Harbinger [part 1-14]

[anonymous]

Authors Note.
If you have any commentary on this or any of my stories
or suggestions or ideas then email at arcane_x@hotmail.com.
The more thought out and less vulger the email the more
likely I am to read it. As for the rest of my work on the net feel
free to post and distribute as you wish so long as ****** and
the above address remains attached.

There's a lot of story too. If you're looking for 99% sex you won't find it.
I suppose I should include a violence warning too. Some parts aren't pleasant.

Arcane.

Turning and turning in a widening gyre
The falcon cannot hear the falconer
Things fall apart, the centre cannot hold
Mere anarchy is loosed upon the world.

W.B. Yeats.

Harbinger - Prelude: What Rough Beast


Kicking and screaming.
That was how some came into the world. Some never stopped. Some
did but didn't want to. Some didn't want to but did.
These actions themselves, so deeply ingrained into the human consciousness
that they are as natural to a child as breathing, so invariably visible across the
globe, transcending time and space, these actions were so well known that they
were to be seen in every hospital, in every playground, on every battlefield
throughout the world.
But there was never enough, never enough kicks or screams to quench the thirst
of nature. Every new-born would pick up the cycle just as her parents and their
parents before them.
Kicking and screaming.
So common that one would think that after time they would lessen, the kicks
seeming softer, the screams more muted.
But this was not the way.
Each kick. Each scream. Each action of raw defiance was as mighty
and pitiful as the last.
It was fascinating to consider how strength and weakness fused so well in a
scream. Fascinating in a morbid way but fascinating none the less.
But even in a life where each scream was as strong and shrill as the next, where
every kick had a force behind it a human shell could not compose, even after
all this, these screams were different.
She felt them, as if the sound penetrated her body, permeating to her very cells,
her very atoms with the raw terror and madness that propelled the screams
through the air.
Even though she was a doctor, even though she saw madness every day,
these struck her to the bone.
What she saw when she rounded the corner did nothing to dull the shrill pain.
It was a woman. Thin, fairly attractive, well dressed. Kicking and screaming.
There were four orderlies trying to hold her. Four strong trained men trying
to restrain a petite woman.
They never had a chance.
Dr Catherine Marshall could see that much the moment her eyes focused
on the disturbing scene.
She knew that the woman could never break free. But his was not logic.
This was madness. Utter soul rending madness.
She stood. Frozen. Unable to look away from what she saw, this violent
madness given physical shape.
Only after a time did her rational mind finally register. The doctor took over.
She reached into her bag and carefully pulled out a hypodermic needle,
measuring out the contents of a small vial with cold efficiency.
A simple nod was enough to the orderlies for them to understand her actions.
Carefully Catherine inched forward, waiting for a moment when a limb wasn't
flailing through the air. Then she moved like a cobra, plunging the needle
through the pale skin and injecting the contents. She hastily withdrew the
needle, stepping back fast but not fast enough to avoid a kick to the side
of her arm. It was only a glancing blow but it hurt just the same.
The doctor took a step back, then another, waiting for the drug to take hold.
Gradually she watched the womans fighting fade. She could see in the eyes
of the woman that she so desperately wanted to keep fighting but while the
spirit was willing the flesh was weak.
The doctor shivered at the eyes of the woman, staring straight at her. Not
only were they staring, they were seeing. There mad delirious eyes had
finally fixed on an object of reality and that object was Dr Catherine Johnson.
Then she began to thrash and scream again, albeit weaker. Then weaker.
Finally her eyelids slid shut, the last struggling limb going limp.
Only then did Catherine consciously realise she'd been holding her breath.

"Doctor Marshall?"
"Yes?" Marshall looked up from the cup of coffee which offered no more
answers cold than it had when it was warm.
"I'm Detective Warren. LAPD."
"How.. How can I help you?"
"What do you know about Christine Defoe?"
"Who?"
"I hear she recently arrived here."
"Christine.... oh Madame Crystale."
"That's her working name."
"You don't say?" her humour sounding as lifeless as she felt.
"Has she talked to anyone?"
"No one. The staff can't get a word out of her. Or rather they can.
Just no words they can make sense of."
"How do you mean?"
"She rambling scripture or something like that."
"Like from the bible?"
"Yeah. So I hear."
"You haven't talked to her?"
"I'm not a senior doctor around here and anyway... she scares the
hell out of me... Why are you here?"
"She was brought in from a church. Walked into the middle of a service
and started screaming and trying to tear the place apart."
"How'd you even get her here?"
"We didn't. Apparently she calmed down and walked here."
"She didn't seem all that calm when I saw her."
"So I hear. Look Doc.. I know she's freaky and all that but there might be
something else. She comes from a pretty shady part of town you know."
"Yeah well she is a fortune teller. Not exactly high rise stuff."
"No. But she has no record of either crime or insanity. She's clean as a whistle."
"Until today."
"Yeah. Is she one of these millennium fever types?"
"I beg your pardon?"
"You know. Millennium fever. Apocalyptic insanity. Fear of the end
of the world."
"Those happen all the time."
"Yeah but you're getting more of them now."
"How do you know?"
"I read about it somewhere."
"Probably the National Enquirer."
"Hey you said she was ranting bible stuff."
"And you said you thought it might be something else."
"Look. I just want to know what's going on. Talk to her."
"Why me?"
"I don't know. Maybe you'll be different or something. You're allowed to
talk to her right?"
"Yeah."
"So do. Please. What can it hurt?"
"Look.. I .... Okay... I'll do it.. Jeez."
She stood up and walked down the hall, dumping her untouched cup of
cold coffee in the bin as she did.

She wasn't screaming when Catherine walked into the room. In fact she
wasn't doing anything. She was simply sitting, staring forward almost
catatonic if not for the occasional shuffle.
She looked calm.
It was a calmness that the doctor found almost as cutting as the
ear splitting screams.
"Hello Christine." she sat down slowly, taking up one of the chairs around
the small table. She cast a quick analytical gaze over the silent woman. She
looked about her age, young. Probably not over thirty. Her features, though
void of expression were no less beautiful. Pale perhaps but no less attractive.
Her long black hair had originally been carefully tied but those had come
apart during her struggles. So to had her purple dress become ripped and
torn. It was more of a robe really, though modern enough not to stand out
on the streets. She looked the part of the fortune teller but no doubt it was
part of the job description. People wouldn't believe a fortune teller who
wore jeans and a tee-shirt. That was the way fickle humanity worked.
"Hello."
Catherine felt herself jump at the unexpected reply. It was the first
reaction anyone had heard from the woman.
"Er... do you prefer Christine or.. Madame Crystale?"
"Christine." She replied flatly, calmly. "What's your name?"
"I'm Doctor .. Catherine Marshall."
"Hello Catherine."
"Christine... Do you know why you're here?"
"Why are any of us here?"
"I mean in this place. In this room."
"I came here. I needed to get away."
"From what?"
"Them. They... It hurts to see them."
"Who? Who are they?"
"Them.. All of them. Everyone out there. I couldn't stand to see them."
Catherine nodded.
"POSSIBLY ACUTE AGORAPHOBIA" she noted on her pad.
"Then why did you fight the orderlies?"
"I panicked. I.. That's what they say happens isn't it? The seven stages....
Denial, Sorrow, Rage, Desperation, Acceptance and.. two others."
"Do.. you think you're dying?"
"No. I'm not dying."
"So what do you mean?"
"I'm going to die."
"But you..."
"I said I'm going to die. Not that I'm dying."
"Why?"
"I don't know."
"You don't?"
"Not entirely. I know the whole but not the pieces. It's like staring at
the sun. You can't make it out but you know it's there."
"You're talking about the end of the world?"
"Yes."
The cool ease with which the woman answered the question sent
another shiver up the doctors spine.
"But you don't know why?"
"No."
"Do you want to know?"
"No. But you do."
"How do you know that?"
"You're a doctor. You want to know everything."
"Wh... Why are you talking to me?"
"I trust you. I know you. You understand don't you. I saw you. Before
I blacked out. The concern in those eyes. You care."
"The others care."
"No. The others do their jobs."
"Caring is our job."
"Caring can never be a job. I can only be part of what we are."
"I.. If I wanted to know how.. what.. How would I find out?"
The woman reached into her pockets and pulled out a pendant on a chain.
"How did you get that? The orderlies took all your possessions and...."
The woman shook her head. Ones dearest possessions can never be
taken. Only given."
The passed the necklace to Catherines waiting hand. It felt cold to the
touch, perhaps because Catherines hands were sweating. She raised
it up, looking at the massive blue stone as light shone through its
myriad of facets.
"It's beautiful." Catherine said softly.
"It's glass."
"What?"
"Simple glass. Not worth five dollars."
"But you said it was valuable."
"I said it was dear to me. There is a world of difference between dear and
dear. This was the first piece of jewellery my mother brought me.
The only piece."
"So.. What do you want me to do?"
"Hypnotise me."
"I'm sorry?"
"Hypnotise me. Surely you must have come across hypnotism
somewhere in your training."
"Er.. My masters thesis was on practical uses of hypnotism in
modern psychology."
"Excellent."
"I only just passed."
"Oh. Why?"
"Because they didn't believe half of what I had to say."
"Even better. It shows you have an open mind. Shall we begin?"
"I.. You're sure?"
The woman nodded, taking a deep breath.
"I.. All right.."
Catherine began to swing the pendant gently back and forth in
front of the womans calm features. She watched the clear blue eyes
as they swung back and forth, focusing intently on the glass ornament.
"Watch the pendant Christine. Just watch. Relax. Listen to the
sound of my voice."
At first she felt stupid and self conscious with what she was doing
but then she remembered her the way she'd felt when the board
shot down her ideas. That was enough to reaffirm her faith if anything was.
"Back and forth. Listen to my voice. Hear only the sound of my
voice. That's good. Relax. Relax. Listening to my voice. Hear only
my voice."
Across the table Catherine watched as the womans eyes began to
droop.
"Listening to my voice."
Catherine almost felt like smiling, a smug slap in the face to the
academics who had always overlooked her theories. She didn't
smile though. She was too wrapped up in her actions. It had been
part of her original theory that hypnotism was a double edged blade,
the hypnotist having to be absorbed in their action so that minds
might meet.
"Your becoming sleepy. Very sleepy. Can you hear me Christine?"
"Yes." the calm voice replied.
"I want you to be in a peaceful place Christine. Nothing can hurt you."
"Nothing."
"Good. Are you peaceful?"
"Yes."
"All right. Christine. What is it that you saw?"
"The future."
Catherine shivered once again but kept going.
"What was it you saw in the future?"
"The end."
"The end of the world?"
"Yes."
"What.. what did you see?"
"The sky.. was dark in the middle of the day. And there was a .. a
great shape coming.. closer... and... And no one could see it everyone
was just sitting there as if nothing was happening!"
"It's all right Christine. Remember. You're safe. You're safe here."
"Safe." the voice said softly, innocent of the tear running down her face.
"How can we stop this?"
"We can't. No one can stop it. It's going to happen. It .is.."
"Shh. It's all right Christine. Just relax. What do you want me to do?"
"I.... I want you to kiss me."
"W.. What?" Catherine was totally surprised.
"I want you to kiss me." she repeated, not changing her tone.
Catherine rolled the idea over in her head. There was nothing wrong
with a simple kiss. Besides, there was no one watching in this room.
She rose of her chair and leant over, pressing her lips against those
of the womans for a second and kissing her. She released the kiss
softly and returned to her seat.
"Christine?"
"Yes?"
"Why did you want me to kiss you?"
"Because I've never been kissed. I wanted to know what it felt like before
I die."
Catherine felt a knot of sickness churn through her stomach.
"Christine. You are not going to die."
"We're all going to die. They are coming for our souls."
"No. You are not. I.."
Catherine jumped back as the psychic snapped her eyes open suddenly.
"It's in the cards."
"Christine... I."
"It's in the cards!" the woman shrieked and reached into her pocket.
For a second the doctor thought she might be pulling out a weapon but
instead she revealed a deck of tarot cards. Screaming again Christine
flung them down onto the table. The pack exploded sending cards all
over the room. Only when they had all fluttered to the ground did
Catherine look across the table to the patient. She was looking down,
as if she read something on the table. Slowly the doctor felt her eyes
moving down. There were still some cards on the table, resting where
they had fallen. Catherine knew a little about them, her room mate at
collage was into all sorts of witchcraft. As Catherine looked over the
table she had a terrible sensation in her heart that there was more to
the cards than a random pattern.

On one end of the table lay the Queen of Wands and the High Priestess
overlapping. Around them was formed a group of other cards: The Lovers;
the four of wands; the page and knight of swords overlapping and an
inverted queen of cups.
Closer to the middle of the table lay another two cards, untouching: The
page of wands and the reversed queen of swords.
Catherine could only remember rudimentary elements about any of the
cards. But the formations alone seemed unnatural. The centre of the
table was even more frightening.
The Star, sign of an omen, crossed with Judgement. And beside them
the Tower and the Devil, both covering the moon and the sun.

"You see." Christine laughed bitterly. "You see how fate has been
decided? All the pieces lay out, all the outcomes decided!"
"Christine!" Catherine pleaded, almost feeling as if she was being
drawn into the madness.
"It's coming!" the psychic screamed aloud. "It's coming an no one
can stop it. They'll flock into their precious churches without the
faintest idea of what's happening. Darkness and chaos will destroy
us all!"
There was nothing the doctor cold bring herself to say in the face
of the blind hysteria she was faced with. Part of her mind knew the
orderlies would be here soon but the fear was not for herself or for
the womans safety but in the fear that she might be right.
"IT'S COMING!" she screamed one last time, the tearing of her
lungs rending its sound through the air until the woman fell to
the floor in an unmoving heap.
Catherine made no move to help her. She was to caught up in
her own emotional shock to consider it. And even if she had
there would have been nothing she could do.
At least one of the womans prophecies was accurate. Christine
Defoe was dead.
She gazed across the floor with eyes which has seen too much
and now saw nothing.
The life blood running from her nose stained the card fallen in
front of her: The hermit.

Catherine walked out of the room as the attendants prepared to
remove the body. Her world was a blur now, a walking dream.
"What did she have to say?" A voice a million miles away asked
next to her.
Catherine looked down at the fifteen cards she'd taken from the
table and the cheap glass pendant clasped in her hand. She felt
as if there was no language which could answer the question.
"What did she have to say?" the detective repeated.
Catherine looked up at his face, her face a mask drained of emotion.
"Something is coming detective." she said flatly.
"Something is coming."






Cant stop what's coming, can't stop what's already here.

Tori Amos


Harbinger - Part One: Those Who Stand Alone.

She rolled over, barely awake enough to make form of the thoughts
which drifted through her mind like clouds through a grey sky. It
was several seconds before she came to a semblance of consciousness
that let her mind forward. It was dark. Chances were that meant it was
nighttime. That made sense in her mind. She'd gone to sleep in her bed
at night thus she would be waking up in her bed later that same night
for some reason. She groaned, wishing that her coherency was a little
better. She focussed, forcing herself to wake up enough to think
properly. Opening her eyes she looked over to the bed table to see a
semblance of her clock radio. Groaning again she brushed away the
stray blonde hairs from her eyes which, like many things in her life,
had a habit of doing what they wanted if not properly controlled.
4.20.
It was 4.20 in the morning.
She sighed to herself and rolled over.
Her hand stroked the bare mattress beside her.
She blinked and looked through the darkness. Where her husband
should have been there was a blank space.
Easy enough to explain she thought. Probably just gone to the
bathroom. That'll be what woke me up.
Then she heard movement outside the room.
"Honey?" she croaked, her voice not yet prepared to speak.
There was no reply.
"Hank? Are you out there?"
Again there was nothing.
For a second she milled over her actions then rose out of bed,
wrapping a white sheet about her naked body.
"Hank? Is everything alright out there?"
She walked through into the main hallway of the apartment that was
totally dark. There in the darkness a from was moving.
Somewhat reluctantly she reached for the light switch throwing it
on suddenly.
She blinked once at the sight she saw.
It was her husband, fully dressed and putting on his boots.
"Hank? she gazed down at him. "What the hell are you doing?"
No reply.
"I said what the hell are you doing?"
Hank finished lacing his boot and stood up, apparently oblivious to
her. Her moved for the door but she intercepted him, grabbing him
by the wrist and staring him directly in the face.
"Honey! Where are you going!" she pleaded, trying to penetrate
the vacant stare in his eyes.
For a second there was flicker of recognition.
"..church.." came the whisper from his mouth.
"Church? You've never.... Now?"
The flicker died, his face resorting to a mask. Without thought he
pushed her aside, her sheet falling to the floor. She stood there
naked but her offered not even a second glance before closing the
door behind him.
She stood there, heart beating, tired mind racing, trying to figure out
what was happening but failing.
For the first time in a long time, Helen felt a sick feeling she was
losing control.

She couldn't sleep. Not that she really needed to sleep much more
luckily. Instead she watched the only thing she could find of interest,
a news channel. Earthquake in the middle east, tax problems, bush
fires in L.A almost under control. None of it really held her attention.
Her mind raced over what might have happened. In the end she could
come to only one conclusion. He'd found out. Somehow after all this
time, in the middle of the night he'd found out the truth and was too
startled to deal with it. That would explain it. That would explain a lot.
Helen felt sick again. She'd always been frightened this might happen,
that everything would come out in the open. Now what would happen?
Who had told Hank? And how many people had they told? She was
a celebrity. That meant there would be no escaping the media frenzy,
especially
something this big.
She had to do something, had to talk so someone, any one. In the
end there was only one person she could think of
even if it did seem a little dangerous.
She looked at the clock that read 5.06.
She picked up the phone.
She dialled.
Phone. Ringing phone.
Close enough. Hand reach. Pick up.
"Hello?"
"He knows!"
"What? Helen?"
"Hank. He knows. He just walked out and it's the middle of the
night and he wouldn't even talk to me or anything..."
"Shh. Helen calm down. It's okay. Relax. Okay? Relax."
"Okay."
"You say Hank knows?"
"Yes."
"What did he say?"
"Nothing. He didn't say anything. He wouldn't even talk to me."
"So you don't know for sure why?"
"What else could it be?"
"It could be anything. It's all right."
"Jesus Christ Uma it's not all right! If this gets out you know
what it means?"
"Look Helen. Calm down. Just.. stay where you are. You're at
your apartment?"
"Yes."
"I'll be there soon. It'll be fine."
Helen nodded, mostly to herself and hung up the phone. She sat
curled up on her bed in tee shirt and boxers, wishing that she
could make herself believe in the way she that she could to others.

Dream. Space. Nothing. Force. Church. Eyes. Hands. Breasts. Beasts.

Helens eyes flicked open with the knock on the door. She looked at
the clock. 8.11. Through the window a vague semblance of light
was now beginning to filter. Obviously she'd been able to get to
sleep after all, albeit a disturbed sleep.
"Hang on." she called, rising from the bed and going to the door.
She looked through the peephole but she knew it was Uma even
before she saw the woman's face. Unlocking the door she let the
woman in.
"Uma. I'm so glad you...." Helens sentence tailed of as the taller
woman moved briskly into the apartment and pushed the door
closed behind her, locking it firmly. "Uma? What's going on?"
"I'd really like to know that myself." Umas serious tone was
unmistakable.
"What do you mean?"
"Look out he window."
Wrinkling her brow Helen moved to the window, brushed aside
the curtain and squinted down at the street.
"What do you see Helen?"
"Nothing." Helen tried to find what Uma was referring to.
"Exactly. What don't you see?"
"I... What the.. People. There are no people. This is L.A. There
are always people."
"Oh there are people all right."
"Where are they?"
"Church."
"What? All of them."
Uma paused for a second, considering the enormity of the concept.
"ALL of them." she nodded. "Every house of worship for every
denomination of every religion in this town is filled to overflowing.
There are some squares and malls which are just filled with people."
"Doing what?"
"Nothing. Absolutely fucking nothing. They just sit there."
"But.. Frank said he.. was going to church."
"Helen... I don't think this has anything to do with you or me or
any of us. It's like this whole population of L.A has become zombies."
"Not just L.A. Look."
Helen pointed at the T.V news, raising the remote volume.
"I don't get it. Helen that's just last nights news."
"Yes. It's exactly last nights news. It's just a continuing loop.
There's nothing new coming in from anywhere."
"But.. " Uma grabbed the remote and scanned through the
channels. Most of them were the same but about a fifth were
mere static."
"Jeez. What the hell is going on?"
"I have no idea.... Why aren't we affected?"
"What?"
"Why aren't you and I down there among them?"
"... Because of... the way our minds work."
"Or the way our minds are linked."
"The sisterhood?"
"Exactly."
"Phone!" Uma reached for the phone beside the bed.
"Who's in town right now?" Helen asked, considering whom
she knew.
"Kate's around somewhere. I don't know exactly. Liv's in Europe.
Drew should be around. So should Neve and Love."
"Assuming they aren't zombies."
"We aren't so they shouldn't be."
"But we're more powerful than them."
"Hmm." Uma waited impatiently for a pickup. "So. How is
hetro married life treating you?"
"Fine." Helen replied. "Until about four hours ago."

"So how did we do?"
"Not great. I got Kates answering machine, I got in touch
with Neve and Jen easy enough."
Helen raised an eyebrow.
"They were in the same bed." Uma smiled. "But god knows
where the others are."
"Win?"
"Hardly even see her anymore."
"What's she doing?"
"I don't know. No projects as far as I know but that's just
from the grapevine.
"That doesn't sound too good. We only managed to get
two others."
"Well at least there are others who are still thinking. We're
going to meet those two at 3pm."
"So what do you suggest we do until then?"
"Find out what we can from those people."
"I don't think they're particularly responsive."
"Oh come on Helen. I think we know how to make them
respond. It'll just take a little work.. and play."
Even given the bizarre circumstances, Helen couldn't help
smile a little.

"You weren't kidding." Helen whispered as she gazed in awe at
the mass of humanity assembled in the square. They sat and
stood, oblivious to the world around them, oblivious to each
other. Tens of thousands simply waited. Waited for something.
"See any that might fit the bill?" Uma scanned the crowd.
"Hmmm. There." Helen pointed. The teenage girl stood slightly
apart from the main mass though was no less oblivious. Her
short skirt and tight tee shirt seemed to indicate she'd been at
a party when struck with this compulsion. "Young mind, good
body, probably sexually active. Easier to get into."
"I'll take your word for it."
Helen cast Uma a querying glance.
"Well I went for the older woman most of the time. Mature anyway.
And all stars or friends. How young did you go Helen?"
"When I was out of control? Um... I got Lacey Charbert to
masturbate at home. Does that count?"
"Not really. She probably did it regularly anyway."
"She did."
"Well anyway. I was never into the masses like you were."
"Gee thanks. How did you get into this thing anyway? You
never told me how..."
"Some other time. Right now let's get down to business."
"And pleasure."
"Pleasure is our business."
"Of course you realise that if this goes wrong we're in big trouble."
"You mean we're going to have literally a million zombies stalking us?"
"Something like that."
"Then we have to get it right."
Helen nodded and the prepared to move.
Briskly they walked up to the girl, Uma holding her arms, Helen
her mouth. The girl struggled a little but with minimal force they
were able to drag her out of the crowds into a building. There
they locked themselves in an office."
Thankfully there was no movement among the silent masses
in her defence.

"Wendy Adele Baker." Uma read from the I.D card.
"Do we have anything to tie her down?" Helen tried to restrain
the girl as best she could in the small office.
"Sorry. I left my bondage gear at home."
Helen rolled her eyes.
"I really did. But I think we'll have to make do."
"With what?"
Uma knelt down and swiftly peeled off the girl's pantyhose,
tying her hands above her head to a radiator.
"And her legs?"
Uma looked around and searched through draws finally discovering
a thick roll of insulating tape.
"I hope for her sake she's shaved her legs." Uma said grimly.
"Okay. So what's the plan. We get in her head and get what we
need right?"
"Easy."
"In theory." Helen pulled out a coin. "Heads or tails?"

Uma knelt between Wendys splayed legs, her expert hands softly
working on Wendy's delicate flesh under the pushed up skirt.
Helen sat at the girl's head, currently rubbing her breasts, ensuring
that her nipples were fully erect from their attentions, pressing
through the stretched fabric. It was gratifying to see that the girl's
body was responding, as it should be, even if her mind was
somewhere else. As Umas hands went deeper and deeper, Helens
rose up, pressing her fingers against Wendys temples, gently
sliding into the mind of the teen.
"Wendy. I know you can hear me. That's right Wendy. Relax. Just
relax. It feels so good. Let it feel good. Let those fingers touch you
so nicely. So nicely. Let me in Wendy. Let me into your head.
Let me in. Let me in."
Umas eyes watched Helen as she tried to concentrate on the mind
link. She was naked, they both were, her deep breaths raising and
lowering her bosom. Uma could see the look of concentration on
Helens face: eyes closed, lips pursed tight.
"Let me in Wendy. Let me in... Uma?"
"Yes?"
"Make her come."
Uma nodded and flicked her fingers quickly in the right spots. Instantly
she felt the girl twitch and quiver. She could feel that same shiver wash
through Helen as the relaxation flowed through Wendys mind.
"Yes. Wendy. Feel me. Feel me inside you. Let me in... let me in..."
Helen felt the woman's mind opening like a book but the pages were
distorted. Nothing seemed clear. It was as if a thick glass had been
pulled around her and Helen could find no way about it.
"Uma. Give her multiples."
Uma moved again, feeling a series of orgasms shudder through the
girls and her friend."
The glass was cracking. Helen could tell. There was a way through.
There had to be.
Another orgasm. A chink in the defence. Pushing her will forward,
Helen squeezed into the deeper parts of Wendys mind.

Desert. Nothing but desert. Helen felt the heat of the raw sun beat
down on her back, sweat leeching out of her pores, soaking
through her singlet. Squinting she looked around herself. Nothing.
There was nothing. No landmarks, no rocks, just endless miles of
desert. If this was the psychic projection of Wendys mind then
things were very, very wrong.
"Wendy!" Helen called to the outline of the girl as she walked
towards the nondescript horizon. The girl didn't reply so Helen
was forced to follow. She felt the heat sapping the strength out
of her body, or rather her projection of her body. This was certainly
not a healthy environment for a consciousness. Even when she'd
been held hostage by her inner demons Helens world had been
more pleasant than this. In fact it was the very fact that it was
pleasant that she'd been trapped in the first place. At least until
Uma had managed to pull her out, probably saving her soul and
preventing further damage to her celebrity targets. After regaining
control of herself Helen joined the Sisterhood, her new psychic
powers a match for Umas. She also repaired the damage done to
others. Gillian was released, as were Gwenyth and Jennifer Aniston.
Jennifer Love Hewwit and Neve had joined up of their own choice,
though Uma seemed strangely cautious about letting Neve in. She
obviously knew something that Helen didn't. There
was also Drew and Liv but they'd been Umas choices long before.
She'd heard about how Uma brought Drew over but not Liv. Again
it seemed that Helen was left out. So far there hadn't been anymore
initiations. They were cautious. And they were happy. Seven
seemed a safe enough number to keep things low key, especially
when all of them possessed some degree of mind control power:
Helen and Uma were unmatched, Neve surprised everyone by
demonstrating a strong talent for subtle mind bending; Kate had a
talent for picking knowledge out of peoples heads; Love and Liv
were just below, visual hypnotism their key and Drew was able to
press peoples thoughts in the right direction with a little
concentration and a cute look.
All in all they had exactly what they needed to keep themselves
secret. They occasionally considered branching out but Uma
was adamant that they shouldn't be forcing people, only opening
their minds. Helen agreed with the semantic argument, still overhung
with the guilt of her past actions, not so much about what she'd
done, that much had been erased from
the consequences. She never wanted to mind rape people like that again.
Yet here she was, inside the head of an innocent, barely legal
teenager, trying to pry into her inner secrets.
"Where... where are you going?" Helen puffed as she caught up
with the girl who was walking without slowing. She too was labouring
under the heat in jeans and a tee shirt but refused to stop even
for a second.
"I'm following."
"Following? Following what?"
"The fire. Can't you see it?"
"See it?" Helen gazed in the direction the girl was pointing. It was
impossible to see anything in the bright heat. In front of them,
through the mirage of heat there seemed to be a light but it was
most likely the sun.
"How long until you get there?"
"As long as it takes."
"Why are you going?"
"Because I have to."
"Do you want to?"
"I have to."
Helen wiped sweat from her brow. This was crazy. The girl was just
as much a zombie in her head as she was in the real world. There
was some very strange things going on here.
"I want you to stop." Helen requested trying to be calm.
The girl didn't stop.
"Stop or I'll stop you."
No answer.
Helen swore under her breath, gritted her teeth and tackled the girl
to the ground. She didn't really want to but she had to do this. Just
as Uma was stimulating Wendys body from the outside, Helen
would have to do it from within, The girls passive demeanour
shattered in the desert heat. She began to kick and screamed wildly,
flailing her limbs as the women rolled in the dust. There was no
question as to which the victor would be. Helen was an experienced
master at this internal mind manipulation. Within seconds Helen
was entwined around the girl, wrapping up her limbs tightly and
sliding her hand down the hot jeans. Wendy squirmed and writhed
but was unable to break the grip, even as Helen began to rub her
fingers gently beneath the girls panties. Wendy gasped and
instantly Helen felt her calming, surrendering to the pleasure.
"That's good Wendy. Yes. It feels good, So good. So good. Relax.
Let me touch you. It feels so nice. So nice. So nice."
"..so.. nice.." the girl sighed in relaxed happiness.
Helen let out a sigh of her own relief. Now at last they might be
able to get to the bottom of this.
"Wendy?"
"Yes."
"Where are you going?"
"I.. I can't..."
Helen pressed her fingers more firmly, watching the girls lips
part in silence.
"You can Wendy."
"I.. I....."
"Wendy. It's all right.. You can .. tell. me?"
Helen looked up. It wasn't as hot any more. Or as bright. Both
women were in a shadow. Helen felt a wave of terror wash over her.
She released the girl who lay on the ground panting. Helen felt like
screaming but nothing seemed to come out. The shadow came
closer, filling the sky, a testament to nightmare horror. Finally Helen
tried to run. She got no where, just like running in a terrible dream;
each footfall took her nowhere. She felt the darkness engulf her, a
piercing beam of searing dark. She felt her skin crawl, clothes ripped
to shreds, pure overloads bursting in her nerve cells. She heard a
scream. Wendys scream, yelling something she couldn't understand.
It was only a fraction of a second before she blacked out entirely.


She rolled over; barely awake enough to make form of the thoughts
that drifted through her mind like clouds through a grey sky.
"Welcome back."
Helen coughed and rolled up onto her elbows, blinking up at Uma.
"Uma?"
"For a while there I thought I'd lost you."
"What.. what happened?"
"Well I was.. doing what I do and you were focused inside her head.
Next thing I know she starts screaming and thrashing like it's the end
of the world and you fall over faint. I went to help you, to see what
was going on and as I did she broke her bonds and ran out of here,
naked and still screaming. I'm willing to bet she's back at the square
now, mostly naked ad without a single guy staring at her. I tell you
that's unnatural. What happened?"
"Her.. Her heads a desert. It's like something's gone in there and
picked it clean. She was walking somewhere for some reason.
When I ..er ..'asked' her this... this shape came out of the sky and .."
Helen shivered at the thought. "It was horrible. I'm willing to bet
everyone of these people is the same."
"That has to be bad... Do you know anyone called Dyer Sarius?"
"No.. never heard of him. Why?"
"She was screaming it over and over."
"Yeah.. I remember hearing that just before I went out. What the
hell does that mean?"
"I don't know. Maybe the others will. We have to move."
"Why?"
"It's almost four. We're late."
"What...Hey Jeez it is." Helen reached for her clothes. Uma was already
dressed but Helen was in the state she'd been in when he'd blacked
out. On top of that she was soaked with sweat which felt
uncomfortably familiar.
She zipped up her jeans, throwing on her tee shirt while stiffing her bra
into her pocket. She slipped on her shoes and they were out
the door soon after.
"Jeez!" Helen swore as they stepped out the door. "It looks about
7pm out here. And man it stinks."
"It's those bush fires in the hills. They were almost under control
but I'm betting there's no one to fight them now so they're raging.
And it's a hot day. That's what all this smoke is. Certainly makes it
darker though doesn't it?"
"Yeah. That's L.A smog for you. You can just see the moon. Freaky.
Where are we meeting?"
About two blocks from here. Helen nodded and they began to walk.

They spotted Neve Campbell and Jennifer Love Hewwit sitting
nervously on the curb of the street. There was no traffic to worry
about, a first for L.A for many decades.
"Took your time didn't you?" Neve asked as the two approached.
"We were doing some.. research." Helen replied.
"Uh huh." Love nodded, "what cup size research."
"About a C. But that isn't the point. The point is that we seem to
be the only people in this city who are still able to think freely.
Everyone else is a zombie and we can't even get through to them.
I tried. Their minds are deserts."
"But... What does all this mean?" Neve pondered, hoping that
one of her three companions would have an answer.
Three heads shook in reply.
"Well I guess we have to keep figuring this out." Uma rationalised.
There has to be some reason why the entire population of a city..
of a country and maybe the world, just decided to space out."
"Well," Love sighed, running a hand through her smoky long hair, "
At least there are four of us now."
"Make it five."
The quartet turned to the source of the voice. Dressed in jeans
and a red blouse, Kate Winslett shot across the road like a
comet to hug her friends.
"You have no idea what it's been like in this city. It's a ghost
town only all the ghosts are still alive."
"Yeah. We know. We've tried waking them up but there's no
luck." Uma offered the information.
"I know how you feel. I tried to get some information out of
them and all I got was blank pages. It was freaky. I had to lie
down to get a grip for a while. I've never got blanks before.
Nonsense you can pick up but.. human minds just don't have
an off switch."
"Well these ones all seem to. And we have to figure out why.
Man it's getting dark early." Helen mused.
"Do any of you know a Dyer Sarius."
The three shook their heads.
"Why? Neve wondered
"Because that's what the girl we tried to wake up was screaming:
Dyer Sarius,"
Helen looked at her three new companions. Neve and Jennifer
looked just as confused as ever. Kate however had suddenly
become pale.
"Kate? Are you okay?" Helen asked, feeling a shiver starting
to run up her spine.
"Not Dyer Sarius." Kate whispered, her voice filled with dread.
"What do you mean?" Uma asked nervously.
"It's not Dyer Sarius."
"Then what..."
"Dias Iraes....." Kate whispered even quieter. She saw no
recognition of the words. "Judgement Day."
Five women shivered. Five women looked up.
And the sky had become as black as sack cloth, and the
moon had become as blood........





Liberty means responsibility. That is why most men dread it.
George Bernard Shaw


Harbinger - Part Two: The Gathering.

No one said anything. Not for a long time. The only noise that filled the
unnaturally quiet City Street was the breathing of the five women who
stood on the street corner, absorbing what they had discovered.
Then the silence was broken.
"Why not us?" Jennifer Hewitt asked quietly. "Why aren't we like them?"
"Because of our connection." Helen explained, sitting down on the curb.
Because we're bonded together the way we are this whole whatever
it is doesn't effect us."
"Are you actually serious?" Neve vocalised her confusion. "Are
you actually saying that this is going to be the end of the world?"
"Look at it Neve." Uma pointed up to the black sky. "This is all the
signs. Just like in the Bible. And the people are waiting in their
euphoria for it to happen."
"Euphoria? Helen, what you say was inside that girls head, that
didn't sound like euphoria to me."
"Well either way what the hell can we do about it?"
There was no answer to be given.
Again there was silence. Again Jennifer broke it.
"So are we going to heaven or hell?"
"Hell."
All four turned to look at Kate Winslett, sitting calmly on the steps
of an office building.
"If we assume this is all Biblical then you have to take your rational
from the Bible." She continued.
"So what?" Jennifer demanded. "Oh. You mean because of the
whole... sex thing?"
Kate hopped up to her feet, almost casual as she walked. "Well
technically no. I think there's actually a loophole about
lesbianism in the bible but then you get those all through
history. It's always been easier for the gay women, legally at least."
Several sighs were released.
"But if you're following the Old Testament then we're really
in trouble.
"Why?"
"Well unless you burnt an offering on an altar last time you
had your period you're in trouble."
"You've got to be kidding."
"Well I'm not. It's in there. Leviticus. And that's not all, wool
with Linen, wet dreams, sex out of marriage..... Don't you guys get it?"
The women didn't know how to respond.
"If this really is judgement day then there's going to be a whole
heap of judging and sod all redemption."
"You mean..." Helen asked, her voice trembling in fear.
"Yes. EVERYONE's going to hell."



Can't sleep. Need to sleep.
Have to move, have to run.
Voices screaming. Voices inside.
Won't stop, never stop.
Nothing helps.
Doing it doesn't help. Taking the stuff doesn't help.
It should help. Should help, meant to help.
But nothing helps.
Nothing.
Voices screaming.
So angry. So hateful.
Violence. Need violence.
Killing helps. Killings good.
Worked once. Work again.
Need to stop voices. Have to stop them.
Have to keep running. Have to...........



The corridors were all empty.
No people moving. No room service. No answer on any of the
phones. Nothing. Where was everybody? It didn't make any sense.
She'd slept in late. Real late. But she'd got to bed late too. Must
have been about four. She'd got back earlier but couldn't get to
sleep. She got that sometimes. Her solution was to lie in bed and
read. Usually it worked. It seemed to have done so this time. She
remembered the clock hitting four but not much after that. When
she'd awoken she found the book lying on her covers. She'd lost
her page but it didn't really matter. She'd be able to pick up where
she left off.
She got some late, late breakfast out of the fridge at about two
in the afternoon. She ate it, still reading then took a shower
before getting dressed.
Only upon exiting her room did she notice that everyone was
missing. She'd searched the entire building but there was nothing.
Only answering machines were on the other end of the line, even
to places she knew should be answering.
It made no sense at all. Fear had attached itself to her thoughts
now, a cold fear and speculation about what might be occurring.
In reality she had no idea. She was an innocent girl, at least she
thought of herself that way. She had no idea what had happened.
Or what was to come.



"What do you think is going to happen?"
"I don't know. I don't even know what IS happening."
"It's nuts. You know that? This whole thing is crazy."
"I know."
"They're all zombies or something."
"I know."
"So what do we do now?"
"It's getting dark. I think we should just get something
to eat and go to sleep."
"You think that will help?"
"I don't think it can hurt."
"Maybe this is all some nightmare."
"So why are we in it together?"
"Because we're in everything together now."
"Yeah. I guess so. Maybe this will all be over in the morning."
" I hope so... Are you scared?"
".....yeah....."
"Me too honey..... me too.."



Floating.
Suspended.
Drifting in and out of dream.
That was what it felt like. Everything would be so peaceful and
then suddenly it would hit her, jerking your body and mind.
Then it would be peaceful again. She never saw it coming, even
when she knew what it was going to be. That was the idea. It was
sort of like surprising her into learning. Every time it hit she felt
her body spasm, even though she knew there was no point in
doing so. She didn't try and fight it anymore. It felt so good. So
good. It always did. It always had.
Almost like an orgasm but not quite the same. Nothing was quite
the same as those raw burst of white hot sexuality flooding
through her veins. She loved that feeling. She didn't live for it
but she loved it nonetheless. She shivered again, another hit
slamming into her memory. It was intense, more so than she
was used to but she was fine. She liked it. She loved it. And
there was a good reason for it this time. When the time came,
she would be ready.



"So what now?" Jennifer asked.
"I guess we find some food and shelter somewhere. I bet there
are some free five star hotels around." Uma smiled at the thought.
"Know any ground level honeymoon suites?" Helen asked as
she stood, unable to avoid looking up at the dark sky and the
eerie red of the moon through the ash.
"Why?" Uma asked, slightly confused.
"Strange as it seems, I'd like to keep things free. So we can
move out as soon as we need to."
"Fair enough. I think I know a place close to here."
"Why would there be ground level suites?" Neve asked as
they began to follow Uma along the street.
Jennifer smiled and put her arm around Neve. "Well Neve,
sometimes people aren't to interested in the view."
It got a nervous laugh from all the women save Kate. She was
still thinking, formulating hypotheses for their situation. If this
was the end of the world then there wasn't much they could do.
But if it wasn't then something very odd was happening.
Something very odd indeed.


Nine o'clock
The foyer of what was supposed to be a bustling hotel was
abandoned save for the one figure who paced back and forth,
scouring her knowledge for answers.
So far none had arrived.
Kate Winslett, sighed, taking a deep breath and starting a
new train of thought. She knew it wasn't healthy for her
mental state to keep thinking about this but she couldn't help
it. At any rate there weren't really any others she could talk to.
Helen was asleep, having been woken up early in the morning
when all this had started. Of all of them she seemed to be the
most frightened and edgy. It was odd really, as long as Kate
had known her, ever since she regained control from her dark
side at least, Helen had been a pillar of strength. Now she
was scared. It wasn't all that out of place. Kat was scared too.
Uma was meditating over their situation and Neve and
Jennifer had gone to bed. By the sounds Kate heard as she
passed the door they hadn't gone to SLEEP but they had definitely
gone to bed. Not that Kate could complain. If you were going to go
out of this world then you might as well do it in the arms of one you
loved. Kate couldn't sleep and, though she would have been welcome
if she asked, she didn't want to join the other pair either. Instead
she paced and thought, paced and thought, almost as if her wearing
down of the carpet could compensate for the hundreds of feet that
should be flattening. The people were still out on the streets. Now
they were huddled together with blankets looking like queues for
some massive rock concert. They were still immovable, sleep walking
even as they slept. Waiting. They were waiting for something to come.
That much was clear but exactly what it would be none of them knew.
This was what Kate had to consider. Dias Iraes. Judgement day.
It didn't feel right. It all seemed too odd. And every time she spun
on her heel to walk back the way she'd come Kate felt she was one
step closer to the truth.
She sighed again and looked around her. The hall seemed so empty
and silent, so wrong.
"I can help you."
Kate spun on her heel, almost twisting her ankle as she did so. The
source of the voice was a woman sitting on one of the decorative
chairs. She sat in silence staring up at Kate, as the red head looked
her over. It was no one Kate knew, that much was certain. The
woman seemed to be wearing similar clothes to what she was, jeans
and a blouse though the jeans were black not blue and the blouse
was dark green. She wore a heavy looking black leather jacket that
hung loose but failed to hide a slim figure. Her hair seemed to stream
like black water down her back in a long ponytail.
"Who... who are you?" Kate stammered, wondering exactly where
this woman had come from.
"My name is Iris Lockwood. I.. I saw lights on in here. I'm glad there
are others. Do you know what's happening?"
"No. We don't know."
"How many of us are there?"
"Four others. They're... sleeping."
"How could you sleep at a time like this?"
"I can't."
"You look like you need it."
"Not really. I'm just a little stressed."
"You should relax. Sit down."
Kate nodded in agreement and slumped down on the sofa next to Iris.
"Iris.. You say you know what's happening."
"I think so."
"What?"
"Kate. I don't think.."
"How did you know my name?"
"Are you kidding? You're Kate Winslett."
"Oh yeah. For a moment there I forgot."
"Kate you need to relax. You can't think unless you relax."
"Yeah. I guess so. I'm just worried."
"Don't worry Kate. Worrying won't help. Just relax... Relax....."
"Yeah." Kate sighed again, letting the air clear her blocked up mind.
"Just relax Kate... Relax... Breath in... and out.. In ... and Out."
Kate followed the instructions of the woman, closing her eyes and
taking deeper and deeper breaths. It felt good to just sit down and relax.
"Does that feel better Kate?"
"Yes." Kate smiled happily.
"Yes. It feels good doesn't it. Just relax. Relax. You must be feeling
very hot."
"Hot?"
"Yes. So hot. The heat is soaking into you. It feels so hot here. So hot."
Kate considered the prickling on her skin. It WAS hot. She could feel
it. She reached out her hand and unbuttoned her collar.
"Yes. That feels better doesn't it Kate?"
"Yes."
"But you're still hot. Keep going."
"Still too hot." Kate agreed, continuing to undo her blouse till they
were all done.
"No more buttons."
"But you're still hot Kate. Maybe you should undo your fly too?"
Kate nodded slowly, unbuttoning her fly and feeling the cool air run
onto her hot skin. It felt so good that she kept sliding her jeans down
until they were a pile on the floor. She shrugged her blouse of too, sitting
in her underwear, letting the air cool her warm body.
"How do you feel now Kate?"
"Good."
"Yes. You feel. Good. You feel so good. The air feels so good. You want
to feel it on your breasts Kate. You want the cold air to touch your tits."
"Yes.. my tits..."
Kate reached around and unclasped her bra, letting her bosom fall free.
She lay back, chest rising and falling with each deep breath.
"Very good Kate. Very good. Can you feel the air?"
"Yes. It feel so good."
The woman leant over and gently blew on the exposed breasts. Kate
quivered, goose bumps rising on the tender flesh. The red lips
continued to blow cool air onto the skin, more than goose bumps
beginning to rise. Kates breath became deeper and deeper. She shivered
as she felt the tip of a tongue dart out and lick her rising nipples. She
felt like saying something but part of her was enjoying it so much. The
lips pressed against her skin, licking and sucking at her, swirling around
in maelstrom of pleasure. The tongue rose up higher and higher, stroking
her flesh, tracing a line of saliva over her chest, around her shoulder.
The lips began to kiss Kates neck, softly at first then firmer and firmer
until it was almost painful. Kate tried to cry out but somehow her voice
was silent. She felt a sudden jolt, almost like electricity then the sucking
seemed to resume stronger than before. She wasn't worried any more.
Everything seemed to be miles and miles away, further every second.
"Hey you."
Kate heard the distant voice, felt herself dropping to the ground though
she hadn't felt herself being lifted. She looked up at Iris, her pale features
dripping with red. Weakly Kate raised her hand, feeling the slickness on
her neck. She lifted it to her face, seeing the red stain of blood. Her blood.
She tried to scream but nothing came. Only blackness.
Iris stood up, wiping the blood away from her face, smile baring her
sharp white fangs.
"Don't worry." Iris smiled, staring intently at her new prey. "Everything
will be fine. Just fine."
"F...fine." the reply came in a stammer.
Iris smiled further, eyes piercing into the dazed woman.
"Yes. Everything will be fine." She took a few steps closer. "Everything
will be just fine. You feel so good. So good."
"Feel so good." repeated the monotone voice.
"Yes. You feel so good." The vampire stepped in for the kill. "You feel so...."
She shut up as a wooden stake ripped through her chest and heart.
Gurgling incoherently as her flesh melted away, Iris looked up to see
the woman, no longer dazed, no longer passive.
"NOW I feel good." Winona smiled grimly.



Souls. There were souls this way. Real ones, live ones, ones which
offered sustenance. It was so frustrating; the streets lined with
helpless victims yet none of them were worth anything. They needed
the free ones. They were coming for them. And they would get them.



Umas concentration was broken the moment she heard the door
burst open. Even though she saw it with her own eyes she didn't
know what to think. Winona Ryder had just burst in carrying
Kate who was only in briefs and had a bloody neck. Something
was definitely amiss.
"What the..."
Winona dumped Kate down onto a bed and reached into her
backpack. "She's been bitten. Unless we act now she'll turn
within the next couple of hours."
"Turn? Bitten? By what?"
"By a vampire." Winona fished out a plastic bottle from her bag.
"What's going on?" Jennifer asked, appearing at her door with
a sheet wrapped around her naked body.
"I wish I knew." Uma shrugged.
Jennifer hurried out into the room, dropping the sheet but knowing
none of the women here would care. Neve followed a second later
in her tee shirt and boxers.
"Jeez! What the hell is this?" Jennifer looked down at Kates mostly
naked and bloody body. Kate was moaning and twitching but didn't
seem to notice her friends.
Winona didn't answer, instead drawing a hypodermic needle from the
bag and filling a syringe from the bottle.
"Win?" Neve asked. "What the hell is that?"
She was referring to the icky brown substance Winona was about
to inject into the injured woman.
Winona didn't respond until she was already injecting the substance
into Kates neck.
"Holy water mixed in a saline solution. Also some strong sedatives.
Hold her!"
The voice seemed so commanding that the three women did so, even
as Kate went into wild spasms. After half a minute the shaking
stopped and Kate began to breathe regularly.
"The water infuses the cells and kills the vampiric infection. The
tranquilliser just makes it less painful for her."
"Win.. Is.. Are you serious?"
"Do I look serious?" Winona asked seriously.
"Kate was bitten by a vampire?" Neve asked doubtfully.
"Yes."
"And where is it now?"
"I killed it."
"So Kate might become a vampire too?"
"Not now. But she also won't be up and about for about half a
day, which is a bastard."
"Why?" Uma tried to get a balance of the situation.
"Because," Winona said packing away her stuff, "there are plenty
of other vampires out there tonight and as far as I can tell they're
all heading right here."

"Why didn't you tell us?" Helen asked, rubbing her eyes slightly,
having only recently risen from her sleep.
"Look it's nothing personal. I mean, I only realised the way things
were going about four months ago. I mean the whole vampire
slayer thing seemed out of it to me too. But I guess it's just
something I was born with. Like all our latent powers. Maybe it
wasn't until my induction into the Sisterhood that my abilities
developed.
"What abilities? Uma queried, passing around a packet of biscuits.
It wasn't exactly staple food but they were all hungry enough to
eat them. "You've never shown any great psychic potential before."
"Not to anyone here. I.. I sort of went along with a lot of it. Don't
get me wrong, I like what we have, what we've done. I just don't tell
you everything. I've never told anyone. Don't tell me you don't
have secrets too?"
Uma shuffled nervously but didn't reply.
"So what exactly are vampires? I mean how true to all the movies
and stuff?" Neve asked, her arms wrapped tightly around Jennifer
who reciprocated the support.
"Pretty much everything as far as I can tell. Silver, stakes through
the heart and holy water. They don't cast reflections but they do
cast shadows, they can travel across flowing water."
"Flight, transformation and super strength?"
"None of the above, thank God. I mean they're strong but not that
much stronger. Imagine a supercharged human, pushed to its peaks.
When they want to they can move like that. I think it's to do with
the physiology. I don't think they get tired. Their bodies regenerate
fast too. And of course they do have mental powers, like we do I
guess. That was what got Kate. I just wish I'd got here sooner.
They aren't easy things to hunt you know."
"I'm glad you got here at all. What about crosses."
"No. And that's a weird one. I can't figure the holy water thing but
it works. I don't even believe in God."
"Well," Helen replied, "from the looks of things you might not
have a choice."
"How do you mean?"
Helen began to explain.



Closer. Closer. Silently they moved through the night. They moved
like a pack through the shadows, sensing the prey in ahead. One
creature, alone, scared. They could taste the sweat and fear in the
air. It was what spurred them onwards. Tonight they would not go hungry.



"This is really bad." Winona absorbed what she'd been told.
Helen nodded. Jennifer clung tighter to Neve.
"The bible mentions the dead rising from the grave too Win."
"Yeah well that happens every sun down."
"Wait a minute." Jennifer realised suddenly, "With all those people
brain dead out there it must be like a buffet for these things."
"That's what I thought at first but I followed a couple of them. They
walked near the crowds then moved away. They looked frustrated.
I think they might have found the same thing you all did. You see
these creatures like to feed on souls. I mean technically it's the blood
but it has to be from a live spirited human. Those mobs are hardly
spirited. They like to.. stimulate their victims and everyone out
there is beyond communication."
"So they're going to go for those that are still awake?"
"Exactly."
"Meaning us?"
"Right again."
"Right," Uma began, "If you're right then we're going to have to fight
these things. We may as well be ready for them. How many are we
talking here?"
"They're not that common. I'd say there'll be about fifteen of them."
"That's still three to one. What advantages do we have?"
"I have an assortment of weapons. You might be able to fight them
on the mental plane but it's risky. Our best bets are just use the
conventional techniques and hope they work. You might want to
use those powers to over clock your systems a little, just to give
us an edge."
"We need every advantage we can get. Helen, I think this is your
department?"
"Yeah.. okay... Win out sort out the armoury and get Kate in a safe
place. Neve, Jen, get in a circle. This isn't going to be easy..."



She heard them behind her. Once she might have missed the sound
but her senses were sharper now, honed by the changes she had
been through. She knew they were
coming for her. She would be ready when they did.



Neve Campbell fumbled with the silver knuckles on her fist, trying
to adjust them to be more comfortable but failing. Close beside her
she could see Jennifer flexing her wrist with the knife griped tightly
in her hand. They were all waiting. They were all nervous with the
exception of Winona. She sat cross-legged on the floor eyes not
moving away from the glass doors of the foyer. Helen wiped the
sweat from her brow, trying to move her hair away from her face
but failing. She was shaking, she knew it but despite trying and
using her mental abilities she was unable to control her anxiety.
Uma stood, tall and grim, waiting for whatever might come for them.
She didn't know if what was happening was related to their situation
or not. That didn't matter. It didn't matter that all this was beyond
belief either. All that mattered was survival. If they had to defend
themselves and Kate against a pack of vampires then they would,
logic or no logic.
Then the mobs were at the doors. They seemed to glance at the five
women for a second but didn't pause for an instant. The vampires
were through the door in a flash, running across the floor to meet
their prey. Things were not what they expected. They lacked the
element of surprise.
Winona sprung into action, whipping out a stake and burying in
the chest of the leading creature. Seconds later the others followed.
Chaos broke out in the foyer.
The dark creatures, male and female all sought out prey among
the women.
Neve lashed out her fist at a nearing woman, smashing her cheekbone
and sending her reeling back. As she did so, Neve could see the
charred mark where the silver had burned into the skin pale white
skin.
Beside her Jennifer stabbed with her knife at a thing male vampire
that forced her to the ground. She smelt the smouldering flesh of
the creature as her knife burned within it. Though he screamed in
pain her still fought, pushing her down onto the rich red carpet.

On the other side of the room Helen moved, jumping over one of
the tables with athleticism she used to lack. Her change of mental
state had allowed some control over the functions of her body.
Thus she could move with more grace than ever before. She was
nowhere near a gymnast but any advantage was good enough.
One of the ravenous creatures dove after her, only to find it's
face splashed with a vial of holy water, immediately beginning
to corrode it's face.
Uma was in a similar situation, keeping two creatures at bay
with a silver stake and a spray can of silver nitrate. The sprayed
quick burst through the air, each one sending her prey back a
few steps only to close in again.

Winona battled another two, fighting them off with her own style
of martial arts. She'd had to learn exactly how to do the job she'd
been thrust into. Luckily she'd found numerous arcane texts
through various sources, one of them illustrating the best
techniques for fighting vampires hand to hand. It had come in
handy more than once in the past and this time was no different.
All her weapons were in the hands of her friends who no doubt
needed them more than she did. She grabbed the wrist of a
reaching arm and snapped in back, an audible breaking sound
ripping through the air. She tugged and flipped the creature to
the floor, knowing that, unless you pulverised it the bone would
heal in half a minute. Meanwhile she could concentrate on the
other creature.

Jennifer was unable to resist gagging at the stench of the
burning flesh. As she did she felt a hand press against her forehead
and drive her down into the floor. The carpet was thick but not so
thick as to prevent her brain from reeling at the blow. For a second
she let go of the knife in her hand and she felt a vicelike grip
constrict about her wrist. She tried to lash out with her free hand
but that too became pinioned. Looking through the haze of pain
she looked up at the leering creature which pinned her to the ground.
Its pale, features seemed lifeless but the eyes were very much alive.
Deep dark pools that seemed to bore deep into Jennifer's soul. She
knew she should look away but somehow she was unable to.
Every passing second she felt herself fighting less and less.

Neve punched at the creature again, leaning forward and putting
her full body weight into the blow. It would hurt her hand late that
was for sure but for now she couldn't feel the pain. That was one
of the advantages of the hypnotic suggestions that Helen had
placed on her and Jennifer. They wouldn't feel as much pain or
fatigue during their battle. It was something similar to the beserk
warriors of ancient Europe though far more subtle. Once the fight
was over and they caught up with themselves then they would be
in need of serious rest. If they survived of course. They were
willing to risk the later discomfort if it meant surviving. This punch
broke the skin of the creature, dislocating its jaw in a steaming mass
of black flesh. As it lay writhing, Neve leant over and punched it
directly between the eyes.
She felt her fist pass into the skull of the creature.
She felt the burning skin decay within the creatures brain.
She felt sick.
She felt a jarring blow to the back of her neck.
If not for the hypnotic blocks she might have blacked out from the
pain. As it was she reeled forward, gasping for breath. She spun
around only to connect with another blow to her arm. This time she
felt her nerves go numb at the impact. Staggering backward she
did her best to fend off the attack.

Helen and a female vampire rolled across the carpe, tugging and
pulling at each other. Neither could get a good hold before the
other managed to break it. They smashed over a table, a vase
shattering on the floor beside them. Helen felt the impact against
the wooden surface jar her head. The instant of weakness was all
the vampire needed to pin her down. Helen looked up in the face
of her attacker. She gazed into the deep hypnotic eyes of the woman.
"All right," Helen growled, "Have it your way."
She stared into the dark portals with all her might, burning her way
into the dark soul of the creature. Suddenly both of them froze; their
minds locked in combat while their bodies were stock-still.

Jennifer felt her mind slipping away, lost into those infinitely deep
eyes. She knew she should fight. She was supposed to. But it was
so hard to fight them. And it was so easy to let herself go, to let
herself travel deeper and deeper into the soul of her attacker.



In the dark street they pounced on her. She was a small girl,
non-threatening. At least that was what they thought. The first
creature ran forward only to find that the girl side-stepped with
impossible speed. As it came to a halt it felt a searing pain it was
unaccustomed to. It tried to scream but failed. Turning he saw the
girl, standing with a bloody mass in her fist. She had torn his throat
out. A second creature ran forth only to meet a spinning foot that
crushed his rib cage. A female vampire dived for the girl only to find
herself shrugged off, slammed through a shop window. For a second
all three attackers stopped and looked at their supposed prey. In the
dim street light she was smiling. It was a passion for bloodlust, for
violence they had never seen outside their own kind. They had
expected a normal girl. They had got a chemically enhanced, psychotic
killer. The first creature lashed out quickly but not quickly enough.
The girl grabbed it and jumped, pulling it over the broken window
glass, searing the flesh to the bone. Without letting go of the arm
the girl smashed down her foot, crushing the skull of the cut female.
Vampires were tough. They were not immortal in every way. Do
enough damage fast enough and they would die just as any
humans. The female died with a scream in her throat. The girl
sliced the arm three more times in three more places and then broke
it, pushing the beast to the ground. Through the pain the injured
vampire looked up at her with a fear he hadn't felt for many years.
She was skipping. She was humming. She was systematically
breaking every one of the second vampires ribs and she was
doing it to music. Finally she pulled out a shard of broken glass
and drove it through the creatures brain.
Without a pause or second of remorse she turned back to the
remaining vampire. His arm was almost healed when she broke
it again. She sat over him almost casually and grasped the side
of his head, beating it against the concrete as she hummed to
herself. In the last terrified moments of the vampires second
life he recognised the tune.
"Hit me baby one more time." she sung happily to herself.
And Britney Spears crushed his head into the concrete.



Uma sprayed at the closing vampires, realising that she was backing
up against a wall. Deciding it was time to make a break she leant
forward and sprayed one of the vampires in the face. Unfortunately
the other took the advantage. While one vampire was reeling back
in dying agony, the other slashed it sharp nails across Umas chest,
shredding the shirt and bra she was wearing. For a second Uma was
shocked and in that second the creature had grabbed her arm and
twisted it back, forcing her to her knees. Before she could reach for
her weapon another vampire appeared, grasping her other arm and
forcing her down to the floor, helpless to prevent the remains of her
top from being removed.

Neve tried to stand but felt her legs give way as a blow connected
with them. She tumbled back onto one of the couches in a flurry of
pillows. She felt her head being pulled back, being forced to face
her attacker. One hand wrapped around her neck, constricting her
air, the other gripped the top of her head, squeezing and cutting of
her blood flow. And all the time two dark eyes bored into her own.

Helen charged the woman, smashing her through the glass window.
The fell for miles, flailing leaping, flying through the air, each trying to
alter the reality they were in, each trying to beat the other at their own
game.

Uma tried to break free but the arms held her firm. She felt cold fingers
exploring, stroking her exposed chest, teasing her nerves with eerie
efficiency. She felt the hands begin to knead and massage her breasts,
feeling immediately that her nipples were rising in response. Turned
her head to one side, looking across the room. Helen was locked in a
mental battle. Jennifer and Neve seemed to be succumbing to the
creatures. Winona was doing her best fighting three to one but
seemed to be tiring. They were losing. These vampires were going
to win.
Uma gasped as she felt a hand pressing through her jeans into her
crotch. Unwillingly she looked up, looking into the face, into the eyes
of the creature which was touching her. It focussed on her, eyes
boring into her own. She felt the pleasure of her body sapping her
will to fight. The eyes of the creature seemed to flare.
Then it's brain haemorrhaged.
Uma winced as the creature shook then tumbled, blood seeming to
flow from every orifice of its head. A second later she felt a twitch
and the creature holding her released its grip tumbling to the floor too.
She looked up to see a figure clad in black leaping into the room.
When two vampires attacked the woman, as was obvious by her
figure, she responded by kicking one three metres through the air
and flipping the other to the ground, breaking its neck. Behind
her Uma saw a second figure also in black, this time a male. He
raised a large pistol and fired at the vampire that was holding
Neve on the couch. Nothing seemed to happen. There was no
visible bullet or blast from the gun. However the vampire
shuddered and fell to the ground dead just the same. Uma looked
at Jennifer who lay gazing up into the face of the vampire who
was now rubbing the mesmerised girls breasts without any
resistance. That was until the creatures head was booted halfway
across the room by the woman in black, still attached to its body.
The man fired again, this time at the three fighting Winona. One
fell to the floor and the slayer was able to put a stake through
the heart of another. The woman in black did a cartwheel over
the floor, picking up a silver dagger as she did and plunged it
into the heart of the one remaining creature. For a second or
two there was silence. Then Helen pushed the catatonic vampire
from off her and shook her head, trying to get a grip of reality.
Jennifer and Neve regained some of their senses and went to
each other for comfort. Performing her job with ruthless
efficiency, Winona set about driving stakes through the
hearts of the vampires that still lived.
Uma got to her feet; arms folded across her chest as the two
figures, both heavily armed crossed the room. The woman
pulled off her mask to reveal a serious face surrounded by
long black hair. She said nothing.
Then the man pulled off his mask.
Uma dropped her arms in shock. Not that there was anything
to hide. He'd seen it all before.
"Hello Uma." He said nervously, "Long time no see."
She stood for a moment, wondering how to reply, trying to
judge her own expression. Finally she found the only words
she could.
"Hello Billy." She replied coldly.






Crazy Jane on the Day of Judgement
'Love is all Unsatisfied
That cannot take the whole Body and Soul'
And that is what Jane said

W.B Yeats.

Harbinger - Part Three: The Battle.


"Take these controllers Liv."
He handed her two remotes.
Liv took them and pointed each one to a machine. On each machine a girl
was placed. Uma was on her hands and knees, pipes and devices extending
up to her body. Neve was facing down, hanging from a complex frame
which restrained her as well as attached her to the machines. Both girl
had a tight cap on their heads, covered in electrodes.
"Uma?"
"Please don't do this Liv!" she pleaded.
"Neve?"
"I love you Liv. Please don't."
"Liv?"
"Yes?"
"Fuck them."
Liv held down the buttons and the other two began to scream and
gyrated as wildly as their bonds allowed. Uma bumped up and down
as well as back and forth while Neve simply bounced madly.
The machines just kept going.
Liv just watched. Billy smiled.
It had continued that way for days. Once all three were loyally instilled
as his loyal subjects Billy enjoyed his time in a never ending orgy of lust.
The three were more than willing to go along with anything he had to
offer, his treatment having awakened parts of their minds which they
had never explored. The four frolicked in reckless abandon, satisfying
their desires and curiosity. But like all things it could only last so long.

Billy walked into the room, towelling himself off after a warm shower. He
hadn't been getting enough sleep over the past few days, and unlike his
companions he couldn't take a simulated five minute sleep on one of his
machines. Thus he had to find other ways to keep himself refreshed,
showers being one of them. He cast his eyes about the room. Neve was
kneeling in front of a wall, making use of the entertainment unit he'd
originally used to convert her. Her breasts bounced as se moved to the
motion, the cups on her chest gyrating too. Her eyes were closed, head
lolling back with her mouth open, pleasure contorting her figures.
Liv was squirming on one of the mattresses that lined the floor. She
wore a VR helmet and the related, nerve stimulating lingerie. Her fists
her clenched by her sides, back arching up and down as she gasped
for breath. He'd programmed it especially for her. Liv was currently
making love to herself.
Uma was more relaxed. She sat cross-legged on a mattress, slowly
rubbing her own breasts. Her eyes were closed and she seemed to
be focussing on her own touch.
"Uma?"
"Yes."
"I'm going to take Liv for a while. I want you to have fun with Neve okay?"
"Yes." Uma replied calmly, opening her eyes and rising to her feet. Billy
moved over to Liv, hitting a switch on her uniform. Instantly Liv began
to spasm and squirm even more, her vision bombarded by spiralling
light. Finally the twitching stopped. Billy lifted Liv into his arms and
walked out into another room.
Uma watched him go then moved over to Neve.
"Neve. I want to play with you."
"I'm not interested." Neve panted, not opening her eyes.
"Billy wanted us to."
"I don't believe you."
"Neve."
"Look go away. I'm having fun."
"Neve. You WILL let me play with you."
"I.. no.."
"YOU WILL!" Uma felt a force in her mind ripple through the
air and wash over Neves
"I.. yes Uma. I Obey." Neve unclipped the attachments
and stood up straight.
"Good.. what did you say?"
"I obey you Uma."
"Neve?"
"Yes Uma."
"Who commands you?"
"You do."
"But.. what about Billy?"
"You are stronger than Billy."
"I.. I am..." Uma thought hesitantly about it. "I am!" She realised suddenly.
It was as if a dam had burst and her mind was flooded with understanding.
"Neve?"
"Yes."
"Thank you."
"It is my pleasure."
"Your pleasure yes.. have and orgasm."
Neve collapsed to the floor squirming. Uma was too absorbed in thought
to notice.

Billy re-entered the room with Liv in tow, now naked. The treatment had
been a success, not to mention fun. Neve was sitting silently and Uma
was standing, arms folded in the centre of the room.
"Uma," Billy commanded casually, "Entertain Liv while I take Neve."
"No."
"What?" Billy choked in surprise.
"I said no."
"I command you to..."
"I don't care what you command Billy Boy. You've had your fun."
"But.. you... I control you."
"Not any more. Liv come over her."
"Stay here Liv."
For a second the girl looked from Billy to Uma then walked towards
the woman.
"But.. how..?"
"You tell me Billy. It looks to me like all this mind tinkering woke up
something that would have stayed asleep all my life if not for you
poking, no pun intended.
"You.. you mean you're psychic."
"I guess I am."
For a second Billys confusion gave way to enthusiasm.
"That's Great! Do you have any idea how long I researched that, how
close I thought I'd got to using it. And now I finally manage to awake
it in a subject by accident. That's unbelievable!"
"Billy."
"Yeah?"
"Shut up."
"But don't you see this..."
"Shut Up!" she commanded and he felt his vocal chords go slack.
"You kidnapped us, you brainwashed us and you treated us like
slaves. If we go the authorities you'll never see the light of day again."
Billy swallowed nervously.
"But," Uma smiled, running her hand over Livs shoulder, " I suppose
there are a few advantages to have risen. Not only have you
awakened some very interesting powers which I guarantee I will work
on but also certain interests I didn't consider before." She kissed
Livs shoulder though the girl didn't respond.
"So Here's the thing Billy. I'm going to make you a deal. Three things.
First, we three are leaving. I'll take responsibility for them, let them
decide what they're going to do from here on, what they want to
remember what they want to forget. I can do that and you can't stop us.
Second. Don't you EVER treat women like this again. And I'm not even
talking about all this mind control stuff. I'm talking about treating us like
soulless toys for your amusement. If your going to take a girl then she
will not be your slave. She will be someone you have to look after and
take responsibility for. When the time comes you will give her the
choice of her own actions. Is that clear?"
He nodded nervously.
"W.. What's number three?"
"Well," Uma smiled, "I thought the three of us might be able to
teach you a lesson on what it's like to be used."
The three women moved towards him and Billy found his legs
unwilling to respond.

After they left Billy, comatose in total exhaustion, the three found their
possession and, under Umas guidance returned to the outside world.
At least they were still in the same city they'd been kidnapped in.
Here they made a choice. Who was in, who was out.
Liv chose to stay with Uma, the lifestyle having a rebelious appeal she
had come to love. Neve chose to forget. She didn't want any scandal
interfering with her career and at the same time she didn't ant o live
with what she had suffered over the past days. Still getting the grasp
of her new abilities Uma managed to erase the experience from Neves
mind, filling it with a camping trip instead.
Uma wouldn't see Neve again, at least on an intimate basis, for some
time. Exploring her new powers and their potential, Uma searched
among the stars. Uma and Liv formed what was to become The Sisterhood.
Various stars joined for various reasons. Drew Barrymore was simply
in it for the thrill. Uma brought Kate Winslett into the circle in a
successful attempt to free her from a mind controller who called himself
Logan. For Winona it seemed a chance at something different. Sandra
had signed up temporarily but then realised she didn't really want to be
a part of the group. Uma erased her memory but left deep implants just
in case. She also left subliminal commands in a number of top agents
in the business, just to keep tabs on potential new talent.
Eventually something happened.
Uma knew the dangers of suddenly gained mind control, she herself
had been sorely tempted by the powers within her. Only the companionship
and understanding of Liv kept her from breaking into selfish greed. But
is someone were to gain those powers instantly then there was a chance
they would go on a flesh spree as it were. This was exactly what happened
with Helen Hunt. She controlled and used numerous celebrities before her
trail showed up to Umas watchful eye. Helen was good at covering her
tracks but her arrogance lead to mistakes.
Uma waited for her time to come then sprung the trap. With the help of
the Sisterhood she had entered Helens mind. A dark part of her psyche
had taken over but with Umas help she was able to break free. Once she
overcame the guilt of what she had done, Helen would become a strong
member of the sisterhood. Her actions also added two new members,
Jennifer Love Hewitt and Neve Campbell. Neve, her memories reawakened
now decided to join the club. Jennifer followed her, though Uma
discovered that, unknown to the star, she had been having periodic
liaisons with Danni, an old high school girlfriend and hypnotist, for
years. Uma saw no harm in the game, Jennifer herself probably would
have agreed to it now but the co-leader of the sisterhood kept it a secret.
And that was where it had lead them. Uma had no idea what Billy had
been up to over that period. She suspected he wouldn't have given up
his pursuits entirely but they would have changed, if only through fear
of a woman with dangerous powers. She knew he would never try to
expose her. She could destroy him in an instant. But there was a
mutual respect, something she felt when she left him. There were good
controllers and there were bad ones. Billy was someone who learned
from his mistakes.

Even so, it was a shock to see him.
"Hello Billy." She said coldly. "How's things?"
"Personally or globally?"
"Personally."
"Not bad. This is Chris."
The black haired girl nodded her head in recognition.
"Your slave or your accomplice?" Uma asked sarcasticly.
"His friend." Christina Ricci spoke for the first time.
"His friend? Give me a break. What kind of treatment did her use
on you?"
"Artificial reality medium of sexual and hypnotic implantation."
"She knows her stuff Billy."
"Yeah. Well she's a good learner."
"Nice touch by the way." Uma pointed down at the dead vampire.
"Though I thought exploding brains was a little too unsubtle for you."
"For your information this is simply a neural disrupter. It's supposed to
put people to sleep. I recall it worked particularly well on you."
Uma sniffed in contempt.
"As to what happened to these.. things I have no idea."
"Vampire physiology and neurology is totally different to humans."
Winona walked over to the group casually, having executed all the
remaining vampires. "They don't sleep so your ray gun probably fried
their circuits. Handy gadgets. They don't come in more compact
forms do they?"
Chris lifted a pistol from her belt and handed it to Winona. "The one
Billy has is simply a souped up old version. My newer design is
a little more efficient."
"Your new design?" Uma raised an eyebrow.
"Uma," Billy tried to explain, "What I do now is very different from
what I did then. Chris isn't a slave. She's a partner now. You said that
when the time came I give them the choice. I gave her the choice and
she chose me. And she's a better person for it. She's smarter, fitter
and more in control of herself than she's ever been in her life."
"Oh." Uma was unconvinced. "No bits on the side then?"
Billy returned her look angrily. "Like you can talk about monogamy."
"Look both of you," Helen finally interjected the scene, " I don't know
what your history is. I don't care right now. We all have our pasts
we're ashamed of." She paused to swallow, "But we need all the help
we can get in figuring out what's going on here. And why we're the
only ones not being affected."
"You are being affected." Christina said casually.
"What?" Helen shared a concerned look with the other women.
"Whatever is affecting the rest of the world is affecting you too,
only in a less obvious way. You're probably shielded by you individual
or collective powers but your moods will have been altered in some way.
Don't you think your actions have been a little relaxed for the last five
people on the planet? Think about it. What have you been doing and
thinking? Have you been fearful or guilty about things you shouldn't?"
Helen nodded softly to herself.
"Have any of you been overly co-dependant, clinging to each other
like mad? Or aggressive, or passionless. Think about it. Something is
effecting every one of you."
"But not you?" Uma was unconvinced.
"It was at first." Billy explained. Myself far more than Chris. She was
mostly protected by the mental layers that we've built up in her."
"And how come you weren't zombified Billy?"
"Remember how I once mentioned psychic powers to you. Well I
spent years working on theories before resorting to pure hypnosis.
I gave if up after nearly frying my brain one time. But I guess that
was enough defence to keep a little sense."
"I seem to remember controlling you pretty well."
"Certainly Uma. But that was direct contact. Whatever this is seems
to be a broad effect of some sort. Strong but not strong enough to
fully penetrate mental defences like yours or mine."
"So how do we stop it getting inside our heads?" Neve asked nervously
the man seeming somehow familiar to her.
"With these." Billy tapped the metallic patch on his neck. "Simple as a
nicotine patch without the addictive qualities. They isolate neural
impulses. Like screen to stop mind control, broad spectrum stuff
anyway. You can probably still be hypnotised. I've never really used
them. But I have enough here for you."
"And you just expect us to put these on?" Uma snarled.
"Look Uma, As much as you may hate me right now the world seems
to be having very big problems and we have to be responsible for
figuring them out. I have my priorities Uma."
"He's right." Helen picked up one of the patches from his hand.
"Shouldn't we try using these on the people out there?"
"Tried it. No good. It seems that the user had to have enough of a
mental screen of their own for the thing to work. But they should
help you go get a grip," He cast a quick glance at Jennifer and
Neve who were close together "Or stop getting a grip if that's the case."
"What about our powers?" Helen took the patch, almost pressing
it to her neck as Winona took one as well.
"It's only a defence against this general effect. Direct links should
still work but that means both ways."
"Great." Helen shrugged and pressed to the skin of her neck. She
waited for a second. "I don't feel different."
"That means it's working."
Winona put on her patch followed by Neve and Jennifer.
Only Uma hesitated.
"Look Uma," Chris pointed out, "It's probably the effect of whatever
this thing is that's making you suspicious anyway."
Uma clenched her jaw and swiftly put on one of the patches. She
waited for a second taking a breath.
"No it wasn't." she replied. "But I guess I have no choice. So Billy,
you're the genius, what's causing all this. Some super powerful controller?"
"I don't think anyone could be that super. Even you two, the most
powerful telepaths I've ever encountered can't hold more than a handful
of people at once."
"So one person couldn't do it?" Uma asked, taking a bundle which Chris
offered. Looking at it she saw that it was a lycra top. Only then did she
realise she was still topless. Before it might not have been a problem but
Billy was another kettle of fish.
"Thanks." She said weakly, taking the top and pulling it on. It was
a little tight but not uncomfortable.
"Well in theory, maybe. But not credibly."
"How do you mean?" Helen asked as she sat down on one of the
couches, already beginning to feel less guilty about her past.
"Well in theory you could amplify mental commands and transmit them."
"But?"
"But to do it you'd need to be incredibly powerful, a lot more so than
either of you, and you'd need a pretty large transmitter."
"How large?"
"Probably the size of a small skyscraper. And to get the global
coverage you'd have to have it in orbit."
"Ah. What other options are there."
"There could be a web of people a bit like you lot only more powerful
and multiple. Scatter five hundred people throughout the world and
have them link together to create a net which would trap all mental
waves between it."
"Anything else."
"A random or targeted signal from some off planet. Maybe even a
solar flare might have enough energy to alter electrical passages
in the brain. But our details here are a little to specific for such a
random occurrence to be accurate."
"You're all forgetting one option." Winona said grimly.
"Which is?" Chris cast her a queried look.
"That this really is Judgement Day."
"I don't believe in God." Billy retorted quickly.
"Oh," Winona smiled humourlessly, then I guess you'll go to hell."



The dark shadow blotted the landscape, moving as inexorably as the
rotation of the earth, sliding as smoothly as a cloud. Without more
than a soft gust of wind it moved, over hills and grasslands and
deserts, over waters, over thousands of oblivious souls. A dozen
small shadows shot forth, spinning through the night, cutting the
silence apart with their screeching sounds. As quickly as they had
appeared the shapes were gone, leaving the shadow alone, moving
slowly and relentlessly forward.



She couldn't sleep. She was like that. When something bothered her it
made it hard for her to sleep. And lots of things bothered her when she
tried to. It was a vicious circle really but that didn't help her any. She
looked down at her companion, watching as each slow breath filled and
then emptied her sleeping lungs. She envied her friend in many ways,
not least being the ability to sleep despite the situation. Selfishly she
wished the sleeper was awake so they could comfort each other.
She was scared.
She was very scared.
Looking down it seemed that the oblivion of sleep was a fair escape from
that fear. If only she could venture into it herself. But she couldn't. She
was too scared. Another vicious circle.
So she sat there, scared waiting for her friend to wake, or dawn
or sleep to come.
Whichever came first she would welcome it.



"So what do you suggest Billy? You seem to be the man with the plan.
In fact you're the only man." Uma smirked.
"A fact I assure you I am aware of. And not in the usual good way.
As for a plan. Well we don't know what's going on. Everything points
to the end of the world but as yet nothing's happened. Does anybody
know their Bible in better detail.
"I know a little." Winona raised her hand. "But our real expert on all
this is laid out in a back room fighting for her humanity after being
bitten by a vampire."
"Typical." Chris said in a banal tone, inviting several raised eyebrows.
"Well what if it isn't the apocalypse." Billy continued his train of
thought."
"But you just said that.." Neve began but Billy knew where she was
heading."
"I said that everything pointed to the end of the world. But what if
it's all some sort of disguise."
"Hypnotising 99.99 percent of the worlds population is a pretty
complex disguise if you ask me." Uma was still incredulous.
"It could be like a myth." Jennifer offered. Seeing that the others
were listening she continued her train of thought. "Well they say
that myths have their basis in reality right? They just get warped
over time. Well what if what is referred to as the end of the world
is actually some sort of prophecy for something else?"
"Like what?"
"Like this. Like all this mass confusion and stuff. Okay I don't know
how prophecies work but imagine if you saw all of what's happening
now in a vision. Mankind mesmerised, the sky black, moon red all
that sort of thing. You'd be inclined to think it was the end of the
world. I know I would."
The others sat and thought about it for a second.
"Well I don't know if it matters." Chris broke the meditative silence.
"I mean, if there is something we can do to fight this then I'm going
to try. And if it is your Armageddon or whatever then we have
nothing to lose by trying anyway."
"You know Billy," Uma began, "I think you've been filling this
girls head with just a little too much combat intensity."
"I never filled her with any combat intensity. That's the scary part."
He smiled at Chris who returned the expression. "I gave her the
knowledge of various combat techniques but this personality is all
of her own making, give or take certain requested modifications."
"You just tinker with her head like an electrical set?" Uma accused.
"Oh well you please get over it Uma!" Chris finally broke her calm
state. "Wouldn't you want to alter your personality if you had the
chance. Imagine never having to feel jealousy or hatred again. Now
maybe I'm not prefect but I sure as hell am a free woman. Believe me
I've gone over your case file so I know what Billy did to you all and
maybe it wasn't right but things change. No matter what you think I
may be let's get one thing straight, when I fuck ?im I do it because I
want to not because he tells me to. So get off your high horse
because the relationship you have with all these girls is the same
as Billys and mine."
Uma swallowed, not quite sure what to say next.
"I like her." Winona laughed. "Give them a break Uma, we need
their help." She checked her weapons. "And to be honest I find
the concept of Billy here trying to force himself onto a girl who
demonstrated five martial arts styles in thirty seconds is kind of
funny."
Jennifer and Neve laughed and Helen barely repressed a smile.
"Okay Billy," Uma finally relented, "If you were able to input all this
stuff into Chris' brain, how come you don't know it yourself?"
"The conditioning is a difficult process. You have to work a lot on
mental profiles before the subject can accept any direct data input.
There's no way I can pick up anything I've taught her. Believe me
I wish I could."
"So Chris is the only person in the world who you could program
like that from scratch?"
"Well, for all intents and purposes."
"What do you mean by..."
Helen cut Uma off sharply.
"Hey! Do you hear that?"
The others listened intently.
"Sound like..." Winona tried to place the distant sound.
"Screaming." Chris finished the sentence grimly. "Women screaming
by the sound of it. And they're getting closer. In fact.. If I didn't know
better then I'd say...."
She never finished the sentence.

The front of the foyer exploded in a hail of glass, not reaching the
occupants of the room but shocking them to attention. Winona and
Chris instinctively assumed battle stances, expecting more vampires
to be attacking.
They were half right.
The figures bursting into the room were definitely attacking.
But they were not vampires.
Even through the shattering of the glass the ear splitting screams
were deafening. Through the mist of destruction the figures moved,
leapt, flew. Each was identical in shape, size and colour. They were
all female, their athletic bodies unhindered by garments. The only
thing each of them wore was a head of flowing jet black hair, over a
metre long, trailing behind them and around them like oily shadows.
Their skin was inhumanly pale, even more so than that of the
vampires, tainted with a vague grey or blue tint.
It was clear enough that they were not human.
They had no eyes.
Merely black orbs in their heads that never moved or blinked. Wide
open mouths, perpetually screaming aloud, never stopping for breath.
They hit the party in a tempest.
Only Winona and Chris were ready and even they were shocked at the
ferocity of their attackers. These creatures were nothing like the
vampires. The undead had been rational, even in their bloodlust but
these women were nothing but beasts, forces of nature unleashed
upon the world.
"Banshees." Helen whispered in horror before a flying creature slammed
into her and they tumbled across the ground, the blonde instinctively
fighting the creature. The others were doing much the same to a
lesser or greater extent. Christina was able to deflect most of the
attacks, flipping her opponents who offered no defence of their own.
The only problem was that they kept getting up and charging again,
seemingly oblivious to pain. And the screaming was hurting her ears.
Winona was in much the same boat, trying to fight them off but
realising that they were just coming back again and again. The
others were struggling with the beasts as best they could. Jennifer
was able to inflict some damage with her limited knowledge of
kick-boxing but exactly what that damage was failed to register. At
least she was able to fight these things better than she had the vampires.
They didn't seem to have any super strength, just their mad fury. Neve
was faring less well. Having grabbed the wrists of one of the banshees
it was all she could do to hold it off her while she lay on her back.
Likewise Uma and Helen struggled with their foes. To many of the
women it seemed like a replay of events a short time ago but this
time it seemed different. Earlier it had been explicable, as far as
vampires could be explained. These creatures were outside of logic
and nature. Billy wrestled with yet another creature, unable to get to
any of his weapons which he could only hope would work. He
struggled and waited for an opening.
Chris flipped another attacker, swearing that the arm she wrenched
should have broken. She found herself back to back with Winona,
holding off the advance as best she could.
"Any idea what these are miss vampire hunter?"
"None. They're outside of my experience."
"So what do you suggest?"
"Hit them until they fall down?"
"Sounds like a plan."
It was the only plan they had.

Jennifer kicked aside another one of the creatures, puffing and wondering
what it would take to keep them down. She felt a random claw scrape her
neck and she lashed out instinctively, knocking the attacker away. The
noise was deafening. Suddenly it got louder, more high pitched until
Jennifer heard nothing but the piercing whine that stung into her brain.
She felt the pulse drill into her conciousness. Deep into her mind. Deep
into her body.
Jennifer gasped, tumbling to her knees as weakness flowed through her.
An orgasm. She'd just had an orgasm. She began to wonder why but the
ringing in her mind was too strong to think. Then another orgasm hit her.
Then another and another. The multiple orgasms blasted through her
relentlessly, reverting her to a quivering pleasured mass on the floor.
Her moaning merged with the screams around her.

Billy caught a glimpse of Jennifer Hewitt writhing on the floor as she came.
Normally this would have been an alluring sight but presently he was
fighting for his life and the base human instinct of immediate survival
overrode that of reproduction. If anything the sight of one of his companions
falling into a helpless sate was an incentive. He flipped back, pulling the
creature which he fought with and throwing her into a wall. The brief
second was enough for him to Extract a cylinder from one of his many
pockets. For an instant he thought about yelling a warning but then he
realised there would be no point, the screams loud enough to blot anything.
He twisted the top of it and dropped it. There was a bright blue flash and
an instant later the screaming stopped. Billy watched as if in slow motion
as blue sparks scuttled over the blue skinned creatures which tumbled to
the ground in spasms. Out of the corner of his eye he noticed the Jennifer,
lying on the floor was in a similar state, sparks running over her skin. He
felt a pang of fear and hoped that the girl was too far into oblivious pleasure
to notice the shocked pain she would be feeling otherwise. The creatures
tumbled to the ground as the electricity subsided.
There was silence at last.
Helen got to her feet, gasping for breath as did the others.
"What was that?" she asked.
"A modified electromagnetic pulse designed to react with the bodies
nervous system." Billy explained as he went to check on Jennifer who
was silent. It was clear enough by the rising and falling of her chest,
complete with fully erect nipples pressing through the fabric, that she
was still alive.
"Why didn't it effect us?" Neve asked as she looked worriedly at Jennifer.
"These patches are designed to filter out the effect..." he examined Jennifers
neck and nodded to himself. "And Jennifers had been broken in the attack.
That would explain what she ahem came down with all of a sudden. Those
banshee wails would have had us all writhing if not for these." He tapped
his own patch.
"Will she be okay?"
"Yeah. She'll be fine. Just unconscious for a while."
"How long?" Uma looked down at her.
"Well usually....." he stopped and turned to see the banshees beginning
to stir and rise. ",usually a lot longer than that."
"Hit them again."
"Firstly It might kill Jennifer and secondly it takes time to recharge that
much power."
"So what now?" the group backed up slowly as the creatures rose up,
beginning to scream again.
"I've used about all the science I can think of. These things are magic.
Know any one who can use magic?"
"Now that sounds like an entrance line if ever I heard one." A soft female
voice came from out on the street, lilted with a tone Billy couldn't quite place.
In an instant there was a brilliant flare of light, a luminous sphere engulfing
the creatures which seemed to writhe and dissolve until there was nothing
left but a fine blue mist.
Billy, Chris and the sisterhood waited as their eyes adjusted from the flash.
"You know, I really wish we could use this stuff in our shows."
Came another voice.
Helen, getting over the shock of seeing the impossible, stepped forward
to see the source, five women moving into the hotel. Four looked normal,
walked normal, dressed normal apart from an apparent denim penchant.
The fifth was not normal.
She didn't walk, she hovered.
She didn't wear blue, she wore green.
She was two feet tall.
"If it's magic ye want." The leprechaun pointed at her four apprentices, "
then it's magic ye've got."
The women looked at the new comers in amazement.
Keavy, Lindsay, Edele and Sinead just smiled back.







"All things return eternally, and ourselves with them"
Nietzsche.

"And he that cannot apply New Remedies must expect New Evils."
Francis Bacon.


Harbinger - Part Four: The Arrival.

"If it's magic ye want." The leprechaun pointed at her four apprentices,
"then it's magic ye've got."
Helen did not believe in leprechauns. But half a day ago she didn't believe in
vampires either and that opinion had been subject to change.
"You're..."
"Aye. A leprechaun. And yes I know I'm female, and no there aren't many
female leprechauns and though I'd love to answer all your questions were are
getting a little short on time.
"What does she mean by that?" Neve asked one of the newcomer with bright
red hair.
"She means that it's only a matter of time before it gets here and we should
be ready. My names Edele by the way."
"I'm.."
"Keavy, Lindsay and Sinead." Neve nodded. "Bewitched."
"Yeah."
"Alright then." Uma interrupted. "I've heard of you and I'm going to ignore
preconceptions and believe in magic. But I think you'd better tell us what's
going on and by the sounds of it fast."
"Right." Keavy turned to her sister, "Where do we start then?"
"Well we don't have time for everything. Just the basics."
"Well," Keavy began, "I guess it started when..."

***

Luckily no one found out. If any pictures of the four girls, all naked and
sleeping in the same bed, had ever got out then it would have been a scandal
the likes of which the tabloids had never seen. Fortunately they each went
back to their rooms and avoided the mess. They didn't talk all that much
about it, mostly because they couldn't remember anything that had happened.
That in itself was disconcerting but they were unharmed so that made things
a little better. None of them were pregnant either which came as a further relief.
Time rolled on, show after show and the event was almost lost in their memories,
which were hazy at best. They might have gone on living their lives had not
fate prescribed a different path.

Gwen was a leprechaun. She was female. She was two feet tall. And she was
lonely. It didn't make any sense that she was only lonely now. After all she'd
been living alone for longer than she could remember and it had never
bothered her before.
She knew what it was that bothered her.
It was them.
It was four human girls who despite being put in a situation which might have
destroyed them were STILL best of friends. In fact it seemed that they were
better friends now than before Gwen had meddled with their lives.
Gwen needed help.
Unfortunately a leprechaun finds it difficult to get psychiatric advice. Most
institutions spend their time convincing people that the little folk DON'T exist.
So Gwen had only one place to turn and that was to someone she hadn't
spoken to for longer than she could place. That was what had brought
her here, standing beside a lake.
"Come on out you old geezer. I know you're around here."
"No need to shout Gwen. It hardly maintains the air of mystery." He spoke
to her calmly the wisdom of years bearing on every syllable.
"Sorry."
"Never mind. You folk have always been the jumpy type. No offence."
"None taken." She folded her legs up underneath her, hovering above the
ground. "You know why I'm here?"
"I'm wise not omniscient."
"There are.. these girls. Four friends. Two sisters. They sing."
"Anything I'd have heard of?"
"Er.. Bewitched."
"Ah. The pop girls. Catchy stuff."
"You've heard them?"
"Well people have radios around her you know. What about them?"
"Well.. I.."
"Oh Gwen you didn't get them... oh you did."
"Well they enjoyed it. And it didn't bother them at all."
"But it bothered you."
"Well that's just it. The fact that they just got on with their lives like that.
I can't believe it."
"And this bothers you because?"
"I don't know why that's why I came to you."
"Then I'll tell you. It bothers you that you don't have friends like that."
"I'm a leprechaun. I don't need friends. Besides who are you to talk
about solitude?"
"Ah But I like solitude."
"So do I."
"Really Gwen?" his voice was filled with sarcasm.
"Look when I took them up to (she spoke a word in the old tongue) they
were wild. It was remarkable."
"You took them there?"
"Yes. But.."
"You took them there even though you know only those with the gift
can walk that land."
"Well technically they didn't WALK. They did lots of things but
walking wasn't one of them."
"Gwen. You should know that only those who had the gift could
ever enter that place."
"I know but .. well I was just having fun."
"Gwen. I'm not criticising your actions. I've known too many leprechauns
to do that. What I mean is that you COULDN'T have taken them there,
even with your powers unless..."
"Unless they were... born witches?"
He nodded silently.
"But humans lost that power centuries ago. Even modern pagans only
have a vague idea of the true path. And for all of them to be like that it
would have to be a huge chance.."
"Or perhaps fate. Those born with the gift of magic don't always know
it. And for them to find each other... and for you to find them... I think
the stars have plans for you my dear.."
"You can't mean that I.."
"Who better to teach them magic than a magical creature."
"But I can't tell them the truth!"
"Magic is all about truth Gwen. You must know that."
He started to move away.
"But how can I tell them?" she asked desperately. "How!"
But there was no answer. All she was calling to now was
the unbroken
waters of Loch Ness.

"Pretty good show tonight." Edele puffed as they exited the elevator.
"Yeah, not bad. Nothing like a home crowd I guess." Keavy smiled,
wiping sweat from her brow. Even Dublin was hot under stage lights.
"Hey." Sinead pointed to a bucket outside her room. "What do reckon
that is?" She knelt down to see a bottle of champagne in ice. "From an
admirer of four magical girls." She read the card. "Well don't look a
gift horse in the mouth I guess. Care to come in for a drink?"
"Why not." Lindsay shrugged.
The four girls entered the room.
There was a woman sitting on the bed.
She wore green. She was two feet tall.
"Girls," she began, "I have a story to tell you."

They took at well. At least, they took it better than they might have.
They didn't punch her.
"So," Edele repeated, her face tending towards the colour of her
dyed hair, "You did all that to us for a joke."
"Um.. yeah." Gwen bit her lip, feeling a strange sensation she'd never
felt before and guessing it was guilt.
"You enjoyed it." She added weakly.
"You made us enjoy it!" Edele growled.
"Well actually no. I made you do it... The enjoyment was all yours."
"Look, I don't know who you think you are, I donlt care if you're
magical or not but don't tell us what we did or didn't..."
"I enjoyed it."
"What?" Edele turned to her sister in disbelief.
"I enjoyed it. I mean in retrospect it's a little perverted but.. We had
fun.. You had fun sis. As much as it kills you to admit it we all liked
what happened, otherwise we wouldn't have done it. It's like Gwen
said, we gave in to our desires."
"I don't believe this! Linds? Sinead?" she turned to her friend to see
the looking awkwardly at the floor.
Edele let out and exasperated cry and stormed out of the room.
"Irish temper." Sinead said after a silence.
"I.. I have something to teach you girls.." Gwen explained.

Edele walked along the street, ignoring the cold Celtic winds which
cut through her denim jacket like razors. She was to annoyed to be
cold. Annoyed with life, with her friends, with a creature that shouldn't
even exist. It was crazy. She knew it. But that didn't make it any better.
She stopped beside a river side and sat on a stone, listening to the
silence. She had managed to avoid the fans somehow and she was
grateful for it. She liked the silence. She needed to think. But then
she didn't like what she was thinking either. She was thinking that
things were alright, that there wasn't anything wrong with what had
happened. She remembered everything that had happened. She
remembered being tied to her bed, helpless as Gwen drove her to
orgasm again and again. What was worse was that when she remembered
she felt her body reacting again. She HAD enjoyed it. She knew it was
the truth. She just didn't want to admit it yet.
"Sis!" a voice called out.
Edele turned, looking around the street behind her. It had been Keavys
voice yet there was no sign of her sister.
"Hey Edele!"
Edele recognised Sineads voice too but there was no sign of them.
Then she turned to look in front of her.
The voices were coming from across the river.
Half way across the river.
There, walking on the dark waters were her three friends, dancing.
Beside them hovered the leprechaun. She was smiling. Not a smile
of mischief or contempt. A smile of pride. And of hope.
She flew across the waters to Edele.
"Come on in. The water's fine."
"I can't." Edele stammered.
"Sure you can."
"But. It's water."
"So? Edele. Look at me."
"I.."
"Look at me. Look at me Edele. Look at my eyes."
"I don't think.."
"Don't think Edele. Don't think. Just relax. Relax. Don't worry so much.
Stop worrying. Stop telling yourself what should be happening.
Just relax."
"Relax.." she repeated, her eyes feeling heavy.
"Relax. Edele. Relax. Forget all your worries. Let them fly away.
Just let them fly away. Good."
"Good." Edele repeated.
"Can you feel those doubt slipping away?"
"Yes."
Good. Just let them all slide away. sliding away. No more doubts.
No more fears. Does that feel good?"
"Yes."
"No more burdens weighing you down Edele. You feel free don't you?"
"Free."
"You feel so free and light with no more worries weighing you down.
You feel like you're flying"
"I'm flying."
"Edele. Open your eyes."
The girl blinked. In front of her she saw the fairy, floating. Then she
looked down and saw the water running beneath her feet. She cast
a disbelieving look back at the fairy.
"I'm flying!" she repeated.
Gwen nodded happily.
Her teaching had begun.

***

"Well," Keavy began, "I guess it started when..."
"Look Keavy," Uma cut in, "I don't think we need to know all the details
of your lives. Just tell us what going on out there at the present time."
"Fine. You want it in plain terms. The source of control for the entire
human race is heading towards this city. It'll be here in less than an hour."
"What is it?" Uma demanded, feeling frustrated.
"From what we saw it was a ship. Like a huge shadow."
"In the water?"
Lindsay shook her head. "In the sky. We saw the banshees fly from it
and chose to follow them. We guess they'd be heading towards the
centre of free will."
"You mean us?"
"Yeah."
"So those things," Helen tried to get her head around the situation,
"were sent to incapacitate us. And you just vaporised them like that?"
"They're magical constructs. They can be dissolved like salt in water."
"Okay, "Billy thought it over, "Put these patches on by the way, they'll
increase your defence against the effect from this.. whatever it is.
Where did you see it?"
"Over the pacific. We passed it on our way here." Edele explained.
"Took the long way from Ireland did you?"
"Actually we were in Tokyo when this happened. And if you're
wondering it's the same everywhere. Humanity has been put on standby."
"So why did you come here?"
"We.. well Gwen told us to."
"It just felt right." Gwen shrugged. "I'm a leprechaun, we act on impulse."
"Okay," Billy thought aloud. "So you passed this.. ship.. Could it be alien?"
"Aren't you getting a little X-files here?" Neve remarked.
"Yeah," Chris quipped, "why don't we just stick to all the rational
vampires, zombies and leprechauns then."
"Well think about it." Billy continued. "An alien invasion spearheaded
by mind controlling humanity."
"Well they sure know a lot about human culture." Helen considered.
"Isn't it a little too detailed to mimic the end of the world as we know
it? Why bother with a charade at all?"
Gwen shook her head thinking. "It didn't look like a ship really. "
"Then what did it look like?"
The fairy shrugged.
"A building." Lindsay realised. "It looked like a skyscraper."
"A flying skyscraper?" Uma was incredulous.
"Well it was dark. We didn't see that much."
"What if it didn't come from space." Winona suggested.
"Well where do you hide a flying building. I'm pretty sure a military satellite
would pick it up." Uma pointed out as she slumped down on one of the
couches. "So Win, where do you hide a building."
"Underground." She answered quickly.
"Winona," Billy explained, "For something the size of the building to
unearth would exert huge forces. It would be impossible to go unnoticed."
"Who said it would go unnoticed? Earthquakes in the Middle East?
What if they were part of this?"
"You mean it came out of the desert." Neve asked.
"Well I'm saying it could."
"We'll see it soon enough." Edele cut in. "It'll be here in half an hour."

***
Britney ran, trying to block out the voices which rung in her head. Nothing
would make them stop. She'd been running all night, not going anywhere in
particular, just trying to escape. But she couldn't. She was exhausted but she
refused to stop. Sweat streamed down from her tangled hair, stinging her eyes
but she refused to stop. Not until her legs gave out and she tumbled head first
into a pile of old boxes did she stop. Even then all she achieved was a restless,
fevered sleep.

***

She yawned and rolled over on her bed. Nervously she rose, looking out
the window. Nothing had changed. There was no one out there. No one
but her. She was alone. Totally alone with no idea what to do next. She
did all she could. She curled up in her bed and hoped someone would come.

***
Her eyes slowly flicked open to see the face of her lover close by, still sleeping
peacefully. It must be nearly morning. A quick look at her watch proved that
it was. But clearly nothing had changed. There was no noise of the city, no
traffic, no chatter. The city was silent. The two were the only two people in
the world. And as romantic as the concept had once seemed it now sent a
chill down her spine.

***

"It's almost dawn." Neve looked at her watch as she cradled Jennifers
head in her arms. "Can you use magic to help her?" she appealed to
the Irish girls.
"Well.." Lindsay began but Billy interrupted her.
"I don't pretend to know anything about magic and I don't want to
question your abilities but.. Neve she'll be fine in a few hours. Maybe
she'll have a head ache. But if we go mucking around with her nervous
system then I don't know what will happen. Let her sleep it off Neve.
I promise she'll be fine in a few hours."
"We don't have a few hours!" Neve yelled angrily.
Billy sighed. "Stay with her Neve. For now. Take her back with Kate."
Neve reluctantly agreed and lifted Jennifer carefully, carrying her back.
"I say we get to the top of this building to get a good look at this thing
when it gets here? Agreed?"
"Agreed." Uma and Helen said in unison.
The three moved to a lift and Winona followed
"Going up?" Chris asked the denim girls as she walked in and pressed
the button.
"We'll take the express." Sinead smiled as the door closed.
The elevator seemed to take forever to get to the top floor but finally
the doors opened and the occupants spilled out into a small room.
Uma tried the door handle.
"Damn it. Locked."
Chris brushed her aside and swiftly kicked the door, smashing the
lock off.
"After you." She gestured as the others walked out into the open air.
The four Irish singers were sitting on the ledge of the building, Gwen
hovering cross-legged beside them.
Uma began to ask how they got there but shrugged it off.
"Almost dawn." Winona noted, looking a the hint of the sun rising.
"We should be able to get a good look at this thing."

The eight women, one man and a leprechaun waited, catching a
glimpse of a shape on the horizon. As they watched, in awe, in fear,
the shape became bigger and bigger and bigger. It was huge, larger
than the tallest skyscrapers, hovering in the sky unsupported. It
moved almost silently, the huge displacement of air causing the only
sound, a rushing of wind. It was indeed like a building, it's surface
illuminated by the morning light. It was a cylinder, standing perfectly
upright, every surface ornately decorated with statues and carvings.
Even the century old magical creature was awe struck by the massive
floating monolith.
"I've never seen anything like it." Helen whispered softly.
"I have." Winona said coldly.
For a second all eyes broke from the building and turned to her.
Winona HAD seen it before.
Not in real life but in pictures.
And in an instant she felt certain she knew the truth.
That it had risen from the desert.
That it had come across the ocean.
"What I is it?" Uma asked feeling a chill that was deeper than the
cold winds around them.
Winona looked grimly onwards as the citadel hovered above the
city.
"It's The Tower of Babylon."






"That which does not kill us can only make us stronger."

Harbinger - Part Five: Harnessing the Horsemen - Calista.


She went to bed and...

She tumbled forward, a sudden bout of nausea rushing through her.
She caught herself before hitting the ground, doubled over as the
sensation quickly faded. Looking up, her mind began to race, the
effects of the feeling clearing as sharply as they had appeared.
She was in a church. A church packed to overflowing with people.
"What.. what am I doing here?" she asked aloud.
"Excuse me?" she asked the person standing beside her. They didn't
reply. "Hello?" Can you hear me? You. What.. Can Anybody Hear Me!"
she yelled, her question echoing through the silent building.
There was no reply.
No one said a word; simply facing forward to the altar where nothing
in particular stood. Now and then people shuffled, handing out water
and food which others took, mindlessly. There was nothing else. IT
was like being trapped in a room full of robots. Instantly she felt
pangs of claustrophobia dig into her stomach. She had to get out.
Rushing she pushed her way through the crowds which offered no
resistance. She shoved her way to the door, knocking one young man
to the ground as she did. She stopped for a second but he ignored her,
getting to his feet, oblivious to what had occurred. She burst out into
the street and the sight that greeted her would have made her scream
had she not choked first. Lining the streets around the church were
people. Hundreds, thousands of people simply standing like statues,
their faces were impassive.
"Can anybody hear me!" she screamed at the top of her voice but
again there was no reply.
She gulped for air nervously, her heart beginning to beat faster. She
ran down crowded the steps of the church, tripping on the final step
and falling to the ground. She cursed as she pushed herself back to
her feet, pulling off the high-heeled shoes and throwing them away.
Pressing through the mobs she forced her way onwards, hoping that
there would be some way out. The air stunk, not merely of human
bodies but of smoke. She was too scared of her situation to link it to
the bush fires. After a block the crowds thinned out a little. Then she
was able to move better. Finally there were no people at all, simply
silent windswept streets. She turned the corner.
Calista Flockheart screamed.
There, hovering above the city, taller than any building was a huge
ominous tower straight out of the realm of nightmares. She tripped
over her feet as she took a step back in terror.
As she sat there. Looking in awe at the massive shape she saw a light
erupt from its surface. In seconds it stretched across the city, down
into the city street to engulf her. In totally silence the light swallowed
her up, lifting her through the air. Silent that is apart from her helpless
screams as she was dragged nearer and nearer. She could see nothing
but the whiteness about her but she could feel herself lifted through
the air like a doll. Gradually the light became less and less intense. She
blinked through the haze to see the face of the tower as she approached
it. She was being pulled closer and closer to a gaping carved mouth.
She stammered once, trying to find a word for her fear, then fainted.

Calista awoke slowly. There was no longer the scent of smoke in the
air. Now it seemed more like a sickly chemical smell. It was almost
intoxicating, sweet, but not pleasant enough for her to appreciate it.
Groaning she open her eyes. Suddenly she was wide-awake. She was
in a tank, up to her shoulders in some sort of gel. When she first saw
it the ooze seemed green but a second later it was yellow, then red
then purple. She had to move her attention away to stop herself getting
a headache. She squirmed in the small container, barely larger than her
shoulder span. She could move her limbs slightly but not enough to
get free.
Resigning herself to that specific limitation Calista looked about the
rest of the room. The room seemed small, a wall size monitor in front
of her bearing various data she couldn't understand. In addition it
had a rotating camera view of her body, naked in the ooze. There might
have been more behind her but she was unable to turn properly.
Otherwise the room seemed empty.
"Is anybody there!" she called but there was still no reply.
She realised she was floating in the gel, her legs not touching the
bottom, if there was a bottom.
There was a hum, something she hadn't noticed before. It almost
sounded like a camera flash, charging slowly.
"Hello!" she called her voice trembling in fear.
The humming seemed to rise higher and higher, reaching a crescendo
then snapping off. And instant later the gel around her started to churn.
Calista let out a cry of shock. Her skin was beginning to prickle as the
gel moved against it. It wasn't pleasant but it wasn't painful either. It
was more of an itching sensation, once which became stronger and
stronger every second. She moved her arms and legs, trying to rub her
irritated skin but there was too little room. Within a minute she was
crawling in her skin, screaming in frustration as the ooze boiled around
her. Her skin felt like a writhing creature, tearing to be free of her body.
Nothing she did could ease the itching sensation. It was only after five
minutes of the torment that the goo finally calmed down and Calista
slowly felt her skin returning to normal. She caught her breath, wondering
what was happening and dreading what might come next.
"Please! What are you doing to me?"
Her only response was movement beside her. Snaking, like a cobra,
rose a pipe with a mask on the end.
"Get away from me!" she yelled but the pipe moved closer and closer,
sealing itself over tightly her nose and mouth. She struggled for a
second but then realised she was receiving a steady flow of air. The
purpose of this only became clear a second later.
No longer able to talk she simply moaned and thrashed her body
within the tank. Despite her protests she felt herself being lowered
into the gel. It rose up over her neck then her chin. Her breath remained
unhindered due to the mask but she closed her eyes tight as she went
under, her vision now blocked off. Calista felt the slim closing over her
head. She panicked, struggling but to no avail. There was no room to
move. Through the gel she heard a dull hum.
She tried to scream in defiance but was unable to.
Seconds later the water began to churn around her again, this time
engulfing her head as well. Instantly the crawling began again, this
time from her toes to the tip of her head. In shock she opened her eyes.
For a second she saw the bright swirl of the gel, then the crawling feeling
sunk in. She began to twitch her eyes uncontrollably, the maddening
feeling driving deep into her optic nerves. Her entire face was subject
to violent, involuntary ticks as was the rest of her body. Everything
save her covered nose and mouth which consistently attempted to
scream. She was terrified, trapped inside her own body that was helpless
to fight then forces around her. She wished that she could black out but
nothing happened that would rescue her from the torment. Finally the
thrashing stopped again and she was able to rest. She gasped in the
sterile air that entered through the pipe, wishing it were fresh air and
that she were free. She waited once more, helpless to defend herself.
Then she heard a sound through the gel, something moving above her.
For a second she hoped she might be freed but that hope was crushed
quickly. She felt the sliding over her hair as a pair of earmuffs sunk into
the water, closing over her head, blocking off all sound. Once again
Calista felt panic, robbed of another sense. There was silence save for
the pulsing of blood within her body.
There was no warning of a hum this time when the sensation started.
Once again she was thrown into involuntary spasms, below and above
the neck. She felt a little relief that this time her ears were spared. Her
relief was short lived, a deep booming voice beginning to speak in
monotone, over and over.
"OBEY. OBEY. OBEY. OBEY...."
Calista began to scream anew.

Five minutes later the cycle ended once again. If not for the fact that
she was submersed, tears would have been streaming from her eyes.
The voice continued, relentlessly commanding her though she tried
not to listen. Her body wasn't getting anymore used to the feeling like
she hoped it would. Every passing second had been just as intolerable
as the first. But she had no choice but to tolerate it. There was nothing
else she could do. She had no hint that anything else was happening,
not until she felt the strange material press against her face. She
recognised it was a visor of sorts and the proximity allowed her to
hear the draining of the gel from her eyes. She opened them and
blinked once or twice. It was totally dark but at least she was free
of the gel. Then the pulses started. They seemed totally at random
and each was blinding. At least they should have been. But none of
them were. Her vision was totally unaffected by the brilliant flashes
that bombarded her vision. She pulled her eyes tight shut, blocking
out most of the light successfully. The voice still boomed the single
word but she ignored it for the most part.
Then the sensation began again.
Once more her body squirmed. Once more she screamed.
Somehow here yes, which should have been spared, were still affected.
They flashed open and closed despite her commands and as they did
the glaring lights drove into her vision. They were so brilliant that she
felt she was looking into the sun but never going blind. It was
exhausting looking at the lights. For the first time Calista actually
began to feel tired, not physically, though she should have been
from her bodies twitching, but mentally tired. It was as if the lights
were putting her brain to sleep. And all the while the voice kept
booming resonating in her mind.
"OBEY. OBEY. OBEY. OBEY...."

Calista had lost all concept of time. Now and then the sensation would
stop but then it would start again. Even in between times, when she
had control she didn't bother to close her eyes tight. The flashing
lights simply shot into her mind unhindered. The voice was still speaking
in the same tone. She wasn't even sure if it was still going or if it was
simply her mind repeating the sound it had become so used to. Calista
was so tired now. She wished she could just go to sleep. But however
fatigued she got she remained conscious so that she saw the lights,
heard the voice and felt the crawling on her skin. That at least had
become more tolerable. Now she could hardly feel the sensation at all,
her body only twitching very slightly. But her eyes remained open
nonetheless, gazing at the flashing lights.
She didn't notice that it was happening at first, the change was so
gradual. Now she realised the lights weren't flashing anymore. They
were spinning. Twin corridors of multiple colours danced over her
retinas. They were so beautiful that Calista gazed deeper and deeper
into them searching for their centre. She no longer felt anything
touching her skin now. If the ooze continued to churn she could no
longer feel it. The corridors were so pretty, so pretty. She felt as if
she could stare into them forever.
"OBEY. OBEY. OBEY. OBEY...."
The voice droned on without end, without change. It had become
as natural to her as the beating of her own heart.
"OBEY. OBEY. OBEY. ORGASM."
Calista felt the rush of sexual energy flow through her body. She
was so attuned to the voice that she was unable to deny the
command she received. The release surged from between her legs,
hunting out every nerve in her body. She moaned into the mask
in front of her.
"ORGASM. ORGASM. ORGASM. ORGASM. ORGASM.
ORGASM. ORGASM. ORGASM."
Calista felt herself washed away in a tide of pleasure she'd never
dreamed of. Now at last darkness came.

Calista stood in the darkness, listening to the sound of her own
breath. She felt the sweat dripping from her body, seeping out
of every pore and running over her naked flesh. She felt the heat,
so hot that she thought it should burn her to a crisp yet it caused
her no harm merely discomfort. Before that there had been ice,
before that needles, each never harming her. Each time she felt
refreshed as if finishing a heavy workout, pumping with adrenaline.
She enjoyed the sensations that bombarded her, the searing heat,
the freezing cold, each served to arouse her further. The heat
continued to rise, Calista breathing deeply as it hit her skin. The
more it burned the better she felt, knowing that it couldn't harm
her. Then, just when she was sure she was going to crumple under
the force, she would orgasm, falling to her knees trembling. Then
the heat or cold seemed not to dissipate but to be drawn into her
body so that it could no longer harm her. Slowly, in the darkness,
Calista rose to her feet again, eagerly awaiting what might come next.

CALISTA
"Yes."
YOU UNDERSTAND WHO YOU ARE
"Yes."
YOU KNOW WHAT MUST BE DONE
"Yes."
YOU WILL DO THIS WITHOUT QUESTION
"Yes."
YOU WILL OBEY
"Obey!"
YOU WILL GO NOW. YOU WILL PERFORM YOUR MISSION.
"Yes!" Calista snarled.
And she walked out of the darkness.






"Death hath nothing terrible in it but what life hath made so."

"Dying.
Is an art, Like everything else
I do it exceptionally well."
Sylvia Plath.


Harbinger - Part Six: Harnessing the Horsemen - Laura.


She was taking a drink and....

She shook her head, a bout of nausea washing over her. Raising
a hand she cleared the soft brown hair from her face.
She looked up. She was sitting on a bench outside in a square.
Suddenly she felt a shiver run down her spine. She was not alone.
There were thousands, tens of thousands, all silent, seemingly
oblivious of each other.
She turned in trembling wonder to the man standing next to her.
He made no indication that he noticed her. Looking down she
realised she was wearing her boxers and chemise with a coat
over her. She could feel the early morning chill as it rushed
over her skin. She could see her nipples pressing through the
slim gold fabric. She shivered again, partly cold, partly frightened.
"Can anybody hear me!" she called out.
The reply was one of deathly silence.
She tried to remember, tried to think how she'd got here but nothing
came. She had got up in the morning to get a drink and then..
nothing. Everything else was a blank. She went to look at her watch
but it was absent. Apart from her coat she was in her pyjamas.
She cast her eyes around the thousands of entranced people and
panicked. Not knowing where she was going she run blindly,
hoping that there would be a way out.
"Somebody Help Me!" she screamed as she ran but there was no
reply. Her coat fell off as she sprinted madly but she was to
frightened to care. The place was full of madness and she had to get
out. She ignored her large, unsupported breasts as they bounced up
and down with each stride. It didn't bother her that her body pressed
up against so many others, she simply wanted to get out no matter
what.
She forced her way further and further, finally clearing the mass with
a push. Her momentum kept moving forward, her bare feet tripping
over a curb, sending her sprawling to the ground. She felt her head
connect sharply with the asphalt.
The last thing Laura San Giacomo felt before blacking out was a
sense of bitter hatred that no one had answered her call for help.

***
It was dark when she awoke. For a second she thought it might
have been a nightmare and that she was safe in bed.
It was not to be.
It was pitch dark, and almost silent apart from her breath and pulse.
Nonetheless Laura could feel what condition her body was in.
Her head didn't hurt at all, presumably her injury was less serious
than she feared. That was about all she had to feel positive about.
She could feel that she was kneeling, her knees pointed outwards
and her ankles close together. She could also feel that her arms
were behind her back. Somehow both limbs had been fastened
in position. Struggle as she might there was no way for her to escape.
She could also feel that the skimpy clothes she had worn before
were now gone. She had been immobilised and left naked in the darkness.
"Help!" she cried out. There was no sound but the echo of her own voice.
Laura sighed and felt a chill of fear run down her spine. She had been
taken to this place by someone, someone who wanted her for some
reason. What that reason might be she had no idea.
Laura waited in silence and darkness, her mind dreading what might
come next.
Then she heard a hissing sound.
At first she feared it might be snakes but it was too consistent. Listening,
she realised it was in front of her. She waited but could see nothing
through the pure dark.
The instant she felt it she recoiled. Something cold and metallic had
brushed her breast. She leant back as far as she could, hoping whatever
it was would miss her. Seconds later she felt it again, this time she could
move no further away. First one, then a second cold metal touch rubbed
over her breasts, seeming to explore. She quivered in fear, horrified when
she felt the cold caresses raising up her own nipples. The cold probes
seemed to home in on the rising nubs, pressing over them. Suddenly
there was a swift suck. Laura felt each nipple latched onto by the exploring
probes. Then there was another sensation. She felt a surface expanding,
covering the full surface of her large breasts. When they were done her
entire bosom was encased in the cold metal. Laura whimpered in fear.
Then the unexpected happened.
Right in front of her appeared a huge slide.
It was a picture of a child playing happily with a ball.
Laura stared at it in confusion.
Then she screamed.
She felt the cups on her breasts sucking at her. It was not a soft,
pleasant sucking like a baby or a lover. It felt as if hey were draining
the very life from out of her body.
After an agonising second the picture switched off and with it the
sucking ceased.
Laura panted, drawing in gasping breaths. Already she could feel
beads of perspiration starting to run down her face. Her mind
reeled with the memory of the feeling.
Another slide appeared in front of her.
It was the picture of a park on a summers day, flowers in bloom.
Laura screamed again.
Once again her body writhed helplessly as her breasts were
milked by the cups.
Again the slide stopped and the pain with it.
Laura was panting more heavily now. The sweat was begging
to flow freely >from her pores.
Laura trembled in fear as the image of a lake with toy sailing
boats appeared.
An instant later she howled as the cups sucked at her again.

In continued for what seemed like forever. After long enough the
pain seemed to dull a little. At first her breasts felt like they were
going numb, then the sensation seemed to spread to her entire
body. Laura could still feel the sucking, regular and relentless
but it wasn't the searing agony it had been. She could still feel
the sweat which coated her hot skin and plastered her tangled
hair to her face.
She felt tired. Not as if she wanted to go to sleep. Simply as if
the cups had milked the very life energy from her. And the
stupid pictures kept flashing in front of her. She hated them,
loathed them like nothing else. All these happy images, peaceful
and cute. And every time they appeared she felt the jostling of
the cups, sucking again at her breasts. She hated those pictures.
She hated everything they showed her, from the fluffy kittens to
the playing children. She hated every stupid picture. For a while
she had swore and screamed at the images every time she felt
herself being milked. Now she simply sat in silent resent
Laura didn't know how long it was until she heard the
new hissing sound.
Again it came from in front of her.
Again she didn't see it until it touched her.
She felt the same touch, this time warm as it probed between
her legs, rubbing through the patch of hair damp with sweat
and other fluids. The warm nub seemed to probe for several
seconds then slid its way into the lubricated passage.
Laura let out a gasp, mostly of shock. The sensation was
unexpected but not unpleasant. The probe seemed to slide
further inwards, filling all it could of her wet cavity. Finally it
stopped, sitting idle. Laura sat, helpless and fearful of what
might come next. The same hated pictures were still showing,
the same sucking at her breasts accompanying them.
An image of a dead mouse in a trap appeared.
For a second Laura felt nauseous.
Then she moaned out aloud.
A pulse of energy erupted from between her legs, filling her
body with delightful warmth. She felt her hips pivoting, trying
to enhance the feeling as it slowly subsided.
An image of a lamb in a field appeared.
Laura snarled as she felt the undulating cups suck at her chest.
A dead lamb caught in a fence.
Laura groaned as another wave of pleasure shot through her,
driving out the disgust she had for the image.
Somewhere, deep in her mind she realised what was happening
but it was washed away by wave after wave of physical pleasure.

Time passed.
Still the images of comfort and happiness appeared. Laura
hated them even more now, though the sucking of the cups
had become less of a concern. Not it almost felt as if they were
sucking some sort of poison from her body. The other images
had become more and more graphic, images of death and
violence, of mutilated corpses. And every time the pleasure
that bored into her got stronger and stronger. Her heart was
filled with joy and anticipation at the sight of a decapitated
bird but loathing at the sight of a swan on the water.
Occasionally both the cups and the probe would work at once,
sucking and pumping in unison to send her mind reeling. When
that happened the same slide would appear. It was a single
word in huge bold letters.
OBEY
Laura was willing to read the signs so long as the pleasure
and the dark pictures would come again. After a time the cute
images became less and less prevalent. Finally they ended all
together, images alternating randomly between images of
death and the word OBEY. Laura hardly noticed as the cups
detached from her breasts, leaving the sweat soaked nipples
fully erect. She no longer felt the sucking, simply the orgasmic
explosions of delight, whether watching road kill or OBEY.
Laura came to love the word as much as she loved the pictures.
She loved anything that allowed her such pleasure.
The change was so gradual that she didn't even notice it. The
images becoming less and less, the word becoming more
common. Finally there were no more images at all.
OBEY
It filed her vision, no longer blinking on and off. Laura smiled
at it in pure bliss as she felt the non-stop flush of pleasure
erupting through her body.
She was totally oblivious to the drool that ran down her
chin and mixed with the thick sweat which coated her
swollen bosom.

***
Laura stood at the back of the bank queue, watching herself
in the shiny pillar beside her. She was naked, sweat dripping
from her body. Her large breasts rose and feel with each sharp
breath, nipples fully erect.
No one seemed to notice her state.
None of the people in their business suits, so immaculately
dressed, noticed the naked woman who looked ready to jump
out her skin with adrenaline. The queue simply moved along
at a normal pace until she reached the teller.
"Can I help you?" the young teller asked, apparently
oblivious to her customer.
"Yes." Laura let out a sigh of relief.
Then she reached out and grabbed the teller, kissing her
firmly on the lips.
Then she broke her neck.
The body of the teller fell to the ground limp.
Laura fell to her knees howling as a massive orgasm ripped
through her body.
As she did the bank and the patrons all faded away, leaving
Laura alone in the dark, savouring her pleasure.

***
LAURA
"Yes."
YOU UNDERSTAND WHO YOU ARE
"Yes."
YOU KNOW WHAT MUST BE DONE
"Yes."
YOU WILL DO THIS WITHOUT QUESTION
"Yes."
YOU WILL OBEY
"Obey!"
YOU WILL GO NOW. YOU WILL PERFORM YOUR MISSION.
"Yes!" Laura smiled with anticipation.
And she walked out of the darkness.







"As long as war is regarded as wicked it will have its
fascination. When it is looked upon as vulgar it will
cease to be popular"
Oscar Wilde

"Underneath the abject willow,
Lover sulk no more:
Act from thought should quickly follow
What is thinking for?"
W.H Auden.


Harbinger - Part Seven: Harnessing the Horsemen - Alyson?


She was dreaming. She knew it was a dream but that didn't alter
the logic of it. She was running through a graveyard.
Running from something. She didn't know what exactly but she
ran just the same.
Suddenly she stopped. Something was wrong. Not within the
dream but outside it.
She looked over the horizon where the sun seemed to be
rising. But it wasn't the sun. It was something else, something
eating up the world as it came after her. She tried to scream
but silence came from her lips then...

She shot awake in an instant, lurching forward on her seat.
Seat?
She should be in bed. But she wasn't in bed. She was sitting
on a step. Just like the person on her left and the person on
her right. And the people next to them. Everywhere she looked
here were more people, an endless ocean of heads in the
morning light. She got to her feet, gazing in awe at the masses.
She felt a shiver run down her spine.
Something was going on.
Something strange.
She was wearing her strawberry pyjamas for one thing.
Though exactly what she'd expected to wake up in it was
hardly fitting of her location.
"Excuse me?" she nudged the person beside her. "Hello?
Can you hear me?"
Another one of the chills run through her and this time
she wasn't so sure it was the morning wind.
"Hello?" she tried the next person, then the next but
there was no reply.
"Zombies." she stated aloud.
She wandered, pressing her way through the silent
crowds, searching for someone that might be able to
help her but only finding more unresponsive people.
Finally there were no people at all, simply unnaturally
silent streets.
Then she saw it.
The tower. Floating above the city. She didn't scream or run.
She simply stood there, gazing in awe. It was like nothing
she'd ever seen yet it seemed clearly of this world. As she
stood, unable to look away she saw a light stream from it.
Curiosity got the better of her. She let the red haze engulf
her, feeling her body lifted from the ground.
Only at the very last second, before the red gave way to
blackness did she suddenly, inexplicably realise that
running away would have been the right thing to do
after all.

Alyson Hannigan opened her eyes slowly. She didn't see
anything above her, only blackness. Only when she turned
her head did she let out a barely stifled scream. She was
lying face up on what looked like a stone circle. Beneath
her body she could trace the five lines beneath her that
formed a star carved into the stone. At each of the stars
point a red waxy candle was slowly burning down.
Alyson tried to move but couldn't. She quickly saw that
her wrists were bound tight to the outside of the circle.
Her strawberry pyjamas were no where in sight.
"Help Me!" she screamed at the top her voice, already
knowing that deep down there would be no-one to save
her. She felt the sudden certainty that she was going to
die, sacrificed by some ritualistic cult.
"Why are you doing this to me!" she cried out, unable
to hide the tears running down her red cheeks. The only
reply was the flicker of the candles. She felt the heat of
the burning flames, her body feeling like it was in a sauna.
Long before she awoke it seemed her body had began
to sweat and now she was covered head to foot in nothing
more than a liquid sheen.
She heard a whisper.
"Hello?" she called out hopefully.
The voice came again, soft like the wind. She could barely
make out the word it said but she guessed it well enough.
.....willow......
"Please let me go. Please!"
....willow....
"I'm not Willow!" she pleaded.
My name is Alyson Hanaaaaaaarrghhh!"
Her body bucked up and down on the stone shaking as
an unknown force erupted from head to toe. It was agony,
lancing through her every nerve. Only the tightly tied ropes
held her down. The pain ended after a few seconds leaving
her panting and crying helplessly.
...willow..
Alyson didn't reply, whimpering instead.
..willow..
"I'm not willlaaaaaggghhhh!"
she howled in pain again, feeling her body shaking and
thrashing as the impossible suffering cut through her.
..willow..
Alyson burst into shameless tears.

Time passed. The voice still whispered to her but Alyson
was too terrified to reply. She was shivering. It was not the
temperature, somehow the candles weren't burning down,
still producing the stifling heat that they always had been.
Alyson wasn't cold. She was frightened. She tried to calm
herself but it was no good. This wasn't a dream. It was no
nightmare, that would have been to comforting. There was
no waking up from this torment. If it was to end then she
would have to end it herself. Alyson bit her lip and took a
deep breath.
"My name is Alyson Hanagaaaannnooooooo!"
"The red hot fire burnt through her veins again, her body
aching as far as the bonds allowed. She slumped down
again against the warm stone pentagram.
"Alyaaaaaagghhh!" she tried again but to no avail.
..willow...
"No. I am not willaaaaaaaaaa...."
..willow..
"No. Pleeeeeeeee"
..willow...
Alyson lay panting, trying to remain calm. She could feel the
thick sweat pouring over her naked body, far more than the
mere heat could bring on. It ran over every inch of her naked
flash, oozing over her exposed breasts and down her thighs.
She shivered in revulsion but was helpless to fight.
"I am Alysonnnnnnnnnnnn!"
...willow..
"Alysonnnnnaaaaaahh!"
..willow..
"Alyssssssnnngggg!"
..willow..
"I..I.." she tried to keep a clear head but the pain was too
great for her to ignore.
..willow..
"Alright damn you! I'm willoooooooh."
She moaned, not out of pain but pleasure. She felt as if her
every cell was being tickled and massaged. The sensation
almost knocked her senseless.
..willow...
She lay thinking her brain reasoning
"That's what they want you to do. They want you to admit
you're Willow. That's why they made it feel good. But you're
not. You're not Willow. You're.."
"Alyson Hanigaaaaaaaaahhh!... ... .. Alysaaaaaaagggghh!"
She gasped for breath, new tears running down her cheeks.
"Alynnooooooo!"
..willow...
"Willowooooooo."
She felt her body arching again, this time in the most delightful
fashion. She panted for breath still. She could feel the sweat
rubbing over her. She could feel that her nipples had become
erect, feel the warmth between her legs.
"willow..yessssss!"
..willow..
"I. Am. Not. Oooh. Alyson. Hannigan."
..willow..
"I am WillowOOOOOHH."
She let the pleasure consume her, her body writing in ecstasy.
"WILLOW! WILLOW! WILLOW!"

***
Willow Rosenberg opened her eyes slowly. She didn't see
anything above her, only blackness. Only when she turned
her head did she let out a barely stifled scream. She was
lying face up on what looked like a stone circle. Beneath
her body she could trace the five lines beneath her that
formed a star carved into the stone. At each of the stars
point a red waxy candle was slowly burning down.
Alyson tried to move but couldn't. She quickly saw that
her wrists were bound tight to the outside of the circle.
Her clothes were no where in sight.
"Help Me!" she screamed at the top her voice. She had
faith that someone would come.
Buffy.
Buffy always arrived in time to save her. Though somehow
this felt different. She couldn't recall ever feeling quite this
vulnerable before. Her nudity seemed somehow out of place.
It shouldn't she knew. They'd dealt with so many vampires,
demons and monsters that statistically she should have lost
her clothes some time in the past. But she couldn't place a
finger on it. It was as if her entire life had
been given a PG rating.
"Buffy!" she called out.
There was no reply.
"Don't panic." She told herself. Buffy always arrives at
the most dramatic moment. It was something about her.
..willow..
"Hello? Who's there?"
..willow..
She strained her eyes to see the source of the voice in
the darkness but there was nothing.
"What do you want with me?"
..willow willow..
"Yes. I'm Willow. What do you want?
..willow willow bay...
"What? I don't understand."
..willow willow bay...
"What bay? What do you.."
She was cut of by a flash. Looking to one side she saw a
red candle flaring up into an even brighter flame. The
flame turned a blood red. Seconds later another candle
flashed, then another until Willow was surrounded in
flickering red light. She could feel the red heat burning
into her skin, not a normal burning. It was almost like it
was warming her. She felt sweat beginning to ooze over
her body.
..willow willow bay...
"What do you mmmm."
Suddenly she felt strange. There was a new scent of
incense in the air too, one that was making her light
headed. The heat was almost relaxing in it's own strange way.
..willow willow bay...
"I.. I.. willow.. I'm willow.."
..willow willow bay...
"I..willow willow bay..."
..willow willow bay...
"Willow will owbay.."
..willow willow bay...
"Willow will obey."
She gazed up into the red tinted darkness, feeling the colour
as it permeated through her. She could feel the candle wax
as it flowed along the five lines, rushing in to touch her
sweaty skin. She felt the sting of hot wax but it seemed to
add to the light. She felt as if she was absorbing the red
wax just like the red light and the red smell. Everything
was red. Red made her feel so good.
"Willow will obey." She repeated savouring the sensation.
"Willow will obey. Willow will obey. Willow will obey."

***

Willow stood, watching the goat as it bleated helplessly on
the alter. Alyson felt the sting of the blade as she passed it
over her palm, squeezing the hand tight so the blood flowed
readily. Taking her finger she traced the blood over her
naked chest, rubbing it over her breasts until the pentacle
was complete.
Then she raised her hand, pointing it at the goat.
Instantly the creature erupted into a red mist that covered
her head to toe.
Willow loved red.


***
WILLOW
"Yes."
YOU UNDERSTAND WHO YOU ARE
"Yes" Willow replied.
YOU KNOW WHAT MUST BE DONE
"Yes."
YOU WILL DO THIS WITHOUT QUESTION
"Yes."
YOU WILL OBEY
"Willow will obey!"
WE WILL GO NOW. WE WILL PERFORM OUR MISSION.
"Yes!" Willow sighed happily.
And she walked out into the darkness.






"Natural forces within us are the true healers of disease"
Hippocrates

"Health is not a condition of matter, but of mind."
Mary Eddy.


Harbinger - Part Eight: Harnessing the Horsemen - Britney.



She awoke mid morning. The first thing she noticed upon
waking was that her head still hurt. There were voices still
ringing inside her skull. She got to her feet but was shaking.
She was shaking badly. She did some quick thinking. She
hadn't taken a hit of the stuff for ages. And she needed
another one. Even if it didn't stop the voices. She needed
a hit. Needed it now.
She went to look in her shoulder satchel. It was gone.
Hastily, panicking she began to search through the pile
of flat boxes she'd spent the night on.
Nothing.
She tried to think, trying to force her way through the
voices to her memory.
Last night.
The fight.
The street.
Britney started to sprint even before she'd finished thinking.

The street was empty in the morning light.
There was no sign of the previous nights actions, the
vampire bodies long since crumbled to dust. Apart from
a broken window there was little to be seen.
There was nothing here. Nothing at all.
No satchel.
Britney looked for it everywhere but there was nothing.
She searched through a rubbish bin, hurling day old litter out
onto the street. When she got to the bottom she flung the
whole bin through the broken window, yelling in anger.
Movement.
She caught a glimpse of it out of the corner of her eye.
She ran for it. But there was nothing there. Just the entrance
to another winding ally-way. Britney looked about her, eyes
stopping on a small lipstick case.
Her lipstick case. From her bag.
Britney growled and hurled herself down the ally-way only
to find a dead end. A dead end with one door, slightly ajar.
It was her bag that was keeping it ajar.
She fell to her knees, rummaging through it, dumping items
to the ground that she once deemed precious to her. But
what she wanted wasn't there.
"Where is it!" she screamed in frustration. Someone was
playing games with her. Trying to make her angry. The
voices in her mind were taunting her. Screaming at her.
Screaming back Britney pushed through the door.
It slammed closed behind her.
She looked about the room. It looked like a large empty
warehouse but it was too dark for her to make out accurately,
even with her enhanced vision.
LOOKING FOR SOMETHING
Britney spun about but there was nothing to see. The voice
hadn't even been spoken, it had come from inside her head.
Not like all the other voices, all over lapping and senseless.
This voice was direct. It was talking to her specifically.
"Give it to me!" Britney screamed, taking a step forward.
I MIGHT the voice seemed to laugh BUT YOU'LL HAVE
TO DO SOMETHING FOR ME FIRST
"Give it to me now!" Britney ran head long into the dim
room, heading nowhere in particular.
I SEE WE WILL HAVE TO CALM YOU DOWN
Britney saw a figure move in the darkness. She charged
towards the shadow, punching viciously for its head.
Nothing happened.
Britneys reeling mind tried to make reason of what had
happened.
She had hit the shadow. She was sure of it. And it had
not been tough. She had felt no pain hitting it. In fact
she had felt nothing. She kicked at the figure and again
nothing seemed to happen. Her foot hadn't passed through
the shadow. It had simply stopped. She lashed out a third
time, screaming but again it was to no avail. Then she felt
a coldness grip her neck. She squirmed and saw another
shadow behind her. Britney tried to fight but instead
stumbled. She felt weak as if the shadow was sapping
her strength. Tugging roughly she pulled free, falling
forwards until she fell back against a large metal grill. She
saw one of the shadows in front of her moving but she
felt winded, too tired to move even. Then she felt herself
sliding to the floor.
No. She wasn't sliding.
The grill was moving. Before she realised what was
happening the metal bars behind her had snaked about,
entwining her limbs. Britney howled in rage but the
living metal was unbreakable. As she struggled weakly
against the bonds a figure walked up to her from the
darkness.
YOU CAN'T BREAK FREE BRITNEY
"Who are you?! How do you know me?!"
YOU WILL LEARN WHO I AM IN TIME. I KNOW MUCH
ABOUT YOU MY DEAR. ABOUT YOUR DESIRES.
ABOUT YOUR NEEDS. ABOUT YOUR CRIMES.
"Let me go!" Britney tried to squirm but the metal
seemed once again to be solid.
I DON'T THINK I'LL BE LETTING YOU GO JUST YET
BRITNEY. I THINK THAT DRUG OF YOUR HAS MADE
YOU A LITTLE TO DANGEROUS. OF COURSE, IT HAS
DONE SOME OTHER VERY POSITIVE THINGS.
Britney felt something sharp press against her chest. In
a swift slash it had cut through her pink crop top which
fell in tatters to the floor. She shivered and growled as
she felt a cold finger run across her breast.
EVERYONE SEEMS TO HAVE BEEN SPECULATING
ABOUT THESE HAVEN'T THEY? BUT YOU AND I
BOTH KNOW THAT YOUR LITTLE GROWTH SPURT
IS THE RESULT OF SOME VERY IMBALANCED
HORMONES.
Britney let out a string of profanity at her captor.
OF COURSE THERE ARE DOWN SIDES. PSYCHOTIC
DESIRES. PARANOIA. COUPLED WITH ENHANCED
PHYSICAL POWER AND SENSES, YOU'RE A VERY
DANGEROUS YOUNG WOMAN BRITNEY.
"I'll show you dangerous!"
I'M SURE YOU WILL. YOU HAVE A LOT OF
POTENTIAL. I THINK YOU CAN HELP ME OUT.
"Why the hell would I help you?"
BECAUSE I HAVE SOMETHING YOU WANT. YOUR
PRECIOUS WONDERDRUG.
"Give it to me!"
IN TIME
"Give it to me now!"
I THINK YOU'RE TO CONFUSED RIGHT NOW. I
THINK WE SHOULD GET INSIDE THAT
SCRAMBLED HEAD OF YOURS.
"Stay out of my mind!"
BUT BRITNEY I'M ALREADY I THERE. I CAN
MAKE THE VOICES STOP.
"You. Do it!"
ARE YOU SURE
"Yes! Please. Make them stop. Make the voices stop!"
YES
Britney felt the shadows engulf her and her mind
went blank.

Britney fell. At least it seemed like she was falling. She
tumbled through the chaos of lights and colours, trying
to find a centre of gravity but failing.
"What's going on!" she yelled.
THIS IS YOUR BRAIN ON DRUGS
"Who are you? What do you want with me?"
I WANT TO HELP YOU
"Why?"
SO YOU CAN HELP ME.
"Make this stop." Britney squeezed her eyes shut.
"Please make it stop!"
She opened her eyes. The spinning lights had stopped.
She was lying on a white gurney in a white room. Only
when she tried to move did she discover that she was
strapped down to the bed. She tugged once but nothing
gave way.
"What is this? Where am I?"
YOURE IN REHAB BRITNEY. YOU WANTED TO
KICK THE DRUGS DIDN'T YOU
"Yes."
GOOD NOW JUST RELAX.
Britney lay back, trying to relax. But the more she tried
the more her body seemed to crave the drug. The harder
she fought the cravings the stronger they became. Soon
she was squirming and struggling to be free, yelling and
screaming to be released.
"Give me the stuff! I need it!"
Above her a panel moved away and a large round disk
slid down from the ceiling a black and white spiral rotating.
RELAX BRITNEY RELAX
Britney kept fighting but found herself staring up at the
spinning wheel.
RELAX RELAX
Britney stared up at the spiral that seemed to fold deeper
and deeper in on itself. Gradually she began to fight less
and less and watch the spiral spinning, listening to the
relaxing voice.
RELAX BRITNEY
"Relax..."
WHY DO YOU NEED THE DRUG?
"I need it to make me come."
BRITNEY. I WANT YOU TO RELAX. I WANT AWARM
FEELING TO FLOW THORUGH YOUR BODY.
CAN YOU FEEL IT?
"Yes." Britney stared blankly upwards but her voice
oozed with pleasure.
I WANT YOU TO FEEL THAT HEAT GROWING
AND GORWING BRITNEY.
"Yes.. Yes!"
COME
Britney felt her body go tense as the release flowed through
her. As the orgasm subsided the spiral retracted into the
roof. She lay there smiling contentedly at the pleasure
her body tingled with.
Gradually the tingling subsided and she was left there, looking
up at the roof, left to her own thoughts. She dreamed about
the future, what she would do for her next tour, what car she
should buy next.
But as time passed she felt an itching again. Her body needed
another hit. She needed the drug again. She tried to relax but
again it was too strong and before long she was howling
again. Then the spiral appeared, drawing her attention to it.
She felt herself relaxing as the voice calmer her down then
made her orgasm again, relieving the need for the drug.

And so it continued over and over, her need for the drug
building, the spiral and to voice climaxing her to alleviate
the need. Each time she felt more and more able to resist
the effects of the drug until she didn't feel a tingling
anymore. She lay on the bed amazed that she'd finally
kicked the habit. The voice really had helped her. The
voice. The soft, delicate voice.
Britney felt a sudden twitch in her nerves. Then another.
She tried to resist the feeling but it was no good. The
desire grew and grew until it seemed to consume her
being. She writhed in her bonds, trying to stop herself
but it was no good.
"Hypnotise me!" she screamed. "I need to come!"
The spiral hastily descended from the roof and Britney
found bliss in its depths as the voice began it's subtle
masturbation again and again and again.

***
Britney blinked. She was in the darkness again.
In the building.
She moaned slightly wondering how much time had
passed. As she moved she felt that her pants had been
removed, the cool air blowing into the wet patch between
her legs. The figure stood in front of her.
Britney smiled at her happily, knowing that she would
do anything for that wonderful voice.
"I'm free." Britney smiled.
NO. YOU'RE MINE
"Yes. I am yours."
The figure drew forth an object in her hand. Britney
could see it was a syringe filled with the drug she no
longer needed, a drug so powerful that more than a
drop would be fatal.
YOU DON'T NEED THIS DO YOU BRITNEY
"No. I don't need it anymore."
GOOD.
The figure reached out her hand and pushed the needle
into Britneys arm, pumping the contents into her vein.
Britney watched in terror as the drug filled her, knowing that
it was enough to kill her a thousand time over. Then her
world exploded.

Britney coughed and rolled over. She was lying naked on
the stone floor. Giddily she got to her feet. She could feel
sweat pouring through her naked flesh, smell the scent her
body was pouring out. Inside her chest she felt her heart
beating at a rate that would certainly be fatal to a human.
But she wasn't dead.
EXCELLENT
Britney watched the figure as it approached the panting girl.
ALL THE DRUGS ENHANCING EFFECTS WITHOUT THE
DOWNSIDES. AND NO ADDICTION EXCEPT TO ME.
Brintey watched the figure. Her mind was to full of churning
chaos to form words anymore. Nothing made sense,
everything was chaos. There was no memory, no reason
or forward thought. There was simply the one voice that
told her what to do.
COME
Britney trembled slightly, feeling the pleasure before it
was absorbed into the chaos of her mind.
BRITNEY
YOU KNOW WHAT MUST BE DONE
YOU WILL DO THIS WITHOUT QUESTION
YOU WILL OBEY
WE WILL GO NOW. WE WILL PERFORM OUR MISSION.
Britney smiled and let out a deliriously happy giggle.
And she walked out into the darkness.







"Justice without strength is helpless
Strength without justice is tyrannical
Unable to make what is just, strong
we have made what is strong, just."

Blaise Pascal

"We will fight not out of spite
For someone must stand up for what's right."

Jewel.



Harbinger - Part Nine: Into the Valley


"So what do we do now?" Helen asked as she leant back
on the foyer couch.
She looked about her for answers but none came quickly.
Beside her Uma was pensively quiet, probably trying to
decide what any of them could do.
The four Irish girls in denim were squashed onto a single
sofa with Gwen hovering in front of them. The four looked
nervous but the leprechaun was lost in silent meditation.
Winona seemed more scared than she had when they were
fighting the vampires but that had been her element and
this was beyond anything they'd known. She held a silver
dagger firmly in her hand and Helen could see her white
knuckles clearly.
Christini Ricci stood, looking edgy as if she wanted to hit
something but couldn't find the right target.
"It's the antennae." Billy said, looking at data on a palmtop
computer. "Remember how I said you could control the
human race with a broadcast signal but you'd need a
flying building to do it? That's what we have here."
"So what does that mean." Helen asked.
"Well I don't know my bible that well but I don't thin this
is judgement day, at least not in the sense that we thought
it. But I'd wager that the thing floating out there is the
honest to god, pardon the expression, Tower of Babylon."
"So it's two thousand years old?" Uma raised an eyebrow.
"More. A lot more. It's near the beginning of the bible.
Do you all know the story?"
Uma shook her head as did Helen.
"Catholic upbringing." Edele spoke for the four.
"Centuries old." Gwen pointed out.
"Okay so I'll recap. Correct me if I'm wrong. People waned
to build a tower so big it would reach heaven. God didn't
want it so he created different languages and no one
could communicate anymore. Okay now let me speculate.
Suppose someone wanted to build a psychic focus, the
tower. Only when they went to use it something went wrong.
Rather than control people it drove them mad, screwing up
their communications. Time passes, the tower gets forgotten
and the myth changes."
"So what does that mean for us?" Winona asked. "Someone
found the tower and is using it?"
"Something like that. Some one pretty smart. They seem to
know magic too. I'm willing to bet that we're in for more of
fights. Someone wants us dead."
"And who are they going to send to kill us?" Sinead asked,
getting to her feet. "We can dissolve any magic creatures."
"I have no idea." Billy admitted.
All right Billy." Uma finally agreed. "If we're going to fight
then we could use reinforcements. How many mind control
buddies do you have out there?"
"I'd hardly say I have buddies. I've been in contact with a
few once or twice but I don't think can help us. I was in
touch with one guy who tried to subvert the spice girls. He
got one then tried to use the same pre-programmed technique
on the others. I tried to tell him that each person has a
different brain and you have to use different methods."
"I take it he didn't listen."
"Of course not. I've no idea what happened to him but the
girls were probably pretty screwed up. If you ask me he's
what split the group. You know as well as I that mind control
is a delicate business."
"No others?"
"Well there was one guy who called himself the Real Estate
Agent but he never told me anything. That's about all I can
think of. It's not like we have chat rooms or anything."
"So there's no one else you can call in?"
"Well.. maybe one girl.."
"Well get her if you can," Uma stated plainly, "We need all
the help we can..." she stopped and looked over her shoulder.
Helen did likewise.
"Did you feel that?" Uma asked concerned.
"Feel what?" Chris wondered.
"I was like a ripple." Helen explained. "As if there had been
some psychic surge. It's hard to explain."
"Where did it come from?" Winona asked, griping her knife.
"Somewhere in that direction." They both pointed through
a wall.
"Well maybe.." Edele began and stopped. The four girls
and the leprechaun exchanged glances.
"Let me guess," Chris figured, "A magic impulse?"
"That direction." All four girls said in unison pointing the
opposite direction to Uma and Helen.
Uma hopped to her feet quickly.
"All right here's the plan. Helen and I go investigate this
psychic surge. Billy and Chris, you go and pick up this
other girl if you can, You four girls go and investigate
that magic. Winona and Gwen, could you stay here and
protect Neve, Kate and Jennifer?"
The vampire hunter and the leprechaun nodded.
"Right. Lets go!"

***
The four light blue blurs slowed and came to rest on
the footpath.
"Not exactly a lot to see is there?" Sinead looked around
the empty street.
"Much like every other city we passed on the way here."
Keavy nodded in agreement. "But something came from
this direction. Something magical."
"That would have to be me."
The four spun on their heels in unison.
Behind them in the middle of the street was a young woman.
She wasn't standing. She was floating. Her feet were a
good metre from the ground. She wore a strapless red
dress that seemed to cling to her so tightly that nothing
was left to the imagination. To match she wore elbow
length red gloves and red shoes, each seeming to have the
same taste for clinging to her skin. Her red hair didn't just
flow, it billowed, as if she was in a wind tunnel.
Strangest of all was the glowing red aura she seemed to
emit about herself.
Edele swallowed nervously. It didn't take a practitioner to
tell that some serious magic was in play here.
"Who.. are you?" Lindsay stared at the strange woman.
The woman smiled at them, her eyes seeming to flare red
for a second.
"Once I was Willow."
She waved her hand at them and the street before them
erupted into fire, knocking them to the ground.
"But now," she said, advancing towards them, "I am War."

***
Uma and Helen ran down the street, neither having any
idea what they would find but both knowing that it was
another key to the puzzle.
They expected a battle.
They expected an opponent which would require their
mental powers to defeat.
What they didn't expect was
"Ally McBeal?" Uma asked aloud.
Sure enough, standing in the centre of the street was
Ally Mcbeal, complete with micro-mini skirt and
skimpy blouse.
"Her real name is Calista Uma." Helen pointed out.
"Whatever. What is she doing here?"
"Why don't we ask her?" Helen shrugged.
She walked over to the woman who seemed almost
oblivious to their presence.
"Calista? Can you hear me?"
"Yes." The woman replied without emotion.
"What are you doing here?"
"I'm hungry."
"Hungry? Uma I think we might have to get into her
head."
"Agreed. We don't have time to waste on twenty questions.
Count of three?"
Helen nodded.
"One. Two. Three!"
Helen and Uma placed their palms on Calistas head.
And were sucked into the vortex.

***
Billy pulled up outside the building and exited his van.
Normally he didn't drive it out in public, the technology
packed in the back too hard to explain. Since there was
no public anymore the problem was solved.
He jumped out, not bothering to lock the vehicle, and
lifted a tracking device.
The electronic arrow was pointing to the building in
front of him.
He and Christina strolled casually into the foyer of the
hotel, void of customers.
"Chris, keep look out down here. I'll go up and get her."
"You don't need help?"
"She won't be a problem."
He entered the lift and rode to the fifteenth floor.
"Deserted as usual." He noted as he walked down the
hall, the arrow on his locator beeping faster and faster.
He reached a door and swung it open.
"Hello?" he called into the room. "Anybody in here?"
"Who's there?" a scared voice called from with the
apartment.
"My names Billy. I'm here to help you."
He watched as she emerged from the dimly lit flat. No
doubt she was terrified after the last twenty four hours
or so. He had to admit he would have been too if he'd
been alone with no idea of what was going on.
She wore a white tee shirt and blue jeans, remarkably
non-descriptive clothing that only seemed to highlight
her youthful features. Her short blonde hair was
messy but fashion could be excused at a time like this.
"I'm Claire." she said. "Claire Danes."
Billy smiled and nodded.

***
"So could you teach me magic?" Winona asked as
she rested back on the couch.
"No." Gwen replied plainly.
"Why not?"
"Because it can't be taught. It can be focussed but you
have to possess a latent talent for it like the girls. Sorry."
"Never mind. It just might be handy in my line of work."
"You know, I've never met a vampire." Gwen mused.
"Never?"
"Well I might be old but I don't exactly mingle
with human society."
Winona noticed as Neve Campbell nervously entered.
"How are they?" the vampire hunter asked.
"Jennifers still out cold. I think Kate's having a nightmare
or something."
"What!" Winona was up to her feet and moving in a shot.
She pushed past Neve into the room, ignoring Jennifer
who was lying on a couch.
On the bed, Kate Winslett was moaning, rolling over in
the sheets. A layer of sweat was visible on her topless
body as she moved.
"Damn it!" Winona swore aloud.
Neve came rushing up along side her. "What's going on?"
"I don't know. Something went wrong. The injection I
gave her should have countered this but it didn't. There's
some other factor at work here. Maybe it's this mind
control effect. I don't know."
"You.. you mean.." Neve stammered.
"Yeah." Winona nodded grimly.
"Kate Winslett is becoming a vampire."

***

Lindsay got to her feet first, brushing her black hair
away from her eyes.
"All right miss War. If it's a fight you want you've
got it!"
She gestured with her hand, motioning upwards.
As she did an entire slab of the road ripped up from
the ground and smashed into the red figure. She was
knocked back a little but her magical shield seemed
to hold. Each of the four girls had their own elemental
power. Lindsays earth power wasn't quite as strong
as it might be here in the city but she had her ways
of using it.
Another volley of rock missiles flew in at Willow but
she managed to deflect them. She was knocked forward
by a jet of water that burst below her, pumping up from
a burst pipe. Keavy concentrated, pulling it into the
tightest, most powerful blast she could to keep the
girl on her feet. The red woman snarled at the water,
muttering something. Instantly it began to solidify,
turning into pure ice which tumbled down to the street.
The pillar shattered into hundreds of smaller shards that
lay there for an instant before a sharp gust of wind sent
them back through the air, flying like daggers at the
woman. Sinead blew the shards towards the woman but
at the last second a magical wave melted them back to
water. An instant later a blast of fire knocked War back,
the air crackling with heat.
"Nice shooting sis." Keavy smiled at her sister.
"Does she look familiar to you?" Sinead asked to her
friends.
"A little... Willow?.. Yeah like from Buffy." Keavy said,
sending another wave of water at the woman in red.
"What's her name?"
"Alyson." Sinead. "Alyson Hannigan."
"I am NOT Alyson!" the girl growled, her red aura flaring
up. "I am Willow. I am War and you are nothing!"
She threw her hands out and a wave of red energy
knocked the girls off their feet again.
Edele rolled with the force, getting to her knees. Her
skin felt a tingle. Almost as if..
She fell forward to her hands, moaning aloud as she felt
an orgasm blow the energy out of her. She could here
similar cries of her friends, crying out at the unexpected
pleasure. She turned her head to see Lindsay, hands
pressed into her crotch at the surprising sensation. Then
another orgasm hit and she fell to her side, the force
rushing through her weakened body yet again. She lay
on the ground looking up, her body twitching as she
came for a third time. She saw the face of Alyson, or
Willow or War or whatever she was looking down at
her with a cold smile.
"Sometimes," she said, "Making war is like making love."
Edele screamed as a fourth bombardment of pleasure
assaulted her senses.

***
Uma and Helen clung to each other hand, knowing that if
they let go they would never find their way out of the
abyss. They were caught in an ever descending spiral,
lights flashing and spinning. It took their strongest mental
link not to surrender to the hypnotic images. But they knew
they were weakening. They had to do something. And they
had to do it soon.

***
"You should come with me Claire."
"Why? Who are you?"
"There are a lot of people in trouble. The whole world.
We need to work together."
"Where is everyone?"
"I don't have time to explain. Please just come with me."
"No! Not until you tell me what's going on."
Billy bit his lip and began to recite.
"O speak again, bright angel."
"What? What are you.. doing?" Claire put a hand to her
temple, feeling a strange rush of blood.
"For thou art as glorious to this night being o'er my head."
"No." Claire raised her other hand and grasped her temples,
feeling a force long buried emerging from her mind. "Get out!"
"As is the winged messenger of heaven."
"No! I won't let you do it to me again! Not again!"
"Unto the white upturned wondering eyes."
"No!" Claire could feel it encompassing her, pressing at
her conscious mind.
"Of mortals that fall back to gaze on him, when he
bestrides the lazy pacing clouds."
"please.." She whimpered, falling to her knees as she
looked up at him through teary eyes
"And sails upon the bosom of the air."
Claire face went instantly blank.
Billy wished his own face was quite so emotionless.
"Come with me Claire."
"Okay." She agreed.

***
Billy exited the lift followed by Claire.
"Easy enough?" Christina asked, looking at Claire.
"I wish I could use shorter trigger phrases for one thing."
Billy confessed.
"Well that's what you have to expect when you give them
psychic immunity.
"I seriously hate doing this. She gives me the creeps. That
whole purity thing. That was why I let her go in the first place."

"Sorry." Claire apologised.
"Never mind." Billy shrugged. "lets get to work and..
what the hell?"
Pounding on the side panel of his van with a baseball bat
was a young woman. Her hair was a chaotic mess. She
wore a pick lycra top and similar shorts that were blurred
with other colours and sickly to look at. She looked as if
she'd just got out of a swimming pool but Billy guessed it
was sweat. She turned to them snarling. He wasn't a doctor
but her sunken eyes and pale complexion were dead give
aways that she was seriously unhealthy.
It was Britney Spears. Or had been once. There was very
little of the bouncy teenager that graced the music videos.
Now she looked more like a rabid animal.
"Billy." Chris noted. "I'll deal with her, you get Claire out
of here and integrate those training protocols."
"You think you can handle her?"
"Oh please Billy, she's only a pop star. I'll keep in touch."
She indicated a radio she had on her belt.
"Okay. But if you need help you call me got it?"
"Sure."

Chris flipped down the steps and jumped at the wild eyes
starlet, shoving her down to the ground. Britneys arm
tore on the road but she seemed totally oblivious either
to the pain or the blood. She leapt at Chirstina who flipped
her backwards, doing her best to grapple with the girl
who looked so ill.
Billy ran for the van, stopping only to swab up some of
the blood from the road. He had the equipment to analyse
it in the van. Until then Chris would have to hold her own.

***
"I have to go." Gwen said suddenly and before either
of the girls could argue she was gone.
"What was that about?" Neve asked Winona.
"I don't know. But I hope the others are okay."
"What about Kate?"
"I don't know. Her state isn't like any I've seen before.
I don't want to speculate what's going to happen. And
I don't want to do anything to make her worse."
Winona shivered suddenly.
"Did you feel that?" she asked Neve.
"Yeah. Like some one just walked over your grave?"
"Something like that. You stay here."
Winona hurried out into the lobby, ready to fight.
Even so she dropped her guard in surprise. She felt
another chill run down her spine.
She had expected to face something like a vampire.
Instead she was facing Death.






"For Mans Grim justice goes it's way
And will not swerve aside
It slays the weak, it slays the strong
It has a deadly stride."

Oscar Wilde.

"In war trivial causes produce monumental events"

Julius Caesar


Harbinger - Part Ten: Storm and Strife.



Uma would have screamed but sound seemed not to exist in
this abyss. If it had she and Helen might have been deafened
by the whirling maelstrom about them. She knew it wasn't real
but the nature of reality had become a very debated topic ever
since she had awoken in Billys lab. Just because something
didn't have a physical basis didn't mean it couldn't effect you.
Or kill you.

-We have to get out of here- Helen projected to Uma.
-Tell me about it-
-I have an idea-
-I'm open to suggestion-
-Open your eyes but don't look at the lights. Look into my eyes-
Uma opened her eyes.
Immediately the swirling and pulsing outer reality assaulted her
but she focussed directly on Helen who in turn looked straight
back.
-Block out the light Uma. Look at me. Focus on each other-
Uma stared into Helens blue eyes, trying to lose herself in their
depths. Only once had she ever been so compelled to stare at
the eyes, back when Helen had made her first and last attempt
to enslave Uma. Now they were both as close as friends could
be and she was letting herself be hypnotised willingly.
-Ignore everything else Uma. There is nothing else. Nothing
but my eyes. Look deeper. Deeper.-
Uma complied staring further and further into the blue pools
the whirling around her melting away.
-Deeper Uma. Deeper. Deeper-

Uma tripped backwards, almost falling to the ground. She
shook her head slightly. They were back on the street. No.
SHE was back on the street.
In front of her she saw Calista smiling as if oblivious to her
presence. Beside her was Helen, her hand pressed to Calistas
temple. Helens eyes were closed, her brow knotted with
concentration. Uma could see the beads of perspiration
dripping over her face.
"Helen!"
There was no reply but she hadn't expected one.
"You'll forgive me if I take the rough approach."
Uma walked forward and grabbed Helen by the waist tugging
her away from Calista.
Helen gasped suddenly reeling as she regained her senses.
"Are you okay?" Uma asked putting her hand of Helens shoulder.
"I'll live."
"Sorry about the sudden reality check. I couldn't think of
another way."
"Not a problem. What the heck was that?"
"I have no idea."
Both women looked up to Calista who was looking at them
with a smile that sent shivers down their spines.
"You can't win." She said flatly. "You are flawed.
We are perfection."
"Perfection this!" Uma growled as she swung a fist at Calistas
stomach.
She felt it approaching then inexplicably slowing. By the time
it connected with Calistas stomach her fist had no energy at all.
Uma withdrew her hand in confusion.
"What the heck?" Uma took a step back, puzzled.
"Try this." Helen shouted, throwing a short plank which she'd
picked up from somewhere.
Uma swung it harshly at Calistas torso but again it seemed to
slow, losing force before it touched the womans body. Calista
casually plucked the board from Umsa hand.
"Helen? What is this?"
"At a guess? She's absorbing kinetic energy. Like she was
trying to absorb our minds."
"So her skin can't take impact?"
"So it would seem."
"Then she can't hurt us either."
"No." Calista interrupted. "I can hurt you."
And she smashed the plank over Umas shoulder.

***
Winona shivered. The figure in front of her simply stared
back impassively.
Not just impassive. Dead.
Sunken black eyes on a pale face.
Eyes that stared at her. Burning black with a pure revulsion
for life itself.
It was Death. Death in a low cut dress.
Winona tried to take in all she saw.
It was a woman, short and undeniably voluptuous, her full
bosom almost popping out of her dress. She wore her dress
down to her knees below which dark black boots were
visible. Likewise she wore black gloves.
Only after she'd summed up the whole did Winona recognise
the woman.
Her name escaped her right now but she stared in
Just Shoot Me.
Of course that was before the end of the world.
And before she became Death.
She started walking forwards.
Winona knew that she was trying to kill her from the second
she began to move. Instinct kicked in.
She jumped forward and kicked at the black figure. Her foot
struck in the shoulder but seemed to have no effect. Death
didn't even flinch. Winona guessed that her enemy was long
past pain. She spun and tried to punch her but two reaching
hands stopped her. The palms reached out so slowly that
Winona thought they could never catch her but before she
knew it they were pressing against her skull. She screamed
and fought but none of her blows seemed to make any difference.
She felt the icy cold grip on her head squeezing, not physically
but spiritually.
She felt her life draining away.

***
Claire sat on the small examination table and strapped a headband
around her forehead. Wires ran from it to the computer behind her.
She had stripped naked and was now wiring herself up, unable to
resist the commands that Billy had given her. She had already
attached electrodes to her youthful breasts and put on a specially
designed pair of panties, all without raising an eyelid.
"I'm ready." She said to Billy who was concentrating on the blood
analysis in front of him. He looked up at her., leaving his work behind.
"Good. Lie down."
Claire did so calmly. Billy strapped her ankles and wrists to the table
followed by her waist.
"Claire this is a very intense treatment. I'm pushing safety limits to
the maximum."
"I understand."
Billy slipped a thick rubber mouth guard between her teeth.
"Ready Claire?" he raised the bars on the monitor beside him.
She nodded.
Billy pressed the button.
Instantly her body went into wild spasms, fighting against the
bonds. Given any other situation he would have used a slower
approach but there was no time. The intense bombardment of
information into a accepting mind was hard enough. Into one that
was half resistant it was even more difficult. Billy watched as her
small body bucked up and down then he shook his head and
returned to his screen.
A single result had turned up from his search.
Morphohalcide 7b

***
Edele couldn't remember the last time she'd felt so helpless.
Actually she could but somehow that past event, Gwen pleasuring
her relentlessly, had been given a new perception by time. This
however, was something different.
She squirmed on the ground amidst harsh moans, knowing that
her friends were all just as helpless as she was.
War looked down her with a vicious grin.
"Enjoying yourself?"
Edele felt a hand press through the fabric of her jeans crotch. She
came. She would have anyway but the hand seemed to add more
humiliation to it.
"Poor little girls." The red girl laughed. "Don't know whether
you're coming or going."
"I know where you're going girly."
War looked up just as a ball of green light knocked her halfway
across the street and into a wall.
Gwen looked about her at the four girls still moaning and
writhing in ecstasy.
"Pleasuring the girls senseless?" Gwen mused for a second.
"That's supposed to be my job."
She clicked her fingers and a cloud of green dust blew over
the quartet. They lay still for a second then slowly, weakly
got to their feet, Sinead and Keavy rubbing their hands
against the uncomfortable wet patches beneath their denim.
"What was that?" Lindsay asked as she caught her breath.
"My own recipe of enchanted Anti-Viagra."
"You've never mentioned it before."
"You've never needed it before."
"I'm not sure if that's a compliment or not," Lindsay raised
and eyebrow, "but I'll take it as a compliment."
"It don't think it matters little green lady!"
The four girls and the leprechaun turned to the rubble from
which War was emerging.
"I'm going to kill you and then they'll be mine again."
Her eyes crackled red.
"We'll see lass. We'll see." Gwen pointed her fingers at
her opponent and let loose a blast of green fire.
War shot a red blast straight back.

***
Technically Britney way faster and stronger but Christina
was easily managing to hold her own. The pop star had no
comprehension of fighting style or technique. Christina on
the other hand had no end of martial arts training directly
inputted into her mind. For ever one of Britneys wild swings
she was able to counter with a deft move of her own. None
of them seemed to slow the girl down however. Every attack
was just as wild as the first, the most dangerous of blows
merely knocking her back for a few seconds before
attacking again.
Christina side stepped another wild charge, flipping the starlet
into a dumpster and slamming the lid locked. Even if it didn't
hold the insane girl it would slow her down a little.
Chris lifted her pocket radio from her belt and called in.
"Billy? How's Claire doing?"
Billy looked across the room. The girl had stopped shaking
now, the occasional twitch her only motion. She stared at
the room above her blankly, her mind filling with information
and skills.
"Not bad. What about you?"
"Well little miss Spears certainly does have energy. When
she says one more time it's an understatement. What's done this to her?"
"Morphohalcide 7b." Billy replied. "I wouldn't have had it
on file if not for it's mind control potential. Top secret stuff.
Never released. Causes sexual stimulation in low doses but
anything too high is fatal, not to mention addictive and
hormonally altering. I'm guessing she's been on it for months.
No idea where she gets it from."
"Pardon me for questioning but wouldn't this kind of behaviour
have been noted in a celebrity?"
"I think we can assume there's more to her current state than
just a drug addiction. I think this outside interference has
scrambled her further."
"Any suggestions?"
"Well if you can hold out a little longer I can give you a more
detailed analysis."
"Shouldn't be a problem. She's tough but she fights like a
wild thing, easy to deflect."
"Keep it up. I'll be in touch. And be careful."
"Certainly."

***
Uma staggered back, grasping her shoulder as pain shot through it.
"Or maybe she can."
Helen took her hand and they stepped back, watching as Calista
walked slowly towards them.
"You can't hurt me." Calista smiled. "I can absorb anything you
throw at me. You can't hit me but I can hit you."
"What the hell are you?" Helen asked, still stepping backwards.
Calista shot them a twisted smile.
"Don't you believe what you read in the magazines? Calista the
bulimic, Calista anorexic? Well why not buy into them now?
Because Calista is Famine and I'm hungry."
And she keep walking towards them.

***
Winona was almost unconscious when she felt herself dropping
to the floor. She rolled over weakly to see Neve beating at Death
with a crowbar. Needless to say it was ineffective. The black and
white woman grabbed it from her and flung her across the room,
landing roughly on a chair which toppled over with her. Winona
fumbled in her pockets as the figure slowly approached her again.
She splashed a vial of holy water in her face.
The woman licked her pale lips, slurping the water.
"Dear Winona." She shook her head with a sickly smile. "I'm not
one of your pathetic vampires. I'm Death. And you're dead."
She saw the hand reaching for her again but somehow she
couldn't back away as it pressed against her forehead. Neve
rushed in and try to pry the hand off but only got a hand clasping
her own for her efforts. For a second she struggled then Winona
saw her drop to her knees helpless to resist the life draining hands.

***
For a few seconds it was an even match, neither the red nor the
green moving the other. Once all four girls added their power the
tide turned. Willow was blasted from all angles by water, fire,
rocks and wind in addition to the green storm. After a few
seconds the woman in red collapsed onto the ground, no longer
able to resist the onslaught.
The traces of magical energy dissipated. Rocks returned to the
ground, winds dyed, water flowed back and the heat left the air.
"I always said you girls worked well as a team." Gwen beamed.
"That you did." Edele smiled. "Though your first team building
exercises left a lot to be desired."
"Or rather made a lot to be desired." Keavy added.
"Oh don't you try that guilt trip thing again. You liked the
whole magic power thing."
"That's true Gwen." Edele laughed. "We did."
"It's just lucky for you that we didn't need to be virgins."
Lindsay remarked.
"Well I stand by my actions. I've trained you four to be high
powered witches. You can cope with just about anything. In
fact I don't know if there's much more I can teach you."
"Well we fell pretty easily to that.. stuff just now."
"You were caught off guard. It happens. Why I remember...."
And in mid sentence Gwen was reduced to a green mist.

***
Billy looked at the readouts on the monitor. Something was
wrong. For some reason Claire had started to resist her treatments
and he had no idea why. She was still absorbing some of the data.
But she was totally entranced. There should be no way she could
be selective. Billy angrily hit the monitor wishing he had more time.
His other monitor beeped once and he quickly went to look at the
data he saw. What he read sent a shiver down his spine. He
immediately picked up his radio.
"Chris! Are you there?"
A second later a puffing voice came across the line.
"Billy! I'm a little busy right now. The pop tart won't stay down."
"Chris my data says that she's suffering from a dosage that's
over a thousand times lethal."
"So what? The bitch should be dead. Give me a few minute
and I'll kill her myself."
"Chris you've got to stop fighting. You've got to get out of
there."
"But I've almost beaten her. I can hurt her now. Really make
her suffer."
"Chris! Listen to me. She hasn't just got it in her blood. It's
permeating her entire system! She's sweating the stuff. Every
time you touch her you're getting more infected! Chris? Chris!?"
Nothing came across the line but static.





"Lend your voices only the sound of freedom.
No longer lend your strength
to that which you wish to be free from."
Jewel.

"Know yourself. Know your enemy and victory shall be yours."

Sun Tsu

Harbinger - Part Eleven: Turning the tide.

The four girls stood there in silent shock, not knowing what to do next.
Gwen was gone. Gwen was green magic dust in the air around them.
Across the road Willow giggled to herself, red energy crackling about
her body.
The four watched in silence as the green mist sparkled in the morning
light. It seemed to hang in the air, not being carried away by the winds
but clinging to the spot.
Edele felt herself trembling, not sure what to do next. All she could
do was watch the sparkling green. It seemed to move in patterns,
circles and spirals forming. The more she looked the more it seemed
that there was something to be seen, some hidden message to be
found within the clouds which spun about them.
Her eyes were open, not blinking, even as the mist seemed to sting
them. The more she held her eyes open and the more she watched
the green sparkling mist, the more she felt tired. She felt her eyelids
drooping down slowly, the green light invading even her inner mind.
Strangely she felt at peace, no remorse, no fear. She felt more relaxed
now than she had been for several days. This green peace was a
blissful state, one which she wished could stay forever.
`Edele`
"Yes." She replied, moving her lips without uttering a sound.
`I have to go now. Don't forget what I've taught you. Don't forget
what you can do.`
"But.." Edele started to protest.
`Goodbye`
Edele blinked as a tear ran down her cheek. The green mist was gone,
leaving only the suns light. She looked at her three friends, each
coming out of the same trance she'd been in. They all looked the same
apart from one thing. Their blue denim was gone. It had been
transformed into light green.
"Well now that the fairy has had her wings clipped I guess I can get
back to my fun." The red woman laughed at them.
Edele turned to her with the same focussed expression on her face
as the other girls. When she spoke she spoke for all of them.
"You've had your fun."
Four magical assaults commenced in unison.

***

"She can't be totally indestructible." Uma threw a rock only to watch
it stop just before hitting Calista, falling to the ground without
momentum.
"Well she seems to be." Helen mused, not taking her eye off the
continually approaching woman. Calista made no effort to follow
them at a faster rate, merely content to walk slowly, knowing there
was no way they could stop her.
"We can't hit her physically and we can't attack her mentally. I'm
betting any physical contact will do something horrible like drain
our strength." Helen ran her hands through her blonde hair which
was becoming matted in the morning heat. She suddenly realised
that she needed a long hot shower and probably wanted one
even more. "We might be able to suffocate or drown her but
I don't think that would be too pleasant."
"And ethics aside she isn't just going to hop under water."
"Well she has to have a weak point. An Achilles heel."
"This is not mythology Helen."
"But part of it is. She's Famine she said."
"Which means there are three others out there, probably
slaughtering the others. As far as Horsemen of the apocalypse
go we probably got a tame one."
"But still indestructible."
"Okay. Lets think. Famine. What's famines weak point. There
has to be a weak point."
But nothing came to mind and Famine kept stalking.

***
Winona was dying. She could feel her vision shutting down.
Blackness engulfed her vision. She felt her limbs going numb,
coldness running through her body. The icy grip about her
neck drained the life from her heart beat by fading heart beat.
She was scared. She would never have admitted it but now, so
close to the end, death frightened her. Then she felt a sharp pain
on the back of her head.
She groaned only to realise a second later that a groan meant
she was still alive. Weakly she moved her arm to rub the sore
spot where her head had collided with the floor. As her eyes
adjusted she saw Neve rolling on the floor beside her, coughing.
Then she saw Death.
She saw Death flying through the air and crashing against a wall.
Trying to stop her head from reeling Winona followed the trajectory
arc back to it's source. Wearing nothing but pair of cotton briefs,
Kate Winslett eyed her foe closely.
The dark woman got to her feet, moving slowly and relentlessly
towards the new comer. Kate simply stood, watching grimly as
the spectre approached.
Winona tried to shout out a warning but found her voice little
more than a whisper.
She watched as the pale hand reached out and wrapped itself
around Kates throat. For a second neither woman moved. Kates
eyes were locked firmly on those of her deathly attacker.
Then suddenly Death screamed.
Winona moved to cover her ears as the soul rending cry split
through the air. It seemed to last forever, cutting to the depths
of her soul. Only when it was finally over did Winona look up.
The woman who had been death was lying on the ground.
Kate looked at Winona and shrugged.
"I guess there are some things she didn't have a taste for."
As she smiled her fangs gleamed white.

***
As the world around them was filled with chaos the two hid.
They had awoke to the sound of explosions and since then
had hugged each other tight, fearing the worst. Every second
seemed to make their fear grow more and more.
Both wished the nightmare would end.

***
"Chris!" Billy yelled one more time and put down the radio.
He knew he had to help. But he also knew he couldn't until
he was finished here.
He moved over to the bed on which Claire Danes lay. Her
exposed chest rose and fell evenly, the faint twitch of her
pulse visible from time to time. Her face was serenely blank,
staring directly into oblivion.
"Can you hear me?" Billy asked carefully.
"Yes." came the soft reply.
"How do you feel?"
"Good."
"Why are you resisting the treatment."
There was no reply.
"You can't lie to me. Why are you resisting?"
"Because I do not need to know it all."
Billy raised his eyebrows in surprise. There was no way
she should be conscious enough to make that decision.
Something was very wrong here.
"You have to obey me. You have to accept what I tell you."
"What you tell me is superfluous."
"You cannot disobey me."
There was no reply. Billy shook his head and turned a dial
beside him. As he did the girls body began to twitch, trying
to resist the sensations it was receiving.
"You cannot disobey me."
"Stop."
Billy shivered. The statement was so totally emotionless it
could be taken as anything from a warning to a desperate plea.
He turned the dial further and Claire responded.
"Do not attempt to control me."
"Answer my questions." He said evenly, "Listen to my voice."
There was no reply which he decided was a good sign.
"How do you feel?"
"I feel nice."
"Do you like feeling like this?"
"Yes."
"Do you want me to make you feel better?"
"No."
"Why not?"
He watched as the thin arms and legs started to tug at the
straps which held them down, pulling as the small body
trembled with stress.
"If you make me feel better I may lose control."
"Don't you want to lose control?"
"No."
Her body was shaking so much that Billy resisted the urge to
raise the treatment setting. He knew how delicate the human
mind could be and the last thing he wanted to do was
incapacitate someone they needed to help them.
"Everyone want's to lose control to something that feels
so good."
Claire began to buck up and down on the bed, her face
beginning to lose it's calm composure. Billy couldn't interpret
what expression was forming but he wanted to stop it before
it got out of hand.
"I Am Not Everybody!" she yelled for the first time.
"Who are you?" Billy asked, tossing his set questions
out the window.
"I am Nemesis."
Billy felt a cold chill shoot through his body as he took
a step backwards.
"Oh shit." He whispered to himself.
Then she broke the straps of the table.

***
Had it been night it might have been like a spectacular
fireworks display. As it was the street was erupting with
magical energy at every level. Fire water rocks and wind
collided with bolts of red force, exploding and showering
the buildings nearby.
Four forces of nature clashed against the unnatural force
and despite their resolves the four girls were losing to the one.
"How can she be winning?" Sinead asked as she sent a
whirlwind spinning across the street.
Lindsay sheltered behind a rock wall as a wave of red fire
burst towards her. "She's using some sort of unnatural
magic. I can't figure it out."
"Just keep throwing it at her." Edele wiped sweat from her
brow and unleashed a jet of fire at their opponent.
"Sis, I don't think we can."
"Well we have to keep trying. Blow open another pipe or
something. We should keep on the offensive."
"Even if we can't win?"
"Keavs what are you saying? Of course we can win."
Lindsay stopped enforcing the rock wall in front of her
as a realisation hit her.
"Guys." She said calmly attracting the attention of her
friends. "We can't win."
"What?" Edele growled. "Don't tell me all this..."
"Listen to me. We can't win this fight. War, Willow is to
powerful a mage for us to handle."
"Please tell me there's a but here somewhere Linds."
Sinead said as she blew away a pile of missiles.
"Willow is to strong a mage but Alyson Hannigan isn't!
We have to get her back then we win."
"Just like that? I think someone's already done some
pretty serious tinkering with her head you know."
"Well we can set it right. Sinead, give me some decent
voice amplification in that wind."
"Can do."
Lindsay stood up. "Alyson!"
The name resonated through the entire street like the
roar of the wind.
"Alyson Hannigan?"
"NO!" the girl in red covered her ears, seeming to double
over in pain. A second later she shot a red wave crackling
across the street, missing them totally.
"Did you see that?" Lindsay turned to her friends who
nodded grimly. "It's like she's been made to hate her
own name... Alyson. You don't have to do this.
Someone's making you do this."
"No!" Another burning blast was met with a wall of water,
fizzing away before it reached them.
"You don't have to obey them!"
War seemed to stagger slightly. "Willow will obey." She
said. "Willow will obey."
"It sounds like she's repeating a mantra or something."
Edele considered, holding a ball of fire in her hand just
in case.
"You are not Willow!"
The girl in red fell to her knees, forcing her hands over
her ears. Even so the booming voice in the wind was
impossible to avoid.
"You are Alyson. Alyson Hannigan."
"No.." the girl whimpered. "I'm Willow. Willow will obey.."
Lindsay stepped out from behind her stonewall and
walked cautiously towards the girl in red.
"You don't have to obey. You're not Willow."
"I am. I am. I am Willow. I'm can't be Alyson."
"Why? Why can't you be?"
"Alyson is weak!" she screamed angrily. For a second
Lindsay took a step back, ready to raise a defence if
necessary. The burst of anger abated quickly leaving the
girl crying. "Alyson hurts. I'm Willow."
"You're not Willow."
"Yes. I am I have to be. Willow will obey. Willow feels good."
"You don't have to obey anybody." Lindsay reached the
girl who now seemed so much smaller with her read aura
faded away. She reached out her hand and put it on the
red heads shoulder. "Just obey yourself."
The girl looked up to her through tear filled eyes.
"Who am I?" she asked weakly, her voice barely a whisper.
"Only you know." Lindsay shook her head.
She whispered something so soft that even Lindsay
couldn't hear it.
An explosion of red light engulfed them both.
The three girls across the road leapt out from their defence
and sprinted across the street. The red flash had cleared
by the time they got there.
Lindsay took of her green denim jacket and wrapped it
about the weeping, naked girl who looked up at the others.
"Alyson." She sniffed. "I'm Alyson Hannigan."

***
Chris snarled and launched herself at Britney, savagely
beating her ribs with her knee. Her opponent replied with
equal viciousness, punching her attacker in the arms. Chris
flipped her over her shoulder, crashing her to the ground.
She smiled happily. She was really getting the hang of
beating up the wild girl. There was an excitement to it,
something exhilarating, even sexual about her attacks.
Every hit she struck against her foe seemed to give her
rush of pleasure. She wanted to make her hurt, to suffer.
In the end she wanted to kill Britney Spears but she wanted
it to be slow and agonising. Her eyes were wild with fury as
she launched herself at the blonde. This time she was ready,
shrugging Chris off onto the ground. At first Christina had
been careful and selective but the more she fought the more
she wanted to count on pure adrenaline to defeat the other girl.
"Chris!" she turned to see Billy running down the street fast.
Billy could help her. Together they could rip her to shreds.
"Billy! Give me a hand. We can kill her together."
"Yes Chris." He puffed. "Here. This will make you stronger."
"Strong enough to beat her?"
"Easily." He brought forth a syringe and quickly injected its
contents into her arm.
"Yeah!" Christina Ricci yelled to the sky. "Now I'll kill her!
And she promptly dropped like a stone to the ground.
Billy looked down at her, making sure she was still breathing.
Then Britney hit him.
She collided with him, rolling across the hard road. He almost
began to defend himself but rationally he knew it would be a
mistake. There was no way he could defeat her physically.
Instead he took a vicious blow to the chest as he reached into
a pocket. Before she could strike him again he slapped the
skin of her neck. She whipped her fist towards him, missed
totally and began to roll on the floor, moaning and holding
her head. Billy shuffled back across the road.
"What's going on?" Christina asked through bleary eyes as
she got to her knees.
"Long story Chris. To be brief, you were affected by the drug
she was emitting. I gave you a powerful antidote and used
a mental isolator on Britney."
"Why?"
"I took a guess that her state wasn't a natural one. Someone
has been messing with her head and to keep her a little in line
was probably still doing it. Without that control I figured
shed be incapable of functioning."
Chris looked at the writhing figure.
"I guess you succeeded. What now?"
"Her poisoning is more serious than yours. I can't giver her
the antidote and not have her entire system shut down.
Which means at best I can sedate her heavily and hope
for the best."
"Hmmm. Well I guess that's all we can do for her then...
Hey Billy? Where's the van?"
"That," he said, shaking out a piece of his windscreen from
his boot, "is an even longer story."

***

"So I guess I'm not you're ordinary type of vampire then?"
Kate shuffled on the couch, running her tongue over the
fangs in her mouth carefully.
"That would be a pretty safe assumption." Winona considered.
Neve had returned to check on Jennifer, having found an ice
pack for her own head. "You're fine being exposed to sunlight
and.. catch this."
She flicked a knife across the room, which Kate grabbed easily.
"You have no reaction to silver. Are you hungry?"
"Yeah. To tell you the truth I could pig out on cream buns
right now."
"Which means you have a normal human appetite rather than
a blood lust. If it wasn't for the teeth and the fact that even
the incarnation of Death thought you were dead.. well I'd
say you were still human."
"I feel human. Last thing I remember was you and that
woman squaring off. After that it's a blank."
Winona nodded. "Most vampires can't recall being turned.
I guess I got to you fast enough to block out the worst of
it but you still ended up with some of the power. You might
want to retract those teeth before you cut yourself."
"Ghoo hlate." She lisped wiping some blood from her lips.
"You don't like the taste of that do you?"
"Ah you kidding. It ngakes nge hwanna hurl. Schuse nge."
She exited the room, pressing her hand to her tongue that
she'd managed to impale on her new fangs. She watched
her for a second and then was surprised by the sound of
people entering. She turned to see Billy and Christina entering,
looking worse for wear. Over her shoulder the dark haired girl
carried a decidedly sick looking blonde girl. Only when she
dumped her onto the couch did she realise it was Britney Spears.
"She was the back up you went to get?" Winona asked,
raising an eyebrow.
"No." Billy began, "She was just a very crazy sick girl we met
along the way.. Is that Laura San Giacomo tied up there?"
"Oh yeah.. I didn't know her name. She was creepy. It was like
she was Death. I mean literally the Grim Reaper. She tried to
drain the life from me and Neve."
"And what happened?"
"Kate stopped her."
"Kate Winslett? She'd back on her feet?"
"And how." Kate skipped into the room happily, her teeth
now normal. "You know Win I could really get used to this
fast healing thing. I'm not even bleeding anymore."
Billy and Chris both looked at her in confusion.
"Oh I'm a half vampire now." she said casually.
"Naturally." Chris shrugged without missing a beat.
"How did the others fair in their investigations?"
"That sounds like an entrance line to me sis."
As the four turned five girls floated in the door. Four were
wearing green and the fifth a simple white tee shirt and jeans.
She seemed to hide behind the others, dead silent and cowering.
"And just how did you young Irish lasses fair out there?"
Kate asked, seeming to have gained a new zest for life
having technically lost it.
"Well we had to fight the embodiment of War so all things
considered we did pretty well."
"Where's the imp?"
The four seemed tripped up by the question.
"Gone." Lindsay finally replied.
Billy nodded, not wanting to press the subject. "So you
fought War, Laura here was Death... I think it's a pretty
safe bet that Britney was Pestilence. That would leave..."
"Famine." Helen finished as she and Uma walked through
the door, the latter carrying Calista over her shoulder
awkwardly.
"Makes sense I guess. And what did she do?"
"Her skin could absorb kinetic energy." Uma replied casually
as she dumped the unconscious woman on one of the
foyer seats.
"A few days ago that might have surprised me." Billy sighed.
"And how did you stop her?"
"We found her Achilles heel. One place where she wasn't
invulnerable." Helen almost smiled.
"Meaning?"
"Meaning I punched her in the mouth." Uma replied. "I
can't exactly figure out why but for some reason it was as
vulnerable there as anyone else. Dropped like a stone."
"Works for me." Chris shrugged. "So what, we just beat
the four horse women of the apocalypse. Does that mean
we win?"
"I doubt it." Uma slumped down onto a couch. "Someone
made them all like this, twisted their minds into incarnations
of disaster. No easy feat if you ask me. I think it would take
a serious band of experienced mind benders to pull that
off, not even considering the physical alterations.
"So how many are there?" Winona asked.
"One." came a shy response.
All eyes turned to the red head curled up in a foetal
position on one of the chairs. "There's only one."
"Who is it?" Uma leant forward, peering at the frightened
girl.
"She's lots of people. She was Hel in Norse mythology,
Anansi in Africa and Jezebel in Babylon."
"Alyson?" Helen asked after a painful silence. "How old
is she?"
Alyson didn't even seem to hear the question wrapped
up in her own thought.
"Before that.. long before everything else she was Lilith,
The first seductress in the garden of Eden..."
Suddenly most of the occupants of the room felt just
as scared as Alyson.







"Into the sea of waking dreams I follow without pride.
For nothing stands between us here and I won't be denied."

Sarah Mclachlan.


Harbinger - Part Twelve: The Final Pieces.

***

"So does anyone know what the next step is?" Uma asked, breaking
the silence.
"I'm no doctor but Britney Spears could use some medical attention."
Neve looked at the delirious girl on the couch.
"Not to mention a shower." Kate noticed her improved sense of
smell for the first time.
"Yeah well there isn't much we can do." Billy looked at the feverish
youth. "Her system is so tanked up on chemicals that there isn't
much natural science can do for her."
"Which would leave supernatural science?" Sinead stepped forward
and stripped off her green jacket. "Which would be wind and water.
Keavs?"
"On it."
The two girls knelt in front of Britney and concentrated, doing
what they could to heal her burnt out system."
"When this is over I have to learn magic." Billy mused.
"Sorry. No can do. Chosen ones only." Lindsay shrugged.
"I'm starting to get the feeling I'm the only one here who isn't
superhuman."
"So what does that leave you with Billy?" Uma asked wryly.
Billy lifted up a plastic briefcase.
"And that would be?"
"All that's left of my van."
"Car crash?"
"Claire Danes."
No one had any idea what Billy was talking about and he didn't
blame them.
"I was trying to induce programming which she rejected. She
claimed to be Nemesis, broke her restraints and ripped apart
my van barehanded."
"So your programming backfired again huh Billy?"
"Don't knock it Uma. If it hadn't then you wouldn't be standing
here now. Probably none of us would. And it wasn't my
programming. It was something else. Something else that awakened
something that I sure as hell didn't put inside her."
"You think another mind controller got to her first? This Lilith?"
Helen considered, only half believing Billys story.
Billy shook his head. "If she wanted to kill me she would have
believe me. I have no idea what the heck this is."
"Sleeper Genes." Christina thought aloud.
Billy blinked twice, the only one in the room comprehending
what she was talking about. "Go on Chris." Billy smiled.
"Genetic memory which lies dormant for generations, perhaps
thousands of years, just waiting for the right situation to
reawaken them."
"The situation being this take over of mankind?"
Uma was incredulous.
"It's possible."
"And the chances that Billy just happens to pick up the
bearer of those genes and his actions activate them are what?"
"There's always destiny." Edele suggested.
"I don't believe in predetermined fate." Kate shook her head.
"Yeah well two days ago I'll bet you didn't believe in vampires
either."
"Touche."
Uma remained unconvinced. "Billy, don't let this go to your
head but I'm guessing you're the most technologically minded
one here. And I bet you don't have a clue about gene spicing.
How do you think it was done thousands of years ago?"
"Magic?" Winona suggested.
"Okay. Why?"
"To stop this happening again. What if someone knew that the
tower would rise again? They put the genes in place to awaken
when the tower does.
"But who did it?"
"Who knows?" Chris shrugged. "It could be anyone. What
about Christ?"
"You mean the Son of God?"
"Not necessarily. What if he was just a guy with strong mental
powers and a little... make that a lot more morality than we do?
Someone who wanted to help the world."
"Don't you think you're getting a little sacrilegious here Christina?"
"Oh please. Our group is composed of a lesbian mind control cult,
a kidnapper, four witches, the four horse women of the apocalypse
and a vampire. I think we're a little beyond sacrilege don't you?"
No one rushed to reply.
"Who knows?" Jennifer shrugged. "It could be God or science,
destiny or chance. I think we just have to play the card's we're
dealt here."
"Check the data Billy." Helen nodded.
He nodded and switched on the laptop. He clicked one or two
icons then suddenly an image appeared.
"Is that what I think it is?" Helen stared at the screen.
Billy nodded. "Blueprints for the tower of Babylon."
"Neve can you tell me what the heck is going on here?"
Neve looked over her shoulder to see a remarkably confused
Jennifer Love Hewitt looking in on the room.
"I can try Love." Neve scratched her head. "I can try."

***

Britney moaned and tugged at her bonds. The gurney straps
seemed to cut into her wrists tightly, tighter every time she
pulled on them. The spirals had gone. The drug had gone. Now
she was left to suffer her burning desires with no relief. At first
she'd fought so hard, kicking and screaming but as time passed
she became more and more tired. She needed the drug, she needed
it worse than she'd ever needed anything in her life. But there
was nothing that would help her.
Until the door opened.
Britney didn't even look to see who it was. She simply started
screaming >from her already hoarse throat demanding they give
her the drug or the spirals. She tugged with renewed fury at her
bonds, screaming at the newcomers.
"What do you reckon Keavs?" the new blonde asked as she
looked down at the wretched youth.
"I don't know. This inner mind stuff is a little new to me."
"You and me both. Look we need to calm her down first."
"How do we do that?"
"I have an idea. Britney?"
"Who are you?" she demanded.
"I'm someone who wants to help you."
"You're lying! No one wants to help me! Everyone lies to me!"
"I'm not lying. Tell me about the spiral."
"It comes down from above and spins. So nice. So peaceful.
Takes away the need."
"How does it do that?"
"It makes me come."
Sinead cast a concerned look at Keavy who shrugged.
"Britney. I want you to look up."
Sinead spun her finger about slowly and in the air above
Britney a whirlwind appeared.
"Does the spiral look like this Britney?"
"A.. little." Britney looked at the swirl with uncertainty.
"Keavs give me some water droplets."
The air in the room seemed humid enough for Keavy to materialise
some water in the wind. The light reflecting through the spinning
droplets flickered through the air.
"Britney. I want you to watch the spiral. Watch the spiral and the
lights. Just watch it and relax. Relax."
Britney starred up into the spinning light. It wasn't quite the same
but somehow it was nicer. It didn't seem as forceful as the other
spiral. Britney had almost forgot what softness was.
"Just relax. Relax. You feel so peaceful don't you Britney.
So peaceful."
"peaceful." the pop star repeated, her eyes gazing intently on
the spinning image above her.
"Keavs. Check what's through that door will you?"
The girl nodded and moved over to a side door, opening it and
recoiling in shock, slamming it tight.
"Nothing. Absolutely nothing. It's just a black void."
"I guessed so. That's good Britney. Just relax. Relax...
Try the shower door."
"What shower? Sinead this is the only door."
"Open it."
Keavy shook her head in confusion and opened the door
to the abyss. It was gone. Instead there was a shower room.
Keavy cast a confused glance to her older friend.
"Remember it's not real Keavs. Once we take control we can
change it. Britney? How are you feeling?"
"peaceful."
"Okay. I'm going to let you go now and we're going to have
a shower okay?"
"showers don't help."
"This one will. I promise. Promise you won't fight?"
"promise."
Sinead reached down and undid the straps which held Britney
down. She made no attempt to struggle and Sinead helped her
to a sitting position. The two girls in green lifted her up from
the bed and helped her to the shower room, her small medical
gown slipping off as they moved.
Sinead turned on the water, feeling it's icy touch as it fell.
"You're going to get under that water dressed?" Kevay asked.
"For some reason Keavs it doesn't seem that unfamiliar. Besides,
it's only water. And it's only imaginary water."
"Okay, you've convinced me."
The two girls helped Britney under the icy torrent. The nude
girl shivered and groaned as the cold water flowed over her
hot skin.
"What?" Keavy turned to her friend.
"I didn't say anything."
"I thought I heard.."
"Turnip?" Sinead raised an eyebrow.
"You too?"
"I guess so. I have no idea what that means but ignore it.
Talk to her."
"It's alright Britney." Keavy comforted her. "It's just water.
Nice cool water. It's going to wash away all the poison out of
you. You'll be fresh as new. You want to feel like that don't you?"
"Yes." Britney gasped.
"Good girl. Good girl. Just relax. Let the water wash all your troubles
away. All your troubles are being washed away. No more needs,
no more cravings. Doesn't that feel good?"
Britney nodded.
For the first time in months she was beginning to feel truly free.

***
Billy felt slightly down trodden. He was looking at the most complex
and detailed computer model and plan that he'd ever seen and he
wished that it had been his. But it wasn't his. It was Claires or
whatever Claire had become.
Full details of the tower. Every defence and weak point. Everything
they had to do to get to the top of the tower. And as Billy read he
began to feel that there was more than a little fate at work.
"So we can get to the top right?" Helen asked.
"I.. I think so.. I think we have everything we need. Except.."
"What?" Winona asked, examining the screen.
"As best I can figure.. We're going to need two people immune to
mind control."
"Why? Don't we have those patches of yours?"
"They're only a slight defence to the broadcast mesmerism. I'm
talking about natural and total immunity to mind control."
"But no one has that." Uma stated resolutely. "Some people have
a higher resistance but no one is immune. Not even vampires. Not
even Ally McBeal here."
"The name is Calista." A groan came from the couch.
"I see that you're up on your feet again?" Uma mused.
"No thanks to you." Calista felt her bruised lip. "On second
thoughts I guess it is thanks to you. I guess you snapped me
out of .. whatever I was in."
"You remember it all?"
"Yeah." Calista admitted grudgingly.
"What did..."
"I said I remembered it. I didn't say I wanted to talk about it. Let
me see. Lilith or Jezebel or whoever the hell did this to me is
trying to take over the world and you want to stop him?"
"In a nutshell." Billy nodded. "You seem to be picking up on
this fast."
"What I went through wasn't exactly a picnic." Calista scowled
as her voice trembled. "So don't patronise me whoever you are."
"Billy."
"Billy then. Just tell me what I can do to get that bitch back."
"Well you can help certainly. But we still need two people
immune to psychic effects."
"Well Uma and Helen are .. well I don't know what the word for
it is but you know what I mean.. mind benders or whatever...
Can't they scan for peoples brains or something?"
"Nice thought Calista." Helen bit her lip. "But the point is that
we don't even know if they exist."
"They do." Billy cut in. "We're way too far past chance for
them not to."
"Well okay, assuming they do exist, we can't find them. Even
with the whole Sisterhood scanning we wouldn't pick them up
because they'd be immune to it. I'm guessing that's why
they're safe."
"Radar."
The group turned to Jennifer Hewwit who was sitting on a
couch next to Neve and listening intently.
"What are you talking about Jen?" Helen raised an eyebrow.
"Well doesn't radar work by bouncing back from dense objects?
What if we sent out a psychic message, I don't know just 'Turnip'
or something. Even these zombies would pick that up. But people
who were immune to control would have it bounce maybe.
That way we could locate them."
Helen and Uma exchanged glances. They were on to something."

"I'm not going to stuff this up am I?" Kate looked about the circle.
"I wouldn't worry." Winona shook her head. "You're not a real
vampire. You're still you Kate. You always will be."
Kate nodded.
"Ready?" Uma asked.
The other nodded. The six joined hands and closed their eyes,
linking their minds together.
READY? Umas though combined with the others. Five mental
nods came in reply.
TURNIP
The thought flowed out in a circle. Even though there was no
sound, Billy felt the image of a vegetable being pulled from the
ground. Immediately after he wondered if they couldn't have
thought of a better image. Only then did he realise that the
thought had penetrated the neural block on his neck. Perhaps
a simple thought could do it. In all honesty things were getting
way out of his league.

Over the next few seconds the image of a turnip flashed into
the mind of millions of people throughout the city. Instantly it
was gone again, replaced with oblivion.
Neve Campbell opened her eyes.
"Turnip?" she said aloud. "I got a bounce!"
The others broke their concentration.
"Where?" Helen asked the other star.
"That way." Neve pointed. "It felt like maybe three or four miles."
"You could tell that just from the word turnip?" Billy said in awe.
"It's a new science Billy." Helen achieved a smile. "Give it a chance."
He nodded in wonder. "Okay then. How do we get four miles,
keeping in mind my van is in severe need of repairs."
"Try flying Bewitched Airlines." Lindasy stepped forward.
"But for best results we can only take one each." Edele added.
Uma nodded. "Helen. You go and.. as much as I hate it.. Billy
you go too."
"I'm not exactly a seasoned flyer."
"Never mind." Edele smiled. "One you fly with us you'll never
want to fly with anyone else."
"I'll keep that in mind." He swallowed grimly.

***
Laura felt as if she was dead. Her body felt numb but it kept on
moving, climbing up through the blackness. Every inch was agony,
not because her body hurt but because it brought back another
memory of the torture she'd suffered. But she refused to let it stop
her or even slow her down. She knew each move would hurt but
she had to keep moving. Back to the world of the living.

***
As Billy brought up the last of his mercifully small breakfast in a
trashcan he was little comforted by the thought that of everyone
here, not only was he the weakest but also the least travelled. He
was among famous people from all over the world and here he
was trying no hold down his stomach contents after a blurred
flight through L.A streets. He'd have to leave this part out if he
ever told the story of the time he helped save the world.
"Better now Billy?"
He nodded to Helen and they turned to face the apartment block.
"This is it?" he asked.
She shut her eyes for a second then nodded a reply.
"That's a bounce. Fifth floor."
"Taking the elevator or the Irish express?"
"I think we should take the elevator." Billy responded quickly
and hurried into the building.
"If it makes you feel any better Billy," Helen pointed out, "I had
to use self hypnosis to stop myself throwing up too."
"Gee thanks." Billy entered the elevator and pressed the button
once the other three had entered.
The elevator rose up through floors opening to a silent corridor.
"We should tread carefully." Helen mused aloud.
"Tell me about it. The last girl I picked up in a hotel got a little
rough."
"Down the hall. Third on the right." Edele pointed. When Helen
and Billy cast her a confused look she simply shrugged.
"Thermal scan. There are two people in there."
"Hello?" Helen called out. "Is anybody there?
We don't mean you any harm."
There was a timid sound of movement and an unlocking
of a door.
Helen stepped down the hall and pressed it open.
Inside she saw two young women, holding hands tightly
and obviously frightened. They blinked when they saw
Helen Hunt at their door.
Helen found herself blinking in wonder too.
Keri Russell and Amy Jo Johnson were totally immune
mind control.

***

Britney felt as if she was waking up from a long nightmare.
Only it wasn't a nightmare and what made it worse was that
unlike a nightmare she remembered every single thing she'd
done.
She remembered the addiction and the rampant desires.
She remembered the capture and mind altering treatments
she received.
She remembered killing a man in cold blood.
She threw up.
"I'm on it." Keavy shook her head, still getting used to being
back in the real world. Quickly she brought a jet of water down
from the sprinklers and cleaned up as only someone with
magical powers could.
"Just rest a while. You've been through a lot." Sinead put
her hand on Britneys shoulder.
"We've all been through a lot. And the worst thing is that
it isn't over yet." Uma bit her lip. "I'm sure Billys little plan
isn't going to be easy."
There was a groan from behind her and she turned to see
Winona helping Laura to her feet.
"You look like.. well Death warmed up."
"Tell me about it." Laura groaned. "I still feel dead."
"We seem to have retained our new abilities." Calista
remarked as she dried to hit her hand against a table,
each time achieving no force.
"I don't feel able." Britney moaned again. "I just feel sick."
"You might for a little while. We've done all magic can do."
Sinead tried to comfort her. As she finished, a bangle on
her wrist glowed.
"That'll be Linds and 'Del. Probably want a pick up."
"We'd best get a move on then."
Before Uma could say no they were both out the door.

***
Keri didn't believe it. Neither did Amy.
It was all too much to grasp in one go. The world was about to
be taken over by an immortal woman in a floating tower. A
group of female celebrities with all sorts of bizarre abilities
were going to stop her and a weird guy with a laptop was
showing them how. And somehow, among all that, they were
they final piece of the puzzle.
They kept their relationship low key. So low key in fact that
they hardly ever got to spend time alone like they wanted to.
It had all started some time ago, Each developing a secret
crush on the other and each trying to subliminal induce interest.
As it turned out neither worked but by that time they'd found
out anyway. That was when things got a little odd. The concept
of hypnosis was one which aroused their interest. In fact the
more they considered it the more it aroused. Eventually they
tried it out only to fail totally. They achieved the emotional
result they'd sought, leading to hours of wild exploration,
but the hypnosis itself had failed. They put it down to lack
of experience but it seemed to go further. Using the pretence
of work stress they consulted a professional hypnotherapist.
He had no more luck than they did. They left it at that, resorting
to their ability as actresses rather than their ability as hypnotists.
They never thought that it might be something more than a quirk.
Certainly not something that would save the world. Part of them
didn't want to be in this room. But the other part of them had been
alone for the past days and didn't want to be alone. The later part
won out.
Now they were assembled with sixteen others, the last hope
for humanity to be free.
Britney wasn't the only one that felt sick.






"Come on you unbelievers move out of the way.
There is a new army marching and we are armed with faith."

Jewel


Harbinger - Part 14: Babylon rising.


"You can see the details of all the security systems in place." Billy
pointed at the screen in front of him. Beside him Edele and Keavy
were maintaining the projected image of his smaller laptop screen.
"Once where in there are only a few obstacles that are a serious
threat. Now I know this thing is umpteen squillion years old but I'm
betting it'll be high tech. There's a main room on the top of the tower.
That's where we have to get too."
"And exactly how do we get people inside the tower wen it's
floating up there?" Jennifer asked as she looked at the diagram.
"We don't. We land it."
"Land it?" Neve scoffed.
He brought up another pattern, five points forming a star about
the tower.
"Five points of a pentacle. Five points of magic from which we
can focus energy to lower the tower."
"Maybe if we still had Gwen." Edele shook her head. But there
are only four of us now. That leaves you one short."
"I can do it." a timid voice suggested. Alyson had barely spoken
since the girls had brought her out of her controlled state. Of all
the four new converts she was by far the most reserved, probably
coming to terms with a part of herself she'd never encountered
before.
"You don't know any magic Alyson." Edele smiled weakly.
Alyson put out her hands and shot a bolt of red energy from
one palm to the next.
"I wasn't given the luxury of forgetting."
"Are you sure you can do it?"
"I can try. Besides, I'd love to see that damn thing grounded."
"Another problem Billy." Lindsay noted. "To focus that energy
we'd have to be mentally in touch. We can do that by holding
hands but this is going to be too far for mental connections
to work."
"For you maybe. But not for the Sisterhood as you call it. Each
of you goes with one of the witches... no offence.."
"None taken." Alyson beat the other four to the reply.
"That way," he continued," they can physically link with the
girls and mentally link with each other to keep in touch.
"There are six of us." Jennifer pointed out. "Who's the lucky
one that gets to go in?"
"Kate or Winona. They have the skills we need to get up there.
Helen and Uma, your skills are better used down on the ground."
"For once I agree with you." Uma quirked.
"Send Win up." Kate cut in. "She's got more skill and more
experience at this sort of thing."
"So the rest of us go up then?" Britney looked at the diagram
with more than a little dread.
"We do. I know the schematics and you might need me to
deal with electronics. Amy and Keri are essential blocks for
strong psychic effects. And the rest of the converts have
powers that will be seriously useful. Anything else?"
No one had anything more to say.
"Then lets get ready to do it."
The crowd nodded in unison and the foyer began.
"Billy?" Christina asked him, a hint of concern in her voice.
"What does the plan say we do once we reach the throne
room?"
"Nothing." He confessed reluctantly. "The top is where
the data I've been given ends."

***
"Are you sure about this?" Neve asked as Sinead
removed her tee-shirt.
"The more advanced of the pagan rituals require the wearer to
be naked. Some sort of escaping from the bounds of this earth thing."
"It just seems a little excessive."
"Neve, I may or may not have had a single lesbian experience in
my life and even that is mostly gone from my memory. You on the
other hand are a member of a secret society with a wandering eye
for Jennifer Hewitt. If anyone should be worried about disrobing
it should be me not you."
"Putting it that way it's a little harder to argue with." She nodded
and began to remove her shoes."

"You're going to be okay with this?" Helen asked the red head
who sat cross legged in front of her, as naked as she was.
"I think so." Alyson nodded. "I mean it's not the same as.. last
time.. I just can't stop thinking about it. It's like a nightmare."
"Hey, I have those too. Guilt and fear.. you know how it is.. It's
what makes us human."
Alyson nodded and closed her eyes.
"Lets do it then."
She felt Helens hands reach forward and touch her forehead.
"Don't worry Alyson. Just stay relaxed. There's nothing to be
afraid of."
"Right." Alyson nodded.
Instantly her world was engulfed in blackness. She felt her self
spinning through the abyss, trying to remain focussed.
-Alyson?-
She turned but realised there was no other senses here but
here mind.
-Are you there?- Alyson cast the thought.
-We all are.- Keavys thought came back to her.
Suddenly Alyson realised the four others were standing about
her.
-Shouldn't we be naked?- Alyson asked, realising that she wore
a red tee-shirt and jeans while the others wore blue denim.
-Not in our spiritual projections- Edele spoke without moving
her lips.
-I'll take your word for it. How do we do this then?-
-Focus on the centre of the circle.-
Alyson stared at the blackness between the five, staring at it
as if there were something hidden within the darkness. There
was something there. At first it was intangible but the harder
she focussed the more visible it became.
Suddenly a green flare shot out five lines, connecting the five
with a glowing star. And within the centre a green light hovered.
-Just stay focussed- Lindsay said calmly.
Alyson kept her gaze fixed firmly on the light.

***
Keri watched in disbelief as five jets of green light shot up to
encircle the tower. At it's a base a tight ring of green energy
formed and the tower began to shudder. She brushed a lock of
curly hair from her eye, not wanting to blink from the sight she
was seeing. Ten minds were working in unison to lower a flying
building. When this was over she and Amy would have plenty to
talk about. She felt the hand of her friend and lover griping her
own tightly. She didn't have to look around to know that her eyes
would be just as wide as her own. As a matter of fact they all were.
Even the three souls who had been taken inside the building were
stunned by what they were seeing.
"It's working." Billy stated plainly, watching as the massive tower
slowly dropped down to the ground. "Ready?"
Keri shook her head to escape the enthralment of the sight before
her. She realised that he was addressing her directly.
"I guess so."
"Then lets get into that tower." He raised the large gun he had in
his hand, Keri wondering what it actually did but not wanting to ask.
They ran across the park to where the building had touched down
without so much as a ripple. To her left Keri could see Uma and
Edele, both cross-legged and perfectly focussed on their mental
link. Keri realised that it was something she would never get to
experience no matter how much she wanted to. She cleared her head.
This was no time for regrets.
The entrance to the tower was a large metal door with no obvious
opening mechanism.
Britney and Christina exchanged a quick glance then both kicked
out with all their strength, connecting on the same side of the door.
With the combination of Christinas skill and Britneys still enhanced
physical strength focused in one place the door gave way, creaking
once then tumbling to the ground.
The party cautiously entered, Calista and Chris first, then Billy,
Amy and Keri, with Laura, Britney and Winona at the rear. This
way any attack, whether from in front or behind, should be better
defended.
"It just occurred to me Billy, that we didn't bring any magical
defence." Winona called forward."
"I know. But we didn't have a choice." He replied grimly.
The entrance way was a single dark corridor without any exits.
Suddenly a door began to close in front of them. It seemed to be
made of solid stone and it was clear that once it came down no
amount of kicking was going to get them through.
Britney lunged forward, trying to support the weight but finding
it too much even for her strength. The door continued to slide.
"Keri, Amy go!" Billy called at the two youths slid under the
door quickly.
"I can't stop it." Britney groaned as she tried her best to kept
the door up.
"Just keep going through." Billy watched as the door slid past
hip level.
Calista was halfway through crawling under the door when she
stopped.
"Wait a second." She suddenly realised. She rested on hands
and knees as the door came down to her back. And stopped.
"Absorption of kinetic energy." She replied calmly as if the
weight was nothing at all.
Billy nodded and slid under the door himself. The rest followed
until only Calista remained.
"Slight problem." She noted. "given that the release on this
thing is totally slack now, It'll fall the moment I release it.
And I can't push it back up."
"What does that mean?" Amy stammered.
"It means if I move forward I'll get my legs stuck. I may be
indestructible but I'm not made of rubber. I have to move
backwards."
"Which means one way or another we lose you." Winona
sighed.
"And I'd rather get out than stay trapped." Calista nodded.
"Good luck."
Before anyone could protest she slipped backwards out of
sight and the stone door crashed to the ground.
Billy waited for a second, looking at the door.
"We have to keep moving." He stated.
Winona nodded and took the lead.
On the other side of the door, Calista brushed herself off
and headed back for the outside world.

Billy didn't like it. None of them liked it but they kept on
moving anyway. It wasn't that there was anything stopping
them. It was that there wasn't. Nothing stopped them as they
made their way up the winding staircase. No further traps,
no hordes of attackers.
Just dust and silence.
"There should be something here right?" Keri asked nervously.
"I'm sure there will be eventually." Billy said grimly.
Then they came to the door. Solid black wood and looming
like a portal to hell itself. When Christina pushed it the door
opened.
For a second they were uncertain then they decided to enter.
A foot stepped across the threshold.
A magical spell of instant death struck and killed her in a
moment.
"Go!" Billy yelled and the others piled over the fallen woman.
Once all the party were through the door it slammed closed.
Billy knew it would not be opening again. He knelt down to
the collapsed figure, reaching out his fingers to feel for a
pulse. Only when he found it did he breath a sigh of relief.
He had been right. Death had cancelled Death. Laura San
Giacomo was a normal human again. But she wouldn't be
up anytime soon.
"And then there were six." Amy shivered.
"Six. Six. Six. Looks like my lucky number."
The six turned to the end of the room. There, reclining on
and ornate couch, plushly laden with pillows, was a woman.
She wore nothing but the mocking expression on her face,
smooth and flawless but somehow devoid of humanity. Her
figure was flawless with black hair cascading over her shoulders.
Only her eyes seemed to shatter the illusion of beauty. They
were jet black, soulless orbs, staring everywhere and nowhere
at once.
They didn't know what to do and she saw it in an instant.
"You've come all this way and you don't have a clue what
you're dealing with do you?"
"I was about to say the same about you." Billy retorted grimly.
"My, my," the woman chuckled, "such a quick wit. Had fun
in this world of women to yourself Billy?"
He hoped he was able to hide his surprise but suspected she
knew anyway.
"So you know my name. What's yours?" he tried to stare at
her but found it difficult with her black eyes staring back.
She giggled again, an innocent sound thinly veiled over
millennia of corruption.
"For some I was Jezebel. For some I was Hel. I have been
Helen of Troy, Guinivere of Camelot. I have been the
perversion of desire for thousands of years. But always,
now and forever, I am Lilith."
Billy looked at her for a second in contemplation.
"Hi." He replied, levelled his gun and fired.
Nothing happened.
Lilith mouth twisted into a smile like a split rotting fruit.
"You don't understand a thing do you?"
"I understand I had to try." He shrugged.
"This is not your world Billy. This is mine. It always has been.
Ever since I planted the seeds of deception in the Garden of
Eden this world has been mine.
I simply wanted the right time to claim it.
"And this is your way of ruling?" Christina asked in confusion,
having he people stand in the streets like zombies?"
Lilith shook her head. "You know nothing. Soon it will burst.
All mankind will succumb to their carnal desires. Thousands
lining the streets in mass orgies. Think of it. No more war, no
more crime. Eat when hungry, sleep when tired, no other cares
in the world. The earth will be a new Eden."
She refocussed her eyes on the group, returning from her
wandering dream.
"But it must be complete. Not a single human must not partake.
That is where my control fails. I knew that threat had to be
eliminated. I sent the beasts of the night and the beasts of
magic. I even sent my horsemen to kill you but you turned
them against me. But none of that matters. My power is great
enough to finish you. It was only the pillars that held me back.
The Lovers, naturally immune to any corruption."
She stared at Amy and Keri.
"And you have brought them straight to me."
Keri and Amy stepped back, as if the other three standing in
front of them would hide them.
"You can't have them." Christina etched a firm look to her face.
Lilith smiled, gazing intently at her.
"Wake up Christina."
Chris shook her head, as if the room was starting to blur.
"Wake up." The voice spoke again. "Christina."

Christina opened her eyes. She was looking up at a white roof
with a woman she didn't recognise looking down at her.
"Christina?"
Christina blinked once or twice, trying to match the face to
a name but failing.
"Where am I?"
"You're safe now Christina. My name is Dr. Catherine Marshall."
"Doctor?.. Where am I? Where's Billy?"
The expression of the doctor went sour at the name.
"We know all about him. We know what he did to you. But
we're going to help you."
"But.. there was a tower and we had to stop Lilith."
Christina tried to sit up but she realised she was strapped down
to her bed. It was a hospital room, a mental hospital.
"Christina. Listen to me. Billy brainwashed you. He had
technology to make you think things were real. But none of
it is real. You understand me? None of it. All he did was put
you in a tank. He made you think things you didn't want to.
He raped your body and your mind. Believe me he's going to
pay for it too."
"No. It's not true. Billy loved me."
"Christina, he didn't love you. He just used you. He did it to
Claire Danes too and goodness knows how many others. This
fantasy about saving the world is just another one of his mind
games. Billy kept recordings of all his simulations. We've
managed to sit through them, as awful as they are. We know
what he did to you. "
"No!" she yelled and tugged at her straps. "He made me better.
I loved him!"
"You though he made you better." The doctor shook her
head sadly. "You believed he taught you things, that he
made you fitter. You think that you kidnapped
Claire Danes don't you?"
"I did! I remember it."
"You remember it because he made you think you were doing it.
Just like he made you think you were in the Addams family
mansion or fighting vampires. We've been through his software.
He was able to make you believe anything."
"NO!" Christina fought and struggled. "NO! NO! NO!" she
howled as she thrashed about. The doctor motioned for a pair
of orderlies to hold her. Christina struggled but there was no
way she could fight back. She felt a needle sticking into her
arm and then blackness absorbed her.

"Do you accept the fact that he kidnapped you against
your will?"
Christina sighed and rubbed her head.
"We've been through this before. Yes. I accept that. I know
that and I've always known that."
"And do you think that was wrong on his part?"
"Perhaps at the time but not in retrospect."
"Christina, I think that we've concluded that your retrospective
judgement is impaired."
"YOU came to that conclusion. You think I can't think for
myself? My initial perspective was restored after a week or
so. I CHOSE to stay with him."
"How do you know you had your original control back?"
"He showed me. For gods sake we've been through all this.
He taught me how the techniques worked. I had free will.
He told me that."
"And you would believe the word of a man that kidnapped
you?"
"YES! You know that!" Chris pushed back her chair angrily
and stood up. "Why won't you listen to me? I don't have to
be in some deprogramming clinic trying to convince me what
or what not to like or who or who not to love!"
"Christina sit down."
"No! Why should I just because you tell me too? What makes
you so much better than what you claim Billy is huh? He
gave me a choice and you don't."
"Christina, you are currently incapable of making your own
decisions."
"Bullshit! I'm making my own decision right now. Let me out
of here."
She stormed for the door but a large orderly blocked her way.
"Christina," the doctor said as she stood, "you can't leave
until you have your old control back."
"Control? You call being imprisoned here control? Let me out!"
She pushed at the guard who didn't budge. She punched him.
Then she felt another force hit her from the side knocking her
down, holding her as they had so many times. She felt the
sting of a hypodermic in her arm and her muscles giving up.
Her vision blurred as the two orderlies lifted her to her feet.
"We can get Billy out of your system Christina." Doctor
Marshall said softly.
"I know you can.." Christina slurred.
The doctor began to smile with promise but it faded as
Christina continued.
"I know you could make an abused woman stay with her
husband.. I know you could make an innocent man confess
to a crime.. I know .. you could.. turn an . athiest to Satanism..
I know.. you......" her eyelids slid closed and her head slumped
down on her chest.

"I believe in what I say.." Christina said. She could feel the
drugs in her system that held down her mind the way the
straps held down her arms.
For a second Dr. Marshall didn't answer. It was as if the
comment had reminded her of something.
"A couple of weeks ago a woman was brought in here
Christina. She believed that the world was going to end,
she was a fortune teller."
Christina didn't bother to interrupt. At least the topic had
gone off how evil Billy was.
"The thin was that she totally believed it. Every grain of her was
convinced that she was doomed. It shook me up at the time but
later I was able to think about it clearly. It was as if she was so
convinced that she actually made it happen. She actually suffered
a brain haemorrhage and there was no medical reason for it. She
believed in something so much that she died for that belief. And
the world hasn't ended. She was wrong but she's still dead. Just
because of some tarot cards."
The doctor stood and began to move out of the room.
"Are you so sure Christina, that he isn't controlling you? Are you
so sure that you would be willing to destroy your entire life,
everything you've accomplished, just because that's what
you believe?"
She didn't wait for an answer, simply staring to exit.
"no." whispered the young woman.
The doctor turned on her heel to face the girl.
"No." Christina repeated. "I'm not going to die for that belief.

"And I understand that his actions, both against me and the
others he captured were immoral and illegal."
"What do you feel were the motivations for his actions?"
Christina considered it as she looked at the panel of doctors in
front of her. The room seemed a little too hot for the neat blouse
and skirt she was wearing but she hid her discomfort.
"I think he believed what he was doing was for the benefit of the
girls he manipulated. Though his methods were thoroughly
invasive, I still think that in his mind they were beneficial."
"And do you believe that?"
"No. They corrupted the will of those involved."
The doctors considered their next question and not for the
first time Christina wondered just why the interview was
being televised.
"Miss Ricci, are you aware of the state of Miss Claire Danes?"
"As far as I know she is still in a similar facility to the one that
helped me."
"Hmm." The doctor nodded. "It seems that she suffered severe
mental trauma after Billy abandoned her. It says in this transcript
that he claimed she was ... too pure and angelic. Do you think he
simply went through girls like consumables?"
"I think that... I'm sorry, where did you get that statement from?"
"From a simulation involving you and Billy. We have had
access to the records of those artificial realities."
"But.." Christina wrinkled her brow.
"Do you think he simply went through girls like consumables?"
"No.. I think there was something about her that he didn't like.
Something that.."
"Thank you Miss Ricci."
Christina rubbed her forehead. Something seemed out of place
here but she didn't know what.
"One more question Miss Ricci. What is your current opinion
of this man Billy?"
"I.." Christina tried to think of the answer. She knew what it
was but somehow it didn't seem right. Nothing seemed right..
"What is your current opinion of Billy?" the doctor repeated.
"I do not... no.. I.." Christina stammered. It felt as if her mind
was filling up with question marks.
"How do you feel about Billy?" the doctor demanded.
Christina blinked to clear her head and looked at him.
"I.." she began.

Christina blinked, her lips moving but no sounds coming out.
It was clear that she did not see what was in front of her. None
of them did. Billy, Britney and Winona were all totally entranced
by Liliths power. Only Keri and Amy were unaffected but they
were totally helpless.
As resistant as they might be to mental control they were still
subject to physical attacks and Liliths magic was more than
enough to stop them. Even worse, she was having fun.
Keri and Amy both howled in protest as magical forces
assailed them. It was if invisible tentacles were twisting their
bodies, forcing them to move like puppets. Magical energies
had made short work of their outer garments but for some
reason Lilith had left them their underwear. She grinned with
perverse pleasure. They were immune to any thoughts she
might use against them but their bodies were just as vulnerable
as anyones. When she tired of humiliating them she could
pleasure them physically. When that was done it would be a
simple task to end their lives. In a way it seemed a waste. She
could have so much fun with these two toys, toys which would
never break under her mental strain like so many had through history.
Keri dropped to her knees, gasping for breath. In front of her
Amy was being dangled upside down by her feet. Keri felt sick,
watching her friend and lover being tormented. She knew there
was nothing that she could do to help her and that made it all
the more agonising.
She realised that while Amy was taking the brunt of the force,
she had been freed to move. But what could she do. She was
physically weak compared to the others. He only advantage
was mental immunity.
Keri clenched her jaw and her muscles, spinning around and
closing the distance between herself and the entranced three.
Christina was the closest.
"CHRISTINA WAKE UP!"
She felt a force starting to pull her back, Lilith retaking control.
"CHRISTINA! ANSWER ME!"
She felt her feet lifting off the ground. Even worse was the
creeping energy she knew was trying to unclip her bra.
"ANSWER ME!" she screamed in desperation.

"CHRISTINA! ANSWER ME!" the question boomed in
Christinas ears.
It made her look up at the doctors. Words emerged from he
lips as the thought crossed her mind.
"We didn't talk about Claire in a simulation. It was in the lab."
"ANSWER ME!" the voice seemed to shake the entire room.
"I love him." She replied.
The room exploded.
Christina feel to her knees looking forward.
The tower. Lilith.
In front of her she saw Keri and Amy, hopelessly clinging
to their clothes.
She was moving before she blinked a second time, pumped
up reflexes working at maximum. She crossed the room,
weaving past and ignoring the helpless pair.
She was on her target before even she was able to respond.
Christina Ricci slugged Lilith the corrupter in the jaw.
For her actions she was thrown across the room by a wave
of bone jarring forces.
Billy came to his senses just in time to see Christina smashing
into a stone wall and falling to the ground screaming in pain.
"Chris!" he yelled hurrying over to her.
Keri and Amy fell to the ground, crawling away from the reclining
Lilith.
Billy looked down at the fallen girl whose features were matted
with pain.
"Hey Billy?" she gritted her teeth. "Remember when you implanted
all those medical files into my brain?"
"Yeah?" he replied with concern.
Christina slammed her shoulder to the stone floor and screamed
again as it popped back in to her socket. "Thanks." She finished.
She lay on the ground, considering her injuries. They were still
painful but probably not life threatening.
Britney and Winona were coming to terms with reality again. Just
as Christina had been put into her own private hell so had they.
Billy was put on trial for his actions and ended up in an asylum.
Britney had been convicted of murder and ended up in a drug
rehab clinic. Winona had been captured and abused by a coven
of vampires. But it wouldn't work again. They were ready for it.
"Very impressive." Lilith grinned to herself. "You're a lot better
than I thought. Did you enjoy your own private hells? I suppose
I'm just going to have to kill you all."
"No." Came a calm reply from behind them.
The seven inhabitants of the room turned to the door where
the voice had come from.
Laura was still out cold on the floor.
Claire Danes walked over her without a second glance.
"Well great! Another celebrity to add to the collection."
Lilith laughed.
"I am here to take your collection away Anansi."
For the first time Lilith was shocked. She looked at
Claire Danes with a sudden fear.
Claire simply looked back at her.
Only Billy noticed the look in her eyes. It was not her own.
This was the creature that had emerged to destroy his van.
"Who.. who are you?" Lilith stammered.
"I have been Athena in Greece. I have been Joan of Arc. I have
been Mary. But for you Lilith, I have always been Eve."
"NO!" Lilith screamed in fury. She cast her hand at the girl
sending a red hot bolt of fire. It simply vanished before it
reached the blonde.
"You try to live forever through your magic Lilith. A thousand
years of corruption infect you in your false immortality. I live
forever through rebirth, riding the pure souls.
"I searched for you!" Lilith protested. "You were no where on
earth! No soul possessed your essence!"
"I foresaw your arrival. My previous vessel knew she had to
die. She knew the end was coming, a fortune teller with an
innocent soul. When she did my spirit was free. You could not
find me then. I waited until you arrived then I returned. And
I will not allow this."
"You know you cannot stop me. Our powers are a match Eve."
Lilith sneered.
"I am not here to stop you." The voice inside Claire spoke.
"I am here to destroy you Lilith."
"Never! You can never destroy me! You have never been
able to in the past."
"But this time is different Lilith. This time it is not just you and
I. It is those who are chosen to end the conflict. You champions
have turned against you. Now they are mine."
Lilith laughed. " You think these creatures can help you? I can
turn their wills with a glance."
She stared at the pack who watched the two ancient enemies.
Nothing happened.
Keri and Amy held hands, standing in front of the others.
"You won't get inside them again." Amy shook her head.
Lilith snarled and shot a bolt of lightning at the couple. It
dissolved before it touched them.
"It looks like your magic has been cancelled out."
Winona smiled grimly.
The woman snarled and got to her feet.
"She is mortal as you are. Her soul cannot transfer." Claire
spoke without moving.
Billy stepped forward, aimed his gun and fired.
Lilith doubled over, clutching her head. She hissed in fury
and rose again, baring her teeth at them as she snarled.
"She's a god damned vampire!" Winona yelled, seeing the
bared fangs.
Lilith pounced from the couch at the humans. Her agility and
strength surpassed any normal human. But Britney was still
more than human. She caught the leaping woman in mid air,
slamming her to the ground.
"Like you said," Britney gritted her teeth,
"I'm a very dangerous young woman."
Lilith struggled but Britney was stronger even than the
ancient temptress. They wrestled but it was obvious Britney
would win. She pinned the womans arms, twisting them
behind her back and , tripping her to her knees."
"You belong to me!" Lilith screamed in protest.
"No." Claire shook her head. "They belong to themselves."
Winona stepped forward and reached into her belt.
She plunged a stake through the Liliths heart.
"Enjoy your own private hell." Winona snarled.
Britney released the woman as she thrashed about, trying to
remove the stake. But there was nothing she could do. After
thousands of years her rampage of corruption had come to and end.
Her body began to decay, crumbling to dust.
The tower began to tremble.
Claire turned to the group.
"The tower is held together by Liliths evil. Now that it is gone
it will become dust."
"Which means we're in a lot of trouble." Billy noted.
Already her saw that the walls were starting to disintegrate.
Outside he could she the daylight bursting through.
"I can do no more." Claire / Eve said. "You are free now."
In a flash of light she was gone.
"Which is kind of dumb considering we're free to fall to our
doom." Britney mused.
"Can you stand?" Billy asked Chris who was sitting up
against the wall.
"I guess so. For all the good it will do. This place is shaking
like an L.A quake."
Britney helped the unconscious Laura to her feet, realised she
was still out cold, then slung her over her shoulder.
"So do we run for it?" she asked.
"We'd never make it." Billy replied.
Amy and Keri clung tightly to each other not knowing what
to do next.
"Thank God for the Irish." A voice called out.
All the doomed occupants of the tower raised their heads to
the hole in the roof through which four green girls descended.
For an instant they were too amazed to reply.
"Give us your hand." Edele reached for Britney.
"We've come to rescue you." Keavy moved over to
Christina and Billy.
"For better or worse." Lindsay smiled at Amy and Keri.
"Does anyone else fell like that would make a good song?"
Sinead asked.
"I thought you can only carry one each."
"That depends on our determination." Alyson dropped down
into the trembling room.
"And how heavy you are." Kate Winslett floated down next
to Winona. "And you said we couldn't fly."
"You can't. But under the circumstances I'm not going to
argue." Winona shrugged. She gave clung tight to Kate
and the hovered out through the rapidly increasing hole.
"I'll take the unconscious one." Edele hefted Laura with a
supernatural strength.
"And I'll take the injured one sis." Keavy swept up Christina
carefully.
"Which means of you will have to go double."
"We're the lightest." Keri pointed to herself and Amy.
"No offence Britney."
"None taken."
"Well let's go then!" Alyson grabbed Billy and wrenched
him through the air, forcing the bile to rise to his throat.
As they flew through the air they watched as the Tower
of Babylon was reduced to a cloud of dust.





When the storm has swept by, the wicked are gone,
but the righteous stand firm forever.

Proverbs 10:25

Harbinger - Epilogue

Mankind moved on.
It was as if it had never happened. Some mass post hypnotic
suggestion kept anyone from wondering exactly where two
days had vanished to. It made it easier for those that knew
what really happened.
No explanations. No questions.
Just the need to deal with what had happened.
Ways varied.

Britney lay in her bed, sleeping peacefully, dreams no longer
interrupted by the nightmares of the past months. When she
woke in the morning those nightmares would not resurface.
Uma and Helen had burned her addiction and her actions from
her mind the way Edele and Sinead had burned it from her
body. She was herself again, albeit slightly fitter than she
could explain.
After the tower had collapsed, as the people moved back to
their homes in a slowly coming back to reality, their unknown
saviours made their choices.
For Laura and Calista the choice was clear. They had been
tormented enough and they welcomed the chance to forget
it all. It surprised the others that Jennifer wanted to forget but
it seemed that the cry of the banshee was a thing that would
haunt her forever. So they erased the entire experience. Neve
went along with it too, losing a section of her life for the sake
of her friend.
To everyones surprise Alyson Hannigan chose to retain her
memory. She had been given the gift of magic and the torment
she had faced was a price she was willing to pay. The Irish
witches understood the draw of magic. They too chose to
retain their wills, if only for the memory of a friend they had lost.
For the others it was various other reasons that kept their
memories in place.
Late was a vampire or at least a half vampire. That was
something that needed some serious explaining. And she
was going to need someone who could guide her along the
way. Seeing that Winona was her friend, battle companion
and a vampire expert she was the logical choice.
Billy and Chris found the entire experience fascinating. Far
too interesting to ignore. Billy promised to chronicle the
events of the past few days. Uma was suspicious of his
discretion but he pointed out that discretion was one of
his specialities.
Helen and Uma decided that the others would need
someone to monitor them, just in case some of the
unwanted memories resurfaced.
And for some, no matter how much they wanted it,
there would never be any forgetting...
***
Keri stared at the roof. It was the same as it had been
for the last hour.
Dark. Plain. Nothing.
But she couldn't stop looking at it. And she couldn't sleep.
She was terrified of some many things, least of all that she
might never be able to sleep again.
"It will go away."
She heard a voice and felt a hand resting on her arm.
"How do you know A.J?"
"I don't." she admitted after a second. "But I hope so..
Because I can't sleep either. And it scares me. I mean,
we were alone. We might be alone again."
"Not quite alone." Keri rolled over. She kissed Amy on
the forehead. "Not quite."
***
In a shady glade of forest, far from the nearest human
structure, the last in a small ring of stones was put into
place. Edele stepped back, beside her sister and friends,
looking down at the small grave, the only memorial that
Gwen would ever receive. Keavy looked down at the
bundle of flowers they had placed on the ground,
remembering the illusionary dream world the leprechaun
had trapped her in the first time they had met her. Some
how it seemed like a lifetime ago. In many ways it was.
The four had learnt so much over the past months,
discovered things that they only dreamed of. If not for
the life, teaching and sacrifice of the magical creature,
humanity would have fallen.
She deserved a great statue. She got a small pile of rocks.
But four young women remembered and always would do so.
It was all they could do.
But there was a sense of loss in them, something magic
could never fill.
They had lost a friend.
***
Kate moved her feet slowly across the smooth surface.
"How's that?" she stood with her face a few inches from
Winonas face.
"Interesting to say the least." Winona mused. "I'm just
glad that I don't have to kill someone with those sort of
powers.
"Gee thanks." Kate flipped off the roof and landed back
on level ground. "Glad to know you don't want to kill me."
"You know I didn't mean it like that."
"I know." Kate smiled, her fangs retracting. She ran her
tongue over her top teeth. "I wish I knew how I did that."
"We'll find out some day." Winona chuckled. "Now
don't tell me you don't need sleep."
"Well not as much." Kate grinned. "But since when was
that a reason not to go to bed."
***
Helen sat and looked out over the city. She watched the
cars driving through the streets, the people scurrying
about at their nights business.
"They don't know how close they came." Helen said.
"No. They don't. And they never will. But that isn't what's
bothering you is it?"
"No." Helen admitted.
"Then what is?"
Helen sighed, stirring up her thoughts.
"If Lilith and Eve were real.. even if they were only half
immortals figures that got warped through history.. I mean
what if God and the Devil are real. We never know. Do you
remember what Kate said, about everyone going to hell?
If religious and moral stand points are right then what we do..
both the mind altering and 'the lesbian thing' as Kate put it..
well maybe they are a sin. Maybe we should have gone to
hell if it was really judgement day."
She paused for a second, staring down at the city.
"But if we didn't do all that, if we hadn't done all the things
in the past ,the things that I'm ashamed of.. the human race
would have succumbed to her corruption... Then what
does that make what we do?"
Uma followed Helens eyes to the people below.
"What we do is what we do." Uma stated plainly.
"That's all we can ever judge about the scheme of things Helen."
"What we do is what we do."

END




And that is the end of that.
Of course given my taste for writing there are several open
ends. Kate is a vampire, Alyson is a witch. Who knows, it
might go somewhere.
As for the entire series, it's been fascinating writing it.
The more I wrote the more it took a life of it's own, perhaps
a lot less sex and MC than I at first intended.
As the fourth biggest thing I've ever written it was a great
experience.
I hope you enjoyed reading it.

Acknowledgements.

Brave New World for his great site that gave me a launch
pad into this business.

B*witched. They may not be magic but they certainly have
a charm to their music.

Felicity and Buffy cast. Yes I'm thanking celebs in a celeb
erotica story. They're both great shows for more reasons than
pretty girls.
All the readers who read my work. Thanks for the support.

Arcane