Catrina felt sick, though, when hadn't she felt sick? Her feeling of absolute calm while playing dress up had reached an anti-climax, and she was now restless. One moment she was talking to Katie the next she felt drowsy. She recalled telling her companion to excuse her flippancy, and she maundered towards her door and out, ignoring Katie's pleas, Why am I ignoring her pleas?

Her clothes felt really heavy, and she felt irritable that they were stalling her from her designated destination. Where am I going exactly?

She saw the door looming in the distance, Jack's door. A freakish thought of her being possessed into going there, made her claw at the walls to slow her down, and yet her feet calmly continued forward. Her relentless squirms came to a stop, when her hand brushed the door knob and continued down the hall, to her surprise. Then where am I going?

Her unease seemed to take away her lapse of drowsiness, but not her strength to fight what was...controlling her?

Okay the ballroom. She pushed through the lobby doors and maundered into the living space, before crossing the boards of the dance floor. Catrina glanced at the clock, 5 to 10. Her feet were now shuffling, as if she was finally gaining control, and the involuntary movements were less prominent. With fortitude she made herself stop in front of the dining tables. Her person then abruptly became aware she wasn't alone, an eerie coldness had filled the room, leaving her a sensation as she had just took a step too far and was plummeting to her death.

She turned on the spot and faced her greatest fear standing in the doorway. It felt as if she was going to meet her maker.

Jack looked...healthy?..meaning; not on the verge of death or crippled with a sweat rendering ailment. What gives? Has he overcome it, or was this...it. She remained where she was frozen as if waiting for him to answer, then he moved casually towards her. Catrina waited, her face neutral as she could allow.

His facial expression remained melancholy until a fleeting ripple of twisted gentleness passed over his aristocratic features as he closed in on her. He stopped his advance mere inches away from her, squaring his shoulders and gazing down upon her in a possessive nature which further sent chills down her spine.

It was then she smelt it. An unpleasant odour. An unrecognisable scent which had narrowing her eyes with both suspicion and curiosity. Catrina stared straight at the mockingly handsome man, and to her bewilderment the man's clothes dissolved of their colour and shape. She didn't bother to rub her eyes, nothing could be unbelievable in her life time at present. His clothes were now brown, leathery and caked in what could have been blood or mud, to her slight horror. Though what had her reeling was the face, it was morbidly morphing into another.

Her hand dropped from her lips as dread lashed through her like a bitch slap and she moved further away from the figure, scared. Her hip collided with a table behind her, though she was too distracted to react.

The now unrecognisable man had brown near black eyes, and a beaky nose, greying hair, and a slight stubble. His lips curled into a friendly smile, though his entrance made it seem less so.

"Why hello there, Catrina."

Her face devoid of expression, but her eyes alert with weariness, the man before her in his unfamiliar glory seemed content with her blankness. She cleared her throat. "Hello." She dryly replied very unsure why she had even bothered replying to someone who was obviously a threat; he displayed traits of that possessed by Jack. Two demons, fuck off!

He pretended to look around. "What are you doing in a place like this?" She seemed to have lost the ability to make conversation, and nearly gaped at his friendly demeanour. "Or as they say what's a nice girl like you doing in a shit hole like this?"

Catrina eyed the space around her as if waiting for something to sweep in to prevent her talking to him. Her sudden shyness amused him, and he picked up her hand, an action which startled her into looking into his eyes. "My dear I am only here to help." She noticed his hands were warm. "Come with me, I fear you're in great danger." His eyes were full of sincerity, she had a sudden need to smile gratefully but her commonsense made her slip her hand out of his warm grasp.

She found her voice. "Who are you?"

He smiled. "A soon to be friend."

She huffed. "I don't make a habit out of making friends so quickly, you can quit with this facade...I'm not buying it." She tried to remain calm.

"Oo I like you already, not sure if I prefer this or the quiet version. Well never mind...you're coming with me regardless." He made a move to grab her arm, and she jumped to the side.

"-Wait just a minute...I don't know who the hell you are, if you wanted me to trust you...then why would you feebly appear to me as Jack!" Her voice squawked still shuffling away.

"Because it's what you wanted."He replied unfazed, holding her now mortified gaze.

"What, what's that supposed to mean?...You succeeded in creeping me out, that's not what I or anyone else would have wanted!" Her hand fondled for anything on the table behind her as a makeshift weapon.

"We both know that's not true, you can be easily just like any other girl, in it for a cheap thrill, a devil woman waiting to drop her pants and fall at the knees of some tall dark stranger." He seemed to almost snarl, but really his eyes were just mocking, did she really come across like that?

Catrina didn't hold back her aghast, her mouth fell open and she frowned. How dare he. "If you seem so confident, why am I not swooning? I never trust anyone her touches me on my first meeting, and I never will trust anyone who speaks to me in that manner!" She managed to throw herself back so she rolled over the table right to the other side, grabbing a discarded bottle and holding it in front of her as a baton. He had darted forward as if to scratch her eyes out, the table gave her a decent enough barrier, but for how long? She didn't have long to worry about that though-

Someone cleared their throat, and it wasn't either of them. "Now now that isn't a way to treat a girl is it." Catrina almost relieved, turned her head towards the familiar voice. Jack was leaning against the opposite wall, breezily observing the scenario playing out before him. His eyes neglected her and remained on the intruder, who was nonchalant towards him.

"And now you make an appearance, you look like hell." The man alleged, Catrina now having the attention moved away from her was less relieved that she was in the presence of two possible equals, that seemed to know each other, though Jack's body language suggested some mild hostility. "Catrina and I were just talking about-."

"-I heard." Jack interrupted, clearly not interested. "Why are you here, you don't make social calls."

"This is not another warning if that's what you think, I gave you one in the bar, I'm acting on orders." Catrina glanced from one to another, hoping the tension would diffuse swiftly...and without her. Watching Jack react to this news seemed to take forever, she couldn't tell if he was confused or angry. Since neither was paying any attention to her she shifted backwards on the balls of her feet. "I'm not finished with you yet." The man called, her limbs tensed, and for the first time Jack briefly glanced over at her, she was hardly going to beg for her freedom or safety from either of them, since they were...demons.

"Didn't know you had her trained?" The man mocked, Jack's expression was blank and very calm, she felt like shaking him from his stance, she'd rather be crept out by Jack than the other. "She ain't complicated, so this will be easier for all of us."

"I don't see why this has anything to do with you, I told you what was going to happen, I'm still working, very well." Jack finished, intent of getting rid of intruder.

The man barked, then settled. "Well that's a lie, and I'm sure what you told me will please management, plus you're quota is almost full, they want the ship, then you can start again from fresh with your new occupation...it isn't hard." Catrina was trying to keep herself from fainting with fear, her eyes were focused between them, so she could see both, but fuzzily.

"You don't have to tell me...I know the score, there's no time limit. As far as I know; I'm still doing my job, it's not up to you who my victims will be." Catrina forced herself to look at Jack, again he was neglecting her. "So just go." He enunciated every word.

The man was dissatisfied, and Catrina could tell both men were bored. "I can't go till orders have been followed; it's either gonna be me or you, and since you're so reluctant-" Catrina freaked when the man speedily leapt across the table and had her in a headlock, she squirmed, thinking he was going to snap her neck instantly, but prolonged the agony by just holding her. She was looking to Jack who was just staring at them vacantly. Catrina assumed Jack was of a lower status to the intruder, and couldn't do anything. She felt helpless, and unable to cry, just struggle. "Has that hunger eaten away at your brain, or is it easier than you thought to just... let things go." Giving Catrina a little shake, this made her omit a single dry sob. "Well...do you want me to make this quick." She wasn't sure which one he was asking, Jack or her?

Catrina had automatically grabbed the offending arm around her neck, not forcing it away, but holding it to balance her and prevent it squeezing any tighter. The man in question took this as an escape attempt and jolted her, making her hair fall into her face, so she was seething and panting through strands of her hair.

Jack broke eye contact from both of them, and sighed. "I'll do it." It seemed more like a suggestion than an affirmative command. Catrina felt the tightness around her neck slacken slightly, but not enough to let her go.

"You'll do what exactly?...kill her?"

"-Yep." Eyes locking with the man cool and calculating. "Why do you sound so surprised? I'm not being out of character." Catrina could feel the rumble of laughter through the guy next to her.

"-I suppose not, but you're stubbornness is a little out of sync, it's a little unpredictable, and annoying may I add."

Catrina managed to rasp through her hair. "His annoyance unpredictable?" She was forced forward which had her tumble to the floor, she let out a harsh groan as her knees impacted. She was on all fours struggling to recover from her fall, her head snapped up to look at the intruder. "I am not just another victim, I have a life, like all those before me, and it is you that are the wasters, you come and go as you please... devour everything like locusts, not letting it grow or flourish...not giving it the chance to repent-."

"-What are you chica, a fucking nun?" She was rewarded with a single kick to the abdomen, which knocked her to her side in a huff. Catrina hadn't failed to notice Jack had remained silent. Figures.

"I...I would say I'm p..pretty damn close, I haven't sinned, unlike my predecessors, I would be the most wasted...for I have done nothing!" She was relieved to get it off her chest and unscrambled, though how pointless and feeble it was going to sound after she's been killed was making her a tiny bit more depressed than she already was. She was going to die. The man grabbed a fistful of her hair, and yanked her head back, Catrina kept her face venomous devoid of agony.

"Not a problem for us sweety, with one less like you in the world preaching; the bad eggs out there will just pile up." He kicked her again, she managed to curl up slightly before impact so she was protected...slightly.

"That's enough." She heard Jack intervene, in a very stable tone, almost as if he was implying it was his turn. "You're wasting your time, if I'm going to kill her...I'll just kill her, she ain't one of the others; she's nobodies punch bag." But yours. His voice was becoming quieter, she wasn't sure if it was her hearing or his deathly tone of voice.

She didn't want to hold herself into a semi foetal position any longer than necessary, she didn't want to look too weak. So she kept on her side, a hand in front her, her head cocked up so she could survey her tormentors, Jack was still harder to see being still against the wall, why was he still over there?

"-What makes you think I'm going to rely on you to finish the job, why do you think I snuck in

in the first place."

"You could have jeopardised my whole procedure by popping in like that, imagine if the salvagers were aboard, for someone with a century's worth of experience you're not very devious ." This response made the man bark sardonically, Catrina knew Jack took his 'procedures' whatever they were seriously and would have not liked to be laughed at, she strained her neck to see his reaction. He was straight lipped, and callous looking, almost like a teenager that had just been scawned.

"It's child's play Jack, no one uses victims to fix stuff anymore, it was a novel idea when it began-."

"-I make them what they are; greedy, before giving them the death penalty...you seemed to have forgotten the gold." Jack was starting to sound more diplomatic by the minute, and she was hoping it would buy her more time, she began to creep backwards.

"Wrong way sweetums." She jumped when she realised he was speaking to her without looking, and slightly more surprised to realise it was Jack that had addressed her but in a very dark voice, and after so long ignoring her. Great. The intruder looked over at her, this was probably the first time he had witnessed Jack address her, he swept over to her realising she was a full 4ft away from where he had left her. Grabbing her by her hair, this time she didn't hold back her yelps of anguish, dragging her not back to where she was but all the way in 2 metres in front of Jack. Through watery eyes she noticed Jack was looking at anything but her.

"Okay you've proved you have order, how were you planning on doing this?" The intruder said a matter of factly.

This time it was Jack's turn to look bemused. "What; I have to write a manifesto before you leave."

"-No, I want you to show me." Catrina's wincing stopped abruptly as she looked up at the stranger. This was worse than she could ever have imagined it, her death being some form of entertainment. Catrina didn't want to meet Jack's gaze, he had shifted uncomfortably knowing full well he hadn't intended this to happen. His hand brushed her hair, he looked conflicted, unnerving her more.

He clucked his tongue before he mustered a reply. "I don't think so, I work alone."

"Well of course, silly." The man's pitch grated both of them. "I'm not going to join in, I would if I was invited, but I don't share fuck buddies."

Catrina eyes were like saucers; that had never come to her mind, this was much worse, death by...that method. She saw Jack falter at his words.

"You thought I was going to fuck her to death." His voice was neutral and questioning. "That's what you intended to see...what are you funny or something?" Jack's pitch was on the verge of lunacy. "Why don't you get a fucking video camera, it'll last longer!" Catrina's sense of humour was completely flat in the circumstances and she felt too ill to smirk.

The intruder's facial expression was a picture, with the words 'Are you stupid?' written at the bottom. "It'd be a waste if you didn't, I mean...look at you." He gestured at Jack's dishevelled form. "You haven't fed in days...you would have done it sooner or later, except you're doing it today."

Catrina started at the same time as Jack. "Under fucking supervision." Therefore they said it in unison to their surprise, and Jack wagged a finger at her as a warning to keep quiet, she in return gave him an obedient straight lipped smile. The man observed this exchange and quizzed Jack with a dark look.

"You weren't going to do anything were you?...You were being insincere." Catrina knew they had both made an error; in a second of feeling slightly safe, it had now been stripped. His words warmed her because effectively she knew it could have been true. She peeped upwards to Jack's deadpan face which was locked with the strangers, waiting.

Jack didn't look awkward in his reply, but defiant. "No, I just don't like taking orders from you." Catrina's breath hitched in her throat.

Jack finally left the wall, and with slight empathy she could see why he had been there all that time; he was unbalanced and weak, he seemed to grow paler with every step, manoeuvring his body like a drunk. He had kept up the pretence very well when addressing, but now it was obvious he needed...sustenance, in the form of her, she swallowed sharply. He came to be toe to knee with her, and she didn't have the resolve to grace him with any eye contact. He got to his knees, well to her it seemed like he dropped out of sheer lack of energy. He grabbed her wrists in a vice grip, forcing a gasp out of her. "Jack..." She whispered guardedly. Without warning his arms encircled her in a lukewarm hug, crushing her face into his shoulder, she nearly bit him but pushed her chin out of the way for air, her lips grazing his jacket.

"That's right Jack." The stranger goaded, She grizzled at this annoying attempt to egg Jack on. Oh God Shut up shut up!

Apart from the chill of unadulterated fear, she felt a paranormal warmth emit from his body. Catrina's panic set in when she felt the side effects of what she believed to demon induced hormones, and she felt hazy, she was pushing against him aggressively trying to put at least an inch distance between them so she could slap him, but it was all just so feeble. Her voice quivered. "No Jack." She was beginning to droop. She groaned through gritted teeth as his mouth descended on her neck, she half expected him to bite down, but cringed as he drew his tongue up throat.

Then she felt someone come into her head, a dark whisper in her inner ear. 'This will have to be quick, hang on.' It was hardly comforting, neither was the surge of energy and the pulling sensation that ripped her from the earth into a spin and she was falling in a whirl of colours...then... Thud!