CHAPTER TWO: Reflections

Alex hung up the phone, seriously considering an occupation change. But the thought was dismissed as soon as it entered her mind. Granted she was working on burn out; but deep down, she knew she would never give up her job. It was who she was; it was her life. It was exciting, dangerous, and on the edge; not to mention the pay wasn't too bad either. She just needed some serious time off. Whether the Council liked it or not, when this mission was over, she was taking a month long vacation.

She loved being an Agent with I.C.O.S.A., the International Council on Supernatural Affairs. It was everything she had been promised, and more. She had worked long and hard to earn the respect of the Council members and other operatives. And, not a day went by that she wasn't grateful for the opportunity her mentor and friend, Thomas McMillan, had given her.

At the time, she had been a cadet at the FBI Academy. She was the top student in her class and it looked as if she had a very promising career. Her teachers had assured her, she could virtually pick her field of choice and move up within the ranks at an unheard of pace. For an orphan, with nothing or no one to call her own, this was huge.

Then one day, while she was out running errands, she was approached by a very non descript looking gentleman. He was of medium height, around 5'10, had short brown hair, a medium build and wire-rimmed glasses through which shown warm, intelligent brown eyes. She had immediately thought, this was a man that could blend into a crowd and never be noticed.

Anyway, he had presented her with his card as he introduced himself with a small smile and an accent she couldn't quite place. He then asked to speak with her about a possible employment opportunity and wondered if she would like to join him for lunch. Her natural curiosity overwhelmed her and she accepted his invitation. Really, what was there to loose? If nothing else, she at least got a free meal out of it. But, little did she realize how that one meal would change her life.

They had decided on eating at a local deli, which had a sidewalk café outside. Once they were seated, he had waited to speak until after they had ordered. As soon as the waiter left, he immediately asked if she believed in the boogey man. She had laughed and told him there was no such thing; but she did believe in ghosts, did that count?

For what seemed like an eternity, he watched her with a look on his face that was so intense, she felt as if he had crawled inside her skin. Then in the blink of an eye, the look vanished and was replaced with a smile and a laugh. He proceeded to tell her about the people he worked for and how the group had evolved.

Back in the late 1800's, several private individuals had formed a club of sorts. This group was founded for the soul purpose of investigating the supernatural. Through the years, this group managed to discover some amazing information and had kept very detailed records and accounts. Over time, they had centered their efforts on the myths and legends of the vampires and werewolves (he told her that they preferred to be called lycans).

Much was learned about these two very different species. Things like what could honestly hurt them, their life spans, and their various strengths and weaknesses. This group eventually became more than a hobby. It had evolved into a large organization, which had managed to maintain its existence for over 65 years. Their only goal was to determine the truth about these species and to document it. Yes, they had lost members throughout its history, especially when they got too close to the specimens. But, they all considered this to be worth the knowledge they had obtained.

Then around 1967, one of the younger members lost both his parents and siblings during a skirmish between the lycans and vampires. He alone had survived the attack, and was determined to make sure innocent humans were no longer prey for these monsters. He was smart and his family had had plenty of old money; therefore, it wasn't long before he was searching out sources and funding from some very high places. He slowly made his way to the government, where he found a very willing supporter in a member of the United Nations. Within 8 years, an international committee (or the Council, as they liked to be called) was formed; and, they began recruiting individuals to help intervene, on behalf of the humans, when the supernatural world began to encroach on the natural world. Hence, the I.C.O.S.A. was born.

He had finished his history lesson and sat quietly for a moment, watching her face and reaction to his dialogue. What he didn't know was that Alex had an excellent poker face. She never let her emotions show, she prided herself on this ability.

Realizing she wasn't going to comment on the information he had imparted. He told her that if she were to become an operative for the council, she would be working with the latest technology available in weaponry and high tech gadgets. She would also be trained to deal with both lycans and vampires, and they were offering her a generous starting salary, which would pay twice as much as the FBI offered.

Again, Alex made no reply nor offered any emotional feedback. That is until the waiter showed up with their salads. She looked up at the young man and offered him an amazing smile and thanked him for there food. When he left, she turned her attention back to Thomas, her face devoid of expression.

Not daunted in the least by her lack of reaction, he did explain that there were a few drawbacks to the job. She would have an official looking badge and ID, but no real jurisdiction anywhere. The Council and its agents worked alone without any outside help from any legal body known on the planet. Which also meant, no one was to ever know what she did for a living and whom she worked for. The Council would provide a fake work background for her in case anyone ever went digging around for information on her. And last, but certainly not least; if she were ever captured or imprisoned by either species, she would be hunted down and eliminated by the Council.

When he had finished, her first reaction was...this man was crazy. Vampires and werewolves didn't exist. She was about to politely thank him for the lunch then decline on his offer, when he pulled out a large manila envelope. He placed it in front of her, and then sat back in his chair, not offering an explanation of any kind.

She pushed her salad aside, and absently opened the folder. Wanting only to placate the strange man in front of her, she glanced down at the contents, ready to finish this interview as quickly as possible.

At first, she wasn't sure exactly what it was she was looking at. It was a picture, but it appeared to be abstract, with no real form. Curious, she leaned forward and looked more closely at the image. With a dawning sense of horror, she realized she was looking at a crime scene. The abstract picture was of what appeared to be 2 or 3 bodies, literally ripped to pieces. The various body parts were strewn about a room covered in what had to be blood. Some looked as if they had been chewed on, while others had to have been torn right out of their sockets. The carnage was without a doubt, the most horrific thing she had ever seen.

She turned the picture over and viewed the second image in the file. This one was much more sedate in comparison to the previous picture, but it was still a study in death. This one showed a family of five lying on the floor of a bedroom. Their bodies looked as if they had been thrown into a pile haphazardly; as if, the person who had killed them, just dropped them as soon as they were finished with their corpses. There were puncture wounds visible on each of their necks. Their sightless eyes seeming to look at her as if asking for help.

She flipped through the remaining pictures, each one depicting a scene of carnage and what could only be described as supernatural deaths. In some of the pictures, the photographer had managed to capture the image of the werewolves as they fed upon their victims.

She could no longer question this man's sanity. If the pictures in front of her were real, and they very much looked as if they were, then the things he spoke of were true. And, this organization wanted her to be a part of their efforts to protect human life.

She had asked for a couple of days to think it over, thanked him for the uneaten lunch and went back to the Academy. But it didn't take long for her to make a decision. She was being offered an opportunity of a lifetime. Now, did she know vampires and werewolves (lycans... whatever) were real; she was to personally have a hand in keeping the world safe from these monsters.

She called Thomas that night and left the next morning for ICOSA headquarters in London. She never looked back or regretted her decision. She traveled all over the world, had made some good friends, and lived in a fantastic house. Sure, she lived alone and never seemed able to find the time to date. But, for now she had her career and that was all that mattered.

So what if she found herself alone whenever she wasn't working. There would be plenty of time later to find and date Mr. Right. She had been alone for most of her life. Losing her parents at the age of ten, she lived the next eight years in an orphanage. She had been too old to adopt, so she made the best of a lonely situation. If she could do it then, she could do it now.

It had all worked out in the end. And now, she was about to embark on a new mission to Budapest. Deciding she had wasted enough time, she grabbed the phone and started putting together her team. She knew whom she wanted to take; now it was just a matter of getting them out of bed and moving.