Colin's posts

Zeke just sighed as he sat down in the couch, shaking his head.

It had been about a week and a half since he'd found Erika on the desert island, and Azazel had been sent to rescue her. Azazel had been chosen because he was immune to Erika's abilities, they being demonic in nature. It seemed like whatever had happened to her, it had caused her mark to spread... from just her arm, to considerably on her torso as well.

He'd brought her back, and she was being kept in isolation until she woke up. But the isolation had stopped her influence from spreading out to the world, so people were slowly returning to normal.

Terra was also still at the Unit. She had offered her services to Hal, and Hal accepted. She had proven herself to be powerful and helpful, so Hal decided he would be a fool to say no and turn her away.

Though there was still something weird about her. Was she really a dryad? Why was she so powerful? Why did she seem so familiar to people that swore they'd never seen her before in their lives.

These questions whirled and swirled around in Zeke's mind, so much so he was starting to get a headache from it.

"Ugh." he groaned.

"At least Angela and Liv are back up to par." he said. Surprisingly enough, or maybe it was because the fae mana around the home offered some form of protection, Liv and Angela hadn't been affected nearly has badly as others, but it had still affected them to a degree. They were more or less back to normal currently, but still felt a bit on the 'off' side.

So he'd decided to bring home dinner for them. And he had. He had taken it to the kitchen, and set it down on one of the counters.

"Angela! Liv! Food's in the kitchen!" he called to them, unsure as to whether they were upstairs or outside in the backyard. The windows were open, though. They'd heard him, regardless of where they were.

The eagle, which had been perched on his shoulder, hopped down from it, and landing on his chest, looking into his eyes.

"Heh." Zeke chuckled, lightly stroking its head.

"You're really well-behaved." he commented. "And a big boy, too. I haven't had you for that long, yet you almost look like you're fully grown." he said further.

His muttering to himself caused her to shift slightly, and open her eyes softly.

"Hm?" she mumbled.

"Hey, Eke." she said with a smile.

"Did I fall asleep?" she asked.

"Sorry about that." she apologised.

"...but you're so warm and comfortable." she reasoned as she kissed his cheek.

Aly responded by nuzzling into him, and wrapping her tail around his legs.

She smiled softly, and he could see the love in her expression.

She was still there.

Ryker was still there, in the house.

They were both there for him.

It was clear that they weren't going anywhere.

Hal just smiled.

"You know us well." he said.

"We never turn away an injured person." he told her.

Meanwhile, Zeke had just finished getting ready to leave, with the bird he'd rescued... now grown a bit, and clearly a type of eagle... sitting on his shoulder.

"All right, I'm out!" he called to the house.

"Take care!" he exclaimed, before leaving quickly. He needed to get this done and out of the way, before getting back to trying to find Erika, and stopping what was happening.

He arrived on a small desert island, with nobody inhabiting it. He looked around, trying to locate the person, before the bird took off from his shoulder, flying towards something.

About 5 minutes later, while Hal and Terra were still in the former's office, he received a call from Zeke. He answered it, putting it on speakerphone, and awaited what the agent had to say.

"....it's Erika." was all they heard.

"........" Hal was silent for a moment.

"Firstly, I am certainly stronger than I let people know?" he asked rhetorically. "I could say the same to you." he told her.

He then looked at the coordinates, before sighing.

"Right." he said.

He then took out his cell phone, and called someone.

"...Zeke, I know you probably just mana'd yourself back home, but I can send you somewhere?" he said into it. After a bit of silence, he then gave the coordinates that Terra had 'written out', before ending the conversation and hanging up.

"....so why are you helping us out like this?" he asked Terra.

"Huh, I see." Zeke replied.

"Well, any help is appreciated." he told her.

'....who...?' he then wondered.

'......Erika.....?' he asked himself, before shaking his head as they entered the secretary's office.

Zeke then excused himself and left, with Terra waiting for only a minute.

"Please enter." the receptionist told her.

"Agent Sharp is expecting you."

"I believe that." Zeke responded.

"I get the feeling that if you DID mean us harm... we wouldn't be talking right now." he told her. "We'd be feeling the effects of your wrath." he muttered, shaking his head.

"Regardless, welcome to the Unit." he then said.

"I hope we can help with whatever reason you're here." he went on.

"We have a good track record." he chuckled.

Zeke froze in place for a second.

"Ah... yes, hello." he replied, returning the greeting.

"You're here to see Agent Sharp?" he asked.

"I am, indeed." Terra replied.

"This way, then." he told her, with them making their way through the building.

"...you're... strong, aren't you?" Zeke then asked her.

To say her genuine kindness and niceness baffled him would be an understatement.

Who WAS this woman? Why did she care so much for him? And why did she sound like she knew him? She sounded like she had known him for all his life, even though he had NO idea who she was, and swore he'd never seen her before.

"Ah..." he stammered.

"Yes. Yes, that's true." he said. "I am thankful to have several, thanks to the boss and this place." he told her.

Then, before any more words could be exchanged, they heard a knock on the other side of the door to the Unit.

"Hey, it's me!" Zeke called to Jake.

"Right then." Jake said, his mind returning to reality, before he pushed the button to open the door.

"Go on in." he told Terra. "Zeke will escort you to the boss's office."

Aly was still asleep, but returned the hug.

She held him close, and snuggled into him.

As she did, Eke could hear her muttered.

She was muttering his name, and how much she loved him.

Jake raised an eyebrow.

"Yeah. I am." he confirmed.

"...it's a long story." he then said. "Too long to really recount in the little time before Zeke gets here." he added, still amazed with how familiar she seemed to be with him, and his kind.

"To truncate it, I was shunned by humanity, on the run, used and abused by a dark elf, it became me against the world, until the boss man found me and showed me I wasn't alone." he explained.

"When he became head honcho here, he called me in to be head of security." he continued.

"I owe my life and livelihood to him." he then said. "He's one of my closest friends."

He nodded, and pressed the button, making the call.

"Yes, Jake?" the man on the other side asked when he picked up.

"Boss we have a... dryad... here." Jake responded, pausing for a moment. "...she says she has information about the location of a young lady." he told him further.

"No, I don't know anything else." he added.

"..." there was silence on the other side, before Sharp spoke again.

"Is she the source of this great power I feel?" he asked.

"...yeah, I think so." Jake responded.

"Zeke's on his way to meet her now. Let her in when he gets there." Sharp replied, before the call was ended.

"Ah..." the man stammered, before his tongue darted out of his mouth.

As he did, he froze again, but it seemed like it was almost out of fear.

'I sense... immense power...' he thought, before shaking his head.

"I... get the feeling that you're one to be trusted." he said. "If you weren't, I get the feeling that you wouldn't be sneaky or subtle about." he muttered further, before going to contact his boss.

And then stopping.

"You said you weren't human." he commented. "What ARE you?" he asked her.

"And what is this info in regards to? I need to at least know THAT before I send you to see the head honcho." he then explained.

The one behind the desk froze when he heard the name.

"I... what?" he asked.

"Okay... right... first of all, how do you know my name?" he asked her.

"Secondly, how can you even SAY my name?" he asked further.

"Thirdly, who are you, and is the boss expecting you?" he then asked her.

Right now, his mind was filled with a chaotic mess of questions, and he was trying his best to keep himself from being overwhelmed by them. He managed to get out the three that he felt were most relevant, but... he was still VERY confused.

'...who... IS this person...?' he then thought.