then I may be forced to send you back."
Abaddon and Gadarel shared a troubled glance…then laughed. Tarok was surprised by their reaction. Barbus pushed himself closer to Tarok.
"Tired of us already?" Barbus said, seething. "Well, your gifts to the world cannot be put back so easily."
"Controlling us is even harder!" Abaddon shouted.
"I used the tablet to force you here," Tarok said, angrily. "There is nothing stopping me from using it again until you agree to carry out my bidding!"
Tarok turned to walk towards the tablet, but Barbus' arm blocked his way.
"There is something stopping you," Barbus said. "Us!"
He used that arm's strength to send Tarok flying backwards into the stone wall of his large cavern. As he crashed into the wall and collapsed to the ground, Bishop instinctively stepped in front of his sister, as they stared at what was happening.
Nearby, Abaddon & Gadarel were both chuckling loudly at Tarok's fall, as Barbus turned to them.
"I believe it is time to begin our full liberation!" Barbus ordered, as he pointed at the tablet.
Abaddon and Gadarel stepped up to the altar. As Gadarel glared at the tablet, something else caught Abaddon's eye.
"Perhaps we will hunt for the treasure next," he said, happily. "Starting with the crown."
He reached for the crown, when his wrist was caught in the grasp of another. He looked over to see Bishop holding tight to his arm.
"The crown isn't your concern," Bishop said, angrily.
Abaddon chuckled, as he glanced over at Gadarel, then back at Bishop.
"Silly human," Abaddon replied. "I can take whatever I want and there's nothing you can do to stop me!"
Abaddon pulled his wrist from Bishop's grasp and punched him across the face, sending Bishop spinning to the ground. Addie joined him at his side.
"He's right," she said, "We're no match for them…not like this anyway."
She pulled her tracker from her pocket, showing it to Bishop. He nodded. They both flipped open their trackers, hit the activation buttons and simultaneously slammed them together.
"Start up!" they both shouted together.
As each device ripped against the other, the two were instantly morphed.
"More colored fighters?" Gadarel said, as he stepped up beside Abaddon in front of the altar.
"This should be fun," Abaddon said, as they both ran towards the two hunters.
Abaddon tried to connect with a punch on Bishop, but he blocked it, scoring a punch of his own, that did little to cause Abaddon to back down. As they continued to block each other's moves, Addie ducked Gadarel's kick, but was caught by his large silver claws, which swiped at her chest, causing her suit to explode in a barrage of smoke.
"Ahhh," she screamed, as she fell to the ground.
Before she could even get up, Gadarel was on top of her. The tiger-like creature brought his face right up to her helmet and began sniffing her.
"This would have been much more fun if your scent wasn't masked," he said, in a whisper, as he licked his fangs.
"Fun…you ain't seen nothing yet," Addie said, as she twisted her hand blaster while it was still attached to her belt.
She fired the device at point blank range. As the laser stream connected with Gadarel's chest, he went flying off of her and across the room.
Nearby, Barbus walked towards the altar, with his eyes focused on the tablet. He reached out for the stone slab, when a cluster of blue-colored lightning energy surrounded the stone, lifting it out of his grasp. Barbus howled in anger, as he turned around to see Tarok was back on his feet and using his power to remove the tablet from Barbus' range.
"You're playing with the wrong demon!" Barbus yelled, as he charged towards Tarok, who lifted himself off the ground, avoiding Barbus' onslaught.
Barbus howled in anger, as he jumped into the air, landing on Tarok's floating throne. He catapulted off of the chair and tackled Tarok in midair, sending both of them crashing to the ground.
"The tablet!" Abaddon shouted, as he kicked Bishop down and ran towards the falling slab.
Abaddon caught it before it hit the ground and then chuckled, as he held it within his grasp. Before he could revel in capturing the stone, he was struck from behind by a barrage of laser strikes. He fell face-first onto the ground, as the Black hunter stood behind him and holstered his weapon.
"I hate unwelcome guests," Bishop said, as he walked closer.
"Get used to it!" Abaddon said, as he flipped over, revealing he wasn't truly injured by the attack.
He lifted his foot, quickly kicking Bishop in the head, sending the Black hunter falling to the ground.
They fought past Tarok and Barbus, just as the Lunati king staggered to his feet, with his eyes on the tablet. He rushed towards the stone slab, but Barbus blocked his way.
"I should have destroyed you hundreds of years ago," Barbus said. "When I had the chance!"
He focused his sight on Tarok and fired a blast of energy from his eyes. Tarok levitated above the strike and extended his palms towards Barbus. As he began chanting in his native language, energy balls began to form in his palms. He sent them down at Barbus, who flipped away, just as the energy spheres struck him at his feet. Tarok continued the attack.
Several feet away, Addie had called upon her Thunder Claws, as Gadarel advanced on her again. She slammed them on the ground, sending a shockwave that almost hit the creature. Gadarel, however, jumped over the ground, landing on her chest, sending her to the ground again. He howled in her face, as she brought up her left claw, only to have Gadarel swipe it right off her hand. The yellow bucket scooper went flying across the cavern, slamming into the far wall.
Abaddon picked up the stone tablet and chuckled, not noticing that Bishop was back on his feet.
"Finally, we have the tablet," he said.
"I hope you don't mind taking it home in pieces!" Bishop shouted.
Abaddon turned quickly to see Bishop wielding his Turbine Crusher. He spun around, as he targeted the stone slab.
"Noooo!" Tarok yelled in anger, as he stopped his focus on Barbus and sent an energy sphere towards Bishop, striking him and knocking him down.
Abaddon laughed loudly, as he passed Bishop's body.
"That look like it hurt," he said, as he headed for the cavern exit.
Tarok's focus on Bishop allowed Barbus to regain his offensive position. He sent a bolt of energy form his eyes, striking Tarok in the chest, causing him to crash to the ground. He joined Abaddon.
"Gadarel, let's move!"
The orange and black creature howled in anger, as he looked back down on the Yellow hunter he had pinned to the ground.
"Things were just getting interesting," he said, with a disappointing groan.
He jumped off of Addie and ran off behind his comrades. With the trio gone, Addie got to her feet and de-morphed as she ran towards Bishop who was still down on the ground, his suit smoking from Tarok's attack, which she witnessed. She looked over at the fallen Lunati king and shook her head in anger. As she caught her breath, she glanced over at the altar. The tablet was gone, but she was pleased to see that the Ja'Vey had forgotten about the crown in their haste.
Inside the Tracking Lab, deep in the basement of the Hartford estate, Jessica Lorrie feverishly typed on the keyboard in front of her, staring closely at the monitor and the information she had been researching for over an hour. She was so intently focused that she never heard the arrival of a pair of footsteps.
"I thought I'd find you down here," Chris said, as he sat down at the terminal next to hers and peeked at her monitor. "What's going on? You find something else on the Ja'Vey?"
"Yeah," Jessica said. "And, it's not good."
"What is it?" Chris wondered.
"Dr. Hartford and I were at the police station earlier. I was talking to Detective Garza…the officer who was at the scene when we fought off the Ja'Vey downtown," Jessica explained. "His sister was killed yesterday…by the Ja'Vey."
"That's terrible," Chris said. "But, why would they go after her? Revenge for Garza's interference?"
"I think it's deeper than that," Jessica said. "Much, much deeper."
As she finished typing a command, a text document flashed onto the screen. She tilted flatscreen monitor so Chris could see it.
"Like you, I thought it was strange when Garza told me that Barbus came after his sister. The way the detective described it, Barbus did it on purpose. He seemed to deliberately be trying to devastate him," Jessica revealed. "So, I ran a background check on Stephen Garza and his family. I found some strange things in their history. Almost every male in the family died under mysterious circumstances, most occurring in cities or towns that had some…beastly visitors. It's been going on for decades, maybe longer, given the age of the tablet."
"Wow," Chris said, as he read the document. "Garza's from Texas. That's where the tablet was buried."
Jessica nodded along.
"His father died in Corpus Christi when Garza was a kid. I'd bet money that his body was found near that unmarked grave where Tarok dug up the tablet," Jessica surmised.
"So, you're saying that Garza's family—they were the hunters that took down the Ja'Vey?" Chris said.
"Yep," Jessica said, as she pulled up another text file. "And I think his father may have been directly responsible for capturing Barbus, Abaddon and Gadarel."
"Holy crap," Chris said. "You think Detective Garza might be able to stop the Ja'Vey now?"
"I don't know," Jessica said, with a sigh. "The research I found on the demons suggests that the only way to stop them is by speaking the incantation on the stone, trapping their souls within the tablet, somehow."
"Like Garza's dad did?"
"Yeah. But, there's more to it than that," Jessica said. "The souls have to be sealed with the hunter's blood."
Chris let out a deep sigh.
"Pretty heavy stuff," he said. "You think Garza will do it?"
"I don't know," Jessica said, as she pulled several pieces of paper from the printer and stood up, grabbing her shoulder bag and her jacket. "But, he needs to know the truth."
"You're gonna tell him?"
"I have to," Jessica said. "The Ja'Vey are still out there and if they killed his sister to torture him, then I doubt they're finished. I need to warn him."
"Are you gonna tell him how to stop them?" Chris wondered.
"He needs all the information," Jessica said, as she shrugged her shoulders. "Not that it matters much. Tarok still has the tablet and without it, there's no way to trap the demons again."
Chris watched Jessica rush off. He took a deep breath as he turned away from the exit, still pondering her last words about the tablet. His eyes lit up. He pulled his tracker from his pocket and smiled, before running off himself.
As Addie helped Bishop into their cavern, he pushed her away, refusing her help and forcing himself to ignore his pain.
"I'm getting so tired of this!" he shouted furiously. "I can't believe Tarok did that to me."
"It seemed like he was trying to stop the tablet from being destroyed," Addie said, trying to calm him. "I have a pretty good feeling it loses its power if it is. At least we still have the crown."
"And what good does the stupid crown do us without the jewel it's missing…or the other relics for that matter?" Bishop said, as he kicked up dirt on the ground in anger. "Tarok is so wrapped up in this Ja'Vey mess that he's not even focused on the goal anymore."
Addie was about to agree when she heard her tracker activate. She pulled it from her back pocket and saw the red glowing signal.
"I've got an incoming call," she said, curiously.
"From who?" Bishop wondered.
"I'm about find out," she said, as she slid the device open and answered the call. "Hello?"
"Addie?"
They both instantly recognized Chris Hartford's voice.
"It's Chris Hartford, can you hear me?" he continued.
"Yeah, I—" Addie spoke until Bishop cut her off.
"Hartford, what do you want?" Bishop yelled, as he snatched the tracker from Addie's hand.
"I want to talk," Chris said, a bit annoyed. "It's important. I'm right outside the cave."
Addie looked more curious as she heard this news. Bishop, however, was fuming.
"I suggest you leave before we sick the dogs on you," Bishop said. "Karths don't take kindly to trespassers."
"I'm so scared," Chris answered, sarcastically. "I wanted to talk to Addie, not you!"
Bishop closed the tracker, abruptly ending the call.
"He's got some nerve," Bishop said, under his breath.
Addie took her tracker back and headed out of the cavern. Bishop caught up to her in the passageway.
"Where do you think you're going?" he asked.
"Out there to see what he wants," Addie said.
"Don't! It's probably a trap. He knows Tarok's busy with the Ja'Vey. He's probably trying to get in here to get the crown back," Bishop guessed.
"Well, you better come with me so that doesn't happen then," Addie said, as she continued on her way.
Bishop groaned, as he followed her out of the cave. Chris stepped out from behind a large tree near the cave entrance. He noticed Bishop limping a bit.
"What happened to you?"
"None of your business, Hartford. Why don't you get out of here before the same thing happens to you!"
Addie stood in front of Bishop, keeping him from moving any closer to Chris.
"What do you want?" she asked Chris.
"I just want to talk," he said, as he showed them his tracker and then placed it on the ground. "That's all."
"About what?" Addie said, a bit nervously, as she remembered the last time she was in a room with Chris Hartford, which included flirting, kissing and all while she was in someone else's body.
"The stone tablet Tarok found," Chris revealed. "It's very powerful."
"You think we don't know that, rich boy!" Bishop snapped at him.
Addie put an arm up, trying to silence her brother, as she motioned for Chris to speak.
"Look, the Ja'Vey are intent on revenge. They practically destroyed downtown. Do you guys really want to be held responsible for their sins?" Chris said, seriously.
"What are you talking about?" Addie said. "We had nothing to do with their attack on the city."
"But you're holding the tablet," Chris said. "Helping Tarok keep those demons around is only gonna make things worse. The only way to stop them is with the tablet."
"We don't have it," Addie said quickly, before Bishop tapped her on the arm.
"Addie, shut up!"
"You don't have it?" Chris said, shocked. "Where is it?"
"We're done here," Bishop said, grabbing his sister's arm, pulling her towards the cave entrance.
"Addie!" Chris called out.
Addie looked back at him and couldn't help but speak out.
"The demons took it," Addie blurted out, as Bishop pulled her into the cave.
"Go home, Hartford!" Bishop shouted back at him. "And don't come back here."
As they disappeared into the darkness of the cave, Chris sighed, silently cursing. He picked up his tracker and stared at it. His brilliant plan to get them to give up the tablet had gone up in smoke and he was left with no way of finding out where the Ja'Vey could have taken the tablet. As he stared at his tracker, another idea came to him. Chris turned away from the cave and slid his tracker open about ninety-degrees. He began scanning.
"Come on," he said, speaking to the device. "We picked up the small Lunati DNA trace on the tablet in Texas. It has to still register."
He grunted in anger when he found nothing. He flipped the tracker open completely and made a call.
"Spencer, it's me," he spoke into the tracker. "I need a huge favor. I need you to activate the scanners in the lab and see if you can trace a small Lunati signal for me."
"Yes, Master Chris. I'm on my way to the lab now," Spencer responded.
"Spencer, you're a godsend," Chris said, with a smile.
As Detective Garza stood amongst the wreckage of his apartment, he was filled with emotions, all negative. He couldn't get the image of his sister being dropped right there in front of him. He still heard Barbus' howl of laughter. As he shook his head, he knew the demon had to pay for what he had done to Sienna.
As he made his way through the rubble, searching for some sign of home, he heard an approaching vehicle on the street. He glanced over at a silver convertible that came to a stop nearby. He was a bit surprised to see the woman from the police station emerge from behind the wheel. She was walking in his direction.
"Uh hi, I'm Jessica. We met earlier," Jessica announced.
"I remember," Garza said. "What are you doing here?"
It was a loaded question, Jessica knew. She took a deep breath, not sure she was right for unloading such shocking information on someone who was clearly still in mourning.
"They told me at the station that I might find you here. Let me preface this by saying that I am really sorry for your loss," Jessica said. "I just—I found some things out that I think you need to know. I feel I have an obligation to tell you."
"Tell me what?" Garza wondered.
"After we talked earlier at the station, I was curious about why the demons would attack you so personally," Jessica said, slowly. "I did some research and—"
"Wait, you did some research?" Garza said, looking confused. "Why?"
"I told you before. I'm trying to stop them. The Ja'Vey, that's what they're called, are powerful creatures and part of stopping your enemy is knowing everything about them," Jessica explained. "You're a detective. You must understand that."
"But you're not a detective," Garza said. "Look, I appreciate what you're trying to do and Sgt. Durst told me about your boss and trying to keep the police out of this, but those damned things killed my sister! I'm going to find out why and make sure they get what's coming to them!"
"That's what I'm trying to tell you," Jessica said, impatiently. "I know why they killed your sister!"
"What?" Garza said, stunned by her revelation.
"It was revenge," Jessica revealed.
"Revenge…for what?" Garza wondered, not fully believing her. "For fighting them downtown?"
"No," Jessica said. "For imprisoning them."
"I didn't—"
"Your father did," Jessica said, as she reached into her bag and pulled out printed copies of the information she uncovered.
Garza turned his back on her as he read the papers.
"This is…impossible," Garza said.
"Your father gave his life to trap Barbus and the others," Jessica said. "He stopped them by trapping their souls within a special stone tablet. It requires the hunter to speak from the tablet to weaken the demon and then seal its soul away in stone…using the blood of the hunter."
"This all makes no sense!" Garza said, angrily as he turned to face Jessica again. "What are you trying to do to me? You come here and tell me that my father killed some demons and now they're back to take revenge on his family?"
"On you!" Jessica pushed. "It's you. Barbus smelled you in that alley the night of the first attack. He knew who you were. That's why he went after your sister. Don't you see? You're the next hunter. You may be the only one that can stop these demons for good."
Several miles outside of the busiest areas of the city, an abandoned warehouse was no longer abandoned. Barbus and Gadarel stood inside of the darkened structure, staring at the stone tablet that had been a home to them for over a decade. As Gadarel chuckled in victory, Barbus ran his paws across the text etched onto the stone slab.
"Tarok was a fool for believing he could keep the tablet out of our hands," Gadarel exclaimed to his leader.
"Yes," Barbus said. "He made a grave error…much like his Lunati brethren did all those years ago."
"We destroyed them for it," Gadarel said, fishing for a fight. "Perhaps the same should ring true today."
"Tarok will get what's coming to him," Barbus said. "But we must deal with one situation at a time."
"I agree!" a voice shouted in the distance.
Barbus and Gadarel both turned towards the warehouse entrance, where they could see a slender figure standing in the daylight just outside.
"Forget Tarok," Chris Hartford spoke, fully morphed, with his hand blaster pointed at them. "You've got another situation on your hands. Now, step away from the stone."
Barbus and Gadarel both began chuckling darkly, as they saw the Red Ranger standing at the doorway.
"What's so funny?" Chris asked.
"Your futility," Barbus murmured.
"I'm the one holding the blaster here," Chris said. "So why don't you two do what I say."
As he looked around the interior of the warehouse, he noticed something that troubled him.
"Where's the other one?" Chris wondered about Abaddon's location. "The one with the—"
Before he could finish his sentence, Chris heard a clicking noise behind him.
"Cannon," Chris mumbled quickly.
He spun around, holding tight to his blaster. But as he turned his head, he saw Abaddon standing a few feet away, with his purple and green cannon under his arm, focused directly on him.
Before Chris could fire his own weapon, Abaddon had activated his cannon sending an explosive ball of fire directly at the Red Ranger. Chris flipped away, but was still caught in the backdraft of the explosive ball that landed on the ground just outside the doorway of the warehouse.
Chris slammed hard onto the ground. Before he could get his bearings, Abaddon was on top of him. He pulled the Red Ranger to his feet and howled directly in his face, hidden beneath his helmet.
"You've arrived just in time for the party!" Abaddon said, happily, as he turned to see Barbus and Gadarel emerge from the warehouse.
Abaddon chuckled, as he threw the Red Ranger towards his comrades. As Chris flew threw the air, Barbus focused his sight on him and sent a surge of energy from his eyes that caught the Red Ranger directly in the chest. Chris crashed to the ground amidst the sparks and smoke now emanating from his suit.
He could feel another claw picking him up off the ground. As he was raised high, he saw the face of Gadarel holding him high. Chris aimed his hand blaster directly at the creature and fired, sending Gadarel flying backwards and crashing to the ground. Chris was freed form his grasp and landed on one knee.
He aimed his blaster at Abaddon who was headed directly towards him and fired again, causing the green-eyed creature to lose his balance and fall backwards to the ground. Chris jumped to his feet and turned, but Barbus was right on top of him. He swung at Chris, but the Red Ranger ducked the attempted punch and scored a karate kick that caused the creature to stagger. Chris ran towards him before flipping into the air and coming down on Barbus with a flying kick, which caused the creature to hit the ground hard.
Before Chris could refocus on the other two Ja'Vey, he turned right into another cannon shot from Abaddon. The blast was a direct hit, causing the Red Ranger's suit to ignite in a fog of sparking damage. As Chris fell to the ground, the only focus he had was on the pain he felt. The blast was so strong that he felt his suit did nothing to protect him from the onslaught.
"My father…this wasn't him," Garza said, his voice low and dark.
"Detective—"
"This wasn't him!" Garza yelled, cutting Jessica off as he pushed the papers back into her hands. "Leave me alone."
"I know you're hurting," Jessica said. "But a lot more people are going to be hurt if we can't contain the Ja'Vey. You can't deny your legacy, not if lives are at stake!"
At that moment, Jessica heard her tracker. She pulled it from the back pocket of her pink jeans. She flipped the device open to hear the incoming call.
"Yes, what is it?" she spoke into the device.
Garza watched with a strange curiosity, not only about the technology, but also about her and who she truly was.
"Jessica, there's trouble," Ian spoke on the other end. "It's Chris."
"It's all my fault, Ms. Lorrie!" Spencer called out in a worried tone. "He asked me to locate a small Lunati signal…"
"A small Lunati signal," Jessica repeated, as she thought. "The tablet? Chris went after the tablet?"
"It gets worse," Ian explained. "The Ja'Vey have it…and him."
Garza watched as Jessica's eyes lifted from the tracker and focused on him for a moment. He could see the worry and fear within them.
"I'm on my way," she said, as she rushed back to her car. "Send me his exact location."
As she jumped behind the wheel, she looked up at Garza again before speeding off. Garza watched the silver convertible take off, passing him. His eyes were led right back to the spot where Barbus dropped his sister's dead body. Amidst the burned debris, Garza spotted something. He knelt down and picked up a half-burned photograph of his grandmother. It was the same picture his sister wanted to keep. They looked so much alike, he thought.
As his emotions began to rise again, all he could hear was the laughter of Barbus, echoing in his brain.
Barbus held tight to the Red Ranger's neck, as he pulled him off the ground. Abaddon and Gadarel walked up to Chris. As he opened his eyes, he saw three sets of fangs all bearing down on him, ready to pounce.
"It's too bad we can't see the fear in his eyes," Abaddon said, happily.
"Once we tear him apart, we will taste the fear in his blood!" Barbus said, causing all three of the creatures to begin howling in anticipation.
"Who says I'm afraid?" Chris grunted.
"If you aren't…you will be, human!" Gadarel screamed at his helmet.
"Never!"
As the three Ja'Vey all became more angered, they growled with fury. But their sounds weren't loud enough to mask the sound of a speeding plane headed straight for them. All heads turned in reaction to the sound, just as the Hyper Jet swooped down beneath the clouds, firing at their location.
Barbus, Abaddon & Gadarel all went flying as their bodies were struck by the laser blasts. Chris collapsed to the ground. He managed to lift his head long enough to see the Pink Ranger hop out of the Hyper Jet and land near him. Jessica ran to his side.
"Chris, are you all right?"
"You kidding? I feel like a million bucks," Chris moaned in pain.
"Stay put," she said, as she pulled her hand blaster from her belt and focused on Barbus who got to his feet first.
Jessica fired the weapon, causing his body to erupt in smoke and sparks. He fell to one knee. She turned to see Gadarel also getting to his feet. She ran at top speed, transforming her blaster into its blade mode. She ducked a punch from Gadarel and swiped the weapon across his chest, causing sparks to fly. She brought it down for another attack, but this time Gadarel blocked it, swiping the three sharp claws on his right hand across her chest, which caused her own suit to spark. She staggered backwards, but did not fall. She went on the assault again, just as she heard Chris screaming.
"Jess, look out!"
Jessica turned to see Abaddon laughing loudly as his cannon was pointed directly at her. He fired the weapon, as Gadarel moved away. Jessica flipped onto her side to avoid the blast. Unable to fully avert it, she was forcefully thrown to the grown. She got up, groaning in pain. As she switched her weapon back to blaster mode, she heard a laugh from afar. She turned to see Barbus was the source. A blast of energy came roaring from his eyes and landed directly on her body, causing her to scream out in pain. Her suit sparked with damage as she collapsed to the ground.
Garza dismounted his motorcycle, walking further into the storage warehouse on foot. He was walking with a purpose, as he approached the unit he had rented to store his grandmother's belongings. He had left his apartment so quickly that he didn't even bring his helmet along. He opened the unit and almost breathed a sigh of relief, thankful that the moving company had gotten the boxes here before his apartment went up in smoke.
He searched through the boxes quickly, looking for the box he had marked 'fragile' and 'private.' It didn't take him long to find it. He ripped the box open, ignoring his own markings on it. He reached inside and found the white handkerchief wrapped around the bloodied blade. As he brought the knife up to his face, a flood of thoughts about his grandmother filled his head.
"Grandma, this knife has dried blood on it," Garza said, as he examined the blade.
"I know," she responded. "It is the blood of your father."
"I don't get it," Garza said, giving her a confused look.
"This blade holds great power," she said, her voice growing weaker. "You must keep it safe and nearby."
It was starting to make more sense, Garza thought, as he remembered his earlier conversation with Jessica.
"He stopped them by trapping their souls within a special stone tablet. It requires the hunter to speak from the tablet to weaken the demon and then seal its soul away in stone…using the blood of the hunter," Jessica explained.
Garza's eyes now conveyed an inner fury, tempered with determination. As he hopped aboard his motorcycle and sped out of the storage lot, he could feel his dizziness beginning to return. He didn't let it stop him. He refused to lose control of his cycle, and he refused to stop until he reached his destination. While he didn't know exactly where he was going, he let his feelings guide him. As the wave of dizziness in his head worsened, he knew he was getting closer. He knew that in order to make it to that battle, he would have to first win over his brain's attempts to shut him down.
He rode on faster, not stopping for anything.
The three beastly Ja'Vey had their prey surrounded. The Red and Pink Rangers could barely find the strength to move at the moment.
"We have—to get up," Chris muttered to his partner.
"I don't know if I can," Jessica said.
The howls of the Ja'Vey grew louder, as they could sense their prey was struggling…struggling for survival.
"It's time to end this," Barbus said. "And once we're finished destroying these humans, we will destroy that tablet, ending all hopes of our future imprisonment!"
Gadarel and Abaddon howled in agreement with their leader, as they closed in on the two fallen Rangers.
But before they could attack, the sound of another roaring vehicle invaded the area. As all three turned, Garza's speeding motorcycle seemed to go even faster. With one hand on the handle bars and one hand grasping his pistol, Garza opened fire on Barbus and Gadarel catching them off-guard. The two staggered only slightly from the strike of the bullets. Garza brought his motorcycle's front wheel off the ground, causing it to take flight. As he jumped off, the cycle crashed right into Abaddon, causing the purple and green demon to crash to the ground, sparking with damage.
Garza landed on the ground nearby, firing his pistol quickly at Barbus and Gadarel as they both ran towards him. As he ran out of bullets, he could hear both of the creatures howling with glee. They both swiped at him at the same time. Garza dropped to one knee, avoiding the attacks, and causing Gadarel to swipe Barbus in the chest with his massive claws.
"Master, I'm sorry!" Gadarel apologized, just as Garza's foot was planted in his chest, causing him to stagger backward.
Before Garza could get back to his feet, he felt something land at his feet. He looked down to see a large white and black hand blaster. He looked over at the fallen Rangers to see it belonged to the Pink one, who was looking over at him. She nodded, as she tried to get up.
Garza grabbed the weapon and opened fire on Gadarel, sending him flying backwards, damaged by the laser blasts. Garza turned to attack Barbus, but the Ja'Vey leader was already on top of him. He tackled Garza to the ground, sending both of them rolling into the warehouse. As their rolling bodies came to a halt, Barbus was on top, his fangs only inches from Garza's face.
"Here we are again…back in the darkness," Barbus spoke.
"Back where you belong," Garza said, as he struggled to throw Barbus' weight off of him.
"I only wish destroying your sister was this much fun…she didn't put up a fight at all!" Barbus said, as he laughed.
"You're a monster!" Garza shouted. "And you're not gonna get away with that."
"Oh really?" Barbus growled, still using his weight to keep Garza down. "And, who's going to stop me? Your father may have imprisoned me, but he was a true hunter. You are weak! At least your father could protect his family! I doubt your blood could even seal my soul!"
Garza yelled in fury.
"My blood won't have to!" Garza screamed, as he pulled the knife from his leather jacket pocket and plunged it deep into the heart of the demon.
Barbus howled, this time in pain from the blade, piercing his body. A glowing light seemed to emanate from the growing wound on his chest. Garza continued pushing the blade and Barbus back, until he caught sight of the tablet and began to read what was there. He didn't understand the text, but he knew that if Jessica was right, it would finally destroy Barbus.
A few yards away, Abaddon stepped up to the doorway of the warehouse, seeing what was happening inside.
"No!" he yelled, as his cannon materialized underneath his arm.
As he aimed it at Garza, he could feel it moving out of his control. The Red and Pink Rangers both grabbed a hold of the cannon, pushing it away from the entrance.
"I don't think so!" Chris grunted, as they forced Abaddon away from the fight.
Abaddon swung around quickly, causing Jessica to lose her grip and fall to the ground. He used his free arm to punch the Red Ranger across the helmet, sending him flying as well.
Back inside the warehouse, Garza could hear Barbus' screams as he continued to read the text on the tablet. As he got closer to finishing the incantation, he could feel the power in his hand increasing, almost as if the knife was getting stronger.
"You can't do this!" Barbus yelled, as his soul separated from his body and traveled into the stone tablet.
Garza watched as the body of Barbus turned to ash, falling to the floor of the warehouse. Garza appeared stunned that the knife, tainted with his father's blood also turned to ash. He looked back at the doorway of the warehouse as he heard the howls of Abaddon and Gadarel. He saw their glowing eyes glaring directly at him.
"You fool!" Gadarel yelled furiously. "You have sealed away our leader!"
"And you're next!" Garza yelled, showing no fear, despite his dizzy mind.
"Not if you're destroyed first!" Abaddon yelled, as he focused his cannon. "We'll bring the entire warehouse down!"
He fired his cannon directly at Garza. The detective dove towards the stone tablet, using it as a shield as the blast came at him. The tablet shattered into dozens of pieces upon impact with the explosive blast. Garza, however, was still alive beneath it. The two remaining Ja'Vey picked him up and threw him out of the warehouse, as they laughed.
"Thank you," Abaddon said. "You've just eliminated the only prison that could hold us!"
"Now, it's time to eliminate you!" Gadarel added.
"Oh boys," Jessica's voice pierced the male dominated scene.
"Aren't you forgetting something?" Chris chimed in.
Abaddon and Gadarel turned to see the Pink and Red Rangers were back on their feet, with their weapons drawn. Chris held tight to his Power Staff, as Jessica held her Hydro Cannon. Both took an offensive stance and went running towards the two creatures, with their weapons poised for attack.
"Power Staff, piercing strike!" Chris yelled out as he brought his body seemed to become one with his weapon, causing a streak of red energy to form around it, as it pierced the bodies of both the Ja'Vey.
At the exact same time, Jessica unleashed her own fury.
"Hydro Cannon, aquatic strike!" Jessica called out, as she maxed out the power of her weapon, hitting both the Ja'Vey with the blast.
Both Abaddon and Gadarel seemed stunned, as their bodies were engulfed in the attacks from both the Rangers' weapons. This caused their bodies to not only spark with damage, but powerful yellow energy seemed to travel all over them as they both collapsed into two massive explosions.
The Red and Pink Rangers rushed to Garza's aide, helping him to his feet.
"You okay?" Jessica asked.
Garza nodded, as he looked back over at the fallen Ja'Vey…only to see there was nothing left behind but ground damage.
"They're gone," he announced.
Chris and Jessica shared a glance, as they de-morphed and looked back over to see Garza was telling the truth.
Hours later, Dr. Ian Hartford and his crew were all back in the Tracking Lab, staring at one of the study counters and the small stone pieces on top of it.
"So, do you think we'll be able to piece the tablet back together?" Jessica wondered, as she glanced at Ian.
"If this is all the pieces, it's possible," Ian answered.
"Abaddon and Gadarel are still out there," Chris said. "And given that they survived our maxed out power, I think we may have been added to their revenge list."
"At least you'll have a kindred spirit in Detective Garza," Spencer added. "I can't imagine he'll ever be able to let go of what happened, given the terrible nature in which his sister was killed."
"You're right, Spencer," Jessica said. "I'm not sure he'll ever get over it. But one thing's for sure. If the Ja'Vey ever show their faces again, Detective Garza won't be far behind. It's just a question of if they can be truly stopped without the tablet."
On the other side of town, Detective Stephen Garza knelt at a fresh grave. As he looked at the grave marker with his sister's name on it, he couldn't help remembering happier times: seeing Sienna take her first steps, playing with her outside of their grandmother's house in Texas, watching her receive her high school diploma.
Garza closed his eyes, as he focused on the memory of her smiling face, which had been so much like his grandmother's. That thought seemed to transport him back to his final time with the older woman.
"You're gonna be okay, Grandma," Garza said to her.
As the old woman coughed at bit, she rubbed her grandson's hand.
"We never know when we'll be called to die, Stephen," she explained. "All we can do until then is fight on…for what's right."
"I know," Garza said.
"I've fought a lot in my life. It's time for me to rest," she said, as she closed her eyes for the final time.
Garza stood up from his sister's grave and turned towards the setting sun. She hadn't been given the chance to truly fight, he thought to himself. But Garza knew he would fight for her spirit and never give up. He reached into his shirt and pulled out the ring that hung on the chain around his neck. He held tight to it, remembering that his father had fought too and died saving the world from the vengeful Ja'Vey.
Garza stared up at the setting sun. This day was ending, but he knew that his fight was far from over.
THE END
Next time on
Quest for the Lunati Treasure
Ian's past crashes into the present when an old
friend calls on his help after a mysterious burglary,
which could have more to do with the quest than
anyone knows and the truth behind Chris'
resentment of his father is revealed.