Stolen Heaven
part 13

You hover behind him on the winding night road,
You wrap around him when I leave him alone
You're always there for no one to see
        but I won't let you take him from me...
Crawl back to the hell where you came from
Slither on back before I make your blood run,
You have no power over me...
Now your power ceases to be
You have you have no you have no no 
        you have no power over me...
                -- The Shroud, "Spectre"

        Over Derek's unconscious form, Arkadi and Semjaza turned to each other, 
Arkadi capturing the angel in a forceful kiss as the great black wings enfolded 
him. He was about to climb across Derek's legs to the empty side of the bed when 
the door burst open and Josef skidded to a stop just inside the room.
        Arkadi turned back, giving his assistant a withering gaze until he saw 
the expression on the man's face. "What is it?" he asked quickly, already 
separating himself from Semjaza and standing.
        "They're here -- and I think they've brought the police," Josef 
explained. "We've got to get out of here before they catch us with him..."
        "Yes, that would be prudent," Arkadi agreed, quickly grabbing up his 
discarded trousers. "Semjaza, my love, would you mind stalling them, and then 
come to me later with the scroll? We have to find the rest of the fragments..."
        "You'll make it worth my while?" the angel purred, already knowing that 
the human would.
        "Of course," Arkadi answered, then the sound of the front door being 
kicked open spurred him into action. He and Josef ran for the back stairs as the 
Legacy team and Frank Carmack burst into the house. Nick barged past Carmack as 
he caught a glimpse of movement at the end of the corridor and ran at top speed 
after the fleeing men.
        After hurried orders to Alex, Carmack ran off after Nick, finally 
catching sight of their quarry as they ran out the back of the house. As they 
chased Arkadi and Josef; Alex, Rachel and Philip split up to search for Derek.

        Nick forced an extra burst of speed from his legs, powering past the 
large bodyguard and holstering his gun as he went. Soon he was on Arkadi's 
heels, and with a flying tackle brought the older man down hard.
        Arkadi tried to struggle free, using his longer body to gain some 
leverage against Nick's more compact form, until Nick dug his knee into a 
pressure point on the back of Arkadi's leg. His captive shouted in pain and 
stopped fighting long enough for Nick to be able to improve his grip.
        Behind him, Nick could hear the sounds of a fierce struggle, with the 
unmistakable wheeze of a man being choked to death. He shoved Arkadi face-down 
into the dirt long enough to glance back and see that the large man had Carmack 
in a hold that was dangerously close to breaking the detective's neck -- Nick's 
SEALs training told him it was only a matter of seconds.
        He did the only thing he could -- he launched himself at the larger man, 
praying that he could angle himself to hit in such a way that he would *save* 
Carmack, not finish him off.
        As Nick collided with the large man he felt the grip loosen on Carmack's 
neck just enough to allow the detective a gulp of air. No longer choking, 
Carmack was able to free himself and help Nick capture their large opponent. 
Once Josef had been cuffed Carmack began to read him his rights, while Nick 
spared a moment to look around.
        Of course, Arkadi was nowhere to be seen...

        Philip limped around the first floor of the house while Alex checked the 
basement and Rachel carefully went upstairs. He knew he should have obeyed when 
Rachel had told him to stay home and rest, knew he'd be useless in any kind of 
fight...But he also knew he had to come along -- had to face the fears that were 
rushing through him even now, making him dread looking in each room for fear of 
what he could see there. He knew that none of the others would think any less of 
him for staying safe back at the House while they rescued Derek, but he couldn't 
live with himself if he had. _And,_ the little voice in the back of his mind 
added, _y'couldn't deal with stayin' there and bein' alone with y'r thoughts..._
        He shook his head and silenced the voice, determined not to think about 
it right now. He focused on the immediate problem -- _We've *got* to find 
Derek!_ -- and forced everything else to the back of his mind, knowing full well 
that it wouldn't stay there forever...
        Finding nothing out of the ordinary on the first floor, he limped back 
to the stairs and leaned heavily on the ornate bannister. He had just rested his 
head on his arm when Alex came up the stairs to join him. "Hey, you okay?" she 
asked softly, hoping she hadn't startled him.
        He looked up and smiled wanly, then answered, "Didn't realize jus' how 
*weak* I'd be feelin'..."
        "Look, why don't you just lie down on the couch and I'll--"
        "No," he answered firmly. "I'm comin' with you."
        "Okay," she agreed, hoping she wasn't making a mistake. "But at least 
lean on me while we go up th--"
        A scream from Rachel cut her off. She and Philip looked at each other, 
then he dashed up the stairs ahead of her, praying that he wouldn't trip and 
glad to have her behind him to catch him if he did. When they reached the top of 
the stairs, Philip gasped, "Holy Mother of God!" and stopped short, Alex 
catching herself an instant before crashing into him. They both stared in horror 
at the scene before them.
        Rachel was pressed back against the wall by a tall, slender being who 
looked down at her with unholy glee. That being was clothed only in his long, 
wavy auburn hair -- and large black feathered wings. He was beautiful -- as if 
some pre-Raphaelite painting had come alive and was walking the earth -- and 
terrifying...Rachel was shaking her head and whispering, "No -- no! Let me go!" 
and the angel merely laughed.
        "I recognize you, Rachel Corrigan," Semjaza purred. "A very close friend 
of mine knows you *quite* well..."
        "Get away from her!" Philip ordered, walking forward with a confidence 
he didn't really feel.
        "Ah," the angel said, "It's the fallen priest. Come to send me away, 
have you? Do you believe you're worthy to ask for His help, *priest*?" He turned 
away from Rachel and advanced on Philip, the hungry expression on his face 
sending a chill through him.
        Alex watched for a moment, torn between her knowledge that exorcisms and 
demon-turning was more Philip's line of work and the fear that the angel's words 
were not just bravado. She knew that belief was more powerful than the words and 
prayers of any religion, and if Philip believed that he was somehow not worthy 
to do this, then he wouldn't be able to. But, she also knew that as the leader 
of the group in Derek's stead, she couldn't afford to lose faith in one member 
and risk all of them because of it. Philip was distracting the angel so that 
they could continue on -- she was not about to make his actions worthless.
        Catching Rachel's eye, she nodded. Rachel rushed back into the room in 
front of her, and Alex carefully edged past Philip and then dove past the angel, 
allowing herself a tiny sigh of relief when he didn't do more than snarl at her. 
A second later, she came to a halt inside the room, staring in shock at the 
scene before her. "Oh my God..." she breathed, then looked up at Rachel. She 
knew the blonde woman's expression was a mirror of her own -- horror at seeing 
their friend and leader bound spread-eagle to the bed, his back and buttocks 
criss-crossed with oozing wounds and welts...
        "Help me unti--" Rachel's words were cut off as she reached for Derek 
and was suddenly flung back by some invisible force. She hit the wall hard and 
stayed there trying to catch her breath as Alex rushed to her side.
        "You okay?" Alex asked, helping her stand once she nodded. "There's got 
to be some kind of protective circle -- you get ready to help him out as soon as 
I say so, and not a moment before!"
        Rachel nodded, looking over her shoulder at Derek. From there, she could 
at least see that he was still breathing, but she had no idea how serious his 
injuries were -- they had to hurry.
        Alex turned back to the bed and closed her eyes, trying to focus her 
senses on the area where Rachel had hit the barrier -- and trying to blot out 
the image of Derek lying helpless on the bed...She could *almost* See a 
shimmering wall of energy, rising up from a sparkling obsidian line on the 
floor; but just as the image stopped wavering she got a sense of foreboding and 
her focus was lost again. She opened her eyes and looked ahead of her, trying to 
see what it was that the Sight was trying to warn her about, and realized she 
was looking at the incense burner. _Thank God it's outside the circle!_
        "Rachel, open the windows. All of them, *now*!" she ordered, hurrying 
over to the burner and looking into it. The incense that hadn't yet burned was 
ground to a fine powder -- there were no intact parts of any ingredient for her 
to identify, but from the smell it *seemed* to be a variant of an old Egyptian 
incense. However, to be on the safe side, she decided it would be better to not 
let any more of it burn. Looking around for something to use, she spotted a 
small pair of tongs on the altar. She pulled her hand back just before she 
picked them up, realizing who had probably touched them last. Wrapping her hand 
in a part of the altar cloth, she picked up the tongs and carefully plucked the 
burning charcoal out of the incense burner, shaking the rest of the unburned 
incense off it. Then she placed the charcoal on the base of one of the 
candlesticks where she was sure it wouldn't fall off, and put down the tongs. By 
that time, Rachel had all of the windows open, and the cold morning air was 
clearing the overpowering scent from the room.
        "Okay -- that's at least gotten that," she said, walking back to where 
she had been standing originally. "Rachel, while I'm doing this, how 'bout you 
turn on the lights and blow out those candles -- *carefully*."
        Rachel nodded and said, "Okay...Let me know as soon as you're done, 
though."
        "Gotcha." Alex closed her eyes again and focused on the shimmering wall 
of energy once more. Yes, she realized, the candles were also part of a spell, 
but nothing as immediately dangerous as the incense had been. With luck, Rachel 
would be done at about the same time she would. She visualized herself stepping 
towards the barrier, a slender sword held in her right hand...

        Philip stood his ground as Semjaza advanced on him, reached into his 
jacket and pulled out a small bottle of holy water.
        "Oh, I'm frightened," Semjaza taunted, making an exaggerated expression 
of fear. "Your friends have deserted you, Philip."
        "My friends have things they know they have t'do," Philip answered, 
drawing on that knowledge to try and steady himself. He, too, had something he 
*had* to do...
        "You know, He was wrong to make sex a sin," Semjaza whispered. "You, and 
I, and all of my fellows -- we're all suffering because of that..."
        Philip swallowed hard and raised the holy water, splashed it on Semjaza 
in the sign of the cross. "I adjure thee, O serpent of old, by the Judge of the 
living and the dead; by the Creator of the world, who hath power to cast into 
Hell, that thou depart forthwith from this house."
        Semjaza frowned and grimaced at Philip, then said, "Haven't they 
rewritten that *yet*?" He shook his head and smiled again, then said, "I know 
that you agree with me, Philip...after all, you wouldn't like it so much if it 
were wrong, would you now?"
        _All that's Holy, give me strength..._ Philip thought, trying 
desperately to block out what the angel was saying. He knew he had thought 
exactly the same thing from time to time, knew it was what Nick and Derek 
believed..._But I *can't* -- As much as I want t'believe that, it's a sin...I'm 
a sinner..._ 
        He shook his head and cleared his throat, hoping desperately that his 
voice would at least be steady. "He that commands thee, accursed demon, is He 
that commanded the winds, and the sea, and the storm. He that commands thee is 
He who ordered thee to be hurled down from the height of heaven into the lower 
parts of the earth."
        Semjaza muttered, "He that commands me is He who got jealous because He 
wasn't getting any..." then reached out to touch Philip's cheek. "I *know* you 
understand what I'm talking about, Philip. You *love* them -- it can't be wrong 
to *love* them -- He's supposed to be a God of love..." He shrugged, then, and 
said, "Oh, but that's right -- you're supposed to be a priest. Priests are just 
like angels -- we're able to feel all those wonderful things, but we're just 
supposed to stand by and not act on them...Now tell me how that's fair and 
just?"
        _Don't listen don't listen don't listen!_ Philip thought desperately. 
_Forgive me, Father, for I have sinned!_
        Semjaza gently stroked Philip's cheek, then leaned down and whispered in 
his ear, "Do you really want me to leave?"
        Philip shivered at the warm breath blowing across his ear. This was 
terribly, terribly wrong...He knew he couldn't send the angel away -- knew that 
any exorcism he tried to perform was already tainted by his own sins -- and now 
the angel was just asking if he *wanted* him to leave? But he couldn't leave him 
around to wreak havoc on them while they were dealing with Derek..._Oh God, help 
me..._
        "Yes, I want you to leave!" he finally blurted, knowing somewhere deep 
in his heart he had made a terrible mistake.
        "Okay then, I'll go," Semjaza said agreeably. He kissed Philip on the 
cheek and smiled slyly at him, then whispered, "I know we'll meet again, Philip. 
Think about what we discussed..." And then he just faded from sight.
        Philip fell to his knees and started praying...

        Rachel hurriedly began blowing out the candles, trying to keep from 
being distracted by what Alex was doing. She knew, now, that there were many 
more forms of ritual magic than the dark rites she had unwillingly been a part 
of in her childhood, but seeing a friend walking around a room chanting and 
tracing pentagrams in the air made her distinctly uneasy.
        She couldn't deny the necessity of it, though -- whatever spell it was 
that separated them from Derek was very, very real. When she had extinguished 
the last of the candles she took a deep breath and rubbed at her right 
shoulderblade, realizing she had hit the wall hard enough to bruise it. _I'm 
beginning to know how Nick feels,_ she thought, turning to see Alex whisper 
something and kneel, then spread her right hand and press it to the floor.
        Brown eyes opened to meet hers, and Alex shakily said, "Now."
        Without a moment's hesitation, Rachel rushed to the bed and checked 
Derek's vitals. Once she was sure he was still breathing, she hurried to the 
foot of the bed and worked on untying his ankles.
        Alex slowly drew herself to her feet and joined Rachel, feeling slightly 
stronger once she started moving again. By the time she actually reached Derek, 
though, Rachel had already untied one ankle and nearly finished the other. When 
Alex realized her assistance wasn't really helping, she walked to the head of 
the bed and began to unbuckle the wrist cuffs.
        "At least he used fleece-lined restraints," she said softly to Rachel, 
"It doesn't look like there's any damage to his wrists..."
        Rachel looked up from her examination of the welts and said, "How 
considerate of him...My God, Alex, the man's an animal...I almost hope Nick and 
Frank have to kill him..."
        "I know what you mean," Alex answered, carefully probing at the lash 
marks on Derek's shoulders and upper back. She frowned, seeing the remains of 
the symbols between his shoulder blades, and looked around for something to 
write with. "Damn it -- Rachel, do you have a pen and something I can write on?"
        "A pen? You're kidding, right?" Rachel asked, looking up at her. "You're 
not kidding..."
        "There's something *written* on him -- it could be important," Alex 
explained, checking her pockets. "Maybe Philip has--"
        "Oh my God," Rachel murmured, coming across the piece of black rubber 
protuding from Derek's anus. "*This* is too much."
        "What?" Alex asked, walking around to where Rachel stood. "Oh..." She 
glanced at Rachel and recognized the change from friend to doctor, although 
Rachel was unable to mask her anger completely.
        "I want to get that *thing* out of him before we turn him over," she 
said, sounding as clinical and detached as she could. "I should have brought a 
first aid kit or *something*..."
        Alex nodded and said, "Let me check the bathroom." A short time later 
she returned with a small first aid kit, and a ballpoint pen. "Just give me a 
second to write down these symbols, then I can do whatever you need me to," Alex 
said, tearing a flap off a bandage box to write on. She quickly copied the 
symbols from Derek's back, making a notation of where they were located on his 
body.
        When she finished she pocketed the note and looked at Rachel, who had 
donned the latex gloves from the kit. "What do you need me to do?"
        "Hold him still, in case it wakes him up. I don't want him doing 
anything that could possibly injure him internally and -- to tell you the truth, 
I have no idea how big that *thing* is..."
        Alex swallowed hard and nodded, then climbed onto the bed so she could 
hold Derek's hips and hopefully immobilize him. Then Rachel took a deep breath 
and grasped the end of the butt plug, and slowly pulled it from Derek's body.
        When it slid free of him, he stirred slightly and groaned, catching 
Alex's attention. She was instantly at his side, leaving Rachel to continue her 
examination. "Derek? Derek, it's Alex and Rachel -- you're going to be okay 
now..."
        "Victor?" Derek murmured, "Feel so empty..." He tried to raise his head 
but slumped back to the pillow as a wave of dizziness washed over him. "Ooh..."
        "Derek, it's *Alex*," she said, leaning closer to get into his line of 
sight.
        He blinked blearily at her, frowned, and asked, "A- Alex?"
        "Rachel, get over here," she said urgently, "I think he's been 
*drugged*..."

        Nick kept an eye on Josef while Carmack radioed for a squad car to take 
him in. Once the call had been made, they dragged the large man back to the cars 
they had arrived in.
        "Nick, why don't you go in and see if they need help. I'll have to stay 
with him till backup arrives anyway, and he's not going to tell either of us 
anything useful..." Carmack shrugged and continued, "At least that way one of us 
can help. If you're still not done by the time backup arrives, I'll come and 
check on you."
        "You sure, Frank?" Nick asked, looking at the blotchy redness around 
Carmack's throat where he knew it would bruise.
        "Yeah, I'm sure. They may need your help, and standing around with me 
and the Great Wall here isn't going to get anything accomplished."
        Nick nodded, understanding Carmack's frustration all too well. "Okay. 
But if you need help..."
        "If I do, you'll know it," Carmack answered, motioning to his weapon.
        Nick nodded again and said, "Gotcha." Then he ran back to the house and 
cautiously walked inside.
        Once in, he paused to listen for any signs of life, and realized all the 
noises he heard were coming from upstairs. It didn't sound like trouble, but he 
climbed the stairs cautiously, ready for anything.
        Anything, that is, except for Philip kneeling in the middle of the 
hallway, praying his heart out...He looked around for any sign of trouble, and, 
seeing none dropped to one knee beside his friend.
        When he gently laid a hand on Philip's shoulder, the priest nearly 
shrieked and was halfway to his feet before he realized it was Nick.
        "Oh my God, Nick -- y'scared me..." he gasped when he finally gathered 
his wits.
        "Yeah, I noticed," Nick said softly as he stood up again, "You okay? 
What's been going on?"
        Philip looked around for a moment, as if he were trying to figure out 
the same thing, and Nick grew more concerned -- if Philip had been there the 
whole time, shouldn't he *know*?
        Then Philip met his worried gaze and said, "There was an angel here, 
Nick. With wings an' ev'rythin'..."
        "An angel?"
        "One of th' Watchers...He seemed t'be helpin' Arkadi -- but then he 
left..."
        "Well, that's good," Nick said, although something about the dazed way 
Philip said it made him very nervous. "So...where are they? Did they find 
Derek?"
        "Ah -- I dunno..." Philip admitted, looking around. Then he saw the 
doorway to the room and pointed. "In there."
        "Okay -- come on," Nick urged, grabbing Philip's arm and nearly pulling 
him to the room. When they entered, Rachel and Alex looked up at them, at first 
startled and then relieved. Then Nick felt Philip pulling back, trying to escape 
his grasp.
        "I -- can't go in there," he said shakily, looking at the bed with 
Derek's naked form sprawled on it. He shook his head and whispered, "M'sorry..."
        Nick turned back and looked him in the eye, gently grasped him by the 
shoulders. "Philip, it's okay. Arkadi's gone -- it's just us and Derek...and I 
think he probably needs us right now."
        Philip took a deep, shuddering breath and closed his eyes, trying to 
calm his whirling thoughts. Nick was right -- Arkadi wasn't there so the danger 
was gone. Derek was obviously hurt and needed them -- needed his friends...And 
providing comfort for a friend in need wasn't a sin -- wasn't anything he should 
feel guilty over -- Except that seeing Derek's naked body lying on that bed, 
with the whip marks all over him, reminded him too much of those horrible few 
moments where his body had started to respond to what Arkadi had done... _Oh 
God, forgive me for bein' so weak!_ he thought desperately. _He needs me an' I 
can't..._
        "Philip," Nick said softly, moving himself in the way of his friend's 
view of Derek, "what happened *wasn't* your fault. I know it's frightening 
seeing him like that -- I *know* it's making you think about what Arkadi did to 
you..." He paused, seeing Philip shiver, knowing that most likely he was 
experiencing unpleasant memories. "Philip, I *understand*," he continued, "but I 
also know if you don't go in there, you're giving him power over you..."
        Philip closed his eyes and whispered, "I know -- y're right...It's just 
that I keep thinkin' about what he did -- what he made me feel..." He shook his 
head and continued, "My God, Nick, b'fore it really hurt, he made me respond t' 
him."
        "It's okay, Philip, really. Don't feel guilty about it -- it *happens*. 
Honest, it *does*. It doesn't make you a bad person -- it happened to me when 
Richter had me captured..."
        Philip blinked, suddenly speechless. Finally, he stammered, "Y-- you?"
        "Yeah, me," Nick answered softly. "And I was as screwed up about it as 
you are...Until I realized that even though he was gone, he was still 
controlling me."
        "Jus' like that?"
        Nick took a deep breath and shook his head. "No, it's not that easy -- 
but going in there and helping Derek is the first step towards it..." He smiled 
slightly and said, "I'll be right there with you -- I won't let anyone hurt 
you."
        Philip swallowed hard and said, "Okay...Let's go then."

To be continued in part 14

Poltergeist: The Legacy is (c) 1998 MGM/UA and Trilogy Entertainment. This story 
is not intended to infringe on these copyrights. Stolen Heaven is (c) 1998 
Penemuel