White. Silence. Perfect stillness.

Freya was lying on her back, staring at the ceiling. She had no idea how long she'd been cooped up; could have been days, could have been weeks, maybe even months. Time had no meaning in this unchanging world. Her stomach rumbled and she glanced towards the hatch through which food was shoved. It was well designed, the edges almost imperceptible unless you knew where to look. She'd refused to eat the first couple of days, worried about the food being doped. That was until she found out there were other ways of knocking her out, as the bruises on her arms that had appeared when she woke up attested to.

There was a click. It would have gone unnoticed if there was any other noise. She dragged herself upright and went to the glass wall. The click had been the glass turning transparent again. It had been opaque for...she couldn't even guess.

Huon was on the other side of the corridor, standing by the glass too. He gave her a slight smile but his attention was on the cells further up the curving corridor. She waited for him to look back. He gave her a thumbs up.

Everyone was present this time. It was the best news they ever got.

**

General Bosk sat behind his desk as his office door opened and the expected guest entered.

"We didn't think you'd want to come down here," the General said, extending his hand.

"I offered DanteCorp's services; I ought to be able to visit." The visitor shook the General's hand with one that was withered and papery.

"Of course...but..."

"Did you get what I requested?"

The General waved a hand over a box full of sealed bags. "I don't know why these would be of interest..."

The man started searching through the bags, lifting them out, emptying some over the General's desk, spreading out phones, an iPod, a PSP, change in several currencies and other bits and pieces. Finally the man found what he was looking for. He lifted up a single ring and gazed at it for a few moments.

"General. You can let them go now."

Bosk watched the man stare at the ring, turning it over, apparently absorbed by it. It took him a minute to realise what he had just said.

"But...Mr. Novamori...we're just ready to start our tests. We're on the verge of a major breakthrough in the project..."

"General," Novamori said calmly, "I will be removing my researchers and my funding. There is no more Project Wolf."

The General slammed his fist into the table, causing the scattered change to rattle. "What do you expect me to do with a dozen...whatever they are?"

"I don't really care, General. Just let them go."

"How do you expect us to progress with this research?"

Novamori gave him a withering look. "Don't make me repeat myself, Bosk. Project Wolf is ended. DanteCorp is no longer interested in funding you. We have no need for you to mess about in laboratories any longer." He switched his gaze back to the ring. A simple gold band. Nothing very interesting. "This..." he breathed, "...is so much better..."

"Do I have to carry him? He's heavy."

The werewolves fought through the undergrowth of the rainforest, but with no tools it was slow going. Water dripped down from the canopy onto their already soaked skin. Animals screamed high above their heads and insects buzzed around them.

"Come on guys," Galadd moaned, "this guy is heavy."

The troupe stopped and waited for the oversized werewolf to catch up. Freya swatted a fly from her arm.

"What do you want us to do? Do you want me to carry him?" she snapped, more than she meant to.

Galadd dropped the general he'd had slung over his shoulder and stepped towards Freya, towering over her "I don't see why we had to bring him anyway."

"Because he knows where we need to get back to." She pushed him away, but the size difference meant she was pushing his stomach rather than his chest.

"And why didn't we just attack while we were there?" He put a hand on her forehead and kept her away at arms length.

"With what? Our fists? We need the back up." She tried to push his hand off but failed.

"Right, enough!" Gwen stepped between the two and parting them, "we're lost, it's hot and you're not going to solve this by fighting." She turned to Galadd, "we have to bring him with us, and you're the only one strong enough to carry him..."

Galadd opened his mouth to object but was silenced by Gwen again.

"...but we will stop for breaks when you get tired."

"What are we going to do for food?" Ogier piped up, "I don't know about you lot but I'm hungry."

"There's those monkeys," Gawain said, looking up amongst the trees.

"You can't catch a monkey," Freya snapped again, turning away from Gwen and Galadd and walking to the back of the group.

"I could catch a monkey," Gawain mumbled.

"We're not having monkey," Gwen told him, "I think there are laws against it or something, find something else."

"Fine." His form shuddered as he transformed, clothes slipping from the shape they weren't meant to cover. A quick shake later and the white beast jumped off into the undergrowth, closely followed by others who wanted to help.

"He'll only get lost," Freya said, slapping more flies from her arms.

"I doubt it," Gwen said, "he's not you."

The small group of werewolves that were left huddled around. Tilpin sat near the still unconscious General.

"How's he doing?" Eoin asked, sitting with Tilpin.

"Still breathing. They hit him with a enough of those darts to take down an eli..oli... a really big thing."

The group sat silently, listening to the calls of the forest until a loud crashing noise made them all jump to their feet. The noise got louder, until finally a wolf landed in their tiny clearing, and that very quickly turned into a very nude Gawain.

"There's people...loggers..." he got out, panting, "just that way." He dived off again, and the group followed, Galadd grumbling as he picked up the General.

They met the hunters behind a screen of bushes. Beyond, large pieces of equipment were stationary, but the high-pitched squeal of saws could be heard in the distance.

"What shall we do?" Gwen asked, throwing clothes at those who'd left them behind.

"You'll do nothing," Freya said, standing, "I'm going to ask if I can use their phone."

**

Dante lounged on his sofa in the hotel suite he shared with his wife, one hand rested on Selenia's enormous belly, the other stroking her head, which rested on his lap. He smiled as the unborn child kicked at his hand. He'd missed this; the Hunter and the chaos he'd bought with him had stolen time he should have spent looking after his wife, but he at least had time now. The setting sun cast an orange pink glow about the room; everything felt perfect.

Except one nagging little thing: Freya was missing.

He hadn't thought much about it since the meeting with Stern. He'd stopped at Darkness's hotel room and found him gone, left for LA according to the girl in reception. He'd been secretly glad he'd not had to have that meeting: they hadn't spoken since... well, he couldn't remember. But that was where his search for Freya had ended.

"Are you alright?" Selenia asked, concern on her face.

"Yeah, I was just thinking." He glanced down at his hand on her stomach. "Quite a kicker, isn't he?"

"He?"

"Sure, kicks like that, he obviously wants to be a soccer player."

"Well, I don't know about that," she laughed, sitting up, "but it's playing havoc with my bladder."

There was a loud knocking which caused them both to look at the door.

"I'll get it," Dante told her. He watched her leave the room before slowly walking to the door. "Can I help..."

"Where's Darkness?" A small shape demanded, pushing past.

Dante stared at the familiar figure now standing in his hotel suite. "You're missing," he told her.

"Was missing," Freya said, "but I know where I am now. Although when may be a different matter.." she drifted off, looking at a desk calendar.

"You've been gone a few weeks." He went to the room's fridge and pulled out a bottle of water. "Want one?"

"I need to find Darkness," Freya said, taking the bottle.

"Have you tried calling him?"

"The phone is out of service range or something."

"So you thought you'd try here?" Dante lifted an eyebrow.

"Well, he wasn't at the arena, hotel room...and then I ran out of places to look." She slumped into a nearby chair.

"I was told he was in LA."

Freya groaned and got to her feet. "Fantastic. Guess I'll go look there then."

"You look tired. What's going on?"

Freya looked about, torn between just leaving and explaining. "I lost the Ring. Well, the Ring was taken from me, but it's not mine anymore."

"What ring?"

"The Promethean Ring?" Selenia stood at the edge of the room.

"I don't have any others."

Selenia crossed the room slowly and picked up a bag. "What happened?" she asked, putting clothes into it.

"And what do you think you're doing?!" Dante crossed the room and took the bag off his wife.

"We need to get the Ring back," she told him calmly, pulling at the bag.

"You're going to have our child in a few weeks."

"But with the Ring missing there won't be a world for our child to come into."

"You don't know that..."

"Jason," Selenia said, giving him a look that was all steel, "if that Ring somehow finds it way into the hands of your father, nothing's going to stop an army of demons crashing through the Gates of Hell and destroying everything."

"Oh. So...what happened?" he asked Freya, who was pulling bits of twig from her hair.

"Well...it's a long story..."

DanteCorp HQ, Atlanta, 2004

"Some wonder whether it is better to be feared or respected..." Dante stood on a stage, illuminated by a spotlight, the rest of the auditorium was in darkness. He was pausing for dramatic effect. The crowd was made up of high-ranking military officials. He brushed a strand of jet-black hair from his face - looking tanned and healthy - before continuing.

"Feared. Every time. Respect can be abused - fear cannot." He nodded towards the edge of the stage where Shadow, in his business attire, watched his performance. "Sixty years ago, physics gave us the atomic bomb. We believed, for half a century, that it was the ultimate weapon: the be-all and end-all of warfare. We were wrong. DanteCorp and S-Mart Industries have been working together on a project that will revolutionise the future of armed conflict. Tonight, we introduce to you...the M.A.G. Project - Mobile Armoured Gunsuits. The first phase of this project is the realisation of science fiction, of comic books: the Powered Infantry Exoskeleton..."

The spotlight blinked out and a floodlight flared up from the stage floor to his right, illuminating an object on a low podium. There was an intake of breath from the assembled officers.

"Gentlemen, I give you...the M.A.G.P.I.E."

The podium rotated, showing off a lean, metallic, humanoid shape with a face like a leering death mask. Its armoured panels were painted in alternating black and white. As Dante stepped closer, the size of the thing became apparent - it towered over its creator. He pressed a button on a remote in his hand, and the suit opened up, its chest splitting in two, its mask rising up and its arms unfolding to reveal hard points.

"Inside this device, a single soldier can safely search for, capture or destroy any and all targets specified by its commanding officers - by you, gentlemen - it is a completely sealed environment, with full life-support. It is immune to small-arms fire, impervious to heat, resistant to electricity and proof against all biological-, chemical- and radiation-based attacks. It is operated by hydraulic pistons at every joint and fibre bundles threaded beneath every plate. It weighs a metric tonne, but thanks to our advances, when the operator moves, this machine will move with him. Gentlemen, the M.A.G.P.I.E. has the firepower of an Abram Tank, the mobility of an infantryman and the speed...."

He pressed a button, and the suit closed up as two wings extended from the back of the M.A.G.P.I.E.'s carapace and jets activated on its feet and wings, causing it to levitate smoothly into the air.

"...of a jet fighter."

There was spontaneous applause from the crowd.

"But that isn't all," Dante continued as the suit lowered itself and the floodlights around it dimmed slightly. "For years, America has been embarrassed by enemies who used the jungles and the ruined cities of the very people they oppressed to evade and destroy our troops piecemeal. It happened in Korea, it happened in Vietnam, and now it's happening in the Middle East. The War on Terror is an unconventional war, and needs an unconventional weapon if it is to be won. No longer will the enemies of freedom hide in caves, and jungles, and rubble - they will be flushed out of their rat-holes by the second phase of the M.A.G. project: the Nemesis Urban Suppressor..."

Dante pressed his remote again. This time, a ring of floodlights blasted out from behind the stage to his left, silhouetting a hulking behemoth on another podium. It utterly dwarfed both Dante and the M.A.G.P.I.E.

"Gentlemen...this, is the MA.G.N.US."

The lights dimmed, revealing that this suit was one like the M.A.G.P.I.E., but swollen into grotesque proportions, and coloured gunmetal grey. It was nothing less than a walking battle tank.

"Five metric tonnes. Capable of withstanding a direct hit from a M256A1 120 mm smoothbore gun. Extremely heat resistant - allow me to show you why..."

Two balls of flame erupted from its arms, causing a start from the audience, but they were well clear of the controlled blasts.

"These weapons can reduce a regular civilian dwelling - of exactly the kind insurgents in Iraq take shelter within - to an empty shell in minutes."

The lights came up and Dante positioned himself between the two war machines. He smiled at the officers. "With these on the front line, peace will be inevitable. With these, you cannot be stopped."

**

"Stop," Dante commanded, "I'm only going to warn you once."

The machine remained motionless. It was almost double his height; a massive, shining beacon of the most advanced technology he and Shadow had been able to create: the mark of a different man, of a different time. The invisible operator within the hulking battle-suit paid no attention to Dante's warning and seconds later a stream of searing flame shot out of the scorched nozzle mounted upon its arm. Dante didn't even have the time to say ‘fine' before he let his own powers rip. He hadn't used his gift of pyromancy - the most devastating manifestation of his infernal heritage - since his match with the Hunter, but now he was doing more than raining burning blows upon the man who had threatened his wife. Now he controlled the fire billowing towards him, reflecting it back towards the M.A.G.N.U.S. If it had been any other situation he might have even enjoyed it.

But not now. The air between him and the machine sizzled, the air above shimmered with the heat. Even the suit was starting to glow red from the heat. Dante knew the man inside would be fine: he'd designed it that way. It was flawless. If he'd had the time to think he would have been kicking himself for making it so perfect. But right now he couldn't even think about anything other than keeping it distracted.

**

"He told us to go."

"He said to get out of the way. We're not going any further."

Freya and Gwen were almost nose to oddly-shaped-nose.

"We should move further into the trees." Gwen stood up to her full height and crossed her arms.

"Go if you want, but I'm not going anywhere." Freya drew herself up to her full height, but unfortunately was still eight inches too short.

"Well, will someone make up their minds; I'm bleeding here!" Galadd was leaning on Gawain while Tilpin poked around his leg.

"Tilpin, take him further in. Those who also want to go, go. I'm staying here." Freya turned her back on the group and watched as the huge M.A.G.N.U.S. vented flame at her old stable mate.

None of The Children moved. Even Galadd drew himself up, wincing as he straightened his injured leg. Gwen sighed and squared her shoulders. "Fine."

"Thanks," Freya said without looking back.

"No problem, Cuz. You're going to do something stupid though, aren't you?" Lir said.

"Like what?"

Far above them the M.A.G.P.I.E. was flying around, its screaming bullets silenced as its targets, the loggers, had been eliminated. It circled above Dante and its comrade like a vulture waiting to pick the pieces off the carcass.

It must have been unaware of the werewolves as it wasn't looking for them. Instead it landed, causing the ground to tremble with the sudden impact, just in front of the still assembled werewolves. Gawain sucked his breath in through his teeth. The smooth metal finish, its curves and grace were too much for him. If he'd been able to buy one he would have.

The M.A.G.P.I.E. folded away its wings with a hiss. It was a lot smaller, more streamlined than the M.A.G.N.U.S., except for the oversized gun on its arm. It took a few steps forward, the pistons making tiny hisses as the legs moved, carrying the bulk of the monstrous machine with ease.

It raised the arm with the gun, levelling it at the albino. As the motor started and the multiple barrels began to spin, Freya launched herself out of the bushes and onto its back. She struggled to hold on as the machine tried to shake her off. Her fingers scrabbled for a handhold but didn't find one on the sleek metallic body of the piebald suit and she was thrown clear, landing in the dirt. The suit turned towards the edge of the clearing. The werewolves froze, unsure of whether they could be seen. Their questions were quickly answered as the machine started forwards, faster than it should have been able to.

The Children turned and scattered into the jungle, the M.A.G.P.I.E. lifting from the ground as its wings erupted from its back, gave chase.

**

Dante was finally feeling the strain. He knew he couldn't keep this up for long. He reached within, seeking out his deepest reserves of power. He felt his body being stripped of its resources; fat melting from his muscles, months of inactivity reversed and undone by this application of his demonic strength; half-digested food in his system was purged into nothingness and he felt his stomach growl.

He closed is eyes and let the last of his power explode from his palms, pushing back the battle-suit's flames. He let out a roar.

Then there was silence. As he opened his eyes, his vision was red. His head pounded.

The flames died down. The hulking monstrosity he had brought into existence what felt like a lifetime ago wavered. Then it fell, crashing to the ground in a heap of burning red metal, its systems finally overloaded by the intense heat.

The earth shook so hard it knocked Dante to his knees. His whole body was shaking from the exertion of using his powers. He felt empty. Drained. Steam and smoke rose from the ruin of the M.A.G.N.U.S.

As he watched, the front hatch creaked open and a dark shape unfolded and stepped through the fumes.

Dantecorp HQ, Atlanta 2004

The normal backslapping and self-congratulatory party was in full swing, Military dignitaries, Politicans (almost to 100% typical "Hawks") and a few scientists mignled around the large penthouse garden at Dantecorp, Dante had made his round talking to a few of the generals, promising his support and undying loyalty. One of the Generals, a man by the unlikely name Antony Trask slapped Dante on the back almost causing him to drop his whiskey.

"I damned glad to see men like you step up for America, son...Patriotism and supporting the ideals of our nation is almost a thing of the past."

Dante smiled.

"I do what I can, someone has to build an armour for uncle Sam after all. After all it's my duty as an American."

"Damn, son...words like those damn near brings a tear to my eye."

"Glad to be of help, sir."

The General gave Dante a salute that looked much less imposing as the dear general had six or seven vodkas under his uniform and was at this moment heading for a very Russian drunkenness. Dante returned the salute with a distinct lack of drunken wooziness and walked away from the annoying and drunk General.

"I never thought you were that big a patriot!"

Dante turned around and came face to face with his masked business associate. Dante replied to Shadow's question with a rude sound.

"Patriot? What makes you think you can call me an idiot?"

"An idiot?" Shadow began. "Do you mean to tell that you aren't doing this for our flag and nation?" Shadow asked with an ironic tone and a sarcastic twist to his words.

"For our nation, no...for our flag...only if they make this the flag." Dante said as he held up a $1 bill he had fished out of his pocket.

Shadow made a mock salute.

"One nation under god..:"

Dante grinned.

"One nation under our control, you mean?." He replied with a smirk.

"Speaking of that" Dante began. "Are you ready to start producing the first series of the suits?"

"As soon as the Pigeon hawks say the magic word "Yes" we can start producing the next generation military armour."

"Excellent." Dante said taking a sip from his Glenfiddish. "I think we struck the mother load this time."

*****

Dante stood on his knees and tried to avoid supporting himself on his hands as he watched the figure emerge from the scorched suit, the man...as Dante was sure that beneath the burnt and melted parts of the suit's Neural Interface Suit was a man...a man with singed hair and as of right now, no eyebrows but a man none the less. The man's suit was a semi-melted mess of scorched neural connectors, in fact the very fabric had turned into a semi-plastic material that restricted the man's movements.

Dante looked up at his opponent and felt a deep pain in his brain as his eyes locked with the commander of the MAGNUS suit. Something was wrong, Dante could normally sense any person, Human, Werewolf or demon a mile away, subconscious surface thoughts always wandered over to Dante from any creature, this one though was a like a void, the man was there and he had shaken off fire with a temperature that could incinerate asbestos like it was a minor sunburn, the man was there physically, but mentally and spiritually, he didn't even exist. The man locked his eyes with Dante's and again he felt his knees buckle As Dante struggled to reach his feet again, the scorched man bent down and picked up a metal bar that had been dislodged from the now destroyed war-suit. The man walked up to the albino who was still standing on his knees trying to muster the energy to get up as the strange man approached.

Without a word, without even letting a smile or in fact any emotion play over his face, the man raised the metal bar and swung it down. Dante's head jerked from the very impact, he panted as his entire world spun as his body tried to fight the effects of a very sudden concussion. Dante looked up at his tormentor and caught the strange man's flat and dead eyes just as he swung the metal bar upwards catching Dante on the jaw. Dante was helped to his feet by the swing, but as soon as he reached his full height, he dropped down again as his body spent more energy to heal the fractured jaw in seconds.

Dante looked up again only to see the man aiming the bar as a spear, as the man in the burnt suit took aim Date saw the faintest smile cross his lips, the albino realised that his would be murderer not only wanted to kill him, but that he would maybe not enjoy it, but at least take some perverse enjoyment from killing him.

*****
Freya tried to regain her breath, she lay on the hard packed sandy ground where the MAGPIE had deposited her trying to regain her bearings. She staggered to her feet as he mind tried to remember where she was and what she was doing here, slowly the spinning subsided and she saw things more clearly, unfortunately she was Dante on his knees with a man in a strange suit standing over him seeming to be prepared to stab him to death.

Freya paused, she felt the stench of melted plastic, of hot metal, the sweat of Dante, the children and of all the things she now associated with a jungle...but she couldn't get the scent of the man in the scorched suit, it was as if he didn't even exist.

The last few...

No, the last day or so Freya had been upset at Dante, he was arrogant, cocky and stupid...and worst of all selfish, that had however all changed when Dante had decided to almost sacrifice himself to stop the flame throwing machine.

Without thinking and seemingly without even caring about her spinning head or her compatriots fleeing into the woods while being chased by the MAGPIE she herself had failed to stop. She had failed to stop the machine-gun-toting MAGPIE, as she charged the man threatening Dante she made a quick vow not to fail this time around..

*****

Dante looked up at the man threatening to kill him and actually shot him a grin as if he didn't care that his own death was as it seemed imminent.

Or maybe, maybe it was that he saw a familiar female charging the man in the Neural Suit. Just as the last bone fragment in Dante's broken jaw healed up, Freya arrived and smashed shoulder first into the man in the neural suits abdomen.

Undeterred by Freya's attack, the man in the suit swung his metal bar at her head, but a quick block only gave him a powerful hit against her right arm, the hit was powerful enough to force Freya to try to shake the pain out of her arms and as she did, her enemy tossed the metal bar away over his back and then jumped on her and wrapped his hands around her neck, Normally this was something Freya would rid herself off of with one swift kick in the groin of her attacker but with an arm that felt as if it had been through a combine harvester, and the strange feeling of sickness the man who was strangling her gave her, she was in no shape to counter attack.

At this point however, Dante was ready to strike back again. The albino got to his feet faster then before, with them power of his anger at the attacker feeding his screaming muscles. Dante launched himself and swung a forceful kick at the man's head.

No reaction. Dante had kicked the man straight in the temple and he got no reaction to his attack, the man's head jerked sideways but that was it. Dante growled at the enemy and aimed a stomp at his neck, as Dante's foot came down, the man in the melted suit swung around and caught the albino's foot and used the force of the attack to hurl the man with the scar across his eye into a uncontrolled backwards somersault, unlike the moonsaults Dante had hit in his career, Dante landed face first with a sickening crunch as his nose broke.

While Dante had made the mysterious man in the Neural suit focus his attention at him rather then at Freya, he had given his semi-wolfen ally a shot at the man who up. until Dante had tried to stomp him had been trying to strangle her but had had his nose broken for his effort, as his demonic metabolism sped to heal his nose, he looked at Freya adding her input...or rather her knee to the attacker's groin. The Werewolf stared at the man above her, he hadn't even reacted to the knee. Desperate, she began clawing at his eyes of the silent attacker.

Desperate for a way out Dante reached into his pocket for his one possible saving grace. As quickly as he could he fished out his Zippo lighter. As Freya seemed to turn blue, Dante flicked the Zippo to life and formed a fireball in his own hand with it and with a quick flick of his wrist he threw the ball of flame at the man choking Freya. Dante congealed his entire anger, frustration and hate into a large ball of flame. For the first time since he incinerated Darkness right hand, he hurled hellfire at someone. The effect, or lack there of would however surprise him.

As the ball of incandescent hellfire hit the man's face he tumbled backwards off of Freya and as he fell a strange and disgusting sound filled his ears as the man impaled himself on the same bar that he had threatened to stab Dante with. Dante stared at the man, his skin was still as fresh as when he had stepped out of the MAGNUS suit, his eyebrows and hair had been scorched by the heat of his initial attack, but other then that, he was OK.

Apart from the metal bar through his chest of course.

As the man in the burnt suit struggled through his last moments alive, Dante helped Freya to her feet. Together they watched their common tormentor die. The man struggled through his final moments by simply letting his hand dip into his blood he looked down at the burnt metal bar that stuck out of his chest, he looked down at the bar, then at the blood on his hands and as the whole thing sunk in he began to laugh a coarse and dry laugh. Dante looked at the man and felt nauseous and felt sick. The reason the man hadn't been speaking was that Dante had torched his vocal chords.

The man's laugh continued until a sudden choking sound indicated that his lungs had filled with his own blood, as the air ran our, the man toppled face first into ground. As he hit the dirt ground, a small stream of blood ran out of his mouth.

Before Freya or Dante could say anything, the sound of whirring MAG suit jets shutting down followed by the pain of neural suppression lashes hitting Dante and Freya filled their worlds.

Freya tried to struggle against the pain that shot through her nervous system and through gritted teeth she asked a last question.

"What is happening?"

Dante replied, but his reply fell on deaf ears.

As they went down and the person in the MAGPIE suit bent down to pick the two out cold half-humans up to carry off.

As the MAGPIE lifted to take Dante and Freya away, the Children watched in horror and disbelief from the edge of the woods.

Galadd cursed as he saw Freya and Dante carried off, at the moment the large werewolf stood leaned on a tree-trunk by his side, he felt like he needed to do something, like he needed to help Dante and Freya but just like his friends he had no idea what to do.

"I thought you weren't using that stuff any more." Freya and Dante had woken up and found themselves tied to chairs, back to back in a non-descript office. "I thought you couldn't do it now."

"The pyromancy is fine. The Hellfire..." he sighed, "I didn't have much choice now, did I?"

"Well it didn't help much. What the fuck was that thing?"

"No fucking clue. Nothing like I've ever encountered. It made me...there was nothing."

"It had no scent," Freya murmured.

Dante tried to turn his head towards her. "So what? I'd rather it didn't smell to be honest. I can't imagine anything that gave me the creeps like that would smell pleasant."

"Have you ever tried to fight with your eyes half-closed?" she snapped, "Everything smells. You smell."

"Thanks..."

"No, I can smell your aftershave, the soap you used this morning, the shampoo you washed your hair with, the toothpaste you used after you had toasted cheese and an espresso for breakfast." She paused. "I don't like spearmint toothpaste... And under all that I smell your demon heritage; the Hellfire that runs through your veins - though it's not as strong after that blast you gave our scentless friend. I can smell that you're annoyed, and worried, and that you wish you'd never left Selenia." She leant her head back against his shoulder. "I shouldn't have bothered you."

"Selenia said this was important." Dante looked around the office in which they were imprisoned. "Where do you think we are?"

"I don't know, but I'm tired of waking up in strange places." She struggled briefly against her bonds. "I expect we're back in the military compound. You know, I'm surprised the government have never used those suits for anything other than chasing us down."

"It's not the government that are using these..."

"What?"

**

DanteCorp HQ, Atlanta, 2004

"Mr. Dante, General Trask is here to see you."

The voice came from the intercom on Dante's desk. He pressed the speaker button. "Show him in." He quickly folded away the leather case with the now empty needle within. A drop of green liquid still hung on the tip. He was rolling his sleeve back down just as the door of his office opened.

Wendy Masters stepped in, dressed (as usual) in the tightest thing she could find. Two men followed her in, General Trask and a man he didn't know.

"Hello, gentlemen." Dante stood as he spoke, holding out his hand. Wendy closed the door, leaving the three of them alone, but now before blowing Dante a kiss from bright red lips and giving him a broad wink.

"Mr. Dante," General Trask began as he shook his hand, "this is Colonel Bosk." The second man - Bosk - shook Dante's hand but remained silent.

"I take it you're here to discuss the MAG suits." Dante sat down and gestured for the others to do the same.

"Yes, although I'm afraid it's not going to be the answer you were hoping for," Trask said.

Dante's face remained impassive.

"Your presentation was very...interesting. Impressive, I mean." Bosk finally seemed to have found his tongue. "Unfortunately we think..."

"What the Colonel is trying to say," Trask interrupted, "is that the price is impractical. We cannot spend the sort of money DanteCorp and S-Mart Industries are asking for on...infantry combat... This sort of expenditure is better reserved for ships, for planes, for stealth technology, not for hand-to-hand combat. If you could channel your research efforts into something more...in keeping with the US Military's current strategies..."

"But these suits will revolutionise..."

"I'm sorry, Mr. Dante," said Trask, speaking over him, "I'm afraid the American Government isn't and never will be interested in this project." The two men stood again and walked towards the door.

"I don't think I have to tell you," Bosk added, turning at the door, "what kind of trouble you'd be in if these suits showed up anywhere else." He didn't wait for a response.

Dante slammed his fist into the desk. "Billions of dollars in research and development down the fucking drain," he growled, "good luck in Iraq, you short-sighted fuckwits." He picked up a glass from his desk and hurled it at the wall.

**

"This isn't the government," Dante said again, "I think I know who's behind bringing these suits out of storage. See, there's only one person who has the power to do that now."

"Are you going to tell me or keep me in suspense?"

"Novamori."

Freya wrinkled her brow. "That guy who bought your company?"

"That's him."

"What would he want with us? He already took your company from you."

There were footsteps in the corridor outside.

"I have no idea, but I think we're about to find out," Dante said quietly.

Dante had spent the last few minutes figuring out things to hurl at Novamori, Dante had despite his history of first being an atheist and now the son of Lucifer always had respect for people who had faith, he didn't share it but he respected it.

Novamori on the other hand used his faith as a weapon and a battering ram, and that Dante had zero respect for. Just as he was a bout to blurt out some comment about Novamori being holier then though, he paused as a man in a US army uniform stepped into the small room.

"Bosk?" Dante asked surprised.

Freya stared at her co-prisoner.

"You know him?"

"Not personally, he was the guy I tried to sell the Mag suits to.

Bosk said nothing, he simply stared into the empty space between them. Freya said nothing, she had left Bosk with the loggers as he was still out of it and the constant complaints about his weight was getting on her nerves. Dante however grinned his most sadistic grin.

"Long time no see, Bosk...I see they didn't find someone deserving to promote..."

Dante hadn't really ever felt angry at Bosk before but being in the same room again with the man who had stopped a multi-billion dollar affair seemed to make him angry despite the four years that had passed.

Bosk, again said nothing, he continued to stare at the spot between Freya and Dante. Dante loaded up for a second burst of anger a female voice with a strange accent to it, an accent that made you feel small and dumb interrupted.

"Save your breath Jason Dante, General Bosk will not respond to you toxicity."

Freya and Dante looked at the woman who stepped into the room, she was about average height with shoulder length hair or a colour that at best could be called rat coloured, she seemed to belong to none and all ethnicities, as soon as she looked at Dante and Freya, they both felt an urge to throw up. As She struggled to keep her breakfast down, Freya blurted out.

"She...she...she is the same as the guy in the jungle."

Dante simply nodded, fearful that opening his mouth would only result in him losing his lunch.

Dante tried and failed to look serious and focused as the strange woman stepped up to him, her voice had a strange almost musician accent as she began to talk.

"Jason Christopher Dante...born in 1978 in Chicago to George and Melissa Mann, raised in New York an albino as a result of his heritage."

Dante said nothing, of course he wasn't too impressed. It seemed that every member of the supernatural elite knew everything about him. As Dante tried to look angry, the woman pressed on.

"Demons call you the Earthborn, the Scion of Hell and the firstborn of the traitor king."

"Firstborn is a bit of a fucking lie." Dante replied as calmly as he could.

"I know."

"You fascinate me Mr. Dante."

"I do?"

While Dante and the strange woman talked, Freya rummaged around in her pockets, it seemed that they had been searched while they were out cold as most of her things were missing, but in her right pocket she found something useful, a match. Slowly she began to try to get her ties off of her. She knew what Dante could do with a little fire.

"You have the chance to simply get it all and yet you refuse to take it, you are the son of Lucifer and you could simply seize this world as your own."

Dante laughed.

"I don't want the world, I want a small piece of it for me and my family...that's what I want."

The woman nodded but clearly didn't understand at all. Her eyes looked very strange, Dante remembered what he had been taught about black holes, former stars so dense that not even light could escape their gravitational pull. The woman's eyes seemed to be the same, they were deep black holes in a face that seemed to gleam with repressed sadistic urges.

"Tell me something, what is the "love" of two people compared to guiding the fates of thousands if not millions? If you want "love" so desperately, you can make them love you."

"Lady, I'm from New York...I know exactly how little love people in general are capable of."

"But you would have power, power beyond your wildest imagination...you could be like an Emperor..."

"I said it once and I'll say it again...I don't want the world...I want my family."

"I see. But you realise how fragile your family is a car accident...a freak fire...all gone..." she said with a smile that made Dante's skin crawl.

"Is that a threat?"

"Call it a possible future."

"Not while I'm alive it isn't."

As Dante spoke, he dragged his wrists against his bonds and tried to open up a wound on his skin.

"You seem to retain you attitude despite being in a less then ideal situation, Mr. Dante..." The woman mused trying to shift the subject.

"What can I say, I'm from New York..."

*****

The Children had been watching the guards that patrolled the compound for the last half an hour, at first they hadn't seen anything strange with the armed US soldiers that patrolled the area, but when they saw one of the guardsmen stand and stare directly into a concrete wall for five minutes they decided that something was amiss. Slowly they made their way towards the compound, they covered the open space between the jungle and the base's fences in a minute. Once at the gate they leap up and over the barbedwire topped fence. As they landed a group of US Service men approached them. The lifted their M4s at the intruders but in place of the normal warnings and typical "You are under arrest"s the soldiers seemed to mutter the same sentence over and over.

Gwen looked at the soldiers.

"What are they saying?"

"Glory be to the Apocalypse." Tilpin replied, sounding surprised.

*****

In the interrogation room things were getting tense, Dante had been grinning none stop since he threw the New York remark, of course that was the reason he wanted to project, the real reason for his stupid grin was that he now felt the for once satisfying sensation of warm blood running down his wrist, as the vitae made contact with the bonds that kept him tied to the chair he started talking again, afraid that the sound of the acidic blood eating through the bonds would alert their less then hospitable hostess.

"I assume there is a reason you brought us here..."

"There is..."

Dante cursed.

"And that reason is?"

"I consider myself a scientist, a bit like yourself."

"Really?"

"Yes, I have chosen a field that is to say the least completely different from yours...Although I have to say that the suits you created are right up my alley."

"Oh, they are? I assume it was you and you friend that tried to either cook us or fill us with holes in the jungle."

"Yes...It was."

"We sure made a mess of your friend."

"Don't kid yourself, Mr. Dante...you did not kill my partner, he expired because of an accident. It was simply impossible for you or your female companion to hurt him.

But we are getting away from the subject at hand...My line of work is investigating the responses to pain...extreme pain in human subjects."

"I assume Bosk and the soldiers in this base are you handiwork?"

The woman smiled a smile that was only skin deep.

"No, the reprogramming of the soldiers was my partners handiwork, he was a master at resculpting the human mind into something more fitting."

"Really?" Dante felt a fool for repeating himself. "Why not cut to the chase and just tell us what you want and what the hell you are?"

"We are the end, Mr Dante...the end of everything. Ours is the right to do as we wish with those who are about to face extinction, we are surgeons operating on the useless free minds of the world, we operate and put order in place of chaos...our order. Pain is the first step, I have found that pain opens the mind and lets the seeds of order be planted."

"So what you do is torture?" Freya asked.

The female werewolf had remained quiet as she fished the match out of her pocket, she had hoped that the strange woman would leave the room, so that her nausea would stop and so that she could give Dante the match, the instant a drop of blood had hit the floor behind the albino her plans had changed.

"Yes. Torture is the best way to open a mind."

At this point, Dante rejoined the debate.

"No...I have to disagree."

The woman turned only to see Dante standing up, free from his bonds. He took a step towards Freya and smeared som of his blood on her bonds to free her.

The, as the woman stared at the half-demon, he held his hand up and summoned Stormcaller. Dante didn't waste a second, so he attacked the woman, she was unarmed but she had threatened to torture him and Freya so he decided to give his conscience a miss and go unto her before she did unto them. Dante swung at her neck. Seconds later he found himself on the floor.

"Did I miss?" he asked himself.

The woman grinned at him and grabbed him by his shirt and pulled him to his feet.

"I seem to recall telling you that you couldn't hurt my partner, why would I be any different."

Before Dante could say "How the hell am I supposed to know?" the woman flung him into the nearby wall.

This was Freya's cue, she charged the woman and tackled her as the two women fell to the floor , Freya tossed the match to Dante.

"Catch!"

At that moment a group of soldiers stepped in, they all had the same blank stare as their commanding officer, in fact Bosk joined his men in raising his weapon at Dante.

"Boys, that is a BAD mistake you are making."

With a quick flick of his wrist, Dante scratched the match against the nearby wall and a small flame appeared at the tip of the match. Seconds later, Dante hurled another ball of flaming plasma against the soldiers.

While Dante played with his pyromancy, Freya was having no success in defeating or ever getting rid of the strange woman, every time she struck her, the woman didn't even seem to feel the pain, she just laughed at every blow Freya landed. Just as the woman locked her fingers around the throat and was about to begin strangling her, she felt the barrel of an M4 being pressed against her skull.

"Feel like trying to dodge this one?"

With a snarl on her lips she let Freya go. Seconds later the two was gone and the woman stood alone in her "office". She was upset that she hadn't had the chance conduct more of her research, but most of all she was dejected that she had failed her task. Dante and Freya were potent enemies, her master had given her the task of eliminating them...and she had failed.

As the treatment of her now dead partner slowly ended as the grey matter of the soldiers finally was worn out from the strain, she walked away her superior had a helicopter waiting to take her back to his headquarters, as the soldiers one by one fell into a strange form of brain death, she left the base behind.

*****

"Any ideas?" Gwen asked.

"No." Tilpin repilied.

"Well I'm open to suggestions."

Galadd had had enough of this, his injury was almost healed now,and he was spoiling for a fight. As the large werewolf took a step forward, the soldier he approached seemed to go into spasms.

The Children looked on in astonishment as their guards died one by one.

"What is happening here?" Galadd asked.

Gwen and the rest had no reply.

"I have no idea."

Gwen looked around the base, all over the base, lay men with blank stares...dead as door nails. As she surveyed the place she felt a scent.

"Freya is here...and so is Dante."

Second later the two came running out of the bases main building, a former military installation that had no been turned into a charnel house. Dante and Freya panted as they reached the children.

They said nothing, they all just stared at the dead that lay strewn about the place. After a few seconds, Dante was the first to speak.

"Ok, so how many of those are the doing of you guys?"

"None of them..." Galadd said sounding almost ashamed.

"I see."

"They just dropped dead..."

"I know, all of the soldiers here seems to have done that."

"So what do we do now?" Gwen asked.

"We find Darkness."

"Darkness?" Galadd asked. "I thought you and Dante had decided that we didn't need him."

"We didn't, but now we have come across something that we can't seem to beat."

"And what would that be?"

"You remember the people in the MAG suits?" Freya asked.

"Yeah?" Galadd replied.

"They seem to be able to resist our attacks, struck one of them with Storm Caller and the damned thing just passed through her."

"Her?"

"Yes..."

"So..." Gwen began. "Where is Darkness?"

Dante sighed as he sat down.

"Last I heard he was in LA."

"So we're going to LA?"

"No, Darkness has a match at our next show, as soon as he puts his foot in Brazil, we get hold of him."

"And in the mean time?"

"In the mean time, I get back to my wife and try to avoid being absent from the birth of our child."

Damn...double post.