Out of the Blue

Chapter 14

Iahn's hand touched the wound in his shoulder. He winced in pain, and tried his best not to cry out. The Denbori's corpse was on the ground near the mouth of a street corner. He hated himself for getting hurt; it had been Eyota that had killed the creature not him. He was the leader it was his job to protect everyone not the other way around. He grimaced as Eyota pressed him against the wall of a building.
There was a mixture of frustration and disgust on her face. She couldn't believe he was so beat up either he was sure of that. She reached into her bag, and pulled out a needle and vial. He wasn't sure if it was a sedative or something the opposite. She cut at his jacket where the wound was, and wrapped it in bandages. She then injected him with the needle, and Iahn flinched.
"Leave me here until the Beagle arrives, you two need to clear a path" Iahn told them.
"We're not leaving you Iahn, we'll wait in this area till it arrives and then we'll move on" Eyota said.
He wasn't sure where Teo was, maybe ahead but he was starting to feel lightheaded. He looked on both sides and couldn't see him anywhere. But from the sound of a saber whirling, he knew his friend was not so far away and he would need help. Eyota would have radioed the others to warn them, and Lucien would already be moving from where he had landed the Beagle. He would hang out in the ship for the rest of the battle, and examine his team's progress. If things went south he could implore the Council from sending reinforcements. They would be too focused on the invasion to deal with him, and once he went through treatment on the ship, he could use the time to find Tessa.
She was here somewhere he knew that. He was half tempted to ask Eyota if she knew or heard anything but he knew she wouldn't say regardless. She was always focused to the task at hand. Unnecessary details and attachments hindered the mission, and got people killed. He'd heard it many times before, and he saw the look on her face when she saw him. She had been his friend once, but part of him knew that she couldn't trust him after Russia. She must blame him for the accident at the Guild too.
He wanted things to go back to the way they were. He wanted to be back with his team and be home with his sister. Instead he was up against a wall, bleeding out and broken. He still didn't have his sister, and part of him was sure that some of his team wanted to stab him in a back,
"Iahn, I'm going to scout ahead see if the team has made its way. Don't try getting up" Eyota warned.
"Couldn't if I tried" Iahn remarked.
Eyota walked out of his sight then, and though the wound was healing up. Iahn felt like there were burning needles jamming his shoulder. He knew he had to wait for the ship but at the same time he still wanted to fight. His heart lurched as he thought about his sister stuck in this city. The invasion was all around and spreading, what if she was here. She must be so afraid and lost and there was no way for him to help her if he was stuck like this.
Then Iahn heard a noise echoing on the pavement. At first he thought that it was Eyota or even Teo, and then he saw another creature creep into the alley with two more flanking it. Iahn reached for a pulser in his jacket but he knew he couldn't use it. He couldn't throw with his right hand. He started to panic, because he knew he didn't want to die he had so much he needed to do.
What surprised him was it wasn't a Denbori that faced him. It was an old man with tanned skin. Despite the battle he was in a pristine grey suit with a purple tie. It was his eyes that gave him away. They were a deep purple that differentiated him from all the other creatures crawling through the city. He remembered seeing those eyes, back in 1781.
"Give me one reason not to kill you now" Iahn said.
"What, you it doesn't seem like you can move" the old man said.
He prodded his cane, into Iahn's wound and he had to suck in a gasp of air, he wouldn't give this man the satisfaction of seeing him in pain. His mind whirled to his temptor and he knew that he could call for help. Then he was certain the old man would kill him. But if it could keep Tessa safe....?
"For your sake, call me Weber..."
"The owner of the museum" Iahn realized.
He had read the report on the place on the way to. But from what he had read, Gordon Weber had been ill. He realized the Denbori must have taken this man's place and opened the portal so his army could breach the city. But why?
"Your sister is important to us and the mission I have had men infiltrate the future and have proven this." Weber said.
"If any of you touch her, I will kill every last one of you" Iahn warned.
"I am here to offer you a chance at immunity. Join our ranks, and you will earn rewards, your sister will be safe as long as you can find a replacement" Weber explained.
"Replacement? What do you mean?" Iahn questioned.
"You will know more if you agree to our terms" Weber said.
The cane went deeper into his shoulder, and Iahn held back the scream. His mind raced with agony, as it twisted into him. He wanted it all to stop, he wanted the battle to end, but he knew it was only starting. His team would never arrive, they had abandoned him, the Denbori saw to that. He wanted the pain to stop but he knew he couldn't fight no matter what he tried though. Iahn had to save his sister; if it meant he had to give in to Weber he would do it as long as she was safe he would endure it. He'd done it before and he was stronger now.
'"If I do as you say, my sister won't get hurt" Iahn asked.
"I swear it" Weber told him.
"I will join you there is something I must do first" Iahn said.
Weber retreated from the alley then but Iahn saw two Denbori stand guarding him like dogs. His hand touched his temptor, and it blazed to life, he had to get away. He didn't want to leave his team; they were like family to him. After the fire all he had was Tessa, at the Academy he felt like he had the chance to be a person like his father. If he deserted he would lose all the respect his family had earned because of him. All his work would tossed in a flame. Maybe we're all cursed Iahn realized.
He knew exactly where he wanted to go, he wanted to say goodbye before he lost everything. He couldn't go back for Tessa, she would have to be on her own, and if she saw him she would talk. If she knew what he was going to protect her, it would ruin her. He would go somewhere, a place where he knew he could find someone he could trust. The thought made him hopeful, but left a bitter taste in his mouth.
He moved his hand, and he pressed a button a light flashed around him and he welcomed the vortex like an old friend.