Alex pulled up to the front of the crumbling sanatarium. "Nope, not at all creepy," she said as she looked up through the windshield at the forbidding structure.
Nikita snorted. "You always bring me to the classiest places."
Alex flashed her a grin and dug around in her bag. "Bug spray, sap for the mice, big fucking gun for rats...what am I missing?"
The older woman chuckled. "I am frankly surprised you didn't pack a tent so you could seal the whole place out."
"Now where would be the fun in that?" Alex jumped a little at the knock on her window and almost had the gun out and pointed before Nikita's hand came down on the top of it. She leaned over Alexandra's lap and surreptitiously stroked the younger woman's thigh as she leaned toward the window.
"Johanna Rush?"
The red head nodded. "Dr. Rush at your service. The rest of the crew is around the side. We were just waiting on you two."
Dr. Rush smiled as they followed her laden with bags and coolers. "I was so pleased that someone of your talent was able to join us when Madame Denze was unable to make the trip here."
Nikita smiled back. "I prefer to use my gifts for helping the police but young Alexandra, my assistant... Alexandra...say hello." Nikita's faux New Orleans accent just seemed in perfect place as Nikita shrugged the hair back behind her velvet covered shoulder. She was seriously concerned when Alex picked out the Victorian style jacket, but Alex did keep telling her as a psychic stand-in she needed to embrace the odd.
"Hullo," Alex intoned as she juggled two of the bags back up to her shoulder.
"Alexandra is so fascinated by dead people of all varieties that when she heard through the psychic community that a serious study was going to be made here and that you were in need of a Spiritual Sensitive, well the poor dear was nearly overcome with vapors in her excitement. Isn't that right Alexandra dear?"
"Overcome," Alex tersely agreed.
Dr. Rush looked over at the younger woman. "And what do you do Alexandra, as an assistant?"
"I smudge and slap hysterical people." Alex stomped up the equipment laden steps at the side entrance and kicked the door open as her arms were laden.
Dr. Rush stared after her open mouth. Nikita tittered as she drew abreast. "The dear girl is overcome with joy at joining us. So wonderful to see enthusiasm in the young. Shall I start? I think I'll start." She pranced up the the steps and into the open door.
It took moments for Nikita to catch up to Alex who was settling their bags into the staff room that was designated as the rally point for the team based on the hand scrawled sign at the entrance. "That was fun," Nikita smiled happily.
Alexandra pulled out a stack of smudge sticks. "We can't use these until after the walk through cause they might interfere with spiritual energies." She rolled her eyes and dug around the bag they filled at the witchcraft store. She pulled out a thick candle and upended it. Her knife flashed as it dug out a hunk of the base. She cut the top of the cone of wax off and slid a small bit of electronics into the candle. The sliced down base was put back on the bottom as the rest of the crew began to filter in.
"You're live," she whispered to Birkhoff.
"Or am I a ghost?"
"You'll be a ghost if you mess with me." Alex turned to see Dr. Rush coming toward them. She smiled and Dr. Rush stuttered a step in surprise. "Miss Nikita is ready to walk the floor and would appreciate it if you walk with us."
Dr. Rush looked at Nikita who was smiling happily as she lit the candle in Alex's hands. "We really need a feel for the space. Let's see who wants to talk to us today." She pinched Alexandra's cheek. "So exciting," she twittered as she glided into the corridor.
Alex saw Dr. Rush look down at the candle. "Smudge is after." She shrugged. Alex's face grew hopeful. "Are you hysterical?"
Dr. Rush shook her head and followed Nikita. Alex came after with the candle held out from her body.
"Boo!" came through Alex's earpiece.
Alexandra's face twisted into a snarl. "Spirits," she called. She walked around the rec room slowly bringing up the candle in every corner. "Dead Birkhoff," she growled in an undertone.
"Nothing scanning. I'm not even getting heat except the direction of the generator and the main room. Cold and spooky. Why can't I get the cool babysitting jobs?" Birkhoff replied as he tapped his fingers on the desk.
Nikita stopped and turned suddenly. "Do you hear it Alexandra? The spirit is just talking and talking and saying nothing. How sad."
"Love you too Niki." Alex smiled and led the way into the corridor lighting room after room. "Wait," came through her transmitter from the Nerd. She stopped. "Turn slowly."
Nikita and Dr. Rush turned to see what was taking Alex so long. The younger agent was turning slowly with the candle. Dr. Rushes brow knit. "What's she doing?"
Nikita spoke very softly. "Alexandra has a special sensitivity. Something must have registered." She frowned. "How special."
Alex suddenly turned and ran out of the room in the dimming light from the windows. She hopped down three steps and swung around a corner. She drew up short. A man was sharpening a blade on a window sill. "We got something."
"Uh.." Birkhoff went silent a moment. "Where?"
The man with the knife smiled darkly and brandished his blade at Alex. Alexandra smiled darkly and brandished her gun. "Seems you packed for the wrong fight asshat."
"Alexandra dear," Nikita called.
Alex flicked her eyes at the doorway. "What?" she called out. She flicked her eyes back. "Shit. Birkhoff, tell me where he went."
"Where who went?"
"Quit fucking with me or I will fuck you up."
"Oh there you are Alexandra. Whatever possessed you to run off like that?"
Alex turned back to the arch she had come through. Nikita and Dr. Rush were standing there. She cleared her throat and moved across the room to the window ledge. She ran her fingers over age darkened scrapes. Alexandra turned back to the inquisitive looks. "I'll get the smudge sticks." She jogged up the stairs.
Nikita sat on a camp chair beside Alex. "Wanna tell me about it?"
Alex pursed her lips. "The knife guy Birkhoff says wasn't there that kinda poofed? Nope. Not really." She drank out of a styro cup of coffee. They were pretty much given a corner of the large space to themselves. Possibly out of respect for Nikita's supposed profession, possibly out of heebiejeebies for the expression on Alexandra's face as she came back in the door.
Nikita smiled and took the coffee. "No more caffeine for you." She drank up the rest. Sighing, she looked around. "So wanted to spend this weekend in bed in that bed and breakfast you found."
Alexandra smiled at the thought of a heavy comforter, a half mile deep mattress and a naked and willing Nikita. Her smile faltered at the sight of her cot. "Damn it." She stood and stretched. "I'm going to brave the toilets. I'll be right back."
"Give a yell if you see a ghostly axe murderer," Nikita teased.
"Har har har," Alex tossed over her shoulder. She jumped slightly as she came around the corner and found a little girl. She crouched down. "Hi."
The little girl stopped chewing her nail long enough to look at her and respond "Hello."
"Are you with one of the ghost squad?"
The little girl looked over her shoulder and shrugged. "I'm afraid of the bathroom, but I hafta go," she confided.
Alex nodded. "This is a creepy place. I'll go with you... I'm Alex."
"Jane." The little girl poked her head around the corner of the bathroom. "Think its safe?"
"I'll protect us Jane." Alexandra smiled and headed toward the stall. When she emerged, there was no one in the other stalls. "Huh, she must have freaked and run for it," she muttered. She shrugged and ambled back to her camp chair.
"Guys," came Birkhoff's voice.
"Yay, the cavalry," Alex announced dryly.
"I'll chalk that tone up to your perpetual pms," he paused. "Seriously, quit rolling your eyes and don't bother denying it, I can hear them over the comm... I have news you are going to want to hear."
"Yes O' spirit of endless verbiage," Nikita intoned as one of the parapsychologists neared their corner to retrieve a bag. She retreated quickly.
"Remember the 'now you see it now you don't' heat signature that had you running around earlier? It was mechanical. You were thinking person. It was actually projection."
Nikita frowned. "A projection so real it fooled Alex?"
"Only saw it briefly and in one of the darker rooms. Projection. Shit."
"Here's where it gets fun."
"What? It's been a front to back laugh riot." Alexandra crumbled the styro cup and glowered.
"The heat signature was in two parts. The first of course was the projector, but that was just the lure part. The second part of the signature, the weak sister of the two, appears to be the heat signature of a fully armed IR targeted weapon of the type offered by...wait for it... your babysittee's hubby."
"The fucker paid us to keep her from getting axed before he got a permanent security presence on her."
Nikita rolled a cup around in her hand. "If he killed her he wouldn't have to pay us, and would probably get to blame us."
"Maybe the permanent security isn't his plan. Maybe his wife is smarter than he thinks." Alex paced a little before sitting back down.
"But why all this?" Nikita asked.
"Disarm weapon or erase her IR sig in it, same difference. Then catch him and ask him," Birkhoff offered.
"Fuck that," snarled Alex. "He made me use a toilet that was nasty and run around in a creepy abandoned asylum. I say we shoot him and to hell with motives."
Nikita slid a hand over her arm. "This weapon will fire if she moves into the room with it there. We need to get the gun and save her ass for one more day. It targets on heat sigs so he is probably working on a killer alibi."
"Find him Birkhoff."
"On it."
The last of the scientists fell asleep after going over assignments for the next day. Alex and Nikita slid out and found themselves face to face with the knife ghost again. Nikita stalked the edge of the room before wedging out the projector and pointed Alexandra to the gun. The ghost was gone.
Alex wrapped her jacket tighter around the device. Jane began keeping pace with her. Alex smiled at the little girl. "Bed time for little girls."
Nikita laughed. "Bedtime for naughty big girls too."
Jane giggled. She skipped along beside. Alexandra skipped with her a short while, smiling. "You're funny Alex."
"Wanna carry this?" Alex teased shifting her load.
"Not a chance," Nikita responded quickly.
"Was asking Janie here," Alex explained.
"Who?"
"Jane..." she looked around. "Damn, that kid moves fast. She probably went to the main room to annoy mom and dad." She shrugged.
Alexandra and Nikita made their excuses after a thorough search showed no more mechanical heat sigs. One more day and Dr. Rush would have her full time guard. They had a meeting in the meantime. They were going to meet the other Dr. Rush at his home. Apparently, pre-nups didn't keep a body from wanting to kill their spouse after all.
Alex smiled and held out a chocolate bar. "This is for Janie," she told Dr. Rush.
"Who?"
"The little girl, Jane," Alex explained, her brown knitting.
"There are no little girls here Alex." The good doctor paused. "No living little girls."
Alexandra shook her head and grabbed her bags. She took out a smudge stick and passed it to Dr. Rush. "You may need this." She hurried to the car. Looking up, she just made out a little girl at a window. She smiled and waved.
Nikita came around and slid into the driver's seat. "I'll drive, you make our reservations."
"I get to shoot him before our vacay right?"
Nikita shook her head. "Let's see if we can't find something more entertaining on the way there. We'll really earn our hot bath and warm bed."
"I love a woman with a plan." Alex smiled leaning in for a kiss.
"Love you too Alex... even when you are busy seeing dead people."