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Chapter 10:

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Caleb led the others up the steps of the headquarters of the F.B.I., their old enemies, now seemed to be the only regular people in the world who seemed to be looking out for the Covenant brothers. After the events of their last big battle with Chase, the F.B.I. and the rest of the government took them under their wings, and hushed the media from ever speaking of them again. For all the public knew, the Covenant all had simply disappeared. Perhaps a hoax, or something that was done away with quickly, for all anyone could assume.

After the battle at the auditorium, Chase had been stripped of his power and tossed into a high security cell in a federal asylum, right next to the cannibalistic wild-man they had found in Africa and a man they believed to have been abducted by aliens.

Chase told his name to the guards, and a blonde woman came up to the gate to let him right in.

"Hey Caroline," Caleb said to his old interrogator, the first of the government to give them protection.

"Come on in," she said, waving them through the barred gate. "We've kept him here since that night. He put up quite a fuss at first, but I think since he had to quit what you call 'Using' on such an abrupt basis, he kind of blew a microchip. You'll find he's quite different than the Chase Collins you remember."

Caleb furrowed his brow in alarm, but remained otherwise emotionless, trying to prepare himself. How bad could he be? He was Chase. He was already psycho. Caleb shrugged it off, and entered through that gate thinking he was ready for anything.

He was wrong.

Nothing could have prepared him for this. First that horrid walk, down what Tyler called 'Freak Show Row'. Little square windows provided sweeping views of various people and occasionally creatures, all seemingly dangerous on many different levels.

"It's like some bizarre episode of the 'X-Files'…" Pogue whispered to Caleb.

"I was thinking the 'Outer Limits' or the 'Twilight Zone'," Caleb replied agreeably, some nervousness shaking his voice. "But you know… whatever works."

Caroline stopped at a cell near the end of the row.

"This is it," she announced, with a bit of sadness in her voice. "I'm only going to open the window for you to talk. It's policy."

She slid open the plastic glass to reveal the barred window, and beyond the small view was simply empty darkness. A dim light shined in the room, but its glow didn't show any sign of Chase.

"Chase," Caroline called into the room. "I have someone here to see you."

"Ooh," a low, husky voice called from a dark corner. "A visitor… for me? Whoooo… is it?"

Caleb took a moment to shake off his confusion and shock at the obvious lunacy reflected in Chase's tone, then took a deep breath to speak to his old enemy.

"It's Caleb," he replied boldly, trying to peer through the darkness for any glimmer that Chase was there.

"Oh, I know…" Chase's voice hissed back. "I knew you'd be coming back soon…"

His voice was eerie, as if he was speaking in song. It had a creepy sort of light-heartedness in its undertones, and it made the hairs on the back of Caleb's neck stand on end. Chase really had gone mad with withdrawals.

"How did you know I'd come back?" Caleb asked.

"Because…" Chase replied. "You felt it… Felt it big… I felt it too…"

"Felt what?" Caleb leaned in closer. He heard some shuffling around, then saw a hand come out into the light, placed firmly on the floor to pull the rest of himself into the spotlight.

"You felt the Power!" Chase said in almost a yell.

Caleb pulled away from the small window, mostly in surprise. He looked at Pogue, who only shrugged in bewildered reply.

"How'd you do it?" Caleb demanded, getting intolerant of Chase's foolishness. "How'd you Use without the Power?"

"Haha!" Chase said, coming up closer to the window. "It's like I thought…"

"What?" Caleb urged. "What's like you thought?"

Chase grabbed the bars in the window, and pressed his face against them, so Caleb had to pull back again. Chase's eyes had his familiar madness flowing in them, only with a little more raw insanity rather than his usual calculating craziness.

"It's just like I thought," Chase said again, only this time back in his lower, hissing voice. "You think it was me who Used…"

Caleb frowned in even more surprise.

"It wasn't you?" Caleb asked.

"You of all people should know," Chase said. "After all… it was you who took it away."

"But…" Caleb tried to comprehend his words. "If it wasn't you…"

"How can that be?" Pogue chimed in. "The Covenant…"

"Oooh," Chase teased. "The plot thickens… now, doesn't it? If I didn't Use, and you didn't Use… whoever can it be?"

"Do you know who it is?" Tyler asked.

"Your guardian angel," Chase replied. "Watching over the precious Covenant… but the devil's coming… You'll get your dues soon."

Caleb exchanged glances with the other Covenant members, then inclined his ear to listen.

"What do you mean?"

"I mean…" Chase said impatiently. "That little monster in the woods… it's going to eat you all… Chomp! Off with the Garwin line… Chomp! There's goes the Sims'…"

Caleb looked to Reid, who looked pale, and more than a little angry.

"How'd you know about that?" Caleb interrogated.

"Oh, here and there…" Chase waved it off.

"What is that thing?" Caleb demanded more of Chase. "Tell me!"

"WhoooOOOooo!" Chase made a sound like a ghost. "It's the Waaarlock…"

"What warlock?" Caleb growled. "Answer me!"

"Caleb," Pogue put a hand on his leader's shoulder. "He's whacked. We're not going to get any straight answers out of him. We'd better go."

"Yes, don't listen to me…" Chase laughed again. "I'm not crazy—I'm just a little mad!"

Caleb shook his head in pity for the boy, and couldn't help wondering if that would be his own future someday. The Power was indeed a strange and hazardous thing.

As Caleb began to walk away, he could still hear Chase's cackles.

"Do tell Sarah 'hello' for me, will you?" he called after Caleb. "Good seeing you, brother! Always nice to talk to one of my own!"

"He's completely lost it," Pogue muttered, shaking his head in awe, as they headed back for the exit. Tyler stole one more glance at Chase before following.

"Oh, and Sims…" Chase called silently to his back. Tyler peered over his shoulder to give his attention to Chase.

"You have a nice birthday."

Tyler furrowed his brow, wondering how Chase knew his birthday was coming up, but let it go. He probably had researched the Covenant's file like the Covenant had researched Chase's. So he hoped, at least…

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Once outside among normal people again, Caleb let out a sigh of relief. He hoped he would never have to be going back there again.

Caroline led them back to the lobby in wide steps.

"Did you get what you came for?" she asked as they walked. Caleb sighed again.

"Not really," he confessed. "Just more questions."

"Come with me," Caroline said. "I know someone who might be able to help."

Down a few more halls and through some more rooms, Caroline led them to a door, where a man and a woman worked inside with various documents and notes all around.

"She's been dying to meet you four," Caroline explained as they watched the young woman through the window of the door. "She's one of my best researchers in the department opened for you. She's made a study of all of your history books, and some that you might not even be aware of. So far, she's only been able to make a physical study of Chase, and what's left over of what we forced out of Tyler last year."

Tyler shuddered at the memory, but was glad no one seemed to notice. That was definitely not one of the highlights of his life-- becoming a lab rat to some over-zealous researchers. And he had almost moved on from it too…

Caroline then opened the door for them and allowed them to enter. The dark-haired woman looked up through her silver glasses, and seemed to recognize them immediately.

"At last," she said as if trying to hold back her excitement. "Danvers, Parry, Garwin and, of course, Sims…"

She shook each of their hands in turn, a wide, friendly smile on her face.

"Scarlett Blair. I've been most anxious to meet you."

She seemed younger than she looked, perhaps even just a year or two older than them, which surprised Caleb. How would she get such a high-end job so young? She must've known someone in the business…

Caleb noticed Reid was already checking her out. She had a nice figure, long stringy black hair and very red lips. She almost reminded Caleb of those vampiresses from the old movies. She acted about as friendly as one too. Reid didn't seem to mind.

"Hiya," Reid said as he helped himself to her handshake. "'Blair', huh? Like the 'Blair Witch'? Kinda ironic, wouldn't ya say?"

"Scarlett," she countered firmly. "As in 'Gone With the Wind'. One can't choose their last name. Which is why I gather you find yourself in this messy fortune of hereditarianism, yes?"

"What can you tell us that we might not already know?" Caleb asked impatiently.

"Something very interesting indeed," she said calmly, pushing her glasses further up her nose. "But it will cost you. I help you, you help me."

Caleb quirked an eyebrow.

"How?"

She nodded at Tyler.

"I want to do a check-up on Sims— just a routine one…"

"No way!" Tyler burst out. "I am not going through a lab again."

"It's just a check-up!" she insisted. "Stop whining."

"Ty?" Caleb asked Tyler's permission before agreeing to her terms. Tyler sighed and nodded.

"Fine."

"Okay, so what's the big news?" Pogue pressed.

Scarlett nodded and left to her desk. She sorted through papers half-heartedly, as if searching for something while knowing exactly where it was.

"Collins told me about that Power he felt last night. I thought he was making it up, but then you four arrived, and I knew it had to be true."

"Get to the part we don't know," Caleb urged.

"There's a book we found in a church crypt in southern England." She picked up a few papers. "These are photocopies of the juiciest parts."

She was getting more excited by the minute, Caleb to tell. She was just bursting to tell them whatever this new development was. It made him a little nervous.

"So?"

"Boys," she said boldly. "Did you know you weren't the only ones out there that have the Power?"

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Please review.
Signed,
--RedRogue