Satyr Play 03 Pt. 01

Sam thought that was good advice and nodded with a smile. Besides, he was too charged up to think about sleeping.

"Where do we go now?" Brenda asked. She was still riding the high from the running and the energy she got from the magically charged and enhanced wheat field.

Sam looked to the far horizon and saw a distant flash. He reached out to take Jeannie's hand. She smiled the moment she picked up his intent through their connection. Words were redundant. She reached for Brenda's hand, and that woman held Jake's hand. They all shared a grin.

Storm chasing it was.

-=-

Colonel Crane watched in frustration as the four silver beings raced away at inhuman speeds. "Who fired his weapon," he barked.

"Corporal Yablonski, sir," his sergeant replied.

"Yablonski! Sergeant Tennison will be drilling you on basic weapons handling tonight," he growled.

"Yes, Colonel!" returned an embarrassed and worried response.

"Do we have a visual on them? Anything on the new radar tech?" Crane asked.

"Negative, Colonel. They scattered the radar too widely to get a read on them."

"Did anyone see which way they went?" he asked in frustration.

"Thataway, sir!" Yablonski said anxiously, pointing across the field.

Crane looked to his sergeant. "Get a team over to the other side of the field to find any evidence of their passing through. I doubt they're still there."

The woman rushed off to send one of their trucks to perform the search.

The Colonel walked up to the personnel carrier and spoke to the driver. "Green! You were closest. What did you get on the camera?"

The driver tapped the tablet mounted on the dash of his truck and frowned. "Just a lot of weird reflections, Colonel. There wasn't a lot of light at first, but even when we had the headlights pointed in their direction and swung the spot at them, the picture went to shit!" He tried rolling the frames forward slowly, but none showed the target clearly.

"Dammit!" Gordon snapped.

"I don't know why the camera is so messed up, but what we saw were four mirror-like silver people standing in the wheat," Green said. "One was shorter than the others."

"What were they doing, though?" Gordon asked as he stared out at the field.

One of the other soldiers from the first truck trotted up to the Colonel. "I don't see anything where they were standing, but it looked like they were picking something up."

Gordon looked at the two harvesters positioned like they would venture out into the field. The cab doors were open as well. "Get me the names of the two drivers. They might have witnessed the pseudo-clouds in battle." The team was supposed to arrive before the clouds met, but they'd been delayed as their new radar imaging tech was delivered to the airport late.

Standing next to him, Corporal Dane rushed over to the first big machine and climbed up into the cab. He spotted a photo pinned to the window. A young and happy couple, the man with a goofy smile and his shorter, thick wife beaming a blissful smile at the camera. There was another man in the background. He plucked the picture from the window. There was writing on the back. Then he spotted some sandwiches resting on the seat. He left his lunch?

He looked over at the other harvester and saw his sergeant climbing down with a lunch bag in her hand.

Dane climbed out and down and followed Mick back to the Colonel. Mick was showing him the contents of the lunch bag. There was a letter inside, a bill from the cable company, and a highlighted circle on the bill around the total.

"We have a name. Jake Miller. His address isn't too far from here." Crane said with satisfaction.

Dane displayed the picture he found in the harvester he climbed into. "This may be the driver of the other vehicle. The names Sam, Jeannie, and Jake are printed on the back."

The truck investigating the other side of the field returned, and Yablonski hopped out to rush over to the Colonel. "We found evidence of them breaking through the gate on the other side, but they left no trace on the broken gate."

Crane looked at Green. "Isolate the sharpest frame from the video showing these beings."

He looked to the sergeant. "Start doing a sweep. See if you can find anything these beings might have been here to collect. I'm taking a team with me to this Jake Miller's place to see if he can shed any light on what they saw."

He returned to his truck, and his driver moved them back onto the highway. Reaching the farmhouse only took fifteen minutes, and they pulled off onto the dirt driveway. As they climbed out of the truck, Gordon shone his flashlight across the yard, and something caught the light and reflected it back. He stopped, walked out onto the grass, and found a large thermos on its side. Close by was a set of keys and a wallet. The tattered remains of a woman's tracksuit and shredded men's jeans were found as well. Next to the thermos were two piles of clothes, a man's and a woman's, not torn but in good condition.

Crane's driver, Corporal Dulane, walked up to stand next to him. The stocky young man looked at the clothes and back to the Colonel. "They got undressed on the front lawn?"

Gordon picked up the wallet and checked the ID. Sam Lagrange. There was a picture of his cute, cherubic wife inside as well. She was shorter than the others, and it suddenly clicked in his head. "I think we may have found our silver people."

His driver found the wallet in the back pocket of the intact jeans. "Jake Miller," he read aloud. "I guess they didn't need clothes anymore?" Dulane asked.

"Look at the condition of these clothes." He paused to absorb what he was seeing. "Jake Miller lived here. The other two didn't. They probably ran here. We saw how fast they move. These clothes are destroyed. The fabric probably couldn't endure the speed."

"Colonel! We found something!"

Crane turned towards the house and saw the front door open, and Specialist Green stood in the doorway. The Colonel joined the Specialist and followed him inside. They stopped in the living room. "Signs of a struggle?" Green asked. There was minor damage on either side of the room, and in the middle of the floor was a fine gold mesh with small, dull yellow stones at the wire's intersections. The gems contained visible inclusions.

"Is this amber?" the Specialist asked.

"Don't touch it barehanded, but get it into a sample container. We're taking it with us," Crane explained, then took another look around. A tiny piece of foil was in a lunch bag on the floor. He looked closer at the shiny piece of metal and noticed it wasn't wrinkled as tin foil would be. "Put that bag and the foil in a sample container too."

He saw more pictures of the two couples. He pulled one from a frame as it showed all four people facing the camera. These had to be the people they saw. "Let's go, people, we have to move."

He went outside and looked for an address in Sam's wallet. He glanced at Dulane. "Find the location of this address for Sam Lagrange." The Corporal took the driver's license, nodded, and rushed back to the truck.

They headed to the other address once Specialist Green was in the truck with the sample container. The home proved to be a trailer, and Crane let himself in with the keys he brought with him. Inside, they found more of the mesh. A piece of furniture was broken in the bedroom as well.

They hustled back outside and drove back to the field. Once they were parked, the Colonel went to speak with the sergeant. The men were still doing a sweep of the area. Gordon dug out the picture of the four people. He gestured for Mick to join them. He showed her the photo as she'd been at the front with Green.

"Based on body shape and height, could these four people be the ones you saw?" he asked.

She looked at the image, and slowly, she began to nod. "Height-wise, they look like a match. It was hard to make out any features though, as the reflections were insane... sir."

Crane nodded to her and moved back to his truck. He looked to his driver. "I need you to get me everything available on these four people. Names and addresses of family, friends, coworkers, anyone who might offer them shelter." Dulane nodded and went to work.

Crane didn't really believe they would seek out family. He didn't think these four beings were the same people anymore. He looked out over the wheat field as he contemplated this latest development. The Glass People were odd enough, but this was something completely new. The next phase?

It had been Colonel Devlin's theory that they were looking at preliminary incursions of some kind of invasion. The people of Earth were being replaced with these alien monsters. Devlin told him they were lucky the replacements were so easily identified. If they looked human, there'd be no way to stop them. The Colonel told him they would have to act decisively to protect their country, and the world would follow their lead.

He would have to return to Washington to report this new type of invader to the Director and the other two men, whose names he still didn't have.

He frowned. He didn't like investigating unexplainable shit.

Or having to report it to mystery men.

Chapter 3

Lorelei Reichenbach, a young up-and-coming artist in high demand, sat alone at the small bar set up in the corner of the art gallery. She felt drained, disappointed, and, worse of all, lonely.

Her latest showing had been another smash success, with all three of her paintings being snapped up by collectors after a feverish bidding war. When it looked like the bidding on the third painting would result in a fight between two Octogenarians, Lorelei was forced to defuse the pressure in the room with a quiet little song she sang just under a perceptible hearing level. Her ability to control others with her singing was a new talent for her, but she was quickly learning its limits. Living in such a dynamic city with so many wildly different people, she'd had plenty of opportunities to hone her skills. She'd mastered subtle techniques for managing people around her. The biggest drawback of her new expertise was that she'd caught herself manipulating Emily, her lover.

When she realized what she was doing, it stung like a brutal slap. She couldn't forgive herself for breaking the promise she'd made to herself. The next morning, she broke up with the beautiful blonde and sent her on her way with enough money in her bank account to carry her comfortably for six months. She eased Emily's heart and mind with a song for her final manipulation. Emily had a good job, and with her skills and looks, she'd be fine. Emily wouldn't be alone for long.

The same couldn't be said for Lorelei. While she'd received many compliments for being tall, svelte, and lovely, she wasn't as approachable as Emily. A small part of that might be due to how her mood lately matched her choice color palette, dark and cool. She preferred dark blue-black lipstick, nail polish, and black eyeshadow.

It was more likely because the important people in her life, aside from Emily, had all failed her, leaving her with trust issues. She'd built a wall around herself.

She sighed as she was just procrastinating. It was time to go home, but her condo was empty, and she wasn't looking forward to sleeping alone again. She could easily find someone to warm the sheets with her, but her skin crawled at the thought of manipulating a stranger to have sex. She wasn't feeling strong enough tonight to do it without relying on her abilities.

So, alone it was.

She left the art gallery, allowing the last two employees to lock up behind her and finally go home. She turned toward the main road where taxis would be easier to catch. She walked along the dark street, humming a little song for protection. With a serial killer roaming the streets of the city at night, she was taking no chances. This particular song was unique as it turned Humans away and made them forget they saw her. For non-Humans, it caused them to stop and put their hands on their head. This identified them for Lorelei so she could speak to them to get more information about the Council. She would then make them forget her afterward.

She was acutely aware the Council was still a threat to her life, but they seemed to be hiding in the shadows. She needed to be proactive to protect herself, so she needed information.

She was walking through a tunnel under scaffolding when a large man suddenly fell from the platform above to the sidewalk six feet in front of her. He moaned as he lay on his back with his hands on his head.

Not Human.

She sang a little louder, and a second attacker stumbled to a stop behind her. Keeping her song going, Lorelei turned to see a five-foot-four woman watching her with wide, frightened eyes, her hands on her head. The woman's eyes darted to the moaning man, and her concern was clearly visible. So, they were a couple or partners, at least. The Council sent a team after her?

Lorelei gestured for the petite woman to join the man. She rushed over to her partner and checked his condition. Lorelei saw the woman relax as she confirmed there was no damage. She helped the big guy up to his feet. Lorelei saw he was close to her height but very broad in the shoulders, a powerful man. She changed the song slightly, then stopped.

"What are your names? Your real names," Lorelei demanded.

The big man blinked in surprise at her when he felt a compulsion he couldn't deny. "Raymond King."

"Eleanor King," came from the woman clinging to the man. "Though, we go by Hollings here."

"Do you work for the Council?" Lorelei asked bluntly.

Raymond looked at her cautiously while Eleanor glanced around.

"Council?" he asked quietly.

Lorelei was getting frustrated and tried to recall the name the dwarf had used. "The... Hidden Council?"

Now, both of her attackers were watching her with surprised expressions. The small woman answered. "No, we don't. This isn't a safe place to talk about that. Not talking about it is rule one."

The tall brunette glared at the two before her. "What were your intentions for me tonight?"

The couple glanced at each other briefly before they were forced to speak in unison. "Dinner."

Lorelei snarled at them. "You were going to eat me?!?"

"No, just a small amount of... blood. You wouldn't even notice, and typically you wouldn't remember," Eleanor continued, struggling to explain quietly.

It was Lorelei's turn to stare at them in surprise. She knew they were telling the truth, but the idea of being fed from was still repugnant. "You're like... Vampires?"

"We pay for the meal," the big man said with a crooked smile as he glanced at his wife. The woman looked embarrassed and defensive.

"Yes, we are. It's not like we don't recognize the distasteful nature of our dietary requirements, so... I leave a little money in the pockets of those we feed from. We don't have a choice about what we eat, but we try to make it as non-intrusive as possible."

Lorelei snorted. Why she found this Vampire couple to be somewhat charming, she didn't know. She wasn't getting her answers. They didn't work for the Hidden Council, so they were a dead end. She had to decide what to do about them. "When you aren't biting people, what do you do?"

"I'm a public defender, and my wife is a surgeon. A damn good one, too," he said proudly.

The woman smiled. "He's an excellent lawyer!"

"I'm more impressed by your ability to freeze us in place. I've never experienced this before. As we've shared who and what we are, will you do the same?" Raymond asked.

Lorelei frowned and shook her head.

"Ah, I'm sorry if I've offended you," Raymond said gently.

Lorelei was confused and upset. Her night was going from bad to worse. She'd intended to send her attackers into the Hudson River, but now, they didn't seem quite so evil. She might have felt better if she could have punished someone evil, but now?

"I don't know what I am! I do know the Council wants me dead, but I don't know why! I just want to be left alone!" she snapped, and her voice broke when she said it, as she really didn't want to be alone at all.

She closed her eyes and shook her head. She couldn't and shouldn't waste any more time. Eyes flashing open, she held the couple in her gaze as she sang another verse. She stormed off, leaving them swaying on their feet, her instructions implanted.

She made it to the main avenue and flagged down a cab.

She just wanted to put this whole night behind her.

-=-

Twenty minutes later, Raymond became aware he was leaning back against a boarded-up door behind plastic sheeting. He had his arms wrapped around Eleanor, and she was staring blankly at his chest.

"Dearest?"

She blinked, and a little wrinkle of concern appeared between her eyes. She looked up at him. "What happened?" She glanced around. "Where are we?"

"I... can't recall," he replied. He put his hand into his pocket and fished out his cell phone. He glanced at it and saw the recorder was running. He stopped it and saved the file. He held the phone up as he looked at his wife. "I think we'd better go home and find out."

"I don't think we ate tonight," Eleanor said as she looked inwards to assess her energy levels.

Raymond held her eyes. "I have the oddest feeling we narrowly avoided taking our last meal."

Chapter 4

Henry and Tish's party was winding down, and some of their guests were beginning to leave as they had plans for Sunday morning. Tish hugged Sigrid and Meixiu, and Henry walked them to the door.

"You have a lift home?" Henry asked Sigrid quietly as he pulled her to his chest. Her lovely blue eyes twinkled at his concern. She nodded.

"Camila has us using the car service. You know, I could take this monster out if I fought it," she said with a raised eyebrow and a little smile on her lips. A Valkyrie's warrior pride was a touchy topic.

"I have no doubt you would be victorious in a face-to-face battle, but we have no idea what the killer is capable of or how they fight. They might play dirty and ambush their victims without warning." He purposefully held Meixiu's eyes with his, and she dipped her eyes in acknowledgment.

Before Sigrid could ask what that was about, he took her face between his hands and kissed her tenderly. When he pulled back, her eyes had a dreamy quality, and her cheeks were glowing a fetching shade of pink.

He was having trouble keeping a look of adoration from his face. Sigrid went from fierce warrior to intensely cute so quickly! "We're still on for Wednesday night at the Met?" he asked, and her eyes lit up again as a grin spread across her lips. She nodded, and he returned it. "Great! See you at work on Monday."

He could no longer resist her charms and gave in as his eyes became trapped by how sweet she looked. She huffed with a look of exasperation, slipped her shoes on, and stepped out into the hall.

Meixiu was immediately in his arms, kissing him aggressively. He held her tight until she pulled her face back from his. "I will be careful too. I won't try to catch the killer, but if I can get a description or location, that will help!"

He nodded to her. "Please be careful. You're important to me." He gently set her on her feet, and with the flash of a bright smile, she was out the door.

Camila and Marisa were the next to leave. Siobhan, too, as she'd caught a lift with them.

"You have a lovely home, Henry," Camila said with a smile.

"I have you to thank for that." He paused as he had an epiphany. He looked her in the eye as he took her hands in his. "I have you to thank for so much more."

"Oh! Ah, well... I-you-" Camila stumbled with her words as her face heated up. Marisa burst into giggles as she watched her mother become tongue-tied. Camila shot her an annoyed look. When Henry's lips pressed against her cheek, she gasped and blinked at him as an unfamiliar emotion surged in her chest. She smiled and couldn't stop. "Thank you, Henry."