2: In which Missions Are Handed Out
When Caroline 'woke up' she no longer had her Hunter gear with her. She was back in her street clothes. She stopped clutching the blue sapphire in her hand. She got up from the bed and took off the gold ring from her right hand.
Reject and Hacker hurried into her room to get her report of how the mission went. They both brought chairs and straddled them; listening to her mission debriefing while she put the stuff away.
"So, the mission was a bust and you were marked?" Reject asked.
"Yes, I let my guard down." She looked sad at this detail and then added, "Anything else happen when I was under?" She liked to refer the magic act as being under anesthesia. It was like that in a way, in a trance; both aware of here and there at the same time.
"Well if the mission went ok, we heard through Soutram that there was another one worth looking into." Hacker replied.
"Just let me wait long enough until I can make sure the Mark wears itself out. You two remember the symptoms of an attempted trace, right?
"Sudden drowsiness," Reject began, clicking down the list in his head, "limited mental communiqué with Marker, and Kundalini activating when going to sleep?"
Hacked gaped at Reject in shock, "Damn dude, you take this seriously!" Reject glared at him.
"Well let me spell it out to you like you are 5. Anachs are mostly unknown throughout where they are. Nightmares were people trap you and shit like that, that's most likely an Anach, culling energy to feed from and return the rest to the Colony. They are pests, end of story."
"There was a mission you wanted me to go on?" Caroline warned the others before they started arguing.
"Yeah," Reject began, going through Caroline's closet. "Into the Harry potter reality, there had been some few disturbing things that I saw through Soutram; Stuff that alludes to Anachs having established base in that reality."
The color drained from Caroline's face, "I hope they have their eyes set on the Muggles."
"We got a few surprises for you," Hacker said as he and Reject laid the items on the bed. Caroline's eyes lit up. "You put together everything so I can have a fully physical travel!" then the desire fled from her eyes, "But then that would mean I would have to go there and face Anachs physically!"
"What's wrong with that?"
"I've faced them when I was in my mind form. If they're tough enough to withstand fires and the Painkiller-"
"Hunter, you've got to do this. Imagine all the wizards and witches that will suffer if they are perverted to the Colonies!"
"Alright, just let me get a few things together."
-At Hogwarts-
"Alastor, I called you in my office before school began to tell you some important information," Albus Dumbledore stated while sitting behind his desk.
"What's Voldermort done this time?" The ex-Auror grumbled.
"That's the thing," Albus began, worried. "We're not even sure it is Voldermort. A rash of people along London has claimed to have nightmares."
"Nightmares," Alastor scoffed, "I think the wee ones need to lay off the sweets before they lay down."
"It just hasn't been the kids, Minerva recently told me of a disturbing dream; of people looking like they do a Dementor's kiss to someone. She hasn't remembered much else, unfortunately."
"Ok, so what can I do?"
"When the school year starts, fill in for Defense against Dark Arts and keep on the lookout for clues to what may be causing these dreams." Alastor had gotten up from sitting position. "Alastor, I hope, for all our sakes these are just bad dreams."