Shadowdarke: Twilight Enigma

By EyeofSerpent & J. Darksong


        There was darkness, darkness all around, frightening to most perhaps,
but not to one such as he. For him, darkness was the ally, the friend, the
humble servant, concealing, hiding, obscuring. Having no fear, he walked 
through the darkness, feeling it touch and caress him like a lover's hand. A
little farther, the darkness lifted, and the faint light diffusing through
illuminated something. No, someone. A familiar person. He felt her calling out
to him, drawing him closer, and instinctively he knew what it was, and what
she wanted of him. What she needed from him. What he was unable to give, what
he couldn't bear to give...not again...not after the last time--- Twisting 
around, he turned to withdraw deeper back into the calming soothing darkness, but
like a magnet, he was steadily drawn forward towards the woman, the shadowy 
waif calling out to him. He glanced right and left, seeking another way, 
another path, only to find...nothing. No alternate route. "The only path is 
the path you are on," he remembered a soft shadowy voice from the past speaking. 
        Resigned, he pushed on, moving closer to the woman. As the darkness
faded into the brightening light, her face and features became clearer. The 
woman was lying on her back, completely nude, her short auburn hair lying
wild and matted about her head. Her entire frame was littered with shiny
bright flashes of light, and as he came closer, he recognized them for what 
they were.
        Hundred of small, thin, acupuncture needles.
        Sweat began to pour from him now, his heart rate speeding up. He knew
this, he had seen this before, and its significance did not bold well, for the
young woman or for him. The needles were imbedded everywhere on her lithe soft
form, from the tips of her toes, to the space behind the ear on her face. A
sound, a gasp, escaped his lips before he could stop it, and sensing him near,
the woman turned her face, to stare at him. The man's eyes widened as the woman's
face suddenly changed, morphing into a reptilian mask, complete with a forked 
tongue and glowing red slitted eyes. Or EYE, the other was covered with a small
eye patch. As the woman/monster focused on him, the eyes began to glow, the patch
smoking as the Power contained behind it sought to burn its way through. The man
tried to turn away, tried to shield himself from the coming onslaught, but he 
couldn't move, as if his feet were planted in cement. The woman-thing hissed out
a baleful cry just as the patch burned away, enveloping him in an intense red
light, creating shadows of shadows, of shadows. Heart pounding, he stood frozen
as a slender clawlike hand reached out to him, beseechingly, calling out, 
"Heeellllppp...meeeee...the daarrrkkneess...it consssuuummmeesss me...I BUUURRRNN
wiiiittth thee DAAARRRRKKKNNNEEESSSSS!! HEELLLPPP MMEEEEEE!!"



        Jonothan Darke jerked upright, glancing about himself, as the stewardess
walked by. "Are you okay, sir? I didn't mean to startle you awake. Is there 
anything I can get you?"
        The doctor calmly shook his head, letting the stone-faced mask slip 
back into place. "No thank you, I'm fine. But perhaps you might consider having
a seat with me and talking for a bit. Its a few hours yet till the California, 
and the seat next to me is vacant."
        "Sorry, sir," she said with a smirk. "Airline policy prevents me from 
accepting your offer." The girl, Karen, smiled inside. It wasn't the first
such offer she had received in her five years as an airline stewardess, but 
it had been the nicest. The man---what was his name again? Oh yes, Dr. Jonothan
Darke---seemed sweet and harmless, and simply friendly. He had even taken her
hand and kissed it gentlemanly when she had brought him a pillow. Glancing at
him, she found him strangely attractive, in a normal sort of way. Black hair,
brown eyes, tan complexion, slight build...nothing that really stood out.
Yet, he seemed to posses a certain...quality. Perhaps once they landed, she 
might consider going out and having a drink with him.
        "Are you SURE I can't change your mind?" Jon asked, grinning. "The
other stewardesses seem to have everything under control, and I'm quite sure
you won't be missed." Karen glanced back through the curtain, noting that all 
the other girls seemed completely oblivious, not having missed her at all. 
"We're already airborne, the emergency drill has been given, and dinner has
already been served. You don't have anything more pressing to do, do you?"
        Damn, but the man was persuasive. And he had a point, she had nothing
better to do at the moment. "Alright, I'll sit and talk a while," she said
with a smile. "But just for a while. I don't want to get into any trouble."
        A few moments later, Jonothan sighed, relaxing as Karen's lips
serviced his throbbing cock wonderfully. She was very good, he noted idly,
and had most likely done this sort of thing before. With each stroke of her
soft warm mouth on his member, the nightmare of moments ago faded deeper
and deeper into the shadows. One would think he would be used to them by
now, after the past three months, but every one seemed worst than the last.
His present destination was a direct result of those dreams, that silent
call for Aid. His oath as Healer, and his training, had brought him here,
and just like in his dream, he was stuck on the only path open to him. 
A groan escaped his lips, as Karen, feeling his arousal linked with her
own, began to suck harder, faster, desperate to please him, wanting,
needing to make him come in order to speed her own growing climax. Feeling 
the girl's need, he relaxed, and let the orgasm rip through them both, as
the white hot climax washed away the stress and pain of his upcoming duties.
For a moment, he was able to lose himself in the blissful release of the
young girl at his feet, Touching her, letting her feed off the feedback of 
pleasure, feeling her body arching and writhing against his own. He had 
commanded her to be silent, and though she screamed her pleasure in her
mind, not a whimper escaped her lips. Finally, sated, they both collapsed 
in each other's arms, Jonothan stroking the young girl's face gently. She
was nearly as good as Shelley. Jon made a mental note to keep tabs on 
little Karen McNamara in the future, in case he desired another to add to
his group.
        A few moments later, the seat belt light clicked on, and the captain's
voice sounded through the intercom, announcing their arrival time. Karen blinked
and yawned, coming awake. Realizing where she was, she hastily buttoned her
blouse and pulled up her skirt. "Oh shit, I'm gonna be in hot water when my
supervisor catches me," she said in a panic, glancing at the doctor. "I've 
been gone long enough to be noticed. What am I going to tell her?" Tears 
started to leak from her eyes at the thought of losing her job.
        "Don't worry about a thing, little one," he replied, clutching her
hand, calming her panic. "I told you, everything will be alright. No one has 
even noticed you were gone, and I know your supervisor won't say a thing 
about it. Now finish straightening up your blouse and get ready to greet 
the passengers as we depart." She nodded obediently, fixing her clothes, and
moving back into the aisle. "Oh yes, one more thing. I'll be heading back 
home in a few days, and would much enjoy having another TALK with you on 
the flight back. The evening non-stop flight back to Montreal. I hope to see
you then."
        "Yes...yes, of course," she said, blushing furiously. If she wasn't
scheduled for that night she would trade shifts with whomever was working. A
shiver of pleasure went through her at the thought of seeing him again. Karen
felt confused. She had only met the man today, yet she had never felt this 
way about anyone before! Was it love? Did people fall in love that quickly 
in real life? Leaning down, her lip trembling, she quickly kissed him, then 
turned away. "I'll see you on the return trip, Doctor." 
        Jonothan nodded idly, reaching under his seat, taking out the black
briefcase and computer laptop. His mind had already shifted back to his 
duty, and his subject. Awaiting the order to disembark from the plane, 
Dr. Darke opened this briefcase, reviewing the files collected and sent to
him by his agents in America over the past several weeks. Jon glanced at the 
photograph of his target, studying her face, nearly the same after all these 
years. The face of Corelle D'Amber.
  

      
        "Its right here on the corner, driver," Jonathon told the driver of the
taxicab, closing his briefcase tightly as the yellow car pulled to a halt. 
Gazing up at the mammoth building for a moment, he nodded. "Here, keep the 
change," he said with disinterest, handing the cabby a hundred. "If I need 
to travel anyway where the city, can I ask for you..." he glanced at the shield
hanging above the meter "...Ahmaed?"
        The large black man smiled, pocketing the bill. "Mr. Lumus, if you always tip
this well, I'll chauffeur you around on my BACK if you want! Ask the dispatch 
for me, and I'll be there in ten minutes tops!" Ahmaed exited the cab, just as
Jonothan did, moving around to the trunk. "Fancy place yer stayin' at. Not much
luggage though," he said, hefting the two bags, one in each arm. Jonothan moved
to take them, but Ahmed just smiled. "Hey, allow me. For a seventy dollar tip, 
you deceive the full treatment," he said with a chuckle. "So, are you in town
for business or for pleasure?"
        "Business, I'm afraid," the doctor commented, patting his briefcase, as
he followed the cab driver into the hotel lobby. "But, perhaps with a little 
luck, I can squeeze in some pleasure as well before the trip back. Here you are,
my friend, thanks for the help with my bags." He held out a fifty, but the man
just shook his head.
        "That's okay, you keep it," the driver replied. "It was my pleasure. Now
just remember to ask for Ahmaed next time you need a taxi." Jonothan sighed the
registry, and received his room key from the clerk. "Well have a good time, Mr.
Lumus, I guess I'll be hearing from you soon." The two men then shook hands 
before departing, Ahmaed back to his cab, Jonothan to his room. The cab driver
rubbed his hand against his pants a few times, frowning slightly. Funny, he 
thought as he started the ignition, there was no carpet in that lobby, but 
somehow or another I got shocked when I touched his hand. He chuckled softly 
to himself. Must me my damned electric personality!
        Meanwhile, upstairs in his room, Jonothan made a telephone call. He let
the phone ring exactly three times then hung up. Sitting down on the bed, he
took out his pipe, lit it up, and took a deep drag as he waited. Moments later,
the phone rang, and after exactly three rings he answered. "It's me. Are you
secure on your end?"
        "Hold on a second," the voice on the other side responded. An audible
'click' could be heard, followed by a short faint electronic whine. "Ok, we're
secure."
        "Good," he answered, puffing on his pipe. "I'm all checked in. I reviewed
the preliminary files you sent on the flight here, and I've got it all down. We
can meet at the pre-planned spot in, say two hours. I trust you'll have everything
I asked for ready for me when I arrive?"
        A slight pause on the other end. "Oh, um, well of course, Sir, that's no
problem," the man said after a moment. Jonothan was quick to note the hesitation,
however.
        "What is it?" he asked calmly. "There's something on your mind, colonel,
and that mind belongs to me. Give."
        "Well," he faltered nervously. "It's probably nothing. My network has 
been monitoring the target and her associates, just as you asked, as well as
checking them for 'spooks' of their own. There were a few �likelies� spotted, but
gave up their surveillance after a few days. Most likely one of the Others in 
the game keeping tabs."
        "Most likely," Darke agreed. "Do we know the kennel master that holds the
bloodhound's leashes?"
        "No positive ID's on two of the ghosts, but the third one was, Varsic
Huumes, hired assassin with a sheet longer than my arm. And Sir? Huumes is known 
to headquarter out of France."
        Damn. "Very good, colonel. But let's not assume old 'hothead' is behind
this. Lately the others seems to enjoy using agents of their enemies, as decoys,
to make them think they are fighting one foe instead of another. France might 
be a red herring here too. But, I'll keep all this in mind." He tapped the pipe
against the desk as he considered all this. "Is there anything else I should know
about before the meeting?"
        "Again, Sir, it's probably nothing, but I'll mention it and let you be the
judge. In the preliminary files you have there was mention of one Evelyn Flaumel.
Single. Ex-policewoman, ex-private detective, now head of PolyCorp security, and
good friend of our target. Well, for no reason we've been able to ascertain, she
has left the target's employ, quitting PolyCorp and moving on to an undisclosed
destination. She met with the target briefly one evening, spent a few hours 
together, then parted company. The day after, Flaumel left town."
        Jonothan frowned. This was serious news, indeed, giving up one of her 
friends and the head of her personal security force not long after suffering 
a near-fatal attack. "Do you know where she is now?"
        A deep sigh on the other end answered the question before the words even
sounded. "Sorry, Sir. Our primary orders were to keep tabs on the target. I
figured a small tail on Flaumel could do the job, but the woman is good. She
shook Johnson, and vanished. We haven't been able to find anything on her yet.
Don't worry, Sir, she'll turn up eventually, and we'll have her."
        "I wouldn't be so sure," Darke countered. "Trust a professional on this.
If you want to disappear, and you have the money and the means, it can be done.
At any rate, I'm after the target, D'Amber, not her wayward servant. Add this
latest development to the complete file for when I arrive, and let me know if
anything else develops." He paused for a moment. "Colonel, I'm quite pleased
at all your hard work. Don't worry too much about Flaumel, I'm sure it's 
nothing. Give all your men my thanks on a job well done. After the meeting, 
you can attend to the...debriefing, yourself. Until then."
        "Yes, Sir," Colonel James Benson said softly, feeling as if he should
salute the phone. Jonathan, his Master, had said he was PLEASED with all their
hard work. The feeling of pleasure filled him nearly to bursting. As deputy
director of the United States' military intelligence division, he had more
freedom and latitude than any mere operative in the FBI or CIA. Contacts
from his Army days still existed, agents of his, both active and inactive,
were at his fingertips. He was confident that with his nearly unlimited 
resources he would track down Miss Evelyn Flaumel. Like his Master, James
hated loose ends. But in the meantime, he had one more loose end to tie up.
Picking up his cell phone again, he dialed a number and waited. 
        "Yes, sir, Millicent here," a female voice answered. 
        "Put me on speaker phone Millicent," Colonel Benson replied, waiting
for his covert team to get settled. "This is from the Chief. 'Good work to all,
I am quite pleased with all your hard work.' The man never praises anyone lightly
so you can all give yourselves a big pat on the back for this." A muffled scatter
of voices sounded over the line, his team congratulating themselves. Shaking his
head, the old veteran agent continued. "Okay, okay, there's more, people. The 
Boss will take over from here personally, and we are done with this assignment.
As usual, you are still considered 'on' in case he requires anything, so make
sure you can be reached; otherwise, you're all overdo for some R & R. One last
thing before the 'debriefing', however. The Chief says that he considers Flaumel
a closed case for now, but I want to hold this one open. Call it pride, or 
dedication, or whatever, but she slipped past us, and I am not going to sleep
easily until we have her located for further reconnaissance later. Make it a
priority...as soon as you return from your vacations, that is." The colonel
opened a sealed envelope in his briefcase, marked 'Completion', and opened it.
Reading from the contents he spoke, "Case file number zero-sierra-halo-alpha-
delta-oscar-whiskey-four-one-romeo-kilo-five. Condition, blue. I repeat, 
condition is blue. Time index -0840. Confirm."
        One by one, all seven members of the team confirmed the message, responding
with an implanted response to the code phrases. Colonel Benson nodded, satisfied.
When he hung up the phone, he knew none of his operatives would recall the
specifics of the last five weeks of reconnaissance work, remembering only that
their work had pleased their Commander, and that their mission, whatever it was, 
had been successful. The old man sighed deeply. After all this time, he thought he
would have grown used to it all, being able to wipe the memories of his men with
a single code word. Of course, Military Intelligence had been doing that sort 
of thing for years now, but still, to be able to do it to such a degree, and 
so completely...James tried and failed to grasp the scope of the power his
Boss wielded. Well, he reminded himself, sometimes its simply best not to think
about it, to just accept it and go on doing your duty. James was a soldier, and
he would always do his duty.



        Jonothan awoke, opening his eyes. The brief two hour nap left him feeling
recharged and refreshed. Surprisingly, his sleep had been free of the reoccurring
nightmares that had been plaguing him lately, ever since he had sensed his Healing
was needed. Oddly, instead of leaving him feeling happy, it worried him. The 
nightmares, while disturbing, had been a type of beacon, leading him up to this
point in time. It had lead him forward down this path, his ONLY path, yet something
felt wrong. It was nothing substantial, just a feeling...but he had learned early
in life to always pay attention to his feelings. Shaking his head, he picked up
his briefcase and left the room. "For good or for ill," he said softly, "I can't 
turn back now." He entered the elevator, focusing on the Bond established with 
Ahmaed, summoning him. As the carriage car descended slowly towards the lobby,
Jonothan was forced to smile ruefully. Strange. I can alter the mind of anyone
I come in contact with, I can change their entire lives at my slightest whim, yet
I am helpless to alter my own destiny in the slightest. Hmmm. Just another one 
of Life's Little Ironies, I guess.
        "Ah, Mr. Lumus," the desk clerk spoke up, as Jonothan left the elevator.
"Heading out so soon? I trust everything in the room was satisfactory?"
        "Yes, quite so. Everything was perfect, I was quite pleased."
        "That's good." The man picked up the phone. "Shall I call a taxicab
for you, sir? I can have on here for you in fifteen minutes if you are in
a hurry?"
        "No thanks, my ride is just pulling in," the doctor answered, gesturing
to the yellow cab pulling up in front of the hotel. "I called before I came
down," he added, walking out the door with briefcase in hand. Ahmaed walked
around and opened the passenger side door, looking somewhat confused. Jon merely 
smiled as he entered. "Good timing, Ahmaed, I was just thinking of taking a ride 
across the city. Lucky to have run into you."
        "Huh?" the heavy man said, making his way back to the driver's seat. "Oh, 
yeah, right. I was...um...in the neighborhood. Uh, I guess." Shaking the fog out 
of his mind, he glanced back and smiled. "So where to, Mr. Lumus?"
        "Please, call me Johnny. All my friends do. Mr. Lumus sounds like you are
my servant or something."
        The big man smiled even wider. "Alright then, Johnny. Where to? Remember,
the meter's running."
        "To the corner of Wilmhest and Milliken Street, Ahmaed. I have a business
meeting to attend."



        The meeting was short and to the point. Colonel Benson had been trained by
the best even before coming under his sway. His noted with interest the updated
files on Doris Conner. She had been given special attention, training of a sort,
for several weeks prior to my arrival, and had participated in some sort of 'test'
at the local shopping mall. Nothing overt and obvious in the report, and without
personal experience in such matters, the surveillance team had not been able to 
put two and two together. But Darke recognized it for what it was.  Her 
Initiation. Doris Conner has become Kinspawn. Interesting. THAT was definitely 
an unforeseen occurrence. Now, instead of facing one very dangerous Ancient, he
would be facing one-and-a-half. With the difficulties and limitations imposed 
upon him already, this was shaping up to be a rather dangerous assignment. Nodding
to the Colonel, who, to his mild annoyance, saluted him, he walked back to his cab,
to reconsider his options and plan his next move. Time was growing short, and he
would have to make a definite move soon before his presence was uncovered.
        Finally, however, he decided that we would simply have no choice but to rely
on his own Talents. Doris, as Kinspawn, would be formidable, but no match for him.
Corelle would be the problem, disabling her without causing more damage to her 
already beleaguered mind. Ideally, the best bet would be to take out Doris by 
herself, without giving Corelle any kind of warning, except that as her new 
bodyguard, replacing Flaumel, it would be nearly impossible to catch the one of 
them without the other nearby.  So I'll have to use the direct approach. Stealth 
and trickery. Strike hard and fast, get in and get out before either have time to 
react.  Sighing deeply, he checked his schedule. One-thirty. D'Amber was 
scheduled to have a business luncheon with a prospective business partner, another
small fish about to be swallowed by the huge whale that was PolyCorp Industries. 
Setting his watch, and planning his moves carefully in his head, Jonothan Darke 
turned to the driver. "Ahmaed, take me to the PolyCorp building, as quickly as you 
can."
        "PolyCorp, eh?" the dark skinned man chuckled. "I knew it. Business trip. With 
the lunchtime traffic we should be there in about fifteen minutes."
        "Good. That will be perfect." He handed the man another hundred dollar bill.
"Take it, in advance. I may have another little favor to ask once we arrive."



        The secretary at the front desk looked up as the man entered the building,
glancing about nervously before asking her which floor the CEO, Corelle D'Amber 
resided on. "And your name is?" the secretary asked, checking her appointment 
book.
        "Ummm, I don't have an appointment," he said, shifting from foot to foot 
slightly. "But its real important that I speak with her. Right now. It's a matter of 
life or death!"
        Yeah, I'll just bet, the secretary, Georgia Mays, thought to herself. "I
am sorry, sir," she said checking her books again, "but Ms. D'Amber is unavailable 
right now. She is currently leaving for a business luncheon. If you like I can leave 
word with her when she returns, but I have to tell you she does not often see people 
without an appointment---"
        "THIS is my appointment, lady!" the man shouted, whipping out a wicked-looking
thirty-eight caliber pistol, holding it Georgia's head. "I'm not leaving here until
I see D'Amber!! Anyone tries to stop me and you're DEAD, do you hear me? DEAD!!"
Seeing their comrade in danger, three more security guards started forward, moving
to flank the unknown assailant. "Hold it!" the man yelled loudly, cocking the gun.
"Tell your friends to back off, if they don't want to be responsible for getting
your brains splattered all over the lobby walls!" Georgia nodded to the others, 
who backed off, still holding their guns at the ready, in case an opportunity 
presented itself. Scared to death, her life flashing before her eyes, Georgia 
still had enough presence of mind to press the silent alarm at the foot of her desk, 
alerting the police, and more importantly, security head Doris Conner, who should be 
approaching the ground floor even now in the elevator. Hopefully help would come
soon.
        The man, nervous, hands shaking, kept the gun firmly against the woman's head. 
At the same time, he kept glancing over at his side, at the strange man standing in 
the corner next to the leftmost pillar. Georgia noted this, trying to get a good look
at the mysterious man, for future reference, providing she lived through her current 
situation. "You're not taking me seriously!" the man screamed shrilly, pressing the
barrel of the gun deeper into her temple. "I want to see D'Amber now! I know she is
in here! I KNOW you are trying to keep her from me!"
        "She's on her way now, sir Take it easy, please," a soft voice said from behind. 
"There's no need to hurt anyone. Turning in surprise, the man found himself looking 
into two deep piercing brown eyes. A striking woman had somehow come up behind him 
without his noticing, and she was looking at him...looking THROUGH him. The man shook 
his head, the grip on the gun in his hand relaxing slightly. "There's no need to get 
excited, sir," the woman continued. "Ms. D'Amber will be down shortly. Till then, YOU
are in charge here. There's no need to be upset. Just be calm. Calm."
        The man sighed softly, lowering the gun but not releasing it. The pretty woman's
words were sooo soothing, so easy to listen to. He felt the urge to simply give in
and relax, to simply stare into her beautiful brown eyes...so deep and dark...he felt
as if he could stare into them forever. Then, a sudden thought pierced his calm, a
memory. "Nnnooo. No. NO! I don't want to calm down...not until I see Corelle D'Amber."
The gun swung up and around, now pointed at the brown-eyed woman. "You're...you're
doing something to me...trying to make me forget. But I have to see D'Amber, have to
give her my message. I have to---"
        The woman surprised him by getting down on her knees and moving steadily towards 
him on her knees. His eyes followed her down, remained focused on her lower position.
The trained personnel in the lobby began to slowly move to more protected distances with 
the provided distraction of his field of vision.
        Then she was there, just at the muzzle of his gun. She reached a hand up and 
caressed his knuckles. "My name is Doris," the kneeling woman whispered succinctly,
now sending her thoughts even more forcefully into the man's head. "You *HAVE* to lower 
the gun. I'm right here. You see I'm helpless. You have to lower the gun. It's too heavy 
for you to handle you know. You would be better off giving the gun to me, handing it 
right over now. Right now, D'Amber is not on your mind, right now, there is only you 
and I." The man seemed to blink a few more times before sighing, and swaying 
forward slightly, as if all the resistance was slowly draining out of him. Lifting 
his glassy eyes to her, he nodded ever so slightly. "Good. I think we are doing fine. 
You wish to please me. You must please me."  The man nodded woodenly, his jaw falling 
open. "Good boy. Now give me the gun, and you can rest for a while. Good boy. Give it 
to me now." Shaking as if under a huge strain, the man lowered the gun again, holding 
the butt of the pistol out for her to grab. "Good boy. Now close your eyes and go to 
sleep, and let me see who sent you here and why." Smiling contentedly, the man closed 
his eyes, leaning against the counter, asleep on his feet, while the grateful employees 
breathed a collective sigh of relief. Placing a hand to the man's head, Doris scanned 
him quickly, glancing around. Suddenly, eyes wide, she turned the gun towards the figure 
by the pillar. 
        "Over there! FREEZE! Don't move a muscle! Don't even THINK of moving!" Surprised, 
the man jerked slightly, obediently staying put. "Georgia, Tina, and the rest of you go 
over and secure that guy. He's the one that sent this poor smuck after Corelle. Hold on 
to him, and be careful! Don't let him get his hooks into you. If he tries *ANYTHING* 
funny, or if one of you starts to feel the slightest bit funny, shoot the bastard! In 
the leg," she added as an afterthought. Turning back to the unconscious man slumped 
against the desk, she placed her hand back to his head. "I'll be over there in a 
moment." As soon as I find out from our friend here just who it is we are dealing 
with.
        Georgia and the other guards nodded, turning to obey their chief, and Doris
opened her mind to delve into the mazed mind of her captive. As her mind changed from 
offense to analytical, just as her guard was down, something HUGE grabbed her! A force, 
a presence, swept up over her mind, like a cold icy fog rising from the depths, 
surrounding her, enclosing her, encircling her on all sides. She shuddered, feeling 
the unearthly chill sweep along her spine, as her mind instinctively closed up, wrapping 
itself deep within a protective ball. Laughter echoed into the prison of ice surrounding 
her mind, and whispered words drifted softly to her. Very impressive the way
you handled that, Ms. Connor. Just as I had hoped you would. If you were well trained 
and experienced, you would have scanned my mind much deeper than the false memories I 
had allowed to find. Simple misdirection, making myself seem secondary target, and my 
accomplice the primary. Well, consider this a life-experience. And don't worry, you will 
LIVE to learn from this. It was never my intention to kill, not you, nor anyone here. 
Besides, my time is short, and I have much bigger fish to fry.
        Motion from behind caused Darke to turn and shift his attentions, just as several 
policemen entered the building. That tiny moment of distraction changed the initiative.
With surprising deftness, Doris accessed a deep memory, a moment of passion at the feet
of her Mistress Corelle, and sexual searing heat bloomed inside the icy mental bands 
holding her mind captive. They quickly began to warp, then bend, then break, setting her 
free. Cursing softly, his one chance at a quick victory gone, the doctor slid away from 
her, moving behind a pillar, and, tapping into the Great River, he vanished into darkness. 
Eyes wide, Doris watched as the man literally disappeared before her eyes, seemingly 
melting into the dark shadows. "Excuse me, Miss Conner," the police lieutenant said, 
walking forward, completely oblivious to what had just occurred. "We received PolyCorp's 
silent alarm. We need to talk with you and your boss, Ms. D'Amber for a moment. We have 
a few questions for you." Doris quickly scanned the situation. The other man was 
secured, though probably harmless. Most likely only a pawn in this Game. Eyes narrowed, 
taking one last long look back at the spot where the man had disappeared, Doris followed 
the lieutenant to attend to business.



       Jonothan Darke watched as Ahmaed was led away in handcuffs. He had no worry 
that the man would leak any information about him. Indeed, he would remember nothing
between his first meeting at the airport, to being arrested by the police just now.
He had been a random choice, just some guy in a crowd, totally expendable. Still, 
he felt a twisting emotion over getting the poor man arrested. Perhaps later, if he 
had time, he would bail the poor man out. Yes, in fact, Ahmaed could STILL be useful.
He would find another random person on the street, entrance him, and force him to free 
Ahmaed, having them BOTH at his beckoned call when he needed them. In the meantime, he 
had planning to do. The Serpent and her allies were aware of him now, and would be 
prepared. Worse, he was unused to fighting, relying mostly on surprise, trickery, and 
deceit, all of which were less useful against a well-prepared enemy. He would have to 
rely solely on his own unique powers, practiced over many years, and hope to simply 
overpower his opponents by coming at them out of darkness, when the least suspected. 
Doris would be difficult, but not a major problem. Corelle...Darke sighed inwardly.
        This was all for your benefit, Jeannette, but it is very likely that you will be 
hurt even more as I force myself close enough to help you. It was also distressingly
possible that you will kill me as I try. But I must try. I am not a healer by choice. 
The Great River won't allow me another path. Besides, I owe you that much at least.
He shook his head ruefully. Another one of Life's Little Ironies. The Serpent can 
kill with a glance and everything I do know brings me closer and closer to a face-to-
face confrontation with her. If I die, will you even remember what we once shared? Will
you kill me as an enemy, or possibly remember after the fact, and cause you yet another
hurt, another stain of blood on your hands? Do I even now, in seeking to repair your
mind and soul, hasten your own collapse? Jonothan shook his head wearily.  It
doesn't matter. Everything is in motion, and I am helpless to stop it even if I so 
wished.
        He waited until dark, then used the River to move invisibly out of the building 
and to the parking lot a half-block away. Touching a man walking down the street, he
gave the man a number of commands, placed several hundred dollars in his pocket, and 
sent him to the police station to bail out Ahmaed. Afterwards, he walked over to the
parked car. He could personally clean up the mess and all the little details on Ahmaed's 
arrest and capture later, at his leisure. Turning the key, he started the taxi and took 
a slow route past the PolyCorp building. Then he headed back towards his hotel room.

He knew tonight the nightmares would be worse.
        
END.

((Thanks again to Eye for allowing me into this wonderful series, for
giving me invaluable pointers time and time again, and for working with
me on this story to really bring out BOTH characters so well. Thanks
again, my friend!))