Riggins' couldn't help but think it was cruel to use Dirk to find them but he was always so eager to help. The boy poured over the newspaper in front of him looking for a thing and stopped at the article on page 8.

A suspected gas leak had knocked out several teachers and students putting a teacher in a coma.

"It's a thing!" he squeaked excitedly.

"The school, page 8?" Riggins' asked as he nodded to the agents on the other side of the mirror, Dirk had never been wrong about things.

"Defiantly a thing" Dirk responded confidently.

Within minutes Dirk was brought a list of the people at the school."Jacob Vogel" Dirk declared pointing at the list, "he has the friendliest name."

Riggins' sighed Jacob was only 10 years old. He thanked Dirk and called Mr Priest.

It was only a day later that Jacob was brought in unconscious, Mr Priest hadn't wanted to risk a confrontation with an unknown subject and had stunned him on his way home from school. His foster parents hadn't even reported him as missing yet. Mr Priest was both gleefull and disappointed with the easy capture.

When Jacob woke up alone in an observation cell Riggins' voice spoke over the speakers. He tried the usual "You're a superhero" speech. But Jacob wouldn't stop shouting. He ran into doors and walls smashing anything he could get his hands on. They decided to let him cool down.

Two days later and he was still going, screaming, shouting and refusing food, they had stunned him twice but it had made no difference.

Riggins flipped through the thin file that represented everything they had managed to find on the boy.

Jacob Vogel: mother: dead, father: unknown, ADHD, foster care, multiple reports of fighting. Nothing that stood out as paranormal, nothing strange until the 'gas leak' that had left only Jacob awake. New subjects were always worrying, they needed to be identified, classified and tested. With no sign yet of psychic ability and no sign that he could be reasoned Dirk was their best option, he made things happen.

It wasn't unusual to let the children play together, it was fascinating to watch them interact. Riggins' had no misgivings when he led Dirk to Jacob. Dirk fought back his nervousness as he approached the door, the sound of screaming clearly audible from the other side. Riggins' looked down at him, "We brought in that new friend of yours Dirk, could you help him settle in?"

Dirk smiled as he tried to fight down his fear as he entered the room alone. "Hello", the older boy greeted cheerily, "my name is Dirk Gently and we're going to be friends!"

Jacob turned towards the door and froze staring at the other boy. He sniffed the air and approached, slowly. The smile on Dirks face was fixed as he backed up into the wall.

"We've got lots of people here to play with." Dirk babbled, "my friend Mona, she's 10 too and then there's..."

Jacob screamed and darted forward as Dirk dashed across the room, trying to dive under the bed but Jacob was faster and was quickly on him, grabbing hold of Dirk's arm. Before Riggins' could get to them Jacob was pulling blue light from the panicked boy.

Riggins' stopped, he knew what Jacob was now, it should have been obvious really. Jacob was a vampire. Riggins slammed the door on the two boys, Dirk was rubbing his arm and complaining loudly that Jacob was very unfriendly indeed.

Dirk was safe but it was too dangerous for any one but a Blackwing subject to go into that room right now. He'd seen what could happen to ordinary people. He gave the order and the room was filled with knockout gas.

Riggins looked in at the two sleeping boys. There was only one place they could put a Vampire and it wasn't with the other children.

They lowered the unconscious boy into the cell. As soon as the hatch opened the guards could hear the howling and pounding. That stopped as soon as the three saw the kid. Martin growled.

"This is Jacob Vogel" The mechanical voice started "he has been classified..."

"We can smell what he is" Martin snarled, "Where did you take him from!"

"He has been classified as an energy vampire." the voice finished.

"He's a kid."Cross and Gripps screamed at the same time. The hatch above them closed.

They all leaned over to examine the sleeping Jacob, "Vogel" Gripps mumbled, "little bird."

"We can't let them keep him!" Cross exclaimed leaning closer "He's so small!"

Jacob woke up with a scream punched Cross in the face, he jumped to his feet and looked around panicked. His eyes widened as they fixed on the group.

"You know what we are?" Martin asked.

Jacob nodded, he could feel what they were, it surrounded him. HOME. He was home, more home even than he'd been with anyone. Jacob breathed deeply. Here, this was right, they were right, everything clicked into place, he fit.

Cross grinned up at him, blood streaming from his nose. They all felt the energy pick up, felt what he was feeling, felt the emotions swirl around them.

"We're keeping him." Gripps stated.

"Yup." Cross said.

Martin grunted in agreement. "Your one of us kid. they call us vampires..."

"Vampires!" Vogel interrupted, rushing around the room and fluttering his hands "Like Blah Blah Blah!"

He dived at Gripps who beamed and caught the boy turning him upside down. Vogel laughed.

"I'm Martin" he continued a smile at the corner of his mouth, the kids manic energy was contagious, "the one you punched that's Cross."

Cross waved earning another peal of laughter from the boy. "And the one that's got you there, that's Gripps."

"You look like they fed you, you OK?" Gripps asked the squirming Vogel.

Vogel wriggled out of Gripps grasp.

"They put me in a room, then there was a kid!" Vogel stated happily, missing Martins sharp look over at Cross.

"Another kid?" He grunted.

"Yeh! I scared him and it happened again, It was all blue and glowy! He tasted so good!" Vogel was jumping on the spot now.

"So they got more kids here?" Martin tried for nonchalance but the other two could feel the rage pouring off him.

"Yup." Vogel responded running in circles around Cross. "The scared kid said they got lots!"

"Kids in a freak zoo." Gripps muttered darkly. "We gotta fix it."

Martin nodded, glancing over at the oblivious Vogel who wasnow trying to help Cross clear the blood from his face.

"Might take a while." He mused. "But that's not right."

They felt Cross's agreement even as he laughed with the fluttering Vogel.

They had decided, something had to be done.