Continuation

[Argus Steele]

"C'mon .... Elf. We gotta road trip. " Tossing and purposely hitting Eve in the head with her jacket, Jared laughs before turning to head down towards the media room, tossing/catching the SUV keys in his hand.

It had been three days since their little 'encounter,' the higher ups had seen fit to give the N.W.I crew a few days off to relax, recoup, sort things out. For Argus, that meant updating his database with the recent information. He gave new meaning to the phrase multi tasking, researching all he could find on what type of daemons they had encountered, doing a cross ref, then checking it with the Agency's database.

"Hey Steele, goin' on a road trip. Ye need anything on the way back?" Argus would glance up from within his media room, a pen firmly placed between gritted teeth, as a remote was reached for, and several screens were either paused, or muted.

"Mmmm ... More some more digital recordable discs. Thanks, Pirate." And back he went to his research, leaving Jared with a rather bemused look on his face, before a subtle shrug of the shoulders. (m) "Boy's in the zone again. Ye ready?"

When not on *duty,* Jared's attire was like night and day. Gone was the military-S.W.A.T black, replace by a more ... Normal look? His long hair pulled into a ponytail, a throwback NFL football jersey, with matching baggy jeans. Ever the gentleman, the passenger side would be opened first, allowing his partner access, followed by a small sweeping bow before closing the door.

Once inside, he inserts his IPod into the stereo console, adjusting the volume, before belting up and putting the vehicle into drive. The weather forecast was on the money this time, with skies of blue with little or no cloud cover. The humidity was low enough to keep things pleasant. Eve would be introduced to the latest in Trance-Rave-Electronica, as Jared took several side streets before getting on the interstate.

He always has a smile on his face, no matter what the situation, it was evident that Jared Rico was the positive one of the group, that thingyy facade less evident when amongst friends. "So, how ye doin' hmmm? Yeah, I kno' it's an awful cliche' to start off a conversation, but I figured we do this the right way, with the corny ice breaker opener. I'll even go first."

"I'm Jared Rico, (m) As ye already kno' . I'm the eyes an' ears of our little clique. Been doing this for about three ... Yeah, three years now. College degree in communications, two brothers, three sisters, and I'm the runt of the litter. Born an' raised on one of those uncharted, unmapped islands off the coast of New Zealand, I'm a sea lover at heart. "

"So why would I get involved in all of this you ask? The adventure. The thrill of the unknown. Really. This sort of stuff folks pretty much thinks only happens in the movies or read in books and tabloids. An' the fact that me and Steele go back quite a ways." Jared's smile would widen.

"It pays well, so I figure to do this until the signs tell me to call it a career, settle down and be startin' a family of me own. Which might be sooner, iffin' we be havin' any more of those days like the the one we had, hmmm?"

The one thing that Eve would catch right off? His accent. It was much stronger, more noticeable when not in the public eye. "I'm glad ye be stayin' with us for a spell, Elf. Amber could be usin' another girl on the group to chat with. And it give me someone else to trade theories with, besides ol' Theo." That got her a wink and a laugh.

"Ye be remindin' me of me second oldest sister, y'know. Don't be sayin' much, but always takin' it all in. The casual observer. One who don't mind bein' jus' one of the crowd, content with findin' yer own little mark in this big ol' world, an' doin' yer part to jus' keep this big blue marble spinnin' the right way."

"If this was a perfect world, eh? Anyhoo, this be your chance to be askin' me anything you want, and I be answerin' the best to me ability. Scouts honor, even tho' I'm not a scout."

[Argus Steele]

Since the encounter with the familiar, Eve really hadn't said much. She'd reply if spoken to, but aside from that, she hadn't spoken much of anything at all, but had instead seemed relatively distant, wrapped up in whatever was going on in her head.

That was, until later that night when she'd woken up from another nightmare. Unable to sleep, Eve had began her own search for knowledge - first on the 'net, mostly concerning psychic activity, then expanded it further to books and other phenomena. The young woman seemed to practically devour everything set before her, and had been in the process of doing so when Jared had hit her with a jacket. Even that hadn't stirred her too much; she'd pulled it off her head, finished her page, marked it, then decided she was ready to get up from where she'd been sitting.

There hadn't been much in the way of getting-to-know-you talk for the past few days. Most of what she said now was a question or remark about something she'd picked up, getting a second opinion or clarifying something for herself; for the greatest part, any questions that related directly to her were given a short, possibly vague answer, and she'd return to whatever she'd been doing.

She and coffee had become very good friends over the past few days, too. Sleep wasn't easy in coming, and often interrupted by nightmares when it did.

Her clothes were kept simple, for the most part; jeans in a light wash, a black tee that was seamed for a woman's shape, along with a thick black belt and shiny silver buckle. Dark brown curls had been restrained and bound into a high ponytail to keep them out of her face, though they still swung gently with each turn of her head.

In the SUV, she'd buckled in and dropped her hands neatly into her lap. It was a little warmer for the jacket than she liked, but it kept the scars on her arms out of sight. A little turn of her head, and she'd watched Rico as he talked, her expression betraying little or nothing. Truth told, though the ache in her head had gone away, she still felt...odd. She had the feeling that something was different, some change in her had occurred...but it was *just* out of her grasp to understand what. It was a feeling of being strangely delicate, as if a wrong step could break her somehow, or cause something terrible to happen.

It frustrated her more than a little, that feeling, but she was living with it...for now. Trying to understand it was the greatest thing on her mind.

"I don't think I've ever been 'just one of the crowd.'" Her brows rose a little as she said that, turned to look out the passenger window. Watched the world cruise past. "How did you meet him?" The question struck her just as suddenly as she asked it, and she followed with with a slight cant of her head. "Steele, I mean. Doesn't seem like the kind of guy that you just meet in a bar or on the street or something." Okay, okay...she had grin a little at that. It was probably the first time she'd cracked a smile in a few days. "...But I could be wrong, seeing that I met him in a coffee shop." Different circumstances, maybe. He'd actually been *looking* for Eve, after all.

A heartbeat later, Eve was pursing her lips a little, giving her head a shake. "Wait, no, no...nevermind that, not right now. I know what I want to know." She turned to look at him once more, moistened her lips a little with her tongue. "Amber. What happened with her?"

Steele had made a remark about it himself, the day that they'd gone into the house and she'd had her first encounter with the familiar...and her multiple selves. There were a lot of things she wasn't being told, Eve was sure; but it would be a matter of asking the right questions to the right person. There were things she wanted to know about him, Steele, and Amber - but the two men had made it sound like some huge mistake had occurred, and something had gone terribly wrong. Eve lived with the belief that mistakes were to be learned from; she might be able to use the knowledge somehow, keep from repeating it.

Or it just might give her a little insight into her new co-workers. Either way was good, in her opinion.

[Argus Steele]

"You readin' my mind, Elf? Because that's where we're headin'. To Amber's. You must hav' made one Hell of an impression on her, because she's really picky on who she lets inside the inner circle." Jared would smile at her briefly, before continuing.

"Kindred spirits maybe? Probably why that's why Steele's a little overprotective of you. Makes sense now that I think about it. Yeah I know I'm not making a lot of sense right now, but you'll figure it out. Steele must have seen something in you, 'cause he could have turned you over to the Agency right after the coffee shop encounter. So, if those two vouch for you, then that's good enough for me."

They seemed to be traveling out of the city limits, by the location marker on the G.P.S, they were venturing out to the middle of nowhere.

"Amber's been with us for about a year now, as a official member of the Night Walkers Inc. She's a good kid that suffered a lot of crazy shxt. She's gave told you what most everyone *outside* the circle knows ... Those lucky little gifts of hers started coming along right around puberty. But there was always something about her that was ... Different. Throw in being estranged-disowned by her family who considered her a freak of nature. Ridiculed at middle school endlessly until a near nervous breakdown where she cut loose with a uncontrollable telekinetic burst that was regarded as a rare Poltergeist event."

"By her junior year in high school, Amber had seen her fair share of foster homes, she had become totally withdrawn, while developing a third talent which involved reading certain objects by touch, which was the least liked, for it left her unable to sleep more often than not. Argus had rescued her close to a year ago from a ledge of a bridge, no longer being unable to cope with the voices and hallucinations. Just a little recap for you ... We're here."

Here? All she could see was trees, trees, and more trees. Jared would park the SUV near a dirt path, which lead into a forest filled with ... More trees.

"This area isn't on their maps, Elf. It's like hitting some sort of mini dead zone if someone else was following us, they'd get lost. How you ask? You'll see."

There were no sounds of nature, coming from within the woods/forest. No birds, squirrels, owls, all woodland critters. Nothing. Not even a passing breeze. Even the sounds made from their footfalls sounded muted. But everything else was real. Including a house that looked right out of the Civil War. Perfectly preserved!!! It was like something out of a dream ... Were they walking in slow motion? It sure felt like it.

Once they stepped beyond the white fence, a strong smell of the surrounding flowers hit strongly, a breeze now blew about them as Jared stopped long enough to pluck a blade of glass, placing it between his teeth. He'd stop at the bottom of the steps, motioning with his hand towards the two double doors of the mass mansion. "She's waiting for you. I'll be out here. Girl chat. I'm not invited."

Before she would reach porch, those doors would open on their own, offering Eve a look inside the mansion, it was breath taking. The massive stairs that lead to the second floors, even the strong smells of food lingered in the air ... The door would close softly behind her once she was inside, a figure now standing at the top of the stairs, dressed like a true starlet.

It was Amber!

"Ah know you have many questions. Ah do mah best to answer them." Her accent held a strong Southern origin, as she smiled, motioning Eve to join her.

[Argus Steele]

While Jared had talked, Eve had turned to look out her window. It almost seemed that she wasn't listening, except for the occasional little nod. Some of the things he said hit closer to home than he might have thought; either way, she could sympathize with Amber about all of it.

Still, Eve couldn't help but think it a little strange how some of those abilities manifested; from her research, she'd found it believed that very few seemed to have them in place from childhood. Most of those 'gifted' seemed to have them manifest during the turbulence of puberty, and the greatest percentage appeared to be girls. Much of it was taken to be poltergeist activity, and simply passed off if it faded out over time.

When they rolled up into the forest and he brought the SUV to a stop, she unbuckled and opened the door. For a moment she remained still just...listening. Nothing. She wasn't an expert on woodlands by any means (this was a girl that had never even been camping) but she realized she should have heard *something.* Even after walking along, moving further down the path, Eve had an odd feeling. The strange sense that time wasn't passing quite right; it was too slow, made her feel sluggish. It was the feeling that reality was on a tilt, trying to angle her into that downward slide. Not a feeling easy to ignore, but at least she wasn't prone to panic attacks.

The sight of the Civil War era mansion made her stop briefly, look at Jared to confirm they were going the right way. That was just sorta...unreal. It looked like something out of one of those old travelguides for the deep south. All it was missing were the southern belles sitting outside in their huge hoop skirts and fanning themselves...

"You've *got* to be kidding..." Murmured softly, more to herself than him. And then...Her go in there? By herself? Hadn't she had enough of that to last a lifetime? Okay, okay...so it was only one time. She didn't think any familiars were waiting to jump out and kill her or screw with her head again, soo...how much choice did she really have?

The funny thing was that she couldn't figure out what Amber might want to see her for. Girl talk? Eve was never really sure *what* that meant. She'd always assumed it meant some bubble-headed teen girls chattering over clothes and boys and such...but Amber didn't strike her as the type. Not for a second. And why didn't she just talk to Eve back at Argus' place...?

She found herself staring, once she was inside. At least the doors didn't creak when they opened or closed. That would have been *too* horror movie for her....

Her expression at getting a look at Amber was dubious. Not what she'd expected. Not at all, but she wasn't sure *what* she'd expected. Fingertips hovered over the railing of the steps before she ever dared to touch, advanced slowly. "What is it with everyone around here and their accents?" First Jared was a New Zealander...now Amber was a Southern Belle. What was next? Steele going to be French?

...But even *she* had to admit that would have been funny as all hell...

[Argus Steele]

"Sorry about that accent, Eve. It's the whole Southern belle thing that brings it out of me! Tohmaz really out done himself this time! He created this entire thing from scratch! Jared and I fine tuned the rest, but this is bloody awesome!" Amber would do a little spin, allowing her yellow dress to follow her movements before settling back down. She had led Eve to the balcony on the second floor which had the most breath taking view ever ... Well, created. From the sunset, to the warmth of the evening breeze, everything felt quite real. And Eve wouldn't have it any other way.

"You probably think I'm crazy, but that's okay, mebbe I am, mebbe not. I'm happy, bottom line. I guess you're here to hear my little tale of woe, hmmm? Guess it's better if I just show you." Pushing away from the balcony rail, walking past Eve as she entered the main bedroom, a waggle of her index finger motioning her to follow. Once back inside, the doors to the balcony would close ... "Program I don't Give A Damn, End." The Civil war presence would be replaced by one of cold harsh science, as Eve found herself in a very modern like room, Amber now standing over a prone figure lying in a hospital type bed, with various tubes coming to/from the body, to numerous machines.

Upon closer examination, Eve, much to her surprise would recognize the frail, pale girl in the bed ....

... It was Amber!!

"Sorry sight, huh girlfriend? Taking a leap of a bridge will do that to a body. But you're thinking, didn't Theo save me? Yes he did. My powers were driving me crazy, to the point where I couldn't tell reality from fantasy. And touching things? Psh, Hell, I'd sooner lop off me own hands! I had enough wit about me to head to the nearest bridge, and the pain would stop. The craziness would stop, and I would be at peace. Hell, if the fates didn't have Tohmaz and Jared in the area at the time!"

The Southern Belle had been replaced by a more modern version of Amber. Low rise jeans with a black t-shirt that had the 50 cent on the front. Her hair was pulled up into a loose ponytail, several piercing adorned her chocolate color figure, on in the right eyebrow, one in her tongue, and the last in her exposed belly button. Untied black Chuck Taylors covered her feet. Many monitors were set inside the four walls, nearly all of them off, save for one that featured Jared sitting on the porch, just relaxing.

"Tohmaz, God love him, didn't know me from a hole in the ground, but risked his neck to talk me off that ledge, he did!" Amber's face would soften then, a look of great sadness finding its way into those features. "If I would have only met him sooner ... His words by then were like falling rain. I remember smiling at him, thinking he was just another fantasy created by my mussed up head to stop myself from jumping. Jared was using his Coast Guard connections to get some boats out there ..."

"They said the impact from hitting the water from such a distance broke my spine in three places. All I felt was bliss. All I had to do was let go. Everything was going in slow motion, I could even see the bridge that I jumped from .... And that same man coming after me! Theo jumped in right after me, luv! Stopped me from drowin' he did! Held me in his arms as the local police sent a rescue boat to our location. He kept talking to me, telling me not to give up .... I finally blacked out ... I think."

"I was in a coma for six months, Tohmaz never left my side. He read to me, made sure I had whatever care I needed. My folks were too ashamed to even show up. Jared told me that Tohmaz wouldn't let them pull the plug, since they were making me the ward of the state. My body was a heap, but my mind? Strong as ever. Stronger. Guess it was making up for the non use of my body. Oh yeah, you're looking at my astral projection, luv. This is as real as I get now. The further I move from my body, the weaker it gets, so I pretty much hang around here. When the big wigs need a hacker, or other info, they get this ...."

A monitor on the far wall would come to life, the image of Amber sitting there could be seen. She'd smile and wave at Eve. "When I was in that coma? Theo said he'd never let anyone else die while on his watch. Never decided to ask him about it, either. Theo was the first one I made contact with, and he cooked up this ....Plan. Savannah Lee would remain in a coma, under placed under Theo's care. Amber Lynn would be his new contact that would aid him in his fight against the daemons. Nifty or what?"

"It was a loooooooooooooong road back, and Theo never gave up me. Neither did Jared." She'd turn to the monitor that had Jared sitting on the porch, just watching him with a small smile on her face.

"I do what I can from here now. Tohmaz, Jared, and now you are the only ones that know. Tohmaz gave me a second chance. I luv him like the brother I never had." She'd smile right then, wiping a stray tear from her eye. "I'm happy as punch that you decided to join us. The boys are good to me, but it's going to be nice to be able to talk with another girl, yanno?"

"And by the by? You dialed the wrong number when trying to get a hold of Tohmaz back at the house! You ended up reaching some pizza parlor in West Chicago! But I stepped in for ya." She would chuckle, slapping her knee before breaking into an all out giggle fit. Amber had come to terms with her fate, and was growing, learning from it. She'd eventually stop laughing, leaning against the wall, while watching and nodding at Eve. "Bet you were not expecting this, huh girl?"

[Argus Steele]

...Finding out that some of those vague ideas were *right* in a manner of speaking, however, was a bit disconcerting. It wasn't as easy as she might have expected, shifting gears on the way she thought. Not everything could fit into some preconceived idea of 'normality.' Eve had to keep in mind, first and foremost, that she was now working with NWI, and very nearly anything was possible. Nothing seemed to be bound by the realms of normal possibility.

While Amber talked, Eve hooked her thumbs into the pockets of her jeans, but her posture remained elegantly straight, stormy eyes fixated on the other woman. Emotion had faded from her expression, leaving her pretty features as neutral as a doll's face, but the intensity of her gaze hadn't faded a bit. She hadn't stopped listening, in fact was absorbing the other girl's words quickly and quietly.

"You know...it's not really as shocking as you might think..."

"And thanks. I need to look into reprogramming the numbers, then." A gentle shrug at the comment about what her cell phone had dialed. Strange that it had dialed something like that, given that she'd only hit one button...then again, the keylock hadn't been on..."How did you know that I was trying to call him?" Monitored calls? Or something else entirely?

"I've heard it said sometimes that you have to die in order to learn how to live. I guess maybe it is true, at least in some ways." She and Amber did have similarities...Withdrawing her hands from her pockets, Eve held her left arm up a little, tugged the sleeve of the jacket down a little. Just enough to show the thick white scar tissue that hid the blue of her vein. "I was fourteen when I did that...and in spite of what all the doctors at the institution said, I meant it. I still don't know how I survived." Moving her hands into a different position, she folded her arms, and rolled her shoulders a bit. Her mood was peculiar; quite, thoughtful, a touch on the melancholy side. That strangely delicate feeling lingered, though, making her feel like a pane of glass in danger of breaking.

"But whatever the case...I did, obviously." There probably wasn't much point into launching into more of her own past history; she was figuring Amber had probably accessed her file, just as Steele had. And more to the point? She didn't like talking about it much.

"So is that why Jared brought me out here to see you? To make me..um..officially part of the 'inner circle' now?" Regardless of whether she was another girl in the group, Eve couldn't help but wonder about that; she'd only been involved a very short time, after all. How did they know they could trust her?

And vice-versa?

[Argus Steele]

Amber listened quietly to Eve's own personal tale of adversity, her eyes at random intervals would flicker over at her comatose body, often nodding her head. A thoughtful expression did remain when eve exposed her arm. " A small smile did escape her upon the mentioning of the cell phone call incident. "You contacted him just fine. Not bad considering the heat of the moment, and your lack of time out in the field, frail." In her best Tohmaz A. Steele voice. "Jared couldn't even do that. Our phones are wired by us, so we don't have to worry about the Agency picking up on conversations meant for our ears only. And don't worry luv, I don't eavesdrop. If you ever need to talk about anything, and those two are too busy being well, themselves? We can pull a private chat anytime."

Amber's astral form would walk over to her comatose self, slipping her hands into that back pockets of her jeans, watching over herself. Her voice was almost a mere whisper ... "Isn't this sort of too scary for words? Me and the whole bridge thing, your stint at Stonebridge ... Did you know Jared was actually born in the Bermuda Triangle? And Tohmaz with his post war trauma. It's like fate either has some sort of weird sense of humor, or we were brought together for *some* reason."

Glancing over her shoulder, she'd nodding again slowly ... "I guess it's asking a lot of us to be so trusting, with the lack of time really knowing each other, so I told Theo I wanted to get you in the inner circle as soon as possible, none of this getting to know each other outside of the 9 to 5 grind. What's normal any more, yanno? I figure you'd get some insight about me, and vice versa, and we take it from there. All of us are still a work in progress."

Turning around to face Eve once again, Amber would blow her a kiss before slipping back inside her body. "Be careful out there girl, my door is always open if you want to talk, or just ... Get away from what we call reality for a little while." Amber's vital signs would spike for several moments before returning to normal, the lights would dim somewhat, as a "Ahem. Over here." Would sound off from one of the monitors, as Amber waved to her. The doors would open for the latest team member, allowing her passage back through a very modern looking sized house, a far cry from the *Gone With The Wind* illusion that she 'd walked into.

Jared was still sitting on the porch, a blade of grass still between the teeth. He stretched and yawned before looking up in Eve's direction. "All set? Good, cause I'm havin' a serious craving for some fish and chips, and it's way past lunch time." Once the pair were clear of the porch, the true nature of the *estate* was revealed. It was a modified cabin with more bells and whistles than any outdoor place would need. Well, any *normal* one. Jared's hand would slip inside his pocket, as the cabin simply ... Disappeared behind them, that feeling of slow motion once again surrounding them both until they were back at the SUV.

He made no attempt to question her about what was asked, it was none of his business, if she wanted to talk about it, she would. If not, that was cool with him.

[Argus Steele]

Somewhere in the midst of the ride back, Eve offered to buy lunch - not necessarily because she was hungry, but because she'd decided she'd spent too much time either in front of the computer or sitting on the couch or bed with her head in a book and taking down a few notes. It was the most time she'd spent indoors since...well, her release from Stonebridge.

While Eve hadn't actually started any Argus-style debates with Jared over this daemon or that critter, she had made a little conversation, gleaning what knowledge he might offer...even if it *was* personal opinion. Couldn't hurt to keep different ideas in mind in case the situation might arise to prove the theory right or wrong. It *did* mean that Eve was coming out of her shell again, even if a bit tenatively, no longer seeming so withdrawn or anti-social. A good indicator that she'd gotten though her first familiar and Daemon encounter without any mind-shattering consequences.

"Come across anything interesting?" Asked as she nudged the door to the media room open with her hip, deposited a styrofoam carry-out box on one side of the desk. "Fish and chips. Thought you might be hungry, and neither of us figured you'd gotten up from there yet." A little smile curved her lips as she glanced past him to the monitor, sipping at the drink she was toting around in a styrofoam cup.

Her encounter with Amber had been....interesting, to say the least. She hadn't been sure what to think about any of it, at first, and had felt like she was on the edge of calling it quits or checking herself back into Stonebridge. Then....she simply decided to hell with it all. She'd roll with it; she might be a freak, but at least with NWI, she wasn't the only one. And dealing with them beat the hell out of staring at a TV or grey wall all day...or having Dr. Maxwell constantly question her.

The only problem was that peculiar feeling of something being *just* under the surface out of her reach...it hadn't gone away yet. Eve was still puzzling over it, but no answers had come yet, and she had yet to find anything really useful in her own research - or anything more than opinion or theory. The idea had crossed her mind, once or twice, to pick one of the other three's minds about it, but she'd shied away from it, afraid of what questions it might raise.

But then, who said it would raise any if she went about it right? 'Hey, while I was that room with the familiar and she was messing with my head, I think I did something. Neat, huh?' ....No, that wouldn't cut it. The problem was that she wasn't *sure* she'd done something. For all she really knew, it could have been part of the illusion.

Maybe she could just get him to point her in the right direction...."Um...while I'm thinking of it...What's the best source of info about psychic activity?" Oh yeah, subtle. A shrug, a slightly-guilty little smile, and a sip off her drink. "Call me curious."

[Argus Steele]

(m) "Dehm Interesting."

With the ink pen firmly planted between gritted teeth, Argus scrolled down the page, only stopping long enough to make certain notations along the way. Stonebridge wasn't the only place, doping troubled kids, teens and adults for various mental and behavior disorders, granted they only stuck out like a sore thumb because of Eve's connection to them.

This particular hunch had began with the reading of the reports resulting from their latest assignment dealing with the Frat House incident. In trying to piece the connection between that, and why and how they knew Eve would be with them at that given time, due to the fact that he randomly picked her file out from a bunch of others? was it a safe bet that their encounter at the book store also played into his theory.

No one knows for sure if daemons can really be killed, especially by *normal* means. He and Jared would argue that point for hours on end, Jared's theory that they were gone for good once killed, while his own theory was that the daemons were removed from this plane from existence, due to the spell that had been keeping them here, was disrupted by their *supposed* death. They are assumed dead, and can come back in another body, with any of us being none the wiser.

(m) "Yeah, that'll get me another trip to the shrink, telling me I watch way too many movies."

Still, there was the fact that Molly Ann's parents had already been killed, her mother tainted. How many others had been there before them? Were they just lying in wait? Did the bugger at the bookstore have something else in mind for the kid? She was the only one that survived. If you want to call it that.

"Hmmmph. What is the connection?"

That less than subtle throbbing of both temples told him that he'd been pushing himself too hard again, and needed to take a break. The Advil was reached for, and the double dosage taken. It worked for him. Washing the pills down with a healthy swig of warm beer, Argus leaned back into his chair, eyes closed. Did he do the right thing in taking her from the coffee shop? She had a normal life until then.

Now scant days later, she was part of the team, encountering things that under grads wouldn't be introduced to. Wasn't he just using her as well? In trying to find a solution, had they become part of the problem? being the opposite side of the coin as far as the fate was concerned? Heads, they encounter the daemon, end up on some flyer as missing, or tails, they are used to locate the daemon?

Did Eve really have a choice? Did Amber? What about those he doesn't know about? The ones that slipped through the cracks?

(m) "Holy Doctor fuckin' Phil, I gotta quit doing this to myself before I blow out too many brain cells. We saved Eve, so that's a plus. She knows she's not entirely crazy, another plus. She even said she took herself off the meds, another plus ..."

"The meds!!"

Could it had been that fxcking simple? (m)"What was it the frail called them ..." He'd have to pull up her file, soon finding the name that he was looking for. He'd also research all the other patients that had similar issues and were placed under that same doctor ... "And Bingo was his name-o. Amber? You online, kiddo?"

-Always, Tohmaz. What's up?-

"Don't call me ... Ahh, fxck it. I need you to pull a massive Google search what I'm sending you. Send the results to my portable ASAP, would ya?"

-Will do, Tohmaz. Eve and Jared just left, want me to pass anything along?-

"Mmmm, nah. Not until we have something more concrete. Don't need to reopening Elf's wounds for nothing."

-Careful there, Tommy. This concern streak of yours ... One would think you're taking a liking to Eve.-

"So says the virtual queen who sneaks peeks at Jared when he's not looking."

-I ... Do NO such thing!! It's only ... I ... he ... I Do NO such thing!!!-

"Gotcha."

-Why I ... Ooooh!!! MEN!!!-

[Argus Steele]

"Fish and chips. Thought you might be hungry, and neither of us figured you'd gotten up from there yet."

"Frail, you just made the top of my Christmas list! I be starvin' like Marvin!!" Eve's gracious offering was accepted with open arms, a very wide grin, a quick peck on the forehead, and a soon to be full stomach.

"Um...while I'm thinking of it...What's the best source of info about psychic activity? Call me curious."

Without missing a beat, Argus would answer between bites ..." That's easy enough, Curious. The all black computer with matching monitor over there is what you want. You can log onto the Agency's main data base, where they have everything about everything ... So they claim anyways. Breaks it down into sub classes for you as well. Or you can ask Amber, and she can get you exactly what you're looking for." At least Eve knew that whatever Argus was working on, he did not try to hide it from her, as he continued on looking through his various searches.

(m) "Hmmm ... You've been quite the busy bugger. There's quite a few under your ... ahem, *care* at the Bridge. And that's only at this city branch." Granted he wasn't looking in her general direction when he said this, or was he thinking out loud and talking to himself even? "Tops in his class, all sorts of degrees ... Legit enough. Okay, let's broaden the scope a bit."

The next step would be accessing everyone who held a practice/office at Stonebridge, from the high paid professionals, all the way down to the interns. Leaning back into his chair, Argus would slip into a silent like trance, as he began processing all the info being displayed. In fact he became so deep in thought with figuring out all the possibilities, he forgot Eve was still in the room with him as he began muttering to himself more ...

(m) "Theory. If I had access to that many folks and needed to weed out the ones with actual problems, from the ones with possible abilities ... I'd hire a personal staff, someone that could do those dirty deeds under the radar without tipping anyone off."

-Tohmaz, I have more information about that book store that was burned down?-

-That Frat party incident wasn't the first.... Only the first one that had gotten out of hand maybe. Ol' Mortimus kept a record of shipping and receiving of most .. Unusual items that were specially order by various colleges around the city, including Frat and Sorority houses. Dating all the back about ... Four or five years ago. At least that was when he had his computer installed. No telling how long before that.-

"Greaaaaaaaat. This fxcker's been doing his business right under our noses, and there's no telling what's out there. I guess that's why they were making sure their little secret would stay that way."

-Meaning?-

"Elf. She lived/worked not too far from one of those colleges. Hell. they could have been watching her this whole time, and I just ..."

-Ahem, Tohmaz?-

"...Happened to stumble across her file and instead of saving her, I just ..."

-TOMMY!!-

"... Put a fucking neon sign on her back by getting her involved with the NWI... Fucking brilliant Steele!!! Might as well just handed her to ..."

-ARGUS!!!!!-

"What?"

-She is *still* inside the media room with you, mister absent minded. That's real smooth Mr. subtle. Duh!!!-

He'd stiffen up right just then, before glancing over his shoulder with one trademark eyebrow arched ... Yup, she was still there.

(m) "...Fuck me."