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DrKratz named Jimmy, but I guess it's possible that he named him after either one.

Don't worry, you'll see more of Jimmy ;) You can't keep a Dead Bird down.

Chapter 2

Wandering Soul

Eve approached the goat, hands stretched out in a beckoning manner.

"Hi," she whispered, and stroked the animal's head. "You know, this is an interesting situation. I hate obeying them, I really do. But this is one of those times where both parties can leave happy. They want to see me transform, so that I can kill you. And I want to kill you so that I can have your head." The goat leaned into her chest, bleating softly. Eve looked at it curiously, tracing her finger down one of its curved horns.

"Somehow, I feel like you can understand what I'm saying to you. But you don't seem afraid at all. Are you one of Satan's?" The goat nudged her, which she guessed was the animal's equivalent to a nod. "Okay then. I'll, uh…I'll make this quick." Without another word, Eve pricked her finger on the tip of the goat's horn, and watched as blood began to drip.

The crimson liquid splattered against the white floor; she smiled as power began to surge through her body. Eve's skin began to darken till the point that it was black, as two curved horns sprouted from the sides of her head. She grabbed the goat's horn before twisting violently, ripping through flesh as the Goat Head was torn off the body, blood splattering everywhere.

Eve gasped as she reverted back to normal, stumbling back into a wall. The severed Goat Head was still clutched in her outstretched hand, eyes staring into the distance. The goat's body was still standing there, completely motionless before it fell to the side, causing a squelching sound as it landed in the newly formed pool of blood.

Eve heard applause as Dr Kayne stepped through the door behind her, looking impressed.

"So you shifted," he said as he motioned at the wraiths behind them. The black clad men rushed forward, picking up the goat's body and taking it out of the room. One of them tried to take the Goat Head from Eve, but she tugged it back, before realising that Dr Kayne was staring at her.

"I kind of want to keep this." She pointed at the Goat Head, before looking back at him. "Can I?" He frowned, as the wraiths exited the room.

"Why exactly do you want it?" he asked, and Eve shrugged.

"Goats are a symbol of Satan. Satan's kind of cool. And uh, goats are cool." Dr Kayne stared at her coldly, and she gulped. "If I say please, will it make a difference? I did shift today." He sighed, waving her off as he prepared to leave the room.

"The wraiths will be back soon. Get in the chair and maybe I'll let you keep it, to hang on your wall or whatever." Eve sighed as Dr Kayne left, and hesitantly dropped the Goat Head as she got into the chair. She stared the pile of blood and wondered about Satan. Would it work the way he had promised? That was, if the vision had been real at all. What if it had been a dream?

Two wraiths entered the room and walked towards her. One of them knelt at her feet and shackled her feet to legs of the chair. The other walked around the back, before wrenching her arms painfully behind her back.

"Hey!" Eve exclaimed angrily as she felt him cuff her hands together, before wrapping another length of chain around her body to further restrain her arms. "That's way too tight!"

"Kayne's orders. He doesn't want you to be able to move today," the wraith said stubbornly, before leaving with his friend. Eve shifted uncomfortably as the chain pressed painfully against her elbows and chest.

Dr Kayne walked in a few moments later, and glanced at the Goat Head lying on the floor.

"Listen, if you behave here, I'll let you have the head," he told her.

"Can you loosen it, please?" Eve asked as she wiggled uncomfortably in her seat. "It really hurts."

"Sorry about that; it's on purpose though. I can't have you moving around for this one." Her eyes widened as she saw a single wraith walk in, his hands clutching a large blade. "You shifted when you bled; we just want to test it a little."

"Please don't do this," she pleaded as the wraith positioned the blade over her leg. "Y-You can do it some other way."

"It's just an experiment," Kayne said as he left the room. "Don't worry; it'll all be over soon." Eve tried her best to get away from the wraith as he pressed the knife to her skin, but the chains held her fast.

She screamed as the blade drew blood, the crimson liquid dripping down her legs as he cut her again, this time a little lower down. Eve couldn't see through the wraith's visor, but it seemed like he was getting a huge amount of satisfaction out of this. He moved the knife further down her leg and cut again.

"Stop it!" she yelled at him as her leg felt like it was on fire. "Please, stop it!" The wraith ignored her as he made another cut, and more blood was spilled. Suddenly a stray thought wormed its way through the pain, and Eve stopped struggling against his restraints for a moment or two.

The wraith had cut her several times, spilt so much blood; and yet she wasn't transforming. She was still Eve, not a demon. Just another stupid, pretty, dark haired girl. Why wasn't she changing, like she usually did? Earlier all it took was the prick of a finger, yet now with several fresh cuts down her legs, her eyes hadn't even started to glow. The Petrine Cross didn't illuminate, staying the same shade of dark red as the wraith continued to carve into her skin, evoking nothing but shrill screams of unbearable pain.

When Eve's legs were drenched in blood, slits in her skin from her waist to her feet, the wraith moved onto her arms chained behind her back, wielding the blade with a cold precision, as Dr Kayne silently watched the scene from the sidelines. He was just as puzzled as she was, as he observed the wraith digging the blade into her flesh, Eve crying out as small rivers streamed from her eyes. Her mouth hung open as she gasped from the pain which now stung every inch of her legs, spreading to her arms as the wraith continued with his job mercilessly.

Eve waited for the next inevitable cut, but was surprised as the wraith stepped back, sheathing the now blood splattered blade. Although she couldn't see his face, there was a cruel satisfaction he'd received from torturing her, glowing like an aura as Dr Kayne reopened the door, scowling angrily. His back was hunched over, the same way that he always did when he was extremely confused.

"You didn't transform." He spat in annoyance as Eve's head hung down, eyelids drooping. The pain didn't just hurt; it was digging away at her mind, her brain. She was already struggling to stay awake as Kayne prodded her arm, evoking a loud scream as she attempted to jerk away from him. But the chains around her only pressed against her skin, hurting her even more. "Why didn't you?" he asked and she tried to tell him that she didn't know, that normally all it took was a drop of blood, but that right now she was just as confused about it as he was. But she was already fighting unconsciousness as she lifted her head and looked him in the eyes.

"I…" was all she managed to say before her head drooped down again, her eyes closed and her breath evened out. Dr Kayne stared at her for a moment or two, before he shrugged, leaving with the wraith as the door closed with a near silent click.

xXx

Eve lay on the cold stone floor of the place called Sheol, shivering at the feet of Satan's throne. The demon king sat upon his high seat, red eyes glowing like small suns. She was still wrapped in the chains that the wraiths had bound her with, and the cuts on her skin stung as a cold wind emanated from the demon's position.

"So you got the head," he stated, as Eve struggled against her bonds, cursing to herself.

"Do you mind helping me?" she asked and Satan flicked his wrist, sending out tongues of blue fire that wrapped around her body, melting the chains away until they were nothing more than a puddle of molten metal. She sat up, wincing as her cuts made contact with the liquid, and scrambled away in a momentary panic. The demon chuckled as Eve supported herself against the wall, her legs trembling weakly from the pain digging away at her ankles.

"What happened to you?" he asked, as she shivered uncomfortably from the cold.

"I had to shift to kill the goat," Eve explained. "They realised that I transform when I spill blood, so they tortured me. Made cuts over my entire body. But for some reason, I didn't transform." She cringed as she recalled the memory, looking down at her legs, which were bleeding profusely.

"Shifting generally only works when the shifter actually wants to. It's a mental thing," Satan told her as he stood up from his throne, spreading his wings. "You know, I'm surprised you got the head so quickly."

"Whatever," Eve said, tucking her hair behind her ear. "I came here to make a deal. So let's do that." Admiration flickered briefly in Satan's eyes, before he waved his hand and bright red tongues of flame burst to life in every corner of the room.

"A deal." He smirked as the room was illuminated, red flames engulfing his throne like a swarm of hungry insects. "Very well; after all, I did go to the trouble of sending you that goat." Eve snorted as Satan tilted his head, and his palms began to glow. "What is it that you seek?"

"Power," she said, as she walked towards him, consciously avoiding the still spreading puddle of molten liquid on the ground. "I need power, to escape the facility. With enough power, I could kill the stupid doctors, and I could take Lilith with me."

"Lilith is a friend of yours?" Satan asked her and she nodded. "Why is she being tested?"

"She has a link with a baby demon," Eve explained. "She calls on him, and he appears. His name is Incubus."

"Oh. That little blighter," The demon king muttered as the flames seemed to dim at the sudden realisation. "And to think that we never considered looking for him on the surface of the earth."

"So; what is it that you want in exchange?" Eve asked, and his eyes glowed with a sudden hunger.

"I want a soul," he said, and Eve jerked back.

"Last time I was here, you told me that you wouldn't ask me for my soul," she pointed out, and Satan laughed.

"I never said I couldn't ask for someone else's. I only said your soul, dear." She pouted, trying to find a way out of this. The demon king was, essentially, asking her to give up someone else's soul.

"How exactly would I give you a soul?" Eve asked, and Satan shrugged.

"You just think of someone you know, someone who trusts you. You offer up their soul on a mental platter, I shake my hand and the deal is done." She racked her brain, trying to find someone who she could give up, but she couldn't think of anyone. There was nothing that could persuade her to give up Lilith, so that threw most of the plan out of the window. Unless…

"What if the soul I give you belongs to someone who's dead?" She tilted her head as Satan seemed to consider this for a moment.

"You took care not to say the word person," he observed, and Eve grinned.

"So you picked up on that. Huh."

"Yes, I'm not stupid. I'm guessing you're talking about the bird." Instantly her smile dropped into a frown, as she looked down at the ground.

"How do you know about Jimmy?"

"I hear things. You humans are very loud," the being said, almost making her laugh. "I will accept the bird's soul; if you're willing to give it. There may be a few consequences, though."

"Such as?" She asked worriedly as the demon shrugged nonchalantly.

"Jimmy would be reanimated. His wounds would heal, his body would mend itself. The thing is, he would be changed. A Dead Bird, flying around in the land of the living. He'd be a little more than unstable; extremely unpredictable, possibly without a conscience." Eve considered this for a moment, then nodded her head.

"I can handle that," she said, and smiled as she saw Satan's hand, outstretched.

"Then let's shake on that." she stepped forward, until his wings encircled them both, blocking out the glaring warm light of the red fire. She took his hand, shook it, and screamed as she staggered back, gasping.

When she'd made contact with his hand, red veins of power had instantly ignited in her body, blood coursing with demonic power. Eve's head felt like it was going to explode, as knowledge of her new power began to fill her brain.

"You won't be able to get out of that facility alone," Satan said as Eve righted herself, the powered blood making her cuts burn with pain even more than before. "I'll send an emissary, to help you make your escape. When you hear the first scream, that's when you'll activate the power." She gave him a nod as the walls of Sheol began to swim away from her, screams filling her head as she fell to the ground, and her vision faded.

xXx

Eve woke up panting as the pain hit her again, catching her off guard. She was still chained to the chair, Dr Kayne sitting across from her with his arms crossed.

"Well, this is quite fascinating," the man mused as she came to her senses, head still spinning.

"How long has it been?" she asked, and he gave her a small chuckle.

"Oh, it's just about to be dinner time." Eve panicked, attempting to stand up, before being jolted back by the chains. "Don't worry, I'm letting you go now. And you can keep the head; you did well today." He motioned towards the wraith behind her, who began to unlock the chains binding her. She managed a small 'thank you', before following Dr Kayne to the cafeteria in uncomfortable silence as she clutched the Goat Head in her hand.

She got her tray of food, before joining Lilith at a table near the far corner of the room.

"Geez," the other girl muttered as Eve sat down. "What the hell did they do to you?"

"Cuts all over my arms and legs," she said glumly. "They figured out how I transform."

"That's bad," Lilith groaned, putting her face in her hands. "That's really bad."

"Good news, though," Eve said, as the redhead perked up. "I've found a way to get us out of here."

"No way."

"Yes way."

"That's complete crap," Lilith insisted, and Eve shrugged.

"Listen, this may be the only way we escape this place, okay? There's only one way this goes; as soon as you hear someone screaming, come and find me. We escape together."

"And you're not going to let me in on this awesome plan?" Lilith asked, sighing as Eve shook her head.

"I'm sorry. I'll explain everything to you once we escape."

"So, what's the goat for?" Lilith pointed at the Goat Head, and Eve frowned.

"I told you that I would explain everything to you once we're out. Just make sure you bring Incubus and the Box of Friends."

Lilith tilted her head, hair falling to one side.

"So I should just come find you? How the hell will I do that if the whole facility is under lockdown?"

"Oh, you'll see the lasers easily enough." Eve replied cheerfully, sending a shiver down Lilith's spine. "If everything goes according to plan, we won't have to kill too many people."

"That sounds like a terrible plan." Lilith muttered, before leaning forward, apparently intrigued. "Tell me more." Eve smirked and shook her head in satisfaction as her friend groaned. "Come on; please? Just a little."

"Sorry, sweetheart." She said with the smirk frozen on her face. "Can't tell you anything else." She started standing up, somehow having already finished her plate of baked potatoes.

"Hey, since when did you start calling me sweetheart?" Lilith asked, but Eve was already walking away, Goat Head tucked under her arm. "Hey!" Eve rolled her eyes, continuing on her way back to her room. Unbeknownst to both of them a figure watched Eve from a dark alcove in the hallway. Its glowing red eyes flickered before it disappeared completely, leaving no trace of it behind.

xXx

Even as Kayne watched Eve leaving the table through the countless hidden cameras located around the facility, he was thinking about how she hadn't transformed after he'd cut her afterwards. But when she had pricked her finger, a single drop had been enough to trigger her monstrous transformation. He just didn't understand.

It had been right in front of him; pure, raw power of a possibly limitless amount. He wondered just how much energy Eve's Petrine Cross had given her. If he could manipulate and understand the power he had just witnessed, then he would be like an omnipotent god, the world at his fingertips. He would be free to shape the world in his own image.

The door behind him suddenly slid open as Russell stepped through, frowning as she looked at the screens.

"What on earth did you do to her?" she asked him, watching Eve as she limped back to her room, a trail of blood left behind her. Kayne shrugged, turning around as she continued to stare. "You do know that she's the only demonic specimen that we actually have in custody, right? Incubus is still as devious as ever, and that 'owner' of his keeps on finding loopholes. We can't keep this crap up forever. What are we going to do if you accidentally kill Eve?"

"She won't die," he replied calmly. "She can't. She's beyond death. People like her never do." Russell gave Kayne a strange look but shrugged off his statement.

"Whatever. Just make sure that she spills. We need to figure this crap out. If we do, you know what it means."

"We become gods." Russell snorted, a grin on her face.

"More than that. We become greater than God himself. Imagine us, with the power of the devil at out fingertips. The power to start fires at will, create devastating hurricanes in the blink of an eye, send the sea level so high that every bit of land gets swallowed up until nothing is left but the ocean. That is what we will become, Kayne."

"Yes," he whispered, looking back at the screens. "We will be great indeed." Eve was at the door to her room, motioning weakly towards it to the wraith standing guard. He looked at her suspiciously, but after seeing the Goat Head, seemed to believe her case. He slid a card to the door, causing it to slide open. She thanked him as she walked inside and the door closed behind her.

There were no cameras inside her room, so he could only guess what it was that she was doing now. But there was nothing recreational in that room of hers. Maybe she would faun over the Goat Head for a couple of hours before dozing off. Or perhaps she'd keep crying over that bird of hers. Either one made sense. But that was not a concern to him right now. At the moment, his main priority was assisting Russell with capturing that little brat, Incubus.

xXx

Eve sighed in relief as the door closed behind her, dropping the Goat Head on the floor. It squelched a little at the impact, but she chose to ignore it. Now was not the time to worry about aesthetics. She looked up to the birdcage expecting Jimmy to be flying around again but frowned in disappointment when she saw that the bundle of blood and feathers was still the way it had been before.

"Don't look so disappointed." She looked down and yelped as she realised that she wasn't alone in the room. Someone was sitting on her bed, shrouded in darkness. Through the haze she could see a pair of black demonic horns similar to Satan's, though the left one was broken off at the end. Behind the figure two batlike wings flapped every few seconds, disturbing the mist around him. And finally there were the eyes. The two, glowing red eyes which shone like beacons, aimed directly at Eve.

"Sorry, did I startle you?" He sounded genuinely sorry, despite the fact that all he'd done was make his presence known. If anything, it was Eve who should have been sorry for reacting so dramatically. "I apologise; this is my first time doing this kind of job. Usually I'd be on the front lines, but now isn't a time for fuss."

"Who are you?" she asked shakily, causing him to snicker almost sinisterly.

"The name's Azazel. Satan sent me," he explained. "Like I said, this is my very first time doing this kind of job."

"Do you mind?" Eve motioned towards the smoke filling the room. Azazel sighed, waving his arm. Instantly the dark aura dissipated into nothingness, as she took a sigh of relief. "Oh, god. Why the hell would you do that? It definitely didn't help with the atmosphere."

"Sorry," Azazel said again, his expression apologetic. Now that she could see him, she realised he looked pretty similar to Satan in his appearance. He was a lesser demon. Sort of like her, when she transformed. "I'm not very experienced at controlling the Maw of the Void. It sort of has a mind of its own." Eve shivered, expecting the dark mist to pop out of the shadows at any moment.

"How did you get in here?" she asked him. He held up a yellow remote with a single circular button in the centre, a short antenna sticking out the top.

"I used this stupid thing. Teleport 2.0. It takes you to a random place you've never been to before. You've got no clue how long I spent zipping around the world till I ended up in this facility. Usually this would be Apollyon's job, but his void has a pretty long cool-down time." Eve raised an eyebrow at the device, then flickered her gaze back to Azazel.

"So, what's the plan?" she asked. "Run out and kill everyone in sight?" Azazel chuckled at her suggestion, shaking his head.

"No. First we find your friend Lilith's room. Satan had his guys do some research. Supposedly, she possesses the Box of Friends." He smiled when he saw the look of realization on her face, before continuing. "Yeah, it wasn't hard to figure that out. It's a relic of incredible power, capable of replicating small creatures with celestial energy. When we found the signature, we knew what it was before we looked."

"So, why do we need the box?" Eve asked, as Azazel rose off the bed and began to pace back and forth.

"I brought a Car Battery with me. If I plug into the Box of Friends, it should double its effect." She looked at him, clearly confused.

"The Box of Friends is powered by electricity?" she wondered out loud. Azazel gave her a small shrug.

"Seriously, what isn't these days?" Eve sighed, looking back up at the bird cage.

"Do you know why Jimmy hasn't woken up yet?" The demon looked up at the lifeless body in the cage, frowning.

"Can't say that I do. Placing a soul back into a dead body never reverts the creature back to its usual self. The resurrection can also take long periods of time. Speaking of which, I used to have a Rotten Baby friend. But then one day it accidentally flew into an active volcano and got incinerated."

"Ouch."

"Yeah. Can't say I feel sorry for it though. Always was a little fidgety." Eve leaned against the wall, sinking down onto the floor. "Anyways, we use the Box of Friends to duplicate Incubus a bunch of times, until there's enough of them to cover us. Since you've already made your Devil Deal, then you'll be able to help out a bit." She twitched nervously but didn't comment. "After that, we grab your friend and I'll teleport us to Sheol."

"…Alright." Eve realised that Azazel has opened Jimmy's cage, the door swinging even in the absence of wind, reminding her that Azazel's Maw of the Void was still with them in the room.

"You ready?" he asked. She gave him a shaky nod, to which he responded by walking to the door and holding out his hand. Suddenly a red beam of light expanded in a ring, demolishing the wall. There was a loud cry, before the sound of piercing flesh was heard. Azazel's laser had hit its mark.

It wasn't long before the klaxons sounded, warning every wraith in the building that there was an attack on the facility. Eve followed the demon out of her room, gazing around in wonder. Bodies lay strewn aside, limbs dismembered and pools of blood flowing from their open wounds. Expressions of fear and shock, plastered on each of their faces. Azazel stood in the middle of it all, his red eyes glowing even brighter than they had in her room. He turned to face her, a manical grin on his face.

"Get ready," he warned, as wraiths flooded the corridor on either side, surrounding them. "Let's kick some mortal ass."