The Keepers
Part 20
by Elizabeth


Jim's body relaxed as the last charge subsided. He 
rolled over on his back and looked up at Julia, who 
was kneeling beside him.  
 
"Maybe if I share it with you, it won't be so bad." 
she offered.  
 
Jim shook his head. "No. This hurts, Jules...it hurts 
a lot. I won't subject you to that."  
 
Julia laid a comforting hand on his shoulder. "Just 
don't die on me, okay?"  
 
Jim chuckled, crying out as another charge surged 
through his body from the house three doors over. 
This one seemed like it would never end...oh God, the 
pain!...  
 
As suddenly as the shock began, it ended. Jim was 
left with a hollow, drained feeling. Something was 
missing...he couldn't sense Peter anymore!  
 
Jim stood up, staggering from the fatigue brought on 
by the shocks. From the place on the ground where 
she'd fallen, Ruby hissed softly.  
 
"Jim?" Paul asked, holding Jim steady by his arm.  
 
Jim shook his head to clear it. "Peter's gone. I 
can't sense a damn thing."  
 
Julia gasped. "Oh, God! You don't think..."  
 
"I don't know." Jim growled, anger surging up in him. 
"I don't know, but if he is, then someone's gonna pay 
through the ass."  
 
"Eric, let go." Julia commanded. Jim watched the 
Heart of Chrome transform as Eric relinquished 
control of Julia's abilities. He saw her eyes unfocus 
as she reached out with her power.  
 
"Nulls!" Julia gasped, coming back to reality. "I 
sense a room full of Nulls, only two Users in the 
bunch! How can that be?"  
 
Paul started cursing, pacing on the sidewalk.  
 
Jim, who had regained his balance by now, thought 
furiously. He knew Burkstrom all right, the guy was a 
gadget freak. He thought very little of Users, and 
even less of SpellCasters and magickal practicioners. 
Hell, it had been one of the reasons he was so pissed 
about being a User himself! So, how would he turn a 
bunch of Users into Nulls? Not with a spell...  
 
"Jules, has that new psi inhibitor been issued to 
P.C. officers?" Jim asked.  
 
"Last I heard, it was issued to a few. Just for 
testing...why?"  
 
"I got five bucks that says Simon's got himself one. 
It works on a neural level, so it would affect the 
way an empath would interpret their psi output."  
 
Julia and Paul both looked at him strangely, but he 
waved them off. "I did some reading, I own stock in 
the company that developed it. What, you think I can 
survive on the bullshit salary the department pays 
me?"  
 
"How can I still sense two Users, though?" Julia 
asked.  
 
"It's probably Mike and Ben." Paul surmised. "If this 
inhibitor works with brainwaves, that would leave 
them immune."  
 
Jim frowned. "What the hell you talking about?"  
 
"I'm talking about the fact that while their User 
abilities follow the norm and are therefore affected, 
their skill as wizards is not. Wizards are Users by 
social and legal definition only, not by scientific 
standards. Their power is not controlled by the 
brain, but by the body. The magick that lives in each 
of you is an inheritance...it exists in you very 
flesh."  
 
"Oh Jesus." Julia sighed. "You mean to tell me that 
wizards are Cellular Users?"  
 
"Clue me in, Jules? What the hell is Starchild here 
talking about!"  
 
"It's a User with power centered not in the brain, 
but the genetic code. Jim, as a User you have parts 
of your brain that function together in a fashion 
completely different from that of a Null. That's what 
gives you the supernatural abilities and altered 
biological functions. But that's just your 
psychometry. As a Cellular User, your posess an 
entire segment of DNA that can't be found in either 
Users, Nulls, OR Sensitives. The power is in your 
tissue, and is controlled through mental discipline 
and emotional influences."  
 
"It makes you incredibly powerful, and incredibly 
dangerous." Paul added. "Your power isn't restricted 
by the capacity of your body. It doesn't function 
under the chemical influences of an organ, it 
responds to thought and feeling. For all intents and 
purposes, your power knows no limits."  
 
"This also means that your abilities as a wizard 
can't be inhibited." Julia grinned. "Science has yet 
to figure out the ins and outs of Cellular Abilities, 
so no inhibitor device exists to control them."  
 
Jim's jaw set firmly into place. "That means I'm
the only one that can go in there and do any good."  
 
"We are a liability, at least until you can disable 
whatever device Burkstrom is using." Paul agreed.  
 
Jim took a deep breath, reaching down to pick Ruby up 
off the ground. The serpent had slithered over to him 
and was working on scaling his leg. He stared deep 
into her eyes.  
 
"Ready to kick some butt, baby doll?" he asked 
humorlessly.  
 
Ruby's tongue flicked against his hands 
affectionately as her voice whispered softly in his 
ears, the delicate cadence of an innocent little 
girl.  
 
YOU WILL SAVE THEM. I WILL HELP YOU. WE'LL HURT THOSE 
BAD MEN JUST LIKE THEY HURT YOUR MIKE AND YOUR 
FRIENDS.  
 
Jim chuckled, rubbing the top of Ruby's head with one 
thumb as he hung her around his neck. He headed down 
the sidewalk until he stood directly in front of the 
house in question, uncertain of exactly what he was 
supposed to do.  
 
When he first found out he was a User, it was a hard 
thing for him to wrap his mind around. Five years 
later, Jim had not only come to terms with it, but 
embraced his condition. He was proud of what he was, 
strange powers and all.  
 
Now he had to start all over again, trying to swallow 
a pill that was even harder to get down than the 
first one. He was supposed to believe that HE, Jim 
"God's Gift To Women and the Universe" Riley was an 
all-powerful wizard? It was a battle to get himself 
to accept the reality of it.  
 
But if his first battle with himself taught Jim 
anything, it was that life was a bully who didn't 
care who you were or what you had to offer, it would 
make you submit to all the suffering it could 
possibly dish out.  
 
And James Riley was no one's bitch. Not even Fate's.  
 
In a moment of crystal clear perception, Jim did the 
only thing he could think of. He let go of the 
scalding heat within him. He didn't just surrender to 
his power, he ran headlong into its screaming 
embrace.  
 
The world turned red, and The Red Dragon was once 
more unleashed upon the world.  
 
**********  
 
"Now be a good boy and bug off if you want her to 
live." Light hissed, taunting the group with the 
inhibitor.  
 
Ben's fists clenched and unclenched in helpless fury.  
 
Light grinned, then frowned as he glanced just past 
Ben.  
 
Jim walked through the front door of the house, face 
etched with rage.  
 
"Simon, you better run." Jim growled. Crystal blue 
eyes had become scarlet orbs of blood, consuming 
whites and irises in crimson rage.  
 
Light giggled almost hysterically, dangling the 
inhibitor in front of his own face. "Whatcha gonna do 
about it, Riley? Tell me my future?"  
 
Jim glanced at his right arm, where Ruby was 
contentedly coiled from shoulder to wrist. He stroked 
her head as he spoke. "Having magick ability is 
enough to get you fired from the police force, 
Simon...but there's one crucial area in which wizards 
differ from your average Joe User."  
 
Light stared at Jim as if he had a third head.  
 
Jim lifted his gaze, and whispered softly. In his 
head, he felt the gentle, carnivorous presence of 
Ruby aiding him. Cool, reptilian power linked easily 
with his own and eased the wild rage that burned 
inside him.  
 
Jim extended his free hand, and spurred on by the 
power he gained from his familiar, felt something 
inside follow suit. He felt his soul stretch easily 
with his hand, touching the slick, heavy prize it 
sought. As Jim clenched his fingers, his spectral 
appendage wrapped firmly around Light's heart.  
 
"The damn inhibitors don't work." Jim snarled, 
watching Light lurch at the phantom touch.  
 
"Jim?" Mike asked. Jim felt him on the edges, 
hesitant to enter the New York Groove, reluctant to 
give himself up to the seeming madness that had 
consumed Jim.  
 
Jim reached out for the Groove and dragged Mike in. 
He brought Ruby along, and in a heartbeat the snake 
had shown Mike everything that they had learned about 
the twins' abilities.  
 
Mike immediately let go as understanding filled him. 
His power ran free, a storm of white flame that 
obscured his vision. He could feel Crystal, could 
almost taste the magick that was woven into every 
feather, talon, every cell of her body and spirit. He 
realized that she wasn't simply a bird, she was a 
tangible spirit as were all of the Sebrus. They were 
kin to the Lazari, something without form that had 
been made manifest.  
 
As his sight became clear once again, Mike reached 
out and whistled not with sound, but spirit. He 
called to the life in Light, urging it to do his 
bidding. With satisfaction, he watched Light's body 
respond, tossing the inhibitor into his waiting 
hands. Mike dropped it and smashed the small 
instrument under his heel.  
 
From the floor, Gene's unconcious form stirred. Rhea 
sat bolt upright, her eyes mirror images of Jim's. 
Her skin was deathly white and a vicious smile 
revealed a mouth full of fangs. Behind her, large red 
and black dragon's wings unfurled.  
 
"They're all yours." Jim snarled, lightly squeezing 
Light's heart with invisible fingers. Light gasped, 
and a small drop of blood dribbled out of his nose.  
 
"Too late." Ben snarled. The twins saw that Ben's 
eyes had gone black, two pits of shadow that absorbed 
all light. Ben strode over to Shadow and grabbed his 
head on either side, knuckles gone white with the 
strength of his grip. They watched in horror as Ben's 
fingers began to turn as dark as his eyes. The smell 
of death rolled off of him as in his grasp, Shadow 
froze stiff and slowly began to go limp, his eyes 
twitching.  
 
Several moments later, Ben released the other man, 
letting him fall to the floor. Anna carefully stepped 
around to check his pulse.  
 
"Dead." she announced softly.  
 
Ben blinked, and his eyes were normal once more. 
"Good."  
 
"What about him?" Moe asked, indicating the writhing 
Light.  
 
"Give him to Rhea." Gene huffed, standing. "She won't 
change back until she's fed on human blood."  
 
Jim glanced at Light, keeping his hold on the man's 
heart. "Should I kill you first? If she lays into 
you, it'll take time to die and it WILL be painful. 
Bear in mind, life is not a choice."  
 
"Let me die now." Light whispered. "Don't let me 
suffer. I don't want to suffer."  
 
Jim looked at him for a second, then released his 
heart.  
 
Mike nodded, and Light went stumbling into Rhea's 
waiting arms. For several moments, they all watched 
as flesh tore and blood spilled.  
 
"Lesson one: Life is Pain." Jim snarled. "If you 
didn't want to suffer, you shouldn't have been born."