Issue 4 Prologue
David sat cross-legged in the attic, his back pressed tightly against the wall. Across from him in the nearly empty room, motes of dust swirled in the fading beams of sunlight shining in from the small, open window.The sounds from the rooms downstairs had abated several hours ago, the other tenants of the building out enjoying their lives, leaving him alone in the shop that was filled with relics of long-dead people, races and places long since lost from any world. Somehow it seemed fitting that he stay here while they played, given his status as a forgotten citizen, dead just over a year but remembered by no-one, not even himself.
The oppressive silence of the deserted attic didn't bother him; in fact, he favored it over the sometimes-annoying chatter of the others. He had sought out the solitude of the attic as soon as they had left; he did not care to hear them when they returned, talking, laughing, happily carrying on with their lives even as he was trapped in this bizarre...existence. It could not even jokingly be called a life. He knew he was dead. He was dead and back and no one knew why, no one even seemed to care, save Ciela.
And she was gone with...him.
Again.
And he had been telling her things. That David was dangerous. That she should stay away from him. Michael. Michael, who had helped Ciela when Jayna could not, when he could not, when he did not believe that anyone could help her. That was the only reason he hadn't...said anything, done anything...and had begun to stay away from Ciela. Not out of any respect or fear of Michael, but out of respect for her. She told him she didn't believe the mystic, but in her heart he felt, he knew she was beginning to have doubts.
It worried David that the further he stayed away from her, the harder his thoughts became to sort out, the more...disconcerting they became. He had experienced a few new flashes of memory over the weeks, or maybe they were snatches of dream, he couldn't be sure which. Most importantly in all of them was the face. It was clear as crystal for one moment then half-remembered and hazy the next. The harder he tried to recall it the further away it got, somewhat like reaching for a mirage in the desert, it would waver and fade out as soon as he came near. Perhaps she was his mother, a sister, or a lover. He couldn't even be sure he wasn't just picking up television transmissions in his teeth.
He continued to sit against the wall, stone still. A casual observer would have taken the pale, corpselike figure for a statue, or a discarded store mannequin collapsed in a heap of torn fabric. Outside the sun had almost completely set, and J Street was having one of its famous weather shifts. The air had become cold almost instantly, and rain had begun to fall, a drop here and there making it inside and splashing on the hardwood floor.
David did not get up to close the window, however, and the rain splashing inside did not seem to concern him in the least. The fact that Jayna would probably be furious did nothing to move him, either.
It seemed like nothing could attract his attention, certainly not the insect that landed on his battered trenchcoat, draped across the chair in the middle of the nearly lightless room. He remained motionless in the quickly deepening shadows, unblinkingly staring into nothingness.
His face remained still as the insect, a small moth, fluttered around his face. Eventually it returned to the coat, and as soon as it landed, was snatched from the fabric. This flash of movement, reflected in David's gray eyes, elicited no response.
He might as well have been dead again.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Chapter 1
Leah Shelby couldn't sleep.It was one of those disgustingly humid nights when the whole world felt like it was underwater, and no amount of air-conditioning would ever be able to help. That itself was enough to make sleep nearly impossible, but to add insult to injury, her fiancée of a month hadn't come home from work yet. He'd called to let her know he was on the way, but hadn't shown up, some two hours later. She'd known him long enough, and well enough to know that he wasn't having an affair, so that didn't really worry her. Something was always coming up at the club to keep him away from home. Or so he said. She hoped he hadn't gone back to his old...habits.
As soon as she though about that possibility, her stomach turned, and she could see him in her mind's eye, face down in an alleyway, or dead in a side dimension somewhere where no one would ever find the body. She shook her head rapidly to clear her thoughts. She knew it was irrational, but she couldn't shake the gnawing fear that now held her in its grip.
She gave up on sleep and got out of bed, sighing sadly. She found her slippers, and headed towards the kitchen for a glass of water, or maybe something stronger, to help her sleep. She navigated the house in near-complete darkness, having lived in the sprawling home for her entire life. Her father had decided suddenly a year ago that it was too small, and moved into an even larger home, leaving her the 'humble' fifteen-bedroom abode. Her father, Leo, in one of his more paranoid moods, had located a veritable mansion with state-of the art security systems, and surrounded it with enough human security to stop a small army.
Well, he's nuts, but at least he's a rich nut.
She padded quietly into the kitchen and opened the refrigerator. The tiny dim light shone out into the darkened room, and as the door closed behind her, she could just barely make out a tall, lean form silhouetted against the far wall. It gave her a start but she didn't scream or even gasp in surprise. Instead, she calmly filled her glass of water, then put the pitcher back in the fridge before she spoke.
"I thought you were going to stop that silliness?" She demanded, using the accusation in her voice to cover up the relief she felt at seeing him unharmed and standing in the kitchen.
The figure sighed. "I am..." he stopped in mid-sentence, moving closer to the accusing voice. "As soon as those kids are found. It's been four days since they were taken. The last I heard was that Mr. Long had until dawn to pay up..." His voice trailed off as he realized that her foot was tapping the floor in anger, and that this time she wasn't agreeing with him, or showing any indications of backing down. He didn't have to see her face to know that she was as angry as he'd ever seen her.
"I know about it, I read it in the paper, just like everyone else. As horrible as it is, and as much as I know you want to get involved, you promised me you'd stop this when we got engaged." Her slim, well-manicured hand appeared in front of his face, and twisted this way and that. Light reflected slightly in the near darkness off a solitary diamond ring. "See the ring? Engaged. You and me. Remember it."
His gloved hand came up and grasped the extended left hand, pulling it closer. "What a lovely ring!" He laughed, holding her hand still and kissing the ends of the fingers. "The woman wearing it is even more beautiful, however."
"Flattery is not gonna get you out of this one..."
"Well, I tried." He sighed again. "Leah, we've been over this. I just don't think that the..."
"...cops will find the kids..."
"...and I've..."
"...got this lead..."
"Exactly! I'm glad you're seeing this from my point of view!" he exclaimed.She could picture in her mind the triumphant grin he was probably now wearing, she could certainly hear it in his voice. He always did this to her, and it usually worked. He had this big, wide-open grin that was usually enough to derail any argument they started. It wasn't going to work this time and, even though she could see a little bit now that her eyes had adjusted to the darkness in the kitchen, she reached for the light switch. "I see your point, but I don't agree with it. This is just a variation on the same argument we have every time you put on that damn costume."
Lights flared on in the room, and the gloved hand shot up, and quickly pulled the mask from his face. The gray eyes that had been hidden behind the mask blinked rapidly, clearing away half-formed tears. "That hurt...I had the lenses on..."
Leah sighed once, pulled a chair out from the kitchen table and sat down. The wooden seat creaked loudly in the sudden silence as he studied her expression.
"This is gonna be one of THOSE discussions, isn't it?" He sighed, sitting down directly across from her. "Look, I know I promised to get rid of the costume, but this is important to me. I don't know why, but this whole thing, the kidnapping...I can't leave it alone. I know I'm going back on my word now...but..."
"I know, I know. ...But this is the last time!" she grinned, again finishing the sentence for him. The longer she'd known him, the more often this odd phenomenon had happened -- to the point of some of her-co workers nicknaming them 'the twins'. Either that, or they were referring to the way they were nearly inseparable. "Tell me about this lead you've got? And where were you headed in such a hurry, anyway?"
"I was heading towards the tower..." He fidgeted a few seconds before speaking again. The tower was easily the tallest building in the area, a multistory futuristic nightmare of glass and steel, once destined to be an office building. The owner had it built, then died suddenly, and it was never used. It was pretty much considered a useless eyesore in a very run-down, dangerous area. "There were a couple of Goths at 'Fallen Angels'...they're vamp wannabes, I think. They were shooting off their mouths about a big score, really bragging about it. They were just running delivery, picking up junk food for a couple brats, and getting paid a small fortune for doing it."
"Sounds about right. But what makes you think the tower? It's in the middle of the..."
"I know, I know. The vampire enclave. It just feels right somehow, I can't explain it. I followed them from the club, and it seemed like they were headed in that general direction before I lost them." He looked at her sheepishly. "I had the wrong mask, and couldn't see."
"I would say you needed a way to carry some of your things around in, a belt or something, but you're going to quit this superhero crap, aren't you?" She laughed.
"Right. As soon as..."
She rolled her eyes and studied the ceiling for a few moments, and he took the hint and wisely shut up. "Ok, I'll make a deal with you. You think those kids are in the tower, we can find out. We'll both go." She shushed him with a wave of her hand, before he could object. "If they're there, we'll leave and call the police. That way, you've saved the kids, and I won't have to worry anymore about someone killing you."
The dark gray eyes studied her intently. "You're serious. You really are worried about me..." she nodded. "But what if they aren't there?"
"Of course I worry about you. What else can I do? You don't even carry any weapons. The bad guys do. The vampires do. Those kidnappers probably do." She got up and kissed him on the forehead. "I'll be right back. Wait for me."
~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Chapter 2
"Oh don't you look nice?" He said as she sauntered down the stairs. "Good thinking.
One of my old costumes?""Well, I'm not going anywhere near the tower without some sort of protection." She twirled to give him a better view, then paused, reflecting, "Bullet-proof clothing will stop vampire fangs, won't it?"
"It did the last time I ran into a vampire looking for a midnight snack. Of course, it only works until they rip it off of you." He grinned at her horrified expression. "I doubt they'll bother us though. From what I hear, they've been staying away from the tower area lately -- the hunting's poor. And besides, a lot of them have been hanging out at the club until pretty close to dawn."
"You didn't tell me that."
"They promised not to hunt on premises. What can I do?" He shrugged. "Besides, do you think I want them mad at me?"
"Well you could always invest in garlic."
He laughed.
"Lots of garlic."
"Oh, funny. Maybe I should hire security guards and arm them all with wooden stakes?"
"Hey, it works for me."
"Maybe we could fill all of the fire extinguishers with Holy Water?"
"Well, that's a wee bit excessive, but you can't be too careful these days."
He laughed again, admiring her in the skintight bodysuit. "You know," he said, changing subjects, "I think my costume fits you better than it does me. You fill it out better anyway..."
"We could stay here," she suggested, moving closer to him and leaning against his chest. She hoped he would take her up on her unspoken offer, but his mind was already made up.
"Um, no, sorry. Maybe later. For now, let's just get this over with, then maybe..." He looked up at the ceiling and cleared his throat. "You know, you never said what we'd do if the kids weren't in the tower."
"If they aren't there, well, you get a nice consolation prize."
"What's that?"
"Me."
~ ~ ~ ~ ~
The pair made it to the tower without any problems, and without meeting another living soul (or an undead one for that matter). Most of the sentients living in the area knew better than to go out after dark, and had long since shuttered their windows for the night. Silver crucifixes hung over most of the doors as well; offering at least the feeling of protection from the creatures that usually prowled at night.
Very few streetlights glowed in the darkness, most having been shattered long ago; the dominant life form of the area was none too fond of strong lights, even artificial ones. They paused in the shadow of an extinguished street lamp for a moment, glass crunching beneath their boots.
"Let's go back." She stuttered. "I don't like this.""What's not to like? A nice, moonlit stroll with your fiancée..."
She laughed nervously, then gasped in surprise. "Something touched me!"
"It's nothing. Just a bird. It brushed your face before it landed on the light post." A small, reddish spot of light came to life with a tiny click, focusing on a massive white bird that now sat above them. "Be glad it didn't shit on you." He said, handing her the flashlight.
"Very funny, wiseass. I've never seen a bird that looked like that before in my life. It looks sort of like a blackbird. An albino maybe?"
"It's definitely an albino, but it's not a blackbird, it's a crow. Blackbirds are smaller."
"You sound like my high school biology teacher."
"Let me tell you 'bout the birds and the bees..."
"Oh, that's just terrible." Leah clapped her hands over here ears in mock disgust. "Don't give up your day job...please. We'd starve!"
"You wound me, Miss Shelby-soon-to-be-Mrs. Erikson. I thought you liked my singing?"
"Umm...not really." Above them the bird cawed loudly and flew off. A few small feathers fluttered down on them. "He doesn't like your singing either."
"Everybody's a critic. C'mon, let's get this over with." He moved out from underneath the useless lamppost.
"Hate to tell you this..."
"What?"
"It shit on you." She barely managed to get the statement out before she broke down laughing.
"Great."
"You know, I just thought of something." She managed to gasp out in-between laughs.
"What's that?"
"If you think my parents hate you NOW, what do you think dad would do if he found out you took me into the middle of Vampire Alley?" She asked as they resumed walking. The streets were completely deserted; so neither bothered to try to stay too hidden.
"He'd kill me. Fit me for cement boots. Hire a drive-by shooter to gun me down. Put a bomb in my car. Seal me in a barrel and throw me into the J Sea..."
"He stopped doing that years ago."
"Which?"
"Oh, the last one." She grinned wickedly. She knew that he could see every move she made, even if she couldn't see his. "They don't make barrels like they used to, you know."
"Well, he may find a few he's had stored away for special occasions if he finds out about my extracurricular activities. You're positive that neither of your parents know?"
"Of course not! Do I look like I'd kiss and tell?" Leah stomped her foot for emphasis. "You know how big of a jerk my dad is! And you KNOW I want someone...anyone, to take him down." She dropped her voice as if she expected her father to turn up at any second and scold her like a two-year-old. "He's starting to come apart at the seams."
"More than usual?"
"Yeah. He told me last week that the entire JSPD had been replaced by 'Pod People', the secretarial pool at the Mayor's office was staffed by the Stepford Wives, and that the 'evil Metas' were behind it all." She shook her head.
"How'd a psychotic ass like him manage to raise such a sweet, loving girl?"
"He didn't, remember? He paid other people to raise me. He was much too busy running his little outfit, luckily for me." She paused and looked up at him, and continued speaking in a quiet voice, the smallest hint of embarrassment audible. "You know, it wouldn't surprise me if he took the Long girls. He's wanted Mr. Long out of business for quite a while now."
"I thought about that myself, but I didn't want to say it."
"Always a gentleman, huh?"
"Of course."
~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Chapter 3
"Now what?" Leah looked around behind them, skittishly. "You're never gonna pick all those locks before someone, or something, notices us out here.""No kidding." He stood up, giving up on the quadruple dead bolted front entrance of the glass-walled multi-story monstrosity. "I'm going to check the windows; there's gotta be one open or broken somewhere. Stay put and stay out of sight."
"Where else am I going to go?" She answered quietly, stepping further into the shadows next to the door. After several minutes of profuse worrying about death by sudden blood loss, a series of four sharp clacks rattled her, seeming as loud as gunshots in the stillness, rattled her. The door swung open and David appeared, bowing deeply, one arm folded over his chest, the other outstretched and gesturing into the glass building. "After you, m'lady."
"Not funny." She answered quietly.
The door closed quietly behind them and they made their way through the tower.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~
"There's nothing here."
"Last place to check, kiddo, they've gotta be in the basement..."
"Or they aren't here at all, and we've wasted valuable make-out time." She quipped, then glanced at her watch quickly, numbers glowing blue-green in the darkness. "It's not very long until dawn. Wasn't that the time limit on the ransom note?"
"Mm hmm. We'll be out of here by then though, don't worry." He paused, looking in a dirty window. "Leah!"
"What?!" She yelped, startled by his sudden outburst.
"Have I ever let you down before? They're in here. They're fine, and they're in here!"
"Oh hell..." She muttered under her breath. Then, louder, to make sure he heard. "Let's go call the JSPD, or the JSTF, or, or...the JSS..."
"Those losers? Leah, c'mon...all we have to do is open the door..."
"You promised me..." She pulled at his arm, but he didn't budge. "We go call the cops now, like we agreed. I don't want to be here if the kidnappers arrive."
"Leah, those kids have to be scared out of their minds. It's not right to leave them here and just run off..."
"We go call the cops, NOW, like you PROMISED."
"...but..."
"Now! You promised me, dammit!"
He stared quietly at her for a moment then opened the door cautiously. "I'm sorry. It's just not right to leave them." He entered the room and looked around the trash-strewn room. The girls were secured with handcuffs to the sparse furniture, which was in turn, bolted to the floor. He immediately knelt down and began picking the locks that held the nearer of the two girls.
"I think I need a refresher course in 'Lockpicking 101'" He muttered under his breath as the lock refused to open.
Leah, outside the room, gave up on glaring at his back and entered the room behind him, muttering under her breath about the pig-headedness of her fiancé. She knew he heard her, because as she glanced at him, he was grinning ever so slightly. "Not funny, McGee."
She studied the children for a moment. Both watched David with wide eyes and pale faces, and neither spoke, sitting as still as porcelain dolls. Most likely they were in shock from the ordeal. On the floor under the table was a well-worn stuffed bear, probably belonging to one of the kids, which she picked up, cheerfully asking, "Which one of you dropped poor Mr. Bear..." She froze in mid-sentence, having turned the bear over in her hands. When she spoke again it was little more than a coarse whisper. "oh god."
"What?" He stopped with the locks on the second girl and glanced up at her.
"B-bomb. The bear. It's..." She stuttered, her voice cracking.
"Shit." He stopped and handed Leah the girl he'd already freed. "Take her and get out. I'll catch up."
She nodded mutely and vanished from the room.
The girl who was still attached to the chair finally spoke. "That was a bad word, you said mister." She whispered solemnly.
"Yes it was. I won't use it again." It was hard not to laugh even under the circumstances. "I need you to hold very still for me, ok?"
"Ok."
He backed up a step and kicked the bolted down chair twice before it cracked. The third kick shattered the chair leg. He grabbed the girl and ran.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Leah had almost made it clear of the building when the bomb went off. She felt herself lifted, then tossed like a rag doll through the tower's massive glass window. Glass bit like knives into her body, her face, her hands, everywhere. Pretty powerful bomb for being so small. She thought before passing out.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Light streamed through a glassless window, warming the bare concrete floor that lay past it. Eventually the light reached far enough into the room to warm, and waken, the figure curled up on it. When the figure finally stirred, she moaned and sat up, wrapped her arms around her body and shivered. She was freezing aside from where the sunlight hit her, and waited a few minutes before standing, basking in the light.
A cacophony of sounds streamed in the window along with the light - voices, sirens, and the grinding of powerful motors. Leah stood shakily and moved slowly towards the window, shattered glass crunching under her feet. Once there, she could see across the street, the remains of the tower, every window gone, support beams warped.
She wondered idly how long the structure would remain standing. Emergency personnel waded through the reflective sea of shattered glass surrounding the tower on all sides, vanished inside the twisted metal like wraiths.
"How the hell did I get over here?" She asked herself aloud. The last thing she remembered...
Her hands shot to her face, inspecting it for damage. Finding none, she turned to her slim figure, still clad in David's cast-away costume. Numerous rips and tears adorned the tight outfit, but none of the jagged wounds seemed to have reached the skin.
She turned back to the window in time to see the JSEMP emerge from the building carrying a small white-sheeted stretcher. A few minutes later, a larger stretcher, similar in look but not content, followed.
Leah heard a sound, which she quickly identified as coming from her own mouth, and she quickly gagged herself with her own hand to stop the piteous wailing. When her knees buckled and fell out from under her, she collapsed in a heap back on the cold concrete. She remained there, shaking and sobbing, until she was discovered by JSEMP.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~