Ace of The Duck Pond The Good Doctor.

[Stella Gaslight]

Jace sighed and took the drink with trembling hands.  "Why do you have to be so good to me Al?"  The drink hit hard but the spreading warmth in her belly was worth the bite.  "I'm sorry." she said quietly.


Concern and amazement played across Donna's face and she tried to speak twice before she could actually get words out. "A week ago I would have thought you were crazy. But I saw her launch someone in the air today without even touching him. I always wondered how she managed to get out of scrapes like she does but I would have never guessed..."  There was fear in her eyes.  "I had a great great grandmother who was burned as a witch because she made little charms that guided boats through storms and could predict the tides.  What will people do to the captain if they know?"  Jace had become like a foolhardy older sister to her and Donna was will to fight off anyone that came for her with torches and pitchforks.

[Ranger Reid]

"Most people will never notice, and if they do, their own imaginations create reasons.   Just as you and she always called it luck.   The people who know such things exist though.........   The good ones will offer to teach her, the bad ones will try to use her for their own gain.    You know......  these abilities are more common than you would believe.   It doesn't mean the person is odd, or strange, only different.    Some people can't whistle.  Some can.  Others can do things we can't with their minds.   She probably can do more, but she would need training.

At the minimum, she probably can sense danger a little.  It goes with her other ability.  Depending on how strong her talent is, and how well she gets taught, she might be able to see glimpses of future events even.   I probably sound silly."

Liam looked at his feet and blushed.   He suddenly cared very much if Donna believed him, and accepted him or not.


"There is one other thing, it might not matter, but I need to say it."

[Stella Gaslight]

"You don't sound silly." Her voice was almost as warm as the hand that wound around his.  "Mama says there are more things in this world than god and man can know." 

[Ranger Reid]

"I don't like the way the doctor smells.  And I don't mean the piss.   He dabbles in the Arcane.  I don't know how much, but he reeks of magic and the occult.  The vampire smells only a little stronger.   I can't explain more, other than that this is an ability I have.  A few of our friends smell of otherworldly energies.  But the doctor smells absolutely evil and vile.   I almost can't breath near him."

Liam went quiet.   He used his good arm to lift his wounded arm around Donna's shoulder.   He winced as he placed it, but even with the discomfort, he used his bad arm to hug her a little.

"Thanks for listening."     the nerves and her closeness made the young man stutter.

[Stella Gaslight]

A bit of blush crept up her face as she boldly kissed his cheek.  "It was my pleasure."  Donna said with a smile then her face shifted to a more serous look.  "What do we do about the doctor?  We can't trust him to watch our backs.  He almost let that man with the powered glove kill Jace."

[Ranger Reid]

Liam blushed a deeper red if that was possible.   He stopped and hugged Donna.    He whispered  "I don't know, but I think we could tell the Aces each what is going on.  And even the nightstalker.  She is likely the most deadly of us.  I believe she is on our side."




As he was speaking Liam spied his nemesis.   Small, troll-like, engineered for no purpose except to harass and damage the British air fleet.  The gremlin started when it saw Liam watching it.    It had been chewing through the wires of the generator.

Liam stared death at the small beast, and it scurried away.  For once, the young man put something ahead of his quest.  He knew he should go after the creature and destroy it, but...................   he wasn't ready to let go of Donna just yet.

[Stella Gaslight]

"I have your back.  We all have to stick together.  I do wonder if I can talk the captain in to tieing up the doctor, for his own protection of course, until his Americans come for him."  Donna laughed only half joking.

[MWBailey]

"Gotta take care of those dear to you while you've got 'em," Al answered Jace. "Sides, I'd have to ride herd on Donna if anythin' happened to you, and that chicken scares me," he joked. "Seriously, though, Lady, I've gotten used to you, and I don't think I could stand it if you were gone."

[Stella Gaslight]

Jace sighed and for a moment she was not the fearless daredevil leader but just a woman who was hurt and in search of comfort.  She leaned against Al's leg putting her head in his lap. "Still think you treat me too good for someone who keeps getting you put in the fire."  Jace shook as another round of cramping raced across her body and forced a whoosh of air from her lungs. 


Girard had cleaned himself as best he could in a hanger with no water and walked over to them.  "Fraulein I have burn cream and bandages for your hand." He bowed and smiled but it did not reach his eyes.  That was not all he had prepared but they didn't have to know about the knock out drops in his pocket   He was hoping to set the Aces up as a going away present to keep the order off his trail.

[CPT_J_Percell]

Wilfred looked at the vampire with supprise then knelt down and grabbed Jace's burnt wrist, " I need to pull up your shirt sleave!" he stated in a rough manor before attacking the buttons. Jace tried to pull away, but the pain was more then she could take. Wilfred pulled up he sleave showing red jagged lines snaking there way up her arm to her shoulder. While Jace's was layed on Al Wilfred genlty put a hand on her neck.
"Al, I need you to hold her still."
"Huh, why?"
"I hope I don't find what I'm expecting, but it's going to hurt her?"
Al looked shocked, but wrapped an arm around her pinning her arms to her side, "No what?"
Wilfred pulled down her collar and hissed through his teeth. "She need help and I'm not talking about the kind of help you get from doctors!"
"What happened?"
"She has received an enormous neuroelectric shock. She is lucky that her brain and heart weren't damaged."

[MWBailey]

Meri sucked her left fang and sighed through her nose. "I hate legends," she finally said disgustedly. "I hope you're not suggesting my blood? Thats mainly an old nosferatu practice. It works, but its painful for tbe patient as all of Tartarus, and could make her a low level fledgling, if she's too weak-willed. Or wishes for release at the wrong moment."

[Stella Gaslight]

Jace was shaking like a leaf heart pounding.  She knew Al would never hurt her unless he had to but to have it come down to vamp blood?  She was scared half out of her wits.  "Please."  Her voice was ragged.  Small things started to lift off the floor like someone had turned off the gravity.  Jace was trying to help herself but with this new panic everything was slipping away as pure animal instincts rose up.

[MWBailey]

"Calm yourself, miss... Jace," Meri said. "He might not have meant that." The words were kind, but the voice was not. The vampire was not used to being nice to anyone but her own fledglings, and those had recently been wrested from her, so she did not want more at the moment. On top of that, the timetraveller had apparently decided to rebuff her overture, so she was not feeling quite as hospitable as before. Still, the girl was in pain...

"It's just a legend, anyway; I've never slapped blood on a human's wound, so I have no idea if such a thing really works. A realization dawned on her and it showed in her eyes. "Oh, my. You thought I meant feeding you my blood? Don't worry, missy, I would not wish this unlife on anyone. Anyone I turn, chooses it, for themselves. That is what I meant, and the only bit in you would be what enters through the wound; hardly a mouthful, actually less than a thimble's worth." But still, Meri did not smile.

[Ranger Reid]

"That is a bad idea!" Liam almost shouted from the doorway.  "It will also make her vulnerable in other ways. "

He almost stormed across the room, Donna following in his wake.

Reaching into his pouch, he produced a small vial, "If the need is great, you may use this. Same idea, but no nastiness."

He held a small glass vial which seemed to contain a rust colored powder.

"Jace, it might not work, and it will certainly hurt.  And you shouldn't talk religion for a few days."  with the last, the boy smirked.  It was hard to tell if he was making some kind of joke.

[CPT_J_Percell]

"No I did not mean Vampyre blood ladies, I meant, that you need a healer of more arcane practice."
He turned to the vampire, "my hanger is a few doors down and I'm sure you remember the aeroplane, There is a cold water shower in the back and some rough old towels sat on a sideboard in the office. I'm sure there may be something in the cold box that may be of interest to you."
Wilfred was digging through his pockets for something, after several laps of his pockets he stopped let out a non gentlemanly curse the started pulling the gun apart. He pulled out a faintly glowing crystal and held it up looking at at like a jeweller studying a diamond. "Captain Jace, I can halt the damage, but its going to hurt like hell." he said holding out the crystal.

[MWBailey]

"Take his advice, Amazon," Meri said flatly.

"Jace, I'm more inclined to trust a human's concoction. No offense, Miss Vampire - what IS your name, anyway?"

Not waiting for an answer, he turned his head to Liam, asking, "how do we administer this?"

"I can see the problem," Meri cut in; a strange device was burned into Jace's skin. Just barely visible to human eyes, it was like a burning brand in hers. "It is a good thing we have an alternative to my blood; that might have killed her, with this in her." She pointed to the place that Wilfred had examined. "They did this to several other supernaturals to try to sedate them. It didn't take on me; I simply healed it away in short order. On your leader, here, it seems to be misfiring. I'm not sure if that concotion of yours, or this fellow's" she nodded to Liam and Wilfred, "crystal will touch it, but they'd be a damned sight safer than my blood; it would be 'kill or cure,' I think is your term for it."

"Thank you for the shower," She said to Wilfred, but did not move away immediately.

[Stella Gaslight]

They wanted to sedate her?  She would not let them win.  Her body was not for them to toy with!  Another bout of convulsions racked Jace but she fought hard to stand on her own and she made it without her feet even touching the ground. She was suspended in her own will. The buttons flue off her jumpsuit and the fabric tore until all that was left was her underskirt.  Bright red burn lines trained all over her torso making a twisting pattern.  It was the absolute worst on her wrist.  "Start there." Jace held out her wrist and spoke through gritted teeth.  "It burns the most there."

[CPT_J_Percell]

"Everyone grab her and hold her down." Wilfred said reaching out an empty hard "Liam If you will!" he said and watched and liam administered the vial. Jace immediately collapsed and was caught by the others who then preceded to pin her down. Praying to a god who he had never really believed in, he placed the crystal in her burnt hand.
Jace immediately went into convulsions and tried to trash against those holding her. The glow in the crystal was getting brighter, but now jace's thrashing had stopped and her breathing had now slowed to someone in a deep sleep.
"You can let go of her now, but someone will need to keep watch on her until she wakes." Wilfred replaced the crystal into the guns case and smiled. the brand was gone but the nerve damage was still visible. Retrieving the bottle of whisky from the bench it had been placed on, Wilfred took a swig and headed for the hanger door.

[Ranger Reid]

Liam lingered near the captain until he was sure no one was watching.   Slipping a small Rosery into his hand, he mouthed silently the supplication and touched her wrist.   Immediately the redness lessened.  He didn't know if this would,be an approved healing, but he did know which side of the fight Jace was on.  He could face the consequences from the brotherhood if need be.

[Stella Gaslight]

Donna made the sign of the cross and said a prayer that she had not spoken since she left home.  Even though it had been a long time long since she turned her back on the church there were times that you prayed and seeing Jace floating like that she was sure this was one of them.  Donna felt lost in this new world.  What could you do when everything you knew turned to stand on it's head?  Well she was hungry and that was normal. Maybe going to get food would help clear her head.  She could use Jace's bike the captain wouldn't mind.  "I am going to the deli up the block real fast anyone want to send a ride along order?  Pantry's empty at home."

[Ranger Reid]

"I'll tag along if welcomed" Liam said and fought furiously not to blush.

[Stella Gaslight]

"Sure as long as you help haul. I will get you your regular Al and something for the Capitan when she wakes. Come on Liam we will take the Capstan's bike and be back with a side-car full of food in two shakes." Donna smiled this day might be crazy but at least she still had people that cared.

[MWBailey]

"Reuben with swiss and a salami slice," Al said, hungrily

[Stella Gaslight]

"Something fizzy on the side?  I hear they got another big cola shipment from the mainland."  She was going to get a root beer herself and brake out the secret ice cream stash she kept hidden from the captain.

[MWBailey]

Sounds great to me," Al said. "Maybe a bag of those Charles Chips..."