"Hilja Dwerryhouse had been at the site of Saira Embla's initial battle with the Dirge. She was found shortly after the attack was reported by one of the civilians involved," Evadne Gibb took a second to step around her desk, deftly gathering a folder and three loose sheets of paper to thrust at her co-worker, "she was treated in the C.C.M.P.C infirmary, here at H.Q, we're expecting her to give us an angle on what she saw..." The man she spoke to, haggard and pale in the yellow light cast from the panels above, nodded his affirmation, looked at the papers and rubbed at the bridge of his nose. Evadne watched him intently, a scowl set firmly on her features. Mattias Niven was about five years her senior on the force, and someone that Eva trusted with delicate matters. An investigator, much like herself, the two of them had cultivated a mutual understanding and respect during her time on the force. The look in his eyes was one she had come to understand well, as the two of them stared at each other. He was nervous, she knew, but understood that he was going to be handling the initial line of questioning while Evadne watched.
"Right, then," Mattias said, weariness turning the last word to a near sigh, as he stood, "I'm guessing she'll be sent this way, soon?"
Eva gave him a winning smile and tapped beside the door, sending it sliding open with a quiet hiss. Sterile white light poured in from the hallway, filling half her office with cold illumination. Mattias thanked her and moved through, waiting outside for a moment as she locked the door; producing her badge and swiping it across a small panel that alternated quickly from green to red before settling down. The hallway, as with much of the C.C.M.P.C's decor, shared a similarity with the pale light from above; the walls themselves pristine, without stain or seam, and unerringly 'colorless'. She never quite understood why it had to be so, but it did certainly, to her, emit the sense (and sometimes scent) of a lab...more than a Headquarters. Her partner knew the way, well enough, so she let him lead as she attempted to align her mind's eye with the potential crisis that awaited them in the coming days. Lack of sleep was always a bane for Evadne...and she felt that the future held more sleepless nights.
"Saira was one of our top officers, Matt," she started as they rounded a corner, into a longer, more narrow hallway, "and something killed her. This is going to put us on shaky ground, until we get everything straightened out." He turned and raised an eyebrow in question, letting her know that he wasn't fully 'in-the-know' about what had happened, thusfar. She crossed her arms, lengthening her gait to match Matt's stride and lowered her voice. "Saira was found in one of the tunnels that they're renovating for the Under-rail Project, on the south side of the city, by some maintenance men; Hugh Katz, Patrice Ibbot and Grayson Alvarez. We aren't sure exactly when she passed, or what caused it, but the scene wasn't pretty. Someone set the entire tunnel on fire, it looked like, in increments; so we can assume that there was a fight," Eva briefly remembered the expression on the woman's face...pure terror still lingering in her vacant eyes, "we can confirm however, that she had a run-in with the Dirge while near the Second Neon Plaza, which, if the witness reports are correct...Hilja stepped into, looking to assist. The two of them fought the Dirge and saved some people, but there was something else there..."
Mattias didn't turn to look at her, his face buried in the files, but spoke nonetheless.
"Something else? A Strega, maybe? The Dirge have been very active, lately, and I heard that-"
She cut him off with a wave of her hand. "We're not sure, yet. The witnesses that did mention this other figure caught brief glimpses of it. Miss Dwerryhouse was there with Saira, she followed Saira once this something made its self known. Details are pretty scant, so far, Matt. That's why we need to get everything we can out of this girl-"
In kind, he interrupted her, stopping just short of the room that Hilja had been brought to. "I'll do my best, Eva. According to this," he briefly pointed a corner of the file towards her, "Hilja Dwerryhouse is a B Rank Stray with no prior infractions. I can't see her being anything but cooperative." He retrieved his badge and stalled, for a moment, casting a glance around, "Has Saira's body been sent in for examination?"
"Yeah, it has. We'll know something about how she was killed, soon enough. Get on in there and get started. I'll be watching."
Matt nodded and swiped his badge, watching as the door alternated colors and finally slid open. Eva continued to an adjacent door and produced her badge, stepping into a dim room opposite the interrogation chamber. Chairs were littered about, an entire section of the wall translucent with a row of four small, inactive tablets mounted atop small spiral pillars. It was empty, she noted with relief and pulled a chair closer to the screen; leaning forward, once seated, her fingers laced beneath her chin and eyes locked squarely on the thin, partially bandaged form of Hija Dwerryhouse.
- - - -
Silence settled in, once again, followed by the rustling of paper and a man clearing his throat. Hilja didn't respond immediately, staring at the barren table in front of her; sorting out what she intended to say. "Hello, miss Dwerryhouse. My name is Mattias Niven and I understand that you might have answers to some very important questions." Footsteps, brief, and the rustling of paper. A shadow entered the corner of her vision and stopped short before resuming his stride to stand opposite her.
"I may. I was told that Saira Embla is dead," her voice was clear, but quiet, and echoed oddly in the far corners of the room, "is that true?" Directing her gaze upward, she searched the detective's face. Her fingers tensed against her knees, pain coursing through her wrists.
"Yes, miss Dwerryhouse," he lowered himself with a sigh and sat the folder carefully aside, giving Hilja a look that she could only construe as sympathetic, "she was found in a tunnel on the south side...about an hour and a half ago." Mattias produced a few photos and carefully slid them towards Hilja. She glanced down and was immediately incapable of tearing her eyes away. Saira stared back at her listlessly, her features locked into a grimace...patches of bruises ringing her throat, and a gaping hole in her chest. The amount of blood was staggering. "Saira Embla sent out an alert before engaging the Dirge, and made no mention of a Stray in the area," his voice drew Hilja from Saira's face, "but witnesses say that you assisted her, once the Dirge began attacking humans in earnest...and that the two of you defended those people. That the two of you left the scene in a hurry," he paused, looking down and opening the folder, producing a pen from his pocket, "why is that?"
"Because there were people in danger and I happened to be nearby," Hilja's exposed eye narrowed slightly, "I see that the distrust of Strays is still a hallmark of the C.C.M.P.C." Those were her own words, but they called to mind another's attitude. "Alemagna" the creature who's essence was now partially socketed into her skull called its self; and she internally shuddered at the passing thought of how deep an effect the two of them elicited in one another.
Mattias frowned, the stubble on his chin shifting with the brush of a knuckle, grunting. "I helped them because of the Dirge, not because of Saira Embla's presence," Hilja relaxed, though slightly, and softened her tone "but...I did not know what the price would be for her heroism. The thing that attacked us did not feel like a Dirge...it...it transpired very quickly...Saira noticed it fleeing south, once the civilians were safe. She-" Hilja bit her lip and shifted in her seat.
"What happened, Hilja? You were found about two miles from Officer Embla, unconscious and bleeding profusely from four different wounds. Your wrists, your ankles...almost removed," he grimaced, eyes moving between the folder and her as he spoke, "We need to know what you encountered, before you were," a silence lingered as he sought the words, "rendered unconscious."
She eyeballed Matt, for a moment, who seemed to be taking her psuedo-reluctance in stride; Hilja found that she rather liked that, along with the gnawing sense that she had started off on the wrong foot. "It was a man, I think, in a mask," the image solidified its self in her mind, "very tall, very fast. He wore a cloak of Shadow Essence, obscuring everything but...but the mask. He was fleeing, at first, or so I thought; but it was more like he was luring Saira into a trap...picking at her along the way with some kind of weapon...a..."
Mattias stared on, intently, slightly gesturing to prod Hilja along.
"A chain, topped with a curved blade about as large as my hand. Black...and without an obvious limit to range. When the blade came close to either of us, a bubble would flare up around us, a bubble composed of multi-chromatic hexagons. It broke part of it with each swing, shattering parts of the 'shell' like glass," Hilja drew a deep breath, trying to stop herself from shaking, "...I think he was attacking our souls..."
"Right, then," Mattias said, weariness turning the last word to a near sigh, as he stood, "I'm guessing she'll be sent this way, soon?"
Eva gave him a winning smile and tapped beside the door, sending it sliding open with a quiet hiss. Sterile white light poured in from the hallway, filling half her office with cold illumination. Mattias thanked her and moved through, waiting outside for a moment as she locked the door; producing her badge and swiping it across a small panel that alternated quickly from green to red before settling down. The hallway, as with much of the C.C.M.P.C's decor, shared a similarity with the pale light from above; the walls themselves pristine, without stain or seam, and unerringly 'colorless'. She never quite understood why it had to be so, but it did certainly, to her, emit the sense (and sometimes scent) of a lab...more than a Headquarters. Her partner knew the way, well enough, so she let him lead as she attempted to align her mind's eye with the potential crisis that awaited them in the coming days. Lack of sleep was always a bane for Evadne...and she felt that the future held more sleepless nights.
"Saira was one of our top officers, Matt," she started as they rounded a corner, into a longer, more narrow hallway, "and something killed her. This is going to put us on shaky ground, until we get everything straightened out." He turned and raised an eyebrow in question, letting her know that he wasn't fully 'in-the-know' about what had happened, thusfar. She crossed her arms, lengthening her gait to match Matt's stride and lowered her voice. "Saira was found in one of the tunnels that they're renovating for the Under-rail Project, on the south side of the city, by some maintenance men; Hugh Katz, Patrice Ibbot and Grayson Alvarez. We aren't sure exactly when she passed, or what caused it, but the scene wasn't pretty. Someone set the entire tunnel on fire, it looked like, in increments; so we can assume that there was a fight," Eva briefly remembered the expression on the woman's face...pure terror still lingering in her vacant eyes, "we can confirm however, that she had a run-in with the Dirge while near the Second Neon Plaza, which, if the witness reports are correct...Hilja stepped into, looking to assist. The two of them fought the Dirge and saved some people, but there was something else there..."
Mattias didn't turn to look at her, his face buried in the files, but spoke nonetheless.
"Something else? A Strega, maybe? The Dirge have been very active, lately, and I heard that-"
She cut him off with a wave of her hand. "We're not sure, yet. The witnesses that did mention this other figure caught brief glimpses of it. Miss Dwerryhouse was there with Saira, she followed Saira once this something made its self known. Details are pretty scant, so far, Matt. That's why we need to get everything we can out of this girl-"
In kind, he interrupted her, stopping just short of the room that Hilja had been brought to. "I'll do my best, Eva. According to this," he briefly pointed a corner of the file towards her, "Hilja Dwerryhouse is a B Rank Stray with no prior infractions. I can't see her being anything but cooperative." He retrieved his badge and stalled, for a moment, casting a glance around, "Has Saira's body been sent in for examination?"
"Yeah, it has. We'll know something about how she was killed, soon enough. Get on in there and get started. I'll be watching."
Matt nodded and swiped his badge, watching as the door alternated colors and finally slid open. Eva continued to an adjacent door and produced her badge, stepping into a dim room opposite the interrogation chamber. Chairs were littered about, an entire section of the wall translucent with a row of four small, inactive tablets mounted atop small spiral pillars. It was empty, she noted with relief and pulled a chair closer to the screen; leaning forward, once seated, her fingers laced beneath her chin and eyes locked squarely on the thin, partially bandaged form of Hija Dwerryhouse.
- - - -
Silence settled in, once again, followed by the rustling of paper and a man clearing his throat. Hilja didn't respond immediately, staring at the barren table in front of her; sorting out what she intended to say. "Hello, miss Dwerryhouse. My name is Mattias Niven and I understand that you might have answers to some very important questions." Footsteps, brief, and the rustling of paper. A shadow entered the corner of her vision and stopped short before resuming his stride to stand opposite her.
"I may. I was told that Saira Embla is dead," her voice was clear, but quiet, and echoed oddly in the far corners of the room, "is that true?" Directing her gaze upward, she searched the detective's face. Her fingers tensed against her knees, pain coursing through her wrists.
"Yes, miss Dwerryhouse," he lowered himself with a sigh and sat the folder carefully aside, giving Hilja a look that she could only construe as sympathetic, "she was found in a tunnel on the south side...about an hour and a half ago." Mattias produced a few photos and carefully slid them towards Hilja. She glanced down and was immediately incapable of tearing her eyes away. Saira stared back at her listlessly, her features locked into a grimace...patches of bruises ringing her throat, and a gaping hole in her chest. The amount of blood was staggering. "Saira Embla sent out an alert before engaging the Dirge, and made no mention of a Stray in the area," his voice drew Hilja from Saira's face, "but witnesses say that you assisted her, once the Dirge began attacking humans in earnest...and that the two of you defended those people. That the two of you left the scene in a hurry," he paused, looking down and opening the folder, producing a pen from his pocket, "why is that?"
"Because there were people in danger and I happened to be nearby," Hilja's exposed eye narrowed slightly, "I see that the distrust of Strays is still a hallmark of the C.C.M.P.C." Those were her own words, but they called to mind another's attitude. "Alemagna" the creature who's essence was now partially socketed into her skull called its self; and she internally shuddered at the passing thought of how deep an effect the two of them elicited in one another.
Mattias frowned, the stubble on his chin shifting with the brush of a knuckle, grunting. "I helped them because of the Dirge, not because of Saira Embla's presence," Hilja relaxed, though slightly, and softened her tone "but...I did not know what the price would be for her heroism. The thing that attacked us did not feel like a Dirge...it...it transpired very quickly...Saira noticed it fleeing south, once the civilians were safe. She-" Hilja bit her lip and shifted in her seat.
"What happened, Hilja? You were found about two miles from Officer Embla, unconscious and bleeding profusely from four different wounds. Your wrists, your ankles...almost removed," he grimaced, eyes moving between the folder and her as he spoke, "We need to know what you encountered, before you were," a silence lingered as he sought the words, "rendered unconscious."
She eyeballed Matt, for a moment, who seemed to be taking her psuedo-reluctance in stride; Hilja found that she rather liked that, along with the gnawing sense that she had started off on the wrong foot. "It was a man, I think, in a mask," the image solidified its self in her mind, "very tall, very fast. He wore a cloak of Shadow Essence, obscuring everything but...but the mask. He was fleeing, at first, or so I thought; but it was more like he was luring Saira into a trap...picking at her along the way with some kind of weapon...a..."
Mattias stared on, intently, slightly gesturing to prod Hilja along.
"A chain, topped with a curved blade about as large as my hand. Black...and without an obvious limit to range. When the blade came close to either of us, a bubble would flare up around us, a bubble composed of multi-chromatic hexagons. It broke part of it with each swing, shattering parts of the 'shell' like glass," Hilja drew a deep breath, trying to stop herself from shaking, "...I think he was attacking our souls..."