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Oct-24-2009 18:47

October 24, 1938- Heimlich VonVIctor felt a chill run down his spine. Autumn always had that effect on him. He looked up at the multitude of colors adorning the trees and placed his hands in his coat pockets. The pungent aroma in the air told him that, somewhere, leaves were being burnt. He took a deep breath and looked down, to the place he had visited as many times as he could in the past two years. The cold hard stone hadn’t changed a bit, and never would. It would always be a testament to the man resting under it.

RICHARD CAMBRIDGE
FEBRUARY 10, 1892-
JUNE 15, 1936
“Justice for all. Above all else.”

He took a deep sigh. He never left anything behind, nor did he suspect that Richard would want anything left for him. He leaned down and placed his hand on the stone, “I’m doing alright Richard. Eric and I started up another agency. We’re doing it right this time, and Sergei is getting better at English every day. He’s even solving cases now; you wouldn’t believe how well he’s doing.”

“Excuse me, detective VonVictor?” a voice called behind him

Heim whirled around to find himself face to face with a young uniformed officer, “What do you want?” he demanded, “Can’t you see I’m in a cemetery?”

“Yes sir,” he responded, “and I’m terribly sorry to disturb you, but I’ve been asked to fetch you right away, it’s a matter of life and death!”

Heimlich let out a sigh, and leaned down to touch the stone again, “It never ends Richard, it never ends. I have to go now, but I’ll be back real soon.”

Mar-31-2010 23:55

"Brrrrriiiiinnnnnnng thhhhhhhheeeeee chhhhhhiiiiillllllllld ffffffooooowwwwwaaarrrrrd." Socrates hissed.

Eric looked at the scene before him. It was a small stone room covered in carvings of eyes. Socrates sat in a throne identical to the one back in New York. A large stone carving of an eye, illuminated by sunlight, sat in the floor before him. Behind him, water flowed from some source in a tremendous waterfall. It seemed that this room was the focal point of the temple. All of the sunlight collected from outside seemed to be diverted here somehow and the water at the bottom of the waterfall bubbled from the immense heat.

He stared at the medallion around Socrates' neck. It was just like the catalyst he held in his hand. The catalyst that Hollis now had his hand out for Eric to hand him. With no other choice, Eric handed him the catalyst. He glanced over at Abby, who looked absolutely terrified. Clearly she had no idea what was about to happen.

Hollis withdrew the Eye from his robes, and placed it into the catalyst. Using a piece of twine, he fashioned a crude necklace and placed the eye on it. Hollis then approached the child, a young Iraqi boy who had offered to guide them to the temple. They had accepted the offer and then kidnapped the boy. He placed the necklace around the boy's neck.

"Now walk onto the eye like a good little boy!" Hollis said.

The boy looked at him confused and scared.

Hollis thought for a minute, leaned in to the boy and said something in Arabic. The boy smiled, nodded, and began to walk towards the eye. Abby's hands shot up to her mouth in horror.

"What's wrong?" asked Eric.

"He just told him if he walked onto the eye on the floor, he could go home. He's just a boy! What are they going to do to him?" she cried.

The boy stepped onto the eye on the floor, and the eye around his neck began to glow. At the same time the eye around the neck of Socrates began to glow as well.

Apr-1-2010 00:10

The boy looked back at Hollis with a look of fear in his eyes. His entire body began to glow yellow. Socrates smiled a devilish grin, "Yeeeeeeeessssssssss!" he hissed out.

A stream of light began to flow from the boy towards the ancient monster. Eric could see it was draining out of the boy's Eye and into Socrates' Eye! Oh but the boy was no longer a boy. He was a young man of at least 20, then 30, then 50, then his hair began to fall out, his skin began to sag, the rapidly aging boy held up his hands in front of him. His hands were wrinkled and the bone was plain to see from the skin sagging off of them. His body began to shrink, finally his eyes rolled back into his head, his neck snapped back, and what was the boy only seconds before began to crumble before their eyes. A few seconds later, only a pile of ashes remained.

"You bastard!" Eric yelled, "You sick bastard! He was only a boy!"

"Oh?" Socrates said playfully, "Perhaps you wish to be next Eric Marvington?"

Eric gasped. What sat before him was certainly an old man, but by no means of the same age that he had seen just moments before. His face was fuller, his skin no longer sagged as it did before, his beard fit his face in a more fulfilling complexion, and his speech was restored to more than a hissing whisper. Even Eric had to pause for a moment to appreciate that he was listening to the voice that historians for generations had written of.

"Bring one of the girls forward!" Socrates demanded, "And have Mr. Marvington and Ms. Stone bound. I don't want them interfering. When the ceremonies are done, we'll dispose of them off the temple waterfall."

The girls looked at each other with tears in their eyes. "I guess our Daddies aren't going to come rescue us." Josèe cried, "I'm glad I got to have a big sister for a little while."

Apr-1-2010 00:29

Valerie reached out and hugged Josèe, "Don't worry," she said, "they'll get here. They just need some more time. That's why I'm going to go first, so that they can still rescue you."

"No!" Josèe squealed pulling away from Valerie, "You can't do that! I can't lose anyone else!"

Valerie kissed Josèe on the forehead and smiled. "I've gotta protect my little sister. It's what I'm supposed to do." she said. She stood up and walked towards Hollis, who guided her to the eye. She picked up the necklace from the pile of ashes and placed it around her neck.

"The blood from Albert VonVictor," Socrates inquired, "do you have it?"

Marsh stepped forward and pulled a vial from his robes. "Yes my lord," he replied, "here it is." He removed the stopper from the vial, poured it over the eye, and stepped back.

Eric was thrashing on the floor attempting to intervene while being held down by two hooded members. If he could only get her off that eye before the reaction started! Why hadn't the reaction started?

"What's wrong?" Socrates demanded, his face growing angry, "I told you to get the blood!"

"That was the blood!" Marsh insisted, "I drew it myself."

"Idiot!" Socrates screamed, "You must have mixed them up! Get the other girl!"

"I didn't!" Marsh insisted and pulled another vial from his robes, "See? This one is labeled Joseph Zeo! The other was labeled Albert VonVictor! There's no way I made a mistake!"

Socrates stood and slammed his hands against the throne. "You dare question me Apprentice Marsh?! Get the other girl now!"

Hollis began moving quickly towards Josèe, who looked at him in fear. He grabbed her hand and began dragging her towards the eyes. "No!" she screamed, "No! I don't wanna go! No!"

Sweat ran down Marsh's face. "It won't matter! There is no way I made a mistake! This thing must be broken!" he shouted as he ripped the necklace off of Valerie. It began to glow in his hand, and he realized with horror what he had done.

Apr-1-2010 00:39

"No!" he shouted, "Oh God! No!"

"Idiot!" Socrates screamed as his eye began to light up.

Hollis released Josèe and along with several other members of the Order ran towards Marsh. "Let it go! Let it go!" he screamed.

"It's too late!" Socrates shouted at him as Marsh's body began to glow and transfer its energy to him. "He's sealed his own fate!"

Valerie ran back, grabbed Josèe by the hand, and ran back to Eric and Abby who were tied up on the floor, and left unguarded at this point. They set to work untying them.

"Who are they?" Josèe asked.

"I don't know," said Valerie, "I think I saw the lady at Uncle Heimie's today."

"Oh, okay," said Josèe, "well if these people tied them up then they must be the good guys." She finished untying Abby and then motioned towards their original spot, "Do you think Uncle Sergei will be okay?" she asked.

Valerie was about to answer when she was interrupted by a loud crash. "Don't move a muscle!" a voice yelled out.

Apr-1-2010 08:00

The group made their way over to the other side of the floor with Robert leading the way, flanked on both sides by Tsang-Li and Mother Elias Marie. Their footsteps echoed loudly as they made their way over in silence. Everyone's minds were heavy with thought, worry, and anticipation. What would happen next?

"Captain!" Robert said, a little falteringly, as they approached an older man standing guard near a large doorway. The man turned around, a look of shock registered on his face.

"Way! What are you doing over here? You're supposed to be patrolling the other side! And who are these people?" he demanded, his brow furrowing.

Heimlich stepped forward. "Take me to my daughter," he said coldly.

Joseph stepped up beside him. "We know you know the safe path downstairs. Show us the way."

"Why the hell would I do that? I've got my orders and I intend to carry them out," he said.

"Because," Riza said, stepping up close to him, "You can't do your job if you're dead." She pressed the end of her pistol to his temple. The cool touch of the metal made him gulp.

"They're just innocent girls!" Anais cried out, tears streaming down her face.

"Captain, do the right thing." Robert said, finding his courage. "With all due respect, sir, you're an ass. You take pleasure in people's pain, and god knows how many people you've killed. Well now is the time to make up for it. Take them downstairs."

The captain pursed his lips, then said, "Fine. This way." He lead them down a narrow side hallway and through a partially hidden door on the right, the pistol pressed against the back of his head.

Apr-1-2010 08:01

As they came onto the stairwell it became harder to see. The darkness enveloped them almost completely. "Riza, look out!" Joseph's voice rang out as he grabbed his gun and shot twice into the darkness. The captain collapsed onto the stairs, clutching his right hand and cursing.

"That sneaky bastard tried to shoot you!" Joseph said, and proceeded to walk right up to him and kick him hard in the stomach.

"Oomph!"

Robert walked over to the Captain, pulled him up by the collar, and slugged him across the face. The impact made him slam against the stone wall, and a loud crack echoed around. The group watched in silence as blood began pourng out of the man's skull.

"Right. Let's get moving," Heimlich said, and began to lead the way down the stairs. "Watch your step, everyone. We don't need any accidents."

Every floor they passed a lit torch hung on the wall. The journey in silence seemed like an eternity. "One, two...twelve," Anais counted, and the group stopped short. They went down a small side passageway that branched off the stairs and could hear voices emanating from somewhere ahead.

"He's sealed his own fate!" a powerful voice echoed. Anais looked at Joseph in fright, and he grabbed her hand, pulling her close to him.

Soon they approached what appeared to be a rather large ornate wooden door. Riza gestured to Albert, Heimlich, Joseph, and Robert to get on either side of the door, and for Anais to back off to the side.

"One, two, three!" she yelled, and the men kicked the door open. Crash! The door went flying off and smashed onto the ground. "Don't move a muscle!" Riza cried out, training her gun at the large man on the throne. Her jaw dropped as she took in the scene before her.

Apr-1-2010 08:03

Albert, Heimlich, and Joseph quickly moved into action, running into the room and drawing their guns. Robert moved in cautiously after them, his gun out also.

"Daddy!" Valerie cried out.

"Mommy! Daddy! Uncle Heimie!" Josèe exclaimed.

Anais rushed over to them and hugged them both. By this time both Stone and Marvington had been untied, and they stood in front of the girls, shielding them and Anais from Socrates.

In front of them, the group saw a man's life energy flow out of him, saw him age, saw him fall dry and lifeless to the ground.

Apr-1-2010 08:36

Marc was the last person to enter the room with his gun drawn. The scene inside was horrid. He watched in horror as the man's life was sucked from him. The man aged, his hair turned gray, then white and it quickly fell out, as his skin wrinkled and sagged and he became nothing but a dry, lifeless body as he fell to the ground.

Marc could only imagine what pain the man felt as his life was taken within the blink of an eye.

It was only a split moment or so, that everyone in the room froze and turned to see several people with guns drawn. As Anais moved get the girls as a man and woman stood in front of Anais as if they were shielding them from Socrates.

One of the guards quickly made a move for a gun.

"I said don't move!" Riza yelled.

The man ignored her, as he raised his rifle and took aim. The soldier held the gun firmly.

Marc fired his pistol. The bullet zipped through the air passing Socrates, hitting the rifleman in the chest.

The moment he fired his pistol, he knew it was a mistake because no sooner had the man fallen, all hell broke lose.

Apr-1-2010 19:09

As the first bullet was a direct hit in the rifleman's chest, 10 other riflemen showed up and took aim.
"TAKE COVER!!!" Joseph shouted and everyone ducked behind a pole, bullets flying everywhere. Anais ducked to the ground with Eric and Abigail, shielding the kids and guiding them to a safe spot, also behind a pole.
Joseph returned fire, together with Riza and Marc. Vulkie was looking to her left and her right, making sure she was safe. Immediately, a man jumped on her when she turned her head back to the left side and a struggle ensued.
"Let go of me you bastard!" Vulkie said, but the man pistolwhipped her. "Never!" he shouted and as he raised his hand with the pistol in it to do it again, a bullet was fired and the man fell to the ground, dead.
Looking back, she saw Marc with a smoking gun in his hand. "Get up!" he shouted and Vulkie did so, as another bullet was fired and hit the sand just where her head was.
"We can't win this, we have to retreat!" Heimlich said, sitting with Eric, Anais, Abigail and the kids at the safe spot.
"We've got enough bullets to kill them!" Vulkie said, shooting another rifleman down. As she did so, a bullet ripped through her leg, fired by another rifleman. She immediately hit the ground.
"DAMN!" she shouted and the rifleman grinned. He knew he hit someone and was looking. As he looked through his rifle scope, a bullet was fired by Riza. It went through the glass and hit the rifleman's eye, who began to shoot in a reflex, nearly missing Joseph.
"That was close!" Joseph shouted. "We have to protect the kids for god's sake!" Anais shouted to Joseph, as she looked into his eyes. A small twinkle was to be seen and Joseph nodded. "I'll take care of them. Anais, here's my gun. Fire a few rounds and see if you can hit someone" Joseph said and tossed his gun to Anais. Just as Anais was about to catch it, a bullet hit the gun and the gun spun away a few meters, beyond reach and in open view for the riflemen. (cont.)

Apr-1-2010 19:09

(oops guys. Sorry for no spaces. I blame Word. Next part is with spaces. I'll make sure!)