Blood Lines

happens when we get to the top?"
    She glared at him and twisted free. "We take out Tawfik, that's what happens."
    'Vicki…" Henry moved forward into her line of sight. "We probably won't be able to get close to him. He has protections."
    Her eyes narrowed. "If you're still afraid of him, Henry, you can wait down here."
    Henry took another step toward her, his silence nearly deafening.
    'I'm sorry." She reached out and touched him lightly on the chest. "Look, how hard can it be? Mike'll shoot him from the doorway. I doubt he has a protection up against that. You do have your gun?"

    'Yeah, but…"
    'It does have a certain simplicity that appeals," Henry admitted. "But I doubt he'll let us get that close. He'll have warded the temple area and the moment we cross those wards…" His voice trailed off.
    'So you distract him and Mike shoots him," Vicki ground out through clenched teeth. "As you said, simple. And surprise is essential and we are wasting time !' She started for the tower again and again Celluci stopped her.
    'You wait down here," he said. He'd already nearly lost her once this week. He wasn't going through that hell again.
    'I what !"
    'You're in no shape to face natural opposition let alone supernatural. I doubt you can even make it to the top; you're at the end of your resources, you're already limping, you're…"
    'You. Just. Let. Me. Worry. About. Me." Each word emerged as a separate, barely controlled explosion.
    Henry laid a hand on her shoulder. "You know he's right. I distract Tawfik and he shoots him; you didn't include yourself in your simple plan."
    ' I am going up there to watch him die."
    ' You are putting yourself at unnecessary risk," Celluci growled. "And what happens if we fail? Who's left to take a second shot?"
    Vicki yanked her arm out of his hands and shoved her face up close to his. "What? Did I forget to mention plan B? If you two screw up, I'm there to pick up the pieces. Now either give me your gun and I'll shoot him myself, or get the fuck up those stairs."
    'She has the right to be there," Henry said after a second that lasted several lifetimes, and it was obvious from his tone he liked it no more than Celluci did.
    Vicki turned on him. "Thank you very much. You could have been at the top of the goddamned tower by now!" She stomped into the stairwell and groped for the first stair. Then the second. The emergency lights were a distraction so she closed her eyes. Two down, one thousand, seven hundred and eighty-eight left to go .
    'Vicki?"
    She hadn't heard Henry come up behind her, but she could feel his presence just back of her left shoulder. She didn't want to listen to apologies or explanations or whatever he had to say. "Just go."
    'But you're going to need help getting to the top. I could carry…"
    'You could worry about Tawfik and not about me. Get moving." Through gritted teeth, she added, "Please."
    The presence moved past, touched her lightly on the wrist, just at the spot where the vein lay closest to the surface, and was gone.
    'He's right. You've barely got that drug out of your system not to mention the overt physical abuse. You won't make it to the top without help."
    She glared at the vaguely man-shaped bit of dark on dark. "Fuck you, too, and stop worrying about me."
    Celluci knew better than to say anything further although she heard him snarl something under his breath as he brushed by.

    She tried to match his speed, and anger actually kept her to it for a while, but the distance between them gradually grew. Finally, the sound of single footsteps blended into a staccato background to the pounding of her heart.
    Ten steps and a landing. Ten steps and a landing. It was going to take her a little longer than nine minutes and fifty-four seconds this time. Her lack of vision made no difference-after establishing the pattern, her feet were well able to find their own way-but with each movement the last two days made themselves felt on her body. Everything ached.
    Ten steps and a landing.
    Her lungs began to burn. Each breath became purchased with greater denominations of pain.
    Ten steps and a landing.
    Her left knee felt as though a spike had been driven up under the bone.
    Ten steps and a landing.
    Lift the right leg up, pull the left leg forward. Lift the right leg up, pull the left leg forward.
    She peeled out of her jacket and let it lie where it fell.
    Ten steps and a landing.
    Unnecessary risk, my ass.
    Ten steps and a landing.
    Of course I wasn't part of my