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Causality

November 24th 3:30pm San Francisco, California...

** Topaz sat up with a groan** and placed her hands against either side of her head. Her eyes scanned the area. Simplistic wallpaper covered the right and left wall with stripes and a floral pattern on every fifth line. The song of a bird caught her attention and she swiveled her head to the right, gazing out an open window at the sky. A gentle breeze whistled through the screen. She turned to the left then blinked.

"Fox!" She leaned towards him and he approached the bed. She threw her arms around her brother and pulled him close. Fox Parker returned the hug, wrapping his arms around his sister. Topaz held him tightly for several moments then pushed her face into the crook of his neck and, in a muffled tone, said, "Thank God. Something finally feels normal."

"We were worried about you," he replied. Parker rested his chin atop of her head and stared at the headboard of the bed. "It's been almost two months," he trailed off.

"Christ, are you serious? Last thing I remember was October 7th."

Fox relinquished the hug and put his hands firmly on her shoulders. He leaned back and met her eyes with his own then cleared his voice. He took a deep breath and in a strong, masculine voice, told her, "It's been about six weeks since dad died; doctors called him patient zero. Fara and the baby are at the safe house. You and I have been staying with my friend, Karla. She's a little eccentric but she's a good host and she's definitely on our side. Dad gave her money for rescuing me before you disappeared. I helped her to move some of her belongings in this morning. We're safe here and we can train here and everything is going to get better from here on out. We have a safe house in San Leandro. We're currently on a rather swanky houseboat somewhere between Sausalito and Belvedere. South of Richardson Bay. Look." He eased from her and walked around to the other side of the bed then stood by the window. "That tiny dot in the distance is Alcatraz."

"Why doesn't it feel like I'm on a houseboat? I don't feel the sway of the water."

"It's uh... we're on a pretty large boat, Paz. It has to be really choppy to feel it list. And you're probably used to being on the water by now; you've been here overnight. It's almost Thanksgiving."

"Jesus! I've been in a coma?"

"Well, sorta... the doctor says your brain activity showed you were simply unconscious. But you were unresponsive to everything and anything. We couldn't explain it. You've been out for weeks. Today is November 24th. Yesterday you were semi-conscious for an hour or two, moving your finger and humming a little. I could talk to you and you replied to me but you were still way too groggy to hold much of a conversation. Are you feeling groggy now?"

She stared at her fraternal twin then rubbed her face again. "Uh... Jesus, Fox... almost six weeks asleep? Dad died? What the hell, is this a dream? And, Christ, what else... I'm at sea... Uhm... I'm a little in shock right now. Uh, your question, let's see, I was groggy when I sat up but I'm wide-awake now. Jesus." She brought her hands down over her face and repeated, "Jesus," again. Topaz dropped back to her pillow and wept softly. "I killed daddy. It was me."

"Whoa, hold up." Fox came back to her bedside and settled on a chair to her right. "You said the same thing yesterday. You mentioned something about a virus. Does this have anything to do with the doctor calling dad patient zero?"

She didn't say anything, she just continued weeping softly, overwhelmed by everything hitting her all at once.

Fox frowned and rubbed her forearm. "Anyhow, I called the palliative care nurse and she had a house-doctor come out to look at you. He ran blood tests and took them back to his lab then called me around seven-thirty, last night. You don't have any virus of any sort. No infections, no strange bacteria count. He compared your blood samples to the ones he took the day we checked you out of the hospital. He found some minor differences when you first left to come home with me. Strange blood counts and weird numbers but you've normalized over the last few weeks. Why do you think you killed dad?"

"Aris Falcon injected me with something and said it was going to kill daddy. Said it would only target him or something - something about needing us alive. God, and I was such a bitch; I treated daddy so badly."

"Hey! Stop berating yourself!"

She pressed her palms against her face, rubbing her fingertips against her forehead. "What if he gave me some sort of genetic coded virus that caused me to go unconscious but when daddy came to visit me in the hospital, he contracted it and it caused him to die?"

"I'm not sure if that kind of technology exists, Paz. But if that were the case then Falcon is a better... and far more dangerous geneticist than I gave him credit for... and it's up to _us_to stop him."

She pulled the covers back then winced. "A bed pan." Her eyes lifted back to the window and she sighed. "Do you remember Aunt Nicky's boyfriend? The cop guy? Well, I met his brother ...Vincent."

She pursed her lips together and took a deep breath. Fox asked, "What happened?"

Topaz swallowed down the guilt bubbling up from within. "Falcon killed Vincent right in front of me with some sort of creature he apparently created. The boy died right in my arms. He saved my life and it cost him his own. I have to find Reno and tell him what happened. Where is Falcon now?"

"Paz, slow down." Fox walked back around to the left side of her bed and sat on an adjacent mattress. He kicked off his shoes and lay back on the pillow, looking over at her. "Falcon left California. At least for now. He's somewhere in between the east coast and Europe. While you were out, Rick Peterson's body was found. Vincent's car was found and, well, everyone assumes Falcon's people killed him because the car was all smashed up. I saw Aunt Nicky's fiancé at the funeral but I didn't talk to him. He looked pretty roughed up, having just lost his fiancée and his kid-brother. I think he's drowning his woes in his job. Lots of overtime and stuff. There's something else, though. Something we need to talk about... it's pretty serious."

Topaz slid out of bed and removed the bedpan. She glanced at her brother and frowned. "Thank you for taking care of me. I'm sorry you had to ... you know, clean me up, or whatever. Give me a second, I need to use the bathroom, then we'll talk." She frowned again then added, "Where is it?"

"Just outside of this room, the first door on the right."

She left the bedroom, leaving Fox to ponder how to explain the way things became complicated. Fifteen minutes later, Topaz returned with her hair washed and her teeth freshly brushed then she walked to a closet and began rummaging through it until she found some fresh clothes. She walked back to the bedroom door and shut it then changed her undergarment and stretched, standing just beyond his sight. "Okay, what's going on?"

Fox glanced back at her then back up at the ceiling and smiled weakly. "Oh my, changing in the same room? What would Michelle think?"

Topaz shrugged back at him. "Fox... I'm not exactly ashamed of myself and you've seen me in a much more personal way if you've been changing my... ugh... bedpan. Michelle is a topic for another time. Anyway, what were you going to tell me?"

"Falcon did experiments on me last month. After all that, I got away with the help of the girl who owns this boat. She's... you'll find her interesting, that's for sure. She has the power to move things with her mind... and no, I'm not kidding."

She eyed him a moment then leaned over to pull on a pair of green socks, the same shade as the underwear. Next she fastened a matching bra. "I saw some strange stuff at Falcon's complex. Was this friend of yours experimented on, too?"

"No. But she wants to kill him. I don't know why yet but she really has it out for the guy. Anyhow, there's something I wanted to talk to you about: I developed my own strange abilities. I think it's because of the experimentation on my body. I don't like the thought of him messing with my genetics but... I'm starting to develop my own ability."

"What can you do? I want to see it."

"It's not exactly something I know how to explain," he replied, adding, "I can sorta mess with technological devices like computers and stuff, Paz."

"Seriously?"

"Well, uh, I managed to change a red traffic light to green, then back without hitting yellow. I had a headache after that, though. Karla says we should go to Vegas so I can cheat the digital slot machines. I don't know. Maybe. That's not what a Master Thief does, after all. It seems cheap. But yeah, I, uh, have been practicing by interfacing with a video game system that uses Bluetooth stacks to pair to its controller. I was able to control it, play the game - I, uh, I can control technology a little bit."

Topaz eyed him for a moment then smiled. "You have a strange sense of humor. So what about this girl that moves things with her mind?"

"It's not a joke, Paz. Her abilities include telekinesis and teleportation. I call my ability technokinesis. I'm learning how to control things like wattage and amperage in these devices. I was shorting them out when I started learning. Now I can cause someone to receive an electric shock from their cellphone at the expense of a drained battery. Eric wasn't happy about that. Maybe it will come in handy one day. I'm just... it's still new to me. And for the record... I'm glad you're safe and I'm glad you're back."

Topaz smiled in a somewhat coy manner at him then dropped onto her mattress, facing him. "Fox! After all we've been through together and you still saved my life ...again, no less. Then you were patient enough to sit through my teenage trysts with other girls. You stayed near just so I'd feel safe. You're the only man I'll ever trust."

"So what happened? Why did you go after Falcon? And, dammit, Paz, why alone?"

"Michelle." Topaz fidgeted for a moment then rubbed her eyes. "She broke up with me and I left. I heard from daddy, on the phone, that you disappeared. The night you came home, Daddy called me and told me you'd been with Falcon. Then I heard Aris Falcon and Rick Peterson killed Aunt Nichole, so I decided it was time for justice. It didn't go as planned."

"God, you could have died, Topaz. Then what would I have done? So... so what happened? Falcon got away, right? What did you do to Rick Peterson?"

"Peterson is dead; I saw his body. His eyes were stitched. It wasn't pretty, but I'm not the one who took him down. Falcon was ready for me. I got smoked... and Vincent got killed. He was the first guy since you that made me feel safe... normal. I didn't know it until he was about to die, though. He saved my life and selflessly did everything he could to protect me. I'm going to find Falcon and kill that bastard."

Fox closed his eyes then tucked his left wrist beneath his head. "All of us have tried and all of us have failed. Maybe together we stand a chance. I know that sounds a little hokey but there is strength in numbers. But he's not even in this country right now and we don't even know how to work together as a group."

"What the hell is Falcon doing, anyhow?"

"Paz, he's trying to give himself strange abilities, make his body invulnerable to injury or some such, and he's trying to locate some strange artifacts around the globe. Before he died, Dad said that the guy used to obsess over esoteric objects that were scattered all over the place."

"Like what?" asked his sister.

"Really weird stuff, like the spear of Longinus that pierced the side of Christ. The Holy Nails of Christ of Saint Helena of Constantinople. The sword of Saint Peter. The tooth of Buddha, the beard of Muhammad, and a bunch of other things. Pearls belonging to Pope Joan - which really makes me scratch my head. I saw it on the list but I don't think she was even real. Then there was some stuff that has no base in religion at all."

"Like what?"

"A power core... some sort of... crystal that came from beneath Washington DC, and some object from a space craft, a single golden page from the Book of Mormon, thought to have 'ascended into Heaven...' stuff like that. There are a few others, like a golden locust that came from France... just weird stuff. The list is fairly interesting. Falcon believes that by assembling certain artifacts, he'll be able to achieve something special. Pretty soon, it will be up to the two of us to steal back what he'd stolen and figure out what to do with the pieces to keep them from being taken again. Hide them, return them... who knows? Speaking of relics and their reliquaries, one of the most important parts he seeks is supposed to be in North Africa. A town called Axiom - I think you know what I'm referring to. God only knows, right?"

Topaz leaned back, left hand cradling her head, identical to her brother on the adjacent cot. "We can't let that goon collect all those things," she mused aloud. "If he took Buddha's tooth, Muhammad's beard and the Spear tip of Longinus, he would throw several countries into a huge war with their neighbors. One thing I've learned from daddy... that saying he used to tell us, remember? 'Time is like a river and history repeats itself,' eventually. We're talking about artifacts that would cause countries to go to war with each other, here. That, alone, is a good reason to stop him."

A third voice joined the twins. "If history repeats itself, I am SO getting a pet dinosaur when they come back in fashion!" The succubus placed her hands on her hips with a bright smile. "And just so you know, Methos likes saying that silly crap, too. So, you kids are on the team?" Karla stood in front of the closed door, a twinkle of mirth in her eye. "Yes, Topaz, the bedroom door was locked. Oh, look at you; all cleaned up and on your feet, so to speak - welcome back to consciousness, dearheart. Oh! And your panties and bra match your socks. Cute!"

"I..." she trailed off and looked over Karla. "Good god, you're stacked. And yes, I was just changing. I hope you don't judge me."

"Oh, so what. You're nearly naked with your brother. Like I haven't seen that in Europe over the last four hundred years. God only knows, the Egyptian royal line was all about that too, for a while. And no, I'm just teasing you by the way; also, I don't judge you. And, also by the way, Fox has earned my respect. And he respects you. So, therefore I respect you."

Fox glanced at his sister and frowned, lifting his hands defensively. "Now Paz, I did say she is a bit eccentric. This is what I meant."

Topaz glanced back out the window towards the water and sighed. "Awkward but fine. Miss, thank you for letting us stay on your boat but... can I have a few moments of privacy to talk with my brother? I just found out my father is dead, especially so soon after my aunt died. Plus I'm trying to find some clothes to wear."

"Say no more," said Karla with a smile. "Fox, I had no idea your twin was such a looker now that she's out from under that blanket. Toodles!" She disappeared.

"Told'ja she's strange," Fox murmured. "She has a friend staying here, too, named Eric Loupe. He's training himself to have control over shadows. I know this is all weird but... Karla is a BAMF, so I just... let it ride."

"Alright." Topaz slid off her bed and began rummaging through the dresser, adjacent to the closet. "This place looks like it was furnished and packed only yesterday."

Fox chuckled nervously. "It, uh, was, actually. We picked it up from the manufacturer just this morning to be exact."

"Jesus." Topaz peeled off a thin piece of plastic meant to protect the permanent furnishings from being scratched. Parker withdrew pants and a t-shirt from the dresser than looked back at Fox with a frown. "He's gone. Just like Vincent and Rick Peterson... Just like Aunt Nichole... Fox, our father died. I never even got to say goodbye."

"Neither did he," Fox said with a similar frown. "He was leaving the hospital one night at the end of visiting hours. He stumbled in the hallway, reached for a nurse and went unconscious right there on the spot. He passed away and Fara was... hysterical."

"Yeah right, she's probably delighted. Younger woman gets the estate - she's probably happy as hell."

Fox shook his head then returned a sullen gaze towards his twin. "Paz, she's devastated. Like, genuinely crushed. She was crying so hard that she was hyperventilating. She surprised me. I don't think she wants dad's estate after all."

"What makes you think that?"

"She put everything into our names, took the baby and went to the safe house. The house is in our name, now. The mansion. It's ours. She said she can't live there because it would just remind her of him. I know you don't want to live there because of that time when we were fifteen but... Yeah. I even put your in-house hospital room on the first floor. I know how much you hated your room; I didn't want you to wake up in it."

"I appreciate that," Topaz murmured softly. "Fara - does she know about us?"

"What, that we're thieves or that you had a traumatic experience in your old room all those years ago?"

"Nevermind."

"If you're asking what I think you're asking, then no - Fara always has been a little on the clueless side of things. Nice to our faces, of course, but yeah. Paz, she didn't even know you've decided against dating guys. But she knows you're troubled. And I mean more so than the average angsty girl with a rebellious streak. Ah well, whatever." Fox shook his head with a weak grin. "Woe is me, I'm surrounded by pretty girls that like pretty girls."

Topaz blushed furiously at the bluntness of his words. "Let's back up to Fara, please. What, uh, _does_she know?"

"She knows we're part of a family crime organization and she knows we're not mobsters. She knows there's some level of honor involved in what we do. But she doesn't ask questions either."

"Can you trust this other girl? Karla?"

Fox nodded. "Yeah, but she's one of the only ones I can trust. Look. I've just gone through several funerals, weeks of emotions weeks of you being unresponsive. I'm drained. I need to stretch. There's a gorgeous Chris-Craft out back. Open bow with the natural wood finish... Wanna go for a spin?"

"Yeah, I'd like that. Let me get dressed and find some shoes, and then we can get going."

Fox gave her a soft smile. "It's good to have you back." He approached her, despite her lack of garment, and hugged her. She pushed her face into his neck and the two held in silence.

Topaz closed her eyes but saw Vincent in her lap. Her thoughts turned to Nichole Parker's fiancé, and wondered how he was coping with his losses over the past few days. All she could do was sigh.

X

---

X

November 24th, 8:05pm PST San Francisco, California ...

** Standing across the street** from "PAGES LOST," Reno felt oddly drawn to the structure. He parked his Monte Carlo at the curb across the street, slipped out of the car and locked it. He glanced about the area, his eyes searching for answers as well as Abigail. The façade reminded him of a thirteenth century castle. The stone was sculpted to look as though it were arched and had pointed columns. The doors of black metal were custom cut in the same arch as the stone. Solid pewter handles adorned both doors, contrasting sharply from the absolute blackness of the entrance.

On each door, hung one ever-watching gargoyle with its wings folded back against its body in ominous form. Jeweled red eyes gleamed from their place deep within the creature's head, and seemed to beckon anyone that looked their way. His eyes roamed upward and took in the sign at a glance. Garnet colored and lit, it seemed as jewel-like as the gargoyle's eyes. The Inspector noticed a second level looming above him. Stained glass windows were strategically placed within the "P", "A" and "O" of the sign's lettering, scrawling the venue's name upon the wall. They, too, gleamed brightly, beckoning the unwary with a seductive, yet ancient air.

The building was free standing, hinting oddly at a feudal estate. A bell tower was perched upon its top. The tower's look was completed with an archaic bell. He had to wonder if it tolled the midnight hour, and then surmised it was absolutely for effect and theme. The structure, hauntingly beautiful at a glance, seemed to beckon its patrons to enter those dark doors. Nevada rubbed the nape of his neck upon approach. "Let's see if the inside is as awesome as the outside."

It was all that Reno had expected it to be, with the archaic theme implemented flawlessly within the fantastic building. His senses were assaulted by darkness and mystery, at times almost smothering in its intensity. When Nevada stopped, he felt curiously as though he was a peasant come to call upon the grand manor. The carpet in the entrance was red and soft under his polished shoes. Crimson velvet curtains hung, dividing the entrance and club itself. They were pulled back and fastened with ornate gargoyles, their bulky arms holding the curtains in a tightfisted strangle.

The floor was a deep, dark wood, and the walls were blocks of stone... basalt it appeared to be... of the most abysmal black. Here and there, it was shot through with the odd vein of white. At times, it looked much like lightning arcing across the sky in a thin line of threat.

At the end of the entrance hall, he looked about at the massive center room, the heart of the club. The Inspector looked to his left - the bar seemed to stretch for miles. Pewter, mahogany, smoked glass and basalt. The sconces with candles in them only added to the ambiance, and hung in countless numbers along the walls. Traditional lighting consisted of recessed lights that were barely visible, in the corners, where the walls met the ceilings, and of course, there were ornate wrought iron chandeliers. Tables and booths surrounded the large dance floor.

In addition to the sconces, there were pictures, but only behind the bar counter. Most depicted a type of gothic battle scene, though posters of classic horror movies, ranging from werewolves to vampires and witches and warlocks also found a place. In addition to the pictures, actual props and whatnot were placed in various spots: Cauldrons, skeletons and even a few broomsticks. Ax's hung here and there, along with a number of other medieval devices of torture, chains, collars, swords of various sizes and of course, more gargoyles... with their ever-watching jeweled eyes.

Reno paused, simply taking it all in, when there was a soft tap upon his shoulder. Abigail. His eyes raked over her form, appraisingly, before pushing the thoughts aside, his mind already comparing her with the perfection of his lost fiancée.

His hand lifted, taking a step back. "Please," he said, keeping his voice just loud enough for her to hear him over the ambient music, "Don't touch me. I don't need another goddamn hex. Now, let's talk."

She gave a nod, pointing to a booth with table, against the far wall. The two settled down and he folded his hands, resting his elbows on the dark wooden surface. His eyes bore into her, as if demanding answers without so much as a spoken word. Abby shifted her weight on the padded bench across from him and frowned thoughtfully.

"So, why here?" Reno said, introducing a new question to start the conversation in a less awkward tone.

"I hate this place. My people know I get strange vibes about this place, so I avoid it."

"It's only been open a few days at most. What's the big deal?"

"It used to be another club and people died here. So, yes, it freaks me out. People who know me, want me, are hunting for me or just want to make sure I'm not giving out our secrets to a gaje... well, they won't find me if I'm here. Have you learned anything this week?"

"No. I've been taken off the case, but I'll get to that in a minute. What the hell did you do to me? I'm seeing things I shouldn't. I'm having nightmares about talking to someone close to me, who may have died. I want you to make this shit stop," he demanded.

"I can't," Abby snapped. "If I could, I wouldn't. You deserve it for your arrogance. I can see, already, that it's humbling you. Besides, I need you to help me stop that man. Your little blessing will last for a while but it will wear off in time."

"I told you, I'm off the damn case," he said with a sigh. "I'm done. There's nothing more I can do. I'm sorry," he said, running his fingers up through his short, tousled bangs.

"No! You promised justice with those speeches about how someone made a mess in your city! You have to help, Inspector Nevada!"

"Just Reno. I'm not on your case anymore. I'm sorry," he said, shrugging his shoulders. "Look, I wanted to help, okay? I wanted to solve this case and find out who that man was and stomp his head in for killing three people in Golden Gate Park, but it just isn't feasible without endangering my job. And my badge is at risk because of this."

"This is bigger than your stupid badge and job."

"Don't you get it?" he exclaimed. "My badge is what will help me solve Nichole's murder down the road. Do you understand? No badge means no justice, and I need it for the bullshit ahead."

"If you do this, Reno, I will tell you everything. Not tonight, but I promise, I will tell you everything. I will even show you how to put your past to rest," she promised, her eyes pleading.

Reno tightened his lips, looking down for a moment, the indecision written across his face. Her eyes were sad, those Romanian features dulling with a sullen air.

She looked around, nervously, then frowned again. "Can't you stumble back into this case? People here sell a new designer drug. Despite people knowing that, no one has done anything about it. Can't you go after the club owner for distribution charges? Please, anything."

He stared down at the table for a moment. "All right." He ran his fingers back through his hair then nodded with a sigh. "I can't just walk over there and arrest anyone. I need to contact someone from Nichole's old team at the DEA and give them a lead. If they break the case, it may lead them back to Nichole, or even back to Robin Silversmith, which leads back to her daughter - and that becomes homicide, me, and then that gets me here officially. This sort of thing takes time, so I can't rush it. But I'll do it. Let's go over to the bar. I need a drink. You can tell me what you know, hmm? Don't hold anything back. Any little detail might help me get the case moving forward again."

He slipped from the booth and the two made their way back across the dance floor, back to the bar counter. Behind the bar, a cute little thing with blue hair leaned up on the countertop, a deviously sultry smile painted across her face. Her nametag read "Krys".

"Yeah, gimmie a coke and jack," Reno said, turning back to Abby, who slid up onto the stool at the bar. "So, what's to tell?"

Abby sighed and began her story. "The three in the park: put them together and you get a map that was tattooed, spread out across the backs of all three men. Side by side, you know. Whoever did all that, killed the gypsies, they marked up the map to cover their trail better. Understand so far?"

Krys Monroe turned to Reno with a glass of coke with a shooter of Jack Daniel's Tennessee Whiskey. "You mean the gypsies in the Golden Gate Park? I heard about that stuff, real mess."

Reno's eyes narrowed, suddenly not trusting the girl. "What do you know about it?" Abby's eyes went wide, turning her head to the bar tender as well.

"Only what's in the paper, relax." Krys smiled, reaching to pat Abby's cheek. The gypsy shied back, raising her eyebrows. Krys leaned forward, playfully licking her lips at Abigail. The gypsy shuddered, turning back to Reno with a pouting frown.

"So anyway, go on," Reno said, tilting his head, paying Krys no mind.

"The map takes you to a half of a seed. The other half is in Europe. When connected and fused, they form a seed from the fruit of what we believe to be... the tree of knowledge and power, good and evil, truth and deceit. The fruit from which we have learned sin. They say that good and evil needs to remain in balance. God initially had put this balance into a simple tree, so we would be a sin free species, do you follow me so far?"

"I think so," Reno said. "Harmony comes from balance. So God put a balanced portion of good and of evil into a tree with fruit, right? So, go on," he added. At the back of his head, he began to wonder why he was listening to this mess in the first place. It was becoming convoluted, but if it led to the killer... then so be it.

"...Which is why that man did what he did," said Abby, drawing Reno back from his reverie. "Follow me so far?" She glanced at the bar then back up at the Inspector. Reno simply nodded.

Nevada rubbed his thumb against the side of his index finger to refrain from drumming his fingertips against the bar. 'If the gypsies believed this crap, then I've gotta know what's going on to put the pieces together,' he reminded himself. If three people were killed over their beliefs, he had to know everything to solve the murder. Even if it meant listening to her version of the Bible. But his mind began to wonder again, finding it difficult to focus on her oddball story, along with the distraction of loud music in the background.

"...Scary thought, I know," she said with a firm nod. Something about celestial beings and Lilith, Adam and Eve and a bunch of other stuff, which brought her back to the bit about the Garden of Eden Tree.

The Inspector rubbed his forehead. "I thought the forbidden fruit was just a metaphor for inappropriate sex?" Reno asked.

Abby shook her head slightly. "No, the serpent did seduce his way into Adam and Eve's pants, so to speak, but there really was a tree that bares fruit. When you hear about the forbidden fruit, you're talking about the sex. When you hear about the apple, there really was a piece of fruit similar to an apple. It wasn't an apple the way we know of apples, but the fruit was real. It grew along the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers, not just in the Garden of Eden. But God chose just one tree to become the object that would house the balance in the universe. It's had dozens of names. Yggdrasil was my favorite. But the Norse mythology got confusing by also referring to the Mímameiðr and the Læraðr, which were supposedly different trees or possibly part of the same tree, but the more you learn about them, you realize that it's just a confused version of what happened to the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil."

"You're acting like this is all based in fact."

"Every myth is just a twist on the take of what really happened. Take the Garden of Hesperides. A grove of immortality-giving golden apples grew, and that drama caused the Trojan Wars. Whatever. Many people tell various tales of a magic tree with magic fruit at the center of a magic garden, which was under guard and had something to do with a religious character representing 'Ruler of the Cosmos.' No matter how it gets spun, those are the base details of every-freaking-iteration. In Indian mythology, the Kalpvruksh Tree can grant any wish. Every one of these mythical trees is rooted in historical fact to some degree if you go back far enough. Nobody got ALL the details right because no one was there to document it properly. And in every mythological garden, there is a tree. What we have to protect is a seed from the fruit of that tree."

"Okay, yeah, I have no idea what most of that even means. You kids and your Wikipedia, I swear. Now, I haven't been to church in a while, but I thought God kicked out Adam and Eve after eating this fruit, and barred them from returning to the Garden of Eden so that they would NOT eat from the SECOND tree, the Tree of Life, which would have provided immortality, and that tree was known, by the Norse mythology, as the Yggdrasil. Two trees. But you're telling me it was all one tree?"

Abby watched him with his drink then shrugged. "You're talking about oral story telling that was passed down from about eight-to-ten thousand years before the birth of Christ. Details got skewed in some cultures. However, one group of people retained every detail perfectly because they were tasked with guarding the seed. Adam caught the seed in his throat, thus the term 'Adam's apple.' But it's deeper than that."

"So, the dark man I saw in my vision wants what they know?"

"You see, Inspector Gaje, Adam coughed it up later and tried planting one of the seeds but the tree disappeared mysteriously while being tended by Adam's son, Abel. Personally, I believe that Abel sacrificed the entire tree to God on an altar of fire, and that is the reason that God favored Abel's sacrifice over the one offered by Caine. Because Abel was good enough to return the tree back to The Creator, where it belonged. You know that old saying, 'Sins of the Father' right? That was the first. But anyway, there was another seed from that piece of fruit, which Adam kept and quietly passed down through his third son, Seth. Okay, so, you look like you're on the verge of getting lost, here."

Nevada shifted on the barstool. "So some jerk wants this fraction of a remaining seed, or possibly the whole seed, who knows... and then this creep kills a few gypsies, lays them face down in the dirt and reads the map off their backs. Next, he dices their backs to make the map illegible, and then takes off. Is that about the long and skinny of things?" Reno asked, folding his arms across his chest. "I didn't know that gypsies were Christians."

"Not all of us are, but it doesn't matter; that's like thinking all Americans must be Christians, or all Indians are Hindu. Some chosen gypsies were made as guardians over these seed fragments, so that they're never planted. So that the power of God cannot be studied or harnessed by mankind, as it would eventually fall into the wrong hands. We're made to be guardians because we still have the natural ability to tap into our human powers, our magic. I opened up your mind so you're using more than the five percent of brainpower that the rest of mundane society is using," she explained. "It makes us better able to protect the seed. What we, as people, do with those special abilities determines how history remembers us... as villains or heroes."

"So not everyone who has abilities, the likes of these guardian gypsies for example, is a good person. Right?"

Abby shook her head slowly. "No, some are quite evil. Like the man who killed my three friends."

"I need to find that guy. I saw him standing over Vincent and Nicky's bodies. I have a lot of questions for that dude."

Krys reproached the two, blowing a kiss at Abby before turning to Reno once more. "Your friend has an interesting imagination, cop. And so do you."

Reno furrowed his brows, tilting his head somewhat. "Cop? How did you know I was a cop?"

"I used six percent of my brain and figured it out," she said with a giggle, before turning back to Abby with a grin. "And you need to shut your mouth, girl."

"Mind your business," Abby shot back in reply, turning back to Reno, who took a drink from his glass, then downed his first ounce of whiskey. "Reno, this lady is a moron. Can you see through her?" she asked, tapping against her temple.

Reno turned his gaze back to the lush looking bartender and tilted his head. "I guess so. She's crazy. She's also rude for interrupting our conversation. So," he said, with a smirk, eyeing Krys Monroe. "Shut the hell up, or I'll take it out of your tip."

Krys smirked and added, "Fine. But from what I read in the paper, the gypsy case was closed. Stop beating a dead horse, cop. And if you can't learn to talk to me with a bit more respect, especially since I own this club, I'll have some of my bouncers kick the shit out of you two." She saw their flat expressions and replied by laughing in their faces. Those silvery peals of laughter were grating on Reno's last nerve.

"Speaking of Apples of Discord... Listen, dyke. I'll make it simple for you. If you don't leave us alone, I'll_kick the shit out of _you. Dig, lady?" He curled his toes and tensed up, never having threatened a civilian before. He thought about apologizing but couldn't find it in himself to be nice to the woman.

Something about her rubbed him the wrong way. His thoughts briefly turned to Vanessa Silversmith, the little dead ghost girl. He recalled her mentioning something about a woman at this bar with blue hair, selling Robin Silversmith the drugs.

Reno folded his arms and smirked at Krys. "So... Tell me this: How does a bar that only just opened have so much money? You obviously haven't been established long enough to draw in patrons, you don't charge at the door, even though you probably should, and the alcohol prices are evenly competitive with everyone else in the area... you selling drugs, lady?"

The tender snorted and stomped her left foot. "Fine. Be that way," Krys muttered. She turned to walk away but not before glancing over her shoulder and casting another saucy wink at Abby. "But remember this, kids. You've insulted me. That alone will come back and bite you in the ass." Her threats went ignored.

Reno turned back to Abby and frowned. "Look, this is real simple. I have a job on the line, which pays the bills; it makes the day go by. I'm not trying to get into trouble. All I can promise is that we'll see what happens as it unfolds okay?"

"I'm sorry; I thought you were one of the good guys, Reno. I thought you cared," Abigail Chase murmured with a frown.

X

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X

November 25th, 9:01am, PST San Francisco, California...

** "Reno! Get in here. NOW!"** The Captain shouted from his office door. Reno was sitting at his desk, typing up the finishing touches of a new report. The details involved the missing ten year old murdered by the estranged mother. Another case closed. Another point for Reno. The report went on to explain that he traced the drugs that were found on scene back to some bigwig guy living in downtown San Francisco, who was an unofficial suspect in the murder of Nicky Marie. The report suggested the new trend drug, gaining popularity at the local nightclubs, might have been purchased at Pages Lost, the new gothic club.

Nevada lifted his dark brown eyes and gazed across the room. Captain Sanders shuffled back inside his office. 'What the hell now?' The Inspector rolled his chair back from the desk and stood to the side. He removed his black blazer from the back of his seat and slid the sleeves up each arm and over his shoulders, purposefully delaying himself to clear his mind. He fixed the blazer's collar then the inspector took a brief moment to run his fingers back through those thick strands of raven locks, before he mushed on, trudging along the carpeting.

As Reno passed several fellow detectives, he was given one of 'those looks' from each; something was obviously up. Somehow, everyone else seemed to know about it but him. Once Reno made it to the frosted glass with the Captain's name on it, he straightened his shirt and turned the knob.

The inspector stepped through the doorway. He turned back and pulled the door shut behind him.

"Reno... I thought I told you to lay off that damn gypsy murder case? Didn't I make myself clear?"

Nevada's brows scrunched together as he moved towards his boss' desk and took a seat in front of it.

"Yeah. And I have," he told his Captain.

Well, he had intent to peek into it, but only if something just happened to came his way, really.

"Oh yeah?" Sanders replied. The Captain picked up a manila folder from his desk and tossed it across, into Reno's lap. Nevada turned it about and pulled the top flap open.

Several large black-and-white snapshots slid into his other hand. Photos of Reno... he paused to scrutinize then frowned. The photographs depicted him having a meeting with Abby Chase at The Lost Pages.

The same Abby Chase who was the lead witness to the gypsy murders. The same Abby Chase who currently had two warrants out for her arrest and was thought by the rest of the department to have fled.

'Fuck.' He mouthed the word but didn't vocalize it. "Actually," he stared at the top picture for a moment longer then looked up at Sanders and said, "Actually, I can explain this one, boss," Reno protested.

"Well that's just too damn bad, Reno. You know why? Because I don't want to hear it. As of right now, you're on two weeks suspension. IF by some chance you just happen to go poking your nose into this case just ONE more time, I'll have your God damned badge. You got me, Nevada?"

"What a load of bullshit!" Reno stood, throwing the folder back across the desk to the Captain. The photos flew out and scattered over the desk; some fell down to the floor. It was obvious someone had set him up. He only went to talk to Abby about this damn curse, which had more than earned its name... a curse.

Nevada balled his hands into fists. "Who the hell did you have following me?" Reno demanded. "And why? IF they had heard the conversation, they would have been able to tell that I specifically told her that the case was closed. Not only that but I was casing the joint because it's where the drugs came from that caused the lady to kill her kid and not remember doing it. So I'm in the right! Abby just _happened_to be there."

This time, it was the Frank Sanders' turn to throw a tantrum. The Captain jumped up from his seat, slamming his fists down onto the desk. The veins in his forehead pounded against the flesh, and his eyes were wide with rage.

"Well that's just TOO GOD DAMNED BAD. THE DECISION HAS ALREADY BEEN MADE. And frankly, I'm glad! I never did like you. Trigger-happy brat who thinks he's tough shit and can get away with anything so long as he solves the case! Well maybe now you'll learn that we all have rules we must FOLLOW. And you just have a habit of getting in the damn way."

Reno's brows lifted. He gave it a moment, for Frank's little speech to register, then said, "The way? Way of whom? I've got more commendations on my record than most of these assholes that have been here twice as long as I have. I don't see how solving a damn murder case can be classified as getting in the way."

Sanders scoffed, "Reno, you have exactly FIVE seconds to get out of my office and out of this building or I'll have your ass thrown down in lock up. I'm sure you'd get along just fine with the twenty perps waiting for transfer down there."

Not that the threat_intimidated him, but the Inspector did turn to leave. Fact was, had he not, Reno probably would have slugged the guy. Then he _really _would_have been thrown in the cage with nearly two-dozen perpetrators.

Reno opened the door leading out of the office and then slammed it behind him. Everyone in the room quickly turned, acting as if they hadn't been listening. The suspended inspector clapped his hands twice. "Nothing to see here. Back to work, people." Reno took a moment to adjust his coat, before moving right through the maze of desks, heading to the elevators. He mashed down the arrow button and, not soon enough, the doors pulled apart. Reno stomped inside the lift then turned around and jabbed his finger into the ground floor button.

"Well," he said aloud but finished the thought unspoken. 'I now have two weeks to find out two things: Who followed me that night, and who felt I was '_getting in their way'. Something tells me this is going to get interesting quick._' He took a slow, deep breath and the elevator doors opened on the first floor. He walked past the front desk officer with a sun-shiny smile and, in a cheery tone, announced, "To hell with this place."

X

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Next Chapter: https://www.sofurry.com/view/557935