The Sanctuary Job Part VI
Title: The Sanctuary Job - Part VI
Rating: Pg-13
Genre: Action/Adventure, Fluff, Crossover, AU
Crossover! Sanctuary and Leverage
Summary: The Leverage Team takes on a most unusual job.
Notes: Written for kaitlia777 for Sanctuary_santa 2010. She requested "Henry/Ashley! Shippy is best, friendship is good too. Will/Kate. Outsider POV's and Crossovers"
Previous Parts: Part I | Part II| Part III | Part IV| Part V
Last time on The Sanctuary Job...
"My office is this way," Magnus said, gesturing down the hall.
"I really need to get into contact with my team. They don't know where I am and if I disappeared, they aren't going to be happy."
"I understand," Magnus said. "We'll allow you to make contact with them shortly. Henry is still on-site and should be able to facilitate. Communication. If you're feeling better, Ashley can return you. Now, the business with the egg."
"Yeah, that's kinda messed up. We thought it was just an egg."
"Would Mr. Ford and the other members of your team be willing to negotiate?"
"Well, see we're doing this for a client."
"Would they be willing to negotiate?"
"Maybe. We'd need to ask. Nate could make the call, but I need to talk to Nate." He gave her a pointed look.
Dr. Magnus chuckled. "Yes, well lets see about fixing that shall we?"
The door flew open and Ashley stalked inside, furious. Eliot stood on reflex.
"Ashley?"
The Blonde girl raced across the room and Eliot exchanged a quick series of blows with her before she picked him up by the neck. She slammed him into the wall, holding him so he didn't have much leverage and he couldn't strike out or kick her.
"Where is he?" Ashley asked, voice strangely resonant. The red eyes and the angular face were kinda freaky, but nothing compared to the teeth. Eliot stared at her and went very still.
"Ashley!" her mother reprimanded. "What are you talking about?"
The grip on Eliot's neck never lessened, her focus on him never wavered. Her features melted into something a bit less monstrous and the teeth retracted into something less sharklike. "Henry. Will can't find him."
Tijuana, Mexico
Sometimes Nate knew better than to question some of the things his crew did. Usually, he didn't want an explanation. Then there were times where he didn't want the explanation, but felt he needed it anyway. Nate set his hat on the table by the door.
"Parker? Why is there an unconscious man in our suite?"
Parker looked up from her perch on the couch. "They stole our Eliot, so I stole their geek."
"Ah. Well." Nate sighed. "Lets put him in a chair. See what he knows about Eliot when he wakes up."
"Hardison?" Nate called as he and Parker began to wrestle the unconscious Mr. Foss into a chair and tie him down.
"Nate you back man? I-...What happened?" Hardison wore an expression of confusion as he watched them use some zip ties to bind Foss to the chair.
"I tased him." Parker informed. She straightened, brushing her hands together, pleased with a job well done.
"You-" Hardison broke off, palm coming up to his face. "Okay. So- Hey. Where did you find him?"
"Well, I figured he was like you, right? So he might be in a van close to the place they were going to hit." Parker shrugged. "I found one that looked like it might be big enough and he was inside so I hit him with the taser and brought him back here."
"How did you get him back- No. You know what? I don't want to know."
Nate straightened and called Sophie's cell phone. She answered as she came through the door. She might have looked calm and collected to the average person, or even Hardison, but Nate could tell she was frightened. They hung up their phones.
"Have you heard from Eliot?"
"I found their hacker!" Parker chimed in.
Sophie did a double take before making a strangled sound and pulling Nate to the side, one hand on his elbow. "Nate, what is he doing here?"
"Parker dragged him back here," Nate said. "I don't know more than that."
Sophie pursed her lips and frowned at the unconscious Mr. Foss. "How do you think his crew will react?"
"How are we reacting?"
"Point." She set one hand on her hip. "Well this is a bloody mess." She made a little annoyed sound. "Parker! Don't poke the man." She went to shoo Parker away from Foss before something else happened.
Nate blew out a breath. "You said it," he muttered.
"Hold on," Eliot said, using the same calm voice that worked well on horses, frightened children, and Parker. "Just hold on a second. Ten minutes ago weren't you telling me there is someone else out there?" He paused to let that sink in. "If your guy is with my crew, if, then he isn't being hurt. That's not how we operate."
Eliot held his hands away from his sides in the most non-threatening pose he could manage. before he knew was he was doing, he focused on her cheekbone rather than challenging her with direct eye contact. She'd suddenly pinged all his "dangerous animal" instincts in addition to the more usual ones of "can kick my ass with extensive martial arts training" and "Caution: unknown capabilities."
"Why don't you let me call my people," he said. "If they've got your guy, we can sort all of this out. You can even do that neat trick. I'll take you to him. If he's not with my people, they might have seen something. We're the best in the business. We can steal him back."
Ashley abruptly let him go, stalking away to the other side of the room. She looked out the window, her back not fully to him, but neither was she really facing him. She'd gone from nightmare to a hurt kid, worried sick about a friend in about two seconds. The emotional whiplash caught Eliot too and it took him a second to relax.
Magnus watched her daughter with a deep frown, but she was already pulling her Blackberry out and walking over to Eliot. He took the phone. Magnus put her hand on his wrist.
"Thank you," she said in a very low voice.
"She okay? Gonna guess they're close?"
"They've always been best friends. Their love affair is far more recent, but very intense."
No kidding. Eliot's eyes slid over to watch Ashley as he dialed Nate's number from memory. Magnus' daughter seemed to be trying to shake off the intensity, to stand down. Eliot understood. Sometimes he needed a moment to calm down too.
Eliot held the phone to his ear then decided maybe speaker phone would help. There was no way anyone on his crew would have hurt their guy. The call connected.
"Hello?" Nate answered.
"Nate."
"Eliot. Where are you?"
Eliot could hear the commotion behind Nate, even though he couldn't make out the specific words.
"That's a really long story, Nate. I'm with the Sanctuary people. They patched me up and I got to chat with Dr. Magnus."
"How'd you get away?"
"I didn't. This is Dr. Magnus' phone. You're on speaker by the way."
"Hello Mr. Ford," Magnus said.
"Nate, you wouldn't happen to know what happened to their tech guy, would you?" Eliot asked. "He's dropped off the face of the earth and there are some people who are very worried."
"Yeah, about that," Nate drawled.
Ashley was over in half a second. She hadn't teleported, she just moved that fast. "Where is he?" she snapped.
Eliot yanked the phone out of her reach and she bared her teeth at him before wincing away, visibly trying to regain control
"Nate?" Eliot asked, eyes never leaving Ashley.
"Parker tazed him."
Eliot fought the urge to facepalm. He gritted his teeth. "Parker."
"He's okay. Woke up a little bit ago. Hardison's been quizzing him about his security network. Parker's been trying to get him to tell us where you were." There was a pause. "So, uh, Dr. Magnus. Is it possible we could make an exchange?"
"Mr. Spencer is free to go whenever he likes. I'm certainly not going to keep him. I would hope you wouldn't be the type to keep another person against their will, Mr. Ford."
"Well, Dr. Magnus, this has been an interesting week. What with my aparment being broken into and all."
"Indeed. It seems we're looking for the same items and we are not the only parties. Perhaps we could come to an agreement?"
"Maybe," Nate allowed. "I'm not sure what Eliot has told you, but we're working for a client."
"As are we in this case," Dr. Magnus said.
"Nate," Eliot broke in, "you should really hear what she has to say."
There was a pause on the line. Not much of one but enough for Eliot to notice. "You think so?"
"I do, Nate."
"Fine. A meeting then."
"My daughter will accompany Mr. Spencer. I suggest we meet here in the Sanctuary."
"Agreed." Nate said, hanging up.
Eliot arched an eyebrow at Dr. Magnus. "You didn't tell him where exactly."
Magnus' Cheshire grin reminded him of the very best of Sophie and the very worst of Nate.
Henry glared at Parker. Parker glared back. Hardison kept trying to bait him into talking about network security or games or anything. It had worked a little bit. Henry hadn't told him anything important but it was really hard to resist Hardison's trolling. Henry gave their grifter, Sophie, a hard look.
"You are all in so much trouble," he promised darkly.
There was a knock on the door. The older guy, Nate, went to check. He motioned for silence then very cautiously checked the peep-hole. Standing to one side he called out through the door. "Eliot?"
"It's me, Nate."
"Who's your friend?"
Henry's heart sped up. It was probably Ashley. Could be Kate, but he doubted Ash would have stayed at home.
"She's with the Sanctuary and trust me, you want to open the door."
Nate exchanged a look with the others in the room. "Eliot that almost sounds like a threat."
"Seriously, Nate. We don't have time to mess around."
"I think you should listen to him," Henry added cheerfully. He sent a smug smile over Hardison's way.
"Listen, Eliot," Nate began.
The room was suddenly filled with red-gold energy. Their hitter appeared beside Ashley. He looked less disturbed by his sudden appearance than the rest of the room.
Hardison swore and fell over backwards in his chair, scrambling crablike away from the center of the room. Sophie's eyes went wide and she'd taken several steps backwards. Nate had flattened himself against the wall and was looking at the new arrivals with astonishment. Parker had the best reaction, though. She pulled out her taser and shot at them.
Ashley moved to deflect the attack and caught the taser on her arm. It snapped and hissed as the charge was fed through the leads. Ashley grabbed the wires and yanked them from her skin, tossing them away as if they weren't worth her attention. They really weren't. She wasn't as good as Tesla at the electricity bit, but she could handle more than what a taser could generate. She began to snap the zip ties holding him to the chair with her claws.
"Parker!" Eliot yelped. He did a double take at Ashley's casual dismissal of the taser, then focused on the situation. "Parker, just don't tase anyone for a second okay?"
Henry smiled up at Ash. "I am really glad to see you."
She pulled him into a standing position and reached over to grab Sophie's hand. Then they all disappeared, reappearing in the main lab. In a flash, Ashley was gone again. Sophie screamed, but it was a short, sharp thing that cut off. Ashley returned with Nate then Hardison. The men staggered into one another and Sophie grabbed them both, her clutch desperate.
"Hey, it's okay," Henry said. They looked at him with wide, panicked eyes. Before they could bolt or do something, Ashley appeared with Eliot and Parker. Eliot held the missing golden egg. They both stepped back a ways so Eliot could explain things to his rattled teammates.
Ashley punched his shoulder. "Don't get kidnapped again."
Henry held up his hands. "Hey! Its not like I intended for it to happen!"
Ashley pulled him into a deep, bruising kiss, her hands tightly fisted in his shirt. He blinked at her when she broke the kiss. She'd been very worried, then. "Sorry, Ash."
She nodded and crossed her arms. "Just, don't do it again."
"What the hell just happened?" Hardison asked.
The crisp tap of Magnus heels announced her arrival almost the moment her wafting perfume did. Henry snagged Ashley's hand and gave it a squeeze before facing Magnus. Will and Kate trailed in behind her, and behind them, was Biggie. Behind Henry, Parker let out a "Told you!"
Magnus smiled at him and briefly touched his shoulder, before turning her attention to their guests. "Welcome to the Sanctuary."
"I told you I saw Bigfoot."
"I know, Parker," Eliot replied. He didn't sound happy, so Parker rolled her eyes and wandered off to see what else this place had to offer. Their other thief didn't exactly follow her, but she showed up here and there just to let Parker know she was being monitored. Parker didn't really care. This place was amazing. Their little golden egg was actually an egg! It was kinda disappointing that it wasn't just gold, but eggs hatched, right? And whatever was in the egg didn't need the gold after, did it?
Magnus had a lot of old, valuable, things, but they were items Sophie would have been more interested in, and Magnus wasn't really a bad guy, so Parker left them. The creatures who lived here though were the really neat part.
The lizardman ate the same cereal she did. He silently offered her a bowl. She shrugged and ate because she was hungry. Bigfoot and their thief joined her when she was nearly done, and then they wandered around. Parker followed because they told her what everything was. The mermaid was the most interesting. She could talk without words. Parker wondered if she could learn. Talking without words would make their jobs easier.
"Oh man," Hardison said, "Oh man, oh man, oh man."
"Yeah, you said that," Eliot groused.
"You have a sweet set up!" Hardison complimented. He checked out the computer, ducking down under the table. Henry followed, hovering a little anxiously. "Oh man, this is a decent rig. not so great as mine," he added, "but still, this is top of the line."
Henry made a scoffing sound. "Oh come on, don't tell me you buy into that strata-architecture bullshit?"
"Bullshit? That, my friend, is top-flight gear! Here, take a look at this. Isn't she a beauty?"
"Hmm. The RAM's okay."
"Okay?"
Eliot rolled his eyes. "Hardison, are you showing pictures of your computer?"
"Most people show pictures of their kids," Ashley teased. Eliot smirked at her.
"Hell no," Hardison protested, standing up from under the desk. "I'm showing him a copy of my rig's stats." Ashley's smirk never wavered and Hardison pouted slightly in response.
"Heinrich. Ms. Magnus." The voice paused. "Assorted others."
Eliot frowned at the skinny man who entered the lab. He was dressed in a way Sophie would approve of, but he had way too much hair gel. His smile was suspicious and a bit more pointed.
"Tesla." Henry said, not entirely enthused to see the other man. "Hey! So you said you had a working EMP gun."
"Yeah, it's got some issues with range, but it's a work in progress."
"I've come across that as well. Oh hey, this is a lot like what I've got in my rig. I traded off the durability of the battery for a little more length since we don't use it all that often. Here-" He tapped something on his phone and something techincal appeared on the nearest computer screen."
"Dude, you did not just hack my network."
"I wouldn't call it hacking," Hardison hedged.
"Oh don't tell me you're using something as mundane as that capacitor schematic from last year?" The newcomer, Tesla, added, sneering at Hardison and his new best buddy.
"Okay, dude, we talked about that. I don't have ten-thousand dollars to make that upgrades," Henry replied with the weariness that marked the conversation an old one.
"And this," he indicated the screen and made a dismissive noise.
"Yo man," Hardison spoke up, bristling. "Those are some good schematics."
Tesla rolled his eyes. "Perhaps for a freshman. In liberal arts."
"And who do you think you are?" Hardison asked.
Henry rubbed the back of his head. He gave the spiky-haired man an even look. "Ah, that's Nikola Tesla."
Hardison arched and eyebrow. "What, like the guy who won the War of the Currents?"
"Exactly like. As in that's him," Henry said.
Hardison looked between the two. Ashley sighed and rolled her eyes. Hardison frowned. Eliot didn't see what the deal was.
"Tesla. Nikola Tesla. As in The Nikola Tesla."
The other man smiled smugly and half-bowed, spreading his hands. "The one and only."
"You're joking. He's joking." He looked at Henry, all smiles which suddenly became serious. "Tell me you're joking."
Henry shook his head. Hardison looked at Ashley. She also shook her head. Hardison blinked.
"Oh, my God. The Nikola Tesla? Oh, man, I am a big fan of your work. Big fan. Huge." He'd grabbed Tesla's hand and was shaking it rapidly. Tesla didn't look pleased. He pulled his fingers from Hardison's and began to wipe them "Oh. Right. The germ thing. Sorry man," Hardison said, filled with adoring good cheer.
"Who's that?" Eliot asked Ashley.
She rolled her eyes. "He's the guy who invented radio." She nudged Eliot with the back of her wrist. "Want to see the armory?"
"Yeah." The sooner he got away from the geek-speak the better.
Ashley unlocked the armory when they got there. It was a decent system with a magnetic lock which was easy to spoof, paired with biometric scanners that weren't. Most people didn't both to lock down their armories so well within their own bases of operation. Those that did, people like Eliot, and apparently Dr. Magnus, either had a healthy respect for gun safety, or if shit hit the fan they didn't want anyone else bothering with their toys. Usually it was for both reasons.
Eliot was impressed. He wasn't terribly surprised given the operation they were running, but he was impressed. There was a lot of weaponry on the walls. All of it neatly stowed and well maintained. There were, however, some custom rigs.
"Your techie does hardware too?"
Ashley grinned and unlocked the nearest cage.
Nate regarded Dr. Magnus with a critical eye. She didn't look like she could be forty, let alone more than a century. And yet her daughter had teleported him more than a thousand miles in the time it took to sneeze. Bigfoot had served tea in the well appointed office. Eliot believed them and the tour he was on... it was fantastical.
They met their thief, Freelander, showing Parker a steno-something or other. It looked like a big salamander/wolf/cat with webbed feet. It acted like a domesticated dog and loved hamburgers. Then Magnus showed them a manticore, a pygmy gryphon, a man who was literally two-faced, and several other creatures that looked like they belonged in one of Hardison's video games rather than in enclosures.
Nate had always prided himself on his ability to have all the cards. He was the mastermind behind their operation and if he didn't have all the information, he needed to get it. The world he'd just been blindsided by left him feeling uneasy. He followed after Dr. Magnus and Sophie in contemplative silence.
Eliot eyed the decimated target as it travelled back up the range. It fell off halfway up the line as the fire ate a hole through the remains of the paper. He was commissioning one of these for himself for Christmas. Maybe one for Hardison if he thought the guy could handle holding so much firepower. He spared a glance at Magnus. Ashley was eyeing the paper as it burned to ash on the floor of the firing range.
She sighed. "I'll clean that up later." She took the modified flame thrower and began to disable it.
"So your tech makes you all of these?"
"Well, not just me," Ashley said as she quickly disconnected several hoses and began to wind them into a neat coil.
Eliot didn't say anything but just gave her a look. She blushed a little and focused on her work.
"I'm just saying," Eliot said when she didn't rise to the silent bait.
Ashley gave him a mock glare as she packed the weapon away. She pursed her lips, eyes flashing mischievously. "Maybe if your tech guy liked you like that, he'd build you toys too."
Eliot snorted a laugh. It would be like trying to date his nerdy little brother, and besides that, even if Hardison was Bi, Eliot wasn't really interested in switching teams. He picked up a case in either hand, one of ammo and one of the smaller custom handguns. She took a heavier one. It dangled on on two fingers as if it weighted maybe a pound or two instead of closer to forty.
"So," he said, eyeing the case as she closed down the shooting range, "What can you do? I mean..."
"You mean what are my super-poers?" She shrugged a shoulder and led the way back down the hall. "You saw most of it. Same stuff I always could do but now with extra pointy." She tensed the fingers of her free hand into claws for a moment then shook it, the claws retracting. "And the teleporting, I guess." She looked down at the case. "Little bit stronger."
"You couldn't always do this then?" The kids in that X-men movie Hardison had dragged him to had all gotten super-powers when they hit puberty. Maybe it was the same with abnormals. Eliot was suddenly glad he'd just had to deal with bad acne and a voice that cracked all the time.
She shook her head as she unlocked the armory. "No."
So, something she didn't want to talk about then. Probably not a natural thing then. She looked a little haunted and Eliot could respect that look. She'd seen things.
"So you had the skills before, but now it's better, faster, stronger?"
"That's about it," she said. She didn't sound too happy.
There was something about this kid that kinda reminded him of Parker. Himself too, but, lord help him, he wanted to help her. Nate must be rubbing off on him.
"How fast? How strong?"
She looked at him speculatively. "Why?"
Eliot shrugged and hauled the cases onto the work table so they could unload the rounds back into their proper places in the armory. "Well what sort of practice have you been doing? Any kind of PT?"
"Therapy? But I'm faster than before, not slower."
Eliot crossed his arms and leaned against the table. "How's it different? You're operating with a different ability speed than whatever you were. Do you know how fast you can go, or how hard you can hit without hurting yourself?"
She set her weapon down and closed the cage with a soft "click", before locking it again. She shrugged a shoulder. "No one can really keep up."
"No one? Not even that big hairy guy?"
"Biggie?" She laughed a little. "Nah. Biggie's a softy. And he prefers to use a shotgun." She gestured toward a custom monster of a shot gun, custom built for someone who was seven feet tall. "Tesla can do the claws and I'm as strong as he is, but I can teleport now and could probably have kicked his ass before- He's not really a trained fighter. He's a science nerd with a god complex and fangs. Henry could beat him up if he- anyway he wouldn't be caught doing something as pedestrian as sparring."
"And? There's no one else?"
She glared defiantly. He knew that glare. His teachers had been on the receiving end of that often enough when he'd been a kid. She lifted her nose a little, transferring the glare to the corner of the room.
"My father can teleport. He's pretty good at fighting."
"Good as you?"
She shrugged a shoulder. "I know a wider range, but he's got a century of experience on me, so," she replied, a bit of defensiveness in her voice.
Eliot arched an eyebrow. "Have you sparred with him then?"
She gave him a flat look and walked past him towards the door. "No."
Eliot followed after, letting her stalk out what she was angry with. It wasn't him, so the father then. He considered for a moment why he was suddenly so interested in helping, and came to the conclusion that he couldn't not. He knew the thundercloud set of her shoulders, and he knew the trouble an angry kid with a lot of ability could get into. Hell, he still got into trouble. But he knew how to deal with it. She needed to learn her own methods.
"Hey," he said to get her attention. "Lemme know if you need a sparring partner. I'm not a hundred years old or anything but I know how to fight. How to train."
She studied him for a long moment. Finally Ashley nodded. "Thanks."
Eliot shrugged. We should probably see what Hardison and your boy are up to. Make sure they haven't started building deathrays or something."
Ashley smirked.
Helen now suspected that Sophie's accent wasn't real, but it was exceptionally good. If it hadn't been for some of the things she'd said while coming out of the shock of being teleported, Helen didn't think she'd have known at all. It was completely authentic now that she'd recovered her wits. Ultimately it didn't matter to Helen; it was her secret to keep if she chose.
Sophie had begun to carefully question her, probing her background for advantages and weaknesses. She'd tried to be circumspect about it, but then true curiosity had taken hold and the careful questions had turned into a genuine discussion. Helen had found her to be quite knowledgeable about history and antiques. No doubt this was from her less-than-legal job history, but it was refreshing to have such a pleasant conversation. Sophie took to the Sanctuary with outward grace and poise. She was more shaken with the abrupt method of transport than the appearance of any of the residents. Kate had mentioned she'd dipped the occasional toe in the market of fine goods and antiques, and perhaps had even sold Steno tusks before. A grifter was at home in any situation, and soon they were chatting like old friends. Their shared country of origin helped ease the way.
Mr. Ford spent most of the tour in a pensive silence as he digested all the new information Helen was flinging at him. He asked the occasional pointed question, but mostly took in the whole of her operation in silence. Helen didn't pry, sensing that he needed some time to come to whatever conclusion he needed to make. This wasn't the first time she'd revealed the world of Abnormals to someone, and his reaction wasn't unique. He was a very intelligent man, and she knew he would take in the magnitude of this hidden world with thoughtful caution. Sophie would adapt like a chameleon, Mr.Spencer would want a tactical briefing, and Mr. Hardison would call it "cool" and turn his attention to Henry's domain. Helen wasn't certain about Parker, she was a most unusual person, but Kate and her Old Friend had been carefully escorting her around. Of them all, she seemed the most accepting.
Helen led them back towards the main lab. Ashley and Mr. Spencer were already there. Their voices carrying down the hall though the open doors.
"Are you sure that's safe?" Eliot asked.
"Yeah. She prefers it that way," Ashley answered. "Her house rules."
"Huh. May I?"
"Yeah, go ahead."
Helen smiled at her daughter as she entered the main lab. "Everything going well?" Sophie and Mr. Ford followed her into the room, engaged in a quiet conversation.
"Yeah," Ashley said, shrugging a shoulder. "Henry and Hardison are geeking out with Tesla." She and Eliot were examining Ashley's collection of bladed weapons. They were arrayed on a padded cloth on one of the long lab tables, their metal glinting in the light coming from Sally's tank.
Helen pursed her lips, lifting an eyebrow. "I doubt Nikola would lower himself to "geek" out, even if with gentlemen as accomplished as Henry and Mr. Hardison."
Ashley snorted a laugh. She turned her head, nodding down the hall. "Here they come."
In a moment Nikola, Henry and Hardison entered the room in full-throated, high debate on something technical. Hardison looked up behind Ashley and Eliot, and did a double take, stopping in his tracks. Henry walked a few more steps then looked back, confused. He followed Hardison's line of sight and went a bit red before looking away.
"Uh-"
Hardison began to raised his hand before he looked away. "Uhm. Hey- Is- Uh, hey, hey Nate? We. Uh..." He gestured behind Ashley and Eliot.
Tesla looked over then rolled his eyes. "It's a naked girl and a mermaid," he scoffed. "Gentlemen, and I use the term loosely, if you can pick your jaws up off the floor and scrape together a little dignity, I'll me in my lab." He nodded at Helen and left.
"Oh," Sophie exclaimed, looking behind them for the first time. Helen heard Nate let out a sigh. He pinched the bridge of his nose.
"Eliot?"
"Yeah Nate?" Eliot didn't look up from the long blade he was checking the balance of. It was an 18th century katana Helen had given to Ashley on her 20th birthday.
"Why is Parker in that tank?"
Eliot stepped away from the group and did a few experimental forms with the weapon. "I think she was invited." He did another few turns, ending in a crouch. He thrust the sword out as he took a step.
"Why," Nate asked, "is she naked?"
To be continued...
Rating: Pg-13
Genre: Action/Adventure, Fluff, Crossover, AU
Crossover! Sanctuary and Leverage
Summary: The Leverage Team takes on a most unusual job.
Notes: Written for kaitlia777 for Sanctuary_santa 2010. She requested "Henry/Ashley! Shippy is best, friendship is good too. Will/Kate. Outsider POV's and Crossovers"
Previous Parts: Part I | Part II| Part III | Part IV| Part V
Last time on The Sanctuary Job...
"My office is this way," Magnus said, gesturing down the hall.
"I really need to get into contact with my team. They don't know where I am and if I disappeared, they aren't going to be happy."
"I understand," Magnus said. "We'll allow you to make contact with them shortly. Henry is still on-site and should be able to facilitate. Communication. If you're feeling better, Ashley can return you. Now, the business with the egg."
"Yeah, that's kinda messed up. We thought it was just an egg."
"Would Mr. Ford and the other members of your team be willing to negotiate?"
"Well, see we're doing this for a client."
"Would they be willing to negotiate?"
"Maybe. We'd need to ask. Nate could make the call, but I need to talk to Nate." He gave her a pointed look.
Dr. Magnus chuckled. "Yes, well lets see about fixing that shall we?"
The door flew open and Ashley stalked inside, furious. Eliot stood on reflex.
"Ashley?"
The Blonde girl raced across the room and Eliot exchanged a quick series of blows with her before she picked him up by the neck. She slammed him into the wall, holding him so he didn't have much leverage and he couldn't strike out or kick her.
"Where is he?" Ashley asked, voice strangely resonant. The red eyes and the angular face were kinda freaky, but nothing compared to the teeth. Eliot stared at her and went very still.
"Ashley!" her mother reprimanded. "What are you talking about?"
The grip on Eliot's neck never lessened, her focus on him never wavered. Her features melted into something a bit less monstrous and the teeth retracted into something less sharklike. "Henry. Will can't find him."
Tijuana, Mexico
Sometimes Nate knew better than to question some of the things his crew did. Usually, he didn't want an explanation. Then there were times where he didn't want the explanation, but felt he needed it anyway. Nate set his hat on the table by the door.
"Parker? Why is there an unconscious man in our suite?"
Parker looked up from her perch on the couch. "They stole our Eliot, so I stole their geek."
"Ah. Well." Nate sighed. "Lets put him in a chair. See what he knows about Eliot when he wakes up."
"Hardison?" Nate called as he and Parker began to wrestle the unconscious Mr. Foss into a chair and tie him down.
"Nate you back man? I-...What happened?" Hardison wore an expression of confusion as he watched them use some zip ties to bind Foss to the chair.
"I tased him." Parker informed. She straightened, brushing her hands together, pleased with a job well done.
"You-" Hardison broke off, palm coming up to his face. "Okay. So- Hey. Where did you find him?"
"Well, I figured he was like you, right? So he might be in a van close to the place they were going to hit." Parker shrugged. "I found one that looked like it might be big enough and he was inside so I hit him with the taser and brought him back here."
"How did you get him back- No. You know what? I don't want to know."
Nate straightened and called Sophie's cell phone. She answered as she came through the door. She might have looked calm and collected to the average person, or even Hardison, but Nate could tell she was frightened. They hung up their phones.
"Have you heard from Eliot?"
"I found their hacker!" Parker chimed in.
Sophie did a double take before making a strangled sound and pulling Nate to the side, one hand on his elbow. "Nate, what is he doing here?"
"Parker dragged him back here," Nate said. "I don't know more than that."
Sophie pursed her lips and frowned at the unconscious Mr. Foss. "How do you think his crew will react?"
"How are we reacting?"
"Point." She set one hand on her hip. "Well this is a bloody mess." She made a little annoyed sound. "Parker! Don't poke the man." She went to shoo Parker away from Foss before something else happened.
Nate blew out a breath. "You said it," he muttered.
"Hold on," Eliot said, using the same calm voice that worked well on horses, frightened children, and Parker. "Just hold on a second. Ten minutes ago weren't you telling me there is someone else out there?" He paused to let that sink in. "If your guy is with my crew, if, then he isn't being hurt. That's not how we operate."
Eliot held his hands away from his sides in the most non-threatening pose he could manage. before he knew was he was doing, he focused on her cheekbone rather than challenging her with direct eye contact. She'd suddenly pinged all his "dangerous animal" instincts in addition to the more usual ones of "can kick my ass with extensive martial arts training" and "Caution: unknown capabilities."
"Why don't you let me call my people," he said. "If they've got your guy, we can sort all of this out. You can even do that neat trick. I'll take you to him. If he's not with my people, they might have seen something. We're the best in the business. We can steal him back."
Ashley abruptly let him go, stalking away to the other side of the room. She looked out the window, her back not fully to him, but neither was she really facing him. She'd gone from nightmare to a hurt kid, worried sick about a friend in about two seconds. The emotional whiplash caught Eliot too and it took him a second to relax.
Magnus watched her daughter with a deep frown, but she was already pulling her Blackberry out and walking over to Eliot. He took the phone. Magnus put her hand on his wrist.
"Thank you," she said in a very low voice.
"She okay? Gonna guess they're close?"
"They've always been best friends. Their love affair is far more recent, but very intense."
No kidding. Eliot's eyes slid over to watch Ashley as he dialed Nate's number from memory. Magnus' daughter seemed to be trying to shake off the intensity, to stand down. Eliot understood. Sometimes he needed a moment to calm down too.
Eliot held the phone to his ear then decided maybe speaker phone would help. There was no way anyone on his crew would have hurt their guy. The call connected.
"Hello?" Nate answered.
"Nate."
"Eliot. Where are you?"
Eliot could hear the commotion behind Nate, even though he couldn't make out the specific words.
"That's a really long story, Nate. I'm with the Sanctuary people. They patched me up and I got to chat with Dr. Magnus."
"How'd you get away?"
"I didn't. This is Dr. Magnus' phone. You're on speaker by the way."
"Hello Mr. Ford," Magnus said.
"Nate, you wouldn't happen to know what happened to their tech guy, would you?" Eliot asked. "He's dropped off the face of the earth and there are some people who are very worried."
"Yeah, about that," Nate drawled.
Ashley was over in half a second. She hadn't teleported, she just moved that fast. "Where is he?" she snapped.
Eliot yanked the phone out of her reach and she bared her teeth at him before wincing away, visibly trying to regain control
"Nate?" Eliot asked, eyes never leaving Ashley.
"Parker tazed him."
Eliot fought the urge to facepalm. He gritted his teeth. "Parker."
"He's okay. Woke up a little bit ago. Hardison's been quizzing him about his security network. Parker's been trying to get him to tell us where you were." There was a pause. "So, uh, Dr. Magnus. Is it possible we could make an exchange?"
"Mr. Spencer is free to go whenever he likes. I'm certainly not going to keep him. I would hope you wouldn't be the type to keep another person against their will, Mr. Ford."
"Well, Dr. Magnus, this has been an interesting week. What with my aparment being broken into and all."
"Indeed. It seems we're looking for the same items and we are not the only parties. Perhaps we could come to an agreement?"
"Maybe," Nate allowed. "I'm not sure what Eliot has told you, but we're working for a client."
"As are we in this case," Dr. Magnus said.
"Nate," Eliot broke in, "you should really hear what she has to say."
There was a pause on the line. Not much of one but enough for Eliot to notice. "You think so?"
"I do, Nate."
"Fine. A meeting then."
"My daughter will accompany Mr. Spencer. I suggest we meet here in the Sanctuary."
"Agreed." Nate said, hanging up.
Eliot arched an eyebrow at Dr. Magnus. "You didn't tell him where exactly."
Magnus' Cheshire grin reminded him of the very best of Sophie and the very worst of Nate.
Henry glared at Parker. Parker glared back. Hardison kept trying to bait him into talking about network security or games or anything. It had worked a little bit. Henry hadn't told him anything important but it was really hard to resist Hardison's trolling. Henry gave their grifter, Sophie, a hard look.
"You are all in so much trouble," he promised darkly.
There was a knock on the door. The older guy, Nate, went to check. He motioned for silence then very cautiously checked the peep-hole. Standing to one side he called out through the door. "Eliot?"
"It's me, Nate."
"Who's your friend?"
Henry's heart sped up. It was probably Ashley. Could be Kate, but he doubted Ash would have stayed at home.
"She's with the Sanctuary and trust me, you want to open the door."
Nate exchanged a look with the others in the room. "Eliot that almost sounds like a threat."
"Seriously, Nate. We don't have time to mess around."
"I think you should listen to him," Henry added cheerfully. He sent a smug smile over Hardison's way.
"Listen, Eliot," Nate began.
The room was suddenly filled with red-gold energy. Their hitter appeared beside Ashley. He looked less disturbed by his sudden appearance than the rest of the room.
Hardison swore and fell over backwards in his chair, scrambling crablike away from the center of the room. Sophie's eyes went wide and she'd taken several steps backwards. Nate had flattened himself against the wall and was looking at the new arrivals with astonishment. Parker had the best reaction, though. She pulled out her taser and shot at them.
Ashley moved to deflect the attack and caught the taser on her arm. It snapped and hissed as the charge was fed through the leads. Ashley grabbed the wires and yanked them from her skin, tossing them away as if they weren't worth her attention. They really weren't. She wasn't as good as Tesla at the electricity bit, but she could handle more than what a taser could generate. She began to snap the zip ties holding him to the chair with her claws.
"Parker!" Eliot yelped. He did a double take at Ashley's casual dismissal of the taser, then focused on the situation. "Parker, just don't tase anyone for a second okay?"
Henry smiled up at Ash. "I am really glad to see you."
She pulled him into a standing position and reached over to grab Sophie's hand. Then they all disappeared, reappearing in the main lab. In a flash, Ashley was gone again. Sophie screamed, but it was a short, sharp thing that cut off. Ashley returned with Nate then Hardison. The men staggered into one another and Sophie grabbed them both, her clutch desperate.
"Hey, it's okay," Henry said. They looked at him with wide, panicked eyes. Before they could bolt or do something, Ashley appeared with Eliot and Parker. Eliot held the missing golden egg. They both stepped back a ways so Eliot could explain things to his rattled teammates.
Ashley punched his shoulder. "Don't get kidnapped again."
Henry held up his hands. "Hey! Its not like I intended for it to happen!"
Ashley pulled him into a deep, bruising kiss, her hands tightly fisted in his shirt. He blinked at her when she broke the kiss. She'd been very worried, then. "Sorry, Ash."
She nodded and crossed her arms. "Just, don't do it again."
"What the hell just happened?" Hardison asked.
The crisp tap of Magnus heels announced her arrival almost the moment her wafting perfume did. Henry snagged Ashley's hand and gave it a squeeze before facing Magnus. Will and Kate trailed in behind her, and behind them, was Biggie. Behind Henry, Parker let out a "Told you!"
Magnus smiled at him and briefly touched his shoulder, before turning her attention to their guests. "Welcome to the Sanctuary."
"I told you I saw Bigfoot."
"I know, Parker," Eliot replied. He didn't sound happy, so Parker rolled her eyes and wandered off to see what else this place had to offer. Their other thief didn't exactly follow her, but she showed up here and there just to let Parker know she was being monitored. Parker didn't really care. This place was amazing. Their little golden egg was actually an egg! It was kinda disappointing that it wasn't just gold, but eggs hatched, right? And whatever was in the egg didn't need the gold after, did it?
Magnus had a lot of old, valuable, things, but they were items Sophie would have been more interested in, and Magnus wasn't really a bad guy, so Parker left them. The creatures who lived here though were the really neat part.
The lizardman ate the same cereal she did. He silently offered her a bowl. She shrugged and ate because she was hungry. Bigfoot and their thief joined her when she was nearly done, and then they wandered around. Parker followed because they told her what everything was. The mermaid was the most interesting. She could talk without words. Parker wondered if she could learn. Talking without words would make their jobs easier.
"Oh man," Hardison said, "Oh man, oh man, oh man."
"Yeah, you said that," Eliot groused.
"You have a sweet set up!" Hardison complimented. He checked out the computer, ducking down under the table. Henry followed, hovering a little anxiously. "Oh man, this is a decent rig. not so great as mine," he added, "but still, this is top of the line."
Henry made a scoffing sound. "Oh come on, don't tell me you buy into that strata-architecture bullshit?"
"Bullshit? That, my friend, is top-flight gear! Here, take a look at this. Isn't she a beauty?"
"Hmm. The RAM's okay."
"Okay?"
Eliot rolled his eyes. "Hardison, are you showing pictures of your computer?"
"Most people show pictures of their kids," Ashley teased. Eliot smirked at her.
"Hell no," Hardison protested, standing up from under the desk. "I'm showing him a copy of my rig's stats." Ashley's smirk never wavered and Hardison pouted slightly in response.
"Heinrich. Ms. Magnus." The voice paused. "Assorted others."
Eliot frowned at the skinny man who entered the lab. He was dressed in a way Sophie would approve of, but he had way too much hair gel. His smile was suspicious and a bit more pointed.
"Tesla." Henry said, not entirely enthused to see the other man. "Hey! So you said you had a working EMP gun."
"Yeah, it's got some issues with range, but it's a work in progress."
"I've come across that as well. Oh hey, this is a lot like what I've got in my rig. I traded off the durability of the battery for a little more length since we don't use it all that often. Here-" He tapped something on his phone and something techincal appeared on the nearest computer screen."
"Dude, you did not just hack my network."
"I wouldn't call it hacking," Hardison hedged.
"Oh don't tell me you're using something as mundane as that capacitor schematic from last year?" The newcomer, Tesla, added, sneering at Hardison and his new best buddy.
"Okay, dude, we talked about that. I don't have ten-thousand dollars to make that upgrades," Henry replied with the weariness that marked the conversation an old one.
"And this," he indicated the screen and made a dismissive noise.
"Yo man," Hardison spoke up, bristling. "Those are some good schematics."
Tesla rolled his eyes. "Perhaps for a freshman. In liberal arts."
"And who do you think you are?" Hardison asked.
Henry rubbed the back of his head. He gave the spiky-haired man an even look. "Ah, that's Nikola Tesla."
Hardison arched and eyebrow. "What, like the guy who won the War of the Currents?"
"Exactly like. As in that's him," Henry said.
Hardison looked between the two. Ashley sighed and rolled her eyes. Hardison frowned. Eliot didn't see what the deal was.
"Tesla. Nikola Tesla. As in The Nikola Tesla."
The other man smiled smugly and half-bowed, spreading his hands. "The one and only."
"You're joking. He's joking." He looked at Henry, all smiles which suddenly became serious. "Tell me you're joking."
Henry shook his head. Hardison looked at Ashley. She also shook her head. Hardison blinked.
"Oh, my God. The Nikola Tesla? Oh, man, I am a big fan of your work. Big fan. Huge." He'd grabbed Tesla's hand and was shaking it rapidly. Tesla didn't look pleased. He pulled his fingers from Hardison's and began to wipe them "Oh. Right. The germ thing. Sorry man," Hardison said, filled with adoring good cheer.
"Who's that?" Eliot asked Ashley.
She rolled her eyes. "He's the guy who invented radio." She nudged Eliot with the back of her wrist. "Want to see the armory?"
"Yeah." The sooner he got away from the geek-speak the better.
Ashley unlocked the armory when they got there. It was a decent system with a magnetic lock which was easy to spoof, paired with biometric scanners that weren't. Most people didn't both to lock down their armories so well within their own bases of operation. Those that did, people like Eliot, and apparently Dr. Magnus, either had a healthy respect for gun safety, or if shit hit the fan they didn't want anyone else bothering with their toys. Usually it was for both reasons.
Eliot was impressed. He wasn't terribly surprised given the operation they were running, but he was impressed. There was a lot of weaponry on the walls. All of it neatly stowed and well maintained. There were, however, some custom rigs.
"Your techie does hardware too?"
Ashley grinned and unlocked the nearest cage.
Nate regarded Dr. Magnus with a critical eye. She didn't look like she could be forty, let alone more than a century. And yet her daughter had teleported him more than a thousand miles in the time it took to sneeze. Bigfoot had served tea in the well appointed office. Eliot believed them and the tour he was on... it was fantastical.
They met their thief, Freelander, showing Parker a steno-something or other. It looked like a big salamander/wolf/cat with webbed feet. It acted like a domesticated dog and loved hamburgers. Then Magnus showed them a manticore, a pygmy gryphon, a man who was literally two-faced, and several other creatures that looked like they belonged in one of Hardison's video games rather than in enclosures.
Nate had always prided himself on his ability to have all the cards. He was the mastermind behind their operation and if he didn't have all the information, he needed to get it. The world he'd just been blindsided by left him feeling uneasy. He followed after Dr. Magnus and Sophie in contemplative silence.
Eliot eyed the decimated target as it travelled back up the range. It fell off halfway up the line as the fire ate a hole through the remains of the paper. He was commissioning one of these for himself for Christmas. Maybe one for Hardison if he thought the guy could handle holding so much firepower. He spared a glance at Magnus. Ashley was eyeing the paper as it burned to ash on the floor of the firing range.
She sighed. "I'll clean that up later." She took the modified flame thrower and began to disable it.
"So your tech makes you all of these?"
"Well, not just me," Ashley said as she quickly disconnected several hoses and began to wind them into a neat coil.
Eliot didn't say anything but just gave her a look. She blushed a little and focused on her work.
"I'm just saying," Eliot said when she didn't rise to the silent bait.
Ashley gave him a mock glare as she packed the weapon away. She pursed her lips, eyes flashing mischievously. "Maybe if your tech guy liked you like that, he'd build you toys too."
Eliot snorted a laugh. It would be like trying to date his nerdy little brother, and besides that, even if Hardison was Bi, Eliot wasn't really interested in switching teams. He picked up a case in either hand, one of ammo and one of the smaller custom handguns. She took a heavier one. It dangled on on two fingers as if it weighted maybe a pound or two instead of closer to forty.
"So," he said, eyeing the case as she closed down the shooting range, "What can you do? I mean..."
"You mean what are my super-poers?" She shrugged a shoulder and led the way back down the hall. "You saw most of it. Same stuff I always could do but now with extra pointy." She tensed the fingers of her free hand into claws for a moment then shook it, the claws retracting. "And the teleporting, I guess." She looked down at the case. "Little bit stronger."
"You couldn't always do this then?" The kids in that X-men movie Hardison had dragged him to had all gotten super-powers when they hit puberty. Maybe it was the same with abnormals. Eliot was suddenly glad he'd just had to deal with bad acne and a voice that cracked all the time.
She shook her head as she unlocked the armory. "No."
So, something she didn't want to talk about then. Probably not a natural thing then. She looked a little haunted and Eliot could respect that look. She'd seen things.
"So you had the skills before, but now it's better, faster, stronger?"
"That's about it," she said. She didn't sound too happy.
There was something about this kid that kinda reminded him of Parker. Himself too, but, lord help him, he wanted to help her. Nate must be rubbing off on him.
"How fast? How strong?"
She looked at him speculatively. "Why?"
Eliot shrugged and hauled the cases onto the work table so they could unload the rounds back into their proper places in the armory. "Well what sort of practice have you been doing? Any kind of PT?"
"Therapy? But I'm faster than before, not slower."
Eliot crossed his arms and leaned against the table. "How's it different? You're operating with a different ability speed than whatever you were. Do you know how fast you can go, or how hard you can hit without hurting yourself?"
She set her weapon down and closed the cage with a soft "click", before locking it again. She shrugged a shoulder. "No one can really keep up."
"No one? Not even that big hairy guy?"
"Biggie?" She laughed a little. "Nah. Biggie's a softy. And he prefers to use a shotgun." She gestured toward a custom monster of a shot gun, custom built for someone who was seven feet tall. "Tesla can do the claws and I'm as strong as he is, but I can teleport now and could probably have kicked his ass before- He's not really a trained fighter. He's a science nerd with a god complex and fangs. Henry could beat him up if he- anyway he wouldn't be caught doing something as pedestrian as sparring."
"And? There's no one else?"
She glared defiantly. He knew that glare. His teachers had been on the receiving end of that often enough when he'd been a kid. She lifted her nose a little, transferring the glare to the corner of the room.
"My father can teleport. He's pretty good at fighting."
"Good as you?"
She shrugged a shoulder. "I know a wider range, but he's got a century of experience on me, so," she replied, a bit of defensiveness in her voice.
Eliot arched an eyebrow. "Have you sparred with him then?"
She gave him a flat look and walked past him towards the door. "No."
Eliot followed after, letting her stalk out what she was angry with. It wasn't him, so the father then. He considered for a moment why he was suddenly so interested in helping, and came to the conclusion that he couldn't not. He knew the thundercloud set of her shoulders, and he knew the trouble an angry kid with a lot of ability could get into. Hell, he still got into trouble. But he knew how to deal with it. She needed to learn her own methods.
"Hey," he said to get her attention. "Lemme know if you need a sparring partner. I'm not a hundred years old or anything but I know how to fight. How to train."
She studied him for a long moment. Finally Ashley nodded. "Thanks."
Eliot shrugged. We should probably see what Hardison and your boy are up to. Make sure they haven't started building deathrays or something."
Ashley smirked.
Helen now suspected that Sophie's accent wasn't real, but it was exceptionally good. If it hadn't been for some of the things she'd said while coming out of the shock of being teleported, Helen didn't think she'd have known at all. It was completely authentic now that she'd recovered her wits. Ultimately it didn't matter to Helen; it was her secret to keep if she chose.
Sophie had begun to carefully question her, probing her background for advantages and weaknesses. She'd tried to be circumspect about it, but then true curiosity had taken hold and the careful questions had turned into a genuine discussion. Helen had found her to be quite knowledgeable about history and antiques. No doubt this was from her less-than-legal job history, but it was refreshing to have such a pleasant conversation. Sophie took to the Sanctuary with outward grace and poise. She was more shaken with the abrupt method of transport than the appearance of any of the residents. Kate had mentioned she'd dipped the occasional toe in the market of fine goods and antiques, and perhaps had even sold Steno tusks before. A grifter was at home in any situation, and soon they were chatting like old friends. Their shared country of origin helped ease the way.
Mr. Ford spent most of the tour in a pensive silence as he digested all the new information Helen was flinging at him. He asked the occasional pointed question, but mostly took in the whole of her operation in silence. Helen didn't pry, sensing that he needed some time to come to whatever conclusion he needed to make. This wasn't the first time she'd revealed the world of Abnormals to someone, and his reaction wasn't unique. He was a very intelligent man, and she knew he would take in the magnitude of this hidden world with thoughtful caution. Sophie would adapt like a chameleon, Mr.Spencer would want a tactical briefing, and Mr. Hardison would call it "cool" and turn his attention to Henry's domain. Helen wasn't certain about Parker, she was a most unusual person, but Kate and her Old Friend had been carefully escorting her around. Of them all, she seemed the most accepting.
Helen led them back towards the main lab. Ashley and Mr. Spencer were already there. Their voices carrying down the hall though the open doors.
"Are you sure that's safe?" Eliot asked.
"Yeah. She prefers it that way," Ashley answered. "Her house rules."
"Huh. May I?"
"Yeah, go ahead."
Helen smiled at her daughter as she entered the main lab. "Everything going well?" Sophie and Mr. Ford followed her into the room, engaged in a quiet conversation.
"Yeah," Ashley said, shrugging a shoulder. "Henry and Hardison are geeking out with Tesla." She and Eliot were examining Ashley's collection of bladed weapons. They were arrayed on a padded cloth on one of the long lab tables, their metal glinting in the light coming from Sally's tank.
Helen pursed her lips, lifting an eyebrow. "I doubt Nikola would lower himself to "geek" out, even if with gentlemen as accomplished as Henry and Mr. Hardison."
Ashley snorted a laugh. She turned her head, nodding down the hall. "Here they come."
In a moment Nikola, Henry and Hardison entered the room in full-throated, high debate on something technical. Hardison looked up behind Ashley and Eliot, and did a double take, stopping in his tracks. Henry walked a few more steps then looked back, confused. He followed Hardison's line of sight and went a bit red before looking away.
"Uh-"
Hardison began to raised his hand before he looked away. "Uhm. Hey- Is- Uh, hey, hey Nate? We. Uh..." He gestured behind Ashley and Eliot.
Tesla looked over then rolled his eyes. "It's a naked girl and a mermaid," he scoffed. "Gentlemen, and I use the term loosely, if you can pick your jaws up off the floor and scrape together a little dignity, I'll me in my lab." He nodded at Helen and left.
"Oh," Sophie exclaimed, looking behind them for the first time. Helen heard Nate let out a sigh. He pinched the bridge of his nose.
"Eliot?"
"Yeah Nate?" Eliot didn't look up from the long blade he was checking the balance of. It was an 18th century katana Helen had given to Ashley on her 20th birthday.
"Why is Parker in that tank?"
Eliot stepped away from the group and did a few experimental forms with the weapon. "I think she was invited." He did another few turns, ending in a crouch. He thrust the sword out as he took a step.
"Why," Nate asked, "is she naked?"
To be continued...