SHADOWS ANGELUS II

OCCULT REPORT 1

*****XSWAT INTRA-MAIL*****
From: Gaines (Aloysius.Gaines-1@angelus.apd.gov)
To: CRASH Team Epsilon Sector (CRASH.E001@xswat.apd.gov)

Lt. Brogan, disseminate this report to your team.

Attachment: OccultReport1

Might be nothing, so prioritize accordingly below your other responsibilities.

Gaines, Aloysius T.
Captain, Epsilon Sector, Commanding
Angelus XSWAT

OCCULT REPORT 1

From: signalwink@tinselcity.com
To: Mark.Welker-1@angelus.apd.gov
Subject: Long time, no see

Mark, how have you been? Last time I saw you was at Jana’s party, I think, up in the Hills. Tell Donna I say hello—but this e-mail is actually me asking YOU a favor. Are you really busy today?

From: Mark.Welker-1@angelus.apd.gov
To: signalwink@tinselcity.com
Subject: Re: Long time, no see

Amy! Hey, great to hear from you. Jana’s party was great—as I recall, you did a little table dancing yourself. Hotcha-cha-cha…j/k. Anyways, today’s a bit light on the busywork side, so I could probably lend a hand if you need one. What’s the problem? You having any trouble keeping those yard apes and porch monkeys in hand?

From: signalwink@tinselcity.com
To: Mark.Welker-1@angelus.apd.gov
Subject: Re: Long time, no see

Har har, very funny Mark. As it happens, I remember a few choice comments you made yourself at the party. At least I can dance. :P

Don’t call my kids “porch monkeys”—the social worker’s handbook says we’re supposed to stick to official vocab, so I can’t let your bad habits infect me anymore.

Angelus shelters are a lot more stuffy than the ones on the mainland—I guess I don’t have to tell you about the difference in following the rules and following the “guidelines”—but I’ve gotten used to it.

Oh yeah, the favor. Would you mind looking over some of my reports? I’ve been running into some, well…frankly, some really bizarre interviews over the last six months. At first I thought it was just a few kids or some kind of meme, but lately…well, it’s been bothering me. I figure you can tell me if I’m wasting my time with this stuff or not.

From: Mark.Welker-1@angelus.apd.gov
To: signalwink@tinselcity.com
Subject: Re: Long time, no see

Sure, send me whatever you got. I’ve got a lunch break coming up and the news is just too damn depressing. Ivory Angel got her butt kicked last night at L&S and I lost 50 bucks to that jerk Newman. So, I’m brown-bragging it. The upside is I don’t have to listen to Newman’s rants about how things were better before the new regs.

Listen, I’ll tell you what—favor for a favor. I’ll check out your reports if you’ll meet me for dinner Friday night. My parents are coming to town and they’re going to give me that ‘when will you settle down and get married’ speech again if they think I’m still single.

From: signalwink@tinselcity.com
To: Mark.Welker-1@angelus.apd.gov
Subject: Re: Long time, no see

Mark,
Huh—are you asking me out? Because that was a pretty clumsy attempt to disguise it with the old ‘visiting parents’ line.

I can meet you Friday, but let’s make it coffee rather than dinner. I won’t deny that I’ll owe you one for helping me out here, but I want to take things slow, you know? Joel wasn’t that long ago, and you remember how he turned out.

I’m attaching the files, let me know what you think. These kids are really scared, and it’s starting to make me scared too.

Attached File: Report1.xdc
Entered by: Amy Hernandez, Tellerian Center for Social Welfare
Report from December 2nd, 2122.
Subject: Rosalita Martin, female 8 y/0, NDG
Rosalita: (crying)
Amy Hernandez: Rosalita? Rosalita, please tell me what’s wrong. Are you sick?
Rosalita: (head shakes, tears glisten on her cheeks)
AH: (sighs) If you don’t tell me what’s wrong, I can’t help you.
Rosalita: (inaudible)
AH: What? Please speak up, Rosalita.
Rosalita: I said no one can help. It’s too late.
AH: Too late for what?
Rosalita: (Espanol) My friend, Janice.
AH: Janice?
Rosalita: (English) She died.
AH: That’s very sad. Are you sad because she is dead? It is okay to be sad for someone you care about.
Rosalita: Sort of. Yes, I am sad. But…
AH: But what?
Rosalita: (inaudible)
AH: Please speak up, dear.
Rosalita: It was Bloody Mary.
AH: (pause) Who is Bloody Mary?
Rosalita: (crying louder)

Attached File: Report2.xdc
Entered by: Amy Hernandez, Tellerian Center for Social Welfare
Report from December 12th, 2122
Subject: Tommy Itano, male 10 y/0, NDG
AH: What are you drawing, Tommy?
Tommy: Something I saw once.
AH: What is…Oh my God.
AH: Tommy, please put your lightpen down.
(paper rustles)
Tommy: Is it bad?
AH: (pause) No, Tommy, just…different. Very different.
AH: Where did you see this, Tommy?
Tommy: In my room.
AH: Tommy, this…were you awake or sleeping?
Tommy: Awake.
AH: Are you sure it wasn’t a nightm…dream?
Tommy: (muttering)
Tommy: Yeah.
AH: Tommy, you were probably asleep and just THOUGHT you were awake.
AH: We often see strange things when we are sleeping. Sometimes they even seem so real…
Tommy: (sighs) You’re probably right.
AH: Did you write something down here? Is that your signature?
Tommy: No, that’s her name.
AH: Tommy, I think you misspelled it and…wait. Is this…what’s her name?
Tommy: Bloody Mary.

Attached File: TommyDrawing1.xpg

Attached File:Report3.xdc
Entered by: Amy Hernandez, Tellerian Center for Social Welfare
Report from January 1st, 2122
Subject: Tommy Itano, male 10 y/0, NDG
AH: Tommy, I’d like to talk to you about tomorrow. Some foster parents are coming in to speak with you.
Tommy: (inaudible)
AH: Tommy, please stop drawing and look at me, it’s not polite.
Tommy: (sigh) Yes, Ms. Hernandez.
AH: Tommy? Are you allright? You look…I think you should talk to the nurse.
Tommy: I can’t sleep good, Ms. Hernandez.
AH: (pause) Why is that, Tommy?
Tommy: (silent)
AH: Are you nervous about being adopted? It’s only natural to feel
Tommy: (interrupts) It’s the dreams.
AH: (pause)
AH: Tell me about the dreams.
Tommy: You know how you said I dreamed Bloody Mary?
AH: I remember.
Tommy: I dreamed her again.
AH: (long pause) Tommy, who is Bloody Mary?
Tommy: She’s a demon.
AH: What?
Tommy: A bad spirit.
AH: Like a ghost.
Tommy: (disdainfully) Ghost is a baby word. Bloody Mary is a spirit.
AH: (slowly) Okay Tommy. Calm down. I want you to tell me about her.
Tommy: She cries black tears from empty eyes.
Tommy: She hates children and hunts them in the night.
AH: What does she look like?
Tommy: (whispering) You saw the picture.
AH: Oh God, please…
AH: Just…try to tell me what she looks like, Tommy.
Tommy: (whispering) You only see her at night. Her clothes be blowing back, even in a room where there is no wind.
Tommy: (louder) You see her and you know she marked you, marked you for killing.
AH: That’s just a dream, Tommy. She’s not real.
Tommy: (angry) She is too! An’ so is the Blue Lady!
AH: What? Who?
Tommy: The Blue Lady can help me.

Attached File: Tommydrawing2.xpg
Entered by: Amy Hernandez, Tellerian Center for Social Welfare
Report from January 4th, 2122.
Subject: Rosalita Martin, female 8 y/0, NDG
AH: Good morning, Rosalita!
Rosalita: Good morning, Mrs. Hernandez!
AH: Are you feeling better?
Rosalita: Much better. (pause) Thank you very much for the peanut brittle.
AH: (warmly) You’re very welcome, Rosalita.
(pause, background noises)
AH: (hesitantly) Rosalita, can I ask you some questions?
Rosalita: (nods)
AH: Is it okay if I close the door?
Rosalita: Okay.
(door shuts)
AH: Rosalita, do you know Tommy Itano?
Rosalita: (head shake)
AH: Boy a little older than you, tow-headed?
Rosalita: (head shake, emphatically)
AH: Okay. Just wondering….
(pause)
Rosalita: Ms. Hernandez?
AH: Oh, sorry. Yes, I wanted to ask you something else.
Rosalita: (smiling) Okay, you can ask me.
AH: Do you know the Blue Lady?
Rosalita: (nods)
AH: Who is she?
Rosalita: (excited) She is a good spirit.
Rosalita: NOT a ghost.
AH: Right.
Rosalita: She's a magic lady, nice and pretty and smart! She live in the ocean and comes just to kids.
AH: Only to kids, huh? Go on.
Rosalita: The demons made it so she only has power if you know her secret name.
Rosalita: If you and your friends on a corner on a street when a car comes shooting bullets and only one child yells out her true name, all will be safe.
Rosalita: Even if bullets tearing your skin [sic], the Blue Lady makes them fall on the ground.
AH: Um… I see.
Rosalita: She can talk to us, even without her name. She says: 'Hold on.'
Rosalita: A LOT of us have seen her.
AH: Ah.
AH: (smiling) So she is your friend? Is she invisible?
Rosalita: No, silly, of course not. But grown-ups don’t see her.
AH: Right, of course not.
(long pause)
AH: Rosalita, do you remember last month, when I visited after your friend Janice died?
Rosalita: (softly) Yes.
Rosalita: (Espanol) Rest softly.
AH: You said, um, a name.
AH: Um, ‘Bloody Mary’
Rosalita: She hates us. She fears us.
AH: Who is she? Is she a grown-up?
Rosalita: No. She is a bad spirit. She made a pact with Satan.
AH: A what?
Rosalita: A pact, a bargain.
Rosalita: She killed her own baby, and wants to kill all children, everywhere.

From: Mark.Welker-1@angelus.apd.gov
To: signalwink@tinselcity.com
Subject: Re: Long time, no see

Jesus.

Jesus, Mary, and Joseph. Those reports are like ice water running down my back. And that /picture/…

Hard to believe a kid drew that. Amy, what I’d like to do is forward this stuff to someone I know over in XSWAT. Some of the stuff we’ve been trained to look for is raising a red flag or two for “occult involvement.” It’s /probably/ nothing more than kids with an overactive imagination, but better safe than sorry.

I have an entirely new appreciation for your career choice, by the way.

From: signalwink@tinselcity.com
To: Mark.Welker-1@angelus.apd.gov
Subject: Re: Long time, no see

Mark,

Go ahead and forward the files. I checked in on Tommy’s foster family today. He died last night in his sleep.

About Friday—I don’t feel much like going out. Why don’t you just come over to my place and I’ll fix you something. I…just don’t want to be alone right now.


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