Disclaimer: Lost Girl belongs to Showcase or SYFY and I am only playing in their universe.
There is really nothing more disorienting than being awaken from the deepest stages of sleep. The world goes from total blackness to almost a painful clarity in a matter of seconds. The smallest thing can cause this unwanted burst of consciousness. The memory of something left unfinished, a task for the next day that demands your attention, or perhaps a danger like an unextinguished candle or plugged in iron. The worst offender by far is that of an unfamiliar sound in the quiet.
The older you get the worse this particular alarm can be. Maybe it's because you know that you have moved beyond those imaginary dangers of childhood to the grown up reality that there are truly things in the world that can do us harm. When you had lived as long as Roger had and been witness to the things that the man had seen, you too would have been sitting upright in your bed and asking questions as to what had disturbed your dreams.
He hadn't gone into the Fort tonight to be part of Lila's fact finding mission. Truth be told, he begged off because he felt that it was not a great idea for Lew to be pushed back into her past like that. In fact he knew it would only cause her pain and that was the last thing the old guy wanted for his friend. He had been forced to leave a life behind and it was a tough thing to live through. It would be much better if Lew spent her time looking forward and not back. Roger would never have admitted it but he had grown rather fond of the blonde Fort manager.
There it was again. It was a sound in the house that should not have been there. "Was it in the house or just outside?" he wondered in the silence. It had not been the normal settling of the old home or the whirring of the various household appliances, yet it was vaguely familiar to the old man. "Was that a dream or did I really hear that?" he shook his head to clear it. "Damn," he muttered, "I was truly asleep, dead to the world." Roger thought. Working to refocus he heard something that let him know that he was not the only household member that had been pulled from a good night's sleep.
There was the clicking of nails on tile and then the heavy press of the powerful dog's body against the communication's officer's frame as it half jumped, half stepped onto the bed next to the man. "Did I wake you or did you hear something too?" Roger asked as he scratched the big animals head and was answered with a strong nudge as if the dog was saying, "I am checking on you dummy, of course you woke me up."
The dog and the man jumped in unison. There was the sound of feather light footsteps across the roof then the more pronounced bump of a strong push as something launched itself off the roof. It would have been so easy to mistake it for a cat on the prowl but these two old warriors had heard those telltale noises before. The dog lowered its head and growled low and Roger replied, "I heard it too." Up and on the move, grabbing for pants and weapons, the man was in a frenzy to locate his long hidden defenses. It didn't help that his adrenaline had spiked and his brain was spinning, "How had they found them? Did the others know? Shit, were the others under attack?" There was a banging at the door and then fast scratching. The dog was trying to get out of the house. "Damn it General, just wait a second will you." cursed Roger as he hopped around pulling on well-worn boots, strapping on an ammo belt and grabbing a shot-gun from the top shelf of the closet. The animal was now snarling as it scraped at the door in a desperate attempt to get at the enemy faster.
A combination of running, slipping and falling had the man down the stairs. Roger threw open the inside door and looked out the screen door into the night. "Bastards always did enjoy the moonlight." He laughed as he mimicked the voice of his best friend, the Colonel. The dog look up at him with what appeared to be an appreciation for the human's imitating abilities. The communication's officer smiled back, it is always nice to have one's efforts recognized.
The gentlest of breezes wafted in the screen door, General the dog, went rigid at the man's side. The big beast's head tilted just slightly. "Wait for it." said Roger as he adjusted his ammo belt. Two dots of pale yellow light wavered in the dark. If you didn't know what to look for the pair of eyes that gazed through the night would never have been picked up. "This is real. I can't believe this." The man's stomach lurched and for a moment and Roger thought he might be sick. He was too old for this shit as the saying went. Placing a hand on his gun he readied to make his move. The headlights changed everything.
The empty road that stretched out of town was illuminated by two long beams of light. The presence of the car out this late and in this particular location was enough to take the members of the house and the unwanted visitor off guard. "Crap a civilian," Roger thought. He watched for the pale eyes and knew this was going to be bad. The glowing eyes shifted from the road to the house and then back the road, they never came back towards the house. "Don't do it! It's me you want." yelled Roger as a taunt or as a challenge but he already knew it was too late.
There was a flurry of motion that disturbed the nearby plant life. It was as if a small group of birds took off all at once. "Damn, Damn, Damn, he's flying." The dog couldn't take it anymore, General reared back and then jumped through the screen on the door. The animal lived for the chase and it had been a very long time since something worth his full efforts had come along. The baying bark was one of warning tinged with pure doggy bliss.
Grabbing for his keys and slamming the door, Roger dashed for his truck. Throwing the shotgun into the gun rack then turning over the engine, he smashed the gas petal to the floor causing the truck to fly over his yard and onto the pavement in pursuit. The cell phone he kept for emergencies only was in the glove compartment. Bouncing over who knows what, he press a programed number and hit the speaker option. It was only moments till Lila's voice spoke, "Hello you have reached the Fort, normal business hours are…."
The man slammed his hand into the steering wheel as he waited for the recording to get to the beep and his chance to speak. He hadn't really noticed the time but for the Fort to be closed it had to be closer to morning than middle of the night. BEEP… the noise caught his attention, yelling he said, "Whoever gets this, tell the crew that we have been found. The bastards have found us. General and I are on their trail but there is a civie in the mix. I'll try to hold them till morning but head down old 221 as soon as you can. I'm going to need back-up fast. In case this goes south, know it's been my honor to serve with you all. Lew, you are included in that." he hung up before he sounded too sappy.
Rolling down the window, the man listened hard. The bay of the dog was faint but the big fella had something cornered. Roger had been under glamor for so long, it was almost painful trying to find his true self again. The sound was only coming from one direction; his true form aided his abilities to follow the hound's call. It allowed him to zero in on the heading. Steering the truck in that direction the fae did a quick check of his weaponry. He didn't want to calculate the chances that this ammo was still good after all these years.
Rounding a corner, Roger had to slam on the brakes and swerved to avoid the overturned van in his lane. After fishtailing and laying down two thick sets of jet black tire marks on the pavement the vehicle was brought back under control. Jumping from the truck, Roger brought the big shot-gun to his shoulder and walked towards the wreck with a crouch to his stride. He spun and as he approached trying desperately to look every direction at once, "General, where the hell are you?" hissed the man. The answering whimper came from the van's driver side door. Rounding the wreck Roger saw the big dog was on alert by the door and there was a body inside. Making another pass with his gun to check the area, he knelt and placed two careful fingers on the neck. The pulse was there strong and steady, "Thank the stars." whispered the old fae.
Stealing a quick look, Roger saw it was a young woman at the wheel or rather hanging down beside the steering wheel. "Brace and remove." ordered Roger and General obeyed. The big animal wedged it's body under the hanging girl and bore her weight as the seat belt was released. As the dog worked its way out of the car, the woman's body was supported and pulled along with Roger's help. Moving her out to the pavement, he noticed she held something in her hand. "What the hell?" he asked himself as he picked up the modified phosphorescent grenade. He hadn't seen one of these since the war.
The dark haired woman couldn't have been more than twenty five but then again the older he got the younger everyone else became. "She's not fae. Is she military?" he asked the dog and the animal just looked at him with an 'I don't know' expression. He smiled at the dog and went to say something but the skittering sound followed by the blossom of pain in his side. It was a brutal reminder that they were definitely not safe. Touching his side the warm moisture he encountered told Roger he had made a fatal mistake. Slamming the grenade into his pocket, he tried to come up with a quick plan to get to a more protected area.
Between gritted teeth the man reached out and pulled the jacket collar of the woman out and said, "General pull." The big dog grabbed the leather and fabric and pulled while the communication officer covered their retreat to the brush off to the side of the road. The man rolled his shoulders and felt the wound in his midsection. "So you want to play?" he whispered. Looking around for a place to make a stand, Roger saw a set of trees across the road. "Nope too far," he thought to himself. He looked behind him and saw the three rocks. "Too small for you bastards but just right for her." he said triumphantly. "General pull," and the big animal moved the young woman's body towards the rock formation.
This time Roger didn't miss the oh so subtle sign of the impending attack and he spun raising the gun to fire just in time to blow a hole the size of a bowling ball through the chest of the attacker. "One for you, one for me," he spit on the crumpled mass and watched as the iron/phosphorus laced shot dissolved the top half of the body and slowly began to work on the rest. Roger smiled, it looked like his ammo was still good to go.
Not waiting around Roger ran to the dog and then helped as much as he could to position the girl under the rock, "General protect her." Said the man and he placed a gentle hand the animal's head. They had been friends for a very long time. The dog turned into the touch and gave the hand quick snuff. "You're a good boy." The dog shot him an "Are you kidding me look?" that made the man laugh. The dog licked his face then and this time the fae was the one with the funny look on his face. They had never been just a dog and owner, Battle hounds were not really things to have owners. They had caregivers, ones of their choosing. General had picked Roger to be a friend instead. Here at the end loyal friends were what they were. With a catch to his voice Roger said, "Been an honor to serve with you General, now protect." Without another word weakening fae made his way towards the truck to call for help. The dog stood guard over Kenzi.
This time the attack came from ground level. Roger had just about reached the side of the road when a hand shot out of the dirt and grabbed his foot. Not being able to help himself Roger let out a scream of pain as his slashed side slid along the gravelly blacktop. Rolling, Roger turned ready to fire into the face of his attacker, only to find the vampire flying away from him as if he had been caught by some type of hook and flung into the darkness.
"Now that will never do." said the familiar voice. The vampire threat was on the run, Roger racked with pain watched them go. At first the fae communication officer did not believe his ears or eyes thinking the pain had driven him a little mad. There was suddenly a hand in front of his face and an unearthly calm voice said, "You look like you have had a hard night, my friend." There was no mistake this time and laughter spilled from the soldier's throat.
After taking a minute to pull himself together Roger took the extended hand and stood letting himself be steadied by the unexpected helper. Roger was aware that this surprise visitor had a military background but this was still a shock to see him here. Pressing his hand to his side the Roger said, "What are you doing so far out of town? Not that I don't appreciate the help." He would have said more but was interrupted.
"Oh don't you know I have just purchased a house out here. I was getting home from a late call and there was a report of a car accident on the scanner and …" the newcomer rambled on but the old solider had caught the lie, as a communication officer he would never miss something as bold face bull as what this man was saying. Even as injured as he was, Roger had always been good at this type of thing. There was also the fact that this helper had never pulled his eyes away from the wound in his side. Roger's fae nature was showing and the man never even looked at him twice. To test his attraction to the wound and that he just wasn't being paranoid, Roger moved ever so slightly back and forth. The do-gooder's eyes bounced with the motion as he continued with his story. "….so I jumped in the car and I find you being attacked by that man."
"We both know that wasn't a man, now don't we?" said Roger sounding less like the little old human and more the old fae warrior every moment. Roger was angry and held a hint of accusation in his voice. The two beings looked at each other for a while and then the helper started to grin.
"You got me." the man gave a strange little giggle. He continued, "I think it was a vampire, don't you. They haven't been around here for some time." He took a moment and then added, "Guess you didn't buy my little listening to the scanner bit either. Nope didn't think so." He bumped Roger's shoulder, "How would it feel if I told you I was driving around checking out the homes of the local fae. You know, just looking for a late night snack."
It was horrible, the grin on the man's face became a twisted sneer that spoke of the madness held within this unassuming man. His lunacy etched in that expression for all to see. "No this is no man." thought Roger, "this thing is pure evil in human form. No wonder the vampires ran." This face belonged to a creature that the crew had hunted off and on for centuries.
Worse than any vampire, flesh eaters had been an underlying threat to this region long before the wars between fae and vampire ever took place. This one's savagery had only been discovered when the crew arrived on the scene. What was ironic was that he did not even try to hide. He named his human shell for what he was a Malek, a wendigo mutation, it only happens when a wendigo attacks and consumes the flesh of a wolf shifter in human form. Most fae thought that they were more legend than reality. This bastard had eluded the crew for over five hundred years and now, when Roger was powerless, he was standing right in front of him.
To the injured fae's horror he watched as the twisted sneer of mild mannered Dr. Malek, town vet, began to shift. Bones moved, snapping and then reformed to allow for a ghoulish maw with vicious looking teeth to form. The skeletal wolf like fae was emaciated with no extra flesh to speak of only ratty fur that hung in loose flaps around the body. The bony claws were flexing just ready to slice into their prey. Knowing he was not long for this world, Roger closed he eyes and prayed for a quick end to his very long life.
There was the roar of a powerful engine cutting across the open desert. The beast form Malek looked up from his prey. Taking advantage of the distraction Roger reached into his pocket and pulled the pin on the woman's grenade. "Catch you sick S.O.B." tossing the grenade to the beast and then using all his strength to tackle the man holding him down. He was dying anyway so why not take this bastard with him thought Roger.
As the two figures toppled to the ground there was roar of outrage, and the old fae warrior found himself being tossed into the air as if he weighed nothing. Roger flew a good thirty feet and then landed with a thud on the hard surface of the road. There was a cracking as more of the fae's battered body broke on contact, the poison weakening his tough fae nature. The grenade had fallen half way between their two bodies and the brightness of the flash as it exploded was searing.
The sound of screeching brakes signaled that the vehicle that had been approaching had made it to their location. There was the sound of rapid fire gunshots and the roar of a wounded animal as it ran into the night. Roger struggling with pain was trying to say alive a little longer, fighting the poison and the broken state of his body. The fae prayed the injured animal wasn't General. He fought to stay awake he had to tell what he knew. He used what little energy he had to force his glamor back in place. He would tell who ever this was what he had just discovered. How could they all have missed this betrayal for all these years? He wanted to weep, scream or something to express his grief, but it was too late for that. There was the sound of fast footsteps.
"God I am so sorry," Lauren yelled as she ran to the broken form on the pavement. The old man was bloody and barely alive. She spun on her heels as she checked the area for any dangers. She started checking him over, she had been a doctor for heaven sake she should be able to do something. She was crying and saying over and over, "This is all my fault. This is all my fault. I don't know how they found me."
The old man saw the beautiful face above him and wanted to reassure her, "No, don't cry young one. They are here for us, not you. Please, you can't be here. It is dangerous. Lew you must run away." But he had no energy left to speak, the poison had done its job and he was fading. She worked hard but there was something wrong. There was just too much blood. A wound of this type should not be bleeding like this. Lauren tried several different techniques but nothing worked. "What did this to you?" she asked but would not have been able to hear the man's answer even if he had the ability to talk.
The skittering sound alerted Lauren and she cranked round, pulling the large hand gun from her waistband and peppered the air with bullets. There was a squeal of pain and then the sound of flesh hammering the ground. "Vampires!" she swore and dropped to the man's side again. She flashed on the back of Kenzi's van and realized that Kenzi had been truly hunting vampires.
Looking at Roger, there was nothing more she could do for him now but not let him die alone. She had seen this before in the fae medical center. The poison on vampire blades would prevent the blood from clotting and he would bleed out before any medical care could arrive. "It was an honor to serve with you." She said as the man closed his eyes and breathed his last. She had only caught the last part of the message Roger had left when she entered the bar to double check the crew had locked up. She had pulled up the whole message and then called the Colonel. She did not wait as he requested, she left the bar on the run.
The yip of the dog had Lauren on the move, she pulled the other pistol from her side holster as she ran. Vamps came in two categories, master and swarm. This was messy, not the style of a master, she was facing a swarm without any back up but General. She listened again and there was the deep bark and snarl of the animal. Lauren double timed it towards a rock formation. The dog never left the side of his owner unless given a command so this had to be where the civilian had been stored. A black figure loomed over the rock and Lauren fired both pistols into the shape. There was a shriek and the form burst into a bright flame then blew away as ash. It felt good to take the vampire out, revenge for the death of a kind brave man. "You want me come and get me." yelled Lauren as she slid to the base of the rock, the dog growled at her and she growled back. It was sort of a love hate thing the two had going on. This communication was telling each other they were both there to fight.
"I'm sorry." Lauren said, "He was a good man." The two, man and dog, were never apart and Lauren felt she had to say something even if General was just a canine. The dog lunged to the right and had a vamp by the neck. Lauren would have helped but two dark forms had just materialized directly in front of her. "We smell the blood on you, human." There was a snake like quality to their voices. The doctor in Lauren had always felt the fangs interfered with the way they moved their tongues in the formation of their words. She watched as their motion blurred in attack and fired into their predicted path. The flaming shapes burst into ash and covered her. Spitting out the vile remains of her attackers, Lauren saw three more shapes form and heard a chattering of sound from overhead. Two more were moving above and soon would be landing to join the party.
"Where the hell had all these vampires come from?" Lauren asked herself. This wasn't the bounty hunters she had expected. She had been found four times since her escape from the fae. Every time it had been a solitary bounty hunter. She had defeated each of them in turn and moved on. Except for the last one, she had decided to hold her ground and not run this time. Roger had died because of it. If someone had sent a swarm of vampires after her than she had more trouble on her trail than she ever could have imagined.
She would consider this later as a noise caught her attention. The civilian was stirring. "Crap that's all I need." said Lauren. She was about to apply a not so subtle left cross to the chin as a primitive form of anesthesia. When she got her first look at the woman's face, "Holy mother of God," said Lauren and a vamp hissed at her religious reference. Lauren turned and fired three bursts into the nearby space. There was the sound of squeal, the flash of one burning form and the fast retreat of the other attackers.
Making a quick check of vitals, Lauren stared at the woman. "Kenzi what the hell are you doing here? I saw you drive away." Lauren took a deep breath how had she not made the connection between the over turned van and Kenzi. It just didn't matter now did it. Lauren felt a chill in the air and knew the vampires had returned. She stood with a last look at Kenzi, "General protect." said Lauren as she snapped in two new clips and the dog almost appeared to nod his acceptance of the order. "I'm your huckleberry." Lauren growled as she began to move. She had heard that line in a movie once and thought now was as good a time as any to try it out. The blonde started to walk away from the rock, she had her guns ready but there was no chance she would be fast enough to kill them all.
The attack was instant. Lauren didn't even bother to aim she just began to spin and shooting in as many directions as possible being mindful of Kenzi and General's position straight behind her. Two burning beings materialized almost immediately as the chemical laced rounds slammed into their frames, but the last two had more going on. The last of Lauren's ammunition ran out and the gun's clicked that hollow sound as they had nothing left to offer. Throwing them to the ground Lauren moved to pull her knives but she knew it was futile.
Strong clawed hands with sandpaper like skin grabbed her body and pulled her into the air only to drop her as she struggled and broke their grip. The fall still was tough but it wasn't deadly like it could have been. Lauren rolled with the motion and before she could react found herself pinned down. Foul breath filled her nostrils as two withered faces appeared above her.
Lauren fought not to vomit as one licked the side of her face. "So warm and juicy," Giggled one in a snake like voice. "We should drink her now and then kill the canine and eat the second." A jagged fingernail scratched her arm, Lauren didn't move. Vampires were predators and the idea of a struggle or a chase just made everything that much better. Lauren would never give them the satisfaction. "Come on, put up just a little fight would you?" begged a high pitched voice. Lauren steeled herself. The vamp continued, "Okay then I think we should tenderize you to bring your lovely blood to the surface." The beating began and Lauren could do nothing to protect herself as the massive blows rained down.
Lauren had to smile as her life really did start to flash in front of her eyes. One face was appearing over and over, "Bo, I'm sorry." she thought through the pain. "I have always loved you and still do." Lauren had not allowed herself to freely think of the woman she loved for a year without loads of guilt. The dreams she could never stop but marshaling her emotions was something she was exceptionally good at. Her life was over now so it was okay to indulge in last thoughts of her lover. The blows stopped, the fangs would be next.
There was nothing. Lauren waited but there was still nothing. Her eyes were swelling shut but she managed to pry one open and then she started to laugh. The laugh was a sickly sound inter-mixed with gurgling and sputtering. Lauren let out a small scream as she used the last of her energy to roll to her side. Right before she passed out she thought to herself that she had never seen a more beautiful sunrise.
xxxXXXXxxx
The two vehicles pulled up and were greeted by General running towards them then turning and running away. The five figures ran into the desert towards the small pile of rocks. Two broke from their formation to run to the aid of General and the civilian, they all recognized as Kenzi, everyone else gathered around the still body of their newest member. Lila placed a hand to Lauren's neck and let out a cry as she felt the pulse, weak but still there. "She is going to need help. More than we can offer out here I'm afraid." They all looked at each other. The Colonel yelled as he found Roger's body. The crew moaned in sorrow at the loss of their friend.
"We need to get her to the Fort, Now!" snapped Lila through her tears and then after some quick planning Lauren and Kenzi were loaded into a truck for transport. The group headed to the agreed upon destination while Gunner was volunteered to clear the road and to drive Lauren's rig back with Roger's body in the back. He was angry as he wanted to be with the women but he knew he would be quicker with the vehicles.
After he muscled through his tasks, Gunner retrieved Roger's body and laid him gently in the back. The General jumped in and lay beside his friend's remains as a final guard. The young man jumped in Lauren's vehicle and let out a sad laugh, "Who the hell keeps a truck this neat?" He reached for the keys neatly placed in the cup holder. In a small storage space in the dash sat a cell phone. Biting his lip the young man picked it up, pressing the appropriate button he found the thing was charged. Should he do this? Lauren never shared anything personal with anyone. She had no past as far as she was concerned but she had been beaten badly and there was a strong possibility that she would not make it.
He found the phone option on the display and hit it. He scrolled down and found it, Emergency numbers. He tapped the display. One name appeared. Bo D. He didn't want to talk to anyone but he really felt someone should be aware that Lauren was hurt. Tapping the message option, not wanting to alarm any one he tried to think of something to say. With a flash of thumbs, the message was sent. Carefully, he tucked the little device away and began the short trip home.
Across the country, Bo felt her phone vibrate in her pocket. She placed her coffee on the bar at the Dahl. It had been a tough case but a celebration with breakfast was just what the doctor… she stopped herself. Suddenly needing a phase that did not include the word doctor, she settled on … the celebration breakfast was just what she needed. Pulling the phone out of her pocket she froze at the message before her. A picture of Lauren was displayed and the words. "Having a tough time right now. It would be nice to hear from you. I could really use your help."
A/N: More to come next chapter ;)