Chapter 22: Echoes of the Past Part 2
John's flashback to the night he learned he was going to be a father, again…
Eight years ago, Helen had called him at the last minute for help on a mission and reluctantly he had answered her by appearing beside her vehicle. The solemn group they made their way half a mile into the rocky jungle by foot when the vehicles could go no further. Strong late summer winds whipped around them, keeping the nasty mosquitoes that normally plagued travelers in these parts heavily bathed in bug spray. Helen explained as they went that the Sanctuary Network had gotten a tip that a rare abnormal had been sighted in the area. Supposedly it had murdered a dozen or so people, including children, and Helen wanted it captured to stop the killings.
However, when they arrive at the site where the creature was believed to be nesting the team could not get a lock on the creature. Shortly thereafter they were later ambushed by members of a local native tribe. The team had wrongly assumed the temple was vacated and got separated in the skirmish with the poison arrow shooting natives. John and Helen retreated into the temple while Henry, Declan and two other members of the London Sanctuary took cover behind a section of the fallen stone wall and nearby trees.
Inside the temple, the pair's footsteps echoed loudly on the stone floor and the eerie silence in the space caused the hairs on the back of John's neck to stand up on end. An experienced hunter, John didn't need Helen's warning to know that danger was near. Out of the corner of his eye he noticed the tiniest of movement in the dark and shoved Helen down into a sheltered alcove before teleporting away right as the arrows began flying through the air. One of the natives had loudly declared Druitt to be the devil when he reappeared before them in a blur of red and had ripped their primitive but deadly weapons out of their hands. "The devil doesn't like being shot at," John retorted dryly as he knocked the offenders unconscious. "Show a little respect for your elders."
He returned to find a disgruntled Helen standing inside the alcove and dusting off her backside. "A little warning would have been nice," she grumbled. "I'm going to have bruises everywhere," she muttered to herself and briefly pressed her palm over her stomach.
"I could kiss it and make it better," he offered with a devilish grin as he tossed the arrows onto the ground and stomped them in half.
"Maybe later," she retorted and brushed past him to walk towards the carved alter at the end of the long room. She ignored his deep purr of "Hmmm, something to look forward to" and glanced around the space nervously.
"Something is very off here," she muttered and took a tighter grip on her weapon. It didn't make sense for the natives attack them when they were there to put a stop to the creature's attacks. And how did the natives know when they would arrive at the temple? It was almost as if they were waiting for them.
"Yes, there is," he answered. Hearing the tone of his voice, she glanced over her shoulder to find him staring at her profile with an intensity that startled her. Quickly, she turned fully round to face him only to have him move sideways in an effort to check out her profile again. He paced completely around her and she turned with him to prevent him from looking at her body from the side. "You're different," he shrewdly appraised.
"No, I'm not," she retorted defensively and placed her arms protectively across her stomach.
Tilting his head, he countered his stance by placing his hands on his hips. "Yes, you are. I know every inch of your body and it's different. It's curvier… even your face is fuller."
She gasped and threw out her hands in outrage. "Are you calling me fat?"
He shook his head. "Not fat." He pointedly stared at her stomach. "Just rounder." In all the years he'd known her he could not recall Helen ever looking this heavy. She had to be a good 15 pounds larger than normal and he would not have noticed it had he not studied her profile and saw that she had a little paunch in the stomach.
Alarmed that he noticed her weight gain, she brushed past him and moved quickly toward the temple altar. "This is hardly the time to discuss my weight gain," she said with a scowl on her face. "Something is wrong with this set up and we need to figure out why before we're killed by a poisoned dart."
"So you admit you've gained weight?" he asked as he followed behind her and looked around the space. She was right about them still being in danger. Something was definitely off about the whole situation. They'd seen no abnormal and as soon as they had gotten close to the temple they'd been driven into it. Correction, Helen and, by proximity he, had been deliberately driven inside.
She halted with a stiffened spine. Rounding on him, she growled, "One more comment about me gaining weight or being fat and so help me Montague John Druitt I'll shoot you dead with my blaster right this instant! Is that understood?"
"I never called you fat, woman," he answered with a snort as he moved closer to inspect writing on a wall carving. "I'm not a stupid man."
"You implied it!" she accused as she stared up at the ceiling and slowly moved backwards while she studied the faint paintings that hinted at a once glorious mural decorating the entire ceiling. A large section seemed to be missing and the part that still existed confused her. The temple was not living up to what she had been told about it.
"I thought you said this temple was over 500 years old," John interrupted. "Yet these carvings appear to be much more recent. I'd say no more than 250-300 at the most."
It was exactly what she was thinking. "We have no abnormal, we were attacked by unknown natives and now we're in a temple that is far younger than reported." A spark of fear shot up her spine. "John, we need to get out of here. I think we're in a trap." Before he could reply a loud rumple pierced the space. The temple shook as if an earthquake were taking place and began crumbling around them.
Hearing Helen's scream as she was thrown to the ground he instinctively yelled her name and teleported to her side. He reached for her just as the floor below them gave way and they pitched downward into a dark abyss along with parts of the stone ceiling. Helen's scream abruptly cut off as she was plunged into cold water and her arms flailed around her trying to grab onto anything. The water was moving at a steady rate and Helen's muddled mind reminded her that a river ran nearby the temple and it was conceivable that the temple had been partly built above a curve in the murky water. Resurfacing, she twisted around in search of John and finally spotted him floating nearby. She swam to him and grabbed a hold of his collar to keep him upright as they floated further downstream. He was still breathing but unconscious and with her head pressed next to his she could smell the blood that trickled down the side of his head.
Rotating in position here and there she was able to maneuver them closer to a river bank where she managed to drag her still unconscious partner up onto safety. Flopping back onto the ground she took in several harsh breaths and tried to get her breathing and racing heart under control before she passed out herself. Letting out another deep breath she pushed herself upright and went into doctor mode as she checked the big man over. There was a nasty cut on the left side of his temple and the ugly coloring of bruises was already spreading around the area. The area above his left eye was swelling up as well. "John, wake up," she called through chattering teeth as she tried to rouse him. His low groan in answer caused her tense shoulders to deflate and she pressed her temple in his in relief. "Thank God, you're alright," she sighed.
Her relief was brief as a sharp pain stabbed her in the lower part of her stomach and she hunched over in pain. "Ow!" she cried out in pain and pressed her hands against the pain.
"Helen?" John's hoarse voice called as he struggled to sit upright. Dizziness hit him and he grunted louder as he sunk back down onto the ground. "What's wrong? Are you hurt?" There was pain above his left eye, which only wanted to open part way, and he reached up with his hand to touch his throbbing head. Big mistake. Pain flared up and he let out a loud, impolite curse word.
He turned his head toward his companion at the sound of distress in her voice when she called out his name. "Can you teleport us back to the Sanctuary?" she panted. He was alarmed to see her doubled over with her arms wrapped around her stomach.
He managed to sit upright again though there was still some dizziness. "Might be advisable to wait a while," he groaned, "until the dizziness dissipates. My head feels like it's been hit by a freight train."
"I don't think we can wait," she gasped and reached over to grab his wrist with her right hand. "We need to go now. Please!"
"Helen, it's dangerous to teleport when I'm not well. I could miscalculate and land us…" he tried to reason with her and was cut off by a cry of pain from her.
"Now, John! There's something wrong with the baby," she panted and tightened her grip on his wrist.
He blinked. Apparently his hearing was damaged as well. He could have sworn she just said baby. "Baby?" he repeated with a frown. "Did you just say baby?"
"Yes!" she exclaimed before collapsing next to him. "John!" In the next instant they appeared on ground outside the front gate. Leaving Helen on the ground moaning, John forced himself into a standing position and began pressing hard on the intercom button as he kept his one good eye on his former ex-fiancée.
"What?" a raspy familiar voice asked in the intercom. "Turn off the EM shield," John growled. "Helen's hurt." There was a long pause as the Sasquatch confirmed Druitt's claim through the camera feed. "I'm turning it off. Get her to the infirmary and I'll meet you there."
The next hour was a blur. The big, hairy manservant had Helen hooked up to monitoring machines in the infirmary after Kate helped her into a dry hospital gown and wrapped a towel around her damp head. In the next recovery room John had removed his damp clothing, pulled on the pajamas and robe Kate had retrieved from the guest room that seemed to serve as a bedroom solely for him. He opened the door only to find it blocked by the large form of the Sasquatch.
"Helen's resting," the Sasquatch rasped and moved inside the door holding a silver tray with medical supplies. "Her blood pressure is too high. A little quiet rest is required." He glared at Druitt as if daring him to defy his orders to leave Magnus alone.
And for a moment John considered doing just that. Instead he asked "How long?" and ran a hand through his hair, cringing as sharp pain pinpricked on the front of his head and the left side of his face.
"Give her at least half an hour. I've given her something and it will make her sleepy but it will stop the stomach cramping." He stepped into the room and indicated the tray with a nod of his shaggy head. "Meanwhile, we need to stitch up that cut on your forehead."
Surprised, John asked with a hint of amusement, "You want to patch me up?" Normally the creature barely tolerated his presence and watched him like a hawk whenever John was around.
The big beast snorted. "Not particularly. But Helen is in no shape to do it and she'd be displeased to learn you're moving around the house with an open gash on your head. Not to mention I'd prefer you not bleed any on my clean floors than you already have."
"Oh, well, for the sake of your precious floors," John chuckled and sat down onto the bed as indicated by the Sasquatch. His rush of adrenaline was over and in his tired state he was actually willing to allow Helen's assistant to tend to him. It would also allow him to take control over his temper which had reared its ugly head upon Helen's confession that she was expecting. The question that whirled through his head as the Sasquatch worked on him was the identity of the baby's father and what method he was going to employ in killing the worthless bastard. However he did the deed John would make sure it was slow and painful.
