"They're where?!" JD roared, shooting up in his seat and slamming his hands on the table. Elliot jumped, Carla watched him with wide eyes. Turk considered putting a hand on his shoulder to calm him down, but figured it probably wouldn't do much good. Perry didn't do anything but study his reaction.
Keith flinched, sinking back into his chair with an expression of misery on his face (and in his eyes, fear). "In… the Seventh Lair of… Hell?" he repeated in a squeak. The emotions in JD's icelike orbs were intense. Anger, disbelief, and fear. Keith had explained to them that he was half-demon himself, his mother a former high-ranked demoness in Lucifer's Court. She had fallen in love with his father, giving up most of her powers, but keeping enough for Keith to inherit some of them. With Lucifer's planning, she had returned to Hell to try and do something, anything, to stop it, but had ended up killed herself, but not before sending a hawk messenger to Keith's father and him, telling them that the Others were indeed still alive, but their chances were slim.
JD stayed in his position for a second longer before he exploded once again, "Damn it!" People were staring again now. JD almost looked like he was shaking, and his teeth were grit to the point where Perry was sure they'd crack under the pressure. Said man made attempted to make a move towards the younger-looking man, but the black-haired demon then stood from his chair, whirling around to the exit of the cafeteria, black jacket making an almost dramatic SWISH sound as he went.
Everyone (even Keith, albeit hesitantly) got up after him, but Elliot, surprisingly, was the fastest one to him. Perry guessed her small size came in handy sometimes. Latching onto his arm, she squeaked, "Where are you going?!" he ignored her, shrugging her off without much effort. Perry also supposed that her small size worked against her as well.
"Newbie." He said in the firmest voice he could make, putting his vice-like grip on the demon's shoulder. He didn't miss the flow in Newbie's body as all his muscles simultaneously relaxed as soon as his hand touched him. There was a flash in the raven's eyes and he knew the kid had felt it. "Stop making a scene." He grunted in a quiet tone, and after a short pause JD nodded.
"I can't leave them there, they'll die…" There was a quiver almost undetectable in the demon's voice, and for the briefest of moments Perry saw him for what he really was-- on the inside, at least: a scared, determined young man who just wanted to save his family. Though only one of the Others were actually blood-related to them, they were still close. Even if Jordan would never, ever admit it...
He saw JD as just like he, Perry Cox, used to be, before he had killed his father and the demon possessing him. A wave of feelings swept over the attending/hunter, most of which he couldn't identify immediately. Adding in a much lower voice, JD growled, "It's the Seventh Lair of Hell for a reason, dammit."
"And we will save them." Carla told him forcefully, tugging on his arm and trying to walk out of the cafeteria. "But this is hardly to place to discuss how. Let's go somewhere more private." Knowing she was right, JD followed, Perry matching him step-for-step (the others right behind), said redhead noticing that the black-haired demon wouldn't dare look him in the eye. Kelso wouldn't say anything against their leaving, Perry knew. The old bobcat knew their situation, so if they suddenly left without explanation he wouldn't say much. Besides, there were plenty of other doctors on-call that day that could take over their patients.
"How the hell are we supposed to do this?" Turk grumbled more to himself than anyone else as he sat himself down on the couch. They were in his and Carla's apartment, where JD had been staying since his arrival. Carla settled down beside him, a frazzled-looking Elliot squeezing her way next to her, her hand clamped around Keith's as he stood awkwardly by the couch. JD and Perry were standing apart in different sides of the room, as every time they so much as brushed against each other both would feel a light shock go down their spines.
They (namely Elliot) had dragged Keith with them, in case they needed more information he might have (more like because Elliot needed someone to latch onto and basically go crazyfrick with, the waves of distress coming off of JD were having effects on her psyche. Keith, however, being half demon, didn't feel much, while everyone else's minds were strong enough to ignore it).
Nobody answered Turk's question, until Keith stammered out, "U-um…" All eyes landed on him and the medical intern started to sweat. "Uh…" he tried again to no avail.
"Well?" Perry growled, narrowing his eyes and baring his teeth slightly at him in that way that he knew scared the living crap out of people. Again, Keith flinched. This wasn't going nearly as well he had thought it would.
"W-well…" Keith cleared his throat and straightened himself somewhat, "The only way to get to them is to go down to the Seventh Lair itself, which is no easy task."
"Not shit, Josephine." Perry spat, glaring at the younger (now terrified) man.
Still, the intern forced himself to continue, "A-a-and, uh… the only way to get there… is through… a ceremony." JD watched Keith with curious eyes. Even though he was one of the most powerful demons of Hell, he had never been very knowledgeable of ceremonies/summonings. He left that to the experts: Jordan and Ben. Turk raised his eyebrows at him. Why was he telling them something they already knew? "But, there's a catch…" This time the surgeon/hunter's eyebrows furrowed, and JD stiffened. Damn. A catch when it came to demonic stuff was never good, "…if you want to perform the ceremony successfully, there must be a sacrifice."
The air became tense. Elliot stared up at Keith with wide eyes, wordlessly begging that he wasn't talking about what she thought he was.
"What kind of sacrifice." It was a rhetorical question, but Perry felt he had to say it anyway.
Keith stared at his feet. "For the act to be successful… someone must die."
A/N: Well, now we're getting somewhere! I know this chappie was pretty serious, but the show also has it's dead-serious moments, so hopefully I'm still keeping them in character... Review?