Phoebe and Sheila nodded as Sheila slid her sword back into its scabbard.
"Yeah, I already thought of that; we have to come up with a good game plan, because one way or another, we are bringing this Void down. We all know John spoke the truth, whether it is actually the truth, will have to be determined," Grayson said, then turned to his Father.
"Dad, we need to protect the property and the house; I didn't think he could just pop into the house," Grayson said.
Kenneth nodded; if John could get in then didn't that mean that the refugees would also be in danger? No, the magic he'd used on them was stronger than what he'd performed on his house, the refugees should be safe.
Grayson knelt and held his hand out to Harry, he took it and knelt beside Grayson and bowed his head. Sheila, Eric, Phoebe, and Matt knelt beside then in a semi-circle and Kenneth, and Isabel joined them. They completed the circle and Grayson spoke ancient words, long since forgotten, sending a wave of energy he drew from Gaia herself outward to the boundaries of his property. The spell was one of protection, individual as well as materialistic. It protected everything within the bubble of protection on the land, including all the beings anywhere on his property. Once they finished with the protection spell, they stood and Grayson sighed.
"We should start learning that fighting style Dad; I remember some of it but not all. I am still missing some of my memories, not everything has come back to me," Grayson said and Harry nodded his agreement.
"Yeah, I'm the same, some tidbits trickle in at odd times," Harry said quietly; Matt laughed and everyone turned to look at him, he flushed and looked at his hands.
"What's so funny you big goofball?" Eric asked him.
Matt shook his head and refused to say. Eric gave him a funny look, but Grayson thought he understood, Matt had been thinking something naughty from the look he gave Eric. Eric was right; Matt was a goofball.
Chapter Twelve
Night fell quickly and after Isabel, Leeann, and Jo made dinner in the kitchen, they all had a feast. Jo made the best spaghetti sauce, Isabel made the best meatballs, and Leeann made the tastiest garlic and parmesan biscuits that went great with the spaghetti and meatballs.
They all had some wine with their diner; the younger adults only had a small cup while the older adults had multiple cups and sat talking as they ate. Kenneth, Frank, and Jo talked with David between all the questions that everyone else at the table was bombarding David with; at the moment Phoebe was asking David a question.
"David do you have any idea where they might be keeping your wife?" Phoebe asked curiously, David shook his head.
"I can feel her and know that she is alive but I can't find her, I have tried to zero in on her location but I am blocked somehow," David said sadly.
Grayson nodded and thought to himself; he had the ability to locate Sentinels when they thought of him or he thought of them. Even with strong magic, he should be able to break through and find her.
Grayson cleared his throat and spoke quietly when everyone turned to look at him.
"I think I may be able to locate her for you. One of the things I remember how to do is locate someone when I think of them or they think of me. If I locate her, we should be able to go to her, break her out, and any other Sentinel they may have trapped. There is only one problem with doing that now. If we do this, it's as good as announcing ourselves to the enemy. With one prison getting hit, it is plausible to believe that it was just a few strong Sentinels breaking into get their better halves back. However, another getting hit right after, which is connected to the first; it's as good walking up to the enemy and announcing ourselves in person. We would become a target and there would not be any going back or staying in hiding at that point," Grayson said.
Everyone remained silent as Grayson spoke; after he finished they looked to be deep in thought. Grayson looked at his Father and Frank McDonnell and realized one thing. Had he known his Father and Harry's were alive and being held prisoner by the Void, Sentinel or not, there wouldn't have been much that would have held him back from trying to save them.
If he put himself in David's shoes, he could understand the desperation in which he lived and why he had done whatever he could to keep her alive. He would have done the same thing.
Sighing, he looked over at Harry who was studying him intently, he nodded to Grayson and Grayson nodded back. Grayson looked at every face at the table and received the same nod, it was a nod of understanding; they knew what they had to do and agreed with the decision to do it. Kenneth was the last face he looked at and his Father smiled at him and nodded as well.
"It has to be done son, we can't abandon a Sentinel in need; protect above all else."
Kenneth's words reminded Grayson of the memory he'd remembered when he went through the change; he nodded, stood up slowly, and turned to David.
"Well I don't think we will have much time. Jo would you say now is a good time to find her?" Grayson asked her.
Jo looked at Grayson for a moment and took a deep breath.
"There are many ways this can turn out but the most obvious I can think of would be these two. One; they are on high alert because of the attack on their prison; and two; they are all at the prison we rescued and will not be expecting another attack. One problem with the second scenario is that this Void guy sent John here to kill whoever attacked the prison. On the off chance that John acted on his own, we would still be in trouble if what he said were true. If the Void can resurrect him, then he will be able to tell him much more. How you look, how you fight, and that you are most likely the First; he will be aware of you and expect an attack. I think it's best we do a sneak attack and try to infiltrate the prison where Gemma is being held quietly and without drawing any attention or as little as possible. If we can pull a ninja hit then they will not find out until it is too late," Jo said.
Grayson nodded and Matt raised his hand; Harry and Eric laughed at Matt's raised hand and Sheila pet his head.
"Matt you wanted to say something?" Grayson asked smiling at him; Matt nodded and cleared his throat.
"Won't they know for a fact that David had something to do with it then, when his wife goes missing; wouldn't that just make Gemma and David a bigger target then? How would they protect themselves after we help rescue Gemma and we send them on their way?" Matt asked; Grayson nodded.
"You're right and I don't know the answer to that yet, but we will have to figure something out. Matt what would you do if Eric was the one being held?" Grayson asked him.
Matt looked shocked at the question, and his face went pale as he thought about it, quickly though, his face turned to anger at the thought.
"I would dismember everyone in my way until I got Eric back," Matt stated simply; Grayson nodded and smiled at him.
"Yeah so would I; David did what he had to, to keep her alive, now we have to do whatever it takes to get her back. After that, we can figure out what to do about keeping them safe, but eventually there is only going to be one outcome to this. This Void must be dealt with, by any means necessary," Grayson said with finality, everyone nodded.
"Well then what are we waiting for?" Jo asked standing up, Grayson smiled at her.
"A strategy," Grayson said with a smile to which Jo laughed and smiled.
"Well then if that is all, it won't take us to long," Jo said.
They all got up and cleared the table and helped wash, dry, and put away the dishes, then they all crowded into Kenneth's office and they went over strategy.
After an hour of strategizing, they came up with a plan. Grayson, Harry, Jo, Sheila, and Matt were going on the rescue mission. Eric, Phoebe, Kenneth, Frank, Isabel, Leeann, and David were all staying and guarding the house in case they came in hot. David was not going because he would be a dead giveaway, plus none of them wanted to run the risk of David getting recaptured.
They gathered their weapons and dressed all in black, including Grayson, with clothes borrowed from his Dad's old clothes that his Mother had kept
for sentimental reasons. Matt borrowed some of Harry's clothes that fit him though he stretched the clothes to their limit, and Harry just used his own clothes. Jo and Sheila borrowed some of Isabel's clothes, which looked great on them. They were such pretty little things and dressed in all black only made them look smaller and more pixie-like.
They all gathered in the formal dining room and pushed the table aside, to leave room for transporting.
"Ready to go?" Grayson asked everyone.
Sheila, Jo, Harry, and Matt all nodded; Grayson nodded back and closed his eyes concentrating on Gemma Fritzlied. As he'd done with his Mother, he saw through her eyes, but this time he did not push using the connection to look through Gemma's eyes. She was in a room like a prison cell but larger, like one big banquet room with bars on two walls.
Two of the walls were solid cement and there were twenty-eight people in the room imprisoned with Gemma. Three of them were small children that had yet to go through the change but that were nonetheless Sentinels, ages 10, 8, and 6 years of age. Seven teenagers to young adults, that had also yet to go through the change, one 16-year-old, three 18-year-olds, two 19-year-olds, and one 21-year-old. The remaining eighteen were older than 22 years old. Grayson tried a connection to each one of them for a moment and felt the familiar pull as he had with his Mom.
Opening his eyes, he looked at each one of his family members eyes.
"I think I can pull them here without having to go to the prison. I need everyone else to remain very still though," Grayson said looking at the astonished eyes of Harry, Jo, Matt, and Sheila.
The other adults were outside of the room watching all the exits just in case.
"Ok Gray, but be positive this will work or do not attempt it at all. Is there a chance this will not work as you think?" Jo asked him.
Grayson looked at Jo and thought of all the possible avenues of outcome. The worst that could happen would be that he would have to pop into the room and pull them out that way, but taking them all at once would most likely not be a problem. Grayson closed his eyes and felt at the barrier of magic sealing the room Gemma and her companions the Void kept them imprisoned in.
The magic sheathing the room was as strong as the one that had held his Father and Harry's, but he could dispel this magic very easily; the problem was that it just felt too easy. Though it wasn't impossible to believe that the Void would think himself superior to Grayson or Harry and just assume that he was stronger than they were, therefore they couldn't possibly break through his magic. That was most likely not the case though and it would be a mistake to assume such a thing and highly idiotic to believe so as well because the man was obviously smart enough to get strong enough to cause this much trouble.
"I believe getting them all here is not the hard part, I can easily transport them here in the blink of an eye; the problem is that it just feels to easy. A trap maybe, or maybe it's just his own inflated ego, though I don't think that is the case, because he has obviously gotten this far already and I don't think it's only his ego that has managed to get him to his current position. I think it would be unwise to underestimate him," Grayson said.
Jo nodded in agreement; it appeared she had been thinking along those same lines.
"I agree, if what John says is true then he most likely is expecting some sort of attack. I think the best thing to do would be to hit more than one place at one time. Confuse him and not let him know from what direction it's coming, plus then we would be able to free more of the imprisoned Sentinels. The problem is that we would need to split up or have more back up. Both of your fathers though strong and powerful are more weakened than I like at the moment and we can't exactly ask the Sentinels we just rescued to put themselves in danger so soon. We need more bodies and we simply don't have them. Gray, I have an idea but I don't think you will like it," Jo said.
Grayson studied her for a moment and nodded silently waiting for her to speak.
"We could ask Ryosuke for help. He has a small group of Sentinels that he travels with that I have worked with before on various occasions. They are good and trustworthy people and they know how to fight. Most believe that the First and Second are myths as John did. It has been a long time since you have been amongst us. Many that believe in you are angry that you would leave us for so long to the hands of the fascist group. It might be hard to get them to agree because of this, but if they see you are trying to save these imprisoned Sentinels then they would most likely be willing to help. I know Ryosuke will help because he owes us," Jo said.
Grayson looked at Jo and contemplated her words then he looked at Harry, asking him silently with his eyes for his opinion.
"I think it's worth it, if it gives us an advantage, plus it wouldn't hurt to have back up, but I am worried these other Sentinels will get hurt in the process. I don't want anyone else taken or hurt because they are helping us rescue those imprisoned."
Harry's voice was quiet but strong as he continued his speech.
"And, regarding Gray and I being gone so long, I am also confused why we took so long to come back. From my memories, it should only have been one lifetime that we slept, but at least one reincarnation of ourselves should have remained. We are not the same as the other Sentinels. We are endless, timeless, and should exist in every lifetime and era. Like a copy, we leave behind one of ourselves to watch over everyone. Ever vigilant, if something has happened to them then that should have triggered our original selves to come out. We need to get to the bottom of this, but this Void is behind it, I can feel it, he is hurting our family and we must stop him. Gray we don't have a choice but to rescue those being harmed or killed, plus this might help us get more info on the Void," Harry said.
Grayson looked at Matt and Sheila and they both nodded.
"I agree with Harry, Gray. We need to rescue our people and any info we can get on the Void will help us bring him down faster," Sheila said and Matt nodded his agreement.
"Plus it will help a lot that the other Sentinels see that you are real and that you are more than willing to fight for your people. I have a feeling we will need all the help that we can get to beat this guy," Matt said, Grayson nodded silently.
"Ok Jo, let's go to Ryosuke and ask for help, but if I, for one second, feel that this Void is going to try to take you, I will pull you out of there faster than you can blink and I want no arguments, do you all understand me?" Grayson asked them.
Jo looked upset and offended, Harry looked like he would refuse adamantly but did not argue, knowing how stubborn Grayson could be. Matt and Sheila nodded, but it seemed they did so very reluctantly, following Harry's example and agreeing only to get moving. They would all refuse him when the time came if he had to do that, and Grayson could see that they were all, clearly offended by his overprotective words.
"Gray we are all warriors just like you; you are insulting us by treating us like weaklings. Getting hurt is a chance we take each time we fight; you cannot expect us to run at the slightest hint of danger. We would not be much more than cowards then, if that is how you are going to do things then I do not know you as I thought I did," Jo said quietly, Grayson looked at her and nodded.
"I agree, we are always in danger, I know you can all fight and this is our job, but I just got you back Jo, not to mention Harry, and obviously my logic wasn't in the room earlier when I beat John the way I did. It's not just for you that I am saying I would send you home, I wasn't thinking of anything other than ripping John apart and inflicting as much pain as I could earlier. It took me a moment to gain control of myself and I am afraid I will do that again if any of you are in danger. If I can't think straight then my chances of winning go down considerably, and then I would be putting you all in even more danger, because you would have to protect me as well," Grayson said; Matt snorted.
"Do you think we are any different Gray? I know I am not and I have seen Jo in a rage, she's just as bad as you are. It happens to the best of us and I think it is just a part of who and what we are. Our emotion
s fuel our fight, and sometimes allow us to fight better, sometimes worse, but if you try to protect us, you are as good as saying we are not fit to fight by your side. What's the point then; either we are fit to stand by your side and fight alongside you, or we are not. Which is it?" Matt said; Grayson sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose.
"Yeah, I know you are right Matt, logically I know you are right, but when Harry got shot I got scared. I have never once thought any of you are not fit to fight by my side, I know for a fact you all are more than capable and adept at fighting. You are all strong fighters and I would be honored to have you fight by my side, but I am scared of losing any of you to that Void guy. If he takes your souls as John said, I think I would lose it and tear everything down to get you back, I am afraid of how far I would go to get you back. I'm sorry I insulted you guys, that was not my intention," Grayson said frustrated at his own feelings; no one said anything for a moment.
"Gray, if you lose it, one of us will be there to bring you back or fight by your side. You are just as important to us as we are to you and you may be the first, but you are not infallible Gray; not to mention we still don't have all our memories back, so we are not running on full at the moment. We need the back up and help, ok?" Harry said quietly.
Grayson looked at Harry and smiled, nodding; he kissed Harry on his soft full lips and took a deep breath, turning to everyone, he nodded.
"Well then let's go see Ryosuke," Grayson said standing from his crouched position on the floor.
They all stood and Grayson closed his eyes thinking of Ryosuke and the location they'd sent him to safely. He encircled the small camp where Ryosuke, his wife, and his Sentinel comrades were located in a thick protective circle, so that the Void would not sense their portal, and popped into their camp with an almost imperceptible hiss and pop.
All the Sentinels there had great hearing and immediately drew their swords and weapons, ready for a fight, as they caught sight of Grayson, Harry, Jo, Sheila, and Matt. Neither Harry nor Grayson had drawn Etushi or Nurushi and Jo, Sheila, and Matt had kept their weapons sheathed as well, to show they were not a threat.
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