Chapter 13

Hazel eyes glared dangerously at Sorin he found her utterly enchanting. "I don't know what you have been smoking, but I am not your daughter and you are most certainly not my father."

Sorin laughed, "I am sorry my dear, what is your name?" Jeanette glanced with concern, her mother appeared to be unusually still in her sleep.

"What did you do to her?"

Sorin could not help but notice the mode of dress as she stood in her uniform. "I did not do anything, she is exhausted and is sleeping soundly."

Jeanette edged closer to her mother and Sorin saw how alike they were not only in looks but in manner, the way she held her mouth when she studied something, the nervous tick she had when her stress was near peak, and then the way her brow would raise as she felt someone she loved was threatened. "You did not tell me your name."

Jeanette glanced around hearing footsteps approaching the room. Stepping back as the door was thrust open and Josette burst into the room. She held up her forward movement and looked to Sorin and then her mother.

"Sorin."

Jeanette stepped up behind her sister, "Oh that's his name. He was laying with mother when I entered."

Josette nodded, "He has a thing for her."

Jeanette frowned, "Well he can just pocket his thing."

Josette moved forward, "Sorin, do you want to stay here or do you want out of this hell?"

Sorin thought about his options and glanced at the two women and then at Vicki, "I would prefer to leave here but I believe Baal has different plans for us."

Josette waved a hand as if dismissing Baal, "He is too busy trying to stay alive right now, I really don't think he gives a flying rats ass if you leave or not. You need to make up your mind because I am about to take my mother home."

Sorin thought about protesting the removal of the lady in his bed, but thought better studying the two women in front of him.

A deep voice called from the hallway. "Come on girls chop- chop we gotta move now!"

Logan Cain stuck his head into the room and looked at Sorin, nodded to him and moved to the bed where Vicki lay.

"We transporting to the lab?"

Jeanette nodded, "Timothy is waiting for our arrival."

The comm badges on their wrists began to glow red. "JB has RAV, we gotta move out."

Jeanette watched Logan put a silver diskette on her mother's gown pressing buttons on a wide band on his wrist they watched Vicki's body shimmered from view and was gone.

"How the hell. . . !" Sorin jumped back and looked at the three in his room.

"Well what will it be?" Josette demanded. Sorin thought only a moment.

"I am going with you, I did not fight up to nine hells to be left behind."

The sound of explosions echoed down their hallway as Darius Drummond and John Morgan rushed the room. "We got to move out Cameron is holding the front line and with RAV making her way through the main corridor she is plowing the road for us."

Sorin looked at the room filling with commandos dressed in like uniforms. All black form fitting bodysuits, with mesh masks that had the same design except the tiny dots glowed a phosphorescent green.

Josette turned to her sister, "Jeanette you grab Sorin fold with him now we will follow after we retrieve RAV and Cameron."

Jeanette glanced at Sorin and frowned. "Fine, what about JB?" Josette turned to her wristband and punched in a series of codes.

"He is heading back now and will meet up with you two in the flux room."

Jeanette frowned, "But isn't that where Logan sent mother?"

Josette glanced at her sister, "Now is not the time to be petty get him the hell out of here and wait for join up in the flux room."

Jeanette frowned "Fine, come on Sorin."

She moved to stand next to him, slipped her mesh mask over her head, grabbed Sorin's hand "Ready to fold 3-2-1"

The room filled with static electricity, the tiny pin light that was their exit appeared and Jeanette drug Sorin through the pin hole and disappeared.

"Good, now you guys go on and follow her though on the fold, I will follow when I get RAV and Cameron."

Darius and John looked to Logan. "You heard the Captain, lets get ready to fold."

The count went down and the three men exited through the pinhole following Jeanette. Taking a deep breath Josette moved forward following the sounds of destruction. She activated the stealth mode to her suit as the suit shifted her form to blend into her surroundings she now had to use slow deliberate steps. Moving too fast would cause her movements to be detected because her suit could not adjust to her surroundings. With care she made her way to where she felt Cameron's presence.

Moving around the corner she stopped, it was a huge antechamber and Cameron stood in the middle of the chamber while another man stood on a dais posturing his importance.

"So, you are the one responsible for this chaos in our world?"

He moved back and forth waving his staff as he allowed his anger to peak the fall and then start anew. The Remote Assault Vehicle lay in a shambles at Cameron's side. Silently she muttered 'Shit, gonna have to get that replaced.'

Baal was working on another full head of steam but the real turd in the punch bowl was about to happen. One of the guards moved forward to impart news that would send Baal into apoplexy. "WHAT!"

He whipped around and glared at his brother with venom. "You helped her escape?" Caan, you shall be punished, and that punishment will be banishment to the first hell, maybe by the time you fight your way back to my side, you will understand your position and your loyalty."

Josette watched Baal lifted his staff and aimed it at Cameron, rushing forward she grabbed him. The sensation around them sizzled and they were hurtling down to the very pits of hell's beginning to the first hell. "Shit." Josette whispered feeling the core of her being ripped in two as they landed on a hard rock floor.

Cameron had wrapped his arms around her as they fell through the tunnel of time to a place of the beginning. Josette was feeling bruised and fuzzy headed she sat up slowly. Cameron rolled to a fighting position.

"Get up, they are coming to rend us."

Josette moaned, "Great, and I can't fold in here."

Cameron smiled, "Why fold this is going to be fun."

Jeanette holding Sorin's hand stepped through the fabric of time into a sterile room that was mostly shiny steal-plated walls. Jeanette dropped his hand and moved to her mother's side and looked from her to a young man that had been laying out a sterile tray of instruments.

"Heard you were bringing company back. You taking him to debrief?"

Jeanette removed her mesh mask and nodded, "Yeah, the brass can decide how they want to deal with him. Tim is she all right?"

Timothy looked up at a display screen as her vitals and health stats were displayed. "Yah, she is right now in an induced coma by me. She was starting to come out of it when she first arrived. Can't have her waking up in here."

Sorin looked around the room, and noticed a large cylinder with a fetus floating by its umbilical cord in the clear fluid. The fetus was a girl. His gaze shifted around the room and then as he was not paying attention noted the two occupants were looking at him expecting a response.

"I am sorry did you say something?"

Jeanette rolled her eyes. "I said are you ready to be debriefed?"

Sorin nodded and smiled at the girl, "Of course I am lead the way." They moved towards a solid panel the panel slide into the reciprocal wall leading into a hallway.

Sorin followed Jeanette as she lead him down a hallway that had silver doors on each side of the hallway going to an elevator she paused, "Are you a vampire?"

Sorin smiled and she saw his teeth, "Great," stepping into the elevator she spoke, "Sub Floor 6." The elevator gave little movement. "If you have any thoughts about attacking anyone here for blood, I am going to warn you they will stake you in a heartbeat. I am going to take you to a room where they will give you blood, then you will be met by some of my superiors that will want to debrief you and possibly make you and offer. You might consider their offer to refuse would just put you on ice."

Sorin followed behind her quick moving steps her no nonsense attitude pushed him forward to another near barren room with a table and four chairs. Entering with him, two techs in white biohazard suits entered the room, carrying an ice chest.

Opening the chest, they laid out four plastic IV bags of blood on the table. "You could have warmed it for him." Jeanette commented standing with her arms crossed.

The tech holding the cooler looked at her and then at the bags of blood, "Its fresh just donated, so it should be warm enough for him."

Jeanette nodded, "Thanks, where is the General?"

The door slid open and a tall angular man wearing a General's uniform walked into the room followed by two more attaches. "I am here Jeanette, you can leave."

Jeanette nodded and started out the door when she was stopped by one of the attaches, a young man with a serious look, his eyes were wide and dark and his close-cropped hair gave him a menacing look.

Grabbed her arm "The old man knows what you did. He will want to speak to you later."

Jeanette looked at the hand on her arm and spoke softly, "If you want to keep that you will remove it from my arm."

He smiled, "Or what?"

Jeanette did two moves to bring the man's body down with a hard thump to the floor. Bending over him she spoke as soft as he had the first time, "The next time you may need to have it extracted from your ass. Tell the General anytime he wishes to speak to me, he knows where to find me."

Jeanette doing a slow burn moved down the hallway, at this point she was so mad she did not care if she ever worked for SHADOWS again. She approached the elevator entering she paused, as the elevator doors slid shut she had the distinct feeling that there was something wrong, very wrong and her sister needed her.

Waiting for the elevator to open she punched the buttons muttering the whole time, "Come on, come on, come on."

The doors slid open and she stopped and counted the heads of her team.

JB moved forward and spoke in a calm gentle voice. "Jeanette, we've lost Cameron and Josette they have gone off grid."

Jeanette's anger was building with the fear that her sister was lost. "Then why the hell did you guys come back?"

Logan moved to stand in front of Jeanette, "She was going after RAV and Cameron, and we know the RAV was destroyed, she and Cameron were gone."

Jeanette moved past her team and moved down the hallway, her panic spurring her on as she hit the command room. Moving to Nate, she leaned over his shoulder and punched in the view screen.

"Where are they Nate?" Her words were clipped as she punched on the panel next to him. The young man that was a super brain with computers pushed his wire rimmed glasses onto his nose, the peach hair stubble he thought made him look more mature but to most made them think he needed to shave it; smacked her hands, "Hey slow down Nettie, I am working on locating them now."

Jeanette frowned, "I am going down."

The voice behind her held no argument as he commanded, Lieutenant Collins, you are not going down. You are going to wait here with the rest of us and give them a chance to join us."

That was Captain Morgan as he entered the room he studied the agitated features of his teammate.

"If we do another assault they will be waiting for us, we wait until we hear from them."

Jeanette pushed pass him as she exited the room, "Fine, I will be in Jo's apartment if you need me."

Jeanette needed to bide her time she was determined that if she had not heard from her sister in five hours she was going after her. Moving up the elevator to her sister's apartment she pushed through the door and moved to the sofa and collapsed, from the depths of her being she knew her sister was in trouble and needed her.

Lying back on the sofa she wanted to scream. She thought she could just come here and be close to her sister and yet there was her mother undergoing the transplant of Josette back into her body.

Rising she moved to the kitchen and looked in the refrigerator. "Damnit Jo, where is the comfort food."

Slamming the door closed she moved to door and crossed her arms. Moving out of Jo's apartment she headed for the gym, she was going to go kick the crap out of the dummy to get this frustration out of her system.

Cameron dispatched the last demon and looked around, "If memory serves me correctly me there is a by pass chamber that will let us pass most the hells and take us directly back to my brothers domain and I have a score to settle with him."

Josette looked around the area and finally saw the indentation he had thought was there. "Cameron, will your brother not know you have arrived back in his domain?"

Cameron smiled his cynical smile. "That is what I am counting on. I figure he will be debauching his newest acquisition. He is more arrogant than I am cynical. The only real power he wields is in his staff. Without the staff he has no power. He was a disappointment to father."

Josette followed him as they moved through a succession of tunnels. "Won't there be demons guarding these tunnels?"

Cameron turned and smiled. "I killed them all the last time I fought my way out of here. Come on." He led her through the back caverns pushing upward the whole trek towards his brothers throne room.

Josette found he was tireless working their way through the labyrinth of tunnels.

Walking for what seemed hours they finally entered a more airy area and Cameron laughed, "Come on, " He reached for her hand and drug her into the center of he throne room where he lifted his voice and shouted, "BAAL, I HAVE RETURNED TO DELIVER JUSTICE!"

Josette left him in the center of the room, fading back into the shadows. From the shadows of the dais, Baal appeared surrounded by his female slaves.

"So, brother it would seem you have found a short cut through the hells."

Cameron folded his arms, "Today Brother we find out who is the strongest in this realm." Josette had watched her comm band and the color of her sensors; they had gone from green to red.

Stepping from the shadows Josette moved to Cameron's side. "Sorry to break up this bromance but we have to go."

Turning to Baal she nodded, "Kill you another day Baal."

Slapping her hand on Cameron's wrist she counted down, "3-2-1" They faded from view as they slipped into the fold of time. Baal was incensed as he shouted and stomped his feet. Had Josette stayed she could have seen the god of the dead having a temper tantrum.

Instead she felt her body shifting and they appeared in the command room. Morgan looked at the appearance of the two, with a voice dripping with sarcasm he noted, "Took you long enough. You better go find your sister, I think she is down in the gym kicking the shit out of the dummy."

Josette turned to Morgan, "Can you take tall dark and over testosterone to one of the new recruit apartments. Cameron, Human Resources will be by later to get you set up and acclimated to our way of doing things here."

Cameron reached for Josette drug her into his arms, tipped her back and kissed her deeply showing his passion as his tongue danced with hers. Josette at first resisted until the kiss lasted and she felt her arms going up around his neck and holding to him pressing her body into his. Breaking the kiss he smiled, "Just a thank you for rescuing me from hell."

He turned and clapped Morgan on the shoulder, "I need a bath, you gonna show me where this place?"

Josette moved towards the gym and she could hear her sister's anger coming out with each punch each kick, she listened to her sister's pummeling the stationary dummy's body. 'Thump, thump," a pause as she built up her momentum, 'thump thump, thump, carrack."

Josette grimaced; she sure must be pissed to put that much into her kick and punches. Pushing open the door she stepped in and watched the graceful but deadly dance her sister was doing.

"Hey sis."

Josette leaned against the rack of weights as she waited for her to realize she was there. Jeanette did a spinning kick to the dummy's head and glanced over at Josette standing so nonchalantly by the weights.

"Hey sis."

Jeanette spun again doing a full leg extension and caught the dummy in its stomach and watched as it ripped in half. "You are gonna have to pay for that." Josette observed as her sister stepped back and pushed her gloves off her hands. "See you made it back." She reached for a towel and dried her face.

"Yeah, some minor glitches but we weathered them. They got me back in mom?"

Jeanette's emotions were raw she felt her sister's cavalier attitude was weighing on her nerves. "Don't know, been here working out my anger."

Josette reached out and touched her sister's arm. "Sis, it worked out fine. I am back."

Jeanette looked at her sister and then reached for a big sisterly hug. "Yeah this time, but what about next time."

Josette pushed the wet tendrils of her sister's long hair off her neck and held her; "It will work out fine then too. You need a bath, you smell like my old gym locker from Collinsport High."

Jeanette laughed, "Yeah you smell like hell and I mean hell."

She laughed, "I know but we have a new team member and he is going to be an asset."

Jeanette reached for her gym bag and stuffed her towel in the bag. "What about Sorin."

Josette shrugged, "It's going to be up to him."

Jeanette moved towards the gym doors. "Guess time will tell."

Josette followed and had to agree silently. "Yeah it's always about time."