Sizing up the competition,
waiting for the right time to strike a chord and change your life,
It's this air and time that's bringing me home again.

Ben speaks

After much debate, mainly my argument, we all crammed into my car for the seven hour trip to Racine. I don't know about the other two, but I would much rather drive myself to a destination than be zapped there by some magician. Yeah alright it gets you there quicker but any sort of flying, I'm out.

Jesse eventually surrendered, deciding to travel with Claire and myself in my "inadequate, slow piece of metal."
It took everything I had not to hit him square in the jaw for insulting my baby, but part of that strength came from knowing he could drop my ass of the nearest cliff in a blink of an eye. So perhaps it was worth trying to get along with him, like Claire had said, it would be easier than having someone like him as an enemy.

It was awkward for most of the trip; myself driving as Claire slept on the back seat and Jesse staring out the window. We exchanged some small talk, mainly going over the hunt and the different things we had hunted through our times. I had been expecting him to have been doing this all his life, given his background but I wasn't all that surprised when he said he was relatively new to this life.

'I tried at a normal life, didn't work.' He sighed, leaning back in the passenger's seat as he folded his arms. I nodded, not really understanding but knowing why it never worked. Again the conversation lulled here and there, going from tastes in music to weapons to favorite destinations to top actresses.
'Minka Kelly and Emma Stone… dude, what sort of movies do you watch?'
'Good ones.' Jesse replied, thought the strength in his voice for his argument was weaker. I chuckled, but then pulled a face in approval
'Not bad. I originally took you for one that stuck Brittany Spears to the ceiling and fantasy posters in the wardrobe.'
Jesse shook his head, laughing slightly and I returned my focus back to the road, glad that we were getting along, or I thought we were.
'And what about you then hmm?'

Giving it some thought, I made faces until Jesse rolled his eyes.
'What, you gay and trying to lie or you love anything that is gorgeous and moves?' I made a sarcastic laugh before I made up my mind.
'Tricia Helfer and… Amber Heard.'
Jesse nodded in agreement before his eyebrows knotted together.
'Tricia…?'
I put on a show and raised my eyebrows, my mouth forming a silent gasp while he just remained oblivious to my shock.
'Tricia Helfer… number six… Battle Star Galactica?'
Slowly Jesse shook his head and I neutralized mine, staring at the road before I took glances at him.
'What sort of childhood did you have?'
'A very poor one.' Jesse countered and I inclined my head slightly to show my apologise.
'I can get that from you… what's your favorite TV show… of all time?'

Again Jesse narrowed his eyes in thought, tilting his head before he answer.
'Law and Order.'
I tried to hold in my laugh, thinking of Claire in the back.
'Right… what about cartoons? Scooby Doo, Star Trek, all the good oldies?'
'Star Trek?'
'You've never heard of Star Trek?'

Jesse looked a little startled, but I couldn't wipe the grin off my face.
'Of course I have heard of it, but I cannot say that I have watched it.' When I still didn't control my smile, Jesse frowned and folded his arms.
'I'm sorry that I had better things to read or practice than to watch a stupid TV show.'
'Oh no,' I growled, jabbing a finger at him before I reach for my coke, 'It is far from stupid my friend. One of these days we are going to sit down and watch it.' I gulped down some of the cool drink, feeling my eyes droop slightly. 'Mmm, seven-of-nine…' I sighed, biting my bottom lip.
'Let me guess, another blonde?'
'What can I say? I have a thing for blondes…' the words slowly spun around in my head before I bit my tongue hard after those words and moved in my seat awkwardly as Jesses eyes remained burning on my skin.

The awkward silence returned and I gripped the steering wheel tight, both of us silent enough that we could hear the road move beneath us and Claire soft breathing.
'I must apologise if I have made things uncomfortable for you both.'
'No!' I replied a little too loud and quick. Claire shuffled, stretching out further on the back seat and I risked a glance at her before I steeled my eyes on the road.
'No, you've made things easier, I think.'
Jesse nodded, a stupid grin on his face that dropped when I glared at him.

'I assure you I won't get in your way and if you need some alone time, you know I can just-'
'No!' I growled, a little exasperated. 'Claire and I… we aren't, you know. We're partners but we don't, we're not…'
'But you wish you were?'
'No! Yes? Shut up.' I moaned, a little embarrassed that I was acting this way. I knew I didn't have to tell Jesse, he probably already read my mind and knew what I thought of Claire.
'I mean I would love to, but I respect her more than that. She is a good person, perfect hunter. I like her, more than I should,' I admitted, Jesse watching me like he knew what I was going to say before I thought it, 'I'm not her type; she wouldn't touch me with a ten foot pole.'

Jesse rolled his shoulders, and I glanced at him, suddenly feeling threatened. He wouldn't dare would he? Just because I said that there was probably more than an eighty percent chance that nothing would happen between Claire and myself didn't mean that I was opening the door for him to try his luck. Not that I was wanting to make her miserable or anything, I'm not like that I just didn't want to see any harm come to Claire.

I had been in a war and been hunting for years and in all that time I had not met one person like Claire. So beautiful and lithe, delicate to look at but yet so terrifyingly fierce and powerful in her own way. Like a rose but only not as lame. In just a few short weeks I knew Claire and I would get along, and as much as it is painful for me to admit this to you, I saw Claire as family. I had no idea why, but something burnt in my chest; not passion or love or anything like that, it was such a friendship that I always feared I would get. I longed for it to vanish, it would only cause me heartache from a woman such as Claire but it was there to stay.

Jesse remained quiet beside me, lost in thought and I ground my teeth as I looked at Claire in the rear vision mirror, sleeping blissfully under her jacket.
'Regardless of that,' I continued, 'I still love her enough to look after her.'
'You've known her for how long?'
'Long enough that I will do anything to protect her,' I looked at Jesse from the corner of my eye, putting enough threat into my voice for him to know that I liked him, but I liked Claire more, 'from anything or anyone.'

'CDC? That's a bit risky, don't you think?'
Claire and I both paused as I helped them prepare, Jesse still in his sweat pants and tee as he looked at the badge we gave him.

'It's nothing new to me, don't worry.' Claire smiled as she disappeared into the bathroom to get dressed. I stared after her for a moment before I glanced back down at the table. We were up late all night learning about whatever Jesse could teach us about the case; the bodies, who they were before death, what was done to them but it was all just bits a pieces put together like clay. It made sense but only from an artistic point of view.

I dropped myself onto the couch, yawning, I got to sit this one out but the way Jesse nervously looked at the badge and them himself, I slowly started to get ready.

The hotel we were staying in was a bright colored cream room, the master suit. Both Claire and I had Jesse to thank for that one. Even though he didn't like to, apparently, he showed us his ability to hypnotize people or control their minds whatever and managed to score a room for half price. I hadn't been in a hotel for a while, let alone a room that probably cost five hundred a night or more.
'Dude I don't know what your stressing about.' I said as I buttoned up my shirt; 'if you can do that to people, just zap their mind and make them believe you.'

Jesse frowned slightly, patting his sandy hair into something a little more presentable. In a blink of an eye he was standing before me now in a black suit; neatening his tie and making sure his shoes were polished.
'You know, I don't think I'm going to like you.' Jesse looked a little hurt but Claire appeared and patted him on the shoulder.
'He's jealous, Jess,'
Jesse didn't seem to mind the shortening of his name and he watched Claire for a long time as she picked her badge and tucked her gun into the back of her pants. I felt a spark of jealousy, again, when Claire looked Jesse up and down as he stood in the suit, all prepared to go until she looked at me.
'You're coming now to?'

I locked my gun and swung on my jacket, skillfully tying my tie around my neck before I brushed the not so invisible creases from my chest.
'Dam right I am, someone needs to look good in a suit.'

'Agent Way, McKinley and …'
The lady looked at Jesses badge, raising an eyebrow as he focused intently on her face, giving her a charming smile.
'Lucas.'
The doctor straightened her white coat and nodded, a surprised look on her face as she looked over the three of them confusingly.

'Right… three of you?'
'He's new,' I said, stabbing a hand at Jesse who slipped his hands into his pockets, 'just showing him the ropes.'
With a slight nod, Alison turned and began to lead them to the morgue.
'I'm just surprised that the CDC is here, let alone three of you.'

'We just want to rule out the possibility that this is an outbreak of something new.' Claire said beside me, tucking some hair behind her ear as she gave me a shrug when she saw me watching. Jesse walked slightly ahead of myself, walking as though he was a proud agent of the center of disease control. We didn't even know that this thing was a disease, and Alison seemed to be wondering why we were here to begin with.

'Don't get me wrong, I'm happy that you guys are here; I don't know what to make of it.' She walked along the silver wall, scanning the names before pulling out four.
The white sheets covered the various sized bodies, one too small for my liking.
'But I don't think it is just a disease.'
The three of us stood to one side, Alison sighing as she pulled back the sheets to reveal the twisted bodies beneath them.

Claire beside me shifted, uncomfortable with the sight and Jesse more than likely mirrored my discomfort. Alison blew graying hair from her eyes, slipping on gloves before handing some to the rest of us.
'I don't know what to tell you guys that you probably can't already see. All victims have had, mass trauma all over their bodies.' She lifted one gentleman's arm that crunch as the bone fell against one another, skin blotchy and stale. 'There is evidence of… experimentation here, needle entrances here… and this…' she pointed to an odd patch of skin, if you would call it that.
'Are they scales?'
Alison dropped the arm back down and turned, uncovering the little girl.

I couldn't hide the gasp when I saw scales covering her entire body, not green like a dinosaur or silver like a fish, they were the colour of flesh. All three of use leant in, Claire in first as she lifted one of the dead girls arms, twisting it as she inspected the fine scales that enveloped the small body.
'What could cause this?'
'Some sort of degenerative virus? Massive dehydration,'
I tried to hide my scoff, knowing Claire was thinking more along the lines of a demon or monster. Jesse moved off, talking with the doctor as she showed his charts and paper, giving us the chance to snatch a sample.

Grabbing the tweezers, Claire gently pulled a few of them off, dropping them into a bag I held open for her.
'What you thinking?'
Claire rolled her eyes, dragging in a breath as she thought.
'Some sort of demon? Attack of the swamp monster?'
'We are next to a lot of water… but I thought this was to do with Zeno? Experimentation?'

Chatter behind us became louder and we quickly tucked everything quickly away, shoving the scales into my pocket.
'Well I don't know if this trip made it any easier for you.' She crossed her arms and looked at the bodies. 'Their blood is clean, I don't know what could cause this and leave no trace.'
'We'll find it, don't you worry.' Jesse assured her with a smile and the doctor began to cover the bodies.
'Just figure it out so we can get a cure, I don't want this to become an epidemic.'

Stepping out of the hospital, I pulled my tie free and ran a hand through my hair, messing it up as I leant of the car.
'All from the same building complex?'
Jesse nodded as he also loosened his tie. 'That's what it sounded like, an apartment building. At first she tested for any chemical poisoning or something like that but as she said, there was no trace of anything abnormal in their blood.'
We stood silent for a moment, Claire moving to the passenger seat. Jesse frowned at her and she winked.
'I was here first.'

'So, check out the building then?'
'Reckon Zeno is that clumsy to make that sort of mistake?'
Claire was silent in the front seat, her mobile out as she tried to find where we were headed. Jesse and I remained quiet as she asked for the address with such serious authority. We both smiled as she thanked the person and looked at us, myself starting the car.
'Right… apartment block on Tyndall Street, not far from the supermarket we passed.'

I pulled out, heading off in the direction as my mind tried to come to terms with what we just saw. I took the scales out of my pocket, handing them to Jesse.
'What you think?'
'Maybe this Zeno is like a hunter, you know, knocking these things off? I have no idea.'
'I'll do a background check later but I haven't heard of anything like that.'
With a groan I pulled us into the car park, pulling up at the back so we were secluded by some trees.
'Why an apartment complex? Doesn't that just draw attention?'
Claire opened the boot, pulling out her two 9mm guns and a machete, strapping it to her back before covering it with her jacket, only the handle exposed. I did the same and went to hand Jesse one but he just tilted his head, a frown on his face.

'Maybe not, I mean,' Claire tied her hair up, looking like she was ready to go to war, 'Random mix of people all in one cereal box. People will look for something wrong with the building or a sickness spreading. Random people off the street causes panic and the police look deeper.'
Jesse and myself raised out eyebrows at Claires deduction, who just shrugged and led the way into the old bricked building. It was quiet luckily, people trying to stay away after everything they had heard about the people that lived inside.

'So the bodies weren't actually found in the building?'
'Yes,' Jesse replied, walking quietly up the stairs behind Claire. 'All found dead in their rooms where they were last seen and all of them are different; old, young, boy, girl, healthy, illness. This guy doesn't have a type.'
One the first floor, we scanned the area, myself pulling out my EMF and scanning the corridor but it remained silent.
'What floor were they found on?'
'The girl on floor three and the other two level five.'

A few people move in and out of their homes, eyeing the three of us strangely but other than that everything was silent, deserted.
'I'll check up stairs, you guys take this one.'
Jesse and I shared a glance and Claire rolled her eyes, looking down at us from the next level.
'I'm sure you boys will be alright. Scream if you need me.'
I forced a laugh, screwing up my face but the tap Jesse gave my arm made me follow him down the hall until we found the two apartments. Yellow tape crisscrossed across their doors, but Jesse clicked his fingers, the tape falling away.

'Man I want you to stick around.'
Jesse grinned, allowing me to enter first. Again the EMF was silent and I groaned, shoving it into my pocket and pulling out my gun.
'You liking our first job together as a team?'
I was met with silence for a few moments, but then Jesse put down the picture frame of the smiling couple and nodded.
'Besides the car trip, it's nice to have some company.'

Glancing around the apartment, I was surprised to see how neat it was, clean and organized. Opening one of the bedroom doors, I sighed when I saw the cot, a family picture cracked on the floor beside a blue teddy bear.
'Everything good?'
'No.' I sighed and shut the door. A child was going to grow up without a father, never knowing what actually happened to him. I could relate and wished that there was something I could have done to prevent this, but there was no way I could turn back the clock, but I could do something about it in the future.

'Man, I just want to sit that bastard down and interrogate him.'
'Good cop bad cop?' Jesse asked, waiting for my smirk before he shook his head.
'Yeah well, even if we did get to question it, how the hell do we find it? Everything is spotless.'
With a sigh I shoved my gun away and gestured for us to move on when the front door opened. Pulling my gun out again, I signaled for Jesse to stand behind me; a man with no weapon leading the way? I don't think so.
'Claire?' I asked tentatively when everything was silent. Still there was no reply and I edged around the corner, gun ready as I stepped into the room.

The man remained still in the door frame, eyes cast down and face hidden by a mop of black hair. He looked like any other person off the street, but I could feel something different about him in my bones.
'CDC, who are you?'
The man looked up, straight through me and I gasped. Jesse stood beside me now, frowning at the man before a smile grew on the strangers face and I kept my gun aimed at his chest.
'I thought you wanted to question me?'

What is this Zeno character up to hmm? Will the new team be able to handle something as tough as this their first time? And is that some tension I can sense between Ben and Jesse...?

Love you all, please comment.
Silver-Kirin
xXx