106d: The Signum Key Pt 1 – Act 4
~ The Museum of Natural History, Los Angeles California ~
. . . Brant hurriedly packed his bag for his trip to Raleighfield. Nigel’s warning seemed too serious to delay so he wanted to leave as soon as possible. To keep the Signum Key safe Brant placed it behind the false panel he had on one of his benches. This is where he stored a lot of stuff he used during his time as a watcher and knew it was the safest place for it for the interim. Just as he slung his bag over his shoulder he heard the door to his office close.
“Brant Jennings?” a male voice asked
Brant looked over to the man curiously. He recognized him the instant he laid eyes on him. Slowly he dropped him bag on the floor as Angel stepped into the light.
“We need to talk.” Angel said seriously, “my name is . . .”
“I know who you are Angel.” Brant replied, “What do you want?”
“I’m looking for a slayer.”
“Well then Angel you’re in the wrong town. The only slayer I know off lives in Raleighfield. If you are looking for Belle . . .”
“I’m not looking for Belle Brant. I’m looking for a slayer by the name of Penny Whitfield.”
Brant walked back behind his desk. He sat down and looked at the vampire calmly.
“You’re going to have to refresh my memory.”
Angel walked up slowly. From his jacket pocket he pulled out the photo and slapped it down on the table. Brant picked it up and looked at it closely.
“I’m sorry Angel I don’t recognise her.”
Angel stared deeply into Brant’s eyes. He stepped away from the table and started to examine some of the items scattered around the room.
“You know what I don’t like Brant?” Angel said, “Well, there’s a lot of things I don’t like. People talking during movies, a car parked in two parking spaces . . .”
Angel shot Brant a menacing look.
“ . . . And, oh yeah, people who lie about where my friends are.”
Angel moved and full vampire speed. He leaned over the former watcher.
“You’re going to tell me where Penny is right now or I’m going to suddenly get very hungry.”
There was a moment of silence between the two men as both of the sized each other up. Brant folded his arms.
“You have no idea what’s at stake do you?”
Angel leaned in.
“Try me.” He replied
Suddenly the windows smashed in. Three demons leaped in through the window knocking Angel out of the way. The lead demon strode up and snagged Brant by the throat he hoisted into the air. He tilted his head as he gazed at the watcher.
“Where is the disk?” he snarled
Brant struggled desperately against the demons grip. He tried to kick him in the chest but nothing phased the large creature. The demon narrowed her eyes and moved him in closer.
“My patients is thin human where is the disk?”
“Go to hell!” Brant yelled
The demon smiled at him.
“Where do you think I came from?”
“You want to know what I think?” Angel said from behind them
The demons turned to see Angel brandishing one of the dinosaur bones.
“I think you wasted a trip cause I’m planing on sending you back.”
The other two demons charged at Angel. Angel spun the club around with precision knocking them both down. The lead demon snarled dropping Brant before he face the vampire fully. Angel moved in and slammed the bone across the demons face. The demon retuned the favour in kind sending him flying backwards through the door. The lead demon returned his attention to Brant. Angel re-entered the room a moment to discover that Brant and the demons have disappeared.
About half an hour later Penny arrived at the museum to discover Brant’s office crawling with police. She managed to position herself so she could peer inside. She was shocked to discover the office practically destroyed.
“Oh no.” she said quietly to herself
~ Phoenix University, Phoenix Arizona ~
The bell rang out loudly as the students began to pack up their books. Megan slipped hers into her books bag carefully. Still having her arm in a cast made it difficult. A moment or so after she finished packing she heard her cell ring. She fumbled around in her pocket to answer it.
“Hello?” she said curiously
“He’s gone Megan,” Penny said in an urgent tone, “somebody got him.”
“Penny?” Megan said, “Who’s gone?”
“Brant. I check out his office and he’s missing. Plus his office is trashed. Listen I need you to do something for me.”
“Sure, what?”
“You sensed that weird energy coming off the key right? Is there anyway you could track it or something?”
Megan thought about this.
“I think so but I’m going to need to pick up some supplies. Do you really think that Brant and the key are going to be in the same place?”
Penny looked into the remains of the office. She ran her hand through her hair.
“That’s what the weird girl said ‘they get the watcher they get the key’.”
Back in the classroom the professor stood at the podium. From his bag he pulled out his mail and started to check the envelopes. He frowned when he discovered an address he didn’t recognise. A look of surprise crossed his face when he read the name. He left his podium and wandered up the stairs until he stood over Megan. Megan looked up at him curiously
“Can you hold on a second Pen” Megan said curiously as she put the phone down, “something wrong professor Roman?”
“Yes miss Galloway,” Professor Roman replied awkwardly, “I’m not sure how this happened but I think there was a problem with the mail. This is for you.”
Professor Roman handed Megan the envelope then left. Megan stared at the envelope strangely and opened it hurriedly. She read the content and was shocked. Slowly she picked up the cell.
“Ah . . . Pen? You still there?”
“Yeah I’m here what’s going on?”
Megan stared at the letter.
“Major weirdness.” She replied
~ The Abandon Mansion, Phoenix Arizona ~
“I don’t believe this.” Penny said, “ This letter tells us where Brant has been taken. Any idea who sent this to you?”
Megan shook her head.
“No but I think we can take a guess.”
“First the warning in the park now this,” Brant commented, “What is this girl trying to do?”
“It has to be about that Signum Key Brant mentioned. He told me it was part of a larger object.”
“So what? She’s trying to get all the pieces herself?”
“That doesn’t make sense,” Brett replied, “if she knows when all this stuff is gonna happen why tell us?”
Penny folded her arms and leaned back on her chair.
“A lot about this doesn’t feel right.”
“I know,” The Wanderer replied as he entered the door, “And it’s about to get worse.”
“Where have you been? I haven’t seen you all day.” Penny commented
“Following up on a lead,” The Wanderer replied, “Penny somebody’s trying to find you.”
Penny unfolded her arms and looked at The Wanderer cautiously
“Council?”
“No somebody different. Actually there were three of them. A vampire, a woman with white hair and a teenage girl.”
The three of them looked at each other which made The Wanderer curious. Brett stood up from his seat and started to pace.
“Okay, officially freaked now. What the hell is this girls deal?”
“Did I miss something?” The Wanderer asked
“I bumped into a teenage girl who warned me that Brant was going to be attacked. Then it happened.” Penny commented
“Yeah then I get this note telling me where Brant was taken about half an hour later.”
“Strange.” The Wanderer commented, “If she knew where you all were all this time why are they here?”
Penny sighed. This was getting too overwhelming. She stood up running her hands through her hair.
“Alright let’s just concentrate on one thing at a time. Our priority is Brant and the Key. Let’s handle that first then we’ll look into the girl.”
~ Hotel room, Phoenix Arizona ~
Angel sat still and thought about what happend.
“How many did you say there were?” willow asked
“Three. All very eager to get their hands on the watcher Heidi told us about. There was something wrong about it.”
“What happened?”
Angel stood up and began to pace this helped him collect his thoughts.
“The demons who attacked us were Tethod Demons,” he explained, “Tethods are hermits they only come out once a year during the night.”
“So why did they attack the museum today?” willow asked
“That’s what I’m trying to figure out. They said something about a disk.”
Willow looked at Angel confused.
“A disk? What kind.”
“That’s when I got knocked out of the room” Angel said, “Personally I’d like to know why they wanted Brant.”
“T-the key.” Heidi said from behind him
Angel turned and looked at the shy teenager who was standing in the doorway.
“The what?” he asked
“T-the disk is the key to the Signum. M-makes it work.”
Willow stood up in shock.
“Wait, you’re saying there’s a piece of the Signum here in Phoenix?” she asked
Heidi nodded. Suddenly things began to fall into place for Angel.
“So Brant knew about the key and the demons wanted to find out. Still doesn’t explain why the tethods came out.”
“T-the other demon wanted him to do it . . . he made them.”
“Sounds like some kind of mind control,” Willow said, “There are heaps of them around.”
“We have to find him. Heidi do you know where he is?”
again Heidi nodded.
~ Warehouse, Phoenix Arizona – 20 minutes later ~
Brant was hit across the face again. The tethod demon stepped back and Rorgia walked up to him slowly. He leaned over the former watcher with a menacing sneer.
“It’s very simple Mr. Jennings you tell me what the disk is and where it’s located and I release you. If you don’t you will be experiencing pain that you have never felt before in your life. Now what does the disk do?”
Brant spit out some blood from his mouth. By this stage he was covered in blood but still remained defiant.
“If you toss it at the family door he will catch it and return it to you,” he said, “I hear it’s good exercise.”
Rorgia frowned. He nodded to the tethod demon. Rorgia stepped out and the tethod went to work. Outside Nighthawk and the others hides. Nighthawk double checks the address on the letter.
“This is the place,” she said seriously, “ We’ll wait for hope to get back.”
“I don’t like this Nighthawk,” Brett said, “you already broke into one of the chambers places once if it were me I’d be expecting you to come.”
“That’s why I sent Hope in first. If there’s a way in she’s find it.”
A moment later hope flew back and landed on a nearby barrel. She chirped seriously for a while as Nighthawk frowned seriously.
“What is it Nighthawk?” The Wanderer asked
“There’s a way in but I don’t think we can use it for a way out.”
On the other side Angel, Willow and Heidi stared at the same building.
“Are you sure this is the right place?” Angel asked
Heidi nodded at him.
“T-that’s where they put him.” She replied
Angel folded his arms and thought.
“Okay here’s the plan. I find something heavy and beat on anybody who gets in my way.”
“I like it.” Willow said
“Let’s go.”
Inside Rorgia was quickly loosing patients with Brant. The Tethod had been working him over solidly but it still doesn’t seem to be helping. He motioned for the demon to move out of the way. Rorgia leaned over the former watcher.
“You think you’re winning don’t you?” Rorgia said, “Nothing can be further from the truth. Nobody knows you’re here Brant nobody is coming for you.”
Brant glared up at the demon. He was desperately fighting to stay conscious but was slowly losing. Rorgia looked down at his hand where a glowing version of his symbol surfaced began to manifest.
“There is another way I could get the information out of you.”
“Why did you use that first?” Brant asked
“I find pain can be a lot more persuasive then manipulation.”
Rorgia pointed his hand at Brant and Brant shuddered. Rorgia smiled at him.
“This wont take long.” He continued
Suddenly Rorgia felt the blade at his throat. He stiffened up as Nighthawk manuvered herself into the light.
“Really?” She asked, “Can you do it without your head?”
From the darkness The Wanderer, Megan and Brett scrambled in and untied Brant. Brett and The Wanderer supported them with their shoulders as they carry them out of him out of the room. Rorgia glared at Nighthawk.
“You’re never going to make it out of this building alive.” He threatened
“We’ll see.” Nighthawk replied before she turned and left
The group turned and bolted down the hallways.
“Get ready guys I got a feel we’re going to be up for one hell of a . . .”
the group turned the corner to discover all of the demon guards lying dead on the ground. The group looked at this in surprise
“ . . . fight.”
“What the hell happened here?” Megan asked
the door exploded off it’s hinges as the demon was tossed through. Angel, Willow and Heidi walked in to discover the room was empty. Angel looked around in confusion.
“Where is he?” Willow asked
“M-must have been moved,” Heidi said softly, “W-we’re too late.”
“Are you sure it was this room?” Angel asked
Heidi nodded
“Alright we’ll double back see if we can pick up the trail outside.” Angel continued
As they left the room Heidi smiled to herself mischievously. In the room next door Rorgia paced patiently. From the shadows Thalon surfaced. Rorgia looked at Thalon seriously.
“It’s done.” Thalon said
Rorgia smiled
“Good,“ he replied, “I’d hate to think I let Nighthawk and her team go for no reason.”
~ The abandoned mansion, Phoenix Arizona – 1 hour later ~
Brant was lying in the bed as The Wanderer patched up his wounds.
“How’s it going?” Penny asked
The Wanderer leaned back and sighed heavily.
“I’ve done all I can for him here but he need’s a hospital.” He replied
“Alright get him ready to . . .”
“Wait!” Brant said in pain, “I need you to do something for me.”
“What?”
Brant winced in pain.
“Take the key to Raleighfield.”
“Why is this key so important? I know you said that It’s gonna stop something but what does it do?”
“I don’t know but my colleague, Nigel Wincroft, does. You need to get it to him.”
“No way,” Brett said from the background, “This key is like a bad luck charm all this weird stuff keeps happening around it, I mean, What’s going to stop it from being stolen from this Nigel guy?”
Brant smiled at them.
“I wouldn’t worry about that,” Brant explained, “between the slayer and The Divine One it’s going to be very well . . .”
“What?” Penny
Brant looked over to see Penny’s shocked expression. He scanned his last sentence and found the flaw. Penny moved in next to Brant. She had a reserved hopefulness in her eyes.
“The Divine One? Rebecca’s alive?”
Brant sighed heavily.
“Yes,” Brant replied, “She and her husband moved to Raleighfield about three months ago.”
Penny’s jaw dropped. She stumbled back and fell into a chair.
“A-Alex is alive?” she asked in shock, “Why didn’t you tell me?”
“It was the only way to make sure you’re safe. The council is watching Rebecca like a hawk. I’m so sorry Penny I didn’t want you to find out this way.”
Brett moved over Penny.
“You okay Pen?” he asked
“No,” Penny replied, “I-I need air.”
Penny stood up and rushed out of the room. The Wanderer was going to follow but Brett motioned that he was going to handle it. The Wanderer returned to patching up Brant.
“You better not be lying to that girl,” he said seriously, “Because, if you’re wrong, I’m going to find you and kill you myself.”
Brett found Penny sitting on the floor in the hallway hugging her knees. He scrambled in next to her.
“Penny?” he asked
“I can’t do this anymore Brett I can’t,” Penny said in a distant tone, “This is too much. First their dead now their alive . . . what do I do Brett?”
Brett frowned and hugged his girlfriend tightly.
“You want my opinion,” he replied, “focus on the positive. You’re family’s alive Pen you’re not alone anymore.”
Penny though about this and, slowly, a smile crossed her face. The both of them re-entered the room a moment later. Megan was about to ask how she was but Penny motioned that she’s okay.
“We need to find out where this Nigel guy is.” Penny said seriously
“No good Pen,” The Wanderer replied, “the last thing Brant told me before he passed out was where he hid the key.”
“What’s the plan captain?” Brett asked
Penny stared down at the unconscious Brant. There was only one choice.
“We do what Brant told us to do,” Penny said, “Guys pack a bag. Once we drop Brant off at the hospital and I get the key we’re heading to Raleighfield.”
~ The Hyperion Hotel, Los Angeles – then next day ~
Angel stood pensively in his office. Across from him Willow sat disappointed.”
“We still don’t know where Penny is and now we have to find that watcher, “ she commented, “not our best work.”
“I don’t know about that.” Angel replied, “Was it just me or did it seem like Heidi wasn’t at her best.”
“There was something strange about where she was sending us.”
Angel leaned against the wall and slipped his hands into his pockets. He looked at willow strangely as he pulled the envelop out of his pocket. Curious he opened it. Inside there was only one sentence
Be in Raleighfield in three days
TO BE CONTINUED IN HELL ON EARTH SIGNUM
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