Parley
"To the scientist there is the joy in pursuing truth which nearly counteracts the depressing revelations of truth."
Consciousness came back slowly, first it was an awareness of her own existence followed moments later of the sense of touch. Soft cotton and a sort of comfortable warmth that only came from a bed, it had been a few weeks since she had slept in anything like a proper bed.
She stretched and reveled momentarily in the comfort. It was short lived as a pant of pain blossomed from her ankle and side. Memories came flooding back next, causing the calm feelings to ebb like water running through her fingers. She wasn't safe here.
Her eyes, still heavy like the rest of her body, opened with some effort and she saw the cause of her wakeful state. The man from earlier, the other guy from the sewers.
Eric turned slightly hearing a small groan from the figure on the bed and rebalanced the large bottles for the IV stand and a handled box thing momentarily before setting them down on the nightstand by the bed. Seeing her eyes open he smiled warmly.
"Hello there, good to see you awake." He said his tone was genuine, as if he had been worried about her. "how are you feeling?"
Again with effort stopping her eyes rolling and pulling her back into sleep Harri focused on him. "Tired…" she said honestly. Instinctively she tried to sit up but found herself hampered by the restraints once again. She stopped her attempt allowing herself to sink back into the pillow.
Eric was nodding as if he had anticipated such an answer. "Well that's to be expected. Don't worry I promise I won't be long and then I'll let you go back to your rest. You can ignore me and go back to sleep if you'd prefer." He said with a small smile as he reached up to unhook the now empty bottles from the stand.
She turned her head and watched him as he worked briefly then cast a glance at her as if checking if she had indeed gone back to sleep.
"Do people often ignore you when you're helping them?" She asked, her voice slightly croaky from sleep.
"Perks of the job sometimes." He said with the same small smile. He replaced the bottles with new filled ones and began changing the tubing over. "The good news is we finished the blood transfusions. The bad news is your blood test results do indicate an infection so you're getting a more specific dose of antibiotics to help with that." He tapped one of the bottles with a slight tinge of yellow to it. "I'm Eric by the way I'm Doctor Morrow's assistant. I don't know if you remember?"
She nodded and this seemed to please him.
"I didn't really thank you properly for your help in the sewer. That was rude of me. So thank you."
"Thank you for helping me, the other guy, Morrow, he said you resuscitated me."
Eric looked mildly sheepish for a moment. "I had to, couldn't just leave you there like that. It was nothing, I'm a paramedic, it's what I'm trained to do."
He stood at her side now looking down at her, the fair eyebrows over blue eyes pulled together in a frown. "You're still fairly flushed. This will help." He began fixing the tubing that went into the back of her hand.
"Will you untie me?" She asked holding as still as she could while he worked.
He paused in fixing the line that went into the inside of her elbow. His expression became hard but sympathetic. "No, I'm sorry. You have to do what the Doctor says so until he says otherwise you need to stay like that. If you're uncomfortable I can try and adjust things for you?"
"I'd like to turn." She sighed and gave her shoulders a slight stretch as far as the belt across her chest would allow. Her expression was mildly pained. "Or even sit up." She added hopefully.
The blond man looked sympathetic again. "I'm sorry…" he began but was interrupted by a gruff voice from the door. It wasn't loud at all but still somehow cracked through the room like a whip.
"Unbuckle the chest restraint and loosen the wrists Eric."
Eric turned to look at direction of the voice as Harri strained to follow suit. She didn't really need to see to know that the dark haired man in the waist coat and white coat was back. The sense of his aura flooded the room as he entered properly and approached.
As Eric began to unbuckle the Stiff leather, Morrow addressed her girl directly.
"Harri." He said, using the name she had given and waited until he knew he had her attention. He surveyed her slightly glassy eyes as she turned her head and glanced at him. "There's a containment spell on this room. A fairly powerful one at that, and bound with your DNA, if you try any magic, anything at all, anything, you'll get a massive retaliating blow in the form of an electric shock. This will both be painful and likely to cause damage. Now, since I'd rather not have to add that to your already rather extensive list of medical needs I'd suggest you don't attempt it. Do you understand?" He raised his eyebrows at her. After a brief pause, the girl closed her eyes and nodded once.
Good girl. Morrow thought. let's see what you do with a small level of trust shall we?
Eric straightened and stepped back from the bed and she found herself able to pull her wrists together. She absently rubbed the skin around the leather cuffs that remained in place. Her legs were still bound but she was able to shakily push herself up into a sitting position. She swayed slightly and Eric's hand steadied her.
"Easy, you've been through a lot. Let me help you, just say if this hurts too much. Don't want you pulling your stitches." He said and reaching around her pulled the back of the bed upwards.
Harri gave a small groan of pain as her side ached at the movement but it faded quickly. What was more concerning was how exhausted she felt. Blood magic, the sure fire way to land someone already in trouble in even deeper trouble it seemed.
Eric reorganised the pillows behind her, producing an extra one from what seemed like thin air. Gently he helped guide her back into them and made sure she was supported.
"Do you feel faint?" Eric asked, a note of concern evident as he stepped back to look at his handiwork.
She shook her head but closed her eyes against the disorientation she felt.
"You sure?" Eric asked again.
She opened her eyes to find both men, one on either side of the bed looking at her. The Doctor had found a chair from somewhere. He now sat at the bedside, within reach of her but unspeaking as he watched the whole thing progress. As Eric stepped back he held a hand out expectantly, watching her.
Harri blinked at him.
"He wants your wrist." Eric said helpfully with a slight smile as Morrow gave him a glare.
"Oh!" Harri said, her cheeks warming for reasons that had nothing to do with her current body temperature. She held her wrist out as requested. The restraints pulled to the edge of the slack they had been given.
Morrow wrapped his index and middle finger around the pulse point, pushing the leather cuff down slightly to do so. He watched her for a moment then produced a gold pocket watch on a chain from his waistcoat and watched that instead.
"You don't have to be embarrassed." Morrow said without looking up at her again.
Harri frowned, bit her lip and did not respond. She instead waited patiently. After all there was little point in arguing with him right now, all that would do she reasoned was prove his theory about trusting her right. The outcome of that was they re-secure her to the bed. And make escape plans infinitely harder. She thought.
After a minute the doctor released her and replaced the watch in his pocket. Again she brought her wrists together and rubbed, as if his touch had burned her.
"So, How are we feeling today?" He asked
"I'm tired. How are you feeling?" She said before she could stop herself. Stupid! The little voice inside her head told her.
One of Morrow's eyebrows quivered but he didn't answer her, she shrugged and tried for nonchalant. "What? you said we? I assumed you meant everyone." She said and looked at Eric who smiled at her comment. "How about you Eric, how are you feeling?"
The paramedic bit back a chuckle but did grin. "I'm fine, thank you for asking."
She felt the corners of her mouth quirk in response and decided that in different circumstances, she may have come to like Eric. There was something distinctly…wholesome about him. As she looked at him, for a split second she could have sworn she could see a golden outer layer around his normal aura. A sort of Haloing effect. She blinked hard but it was gone as quickly as it came.
Morrow continue to watch her as she spoke to Eric. She was pale, flushed and glassy eyed but lucid at least in some sense of the word. He felt his eyebrows knit together however when she seemed to zone out, staring at Eric. The Doctor turned his attention to the Paramedic who also wore a frown.
Great, just when we were trending to normal. Morrow thought to himself then stood from his chair. He leaned over her and she snapped back to the moment, tensing automatically at finding the Doctor looming above her. But all he did was place the palm of his gloved hand above her forehead a few seconds then onto it a moment.
He held his hand on her forehead and made a tsking sort of noise then removed the hand. "You can relax." He told her, "As I said before, you're safe here. I'm your doctor. I'm not going to harm you." He reiterated and turned his attention to the other occupant. "Eric, I think another dose of antipyretic is warranted and some Lemonbark tea would probably go a long way to help our friend here. If you don't mind."
The paramedic nodded. "Of course. I'll be right back." He turned towards the door and then paused a second as if unsure it was safe to leave the two of them alone together.
"Thank you Eric." Morrow said, folding his arms and settling himself back in his chair. He watched the girl who watched him right back. Shaking his head slightly Eric left.
When the door closed behind him, Morrow spoke again. "You don't believe me." Statement not question.
"I don't believe you about what?" Harri asked.
"That I'm not going to harm you."
"Again, word choice. You won't intentionally harm but you may hurt me?"
Frowning, Morrow shook his head. "Semantics, why would I hurt you?"
Harri shrugged. "You're a mystic, you have your own reasons for what you do."
Uncrossing his arms Morrow gave her a palm open gesture. "The Hippocratic oath forbids Doctors from harming their patients; it's like rule 1. I was a doctor long before I became a mystic."
She shrugged as though that changed little.
He sighed and was quiet a moment as if contemplating the best way to approach her. When he spoke again he seemed to be changing track.
"How are you feeling today, besides tired? Any nausea?"
"No."
"How about your pain levels?"
"Tolerable."
"I can give you something for that if you'd like."
"I'm ok just now."
He nodded once. "It'll take some time for you to heal fully. While you're under my care if you are in pain or feel unwell in any way, I expect you to tell me."
"Why wouldn't I tell you?" She frowned at him, confusion evident on her features.
It was Morrows turn to shrug. "I'm not used to having my in-patients so articulate and calm. Most of the time they are either hysterical or unable to tell me anything or downright unwilling which I assumed you'd be. Truth be told I was half expecting you to have attempted something the second the restraints were released."
"What's the point? Your warning was fairly clear what would happen."
"Again rational thinking isn't always high in most of my patients list of priorities."
"That must make your job very hard and fairly lonely."
Despite himself Morrow gave a small smile. "At times. How about you?"
"Me?"
"You're by yourself. Don't you have a partner or someone with you? Someone who might be looking for you we could contact to let them know you're safe."
She looked at him warily, then shook her head. "No one. And before you ask, I haven't got any friends around Arkham either, I just got into town a few days ago. So in short, no one would miss me if that's what you're getting at."
Morrow sighed again "Look I don't know how else to say this to get you to believe me but I'm not interested in doing anything to you. I'm trying to help you. Can you ignore the fact that I'm a mystic for now?"
She stared at him and he gave a sigh and rubbed his hand over his dishevelled hair.
"This isn't getting us anywhere. So, How about you and I make a deal?" He asked.
The girl raised her eyebrows. "A deal?"
"Yes. A deal."
"What sort of deal?"
"Simple, I'll give you what you want, you give me what I want. We both benefit. And if you promise not to cast spells at me I'll promise not to restrain you again."
"I'm still restrained." Harri replied with her expression now slightly wary again.
"A little, for your safety but I can easily undo those restraints too. Or I can make it worse." He shrugged. "I assume you don't need your hands to cast so putting you in a straight jacket wouldn't really make much difference but it is a potential avenue if needed. Worst case scenario I simply keep you sedated."
"But you want information from me so you won't do that." She said.
Clever girl. He thought again and nodded once, a slow sort of motion that was both an affirmation but not hurried. A nod that said He could wait if necessary.
"You don't have anything I want." She continued.
He opened his hands again in a half sort of shrug gesture. "Maybe, maybe not. I have medical care, which, want aside, you are in need of. From what I can tell, and I'm a decent judge of character, You're not stupid, you know as well as I do that you were both injured and sick before you encountered me. If I'm hazarding a guess I'd say before you even got to Arkham and got yourself involved in the Sewers"
She blinked at him "Your blood tests showed inflammation markers and Nure-onna venom residue. I recognised the bite wound." He elaborated
She said nothing so he continued. "Those things are only endemic in Japan, which is where you must have been to receive it. The wound itself is at least two months old but It takes three full moon cycles for the venom to be completely out of your system and for the symptoms of it to pass entirely even with the correct anti venom which I'm assuming you managed to get or brew?" He looked expectantly at her "because if not that's a totally different issue…"
"Yes I got the anti venom at one of the temples."
"Good. But regardless that tells me you were probably already suffering from fever at least. Headaches too most likely, flu-like symptoms maybe. There was prior blood loss, some fairly bad bruising and tissue damage and some breaks and cracks that all required attention. Your leg being only one example." He held his hands up "Now, I will admit in treating you I made your situation worse at first but, in my defense I suppose, you were already at the point of mass system collapse anyway. Ironically me nearly killing you and having to force start your immune systems probably saved you in the long run."
She looked down at the blanket and didn't respond.
"Why didn't you get yourself help?"
A small shrug and quietly Harri said "I told you I just got to Arkham and it was like a Mardi Gras of monsters…"
"So you went to town killing every monster you could find? Forgive me but that's moronic."
"No!" She said looking up and glowering fiercely at him. "I found some things that needed to be dealt with immediately. You had a hell of a vampire problem for example and some other things…By the third day I was exhausted and slow… I got hurt."
Morrow waved his hand in the air in a go on sort of gesture.
She sighed feeling her temper flare slightly at him. It must have shown on her face because he said "I'm just trying to understand the events that led us to meet. Try and keep calm. You'll make your fever worse if you get yourself worked up too much."
Again Harri sighed and tried to recall what had happened. Her mind felt a bit fuzzy and it was slow going.
"Like I said, I got hurt. Didn't really have much choice so I went to the ER. They were busy…more than I've seen in some ERs in some huge cities by the way, and the guy at reception gave me some paperwork and told me to wait."
She closed her eyes tiredly. "So I did, I sat and I waited. About two hours in and the place is packed. With patients and relatives and staff and demons."
Morrow gave a small start "Demons? At the hospital?"
"Yeah…the sort of normal background things you know."
Again the man blinked at her. "Like what?"
"I don't know!" She said exasperated " The normal sort of stuff half departed souls, things that look human that feed off of pain and stress. Things that don't look human lurking in shadows."
"And you just watched them?" He was a little incredulous.
"They are everywhere, all the time I can't go in disrupting things that are normal. There needs to be balance. So long as they aren't an imminent threat to peoples lives. Besides I was a little distracted."
"You see these things all the time?"
"You don't?"
A few seconds of silence followed while the doctor searched her face, his expression unreadable. "Go on with your story." He eventually replied without answering her
Harri sighed "Fine. Eventually as I'm sitting there thinking well this isn't exactly great duty of care now is it, the police came in with a guy in restraints."
She moved her own wrists as if in example. "Not the first one of the night so you know, not too interesting."
Morrow inclined his head as if he had dealt with his fair share of such people and understood what she meant.
"Yeah that's what I thought too…until, until he starts going off his head about monsters and Demons attacking him in the sewers."
"Not uncommon for people in the ER to be raving."
"Raving no probably not but specific comments about demons and shadow and also the fact he was dripping with thalmic residue."
Morrow considered her again and nodded. "Ok so then what?"
"They sedated him and took him back away from the waiting area. One of his friends or work mates I don't know followed and spoke to the woman at reception for a few minutes then the cops and then he came and sat by me in the waiting room. He was pale and shaking, he had burns on his arms wrapped in gauze…I asked him what happened…he told me… so I left."
"That's when you ended up in the sewers?"
She shook her head. "That's when I ended up in the water treatment plant. I back tracked into the sewers and found a nest of those things. I watched them for an hour or so when they discovered me. I was fighting them off, the pincer caught me by surprise. I managed to put a patch on it and was going to retreat when some reared up and raced off. The fluctuation in your shield is what pulled me in after them. I followed and got there in time to see them attack you guys..." she trained off and shrugged as if to say 'and you know the rest."
Watching him Harri then added "how about you?"
"Excuse me?" Morrow blinked at her.
"How did you guys get down there?"
A sly smile turned the corners of the Doctor's mouth. "You're quick aren't you? Fair enough, we were on a different type of investigation tonight when we uncovered something unexpected…"
As Morrow explained their coming to the sewers Harri listened without interruption. It didn't take him long and when he was done There was a moment of silence between them as Harri considered both his words and the room around her more closely.
It was clean, white walls and ceiling, dark wooden floor polished black. The bed frame was made of metal, painted white and chipped in places at the foot where the chart about her hung on the clipboard. The white bedside table and the IV stand along with Morrows chair was the only other furnishing in the room. Spartan maybe would be the word to describe it.
That's where the hospital room feeling ended and the cell feeling began. The light in the high ceiling above them was built in and encased in a mesh metal cage. The heavy door with its observation window had no handle or opening mechanism from the inside and there were no windows. The black box with the blinking red light, also in a mesh cage and out of reach even standing on the bed, told her she was being watched continuously too.
But she was warm and dry and the white sheets and green blankets were clean and crisp over her, the mattress comfortable and pillows behind her full. She leaned back into them, her muscles stiff and grateful for the moment's relaxation. A pang of pain blossomed from a few places then faded again and she winced as the padding took more of her weight.
It must have shown more on her face than she realised, because the silent figure in the lab coat stood again, producing another stubby syringe from his pocket. He picked up her IV line and without thinking she instinctively grabbed his wrist to stop him.
Morrow froze, her hand around his wrist. His immediate reaction was to pull back from her but he paused in this when it was clear that no attack followed the action. Instead he looked at her face. Tired, worried eyes looked back at him, pleading almost and comprehension dawned like a switch being turned on in his head.
"It's medicine to help the pain but I promise it won't make you sleep this time." Her grip didn't lessen and instead of pulling back he took a small breath and relaxed under it. "You have my word." He said meaningfully.
Slowly, she unclenched her hand and released him.
He waited a moment then slid the nub of the syringe into the line and emptied it. Disposing of the syringe he looked at her again and pulled the stethoscope from his lab coat pocket.
"I'm going to listen to your chest." He said. Again it wasn't really a question but this time he did pause for her nod before he placed the instrument over her heart. He listened to the thunderous beating a minute then removed the device and folded it back into the pocket it had come from looking contemplative. After another few seconds of pause he leaned over and released the rest of the restraints across the bed. They came off with a creak and the noise of the buckles swinging down to the floor.
"Better?" He asked her.
She gave a small sigh of relief and moved her legs slightly. "Thank you." She said without thinking the gratitude in her body language and tone was abundantly clear.
Morrow stared at her, as if he had not expected that reaction at all. He pondered what he had expected, her to leap up and run for it? To cast something and damn the consequences of the spell and his warning? To call his bluff maybe and see if it would shock her. He wasn't sure but gratitude wasn't exactly to be expected from someone of the processed persuasion in his experience.
"You're welcome." He replied gruffly and automatically put a hand on the covers to draw them back. He paused again. "I'd uhh… like to check your surgical incision if you don't mind?"
That was a question this time. She searched his features for some indication of his thoughts but found him once more unreadable. Again she nodded her consent and lay back into the pillows as he moved the blankets to one side and lifted the gown she wore to access the dressings.
She shuddered slightly as the cool latex covered fingers gently probed along her side and her abdomen as he had the last time she had been awake in the other room. It was only this time that her fever fogged brain had the thought that if her clothing was gone was her underwear gone too?!
Carefully on the side opposite him she moved a hand to her hip and felt a sense of relief when she touched soft cotton shorts. Maybe not her own but at least she had something on under the gown. She felt a tad bit less exposed.
He finished checking the area. As he worked he could feel her tremble under his ministrations "You're afraid of me." Morrow's voice said in something akin to bemused wonder.
"I am not." Harri responded with the kind of indignant expression that only a teenager could pull off.
Morrow tilted his head. It wasn't uncommon for creatures he encountered to feel fear when confronted by the Witch Doctor or his sword and while part of him chastised the thought, seeing it physically manifested in the girl was slightly disconcerting. He considered her and once more wrapped his fingers around her wrist. Her pulse hummed under his grip. Frowning, Morrow said "Yes. You are. Why?"
This time she pulled her wrist back from him . He released her early enough. "You're a stranger and a mystic…" she said quietly.
"That's all?" He asked as he continued working. Replacing the dressings with fresh ones and recovering her. "Why are you so afraid of mystics without borders?"
"I've been taught that both of those things aren't always trustworthy. But here I am at your mercy."
"You're powerful. Surely that negates tales of the scary mystics." He rolled his eyes slightly.
"Yeah I can sense how powerful you are too but no, it doesn't really help me considering my current predicament."
But Morrow was frowning again "You can tell how powerful I am?"
"Yes."
"Based on what you saw back at the attack?"
It was Harri's turn to look confused "what? No…maybe…what do you…?"
"You mean right now? while we are in this room?" He asked.
"Yes."
"Right now,"
"Yes!" She said exasperated.
"Even without me doing any magic?"
"Yes…"
"You are able to sense my aura?"
"Yes."
"And the power under it?"
"I…I don't understand the difference…can't you?" She said exasperation changed to confusion.
Like her declaration of demons around them he spent a few minutes considering her words.
"No." He said after a long pause.
Harri frowned at him as if he were a particularly difficult script she was trying to translate. He bent his head and set about finishing his work on her wounds. The silence between them buzzing with unasked questions.
"You certainly are proving to be much more trouble and more interesting than I had initially thought."He said as he stepped back and sat back down in his chair.
"You and I come from very different backgrounds but we are alike in some ways. We try to help others. I can keep telling you mystic or not I'm not going to hurt you, I'm not sure how else to get you to believe me." A pant of guilt rippled through him and he felt his shoulders sag slightly, he had wanted to keep her…study her…he supposed that what he had said was still true despite this, he did want to know more about her but he didn't want to hurt her and if she wasn't a danger to herself or others in the long run he wouldn't really be justified removing her freedom from her.
Harri still frowned her mind in turmoil at his comments about sensing magic, seeing demons…. Surely he was lying, but despite that something else registered. He didn't want to hurt her… there it was, a slight word change. She wondered if he realised what he had said.
The door opened then and into the room came Eric, he carried a tray with a small clear cup of orange liquid and a steaming mug. He looked between them both as he crossed the space behind Morrow and placed the tray on the bedside.
Morrow nodded his head at the small cup just as Eric picked it up and offered it to Harri. "It's medicine for the fever, same as last time." Then he added as a thought struck him "It'll be bitter."
Remembering the medicine from before Harri motioned to take the small cup. Eric glanced at the Doctor, waited for a nod and relinquished it to her. Carefully she brought it to her mouth, no use refusing and, she reasoned, so far everything he had told her or given her seemed to have been truthful. She took the medicine and pulled a face as indeed the bitter impossibly thick liquid went down.
Eric smiled and offered her the mug next. It was warm and the pleasant smell of the tea reminded her strangely of home. She took a sip, flavored with honey. The effect was soothing, after the bitterness of the medicine it was almost too sweet.
"Those should both help with your fevers and the discomfort." Morrow said.
She gave a nod and took another sip.
"Drink it slowly." Eric advised as he stepped back from the bed.
She watched them both. The built up form of the paramedic, steadfast and waiting for Morrow's indication of what should happen next. There was an air of experience undercutting a sort of innocent naivety that she normally associated with those who had not been in the magical know-how for very long.
Morrow on the other hand was different altogether, his aura was pulsating with a sort of curious energy that seems to permeate everything else around him. He was powerful, she could tell that but where there was a new innocence within Eric there was an old experienced soul within his dark haired compatriot. It was almost like watching a living yin and Yang embodiment.
Morrow cleared his throat meaningfully. "Now that you're more comfortable I was hoping you and I could talk some more?"
"You gonna cast another circle around me while you interrogate?" She asked over her cup.
He bristled slightly but contained himself with a little effort. "I don't mean interrogate, I mean talk, so no but if I did I'd like to point out that there would be no need to cast the circle because I'd have already put more efficient techniques in place around the room."
Harri gave a small smirk into her drink and took a sip.
Morrow sighed "Look either you believe me or you don't but we were both after the same thing in the sewers, we each have parts of a puzzle perhaps we can make a whole picture together? I have my observations, you have your notes…"
He trailed off as she began to laugh. A noise that quickly turned into a cough.
"What's funny." He demanded
"My notebook…you tried to get it from ny bandolier didn't you?"
Morrow blushed slightly as Eric turned to survey him questionly "you went through her stuff?"
"So what if I did? I was looking for the notebook and some ID."
Opening his mouth to admonish the Doc further, Eric was forced to pause when the girl laughed again.
"How bad did it get you?" She asked.
Morrow scowled "Bad enough to draw blood. Nice spell work by the way, it was undetectable."
Shaking her head Harri was careful not to upset her tea. "I'd love to take credit for it but I can't unfortunately. It was a gift, the item is an antique and that spell is older than I am."
"Really? Who cast it?" Morrow asked, leaning forward in his chair.
Eric cleared his throat "aren't we getting a little off track here?" He asked.
Rolling his eyes Morrow recentered himself. "Fine.
So, tell me more about your observations. Back underground You mentioned that they act like bees. Can you explain that?"
Harri hesitated for a moment before responding. "From what I could see They seem to move in groups of three except for the scouts. If I had to guess I'd say the ones we encountered were workers."
Morrow leaned forward, intrigued. "That suggests that there may be more of them and some sort of Queen."
Harri shrugged. "A lot of creatures have a hive like mentality and a Queen so that's not new. In total there were about twenty or so of these things. The real question is how big is the hive?"
Eric was leaning against the wall opposite, his arms folded, the material of the rolled up shirt sleeves straining against the muscles in his arm. "What exactly are they? Shadow spawn in armor?"
Both Harri and Morrow looked at him "Shadow spawn?" Morrow asked and shook his head. "Forgive him, he's new-ish at this."
Eric frowned "well what else do you suggest we call them? I assume you haven't managed to place them in all of our experience and dusty tomes?"
Harri looked interested in where this conversation headed and quickly, Morrow redirected the focus away from his collection towards the question at hand.
"No. I haven't managed to identify them. How about you kid?" He asked
Harri finished her tea quietly and said with a shake of her head "No. They're like nothing I've ever seen before. I don't think it's armor however."
"Oh?" Morrow asked his expression was unreadable.
"No, I think that the metal is what they are made of. Sharp edges and glowing eyes…And they move so quickly, it's almost impossible to keep up with them."
Morrow nodded thoughtfully. " Makes sense given the nature of their attacks. Any weaknesses or vulnerabilities?"
She shook her head. "I didn't have much time to observe them before I had to fight my way out! Then rescue you both. But they do seem to be able to communicate with each other, although I couldn't understand how. The screeching maybe…"
Morrow frowned. "And they gave Penny that massive shock…" he muttered.The more he learned about these creatures, the more he realized how dangerous they could be. And he needed to find out who was behind their creation.
"Penny?" Harri asked then realisation dawned. "Oh, the other member of your team. Wait, is she ok?"
Morrow waved a hand dismissively as he leaned back in his chair, deep in thought. "Yes yes she's fine…"
He had a theory, one that he wasn't sure he wanted to voice out loud. Based on the sample and what Drew has concluded, no matter how many times he ran the thought process through his head it came up with the same answer. "I think lady and gentleman that the reason we can't pinpoint what these things are exactly is because they aren't anything."
"Meaning?" Harri asked
"Meaning," Morrow clarified "That these creatures are both brand new and man-made," he said darkly. "Someone, somewhere, is creating them."
The girl looked skeptical. "Why would anyone do that?"
Morrow shrugged. "Power. Control. There are many reasons why someone might want an army of demon robotic creatures at their disposal."
The girl looked at him, her eyes narrowed. "And exactly how would someone go about doing that? These things had thalmic energy…" she looked at Eric then "…the shadowy stuff surrounding them is the energy."
Morrow smiled. " They did, I can only assume that somehow, someone has figured out how to imbue the robotic parts with magic."
Harri leaned back into her pillows and ran her hands through her hair. It was quiet in the room while they contemplated the seriousness of Morrow's deduction.
"You know I'm right." He said, finally breaking the silence. "You know because you came to the same conclusion."
"They had life force…" Harri replied without looking at him, her voice barely above a whisper.
"But why?" Eric reiterated the question, he had unfolded his arms and was standing now looking unsure where to place himself.
"I'd have thought that obvious Eric." Morrow said "someone, somewhere in Arkham is building an army."
