Author's Note:
Who wants a season two? I do! Two of the Producers of Constantine had a meeting with NBC to pitch Season Two ideas(4/27/15). He even showed them his phone to show them how well #Constantine was trending on Twitter. Trending at #2! Can you believe that? AND THEN #Constantine bumped up to trending at #1! So we're doing good! He said that everything went well and we'll know by May 11th about a Season Two. So fingers crossed because things are looking pretty well for that Season...!
Thank you for all the reviews. They make the continuation of this story well worth it.
Chapter Ten
The map wasn't working.
And here he thought that he'd never be the one with that problem.
It wasn't giving him any of the clues that he needed and it was starting to piss him off. But he kept his cool, calm facade, knowing that if he gave in to the anger surging through him, that it wouldn't better the situation. John already knew that locating Manny wasn't going to be a walk in the park. The bastard knew John was looking, if not for Zed, then him.
He wanted to find the Angel, just so he could knock the sod a whole new set of wings. Betrayal from Manny was the last thing he'd expected. Ben Elohim. He'd been played and played hard.
"God dammit, you bloody bastard." John slammed his fist down on the map.
"We'll find her, John."
They didn't have a choice. They had to find her. He had to find her. The consequences of not finding her risked hurting Zed. He'd hurt her enough, hadn't he?
"Well, we've got extra time thanks to my own idiocy." John muttered.
"What did you do?" Chas asked, going through the books John had given him earlier.
"I touched her." John said, his tone sour as if he was suddenly annoyed with the reminder.
"You what?" Chas lifted his head, frowning.
John turned the map. "I touched her. She touched me. I'm sure you know how the mechanics work."
"How the hell did you manage that?"
Chas sounded angry. Not jealous, but angry. He had every right to be. So how the hell had he managed to get his dick wet when they were in a life threatening position? He was John Constantine. But even to him, that sounded like a dick move. "Accident."
"What kind of accident?"
His fingers drummed against the map. "Not that kind of accident." He muttered. Children—the little buggars terrified him.
"Dammit, John, get your act together."
John lifted his head. Chas was rightfully angry. He didn't want Zed hurt, and that included John where the hurting was concerned. "I know. It just happened." He snapped out. "She was losing it and I tried to calm her. One thing led to another." Not one of his finer moments. "That one thing is giving us that extra time. When Manny finds out his precious Virgin Mary is no bloody virgin, he's gonna have to change his tactics."
Thus—the extra time.
Her visions were a gift from both heaven and hell. He knew exactly the kind of things that could be done with those visions. He'd done those things himself. He'd used her to achieve those visions. He wasn't so different from her father, was he? But Zed chose to stay with him.
Why not just let her give birth to the Messiah? There were so many answers to that questions.
Free will.
Everyone had that gift and he bloody well chose to sin. He lied, he cheated and he used. All for the greater good. Some for moral pleasure. You couldn't force someone to repent. Retribution came at a cost.
And the Messiah? The world was not ready for that. He thought of the Omen when he thought of the Messiah. Cool movie, though not correct. The anti-christ? Not likely. But the bloke when born would be disastrous. Child of a Ben Elohim? Not good.
Zed knew more than he did, even if she'd told him in numerous detail. She'd lived with those fanatics her entire life. He believed her when she said she didn't want to go back to that hell. She didn't want anything to do with her previous life. It was her life. A life she'd been a slave to.
"I have visions and sometimes feelings I can't control."
His jaw clenched.
In his mind there was only one answer. No. Zed didn't want that life—whatever life she wanted, it wasn't that one. He'd be damned if he let someone take that choice from her.
And he really, really didn't like the thought of this Messiah bullshit.
"Come on, where are you, you bloody sod?" John muttered, moving his hand over the map.
Looking for an angel was a difficult process. He couldn't just look. If he did that, then the whole map would light up like a Christmas tree. He didn't even want to think about how many angels there were in human form. He dropped the small chain on the map and turned around, running a hand through his hair.
Manny wasn't going to make this easy for him. But where was he hiding? The question was—how. What spell was he using to obscure his location? If he knew that, then at least he could use a combating spell. The Glamour Spell was an easy one, but that was of little consequence.
Manny was hiding, and probably in plain sight.
Turning back to the table, he braced his hands on the map and stared at the lines and landmarks. The table was cluttered, lined with books, bowls of water and even a Crystal Ball. The cliché of that wasn't even ironic. Crystal Balls came in handy if you knew how to use them. It just hadn't worked for him.
If he had to choose between the map and a Seers Eye, he'd choose the map.
It was a long shot, but he pulled a blue ribbon from the front pocket of his shirt and tied it in a neat bow around the chain. He let the chain dangle from his fingers, hovering over the map before it started to to move in a circle, not directing him to any one place. He'd found the ribbon in Zed's room, and it was as good a belonging of hers as anything.
The chain spun wildly and then jerked from his fingers, hitting the opposite wall. Just as he'd expected. They were being blocked. He drummed his fingers on the map.
"The sod knows me." A little too well. "He's blocking me from all ends and he's managed to hole himself away somewhere."
"Have you tried looking for her father?"
John gave a wry grin as he picked up the round orb and then tossed it at Chas. He caught it, frowning at the crack running down one side.
"I think I broke it." It was an antique, one he'd stolen from a Seer. Either his emotions had been channeling too hard, or that was a defense on Manny's behalf.
John worked over every spell he knew, every scenario he'd missed. There was only so many ways he could go and he was running out of them. He took a deep breath and then another. Where was she? He was being blocked from all ends.
"Every move I make..." John bit out and shoved the map aside. Dammit, there had to be a way. There had to be a way around the Blocking Spell. There was always a loophole. Just not around him. John frowned, trying to circle his mind around that thought. Blocking Spell, or some heavenly bullshit, it didn't matter to him. It was all the same in the end. But maybe...
"Do you think they're blocking Martin and Zed, or just me?"
"It depends on what you mean..."
Annoyance crossed John's face. He didn't feel like explaining himself. Patience. He had to have patience. This wasn't Chas' fault. "What if Manny is blocking me? He wouldn't be expecting it to come from anyone else."
"You could try."
John blew out the candles on the table and retrieved his trench coat from the back of the chair. He wasn't just going to try. He was going to pay someone a visit. "Come on, Mate. We're overdue a visit."
Chas frowned but followed him, picking up the cab keys. "Where are we going?" John wasn't going out on just a normal visit. Whatever it was, it had to do with Zed. "John? Where are we going?"
"Johnny boy needs to see his Papa."
Whatever he'd been expecting John to say, that wasn't it. "John, are you sure—"
"Shut up and drive, mate." John folded his arms as he settled into the passenger seat. He was going on pure instinct here. He was running out of time. So pure instinct it was. He couldn't break through whatever barrier Manny was working, but maybe two could. If not two, then at least someone else who could.
Someone who wasn't John Constantine.
That theory made sense to him. He just had to test it out. Suffice it to say, he wasn't too happy in the direction he was taking, and he had the feeling his gracious host wouldn't be too happy about it, either.
Papa Midnight had tried to killed him on more than one account. They'd settled their differences twice now in a glass of scotch. Third times the charm. He ignored Chas' inquiry because no, showing up unannounced wasn't a good first step. Asking for help was the wiser option.
He just hoped he wasn't met with a fist to the jaw like last time. Master of the Voodoo, as he so liked to put it, had a good hold on the dark arts. Manny wouldn't be looking for that seeking eye.
Chas was adamant—what if Papa Midnight didn't want to offer his assistance?
Then a little friendly persuasion was called for. The pistol tucked in the back of his pants and beneath his trench coat was pretty persistent.
Zed's life depended on it. The thought sent a fresh surge of anger through him.
By the time they reached the warehouse, his state of mind was wearing down. He was angry. Someone had broken into his home and taken what was his.
Was she alright? There were so many reasons why she'd been terrified to go back.
"Fuck it." John muttered and curled his hand around the metal sliding door and sent it to the right with a loud screech. He wasn't in the mood for courtesy. He was on a high and it wasn't a good one.
The room grew to an uncomfortable silence when he stepped inside. "Where's Papa Midnight? Johnny boy here needs an audience."
"You're looking worse for wear, John Constantine."
John turned his head and there was the object of his unwanted desires. He was shirtless, barefoot and covered in sweat. From the weeds dangling from around his neck, he'd been in the middle of some voodoo magic. Too bad.
"I do try." John said, shrugging at the insult. He agreed. His hands were caked in dried blood, his head itched from it and his temple sported a bruise. "Rough day. I need you to locate a missing person."
Papa Midnight arched an eyebrow. "A missing person?"
John's lips thinned. He hadn't asked for questions. He reached behind and pulled out the gun. Chas called his name, warning him. He wasn't in the mood for questions or games. He was short on patience and he needed things done and done now.
Desperation flashed through his eyes, followed by fury. A few people rose from their places in the back of the room and Constantine hoped one of them made a move. "Yes, I need you to find her."
"Her? And you couldn't have went to the police?"
"Not that kind of situation." John clenched his jaw.
Papa Midnight watched the gun with wary eyes. "Why would I help you, John Constantine?"
John took a step forward and pressed the barrel dead center of Papa Midnight's eyes. Should he have asked? Could he have? It was too late on his part to ask for him. He was demanding it. "I can't find her own my own, that's why. The bloody angel is blocking me at every angle."
"John, maybe you should explain..."
"What have you gotten yourself into, John Constantine?"
John didn't work with the modern instruments. He worked with magic and the fact that the first thing he'd done was pull a gun on Papa Midnight showed his unease.
"Who is this woman to you, that you would come to me for help? A friend, a lover? What did you do that you are now coming to me for help?"
The words were innocent enough, but something in John snapped. He and Papa Midnight had never been on friendly terms. The friendship they had at best was...mild. He insulted Papa Midnight just to get a rise. Papa Midnight insulted him because it was the truth.
John dropped the pistol and drew his fist back. Papa Midnight's head snapped back and he stumbled. John curled his fists in the tweed jacket and took Midnight to the ground. He landed another blow, this one on the cheek and lowered his head till he was right in the mans face. "She didn't leave. They took her. He fucking came in and took her. Her mind is fragile at best. Do you know what they are going to do to her? What they'll use her visions for? Do you? They'll exploit her, use her—"
"John?"
Every muscle in his body locked at the sound and he lifted his head.
"Zed?"
He was off Papa Midnight in an instant. Zed was there, across the room and looking so forlorn and lost that his heart clenched. She was here. It didn't matter how—she was here. He ran the five steps to her but instead of gripping her forearms, he stumbled right through her body.
Papa Midnight was moving behind him, sitting up slowly. Even though blood was dribbling down his nose, he stared at Zed. "What is this?"
John ignored him and reached a hand out, but his palm moved right through her cheek. She wasn't here.
"How did you learn Bi-location?"
Her voice wobbled. "I found it in a book."
Good girl. "Where are you, love?"
Her eyes watered. "I-I don't know. John—"
God, John wanted to reach out and touch her. Comfort her. "I'm coming, love. I swear to God, but I need to know where you're at. Anything you can give me, a landmark, a sign."
She shook her head. Why was she so pale? "My head hurts, John."
She was performing Bi-location. He figured her head was hurting. She was having to open her mind to another world to reach out to him. They both knew that was never a good thing where she was concerned. Dammit, he needed her to give him something to go by. Oh God, she was about to cry. What had the bastards done to her?
Her entire body flickered in and out of transparency. The spell was taking a toll on her mind. God dammit!
"I..I can't close it off, John." She whispered suddenly. "I-I touched Manny and I saw...oh God, John."
John swore loudly. Papa Midnight came to stand beside him. His hand went through Zed's arm when he reached out to touch her. John understood now. Zed wasn't using the spell to give him her location—dammit—she was using the spell to ask for his help. He understood all to clearly. She'd seen through the eyes of an angel. Her mind was on overload.
"Listen to me, love."
"I can't close it off, John. There's so much." She wrapped her arms around her body.
Yea, he'd just bet there was a lot going on in her mind right now. "Yes, you can. Remember that white dove? You're looking for a door this time. A white door in the snow storm. It's right there in front of you...but you're not aiming for a vision this time. Walk to it. Close it."
He took a step forward before he could stop himself when her image faded again. He could see her visually struggling to do what he'd said. He didn't doubt she could do it. "I want you to do it and then close this link. Now." He didn't want her opening the gap further with her mind. Her mind was too fragile.
"I'm coming, love. Now. Close. It." He regretted his words when her image faded into nothing.
Silence ensued. Papa Midnight broke it. "Is she a witch?"
"No." John turned. "Don't call her that again."
"What have you gotten yourself into, John Constantine?"
John didn't like the silent inquiry in Papa Midnight's voice. He'd never met Zed. So he didn't know about her visions. Or he hadn't, until now. "Have you heard of the Resurrection Crusade?"
"No."
"Long story short—they think she is the Virgin Mary reborn, they want to use her visions and to knock her up with the new Messiah."
"These visions of hers, they are real?"
"As bloody real as we are standing here."
"How did you come across her?"
John stared. He clenched his fist. "Are you going to help me?"
"What do I get out of this, John Constantine? I have no need of your money."
John snarled and slammed Papa Midnight back against one of the wooden beams. "Are you going to bloody help me or not?" He wasn't going to take no for an answer. He'd resort to the darker magics himself if he had to, to get Midnight's appliance.
"Will you let me see her?" Papa Midnight asked in return. If John rallied himself with any Seer, if that was what Zed was, then she was a powerful one. John didn't dally with the weak.
"Deal." Constantine said without hesitation and stepped back. He reached into his jacket pocket and pulled out the blue ribbon and handed it to Midnight. "We're running out of time. We need to do this now."
Papa Midnight took the ribbon and smiled. Almost dark and amused. "I never thought I would see the day when John Constantine lost himself over a woman."
John cleared off a round wooden table, knocking the contents to the floor without a thought and lined the center of the table with candles. "I don't bloody love her." He muttered in response.
"I never said you did, John Constantine..." Papa Midnight murmured as he lit the candles.
Zed opened her eyes, her chest moving as she inhaled. She blinked past the stinging in her eyes as the room came back into focus. Hands shaking, she closed the book. Manny had given her free reign to the library. She hadn't passed a single person on the way, and she was sure her father had something to do with that.
Now he was trying to help her?
The library was the last place she wanted to be. Didn't Manny know that she would be able to pick up on the author's thoughts in her current state of mind? But then she'd seen the spell book. There hadn't been anything useful—then she'd seen the Bi-Location and remembered Ann-Marie.
With her mind splintering, she almost hadn't been able to do it. And then she'd seen John. It had worked! If there was anyone that could help her clear her mind, it was John. The pain in her temples had lessened considerably. She could focus on a more toned level. She just wished she could give him what he'd asked for. But she didn't know where she was.
But John had said he was coming. He was.
Hands shaking, she pushed the book beneath the mattress. She could function. She could think.
Martin stood behind the closed bedroom door. He looked uncomfortable. He turned to the angel. "Are you sure she won't use the book to give him her location?"
Manny shook his head. "We needed her mind to be focused again. We accomplished that." John and Zed were on a level of trust and familiarity that only the two could form. He knew if anyone was going to help Zed heal, it was John. He'd used that to his advantage.
"And the Pentalpha?" Martin asked. "When can she look for it?"
Manny looked at the closed bedroom door. "Soon."
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