Mind Games

[Argus Steele]

Dr. Langston and his assembled team were, to put in simple terms, stumped. This was way beyond their basic scope of understanding. The center of their befuddlement? Two individuals named Lizt: The female was Eve, the male was Evan. Neither were related, but alternate reality versions of the other. After taking sworn statements from the both of them, Langston was no closer to discovering what was behind those random Shifts now than where they were eight-to-ten hours before. There were more armed guards outside the building this time around as well, armed to the teeth with the best top notch ghost tracking technology money could buy. The top brass did not like having to deal with loose ends, or X-factors, which the Lizts both were.

Steele and Jara were also on hand, the both of them were also questioned about the Eve-Evan connection, and if one or both of them were a potential threat.

Needless to say, Tohmaz was more than a little bit annoyed at the whole conspiracy theory. "Look, Jara and I both vouched for Eve. Jara already vouched for Evan. This is what this whole Center's been built around. Eve didn't have to join this looney tunes outfit, you know. Since she's been with us, she's been more than an asset, pulling our collective butts out of the paranormal fire several times!"

Jara would continue their argument. "Ye' all are so bloody wrapped up in this daemon thing, that ye' allow yeselves to be spooked by anythin' ye don' understan'! Ye hav' statements from Dr. Langston, an' the head shrink herself. The Lizts are just as frustrated as you are, even more so! You start treatin' them like criminals, an' I swear I'm so outta here!"

Another person also echoed that response, in the form of Dr. Stacy Hanson, who had been sitting quietly, taking all of it in, while sorting out all the emotional static swirling about her. "I'm with Tohmaz and Jara on this one. This is why you brought us here to the Center to begin with: To help you understand what your data sheets and books don't tell you. Eve Lizt? I vouch for her. Evan Lizt? I've picked up nothing evil about him at all. Langston and I have been non-stop trying to get you some answers since this went down, and if this is your answer, to treat them like some global threat, then I'm handing in my resignation. Effective immediately."

Evan hadn't said much since the initial interrogation, and since then he'd sat quietly, on the verge of assuming that wide-eyed, emotionless expression he used to get when he was tired of dealing with certain things. He *really* missed Doc Darcy at that moment. Being there was only a constant reminder that he was the lone survivor of a reality that had been completely destroyed by daemons. Maybe it was easier to just ... let go. Allow himself to return to where he came from, and just ... fade away. He was very tempted.

Eve had remained quiet for most of the exchange, watching and listening to everyone involved closely. An odd point? Emotionally speaking, she was relatively quiet, so Stacy wouldn't have been picking up much from her. A few flashes of annoyance, maybe, but that seemed to be the greatest extent of it. The urge to get upset or lose it was heavy, but she knew there wouldn't be much gained from that, aside of making everyone that doubted she and Evan *positive* that they were threats...

"Why is everyone acting like this was some great surprise?" The young woman spoke quietly, calmly, and while she hadn't retreated completely into that empty-eyed doll look, she wasn't far from it. Eve stood with her arms folded, and she would have liked to pace or fiddle with something, but that would have been misspent energy. "It was exactly what Langston *said* would happen if we didn't figure out a way to stop the Shifts. This time it was longer than the others, so chances are that it will continue to go that way." A slow shrug. "Until we trade completely. So I suggest we focus more on figuring out how to *stop* the Shifts than on whether Evan and I are threats. I can assure you that we aren't, and we're both more disturbed by this situation than anyone can imagine. Not to mention that I'm not sure this Shifting thing would only affect Evan and myself in the end. We don't exactly know what the scope of this is or how dangerous it can get." She *hoped* it would only affect Evan and herself, but didn't hold out much hope for that one. It made her think of ripples on the surface of water; it seemed that her Shifts had affected things once before, and she was hoping not to have such a great impact on reality again.


"Then perhaps you can explain why any of us should trust you following this exchange? " A screen on the other side of the room would flicker to life, showing Jara and Eve conversing with Dr. Maxwell - as well showing Eve's little stunt. "I cannot speak for all involved, but did she tell anyone of that incident?"

Jara looked down at the floor.

Steele blinked several times before looking back at Jara and Eve. " No, I wasn't told."

Evan on the other hand, went pale as a...well...ghost as the face behind the voice made himself known. "It seems that you have not been totally honest with those that have accepted you into the Center."

Dr. Langston would cross the room to shake the hand of the recent arrival. "I'm glad you could make it here on such short notice, Simon."

Dr. Cromwell would offer a most sincere smile. "I'm glad you contacted me when you did, as we had just came across that footage just the other day. Eve had ... convinced one of my top Doctor's to turn the other way, as you've all seen there. I'm certain this young lady has another motive. I have her complete history here on these files, along with comments from her own Doctor."

Steele would just glance at Jara, then back at Eve, before looking back at what was being shown.

Evan *really* wanted to pull a fade right then! He knew there was no way Eve could tell what she knew without coming off like some former patient from a mental institution; and Cromwell knew it!

The young woman opened her mouth to speak, to explain what they saw on the tape...then snapped her mouth shut. Cromwell's appearance wasn't a good thing, and she knew it. Her jaw tightened a little, and her annoyance had dissipated, become ... nothing. It was like a cold void, but logical, devoid of emotion. A gentle shake of her head, and her eyes narrowed a bit. "I could tell you all what happened there, but none of you are set to believe me, not really. I find it strange that this place is supposed to be based on the study of the paranormal, and yet you let it walk in right under your noses..." Her stare settled right on Cromwell then, unusually intense. "I shouldn't have done that to Maxwell's diplomas, and I know it. It was stupid on my part because it gave you ammo to use against me, but it was the only way I could think to prove my point, else I wouldn't have been standing here now. No signed release from my psychiatrist and all." A subtle narrowing of her eyes, and the young woman dropped her hands to her sides. Evan wasn't the only one that wished he could disappear, but there just wasn't any hope for that. "What can I say? Years of being treated like dirt builds up."

A little purse of her lips, and she glanced at Steele. "You weren't told because after Jara and I were attacked by those things, I pretty much forgot about it. Fighting for your life and those of your friends and passerby -" There was a flicker of remorse across her features there before she managed to push it away. " - has a way of driving the smaller incidents from your mind."

"Used against her? So, Eve is saying she knowingly acted the way she did out of some paranoia? Perhaps if she would have continued to see Dr. Maxwell and remained on her medication... But, she is of legal age and made her own choice, just as she did back at the Institute several days ago. If you read the comments of Dr. Maxwell, you'll see that Eve has a history of placing the blame on someone else, not accepting her own responsibilities. I do not think she is a bad person, but with the emergence of these unique talents? I feel they give her courage to act differently than what she would have normally."

Steele was more than a little annoyed, and it showed. "Smaller incident? You pretty much bullied your Doctor, and you call it a smaller incident?"

Jara would look up at Steele, but it was Evan that spoke first.

[Dude! Don't tell me you're falling for Cromwell's bull! He's the one you should be checking out, not Eve! If not for her you would have never rescued that girl back at the house!]

Cromwell would slowly nod at all assembled before continuing. "These Shifts they speak of. Have there been any other ... things that have been out of the ordinary? Is it my understanding that her talents were not even discovered until much later. How was she able to shield herself from the Center?"

Steele would slowly rub his temples. "Eve seemed to ... know things. Parts of the future. Things about us."

Cromwell would nod again. "And you never sought to ask how or why? Perhaps you were conditioned not to? What other talents has she not told you all about? Interesting that you and Agent Rico both accepted what she had to say based upon blind faith. Who is to say that this Evan isn't something she created?"

Langston would clear his throat. "Simon, there is enough proof that holds her claim that Evan is indeed from another reality."

Tohmaz would frown again, as things started coming together. "Mebbe, Doc. She had said several times that she wasn't sure that this was her actual reality."

Cromwell would give Eve a look that only she would see, he had her right where he wanted her, and now he was causing her own friends and allies to doubt her.

"Compared to me or Jara dying back there? Compared to seeing someone die because those *things* ate him? Yeah, I call that a minor incident." That had sparked a little anger, and more than a little guilt bled through. Eve's voice had raised just a bit, cracked just a little. She cleared her throat, folded her arms again. Tried to withdraw emotionally again. "Yeah, I see pulling a few diplomas off his wall to *prove* that things he can't diagnose or see under a microscope exists. He was the one that told me nothing beyond the scope of the norm exists, but we know differently, don't we?" Her jaw tightened a little. "But regardless, I'm still being questioned, and now I'm being treated like some brainless invalid. If I wanted that, I would have stayed in Stonebridge, happily under the sway of whatever medication they were pumping into my veins that week."

It stung more than a little, the fact that everyone was doubting her. "Blind faith. But you're all listening to him on blind faith. Hxll, Jara, you were *there* for the incident. You *knew* what happened. Great to see that my friends are speaking up for me." A glance at Jara, then Steele, and her disappointment in both was obvious.

A soft click of her tongue on her teeth, and she glanced at Evan. She was wishing he'd fade, go somewhere, do *something* just to get him out of the situation. Bad enough that she was wrapped up in it; even worse that he was, too. Shaking her head gently, she glanced back up. "I don't think it really matters what I say or what explanations I offer. I don't think any of you are going to listen to me, especially not with *his* influence." The slightest arch of a brow at Cromwell. She wanted to call him out, say what he really was...but she didn't believe he'd show his true colors for a second. Not yet, at least.

Time seemed to slow down around Eve, as everyone else appeared to be frozen in place except her - And one other. With a flick of the wrist, Eve was sent flying across the length of the room, into the far wall.

"You, little girl, have been more trouble than you are worth. Perhaps an overdue lesson is in order."

Another motioning of his hand, a hard slap felt. And another, and another still. "You think this is a game, fleshling? I will feast on your soul!"

Then with a clench of his fist, Eve felt her heart beat faster, and faster still, like it was going to burst from her chest. "Bah, look at you! Hardly worth the effort!"

Scratch that: He wouldn't show his true colors to anyone else. Hitting the wall knocked the breath out of her, and the slaps jolted her. Eve understood what had happened to a point - that Cromwell had lashed out at her - but much of the world was a blur, and the only thing she could feel at the moment was anger. Rage. It was pure, but cold, burning outward from her very core. Physical pain didn't matter; she'd taken the steps toward death once before, and she'd do it again without flinching. The sound she made could have been confused for pain very easily. Her pulse grew faster and faster, painfully so...but Eve retaliated. Physically, it was a near crushing weight; Mentally, it was a wave of...everything. Fear, sadness, anger, despair.

Eve didn't really think that would trouble a daemon lord too much; but it could be distraction enough to get her own defenses in place, her shields primarily among them - both mental *and* physical.

"Oh, but if I'm not worth it, you wouldn't be interfering."

She'd even managed to regain her feet, mostly courtesy of that TK.

Even as Eve spoke the words, things around her snapped back into place, just in time for her to see the results of her retaliation. Steele went flying through the air like a rag doll, his body smashing against shelves and glass before ending with a sickly thud against the wall. It was almost like time stopped once again for Eve to witness the shock and horror on the faces inside the room. Guards began pouring inside the room, weapons primed and locked upon the startled young woman. Others were rushing to the aid of Tohmaz, whose body laid unmoving.

Dr. Stacy Hanson's eyes were wide as saucers, her normal color now a very pale blue. "Oh my God..."

Things were suddenly moving in fast motion. A collar was forced around Eve's neck, and she'd feel a current jolting her brain and nerves; the guards weren't bothering to be gentle. "Get her out of here! And keep her twin in containment. He so much as blinks the wrong way, fry him! What's the status of Agent Steele?"

A shake of the head. "Not good. Whatever she hit him with, it was pretty hard. Internal bleeding from most of his major organs! Get him to ER, stat!"

To say the very least, Eve felt sick at her stomach. At seeing Tohmaz laying there she froze, eyes wide, hands at her sides. She'd drained completely of color...except for a couple of spots on her cheeks where bruises were forming from the impacts..

The young woman didn't even move as the guards came into the room, and felt like she couldn't breathe. Things were happening, and too fast.. "Everyone here is going to find out the truth about you, and about what you're doing at Stonebridge. They think I'm the monster right now but it's really yo-!" It was about that time that the collar closed on her neck, cutting her venom infused words off with a sharp jolt. Eve felt her body go tight, and though her hands made the move of reaching for the collar, she couldn't quite make it. Couldn't do much of anything around that jolting, but it didn't make her stop fighting against it.


As Eve felt herself being pulled from the room, it was all about the eyes. Everyone else's. Dr. Hanson's eyes were almost a pure white from all the random raw emotion assaulting her.

Evan's grey eyes were wide, in a state of shock.

Dr. Simon Cromwell's held little or no emotion as his gaze met hers, before turning away to assist where he could. Then there was Jara.

During all of the chaos, no one seemed to notice the tiny malicious smile tugging at her lips, as her eyes spoke volumes. She was still possessed by what happened back on that highway! Eve had been setup big time, and now Cromwell was taking them out one by one. Wait .... If Jara wasn't herself ... Did Evan know?

Eve's only answer was being thrown rather roughly into a holding cell, with one guard having a few parting words for her. "You better pray Agent Steele pulls through, freak. Otherwise, I don't think too many will mourn your passing, because accidents *do* happen!"

"Accidents." Eve wasn't sure if she wanted to cry or laugh hysterically. All hell had broken loose, and Cromwell had them all fooled - or had them under his control...

The world had been spinning, but she hadn't missed the look on Jara's face. Jara wasn't...Jara. There was something else home, and it had done a fine job in masquerading until now. Her hands shook as she pressed the heels to her closed eyes, trying to keep control of herself. Breaking down wasn't going to help her, even if that was all she really wanted to do. It would have made it much easier to keep that in mind if her eyes would have stopped tearing up...

Wiping at her eyes after pulling her hands down, she stared at the floor, breathing deeply. "It's all a set-up and no one can even see it..." That was the worst part. So much for a group that claimed to be open minded.

[Talking to yourself? Not like that's a sign of insanity. Dxmn, we are so alike! Come on Lizt, we are so out of here right now!] It was Evan, and from the faint sounds being muffled through her cell, the alarms were going off.

[Today, Lizt! I can't keep this thing open for too much longer! Not like I want to go back, but we are not safe here! Those bozo's want blood, and I'm no scapegoat! I'm pulling my best *ninja move!*] He was still somewhat rattled by the recent events back there, but that was his little talent. Too take on more than they thought he could. Being inside an Institution most of your life did wonders to build up mental tolerance towards certain things.

Most of what had happened would have just annoyed or ticked her off more than anything; it was Steele getting launched into the wall that had done it. Evan's voice had startled her, made her look up...then realize what he was doing. The jolting feeling of the collar was loosened... Eve reached up and pulled hard at it to finish it, then rolled to her feet. Yeah, the damage to her friend had bothered her more than anything, but Cromwell was probably smart enough to realize that *that* would have been the breaking strain...

The feeling of having the collar off was the difference between a dank basement and fresh air; whatever channels it had been blocking were open fully, and she knew there wasn't any time to waste. She couldn't help anyone just sitting there ... even if she *was* a bit upset at all of them for the moment...

A shrug as soon as she was on her feet, and a focus of that energy on the door to get it open. Maybe a bit *too* much; while she didn't blast it off the hinges, it flew wide rather than being surreptitiously unlocked and eased open. Too bad; she'd take what she could get. Even as the young woman darted out the door into the hall, she brought her defenses back into play - both the physical shields and the mental blocks. "Come on!" A glance around, trying to acclimate herself, and she took off running.

The hallways held a red hue to them as the alert level was raised. All non-military personnel were instructed to remain inside their quarters until the alert was over.

"Down here! She's down here! No sign of the other one! " There was only one guard to deal with, but after his radio call they'd be enroute within seconds. "We spotted the ghost! He's on level six! Can you handle the girl?"

"Yes ... No! She's not wearing her collar! I repeat she's not -!"

Eve went wide-eyed at the sight of the guard, and threw her hands up in a gesture of supplication - or what looked like one. As the guard was trying to call back on the radio, it would emit a sudden screech and nothing but loud static - whether he was pressing the button or not. It made the back of her head ache a little to do that one, made a bright spot, but she knew that if they heard that, she'd be dealing with a swarm of them...

Truth told, she didn't really want to hurt anyone; she just wanted to leave, get some breathing room and a few minutes to *think.* All that ran through her mind was that stunt Cromwell had pulled, seemingly stopping time. That would have been useful right about now, or even slowing it down...

She hadn't realized how focused she was on the idea until she realized that the sound of the alarm wasn't quite right - and the man wasn't moving fast enough. The ache that set in behind her eyes threatened to make her black out for all of a heartbeat, until adrenaline took over and she started to run again. She didn't know how long it would last, but wanted to get as far as she could before that happened. "Come on, Evan..." Trying to focus on him, bring him up to speed, so to speak. He was all she really had, especially right now; she couldn't, *wouldn't* leave him.

[Argus Steele]

Evan had reappeared just as he had vanished mere moments ago. And it looked like his skin was covered with a layer of sweat. Could a ghost sweat? [We got serious trouble. I can't phase out of here, kiddo. Hey, is it me, or are you moving faster than usual?] And just as he said that, he felt himself *catching up* with her. [I hope you know where you're going, because my little distraction isn't going to last for so long.]

At the end of the hallway was an elevator. The problem was there was a figure standing there, like they were waiting on something, or someone. It was a female, dressed from head to toe in all black with a less than pleased look gracing her features. "Oh, lookie. The upstart learned a new trick. Too bad it won't help you." The girl could not have been no more than 12 or 13 tops. Eve would suddenly find herself being slowed by an unseen force. She was close enough to affect Eve's gravity. It wasn't TK, but like her whole sense of balance was being thrown off. "This is Beta. I have the lost lamb. Send backup, she's demonstrating a new ability not on file."


She looked like a kid...but didn't *act* like any kid Eve had ever seen...

She stumbled momentarily with the affect to her balance, but scowled. She had to get out of her. She *had* to! She could still focus without much problem. Eve Felt that odd flash at the back of her mind again, that flare of ache in the back of her head ... and the radio didn't just screech and static this time - it would literally burn itself out, growing so hot the plastic would melt away. "I've probably come up with a few you don't have listed..." Half-truth, half-bluff, but her expression was all serious.

Behind the girl, the elevator door would slide open, quickly, quietly. It was good that Eve had been practicing with the TK before all this; she used it again now. A mock charge toward the kid - nevermind that she stumbled and felt off-kilter - but the real force came ahead of her, shoving the kid back into the elevator. Another bright flash in the back of her head, and the door zipped shut, and the elevator started to descend - but stopped somewhere between floors and went unresponsive.

"Yeah, like I'm getting in one of those boxes at a time like this..." Whispered to herself, heading for the stairs. Longer, but much better than being trapped in a little box, should it come to that.

"She tricked Beta! Keep the norms out of this. This bxtch wants to dance? We'll dance!" That voice came from behind Eve, and it looked like the same girl. But no, she called the first one Beta, and where Beta was dressed in black, this one in all white.

She cut loose with one of the most intense light shows ever seen, and with them being in such a confined space... The girl used that light strobe to mask her next attack before the flare wore off. " What the fxck?" Was all Delta could mutter, as she found herself facing off not against Eve, but Evan!

"Sorry kid, it's either you or us..." A scrunch of his nose, and Delta found herself flying right into the ceiling. Hard. It was going to leave on heck of a bruise, but there was no time to be subtle. Concentrating once again on that certain feeling, Eve was back, just like that. Well, at least one of them had figured it out.

Eve had been bright enough to shield her eyes when the light show had started, but she hadn't stopped moving - one hand had been outstretched, feeling along the wall until she felt the bar on the door - and the flat handle of the panic alarm. Fire escape, which meant the stairs... Opening her eyes again, Eve placed a hand against the little box where it was wired into the building's fire alarm - and promptly fried it. She shoved the door open, and shouted once over her shoulder, "Evan!" Then hit the stairs. Two at a time, heading for the fire exit. She glanced over her shoulder every few steps, and melted the locking mechanism in every door she passed - just enough that the doors weren't going to be opened short of using a small explosive.

Gamma stood waiting quietly, not announcing her presence like the other two. It was all about learning from ones mistakes.

A button was pressed on her watch, and a high pitched whine cut through the air, each wave getting louder and louder still. It made mental concentration somewhat difficult. She moved with the speed of thought, as if she were one step ahead of Eve. "You're good, upstart, but we've been at this a lot longer than you. Luck is fickle. Sometimes she's with you, sometimes she's not." Gamma didn't dare throw anything solid; the Lizt girl was a TK, among other things. Gamma would just keep pressing her attack, pushing Lizt to her limits, buying time for backup to arrive. They had all the raw information that was needed, and it was time to bring the upstart down.

It was a shock to her system, that sound. It made her cry out and cover her ears, but that didn't even help much; it threatened to let the threads of power slip through her fingers, destroy the focus it took to use it...

But then she'd be stuck there. And so would Evan. And then she couldn't even *try* to help Steele or get Jara back...

"No!" With the shout came another of those pulses, this one almost blinding. The watch would hum, then the face would shatter, some of the mechanical pieces inside even falling out. It went further still, she found then - not just effecting electronics, but also the electric impulses that kept the heart at its regular pace...

She Felt it. Felt it skip, speed up...then stop momentarily before beginning again at a resting pace. That one scared her a little, but she didn't have time to consider it. Using the TK, Eve threw the girl through the nearest open door, then sealed it shut before launching off again. The last thing she actually wanted to do was kill someone...

And another girl would appear, looking like the other three. "Alpha here. This bxtch may be untrained, but she's making up for it with guts. Those same guts are gonna be spilled if she hurt Gamma!" Alpha was several feet away and motioned toward the ceiling. Metal groaned in protest as the light fixtures overhead began snapping free, and falling where Eve stood.


Another glare caused the railings to strain free and fly at Eve. Another caused the stone steps to crack beneath Eve's feet.

The effects were showing on the young girl's face; blood flowed freely from her nose, but it was evident she was not going to stop. "Why ... won't ... you... fall!" The strain was too much for Alpha, and she fell down the stairs like a puppet with its strings cut.

"Alpha!" It was the last flight of stairs, where yet the girl stood again. How many of them were there? The symbol on her uniform told Eve what this one's codename was Sigma.

That's when something weird happened: Eve would feel light headed, though it was not from any attack. Someone raced by her. No, out of her to catch the one called Gamma before that fall would injure her more. Evan was not only solid, but so was she! "Look, your sister is okay, but we can't keep..." Whatever Evan was going to say was cut off by the door opening behind Sigma. She was now flanked by Kappa, Omega, and Psi.

"Oh, joy, they have the entire alphabet." Muttered as Eve set back down on her feet, and turned her attention to Sigma. "Don't worry about us! Alpha overshot trying to stop me and her heart's going to arrest if you don't get her some help!" Not that she actually expected them to listen to her. Evan being solid set Eve back on her heels briefly, but there wasn't any time to question it. To accentuate her point, Eve lifted Alpha and moved her quickly to Sigma - not *throwing* her at the others, but most certainly using her to bar their way - and nudge them back to the door. "Um...check on the others too. One of them is stuck in the elevator." Deer in the headlights look? You bet. "Go, take care of them!" She'd started moving down the stairs again, her feet quick, but she was still very much on the defensive.

The girls collected their own, then cleared out leaving the two Lizt's alone. "Okay. That was way too easy. Can you say trap?" Evan was looking all around them, while watching Eve's back. Matter of fact, there was no one coming after them at all, no guards, no more special agents. The alarms went suddenly silent, the lights went dead, leaving the duo in darkness. Evan whispered, "What the hxll? Shxt! You don't think they're trying to seal us up in here? No more being subtle. We need an out now!" Reaching out, Evan attempted to make a nice sized hole in the near by wall, when ... Nothing happened.

He'd concentrate again, harder this time, but still nothing. He got that wide-eyed look as he stared at Eve. "I've got nothing!"

Neither would she.

"I don't know. Maybe each other is all they have." A shrug, and she continued down the stairs. "But it does *scream* trap." She stopped when all went quiet, half-turned on the stairs, looking back at Evan. She tried something simple to start with - to lift some of the debris that had gotten scattered from Alpha - and realized she couldn't. It was all still there...but it was like there was a block up. Her eyes narrowed, and Eve swept her gaze suspiciously up and down the stairs, just waiting for what happened next. "...This is new..." But made little sense to her; why didn't they do it before?

"Stand down, the both of you. Don't make me do something you'll both regret." Eve would know the voice the instant she heard it. Steele!

He stood unmoving, but close enough for both to see. The expression on his face pretty much told them all they needed to know; he was ready to kick some axs and chew some gum. He was all out of gum.


*That* put her off balance than anything. She didn't know whether to laugh or cry or let her jaw hit the ground. Probably the third of them, given that her mouth hung open a little. "You're okay. Oh my God, you're okay..." A little breathless, and she found herself swaying back against the wall a little. But still.... "Let us go, Steele. Cromwell's blinded you like everyone else, but God help me, I'm going to find a way to wake all of you up." She'd straightened, and her posture said that she was ready to run.

All those fleeting moments when she swore she saw something wrong with Steele's eyes? Well, now she was seeing it first hand, even in the inky darkness they had a soft green glow to them. Like some sort of predator. "Your pulse rate just increased. You're thinking about running. Stay where I can see you, Evan. Last warning. Frail, Dr. Cromwell is well known and respected. You worked at a coffee shop. Who would you believe?" Teeth were bared, with hints of growing fangs evident.

"Holy Mother ... Eve, you never mentioned Steele was an Anthro Morph!"

"Yeah, it's easy to become known and respected when you impress your will on people. Just like he did you, Steele. Cromwell is a daemon lord. Jara isn't Jara, and apparently...you're not you, either." Her heart was beating so fast she felt like it might come right out of her chest. "I didn't know." A shake of her head, and Eve drew a deep breath, hands fluttering at the wall. "He *made* you question me and distrust me. He did it to all of you so he can have his way. I thought you were stronger than that!" Anger bled through now; last resort. She straightened, even grew brave enough to lean forward a little with the words. Granted, it wasn't easy when it came to looking at him with glowing eyes and pointy teeth...

"You tried to kill me. Don't think I've forgotten about that, either." Was that a low growl coming from Steele when Evan moved a fraction of an inch?

"What are you doing? Don't make him any more mad, Eve! Are you crazy?"

A feral grin lingered on his face. "No, boy. She hopes in making me so mad, that I'll break the imaginary hold Cromwell the daemon lord has on me. Right, Elf? I ought to thank you though. I was DOA back there. Flatline. You set me free. That's the *only* reason why you wonder-fucking-twins are still breathing."

Wait. His mannerisms. The way he was talking. This wasn't Tohmaz. It was Argus! Only darker, tainted. Evil.


"Yeah. He's gotten you too." A shake of her head, and Eve slumped back against the wall, raking her fingers through her hair. "Trying to kill you would have been stupid, given that you were the only person I trusted aside from Evan. Cromwell started it, but you're not going to believe that. You're just another of his little lap dogs now." Pushing off the wall, Eve straightened, turned and held her arms out wide. "So, you're the big bad wolf. He's got you believing that you're catching the monsters, huh? Then fxcking do it! Either kill me or let me go, because I'm not going back in there, or back to Stonebridge." Her spine was straight, and there was no fear in her eyes or expression. Her pulse was quick, but that was pure adrenaline now. "I'm not going to be anyone's fucking guinea pig, let alone that of a fucking daemon and his new little pets!"

...This was probably going a long way from how Evan wanted it too; Eve didn't really like it either, but she'd be damned if she cowered or bowed down.

[Argus Steele]

Bemused; that was the expression Steele had. "Got quite the mouth on you, kid. Nobody has me anywhere, except you. Figured you were smarter than this. All of this? It's happening inside your head. Me? Evan? The Alphabet Squad? All you. It's the collar babe, and your overactive imagination is how you're coping with it. "

Steele took a step back, pulling an Eve Lizt fidget with his jacket, before looking back at her. "We're on the edge of insanity, kid. We can't keep just ... taking all of this in. Something's gotta break, and soon. Reality? You were set up to take out Steele, and we don't know what his condition is. We're just starting to really like the guy, and now this. I'm how you're handling the guilt. The Alphabet team? C'mon you've rode that ride before: Our vision of ourselves in different stages of our life." Evan was dumb founded. He wasn't sure what was going on.

Her own anger and indignation hadn't yet faded out, though she was looking at Steele suspiciously, as if she expected this to be some new ploy or game. And truth told? She did. He'd shifted gears on her too fast. Eve dropped her arms, but her hands had closed into little fists. "And I'm supposed to just believe what you say? Just take you at face value? Blind faith?" Whether it was really in her head or not, it did indeed feel like the edge of insanity; she'd been there before, danced along the edge, but hadn't
stood quite *this* close before. Quite simply, she was getting sick of the mind games, the battles with herself, and felt as if she were on the edge of something extreme - whether to plummet off the other side into complete madness, or a complete breakdown. "Fxck it. I'm tired of this, so I'll play along. If it's the collar, how do I know that for sure, and how would I wake up?" Stupid questions maybe, but Eve was trying to figure out why, if this were true, her mind would have turned Steele into something like *that.* Not that she had anything against critters - or even people that turned *into* them, really - but it was odd. Even for her.

"We're sick of the games, sick of not knowing, sick of being sick. I'm your anger, kiddo. If you open that door behind you, you'll wake up from the jolt from the collar. Why hasn't Evan said anything since? Because our focus is out of whack right now. Trying to process way too much information, and the frustrating part of figuring it all out. Right now, you're wondering if this is all in our head, why the sudden change in gears by me? That's easy enough. Who was in complete battle mode a little bit ago? Who's coming down off that mental high? The calmer you get, the calmer I get. Someone's gone through a lot to keep us totally off guard. Why? Several weeks ago, we were working on smashing light bulbs with phonebooks. Now we can affect time? What are we being prepared for?" Sitting down on the steps, looking up at her. "So now what? All of us here represent what you've built up against what's going on out there. We still have our link with Evan. He's not from around here, so certain laws that apply to us don't apply to him. Next? Jara. We have to reach her. Then we get to Steele. Maybe this little scene you've played out is a clue? The fate of so many rests on
our shoulders. Scary huh?" The image of Steele then morphed into Nora! "And now, you're finally ready."

For a long moment, Eve stood stock-still, just staring at Nora. Her expression was unreadable, clear eyes about as expression as gems at that point. Finally... "You know...now I know why you said you punched the Nora that you met." Eve most certainly *wanted* to. Forcing her hands to unclench, Eve then drew a deep breath and rolled her shoulders. She wasn't thrilled with this. Not at all. In fact, the entire thing was making her wish that she could turn off both her mind *and* reality - just until she felt she had the mental stamina to deal with it again. "Jara. Yeah. Right." Rubbing her hands over her face briefly, she then smoothed her hands back over her hair,
still in a ponytail. "She certainly wasn't much help back there." Possession? What was she even supposed to *do* about that? Or was that something she'd dreamed up to? The line had blurred in there somewhere, leaving her unsure where reality lay and where her mind picked up - if, indeed, this was her mind. Half-turning to eye the door, she sighed faintly. There was one way to find out, wasn't there?

"The truth is that Cromwell is a Daemon Lord. I'm not exactly you, but a carbon copy clone created by Cromwell. Only he created me too well. This look - " Giving Eve the doll eyed expression. " - Has saved my bacon more than you know. Had a little help, too. You've had a pair of eyes watching you, as we tweaked a little reality of our own." A small knowing smile. "After all, who would ever suspect a dog to be anything other but that?" Rising to her feet, Nora would dust off her jeans before looking back at Eve. "Look, I don't know why Cromwell picked you. All I know is that if you pull off the major upset? Well...you get to go home. For real. This fantasy bullshxt gives me a headache." Leaning in closer, she whispers into her ear. "Don't let him break the glass. Not everyone is buying into Cromwell's bullshxt. Don't it make your *brown* eyes *blue?*"

[Talking to yourself? Not like that's a sign of insanity. Dxmn, we are so alike! Come on Lizt, we are so out of here right now!] It was Evan, and from the faint sounds being muffled through her cell, the alarms were going off. Eve found herself back inside her cell.

Deja-vu.

She was still giving Nora a look that said she wasn't sure that she believed her. Her expression had gone still, but not *quite* the doll eyed look; there was a little more incredulity to it. "I always had the feeling there was something odd about that mutt..." Shrugging a little, Eve braced a hand back against the door, preparing to push through. Back into reality? She was still looking at Nora though, and her brows knitted at comment about eye color. A clue, or was it just some other gibberish to throw the situation?

...Well, she only knew one person that could make her eyes turn blue...

"Mmm. As soon as I figure out where and what home actually is, I'll let you know." A shove through the door, just as Evan's words started cutting into her conscious mind again. It was almost a shame to wake back up, but she worried more that she might repeat the entire situation. But that was almost impossible, wasn't it, given that it had happened in her head? But Evan was saying the exact same things over again...She didn't want to take the chance.

A bleary-eyed blink in an effort to clear her eyes, and she skittered to her feet, hands then going up to search for the collar. Reality was on a tilt again, and she was trying to brace herself on the slope.

[We've gotta wait for it.... ] The alarms went silent, followed by a message of a false alarm due to a transponder overloading. [Whew! She pulled it off. We've got a breather, kiddo. Your powers are offline until those drugs they injected you with wear off.] Evan remained kneeling down by her, but he kept coming in and out of focus, almost like either reality was aligning to him - or the other way around.

Her cell door field was deactivated and two armed guards had their rifles trained on Eve as Dr. Stacy Hanson walked inside, needle in hand. "Hold her steady. After what we've seen so far, I'm upping the dosage of the stabilizer. It should keep her within normal parameters for the next several hours." Dr. Hanson gave Eve a *look* before injecting her left arm with the needle. The cold sensation would slowly being replaced by a warmer one. "I think that should do the trick. You two can wait outside the cell. I'm certain Eve won't give me any trouble. Right?"

After a few blinks, reality seemed to have stabilized around her - or at least seemed a bit more solid. Still, she kept up the bleary, drugged appearance, even to the point of waving at one of the guards. "Wow...that's cool..." No, not really, but if she mis-stepped, she didn't think they'd leave her alone with Hanson.

Eve ignored the needle for the most part, along with most of the injection; it was only *after* the needle was withdrawn that she muttered an, "Ow. Ow!" And curled her arms in tight against herself. The injection point stung a bit, but it was nothing new to her - but the creeping warmth *was.* Odd, but much preferable to that cold. She was just hoping this was something to counteract what they'd given her before. Regardless, she was starting to feel better; her body was beginning to feel like her own again, less like her nerve endings were all attached to a car battery. Leaning on the wall, she blinked at Hanson a time or two, and flashed a *look* of her own - understanding, but it was gone so fast it might never had been there. "What's up, Doc?"

"Dr. Cromwell feels even though you are a threat that you can still be saved. He wants to move you back to Stonebridge for some more tests. We aren't sure that's a good idea, with your recent reactions involving the Institution. We have a controlled environment here, and we need to have your best interest at heart - not treating you or Evan like lab experiments."

As she spoke to Eve, her eyes would dart in seemingly random directions. If Eve looked closely enough, there were viewing devices of some sort which meant every conversation was being monitored.

"Just so you know, your attack on Agent Steele has him laid up for a few days, but luckily there was no major damage." Nodding slowly. "Do you have any questions?"

"Just call us the lab rats. Pinky and the Brain..." Which of them was which was up for debate. A smile flashed across her lips, but there was little humor in it, and it was gone in a flash. Her movements were slow, deliberate, but Eve got to her feet without stumbling or staggering, though she threw on a slight sway for effect. She'd caught the movements of Stacy's eyes, and wasn't surprised by the idea of being watched. She doubted that *anyone* could get a moment of privacy *anywhere* at the Center.

More than enough to *seriously* make her re-think joining up with them.

Nice to know that Steele hadn't been damaged too badly. But... "And Rico?" A subtle vocal cue, if Hanson could pick it up. Jara could be a powerful ally - *if* the other woman could get back to herself.

The guards had seen enough to see that Dr. Hanson had things well under control, so they would wait outside the cell. "Well, Jara is getting better as well. We all have our inner demons to deal with. I guess that would give you two much in common. Now was there any reason why you lashed out like that at Steele?" Stacy was good. Bedside manner and all.

Cromwell had been watching the entire scene play out, and had seen enough to be convinced that Dr. Hanson would continue to act on the behalf of the Center. He would return to Stonebridge, and prepare for Eve Lizt's eventual arrival.

"Be that as it may, no one else feels at ease enough around you to monitor your progress, so it'll be you and I for the next several days. Don't do anything foolish to find yourself in the sub-level sector, okay?" That was as much a warning as it was advice. The effects of the collar were gone, Dr. Hanson leaned forward to adjust the settings. "This will allow us to keep track of your brain activity - to help prevent any more little surprises like before."

"Mmm. You might want to chat with her some more about those inner demons, Doc. I think they run quite a bit deeper than she's telling you." Subtleties. Eve really didn't like having to guard her words again; she'd had to do it for too long as a kid and teen. During all those visits to Maxwell and the time she spent in Stonebridge...Well, at least she could bet that galled Cromwell. She'd been in there for five years, right under his nose, and had gotten out. Too bad it wasn't away entirely.

Being the good little patient, Eve even tipped her head back just a little for Stacy to make the adjustments. She could reach that free-flowing energy again; Eve touched it, mentally, but didn't do anything. Just something of a reassurance. "I hit him because he was making goo-goo eyes at you." Sarcasm positively dripped from her tone. A roll of her eyes, and she shook her head. "Really, I have enough control not to lash out at a friend. I'm not even sure that what hit him was mine." A wave of one hand, almost dismissively. It bothered her that he'd gotten hurt, but she didn't think she'd used a force quite like that - maybe enough to shove him, leave him with a headache, but throw him like *that?*

Unless it had been turned. Amplified. Squeezing her eyes shut, she tried to shake it, turn to the matter at hand. "Mmm. Don't end up in the sub levels. I'll remember that." She wanted to blow every circuit in that building. *Really* wanted to. "So what do we do, Doc? Just..chit chat? Or is there more to it?" More double-talk - this time for 'let me kill all the circuitry.' She even looked a little hopeful for it, with the sight arch of a brow.

"I'm really sorry it has to come down to this, Eve, but Dr. Cromwell feels that certain steps have to be taken to ensure the safety of our staff. We normally don't go this far, or to these extremes. " Turning away from her, Stacy headed towards the cell door. "You just need to think about why you're here, Eve. Actions speak louder than words. I'll be back to check on you before lights out."