Everywhere

 

++Janelle++

Sometimes my life felt like a dream, some memories hazy and fragmented and surreal. Then the gray would surround me, thick as fog, and the sun would break through and everything was fine…

I loved it here.

After growing up within the confines of sprawling, dirty Los Angeles, this cool, pristine forest was pure heaven. Even if there were days I would give an arm for a good latte. My entourage scampered into the morning sunshine, happy to be free of the confines of the little house. They were cats, dozens of them: torties, tabbies, gray and black and orange, my rainbow of feline companionship. After moving to central British Columbia and the middle of absolutely nowhere, I’d kept meaning to get a dog. The cats had come to me, drawn by the refurbished barn and the warmth of my home. In a matter of days, my half-feral family had made me realize that a dog would be a redundancy. The cats knew what was going on in the forest around me as keenly as any territorial predator. Already they’d saved me from all matter of potentially hazardous encounters, from black bears to the drunken transient in my barn shortly after my arrival.

Teachers were needed so desperately in rural areas that I’d had choice pickings of where I wanted to go. The thick, lush temperate rainforests of the coastal Pacific Northwest had won out, hands down. After some negotiations with the Canadian government, I was happily ensconced in my own personal slice of heaven beneath the monstrous firs and cedars. Despite the isolation, I’d never regretted the decision. At least not for very long…

Growing up an Army brat had taught me the necessity of adaptability and how to come and go from the lives of those I loved. It taught me the lessons of self-reliance and how to be a proper jack-of-all-trades. I could fix my own car, had improved the condition of my little house with my own two hands, from plumbing to carpentry, and spent last summer tailing after Harry, the local vet, to learn from him. As a gift for my help, he’d given me three baby lambs and the big male still lived in my barn along with the rest of my animal companions. His sisters lived at the school where the students helped me in their care.

Dad had never been an animal person, but I had always craved their company. Anytime a friend had a pet, any pet, I fawned endlessly over it. Now I had an old retired workhorse, my half-grown ram, cows, chickens, ducks, geese, rabbits, a couple of pigs and an endless parade of colorful cats. At least I ate well. Another thing that horrified me until a couple of years ago: raising my own meat animals.

Humming happily at the cats, I scattered feed into the pens where the birds and rabbits were kept. A nearby stream provided all of us with most of our electricity as well as fresh water. When the water froze periodically, it was a serious pain in the butt.

In the barn, I went for the feed for the larger animals, pausing as I had been doing for many months. It was there, it was always there, that subtle brush of awareness like the tiniest of breezes across my skin. Every instinct in my gray matter told me that something was watching me. Nothing had ever shown itself and every animal on the premises was always calm and uncaring, I trusted their instincts far more than my own, dull human senses.

But I could still feel that feather-light perusal like the gentlest of touches.

I figured that the barn was haunted, even if I didn’t consciously believe it. Twice I’d seen a flash of white in the moonlight, the slim specter vanishing into the barn or the black embrace of the nighttime trees.

A yowl broke my concentration of the deep shadows of the barn and I looked down. “Hi Gerty,” I greeted her softly and crouched to pet her head. I’d managed to get most of my cats altered, but Gerty had slipped her pregnancy under the wire, barely old enough to breed. While I was worried about the young mother, the cats were very self-sufficient and rarely appreciative of me involving myself. Unless I had food, of course. Gerty meowed plaintively, but didn’t touch the can of catfood that I brought for her. “You’re going to be a mom soon,” I chuckled and pet her as she sniffed the food. The time would be sooner than I’d thought, if she had stopped eating. I didn’t talk much to the animals, unless it was to hear my own voice, but I did sing to them constantly. In this place there was no self-consciousness of whether I was a decent singer or not, no wondering if someone was overhearing. And the animals seemed to love it, staying still and calm beneath my hands as I cared for them. Except for the silly chickens.

Chuckling at my internal humor, I gave Gerty a last pat and stood up to stretch my back. “Take care honey, I’ll be back soon to help if I can,” I encouraged the cat, and headed back to the house with my entourage. The sensation of an intelligent gaze caressing over me seemed even closer than usual.

The locals had enjoyed scaring me with every ghost story they could remember, all the way back to the original Indian tribes that had lived in these lands. My first six months had been a rough period of transition from city to wilderness. If not for the guardian cats, I probably wouldn’t have slept at all.

Gathering up my bills, mail and other essentials, I prepared to drive into town for my weekend errands. The Jeep Wrangler had been a necessity here, where my driveway was nothing more than a narrow gravel track and an even narrower wooden bridge twisting out to the main highway. The Jeep purred over the bridge and I noted that the water level was a bit high for this time of year. I would need to stock up in case of flooding. It was a fact of life in these hills; the waters rose and fell with the snowmelt in the Coastal Mountains. Fortunately, my sweet Jeep could handle anything.

Or so I thought…

Something gave with a muffled ‘whump’ beneath the hood and my engine sputtered and died. The power steering and brakes went with the engine and I stood on the brake pedal until the Jeep careened to a halt half off of the narrow road. “Great,” I grumbled and leaned against the steering wheel. When I turned the key, the engine didn’t so much as cough with effort. “Dammit!”

 

++Bree Gardner++

It never became any easier, seeing the once-vivacious woman as little more than a shuffling zombie. When Davie showed up on my doorstep with Janelle in tow, I couldn’t turn her away. There were days though, when I had to wonder what I was thinking at the time. Since Davie had saved my life at least twice and had been a great, if irregular friend for many years, I hadn’t hesitated to take on Janelle. Little did I know what I was getting myself into…

 

++Janelle++

Hours later, I threw my tools back in the box and tried to rein in my frustration. For two years the Jeep had been my lifeline. Now it was giant paperweight with a cracked engine block. And to top it off, I’d left the satellite phone at the house. I wasn’t looking forward to the hike back up the mountain. Ah well, better to get started then.

The forest had grown sweltering in the blazing sun and I was tired and sweaty by the time I rounded the last curve. What I wanted was to call Bobby to bring up the tow truck and then take a long, cool shower. Instead… the barn drew me.

The setup was perfect. The angle of the overgrown dogwood completely shadowed the big door, which I had accidentally left cracked open. Harry, the ram, was bleating carelessly, hiding any sound that I made. Some animal sense told me to be silent, creeping in on my heavy boots as soundlessly as cat’s paws.

What I saw would change my life forever.

Tall, slender and beautiful, the ivory ghost barely seemed real. In the dappled sunlight from the roof vent, she was hunched over her hands, rubbing franticly at something cupped there. I stared in awe at the creature that stood like a woman, but clothed only in peach-fuzz ivory fur, with a banner of a tail lashing agitatedly at the thick air of the barn. It was so surreal that I couldn’t move for what felt like forever. All I could do was drink in this fae creature standing there like a fever dream.

Only when the girl stiffened and made a distinctly feline noise did I realize that she was indeed real. Something wiggled in her now-still hands and cried out in a pitiful, high-pitched voice. It was a kitten, struggling feebly and the girl grinned in absolute delight. It was in that oh-so-human expression where I first felt the stirrings of adoration for her. So open and loving, so appealing despite her strangeness.

Perched on the balls of her feet, the ghost trailed loving hands over mother and children both, purring so loudly I could hear it all the way to my hiding place. Something stilled her, hands frozen, but still gentle on the tiny kittens. Nostrils flaring, I watched her scent the room, pale eyes scanning carefully. Some animal instinct made me step out and face that frightened perusal.

Words wouldn’t work here, I just knew that somehow. I was at a loss of how to reach this beast-woman, frozen among the kitten’s wiggling bodies surrounding her feet. Gerty suddenly meowed plaintively and I started to hum out of habit. The girl froze, some of the fear becoming curiosity. Singing softly, I stepped in, holding the pale eyes in the dappled shadows.

Close enough to touch, I knelt and dropped my eyes to the freaked-out Gerty, deep in labor. I laid my hand on her heaving side; close enough to almost brush the white hand already there. Together, we stroked and soothed Gerty as she pushed out another kitten, twisting to clean up the tiny bundle. It gave me the excuse to run gentle fingertips over the wiry tendons framed clearly beneath the fuzzy skin of the girl’s hand and watch her twitch. A soft pressure on my scalp made me peer up from under my lashes.

The girl had oh-so-hesitantly touched my tousled bangs, stroking the dark strands. This close I could see that her eyes where the most striking shade of rose-soft violet, the pupils round and inky. The snow-white fur was as fine as peach fuzz, making her oddly silky beneath my fingers. Scattered sunlight danced on colorless eyelashes, throwing shadows through the ragged, short hair and across the furrowed forehead. Again her nostrils flared and I realized that my smell had given me away in the shadows. Mouth open slightly, she memorized me without ever touching me. Making a small sneezing noise, she relaxed a bit, glancing down where I still lightly brushed the back of her hand.

“Hello,” I whispered softly and her expression changed. Speech had caused her fear, and it mixed with the curiosity. Crouching lower, almost defensively, the ghost carefully moved her hands to balance herself and shifted her feet away from Gerty and the kittens. Even as she slowly retreated, I reached out and ran my hand over her cheek, cupping her chin for a moment.

My ghost woman made a sad chirping sound and melted into the shadows, leaving me doubting my sanity. Then Gerty trilled for me and I shifted my attention to her.

But the encounter was anything but forgotten.

The fog surrounded me again, thick enough to be almost suffocating. Faint voices and impressions reached through the soup. Why would someone be calling my name? I certainly didn’t know the voice… did I?

 

++Rick Tucker++

My life was a science-fiction novel and there was no getting away from that fact. All those years I’d thought I was just a ‘sensitive’ guy, then Davie waltzes into to my life to let me know that I wasn’t at all what I thought I was. A metahuman, the next stage of human evolution, blah, blah, blah. Right now I just felt useless. Some empath I was, able to feel Jan’s confusion and pain and unable to do a damn thing about it

“Jan? Jan? Dammit. Rick, I don’t think she’s reacting today.” Bree complained wearily and leaned back to rub her face.

“Yeah, I can feel that she’s down memory lane,” I groaned and flopped down next to my partner. “Did she eat yesterday?”

“Some. I hate it when she gets like this.”

“Yeah, I know what you mean. Maybe it’ll pass and we can get her to eat.”

“I hope so.”

We were the classic odd couple, my partner and I. It was like a bad Lifetime movie, the hardened, sarcastic ex-cop and the Pagan, tree-hugging Healer. It was it was perfect match of strengths and weaknesses and I wouldn’t trade her for anybody. Not that I’d tell her that… “You’re doing great with her Bree, you always have,” I encouraged, feeling her weary misery as keenly as a strong wind on my skin.

“Thanks. I wish I knew what she was really like. Not like this.”

“Yeah, me too.”

A sharp buzzing from the laptop startled us both. Not many people called through the computer and a strange feeling of inevitably crept up my spine. “I got it,” I muttered and strode over to press the ‘accept’ button. “Yeah, what do you want?”

“The grapevine has it that you’re the place with the best encyclopedia set in town,” came a familiar, sarcastic response.

“Davie! How the hell are you?”

“I’ve been better.”

“Hey, there’s no visual, where are you?”

“A pay phone in New Gotham. I’m not near my stuff right now.”

That was odd, she always kept some gear with her. “What’s wrong?”

The low chuckle almost reassured me, but it didn’t take an empath to detect the strain and exhaustion in her voice. “Remember that scientist that’s after the twins and fucked Janelle up so bad?”

A feeling of dread crawled up my spine and I heard both women make threatened sounds behind me. “Yeah.”

“She’s got Ro. There’s some local loony that she’s hooked up with and they’re dangerous. This is going to sound insane, but I need you to bring Janelle here.”

“You’re kidding!”

“No. She might be the only thing that pulls Ro back from the edge, and it’s safer here then just about any other place on the planet.”

“How do you figure?”

“I’m on my way back to Wayne Manor.”

That made me pause. “As in Bruce Wayne?”

“Yeah. It’s a long story, but he left behind a security system that’s incredible and the twins don’t know the whole building, so Ro can’t ‘port. She knows where you are, unless you’ve moved, which I doubt, and I have no idea how depraved Harley really is, but I’d rather not find out.”

Now, Davie was not the breathless rambling type and it was freaking me out. “Davie, are you okay?”

“No, actually. I’ve had the hell beat out of me and my family is in danger. I’m having a lousy day.”

“I’ve got a buddy with a chopper that owes me big time. I can be there in a few hours. Where are you?”

“You’re sure?”

“Yes. Where are you?”

“Fourth and Jackson. I’ll be here.”

And the line went dead.

Oh yeah, I had a seriously bad feeling about this.

 

++Janelle++

Again, clarity broke through and the confusion receded…

“Miss Honey!” At Rowan’s excited shout, I glanced over my shoulder as she bounded up, Killashandra hot on her heels. “Blackberries!” Delighted, I set aside my gardening tools and delicately picked a fat berry off of the top of the enormous basketful the twins had picked.

“They’re wonderful. Thank you sweetie,” I complemented her and reached out to ruffle Shan’s hair. Both girls were puffed up with pleasure and I gazed at them fondly. What had I ever done without them?

Less than a week after that fateful first meeting, my ghost had appeared at my backdoor with two freshly killed wild hares. Imagine my shock when I had gone out back an hour later with a plateful of the roasted rabbit meat and there were two ghosts! Utterly undistinguishable from one another, they approached warily and sniffed at the plate of meat and vegetables and pasta. After I ate a piece, they attacked it with a bizarre cross of animal enthusiasm and childish table manners. The shyer girl wouldn’t let me touch her, but my kitten midwife pal allowed a few strokes of her wild hair. The hair was so soft it was like expensive silk on my palm. Both were whipcord strong and lean, the bodies of hunters that lived by blunt claws and the flash of sharp canine teeth.

I befriended them first with hot, plentiful food.

They astonished me with their intelligence and wisdom. These were no forest devils to be feared, but lonely children who had survived as wild animals for some time. Their strange looks, in the white fur and the wild tails, were a mystery to me, but suited them perfectly. In a matter of days, they were invaluable to me. Quickly, I realized that they had been hanging around for a long time; I recognized their touch on my life and it explained the ease around my animals. After nearly two years of their regular presence, I couldn’t imagine my life without them.

Clothes had been one hurdle, but they had eventually allowed me to cover them in light shorts and shirts. Their healthy young bodies were distracting enough in their alien-ness without having to see them naked all the time. Speech came to them quickly, and I knew that it wasn’t a new skill, but simply one relearned. Once they got hold of the computer on my desk, I was stunned by their intelligence and knowledge. Especially Rowan. Shan always remained that little bit more distant with me; while Ro bonded to me so fast that I rapidly forgot what my life had been like without her.

They were brilliant investors of money, had brains on that that were at a near genius level and they loved helping with the animals. The only part that sucked was that I couldn’t share them. Scattered tales of the South Fork Devils still made the circuits in town as the girls were spotted only often to keep the rumor mill grinding along. It only took about once a year… South Fork was a very small town. When I had visitors, the twins had a million and one ways to melt out of sight like the ghosts I once thought them to be.

“Jan?”

“Yes Ro?”

“Anything I can help you with?”

I looked over and grinned at the staining around her mouth, the flash of her purpled tongue, her darkened hands from the blackberry juice. We’d ended up sitting at the edge of the driveway slowly eating our way through the basket. Shan was already asleep in her sister’s lap. Early on in our relationship, they had crawled into the bed with me. After a few months of the comfort, I had gently dissuaded them from continuing to do so and they had returned to the barn at night. It was still a mystery why I had done so. It wasn’t as though they were bothering me, their lean bodies like the cats, only bigger and warmer.

Looking at Ro in the dappled sun, I had a sudden revelation of why I had sent them from my bed. Still well within the realm of jailbait, the beautiful and exotic young women were a temptation I had to resist.

I sounded like my father, full of judgments and rules. Damn him. Ro cocked her head curiously at my scowl. “Your father?”

Damn her sometimes for being so observant. Standing suddenly, I brushed my pants off and muttered something inane about finishing the gardening later.

Blind with tears in the shower over my cold childhood with a military efficient father, strong arms suddenly wrapped around me and I jumped. Ro purred softly in my ear and hugged me tight while I struggled with my emotions. What felt like a century later, Ro tugged me from the now-cool water and helped dry me off. Tucked into my warm bed, I watched her strip her sodden clothes, towel down and creep silently from the room. The incendiary and vulnerable look she fired me was absolute proof that my feelings were anything but one-sided.

I would hold onto my resolve until the blackberries stopped growing in the fall.

As the deciduous trees turned yellow and orange and red like fire, my sweet Rowan pursued me as her mate. Every argument against it seemed ridiculous. She was so far outside the ‘norm’ that the rules were pointless.

One night they came to me, as the weather turned cold and bitter, knowing they wouldn’t be turned away. My sweet Ro was loving and attentive to my lonely body, but ever more so to my heart. Shan was her ever-present shadow, just as adored.

I didn’t sleep alone that winter, my bed and body warmed by their bodies and my heart by their love.

 

++Shan++

“Squeakers?”

Startled, I opened my eyes and sat up. As incongruous as the surroundings were, I knew them intimately.

It was Miss Honey’s barn.

“Shan? Are you here?”

And that was Miss Honey’s voice. My worry for her squelched out the curiosity over the surroundings. “Janelle?”

“Shan?”

I didn’t remember this place being so big, or so dark… or so damn quiet. Where the hell was Harry and the rest of the livestock? “Miss Honey?”

“Shaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaan…”

Okay, the horror movie sound effects were freakin’ me out. The voice was bleeding into something that sounded like Davie. Fluffy’s far-distant howl confirmed that my mentor was near, at least telepathically speaking. My fear had been running so high for so long, that a little more didn’t make me feel any different. Curiosity was far stronger. Why would I be hearing Janelle’s voice? Unless…

Unless Davie was bringing her to me.

In three years of constant proximity, I had learned to guess Davie’s motivations pretty well. If Janelle was here on the brain plain, then her body was close as well. So I closed my eyes and let my animal senses feel out into the confused, oppressive darkness surrounding me.

I had spent years in this barn; it was a home to me that I would never forget. But something was inaccurate. Even as the surroundings morphed to me, I figured it out. The smells were too dull. This must be the way Janelle remembered this place. With her human senses, this is all that she could experience. So now it was up to me to find her, or at least lead Davie to wherever everyone needed to be. It was a fun game of cat and mouse, the stress of my problems far from me in this dreamscape. Crouched low to the straw and dirt floor, I crept towards where my senses tugged me. It was stepping back in time as I opened my eyes to see my sister crouched among the newborn cats, desperately trying to get the runt breathing by roughly rubbing the tiny body to get the sluggish blood moving hot and fast. A tiny flutter of movement caught my eye to see Janelle hiding in the shadows by the door.

Wait… this was my memory. Except that I was no longer that wild eleven-year-old hunting naked in the forest and fearful of people. Looking down, I was oddly unsurprised to see that I was in my heavy work clothes, the thick armored vest hanging open. The incongruity of the memory and the woman I’d become drew me back to the familiar scene playing out before me. I had been so terrified of the dark-haired woman, yet drawn to her in desperation for companionship. It wasn’t that Boo wasn’t enough, I adored her with everything I was, but we had been built from social animals. Our whole lives we had been treated like possessions or things. Little wonder I was shy of people. That, and I just knew that people would see us a freaks.

But the sweet-smelling woman with the dark hair proved me wrong.

Boo couldn’t escape without trampling the babies, and I was frozen in terror as I watched from the shadows. She… she knelt before Boo…

And touched her hand.

We still ran out of ingrained fear, but neither of us could forget that she had been kind, and gentle and fearless of our different-ness. No wonder we both loved her so.

Jerking awake, I was up and headed for the door before I was even completely aware of where I was going.

“Huh? Wha…? Shan!” I barely heard Helena; the need to get to them was so damn strong that I was on instinct. The front door exploded outward as I barreled out and headed for the front gate. Some part of me realized that Hel was behind me, her footfalls rapid, light and gaining quickly. “Shan, dammit! Stop!”

A clean tackle had us both sprawling. Gasping desperately, I scrambled up and tried to continue my mad flight. Huntress would have none of it. “Gotta get to Davie,” I whined helplessly, driven by the pack instinct that was always close to the surface.

“Dammit Shan, we need to work on this whole communication issue. Are you sure it’s safe?”

Headlights flashed down the drive, the crunch of tires and the whirr of an engine reached over the space. Davie rarely, if ever, had imposed her will on my strongly. Right now, I couldn’t tell her ‘no’, even if I wanted to.

Shan? Helena? Let me in. It’s okay. I have news everyone needs to hear.

That’s all Helena needed to hear between her ears and we were sprinting for the gate. The car was some lumbering utility van that reeked of diesel. There was a large male I vaguely remembered by scent, and a second and more familiar figure stepped out into the evening air.

It took a moment for Helena to negotiate with Alfred through the gate’s speaker to get it open while I teleported practically into Davie’s arms. “Hi kiddo,” she greeted me fondly as we clung together in a strong hug. We’ll get her back, Shan. We’ll get her back.

I’m so scared.

I know, but I have something that might help.

I know. I felt her.

The man who had been driving stepped aside without comment as I approached the big side door. Behind this steel surface was the best parts of my past and I hoped, my future. The cloudy brown eyes were still blank and my heart clutched in my chest. But in the dying light of day, there was something in her gaze, some spark of recognition. She didn’t flinch when I took her hands, and my touch earned a slight cock of her head. “Hi, Miss Honey,” I whisper-purred in my gentlest tone and earned a blink, a slight clearing of the familiar brown eyes.

“Shan?”

“Yep.”

“What did you do to your hair?”

It was exactly the kind of comment that was so like her. Ignoring the hovering brunette behind her, I gently tugged Janelle into a warm hug. “I need to get it cleaned up a little, huh? It’s shaggy right now, even for me. Maybe I can get you a pair of scissors and let you at it.”

Her unfocused confusion brought out all of my best and most caring traits. Speaking gently, moving slowly and touching her tenderly, I was getting reactions that was making the brunette healer blink in shock. Scooping my left arm under Janelle’s knees, I cradled her small body to my chest and felt her relax into me. “Where’s Ro? I never see you two apart.”

I stiffened before I could help myself and poured all of my self-control into relaxing again before Janelle’s mind retreated in fear. “She’s…”

I locked up.

Helena, bless her heart, jumped to my rescue. “She’s on a mission for our boss right now. You can all come up to the house.” We crammed into the van, where I buried my nose in Janelle’s hair and let the tears fall. Quiet introductions went around the van, but I ignored them.

Ro should have been here for this. Janelle draped both arms around my neck and breathed softly against my neck. It was as if we’d never been apart.

Only Boo was missing.

 

++Helena++

After the dramatic return of the famous Miss Honey, the evening had steamrollered into night. Davie was horrified at what had happened to Barbara and Gabby, but assured all of us that the two women were only sleeping normally. The woman dressed in sturdy, simple clothing that had accompanied Janelle had laid both hands on Gabby’s splinted arm and her hands glowed softly. Understandably, I was feeling protective, but I obeyed Davie’s gently restraining touch on my arm. Gabby drowsily came around at Bree’s touch. In a matter of a few minutes, Bree sat back and sighed tiredly.

“Holy shit,” the teen murmured and I was astonished to see her fingers twitching inside of the tight confines of the splint. “It feels… it feels normal.”

“Ah ah,” Bree admonished fondly. “No sacrilege. I’m a healer. It only works on people of good heart. You can take the wrap off now, your hand is fine. Seriously.”

In different circumstances, the bewildered and happy expression on the blonde’s face would have been far more enjoyable. While I was glad that she was okay, I needed her to take Oracle’s place as best as she could. It was time to end this. Davie repeated what Dinah had told her on the telepathic plane while I tried to keep my lunch down. Poor Di…

“Okay,” Gabby murmured where she was propped up on her gurney with a laptop leaning on her knees. “Now what did you say Dinah told you?”

“It was the letters FAI in a geometric pattern.”

“Some kind of medical related facility?”

“Yes. Her memories were painfully vivid in places.”

I hated the wince on Davie’s face when she was talking about Dinah’s mental visit. What the hell was Doctor B doing to the kid? Shan stepped into the room before I could get too morbid, her arms laden down with our gear. She looked like hell, tired and stressed to the point of breaking; her fine hair boofed out in all directions and even Slinky listless in her wake. We changed clothes in silence while the others searched the Internet for our target.

“Got it,” Gabby crowed. “It’s a medical research company based in New York, but they had an office here until about two years ago. Fenix Asylum of Iatrochemistry, not that far from the warehouse where you ran into Poison Ivy. Damn, it’s a huge facility too, but it was never finished and has been standing empty for years. Y’know, I think I remember this thing. There was a big thing at school because there was supposed to a big public clinic that would have affected a bunch of students. Everyone was really disappointed it never opened.”

Something alarmed me, some deep part of my intuition that was usually right. “Fenix? What kind of stupid name is that?”

“No clue,” Gabby shrugged.

“Dig deeper.”

Eying me oddly, Gabby did as I demanded, while I waited for Shan to get buckled and zipped into her armor.

“Got it. The parent company, Phoenix Enterprises, went under about…”

My raised hand made her voice trail off. “I know the rest of the story. That was Dinah’s first job, stopping the Phoenix Group from helping Joker take over the city. You said that downtown facility was iatrochemistry?”

“Ummm, I think that was the word. This thing isn’t very fast.”

“So, they were building a medical chemistry facility.”

Shan looked as freaked out as I was feeling.

Harley was gonna pay for this!

 

To Be Continued…

 

Something about the feel of these lyrics worked for me, that melancholy need for another person. Shan and Helena are in an uncomfortable position, missing their packmates and the people they love. Besides… AJ’s a Fleetwood Mac nut and I figured that I better use one of their songs! LOL!

 

Everywhere by Fleetwood Mac

Can you hear me calling out your name?
You know that I’m falling and I don't know what to say.
I’ll speak a little louder, I’ll even shout.
You know that I’m proud and I can't get the words out

Oh I... I want to be with you everywhere.
(Repeat)


Something’s happening… happening to me.
My friends say I’m acting peculiarly.
C'mon baby we better make a start.
You better make it soon before you break my heart.

(Chorus)

Can you hear me calling out your name?
You know that I’m falling and I don't know what to say.
Come along baby we better make a start.
You better make it soon before you break my heart.

(Chorus, repeat to end)

Back | On to Next Chapter