The More Things Change ...

[Argus Steele]

The time? Too damn early to be up. Eight AM, sharp. The place? Paranormal Central. The situation? One Eve Nora Lizt getting her mental evaluation, following her first unofficial assignment out in the field.

Unlike her memories of Stonebridge, this setting was less..stressful. Granted, there was still the one on one conference, but it wasn't just restricted to a single room. The woman, Dr. Stacy Hanson, was like Dr. Darcy from Evan's realm on so many levels. Her questions weren't the typical ones she'd heard too many times to mention from Dr. Maxwell. There was no pen and paper, only a voice recorder. The session would take place outside the complex, and it was on a first name basis. "I'm glad to meet you Eve. I'm Dr. Stacy Hanson, but please call me Stacy." At first look, the woman didn't look that much older than Eve, nor did she even dress like...well, a doctor. Baggy beige cargo pants, with black Doc Marten boots that remained unlaced. A custom made long sleeved printed shirt with numerous alternative bands covering the front and back. A pink iPod was clipped to her belt, the mini ear phones hanging around her neck. Jet black goth hair was pulled into a loose ponytail, and she seem to have a smile that could only be described as infectious. "Well, this was originally going to be your initial profile evaluation, but due to recent events, the powers that be want to- " Making a motion with the first two fingers on both hands like 'Dr. Evil' from 'Austin Powers.' "- Pick your brain. Be in the know. Give them some info. So, I'll ask you a question, then you get yo ask me one, until we get sick and tired of the whole routine, and then we'll break for breakfast and continue from there, okay?"

"What if I said I'm already sick of it?" Spoken with a tone of mock seriousness, before she broke into a smile. "Just ask whatever you want, Doc. I can't say that my answers would make sense, but that seems to be the norm for me." A little shake of her head, and the smile lingered for just a moment before disappearing. It was pretty early in the morning, but Eve was fairly used to seeing all hours of the day and night. Granted, her sleeping schedule had gotten a bit more level lately, but she could be what was often disdainfully referred to as a 'morning person.' The young woman seemed little the worse for wear following the previous events, at least physically speaking. She hadn't slept that well, but she figured a few hours was better than none at all. "Just trying to get into the swing of things." And hoping she wouldn't have the proverbial rug yanked out from beneath her again. Story of Eve's life, it seemed.

She'd pulled her hair back from her face, pinned in place with butterfly pins, and wore dark pants with a soft peach colored shirt - long sleeved, naturally, but they were more sheer than usual, just dark enough to hide what she wanted, though the lace-trimmed neckline cut a bit lower than she was used to.


"First off, I'm establishing Level One trust. I'm an Empath; makes my job that much easier to read people as we talk. But I hate being sneaky. Yeah, I know, a shrink with a guilt complex. " Pausing long enough to make a face, Stacy raised the hand that held the recorder, to let Eve know she was starting. "Okay, Eve. There are no trick questions here. Answer them as freely as you feel, no matter how crazy you think it may sound. Remember, we are in the business of the Paranormal. If it's normal, then *that's* considered insane. Obvious question. Get much sleep last night?" A roll of sky blue eyes, as Eve could tell Stacy hated asking such generic questions.

"Little less than usual, but that's how it tends to go when I get more fodder for nightmares." A shrug, and Eve canted her head gently. "But I have to ask, because this hasn't ever been broken down to me. What do you mean by Level One?" Yeah, it probably threw off the vein of questioning and she'd sort of rejected the idea of switching off, but she was curious on that one.


Again with the smile. Stacy motioned with a slender index finger. "Level One, Eve, is what I call the scratching the surface. I just can't get all personal if there's no trust. Once we establish that, then we get a little more in-depth, and those levels will go up, until we get to the more...personal stuff." Shrug of her own shoulders. "So these questions are Level One. And for the record, I am prepared to answer any question you want to ask - Per the levels of course. I think it makes for a good bonding if we, being the shrinks, show that were are more than just some piece of paper that tells the world we know you better than you know you. You know?" A small chuckle escapes her before continuing. "We don't know much about you, save for the transcripts sent by one Dr. Maxwell, and some phone references from your places of employment, both past and present. Don't worry, it was done under the pretense that we represent a well-known job head hunting agency. So...What can you do? " Right to the point. And there was an expression of keen interest there, not the one of a shrink just going through the motions.


She'd started to say that she was more familiar with shrinks than she'd ever wanted to be, just before cutting herself off. There wasn't any point in saying that; it was just silly, and while true about Maxwell, it didn't entirely hold true here. Stacy wasn't exactly what she'd been expecting. Eve hadn't really know *what* to expect. She couldn't help thinking that maybe if Maxwell had ever really tried to relate to her that things might have taken a different turn, but...ah well. At least Evan had had that advantage. Speaking of which, he'd been strangely absent..."Not much at all then, given that I haven't had many jobs." A faint smile at that, before it faded off. "You know...I'm not always completely sure about that myself. I've always Seen the dead, ever since I was little, and touching things has always been a bit precarious. I'm just learning that I can control it to some level, you know? I've never really had the freedom in the past to even *try* it. I think it's branched off a bit now. Telekinesis seems to be the most prevalent. I'm really still trying to figure out how far it actually goes myself."


Her eyes seem to light up after hearing Eve's comment about her TK ability. She'd hold up a finger again, clicking on the pause button. "No way! Man, I wish I had that one. Sorry." Then with a sheepish grin. "You still have a question to ask me." The record button was clicked once again.


"Mm. How do you control the empathy? I think other people bleed through sometimes - especially anger." It was a valid question, and all she could really think to ask at the moment. It was odd; she *would* have questions, but it often seemed that when the time came to ask them, most were forgotten. "I would switch with you, if I were able." With a slightly mischievous grin.


"The hardest part was learning how to shut everything else out and not letting those vibes influence my own." Clicking the pause button again. "If we get to Level Four, ask me that question again, and I'll tell you about why I don't care for roommates. " Coughing a little, before continuing once again. "So you pretty much taught yourself? That's pretty good. Most in our field need serious training. Oh, and this is what the iPod is for: When I have those days that I can't cope. Every known - and unknown - Death and Speed metal band ever created. The music helps keep me grounded."


"Recently self-taught, yes. And I've learned most of it on the fly, which...is not fun. At all." Her brows drew together briefly as she thought about that. Not fun, but in a do-or-die situation..it might have been the best way to learn it. "I really should get one of those, but I figure I'd lose it somehow. Or destroy it with critter goo." A wince, before shaking her head. "How does one go about getting trained?" Question for question. It wasn't a game she cared much for, but she'd play along for the moment. Maybe even learn something, too.


"Ah, that's easy enough. The Center will provide it. Warning you now though, it's going to be tedious 70% of the time, until you're logged into the main data base. That's weird though, that they missed you." A slight bite of the corner of her mouth. "Guess you're one of the ones that slipped through the cracks. But yeah, they'll map out what your abilities are, then base your training around that, along with the military stuff. Hand to hand, weapons...How to function if you ever lost your abilities, or couldn't use them. You've already met the instructor for that part, Agent Steele."

"You don't seemed to be rattled much by what you encountered out there. Why?" Now things were getting that serious tint. Stacy's eye color seemed to shift with the expression of her face. Nothing too extreme, but just several variants of blues. And Eve could tell she was actually listening, and not trying to *read* her. "I've seen some of the footage of what was out there, and me, personally? Every light on inside my quarters when I sleep would be on for a month! If I could even sleep."


That made Eve look at the other girl, expression puzzled. "What do you mean they missed me? They keep track of everyone like...like us?" That seemed a very strange idea to her...but sensible, at the same time. She frowned for just a moment, then shrugged it off. "Steele is an instructor, too? Will wonders never cease." A smile and shake of her head at his name. She had to be careful with that one; if she wasn't careful, she'd find herself grinning like an idiot every time the name was mentioned. Too schoolgirl for her.

She couldn't help noticing Stacy's eyes though, and it made for a nice distraction. "..Nice trick with your eyes. Teach me that one sometime." A smile flashed, before she moved on to other topics. Oh. Yes. The hellhounds..."...You could say I'm experienced, I guess. Not with those things, per se, but it's not my first weird encounter. I've never dealt with something that ran in packs, though." Another brief flash of smile. "If you really want to ask, you'll have to do it on a higher Level I'm afraid." She liked Stacy, and even trusted her - to an extent. Eve wasn't really sure how many people she wanted to know about her little 'adventures.'


"Teach you? Huh. It's a nutty side effect of my ability. I have zero control over it." Tapping her chin for a second, she'd look over at Eve once again. "Well, it sounds like you've had your abilities for a while now, and the Center usually makes contact with those that have the *potential* inside the first year. Then again, your Stonebridge files look so vanilla I can see why they were passed over. Hmm." She'd just give Eve a small smile . "You're learning the Levels. Good. And I don't expect it to happen like next week, or even next month. It's all about when you're ready to talk about it, and I'll keep the field on par by answering the same." The pair had been walking for what seemed like some time, and the distinct smell of breakfast food was becoming stronger. "I'm warning you now, I have what most think is a mutant metabolism, so don't freak out on me when I go back for thirds." Of course that was said with the button on pause!

Stacy was true to her word, for the food she was putting away would have a normal person in a coma, but she ate it with little or no effort at all, and did it quite normally. It was during the middle of their meal that an agent approached them both, excusing himself. "Sorry to interrupt ladies, but Agent Steele told me to find you when there was any change in Agent Rico's condition. She's alert, but still in serious but stable condition. No visitors allowed to see her today, but if her vitals keep improving, the green light will be on for tomorrow."

And after a short pause, off he went, leaving Stacy giving her small knowing smile. "Greg was so just checking you out right then." Her eyes were a darker blue, almost black in color right then, before shifting back to their normal hue, the further away Greg moved from them.


"Well, my folks didn't exactly want everyone knowing their daughter was a freak. They'd rather have everyone believe I was mentally ill. The most screwed up part was that they made me believe it, too." A shrug, and by her tone, she could have been talking about the weather, or about someone else. Hmm...her parents. That was something she hadn't really thought about for a while. Were they even alive there? Had her relationship been the same with them? Sad to say, but she didn't hold out much hope for that one.

The young woman shrugged it off, and to her credit, she actually ate a decent amount at breakfast. Stacy was distracting, but she hadn't broached any of the topics that tended to turn her stomach - or maybe she was finally just starting to get numb to some of them...

Eve had nodded, even flashed a brief smile at the agent when he updated them on Rico's condition...and had been in the midst of a drink of orange juice when Stacy said that. She was lucky not to have choked on it, but came pretty close.

After safely swallowing it and blotting at her mouth with a napkin, she had to shake her head. "Not my type. Really." She even tried to be serious, but found herself flashing a little smile. Funny, why did she seem to hear that a lot lately? ...Granted, mostly from Evan, but almost making her choke wasn't funny, either.


"Mmm. Well, that should tide me over until lunch. Want to sit here and continue our session?" Tapping the recorder. "Or do you want to burn off some of this off?"


"Let's move. If I sit still, I'll start to fidget and generally make a nuisance of myself to everyone in the building." Well, partly true. The leg shakes and nail taps and pen clicks could only be taken for so long.

"Done deal." Pushing away from the table, Stacy had the recorder in hand, and was ready to go for it once again. "Speaking of Jara, what's your opinion of her?"


Rising smoothly, she was ready to go when Stacy was. Granted, the questions could get a bit tedious... "I like her. She seems like fun, and if it wasn't for her we probably wouldn't have survived it...but I think the spirits are what made us wreck in the first place." A shrug. She didn't blame Jara for it, given that she didn't know if that was something Jara could control at all - especially with the number of them that there were... "But I didn't even get to ask...How did Agent Steele and everyone else find out where we were? I couldn't get my cell to work."


"Jara has an implant that monitors her ... Spirit levels. When she spiked, we knew immediately. Every agent's phone has a distinctive signal. The satellite did the rest. I like Jara too. She keeps the men in line. Jara's one of our hand to hand combat specialists. I'm glad we got her from down under. And since you mentioned him, I'll continue with that. Your thoughts on Tohmaz?"


"Why am I not surprised that she'd hand-to-hand?" Eve had to grin at that image that put in her head - Jara pulling some kung-fu move and body slamming someone. That was just..funny for some reason. Not that she really put it past the other woman.

And then..."Oh yeah, how did I know that was coming next?" Lightly biting the inside of her lip took care of the smile, but she had a hard time hiding the light blush in her cheeks. Oh, but that was just too...cutesy. It would have been okay - if she was twelve! "Tohmaz is cool. He's helped me out in a lot of ways." She did flash a grin then, but it was for Stacy's benefit. "Higher level stuff, trust me."

Of course, after she stopped and thought about it for a second, it just sounded...wrong. A sigh and shake of her head at herself. She'd really have to watch what she said sometimes.. "I've known Steele and Rico both longer than most people really *think* I have. It just gets...complicated in there somewhere."


There was no change in Stacy's eye color, if that meant anything to Eve, and the sincere look remained. She'd quietly nod her head. No smirk. No certain look. No sly smiles of any sort. But she was mentally processing what was being told to her. "I guess you really made an impression with them both, because you've been added to their recently created squad..." Thinks for a second. "The Preternatural Division. Now that's a title. You still have a question to ask." Holding the door open, as they stepped back outside.

Drawing a deep breath, she nibbled at her lip as she tried to come up with a question. "...Mmm...I'll pass, this round." A smile. "If I can do that. Only thing I have in mind to ask is how long a session lasts?" The questions were alright, but it was a game she could see wearing thin in time.

"We're done, if you have nothing else to add. I have more than enough to get your file started. By the way, it's only mandatory to see me after an assignment, so other than that I won't be bugging you to see me. But if ever you need to get a hold of me, my office is building three, fourth floor, fifth door. 3-4-5. Glad to meet you Eve, and take care, okay?" All smiles, as the ear pieces were put back in place, faint sounds coming from them that could be called music, as Stacy looked down at her watch, before moving on to her next appointment.

[Don't react. Don't talk. Just find a spot where you won't look... stupid talking to yourself.] Evan. In a very serious mood. Just like that, he was gone again.


She nodded to Stacy, even flashed a brief smile. "Nice to know. Never know, I might look you up." She didn't plan on seeing Maxwell anymore, that was for sure. Still, having to see a psych at all wasn't really preferable, but so long as it was one open-minded, it wasn't too bad.

And then...Evan showed up. Oh, but she wanted to question him on where he'd been. Reeeally wanted to question him. Doing that in the open wasn't exactly a good idea, though..

She had gotten her cell phone back, along with the clothes that had been left in Jara's car. Well, there was one good way not to look stupid talking to herself... Flipping the phone open, she put the key lock on before going about the fun of having a conversation with herself. "Hey, what's up?" A quick flick of her eyes toward Evan, giving him his cue to start talking. Impatient? Just a bit.


He appeared on her right side, walking next to her. "This place is massive! Blows away what I had back home by a mile! It's on the up and up, from what I've seen. There were some buildings I couldn't get inside of. Guess they have their fair share of spirits lurking, too. Haven't seen any though. Your Dr. Maxwell is on the up and up, too. Granted he's still set in his ways, but he believes in what he's doing, no hidden agenda. Dr. Cromwell on the other hand ... One seriously bad apple. He had you and Jara on camera the second you stepped inside Stonebridge.]

"Why doesn't that surprise me?" Eve had to take just a second to grin, though. "...Of course, if I'd seen Jara and myself walk into a mental institution, I'd probably have been watching with more than faint interest too." Oh, but did that mean...? "..Did he see what I did in Maxwell's office?" Oh yeah, she'd been sure that would bite her on the axs somehow...

{I think he did, and I sort of remained behind. Instincts, you know. He had you guys followed, and didn't look all that surprised when Jara had her attack. That's when I swear he looked right up at me! Whatever that was down there, I couldn't even get close! It reeked of something evil though... ]

[Argus Steele]

"He had us followed?" The arch of a brow, and a glance at Evan. She still held the cell in place. To the casual observer, it looked as if she were just walking and talking, and glancing about to keep aware of her surroundings.

Eve didn't like that news though; not a bit. If he had something to do with Jara's 'attack,' then what about the hxllhounds? Or was that just coincidence?

Funny, but she had a hard time believing that coincidences were just that anymore... "You know, it really wouldn't surprise me if he *could* See you. Makes me wonder though if the guy is human, or if he's something else too." A half-shrug on her part. "He was supposedly a daemon lord before, so...I wouldn't be too shocked to find something of that scale now." She'd lowered her voice a bit, even shot him another of those glances before moving on.


[So what do we do? This guy might be behind your whole reality gap.] It was almost surreal to see Evan being this serious. [Sorry for not having your back, out there. Won't happen again.]

That's when he flashed a semi-sheepish smile. [And I would have been here sooner, but I was checking on Jara. So, you gonna report this back to Steele? Because I don't think he's human, or maybe he has powers like you. Me. Us. There were certain places where I couldn't get into at Stonebridge either. Now why would they be insulated against spirits? Or is that something they do here in your reality?]


Oddly enough, Eve could see him being the serious type - when he had to be. "He might be. And don't worry about it; I figure that you checking up on Cromwell was more important..."

...But she stopped, brows drawing together, and turned to look at Evan. "Checking on Jara? Aww, that's so sweet that you have a girlfriend. I think she likes you." Yeah, like she could talk. Notice that for the moment, Eve was saying nothing of what had happened with Steele...Well, not yet. She fell into step again, but was clearly puzzled once more. "You don't think Steele is human? What? And, um...No. It wasn't something they did, so far as I was ever told. I was never in any spirit insulated area, anyway."


[Hold the phone there - No pun meant. I meant that I agreed with you about Cromwell not being human. What? Steele do something to give you doubts? Not like the guy's gonna kiss you any time soon.]

Waving it off, Evan let out a low whistle. [This place is crazy huge. I'm thinking you should fess up about me. too. Don't want to pop up on some scanner, then have you try to explain that, eh? Speaking of your boyfriend, where is he? He wasn't in Jara's room, and he's not here. Where do you thi-]

That's when it happened again. Evan was gone, and Eve? She found herself standing in what could be best described as the ground zero result from a nuclear strike, or something awfully close. It was a distorted image of where she was presently at, just like before at the shopping mall. Nothing was alive. No birds, insects, and the air was deathly still. Smoldering cities lay in ruin as far as the eye could see.

Before she could even grasp the situation, with another blink of the eye she was back. With several armed guards training their weapons on her! "What the fxck? Where'd he go? Report!" Another guard with some sort of scanner was checking the area. "Zero, sir. Nothing. It was like he was never here. A glitch maybe? From far away, it could have been her. Hxll, look where we work."

Eve was given the eye, before the all clear was made. "Have them run a systems check. We don't need anything going wrong now." And just like that, Eve was left alone, save for a few passing looks from the guards.

Meanwhile...

Steele had finished his second rep, taking the usual 30 second breather before continuing his workout on the bag again. Dressed more like one of those ultimate fighters, sweat covered his muscular frame, and the tape wrapped around his hands, wrists, ankles, and feet was slight frayed from the numerous blows to the bag. A quick reach of his water bottle before he went at it again.


"What?" Eve had caught herself looking at Evan again for a second, before shaking her head. "We're both really going to have work on our phrasing. And just...don't..go there -" It was a shock to her system, to have everything change up on her again. The young woman froze, horrified by what she was seeing, the hand that held her cell phone going numb. She'd even stopped breathing, and blinking back into reality was even worse. The girl jumped visibly at having the guns trained on her, even quickly raised her hands into what she hoped was a supplicating position - and showed that she held nothing but the phone, though she'd practically forgotten it now..

"What the hxll was that?" Breathing the words to herself, Eve dropped her hands once the guards seemed satisfied and left her alone, but she was now quite thoroughly disturbed. She needed to get back to Steele's place, talk to him and Evan...where was Evan? A quick glance around, and she seriously picked up the pace to get back there. Just hope he was home, and that Evan popped back up. She'd have even liked to have talked to Jara...too bad she wasn't having visitors yet..


[What the hxll was that?] Evan was slowly lowering his hands, those eyes wider then they've ever been. Almost mirroring Eve's own expression. [Eve... I was here.*Here!* You were gone, and alarms started going off. Then I saw guards running this way, and figured they run right past me. Until they were aiming their weapons at me. Even then I wasn't sure they could see me until one of them nudged me with a rifle, and then I was back!]

To say he was shaken was an understatement. Running the hand through his hair, he looked back at her. [This happened back at the mall too, but it was so quick then, I thought I lost my concentration. Gonna assume you're at a lost with this too? Phone. Open your phone!] Trying to keep pace with her.


"You were solid, and I was somewhere else." Where? His reality? The idea was horrifying, if that was what it had been turned into.

She'd even forgotten to open the cell phone again - now, she didn't really care who saw her acting a bit off. She'd just had armed guards pointing weapons at her, not to even *mention* the other part! "Cell phone." Whispered as she flipped it open again, took off the key lock, and hit Steele on the speed dial to find out where he was.


"What's up, Eve? Everything okay?"


"I don't...I don't know. Reality just..um..blinked on me." A shrug, and she glanced toward Evan. Eve was fidgeting, playing with the laces on the side of her shirt; luckily, they were only for show rather than function. "We think Evan became solid and I went...somewhere else. Somewhere awful. I woke up with the guards pointing rifles at me." She wasn't sounding very happy about any of it, and her pulse hadn't calmed down much, either.


"Hey, I'm about three buildings over from where you are now. Meet me there, okay? Building 8. Um, both of you."

Evan during all of this was just looking around, fidgeting with his jacket. It wasn't that he was scared, only the fact getting used to being a ghost was one thing, then having guards see him, and have their guns on him? Well, if he had been drunk, that would have sobered him up really quick.


"Yeah." From there, she had to put the phone up. Pocket it, else she would have found herself doing something that could have torn the phone up. "Building eight. Great, let's see if we can find it before anything else weird or scary happens..." Muttered under her breath, then she was off again - not a run, but more like a fast-paced walk. She didn't make any effort to talk to Evan on the way, but glanced at him several times as if checking on him.

Blessedly, it didn't take her that long to get there. Nevermind that it had seemed like ages.


Steele had just stepped outside of building eight when he saw Eve approaching. The expression on her face said it all. "I don't have my glasses to See your friend, so I'll assume he's here?" Placing both hands on her shoulders. "Come on, lets get you ... Both over to area 61."

Placing an arm around her, he escorted them over to building 61. On the way there, a guard would stop Steele, having a few words with him. He did more nodding than talking, and they were on their way once again. "Wish I had the magic words to say the right thing about now, Eve. All I can do is be here for you." A small smile given, as he pulled her closer. "I know some folks that can check you out. This was supposed to happen tomorrow, but I can convince them to do it today. How's Evan doing?"


"Yeah, he's here." The shock had sank in a little now, and though still quite disturbed by it, it mostly only showed to those that knew what to look for - such as the lack of color in her cheeks and the wideness of her stare. "He's as freaked out as I am about the whole thing." Eve caught herself leaning in against him, and didn't really think to do anything about it - not that she really would have wanted to anyway. "What do you mean by that?" Checking her out, that was. A glance around for Evan to make sure he was sticking around, then a look up to Steele. She was really hoping it wasn't another psych exam..


"Official physical, frail. Getting your vitals on record, yadda, yadda, yadda. This just gives them something to work with. A starting point. I can stay in the room with you if you want." Nodding at the guards on duty, Steele held the door open for Eve, then escorting her over to the elevator. The building looked nothing out of the ordinary, no super Sci-Fi technology - Until they hit the sub-levels, where there were more check points. Scanners were picking up Evan as well, or what they called a 'signature presence.'

A short hallway led into what could be best described as Sci-Fi nerd's dream. Wall to wall technology, most unknown to the general public.

Steele would provide the introductions and got a scanner himself that at least allowed him to See where Evan was. He would also offer a brief explanation about the Lizts from another reality, but Eve wouldn't get those looks like back at Stonebridge. Instead, their expressions were of pure interest - but not like they were some experiment. They would explain what was being done, always explaining everything to the fine detail, and in layman's terms.

It wasn't one of those 'take off your clothes and wear a paper gown that left little or nothing to the imagination exams;' the only thing she was asked to remove were her shoes. There was blood drawn via a small prick of her finger, while the bulk of the physical revolved around scanners and other portable devices.

Steele was true to his word, staying out of their way, but always within Eve's line of sight. And don't think Evan didn't pick up on that. [Um, did I miss something? He's looking at you like ...] Of course Evan picked the time when she had her mouth wide open to ask that question, unable to respond. At least he was acting semi-normal, where his tests only involved a multitude of scanners, and projectors.


Oh, but he did have to pick that time to open his mouth, didn't he? Eve wasn't even able to throw out a 'shut up,' but instead had to settle on a flutter of one hand. While she didn't toss up the finger, it was a move that definitely said 'not now.' She'd never been big on exams, but this was a long way from being the worst she'd ever had. At least they *did* explain to her what was everything was, what it did and what they were doing. And the best part was that they weren't looking at her like she was crazy - or a lab rat that did something interesting...

It was an odd thought, but the idea floated through her head that she could get to like it there. Odd timing for that one.

She was glad that Steele stayed put. Don't be mistaken, the fact that they were *telling* her what was going on improved the situation, but she felt a little more confident about all of it given that someone else was there keeping an eye on things. Or was it just because it was him?

Don't. Go. There. Eve. She'd be quite happy when she'd get the okay to close her mouth again, but she'd taken to fiddling with the little bandage on her finger, tracing the seam with her thumbnail.


Evan caught the hint. She *was* him, after all, so he knew when to hold them and when to fold them. Until they had answers on what was going on, he'd play nice. Whatever they were paying this lot, it wasn't nearly enough, because they had initial results inside the hour. There was even a device where Evan could be heard as well as Seen. Dr. Langston, introduced himself to both Lizts, the typical looking doctor, right down to the grey at his temples and the crows feet that appeared when he smiled. Pushing his glasses back up his nose, he'd address them both by looking from one to the other.

Steele had made his way over there, but remained behind the seated Eve, close enough to let her know he was there. "Well, both of you are very healthy, on a most unique level. I am to understand that Evan here is from another reality?" Evan would nod his head. "And you Eve. Is this your reality? I apologize for my tone, but what I'm seeing before me was only talked about in theory. or played out in movies."


"Yeah. I sort of...warped into his, and from there I ended up here. We...*think* this is my reality." She glanced at Evan, then shrugged. "He's more sure than I am, but I don't really know how I might know for certain. If it's mine, it's somewhat different from what it was before, but similar enough I can see the parallels easily. I hope it's mine, because I really don't want to end up blinking off to another place." That sounded insane. But luckily, she wasn't getting *those* kinds of looks here.

Eve sank back in her chair, hands folded in her lap, and she'd even laced her fingers together. No more fidgeting that way. "It's a bit wild, isn't it Doc?"


"I guess it would be if I were in your shoes, young lady. I can only offer a theory of what has happened between you and Evan. There was the original concept based off time travel rules that do not apply to you two. Possibly because you are not from the same time flow, but from different realities altogether, but almost like twins. I hope that makes some sense. It seems that you two are bonded on a deeper level, and that Evan is Shifting places with you, or vice-versa."

Evan raised his hand. [Wait-a-minute. Eve was the only one that did the Shifting thing. I never did that. When I was pushing her through the portal, I grabbed her by the wrist. We both have this thing about physical contact on some things...]

A thoughtful look by all involved, a few mini-conferences, before Dr. Langston continued. "That actually makes some sense. Perhaps you two are so similar that the physical contact affected both of you on a deeper genetic level, like twins rumored to share thoughts without speaking to the other."

"We have the tendency to See by contact. Some things aren't ... pleasant. At all." The wince could almost be heard in her voice, and for a second a shadow passed over her expression. "It is kind of like having a twin around - what I would imagine it would be like, anyway. We think alike most of the time, even if he's a little quicker on the uptake sometimes." Eve tried to suppress it, but the slightly mischievous little grin passed her lips anyway. "I'm the one that...Shifted. Evan just sort of..came along for the ride, I guess." A shrug, and her brows drew together in a little frown.


That struck a nerve with Evan. He didn't ask to be here, and his last thoughts were holding on to Doctor Darcy as the end was fast upon them both... He knew Eve didn't mean it that way, but her words still stung just the same. He made no effort to hide the hurt in his eyes as he looked away. "Well, one of two things can happen. You two will continue to Shift until it works itself out. Hopefully, that means Evan will be able to remain in our reality as you did with his. Or ..."

[Or we might end up back there.] Evan finished matter-of -factly. Eve would feel a hand resting on her shoulder, and whenever she tensed up, it would offer a squeeze of reassurance.

"But there is no way to predict when the next Shift will occur, and for how long. Hopefully when we have the complete results, we'll have a bigger picture, and more to tell you. Other than that, I can say that Eve has the potential of becoming quite the powerful young lady. Our initial brain scans show a lot of activity going on up there. We'll be sure to forward the results to you the moment we have more, Tohmaz. We are done here. Nice to meet you all."

Steele would shake hands with the staff, thanking them for making time on such short notice. Evan was already headed out the door, hands in pockets, with a very somber look on his face.


The look on his face was enough to tell her that her phrasing had been wrong. *All* wrong. Eve winced, and Felt the pang as keenly as if it were her own. Why did she even open her mouth sometimes?

She'd started to tense up the more she listened to Dr. Langston and the possibilities; both were a bit worrisome. She didn't want to warp anymore, and she definitely didn't want the two of them ending up back in Evan's reality. Tense described her quite well, and after he gave her shoulder a squeeze, she tried to release a bit of it in a long, quiet breath. Too bad it didn't work better...

After the thank yous and goodbyes, Eve was darting on a little ahead, not even sure what she might say to Evan. What could she say to him, really? It all sounded so hollow, considering that he'd lost everyone he'd known and cared about. "Evan, I'm sorry. You know I didn't mean it to come out like that." Oh yeah, great save Eve. She even winced inwardly, half-worried that he was going to yell at her - or just disappear, flat out.


He'd stop right at the exit, looking over his shoulder. [I know Eve. I just...Try not to think about it. But I do need to deal with this before I have a serious nervous breakdown. Maybe they have a shrink for ghosts?] Small grin, before he started fading from view. [You need me just holler, okay? And don't go on a guilt trip, alright? You're all the family I have left to lean on. ] And he wasn't gone, but he wasn't there at the moment.

Steele walked beside her as they left the building. "You need some time alone, frail?"


She'd feel guilty whether Evan wanted to her or not. Eve sighed, then nibbled her lower lip gently. She even stayed put to let Steele catch up, and was thankful of his presence. Strange how things could see more precarious somehow, when she was alone. "No, but Evan does. I'm okay, really." As if trying to emphasize it, she even leaned a little, nudging her shoulder against his arm. She was as okay as she could be, considering the circumstances. "Alone makes it worse, somehow." Not that she could really explain that one, or thought that he'd even ask for an explanation.

[Argus Steele]

Doctor Maxwell was commended by the entire Board Committee on the way he handled a possibly potential volatile situation involving his former patient Eve N. Lizt.

All were in agreement that he should continue to assist her in this latest development, despite his own personal views of the subject concerning the Paranormal. Eve was considered a scientific breakthrough on several levels, and there would be an inquiry into her past to see when/what caused this to occur. One Board head in particular was all for such research, okaying any funds need to jumpstart this new program.

Doctor Hamilton Cromwell sat quietly in front of his laptop, fingers intertwined beneath his chin, elbows propped upon his solid oak wood desk, and a most ... Amused grin on his face. The images that have caused such a reaction were recorded almost a day before, images of one Eve Nora Lizt displaying a form of psionic ability ...

Telekinesis.

The footage was purposely loop, so that it would play continually. A dark smile formed under his nose, as he watched over and over again with keen interest.

"You see? That was no random unrestrained attack. She knew what she was doing, and maintained great control, as well focus. Not one shard of glass touched Doctor Maxwell, Jara Rico. or Eve herself. The look in her eyes tells much. A caterpillar no longer. This is merely the cocoon stage. Imagine what she'll be able to do as our butterfly. So much anger in that one, and no one to show her the way to the path of darkness, the descent of corruption ... It will be my pleasure to taint such a pure soul, free those delicious lustful desires that rest in waiting, just beneath the surface."

-What of her associates? Do they suspect?-

"Hardly. Much of the dark magiks were used to assure us that the veil will not be so easily lifted .... And if buy some chance our ruse is discovered, it will be far too late for them to do anything. Don't you agree, my dear??"

Reality seemed to bend, and flow like melted wax, as the far corner of Doctor Cromwell's office peeled away, layer by layer, until a Hellish image stood in it's place. A young girl restrained by tentacles that served more than a purpose of just keeping her from escaping. They also fed off her hybrid life force, which was used to feed the Daemon's binding spells. Dark circles had long formed under the girl's near soulless eyes, so close to death, but not allowed to cross over.

Doctor Cromwell would lift the chin of Amber Samantha Lynn to meet his own gaze .....

His unholy laughter filling the office ...

[Argus Steele]

"So how are we feeling today, Jara?"

"I dunno how yur feelin' Stacy, but I can't sleep cuz o' th' nightmares. Th' memories o' all the women tha' were killed. They still echo in my mind. I know how they died. Every - Single - One. That would be two hundred and ninety six to be exact."

Dr. Stacy Hanson tried her best to suppress a smile, but it was hard. Of all the ones she had sessions with, Jara Rico was the one she looked most forward to. Why? The woman was blatantly honest, no matter what. You got what you asked for. Once, Stacy asked her if she had her choice of being a piece of gum, what kind would it be. Without missing a beat, Jara would reply ... "Sugar free, because I don't believe in bein' artificial."

The young woman from Melbourne Australia, steadied herself against the main bar of her walker, showing vast improvement in getting herself around, since coming out of her coma several days ago. Unfortunately it was with a scream, for it was the first of many nightmares that now kept Jara woke, more often than not. "I don' wan' any stupid meds, either, Stacy. Toxins poisons the soul, an' my body is a temple."

Stacy had no argument there. All those assembled at the Center were at a loss for words to explain not only what happened to Jara Rico, but her continual amazing recovery since emerging from her coma. "Fair enough then. I'll make sure they keep enough Himalayan Goji Juice on hand for you. So, you want to tell me about the latest nightmare?"

Nodding her head slowly, those eyes the color of coal closed as she began to retell events for the night before. It helped her recall the images better, even though these were not the sort of things she wanted to remember ...

She found herself standing on a hill overlooking a wide field. A steady breeze rippled through the high grasses below, and the sky above was clouded and grey. Something stood tall in the center of the plain, gleaming gemlike to her eyes across the considerable distance. It was a beacon, calling to her, urging her to come and see.

As always, she began to run. The long white gown tangled her legs, but scarcely seemed to hinder her progress. She ran with long strides, exalting in the freedom of movement and untiring in her race across the plain. The closer the young woman drew to the monument, the more she realized the changes in the landscape about her and slowed.

The wind had ceased, and the grasses were shriveling, retreating back into the ground to leave the earth bare - and reveal the tombstones. There were never names or dates, but that was undeniably what they were; some still had images of angels or signs of faith carved into them, but many were blank, broken or crumbling. The lack of movement left the area deathly still and hushed, the atmosphere oppressive. She always had the sense of someone watching her, waiting.

It seemed to take forever to reach the monument in the center. Her steps had slowed with trepidation, and the young woman eyed the pillar cautiously. Vines had grown up around it, thick green vines that crawled to the very top, lush enough to almost cover the pale stone beneath. Had they been there before? She just couldn't recall. Something was going to happen; it was something she knew without a doubt, and struggled to remember what it was.

She stepped delicately on the three broad steps surrounding the monument, and hesitantly reached out to move the vines aside. Her heart was pounding, breath coming in quick gasps. The girl touched one of the vines, then her heart jumped into her throat and she recoiled. All of the greenery had sprang to full life abruptly; huge white flowers the size of dinner plates burst into bloom. The petals shimmered faintly in the low light, velvet textured.

She breathed a sigh of relief. She remembered now, and that startled her every time. Reaching up once more to draw the foliage aside, she eased in closer tilting her head gently in an effort to see what was beneath...

A hand shot out from beneath the layer of vines with a sound of shattering glass. The skin was mostly in mottled shades of grey and purple, the veins and tendons clearly visible where the flesh had worn away over the knuckles. The cold fingers closed in a vice-like grasp around her wrist, and she had just enough time to see the pale scar on the inside of her arm split open. Her skin ripped itself apart and spread like a disease, spilling bright blood. It was only then that she'd realize that whatever was behind the wall was trying to pull her inside...

"Well ... That was most .... Descriptive. You make it sound so real Jara, not like any dram, or nightmare I've ever heard of. "

"I wish it were one of th' two, Stacy. Then I wouldn't be concerned about ... This." Pulling the sleeve of her grey sweat shirt back to expose the wrist to the forearm, showing a very bad bruise, where it looked like someone had grabbed her roughly. "I didn't do this to myself, hun."

[Argus Steele]

The room was located inside his media room, easy to miss if one doesn't know where to look.

He nicknamed it the *Think Tank*, because that's what he used the small room for. To think. It lacked any type of furniture, carpeting, lights, and even windows. It had a single door to enter and exit, several steps inside would lead him to the center of the room where he would meditate with no outside distractions. The sound proof room would seal it self shut on his command, and would reopen the same way. It could be opened via an emergency by others that knew the code, which only a select few had knowledge of. This time, his pondering in absolute darkness would revolve around a certain female that in such a short time has made an impact in/on his life.

Eve Nora Lizt.

How do you react to a woman that claims that not only has she met you before, but those around you, in an alternate reality sort of way? If not for his field of work, he'd be looking at her with a expression of ... Of ... Hell, it's not something one can put into words. "Hi, you don't remember me, but we've met before, and your middle name was Argus."

Argus??? WTF kind of name is that?? His breathing was slowing, becoming more shallow, as he slipped into that state like trance, or what he like to refer as ... Thought Mode.

Eve Nora Lizt, a former resident/patient of the Institution of Stonebridge, and owner of unique mental powers/abilities. He should have been spooked by the deja-vu thing she did from time to time, but for some reason it didn't bother him at all, like he was used to it, and that *did* bother him. That's not something you get used to, a frail having knowledge on how certain things were going to turn out. Even those events were about 94% accurate, which made him feel a little better.

The little things that were different? Jara Rico was a man in Eve's ... Reality. His name was ... Theodore. Theodore Argus. Argus Theodore. Whatever. That just made him cringe. The three of them called themselves the Night Walkers Inc., the same name as their softball team. Spooky. Her Doctor had the same name, her work place was the same, as were the co workers. Could she have had some sort of vision? If so, that had to have been one for the books, to be that read, and for her to recall so much in vivid detail.

Then there was the interaction they had with the other. it was almost immediate how they just sort of ... Clicked. Normally it takes some folks several months to get that sort of friend closeness that they had in under several weeks. Friend closeness? You don't go kissing your friend like that, as he did the other day.

There was *something* about Eve that drew him to her, something that was increasing the attraction he had towards her, with subtle signs it may be mutual. That was a red flag in their line of work, especially with her being raw, a new recruit. The Center didn't have strict rules about their employees dating, it was just considered ... You didn't.

Then there was Evan Lizt, another version of herself from a reality that had been taken over by the Daemon. They treated each other more like twin siblings, Steele figured that was their way of dealing with the actual fact of it all. This wasn't working at all. Too much was going right now for him to really focus. Jara was on the mend, and Eve was getting her initiation tour into the Center. He'd try it again later in the evening before turning in the night.

Muttering to himself, the door would slide open, with Steele emerging from the darkened room seconds later. Stretching out the kinks in his neck, he walked into the kitchen to make a quick bite to eat, his reflection on several appliances causing him to pause ... It was something he never considered living alone, but he would have to change that line of thinking, as well head up to his bedroom to grab some clothes before ....

The key had already been inserted into the lock, and was opening as Steele was, well ... Nude. Naked. Nekkid. Bare. Disrobed. Stripped. Unclad. Unclothed. Undressed. Denuded. Peeled. Starkers. Unveiled. In his birthday suit.

"Um, hey there Eve."

There would be no attempt in explaining, her glance pretty much said it all. He'd shake his head before continuing on to his room. No use trying to explain right then. Not for his sake, but for his startled guest.

This just keeps getting better.

[Argus Steele]

It had been a long morning, was a long afternoon, and promised to make for a long evening if Eve wasn't careful. The greater part of her day, thus far, had been spent at the Center, touring and learning her way around, learning more about the place entirely. She'd even spent a little time in the gym there, trying to stretch some of the stress out of her muscles, will herself to be flexible in mind and body alike. To just *move* rather than *think* about anything.

Time and again, she found herself returning to the same topics. Her worries for Jara and Evan. Fears of what could happen next, particularly in dealing with Cromwell and the Shifts. Excitement and reservations alike about her own abilities. Confusion over the entire situation with Steele...

Somehow, she thought that the last should have troubled her least of all; it seemed to her that her mind couldn't turn from one topic from running smack into another. Eve was beginning to feel off-balance from it all (moreso than usual) and lost her focus in the gym. She ended up giving up, and after grabbing a quick shower, she headed off.

She'd thought to go to the Coffee Shop, but decided against it. Eve already knew where that would go; friendly conversation at first, then it would develop into prying to find out some 'juicy' bits about what was going on between she and Steele.

Most of the problem, maybe, was that she wasn't *sure* what was going on between them. There was an attraction there, and it seemed to be mutual, but...it wasn't as if she had much experience with dating. Hell, she'd only ever had one crush before, and that had been childish and put to a fast end by a transfer to another private school.

A sigh as she walked down the sidewalk, lips pursing gently. Her hair was pulled into a high ponytail, and she'd changed into a track suit before leaving the gym; the fabric was light, comfortable, and the soft peach color brightened her fair skin a little, gave her a little glow. She'd left the little jacket unzipped to show the white crop top under it, but that didn't bother her much. Physically, Eve was tired, but pleasantly so. Mentally, she was tired, but couldn't shut down.

Coming up the steps to Steele's place, Eve had pulled both her keys and cell phone out of the mesh bag slung over her shoulder. Sliding the key into the lock, she turned the phone over in her hand once or twice, thinking about calling Jara to see how she was...

...And was lucky not to drop the phone right inside the door.

It took her mind a few seconds to catch up to what her eyes were seeing. Steele. Oh. Yes. But *where* exactly were his clothes?

The look on her face probably said more than she ever could have. Her jaw didn't drop (bully for her!) but her eyes did widen, and her cheeks flushed just a bit. Okay, so she *did* look away - but after getting an eyeful. "Oh hi, Tohmaz. Comfy? If it's 'naked day,' you could have let me know. I would have gotten a camera." It was funny how casual her voice could sound sometimes in odd situations...

But it was just...too funny. Maybe the break in tension that she really needed. Dropping the bag onto the couch, she managed to keep herself in check - at least, until Steele wandered toward his room. Then she dropped down, covered her mouth with her hands, and started to laugh. It seemed altogether ridiculous, and had been the last thing she expected to walk in on.

Once the laughing fit had passed - and there were moments in there where she probably sounded hysterical - Eve sat back on the couch, resting her head back, staring up at the ceiling. "Oh, Steele..." A brief giggle, and a playful smile lingered on her lips. "...You know how to brighten up a girl's day, don't you?"

Maybe it wouldn't be such a long night, after all.

[Argus Steele]

'Deep inside these burning buildings
Voices die to be heard
Years we spent teaching a lesson
That we ourselves have never learned
And if strength is born from heartbreak,
Then mountains I could move
If walls could speak
I pray that they would tell me what to do!'

The quick, upbeat tones of Rise Against faded into the background as Eve skipped along the high balance beam, testing herself on the four inches or so of available foot room. This was the fifth time she'd tried such a maneuver, though she'd gradually increased the speed of her movements. She'd only slipped once so far, and had used the chance to test out her Shielding. The impact wouldn't have been too hard since the floor in that area was padded, but the Shield had made it even less of anything. It had been like falling, and then...nothing. She'd just found herself sitting on the floor.

Well, nothing *physically* speaking. Eve had still Felt it mentally, a bright flare on her Mind's Eye for all of a heartbeat. Awareness without being jolting or painful. A strange Feeling, but something she was getting used to.

For the past few days, she'd taken to spending a good portion of her time at the Center, especially in the gym. The workouts were freeing in an odd way, but it was also from the simple need to do *something.* She hadn't Seen much out of Evan lately and though she'd called Jara once or twice to check on her, she hadn't really talked to the other woman much either.

And Steele. She *really* hadn't talked to him much. Though it had been pretty dxmn funny to walk in on him naked - and she still hadn't posed the question of *why* he'd been walking around skyclad - it was also a little uncomfortable. Her face usually flushed a little when he was around, which might not have been so unusual in itself, but she would get the impulse to giggle at odd times, too. That one was really annoying, but she was a touch more worried that he might have thought she was laughing *at* him which...just wasn't the case.

Was every crush this awkward? Or did attaction get easier with experience?

Eve wasn't sure what bothered her more: The childish uncertainty that set in every time she thought about it, or the fact that her mind turned to *that* topic every time she managed to shake one of the others. What had happened to that concentration she used to have? To be able to just *move* and react rather than *think* about everything while she did it?

'No life here save the embers
The occasional flame
We know the way but can't remember
Conception to the grave
Shout confessions from the greatest heights
Where no one can hear
All my fears
My insecurities
Are falling like tears.'

Her feet were quick on the balance beam, and satisfied that she could maintain in a normal stance, Eve changed things up a bit. It had been about five years since she'd actually gotten to dance, but the foot and leg positions were the most important and useful part. She still used those on a regular basis to keep herself flexible, to maintain the muscle memory she'd worked so hard before to create. During those years spent in Stonebridge, it would have been all too easy to just be still, lay down and let the drugs do their work, to deteriorate in so many ways...Luckily, Eve didn't often do things the easy way. It had sometimes befuddled staff to see her going through those stretches, but most often they simply ignored her. The exercises had been one of the few things she'd ever been able to do without interference.

The muscles of her calves and thighs burned briefly, aching their complaint as she went through the five primary foot positions on the beam. Not the easiest thing to do up there, but she managed nonetheless, moving into each fluidly. How long *had* she been working out today? The young woman wasn't even quite sure, but she'd seen a number of people come and go thoughout the course of the day; when she hadn't been physically working out, she'd been working on some of the mental abilities - TK and Shiedling primarily among them.

She had to get quicker with both; that was all there was to it. What if something else happened, like it did with Jara? Oh yeah, she'd survived, and so did Jara and one other person...but one didn't. Eve hadn't even learned his name yet, hadn't really wanted to; she already felt guilty about it, and it had become a nightmare that constantly replayed when she tried to sleep. She hadn't been quick enough to save him, and could only *imagine* what it would have been like to die that way.

Just after the incident with the hxllhounds, she'd felt twinges over it and had been berating herself; the next morning, when she'd been talking to Stacy, she'd found herself a little numb about the entire ordeal. Later that night, though... Eve tried to chalk it up as just another nightmare added to her repertoire. Even after getting up, meandering for a little while, trying to divert her mind elsewhere...it had come right back. She kept hearing that scream, over and over...and in the worst one, he'd been there to ask her *why* she hadn't saved him.

That had been at around four that morning. Eve had been awake since then, had even made breakfast - which she'd mostly just picked at - before getting dressed and grabbing her bag. She'd left a note about where she was going on the fridge, along with most of what she'd made inside, and hit the gym.

Survivor's guilt? Eve had wondered at the phrase a time or two before shaking it off. She wasn't feeling guilty because she's survived and he didn't; she was feeling guilty because she didn't react fast enough to save him. He was killed by those *things* because she'd been too slow.

And the thought had started welling from the undercurrent of her mind: What if it had been Jara instead? What if it had been Evan? Or Steele? Not only would it have been someone dying because of her, but she would have been failing a friend then and losing someone she really cared about.

'If you see me
Please just walk on by
Walk on by
Forget my name
And I'll forget it too
Failed attempts at living simple lives
Simple lives
Are what keep me coming back to you...'

From the last foot position, Eve let her forward foot slip off, let herself drop down and roll forward. A quick tumble on the narrow beam, and she caught herself on her hands, one to each edge, then swung herself up into a handstand. Her arms burned momentarily before fading into the general tired ache of her body, and she ignored the strands from her ponytail that fell at the back of her head, laying on the beam. Her sneakered toes were pointed skyward, and the black shorts and tank top she wore didn't even slide. With a slow exhalation, Eve closed her eyes, keeping her body tense and straight. A moment later she moved her legs, one forward and one back, each as far as she could go. More muscle complaint that she ignored aside from drawing a deep breath, then shifted her legs again - wide this time, going through an entire routine of inverted splits before letting herself drop back to the beam. The room faded for a few seconds as the blood rushed away from her head, and Eve took a few to just breathe.

She hurt. She *really* hurt, and physically Eve was so tired that she thought if she was still for very long, she'd be out like a light. Maybe it was time to call it a night? Swinging her legs over the beam - and they both suddenly felt very heavy - she dropped to the mat and headed off to the showers.

A bit later, Eve was feeling refreshed. The hot water had helped with the ache in her body, and being clean made it that much better. Tired, but her mind had finally shut down - to some extent. Maybe she'd luck out and get some dreamless sleep? She wasn't banking on that, but even the temporary reprieve from her mind running in circles made her feel better. As she left the Center to head back to Steele's place - even giving her cell a check for calls - she found herself singing softly. More Rise Against, this time The Good Left Undone; that was what she got for putting the CD on shuffle and repeat. " 'All because of you, I haven't slept in so long. When I do I dream of drowning in the o-cean, longing for the shore, where I can lay my head down. I'll follow your voice. All you have to do is shout it out...' " This one was a little more upbeat, a little more hopeful, had an odd way of putting things in perspective. It brightened her mood a little, and Eve had a little more spring in her step as she made it back to Steele's place, still humming softly to herself.

[Argus Steele]

"It was like fillin' a balloon with water, an' seein' how much it could hold until it was ready to pop. An' I was verra close to doin' that. That was the good news of the whole she-blang. The worse o' it is I keep relivin' how one of them died every time I go to sleep, so sleepin' is not top o' me priorities at the moment. Stacy thinks it's left over residue, from havin' so many un rested souls collected in one spot."

"Dehm, that's way too weird for me. What I don't get is the whole cover up thing. It looked like the killings had been going on way back when. Don't you think those that had family-friends-loved ones should be contacted to at least provide some closure?"

"You're pretty much on target wit' your thinkin' luv. Our fact finding squad has been doin' the whole dental record, an' DNA samples to see who those poor women were, an' contactin' the next of kin if any. The top brass decided to put a more accurate spin on the whole thing by stayin' as close to the truth as they can."

"Let me guess. A highway accident leads to an uncovering hundreds of buried bodies that were located in a abandoned oil field, but without any mention of the big nasties that were there." A thoughtful expression followed by a nod of the head. "Nice to see the right thing is being done."

"Wha' about you? This cannae be all nutss and giggles from your stand point. Any more ... Shifts?"

A less than subtle shake of the head, quickly followed by a running of the hand through the hair. "No, and I can't find any possible pattern."

"Then let's see if I can get a different view from it."

"Well, the first shift happened at the mall, while you ladies were doing the clothing thing. It was so subtle at first, it didn't last more than a minute or so. But that feeling of being solid? Freaked me out. Then the other day, it happened again, longer, and on a more major scale. I set off the intruder alarms, and the guards actually saw me!!! I thought I was going to frickin' pee my pants!!! Before I could say anything, they had guns locked and loaded. Next thing ... Whammo!!! I was back inside my twilight zone."

"Hmmm .... Pretty much you two switched places? It sounds like you appeared where Eve was and vice-versa?"

"You know something? I'm not sure where Eve appeared ... Well, I know, but I *NEVER* go back there."

Arch of the eyebrow. "You mean your reality, don' you."

And there went the trademark empty doll eyed, sans any true emotional look, that the Lizts are best known for. "Yeah. I pretty much try and stay *here* if at all possible. It takes a lot of concentration to not phase back there ... " A small frown did find its way onto his face ...

"Don' you think you need to warnin' her, or at least tellin' her how what to do when an' if it happens again? Poor girl has gone through enuff already, without this addin' to her plate."

"Not like there's been a perfect time, Jara. Something's always going on. Last time I was appeared to check on her, she was going back to Steele's place and well ... he was ... Let's not go there."

"No, no, no, no, no..... Let's go there!!! I wanna all the juicy details!!!"

"She'd kill me. If there was a way." Shared laughter by both dispelled any tension from the previous conversations. "For the record, thanks for listening to me ramble. It helps a lot. I've never met a spirit seer before, except on TV. I didn't even know you could touch spirits ..... How weird is that?"

"It's a recent ability that I've been working on. No problem, luv. an' I thank you for helpin' me get some decent practice in ... Three hours an' counting. An' I don' hav' a problem wit' you .... Hangin' about here, yanno? Tis nice to have you not playin' like you're some sort of spirit stalker. An' if you're a good boy, mebbe I'll let you get my back, when I take my shower."

Evan was *SO* happy/relived that Eve wasn't there to hear that last comment, and the red face resulting from it.

[Argus Steele]

The previous day, Eve had done a good job of wearing herself out. It meant that when she'd gotten home and even managed a bite to eat, she'd headed for her bedroom with all intentions of reading for a bit - only to wake up early that morning to find the paperback crumpled somewhere among the sheets and pillows. She hadn't dreamed, at least not that she could recall; it was the best feeling in the world to wake up without being startling herself out of a nightmare. After going about the daily necessities of showering and brushing her teeth, she'd gotten dressed and stood on the stairs for a moment, just listening. It never ceased to amaze her how quiet places were early in the morning, before the traffic and the greater part of human activity really began. Steele's place usually stayed pretty quiet, but even the faint sounds of cars could filter in, sometimes.

Even so, it could be a bit *too* still for her... "Amberlynn?" Quietly called as she completed the trek down the steps, looking for the dog. With her luck, the mutt would have been sleeping in Steele's room.

Nothing at first. Then the faint sounds of pitter-pats picking up speed, until a certain hyperactive dog was making a bee line right towards Eve, with one of her gym shoes firmly inside her mouth. Stopping several feet from Eve, she'd sit down, tail wagging, but not dropping the shoe.

A long-suffering sigh at realizing just *what* she'd decided to use as her chew toy, but Eve leaned over a bit, holding her hands out a little...just before clapping them against her thighs. Most dogs seem to take that as a 'come jump on me' signal. And Eve wanted her shoe back, dxmmit.

"What's that, huh? You found a new toy?" It was probably ruined anyway, but she *was* curious to know how the mutt had managed to get it off the shelf of the closet...if she'd remembered to put them up there. That part was a little bit fuzzy now. Straightening, she moved toward the dog, more than half expecting her to jump up and run, but hoping she didn't.


The dog sat there for all of about three seconds before resuming her previous stance, tail still wagging. She'd finish her run towards Eve, dropping the shoe at her feet.

[Um, you're late for Steele's training class, kiddo. Guess he'll accept the 'my alarm didn't go off' excuse, eh?] That would be the alternate reality version of herself, Evan. [And yes, he's even tried calling you, but *someone* has their phone set to vibrate.] His appearance attracted the dog's attention, and she barked at *where* he would be.


Leaning over, she picked the shoe up by a soggy lace, giving it a dubious look before looking at the dog. "Um, thanks." Yeah, right. The voice almost made her drop the shoe, and Eve noticeably jumped. "Training class?" Blink, blink. Oh...yeeeah. She'd...forgotten about that. Probably because she'd worn herself out... "Oh, wonderful." Turning around, she skipped back up the stairs, taking them by twos. "Why didn't he wake me up before he left?" She hadn't even set her alarm; she hadn't expected a decent night's sleep, actually. Tossing the wet sneaker into the closet, Eve snatched out another pair of shoes - boots actually, but they had to do - and pulled them on, then went for her cell. That made a lovely impression, didn't it? She even checked the missed calls as she snatched up her keys and slipped an elastic ponytail holder around her wrist, heading for the door. "Isn't this just precious. And where have you been?" She hadn't Seen him yet, but was taking it for granted that he was still there. Evan tended to hang around for a few minutes at least, usually so they could tease one another - though they had their serious moments. "Haven't Seen you for a bit, and I didn't even have the Feeling that you're nearby."


[Maybe because you looked like a precious little angel all snug in your bed - With visions of your boyfriend dancing in your head.]

Walking around the dog, who seemed semi-alert to his presence, he'd give Eve a small smile before answering. [The truth? I've been talking to Jara, making good use of her knack of conversing with we spirit folk.]

He'd actually remained with her during the entire conversation, phasing through walls, doors, and other solid objects, while the dog followed Eve. [Getting a fresh perspective on some things. Um, I guess this is the right time to talk about this: The Shifting thing. I think when it happens, we switch places, only you appear back at my reality.]

"He's not my boyfriend." Automatic response. But it was true, wasn't it? A crush did *not* equal someone being her boyfriend. Not even if he *had* kissed her...Or if she'd seen him naked. A shake of her head to stop trying to think herself in circles - especially over something like *that!* - and she gave Evan a glance. "Talking to Jara. Is that what you're calling it when you give her goo-goo eyes?" A quick flash of a smile, but she drew up short then, mostly to stop the dog. She couldn't exactly take pups with her, could she? A quick sidetrack to the kitchen for one of those rawhide treats, and she was headed out. "Yeah, given that it looks like a nuclear strike hit and took out everything, I'm pretty sure that's where it is. It would make sense." A shrug as she closed the front door, checked to make sure it was locked, and faintly wished she'd grabbed a jacket. The tank top she wore was black and styled to *look* like a corset without actually being one, shaped and laced up the front with a thick black ribbon. It was just an odd feeling to go into public without sleeves on; made her feel a bit naked. Pulling the cell phone out, she put the key lock on and shot a glance Evan's way. Easier to talk without looking insane that way.


[I don't make goo goo eyes...um...anymore, oh Queen of Blushes. And I don't try to appear *there* if I don't have to. Takes a lot of concentration, you know? Is it me, or have you been showing a little more skin of late? Trying to impress your teacher?] And that's when he did something interesting. He actually nudged her shoulder! [Is that cool or what! It takes a lot out of me, but I can do that for short periods of time. Jara suggested it to me after seeing some movie called 'Ghost.'] A shrug of his shoulders. [But she did have another point: We need to see if either one of us is responsible for triggering the Shifts. How were you doing it before? I thought they just happened, but Jara thinks you might have another ability or something.]

The dog would whine for a bit, but she would settle for the treat before scrambling off to parts unknown inside the house. [I didn't mention the whole Dr. Cromwell thing to her until we have more proof. This guy's pretty well known and respected, so we need to catch his hand in the cookie jar, you know?]

"It's the same kind of stuff I've always worn, Evan. I'm just not wearing a shirt over it." She felt it coming on. A blush. It was like being caught doing something, and it annoyed her a little. Steele was *not* the reason for how she dressed! ....Okay, not all of it. Jara had influenced some of the stuff she'd bought, and when it came down to it, Eve *was* female and wanted to dress as such.

But...hold on! "Jara taught you that?" Embarrassment was fast forgotten as she latched onto that little detail. The grin that touched her lips was mischievous, and wickedly playful. "Ooooh...I see. That's why you've been there the past couple of days." Cat that got the canary smile there. It was just...funny!

Her mood sobered quickly as she considered the Shifts, brows knitting as she contemplated it. "If I did it, I really don't know how. They did seem to just...happen. At random, so I thought." Was there a tie-in? A little frown as she thought about it, trying to recall any similarities in how the Shifts had occurred.


[Well, I never had that ability until recently myself, and it just seems to center swapping places with you. Nothing to clue me in when it happens. No funny vibe or anything. I guess it's something to think about if ... when it happens again. So, are you still having doubts that this may be your reality?] He paused long enough to make faces at those the pair passed by.


Eve would only shoot passersby a glance as she walked, her pace a bit swifter than usual. Yeah, she felt like a twit for oversleeping, but she still thought it was kind of funny that Steele hadn't just woken her up. It made sense to her, anyway... "Sometimes, yeah. It's just weird, you know? I don't even know how to determine if this *is* really mine. The similarities are strong enough that this could be, but on the flip side...I don't know. I just find myself doubting it. Things getting turned around leaves me feeling a little wobbly, you know?" Did that even make sense? Eve definitely hoped so. "But it's also weird because I *can* see this place being home. It's just close enough that it could be."


[Oops. There's your trainer-slash-boyfriend. Have fun!] Evan would fade from view with a sly grin of his own.

"Nice of you to make it today, Lizt. Nice outfit by the way." Steele would smirk before heading back inside the training facility. "Hope you had your breakfast, because we have a fun two hours ahead of us." Steele was wearing a black tank top with matching sweatpants. A very colorful tattoo of a lion's head could be clearly seen on his right shoulder. He was in great shape, but she'd already ...ahem... *seen* that before. "You ready to get sweaty?" Looking over her shoulder, while giving her an Argus kind of grin.


"He's no- !" Eve cut the words off sharply, grit her teeth for all of a second before turning it into a smile. Even if it was a little tense. Evan *was* her alright; he knew exactly how to push her buttons...

No point trying to argue with him now. Flipping the cell shut and tucking it into her back pocket, she managed to get the curly strands of her hair restrained into a ponytail. "Sorry I'm late. I forgot about it and didn't even set the alarm before I went to sleep." No point in lying about it. She'd noticed the tattoo alright, right along with his clothes and the shape he was in...even though he'd given her a pretty good view of that one before. "Why didn't you try to drag me out of bed?" She could have hit the gym again before time for the training, maybe even come prepared. At least she *had* done some of her stretches that morning, right before her shower.


"Try to drag you out of bed. Now there's a wicked thought for next time." Steele was true to his word. She would be sore in places that weren't meant to be sore, but he knew his stuff. There were times, where he had to get hands on, and stand behind Eve to assist her with her stance, holding a stretch, and so on. And they would get very sweaty indeed, going from basic self-defense, to high impact cardio. The man just looked like he was going through the motions with no signs of getting tired.

And right when she was slightly off balance: "Eve. About that kiss the other day...."

The cardio and stretches were good; they *felt* good, flexing muscles and stretching joints, venting some of the nervous energy that was quick to build up within her. Eve would actually keep up quite well, though the self-defense was generally new to her; luckily, she was a fast learner. She'd been re-thinking the cardio, memorizing it for later use when Steele had startled her a little - and it wasn't his voice so much as what he'd said...

"Oh." It sounded a tad squeaky, even to her. Clearing her throat, she tried again. "It was - I mean - " Not exactly organized. Giving up on that with a little shake of her head, she tried something simpler: To let him say what he intended, if anything. "Yeah?" Her cheeks had flushed again, but it wasn't *all* blush this time; a little of it was from the workout.

He'd look down at her while wiping himself off, hints of a small smile evident on his face. "Not going to beat around the bush, frail. I like you. A lot. I'm not the sort that ponders the who, what, when, where, why or how, but you and me? We just seem to click. I don't know the history with you and that Argus guy..." Pausing long enough to cringe at that name. "...But if I crossed a line, holla. It wasn't the time or place to do that...And neither of us have spoken about it since. Might as well ... " Pausing again, to catch her swing in mid-air and flip her onto the mat. "...Get it out in the open, know where each other stands. I'd like to get to know you a lot better. " Pulling Eve to her feet. Before leaving the towel around his neck, while getting into another fighting stance. "Hxll, after catching me au naturel, you see I have nothing to ... Ahem. Hide."


After getting back on her feet, Eve shook it off and fell into another of the defensive postures that she'd learned thus far. Granted, this *was* a very strange thing to be talking about during combat training, but in a way she was glad; it got it out in the open. He was right; neither of them had even mentioned the kiss - or her walking in on him - since it happened. She hadn't even mentioned it to Evan! Then again, she could already hear the teasing that would take place if she told *him* something like that... "There wasn't...really a history. We were friends." A shrug offered, and though her stormy-eyed gaze lowered a little, she was actually studying his stance...but managed to look thoughtful. "It's not that I didn't like it or that I thought it was out of place or anything. I just...It surprised me, I guess. I didn't really know how to react. It's...kind of uncharted territory for me." And she felt like *such* a nerd admitting it to someone. But given where she'd spent a fair amount of her teen years, maybe it was at least semi-understandable.

"..Why *were* you walking around like that anyway?" Natural curiosity speaking. She might not have been the greatest at combat, but she was quick. A feint one way, and she struck the other.

"My place, and I enjoy the freedom." Wow. Could that answer be any more simple? "Have to get used to having a ...guest. Though, if you ever get the urge to walk around nekkid..." He knew that would catch her off guard once again, and Eve found herself being flipped onto the mat. This time, however, he sat on her, pinning her arms to her sides. "Seriously, you have a lot going on right now, and I don't want you to feel all weirded out. The whole d?j? vu thing, learning about your powers, joining the Center, and facing off against things that some folks only think live in the movies. We can keep it strictly platonic." Letting her up once again, with that smile still intact. "Though I would be disappointed. Break time. " Dropping down and folding his legs Lotus style, Steele just .... looked at her.


Hitting the mat again - little surprise there - Eve blinked to find him perched on her, pinning her down. Point blank, the girl just wasn't *focused* like she should have been. He'd picked a hxll of a time to bring this up, hadn't he? Or was that just part of the training?

Duh, Eve. A shake of her head, and once he'd let her up again, she sat up and went into another set of stretches. She was starting to get tired, but pleasantly so. "Like I said, next time you want naked day, just tell me so I can be armed with a camera." A teasing grin flickered over her lips as she leaned forward over her right leg, arms stretched as far as they could go. She really felt that one in her back and hamstrings, but maintained it for a long minute before switching. "Some of it isn't as bad as you might think. I mean, consider it this way: throughout my life, it's always been *something.* If it wasn't that I was being told I was crazy or sick, then it was worrying about what my parents would say or do or about the next appointment with Maxwell. This is...all kind of nice in a way. At least I'm not doubting that it's actually happening rather than being some warped little scene going on in my head." Sitting up, she drew her legs in tight, soles together in a butterfly position. "But I do like you. A lot." She even managed to look at him as she said that. A little grin touched her lips. "Even if you *are* whipping my axs at this."


And that's when she see it, only for the span of a blink. That same look Argus had at times in his eyes - Tohmaz had it! "Well, I can't lie that I'm enjoying that. The axs part."

{Steele? Can you come up here? We have a possible situation. }

A roll of his eyes, along with a shake of the head. "Do I have time to grab a shower?"

{Let me rephrase that. Potential daemon sighting.}

"Okay, I'll take that as a no. I'm on my way." Looking back to Eve, he'd point at her. "You get off easy today. Meet you back at the house, 'kay?" He even snuck a quick peck on the cheek before running off.

[Naked day? You saw him naked!?] Three guesses who that was, and the first two don't count.

Eve had to grin at that, even managed not to turn anymore red than she already had. Not that she was surprised that the session had been interrupted, but she *was* a bit curious... "Yeah, see you there." She'd thought about hitting the gym after this, but...well, it didn't really seem necessary now. What seemed necessary now was a good shower. Rolling to her feet in a smooth motion, the pausing for a long stretch, arms overhead and raising onto her toes...she almost stumbled when the other voice broke through. "Evan!" Recovering quickly, Eve straightened her clothes up, tightened her ponytail. "Don't *do* that!" Okay, so she wasn't *that* startled but she didn't really want to answer that question.


[Mhmm.] Now walking around Eve with a *very* devious grin. [Anything you want to tell me? God girl, if you turn any redder your head's gonna pop!] Yeah, Evan was loving this. [C'mon fess up! Not your boyfriend, huh?]


"No, not my boyfriend. I don't...know what to call him." A shake of her head, and Eve did look a little confused with that one. "Okay, okay..shut up. I walked in on him by accident a couple of days ago. I told him that next time he wants to do that, to tell me so I can bring a camera." She tried to hold a straight face, to look cute and innocent - then failed miserably. Eve laughed at first, then it faded off into a grin. "I had to say *something* smart, you know." Just wouldn't have been very Eve-like to have let that one go by without saying *something.*


[Well, for the record, I got to try *my* new ability this morning - by washing Jara's back. In the shower!] And you couldn't wipe that grin off his face right then. [You know what I miss the most right now? No! Besides that! Tele-Blading.] Evan blinked. [Shxt it's happe- ]

Eve found herself surrounded by death. There was no life left on Evan's world. Skulls and bones, as far as the eyes could see. The air was still. The skies were ashen, and even the sun looked different. This was worse than any nuclear blast that was ever shown in the movies. It was like every last resource was consumed, then the planet was just...discarded. No wonder Evan tried to never return there...

Wait, if he could appear in ghost form to her, could she do the same? He never did get around to saying *how* he did that..

Another scary thought. This Shift was lasting longer that the last ones. It was so quiet she could almost hear her own heart beating, every hard swallow made. The Center - what was left of it - did look a lot like Evan's place. She was back where it all ended! Everett...and Nora!


It was quick, but Eve had realized the same thing as Evan in those last few seconds. It had been a peculiar feeling, dizzying both mentally and physically, a feeling of...displacement. Being *pushed* out of her own reality...

In those first few seconds, she didn't even breathe. Just watched and waited, the pound of her heart so loud it seemed to drown out any other noise. Was there any other noise? It was *so* quiet. She was almost afraid to move, afraid to do *anything,* but if the Shift didn't reverse itself...Oh, but she should have asked Evan how he appeared as he did. 'Beautiful.' She mouthed the word without actually speaking it.

Realizing where she actually was, Eve took her first step, carefully, cautiously. Everyone was gone...weren't they? Given how this place looked, she didn't think there was much chance for survival...

Her mind was focused on trying to *Feel* Evan, but she wasn't sure it would work. Evan said he'd died, didn't he? Was that the key to it? Eve was hoping not; she really hoped that Shifting was something that the two of them could get the hang of, alive or not...

Her steps were deliberate, quiet, and she kept her eyes open, wary of anything unpleasant popping up. Her mind was whirling, but she was *trying* to focus, trying to figure out how the Shifting worked (if it did at all) so she could get home.


It was like a flash of light. When she concentrated a certain way, things flashed about and around her again. It came with trying to hold onto a particular thought or feeling, to focus on it. The flashes were coming quicker now...

...Until she was back! Sort of. Evan was being wrestled to the ground by guards as he kept trying to explain to them what was going on. That was when he Saw Eve!

Somehow, they had switched places entirely! He was in the Material Plane, and this time she was the ghost!


That...that didn't bode well. It was hard to hold that concentration to start with, but as she tried to keep that focus, it grew a little easier. Just a little. "Tell them you need Steele! Or Langston!" Someone at least slightly familiar with all of this. She only hoped he could Hear her as much as See her. It was stupid to try to get in the middle of it to help him, but it was instinctive; she dove for the little fray and...naturally...went right through. Her concentration blinked for a second, but she caught the stray threads of it, holding onto the living reality as tightly as she could.


Having been on the other side Evan knew not to address Eve right then, especially with what was going on around him. Heeding her advice, he repeated those requests until warned to be quiet.

"What the fxck? Where'd she come from?! Alert level four! We've got a teleporter!" Sirens sounded and more guards scrambled about, some with fancy looking gizmos. They were hunting for the 'teleporter,' and Eve would find herself custody until she was no longer considered a threat. As for Evan? He was beside himself.


This was just getting better and better, wasn't it? Eve wasn't sure what was more frustrating: The fact that she was insubstantial, or the fact that no one but Evan seemed to be able to Hear or See her. She tried to figure out how to affect things on a physical level more than once, but it was hard enough to hold her concentration and maintain her presence there as it was. It seemed to be a waiting game; she only hoped that they'd have someone intelligent come in and use some of the same equipment they'd used with Evan previously - or have someone with the Sight on hand. This just didn't seem to be her day...