"You, there's a purple pouch in my car, go get it," Hawkes said to March and gave him the keys.

"Okay," March said then ran out.

Hawkes held both of her hands together since she was moving like a maniac "listen to me, I know it's hard," he said. "But you have to fight this, don't let it win."

"I... I can't," Perfida groaned.

"Yes you can, don't let it takeover you. Don't worry, I'm here now, I'll help you fight it," Hawkes removed the VR glasses from her then held her face.

March came back with the pouch in his hand "here, I got it."

"Thank you," Hawkes took out a glass cup, a small glass plate and a white bottle.

"What are you going to do with that?"

"Heard of exorcism? that's what I'm gonna do. Lay her down on the floor, now!"

Minutes after, Perfida was on the ground with Vance and Zev grabbed each of Perfida's arm and March held her legs, Hawkes poured a liquid to the cup from the white bottle then put the plate over it after that, he held it on Perfida's forehead then smacked it with his palm that she roared like a lion. Toca, Leyo, and Perdita's eyes popped out as they could not believe what they were seeing through the doorway. "I will cast you away".

"It burnss!!" the creepy voice came out from Perfida's mouth.

"It's starting to takeover."

"Get out from my sister!" Perdita screamed.

"I cast you, demon," Hawkes demanded, he smacked the cup the second time. "Leave I say!"

"No!" Perfida snarled but it was something else talking.

"Leave!" He strucked the cup one last time and it let out an ear-piercing shriek, that everyone had to cover their ears. Perfida stopped seizing but she was passed out after that then blood was coming out from her nose. "It's over."

Vance, March and Zev let go off her. "Is she okay?" Perdita asked.

"She's going to be fine," Hawkes assured her.

Perfida slowly opened her eyes and saw him "Hawkes?"

"Nice to see you again, Perfida," he replied with a small smile on his face.

"Is it gone?" Perdita asked about the demon.

"Yes," Hawkes confirmed, everyone were relieved and the room got brighter too.

All of a sudden, Perfida gasped for air and then kept panting, her body trembled "Why is she shaking again?" Perdita quipped.

"She's still in shock. Perfida, Perfida, it's over," he held her wrists. "Try to relax for me. Breathe, breathe". Perfida took a few deep breaths, she was slowly able to stop quivering and began to calm down a little.

"Whew..." Perdita expressed, she felt glad too that her sister was okay after all that.

-------

A little while later, March, Leyo, Vance and Toca were a bit shaken, they room in the room quiet and very overwhelmed at what they went through just now but not much as Perfida, Hawkes put her on the leather seat, she felt groggy from the exorcism, Hawkes took out a napkin from his pocket to wipe the foam from her mouth and her nose bleed. "How are you feeling?" he asked her.

Perfida just looked down with this tired and glum face, she was a wreck because her hair was all over the place and a bit pale "I... I never been so scared in my entire life," she said with a soft garble tone.

"Like I said, it's over, it's not gonna hurt you anymore," Hawkes then took of his jacket and put it on Perfida.

"Good," she panted, she felt weak that she could fall anytime and was trying her best to put her head up. "Anyway, thanks for saving me... again, how'd you know I'm here?"

"Vance told me while you were in the middle of somehing."

"The important thing is that the shadowman won't bother us anymore," Perdita interjected.

"It's a demon," Hawkes corrected.

"Demon?" Perfida gulped, Perdita was . "How did I get a... demon?"

"We can figure that out later."

"Oh! yeah, How's Void by the way?" Perfida asked Leyo.

"Toca drove him and Pena home and Ricky is in the control room," Leyo said. "But Void is still inside the helmet."

"Ugh... to bad."

"What do you mean by 'he's still in the helmet'?" Hawkes asked feeling puzzled.

"Well, Void, his mind and spirit is trapped in the VR helmet, we were working on putting him back in his body," Perfida explained.

"What?!" Hawkes was taken aback by that then turned to Vance to confront him. "Why didn't you mention that to me when we talked?"

"I... didn't know it that time," Vance stuttered after seeing Hawkes glaring at him.

"And how on earth do you plan on putting him back in his body?" Zev questioned them.

"I don't know all the details on how to do it but Void explained how he got stuck in the virtual world," Perfida answered.

"Remember when I told you that Void is in a vegetative state? He has a microchip in his brain and all his memory is stored in it. When the accident happened it uploaded itself to the VR helmet," Vance informed the showed him the headgear that was next to Perfida, "he's been haunting the VR park, causing all the glitching  and the over-heating."

Hawkes and Zev exchanged looks like they were thinking that these whole case was crazy. "Why? what's wrong?" Perfida asked studying their faces.

"You guys are here to ressurect a man that's on life support?"

"Yeah..." Perfida confirmed but confused.

"That's not possible, you can't put a dead person to life."

The soulpadres with Toca and Brett were baffled by that, "I think you don't understand..." Vance interjected.

Until the VR helmet was shaking on its own that it perplexed the two cops, "what's going on with that thing?" Zev asked.

"Void wants to talk," Perfida answered.

"Oh yeah so how's this gonna...?"

In just a flash, it jumped at Perfida's head that she instantly lost conscious once more, "Hey!" Hawkes was about to do something but Vance blocked him.

"No, don't, just trust me," Vance told him but Hawkes was not to keen about it.

Void possessed Perfida's body "hello," he greeted.

"I don't want to exchange pleasantries with you." Hawkes gave him a dirty look.

"Hmm... nice guy, maybe I can explain how it works."

"I just banished a demon, don't make me do that on you too," Hawkes threatened.

"Please, I mean no harm and you can't do that, I was going to go back to my body until that... whatever that is... got in the way."

"That wouldn't be here in the first place if you didn't her body like a toy," Hawkes argued. "Possession opens a dark portal for demons to enter the world of a living, you made it come here in the first place."

Perdita was distraught since she possessed her twin without her knowledge, so did the others, they were just as stumped as her "I didn't know that," Void replied with a sense of guilt.

"Now get out from there."

"I will because I'm going back to my body."

"I'm sorry but that's not happening."

"I can break it down to you if you don't understand..."

"No, I do," Hawkes then turned to the kids. "I think the detective I sent you didn't get to tell you the information he learned from the nurse."

"What information?" Vance asked.

Hawkes took a deep breath to stay composed then glanced over to Void "the chip in your brain  caused some sort of brain damage when the accident. you are just hanging on life support, you were in a vegetative state for few years that the doctors even suggested to your sister to pull the plugs but..."

"But she refused to let go," Vance sighed as he realized that.

"So I... am really dead," Void was crushed that there was no going back to his old life, Perdita had a smug in her face because he was not getting what he wanted.

"I'm sorry, I know you, all of you, worked so hard on this but that's the truth."

"I guess that's why Perfida can only see him because he is in fact a ghost," Leyo said.

"Why am I stuck in the virtual world?"

"The thing about paranormal, a lot of people think its some folklore nonsense but in fact, it's very much science too," Hawkes clarified. "Ghosts possess electromagnets. The electric energy from that helmet and the microchip in your brain must've connect your electromagnets of your soul."

"I should've known..." Void sighed.

"No, we did know, not the sciency stuff but the part that you... well you know. We were all just hopeful that's all," Toca replied.

"So I'm stuck as a ghost in a virtual world?"

"Not necessarily, you can leave anytime you want."

"How? Where?"

"To the light, when you're ready, me and Perfida can help you."

Void was saddened that it didn't go his way, "I can't be with my sister and worked with Ricky."

"I'm very sorry but there's a better and wider place in the light."

"What about her? why is she still here?" Void was referring to Perdita.

"She wants to be with her family."

"I can do that too?"

"Yes, but her family can see and talk to her, she has reasons to stay here," Hawkes said, Perdita smiled since it reminded her that she was lucky than most ghost.

"Oh, right," Void grumbled. "It's pointless," then he got quiet for a second as if he was contemplating it. "When I was trapped there, I listed down things I wanted to do when I'm free, first the feeling of physical touch, real world and at some point I still wish I can meet someone, fall in love and have a family and grow old together but I'm here and that's not gonna happen, isn't it?". Perdita had this feeling of content at first but once she saw Void's despair, she ended up feeling bad for him too.

"Maybe not but it's not the end if you cross over to the light, it can be a new beginning."

"What about Pena?"

"Your sister will be fine, she's going to be upset about it now but she'll be happy that you're in a better place."

"Okay, I'll go," Void nodded and made up his mind. "Can I talk to my sister and also Ricky."

"Of course, if you can speak with them without using... her."

"Deal, I'll uhm... remove this now," Void put his hands up to take off the helmet, Hawkes had no idea what that meant until the helmet was pulled out that Perfida passed out again, he caught her with Vance before her head would fall back.

"A little warning would be nice," Hawkes grumbled as Perfida rests on his chest.

Some time passed, everyone was ready to go home to their families after a strange trip to the forest to find Brett and Ricky, the boys were waiting for their RodeCar to drive them to their house while Hawkes will drive the twins home "this has been by far the most stellar summer ever," March expressed.

"Tell me about it," Perfida chuckled as she had her strength back. "You know, to be honest, I was hoping that Void could go back to his body."

"Yeah, me too," Vance agreed.

"Don't beat yourself down," Zev said. "I've been a cop for many years, these things happen all the time, it's frustrating, disappointing, but the most important thing is that we know to ourselves that we tried to do everything in my power to save them all."

"He's right," Hawkes said. "It may not have been the happy ending you expected, it's just different."

"There's our ride," Vance said, the RodeCar arrived to pick him and the other two up. "Let's do this again?"

"You guys want to do this again? after that exorcising?" Perfida questioned them. "Sure!". Hawkes rolled his eyes yet simpering at the back finding it adorable, the boys went inside then bid Perfida farewell "bye, guys!" Perfida waved with a sweet smile. "Thanks for everything, soulpadres!"

"Honest to God, that's cheesy," Hawkes bluntly commented. "But friends like them are hide to find". Perfida giggled then scratched her hair that the long sleeve from her shirt pulled down that Hawkes saw the bruises on her wrists and the other had scratches she got, he took her hand to see it better. "What happened here?"

"Long story," Perfida cowering with her puppy dog eyes  and shrugged her shoulder but Hawkes wasn't buiyng her cuteness. "It was the demon, he pushed me off the hill in the forest when we were finding Brett".

Hawkes had goosebumps that Perfida was being terrorized by a demon while he was gone, "we need to talk about it."