Strangers in the darkness

<div align=center>"Honestly I haven't a clue Lelei, I suspect that it's a more psychic thing, she... Tickles, if that's the case she's not actually invisible, she's simply tricking our brains into not seeing her"

It was just a theory of course, but Naamah thought it was a good one, the way the feline tickled her mind every time she disappeared like that sent little shudders down her spine, the lack of lights or sounds, the fact that she simply seemed to 'wink' out of existence rather than fade made her suspect that was the case, kind of like flipping a switch as opposed to turning a dial.

~

Ria on the other hand now knelt before the keypad, all Naamah and Lelei would be able to see, if their eyes were sharp enough, were the keys lighting up, the feline was studying the combinations, a soft click soon rewarding her efforts and the door swung inward as though pushed, Ria slipped into the warehouse, unseen by her new friends.

~

But time passed, a minute, two, five and the Succubus waiting was getting rather impatient her eyes were narrowing and her breathing was getting heavy and she was looking at Lelei, less as though he were a friend and more like he was a promising meal. But Naamah controlled herself for the time being, keeping her eyes on the warehouse and trying to keep her chest from heaving too much.

"This is taking too long, Ria should be back by now, what's keeping her"

And the demonesses eyes widened for a moment, she turned, looking at Lelei with a surprising amount of concern. They were after all not only worrying about what might be contained within the warehouse, they were relying on some form of device that had been provided by the Architect, something they didn't know how to replicate.

"And Ria still has the Architects toys... If she's been captured."

Lelei would doubtless be able to put two and two together without her spelling things out, if the Architects devices had been captured by whatever was in that warehouse then they no longer had any kind of plan, they had nothing to work with, nothing to go on.

"I'm getting hungry Lelei, I'm going to go check out the warehouse before I decide you'd make a better snack than a friend, if Ria is just late I'm going to tan her tail, but we need to find out what's going on. Stay here though, please Lelei, at least for the moment, you're the last set of eyes we have on us and if I wind up disappearing inside you need to go back to the Architect for another set of devices."

The succubus offered a little grin to the giant shark man then, stepping out and into the road she began to make her way towards the warehouse, unlike the catburglar the succubus was anything but subtle, she reached for the simple white blouse she was wearing, folding up the bottom hem of her shirt, the demoness was showing off her taut belly, and her tight black trousers showed off her toned legs, even though they were still, technically completely covered.

As she approached the warehouse the patrolling guard caught sight of the approaching young woman and pulled a pistol from a holster at his belt, but the Succubus had more in mind, whatever she said to the young man was lost in the distance between them and the shark man, but the reaction was immediate, he lowered his pistol and grinned stupidly at the approaching woman.

But the young man raised his pistol again, and even from his hidey hole Lelei would be able to see the disappointment in Naamah, the way her back stiffened, but even from there too Lelei would be able to see that there was something... Wrong with the young man, his arm trembled as he held out the gun, and the expression on his face wavered between a blank expression and that silly expression he had when she first drew near.

But the Demoness continued to approach him, reaching out for his pistol, gently taking it from his grasp and placing her lips against his, within the space of a moment he seemed to lose all his strength, collapsing into the demonesses arms and the succubus knelt with him, lowering them both towards the ground.

She was draining him! But she was moving him too, slowly dragging him out of sight around the back of the warehouse, keeping him out of the public eye if anyone decided to come poking around.

But there was a choice now, would Lelei join the Succubus or would he do as she asked? Would he wait for her to find out what was going on, would he remain behind?

And of course, if he joined the succubus, then how on earth were they going to get through the door? It was one thing for Ria, she was a thief after all! But for the Succubus and the investigator? What about him? </div>

<div align=center>As Lelei joined her Naamah finished tucking away the unconscious body of the guard she had fed upon, but Naamah wasn't finished yet, even as Lelei bid her to move she finished stripping the young man she had only just fed upon out of his shirt, she pressed a single hand to his chest, a look of puzzlement on her fine features. The succubus' eyes were bright, sparkling with mischief and life again, but the demoness could feel something else within the young man, something lurking just behind his ribs.

"There is something here can you feel it too? Lelei, press your hand here for a sec, right in the middle, is something moving?"

It was dark and dingy back here, but Lelei would also be able to sense a concentrated amount of electrical energy right where the demoness indicated, he would also likely be able to feel something moving, just a little beneath the skin and muscle. Something was squirming there, but Naamah rose to her feet and looked back to their destination, studying the way the energy inside felt, it was strange, the sensations matched, the feeling she got from the unconscious body was the same as the sensation from the warehouse, something possessing a powerful need, something primal.

Whether he could or couldn't feel the entity within the guard it seemed that the creature they had met in the past, the creature that had initially got Naamah in trouble with Lelei was here as well, it was something dangerous, and if it was here, in this guard then it seemed they were spreading.

"We really need to get inside, Invisible or not if one of these things gets into Ria then she's toast..."

The succubus again made her way round the front of the building, kneeling before the keypad and grasping it around the edges, she tore it from the wall and threw it to one side, the door unsealing as the succubus ripped the very lock from the door, perhaps not the smartest or most subtle trick but she was running on a bit of a high with the energy of the guard coursing through her, Lelei was the stronger one, he was the well trained one, but if he urged her to leave, if he asked her not to enter the warehouse because it was far too dangerous she would ignore him, if he offered to go first she would shake her head for a moment and the Succubus would slip into the warehouse, leaving Lelei to follow or to turn back.

"I want to know what this is Lelei, I want to see, Archie or not I've never seen these creatures before I met you and I want to know about them"

And she slipped into the building, her eyes studying the scene laid out before her and her hands rose to her mouth, a look of sheer terror crossing her fine features as the door swung closed behind her, if Lelei tried to follow her closely enough the door would even push against his hand, trying to keep him from following on Naamah's heels!

A scream would echo within the warehouse, reaching out to the shark man outside, it was Naamah's voice!

~

The moment the scream faded the door would give way, opening easily once again, if Lelei searched for a lock or a latch he wouldn't be able to find one, whatever had happened that kept the door shut, it wasn't anything physical, or at least it wasn't anything that was built into the door or the wall, it was something... Else.

There was no sign of Naamah or Ria when Lelei managed to get the door open, within the center of the large, empty warehouse was a pool of water, there were no internal walls, no divisions on this ground floor, just a single, empty room with a pool of water in the middle, breaching the surface every now and then Lelei would be able to see a luminous, blue, jellyfish like creature, exactly like the one that Lelei had first seen.

Around the circumference of the pool a path allowed normal humans to travel, but there were no humans, no creatures here yet other than the jellyfish like beings.

At the far end of the building though a single staircase on the left hand side of the warehouse, completely, diagonally opposite the entrance led up to a second floor, the second floor held a number of small offices, but all the doors were closed.

Aside from the creatures in the pool in the center of the room it looked like Lelei was all on his own.</div>

<div align=center>A plan? Naamah never had a plan, she acted on instinct a lot of the time and she enjoyed every second of it, but this time it seemed that it had bitten her in her well shaped backside. Still there was one last flicker of hope, and that hope was a large shark man with more than enough strength to pull her bacon out of any trouble!

The pool of water rippled with a renewed vigor as Lelei drew closer, the luminous blue jellylike creatures breaking the surface with greater and greater frequency, as he drew closer they even began to leap from the water! But for the moment at least they didn't seem willing to lunge at Lelei, there was another strange feeling however though, as though something was tugging at Lelei's mind, something within the pool seemed to be humming softly to him.

As he circled the pool and drew closer to the stairs the strange jellies leaped and danced with vigor and life as though sensing his presence and preparing themselves for an assault on him just as they had entered the poor fellow that Lelei had already seen dead and drained of life. They churned the water to a froth and sparks of blue light danced in the foam.

But they did not seem willing to attack Lelei at least and that was something promising at the very least, once he ascended the staircase to the second floor though he would be provided a much better view of the pool beneath, a walkway encircled the entire thing and at many spots along the path observational platforms had been added, the railings stripped away, so that people and materials could be thrown off and into the pool beneath, but there was more to it as well, if Lelei looked down and onto the pool beneath he would be able to see the Jellies there taking geometric patterns, swimming in almost mathematical patterns, they were perhaps showing a form of intelligence all their own? Or was it just a natural thing?

Whatever the case as long as he was careful it seemed as though he was going to be safe, unless he tripped, unless he fell or was pushed, unless he got himself into some sort of trouble! The rooms all seemed the same, unlabeled, unmarked and undifferentiated, each one exactly the same, it was only by opening them that Lelei would be able to see into each of the rooms.

Most of them would be very similar, they contained stores, supplies of materials, minerals and substances to be added to the pool in order to maintain it and feed the life contained within. But as he worked his way along the rooms he would eventually come to one that was far more concerning, one that was far more worrisome.

That room was filled with three shackled women, one at each of the walls, each was stripped, her stomach distended, Lelei would be able to recognize the way their bodies swelled from his precious encounter with one of the creatures, was this really the same thing though? They didn't seem to be drained, they didn't seem to be on the point of death... Just what was going on here?</div>

<div align=center>As Lelei released the women they crumpled to their knees, one after the other they looked up at him with eerily empty eyes for a moment before the young woman in the centre cleared her voice as though she were suffering from little more than a dry throat.

"We were food, we were hosts for those... Things, we had no one here on the island and made easy pickings."

The woman drew herself to her feet, brushing her long black hair over her shoulders as she straightened and a fiery look came into serious looking blue eyes, she turned to the other two women and offered each a hand, helping them to their feet before turning her eyes back to Lelei, despite his fearsome appearance he was the first to have found them, he was the first to have released them.

"There are many like us, alone because of our gifts, or ungifted but outcasts because of our families, this island is meant to be a shelter, but it is also a place where wicked things can find people with no ties, no friends, no families to prey upon"

Was it resilience or madness? Whatever it was this young woman seemed to still have her faculties while her two friends wept and clung to her as though she was their only anchor to sanity. If Lelei looked into the womans blue eyes he would see steel there, whatever she had faced was something that would bring any lesser person to their knees.

"We'll try to escape, but there are other prisoners here, some still fresh off the boat, if you hurry you might be able to save them before they turn out like us, I'll look after my sisters and now that we're not bound any more heaven help anyone who gets in our path."

The young woman closed her eyes and streaks of blonde shot through her dark hair, radiant and brilliant in the room that had been their prison, when her blue eyes opened they had turned a brilliant, fiery gold in color, for just a moment Lelei would make out a pair of white, feathered wings stretching behind her, but the impression would fade quickly, before he could stop her she began walking to the door, making her way out with her two companions, one on each arm, her back was straight and proud, even after all she had faced she was striding off to protect her friends like some avenging angel.

If Lelei attempted to stop her, to ask for her aid the young woman would shake her head and speak softly to him, he was after all worth explaining things to since he had been the one to rescue them.

"I have my sisters to care for, their minds are fragile and their spirits are ready to break, I can't stay in this place any longer, if you find any others that can be saved however send them to any church on the island, I shall find them."

Lelei was alone it seemed, but if what the young woman had said was true, then he had a potential answer for what had happened to 'Lily' and Ria, if they had been caught they could have been locked up already! But that also raised the question, if the jellies were weak little creatures that needed to enter a host to feed and reproduce, what caught the girls in the first place? What took them aside and brought them to this warehouse, could such simple creatures have caught Ria and Lily unaware or was there something else in this dangerous place.

~

"There has been a disturbance in host cell one, I suspect an interloper has come to put an end to our plans, it is strange the harvesters didn't intervene"

"That's not my fault! How was I to know we could be tracked down so easily? If you give me just a little more time I will catch this intruder and we can find out how they found us"

"Thank you, one more chance is all I need, I will do you proud, I promise it"

~

For now Lelei's path was unimpeded again, if he continued he would find more stockrooms, most containing fairly innocent supplies, one room though was filled with capacitors and hummed with electricity, would he stop it? Would he damage it or would he continue on? If he did try to damage the equipment there would be a loud screech from the pool below, the jellies would not be happy at all!

But if he moved on, if he ignored the power storage room then he would once more come face to face with three stripped women shackled to walls, these three were slightly worse for wear, one of the women had a mask fitted over her mouth, much like one found in any medical facility, but there was something odd about it, the hose connected to the mask was wider, designed clearly for something more than just gas, Lelei would soon have any questions about it answered as water began to flood down the hose, filling the mask.

But the woman didn't panic, as though she knew what was coming next, one of the luminous blue jelly like creatures pushed its way down from an opening in the ceiling that the hose was connected to, it squirmed and wriggled down the hose and if Lelei did not stop it it was aiming to enter the womans mouth!

These captives were livestock! But if Lelei rescued them all could he protect a growing entourage?

That said, would he have a choice? If Lelei attempted to withdraw, if he decided to try and leave so he could return with reinforcements he would make it all the way back to the door, only to find it locked! There was no help for him.

Lelei was alone.</div>

<div align=center>The loud splattering of water against the cement floor beneath their feet was Lelei's immediate reward, as he stomped upon the Jelly creature however its five stingers, placed at equal distances around its soft body lashed up and at his feet and ankles, but the stingers didn't penetrate, they were designed more for soft, fleshy creatures like humans instead of powerful shark men.

The Jelly creature however did drain a little moisture from his skin at the contact, a bruise would discolour his ankle if those stingers made contact, drawing the blood within him closer to the surface, thankfully though the stomp had the intended effect and the luminous creature died, smudged into a paste beneath Lelei's foot.

As he freed the women though they crumpled to their knees, looking about themselves in fright before looking up to Lelei, whether he meant to be menacing or not one had to admit a giant shark man was not exactly the most friendly sight in the world! One of the women screamed and a second broke down in tears as the third, the one Lelei's actions had saved simply looked up at him with a blank expression.

"Thank you"

Her voice was hoarse, not too surprising considering it had just been filled with salt water, but she was at least willing to thank her saviour, despite his fearsome appearance, she turned to look at the other two women, although keeping an eye on Lelei, just because he had saved her from another horrible cycle, just because he had killed the jelly and expressed concern for them didn't mean he didn't intend to eat them! Perhaps he was just making sure his meals didn't have anything funny inside.

"Okay? We've been stuck here for weeks... I think, We've had those things inside us and... Made more of them"

Her eyes turned haunted and sad then as she looked upon the smeared, luminescent remains that Lelei had stomped, was that one of her earlier children? Was that something that had grown inside her or one of the other captives? It was a terrifying thought but as she dwelt on it her eyes continued to turn glassy, expressionless before looking up at Lelei again, her voice soft, but deeper than it had been before.

The luminescent slime pulsed gently with each word the young woman spoke and her eyes changed from a blank, expressionless expression to a luminous blue that matched the color of the jelly upon the ground.

"Leave this place, leave the hosts"

The other two women finally reacted as their companion began to speak, hauling themselves to their feet and running out of the open door, where they were going only they knew, but for now they simply fled in blind panic.

"We must grow, we must feed and we must reproduce, leave the hosts or we shall perish"

The 'possessed' woman seemed to tremble slightly upon the floor as she looked up to Lelei, whatever was using her voice seemed to be speaking for the jellies below, but could such a thing be possible? Could these creatures have minds and senses of their own? Could they have language and complex thought? And if they could what did that make the one Lelei had killed! Had he just slain an intelligent being? And even if he had would he care?

Lelei was facing a crossroads here now that he had freed a second room full of victims, could he be convinced to walk away, to forget this place, or would he have to face genocide, potentially wiping out an entire species just because of the way they lived?

A choice it seemed he would have to make on his own.</div>