Summary: It's been one month since Eve's uncle, James T. Corvin, went missing. Alone, cut off from her family, and surviving in an unforgiving city, Eve finds little help in the local police. She finally resorts to her own detective work, determined to find her beloved uncle- dead or alive. Little does she know, however, that his disappearance is anything but ordinary. Searching for clues isn't easy, but finding the answers could prove to be more than she bargained for.

Author's Notes: Okay everyone. This is my first serious fanfic; in fact, this is the first fanfic I've ever actually written down to tell you the truth! (Too many stories floating around in my head that never make it to paper!) I'm also new to the site and this is my first entry so forgive me if I'm broken any kind of unknown rules or traditions or something of that sorts. Anyways, hope you enjoy the story. I have plans for it to be quite involved so if you are into quick reads this may not be for you (but then again, you might just enjoy it). Basically, mystery, horror, action story involving original character and true characters. An attempt to play with a possible storyline of James T. Corvin (one of the men hanging down in the lab in the movie). Hope you enjoy! Helpful comments and criticism always welcome!

Eternity is Forever

Chapter 1: Hope

One month can seem like an eternity. For Eve, it seemed even longer than that. It was exactly one month to the day that her uncle had gone missing, yet it felt like years. Despite the efforts of herself and her family, there were still no leads. Her uncle was missing, her uncle was missing... her uncle was missing. These were the only thoughts that Eve's mind would allow. She snapped back to the present. She was once again sitting in the plastic chair with chipping paint, waiting at the police station. It was pouring outside as usual in a city that was nothing but night. Eve couldn't remember the last time she'd seen the sun. She looked down at the notebook in her hands. It held a month's worth of work and investigation. She would never give up. Her uncle was missing.

The officer working the front desk looked at the woman sitting in his lobby. She was probably five feet four inches by his guess, with hair that was a mixture of dark blonds and browns. She was average in shape with a pleasant face and friendly eyes. At least they used to be friendly. The last few times she'd come to the station, her gaze seemed more distant, detached, and.... older. She wore black/grey pants, a plain off-white shirt and an ankle length coat with buckle. She looked to be in her early to mid twenties. He watched her flip through a green beaten notebook. This was all too familiar to him. This wasn't the first time she'd sat their so quietly, politely waiting her turn. He couldn't understand her determination. His love for his job and his passion for the cause had faded many years ago.

"Evelyn Corvin?" he didn't even have to look at the sign-in sheet. He remembered her name.

Eve looked up from her notebook at the officer behind the desk. She recognized him from a few of the other times she'd come to the station. He, like most of the other officers, did not care about Eve or her problems. They were just there to do their job and get paid. Unfortunately, their jobs seemed to consist in little more than driving around the city doing absolutely nothing. She placed her notebook on the desk in front of him.

"Hello, I was here last week," she looked down at her notebook and then back up at the officer, "Actually, I've been here every week this month."

The officer interrupted her. "Yes, yes, I know. What can I do for you this time?"

"All I'm asking is that you check the file for any updates. I'm just afraid that someone may have forgotten to call me about any new details. I would also like to give this letter to Officer Sterling. He was recently assigned to the case involving my missing uncle, James T. Corvin." She took the envelope out of the notebook and handed it to him. He looked it over suspiciously.

"What is this all about?" he looked at her. He really had nothing better to do than give people a hard time.

"It's personal. Please, just give him the envelope. And please, could you just pull up the file and tell me what the latest updates are... if there are any?" She looked hopefully at the computer monitor. He swiveled in his chair, annoyed that she was being so persistent.

He tapped a few keys and grabbed the computer mouse. He had a doubtful look on his face. He pulled up the file and examined the latest entries.

"Only one new entry. Doesn't look very important." He gave her a sideways glance without a hint of sympathy. He'd seen this play out so many times before with countless people.

"Please just read it to me. I don't care how meaningless it seems." She took out a pen from her pocket and turned to a blank page. The pen hovered over the paper as she waited for the details.

"All it is one more statement. A woman in the apartment next to him saw him one last time before she left to visit relatives. Officer Sterling just got her statement on Wednesday, the day she returned." He looked up and could see her body swell with hope. Why do people do this to themselves, he thought. She can't honestly believe there's still a chance he's alive. "Okay, looks like this lady, out of all the others who gave a statement, is the last person to talk to your uncle before he disappeared." He paused. "She says, and I quote, 'He helped me carry my luggage out to my taxi when he saw me struggling with a few bags. He was such a nice man. I can't understand why anyone would do such a thing.'" He stopped for a moment and watched the woman's expression. She hovered over the notebook, waiting for more.

"Okay, then Officer Sterling asked her if she noticed anything peculiar before, during, or after getting in the taxi and saying good-bye." He paused again. Eve looked up expectantly. "Her reply was, 'No, I didn't notice anything unusual. We said our good-byes and that was that. When I looked back he had already started heading back inside,' end quote." He looked at the woman, annoyed that he'd just wasted his time making him recite useless information.

"Is that everything?" Eve looked at the man desperately; hoping for a just one more detail.

"That's it."

"Okay." She tried to hide her disappointment. "Well, thank you for your time. And please give my envelope to officer Sterling. I know they just recently gave the case to him and I want to keep in touch with him." She closed her notebook and motioned toward the envelope.

"Okay, I'll give it to him, but I'm not promising anything."

"I don't need promises; I just need to know that your department hasn't given up yet. There's still hope." She tucked the pen back in her pocket and held the notebook close to her chest. She turned and began to walk away. The officer yelled after her.

"If the chief had any hope left, he would never have given your case to a rookie officer in the first place," the officer sneered.

Eve looked back at him angrily. She refused to face the possibility of her uncle's death.

"The day I give up is the day you find him," she shot back.

"Oh, don't worry about that. Dead bodies are easier to find than live ones," he cracked an evil grin. Eve turned around and glared at him, feeling the sting of tears coming on.

"Either way," she paused, and then gaining her composer, I'll never quit," and with that she turned on her heels and stormed through the station's doors. The night's skies seemed to shrink away at her passing. The thunder grew silent. Eve didn't notice. She only heard the sound of her heart, beating angrily behind a tattered green notebook.