Liztfest!!!!

[Argus Steele]

So while trying to find a way back to where Eve came from, Evan would become her 'personal trainer' of sorts, teaching her the tricks of the trade, as well working on the physical aspect. The holo deck used was something right out of Star Trek, and Evan felt right at home here. With a wolfish grin, he would teach her the fun art of tele-blading. "It's actually pretty simple, once you get over the fear of falling. Just remember, you control it, it does not control you." As he said this, Evan was slowing circling her, backwards, on a pair of high tech roller blades. " 'Puter, pull of scene #1245afg - 85as." On cue, the empty room suddenly became a roller park, right down to fellow bladers, both young and small. "We'll start here, until you feel you're ready to hit the faster courses." Dressed in his traditional black, Evan looked the part of one of those X- Gamers. "Rule of thumb Eve? Mind over matter. You control yourself, and you've already master the ability to move things up to your own weight, and the speed as well." Winking at her, a radio boombox materialized, playing Godsmack. "You ready?"


Eve felt like she'd fit right in with the little kids. She didn't look altogether comfortable, more or less doubtful as she watched him make circles around her. "...I don't suppose it helps that I haven't been a wheels a day in my life, does it?" She had to grin at that, give her head a little shake. "Okay, a bike, but my parents even took that away after a week or so..." The young woman had dressed appropriately in a faded pair of jeans and a light grey tank top with a matching cardigan pulled on over it; she hadn't bothered to button it, and shrugged it off now, found an out of the way place to toss it. "I'm not really afraid of falling. I'm afraid of breaking something." She'd pulled her hair into a high ponytail that left her dark curls swinging with each turn of her head. "Alright...so...show me the basics. Like..*how* I would actually move my feet." She'd been watching him long enough to notice the movement was a little different.


"Well..." Slowing to a stop right in front of her. "There's another way to do it, to get you brought up to speed, but there's a trust thing." The smile faded, being replaced by a more serious expression. Evan pulled off his right glove. If he had any intentions of doing the flesh contact, those thoughts were quickly dashed, by Eve slowly moving, as if her blades had a mind of their own. Evan's face was slightly etched with concentration, as he was factoring in his counterpart's weight. "You have a any particular song you like? I go with whatever mood I'm in, and today it's Godsmack." That smile slowly appeared once again, as he continued to provide the 'training wheels' until Eve was comfy enough to try it on her own.


She'd been expecting Evan to actually touch her, so when she'd moved forward to start with, Eve had given a rather undignified little squeak and almost lost her balance. An arch forward and toss of her arms back, and the young woman managed to catch herself, even throw him a somewhat embarrassed little smile. Telekinetics at work; why should he have to touch her? Nevermind that both had an aversion to it, but it couldn't have been that bad, could it, considering that they were the same person? Well...in a manner of speaking.

Still, Eve couldn't really say that she wanted to find out...

After a few seconds, getting used to the rhythm and movement, Eve tried to on her own - and even managed not to fall flat on her face. Taking it easy, but her confidence grew quickly, and she tried to keep herself from doing trying too much at once - but excitement got the better of her, and she soon ended up sitting herself roughly on her backside; better than rolling or hitting the wall, which is what she'd been more afraid of doing... "Um...yeah, Godsmack's fine." Getting back up wasn't that easy with wheels on her feet, but she managed without too much hassle, and took a moment to rub her sore rear before laughing it off. She'd be shocked if that was the only thing she hurt by the end of the day.


"Dude, you never told me you had a sister! Been holding out on me?" Another blader rolls up towards the pair, dressed from head to toe in a red and black combination, complete with a rooster like mohawk. "Milady, the honor is mine." Bowing before her, before getting the back of his head smacked rather hard by Evan. "Eve, this is...well... "

He would be cut off by the other male. "I'm Iman G." Leaning closer, to where he was practically whispering. "I'm his child hood imaginary friend, brought to wonderful technicolor life through the wonders of Science! The butt-head creates me, but still treats me like a red-headed step child." Looking over at Evan, Iman G. straightens up with his hands firmly placed on his hips. "You pulled the program dude! And you're teaching her *aaaaalll* wrong!" Skating back over to Eve, Iman G. waggles his index finger at her. "So, Eve. How much control you you have? When you use it, what does it feel like? A rumble in your head? Or a bad case of gas?" Evan was about ready to change the program right then, his hand over his eyes.


Blink. Eve looked at Evan, and her expression said it all - 'are you serious?' A shake of her head, and she managed to get back just a bit, enough to have her own little comfortable area of personal space - all without falling and busting her bum again. Yay for her. "Um...It sort of aches at first, but I'm not sure how to explain it. It's like moving without actually doing so." Propping her hands on her slim hips, she threw Evan another look - and surpressed a grin. Yeah, his reaction said it all, too... "You're his childhood friend? You look...tame, compared to mine. Then again, she was a seven year old with a broken neck." Her expression was a little dubious, and bordering on a wince. "Besides, how could he be teaching me wrong? He's showing me how to do it. I'm just clutzy." With a little grin. At least...she hadn't tried to explain that no, she and Evan were the same person. A bit more clean cut to let everyone thing she was just his sister...well, everyone that didn't need to know the truth, that was.


"Because-because-becaaaause of all the wonderful things he does - NOT! Eve. If you like, knew how to work the mojo? You would never fall, hence ergo bruised yonder buttocks, or at least catch yourself before you fall, young grasshopper. You need to find that feeling, embrace that feeling. Once you find it, create a circle with it. About a size of a nickle. Can you do that? Can you? Can you? Can you?" And during Iman G.'s rants, Godsmack was replaced by the opening theme to Foster's home of imaginary friends. "Once you have that circle, stick it in your back pocket. Got that? We're burning with gas now baby! Tricky part comning up. You have to maintain ...Hey!"

Pausing long enough to tap her repeatedly on the forehead to get her attention. "Quit looking at Evan, and pay *attention!* You put that tele-coin in your back pocket, don't lose that loving feeling, and whenever you fall? BOOYAH! Extra padding! Uh oh, Evan's getting that look. I'll just be waaay over there."

How many face palm can a person do in a row? Evan was setting a personal record. "Um, Eve... " Evan was sort of speechless right then, not to mention a little red in the face. Pushing his hands into his pockets, he looked down at the pavement. "Iman G. Nary's what I call him. He's help me through a lot growing up, especially when I started getting these powers. My own personal version of Drop Dead Fred."

"Freaky." Her brows rose as she watched Iman G., and her lips pursed a little. "I don't think I understood a word that came out of his mouth, but..." A shrug, as if to say 'oh well.' "Can we get the Godsmack back?" She had no idea what they were actually listening to now, but it wasn't doing much for her want to learn to teleblade. She needed something that rocked, gave her the urge to get up and move. That..wasn't it. "Cute. Must have been nice to have something." She hadn't even developed anything like that, simply because if she had, it would have been just another reason to cart her off to Doc's office and load her with the powerful APs...

"Okay...Let's try this again." Eve wasn't really even looking for Evan to give her the 'training wheels this time. It took her once or twice to figure out how the movements all over again, let her body fall into it the rhythm...then try to tap into the telekinesis for help in propelling her own weight. Between just going forward and stopping, that took enough concentration - let alone going backward or hitting a curve or corner at higher speed. All a learning process, but she was doing fairly well - even if she did gain a few more bruises along the way.


-Click- "Evan, I hate to intrude, but your squad is being assembled again for another run. You're needed ASAP."

A lip twitch of his own, before looking at Eve. "Duty calls. You want to keep fine tuning here, or head back? Don't know how long I'll be gone." Pointing a finger over at Iman G. who saluted the pair in return.


"I'd like to keep working on this." But she got his meaning. Eve glanced at Iman G., then back at Evan with an arched brow. "There's nothing you can do about him? Put him away or...turn him off, or something?" She didn't really understand the scope of it, how it worked, or why he was there.


"Later days, dude. Holo deck scenario 78l-5631." Eve found herself surrounded by a more California beach side looking skate park. "Here you go. Um, when you're done, just exit, and it will turn itself off." Tossing her a key card as he turned to leave. "That'll get you back to my room, if you don't want to hang with Doc Max, and need some me time. Be back soon I hope!" Concentrating, Evan was suddenly flying towards another door, and was gone within seconds, leaving Eve to her own devices."


It was different to be left to herself; she hadn't been alone since she'd gotten there, and Eve wasn't really sure how to take it for a moment. Then...well, it was nice. Would have been nicer without the bruises and if she'd been kicked up in a bathtub of hot water, but she'd take what she could get. She'd made sure to put the key card securely in her back pocket, then had shrugged and went about trying out teleblading again. At least there wasn't anyone there for her to embarrass herself in front of if she fell again. Which she did, several times. But she was gradually getting better at it, even at taking turns and stopping. Nice workout, too. By the time she'd had enough - Eve was feeling pretty sore, but also relaxed and a bit more confident in herself. Not to mention that just *moving* was helpful in getting her mind off things...


Dr. Darcy would be found sitting outside the holo deck, dressed in a sweat shirt, frayed blue jeans, and white tennis shoes. Hardly looking like, well, a doctor. She would look up in Eve's direction, before pulling herself up. "Shall I assume by thegimp in your gait that he talked you into trying the tele-blading?" When she was within range, Darcy handed her a fresh bottled water, and a towel. "I've been going over the stats with a fine tooth comb, and I did discover something rather ...ddd. You wouldn't happen to be wearing a watch would you?"


She managed to keep from limping or hobbling, but Eve had worked up a sweat and had gotten thirsty, not to mention that her head ached a little bit. "He didn't really have to talk me into it. I volunteered. I'm a glutton for punishment." A little smile curved her lips as she found somewhere to sit, just a bit stiffly at first - until she got a good stretch in. "A watch? No, why?"


A slight frown tugged at her lips, before reaching into her jeans pocket, producing a spare watch. "I was hoping to see if it was a simple technology thing. Could you put it on?" Darcy seemed very curious to see the results of this action, one way or the other. "If I get the results I think I will, then it will be sort of self-explanatory. If not, I'll still explain."


Eve looked at the other woman curiously, but also looked as if she were vaguely wondering if Dr. Darcy had lost her marbles. With a shrug, she took the watch and put it on, then simply watched it. Waiting to see if anything odd happened. "...What am I looking for?"


Darcy would hold up the watch that was worn on her own wrist, looking from hers back to the one Eve was wearing. There was nothing at first, both watches had the same time. Until Darcy's watch was ahead by one minute. Then two. Then three. Then four. And finally after five minutes, one minute had passed on Eve's watch. Nodding to herself, Darcy scratches her chin, pondering. "Eve, have you felt ... different at all since arriving here? Out of sorts or anything?"


"You mean more than usual?" Glancing up, Eve arched a brow at Darcy. Taking the watch off, she tossed it back to Dr. Darcy, and nodded at the watch on her own wrist. "Reset it, make sure they're keeping together, and trade me." Yeah, yeah...so the older woman had probably already made sure they were running together, but Eve had to do this for her own sanity. "Call it the control." A shift in her chair, hooking her feet together. "But...alright, I guess...I've had the feeling that things happen more quickly here. Sort of like everythings in fast-forward, but it isn't." It was the only way she could explain it. It was just too peculiar for words, really.


The watches would be traded, with the same results. "Hmm. I think I might be able to use this to pin-point where you came into our reality, and hopefully bring you a step closer to getting home. Let's go to my office."

Darcy didn't seem overly concerned with the time difference, but Eve could tell those wheels were spinning inside her head. "What I'm thinking is perhaps with you being out-of-synch with our reality, maybe you're leaving a trail for us to follow back to your point of origin. I know it sounds way out there, but it's crazy enough to work."

Upon reaching the upper level, Darcy entered her office, quickly sitting down in front of her lap top, with the tip of an ink pen resting inside her mouth, while her fingers were typing away on the keyboard.

"They were having trouble with Evan's armor earlier- trouble calibrating it. It hadn't taken any structual damage, so we kept reviewing the logs to see what could have caused it to be serveral minutes ahead."

Nodding to herself, as she continued to type. "You were the last option I had to go with. You were in physical contact long enough with his armor to have affected it. Nothing major, and easy to over look. Ha!"

Clapping her hands together, she motioned Eve over to the monitor. "Your reality is different from ours alright. You're leaving a faint trail, one that we can trace. It's almost like some sort of glitch in the air. I'm hoping that point of entry is still there, where we can find the right frequency and get you back through."


She didn't really understand the time difference. It left the gears in her head turning quickly, more confused than before. If the watch slowed down, did that mean she had like...a slower time field around her? Shouldn't it have, oh say, ripped a hole in the universe, or that reality in the very least? Eve was by no means an expert, so she wasn't going to second guess all this. "So...this can be used to send me home?" Her brows rose as she leaned over the monitor, and looked at Dr. Darcy. "The hospitality's been great - better than the other place I...phased into - but I'm kind of..worried about how this worked out. Last time I shifted, apparently my body was sitting there staring off into space while I was quite literally somewhere else." A shrug. She was *really* hoping it wouldn't work out like that again - that it *didn't* work out like that again. Eve was a little afraid of where she might wake up if that were the case.


(m) "Unless something caused you to appear here? Did you have that same out of sorts feeling with these other shifts?"


"There's only been one other. Yeah, I was out of sorts, but..." Eve thought about it, gave her head a little shake. "...I can't remember if it was because the time felt odd, or if it was just the situation itself. I didn't meet myself there, but a coworker's identical, and a guy that *really* resembled my...partner." Yeah, that was good title for Steele. "Not to mention that Nora had been there before me, stirring up trouble I'm sure."


"Hmm...." That's all Darcy would say at the moment, for she was far too deep into thought. "And with this current shift... has it lasted longer than the other?"


"A lot longer. The other...I might be able to say a couple of hours, but I'm not even sure about that. Things were happening so fast, and I was still grappling with it. This...this has been quite a while." A shrug. "When I 'came back' last time, two of my coworkers were standing over me, looking at me like I was crazy. They said I'd just been sitting there, unresponsive. I hope that if it's like that again they'll just...leave me alone." A slow, minute nod. "This time I've had the chance to try and get my mind around it, and I'm around people that are actually taking this seriously." ...Which, by the tone of her voice, was the strangest thing of all.


"And you are certain that the reality you go back to is your own?" Darcy would frown again. "Something's not right here, if what you are saying is true. Your very presence should be destroying our reality, or at least tearing one hell of a hole into it. It's like something is keeping you here, but for what reason?"


"I really have no idea. I *believe* it was my own reality, at least; no one there seemed shocked by my presence, or anything. Steele and Rico didn't act out of place." Eve shrugged, then her brows drew together as she considered it. "You don't think...someone could be taking my place there, do you?" She had no idea how the mechanics of this worked. All she knew was that she was in *this* reality, and it had never seemed *that* difficult to get back to her own before. "This one seems...I don't know. More solid. More real than the first one I shifted into. It seems...about as stable as where I came from."


"Steele? Do you mean Arion Steele?" That very name cause Darcy to not only stop typing, but turn her complete focus towards Eve. "There's an Arion Steele in your reality?"


Blink. "No, but there's an Argus Steele. Let me guess - you know a Steele too?" Eve sighed, and pressed her fingers to her eyes. "I met one with the first shift, too. Steele is my partner, the one that got me involved in Night Walkers to start with."


Rubbing her temples, Darcy looked at Eve silently before responding again. "Three years ago, Arion Steele was the head of the Paranormal Division, until he was in a terrible car accident. It was so bad, there wasn't enough to identify a body. That's him there." A picture motioned to displayed an image of a couple, Darcy and Arion. This Arion looked exactly like the same one she met in the other reality!

Darcy had several other framed pictures of friends and family on her desk. One picture in particular was of a very young Evan with a girl that looked a lot like a young version of... Amber?


Her eyes narrowed a bit as she leaned in to look at the
photos, lips parted a bit. With one fingertip, she pointed toward Arion. "..I've met him before. Yeah...Arion Steele." Duh, Eve. That's why the name was familiar; more than just a possible family resemblence. "The first reality I shifted into." Then..."And her..." Tapping the picture lightly, Eve looked at Dr. Darcy, raised a brow. "Amber?"


"Amber?" A slow shake of the head. "No. We called her Samantha Doe. Jane Doe is so passe, you know. I .... can't say any more about her. Classified information." There was a great sadness in Darcy's eyes just then, before they shifted over to the picture of her and Arion. "Let me get this right - There's a Argus in your reality, but an Arion in another one? Hmm. Strange."


"Mmm. You're telling me. But I think that girl - " Giving the picture another quick tap " - changed her name in my reality. I just knew her as Amber." Eve drew a deep breath and tilted her head back briefly. Trying to relax the muscles in her neck. "But the funny thing was that in the first reality I shifted into, Arion seemed to know the name Argus. But Argus didn't think it was familiar." A shrug. "I thought maybe it was siblings or something, but if they were, Argus lost his at some point before that. He said he didn't have any siblings." This was all promising to give her a headache...


"Arion had two brothers. Never mentioned them by name though." Darcy kept staring at the picture of Evan and Samantha, that frown returning. Nodding to herself, she stood up, and locked her down before turning on the radio. Placing her chair directly in front of Eve, Darcy sat down in front of her, with a most serious expression. "Samantha disappeared shortly after that picture was taken. She was a ward of the state...The military. She was a...hybrid. Part human, part daemonite. Don't know the whole story on how the Federation obtained her, but it was total hush-hush."


Eve regarded the other woman in silence for a moment, before giving a slight nod. "I didnt know there could be hybrids." Showed how much she knew, didn't it? Then again, she was still pretty new to all this. A long look at the photo of the girl resembling Amber and leaned back in her chair, closing her eyes for a moment. "All I know is that a girl that looks a lot like her - that we call Amber - is involved in Night Walkers in my reality. She's a lot of things, as far as I can tell - hacker, psychic, all that kind of stuff. "


Darcy's face seemed to turn pale at what Eve had just revealed to her. >click< "Hey Doc! You better get down here, pronto! If Eve's with you, bring her too! You won't believe me."

Darcy looked up at Eve. "That's Evan! We'll continue this later, okay?" On their way to the lower levels, there were a lot more security posted than before.

Once Eve found the one in charge, they were led to Evan who was still inside his armor, sans the helmet. He was standing outside the holding cells, shaking his head. "You are *not* going to f**king believe this! We caught a human working for the daemons! He took out three of our best before we were able to wound him. Figured I get you down here before they take him away...but don't say I didn't warn you. "


She..she wasn't sure she wanted to see this. Eve had the feeling that a bomb was about to be dropped, she was going to find out something else she didn't really care to know. Why couldn't life just be easy, sometimes? It was getting about the time when she usually preferred the idea of a hot bath and crawling into a warm, dark bed, with the possibility of refusing to come out for a while. Quite a while. Too bad things just didn't work that way...

Eve exchanged a look with Evan, then Dr. Darcy - alright, so *was* getting to trust the woman to some degree - then back to Evan. "...Who?" There was a sinking feeling in the pit of her stomach, and she looked past Evan, trying to look into the holding cell.


Sitting indian style on the cell flooor, he was covered in blood that wasn't his own.

The figure was nearly seven feet in height, with muscles to match his large frame. A clean shaven head with a goatee. Numerous tattooes covered his brownish skin. Then there were the eyes. They held no emotion in those storm grey depths, and up until that point, he had made no motion at all. Then came Eve. Evan would look down at her, before looking back at Darcy. "His name is....Everett Noran Lizt."

Upon hearing his name, he smiled an very malicious grin and spoke these cryptic words with an un-nevering calmness. "I guess that glass just broke."


She wasn't sure what she'd expected. But another Lizt? Her expression went still empty-eyed, and after Everett spoke, she simply reached up with a fingertip, placing it to her own lips and giving a soft 'shh' between her lips. A step back from the window, and Eve hooked her thumbs through the loops on her jeans. "So where did he come from?" Taking it all in stride, or was her sanity being threatened once more? Even for her, it was rather hard to say.

[Argus Steele]

Evan *hated* when the big brass came into play. Things would always be Covert Ops, FYI, Top Secret, Classified Information, Level Five Security, and whatever else they could come up with, instead of simply saying ... NOYB. This latest version of himself and Eve, an African-American that went by the name Everett Noran Lizt. It would have been really amusing if not for the current situation.

While the top brass argued what to do with their latest acquisition, Eve, Doc Max, and himself were *placed* inside one of the high level security offices on the military base. Evan wasn't too talkative at the moment, his thumbs hooked into the belt loops of his pants, it wouldn't take a rocket scientist to notice that his mind was a million miles away.

Dr. Darcy Maxwell, quietly looked from Evan, to Eve, and then back to Evan once again. It was too weird how the two of them were practically responding the same way to what was unfolding around them. The empty eyed look, the fidgeting, the withdrawn aloofness about them both. If Eve was indeed a female version of Evan, then her own mind set would be ... borderline unstable.

"Evan ... Eve and I were talking earlier, and .... I don't think Samantha is dead. We never found a body, and naturally assumed that her body had been vaporized in the explosion. Nothing human could have survived that blast, but ..."

".... But Sam was only half human." Evan would respond softly, snapping out of his self imposed stupor. Running a hand through his unruly hair, he stared down at the carpeted floor for a moment, before looking back at her. "So, I don't have to assume that you already have a theory or three about this?"

She would offer Evan a small nod of her head, before looking over at Eve once again. "It never would have occurred to me until Eve spoke of how there was another version of Samantha in her world that went by the name Amber, who has the exactly abilities as Samantha. I'm going out on a limb here, but what if that explosion somehow tapped into her latent daemon heritage, protecting her where her human half could not?"

Could Dr. Darcy be correct in her assumptions? That would explain why *Amber* seemed to befriend Eve from the start .... It was who Eve reminded her of. But what of the others? Were they aware of her heritage? The one that claimed to be her *sister* and Amber shared a most peculiar expression during their interaction. Argus did mention having to stop Amber from killing herself .... Those puzzle pieces where starting to fit together a little more now, maybe it was Amber that *nudged* the odds of Argus picking her file from the lot they had to choose from. Did the daemons from her era knew this as well, and this was why they were after her? Not like Eve had enough on her plate to think about already ....

There was a knock at the door as one of the guards walked over to where Darcy was sitting, and whispered something into her ear, before standing back at attention. "Well ..." Darcy would say, as she stood up from her seat, glancing at the two Lizts .... "It seems that Everett will only talk to the both of you ... Together. We have been given assurances, that the proper precautions have been taken, to ensure both your safety. It screams a trap to me, but it's up to you both."

Okay, Evan had to laugh out loud right then, shaking his head. "Oh man, don't they have their pound of flesh already? What? They hope we can sway this guy to helping them against the daemons? Some twisted power of three, Lizt style? Doc, I'm treadin' thin ice here, and the last thing anyone here wants me to have another ... breakdown. It's a d**ned if we do, d**ned if we don't, right? That is me ... Her ... locked up in there. -sighs- Yeah sure, I'll do it. It's what I signed up for right? Guess I can duct tape my sanity together for a little while longer. How about you Eve? Wanna see how far we can push the boundaries before falling into the void?"

Evan was half kidding, half serious in his comment, tone, and expression ...

[Argus Steele]

Eve had the feeling of lingering on the fringes of it all, not quite sure what to think, what to feel. It was bizarre, and she wasn't too far from getting sick of the bizarre. Couldn't she ever had just *one* day in her life that wasn't full of oddities.

No...on second thought that probably would have played with her head just as much; the young woman had taken up a near-constantly defensive state of mind, and would have been *looking* for something peculiar to happen. Chasing shadows and peculiarities where there simply weren't any. So much for normalcy.

While in the secure office, the young woman had been sitting in a chair against a wall, a knee drawn up to hook the heel of her shoe on the edge of the chair, arm draped outstretched over the kneecap, letting her hand dangle loosely. Her other foot was firmly on the ground, and she varied mostly between regarding Evan with some vague hints of curiosity (she'd swear she could just *feel* what was going on in his head; he was similar enough to her that there weren't great differences, after all) and looking at the floor. Her jaw had been tight as she considered all this, mind grappling with what had recently occurred. Everett Noran Lizt. Where had he come from? And who - or how - had the glass been broken, whether proverbial or literal? It had crossed her mind that his meaning might have been proverbial, that the breaking of glass could have referred to his own shift.

She only hoped that was what it actually meant, rather than something more sinister. This version of herself seemed more likened to Nora, but even *she* seemed to share some aspects of herself with Eve.

Dr. Darcy's words to Evan filtered through her conscious mind slowly, and she languidly gave a look up to the older woman, her clear eyes unreadable, expression blank. A seemingly defensive reaction that happened when she was stressed, or so it seemed - something she and Evan shared. "You've never seen a horror movie, Doctor? Never assume someone is dead unless you have a body, or some evidence to prove it." ...And even then, it could occasionally be questionable - such as in the case of a half-daemon.

"If the Amber - Samantha - in my reality was half-daemon, it would explain a lot, I think." She offered that softly, tilting her head back to look at the ceiling. The look between Amber and her so-called sister; and *could* Amber have nudged Steele into picking Eve's file from the bunch? It was huge coincidence that he just *happened* to pick the right one out of a stack; it had crossed her mind before, left her wondering vaguelly...until she'd simply dropped the matter, found something else to interest or preoccupy her. Could that have been Amber's influence as well, or just something flighty in her own nature she'd never noticed before?

Questions to pose, perhaps, when she got back to her own reality. *If* she got back to her own reality...

"I think we're already on the edge of our own voids, Evan." Dropping her leg from the chair, Eve rose smoothly to her feet, absently hooked her thumbs through her belt loops. Old habits. "I don't think we have much left to lose." Understatement of the millenia, actually. After all, she could lose her life, her mind and sanity, all sense of individuality...

She was hoping this version was wildly different; it would have been easier to identify with him and talk to him if he was similiar to herself and Evan, it might also have proved more difficult. Eve had the idea that she and Evan shared many of the same thoughts, that their minds worked much the same way. Nora had known some of what went on in Eve's mind, but there were some things that even *she* had failed to grasp...

After a glance at Dr. Darcy, followed by a look at Evan and the arch of a delicate brow, she gave her head a slight cant. "So let's go dancing on the edge of disaster, shall we?"

[Argus Steele]

If these meat sacks thought by limiting his movement, that he would give in to their feeble attempts of questioning, then perhaps, just perhaps he had taken leave of his senses, or they had of theirs. Everett had been trained by the daemon elite, a mind rendering/shattering process that none of these meats sacks could ever comprehend. Meat sacks? He had not even realized that he addressed his own kind as such without a second thought, another form of proof that his conditioning was very much intact.

His assignment was simple in execution. To be assigned to a particular realm, find the half breed, along with the traitorous witch that aided with her escape. Kill anyone else that was of non importance. And killing was something he excelled at quite well.

The first set of realms he was dispatched to bear no fruit, only opportunities to perfect his art of maiming/killing. That all begin to change once he encountered a female version of himself, that called herself ... Nora. At first he thought it another trick/test sent by his daemon mentors to test his human resolve. Everett next option was to question his actual sanity, which was as solid as acrid wisps of smoke, or any other intangible thing he could think of.

Being away from the I.O.S. (Institute of Stonebridge) offered a respite of sorts, where he, along with others of his human stock that possessed special abilities were ... reconditioned to serve a greater cause ...

The doctor's voice was cold, calculating, calm and precise - it seemed to be the only note of logic in a world that otherwise lacked it. He seemed to be endlessly patient, but then, they all did in the beginning; until he refused to tell them what they wanted to hear. "There's no one else in this room with us, Everett. Break the mirror. Touching people or objects will tell you their dark secrets, showing what lies beneath the surface. These are merely tools of their own demise. To become products of your own mind." A pause, and he felt unseen eyes watching him, trying to study/gage his reaction. "You're not ill. That is why your parents brought you here to Stonebridge. They fear the power within you. They want you to not get better."

"They want me locked away, where I'm no threat or burden." The young man's voice was soft, weary, as if he were tired of going through this time and again. "Getting well isn't really an option for them."

At the end of the table, the doctor shifted, making a note of something and rustling papers gently. Everett paid him no attention, keeping his head bowed slightly to look at his hands instead, his face lost beneath a multitude of dreadlocks of dark brown. The white room was well lit, but even with the bright light of the sun that streamed through the one barred window, he was too aware of the unsettling things there - of the dark, shiny glass to one side meant for observation of such sessions, and the barely audible creaking of rope to the far side of the room. Even the table provided discomfort to him.

"What is it that so troubles you about the mirror, Everett?" The question had been posed before, many times, in many ways, but the tone of his voice was slightly different. There was honest curiosity tinting the sound now, rather than purely academic interest.

The faint creaking at the side of the room had ceased. Perhaps it was morbid curiosity, or simply an attempt to confirm again for herself what was - or wasn't - there. A slow raise and turn of his head revealed hardened, features and narrow, haunted eyes.

There was a transparent figure at the corner of the room, suspended several feet above the floor by a cord that seemed spider web thin to Everett's eyes. The figure swayed just slightly, as if the thrashing of death had only recently ceased. Blessedly, there was no blood this time, only the macabre sight of the thin figure, clad in a white gown much like his own, limbs limp and face hidden by a dirty spill of hair.

It seemed only natural that from there, his eyes should slide to the dark panel of glass. At first, it seemed nothing to his eyes - that the glass was only dirty, smudged on one side, but it always came into focus quickly. A pallid image with youthful, delicate features and dark locks that looked wet, flattened. Small hands were splayed wide on the inside surface of the glass, and to Everett, it always seemed that the figure was focused solely on him. He could never see eyes, however - only dark sockets. The young man locked gazes with the spectre, unable to speak for a long moment. The image in the glass tilted his head slightly, hands fluttering over the inner surface as if searching for a way out, some chip or crack that might provide an escape.

"Because one day...the glass will break, Doctor."

And that's where his flashback/vision would always end, though this time it was so sharp, so clear, holding so much ... Clarity. His eyes would snap open once again, due to the presence of not one twisted version of himself, but now two. Emotionless Everett remained, save for uttering the words ....

"I guess the glass finally broke."

The smaller female version almost seemed to be ... Telling him to "Shhhh?" Did she know that their feeble attempts to restrain him were for naught? That he could break free of his so called prison at a moment's notice? No. She could not possible know. That would be giving these meat sacks too much credit. The other male version of himself ... He was another story. Everett sensed this one might hold the information he desired.

The two were lead away, along with another woman, and his eyes were closed once again, tuning out the annoying voices that were being piped through hidden speakers lined inside the walls of his prison. Some demanding answers, others offering deals, which would no doubt benefit them more than he. For the next several hours, Everett played along, until it was time. Slowly opening his eyes, he stared right into the eyes of his would be captors.

"I will only talk to those that are of me. The rest of you are beneath my concerns, and if I find what I seek, perhaps ... I shall spare you all."

Hushed whispers and debates following their captive's request. Endangering Evan was strictly out of the question, but the girl Eve? Three of unique their kind would be a bonus indeed, but having the two men at their disposal? This Eve Lizt would have her ... uses.

For now.

A guard would be sent to where the two Lizts and Dr Maxwell were being held, to deliver their agreed upon decision.

Unnoticed, Everett allows himself the tiniest of smiles.

[Argus Steele]

Darcy was dead set against those two being left alone in that room with Everett, no matter what precautions had been taken. Of course her concerns were noted, and pretty much ignored. Such the folly of over confidence.

The chair he was strapped to was meant to monitor his every bodily function, and if push came to shove, at the flip of a switch, they could send enough raw current into him to power a small sized city. Every wall surruonding them were tinted glass, which contained two way mirrors. Two empty chairs were placed at the other end of the table, as the door was opened to allow Evan and Eve inside. It would lock behind them, the thick silence filling the room to the point Evan could swear he heard the blood rushing through his ears. A slight shrug of his shoulders, as he took the first chair, spinning it around to sit in it backwards. He'd look about the room several times, before glancing back at Eve, giving her that 'you ready?' look. During all of this, Everett's own eyes remained closed until the two of them had not only settled into their chairs, but calmed their collective nerves down as well. Only then did his eyes open, watching them, watching him.


Eve had remained relatively expressionless during all of this, delicate features perfectly serene and empty. Hooking the top of her foot at one of the legs of the chair, she'd drawn it back a comfortable distance, and sat down quietly. The tension in the room seemed thick enough to cut with a knife, and she was sure that she was putting off more than a little of it. She didn't want to be there. She *really* didn't want to be there; something was *wrong* with all of this, and the closer that she and Evan had gotten to that holding cell, the more the sense of absolute *wrongness* had grown.

Still, she did a fair job at not betraying it, even at ignoring the chill that danced along her spine - was it actually something about Everett, or just nerves? Hard to say, now. When the newest arrival finally looked up at the two of them, Eve finally gave some change in expression - the slight rise of her left brow, as if to say 'what?'


"You don't belong here, Eve. Not in this room. Not on this base. Not in this reality. You continue to do unseen damage, that left uncheck will cause a chain reaction that will destroy all realities that *we* are based upon." Now that little tidbit of information had Evan shooting Eve a quick look, before looking back over at his dark skinned counterpart. "Okay dude, and we are supposed to just believe you?"

A bemused look etched his features then. "I do not really care what you believe. You know it is the truth. I am you. I am her. I am the result of daemon science, as well their magic. I am the what if. I have seen what happens when the mirror breaks. And I will be forever d**ned because of it. " Okay. That got a noticable shudder from Evan, not because of what he said ... Well, maybe a little bit, but more *how* he said it.

There was no emotion coming from this guy. Zero. Zilch. It wasn't an act either. Everett Noran Lizt wasn't all there, and was fully aware of that fact.


The young woman had taken a strangely detached, almost academic stance on this. Her forearms rested on the arms of her chair, small hands linked above her lap. He wasn't putting off any of those little ripples of emotion like Evan did, like anyone seemed to do; he was a spot in her mind, a becon she could follow, but it wasn't exactly a bright image like Evan. More like the opposite. Darklight. The word filtered through her consciousness, but she didn't give any consideration to it. "Mmm. You know, anyone with a brain in their head that gives any consideration to the idea of a space-time continuum thing could draw that conclusion. But the funny thing? I'm not here by choice. I'd just as soon be in my own little warped version of reality rather than enjoying this twisted sort with the likes of you." She spoke quietly, simply, each word clear and precise. Needless to say, she hadn't liked the way he'd spoken of the mirror breaking, and even less liked the fact that they were more or less surrounded by them now. That dark, transparent glass was a long way from being her favorite thing in the world. She'd avoided mirrors since arriving there, and didn't really even want to turn her head and see if her little grey shadow was there. Eve kept her gaze fixed evenly on Everett, though she was quite well aware of Evan's discomfort beside her.

Not that she could blame him a bit for it.


"Hmm. For a moment there, I thought I was talking to Nora. That was something along the lines of how she would have responded. You two are more alike that you want to admit, isn't that correct Eve? The both of you are trying your best to present these brave fronts, for they are the only thing that keeps you from falling into the void. Or is it the mirrors lurking behind every wall that you know are there, or should I say what is lurking *behind* them possibly?"

Then Everett would stare at Eve, more like staring into her, before nodding his head. "You are closer to the void than Evan, though you keep finding obstacles to bar that final step."

Evan took a deep breath, before slowly clapping his hands together, that action causing a slight echo from within the room. "Dude, can we just cut to the reason why you wanted the both of us here? I get the fact that you're the results of falling prone to the dark side of the force. You're what would have happened to us if the daemons got way. You need to hear that I'm whacked out? Bingo for you dude, I am. You want to hear that I'm hoping any second now I'm going to wake up, and swaer off sleeping again? Dehm skippy. Just get to the *point* already!"


A soft sigh, letting the back of her head rest against the back of the chair. She hadn't taken her eyes from Everett yet, and her grey eyes seemed stormy indeed. She didn't like being compared with Nora, but even *she* could see similarities between the two. Wasn't much that she could do about it, given that Nora *was* a version of herself..."Everyone compares me to Nora. It's not very flattering, but I understand their reasoning and it doesn't hurt my feelings in the slightest, trust me." Lifting her head, the girl pursed her soft mouth gently. "But yes. Get. To. The. Point. We aren't here for the joy of your company."


It was like a switch was flipped inside him, the pensive neutral expression was suddenly shattered with a visage of pure untainted hatred. "You smug little meat sack!"

Reality inside that room went topsy-turvey, like some insane roller coaster ride. Images of a reality, like their own, but unlike their own. Images of Stonebridge, and what was being done inside those walls. Images of of Everett being torned down from the inside out, by Doctor Cromwell. Images of that mirror breaking, and the horror behind it consuming him, body and soul. mages of Everett being bound by daemon science and magic. Images of innocence forever tainted.

Images of his parents being slain in cold blood by him. Images of Everett leading countless daemon hordes through one realm after another, leaving nothing in their wake. Images of countless deaths , not for the faint of heart. Images of an encounter with Nora. A deal made. A life spared for information given. Information that would lead Everett to Eve's reality, where he would continue his murderous spree. Hell Raiser meets Nightmare on Elm street meets Supernatural, just to name a few. To experience another's lifetime in a span of several minutes?

Eve would hear the screams, smell the death. Evan. Dead. Dr Darcy. Dead. The guards. Dead. The daemons were either killing and feasting. Evan. Dead. Evan. Evan. Evan. He had thrown himself in front of the attack that was meant for Eve. The guards were fast, but Everett was faster. The electricty being fed through the chair did nothing, save slow him down.

Dr Darcy. Dead. Dr Darcy. Dead. She had pulled Eve out of the room, moments after witnessing her charge practically exploding before her very eyes.

Armageddon was upon them all. And then...they were all back inside the room.

Evan? He was pale as a ghost.


Needless to say, much of the color that had been in Eve's cheeks was gone. Her hands had moved at some point, going from being linked together to find the arms of her chair and curling round so tightly it seemed likely that she rip the arms loose. Every muscle in her body had gone tense, and the pound of her heart seemed extraordinarly loud in the otherwise quiet room. Her chest burned; Eve realized that she'd stopped breathing. A...vision? Obviously, but how much was truth and how much was scare tactics? Everett was obviously dangerous and while some of what she'd - they'd? - seen, what about the rest?

A long, slow deep breath in an effort to calm the frantic pace of her own heart, she uncurled her fingers from the chair and pushed it back, never once taking her eyes from Everett. She felt too sensitive, too open; she could Feel Evan beside her, and the cold bite of fear that came off him didn't help her much in trying to get a handle on her own. Reality wasn't the most solid thing around her anymore, and Eve was vaguely beginning to wonder at her grasp on her own sanity.

She was finding herself more than a little disgusted with this version of herself - even moreso than Nora. Nora she could understand, on some levels. Everett? He was almost alien to her perceptions, so different from herself that she a difficult time grasping some of this. Personally, she would have rather died than let herself become a daemon tool; and in the end, death was all that Everett had. While she had a vicious streak, Nora had more left to her than that. In a very strange way, Eve almost pitied him. "I need to talk to you." Turning her head a little toward Evan, but not enough that she broke eye contact with Everett, wary of any moves he might make - physical or not.


"That is what happens when the mirror breaks. The daemons are not far behind me. They will destroy this reality to get back what was taken from them. They are using us at Stonebridge like cattle. It is the insane that can see things that the normals cannot. And for those that possess the gift. You must stop it here. Now. You must kill me. One of you cannot do it alone. But both of you can."

Okay, Evan was trying to process a lot right then, and frankly? *Way* too much on his mental plate. What the Hell did they do to him? Was that what himself or even Eve could do? That scared the shyte out of him. It felt so...real. He died. He knew he did. But...here they were, back like nothing happened. Evan was about to respond back to Eve when Everett spoke again. Not like what he said just then helped his personal mind set. He gave Everett a double take. He heard what was said to them both, but Everett's lips were not moving. Telepathy? Another look back at Eve, then another at the clock that was on the wall. Only six minutes had passed from all of that? WTF?


Eve...didn't really want to consider the telepathy or the time that had passed. She was getting a headache now, and wanted to leave the room simply for the sake of *breathing room.* She had the feeling that in being so close to both Everett and Evan she had a hard time thinking, distinguishing what was her own emotion and what belonged to Evan - not to mention that the entire situation was just too *weird.* She just wanted to step back for a moment, breathe, let some of it replay in her mind...

Yeah, like she'd be given that kind of time.

Finally breaking the eye contact, Eve leaned forward in the chair, bracing her elbows on her knees, pressing her fingertips to her temples. "Say it aloud, or don't say it. I don't care if we're all supposed to be the same person; I still don't want you in my head." Okay, so the stress was making her a tad moody. Maybe it could be forgiven? Or maybe it was just the last thing on her mind right now...

"You want *us* to kill you?" A look back up, and a slightly suspcious cut of her eyes. "...You can't do it?" Eve had gotten the idea in her head at some point that the versions of herself were all probably good at trying to self-destruct.

...And the odd question passed her mind that if she and Evan *did* kill Everett...was it suicide or murder? Her brows drew together at the pure strangeness of the thought, and she sat up and gave her head a little shake. "Besides - what if we don't really believe you? Seeing how you *did* show up in this reality and start taking people out, I'm not that inclined to believe that there's much in the way or remorse left in you...or that you'd be doing this for some altruistic reason like saving this reality or trying to redeem yourself in some warped way."


"Eve. I believe him. Dude has been through...well, I guess he showed us. He's wired into us, like we are to him. Just as we saw what *could* happen when the mirror...you know. He sees what can happen when it hasn't yet. Don't ask where this calmness of mine came all of a sudden. Maybe because I'm accepting all this craziness now? Any thoughts of being normal are never gonna happen? Yeah, I can not trust him, but I'm crazy enough to trust him. How about that for a twist? Nothing to lose right? Especially after that vision. I'm looking at how I would have turned out, if not for Doc Max." Looking over at Everett once again, Evan rubbed his chin, pondering before pointing a finger at him. "Dude, you are amped up on the skills. She has a point. Can't you, um...kill yourself?"

A slow shake of the head. "I tried that when they first started on me. Dr. Cromwell took steps to make sure I could never try it again."

Evan looked over at Eve again. Then said, "Nora."

"That calmness comes from some weird wellspring deep inside; it happens about every time I think I'm really about to lose it." Pressing her fingertips to her eyes, Eve dropped her head back, sighing. "I'm not crazy enough to trust him, but I might believe him - to a point. What he showed us was what he's been through - and maybe some Foresight. It's happened to me before, but it's pretty rare, thankfully." ...Though Eve *had* wondered before if what she *wanted* to happen might interfere with the truth of what she might See....blissfully, it was rare enough in nature that she'd never really had to give much thought to it. Dropping her hands to her lap again, she gave Evan a quizzical look. "Nora?"


Evan pointed at himself, then Everett, and lastly her. "She doesn't seem to have a problem getting around visiting any of us. I'm willing to be that Everett was the only one that could see her as well."

"Evan, I always knew you were the smart one." Eve knew the voice all too well. They all did.

[Argus Steele]

From bad to worse. Yeah, that pretty much sums it up, all nice and neat. Nora looked upon each version of herself with more than a case of mild interest, including a passing nod at the startled figure of Darcy. "I know all three of you, four counting the good doctor, have a zillion of questions, but hold off until I finish, 'kay? There's some crazy shxt going on out there, and you three are the best hope of stopping total armageddon."

Dressed from head to toe in her traditional leather attire, a hand ran through her hair as she slowly paced back and forth while talking. "Everett knows the price of what will happnen if the daemons take over. Evan is starting to see this first hand, while Eve is at the start of it all. We've all become unhinged from time, and it's going to get worse unless we stop them. If we don't? Well, we are the last of our own individual realities. We fail, and we don't exist any more. Period. I've gone through this so many times already. Seeing yourself die countless times sort of leaves an imprint up here - " Tapping her temple. "- And it's not pretty, considering I'm not the poster child of mental stability to begin with. I was where you guys are now, taking all of this in, being told by another version of us. The group I was in didn't take it seriously until it was too late, and I had to learn a lot on the fly. I couldn't leve with any of you yet, until things were lined up where all three of you were together. You want the whole story? We have to get hands on, and all standing here have a problem with that, but it's the quickest way. Time is of the essence, so decide now. " With that being said, the slight audible sounds of a leather glove unzipped then removed was heard, as Nora extended her hand towards the three, palm up, with a *very* serious look on her face.

Everett was the first to hold his hand over hers, not making direct contact just yet, while looking over at the other two. "Yo, I told this crazy bxtch that if she got me out of my world, I'd have her back. Guess she kept her word, so I'm keeping mine. You *don't* want to go through what I have, yo."

Evan on the other hand? Didn't know what to think. He did shoot Darcy a *I told you she was real* expression, while messing with the zipper on his GodSmack hoodie, looking over at Eve, then the other two. "I ... Look, this is too much to take in all at once, you know? You pop up and just drop this in my - our laps and we are supposed to just trust you? Maybe I would have if you weren't so cloak and dagger to begin with. Aw, hxll, why not? Don't have much sanity much left to lose anyways, right? I'm in." With a sigh, he placed his hand near the other two .


Eve had done very well at keeping her features locked in that kind of blank neutrality, at not even thinking very much; she had the strange feeling that if she'd done that, the others would have had more than a little idea of what was going on in her head. Finally, she moved slightly, tilting her head back, stormy eyes flickered among those present - from Nora to Everett to Evan, then Darcy...and once more back to Nora. "So...what? You think that I'm going to just reach out and *open* myself to letting you in my head?" The young woman was shaking her head gently, lips pursed. "I don't think so, honey. I don't trust you. See, I keep thinking of you what you tried on me in the SUV with Steele that day - leading me away from my body, trying to serve me up to up the daemons for breakfast." Her left brow rose, expression altogether questioning. "How exactly am I supposed to just look over that and trust *you?* Not to even mention *him* considering that he already killed some of the team members." Her brows drew together in a quick scowl, and she had to shoot Evan a glance. Was he forgetting that part? "You didn't exactly show up and say 'I come in peace' or anything." Instead, it had been a bloody kind of reception with *both.*


Nora would nod at her. "And if I would have, do you think those daemons would have let me even get that close to you? I took a page out of Everett's realm, and had to pretend I was with them, while teaching you how to use your powers without tipping them off. Eve, I've been on your side of the fence. Been told the same thing, and was acting the same way you are now. If things were not so life and death right now, I'd be smirking my axs of due to the sheer irony of it all. Bottomline, the glass did break where I came from, where Everett came from, because I was too slow to save him in time. I got better with Evan here, but not quick enough to prevent the damons from taking major cities. Your realm is the last. The daemons have not made that push yet. But it's only a matter of time. I don't care what you think about me. Really. This is bigger than the both of us, so get you pretty little head out of your axs and see the bigger picture!!"

Pointing a finger at her now. "Seriously. I had another Nora, tell me this, and you know what I did? I slugged her for not being up front. Turned my back on her. On all of them. I wanted my normal little life. I...I wasn't there to help them when it happened. I was too late to help. Nora died in my arms. With her last breath, she ... touched me. I knew what she did. What happened before. Hate me all you want, but I can't let this happen again."

Nora was fighting back tears at this point, for she had not told another soul what happened to her. No, she kept it all locked deep within her, often getting by with the empty doll eyed look, but her soul was tired from carrying all that burden for so long. (m) "This was the part where I turned away, Eve. My name was Evelyn. I took Nora's name out of respect for what she tried to do. I can't do this by myself. I .... I .... " And the room would be filled with the choking sobs of a young woman that dropped down to her knees, cracked walls finally crumbling.


She merely watched the other young woman for a long moment, remained quiet. Eve had been there during those sobs, had cried more than her fair share of tears. Still, she had to wonder how much of it was honest sorrow and what was an act. "So for those reasons, you understand why I will never trust you. I don't *hate* you, never make that mistake - hate is not mine, though I know I've felt it seep in from others." She was an altogether strange thing when it came to anger and hatred; while she could be in a rage, it was more often than not short-lived. Eve wasn't good at carrying grudges, but she was the wary one.

A nod, and she made a little brush away gesture with one hand. "But I understand why you might have punched her. I've had more than fill of deception. Particularly from *myself.*" The last word spoken in a very quiet tone, giving Nora a hard-eyed look. Still....

Eve had to turn a look on Evan, raise a brow. "How much of this are you buying?" She was still seriously on the fence. Not a good thing where time was concerned, but she was pretty sick of being decieved - though it still lingered in the back of her mind that even Evan could be in on it somehow. It was a creepy possibility, but Eve realized in some distant way that she still hadn't altogether ruled out the possibility that this was all taking place in her own warped little imagination. If only...

"Eve ... The hardest thing it was for me to do again was trust. She's part of us, like some freaky mirror at a circus. So is Everett. They could *be* us, you know. You don't want to do this. Okay. How about I do it, and fill you in? Doc Darcy, you get Eve out of here, if this is a setup. I wasn't too sure to trust you at first either, Eve. But it was like having issues of trust with myself. Hearing all of this bad mojo? Sounds like your world still has a chance, and that's good enough for me."

Kneeling down to where Nora was, Evan held out his hand. "Let's do this before I convince myself reasons of why this is the dumbest thing I've done since the suicide attempt."

Everett's hard core stare softened a little at Nora's breakdown, then he tossed a small plastic bag with an object inside at Eve's feet. "Food for thought, shorty. That thing there helps you see what is and what's not. Feel me? Respect your choice. You get out of here, and we'll watch your back. This shxt ends were, and I ain't got nuthin' left ... Back there. You do. Feel me?" Not waiting for an answer, Everett took hold of her hand, just as Evan was reaching for hers as well . Darcy looked over at Eve. "As always, it's your call. I can have you miles away from here. Just give
the word."


The pressure was intense, to say the least. She glanced at the object Everett threw at her, but didn't seem terribly interested in picking it up. Well, she seemed to be the paranoid version of herself. Wonderful. Leaning forward in her chair, she pressed her fingertips to the bridge of her nose, drawing a deep breath. "...This just *screams* bad idea to me..." But then again, didn't a lot of things do that? She probably wouldn't have gotten involved with Steele and cohorts if she'd listened to logic. Wait...was that a bad thing? Giving her head an abrupt shake to toss to thoughts, Eve glanced at Darcy. "I don't really get any of this. But...I'm thinking it's probably for the best if you leave." Expecting all hell to break loose? In some form or fashion, yes. That was the story of her life. Moving from the chair, she advanced on the others, but didn't look altogether thrilled with the likelihood of something going wrong. "Fine. Let's do this before I change my mind." Not thrilled with a linking, not at all. Not to mention that she was still a novice at all this, at best.


Nora had enough time to compose herself, even muttering about breaking down. Couldn't be helped now. Drawing in a deep breath, she saw the three advancing towards her, each having their own reason for doing so. -CONTACT-

Images would form inside Eve's head, while a voice narrated the images. Her voice, but not *her* voice ....

-The daemons were taking over? No, if you were keen enough to see the signs, they were already here. UFO sightings, constant government cover ups, crazy movie and book ideas. Our realms were ripped for the picking for a race known for exhausting and destroying their own. And it was so easy for them to fit in, due to an over diverse population like ours that prided itself on being different. Race. Culture. Religion. And even sexual preference.You were considered either different, or just plain strange.

But the daemons had another agenda. For their race was dying out, and we were the next in line on the cosmic food chain. They fashioned a hybrid, through countless mating attempts and genetic splicing, magic rituals, and cloning.

They had created the perfect *human* to walk our realms in search of other humans that had latent abilities, and were placing them inside dwellings called Institutions.

There they had their perfect cover, as well countless test subjects. Only their prototype hybrid saw things differently, and well .... Bailed on them when the first opportunity presented itself.

They were not happy with this, nor did they want her telling the humans of their presence, so certain steps were taken.

Sleeper agents. Billions of them. Dispatched through every know reality. And those realities that did not meet expectations? Were consumed. Totally. Completely. And they moved on to the next.

Some realms were harder than others to ... Convert. And as with all factions of society, there were those within the daemon community that were against the genocide warfare that was being directed against those that had nothing to do with the near extinction of their once proud race.

A daemon civil war would break out, not only across the universe, galaxy, and cosmos, but extending to countless realms/realities as well. Those that were searching for the hybrid, and those that would protect her.

And Eve knew who that person was ... Things were starting to *finally* fall into place.

Dr. Cromwell. Amber/Samantha. The visions surrounding Stonebridge.


She didn't like those images being in her head, but at least it wasn't like being hit between the eyes with a hammer. Reality had a way of falling away when something like that was going on; the physical no longer mattered, become something as distant as other galaxies. Of course, it would be a rude awakening when she slammed back into it...

The idea of a daemon hybrid sent her mind spinning, trying to grasp that one. From what she'd seen of the daemons..how could *that* blend with humans? The idea of it sickened her, but the last realizations sickened her even more. Amber...It was her, what they were after? And Steele and Rico were right in the thick of things, being her closest friends... "Oh my God..." Whispered, though she hardly noticed. Worse: from there, she couldn't even do anything about it. Could she?

-Then came images of Samantha being hounded by those that would take her back against her will, for she wanted no part of the enslavement of mankind ...

A daemon sister would aid her, not only in escaping but hide along the humans in the guise of one to utliize their knowledge in defeating their own clan.

Plans of faking her own death, to return as Amber. To hide as a recluse, using the humans technology to shield protect her. Offering subtle hints of the daemons presence there to enlist others to their cause will not giving away their location. To find those that had become *unhinged* from their own realities, those that possessed hidden gifts. They would stumble upon Stonebridge, and one patient in particular.

Eve Nora Lizt. Amber would have Argus come across her file, which set things in motion. Only Dr. Cromwell who was a daemon lord, caught wind of it and the battles ensued.

Amber's gambit would pay off, for Eve would begin to use those powers, as well trust those that were beyond the scope of Stonebride.

It was a different faction that had contacted Evelyn, and with chaotic results. She would try to find those versions of herself that had not been tainted , try and warn them without the daemons discovering her true intent. There were countless encounters with Amber, as they worked from different angles, preparing Eve for what needed to be done.-

The images would stop suddenly, a blinding flash of red causing all to recoiling, as if their brain had exploded inside their skull, with them living to tell the tale.

"Daemons! Shxt!" Everett was the first to recover, slipping into attack mode, while unleashing a ear drum shattering scream that sent several creatures that seemed to be crawling out of the very air itself exploding into alien blood and gore. Evan was already pushing Darcy and Eve out the secret door inside the room which had become a virtual battle zone with the military taking on countless hordes of daemon like creatures.

Watching Everett was as terrible as it was fascinating. He was practically moving with the speed of thought, utilizing abilities that she did not possess. Yet.

Shifting from offense to defense, anything and everything used as a weapon, being levitated with deadly speed. One small object flew to land in Eve's hands - the plastic bag Everett tossed at her earlier. Then came the realization of the blood that had been splattered on her wasn't alien goo, it was red. A twitching body at her feet, revealed it to be Nora!

The back of her head was gone, yet she was still alive somehow, her body going through its final moments of life ... Wide eyes would lock on to Eve's, blood coming from Nora's mouth. "I ... sorry ... Forgi ..."

Eve could see the light fade from Nora's eyes, leaving nothing but that wide eyed stare. Only to be grabbed roughly by Evan."C'mon! We gotta bail, now! Everett!"

Everett was taking too many hits, and the numbers were against him. They knew he wasn't too far from dying as well. "Yo, man! Get your axs outta here! I got this! GO!"

He was buying them time . Arms out stretched, as the daemons kept pouring through the rips of their reality, only to be pushed back by Everett sheer force of will.

Such effort was taking a huge toll. Along with the injuries he was substaining. Blood was pouring from his eyes and nose and mouth and ears, the result of extreme bleeding from his brain. With a wink and a grin to Eve and Evan, Everett push himself over the edge, his body burning itself out, due to unable to replenish the energy faster than he was expelling it. It was like he was aging before their very eyes, until his physical body was nothing but dust, and for the next several seconds, he had became an entity of pure thought. <Play time is over bxtches!>

Teleblading. Now Eve saw the rhyme behind the reason, as Evan had both women in each arm, and was going ... Pretty d**ned fast. The look in his eyes? He was scared shxtless. Things around them were nothing but blurs, Eve suddenly found herself back where Evan first encountered her, dropping to his knees, his face and body covered in sweat. Darcy went to check on him, when a sudden explosion shook the very foundation they stood upon.

Eve could faintly make out the direction of where the explosion came from. It was the base. She could Feel Everett ... then nothing. Then there was the thought of how fast Evan had been going to get them that far, that fast ... He was having a hard time catching his breath, as Darcy was working with him. "Dxmn you, Evan! I told you not to *ever* try that!"


Eve...was not yet used to battles. She was probably the last one to catch up to things mentally, though she had the physical end of it. Everything had a way of becoming a blur, of becoming so unreal that for a few terrified moment she was sure she'd lost it entirely. She'd even *hoped* she'd lost it, rather than really deal with what was going on...but no. The real impact of it was setting in when Nora was dying, a little light fading out in her head, snuffing out like a candle's flame. But everything was happening entirely too fast for her to react, to do much more than follow along and let herself be pushed and herded by Evan. Still, her mind hung up on that moment of Nora's death, some strange little corner of her mind struggling to bring that little light back on her mind's eye...

She hadn't like Nora. She hadn't trusted Nora, not a bit. But she hadn't wished something like *that* on her.

And then..."Everett." It was almost painful, the way the light that she realized was *him* was growing stronger in brightness, enough so that it made her head hurt even as Evan was teleblading her and Darcy away so fast that she couldn't do much more than hold on. She thought the light should flicker, that it should flare up into some supernova brilliance...before it just went out.

Her eyes had teared by the time he stopped, and she couldn't shake the completely *helpless* feeling that clung to her like a second skin. She'd been completely useless back there...

The explosion rattled her enough that Eve ended up sitting down abruptly on her rear, beside Evan. A few tears had spilled over by that time, blurring her vision, but she drew a deep breath and turned to the young man, placing a hand on his arm. Eve wasn't really sure what she was doing, or how she was doing it; it was almost instinctive, but she felt some of her own energy spill over the proverbial brim, into him. Enough to help him recouperate, though she felt a touch drained afterward. Long, long day.


Darcy had not been paying attention to what Eve was doing until she saw her move near evan, and he seemed refreshed seconds later. "Eve, you should not have done .... "

Another explosion was felt, closer this time. "They're going to find us. It's only a matter of time." Evan nodded slowly, before producing a small metal box. "That's why I took a quick side trip before heading here."

Darcy's eyes lit up, as she snatched the metal box from his hands. "The prototype? Evan, I could kiss you!" Several switches and buttons her pressed, the small machine hummed to life.

"There!" Evan pointed, as part of the area where they were standing seemed to pulse with energy. "That's where you appeared. There's your ticket home, kiddo." Hugging her tightly, Evan handed her a small tote bag. "Don't forget us, okay? Now get out of here." Darcy would wipe a stray tear, commenting that it was due to all the dirt and dust that was flying around. Evan's head would snap skyward, as a black cloud like object was closing on their area fast.

Eve found herself being pushed toward the portal, when she'd Feel Evan grab her wrist. -Contact!- The next sensation was like she was falling, falling and falling some more, until a loud noise caused her to stir... Her alarm clock was blarring. By her bed rested two objects: A tote bad that contained a pair of roller blades, and a small plastic bag? That was all just some insane dream? Right?