On The Precipice: The Host Fanfiction

Chapter 4 - Assembled

Chapter 4 – Assembled

Dell was scrubbing the remaining potatoes in the bag in front of him and preparing for dinner. Unless he was mistaken, this was the last of the potatoes and he would be forced to be 'creative' by tomorrow's meal. He hoped Marc and Scotts' visit to Auntie had gone well today. He didn't handle going incognito among the Souls as well as Marc or Scott, being in a crowd of them made him feel jumpy. But they all had their talents, and while he had busted more than few heads in his rough-and-tumble youth, he enjoyed the simple action of making dinner for the group today.

It was as he finished with the potatoes that Eric burst into the kitchen area and ran up to Dell. His face was white and eyes wide. Dell immediately set down his work and felt his stomach drop…'something is very wrong' he thought as he looked at the older man.

Eric only needed three words to confirm Dell's worst fear, "They have Marc."

Dell tensed and was ready to ask more but Eric continued in a hurry, "Scott and him were ambushed by a team of Seekers in the tunnels. Scott got away but last he saw of Marc he was surrounded by Seekers."

Dell uttered a string of profanities, his face going hard, "Where are they?"

"Dell, that's the thing, they are down at the interchange, and they are practically right on top of us!" exclaimed Eric.

"How the hell did they get so far?!" he thundered.

Eric shook his head rapidly, "I don't know…the motion trackers didn't go off and Tim and Ross are handling guard duty and didn't see a thing."

"Who else knows?"

"I found you first after getting off the phone with Scott", replied Eric. "I told him we would send in everyone…I mean this is it…isn't Dell?" asked Eric voicing the question they all feared would one day come when the Seekers finally found them.

Dell nodded gravely, "God damn right it is, let's get everyone rounded up."

####

"Simon, really, you don't need to fuss over me so much," intoned Sister Mary-Margret, "Isn't Sarah due for her monthly checkup?"

Simon frowned down at his patient. Well it was hard to call the elderly Nun a patient, as she refused to be bed-bound and would continually make a nuisance of herself with his other patients. He gently pushed down on the Sister so she remained in bed. "You really need to rest; you've been pushing a fever for the better part of a day. And I don't like the way your lymph nodes are looking."

"My nodes are fine", she affirmed, slapping his hand away.

He looked down at the frail old woman, considered his options, and then went from broke. "Lay down or I will tie you down." She narrowed her eyes and held his gaze, but Simon wasn't having any of it. "I have rope in my closet. I'll go get it now."

The Nun sighed and then laid back in the bed in their makeshift hospital. The hospital lay in the remnant of an old cable car tunnel existing under LaSalle Street. When quiet Simon could hear traffic on the street less than sixty feet above, when the L train passed by the whole room would shake and the lights would flicker. As a place to practice medicine, it left much to be desired, but Simon had worked in worse.

"There isn't any need for this", protested Mary-Margret, "You gave me a dose of that fancy Soul medicine, I'll be fine."

Simon gritted his teeth. He hated using their medicine, even if he couldn't deny its success. He had spent months studying it but was no closer to understanding how it worked. Of course his lack of equipment was the biggest factor in his lack of progress. "I know", he replied irritated, "gave you a dose of INSIDE HEAL and COOL, but it doesn't seem to be working. Supposedly this stuff doesn't have an expiration date, but I'm going to try a different container."