Second Class Citizens ((Freckles&Bec Teri))

Elise nodded hearing why the children were all living with her in the run down building. The town would never accept halfbreed children and were hesitant to except a traveler for a few days let alone runaways.
"So this colonel...he can help with our case?" She asked following behind Max as they headed into the building and she gave one last look over her shoulder at her car.

"I hope so. He's the only one I can think of that was actually there who would know what came before. If today is a good day we should get some decent information out of him." Max said a little uncomfortably.

"And if today isn't a good day?" She asked but her question didn't get answered. They were shown into a room the walls were painted dark and some areas of it were covered with graffiti. She stopped and noticed an older man who was standing by the window. "Is that?"

One look around the room and Max was concerned, but he nodded to Elise. He took a step towards the man with his hands up at chest level, "Mizar..." The man turned around, he looked confused for a moment but then rage filled his expression before he changed form and attacked the pair. Max growled as he charged the older demon, but he didn't change form. Max's only thought was to keep the Colonel's attention on him until he came back to his senses. These breaks from reality were becoming more frequent, and unlike the human populace, medication did nothing to help Demons. On the other side of the gate, Demons in similar states were executed, but over here they could hide their affliction by simply hiding themselves.

The fight was surprisingly brief, and although it seemed that the Colonel had the upper hand, having pinned Max to the floor under the claws of the seven legged black vaguely spider looking form he had taken, Max had managed to keep the entire altercation as far away from Elise as he could. The Colonel leaned his head down and growled at the Demon he had by the throat. "Who dares disturb me!"

It took some effort on Max's part to get the word out, "Uncle..."

"I have no nephews!" The Colonel spat, but he let up pressure on Max's throat.

"Yes you do. Ocig is my sire..."

A change came over the older Demon almost instantly. He stepped back from Max and took Human form once more. "Damn it boy, Announce yourself! How many times..."

After a few grateful gasps of air, Max sat up. "You did not give me time to, Mizar. Besides, who else of our kind would come to visit you and maintain a human form when you unleash your rage?"

"Only you are stupid enough, I will grant you that." The Colonel held out his hand to help Max back to his feet. "Who have you brought with you?"

"Elise, this is the Colonel, Mizar Dabnis," Max introduced as he rubbed his throat, "Mizar, Elise Trembley."

"I apologize for that display you just witnessed, I... my mind was somewhere else..." Mizar said with a bow.

Elise was pushed back and fell on to her backside and she rested against the wall. She shook her head a bit dazed and confused as to what was going on. Before her mind could process what her eyes were seeing Max was on his back with a...a MONSTER CHOKING HIM? Resisting the urge to scream she heard man speaking to it. She she stood gaining her legs back.
"Max?" She asked cautiously as the creature moved off of him and transformed back into a human and assisted Max to his feet. Cautiously she moved over to him and nodded her head.

"Oh,no one was hurt so everything is okay, we all have those days that we want to jump at the first person we see." She laughed "We're here hoping you can help us, or in the very least point us in the right direction." She said and looked at Max figuring it was best to let him talk.

Max was impressed she hadn't run screaming from the room, he cleared his throat, but before he could speak Mizar tilted his head to the side. "If you have come to me I sence a parallel was found?"

"Suspected parallel. Doctors have been going missing and turning up... Changed."

"Catatonic? All vitals showing sound bodies but no mind?"

"The ones who aren't dead, yes."

Mizar shook his head, "No. That is not possible..."

"Uncle, what? You know what's causing this?"

"No."

"Lying does not help the situation. Something like this happened before, I know it did."

"Yes."

"And you know what it was?"

"Yes."

"Then why could the same thing be happening now?"

"Because we killed it at the end of the War boy. It is not possible for the beast to strike from beyond the grave."

Elise looked between the two of them. "I don't understand so what's happening to my town HAS happened before, and you're saying that you killed the thing responsible long ago. If that's the case then it must not have been killed." She said folding her arms across her stomach.

"Please tell us everything you can about what happened the last time." She said reaching into her bag and pulling out a small recording device. She brought it with her to just about every meeting she went to, and this was no exception.

Mizar sighed and walked over to a section of his room that appeared to be a cot, pushed up against the wall out of the way. "It was late in the war, we had not picked up on the Sousa's activities until then because there were more pressing problems to deal with. The Ugala and the Fressa were killing humans by the millions, who would have picked up on a few dozen here or there?"

Elise nodded "That makes sense. Like a serial killer choosing victims who would not be missed. This monster went unnoticed simply because so many humans were being killed. Demons didn't bother to look at the cause of their deaths. Now it's different though. We need our medical personnel. There's a mystery illness spreading rapidly though the city. In just a week 10 people have fallen victim to it, and two have already died." She explained and moved over to him. "I think the two are connected. And Max agrees with me."

"Sousa are not overly intelligent creatures. The one we tracked down just got lucky. Sousa do not discriminate when it comes to the souls they eat."

"Souls?"

"Just because you do not acknowledge the existence of a thing does not mean it does not exist Nephew. Every being has a soul, and most can survive without one. Whatever is attacking your medical personal young woman, seems to be devouring their souls, the very essence of who and what they are. If this was a Sousa then you would have more catatonic bodies. They have one purpose, to eat, at least once a day, everyday. They are practically exint in Paea and only the one made it through the gate during the war. The beast we killed could not have survived let alone laid low all this time. They do not have the mental capacity to do that, that is how we tracked it down in the first place."

Max thought for a moment, "Is it possible someone got their hands on one?"

"You tell me Gate Guardian. Have you let any Shaza through with a blue suspiciously cat like creature on their person? The Sousa that came through during the war probably hitched a ride with someone, they aren't intelligent enough to convince someone to invite them through."

"Not through my gate then. There would have been a record, we don't allow pets through the gates."

"These creatures cannot be controlled Mazir, that is they're nature. And even if this was a Sousa related attack. Far too many of the doctors are dead. A fully grown Sousa rarely kills the host of the soul it's eating."

"What if it were a young one?"

"Impossible, Sousa may be unsophisticated beasts but they protect their eggs and young like no other race. The only reason they are not yet extinct is we could never find their nests. For some one to have found a nest and removed either an egg or a Sou they would be heavily scarred at the very least. Although they rarely use them, Sousa do have some very nasty claws at their disposal."

"Demons can steal souls right? So it's possible we're dealing with one of your own?" Elise asked walking over to the cot and took a seat. She set her purse on her lap and pulled out her file. She flipped through the pages and pulled out a few picture clipped to a file of the person.
"These are the ill. Could they have had their should taken?" She asked handing the files to the colonel for him to look at.

Both Demons shared a look before Max turned to Elise trying not to look insulted, "Not all Demonic races steal or have uses for the human soul."

"These people who have fallen ill, I highly doubt their souls have been removed. That's not how it works my dear. The different races do different things of course they do, however our particular race, the Shaza, we are shape changers. That is as far as our race's skills extend. We have no use for anyone's soul, human or otherwise. Now as for a Shaza being responsible for this illness, if one shape changed into a virus, I suppose it's possible, it would be what you call suicide however." Mizar said patiently, "You must not fault her her ignorance Mazir, your sire and those other idiotic bureaucrats decided humans didn't need to know the difference between the races, or our role in the war."

"And of the other races, can anyone create an illness such as this?" Max asked ignoring his uncles last statement.

"The Ilnari can, but even one would cause far more devastation then this. The Ilnari were responsible for most of your epidemics that way. Black Death, Spanish Flu, you name it. Some idiot invites a Ilnari over and populations are decimated. During the war however, your human scientists were able to synthesize antidotes rather quickly to combat the Ilnari illnesses making them all but impudent in the war. Besides," Mizar started.

"My gate isn't the only gate in this sector Uncle, my Guardians wouldn't have let anyone but a Shaza through."

"If we are playing the anticipate what the other is about to say game, then I will say no, even a very young Ilnari would be more devastating then this."

Drusilla walked in with a tray of tea things, "What about a halfbreed?" She asked as she set the tray down on a small table not far from the cot.

Mizar watched her for a few moments, "Yes, I suppose that is theoretically possible. We were not the only race to breed with humans."

Elise rolled her eyes. She didn't mean to insult them, surely they understood that. In the very least the older demon did.

As the conversation carried on Elise was relieved when Drusilla brought in a tray of tea with a few snacks on it. She was pretty sure the snacks were more for herself and Dru as she recalled Max not eating breakfast that morning.
"A half breed? What would we even look for, if the culprit is a half breed?" She asked reaching for a small cucumber sandwich on the tray. She popped it into her mouth and followed it with another and another and then two cookies. One would assume that she was simple hungry but the truth of the matter was that Elise ate when she was nervous as well, and the situation she was now in certainly made her nervous. Maybe I've gotten in over my head with this.

"Would you mind telling me something, if it's not likely for a demon to be doing this at least not one of your kind could a human be behind this? A witch maybe?" She wondered reaching for another cookie.

"Not necessarily, if you're dealing with multiple half breeds literally anyone could be the ring leader." Drusilla shrugged.

"Easedropping were we?" Mizar chided, although his tone was more amused then anything.

"Of course Father, did you really expect me not to?" She asked rolling her eyes. "As for spotting a halfbreed, that depends entirely on which race of Demon they hail from. Shaza half breeds like me are the hardest to spot most of the time. Some of us can shape shift, some can only change certain features, all appear human in our natural state. I have five young half breeds in my care, three of them are Shaza decent. The other two are Fressa and Galacti respectively. Sandy has red fins he hides in his hair, a pair of thick leather arm bracers and his jeans, these fins are typical of the Fressa. So spotting one of them tends to be easier. Jada has bright blue hair and the uncanny ability to fit through the tiniest of spaces, both features are common among the Galacti halfbreeds. I suppose the easiest way to spot any halfbreed is actually the way we age. How old do you think I am?"

Elise listened carefully to all that was being said. She sighed heavily and turned to look at Max.
"Max. What are we going to do?" She asked leaning back on the cot.

"Gather more information and figure this out." Max told her, "I did not start this investigation thinking the answer would easy to come by."

"No, you can't do anything the easy way," Drusilla said rolling her eyes.

Mizar snorted, "Says the woman who is running a makesift children's home and hiding her damaged Demon father in an abandoned school house."

"Easy is boring, puzzles are less so. Given what my father expects of me, heading this investigation does seem to be the best way to transition to that position."

"You already have a theory don't you?" Drusilla asked suspiciously.

"I might, but it pertains more to motive then perpetrator. It almost sounds as though someone is trying to rekindle a war, which begs a question I have no answer for." He shrugged. "I cannot see who would benefit from a war."

"Perhaps you are over complicating the issue." Mizar shrugged.

"You think so?"

The older demon nodded, "Until you have solid evidence connecting these incidents, treat them as three separate issues. Form theories around facts, otherwise you are likely to miss what's right before your eyes."

Elise nodded and wiped her mouth one final time and then stood up and checked her wrist watch. "We should get going, I'm expecting a guest this evening and he tends to get fussy when I'm late." She said with a sigh and then turned to Mizar and Drusilla. "It's nice to meet the both of you." She smiled

"Drusilla, if you ever need help running the place or need anything for the children please don't hesitate to come to me. I can help."

"What I need is funding, but I've been turned down for it no less then fifteen times. I'd settle for having this building hooked back up to the main lines, both power and water. Max helps with supplies when he can but I imagine that avenue is about to dry up."

Max opened his mouth to deny what she implied but Mizar stopped him. "You will hardly have enough time to slip away when you don the Governor's mantle boy, surely you see that. Stop trying to delay it, we both know it will not change his mind."

"I can hardly be blamed for trying, I am not a politician."

Elise nodded and pulled out her notepad writing down exactly what she asked for. "I can't make any promises but I give you my word I'll do everything in my power to get you what you need." She said with a smile and then waved to the elder demon. "It was nice getting to meet you." She said with a smile and left the room. She headed back to her car a little ahead of Max thinking about all she now knew and had learned. Even though Drusilla probably doubted Elise she really was going to do her best to get her what she needed. But that was hardly her top priority. The meeting was insightful but Elise still felt like they were at square one.

Max nodded to his Uncle and cousin and followed Elise out of the building. He'd come back later and get a better idea of how the kids were doing. Dropping off supplies and checking in with the Colonel were the only real priorities of this trip. He didn't know if it was hopeful or not that his Uncle didn't think the incidents were connected. But it did give him a starting point. Keep it simple. So, starting with the fields, although Elise may see it as counter productive, was probably the best place to start. It certainly had the best chance for a quick solution. And then they could move on to the doctors, and hopefully that would shed some light on this illness sweeping the human population. Still the more he thought about the symptoms, the more he had the sneaking suspicion he'd heard of them somewhere before.

He looked the car over as carefully as he could as they stepped out of the building and started towards her car, but from what he could see, the vehicle was in tact, which meant for once the kids actually listened to him. It was a pleasant surprise. Drusilla didn't condone stealing, or the various other ellicit activities the children got up to to bring in money, but she had a don't ask, don't tell policy. She didn't ask, they didn't tell. It wasn't the best policy, but it seemed to work for them.

"So where to now?" She asked sitting in the drivers seat and started the car. She then placed her bag in the small backseat and the let the car run for a while before she put it into drive and began to head back towards the town. "The meeting it was...insightful." She said with a slight shrug of her shoulder. It was insightful. She had learned a lot about demons, and parts of her town the citizens kept from her. Elise had only been living in the town for about two years now, and there were still things she was learning, but it was good the she now knew about the makeshift home for the children and how she could help them.

"Meeting with the Colonel usually is. Believe it or not, that was a good day for him. The children know to stay out of his wing on bad days. I'm not sure if my father even knows he's still alive. He and Drusilla moved there originally a few decades ago after her mother died because the location was ideal for concealing what my people refer to as a damaged Demon. The children, the original six, were already living there. Only two of them are still under Dru's care."