A time To Die - Dont Be A Hero Book 2

Encounters

  Natasha was jolted awake by a sound. She had dozed off. Stupid! she admonished herself, harshly. Then turned her attention back to the bed. Her heart skipped a beat as Jackson stood up. Or was it Jackson? She waited, breath held in anticipation. When he turned and reached under the bed to pull out a satchel, her heart pounded harder. It sounded so loud in her own ears that she was afraid he could hear it, too.

He opened the satchel and pulled out a wad of black clothing and armor. She forced herself to remain hidden and stay calm as she watched him dress methodically. He hadn't been dressed in his usual gear when she had met him. The being that stood before her now nearly caused her heart to fail. He looked frightening. Invincible.

She ached even more for him than she had before. She waited, breathless as he moved toward the door. Just when she heard it click shut, she sprang to her feet and followed. After counting to five, she opened the door a crack and caught a glimpse of him as he disappeared around a corner. She followed as quietly as she could, wondering where he was off to.

She was surprised when she peeked around the corner and saw that the light above the elevator he had just stepped onto indicated that he was going up. Not down. It stopped on the floor Tya's suite was on. She waited and then pressed the call button, hoping she had given him enough time.

When she stepped out, she looked up and down the hall, but he had disappeared around a corner. Was he going to the Oracle's room?

..................

Jerome's eyes fluttered open when he felt a shift in the atmosphere of the room. Someone was there. He looked back over his shoulder and saw a tall, masked figure standing there, cape flowing around him. His arms were crossed and he was silent. Green electricity crackled around his eye area and the emblem on his chest.

Very gently, Jerome shifted Tya away from him, careful not to wake her up. He stood to his feet and faced Father Time as he folded his wings around himself.

"Why are you here?" he asked in his melodic voice.

"The Oracle. She has been intercepted by someone..." came the low reply.

Jerome noticed that his voice was similar to the detective's, yet very different. It was the same low growl, but it contained none of the humor or laughter that Jackson's voice usually held.

Jerome arched an eyebrow. "Intercepted?"

"Compromised. I have not ever recorded such evil as that which was recorded when Detective Wolfe made contact with her earlier. She, herself, is not evil, so I deduced that during the time she was in a trance-like state, there was someone very powerful and very evil seeing through her eyes. Someone who had the ability to lock her away in her own mind, so that they could see what she saw and hear what she heard. There is a possibility that, given more time, he would have been able to fully control her."

Jerome shuddered. So that was what had happened to her. He glanced back at the sleeping woman and stepped toward the door. "Let's go into the hall where we won't disturb her."

He opened the door and waited for his strange visitor to step through before following him and closing the door behind him. He stiffened when he heard something rustling down the hall. He cocked his head, listening. Father Time just waited, quietly.

"There is someone moving around down there," Jerome whispered.

"Yes. I am aware."

Jerome looked back at the masked face and said, "You know?"

"There is little that I do not know. Do not be alarmed. It is the Raven. She has... taken an interest in me."

Jerome glanced down the hall again and then nodded. "I see. It does not bother you that she is... following you?"