Chapter 9
Will, Kate and Bigfoot were waiting impatiently as they entered the building. They did not look impressed at the triumphant return of Magnus and Ashley, after receiving news of all the trouble they were bringing trailing in their wake. Druitt cast a disgusted look around at the assembly and stalked off down one of the halls. Will opened his mouth to say something, looking at Ashley as he did.
"Long story, no time," said Ashley, cutting him off before he could start. "Henry, how long do we have?"
"1 hour 50 minutes."
"What can we expect?" asked Kate, eager to be as prepared as possible for the expected all out gun battle.
Magnus and Ashley turned to Henry who had been promoted to current resident expert on Cabal operations. He looked a bit green as he explained what he had found on the Cabal computers.
"Approximately sixty black ops agents and a small scale explosive device."
"How small, is small scale?" asked Will.
"It'll flatten the building but shouldn't do any damage outside of the grounds. It's designed to look like a gas explosion from the outside."
"Oh fun," muttered Kate.
"We've already evacuated as many residents as we could. Some have special requirements we can't accommodate in such a short time so we've sealed their quarters. Others are refusing to leave, they want to fight," Will explained to Magnus.
"Hopefully, that won't be necessary," Magnus sighed.
"Is Sally still here?" asked Ashley.
"How do you evacuate a mermaid, is what I want to know," pondered Kate.
"She was quite rude to me when I asked her to leave," said Will, his cheeks turning slightly red at the thought. "I don't need to be telepathic to understand what she was saying."
Magnus and Ashley exchanged a knowing smile.
"Hey, where's Tesla?" asked Ashley.
"He's in Henry's workshop," said Bigfoot.
"What's he doing in there?" said Henry indignantly. "He'd better not be messing with anything, it's all set out just the way I like it. He had better not have messed up my filing system, it took me years to perfect."
"Henry," interrupted Magnus, just in time as Tesla entered the area.
"Ahhh, the Magni. Welcome back, I hope you're all rested and have finished your undoubtedly happy reunion, because you've stirred up a nest of very angry Cabal who are hot on your tail as we speak."
"There's the door Nikola, you don't have to stick around if you'd rather not," offered Magnus.
"Ahem," Tesla ignored the barbed comment and continued to vent his irritation over Magnus' recent Cabal baiting tactics. "Mr Foss here, kindly sent a complete copy of the Cabal files back to the Sanctuary, some of which I have been perusing. I thought you may be interested to know. We are all going to die."
Magnus rolled her eyes, he could be so melodramatic sometimes. Noticing that the team didn't seem shocked by that reveal Tesla added more detail to his claim.
"I have been inspecting the schematics for the explosive device they are bringing along with them. We do not have the equipment to disarm it. It will be shielded from any electro magnetic pulse, which I assume was your intended mode of disarmament. It cannot be stopped."
"Prevention is better than cure. We will have to capture it before it is armed," said Magnus.
"What if we can't stop them at all?" Will asked the question they were all privately considering, aloud.
"Leave the bomb to me," said Magnus, assuredly. "The Cabal will be here shortly. Everyone, prepare for the worst."
"We're on black alert. Now you're back, we can lock down the building," growled Bigfoot.
"You all know what you have to do, meet in the lab in an hour."
As they dispersed, Bigfoot walked past Ashley and smacked her across the back of the head. "Welcome home."
"Thanks," she called after him with a grin.
Magnus sought out Druitt. She hadn't spoken to him since his return, the last time she had still rang in her mind. It had been outside the lab, within, the creature was waiting to reclaim his prey, and his words had hit her right in the heart. She found him on the roof standing at the very edge of the parapet brooding over the city. He was mesmerised by the glint of sunlight reflecting off the traffic below as it moved through the streets, snaking through the city like a giant abnormal. Magnus caught his attention as she stood up on the wall beside him.
"Stay away from me," he growled.
"No." she replied, crossing her arms and staring defiantly at him.
For a moment, he looked absolutely horrified. If the creature got the upper hand, even for a second, it would not hesitate to push her off the roof. His pupils dilated and he stared at her in fascination, as a cat would watch a mouse. A small, sneering smile dusted his lips. Jack spoke to her, looked at her with John's eyes and spoke with John's voice but it was the creature whose rasping words said.
"He cannot fight me forever."
Want to bet on that? thought Helen. "He will always resist," she said matter of factly, addressing the beast.
"He wouldn't let me hurt you. Each time I tried to get rid of you, cut you off from him he would not allow it, point blank refused. That force had to be released somehow. He couldn't save the others, they weren't you; he didn't love them. You are eternally protected by him." It leaned toward her and hissed the last sentence in her face, then stood upright and chuckled. "But he is only human, he grows weary."
A slow purely evil grin spread over John's face at the flicker of anger she could not prevent from escaping her control. The creature hated her with a passion equal to the amount John loved her. It was eternal deadlock.
"I require your assistance," said Magnus, calmly looking the Ripper in the eye. "We are about to be attacked, we need your help."
"Can you name one good reason I should?" Jack laughed at her.
"You just said it yourself. John will not stop fighting you for us. If you don't help us, we will all die, John included. Where would that leave you?"
Her faith in John's fighting spirit was about to be tested. Jack watched her, considering its options. The man would not leave them to imminent death, mortal danger maybe, but not certain death. He would resist, as always, the fool.
"What do you suggest?"
Ashley surveyed her room, her eagle eye covering ever inch to see if anything had changed. There wasn't even a layer of dust. The big guy had been busy.
"See? No ones touched it," came Henry's voice from over her shoulder. Ashley frowned.
"That dumbbell has moved an inch to the right," she said, pointing to the offending article. Henry rolled his eyes in response as Ashley turned around to see Henry and Tesla standing behind her. "Is it done?" she asked Tesla.
"It is," he replied smoothly.
"Have it ready in the lab before the meeting in half an hour. Henry told me about the de-vamper. I'll need that too." Tesla flashed Henry an irritated look. He didn't like people hearing about his unfortunate and frankly, unfair, accident. "Henry, take Nikola to the weapons store. He'll need a gun this time."
"What are you going to do?" asked Henry, loathe to allow Ashley out of his sight when Magnus wasn't around.
"I am going to go talk to Sally."
"About what? Underwater warfare?" Henry snorted.
"Girl stuff," she said, and sauntered off.
On her way back from meeting Sally and after a quick detour to the weapons cabinet Ashley jogged along a corridor, her arms full of weapons and ran straight into her mother on her way back from the roof. Magnus grabbed her daughter in a bear hug.
"It's OK, Mom, I've only been out of your sight for twenty minutes," Ashley joked. Magnus hugged her tighter and with her arms full, Ashley was unable to struggle.
"Do something for me," requested Magnus, releasing Ashley but still holding her as she stepped back and faced her.
"Sure, what is it?" said Ashley, with a warm smile.
"Talk to John."
The smile disappeared from her eyes.
"Why?"
"Just in case. This may be the closest he ever gets, let him know you don't hate him."
"What if I do hate him?" Ashley muttered, scowling like a child.
"I don't think you do."
"What am I supposed to say to him?"
"Hello, good morning. Stop avoiding him, it looks suspicious."
"I'm not avoiding him," she muttered. "Just that thing."
"I know. He brought you back to me. All I ask is for a hello." Ashley barely nodded but Magnus saw it, she pushed Ashleys hair back off her face and kissed her on the forehead. "Thankyou. Did you speak to Sally? Is she ready?"
"She's raring for a taste of Cabal."
"Good," said Magnus with a smile. "And what about you?"
Ashley sighed and looked down at the weapons in her arms.
"I'll go find him now."
She did not have far to go to find Druitt. As she turned a corner, there he was at the far end of the hall. Ashley stopped as John walked toward her from the opposite direction, he also stopped when he saw her hesitate. They were metres from each other. There was a heavy silence between them, then, Ashley walked up to him with a glower on her face. Druitt mirrored it.
"Go on then," he snapped, eager to get this over with.
"Go on what?"
"You look as though you are about to shoot me."
"No, I'm not."
"Good, I appreciate it."
"Alright then."
"Alright," and she walked off, making her way to the lab, considering her duty done.
Ashley stood on the outskirts of the main lab ensconced in the shadows, watching her friends and family who had gathered one final time before the invasion of their home began. Henry had his head in a laptop, Bigfoot was swinging what looked like two giant wooden staves, Will was looking decidedly nervous in his bullet proof vest and combat helmet clutching a Taser gun to his chest. Ashley winced, she hoped he knew how to use that, he probably didn't from the way he was hugging it. Kate stood by a pile of weapons and armour checking over every gun in front of her as though she were expecting World War Three. Magnus and Tesla had their heads bowed together and were quietly discussing something. By the time this day was out, everything would be different.
Druitt entered the room from the opposite side of the lab and Ashley stepped into the arena in response. Everybody except Magnus looked up in momentary surprise, as Ashley ran headlong across the room and viciously attacked Druitt.