Official Report

Above New Hebron, California

Sapphira hovered across the landscape as he reached out with his mind. This time he did not seek the minds of the people below, but rather a much more powerful one. He believed if Chemosh could track him, that perhaps, he should be able to do the same. That is if the other being was telling the truth.

Though uncertain of what he was looking, he believed he would know it when he sensed it. He gritted his teeth and clenched his eyes shut halting in the open air. His awareness stretched out across the city and he put both hands to his head overwhelmed by the sheer volume of information that flowed through his mind. He sensed every insignificant little insect, every human, and every nook and cranny of every building. From the cracks in the foundations of a dozen different buildings, to the mice living underneath their floorboards.

He gritted his teeth as more images and sensations flooded through his mind. The sheer volume of what he sensed overwhelmed him. He perceived the voices and thoughts of a thousand different people, but it was more than that, he saw what they saw; he heard what they heard, he even felt what they felt. It was more than his mind could comprehend, and a groan escape his lips. He almost let go, but then he sensed something amidst the jumbled mess of thoughts and perceptions, a darkness that seemed somehow familiar.

He furrowed his brows and concentrated, focusing all his attention on the darkness. His eyes grew wide, and tears ran down his cheeks as his senses narrowed in on the awareness. He let out a long sigh, the flood of sensations lifting away, but his relief was short lived. He'd come in contact with the personification of evil, it desired nothing more than complete and utter control of anything and everything.

He swallowed hard, clenched both hands at his side and ground his teeth. A high-pitched howl escaped his lips, his vision turned red, and he jerked his head around his lips curling into a malicious grin. Again, his awareness stretched out touching the minds of Amelia, Hailey, Babalawo and Noah and he realized just how easy it would be for him to extinguish their lives. Amelia was a freak, Hailey a degenerate, Babalawo a thief and a liar, and Noah a murderer, why should he let any of them live?

They were weak, useless, pitiful beings, he was superior in every way. He reached out, ready to pounce on their minds and destroy them with a simple act of will, but he hesitated. The weakness within himself, a little voice that screamed out in protest. He reached inside himself, ready to snuff out those pitiful little thoughts, but a scream pierced the air. It had come from his own throat. All at once his connection to the darkness shattered, and he gasped for breath.

He shuddered, realizing how so close he'd come to succumbing. It was so tempting so alluring; it offered power the likes of which he would have never imagined. It terrified him how much he liked what he'd sensed. He perceived this evil creature in the distance and he understood without any doubt whose awareness he sensed, Chemosh.

Swallowing, hard, he twirled around in the air, turning to face the source of the malevolence. He didn't know what was a harder pill for him to swallow, that he'd come so close to ending the lives of four different people, half of whom met more to him than life itself, or he that was seeking the darkness that influenced him to make the attempt in the first place.

He remained there in the open air, heart hammering in his chest, his mind racing as he sought to come to terms with so many conflicting feelings. If Chemosh influenced him with so little effort why hadn't he done so before? Would it be such a wise idea to confront him? Despite all his concerns he came to one inescapable conclusion, he was the only one who stood any chance.

Sapphira must stop Chemosh, and he needed to be the one to do it. He gritted his teeth and narrowed his gaze, the once-god wouldn't harm anyone else. The wind wiped around his face, freezing his tears to his cheeks as he swooped down. He didn't, however let that slow him down.

The building was a dull gray sprawling mass that had seen far better days. In the distant past, the city's warehouse district had been thriving, once home to dozens of businesses, but then the recession came and it never recovered. Most of the buildings were empty and fewer maintained, decaying husks, housing a revolving door of squatters and vagrants.

Sapphira's feet touched the ground, and he looked around reaching out with his psychic senses, he didn't sense a single human or animal for miles. That was unusual. He sensed only two presences the darkness, and a second analytical more ordered one. The awareness did not seem malicious like Chemosh, but no less dangerous. He tried to determine its intent, but he couldn't get an easy read off of the creature. Its mind seems so alien to him. It must have belonged to the giant, the many-eyed creature that defeated Ashtar, but that was only a guess. He prayed that it wasn't something worse.

Pausing outside a large warehouse, from within which their presences emanated, but sensed nothing beyond that. He didn't dare attempt to touch Chemosh's mind again, for fear of succumbing to the hatred that emanated from the other being. Chemosh sensed him coming, but he did not know if the other read his thoughts.

He stepped up to an entrance, a rusted-out door that Sapphira doubted had been opened in decades and raised his arms. He clenched his eyes shut, gritted his teeth and reached out with his will. It creaked and groaned before shooting from its frame and soaring inward, impacting a wall within the building with a loud metallic clang. Sapphira hesitated just outside.

Danger waited within, but he saw no other way. The prospect terrified him, but what other choice did he have? If AEGIS got involved more, people would die. He would allow no one to be harmed through his actions.

As he stepped inside, his whole body trembled. His heart hammered inside his chest and he held his breath in as he walked toward the source of the malevolence. He paused at the end of a long corridor just long enough to bring air back into his lungs before continuing forward.

The corridors were well lit, despite the decayed state of the building which surprised Sapphira, but he supposed Chemosh must have found a way to tap into the city's power grid. He was a member of an advanced alien race and he had the ability to read minds. It would be well within his abilities.

Before long he stepped into a large open area that had been a storage facility at one point. Large racks, which Sapphira surmised held pallets had been strewn beside one of the side walls as if someone had been looking to clear up room in a hurry or without care for tidiness.

Bathed in shadows the area, at first glance, seemed to be empty, but as his eyes adjusted to his surroundings, he realized that he was wrong. Huddled in the darkness was a massive dark form that blended in so well he could distinguish almost none of its defining features. Its size alone was enough to tell him it was the creature he'd seen the night of Ashtar's death.

"So good of you to come," a voice spoke out of the darkness and Sapphira spun around to face its owner.

A figure stepped into the light, and Sapphira stood there staring at her with wide eyes. Chemosh still wore the form of the attractive young co-ed from the college campus, but unlike their previous encounter she was stark naked.

He swallowed hard, taking in every little details of her shadow-bathed form. Her breasts were round and showed no signs of sagging, but then again, she was young, if she hadn't become Chemosh's host, her breasts would have succumbed to the effects of age and gravity in time. Her thighs and ass were no less enticing, she sauntered toward him, her breasts wiggling as she moved and her hips swaying. From the way she moved it was clear the once god had a lot of practice in the art of seduction.

"I've been waiting for you, hoping that you would come," she smiled and eyed him with a hungry look in her eyes like a predator ready to pounce. She stopped beside him and pressed her chest into his side. Her breath touched his ear, and he froze in place, made uncomfortable by his own arousal. He wanted to take this beautiful creature, to let her do interesting and pleasurable things to him, but if he succumbed to these desires that there would be no going back.

Chemosh slipped a hand around his waist and he gasped when the illusory shirt he'd been wearing vanished. He wasn't sure whether it was Chemosh's doing or if his subconscious mind had been responsible. Her hand slid up his chest fondling his nipples. He stood there frozen, both horrified and aroused. His pussy was wet, and he closed his eyes, his whole body trembling. She slid a hand into his pants and he bit his lips as her hand contacted his vulva. He almost gave in. The exemplar teetered upon the precipice. If he didn't do something, he would become Chemosh's creature.

He cleared his throat and jerked back. "No!"

Chemosh's hand slid out of his waistband and she stood there both hands still held out toward him. She eyed him, looking for all the world like a doe-eyed little sex toy, but then her face transformed. The cute little smile on her lips, stretched into inhuman proportions, replaced by malicious glee.

"I see you didn't come for fun," she laughed emitting a frantic cackle that sent cold chills down his spine.

He took another step back, but then she closed her fists and his foot froze in place inches from the ground. He couldn't move, or even so much as budge a muscle. Even his mouth wouldn't open. He tried to struggle against her telekinetic grip, but either his powers failed him, again, or Chemosh was too powerful.

Chemosh's face was red and sweat was beading down his face. The effort of keeping him in place taking its toll on the host body.

"You really think you would fool me? Your life is small and insectile compared to my centuries long existence. You've barely just come into your powers, do you believe you could match the discipline of an awareness that has existed longer than your entire civilization?"

Chemosh glowered at him and her features softened, taking on less of a manic edge. She was still smiling, but she looked calmer, more collected. She glanced over his shoulder, at the hulking mass in the corner and smirked.

"Garos, why don't you take care of this... situation? It's time to implement our plan."

[As you wish] Came the response. Sapphira couldn't say whether it was a sound being conveyed through the air or if the being had spoken with its mind, but either way it produced a low rumble he that resonated through the concrete floor.

He saw Garos come toward him out of the corner of his eyes and he struggled against Chemosh's mental restraints, but it was to no avail. The once-god grinned at him then she rose into the air, breasts bouncing from the sudden movement and zoomed away. The moment she was out of sight Sapphira was free. His foot touched the ground, and he spun around to face the giant. A massive fist hurtled toward him. He raised his hands attempting to form a shield around himself, but before he had finished, the fist slammed into his chest. The blow sent him hurtling across the room.

The speed and force through which Sapphira slammed into the racks would have killed him if he hadn't already brought up his shield.

He'd only been successful, the initial blow from the giant's massive fist and his subsequent crash-landing had been more than a little jarring. Many of the racks had collapsed atop him, and he threw his hands out sending the pieces flying away from his body. He stumbled to his feet, his whole body throbbing in agony. He felt as if someone had put his head into a compressor and he blinked shaking it. His stomach protested with each movement, but he swallowed and force back his nausea. It wasn't easy, but he, at least, kept from vomiting.

Garos came barreling across the warehouse toward him and Sapphira locked his eyes on him. The giant moved, something that seemed to belie his size and misshapen shape. It seemed to Sapphira as if he were moving through molasses, but somehow he lifted his hands and braced himself against the oncoming onslaught. His opponent lifted a fist smashing it into the exemplar, but this time he'd managed to bring up his shield.

Garos' hand bounced away and Sapphira shook his head still trying to clear his head. He gritted his teeth then lifted his open palms, pieces of the broken racks raised into the air and he sent them hurtling toward the giant. The misshapen hulk brought both fists up holding his arms across his chest. The debris hit his upraised appendages and clattered to the ground at his feet.

Sapphira gritted his teeth and lifted himself from the ground. He thrashed about, slamming an elbow into one of the few racks that remained standing before righting himself. Sapphira was not in fighting shape, he couldn't think straight let alone battle against a being of such power.

He gritted his teeth, locked his eyes on Garos and put all of his will into strengthening the barrier. The giant slammed a shoulder into the shield, and it pushed Sapphira back into the wall, but his shield held. Sapphira knew sooner or later the giant would break through and destroy him.

Though Garos looked like a mindless beast, Sapphira knew better, he sensed within the other being a sharp and cunning mind. He stood little chance of outsmarting him in his current state. So, he took the only other option open to him.

Sapphira shot up from the ground, putting on as much speed as possible as he zoomed straight toward the ceiling. He clenched his eyes shut just before impacting, but opened them again when he the sound of shrieking metal pierce the air and a cold breeze touch his face. The exemplar didn't congratulate himself or look to see if the other being had followed. He sensed Garos moving toward him.

After another explosion of sound and Garos let out a low rumble that reverberated through the open air. Sapphira was already speeding away attempting to put as much distance between them as possible, but Garos kept pace. He risked a look back and found the misshapen hulk hurtling through the air, in a great gravity-defying leap. He landed two warehouses over leaving a massive dent in the roof before jumping again.

Sapphira reached out with his mind, attempting to sense a sign of Chemosh, but detected no trace of him. He must have been shielding his awareness from him. Whatever he was up to it did not bode well at all. Not that he was in any shape to battle against the other being, but he worried that the once-god might attempt to ambush him.

Sapphira continued his flight through the air Garos leaping through the city after him. He sensed the people below fleeing the giant as he pursued him. The misshapen hulk stuck to the rooftop when possible, no doubt, attempting to keep out of sight, but when there were no buildings available he would touch down on the ground or street.

Sapphira gritted his teeth, finding it harder and hard to remain in the air. His eyelids were heavy, and he panted for breath. It was a concussion, he realized, he'd had one once before years ago during his high school football days. He didn't remember the experience well, but he recalled enough to draw parallels to his current predicament.

Though he had a destination in mind, he didn't believe he would make it. He bit his lip and reached out with his mind one more time. He didn't bother looking for Chemosh. Whatever he was up to, Garos was the distraction. Instead, he sought another awareness, one which he accessed with ease.

"Amy," he said speaking the name out loud his mind connecting to hers in a way it never had before. He wasn't viewing her memories or he hers, and he wasn't just experiencing her emotions. He heard her thoughts. The moment he made contact, her anger roared to life inside his mind, so strong that he had almost mistaken it for his own.

'What do you want?' Amy said no less hostile than he had expected, but he did not expect the response it would invoke within him. He experienced guilt, that much was unsurprising, but it shattered his heart into a thousand pieces.

Yet, he had hope. She was close, within the AEGIS field office itself. It had his destination all along. He'd figured that if anyone had the means to defeat the giant it was the agency, but he found it less and less likely that he'd be able to make it there in time.

A groan sounded near him, and he took a moment to realize that the sound had escaped his own lips. Again, he shook his head, his concentration slipping. It was getting harder to hold himself in the air, and as his grip faltered, he lost altitude.

He clenched his eyes shut, panting for breath struggling to regain his control, but nothing he did seemed to help.

"Amelia please, help," he whispered under his breath just before he lost all control and plunged toward the ground.

Official Report

4th & Main

New Hebron, California

He plummeted, spinning around in the open air. As he zoomed closer and closer to the ground, he tried to right himself and stop his momentum. Nothing worked. He clenched his eyes shut, gritted his teeth and threw his hands in front of him in one last ditch effort to save himself. Mere inches from the ground, he stopped, his head jerked back and gasped for breath. There was a single inch of his body that didn't hurt like hell, but at least he was alive. He let the barrier he'd formed drop and grunted when he collapsed to the ground.

He rolled onto his chest, propping himself up by the elbows, gasping and wheezing for breath. Darkness formed in the corners of his vision, and he gritted his teeth, forcing it back. As he staggered to his feet, he steadied himself again the wall of a nearby building and looked about. The area didn't seem familiar, but office buildings surrounded him and they all looked the same. Pedestrians crowded the streets and a cluster of them had already surrounded him. When he looked down at himself to ensure he was disguised and let out a long sigh of relief upon seeing a gloved hand.

He craned his neck upward searching for signs of Garos, and sure enough he saw human-shaped speck on the horizon that was growing in size and descending toward him. He was in no shape to fight and any attempts to confront the other being would not end well. Lurching forward and wobbling on his feet, he nudged a pair of onlookers out of his way as he moved through the crowded street.

He had to get away, had to get to Amy, but his body would not function. He collapsed to his knees, throwing his hands out in front of him in time to prevent himself from falling onto his face. There were gasps and cries of exclamation from the crowd, but he couldn't process them. His hands were raw from the fall, the illusory gloves did nothing to protect them.

When he attempted to push himself back up, his knees didn't have the strength. He fell forward twisting sideways at the last moment and avoided landing chest-first into the pavement.

The ground quaked and people screamed and fled all around him. He rolled onto his back just in time to see Garos turn toward him all of his many eyes focused on him. Sapphira gritted his teeth and held his hand out, attempting to bring up a barrier with his mind. It worked, but it took all he had.

"Please," he looked up at the creature. "Don't do this."

The giant did not speak but paused looming over him with both of his massive and irregular fists clenched at his side. He didn't know if Garos would comply, but he saw within him a mind of a reasonable being. Perhaps he would be merciful.

"Why are you doing this? I've touched your mind, I know that you're not motivated by the same malicious intent as Chemosh. What has he promised you?"

[You do not know me.] That familiar rumble accompanied his response. Still, he did not move.

"You're right, but I've seen enough of Chemosh's mind to know he will betray you sooner or later."

[My computations show that, this is indeed, a likely possibility, but I need only remain allied with him a short while longer. It is worth the uncertainty. I am sorry, but you are a hindrance and I must remove you from the equation.] With his final utterance, the giant raised both fists high into the air and brought them crashing down into Sapphira's barrier.

He gritted his teeth, putting every bit of concentration into holding the shield. The giant's fists slammed into his shield and it curved and stretched from the force of the blow. It wobbled and shook and for a moment Sapphira wasn't sure it would hold. The giant raised his hands again, readying another blow. The next strike would be enough to shatter the shield, both attacker and target were certain of this and Sapphira scratched and clawed at the sidewalk attempting to pull himself away. It wasn't enough, Garos' arms came down and he clenched his eyes shut awaiting the end.

It never came. There was a screech of metal, a familiar whir of a hybrid engine followed by an explosion of sound. Sapphira coughed, smoke filling his lung, and his eyes snapped open. A violet Yamato Ante had slammed into the wall of the building, pinning Garos against it.

"Amelia," he whispered the name, and sure enough, the agent tumbled out of the car. Coughing and wheezing, she placed a hand atop the roof of the Ante to steady herself. She stood there in a daze, her head bowed as she gasped for breath. Then all at once her head snapped up, and she reached inside her jacket. She drew a handgun and trained it on the giant.

"Move and I'll fire. I don't know much about the anatomy of, whatever the hell you are, but those eyes of yours looked pretty damned vulnerable," Amelia said between gritted teeth.

[Another factor in the great equation. You too are but a hindrance, one which will have to be eliminated.] Garos spoke the air reverberating around him.

Van den Broeke tensed, squaring her shoulders, but didn't otherwise bat an eyelash at the giant's statement. Garos lurched forward, slamming the car away from his body. Sapphira called out her name, attempting to warn her, but by the time the words had left his mouth, the little hybrid was already hurtling through the air toward the agent.

Moments before the hybrid impacted Amelia, a black blur swooped in, and it slammed into Amelia. The car passed through both forms then spun, lurching away from the building into oncoming traffic. Tires screeched, brakes squealed and several vehicles swerved out of the way avoiding the Ante before it landed. As the smoke and dust cleared, Sapphira glanced back toward where the agent had been standing, he blinked and sucked in air. Amelia hadn't moved an inch from her previous position. A figure attired in black was disengaging his arms from around the agent's slender form.

Babalawo, glanced back at Sapphira, a hollow look in his eyes and stepped away from the agent, knees bent and looking for all the world as if he was ready to spring into action.

Garos chest heaved, blue fluid oozing from the wounds on his legs where the car had impacted. He was bleeding Sapphira realized, the giant's many eyes darted back and forth between all three exemplars, before he emitted another rumble. He looked ready to pounce, but before he did Amelia fired off a shot. The bullet hit an eye on the right leg, blue blood splattered the pavement.

"A half a dozen AEGIS cars are headed this way as I speak, they should be here any second. Each vehicle is packed with agents and they're all armed to the teeth. If you attack now, you might kill us all before they get here, but you've already seen what my friend here can do. Even if you're successful, you'll have every law enforcement officer in the city, AEGIS or otherwise rearing to gun you down."

[Another unforeseen factor. I must make new computations.]

The giant, lurched forward, leaping high into air clearing the street and the cars and people that populated it with a single bound. The creature landed atop a distant roof and leaped away one more time before disappearing from view. He briefly appeared again, his massive frame rising above the cityscape before falling back out of sight.

Satisfied that he was out of danger, Sapphira let out a long sigh of relief before his concentration slipped, his shield wobbled and folded in on itself before dissolving into the air. He looked to the agent and other exemplar. Babalawo frowned and eyed him. The agent didn't even look into his eyes. She scowled and holstered her weapon, glancing back behind her shoulder.

"More AEGIS personal should be along any minute to retrieve you. Try not to run off, this time," Amelia said between gritted teeth. To Sapphira her emotions were raw, still fresh from the sting of their previous confrontation.

Sapphira bit his lip and nodded, but didn't say a word. He closed his eyes and let out another long breath of air. The darkness closed in and he welcomed the deep slumber that followed. Before he faded away into the darkness, he felt a hand touch his shoulder. He gasped, and his eyes snapped open. Awé had locked gazes with him

He was skirting the edges of unconsciousness, he couldn't lift a finger let alone reach out with his mind which meant he had to rely on facial cues to determine the other exemplar's intent. He creased his lips in a frown, but it was hard to read his expression since he still wore the mask.

"Why'd you do it, old man?" Babalawo asked, sitting atop the pavement and hugging his knees to his chest.

"W-what?" Sapphira blinked shaking his head. It was clear Noah, had told his son about his identity, but his head was throbbing and was having a difficult time processing the words.

"Why'd you run off? Why didn't you finish him?"

"I-I," he said and closed his eyes fighting to focus. "I thought I wanted to kill him, but when I looked into his mind I..."

He panted for breath and was drifting off again. The hand on his shoulder shook, hard, and his eyes snapped open again. "Speak, dammit!"

Sapphira shook his head and fighting to remain awake. "I, uh, had this picture in my head. I'd convinced myself that he was a, he was a..." Sapphira paused, his head pain, growing to such levels he thought he'd pass out, but then it subsided and he was able to force himself to continue. "convince... myself that he was a monster who deserved to die, but then... then I realized that we were more alike than I'd supposed. Clara's death was an accident, he was just trying to fend for his family. What he did... it wasn't right, but I couldn't bring myself to kill him. I would have become the monster."

Babalawo nodded and smiled down at him an expression that seemed to belie what he said next. "He turned himself in, said it was time he paid for what he'd done. It might kill him, getting arrested, he's in rough shape, but..." He paused biting his upper lip, "I didn't even try to stop him. I admired the hell out of my old man. His condition was the reason I started robbing banks, to help pay for his bills. When I found out he was a murderer, it fucked me up good in the head."

Sapphira grunted, but didn't say a word still struggling to remain conscious. That didn't stop Awé from continuing. "I can't forgive you for what you did, but I understand. I might have done the same thing in your place."

"Why did you come?" Sapphira croaked out the question.

Sapphira sensed Amelia approaching and turned his head in time to watch her kneel beside Babalawo. Awé glanced at her and shook his head. "The Agent here, upon hearing of my father's arrest, did a little digging. She figured out my identity. She's offering leniency for my help."

Sapphira glanced at Amelia, who scowled and look back over her shoulder again. "They're here."

Sapphira who was barely aware of those that surrounded him had neither seen nor heard the AEGIS car pull up. Amelia turned to leave, but somehow Sapphira managed just enough strength to grab the fabric of the agent's jacket.

"Amy... I-I," he whispered, but could never finish. The darkness closed in and he couldn't hold it at bay any longer.

Official Report

Unknown Medical Facility

New Hebron, California

He groaned and cracked his eyelids open. Blinding bright light filled his vision, and he brought a hand up to shield his eyes from the illumination. Once his sight had adjusted to his surroundings, he sat bolt upright and sucked in his breath.

His initial impression was of a hospital room, but as he glanced around, he detected several irregularities. The equipment looked a little too sleek to belong in any hospital, for another, the walls were the same shade of green as the 'Athletic Center' within the AEGIS facility and perhaps most noteworthy was the door. Though the same color as the walls it stood out like a sore thumb. It looked much like Sapphira imagined a steel door out of an underground bunker or a submarine would appear, complete with rivets and window, but with no clear mechanism to open the aperture.

Sapphira slipped his feet over the edge of his bed and grunted when something pulled on the skin of his arm and chest. He glanced down and found the source, an IV in his left hand and electrodes attached to his chest. He gritted his teeth, ripped the medical tape holding the IV in place on his skin and paused when he realized it hadn't hurt as much as he'd expected. His arms weren't what you'd call hairy anymore. Not that he didn't have body hair, but it was so fine, that he didn't notice it most of the time.

He pulled the needle free and marveled. For the first time, he looked at his ebony skin and didn't find himself repulsed by what he saw. After removing the electrodes on his chest, he rose to his feet and moved toward the door.

There was no handle or means to open the door. He reached out with his mind, gratified to find his abilities once again opened to his use, but a little confused. Every item in the room was open to his senses in perfect detail, but he could not get a read on anything that laid beyond the walls, ceiling or floor. He swallowed hard, getting an inkling of his predicament. It would be difficult to escape the room, if not impossible, even with all his powers. It wasn't just a place of healing, but also the perfect location to hold an exemplar prisoner.

Sapphira needed to get free before it was too late.

He narrowed his eyes, gritted his teeth and reach out for the hospital bed. In response it lifted from the floor and hovered in the open air. He stepped away from the door, bit his lip and was about to throw out his hand and send the bed hurtling toward the door, but stopped when he detected movement through the little window in the door. He let the bed drop and watched as it receded sideways into the wall. Amelia stood within the door frame. She pursed her lips, and she held both hands above her waist fidgeting with them as she peered into the room.

Amelia sucked in her breath and stepped inside. "Well, it seems you're doing better. That increased healing factor would be nice to have."

Sapphira blinked and met her gaze. "Uh, yes, it would seem so. How long has it been?"

Amelia frowned. "Six hours."

He closed, his eyes and ran a hand through his thick mop of hair. He wanted to tell her how sorry he was, but he bit his lip and shook his head. As much as it pained him, it would have to wait. There was a slight quiver to his voice as he spoke. "Maybe, there's still time."

"Oh, we'll have plenty of time while we're waiting for the doctor to show up. You can start by explaining what the hell you were thinking," she said gritting her teeth and folding both arms across her chest.

He let out a long sigh and walked over to her placing both hands on her shoulders. "Amelia, you need to listen. I would love to his conversation almost any other time, but Chemosh, needs to be stopped. It might already be too late, we need to get out there and--"

Amelia gritted her teeth, she stood there fists clenched at her side and face all red. He thought for certain she would issue an angry retort, but then she glanced over her shoulder, and turned back to him letting out a long sigh. "You're not going anywhere until the doctor has cleared you. So talk."

Sapphira sighed, retreated from the door and plopped onto the hospital bed. He pursed his lips and looked up at the agent. "Something tells me you already know what's happened."

This wasn't intuition, more an education guess, Sapphira sensed the agent through their bond. He did not sense anticipation from Amelia, anger and resentment. "You've read me, haven't you?"

Amelia scowled and stepped inside the room letting the door slide shut behind her. She moved toward him and position herself opposite the bed arms folded across her chest. "I got a read on your possessions, I know pretty much what you've been up to since you went storming off, but it doesn't give me insight into that thick skull of yours."

"It was a mistake to leave. I didn't realize that--" he stopped glancing up at her and let out a long sigh.

"Realize, what, that I was a freak? That I mutilated myself? Is that it?" Amelia asked her voice taking almost a frantic edge. She wasn't yelling, but it was clear the agent was furious and Sapphira's earlier comments hurt more than she was willing to let on.

It surprised him how much her words stung. Sapphira froze staring up at her, trying his best to find the words, but try as he might he wasn't able to articulate what he wanted to say. Something warm rolled down his cheek, and he reached a hand up to touch it. He was crying, he realized. When he found the words, he bit his lip and turned to Amy.

"Amelia, I was wrong. Those things I said were out of line. There's almost no chance you'll forgive me, but I want you to know I think the world of you. I've had time to process what I saw in your mind and I don't believe you're a freak."

Amelia dropped her hands and stood there frozen in place. She stood there, eyes wide and her mouth agape. He sensed, uncertainty and surprise through the bond, but it was nothing compared to the sea of emotions that washed over him when next he spoke.

"Amelia, I wanted you to know, that I'm in love with you."

In so many ways the words surprised even him. He knew they were true. The empathic bond they shared had provided him with an insight into her mind that could have only otherwise have developed over years of time spent together. Was it any wonder he'd developed such strong feelings for her in so short of a time?

The agent's eyes grew even wider, and she spun around, only pausing long enough to wait for the door to open before fleeing from the room.

He rushed toward the doorway after Amelia, but the door did not respond to him as it had for her. When he pounded a fist on the window, he let out a long sigh when she didn't come back. He turned away, his heart hammering in his chest and a sob escaped his lips.

How could he have been such a fool? He couldn't help how he felt for the agent, but he should have kept his mouth shut. This was neither the time nor the place to tell her. He returned to the bed, falling faced first atop it and buried his head in the pillow.

He wished that he could sense Amelia beyond the walls of the room, but whatever the green substance was, it also blocked their empathic connection. So, he wept, convinced that he had ruined everything.

So swept up in his own misery, was he, that he did not hear the door open, or sense that anyone had come through. It was only when a cough reverberate through the air that his head jerked up and he scrambled back to his feet rounding on the newcomer.

It was Dr. Hassebroeke, the AEGIS doctor who had examined him after his transformation. He looked much the same as he had the last time they'd met and even sported an almost identical outfit from the last time.

"What ist this now? Are we weeping? This would not have something to do with Agent Van Den Broeke, would it? He seemed very distraught when I passed him in the corridor."

Sapphira blinked and looked up at the doctor with wide eyes. Had he used male pronouns refer to Amy? He sat upright and scowled up at the man. "I don't think Amy would much like it, if she heard you using male pronouns."

Hassebroeke chuckled and leaned forward. "No, not, but there ist no escaping biology. 'Amelia', as you call him suffers from a delusion, nothing more, he ist no more a woman than you are a man."

Sapphira's cheeks flushed and glared up at the man between gritted teeth. Surprised at, just how much the doctor's statement had offended him. He didn't say a word, however. His anger faded replaced by shame with the realization that not so long ago he had shared the same attitude.

"Now," Hassebroeke smiled. "Why don't we stand up, so ich can have a look at du, hmmm?"

Sapphira rose to his feet and eyed the doctor, but chose to not to speak fearing he might anger the man if he opened his mouth. As offensive as his attitude was, Sapphira held no doubt that Hassebroeke's diagnosis would be the deciding factor in whether he could leave. It would be best not to provoke him.

Without another word Hassebroeke, slipped a penlight out of his breast pocket and shined it into Sapphira's eyes. He clenched his eyes shut, and the doctor chuckled. When he opened his eyes again, Hassebroeke had slipped the little light back into his pocket and stood staring at the exemplar with an odd gleam in his eyes.

"Sehr gut, your eyes are dilating. Sehr remarkable, who would have guessed that such superior healing abilities would occur in someone of one of the lesser races."

Sapphira bit his lip surprised by the doctor's casual racism. Again, he kept quiet, unsure how or if he should react. Hassebroeke retrieved a rod from inside his lab coat and turn it over in his hands. "This ist a scanner, remarkable technik, it ist not unlike a portable MRI, but much, much more powerful. It ist very expensive, which is why you won't see it in general use. It ist fortunate for us this device is especially useful when treating exemplars as they sometimes have unique physical traits. Otherwise I doubt AEGIS would justify the exorbitant expenditure."

He raised his hand passing the rod first over his head, then down his chest, across each arm, and down the waist and legs. When he finished, the side of the device lit up and peering into a tiny little screen that appeared. "Yes, Yes, interesting, enlarged prefrontal cortex and anterior cingulate gyrus, high ratio of white blood cells to red, unusual cellular density. One might spend a lifetime studying these readings. I can say, that despite your unfortunate pigmentation, you appear to be a superior specimen. Verwunderlich!"

Sapphira'd had enough, he gritted his teeth and rounded on the doctor. "Unfortunate pigmentation?"

Hassebroeke grinned at the exemplar and held the rod in front of Sapphira's face. "You are an aberration nothing more, you were given that form. Were you a true example of exemplar superiority you would have the pigmentation of the one true superior race. Still ich believe your unique physiology ist worth further study."

"Or..." Sapphira bit his lip and clenched both fists at his side. "You're wrong and skin color doesn't matter at all."

Just a few days ago, Sapphira would have been started to hear such a statement escape his lips, but he was beginning to understand that so many of the things he had believed were wrong.

Hassebroeke chuckled and turned away a coy smile touching the corner of his lips. "Perhaps."

All at once, Sapphira understood that the doctor had manipulated him. His supposed display of racism was an act. The reason was also clear, it had been a test.

Hassebroeke slipped the rod back into his pocket then turned away. He moved toward the door and turned back once it had slid open. "Matthews will be in to see you."

Sapphira swallowed and watched the door closed again. He looked down at his hands and bit his lip. He was certain he'd passed the test. So why then did he feel so uneasy?

Official Report

Unknown Medical Facility

New Hebron, California

Sapphira sat hunched over, tears streaming down his face as he stared down at his open palms. All those years... all that anger and he now understood what a waste it had all been. All the people he'd hurt with his harsh words, and petty little acts over the years and only now did he see that his actions had done more harm to himself than the objects of his contempt.

He'd lost his Clara, the one person in the world who had meant anything to him and he thought it justified his rage, but now he saw what a fool he had been. Revenge was all he thought about for years and he'd come close to taking it. He shuddered at the thought of what he might have become had he followed through with it.

There came a groan of metal on metal and he looked up in time to see the door recede into the wall. A familiar figure stepped inside and Sapphira sat there breath caught in his throat.

"Well, it seems you've been a busy girl," Matthew said folding his arms across his chest and glaring down at the exemplar, a frown creasing his thin lips.

Sapphira opened his mouth, ready to contradict the man, but stopped himself when he looked into his eyes. He bit his lips wiped the tears from his eyes and let out a long sigh. "I take it Amy told you about her viewing?"

Matthews nodded, folded his arms across his chest and let out a sigh of his own. "You've been nothing but a headache since you first gained your powers, Ms. Scott and frankly I have enough on you to have you locked up for a long time. Fortunately, for you, someone upstairs is still batting for you."

Sapphira glanced up meeting his gaze and swallowed hard. He doubted if he made that kind of threat it boded well for him at all. "What are you saying?"

Matthews didn't answer, but rather looked the other exemplar up and down studying Sapphira with a slow shake of his head. He cleared his throat and brought a hand up to his collar to adjust his tie. "You tried to murder a man, if it were up me, you'd be in restraints right now. You have one more chance to prove yourself and if you step out of line, I will make sure you are dealt with accordingly. Do you understand?"

Sapphira swallowed hard and his whole body quivered as he looked into the other's eyes. Matthews was not a man to trifle with, of that much, Sapphira was sure. "I-I understand."

"Good," Matthews said between gritted teeth. "Now that we understand each other. I'll have clothes brought in and you can--"

Sapphira closed his eyes, and willed clothing to appear and while nothing more than an illusion, he felt it shifting around on his skin. The thin, almost sheer, hospital gown was gone replaced by softer fabric. There was an added weight on his skin and as if he were wearing something far more substantial.

He opened his eyes and met Matthews gaze. "Will this do?"

His eyebrows shot up and his eyes grew wide, and Sapphira glanced down at himself his cheeks burning as he realized why Matthews seemed so surprised. His mind had conjured a short pink dress with a plunging neckline that would have been scandalous in his day, but which seemed par for the course for this younger generation. He cleared, his throat, bit his lip and stood glancing down again. He was showing a lot of leg.

Why his mind had conjured up such an outfit was beyond him, but the thought of going out in it made his cheeks burn anew. He met Matthews gaze, and he realized that the other man was sizing him up, waiting to see how he'd act next. Well, he'd surprised the other man once, maybe he'd do it again. Closing his eyes again Sapphira willed a few finishing touches appear.

His feet rose from the ground and he stumbled forward hearing something clack against the floor. When he opened his eyes again, steadying himself on the bed and glanced down at his feet. He was wearing a set of pink wedge sandals, which were a perfect match to the dress. He swallowed hard and glanced at the other exemplar. Matthews jaw was hanging open and a smile stretched across his face as he realized his choice in footwear'd had the effect he'd hoped.

As Matthews collected himself, Sapphira paused, marveling that he didn't seem at all uncomfortable wearing the feminine apparel. He wasn't sure what it meant, but a growing part of him didn't even care. Had he known his change in footwear had accompanied another change in his appearance he might not have been so nonchalant about the whole thing. With this new change, he appeared to be wearing cosmetics. Sapphira was beautiful even without them, but with them, well, there was a reason it had stunned Matthews.

Sapphira steadied himself and walked forward, he stumbled for the first few steps, but he'd had experience wearing footwear of this sort before. He had been a single father raising a girl who seemed to delight in all things feminine. He had no female relatives to turn to, so he'd had to pick up some less than masculine skill sets to guide her along the path to womanhood. Walking in wedges and heels were among many of the skills which he'd picked up over the years.

He turned back to Matthews and found that the other man had regained his composure. "Well," Sapphira said glancing toward the door. "What are we waiting for?"

Matthews turned away, disappearing through the doorway without waiting to see if Sapphira followed. Sapphira only hesitated a moment before running after the other exemplar.

When he stepped out, Sapphira eyed the surrounding space. The hallway walls, floor and ceiling of the corridor were all colored the same green as the room, and all the doors they passed were identical to the one through which they'd just exited. Whatever, the green substance was, Sapphira was certain it was no mere paint. He sensed nothing beyond the space within which they walked. Somehow it was blocking his abilities.

"This place, is this a prison or a hospital?" Sapphira asked not sure he wanted to know the answer.

Matthews paused, glanced back toward him and pursed his lips. "AEGIS designed this facility to treat human beings with incredible powers. It was necessary to put certain safeguards into place. Patients brought in with injuries might awaken still believing they were under attack, or delirious from fever. You can't imagine the damage such an individual might do in those circumstances."

Sapphira swallowed and glanced down at his hands, startled to realize that pink nail polish covered his nails, before he looked back up to Matthews. "I-I think I can."

"Yes, I suppose you could." Matthews turned away again and motioned the other exemplar forward. "We only just made the repairs to use this part of the facility again. Chemosh's giant friend breached part of the outer wall."

He led Sapphira down the corridor, around a bend, and paused outside a double set of armored doors. Matthews glanced at the other exemplar then reached into his jacket, produced a key card which he slid it into a slot in the door, and entered a series of numbers into a pin pad. The doors receded into the frame, and he stepped through getting a good look at the plain unadorned white walls of the corridor on the other side.

He led him through this last hallway in a wide open room. He stopped inside dead in his tracks dozens of televisions hung from the walls and a twice that many AEGIS personnel were seated at tables facing them. Each wore a pair of over the ear headphones, and each studied the televisions jotting notes down with a laptop. Another dozen, sat at tables within the center of the room, staring into the screens of a computer or facing away from the televisions with earphones over their heads.

"Welcome to the media monitoring room," Matthews spoke in a hushed tone.

Sapphira didn't answer, but stood staring at one display with wide eyes and breath caught in his throat. It displayed the image of a naked young woman, her chest and privates covered with black censor bars, hovering in the air, laughing and sending wave after wave of telekinetic destruction upon the surrounding street. He swallowed hard and a sinking sensation form in the pit of his stomach.

"Oh God, no!" Sapphira cried out staring at the display both fists clenched at his side. A few agents glanced his way, one even scowled at him, but Sapphira didn't care. A pair of hands touched his shoulders and he turned to look into Matthew's eyes.

There was a surge of warmth through the bond with Amelia, but then it faded away and the undertone of slow simmering anger returned. Matthews tugged on his arm and he let him pull him back out of the room.

"As you can tell we've been monitoring this situation with Chemosh for some time," he said before releasing his hold on the other exemplar's arm and glanced back over his shoulder into the room. "As far as the host, we haven't identified the girl yet, but if the look on your face is any indication, you already know who she is."

Sapphira nodded hot tears stinging his cheeks and his whole body trembled. "Yeah, she's my granddaughter."

Matthews frowned and shook his head before placing a hand on Sapphira's shoulder and sharing a sad smile. "All the more reason you shouldn't take any part in this. Your emotional connection to his host makes you vulnerable, you must realize Chemosh will take advantage of that. Step back, let AEGIS deal with this situation and once this is all over, we'll get you all sorted out."

"And Hailey, will you sort her out too?" Sapphira clenched both fists at his sides still crying as he stared at the man between gritted teeth.

"We'll do what you can," Matthews answered pulling away. "But we must make defeating Chemosh our priority."

"And that is why we need Miss Scott's help." A voice spoke, and they both turned to face the newcomer.

"Director Malcolm, I--" Matthews spoke, but Malcolm raised a hand cutting him short.

"Everything you've said makes perfect sense, Matthews, but this is a usual set of circumstances even by AEGIS standards. Now, why don't you run along, I believe you have a briefing to get underway, don't you?"

Matthews disappeared down the corridor leaving Sapphira alone with the man. They regarded one another for a moment. Malcolm smiled. He reminded Sapphira of someone, he strained his mind trying to place who it might have been, but he came up blank.

"Walk with me." He said stepping away and motioning for the exemplar to follow.

Sapphira did as suggested and stepped in sync beside him. He eyed the man with wide eyes and pursed lips, but didn't say a word. What would the director of AEGIS want to do with him? They walked in silence, for what seemed to Sapphira an eternity.

"You've made significant progress," Malcolm said breaking the silence.

"Oh?" Sapphira bit his lip glancing at him out of the corner of his eyes.

"I've been monitoring the situation and I've read Amelia's reports. Letting go of hatred, is not an easy thing. Believe me I understand. Just remember, when you go out there, Chemosh will attempt to reignite your old hatreds. His is a powerful and ancient mind, you will find it difficult to resist."

"I-I know, I've touched his mind," Sapphira said looking down at his feet and shuddering at the mere memory of his experience. "I almost succumbed to him once already."

They came around a bend, and Sapphira stopped dead in his tracks his eyes wide as he stared upon a familiar face.

"Amelia," he whispered under his breath, new tears stinging his eyes. He was still reeling from learning of his granddaughter's possession by Chemosh and to throw Amy into the mix made things all that more tense. The exemplar gritted his teeth and forced the tears back. He was the only person who stood a chance of freeing Hailey, if he broke down now, he didn't see how she could come out of this mess alive.

"Agent! Good timing," Matthews calling waving Van den Broeke over.

Amelia complied all the while avoiding eye contact with Sapphira. She stepped forward and stopped in front of her superior. "Sir, it's good to see you again."

Malcolm smiled and glanced at an expensive-looking gold wrist watch. Sapphira wasn't sure, but he suspected it was a Rolex. "If you would be so kind to escort, Miss Scott here to the briefing, I have some important tasks which I must see too."

Amelia nodded, "Yes sir."

Malcolm turned away, but paused and turned back to Sapphira. "Chemosh will use your granddaughter to manipulate you. Don't let him.

He eyed the exemplar for a moment, cleared his throat then disappeared down the corridor, leaving Amy and Sapphira alone. They eyed each other for several moments before Amelia held her hand out motioning for the other exemplar to follow. "Matthews won't like it if we're late. Why don't we get under way?"

"Hey Gus, check it out. New meat," a man whispered as Sapphira stepped into a room behind the agent.

Sapphira wiped the last few tears from his eyes and craned his neck around, four men, including Babalawo and two women sat inside the room. Among them Awé and a statuesque young woman in a pink jumpsuit were the only ones in their exemplar garb. He didn't know the woman's name, but he was certain he'd seen her once or twice on the news. A petite young woman of Asian-American descent with electric-blue hair, who couldn't have been older than eighteen had been the one to point out Sapphira to 'Gus' a bearded fellow with a smile stretched across his face.

Sapphira froze and bit his lip struck by just how attractive all of these people were. He swore he'd stepped into a room full of fitness models or photogenic athletes.

Sapphira grimaced and grabbed Amy by the shoulder. "I thought you said AEGIS tried to discourage vigilantism. What are all these people doing here?"

Amy pulled away and turned back to meet his gaze with a scowl on her face. "Every rule has an exception, Liv."

Babalawo sat along the far edge of the room, his form hunched over and his hands clasped in front of him. Sapphira couldn't say for certain as he couldn't see his face, but given he was an outlaw who had more than likely been at odds with at least one or two people within the room it stood to reason he'd be uncomfortable.

Sapphira took a cue from the sometimes aberrant and took a seat along the outer row of seats. While he was unsure of Awé place in the group, he was more than a little certain he didn't belong. He bit his lip and watched the agent move through the room toward a podium near the back wall where Matthews was waiting.

Sapphira heard a loud clank, and turned to the door in time to watch as a figure, shod in blue armor stepped into the room. His breath caught in his throat, it was Indigo Knight one of the most famous heroes in the country. Though he operated out of Washington D.C., he was often spotted performing acts of heroism all around the world.

Amelia took a position beside her superior and turned back toward the exemplars both arms folded across her chest. Matthews glanced at her then faced the onlookers before clearing his throat

"Good evening, I am interim Deputy Assistant Director, Phillip Matthews and this is my subordinate Special Agent Amelia van den Broeke, I will be briefing you on the current situation. On the night of February the fifteenth, a device of possible non-terrestrial origin was stolen from the AEGIS research facility."

"Non-terrestrial, as in not of this world?" Babalawo's asked his head jerking up to meet the agent's gaze.

"That is correct," Matthews replied pausing as a round of murmured whispers of disbelief filled the room.

"Fuck," a thin lipped young man leaned back in his chair, running both hands through his hair. "You're not kidding are, you?"

Matthews met his gaze; a tight smile touched the corner of his lips. "We wouldn't have called you here if the situation weren't serious. The device in question was recovered from the bottom of the ocean by a naval deep sea diving team, and all attempts to carbon date or identify the material from which it is made have been inconclusive."

"The beings who stole the device, were also of possible non-terrestrial origin. The first, is one with whom AEGIS has a certain amount of familiarity, a being who identifies him or herself as Chemosh. We don't know a lot about her, but she appears to be a non-corporal entity who possesses the bodies of its victim's like a parasite. The full extent of these entities’ abilities, are unknown, but it has exhibited that it is capable of both telekinesis and telepathy. The other, identified by the name Garos, is noted for his grotesque misshapen appearance, gigantic stature and for possessing an unusual number of eyes. He serves as the muscles of the duo."

More murmurs followed this statement and Matthews again paused, pursing his lips. "We don't know the extent of their plans, but we know the item they require a great deal of power input, and..." he trailed off. "We believe the artifact may be some transportation device."

"That little slip of a girl that's been wreaking havoc on fourth street? That's Chemosh?" A thin man with a touch of gray in his beard spoke up. "If what you say is true, she's just the host, the true danger is the creature within her. How can we defeat this being without harming the girl?"

Matthews only glanced at the man before his eyes settled on Sapphira and let out a long sigh. "We're not sure. Chemosh seems to jump between hosts on a whim as often as not. Her presence within the body of a human is deleterious to their health and mental well-being, but we do not understand how long she must remain within a body before the effects are irreversible. The few hosts we recovered after she inhabited them were dead or were driven insane."

Sapphira bowed his head and clenched his teeth. His whole body trembled and tears streamed down his face. He lurched to his feet and looked around the room, eyeing each of the exemplars one by one before settling his gaze on Amy. "Hailey... that is to say Chemosh's host, didn't have a say in any of this. We have to at least try to save her, she's been caught up in all of this because of m--through no fault of her own."

"No one's suggesting we shouldn't," Amelia speaking for the first time meeting his gaze with a look of steel in her eyes.

The anger that seethed within her was concealed on her face. Sapphira bit his lip and sat back down still weeping. Amy blamed him for Hailey's predicament. The truth was she was right to.

"We may not have any choice," one woman, the girl with the blue hair said. "If this Chemosh is so dangerous, I doubt it will standby and allow us to extract the alien consciousness even if we find a way to free the girl."

'Gus' glanced at Sapphira and threw his hand out at him. "It's very clear that this young woman, has an emotional attachment to the host body. She has no business being involved in this affair, she is a–"

"She," Amelia interjected between gritted teeth putting particular emphasis on the female pronoun, "is one of the most powerful exemplars I have ever seen. Her telekinetic and psychic abilities may well be a match for Chemosh. She is our best hope."

Sapphira clenched both fists at his side and swallowed hard. Had you not been so wrapped up in getting out there and rescuing his granddaughter, he might have stopped to ponder the implications of Amelia's use of pronouns, or that it didn't seem to bother him. As it was, it didn't faze him at all. All he could think about was getting out there and saving his granddaughter.

When they finished the briefing, Sapphira was first out the door. He didn't know it then, but the events that would follow would come to define him for the rest of his days.

Official Report

On the road

New Hebron, California

Tires squealed and the occupants of the armored truck braced themselves. The only one who seemed unaffected was Indigo Knight, and that was, no doubt, more the work of his armor than anything else.

Only a handful of the exemplars were capable of flight and while Sapphira's telekinetic abilities would have allowed him to propel the others, he wasn't confident in his ability to keep them in the air long enough to reach their destination. So they'd all piled into the AEGIS vehicle instead.

He clenched his eyes shut, taking in a deep breath as his heart pounded away inside his chest. He sensed the other's around him, and while most of them showed a calm facade Sapphira knew nothing could be further from the truth. Harrier the statuesque woman from the briefing room, Tennyo the Asian girl, and Borrum the bearded fellow had the feel of hardened veterans, tense and a little nervous with anticipation, but less worried than the others. Aether the man he knew as Gus, Indigo Knight, and the Equalizer were a different story. From them Sapphira sensed the same raw nerves and rising panic he himself was battling. Babalawo, just seemed sick.

Indigo Knight was considered a heavy hitter within the Exemplar community and had been in the public eye for close to ten years. It surprised Sapphira that he should radiate such unease when he had been around for so long. He turned his helmeted head matching gazes with Sapphira.

"Stage fright," He said and turned away without another word.

Sapphira's jaw dropped, but he didn't offer a response. If Indigo Knight had known what he was thinking, it meant Sapphira was not the only telepath in the group. The funny thing was he'd never once heard mention of Indigo Knight having any powers. His feats were the work of his suit, a mechanical marvel that used technology that experts were still trying to understand. That there may be an actual super-powered individual under all that armor hadn't occurred to Sapphira and nobody else.

He grunted, reeling sideways and almost went tumbling out of his seat. "Goddamn kids these days. Nobody knows how to drive a damn car."

This statement raised a few eyebrows, but nobody in the truck said anything. Babalawo, glanced up at him, muttered something under his breath and cast his eyes back to the ground.

He held his hand out and reached out with his mind, he sensed the vehicle speeding through the street at a speed that seemed to belie the trucks massive size. The amount of power running through the engine was much greater than it should have been. There was a power source under the hood that seemed foreign unlike anything else he sensed on the surrounding road. Whatever technology was propelling the vehicle, it was no mere internal combustion engine or electrical motor driving the vehicle.

He lurched forward again, but this time he steadied himself, not with his arms or legs, but with the power of his mind. His head snapped into place and his whole body stiffened and settle against the inside wall of the truck. While the others lurched about, fighting to stay seated, Sapphira and Indigo Knight remained still.

The truck came to a screeching halt, and the occupants piled out. Awé, was the last, and he shuddered stumbling out of the little truck, using one hand to steady himself. "I think I'm gonna hurl."

Sapphira was the first to his side, he reached out with his senses, thinking perhaps he could heal whatever malady had befallen him, but stopped when he realized what it was. Babalawo had motion sickness from getting thrown around the truck.

"Just breath," Sapphira whispered under his breath and sighed when the other exemplar slid to the ground and hunched over leaning against the bumper of the green AEGIS truck. He averted his eyes just in time to avoid seeing him vomit all over the ground in front of him.

"The man can walk through walls, but a little motion sickness is too much for him," A voice mumbled somewhere behind Sapphira. He didn't know for certain who had spoken, but it had belonged a man.

"I'll be fine, just give me a minute." Awé rose to his feet panting and shaking.

Sapphira nodded and turned away, glancing around the street. There were no signs of Chemosh or Garos, but he was certain they would be close by.

He heard footsteps and turned to watch as Van den Broeke approached from down the street. She looked around, her eyes lingering on each person within the group before folding her arms and settling her gaze on Sapphira.

"Chemosh and his cohort have retreated into the Downing Building," she threw a hand over her should toward a large skyscraper still under construction that only had some of its exterior walls completed.

Sapphira had heard about it once or twice on the news, the work of the eccentric billionaire Richard Downing Junior. Sapphira glanced at Indigo Knight and bit his lip. There were rumors that the two men were one and the same. The suit wasn't something constructed in some back alley or a mechanics garage. It was too advanced. It would require a lot of money and resources to develop which someone like Richard Downing had in spades.

There were other theories about Indigo Knight, each of them more ridiculous than the last. Most of them seemed to involve an extra-terrestrial origin, but Sapphira had always thought they seemed just a little too convoluted. Then again, he never would have believed his own exemplar origin story if he hadn't experienced it for himself.

He might have given the subject more thought, but it was of little importance to him at the moment. He gritted his teeth craned his neck up and eyed the structure with a shake of his head. Chemosh, tense with anticipation and seething with hatred, waited within.

Meeting the agent's gaze of the agent, he swallowed hard. "Whatever we're going to do, we better tread carefully. Chemosh is waiting for us."

"GALLU!" The open wind carried on the open wind and the moment it sounded through the air Sapphira jerked his head around, seeking the source. The others did the same, casting their eyes about no doubt expecting an attack.

Amelia was the only one besides himself who knew what to expect. She drew her gun and the other agents on scene did the same.

"Agent, what's going on?" A tall man with a shock of white hair demanded of Van den Broeke.

"Gallu. Be ready for an attack from partially corporeal being," she answered back and nodded toward Awé "they can phase through solid matter, much like our friend there. They can only be killed when in their solid form. Needless to say, they don't stay solid for long."

"Shit, she's not kidding," Harrier muttered under her breath casting her eyes about.

As if responding to Amelia's words, a full dozen of the creatures materialized from out of the building leaving a residue of green fluid on the exterior walls.

Indigo knight stepped forward and looked up at the building. "This will be fun." He turned and met Sapphira's gaze. "You take Harrier and Aether, we'll keep them off your back. If what the agent says is true, you need to get inside that building before it's too late."

"No," Amelia said with a grunt firing off a shot at an approaching Gallu and scowled as the bullet phased right through the creature. "Chemosh is the biggest threat. We need as many exemplars in that building as we can get. AEGIS personnel are more than capable of dealing with these creatures."

"Babalawo," Amelia said glanced toward the Aberrant and nodded toward the building. "How hard is it to bring other people with you when you phase through a wall?"

Awé glanced back at her with a shake of his head. "The more mass there is the harder it is to phase. I wouldn't want to do more than one at a time. Someone might get trapped inside a wall or worse, fused into it," he paused long enough to phase through a Gallu who had swooped in for attack, "believe me, that's not a pleasant way to go."

Amelia fired off three-consecutive shots at the Gallu that had attacked Babalawo. The first, slammed into its shoulder and it let out a high pitch screech. It phased through the second and thirds shots and the bullet that lodged in its shoulder clattered to the ground below it. Once it had returned to solid form, it dove forward straight toward the agent. Harrier stepped in front of her, extended her hands out and talons appeared from the tips of her gloves. She slashed at the creature, inflicting a set of deep gashes in its side. It screeched, and dove away.

"All right, Harrier, Aether and Indigo Knight, go with Psyren, and the rest with me." She threw a thumb over her shoulder.

"It's better if I stay outside the building, if Chemosh senses me, there could be trouble."

Amelia frowned furrowed her brow, but didn't press the matter. The Indigo Knight's statement had sparked a suspicion within her, but so long as he didn't get in the way, it wouldn't be a problem.

"Liv," Amelia swung her weapon around training it on the Gallu as it swooped closer and nodded to an unfinished area of the building several flights up. "You take your group in from up there."

Sapphira nodded, bit his lip and rose into the air his cape billowing around him.

He sensed Harrier and Aether rising from the ground below. He glanced down and watched the pair move. Harrier held Aether in her arms, and while the man was thin and slender, he was only slightly shorter than average. Harrier, didn't seem to even be breaking a sweat. Though she had an athletic build, she must have been stronger than she looked.

As he sped away, he senses dozens more of the creatures emerging from within the building. Indigo Knight and the AEGIS personal below would have a quite the fight on their hands. His whole body trembled, and his heart hammered inside his chest, but he would not allow himself to turn back, not now. He might already be too late.

Amy dove forward avoiding an attack from a swooping Gallu, the creature howled, likely in frustration, but instead of turning to face it she kept on running. She panted, sweat dripping from her forehead and she threw her hands out before reaching the wall. The agent grunted when her palms impacted the concrete face of the building and gritted her teeth. Spinning around, Amy trained her weapon away from the building in case another creature attacked. She eyed Babalawo as he approached and craned her neck watching as the other two exemplars followed in on his heels.

"Damn," Babalawo, "I gotta hand it to you, sister, you can move when you need to. Any place you want me to bring us through?"

Amy glanced around, turned to meet his gaze and shook her head. "Just make it quick. The longer we stay out here, the more likely they'll notice us."

Amelia craned her neck over her shoulder, and bit her lip. She didn't mention it was likely Chemosh already knew of why they were there, or he may already know what she was planning. It was hard to say with telepaths. Sapphira was their best bet. If she were to find a way to keep Chemosh occupied, if even for a short time, maybe she'd be able to increase Sapphira's chances.

"I'll go first," she said putting a hand on Awé's shoulder. "If there's even the slightest sign of trouble, you turn back even if it means leaving me behind. You understand?"

Babalawo square his jaw and gritted his teeth and met her gaze. It was clear he didn't like leaving anyone behind, but as he stared into her eyes, he saw her resolve mirrored back at him. He shook his head and let out a long sigh. "Fine, whatever you say."

He squared his jaw again and averted his eyes before holding out a hand. "We gonna do this shit or not?"

Amelia clenched her teeth, certain that the other exemplar wouldn't be quick to abandon her, but just as convinced that she needed him. She took his hand and let out a sigh of her own. They made eye contact one final time, nodded, and Amelia's whole body lurched forward just before Babalawo pulled her into the wall.

----

Hovering in the open air, Sapphira peering into the darkness of the building. The construction crew had already erected much of the glass facade, but near the top there were still several panels they'd yet to place. Though he sensed Chemosh within, he neither saw nor heard anything out of the ordinary.

When he stepped inside, the tips of his toes brushing the concrete floor, and he grunted, as gravity reasserted its hold on him. Once his eyes had adjusted to the darkness, he again cast his eyes around hoping to detect a hint of Chemosh or his grotesque cohort. He saw no movement and the only sound was the grind of own footsteps.

From behind, feet scraped on the hard concrete floor and he turned back in time to witness Harrier and Aether share a kiss. After they broke for air, Sapphira watched them approach, but didn't say a word. He realized the two were an item, but to his old-fashioned sensibilities they seemed quite the odd couple. Harrier was taller than most men and had a fair amount of muscle on her frame, but not so much that Sapphira would consider her figure masculine. Aether was small and slender for a man, athletic, but had more of the build of a runner than a fighter like the woman.

He shook his head and grimaced. Those sorts of thoughts weren't who he was anymore. He was a former man living in the body of a woman who'd fallen for a transwoman. He was so far out of the gender roles he'd grown up with that his old self would be horrified at what he'd become.

"So, Psyren, is it?" Harrier asked, casting her gaze about.

Sapphira nodded, moving forward and peering around in every direction still hoping to detect a hint of his targets, but neither of them emerged.

"How do we even know this Shamosh and Argos are even still here? They might have given us the slip." Harrier scowled and paused both hands on her hips.

Sapphira bit the inside his cheek. "Their names are Chemosh and Garos and they're here... I can sense them."

"Psychics," Aether muttered under his breath and shook his head. "Any sense of where they might be."

Sapphira paused, pursed his lips and turned his head to meet the man's gaze. "Close."

Aether grimaced and shook his head. "I have a bad feeling about this."

Harrier didn't say a word. Instead her head moved back and forth as her eyes roved the length of the empty husk of a building. Soon Aether was also craning his neck around peering into the darkness. Sapphira didn't bother, but rather moved forward extending his physic awareness out attempting to sense something. Chemosh's malevolent presence shined through like a fire blazing in the night sky, the more analytical mind of Garos was not as intense, but it too was easy to perceive. So too could he feel the hundreds of Gallu outside the building, but he detected no direct threat from them or the beings within.

That was when his mind touched something different, something dark, something...

Sapphira stopped dead in his tracks and threw out both hands forming a shield around himself and the others. He had enough time to yell out a warning before the floor collapsed out from under them.

"Well, that's disappointing," Awé said, letting out a grunt as they re-materialized on the inside the dark building. "Nobody's home."

Amelia glanced over her shoulder at him and slipped her firearm back into its holster. Though the weapon now rested inside, the other exemplar noticed that the agent kept the snap unclasped.

"Looks like it," she said eying the darkness between gritted teeth.

The building was silent, too quiet. It set the agent's nerves on edge. Amy had well-honed instincts, and she'd learned to trust them over the years. Those instincts were telling her that something was wrong.

She didn't say a word, but rather touched the wall and reached deep inside herself feeling for a connection and found none. The building was new and had a limited connection to the past. If anything of note had happened in that part of the building, she should have had no trouble forming a connection.

I did nothing to assuage the nagging in the pit of her stomach. It only reinforced her sense of wrongness.

"Uh, agent?" Babalawo said, and she spun back around to face him. She found him standing with his back to her both his palms sliding up and down the wall.

"I don't mean to alarm you," he craned his neck around to stare back at her eyes as wide as saucers. "But I can't pass through the wall."

"Shit," Amelia cursed between gritted teeth, drew her weapon and spun around on the balls of her feet. Try as she might, she detected no signs of trouble. She sighed and settled her gaze on the only obvious exit. It was so dark within the building that there might have been dozens of exits from the large chamber, but where she was looking light shone through the tall glass facade and illuminated the path ahead.

"What the hell are we supposed to do now?" Awé said his own eyes following her gaze.

Amelia lowered her weapon, but did not slip it back into the holster. "We can either stay here or..." she trailed off emitting a long sigh before nodding her head toward the lighted path ahead. "Or we continue forward"

"Fuck," he cursed spun back around and pounded the bottom of his fists against the wall. "This feels like a damn trap."

Amelia eyed the other exemplar, but didn't issue a response. She pursed her lips and emitted a long drawn out breath. Terrified of what might lay ahead for them, she was more than a little certain they were indeed walking into a trap. Amy gritted her teeth shook her head and moved forward. As a sworn officer of the law, she had a duty to see this through to the end even if it meant her death. Awé had taken no such responsibility. She didn't bother glancing back to see if Awé was following. She heard him shuffling after her on the hard concrete floor.

The pair moved in a slight crouch, stepping heel to toe with hands close to their sides. Amelia winced and cursed under her breath each time either herself or other exemplar stumbled on an extension cord or power tool left by the construction crew. Once they had passed a dozen yards into the more brightly lit part of the building they would navigate with more ease.

Another dozen yards and the pair paused bracing themselves against the walls as the whole building shook and rumbled. It ceased as abruptly as it had begun, and they exchanged glances their brows furrowed.

"What do you suppose that was?" Awé said staring up with wide eyes.

"I don't know, but it can't be good." Amy followed his gaze and peered forward. "Something tells me we'll find out soon enough."

"Easy for you to say, at least you have a goddamned gun. If we walk into a shit-fest, all I can do is run like hell," Babalawo said in muted whispers. "I can't even guarantee I'll be able to phase through the damned walls."

Amelia glanced back at him, and pursed her lips, but didn't speak a word in response. They both knew damn well that a simple handgun wasn't the most effective weapon when dealing with psychics. We could tear the weapon out of her hands or freeze the bullets in mid-air. That was just the abilities she'd seen him use, if he read their minds or even manipulate their thoughts there was no telling what he might force them to do. She shuddered at the mere thought.

She paused a moment, uncertain that she had made the right call. It was one thing to strike out against Chemosh when backed by some of the most powerful exemplars in the area. What chance did she have when it was just herself and Babalawo? As impressive as Awé's abilities were, they had almost no offensive value and wouldn't do much good against the likes of Chemosh.

Perhaps she was looking at it from the wrong perspective. If she couldn't fight Chemosh, maybe she would be able to throw a wrench in his plans. There was still a chance he hadn't sensed her if she somehow--

She never finished her thought, a high-pitched cackle filled the air all around them. Amelia tried to step forward, but nothing happened. She couldn't even so much as turn her head or wiggle a pinky.

"Amy, Amy, Amy," a soft feminine voice spoke out of the darkness. There was a condescending tone to the woman's voice almost as if she were chiding a child, but there was also a darker more aggressive edge that sent cold chills down the agent's spine.

A figure stepped into view. Illumination shined through the glass facade of the building bathing her naked figure in light. She might have looked angelic, but there was a tight smile stretched across her face that seemed to give the opposite effect.

"You were right. You don't stand a chance."

The moment Sapphira's warning rang out through the air, Harrier snatched Aether from the ground and leapt into the air. Sapphira's shield flickered to life around them and as the floor fell away the trio remained in place hovering in the open air.

They were not, however, out of trouble. A massive figure bathed in the shadows lurked below headless of the debris falling all around it. Sapphira gritted his teeth and concentrated on some large chunks of wreckage that had collapsed to the ground. In response, the concrete lumps rose into the air, shot back up through the opening, avoiding striking Sapphira's barrier before raining down on the misshapen hulk below.

Several of the improvised missiles struck home, the creature below roared and retreated away from the opening. Sapphira took the opportunity presented by their attackers’ withdrawal and swooped down the moment the final projectile had struck.

"Garos," he said once he'd touch the ground and looked upon the many eyed countenance of the creature looming in the shadows beyond.

Garos didn't move, but rather remained huddled there within the darkness all of his eyes trained on the exemplar. Sapphira didn't allow himself to look away even as Harrier and Aether touched ground beside him.

The creature stood there, not making a single move, immobile save that his chest continued to rise and fall. Sapphira stood ready expecting an attack, but when it never came, he stood there unsure of what action to take.

He reached out to the creature with his mind attempting to determine its intentions, but he sensed nothing from its strange mind. Garos lurched forward, slamming into Sapphira's shield with such speed that the exemplar almost let his shield slip. He gritted his teeth threw his hands back out and rallied against the new attack.

As Garos continued to pound against the barrier, Aether slipped out of Harriers arms and lurched forward. With each step he took, he seemed to grow less and less substantial as if he were a ghost fading away into nothingness. Soon, he had disappeared from sight and Sapphira lost all sense of him. Garos paused a moment, all his eyes blinking in perfect unison. He swung his body around, perhaps looking for some sign of the exemplar.

Garos lurched back bellowing in clear pain. One eye on his chest exploded in a burst of blood and he stumbled into the north wall both hands outstretched to break his fall. A blue streak whizzed around him and Sapphira could just make out the slightest outline of a slender figure zip around the giant.

Harrier stepped forward, watching the whole thing with arms folded across her chest and a smirk touching the corner of her lips. "Isn't he magnificent?"

Sapphira never had time to reply. Another of Garos' eyes burst and he lurched forward throwing out his arm. There was a dull thud as the back of his fist slammed into the wall and when he pulled it away Aether's unconscious form slumped down to the ground at his feet.

Harrier screeched and launched herself at the giant. Talons extended from her finger tips and she leapt up finding purchase on his chest. She shredded into the giant, her claws tearing into a large patch of eyes. He teetered around on his feet stumbling into the wall and slamming into them with such force they crumbled and cracked.

Garos grabbed at the exemplar, but she did a backflip landing at his feet. She dodged around his body and shredded into his backside. The misshapen hulk spun around and stumbled into his more diminutive attacker. She staggered back pinned and ducked down, but the giant was too fast for her, he slammed a fist into her chest and pinned her against the wall.

He pulled his other fist back and was about to bring it crashing down into the exemplar when Sapphira stepped in.

Though mesmerized by the power exhibited by the other exemplars Psyren been reluctant to face the creature in battle after their last confrontation. Even when Aether's defeat he still hoped Harrier must have a trick or two up her sleeve. Now he saw he was the only one who stood any chance of defeating the giant.

Before Garos pounded into Harrier, Sapphira threw his hands out and focused all his willpower on stopping the other being's fist. Sure enough, his arm froze in the air inches from the exemplar's face.

The giant roared and turned toward Sapphira. Garos lurched toward him, but his fist remained frozen in the air. He swung his free fist at the exemplar, but it fell more than a foot short. Sapphira was standing just outside his reach.

"Garos, I'm giving you one more chance. Leave and never come back or you won't like what follows," Sapphira said still hoping that the giant might reconsider. Though Chemosh was beyond redemption, he got the sense that the misshapen hulk was not without redeeming qualities despite his grotesque appearance.

Garos never answered, or rather he never had the chance. Harrier let out another screech and leapt forward tearing into his mid-section. He swung at her with his free arm. She ducked, but not in time. The giant struck her with a glancing blow that sent her careening into a wall.

Harrier was more than a little dazed by the attack and Garos returned his attention to Sapphira. He tensed his muscles and leapt forward. Though Sapphira maintained his hold on the creature's arm, the giant's sheer strength straining the limits of his telekinetic grip.

Again, the giant lurched forward and this time Sapphira his grasp loosened. Garos emitted a low rumble and Sapphira planted his feet, gritted his teeth and focused all his will on keeping him in place.

"Garos," Sapphira said. "I warned you. Leave or suffer the consequences."

This time the giant's faced no interruption, but still he did not reply. Instead he jerked forward, making another swipe at his diminutive opponent. His fist flew and passed just inches from Sapphira's face.

"You asked for it," Sapphira said between gritted teeth and focused all his will. He lifted his arm and as he was hoping his captive rose from the ground. He stepped away from the outer wall and threw his arm toward the space he'd just vacated.

Garos flew across the room, slammed through the outer wall and into the open air beyond. Sapphira glanced through the opening, eyed the misshapen hulk, then released his hold and turned his back as the giant plummeted toward the ground.