DC: Freaky Love ch. 14

Chapter 14: Investigation


Guen was busy polishing the sword she'd just lifted two hours ago, trying to make the blade shine as radiant as the noonday sun.  She wasn't sure why she'd taken it, only that a trip to an antiques shop had gone terribly awry, and she'd ended up stealing this as well.  Needless to say, the Scarecrow made it quite clear he wasn't impressed with what was turning out to be a crime spree of nothing but theft.  Still, Guen couldn't quite explain to him why she'd needed it.  She just had.

Sighing, she placed the sword gently on top of the filing cabinet, next to the vase and the box.  Stepping back, she examined her little collection with a frown, trying to understand why the items had called to her, and why these items in particular.

"Admiring our work, are we?" said a voice dripping with sarcasm, and Guen jumped, whirling around to see Jonathan Crane staring down his nose at her, arms crossed and a foot tapping impatiently.

"Dr. Crane!" she gasped, a hand flying to her heart, "I hadn't heard you come in."  She bit her tongue to avoid saying more, trying to look him only in the eye.  Damn it, Pendragon, what do you see in the man?  He may look good, but he's at least twice your age, completely insane, and a convicted criminal!

"Clearly," he answered dryly, and his eyes flicked up to the items on the filing cabinet, "Interesting hobby, though I didn't expect your ego to be so high you had to steal after your namesake."

"Huh?  What??" Guen said dumbly, not following.  Her namesake?  What the heck…?

"Not that that's important at the moment.  I've come to say that I am rather disappointed in your behavior, Guenhivyre.  I thought you wished to be my disciple." he said in a steely voice, his gray-blue eyes boring into her.  Her stomach seemed to vanish, and her heart sank as she looked up at him.

"It's not that I mean I do I just can't help myself I don't know how to explain it but I know you've been getting angry with me and I really do want—"

"Guenhivyre.  You're babbling again."

"Oh, right.  S-sorry.  But I do want to be your student, Dr. Crane!  I just…I can't explain…." She stammered, lowering her gaze to the ground.  She nervously tucked a flyaway strand of hair behind her ear, feeling her wings flutter and wilt.  Was he going to throw her out?  Did he have no use for her anymore?  Her heart started to pound at the thought, beating a tattoo on her ribs in panic, and her wings snapped open and shut.

"Well I must say you have a strange way of showing it, Guenhivyre.  And let me assure you, I don't appreciate students who become easily distracted.  I dealt with enough of those when I still had my teaching license." he said evenly, examining his fingernails as though there were nothing more fascinating in the room.

"I-I'm sorry, sir.  I promise I will do better in the future to pay attention." she said,  staring down at her combat boots, a shiver moving through her wings.  For a moment, she was met with only silence.  Then two long, thin fingers tilted her chin up and back and she met that gray gaze.

"I'm sure you will, Guenhivyre.  After all, with as independent as you're getting with frightening the mundanes, there is hope for you." he said gently.  "Still, I don't like the idea of you trying to go freelance while under my tutelage."

You mean you don't like me having a mind of my own, Mr. Control Freak. she commented to herself, but outwardly she nodded.  Might as well keep him happy.  He smiled at her, and she felt her heart nearly skip a beat.  The man had no clue what he did to women.

Without warning, the door crashed open, and they both jumped, spinning around to see—

"Knock, knock, Scary.  I do hope I'm not…interrupting anything." came a proud, smarmy voice.

"Eddy!" Guen cried, rushing forward and tackling the Riddler in a tight hug.  "Eddy, it's so good to see you!  How are you?  You didn't run away from Arkham?" Her thrill suddenly turned to dread.  Eddy had been doing so well; had he thrown it all away since she'd last been to the asylum?

"No, no," he answered calmly, giving her a warm smile, tucking back strands of her hair, "I've been hired, legally of course."

"Nygma, while I appreciate the company of your intellect—" Jonathan growled behind them, but Edward started speaking loudly over him.

"Did you hear that?" he practically yelled, and looked dramatically up to the ceiling, "God?  My brilliance is becoming a burden!  People can spot it when I walk into a room.  Please get back to me."

She tried biting her lip, but Guen was too late to supress the gigglefits that followed.  And when she saw the expression on Jonathan Crane's face, it only made it worse, and she found herself doubled over, clutching her sides in laughter.  Just as she was calming down a bit, something gently brushed her feathers, and she jerked up right, instantly sobered, and looked wild-eyed at Eddy.

"Why didn't you tell me?" he asked quietly, a pained expression on his masked face.  Guen's anger melted away and she felt her heart sink.  She hadn't meant to hurt him.

"Eddy, I…I mean, I didn't want to—"

"Don't you trust me?" he asked, and she was on the verge of tears.  He thought she didn't trust him?  But he knew she did!

Why did it hurt so much to see him upset?

"A-hem!" coughed an annoyed voice, and they glanced up at Jonathan, who was crossing his arms again, "If we are quite finished with this soap opera of a reunion, would either of you mind explaining to me what in the name of Lovecraft is going on?"

"Perhaps if you could keep a civil tongue in that head of yours." the Riddler spat, glaring daggers at the bespectacled man.

"Eddy!" Guen gasped, astonished that her friend would be so vehement toward his fellow criminal.  Surely he hadn't always been this antagonistic toward Dr. Crane?

"Relax, Guenhivyre.  As I said, I was hired out…by a man who claims to be your brother." the Riddler said gently, placing one of his hands on her shoulder, electric jolts racing through her skin.  Then she took in what he was saying.

"My brother??" she said, and Jonathan snorted.

"Impossible!  Unless of course your new employer runs about with other vigilantes in tights after dark."  he remarked, and the Riddler raised an eyebrow at him.

"I do not know whether or not Mr. Pendragon takes to vigilante work when our backs our turned, but the small team I've assembled has been asked to bring Guenhivyre too him." he shot back, then looked at Guen, "He says he's been trying to find you for a long time."

Guen's heart pounded, her mind swirling in confusion.  Another brother?  Or the same man…?  And what in the world was going on?  Why was Edward Nygma having this effect on her?

"My apologies, Nygma," Jonathan snapped, striding toward them, "But I simply won't allow this to happen.  Guenhivyre is staying right where she is."

Her mind began to race.  Thinking on her feet, she raised her hands.

"Guenhivyre?  What do you think you're doing?" he shouted, lunging for her.

And she brought the manacle and the wristband together with a resounding ping.  At once, she felt sleepy, as though caught somewhere between dreaming and waking, and she lost all sense of feeling, of solidity.  She didn't know where her stomach was, her feet, her wings.  And when she blinked once or twice, all of her that remained solid were the ornaments on her wrists.  The next second, Jonathan fell right through where she should be, crashing to the floor at the Riddler's feet, who looked shocked, but recovered quickly, sneering down at the professor.

"Tell me, Scary.  What is full of straw, has no brains, and catches fire easily?" he purred, the effect making his black lipstick look menacing.  Jonathan looked up with a snarl just in time to see the golden, hook-end of the Riddler's question-mark cane come crashing down on his head, a wicked grin on its owner's face.

"Eddy!" Guen shrieked again.

"Don't worry, I only knocked him out for a while," he answered calmly, shouldering his cane before looking at her.  "You didn't tell me about this either.  No one did.  How?"  He indicated her transparent form.

"I—I'm not sure, but that's not the point!  You can't just do that to Jonathan!"

"Oh, so it's Jonathan now, but not when he's conscious to hear it?"

"What? No!"  she cried, "That's not the point!"

"No, this is," he responded, waving the hook-end of the cane, "And he'll be fine.  The good doctor has recovered from worse, after all.  Now.  How?" he repeated firmly.

"Th-the manacle and the wristband.  This happens when I bring them together, but I don't know why." she answered, showing them to him, "And I don't know why they remain solid and stay on me at the same time." Sighing, she stepped away from Jonathan and out of the room, followed closely by the Riddler.  After they were a good distance away, she brought the manacle and her wristband together again and she was solid once more.  Abruptly her stomach lurched and her limbs felt like they'd been filled with lead.  Dizzy, she staggered, nearly losing her balance, and Eddy caught her, those strange, sweet jolts going through her.

What's happening to me?  Does he have any idea?

Pulling her along, they made haste, tearing out of the laboratory as fast as they were able, hoping against hope that Jonathan Crane wouldn't awake and be on their heels.  Edward made for the parking garage, and there was an SUV waiting, with a familiar face behind the wheel.

"Trick Deck!" Guen cried, smiling, and the girl gave her a two-fingered salute, and the Penguin, in the passenger's seat, inclined his head to her politely.  That threw Guen off her balance again.  Trick Deck and the Penguin??  She wouldn't have pegged her with him, but then, Guen was still getting used to the idea that she herself was now a wanted criminal.  Eddy threw one of the side doors open, and offered her his hand to help her step up and in.  She hesitated before taking it, and felt that tingling again, this time accompanied by an odd yet pleasant, warm weight.

"Come on, we don't have all day to just dick around, you know!" Trick Deck griped from the front seat, and Oswald Cobblepot turned a withering look on her.

"Language, my little bird.  You must speak as is becoming of a young lady such as yourself." he reminded her gently, and she turned pink in the face.

"Alright, we're ready." the Riddler said, slamming the door shut once and he and Guen had taken their seats.  "Knock yourself out, smarty."

Trick Deck grinned and interpreted this order as "floor it."  Guen let out an initial squeak of shock as they took off, but she calmed down a bit, although her heart took longer to slow down than her mind.

"Consider yourself lucky, newbie.  If it weren't for Erin Knightly knowing how to get ahold of Dr. Crane whenever she wants, we might not have been able to find the place.  That's how we knew to stake the lab out, in spite of those signs that were put up." Trick Deck explained, rounding a sharp corner like she was steering a roller coaster.

"Where did the gambler acquire the legal authorization to maneuver a vehicle?" the Riddler muttered darkly, gripping the arms of his seat as though trying to keep them from suddenly flying off.

"Please, Edward, no more riddles." the Penguin sighed in a long-suffering tone.

"Put me behind the wheel and there won't be." he responded.

"Oh, quit complaining, Edward."

A sudden thought hit Guen.  "You know, all of you know my real name.  And I know everyone's except yours." she said pointedly to Trick Deck, who grinned at her in the rearview mirror.

"I suppose I might as well tell you, Guen.  After all, I like you, and it's not often that happens right off the bat.  My name is May.  May Markowitz." she answered.

"Glad to meet you, May.  Although perhaps you might prefer your professional name?"

"Call me mine, I'll call you yours."

"Got it." Guen said with a relieved smile.

Promptly, with another grin, Trick Deck turned on the radio, flipping through channels until she found one she wanted, much to dismay of her male passengers.

"Hey, I know this song!" Guen piped up, and together, they sang along with the radio to La Roux's "Bulletproof."  Relaxing immensely, Guen found the time passed rather quickly as they made their way from Crane Chemical Labs further into the heart of Gotham.  She wasn't sure how long her friend had been driving, only that soon they parked in front of a skyscraper with a penthouse on the top floor.  Running along the side of the tower, in enormous green letters were the words "Dragon's Blood, Inc."  She shivered.  Was this really her brother's company?  Good lord, the man must have a fortune to rival Bruce Wayne's!  Gulping slightly, she stared up, wondering in silence.

"Is everything alright, Guenhivyre?" the Riddler asked gently when he noticed her gaze.

"It's…it's just…I've already met a man who says he's my brother, but he hides his face.  I don't even know the guy's name…And now…Eddy, do you really think this Pendragon guy is my brother?  I know we have the same last name, but I still feel…" she fell short and bit her lip, her mind aching with all the implications.

"It'll be alright, Guen, you'll see." Trick Deck said, opening her door and sliding out, the Penguin following her lead.

"Guenhivyre," the Riddler said gently, taking her hands in his and making her heart race without warning, "I'm not sure what to make of Logann Pendragon.  He might be your brother, he might not.  But one thing is for sure, and that is when you see him, you'll realize the resemblance between you two is astounding."

"Logann…?" she whispered.

A man was standing over her, looking down at her, shaking his head in disappointment.  "Another failure.  Upsetting."  He scratched away at a clipboard.

"Maybe something went wrong with the injection, Dr. Dorian?" a voice said gently.

"No, Kirk.  After all, the boy—what's his name? Logann?—he has already shown signs of a surfacing mutation." Dorian answered.  "Perhaps the girl is not the right carrier." He sighed, massaging his brow in frustration.  Guen thought he looked like a grumpy old cat.

"Only one boy has shown the signs, the other still has yet to yield any results from the testing." Kirk Langstrom argued, coming over and giving her a paternal smile, ruffling her hair, and she smiled back.  Dr. Langstrom was a nice man, and he didn't always talk about her like she wasn't there.

"If I may make a suggestion?" said a new voice.

Guen's blood turned to ice in her veins.  That voice!

"Perhaps higher estrogen levels in a specimen might be slowing the process down.  Maybe it'll just take longer to surface in Guenhivyre." it went on, and she hugged her tiny arms.  A pair of cold, dark brown eyes were staring at her intently.

"Guen?" the Riddler's soft voice brought her sharply back into reality and she nearly jumped.

"S-sorry.  Lost in thought, I suppose." she replied, taking his hand and stepping down out of the vehicle.  What was that?  Are my memories coming back and trying to tell me something?  Is it that this Logann Pendragon is my brother?  And that voice…No, there's no way.  But still…if that was the person Joker said is my bogeyman…Another shudder racked her frame, and her wings opened, a white-hot pain shooting through them.  She whimpered, and clutched her sides, trying not to cry out as the pain intensified, and loud cracking noises sounded behind her.

"Guen!  Your wings!" Edward cried, reaching for her.  And just as soon as it had started, the pain leaving her in a cold sweat, shivering like she'd just been caught out in the rain for several hours, tears rolling down her cheeks.

"Extraordinary!" the Penguin said, walking toward her.  "They grew on their own!"

'They what?!" Guen cried, jerking upright, reaching over her shoulder to feel the soft, feathered limbs.  Sure enough, she couldn't feel the tips of them anymore, but that was to be expected.

"They grew.  At least by two inches!" Trick Deck said, looking at the wings fluttering on her back, stretching to their new length.

"What an interesting coloration," the Penguin remarked, "I wish I could remember the specifics, my dear.  If I could, I would tell you exactly which bird you carry the DNA of."

"Bird DNA?" she whispered.

"Well, duh!  What, you think you're half-angel or something?" Trick Deck snorted, giggling.

"She could've fooled me with that long fall of hers." the Riddler piped up, giving Guen a mischievous smile, and she felt her stomach tie itself in knots.

"Now if all is well, we ought to be heading up.  We don't want to keep Mr. Pendragon waiting." the Penguin said matter-of-factly.  And as one, the four of them headed inside, crossing the vast lobby with a fountain—A fountain!  He has got to be stinking, filthy rich! Guen said to herself in shock—and took one of the elevators to the 8th level of the tower, a lighthearted tune playing as they rode.  The doors opened to a hallway done in chestnut wood panel siding and black, rose-patterned carpets.

Good lord, even Poison Ivy would approve! Guen thought with a snicker as they passed a display of flowers to a door.  The Penguin flipped his umbrella over, and gently knocked the handle on the door three times in a quick rhythm.

"Enter." said a voice inside, a deep, rich voice that set her mind to thinking of Camelot, Arthur, Avalon, and Merlin.

Trick Deck came to the front and opened the door, revealing a large conference room with an enormous round table set in its center.  A figure was seated at the far side, shuffling through the contents of a manila folder, but when they entered, he looked up, caught her eye and froze, blinking.

"Mr. Pendragon, if I may introduce—" the Riddler said, clearing his throat.

"Guenhivyre." the man said breathlessly in that hypnotic, lovely voice.  He shut the folder as if mesmerized, set it on the table, and walked around to come and stand before her, and Guen gripped Eddy's hand for support, surprising herself.  He hadn't been lying!  Were it not for the fact Logann Pendragon was a tall man with a well-toned physique under that business suit, she could've sworn she was looking in a mirror.  Same pale skin, same long, dark hair, same dark green eyes.  He reached out his arms as though about to rush and hug her, but stopped himself, dropping them to his sides, a look of confusion on his face, a vast, old sorrow dancing in the light of his eyes.  Abruptly, he cleared his throat, and put on what Guen swore was an amazing poker face, and thrust his right hand forward for a handshake.

"Logann Pendragon, owner of Dragon's Blood, Inc.  And you, Guenhivyre, are my baby sister.  You've no idea how long it has taken me to find you."



That night, Trick Deck was following Logann Pendragon closely, waiting until he'd left the building to turn on the SUV and go after him.  She thanked every car company she could think of for making the engine silent.  Both the Riddler and Ozzy had mentioned that something about Logann's behavior seemed a bit off this afternoon when he'd met Guenhivyre.  Certainly he'd not been what the poor girl was expecting, and he himself had seemed extremely uncomfortable during that time.  Or at least, his eyes kept flickering back and forth all over the room, and he'd constantly played with his manila folder, slowly rotating it the whole time.  May felt bad for Guen.  To think she'd been separated from her brother, whom she only recently remembered, and he'd been so cold and distant, as though they were discussing a business transaction!  Definitely not what even she had been expecting.

She was so lost in thought she almost missed Pendragon turning his sleek car into a gas station, and swerved at last minute to stay behind him.  She snickered as she saw him park, get out of the car, and walk inside.  Something about the high and mighty rich Logann Pendragon doing anything as everyday as going inside a gas station seemed a little comical to her.  She parked the SUV, turned off the lights, and stepped inside, admiring his car on the way.

"Nice.  Though I think a Spyder would be more Logann's style than a Jag." she whispered to herself out loud.

"Whose style, love?" asked a curious English voice, and May spun around, her hand shooting out to cover Magpie's mouth.

"Shhh!!  Keep it down, Ness!" she hissed, ducking behind the aisles, hoping Pendragon hadn't noticed her.  She slowly stood, peeking over the shelves, and saw him picking out a two-liter of Coca-Cola, and then ducked down before he saw her.  She slowly removed her hand.

"What's going on?"

"SSSHHHH!!  Quiet, he'll hear you!  I'm following him: Logann Pendragon!" May whispered, pointing at him over the rows.  Vanessa Cook peeked over the aisle for a moment before ducking back down, eyes sparkling.

"Ooooh!  He's a fittie, mate.  Think you could introduce us?" she said.

"I'm tailing him on Ozzy's orders.  He's the guy that's been employing Eddy and us as of late, but he lives on the penthouse floor of his building.  He has no valid reason to be out and about this late…unless there's something he's not telling us."  She glanced over at her friend and rolled her eyes.  "And before you ask, yes, he's wealthy."

"Oh, now you must introduce me to him!" Ness said, waggling her eyebrows.

"Look, you can tag along if you want, but frankly, if you do anything to give us away to Mr. Pendragon, I'm tossing you out the passenger side window." Trick Deck warned her, and Magpie nodded fervently, grinning.  They watched as Logann purchased a large number of Coke two-liters, left the stunned clerk a ten-dollar tip, and swept out of the station, soda in tow, as he went back to his Jaguar.  The two watched as he drove up to the corner, waiting for an opening in traffic, and made a run for the car, praying they wouldn't lose him.  Trick Deck threw the SUV into drive and shot after the Jag just as it pulled out, and she slowed down just a tad, so as not to seem suspicious.  Not surprisingly, the Jaguar didn't head back in the direction of the Dragon's Blood tower.  Instead, it headed for Gotham Bay Bridge, and took it toward the farthest part of Gotham, further toward the outskirts of the city than even the Scarecrow's lab was.

"What's up with that, huh?" Ness said from the passenger seat, and May gritted her teeth in frustration.  There was definitely something going on that Logann Pendragon wasn't telling them, and that pissed her off.  A part of her mind vaguely brought up the idea that it might be something completely harmless, but she ignored it.  For several years now, May Markowitz had learned that when her gut instincts started to tell her something, it was usually best that she didn't ignore them.  And right now, they were saying that Pendragon had a hidden agenda.

"They say curiosity killed the cat, Yank." Vanessa cautioned her as they pulled out after the Jag, May flicking off the headlights.

"Yes, and they also say that satisfaction brought it back." she answered smugly.

"If you say so."

Logann drove through a woody area until he abruptly turned, and they followed him to a strange, old building that looked like it had seen better days.  He pulled up in the parking lot, which seemed to barely exist for all the overgrowth, next to a strange car that neither girl could place.  Trick Deck parked well enough away from the building, killing the engine, and they waited until they saw Logann go in a side door, carrying his Coca-Cola with him.

"What's he doing here?  And what's with the soda?" Magpie murmured, getting out of the SUV.

"I don't know, but I'm more worried about the other car.  If Mr. Pendragon wants to conduct a business meeting with anyone, why not do it at his office?" Trick Deck replied, locking the door and shutting it.  The SUV chirped once, and they crept toward the building, heading for the side door in the pale light of the half-moon.  They found it easily enough, but when they went for the handle—

"Locked!" Trick Deck growled.

"Stand back, love, I'll take a kip at it.  This is my area of expertise." Magpie said, slipping past her and opening a device similar to a Swiss army knife, except this was full lock-picking tools.  She selected one, and worked at the lock on the door a moment, until there was the tiniest of clicks, and the door creaked inward.

"Nice one." Trick Deck remarked, giving the door a gentle push.

"Cheers."

And they stepped inside the dimly lit hallway, doing their best to remain silent, although they had little trouble with that on the carpeted floor.  They saw several doors, all of which were locked, but Trick Deck waved Magpie off of them.

"Come on, there's bound to be light wherever he went." she breathed, and they moved on, taking a right down the hall until they spotted an open door with light spilling from it.  Excitement building, they moved closer, until they stopped near the door and listened.

"—honestly, now!  I feel so undignified, meeting you here like this." they heard Logann saying, followed by a crack, a hiss, and the sound of something being swallowed.

"Watch it with that Coke.  You know what'll happen if your body stores it until next time." said a cold, hard voice that sent shivers down their spines.

"The hell with that!  You're a creep, an animal!  And you expect me to deliver my sister to you!  Now, when I've just found her again.  You're sick." Logann snapped, and they heard another swallow.

"I never said it had to be now, my friend.  I just said soon.  You can have your little family reunion, but once the novelty of it wears off for her, I'm taking her back." the other man said in steely tones.

A cold hand closed over both girls' hearts as they exchanged a look.  Guen was in trouble!  But how?  And from who?  And why was Logann Pendragon meeting with the man.

"What, you mean like her sash?  Why in the world did you ask me to even take a cut of it?  What are you planning on, you sick freak?" Logann growled.

Trick Deck put a finger to her lips, and pointed down the hall, and Magpie nodded.  Silently, they started to back away, and it would have gone smoothly, if not for a floorboard that creaked underfoot as they were walking away.  They froze.

"What was that?" they heard Logann gasp.

"You fool!  You're supposed to make sure you're not followed!" said the other man.

"Bollocks!" Magpie hissed, and they raced down the hall, Trick Deck ducking into an open door and dragging Magpie in after her.  They pressed their backs to the wall facing away from the door, and someone raced by, and then the side door of the building slammed shut.  Carefully, heart pounding, Magpie inched toward the door, and slowly pushed it to the jamb before stepping back.

"That was a close one." she whispered.

"You're telling me," Trick Deck exhaled, "So now what?"

"May…?  There's something on the wall."

Trick Deck frowned, though Magpie couldn't see it in the dark room, and put her hand to the wall.  Now that Mags had mentioned it, there was something covering the wall, something that broke and began over and over in odd places.  It felt glossy, almost like—
"Photos?" she murmured.  Feeling around, her hands ran over more of them, until she found a light switch and flicked it on, bringing the room into a sudden, bright relief.  She blinked, clearing the light-spots from her eyes, and gasped.

The walls of the room were covered in pictures.

Pictures of Guenhivyre Pendragon.

"Oh, no.  Wraith." Magpie whispered.

"Hell!  This is sick!  What is this, some sort of a shrine?" Trick Deck said, coming to stand next to her friend, staring at the photos.  Some of them seemed to be of a younger Guen, but most were recent, and there were even some shots that looked like they were pulled from security cameras, showing her blue wings up close.

"A shrine?  No, not quite.  Merely a room where I keep my photos for study." the cold voice suddenly said behind them, making them jump in fright.

A man was standing in the doorway, his face carefully neutral, although his dark brown eyes stared at them icily from above a hooked nose.  Trick Deck found her voice first.

"What's the meaning of this?" she demanded, gesturing toward the walls.

"Actually, I should be asking you that.  Neither of you have any right to be in this room, let alone in this building.  I told Logann he shouldn't have let anyone follow him.  But does anyone ever listen to me?  Noooooo." he said with a sigh, lifting something from his side.  Trick Deck.  Logann's manila folder.  The man walked past them, flipping it open to reveal more photographs of Guenhivyre Pendragon.  A horrible thought dawned on her.

"Logann's been giving you these.  He didn't need us to find Guen after all; he needed her found for you."

"Bingo, sweetie." the man said, regarding her with an evil smile.  "The only way Pendragon gets the right information for the hounds at his labs is if he delivers his sister to me."

"What's your deal, Yankee?  What's your angle on Guen, anyway?" Magpie snapped, the two of them backing up, waiting for the right moment to bolt for the door.  But suddenly it shut again, this time with Logann Pendragon in the room, regarding them icily.

"My angle?" the man mused, and Logann pulled a syringe and a vial filled with a chartreuse liquid from inside his coat.

"Disappointing," he remarked, taking a step toward them, "to think that someone I hired would have me followed.  Twice as disappointing that I didn't notice it.  You're good, Trick Deck.  Sometimes a little too good."

"What's going on here, Pendragon?  Why are you giving this—this—creep anything about Guen?  Why didn't you tell us the truth?" she shouted, backing away from him, grabbing Magpie's arm.  To her surprise, Logann's glare melted and his face softened into a sad expression.

"It wasn't my choice, believe me." he said softly.

"It never was, Lance my friend." the other man spoke up, pulling another picture of Guen from the folder and nuzzling it before hanging it on the wall.

"My name is Logann!" he hissed back, pure rage turning his handsome face into a look even the Scarecrow would envy.

"Oh, please.  Spare me the melodrama, Lancelot.  You know that's your real name, there's no point in insisting you be called by another." the man rolled his dark eyes, like he constantly suffered from saying this.  Then he looked at them again.  "You asked me what designs—excuse me, angle—I have on Guenhivyre, girls.  Quite frankly, I should think you both know that ownership is nine-tenths of the law."

"What are you saying?" Trick Deck asked, dreading the response.

The man smiled again, stroking one of the photos.

"Guen is mine.  She's always been mine, right from the very beginning.  And she will be mine again once we're reunited." he answered.

"Sorry, but I don't think tall, dark, and obsessive is her type." Magpie snorted.

"And what, are you going to tell her about this nice little talk we're having?"

"That's right.  We look out for our friends." Mags said, glaring at him.

"Very sweet of you, but I'm afraid I can't allow that to happen.  You see, if you were to go and tell her, it would ruin our reunion.  Lance?" he said, turning calmly to Pendragon, who rushed forward and seized Magpie in a full-body-lock.  She screamed and kicked against him, calling both men several colorful names.

"Oh, please!  I have a name, but does anyone bother to use it?  Noooooo." the man said dramatically, throwing his arms up into the air.

"Oh yeah?  I'm beginning to think your name is MUD!" Trick Deck roared, snapping her leg up to kick his face in.  He caught it at last second, smiling evilly.

"It's Milo.  Professor Achilles Milo." he sneered.

"Milo?!" she gasped.  There was a moan behind her and the sound of a body hitting the floor.  "MAGPIE!"

"Sorry about this, sweetie." Pendragon said gently, seizing her from behind, and despite her struggling, his grip didn't budge.

"Time for your naps, ladies."  Milo said, baring all his teeth in a wicked grin, "Oh, and don't tell Guenhivyre.  It would spoil the surprise!"

Something broke May's skin, and she felt it slide into her neck, pumping fluid into her blood stream.  Her vision started to fade, and before she hit the ground, the last thing she saw was Milo pulling a silvery cloth from inside his coat pocket.

Wraith's sash! she thought, her struggling slowing to a crawl.

Milo brought the piece of her sash up to his face, caressing it against his skin lovingly and inhaling with a deep, shuddering moan, closing his eyes as though in ecstasy.

"You'll understand you're mine when we're together again, Guen." he said softly, "You've always been mine, right from the beginning.  That's why I gave you your wings."