Legacy 206: Pardon My Past Again
Xxx
In Washington DC, agent Lincoln Reed entered the MIND headquarters and made his way to the director's office. Billie had called him in for a meeting and wouldn't say what it was about over the phone, meaning it was something big. Once he entered the office, he saw Billie standing by the window talking to someone, a guy in his thirties with black hair and dressed in a grey suit. Based on his appearance and taste in suits, Reed figured he was a government agent. They were caught in a serious debate and neither looked at ease. Something clearly had them concerned.
"Lincoln, thanks for coming so soon." Billie said when she noticed him.
"You said it was urgent." Reed replied and he noticed that she was using his first name, which was unusual in the office. "Is this a formal meeting?"
"No, it's not." Billie admitted. "Though it is a matter of great importance. I'm informing the rest of the department tomorrow."
"So what's going on?" Reed asked.
"First I'd like to you meet a friend of mine." Billie replied as she turned to the government agent. "This is Kyle Brody, a Whitelighter. We worked together on a couple of cases."
"A Whitelighter?" Reed asked surprised as they shook hands. "You don't look like it."
"I was with Homeland Security before my death." Kyle replied. "I might not be an agent anymore, but that sense of duty never truly goes away."
"You've had a mole in the Heavens this entire time?" Reed asked as he looked at Billie.
"I'm not a mole." Kyle said. "My loyalty is to the council, but Billie and I formed a valuable friendship over the years and we sometimes exchange information."
"So what did you call me in for?" Reed asked.
"Something terrible has happened, which puts everyone at risk." Billie replied. "I've been following some unusual activity for weeks now, but I couldn't piece it all together until it was too late."
"The Heavens have been attacked." Kyle continued. "The council of Elders is in disarray, many are dead."
"We're dealing with a group called the Trinity, three powerful Darklighters that were once Elders." Billie said. "They were imprisoned for centuries until they escaped. We believe they are a threat to the entire world, not just the magical world."
"So what are we going to do?" Reed asked.
"We need to find a way to destroy the Trinity and we're going to need allies." Billie said.
"Allies?" Reed noted. "You meant the Halliwells."
"Exactly." Billie replied. "It's time to join forces, and since you've already established contact with them, you're the perfect person for the job."
"I understand." Reed said.
"I need to get back to the council." Kyle said. "It was good meeting you, agent Reed. Billie, we'll talk soon."
"Thanks Kyle." Billie replied. "Take care."
Kyle nodded and became surrounded in a flurry of white and blue orbs, after which he dematerialized and shot up through the ceiling in a column of lights. Once he was gone, Billie sighed and sat down at her desk. She looked tired and Reed noticed that she was worried. The Trinity seemed to scare her like nothing he had seen before.
"This is a threat unlike anything we have ever faced, Linc." Billie noted.
"Worse than Ambrose even?" Reed asked.
"I believe so." Billie said. "While Ambrose was a dangerous madman, his twisted plans ultimately were meant to create a better world for his people in his view. The Trinity is unpredictable, we have no idea what their true motives are."
"How do you want me to proceed with the Halliwells?" Reed asked.
"We need them to trust us." Billie replied. "You need to get close and build that trust, make them see that we all have to work together. Just be careful about getting too close."
"What do you mean?" Reed asked.
"The cousins are good people, just like their mothers, but like everyone, they have their flaws." Billie explained with a knowing glance. "They have the tendency to make things too personal. When people get too personally attached to something, they might end up making the wrong choices."
"What are you implying?" Reed asked.
"I'm just making an observation." Billie replied.
"What will you be doing in the meantime?" Reed asked.
"There is a rumor I want to pursue." Billie replied. "It's tied to case I worked on long ago, it might lead to something we can use against the Trinity."
Knowing that Billie wasn't going to tell him more until she had something solid, Reed said his goodbyes and left the office. He understood why it was important to get close to the Halliwells and work together to end this threat, but he also felt conflicted about it. Ever since Maldovia, he had been feeling drawn to a certain someone. Although he wanted the opportunity to get closer to them, he hated having to do so with a hidden agenda.
Xxx
In the kitchen of the Halliwell Manor, Wyatt was cleaning up after a family meeting. He had called everyone together to inform them about the troubling events that had unfolded. The Heavens had been assaulted by an ancient enemy known as the Trinity, resulting in the deaths of several Elders and Whitelighters. Wyatt had felt the start of the attack while he was guiding a new charge, a young witch in Boston. However, the moment he had tried to orb to the Heavens to help, he had been repelled by a darkness that had sent him plummeting into the ocean. It was only when the assault ended, that he learned about everything that had happened. Along with other Whitelighters that were out in the field when the Heavens fell, he was called to a meeting in Magic School to discuss how to proceed. The Elders had decided to return to the Heavens with increased defenses while they searched for a way to stop the Trinity.
Wyatt could not believe an ancient group of Darklighters like that had been kept a secret for all these centuries. Their return had been set in motion when the Morrigan was vanquished, as the prison she had built had withered upon her death. She had presumably planned it like that without the Elders knowing, a last act of evil to send the world into chaos if her own plans failed. These events also correlated to the mysterious visions Laura had painted about the upcoming apocalypse. According to Noah, the first painting had predicted the assault on the Heavens perfectly, which seemed to confirm that they were indeed a warning.
"I tossed the pizza boxes into the trash can." Henry announced as he entered the kitchen through the back door.
"Oh, great, thanks." Wyatt replied.
"That was some family meeting." Henry noted. "Guess I missed a lot."
"That's why I called everyone together." Wyatt said. "We all need to be aware of what is going on so we can keep an eye on each other."
"It sounds like it's only a matter of time before we're all caught up in this mess." Henry replied. "Why don't we let the Elders handle their own problems?"
"We already are involved, Henry." Wyatt said. "Laura had that vision for a reason and we lost people that were close to us. Besides, the entire world is at stake. This is what we do."
"I know." Henry admitted. "I just don't want to lose any more people I care about."
"I understand, I don't want to lose anyone either." Wyatt replied. "But we have to do the right thing and help every way we can."
"So what are we going to do?" Henry asked.
"Weren't you just at the meeting?" Wyatt asked with a frown.
"I missed some of it, I was on pizza and drinks duty." Henry replied with a shrug. "I try to be a good host."
"Right." Wyatt noted as he rolled his eyes. "Noah, Chris and I have been asked to help the Whitelighters recover." Wyatt said. "Noah and Chris are already up there. Payton agreed to help Laura with the paintings, to see if they can uncover anything new."
"Chris is up there?" Henry asked. "He must hate that."
"I'm sure he does, but at times like this we have to put our differences aside." Wyatt noted.
"So why wasn't Melinda at the meeting?" Henry asked.
"Melinda wants as little do to with magic as possible, so I'm trying to respect her wishes." Wyatt replied. "Besides, she still hasn't fully mastered her combustive power yet, so I figured it was best not to stress her out. I'll tell her soon."
"That's probably for the best." Henry remarked. "So what about Penny?"
At that moment, the kitchen door opened and Penny walked in. Wyatt thought she had already left with the others, but he quickly realized why she had stuck around. They needed to discuss another important matter.
"What about me?" Penny asked.
"You're still here?" Henry asked surprised.
"I needed to call the club, so I went upstairs for a moment." Penny explained. "Wyatt, we need to talk."
"I know." Wyatt replied. "Have you located him yet?"
"I think so." Penny said. "Are we still doing this? Are we all on board?"
"I still haven't talked to Henry." Wyatt admitted. "With everything going on, I forgot."
"Hello, I'm right here in the room." Henry remarked. "Talk to me about what? What's going on?"
Wyatt took a breath and started explaining everything that had happened to Julian and how his demonic side had taken over, leading him to kill innocent people. Wyatt and Penny had agreed to help him fight this evil and find a way to redeem his actions, which meant moving Julian into the manor to keep a close eye on him. Wyatt wanted to talk to Henry about this earlier, as the manor was his home as well, and he didn't want to force it upon him.
"So what do you say?" Wyatt asked.
"No way." Henry replied instantly. "I'm not sharing my home with a mentally unstable killer."
"Hey, that's not fair." Penny argued. "Julian wasn't in control of his actions, it was his demonic side. We should help him."
"Why?" Henry asked with a frown. "Because he's family? He's not really. We barely know anything about him."
"You're right, we don't know him." Wyatt said. "At least not yet. I understand what you're saying, Henry, but I believe that we can help him control his demonic side."
"What if you're wrong?" Henry asked. "He could kill us all in our sleep."
"We'll take precautions." Wyatt replied.
"He killed innocent people." Henry said. "Would you do the same for Grace if she suddenly showed up? Why is Julian so different?"
"Julian feels horrible over what happened." Penny replied. "He wants to become a better person. Can you honestly say the same about Grace?"
"Stop, we're not going to fight over this." Wyatt said determined. "Whether or not Julian can redeem himself is not up to us. All we can do is make sure it doesn't happen again. The best way to do that is to keep a close eye on him. Agreed?"
"Agreed." Penny said.
"I don't." Henry countered. "But I trust you, Wyatt, so if you think this is for the best, then I'll go along with it. However, the moment he hurts someone again, he needs to go."
"That's fair." Wyatt replied.
"So where can we find him?" Henry asked.
"He's been moving around from place to the place." Penny replied. "I'll try scrying for him again."
Penny left the kitchen and Henry gave Wyatt an annoyed eye roll before following her. Wyatt understood his cousin's reservations about Julian. He had felt the same way when he first heard about what he had done. However, Wyatt knew a little something about fighting an evil side of yourself. Just because Julian had lost his internal struggle once, didn't mean that he should be written off completely. He still had a chance to do some good and with everything going on with the Trinity, Wyatt had a feeling they would need him in the future.
Xxx
Somewhere in San Francisco, Julian was sitting at a bar in a dark club. He was staring at full glass of whiskey standing in front of him, wondering if he should drink it. Part of him wanted to let go and drink to forget his problems, but he also knew that the last time had done that, he had killed innocent people, or at least his demonic side had. He had no actual memories of it, but he had seen the truth through his sister. It was an unsettling thought that there was something inside him that he could not control, an evil trying to force its way out.
"Are you going to drink that ever?" A voice asked. "You've seen staring at it for ages."
Julian looked up and saw the bartender standing in front of him. She had short red hair and wore a black tank top, showing off her slender arm filled with colorful tattoos.
"Sorry, just have a lot to think about." Julian replied.
"I haven't seen you here before, you're new around here?" the bartender asked.
"Yeah, I guess I am." Julian said.
"So are you staying somewhere around here?" the bartender asked.
"I'm in between places, trying to figure things out." Julian admitted.
"I see, maybe you'll get lucky and find a comfortable place to crash while you figure stuff out." The bartender replied with a smile. "I'm Ruby, I own this joint."
Julian looked at the bartender and realized she was flirting with him. Although she was attractive with a punk style, she wasn't really his type. Besides, getting involved with anyone was the last thing he should do. Aside from the demon fighting him from within, Talia still haunted his dreams every night. Although she was gone, his feelings for her were still painfully alive.
"I'm Julian." Julian replied. "And thanks, but I can't."
"Too bad." Ruby noted. "I'm closing up in about an hour, should you change your mind."
"I'll keep that in mind." Julian said.
"Maybe it's for the best." Ruby remarked. "I have the tendency to be drawn to the wrong guys anyways. Guess I just can't resist the dark and troubled types."
"Do I seem that troubled?" Julian asked.
"You definitely look like you're dealing with some inner demons." Ruby said.
"You have no idea." Julian noted.
Julian turned his attention back to his drink as Ruby continued her work. A few moments later, the door opened and a tall young man with slicked black hair and a dark suit entered. From the moment Julian laid eyes on him, he got the feeling that something was wrong. There was something about the man that felt evil, demonic even. The other people in the bar seemed to be scared as well, as they all quickly left. The man walked to the bar and Ruby became nervous when she saw him, obviously recognizing him.
"Long time no see, Ruby." The man said.
"Sorry, I've been busy with the bar." Ruby quickly said.
"Ah yes, your bar." The man asked. "You haven't forgotten about your debt, have you?"
"No, of course not." Ruby said. "I'm going to pay you back, Lorenzo, I swear. I just need a little more time. The bar is finally starting to make a small profit, so…"
"Time is running out and I'm losing my patience." Lorenzo interrupted her. "You know what happens when I become impatient, don't you?"
"I just need a little more time, please." Ruby pleaded.
"I've given you enough time." Lorenzo replied. "Giving you anymore will make me look weak. I need to make an example here."
Lorenzo took a step back began to make a strange buzzing sound, like an insect of sorts. His eyes turned red and bug-like, after which he projected a strange green liquid from his mouth at Ruby. Before the projectile could hit, Julian raised his hand and telekinetically stopped it midair, after which he threw it against a table instead. The table instantly started to melt due to the acid nature of the liquid. Ruby screamed and ducked behind the desk, while Lorenzo turned to face Julian.
"Who the hell are you?" Lorenzo hissed.
"Someone who is trying to enjoy his drink in peace." Julian remarked as he stood up. "Whatever business you have here, it's done."
"She owes me money." Lorenzo said. "She could have never opened this bar without my loan. This is none of your business."
"It became my business when you almost melted her face off." Julian replied.
"What are you?" Lorenzo remarked with a frown. "I can smell the demon on you, so why are you pretending to be a good witch or something?"
"I'm both." Julian said. "At least trying to be, and vanquishing a lousy demon threatening an innocent seems like a good start."
Julian raised his hand and fired a bolt of lightning at Lorenzo, who evaded it by buzzing around the bar in superhuman speed. He rushed into Julian and sent him crashing into the wall behind the bar, shattering several bottles of liquor in the process. Julian landed next to Ruby, who was huddled up in a ball and shivering.
"Are you okay?" Julian asked.
"F-fine." Ruby replied. "Please, I had no idea what he was when I took the loan."
"It's not your fault." Julian said.
Julian stood up and threw a fireball at Lorenzo, who again avoided it. He then snapped his fingers and three more demons appeared through swirls of bug-like particles. He was outnumbered four to one, while their speed made it nearly impossible to hit them. Although he hated running, he could not fight them and protect Ruby at the same time. He was about to grab her and flame away when a column of orbs descended from the ceiling and formed into Wyatt, followed instantly by Penny and Henry. His cousins quickly realized the danger and Wyatt summoned a force field between hem and the demons.
"It can't be." Lorenzo said shocked.
Lorenzo turned back to his human form and walked to the force field. His eyes seemed to be fixated on only one person in the room, Penny. He looked at her with confusion and a hint of desire in his eyes. When Penny noticed his intense gaze, she turned to face him with an equally confused look.
"You're back." Lorenzo whispered. "My sweet Phillipa."
xxx