by Cindy Combs
However, that rain was having an effect elsewhere in the house. A leak had developed in a small room near the back. The small drip grew into a steady stream, flowing down the wall and over a metal box. Inside, water began dripping onto the array of glass and plastic switches, causing a sharp sizzle. Then with a shower of sparks, all the fuses inside shorted out, plunging the old house into darkness.
At first, the end of the light show did not affect the sentinel, deep in a zone. Then the steady beat of rain became a loud roar as the sky opened up to dump as much rain as possible onto the earth below. The change caused a twitch in Jim's jaw. Outside, the increased water flow proved too much for the wobbly gutter barely hanging onto the roof's edge. It came crashing down, hitting the side of the old house with a thunderous clatter.
The noise jerked Jim to the present. His dry eyes blinked as he inhaled a large gulp of air into his depleted lungs. Muscles that were tired from their rigid stance released, dropping the sentinel to the floor. Jim found himself kneeling, doubled over as he continued to breathe heavily through his mouth. Confused, head aching, and feeling terribly adrift, Jim tried to regain control by closing his mouth and breathing through his nose. A scent teased his mind, begging to be remembered. As he took another whiff, the sound of pouring rain curled around the scent, triggering a memory:
Jim lay sprawled across the wooden decking of the observation platform as he leaned over the edge. He held Yuri's wrist as the assassin dangled in the air over a dam spillway in the canyon far, far below. Water flowed over the cement, beautiful yet deadly due to its distance from the platform.
The camouflaged face below him stared into his eyes defiantly. "Why do you save me?" the accented voice demanded.
"Because you're gonna stand trial," declared Jim fiercely. He held tightly onto the wrist, as if that would impose his will on his enemy.
Only Yuri didn't seem to be fazed by his peril. The assassin laughed, a chilling sound that echoed against the rocks. "Your country will trade me for the next kidnapped American. How will you feel to see me go free?" The second hand rose to join the first clenched around Jim's wrist. The assassin was probably inspired by the thought of thumbing his nose at his adversary by slipping through Ellison's system of justice.
Before Jim could respond, a shot cracked through the air. Jim witnessed the eyes become stricken after the bullet hit its mark. The second hand dropped, then the first relaxed. Unable to hold on to the dead weight without help, the sentinel felt his enemy slip through his fingers. Stunned, he watched as Yuri fell the immense distance to hit the spillway below, the body disappearing into the churning water.
"Yuri," Ellison gasped. The scent was Yuri's. Stomach now churning with shocked realization, he identified it as the same scent that had teased him before. It had been at all the other sites where he and his partner had been 'tested'. He leaned forward, resting his aching head against the wooden boards. It's been Yuri all this time. He figured out that I had these senses. He's been the one observing us, testing me, testing Sandburg, searching for a weakness. Yuri was the one who kidnapped H. He was the one who separated Blair and me when we were searching for Kraynor. He was even the one who kidnapped the little boy in Alabama. Ah, hell, he must be the assassin Ted warned me about, trying to get back into the game. Meaning he had to get Sandburg and me out of the way, which means his job is set for right now!
That thought was the extra boost Jim needed to push himself to his feet. He swayed in the hallway a moment, the memory of his partner falling through the floor flashing through his mind. Jim turned to the stairs leading to the basement. God damn it, Yuri. If you've hurt Blair, there is NO where on this earth you can hide. Pulling his gun, Jim cautiously crossed the distance to the stairwell.
Leaning against the wall, he tried to shake off the effects of remaining zoned for so long. Once he felt a bit steadier, he carefully filtered out the pounding rain to search for both his friend and any danger that lay between them. The slow, gentle beat of a heart at rest was a relief to the fearful sentinel. Jim closed his burning eyes a moment as he relaxed a fraction. Then he forced himself to straighten up. Surely a strategist like Yuri wasn't done yet. Tired from the extended zone and without his guide, Jim was vulnerable. Still on alert, Jim slipped something out of his pocket and into his left hand.
Then he carefully negotiated the steps, watchful for any danger. The sight of his partner, lying face down on the nest of blankets set beneath the slide, almost pushed Jim into racing across the dark room. However, his military training kicked in, keeping the cop in control. He paused a moment. "Chief? Blair? Come on, buddy, talk to me." Peering through the gloom, Jim thought he saw his friend's fingers move, but he wasn't certain. He took another step forward as he focused his hearing on his friend's reassuring heartbeat and steady breathing.
Yet he didn't notice the clear wire strung across the bottom step, nor did he feel it through his jeans when his leg pulled it forward. The wire tugged the switch on a tape recorder, which led to three large, battery-powered speakers.
Suddenly, the booming heartbeats of nine individuals, out of sync from one another, filled the small room. In addition, wails of unhappy babies and screams from terrified women punctuated the heartbeats. Covering his ears, Jim fell to his knees in agony.
* * *
Downtown
A black van with the insignia, "Party Favors and More" backed into a loading dock. A husky man with a clipboard waited impatiently. "It's about time. We only have another hour to finish setting up the room before the bigwigs get here.
A lanky man stepped out of the van. "I have everything you need to make the party a, how do you Americans say it? Ah yes, to make it 'a blast'. Yuri limped back to open the van door.
"I hope so. This is the first big event The Skylight has hosted, and my boss lady wants it to be a success."
"I'm sure it will be, how you say, crashing success." Yuri handed over a large cardboard box labeled, 'Nametags'.
"You mean, a smashing success," the other man corrected as he carried the box into the building.
"That, too," Yuri whispered as he followed with another box.
* * *
Major Crimes
Simon stopped by the desk of Detective Joel Taggart. "Any luck with the victim list?"
Joel simply shook his head. "It's endless, Simon. Without more to go on, it's rather pointless to even try to warn anyone. Doesn't Jim have any more information?"
"It didn't sound like it. But you could ask him."
Joel turned to search the Major Crimes bullpen with his eyes. "I haven't seen him since you handed me this assignment."
Simon checked the clock, surprised at how late it was. "They should have been done by now. Give him a call."
Joel picked up his phone, checked his phone list, and pushed the speed dial for Jim's cell. After several moments, Joel glanced up to his captain and friend. "No answer."
Simon frowned. "Out of order? Out of range?"
Joel shook his head. "No, it's ringing, just no one's picking it up."
"Try Sandburg's." Simon tried to hold onto his patience as Joel disconnected the number for Jim and punched the speed dial for Blair's cell phone. Realizing something was up, Connor and Brown wandered over to Joel's desk.
Joel listened for several rings before shaking his head. "No answer from Sandburg, either."
"That's not like Sandy," Megan pointed out. "He's been very carefully lately not to forget his phone."
"Nor does it seem likely that both he and Jim would forget," Joel added.
"How long have they been gone?" Rafe asked as he joined the group.
Simon glanced at the clock again. "Only three hours. It's probably nothing."
Everyone looked at each other, remembering the past few months. First, there was the mysterious man at the Sci Fi convention who seemed to know about Jim's hearing. Then there was Henri's kidnapping to lure Jim into a series of sensory tests. Only a few weeks ago, a third party had separated Jim
and Blair during a missing witness case for another series of mysterious tests.
"Or it could be something," Joel replied slowly, stating what the group of detectives were thinking.
"Or it could be something," Simon agreed, pinching the bridge of his nose. He was thinking of what had happened the last time Sandburg was with Nya. It was enough to shoot his blood pressure through the roof.
"Do we dare take the chance it's nothing?" Henri asked. "That dude who abducted me is still out there."
"And he knows about Jim's abilities," Megan delicately added, worry filling her voice.
"Which means this might be one of THOSE things," Simon sighed. He hated it when he had to deal with the sentinel business. Plus there was always the possibility that Blair had been tricked into drinking more of Nya's 'tea'. If either were the case, he didn't want to send any black and white on patrol to deal with it. He wanted people who already knew about the sentinel thing and have a better idea how to handle it. "Rafe, Brown, pick up the address of their contact and go check it out. Hopefully, they just forgot their phones in the car. If not, I want to know as soon as possible."
"Yes, sir." Both Rafe and Brown grabbed their jackets as they dashed out the door.
* * *
South Side
A high-pitched, chirpy ring emitted from Blair's jacket pocket. However, the soft ring had no chance against the din echoing off the cement walls. Nor did it have the power to overcome the drug that still had a tight grip on the young detective. The guide slept on, oblivious to the noise.
The sentinel, however, was a totally different story. The various loud sounds threatened to overpower Jim, his ears physically hurting from the vibrations. There wasn't even a definite pattern he could latch onto and filter out. His only prayer was to focus on something else, anything else but his hearing.
The grainy texture in his left hand increased, deepening into ridges. As Jim concentrated, the feel of the wood drew some of the pain away from his ears. Carefully, his thumb rolled it slowly over his middle finger, feeling the grain, feeling the roundness, feeling the pointed tip on the end. Once the sentinel had gained a bit of control, he shoved the tip of the toothpick into his palm.
He felt pain, but a different, welcomed pain. The new focus helped to shift the noise further away. Cautiously, Jim mentally touched his inner dial marked 'hearing', just as his guide had taught him. With excruciating slowness, the dial turned, slowly allowing the sentinel to reach almost deafness. Finally, he managed to work his eyes open. His head throbbed from the abuse it had received, but Jim ignored it. He spotted three speakers hanging in different corners of the square basement.
Anger unexpectedly boiled through him. "Damn you, Yuri," Jim growled as he grabbed a crow bar that hung over a neglected tool bench. Jim stormed to the first speaker, tearing it off the wall and smashing it with a swift downward swing. The noise reduced. Then Jim stormed to each of the other two in turn, yanking them down and smashing them into bits. Only then could he take a deep breath and allow the tight grip on his hearing dial to loosen.
Once released from the prison of sound, he checked for other traps, working his way over to kneel by his friend's side. Sensitive fingers gently felt Blair's pulse before searching for any broken bones or other injuries. Once his examination found nothing, he rolled Blair onto his back, head resting on Jim's knee. Jim's hand brushed against a needle lying underneath him, confirming the detective's suspicions that his partner had been drugged. Oh God, please don't let it be a poison like he gave H. By now, it would be too late for the antidote. The rolling action provoked a small moan from the younger man. Jim patted the face he could barely see in the gloom. "Chief? Chief? Come on now, it's time to wake up. Come on."
Another moan rose from Blair's lips. "'im?" He shifted slightly as a shiver shook his body.
Jim's hand switched to Blair's shoulder, rubbing it in circular movements to warm him. "It's okay, Chief. I just need for you to wake up now."
"M'rning?"
"No, it's..." Jim triggered the light on his watch and whistled, "nearly evening, buddy. You've got to wake up so we can go catch the bad guy."
"'ad... guy?" Blair dragged his eyes open. "See?"
"It's too dark for you to see. But let's get you on your feet." Jim slipped his hands under Blair's shoulders to help him rise.
"Hmm umm." The head shook weakly as the rest of the body remained limp.
Jim felt his gut twist, but kept the worry out of his voice. "Oh yeah. Time to rise and shine, partner."
Above, someone knocked on the door. A few moments later, Jim could hear it creak open. "Sandburg! Ellison!" a voice called out.
"We're down here, Henri! Bring flashlights and be careful! There may be more traps!" Blair shifted as Jim's yell echoed in his head. Jim dropped his volume. "I know, partner. Just hang in there."
"Jim," Blair asked groggily, but a bit more clearly. "What's going on?"
Jim took the improvement as a good sign. "We've had another visit from our mystery watcher. He drugged you and put me into a zone. Only now I know who he is."
"Who?"
"Yuri."
"Yuri?" Blair knew the name sounded familiar but he was too sleepy to make the connection. "Did you say drugged?"
Just then, heavy steps trotted down the stairs. Jim shielded his eyes as Brown and Rafe emerged, beams of light streaming ahead of them into the room.
* * *
The entrance to The Skylight, downtown Cascade
Rhonda took a deep breath as she handed her coat to her date, nerves making her tense. Yet he seemed to know that, his hand pausing long enough to squeeze hers before taking their coats to the coat check room. Rhonda turned to the full-length mirror on the wall. To everyone else, she was checking to see if her hair had survived the downpour outside. However, she was really checking the room behind her, wondering if she could make it through the evening without putting her foot in her mouth.
Craig Mathews stepped behind her, placing his hands on her shoulders. Their eyes met in the mirror. Rhonda was again amazed that such a good-looking, successful man would be interested in her. Yet the warm glow in his eyes confirmed that was the case. "You'll do fine, M'lady," he whispered into her ear.
Gratefully, she reached up and squeezed one of his hands resting on her shoulder. "Thank you, my knight," she whispered in return. She turned away from the mirror and took his arm. Together, they joined the party.
* * *
Across the street, Downtown Cascade
Yuri peered through a scope into the restaurant, then checked his marker on the utility wire, flapping heavily in the wind and rain. Such devices were more of a familiar comfort than anything else. The new weapon didn't require the accurate marksmanship that had been part of his trademark in the past. However, it did require less rain than the current downpour. He also needed all his targets in the room.
Glancing at the laptop to his right, Yuri could tell that about half of his tracking devices had been picked up from the entry table, and were currently circulating around the party. He would wait for the rain to ease and for most of his marks to arrive. After all, he had plenty of time. The picture of Ellison standing in the hallway, neutralized by a simple strobe light, brought a tight smile to his mask-like face. He had Ellison to thank for the last two painful years and the medication he was still forced to take. It was surprising how easily he could topple his nemesis.
Switching on his headset, Yuri could hear the various voices of Cascade's most powerful people. One voice in particular caught his ear.
"...my lady, Ms. Rhonda Cameron..."
Another tight smile broke through his control. His enemy's benefactor, the Police Commissioner himself, had arrived. He was the main reason Yuri took the contract on the Cascade council members. Not only did it give him a chance to show Ellison that Yuri was still the better man, but it would be a personal strike against Ellison. If he also accidently hit the attractive secretary from Major Crimes, it would only add to his
moment of triumph.
* * *
Southside
Jim stood in a dry spot on the porch, watching the paramedics check Blair over while he tried to ignore his own headache. Thankfully, his partner was recovering quickly from the drug. Yet Jim was impatient to be off, to find Yuri and stop whatever assassination he was planning to commit in his city. The only problem was that Jim had no idea where to look. More cars pulled up to join the collection of vehicles parked in front. Jim spotted Simon climbing out of his car, but decided to wait for his captain to approach him. The rain was still falling in sheets, so the detective figured he'd be getting wet soon enough.
The tall captain shook off the rain from his long trench coat. "Is Sandburg going to be okay?"
"I'm going to be fine, Simon." Blair stood up and walked away from the paramedics repacking their equipment. Jim noticed that his partner's eyes were still slightly dilated. "I'm just about over the knockout drug Yuri gave me."
"YURI!" Simon exploded. "I thought he was dead!"
"We never found a body," Jim reminded him.
"Damn, he has to be the assassin your friend warned us about!" Connor and Taggart had joined them in time to hear Simon's rant, also shaking water off their coats.
"That's not all, sir," Jim added forlornly.
Blair checked their surroundings to make sure he wouldn't be overheard, then lowered his voice. "Yeah. Jim says Yuri's been the one watching and testing us the last few months."
Simon growled and paced a small circle, trying to keep his temper in check.
"Who's Yuri?" Megan asked.
"A top Russian assassin." Blair glanced worriedly over to his partner, whose face currently looked like it was made of granite. "Jim had some dealings with him when he was with the Rangers. Plus a couple of years ago, Yuri assassinated a Russian poet here in Cascade. When he tried to assassinate another immigrant, we and the FBI protected her. We thought he had fallen to his death on a dam spillway, but apparently we were wrong."