Deathstalker 03 - Deathstalker War

calm and cold and very deadly.
    "Like I give a shit," said Finlay.
    Giles nodded, and knelt down beside Evangeline. She glared at him, but let him take Julian from her arms. The Deathstalker held him with surprising gentleness, the esper's head lolling back against Giles's chest. Blood dripped from the esper's chin.

    His breathing was very faint. Giles closed his eyes, concentrating in a way that was still new to him, reaching out in a direction he couldn't name but somehow knew was there. He could see Julian now as a dim light in the darkness, a guttering candle whose flame was slowly going out. Giles looked at himself, and saw a light so blinding he could barely face it. And it was the easiest thing in the world for him to take some of that light and give it to Julian.
    The esper sat up suddenly in the Deathstalker's arms, his eyes snapping open, sucking in a deep breath like a swimmer surfacing from a long dive. The bleeding had stopped, and his coloring had returned to normal. He looked around him, startled.
    "What the hell was that?" he said. "It was like God called my name."
    "Trust me," said Finlay. "God had nothing to do with it."
    "What do you remember?" Evangeline asked, as she helped him get to his feet again.
    "I'm… not sure. We were under siege. I was trying to focus my esp, but… and then Giles was here with me. It's blank after that."
    "Probably just as well," said Finlay. He looked at Giles, also back on his feet.
    "How good a job did you do, Deathstalker? Is he healed? Properly healed?"
    "I doubt it," said Giles. "I know only basic medicine. Whatever was wrong with him before is probably still wrong with him. I just… jump-started him again.
    Gave his batteries a boost. No, he's probably just back to how he was before I…
    interfered."
    "Don't ever do that again," said Finlay. "You're the one with the amazing powers. You can defend us in the future."
    "You can defend yourself," said Giles. "I never forget a threat."
    "I think it would be a good idea if we were all to calm down a little," said
    Toby nervously. "After all, we're all on the same side, aren't we? And the esper's back to normal again."
    "I think I'll take a walk around the deck," said Giles, not looking away from Finlay's gaze. "Make sure there are no toy parts left on board. Get myself a little fresh air as well. It's getting a bit thick in here."
    He headed for the stateroom door, and everyone stepped back to give him plenty of room. The Bear looked at him thoughtfully.
    "You're not human anymore," he said. "I can tell. What are you, Giles Deathstalker?"
    "Damned if I know," said Giles, and he left.
    "How do you feel, Julian?" said Finlay.
    The esper shrugged uncomfortably. "Tired. Drained. And my throat's sore as hell.
    Is the emergency over? Are the toys gone?"
    "It's over," said Evangeline. "Why don't you go lie down for a while? We'll take care of the cleaning up."
    "Yeah," said Julian. "Rest. Good idea." He left the stateroom on slightly unsteady feet.
    "Typical," said Anything. "Halloweenie almost got killed protecting him, and he didn't even say thank you."
    "Shut up," said Halloweenie. "He doesn't even remember. You want to be useful, get me out of here and over to the repair shop. I need a ten-thousand-mile service. At least."
    Anything nodded, picked up the broken little skeleton boy, and carried him out of the stateroom. Poogie, the Bear, and the Goat went with them, leaving the humans alone. Toby nodded to Flynn, and the camera floated down onto Flynn's
    shoulder and shut itself off.
    "You've got guts, Campbell," said Toby. "Threatening a Deathstalker. Hell, the Deathstalker. That was the man who activated the Darkvoid Device, remember?
    Killed very living thing on a thousand suns' planets, and never once said sorry.
    Personally, I'd rather tongue-kiss a Grendel."
    "He would have let Julian die," said Finlay. "I couldn't allow that. I didn't rescue him from the interrogation cells under Golgotha just to have him die because the Deathstalker had a use for him. Still, I was hoping the ancient bastard could cure Julian; fix all the things that were wrong with him. Either he couldn't do it, or he wouldn't, which means the poor kid is still dying by inches. The odds are he's going to die here anyway, far from home, and there's not a damn thing I can do to save him, this time."
    "You can't do everything," said Evangeline.
    "I couldn't comfort him," said Finlay. "Not like you did. I don't know how to do things like