Shadowess

Sure. Did you have any particular history in mind between her and Adam?

Groaning, Parker lifted a hand to rub his eyes before squinting at them all. "Hey..." he sighed weakly with a slightly confused look on his face. For a moment, still dazed from waking up and the drugs in his system, he had forgotten what he was doing here and wondered why everyone had been watching him sleep. Then he remembered the quake, the pain and the fear. With a sinking feeling in his stomach, he looked down at himself. Oddly, he could swear he could still feel his leg there. Even wiggle his toes. But it was a false sense. Nothing but a memory of what he used to have. His face contorted as he struggled to hold back his grief. "Oh..." he sobbed, covering his face with his hands. - Surprised at being slammed into a wall and threatened, Mr Mitchell gawped at James. He was infuriated but seeing as James was slightly taller and much leaner than he was, he knew a fight would not work in his favour. Instead, he turned his head to look at Nurse May, about to ask if this hospital condoned James's behaviour but being met by her cold stare, he got the impression that she might. "Oh, get off me!" Mitchell huffed while shoving James's hand away. "Fine! I'll go back to the waiting room but your staff better hurry up!" he snapped, trying to save face as he stomped away. May let out a sigh of relief. "Thank you." her voice was still shaking from the encounter and she looked close to tears. --- Rickster held on to the kiss for a moment before letting go and glancing around. "You don't need to go anywhere," he said. "You just need some fortification spells. I can write a few down for you." "Oh, I can help with the incantations!" Desi chimed in, eager to help. "Good. The ingredients are easy enough. It's mostly salt and sage. It's based on the very basic stuff." "Write a list and I'll get what we need," Atma said as she hurried over to the little side table near the wall and pulled out a notepad from its drawer. After listing all the ingredients and incantations, both Desi and Atma headed off together to enchant each room of the mansion. Oscar had rushed off to update Leo on Rickster's return. "I'm sorry to be a pain, but I don't suppose you have anywhere I can put these two to sleep?" Cindy asked Ricky. "I read that it's not safe to leave them sleeping in strollers for too long." --- Mon had been crying silently as Salvo told them he was proud and named Bern his successor. Amelia looked at Galiel as he spoke. She wasn't familiar with merpeople and their customs. The topic was rare, even among the history books of Hell's Library. "What do you need? Is there any way we can help?" She asked. "You're a merman?!" David blinked. In the short time he'd been staying at the mansion since losing his memory, the topic had never come up. So it was like he was learning this for the first time again. Amelia glanced very breifly at her father before returning her gaze to Galiel. She didn't know how they'd do it yet, but as soon as they're done with this portal business, she was determined to restore David's memory... somehow. --- "Imagine her, like you did for this place," John said as he got to his feet as well. "I'll see if I can teleport us to her." he held out his hands for Adam to take. --- What Sam seemed to have already deemed as madness, Shezmu only saw a warrior fighting for survival. It was instinctive in a world as harsh and difficult as Hell. The boy was still alive as well. Shezmu could sense it. He could hear his heartbeat hammering like a war drum. To have survived here for so long was impressive and Shezmu smiled as he saw a potential in this child to become a great fighter. But first, something was bothering him that he would need to take care of urgently. He laid a gentle but firm hand on Sam's shoulder, signalling him to stay put. He then walked ahead of him and raised a hand to show Dariel that he meant no harm. "I hope you don't mind but I am terribly parched..." he greeted him politely then lifted his hands in front of him with his palms facing upwards. As he did, the blood that covered Dariel from head to toe started to lift away from him. It was as if an invisible force was pulling the droplets from his skin and his clothes to form a long, stream in the air that arched its way to Shezmu who opened his mouth wide to drink it until Dariel was completely clean. Once finished, Shezmu wiped a little of the blood that had dripped onto his lips with his finger. "...and I'd much rather talk to you than drink you," he said before licking the last bit from his finger. "Mm, that's better. Now then, young Dariel, I see you have grown into quite a fierce warrior during your time in Hell. I can help you to hone your skills. To help you learn to direct your anger to those who would harm the innocent. You would find no greater teacher, than I." He offered before stepping to one side to reveal Sam behind him. He gestured to him. "In return, I ask that you return to Earth with your beloved. A man by the name of Warren has requested that I ensure your safe return. I believe you're familiar with him?" --- "Wait-!" Lilly started to run after him but was stopped by Azrael who had gently taken her arm. "Princess-" He began but Lilly turned to him. "I don't understand, what happened?" She asked. "There is something that you need to understand about our world." He said urgently. "Death is powerful but our world is the stronghold of reality." he tried to explain. Seeing Lilly's confused expression, he pressed on. "Lives come and go. Planets, stars and solar systems come and go. But our world MUST persist. Because of The Balance." "The Balance?" Lilly said slowly. "Death is the end of things but there cannot be death without life and there cannot be life without death. If one should fall, all will follow. Understand? So, it is imperative that we defend our realm at all costs from those who would do it harm. Or all lives will suffer for it. Sometimes this means we have to make difficult choices for the sake of all. And this, as you can imagine, can be a heavy burden to our King." he let go of her arm. "You ought to know that before you speak to him about what happened here today." Lilly paused and stared at the ground for a moment in thought. She then brought her eyes back to meet Azrael's and nodded. "I-... I understand... I think." "It's a lot to take in. But we'll teach you more about The Balance in time. For now..." he gestured to the door that Death had left through. Following after Death, Lilly found him at the fountain and approached him from behind. "Azreal told me about The Balance..." she told him calmly. "I'm sorry if I made you think you had upset me. I just don't know how things work here yet. But I'll learn, father. I want to learn." she took a step towards him. She'd barely registered that she had called him father so naturally. "Teach me?" --- "Hmmm," Tom purred with a smirk. "An elegant emerald colour? Or regal blue?" he turned his head to look at Nate. "Passionate red?"

STORY CONTINUED HERE;

The world was already chaotic with a secret society of supernatural creatures hiding their existence from humans to simply survive. Throw in the afterlife and alternate universes and you've got some realms in desperate need of balance.

Awesome, I'll get started on mine after work 🙂

No worries. Did you want to write in his reaction before I type up my reply?

Hey, just jumping in quick before I go to work. Salvo's boyfriend's name was Galiel 😉

It was a tense awkward and emotional wait. But after several minutes, Parker's eyebrows furrowed and he groaned a little. His head turned slightly to one side as he began to stir. The sound broke the silence and Damien couldn't help but let out a quiet gasp as he stared at his son. His heart was pounding, knowing that his awakening and coming to terms with his loss would be harder to bear than the wait had been. - "FUCKING USELESS!" a man could be heard shouting further down the corridor. "I've been waiting for hours! When is someone going to help ME?!" Outwardly, there didn't appear to be anything wrong with the man aside from a few scratches and bruises. "Sir, we are doing the best we can given the circumstances but right now there are other patients-" Nurse May tried to calm the man down but he shouted over her, his reddened face getting in hers in a threatening way. "I WAS HERE BEFORE HALF THESE PEOPLE! WHAT EXACTLY DO I PAY INSURANCE FOR IF YOU'RE GOING TO PUT EVERY BUM AND SALLY SOB STORY BEFORE YOUR PAYING CUSTOMERS ANYWAY?!" It was clear by her red cheeks and the slight shake in her voice that May was becoming flustered by the altercation but she maintained a professionally stern approach. "Patients are seen depending on the severity of their needs, Mr Mitchell and our team are stretched thin due to the volume of patients that we currently have!-" "THAT'S NOT MY FAULT THOUGH, IS IT?! STOP COMING UP WITH EXCUSES, DO YOUR FUCKING JOB AND GET A DOCTOR TO TAKE A LOOK AT ME NOW OR I'LL SUE YOU AND YOUR HOSPITAL INTO THE FUCKING GROUND!" "I would strongly suggest that you lower your voice, sir or you will be removed from the premises!" "YOU WANT TO KICK ME OUT? GO ON THEN. DO IT. I DARE YOU TO FUCKING TRY KICKING ME OUT. THINK I WON'T HIT A GIRL? FUCKING TRY IT!" He moved towards her threateningly, forcing her to take a couple of steps back while continually shouting in her face "TRY IT! TRY IT! GO ON! NOT SO TOUGH NOW, EH?!" --- "Didn't I tell you those spells would come in handy?" Rickster's voice came from the open doorway. He was leaning against the frame and giving Ricky a warm smile. Oscar straightened up, looking at him in surprise then looked at Ricky to see his reaction. Atma had also lost her train of thought, being caught so off-guard by Rickster's sudden return from Heaven. "Though I have to admit, our dear friend here," he gestured to Atma. "Has a great point. Those protection spells will only go so far and most of them will need some maintenance after that quake." He stepped inside and walked towards Ricky. "I can't stay for too long," he said softly while lifting his hand to caress his cheek. "The quake, as bad as it was, has given Angels in training a unique opportunity to earn their wings a lot sooner. I can earn mine but I need to help humans who need it. I just couldn't resist stopping by to see you again. Once I've earned my wings I'll be free to come back to you." --- "Boss!" Mon gasped, covering his mouth with his hands. He looked at Amelia and Charles desperately. "Y-you guys have powers, right? Isn't there anything you can do?" Amelia looked from Salvo to Mon and then back again as she shook her head sadly. "I'm so sorry," she replied in a gentle tone. "This isn't something that can be reversed but it doesn't mean that this is the end." she glanced at Bern, hinting that they already knew at least one likely scenario that could happen once Salvo passes on into his afterlife. She hoped this knowledge would be of some comfort. --- "Then we find her and bring her home as soon as you're ready to begin," John said to him. "She can help us to build our new Eden. Either as a wife or simply a friend." He looked around breifly. "My spells are done. This place is completely concealed. Outsiders will neither be able to see nor sense the entire grounds. The only people who will be able to teleport in and out is us. We're completely safe here. The people we bring will be safe. Eventually, from this point, Eden's beautiful garden will regrow to cover all of Hell. Then, we will be finally safe and strong enough to lift these spells." --- Carol was reluctant to let Sam leave with this stranger but ultimately Sam was old enough to decide for himself and she couldn't force him to stay. "If he hurts you or does anything dodgy, you call for me and I'll be there!" She said to Sam before lifting a threatening finger at Shezmu. "And if you harm a hair on this boy's head I'll make you regret it for centuries!" Shezmu merely smirked at her threat. "A warrior with a mother's instinct. You have my word, I will bring no harm to Sam." he then turned to the boy and gestured for him to follow. "Come, child. Let's find your beloved, then." --- Kyle had still been screaming in agony up until he was consumed and an eerie silence fell in the throne room. Azrael had not reacted. Although it was rare, Kyle hadn't been the first soul to be consumed and he doubted he would be the last. Lilly, however, had jumped to her feet upon seeing what had happened and gawped at Death in disbelief. "What-? What happened? Where did he go? Did- did you eat him?" she asked, confused and in awe. --- "What?" Henderson muttered at the hitman's outburst. He watched, baffled, as the man then fled the precinct. He stayed where he was for several minutes. His heart had been hammering in his chest throughout the entire encounter so this was his first opportunity to calm down. Gingerly, he stood from the chair and looked around the place to make sure he was gone. Then a realisation dawned on him. A murderer and cop killer had escaped on his watch. "Fuck!" he rubbed his forehead from stress. "Will's guna be pissed!" --- Feeling Nate behind him, Tom leaned against him while trying to decide on an outfit. "Hmm, I like the sound of a black suit. Maybe..." he ran his hands over the sleeve of a black jacket. "We could wear satin underneath? I love the feel of it against my skin."

For a long moment, Damien stood silently to one side. His eyes were wide as he stared at his son. He was feeling a mixture of emotions that were all new to him and he could barely fathom it in this moment. Was he angry? upset? Did he want to cry or punch the wall? He did none of these. In fact, he was practically frozen to the spot but hearing Carter's knuckles cracking somewhat brought him out of his stupor. He blinked and briefly looked around the room as he blinked back tears before stepping forward to gently place the stuffed bear in the nook of Parker's arm. He then stepped back and looked at Will. Giving him a sympathetic look as he lifted his hand to give his shoulder a comforting squeeze. He didn't speak. Fearful that if he opened his mouth to do so his emotions would erupt out of him in the form of a scream. Nurse May was caught offguard by James's comment and she flustered. Even blushing a little. "Um I- thank you." she said, not knowing how else to respond as she hurried off to see to other patients. --- "Desi!" Oscar half jogged down the stairs to greet them. "It's good to see you and your family are safe!" He bent down a little to smile at the sleeping twins. "And who are these cuties?" "Ricky, we really should talk security," Atma said as she also entered the room. "The spells you had on the place kept it secure but what about the riots? What if those reach our doors-?" she paused at the sight of the little family. "Oh, hello!" --- Mentally preparing themselves for anything, Amelia teleported them all to Salvo's location. --- "Is this in relation to the Forbidden Fruit?" John asked, curious. "We could try to find her and make her part of our new paradise?" he suggested. --- "Leave the boy in my care," Shezmu said. "I can help him locate his lover and deliver them both to Warren." "And why should we trust you? You're basically a stranger!" Carol argued, moving to stand in front of Sam defensively. "How do I know you're not sent here to destroy him? You'd say anything to get him alone!" "My dear girl, if I had wanted you all dead then you already would be. Alas, I am demonstrating a profound amount of restraint given that I am still famished from my centuries-long slumber." his eyes flashed red for a moment and chills ran up Carol's spine. "No! We'll take him to Warren and we'll find Dariel. You can go back to whatever tomb you crawled out from!" "You are trying my patience, woman," Shezmu growled. --- Kyle hit the floor and before he could even catch his breath the pain shot through his every vein, bone and muscle. He writhed, screaming in agony. His wide eyes stared up at Death who was blurred and obscured through his tears. Azrael did not react nor move. He felt this act was completely justifiable given the man's crimes. Lilly couldn't help but sit up in her chair. It was difficult for her to watch and she wasn't sure how to feel about what was happening. She, like Azrael, felt that this was justified. But she also found herself fascinated by Death's strength. Would she be able to learn to do this one day? Would she be as powerful as he is? "Stop! Make it stop!" Kyle screamed. "For fucks sake! What do you want from me?! I'll do anything! Just stop!" --- Henderson faltered. This wasn't exactly normal circumstances and it wasn't like he had anyone else here to back him up. That and he was an unarmed man against a clearly armed hitman. "Alright, alright." He said gently with his hands up a little. Trying to diffuse the situation. Worried that he might antagonise the man into taking his frustrations out on him. "Look, I can't promise anything. This is... a little out of my area of expertise..." Understatement of the year. "Let's just wait for my colleagues to get back and then we can discuss this with my boss, ok?" --- Tom grinned, excited by the idea. "I'd like that." he purred. "Let's get dressed up for it." he jumped up excitedly and hurried over to the wardrobe. Opening it up to look at their options.

Damien turned to James and gave him a thankful smile. "I appreciate it. Probably best for you to stand just outside the door." he sadi with a nod. Reluctantly, Sebastian left with River and Alex who walked out of the hospital casually until they were sure they wouldn't be noticed as River teleported them all to his home to wait. When Nurse May returned, Damien explained that only he and Carter would be going into the room while James stood guard. She was apprehensive but nodded. "Fine. I believe his boyfriend is already in there as we speak so it'll be a bit of a squeeze," she said before leading them to Parker's room. Parker would still be sleeping when they'd arrive. Covered by a blanket so as not to alarm him when he'd wake up, though the space under his knee was noticeably flat. --- "You're on the Redemption Programme. That to me is proof enough that you're making the right kind of changes." Cindy added. "I forgive you." "Now that we're all friends, let's get these little ones inside where it's warmer, hmm?" Desi chimed in as he lifted the stroller over the threshold and into the foyer. --- Mon stood. He'd heard about the looting and riots going on so he took his gun from its holster to make sure it was definitely loaded before replacing it. "I'm ready. I'm going too," he said resolutely. "Alright then, let's go," Amelia said as she held out her hands to take David's in one and Charles's in the other. David, being barely familiar with teleportation anymore, followed her lead and reached out a hand to Mon who took it. Mon then reached his free hand for Bern's. --- John watched Adam carefully for a moment. As eager as he was to create the new Eden, it wouldn't do their little paradise any good if their King was in mental anguish. "Do... do you want to tell me about it?" he suggested. --- This Devil didn't sound familiar to Shezmu but he committed the description to memory in case he were to run into him. Even if he was imprisoned now, there's no telling what the future holds. "Thank you, strange little one," he said with a nod and straightened up. "I will find Sam and deliver your message to Warren." He glanced back at Abbadon. He hadn't known this Devil either but he'd heard of him. To see such a champion of violence stricken to mortality was both unnerving and concerning. He needed to think of a way to destroy this red devil without risking his own power in the process. He could not allow himself to suffer the same fate as this one. "Farewell to you both. May his recovery be swift," he said before turning away from them and vanishing. --- Carol glanced around warily. "Dammit, we can't leave until our task is done. There's too much at stake," she said quietly. "And I'm not even sure where we could take you that's safe anyway... You're kind of a fugitive." she looked back at Sam and shrugged. "Look, just stay close by, ok? And do as we say. If we tell you to be quiet and hide, you do it. There are way stronger, more violent Demons on the loose after the cells collapsed. Once we've done what we came here to do we'll see if we can convince Amelia and Charles to grant you a pardon. You might have to go onto the Redemption Programme for a while." "The boy is old enough to be a soldier. Sheltering him would only make him soft." Shezmu's voice and sudden appearance had made Carol jump. She whirled around, taking up a defensive stance. "Stay behind me, kiddo," she warned Sam. "You needn't fear me. I am merely here to keep my word." "And what word would that be?" "I was sent by Warren to confirm his family's safety." He explained calmly then lowered his eyes to Sam. --- "N-no, no, no!" Kyle choked while tightly gripping Death's arm. "Y-you don't need to do that! M-maybe we can come to some kind of arrangement? I-I could work for you? Yeah! I'll work for you! Look, I'm really good at finding things. Valuable things. Rare things. Even people! You put me back on Earth and I could be your personal delivery boy! How does that sound, eh?" he bargained desperately. Barely able to contain his fear as he tried to give Death his best salesman smile. --- Henderson didn't understand how this man's sudden change of heart was an Australian thing but he wasn't about to argue with a professional killer. That was until the hitman said he wanted to go with them to confront his boss. "Oh no, if we're doing this we're doing it by the book. Which means we need to book and process you properly then get your statement. Then you sit and wait in a cell where it's safe while our guys raid your boss's place. Then we can talk about a deal in return for you testifying against your boss in court." Henderson said sternly, surprising himself that he'd managed to find his voice despite his predicament. --- Tom held on to his kiss for as long as he could. "Well, before you fly off to save this boy, let's make the most of tonight." he kissed his cheek. "We could go out and make a date of it. I hear there's going to be an opera at the theatre across town. Lots of private booths." he smirked playfully. "Or we can stay in and simply enjoy each other's company. Or do something else. What do you think?"

Damien took a moment to gauge whether Carter was being sincere or trying to distract him. Then his eyes softened a little and he broke into a small smile as he looked down at the bear in his hands. "It isn't much... I don't even know if he'd like things like this." "You lot really need to stop getting into trouble" Nurse May said upon walking into the waiting room to see a lot of familiar faces. "Are you all here for Parker?" she asked, looking around at them. "Yes, is he ok?" River asked, beating Alex to the punch as he'd also opened his mouth to speak. "He'll need a lot of support but he'll be fine and is expected to make a full recovery. He's just being taken back to his room at the moment and made comfortable. You'll be able to visit him soon but not all of you at once." she sighed, giving them all a sympathetic look. "I'm really sorry and I know I'm going to be asking a lot, but I need to ask that only a couple of you stay here to visit. The rest of you need to either go home or go somewhere safe." She glanced around at the chaos. "We're overwhelmed and simply don't have the room to accommodate full families of visitors. Not while we have so many patients and barely enough room for them as it is and even more coming in by the minute." She sighed and glanced around. "I'll give go and give you five minutes to decide who should stay and who should go. Then I'll come back to take whoever is staying to Parker's room to wait for him to wake up." with that, she hurried off to help other people. Alex and River looked at each other anxiously before looking at the others. Both wanted to stay but knew who Parker would want to see most upon waking up. "I think Carter should stay here. He's closest to Parker." River said. Alex nodded in agreement. "I can teleport me and the rest of us somewhere. We can always take it in turns to come back and see him." "I'm staying too," Damien added resolutely. "I owe it to him to be here now." Sebastian hugged Carter. "Be strong for him and take as much time as you need." --- Astonishingly, it was still standing. Desi teleported the five of them to the little courtyard outside the mansion to find that not a single pebble was out of place. Yet houses on either side had some level of destruction to them. "How?" Desi gasped in astonishment. "Ricky used to do shady deals with Demons and Rickster was literally a magician. I don't think it takes a genius to work out they used spells." Cindy commented. "Ah yes, I keep forgetting." Desi turned to look into the stroller. Both babies had fallen asleep and hadn't been disturbed by their sudden teleportation. "Aww, little blessings. Asleep at last," he commented as he started pushing the stroller up to the front door. Cindy rang the doorbell. --- Carol had been on high alert and ready for a fight as Eris approached the hooded figure. Then she saw his face and her guard faltered. She didn't care about the remark. She was simply relieved to see the boy alive and safe. This was evident as she marched up to him to pull him into a tight hug. "You matter," she said in a firm but gentle tone. As she let him go she faked clearing her throat and fidgeted on her feet awkwardly. "You tell anyone I hugged you and I will torture you, though." she bantered while looking around. "What happened? Are you alone here?" --- Amelia's and David's eyes snapped to Bern when he shouted. Mon, who had been quietly staring at the ground until this point reached over and placed a hand on his knee. "Bern, we gotta help the boss..." he said in a broken, tired voice. David sighed, unsure of what Bern's problem was. He'd sensed a strain when he'd tried talking to them on their own earlier but didn't know it was because he'd lost his memories. He looked back at Amelia and Charles. "Well, I'm in. You said you're my daughter and I wouldn't be much of a father if I let you wander into danger unsupervised." he chuckled. --- It had taken a few hours, a lot of patience and some headache inducing complext spells. But finally, John was done and the relief was immeasurable. Safe at last. He decided to look around properly and check up on Adam. When he finally found him, his heart ached to see him so upset. He rushed over to his on the edge of his bed. "Adam? What's wrong?" --- Shezmu stared at the Devil on the bed for a moment before turning to nod at Insanity. "I will deliver your message and find Sam. But first, tell me more about this Devil who can steal powers from others," he asked as he knelt down to give him his full attention. The news of a Devil that could potentially strip him of his power was a clear threat that Shezmu would not be able to ignore. He would need to learn more and, for now, be cautious not to cross paths with such a creature. --- The taxi's horn honked continually as the driver's body fell against it. The radio was still in his limp, hanging hand. Blood pooled around him, slowly dripping its way down his arm, over the radio and down his fingertips to drip onto the floor. "What the fuck?... WHAT THE FUCK?!" he screamed. He was standing just outside his vehicle, staring at his lifeless body. At his blood that had sprayed across his windscreen and the hole in the back of his head. "Am I dreaming?!" "No. You are quite dead." A voice came from his left and he jumped to look at the dark-haired man. Azreal was usually gentle with new souls but for this one, he glared dangerously. "D-dead? Shit! You're going to take me to hell, aren't you?" The driver panicked. "I know about your kind! I-" "I know your crimes." Azrael interrupted him. His tone was acidic. "Your affiliations with the humans who would treat other species as test subjects. Ordinarily, I wouldn't involve myself. It's forbidden, you see. We of the Realm of Death must maintain balance above all. But you. You." he growled. "You are a special case. You have sinned against the Realm of Death and for this, you will be brought to him for judgement." "Who? How the fuck did I do anything to the realm of the dead?!" Without another word, Azrael gripped the driver roughly by his shirt and teleported them both to Death's throne room where he threw him to the ground and stood aside. The driver looked up shakily. He didn't recognise Death, nor any of the servants going about their normal duties in the background. But Lilly. The raven-haired girl sitting by one of the high gothic windows, who's eyes widened at the sight of him. He'd met her and her friends on Earth briefly. Just before the earthquake had hit. They'd found a body in his trunk and he'd struck her across the face for not minding her business. When he realised she was a necromancer he'd fled the scene, knowing he was outmatched. But he'd reported her last known location on Earth to a very eager, very malicious organisation. "Oh fuck..." he muttered as he looked from Lilly to Azrael and then to Death so was obviously the most powerful person here given the look of the throne he was seated in. "I- I didn't know she was one of you." He started but deep down, he knew it wouldn't have mattered if he had. "Please, I didn't know. It was just a job!" "Sire, this wretch is known as Kyle Rothers. He spent his life selling drugs, weapons and people to the highest bidders. He sold the names and locations of various supernatural beings to agencies including but not limited to ADIEU. More relevantly, he not only assaulted your daughter but sold information about her to said organisation." Azrael informed Death while reading from his book. He then looked up and saw Lilly's pale face and the news that ADIEU might go looking for her at Storm's home. Putting Bob and the others in imminent danger. "I have already sent word to some Angels to keep an eye on your friends," he added to reassure her. --- Officer Henderson awoke with a start and jumped to see the hitman out of his cell and standing very casually in front of him. He eyed him and the gun warily. "W-why? Weren't you trying to kill us before? Why now?" he asked, confused. He heard the blaring sound of a car horn outside but he didn't dare take his eyes off the hitman. He didn't like this. He felt like he was being toyed with. --- Tom frowned and placed his glass back on the table. He got up and walked over to sit on his lap. Lifting his fingers, he gently brushed some of his hair from his eyes. "Oh, Nate. All we can do is try," he said softly. "And we must try. We must believe that there is good in people. He's just a boy. He's probably feeling lost in our world... sure, he might be angry but maybe he just needs someone to talk him around. To help him process his grief." He brushed his lips against his cheek. "Just promise me you'll be careful if you see him? Promise that you'll come back to me."

Sebastian turned his head to look worriedly at Carter. Given his history of depression and suicidal tendencies, the statement that he'd come out with was alarming. Sebastian's heart ached. He'd truly hoped they were past this but it seemed such an affliction wasn't easily cured. "Carter, look at me," he said gently while cupping his chin. "It will be alright. He's strong but he only got like that from looking up to you. Do you hear me? You're his role model. and he's going to need you to be strong for him now more than ever." At that moment, both James and Damien teleported into the room next to them. Among the chaos and commotion of the hospital, their sudden appearance went almost completely unnoticed. What did not go unnoticed by everyone in the group was the combined smell of liquor and weed on the pair. If that hadn't been enough of a giveaway, Damien's reddened eyes would be. He gripped the bear tightly and looked around at them all. "Any news yet?" he asked, then his eyes landed on Carter. Both he and Sebastian exchanged a worried glance. It had barely been 24 hours since Damien had attempted to leave the country to spare Carter from his withdrawal. Now he was standing in the same room, likely as Carter's cravings would be beginning to peak. "Damien-" Sebastian began in a warning tone. "Don't worry." Damien cut him off and gave Carter a stern glare. "I'm not weak anymore." he showed them his wrist, now free of the bracelet that had rendered him powerless. "I can defend myself, if necessary." --- "My old-?" Desi began and Cindy cut him off. "Oh no! We're not taking the children there! The smell alone..." she shivered. "I'm fairly sure the previous squatters cleaned it thoroughly before moving in but I take your point. Hell isn't exactly safe for children as it is." He relented with a chuckle then scratched his head as he thought. "We could visit your friends in that mansion? See if they're in a position to provide refuge? Or I could ask Blaire if she wouldn't mind us popping in for a little while until we can figure something else out?" --- Eris took her hand, "I was born ready!" In an instant, Carol and Eris were standing in the heart of Dead City. Abandoned buildings towered around them. The only thing they could see behind each window and down every alley was suppressing darkness. Silence. Aside from their own footsteps, the entire area was utterly soundless. Carol gave Eris an uneasy look, then a nervous smile. They would need to venture into the lightless buildings to expand their search. --- "It seems everyone is having a hard time right now. How are you though? Are you hurt?" Amelia asked, looking at each of them but resting her eyes on her father. "I had a couple of scratches but they healed up within seconds... perks of being a Demon, I guess." David shrugged. "Right... I keep forgetting this is practically new to you all over again." Amelia nodded. "How would you like to put your new skills to use? We could really use your help." "What do you need?" David asked curiously while taking his hands out of his pockets. "You too. May as well gather as many Demon hands as we can." Amelia added while glancing over at Bern. "For starters, let's check up on your boss. It's the least I can do for him taking my dad in while he's... um..." "Forgetful? An amnesiac?" David asked with an amused smirk. "Yeah... then we need to work with the Angels to help mortals as well as search for a way to close the portal. Charles and I will go and meet up with Raguel to come up with a plan that utilizes both our forces. The more ground we cover, the better." she looked at Charles to see if he was on board with her idea. "Portal?" "Oh right, you don't know. A large portal from another dimension opened up. That's what caused the quakes. Those quakes have hit Heaven and Hell too, by the way. There's this boy that might be linked to how it opened. We need to find him but until we know more I wouldn't recommend confronting him. We need to come to an agreement with Heaven on how he will be handled once we find him." "I'm sorry, did you just say 'another dimension'??" David looked between them, wondering if this was some kind of joke. Amelia frowned and nodded. "You um... this wouldn't be the first and... you were there for that one." "I was?! Did I meet an Alien?!" David seemed equally shocked and excited. --- It took several minutes. The building was larger than John had initially assumed. But the more he explored, the more it seemed perfect as a little hidden kingdom. Their own secret paradise, concealed from enemy eyes. A home. He found no occupants but curiously he found some blueprints that included two rooms with no doors or windows. Their only access would be to teleport in and out. He checked those too and found nothing but some old splattered blood on the floor in one and a large glyph painted across the floor in the other. Both rooms were perfectly circular. Perhaps, after some time, he could re-purpose these rooms as prisons for trespassers or rule breakers? An idea to revisit later. For now, having explored every inch of the grounds, gardens, and rooms, John was content that they were completely alone. He rummaged through various drawers and cupboards until he found the supplies he would need for his spells. He then set about spending the next few hours carving small glyphs into the marble bricks around the grounds and rooms while chanting under his breath. The spells he was weaving were complex and required his full concentration but once he was done, not only would living mortals be unable to leave but not a single soul, Angel, Demon, or Devil be able to locate or even see this compound from the outside. Not unless Adam or John personally teleported them in, at least. --- "Maybe he's just hangry?" Larissa suggested "Is that how the young ones say it now? he's just woken up and he's a Blood God. He probably just needs a deer or two and he will be fine." "Ay! Larissa, you are so innocent sometimes, you know this?" Bianka chuckled and bent to kiss her forehead. "Please don't change." --- "So, the other is gone then?" Shezmu asked. Though he masked it well, this had interested him. Perhaps he could convince Warren to sign his contract after all? He gave no interest to Insanity's pain nor his grief. Simply here to fulfill his end of the bargain. "Warren will grieve this news but it is you that he held most dear in his heart," he said as he gestured to Insanity then hesitated at his current form. "Though he may be shocked by your... change. He asked me to find his family. To confirm you are all safe." he glanced at the Abaddon on the bed. "Unless he has changed as drastically as yourself, I am inclined to assume that this is not Sam? Where is the troublesome son?" --- "You'll be burned." The taxi driver commented quietly. Of course, he didn't mean a literal burn. He meant that a hit would be put out on the hitman for trying to leave his job. After all, he'd seen, heard, and done too much to simply be let loose. The driver backed away from him. "Fine. If you want to throw your life away? Be my guest. I'm getting out of here." he said before hurrying out of the building. He wasn't just running to get away from the hitman. He was running to the radio in his taxi, to report what the hitman had told him to their bosses. The hitman said he was paying him to leave, but he didn't mention anything about keeping his mouth shut. --- "Easy, I used to be human, you know." Tom chuckled. "Stay away from the freaky green-eyed kid from another dimension, got it," he added with a nod. "That's awful though. I wonder why they came here?" He poured himself a glass of wine and took a sip. "Mmm, it's good... it's not your blood though," he smirked.

Aaaand that's all the blogs & character images added too 🙂 I think we're completely up to date now

Disturbing news of ADIEU's existence had spread throughout Heaven's ranks of Arch Angels. Although he couldn't be certain, Raguel even suspected that the imprisonment of one of their own as punishment for Blasphemy could very well have been the catalyst for the growth of this insidious organisation. So severely had they underestimated the mortals' abilities to combine science with malice, that they had entrusted an Angellic prisoner to them. Expecting that they would do nothing more than make the Angel's life a bit difficult for a few centuries. Not this. If that weren't bad enough, it would seem that some of these mortals had also managed to get their hands on Demonic spell books. Normally this wouldn't be alarming but a millenia of Angels and Demons courting humans had made more than enough mixed breeds to allow humans, even with the most diluted bloodlines, the ability to cast such spells. As such, every laboratory, outpost and meeting place that this organisation used was masterfully concealed. Making it almost impossible for even the most skilled Arch Angel to locate or track the organisation's activities. Raguel had a crisis on his hands and every day he was inundated with questions that he couldn't answer. Particularly from Heaven's news distributor, always wanting to know if this should be something the souls residing in paradise should be aware of. "After all" one of the reporters had reasoned. "The souls here may still have families or descendants on Earth and they deserve to know whether something like this will affect them." The reporter had also pointed out that if mortals had access to after-life spells, technology and the like then what's to stop them from inevitably invading Heaven one day? Raguel had already considered this which was why he had his Arch Angels working around the clock to track down this ADIEU organisation. Of course, he couldn't give these reporters any information yet. Doing so could cause unneeded panic among souls who shouldn't need to worry about such things. So Raguel did what he thought was best. He pretended to laugh the questions off and told this reporter that such rumours were simply preposterous. Not even Lucifer himself has ever managed to breach Heaven's gates, much less a mortal. He shooed the reporter before returning his attention to the task at hand. The Devil Duo had been having more luck than his Angels at finding and destroying the various organisation locations. Raguel needed to know how they were getting their information, especially as he needed to find the specific location of the prisoner Angel before they did. But there was a new problem. His chosen informant hadn't reported back yet and he was overdue. Stepping around his desk, Raguel took a breath before summoning a group of four Arch Angels. He looked at each of them with a serious expression before his eyes rested on the leader of the little group. A tall, lean male with very short, black hair. "Any word?" "No, sir. He's been late before but not for this long. We've tried to contact him but he's not responding either." "What of the girl?" "She doesn't seem any the wiser. Before we lost track of him he'd made plans to meet her for a secret date at a restaurant." "Has her brother shown any signs of catching on?" "No, sir." Raguel nodded. Although he wasn't pleased that something nefarious may have happened to Tuzo, he knew he now only had a small window in which to act and ending the war took a much higher priority than ensuring the safety of one Angel. "Use the date to enact Plan B," he ordered. The angels bowed their heads in unison and the leader of the group could barely contain a sinister smirk before they all vanished. --- September 14th 2001. Damien had been so relentless in his pursuit of finding Lucifer that Amelia feared she might miss the date she had arranged with Tuzo. Together with her new friend Sebastian, Amelia had managed to convince Damien to finally take a night off from hunting down ADIEU locations and just in time for her date! Of course, she hadn't told him where she was going or that she was even dating anyone. If he ever found out, Amelia dread to think how furious he'd be. She was certain that he'd destroy them both. Either that or destroy Tuzo and punish Amelia severely afterwards. But she didn't care. In fact, she sort of got a thrill from all the sneaking around. She had bought her outfit and squirrelled it away, out of sight until tonight. Excitedly, she'd put the knee-length red dress on with some heels and made her way to the restaurant Tuzo had picked out. She sat at a table and waited... and waited... He was ten minutes later. She glanced at the clock then her eyes darted towards the door as it opened. Her heart skipped a beat as she thought for a moment that it was him, only for her heart to drop as she watched a stranger walk in instead. She ordered a glass of wine to sip while she waited. Maybe something came up and he got delayed? She looked at her phone. No messages but then there wouldn't be. They didn't exchange numbers in case they'd get found out. She was checking the time again. 30 minutes... 40 minutes... she drummed her nails against the table impatiently. He didn't forget, did he? 50 minutes... a waiter walked over to her with a piece of paper. "Excuse me, miss? Is your name Amelia Magpie?" "Yes?" Amelia looked the waiter over suspiciously. But she also somehow knew that he was about to deliver some bad news. "A gentleman called and asked me to give you a message." "Did he say who he was?" "He just said that he's 'someone who cares' and then he ended the call." "What was the message?" The waiter gave her an apologetic look before timidly handing her the piece of paper. Amelia looked at the words and at first they didn't register so she read them again. Her heart dropped to the pit of her stomach. 'It cannot continue. I'm so sorry.' That was it then? Just like that? Sure, she knew it would have to end eventually. They both did. It couldn't possibly work between them. Not with this fucking war. So they'd agreed that whatever they had would be nothing but fun. Nothing more. So why did this hurt so much? Why did it feel like someone was crushing her heart? Distraught and struggling to hide it, Amelia stood from the table and stormed out of the restaurant. She strode around to an alley to hide in the shadows. There she wiped away a few tears that had escaped as she tried to calm herself down. "Don't cry." A voice said and at first, Amelia felt humiliated as her Hellian upbringing had ingrained the idea into her that tears were a sign of weakness. It was the reason she'd hidden herself in shadow in the first place. But then it occurred to her how odd it was that this voice had come from the dark alley to her left, rather than the well-lit street to her right. Narrowing her eyes, she turned her head to try and get a look at the stranger. Her eyes widened fearfully at the sight of large white, feathery wings. Instinctively she'd been about to teleport away when the Angel gripped her arm roughly and started trying to pull her further into the alley. Keeping her balance in the heels she'd worn with the dress was difficult but she strained to ground herself. This wasn't the first time she'd been attacked by an Angel and she was fully prepared to defend herself... until three more appeared around her. One of them had grabbed her other arm, twisting it behind her back. She tried to grow crystalised spikes under their hands to repel them but the sound of clicking behind her told her that a handcuff had been placed onto one of her wrists. Within seconds, the short crystal spikes she'd managed to conjure slipped off her skin as sand. She began thrashing and kicking at them but this only prompted the remaining two Angels to grab each of her legs to further restrain her. She let out a frustrated cry as she continued to struggle. One thing is consistent among Angels, Demons and Devils. They are born (or created) with standard abilities that all of their kin share, as well as their own individual abilities. For instance, all Demons, Devils and Angels have the inherited ability to teleport. Some are better at it than others. Just like Telepathy. Some Devils are so strong with this ability that they can also pick up the emotions of others...whereas some, as is the case with both Amelia and Damien, can barely pick up a single thought from others most days. On this particular day however, knowing that she was overwhelmed and wouldn't stand a chance on her own against four Arch Angels, Amelia let out a terrified scream that was not only audibly loud but that Damien had managed to hear in his mind from another country entirely. "DAMIEN!!!!" Then all five of them were gone. Not a moment later, Damien appeared in the same alley. He looked around frantically. Marching up and down the alley. "Amelia? Amelia?!" He tried to teleport after her but couldn't sense her. His heart was beating hard. Memories of Jessica, the sister that he had failed, flashed through his mind. He couldn't fail Amelia, he just couldn't. "AMELIA?!" --- Amelia had been locked in a room in an unknown location for a week. There were no windows here. Only the metal door, the constant humming noise and a horrid smell always lingering in the air. She was handcuffed to a small bed. She needn't fear the Angel's doing anything sexual to her though. She learned very quickly that this particular group of Angels were quite racist and she didn't doubt that the idea of lying with a Devil would be 'dirty' to them. The Angelic cuff prevented her from using her powers or escaping while the bed was a small effort on their part to make her 'comfortable.' Over the course of a few days, the Angels would take turns visiting her. Caleb, the one with ginger curls, would spend an hour a day reading parts of the bible to her. Mainly the parts that emphasise God's love. He would also spend several minutes correcting the mortals' version of events that were written in the book by informing her of 'what really happened.' Once or twice, Amelia had taken this opportunity to get a quick nap in. This Angel loved the sound of his own voice so much that he barely noticed as he got wrapped up in the stories he was telling. Esther kept trying to 'bond' with Amelia by pretending to be her friend. She'd 'sneak in' a slice of cake or small bars of chocolate while commenting 'Don't tell the boys. Us girls have to stick together.' Amelia strongly doubted that the other Angels were unaware of these 'treats'. Then she would go into a long speil about how Amelia can really trust them. That they just wanted to be a family and end the war but Damien was evil because he just wanted to keep the fight going, and kill people and yada yada yada... Amelia stopped listening after the first attempt but this woman was persistent. At least the chocolate was something to look forward to. Amelia feared a visit from Elijah the most. He was the Angel with short, black hair. Unlike the other three, he never made any attempt to try to win her over. He made it clear, right from the start, that he was only interested in information. Specifically, how she and Damien were figuring out where to find the ADIEU sites, how certain were they that Lucifer was held captive by them, what were Damien's war plans, etc. Each time he'd start by sitting across the room from her and asking his questions coldly. She'd stare back at him defiantly and not say a word. He'd repeat himself irritably. Then he'd get up and yell it in her face. Then he'd briefly leave the room and that's when Amelia knew she was in for it. Elijah had a particularly nasty tool that he liked to 'punish' her with. It was a short, leather rod with Angelic feathers sewn around it. He'd come back into the room and shove her so that she'd be face down on the bed and proceed to whip her back. With each crack, he'd ask his questions again. If she didn't answer or swore at him in response, he'd whip her again. This would continue until she'd eventually pass out. After being left for a few hours to recover, the last Angel known as Anna would slowly enter the room so as not to startle her. She'd sit on the bed next to her and stroke her hair in an effort to comfort her. Then she'd tell Amelia, in a fake caring tone, that she'd brought the pain upon herself by not cooperating with Elijah. All this pain could still end if she'd just told them what they needed to know. That, if she thought about it, Elijah was doing her a favour by punishing her for her sins now so that she could start anew with them. She even promised that Amelia would be welcomed into Heaven as one of them if she just vowed to devote herself to God and denounce Damien's rule of Hell. But Amelia wasn't nearly as naive as the Angels had first assumed. She knew immediately what they were doing and that she would likely be destroyed as soon as they got all the information that they could possibly get from her. Either that or they hoped to completely mentally break her in order to brainwash her. She'd hoped that Damien would find her quickly but after a few days, the realisation that she might be alone in this began to dawn on her. As the days progressed she also found herself speculating Tuzo's involvement in this. Had the Arch Angels discovered their affair and he sold her out to save himself? Is that how they'd ambushed her while she was alone? Or had he been playing her the whole time? Either way, it would explain how the Arch Angels knew so much about her and Damien's activities. As if being stood up and dumped at a fancy restaurant hadn't been bad enough... --- "Where do you get your information on ADIEU's whereabouts?" Elijah asked again, barely containing his anger as he sat across from Amelia. She stared back at him, defiant as always. By now her back was a mess of red, blistered sores. If her dress hadn't already been red, it would have dyed red from her blood by now. This time, Elijah had brought his rod into the room with him in anticipation of her defiance. Amelia was certain now that he enjoyed striking her. He gripped the rod with both hands and tensed so that the whip creaked in his grasp. Amelia shivered but maintained her stare. "I will ask just one more time. Where. do you get. your information. on ADIEU's whereabouts?" he asked again through gritted teeth. The whip creaked a little more as his grip tightened. Amelia shook but then she took a breath and opened her mouth. Elijah leaned forward eagerly, expecting her to finally break. "Up your ass. On the second shelf," she answered with a snide smile. Then she laughed despite her fearful tears blinding her vision as she saw Elijah's face turn crimson with rage. But, for a moment, she didn't care. All she could think of was how proud Damien would be when she got out of there and told him what she'd said. Crack! Amelia's face snapped to one side as pain exploded across the side of her face. She spat a spray of blood at the wall as she fell off the bed, dizzy. The only thing keeping her off the floor was the handcuff. Crack! Pain across her shoulder. Crack! Now across her already sensitive back. Crack! Crack! Crack! There were no questions in between this time. No steady rhythm. Just violence and pain. "Elijah stop!" Caleb's voice came from the door. The other Angels had to wrestle Elijah away from her. "That's enough!" "No! I've had enough! She's just like the rest of the Hellions! Stubborn and foul! She'll never change! She'll never talk! and if we allow it she'll just become another Lucifer!" Elijah raged. "Well, I say the best way to end this war is to just eradicate them now while they're weak!" "We need her, Eli!" she heard Anna implore. "She might be the key to finding him then we can really put an end to it all!" "You're right..." Elijah huffed reluctantly after a moment. "Y-you're right. In my anger, I lost sight of why we were doing this... What's that?" Footsteps as Elijah approaches her. Amelia felt a tugging around her neck- her Angelic Crystal- and she weakly tried to push his hand away. "Where the hell did you get this?!" Elijah asked angrily as he broke the thin chain of her necklace and stood up. "Did you steal it, you little thief?!" "N-no!" Amelia gasped breathlessly as she tried to look up at him desperately. "Please-!" she reached up for it but he turned away while giving her a disgusted look. He then lifted the crystal for the others to see. "A trophy she kept from killing one of our own, I suspect!" "No! That's not-!" "Oh, don't bother with your lies!" Elijah sneered as he turned to look at her again. "You Hellions are all the same." he handed the crystal to Esther. "But if I can't kill you and you won't turn on your brother willingly, then I suppose we'll have to do this the old-fashioned way. I'm going to make every waking moment of your life agony. In the end, you'll be so desperate to be destroyed that you'll tell us everything we wish the know. But before I do destroy you, I'm going to make you watch as your betrayal causes the destruction of your brother." --- September 21st 2001. After Elijah's threat, Amelia had been locked in her cell with no company, no food or water for almost a full day. Finally, just as Amelia was beginning to wonder if she'd be left like this for days on end, the door opened. All four Angels stepped into the room. One had a key in their hand. Amelia recognised this tiny key to be for her handcuffs. They were going to attempt to move her. This could be her only chance of escape. "Don't try anything," Elijah warned her. He had his whip with him again. "Where are you taking me?" Amelia asked but none of them answered. The hairs on the back of her neck stood on end. It couldn't be anywhere good for her. Caleb and Anna took each of her arms and held her tightly while Esther started unlocking the handcuff that was locked around the bed frame. The second it was loose, Amelia headbutted Anna then knee Caleb between the legs. They both went down. Then she whirled around to face Esther who only had time to widen her eyes at her in surprise before Amelia rammed her body into hers, smacking her against the wall behind her. She heard the pin-drop sound of the key hitting the floor but before she could look down to find it, she felt the rod strike her shoulder again. She fell to her hands and knees. By some crazy luck, she felt something small and metallic under one of her hands. She looked at the others. They were scrambling to find the key before she could. She then looked up at Elijah, he'd lifted his rod again threateningly. "Find that damn key!" he barked at the others. "And you! Get up! Or do you want me to beat you bloody again?!" "You can still stop," Amelia told him shakily. "Just let me go. Please. Don't make me hurt you." Elijah laughed. "Is that a joke? You're not in any position to be making any threats! Now GET UP!" "You know..." Amelia stood slowly. As she did, she drew both her hands into fists. Subtly picking up the key as she moved. "For people who hate Devils, I have to say... You're really no better than the monsters you make us out to be." "You bitch-!" Elijah lifted the rod again and Amelia braced herself. Just as the rod struck the side of her face again, the handcuffs clattered to the ground. While he'd been distracted by her, she'd taken the opportunity to free herself. As soon as the Angels realised what had happened, it was much too late for them. Without her crystal to keep the Devil's Rage at bay, Elijah's strike had awoken the sleeping fury. As she turned her head to look at him, her eyes had turned jet black while her irises shone crimson. Amelia was by no means used to the Devil's Rage taking over her, but something about this felt different this time. She felt hot. Unbearably hot. And, although she no longer had control over herself, she was still conscious and present. Like being stuck in sleep paralysis but the paralysis demon is using your body to enact revenge. Within seconds, her eyes changed from red and black to pure gold. Her hair lit up as if it were irradiated. Her dress caught fire and melted off of her. Sensing the impending danger, the Angels had attempted to flee but with a flick of her wrist, Amelia had slammed the door closed. Trapping them all in the room with her. Her expression was emotionless but inside she was screaming as she was forced to watch the four Angels desperately clawing at the metal door. As much as Amelia tried to reverse what was happening she couldn't. It was too late. She was at the point of no return. No longer in control. Tears evaporated from her heat just as quickly as they welled in her eyes, making little whisps of steam in the corners of her eyes. The Angels' screams were deafening then there was a blinding, white flash. The heat was so intense that Amelia was sure she would even end up destroying herself in the process. All she could hear was the roaring of flames all around her. She couldn't even hear the screams anymore through the noise. She couldn't see anything. Just white upon white upon white. Then black and silence. --- "Amelia! Amelia!" The shouts sounded far away at first. Then very close. "Amelia! Holy fuc- what the fuck? How the fuck-? Amelia?!" "Dam-Damie-?" Amelia tried. "It's ok! It's ok, I've got you. I'm here. But we need to get out of here... I don't know what happened but there are Angels coming and they are PISSED. Fuck, that's hot! Shit! Ow! Ok... hold on..." She felt Damien lifting her into his arms and heard what sounded like him jogging over gravel. "Fuck! fuck! fuck! hot! hot! hot!" he hissed under his breath the entire way until she finally felt the relief of a cool breeze gliding over her skin. She sobbed openly. Unable to contain it. She still couldn't see. A temporary side effect of whatever the fuck just happened to her. "Damien!" "Shhh, it's ok. Let's get out of here first and then you can tell me what happened, ok?" "How-? how did you find me? Where were you?!" "I've been looking for you for a week, sis. I had all my best spies on the case. As for how I found you..." Damien sighed. He turned to look at the enormous crater where there once stood a large chemical factory. Now just a smoking, smouldering pile of tiny pebbles "After what you just did... you were kind of hard to miss..." "What did I do? What happened?" "I uh... I'll tell you about it later. C'mon, let's go home..."