Disclaimer: Stephanie Meyer owns all.
Rated M for a reason.
Chpt 39 Into the Valley
BPOV
Evans had obviously been given another mission as Jasper emerges from the bedroom dressed in his trademark jeans, tight t-shirt, cowboy boots an' hat.
"Yours are in the bedroom." He mumbles, dropping a kiss on the top of my head as he passes me immersed in the report left on our doorstep this morning.
Evans has taken the his an' hers theme to heart, my outfit is identical. I'm not sure if that's cute or creepy. Oh well, at least we'll both be comfortable.
"They're there." Jasper informs me as he eyes rake over my tight white t-shirt an' figure hugging jeans.
"Thank god." I flop down onto the couch. "I was worried they'd change their plan when Hargreaves an' Edward went AWOL."
"So was I." I look up to see him frowning. "Suppose it's a trap?"
"J, does it really matter?"
"I suppose not." He sighs heavily.
I echo him with a sigh of own. Neither of us wants to die, neither of us is ready to leave the other but neither of us would live happily in the knowledge we didn't at least try.
"Depressin' ain't it?" He asks leaning over the couch an' burying his nose in my hair.
"Yeah."
He clambers over the back an' pulls me to him. I press my lips against his heart scar.
After an hour of holding each other quietly we leave to hunt before getting down to the field office.
They've already got several hours of footage but even with all the technology available they haven't been able to capture all the movement, vampires are just too fast.
We watch for quite a while, counting the Guard, trying to put names to faces an' desperately seeking some evidence of Pete an' Char. But the only faces we recognise are the Cullens, huddled together, motionless, looking scared an' miserable.
"Useless fuckers." Jasper growls.
I pat his shoulder.
As we suspected they haven't posted any guards as they've moved to this location. Who's gonna sneak up on a vampire?
About an hour before sunset a group ten of them leave, on foot, wearing dark clocks to shield their skin from the last of the day's sun.
"Shit." Jasper growls. "Where do you suppose their goin'?"
"Looking for you two? Their missing colleagues? Asturias?" Evans offers, then he swallows. "Hunting?"
"Maybe." Jasper sighs. "Could be a problem if they come back in the middle of things."
"They won't be able to get in." I point out. "An' they aren't gonna do much with all the humans hanging around."
"Let's hope so. Shame though, the one in the lead matched Gus's description of Demetri. We don't really wanna have to worry about him trackin' us for eternity."
Evans leaves before us, having a very large contingent of Agents an' military personnel to co-ordinate on site. Done with the video feed we follow him down to the command post near the abandoned warehouse where The Volturi are camped out.
"The cordons are in place." Evans informs us as one of the Agents fits our radios. "There isn't anything else we can do for you at this point. I'm afraid you're on your own. Good luck."
"Thank you." I tell him earnestly, shaking his hand. "Remind your men to keep their distance, we don't want any of you guys dyin'."
"Don't worry Ma'am. They've all been told to stay in eye contact with each other an' make enough noise to wake the devil if anything happens. Most of them have access to switch on the klieg lights an' every one of them has a noise maker of some description. First sign of trouble an' it'll be like Mardi Gras down here."
He shakes hands with The Major an' the two of them share a manly nod.
Turning away we scale a nearby building.
"Ready to go roof hoppin'?" The Major asks.
"As I'll ever be. Let's go get our family back."
He nods leading away across the roof line until we land silently on the warehouse.
I pause to check that my shields are in place, the one around the inner cordon, the one around the warehouse an' finally the one around us. As long as I keep them simple they should be easy to maintain.
We descend slowly.
The third storey is empty.
We creep down to the second floor, the Cullens are still there, their scent is strong, as is Char's. Pete an' Jonathan we can smell faintly. There are four guards an' no sign of the others.
The Major eases the door open an' I throw a pocket around us all to keep the sound in.
The Cullens gasp collectively as we fling ourselves through the doorway at the stunned guards. The Major blasts them with lethargy rendering them temporarily motionless and he an' I incapacitate them briskly before turning our attention to the captives.
"Charlotte." The Major drops to his knees in front of her slumped form.
I wince as I get a proper look at her, she's almost unconscious through loss of venom, her eyes empty dark pools, fresh an' barely healed bite marks cover her body. Part of her left breast is missing an' a chunk of her beautiful pale blonde hair has been ripped out.
Tenderly he begins to lap at the worst of her wounds, able to aid the healing process as it's his venom that runs in her veins.
After a few minutes she begins to stir an' The Major sits back on his haunches looking up at me with eyes which are beyond simply black with fury.
"Pete." She mumbles.
The Major rises his to his feet an' I drop down in his place wrapping my arms around my injured sister.
"Where is he?" I whisper into her hair.
"Gone. Took him away. Others gone too."
"What happened?"
"Attacked, tried to fight. Pain. Others dead, Matthew, Davis, Harry, Carla."
"Jesus." I close my eyes.
I open them again when Carlisle speaks. "She needs to feed."
He flicks his glance warily between The Major an' I.
"We can't leave yet." The Major informs him. "We have to get Pete an' Jonathan."
"They'll kill us all." Carlisle frets. "We have to get away while we still can."
"No one is leavin' until Bella lifts her shield."
Carlisle turns his worried eyes to me. "Bella?"
"Pete an' Jonathan first."
"You're crazy!" Carlisle begins to rant, casting worried eyes over what's left of his family. "They will kill us all for this. If you weren't going to rescue us why did you come?"
"I came." The Major growls, leaning down an' lifting Carlisle by the lapels. "To get my family. If I accidentally rescue you I'll consider it a bonus. Em, you look after everyone here, we'll be back."
He drops Carlisle back onto the floor an' starts towards the door.
"Stay here Char, we're goin' to get Pete." I kiss her forehead an' ease her back down onto the floor.
"Jasper, Major, please." Carlisle tries once more. "Let us take Charlotte an' leave."
The Major stalks back, towering over him. "Stay here an' don't move." He commands. "You put any member of my family or the humans involved in this in danger by doin' somethin' stupid an' I will end you."
"Humans?" I hear Rosalie ask as The Major an' I flit through the door an' start down the fire escape.
At the first floor door I reach up an' touch The Major's face an' he closes his eyes briefly, leaning into me. 'I love you' he mouths.
'And I love you' I mime back.
He settles his hat down over his eyes an' pushes the door open with a loud crash.
Thirty pairs of eyes turn to us, bodies poised as if awaiting instruction.
In that tiny pause my brain takes an automatic inventory of the scene before me. There are vampires of all shapes and sizes in the cavernous room, some wearing the cloaks I have already seen, others casually dressed in what I would describe as European chic. A dark haired vampire is perched on what a marketing man would call a 'travel throne', Aro, judging by the bodyguard hovering at his back. I barely note his parched looking, almost translucent skin an' milky red eyes. Of far more concern is the hulking great dark haired vampire who is grasping Jonathan's severed head in his massive fist. I can't tear my eyes away from his agonised face as his head spins slowly by the hair, reflected flames from the fire dancing on his flat black eyes.
"Seize them!" Aro commands, breaking the spell.
The brute with Jonathan's head casts it away an' leads the charge.
The Major an' I surge forwards, shield easily deflecting approaching vampires, reaching Jonathan's head just before it rolls into the fire. The Major stops it gently with his booted foot.
"Stop!" Aro's voice rings out again an' all movement ceases.
I turn towards him, surprised to find a pleased smile on his face.
"Wonderful." He observes, as if we are already in the middle of a conversation. "Truly wonderful. I have seen your gifts of course in the minds of your allies but it is a treat to see them in operation."
He rises from his throne an' takes an' glides a few steps towards us, black cloaked bodyguard on his heels like a shadow.
"You have no idea how pleased I was to discover, at least on face value, that you have not committed an act of treason. There are other, serious, transgressions we must of course discuss."
He turns an' floats back to his throne, seating himself comfortably.
"You might want to let poor Jonathan's head complete its journey into the fire Major Whitlock." He says with a cold smile. "I'm afraid the last of his body parts went in a while ago, let us not torture him any longer."
"Jonathan." I gasp gazing down into his eyes in horror.
He blinks rapidly an' gives me a ghastly smile.
The Major narrow his eyes an' looks carefully around scenting the air, like me he can find no trace of Jonathan's body. The lead weight settles a little heavier in my chest.
"Why?" I ask without thinking.
"I was forced to allow him to leave with Caius and I really do hate losing my belongings, it rankles." He continues, voice brightening. "I was hoping to reacquire both of them but sadly certain members of the Guard were a little over zealous when they were captured and both their mates were destroyed. It is a sadness but clearly neither my brother nor dear Jonathan were going to re-commit their service to The Volturi and I will not have loose ends running around, they bore me with their constant interruptions. I am sure you understand, Major?"
He growls glancing down at Jonathan. "You tortured them."
"Of course." Aro shrugs. "One should never pass up a scientific opportunity."
The Major turns to me an' briefly allows me to see the emotions playing across his face. I take his hand silently, understanding his pain at the thought of what we must do to Jonathan, his rage at being forced into this position an' his fear that Pete has already met the same fate.
"I am most curious." Aro interrupts our little moment. "While I applaud your bravery in coming here to rescue your coven it does seem to me to be more than a little reckless. Major, I am well aware of both your prowess and your strategic intellect, it therefore occurs to me that you will be perfectly cognisant with the slim chances of this encounter ending in your favour.
And Miss Swan, I have a great deal of respect for your burgeoning gift, indeed it would be a welcome addition to the Guard and yet I have seen your limitations in the minds of your associates.
Allow me to lay everything out before you. I find myself in need of some military expertise, sadly my previous help is no longer available. And of course I am always on the look out for extraordinary talent to augment the Guard.
I would very much like you both to join, Major, Miss Swan but that does not necessarily mean that I need you to. Let us make this negotiation as simple as possible for I have other matters to attend to.
We can stay here, for as long it takes your shields to fail, a process my Guard will obviously assist with, and then one of two things will occur. Either you will join the Guard regardless, or I will kill you. I am a capricious man and honestly it could be either, depending on my mood at the time.
Hence my curiosity, just why, exactly, are you among us?"