Art | Reviews | Fiction | Effects | Costumes | Poll | Profiles
Susanne Casey,aka Davia Baxendale, the Tall Man's forbidden lover
Michael Pearson lay in the desert night, awaiting the peaceful, forever
sleep that would end his nightmares. The golden thought sphere ripped
from his head by the Tall Man, the life oozing out of his body,
Michael's only thoughts were of his family...Mom, Dad, and Jody. Now,
he thought, he would see them in Heaven.
When Giles was through talking, Jody still could not believe his ears.
"Your own wife killed you because you wanted to protect your only
surviving child?" Jody said incredulously.
"I'd found out how Jessica had really died and confronted her," Giles
continued. "Jess...that's Jeb's twin. The 'fortuneteller's
granddaughter' your brother knew...she was able to break free of Jewel,
eventually. Jewel's younger sister, Jennifer...that's the Lavender Lady
you encountered. Jen was just like her sister...evil, twisted,
conniving...those other women your brother and friend had to deal with
were all manifestations of Jen and Jewel..."
"Except Rocky, Davia and Liz," Jody interrupted.
"Except Rocky, Davia and Liz," Giles confirmed. "They're like the three
of you...flawed, but pure of heart. I will tell you this, Jody...if I'd
lived to meet Davia Baxendale face-to-face, I'd have loved to have had
her for a daughter-in-law."
"So the fact that she was young enough to be your granddaughter never
bothered you, even here?" Jody then asked.
also aka SphereGrrl
PART 1:
As he was thinking this, he felt a warm, soft hand touch the side of
his head...the side that had been ripped open by the Tall Man. But
instead of pain, he was bathed in ecstatic, healing light, the touch of
this hand healing his fatal wound and bringing him back to
consciousness, to life itself.
Michael looked up. His lifelong friend Reggie Harris knelt beside him,
happy that he was all right. Reg was still wearing his old ice- cream
vendor suit and leather vest, the quad-barrel shotgun at the ready. By
his side was a young woman with long red hair, clothed in black,
combat-style platform boots and a silky slip of a dress...he had never
seen anyone like her before."Who are you?" Michael asked, sitting up carefully.
"This is Davia, Mike," Reg answered. "Davia Baxendale...I met her when
I went through the fork...she has quite a story to tell."
Michael tensed. "You're not with the Tall Man, are you?" he asked.
Davia shook her head. "You mean that...that thing that overtook my
Jeb?" she replied. "Him I couldn't give 2 damns about...Jeb's the man
I'm trying to save."
Michael remembered what he had seen when he'd met the Tall Man's former
self, remembered the good man he had once been. "You knew Jebadiah
Morningside?""Yes," Davia said wistfully. "Your brother Jody didn't know about
me...that's why he didn't tell you the whole story. He didn't know
that after Jeb crossed over, I followed him in...and I've been fol-
lowing him ever since."
As Reg stoked the fire and started a pot of his special campfire baked
beans for supper, Davia wrapped a blanket around Michael---he was still
shivering after that near-death experience---and started talking. "That
old blind woman you knew as a fortuneteller, Mike... the woman you saw
again when you met Jeb as he really was...that's his mother Jewel," she
revealed. "If you think this Tall Man is evil, you haven't seen what
Jewel can do...she's what made him this way..."
"Go ahead, Davia, tell him," Reg then said, adding a shot of bourbon to
the cookpot. "Tell him everything you told me."
As she spoke, she took Michael back in time, to before Jebadiah
Morningside became the Tall Man. She left nothing out...the death of
Jeb's father and one of his sisters under mysterious circumstances
...Jewel Morningside's obsession with the occult, and her smothering
dominance of her family, especially Jeb...Davia's past relationship with
the much older Jeb, and how it had blossomed into a tenderly erotic love
affair against Jewel's wishes...how Jewel had tried to have her run out
of town first, then tried to have her killed to keep her away from
him...everything. By the time she was through, Michael began to see
things in an entirely different light.
"If what you say is true, then the Tall Man really isn't in control of
what he does," Michael then said.
"No, he's not," Davia replied, silent tears running down her face.
Reggie took out a clean hanky and let Davia dry her eyes. "That
explains why he hasn't tried to hurt you all these years," Michael said
gently. "It's like he's...he's protecting you, eluding you because he
doesn't want you to get involved in all this."
"The question is, does his bitch mama know you're following him?" Reg
then asked.
"Oh, Jewel knows, all right," Davia spat bitterly. "She thought I was
a whore the first minute I showed any interest in Jeb---why do you think
she paid a couple of low-rent horse thieves to have me killed when she
couldn't run me out of town? She thought I was after the family's
money, too...""Were you? Not that there's any doubt..." Reggie then asked.
"No," she said. "I know this sounds outrageous, even ridiculous, but I
really love Jeb. I miss feeling his kisses, his arms around me...I
definitely miss making love to him..."
Reg and Michael looked at each other, then looked back at her. "You
two really slept together?" Michael asked in a perplexed voice. "No
offense, Davia, but what's the attraction?"
Davia smiled blissfully. "Let me put it this way...when my husband Joel
was alive, he couldn't make the earth move like Jeb did...and Jeb was a
virgin until he met me," she sighed.
"My God, she IS in love," Reggie mumbled, stirring the pot of beans to
keep them from burning.
In the region between Heaven and Hell, Jody Pearson walked around. He
had been there for what seemed like eons, and he had been given one
assignment to complete before gaining entry into Heaven...find Giles
Morningside and learn the family's secrets, learn what drove his son
Jebadiah to pass through time and space, then take Giles with him back
to Earth in an attempt to help Michael, Davia, and Reggie free
Jebadiah's mortal soul from its enslavement to evil.
Purgatory was a lot like Earth...neither completely peaceful nor
completely warlike. The bad news was, Giles Morningside wasn't very
easy to find. Everywhere he looked, everywhere he asked, Jody always
came to a dead end.
Just when Jody was about to give totally up, he came face-to-face with
Giles himself. "You lookin' for me?" Giles asked, not knowing whether
or not to trust him. "Why?"
Jody didn't blame the man for not trusting him---for not trusting
anyone, in fact. "I need you to go back with me to Earth," Jody began.
"It's to do with your son Jeb..."
"Jeb?" Giles then asked, the sorrowful tears falling down. "Did that
bitch kill him, too? Just like she killed his sister and me?"
"I'm afraid it's much worse than that, Mr. Morningside," Jody replied.
"All I know is, whether he'll admit it or not, he needs our help if he
ever wants to be free...if we all want to be free. But before we go
anywhere, I need to learn more about your family...and how and why it
was destroyed."
For the first time since his life had been cut short, a smile formed on
Giles' face. "You've got it, whoever you are," Giles then said,
"Jody. Jody Pearson," Jody said as they shook hands.
Davia tensed suddenly, the psychic messages flooding her mind and her
body. "Your brother's found Giles," Davia said softly.
"Jody? Where is he?" Michael then asked.
"Purgatory," she then said. "Jody's been given a job to do if he ever
wants to go to Heaven..."
"What job, Davia?" Reggie asked, growing more curious by the minute.
Before they knew it, Jody began speaking through her.
"Reg...Mike! It's me," Jody said, his spirit inhabiting Davia as he
could not yet return to Earth. "Holy shit," Reggie said in amazement.
"Jody, what's going on?" Michael asked. "I thought..."
"Don't sweat it, little brother," Jody replied kindly. "Let's just say
I'm trying to make up for all the trouble I caused...if Miss Baxendale
hasn't told you yet, I've found Jebadiah Morningside's father...we still
have some things to wrap up before we can come back to help you..."
"Help us do what, Jody?" Reggie then said.
"Destroy Jewel Morningside to save Jeb's soul," Jody revealed. "She's
the cause of all of this...frankly, she makes our tall friend look like
Walt Disney. Giles and I are also gathering some more backup, from
where we're all at...""Liz? Tim...Rocky, too?" Michael asked.
"All of them," Jody said. "I'm sorry I can't stay longer and talk, but
I've sent Davia a signal to where Jebadiah's at now...she's gonna go to
him as soon as I leave here. And don't worry...he's just as fed up with
this crap as we all are..."
"Yeah, right," Reggie scoffed. "Then what's with all the fuckin'
dwarves and Christmas tree balls all over the place?"
"It's not so much Jeb doing this as it is Jewel," Jody then said. "I'll
be back down soon."
As soon as he said those words, Jody left Davia's body...causing her to
collapse.
"Davia!" Michael exclaimed as he caught her in mid-faint. Reg grabbed
his canteen and splashed a little water on her face before giving her a drink.
"Easy does it, girlfriend," Reg said as he urged her to drink up. "Just
relax a couple minutes, get your second wind..."
"Jeb," Davia sputtered, pushing the canteen away after a couple sips.
"I know where Jeb is..."
"Davia, you've had a bad shock," Michael said gently, still not quite
believing what Jody has said.
"Didn't you hear Jody?" Davia scolded...she was in her right mind,
which made the situation even more unbelievable. "I know where Jeb
is...he told me while he was talking to you!"
Mike and Reg looked at each other again. "Jody was telling the truth,"
Reg realized. "Even about Jeb's father?" Mike then asked.
"Even about Giles," Davia replied, standing back up with Mike and
Reggie's help. The minute she was back on her feet, Davia reached into
her bag and took out another slipdress...this one, a deep, lush green.
"Jeb's favorite color?" Reg teased.
"How'd you know?" Davia replied as she went behind the 'Cuda to change.
"Just do what you have to do, Davia," Mike then said. "We've got your back."
Jewel Morningside's service in the ruling region of Hell had cured her
blindness and paralysis, but it had done nothing to ease her contempt
for Davia. "The little whore's getting closer," she spat angrily.
Turning to her master, Lucifer, she said, "It's the damned Baxendale
girl...she's still following my son."
"I was afraid of that," Lucifer said, seeing the images of Davia, Reg
and Michael in the time mirror. "Jewel, you've served me well, but I'm
afraid your boy can no longer be trusted. See for yourself..."
The image in the time mirror shifted from Davia, Reg and Mike to the
Tall Man's mausoleum lair. Jewel became even more furious at what she
found next...
The Tall Man sat on the stairsteps, wondering why he had gone so far.
He had entered the forks to escape Jewel's domineering abuse...only to
find that there was no escape. In the process, he had lost his
identity, the hopes for the peaceful life he had always wanted...and
then there was Davia. Oh, how he had loved her!
He knew she had followed him, knew that Jewel wanted her destroyed...
but he would not kill her. He had never wanted her to get mixed up in
this battle, had never wanted her to be hurt by his deeds...
The Tall Man wept for the first time since crossing over. "Oh, Davia,
why didn't you listen to me?!?" he sobbed. "You're probably dead by
now...why did you love me? Why did you make me love you...knowing that
I'd still love you now, after all these years...oh, Davia, where are you?"
He took out an old daguerotype photograph, kept in his pocket since the
very start. It was of him and Davia...before his journey began.
The Tall Man looked at the photo, and remembered...the love they had
shared, the love they had made, despite the vast gulf in their ages...
how good she had made him feel for the first time in his life. He
remembered the apple scent of her soft red hair...the lightly freckled,
fair skin that was silken to the touch...the full lips that had kissed
his endlessly, that had covered him with soft, sensuous kisses...the
ecstatic screams of delight that had left her throat as they made
love...the feel of her from the inside, tight, wet, and hot...
"Damn him," Jewel raged, seeing the image of her son in such anguish and
misery...not that she cared. "Jebadiah was always weak...he was weak
before this, and that Baxendale whore's made him even weaker now!"
"We can take care of him," Lucifer offered. "We can take care of both
of them...as for the Pearson brothers and their friends, we'll just have
to deal with them, too."
Back in the mausoleum, the Tall Man began wandering about in his grief,
the tears mixing with rage. Placing the photo back in his pocket, he
went into a vandalistic rampage.
Taking his fists and feet and anything within reach, he broke and
demolished everything in sight. Stained-glass windows became shards
with a mere punch, dwarf-barrels and gravestones were reduced to rubble.
Embalming tanks, tables, chairs, everything except the time-travel room
and the area of the mausoleum where he meditated...he destroyed it all,
even the painting of his mother. The painting of Jewel in her
wheelchair, casting haughty dominance behind her black glasses, lording
it over him as she had in life...this received the brunt of his rage.
"You think I didn't know you tried to kill Davia? You fucking BITCH!!!"
the Tall Man wailed, taking the painting down and tearing the canvas to
shreds with his bare hands before crushing the wooden, gilt-edged
portrait frame to sawdust. "You think I don't know you killed Papa and
Jess? Oh, God, will I never be free of you?"
Sinking down to the floor, his back against the mortuary walls, the Tall
Man continued to cry his heart out. As the tears continued to pour
down, Davia passed through the spacegates...finding him at last.
"Hello, Jeb," the familiar voice purred, stopping the Tall Man in his
tracks. It had been eons since he had heard the sensual, soft voice
that had made him melt so long ago.
The Tall Man looked up through tearful eyes. "Davia?" he asked, taking
in the young woman's presence. She was as erotically beautiful as he
had remembered, but like him, her appearance had changed a bit through
the dimensions. Her wispy gowns and high-button granny boots had given
way to platform combat boots and a flimsy, deep purple
spaghetti-strapped slipdress, her once-upswept red hair now falling in
lustrous waves. The Tall Man could hardly believe his eyes.
"It can't be," he said, shaking his head and wiping his eyes as he stood
to his full height. "You're from another time, another place...you
can't be here..."
"You can't believe your own eyes, can you?" Davia then asked. "I've
loved you since the day we met, and you can't believe I'd follow you
and someday find you?"
Thinking it was another of Jewel's tricks, he was hesitant, and Davia
didn't blame him for that. "You're but a memory," the Tall Man
countered. "A figment of my former life..."
Davia would not be denied. She walked up to him, unafraid, and asked,
"Does this feel like a memory?" before grabbing his jacket collar and
pulling him in for a lengthy, lustful kiss. His instincts told him to
resist...but he could not. His mind told him to push her away...but he
did not. As if they had a mind of their own, his arms wrapped around
her, the crush of her lips against his inflaming the desires he thought
had died with his former life, with Jebadiah Morningside. The feel of
her tongue seeking his, the softness of her young body, the
apple-orchard scent of her hair, finally convinced him that it was really her.
The Tall Man drank the young woman's kisses...and remembered.
When Davia and the Tall Man tapered off from their kiss, he was still
in a flustered shock...only now, it was tempered by a long-buried carnal
desire. His grip on her still tender, he asked, "Why did you follow me,
knowing what Mother's capable of?"
"I had to," she replied, pecking his lips here and there. "I'd follow
you anywhere...you'd do the same for me..."
"Davia, I've wanted you for so long," the Tall Man then said, barely
able to conceal his arousal. "I thought you'd moved on after..."
"After your mother tried to kill me? Never," Davia whispered hotly,
gently easing him out of his jacket before she placed his hands upon
her breasts. "Nothing could make me stop loving you or desiring
you..."He softly massaged her breasts, the old forgotten feelings now
overtaking him as their lips again collided. They then collapsed to
the floor, their lovemaking as passionate and frenzied as it had been
years ago. Between kisses, the Tall Man slipped a hand under Davia's
skirt, finding her sweet spot and becoming reacquainted with it. She
was very wet, and the slightest strokes made her sigh with pleasure.
They paused long enough to undress, and the sight of Davia's beautiful
body further inflamed the Tall Man's passion. They took their time
with each other, wanting to prolong their sex play as long as they
could. They left no part of each other unexplored or unkissed, and
after this delicious foreplay they could no longer wait. Davia parted
her shapely legs, inviting him inside, and he did not disappoint her.
He had never forgotten how good she felt, and when he entered her, he
marvelled at how tight she still was...and how good it felt to be inside her.
Starting with slow, sensual thrusts, the Tall Man filled Davia with
every inch of his penis, not wanting to hurt her as their bodies jelled
into one. Davia's long fingernails dug gently into his back, her
breasts crushed against his chest during their lovemaking. For her
part, she had never forgotten the size of him, how he had filled her and
thrilled her like Joel never could...how he had brought her to
her first orgasms with his hands, his lips, his body. So what if he was
so much older than her? Until they had met, the Tall Man had never had
a sexual experience...but with her tender encouragement, he had become
a marvelous lover. Now, she realized he had forgotten nothing as his
thrusts quickened, making her crazy with pleasure. They began kissing
again, his tongue dueling with hers, his moans matching hers, as they
collided in sobbing orgasm. He held her tight as his hot seed gushed
into her, their love cries filling the room before they collapsed.
In the afterglow of their lovemaking, the Tall Man looked down at Davia
and smiled. "Has it really been that long?" he asked, nuzzling her
jawline and neck, his arms holding her in his embrace.
"Too long," she replied as their lips once again met, their bodies
clinging tightly together.
After resting and cuddling a few minutes, the Tall Man took her into his
meditation room. They lay on the bed, then he poured his heart out to
her, telling her about his past battles with Reggie and the
Pearsons...and that he knew she had told Mike and Reg the whole story.
"Are you angry?" she asked.
"To tell you the truth, I'm relieved," he said tenderly. "I just never
dreamed they would want to help me...not after all the things I've done..."
In mid-sentence, the Tall Man and Davia found they were not alone...and
that was not a good sign. "Davia, you'd better get out of here," he
told her gently, getting out of bed to retrieve her dress and boots.
"Get the boy and his friends..."
Davia knew what he was talking about, and did as she was told. "Jewel
found us, didn't she?" she asked as she conjured up one of the portals.
The sanctuary doors flew open. There stood Jewel, accompanied by her
minions. "I told you to keep away from that whore," she spat, glaring
at her son.
The Tall Man stood his ground, standing between Davia and Jewel to keep
Davia safe. "Mother, you'll never keep us apart---you know you can't,"
he replied defiantly. "Not for long...Davia, I love you, but get out of
here, now!"
Before Jewel's demons could attack her, Davia told the Tall Man, "I love
you, too," before escaping through the portal.
PART 2:
Susanne/Davia/SphereGirl
"No," Giles grinned. "I know that she loves him---really loves him.
She's the first good thing to ever happen to my son, so the age factor
was never a problem. Jewel, however..."
Giles took another sip from his water jug. "Mr. Morningside, how were
you killed? You haven't told me that yet," Jody said sympathetically.
"You really want to know?" Giles replied.
"Yes," Jody answered. "Please tell me."
The Morningside house, circa 1844. "Jebadiah, wait for me out here,"
Giles said in a firm, but loving tone. "I'll go get your things..."
"But Papa, what about Ma---!" the frightened 12-year-old protested weakly.
"Jeb, listen to me," the father replied, gently gripping the boy's
shoulders. "Your ma caused your sister to die, and she's tryin' to kill
you. Look at all these bruises, son---no mother would do this if she
really loved her kids! Now I'm gonna get your things, and I promise
you, your ma ain't never gonna hurt you again."
Tears welled up in young Jebadiah's eyes. "You promise?" he asked his
father, who was also crying.
"I promise," Giles said, hugging his son tight. "Now wait out by the
wagon while I pack our bags, okay?"
Jebadiah cried in his father's embrace. "I love you, Papa," he wept.
"Son, I love you, too," Giles said, releasing Jeb and gently drying his
eyes. "There's no shame in cryin', but I want you to promise me
somethin'...don't ever let that woman reduce you to tears again, you
understand? Don't give her that kinda power, okay?"
"I promise, Papa," Jeb said, drying his eyes.
Giles Morningside smiled at his son and ruffled his hair playfully.
"That's my good boy," he said. "I'll be right out."
As Giles stormed into the house, Jebadiah did not yet know that it would
be the last time he would ever see his father alive.
"Giles, why are you home so early?" Jewel asked, trying to feign the
love she had never had for her husband. Giles stormed past her and went
up the stairs. "Giles---!
Giles went into Jebadiah's room and, taking 2 nearby carpet bags that
Jeb used for luggage, began packing the boy's belongings. Once he was
through collecting his son's things, he went into the master suite and
began packing his things. Jewel stood in the hallway, startled. "Giles
Morningside, what do you think you're doing?" Jewel then asked. The
question drew an enraged glare from her husband.
"You of all people should know, you stone-hearted bitch," Giles finally
said. "I'm leaving you, and I'm taking Jebadiah with me..."
"Leaving?" Jewel replied. "You can't---who'll take care of this place---!"
"This place is gonna be sold, Jewel," Giles revealed, "as soon as you go
to jail for what you've been doing to our son---AND for murdering our daughter!"
Jewel's confusion turned to realization. "You know, don't you?" she asked.
"That you've been taking Jeb out of school so you can make a slave of
him, putting the weight of the world on his shoulders and beating on him
for your amusement?" Giles then said. "So you can lure him into your
sick obsessions? You're killing him, Jewel, just like you killed Jessica---!"
"That was an accident!" Jewel protested. "She fell down the stairs, Giles---!"
"No, she didn't---Jeb SAW THE WHOLE THING!!!" Giles screamed. "Oh,
yes, he told me everything...he told me that you'd beaten him, Jewel,
after you promised you'd never lay a finger on him again! He told me
that Jess confronted you and stood between the two of you, and how she
begged you to stop hurting him. He told me how Jess tried to help him
to him room...only for you to start beating and kicking her, then
throwing her down the staircase, causing her to die on the spot!"
"No..." Jewel protested.
"Yes, Jewel, he told me," her husband then said. "And you're still
playing innocent? What the Hell kind of human being are you? You're no
wife, and you're certainly no mother...no real mother would abuse and
murder her children. Poor Jeb's so shell-shocked now he still can't
believe what you've done."
Giles finished packing, then started to leave...but Jewel had other
plans. The minute his back was turned to her, Jewel had taken an axe
from the hall closet and struck him in the back of the head, sending him
down the stairs. Like her daughter, her husband died instantly, but
Jewel was not through.
She started charging down the staircase to hack him to pieces, only to
lose her footing and tumble down...the blade of the axe missed her, but
the butt-end struck her in the forehead, the force of the blow rendering
her sightless...the fall leaving her paralyzed.
From outside, Jeb heard the noises and went in to check. At the bottom
of the staircase lay his mother and father, side by side. His mother
was living, but crippled...his father, not so lucky.
"Jebadiah," Jewel cried weakly, pointing at him, "it's...it's all your fault."
"God in Heaven," Jody said incredulously, his hatred for the Tall Man
now turned into complete sympathy for Jebadiah. "He's had to live with
that all this time, even after crossing over?"
"I'm afraid so," a gentle, feminine voice said behind him.
Jody and Giles turned; it was Jessica Morningside, clad in an ethereal, gauzy
white gown, still 12 years old...the age she was when she died. "Hi,
Papa, may I come in?"
"You certainly may," Giles offered, welcoming his daughter into a
belated embrace. "Where'd you come from?"
"Heaven," Jessica replied. "The archangels sent me to help rescue
Jebadiah...who's your friend here?"
"I'm Jody Pearson," Jody smiled, shaking the young girl's hand. "It's
great to finally meet you."Jessica smiled. "Met Davia yet?" she asked.
"In so many words," Jody replied. "So, ready to fly down to Earth?"
Giles and Jennifer looked at each other. "Say no more," Giles grinned.
"I've got a huge score to settle...Jess?""Let's roll," Jessica agreed.
In Hell, the Tall Man had once again become Jebadiah Morningside...and
was now being held in one of its dungeons. The dwarves had long crossed
over to Jewel's side, the spheres destroyed...and Jeb had been given a
brief rest period in readiness for the tortures that were to come.
"You should have killed the little Baxendale slut when you had the
chance," Jewel had hissed in his ear once he was captured. "But don't
worry...she and her friends will all be destroyed...and you'll get to watch!"
He had already been beaten senseless, and the yellow blood now flowed
red again, but Jeb refused to buckle. "Love never dies, damn you!" he
raged at his mother, spitting in her face as she urged the torturers to
keep beating him into unconsciousness. His thoughts were always of
Davia, and now drifted to the three men his other self had battled over
time...Reg, Mike and Jody, who were now joining the fight to save him.
As he slept, Jeb sent out a psychic message to Mike...an apology for his
deeds. "Boy...I'm sorry...help me, please..." he thought, sending the
message just as Davia passed through the gates, rejoining Mike and
Reg...who already had company. Upon reentry, Davia fell into a dead faint.
When Davia awoke, she was wrapped in a sleeping bag on the desert
ground, surrounded by familiar faces...and unfamiliar ones, too.
"Hey, stranger," Reg said sweetly, brushing her hair back from her eyes.
"How was your trip?"
Davia sat bolt upright, realizing where she was. "They've got Jeb," she
said fearfully, climbing out of the bag and trying to get to her feet.
"We know, Davia," Mike replied, "he sent me a message just as you came
back to us...he was asking for our help."
"Well, why didn't you go?" Davia asked angrily.
"Hey, hey, settle down, girl," Reg said soothingly, gently gripping her
shoulders. "We're not goin' without you...none of us are."
Davia looked around...with Mike and Reg were Liz, Tim, Rocky, Jody,
Jessica and Giles. "Hi, Davia," Rocky said with a grin. "Jody got hold
of me on the way back down...I got your back, hon, okay?"
"We've all got your back," Tim added, showing off his gunman's expertise
by shooting a baby cactus off its' roots. Davia paid no attention, but
instead walked up to Giles and Jess.
"You must be my brother's girlfriend," Jessica grinned. "You're very pretty."
"Hi, Jessica," Davia replied, kissing Jess's forehead before coming
face-to-face with Giles. "Mr. Morningside, I presume?"
"You presume correctly," Giles replied, embracing Davia like she were
another daughter. "Jeb's got great taste."
"I don't know about that, Mr. Morningside," Davia grinned. "At least
now I can see where Jeb got his good looks."
After the niceties were exchanged, it was time to talk business. "We're
gonna have to go right into Hell---that's where Jebadiah's being held
prisoner," Mike revealed. "It's not gonna be easy..."
"Nothing's easy, anyway you look at it," Rocky chimed in, putting an arm
around Reggie's shoulders. "You've got that right, Rox," Reg joked.
"The good news is, we've got the whole host of Heaven on our side," Liz
added. "They'll be able to protect us while we're going into Hell..."
"Pretty foolproof plan," Giles said, "but what about getting Jeb out of there?"
"Hell is loaded with mazes," Mike replied. "With all that's down there,
we'll have to keep our guard up the whole way through...just like Jody
said, Jewel makes Jeb's Tall Man self pale in comparison..."
The group went over the plan several times. They could not go into Hell
with conventional weaponry, such as Tim's revolver, Rocky's nunchucks
and knives, Mike's flamethrower, and Reggie's quad-barre
shotgun---those items would be a dead giveaway. All the weapons needed
were their fists, feet, special weaponry supplied by the Heavenly host,
including the word of God, and the combined telekinetic powers of Mike,
Davia, Liz, Giles, Jody, Jennifer...and Jebadiah himself. The trick was
to find Jebadiah and get him out of the dungeons in order to defeat
Lucifer, Jewel, and their demonic armies.
"I've never been much of a believer in fate," Reg admitted, "but how can
we lose with God on our side?""Never a truer word spoken," Liz added.
After a few minutes' preparation, Reg, Tim and Rocky stood back while
the others conjured the dimensional fork that would send them all into
Hell. "Let's get him outta there," Davia finally said.
One by one, the group passed through the gateway into Hell, unafraid.
<< Back