Christie chats with Chevalier

(the video is not safe for work, at least Ozzy's riling the crowd isn't, but that's okay because we do love Ozzy- the managment)

            Christie sat down behind her computer and instantly cradled her aching head in her hands, thankful that Agent Thomas was under the impression that she was at home and not hiding in the basement after hours hard at work. The machine whirred slightly as it started up and just as she opened her eyes to begin reviewing the data from ARC when she suddenly froze, all of her instincts screaming at her that she was not alone.

            She carefully lifted her head and glanced over her shoulder at the door directly behind her and she jumped slightly when she realized that someone was leaning against the frame, silhouetted by the stark fluorescent light in the hallway.

            She opened her mouth in surprise, but before she could really think to say anything the person stepped inside and let the flickering bulb above him illuminate his features, “Salut,”

            Christie scowled at Chevalier, “What are you doing here?”

            The man laughed, and Christie couldn’t help but feel slightly insulted that he didn’t take her fierce expression seriously, “Working. I see that you are as well.”

            “I didn’t mean ‘what are you doing in the building,’ I meant ‘what are you doing in my office’?”

            “Relax, Agent Steele. If you frown any harder you might strain something and you are getting enough wrinkles as it is.” he ignored her indignant snort and sauntered to where he could look at her screen over her shoulder, “I found myself at an impasse in what I’m working on, so I thought I’d take a walk around.”

            “A walk around? The FBI headquarters? You thought that you would just go for a jaunt through one of the most top secret buildings in the country?”

            He gave her a blank look as if he wasn’t sure where the question was in her sentence and shrugged, “Oui. It wasn’t difficult. Anyway, I ended up down here and saw you come in so I thought I would say hello.”

            “No offence, but the time we spent together was enough for me.”

            Chevalier ignored her again, “This is the system that you have been working on, right? The ARC? I was told about this.”

            “By who?” Christie demanded, “This is classified!”

            “Apparently my security clearance covers it.” Chevalier said smoothly, a smug smile across his face, “You should trust me, Agent Steele. We are working for the same people. I was brought here to help work on the case of the Liberty Cross outbreak.”

            Christie made a show of glancing at her watch, “Well, I came in here to finish up the work that I didn’t get done today but you are making it difficult to get anything done.”

            “Please, work. I’m just enjoying having company. The hours that I keep rarely allow me to have conversations with new people.”

            “Are you sure that it’s your hours and not your attitude?”

            “I’m sure.” he suddenly leaned in close, and Christie tensed despite herself, the hairs on the back of her neck standing up on end uncomfortably at his proximity. For an instant, it seemed as if her were going to brush his lips against her cheek before she realized that he was actually leaning past her in order to touch his fingertip to the screen on her computer, “This data here seems incongruent with the rest.”

            Christie blinked at him before using all of her willpower to turn her chair to look at the screen. Leaving her back exposed to him made all of her instincts roar at her, but she forced herself to remain calm and look at what he was pointing to.

            He was correct: ARC had brought up the details of a specific location on the screen, and the numbers that accompanied it made Christie forget about the man at her back. She quickly typed in a command, and the computer brought up the details on a separate tab.

            “Its an outbreak of crime. The system found a connection between three cases in an area of fifty miles in a month.” she blinked at it in surprise.

            “How many crimes and what kind?”

            “Twelve…” she shook her head as the computer made an alarm noise, “No…fourteen!” she typed in some more commands and suddenly stiffened, “All of them are in an eerily close proximity to…” she trailed off.

            “To Liberty Cross.” Chevalier finished her thought, “You are positive that they are all connected?”

            Christie nodded, “Yes. They were all violent murders…ew, they were all exsanguinations. Some sort of cult, maybe?”

            “Not a cult, a choir.” Chevalier muttered to himself.

            “What? You think it was some psychotic singing group?”

            The vampire blinked at her slowly and backtracked, “Pardon, I am not as fluent in English as I would like. I didn’t mean a singing group,”

            “What did you mean?”

            “I’m not sure.” he pointed at the screen again, “If we are to assume a pattern is present, our favorite Missouri town is next, isn’t it?”

            Christie looked at the screen and nodded, “ Yes. Liberty Cross is the next logical place,”

            “How soon does data appear in the ARC?”

            “As soon as a police report is filed.” she shrugged, “So sometimes quicker than others.”

            “So Liberty Cross has probably already been hit. We don’t see it here because of the outbreak.” Chevalier pressed his lips flat, “Well, this confirms the theory I have been working on. Thank you, Agent Steele. You were indeed the source of some inspiration tonight.”

            Christie shook her head distractedly and looked at the numbers again, “This is serious…and it proves my working theory behind the ARC. I have to tell the director. Do you think you could-“ she broke off as she realized that she was talking to a closed door and an empty room.