Legacy 211: Burning Memories

Part 4

Xxx

Eleven years ago,

Late at night, Billie and Tyler got out of the car in the middle of a suburban street. As Billie looked around, she saw a large and decrepit house on a hill on the edge of town. It looked like something out of a horror film and sent a chill down her spine. However, that was not the house they were looking for, so she turned her attention to the average-looking house in front of them. Although the curtains were closed, she could tell a light was burning and that someone was watching them.

"Are you sure this is the right place?" Billie asked.

"Positive." Tyler said. "The woman we saw lives here with her husband and kid. I asked around town, but nobody could tell me much about them. They keep to themselves and the kid is homeschooled."

"They're hiding something." Billie said. "Something Ronan is after, which means they're in danger."

"The puzzle box." Tyler noted. "What could it be?"

"I don't know, but if Ronan wants it, it's bad news." Billie replied as she started to cross the street. "Let's go find out."

"If they're protecting it, they might not be willing to share anything." Tyler said.

"We'll have to convince them we're on the same side." Billie replied. "We can't let Ronan summon this Eternal Night."

"It's good to have you back in the field." Tyler said. "I missed this."

"Well, I'm the director now." Billie replied. "I can't go out whenever I want. I have responsibilities at the office."

"Then why did you take the job?" Tyler asked. "It sounds like boring paperwork and I know you love being out on missions."

"Things have changed." Billie said. "I'm a mother now, a single one at that. Besides, being the director allows to me do more good than I ever could as an agent."

"I know you had a difficult time." Tyler replied. "But hiding in that big office won't change anything. You don't have to do it all on your own."

"Tyler, please." Billie said. "Not this again, not now."

"Why not?" Tyler asked. "I'm not just some stupid kid with a crush anyone, Billie."

"You'll always be a kid to me, Ty." Billie replied as she stopped and looked at him.

"I could be more." Tyler said as he took her hands. "I joined MIND because I looked up to you, Billie. You inspired me to become an agent. I wanted to become a man you would consider an equal."

"Don't say that." Billie replied as she pulled her hands free. "I care about you, Tyler, you're like a family. Don't make this harder than it needs to be."

"I know you don't feel the same yet." Tyler said. "But maybe that will change if you would just give me a chance."

"No, Tyler. It won't." Billie said. "Please, can we just focus on the mission?"

"Alright." Tyler replied with a sigh.

Billie looked at his sad puppy dog eyes and felt horrible about shooting him down again, but in truth she could never see him as anything more than a little brother. He would get over his crush eventually and realize there was someone better out there for him. Once he got to that point, any woman or man would be lucky to have him. She turned her attention back to the mission and continued her way to the house. As she looked ahead, she could see one of the curtains moving. Someone was definitely watching them.

"Movement." Billie whispered.

"I saw it." Tyler replied softly. "Two of them, one by the door and the other by the window."

"We need to proceed with caution." Billie said. "Remember there is a kid inside, so no fighting unless we have to."

"Alright, you take the lead." Tyler replied.

Billie nodded and stepped up to the front porch, entering with her hands raised. She needed to make them understand that they were not there to fight and that they were on the same side. Tyler followed her example as he entered after her.

"I just came to talk." Billie said loudly. "We're not your enemy."

There was no response, but Billie could hear movement inside along with muffled voices. A moment later, the door opened slightly and the barrel of a shotgun appeared.

"Surrender any weapons you have." A woman's voice sounded. "Then we'll talk."

"No weapons here." Billie said. "But in the spirit of full transparency, I'm a witch and my friend is a Firestarter. We don't really need weapons."

"Why are you here?" The woman asked.

"You were nervous when we saw you in town, so you probably already know that some bad people are after the puzzle box." Billie said. "We're trying to stop them."

The shotgun disappeared back into the house and the door closed. Billie could hear muffled voices again as the pair were discussing whether or not she could be trusted. After a minute or so, the door opened and the brunette woman stepped out, followed by her husband, a tall black-haired man with glasses. Both still had their guns ready.

"Alright, my name is Lillian Reed and this is my husband, Ethan." The woman said. "Start talking."

Xxx

In the penthouse apartment in Manhattan, Quinn was lying on bed, staring at the ceiling. Her head was hurting and she felt a bit hazy, so she had retreated to her bedroom to get some rest. Being a part of the Eternal Night was a lot to handle, especially since she had to abandon her home and family to do so. However, she had heard the whispers and believed in the cause, so she was thrilled when Ronan had finally contacted her to join him. He had promised that the pain of betraying her family would fade as she was welcomed into a new family. Although she believed his words, part of her was scared.

There was a knock on the door and Tula entered without waiting for an invitation. After all, there were no closed doors in the cult. The only exception was Ronan's own room, which made Quinn wonder what her brother was hiding.

"I heard you were feeling unwell." Tula said as she sat down on the bed.

"Just a little headache." Quinn replied.

"Are you sure?" Tula asked. "It's okay to admit that this is all overwhelming, Quinn. I'm sure you miss your old life."

"Maybe I do a little." Quinn said as she sat up. "I know it's against the rules, but I would love to talk to my mom a bit. Can I call her?"

"You know that's not a good idea." Tula replied. "We're getting ready to perform the ritual. We can't have any distractions."

"I understand." Quinn said. "I heard screaming before, is everything okay?"

"Just an intruder." Tula replied. "A vampire that got too curious for her own good. Your brother dealt with her."

"Why are so many people trying to stop us?" Quinn asked. "We're doing a good thing, right?"

"Of course." Tula replied. "The Eternal Night will grant us what we all want, a family that can be together forever. Once the ritual is complete, nobody will be able to hurt us."

"I wish everyone could understand." Quinn said. "Artur and Violet are…"

"Hush, don't think about them." Tula interrupted her as she grabbed her arm. "Let me help you with that headache."

"I… no, wait." Quinn whispered.

Quinn could feel the witch roaming within her mind, clouding her judgement and taking away her doubts. A calming feeling came over her, but deep down she knew it was wrong. She knew that Tula was keeping her under control with her powers, but she couldn't find the strength to resist her. It was like her mind was falling asleep and she could only dream of one thing, serving the cult.

Xxx

In the headquarters of MIND, Wyatt got out of the elevator and entered a floor where agents could practice and get ready for missions. Judging that Lincoln had had enough time to cool off, he had asked Evelyn where he could be. He checked the fitness room but found it empty, just like the shooting range and the cafeteria. His last stop was the locker room, where he found Lincoln getting dressed in a slim-fitting tactical suit.

"There you are." Wyatt said. "I've been looking everywhere."

"Just getting ready for the mission." Lincoln replied.

"Lincoln, this isn't just any mission." Wyatt said. "Talk to me."

"I don't know what else to say." Lincoln noted. "I just found out that everyone has been lying to me for my entire life."

"That seems a pretty good place to start." Wyatt said. "It's not easy to find out your parents were not you thought they were."

"It doesn't matter." Lincoln replied. "I'll never get the chance to ask them about it because of Ronan, which is why I'm going to stop him."

"Stop him how?" Wyatt asked.

"What do you think?" Lincoln retorted.

"Look, I know you're upset." Wyatt said. "You have every right to be angry, but this is about more than just getting revenge. We need to stop the cult from summoning this Eternal Night."

"I know." Lincoln replied determinedly. "Ronan won't be able to summon anything once I put a bullet between his eyes."

"You can't just kill him." Wyatt said. "He might be evil, but he's still a person. We should bring him to justice so he can answer for his crimes."

"Why?" Lincoln asked. "Just because he's a wizard and not a demon? Why should that make a difference? He killed my parents and now he is threatening to unleash something horrible onto the world."

"I… I don't know." Wyatt admitted. "I just don't want to you to do something you can't take back."

"I've had to make difficult decisions before, Wyatt." Lincoln said. "I've trained for this, so you don't need to worry about me."

"But I do worry." Wyatt replied. "I worry because I love you and I want to help you."

"If you want to help me, then let me do this my way." Lincoln said.

"I can't just step aside and let you kill him in cold blood." Wyatt said. "Please, I promise we will stop him and make him pay, but not like this."

"He killed my parents, Wyatt!" Lincoln snapped at him. "He deserves this."

"He does." Wyatt said. "But you don't. I'm worried that if you kill him out of revenge, you'll cross a line you won't come back from. You're a good person, Lincoln. Don't let him take that away."

Lincoln slammed his fist against his locker and Wyatt could see tears forming in his eyes. He rushed over and hugged him, causing his boyfriend to break down in his arms. He held him tightly without saying a word. He understood his anger and the pain he felt, he had felt the same when his mother was killed by a warlock. However, he also knew that killing Ronan wouldn't bring his parents back or change how it felt.

"I can't let him get away with it." Lincoln whispered into his shoulder.

"I know." Wyatt replied. "We won't let him. We will stop him, together."

"Alright." Lincoln said. "We'll try it your way first. But if things go wrong or he forces my hand, I'm taking the shot."

"I understand." Wyatt noted. "We'll cross that bridge when we get to it."

"Thank you." Lincon replied as he looked him in the eyes. "What now?"

"Once we're ready, I'll orb us over to New York to meet a contact of Billie." Wyatt said. "They can get us close to the building the cult is using as a base."

"Is she coming?" Lincoln asked.

"Not yet." Wyatt replied. "I called my aunt Paige and she is coming here. They have some stuff they need to figure out, so it will be just us along with Arthur and Violet."

"Good, I'm not ready to forgive her yet." Lincoln admitted.

"She knows." Wyatt said. "I think that's part of the reason she's staying behind for now."

"Good." Lincoln replied. "We should get you ready as well."

"What do you mean?" Wyatt asked.

"This is a MIND mission, remember?" Lincoln replied. "Besides, I've been wondering how you'd look in one of these."

Lincoln opened another locker and pulled out black tactical suit, which he handed over. Wyatt looked at the tight-fitting suit and wondered how it would look on him. Considering this was his first official MIND mission, he figured that he might as well look the part, so he quickly started undressing.

Xxx

About an hour later, after going over the last details of the mission, Wyatt and the others appeared in the middle of Central Park in a column of orbs. Since it was night, the park was quiet. The tactical suit he was wearing felt a little snug in certain places, though he had to admit it looked pretty good. Lincoln had explained that the suits were designed specifically to withstand magical damage, including elemental attacks like Fire Balls, giving mortal agents a higher resistance when facing evil forces. It also helped with the cold, as the entire park was covered in snow and decorated in Christmas lights. Despite the cold, Arthur and Violet had opted to wear their own clothes.

"Why didn't you wear the suit?" Wyatt asked.

"I don't think we'll need it." Arthur said. "Besides, I'm a middle-aged man, I doubt I would even fit in one of those."

"Well, I didn't want to mention it, but you have become a bit pudgy around the waist." Violet remarked with a smile. "I gave you that home trainer for a reason."

"Hey, I work out." Arthur replied.

"Really? When was the last time?" Violet asked. "You haven't exercised since Liam went to Magic School."

"Alright fine." Arthur replied. "I'll start using the home trainer."

"We should get moving." Lincoln said. "According to Evelyn, Billie's contact should meet us under the bridge."

"Lincoln is right, we shouldn't waste time." Wyatt agreed.

Lincoln took the lead and the others followed him to the bridge in the middle of the park. Once they arrived, Wyatt looked around and saw they were alone. Just as he was about to say something, something flew over his head, causing him to duck. Three large bats circled them and landed on the pavement in front of them, transforming into vampires. Their leader was a tall and handsome young man with brown hair, accompanied by a middle-aged dark-skinned man and a small, elderly woman. While the leader looked like what Wyatt expected of vampires, the others were surprising.

"You're the contact?" Lincoln asked.

"I am." The vampire replied. "The name is Finn; these are Jerome and Elsbeth."

"You look like an eclectic bunch." Wyatt noted. "Not what I expected of vampires."

"You've read too many movies and TV shows then." Finn replied. "Our queen takes in those rejected by society, regardless of age or background."

"Don't make it sound like charity." Lincoln remarked. "You're still all under her control."

"She has never forced anyone to become a vampire." Finn said. "Those who joined her hive welcomed the change."

"Why would you choose to become undead?" Wyatt asked.

"I was already dead." Finn noted. "Just an addict slowly rotting away. Jerome lost his family in a house fire and was lefty with nothing, while Elsbeth was terminally ill when Taylor found her."

"So she seeks out the desperate." Lincoln noted.

"You wouldn't understand." Finn hissed angrily.

"Guys, enough." Violet said as she stepped between them. "We're not here to judge or fight. We're on the same side at the moment."

"You're right." Finn replied. "Our queen and your director have an understanding. We were spying on the cult for you, but one of our own was captured. Her name is Katie."

"What happened?" Wyatt asked.

"She got too close and was spotted." Finn said.

"And you're sure they haven't vanquished her yet?" Lincoln asked.

"Our queen would know." Finn replied. "While you fight the cult, we're going in to rescue her."

"We should fight the cult together." Wyatt said.

"This isn't our fight." Finn replied. "Once we find Katie, you're on your own."

"Suits me." Lincoln noted. "I don't want a fang in my back."

"No, I guess you'd rather take a broomstick." Finn replied with a smirk.

"Funny." Lincoln remarked. "Just tell us what we need to know."

"The cult has taken over an entire apartment building at the edge of the park." Finn replied. "They have a witch with mind manipulation powers to keep anyone from becoming suspicious."

"There should be a young wizard with them." Violet said. "Female with red hair."

"Yeah, I've seen her." Finn noted. "Ronan keeps both her and the witch close on the top floor."

"Can you tell us what they're doing?" Arthur asked.

"They're getting ready for something big." Finn replied. "I overheard something about a ritual happening tonight, but not even the cult members know exactly what it'll do."

"How many are we dealing with?" Lincoln asked.

"Besides the top three, I guess about thirty cult members." Finn said. "Only a few have active powers, though some others carry magical weapons."

"Anything else you can tell us?" Wyatt asked.

"Just one thing, Ronan might be the one in charge, but the witch and the redhead are more dangerous." Finn said. "He keeps them close for a reason."

"That makes sense." Arthur said. "Ronan never had much offensive powers, while Quinn can create force fields that match yours in power, Wyatt. That's probably why he recruited her."

"Not to mention a witch with mind control powers." Wyatt noted.

"We can take them." Lincoln said determined. "We have to stop this ritual no matter what. Show us the way."

"Follow me." Finn replied.

Finn and his companions transformed back into bats and led them out of the park to one of the large buildings on the edge. As Wyatt looked at Lincoln, he could still see the same anger from before in his eyes as he stared at the building. He hoped that their conversation had been enough to keep him from making a huge mistake.

xxx