Run

Khaat had been pressed into service in the Emergency Room. She had been in her office and had been stacked high with paperwork that she had gotten miles behind in due to being off again for yet another medical leave. She had picked up her new black walking stick with the amethyst stone in the handle. She had tried to wear heels today. Not her usual stillettos, but still, she had had a day of simply sitting at her desk planned, and that had allowed her to kick the offensively painful shoes off under her desk and not be seen. Now she had to wear them.

She had put them on and had made her way downstairs. She had started off limping but was soon barely on her feet because of the pain. It was making her sweat. She was dripping wet in short order. And it didn't make her one ounce happier that she had to go clear to the sub basement to get a potion that was in the stores there and was not in the Emergency Room.

She took a deep breath to summon her strength, which was fading. She was tiring--wearing out. The shoes had been a terrible choice. Her brain was feeling a bit numb and slow because of fatigue and pain. She wasn't as sharp as she had been this morning, and she was running on some odd ability to force herself.

She took the elevators to the basement and limped along the darkened cellar hallways, thinking that perhaps she needed to transfigure the stylish shoes into fluffy little scuff slippers, maybe in baby pink just to be a bit quirky.

Suddenly, an arm snatched her around the neck and pulled her so completely off balance, she stumbled and fell, the grip around her neck now choking her. "On your feet, Lupin!" a forceful male voice ordered sharply nearly lifting her off her feet by her neck in order to put her back on her feet. She struggled for a moment, trying to stand, as her walking stick clattered to the concrete floor. She was gasping for breath, choking, her head spinning from the sensation of his lifting her up so high and so hard, if even for a moment. Her vision started to fade to black, and she tried to force it back. For an instant, she had no desire to fight. For a moment, she was going to yield to him and allow him to kill her.

"First, you," he hissed sadistically in her ear, "Then your daughters and your granddaughter. Your lover, your husband, and oh, then of course your mother. That ought to be good for starters, don't you think? How mighty will your precious father be when you're all gone? Will he be so self righteous then? What do you think?"

Killing everyone she loved? No. Her, he could have, but them, not a chance. She began to fight. to do whatever she could to try to get free. He cuffed her hard across her cheek. Her head snapped hard to the left. She heard the sudden snap and felt the pain, just before she blacked out.

Daniel had cut his hand. Bad. He had his wand with him, he couldn't let it go. It was the only thing he could focus on without thinking of the tremendous pain of the gash on his hand. He was chopping onions for the New Year's turkey that he'd shot. He apparated to St. Mungo's while Brienne waited at home worried. When he was finished, he'd give her a call. A call to let her know that he was okay.

The doctor assigned to his case eyed him, looking intently at him. He wasn't the real doctor. He was Gregory Noxi, he was here to help with the eradication of the Lupin family. Or, at least the torture. The real doctor was tied up and in an alcove. He knew Daniel was an Auror, and that he was loyal to the Lupins. He also knew of Daniel's....preference. Noxi was young, had reddish hair with a cowlick and was a bit tall. He himself was also gay, and was perfect for seducing Daniel to distraction.

Daniel looked over to the young man, he felt his pants tighten when Noxi licked the pen in his hand. His face turned red. Something was keeping Noxi from outright killing Daniel, his own pants were getting tight. He healed Daniel's hand with a cleaning potion and an Episkey spell. Daniel seemed distracted by something. Khatt? Someone was following her, but Noxi tried to keep his mind away from it. He closed the curtain and hopped atop the table with Daniel, rubbing against him and kissing him. Daniel wanted to get away but also wanted to stay. He pushed the seductive "doctor" away, and went down to the basement.

What Daniel saw in the basement was nothing short of shocking. The frail Khatt being assaulted by some strange man. His undying love for his family like friends was nothing short of amazing. "You leave her alone!" He said it with a hint of a growl within his voice. He could do that to make it intimidating. Noxi was stupid enough to heal him up so he could use his wand once more.

Luther Burke didn't like being interrupted. He turned and saw the young man who thought he was man enough to interfere and save Khaat Lupin's life. Burke laughed out loud arrogantly. "And you're going to stop me, little Boy Scout? Run along now and play with your toys, and let the grown ups play, won't you, Laddie?"

Evidently Noxi had somehow found it difficult to distract all the people who loved Khaat. They really were everywhere. And they were becoming like pestulance to him. They really were starting to annoy him, and somehow this tot had gotten through. He drew his wand and fired a warning shot at the boy.

"That's just a fair warning, Lad. The next time, I'll blow your body parts so far apart, they won't be able to sweep up what's left of you," he hissed at him. Burke had what he wanted. He had Khaat. The smell of perfume was wafting up in his face and the softness of her silky hair was brushing up against his neck. They were like trophies to him. He had gotten through that supposedly inpenetrable defense Robert Lupin had attempted to shield his one and only daughter with, and now she was in his grasp. He knew he could simply apparate away with her, but he really wanted to kill her here, and leave her dead corpse right her, right outside her father's lab, where he would forever have to deal with the fact that his daughter died right under his nose while he was totally unaware there were no defenses around her whatsoever. He laughed in utter delight at the thought of Robert Lupin alone and guiltridden for the rest of his life. And if Burke had his way, Khaat would only be his first. He would win where Barker had failed.

"Boy Scout? Laddie? How old do you think I am?!" At the last word he threw a jelly-leg jinx at the other man. "I'm not afraid to use lethal force if I have to, so be afraid. I'm only going gentle on you right now!" He threw a Diffindo at Burke, wanting to make a deep cut. "Sectumsempra!" The spell was narrowly dodged by Daniel, but who threw it? He turned to face a maddened Noxi. Daniel growled at Noxi, "You tried to distract me!" Noxi had a bruise from where he fell onto the floor because Daniel pushed him.

"So what? You pushed me! .....and broke my heart".

"More than your heart will be broken". He aimed a Diffindo at Noxi's chest. A huge gash opened up, and the slightly older man gripped the bleeding wound. "You....ow...." He passed out from the pain. Noxi may have been seductive, but he was also weak. Seduction was his main weapon, alongside sneakily killing. He not only did it with male Aurors, but also female. He found females easier since he was unable to form any attachment to them.

Daniel smirked, "If you don't want the same thing to happen to you, I suggest you let Khatt go".

"OOOh. I'm terrified. Can't you tell?" Burke taunted him, firing a contego to protect himself and Khaat. Well, for the moment anyway. He wanted to be able to savor her death. He didn't want her dying by accident. That really would be rather anticlimactic. He figured that either Noxi was dipping into the potions today and a bit sluggish or that the child in front of him was just plain lucky. "Let me bring you up to speed, Boy," Burke said, deciding to get him on the right page. "Robert Lupin is a coldhearted sonofabastard who murders people just for fun and destroys families. What the hell do you think this is all about? Your beloved minister is a wolf in sheep's clothing. And this one here?" He pointed to the unconscious Khaat laying limp against him. "She's the only thing he cares about in this lifetime. Its about time someone taught him a lesson. I'm about to even the score a bit. He's getting what he deserves. Nothing more, nothing less."

Burke turned his want towards the young auror "Everte Statum!" He wasn't bored enough with him yet to want to kill him quite yet. But he did want to set him on his arse, maybe send him off packing. He didn't believe Robert Lupin would hire children, but apparently the man was desperate now.

Daniel rolled his eyes, "I doubt he'd kill for no reason. Perhaps whomever he killed did WRONG!" Daniel shouted the last word as he was flung back by the Everte Statum, however he flung one of his own in midair. He landed upon Noxi, who was clenching his chest and trying to get up. He healed himself and threw Daniel off of him. Daniel shook his head free of the dizziness, and got up as well. He would finish this if he had to. He then figured if Noxi's seduction worked for him, then Daniel would try the same tactic. It was a long shot, but it had to work.

Daniel blew a kiss at Noxi, who paused. "Come here", Daniel smiled while he hid a small dagger behind his back. The dagger came from his belt which had sheaths for his wand and the dagger. Noxi walked up to Daniel, not even thinking twice, just enraptured. He leaned down to kiss Daniel but suddenly fell dead. Daniel had forced the dagger into Noxi's gut. He withdrew the bloodsoaked dagger and placed it back in the sheath.

"This one's dead, you'll be next, stranger" Daniel grinned.

Burke had expected his Contego to hold, but it hadn't. When the young auror threw an Everte Statum at him, it threw him backwards in a way he had not expected, and in the process, he dropped Khaat awkwardly on the floor. Burke was angry now. He did not want any part of losing his quarry now that he had her. He looked up to see Daniel stab Noxi to death.

Well, now, that was jolly inconvenient, wasn't it? He'd rather liked Noxi's general efficiency. That meant he would have to do something else to contend with. He'd have to replace Noxi now too.

He ignored that minor rub in his plans and scrambled towards Khaat. He had to recover her before Daniel had a chance to get to her. He had no desire to have to explain to Thomas Gelding how he'd had her and let her get away. That would not be at all pleasant. And Burke wanted to keep all his limbs. Gelding was angry as it was that Barker had been captured. That risked blowing the lid off the lucrative operation that the Gelding family had kept under wraps for so many decades. Gelding was staring to panic that perhaps Robert Lupin now had the power and the influence he needed to shut down the family business. And, it occured to Burke that if Gelding discovered he had been beaten by a boy scout, he'd risk far more than being fired. Far more.

He scrambled to right himself and to try to get to Khaat before the boy got to her and made away with her.

Daniel saw Burke fly backwards and drop Khaat upon the floor. He wanted to get to her in time, but even in death Noxi had plans. A sickening squelch and a slipping indicated that Daniel had, in trying to get to Khatt back to a safe place, stepped through the large stab wound in Noxi's abdomen. He pulled his foot out, shaking off the blood. He slipped but regained his footing to swoop Khaat away. Her weight wasn't enough to stop him, and he tossed an Everte Statum at Burke. As his feet pounded the tiles, he noticed the trail of blood that was left behind from his boots. It soon faded as he rushed upstairs with Khaat. What he didn't realize was that he had his own nasty gash upon his forehead.

"Somebody? Anybody? Help us!" He shouted into the lobby, "There is a man downstairs and he's trying to kill Khaat! I need someone to take her to a safe place in the building and heal her up".

[Sorry if any of that is godmodding]

Brian was just coming in, bringing some takeout lunch to Khaat from Sparks when he heard someone shouting in alarm. St. Mungos had been penetrated again. He came running to the ER and saw Hannah running in from the opposite direction. He saw Daniel there, carrying Khaat, and Khaat was unconscious, clearly. Limp as a wet rag. Daniel was covered in blood. Brian shoved the takeout lunch to Hannah. "Take that upstairs and summon Robert. Now!" He flew to Daniel.

"Nice work, Daniel," Brian said, reaching up quickly and healing the gash on Daniel's forehead with his touch. "I need you here to cover her for me while I work. Let him go. He'll be gone by the time we get back downstairs." He examined Khaat very briefly. Her vital signs were strong, but there was some damage in her neck. She was bruising. "Give her to me," Brian told Daniel. He picked her up out of Daniels' arms and took her into a treatment room and laid her on the bed.

He checked her more carefully, especially her breathing and her neck, and he wasn't liking what he saw. Burke had tried to, basically strangle her. Crude but effective. He set healing spells into place to begin working on repairing the damage.

"She's going to be alright," Brian told Daniel. "Thank you. Tell me what you know while I work."

Daniel was a bit shaken. "Uhmm....well, this guy was there and he was strangling Khaat. I think he was anyway. I got her before he could make away with her". He described the man in detail, then he'd mention Noxi. "Before I went down though, I had to get checked in for a gash in my hand. Another man healed it, but he was in on it too. He saw that I was eying the man following Khaat, and tried to stop me through seduction. I pushed him aside and went down to aid Khaat when things got ugly. The man that strangled her got away I think, but I know where the man who seduced me is. He's dead. I killed him because he tried to stop me from rescuing Khaat from the strangle guy. The seducing guy...Noxi, I think it was, was using dark curses against me, wanting to cut me. However, I seduced him back and managed to stab him. I had to do it...I hope I won't get punished for it". He cringed at the thought.