The Hallway Monster.

[Lord Shakar]

That if you know one you trust, someone versed in matters Arcane.

[mrloucifer]

A shotgun may be the way to go, at that.

Need any help then mate? Ol' Matilda here is one of the best of her kind and never misses. She's not pretty, but she puts out like a bloody Amazon.

[Grace]

Thanks for the offer but I have to decline.

There's just to much risk to my identity as it is. I'll just have to take care of it myself.

I've never really used shotguns before as part of a job. They're not exactly a precise weapon and I don't do any hunting (would you believe I'm a card carrying member of PETA? No?). I have fired them at the ranges though. Still, I'm going to have to find one, discreetly, in this burb.

[Grace]

Okay, so I've been back out to try and find this thing. No luck yet although I've caught a wiff of it in some other buildings.

I was just curious though, anyone know of ways to keep people out of your head? Is there a pill or something I can take?

[Lord Shakar]

The only method I know of is the use of a psychic ability that I possess.

[Eilonwy Solstice]

Okay, so I've been back out to try and find this thing. No luck yet although I've caught a wiff of it in some other buildings.

I was just curious though, anyone know of ways to keep people out of your head? Is there a pill or something I can take?

A friend of mine suggested centering one’s thoughts on something trivial, like a wall of color with a song going through the mind.

[Clarity]

_____Did this creature get into your head, Mr. Nemesis? If it did like those brain things that Mr. Ron and others talked about, maybe you could wear a helmet. Would that work? I haven’t ever tried it, but Tommy and Gull said wearing tinfoil helps a lot.

[mrloucifer]

Okay, so I've been back out to try and find this thing. No luck yet although I've caught a wiff of it in some other buildings.

I was just curious though, anyone know of ways to keep people out of your head? Is there a pill or something I can take?

When in trouble mate, think of Margret Thatcher or Janet Reno naked on a bloody cold day... That should snap a bloke outta anything.

[Grace]

Thank you for your suggestions, Miss Solstice, Miss Grace and mrloucifer.

Either one seems better than getting drunk and practicing shooting while impaired. Although, perhaps not quite as fun.

The singing of a song seems to be a staple in media, novels and sci-fi shows and such.

As for the tin hat, Miss Grace... it would be hard to look inconspicuous, don't you think? It might be kind of hard for some of my colleagues to take me seriously if I was ever seen in such a get up. Although, the more superstitious ones might just buy into it, privately.

I wonder which song I could use? And are you people sure there isn't a pill for this sort of thing? I heard that things like LSD is supposed to alter your reality and Lazlo refers to some sort of herbal preparation in his book when he discusses astral travel. It seems surprising that no one's come up with an artificial way of blocking things out.

The images idea might work, but there are some things I just don't want to picture.

I may have to practice shooting while deliberately distracting myself with image and song... and while drunk...

Actually, before the skeptics jump on it, I should look into some anti-hallucegenic drugs. There may be something there...

[Willie Long]

I was talking to an Army scientist, once. He explained that thoughts are just electrical impulses, and that telepathy is caused by brains strong enough to transmit electricity through the Earth's E-M field and into another person's head. He said that with the proper magnetic field, you could block the transmissions.

I haven't seen him since the weather started to change -- I hope he was lucid enough to find a shelter.

[Deacon Ash-Shaytan]

Actually, before the skeptics jump on it, I should look into some anti-hallucegenic drugs. There may be something there...

Heh. Why should I "jump on it"?

This is all for fun, remember? You said so yourself.

[Grace]

Tsk,

Mr Ash-Shaytan.

I never named you at all. You're not the only skeptic who likes to jump on things, after all.

And you're right. This is fun. So there's really no reason for anyone to 'jump on it'.

However, if you wish to contribute to the story by perhaps offering up some obscure bit of (obviously false) knowledge on the topic at hand, then by all means, feel free.

I wouldn't want it said that I didn't do my research.

[Shadowstalker]

There is a bit of tech that some people have developed that could be of use to you Nemesis.
Basicly it is a Psi Jammer. It sends out a signal that messes with a Psi's ablities, more so if they are of a sensetive type.
It was made mostly to block human Telepaths, and the like. But it should have at least some effect on this Beast of yours. Thou can't say with 100% certainty it will work. But it could be the edge you are looking for.

[Lord Shakar]

I hate those devices. In my few encounters with the PAB, they have for some reason had those devices in use. They give me one hell of a headache.

[Clarity]

_____Is that one of the issues that Miss Huntress doesn’t like? I personally don’t know how much help that would be, Mr. Louis.

[mrloucifer]

_____Is that one of the issues that Miss Huntress doesn’t like? I personally don’t know how much help that would be, Mr. Louis.

Oy... Huston, we have a bloody problem here.

[Clarity]

_____Is Huston a friend of yours that needs our help, Mr. Louis? If you need any help, just post a new topic about it and we’ll do what we can.
_____P.S. Right, everyone?
_____P.S. Again. Mr. Nemesis, have any of these ideas helped? Is there anything else that we can do?

[InTheDark]

Sounds like a type of personal demon, or bogeyman...be careful of strong negative emotions around it. Things like that feed off of negative feelings like pain, anger, depression, loss.

[Grace]

Miss Grace,

I haven't found the thing again yet so I haven't had a chance to test anything yet. I'll let you know when I run into it again though, okay?

Mr. InTheDark,

So do you think a sedative would help, then?

Also, I'm wondering if maybe the things smell might be tied in somewhere.

[InTheDark]

I don't know if a seditive would be a good idea, as when confronting that thing you'll need your guard up and your wits about you. Have you ever done any extensive meditation? One of the best tricks I've learned is how to put up a psychic shield. Imagine your in the middle of a nothingness...an emply plane. Understand, this is your mind. Now picture a sphere of red bricks forming all around you...fill in all the gaps and practice holding it. This might help secure you from unwanted psycic attacks.

[Deacon Ash-Shaytan]

I don't know, a sedative and a straightjacket might just be what the doctor ordered if this ever goes beyond the realm of "fun" and into a true cry for help.

So called "psi-jammers" are just a bunch of boxes that emit a high frequency soundwave that sensitive ears like those of dogs can detect.

[InTheDark]

I'd have to include straight jackets in the realm of fun

[Lord Shakar]

I don't know, a sedative and a straightjacket might just be what the doctor ordered if this ever goes beyond the realm of "fun" and into a true cry for help.

So called "psi-jammers" are just a bunch of boxes that emit a high frequency soundwave that sensitive ears like those of dogs can detect.

Which is why they give me a fucking headache. I have higher than normal hearing, Though not as sensitive as some I have encountered. But still its enough that high pitched noises bother me at times hence the headache.

So far they have yet to develop something, on this world at least, that interferes with psychic powers.

[A. Pendragon]

I have made a device that I installed into a helmet (also tied in with my multi-optics system), that develops a field around the wearer, that helps block psionic intrusions. In laymen terms, its an artificial mental block. It works fairly well, better on those who are psychic themselves and can "fuel" the device. I am working on a "battery" of sorts for it, so that non-psychics can use it, but the battery is not perfected yet.

This is based on some theories/technologies I heard about back in my days with MI-6 and the SAS.

[Clarity]

_____That sounds neat, Mr. A.!

[Lord Shakar]

Hmmm sounds very similar to something I encountered on another realm. Good luck in fine tuning it Mr. Pendragon.

[Grace]

I've picked up its scent again.

That is, I found it's rather distinct aroma in a rather odd place. The smell was coming from the water drainage tunnels that eventually empty into the local river.

I'm going 'under cover'.

[Eilonwy Solstice]

Good luck, Nemesis.

[Lord Shakar]

Good Hunting.

[Grace]

You know, I'm not a superstisious person, so I really had no trouble when I started my hunt on Friday the 13th.

What tipped me off to check the storm drains was pure coincidence, I suppose. I was wandering the neighborhood somewhat randomly when I noticed the smell out in the open. Specifically, it seemed to be coming from the drains themselves.

It only took a couple of minutes to find a manhole cover so I popped down to have a boo. The smell was stronger down below than it was out on the street but still not as strong as in the hallway. Maybe the cold air was keeping the smell down. Maybe it was simply more diffused out in the open.

That was when I went back to the motel to message that I was going under cover.

While I'm not normally a fan of the shotgun, I had obtained one locally for this job. Naturally I kept my regular sidearm as a back up.

I also brought some SCUBA gear with me. Not because I expected to go swimming--all the water in the drains is frozen this time of year. I just wanted to be sure of the quality of the air I was breathing, all things considered. It was going to be tricky since I needed to be able to smell my way around while being ready to switch to my alternate air supply in a hurry.

Plus, I looked ridiculous.

Felt that way too.

I'd been thinking about all the things everyone here has said about psychics and how to foil them. I decided to focus on the hunt. I was in target aquisition mode, all thought stripped away as I mentally prepared my body and nerves to look, aim and shoot. No distraction could be permitted in any other job so there was no reason to treat this one any different.

I didn't find it right away. Just an old... I guess nest of its. There were scraps of straw and old frozen rags arranged in a semi-circle. A fire had been built repeatedly in a single location. And all over were scattered bones. I'm no expert at these things but they looked like dog and cat bones. Nothing I could identify as being human.

Okay, so the thing had to eat and keep warm. Plus I had already seen it bleed. Those were comforting thoughts. Not far away from it's nest was evidence that it also defecated.

More important to me than all these signs of mortality was the fact that it left tracks. Some were encased in ice around it's lair. Apparently the thing always went barefoot.

It took all night but I finally criss crossed the tunnels enough to come across a strong wiff of its scent. That was when I decided to use the SCUBA gear. Sure I looked silly and I wasn't even sure it would make a difference but at least I didn't have to smell that thing anymore.

After another five minutes or so, I could hear sobbing. Not the horrid cries of pain it had made when I shot it but the sounds of a scared young girl. They seemed muffled somehow. Following the sounds, I soon discovered why.

The creature had made a new lair. It was like the other one but less used and with less bones but with more blankets. There was a fire going a half eaten collie (uncooked and more than a little stinky from age). Beside the collie was a little girl of about six or seven. She was hog tied and gagged.

When she looked up at me, her eyes went wide with fear.

It was only then that I realized that it was Valentines day morning and instead of snuggling up with some sweatheart, I was stalking under the city with SCUBA gear on and hauling around a shotgun. A shotgun I was aiming at that little girl by instinct.

Realizing that she probably wasn't a threat, I lowered the weapon and tried to shush her. She wasn't having any of it. Finally I had to take off the SCUBA mask to show her I was a real person and not going to hurt her. She quieted and I began to unbind her.

"I know most adults won't beleive you sweetie, but I know about the thing that brought you here. How long ago did it leave you here?"

"Not long." She said. "Before you came in. Thought it was him again. His name is Sam."

"He told you that?" I asked. It was somewhat surreal how the fear had seemed to drain from her.

"I just know." She said with the certaintity of faith that only a child can muster.

Just as I was undoing the last of the bindings on her ankles, I heard her gasp.

I didn't think, I only reacted. Even so, by the time I had grabbed my shotgun and spun around, my head was already getting clouded.

The rapport of the first shot echoed painfully in the tunnel, causing the little girl to cry and scream. Her screams of fear were joined by screams of agony as my birdshot scattered and punctured the creatures skin in several places. Without hesitation, I emptied the remaining four shots into it.

As it fell backwards, my head seemed to clear a bit. I guess arguing with it's own pain made it difficult to work its vodoo on my head. Still, that smell was infiltrating my mind. So I pulled down my mask and blew out the bad air before starting up the tank again.

"Look away sweetie." I told the girl as I pulled out my sidearm.

She looked from it to my weapon and back again before turning around with a final sob and a sniff.

I emptied my entire magazine into it before I breathed again.

Lying there, dead. It hardly seemed intimidating at all. Like some sort of hairless ape. And a weak one at that. The arms and legs were more bony than anything.

Waiting a moment, I realized that it wasn't going to conviently discorporate for me as an earlier target had. "Damn." I thought. "I have to get my bullets back then. And I'm not a surgeon. I guess I could burn it..."

"Can I turn around again?" The little girls voice reminded me that there were other priorities and loose ends to be wrapped up as well.

Damn.