BLINK 2: Circle of Ten

Chapter 2

John removed a photo from his jacket while he looked down in an attempt to spot the intruder. Any sign of something strange, and John would Blink to an earlier time, he was used to other Johns popping up and warning him of danger. The Blink sure had its uses.

The person below him tripped over a large steel pipe that had fallen to the floor.

'For fuck's sake!' she yelled. 'Why leave a massive fucking pipe on the floor? Fucking humans, honestly!'

More pigeons scattered, disturbed.

'Are you up there John?'

John smiled but said nothing.

'I can hear you breathing John,' Sem shouted in his direction. 'Are you disturbing the pigeons again?'

'I'm thinking Sem,' John shouted, 'you know this is my thinking spot.'

Sem tripped over something else, a fowl tirade of cuss words flowed from her mouth. 'You think too much John. Why can't you just enjoy the shit out of life?'

'Put some lights on.' John half laughed as he thought of Sem tripping and cursing.

From below the angel started glowing until the whole building was illuminated.

'Show off!'

She jumped into the air and flew up to him on pure white wings. She landed light and graceful next to where he sat, then folded her wings away and sat down. 'What's up fuck face?' Sem grabbed his hand and squeezed.

'The usual Sem, just feeling unappreciated.' He tensed but no blow came.

'I appreciate you John.' The golden tooth caught the moonlight and glinted as she smiled. 'My life used to be boring, now I'm almost killed on a daily basis. You have given my life meaning, and I can't thank you enough. You seem to be a shit magnet--and not normal shit either, real badass shit--and that's good.' She squeezed his hand tighter.

John squeezed her hand back. 'I know you appreciate me Sem, and thanks for not punching me.' A sudden thought came to him. 'Hey, you didn't f-bomb for a whole sentence!'

Her smile widened. 'That's because I wasn't finished.' She punched him hard on the shoulder. 'Man the fuck up John. We've been given another assignment.'

Another one! John grumbled under his breath.

Sem moved to jump down from the beam.

'I don't want another assignment Sem, I want some time off.'

'We don't get time off.' Seating herself again, she scowled at him. 'Evil doesn't rest, neither do we.'

'I'm not immortal Sem.' John looked down at his feet. 'I don't have a never-ending energy supply, not like you.'

Sem looked across the beam and studied the man sat next to her. 'You're full of shit John, something else is bothering you. You're not tired.' She grabbed his chin and looked directly into his eyes.

'It doesn't work anymore Sem, you know that.'

'I'm not trying anything John, I'm just looking into your eyes.' After a second she smirked. 'You're jealous! What are you jealous of?'

He jerked his chin away from the angel. 'The others.' He looked down again.

'The other Johns?'

John nodded slightly. 'Yeah, they all seemed so much cooler than me. They could all fight, and they seemed to know the Blink better than me. Even the Dark John knew what he was doing, even though it was wrong. I feel like I'm bumbling in the dark, relying on you for protection. Do you remember the John with the swords?'

Sem nodded.

'Was he cool?'

Sem nodded.

'The one with the robotic arm, cool or not?'

'Cool,' Sem answered.

'The John with scars and the massive futuristic demon- vaporising rifle, cool or not?'

'Way fucking cool!' Sem answered a bit too quick.

'Dark John, who took on half the demons in the city single-handed. Cool or not cool?'

A storm crossed Sem's features and she jumped from the roof, landing without a sound.

'Cool or not cool?'

Sem refused to answer.

'You Sem, my throat-punching, ass-kicking, heavenly-sword-toting, foul-mouthed guardian and protector. Cool or not cool?'

Again Sem didn't answer.

'Cool or not cool, Sem?' He looked down at her and cocked an eyebrow.

The angel glanced away and kicked at the floor. 'A bit cool,' she said in a small voice.

'Just a bit cool or cool as fuck, Sem?' John shouted as he clambered down from the high beam.

Again she didn't answer.

When he reached ground level, he near whispered, 'And me Sem? Cool or not cool?'

She shrugged her shoulders. 'Pretty cool. You can Blink.'

'Yeah but so could all the others.'

Sem walked forward and poked him hard in the chest. 'The others didn't face their demons John. The others didn't find and kill all of the Jack the Rippers. Yeah, we couldn't save everyone, but the four of them killed over ninety women! Ninety! Thanks to you the damage was minimal.' Another hard poke. 'The others didn't kill Dr. Kinoski who murdered over four hundred people in a Polish hospital by overdosing. The others didn't stop the cult in America from ordering all two thousand of their followers to take their lives only two years ago! And who stopped the mass murder in the Texas high school? How many died there John?'

John didn't look up when he answered. 'No one died Sem.'

'Too fucking right no one died, and why?' she almost shouted.

'Cause we stopped them Sem.' The floor, he'd look at the floor. The thought seemed eerily like Dé Ja Vu.

'Damn fucking right we did boyo. Need I go on? That's how fucking cool you are John. The others have nothing on you!'

John stuffed his hands in his pockets and kicked a stray piece of rubble. 'They could fight.'

'Huh,' Sem said. 'Is that it? You're sulking because they could all fight?'

John nodded.

'Well that's something I can definitely help you with.' The iron door screeched as she hefted it up. 'I have a friend who teaches that sort of stuff.' She glanced over her shoulder. 'You'll have to watch out for her though, she has a thing for strange human males.'

John ran to keep up with her. 'I didn't know you had friends Sem.' He ducked underneath the corrugated iron door she held up.

'John, there's a million fucking things you don't know about me.' She dropped the makeshift door on his head. 'Opps.' With a swaying walk, Sem made her way back to their car, leaving John rubbing a developing lump.