18 - The Devil's due a soul, I'd say

[sonotahunter]

[Private to Tony]

[Whatever was here is so deeply scratched out as to be completely illegible]

[Filtered to Irene, Bruce, Facilier, Sark, McCullen... ...BASICALLY IF YOU'RE SOMEONE BELA CONSIDERS A FRIEND WORTHWHILE ASSOCIATE, YOU'RE ON THIS FILTER.]

Come to my room. I don't care where you are. Do it.

Comments

[sarkraticmethod]

[He's talking as he's on his way. His communicator is his cell phone, okay?]

You know something about this, don't you?

[Voice]

[sonotahunter]

It doesn't matter-- [She gives a brief growl.] I'll explain once you're safely behind closed doors.

[HER PARANOIA HAS KICKED INTO HIGH GEAR. She's not. Going to say anything over the phone. .___.]

[Voice]

[sarkraticmethod]

[OH RIGHT. THIS ISN'T A SECURE LINE. THE LOCUSTS MIGHT HEAR US.

Either way, he hangs up, because that's how he rolls and shows up at Bela's door and knocks. First. Because he's efficient. He's also covering his nose with a handkerchief, because GOD THAT SMELL.].

[Voice]

[sonotahunter]

[YOU KNOW NOT OF WHAT YOU SPEAK, BOY.

She cracks the door open, then pulls it open wide enough for him to get inside--if he walks across the red sigil that fills her doorway.] Get in.

[Voice]

[sarkraticmethod]

[He notes the sigil and calmly steps over it and inside, resisting the urge to roll his eyes. He's seen a great many odd things from her, however, and he's willing to respect her need to have certain precautions.]

This isn't a flood, is it?

[Voice]

[sonotahunter]

[When he crosses, she shuts the door, hiding the relief that he's not possessed.

She'd hate to have to exorcise or kill him.] I would prefer that.

[Spam]

[sarkraticmethod]

[He crosses his arms over his chest and purses his lips, nodding.]

Then it's something within your... Particular field? Not the angels, surely?

[Voice]

[sonotahunter]

[Her lips tighten into a brief, thin line.] The opposite.

[Spam]

[sarkraticmethod]

[Sark takes a moment to consider that and then barks a laugh. Of course. Angels, vampires, why not demons too? This place seriously calls his rampant atheism into question.]

A demon? [He makes a small "ah" sound, as if in realization.] McCullen and the doctor's experiment. I wasn't aware one of the targets was one. Clearly, I should've paid more attention to who we were injecting.

[Spam]

[sonotahunter]

..What. [She gives him a brief, blank stare.] Who-- Surely they wouldn't have... Not Alastair.

[Spam]

[sarkraticmethod]

[Sark swallows and were he not already pale, he might have gone noticeably paler.] Alastair's a demon? [He shakes his head.] I certainly knew he wasn't human, but... He's causing this?

[He grits his teeth and resists the urge to pace.] I must have missed him. I remember Sylar and the man who looks like me and the dark-haired man with the odd name- Belthazor? If I had seen his name on the list, even not knowing this information, I would've implored McCullen to reconsider.

[Spam]

[sonotahunter]

Yes. Unless there's a demon aside from Alastair, Ruby and Belthazoar on board that I'm unaware of. And this... I don't know where Belthazoar ranks in terms of ability, but omens like these are typically the product of an archdemon. Which Alastair, to all intents and purposes, is.

[She stops herself from pacing as well, crossing her arms.] You're not alone in that. I could have told them-- No matter. What's done is done. How to deal with it at this point, is the question.

[Spam]

[sarkraticmethod]

[He files the list of demons away, inwardly cringing at the fact that Belthazor was a demon as well. Had they not anticipated that this might happen? Or was it part of something bigger he didn't quite understand yet, because he wasn't a part of the inner sanctum that McCullen, Rex, and the Baroness were a part of.]

I'm all for letting whoever gets stuck out there die, provided our interests are looked after when the dust clears. You've given proper warning, I assume, to the people that matter.

[Spam]

[sonotahunter]

[Her smile is brief, small and cruel.] I have at that. And I can't say I would mind some of the offal being cleared from this place.

[Spam]

[sarkraticmethod]

[Sark almost smiles.] Then provided we're all properly barricaded and don't attempt to kill each other in such small quarters, I believe there's no reason to do much of anything immediately.

[Which is Sark for "I am not messing with anything I don't understand, so let's just wait it out and hope everyone else dies."

[Spam]

[sonotahunter]

[Bela settles into a chair, gesturing to the one opposite. She crosses her arms and gives the door a long stare before shaking her head and looking away again.] Curiosity is both a blessing and a cure--morbid curiosity in this case.