Ba- Da - DUUUUUUUUUUUN!!!!!

[Argus Steele]

With it being just those two in the first SUV, it gave them more freedom to talk more...freely. Steele even had the same brand of coffee that he bought when she'd first encountered him at the Coffee Shop. The tinted glasses were resting on the bridge of his nose, so that his eyes could be seen clearly. The radio was turned low enough not to be a nuisance, allowing both parties to be heard if needed. "Hey, for what it's worth, I'm sorry, frail." Yup, it was Steele alright. "Been mulling it over in my head, and if I would not have come looking for you that day, maybe all of this would not have happened. Messing up and with your reality." Frown creases appeared as he stared straight ahead. "This can't be any easier for you, and any lesser person would have had a well ... cracked view about all of this."


Frail. If she'd still had doubts that it was truly Steele she was riding with, that would have put them to rest right there. Much more at ease in the passenger seat, Eve had looked over at him when he'd started to speak, and even arched that left brow delicately. "Don't think like that, Tohmaz. If you *hadn't* come looking for me, I'd probably be dead right now - or worse. Besides, I was bound to botch things somehow, and it made me do what I really *needed* to do all along: get control." A glance at the road, and a smile touched her lips, brief but bright. "If I weren't a little left of center, I probably would have lost it really good somewhere before this point." ...Not that she'd thought about it much or anything. In some ways, not always being positive of her own sanity might not have been such a bad thing.


"Well, ol' Doc Maxwell would be impressed if he knew. His former patient didn't have a nervous breakdown, because I know for sure he would have." For a second that trademark grin appeared. "This whole Daemon thing is really bugging me. Maybe I'm looking a gift horse in a mouth, maybe that cosmic karma tried to right the universal ship, bringing key elements from other destroyed realms to a more stable one, - IE Jara and Jared. Hmmph, even saying that out loud makes me a candidate for one of those nifty white jackets with the wrap-around sleeves." He'd take a deep breath.


"He would have snapped the first time something beyond his little scope of reasoning happened." Spoken quietly while looking out the passenger window. Her posture was relaxed, but her hands were folded in her lap, loosely; just habit. "He's not my doctor here, though. But I think I inadvertently caused Darcy to have a breakdown of some kind at our session." Eve shrugged gently, brows drawing together in a little frown. "She had a mirror there for me, and I don't really know what she expected me to do. Breakdown, maybe, but I didn't. I looked and I was...creeped out." Her lips pursed gently. "I think we all were, actually. But on a lighter note, it's not as hard to get out of one of those jackets as you might think." Experience talking, evidently.

"That does worry me a little, though. If we're not dealing with Daemons. . . then what? Something worse?" What was the old saying? 'Better the evil you know than the one you don't.'

An arch of an eyebrow. "Creeped out? That sounds like an interesting tale. But for what it's worth, you did pretty good for a frail that's been documented for having some ... Issues. Something worse? Gods no, I hope not. I don't know about you, but I need a serious break from reality." While trying not to laugh. "I just want to grab a couple of pizzas, a few cold ones, and my trusty laptop. Do some websurfing, or even find one of those fictional chatrooms and engage in some roleplaying of some kind." A nod to himself. "Right, like *that* would ever happen. Still, you deserved better than what you've been pulled into. Give me a normal life any time." Okay, he actually thought about that *last* comment. A normal life? Him?

"Vacation time. You know, I don't think I've ever been on a real vacation before. I'd like to find my way to a beach somewhere. Just do...well, nothing for a while." Her lips quirked in a mischievous grin as she thought about it. "Maybe find my way to one of those beaches Jara was talking about..." Nude beach? Sounded fun - in theory. But realisticly, Eve knew there was *just no way* she'd do it for real. Still, she had to look at him at that last comment. "Normal? Have you ever *been* normal? Well, not really. I was playing at it when you came looking for me, but I still off, really." Eve had, over time, come to the conclusion that normal was either:

A.) Boring
B.) Overrated, or
C.) Nonexistent. Or maybe all three, depending upon her mood and train of thought.


"Frail, meeting you has been the *first* normal thing that's ever happened to me. " The smirk resurfaced for a few seconds, as the former Stonebridge building was just coming in view. "Case in point: Was there another Stonebridge you were aware of? I did some research on this one, and outside of the usual building of a better facility, this one was outdated, and wasn't in a prime spot to attract the ... right clients. So why keep it around? Tear it down and build a shopping center, outlet store, or a park or something, right?"


"I knew there was another - the first, actually - but I was never sure why it was left standing. I'd always heard that the new building was constructed because the other was so outdated and falling into disrepair - not to even mention all of the hazardous material used in the original construction, I'm sure." A gentle shake of her head. "But I never understood it. I've always thought it *had* to be in use somehow, though; why else leave it standing at all? From everything I've ever heard about it, the place was a snakepit, anyway." A half-shrug, and a frown tugged at her lips at the sight of the old building.


"Mmm, I'd say Cromwell was behind it, but we know how he met his end." After the last incident, there was 24/7 security placed around the building. Steele stopped to have his ID checked. "Things pretty quiet?"

The guard on duty snorted, rolling his eyes. "Buddy, it's been as quiet as a tomb. But whatever pays the bills right? You're good to go."

Steele smirked, putting the SUV back into drive. He let out a low whistle upon seeing the actual building this close-up for the first time. "Okay, I know where the next slasher-horror flick needs to filmed." Parking in front of the building, Steele looked over at his partner. "You okay with this? You know more about this place than any of us, but I don't want you ..." He'd stop right there.


It was like having an ice cube dragged along her spine. The skin at the back of her neck prickled, and she shivered briefly, shaking the sensation off. This area Felt odd, but she couldn't quite place it; it wasn't like Seeing an apparition, and it wasn't quite like Contact, either. It was almost a sensation in her head, like a low-level vibration; annoying, but not really frightening. Not yet, anyway. They were still outside, safe in the car.

She'd been looking up at the building when he'd spoke, and it was something of an effort to look away, focus on him. "Yeah. I'm good. Creeped out, but that's not too unusual." She even managed a smile, if not a bit wan.


The second SUV parked alongside them moments later. Jara was the first one out, wide-eyed and standing in front of the building with hands on hips. "Bloody hxll! At least we're doin' this in th' early morn'! No way I'd be comin' here at night, tho'. Th' mojo karma vibe here is off th' charts, people. It's makin' my nipples hard!" Sticking out her chest to prove that point.

Brehnic, who was next out, spit out his coffee, while Jared just stared at her. Steele even did a double take. "Wha'? Don' blame me! Blame wha' ever is still livin' around here."

Steele pushed his glasses back over his eyes, shaking his head. "Oy vey." The building did look ominous, and the only thing missing was the thunderstorm that usually loomed over scary buildings.

There wasn't thunder, but there was a *THWAP* as Jared popped his sister in the back of the head. "Owww! Wha' the hxll? Wha' you do tha' fer?"


Facepalm. Eve peeked out at Jara a second later, only to see her sticking the aforementioned body parts out as if to make a point. A shake of her head and the young woman dropped her hand, finishing her exit from the SUV; she'd been sitting there, door open, looking at the creeptastic place and talking to Steele. And then...then..."Jara. Sweetie. Too much information." Grabbing her jacket before closing the door, she knew the other woman never allowed for a dull moment! At least she wasn't drinking something this time. Shrugging the jacket on, she took another look up at the building. Yeah, she was *really* glad they were going in during the full light of day. Not that she felt that much better about it, even then.


"Wha'?" Almost glaring at Eve at that point, she shook her index finger at the other woman. "C'mon! How many bloody times hav' ye seen the men goin' about braggin' about their packages in public? I cannae help it if me nips get tingly! Pft! Bleedin' man's world is it? Their bloody rules? PFT! Dey can talk about our arse an' boobs, an' we cannae?"

Steele was *not* getting involved in this one. He was already at the rear of the SUV, unloading the needed gear.

Brehnic, on the other hand, saw where this was headed, and threw a little more gas on the fire. "She does have a point, you know."

Jara whirled around in his direction, expecting the usual sarcastic grin most males had right then. Upon seeing the sincere look he had, it was enough for her. For now, any way. "Saints be bloody praised! There's hope for the male race yet!" And just like that, she was at the back of their SUV, pulling out their gear as well. She did stop long enough to deliver a thwap of her own to the back of Jared's head.


She'd blinked at Jara for a moment before giving her head a shake, and going to help unload the equipment. While Eve didn't doubt Jara's words, she'd been lucky enough to this point in time to either not be around during those discussions or obliviously in her own little world - probably laying on that imaginary beach without sunburning.

Well. At least Jara seemed to have made a friend, sort of; in the least, Brehnic's agreement seemed to have quieted her, at least briefly. It all made for a nice little distraction from the strange vibes that the place was putting off. Eve threw a quick little grin at Steele. "Never a dull moment."

Brother and sister were having quite the heated arguement on the way to double doors of Stonebridge, both showing their stubborn streak. Steele was with Brehnic, working on the doors when Jara pulled him into their debate. "Steele, wha' do ye be thinkin' when Eve be paradin' about in those boxers o' hers in th' morn? Wha' about wha' she be wearin' under her shirt? Do ye be takin' quick looks when she's nae lookin', or usin' those dark shades to be getting a *good* look?"

Okay, talk about an awkward moment. One could hear the crickets in the background at that time. And that's when it happened - one for the books. Steele *actually* turned a slight shade of red!

"Door's are open. We're good." Steele looked at Brehnic then and mouthing the words, 'Thank you!'


The Ricos fussing didn't surprise her; both were strong willed, both stubborn, so she could only imagine how those strong personalities could collide. Listening with half an ear for the first few moments, Eve could only grin a little, arms folded as she stood still, just generally staying out of the way once the gear was unloaded.

And then...then Jara had pulled Steele into it. And Eve! To her credit she didn't really blush, but at the awkward, awkward silence, her mouth *did* drop open slightly. No response? She was betting that Jara took that as a solid 'yes' then! She did make a mental note to watch out for the other woman's antics; Eve had the feeling that making Tohmaz A. Steele blush was no small task.

Clearing her throat and barely keeping the grin from her lips, she glanced around at everyone present. "Come on, we don't know how long we'll be in here, and we're losing daylight." *Trying* to steer things back to the task at hand. That was pretty dxmn funny, though!


"No splitting up on this one, people. No ghost hunting. What we're looking for is located down below. No power, so we'll be taking the steps - pretty much the same route the kids took when they stumbled across it."

Jared and Jara were still going at it, though with only facial expressions now. Brehnic had point, with Steele and Eve next, Jara and Jared taking the rear.

"Evie, did you spend time here?" Jara asked, letting the previous topic alone for the moment to focus on the topic at hand. "I'm hopin' dis place is lookin' rundown because o' lack o' use, 'cause dis be nae lookin' like it would help any one, yanno?"

Their voices seemed to echo off the walls. Jared had a solid frown as he looked around. "Man, I do *not* like this place, just for the record. Something about it. How far down are we going?"

Steele glanced over his shoulder. "How about all the way to the lower level?" He was all business now, not to mention he hadn't looked Eve in the eye since Jara's little comment; he'd even gone as far as to keep the shades on! But didn't he always wear them? Hmm....


"No, I wasn't here, but for some reason, it looks like the new one was built on the same layout - which is really weird when you consider that the Kirkbride buildings came about in the 1800s." While she hadn't quite forgotten the fun outside, it was harder to keep that lighter mentality once she'd stepped through that door. The Feeling wasn't something so low-level now - it was a buzz in her skull, a sensation that made her feel as if her entire body should have been shaking from it. She didn't, of course, but it was most definitely stronger. "Don't be surprised if we come across some medieval-looking equipment." The old, creepy stuff like clock-cases and other restraints. She shuddered just to think about it.

Funny, Steele hadn't looked her in the eye, but she hadn't made much of an effort to look at him either - or anyone else, for that matter. Eve was looking at the building around them. The place was decrepit, dirty and dusty, and glass from the mostly broken windows littered the floors. Grafitti littered many of the surfaces there, including what looked like an old nurses station. Ominously, perhaps, the words 'here be monsters' was scrawled across the dingy, scraped panels. "I hope not." Murmured under her breath, before nodding subtly. "Lowest level...Probably sub-basement. The entrance to the stairwells should be ahead - there's one on each side, right and left. Female patients were on the right, male on the left, and the common areas were straight back." Stonebridge had an odd, batwinged structure, but it was common for buildings of that area; of course, it meant that the most dangerous patients were kept at the greatest distance from the main wing of the building. "How does it Feel to you, Jara?"


"Amazing in itself that kids were able to get inside. The place was supposed to be locked up tight," Brehnic said while glacing at his tracking system, that also served as a map.


Jara had become unusally quiet, the further they went into Stonebridge. Her hands gripping were both shoulders. "Truthfully? Dere be spirits here. An' me breasts be throbbin' like dey wanting to explode out o' me bra. 'Cept I'm nae wearin' one. An' if ye even *think* about smackin' me in the head again brother, I will make certain I hit ye nads so bloody hard tha' ye little baby makers will hav' headaches. We square?" Jared would only cough.

Steele stopped once they were in the lower levels. A glance at Eve, then at the others. "Okay group, here we go." The faded sign on the doors said 'Storage', and the doors looked like they were fashioned to keep prying eyes out.

Jared commented on Brehnic's early statement. "If the laws would allow it, we'd have kids with us, because they are more ... Sensative to the paranormal. Something we get drummed out of us by the time we're adults. With a few execptions." A motion made towards the two ladies. The doors were unlocked and opened, with Steele and Brehnic being the first two through. And there it was.

It was shrouded in shadows and made even more spooky by their flashlights shining upon it. The length of it took up half the room, thought it was centered perfectly in the middle. Circular in shape, surrounded by strange type markings.

Jara thingyed her head to one side. "Dere's no way dat was here way back when. It looks too new, even wit it lookin' so old, yanno? No spirits around either. It's like dey be scared o comin' inside here."

Jared was scanning the images. "Scared or unable to enter here. Alien origin, that's for sure. Nothing on the data base comes close to a match."

Steele was close enough for Eve to see him mouth the word: 'Daemon.'

[Argus Steele]

She'd really given no reaction at Jara's words about her bra and doing bodily harm to Jared; it was just good to know she wasn't the only one Feeling these things. It left her feeling a little dizzy, hazy, much like the meds used to. Frowning to herself, Eve tried to shake it off, keep focused. "We all have it when we're small, I think. It just seems that most of lose it over time." A half-shrug as she'd stepped through that door - and Felt like she'd walked face-first into a wall, mentally speaking. "Or they aren't here because it blocks them." She could move around the room, but the buzz was starting to give her a headache. If that was the worst she had to deal with, Eve would gladly take the migraine.

She'd seen the word Steele had mouthed and nodded just slightly. "I doubt it was here then, but I wouldn't have put it past that bunch even then. I'm betting it was brought in or built or whatever once this place closed and everyone was sent to the new one." She didn't want to get too close to it; it just Felt wrong... "I wonder where it goes." But she didn't wonder enough to try it!


-*Thoom!* - That would be the sound of the doors slamming shut. Jara went pale. Jared jumped. Brehnic almost dropped his tracker. Steele, however, didn't even flinch, nor turn back to look back at the door like the others. No, he was watching the obect in front of him. It seemed to have a small glow to it now. (m) "Oh shxt. This is so sci-fi." The glow became deeper and brighter, seemingly depending upon Eve's proximity, and several of the markings also glowed in unison.


Eve didn't jump, but did glance back over her shoulder toward the door. Joy. That was her cue to look at the device before them, realizing that the buzzing in her head had intensified. "Wonderful." Muttered as the glow began, and instinctively, she fell back a step. This couldn't be good...


When she took a step back, the glow became dimmer, though the doors remained locked tight. "Dxmmit! No good, Steele, I can't find any way out." Brehnic spoke while still checking on the doors.

Jared was scanning the room as a precaution, and offered glances toward his sister. Jara hadn't moved an inch since the doors slammed shut. (m) "Oh, tha' desk job sounds so nice right about now..."

Steele had already made the connection between Eve's movements and the thing before them. "Frail, I need you to stand next to me. Call it a hunch." Anyone notice how cold it was starting to feel inside the room?


She'd been watching it and really, really hoping something better suited for her nightmares didn't come crawling out. Her pulse was quick, but she was holding steady. There was a moment when she'd looked at Steele and blinked, confused. "Huh?" It took a moment to sink past the buzz in her skull, but looking from him to the device once more, Eve moved forward again, just enough to bring herself beside him. "What is it?"


The closer she moved, the brighter the markings became. Steele looked at her, and then back at the portal. (m) "This is as close as you get, frail. This thing seems keyed on you somehow, or to something about you."

And yet, there was a subtle urge to step even closer, like an itch that can't be scratched, and it would become more pronounced with each passing moment. Even the others were now looking over in their general direction, wondering what was happening.


"I don't like that." Understatement. It freaked her out, quite frankly. Eve shivered, eyeing the glowing markings. She was afraid of it and what it meant, but at the same time...she wanted to move closer. Reach up and touch the markings, find out where it went and what it did for herself...

Releasing a breath she didn't notice she was holding, the young woman pulled her eyes away from the thing, looking to Steele once more. "..We need to get out of here." Her voice was quiet, but there was a note of obvious tension in it. The urge to get closer seemed to grow stronger every moment, and moving back even a step or two took an effort.


"Konhar, how's that door coming?" Steele asked with a bit of urgency in his tone.

"Not good. There's not even a seam to separate the doors, man!"

Jared had joined Steele, scanning the glowing markings. "Still not getting a match, either."

A loud gasp came from Jara. She was staring wide-eyed above the object, and the warmth of her breath could be seen fogging in the air. The combined mist of their breath was being drawn above the portal, then into it.

"Everybody back, now!" Steele shouted

... Back? Back where? Save for a few old crates, there was no where to go for cover. Even with Eve taking a step back, the markings didn't lose their glow, and they didn't become dimmer as before either, but the tempature continued to drop.


Prying her gaze away from the gathering mist of breath, Eve glanced around at the others then at the room itself. There was...there was nowhere to go. They could fall back, but it wouldn't make much difference. And the urge to keep moving forward was so strong... It took everything she had to turn and move away, back toward the doors - sealed or not. Just trying to put *space* between herself and that thing. "Stop it. Stopitstopitstopit..." Whispered under her breath, fogging in the air as it was, trying to figure out *how* to stop it - and get the door open so that they could all get out. Her chilled fingertips joined the search, investigating, looking for a seam, a crack or crevice, anything they could use to an advantage. It was hard to focus, hard to *think* through the buzz in her skull. Her vision even blurred from it once or twice.


Steele's hand on her shoulder caused the vision to stop; it was like having the film get caught and melt in an old-school film projector. They were still parked outside the building, and Jara had just finished making the comment about her chest. "Hey, you alright frail? You went spacey for a... " Steele gave her that *look.*


Eve gasped, the confusion setting in quickly. There was still that peculiar buzzing feeling in her head, but it wasn't nearly as bad. She could think around it, but...but what was that? A deep breath, and she focused on Steele. "I think we have to be very careful with whatever we find in here." Obviously. She'd gone pale, and was chilled; Eve was glad she had the jacket, though even it seemed to do little toward chasing the cold away.


"Will you two *shut up!*" Steele said with a rather annoyed look on his face. "What happened frail? A vision?"

That was all Brehnic needed to hear, and he was rightthere. He had read about people that had the Second Sight, but to actually witness it? Jara was about to give Steele a piece of her mind, until she heard *what* he said; she even had Jared's full attention. Eve had the floor ... Ground ... Whatever. "What did you see, babe?"


Opening her mouth to speak, she drew up short, hands instead searching the pockets of her jacket. Coming up with a pen and a small notepad, she realized that her hands were shaking a little, but the pace of her heart was slowing down. "It's in there, behind a door marked Storage." While not a very good artist by any means, the rough sketch on the little notepad was clear enough to give an idea of what they were looking for - and what had started in the vision. "Sub basement. I don't - I don't think I need to go near it because it...it turned on. Started up. Whatever." A deep breath, and Eve offered Steele the sketch. She'd even made little marks where the runes had been... "Jara might not need to go in there, either. I don't know exactly what keys it up." She wasn't making any sense, was she? Closing her eyes for a moment, Eve just breathed, trying to steady herself.


Steele was watching her eyes the entire time she was speaking, and if Eve made eye contact with him, she'd see something else that only concreted the fact that this was indeed the original: His eyes. They'd gone ... Cat like? Feral? If only for the span of a blink or three. That's when he pushed his glasses back up the bridge of his nose. "Good enough for me. You two stay out here, and keep contact with us. First sign of anything wrong....."

Jara nodded slowly. "We know the drill. I'll keep yer girl safe, Mr. Steele." A little levity to lighten the suddenly dark mood.

Brehnic had thoughts of his own. "If what she said is on the money, then won't we need one of them with us to activate it? We've already have the data of what's down there..."

While the options were being discussed, a chill would go through Eve. A figure stood at the doors of Stonebridge. She'd Seen this before, though the image was more hazy then. Back with Darcy and Jara; it was the same figure that lingered within the mirror, after her laspe. No one else seemed aware of it, not even Jara.

The sunlight hit the door just right for Eve to get a better look. Right as the ghostly figure walked through the doors, leaving them behind. *Evan?!* The chill slowly went away with his disappearance. Just like it did back at Darcy's office; it wasn't like that before ....


Steele had little ways of confirming for her that *yes*, this was the original. All it took was for her to watch his eyes to see that now. Still feeling a bit antsy from the adrenaline overload, but she wasn't feeling quite so shaky anymore. Eve didn't quite like the idea of the two of them being left out, but if he'd been right in that vision and it had keyed up because of her... well, it was a better idea that they stay put. Or...she thought so, anyway.

Nodding slowly, her jaw tightened briefly. "When it activated, Brehnic, the doors the slammed shut and sealed themselves - with all of us inside. That doesn't sound like a very good position to be in, considering we don't know where it goes - or what might come th-through." Eve's voice caught on the last word as she shivered, that deep chill settling over her. It made her glance away from the group, toward the doors - and lock on to the transparent figure.

Narrowing her eyes briefly, she murmured a soft, "What?" before her eyes flew wide again in recognition. Evan! The young woman opened her mouth to say something, but it was already too late; he'd disappeared through the doors, and hadn't said a word before doing so. How long had he been there? All it took was one glance at Jara for her to know that the other woman didn't See him - or wasn't letting on, if she had. "This just gets better and better." Softly murmured, and followed with a shake of her head.

[Argus Steele]

Steele was following her eyes the entire time, before spinning around to see what she was looking at. The others followed suit, only to see the locked doors of the closed down facility.

Jara had already nudged her brother, then leaned in to whisper something into his ear. Whatever it was, it caused him to glance about the area, which caused Jara to stomp his foot. "Geez, subtle much butt-nugget?" Jara asked with a glare.

Brehnic? Poor boy was in the dark. "Am I missing something here? What are we looking at?" Steele looked back over at Eve.


"Evan." She said the name quietly, and from the door, her eyes moved to Jara. The young woman had been aware of the movement and their actions, seen from the corner of her eye. Eve didn't even ask; the question was all in her expression, the slight rise of that left eyebrow.


Jara blinked, looking over the top of her glasses at everyone, before back at her partner. "I was telling Mr. Subtle here that you almost had that same look about you that you did back ...there."

Brehnic looked like a spectator at a tennis match. "Back there? Where? Someone want to draw me up a map, 'cause I'm seriously lost. Seriously."

Jared, who was fighting an urge to thwap Jara one, turned his focus back on Eve. "Okay, what's going on? First, you have some vision that tells you to stay out here, and now you mumble something about an 'eban?' No offense, Steele, but I told you she was too green to be put out on the field this soon."


"*Evan,* not 'eban.' I just Saw him walk through the doors." She'd just given Jared that empty-eyed look for a moment, then returned to the matter at hand. No use arguing something that was probably true, was there? "But yeah, it was...kinda like that, Jara. He didn't say anything, didn't do anything, just... walked in." It was hard to tell what part of that bothered her most; the Sight, or the fact that her alternate hadn't said a word. That alone troubled Eve because of how much she'd missed him. Seeing Jara and Jared together kind of reminded her of that.


"Whoa. Whoa. Whoa. Who is Evan?" Brehnic looked at all of them, totally confused.

Jared glanced over at Steele, giving him the *look* that Eve knew all too well. "Jara, one question: Did you See anything or anyone?" She'd bite her lip for a moment, before answering with a slow shake of the head. "Okay, Tohmaz, this is getting way out of control. I went with you on bringing her with us, only because we'd be here as back up, but I'm not changing our plan because of some vision she may or may not have had. Fact is, this place is spooking us all. Fact is, she has more history with Stonebridge than any of us here. How do we know she's 100%? Fact is that we don't. I agree with her on one thing: She's stayin' out here. Brehnic can stay and keep an eye on her, but we three need to get down below and get some raw data. That's what why we're out here. Period." Steele went to defend her, but Jared was holding his ground. "I know you really *like* this girl, but it's all about the job right now. Jara's our resident Seer, not Eve. Anything happens out here, Brehnic can handle it."

Steele calmly removed his glasses, folded and tucked them into his pocket before looking at all assembled. Reaching up to scratch at his stubble growth, he looked back over at the building before leaning against the hood of the SUV. "Jared. I know Eve better than anyone else here. Her visions have a way of coming true 98% of the time. If it's spooking her, then that's good enough for me. Evan? Yeah, I know about him too. We'll talk later. Right now, we're doing this by what we know. Eve had a vision of us going inside. Look at what she wrote down. The ladies stay here, and you and your sister Link up. You'll be her eyes and ears down there." Jared went to object, but was stopped by Steele once again. "I know you're concerned about her. I wouldn't have Elf out here with us if I didn't think she could cut it. Let's just do this, alright?"

Jara would raise her hand to speak. "Better be careful, my boobs feel like they're goin' to blow right out o' me bra. Iffin' I was wearin' one." Okay, that just got a look from all the men. "Wha'? Some o'the spirits get me nips all hard. See?" Deja vu, anyone?


Eve had held her tongue while Jared had his say, but truth told, she was getting more and more irritated the more she heard. Her jaw had tightened, and for a few moments, she seemed to be looking down. She was actually just trying to focus on breathing and keeping her pulse slow. When she did speak, her voice was very quiet, and nearly devoid of emotion. "Jared, you've doubted me from the beginning. Honestly, I don't blame you, because even I wonder on occasion how I've stayed sane. But like it or not, I had the vision. I didn't *like* it, but I don't like being near that gate and being locked in with it when it keys up, either. I don't like the idea of anybody being near it, but...I'm hoping it won't be so dangerous if we keep a power supply away from it." Okay, so it had even hurt her feelings a little, but that was beside the point. She didn't really want anyone going down there, but if she knew *this* bunch, they'd be bound and determined to see it. Eve just hoped it wouldn't pull the same trick as it had in the vision if she wasn't present. The young woman stepped back then, bumping the SUV with her hip, pressing fingertips against her temples. That thrum really *was* starting to give her a headache.


Brehnic was a tad bit pxssed that he was being ignored during all of this like some newbie, which he wasn't. If they all wanted to bicker amongst themselves, more power to them. He had already had his gear locked and loaded, and was heading towards the front doors.

Jara would follow suit, telling Steele that she was needed down their, and that Link worked both ways. "Big brother can watch her, and if we get into any trouble, he'll know. I'm a Seer, so let me see what I can See, unless you want me to continue about my boobies."

Steele smirked at her, before giving the woman a thumbs up. "Guess you've been out voted, Pirate."


Sighing as she leaned against the car, Eve then gave a slight shake of her head. Left there with Jared? For all she liked him at the moment, she'd almost as soon go into Stonebridge. Glancing at Steele, Eve gave a slight shake of her head, features holding that blank-eyed look. "Be *extremely* careful." Not just him, but all three of them.


Steele gave her the trademark grin and a wink before placing the glasses back on, and escorting the pair inside. That left the remaining two behind. Jared muttered a few things under his breath, not bothering to hide the fact that he was very upset at the whole turn of events. The muttering continued as he moved around, then entered the SUV the three of them had arrived in, and could be clearly seen on talking his Blackberry, and giving Eve dirty looks now and again during his conversation.


She'd come to the conclusion that she really liked the Pirate-version of Jared better. If Jared only knew... Eve had taken up a perch on the hood of the SUV she and Steele and arrived in, elbows propped on her knees, Blackberry in hand - not really doing anything with it, but it gave her hands something to do. The one time she *had* looked at Jared - right in the midst of one of his dirty looks - she'd given him that empty-eyed stare and a cool smile. Otherwise, her focus was on the doors of Stonebridge, and the minutes that passed since the three went inside.


A car door slammed, and footsteps could be heard coming her way. Round two. Ding-ding! "You're going to get all of us killed. Period. You have zero training, and are placed on the fxcking field because Steele has a crush on you? I've been doing this a lot longer than you, and you're going to get us all killed. Freak."


"Mmm. You know what?" Eve straightened up from her forward lean, and looked at Jared, still doll-eyed. "Fxck you. I didn't want Steele, or Jara, or Brehnic to go in there. Simple fact of the matter is that there is a gate down there. To what, I don't know, but I know that trying to keep any of *this* bunch out of there is useless. I'm not here because of his crush, I'm here because he feels like I'm useful - which is a lot more than I can say for you at this point. You're not doing anything but starting drama, so I suggest you *can it* and your fxcking opinion of me, and be more worried about what's going on down there!" Her voice hadn't wavered from that quiet tone, though a little tension had edged in. She'd gestured to the front doors at the building as she spoke, though her stare never waved from him. The fingers of her free hand curled and uncurled. Eve was cold - extremely cold, though she wasn't sure if it was from being ticked, afraid, or something else entirely.


Jared had already moved around the SUV, standing in front of her. "What? You feelin' froggy now? Wanna jump?" Poking his finger into her chest with each word spoken. "Go ahead, use your powers. I dare you. Give me a reason to kick that pale little axs of yours. On second thought, allow me." Eve found herself being tossed from the SUV, landing several feet from it. Hard. Why is it during certain moments that *little* things seem to fall into place? It wasn't just his attitude towards her; he never took off his glasses, even back at Steele's place. Her vision, what did Steele say? 'Daemon'. And who was crafty enough to just have those three go inside, leaving her alone?

"Cromwell sends his regards, bxtch." Both SUVs were shaking violently, and they began to slowly levitate into the air, towards Eve. Since *when* could Jared do this?

[Argus Steele]

Eve had been staring him down when he'd poked her, but found she could really think of little except breaking that finger. Something was wrong. It clicked in the back of her mind, setting off little alarm bells, but it wasn't until she hit the ground on the other side of the SUV and went rolling that it flashed through her mind. Steele mouthing the word, 'Daemon.' She managed to recover somewhat and regain her feet, though the wind had been knocked from her lungs. "Shxt." Muttered between gasps, and she turned around just in time to see the SUV's carreening towards her. She hadn't *known* Jared to do be capable of that before - but something had obviously changed. Pulling her Shields into place - both mental and physical - Eve skittered back, and called on her own abilities. First, to stop the cars or turn them aside, secondly to hit Jared with a stunning blast. Nothing physically harmful, but it was confusing, blurring the mind and senses for a few minutes. Maybe long enough for her to duck away and find the others, at the least.


"Moving those two SUVs had to take a lot out of you huh, newbie?" Jared was crawling along the ground like one some sort of creature, and his glasses had fallen away to reveal soulless black eyes. The faint roar of another SUV was speeding their way could be heard. Whoever it was, they provided several seconds worth of distraction; one SUV was sent towards the one fast approaching, the other at Eve once again, when it suddenly stopped in mid air, right over her head.

"Dude, that is *so* not cool." Dressed in black from head to toe, it was Evan! "Snap out of it! He's inside your head!"


"Not as much as you think." A muttered retort under her breath, and Eve caught the SUV over her head, locking it still in the air; the momentum was hard to catch, but rather than throw it back, she simply cast it aside.

Just in time for her jaw to drop. Evan! He had no idea how glad she was to see him! But she took his words seriously. "In my..." Wow, but that was one of their little ploys that she was getting *really* tired of - but it was effective, undeniably. Tensing, Eve closed her eyes for a heartbeat or two's worth of Focus, and gave a mental nudge. Of course, the nudge was followed by what was almost an explosion of white energy, cleansing, clearing. Trying to come back to her own senses.


"Ow. Mental note: *Never* pxss ye off, luv." The doors that had been sealed shut were not only blown off their hinges, but much of the surrounding wall was missing as well. Eve would find herself being carried by Steele, who was flanked by Jared and Brehnic, and all were moving quickly to put some distance between them and that room.

"Is it always this crazy?" Shouted by Brehnic as they raced back up the stairs.

"Not really. This is a slow day!" Comment Jared.

Steele glanced down at Eve, with a small smile on his face. "Welcome back, frail. We were starting to worry about you."


Eve had blinked at him, and even wiggled a little as if making an effort to get back on her own two feet. It was habitual, though; at the moment, she was so shaky and disoriented that she probably wouldn't have even been able to stand up. She relaxed, trying to get her bearings, figure out what was going on. "It wasn't a vision?" Confusion was predominant, and she was a bit stunned about the doors. Had she...?


Holding onto her, Steele was the last one out before the entire basement section collapsed in upon itself, which caused the main structure of the building then to fall into what appeared to be a massive sink hole. Covered in dirt and dust, the sounds of the building falling in on itself was almost deafening at that close range. Everyone was trying to catch their breath, and Steele was still carrying Eve, though the apparent danger seemed to have passed. It would take a little longer before any of them would be able to see through all the dust and debris that had been kicked up. Brehnic was the first to suggest they put even more distance between themselves and the building, to at least get inside the SUVs to breathe in some cleaner, clearer air. No one was speaking about what happened back there just yet, and they even blew past the startled security guard on the way out. The only explanation was Jared yelling "*Termites!*" on the way by. The drive home was quiet, to say the least.


Coughing the last of the dust out of her lungs, Eve had finally recovered enough that she though she could stand if she had to. Acrobatics were still out for a little while, though. Sitting the SUV, listening to the quiet, she'd just blinked dazedly, almost amazed at the quiet of her own mind. It was clear, and the buzz was gone. Finally, she'd had all she could take, though. She had to ask. "...What happened?"


"*Coughcough.* You went all quiet, staring at those glowing markings, then started walking towards the bloody thing! Jared tried to snap you out of it, but you sent him flying." Steele contacted the others and told them that he was pulling off at the next rest area, allowing everyone to gather themselves. "The closer you got, the more markings lit up, until it started opening. Next thing we know, you turned around, and stared at the doors and ... Made us a way out." His phone rang, and Steele put it on speaker.

"Hey, how is she, man? She okay?" Jared asked.

"Yeah, she looks okay. Well, we know that thing was *not* safe."


"Okay." Softly spoken, nodding to herself. Now she knew what was in her head, and what wasn't. "That's probably why Jared became the antagonist, in my head. They have a way of getting in and changing things around. Maybe they were hoping I'd kill someone by accident." She'd straightened up in her seat by this time, but she was looking pretty tired. Even leaning her head back on the headrest. "I'm fine, guys. Thanks for dragging me out." The smile could be heard in her voice, even if it didn't quite bloom across her lips.

Shaking her head gently, the tip of her tongue darted out to dampen her lips before she spoke again, softly. "I wouldn't have woken up, if not for Evan. I don't know if he was really there or if was just something else in my head, but that's the only reason I came to." She drew a deep breath, and felt the sting in her eyes. Oh no. Closing her eyes, she folded her hands together and pretty much focused on breathing.


Meanwhile ....

"Termites?" The bemused guard scratched his head as he went to inform the brass what he had seen. (m) "Like they're going to believe me ..." Pausing, the guard strained to see a solitary figure walking in the distance. "Son of a bxtch, they left one behind!"

The clothing was tattered and torn, empty eyes viewed the sight of the approaching guard. The body was nearly a lifeless husk, burned out, and a host replacement was sorely needed.

"Hey buddy, you alright? Jeez, let me help you."

Cromwell would simply smile.


BA-Da-DUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUNNN!!!!!!