Smoke billowed in the air. A thick haze coated the room giving the glowing electronics a horror movie feel, as if it wasn't already creepy enough down here. 

"If it's her I don't want to know."

"I don't believe I said it was." Lilith flicked his nose, causing him to tilt her back toward the desk. "Besides if it was, don't you think I would have rubbed it in your face already. You know how I love deepening an open wound."

Michael sucked in a deep breath, inhaling the smoke he had emitted, not that it bothered Lilith. 

"I'd call you a demon, but that would be an insult to the entire demon race and I rather like Penelope."

She pushed past him to a different keyboard, this one lite up with a blue back-light. "Ah yes, the girl who makes those disgusting oatmeal raisin cookies, now that is truly demonic. How is she?"

"Last I heard she got promoted and is head of HR."

A humph sounded, her fingers continuing their incessant race. They danced to an unknown tune, clacking away worse than high heels on tile. A few of the monitors changed from green text to pink, spouting what he could only describe as jibberish. He was pretty sure she coded in some dead language, not that he'd understand it anyway if it was English. 

"If you are going to loiter, the least you can do is be useful and grab me a soda from the fridge."

He groaned, shoving one of the file cabinets across the floor, a melted hand print remaining from the point of contact. The nerve of her, she was the one who insisted he come down here. He forgot how antagonizing she was. She grated at him, shaving away his self-control. She always had and to be honest he could no longer tell if it was her or her abilities. This is why he hadn't wanted to come down here. She was no help at all, nothing but a glorified, spoiled child. Fiction put her on a pedestal for her abilities and skills. They let her run rampant down here as long as she still accomplished her tasks when assigned and even when she didn't, they wouldn't do anything. They couldn't do anything. Most here were subject to her whims. It was ridiculous. He needed to find Rene and the others before the director did. 

Bits of floor clung to his shoes as he moved forward, he couldn't keep his cool. So each step was like walking through mud as everything melted around him. He made it to the fridge and simply punched his way through the door, the reek of hot plastic suffocating. The can exploded in his hand, covering him in a sticky sugar mess that hissed. 

A whoosh shoved him into and through the fridge. The cold air slapping his steaming skin. Michael rolled over, stunned as he sat in it. Dented cans around him were the only thing besides him inside the fridge. It appeared a few more had exploded from him being forced inside, spewing their red fizz everywhere. Little weirdo was addicted to the Code Red Mountain Dew. 

He blinked, wiping a heavy pink foam out of his eyes. Lilith stood above him with a twitching frown, her small hand wrapped in a fist around a fire extinguisher. Of course it wasn't exactly a normal one to be able to damper him.

A pop echoed between them as Michael cracked one of the relatively intact ones open. He chugged some, before letting out a burp. Lowering it, he tossed her a different one from behind his back. He flicked some more of the fire retardant off himself. Another pop, she came forward raising her can to him. The aluminium clinked together as they cheered.  

"This stuff tastes like sugary cough syrup." 

Her eyes remained unamused. "Yeah well you still owe me a new stock."

She turned away, finishing hers in large gulps. The can crushed against her skull in a single motion, then she tossed it over her shoulder at him. He leaned out of the way, still nursing his own. 

"Lilith."

"Like I said, you aren't being haunted by the Felicity. I haven't seen her around you in years." She took her seat again. Placing a peppermint on her tongue, she rolled it around in her mouth. "I don't think she's moved on from this plane of existence, just on from you."

Pink foam fell to the ground, looking like a child's dropped cotton candy, as he pulled himself from out of the fridge. He brushed his clothes, all of which would have to been throw out. Between him burning holes in it and the now slight pink tinge accompanied by the chemical smell, they were a lost cause. Not to mention some of the stuff still wouldn't come off, clinging to him like slime. He picked up another soda, walking toward her. 

Her hand stuck out expectantly. This time he put it in the waiting palm, giving her a look while he did and putting some force behind the movement. Up close he could see the slithering pulse of the black beneath her skin, it reminded him of the good doctor sans the electrical glow. After a moment, he shifted away to lean on the edge of the desk. The can once more coming to his lips for a sip to rid his mouth of the smoke taste and whatever had been sprayed on him. 

Seemingly satisfied, Lilith pulled out her phone from her hoodie. The newest version, no doubt knowing her, it was covered by a red sequined phone protector. The girl certainly liked her aesthetic. He was pretty sure there was a reason behind it to be fair though. Her finger tips flitted across the screen.

The room became dark as all the lights and screens went out. The only things still emitting a glow were her phone and those two pink eyes. A soft light came on behind his back. Michael turned and crouched down to look at it. The picture showed the room, once more lit up, a time code confirming it was the past.

"Security camera. Now here comes you."

He watched himself fall from the ceiling in a heap onto the floor. His past self then got up and began moving around the room. 

"So what?"

A sigh drifted through the dark. A click and the scene started rewinding back to right before he entered, tracking him back to in the red and black hall then out the door in reverse. It stopped and began a normal progression. The heavy metal doors opened, swinging inward with a squeak. 

"You know WD-40 would fix that right up."

"Yeah, why don't you shut up."

Screen Michael entered with some hesitancy, it was obvious he didn't want to be there. Gez and he had thought he'd be hardier to read. Just as the door was closing behind him, it froze. The moment was barely a breath of time and if he had blinked he would've missed it. Even now, he wondered if it was just a natural hitch in the shut of the door. However, a glance at Lilith's unwavering gaze squashed that theory. 

"Who is it?"

The lights flooded the room, causing him to shield his eyes. He lowered his hand to find Lilith with her hands folded on her lap. A polite little girl act she tended to portray when thinking. 

"I can't say that I know. The fact someone is here within my lair and not only don't I know who they are, but I also can't exterminate them..." The air stilled within the room, anger palatable from her. "You could say I'm peeved at this pest."

Michael returned his gaze to the screen, it continued following him trek through the hallway. His diagonal path being traced with precise angles. However, watching it more closely and with the knowledge in hand of being followed, he could see the truth. The camera was framed to include not only on him, but also to keep a lens on the unseen force. The camera knew where it was, so Lilith knew someone was there. It was impressive technology. 

"And they are still here?"

"Yes." Lilith tapped her fingers, stopping the feed. "Apparently the fact I know they are here does not give them hesitancy. A very stupid move."

Her rage seethed beneath the surface. The person was either incredibly brave or a fool to go against it, or perhaps scarier had no reason to fear given their own power. 

"I didn't bring them here."

The screens all came back to life, each one showing a live stream of the room they were in. She waved her hand dismissing his statement. Glaring at the screens, she popped another peppermint into her mouth followed with a shot of her soda. 

"I'm aware. I was hoping to goad them out by threatening to tell you about your tail. However, it appears they called my bluff of knowing who was following you." 

She threw the still partially full can at a spot in the room. The can flew through the air in a smooth arc before landing on the floor. The screens stopped before rewinding a few seconds. When it started again, it was zoomed to the area just surrounding the flying can making the same arc through the air. When it was almost reached the ground, the air and screen flickered before returning to normal. It also looked like a fading mirage. 

He frowned about to ask more when she snatched his can from him repeating the entire process. Throw the can, rewind and watch the moment again. This time though there was no flicker. The figure had moved, adjusting for her action. 

"And you can't get rid of it?"

Lilith's fingers twitched at nothing. "Not yet."

Michael stared at the spot. Who could it be, a friend or an enemy? Someone sent by Fiction or the Asylum? He supposed it didn't matter, because if Lilith couldn't do anything, it was unlikely he could either. For the moment, he needed to move on. He needed to focus on what was important. 

He moved to stand between Lilith and the spot. She leaned to continue leering at the invisible person. Michael followed suit, tilting over to obstruct her view. She shifted her glare to him, to which he raised an unsure eyebrow. 

"Fine. You're lucky that I haven't had a chance to reload my gatling guns after the last time." She spun and scooted back to the desk. 

"Who did you fire them at last time?"

"Who else that bitch Penelope." Her voice lowered to a mumble. "Bringing me cookies with raisins."

Poor Penelope. Michael knew from experience those were not fun to be on the end of. The monitors' pictures converged to make an entire wall showing the same thing. It was the meadow where they had fought Kara. The perspective was from above, showing the blood splatter dotting the green. He could see various bodies laying about. A swirl of red erupted then disappeared just as suddenly. That would Kara's dramatic exit, which means Xander and his hench-person should be arriving soon and something should be happening to the others. 

"Wait, how did you get this?"

"Shhhh...I'm watching the movie." She had gotten another soda and was rotting her teeth with it, guzzling it like water.

The air and picture flickered. One second the others were there the next they were gone. Hold on...the air flickered. The screen stopped, the chair creaking as Lilith leaned forward. The can crunched within her fist. 

"Son of a bitch."