Stolen Heaven part 10 They arrived at the address after about a half hour of driving up the coast road, pulling into the driveway of a quaint Victorian era home that had been remodeled as a bed-and-breakfast. When they pulled into the parking lot, Alex whispered, "That's the Explorer..." Despite the presence of the vehicle, there were no other cars in the parking lot, and no lights visible anywhere in the house -- it seemed to be deserted. Nick shook his head and said, "I don't like this one bit." Carmack frowned and said, "I don't either. But, we've got to go in. Nick, do you have your gun with you?" "Of course," Nick answered, patting the bulge where the pistol hung in a shoulder holster. "Guess it's a good thing the bouncer didn't search me, huh." Carmack smiled humourlessly and looked over at Alex who seemed very uncomfortable. "I've got a vest in the trunk -- I want you to wear it, *and* stay in the car until we come back with the all clear." "You're expecting this to turn into a gunfight?" she asked, frowning at Nick as he checked his weapon. "I'm not sure what to expect, and it's better to be prepared," Carmack said, quietly climbing out of the car and heading for the trunk. "Alex, you picking anything up?" Nick asked, looking up at her hopefully. Going into a situation completely blind was not his idea of fun, but it didn't seem like they had much choice this time. She took a deep breath and closed her eyes, seemed to relax for a moment but then gave a small cry and shuddered as her eyes flew open again. Nick's expression as she focused on him was one of fear and concern, and she forced a smile to reassure him. "Same thing as I got from the note. I can't tell if anyone's there, though. It's -- I can't go deep enough without feeling like it's going to overwhelm me, and it's just too..." "That's okay," Nick said softly, "I don't want you to hurt yourself. Frank and I'll do a recon of the outside, and like he said we'll come back to get you. I'm not going in there without *some* idea of what this place is and if there's anyone here." Alex nodded -- although she disapproved of guns, she knew Carmack and Nick were trained for this kind of thing, and that they would never be reckless in this kind of situation. And, they still had no idea who had Philip or where Derek was -- unfortunately, it was quite likely the guns were going to be necessary... The back door of the car opened and Alex jumped as it startled her. Carmack leaned in and said, "Sorry -- I tapped on the window and you didn't hear me. Alex, put this on." He let her climb out of the car, then helped her put on the kevlar vest. Nick quietly climbed out of the car and walked around to their side, waiting for Alex to finish with the vest and get back into the car. Once Carmack told her to stay down until they were back, he turned to Nick and nodded. A moment later they were gone, silently creeping towards the house. Alex peered over the edge of the car door as the two men flattened themselves against the house, nearly losing sight of them as they edged along in the darkness. Nick went to the right and Carmack to the left, each one pausing under a window and carefully peering over the sash, trying to see into the equally dark house and straining their ears for any sound of occupants. After a few seconds Nick ducked back down again and signaled to Carmack that he was moving on to the next window. They both quietly moved on to the next window and the next, repeating the search at each one. When they rounded the corners Alex lost sight of them, and spent a nervous few minutes waiting for them to reappear. Carmack reappeared first, waiting uneasily for a moment until Nick joined him. When he did, Carmack signaled to Alex that it was okay for her to approach the house quietly. Once they stood against the house, Nick whispered, "I don't see anyone -- I think it's empty, but be careful when we go in anyway." Alex nodded and asked, "Where are Derek and Philip then? Don't tell me we're going to be chasing some kind of trail like they have in the movies, where we just get to the next ringing pay phone in time to get the next clue..." "I hope not," Nick answered. "Because I'm not in the mood to play that kind of sick game. You ready?" he asked Carmack, who nodded. "Good. You want me to try to pick the lock, or do we break in?" "Why don't we see if it's locked, first," the detective suggested with a wry grin. "If they *are* playing that kind of game, it might be easy to get in." Nick nodded, then headed quietly for the door. The last step creaked even under his careful tread, and he froze for an instant in case someone had heard. When there was no reaction, he reached for the door and turned the knob. "Great -- it's open." He opened the door and peered into the darkened entrance, pistol ready in case the kidnapper was waiting for him. Seeing nothing without the dim light of the moon, he sighed frustratedly and stepped inside. Carmack and Alex followed him in, and they crept quietly through the rooms finding no sign of anyone, until they reached the staircase. At the top of the stairs, there was faint flickering light, as if a candle were burning in a room down the hall. Nick pointed up the stairs and started walking up, the third step creaking badly the instant he put his weight on it. He hissed, "Shit," although at this point he was certain they had made enough incidental noise that any enemy still in the house would know they were there. However, as he continued up to the next step, a faint noise reached his straining ears -- it sounded like muffled cries for help, as if someone were gagged. He turned back to tell Carmack and Alex, but the cries came again, loud enough that all three of them heard it. "That sounds like Philip!" Nick whispered as he resumed climbing. Still cautious but going much faster now, they reached the landing and paused as Nick looked around, making sure no one was waiting to attack. Now that they were on the same floor, Nick was certain the voice was Philip's. He quickly located the room the light was coming from and edged down the corridor keeping his back to the wall. The others followed behind and when he reached the room and ducked in, pistol ready, they saw past him into the room. Alex gasped as she saw Philip bound completely naked to the bed, his cries muffled by a black ball gag. "Oh my God -- Philip!" Even as Nick was giving them the all-clear signal and holstering his gun, Alex was rushing past him to the bed. Nick and Carmack joined her an instant later. "Take it easy, Philip, we'll get you loose in just a second," Nick said quietly, looking for the fastening on the gag and removing it as quickly as he could. He threw it down on the bed in disgust and out of the corner of his eye noticed Carmack using a pen to nudge it into a plastic bag, then his attention returned to Philip. Tears were streaming down his face as he gulped for air, and Nick knew even in the flickering light of the candle that Philip's cheeks were flaming with embarrassment. He forced his mind to the business at hand, unbuckling the restraints with lightning speed. There was time enough to find out what had been done to Philip *after* he was free and able to at least cover himself with the sheet and restore some of his dignity. Very quickly Alex realized she was not going to be able to get past Nick to comfort Philip -- he was on automatic and didn't even seem to remember she and Carmack were there. Frustrated and wanting desperately to help somehow, she began searching the room for Philip's clothing. When she found the ruined shreds of his shirt, jeans and underwear she shuddered violently, praying her suspicions were wrong. Even without opening her mind she could pick up impressions from Philip's clothing, both of Philip's fear, and of some terrible darkness she instinctively tried to block out. She shook her head and whimpered, dropping the clothing and backing away from it. "No..." "Nick," Philip whispered as his friend helped him sit up, "Get her out of here..." "Frank," Nick began, planning on telling him to help Alex -- until he got a good look at Philip's back. "Shit! Frank, get Alex out of here before it overwhelms her, then get back up here, fast." The cold fury in his voice drew Alex's attention and she looked over at Philip, catching a glimpse of the angry lash-marks on his back before Nick finished wrapping the sheet around him. Fury flared within her and lent her strength to fortify her shields against the miasma of evil and ugliness, and when Carmack approached her she shook her head and said, "No, I've got it now." She pointed at the ruined clothing and said, "Someone *cut* those off him. Whoever it was, I'm going to let Nick kill him..." From her tone, Carmack could tell she was serious -- at least for the moment. Between her and Nick, he wasn't sure he would be able to keep the culprit alive long enough to see a trial -- if they managed to find him. He nodded, deciding it would be better to just keep quiet about the justice system for the moment. After all, if what it looked like actually *had* happened, he was pretty sure he wouldn't complain if the culprit 'accidentally' got shot -- or worse -- either... "I'm going to turn the light on if that's okay," he said softly, looking again in Philip's direction. The priest was definitely going into shock, his face buried against Nick's chest and his entire body shaking with wracking sobs as Nick tried to comfort him without causing him more pain. Nick looked up at him and nodded, then winced as he turned the room light on. With the added light, Carmack and Alex could see streaks of blood staining the sheet where some of the welts had actually bled. Carmack swallowed against the bile rising in his throat and shook his head. _How could anyone do something like this to a *priest*?!_ he thought angrily. He glanced at Alex, noticed the hard, angry look in her eyes. Maybe Nick wasn't the one the culprit really needed to worry about... "Okay," Alex said, her voice as hard as the look in her eyes, "We've got to get him out of here and we've got to find out where Derek is--" Philip made a choked sound and Nick asked him, "What was that?" "He's got 'im," Philip repeated, this time more clearly. He buried his face against Nick's chest again and quietly added, "I'm sorry -- 's'my fault..." "Derek?" Alex asked, walking to Philip's side and gently resting a hand on his shoulder. Initially, he flinched, but when her identity registered, he relaxed slightly. "Who's got him?" Nick asked quietly, trying to get Philip to look up so he could see his face. "And how the *hell* is it your fault?" "I was the bait," Philip whispered, looking up at Nick with the most despairing expression the ex-SEAL had ever seen. "He *knew*, Nick...and he knew Derek'd come f'r me -- an' I couldn't escape on my own like you could've..." "Philip, you're babbling," Nick said as calmly as he could. "*Who* has Derek?" "Arkadi," Philip choked, "Arkadi's got 'im." Nick looked up at Alex, his expression icy except for the fury blazing in his eyes. She frowned and glanced back at Carmack who took a couple of steps closer. "Okay," Alex said calmly, "First we get Philip's injuries treated -- Philip, I have to ask -- did--" "I'm fine," Philip blurted, cutting her off. "Th' bastard whipped me, tha's all. Derek's in *trouble*." Alex caught Nick's eye and said, "Okay... Nick, ah-- you keep Philip warm, okay?" He nodded and bundled Philip up more securely in the sheet as Alex walked back to Carmack. "Arkadi is an enemy of the Legacy. We'll get Philip back to the House and Rachel can look him over. There are some methods we can use to try to find Arkadi but we're going to need our computers to do it. You're welcome to come back to the House with us -- unless you want to try to investigate using police methods." She abruptly wound down and shrugged, looking over her shoulder at Philip's wounded back. "Alex, I understand your desire to handle this yourself, but it looks like a *rape*," Carmack whispered. "The guy who did this--" "Is a real piece of work," she cut in. "He had a demon genetically engineered from an ancient fragment of horn; his family has been fighting with the Legacy for generations; and he's got some kind of personal history with Derek that we've never been told about. *Something* tells me that normal police methods aren't exactly going to be able to deal with whatever he throws at us..." Carmack heaved a frustrated sigh and nodded. "Okay. It wouldn't be the first time I've...overlooked procedure for you guys, but the other times didn't exactly involve this kind of direct injury to one of your people..." "If you arrest Arkadi and he ends up in jail, it's still not going to stop him," Alex said quietly. "Why?" Carmack asked, "What can this guy do from *jail*?" "Assuming he doesn't just buy the judge in the first place, are they still enforcing freedom of religion for inmates, including Satanists?" Carmack's eyes widened, but he nodded and said, "Short of allowing them to commit illegal acts..." "Well, give him some chalk, candles, incense and the right herbs, and I'm sure he'll be able to exact some kind of revenge -- *and* have the perfect alibi at the same time." Carmack frowned. The possibilities were pushing the envelope of his belief, but then, so had most of the previous experiences he'd had with Derek and the Legacy. Finally, he nodded. "Okay, you win. But I think for now I'm going to follow up on the investigation as it stands so far. You go back to the House and do your thing, and the *second* you've got *anything*, call me." Alex nodded, catching the implied warning in his tone. After all, she and Nick had both made open threats within the hearing of a police detective... "I promise," she said quietly, then returned to Nick's side. "How is he?" "He's a mess," Nick murmured, gently stroking Philip's hair and holding him close. "We gotta get him back to the House." "I know. We're taking the Explorer. You sit with him and I'll drive. Frank's going to finish up here, and continue his investigation while we handle ours. I promised we'd keep him up to date." Nick frowned, but nodded. "Yeah, okay," he said, then turned his attention back to Philip. A moment later he looked up at Alex again and said, "He's out like a light. I'll carry him -- just make sure the doors are open ahead of me, okay?" She nodded, and with a grunt of effort Nick stood, carrying Philip in his arms. The drive back to the helicopter was quiet until Philip woke up, screaming. It took Nick nearly five minutes of softly murmured reassurances to calm him, and by the end of it, the ex-SEAL was beginning to seriously worry about both of his lovers. Nick had to fly the helicopter back, so Alex was in charge of watching Philip. Nick radioed ahead to have Rachel ready, although he refused to disclose the nature of the injuries as anything more than 'contusions, abrasions and lacerations'. When Alex asked him why, he explained that he didn't trust the radio to be secure, and *should* Arkadi be listening, he refused to give him the satisfaction of seeing how much upset he had caused. While she thought Nick might be acting a little paranoid, when Philip murmured, "Arkadi knows more 'bout Derek than we do," she began to think Nick might have the right idea after all... Unfortunately, before she could ask Philip to elaborate, he lapsed back into unconsciousness. "Nick, we've got to get him to Rachel," she said, smoothing sweat-soaked hair from Philip's face. "*Fast.*" Rachel let out a heavy sigh as she quietly shut the door behind her and looked at the expectant faces before her. Nick looked like he was going to barge right past her whether she wanted him to or not, but she wanted him to hear what she had to say, first. "Well, he wasn't lying to you," she began softly, "He hasn't actually been raped, but he *has* been terribly violated. Nick, he keeps insisting he has to talk to you -- alone. I've got him lightly sedated now that he's out of shock and stabilized, so expect him to be a little out of it." Nick nodded, then looked at Alex and said, "I'll tell him you're worried about him." She forced a smile, then said, "I think I'd better get working on finding Arkadi, now that we at least know Philip's going to be okay." "Thanks," Nick said quietly, knowing that she'd wanted to see Philip but also suspecting why he didn't want to see anyone else quite yet. He had to know what Philip had learned, but was terrified of what it might be... As he reached for the doorknob, he heard Rachel tell Alex, "I'll come with you and help in any way I can." Then he opened the door and slid quietly inside the room, closing and locking the door behind him. Philip was lying on his side in the bed, hugging one of the pillows close and murmuring something. When Nick got closer, he realized his friend was praying. "Hey, how you doing?" he asked softly, sitting down on the edge of the bed and gently stroking Philip's arm. Philip stopped praying and looked up at him with red-rimmed eyes. "Oh God, Nick, 'm so sorry..." The despair in his voice broke Nick's heart. "It's not your fault, Philip, there's nothing to be sorry for! That bastard kidnapped you, used you, and tortured you! You sure as hell didn't ask him to do it," Nick said, his fury at Arkadi barely kept in check. "I don't want to drag all of this up, but... Rachel said you hadn't been raped, just beaten. Is that true, or did you...did you lie to her?" Philip swallowed hard, nausea rising as he thought about his ordeal, and shook his head. "No, I didn' lie 'bout that," he answered so quietly Nick had to lean closer to hear. "He knows, Nick," Philip continued despairingly. "He knows 'bout you an' me, 'bout us an' Derek... He said he was punishin' me for my sins... Oh God, Nick, he just kept whippin' me and whippin' me an' I swear he was gonna come in another second." He paused, trying to choke back the sobs that were threatening to return, then continued, "I know he would've if Derek hadn' shown up and stopped him hittin' me..." Nick gathered Philip into his arms and gently rocked him, taking care not to press on or move the dressing that had been taped over his wounded back. "It's okay, Philip, it's over -- he's never gonna hurt you again because I'm going to kill him," Nick murmured. "I'm gonna get Derek back and then I'm gonna kill Arkadi -- slowly." "But he's right, Nick, I *am* sinnin'," Philip whispered, blinking tears frantically from his eyes so he could see Nick's face. "Every time I'm with one o'you I'm breakin' my vows -- I'm a sinner and I deserve t'be punished." Nick grabbed him by the shoulders and looked him in the eye, horrified by his statement. He knew -- had known for some time -- that Philip had never really come to terms with himself over the supposed sins he committed with them, but he'd never expected his friend to think he *deserved* to be beaten by one of their enemies... _What the hell do I tell him? How do I get him to realize he's done nothing wrong when the damned Church says he has...When he's breaking a promise he's made every time he's with one of us. Oh shit...Arkadi, you bastard, I'm going to make you hurt for a *long* time for this one..._ "Philip..." he said softly, releasing his friend and wiping the tears gently away, "I-- I know you're breaking your vows when you're with us, and I know you feel guilty for doing it, but *nothing* you've done, or ever could do, could possibly make you *deserve* to be tortured by that bastard. *NOTHING.* "He said that to upset you, Philip -- he *knew* he could get under your skin that way and use your guilt against you. He did it to hurt you and get you out of his way -- and he probably did it to hurt us, too..." "There's more, Nick," Philip whispered, "Sweet Jesus, I dunno what t'believe anymore..." "What is it?" Nick asked, uncomfortably aware that Philip had managed to change the subject on him. Philip swallowed hard and unsteadily sat up, scrubbing his face with the blanket and then leaning into Nick. "Nick, Arkadi an' Derek -- y'know how Derek's always hidin' things from us -- protectin' us or whatev'r he claims it is? Well...he's been protectin' himself, too, I think..." "What do you mean?" Nick asked apprehensively. Something was not right here... "What kind of bull did Arkadi try to sell you?" "Tha's th'problem -- it's not bull... Derek and Arkadi were *lovers*." The words hit Nick with an almost physical force, a crushing blow like a fist to the stomach -- or lower. Incongruously, he thought of the old torture of pressing -- having stone after stone piled upon one's chest until the life was crushed out of the victim. That was what it felt like as his mind scrambled to find an explanation. "No. It's a lie -- he just said that to make you distrust Derek," he protested, trying to breathe as the fist squeezed his chest harder. "It's a *lie*." "It's no lie, Nick," Philip said softly, seeing how pale Nick had gone suddenly. "He didn' just tell me...he had pictures, too." Nick swallowed convulsively. "Pictures." "Pictures. *Graphic* pictures..." Philip said. "An' they're pretty-- extreme, too, if th' one I saw was anything t'judge by." "Fakes. Computer generated fakes -- that's got to be it," Nick whispered desperately. But Philip was shaking his head. Nick frowned and asked, "When?" "B'fore the Legacy, as far as I could tell. Derek looked t'be about twenty or so in th' one I saw..." "Then maybe it was something that went bad long ago. Derek left him and joined the Legacy..." Nick said hopefully. "That could well be it," Philip agreed. "But why did he seem so upset when ya threatened Arkadi earlier?" He frowned and said, "Neither of us do th' kind of things they were doin' in that picture...what if he's been missin' it?" Sudden hope flared in Nick's eyes. "No. It's *got* to be wrong. Derek and rough sex? Not since that demon Arkadi nearly sacrificed him to -- he's been scared of being dominated for as long as I've been with him. Arkadi's just trying to undermine us by destroying our trust in Derek." Philip nodded and said, "Unless he's been afraid b'cause he knows if he falls inta it again he'll go back t'him -- which is what it looks like he's done, anyway..." "What?" Nick asked sharply, "How can you say that?" "He gave himself up willin'ly." "To save *you*, Philip," Nick responded, his anger growing. "He put himself in danger to get you out of there because he *cares* about you." "He didn' even try t'escape -- even while Arkadi was tyin' me back up in that bed." "And what the hell good would that have done? *If* he had managed to escape, you'd still be there," Nick said, pulling away from Philip. "You of all people should understand someone *sacrificing* himself for someone else!" Philip lay back, the tears threatening to come again. While part of him understood why Nick was so angry and knew that it was just his temper getting the better of him again, he couldn't dismiss things as easily as Nick could. He knew that every human had both good and evil in their soul, but now that he knew Derek wasn't entirely human -- that he had the blood of fallen angels in him -- was it possible that the evil in him was gradually overtaking the good? The doubt was beginning to overwhelm him again, and much as he *wanted* to believe that Derek had done it for his benefit, he couldn't ignore the other possibilities... "Nick, I'm sorry..." he whispered, seeing the anger and betrayal in Nick's eyes. _Oh God, what've I done?_ "Yeah," Nick said sullenly. "I'm going down to help Alex find Arkadi so we can get Derek back, and then you can discuss this with *him*." He stood and walked out of the room, not looking back even when he heard Philip beginning to cry again. --==**==-- To be continued in part 11 Poltergeist: The Legacy is (c) 1997 MGM/UA and Trilogy Entertainment. This story is not intended to infringe on these copyrights. Stolen Heaven is (c) 1997 Penemuel