"Herbal tea."

Stern placed the mug down on the coffee table in front of Indigo, who regarded it with a kind of grateful relief. She took a second to hover over it and inhale its revitalising aromas.

"Can you feel your chakras realigning?"

"Almost as we speak." Indigo took a brief sip of the hot beverage. "This is lovely, thank you."

"How's your head?" Stern asked as she took a seat behind her desk in the skybox.

"I think it'll feel better after this."

"I have some antibiotics if you'd prefer. You've no idea," she added with a rueful smile, "how often being the Commissioner of a wrestling promotion necessitates the use of paracetamol."

"I prefer herbal remedies..."

"I thought you might," Stern smiled. "Do you often get headaches?"

"No, not really. It's only started since I came to TCW." She frowned over her tea.

"Perhaps it's psychosomatic?"

"Psycoso...what?"

"It's when a physical ailment is caused by something psychological."

"Oh."

Stern leant forward. "What I mean is, you may be suffering headaches because of your guilt over this whole situation."

"Maybe..." Indigo didn't sound convinced.

"You have nothing to feel guilty about, Indigo," Stern continued, "Powers fired you, and you have a right to make a living."

"I know..."

"And he took what was rightfully yours. No one thinks any less of you for grabbing, with both hands, the opportunity to get that back."

"Yeah...about that..." Indigo put her mug back down on the coffee table. "When you offered me this contract, you said you'd be able to get me a match for the FWRFed World Championship."

"That's right."

"By which I assume you now mean, the Road to Glory."

Stern nodded. "Exactly. I suckered Powers right into it - you saw what he said at that show of theirs. The winner of the Road to Glory can choose which title they challenge for."

"Yes, but that's not...I mean...it's not quite what you promised, is it?"

"Indigo, before you came to TCW and started what you started at Friction, you had no chance whatsoever of regaining your belt - now you have a chance."

"A slim chance."

"But a chance nonetheless."

Indigo sighed. The herbal tea was some mass-market crap, but she hadn't had the heart to say anything, since Stern had gone to so much effort to get it for her after she'd complained. It wasn't doing her headache any good at all.

"I might go and have a lie down or something," she said after a couple of moments.

Stern looked concerned. "Is there anything I can do?"

Indigo straightened. "Yeah, send me some tapes or something. I need to research what I'm up against at this battle royal thing."

"Probably wise."

"Plus it beats wandering around the arena, hoping to bump into someone, having some sort of ridiculous misunderstanding and making even more enemies."

"I wouldn't discount your chances of that happening yet," Stern told her with an amused look.

"Hey, I'm used to it."

"Just watch out," the Commissioner said, her tone suddenly serious, "you may find a rather different brand of ridiculous misunderstanding - not to mention enemies - here in TCW."

"I think I can handle it," Indigo replied breezily.

* * *

Izumi blinked a few times as her mind emerged from the fog of a deep, dreamless sleep.

"Ugh...how long have I been asleep?"

There was no one there to reply, so she sat up in her bed and looked around. She couldn't remember going to sleep. The hotel room's curtains hadn't been closed. Her laptop was in hibernation mode. Apparently, she had gone directly from consciousness to blissful slumber with none of the usual processes that normally came in between.

She looked down and realised she was naked. Suddenly embarrassed she clutched the covers to herself, then realised no one was there.

"Well I'm still embarrassed," she said to nobody.

Izumi couldn't shake the feeling that she wasn't alone. After the events of the previous evening - the reality-warping visit from the creature she knew only as Bleeder - her head was spinning. Was she really out of her depth on this mission? Was a war really coming?

"I have to find him," she told herself - sure it was just herself now - as she threw the covers aside and reached for her clothes, discarded in a relatively neat pile on the floor beside her bed. Once dressed, she positioned herself in front of the laptop again and brought it back to life with a deft push of the button.

Resting her chin in one hand, she idly scrolled through the folder full of Media Player files depicting footage from more than a decade of Monday Night Raw. It was interesting, but suddenly she craved something more relevant to her current situation. She clicked up, revealing a second folder, this one labelled "TCW". Opening it up, her eyes settled on dozens of short clips and entire matches and segments from the promotion that Inferno called home. Or perhaps not any more - she'd have to quiz him more closely about his strange words earlier in the week.

"I need to find an Antichrist," she murmured. Bleeder had said Hellfire, but she got the distinct impression he had been mocking her. It almost seemed too obvious.

What did the Antichrist look like anyway? Would he be a demon? A man? A woman? Something more esoteric? Maybe it wasn't a person at all, but a concept. How do you kill an abstract idea? Perhaps the Antichrist was professional wrestling itself; a threat to society as the establishment had once accused rock and roll of being in the 1950s.

Izumi certainly hoped that wasn't the case. The whole reason she had been chosen for this assignment was because she was a wrestling fan - why would they pick her if her mission's objective was to destroy that which she loved? On the other hand, her superiors didn't know the identity of the Antichrist any more than she did...

"This isn't getting you anywhere!" Izumi yelled, pressing her palms against her head.

Blowing one of her bangs out of her face, she returned to studying the screen. File after file, represented by thumbnails each showing a stilled instant of in-ring action or promo cutting, scrolled before her eyes. Wouldn't she have known the Antichrist the second she saw him (or her)? Shouldn't he (or she) be the kind of person you'd be able to identify at a glance? A figure with such force of personality that they would be irresistible, exerting some kind of supernatural pull on everyone around them?

"Well, Matt Strikmore is pretty hot," she mused, "and he was very nice about my shoe that time..."

That was probably not a criterion for Antichrist-hood though. It was a criterion for using her contacts to get his number sometime, but that was another matter.

"No, this is no good." She slammed her laptop shut, thrusting it back into hibernation mode again. "I'm not going to find anything out just sitting here. I've spent my whole time here just following Inferno around like some fangirl, and living my own wrestling fantasy in FWRFed." She drove her small fist into the desk. "Time to wise up and get to work. Time to do what you came here to do, Izumi."

She stood up and went looking for some cleaner clothes.

* * *

Stern was sniffing experimentally at Indigo's discarded cup of herbal tea when there was a knock at her door. Quickly tipping the contents into a plant pot and shoving the mug in a drawer, she picked up some papers and cleared her throat. "Come in..."

A man entered. Tall, lean, with chiselled features and dark, penetrating eyes.

"You must be Ms. Stern," he said. His accent was neutral.

"You appear to have the advantage of me, Mr....?"

"Lee. Ryan Lee." He extended a hand.

"Ah, of course. I'm sorry, I only know you from photographs, and they hardly do you justice." She took his hand. Good shake. He was dressed in a dark shirt open at the collar. She could feel the strength in his grip.

He smiled at her compliment in a charmingly lopsided fashion as he sat down on the other side of the desk. There was a little stubble on his face, but it didn't look untidy. Indeed, Ryan Lee exuded an aura of supreme confidence. Here was the kind of man Stern could book and...

No, she wasn't going down that road again.

"So, Mr. Lee..."

"Ryan, please."

"Ryan," she smiled, "I'm glad you came to see me."

"I wanted to make your acquaintance in person and thank you for allowing me to join the roster."

"Well your credentials are above reproach. I believe you will be an excellent fit for TCW."

"I appreciate that. I'm very much looking forward to making myself useful to the organisation," there was only the tiniest pause, "and you, of course."

"Of course." She looked down at the papers in front of her so as to avoid meeting his gaze at just that moment. "You may be aware," she continued, looking back up at Lee, "that we're about to begin an event called the Road to Glory."

"I had heard something about it, yes."

"And, this year, it's particularly important, as we're in competition with a rival organisation."

"Oh?"

"Yes. I won't go into details - I'm sure your secretary...what was her name again? We did speak on the phone..."

"Elizabeth. And she's my PR Manager."

"Of course," Stern said smoothly, "my apologies. Anyway, I'm sure she can fill you in on the details."

"Oh, she's very thorough."

I bet she is, Stern thought. "As you can imagine, with TCW's reputation on the line, it's more important than ever that the roster features the best talent in the world. That was exactly why we selected you out of so many applicants."

"As I said, I appreciate the opportunity."

"Obviously, all the arena's facilities are yours to use as you wish. Many of our roster members like to use the gym at the stadium for convenience."

"Thank you, Ms. Stern, but I have my own facilities available. My people prepare such things ahead of time."

"Naturally. Well, I shan't keep you any longer then."

Lee stood up. "If you don't mind, I wondered if I might have a walk around the arena anyway. Perhaps meet some of my colleagues?"

"Feel free. I should warn you though," she said, rising and offering her hand, "some of them are a little...rough around the edges."

"Aren't we all?" he smiled back.

She laughed lightly and, as he turned around, watched him walk out of her skybox. "Oh yes," she agreed once he had left, "I bet you have a few rough edges under that shirt of yours. Hm."

* * *

Indigo was wandering randomly through the corridors, trying to find the exit, one hand pressed against her throbbing skull. She turned a corner, then stopped dead.

"Do you think such a sugary drink is wise?" a tall, striking woman with hair so blonde it was almost white falling down her back was asking. Her cheekbones were...astonishing...and her eyes were a deep shade of amber.

But it wasn't the woman who had caught her attention - it was the man whom she was addressing.

Lean, muscular, tattooed, his body swathed in bandages, but with a fierce glint in his ice-grey eyes, she knew immediately that this was Darkness. Once her counterpart in TCW, now she supposed he was the man she should be looking up to. He was standing in front of a vending machine, jabbing at buttons in defiance of his companion's advice.

He turned to her, noticing somehow that he was being watched. She gasped.

"Indigo, right?" he said after a few seconds. "Can I help you?"

"How'd you do that?"

He glanced at the woman with the cheekbones next to him. "Do what?"

"Um...you have...an aura..." she was suddenly embarrassed.

"Aura?" He was looking at her like she'd sprouted a second head.

"It's very noticeable," she mumbled, "I have...um...a talent...for stuff like that. For seeing auras, I mean."

Darkness folded his arms across his chest and cocked his head at her. Turning almost the same colour as her hair, Indigo spun on her heel and beat a hasty retreat. Darkness watched her go with a bemused look. A thunk brought his attention back to the vending machine.

"Ah. Perfect."

"You shouldn't drink that," Gwen warned again.

He gripped the can in his artificial hand and pulled it open with the good one. Not taking his gaze from her, he took a sip.

"Lovely!" he declared, smacking his lips.

"I'm telling Freya. She said you were only to drink water."

"Telltale," Darkness smirked. He looked back down the corridor, in the direction Indigo had disappeared. "What do you think that was all about?"

"I don't know, but if that's the sort of person they make Champion in this FWRFed place, I hardly see why your Commissioner is so concerned with defeating them."

Darkness laughed and jerked his head back in the direction of the locker room. "Come on, let's find Freya so she can tell me off for drinking this."

Okay Izumi. Calm down and think about this for a little bit.

There's no way the AntiChrist is an ideal or something intangible. Especially not wrestling. A lot of people think wrestling is evil anyway, how can it deceive the whole world?

It's definitely a person, the way the prophecies speak of him. That Bleeder even referred to him as a 'he'...What else had he said about him?

"Do you want to kill him? It's not hard."

"He's only safe so long as everyone is watching him. Kill a camera man."

"Kill a lighting director."

"Kill Stern."

"Kill every opponent they feed you, and soon, there will be nobody watching him anymore."

"Hell will be free to attack him with everything it has..."

He had said that to Inferno...Hell will be free to-

Wait. There's something I've overlooked.

Why would Hell attack the AntiChrist? I thought he was on their side.

Bleeder did mention this was far deeper than I knew. He's a mysterious guy and perhaps that was misdirection, but so far I've managed to find some form of truth to his words...

Did the AntiChrist switch sides? The prophecies never mentioned anything about this...

I can't worry about that right now. For now, I have to assume he's evil. Focus first on finding him. Then we find out what side he's on.

Road to Glory, I can get up close and personal with all of the wrestlers.

The New Hellfire Club. A crap shoot, but it's the only lead I have. I already ruled out Freya.

That leaves...of the currently active roster... Jason Dante, Darkness, and Jay Ecks. Assuming it's one of them. The Hellfire Club could very well just be a red herring.

Of course, I wouldn't be much of a spy if I wasn't thorough.

I press the record button on my receiver, and smile to myself.

I've carefully bugged up all of the wrestlers and locker rooms. Every TCW wrestler is participating at the show. If there's any information on the AntiChrist or the 'war', I'll surely know about it.

--------------------------------------

Indigo groaned as she took a seat in the hall, holding her head. Such a headache. It felt like someone was rhythmically tapping a hammer into her skull.

Maybe that Darkness' aura was clashing with her spiritual wavelength, or something.

Oh, who was she kidding. Maybe Stern was right, after all It could be her guilt. She couldn't make excuses for herself. She had to deal with this on her own.

"This isn't my fault," she muttered to herself, "this isn't my fault, this isn't my fault..."

It wasn't making her head feel any better.

Maybe she should go back to the aura theory. She stared down at her shoes, trying to figure out what was wrong with her...

Then she spotted something. Small, dark, and round, on her pants. It blended in nicely with their color, and was so small that she would have completely overlooked it had she not had been looking down.

She plucked it off with a bit of effort, apparantly it had been stuck on with crazy glue. It looked like some sort of device. A receiver or something. Whatever it was, it was artificial, and had no place on her body.

"I bet that was giving me the headache all along. Damned machines," she said, tossing it into a trash bin.

--------------------------------------

Lee took a good look around the venue. Stern was right indeed, a few of them were rough around the edges. Several of the wrestlers he passed gave him an angry look, a look of 'you don't belong here, newbie'. Some others gave him a more friendly look and a wave.

He passed by a woman holding her head and noticed a tall, dark haired man with two belts flung over his shoulder entering his locker room.

"The World Champion, Darkness" he said to himself. The man had some sort of strong air about him.

Another brown haired man was nearby, leaning against the wall with a an issue of 'The Green Lantern' in his hand, staring intently on it. A single belt was over his shoulder. He seemed far more relaxed than anybody here.

"Hey," he said, in passing.

Strikmore gave a 'hey' and a wave as they passed. No glares or anything.

"He sure seems kind of out of place here..." he muttered to himself. Out of everyone, he was easily the most relaxed, the most normal-looking guy.

Of course contrasting with him a few yards down the hall was this huge guy who looked like he was made out of stone, and as muscular as the Incredible Hulk. Contrasting with him, right next to him was a girl who looked at least 2 feet shorter with red hair, they were muttering something about Road to Glory.

An odd bunch, indeed. He passed by a variety of people other strange people, like an albino and a red haired guy in a superhero suit.

They all have their secrets he thought. But it's time to take care of the other thing that's been bugging me...

--------------------------------------

A half hour had passed since Izumi's program had started.

Returning to her hotel room, the first thing her eyes spotted was...a mask.

A white, shapeless mask. No nose, no mouth, the only distinguishing feature being it's small eyes, which seemed to be staring at something...

But how did it get here?

The moment she touched it, she saw something out of the corner of her eye. Two shattered black ice eyes.

But they weren't there when she looked.

She decided this mask was important, and put it on her desk for later. Time to check out progress.

She went over to her receiver and listened in via headphones, flipping through the various channels. Most of them contained either silence, some random muttering, or chatter about RtG. She'd have to listen to them all in detail later, but for now it seems like nothing important had been said. No interesting feeds.

She sighed lightly and laid on the bed. For all she knew, this could have been a wild goose chase.
But it's better to make sure.

And to top it all off, the only wrestler she hadn't been able to keep tabs on was Inferno, who had gone missing. Presumably to...

"Very cute," said a voice, louder than the others. Izumi jumped.

"A bold person you are," it said, a neutral accented voice, "at first I'd thought you'd put the bugs only on me."

"Shit," Izumi said. "Someone's found them."

"But it seems...you've wired everyone up. Clever, but I found my bugs easily. I suppose I should thank you for making my job easier. I've hacked into your feed. Now I can hear -everything- you're hearing."

Izumi let out a surprised gasp.

"The only question is...what do you hope to find? And are you my friend or enemy? Let's find out, on neutral ground. Meet me in the Mangos restaurant, in the Miraflores neighborhood. Come alone, and wear a white flower somewhere visible on your body."

At that moment his voice faded out.

Izumi's mind was made up immediately. She gathered her things again and prepared to depart.

Before leaving though, she eyed the mask. Somehow, she felt, it might become important.

She gently placed it in her bag and left.

Izumi sat at the bar in Mangos. She'd arrived early so she could see who she was meeting before they actually met. She looked over the top of the menu she was meant to be perusing. Large sunglasses hid most of her face, but the lightning meant she had to look over them to check on her table. It was still empty. She righted her glasses and held up the menu again. Her scalp itched from where she'd bundled her hair under a hat - it was too hot in here, and her skin prickled.

"This may not have been the best disguise," she said quietly to herself.

"No, you should have worn less."

The voice made her jump in her seat, and she dropped the menu. The man that spoke had the same even tone and lack of obvious accent as the voice from the bug. She hadn't even noticed him approach her.

"Wh...what?"

"That hat and coat in this heat? You stick out like a sore thumb." The man gave a small smile as he placed one of two glasses of white wine he'd just ordered in front of her. She took it and sipped delicately, not taking her gaze from her companion's intense dark eyes.

"I think our table may be ready." He offered his arm to Izumi as she slid off the bar stool. She put her arm through his cautiously.

"Are you going to tell me who you are?" she asked.

He gave her another lopsided smile. "Lee. Ryan Lee."

**

Indigo sat cross-legged on a bench on a long train platform. A booked namd A Guide To Astral Projection was open on her lap. She closed her eyes and took in a deep breath. The pain in her head had lessened, but it still strove to steal her attention. She let out the breath, trying to accept the pain and breathe it out with the used air. On the next intake she tried to concentrate.

The idea of astral projection was to send a person's astral body to a place or person they wished to see. An astral body could leave its earthbound counterpart during dreams or out-of-body experiences, but doing it willingly was not so easy. Indigo had been pursuing it in her spare time on and off for some months now, and was certain she was close to finding the knack.

Images of the places she'd like to go flowed through her mind: home, Japan, maybe Europe, but she suspected she'd have had to have seen the place she wanted to go in person before visiting it in astral form. Mike popped up in her mind, like a body surfacing in the water. She shook her head slightly - that wasn't going to be good karma.

Gabriel...Will...even Powers...none of them were much better. She needed someone else...Darkness...

With a jolt, she felt air rush past her and then suddenly stop. She was somewhere else, she was sure. Slowly things came into focus around her. Anger filled her mind; not something she usually felt, but it burned bright, like some Hellish flame, yet there was ice at its core. Someone was talking to her. She blinked and saw the white haired woman she'd seen earlier with Darkness and the vending machine. There was something wrong with her. She didn't seem to fit in the world. At this realisation, her perspective seemed to change, as if she'd altered a radio in her head to a new wavelength, and her environment began to open up around her.

Indigo could feel the heartbeats of everyone around Darkness, and then everyone on the station with her physical body too. Then she noticed beetles under her chair and a colony of ants with their Queen's chamber deep beneath her feet. She carried on down, and out, feeling clouds above her and great seething oceans of molten magma far below. She pulled her astral perspective out further, encompassing the whole world, until she could feel the heartbeat of Gia herself...

"Oh my..."

She could feel birds in the sky and chicks in trees struggling to escape the shells of their eggs. She felt their new freedom, and the freedom of their parents flitting through the air. She briefly focused on a plane, on the heart of a businessman in its cabin, quailing in terror. And then up...and out...further and further...out of the world, beyond the atmosphere, beyond the orbit of the moon...

To something else...

Indigo felt afraid. There was something out there where nothing should be. A seething anger that hated and loathed. An unblinking eye watching everything far below and, above all, an invincible, infinite hunger. She couldn't pull herself away. She was terrified: a rabbit caught in the headlights.

Come away.

The voice was calm. Surprised, still angry, but in control. She felt Darkness draw her away from the alien presence, as easily as if he'd taken her hand and lead her.

What was that? She thought she'd said the words out loud.

Nothing you need to worry about. How have you done this?

I was...

Indigo was pulled back to her body by someone shaking her arm.

"Lima?" The woman looming over her pointed to the train standing at the platform. Indigo stared blankly at her for a few seconds before realising what was going on.

"Lima..." she said, waiting for the word to mean something again. "Oh! Lima!" She jumped up to her feet and hurried towards the train, before turning back and collecting her bag.

**

"Okay, now you can ask questions." Cutlery clinked as Ryan pushed his bowl away.

Izumi put her fork down and dabbed at her mouth with a napkin. She'd blasted questions at Ryan the second they'd sat down but he'd just smiled and told her to wait.

"Can't think of anything now?" He took a long sip of his wine. "Alright, I'll start. Why and how did you bug me and everyone else?"

"That's two questions."

Ryan nodded. "Okay. Why?"

Izumi shrugged. "I wanted information." She noticed he hadn't taken his eyes off her and felt her stomach make a backflip. "You said you wanted information too," she went on, "what are you going to use it for if you get it?"

"The same thing as you."

Izumi highly doubted that.

"So are you my friend or my enemy?" he asked.

"What's the difference?"

Ryan put his glass back on the table and raised his eyebrows briefly. "Well one means this is the last we see of each other in anything but a professional capacity and the other means this isn't, and we both get what we want."

Charm has always been one of the staples of a good agent. An old saying goes, "If you can't dazzle them with brilliance, baffle them with bullshit.". So whenever the situation arrives in which you have to rely on charisma, use it to your advantage. A warm smile and a glass of wine can go a long way.

"And what do you want?" Izumi asked, eyes trying to get a bead on this man in front of her. He exuded an aura of pure calm and strength. At no time since he surprised her at the bar did this man ever seem out of control of the situation. Ryan chuckled slightly.

"That really is a broad question when you think about it. I could take the cliché path and ask what do any of us really want, or I can answer the question in the most direct and in the now sense." Ryan paused, ever so slightly, to drink the last remaining bit of wine in his glass. "But, to avoid the casual banter and flirtations that will most likely end with us in bed, I will make it brief. Several members of this organization are of interest to me, and it goes beyond simple professional rivalry."

Izumi ignored the flirtation and focused on his answer instead.

"Who?"

She cut directly to the heart in all her questioning. Ryan knew her type well. Curious and direct. He enjoyed the combination. "Certain individuals with..." he paused, ever so slightly as if looking for the right word "Interesting friends. Sadly, I can't say more than that on this, our first date. But I have to wonder about you and your motives for planting such a crude device on me."

"I am looking for someone."

"Looking to find the person beneath the outward mask he wears maybe?"

"Yes."

"And he is?"

"I don't know really."

"Pity." Ryan signaled the waiter. "Coffee please, cream and sugar. And one for the lady as well."

The waiter nodded and hurried off to complete the task. Ryan could not help but admire the young woman in front of him. She had no fear of speaking so frankly about her actions. Most who engaged in such acts would deny or side step and try to do anything to change the subject. But not Izumi. She was open and honest. An admirable trait, but a foolish one as well. Ryan knew far too well the dangers that honesty brings.

"So you are searching for a man, a man you don't know. And in this search you cast out a wide net with your electronic surveillance, hoping, I would imagine, to pick up that one bit on conversation that will break this mystery wide apart." A silver tray with two cups of rich, black coffee were placed at the table. Cream, milk, and a variety of sugar products were laid out as well. "Thank you." Ryan said to the waiter, and picking up a warm cup, he began mixing it to his liking. "Am I correct so far?"

Izumi handled her cup as well and nodded.

"And in the process you found me." He took a delicate sip and smiled. "So how do I fit in?"

"I don't know yet."

"Maybe I am who you are looking for?" he remarked with a slight raise of his eyebrow.

"No, you're too new. The person I am searching for has been in this business for at least the past few months."

"What clues do you have then?"

Izumi eyed him wearingly. For the first time since she met him, a doubt entered her mind. He gave little away, while she did the opposite. He spoke almost nothing of his reasons for being here, while she left it known. Was he working against her?

"How can I trust you?"

Ryan chuckled. He expected the question much sooner in their conversation, but expected it none the less.

"Honestly? You can't. I can feed you whatever assurances I can as to my trustworthiness, but we both know that such proclamations can easily be lies. But, I could be telling the truth. Either way, it's a crap shoot."

He was right; Izumi had no reason to trust him. But there was something about Ryan that made her feel, well, comfortable around him.

"Anything I say is between us right?" She asked quietly.

"You, me, and the coffee."

"What do you know of the Anti-Christ?"

"Mythical figure in Christianity believed to be a sign of the end times."

"Nothing else?"

"I don't concern myself with tall tales. Do you?"

Izumi suddenly felt embarrassed, little a school girl giving the wrong answer in front of her classmates. The feeling was odd. She knew what she knew, and there was no reason to be ashamed. She brushed the strange feeling aside.

"I do."

"Hmm..." was all Ryan said as he sipped his coffee. "And you are certain of this?"

"Yes."

"Then I fail to see how I can be of any help to you."

"I am beginning to think the same." He knew nothing Izumi thought bitterly.

"Well Izumi, I have certainly enjoyed your company. Under different circumstances, well, let's just say I wish they were different." He eyed her carefully "Yes, very different."

He placed his napkin neatly on the table and rose. Izumi started to rise as well.

"Where are you going?"

"I have others matter I must attend to, so please sit, and enjoy some dessert."

"So are we friends or enemies?" Izumi asked bluntly, and maybe a bit too loud.

Ryan paused for a moment. She was searching for something that, while he may not believe in its existence, she seemed to. And if she dug deep enough, other, more real concerns might be uncovered. Slowly he turned back towards her, a quaint smile on his face.

"For now? Friends. Until situations force a change."

With a slight, casual bow, he departed. Izumi sat at the table for some time pondering why she had been so open with a stranger.

And why he was so appealing.

---------------------------------------------------


"Well I'm taking my time! I'm just moving on. You'll forget about me after I've been gone. And I'll take what I find! I don't want no more, it's just outside of your front door!"

Rick spun around in his chair to the music, fully engrossed in his lip synching. He opened his mouth for the next part when he froze. Ryan was standing by the door looking at him with a bemused smile on his face. Cheeks flushed as Rick quickly turned down the music.

"Um...yea just linking up boss."

Ryan could not help but smile at his colleague. This was Rick's second field op, but the two of them had worked for years together previous. It was usaully Rick on the other end of Ryan's headset, giving him recon, intel, or just keeping him company on stake outs. Over the years, the two had devolped a bond that rivaled most flesh and blood brothers.

"With who? Boston?"

Rick laughed nervously.

"No, I mean yea. Both?"

Ryan laughed back.

"Don't worry, I've been known to jam out when I had to run the links. We secure in here?"

"You know it. All rooms are lined with scramblers and thumpers. So if you have any dirty little secrets you wish to confess, not even God could hear you."

"You and the jokes. I really think you stay up at night rehearsing this shtick."

"Nope. Great genes and a butt load of drinking in college made me the man I am today." he beamed in false, adding to the effect.

"Well your Lordship, if you might spare a moment for little ole me, I have a quick project for you."

"Ooooh." Rick exclaimed, rubbing his hand in devilish glee.

Ryan pulled a small device out of his pocket and tossed into onto Rick's station.

"What's this?" Rick asked, knowing the answer already.

"Cheap bug. One of the wrestlers tacked it on me."

Rick picked up the device and turned in over several times in his fingers.

"They play for keeps huh? Do you know who?"

"Izumi. I had a sit down with her about such actions."

"Well geez Ryan, why am I even here then?" Rick could barely contain the smile.

Ryan put his hand on Rick's shoulder and returned the smile.

"Because I lack your amazing gift with electronics." The praise laid on extra thick. "And I kind of told her I had access to everything she did. Think you can make my claim a reality?"

A toolbox was pulled from beneath Rick's desk.

"Give me a second, shouldn't be too hard. The things I do to cover your ass really, I swear."

Small tools emerged and with the grace and skill of a surgeon, Rick began to open the bug. After a few moments, he attached a cable to his computer and tied to it, two small wires. With a twist, the cable and wires connected. A few quick keystrokes later, he smiled in triumph.

"And like the master I am, bam, we have feed."

"Now you see why you're here. I couldn't hack it that fast."

"Well thank you. Just remember the eight o clock show is always different from the seven o clock show. Let's see what we got here. Wow, she's got almost everything tapped."

"Like?"

"Well I see wrestlers, staff, damn, little minx even got into Ms. Stern's office."

"Back em up so she can't cut transmission, I want to know where this information was headed."

"I'll get on it. So why did you set up a meeting? Wouldn't that kind of blow our cover?"

"I didn't give anything away. In fact, I got her to give something away."

"Already playing the field? You dog."

"Not like that." Ryan chuckled. "No, I just found out why she was bugging. Can't tell if she is serious or just confused however. Time will tell."

"What if she looks deeper into you?" Concern showed clearly on his face.

"We have Liz in case that happens."

"One order of brain wipe coming up?"

Ryan laughed.

"Pretty much. When you've got SatScan up, go ahead and do an overview of the arena and work out from there."

"What am I looking for?"

"Pretty much see if anything pings. Call me if you get something."

"Where are you going?"

"I'm heading back to the arena to try and see who Izumi is really concerned about."

"Want a tracker?"

"No need. I'm bringing Liz. She can get more than any bug could."

Ryan closed the door as he left, leaving Rick smirking. He returned to the feeds and started the process of bouncing the transmissions and tracing the source. Now alone, he turned back on his music.

Bitterly, Izumi threw her improvised disguise down on the bed. She regarded it with ill-disguised contempt for a few moments before stomping into the bathroom. A minute or two later, she walked out again, now dressed in a plush white robe, and jumped onto the bed herself, displacing the wig and glasses in the process.

"Okay...well that was a waste of time..." she said.

The wine had gone to her head a bit. She didn't drink very often, and it had been really good stuff by the taste of it. Ryan Lee - whoever the hell he was even supposed to be - knew his shit. And, she reflected, annoyed at herself for even thinking it, she probably would have gone to bed with him too if he'd only taken things in that direction.

"Next time a handsome stranger plies you with wine, don't mention you're searching for a mythical character," she noted to herself, running hands down her face and smudging her make up.

But, on the other hand, had she really wanted that to happen? James Bond might use seduction as a tool in his ‘investigations', but she was a field agent in the real world: she was guessing sleeping with Russian heiresses wasn't standard MI5 procedure, for example. So, in fact, she was glad nothing had happened.

Izumi just would have preferred it was her rejecting him.

She sat up on the bed. Mini-bar was a good option right now. No, it was a fun option: not the same thing. Instead, she went over to her laptop and opened it up, rudely awakening it from hibernation again. The bugging idea probably wasn't a great one, in retrospect. She'd been operating on the assumption that no one else would be looking for anything, but now Ryan Lee had swaggered onto the scene and that meant the whole mission had been compromised.

And she'd told him who she was looking for. That was probably a much bigger compromise.

Her shoulders slumped as she stared at the bright screen. "I don't think I've been handling this very well..."

She could just imagine what her superior would say. Sitting there in his office, hands clasped in front of him. He was the very man who had brought her into the organisation, and she supposed she should think of him as some kind of father figure, but there was nothing fatherly about him. The truth was that the entire group were gifted amateurs: the voice of the people, as they thought of themselves. That meant they were perfectly placed to speak for humanity, yes, but it also meant that some of them weren't as dedicated as others, and had ulterior motives. She'd been a little shocked to find out that she wasn't the first young Japanese girl that particular officer had brought in.

So now it was time to fix these mistakes. Time to get serious. She double-clicked an innocuous looking icon on the desktop and inputted a password - letters and numbers, no discernable pattern - which opened an application that no one in TCW outside of Ryan Lee would have even recognised, most likely. Dozens of feeds: she could click on any of these little boxes and hear what her bugs were telling her, but now the network had been compromised. When a plan fails, you abandon it and come up with another one. It was field duty 101. She clicked a button.

The computer asked if she was sure she wanted to do that.

"Yes, that's why I clicked it," she scowled at the little grey box.

OK.

The laptop stuttered for a moment. The program dealt with the sudden change in circumstances. For a second the world seemed to hold its breath as the icon in the corner changed to a white box. Then everything resolved itself. The feeds disappeared and the bugs stopped transmitting.

"There. Done."

* * *

"Ow! Shit!"

Rick yanked off the headset as the feedback whined in his ears. He stared in disbelief at the graphical representation on his own computer screen. The dozens of cheerfully humming devices that had just seconds ago been plugged into his own network had now gone dead.

"Is there a problem?"

The voice was Ryan's, coming faintly from the headset that was now on the floor. Rick picked it up gingerly and put it back on. "Uh...kinda."

"Kinda? What does that mean?" Ryan's voice was clearer now, but he was obviously talking in hushed tones.

"I just lost those bugs."

"Izumi's?"

"Yeah."

"Fuck. She's smarter than I thought."

Rick was tapping buttons on the keyboard in front of him. "I can probably get them back online..."

"Without her knowing?"

"Uh...well...maybe. If she's not checking on them right now..."

"Too risky then. Forget it, Rick. Looks like we're back to square one."

"Well, not necessarily..."

"Talk to me."

Rick looked at the computer screen, frowning at the data. Numbers scrolled in front of him: salvaged data from the bugs before they crashed so abruptly. "There's something here we didn't notice before."

"What?"

"Looks like one of these bugs went out of action hours before we hacked in."

"Someone found one?"

"Looks that way."

"Any idea who?"

Rick shrugged, even though Ryan wasn't there to see it. "Only way we could find out is through a process of elimination. Might take me a few minutes."

"Well get back to me then."

"Where are you anyway?"

"Looking around the city. Liz thinks she picked up someth..."

Rick heard what sounded like a scream on the other end of the line. "Ryan? Ryan?!"

There was a confused noise. Clearly, Ryan was replacing his earpiece. "Rick? You still there?"

"Yeah! What happened?!"

"Liz was doing a scan. Said she found something."

"And?"

"And she just collapsed!"

"Huh?"

Rick could hear the voices of passers by stopping to offer aid. Ryan replied in fluent Spanish, making up some excuse, most likely. They didn't need normal people getting involved in whatever this was.

"Ryan? Is everything okay? Should I call an ambulance?"

"I'll handle it. I'm going now. Need to figure this out and get Liz to safety."

"Ryan?"

"Later, Rick."

The line went dead. Rick flung off his headphones for the second time in ten minutes.

* * *

Plan B. If Izumi wanted to find the Antichrist, she had to follow the trail. While she knew - or strongly suspected - that he (or she) would be connected to TCW somehow, she actually had a stronger lead already. She just had to have the guts to follow it.

She reached across the desk and picked up the mask. As her fingers touched its pure white surface, she saw the flash of shattered-glass eyes again in the corner of her vision. She knew this was a gift from Bleeder - but could she trust him?

No, obviously not. You couldn't trust demons. That was kind of the point.

But if he wanted to kill or hurt her, he'd have done it already. Why leave her this if it was some kind of trap?

Because, a quiet voice in her head explained as she lifted the mask to her face, demons are tricksy. Sometimes they do things just to amuse themselves. It doesn't have to make sense.

Too late now. The mask was nearly on. She couldn't stop her hands if she tried.

It settled onto her face. A perfect fit. She blinked through the eyeholes, looking from side to side. She didn't feel any different, except for having a dumb mask on. What was this thing supposed to do?

"I bet if Ryan Lee were here he'd..."

The world spun around her. She was somewhere else, but also knew with equal assurance that she was still sitting there at her desk. Her mind was filled with panic, but not hers. She could hear a voice.

"Liz?! Liz, can you hear me?!"

It was Ryan's voice. She could hardly forget it. Somehow she was...communicating...with him.

"I'm in his head!" she exclaimed aloud.

She felt Ryan turn and look over his shoulder, wherever he was, as if some sound on the edge of hearing had caught his attention. Izumi found herself able to push further in a way she didn't fully understand. She entered Ryan's mind, catching snippets of emotions, thoughts and memories. It was all blurry though, and she couldn't get a fix on anything properly. What she could make out wasn't that interesting though: half-remembered dalliances with beautiful women, a lot of education and a steely determination. To do what, she couldn't figure out.

Izumi realised the power of the gift she had been given. This was better than any bug. She pulled away from Ryan and tried to think of someone else. If she could just go inside people's heads with this mask, she could probe everyone in the fed and figure out who the Antichrist was in the time it took to think of his (or her) name.

"Hellfire..."

That was where to start. Her perspective spun and her stomach lurched. It wasn't a specific enough command to find anyone, but it defiantly found something... Black flames that looked half-liquid reached out at her, and she quickly concentrated.

"Dante! Jason Dante!"

Her mind's eye settled. She could feel the mind of Jason Dante. He was angry about something, but it burned low, like a gas fire set to half strength. For now, it was smothered by something else. She felt around the hard shape of his thoughts, and found something softer. It was a link to another mind and, with a start, she realised there was third one too. She investigated, feeling the smaller mind out. It was soft and unformed, little more than a ball of confused emotions and instincts. It reached out to the other two minds constantly, as if clutching them tightly. At the moment, like Dante, it was content and comfortable, but it threatened to burst forth into panic or discomfort or any one of another dozen strong emotions at any moment. Experimentally, she pushed against the funny little mind.

"Selenia, do you feel that?"

"Yes. Someone's made mental contact with Meagan. I'm shielding her."

"Could it be Novamori?"

"I don't think so."

Abruptly, she felt her mental perspective pushed away, as if a smooth wall had been slid into place between the two of them. Who was Meagan? Who was Selenia, for that matter? Annoyed that her attempts to find out more had been scuppered, she felt her way around Dante's mind again. The surface was as impenetrable as the shield the Selenia person had placed between her and ‘Meagan', but there was another trail leading from it, off and away, into the distance.

Whatever Dante was, he was clearly capable of some kind of telepathy. The three minds operating as a linked collective proved that, but where did the other link lead? Izumi followed it, covering hundreds of miles of real-world distance in just a few heartbeats. On the other end, there was a second mind. It had some similarities to Dante's, but it was smooth and shielded as his had been: instead it was hot and bristling, but somehow icy cold at the same time. She reached inside.

Fire.

Flashes of strange images popped into her head. A burning city. Two trees. A glowering eye watching the whole world with an immortal hunger. A man stood overlooking a metropolis consumed by fire. Wings of flame arched over his head, and then he turned in her direction and watched her with eyes blazing like the sun.

"When will you people learn to STAY OUT?"

The force of the command jolted against her mind and, in the physical world, her body was thrown backwards too, sending the chair over onto its back. Izmui yelped in shock and pain. The mask rolled away. Startled, she blinked, surprised to find herself still in her hotel room, looking up at the white ceiling.

"Ow."

She rolled over and lay on the carpet for a few minutes. She had a headache. Had any of that been real? Whose mind had she just seen?

Stiffly, she picked herself up and reached across to the mask that had landed, unharmed, on the carpet. As her fingers brushed against the smooth white surface, she suddenly snatched them away and instinctively placed them in her mouth.

The mask was scalding hot.

* * *

Indigo was sitting on the train when her phone started to ring. Embarrassed by inflicting ‘Waltzing Matilda' on the whole carriage, she rifled through her bag as fast as she could. Finally finding the offending item, she flipped it open and shoved it to her ear.

"Yes?"

"Oh...uh...is that...Indigo?"

"Yes, who else would it be?"

"I was just checking. I mean...I wasn't sure..."

"Who is this?"

"My name's Rick."

"I don't know anyone called Rick."

"I know," Rick admitted, "I'm a...uh...I'm a friend of one of your colleagues."

"That sounds a bit suspicious. Who gave you this number, Rick?"

"No one. I found it myself."

Indigo frowned. "Found it? How could you find it? Someone didn't write it on a restroom wall or something, did they?"

"No! Look, it would take a while to explain. I need your help."

"Why?"

"I need to know if you deactivated a bug someone placed on you today."

"A...bug?" Indigo didn't know what the strange man was talking about.

"A listening device. It would have looked like a little black cylinder."

"Oh. That. Yes, I suppose I did." Her brain caught up with her ears. "Wait...a listening device? Someone was listening to me?"

"For a little while. Listen, something's happened to a friend of mine, and I think you might be able to help."

"What makes you think that?"

"You're the only lead I have. Can I meet you somewhere?"

"Might be difficult. I'm on a train."

"To where?"

"Lima."

"Perfect, that's where I am. I'll meet you at the station."

"What?" Indigo took her phone from her ear and stared at it in disbelief. "I don't even know who you are! And now you want to meet? How the hell would I help with your friend? What's going on?!"

But the line had gone dead. She looked at the phone in disbelief once more before snapping it shut and returning it to the bag. The other passengers on the train were staring at her.

"Oh, don't you lot start." She slumped back in her seat and folded her arms huffily.

"This is just shaping up to be a wonderful fucking day." Darkness growled. "Now, not only do I get yelled at for drinking a single Coke, I have got people prodding into my mind left and right."

"Your mind?" Gwen said, a concerned look on her face.

"Three times today. My mind is not an open book to be read."

"...Is it the Abyss?"

He shook his head. "No. I would know instantly if it were the Abyss. These were all amateurs, I was able to eject them all out quite easily. Besides, the enemy knows almost anything they need to know about me anyway, they do not need to probe my mind. These people were just interlopers, sticking their noses where they didn't belong."

"What are you going to do, then?" Gwen asked him.

"Heh. Nothing. It's not worth getting worried over. I'll simply give the next intruder a headache they will never forget." The World Champion took a deep breath. "Besides, I have other things to worry about. Like who's going to be challenging for my title at Endgame."

"Maybe it will be Dante again?"

"Three years in a row?" Darkness chuckled. "Who knows. I would not put it past him to have it in him to go all the way through the match again."

"And if you win?" Gwen sounded genuinely curious.

"You know what? I really don't know." Darkness replied. "It's something to think about, though. I could always opt for a unification match. But really, I have not given it much thought yet." Then, he gazed at Gwen. "Want a shot?"

"No thanks, I'm not into this sort of thing, you know that."

"Only joking," he said. "Besides, best not to count my chickens before they hatch..."

"What's that?" Gwen suddenly said.

"What?"

"On your pant leg. Right there."

Darkness' fingers found a small, black, cylinder, practically superglued to his pants. He lifted it up and stared intently at it...

------------------

The images of the flaming city and the firey, winged man stuck in her head. Izumi could feel that she might have been onto something. She'd felt that when she found the AntiChrist, she'd know it...was this the mind she was looking for? If only she had recognized the person...

Her hands scrambled for the mask, and again they withdrew, the still-lingering heat sobering her back up to reality.

She had been forcibly ejected from that mind. If she tried to go in again...and if it was the AntiChrist...no. This was no good at all. Best to leave this alone, she'd had enough mind-jumping for one day. This was not a power to wield as a toy...after all, it was from Bleeder, and if she was careless with such a thing...

Instead, the first thing to do was to use the clues she had already been given. There was always Dante. He had a link to that mind...surely, he knew something. The problem was getting him to cough it up, because if he really was connected to the AntiChrist, he would not let such information go willingly. In fact, if she confronted him with it, she might endanger the mission by tipping her hand. Like she'd already done with Ryan.

Speaking of whom, she still had him to deal with. She'd made sure he'd not be able to use her bugs. Did she need to concern herself with him anymore? He wasn't a really big problem but if she ignored him she was asking for trouble. He did know what he was doing, and she couldn't be really sure what to do.

Time for a new plan, but, first...

-----------------------

...BRIIIIING...

...BRIIIIING...

BEEP.

"Who's speaking?" The man said with a gentle voice...a tan, large, suited man, with a blue jacket and red tie. His eyes were almost hidden behind two oval blue sunglasses, and his hair, was thin, flat against his head, and blonde. A goatee finished off his features. He looked to be in his mid 40s...

"Izumi. Reporting."

"You're late calling," he said, his voice going from gentle to extremely stern, almost raspy and growling.

"I am sorry. Things came up."

"What things? You better not be wasting my time, Izumi. Tell me you've found something."

There was a pause on the line for about five seconds. "...A strong lead."

"A lead, you say?"

"Well, you probably won't believe me, but...I got into someone's head." Her voice sounded almost like she didn't believe it herself.

"And what did you see?"

"Flames. Towering flames. They engulfed a city that seemed like it was melting eternally...a great, immortal eye, staring over everything...and a single man, watching over the city, with tremendous, flaming wings, and eyes that were like the sun...and when he saw me, I was ejected..."

"Izumi. Tell me immediately, how did you get such a vision?"

"...A mask. It appears to allow me to invade people's minds."

"Are you saying you think the vision you saw was inside the mind of the AntiChrst?"

"Well...yes."

His voice sounded even sterner, if that was even possible. "And where, pray tell, did you pick up a mask that lets you stare into people's minds?"

Pause. "I found it." An obvious lie. And he knew.

"Izumi!"

"Fine, fine. I had an encounter. With a demon. And he left that for me..."

...

...

A disappointed sigh. "Izumi. Have you LOST YOUR DAMN MIND?"

An 'eep' from the other side of the phone. "N-no!"

"You FUCKING KNOW BETTER than to trust demons. They are unpredictable creatures who will fuck with you and deceive you just for the hell of it. You don't know what you're getting yourself into!" His voice was angry, but also concerned.

"But, he was d-"

"Do not 'But', me, Izumi!" The man just let out a sigh, trying to calm himself. "Listen to me. That is an artifact from the darkest place of the universe. For your own sake...where is that thing?"

"Right here."

"Please, just destroy it, and let us never speak of it again."

"But-"

"Izumi. You will not be relying on something from Hell. It could destroy you." He seemed to be trying to push his voice back to gentle. "We wouldn't want that, would we...sweetheart? You're a valuable asset to us...and to me. Rely on yourself, not demonic items. Have I made myself clear?"

...

"Yes, Mr. Cain."

BEEP.

-----------------------

Upon the train stopping, Indigo grabbed her things and quickly moved to get off the train, mingling in with the crowd. Or so she thought.

"Indigo!"

Rick's voice. She turned her head and could see him headed in her direction, waving...she made to quickly lose him.

No such luck. Rick caught up with her. "Indigo, just please, wait for a moment!"

"Leave me alone!" Indigo shouted. "I don't know you and I don't want anything to do with you. Now leave before I call the police and get you arrested for stalking me."

"Listen, please. Just hear me out, for a moment, Indigo..."

Indigo folded her arms. "You've got one minute and then I'm leaving here."

Rick took her aside. "Alright, so anyway, remember that bug you threw away? We found out who planted it. I can't give you any specifics, but they were looking for...somebody. So we went to try to find them, and uh...a friend of mine...Liz. Okay, so she's like a telepath, if you can believe that for a moment, and I guess she was reading someone's mind, when she said she found something, she collapsed. And I lost contact with Ryan..."

"Who?"

"That colleague of yours I mentioned. Just joined that wrestling federation...TEW?"

"TCW. I used to work at FWRFed, actually."

"TCW. Whatever. Anyway. You're the only one who knows about these bugs apart from Ryan and I. And Ryan won't talk to me. So I need your help."

"How am I supposed to help you?"

"Well...I think you might know something about Liz falling unconscious."

"Why?"

"Because you're a wrestler at TCW. I bet you want to know why someone planted those bugs, right? Because someone was looking for something. And I like I said, Liz thought she found it...maybe...she read someone's mind, and got kicked out, forcibly. You're around the wrestlers, surely you've noticed some strange people that might have something to hide?"

Indigo thought about it, and let the first word that came to mind roll off her tongue.

"Darkness."

"What did you say?"

Indigo shook her head and looked at Rick. "Oh, nothing. I really don't think I can help your friend. I'm sorry." She turned and started to walk away.

"Do you believe in destiny? Fate?" Rick gave Indigo a pained look as she turned around. "I was looking up information about you when whatever happened to Liz happened."

"Looking up information about me...?"

"I'm here with another wrestler. Ryan Lee. He wanted to scout out his opponents so he wasn't going into this big match blind. I'd already looked up Strikmore, Jason Dante..Darkness..." he watched her face carefully to see any flickers of emotion. "And I just got this hunch that you could help."

"And what does this have to do with people reading minds? Do I look like the kind of person who believes in telepathy?"

Rick looked her up and down. Baggy jeans, a loose-sleeved top with a flower print on it, beaded necklace and lots of funny-looking rings on her fingers. Also: sandals.

"Well..."

Indigo narrowed her eyes at him. "Fine." She waved her hands. "If this was some sort of abduction attempt, I don't think you'd make up such a crappy story. Lead the way. But any funny business and I'm leaving."

"No funny business. I promise." Rick gave her a grateful smile before leading her to a waiting car.

**

Izumi sat at a table, coffee in one hand, sheaf of papers in the other. Her head still throbbed from her experience with the strange white mask. It was making all the numbers in front of her swim. She turned to the next sheet.

TCW merchandise figures for second-quarter 2008.

It was a long sheet, but if the Antichrist was supposed to win the hearts and minds of the common people then this ought to be a good place to start looking. Right?

Darkness.

He'd been at the top of all the lists on every sheet of figures she'd looked at, going back to about 2005. The range of products being sold with his face and name on had been decreasing, but the sales of those that remained were still high.

"He is the World Champion though," she rationalised aloud. Matt...Dante...Freya...

She took a sip of coffee. Was she sure the Antichrist was male? Freya had certainly attracted the attention of her group, but then, the Vindicators had cleared her. She took another sip of coffee. Could they have missed something? She tapped her fingers on the table. So who else was there? Below the top merchandise sellers, there wasn't much to choose between the rest of the fed.

Izumi needed another plan. Maybe it was time to try the mask again.

**

Indigo and Rick sat in the back of the black car. Indigo shifted slightly in her seat. "Where are we going?"

"I'm not sure."

"You want me to help your friend but you don't know where we're going? I told you I don't want any funny business." She reached for the car door.

"Nothing funny." Rick took her hand away from the handle. "I don't know where my friend is, but I'm hoping that's what you can help me with."

Indigo went quiet. For a moment, she thought back to her experience on the station before she arrived in Lima - the very memory that had made her think of Darkness before and caused her to look foolish in front of a stranger. Did she believe in fate? She chewed her bottom lip, considering.

"I have an idea," she said after a few moments. She grabbed Rock's hand and held on tight. "Think of your friend, nothing else; just your friend, okay?"

"What are you going to do?"

"Find him."

**

"What are you doing here?!" Ryan strode across the room which Indigo and Rick had just entered. It was a cheap motel suite - obviously found in a hurry. "Who's she?"

"This is..."

"Indigo." She held out a hand. Ryan looked at the proffered appendage, but didn't take it.

"What was I supposed to do, Ryan?" Rick asked, obviously struggling to keep a level tone. "Go to HQ? Get the bosses involved? You can't just drop off the net like that!"

"And what does that have to do with this woman?"

"I thought she could help." Rick looked over Ryan's shoulder to where Liz was lying unconscious on a beat-up couch. Rick gave Indigo a push forward.

"Who is she?"

"Indigo. Former FWRFed World Champion. A recent arrival to TCW herself."

Ryan looked over at the redhead, who now sat on her haunches with her hands on either side of Liz's head. She reached into her pocket and pulled out a crystal which she waved in front of the unconscious woman's face.

"And, again, why is she here...?"

"She's a telepath, Ryan. A powerful one. She found you using what I think was a form of astral projection."

"How's that possible? She's never even seen me before."

"She took my hand and told me to think about you."

Ryan's eyes went wide. "That's..."

"I know."

Rick nodded over to Indigo. "Another thing," he went on in a low voice, "she mentioned someone called Darkness - that mean anything to you?"

Ryan nodded slowly. "I think it might..."

The key to any successful operation is adaption. No matter how much you plan and calculate every step you take, situations can turn against you in the blink of an eye, taking your best laid plans and ruining them. A good agent has to be ready to adjust and think on his feet.

"You do realize this is bad right?" Ryan whispered to Rick calmly, but his voice carried an edge. Rick nodded, he understood exactly what is friend meant. Rick was dangerously close to breaking cover on the whole operation, but given the situation with Elizabeth, this could be fixed. Still, Ryan was the lead in this endeavor, and it was his responsibility to chastise his friend for this breach.

"She knows little. Only that Liz is psychic."

"But such knowledge can be used against us." Ryan retorted.

"She would expose herself as well." Rick said with a slight smile. Ryan had to give him that, Indigo knew a secret, but Ryan could use her secret as leverage. And even if she didn't care if people knew, Ryan could make her life very difficult. This was not out of his control just yet.

"So what exactly happened to Liz?" Rick was quick to change the subject.

Ryan sighed and leaned against the wall.

"Not sure. Best I can figure is a psionic backlash of some sort. Liz was just doing a base scan of the arena, emotions, surface thoughts and such. She said she hit a blank wall and was going to try to push past it. And that's when she started screaming and collapsed."

"You think a direct attack?"

Ryan shrugged.

"Not sure. And even if it was an attack, I still don't know who did it."

"Maybe Liz was probing to deep for somebody's liking?"

"Maybe..." Ryan stopped talking. Something about what Rick said made sense. If somebody wants something to remain secret, then it would stand to reason they would protect their identity carefully. A given the nature of the counter attack, this person must be very powerful indeed.

What do you know of the Anti-Christ?

Izumi is looking for who she believes is the Anti-Christ, no doubt a nickname as the real entity could not possibly exist. But what if he did? A being with the power credited to the Anti-Christ could certainly knock Liz out without much effort. Who was it? They were only scanning those at the arena, so he would have to have been there.

The person I am searching for has been in this business for at least the past few months.

"Ryan?" Rick's voice broke into Ryan's thoughts, snapping him back to the scene before him.

"Yea?"

"Nothing, you just kind of spaced out there for a moment. What's going on?"

"Not sure yet. Go back to the hotel and call Tony. He should be done with customs by now."

"Plan?"

"I am staying here with Liz and...Indigo." Ryan said with a small bit of concern in his voice. "But somebody knows by now what Liz was doing and I doubt he or she would be too happy about it. I want to be ready for a counter."

"Okay. How much recon?"

"SatScan the arena, all spectrums. If you pick anything up, call me ASAP."

"Right." Rick headed for the door, ready to carry out the order. He stopped briefly, as if forgetting something, and turned to Indigo. "Thanks again for your help."

"Mhmm." Was her only response, as she stayed focused on her task.

With a smile and a nod in her direction, Rick left the motel room to carry out the orders. Ryan studied Indigo, still slowly waving a crystal above his friend's head. He had seen this type of healing preformed before, but each time it was done by conmen and scammers so he had to doubt its effectiveness. But Indigo had power, if what Rick said was true, and that concerned Ryan. He had to report her to Watchdog, but if he did, then Rick's actions today would become known as well and he would be at best, removed from the op. At worst, well Ryan doubted Rick would be wiped, but it still concerned him. So that left Ryan two choices; Report Indigo and hope for the best. Or let it slide and pray it didn't bite him in the ass.

"So will she be okay?" It was a softball question Ryan asked as he kneeled beside the couch.

"If she wants to be." Was Indigo's short, yet polite response.

"Thanks for helping in this, really."

Indigo nodded but made no other acknowledgement of Ryan's words.
"Look, we have a problem Indigo." Ryan spoke softly, almost unsure if he was doing the right thing with this. She met his gaze, eyes locked, each wondering how this conversation would turn out.

"She will wake up. No need to fret." Indigo finally said with a light smile across her face. No malice, no condescending attitude, in short, nothing but friendly and concerned. Ryan felt better already.

"Not her. Well, I am worried, but this problem involves you."

"Oh?"

"You know some things that you shouldn't."

"About you and your friends I take it."

Ryan nodded.

"It would be in your best interest and mine to keep this quiet."

Indigo's features tightened. She had experienced threats and intimidation before, back in her old fed. She didn't like it there, she doesn't like it here.

"Is that a threat Mr. Lee?"

"No not really." Ryan responded, shaking his head. "Just friendly advice. I am grateful for your help, really I am. But there are others who might not be as understanding. And they may take action. I don't want to see that."

Indigo nodded and returned to Elizabeth. Ryan could not help but wonder if she understood what would happen to her if she ran her mouth. But before he could press the issue further, Elizabeth began to stir.

"Liz?" Ryan asked softly, leaning in close to his fellow agent.

Slowly, she opened her eyes, the shock of her experience still fresh in her mind. With a groan, she sat up and rubbed her forehead.

"Liz? How are you feeling?"

"Woozy." She shook her head once and took stock of her surroundings. When she saw Indigo, their eyes locked.

"She's a friend Liz." Ryan was using his most calming voice possible.

Neither woman answered, both continuing to stare at each other.

"Liz?"

No response.

"Matthews!" Ryan shouted. The sharp yell broke Elizabeth away from her gaze.

"What?"

"Acknowledge me. Are you okay?"

"Yes." A hint of arrogance ion her voices, as if Ryan's question was stupid and below her need to respond.

"Good. Now report."

"Why is she here?" Elizabeth asked, pointing at Indigo. "I've never seen her before."

"I'm Indigo. Your friends asked me to help you after your...episode?"

Elizabeth snapped her eyes to Ryan, and he could read the message across them clearly. What does she know? Ryan sighed, he was afraid that Elizabeth, ever the stickler for rules and regs, would take the Watchdog approach to this Indigo situation.

"It's taken care of Liz, leave it at that. Now, what happened?"

Elizabeth turned back to Indigo then back to Ryan. There was a present uncomfortable vibe in the room, and all felt it.

"I should go." Indigo said, breaking the silence.

She rose and went to leave. Ryan stood up as well and walked her out.

"I am sorry for her behavior."

"Some people are like that." Indigo sighed. "I came here with your friend."

"Here." Ryan unfolded several bills from his wallet. "Cab fare and extra. Payment for your services."

Indigo laughed, prompting Ryan to raise an eyebrow.

"Nothing, it's just funny. Here I am, outside a seedy hotel getting paid by you for "services"."

Ryan smiled at the realization of how humorous this situation must look.

"Well, then I am sorry for that too." He said with a warm smile.

"No need. Just take care of your friend; she's been thru a lot."

Ryan nodded as Indigo walked off. Still smiling, he walked back into the hotel room. Elizabeth glared at him, prompting his smile to fade.

"Don't give me that look. Just tell me what happened."

"Darkness. That's what happened." She said curtly.

"Talk to me." Ryan sat down on the other side of the dining table. The Project Watchdog team had reconvened in their hotel room and set up their headquarters within its plush interior. Their equipment was incongruous beside the stylish furnishings and expensive décor, but it was a marked improvement over the motel room from before.

Rick fanned out a series of documents, computer printouts and photographs obtained from the Watchdog archives. He passed one to Ryan.

"This is Darkness."

"I've seen him," Ryan nodded as he scanned the picture quickly. It was obviously taken at a TCW event - Darkness was in his wrestling gear, standing on a turnbuckle. No belts, so it was from a while ago perhaps.

"Yeah, well he's the top guy in this promotion, so that's a given. Did you check that tattoo on his arm though?"

Ryan's eyes flicked to the offending piece of body art. It was a fairly incongruous tribal design. "What about it?"

"Don't recognise it?"

"What are you getting at, Rick?" Ryan asked testily.

Rick smiled before sliding over another picture, this time a closer view of the same tattoo. "It's not just some abstract design - it's made up of a series of distinct bands."

Ryan raised his eyebrows as he studied the second photo closely. "This is a Shadow Slayer tattoo..."

"Right. We counted nine bands in that first photo, but ten bands in this more recent shot."

"That's the most on record, isn't it?"

Rick nodded. "We've never seen one with ten bands before. I would guess he's pretty high ranking."

Ryan placed the second photo down on the varnished table and shook his head. "You're suggesting the Shadow Slayers are still active. That makes no sense. They wiped each other out two hundred years ago. The only remnants are a few individuals maintaining old traditions - and none of those are even active in the Western hemisphere."

"Well he's got the tattoo," Rick shrugged. He flicked through more documents. "There's more stuff on him too. He doesn't even appear on the radar until 1996, when he was arrested for conspiracy in Britain."

"Conspiracy to do what?"

"The court records indicate he was involved in some kind of plot to bring down the Anglican Church. It's all kind of sketchy, to be honest."

"So, what, did he get out of jail?"

"He never went to jail. He pleaded insanity and, on the word of an experienced psychologist, he was released into her care. But...here's where it gets a little shady...he ended up marrying this woman."

Ryan shook his head. "Jesus, how deep does this rabbit hole go?"

"Deeper. Much deeper. The next time Darkness shows up, his wife is dead, killed in a house fire along with a daughter - three years old."

"Rough."

"Yeah. Then he drops off the face of the earth again, before showing up here as a wrestler."

Ryan pinched the bridge of his nose. "And he just minds his own business after that?"

Rick barked a laugh. "No way. He's had run-ins with the police at least twice since he started wrestling. First, he's brought in after waving a pistol at some guy on a rooftop in Chicago."

"What guy?"

"No one knows. He disappeared right after. His opponent at the next show - uh...Rachel Hunter? - posted bail for him."

"Hunter? Why does that name sound familiar?"

Rick smiled and slid another document across the table. "Rachel Hunter. Former FBI agent."

"Weird..."

"The second time he got into trouble was in Florida. Two homicide cops investigated him after a highway patrolman got shot."

"Did he do it?"

"No, it was just some drunk who crashed into the back of a parked car: a car which belonged to another TCW wrestler - guy named Cameron Jones. For some reason, they were after him too and released Darkness hoping he'd lead him to him. Turns out he did just that, and beat the living crap out of Jones. The SWAT team shows up and tasers him."

"Ouch..."

"Yeah, for them. Darkness took down six of them before they brought him down."

Ryan sighed heavily and ran a hand through his hair. "Okay...so why isn't this guy doing time in some Florida penitentiary?"

"A company named DanteCorp Security got involved. Supposedly, they have contracts with police departments to look after dangerous or unusual criminals. Darkness was one of them."

"But DanteCorp is Jason Dante's company," Ryan said, "he's another wrestler, isn't he?"

"Yep, and a friend and rival of Darkness's. He already knew Dante before all this happened - Dante beat him for the World Titles less than a month earlier - and, while he was supposed to be a prisoner, he was actually wrestling in TCW and working for DanteCorp as something called the ‘Head of Supernormal Research'."

"None of this makes sense," Ryan said after a few seconds of contemplation. "How did he get out of going to jail so many times? Why was all this never investigated?"

"He has powerful friends. Not just Dante, but he also has possible connections to S-Mart, the Bruce Phenomenon, mafia families in Chicago and New Jersey and The Balance. Not to mention the company he works for - TCW has big bucks, even with this Congressional investigation going on."

"Jesus." Ryan leant back in his chair. "This guy," he began, now leaning back towards Rick again, "has his fingers in most of the pies we have on file."

"Yeah, you name it, he has some connection to it. There are figures and phenomena we've been investigating for years that somehow lead back to him. He's in deep, Ryan: deeper than almost anyone."

"Something very bad is going on here," Ryan agreed, standing up.

Liz looked up from where she had been sitting on a large couch over to one side of the suite. "Going somewhere?" He didn't need to ask how she'd read his intentions.

"I need to find out who and what this Darkness character is."

"Let me go with you."

"No, not after what happened before."

Liz frowned. "At least take Tony..."

The giant shape of the team's hand to hand combat expert loomed over Ryan.

"No." He gave Tony an apologetic look as the man sat back down, looking dejected. "We're not going to bring him in - this man is a public figure, we could blow the whole operation. I'm going to sneak into his hotel room and see what I can find."

"At least let me put some wards on you in case he shows up," Liz insisted, "he felt powerful."

Ryan nodded. "Alright. But nothing too fancy. I don't want him picking up on anything."

Liz stood up and raised her hands. "You won't even feel them," she smiled.

* * *

Indigo had not slept well. Her headache had returned with a vengeance and it was still making what felt like a considerable effort to break free of her skull and enjoy some sort of delirious rampage across Lima. She nearly - nearly - caved in and had a cup of coffee at the hotel, but had steeled herself and ordered tea instead. It had a calming effect (on her, not on the headache, which seemed to be totally independent of her body).

Now she tramped through the arena, probably looking a total mess, and slumped down on a nasty plastic chair outside Commissioner Stern's skybox. It was one of those greenish-blue moulded things with a slight texture to it like you found in high schools. The teacher always got a nice, padded version, but the kids - on whom the future of the world depended, and whose spines were still growing - were forced into these things. It was all kind of Victorian.

"Hey, you're Indigo!"

The high-pitched voice made her screw up her eyes and emit an involuntary groan. Slowly, she cracked an eyelid and rolled her eyeball to one side. A small woman - well, a girl really - was perched on the seat next to her. She looked excited.

"Yes, I am. Who are you?"

"Don't you recognise me?!" the girl looked disappointed.

"Uh...of course I do...um..." Indigo managed to pull herself upright and open both eyes. She stared at the girl for a few moments. She was Asian and looked slightly familiar. She also had purple eyes, which she thought ought to trigger some kind of memory. "You're...uh...you're..."

"Izumi! I wrestle in FWRFed!"

Her voice was really loud, or it could just be the headache making everything sound fifteen times louder. "Great. I used to do that."

"I know! I think it's just terrible what Powers did to you! It's part of the reason I've been forming this stable and..."

Indigo held up a hand. "Please. I have a terrible headache. I really, really, really do not need to be talked to about Brent Powers. In fact, I don't need to be talked to about anything."

She sat back down in her uncomfortable chair and closed her eyes, willing her mind to sink into blissful oblivion for a few minutes before she was called in to Stern's office.

"So how come you're here?!" Izumi asked after about twenty seconds.

"I'm here to see Stern." Indigo didn't open her eyes.

"Me too! Funny that we'd be called at the same time!"

"Your name starts with the same letter as mine," Indigo replied calmly, "I expect she just listed everyone alphabetically."

"Oh yeah! I guess that makes sense!"

Indigo didn't say anything else, just crossed her arms across her chest and took a deep breath to calm herself. The headache had stripped away all her self-control and she clung desperately to the tattered shreds of her sanity. The silence in the corridor felt worryingly pregnant. She imagined Izumi taking a huge breath and knew, almost to the instant, when she would start talking again.

"So you're Australian, huh?!"

"Yes."

"What's that like?!"

"The same as being American, just upside-down."

"What?!"

"Nothing."

There was another long silence. Indigo silently counted down from twenty.

"I bet it sucks to have the World Championship taken away from you!"

"Yeah, it's pretty rough."

"Are you mad about what Mohawk did to Bathory?! Is he still your boyfriend?!"

"Oh. My. Gods." Indigo opened her eyes and gave Izumi her most dagger-laden stare. She wished she could shoot laser beams from her eyes and turn the kid into a little pile of chirping ash. "I. Really. Do. Not. Want. To. Talk."

"Okay." Izumi's voice was a lot quieter this time.

"Christ," Indigo moaned, using a rare non-Pagan expletive, " if it's not Darkness or Ryan Lee and his creepy friends it's insufferable Japanese fangirls. I hate this place."

"Indigo?" Russell Simmons poked his head out of the door.

"Yes." She stood up, placing a hand on her head for a moment while she steadied herself. She gave Simmons a smile before entering the skybox.

Izumi watched her leave. Indigo's offensive remarks had been blasted away by her mention of Darkness and Ryan Lee. She couldn't understand how she could be connected to all of this, but she knew it would be important. Once Simmons had closed the door, she dived into her bag and drew out the white mask. She probably had less than fifteen minutes before Indigo came out, but that would be enough time. She looked around for a quiet corner and, spying a broom cupboard, darted for the door.

"I hope you're listening, Darkness," she said under her breath, "‘cause Izumi Matsushita is coming calling..."

* * *

Ryan Lee moved swiftly through the corridors of a second, even more up-market hotel. He was dressed well, so he didn't look out of place, but if anyone stopped to question him he knew his cover story wouldn't stand up to close scrutiny. Ryan had found, however, that if a handsome, stylishly attired man walks calmly and looks straight ahead, no one stops to question him.

He reached the object of his quest: the door to the penthouse suite. At this time of day - mid-morning - he wouldn't expect anyone to be in there. Darkness had promotional events to attend (they'd checked) but of his strange entourage, no one seemed to know a thing. Ryan was prepared for almost anything. He stood idly in the corridor for a moment, glancing both ways up and down the hall, before removing a small device from inside his jacket. He held it to the door's keycard slot for a few seconds until a small click confirmed it had been opened.

Again checking that no one was around to see, he turned the knob and pushed the door open gently, leaving only a slight gap. Nothing happened.

"Good, no one home," Ryan whispered. He squared up to the door and pushed it open with the tip of his foot before stepping quietly into the room. The large living room area was in shadow. The curtains were drawn. There was an odd smell - a sort of musky, earthy aroma. It wasn't unpleasant, but it reminded Ryan of nothing so much as a pet dog that had spent time outdoors.

He took a tentative step forward, then stopped dead in his tracks as a shadow he had initially assumed was just a piece of furniture detached itself from the wall. "Looking for something?"

Ryan lifted his hands. "Hey now, let's not..."

The shadow moved too fast. He felt a dull impact against his abdomen and staggered back, winded. A figure loomed over him. He heard a soft whirring, and then something cold and plastic was wrapped around his throat. He was pulled upright and found himself looking into steel grey eyes, each with a tiny fiery whirlwind buried deep in the pupils.

"Speak fast," Darkness told the intruder.

"I don't much like being ordered around," Ryan rasped through the chokehold. He grabbed Darkness's wrist in both hands and then kicked out, catching Darkness in the side. The blow staggered him, and gave Ryan the opportunity to pull himself free. He dropped into a crouch, hands raised in a fighting stance. Darkness straightened, and Ryan aimed a lightning-fast roundhouse at his side. Darkness caught his leg without apparent effort and, as Ryan gaped at him, upended him to the carpet.

Darkness moved in to attack, but Ryan lashed out with his other foot, striking Darkness in the jaw. Darkness stumbled backwards and Ryan kipped up. He advanced, raining down punches and kicks on Darkness. The World Champion was able to parry most of them, but he was being driven inexorably backwards towards the plate glass doors that led out onto the balcony.

"Nowhere to go," Ryan panted as Darkness bumped into the glass.

Gotta be something worth finding in here...

Ryan frowned. He had heard the voice too, but faintly. Darkness narrowed his eyes, then his jaw set.

"I thought I told you people..." he advanced on Ryan.

"...TO STAY OUT OF MY HEAD!"

The shockwave blew Ryan off his feet. The glass doors shattered. He could feel the wards placed on his mind by Liz melt away under the onslaught of the psychic blast. Everything went black.

* * *

In the next room, Revenant lurched up from where she had been sitting with The Children.

"Hey, Darkness told you to be quiet," Gwen hissed.

Revenant just waved her away and grabbed the wastepaper bin before noisily throwing up into it.

* * *

Dante looked up from the book he was reading. Meagan wailed furiously. "Did you feel that?" he asked Selenia.

His wife tried to shush the crying infant with comforting noises, then looked up at Dante and nodded. "It felt like Darkness."

"I know. Do you think he's in trouble?"

"Maybe..."

* * *

Bam rolled over in bed. "Was that an earthquake?" he asked his companion.

* * *

Elsie glanced across the aisle to where Pat was still sitting. "Did you just feel that?"

"Feel what?"

"Nothing," she said with a frown and looked out of the window past the man sitting next to her, "just some turbulence or something I guess."

* * *

"Liz? Liz?! Oh shit...not again!"

Rick rushed across the room to where Liz was slumped on the couch. Tony stood up and balled his fists. "That's it, we're going after Ryan."

"Liz?" Rick shook her by the shoulders. "We need to find Indigo again!"

* * *

"Herbal tea?" Stern turned around, steaming mug in hand, but Indigo wasn't sitting where she had been a moment before. Frowning, she looked over the desk and then saw her lying on the carpet. "Indigo? Are you all right?"

She hurried around the desk and knelt down next to Indigo. The redhead was unconscious. Quickly, Stern hit the intercom. "Russell? Get in here please!"

* * *

In an unregarded broom cupboard, Izumi slumped down to the floor, causing a mop to clatter against the door. She didn't notice it. The mask fell from her fingers, so hot it was glowing red and her head hit the wall. Blood trickled from her mouth and she stared blindly into space. It took a few seconds, but eventually she drew a ragged breath and then blacked out.

"Izumi..."

"What?"

The pizza boy aimed his gun between her eyes. She looked straight into his eye sockets, as black as the nozzle of the pistol.

Bang.

No more light.

No more pain.

No more demons.

No more AntiChrist.

So wonderful...

Then, she felt a tap on her face, and it began to come back. The flames. The people melting in the city. The man standing above it all, whose firey eyes stared into her soul...it burned her! Her very soul felt like it was melting..."

"AAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHH!"

Izumi sat up in her hospital bed, screaming, grabbing at her head, the pain hitting her with a shock. For over 10 minutes that was all that was on her mind. Pain. Burning. It was like someone put a hell-flame in her head. Indescribable images raced through her mind.

Slowly, but surely, she was adjusting. The images slowed down, until she could finally make sense of where she was...the pain slowly ebbing away...

"Hospital..." she said.

She immediately looked around, and jumped back when she saw it. Two cats' eyes, staring into her soul.

"You look like you've been through hell," Inferno said, almost sounding concerned.

Izumi looked at him. "You...ugh...did you bring...?"

"No. I have my own things to worry about." He let out a dark, slightly pained chuckle. "I was merely curious. Don't go thinking we're buddy-buddy now..." He ruffled her hair with a gloved hand. "Have fun chasing the AntiChrist." And so he walked away, down the row of beds, to sit at one near the end. Another girl, missing her legs-

"AntiChrist..."

"The AntiChrist..."

Izumi shook her head, trying to make sense of everything.

"It's HIM! Can it be...D-"

Another strike of sudden pain, sudden images hit her, and she fell back, the wallpaper melting, everything shimmering in her glazed eyes...

**

"Oh...fuck..."

Ryan moaned, as his eyes met with Darkness' stone, yet firey eyes upon waking.

"I'm not going to hurt you," Darkness growled, "but I'm not letting you out of my sight until you answer some questions. Do you understand me?"

"...Yes..."

"Good. Name?"

"Ryan Lee."

"Why were you breaking into my room?" he growled.

"I just...wanted to look into something..."

"Look into what?"

"You..."

"And why, pray tell, would you be looking into me? Was it you who planted those bugs?"

"No." Ryan said.

"Don't lie to me!" Darkness bellowed. "Why did you-"

"Pff, that amateur work isn't mine...it's that Japanese girl, Izumi."

"Izumi..." Darkness made a mental note of the name. "And what about the intruding into my head?"

"I know nothing about it?"

"Really now?!" he growled.

"Yeah. What, are you going mental, hearing voices in your head?"

"Don't bullshit me. Someone attempted to intrude just as you entered my room. You better spill it, because I'm not letting you leave this room til you give me a straight answer."

"Alright pal. It was Liz. She's a telepath. What happened was, I found out that Izumi girl bugged everyone cuz she put bugs on me too, right? She was looking for...somebody. So I got curious and had Liz take a probe of the TCW wrestlers. She said when she looked into your head you knocked her out, so I came here. And that's the truth."

"Are you working for somebody?"

"No! I came here on my own."

"That's all?"

"Yeah."

"You're full of shit."

Darkness backed away from Ryan on the ground, standing up. He took a long, deep breath.

"Here's a message I'd like you to send...if I catch you, or anybody else peeking into my personal space, or your friends probing into my head ever again, you'll have hell to pay. Now get out of my room."

He opened the door, eyes never leaving Ryan until he dragged himself out. He had more questions, but they couldn't be answered by Ryan, it seemed...

This Izumi character was sticking her nose into places where it didn't belong...

---

"Uuungh..."

"Thank God you're awake!" Rick said.

Both women sat up in bed...

The sudden movement made Rick and Tony jump. Both women were pale, cold sweat plastering hair to their foreheads.

"Where am I?" Indigo asked, blinking her eyes back into focus. Plush hotel room; table on one side overrun with computer...things. Rick swivelled his chair around and leant forward.

"What do you remember?"

"My headache was back. I talked to a girl - Izumi - outside Stern's office. Then I went in and...and..." she rubbed her temple. "Nothing. Something happened but I don't know... How did I get here?"

"Well, when Liz went down..."

"Nice of you to remember me," Liz interrupted in an icy tone.

"...we tried to contact you, but we were told you were on the way to the hospital, so we brought you here."

"You kidnapped me from the hospital?!"

"No, not exactly. We acted within our jurisdiction. And, hey, did you really want a permanent record of this episode? It was for your own good."

Indigo got to her feet. "Right. My own good. So do you know what happened?"

Rick turned to Liz. "I was hoping you could tell me."

Liz looked worried. "Something bad. A psychic scream - more powerful than anything I've experienced before."

"More powerful than any other psychic scream?"

"No, more powerful than anything," she said with a twinge of irritation.

"So this scream just came out of nowhere?" Concern was etched across Rick's face.

"Yes. Have we heard from Ryan?"

Rick turned back to his computer and tapped a couple of buttons. "Not yet, but he hasn't activated his emergency tracker. He should be okay with those wards you put on him though, right?"

"In theory, but it depends on how close he was to the source of the blast. Ryan's not powerful enough to trigger anything of that magnitude though."

"Do you know what caused it?"

"No idea. Something big."

"Indigo?" Rick looked over at the redhead who was staring into space.

"Hmm?"

"Do you know who might have done this to you and Liz?"

"What? No, of course not."

"Are you sure?" Liz turned to Indigo and fixed her with an intense gaze. "Whatever caused this is something extremely powerful and dangerous: just the sort of thing it's our job to stop. Do you know of anything or anyone that could do something like this?"

Indigo bit her lip.

"It's okay, Indigo. You can tell us - we just want to protect people from whatever did this. We're the good guys." The concern sounded odd in Liz's voice.

"Well...it's not like I make a habit of investigating things like that. But, as it happens, I think I was in Darkness's head recently..."

"Darkness." Liz said in a quiet voice, shooting Rick a look. It was obvious she'd seen this coming.

"...but he didn't do anything like this. He was..." she couldn't describe how gentle Darkness had been as he'd shielded her from the all-seeing eye above. He'd felt more curious at her intrusion than angry. The implications in Liz and Rick's exchanged look didn't seem to fit with that. She knew Darkness was odd; she'd been warned some of the roster was odd, but she thought she could cope with odd: she'd been dealing with Gabriel Bathory since she started in FWRFed for pete's sake.

But Darkness wasn't odd...not in the same way, not with the aura she'd seen. It had sparkled like diamonds: the sign of someone who was watched over by angels. Not that she believed in angels - that was just silly.

She realised the three strangers in the room were staring at her. "I don't think it's Darkness." She stepped towards the door where Tony was standing. "Can I leave, or are you going to keep me here?"

Rick jumped up. "No, no, we're not keeping you here. That would not fall under our jurisdiction. But if something happens again..."

"I'll be fine. Like I am now. Headache's gone and everything." She got out a bit of paper from the tasselled bag she kept slung over one shoulder and quickly scribbled something on it. "If you're that worried, this is where I'm staying. You already have my cell number...somehow..."

Tony moved aside to let her leave. He shut the door behind her and quickly turned the locks.

"So, do we think it was Darkness?"

"Definitely."

**

Ryan eased himself over the edge of the hotel roof. Tony checked the clasp on the rope that connected them and signalled with a thumbs-up that it was sound. They were operating silently, under cover of darkness to avoid detection by their targets. Rick and Liz had tried to talk him out of this - told him to wait for a dedicated Neutralisation Team - but after he'd heard what had happened, and the extent of Darkness's psychic blast, there was no stopping him. Darkness needed to be stopped.

When Liz had finally agreed that he should go, she coated him and Tony in wards even stronger than the last set, but she dutifully informed him that they had little chance of withstanding a similar shockwave if he was that close again.

Almost nothing was known about the Shadow Slayers. Not many records survived from the period in which they were active, but there was a note about their preternatural senses. Nothing about psychic screams...perhaps that was unique to this Shadow Slayer.

They edged down the side of the building, glad that the clouds obscured the almost-full moon. Ryan dropped onto the balcony and crouched low, straining to hear any movement beyond the balcony doors, now boarded up, he had so recently edged Darkness towards. Tony dropped down beside him.

Ryan wasn't expecting resistance at this time of night. As far as he knew, Darkness was alone, and Tony was big enough to handle him. He eased the balcony door open, pleased to find it unlocked and they slipped inside, drawing guns.

The room seemed deserted as they silently closed the door behind them. They moved further in before Ryan got a feeling something was wrong. A shadow high on the wall moved, but he didn't notice it in time and a small figure landed on his chest. Teeth were bared. He couldn't see much else. He tried to form the shape of a psychic bolt in his mind, but the creature pushing down on his chest seemed to interfere, and he couldn't make the weaves knit together properly to create it. It let out a feral hiss.

Behind him, he heard the sounds of a struggle, and Tony's voice raised in alarm, then silenced with a grunt.

The lights were flicked on, blinding him temporarily. The creature was pulled from his chest.

"You again?"

Ryan found himself being hoisted to his feet. Darkness stood in front of him, but they were surrounded by others. They were larger than him - especially the one holding Tony, who seemed to be the size of a small mountain. They had heavy, bestial features and regarded him with a kind of carnivorous loathing. He shuddered inwardly.

"Lycans..."

"What are you doing here?" Rage contorted Darkness's features.

Ryan struggled against the grip of the beast that was holding him. "I'm here to take you in."

Darkness sneered at Lee's predicament. "Why would you want to do that?"

"I'm a member of Project Watchdog," he waited for the flicker of recognition, but there was nothing. "I'm here to stop things like you." He looked around. "All of you."

"Let them go."

Ryan was pushed forward. He raised his gun again. Darkness lifted a hand, causing his companions to take a step back. Ryan finally got a good look at the creature that had attacked him before. Her dead-eye stare burned into him, but otherwise she had the appearance of a young teenage girl.

Darkness stepped forward. "I suggest you leave."

"I'm not going anywhere without you."

"Fine." Darkness turned on his heel and walked towards a door to an adjoining room.

"Watchdog are here to stay," Ryan called after him.

Darkness looked back at him, his steel gaze not wavering. "If you think you can catch me, you're welcome to try, Mr. Lee."

Ryan looked around, realising there were twelve pairs of luminous eyes staring at them. He backed towards the door, gun still raised. Tony looked to him for guidance, but he too knew the odds were firmly against them now. Ryan jerked his head back, and they slowly stepped over the threshold and out into the chill night.

**

Izumi opened her eyes. It was dark. Where was she?

Hospital. The word swam up from the fog in her mind. She was safe now...except Inferno had been here, or was that just a dream?

Then she remembered. The mask was sitting on her lap. She looked at her fingers and saw they were wrapped up in bandages. The pain seemed to have dissipated now.

The Antichrist.

She winced, expecting the thunderbolt again, but there was nothing. All was calm. She knew who he was now. She'd found him. Slowly, she sat up.

"Darkness. Darkness is the Antichrist. Holy fuck."

What was she going to do now?