The Ultimate Demon

[noazmale]

CHARMED
"The Ultimate Demon"
by J. B. Tilton
email: [e-mail]
Rating: K+ (for mild language)

Disclaimer: “Charmed” and all related characters and events are the property of the WB television network, except for those characters specifically created for this story. This is a work of fan fiction and no infringement of copyright is intended.

* * *

(Authors note: This story takes place between season 4 episodes “Womb Raider” and “Witch Way Now?”.)

* * *

The Charmed Ones receive an unusual visitor at the manor and become embroiled in a secret government project that could end the human race on Earth.

* * *

ONE

Phoebe came out of the kitchen with a cup of coffee. She was feeling better today. After her “miscarriage”, her boss had agreed to a few days off. She was using that time to get her life straightened out.

Cole was gone. Vanquished by her and her sisters when he had tried to kill them. Her baby was gone. Stolen by the Seer who had been unable to control the growing power of the unborn child. Knowing that it had been conceived in evil had made the shock of loosing it less pronounced, but only marginally so.

Now, she had to get on with her life. She had her work to help her. And Piper and Paige, of course. Both had been a great comfort to her, as had Leo. Without them, she wasn’t sure she would have made it through okay.

She walked into the living room where Paige sat reading. Paige’s boss had given her a few days off, too. Social workers were very understanding about what Phoebe had gone through.

“Hey, Phoebe,” said Paige. “How are you feeling today?”

“Better,” said Phoebe. “I’m thinking I should be getting back to work in a couple of days.”

“Don’t push yourself,” said Paige. “It takes time to get over something like what you went through. Especially since it was demonic related. Not exactly your typical miscarriage.”

“I know,” said Phoebe. “But work might be the best thing for me right now. I need to get back into a normal routine.”

“We’ll support you whatever you decide,” said Piper, coming down the stairs.

“I know,” said Phoebe. “I really appreciate all the support.”

Just then there was a knock at the front door. Piper opened it and found a man standing on the front porch. He was dressed in a dark suit, carrying a briefcase.

“Mrs. Wyatt?” questioned the man.

“Halliwell, actually,” said Piper. “I kept my maiden name. And you would be?”

The man held up an open wallet. Inside the wallet was an identification card with his picture. It identified him as a special agent for the United States Department of Justice.

“Special Agent Holmes,” said the man, “with the Department of Justice. I wonder if I might have a word with you for a moment. And with your sisters if they’re available.”

“Come in,” said Piper.

She escorted him into the living room where Phoebe and Paige sat. He looked at both of them intently. As if making sure of their identities. Then he took a seat on the sofa.

“Mr. Holmes,” began Piper.

“Agent Holmes,” he corrected.

“Agent Holmes,” repeated Piper, “what does the Department of Justice want with my sisters and me?”

He opened his briefcase and removed an envelope. He handed the envelope to Piper. She looked it over. Other than an official looking seal on the back, it was blank. She opened it and pulled out a letter inside. She read the letter out loud to Phoebe and Paige.

“Dear Piper and Phoebe. I know this probably seems a bit odd. I am in need of your help. I would not ask except this is a very extreme situation. It could literally mean life or death for a great many people.

“Agent Holmes has been assigned to escort you to me if you agree to come. I must ask that you do not tell anyone you’re leaving. Everything will be explained when you get here. I can only hope that this plea will be sufficient to bring you here.

“Agent Holmes has only been briefed on what he needs to know concerning the situation and won’t be able to answer many questions. Time is growing very short. I will look forward to seeing you soon. Amy Chin.

“P. S. Bring your Book with you.”

“Amy Chin?” questioned Paige. “Who’s that?”

“She’s a w . . . friend we met a few years ago,” said Piper. “We sort of messed up a . . . project she was working on.”

“Project?” questioned Paige.

“I believe,” said Holmes, “that they removed a curse from a revenge demon which Ms. Chin had cursed. She asked me to tell you that she was able to bestow the curse again without any trouble.”

The three sisters just stared at Agent Holmes. He was an agent of the federal government and he was talking to them about curses as if it happened every day.

[pipercharmedphreak]

i am interested!

[noazmale]

TWO

“As Ms. Chin said in the letter,” said Holmes, “time is growing very short. I have a car waiting outside. We should leave immediately.”

“Leave for where?” asked Phoebe.

“I’m afraid I can’t divulge the location,” said Holmes. “Please, all of your questions will be answered. If you’ll just get the Book of Shadows, we can be on our way. I know my superiors would not have sent for the Charmed Ones unless it were absolutely necessary.”

The girls stared at Agent Holmes. He was casually talking to them about things he shouldn’t even know about.

“Hang on a minute,” said Piper. “We’re going to need a little more than this if we’re going anywhere.”

“I’m afraid I don’t know anything more than what I’ve already told you,” said Holmes.

“Wait here,” said Piper.

She and her sisters went into the kitchen. As soon as they closed the kitchen door, Piper called for Leo. He orbed in and she told him everything that had just happened.

“Could he be a demon?” asked Paige. “Maybe he’s after the Book of Shadows.”

“I don’t think he’s a demon,” said Phoebe.

“This is strange,” said Leo. “There are people in the government who know about witches and demons but none would ever publicly admit to it. And they certainly wouldn’t send a federal agent here. Does he appear to be a threat?”

“No, not really,” said Piper. “He does know things an agent of the Justice Department shouldn’t know. Like the curse we removed from that revenge demon. And that Amy had bestowed that curse.”

“Let me see what I can find out,” said Leo. “I don’t like you going anywhere unless you know where you’re going. Especially if you’re taking the Book of Shadows with you.”

Leo orbed out leaving the girls alone in the kitchen.

“What now?” asked Paige.

“We wait,” said Piper. “If Agent Holmes in there tries anything, I’ll just blow him up.”

They had waited only a few minutes when there was a knock at the kitchen door. Agent Holmes stuck only his head inside the door.

“I don’t want to be a nuisance,” said Holmes. “I know you need to have your White Lighter check out what I’ve told you. I was just wondering if you had any idea how long it might be?”

“It’ll be as long as it takes,” snapped Piper.

“Of course,” said Holmes.

“You didn’t need to snap at him,” said Paige. “I’m sure he’s only doing what he’s told.”

“Maybe,” said Piper. “But he knows about Leo. How much more does he know about us that he hasn’t told us?”

“Probably only what he needs to,” said Phoebe. “From what I now about the government, they operate on a need to know basis. They’re only told what they need to know to complete their assignments.”

“Well, I need to know exactly what’s going on,” said Piper.

Just then Leo orbed back in.

“So, what did you find out?” asked Piper. “What’s going on here?”

“I don’t know,” said Leo. “The Elders aren’t talking. I did speak with Amy’s White Lighter, though. He said she did write the letter and everything seems to be on the up and up. He says you need to go with this Agent Holmes.”

“Just like that?” asked Paige. “No explanations? Just go with him?”

“Yes,” said Leo. “I go the impression it was something very important.”

“Do you trust him?” asked Piper.

“Philip?” asked Leo. “He is a White Lighter. That by itself means he couldn’t do anything to deliberately put you in danger. I think you should do what they ask.”

“Okay,” said Piper, “but at the first sight of trouble, we’re out of there.”

They went back into the living room where Agent Holmes sat waiting for them. He smiled when he saw Leo with the sisters.

“This must be your White Lighter,” said Holmes. “Leo Wyatt, if I’m not mistaken.”

“Enough chit chat,” said Piper. “We’ve decided to go with you. But this had better be on the level. You try anything funny and you’ll be real sorry that you did.”

“Excellent,” said Holmes, picking up his briefcase. “There’s a car waiting outside. If you’ll get the book, we can be on our way.”

“I’m sure everything will be explained once we get to where we’re going,” said Leo as Phoebe went to get the Book of Shadows.

“I’m afraid Mr. Wyatt won’t be able to accompany us,” said Holmes. “I’m sorry, but those are the rules.”

“Now wait a minute,” said Piper.

“No, it’s okay,” said Leo. “I can find you no matter where you go. And I can orb in if you get into any trouble. It will be okay.”

“Got it,” said Phoebe, coming down the stairs with the Book of Shadows. “I feel kind of funny taking this out of the manor.”

“Good,” said Holmes. “Now, if you’ll come with me. It will take a while to get to our destination, but we’ve tried to make you as comfortable as possible.”

[noazmale]

THREE

A limousine was waiting for them out front of the manor. It was a stretch limousine that afforded all the comfort possible in an automobile. As they climbed into the car, Piper noticed that the windows were tinted. They were tinted so dark it was impossible to see through them from either side.

“It’s a security measure,” explained Holmes. “Your destination is a secured facility whose location must remain a secret.”

Once inside the limousine, they all noticed that there was no way to roll down the windows or open the doors from the inside.

“Can you spell paranoid?” said Phoebe sarcastically.

“They’re kidding, right?” asked Paige. “Piper can blow the door off the hinges and I can orb out any time I want to. Do they really think this can stop us?”

“It’s probably the best they can do,” said Piper. “They probably have no idea exactly who they’re dealing with.”

“Well, I’ll be glad when we get there,” said Phoebe. “I’d like to know what this is all about.”

With nothing else to do, the three settled into the car to await the arrival at their destination. They drove for several hours. With no way to see where they were going, it was impossible to know their destination. For all they knew, the car simply drove around in circles for those hours.

Finally the car stopped and someone opened the doors from the outside. The sisters got out of the car into what appeared to be some kind of underground garage. There was a single ramp leading up which the car had obviously come down. There was also a set of doors in one wall that reminded them of elevator doors.

There were also armed men all around. Stationed all around the garage were men dressed in military-style uniforms armed with automatic weapons. Few of them took notice of the sisters.

“If you’ll take that elevator,” said Agent Holmes, pointing to the doors set in the wall, “someone will meet you.”

He didn’t wait for a response, but set about giving instructions to the armed men. As Piper, Phoebe, and Paige approached the doors, they opened by themselves. The girls stepped inside and the doors closed behind them.

“Look,” said Phoebe, “there aren’t any buttons.”

“The elevator is remotely controlled,” said a voice from a speaker in the ceiling. “It is part of the security system.”

“Kind of cloak and daggery, isn’t it?” asked Piper.

There was no response from the speaker. The girls simply waited as the elevator silently descended beneath ground. After what seemed like an eternity, the elevator stopped and the doors opened. An Asian woman, about thirty-five and dressed in a typical business suit, stood outside. Next to her stood a man wearing a suit and tie.

“Piper, Phoebe,” said the woman, “it’s good to see you again. I was sorry to hear about Prue’s passing. It was a great loss to all of us. You must be Paige. I’m Amy Chin. I’ve been looking forward to meeting you.”

“Amy,” said Piper, “it’s been a long time. What’s this all about? Your letter made it seem like it was the end of the world or something.”

“You have no idea just how right you could be,” said the man. “My name is Marcus Van Dyke. I’m in charge of this complex. If you’ll come with me, we’ll try to explain what’s going on and why we asked you to come here.”

They followed Amy and Marcus through several corridors to what looked like a large conference room. Along the way, they saw many armed guards. Closed circuit television cameras were everywhere, as were emergency lights.

Inside the conference room was a large table with chairs around it. At one end of the room, nearly covering the entire wall, was a television screen. Marcus indicated that everyone should take a seat at the table.

“To begin with,” said Amy, “Marcus knows all about us. He knows that we’re all witches and he knows about the demons. And about White Lighters. Actually, that’s the reason this complex exists.”

“Amy, I thought you lived on the east coast,” said Piper.

“I did until about two years ago,” said Amy. “When Marcus was put in charge here, he brought me in as sort of as an expert advisor, so to speak.”

“Okay,” said Phoebe. “So why couldn’t Leo, our White Lighter, come with us?”

“He’d set off every alarm in this place,” said Marcus. “There’s a security sensor net over the entire complex. It’s calibrated to detect only human life signs. If anything non-human enters the corridors or any of the offices, an alarm is sounded.”

“Amy, what’s going on?” asked Piper.

“We aren’t really sure,” said Amy. “It’s kind of complicated. And we’re not exactly sure what we’re up against. That’s why I had you bring the Book of Shadows. We might need it.”

“So why are we here?” asked Paige. “Holmes mentioned something about needing the Charmed Ones.”

“Yes,” said Marcus. “While Amy is powerful, she’s been pushed to her limit of late. Your power may be the only thing that will save us all. And save mankind.”

[noazmale]

FOUR

“What do you mean our power?” asked Piper. “Just how much do you think you know about us?”

“Quite a bit, actually,” said Marcus. “Piper Halliwell Wyatt. Second of three sisters. A witch and one-third of the Charmed Ones. Your powers include freezing time and blowing things up. Owner and operator of a nightclub called P3 in San Francisco. Married to Leo Wyatt, a soldier who died in World War II and was subsequently returned to Earth as a White Lighter.

“Phoebe Halliwell. Youngest of the original Halliwell sisters. Currently employed as an advice columnist for the major newspaper in San Francisco. Your powers include premonitions and levitation. Recently married, and divorced, from one Cole Turner, who, we believe, is actually part demon. His current whereabouts are unknown.

“Paige Matthews. Half sister to the Halliwells. Your powers include orbing and the ability to orb objects. Recently you quit your job as a social worker for the Bay Area Social Services and spend most of your time at home. Your mother was the same mother as your sisters, but your father was Sam, whom we believe was really a White Lighter.”

“You seem to know a lot about us,” said Piper. “I’m not sure I like a bureaucrat knowing so much about us.”

“You can trust him,” said Amy. “He’s not your typical bureaucrat.”

“So, you trust him?” asked Phoebe.

“I almost have to,” said Amy, smiling. “I’ve been married to him for nearly fifteen years.”

“He’s your husband?” asked Paige.

“Yes,” said Marcus. “It’s one of the reasons I was selected to be in charge here. I’m sort of an expert on witches and the occult.”

“Just what agency is this?” asked Piper. “And what does it have to do with us?”

“It’s called the Office of Paranormal and Supernatural Studies,” said Marcus. “Officially, we investigate reported occurrences of a paranormal or supernatural nature. In reality, you might call us a research facility. We look for defenses and weapons we can use against the demons.”

“Wait a minute,” said Paige. “Isn’t that our job?”

“Demons don’t limit their activities strictly to witches,” said Amy. “A lot of the time, they go against mortals who have no defenses against them. And no one can be everywhere.”

“That’s where we come in,” said Marcus. “We’ve been able to design some defenses and weapons that have prove somewhat effective against demonic intrusions.”

“So why do you need us?” asked Piper.

“We’ve come up against something that we’ve never encountered before,” said Marcus. “Something far beyond anything we’ve experienced to date. It’s starting to spread and if we don’t find a way to stop it soon, it could wipe out every human being on the face of the Earth.”

[noazmale]

FIVE

“Let me start at the beginning,” said Marcus. “In 1908, the Attorney General of the United States set up a special group of agents. In 1909 they took the name the Bureau of Investigation. In 1933 they were reorganized under J. Edgar Hoover into the Division of Investigation. In 1935 they adopted the name the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

“In 1942, the Office of Strategic Services was established because of World War II. When the war ended in 1945, the OSS was dissolved but most of those who worked for it went on to join a new group in 1947. This newly formed agency was called the Central Intelligence Agency.

“In 1947 the National Security Act was established. Under this act, the National Security Council was established and it became a part of the Executive Office of the President in 1949. These three agencies, the FBI, the CIA, and the NSC, make up the majority of the intelligence agencies sanctioned by the United States Government. Their primary responsibility is the security of the United States.”

“I assume this little history lesson is leading somewhere?” asked Piper.

“Be patient,” said Amy. “This is all important so you’ll understand what we’re up against.”

“Yes, it’s leading somewhere,” said Marcus. “In 1938, the FBI broke up a German spy ring operating in the United States. Part of the information they discovered was a reference to a NAZI program called Operation: Embryo. Very little was learned about this program. There were only references to it, nothing about it directly.”

“In 1953,” continued Amy, “a CIA operative reported a Soviet project by the same name. Operation: Embryo. They weren’t able to learn much about it only that it was the same NAZI project the FBI had learned about. Apparently the Soviets had also learned about it and were very interested in it. They did learn that it had something to do with genetic engineering. It was such a closely guarded secret that the United States was never able to learn much about it.”

“In 1972,” said Marcus, “the NSC was reorganized. Under the reorganization, several reports that had previously been thought separate incidents were discovered to be interrelated. They all made reference to Project: Embryo or a top secret NAZI project dealing with genetic engineering.

“Each of the reports seemed innocuous by themselves. But when they were categorized and cross-referenced, they discovered some quite disturbing. It was a well-known fact that Hitler was fascinated by the occult. He devoted a great deal of German resources to it. This Project: Embryo was the most important of those projects.”

“Then,” said Amy, “in 1976, a secret bunker was discovered in Germany. A thorough examination of the bunker and its contents showed that it was the home for Project: Embryo. Most of the records on it had been destroyed, but enough had survived to identify it and its’ purpose.”

“So now you know what this Project: Embryo was,” said Paige.

“Is,” corrected Marcus.

He reached into a folder on the table and pulled out a photograph. He slid the photo across the table so the sisters could see it. The photo showed a cylindrical object filled with a greenish-black liquid.

“That,” said Marcus, “is Project: Embryo. It was brought here shortly after it was discovered so that we could study it.”

“Exactly what is it?” asked Phoebe.

“A demon,” said Amy. “Or it will be when it’s finished. The scientists here have identified at least twelve different DNA strains in it. That means it’s made up of at least twelve different demons. And there’s DNA in it they haven’t identified yet. The container is almost eight feet long and three feet in diameter. The green fluid is a form of amniotic fluid. The same type that an unborn fetus is suspended in. What’s more, the lid is a very intricate locking mechanism. It can only be opened from the inside.”

“You mean they’re incubating a demon in there?” asked Piper.

“Exactly,” said Marcus. “And no ordinary demon. According to the records we found, Hitler had made a deal with some demon. In the deal, he received the genetic material of a number of demons. Exactly how many is a matter of conjecture. He then genetically spliced the material together to form a single, new form of demon.”

“Oh, lovely,” said Paige. “Demon squared.”

“Something like that,” said Amy. “But that’s not all. The scientists made a miscalculation. They estimated it would take only months to grow their new demon. Instead, it’s taken decades.”

“And now it’s getting ready to hatch?” said Piper.

“That’s a good analogy,” said Marcus. “Yes, our scientists think that it’s about ready to open. They think it’s only days or maybe even hours before that container opens. When it does, there may be a new form of demon. One that doesn’t have just the characteristics and abilities of a single demon. One that has the characteristics and abilities of at least a dozen demons, probably more. As powerful as a normal demon is, this one would be magnified. It could well be unstoppable.”

“Just destroy it,” said Paige.

Marcus pulled out another photograph. He slid it across the table to the sisters. This one showed what looked like a primitive human-like creature. Only this creature was wearing what looked like the remains of a military uniform.

“That,” said Marcus, “is one of the guards assigned to the container. Somehow, that thing inside was able to change him into a demon. And he’s not the only one. Every guard assigned to the container has been changed into one of those.”

“So you can’t get near it to destroy it,” said Phoebe.

“The group that tried ended up the same way,” said Amy.

“And now you want us to destroy this thing for you,” said Piper.

“Piper, you don’t understand,” said Amy. “Everyone those demons attack are transformed into another one of them. They’re slowly making their way up to the surface.”

“We’ve sealed off the lowest three levels of this complex,” said Marcus. “But it’s just a matter of time before they break through to the upper levels. They’re getting stronger. They’re already at a point where Amy can barely stop them. If we don’t stop them soon, they’ll get to the surface.”

“When they do,” said Amy, “everyone they come into contact with will become infected. Turned into one of those things. They will, in turn, infect others. It will spread exponentially.”

“Our best estimate,” said Marcus, “is that when the first one of those things reaches the surface, everyone on the planet will be infected within one hundred seventy one hours. That means that if even one of those things gets out of this complex, within one week there won’t be a human being left on the Earth.”

[noazmale]

SIX

“Why not just bury them?” asked Paige. “Evacuate this place then just blow it up. Bury them under thousands of tons of concrete.”

“It’s not that simple,” said Marcus. “These aren’t like ordinary demons. Normal means don’t cause them any permanent damage. They’re able to regenerate themselves.”

“I guess that’s because they have the DNA of so many demons,” said Piper.

“That’s part of the reason,” said Amy. She looked nervously at Marcus. “But we believe there’s another reason. There’s been other DNA identified in the mixture. DNA that’s not demonic in nature. White Lighter DNA.”

“White Lighter?” questioned Phoebe. “You mean they spliced White Lighter DNA in with the demonic DNA?”

“That’s what it looks like,” said Marcus. “Which would explain their regenerative powers. Only Amy’s most powerful spells have had any affect on them.”

“And those are becoming less and less effective,” interjected Amy.

“Normal damage just seems to heal within time,” continued Marcus. “No matter how seriously injured, they always seem to regenerate.”

“I see now why you asked for our help,” said Piper. “If those demons are that powerful, I can imagine how powerful the main one is. This is no ordinary demon and it will require special handling to vanquish it.”

“Then you’ll help us?” asked Marcus.

“We’ll probably need a Power of Three spell,” she said to Phoebe. “And I’ll need access to my potion ingredients. I don’t think a potion will work on the main demon, but it should handle those converted ones all right.”

“Amy said something about a Power of Three spell,” said Marcus.

“The potion ingredients have already been taken care of,” said Amy. “I’ve had the kitchen stocked with everything you might need.”

“Good thinking,” said Piper. “You sound like you were pretty sure we’d agree.”

“You’re the Charmed Ones,” said Amy. “I didn’t believe you’d just walk away from this. Especially after knowing what’s at stake.”

“No, we can’t,” said Phoebe. “I’ll get started on a spell right away.”

“Too bad we don’t have a Dark Lighter handy,” said Paige. “If these things have White Lighter DNA in them, a Dark Lighter’s bolt might do some damage.”

“Maybe we do,” said Phoebe, thoughtfully. “Piper, remember that Dark Lighter who tried to kill all the White Lighters? To leave them defenseless against the demons?”

“How could I forget?” asked Piper. “It was because of that the Elders agreed to Leo and I getting married.”

“What did they do with the crossbow the warlock stole from that Dark Lighter?” asked Phoebe.

“I don’t know,” said Piper. “I assume they locked it away somewhere so it couldn’t be used against any other White Lighters. I’m sure Leo would know what they did with it. If we could just ask him.”

“Marcus,” said Amy, “would it be possible to disconnect the sensors to just one room? Say, this conference room? If they could do that, Leo could orb in without setting off the alarm.”

“I’ll see,” said Marcus. “A Dark Lighters’ crossbow could be an edge for us. And we need all the help we can get.”

As he went to check on the arrangements for disconnecting the sensors, the women continued to talk.

“How long as this organization been around?” asked Paige. “I’ve never heard of it before.”

“You aren’t supposed to,” said Amy. “It operates covertly most of the time. It was first established during World War II. When demonic activity was very pronounced. Most people have no idea just how widespread the Third Reich utilized demons. It’s part of the reason they were able to conquer so many countries so quickly.”

“I’ve always wondered about that,” said Paige. “We learned about that in high school, but no one seemed to be able to explain how the Nazis were able to get so much power. Or how Germany could rise so fast from near bankruptcy.”

“Demonic influence can be very powerful,” said Amy. “And very tempting. Most people aren’t even aware of it until it’s too late.”

“What if we can’t stop this thing?” asked Piper. “Are there any contingency plans?”

“Only one,” said Amy, “but it’s an absolutely last ditch effort. It’s guaranteed to stop the demons cold.”

“It sounds ominous,” said Paige.

“It kind of is,” said Amy. “At the bottom of the elevator shaft is a thermonuclear device. If any of those demons get above the second level of the complex, the bomb automatically arms itself. If that happens, they have five minutes to shut it off or it will vaporize this entire complex.”

[noazmale]

SEVEN

“No wonder you didn’t want Leo here,” said Phoebe. “He’s a White Lighter, not human. When it detected him, it would have blown this place sky high.”

“Exactly,” said Amy. “It’s a small tactical device. Only one or two megatons. But the way Marcus described it to me, it’s more than enough to do the job. I don’t think even our guest downstairs could survive it.

“But there are over five hundred innocents who work here. That’s why they have it only as a last resort. That, and what they’re afraid it might do to the surface and the surrounding countryside. “

“I guess we’d better not fail, then,” said Piper.

Marcus came back into the room and took his seat next to Amy.

“Maintenance says they should have the sensors disconnect to this room in about thirty minutes,” he said. “But the White Lighter can’t leave this room. The second he does, he’ll set off the alarm. And that could have disastrous consequences.”

“I told them about the bomb,” said Amy. “I felt they had a right to know.”

“That’s probably a good idea,” said Marcus. “Now you know one of the reasons we can’t let those things get to any more of the higher levels. There are only six levels to this complex below ground. And three of them are controlled by the demons. If they get to level two, I’ll have no choice but to detonate the self-destruct. If even one of them gets to the first level, it could conceivably survive the blast. And make its way to the surface.”

“Instant hell on earth,” said Paige.

“Precisely,” said Marcus. “If you three can’t stop this thing, I won’t have any recourse. I’ll have to kill everyone here to protect the rest of the outside.”

“The we’d better get started,” said Piper. “Where’s the kitchen? I need to get started on those potions as quickly as possible. I’d much rather stop this thing while it’s still in its incubator.”

“I’ll show you,” said Amy. “And I can help with the potions. I only hope we have enough time before that thing hatches. Considering what the lower ones are like, I wouldn’t want to face their ‘mother’.”

“Neither would I,” said Piper. “Neither would I.”

* * *

Piper looked over the Dark Lighter crossbow carefully. It looked very similar to ones she had seen in books and movies. And to ones she had seen Dark Lighters use.

“How does this thing work?” she asked.

“It loads automatically,” said Leo. “All you have to do it point it and pull the trigger.”

“I’m kind of surprised the Elders let you have it,” said Paige.

“You should have heard Piper,” said Leo, smiling. “She went on and on about how they had not always given you full information and how they had even kept you in the dark on a lot of things. She even went on how they expected you to trust them without question. And she told them that after the last four years or so, they should trust you a little bit more. I think in the end they agreed out of guilt more than anything else.”

“Guilt can be a great motivator,” said Piper. “Paige, no matter what happens, you don’t touch this. You’re half White Lighter and it’s as dangerous to you as it is to a full White Lighter.”

“And hopefully to our friend downstairs,” said Marcus.

“Don’t worry about that,” said Paige. “I’ve seen first hand what that thing can do. I have no intentions of touching it.”

“Here, Phoebe,” said Piper, handing the crossbow to her sister. “Paige can orb and I have my explosive power. You’ll need this more than we will.”

“You want to tell me what’s going on?” asked Leo. “You didn’t give a lot of information when you were talking to the Elders. What guest did Marcus mean? And why do you need a Dark Lighters’ crossbow?”

“For a demon, sweetie,” said Piper.

“A demon?” questioned Leo. “That won’t work on a demon, you know that. It only works against White Lighters.”

“With any luck,” said Phoebe, “it will work on this demon.”

“Another thing, Leo,” said Piper. “Whatever you do, don’t leave this room. You wouldn’t like what happens if you do.”

“What happens if I leave this room?” asked Leo.

“Boom,” said Paige.

“Boom?” questioned Leo. “What do you mean, boom? None of this is making any sense.”

“Marcus,” said Amy, “I think we should tell Leo everything. He could be a lot of help to us.”

“Okay,” said Marcus. “Leo, have a seat. This is going to take some time.”

[noazmale]

EIGHT

“The potion should be just about ready,” said Piper. “I’ll be in the kitchen if you need me.”

“I’m going to practice with this,” said Phoebe. “I’ve never fired a crossbow before.”

“There’s a target range down the hall,” said Amy. “I’ll show you where it is.”

Piper finished preparing her potion. Amy had provided several dozen vial-sized bottled for Piper to put the potion into. And there was a bag with a shoulder strap for each of the sisters to carry the vials in.

When Piper returned to the conference room, Leo and Marcus were still talking. Phoebe was back in the room and she and Amy and Paige sat talking. Piper put the case with the potion vials in it on the table.

“You up to speed?” she asked Leo.

“Pretty much,” said Leo. “No wonder you were so secretive.”

“Pheebs,” said Piper, “how’s the target practice coming?”

“I’m an expert,” beamed Phoebe. “Actually, it’s not that hard. There’s no recoil to it. Leo was right. Just point and shoot.”

“Okay,” said Piper, handing each of the sisters a bag. “The potion is ready. I used one I created when we lost our powers. It duplicates my explosive ability. It should be strong enough to take out any demons we come across.

“I made enough for each of us to have a dozen vials. Amy, I also made a dozen for you. Just in case any of those things get past us.”

“Good thinking,” said Amy.

“Maintenance is ready to restore power to the lower levels,” said Marcus. “They’ve already disconnected the sensors on those levels so the alarms won’t go off when the power comes back on.”

“Where is this container?” asked Paige.

Marcus tuned on the television screen and the floor plan of a building appeared.

“It’s here,” he indicated on the floor plan. “The elevator is here.” He indicated a different section. “The elevator is the only way between levels.”

“Okay,” said Piper. “We should destroy that container first. Once it’s out of the way, we can see about cleaning up the demons it’s created. Phoebe, have you finished the Power of Three spell? Just in case?”

Phoebe didn’t say a word. She just handed a piece of paper to Piper and Paige. The two sisters looked the spell over, and then put the paper into their pockets.”

“Good plan,” said Marcus. “As you know, the elevator is remotely controlled. The surveillance camera has been knocked out. But the audio equipment is still working. We can’t afford to let one of those things get up here. So unless you tell us it’s you in the elevator, we won’t bring it above the fourth level.”

“Understood,” said Piper. “This shouldn’t take long. Once we smash that container, it should kill whatever’s inside.”

“Be ready when the elevator doors open,” said Amy. “Three of the men who first went down there were attacked the second it opened.”

“We’ll be ready,” said Phoebe.

“I wish I could send some men with you,” said Marcus.

“It’s too dangerous,” said Piper. “They may know what we’re facing but they don’t have any experience fighting demons. This is our turf. We can handle it.”

“Be careful,” said Leo, kissing his wife. “All of you. We want you back in one piece.”

“We will be,” said Paige. “We vanquished the Source, remember? These lower level demons should be a piece of cake.”

“Be careful all the same,” said Leo. “Even lower level demons can be dangerous. Especially when they’re cornered.”

Leo waited in the conference room while Marcus and Amy escorted the sisters to the elevator.

“Good luck,” said Amy.

“Thanks,” said Piper.

The elevator doors closed and the elevator began its descent to the lower levels.

[noazmale]

NINE

“This is certainly weird,” said Phoebe, peering out into the empty corridors. “You’d think there would be some kind of welcoming committee.”

“Not necessarily,” said Paige. “Maybe the lower demons aren’t intelligent. They may be acting on pure instinct.”

“Whatever is going on,” said Piper, “we need to get moving. Let’s just get to that lab and destroy that thing while we have the chance.”

“What’s that?” asked Phoebe, pointing at the floor.

The floor had slight groove marks in it.

“It looks like something was dragged across the floor,” said Piper. “Right into the elevator. Maybe those demons were trying to build a ladder or something up the shaft.”

“So where’s this ladder?” asked Phoebe. “The shaft is empty now except for the elevator.”

“We can worry about that later,” said Piper. “Let’s get going.”

They cautiously made their way along one corridor. All of the rooms appeared to be laboratories of some kind. And all had been trashed. Papers, books, even pieces of equipment littered the floors. In some cases, the doors had been torn from their hinges.

“Demon party,” said Paige. “Looks like they got ticked off when they couldn’t get out.”

“Or when they ran out of victims,” said Phoebe.

A snarl behind them brought the girls around. Standing at the intersection of the last corridor stood a demon. It appeared very much as the demon in the photograph Marcus had shown them.

It was humanoid but stood slightly hunched over. Fur covered most of its body. A thick bony ridge ran along its forehead giving it a primitive look. Its ears were pointed and sharp claws extended from each finger. Jagged, pointed teeth filled its mouth as it again snarled at the witches.

“Hello, bright eyes,” remarked Piper.

The demon began to advance on the sisters. Piper raised her hands and the creature exploded into a thousand shards that evaporated instantly. She stood poised for several seconds to make sure that it wouldn’t reconstitute itself. With no knowledge of this demon, she couldn’t be sure if this demon would be able resist her power. It didn’t.

“One down,” she said.

“Yeah, twenty gazillion to go,” snickered Phoebe to break the tension.

As the sisters turned to continue their trek up the corridor, another demon dropped from the ceiling in front of them. Easily within arms’ reach, it struck out with its clawed hand at Piper.

Phoebe raised the crossbow and fired. The bolt struck the demon in the chest before it could complete its attack. The demon howled in agony and then vaporized where it stood. The crossbow magically reloaded itself.

“That was different,” said Paige.

“I guess the gene splicing with the demonic DNA changed the White Lighter DNA,” said Piper. “That’s why it vaporized instead of being poisoned.”

“Whatever the reason,” said Phoebe, “I’m glad this thing worked.”

“Me, too, little sister,” said Piper. “Let’s be more careful from now on.”

They continued down the corridor carefully approaching each intersection. Three more of the demons appeared and each time they were easily vanquished. One by Pipers’ ability, one from the crossbow, and one from the explosive potion Paige used. Each time the demons appeared to be working alone. There was no coordinated attack against the sisters.

“This is too easy,” said Piper finally. “Marcus said they estimated about two dozen converted demons down here. So, where are they?”

“Maybe their on one of the upper levels,” suggested Paige.

“These drag marks in the floor,” said Phoebe. “They seem to be in the exact corridors we need to take to get to the container. If they were building a ladder to the upper levels, you’d think they’d pick something closer to the elevator.”

“Maybe nothing was high enough for them to use,” said Paige.

“That would imply some form of intelligence,” said Piper. “So far, I haven’t seen any signs of any intelligence.”

“Neither have I,” said Phoebe. “I don’t like this. Things just don’t add up.”

“We can worry about that later,” said Piper. “Once we finish what we came here to do.”

Even more cautiously they continued down the corridor. No more demons appeared and that made Piper nervous. They couldn’t have just vanished. And Marcus hadn’t mentioned any ability like orbing or shimmering. So where were they?

Piper stopped at an intersection and peered around the corner. Several feet up the corridor she saw the double doors leading to the lab where the container was kept. She also saw two of the converted demons standing in front of the doors.

“Two,” she whispered to her sisters. “One on either side of the doors. Phoebe, you take the one on the right. I’ll take the one on the left. Paige, you be ready in case there are any more around.”

“Right,” whispered Paige.

Phoebe just nodded. Piper mouthed the words, “one, two, three”. On three, she and Phoebe stepped into the corridor facing the lab. Piper raised her hands and Phoebe fired the crossbow. The two demons were vanquished by their respective attacks. They stood ready for several moments. No other demons appeared.

“Okay,” said Piper, “I’ll blow the doors open. Then we’ll each use one of our vials of the explosive potion. That should be enough to completely destroy the container and, hopefully, whatever’s inside it. At the very least, it should prevent the demon from getting out.”

Each removed a vial from the bags they carried. Again, Piper mouthed the words, “one, two, three”. She then exploded the doors to the lab. Immediately, the three sisters moved into the room, prepared to throw their vials.

The three froze just inside the lab. In the middle of the room sat a large platform. A platform Marcus had told them the container sat on. Except the platform was empty. The container holding the super demon was gone.

[noazmale]

TEN

“That’s what was dragged down the corridor,” said Phoebe. “Those things dragged the container to the elevator shaft.”

“It’s probably on one of the upper levels,” said Paige. “Only which one?”

“How did they do it?” questioned Piper. “This would indicate they’re working together. But they haven’t shown any signs of working together. So far, they’ve been working independently.”

“Or we’ve been made to think that,” said Phoebe. “We’ve been set up. That super demon was probably controlling them all this time. Making us think they weren’t working together to get us to waste our time coming here. Giving it more time to finish incubating.”

“So, how do we find it now?” asked Paige.

“We follow the drag marks,” said Piper. “Whichever level they took it to should have the same drag marks we found here. We just follow the trail.”

“We’d better be real careful going back to the elevator,” said Phoebe. “I’m thinking if we were led down here, there’s probably a trap waiting for us on the way back. If that thing is controlling the converted demons, it will probably want to take us out as soon as possible.”

“Then we don’t follow its plan,” said Piper. “Paige, you can orb us back into the elevator. That should bypass whatever trap may be waiting for us.”

Piper and Phoebe took Paige’s arm and she orbed them out of the lab. They orbed into the elevator.

“Piper, give me your bag,” said Paige. “Marcus, can you hear me?”

“Yes,” responded Marcus over the speaker. “How did you get back into the elevator?”

“I orbed,” said Paige. “Listen, I want you to open the elevator doors, but only part way. And be ready to close them again right away.”

“Why?” asked Marcus.

“No time to explain,” said Paige. “Just do it.”

Several seconds passed, and then the elevator doors opened about halfway. In the passage beyond, the sisters saw several demons waiting. They faced away from the elevator. They seemed to be waiting and apparently hadn’t heard the elevator doors open.

“Bag,” said Paige.

The demons turned at the sound of her voice just as the bag orbed out of her hand. It appeared in the air directly over the demons and they all looked up at it instinctively.

“Close the doors,” shouted Paige.

The elevator doors had no sooner closed when an explosion rocked the lowest level of the complex. The elevator shook for a second, and then was still.

“Scratch half a dozen demons,” said Paige, smiling.

Piper quickly explained to Marcus and the other what was going on. She told him to raise the elevator to the fifth level. When the doors opened, the sisters tensed for an attack.

No attack came. There were no demons in sight. Nor were there any drag marks in the corridor beyond the elevator. Apparently, the demons had dragged the container to the fourth level.

The elevator doors closed and the elevator ascended to the fourth level. As the elevator doors opened a demon outside the elevator turned to attack. Phoebe was ready with the crossbow and the demon died as its contemporaries had.

“There are drag marks here,” announced Piper, after examining the floor. “Apparently this is the level where the demons have taken the container.”

“Why would they do that?” asked Marcus.

“I don’t know,” said Piper. “But it shouldn’t be hard to locate it. We just follow the drag marks to wherever they lead.

“Be careful,” said Marcus. “And I know I speak for Leo and Amy as well.”

Cautiously, the three sisters stepped out of the elevator. That single demon appeared to be the only sentry. None others were in sight.

The fourth level appeared to be a storage level of some kind. Dozens of crates filled the room about halfway to the ceiling. Walkways were formed between the crates allowing access to other parts of the room.

But the stacks of crates also blocked much of the light from the overhead fixtures. There were more than enough shadows for any demon to hide in. Dozens of the walkways crisscrossed the room providing dozens of accesses for the demons.

The sisters had followed the drag marks to the rear of the room. Suddenly, half a dozen demons appeared directly ahead of the girls. One died from Piper’s explosive power, one from a potion, and one from a crossbow bolt. As the demons were vanquished, three more moved in to replace them.

“Lead them back here,” said Phoebe, ducking around an intersection behind the sisters.

Piper and Paige, who then turned and followed Phoebe, vanquished two more demons. As they turned and followed Phoebe around the intersection corner, they ran into a blank wall. The “corridor” was a dead end, only about twenty feet long. Phoebe was nowhere to be seen.

Piper and Paige turned to face the demons. As the demons rounded the corner of the crates, a black bolt struck it from above, vaporizing the demon. Piper, Paige, and even the demons, looked up to see where the bolt had come from.

Levitating near the top of the crates, Phoebe aimed the crossbow at a second demon. She fired and the demon was vanquished. Phoebe fired again and the final demon vaporized.

“Pretty sneaky,” said Piper.

‘I figured we needed an edge,” said Phoebe. “So I just figured . . .”

She never finished her statement. A demon suddenly launched itself from the top of one of the crates near Phoebe, striking her full force. Her concentration broken, she fell to the floor, the demon on top of her. As they fell, the demon sank its teeth into her shoulder.

When they hit the floor, Paige reacted. She kicked the demon in the face, sending it sprawling across the floor. As it rose to attack again, Piper flashed out with her power and the demon exploded.

Piper and Paige moved to Phoebe. Blood seeped from the wound in her shoulder. She was beginning to convulse. The two sisters knew the worst had happened. Phoebe had been infected with the same thing that had changed the humans of this complex into the minor demons. And she was in the initial stages of changing herself.

[noazmale]

ELEVEN

“Leo,” screamed Piper. “Leo, get down here now!”

Leo orbed in beside Piper and Phoebe. He looked down at Phoebe in the throes of convulsions.

“One of those things bit her,” said Piper. “You have to heal her. You have to get that poison out of her before she changes.”

Leo placed his hand over the wound in Phoebe’s shoulder and used his healing power. Within seconds the wound was healed. He wiped the blood away to make sure it was completely healed.

But even though the wound was healed, Phoebe continued to convulse. Already a bony ridge had begun to form on her forehead. And fur was beginning to cover her entire body.

“I don’t understand,” said Leo. “I healed her. She should be fine.”

“Get us back upstairs,” said Piper. “Maybe Marcus can do something.”

When they orbed into the conference room, Marcus and Amy were waiting for them. There was also another man none of them had seen before. He stood next to Amy, a syringe in one hand.

“Put her on the table,” ordered the man with the syringe.

Leo did as he was instructed. The man with the syringe immediately injected Phoebe with the syringe. Almost immediately, Phoebe stopped convulsing.

“It wasn’t hard to guess why you’d called for your White Lighter,” said Marcus. “This is Dr. Memphis. He’s the Chief Medical Officer at the complex.”

“That injection,” explained Dr. Memphis, “will slow the progression of the infection. But I’m afraid we can’t prevent the conversion. It’s only a matter of time before your sister converts into one of those things in the lower levels.”

“Why?” demanded Piper. “Leo healed her. That poison should be gone.”

“I’m afraid it’s not that simple,” said Dr. Memphis. “It’s not exactly a toxin. She isn’t really poisoned. New genetic material has been introduced into her system. The new material is coded to change the hosts’ genetic code to that of the new material.

“That new material is overriding here own genetic code. Rewriting it, so to speak. Changing her genetic code in favor of the new one. While we know what it’s doing and how, we don’t yet know how to stop it. Or change it. With that injection I gave her, it will slow the change down to several hours instead of several minutes.

“But that’s all we can do. I’m afraid there’s nothing else we can do. You’ll have to accept the fact that your sister is fated to become one of those demons like the type in the lower levels.”

[noazmale]

TWELVE

“You’re wrong,” said Piper deliberately. “There has to be something you can do about it.”

“I’m afraid I’ve done all I can,” said Dr. Memphis.

“I understand,” said Leo.

“You understand?” asked Paige. “What’s there to understand? Your healing power is supposed to be able to cure people. Isn’t that why you have it? To heal people?”

“Yes, it is,” said Leo. “But I can’t change a persons’ DNA. That’s why I can’t make you taller or change the color of your hair or eyes or anything like that. I can only cure injury or illness that isn’t part of a persons’ DNA code.

“If what the doctor is saying is true, my healing power won’t affect it. It’s as if this is how her DNA is supposed to be. The best I can do is get rid of anything that this modified DNA doesn’t recognize as part of its structure.”

“What about you?” Piper insisted of Dr. Memphis. “What kind of silver bullet can you give her that will fix this?”

“I’ve already told you,” said Memphis, “I’ve done all I can. I know how hard this is to hear, but the best I can do is delay the process.”

“I don’t accept that,” said Piper. “There has to be something we can do to help her. I’m not leaving this room until we find it.”

“Piper,” began Leo.

“No,” said Piper. “I’m not loosing another sister. We’re going to stay here and find a cure no matter how long it takes.”

“Piper,” said Paige, taking her sister by the shoulders, “you know we can’t do that. There’s nothing you or I can do to help Phoebe. Dr. Memphis and his staff are her best hope. But you and I can do something about that thing downstairs. If we don’t stop it, Phoebe is going to have a whole lot of company. Our primary responsibility as Charmed Ones is to stop that demon.”

“But,” said Piper.

“You’ve told me that Prue always said the Charmed Ones come first,” said Paige. “And since you’ve come into my life you’ve taught me the same thing. The Charmed Ones are more important than any person. You know I’m right.”

Piper looked at her little sister and wondered how she had grown up so much since they had first met. Usually it was Piper telling the others that the Charmed Ones were more important than any one person. Now, Paige was using her own words against her.

“You know,” she said finally, “it’s not easy having your own words thrown back in your face.” She looked at Dr. Memphis and Marcus. “You’d better find a cure for Phoebe.”

“We’ll do everything we can,” promised Marcus. “You have my word on it.”

[noazmale]

THIRTEEN

“Well,” said Paige, “at least we know where the main demon is.”

“Where?” asked Piper. “We never even got a look at it.”

“No, we didn’t,” said Paige. “But we were only encountering one or two demons at a time. And they didn’t seem to be working together. Then suddenly we run into nearly a dozen of them. And they were definitely working together then. I’m willing to bet most of them are near the main one. To protect the container until it opens.”

“Smart girl,” said Marcus. “And it makes sense. Once we bring the elevator up you’ll be able to get back to the fourth level quickly.”

“No,” said Piper. “If you move the elevator, it will warn them. Paige can orb us back to where we were. That might give us some surprise.”

“I’ve started another batch of the potion,” said Amy. “We don’t know how many of those things there are. I want to make sure we have enough to stop them.”

“Good,” said Piper.

Suddenly an alarm began to sound throughout the complex. The red emergency lights started flashing.

“Oh my God,” gasped Amy.

“What’s that?” asked Paige, putting her hands over her ears.

“It’s the alarm,” said Marcus. “It’s set to go off if the demons reach a particular level. If it’s going off on this level that means one of them has made it up here. The self-destruct will arm automatically.”

He pulled out a key from his pocket and hurried over to a control panel in one corner of the room. He put the key into a slot and turned it. Then he hurriedly began punching numbers into a keypad on the control panel.

Piper stepped to the doorway of the room and looked down the hall. A demon stood in front of the open elevator doors looking around as if it were trying to figure out where the noise was coming from. Two more demons were climbing out of the shaft.

“They’ve come up the elevator shaft,” she called back into the room.

“We have bigger problems,” said Marcus. “The computer won’t accept my override code. The demons must have damaged the main computer processor. I can’t shut off the auto-destruct. In,” he looked at a clock on the control panel, “four minutes thirty seven seconds an atomic bomb is going to detonate. And there’s nothing I can do to stop it.”

“What do you mean there’s nothing you can do?” asked Paige. “Didn’t someone say something about three places it can be shut down?”

“The other two are on the fourth and sixth levels,” said Marcus. “But they won’t work either. This control panel isn’t damaged. I have to enter a special code into the computer to shut down the self-destruct. Only the computer won’t accept the code. The problem is at the main processor. It’s on the sixth level. But it won’t accept my override code. It won’t accept it from any of the other terminals either.”

“Isn’t there any other way to shut it down?” asked Piper, watching the demons climb out of the elevator shaft.

“There’s a manual shutoff,” said Marcus. “But that’s on the sixth level. Even with your orbing, you can’t fight demons and try to shut it down.”

“We have to do something,” said Piper.

“We can,” said Marcus. “Leo, you can orb them out of here. There’s no reason for them to die here. And take Amy with you.”

‘No,” protested Amy. “I won’t desert you now.”

“Amy,” began Marcus.

“We don’t have time for this,” said Piper. “We have to figure something out. That bomb might destroy the demons, but there are innocents here we have to worry about.”

“Maybe not,” said Leo. “If the main demon has White Lighter DNA in it, it might not be destroyed by even an atomic blast.”

“What do you mean?” asked Marcus.

“White Lighters can only be killed by the bolt from a Dark Lighters crossbow,” said Leo. “Even if they’re vaporized, it’s quite likely they’ll eventually reconstitute themselves. If that demon has that ability, it’s only a matter of time before it reforms. And from what you’ve told me about it, it would eventually free itself even from the rubble here.”

[noazmale]

FOURTEEN

“Great,” said Marcus. “Everyone here dies and that thing still destroys mankind.”

“Not if we can shut down that bomb,” said Paige. “Leo and I can orb Piper and Amy to the manual shutoff. Then Leo can shut down the bomb while the rest of us fend off any demons that might be there. It’s the only choice we have.”

“It’s worth a try,” said Amy, picking up the Dark Lighter crossbow. “I’ll take this. My power is telepathy that won’t be of much use against those demons. This will still give us an edge.”

“Paige and I can use the potions and I have my explosive powers,” said Piper. “Now, where is that manual shutoff located?”

“In the back of the same lab where the container was kept,” said Marcus. “But what about those demons coming up the shaft?”

“We should be able to take care of them pretty quickly,” said Piper. “We’ll finish them off before we go to the shutoff. Seal the elevator doors so that no more of them can get up the shaft. And place guards at the doors just in case.”

“Okay,” said Marcus. “The shutoff is a large handle that’s painted yellow. Pull the handle down, and then remove the module next to it. That will shut off the power to the self-destruct and shut the bomb off.”

“Got it,” said Leo.

“If you can’t shut it down,” said Marcus, “orb out of there. You’ll need to get help to stop that thing if this doesn’t work. Take the women with you. There’s no sense for them to die if you can’t save the complex.”

“What about Phoebe?” asked Paige.

“She has to stay here,” said Piper deliberately. “She’s been infected. We can’t risk her infecting anyone else.”

Everyone knew she was right. No other place was equipped to deal with the type of infection Phoebe had. They didn’t even have the necessary medication to delay the progress of the infection. Without the resources of the complex, Phoebe would quickly change into one of those demons. And anyone she came into contact with would also be infected.

The three women stepped into the hallway, ready for battle. Leo followed. One demon was vanquished when Piper exploded it. Another was vaporized from the bolt Amy shot into it. Still another exploded from the potion Paige threw on it.

Three more demons stood in the hallway and turned to face their attackers. More of the monstrosities could be seen climbing out of the shaft.

“We’re running out of time,” Amy called out.

“You and Leo go,” said Piper. “Paige and I will hold these off.”

Amy reached over and took Leo’s arm. But before he could orb them out, the demons saw him. They all began to howl furiously, and then they turned and started back down the shaft as quickly as they could move. One even jumped, not bothering to try climbing down. The doors to the elevator finally closed, leaving two of the demons trapped on the first level. Piper and Amy quickly dispatched them.

“What happened?” asked Paige.

“We can worry about that later,” said Leo, looking at his watch. “We have less than two minutes to shut off the self-destruct.”

“Follow me,” said Paige.

Paige orbed Piper out of the hallway and Leo orbed Amy out. They appeared in the lab where the demonic container had been kept. The lights and alarms were still sounding.

“Over there,” said Amy, pointing to one corner. “It’s behind that equipment over there. Hurry, Leo. We’ll keep an eye out for any demons.”

Leo turned to move toward the corner and a demon suddenly emerged from the shadows. It racked out with one clawed hand at Amy. Amy dropped to the floor and rolled away from the demon. The demon exploded from Pipers’ ability the next instant.

As Leo moved around behind the equipment, he froze. The lever Marcus had told him about was already in the down position. A man standing in front of the lever was desperately pulling on the module with little success. He looked over his shoulder at Leo.

The man appeared to be about thirty years of age. His clothes were ripped and dirty and patches of dried blood could be seen on them. He obviously hadn’t shaved in several days, nor had he bathed. A fire axe was propped up against the wall next to him and it was also covered in dried blood.

“Help me,” he screamed. “It’s jammed. I can’t get it out.”

Still surprised, Leo moved over next to the man and grabbed hold of the module handle. With all their strengths, they pulled on the module. It refused to move. Leo glanced at his watch.

“We have to hurry,” he called to the other man. “There are only seventeen seconds left.”

Paige and Amy moved up next to them, both of them startled to see this stranger on the sixth level. They continued to scan the darkness watching for any sign of a demon attack. In desperation, Leo and the stranger pulled at the module as it refused to budge even an inch.

[~B@MeLiSsA30@B~]

Brilliant

[noazmale]

FIFTEEN

“Leo, move,” shouted Paige.

Leo stepped away from the module and pulled the other man away. Paige held out her hand and called for the module. Suddenly, the module orbed out of the machine and appeared in Paige’s palm. The lights and alarms stopped.

“How . . . how did you do that?” asked the startled stranger.

Suddenly a demon stepped out of the shadows and racked Paige’s back with a clawed hand. Paige fell to the floor dropping the module. The stranger picked up the fire axe and hit the demon full force with it, sending the beast back a few steps. As it turned to attack, a Dark Lighters’ bolt stopped the demon in its tracks.

“Come on,” said Leo, picking up the module. “Let’s get out of here. Let’s get back to the conference room.”

With Paige injured, Leo had to orb them all out. The man they had discovered in the lab picked up Paige and held her as Leo orbed them all out of the lab.

* * *

“You’re lucky it was a claw attack,” said Dr. Memphis as Leo healed Paige. “If that thing had bitten you, you’d be in the same shape as your sister. The infection is passed through the demons saliva.”

“That’s a neat trick,” said the man from the lab. He rolled up one sleeve to expose a large makeshift bandage. He pulled the bandage off to expose a nasty wound that had obviously already begun to heal. “Think you can do anything with this?”

“Hold on,” said Dr. Memphis, examining the wound. “Those look like teeth marks.”

“Yeah,” said the man. “One of those things bit me about three days ago. I think it might be infected.”

“Bit you?” questioned Memphis. “Other than this wound, and you’re right, it is infected, you don’t seem any different.”

“I’m not,” said the man. “But it hurts like hell. Got anything for the pain, doc?”

“Go on,” Memphis said to Leo. “This is amazing. He was bitten three days ago and hasn’t undergone any transformation.”

“What does that mean?” asked Piper.

“It implies some sort of resistance to the infection,” said Memphis. “If I can isolate that resistance, it might be able to produce a vaccine against the demon bites.”

“Who are you?” Marcus asked the man. “What were you doing on the sixth level?”

“My name is James Crawford,” said the man. “I work maintenance and was assigned to the sixth level. When those things first appeared, the level was sealed. I couldn’t get out. I’ve been hiding down there ever since. I don’t know who these people are but they saved my butt.”

“Lucky for us he was there,” said Leo. “He already had started the shut down procedure when we got there. Without him, I’m not sure we would have had enough time to do it.”

Thanks,” said Crawford after Leo finished healing him. “There’s not even any pain. I appreciate it.”

“You’ll be find now,” said Leo. “As good as new.”

“I’ll have the cook make you something,” Marcus said to Crawford. “You’re probably hungry.”

“Yes, I am,” said Crawford. “The only food down there were the vending machines and they didn’t last long.”

“What about this immunity?” asked Piper. “Can it be used to cure Phoebe?”

“Piper, it’s not that simple,” said Marcus. “It could take months, even years, to isolate the immunity. Even then, there’s no telling how long it will take to produce a vaccine.”

“Maybe not,” said Memphis. “Whatever’s producing this immunity should be in Mr. Crawford’s blood. A simple transfusion should at least partially transfer some of that immunity to Phoebe. At the very least, it should slow the progression of the infection. Assuming that Mr. Crawford is willing to agree to a transfusion.”

“You got me out of that hell hole,” said Crawford to Piper. “I guess a transfusion is the least I can do.”

“Good,” said Memphis. “We should get started right away.”

“Okay,” said Crawford. “While we’re doing that, you can explain to me exactly what’s going on. And how someone can heal me with a simple touch.”

“Go ahead, Doctor,” said Marcus. “I think we can trust James with the truth.”

“Very well,” said Memphis. “Come along, Mr. Crawford. I have a strange but fascinating story to tell you.”

“We still have that container on the fourth level to contend with,” said Marcus after Crawford and Memphis had left.

“And now we don’t have the Power of Three,” said Piper. “With Phoebe out, her spell is useless.”

“Honey,” said Marcus to Amy, “you’re a witch. Can’t you fill in for Phoebe? Complete this Power of Three?”

“It doesn’t work that way,” said Amy. “The Power of Three is not simply the combined power of three witches. It’s the combined power of these three particular witches. It’s their blood relation that makes them the Charmed Ones. No one else can replace any of them.”

“Maybe we still have an advantage,” said Paige. “When those converted demons saw Leo, they acted like they were afraid of him.”

“She’s right,” said Piper. “They couldn’t get back into the elevator shaft fast enough.”

“The original was created using White Lighter DNA,” said Marcus. “Theoretically, I suppose, there’s some sort of instinct in those converted demons that allows them to recognize a White Lighter. And maybe see them as superior. There are examples of that in nature.”

“How do you know so much about this stuff?” asked Piper. “You don’t seem like a typical administrator.”

“I wasn’t always,” said Marcus. “I’m a molecular biologist by trade. Another reason I was put in charge here. The doctors here can explain things to me and I can understand them no matter how complicated it gets.”

“So these demons would be genetically predisposed to seeing Leo as a sort of boss?” asked Amy.

“It’s certainly possible,” said Marcus.

“Demons do rule by fear and intimidation,” said Leo. “If they see me as superior because I’m a White Lighter, they might also see me as their master.”

“Philip,” Amy called into the air. “Philip, I need to see you.”

Another White Lighter suddenly orbed into the conference room.

“This is Philip Crown, my White Lighter,” explained Amy. “I figure two White Lighters just might give us a bigger edge than one. And with the self-destruct deactivated, there’s not much chance of either of them setting it off.”

“Edge over what?” asked Philip. “Amy, you told me never to come here. What’s going on?”

“It’s complicated, Philip,” said Leo. “Come on. Marcus and I will fill you in.”

[noazmale]

SIXTEEN

“So, do we have a plan?” asked Paige.

“We kick some demon butt,” said Piper. “And if those things are as afraid of White Lighters as they appear to be, Leo or Philip might be able to keep the lower ones away long enough for us to take out momma.”

“I’m guessing one shot from this won’t do it,” said Amy, picking up the crossbow. “It might hurt it, though. Maybe distract it long enough to finish it off. Assuming it gets out before we get to it.”

“We’ll get our chance soon enough,” said Piper. “Now, let’s figure out a way to stop this thing once and for all.”

* * *

“Okay,” said Piper, “the plan is simple. Leo and Paige will orb us in where Phoebe was attacked. With Leo there, we’re betting those lower level demons will keep their distance. That should get us close enough to the container to destroy it. Once there, I blow it up. That should destroy whatever is inside. Kind of like breaking an egg before it hatches.”

“What if it doesn’t destroy it?” asked Marcus.

“Then Piper will use her explosive power on it,” said Amy. “At the same time, I’ll use the crossbow and Paige will use the potion. That should be enough to kill it even if we have to hit it several times.”

“What about the lower demons?” asked Philip. “Are they going to just stand there while you kill their creator?”

“With me watching their back,” said Leo, “I think they will. They seem to be afraid of me. I don’t think they will want to go past me to get to them. Even if they do, I can warn them of the attack.”

“You still have the rejuvenating affect of the White Lighter DNA,” said Marcus. “Won’t that allow it to overcome the damage you do to it?”

“Not with the crossbow,” said Leo. “It will poison the White Lighter portion of that thing. Once the White Lighter DNA is dead, the rest will die from the attacks. It won’t have any way to rejuvenate the damage.”

“After we’re sure it’s dead,” said Paige, “we’ll take out the ones it’s converted.”

“Sounds like a plan to me,” said Marcus. “We’re compiling a list of everyone who was in the complex when this all started. Once we do that, we just make an accounting of everyone we can find. That should give us a list of how many of those things there are.”

“Good,” said Amy. “Philip, I need you to stay up here. Just in case any of those demons get up here again.”

“Okay,” said Philip. “But I’ll listen for you. If you need me, just call.”

“I will,” promised Amy. “Well, the sooner we get started, the sooner this will be over.”

Leo and Paige orbed Amy and Piper out of the conference room leaving Marcus and Philip alone. The two just looked at each other. They had known one another for a very long time. Both were worried, not only about Amy, but Piper, Paige, and Leo as well. Leo and Paige orbed into the same spot where Phoebe had been attacked. No demons seemed to be around at the moment.

“They’re probably expecting us to come down the elevator,” said Amy.

“I’ll bet the container is in there,” said Piper, pointing at a door farther on. “The demons were between us and that door. And the drag marks lead in there.”

“Okay,” said Leo, “I’ll lead. That should keep the demons at bay. Let’s get in there and finish this.”

Amy held the crossbow close to her body. Paige pulled out two vials of the potion, holding one in each hand. Piper was prepared to use her power at a moments notice.

They approached the door unhindered. This both relieved them and made them apprehensive. They were relieved since they didn’t need to fight their way to the door, which might alert the demons inside. They were apprehensive since it seemed as if no demons were guarding the door at all. A very strange occurrence considering their creator was supposedly inside.

Leo stopped at the door and looked around. Nothing moved around them. There wasn’t a sound except for their own breathing. Nervously, he checked the door. It wasn’t locked.

“This is too easy,” whispered Paige. “Where are all the demons that were protecting it earlier?”

“Maybe we destroyed them all,” whispered Piper. “Let’s just get in there and get this over with.”

Leo reached for the doorknob.

[~B@MeLiSsA30@B~]

[noazmale]

SEVENTEEN

Leo opened the door and looked inside. The room had been partially cleared out in the center, leaving a large empty space. The scratch marks in the floor led directly up to the container that sat in the shadows in the center of the room.

All of the overhead lights were out. But the room was far from empty. At least a dozen pairs of glowing eyes could bee seen in the darkness around the room. It was now clear why no demons were in the hallway. All of them were in the room protecting the container.

Leo pulled out a flashlight and turned it on. He shined it around the room on the demons. They hissed and snarled at him but none offered to venture near him. It was clear the creatures feared the White Lighter and did not want to approach him.

“Piper,” said Leo, “you should be able to get the container from here. Take it out from the doorway. If I stand in the doorway, it should keep them away long enough for you to finish the job.

“Put the light on the container,” said Piper. “I need a clear shot at it.

Leo turned the flashlight on the container as Piper raised her hands to explode it. The four gasped at what they saw. The lid to the container was off and lay on the floor next to it. The greenish-black liquid was spilled all around it creating a disgusting puddle on the floor. The container itself was completely empty.

As they stood looking at the empty container, they heard movement in the back of the room. Leo turned the flashlight in the direction of the movement. What they saw startled and horrified them all. Moving toward them slowly was the largest demon any of them had ever seen