Colin's posts

"....I see." Hal replied.

"Yes, that DID look like a fair amount." he said.

"Regardless, come on, let's go and do Aedan." he told her.

He had noted the... whatever it had been... in Ashley's expression, but he wasn't about to bring it up then. He would only bring it up after she's helped Aedan.

"And thank you." he said, as they reached the room Aedan was in.

She was... more heavily restrained than Sierra was... and clearly still unconscious.

"....right..." Hal muttered.

"See what you can do for her?" he asked Ashley.

Hal nodded and the two of them left, making their way to an interrogation room, where Sierra was restrained.

"Sierra first." he said.

"She's got more in her, according to Jake." he told her.

"...all right, Sierra, let's get you back to normal." he said to the banshee.

"Ashley, whenever you're ready."

Before Hal could say anything, Jake spoke.

"....Ashley... Azazel's dead." he told her.

"He's dead, and Sierra killed him." he said. "Sierra wouldn't have done so, unless she was controlled... and drow mana does that." he went on.

"And Aedan's becoming more and more animalistic and primal... she was ready to murder both myself AND Sierra... with some help from the drow mana in HER." he continued.

"...indeed." Hal said.

"Ashley, we need all the help we can get to find whomever is responsible for this."

Sharp was silent for a moment, before nodding.

"Yes." he replied.

"You've proven that you are not responsible for this, which... on one hand, is good. I would have hated for it to have been you." he told her. "But, we're back to square one, with no idea where this came from." he said.

"Would it be possible for you to withdraw the mana that's inside my agents?" he asked her.

"And if so, is there any chance you could identify it?" he asked further.

"I realise the second one is a longshot, but if this mana shares similarities with yours and Vanessa's, then maybe there's a chance. Otherwise, just removing it from Sierra and Aedan would be wonderful." he added.

Jake looked over towards Gemini, and concentrated.

"...well?" Hal asked.

"......no." Jake responded.

"No, it's not the same." he said. "The mana in Aedan and Sierra is... well, again, it's... it's similar, for some reason." he commented further.

"What do you mean?" Hal asked him.

"I mean Vanessa's mana, Ashley's mana, and the mana in Sierra and Aedan are different from each other, but at the same time, they all share some kind of weird... similarity..." Jake clarified.

"......" Ryker was silent, awash with guilt now.

He just held Eke close to him, and bit his lip.

"....I'm sorry, Eke." he whispered.

"I just... I tend to get lost in thought." he told him.

"I think the demon inside me is slowly strengthening his hold." he went on, before suddenly pausing.

"Er... he says he has an explanation for you, if you're willing to hear him out." he said.

Jake sighed.

"It was Aedan." he responded.

"We'll explain everything after the test." Hal told her.

"Gemini here has offered to be the guinea pig, so to speak." he then said. "Ashley, you are to impart some of your drow mana into her, and Jake will sense it." he explained.

"See if it matches up with what he sensed in the two agents that are currently influenced."

Hal was silent as he thought he sensed... something... in her tone.

'....hm.' he thought.

With that, the two of them entered a room, where she saw two people. One of them was the agent known as Gemini, and the other was Jake... with both his legs in casts, bandages around his torso... mostly, he was covered in bandages, and in a wheelchair.

"...technically I should even be HERE." Jake said to them as they entered, sensing their immediate questions. "But given the extenuating circumstances, I'm allowed to be here for the purpose of this, before I'm relegated back to mandatory bed rest." he said further.

"Also, hey." he then greeted Ashley.

"Come this way." Hal responded, as they went into the building.

"My agent-" he started to say, before pausing.

"Ashley, it's Jake." he told her. "And he didn't say it was YOURS, specifically. He said it was akin to Vanessa's." he went on. "Like her's, but at the same time, not." he said.

"And Jake would remember what Vanessa's drow mana felt like, I would imagine." he commented further.

"We have an agent lined up to help out in this, to see if it IS yours, or not." he went on.

"Personally, I don't think it's your mana, but we need to at least check."

"What's going on?" Hal responded.

"Well... simple." he said.

"Two of my agents are under the influence of drow mana." he told her.

"And a third agent of mine has identified it as 'akin to Vanessa's'." he went on.

"So, if nothing else, I want proof it WASN'T you."

When Hal hung up the phone, he sighed.

"....she'll be coming to the front security area." he muttered.

"Might as well be me to receive her." he reasoned.

He then left his office and made his way to where Jake was usually stationed. Once he did so, he waited.

He waited for the hunter in question to show up.

"Thank you." Hal replied.

"Believe me, I did not want to tell you this." he told her.

"But... I can't see any other places to go for this." he said.

"Regardless, I'll leave you be to get that done." he added.

"Thank you for your cooperation."

"....it's... potentially very bad." he replied.

"The hunter in specific is the one you refer to as 'Phyra'." he told her.

He then paused for a moment, and sighed.

"....two of my agents have been infected with and influenced by drow mana." he then said, getting straight to the point.

"My head of security has identified the mana as being akin to Vanessa Encrae's, but different."

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

'Ah, right, it'd be unrecognised.' he realised mentally.

"Yes, this is Agent Hal Sharp, head of Special Unit 3, San Diego branch." he replied.

"I'm calling about a very serious matter." he told her.

He then paused to let her process this information, as he was sure she would have questions. So he held his tongue, despite wanting to unload everything on her right there and then.

There would be a LOT more information to process, and he didn't want to overdo this. After all, he needed to maintain a level of professionalism as well, until it became decidedly less professional, whomever initiated it.