News.

Next Bitesize will be tomorrow night (saturday). There will be no Sunday update and Monday will be taken up with the answers to the quiz, so the next bitesize after that will be Tuesday!
Sorry about the big gap but I have terrible Sunday/Monday combinations while I cover for another member of staff for a couple of weeks.

Bitesize 4.5

Bitesize 4.5

Ed was up and pacing the next morning. His back still ached but the doctor told him he should walk some and so he was pacing. He'd been thinking all morning yet still hadn't managed to think of some way of getting Crowley to show himself. By now, Ed was certain that Crowley hid in the mirrors not out of necessity, but to prevent himself being vulnerable. While ever he was in there they couldn't track him, couldn't catch him, couldn't dispose of him. Ed needed something to draw him out into the open.
His train of thought was broken just a few minutes later when a doctor entered the room.
"Alf would like to see you in briefing room 3." he said.
That was exactly the news Ed had been hoping for and as quick as he could bear he made his way off to the briefing room.


"Werner Schmitt." said Alf, producing one of the black and white photographs.
"Surprise me." said Ed.
"Oh I will." said Alf. He took another photograph and laid it in front of Ed. It showed a group of footballers and one of them had been circled in red pen. A young blue eyed, blond haired chap, probably only in his twenties.
"A footballer?"
"This is the current second team for Bayern Munich. The player circled is Maximilian Haas. Age 23."
"How do we know it's him?"
"Amazingly enough, a fingerprint match. One of our brighter staff had the idea of getting hold of fingerprint records from the war. I didn't realise they kept records like that so far back but sure enough we managed to get hold of Werner's print and then ran it against as many databases as we could find. Turns out Maximilian was arrested just last month on a drugs charge. He got a suspended sentence for possession but they fingerprinted him and it showed up as a match."
"Anything else?"
"Nothing of any real interest. They play and train at the Grünwalder Stadion. I'd recommend trying to confront him on his way home afterwards."
"When do we leave?"
"A couple of hours. He's so prominent I wouldn't be surprised if Crowley somehow figures this out soon. You sure you're ok for this, Ed? I could send Katia and Grace by themselves."
"I'm fine really. I can't face lying in bed any longer."
"Just be careful, ok?"


In the plane on the way over, Ed worked over the plan. From Munich airport they would rent a car and head for Grünwalder Stadion. It was a little over thirty minutes drive and with any luck they would arrive before the team finished training for the day. Then Ed would either confront Werner as he left the stadium, or follow him home. Either way Ed had already decided that he couldn't afford to let Werner go inside his house. If Crowley had confined himself to the mirrors then Ed was damn sure he wasn't gonna let Werner anywhere near one. Katia was with him in case he tried to run, and Grace as backup just in case Crowley did somehow rear his head. He was nervous for sure. Werner might have exposed himself by choosing to be so prominent but Ed had to wonder how Crowley could ever find out about him. Surely this time they would get there before him.

Bitezie 4.4

I can't guarantee an update tomorrow. I'll try but there are things that may or may not happen to interfere. :P Fingers crossed that I'm left to it.
Bitesize 4.4

It wasn't until much later that night that Ed checked his email and found a message waiting for him. The subject line simply read "Onigawa" and was sent from a user with the net handle Coeus. Ed clicked it and read through the contents.

"RE: Onigawa legends.

I see from your post that you have a basic grasp of the Onigawa legends. Allow me to fill the holes in your knowledge.

Regarding location. The onigawa legend stems from a large market community called either Wu-shen or Wa-shen in Japan, Hokkaido it is widely believed, circa 1220AD. The town thrived on its grand daily market which pulled in travelling traders from all over. When the Onigawa arrived they claimed to have been driven from the mountains after bad weather destroyed their homes and had come to settle down on flatter land. They made their homes there and for a short period, lived peacefully. it soon became apparant however that the Onigawa lacked conscience. Their aggressive trading practices were unwelcome and some were even suspected of theft or trickery. When confronted they were argumental and violent. Eventually the town's ruling authority, an elder named Ju-Ka ordered them to leave the town and return to the mountains. They did leave, but not before promising that Ju-Ka would pay. The elder was not scared for himself, but he did have an extensive family and he was concerned over the life of his youngest granddaughter, it being well known how much he thought of her. Thinking her a target for revenge he had her confined to her room for a whole week. For six days she stayed in her room, technically a prisoner in her own home. On the seventh day, screams were heard coming from her room and as Ju-Ka and his guards went in to investigate they witnessed one of the Onigawa pulling her through the mirror. Two of Ju-Ka's guards went through after her but never returned. Ju-Ka himself was torn to pieces and vowed revenge. It was he that dubbed them the Onigawa, mirror demons. He immediately began gearing up for an assault. Preparing everyone who could wield a sword to march into the mountains and slay the onigawa.
Only a short time later one onigawa approached the village. He was beaten and captured and taken to Ju-Ka. He claimed that he was not like the others, that he didn't approve of their violent selfish ways. He offered Ju-Ka a deal. He said he had the magic to force the Onigawa into the mirrors and seal them there forever. Ju-ka asked him what he wanted in return. The onigawa claimed that in return he wanted Ju-Ka to kill him, so the others could not use him to escape from the mirrors again. Ju-Ka agreed and the whole plan went off without a hitch. The onigawa returned home and told his fellows that Ju-Ka was preparing for war and encouraged them to strike first. As they went into the mirrors, hoping to emerge at the other end for a surprise assault, the onigawa used his magic to seal them in the mirrors. Ju-Ka, with his guards, had been hidden a short distance away and when it was done they approached the Onigawa camp and killed the one remaining. Ju-Ka named him To Wenu, Brave Sacrifice and ordered that a shrine be built to honour him. The shrine is still there although as this knowledge has become lost it is generally thought that it belongs to a fallen messenger from some early war or another.

The really interesting part is that the Onigawa were supposedly only ever trapped in the world beyond the mirrors. They still live and they still breed. If one were to be born that had the same powers as To Wenu then it is thought that they could release themselves from the mirrors and walk the Earth once more.

That's pretty much all the information I have on the Onigawa. But if there are any other demons you wish to know about I'm only an email away.

Coeus"

Coeus had certainly proved Ed's gut feeling right. The onigawa with the power to open the mirrors also had the power to close them. But still it seems it would never be permanent. Ed was beginning to find killing Crowley preferable to trapping him back in the mirrors until another Onigawa was born with the powers of the Key. Ed hit reply and sent Coeus a thank you message back. Now it was just a matter of waiting for Alf and the others to find the next target and recovering from his injuries. he was already feeling less sore and the swelling had gone down but there was still a dull ache around his lower back. They would have to be a lot more careful next time. Crowley wouldn't bank on having destroyed them and would no doubt have another nasty surprise waiting for them if he beat them to the next onigawa.

Bitesize 4.3

Bitesize 4.3

When Ed came to again he was in a hospital bed back at the Bureau, in the same room as his father. His vision was a little blurry but he could make out Alf's face looking down at him.
"Feeling better, Ed?"
"Yeah... What happened?"
"You had some internal bleeding from the blow you suffered. It's all been taken care of, though you'll be sore for a while. It would be best if you stayed in bed for a couple of days."
"A couple of days? There isn't time." Ed groaned and let his head fall back onto the pillow. "Why can't I see straight?"
"That will be the painkillers."
"Crowley got to him first."
"I know, Katia said. We still didn't pick up Crowley on the tracker."
"I doubt we will at all." said Ed, "Everyone in the damn country has a mirror and..."
"And what?"
"I'll bet that's it. The portal Crowley wants to open. It's not one portal, it's all of them. Don't you see? He'd be able to release all the onigawa where ever he wishes, all at the same time."
"I'm tempted to agree..."
"The onigawa, that's it!"
"That's what, Ed?"
Ed sat up, despite the twinges of pain.
"The onigawa who holds the key. Crowley wants him to open the portals. And if he can open them all..."
"Then he can close them all?" Alf nodded as he finished Ed's train of thought, "Well we can't take that for granted but it could be a good starting point. Hopefully Jean Fredericq wasn't the key."
"What about the others?"
"We haven't found the rest yet but we're working on it. We have a death certificate for one of the men, an Englishman named Henry Collins. Died in a housefire in 1961, still using his original name."
"Think it's legit?"
"The coroner's report says they found his body in an upstairs room after extinguishing the blaze. He wasn't burnt much, died of smoke inhalation. there was a positive identification by his lover."
"We should..."
"Contact her and make sure she was telling the truth? Katia's already on her way. Just rest Ed. You can be back on your feet soon."


One of the doctors gave him an injection a few hours later to help him sleep and sleep he did but his mind was far from idle. the more he thought about it, the more sure he became that the 'key' onigawa Crowley had spoke of could be the one to help them seal him away. Crowley was always one step ahead of them. He'd already been and got Jean Fredericq, probably before Ed even reached Scotland and yet, he'd left the bomb. It didn't make sense why. Crowley was untouchable, unreachable, unfindable. He had the skills and the knowledge to reach all these men before Ed, so why leave the bomb? The only justification Ed could see was that Crowley considered them dangerous and he would only think that if there was some way they could stop him. Crowley had to tried to eliminate them to prevent them finding the key and using it against him, of this Ed was certain.


When he next woke up the doctors brought him some food and he ate hungrily. It had been a while since his last real meal and it felt good to get something of substance inside him. A little while after that, Katia came to see him. Her face was concerned as she leaned over him.
"Feeling ok, Ed?"
He nodded.
"Could be worse I suppose."
"I've been to see Collins' lover."
"What did she say?"
"She wasn't exactly happy to have me dragging up her painful past. But she told me it was definitely him. I don't think she was lying."
"Great. So that's another one out of the equation. It can't be Fredericq, or Crowley would have made his move by now surely. So either it's Odolf, the dead guy, or one of the guys we've yet to find."
"We're not exactly narrowing it down." she said.
"Any other news?"
"Nothing. We'll let you know as soon as anything turns up though." she gave his hand a squeeze, "Rest and get well Ed, ok?"
Ed watched her leave and groaned. Now he knew how his father felt, confined to bed every day. It wasn't a pleasant feeling. Ed called one of the doctors over and asked for a laptop. He might not be able to leave the bed but that didn't mean he had to do nothing. If there was one thing Ed had learned from using the internet it was that there was always some geek who knew something no one else did about some obscure subject. It was just a matter of knowing where to look. Right now, his best chance was one of the many paranormal web forums he was a member of. One by one he visited them all, leaving a message asking for any information of the ritual that trapped the Onigawa in the mirrors. Someone out there had to know the full story.

Charon's Big Fat How Stupid Are You Quiz 2009!

Well I promised you a surprise. Deep down I was acutely aware that my meagre four hours sleep in between shifts last night would leave me far from willing to produce a Bitesize chunk of Baxter goodness today (tomorrow, honest) and so I believe it's time to launch this little nugget at you. Yes, in between life, the universe and everything I have squeezed a second here, a minute there and produced a quiz to test your knowledge. The quiz contains 100 questions, separated into categories from random and diverse areas of knowledge containing five questions each.
I realise that 100 questions for some of you (Nick) may be a few seconds work, whereas for others it may take some time. As such I am allocating you the lengthy time period of one week. It will actually be slightly more than one week as I cannot guarantee which day I will have free to reveal the answers but to be safe, please have your reply in by next Monday.
As 100 questions is a lot, may I recommend that you copy/paste this whole blog into notepad where you can tackle it at your leisure before copy/pasting your answers into the comment field.
No researching please! No google. The only tool you are allowed to use is your brain, allowing us to assess just how good the human mind is at storing useless little bits of trivia without you even realising it. And remember, it's just for fun!
Also, participation is mandatory. I will chase you up if I think you're slacking off. :P
And with that lengthy buildup, I proudly present, Charon's Big Fat How Stupid Are You Quiz 2009!

Charon's Big Fat How Stupid Are You Quiz 2009!

Pokémon

1. Pokémon is a portmanteau of which two English words?

2. An episode of the children's cartoon was banned after special effects triggered epileptic seizures in some viewers. Around which Pokémon was this episode based?

3. Arguably the most iconic Pokémon, Pikachu is Ash's constant companion in the cartoon. What Pokémon does Pikachu evolve into?

4. Pokémon communicate only by saying their own name. In the first batch of 150 there was one exception, a Pokémon that could commmunicate in English. Who?

5. Ash is the hero of the cartoon series. His surname is almost a case of nominative determinism. What is Ash's surname?

Astronomy

6. Earth has only one real moon but it is not the only lump of barren rock orbiting our planet. Name one other.

7. The universe is filled with radiation! Touted as support for the Big Bang Theory, this phenomenon is known as the CMB. What does this stand for?

8. With the exception of Earth, all planets and their moons in our solar system are named after figures from Roman Mythology. What was Mars the God of?

9. The SETI project allows anyone to participate by using their computer to analyze radio telescope data from the Arecibo Observatory. What does SETI stand for?

10. The videogame DOOM is set on the two moons of Mars. Name them.

Greek Mythology

11. My namesake Charon is often credited with sailing the river Styx. By now you should know, which river was it actually?

12. What was unusual about Athena's 'birth'?

13. Name all three Fates.

14. How was Hades, God of the Underworld, related to Zeus?

15. Prometheus was punished for stealing from the Gods by having his liver eaten every day. What did he steal to prompt this punishment?

Smoking

16. In the first of Peter Jackson's Lord of the Rings films, Bilbo and Gandalf blow some impressive smoke 'rings'. What is Gandalf's Piece de Resistance?

17. In "The Simpsons", where does Snake keep his cigarettes?

18. A filtration device that pulls smoke through ice or water filled chambers, often used for smoking Cannabis, is known as a what?

19. In smoking terminology, what are 'skins'?

20. What visual feature distinguishes a menthol cigarette from a regular one?

Thundercats

21. Lion-O was the leader of the Thundercats. What was unusual about him?

22. Lion-O owned a sword that held the 'Eye of Thundera'. What was the sword called?

23. Name the primary enemy of the Thundercats in full, ie Someone the Something.

24. One of the Thundercats was an able engineer. Which one?

25. Who did Lion-O face in the Trial of Speed?

Anatomy

26. Where in your body is the Anvil?

27. To what part of the body does the word 'Hepatic' refer to?

28. What is the more common name for your scapula?

29. Beware the invaders! Amazingly not all cells in your body carry your DNA. In fact, there are cells inside you with their own unique DNA left over from a symbiotic relationship. What are these cells called?

30. Only one gender has a Vas Deferens. Is it found in males or females?

Acronyms!

What do the following stand for?

31. PETA

32. LED

33. NATO

34. BSE

35. DVD

Labyrinth

36. David Bowie plays the charming yet villainous Goblin King in this 80s film. What is his name?

37. The Goblin King manages to temporarily trap Sarah in what room with a french name?

38. Into what horrific place does the Goblin King threaten to throw Hoggle?

39. What is the name of the teddybear missing from Sarah's room at the start of the film?

40. What is the name of the baby stolen by the Goblin King?

Phobias

What are the following fears of?

41. Nyctohylophobia.

42. Mottaphobia.

43. Apeirophobia.

44. Triskaidekaphobia.

45. Sesquipedalophobia.

Fantasy-mancy

In fantasy, the suffix -mancer denotes someone with magical ability. In what areas of magic would the following specialise?

46. Pyromancer.

47. Necromancer.

48. Cryomancer.

49. Geomancer.

50. Osteomancer.

Internet Slang

51. In '1337', what is a b0xx0r?

52. What does IIRC stand for?

53. What is the alternative name for a 'smiley'?

54. What is Godwin's Law?

55. Someone who leaves negative comments for the sole purpose of provoking a reaction is known as a what?

Animal Adjectives

We all know canines are dogs and felines are cats, but to what animal do the following refer?

56. Ursine.

57. Porcine.

58. Lupine.

59. Piscine.

60. Leonine.

Elemental Symbols

According to the Periodic Table, what is the symbol for...

61. Tungsten.

62. Sodium.

63. Potassium.

64. Lead.

65. Gold.

Phw-ore!

Metals are extracted from ore. Ready? Name that metal!

66. Bauxite.

67. Malachite.

68. Haematite.

69. Cinnabar.

70. Magnetite.

Advertising Slogans

Name that product!

71. It's the Real Thing.

72. Just do it.

73. Get some nuts!

74. Melts in your mouth, not in your hand.

75. Taste the Rainbow.

Armour

Where on your body would you wear the following pieces of armour?

76. Basinet.

77. Greaves.

78. Vambraces.

79. Gauntlets.

80. Gorget.

Horses

Who rides the following famous horses?

81. Silver.

82. Binky.

83. Black Bess.

84. Thirty/Thirty.

85. Shadowfax.

Dinosaurs! Rawr!

Name them for points.

86. Famously had feathers.

87. Could be considered the 'King' of dinosaurs.

88. It's horny, horny, horny.

89. Its name implies speed.

90. Famous for its bony spine plates.

Computer Jargon

91. What does WYSIWYG stand for?

92. What animal is the symbol for the Linux operating system?

93. What does BIOS stand for?

94. Before starting up your computer needs to POST. What does POST stand for?

95. Many internet addresses end in .com. What word is 'com' a contraction of?

Fictional Kingdoms

Well, more like fictional places and their residents.

96. Who lives in Eternia?

97. Which three little girls live in Townsville? Their collective name and their individual names please.

98. Who would you find hiding in the Fortress of Solitude?

99. The White Witch brought eternal winter to which magical place?

100. Who would you expect to find attending Sunnydale High School?

Just some news.

Firstly, let me tell you I've got a little surprise for you tomorrow, not Bitesize related. :) After all, there's more to my blog than that. Let's just say I hope for maximum participation and you will require your brain.

Secondly. On the 18th of July 2009, Henry Allingham died aged 113. Just one week later on the 25th July, Harry Patch aged 111 also died. Who were these men? These were the last two British survivors of World War One. A minute's silence is one thing, but why not join the remembrance with a little knowledge by learning a little about these two men?
Henry Allingham
Harry Patch

Bitesize 4.2

Got rubbish shifts so no update tomorrow folks.
Bitesize 4.2

There were a few possibilities Ed was expecting to see. But a fairly bland, largely unused front room whose sole features were a large battered sofa and a huge dress mirror was not one of them. But the normality of the room was immediately shattered by the ever familiar shimmering surface of the dress mirror. Ed raised his gun, pointing it at the watery surface and behind him Katia did the same. For a few seconds neither moved. Ed didn't take his eyes off the mirror's surface. He didn't know if he was watching it out of caution or because he couldn't look away. He took a couple of tentative steps closer, the gun still trained squarely at the mirror's centre. There was nothing visible within the surface, just the rippling sea of silver. He took one more step, looking closer. He raised his foot to take one more step but then suddenly the mirror's surface broke. Even as Ed leapt back, something whizzed past him. His gaze followed its path as it hit the floor and came to a stop. A nondescript cardboard box, covered in parcel tape. Ed trained his gun on the box and glanced back at the mirror. The surface was still and solid once more. He looked over at Katia then at the box again. Two distinct possibilities ran through his mind. Either Crowley was sending them some form of communication or...
It was the or. The box began to beep, slowly, methodically, one beep per second. Both Ed and Katia knew what it meant immediately. They turned and ran, pushing Grace's bulk through the door, back into the dining room, then the kitchen. Grace must have realised their eagerness to leave and she kicked the kitchen door clean off its hinges and charged outside. The three ran, not changing direction, across the back garden and across the rusted railway tracks. Ed subconsciously positioned himself behind Katia as they ran. They'd barely cleared the tracks when the explosion happened. Perhaps Ed had seen too many movies. He fully expected to hear a cinematic sound effect and be launched through the air like a stuntman. What he actually heard was a loud pop and then silence and a feeling like being hit in the back with a burning sledgehammer. The air left his lungs, he lost his footing and as he felt the hot air engulf him he fell to the floor, smacking his face hard into the grass.


The next thing Ed knew he was being shaken awake roughly. He felt genuinely tired and opened his eyes groggily. Katia's face looked down at him, full of concern.
"Are you ok, Ed?"
Her voice sounded faint and Ed put a finger in his ear and wiggled it.
"I dunno... I guess so."
He sat up, his head swimming and he clutched it, trying to will the world stable once more.
"Grace?"
"She's fine Ed. We need to get out of here. Can you walk?"
"Of course I can walk." he said, pulling himself to his feet. He felt a little unsteady but managed to stand up.
"Christ my back hurts..."
Katia pointed at a lump of debris on the ground that once formed part of the brickwork of the house wall.
"That hit me?" he asked.
"I think so, ya. Come on, let's get back. I'll drive."
Ed looked around and saw the remains of the house. Apart from the ring of debris encircling it it kinda looked like it had simply collapsed. Here and there small fires burned away, but most of the place was dust and chunks of brickwork.
"How long was I out?"
"Not long." said Katia. She tugged his hand and he followed her. Beside him was Grace, a little girl once more. Still a little wobbly he let the two women lead him toward the car and he slid into the back seat and lay down. Katia got behind the wheel and gunned the engine. She reversed, then swung the car around in a 180 degree spin before accelerating off down the road. Ed groaned as they went over a bump and clutched his aching back.

Bitesize 4.1

Bitesize 4.1

Nerves were niggling at Ed's conscience as they drove towards Gollanfield, Inverness. This had been pretty easy. Almost too easy. Whether Crowley would find this guy hinged on a few possibilities. Ed wondered whether Crowley knew the names of those he sought, or whether that was why he wanted Raddick so badly. He couldn't shake the fact too that Crowley's having Raddick was definitely a bad thing. Raddick had escaped from the base before. He knew its weak points, knew where its guards were. He also had to wonder to what extent Crowley had powers over the mirrors. He knew he could pull people through, but could he pass through them himself? If so they were never going to be able to race him to find all these men. And what of this current guy? Jean Fredericq? Did he know yet what lurked within him. Had it woken? Ed doubted it. The guy had a facebook page and a gaming profile suggesting long hours spent alone, fragging people on Halo. Just a regular Joe, he could even be Ed himself. No, chances were this guy was still himself. Ed couldn't picture Raddick doing anything like that. He looked over at Katia on his left, she was tucking a gun into her waistband and staring intently ahead. He glanced in the rearview mirror at Grace. He still couldn't believe how calm and complacent she was. He'd expected the T-alpha to be full of rage and anger. Perhaps the werewolves weren't so far from humanity after all. She still seemed to have her own personality. He couldn't help but ponder whether werewolves had been painted in a bad light by the actions of just a handful of them. Both Grace and Dennis seemed so... normal. Maybe the personality of the human side was the important factor. It would only take one like Raddick after all to build them up a reputation as a killer. Just like modern racism he thought. You see one black man on the news branded a killer and it snowballs on from there. Just one Muslim flies a plane into a building and they're all branded fanatics. He recalled something Katia had said about awareness in the wolves. How initially they have no idea that they are one. That their violent behaviour stems from that unawareness, from the animal instinct of a wolf. A hunter. And once they gained control... well, the Bureau did have a werewolf before. That was before Ed's time though, before his father too.
A signpost for Gollanfield pulled him from his reverie and he took the turning. Almost there.


Just a short while later Ed pulled up beside a detached house on a quiet road. It stood alone, the nearest house some distance away. A set of rusted disused railway tracks cut across the road beside it and the front lawn, wild and overgrown was encompassed by a battered wooden fence, its white paint faded and chipped.
"Looks quiet." said Katia as they got out of the car.
"I can't say I'm surprised." said Ed.
Katia had drawn her gun and he did the same as he made for the gate. He flipped the latch and went into the garden and walked up to the front door. The glass was frosted and he tried to peer through but couldn't make anything out. The windows on either side had thick curtains blocking the view. Feeling somewhat awkward Ed reached up and rapped on the door. A few seconds passed in deathly silence. Ed rapped again, harder, expecting the door to be flung open at any second, but it didn't happen.
"Maybe he's not home." said Katia.
"I doubt it." said Ed, "All this guy does is play Halo."
He tried the handle cautiously but the door was locked.
"I don't like this." said Ed, "Let's try the back."
They made their way round the rear of the house to the back door. The glass here wasn't frosted and Ed looked through the grubby pane at the kitchen beyond. He spied the sink and the washboard. A plastic rack sat atop it holding a couple of plates and some cutlery.
"Well he's been here recently I guess." said Ed. He tried the handle but again it was locked. He rapped again, loud on the glass but there was still no sign of life. Confusion was rapidly giving way to fear for Ed. He looked at Grace.
"We're going in."
She nodded, udnerstanding immediately and as Ed took a few paces back from the door Grace transformed. It took a matter of seconds though it seemed so much longer, watching her grow impossibly before his eyes, almost instantaneously sprouting hair and claws, the skull cracking and reshaping. Ed couldn't help but shudder as he stared into Grace's wolf eyes. She looked over the door and with speed that took Ed by surprise she launched a powerful kick with her hind leg. The clawed foot connected with the door and it shifted under the blow. She kicked again, harder and the lock gave way, torn from its housing as the door caved inward. It swang back hard, slamming into a cupboard, the glass pane cracking under the impact. Ed held his gun up and went inside. Grace followed him, with Katia bringing up the rear. There was a door at the rear of the kitchen and Ed opened it tentatively and peeked through. The room beyond was a small dining room slash office. A high end Alienware computer took up a desk on the right wall. It sat in standby mode, the keyboard glowing a soft blue, ready to awake at the touch of a button. Ed ignored it, walking toward the next door as quietly as he could. He tugged the handle with one hand, holding the gun in his left as he pulled the door open. It was the staircase to his left and immediately in front, another door that lead presumably into the living room. The door in front had no handle and Ed pushed it. Silently it swung open...

Bitesize 3.12

Bitesize 3.12

Just a couple of hours later Ed was back in the briefing room with Alf. Odolf had come up trumps under hypnosis and despite his fears he'd supplied a list of names without the onigawa waking up. Alf had wasted no time getting pictures of the named men from around the time of the war and he and Ed studied those pictures now. The old black and white photography was grainy and far from ideal but it gave them a starting point.
"This one." said Alf, pointing at one particular guy. He was young, barely past 18 at the time of the photo. He wore light, thin framed, thin lensed spectacles and had a distinctive crescent shaped scar across his left cheek. "This guy we think we found."
"Go on."
"His name back then was Jean Fredericq. I guess some people have trouble letting go of their past because we found a man with an identical scar on Facebook going by the name of John Frederick."
"Not very original."
"Exactly. Which means Crowley's likely gonna find him fast too."
"So where is Crowley now?"
"We don't know." said Alf, "The tracker isn't responding so either they neutralised it somehow or they're still in the mirrors."
"And this John Frederick. Where's he?"
"His Facebook claims California but we think that's false. Here's some of the images we pulled from the site."
He produced a handful of modern digital photographs that had been printed off.
"Anything look familiar?" he asked.
Ed took the photos and thumbed through them.
"Looks a little dreary for California. Hey wait."
He pulled one photo out.
"That's Cawdor castle."
Alf nodded.
"I thought so too. In fact, all of these photos look like they could be in Scotland. He's also got a link to his gaming profile on another site where he goes under the name MacBeth. I've got people going through phonebooks and utility billing addresses in the area around the castle. We'll have a location soon no doubt."
"So we gotta hope we can get to him before Crowley can."
"You should take the T-alpha, just in case."
Ed nodded.
"And Katia too." said Alf.
"Are you sure? I mean, if Crowley is there..."
"If Crowley's there then the T-alpha will have to tackle him, but don't think he'd go alone. If he brings Raddick and Leclair I don't want you outnumbered."
"Yeah, ok."
"Remember Ed, we don't know what this guy is capable of. Use caution. Go get equipped. We want him alive."
"And Crowley, Raddick and Leclair?"
Alf sighed.
"We can't let them run round. The longer they are with Crowley the more dangerous they become. Kill them if you have to."
It wasn't a comment delivered dismissively, but out of necessity.


Ed spent the next hour nervously pacing the room with the T-alpha cage, Katia sat nearby.
"You'll wear out the floor." said Grace.
"Aren't either of you nervous?" asked Ed.
Grace shrugged.
"Of course we are Ed." said Katia. "But you have to learn to focus."
Ed lit up a cigarette and carried on pacing.
"You know, you don't have to keep me in the cage anymore." said Grace.
Ed didn't say anything.
"It's not like I'm going to escape." she continued, "You're gonna have to let me out to take me with you so why not just let me out now?"
"Fine, but if you try anything..."
"I won't. Jeez, just 'cos I'm a wolf you think I'm dishonest?"
Ed undid the lock to her cage and the little girl came out, stretching her arms.
"Oh yeah, that's better."
"So take my mind off things." said Ed, "How'd you get turned in the first place?"
"Oh it was a long time ago. We lived in Spain, 'til my dad got in trouble with some very bad men. We fled, first to France but they followed us, and then to England. We settled down, tried to live our lives, you know. He started drinking heavily though and one night we had a massive argument. I waited until they were all asleep and ran away. Didn't take me long to get lost. I still can't remember exactly how it happened. I remember stumbling around the moors for hours and then pain and passing out. Even after that it took me a while to realise what was going on."
She shrugged.
"I struggle to remember a lot of it, it was so long ago."
"So you'll be a child forever?"
"Physically yes. Mentally of course, I've grown."
"You know, if you would let us run some tests..." said Katia, "We might eventually be able to find a way to let you age normally again."
Grace pouted.
"I don't like tests."
"Fine then. Be a child all your life."
The argument was ended abruptly as a phone on the wall rang. Ed answered it.
"We got him Ed." it was Alf's voice, "Get ready to move."

Bitesize 3.11

Bitesize 3.11

"So you're the one we've been chasing all this time?" said Ed to the now clothed T-alpha. Despite her appearance the girl was still inside the high security cage.
"T-alpha? That's what you guys call me? Hah! I've had some names in my time but that's cold. So clinical."
"So what do I call you?"
"I was called Engracia once upon a time. You can call me Grace though, it's less of a mouthful." She grinned wickedly on the final word.
Ed shook his head,
"Why? Why'd you keep making more?"
"Loneliness, boredom. Did it ever cross your mind I might just want to settle down with someone who can actually understand what it's like? But no, every time I make a friend your guys show up with your pitchforks, your swords and your damn guns. Sometimes I think the only thing that's changed over the centuries is the speed at which man kills things. You know technically I'm an endangered species." she sat down and hugged her knees closer to her. "So what now bounty hunter? Tests? Needles? Vivisection?"
"Not exactly, no."
"Ah yes. You specifically mentioned help didn't you? And what could you possibly need from me, hmmm?"
"Assistance in taking down a much bigger threat."
"Something more of a threat than me?" She raised an eyebrow, "I've been around you know, seen a whole lot of crazy shit."
"It's a demon, well many demons, led by Aleister Crowley."
"Crowley? Didn't he die like decades ago?"
"No. He, or maybe a demon posing as him, is still around. Have you heard of the Onigawa?"
Grace's face took on a shocked look.
"The Onigawa? That's just a legend."
"Humour me. What do you know?"
"I remember being told the stories when I really was just a kid. I had a gran or an aunt or something that was mad on all those crazy old tales. Goblins and faeries and mirror demons. She said they'd eat me if I didn't eat my vegetables." she paused, "They came from the mountains I think she said. Took on human appearance and tried to blend in with some villagers but their resident shaman or druid or whatever, he found them out. It led to a big fight, things got really nasty. The onigawa tortured the humans that they captured. In the end the druid guy cast a spell that sealed them in the mirrors and sometimes, if you look just right, you might see one looking out at you."
"Yeah that sounds familiar. Who was this druid guy?"
Grace shrugged.
"I dunno. I didn't believe in all that crap."
"What country did it happen in?"
Again a shrug.
"I dunno. So, where do I fit into all of this?"
"Crowley. He messes with men's minds. He has a way of, I dunno, immobilizing people. It's like you're a rabbit in his headlights, you know? You can't tear yourself away..."
"sounds like you're speaking from experience. So let me guess. You want to find this guy and make me do the dirty work?"
"I wouldn't put it exactly like that..."
"But that's exactly how it is, right?" She sighed, "Well I suppose I could help you. On two conditions."
"What kind of conditions?"
"No tests."
"Ok." said Ed, nodding, "No tests, that's one."
"And I want my spawn."
"Dennis?"
"Dennis? Yeah. I want him. You're not allowed to try and turn him back or anything. You let me live, peacefully, with Dennis afterwards."
"I can't promise that."
"If you let us leave and settle down I won't make any more spawn."
"I'll look into it."
"Good. Now how about some food. I'm starving."
"Ok fine. I'll get some food sent up. I need to go talk with someone else anyway."


Ed left her and made his way to Odolf's room. The pieces of the puzzle were starting to come together slowly but they still needed more information if they were going to beat Crowley to the other onigawa. He rapped on Odolf's door and went in. The German was lying on his bed, reading.
"Good book?" asked Ed.
"Not particularly." said Odolf, setting the book down. "I could use some better reading material."
"I'll mention it." Ed sat on the bed beside him. "Look Odolf. We don't have a whole lot of time here. Can you remember the names of anyone else that Crowley had in that room?"
Odolf shook his head.
"What about Leclair? Remember him?"
"Leclair? No I don't think so..."
Ed sighed.
"He was the big guy, the guy who you said bust through the wall and escaped with Raddick. You probably know the names Odolf, you've just forgotten them. We could try and find them out using hypnotic regression. Take you back to that day in a way that lets you clearly remember the details."
Odolf looked nervous but said nothing.
"I know you're worried." Ed went on, "About the onigawa. We can't know for certain whether this would wake it up or not, but I'm guessing not and right now, this thing is bigger than just you. We're all risking things to stop Crowley, Odolf. Will you help us?"
Odolf looked down at the bed and poked the sheets with his finger.
"Well I suppose you did get me out of Germany. I can't not help you, but that thing inside me. It scares me, Ed."
"Don't worry. We'll do everything we can to keep you you."
Ed could still see a trace of fear and hesitation in his eyes but Odolf smiled.
"I'll do it."

Bitesize 3.10

Sorry about the delays. Every time I sit down to continue this someone's at the door or on the phone or interfering. GAAAHH!!! *tears hair out*

Bitesize3.10

Ed walked into the room and looked at his father. He was asleep on a hospital bed, hooked up to two drips, an oxygen mask partly obscuring his face. As Ed approached the bed he woke up, reaching up groggily to pull down the mask. He managed a weak smile.
"They tell me you caught T-alpha."
"It wasn't all that." said Ed, "I had more trouble with the other one."
"Still, well done. They've got me on more painkillers."
"Yeah, they said."
"I'll be on the machine for a week." he said, pointing at the oxygen mask. "But I can go home tomorrow. Valentina seems fine, bit shook up but coping."
"I'm just glad we got you back."
"You look exhausted."
Ed felt exhausted.
"Yeah, I should really go get some sleep."
"Hey, don't worry. I'm not going anywhere yet."
He reached up a hand and Ed took it in his.


When he finally left his father's bedside minutes later Ed made his way back to see Alf. He was in one of the control rooms, assigning people places to look, channels to watch. He saw Ed come in and moved over to him.
"We're on the case now, Ed. Go get some sleep. There's a spare bunk down in Delta. I'll send someone for you in a few hours."
Ed didn't have the strength to protest. He uttered a quick thank you and slipped off to the sleeping quarters in Delta sector.


He had no problem dropping off to sleep after being awake for so long but his mind was far from restless. It hummed with activity, trying to make sense of all that had happened so far. Crowley was looking for some way to open a portal to bring all the Onigawa here. How many of them were there? What would they do if they succeeded? And what of his father's words. The Onigawa had lived on earth before? At least that broadened their options. If they couldn't kill Crowley they might be able to trap him in the mirrors for good. And at least now they knew his immediate goals; find the others and wake their Onigawa up. He just hoped Crowley didn't call their bluff and turn up here first for Odolf.


As promised, a knocking at the door woke him up a few hours later. Some guy was at the door, Ed didn't recognize him.
"The T-alpha's awake." said the guy, "Alf said you'd want to go see it."
"Great." said Ed. That was partly good news. He left Delta sector and went to the cell where T-alpha was being held. Katia was already there waiting for him.
"Hey Ed. Nice timing. He just woke up an hour ago."
Ed came over to the window she was looking through. Beyond the reinforced glass was a large room lined with metal and in the centre, a spacious cage. The T-alpha was still in wolf form, stood on its hind legs, inspecting the bars of the cage.
"It's pretty smart." said Katia, "Hasn't tried to escape or anything. I think it knows it can't."
"Tried talking to it yet?"
"I was waiting for you."
Ed nodded.
"Let's go say hello then."
He pushed a nearby keypad and a door opened into the containment room beyond. He and Katia went through. The wolf watched them as they entered following their movements. Ed stopped a couple of feet from the bars.
"They're reinforced." said Ed to the wolf, "I couldn't tell you what they're made of but I know you won't be able to bend or break them."
The wolf gripped one of the bars and snarled at Ed.
"Not a big fan of being caged huh?" Ed went on, "We don't have to keep you in there you know. How about you take on human form and we discuss things? You agree to help us and we won't need to keep you in a cage."
The wolf just watched him.
"I know you can understand me." said Ed, "We really don't have the time for games. We need your help."
The wolf relinquished its grip on the bars, looking down at the floor, then took a few steps back.
Ed had never seen a wolf transformation before and what he saw now boggled his mind. The huge lumbering form of the T-alpha shrank right before his eyes. In seconds it had gone from an eight foot giant to somewhere near half that size. The muscle mass receding, hair seemingly sucked back under the skin which lost all its colour, turning a pale white. The whole thing was accompanied by a serious of sharp cracking noises as bones somehow readjusted themselves, the skull reshaping, the knee joints reversing, all the time growing smaller. The head lost its feral jaws and began to resemble something more human, a cluster of golden blonde hair sprouting and tumbling down its back. In under two minutes the T-alpha was gone and in its place stood a naked twelve year old girl. She fixed Ed with a glare.
"Well don't just stand there fool." she spat, "Fetch me some clothes."

Bitesize 3.9

An advance warning that there won't be an update Sunday. I know we're on different days some of us so this is Friday's update and there will be another tomorrow, then we miss a day.

Bitesize 3.9

Ed didn't know what to expect when he returned. A hero's welcome perhaps? For doing what the Bureau's finest had failed to do over centuries. A round of applause? A pat on the back and a cigar? As it happened, the only greeting for the chopper was a ring of armed personnel, pointing assault weapons at the chopper.
"It's Ok boys." said Ed, climbing out, "He's still under."
A specially constructed stretcher was wheeled out and the unconscious T-alpha hoisted unceremoniously onto it. He was strapped in and wheeled off as a second stretcher arrived for Dennis. Ed put a hand on the shoulder of one of the stretcher pushers.
"When he comes round, tell him thanks."
The chap nodded and strapped Dennis' prone wolf form in tightly and wheeled him off. One of the armed guards made his team stand down and approached Ed.
"You're to go to Briefing Room Two."
"I'm going to go with the T-alpha." said Katia to Ed, "I'll keep you informed."
Ed nodded. He knew Alf would be waiting for him in Briefing Room Two and whether the news was good or bad he could understand Katia not wanting to be present. Mentally preparing himself for the worst he made off toward Alpha Sector.


As he'd predicted Alf was waiting in the briefing room. Ed took a seat and looked at him expectantly.
"Good news?" he asked, trying not to sound too hopeful.
"That all depends on your definition, Ed." He produced the tape recorder. "Crowley bought our story about Odolf's suicide, or at least wanted us to think he did. He agreed on the trade, Raddick for Valentina and your Dad. He wasn't there in person but I think the guy who was is the same guy who broke through the wall in Odolf's tale. I could see recognition in Raddick's eyes. Half expected some trouble but I guess Raddick wasn't feeling so confident after your little confrontation."
"That's what happens when you live for decades thinking you're invulnerable only to have someone find out your weakness."
"Maybe, or maybe he knew how much Crowley needed him." Alf waved the tape and stuck it in the machine. "Your Dad couldn't tell us anything about his time beyond the mirror at first. But he agreed to a hypnosis session. This is what we got." He pushed play on the recorder and the voice of Ed's father came on, his speech slurred and distant, trancelike.
"It's strange..."
"Strange how?" That was the voice of the examiner.
"Like a dream world. Like hearing voices while you're half asleep but being unable to move."
"What kind of voices?"
"All voices, all of them. Like a hive. So hard to concentrate, but his voice, his is loudest."
"Crowley's?"
"Yes, Crowley's. When he talks, they whisper."
"And what did Crowley say?"
There was a lengthy pause before Ed's dad replied.
"He wants the Onigawa inside Odolf. He might have the key."
"Key?"
"To the portal. The portal to bring all the Onigawa back to Earth. One of them has it. Not Raddick, not Leclair. One of the others."
"Back to Earth?"
"They lived here once. They know they did. Crowley wants to bring them back, get their revenge on the ones who imprisoned them."
"Who imprisoned them?"
"I... I don't know. A group of people."
"How did they imprison them?"
"I don't know."
There was a sigh, presumably from the examiner who changed his line of questioning.
"Who is Leclair?"
"A Frenchman. The Onigawa Crowley summoned into him is strong, really strong."
"What about the others?"
"One of them holds the key."
"I think we're done here. We're just going round in circles."
The tape cut off there and Alf looked at Ed.
"Thoughts?"
Ed sat back, raised his arms and linked his fingers behind his head.
"Well Leclair is the wall breaking guy. So we know Crowley has him and Raddick now. And we have Odolf. If one of the others holds this... key... Then we need to find them before Raddick does."
"How?"
"Odolf. He must know some names. Maybe he knows where there are records."
"We can try."
"If Crowley's looking for a way to open a portal to bring the Onigawa through then we need to stop him fast."
"And the rest of it?"
Ed shrugged.
"It would be handy if we could find out who sealed them in the mirrors and how. Maybe we could send Crowley there permanently."
"Where do you want to start?"
Ed frowned.
"I dunno. Speak to Odolf I guess. See if he has answers. If he can't remember anything, hypnosis. Get some people looking for anything to do with Onigawa or secret societies and groups that were active before the legends began. Someone needs to talk to the T-alpha when it comes round, see if it's open to helping us."
Alf nodded.
"I'll see if we can get any information from the German military about the outpost Odolf was at too."
"How's my Dad doing? Can I see him now?"
Alf looked down.
"You can see him sure. But Ed..." he sighed, "His condition has taken a turn for the worst. Being forcibly disconnected from his drip exacerbated the disease."
Ed's face was grim. He'd expected there to be complications but still he felt the pang of pain over this revelation.
"We're doing all we can for him." said Alf. "He's in Beta Sector, room twelve."
"It's ok." said Ed, getting to his feet. "Thanks."
He left the briefing room. Frustration mounted in him now. He'd always known his Dad would inevitably succumb to the disease but so far he'd proven so resilient. Having all this happen now, he felt cheated, robbed. Crowley might not have killed his father but he'd hastened his decline. Once again he prepared himself for bad news and made his way to Beta Sector.

Delays.

Sorry folks. I was hoping to get round to another 'Bite' today but my boss has no idea what "24 hours notice" means so I've had to change all my plans. I'll pick up the tale tomorrow (Fri) honest!

Bitesize 3.8

Bitesize 3.8

Ed hadn't seen a wolf transformation before and he wasn't going to get to see it this time either. All he saw was the red blob of Dennis as the chopper pulled back up into the sky. The blob showed hotter, getting white near the centre as Dennis did his thing and it took off running. Ed watched it and the pilot too with his nightvision tracked Dennis as he ran off across the fields. All Ed could feel was the tension as they flew, following Dennis across the rural countryside. He had no idea what to do when they caught the T-alpha. He had no idea what Crowley was up to either. All this uncertainty was playing hell with his nerves. He remembered the tablet of Diazepam and swallowed it. As the minutes slipped by he felt much more relaxed, eager even to get this night over with. For maybe fifteen minutes there was nothing, just the red blob of Dennis bouncing around his thermal vision then there was a noise. Even over the noise of the chopper he could pick up the faint sound of a long howl from Dennis. The seconds slipped by like an eternity until Ed heard an answering howl. He pushed the button on his headset.
"You guys hear that?"
"Yep. That wasn't Dennis." said Katia, "Get ready Ed."
Ed looked down at the red blob that was Dennis. He scanned around the immediate area, looking for anything else. And then he saw it. Some distance away but growing bigger by the second, a second red blob. He flicked the goggles to nightvision and watched as the T-alpha loomed up out of the night. It was big, bigger than Dennis for sure. The two were shortening the distance between them at an incredible pace and Ed quickly aimed the rifle at T-alpha, watching down the scope. He was moving fast, too fast for Ed to keep him in his sights long enough to get a clear shot. All he could do was bide his time and watch. Both Dennis and the T-alpha ran closer and closer. The closer they got the more they slowed down and watching them through the scope Ed finally saw his opportunity. The pair were almost walking as they finally approached one another and with a good few seconds of view Ed squeezed down on the trigger. The rifle kicked back into his shoulder and his view through the scope jarred upward.
"Hit." confirmed Katia.
Ed didn't waste any time. He looked down at the scene, heard the howl of the T-alpha and lined the scope up again. He was staring at the beast's back as it prepared to escape and he fired again.
"Hit." Katia's voice again.
Once more he lined up the scope but the huge wolf was lumbering off, not running but still managing some speed. Ed struggled to follow him with the scope. Loathe to let him get away when he was close Ed swung the rifle left, aiming where T-alpha was running and fired.
"Hit I think." said Katia over the headset.
Ed breathed a sigh of relief. It had been a wild shot and the hit was pure luck. He watched the wolves down below now. T-alpha had slowed right down and was staggering, still futilely trying to escape.
"Hit the collar." said Ed, taking one last shot at T-alpha. The fourth tranq seemed to do the trick and the beast finally toppled over. Dennis followed too, succumbing to the tranquiliser collar Katia had triggered at Ed's command. The chopper pilot circled around them and brought them down some distance away. Ed slung the rifle to one side and he and Katia ran out towards the wolves. They ran past the prone wolf form of Dennis straight to the T-alpha. Seeing it up close Ed could finally appreciate its size. It had to be over eight foot tall and its skin rippled and bulged with muscle. Katia whistled beside him.
"Would you look at the size of that thing?"
"I know." said Ed, "It kinda looks like André the Giant in a wolf outfit."
"André who?"
"A wrestler, from the Eighties... Never mind. Come on, let's get it in the chopper."
They grabbed a leg each and pulled the beast over the damp grass.
"It weighs a frigging ton." Ed complained, pulling hard.
They got it to the chopper and tried to lift it in but it was way too heavy. Katia went to fetch the pilot and together the three of them managed to manhandle it into the copper. Dennis was next and they had a slightly easier time with him. Once both creatures were safely loaded aboard the pilot took off once more. Ed sat in the back keeping a watchful eye on the two.
"Do you think they'll come round before we get back?"
Katia shook her head.
"We know the collar will work fine on Dennis. He'll be out for four or five hours."
"And the T-alpha?"
"Hard to say but you shot him four times. I'm surprised it didn't kill him."
Ed watched the creature's laboured breathing.
"I wonder what he looks like, you know, as a human."
Katia shrugged.
"We'll find out soon. You think this thing can stop Crowley?"
"I have no idea. I hope so. It's big enough and fast enough. Crowley might have power but he's still mortal. We have the element of surprise. Given the right circumstances I reckon this thing can tear him apart. Look at its claws. Nearly four or five inches long. Oooh." Ed's face lit up suddenly.
"An idea?"
Ed nodded.
"Maybe. Even if it can't stop Crowley... what if we soak its claws in poison or something?"
Katia laughed.
"Are you serious?"
"Why not?"
"For all we know Crowley has the same power as Raddick. It might not even be able to scratch him. Besides. Why even waste time using the wolf if that's your plan?" she nodded toward the discarded rifle.
Ed shrugged.
"Crowley might even hide in the mirrors. Think T-alpha could survive through there?"
"Let's just get back and find out where we stand first."
Ed slumped. She was right. It was too early. They still had so much to do. They couldn't make any definite plans until they knew more about what Crowley was up to. Ed just hoped that Alf had managed to recover his father safely.

Bitesize 3.7

Bitesize 3.7

Ed slumped into his seat in the briefing room opposite Alf and next to Katia. He'd finished telling Alf all about what he'd seen at Acorn House and now he was feeling tired.
"So what exactly do you plan on doing?" asked Alf.
Ed sighed deeply.
"We can't give him Odolf. I spoke to him while you were briefing people to look for Crowley's message. He's scared. He doesn't want Crowley to wake up the Onigawa inside him. We'll have to lie and hope he'll fall for it. When Crowley gets in touch, offer him Raddick for Valentina and my Dad. Tell him Odolf hung himself or something. With no mirrors in the room he has no way of knowing whether its true or not."
"So we make the swap, Raddick for your Dad. And in the meantime?"
"In the meantime Katia and I need to take the wolf I caught and a chopper. We need some way of controlling him..."
"We have one." said Katia, "A collar with enough tranq to take him down. we can trigger it remotely from the chopper when we need to."
"Ok." said Ed, "Then we turn him loose where we found him. Let him track T-alpha and we'll follow in the chopper. I'll need a rifle with a sniper scope that can fire tranquilisers and some nightvision thermal goggles."
"And what if you don't find T-alpha?"
Ed shrugged.
"Then we have very little time left to come up with an alternative. Maybe Dad can shed some light on it when he gets back. Try interrogating hum under hypnosis if he's ok with it. Hopefully he can remember details that he wouldn't otherwise."
The phone on the desk rang at that point and Alf answered it. It was a brief exchange and then he hung up.
"Crowley's on a video link. I'm gonna go arrange the trade."
"Then we better get going." said Ed and he and Katia got up.
"Good luck." said Alf as they left.


While the chopper got prepared and equipment was fetched Katia took Ed down to meet the werewolf he'd captured. In another holding cell similar to Raddick's sat a middle-aged man. He looked meek and complacent, short dark hair, thick lensed glasses.
"His name's Dennis." said Katia as they observed him through a two way mirror. "Astronomy enthusiast. He was out videoing some meteor shower when T-alpha attacked him."
"How much control does he have?"
"Very little. He can force his transformation into the wolf but can't turn back voluntarily. He's been trying. In fact he's eager to help us. He's a bit of a sci-fi nerd. This whole thing, he loves it. Sure he's scared but he thinks this is his Spiderman, you know?"
"Mild mannered astronomer by day..." joked Ed.
"Something like that. He's already been briefed. We'll drop him off at the field with the collar on and once we're back up in the air he'll turn."
"Let's do it."


As the chopper made its way to where Ed had first caught Dennis he finally had the chance to be alone with his thoughts. The rapidity of the events had almost overwhelmed him. Just a few hours ago he'd been sat staring at a mirror in a quaint English mansion looking for a missing maid. Now he was cradling a sniper rifle in his arms and a tablet of Diazepam in his hand. There was a lot riding on this moment. The Diazepam would keep his aim steady despite his tiredness he hoped which meant that the only element that could go wrong was if T-alpha didn't show. The rifle itself had darts holding a mixture of silver and Etorphine, more than enough to take down T-alpha in two shots. Ed wondered what Crowley was up to. Clearly he wanted Raddick for something and Odolf too. He couldn't help but wonder about that. What power did Odolf possess that Crowley wanted so badly and for what purpose?
His headset radio crackled into life and the pilot's voice interrupted his thoughts.
"Landing in a couple of minutes."
Ed looked over to Katia, gave her a nod, then slid his goggles over his eyes and turned on the thermal imaging.

Bitesize 3.6

No comments yesterday? :S Hopefully you were pwned into silence and not speechless from disgust. :P

Bitesize 3.6

Ed heard the buzz of the electrical field kick back in as the door closed behind him. Raddick turned to look at this intrusion to his usually solitary cell. Ed brought the gun up and pointed it at him.
"Raddick."
"I know you." said Raddick with a smile. "Baxter's boy, right?"
Ed didn't smile.
"I know he took him."
"Who?"
"Don't play dumb Raddick. What happens when someone goes through the mirror? What's through there?"
Raddick shrugged.
"I dunno. I ain't ever been through the mirror. Only Crowley has."
"Maybe you don't know, but I bet that thing inside you does."
Raddick shrugged again.
"You can't shoot me you know."
"I want to talk to it. The Onigawa, the demon, whatever the fuck it is."
Raddick shook his head.
"You're wasting your time."
"I'm not giving you a choice."
Ed brought up the stun gun in his other hand. He'd already adjusted it to its lowest setting in the elevator. He fired, the stun gun first and Katia's gun immediately after. The blue electrical shot from the stun gun struck Raddick and as it spread out, briefly engulfing his torso the bullet from Katia's gun thudded into his thigh. Raddick fell to his knees, clutching his leg.
"Fuck man!" He grimaced. He passed his hand through his leg and the bullet clunked to the floor. He gripped where it had entered, stemming the bleeding.
"Who'da thought it? It works." said Ed confidently. He pointed both guns at Raddick's shoulder. "I want to speak to it."
Raddick's face changed instantly, twisting into a mask of fury. His voice when he spoke was deep, sibilant and resonant.
"You damaged my hossst."
"I'll kill him if you don't tell me what I want to know."
Raddick, or the Onigawa inhabiting him looked down at his bleeding leg.
"It isss beyond your comprehensssion. The world beyond isss a place of ether. Of energy..."
"So what happens if I went through?"
"You would be lossst."
"And my Dad?"
"Crowley will keep him sssafe. He want'sss me. And that traitor Odolf. He ssstill hasssn't awakened. You can't ssstop him. He'sss too powerful."
"Could you stop him?"
Raddick shook his head.
"No. No one isss fassst enough, ssstrong enough. He hasss waysss of clouding the human mind."
Ed flicked the stun gun back to its highest setting.
"So what happens now?"
Raddick watched him warily.
"He'll ssswap. Baxter for me and Odolf. He'll contact you, here."
Ed nodded.
"Fine."
He fired the stun gun and the blue electrical field swamped Raddick. His face relaxed and his body slumped to the floor. Behind him he heard the electrical field shut off and the door open. He turned and left the room, back to where Alf and Katia were waiting.
"Get that tracker in him now and one of those stun collar devices." He tossed Alf the stun gun.
"And after we swap and have your Dad back, we trace him and what Ed? What then?"
"We need help." said Ed. "You heard Raddick. We can't stop him. He 'clouds the human mind'."
"If he was telling the truth. We can't trust a demon."
"I believe him. I felt as much when I saw Crowley, like I couldn't look away at first. His eyes draw you in."
"You sound like you've thought of something."
Ed nodded.
"We need someone who isn't fully human. Someone Raddick doesn't know we have. A surprise even for Crowley."
Katia nodded.
"I see where you're going with this."
Alf still looked confused.
"T-alpha." said Ed. "It's time to find him and fast."
"But we have no idea where he is."
"But we do have one of his spawn. He was probably bitten by T-alpha in wolf form so hypnosis isn't gonna help us find anything out, but I'd be willing to wager that he can sniff him out."
"He isn't ready yet Ed. He can't control himself properly yet."
"Then we'd better think of a way for us to control him."

Bitesize 3.5

Bitesize 3.5

Ed sped to Kelford as fast as he could drive with his vision impaired by the tears in his eyes. Tears of anger, frustration and sadness. He already knew deep down that he was too late but that didn't slow him down, didn't stop him taking each corner in a reckless slide. Mentally he kicked himself for not spotting it sooner. Clearly Crowley would have expected Ed to call the Bureau, disallowing him the time to rescue both Raddick and Odolf. This was the only logical alternative and was exactly what Crowley had meant with his one solitary syllable. "Check". It still rung out hollow in his head. He'd always known his Dad was not long for this world, the threat of organ failure constantly on the horizon. But to end his days like this...
He roared down the driveway of his Dad's house, sliding the car to one side and showering Valentina's Megane with gravel. He jammed the handbrake on but didn't even wait to kill the engine, just got out and ran for the front door. It was locked and he cursed, ran back to the car and yanked his keys from the ignition. The lights were off in the hallway when he opened the door and he flicked them on as he ran for the staircase. The door to his father's room was wide open and Ed ran in, coming to a stop at the bed. It was empty. The covers flung to one side and the drip disconnected. Spots of both blood and dried silver spattered the bedsheets. Ed looked up to the ceiling mirror overlooking it all then back down at the floor. A lone shoe sat beside the bed and he recognized it as Valentina's. Crowley had taken them both. Maybe they were still alive but Ed didn't get his hopes up. He sat down heavily on the bed and cradled his head in his hands and wept.


When Ed finally pulled himself together he locked the house back up and made straight for the Bureau. Calling the police in a case like this would be pointless. All the way there and even going down in the elevator Ed's thoughts were full of his Dad but when he stepped into the corridor of the Bureau he was all business. Alf was waiting for him by the main desk and Ed didn't waste any time.
"The mirrors?"
"Gone. Ed what's going on?"
"Raddick? And Odolf?"
"They're fine Ed."
Ed tossed Alf the Onigawa book from his Dad's library.
"Crowley's using the mirrors. We need all the information we can get on the Onigawa legends. And I need a word with Raddick."
"Raddick? Why?"
"He knows. He's one of them, the Onigawa. He can tell us how it works. What lies beyond the mirror."
"And how do you propose to make him talk?"
"Give me a gun."
"A gun Ed? Come on, you know better than that. Raddick can't be hurt by such things."
"Oh he can." said Ed, "Just watch me."
"What's going on?" It was a female voice this time, Katia's. She came over to the two of them.
"It's Crowley." said Ed, "He's got my Dad and he's gonna try and get Raddick and Odolf too. Katia, you have a gun?"
She looked surprised but handed him her gun.
"What about one of the stun guns you used to take Raddick before?" Ed asked Alf.
Alf collared a passing agent and made him run off to the equipment sector to fetch one. He returned a few minutes later, holding one of the guns.
"Come on, both of you." he said and the three of them made their way to the elevator that would take them further down into the complex, to the holding cells.

"You can't kill him Ed." said Alf as the elevator descended.
"I don't want to." Ed told him, "If we have no other choice he'll be a good bargaining chip."
"You'd swap Raddick and Odolf for your father?"
Ed shook his head.
"Just Raddick. We already know how to deal with him. After I've spoken to him knock him out. Get one of those collar devices and plant the thing under his skin. We should be able to incapacitate him whenever we need to."
"Ed, this is all very unethical."
Ed stared at Alf.
"What choice do we have? Crowley's planning something. I want my Dad back. Stick a tracer in Raddick and trade him for my Dad. Then we'll find Raddick and Crowley."
Ed checked that Katia's gun was loaded and the elevator came to a stop. Ed marched out and led the others towards Raddick's cell.
Alf sighed deeply.
"Katia, what do you think?"
"I think he's right. Giving up Raddick temporarily, if it allows us to find Crowley, might not be such a bad thing."
"And it will buy us time." said Ed, "Time to find out what my Dad saw when Crowley took him and time to figure out a way to stop him."
They stopped outside Raddick's cell and Ed looked to Alf for approval. Alf nodded in defeat.
"Fine. Go talk to Raddick, but after that I need you to tell me everything that's happened." He hit a few buttons on a keypad near the cell door and hesitated with his finger over the last one.
"Ready?"
Ed nodded, his hand hovering near the door handle.
"Go."
Alf hit the final number and Ed yanked the door open, stepped through and let it slam shut behind him...

Bitesize 3.4

Bitesize 3.4

The next night Ed sat out in the hallway only this time with a pen and a pad of paper. He was determined to try copy Alice's drawing if he could. Whether by coincidence or design he didn't have long to wait this night. Barely half an hour into his vigil the tell-tale signs began to show and once more he found himself watching, mesmerized as the mirror's surface took on its otherworldly sheen and became more liquid than solid. Only this time there was no blonde haired girl staring out at him. Instead a bright red flash lit up to one side and began to move across the surface. As it moved it left behind it a fiery blood red trail. It moved slowly and Ed watched it expectantly. It formed a mis-shapen triangle, not unlike a squashed version of the Star Trek insignia, then, still in one continuous line, carried on onto a second triangle, inverted. Ed knew what it was before the shape was finished. The Unicursal Hexagram. It's meaning varied from culture to culture but given recent events, its meaning was clear. Crowley. Even as the hexagram came to completion, the rose motif in its centre exploded, sending the mirror's surface into a series of ripples that spread from the centre. Seven of them in total and as the last one grew larger and moved outward, in its centre appeared a face. Not just any face but a face Ed knew. A face that had stared back at him from various books on magick. There was no mistaking what he saw. Although his head was completely bald and his beard had become a bushy grey goatee, Ed knew he was staring into the eyes of Aleister Crowley. Ed was rooted to the spot, fear building within him, telling him to flee but at the same time, unable to leave without seeing what would happen next. The face of Crowley smiled, as though in quiet satisfaction, acknowledging his presence. The lips moved, forming one unvoiced syllable. Ed was no lip reader but as he watched Crowley's lips he heard the word in his head.
"Check."
With that the face vanished. Ed leapt to his feet, pieces of the puzzle all starting to fall into place in his mind. He rushed into his room and gathered his things, slinging them into his rucksack. Odolf was telling the truth. Crowley was still alive. The demons Crowley had summoned back in Germany had been Onigawa, of that Ed was almost certain now. His mind raced, trying to pull more information from what he'd seen. When Crowley had locked himself away after repeated failure had he been through the mirror? And what exactly had returned? Crowley himself? Or an Onigawa taking Crowley's place?
He finished grabbing his things and ran like thunder down the stairs, and out the back door of the house. He rapped on the door to James' hut until the security guard opened it.
"What's going on?"
"I'm leaving." said Ed, "I need you to open the gate for me."
"It's after eight thirty." said James, looking down at his watch, "It's past ten!"
"Just do it. I'm not coming back. Just tell Lady B that I left before eight thirty." Ed rummaged through his pockets and pulled out a twenty pound note. That was all it needed to persuade James. He nodded and went back into his hut and returned with a key. Together they went through the house to the front door and James opened it. Ed didn't stop to thank him. He ran straight out to his car, threw his rucksack on the passenger seat and climbed in, slipping the keys into the ignition in one fluid move and started the engine. He slammed it into reverse, spun around and then took off down the drive. The gates were open and Ed went straight through and onto the main road. As he drove he reached into his rucksack and pulled out his mobile phone, dialling the Bureau with one hand. It rang for what seemed like too long then he heard Ellen's voice.
"Ellen, it's..."
That was as far as he got before the phone beeped angrily at him and cut off. He looked down at the phone's inactive display and pressed the power button. The phone lit up only briefly, to flash the message "Low Battery" before beeping once more and switching itself off. Ed let rip with a string of multicoloured curses that would have made Tony grin. He tossed the phone angrily into the back seat and wiped his free hand across his face.

He raced down the quiet country roads with no regard for the 'suicide trees' and the moment he hit a real main street he looked either side of the road for a phonebox. Calling from a public phone was a major breach of protocol but in this case, a real emergency. He spotted on on the opposite side of the street and spun the car round in a squealing u-turn. The tyres bumped against the curb and Ed yanked the door open, leaving the engine running and scrambled for the phone box. He fished a handful of change from his pocket and stuffed coins into the phone, dialling Ellen again as he did.
"Ellen?" he said as she answered.
"What's going on Ed? This isn't a secure line."
"There's no time. I need Alf, immediately."
The urgency in his voice must have carried because she put him through without argument.
"Ed?"
It was Alf's voice this time.
"Alf. Raddick, is he still there?"
"Hold on."
There was a pause and clicking as Alf accessed a computer terminal.
"He's still there Ed. He looks like he's shaving."
"And Odolf?"
More clicks.
"He's still there too. What's this about?"
"The mirrors, in their rooms. Get rid of them. Break them if you have to just get them out of there."
"The mirrors?"
"Just do it. Quickly."
Ed hung up there, not wanting to get involved in a long explanation over an unsecure line. they could remove the rest from the Bureau when he arrived. He went back to the car and started driving again. His mind replayed Alf's words.
'He looks like he's shaving.'
Was he too late? Could Crowley have found Raddick and pulled him through? He'd driven for almost ten minutes before something dawned upon him. Raddick wanted one thing more than anything, something he'd tried to achieve before and failed. Why waste time getting Crowley to rescue him when...
He yanked the wheel over to the side of the road again, another phone box, and got out. He dialled the number for his Dad's house and waited. The phone rang and rang, but there was no reply...

Bitesize 3.3

Bitesize 3.3

He saw nothing else that night. Or the night after. The mirror remained just that, a mirror. By the third night Ed was beginning to wonder whether his mind had been playing tricks on him, or whether he should try focusing on one of the other mirrors in the house. For whatever reason, he decided to stick with the one in the hall and as night began to fall he took up position on the chair opposite and waited.
Only two hours passed before he finally saw something. The mirror's surface rippled again like it had that first night, become opaque and shimmering like a lake of liquid silver and into its centre floated a face. It was her again, the blonde girl, Alice only this time there was something different about her. Ed felt himself leaning closer as the girl once again pressed a finger to the inner surface of the mirror. She moved the finger around, tracing a furrow through the silvery liquid that was quickly filled again behind it. It reminded Ed of writing his name with a sparkler as a child but he couldn't see if it was a letter or a symbol she drew. He edged off his chair and took a couple of steps toward the mirror. The girl watched him and Ed found himself staring into her eyes. There was something about the eyes, something that drew him in. He hadn't realised he'd been walking forward the whole time until his leg nudged into the drawers. He felt the impact on his knee and as he glanced downward the girl's arm suddenly shot out from the mirror, clutching his shirt tightly, trying to pull him even closer. Fear filling him Ed looked down at the solid arm, a pale silvery colour itself, the fingers locked into his shirt with a vice-like grip. He grasped it and wedged a foot against the drawers, trying to gain some leverage but the girl kept pulling, trying to draw him to the mirror's surface. And the surface now was roiling, bubbling like boiling water, no longer flat against the glass but almost erupting as the girl pulled harder. Ed dug his nails into the girl's arm, tried to pry her fingers apart. Silvered liquid from the mirror's surface splashed onto his shirt and solidified. With one last bid for freedom Ed planted his foot against the drawers and let himself give, just a little before pushing back with all the strength he could muster. His face came within an inch of the glass and then, as he forced himself backwards he twisted and bent the girl's arm, throwing all his body weight to one side. He felt her grip on his shirt loosen, felt himself fall heavily to the floor of the hall. His head struck the skirting board on the way down and he passed out.

When Ed came to, the mirror was placid and mundane once more. He groaned and felt his head. There was a lump but no blood, no broken skin. He pulled himself to his feet and staggered back to his room. He flicked the light on inside and looked down at himself. His shirt still had splodges of dried silver where the mirror's surface had spat at him. At least now he knew he wasn't imagining things. He went over to the bed, sat down and nursed his aching skull. Why had she tried to pull him in? was it even her? He thought back to the Onigawa book and how it had mentioned such things. Demons taking the forms of others. People being pulled through the mirror into...? Into what he had no idea. Is that how it had happened to Alice? Probably. If only he could find some way to communicate with her. The first time she'd tried to speak, but in the tumultuous surface of the mirror he couldn't follow her lips. The second time she'd tried to draw something. It wasn't a letter, he was almost sure of that. A symbol, some form of triangle based symbol... The memory eluded him. Which meant at least one more night staking out the mirror. If he could just find out what the symbol was maybe it could go some way to explaining...

And also this...

For over a year now I've been wanting to do something artistic for artistic's sake. Minimalistic even. Like an artist who puts on a display of an empty white room containing only a paperclip or some other such pretentious shit I decided that I wanted to write the world's shortest yet technically complete poem. I wanted something that while short, still packed an interesting mix of ideas and could be interpreted in different ways by different people. It's taken a year but I think I've finally finished my minimalistic masterpiece. It will look like it was simple, but before you dismiss it as Charonic pointlessness just think about it. Let your mind dwell on the possibilities. Ask yourself, what does this mean to me?

Ok I've bigged it up enough.

The World's Shortest (Yet Technically Complete) Poem?

I am
A lone brick

© Charon 2009

Oh poop...

Also, in my sleep deprived state I've lost the ability to follow the days of the week. I'm working tomorrow, so the next Bitesize is actually Tuesday. ¬¬

In the meantime, allow me to distract you with this poem.

Paint a Pretty Picture

Does your memory still picture me
Or is the painting growing dusty
Is it locked away like Dorian Gray
In an attic, dark and musty
Has the memory of our passion stayed
Do you still think about me much
If the colours on the painting fade
Well it's time it got retouched

'Cos I have a matching one of you
And I polish it every so often
And now and then I take my brush
Wet the bristles, let them soften
And try to fix the faded spots
With quiet introspection
Until the world intrudes and stops
My pursuit of perfection

And I cannot count the many times
I've sat alone and tried to
Paint a fresh new picture of
Myself sitting beside you
But it can't be done, the colours run
The canvas falls apart
And I find myself sat here alone
Amid a pile of worthless art

© Charon 2009

I know... Martin would not be pleased. :( "Quiet introspection" was originally "gentle genuflection" until I realised that genuflection is bowing... turns out I was thinking of gesticulation which doesn't work...
But I promised not to bin stuff if it was almost up to standard so it's here.

Bit of a delay.

Had some shift changes. I'm coming straight out of a 48 hour week into a 50 hour week so there won't be another bitesize until monday.

Bitesize 3.2

Bitesize 3.2

With Lady Barrington out of his hair Ed set about familiarising himself with the layout of the house. The mirror in question was located in the hall outside the suite he'd be staying in. He gave it a cursory inspection but found nothing out of the ordinary. It was just a big round mirror on an axle, allowing it to be tilted, sat on top of a chest of drawers. He took a chair from his suite and set it up about ten feet from the mirror. That would be his observation station that evening. There was nothing to suggest that the face, if there was one, would only appear at night but Ed still had a hunch that that would be the case. He wandered around the house a little after that. There were more mirrors he noticed and he wondered whether he should watch a different one if the night passed without a sighting. He wandered around for another half hour without finding anything of serious interest and then realised he was going to have to go eat before James locked the place down for the night. He'd already seen a café on the drive here, within walking distance, and he headed out of the house and down the driveway on foot. The gates opened as he approached them and he noticed a camera pointed at them in one of the trees. He gave it a wave and went through the gates.

When he got back to the house some time later the gates opened for him again. The food had been mediocre but it had killed some time. Eight thirty was approaching rapidly and so Ed made his way inside and up to his suite. Suite was the right word. It was more than just a simple bedroom, larger than his own knockthrough job at home. A large old fashioned writing desk and bookshelf to one side. A bed to another. A huge wardrobe and two chests of drawers and even a large glass panelled cabinet containing various antiques. The room had an en suite bathroom but it was non functional, Lady Barrington had told him. Instead he had shown him another similar bathroom two hallways away. He wondered whether James too had his own unique combination of bathroom and bedroom scattered around the house. Still, Lady Barrington had been kind enough to provide fresh towels and basic toiletries. He took a quick shower, mainly to refresh himself ready for his night time vigil then sat himself down on the chair opposite the mirror and watched.

Ed watched and waited and watched. Minute by minute the hours slipped by and Ed felt tiredness pulling at him. He was more slumped in the chair than sat in it, bordering that half asleep feeling. One arm hung low, his fingertips brushing against the carpet. The rhythmic noise of his breathing filled his ears and threatened to pull his eyelids down... down... Suddenly the flash of motion filled his half-vision and his eyes opened wide to stare at the mirror. Swimming in the surface was a mostly transparent face, a young blonde girl that he presumed must be Alice. The surrounding mirror shimmered like the surface of a lake as the face floated around before him. Wordlessly he watched as the face peered at him and it took a few moments for his eyes to register that the girl's mouth was moving as though trying to say something to him. An arm joined the face at the mirror and a finger extended. Where it made contact with the mirror's surface it broke and rippled like water. Ed's heartbeat thundered in his ears as he saw the finger break the surface and extend, right out of the mirror! He opened his mouth and gasped...

Ed jerked awake and fell from the chair. He scrambled to his feet, the fear of what he had just seen still lingering in his system but the face had gone. The mirror was solid once again and reflected only his own sweat-drenched face. Cautiously he approached it and reached out a tentative finger to touch its surface. It was solid and unyielding as glass should be. Confusion took over from fear. Had he dreamt it? Had he been awake? Common sense and studies in psychology told him he'd simply fallen asleep and imagined what he'd wanted to see. Years working for the Bureau suggested this could easily have been real. With a sigh of unfulfilled curiosity he took up position in the chair again and waited..
And watched...
And waited...

Bitesize 3.1

All I got time for today folks. Busy busy busy.

Bitesize 3.1

Alf was right, Acorn House was about an hour from his Dad's place and well signposted too. Ed had no problem finding the place and before long sat outside the gates. They were large metal gates, remote controlled he guessed as he saw an intercom on the side. He pulled up, wound down his window and pushed the intercom button. There was a pause then a male voice.
"Yep?"
"Ed Baxter. Lady Barrington's expecting me?"
There was no more conversation but the large gates swung open and Ed drove through. The drive led straight up, lined by trees on either side, then curled right to bring him out in front of the house. It was huge, much bigger than his Dad's house and covered almost entirely in ivy. Large leaded windows poked out from the greenery and a stone archway framed the front door. Ed pulled his car over to one side and made for the front door. It opened before he arrived to reveal what was presumably Lady Barrington. She didn't look particularly noble, dressed in a crisp white trouser suit. Ed didn't know what he'd expected but she seemed quite normal against the grandiose backdrop. Average height, average weight, a little over fifty with fully grey hair but the way she eyed Ed as he strode toward her spoke of an obvious class divide.
"Lady Barrington?" Ed asked.
She didn't offer her hand, just looked down at him from the doorstep.
"Are you the man from the magazine?"
Ed nodded. The Bureau did operate a bi monthly paranormal magazine, both as a front and as a way to control the flow of information. He fished in his pocket for the fake id card Alf had given him and handed it to her.
"Ed Baxter, Nexus magazine." He smiled.
She glanced briefly at the card then passed it back then turned and went into the house. Ed followed her.
"The house is yours for five days." she said, "I ask that you eat off the premises and be extremely careful not to damage anything." she shot him a look that said 'And I expect you probably will damage something'. Ed merely nodded. "James looks after the house's security." she carried on, "He locks the place down at 8:30 every night so if you're not back on the premises by then..." she left that one hanging.
"Eight thirty." Ed repeated, "Sure."
She led him through a long hallway to the rear of the house and out of another door. There was a garden out here and to one side a large cabin looking somewhat out of place. Lady Barrington rapped on the door and it opened to reveal an overweight chap in his forties wearing a security guard's uniform.
"This is James." she said to Ed and the two exchanged hellos. "Mr Baxter is the gentleman I was telling you about James."
James merely nodded. Lady Barrington was already walking back toward the house.
"I'll show you the mirror." she said as Ed caught up with her, "And the bathroom facilities. There's a suite you can use which I expect you to keep clean and tidy." She checked her watch, "I have an appointment in an hour, let's make this quick."