I could see the activity inside the building. Uniformed figures moving around. I tried again to get a closer look, "No," the young cop repeated flatly. He was clearly a new member of the paranormal crime division, with no idea of what he was doing. It would be good if he could be obedient.

"I need to see it," I insisted calmly.

The cop just scowled lightly at me, shaking his head determinedly, "I'm sorry sir, but I can't allow a vigilante onto a crime scene."

How bothersome. "You realize your sergeant and the higher-ups are going to authorize this anyway, don't you?"

"I cannot speak for them, but you are not currently authorized and I cannot allow you to pass unless you are."

I sighed, stepping away a little. This was frustrating. With a thought I carefully manipulated the aetherics through my mind. Impulse Burst. Nerves thundered and the world froze to a halt. 'Note to self, hammer out a proper passcode to cooperate with the police soon.'

A silky voice whispered into my ears, "You're being stalled."

'No shit. I know,' I replied deadpan, 'We just need to figure out what's been going on with these murders. It really doesn't fit the usual modus operandi. This is just bad all around.'

"It's too overt," Diary agreed, "High activity, high intensity. It's completely off."

I was itching for a fight, honestly. It's what I was good for, but the supernatural element had been quiet for the past few weeks, leaving me with little to do but shuttle between crime scenes and figure out this new mystery like a shitty unpaid PI. I glared at the cop for a moment. 'Have you contacted Echo, did he have any luck?'

"There's been no news yet..."

'Nothing?'

"Nothing."

I sighed internally. The situation could be better, but it wasn't an emergency, just yet. Keeping the fearies, youkai, undead, weres and other paranormal beings all under control really wasn't a single person job. It was a web of mutually assured destruction and commonly agreed upon guidelines, for their benefit and ours. The situation wouldn't just fall apart like this, hell, I could probably have expected the help of a few monsters, if they weren't afraid I'd just kill them afterwards.

All the same, it would set a bad precedent. One I couldn't afford to allow. There were bigger things on the horizon. I spent a moment debating with myself. It was a short conflict. I couldn't be blamed for breaching such troublesome protocols. I nodded inwardly, pulling on my aetherics reserves and opening my second eyes. I formed a cognitive body, shutting my normal eyes and closing off the twofold perception. I could feel a whispering dark close at my side.

My eyes opened once more and I turned to face my frozen body, locking with the eerie set of amber eyes upon the forehead. I let out a breath, feeling nothing fill my lungs. A quick rub of my hands, no sensation. It looked to be functioning correctly. I nodded at the pale figure of peeling paper beside my body and Diary smiled with her obscured face, falling into step besides me. We walked through the cop and past the hazard tape, through walls and wires until we were there, at the scene.

The body was mangled, it wasn't anything I hadn't seen before. But I immediately knew what was wrong. The body had been brutalized, yes, but where were the bites? The vast majority of paranormal beings preyed on humanity and the vast majority of humanity's predators hunted humans for consumption. This corpse hadn't been fed on and of course it certainly hadn't been caused by a mundane killer. There were a few potential reasons out there for this situation, but they all failed to make sense when considered with the scale.

It wasn't an isolated incident after all, but a new pattern. I stopped suddenly, glancing over at the other police officers. They weren't collecting evidence, simply stuffing the corpse in a bodybag for the coroner. I felt a sick feeling in my gut, a suspicion I wasn't sure I wanted to consider. I turned slowly to Diary, "Check with psychometry," I ordered cautiously. "Keep an eye out... for anything odd."

Diary shot me a sidelong glance, "Of course! That's why we're here." She looked thoughtful for a moment, "Besides it's me doing all the work, you're the tag-along here," she teased softly.

I smiled tightly.

"...Oh," Diary uttered softly as she worked, her cool enveloping aetherics shivering throughout the building. "OK, that makes no sense, but OK!"

"What've you got?" I asked impatiently.

Diary bit her lip. "You're not going to like this," she said slowly, looking at me for a few moments of silence.

"Tell me," I demanded tonelessly. "Quit it with the dramatic timing and just tell me!"

"Sorry, sorry. The police aren't treating this case like paranormal crime. Um, that is, they're deliberately neglecting the collection of paranormal evidence. One of them was talking to someone, it was decided just this weekend."

"That doesn't make any sense," I muttered, running a hand through my hair.

"That's what I said!"

"So, they didn't imprint the aetheric signature? Is that it?" I sighed. "We'll figure this out later, did you at least get it yourself?"

"No. That's the problem. There is no signature per se... it's only just faint enough to be worthless. They purified it."

"So what the fuck?"

"I- I have a theory," she started. "As we are aware, the south court of Little Bird has been meddling with the authorities lately, brashly daring to infiltrate everywhere they can. They tip each other off and most of them get away with nearly everything they do, plus as we know, the vampires there have some kind of hypnotic aetherics technique. It is not outside of the realms of possibility-"

"How does that connect with the actual murders? Why kill random people?" I snorted, palming my face. "Besides, that's the most cliche thing I've heard all day. Are you fucking around?" She pouted, crossing her arms. "Look, Diary, that's just never going to happen. Aetherics sensors and legitimate mind readers make true infiltration practically impossible, I mean, we probably couldn't get in without being detected. And that's fucking impressive."

"Huuuuuh, really?"

I scratched my chin, "We've never tried, but I'd guess so. Remember that time-" I paused. "Can you feel that?" The peeking sensation vanished without a trace and I frowned a little. Must have been my paranoia. "Well, whatever, my theory is awfully simple. There's a new faction in town and they have't gotten used to how things are run around here, so the cocky little shits haven't been under my boots yet."

"I don't entirely disagree... but I have a bad feeling about this."

"You have a bad feeling about everything bad," I pointed out, rolling my eyes. I gave the place one last look, "Memorized?" She nodded. "Good. We're done here."

I dissolved. Fragments of thoughts hanging between nothing but sparks and energy, before collecting together to be pulled along a current of intent and dragged back inside my vessel. I opened my real eyes once more, the world slowly recovering it's speed. I smiled politely at the officer once everything had returned to normal, "Fine, I'll be on my way then." Without another word I turned and went back the way I had come.

This had gone on long enough, all told. It was about time I started kicking some faces in and getting answers... and I knew just where to start. I'd been holding off for too long. "I'll get the others," Diary said, just about reading my mind. The solution was simple, it was just... crude and crazy. If you want to see an easy reaction, you just have to throw a rock into a pond and watch the ripples.

I felt Diary reaching out from my mind with her aetherics, the strange process mesmerizing as she wielded threads of far reaching cognitive aetherics like a master. Like strings they pulsed along and before I knew it three more presences popped into being around me.

"Sup," an ordinary pretty blonde girl in the reflection of a passing window spoke. "You called?"

The wind around me stirred up, the breeze brushing my ears as a mellow voice called out. "Master?"

My sharp-toothed shadow twisted sinuously around me, "Fuck, is it finally that time?"

I smiled darkly. "Alright everyone... Today we're going to go crash a fancy party. You guys ready to dirty some suits?"

It was an ordinary day in the shadowed alleys of Little Bird, where deep within the bowels of the city, where the monsters roamed freely... a high society club was host to some of the most powerful movers and shakers of the country. Human servants moved in polished butler and maid uniforms, serving drinks, food and other services. On the second floor, where the VIPs relaxed, a young vampiress sat deep in conversation with her kappa attendant and ghoul bodyguard. A large group of identically black suited men and women watched from the three tables across.

A buff, rugged-looking werewolf downstairs laughed so loudly it boomed through the second floor. Despite the looks of disgruntlement, nobody made a move, except for the young vampire above. A scowl crossed her delicate face, vivid red orbs glaring unnervingly down the balcony as her conversation halts. "Kandred, you dirty mutt, shut your mouth!"

By then the silence truly filled the building, if you ignored the quiet music that continued to softly play. "Hah? Is that you Elise!?" a voice dramatically shouted from below. "You bratty little bitch, I'll show you how to treat your betters!"

"You forget your place, beast. Your kind are beneath me!"

"Come down here, little girl, and I'll feed on your entrails-"

Before the two could get into a full-blown argument, a snake-eyed waiter coughed politely. "Would the guests like to continue being customers?" he asked placidly.

The two quieted.

Kandred coughed, "Ah... Elise, you aren't worth the effort."

"The same to you, mutt. I have business to attend to."

Slowly people began to relax and conversation once more flowed.

In the VIP lounge there was a sudden excitation from a particular group. The dozens of suits quickly got up from their seats, nearly in unison, a few of them murmuring into earpieces while they all unholstered pistols. Faces all carefully smooth, movements casual. A violent red-eyed stare turned their way, Elise blinking, "What do you think you're-" She was interrupted by two imbued bullets to the face, eyes dull, going still. As blood spurted from the holes in her head, the kappa screamed. The ghoul tore out his own spine with a enraged shout, falling apart for a moment before his body healed. He swung the extending spine like a spear even as bullets laid into him, catching and seemingly breaking the shoulder of one of the suits. Then it sprouted spikes, digging and tearing apart the screaming agent.

Chaos reigned above as many guests and servants ran, the security team rapidly responding with their own counter-attack. A table was tossed to block the view and the agents took cover while bullets hailed their way. An agent held out a hand for a moment, ducking to avoid a lashing spine, his eyes glowing alight with aetheric energy. A bolt of lightning bloomed from his palm in a lance, the smell of ozone, burning afterimages into eyes and warming the room. It tossed the ghoul off the first floor in a smoking heap. The agent beared a ghost of a smile, before quickly ducking back amid his fellows.

As the crying kappa cradled the vampiress, a darkly glaring waiter stepped past with a quick stride. A long serpent's tail lashed out angrily behind him and he clenched his fist, dropping the nearest agent helplessly to the ground from behind a column. Her skin took on a deep red tone as she let out a strangled noise of misery, blots of blood leaking through her skin. In moments she began to shrivel up as her vital fluids were leached from her. The cloud of blood above the corpse parted, half towards the waiter and the other glowed violet-red as it was launched like a javelin towards the main group of suits. The glowing blood exploded, tearing apart ceiling supports and balconies, throwing bodies and furniture off the second floor in energetic flames.

The waiter glanced towards the kappa, making a gesture as the blood floated slowly over. "This should suffice," he remarked calmly, loud over the cacophony. "I would act quickly, we'll need the help."

The kappa blubbered, "Thanks," she managed to get out. The blood poured down the vampire's throat like a hose, her body convulsing and shaking. Limbs switched and bullets were spat out of her skull like popcorn, the holes closing up practically instantly. Elise rose up, shaking her head wildly for a moment, before pushing away her relieved and hysterical attendant. Her face was red with a vivid blush, her eyes shining with unnatural vitality.

"Thank you, Levi," Elise bowed, "May I have the honor of fighting at your side?" She gazed out at the suits with a hungry and spiteful glare.

"Please. Let us show these humans why they should be scared of the monsters," Levi said firmly. "It has been a while since they've had the audacity to pull something like this."

They nodded at each other, sparing not a moment more as the hurled themselves into the fight. Elise spun around a corner, ears twitching as she put a fist through a woman's heart. She flung herself behind the same wall as a bolt of lightning nearly grazed her form, then reached out with her own aetherics and pulled a thread. It split into four branches. There was a curse as wood and stone pulled itself together. Hulking automata began to form and rise, charging various agents like rampaging rhinos, steps shaking the building as they moved with unstoppable momentum. One wrapped a powerful hand around the arm of one suit, who fought back with a vicious lightning-clad kick. Levi bolted for him out of nowhere, leaping and spinning through the air off walls and columns, before his tail lashed out. A cut formed at the back of the human's neck, before erupting with blood like a fountain and dropping him like a sack of potatoes.

As Elise spent a moment gloating, congratulating herself, another bullet struck her in the head. She fell like a puppet with it's string cut. The fight continued. The agents attempting to avoid Levi like plague, as each that neared was either blown up like a water balloon or drained of blood, while those that were capable of aetherics had their shields slashed through and their blood poured out by the bucket. The occasional bullet from the club's security would put down another one or two of them, forcing them to continuously retreat. As they grouped together while maintaining suppressing fire on Levi, Elise sprang up back up, clawing out and hamstringing half a dozen agents at once. Severed legs and feet scattered across the floor as they fell and shouted, shooting in panic and hitting each other or their own bodies.

The was a thump as a heavy, hairy wolf-like form leaped onto the second floor. A huge claw slammed a couple of bodies into the wall like bugs. A breath of moonlight spread out like a shockwave, rendering a couple into a mangled mess and cracking a nearby wall. The werewolf gave Elise a look of disdain, "Need a little help, little girl?"

"Kandred," she returned darkly. "That was not necessary. Don't make a nuisance of yourself." A bullet hit her shoulder and one of her golems pulped the offending party.

The werewolf let out a hacking laugh. "Allow me to save you. Put away that pride, your life is more important," he said with false concern.

The vampire scowled, "I-"

There was a boom. Every window in the building shattered. The doors bust open, more agents pouring into the building all guns blazing. The security team immediately suffered severe casualties are they were attacked from behind. A horribly burned ghoul began to stumble and shamble up after them, before slowly healing pristine. His spine weapon shot out, piercing through three agents in a row. As they turn to the new threat, he faced them alone, tanking bullets with disregard and culling them like insects. His skin took on a bone-like appearance as his big red eyes burst open, a pulsating beam of laser-like blood blasting into them and ripping through a wall, before flickering out.

Elise and Kandred struck out as one, their own groups nearly decimated and left to Levi and secuirty, as they joined the ghoul in massacring the huge gang of reinforcements. Each claw, each fist, each spine, each golem, ending fragile human lives in a constant stream. Lightning blasts would occasionally shatter a golem or knock the ghoul to the ground, stagger Kandred momentarily or kill Elise for a few moments. Even still, they went down far too fast to capitalize on it. Soon the three pause, surrounded by gore, screaming and groaning bodies. Levi leaped down from the second floor, landing casually.

"It seems-" he started, looking satisfied.

There was a knock at the shattered doors. A fair, freckled face could be made out through the cracks, hazel eyes warm and bemused. Levi recognized that face. Christopher Corona, his eyes glancing around as he stepped in. He halted before them, frowning a little, "You know, I feel a little cheated," he remarked. "You've already fought before I even arrived."

Kandred and Elise glared at him in unison, turning to face him aggressively. "You," they both snapped. They shared a uncomfortable glance, before settling with glaring at him again.

"I'm really feeling the love," he said wryly. "But I'm here on business."

Levi closed his eyes, "What do you want, human?"

"I need to know if there's anyone new in town. Anyone who likes to make messes and doesn't clean up after themselves."

"Care to eloborate?"