"What do you want to see Phoebe for?" Paige asked the man as Piper and Phoebe moved up next to her.
"My name is Jack McGee," said the man. "I'm a reporter. I understand she had an encounter with a large green creature earlier today. I'd like to ask her a few questions."
"I'm Phoebe," said Phoebe. "I'm afraid you've been misinformed. I don't know about any green creature."
"Please, Miss Halliwell," said McGee, "there were witnesses. They said the creature grabbed you and spirited you away. I have their statements and so do the police. I've been tracking this creature for several years. I just need to ask a few questions then I'll be out of your hair."
"She said she didn't know anything," said Piper, beginning to close the door. "Now if you don't mind we're very busy."
"It will only take a few minutes," said McGee, stepping in the doorway, keeping Piper from closing the door. "I just need to know what you know about the creature."
"I believe they asked you to leave," said Cole, stepping into the entryway. "Now, I think you'd better leave."
"Who are you?" demanded McGee.
"I work for the district attorney's office," said Cole. "And if you don't leave here now I'll have you arrested for criminal trespassing and you can spend the next few days in jail."
"I just need to ask a few questions," insisted McGee.
"She said no," said Cole, taking out his cell phone. "Now, Mr. McGee. Would you like to leave on your own or should I make a phone and have a squad car here in less than three minutes?"
"Okay, okay," said McGee. "No need to get nasty about it. I'll just come back later."
"I won't have any more answers for you then, either," said Phoebe. "Just don't come back."
Obviously annoyed, McGee turned around and went back to his rented car that was parked in front of the manor. They watched as he got in the car and drove away.
"Thanks," said Piper. "He was getting on my nerves."
"I've heard of him," said Cole. "He works for one of those tabloids. You know the kind that prints stories about Elvis being seen in a 7-11 or that every celebrity in Hollywood is really gay and that sort of thing."
"Yeah, I know the type," said Paige. "Now, maybe Mr. Banner can tell us why he was so afraid of that guy."
They all went back into the living room and saw David standing to the side of the living room window looking out. When he saw them coming back into the living room he turned and moved back to the sofa.
"So, what's the deal with Mr. McGee?" Piper asked. "Other than he's extremely annoying."
"He knows who I am," said David. "He interviewed me before my 'death'. Like the rest of the world, he thinks I'm dead. He's tracking the creature I turn into when I loose my temper. If he finds out I'm still alive he might put two and two together. Right now the police aren't looking for me because they think I'm dead. If they find out I'm alive that might change."
"Surely they wouldn't believe him," said Leo. "If he works for a tabloid wouldn't they just think it's another of his made up stories?"
"I can't take that chance," said David. "Besides, if he knows I'm still alive he'll start looking for me, too. I can't risk anyone finding out I'm still alive until I can figure out a way control this thing inside of me."
"Maybe we can help," said Phoebe. "Maybe we can cast a spell or Piper can come up with a potion. That might get rid of this creature permanently."
"You can't do that," said Cole.
"He's right," said Leo. "From what David's told us his overdose of gamma radiation hasn't really created anything. It's simply enhanced what was all ready there. Everyone has the potential for great feats of strength. David's accident simply enhanced that in him."
"Couldn't we at least try?" Piper asked.
"No," said Cole. "Even if you could somehow remove the creature from David you'd be removing part of who he is. He wouldn't be the same person afterward."
"What are you talking about spells and potions?" David asked.
"We're witches," said Piper. "We have access to some pretty powerful spells and potions. Magic can do a lot of things."
"Not in this case," said Leo. "It wasn't created by magic and you can't use magic to fix it."
"Okay," said Paige, "so what do we do?"
"There might be a way," said David. "There's a reason I came to San Francisco. There's a place called the Benning Institute. It does work on the cutting edge of medical research. I've read research papers that tell of an experimental process for treating victims of radiation poisoning. I'm hoping their research can help me. Maybe reverse what happened that day in the lab all those years ago."
"So what's the problem?" Phoebe asked. "Just go to this Institute and use their process."
"Easier said than done," said David. "A lot of what the Institute works on is government projects. They have a state of the art security system. And it's a safe bet I couldn't get a job there. They'd run my fingerprints and do a very extensive background check on me. When they did that they'd learn my true identity. I've been trying to figure out a way to get inside but so far I haven't had any luck."
"Maybe we could help," said Paige. "Their state of the art security should be easy for someone like us to get around. How long would you need to be in there?"
"I don't know," said David. "Maybe a couple of hours. The process involves something similar to a very powerful electromagnet that somehow drains the excess radiation from a persons' body. I'm not sure how long it will take to power up the machine or how long the process takes."
"Well, I suggest we go in tonight after it gets dark," said Phoebe. "After this institute is closed. Leo can orb us in and David can use this electromagnet to drain off the radiation he received from his accident."