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<blockquote data-quote="Lamprolign" data-source="post: 786011" data-attributes="member: 7860">Six and three is nineNine and nine is eighteenLook there brother baby and you'll see what I've seen&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; Hida-hey, baby don't you want to goBack to that same old placeSweet home Chicago&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; - Robert Johnson, Sweet Home Chicago &quot;This is too weird,&quot; Mary said.&quot;We're way beyond weird here, Mar,&quot; Poe responded.&quot;Yep,&quot; Gabe muttered.&nbsp; You know things are getting funky when even the vampire is freaked out.&nbsp; Gabe and Poe stood over a bed in the intensive care unit of Northwestern Memorial Hospital, in downtown Chicago.&nbsp; On the bed lay the motionless body of Mary Johansson.&nbsp;&nbsp; &quot;At least you're not connected to a respirator,&quot; Gabe said.&quot;Small miracles, right? I notice no one bothered to send flowers.&quot;&quot;I don't think your friends are the flowery type,&quot; Gabe mumbled, stealing a sideways glance at Poe.&nbsp; &quot;A dead rat maybe.&quot;&nbsp; &quot;I heard that.&quot;&nbsp; Poe bared her teeth and emitted a low growl.&nbsp; &quot;I really thought I was dead.&quot;&quot;You were,&quot; Gabe answered.&nbsp; &quot;For about sixty seconds.&quot;The door behind them opened.&nbsp; &quot;Who are you people?&quot; asked a heavyset woman garbed in light green scrubs.&quot;It's all right, ma'am, I'm with Chicago P.D.&quot;&nbsp; Gabe offered the I.D. badge that hung from his neck.&nbsp; &quot;We're just following up on this case.&quot;&quot;Oh,&quot; the woman said as she peered at Gabe's identification.&nbsp; Her gaze fell upon Poe.&nbsp; Something's wrong with that girl, she thought.&nbsp; Needs some Vitamin D or sunlight or something.&nbsp; And if she's a cop, I'm Oprah. &quot;Have you figured out who this girl is yet?&quot;&quot;Unfortunately not, ma'am.&nbsp; I don't hold out much hope either.&nbsp; I'm sure you know how many Jane Does we have in the city every year.&quot;&quot;Laying it on a little thick aren't we?&quot;&nbsp; Mary said.&nbsp; &quot;Just let me handle this,&quot; Gabe muttered beneath his breath.&nbsp; &quot;Excuse me?&quot; &quot;Oh nothing, we were just finishing up here,&quot; Gabe said as he exited the room.&quot;I want back in my own head.&quot;&quot;Not half as much as I want you out of mine,&quot; Gabe grumbled and crinkled his nose.&nbsp; &quot;What smells like dirt?&nbsp; Oh yeah, it's you.&nbsp; Just why are you always tagging along after dark?&quot;&nbsp; &quot;It's patchouli oil.&nbsp; And it doesn't smell like dirt, it's dark and exotic,&quot; snorted Poe.&nbsp; &quot;I just want to hang out with Mary, she is my best friend you know.&nbsp; And I don't trust you to keep her safe.&nbsp; If you check out, so does she.&quot;Gabe had the distinct feeling that if it weren't for Mary, Poe wouldn't lose much sleep over the thought of his &quot;checking out.&quot;&nbsp; If she even sleeps, that is, he thought.&nbsp; He could scarcely believe that it had been only four days since this whole mess started.&nbsp; After the battle with the demon, Gabe had given some grudging respect to the voice in his head and resigned himself to the permanency of the arrangement.&nbsp; Then he found out that Mary's body was still alive, comatose.&nbsp; His first thought had been, Great!&nbsp; Mary can go back to her body and I can get my privacy back.&nbsp; But, like everything in his new life, Gabe had learned things were not quite that simple.&nbsp; *&nbsp; &nbsp; *&nbsp; &nbsp; *&nbsp; &nbsp; *&quot;I still don't understand.&quot;&nbsp; Gabe was standing again in the Sister's study.&nbsp; &quot;If she's not dead, then why is she stuck in my head?&quot;The Sister sat for a moment, contemplating the crackling fire.&nbsp; &quot;Abrams was trying to exorcise the demon himself.&quot;&nbsp; She paused.&nbsp; &quot;This was far beyond his ability and his spell was miscast.&quot;&quot;Like I said, he screwed the pooch, &quot; Mary said.&quot;Yes, I suppose that's one rather crude way to put it,&quot; the Sister responded, casting a stern look at Gabe/Mary.&nbsp; &quot;I can only surmise that his exorcism spell loosened the bonds that hold spirit to body.&nbsp; Unfortunately, Mary was too near the casting.&nbsp; The article said that the paramedics revived Mary several times on the trip to the hospital.&nbsp; One of the times that she died her spirit came adrift.&quot;&nbsp; The Sister took a sip from the steaming mug of tea which she cradled.&quot;I still don't get it,&quot; Gabe said.&nbsp; &quot;How did she end up in my head?&quot;&quot;After hearing your description of the visions you experienced, I have to believe it is because of latent powers that were awakened within you that night.&quot;&nbsp; The Sister took another sip of tea before continuing.&nbsp; &quot;Time is not always as linear as we think.&nbsp; I believe that in a sense you were there when the events you witnessed took place.&nbsp; A bond was forged between you and Mary at that time.&quot;&quot;Ok, so just cast another spell and put her back.&quot;&nbsp; &quot;I wish.&quot;&quot;I am afraid that it shall not be so simple.&quot;&nbsp; The Sister looked once again into the fire.&nbsp; &quot;The necessary magics have been long buried.&quot;&nbsp; Her voice dropped.&nbsp; &quot;And for good reason....&quot; *&nbsp; &nbsp; *&nbsp; &nbsp; *&nbsp; &nbsp; *The ring of his cell phone snapped Gabe back to the present.&nbsp; He looked at the display.&nbsp; The office.&nbsp; He hit the answer button on the phone and brought it to his ear.&quot;Hello.&quot;&quot;Hi Gabe,&quot; the ever-energetic voice of Chris Ebbing bounded from the earpiece.&nbsp; &quot;Duty calls, bro, they tell me we've got a really messy murder scene to process.&quot;&quot;You know I'm supposed to be off duty.&quot;&nbsp; Gabe grumbled.&quot;Yeah, but you know they want the best for the really juicy ones.&nbsp; Time to do the nasty.&quot;&nbsp; Gabe could imagine Chris's grin on the other end of the line.&nbsp; Sometimes the kid scared him.&nbsp; &quot;All right, where's it at?&nbsp; I'll meet you there.&quot;He opted to ride the L train to the scene, a wise choice since he observed that the crime scene van hadn't made it through the snarl of Chicago traffic.&nbsp; Poe insisted on tailing him from the hospital.&nbsp; He looked over his shoulder to tell her to make herself scarce, and when he glanced back a second later she was gone.&nbsp; She gives me the creeps.&quot;She's one of my best friends,&quot; Mary said.&nbsp; &quot;Watch what you think about her.&quot;&nbsp; Riiight.The scene was much like any other.&nbsp; Black and white squad cars, lights still flashing, gathered around the main entrance to a run-down tenement building.&nbsp; Curious onlookers stood in small groups talking.&nbsp; Gabe showed his I.D. to the young flatfoot monitoring the front entrance.&quot;Where?&quot;&nbsp; He asked.&quot;Fourth floor.&quot;&nbsp; The young man paused.&nbsp; &quot;There's some on the third floor, too.&quot;Gabe raised an eyebrow at this, but moved on looking for a stairwell.&nbsp; Nobody in their right mind would use an elevator in a building such as this one.&nbsp; Once he located the stairs it was easy to find the scene.&nbsp; Uniformed officers were milling around in the hallway, a plain clothes cop was standing a short way down the hall.&nbsp; He grunted acknowledgment of Gabe's approach.&quot;I didn't expect to see you back to work so soon, Gabe.&quot;&nbsp; Senior Detective Jake Brewer lit a cigarette, pressed the match out between thick, stubby fingers, and dropped it to the floor.&nbsp; The big man wore a crumpled tan overcoat and a center dent, leather banded hat with a turndown brim.&nbsp; Brewer looked like he walked out of some cheap crime noir paperback.&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp; &quot;Better to stay busy.&quot;&nbsp; Gabe answered, &quot;Chris said this one was real messy?&quot;&quot;I've seen worse.&nbsp; But not much worse.&quot;&nbsp; Brewer gave a mock bow, bending at his ample waist, and waved his arm in a broad sweep toward the open door.&nbsp; &quot;After you.&quot;Gabe ducked under the yellow crime scene tape and entered the room.&nbsp; After years on the job Gabe should have been a real hard case, desensitized to the sights and smells of death.&nbsp; But it was never easy, not really.&nbsp; No matter how many bodies, each new victim was another person with a story to tell.&nbsp; Between the couch in the middle of the room and the door lay what was left of a body.&nbsp; From Gabe's perspective he could discern shoulders and a head.&nbsp; Most of the torso from the collarbones down was missing.&nbsp; One arm was largely intact.&nbsp; The other terminated just above the elbow.&nbsp; Gabe stopped at the edge of the sea of blood surrounding the remains.&quot;Damn.&quot;&nbsp; Gabe spoke quietly.&nbsp; This wasn't his first slasher scene, but it was definitely among the worst.&nbsp; He walked around the perimeter of the blood pool, examining the floor.&nbsp; The room went dark.&nbsp; &quot;Hey!?&quot;Gabe blinked his eyes, trying to adjust to the sudden darkness.&nbsp; Someone bumped into his arm.&nbsp; He turned to see the light of the full moon filtering in through the window to glint off of platinum hair.&nbsp; &quot;Mary?&quot;The girl looked at him.&nbsp; Gabe's puzzled expression was mirrored in her face.Another sound in the room drew their attention.&nbsp; A young woman with dark hair and fair skin stood between the couch and the door to the hallway.&nbsp; She clutched something tightly in one hand.&nbsp; She was inching her way toward the door.&nbsp; Then they heard another sound, breathing.&nbsp; The woman whirled toward the sound, toward the corner of the room nearest the window.&nbsp; A shadow detached from the wall in a blur of movement.&nbsp; It struck the woman hard, sending her glasses to fly across the room and shatter against a wall.&nbsp; Both forms crashed to the floor.&nbsp; The object she held in her hand clattered across the floor, stopping at Gabe's feet.&nbsp; It was a small can of mace.Gabe once again stood on the shore of the blood ocean.&nbsp; The lights were on.&nbsp; Gabe's chest heaved with rapid breath.&nbsp; &quot;Gabe!&nbsp; Gabe!&quot;&nbsp; It was Chris Ebbing's voice.&nbsp; &quot;Wake up, man!&nbsp; You're zoning on me again.&quot;Gabe looked at the crime scene photographer, then turned his head to the side, half expecting to see Mary.&nbsp; Not again, Gabe thought....© 2002 Austin Hale</blockquote>

[QUOTE="Lamprolign, post: 786011, member: 7860"] [I]Six and three is nine Nine and nine is eighteen Look there brother baby and you'll see what I've seen Hida-hey, baby don't you want to go Back to that same old place Sweet home Chicago[/I] - Robert Johnson, [I]Sweet Home Chicago [/I] "[I]This is too weird,[/I]" Mary said. "We're way beyond weird here, Mar," Poe responded. "Yep," Gabe muttered. [I]You know things are getting funky when even the vampire is freaked out.[/I] Gabe and Poe stood over a bed in the intensive care unit of Northwestern Memorial Hospital, in downtown Chicago. On the bed lay the motionless body of Mary Johansson. "At least you're not connected to a respirator," Gabe said. "[I]Small miracles, right? I notice no one bothered to send flowers[/I]." "I don't think your friends are the flowery type," Gabe mumbled, stealing a sideways glance at Poe. "A dead rat maybe." "I heard that." Poe bared her teeth and emitted a low growl. "[I]I really thought I was dead[/I]." "You were," Gabe answered. "For about sixty seconds." The door behind them opened. "Who are you people?" asked a heavyset woman garbed in light green scrubs. "It's all right, ma'am, I'm with Chicago P.D." Gabe offered the I.D. badge that hung from his neck. "We're just following up on this case." "Oh," the woman said as she peered at Gabe's identification. Her gaze fell upon Poe. [I]Something's wrong with that girl,[/I] she thought. [I]Needs some Vitamin D or sunlight or something. And if she's a cop, I'm Oprah. [/I] "Have you figured out who this girl is yet?" "Unfortunately not, ma'am. I don't hold out much hope either. I'm sure you know how many Jane Does we have in the city every year." "[I]Laying it on a little thick aren't we?[/I]" Mary said. "Just let me handle this," Gabe muttered beneath his breath. "Excuse me?" "Oh nothing, we were just finishing up here," Gabe said as he exited the room. "[I]I want back in my own head[/I]." "Not half as much as I want you out of mine," Gabe grumbled and crinkled his nose. "What smells like dirt? Oh yeah, it's you. Just why are you always tagging along after dark?" "It's patchouli oil. And it doesn't smell like dirt, it's dark and exotic," snorted Poe. "I just want to hang out with Mary, she is my best friend you know. And I don't trust you to keep her safe. If you check out, so does she." Gabe had the distinct feeling that if it weren't for Mary, Poe wouldn't lose much sleep over the thought of his "checking out." [I]If she even sleeps, that is[/I], he thought. He could scarcely believe that it had been only four days since this whole mess started. After the battle with the demon, Gabe had given some grudging respect to the voice in his head and resigned himself to the permanency of the arrangement. Then he found out that Mary's body was still alive, comatose. His first thought had been, [I]Great! Mary can go back to her body and I can get my privacy back.[/I] But, like everything in his new life, Gabe had learned things were not quite that simple. * * * * "I still don't understand." Gabe was standing again in the Sister's study. "If she's not dead, then why is she stuck in my head?" The Sister sat for a moment, contemplating the crackling fire. "Abrams was trying to exorcise the demon himself." She paused. "This was far beyond his ability and his spell was miscast." "[I]Like I said, he screwed the pooch, [/I]" Mary said. "Yes, I suppose that's one rather crude way to put it," the Sister responded, casting a stern look at Gabe/Mary. "I can only surmise that his exorcism spell loosened the bonds that hold spirit to body. Unfortunately, Mary was too near the casting. The article said that the paramedics revived Mary several times on the trip to the hospital. One of the times that she died her spirit came adrift." The Sister took a sip from the steaming mug of tea which she cradled. "I still don't get it," Gabe said. "How did she end up in my head?" "After hearing your description of the visions you experienced, I have to believe it is because of latent powers that were awakened within you that night." The Sister took another sip of tea before continuing. "Time is not always as linear as we think. I believe that in a sense you were there when the events you witnessed took place. A bond was forged between you and Mary at that time." "Ok, so just cast another spell and put her back." "[I]I wish.[/I]" "I am afraid that it shall not be so simple." The Sister looked once again into the fire. "The necessary magics have been long buried." Her voice dropped. "And for good reason...." * * * * The ring of his cell phone snapped Gabe back to the present. He looked at the display. The office. He hit the answer button on the phone and brought it to his ear. "Hello." "Hi Gabe," the ever-energetic voice of Chris Ebbing bounded from the earpiece. "Duty calls, bro, they tell me we've got a really messy murder scene to process." "You know I'm supposed to be off duty." Gabe grumbled. "Yeah, but you know they want the best for the really juicy ones. Time to do the nasty." Gabe could imagine Chris's grin on the other end of the line. Sometimes the kid scared him. "All right, where's it at? I'll meet you there." He opted to ride the L train to the scene, a wise choice since he observed that the crime scene van hadn't made it through the snarl of Chicago traffic. Poe insisted on tailing him from the hospital. He looked over his shoulder to tell her to make herself scarce, and when he glanced back a second later she was gone. [I]She gives me the creeps.[/I] "[I]She's one of my best friends,[/I]" Mary said. "[I]Watch what you think about her.[/I]" [I]Riiight.[/I] The scene was much like any other. Black and white squad cars, lights still flashing, gathered around the main entrance to a run-down tenement building. Curious onlookers stood in small groups talking. Gabe showed his I.D. to the young flatfoot monitoring the front entrance. "Where?" He asked. "Fourth floor." The young man paused. "There's some on the third floor, too." Gabe raised an eyebrow at this, but moved on looking for a stairwell. Nobody in their right mind would use an elevator in a building such as this one. Once he located the stairs it was easy to find the scene. Uniformed officers were milling around in the hallway, a plain clothes cop was standing a short way down the hall. He grunted acknowledgment of Gabe's approach. "I didn't expect to see you back to work so soon, Gabe." Senior Detective Jake Brewer lit a cigarette, pressed the match out between thick, stubby fingers, and dropped it to the floor. The big man wore a crumpled tan overcoat and a center dent, leather banded hat with a turndown brim. Brewer looked like he walked out of some cheap crime noir paperback. "Better to stay busy." Gabe answered, "Chris said this one was real messy?" "I've seen worse. But not much worse." Brewer gave a mock bow, bending at his ample waist, and waved his arm in a broad sweep toward the open door. "After you." Gabe ducked under the yellow crime scene tape and entered the room. After years on the job Gabe should have been a real hard case, desensitized to the sights and smells of death. But it was never easy, not really. No matter how many bodies, each new victim was another person with a story to tell. Between the couch in the middle of the room and the door lay what was left of a body. From Gabe's perspective he could discern shoulders and a head. Most of the torso from the collarbones down was missing. One arm was largely intact. The other terminated just above the elbow. Gabe stopped at the edge of the sea of blood surrounding the remains. "Damn." Gabe spoke quietly. This wasn't his first slasher scene, but it was definitely among the worst. He walked around the perimeter of the blood pool, examining the floor. The room went dark. "Hey!?" Gabe blinked his eyes, trying to adjust to the sudden darkness. Someone bumped into his arm. He turned to see the light of the full moon filtering in through the window to glint off of platinum hair. "Mary?" The girl looked at him. Gabe's puzzled expression was mirrored in her face. Another sound in the room drew their attention. A young woman with dark hair and fair skin stood between the couch and the door to the hallway. She clutched something tightly in one hand. She was inching her way toward the door. Then they heard another sound, breathing. The woman whirled toward the sound, toward the corner of the room nearest the window. A shadow detached from the wall in a blur of movement. It struck the woman hard, sending her glasses to fly across the room and shatter against a wall. Both forms crashed to the floor. The object she held in her hand clattered across the floor, stopping at Gabe's feet. It was a small can of mace. Gabe once again stood on the shore of the blood ocean. The lights were on. Gabe's chest heaved with rapid breath. "Gabe! Gabe!" It was Chris Ebbing's voice. "Wake up, man! You're zoning on me again." Gabe looked at the crime scene photographer, then turned his head to the side, half expecting to see Mary. [I]Not again,[/I] Gabe thought.... © 2002 Austin Hale [/QUOTE]

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