The Keepers
Part 16
by Elizabeth

Jim, Ben, and Mike stood by as Julia and Rhea helped Eric peruse a dusty 
old volume sitting on the coffee table in Gene Simmons' living room. Gene, 
Paul, and Shannon had left in order to give the Guardians more space to focus.

    "Okay, it looks like you're set." Eric announced, signaling Julia to 
close the book. "Now, you three kneel at the table."

    Jim and Mike each knelt at one side of the long rectangle, laying their 
hands flat against the glass top. Ben took a spot at one end, between the 
twins. In the center of the table sat a single white candle and a feather 
from Crystal's luxurious tale, one she'd plucked out with her own beak. 
Crystal herself was perched on the edge of the table, occupying the vacant 
side.

    "Now, just call on your power like I showed you." Eric instructed.

    Rhea and Julia joined him on the far side of the room, watching and 
waiting.

    The three men glanced at each other, shrugged, then shut their eyes, 
hands flat on the table.

    "We invoke the elements of Mother Earth to join us here." Ben intoned, 
his voice clear and strong.

    "Earth." added Jim.

    "Air." Mike chimed in.

    "Fire."

    "Water." Ben finished. "We call to the elements of Man to give us 
strength."

    "Power."

    "Passion."

    "Instinct."

    "Vision. We summon unto us The Elder, the Four Who Are One, to aid us in 
our destined duty."

    As the trio spoke the spell, the other three could feel the power 
building all around them. Julia shifted uncomfortably as it rubbed against 
her skin like an overfriendly cat.

    Rhea rubbed her arms as the air grew cold with magick. She could feel 
their words pulling at her, tugging with some force she could not see on a 
part of her she did not know existed.

    "In the name of Spirit, I call to the Elder."

    "In the name of Fire's Heart, I call to the Elder."

    "In the name of the Soul's Heart, I call to the Elder."

    The room suddenly grew brighter with light as the standard lamps were 
aided by some unknown source. Ben, Mike, and Jim all grew suddenly very tense 
as the power in the room rose to a fever pitch.

    The power died, dimming to a dull hum that was almost comfortable. The 
unknown source of light still burned, and a deadly quiet filled the room. No 
sound left or entered the impenetrable wall of magick.

    "Jim?" Ben whispered softly in the dead silence.

    "I'm in a chair." Jim said softly. "My hands and legs are bound by 
cuffs...I can't break them. Goddamnit, I can't see anything, though..."

    "I can." Mike interjected quietly. "You can't break them because they're 
User alloy...standard Paranormal Crimes division issue. There's a lot of 
equipment around..."

    "...I can feel something like an electrode against my temple..."

    "...a psi monitor...and there's an energy tracker, too. The department 
had one of those to keep a leash on Users that could do astral 
projection...shit, Jim, this is ALL police equipment!"

    "Jim and Mike must have connected to Peter psychically." Eric explained 
to the girls softly. "Through mind and flesh...not suprising. The power it 
takes to do that over long distances, though..." Eric shook his head. "These 
three scare me."

    "I see two men," Mike continued, frowning, "tall blond guy and short, 
heavyset dude with dark hair. Heavyset seems to be in charge. Blond is 
fiddling with the equipment...checking psi output..."

    "Shit!" Jim swore. "They'll be able to sense us!"

    The room was tense with silence for several moments.

    "Blond said something." Mike reported. "Can't hear what, though."

    "I can...he said 'still normal.' Jesus, Mike...they don't know we're 
here!"

**********

    Peter flinched when he felt a wrench deep inside his head and chest, a 
massive pull that threatened to tear his new mortal frame in two. As suddenly 
as it began, however, it ceased. He was left with a pooling of warmth inside 
his skull, as well as his torso.

    He also suddenly had the feeling that he was no longer alone.

    "Just got off the phone with Vincent." Shadow reported, folding up his 
cell phone. "He says we gotta find out what this guy's hiding. Convinced 
Criss is a real-life god, he is. We gotta do something otherwise that check 
he wrote us is worthless."

    "Well," Light piped up hopefully, "I did a psi scan and picked up some 
weird resonances in his psi output. They're similar to ones found in nagas."

    "So what?"

    "Nagas are the only known Users that are truly immortal."

    "Thank God!" Shadow huffed. "Keep it up, get me more! We gotta find the 
key to his godhood, but soon!"

    Light glanced at Peter nervously. "He's awfully quiet."

    Shadow sneered at Peter. "He's just scared."

    Peter just sat and listened, trying to reconcile the nagging sensation of 
two solid energies pressed against him. He was being watched, he knew it. 
Question was, were his observers friend or foe?

    An idea occured to Peter, one that frightened him. If he was caught, he 
was fairly certain his captors would kill him. Still, if his hunch was 
correct...

    //The rain in Spain falls mainly in the plain.// Peter thought to 
himself. He struggled to put a maximum of effort into the thought without 
using a shred of power.

    The equipment remained quiet, humming softly with activity.

    Peter immediately tried again.

    //Hello? Is there someone in here?//

    There was a pause. Peter waited tensely.

    He immediately bit back a gasp when a second, incredibly powerful voice 
filled his head with hellfire, whispering just beside his ear.

    \\Jesus Christ! Peter, that you? Mike! Mike, I've got him!\\

**********

    Anna parked her car on a side street, following Ace's instructions.

    "This is the neighborhood Gene Simmons lives in, isn't it?" she asked.

    Ace nodded. "I'm sure I heard the Sebrus cry from his house."

    Anna glanced around. "Well, the parking sure sucks. We've got a good mile 
walk ahead of us."

    "Hey, I can handle it." Ace grinned. "I'm not as old as I used to be, you 
know."

    "Dirty old man." Anna chuckled.

    The couple set off down the sidewalk, enjoying the cool breeze that 
fluttered through the trees. Someone had a rose garden, and the breeze 
brought its fragrant beauty straight to them.

    The pair suddenly stopped when a snow white tiger jumped out of a nearby 
shrub, golden eyes looking them both over.

    "Oh my God!" Anna screamed.

    Before Ace could even reach out to soothe her, the tiger began to lose 
its fur. Golden eyes swirled into violet darkness, limbs grew longer and 
ivory skin became visible.

    When the tiger stood on two legs, it had become a gorgeous young woman.

    "Ace Frehley." the woman breathed. "Thank the gods!"

    "Monique?" Anna squealed, rushing up to engulf Monique in a bear hug.

    "Hey, coz." Monique laughed, giving her young cousin a firm squeeze 
before releasing her. "Keeper of Vision, I should have known."

    "Let me guess...Peter, right?"

    Monique nodded. "Quite a soulmate, and one hell of a kisser."

    "What are you doing here?" Ace asked.

    "Peter's been kidnapped." Monique explained. "I bolted in tiger form 
before they could nail me, too. Last I saw, they had knocked out Michael 
Riley and had a gun on him. They told Peter they'd kill Mike if he didn't 
cooperate." She paused, her throat becoming tight. "I don't know if he's 
still alive."

    "Michael Riley's dead!" Anna gasped.

    "Not anymore...he's a Lazarus."

    Anna laughed joyously. "Oh, how wonderful!"

    "I heard the cry of a Snow Raven." Ace said. "They're known for their 
ties to strong life and new death."

    Monique's eyes went wide and a sob escaped her throat. "Oh gods!"

    Anna took Monique into her arms and made soothing noises, shooting Ace a 
dirty look as her cousin wept.

    "He's alive, I'm sure of it." Anna soothed. "The Lazari are nearly 
impossible to kill...I don't think a bullet to the brain could do it."

    Monique pulled back, wiping her dark eyes. "I hope not...to lose him 
again...he saved my life, Anna."

    "I know, sweetie...look, let's head back to Gene's place. Ace and I 
together are enough to ward off trouble, we'll be safe."

    Monique nodded. "You're right. I have to know...we have to get back. We 
have to help Peter."

**********

    "I've got him! I've got contact with him!" Jim said excitedly. There was 
a long pause. "He doesn't know where he is. They drove him around in circles, 
he lost the scent."

    "Could we find it?" Rhea whispered. "Crystal might be able to help."

    "No." Crystal announced softly. "Can't find Tomcat...Green Eyes can."

    Eric frowned. "Ben?"

    Ben sat at the head of the table, eyes unfocused. He wasn't moving an 
inch.

    "Ben?" repeated cautiously.

    "She's right." Ben replied, blinking. "I can see it...I can see his 
power. It's like a trail of breadcrumbs, forming a map in my head..."

    Ben rose abruptly. There was a tangible snap as the bubble of power 
around them broke uncomfortably over everyone's skin. Julia and Rhea 
shuddered, and Eric flew back against the wall, falling to the ground.

    "You know, there's a ritual to do that." Eric grumbled, rubbing the back 
of his head as he sat up, ghosting through an easy chair.

    "Get up, Eric." Ben commanded quietly. "We've got to go, now. I can still 
see it."

    Eric got to his feet quickly. "Really? Mike? Jim?"

    Jim stood up and nodded.

    "I can still see everything." Mike confirmed, getting carefully to his 
knees. "I also have my own sight...but it's weird, distorted."

    Crystal flew up from her place at the table and landed on Mike's 
shoulder, her favorite perch. "Master sees with Tomcat's eyes. Crystal will 
see for Master."

    "Holy shit!" Eric breathed. "A telepathic guide bird."

    "Sebrus birds are purely magickal." Rhea reminded him. "There's a LOT 
they can do."

    Ben gazed towards the front door. "Outside. The energy's out there. I can 
feel it pulling on me."

    Everyone looked to Eric.

    He just shrugged. "Head off. I'll go get Shannon and our boys...looks 
like we're off to the pound to find ourselves a tomcat."