WTF???

[Argus Steele]

Amber rubbed her temples, then looking over at the other three, shook her head from side to side slowly. "There is no next, for you Eve. This has gone way beyond spooks under the bed, Tohmaz."

Before anyone could object, several military dressed people walked inside the room, two men, one woman.

The woman seemed to be very interested in Eve, for she had not took her eyes off her since walking inside the room. Of course this did not sit well with Argus ...

"You called THEM? What the fuck were you thinking girl ..." Argus' tirrade would be cut short, as one of the men stepped in front of him.

"Settle down, Steele. She did the right thing. This is bigger than the three of you, and your careless actions have already placed Ms. Lizt in more harm than good."

Eve's patience was already beginning to wear thin with this matter. It seemed she couldn't even get down to the normal business of *living* for having one strange thing or another come up. A frown had creased her brows, and her eyes had narrowed suspiciously with Amber's words, and she'd opened her mouth to respond - just before being cut off by the new arrivals. The skin on the back of her neck went crazy, and her spine tingled as if a cold finger had been dragged along the length. "Who the hell are you, and who are you to judge that? Seems to me that Steele stepping in in the *first* place is probably the only reason I'm alive now. I didn't exactly see any of *you* there."

Defensive, anyone? Even she blinked at herself, at the slightly raised volume of her voice. At least she'd forgotten the migraine, even if momentarily. Not quite angry, but a touch on edge. Probably anyone would be, given the day she'd had.


"I figured you'd say as much. Here. Your boss said you still earned these, even though you stopped showing up at work." Handing her unused vacation time, as well the last week worked, both via the paycheck."She's coming with us, Steele. Just be glad I don't run you in, for pulling this rambo shxt."

Argus stood there, for about ten seconds, just staring at who seemed to be the leader of the trio, not upset or anything, just ... staring. Then came that trademark smirk of his .... "All I see is your continuation to arrive *after* the fact, like you did with Amber here. I did what I had to do to keep Elf off the side of some fucking milk carton ..."

"Steele, we had Lizt under constant watch since she left Stonebridge several years ago and all you have done ..." That was when Jared put his two cents in ....

"Wait ... Dat sounds like you been usin' Eve here as bait to catch those beasties ...." Holding up his hand, the man shook his head

"One, I wasn't addressing you. Two, be lucky I don't run you in as well, Rico."

The girl continued to remain silent, though her own brow held a slight crease to it, as she seemed to be almost annoyed with all the men's very presence ... Save for the one that remained strangely quiet ... "If you are all done proving who has the biggest pair, can you turn it down a notch? All this territory marking is giving me a serious headache, and our main concern is Eve here, isn't?"

Turning to face Eve, the woman nodded her head slowly, before extending a gloved hand. "I'm sorry about this, Eve. My name is Lt. Kori Anders, trainer of the Psi Divsion, and outside of Amber here, I know what you're going through.

And I'm here to help, answer *any* questions you have ..." The first male began to protest, only to have Kori give him the -talk to the hand- gesture ...

"Like I said, *any* questions you may have." The thrid male continued to remain silent, though he had a small smile on his face, following that little episode. Argus on the other hand was ... Now pissed.

"Questions." Eve gave a humorless little smile and a slight nod of her head, glancing towards Steele. Nice to know she wasn't the only one irked by the entire situation. "If you know what I'm going through - or *have* gone through - then you should know that I *don't* shake hands. Pick all kinds of *nasty* little tidbits about people that way." A narrowing of her eyes to emphasize the word 'nasty.' "More to the point...why were you using me as bait? If you'd been watching me, as you say, shouldn't you have known that someone was about to make a move on me? Sounds to me more like I was going to be considered collateral damage than anything else." The young woman had fixed her gaze on Kori, steady and unblinking, features otherwise emptying out, becoming blank. She hadn't said it yet, but Eve already knew she'd be *damned* if she went anywhere with them.The situation was already weird enough!


"Well, that must be why I wore the gloves. They are chemically treated to make sure those nasty tidbits remain where they need to be. Secondly? I was brought into this thing just yesterday, so I hate the whole covert ops thing just like you and your friends. I'm a former patient of Dr. Cromwell. And I had no idea that they were even keeping tabs on you. Really. Truth be know we were not even ...." Once again the one male tried to interupt, only to have the quiet one shake his head no, then fold his arms, which left the first male ... well, flustered. "Ignore Byran, he likes to be in charge. This Daemon thing is more wide spread than they thought, and they are getting sneakier it seems by targeting smaller planetoids ... "

And right on cue, Bryan stepped in "Lt. Anders! You are disclosing priority inform-"


Argus marched right up to his face, and there went that gleam in his eye. "Bugger, the frail was talking. You butt in one *more time ... Well, let's not go there."

Lt. Anders nodded a thanks before continuing .... "I cannot say how sorry I am that you have been put in the middle of this, and I'm hoping this fresh approach will help establish some semblance of trust. Bryan, I will be their liasion, not you. I think that would be the right choice for all involved. She will not end up like me or ... Amber."

She watched the entire exchange with a face as telling as that of a doll - all blank neutrality, betraying nothing. "I don't care. I don't touch anyone if I can help it. Regardless of whatever nifty items they might be wearing." A change in posture, tucking her hands into the back pockets of her jeans, tilting her head back a bit. "I don't really mean offense, but I have a relatively short fuse at the moment, and the *tension* that came in with you three is not helping me by any stretch of the imagination. I don't care where you're from. I don't really care who you are. I don't wish you any harm, but I don't really want to get involved with you because this situation is my making my confused little head spin as is. I would rather everyone *backed off* and gave me three minutes to breathe and try to grasp this!" Spoken in general, but mostly in the direction of the three newcomers.

Her head was hurting again, throbbing away at her temples and behind her eyes, through the lines of her jaws. A heartbeat to close her eyes, grit her teeth against the pain, and she gave her head a shake, going for a bottle of juice. Not what she wanted, but better than standing there and arguing, given that she didn't actually expect her wished to be taken into account.

You could tell Bryan wanted to object, but Lt. Anders and the silent one both gave him a *look.* "She's made her call, and we are going to give her that space. No matter how much time she needs. *No matter,* Bryan, before you even say it. She knows we are here. She knows Amber can contact us if need be. For what it's worth, I do apologize, Eve. This could have ... *Should* have been handled much better, and I *will* address this with our superiors. Mikela, it's time we took our leave. *Not* one word, Bryan!"


Amber and Lt. Anders did exchange a look between them, before the three took their leave, nodding to Argus and Jared. And just like that? They were gone.


Eve didn't miss the look, and did well to draw a deep breath, to curl and straighten her fingers, just close her eyes and try to focus herself. Not that it was easy to do around the renewed headache, but it did keep her from just turning around and erupting on the closest person. She wasn't an angry person, by nature, but she was having more than her fill today, and the feeling that she was being pushed wasn't going away. "Look, I appreciate it if you actually had good intentions for me. But I'm *not* you, nor am I *her,* so what is best for either of you may not be so for me." She didn't actually turn to look at Amber, but it was pretty clear she was talking to the other girl.

Juice didn't sound like a good idea anymore. She'd left it on the nearest table, unopened, and vaguely debating what to try and do about the headache.

"I need another beer. You want one Jared?" Argus tossing him one from across the room before cracking open his own.

"Tohmaz, listen. I ...."

Argus would hold up his hand, cutting Amber off. "Too much, too soon, kiddo. To quote the elf, I need some space, time to sort this all out, and figure out which side you're on, Amber." Ouch. And with that? Argus grabbed him two more bottles and let himself out the room.

Jared just looked at Eve, then Amber. Then Argus who just left the room ... " "Kaaaaaaaay. Not sure what jus' happened, but Steele will be all right. But I do think we need be takin' care o' dese trust issues, hmmm?"

Fresh air ... Whatever it was supposed to do, it wasn't working .... Argus figured it was just another dumb expression ... *I need to grab some fresh air.* Okay, he grabbed some .... Whoot!!!

Finishing off his next beer, he sat on the hood of the SUV, and looked up to the skies.

"Trust issues. Right." Murmured while she closed her eyes, then pressed her fingers against her temples in an effort to counter the pressure there. It even felt better - until she removed the pressure. Then the throbbing continued on, full force. "Look, I'm gonna...go do something." Vague, she knew, but the idea of sitting down with her head on her knees while in Amber's house just didn't sit right with her. She wasn't really waiting to give further explanation, but wandered on her grim little way out the door. Good thing getting outside wasn't complicated, else she might have gotten lost. Bad enough that she fast found herself standing outside, at the far end of the porch, debating whether or not her stomach was actually going to rebel or if it was just twisting itself in knots for the fun of it. A hot shower in a dark bathroom was sounding very friendly right about now.


Argus heard someone come out onto the porch, a side glance over his shoulder gave him a view of Eve. He watched her for a bit, then turned back to drinking his beers. He honsetly didn't know what to do right then, and it bothered the hell out of him, to the point where he was starting to question himself. Did he do the right thing? Did he put Eve in *more* danger, then if he would have let he be in the coffee shop?

And what about Amber? How much had she told them? Granted they were small time, but still! That urge to do the solo bit again was seriously 70-30. "How you holdin' up over there Elf? Need something stronger than some juice? I gotta beer if you want one." Hell, he had to at least ask how she was, considering the whole Stonebridge thing, and whatever happened while she was in the SUV, and now.

Murphy's Law? Those friggin' Daemons show be attacking right about now, while everyone's guard is down!


After a few deep breaths, she became reasonably sure that she wasn't actually going to be sick - well, not yet anyway. The young woman still didn't rule it out entirely, but she was reeeeeeally hoping she could hold off on that one. Migraine, she could take. Nausea was a different story.

Eve almost jumped at the voice, and half-twisted to look back at Steele. Oh, that wasn't good. Holding her breath for a moment, willing her stomach to settle, she completed the turn. A half-shrug, and she shoved her hands into her jeans pockets and started to meander his way. "I don't think taking in anything would be a good idea right now." She'd gone back to squinting, just that bit. "I'm seriously annoyed, to say the least, but I'll probably get over it by tomorrow." When it came to holding grudges, she just wasn't that good at it - but she *was* cautious. Eve came up to lean on the side of the SUV, folding her arms across the hood, letting her forehead rest on her arms. It was the most relaxed she'd been all day. She felt like collapsing against it, if not for the fact she'd probably have just tumbled to the ground, and looked like an idiot in the process. "You?" Just a bit muffled.


"Moi? I feel like any minute now I'm going to wake up, stumble from my bed, and grab a quick shower ... But you're already in there! Dun dun duuuuuuuuun!"

Yeah, it was a small attempt to lighten the situation, as he looked back at the house, before looking back at the sky again. "Actually, I'm burning the brain cells at a record pace, trying to figure out where those three fit in. You and the bugger Bryan, who your Dr Maxwell would probably be best buds with. Then there's Lt. Kori who was the smart one of the three. Go figure.Then there was the other bugger that did nothing but watch everyone. That's how far I've gotten so far. Any more deeper thinking, and that would require the really heavy stuff." Raising the empty bottle into the air, looking through it.


Alright, alright...so it worked. A little. It wasn't quite a laugh, but more like a half-giggle. Oh yeah, she would *so* have been hogging up the bathroom - and the hot water.

But on the more serious note, she drew a deep breath and raised her head, propping her chin on her folded arms to eye him. "Brain fuel?" She might have shaken her head, if she didn't think it would result in an unpleasant feeling. "Funny, I never bothered with the stuff. Then again, I have the tendency to think myself into circles until I really *do* think I'm crazy. You've never seen those three before?"


"Newp. They're all nothing but uniforms to me any more. I guess Amber's probably explaining that to Jared back inside. Hopefully. Then he can tell me over a few rounds. Heh .... and here I thought, after the whole thing with Amber, they took me seriously after all, just not serious enough to tell me, I was being used once again ... Gotta love 'em. Not. Makes me wonder if your file wasn't included wuith the rest on purose, in hopes that I'd look you up sooner or later .... Which doesn't make any sense, because they were already on your trail ... Sounds like something out of a bad sci-fi flick. Hmmph. "


"I have to wonder just what she thought she was doing calling them up. The situation hasn't escalated to something catastrophic - okay, so *I* don't think so given that you're out here sipping on a beer and Jared seemed kinda clueless about all of it - so why call them in?" Picking her hands up from the hood, she pressed the heels of her palms against her temples, closing her eyes. Muuuuch better. "Not to mention that it ticked me off and I don't especially want to go back in there at the moment."


"It's because you want answers, you want the truth. You can't handle the truth!!" She knew the voice ... It was her own ... And there, sitting on the steps of the porch, was Nora. Only this time Argus was still there, though he did seem to notice or see or sense her. "Don't get yourself worked up, I'm solo this round. Just here to offer you a warning. That growing pain banging away in your skull? You're a ticking timebomb Eve, and I'm your alter ego." Running a hand through locks of straight hair, Nora tilt her head to one side, watching Argus ... " But you have to wonder about him though. You've have many contacts with him, and what have you picked up on him? Not a thing. Interesting. Oh, I wonder what lurks behind that thingyy grin of his, hmmmm? He has more layers to him than a onion."

As if on cue, Argus was waving his hand in front of her face ... "Hey, you spacing out on me again, elf? My rambling that boring?"

And Nora? Gone of course, save for a set of footprints in the dirt at the bottom of the steps ......


Eve didn't like that. Not at all. A second to squeeze her eyes shut, drop her hands to the hood of the SUV to feel the metal under her fingers, and she gave her head a shake. "I'm getting really *sick* of this supposed alter-ego." A deep breath, and she straightened from her lean. For a moment, she was afraid that maybe she'd spaced out, or even dozed off for a second - but shook it off. She *wasn't* locked up anymore, and she *had* to stop second guessing herself. "But I get the feeling that you worry her, at least to some extent." Did she sound crazy? Boy, but she hoped not...


Okay ... Argus just gave Eve a look. Not *that* look, but *a* look. "Elf, seriously. When was the last time you got some quality sleep? I'm not questioning what happens whenever you get that glazed over look in your eyes, but I'm guessin' your mental batteries have to be pushing empty about now. How's about we blow this place, and head back home where you can get cleaned up, grab something to eat, and try and sleep, k? maybe the forces that be will cut us some slack for a few hours, hmm?" Hopping off the hood, he tossed the empty bottles in the back seat, before getting into the SUV. "And I'm not for going back in there either."


"Great. You're giving me that look too." A shrug, before she blew out a breath to push a curly strand of hair from her face, mostly succeeding in just fluffing it into the air before it fell right back down. "Whatever. But just so you know, she said that my headache had something to do with me being 'a ticking timebomb.' Which I don't really understand, because if she meant it, it was a warning, and why would you warn someone meant to be your enemy?" She was almost out of breath on that one. A press of her fingertips to her forehead, briefly hiding her face. "Oh, God, I need a shower." Dropping them, she climbed into the SUV, buckling the seatbelt. The idea of sleep was a bit scary, particularly after the day's events. It seemed a more vulnerable time, just right for something to happen.

"Maybe if she's really part of you, what affects you may affect her as well? And for the record, I didn't give you *that* look, I gave you *a* look. It's a difference. Geez!!" Throwing the SUV in drive, off they went.

[Argus Steele]

Needless to say there were countless messages from Amber, along with several from Jared on the answer machine. Tossing his keys on the counter, Argus actually seemed to be listening to the pleas to return her calls for an explanation, until she had given up, and Jared took over. Neither wanting to offer too many details via the machine. "Channels #152. #257. And #650." The 60 inch plasma flickered on, offering images and sounds of those channels he just mentioned. The leather jacket found its usual home on the back of a chair, as he made his way to the kitchen, while pulling out his cell phone. "Pirate? Yeah, I'm back home. Elf's with me. Tell her I'll be all ears in the morning ..Yeah, I figured you'd be staying there. Good call. Keep an eye on her. See you in the morn ... What? -sighs- Yes, I'll make a breakfast run. -chuckles- Later, bro."

Finding some pizza that hadn't gone the way of a mad scientist pet project, it found it's final resting home within the confines of the microwave oven. Only then did he glance over his shoulder to see if Eve had came into the room with him, or just called it a night and went up to her room...

It was a strange feeling; while she didn't really want to be around anyone, she didn't want to be alone either. It reminded her of her childhood more than anything, and though there was an underlying note of uncertainty with it, she wasn't actually afraid - well, not at the moment. Not quite sure what to do with herself for now, she'd wandered in behind Steele, and was in the process of shedding her jacket when he looked back at her.

The headache had eased up for the greater part, though it stubbornly seemed to be camped out behind her eyes, but she could live with it. At least the nausea was gone. A shower still sounded good - but so did just sitting down, being still, not actually thinking or worrying about anything for a few minutes. Sooooo...that was exactly what the young woman did, collapsing into a chair quite bonelessly, turning slightly to one side to let her head tip over the side, tilted back to look at the ceiling. It had been a *long* day.

"There is some asprin in my bottom drawer over there ... " -grins- "I usually have it for ... Hangovers." Looking back as the microwave sounded off that his pizza was ready ... "Mmmmm ... You wanna talk about anything?" Speaking inbetween bites of pizza, now facing her while leaning on the counter. "Quite the day, hmm? I figured you might want ... Or mebbe not. Okay, it's official. I'm rambling. I'm mentally drained." Pausing by the fridge, he opened it, grabbing a bottle water, before plopping down onto the couch, reaching for the remote ...

Had she been listening? It was kind of hard to tell, given the way she just stared at the ceiling, lips slightly parted, face blank. Finally, she had to move her head, reach up and pull one of the butterfly pins out of her hair because it was sticking her scalp. Blink. Blink. And she realized Steele had said something.

"...Huh?" Yep, genius in the room. A little shake of her head and a deep breath, and his words finally seemed to sink in. "Funny, I thought you could probably take more than me." Vaguely deciding that being sprawled out over a chair in someone else's living room might not be the most polite thing in the world, Eve moved a little, dropped her leg from where it had draped over the opposite arm. And promptly reached for the other three pins in her hair, giving it a quick rake with her fingers afterward. "It's a really long day. Really tiring, stressful, whole nine yards. But oh so much fun." Followed with a wan smile, raising her gaze to look at the ceiling again.

"Oh well, I'm headed for a good shower and actually sleep in my own bed, instead of that chair. You need anything, just holla holla. And if you want to veg out here, there's a few blankets in the closet."

Tossing her the remote, he took the remains of the pizza with him, chuckling at her fun comment. "Yuppers, you're one of us alright ..." And off he marched upstairs, leaving Eve to her own devices ....

"You know he is so sweet on you, Eve." Nora plopped down on the couch with a bemused expression."

She didn't say anything when he walked off, but found herself sighing and closing her eyes. The voice wasn't any surprise. She'd been expecting it. "I was wondering when you'd show up again." Not moving her head, but opening her eyes once more to look in the direction of the voice. Eve had kept her tone low, and even seemed to be rather even-tempered for the moment.

She had her doubts about Nora's comment (that was something almost unimaginable to Eve, actually) but she couldn't help her own little retort, completely with a delicately arched brow. "Jealous?"


"Yes. Bet you didn't expect me to admit it, huh? Just something else you don't deserve, and it's right in front of your face. No, you'd prefer Damon Maxwell swooning all over us."

Folding her arms across her chest, Nora stared straight ahead. "Gawd, sometimes you make me soooo ill!!! If killing you were that simple, I would have let you bleed to death long ago."

If Eve had any doubts about her alter ego being just that, it came into play as Nora did that thing with her fingers, just like she would do when deep in thought.

"Actually, I'd quite prefer to see Dr. Maxwell take all of those same medications that he forced on *me* for all of those years, and continues to try and ply me with. He reminds me too much of my father for comfort." Eve's eyes had drifted toward the ceiling once again, and her voice was conversational in tone, as if they were just discussing the weather. Her stormy eyes snapped back to Nora then, suddenly sharp. "Oh, but you should know that, shouldn't you?" Her tongue darted out to dampen her lips, and she straightened in the chair, sitting up and crossing her legs. "Yeah, but see, I think that's the thing, Nora. If you're really a part of me, then you're just as *stuck* with me as I am with you. I think we're each a half of a whole, and though I don't like you, I think much of you is a reaction to a lot of the stuff we went through." Eve's lips quirked into a small, humorless smile.

"You should know. All that time as a kid, being Mother's little dancing doll and stepping stone, with Father knocking us around if we even dared to step out of line or *try* to mention the things we Saw or Felt? And getting angry...well...that only ever made things worse, really." Okay...so, privately, she could admit that maybe she'd spent *too* much time around the doctors. She'd learned more than she thought. "And I figure I shouldn't even have to explain what happened that night when I got friendly with a razorblade." A half-shrug on her part. "But I really see that as water under the bridge. Feels like it was ages ago, really." A brush away gesture with one hand, brows knitting briefly before the expression faded. "But somehow, those nasty little daemons
managed to tap you, and filled you with all these aspirations to take over and join them." Her voice took on a mocking, sardonic tone then, followed by another little shake of her head. "But you know what? Even if that happened, you'd be used and discarded when they found you no longer useful, I'm sure."

"Well, being suppressed makes me a little stir crazy, and they made it sound so appealing, I was ready to try anything. But you already know this. "

"Now you're sounding more like me. I guess hanging with these rejects has given you some backbone after all. Then are you ready to admit something then?" Turning to face her. "Those drugs Doc had us taking? He knew what he was doing. He made the mistake once in accidentally letting me out, and I about kicked his sorry ass. That's why he changed the meds. Scared the crap out of him, and didn't want me back."

Drawing her knees up to her chest, and wrapping her arms around them, she began to rock slowly, her eyes half closed. "So, what now? You know what's causing those headaches don't you?"

"Of course they made it sound appealing. They're daemons, and they think you're useful. It's like making a deal with the devil." A shrug, wondering if she was really *that* naive. Or desperate."And yeah, I've always known that Doc knew what he was doing. I figure that's why he'd changed my meds so many times, and it explains one session in particular when he had a black eye and busted nose." Her lips pursed slightly, brows arching a bit with thought. "And why they'd treated me like one of the really violent ones for a while. Ah well." Eve seemed strangely nonchalant about all this, and she might have let herself wonder on it a little - if not for the fact that she was sure that Nora would get an inkling of it. So the young woman let it slide and kept in stride with it.

"Well, given that I don't think I've had the paranormal equivalent of a CAT scan yet, I'm not totally sure, but I figure you have something to do with it. Probably has to do with you trying to assume dominance." The last two words were spoken in an almost sing-song tone. "But you realize that if you *were* to do so and Steele got wind of it, he'd probably make sure you were wiped out." ...Not that she'd actually talked about that with him, but a girl could guess. Or she at least *hoped* he'd do that for her, anyway. Eve even did a fair job of not letting the uncertainty slip or even cross her mind.


"Well, since you're being all civil, I guess I'll play along. Cromwell's a Daemon Lord. We gotta do something or ... " She'd frown right then. She hated feeling weak. That was Eve, not her. She cast a stare at herself for several seconds, before smiling at her. "Cromwell, Maxwell, hell, even your boyfriend, they all underestimate us. You. And once you take that last step? They better run for freakin' cover. I miss the coffee shop." Damn, where'd that come from???


For a long moment, Eve just continued to look at Nora, her features perfectly neutral before just...smiling. It was sweet, tinged with innocence, but was more peaceful than anything. Nora expected to rattle her with that information, Eve realized, and it just wasn't working. "See? You're more me than you thought, because missing that quiet little existence came from me." Uncrossing her legs, Eve propped her elbows on the arms of the chair, steepled her fingers near her lips. "We knew something was up with Cromwell, so it was only a matter of time before the truth of it was figured out. But thanks for that tidbit of information." Lightly bouncing her fingers off her pursed lips, she added after a moment, "And he's not my boyfriend."

That actually got a sincere smile from Nora ... "Not like you've tried, right? Scared nutsless of what all that physcial contact would do to us? Ahh, frak this. I'm too tired to push your buttons tonight." Nora would then unfold her arms, stretch out her legs, stand and walk right towards Eve. Then walked right inside her, and then? Nothing.


Alright, alright...so *that* almost got a response. She was in the middle of framing it when Nora announced she was 'leaving.' Eve didn't even flinch when her apparent alter-ego walked right into her and disappeared, but she did find herself sitting with her lips pursed behind those steepled fingers. What exactly did *that* mean? It wasn't like she hadn't had offers or been asked out while she was working at the coffee shop...but she'd decided at some point long ago that she was just too *weird* for that. That would have been a really great ice-breaker on a first date! 'Oh yeah, I'm 19, and I've been locked up and drugged for the past five years because I can see the dead and pick up other little tidbits about people by touch. But anyway, how about you?' The very idea of that pushed Eve near hysterics, and she found herself dropping her hands, laughing quietly to herself. Which was probably pretty creepy to walk up on...

She decided enough was enough and it was time to get ready for that much needed (and well deserved) shower, but she couldn't make her mind quit working in loops. Why was Nora pushing her buttons about Steele worse than threats to take over her body? That was a very strange thing, and something she continually puzzled at. In the end, she could only figure one thing: Nora had a *serious* thing for Steele.

But in the end, that only left her with another question...was it just Nora, or another of thing the two shared? "Just lovely..." Murmured to herself as she went for a change of clothes, then headed for the bathroom.

[Argus Steele]

It was quiet. A little *too* quiet. Especially for where Eve was staying. There was nary a sound. Nada. Nothing. Nil. If she would venture down to the 1st floor level ... Nothing was even turned on.

The clocks displayed no time. The coffee was stone cold. And of course there was that nagging feeling that *something* wasn't right. The quiet was ... well, too quiet.

Of course, the quiet was enough to tip her off that something was wrong. Eve had actually woken up from a doze as if startled, though she hadn't been sure she was dreaming. After that shower and a change into some more comfy clothes, she'd laid down and been out quick. Now though...she couldn't really even judge how long that had been. The young woman had padded quietly down the steps on bare feet, curls sleep-tumbled around her shoulders, and she thought vaguely that she should have pulled her jeans back on before leaving her bedroom. The black cami left her arms chilled, and the soft black pants weren't substantial enough to keep the cool air off her legs either. Then again...the seemingly unnatural quiet of this place might have had something to do with it, too. Steele's place was creepy when it was that quiet. Her brows knitted as she looked around, wanting to call out, but hesitant. Was it a power outage, or something else? And where was Argus?


The skies were ... Grey. Everything around her *felt* black and white. Was that even possible? That was when the front door slowly opened on its own accord, complete with the trademark creek.

There was no one behind the door, and the vantage point it offered her was an empty street. No biggie right? Only the fact that nothing passed by the door. No person, no vehicle, nothing .... There wasn't even a breeze to have caused that door to even open. The SUV? It was where Argus parked it yesterday evening ... Save for driver side door being wide open. Wait. There were other cars up/down the street, all empty. Save for herself? There was no one else even on that particular street block.


Eve stood still for a long moment, surveying everything around her in the silence. Well...she figured she was dreaming, or pulled into some ill-gotten corner of her own mind. Or someone else's. Or maybe even a warped version of reality. Either way, her patience with this wasn't exactly saintly. The young woman sighed and closed her eyes, pinching the bridge of her nose briefly. "Alright. Whatever whacked-out, twisted thing is waiting for me, come on out. You're not scaring me so much as annoying me." Okay, okay...maybe talking to what seemed to be an empty room - maybe even an empty world - might have been pretty useless, but she did it anyway. Eve lingered near the open front door, looking out at the seemingly vacant world, half-turned to react should anything pop up inside the room. A little paranoia never hurt, either.


"Hey elf, I'm diggin' the morning look, but unless you want to cause some serious accidents out there, you wanna come on back inside?" The sensation was like someone released the pause button and everything was... Normal? There was Argus smiling at her from inside the house, while several bystanders outside were also taking in the sight afforded to them, Eve even getting a few whistles sent her way. A warm breeze blew about her, and a deep breath gave hints of the usual mid day smog that was lingering about. "I was wondering if you were going to sleep in late. Guess you needed to recharged those batteries after all, hmmm?" With that being said, Argus gave her a grin, before resuming his phone conversation, while walking back into the media room ... "Yeah Amber, we're still cool, but you need to be telling me ..." His voice fading as he stepped back inside the media room.


Under 'normal' circumstances, she might have blushed or smiled. Now, though, Eve was more confused than anything, and stood for a moment longer, eyeing her surroundings. It took a moment long for it to occur her to her close the door, and rather than offering any offensive gestures in response, she simply shrugged and pulled the door too. The breeze had been warm, but the chill was still lingering in her skin. She sorta did wish she'd pulled on a tee over the cami, but that was the least of her worries now - not to mention that a least she was wearing pants, instead of doing the cami-and-nearly-nonexistent-shorts nonsense.

Things were getting stranger by the day, it seemed. Rather than following Steele, she breathed deeply for a moment, then went for some coffee. Now she'd be debating exactly what *that* was, just another little thing to add to the growing list in her head.


" .... Yeah, and I'm supposed to be the secret keeping one of the team, remember? Well yeah, I don't recall you disclosing much about your family, like having an freakin' older sister in the military? The same military I've been bashing non-stop? Yeah I know about your visions, but what does that have to do with .... huh. Okay. Point taken. But still you have to ...."

At this point he was pacing back and forth, pausing long enough to grab a handul of grapes before reading Amber the riot act once again. And that's when she felt it. Nora. She had not even said anything to Eve this time around. Instead, her alter ego was focused on what was outside the nearest window. (m) " Fuck me fuck me FUCK ME!!"


Well, that didn't bode well. Not at all. Despite the fact that she *really* didn't want to, Eve knew she'd have to look out there - even though she had no intention of getting too close to the window. Leaving the coffee still on the counter, she ignored Steele's pacing for the moment and quietly moved into position to see out that window. If Nora wasn't actually trying to antagonize her, that just meant trouble. But she still kept an eye on her alter-ego, just in case.


The car she didn't know right off, but the pair emerging from it? One Dr. Maxwell, and ... Her father!! Nope no dream could mimic that sour look of her father, as he and Dr. Maxwell were having a conversation, with the Doctor pointing at the very house she was inside. Nora was not amused to say the least, who finally turned to address her ... better half. "Didn't see this one coming. You? "


The pit of her stomach was somewhere in the vicinity of her feet. Doc, she could take. Her father...whatever warmth that *had* been coming back to her skin fled, and her veins felt as if ice water were flowing in them instead. "Argus!" While she didn't exactly shout, she did raise her voice a bit, and there was a note of urgency in it. Eve stepped back from the window, and looked around, not really sure what to do with herself at first. The insane thought that she had to go and get dressed in something presentable slid through her head, only to be discarded. That was childish, something long ago ingrained in her by a mother that had her priorities severely distorted. "...We have company." She didn't sound happy. Not at all. Imagine that.


"Let me out. I'll take care of them both." That's all Nora was saying, becoming the tails to Eve's head. Argus had stuck his head out the door once again ... "Hold on Amber ... What? Company? Who?" And right on cue ... the doorbell ... Argus was already looking at his security monitor with a rather bemused look on his face ... "Son-of-a-bxtch!! Damon went and tracked us down!!! Probably saw my plates on the SUV. Who's the bugger with him?"

He was saying that more to himself than to her at that point. "Amber, we have to continue this later. We have ... Company. Jared still there? I need him here pronto." Tossing the phone on the couch, he pressed a button near the security system, which allowed him to communicate to the pair outside his house ....

"Maxwell? What the hell do you want?" The man with the Doctor started to say something, but was motioned to stop by Dr. Maxwell. "I have Eve's father with me, and this little game she's been playing has gone on far enough.We can come inside and discuss this like adults, or we can come back with a court order."

Okay, that had Argus stunned ... "A what? Hey fucker, last I checked, Eve was an adult and ..."

Eve made a cut off gesture with one hand in Nora's direction, brows drawn together as she looked outside. "No, time for *me* to handle this." Softly murmured to her alter-ego, and she seemed to have recovered a bit from the initial shock and fear. Or....well, she was doing a good job of faking it. It was still there, and she wasn't sure that would ever fade out entirely, but there was already anger building too. *Now* her father shows up, and with Doc. What in the world would make him think he had the right to butt into her life again? She was an adult now, and he'd never made an effort to contact her before. She hadn't seen him in five years! He'd never written, never went to visit her..nothing at all. And now he expected her to see him?

...But at the same time, Eve knew this situation was different. She was an adult now, not the scared little girl he'd known, and refused to act like that. "That would be my long, lost, dearest father." Note the heavy sarcasm and the sharp cut of her eyes. Anger could be a good thing; it lent her the strength she needed to bow up against the fear. Eve stepped over the com button and pressed it. "Dr. Maxwell, I *will* be seeking out a new psychiatrist to talk to about my problems. Your so-called 'services' are no longer needed. And take that bugger with you and throw him off a dock somewhere into some freezing water. Maybe he'll get the idea that he is most *definately* not welcome here, or within the same *zip-code* as me." ...Funny, to listen to her normally, it never would have been known that her voice could be that cold, that contrite.

(m) "Did you just say bugger?" That had Argus grinning. "I guess you two have your answers then." That was when her father finally had enough and started shouting ... "Eve!!! The police are on their way here!!! They want to question you concerning the death of a patient at Stonebridge, someone named Jasmi ..." From that point on, the Doctor wasn't too happy with the father disclosing that information while they were still outside ... And Nora?

She sat quietly on the bottom steps that led up to the second level, watching Eve with her head thingyed to one side. (m) "Cromwell. How much you wanna bet? They want us back at Stonebridge!! Not going back there. Jasmine? We didn't kill her!! That is so much bullshit!!!" Well, so much for her being quiet.

Not that Eve actually expected Nora to be quiet. In fact, she'd hoped not. Eve might have been the cooler head, but in a distorted kind of way, it was nice to have a piece of her self outside of the situation...sort of. Pressing the com button again, Eve spoke quickly and calmly. "There were numerous witnesses to what happened in that room, so don't even give me that load. Both of you just want me locked back up. But guess what, Mr. Lizt? As of my eighteenth birthday, I am no longer your problem. You can turn and go on your gloomy, hateful little way. And Doc? Go away. I won't see you anymore, and I'm not going back to Stonebridge, and nor am I afraid of the police. So goodbye, and both of you, *get lost.*" Ice particles could have formed in the air with the last two words. Letting off the com button, she stepped back and went to get her coffee, apparently saying all she intended. Of course, she couldn't help but throw a glance at Nora as she did so, half-figuring she wouldn't be satisfied with what she'd done. But...Eve was. There was more she would have liked to have said, but it was a nice turnabout, the feeling of kicking them out of *her* life.


"Why you ungrateful little ..." That was when Argus took his finger off the intercom, but one didn't have to be a lip reader to know what was being said. Dr. Maxwell was having quite the time pulling her father away from the house, especially with a small crowd forming with the arrival of the police. Argus was not sure how to handle all this but Eve's father took care of that for him.

They were causing a disturbance, and when one of the officers tried to escort them away from the door, her father shoved the officer. Needless to say, there's a law against such actions, and Mr. Lizt found himself soon in the backseat of the cruiser, while Dr. Maxwell was trying to explain the situation. Nora's take? She actually had a pleased expression on her face.

"Okay, not the *way* I would have handled it, but I can deal." Nodding her head, she'd give Eve the thumbs up, before fading away this time.

"Um, Elf, what are you looking at?"

[Argus Steele]

She'd been in the process of checking out the coffee and making a cup between looking towards Nora. Eve had even given a slight nod at her response, and went back to what she was doing. "Mmm. Nothing." Didn't want to get *that* look again. The young woman had pretty much lost interest in what was going on outside, but found her hands were shaking just a bit when she picked up the carafe of coffee. Going still for a moment, she drew a deep breath, willing herself to be more steady. Even worked, a little. At least she didn't feel like she was going to drop the whole thing again.

It was the adrenaline, she was pretty sure. It had to be, and the after-effects of the sudden emotion...Oh, God, but she hoped she wasn't on the edge of a breakdown. A few stirs with a sthingy before she gave it a little sip, watching her hands. Still a tiny tremble, but not so bad. "That was lovely to wake up to. How long *have* I been asleep?"


"Mmmmm .... A good ten hours. Thought about waking you, but figured you needed the rest." Argus had that serious expression again while viewing the security monitor. "So that was your father huh? Safe bet they were both banking on you being rattled by the both of them being together to get you back to Stonebridge. That's the professional view. Probably suggested by Cromwell. He knows that we know. Add the Feds, and now this? Dehm girl, you've passed any stress test with flying colors!!"


"Mmm." Softly murmured over the cup, taking another sip of it. "If he'd bothered to see me at any point in the last few years, my father might have found out I'm not exactly a child anymore. And Doc...Well, I've been *dying* to get rid of him anyway." A pause to blow gently at the steam over the cup, and she set it down on the counter, raked her fingers through her hair. She was finally starting to warm up again. "Cromwell is a daemon lord, so I've been told." Eve tapped her temple with one fingertip, emphatically, hoping he'd get the drift of how she knew that. Saying it was just too...weird. "Then again, you may already know or have guessed, or something. If I hadn't been feeling so drained maybe I would have burst in on you while you were in the shower to let you know." Her lips quirked into an innocent grin with the last part, quite clearly joking. But she was sure that was Nora's influence, to some point. Jokes like that weren't usually her style.


"Cromwell's a *what?*" Now that had Argus turning to face her fully, and yes, he was giving her *a* look ... not *the* look, while scratching his chin. "Huh. I guess that makes sense, considering the chat I had with Amber ... (m) Wait ... Did you just make a joke? Who are you, and what did you do with Eve?" Okay, maybe if Argus knew the whole picture, he would not have made that joke right then, but things have not been all peaches and cream the past 48 hours, and it was tough enough to deal with one matter before something else popped up.

That was when Jared came running inside ..."Hey, what I miss? Why was the police here?"


Eve was just looked at Steele at that remark, a brow slightly raised her expression saying 'if you only knew...' She even opened her mouth to say something, before Jared burst in and she drew up short. Then shrugged and picked up her coffee again, leaving the kitchen to grab a chair. "Dr. Maxwell and my father decided to make an unwelcome appearance and try to threaten me with talking to them or the police about the girl at Stonebridge." A brush away gesture with one slim hand, crossing her legs, swinging one bare foot idly. Yeah, she was really glad she'd slept in the cami-and-pants instead of the shorts. Otherwise, she'd have been feeling pretty embarassed right about now. Not that she really felt appropriately dressed anyway, but she could shake it off. PJs were comfy, after all. "Doc wasn't happy when I fired him, I'm sure, Father Dearest wasn't glad to know that I was anything but happy to see him."

Funny, the way she talked about her parents; always 'mother' and 'father', never 'mom' or 'dad.' Always formal, cold, but it probably said a lot about her general upbringing. She followed the words with a well-deserved drink of the warm coffee. Good stuff, when loaded with lots of cream and sugar.


Jared flashed his own winning smile, slapping Argus on the back. "See mate? I told ye. It was a trial by fire for all of us, an' we passed with flyin' colors." Argus snorted at that comment, pointing his finger at Jared.

"Trial by fire? Cromwell *might* be a daemon lord, Amber has a *sister* that's part of the Federation, Elf's dad and Doctor are out to get her put back in Stonebridge, we have feds watching us like hawks now,and some daemons are after elf!! Trial by fire? Try a fxcking Inferno!!! The ironic part about all of this? The crazier the things get, the more Elf here seems to be coping with it!! She's cracking jokes now!!"

Jared's head snapped up ...."Daemon lord? Eve's father was here? Wait ... Did you just say she made a joke?" Now Jared gave Eve *that* look!!!

"Be as it may, if our NWI is going to continue, we need to know how much Amber's been telling them, or start over from scratch, which is going to be hard enough with Big Brother watching us 24-7 now."

Jared shruged his shoulders, plopped down onto the couch. "I dun' see wha' the biggio prob is Argus. Amber has a sister that's in the Feds. She did say something about being our contact now right? Let Amber keep her busy. If ye still be havin' doubts mate, here's your time to be testing her, right? As fer Eve here, I'm thinkin' we need to be seein' wha' all she can do, yanno? Don' be needin' any more surprises, mate."

Argus pondered Jared's words, before looking over at Eve. "Whadda you say, Elf? It's your call. Can't make you do anything you don't want to. Besides, you're part of the team."


Her wide-eyed gaze bounced back and forth between the two men as they talked, but she froze at the last, coffee poised in her hands for a sip. ...Testing her abilities? "...Are you sure that's a good idea? I mean.." Putting the cup aside before she managed to pour it on herself, Eve rose and folded her arms, suddenly not looking too sure. Something Nora had said was echoing in her head: 'They all underestimate us. You. Once you take that last step...'

Question was, what was the last step? "I'm not sure about that." She found herself a bit reluctant to talk about it in front of Jared, because she wasn't sure how much he knew. Another moment of hesitation before she just decided...to hold her tongue. At least momentarily. Figure out a way to actually frame it before she said it so that it didn't come out utterly garbled. "I mean, what if things go wrong? Really, *really* wrong?"


"Babe, what's going to happen will happen. I'm not going to tell you what to do, but it's something that needs to be addressed soon, and you know that better than all of us. Gonna have to take that next step sooner or later, right?"

Argus would walk over to her, tilting her chin up to meet his gaze ... "And after the way you handled your father and *former* Doctor, I have complete faith in you. Besides, if we are going to go 100% legit ..."

That had Jared looking up ... "You mean ...?" Argus would nod. "Yupper. Thanks to Amber, it's the only option we have right now, and we know there are daemons out there, and folks will need out help. Still on a local scale, but now we will advertise." Jared would give Eve a *what do you think* look, before looking back at Argus, making a small face. "I dunno, mate, what about that Bryan bugger. He's going to be trouble, no matter what her sister says."


Eve ended up blinking at Steele's words, but for a somewhat different reason. While she did absorb what he said, and what he did (along with the distant realization that yes, Nora *was* right much as she disliked that - she didn't pick up anything from Argus), it took a heartbeat longer for it all to sink in. "...Did you just call me 'babe?'" A wondering blink, before she shook it off and dropped her arms, propping them on her hips instead. Clearing her throat softly, trying to catch up with the conversation. Oh. Yeah. Right. "Of course he'll be trouble. I'm sure there will be *lots* of trouble, knowing this bunch, whether we actually go looking for it or not." A gentle shake of her head, turning it over in her mind. "But do you think that will be taken seriously by the general public? I mean..it's beyond the ordinary, and a lot of people can't handle that."


Sort of clearing his throat, that *question* would be ... missed."Yeah, but like I said, we'll stay local. Just keep it within the city here. The colleges, the frat parties. Word of mouth will do the rest. "

Jared would raise his hand .... "Eve needs to be brought up to speed concerning Amber's older sister. I got this one."

"Seems that sheila's in Amber's family tree have the mental mojo, much to their male counterpart's dismay. It was dormant after their grandmother's generation, but popped back up with Kori, who dad shipped off to military school, and then Amber who we know what happened ... Amber had been sheilded against her sister until that little daemon thing at Stonebridge. She used too much mental mojo in helping Eve here, which alerted Kori, who thought her sister had died. And the rest you guys pretty much know. Save for the question you didn't answer, Steele. Did you call her .... Babe?"


She recovered from the surprise quick. Okay, even some little part of her in her head was jumping around excitedly, but she was pretty sure that had to do with Nora. Didn't it? A crush was the *last* thing she needed to worry about right now..."He did. That's okay. I'll call you honey-cuddle-bunny." Spoken with a mischievous grin, the sort typical of Eve if she *were* in the mood to play - which wasn't that often. "So...what? They thought they were doing me a favor by the threesome showing up and trying to demand that they take over? I don't think so. I know Amber probably meant well, but...nah. I'll pass on that one."


"Well, I don't know about you two ...." Giving Eve and Argus *that* look ... "But I'm looking forward to crashing in me own ... Bed. An' you both know what I meant! Been havin' a whacky dream ... Wakin' up and bein' the only person left in the city!! Makin' me buggers an' all."

Argus just nodded. "I think we all need a little down time. As much as we are allowed to have now anyway."


She arched a brow at Jared as if she couldn't figure out *what* he was talking about, even though she was doing a good job of not blushing. And there, she'd been looking forward to some smart-alec remark from Theo about the cutesy name...ah well. Another time. "Down time? What's that?" A shake of her head, and she sighed and let herself drop back into the chair she'd recently vacated. A heartbeat later, Jared's words caught up to her. "Waking up to find you're the only one...?" ...Sound a little familiar?


"Yes ... I don' know what was worse ... That, or the bloody static sound ... It was like I was here ...." Motioning about himself "but it wasn't really here. Feh!! Probably jus' a lack of good sleep. Wake me fer dinner you two. An' stay out o' trouble hunny-cuddle-bunny!!" Now that got Eve a *look* from Argus!! Jared's laughter could be heard until he shut his door behind him. "I swear, he calls me that again I'll ..." Pointing a finger at the one responsible,

Argus just shook it off. "The keys to the SUV are on the counter if you feel like getting some air. You CAN drive right?" Smiling to himself as he walked out of the room ...


Eve just shrugged the *look* off. He'd started it, after all. But now that she thought about it, she *could* have gotten Jared about Amber...but oh well. The more important matter was concerning the dream Jared had mentioned. If it was the same as hers, was it just coincidence, or did it mean something? Lovely, something else to puzzle over. Better than the alternative of trying to figure out whether *she* had a crush too, or if it was just Nora with the hots for Steele. "Okay, honey-cuddle-bunny." Just....just one more time. That was just too much fun. She even managed to keep a straight face with it, just before hitting the stairs back to her room to change and go about the little necesseties of daily life. And puzzle over all of this a bit more.

-CRASH!!- It came from the room she just left, but Argus and Jared had already left it before she did so who ....?

And that's when she felt *it* again ... That same sensation when she was in the *house* before .....

To make matters worse, neither Jared or Argus had responded to the shattering of glass .... And it was ... Night?


She'd paused in the act of buttoning her jeans, looking toward the doorway of the bedroom as if she expected something to go slinking past. The air seemed thicker, more oppressive, and the chill was slipping down her spine, tickling across the back of her neck. The fact that she didn't hear Steele or Jared asking what the hell that was, no footsteps or anything made her hesitate briefly, and she'd even glanced toward the window. Dark outside. Yeah, things had changed pretty suddenly. Down time. Yeah, right. The young woman had managed finish most of those little morning necessities before the crash resounded, and had been in the process of changing when the noise happened. She'd managed to get the jeans on, but instead of bothering to change the black cami, she just put her sneakers on and went down the stairs - quietly, though she wasn't sure it mattered. Here was hoping it was Nora, but she wasn't banking on it.