Story

"Where is he? Do you have the location mapped yet?"

"Yeah, I got him." The man in the black clothing and mask turned to his female counterpart. "I've got it. Central laboratory one, third sub-basement There's no mistake. That's where he is being held... if the informant's information is correct. Are your sure this guy is trustworthy?"

"Absolutely. A low-level janitor in the building, he is unimportant enough to attract undue attention, but connected enough to get access to all the levels of the compound. Besides, I know him personally. He's reliable. The girl looked through her binoculars at the tallest building in the business district. "Hmm. Looks cozy. I'm willing to bet security will be tight, and if our information on this Organization is right, we can expect more nasty surprises inside. Mission?"

"To slip in, get the hostage, and get out."

"Directives?"

The man cocked his silencer equipped beretta. "To use any and all means deemed necessary to obtain our objective. We're pulling out all the stops on this one."

"Great. Just what I needed to hear. So much for some 'R & R' as the Colonel put it. I guess we're just lucky you and I decided to vacation here in London instead of going to Maui." Hmmm. Or WAS it just luck? Funny. I could have SWORN before that that we'd made reservations for Maui months ahead of schedule, for just the two of us, and that Ken wanted to go just as badly as I did. So... why did I convince Ken so adamantly to vacation here? I wonder...

"Time check? We need to synch."

She checked her equipment one last time, then checked her watch. "Okay, time is now 3:35:57 am. Synchronize on my mark, three, two, one." They both clicked their watches. "Synchronized at exactly 3:36:00. Okay, the distraction the Colonel promised should occur in exactly fourteen minutes. At that time, we enter the building and make the extraction. Target is on the bottommost floor, sub-basement three."

"Just the two of us, huh?" the man said, with a sigh. "I guess the speed factor is what prompted a two-man rescue. Normally there'd be five of us at the least." He squeezed the woman's hand. "Just like old times, isn't it?"

The woman smiled for a moment. "Yeah. Kinda." Then she pulled away. "Okay, now focus. We have a job to do. And remember, during this job, you speak only in German. If anything happens, and we meet up with hostiles, German speech only. When all this blows over, we want the blame pointed entirely in another direction. Got it?"

"Got it." He started the engine of his black BMW. "Let's rock and roll."

Misty Vilkas adjusted her short revealing skirt nervously, picking at the fringe, as she approached the office door. Her Mistress, her perfect lover, Janice, was depending on her. While she made an attempt to enter the lab and free the man held there, Wolf was to distract the Owner, to keep her too involved to intervene. Misty clenched her thighs, trying to still the arousal running rampant in her. The Owner was a powerful woman, a cruel and exacting Mistress, and not to be taken lightly. If she forgot herself, or lost herself in the moment, she had no doubt that the Owner could peel back the layers of her mind, and discover her deception. It would mean the end, of Wolf, of Bloodhound, and of the man they were risking all to save. The threat of death only served to increase her arousal. I must be mad, she thought, clenching her thighs again, feeling her juices trickling down her bare thighs. I'm walking right into the Lion's den, and placing my head in the Lion's mouth, fully expecting to pull back a bloody stump. Yet, the idea excites the ever loving SHIT out of me!

The door opened, and she entered the dark, dimly lit room. The Owner sat at her desk, with her back turned to Wolf, gazing down at the laboratory far below. Without turning, she spoke. "Wolf, I summoned your student, my Bloodhound, not you. Why is it that you are here now, instead of her?"

Misty bit her lip to suppress the moan of ectascy welling up inside her. Perhaps it was being so near to the Owner's presence that caused her discomfort. A subtle scent hung in the air, a thick heady scent, and it made her inside tremble even more than before.

"She is not yet ready, Madame," she said, sinking to her knees, both as a way of showing reverence, and for the fact that her legs would no longer hold her aloft. "She needs more time; she has not yet finished the tasks set to her." That much was brazenly true. Wolf was in essence stalling for time for Janice to complete her task; unbeknown to the Owner, that task was the removal of Janice's mentor, Jonothan Darke.

The woman turned, finally, to face Misty, moving from the shadows of the room back into the light. "I see," she replied, looking at Misty, peering at her with those clear, startlingly blue eyes.

OH. Oh, God. Those eyes... I'd forgotten... so clear, like twin bottomless pools... and so easy to drown in their depths. With an effort, she managed to avert her eyes, wondering just how much of her mind had been lost in that ethereal gaze. Above her, the Owner sighed deeply. "I've had enough of this. I am a patient woman, as patient as the next person, but the wait is becoming more than I can bear! For three days, the doctor and his men have been studying, probing, and examining that Ancient One, satisfying their scientific knowledge, but prolonging my search for answers. Well, no more. I'm tired of waiting." She flipped a switch on her desk, and leaned forward to the speaker attached to it.

"Dr. Reynard," she said, imperially, "I've indulged you long enough. I want this process ended now. Turn the probe up to maximum power, and complete the scanning. I want the results transferred to my terminal. It's time to end this." Flipping the switch again, she slid away from the desk, moving her chair towards Misty's prone kneeling form. "And as for you... I had an assignment for your pupil, one specifically suited for her talents. I had hoped that you could handle the reintegration of such a low level mind as hers, but apparently I shall have to give this my PERSONAL attention."

"No!" Misty said, looking up. Again, she was trapped by those piercing blue eyes. Licking her lips, she stumbled on, hoping that she possessed enough presence of mind to bide her lover the time she needed. "Madame, forgive me for failing your high expectations. Perhaps I could fill in for her?" Again she licked her dry lips, and again she was overcome by the strong heady fragrance permeating the room. It was becoming harder to think. "Take me instead," she gasped, clenching her legs together once more, letting the thin cloth folds of her skirt stroke her steaming mons. "It's been so long since you've used me," she panted, not even noticing her own double innuendo, "so long since you've had me on a mission. Let me serve you, Madame," she begged. Let me serve you, please you, pleasure you, kiss you, touch you---

"Is that what you really want, my Wolf," she asked, raising a bare stockinged foot. "To serve my pleasure? You may start by showing your devotion to me at my feet."

Squealing with delight, Misty crawled forward, kissing and sucking on the Owner's soft toes, bathing her foot completely with her tongue, relishing the taste and feel of the Owner... no, of HER OWNER, on her lips. Her will was dissolving away, and her pleasure at serving her Beloved Owner was growing steadily by the moment. "Mmm, yes, I am pleased at your devotion to me, my little Wolfling," she purred softly, reaching down to stroke her slave's hair. "You've shown me your submission. Now, show me your passion."

Wolf's reply was cut off, as suddenly, her face was thrust deep between her Owner's silken thighs. The scent, that overpowering, mind-numbing scent, was coming from her Owner's thighs, the scent of her arousal. Drinking deeply, Misty began to lick and lap up the trickling stream flowing from the woman's treasure. Each thrust of her tongue brought a shiver of pleasure through her Owner, and a shudder of arousal in herself. She felt herself sinking deeper and deeper into the eroticism of the moment. Somewhere, far back in the depths of her mind, she knew that she was once again losing herself, dissolving away, her psyche melting like warm clay, ready to be molded and shaped into whatever form Those Above Her wished. A tiny speck of herself rallied then, trying to resist, to remember, to think.

Then her Owner cried out in pleasure, making Wolf climax, and she thought of nothing at all.

Jonothan Darke opened his eyes. His brow, once soaked with sweat, was now hot, dry, and feverish. His pain-ridden body was eaten up with atrophy. The machine's probe had dined steadily on his life force, draining his essence, slowly but surely, over the past two days. Cruelly, they had given him brief rest periods to recover, to prolong the testing, commenting offhand on his inhuman resilience, and his strength of will. But it was all empty praise. He was dying, holding on thus far only by the thinnest of threads. He risked a glance down at his legs, and wished immediately that he hadn't. The machine had nearly devoured all of him; his legs and arms were as skinny as drumsticks. His face was thin and sunken in, and his chest was stretched so tightly it looked like a thin skin stretched over bones. He was almost a living skeleton.

Damn. Another of Life's Little Ironies, laughing in my face. I can pour my Healing into a person in death's own embrace and restore them, yet I'm about to die from having my own life force sucked dry. Physician, heal thyself, indeed!

An image, one yet unshattered by the mind probe, flashed before his eyes. A young woman, tired, beaten, nearly broken, weary and worn from running, lying unconscious in a gutter. He had seen her and reacted naturally as a Healer, rescuing the poor girl, and restoring her back to health. She had been but a steps short of death then, yet Jeanette D'Amber had recovered, and lived. He was in worse shape now that she had been. Unlike D'Amber, however, no one was rushing to his rescue.

"I'm so sorry, Mr. Darke," Dr. Reynard said, stepping into view. "I just received word from above. It seems our Honored Patron has tired of waiting, and wants results now. I'm afraid I must conclude this business and complete the probe. It's a pity. You've been a most exceptional subject, and I would love to spend some more time with you, but alas, I have my orders." He walked to the machine terminal and activated the probe again, turning the power output to Maximum. "Don't worry, Mr. Darke. It will all be over in a few moments."

Darke growled his reply, straining, using the dredges of his strength to break his bonds and reach his tormentor. He felt a powerful rage and anger building within him, and as he felt the tingling in his body that signaled the Analysis Probe, he turned to the doctor. "Make sure you finish the job this time, Doctor. Because if you leave me alive this time, I will be the one to finish it!"

Pain shot through his battered broken body, and he arched his back, shuddering as his very being was slowly erased, cell by cell, strand by strand. His thoughts and memories fractured, splintering into millions of pieces, only to be scooped up and swallowed by the computer's data banks. One image flashed in his mind, a memory taken from the mind of Doris Conner several months ago, and with an effort, Darke grabbed hold of it and focused...

A woman, standing with another, sexily clad, wearing expensive looking clothes. Somewhat familiar... they stood a few feet away from the exit of the mall, blocked off by a puddle of water, where a high voltage plug had been placed. Desperate to escape, with no alternate route, she opened herself up to the River--- and stepped into the electrified water! Sizzling volts of energy lashed at her, moving from her wet bare toes up her legs, into the very center of her being, then out, through her connection to the River, and into the limitless expanse of the River itself. With a sigh, she left the charged waters, and ran through the exit, to the parked limousine awaiting her...

Suddenly, it became clear. She had used the River as a shield, channeling the excess voltage AROUND her, and back into the River, without burning herself out. She had survived by stepping forward, not back, by opening herself to the River and not fighting it. Perhaps the reverse might hold true for him, using the punishing power of the machines to bridge the barrier keeping him from touching the Great River? It was madness. As he had once told his own student, 'Mistakes with the Great River are deadly.' At best, it could forever change him, altering him in mind and body. At worse, it would consume him utterly, burning him out in a flash of incandescent heat hot enough to melt steel.

The probe continued to increase, sucking more and more of him away. I have no choice! he realized. Possible death through the River, or certain death from the machines. Well, a million-to-one chance is still a chance. Closing his eyes, he reached out for the Great River again, and again, the machines responded like before, flooding his body with energy, punishing him weakened unresisting body.

This time, however, instead of fighting it, he welcomed it, channeling the pain and the backlash, using the energy to empower his probe towards the Great River. The machine compensated by pouring more and more power into him, trying to destroy him, serving only to further empower him. Darke almost laughed as he pierced the barrier, Tapping into the Great River once again, sending sweet Healing into his body. The machine's energy continued to build, and he tapped deeper and deeper into the River, absorbing more and more power from both sources, until his body began to literally glow and crackle with energy.

Janice made her way swiftly down the halls, moving with expert precision, timing her rapid jaunts to coincide with the alternating sweeps of the cameras. The lab was a restricted area, one she had no authorization to visit, so she strived to avoid detection for as long as possible. Her left hand was free, but her right one carried an Uzi from the armory, for when her presence was finally noticed. Skirting behind an unlocked door, she held her breath as several guards passed by. Once the hallway was clear again, she let out a small sigh of relief.

It was incredible that she had made it this far without being caught. As she made her way to the elevator to the final basement, sub-basement three, she wondered briefly whether or not Wolf was keeping the Owner's attention away from the monitors. Things would get very ugly very fast if she was spotted before she even managed to free Darke. Just a few seconds, that's all I need, she thought fervently, as the doors opened. Slipping inside, she took out the passkey taken from an unwary tech on level one. The scanner clicked and whirred softly as she slid the card, and a computerized voice responded, "Welcome, Technician 2301, registration Alexander, Paul. Clearance granted."

The elevator began its descent, and for some reason, Janice was struck with the feeling that she was about to drop into the lowest level of Hell itself. Clenching the handle of the Uzi tightly, she waited for the doors to open, half convinced that she would see intense flames and smell sulfur and brimstone the moment the doors parted. Indeed, she could almost hear the wailing of tormented souls, could almost FEEL the incredible heat of the eternal flames burning brightly below. Then, the doors opened, revealing an empty hallway, a normal corridor like all the others on the upper levels. No red-fleshed man with horns and a pitchfork. No wailing or gnashing of teeth from the tormented. She let out the breath she'd been holding. Not good, Bloodhound, she chastened herself. You're in hostile territory here. This is no time to let your imagination start running away with you. Focus, girl! Everything's fine. This is just like any NORMAL extraction you've trained for. No sweat. Yet, if anything, Janice felt more ill at ease than before, as if waiting for the proverbial 'other shoe' to drop.

Hearing voices approaching, she quickly left he elevator, sprinting across the hall and ducking into a small maintenance closet with the technician's passkey. Images of demons and hellfire flashed vividly in her mind again, but she squashed then down. Waiting until the hallway was empty, she glanced at her watch, waiting for the moment when the hallway cameras would be turned away from her position again. It was now 3:49:57 am. Three more seconds. Changing her grip on the gun, keeping it ready in case a guard appeared unexpectedly, she counted off the seconds, preparing to move. Three... two... one...

Now.

"NOW!!" the black clad woman yelled, pulling away at the last second. At exactly three fifty A.M. the Phoenix company building went completely black. Somewhere in the city, the other operatives had cut the power, rendering the building's sophisticated electronic surveillance equipment completely useless. Seconds later, she pressed the button in her trigger, causing the doorway lined with plastique to explode, blowing inward. "Move, move, move!" she yelled to her partner, as he rushed forward, taking point, his assault rifle in the lead. She followed cautiously but quickly, guarding their rear.

They quickly located an elevator, and prying it open, the man glanced down the long expanse of the shaft. Attaching a nylon rope to his hook, he fired the grapple, wrapping itself around the steel superstructure, and, sliding the rope around the hooks on his harness, he leaped into the abyss, repelling down the small shaft like a professional rock climber. Moments later, the woman joined him, dropping in complete silence after her partner.

Landing on the roof of a powerless elevator, the woman opened the escape hatch, and the man dropped in, gun cocked, ready to kill any hostiles in view. The elevator was empty, but upon reaching the corridor, several armed guards noticed him and yelled aloud to their comrades. Without hesitation, the black clad man cut them down, firing a deadly hail of lead into the guards.

Within seconds, the corridor was cleared. "Are we there yet" the man asked, speaking German, keeping his eyes on the hallway ahead, ready to shoot anything that moved.

"No, we're on sub-level two," she responded. "We have to make our way down one more level. Let's move. We only have about two more minutes before the back-up generators kick in and restore power." She slid wordlessly in front of her partner, taking point. Now guarding the rear, the man followed, moving through the darkened hallway, lit only through the small red emergency lights high above.

A flicker of light caught his attention, as a guard appeared from a room just as they passed it, and the man turned and fired. The guard ducked back inside, firing back, keeping behind the safety of the doorway, with only the muzzle of his gun sticking out. In front, his partner was facing the same situation, several guards shooting at them from the relative safety of the doorways. Pulling back, she knelt down next to her partner.

"We have a situation here, partner," she said loudly. He nodded, gesturing to the gas canisters on his belt, he made a sign, then two fingers, then nodded. Understanding, the woman placed a gas mask over her face, then fired a barrage of bullets at the men pinning them down. They ducked back inside the rooms, just as the black clad man, also wearing a gas mask, lobbed the canisters. Like clockwork, the men inside the rooms, no longer hearing the report of guns firing, stuck their heads out, guns blazing, just as the canisters exploded.

The guards fell as in, the entire group falling unconscious, clutching their throats. The two commandos waited a few seconds, then sprinted down the hallway, heading towards the nearest elevator shaft. A brief firefight, and they were there; the man pried open the elevator shaft, and secured another nylon cable, while the woman guarded their flanks. "Clear!" she shouted, as the man again attached the rope of his repelling harness.

"Alright, one more jump and we're there," the man said, locking his gun into place. "I'm about to make the jump. One. Two. Three. NOW!"

Now.

Darke felt it welling up in him. All the anger, the hatred, the frustration of his torment, feeding the growing darkness inside him. It was becoming a palpable thing, and he could almost taste it on his tongue. At the instant before he released the stored energy, he saw his antagonist, Dr. Reynard, turn towards him, as he realized that something was very wrong. The doctor drew back in horror, as all the monitors began flashing 'Danger: Overload' messages. Darke saw the look on his tormentor's face, and another emotion came into play, overshadowing all the others.

Satisfaction.

With a savage cry, the Healer released the energy he had taken from the machines, and the Great River itself, lashing out in all directions, a murderous storm of lightning and power, crackling through every expanse of the room. A few of the scientists were killed outright, their life energy burned away, caught up in the maelstrom of destruction issuing forth. The energy probe, caught up in a massive feedback loop, exploded in a cascade of sparks and smoke, killing two more scientists. For a moment, it looked like a snapshot of nature in the making, the cosmic fury that signaled the beginning of creation.

Or perhaps the apocalyptic chaos that signaled the end of everything. Perhaps both.

Then, in an instant, it was over. The room was in tatters, with wreckage and debris strewn haphazardly all about. The seven men left alive from the onslaught got wearily to their feet, glancing about the destruction in horror, uncomprehending of its cause. Dr. Reynard, one of the survivors, glanced over towards the platform, where their test subject had been shackled, only to find it... empty.

"Oh, SHIT!" he remarked, glancing around the room in terror. "He's escaped. That... monster, it's loose! It's escaped!"

A small tap on the back froze him in place, and slowly Jonothan Darke walked into view. "And just which one of us is the REAL monster, doctor?" he hissed venomously.

Dr. Reynard's eyes widened. If he could have moved, he would have run away as fast as his legs could carry him, without stopping, until he reached the ocean. The apparition before him resembled Jonothan Darke to a degree, in physical form, but there the resemblance ended. This new entity standing mere inches away from him exuded an aura of evil, of pure unrestrained hatred. Hatred for him, and for those who had tormented him. His once hazel eyes were an eerie, bottomless, soulless black, as were the 'whites' of his eyes. His body seemed to alternate by the moment, one second shrouded in an inky blackness, the next, clear, almost normal. Almost. He had become a thing out of the doctor's worst nightmares.

"You sought to learn about me, doctor," the being continued, holding tightly to the doctor's shoulder. "You wanted to discover what makes me tick, where my power comes from. You wanted to uncover all my deepest darkest secrets. Well, congratulations. You've uncovered it. This is me, the REAL me, the inhuman monster you sought to reveal. You wanted to sample my power, to learn about my Healing gift. Well now you will feel that Gift, doctor... but as a CURSE!" Darke extended his Touch, a dark tainted energy, extending it into the doctor. "Feel what happens when the flow is reversed, SUCKING AWAY your life force instead of strengthening it!" The doctor shook violently, mouth open in silent pain as he felt an invisible force reach inside him and begin to rip his very essence away. Darke laughed, feasting on his nemesis' life force, feeling it strengthen his withered limbs.

"It's payback, doctor," he murmured softly, staring into the doctor's wide eyes. "You're feeling a sample of what your twisted machine did to me, drinking of my essence, absorbing me bit by bit, drop by drop. Like you, I could prolong the agony, draining you slowly, leaving you in agonizing torment. But I have other things to do, and bigger fish to fry. So, as you said to me, the time has come to end this!" So saying, Darke Pulled on the doctor's lifeline, snapping it completely, and drinking in the influx of energy.

The doctor managed one final gasp, then fell, dead before he hit the floor. His body looked mummified, dried out and dessiected. The other scientists, standing there frozen, watched in helpless terror as the dark being turned its black gaze upon them. With a smile that held no warmth, he walked slowly towards the nearest man.

"Alright, my fine young friend," he hissed softly, "you're next. Your life ends here and now."

Now.

Janice burst into the corridor, sprinting the few feet to the lab, just as the elevator doors opened, and several armed guards exited. They paused for a second, in surprise, giving Janice just enough time to swerve to the side, taking shelter in a small alcove in the wall before the bullets started firing. Screaming her rage and denial, she began firing back, keeping the men at bay, pinned down at the entrance to the lab, likewise pinned down in her narrow trench.

It was a stalemate. They couldn't get to her, but she couldn't get to them. The stand-off would last until one side ran out of ammunition. With grim awareness, Janice realized that it would be her.

Then, miraculously, the power went out. Darkness flooded the hallway for a few seconds. Despite the unexpected occurrence, Janice acted by instinct, utilizing her military training, and moving quickly, guns blazing, tucked and rolled, coming in low out of the corner, and continued firing on the shocked, surprised men. Facing her previous position, and untrained in commando tactics, the were caught unaware, and out of position to even get off a token shot as they were cut down. Panting for a moment, she sighed, slumping down, as the red emergency lights suddenly flickered on, lighting up the hallway.

A sound at her rear alerted her, just as her searching mind picked up the presence moving up fast behind her. She turned, leveling her Uzi at the two black clad men coming towards her, but held off at the last second. She gleaned their thoughts a moment before they were in view, and she held up her hands, dropping her gun as they spotted her and took aim.

"Hold your fire!" she shouted frantically. "Don't shoot! I'm not with them!"

The one in the lead, a young woman, she now saw, lowered her gun, but man kept his cocked and ready. "You're Janice Meadows, correct?" Janice nodded slowly. "Good. You're our secondary target. We're looking for Mr. Darke. We were sent in to rescue you both." The woman chuckled idly, bending down to retrieve the Uzi, and handed it back to Janice. "Apparently, you didn't need our help at all."

"It's welcome anyway," Janice replied, emptying the old cartridge, and inserting a new one. "He's being held right through those doors, in the lab. We have to hurry! Wolf said they were experimenting on him... that they were going to KILL him!"

"Then let's move!" the man said, heading to the door. "I'll take the left, you take the right. Ms. Meadows, you guard our backs. Ready, partner? On three. One. Two. Three. NOW!"

"Now, yes yes now!" the woman cried out in pleasure, as a powerful orgasm gripped her very being. There is nothing quite as satisfying as being pleasured by your own mind-controlled slave, she thought to herself, as she slowly fell back to earth. The power of such utter and complete control, its as potent as the physical sensations themselves! Oh, YES, it feels so wonderful---

I bright flash of red lights and a loud alarm broke her from her musings. Shaking off her fog, the Owner glanced down at her monitors, and gasped aloud, in shock. The data from the probe had been aborted, due to a massive power surge. As she glanced out the window to the laboratory below, a large explosion of energy erupted, coming not from the massive machine, or the many computer terminals, but from her test subject, the Ancient One himself! She shielded her eyes from the blinding flash, as a loud sound rocked the building, mirrored a split second later by an identical sound coming from somewhere far above.

"NO!" she hissed, pulling away from her entranced slave, moving back to her terminal. "This can't be happening! What the hell is going on here!?!" Glancing at the upper level monitors, she saw nothing but static. The entire alarm grid showed dark, indicating a system wide power failure. The laboratory and her office ran off an independent power source, so she still had power, but the rest of the building was cut off. "Explosions? From upstairs as well as down here? This... this can't be! It must be someone trying to rescue my new test subject... but HOW?" The sound of gunfire, far off, but coming steadily closer, made her cringe. "How can this be happening, now, when I am so close to achieving true power? And why NOW, when I was most... distracted..." Frowning, she glanced at Wolf, staring ahead silently, her tongue still thrusting, licking aimlessly at nothing. The Owner placed a hand along the girl's head and peered into her mind, peeling back each layer like an artichoke, until she reached her innermost core. Wolf shuddered slightly at the invasion, but otherwise reacted not at all. The frown deepened on the Owner's face, then became a scowl of pure unmitigated fury.

"Stupid little bitch!" she spat, striking the unresponsive Wolf across the cheek, sending her to the ground. "You fucking little cunt! How DARE you deceive me! How dare you turn against your Owner!" She raised her hand to strike the stunned girl again, when the door opened. Mole, one of her most trusted agents, staggered into the room.

"Madame," he panted deeply, "We're under siege! An unknown number of invaders have made it into the compound! Our men... we were caught totally unprepared! I mean, who would have expected an attack here, at this location? Vixen Industries is a totally legitimate part of your holdings... I'm sorry, Madame. We've got to get you out of here before the situation deteriorates further! Please, Madame, come with me!"

The Owner glanced down at the remains of the lab. Inside, among the wreckage, her subject, the captured Ancient One, was exacting his revenge on his captors. She watched as he extended a hand to one of the scientists, freezing him in place, and then, unbelievably, killed the man, sucking his very life from him, leaving nothing but a dried out husk. He reached for the next man, then paused, and slowly turned his gaze upwards, to start directly at her. She gasped, drawing back, and a slow wicked smile grew on the man's face. Turning away from the window, she nodded to her trusted operative. "I agree. It's too dangerous here. Let's away while we still have the chance." Reaching across the desk to her computer, she pressed the 'Eject' button, and removed the CD disc of the information gathered. Stepping towards the door, she frowned, and gestured to Wolf, still lying prone on the floor. "Oh, and bring THAT with you as well, my Mole," she said venomously. "I have yet to finish punishing her for her part in all of this. Besides, she may yet prove useful."

Nodding his assent, he grabbed the unresisting woman, lifting her over his shoulder, and carrying her after his Mistress, as they hurriedly made their escape.

The door to the lab opened with a creak, and Janice rushed in, gun cocked, ready to cut down any threat to her beloved Jonothan. The sight of the ruination before her stopped her cold, and she nearly lost her grip on the Uzi as her senses took in the death and destruction around her. The two operatives behind her pulled up short as well, gazing about the room in horrified wonder. What in bloody blue blazes happened here? she wondered. Just then, a garbled sound and movement to her right caught her eye, and in one swift moment, she turned, bringing her weapon to bear on the sound.

Again, the sight that greeted her eyes froze her solid. Before her stood Jonothan Darke, as she had never seen him even in her darkest nightmares. He stood, naked, his body withered and thin, looking nearly half-starved, but almost glowing with a dark energy, the likes of which tickled her newly trained Senses even at this distance. A feral grin split his face, and his eyes--- oh sweet God!--- his eyes! Twin portals of pure black, the complete darkness she sometimes glimpsed momentarily in his eyes was there now, and that dark gaze seemed to sear her very soul, withering it away like a fragile flower under a burning relentless sun.

He watched them, not moving, as he continued to strip away the last remaining scientist's life, rendering him a mummified corpse within seconds. Murmuring gasps or horror sounded behind her, telling Janice that the others had seen the display and was just as shaken by it as she was. Releasing the corpse, Darke walked towards them, raising his talonlike hand, ready to suck them dry as well. The black clad man and women reached for their rifles, only to find their bodies completely frozen, unable to move a muscle. Janice, likewise affected, but to a lesser degree, forced her mouth to work, praying she could pierce the dark madness affecting her love.

"J-j-jonothan! St-st-stop!" she hissed with an effort. "It's m-m-me. Janice. You're little Bloodhound. Y-y-you're trained Bitch." Inches away now, the deadly hand crept up to her temples. Closing her eyes, she focused her powers and Sent as hard as she could, PLEASE! Stop! Don't do this! It's ME, Janice! I love you!

Nothing. Opening her eyes slowly, she saw Darke standing there, frowning, gazing deeply at her, as if trying to remember. "It's me, Master," she said softly, the pressure on her body slowly lessening. "It's Janice. You remember me now. And these two. They were sent by the Colonel to get you out of here. We're your friends. Please, try and remember!"

Darke closed his eyes, and shuddered. Memories awoke inside him, and with an effort, he fought the intense desire to destroy, to kill, to absorb the life around him and feast upon it. Slowly, the fragments within his mind began to realign themselves, and with a start, he realized where he was and what he was doing. The darkness still tugged at him, squirming inside him, bucking like an unruly horse not trained to the saddle, yet he fought it, pressed it down, and whipped it into a semblance of control. Finally, he opened his eyes, normal HUMAN eyes, now white with black irises.

"Janice?" he said with a strangled voice, sinking to his knees. Seeing him back in his own mind again, she rushed forward to take him into her arms, only to be pushed back violently by some unseen forced. "NO!" he shouted, holding up a hand, keeping her pinned motionless. "No," he repeated, softer, releasing the hold, but keeping a barrier between himself and the others. "Don't touch me. You've seen what my touch can do to you. Stay away from me... please. Just.. just stay away."

"Sir," the black clad man said, still a bit shaken. "Sir, we have to get out of here. We cleared the corridor, but reinforcements will be coming soon. We haven't much time."

Darke shook his head ruefully, glancing about at the destruction he had caused. "You're right. You had all best get out of here. Don't worry, I'll be right behind you. Just... just give me a moment."

"No, sir," the black clad woman said, moving as if to grab his shoulder, only to be held at bay by the barrier as well. Sighing, she continued. "Sir, our orders were clear. We are to see you and your comrade safely out of this building, and back to our compound, or die in the attempt. We can't leave without you."

"You can, and you will," Darke responded softly. He rose to his feet, grabbing one of the dead men's lab coats and wrapping it around himself. "I'm going out to clear the way for you. Go back to the Colonel and deliver this message for me. Tell him... tell him that it's over. The mission is ended. Tell him, as my final instructions, to run Operation 1732, and then disconnect. He'll know what it means." He walked past the stunned commandos, heading towards the door. At the last second, Janice reached out to him, pleadingly.

"Wait!" she cried. "Come with us. We went through hell to reach you in time, to rescue you, and now you are just going to walk away and leave us? We came to save you!"

Darke turned and looked hard at her for a moment, as though fighting some internal battle. Then finally he sighed deeply. "I know. I know what you went through, what it cost all of you to come here. I thank you for that. You wanted to rescue me, to save me. I appreciate that, truly. But I'm afraid you're a little too late. No one can save me now." He disappeared into the shadows, merging with the inky blackness outside that now reflected the darkness within him. A linger thought appeared inside each of their minds.

No one can save me now. I'm beyond saving.

Story: Shadowdarke--- Darke Effusion

by J. Darksong

(((The End.)))