Ryder stared at the abandoned warehouse as it gleamed in the moonlight. She glanced over at her companion, then back at the warehouse. The silver tones of the metal in the moonlight contrasted starkly against the shadow the warehouse cast upon the dirt and gravel surrounding it.

"Ryder?" Her companion edged closer. "What are we going to do now?"

She was the senior agent on this mission, so she had to make a decision now, she reminded herself. "We're going to... We're going to check out the warehouse." She glanced back at her friend.

He was just a techi most of the time. Her superiors wanted him to learn how to handle being part of a field mission though because, technical wizard or no, he needed to be able to handle weapons and the real world to be of any use to them.

He cleared his throat softly and nodded. "Course... I'll go first." He stepped forward to walk into the open, but Ryder yanked him back.

"You can't just go barging out into the open, idiot!" Her voice was a low hiss. "It's a good way to get yourself killed. And you aren't going first. I am because I'm the senior agent, and I know more about this stuff. You might know how to shoot a gun, but have you ever used it to kill something?"

He blanched, but tried to paste a brave smile on his face. "There's a first time for everything."

"Well, a potentially dangerous situation isn't the best time for the first time if we can help it, Kane." Ryder glared at him. "And there won't be a first time for anything if you blow yourself to smithereens."

Kane huffed. "True. But what is a good situation for a first time if a life-threatening..."

"Kane?"

"Yes?"

"Shut up. We need to figure out whatever we can about this anomaly and report back to General Donnovan." She glared at him. "No time for squabbling about morals or the best times to do different things. Okay?"

Her friend sighed and stared at the ground. Eventually, he conceded with a short nod. "So what do we do? If we can't just go walking out there, what are we supposed to do instead?"

She shrugged. "I have a few tricks up my sleeve." Ryder pulled a sack full of sharp objects from her pocket.

"What's that for?" Kane stared at the pouch. "How is a pouch full of... what are they? Rocks? How is that supposed to help?"

"Well, it'll check for any normal land mines. Most of those are pressure activated. So if they get hit hard enough with one of these, they'll blow. And it won't blow us up..."

"But we were sent to scout out an anomaly in the Balance, Ryder. If there's anomaly, that means magic. And that could mean magical snares."

"Could... Unfortunately, I have no handy gismos to deal with this strange of an anomaly. Donnovan knows more than both of us about magic, and he couldn't determine what it was. If it's strong enough to hide its real purpose and identity from Donnovan, it can set traps that we won't be able to hinder. That's the way it is." She crouched close to the ground and tossed the first pebble out in front of her.

Nothing happened, so she stood and walked gingerly over to it. She examined the ground in front of her for any signs of fortifications or digging. There were none, so Ryder pulled the next stone from her pouch and threw it at the next spot.

They continued this way without obstruction until they reached the door. Ryder was puzzled by the lack of any sort of trap. Perhaps the anomaly was just that. An anomaly and nothing more. It had already disappeared off the map for a while before Donnovan sent her and Kane to investigate. Perhaps it was already gone.

She raised a hand to stop Kane and stood by the warehouse's towering metal doors, listening for any noise. Kane listened too, but all they heard were the crickets chirping to each other in the tall grass that grew in fitful patches around the clearing.

Ryder nodded to Kane. "Stay here."

He frowned. "I'm not letting you go in alone."

"I'm not going to go in alone. I'm just going to scout the areas next to the door. If that's clear, you can come in. If it isn't, you're right there to come help if I need. Either way, you're coming along." Ryder argued. "Anyway, it isn't a request. It's a command."

Kane glared at her and crossed his arms.

"Not now, Kane."

"You're my friend, Ryder. I'm supposed to protect you! How can I do that if you refuse to let me?" Kane grumbled.

"I appreciate your concerns, however, I am the senior agent here, and I have far more experience in the field than you do." She pulled her pistol from the holster on her hip. "So stay."

He nodded reluctantly. "Yes, ma'am."

She raised an eyebrow. "Don't call me ma'am."

He shrugged.

Ryder squared her shoulders and tried the handle on the door. It gave a rusty creak and opened. She was a bit surprised it wasn't locked. Even an abandoned warehouse was usually locked, wasn't it? Well, she supposed it was a rather old warehouse. She'd seen hints of rust on the sides of the building once they'd gotten closer, and the door was covered in the stuff. Perhaps the lock had rusted away, leaving the door to swing open as it did now.

She glanced back at Kane once more. "It'll be fine, Kane. I promise." With one last deep breath, she nodded to herself and pushed the door open. Letting out the breath, Ryder stepped over the threshold.

***

As soon as Ryder stepped over the threshold, she knew something was wrong. It was too quiet. There wasn't even the barest hint of mice scuttling about in the dark. Usually abandoned buildings had some sort of animal living in them. Here there wasn't anything.

She clicked on her flashlight to look around. The moonlight through the broken windows aided her efforts to see what was in the building.

Broken down equipment and burned out electrical panels met her beam. The sides of the building were blackened as though a fire had raged inside the building. The warehouse still stood, so she assumed they must have stopped it in time.

It was still too quiet, and she stood still for a moment, taking shallow breaths, to see if perhaps she had simply disturbed the inhabitants of the building.

Nothing.

And then it hit.

***

Ryder let out an ear-splitting scream and crumpled.

It was a strange feeling. She knew exactly what was happening to her, but it was as though she wasn't in her body. She hovered above herself, watching as her body convulsed. Ryder saw Kane run in and pull her into his arms.

She couldn't actually hear anything, but she knew he was speaking to her by watching his lips. A small tinge of frustration crept in as she watched. She wanted to know what he was saying.

But something else blocked out all the noise. A soft whisper that held strong undertones of anger and bitterness. Who are you? She watched the strange shadow that seemed to be moving in her body.

It wasn't right. It was evil. Had to be since it was trying to possess her. She screamed at it. Leave me alone! Leave me be...

It did not cease its attacks upon her mind, and she pushed back with all her will, trying to force it out. Whatever it was.

The anomaly.

This was the anomaly. It was the consciousness of another being. What the other being was still wasn't able to be determined.

Ryder? The soft, menacing voice of the invader whispered and echoed through her mind. Stop fighting me. You'll only make this worse.

She shook her head, or she would've if she had been able. Staring down at her convulsing body, she shoved back against the man. Well, she wasn't sure it was a man or even human, but it sounded male, so that's what she'd call it.

Still, he inexorably gained ground against her. All of her walls, which had been so strong against other sorcerers and magic-wielders, crumbled as the walls of a sand castle did when a child hit them with a shovel.

Please don't do this. Let me go... Ryder didn't know if he would listen to her pleas, but she had to do something.

I won't. Or perhaps you would prefer that I take your lover boy?

He is not my lover. That idea is just... That's ridiculous and disgusting. Mentally, she shivered. It wasn't that she didn't care deeply for Kane. She did. But he was her best friend aside from Donnovan. She didn't view him as anything other than a brother.

Maybe not to you, but he's certainly got ideas.

Liar.

An amused laugh resonated through her head. Really? Suit yourself.

A stab of blinding hot pain shot through her, and all the walls she'd built in her mind dissolved. Whatever ideas she'd had of resistance melted in the force of his onslaught. Fine. Fine! Don't take him, just promise that and I'll let go.

I never intended to take him. But you just want the pain to stop, don't you?

Yes! I'll do anything.

Then stop fighting me, darn it!

The voice sounded frustrated, as though, despite the way he'd torn through her walls, he was still struggling to gain final victory over her.

You can't win unless I give in, can you? She projected a laugh in her mind, wondering if he'd hear it like she heard his words and tone.

She caught his low, dark chuckle and shivered: if that was possible. The out of body experience was beginning to get on her nerves, and the pain was becoming too intense to bear. She'd probably die soon if she didn't give him what he wanted.

I can most certainly hear you, love, and you're right. But you will give in.

She wished she could glare at him. Oh yeah? You're on now.

Another wave of fire lanced through her, this time worse than the last. Ryder let out a scream, one that she knew Kane could hear as well because he started to cry. Any other time, she might've found his reaction amusing. But not today when she was in so much pain.

Ready to give up yet, pet?

Not by a long shot, you jerk. She shot back.

She almost got a vague impression of a man shrugging. But she wasn't sure because the image faded into a wall of flames and pain in her mind. It was too much. She cracked.

Are you done fighting me?

Yes! Yes... Just make it stop! She screamed at him.

The pain vanished, and along with it, she lost control. Ryder spiraled into an abyss of blackness.