Depths of Chaos Ch. 06

Depths of Chaos Chapter 6

This story is part of a series. Although it can be read on it's own, parts of the story may make more sense when read in order. I highly recommend reading the story "The Demon" in order to discover the origins of our beloved Kali. Thank you for reading and I hope you enjoy.

The knife pressed against her as it moved. It bit through the cotton panties with ease. Only the hardened skin, induced by her surprise and fear, kept the blade from accidental damage. The bastard didn't know it wasn't him she was afraid of, but the memory of another who wanted her lust so much that he would cut away her clothing in order to take it. All the bastard knew was that she was afraid because of his actions. That fear fed his sick desire.

But that was all just another memory. Kali knew how it ended. Just as it ended the first time. Just as it would always end! She couldn't remember the bastard's name, if he'd ever bother to give it to her. But she knew the name of the first. Tral'zla'thor! A demon manifest from a spell and accidentally released upon the world. Her body betrayed her and she lost part of her soul even as she devoured him.

She had devoured the man in the alley too. The sensation hadn't been nearly the same as it had with the demon, but it had been far more satisfying than anything else she had ever known. Until she met Simon and she used her mouth. His joy had filled her more completely than absorbing the demon had. When he did the same for her, he brought physical pleasure that exceeded even the demon's skill. But both of those had paled in comparison to the feel of him thrust into her.

Simon; her third victim. She felt cursed. She had become a pestilence. The priest had known the instant she walked through the doors. After he shouted for her to get out, he switched to Latin and began to chant formulas designed to ward the faithful from demons. She felt no compulsion, in the manner the demon's memory recalled, but fled the church in tears.

When she looked around, she found herself in the park. Not simply in the park, but in the very place she had been summoned.

Kali collapsed to her knees and began to cry. She didn't care that people glanced at her. She ignored the few who tried to come over and talk to her. Then she heard the footsteps. She knew who it was without a glance. The PIA had local agents, too old to hunt, but who monitored areas. They knew about Simon and signed her death warrant. And she deserved it. She was a monster that needed to be put down for the safety of humanity.

Defeated, Kali looked up. As she looked down the barrel of a pistol, so much like the one Simon had pointed at her ~was it only the night before?~ a strange thought passed through her.

I should have been able to tell she wore high heels from the sound of her steps!

Then, the woman in the dark skirt-suit and blood red blouse pulled the trigger.

Kali jerked upright in bed. Dead weight shifted and kept her from springing free entirely. As her heart began to slow and her breathing began to settle, a flush of hope raced through her. Her head turned slowly, as if she was afraid sudden movement would frighten the blessed phantasm away. In truth, that was exactly what she feared the most.

Her heart swelled. The arm that draped across her lap was still firmly attached to the blond angel. Kali couldn't help but blush as she remembered the imagery her mind formed around Simon as he made love to her. Now he lay on his stomach, with one arm curled under the pillow and the other limp across her, and she admitted he still looked like an angel to her.

Strong muscles twined across his body. Somehow his body didn't look hard, like the models and body-builders she saw all over TV and magazines. Maybe it was the lack of corded muscle. Where they looked like the skin was stretched tight over their muscles, his looked like it was padded by muscles. Even his firm butt looked soft enough to be a comfortable pillow.

Her hand reached out to trace small patterns on his back. Simon moaned appreciatively in his sleep. Kali's heart fluttered as she saw the lazy smile crawl across his face. He was still asleep, so that smile meant so much more. It was a true expression, not one clouded by social expectations or hidden agendas. That smile said he was satisfied with his life in that moment. She agreed completely.

Kali lay back down, only this time she faced him. Her left leg bent to drape over his. Slowly, so as not to disturb him, she inched her way forward until her body, from the waist down, pressed tight to his. The muscles in his hips pressed between her legs slightly. It wasn't enough to tease her, but it was more than enough to make suggestions to her sex-starved body. She felt he first hints of warmth spring up deep within her.

The problem was, she didn't know why she had absorbed the man in the alley. More to the point, she didn't know exactly why she hadn't absorbed Simon. There were simply too many possibilities to answer those two questions. It could be that it was some form of defense mechanism, possibly to the degree of a vigilante aspect of her own psyche. Both the demon and the asshole had intended to steal the innocence from a woman so they deserved to die. And if it made her more powerful, so much the better!

Kali didn't like the implications of that line of reasoning. It showed a side of her personality that she hoped didn't exist. She didn't want to really hate anyone, even a demon. Unfortunately the same reaction could come not from her psyche, but from the powers within her. She was aware, through the memories he left, that the demon had already poured a little of his essence into her. It was his method to bind his victims' souls to him. She knew that she had somehow taken that breath of essence and used it to draw the entirety of his essence, body and all, in. Maybe that power still had an agenda.

Unfortunately, or perhaps fortunately, there were other possibilities. Simon had been under the influence of her power when they made love. Kali ardently refused to think of it as mere sex. After all, it had felt like so much greater a connection than that. Perhaps she couldn't use her power to create more than one effect at a time. In that case all she would have to do would be to figure out how to raise that lust inducing power any time they wanted to share each other. Of course, in the future she would make sure he wanted it ahead of time, or else it smacked of date-rape to her.

Unfortunately even this reason didn't preclude the powers having intentions of their own. It was possibly they didn't use her to absorb him because he was now marked by her powers. Why absorb him while he's doing exactly what they want him to do anyway? That meant he wasn't necessarily safe in the future. Once his utility wore out, she could.

Kali tried not to tense as all of the horrible possibilities roamed through her mind. Instead, she focused on perhaps the two possibilities she most hoped for. The first was that, as a PIA field agent, he knew ways to protect himself from her. Unfortunately she didn't think this a very likely scenario in this case. If he had a way to protect himself from her demonic powers, wouldn't he have done that from the start? He never would have been infected with her lust in the first place.

Although, she had to admit, he already had shown a desire for her. While she admitted she shared his desire, it still meant he could have used the power as an excuse. She knew she had taken him by surprise when she went down on him. The two seemed to be sharing visions, so she suspected that he might assume that another had come, until it was too late. However, he had intentionally used her sensitive spawnings to incite her need before he carried her to his bed and pleasured her in return.

Those very visions provided a possibility that Kali desperately hoped would be the truth. Simon was the only person she had encountered that not only had visions, albeit erotic ones bordering on fantasy, about her but that she had visions of in return. And when they both fell into the same vision together, it suggested there was a connection so great that perhaps she simply couldn't absorb him. Perhaps a part of him already resided within her and controlled just enough of her powers to keep it from devouring him as well.

Kali simply didn't know what to believe. She wanted so much to be able to have a normal relationship that she knew it clouded her beliefs. That she genuinely liked Simon was without question, but perhaps it was the chance for protection that he represented. She smiled as she snuggled the rest of her body tight to his side.

Kali realized that she didn't care if she liked him because of one of those reasons. Sure, a modern woman was supposed to be able to look after herself, and protect herself, but very few people she knew would throw away feeling safe simply because it wasn't 'politically correct.' Besides, Simon could teach her how to control and protect herself in the process. In the meantime, she would think about ways to make sure he retained his 'protected' status so she could have many more times like this afternoon.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Simon woke slowly. His first thought was that something bad must have happened, because he always seemed to wake with a start these days. A jolt of energy and he was wide awake and he scanned the room for threats. But not tonight. He knew it was late evening or night by the dark outside the institutional residential window.

See? I'm not incapable of thought! I figured all that out on my own.

Simon knew he had reason to be proud of that. He knew that every spell and most drugs that enfeebled the mind made such minute observations, as the style of the window, virtually impossible. What it truly meant was that he had awoken naturally for the first time in months, possibly even over a year.

Simon didn't need deductive reasoning to tell him why he had slept so well. The memory of the evening with Kali flooded his mind as he recognized the feel of her pressed against his right side. He turned his head to face her and realized she was wide awake. She watched him with a wistful, almost possessive, expression that should have made him nervous. Instead, it made him smile. For some reason he didn't mind the thought of being possessed by her, and she by him.

"Good evening."

Her smile grew. "It's morning actually." As she propped her head on her right hand she pointed over his shoulder with her left. "One-twenty-three. And we're gonna have a bitch of a time getting you past security. No one is supposed to be up here this late without a presidential search warrant or something."

Simon smiled with her. "I think it should be pretty easy to get out. I just walk through the front doors like everyone else." Kali leveled a decidedly skeptical look at him. "What was one of the first things I told you? People see what they expect to see. If the guards see a forty-five year old man in a dark suit walking the halls, it must be more security. Of course they'll ask what I'm doing here, and my answer will depend on the person, but otherwise I'm unconcerned. PIA agents might not have badges to intimidate people with, but most of us have some degree of empathy. It won't be a problem."

He was loath to leave the warm comfort of the tiny bed, but he needed to be out there. There was a murderer loose and he needed to find them. Or more specifically, he needed to prove that it wasn't Kali. And he needed to prove it before there was another death.

He rolled ungracefully out of bed and began to look around for his clothes. Suddenly he realized that they might not even be there. One moment he cradled her fully clothed, and the next he lowered her to the bed, the both of them naked. It would be simple to walk out in his PIA attire, but naked, or wearing what she could scrounge up for him, he was likely to be arrested. Finally, he spotted his clothes folded in a corner of the room. He chuckled as he collected them. Something magical must have happened. Simon never folded his clothes.

"Simon?" He paused, as he put on his boxers, to look back at Kali. She still lay on her side, propped on one elbow, but her hand lay uneasily on the bed where he had been. "Can I come with you?"

Simon knew she wanted to say something else, but at the last minute had changed her mind. The request itself could simply be a way for her to build up the courage to talk to him, while staying close enough that she could speak quickly when it came. In truth, it wasn't a bad idea. If she was with him, she would immediately be removed from the list of suspects in the event of another murder. "Sure. I can wait for you out front if you want."

Kali looked nervously away. "You don't think it would look right. You leaving with me. You think they'd look at you like you were a pervert or lecher or something."

Simon smiled and slid the boxers into place at last. "Certainly not Kali. There's two reasons actually. The first is because it's easier to explain what I'm doing in here alone. You're partly right, if they saw us together their natural reaction will be that you snuck me in for nefarious purposes and it would take more to explain that misconception."

He stepped into his pants. "And that leads me to the second reason. If, for some reason, I can't talk my way out of trouble, there will be no connection to you. You can't get expelled, or even reprimanded, for letting a strange man onto the premises."

"But you were here to help me? I thought you were supposed to be a counselor or something?"

Simon laughed. "That excuse works well enough when trying to get in at eight or nine at night, and would even work now, except for the fact that I've been here for hours. Anyone in dire enough shape to need a counselor for that long should probably have been convinced to be brought in for treatment."

He shrugged into his shirt but left it unbuttoned, to hang open, as he walked back and sat on the bed. As Simon reached out to cup her cheek and jaw, he wondered again at how smooth and soft her young skin was.

"After I leave, get dressed. Take your time. The more time between when you leave and I do the better. And if I happen to get stopped and questioned, it will take me longer to get out than it will you."

Simon gave her face a gentle squeeze and then got up and began to button his shirt. "In fact, don't worry if I'm not there when you get out. You should wait for me. Even if, for some reason, they do decide to take action against me, then they'll have to pull me out the front door eventually."

"What should I do then? Do I try to rescue you, or is there someone I should call?"

Simon was about to tell her to do nothing, to come back in here and wait, when he realized she needed to feel useful. Beyond that normal human need, it would also give her something to focus on aside from her new abilities.

"There's a lieutenant I'm working with on a string of murders. His name is Lieutenant Michaels, and although I don't know what number it is, he's from the precinct that covers the clubs. Tell him I'd come to help you with an unexplainable problem and that I got caught and where. He'll probably ask you some questions. Answer them as honestly as you can, unless it comes to you powers. For those, just tell him you're not at liberty to discuss what I'm helping you with. But most of all let him know that the Agency will need to send someone to assist him until I can work out my situation."

Kali nodded in understanding. Simon pulled on his jacket and unfolded the tie that had been left in his pocket. Definitely lost the clothes magically! He chuckled as he tied the mock noose. A quick glance in the mirror satisfied him that his appearance would be sufficient.

Simon turned back to Kali and realized that she knelt on the edge of the bed. She was nervous. He smiled as he moved to stand before her. He quickly crouched to meet her eyes when he realized that standing placed her mouth suggestively close to his groin. It was not the time to be thinking of such things.

"Just remember to bring my cell number with you and you'll be able to get in touch with me any time. You know I always have it on me."

He leaned forward to kiss her cheek. Instinct, trained to combat so many creatures faster than the human body, knew what she was about to do. He couldn't bring himself to foil her. He didn't want her to fail. Simon tilted his head as Kali spun hers towards him and their lips met.

His body thrilled as she pressed against him. He pressed back. Her arms moved to drape over his shoulders and behind his neck even as one of his snaked around to cup the back of her head. He joined her as her lips parted and tentatively their tongues met. She tasted sweet. She tasted warm and inviting, and he knew he wanted to stay with her. He wanted to hold her, to enfold her within his body and be near her always.

But Simon had work to do. An image of the day's fresh crime scene flashed through his mind. Kali broke the kiss suddenly, as she jerked backwards. Her eyes were wide with horror.

"What was that!?"

Simon's eyes narrowed and he spoke slowly. "What was what?"

He knew what she meant, but he hoped he was wrong. He quickly switched into his other-sight and glanced at himself. Sure enough, all of his mystical protections were still in place. He gasped when he noticed a faint trace of the effect Kali had inadvertently used on him earlier still trailed from some of his wards.

His best protections would never hold up to demonic powers. Simon never expected them to. However they did collect a sample for future study. Most of the time it ended up being a posthumous examination. What shocked him, however was that it still clung to him, more than four hours later. In fact, the very shadows which maddeningly obscured Kali's astral form seemed to cling to almost ever corner of the room. He passed a hand through one. When it did not trail along, cling to him, he whooped.

Kali had been saying something that he missed when he looked up. Simon beamed at her and her expression changed from annoyed to bemused. He had been so intent on her, when he traveled to her room astrally, that he hadn't noticed these shadow-ribbons. They were the residual traces she left when her powers were in use. Not only did it explain why she was so obscured in the spirit world, but it proved she couldn't be behind the murders. Like every demon, her powers left a trace of themselves. Most likely these tattered streamers could also be traced back to her; unique from Tral'zla'thor.

Simon had pity on the confused Kali. "I just figured something out that had been worrying me. It's nothing important now. I'm sorry, what was it you were saying?"

Kali's eyes narrowed in suspicion. Simon kept his expression mild and interested despite the urge to laugh. The woman wasn't suspicious by nature and the expression looked more like a mask than true emotion.

"I said that we've shared visions since the club. All of them have been about us," she blushed heavily and looked away, but continued on, "and usually sexual." She turned back to him, very serious once more. "This one was gruesome. And I certainly hope not about us."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Simon smiled sadly at her. She couldn't believe what she had seen. A body had been torn apart and there was blood everywhere. She knew, as she had simply known certain things in the other visions, that this was only the most recent attack. Her heart said it wasn't connected to the two of them in the same fashion that the other visions had been, but she knew it was important to them both.

"That's the other case I have to finish looking into before I can devote myself entirely to you, to your training I mean." Kali knew what he meant, and knew what he wanted on a more subconscious level. That was fine with her, she wanted all of it as well. "Something has slaughtered two people so far, and I don't know what it is. Like you, it's nothing we've ever seen before."

Did that imply that it could be Kali's doing? She didn't think Simon could think that of her. She thought about it for a moment and decided that he might not want to suspect her, but he would. She wasn't entirely certain that she couldn't rule herself out as a suspect. She could have acted under the influence of the power, or even her own subconscious and never know what she had done.

Some of her doubt and fears must have shown on her face because he quickly explained. "Oh, I know, now, beyond a doubt that you couldn't have done it! I'm sure if you check Tral's memory you'll understand about the spirit world, other-sight and residual energy." He paused there and she understood he wanted her to catch up to the conversation.

Not for the first time, Kali felt something like a computer. Someone, or something, would trigger a search of the second set of memories that lived within her. She thought of herself as being the operating system and the demon's memory and powers as a second hard drive and its peripheral hardware respectively. It was a very disconcerting concept, but she had to admit that the imagery worked well.

In seconds Kali understood that the world, or possibly dimension, that spirits inhabited overlay her own. People could develop the ability to see this coexisting world, and that skill was commonly referred to as 'other-sight.' Finally, whenever a mystic cast a spell, or a Demon used its powers, they left residual traces of their personal energy, their chi, that could be catalogued like fingerprints by someone who knew how to find them.

As often happened with the new powers, the mere thought brought her abilities to the fore. The world seemed to change before her eyes. A second world seemed to fade into existence before her, to overlap itself across the room she knew so well. It was a world of shadows that clung, like cobwebs, to everything. She could still see everything perfectly. She even could tell which resided in which world.

Intrigued, Kali turned to look at Simon. He remained unchanged. He was still incredibly handsome, a figure of strength in his black suit and dark green shirt. As she looked closer, she realized that he seemed to be the only thing in the room that resided fully in both worlds. Although the demon's memories told her that was because he saw himself exactly as he was, a Field Agent for the PIA, she was curious how someone else would look to this new sight.

Kali raised a hand, and nearly jumped. She was completely covered in the shadowy substance that clung to her room. It was as if light slid right off her very skin, without somehow being the complete absence of color. Frightened, she wanted to see the full effect and moved to stand in front of the full length mirror. Even before she stepped fully before it, she knew it wouldn't work. The mirror was of the physical world and only reflected that appearance. The Kali that stared back was naked, but not draped in shadow.

"There are a few mirrors that reflect the spiritual realm. They are very old artifacts. We've lost the knowledge of how to make them, possibly even the full potential of their use." Kali looked at Simon in the mirror. Strangely, he didn't look quite as real. It was as if, once she had seen his spiritual body ~his soul?~ he was incomplete without it. She wondered, vaguely, if he would continue to look unreal after the effect of her other-sight disappeared. Simon knew she watched him, so he smiled and continued on.

"When I first saw you, I didn't understand what you were because of the way the shadows cling to you. Demons have a similar astral form, except they don't have a shape. They are thought incarnate, so they are without a true enough sense of self image to have form in the spiritual realm. But I just realized what those shadows are.

"The shadows are the residuals of your powers. Because you, unlike any other mystic I have met, have used your powers on your physical body, the traces cling to you most heavily. Even when you were fully clothed, it looked like you had skin of pure shadow." Simon laughed. "But now that I know what I'm looking at I know another difference between you and demons. They are pure darkness; drinking in the energy around them like a black hole."

Kali couldn't help but smile as Simon moved up behind her. His arms slid around her waist to hold her against the warmth of his body. She knew that he still watched her through his own other-sight by a mystical sparkle in his eyes. That he could see her, shrouded in shadow, and not fear to touch her, bolstered her own resolve to trust herself.

"But you, your powers, aren't that absence of energy. You have Tral'zla'thor's powers, even his memories, but what I see proves you are more than that. Your residual is shadow, because it is your light shining through the power. You temper and control its very nature, perhaps even make it all the stronger because of that."

Simon leaned around and kissed Kali's cheek. Yet, even such a potentially chaste action was filled with passion. Once more her vision shifted. A third layer overlapped the physical and spiritual worlds, but the only thing that truly changed was Simon. No, he hadn't changed, but another level had been added to him. About half an inch beyond the surface of his clothes a field virtually hummed with energy.

Kali tried to understand what she saw, but all her foreign memories could suggest was that she now saw his aura. While demons understood, and could manipulate, emotions, they didn't truly experience them in the same way that living beings did. As such, they could never see or understand auras. This was an ability a demon could grant to a mortal, but never experience themselves.

Simon's aura extended about a foot in every direction, to end in a very sharply defined impression of his body. It radiated slightly off-white, but otherwise looked very strong. Kali wondered if that primary color could be used to determine a person's overall personality, but put the question aside for other observations. Swirled through his aura were ribbons of color; mostly red and pink, with a few tendrils of pure blue. It created a surreal marbleized effect when taken with the intensity of the white energy.

"It's time for me to go Kali. Follow me in a few minutes; say, five to ten. I'll meet you out front."

As Simon spoke he turned her around. Kali realized that the most recent change had also heightened her senses. Even though the fabric of his suit was soft, it scratched slightly where she pressed herself against him. She didn't care. All that mattered was the solid reassurance of his body. She couldn't help but smile, as she closed her eyes, pressed her cheek to his chest, and held him close.

Finally, he disentangled himself from her. As she looked up, she realized the various alternate senses had faded. The Simon who stood before her was just as real as the multi-layered one she had seen moments before. His brown eyes held sorrow and longing, but also a firm determination. Like her, he didn't want to leave, but knew that he had to or else he wouldn't.

Simon's head shifted forward and Kali moved to meet him. For only the second time, their lips met, but it was just as perfect as the first. Her head tilted and her mouth opened to him. She uncurled her tongue to explore his mouth. His teeth were smooth, and although there was a slightly metallic flavor to him, it simply made him seem more real. This was his taste. She had even caught a hint of it on his skin.

Kali felt his reluctance, as Simon pulled away from the fiery kiss. His hand lingered in hers as he slowly backed towards the door. Despite her nudity, his eyes locked with hers as he pleaded for the moment not to end. She knew there was a deep longing within him for more. It wasn't sex he really wanted, it was her. Sex he could get anywhere, especially with his body, but he wanted more. Kali could tell by a simple look in his eyes.

Then he was gone, swept out the door quickly before he lost his nerve most likely. Kali felt light headed. She was in love. She'd thought that before of course, but now she knew the error of her past. What she'd felt before had been real, she wouldn't devalue it in that way, but it had been something else; comfort, desire, need, or even infatuation. But now she felt hyper and lethargic at the same time. It was a contradiction, but one she embraced fully.

Kali couldn't help but dance around the room as she began to gather clothes. She stopped for a moment when she realized Simon hadn't told her what she should wear. She shrugged and decided that meant it shouldn't matter. She would put together an outfit she liked, but one which she thought he would enjoy as well. At the same time, it needed to look respectable enough that she could blend into the background when he was in his Agent Pie persona.

In the end, she decided on a conservative, dark green, skirt that clung to her hips and tapered slightly inward down to her ankles. Fortunately, it didn't tighten too much to restrict her mobility, provided she didn't need to sprint. And if she did, she could probably slit one side to give her full mobility.

Kali tossed the skirt onto her bed and a matching half-jacket and an off-white blouse quickly followed. She realized that her choice of color scheme was almost the exact opposite of Simon's, but she hoped that lent credence to her as an apprentice, or some such, as he worked.

Now came the most important decision. Kali still didn't quite understand how her choice of undergarments could be so important when he had now spent the better part of two evenings with her completely naked. Her girl friends insisted, however, that it was the single most crucial decision. Guys often missed the outer ensemble, but they always noticed the underwear, often when you were still fully clothed. Her friends assured her that many guys even were more turned on by lingerie than full nudity. Kali found that hard to believe. She'd seen the magazines that guys bought and had been turned off by the sight of women with legs spread unnaturally wide and fingers holding themselves open for the camera to dive into.

With the light blouse, she couldn't go too daring, even if the shirt was a fairly heavy material. She toyed with the idea of a lacy turquoise set that she knew didn't clash with the dark green of the skirt and jacket, but in the end she decided white would be safest. Kali had a set so sheer that her areola and nipples could be seen clearly through it. Heck, even her clit and labia could be seen if the person was close enough. Of course, since the underwear was a thong, some of that didn't matter as much. The skirt was long enough that only Simon would see, unless she decided she needed to cut it in order to run. If that happened, she had bigger things to worry about than flashing her panties.

After Kali dressed, she suddenly realized she hadn't thought of socks or shoes. When she went to clubs, she often went with calf-high boots, but the black leather footwear would not go with the outfit, or the image she hoped to present. A quick rummage through her drawers found her nude thigh-highs that she knew, from the one time she'd worn them, stayed up fairly well. She cursed that she didn't have shoes to truly match the outfit, but settled on a pair of two and a half inch heels and strapped them on. The heels were very wide, so she would be able to walk relatively comfortably. She never had gotten the hang of walking with a heel that had a square millimeter in contact with the earth. That was a truly mystical ability.

She carefully applied a little makeup. Like stilettos, this was a skill Kali had never truly mastered. Fortunately, it was something that she could dumb down to her level of experience. It also meant she took a lot less time than most of her friends.

Kali glanced at the clock through the mirror above her dresser. The whole process had taken just under eleven minutes. She hated that it took longer than he had suggested, but he had said it would take him longer to get down and outside than it would her. This way she should still arrive less than ten minutes behind him.

She took a quick glance in the full length mirror and froze. Kali had always thought she looked younger than her age, with the exception of the size of her breasts. The woman who stared back, open mouthed, looked considerably older. She looked professional. She looked beautiful. But, most of all, she looked in complete control of her life. Kali had always envied those women and, for the first time, she began to believe there was hope for her too.

Kali hurried from her room and rode the elevator down. There was only one man in the little glass cage that acted as the security checkpoint for multiple dorms. He did little more than glance up as she passed by. She wasn't surprised, after all, she looked roughly the age to still be a student, which she was, and was leaving the building. The scrutiny would come when she tried to get back in.

Tension began to creep in as Kali opened the front doors. Simon was nowhere to be seen. She couldn't claim she wasn't nervous, not to herself. She tried to tell herself that something minor had delayed him. He hadn't been arrested. He hadn't been attacked by the thing that ripped people apart. And he certainly hadn't just left her high and dry. Of all of the possibilities, the last was what caused her heart to race in panic.

He's going to be here. He's just delayed a little. He'll be here any moment!

But it didn't help. She fought to keep her mind from wandering down all of the horrid 'what if' situations. She quickly sat down on the edge of one of the concrete planters that the university used to 'beautify the campus.' No sooner had she sat down than the world lurched. Painfully!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Simon smiled as the elevator door closed behind him. He felt almost giddy. He had to fight to keep from blushing. He was forty-six, yet his heart raced and his blood flowed like he was a teenager with his first crush. And yet, he couldn't find it in himself to be ashamed. That fact that he was supposed to teach her to control her powers was the only true ethical dilemma, but people had taught their lovers and spouses these kinds of things for millennia.

The only potential hassle would be the PIA. He wasn't overly concerned, however. As he'd pointed out to the researcher, over the phone, he had more than enough investigative time off to carry him right through to retirement. He could spend it somewhere with Kali, as she learned to keep her powers from controlling her. The Agency never needed to know that they were lovers.

Oh, if asked, he certainly wouldn't lie about it. The PIA did hire some very skilled agents when it came to detecting that; both through psycho/physiological means and more mystical methods. He certainly couldn't hide it if one of his fellows discovered it through divination. He would simply subscribe to the 'don't ask, don't tell' mentality. He would just need to be very clear with Kali that it wasn't because he was ashamed of her.

The elevator door dinged open and he sidled out cautiously. The security desk was just around the corner. The rent-a-cops might not pay as much attention to who went out as who went in, but Simon knew he'd be considered suspicious at this time of night. He should have scouted the location astrally while in the elevator, but he'd been too focused on Kali.

A glance around the corner and Simon knew he was in trouble. A full police officer stood just the other side of the security booth. The entrance policy had been inviolate, even to him, but he clearly waited for someone. Worse, there were two guards in the booth. One was obviously the regular, as he sat and read, and tried to pretend that the situation didn't make him uncomfortable.

Simon slipped back around the corner. He thought his inspection had gone unnoticed, but he couldn't be certain. It looked like the policeman reached for the mic clipped to his collar. There could also be cameras in the elevators. When he hadn't immediately come around the corner, they would have gone on alert, even if they wished to appear nonchalant.

He couldn't risk getting being detained for more than a few minutes. Simon didn't even know for certain that the officer was here for him, but he certainly couldn't afford to take that chance while he was working with the police. That was the Agency's greatest weakness. He could not use Lieutenant Michaels' name in order to explain his presence, lest the PIA lose the lieutenant as a potential contact. It was certainly the greatest hassle of working for an unauthorized organization of its type.

By the same token, the greatest advantage to working for such an agency was un-accountability. There was no one to question why he ran from the cops. He slipped quietly into the hallway and scanned for the red sign that designated his backup plan. He walked quickly but calmly towards the emergency exit. An alarm would most likely go off, and alert everyone to his location, however it would at least give him a head start.

Simon tensed as he hit the crash bar. The door swung smoothly outward, yet no alarm rang. He assumed the front desk would still be notified, even if the noise had been eliminated in an effort to allow the students time to sleep. He dashed through the door and jumped for the stairs that descended towards the cafeteria and ground floor. He spun around the platform that marked the halfway point and froze before he took another step.

At the bottom of the stairwell stood another police officer. Worse, he stood at ease, hands clasped before him, and watched Simon. For a moment, Simon considered a quick dash back up the stairs, but the door had slammed shut behind him and there was no sign of a handle on this side. He could probably overpower the cop, after all the man had neither the strength nor speed of a Sidhe or Lycan, but that would only make the trouble worse.

Without a student to press charges, the worst they could get him with was trespassing. Most likely he would be banned from all university property, and perhaps a fine. All easily manageable. Simon pulled his shoulders back and stood up straight. Slowly, he began down the steps in a dignified pose. "I would assume you were waiting for me."

The officer studied him thoroughly. "Are you Agent Pie?" Simon was fairly certain that had not been the name he had used when he checked in, regardless, he nodded in response. "Lieutenant Michaels needs to see you immediately. There's been another... incident." A very clinical word for such a disturbing scene.

Simon did not need to know how they had found him. He cursed himself for forgetting. He had called Michaels and told him there was another case in town; one that had nothing to do with the police. When no one could get a hold of him, the lieutenant must have called the PIA researcher and they had told him exactly where to find him, through the tracker in his phone. "And you are in the emergency stairwell because..." Simon awaited the answer mostly to discern how the cop had thought to wait in a less likely route.

Suspicious eyes glowered up at Simon. "Lieutenant Chu suggested you might take this route." It was easy to understand why the cop didn't trust him. The cop's entire manner questioned how two very respected lieutenants could use a man who skulked about co-ed dorms as a consultant in any case, much less such a gruesome one.

Simon took a step down but the cop stopped him with an open hand that suggested upwards would be more appropriate. Simon turned and noticed the campus security that hovered around the booth now held the door open for him. Simon shrugged and went through, tailed by the cops; rental and real. As they guided him around the corner, the second officer passed through the security checkpoint and fell into step with them.

They passed the booth, with the regular guard once more comfortable reading his book, and moved deeper into the building once more. This floor, the second floor, seemed to be predominantly administrative. The impression was confirmed when they led him to a small conference room. The security guard motioned to a chair on the opposite side of the table from the door. Simon smiled and sat as bid.

"Before I can let you go with the police, I need to know how you got onto the premises and what you were doing here. The police will only say you're a consultant, so don't try to give me any undercover excuses."

Simon smiled broadly. "As to how I got in, it's simple. Check the logs, I walked in. I gave my name at the booth, explained why I was here and was ushered in. The guard should even have known which room I was in considering he unlocked it for me."

The guard's suspicion did not diminish in the slightest. "The log does show all of that, and we intend to follow up in the morning by talking with Ms. Donnoly." Simon was glad to know they really had logged it all. "The problem is that you did not register for an overnight stay, and you certainly aren't authorized for one. Unless you are attempting to claim to be Ms. Donnoly's boyfriend?"

Simon didn't let the conflicted emotions show in his expression. Most importantly, the possibility of it would make him seem guilty of something. "Kali is in need of counseling. No, I won't tell you why, because that is privileged information. I came, at her request, for an emergency session. In the end it was more difficult than I had anticipated and we actually both fell asleep."

The guard looked suspicious, especially with the comment about falling asleep. The cops simply looked bored. All they wanted to do was collect the man for the lieutenant and bring him to the scene. Nevertheless, the guard looked to them for their opinions. He might have had as much, or more, experience than either of the other two, but he mostly dealt with recalcitrant delinquents and not truly dangerous criminals. He seemed to think they would be able to decipher his lies. Unfortunately for the guard, everything Simon had said had been the truth, if not the entire truth.

"Look, these men need me to help solve a crime; a very serious one is all I can tell you. You have my name and contact information on the computers. You can very quickly check to make sure it's the same the police have. They know they can get a hold of me, so if something comes up you will as well."

Reluctantly the guard nodded and mumbled something into his radio. Simon stood when the guard motioned for the door and followed him out. This time the guard took the lead with both of the cops taking up the rear. Simon knew the two held a mumbled conversation behind him, but couldn't clearly hear it. In truth, it didn't matter. When the three reached the checkpoint, one of the police slipped behind the counter and read the monitor over the regular guard's shoulder. "Yup, that's what we got all right."

"Wait a minute!" The officer looked straight at Simon. "Simon... Pie?" Simon nodded ruefully. "And I thought my parents were cruel!" Simon didn't bother to ask the cop's name. None of the others in the room understood the oblique reference to his name and he didn't feel like enlightening them either. Fortunately, it seemed like the cop didn't either. Instead he ushered Simon through the checkpoint and towards the escalator to the main doors.

As the three approached the front doors, Simon spotted Kali just outside. He couldn't keep the smile from his face any more than he could stop his heart from racing. He was smitten, but he simply didn't care. He hoped never to be 'cured.'

Kali sat down on one the planters, and immediately lurched to the ground. Simon broke into a run. As he flew through the front doors, he could already see the tears. Taken together with the way she clutched herself, Simon knew fear. When her powers had manifest before they may have seemed uncomfortable but Kali was in desperate pain.

Simon dropped to his knees, before he came to a stop, and skidded to hold her. Every muscle in her body was seized with tension. The police escort moved up behind him, but he paid them no more than passing attention. She was all that mattered. When he carefully shifted Kali, to look at her face, he paled. Her eyes were locked open and pure white.

Copywrite May 2007, by Deathlynx