A/N: I'm starting to get used to the fact that no one reviews. I supposed I should threaten you with not updating if you don't review or something. Oh well, whatever. You're all just mean, mean, mean people.

Um…. Just kidding? You're all wonderful, terrific, super, lovely, amazing, magnificent, awesome, incredible, marvelous, people. Even if you don't review (hint, hint!).

Enjoy the oddly short chapter. I don't know why they're all so short lately… usually one of my chapters is like six pages on Microsoft. Whatever. Enjoy!

As the World Falls Down

Chapter Four

"That was excellent," Serena said, pushing her plate away and leaning back. For the first time in two days she had finally eaten and it felt wonderful to be full. "Thank you for the sandwich." She smiled at Myers.

"Anytime," he replied, returning the smile.

A yawn escaped Serena's mouth and she quickly raised a hand to cover it. "Sorry," she said. "I think all the 'demonstrating' I've done has worn me out."

"You haven't slept since yesterday." Abe added this tidbit of information he had picked up when he had read her earlier. "You should rest."

Slowly and ruefully, Serena shook her head. "I couldn't sleep if I had a tranquilizer. Besides, I've been working nights too long, I need to get back into a normal sleep cycle. The best way to do that is to wait until tonight before I try sleeping again."

The other two seemed to understand this logic. "Well, Serena," Myers said after a moment. "It's only noon and we can't start investigating until Manning gets all the paperwork through which will take at least another hour. Would you like to go on a tour in the meantime?"

Serena shrugged. "Sure."

After she had convinced Myers to let her wash and put away her own dirty plate, Serena followed him off down a hall. Abe parted to go back to his tank, saying that his skin-- So it was skin after all.-- was beginning to dry out. Liz had left the kitchen long ago to find Hellboy, so it was just Serena and Myers. As they walked along, Myers told her all about the B.P.R.D., giving her a speech very similar to the one that the late Professor Broom had given him.

"Have you fixed the problem yet," asked an impatient Danessa as she, once again, was talking to Professor Druce.

"I have," answered the emotionless man. "It took a bit of prodding but I finally got into the woman's mind." As he spoke he put down the long needle-like tool he had used to probe the psychic's mind. "Apparently your scholars were far off track."

Danessa waved her hand dismissively. "They're all dead, so what difference does it make?" She gave a loving glance to Ragnhall who stood faithfully beside her. "Tell me what you found," she demanded of the professor.

"Once the creature is summoned and is inside its host, it will be under the command of whomever brought it back from its exile. The 'Bringer'." He paused and his glasses flashed. "The woman had texts back at the island. They explained the proper rituals in detail. Quite fascinating," he said, his voice as detached as ever.

Turning to Ragnhall, Danessa ran a finger down her bodyguard's brawny chest. "So, all I have to do is say a few words and the beast is mine? How perfect. It will work out far better this way."

Druce chose to omit the fact that some of Danessa's blood would be required. Instead he decided to bring up a more important issue. "We still require the host."

For a moment Danessa thought. She walked around the professor and came to stand beside a metal slab which he used as an operating table. An older woman lay on it, her eyes unfocused. Blood trickled slowly down the side of her face from under the device that kept her in a catatonic state. "Didn't we miss one?" Danessa asked, still looking at the psychic on the table. "A telekinetic or something?"

"Yes," replied Druce. "A female telekinetic. Shall I send the harnines?"

With a dark look, Danessa turned to Druce. "Do whatever it takes," she ordered. "I want that girl and I want her as soon as possible."

Danessa left with Ragnhall and the professor turned his impassive gaze to the psychic on his operating table. He didn't have any need to probe her mind any further, so he called for an assistant to move her back into her tube of water.

While that was being done, the statuesque man turned to a large book that he kept on hand in his lab. Picking it up, he turned to a page somewhere in the middle and grabbed a handful of powder from a ceramic jar, bringing both to a line of six stone statues of hideous winged dogs.

Professor Druce read out loud from the book. He tossed the handful of red powder onto the statues and almost at once, the stone came alive. The six bird-dogs snarled viscously.

"Find the telekinetic," ordered Druce and immediately the stone creatures took flight, shrieking as they flew out one of the large windows of the lab, disappearing in the cloudy sky.