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Kristen sits down beside the old man and takes his hand. "Uncle Harry, can you hear me?"
He blinks a few times, then smiles at her. "Krissy. What happened?"
"I was hoping you'd be able to tell me." He shakes his head and tries to sit up.
Rachel tucks a pillow under his shoulders and takes his pulse again. "Mr. Pendal, do you remember anything about who attacked you?"
He shakes his head. "I remember hearing voices, coming from the hall. Then my door flew open and everything went black. I woke up here, just now."
************************************
Derek and Nick listened in the hall, glancing at each other. "I don't like this." He nods toward the door as Alex looks his way. "We have to get the back up genereator working, but I don't want to leave the others unprotected. Find Greg and do what you can." Nick nods and heads downstairs. "Alex, as soon as the power is restored, we must get into the control room, find out what type of entity we are facing here." Derek steps into the room, Rachel closes her medical bag and walks over to him.
"There's no permenant damage to his windpipe, that I can tell. He seems to be fine, I gave him a mild sedative to help him sleep."
Silence falls aross the group as Kristen approaches "You know, you and Nick were the only people on the second floor when this happened. What did you see?"
Derek shakes his head. "Nothing, everything was dark. We showered quickly and came back down. I didn't hear a thing."
"That's odd, you showered together, right?" Derek's face grew dark, his brow heavy.
"Not that it's any of your business, but no, seperately."
"Well then, we can ask Mr. Boyle, what he was doing at the time my Uncle was being attacked."
Rachel steps in front of Kristen as Derek starts forward.
"You can not be suggesting that Nick had anything to do with this. That's absurd." Derek's states, his voice deep with anger.
"He had means, opportunity, and a motive."
"What motive?" Derek yelled.
"My Uncle, was planning on taking you away from here, away from him. What better way of making sure that didn't happen, than to do my Uncle in, sounds like motive enough for me."
Rachel laughs, still pushing on Derek's chest. "If Nick wanted your Uncle dead, he'd be dead already. This was not the work of a professional." The lights blinked a couple of times, then stayed on bright.
"Thank God. Alex, control room." Alex hurries past Derek. "Kristen, I don't appreciate the inuendos that any member of this house had anything to do with, whatever happened with your Uncle. But I assure you, the matter will be investigated to the best of my abilities."
Kristen crosses her arms across her chest and nods. "I'll be conducting my own investigation as well."
"No, you won't. There's safety in numbers and I want you and Rachel to stay here with Pendal, make sure nothing else happens to him." Derek ushers Rachel to the doorway. "Make sure she stays here, I don't need to have to go find here if something else goes wrong."
Rachel nods. "Be careful."
********************************************
Alex is scanning the house for signs of paranormal activity when Derek enters the control room. "Find anything?"
"Not yet, but I'm working on it." She looks up, noting the worried expression on Derek's face. "How's Kristen?"
"What?"
"Well, she was saying some pretty nasty things when I left. I thought maybe you gave her the boot out the front door."
Derek forces a smile. The entire situation was really getting to him. The last thing he needed was to have Kristen voice her opinions to the Legacy. An investigation was an ugly thing. No, he had to find the answers to this puzzle and fast. Pendal's life and his sanity depended on it. "What about the security systems, now that we're back online make sure everything is working. Did Nick take his radio?" It was more a question to himself than to Alex, but she shrugged her shoulders anyway. "Punch up the camera in that area, maybe I can see what's going on." Alex does and a fuzzy picture greets them where the genereator house would be. "Damn, that camera is out. I'll give Nick a few more minutes, but if he's not back soon, I'm going to look for him."
"Derek, look." The monitor lights up, flashes and the figure of someone gliding down the hallway. "What's that?"
"I don't know, but the tracking units aren't picking up anything. I'll check it out." Derek hurries toward Pendal's room. He sticks his head inside and Rachel hurries to the door.
"Kristen took off, I couldn't stop her." He hurries down the hall after her.
*******************************************
Alex jumps when Nick touches her shoulder in the control room. "Hey, great job on the generator."
"Don't thank me," He wraps the towel around his head and dries his hair then face. "It was Greg, he's great with his hands."
"Better not let Derek hear you say that." Nick smerks.
"Where is the boss?"
"Oh, some weird stuff happening, but there's been nothing on the monitor since he went left."
"Yeah weird stuff happening everywhere, you want me to stay here with you?"
"No, I'm fine."
Nick winks at her and heads out the door. He finds Derek looking from room to room. The door to the attic was ajar and he sticks his head in. "Derek?" Hearing nothing, he closes it tight and continues searching for Derek.
He pushes open the door to Derek's room to find Kristen. Derek is slumped on the floor, not moving. "What's going on?"
Kristen steps back. "I don't know, I found him like this."
Nick appraoches and feels Derek's neck. "He's still alive," He carefully turns Derek over and checking him for wounds. "Go get Rachel." Kristen leaves and Nick leans close to Derek's face. "Derek," A slight slap to his cheek. "Come on boss, now is not the time for a nap." Nick helps him sit up. "Easy."
Derek's holds his head and groans. "What happened?"
"I was hoping you'd know. Kristen was standing over you when I came in the room. Did she hit you or something?"
"I don't know." Derek leans on Nick as he pushes himself off the floor. "I heard a noise and came inside the room, the next thing I know, I have this terrible headache."
"Take it easy, Rachel should be here in a minute."
"No, let's go to her, I'm fine." They both turn as they hear a scream. "Kristen."
The house went dark when they stepped into the hall. "Oh man, what now?"
Derek grabs the back of Nick's shirt. "Nick, wait. I have a bad feeling about this."
"We have to find her Derek. She was standing over you when I came in."
"Did she have any weapons?"
"No, but..."
"I think Pendal has some explaining to do."
Pendal's room is glowing with candles and he is awake and sitting up when they come back in his room. "Where is everyone?" Derek could hear the panic in his voice.
"Where's Rachel?"
"She and Krissy went to find you two. Krissy said you were hurt."
"Nick, find them." Nick hands Derek his gun.
"Just in case." Derek nods to the younger man and watches him leave. Derek pulls up a chair, near to his bed. "I need you to be truthful with me. Why did you come here?"
"What, I told you why. To find out your decision."
"But there was more, wasn't there?" The older man nods and Derek sighs, "Tell me."
"There was a man, it was so long ago, he wanted to learn the ancient rituals of a certin Peruvian tribe. Secret ritual not meant to be know by common man. Things not meant to be seen. He found someone to tell him and show him how to do the rituals." Derek nods. "He was trapped between demensions, suspended helpeless in a void. His brother tried to perform the rituals to bring him back, but they never worked. He wanted the Legacy to help, but he couldn't prove it had happened."
"His brother?"
"Yes, his brother is a member of the Legacy. He was the one who found the natives, the ones that showed him the rituals. He thought if he had Sloane's job he could use the resourses of all the Legacy houses. When I chose you instead, he became angered, that's when the haunting started."
"Who is it?" Pendal was about to tell him something when Nick burst into the room.
"Derek, we got trouble."
"What is it?"
"There's been a breach in the security. Alex got a glimpse of something before the lights went out."
"All right, help me." Together, they get Pendal to his feet and take him to the control room. "Nick, gather some supplies. Something for Alex and Mr. Pendal here, he may need to protect himself."
"But Derek bullets don't bother ghosts." Derek slaps the clip of his gun into place and pulls back the hammer, slipping the first bullet into the firing chamber.
"I know, but I think our intruder has a companion." He heads for the control room door. "If my guess is right, the entity won't appraoch unless, his human counterpart is with him. He needs that anchor to this world. Don't let anyone in this room."
"What about Rachel and Kristen?" Alex says.
"If I'm right, he has them. Hostages." Derek pats her shoulder. "We'll find them."
***************************************************************
The rain has slacked off a bit when they start outside. The ground however is saturated and trudging through the mud takes more time than they expect. By the time they reach the boat house, the rain has begun again. Nick huddles close to Derek, having to yell to be heard. "See that, someone's made it to shore." The small craft slams against the shore line with each wave.
"They won't be leaving that way." Derek points him back toward the house. "We have to see what's wrong with the generator."
********************************************************************
The generator housing shelters them from the rain and wind. Nick clicks on his flashlight and looks around. "Nick, stop." He stops and turns back to Derek.
"What?"
Derek is looking up, but motioning for the younger man to come to him. "Hurry." Nick steps back toward him, but it's not quick enough for Derek. He grabs Nick's jacket and pulls him back, they both tumble to the ground as something drops from the ceiling with a thud.
"Oh, my God." Nick scrambles up and to the body that fell from the rafters. "Greg." Nick sits back on his heels and Derek touches his shoulder.
"I'm sorry." Nick nods. "He was a good man."
"What's going on here Derek?"
"Pendal was explaining a little to me when you came in. The spirit isn't the problem. His human helper is and he's dangerous. Let's get this fixed and get back to the house."
They fix the generator and hurry back to the house.
**************************************************
Alex is pacing the floor in front of the hologram when Rachel appears outside. "Alex, I need you to let down the door guard."
Alex shakes her head. "You can come through Rachel."
"No, I can't." Rachel turns and Alex sees an older man, pressing a gun into Rachel's spine. "Please Alex." Alex shakes her head.
"I can't Rachel, you know that." The man fires off a shot at the hologram, it bounces off.
"Open it now!" The man shouts. "All I want is Pendal, don't give up your lives for the likes of him."
"He's under our protection." The man spins to see Derek and Nick standing behind him, Nick has his gun aimed at the man. "Now, if you'd be as so kind, as to let Rachel go, we can talk this though. I'm sure there is something I can do to help free your brother." Derek motions with his finger for Nick to step into the control room and he does. He gets between Alex and the hologram. "Your brother's spirit is torturing you and you're torturing Pendal. If we can free him, the pain will stop for everyone."
The man seems to be considering Derek's words and he pushes Rachel forward. "If I had Sloane's position, I'd have everything I need to help him. But that worm chose you because of his niece. Funny how being favored by a little wench like that, can get one so far. The job should belong to me Rayne, I earned it, not you."
"Then take it, I don't want it." Derek is positioning himself closer to the door.
"Stop." Derek stills and meets Nick's eyes. Pendal is standing behind Alex now. The other man fixes the gun on Pendal and fires, Nick pushes Pendal to the ground and Derek rushes the man, taking his gun. Rachel rushes to Nick's side.
"Derek, he's been shot." Derek stops fighting the man and knocks him unconscious. He goes to Nick and lifts his body from the floor. Alex takes care of tying the hands and feet of the intruder then goes to Pendal.
"Nick," Derek rips open his shirt to find a deep flesh wound on his shoulder, but nothing more serious. He clamps the shards of Nick's torn shirt, over the bleeding wound.
Nick groans and meets Derek's eyes. "Did it work?"
"Yes, we got him, just lie still."
***************************************************
Nick opens his eyes and smiles at Derek. "Hey."
"How are you feeling?"
"Woozy, what happened?" Derek leans in and kisses his forehead.
"You passed out, after saving the day." Nick laughs.
"When do I get out of here?"
"Tomorrow, early. It was just a flesh wound. They just want to keep an eye on you, make sure no infection sets in."
"Great, hospital food." Derek laughs and they both look up to see Pendal come through the door. They both take a deep breath.
"I needed to talk with you both before I return to London." Derek pulls up a chair and he sits down. "I have done a great deal of thinking about you two. My niece had told me some things that made me feel I should intervere with your position as Precept of the San Fransisco house. Your relationship with this young man for instance." Nick squeezed Derek's hand as he watched the blood drain from his face. "She lead me to believe that it intervered, with your duties and that you flaunted your relationship. I just don't see that. However," He locks his eyes on Derek's face. "I must recend my offer to you. I believe that with your skills, you would better serve us in the field and as Precept of this house." Derek nods.
"And as for you, young man. You saved my life. If there is ever anything you need, all you have to do, is pick up the phone. Any and all references to your relationship with Dr. Rayne has been destroyed and my niece's nose put back into place. She'll be heading back to Boston very soon."
"Thank you." Nick shakes his hand with his good arm.
"Now Derek, say your goodbyes to this young man. I must catch the plane back and we can't be late."
Nick shakes his head. "What's going on?"
"We're going to try and exorcise the ghost of Mr. Joely's brother. Alex will bring you home tomororw. I'll be back when I can."
"Okay."
"I'll wait outside." Derek nods to Pendal.
"I'm sorry love, but I must. We've discovered a lot since you've been here. Joely's given me his notes and has agreed to help now. It shouldn't take long." He smiles and leans down, lifting Nick's chin. His tongue brushes across the pouty lip before pressing his lips to Nick's. The kiss deepens and neither man hears the door open and close again. They part and Derek tucks him in. "I'll be back as soon as I can. Take it easy on that arm."
"Yes, boss man. Did they find Kristen?"
"Yes, she was locked in a closet and very upset when we found her."
"Serves her right."
Derek caresses his cheek one last time and heads for the door.
" 'ello Derek." Derek's face brightens and he engulfs the younger man in a massive hug. "How's Nick?"
"He'll be happy to see you. I'm so glad you're here, Philip. I have to be away for a little while. Keep an eye on him for me."
"That I'll do." Philip watches the older man head down the hall with Pendal. He sighs and closes his eyes, seeing Derek's lips meet Nick's. "Oh Lord." He pushes down the twinge of desire that always accompanied visiting his friends and opens Nick's door.
"Philip!"
******************************************************
Ahhh, but that's another tale, isn't it...
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