Aftermath

[Argus Steele]

Remember the part where I mentioned hate doing the paper work and gabbin' with the Feds and CSI's? Well, that's a walk in the park compared to what all the field agents have to go through after experiencing a *Daemon Encounter.* They send you to their professional brain shrinks, and you're supposed to get it all off your chest, and then they make a judgement call on whether you're still fit for duty. They did something similar to that back when I was part of the military, and I didn't like it back then either.

It would be broken down into two parts. They'd gather all involved for a one on one session, discussing what happened, how it freaked any of us out, or not, the whole nine yards. To the general populace, this sort of thing still happens in the movies, from taking some rad drugs, or reading about it within the pages of some tabloid magazine.

The second phase is the joyful group session, where we all hash it out together. They already know what they're going to get from me after countless sessions. I think I've become the face of their training videos.

Jared pretty much uses this to get some phone numbers, and craves the attention. So they think. I know the bugger behind all that bravado, and he's nothing like they know, which is even more ironic considering those shrinks don't have a clue, with all those Bachelor and Master Degrees plastered on their walls.

Amber is the most frustrating of the group for them to get a hold of, simply due to the fact that she won't let any of them near her. It's not a fear thing, more like a serious trust issue. They would have to settle for one of those HD screen monitors with her on it. Frustrating still, its how they still try to home in on her signal ... If she had one. I'll her fill you readers in on that little trade secret sometime soon, when the time allows, 'kay?

And then there was Eve Nora Lizt, or Elf as I like to call her. Several days ago, she was just another face trying to earn a normal living the best way she could.

-Google the name Mary Tyler Moore, and you'd get Eve.-

I'm still getting grief on how I pulled her into the fold , not going through the proper channels, yadda, yadda, yadda. Yeah, I know the risks with the daemon threat and all, but sometimes you gots play things by ear, and go with your gut instinct. I don't think they would accept the fact that I picked her out of a list of folks, just by closing my eyes and letting that *Luck* factor of mine kicking in.

Riiiiiiiiiiight.

I know what I'm doing. We won't make the same mistake with Elf, like they did with Amber.

Dehm skippy on that.

We were taken to the nearest facility, allowed to clean ourselves up, then herded inside a conference room that had so many unseen body temp gadgets, alpha brain scans, heart monitors, low level psi agents that were 5th level empaths. Just to name a few. The only thing that was missing? The continual theme from the X-Files.

Heh.

[Argus Steele]

'Welcome to the jungle, frail.'

The words had echoed in Eve's mind as she had finally gotten back on her feet and went to check on Molly Ann. She'd found the girl unresponsive, staring blankly, and a simple check of her limbs told Eve all she needed to know: the girl was genuinely catatonic, complete with muscular rigidity. Essentially, she'd have retained any pose Eve moved her into unless she woke up. There wasn't much she could do for the girl.

The strange sense of clarity, along with the knowledge and understanding that had come with it, had faded out. Eve was fully herself once again; a look around had confirmed that there weren't any mulitple versions of herself hanging around, and she had a hard time knowing for sure if she had actually done anything different. Still, Eve understood one thing about all that had happened there: that woman had gotten in her head. She didn't like that at all.

She was a little tired, now that the adrenaline rush was dying off, and her limbs felt a little on the shaky side; she'd really *have* to learn to eat whether or not her appetite demanded it. The worst of it was that an ache had set up behind her eyes and thrummed through her temples, but it wasn't quite like any other headache she'd ever had. It reminded her of stretching after a long period of stasis, of using muscles that hadn't been exercised in quite a while...but there was a raw feeling with it, like skin that had been scraped away to reveal the layer beneath.

Eve wasn't quite sure what she thought about all of this, and didn't say anything about it. Didn't say much of anything for a while, actually, unless she was responding to a question. Her features were neutral, and she seemed to be carefully even-tempered, if not a touch distracted.

In spite of herself, she found herself running through the entire encounter again and again in her head. She could comprehend much of it, separate it out, understand what was based in reality and what had been the daemon screwing with her head. The only thing that her mind hung up on was right before Steele had come in...She'd Felt the force behind whatever had made that big daemon's head explode. Had Felt what had gone seeking the daemon that had been in the room with her, masquerading as another version of herself. She knew it had come from him; she'd even opened her mouth once to ask about it, but stopped short with a shake of her head. He wouldn't tell her or admit to it, she already figured, so why even bother?

Admittedly, she was a little annoyed by that. If he denied it, it would make her feel like she should question everything else that had gone on in that room...so she wouldn't ask. He'd either tell her some other time, or he wouldn't. Eve was getting to the point that she'd decided to really trust in herself and *only* herself...unless *all* the cards were laid out on the table.

Needless to say, Eve wasn't very happy when she found out they'd have to talk to psychs. She'd had enough of that to last a lifetime, so she thought; she'd decided long ago that no matter what she said to them, it was wrong, or they'd decide there was something wrong with *her.* She was willing to admit to being a bit off, left of center at best, but she really figured anyone would be after Seeing the kinds of things she had for so long. But...she'd never understood why she wasn't numb to it. After Seeing the lingering dead in various states and anything else that bled though by touch, shouldn't she have a proverbial callous by now?

Yeah, keep hoping for that Eve. Meanwhile, she'd focus on keeping herself even-tempered, in not behaving strangely or acting upset. Naturally, her biggest worry about all of this was being medicated, or shipped back to Stonebridge. Maybe it wasn't much of a surprise to any of them, once they were herded into those conference rooms then split up again, that she didn't say much unless spoken to directly. Even then, they'd be lucky not to have a question answered with a question...or if she didn't try to change the subject entirely with those she could Feel something about. It was subtle, like a small change in air temperature, but there...just enough to let her know she wasn't the only odd one in the bunch.

Then again, with this group, who wasn't odd? The only one that seemed to be enjoying himself was Jared Rico. She'd play the game herself, and probably do better with it than they might expect. Just let experience take over; smile, nod, and act like it was all good.

In reality, Eve was dying to get out of there. She wanted a hot bath, and to crawl into bed for a while, nightmares and dreams be damned.

[Argus Steele]

" .... Eve had went upstairs to check on the kid Molly Ann, Argus went down in to the basement to chat with the husband, which left me with the mother ... Who started hitting on me."

{Hitting on you? You don't mean she ...}

"Yupper. Flirtation to the max, dude. Hello Mrs. Robinson!!"

{And you responded how?}

"Are you kidding me? Pft!! Guess not. Dude, it was something right out of Dear Penthouse ... Catherine ... (That was her name) started doing the whole 'I'm so lonely - My husband doesn't care - I have needs' speech. I'm thinking she needed Dr. Phil right then, more than me. Then she started getting all hands on ... straddling my lap and ... You sure you want *all* the details to this? I don't want your Empaths getting all hot and bothered, you know?"

{Please continue, Mr. Rico.}

"Alrighty doc. Of course I wasn't about to get involved with a married woman, it just didn't feel right."

{What? You had a moral moment? Incredible.}

"Ha-ha-ha, Doc. It didn't feel right as in, she didn't feel right ... Didn't feel ...Well, human. I know the touch of the opposite gender well enough to know ... Well, ahem. She was giving me that sultry tone in her voice about needing someone younger, more virile, to help sustain her ... Needs. Say, you ever seen the movie Life blood?"

{Can't say that I have.}

"It's all about Halley's Comet returning to the solar system and the English/American team aboard the space shuttle, making a close-up survey of the comet, discovers an alien spacecraft in the head of the comet. Inside the spacecraft are some large bat-like creatures and in three cocoons are three "dead" humans - two men and a woman."

"The shuttle takes the humans and a creature back to Earth. There the bosses of the project are amazed to find the shuttle burnt out and all but one of the crew - Carlsen - dead. The humans from the spacecraft suddenly awake and all those who come into contact with them are drained of their "lifeforce" and in time all the victims - including most of the population of London - are turned into zombies all praying on the horrified survivors for their *lifeforce*. It's up to Carlsen, the only survivor of the expedition and British authorities attempt to capture a mysterious but beautiful alien woman who appears responsible."

{You certainly have a knack to compare your assignments to various movies, Mr. Rico. This particular one plays what role with your ... Situation right then?}

"Catherine had been turned, dude. She was trying to seduce me, drain my lifeforce. Tell your boys in Intel that they did real good. The second she tried, those nanites activated in my blood stream, and gave the biatch a what for. That's when she *dropped* her human form and went all creature feature on me."

"Did you know in medieval lore, a succubus was a female spirit that would lay with men to steal their seed: it was given as an explanation of night arousal and wet dreams. It was also paired with the incubus, the male form, sometimes transforming between the two forms to pass along the stolen seed to unknowing women. In later stories, especially in contemporary horror writing, both would be given hypnotic powers that would give them the ability to command and compel members of the opposite sex?"

"I think that's what happened with her. I was all set to go get Steele, when the family pet decided to get into the act ...."

{That last creature brought in was the family dog?}

"Dude! Freaky ain't it? All of that came from a little ankle bitter! So doc, in the immortal words of one Paul Harvey .... Now you know, the *rest* of the story."

{As usual Mr. Rico, I enjoyed your rather colorful, often descriptive spin on what transpired. We have all we need for now, and we know where to find you if there are any more questions.}

"That's why you guys pay us the big bucks, dude. High five!"

[Argus Steele]

All truth told, after a good look around and listening to the way everyone talked, she wasn't sure what to expect. They weren't all 'normal' people; it was a difference Eve could Feel, subtly.

The difference was funny; it seemed to her that they were more interested in getting some kind of field report than in her actual mental state; not that it bothered her. While Eve didn't *exactly* want to recount it, it was preferable to going over questions again and again and getting the feeling she was being pushed to say something specific without ever knowing exactly *what* it was they wanted to hear.

After she sat down, crossed her legs and neatly folded her hands in her lap, the small talk and questions began. What was her full name? How old was she? How did she feel?

What did she think of being in the field with Night Walkers Inc.?

A pause as she considered how to phrase her response. "It's...interesting." Eve raised a brow, a slight smile curving her lips. "Elaborate? Of course." The man's mouth snapped shut, the request taken right out of his mouth. "I felt a bit unprepared, but I think that's to be expected. I've got the feeling that no matter what kind of training I really had, it wouldn't have made much of a difference. Nothing can really prepare you for those kinds of things. But at least it's nice not to be considered either a complete freak or just the odd girl next door, anymore."

Deep breath. "Now you want to know what went on in there, so let's start with that so I can get out of here and get a bath and some sleep." Pause for consideration, another second of debate.

She decided to tell most of what she was sure of; she didn't really want to talk about her multiple selves and the mirrors, or the daemons trying to kill her various forms. That would come out as too weird or sound too much like a psychotic episode, no matter *who* was telling the story. Eve would cheerfully omit that unless *very* seriously pressed. "Steele and Rico sent me up to check on Molly Ann, get her take on what happened at the party, see if I could find out anything different. I walked in and knew something wasn't right. Next thing I know, I turn the girl around to look at me, and she looks terrible - I mean, like dead-in-a-ditch-for-a-week awful. I turn around to find the woman from the coffee shop - what was her name, Taina or something like that? - standing in the room. She slams the door, hits a light, I think I hit the speed dial number for Steele's cell on my phone about then...and..." A little shake of her head, reaching up to touch a fingertip to her forehead, tap it lightly. Her head still ached, but she was doing a fair job of only being mildly annoyed by it. "...and I think from there she got into my head. The lines blurred so much it was actually hard tell, really, but I gathered that she was trying to *use* me; take me over to create death, destruction and other various kinds of mayhem."

Her lips curved into a faint smile, though it wasn't humor driven. "I surprised her; she didn't think I'd be strong enough to break through the illusion and find her out. I did, even though I admit that I'm not really sure how." That clarity had something to do with it, on top of damaging Taynia herself possibly; she hadn't really stopped to think about it yet, and might give it further thought later. "Anyway, I tackled her, and she hit me with...a mental blast of some kind, I think. Felt like my brain should have liquified, but I didn't quite pass out. I came around, she was back up, and the really big, really *ugly* one was coming into the room. I wasn't really sure up to that point if I'd actually dialed Argus or if it had even worked, but apparently it did. He popped up behind the big ugly and took him out, then what's-her-name."

"Not what I expected, definately; I was hoping the worst part of it all might be having to touch Molly Ann, open myself up to anything and *search* for what I needed to know. I didn't expect to be dealing with little-miss-mind-games or any daemons. My first encounter, but I guess it could have been worse....even though it *would* have been nice to know a little more than I do."

Eve was talking more than she'd really wanted, but there was an upside to it: it kept the questions down a bit, gave them something to think about. She expected there would be more questions - or for them to outright say she wasn't fit for 'duty' - but right now wasn't quite in the mood to deal with them. "Are we done with the one-on-one thing? I'd really like to get a drink and wash my face again." She'd had a grimy feeling since leaving the cutesy house that she was having a hard time getting rid of, but it seemed a normal enough request. It just made her more eager to get out of there for a bath and a few minutes of down-time.

[Argus Steele]

*Doctors Note(s)*

-Special Agent Argus T. Steele arrived for his appointment on time, if not a few minutes early. He *never* does that, often calling these sessions a waste of company time and tax payer's well earned money. He wore his trademark colors black and red, though this time it was more of a usual, basic look, not the head-to-toe leather ensemble I'm used to him wearing. The mirrored shades were also tucked inside his top jacket pocket, another change considering he prefers to wear them low enough on the bridge of his nose to give a glimpse of his eyes.

-It seems that this time he is taking this session quite seriously, and that makes for a very interesting session in itself. He'd sit on the end of his chair, bent over to where his elbows rested on the knees, fingers tightly clasped. But his head remained up the entire time, eye contact maintained.

{Somewhere you have to be today, Argus? You're never on time, let alone this early.}

-He'd give me that small thingyy smirk of his ... " Newp. Gotta keep you on your toes, every now and then, right?"

{That you do very well. So, I hear it was quite the adventure this time around, hmmm?"}

"That's an understatement, doc. I'm thinking we stumbled upon on of their major Ops this time. That, and how they were also after Eve Lizt there also. Shouldn't have been a connection between the two cases, really. We had been looking into the whole frat-cult thing long before Eve came into the picture. But you're more interested in my take on what happened inside the house, right?"

"It was the whole 'Leave it to Beaver' thing, right down to the picket fence, the flowers all lined in a roll, and the welcome mat to boot! Jared and I had went over a few things before heading there, a back up plan."

{Those instincts of yours kicking in once again?}

"Yeah, something like that. Didn't know it would turn out that way, but something just wasn't right. Well, we had Lizt go and check on the kid, I went down to chat with the father, and Rico was left with Mrs. Milk and Cookies. Short version? They were ready for whoever was going to stop by there, whether it was the local police, the Feds, or the CSI team. I'm guessing they were going to *convert* us and have their own set of eyes and ears on the inside."

{Yes, the report did read that along with discovering the head, the body of the father was found buried within the basement, and how the mother had been transformed, while the daughter would be used as bait. Now ... About your ... encounter with the daemon in the basement?}

"Fxcking scary, doc. Never seen anything like it before. One second I was playing hide in seek with the bugger, and the next ... I was feeling like something out of those Matrix movies. "

{Is this the similar feelings you had back at the book store?}

"Kind of. This was more like everything went slow around me, save for me. Even caught the bugger off guard before I toasted 'em. I was seriously primed, pumped, and ready to go."

- As he went over what happened, I could not help but to detect a bit of ... glee in his voice, like he took great joy in what he did, though Argus himself seemed unaware.

{Didn't you have similar occurrences like this during your tour of duty?}

- This was a touchy subject with him. I even tried researching his military records, there was no mention of what he and his unit encountered, though Argus was the lone solider to actually witness what happened following the attack, while the rest of the unit had been knocked unconscious.

- Even attempts via hypnosis resulted in him becoming quite aggressive. Whatever happened there, he has locked deep within his subconscious and it appears through times of great stress, or danger to him, that *door* opens, revealing that aggressive nature.

{Sorry, I was jotting a few things down ... How long did this *feeling* last with you this time?}

"It was with me long enough for me to make it back topside, check on Rico and then hightail it to the second floor where Lizt was. Once I took care of the ... 'Dad,' I looked to see who had called me on the cell .... It was Lizt. Made it to the top of the steps to see some big ass nasty appearing in front of the kid's room. Fxcker never saw what hit 'em. Lizt was with the kid, so was one of the familiars I ran into at the coffee shop Lizt worked at."

{And that plays well into your earlier mentioned theory. I'm curious. What happened that you felt the need to be this up front with me? Not that I'm not appreciative of this mind you.}

- That was when he sat straight in the chair, staring at me, as if he were searching for the right words.

"Things are not getting better out there, Doc. I'm thinking we've only scratch the surface. Lizt got lucky with me finding her. What about the rest like her that didn't get that chance? She's been shoved right in the middle of this, and I'm making d**ned sure ... Nothing happens to her. So, I figured I'd shoot straight with you, in hopes that we can tilt the *cosmic* balance back in our favor."

- That would be all I'd get from him, as he nodded and wished me well until his next visit.

-In closing, Argus T. Steele is a very complex individual, but my hopes remain positive, especially with this recent attitude, progress can be made. Could the addition of Eve Nora Lizt to their group, played a role into this, after what happened with Amber? The *wildcard* in all of this continues to be what happened to him that causes these episodes. They don't pose any danger to him or the others ...Yet.

[Argus Steele]

The restroom was little different from any other she'd ever been in; the details hardly registered in Eve's mind as she shouldered the door open and went to the sinks the lined the far wall. It was a blur of shiny white tile and wallpaper with tastefully faded roses all topped off by the faint, sharp scent of the chemicals used to sterilize the surfaces. It was a scent she didn't care much for; it reminded her too much of Stonebridge.

She was trying not to think about that too much.

The peculiar headache hadn't gone away yet; if anything it had intensified. Settled in right behind her eyes without any signs of going away anytime soon. Beautiful. What made it worse was the raw-nerved feeling that accompanied it. Only now was she beginning to feel overwhelmed, that it was all just...too...*much.*

Two days. In the course of two days, what semblance of a normal life she'd been putting together had somehow spun on its heels into...this. That everything she'd ever been taught and told - that ghosts and monsters didn't exist - was wrong and there were *worse* things out there than she'd ever imagined. This part was a bit double-edged; while it meant that there wasn't actually wrong with *her* except that she could somehow perceive what most others couldn't, it meant that everything up to this point - the years of fear and therapy and heavy medications, of being heavily sheltered and treated like a china doll, of trying to take her life and ending up locked away in the hell-hole that was Stonebridge - was all for *nothing.* All it would have taken was a little belief and understanding instead...

Don't go that way. Anger rose, tightened her throat and stung her eyes with tears. Eve reached one of the sinks and leaned over it, keeping her eyes from the mirror and turned on the cold water instead. Cupping her hands, the young woman splashed her face several times, then cut the water, braced her hands on the sides and just stood there, head bowed. Water dripped from her chin and nose and lips, but her eyes were closed.

Breathe. Getting mad was an oddly alien thing to Eve; she'd never been good at it. It usually made her hands shake, made her eyes tear up and chest feel constricted. She never lost reason, though her sometimes strange brand of logic could be a little slower in coming. Focusing on something purely physical helped to ground her, helped her to step back and look at everything a little more clearly.

Sooo...in less than two full days, Eve had found herself caught up in something that she had yet to understand the full scope of. She knew it was dangerous, and had the feeling that there might be more to the people around her than she was being told; in fact, with Argus Steele, she was sure of it...too bad she couldn't actually pin it down. She wanted to give him the benefit of the doubt; maybe *he* didn't understand all of it himself, or just didn't really know anything more than she did.

But Eve was getting really tired of uncertainties, even if they abounded. She didn't think she'd get any straight answers from those around her...so she'd focus on some things about herself.

*Had* she actually done something while she was in the room with that familiar? Eve couldn't be absolutely postive, but the more she thought about it, the more she was sure *something * had happened. She'd had headaches before, but this one wasn't like any other; it felt too much like a cramp, a muscle complaining that had never been used before but had been forced into activity. Was there more to her 'abilities' than she realized? And if there was...then how could she figure out *what* was there and *use* it?

That idea frightened her, just a little; all she could think of was the expression on the face of her 'future self'...even if it *had* been the familiar masquerading as her. Could...could she possibly turn into *that?* The thought of it disgusted Eve, but at the same time she couldn't deny that the idea of being so confident and self-assured *was* appealing.

Her fingers tightened on the edges of the sink briefly while she drew a deep breath and exhaled. "Never." Eve would figure out how to use what she had, how to control it, and hopefully, how to *live* with it as well...but she refused to *ever* be like that. It hadn't really been her, logic said, but she was a believer in caution.

Pulling a few paper towels from a dispenser, she blotted at her face, raked her fingers through her hair in an effort to keep her curls from looking so tumbled...then froze.

A chill crept down her back, along the length of her spine like the draw of an icy fingertip, and the back of her neck tingled. It was the kind of chill that seeped into the skin at some point and spread quickly, settling like dead weight into muscle and nerve alike. Still leaned over the sink, Eve sighed and shook her head slightly. "...What now?"

There was a mirror in front of her; in fact, there were mirrors in front of each of the five sinks in the bathroom. Don't look. A childish little voice whispered that in the depths of her mind, urging her to drop what she was doing and leave - just run. Morbid curiosity kicked in as well. Look up, it said, and see if *she* is there. A shiver rippled through her, and she found herself rubbing the edges of the paper towel through her fingertips. Enough. Before she had another second to question the decision, Eve straightened, looked in the mirror....

....And promptly skipped a step or two away with an undignified little sound. For all of a heartbeat, it wasn't *her* face looking back at her - at least, not really. It *looked* like her, certainly - but the eyes had been heavily lined in black khol, the expression accusatory, harsh. It was gone before the first blink, and Eve found herself staring back into her own stormy grey eyes, wide with shock.

"Nerves." Murmured softly to herself, even though she didn't blink again, just focused on her own reflection. "...Just nerves." Had to be. That had only been the familiar masquerading as her; she'd never really existed like that.

The cold lingered though, and a flutter from the corner of her eye earned her attention. In the mirror directly to her left, at the bottom edge of the metal frame, there was a movement of something pale. Eve watched it move upward a little, watched as grey hand covered in purple blotches had risen into full view, scrabbling at the inside of the glass...just before its mate rose to join it, searching, crawling spider-like across the smooth surface in an effort to bring *her* into view....

That was enough to break Eve from her stupor. A thought skipped briefly across the surface of her mind to touch the mirror, or break it...it dissipated as quickly as it came, and the young woman turned abruptly and left the bathroom. Just outside, she paused to draw another breath, glancing up and down the hall. She''d try to deal with this one major problem at a time.