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Chapter -4-

ALONE

April 5, 2049 - 9am Paris, France ...

** Rufus sat up with a gasp** , his eyes wide and his heart pounding. The long dark hair that tumbled down his shoulders over the front and back of his torso was moist. He brought his hand up over his face and rubbed wetness from his eyes then his forehead. "Chri'sake. Wha' the hell?"

"Quiet, you." The voice wasn't one that Rufus recognized. He glanced back over his shoulder then blinked. He started to ask a question but the man simply said, "Aht. Shh. Speak when spoken to; you've been shot - now be quiet."

"Then pardon my speakin' outta turn, but who'n the hell're you?"

"They call me The Oracle." The man approached and drew back a hood then smiled with a creepy sort of look. "What? Expecting a woman? They always are. Apparently Oracles can only be little old ladies now. HOW WRONG! Yes, quite so." He brought his finger to his lips and, all at once, hissed, "Shh! You were about to speak again and it's loud enough in here with just me trying to speak. YiaYia isn't the Oracle anymore; she passed away from old age, it's just me, now."

Rufus eyed the man who appeared in his mid-to-late forties. "I thought..."

"Aht! You have no idea what it is like to have uncontrolled light-telepathic abilities. It's not like they describe it in the movies. NO! It is MOST CERTAINLY not such! I love movies. I can hear both sides without the echo. But you speak with an echo."

Rue opened his mouth but instead of speaking, he grunted in pain.

The man moved close to Rufus and tilted his head, bringing his face awkwardly close as if trying to unnerve the southerner. "Do you hear me were-mutt? Mm, yes, you have the eyes of an animal. You most certainly are a were-mutt, aren't you? YES! Don't answer. I hate when you answer. Ever have a cellphone with poor reception and you hear your own voice, then you feel like you're speaking over yourself, because it repeats everything you say just a split second after you say it? AH! That is what my bastardized telepathy is really like for someone that has no control over it. IT SUCKS! I hear you thinking it, yes, just as you're about to say it ... then you say it; it's like you're speaking over yourself! How annoying is that? Sometimes I can't figure out what you're trying to say because you talk over yourself and..." he trailed off, took a deep breath then poked Rufus firmly in the forehead. "Shh. You're fine. I imagine you're going to be constipated for some time. Your intestines were damaged. Lucky for you they have a mesh for that now and, OH! Did you not know I have a steady hand?"

Rufus looked beyond the man to a coffee table with surgical tools set out methodically. "You operated on me, son?"

"I usually work on human beings. I should have called a veterinarian! Pandora's Box was opened and you were there! I could see it all over you! And, the Yankees lost three-zip!"

"Pardon?" Rufus rubbed his forehead again, coming to realize that the wetness wasn't from sweat but from a sponge nearby. "I ... was listening to the game in the car on the way over here, on satellite radio."

"Yes, yes. Be glad this is the future. A mere hundred years ago and this injury would have killed you. And in case you didn't know, you screwed up."

Rue sighed and pushed his hair back from his shoulder, moving it behind his ears. He pulled a hair tie from his pocket and fixed it into a ponytail. "I know, I know. Loupe had them damn green eyes. Like they glowed er somfin'. Greener than his wife's eyes."

"I meant twenty-five years ago, you nitwit. And don't even mention their marriage! That was wrong. Absolutely wrong! Donovan shouldn't have been taken. It should have been Mark!"

Rufus leaned back on an elbow and winced from the tightness in his stomach. "Yeah. Well ... whatever that means." He pulled up the front of his shirt and ran his finger over the stitches. "I only knew one Marcus. He was in an arranged marriage with my sister, Peri. He died the year before any of this crazy shit ever started. Pancreatic cancer."

"The other Marcus should have been taken. Not your Marcus. The right Marcus - not to be confused with Marcus Senior. Donovan shouldn't have been a concern in this matter! Shit! Shit, it's all shit, fucking shit!"

Rufus blinked at the outburst. "You, uh, okay doc?"

"I ... when I get frustrated, I have a problem with outbursts. Mark's abduction was upsetting."

"Uhm. The kid who was taken was Donovan."

"Yes, yes, but that's not right. Telepathy is just an annoyance. MY ability is to see things. You can't be much of an oracle if you cannot see things. Things are broken. And not just the thing with Marcus, oh no. No, that's just the tip of the ice burg. You had the chance to make them right when Aris Falcon pushed you against the ceiling. In fact, even that should have happened differently but you said all the wrong things. You did all the wrong things with ole' Green Eyes. Wrong. How serendipitous. And also Mark's kidnapping is all wrong. Shit! It's all shit! Argh, shitting fucked!"

"Tourette's Syndrome?"

"No, you dipshit moron-fuck!" The man held his hands out, palms outwards and sighed with a groan. "Coprolalia. It's ... it's called Coprolalia." He closed his hands then opened them several times, quickly. The surgeon paused, smiling gingerly. "You ... messed up ... the past. Donovan? No. Mark should have been abducted, and you messed up with ole' Green Eyes. Two separate things. I didn't always have these problems you know. I was once a collector of trinkets and a doctor. Did I mention you messed up with ole' Green Eyes?"

Rufus' thoughts turned to how Eric's eyes seemed to glow green right before he lifted the gun. "Sonuvabitch," said the Georgian with a snap of his fingers. "Falcon activated Eric! Tha's why his eyes were so damn bright 'n green. Dayum. Looked like contacts. Dammit." Rufus slowly sat up. "Can I turn werewolf or will tha' break the stitches?"

"Dummy. You won't have this injury when you transform. But you'll have to be re-stitched when you change back. Well. Maybe. If you stay the beast long enough then you may heal that first layer of skin that stays on the inside. You stay the beast long enough and you'll have healed by the time you change back. You also shouldn't judge me for my outbursts when I get emotional - it happened after the encephalitis. Don't be a dimwit, my brain swelled when the telepathy reared its ugly demonic tendrils of ... fucking ... tendril-fucks of fucking..." He appeared frustrated, searching for the right way to word it then, quite suddenly, said, "It's all fucked up."

Rufus got to one knee and put his hands out to steady himself. "I feel ya, brother. When tha' ability manifested, it caused yer brain t' swell and it impacted th' way you handle stress. Tha's ... cortisol right?"

The man clapped his hands together, appearing delighted. "You're not an idiot! Thank God! A redneck with a brain! It's truly a miracle! Proof there is a God!" He walked to the window and gazed out into the morning light, causing Rufus to squint. "Mm, well ... no rainbows. Maybe God didn't do it. He likes symbolism. Remember the last time we had a pope quit? Lightning struck the building where the first pope is buried. Symbolism. God loves that nonsense. Still. You messed things up bad with Green Eyes."

Rue sighed. "A'ite, a'ite. I get it. I messed up. Donovan is gone, Eric shot me ... but Falcon told him something about a Freak Farm."

"That wasn't for you. You're dead."

"Naw, I ain't dead."

"To them you are! And here I just complimented your brain! Okay. You have book smarts, and common sense, but no sense of logic. Or, no, wait; you're good with numbers. You're logical but you're otherwise an idiot. Perhaps that's the matter! Do you know where we are? And can you move your eyes from left to right? No need to follow my finger, just look around without crossing your eyes, were-mutt. And where is the leach?"

With a groan, Rufus rubbed his temples gently. "Slow down, hoss. Kalen had a different job. He's prolly asleep at this hour. I'm at the Loupe Residence. And we should clean up 'n leave before tha' redcoat bitch gets home. If I see 'er, I'mma slap'er upside her head."

"That's not very nice. You really let her down twenty-five years ago, Rufus."

"How'n th' hell did _I _let _her _down?"

"You just can't see it," said the man with a sigh. "Dummy. Blind-ass. Must be those animal eyes. By the way, Rufus, just to rub it in, you messed up with Green Eyes. Just an observation. Now. Let me check on Reno, then we can go. It's a good thing you can survive in the wild. We have to go to Reno's old parents' home. We need something from there."

"But Donovan was just abducted and Eric...!"

"Hush. That's not for you to fix. It's your fault it happened."

"Say what?!"

"You caused this ages ago. Dumb animal. If you saved Peri, Peri would have had a Chance to live - hah, see what I did there? That was so clever, I love word play. Either way, you shouldn't have ruined things with Green Eyes. Gather your things. Go to the bathroom and clean up. Find fresh gauze and tape. Cover the stitches. I'll check on Reno. You need to prepare to lay low for a long period of time. If you hadn't messed things up twenty-five years ago, let alone fifty years ago, you wouldn't have failed the eyes of green and Markie-Mark would be the one missing - tragic."

"Son ... you're crazier than a damn ferret on PCP. I'll go wash up. Reno is forty-thousand leagues under th' sea."

"Huh. Dummy." The man walked away, wavering about as if on a listing ship. "Just you wait until Paris is struck by lightning, doofus. HAH! Rufus-the-Doofus!"

"What'm I getting m'self into?" Rue walked over to the tools laid out on the coffee table and picked up a deformed slug then an aluminum cellphone with a hole blasted clean through the body and battery. "Man. Right through. Dunno if it helped or hurt havin' this damn thing in the pouch of m' hoodie." He glanced back in the direction that The Oracle went then shook his head. "Hope hoss can keep'a secret." He drew quiet, just in case the house had been bugged, then announced, "Everyone knows Reno Nevada is still at the bottom of the Atlantic Ocean, after all."

Rue moved to the bathroom and saw a phone mounted to the side of the sink. "A landline? God, now that is a rare thing t' see." He picked it up and heard a dial tone. After a moment, Rufus opened the receiver and checked for an electronic listening device. Satisfied it was clean, he dialed a number he memorized, having dialed it once in the past. After dialing the last digit, Rufus waited. It rang three times then a tired voice picked up. Rue grinned. "Still at the old funeral home, right? Cool hideout, isn't it? So ... you asleep?"

Kalen Kincade replied with a groggy sigh. "Me? Asleep at this hour? No. I always crawl into a coffin for fun so I can lay here and pretend to be dead for eight hours. I'm not sure why you decided it would somehow be a good idea to use an abandoned funeral parlor as a hideout. I'd much rather have a real bed."

Rue smirked. "I'll make it quick so you can go on back t' sleep. Just wanted t' keep you in the loop-de-Loupe. If ya get my drift. Anyway, Karla wasn't here. I can't really talk; I dunno if this place is bugged. I'll explain later. Just stay at this number, pal."

Kalen's voice, barely audible over the receiver, seemed concerned. "Are you wounded? You have an edge to your voice that concerns me."

"I'll be fine. You know this crazy joker, Oracle?"

"It's not his name, Rufus. Mistress Natalia has the utmost respect for him, though. I even had to save his life back in 2023. His grandfather warned her of her husband's demise. In the early 1900s'. She still blames herself for not heeding the man's warning. But she treats the grandson with the utmost respect because of it."

"Does she know this dude is batshit crazy?"

Kalen sighed again, breathing into the microphone from his end. "Rufus, sometimes he speaks in weird context. Almost gibberish. But if he decides you need to know something that's about to happen, he'll look you right in the eye and tell you plain-as-day what's about to go down. Natalia says to trust him because he is legit. I also know that he was a surgeon at Sinai Hospital in Baltimore, Maryland before the whole damn coast tore away. Worked in the E.R.; Cybil J. Powalski - he is a sharp doctor."

"Yeah. Seems that much is obvious."

"Rufus, it's particularly sunny out today. Pick me up. I'll find an umbrella."

"You dun' burst into flames, do ya?"

"Don't be absurd. It itches but it isn't fatal unless I'm already injured."

"A'ite. I got some stuff I gotta' do first. I want you to hang tight and check on Reno every so often. I'm gunna jet. Don't wait up for me right now. We'll catch back up soon enough..."

"Are you thinking about heading out to that dome?"

"Th' thought crossed my mind but I'm not sure yet, why?"

Kalen sighed over the line a third time. After a moment of quiet, he simply said, "I'm in a romantic relationship with Carmen Nevada. Natalia's contacts reported in that a member of the Nevada line was leaving the Atlantic Ocean. I thought it might have been her. I was told they would arrive in Washington D.C., so that's how I met you there. I was looking for her. I disguised my search by hunting for clues to a vampire recently turned who was wondering about in the vicinity of DuPont Circle. I took a vial of blood from her and had it tested at George Washington University Hospital."

"Tha's prolly the most I've ever heard you speak, 'afore. Anywho. Reckon I'm sorry it wasn't yer girlie. I've gotta get goin'. Check on 'Uncle Reno' as necessary. A'ite? I'll catch up with you in the future. Things're complicated now, so this is g'bye for a time. I'd better get goin'. Take care." He hung the receiver up on the base then turned on the sink and checked behind the mirror for gauze.

X

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X

April 5 - 6pm EST

Anacostia, Washington D.C., District Coast ...

** Karla appeared high above** the decimated DC skyline, surveying the flood damage. Her hands and forearms glowed pink with glyphs beneath the skin, stabilizing herself with telekinesis. Crooked support columns dotted the landscape where I-295 once met I-395

She teleported over the Anacostia River, arms folded, and looked about then continued west, towards the evening sunlight. Again she vanished.

Before long, she saw black rectangles beneath her feet with the crumbling remains of a ruined interstate to the southeast. Karla thrust her palms out. Her hands glowed pink and she slowly descended over the cracked, crumbling parking lot of The Pentagon.

She practiced calm, controlled descent towards the north side, over the building and its five-acre courtyard then continued down to the main entrance.

The succubus turned about, eased to the ground then withdrew a brush and began fixing her hair. A group of armed men in body armor hurried from a guard shack, pointing their weapons at her on approach. She ignored them and continued to fix her windblown hair.

The group of men surrounded her, guns pointed in her face. One of them said, "I'm not sure how you got past the checkpoint but..."

"I'm here to see Gregory Watson. He's this untrustworthy little weasel and looks like this." Karla clapped her palms together then opened her hands and showed them a photograph that she'd teleported from her purse. "T'dah. He's a little old man, works for Homeland Security."

"Ma'am, I don't..."

Karla ignored the guard and spoke over him. "He's one of the last remaining 'old Government' types. He should have flown in from Chicago this week. I was just there looking for him. Turns out he's here to spy on something in the ocean; that's above your pay grade. Escort me to him."

"Excuse me?" said the highest-ranking guard of the group. "You are not authorized to be on this property! I don't know how you got through that fence but..."

"Oh please. I could even tell you which elevators, on the second sub-level, take you to the deeper, newer sections of this place. Don't patronize me with fences. Now take me to see..."

"Ma'am. Don't move. We have to detain you until..."

Karla rolled her eyes with frustration then waved her hands. All their rifles disappeared. All their sidearm weapons disappeared. She waved her fingers. The weapons appeared thirty feet away in a messy pile. "Now, nitwits, take me to see Gregory Watson. Call someone who knows what's going on here. Tell them a beautiful blond, who is so disarming that she actually disarmed you, is out front and waiting to speak to Watson. I'm waiting; the clock is ticking. The sooner we get this cleared up, the sooner you boys can escort me inside."

One of the lower ranking men rushed back to the guard shack and picked up the phone. Karla offered the group a pleasant smile and folded her hands. "I thought you guys are supposed to all be good looking and kept? I mean ... don't get me wrong, you all have neat uniforms, creases, and you're all groomed but ... I'm really not impressed, guys."

"Excuse me?" asked one of the guards, appearing insulted. "Listen, here, Green Eyes..."

Karla tittered softly. "The Oracle calls me that. Anyhow, maybe it's because I'm married now. Gorgeous men are harder to come by now that I've settled down. So maybe it's me."

A few moments later, the front entrance opened and an aging man came down the steps. He approached Karla and the circle of guards. Greg Watson stopped to look over the succubus with a confused expression. "Karla Howard?"

"Loupe. It's Loupe, now. So..." She lowered her gaze then lifted it slowly, as though sizing him up. "Well, well. Look at you, all swanky on your business trip. Isn't it nice to marry into wealth? I see Fara Parker's widowed wealth went to good use, judging by the cost of that suit you're wearing."

"Dear God, you haven't aged."

"That's how I roll, remember? Are you busy right now? Gee, I sure hope I disturbed you."

"Karla ... what is it that you want?"

She stepped from the circle of guards and approached Watson with her arms folded. "Information on my daughter, Elvena Loupe. She is missing and I've got some family drama going on. I've decided I'm going to find her and personally ensure that she's safe. Mother's prerogative."

"It's hard to believe you're her mother," Watson said with a shake of his head. "I mean, I saw it on paper when I hired her..."

"So the rumors are true," Karla replied with a narrow gaze.

"Oh, quite. She's worked for me for quite some time. Two years now. Closer to close to three, I suppose. She never manifested an ability. Even using USPRI technology, she shows up as a normal person."

"She's still my daughter and I've not heard from her."

"That's because she ran off after an argument and sought..."

Karla waved her hands about in a flit of emotion. "Don't remind me!" She turned back to the guards and said, "I'd like a little bit of privacy with Benedict Arnold, here."

Watson balled his left hand into a fist. "I'm Benedict Arnold?! Funny, Rufus and your daughter tell it in a much different light! They say you're the one that betrayed your friends when the first good offer came along!"

"No! It wasn't like that! I betrayed Rufus but I gave everyone else a chance to live and be rescued. And guess what? Reno Nevada is living proof. I have him, alive, in my care. Eric and my son are watching over Reno right now! And the rest are next! I need Elvena to finish..." Karla trailed off, seeing his gesture for her to stop. "What?"

"Wait. When is the last time you've heard from your husband?"

"We argued on the phone just the other day. Everything is fine."

Watson nodded to the guards. "We need a moment, please. Return to your posts."

Karla watched them walk away in silence. They walked to their weapons, picked them up then left. She turned back to Watson. "What is this drama?"

"Mrs. Loupe, I just came out of an intelligence briefing. We have undeniable proof that Aris Jackson Falcon was in Paris yesterday. We've sent someone to your mansion an hour ago and no one was there. We cannot see into the bunker you've created for Reno Nevada, but due to the power draw from the house, we have reason to believe..."

"Reno's hospice equipment is set up on a private grid powered by green energy. It's not on the grid."

"Fine. But listen to the rest of what I'm trying to tell you," he said with a stern expression. "We checked satellite surveillance and it appears that someone drove the family vehicle out of the driveway recently. People, on foot, came to the house, stayed for a number of hours, then left. We think it might be the caretakers you've hired to check on Mister Nevada. They've left."

"The house has been without Eric's car for how long?"

"The car was driven away from the driveway the evening of April 3rd, local time. An adult person carrying what appears to be a child ... the child was put into the back seat. We had a satellite in position at the time, so we were able to see that they put the child into the backseat and they stayed there for a moment, leaving us to believe they were fastening a car seat. Are you following me?"

Karla narrowed her gaze. "You have my attention."

"Good. The vehicle drove until they were right at the edge of the satellite's range then pulled over in the parking lot of a fast food restaurant. He appears to get the child out of the backseat. The child appears asleep, because he carries the child. Then the satellite moved out of position. It's going on two days now. He never came back to your house."

Karla replied with a moue of disgust, rubbing her thumb against her fingertips in apprehension. She stared at Watson, judging his expression, then brought her right hand to her lips.

"Can you not shed light on what I've just told you?"

She breathed heavily against her palm then licked her lips. "I'm..." She looked away for a moment then turned towards Watson. "Find Elvena. I'm headed back to Paris immediately. If I find out you were lying to me, I'll find you and kick your ass. I've left you along. I've left Fara and James alone. But so help me, if you're lying to distract me ... you've got five seconds to recant your story before I leave."

He shook his head. "We were just talking about it because Falcon was in the area. We tracked Aris to your home on April 4th. He appeared to have a small entourage. He left. No child. But I will say that there was a small group that went to your home the evening that Mister Loupe left with the child in his car. We're operating under the assumption that they may be cleaners or movers."

"I don't need cleaners. I can teleport objects and telekinetically push a vacuum cleaner, Greg. Jesus Christ, they better not have been movers."

He nodded then slid his hands into his pants pockets. "The Satellite wasn't in range long enough for us to see conclusive evidence one way or another. But we KNOW for a fact that Falcon was, in fact, on your property the next night. He arrived with a handful of people. He left with a handful of people. We think he may have been searching for Eric and Donovan, but we're not sure why. That's why we think Eric left the day before. We think he may have been tipped off."

"By Elvena?"

"No. She's in deep cover. She's off the grid right now."

"I have it on good authority that she was captured. I came here to get answers from you. People from the embassy came by and told us she was missing in action and presumed dead."

"No, Karla, that was to take her off the grid while she went into deep cover."

"No, Greg. Sinopa had a premonition. I had a deity look into it. She's not amongst the living or the dead. She's in suspended-fucking-animation in Falcon's bullshit little underwater theme park. So were you lying to me, or are you really that uninformed?"

Greg began pacing. "Goddamn it."

"What?" Karla narrowed her eyes to near slits. "What do you know?"

"She hasn't picked up our dead-drop in three weeks. We were going to give her to the end of the week before we made an assumption. Look, go check on your family, Mrs. Loupe. I'll reach out through back channels and see if we cannot locate Elvena another way. She's not just a good operative, I was grooming her as my protégé. I oversee USPRI now."

"The rest of the world calls us Eso-terrorists. Esoteric people need leadership and we have none. I'm not a fucking terrorist."

"Mrs. Loupe," he trailed off with a sigh then, in a more personal tone, said, "Karla. Listen. Justus Loupe is missing. Johann Foster is gone. Your kind has no leadership. No one to do damage control. Twenty years ago, it got out. People were using abilities for selfish reasons and we had to cover it up and call it advanced technology. We had to go after those people. We couldn't contain them, and many of them fought back. We had to use deadly force on a handful of the surviving Esoteric Community. That's out of my control. Just go check on your family and I'll put my feelers out for Elvena."

"Fine. I am going back to Paris right now. If I find out you lied to me, I'll come back and rough you up. Capicé? And if I find out you've had contact with Falcon again..."

"Just ... okay. I want you to know I wasn't working for Falcon all those years ago."

"Yeah, yeah. Trust is a funny thing. It takes forever to earn and seconds to break."

"You should be more concerned with what everyone else is doing, Karla. Fox and Topaz have just fallen off the grid; they left their second child with Sinopa and Jules. Your daughter is out there right now making a difference in the world, using all that training she received from Topaz Nevada. Vincent is still spying for us. And all your other friends are missing in action and presumed dead because you decided to abandon them so you could play house with a shadow master that has emotional baggage. Listen, Karla, the world doesn't revolve around you."

Karla approached Watson; he stood his ground. She came within inches of his face and grimaced. "I told you, Elvena was captured, you dipshit. And for your information, the last fight I had with Eric was about needing space. He brought up getting a separation, then threatened to leave outright."

"I'm sorry to hear it, Karla."

"I told him to stay put. He said he didn't feel comfortable living in my house if he's not going to be living in my life. If he left ... it's because I drove him away, not because someone tipped him off. So, for you to tell me he left with my kid ... that's a difficult fucking pill to swallow. Find my daughter. We'll be in touch." She disappeared, leaving only a hint of her perfume lingering in her wake.

X

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X

April 6 - midnight local time Paris, France ...

** Karla Loupe swung the front door open to her house** , jaw clenched from the lack of a car in the driveway. She looked around then went up to the master bedroom. The bed was unmade on one side. She saw a piece of paper on the dresser next to a hairbrush and picked it up. 'I love you, but you're right ... we need distance. "Goodbye" seems so permanent. So how about ... until we meet again.' The words were in Eric's handwriting, but it was neater than his usual penmanship.

Suddenly nothing mattered. For a moment, the world around her dissolved into murkiness.

Karla clutched the letter in her fist and stumbled back two steps. She turned towards the door then glanced over her shoulder at the bed. Her legs felt soft. All at once, she dropped to the floor.

Drawing in breath felt labored but the wail of despair that followed came without any effort. Tears streamed down her face.

As if someone flipped on a switch, she felt overpowering loneliness. Her shoulders heaved and her body convulsed from the intensity of her sobbing.

The demoness doubled over, hiding her face against the floor. She dropped onto her side and drew her knees to her chest. Karla gasped for air and fell back into the intensity of the cries and weeping that she could no longer control.

Her heart pounded within her chest and her body shook, wracked with grief and loneliness and guilt.

"Please!" she shouted to no one. She repeated the word, softly, two more times, as her tears drenched her skin and the collar of her blouse. She pressed her cheek into the floor, crying hysterically.

No one answered her. She continued the sorrow-stricken wail of grief, making it difficult to hold in a breath of air for long. She began to feel lightheaded but couldn't catch her breath.

Karla began to hyperventilate; moisture continued to flow, soaking her porcelain visage to the point she could have washed her face in her tears. She released the note and rolled onto her back, gasping for breath.

Breathing became a chore. She couldn't stop the crying, despite the growing ache in her chest. Her lungs felt tight, her heart ached, and the curious sensation of pins and needles set in.

She felt as though the wind had been knocked out of her and she, like a fish out of water, gasped to get it back. The sensation of lightheadedness worsened. Physical sensation began to grow distant.

The collapsed succubus drew one final breath before her body relaxed. She lay flat on her back with shallow breaths. Her irritated eyes flitted but her body remained otherwise motionless and seemingly deflated. An eerie silence set in...

X

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X

April 6 - 5am Karla's Mansion...

"Karla...?"

The voice seemed oddly familiar. She recognized it at the back of her mind but couldn't place it. A gentle touch accompanied the voice; a soft squeeze on her right arm felt familiar to her.

"Karla? What happened to you?" Next came a gentle shake. "Karla Ann Chintzy. Wake up! You look as though you've been beaten to death but I can't find any wounds. The house is largely intact and I need to know that you're alright!"

Karla's lashes fluttered open and she gazed upwards. Her eyes, still bloodshot, were a brilliant green surrounded by a glistening red, almost like Christmas. Her lower lip trembled.

A man's face slowly came into focus. Staring at the man for a moment, she tried to clear her head. Two words spilled from her lips without even thinking about it. "Kalen Kincade...?"

"What happened? Your eyes are swollen and black and..."

"Mascara," she whispered. "It must be running down my face. Why are you here?"

"Rufus said he had somewhere to go. I don't think he was alone by the way he spoke. He mentioned The Oracle then told me to watch the house to ensure that Reno Nevada would be safe."

Karla's eyes shot all the way open, wide. She sat up and glared at Kalen. "When did he leave?"

"A little less than thirty-six hours ago. Why?"

She sighed in relief then slumped back to the carpet. "Because if he helped my husband leave me, I would have killed him. But it sounds like he was actually watching the house, which means ... he's a better man than I ever realized."

"Rufus was, in fact, watching the house. He sought to speak to Eric and confirm if Reno was here."

"I see." She looked down at a crumbled piece of paper on the floor. She snatched it up and closed it in her fist. "Eric ... left me. He took the baby and he left - presumably because I said all the wrong things during a fight. I made him feel unwelcome. I made him feel alone. I pushed away the one good thing I've ever done with my life ... my family."

"Karla ... I'm ... I'm so very sorry."

She turned to the bed and pulled herself up onto it then rolled onto her side and wrapped her arms around a pillow. "He left me. He took my son and he left me because," she swallowed, licked her lips, and took a breath. "Because I treated him like our love was poison. What've I done?"

"It's not my place to say anything but in my experience, it's rarely the entire fault of one party. I checked on Reno and then I smelled blood and decided to check the house."

Karla used the backside of her left wrist to wipe her face. "Blood?"

"Werewolf blood to be specific. I think Rufus was injured. How badly I cannot say but he did call me from this house. I told him he sounded unwell. He said he would be fine, to watch Reno while he takes care of some business, and then he hung up. I'm afraid I don't have much more to tell you. But I have the feeling that he'll be all right. I can't find any blood, I only smell it."

"And Reno's okay?"

"He is. I'll give you a bit to relax. Take a shower, do whatever you need to do."

"You're staying?"

"I understand and I respect if you wish to be alone, but knowing you as long as I have..."

"Yeah?"

"Well, it seems as though you might not want to be alone right now."

She offered a weak smile. "I'm a lot different than the Karla you used to know, Kalen."

He returned the wan smile. "I, too, have grown up. But we're in the same situation. Just a few short years ago, the girl I was dating told me she had something she had to take care of. She kissed me, told me she loved me, and walked out of my life. I've not seen her in quite some time. I've blamed myself. I scolded myself for dating a mortal. I know better. She never looked back. I've been looking for her for quite some time now..."

"To make sure she's okay?"

"Yes, exactly. But perhaps she doesn't wish to be found. I may not understand the gravity of your immense loss - a spouse and children. But I do sympathize with the hole you feel in your heart. The emptiness - the despair; the loneliness. If you need someone to talk to, I'm available."

"God. I'm a mess. Thank you, though. I don't want to be in this huge house all alone. That would be," she trailed off and rubbed her face. "I couldn't handle that right now. Everything is blah." She looked up at the dim ceiling. Her eyes cut over to a nearby window, looking out at the overcast morning dimness. "I just never noticed how alone I was before. But now that he's gone, I notice. It's dark, drab and lifeless."

"Mm." He glanced down at the floor then back up at Karla. "Life is like a rainbow; we need rain and sunshine to see every color."

The succubus looked back at him with furrowed brows then her facial expression melted into something tender. "That's sweet, but it doesn't help me right now. I'm weak, I'm a crying mess, and now I'm abandoned. And this was after a very stressful relationship. I'm sorry you've found me at my lowest. My daughter is missing, presumed captured by Falcon. My husband and son are gone. Fuck."

The vampire's eyes lifted to meet Karla's gaze. "Karla..." He shook his head with a sigh. "Sometimes things are more complicated than we care to admit, it's true, but..."

"Kalen, I'm a crying mess."

The vampire settled on the foot of her bed with a frown. "In times like this, we don't cry because we are weak; we cry because we have been strong for far too long."

"My children are missing," she said, wiping away fresh tears.

"Yes, and it's certainly understandable. You have every right to cry and I assure you that I will not judge you. We're still friends."

"Friends," she scoffed. Karla reached for a box of tissues on the bed and blew her nose. "I've abandoned all my friends."

"But they haven't abandoned you. The people you've hurt the most are apparently still loyal to you."

"...Rufus." She nodded slowly. "Well, everything happens for a reason. I had to choose him or choose Eric. And at the time, Eric and I had just laid the foundation for a family. I adored Rufus, and some part of me still does. But I couldn't just abandon the father of my unborn daughter. So, yes ... I betrayed Rue-bear. Yes, I'm a horrible person. And now I'm a terrorist because of my abilities. I'm hated. I'm in the shadow of the whole world; I am just one person. I feel so goddamn small right now."

Kalen shook his head and frowned again. "You need to pick yourself up by your bootstraps. To the world, you may be just one person. But to one person, you may be the whole world. You're a mother. A little boy out there loves you unconditionally. And just because his father took him and left, it doesn't mean that little boy loves you any less. He undoubtedly misses you right now. Stay strong for him and start looking for your husband. Who knows, he may miss you as well. It's possible that he could very well walk back in through that front door any minute. So stay strong."

"You've always been so sweet to me."

Kalen approached the bed, leaned over and kissed her forehead. "Clean yourself up. I'll need to rest soon. The sun will be up in a while."

"What about your precious little Mistress Natalia?"

"She's in a state of torpor again. She said she couldn't bear to watch the world go through so much agony and become so soiled. She went into torpor after the tsunami struck the District Coast states. I've been acting in her interest for the past sixteen years."

Karla nodded. "Man of the house again, huh? Remember how Natalia opposed our relationship?"

The vampire offered a sly grin; she could see a hint of his fangs peeking out from the corners of his top lip. "Karla ... I remember why, too. It's because you had a relationship with her first. And when you made yourself comfortable with me, Natalia felt slighted by the both of us."

"Yeah, I suppose she didn't exactly like that. What can I say," Karla chuckled. "After she invited you to a three-way, I wanted to know you better. You became the new toy."

"Toy," Kalen scoffed. "Tsch. That was over a hundred years ago."

"Yeah..."

Kincade folded his arms. "Go clean yourself up."

Karla offered another weak smile and said "Kalen, thank you for staying. Just knowing someone else is in the house with me ... it helps. I appreciate it. God. I wish Reno would wake up."

"I've never met him."

"He's a good guy," she murmured then relinquished the pillow and slid out of bed. "I guess you're right, though. Knowing my luck, he'll wake up the minute I look like absolute hell."

Kalen furrowed his left eyebrow. "Karla, no offense, but ... if that were the case, he'd have woken five minutes ago."

The succubus' mouth formed a perfect 'O', then she hurled the pillow at the door just as Kalen slipped through, shutting it behind himself.

She rubbed her face then looked in the mirror. "Thanks, Kalen."

Nobody answered. Kincade's footsteps could be heard, retreating down the stairs to the first floor.

She sighed and shook her head at the reflection. "I needed that - a friend. God. I've been an awful wife. Okay. I have to put a pin in this ... I have to bottle it and tell myself that when I find Eric and Donovan, I'll show them that they are still welcome in my home. And everything will be fine again. I know it." She turned to a door on the far side of the bedroom and made her way to the master bathroom.

Karla stopped in front of the bathroom mirror then waved a finger. The light switch went to the 'up' position and she gazed at the reflection of herself in proper lighting.

"Good God, you look like crap, girl." She rubbed the sides of her face. "I can't believe that son of a bitch took my son and..."

The demonness stopped and held her hands up, nearly touching the mirror's surface.

"No. No. Karla, girl, you told him you wanted space. You started this. You are the one who put this into motion. You've gotta find him and tell him you misspoke. Don't you dare be spiteful. He's put up with your drama for a long while, now."

She took another deep breath then rubbed her face. "Although he did say I was being a child. He's still a douchebag... but." She put her hand on the mirror. "You vowed till death do us part, girl. God. I just want to go back to bed."

She began unbuttoning her blouse then waved a hand and disrobed all at once. The curtain slid open and the water came on. She stared at the stream for a moment then, once steam began to build around the water, she stepped into the tub.

Karla put her hands on the tiled walls and stood there, beneath the hot water, just glaring at the grout. "First, I'm going to smack him upside his head for not staying like he vowed. And then I'm going to hold him and never let him go. That ... that's the plan. God I hope I find him soon."

X

---

X

April 7 - 3:00 pm, EDT New Orleans, LA

"Have you talked to Jashi?"

Sinopa brought a hand to her lips to hide her giggle. "Oh, love, don't refer to Tamamo-sama as such. I do it in jest when not near mirrors."

"Qu'est-ce que cela signifie?"

"It's a Korean nickname for 'fox', and she would find it offensive, because Koreans have a nogitsune infestation." She saw his slight confusion then said, "Wild foxes. Tricksters."

"Ah. Merci. I'm sure you've explained tha' to me inna' past. I'm just gettin' old, belle."

"You're fine, Jules. Fifty-seven is the new forty - is that not what you said on your birthday?"

Jules frowned thoughtfully. "That's not what Conner told me. He said Tamamo claims I don't have long. And it's been on my mind. I'm not all that old. Fifties is too young to die. It's been really making me think."

Sinopa drew her lower lip between her teeth and swallowed. She glanced in the mirror behind him then noted her own pensive expression. "Jules, for someone as ageless as Tamamo-sama, 'soon' can still be twenty more years from now."

"True enough. But we have t' consider the possibility."

"Hai. You are quite correct, Jules. I assure you that I will meditate on it. I want you to have your peace of mind, my love. If I can promise you more years then I will find out for you as soon as I am able."

"I'd appreciate it." He saw her left ear perk up a split second before a cellphone rang. He pulled it from his pocket and shook his head. "It still amazes me that you can hear the electronic hum before the first ring."

"Answer it, love."

He thumbed the phone screen then said, "This'a here is Jules Guillot." He listened to the voice then asked, "Truly? Mercy. So very long since we've seen you, Rufus." He paused to listen to a reply then said, "You're quite welcome. I've had no reason to change my number after all these years. Would you like to speak to Sinopa? Oui, one moment, mon ami." He handed the phone to his wife and said, "Rufus Darken, th' werewolf."

Sinopa reached for the phone then brought it to her face. "Rufus-san! An unexpected surprise!" She listened to the voice on the other end then asked, "Why would we leave New Orleans now? We're waiting for my children to return. They're on a business trip and we're watching Conner while..." She trailed off and widened her eyes. "When?" Another pause, then she brought her hand to her lips. "Yes, I know of The Oracle. YiaYia, the Greek woman. Her predictions are undeniably accurate." She thumbed the phone, activating the speaker option.

Rufus' voice came over the line so that Jules could hear. "Apparently, darlin', YiaYia passed away from old age. The new Oracle is named Cybil. He said YiaYia spoke to him on her deathbed to pass on her title. Anyhow, he said there's an earthquake that is centered where Myrtle Beach and Bermuda collided two decades ago. It'll be a bad one. It's going to cause a wave that will sweep over New Orleans. It will be the last earthquake for a number of years. Then he said that there would be a storm. One hell of a storm. Sometime in June. And it will finish off the city before they can finish rebuilding. It'll catch'em by surprise. You need to leave. Come t' San Francisco. I just landed here yesterday. We're at Reno Nevada's old father's house. It sits right east of the city. Conner will know its location. Bring him. We can gather our wits and stay here."

"Ah. Then Topaz and Fox will know where to find us."

"Uh ... no."

Sinopa blinked. "Jibun jishin o s?rihenshite kudasai."

Rufus drew quiet briefly then, in a reverent tone, said, "According to The Oracle, Cybil ... they're not coming home. Falcon has them. He said they've been 'removed from the chessboard of life. Unless we can turn every pawn into a queen, we may not see them again.' The sonuvabitch also got their oldest daughter, which was apparently part of Falcon's stupid plan all along. To me that says they're not dead but they're certainly not able to help us."

Sinopa brought her hand back to her mouth. She thrust the phone into Jules' hand and abruptly left the room.

"Rufus," said Jules with a sigh. "She didn't handle that very well. She's stormed off. Prolly to demand answers from Tamamo-no-Mae."

"I'm real sorry, Jules. But y'all need to get'cher asses 'n tails to California."

"Oui, Rufus. Ah ... we'll pack up right away. Conner'll be glad to be back in his house. Or at least near enough to visit it. He doesn't seem comfortable here. I'll talk to him, man-to-man, about his folks. Y'know how women can be a bit emotional and dramatic so ... I'll be the one to break it to'em. Plus he still sees me as 'grandpa.' Kinda' new to the idea that she's his grand-mère. I'll get us out there first thing in the morning."

"A'ite, pops. You stay safe now, y'hear? See you t'morrow." Rufus ended the call from his side.

Jules sighed and rubbed his face.

A voice came from behind. "So my parents are dead?" Conner sat in a window, eyes cold.

Guillot turned to the youth and shook his head. "I dunno. But we're pretty sure they've been captured. Conner, they're the world's greatest criminals. Trust me when I say there's no prison from which they cannot escape. There's no cell that can hold them for long. Maybe when they were your age ... but not now."

"My mother and uncle are almost fifty years old, Pepere. And Sinopa wants me to call her Obaachan? And now some guy says he has some sort of proof that my parents aren't coming back? You're damn right I want to go home. We never should have come here in the first place. Mom wanted to find Carmen but now I've lost everyone."

"Hey, hey." Jules got up and walked across the room. "You believe me when I tell you that yer grandmother is quite capable of bringing them home. You met Tamamo. You now know our secret."

"Papere! I always knew something was weird about this family because you're only a few years years older than my parents. But I never made a fuss about it. Yeah, let's go home. I'll pack my stuff. But we are not referring to them as dead. They're captured. Same as my sister. Anyone who says otherwise, I'll kick their ass."

"Hey now, squirt. Watch that language young man."

Conner frowned. "Yeah. Sorry. I'm just upset. I forgive them for missing my fifteenth birthday but I'm still angry they're gone. They never should have gone. They should have waited until I was eighteen, then we could all go together. I'm pissed off."

"Oui, I can understand that. G'on now. Get yer things t'gether."

"I hope Sinopa can get them back. But so help me God, if she can't then I will."

"Just calm down, 'n go pack."

"Just promise me you're not going to die."

Jules laughed. "I won't promise nothin'. I'm not immortal like yer gran. But I'm stickin' around for a while. I can tell you that much."

"Alright well ... it's a start. First my sister, now my parents. Then you. I just," he ran his hands up through his hair. "It's a lot to take in, Papere." Conner headed for the stairs.

Jules sighed and made his way to the bedroom to find Sinopa. He opened the door and saw her speaking to Tamamo in the mirror on the far wall. He waited in the doorway so as not to interrupt.

Sinopa began pacing. "Tamamo-sama, please. I need to know they're not dead. What do you mean you cannot sense their presence at all? Have you spoken to...?"

"Sinopa-chan! Quiet! I've not spoken with any messengers of the dead. Lady Kiko assures me that their souls are not amongst the dead. Their spirits are not in limbo. They've simply vanished. But if they're not in the spirit realm, then they cannot be dead. I cannot help you further because they are nowhere near a mirror at this time. My hands are tied. I cannot see into Aris Falcon's home. He has banned mirrors. He uses only electronic video reflection. Reflective surfaces in his city are kept to a size too small for you to pass through. I cannot help you."

"Then what is my option at this point?"

"When Jules passes, you will know that it is time to find the children. Until such a time, it is too early. Spend your time with Jules. Enjoy every moment the way I was never truly able to do with Konoe. Give him your affection. Time is running out. Trust me."

"Hai. Very well, sensei." They spoke to one another in Japanese for another moment.

Jules sighed and listened, unable to understand much more than a few words and phrases. Before long, Tamamo faded from the reflection.

Sinopa saw him in the doorway and turned from the mirror with a frown. "Jules!"

"Oui, I heard of my demise. Cain't say I like it. It doesn't quite agree with me, after all. But I will accept my fate when it's time."

"I knew you'd act with honor and dignity to the very end if such must occur. You're an honorable and brave man."

"Merci, love. Le's just hope it doesn't happen for a long time, non?"

"Agreed." She approached her husband and wrapped her arms around him.

X