A/N Just in case, I'm going to put a possible trigger warning on this chapter and maybe the one after it, the guy who took Mai is a psycho and planning to do not good things to her, Im just going to imply that it happened and not actually include it but this story took a real dark turn just now and i don't want to surprise anyone (Well, i do, but not like that.)

Mai had that dream again. The one she used to have about Naru, well she thought it was about Naru but really it was about Gene. She was in the familiar void with the glowing lights around her, Gene was usually right in the centre ready to tell her something vital to the case, or just to smile at her and make her feel better.

"Gene?" She asked hearing her own voice echo empty back at her. There was something wrong with this dream, she was dizzy and nauseous, her vision was warping. As the images twisted and turned a figure appeared a little off to the side. Mai looked to it, it was Masako.

"Masako?" Mai asked, her words were slow on her tongue and they slurred a little.

"Mai, its dangerous here, you need to wake up." Masako said.

"Its so good to see you Masako." Mai smiled. Masako's mouth kept moving like she was trying to talk. "Everyone says you went craaazy." Mai laughed dozily. She poked Masako on the nose and the image seemed to ripple like throwing a stone into a pond, this seemed to only make Masako angrier. She grabbed Mai by the shoulders and shook her.

"Wake Up!"

Mai's eyes snapped open and her head swung up to hit something hard. She cried out in pain to find that her mouth was raw and dry. Looking around, the room was too dark to see anything. There was obviously something above her head, the ground was cold and somewhat damp with what felt like loose dirt or dust spread thinly over it.

"Hello?" She croaked. "Is there anyone there?"

Something rustled in the darkness and Mai couldn't decide if she hoped it were a rodent or something else. A dull moan sounded from the blackness ahead of her and she froze.

"Hello?" She whispered, the moan came again louder, it was definitely a person. Mai felt around the ground swallowing back fear every time she brushed against something solid, sometimes even something... rotting.

"Hello?" Came the voice. "Are you real?" The voice was just as raspy and dry as Mai's throat felt. Mai's hand grasped at something cold, it moved when she touched it.

"I'm real," She answered.

"Thank god. I thought you were another one of them."

Mai hesitated not sure she wanted to know the answer, "One of who?"

"The Ghosts." The voice whispered, not the same dry whisper from lack of water, but the secretive whisper so as not to be heard.

There was the echo of metal bars sliding across one another and the creak of an old service elevator. A dull glow illuminated the area, Mai wished it had stayed dark.

Bones and limbs in various states of decay lay scattered around the dirt floor, the walls were low hanging and covered in molds, there was a large metal door with bars on either side of it, and across from Mai sat a person. Their clothes were tattered and torn, barely covering them, ribs visibly protruded from their chest as they shakily breathed in and out. Their hair hung over their face casting a dark shadow over sunken eyes and sallow cheeks, their hands were tied with matted rope that tore the skin from their wrists leaving traces of old scars and raw bleeding skin all at once. It was horrible.

The door swung open and Mai's first instinct was fight so naturally when the person holding the light entered she swung her legs up and hit him hard in the stomach, he dropped the light and Mai made a beeline out the door, unfortunately the escape was short lived as she instantly collided with another man in a lab coat.

"Mei Mei, Darling, leaving so soon?" Mai looked up and saw a middle aged man with insanity in his eyes, he was holding a knife and a bag full of candles. Mai tried to run passed him but he was faster and with the hand that was holding the knife, he snagged her wrist and held it easily in his grasp.

"Please let me go!" Mai shouted pulling against him as he dragged her back into the room.

"But Mei Mei, theres still so much that needs to be done, you need to get ready." He smiled a wicked smile and threw her down in the corner.

"Good luck," The voice from before smiled sadly, it looked up to reveal its eyes were empty and dead, then the body went limp.

The man arranged the candles around Mai and approached her with the knife. If anyone heard her screaming, they didnt do anything about it.

Staring at their supposed leader looking so lost and almost afraid did very little to comfort the SPR team. Yasu stood motionless across from the other man as Naru faced the ground, eyes closed in concentration.

"Naru," Ayako tentatively placed a hand on his shoulder, heat was coming off of him in waves. They didnt have time for him to go into some sort of meltdown and wind up in the hospital. "Naru stop." She snapped shaking the boy. Naru's eyes snapped open and out of his hand fell the crinkled photo of him and Mai from the office, the one she had taken of them on Christmas. He looked up and glared at the red haired woman, she backed off.

"What are you doing?" Snapped Naru picking up the photo and stuffing it into his breast pocket.

"Excuse me! I didnt want you to wind up in the hospital because you cant control your power," Naru paused a moment surprised that she cared enough to try and protect him, usually that was something only Lin and Madoka did.

"I was trying to find Mai!" The team rarely heard Naru raise his voice. They all blinked at him.

"Psychometry," Mumbled Kiritsugu. He let go of Yasu's hand and approached Naru hesitantly, "Ive never seen it performed before, you looked like you were asleep,"He enquired tilting his head so his long hair swooshed over his shoulders.

They all looked at him as dumbfounded as they had been looking at Naru moments before.

"Seriously?" Yasu said, "After all of whats just happened you're interested in Psychometry? "

Kiritsugu turned back to face his partner, "Perhaps if what's happening was actually revealed i would hold more attention to it, but so far, Mr. Davis has stormed out, and then rushed back in for no apparent reason claiming that a girl i do not know is in some unknown danger."

"He has a point Naru," Said Ayako softly. "What happened when you left?"

"I got a phone call." He said, back to his usual cool demeanour, "From Masako Hara."

"Masako?" Yasu and Ayako said at the same time.

"But she went insane, the stress of her job and the trauma of losing John," Yasu trailed off.

"She didnt sound too insane when she phoned me and begged me to help Mai." Naru snapped.

"Begged you to help Mai?" Ayako raised an eyebrow. "Are you sure it was Masako?"

"Positive." Said Naru. "And I trust her completely."

"Great, so what do we do?" Yasu asked.

"We're going to get the rest of the team." Naru said gaining some of his old confidence.

"you mean?" Ayako asked already knowing the answer.

There was a knock at the door of the compartment they were in. Yasu opened it to reveal Lin, Madoka and a certain fair haired Monk.