Umm Hannah, it sounds like you teleported.
Which is really cool.

Glad to hear that you and your pops are alright.

unwire your jaw? You alright, Mr. Caliburn?

It started, as I expected, with some goons sliding into my hotel suite.

They were reasonably professional about it. They quickly and quietly took the door off it's hinges and swarmed in with their MP-5s at the ready.

They moved in on where I was sitting, helpless, leg in a cast. They kicked the chair out from under me and roleld me over.

Too bad for them it was a couple of full propane cylanders and a few ounces of Symtex instead.

I am guessing these were some of Loki's. I fell kinda bad about their families, but that blood is on Loki's hands.

I watched the blast from my real hotel suite on the opposite side of the building. I'd saved the owner of the hotel from a werewolf about 4 years back - he was willing to sacrifice one of his suites to make sure I didn't go out easy.

The voice came from behind me. . . .

"Smooth move there, Boss"

Nice trap! WTG Ron!

Too bad it was just the goons that fell for it.

I twisted in my chair bringing up my Piece. Before I could bring it to bear, me and the chair flew sideways and crashed through a wall.

I grasped my leg and yelled, the cast having shattered on impact with the wall.

A momment later I was airborne again, making a new hole through the first wall and crashing hard against a second.

"You should have gone with your peach when you hid her, Boss." Dark cooed as he tossed me against the ceiling with an idle gesture. "But don't worry, I'll take good care of her." He lowered his hand and I crashed to the floor.

"I should really thank you, Boss." He walked over, dressed like some kind of preacher. He raised his hand and dragged me up bringing my head to his level. "With out you killing that undead whore, poor Ol' Ben might have actually stood up to me. But now, he's just a twisted litle ball of angst that I can crush under my foot at will.

"But I ain't done playing with him yet Boss, so there is something I need from you." He put his hand on my head and suddenly I was in th Cathederal with Celeste. I saw it all play out again, I saw Celeste fighting Khavik, I saw sunlight fill the Cathedral, I felt Celeste stiffen when I slid the stake into her and I saw her turn to ash in my arms.

He was making me relive it, he wanted the memory, I fought him as best I could and imagined Ben beating him down again and again.

He hissed and drew his hand back like he had been burned.

"Insolonence! I am going to destroy you for that."

"No Jeramiah." I'd gotten so used to hearing my voice from anothers mouth I wasn't even surprised when I stepped out from the shadows.

"You got what you came for, now it's my turn." Not Me grinned hungrily at me.

Damn!

Crap I really hate it when the Bad guys decide to team up.

Don't ever lose your optimism.

two birds. one stone.

How about two birds, one RPG.

Ouch, two bad guys at once.

That could do it, too, yea.

Not Me rushed forward and brought his knee up under my jaw. The force of the hit shattered my jaw and knocked me out of Dark's grip and onto my back.

"Hello Mordecai, it's about time we meet in the flesh, don't you think?" Not Me sneered at me as Dark moved back to give him room to work.

I didn't even bother telling Not Me what I thought . . . I was having a hard enough time not swallowing my teeth.

He measured me and gave me a kick to the ribs that lifted me off the floor and put me into the wall.

Grining, like an 8 year old with a magnifying glass and an ant-hill, he stepped over me and planted a foot on my throat. "Awww, Mordecai . . . did we break your cast? Let's get it off for you." He reached down to strip the shattered remains of my cast off my leg.

The look on his face when I kicked him in the jaw was priceless.

My thanks go to Micheal T for healing the leg up last week by the way.

I pulled myself to my feet and reached for my Blade.

Not Me was too fast though, he slammed into me shoulder first and put me through yet another wall.

He followed me through the hole and began kicking and stomping me like I were on fire. I covered up as best I could, but his boots still found my gut, my kidneys, my neck, my head . . .

Finally the assualt stopped and he stepped back and reached over his shoulder.

"Recognize this, don't you Mordecai? I bet you want to know how I got it." He worked the lever to chamber a round in the sawed-off .44 Marlin. One of the few things I had taken with me when I had left the compound. Many years ago I had sold it for a few mouthfuls of firewater.

"It took me a while to track it down. The owners who held this carbine all remembered it well, but I had to make them suffer to remember who they sold it to.

"I think it's only fitting that this is the weapon you die by Mordecai. Any last words? Oh wait, you can't talk, can you."

He raised the carbine and sighted down the barrel at me. "I'm going to put it in your gut Mordecai, and I'm going to watch you bleed out."

"NO!!!"

You go Hannah!

Hannah taking names, and kicking tail. I would have loved to see it particularly considering who was on the reciving end.

To be honest, the most frightening momment in my life was when I realized she was there, with those monsters and there was nothing I could do to help her.

I tried to yell at her to run but all that came out was bubbles of blood and broken teeth.

I tried to get to my feet to keep them away from her, but my legs were too battered to support my weight.

All I could do was watch on as I expected my only daughter to be taken from me in ways to horrific to express.

"Get away from him!" Hannah had never raised her voice to me, but she was definitely her father's daughter. Her voice was certain, unwavering. She stood there in her night gown, as tall and straight as she could be. Her gaze level and unblinking ad Dark and Not Me.

They stared back at her, dumbfounded.

"I said . . . GET AWAY!!!" Her voice shook the room like thunder.

Dark and Not Me both sprang into action - and fled as fast as they could.

I still don't understand how or why, but they didn't even want to stay and try their luck against Hannah.

As soon as they were gone, Hannah moved quickly and smoothly, calling 911, putting a blanket around me to guard agaisnt shock, speaking with the ambulance attendants when they arrived, goign wiht me to the hospital, explaining thigs to the doctors . . . she kept going for about 20 hours straight before she passed out on the hospital bed with me.

I am quite proud.

I am also going to make sure she never has to face off with Dark or Not Me on her own again.

Glad it turned out the way it did. Puts a smile on my face.

I know you will take good care of Hannah.

I'm glad you survived that one Ron. Even happier Hannah is safe adn you two are together again.

Hmmm, next time we send you off to stay with KT and let Hannah hold down the fort

Very odd?

You practicing your understatement skills?