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All Disclaimers Apply (If you want a more detailed disclaimer then check Chapter One)
Chapter 5: Evidence
Agent Kealy Banks stood with her arms crossed and a very sceptical look on her face. Standing alone in a small office inside the Central Intelligence Agency, she waited for Agent Vaughn to return. The office that she was in, was one that she had never been inside before, it felt strange and secretive, but then again she was inside the CIA.
It had taken a lot persuading on Vaughn's part, to get her to come here first rather than go to Jesse, but since there wasn't actually anything she could do for him until she found out what this was all about, she'd gone along with it.
Vaughn startled her train of thought as he re-entered the room. He was clutching a file and a case.
"Where were you?" Kealy enquired suspiciously.
"I had to gain clearance before I could give you this information"
When Kealy simply stared at him, he continued, "What I'm about to tell you, you cannot repeat to anybody, only Jesse, because he's a witness. Agents of our status are not supposed to know about this, in fact very few people within the CIA are privileged with this information-,"
"Yeah I get the idea" Kealy interrupted impatiently. Vaughn did have a tendency to go on a lot.
"Okay, here's the deal. Jesse's attack was not a normal attack, sure it was co-ordinated by Seville, but no man, or woman actually carried out the attack"
"What? What are you talking about?"
"I'm not explaining myself very well. There is a secret organisation inside of the CIA, which deals in paranormal activity"
"What, you mean like the X-Files?" Kealy bristled sarcastically.
"Exactly like the X-Files, except it's called Delta 5"
Kealy found this difficult to comprehend, "So you're saying that Jesse was stabbed by little Green Men?"
"No, look Kealy this is serious. There are things that exist called demons, they are-,"
"I know what demons are. Are you saying that they really exist?" Kealy couldn't keep the incredulity out of her voice.
"Yes, and Jesse was attacked by one. We have almost conclusive proof" Vaughn paused, pretending to be unaware of her cynical gaze, and stooped to pick up a leather case. He laid it upon a desk and presented it's contents. A Large, sharp sword wrapped in plastic was carefully installed inside it. The words "ad annihilare" were inscribed on the hilt.
"That's what you call "conclusive proof", one sword?" Kealy almost laughed at him.
Vaughn looked put out. "It came from the store room in the ICU at Community General, Jesse's blood was on it. We did find some other, quite unusual cells on the hilt . . . Kealy we've examined the cell samples. They're not from any species that are scientifically known to exist on this planet"
There was a long silence.
Kealy looked stunned. This changed everything, "That's uh, pretty conclusive! Wow, I uh, don't know what to say"
Vaughn sensed her embarrassment, so he didn't press the matter. "We're trying to establish what kind of a creature this is, so we've been over the sword. The words inscribed here . . ." He pointed the inscription, "Are in Latin, and they mean-,"
"To Destroy" Kealy interrupted.
"Yeah that's exactly what they mean, you did Latin?"
"Don't sound so surprised" Kealy laughed, and then grew serious, "Did you find anything else?"
"No, and we have no idea where it came from, or where it went, or even if it's still alive."
Kealy didn't even want to consider that, so she pushed her mind in another direction. "Vaughn, how did Delta 5 get their hands on this sword? And how did Jesse manage to survive?"
"Delta 5 have been following a group of people who they believe to be some kind of Demon hunting group. They followed them to Community General the night of Jesse's attack, but were not in time to see the demon, but they were able to get the sword. It seems that this group of people managed to save Jesse's life, but we don't know if they killed the demon"
The piercing trill of Vaughn's cell phone sliced through the atmosphere, taking them both by surprise, and they both expelled the breath that they had unconsciously been holding in.
"Vaughn here" He said in a brisk, self-important tone. He listened for a few moments to the person on the other end of the line, nodded several times and then signed off.
"What was that about?" Kealy hoped it wasn't any bad news about Jesse.
"The Sloans are snooping around, but that shouldn't be a problem, they won't find the truth" Kealy could sense that Vaughn intended to talk about this for a long time, and she couldn't face it, not right then.
"I'm going to see Jesse now, I've waited long enough to tell him about Seville"
"Kealy we still have things to discuss"
"I don't care!" and with that, she turned and walked briskly out of the office, leaving Vaughn standing in the middle of the room with a wry smile on his face.
* * * *
The Fab Four, minus Jesse but plus Jack, sat in the Doctor's lounge contemplating their next move regarding Jesse's attack. "I still think we should go back and ask him" Steve argued.
"No Steve we've been over this!" Mark answered "Now, I think we ought to ask James what he saw that night, I'll do that. Steve, you, Amanda and Jack can go ask at reception to see if they know anything about Jesse's visitors"
At the mention of his name, Jack was thrilled; to be investigating with his old friends was exactly what he needed. He'd had to admit that part of the reason that he'd been so keen to come back to LA was because of the allure of being involved in solving a crime.
"Okay Dad, but shouldn't someone go and stay with Jesse?"
"No, I think he should stew for a while, maybe he'll "remember" something"
Suddenly Steve thought of something he wanted to ask his father about. "Uh, Jack, Amanda would you two like to head down to reception? I need to speak to Dad."
Jack didn't need to be told twice, any chance for time alone with Amanda, who he'd been attracted to for ages, was welcome!
"What is it son?" Mark's eyes showed instant concern at his son's tone of voice.
"Nothing serious Dad" Steve reassured Mark as he saw the look on his face. "I just wanted to ask if you saw what I saw in there with Jesse"
Instantly catching on Mark answered, "Oh you mean the look on his face when he saw Jack?"
"Yeah. I think he's jealous, maybe he resents Jack and that's why he's not telling us what happened"
"Jesse would never hold back on us because he didn't like someone, but you're right, he's definitely jealous"
"What are we gonna do Dad?" Steve looked and felt helpless, he knew that he had to help Jesse, but there just didn't seem to be any way he could.
"Well. . ." sighed Mark, "Until Jesse trusts us enough to tell us what happened, we'll just have to investigate ourselves"
* * * *
Jack walked territorially beside Amanda the whole way down to reception, he had always wanted more than friendship from her, but she'd made it clear that it wasn't on. He ran a hand somewhat nervously through his hair, and asked the question that had been on the tip of his tongue since he'd met Jesse Travis.
"So, uh. . . You and Jesse. . .?" He had to know, not that he thought that the young doctor was Amanda's type at all, but. . .
Amanda looked at him sharply, hardly believing that he could ask a question like that a time like this, "No! No, Jesse and me are just good friends. Just - Like -- Us!" She made sure to emphasise this particular point. She didn't want Jack to think that her happiness about his return had anything to do with an attraction for him.
"Just, thought I'd ask" Jack glanced at her with a half-grin on his face, he'd keep trying and she knew it too, judging by the same half-grin on her own face.
* * * *
Kealy stood at the doorway to Jesse's hospital room. Jesse lay dosing peacefully; she hardly dared to enter in case she disturbed his slumber. She noticed with guilt, the large dressing which covered his midriff. If she told him about Seville, would he blame her? Would he forgive her? She couldn't live with this guilt any longer; she had to tell him no matter what the consequences might be. She owed it to him.
Slinking carefully into the room, not wanting to give Jesse a rude awakening, she manoeuvred her petit frame into a chair which sat conveniently next to the bed. She gently put a hand to his forehead and brushed some strands of hair from his eyes. He stirred slightly at her touch but did not waken. She removed her hand and placed it instead on his right hand which fell limply by his side. She had waited weeks for this moment. Why had she ever left? Why had she ever thought that she could cope without him?
Kealy brushed her lips on Jesse's cheek, and whispered softly, "Jess? Wake up"
Jesse moaned slightly and then opened his eyes cautiously. Kealy was surprised that he didn't jump out of bed with shock when he saw her, but then she realised that he had obviously been sedated. "Kealy" his face registered confusion, "Shouldn't you be in France?"
Kealy giggled at his frankness, and bent down to plant a kiss on his lips, which he promptly returned. "Technically yes, but since I heard about your accident. . . actually no, that's not quite true, I was on my way here before I knew about what happened"
Befuddled though his brain was with drugs, he could sense some kind of underlying meaning from Kealy's tone. "What do you mean? Did you know something was going to happen?" Jesse went straight to the point.
Caught off guard slightly, Kealy answered "Yes, I mean, not exactly. . .Look Jess I have something to say to you. I could probably put it off until you feel better, but I have to get this off my chest. I know that sounds selfish but. . ."
"No, it's fine. I'm fine, really" he patted his stomach and smiled, then grimaced. Kealy was amused by his fake bravado, but also touched that he could play down his injuries to make her feel better.
"This isn't easy to say, but I'll just say it anyway" And she went on to tell him what had been eating away at her insides for so many weeks. As she spoke, the smile on Jesse's face rapidly decreased, until the expression on his face reflected the nausea he was feeling inside.
"So, you see, it's all my fault. You got attacked because I didn't warn you about Seville" She burst into tears.
"Hey" Jesse said softly, drawing her into an embrace, "It wasn't your fault. You were just trying to protect me. Even if you had told me, I wouldn't have been able to stop that attack" They stayed like that for a long moment, fraught with emotion.
Eventually Kealy pulled away. "There's more" she said, hating herself for spoiling the moment, but she could not turn back now.
"The CIA told me about your attack" she continued "I know about the demon, and I know that you haven't told your friends"
Jesse was quite taken aback by this, "How can you know? I don't even know myself if it was real"
"It was real Jess" She proceeded to tell him all about Delta 5 and their findings. Things started coming back to Jesse as he heard this, things that those people had said. Angel Investigations they'd called themselves.
Kealy was just glad it was all out in the open between them, that he didn't blame her for anything! Her relief was palpable.
"So they were right, those people. It really did happen? I didn't dream it?" Jesse looked terribly relieved, the battle in his head finally resolved. It was real. A giant weight had lifted off his shoulders, only to be replaced by a new one.
"Kealy what do I tell my friends? What if Seville comes after me again?" There was fear etched across his face. Kealy could almost read his thoughts, what if another demon came after Jesse? How would he be able to survive it? Who could protect him?
Kealy stared deep into his Atlantic blue eyes, she couldn't answer him. How could she, when she didn't know the answer herself?
* * * *
The door opened in front of him to reveal a conference room. The table was illuminated with light from the large windows to the left of the room. The two figures sitting at the table rose to greet him. A man and a woman. The man was smallish, with a scar on his right hand, and the woman was quite tall with shoulder length dark hair. Both wore expressions of faked cheerfulness. How much he hated their smarmy expressions.
"Mr. Seville" they both said simultaneously, and were in turn greeted with a nod.
"Let's get down to business, I have no patience with time wasters. Am I to assume that the plan was a success?"
The looks on their faces was answer enough. "You told me it couldn't fail! I thought sending a demon to do my dirty work was "The answer to all my problems" What went wrong?"
"Just a little, uh, complication. It won't happen again" said the woman, "We have plans underway for another attack tonight, another stronger demon who won't be so easy to kill"
"It had better work this time, my patience with you is wearing thin. Oh, and make sure you sort out that complication" With that he gave them a threatening glare and strode out the door.
The two lawyers looked at each other nervously "Lila, what are we going to do about Angel?" The man said.
Lila gave him a pitying look, she hated working with him, did she have to explain everything? "Don't worry, it'll be over before Angel has a chance to do anything about it"
To Be Continued. . .
What do you think? Should Jesse tell Mark, Steve, Amanda and Jack?
All Disclaimers Apply (If you want a more detailed disclaimer then check Chapter One)
Chapter 5: Evidence
Agent Kealy Banks stood with her arms crossed and a very sceptical look on her face. Standing alone in a small office inside the Central Intelligence Agency, she waited for Agent Vaughn to return. The office that she was in, was one that she had never been inside before, it felt strange and secretive, but then again she was inside the CIA.
It had taken a lot persuading on Vaughn's part, to get her to come here first rather than go to Jesse, but since there wasn't actually anything she could do for him until she found out what this was all about, she'd gone along with it.
Vaughn startled her train of thought as he re-entered the room. He was clutching a file and a case.
"Where were you?" Kealy enquired suspiciously.
"I had to gain clearance before I could give you this information"
When Kealy simply stared at him, he continued, "What I'm about to tell you, you cannot repeat to anybody, only Jesse, because he's a witness. Agents of our status are not supposed to know about this, in fact very few people within the CIA are privileged with this information-,"
"Yeah I get the idea" Kealy interrupted impatiently. Vaughn did have a tendency to go on a lot.
"Okay, here's the deal. Jesse's attack was not a normal attack, sure it was co-ordinated by Seville, but no man, or woman actually carried out the attack"
"What? What are you talking about?"
"I'm not explaining myself very well. There is a secret organisation inside of the CIA, which deals in paranormal activity"
"What, you mean like the X-Files?" Kealy bristled sarcastically.
"Exactly like the X-Files, except it's called Delta 5"
Kealy found this difficult to comprehend, "So you're saying that Jesse was stabbed by little Green Men?"
"No, look Kealy this is serious. There are things that exist called demons, they are-,"
"I know what demons are. Are you saying that they really exist?" Kealy couldn't keep the incredulity out of her voice.
"Yes, and Jesse was attacked by one. We have almost conclusive proof" Vaughn paused, pretending to be unaware of her cynical gaze, and stooped to pick up a leather case. He laid it upon a desk and presented it's contents. A Large, sharp sword wrapped in plastic was carefully installed inside it. The words "ad annihilare" were inscribed on the hilt.
"That's what you call "conclusive proof", one sword?" Kealy almost laughed at him.
Vaughn looked put out. "It came from the store room in the ICU at Community General, Jesse's blood was on it. We did find some other, quite unusual cells on the hilt . . . Kealy we've examined the cell samples. They're not from any species that are scientifically known to exist on this planet"
There was a long silence.
Kealy looked stunned. This changed everything, "That's uh, pretty conclusive! Wow, I uh, don't know what to say"
Vaughn sensed her embarrassment, so he didn't press the matter. "We're trying to establish what kind of a creature this is, so we've been over the sword. The words inscribed here . . ." He pointed the inscription, "Are in Latin, and they mean-,"
"To Destroy" Kealy interrupted.
"Yeah that's exactly what they mean, you did Latin?"
"Don't sound so surprised" Kealy laughed, and then grew serious, "Did you find anything else?"
"No, and we have no idea where it came from, or where it went, or even if it's still alive."
Kealy didn't even want to consider that, so she pushed her mind in another direction. "Vaughn, how did Delta 5 get their hands on this sword? And how did Jesse manage to survive?"
"Delta 5 have been following a group of people who they believe to be some kind of Demon hunting group. They followed them to Community General the night of Jesse's attack, but were not in time to see the demon, but they were able to get the sword. It seems that this group of people managed to save Jesse's life, but we don't know if they killed the demon"
The piercing trill of Vaughn's cell phone sliced through the atmosphere, taking them both by surprise, and they both expelled the breath that they had unconsciously been holding in.
"Vaughn here" He said in a brisk, self-important tone. He listened for a few moments to the person on the other end of the line, nodded several times and then signed off.
"What was that about?" Kealy hoped it wasn't any bad news about Jesse.
"The Sloans are snooping around, but that shouldn't be a problem, they won't find the truth" Kealy could sense that Vaughn intended to talk about this for a long time, and she couldn't face it, not right then.
"I'm going to see Jesse now, I've waited long enough to tell him about Seville"
"Kealy we still have things to discuss"
"I don't care!" and with that, she turned and walked briskly out of the office, leaving Vaughn standing in the middle of the room with a wry smile on his face.
* * * *
The Fab Four, minus Jesse but plus Jack, sat in the Doctor's lounge contemplating their next move regarding Jesse's attack. "I still think we should go back and ask him" Steve argued.
"No Steve we've been over this!" Mark answered "Now, I think we ought to ask James what he saw that night, I'll do that. Steve, you, Amanda and Jack can go ask at reception to see if they know anything about Jesse's visitors"
At the mention of his name, Jack was thrilled; to be investigating with his old friends was exactly what he needed. He'd had to admit that part of the reason that he'd been so keen to come back to LA was because of the allure of being involved in solving a crime.
"Okay Dad, but shouldn't someone go and stay with Jesse?"
"No, I think he should stew for a while, maybe he'll "remember" something"
Suddenly Steve thought of something he wanted to ask his father about. "Uh, Jack, Amanda would you two like to head down to reception? I need to speak to Dad."
Jack didn't need to be told twice, any chance for time alone with Amanda, who he'd been attracted to for ages, was welcome!
"What is it son?" Mark's eyes showed instant concern at his son's tone of voice.
"Nothing serious Dad" Steve reassured Mark as he saw the look on his face. "I just wanted to ask if you saw what I saw in there with Jesse"
Instantly catching on Mark answered, "Oh you mean the look on his face when he saw Jack?"
"Yeah. I think he's jealous, maybe he resents Jack and that's why he's not telling us what happened"
"Jesse would never hold back on us because he didn't like someone, but you're right, he's definitely jealous"
"What are we gonna do Dad?" Steve looked and felt helpless, he knew that he had to help Jesse, but there just didn't seem to be any way he could.
"Well. . ." sighed Mark, "Until Jesse trusts us enough to tell us what happened, we'll just have to investigate ourselves"
* * * *
Jack walked territorially beside Amanda the whole way down to reception, he had always wanted more than friendship from her, but she'd made it clear that it wasn't on. He ran a hand somewhat nervously through his hair, and asked the question that had been on the tip of his tongue since he'd met Jesse Travis.
"So, uh. . . You and Jesse. . .?" He had to know, not that he thought that the young doctor was Amanda's type at all, but. . .
Amanda looked at him sharply, hardly believing that he could ask a question like that a time like this, "No! No, Jesse and me are just good friends. Just - Like -- Us!" She made sure to emphasise this particular point. She didn't want Jack to think that her happiness about his return had anything to do with an attraction for him.
"Just, thought I'd ask" Jack glanced at her with a half-grin on his face, he'd keep trying and she knew it too, judging by the same half-grin on her own face.
* * * *
Kealy stood at the doorway to Jesse's hospital room. Jesse lay dosing peacefully; she hardly dared to enter in case she disturbed his slumber. She noticed with guilt, the large dressing which covered his midriff. If she told him about Seville, would he blame her? Would he forgive her? She couldn't live with this guilt any longer; she had to tell him no matter what the consequences might be. She owed it to him.
Slinking carefully into the room, not wanting to give Jesse a rude awakening, she manoeuvred her petit frame into a chair which sat conveniently next to the bed. She gently put a hand to his forehead and brushed some strands of hair from his eyes. He stirred slightly at her touch but did not waken. She removed her hand and placed it instead on his right hand which fell limply by his side. She had waited weeks for this moment. Why had she ever left? Why had she ever thought that she could cope without him?
Kealy brushed her lips on Jesse's cheek, and whispered softly, "Jess? Wake up"
Jesse moaned slightly and then opened his eyes cautiously. Kealy was surprised that he didn't jump out of bed with shock when he saw her, but then she realised that he had obviously been sedated. "Kealy" his face registered confusion, "Shouldn't you be in France?"
Kealy giggled at his frankness, and bent down to plant a kiss on his lips, which he promptly returned. "Technically yes, but since I heard about your accident. . . actually no, that's not quite true, I was on my way here before I knew about what happened"
Befuddled though his brain was with drugs, he could sense some kind of underlying meaning from Kealy's tone. "What do you mean? Did you know something was going to happen?" Jesse went straight to the point.
Caught off guard slightly, Kealy answered "Yes, I mean, not exactly. . .Look Jess I have something to say to you. I could probably put it off until you feel better, but I have to get this off my chest. I know that sounds selfish but. . ."
"No, it's fine. I'm fine, really" he patted his stomach and smiled, then grimaced. Kealy was amused by his fake bravado, but also touched that he could play down his injuries to make her feel better.
"This isn't easy to say, but I'll just say it anyway" And she went on to tell him what had been eating away at her insides for so many weeks. As she spoke, the smile on Jesse's face rapidly decreased, until the expression on his face reflected the nausea he was feeling inside.
"So, you see, it's all my fault. You got attacked because I didn't warn you about Seville" She burst into tears.
"Hey" Jesse said softly, drawing her into an embrace, "It wasn't your fault. You were just trying to protect me. Even if you had told me, I wouldn't have been able to stop that attack" They stayed like that for a long moment, fraught with emotion.
Eventually Kealy pulled away. "There's more" she said, hating herself for spoiling the moment, but she could not turn back now.
"The CIA told me about your attack" she continued "I know about the demon, and I know that you haven't told your friends"
Jesse was quite taken aback by this, "How can you know? I don't even know myself if it was real"
"It was real Jess" She proceeded to tell him all about Delta 5 and their findings. Things started coming back to Jesse as he heard this, things that those people had said. Angel Investigations they'd called themselves.
Kealy was just glad it was all out in the open between them, that he didn't blame her for anything! Her relief was palpable.
"So they were right, those people. It really did happen? I didn't dream it?" Jesse looked terribly relieved, the battle in his head finally resolved. It was real. A giant weight had lifted off his shoulders, only to be replaced by a new one.
"Kealy what do I tell my friends? What if Seville comes after me again?" There was fear etched across his face. Kealy could almost read his thoughts, what if another demon came after Jesse? How would he be able to survive it? Who could protect him?
Kealy stared deep into his Atlantic blue eyes, she couldn't answer him. How could she, when she didn't know the answer herself?
* * * *
The door opened in front of him to reveal a conference room. The table was illuminated with light from the large windows to the left of the room. The two figures sitting at the table rose to greet him. A man and a woman. The man was smallish, with a scar on his right hand, and the woman was quite tall with shoulder length dark hair. Both wore expressions of faked cheerfulness. How much he hated their smarmy expressions.
"Mr. Seville" they both said simultaneously, and were in turn greeted with a nod.
"Let's get down to business, I have no patience with time wasters. Am I to assume that the plan was a success?"
The looks on their faces was answer enough. "You told me it couldn't fail! I thought sending a demon to do my dirty work was "The answer to all my problems" What went wrong?"
"Just a little, uh, complication. It won't happen again" said the woman, "We have plans underway for another attack tonight, another stronger demon who won't be so easy to kill"
"It had better work this time, my patience with you is wearing thin. Oh, and make sure you sort out that complication" With that he gave them a threatening glare and strode out the door.
The two lawyers looked at each other nervously "Lila, what are we going to do about Angel?" The man said.
Lila gave him a pitying look, she hated working with him, did she have to explain everything? "Don't worry, it'll be over before Angel has a chance to do anything about it"
To Be Continued. . .
What do you think? Should Jesse tell Mark, Steve, Amanda and Jack?
