Troddon'Ster was an old House, having been founded along with the other initial Houses.  They were star fighters, specializing in space warfare.  But along the way they'd branched into other things in support of their military occupation and eventually an offshoot House had been founded, Scryl'Ster whose expertise lay in spying.  That one of their own should have been targeted by the demons as an attractive asset would have surprised no one.  That that person had succumbed would have stunned many if they hadn't understood that Aedan'MacQuene had a taste for wine, women and and games of chance and a father who had a taste for Puritan ethics, penny pinching and keeping his children on a short leash.

Aedan got the message to meet at Hash Brothers on Monday at one o'clock sharp and shrugged.  He needed the money.  Consequently he was seated in a booth in the eatery on time, reading over the sports page while he waited.  He was a good looking young man with brown hair he kept cut short and brown eyes.  He had dressed casually, in jeans and a sweater, as was his wont and had put a leather jacket over it to keep out the wind.  He was totally absorbed in the scores and trying to add up his losses versus his winnings and reflecting it was possible he'd broken even when Dino slid into the seat across from him.

"The House always wins," Dino said with a grin. "Although maybe not necessarily Houses, if you get my meaning."

Aedan grinned.  "I get your meaning.  Which is why I plan to own the casino, not frequent it.  So if I lose, I'm losing to myself."

"Smart man," Dino said approvingly. "So listen. I need some help with something."  The demon smiled. "It's not much. We just need you to, uhm, find God, as it were."

"Is he lost?" Aedan asked, after he placed his order.

"Old and very bad joke," Dino replied with a frown. "There's this student at the GGD.  We want you to befriend him. Pretend you're wanting to sign on to his crusade and then steal his username and password into the school computers."

"Oh is that all?" Aedan asked.  "They drum it into those guys like tattoo's about not sharing their logins.  It can get 'em expelled."

"Yeah, which is why we gotta do it this way rather than just corrupting someone. So, uhm, you up to pretending to be a disciple of this guy's?"

"Depends on what his deal is," Aedan said.  "And what it means I gotta do.  As well as how much you're gonna pay me to do it."

"He wants to hunt down and exorcise demons and ghosts. And at the moment the price is getting you clear of your debts. Beyond that, we'll see how well you do."

"All of them?" Aedan clarified sharply.  "As of this minute?"  He narrowed his eyes at Dino.  "That's a lot of money.  What's so important that you're willing to pay it?"

Dino smiled brightly. "Not your worry, comrade. You just get us the ID and password."

"Oh yeah it is," Aedan said.  "Depending, if I get caught it could make the difference between regular time and hard time.  Among other things."

"Fine. We'll find someone else who doesn't mind not knowing, who in fact realizes that by not knowing he's being protected. Nice to see you." Dino tossed some money onto the table and began to get up.

"Later dude," Aedan said, returning to his paper.

"See ya," Dino called and walked away, frowning. Damn humans. Think they have the right to know everything. Well, by the end of the week, Mr. Smartass would find himself even more deeply in debt. Dino would see to it himself.

Aedan grinned and just keep figuring out how his weekend had been.  Then he pulled out his phone and called his bookie.  His bookie listened for a moment then hung up on him.  Aedan frowned at the phone and redialed.  "That was cute.  Now listen," he said, "You want your money?  Yeah, I thought so.  So this is how it's gonna go," Aedan told him and then he explained what he wanted.  The bookie hesitated and then shrugged.  It wouldn't cost anything, if the kid got dead his daddy would have to pay up and it wasn't his skin, as he pointed out before he said yes. They talked for a few more minutes and then Aeden gave him his bets.  The bookie hung up on him again after saying, "Not til I see some cash."

A week later, Aedan wasn't quite so happy. His week had gone from bad to worse, every bet getting him deeper in debt, and he'd tried to figure out who it was that Dino wanted him to befriend but he still wasn't sure who it was.  He was sauntering down the High Street when he caught sight of Dino sitting in the pub at the bar, chatting up some chick.  He rattled the dice in his pocket and thought for a moment.  Then he shrugged and went in, taking a seat next to the chick.  "You got good taste, Dino."

"I do, don't I?" Dino agreed, eyeing the woman appreciatively. "How you doing, Aedan?"

"Doing good," he said, ordering a drink.  "How about you?"

"I'm good. Real good. Boss ain't so hot, but well, there ya go."

"Always better to be self employed is what I say.  But I guess that ain't an option for you."

"Nor for you, Aedan, from the look of your IOUs."

"What about," Aedan said, affecting unconcern.  "They'll get paid."

"I'm sure they will. Daddy will bail you out. Such a fine thing."

Aedan glared at him and swallowed his drink whole.

"You want another? I'm buying," Dino offered, sharing a smile with the girl.

"Yeah," he said, toying with the glass.  "Thanks."

"No problem," Dino replied easily and waved for the bartender who refilled their drinks.

"I hear the fight Saturday night should be good. You got your bets down?"

"No, haven't made up my mind yet," Aedan said.  "Who do you like?"

"I like Montoya myself. But I'm not a pro on fights."

"He's in good shape, won his last three, and is favored for this one," Aedan summarized.  "I'm leaning that way myself."

"Ah, thanks for the info. I don't follow it as closely as you do. I've been a bit busy."

"Yeah, well beats being bored.  How's your thing going, by the way."

"Not so hot. Could still use your help."

"Yeah but you still won't tell me what's going on will you?" Aedan said.  "Even though I..."  He stopped himself and addressed his drink.

"Even though you what?" Dino asked.

Aedan flicked a glance at the girl and then shrugged.  "Me not knowing ain't gonna help if I get caught."

Dino patted the girl on her bottom and she obediently scooted off to give them privacy. "And what help is knowing going to be if you're caught?" the demon asked seriously. "Trust me. If you were caught and you spilled the beans, you'd be in even deeper shit than you would be otherwise."

"I ain't gonna spill the beans," Aedan protested.  "But I got a right to kow what I"m getting mixed up in."

Dino frowned. "It's no big deal really. The guy was responsible for some trouble on Earth and they wanna get back at him and wreck his rep further. It's pretty boring really.  But as you say, if they twig to his user ID and password getting used, the guy's gonna get tossed out of the  GDD and then well, he goes back to Earth and is outta our hair."

Aedan didn't believe him, not for the kind of money Dino was talking, but he had little choice.  So he nodded like he bought it and said,  "same terms, you pay my debts?  All my debts?"

"They're considerably higher than they were when we last talked, Aedan. I dunno that I can swing that."

"Really?  Give it a try, why don't you."

"All right. I'll talk to the Man and we'll see."

"You know where to find me," Aedan said, finishing his drink.  "Just lemme know."

"Yup will do," Dino replied, sipping his drink as Aedan sauntered out. "Got him," Dino said aloud with a grin.

Leroy hunched his shoulders and sipped his steaming cup of coffee.  He'd have thought surveillance of this sort had gone out of style, what with folks who could just zap themselves hither and yon with a thought, but no, the GDA...the Ghost Detective Agency...wanted him to keep an eye on a rather boring and stereotypical absent minded professor who apparently had accidentally come up with an interesting bit of technology that had a few folks buzzing about it, and so here Leroy was, snow falling about his shoulders, his feet getting cold, standing in a darkened courtyard, watching a window lit up like Christmas as the professor messed with his little gadget thingie.

Leroy thought it was probably a waste of time, but you never knew. So far the only visitors the prof had had that evening were a graduate student bitching about his grades, and the lab assistant who'd brought Professor Friday some coffee and a sandwich. Apparently Abner Friday wasn't the sort to remember mundane things like eating or showering.

Leroy fiddled with the earpiece that gave him an audio feed to the professor's lab. He switched it to his other ear.  Maybe it would keep that one a bit warmer.  He had said he'd wanted to get back on the job. What had he been thinking?  Surely there was something he could do and get paid for it that was warmer?  Or at least not so bloody boring?  It was worse than going fishing with his granny. Sit around for hours, not allowed to make a sound and then suddenly whoosh, something was jerking your rod and you had to reel it in slowly and not jerk it too hard or it would spit the bait back at you and laugh in your face.

That was when Leroy heard something that made him stand a bit more upright. And then he was running full out into the building, drawing his weapon, and yelling into his mic for backup.  The doorway to the stairwell was locked and he fumed, unable to zap straight there because he'd never been there, waiting for the elevator and swearing a blue streak when it stopped on the second floor first and only glanced at the young man who got off.  He slammed the button for the third floor listening intently to the silence that was all his feed from the lab was giving him.

Abner Friday was out cold on the floor, bleeding from a head wound, his desk trashed and his files all over the floor.  Whoever it had been had been in a hurry and hadn't waited to chat.  He radio'ed for an ambulance and knelt beside the Professor, moaning his way back to consciousness and held his handkerchief, carried for Christopher's benefit, to the wound, a jagged cut on the man's scalp that would need stitches.

Langton arrived ahead of the ambulance but not by much.  Leroy turned Friday over to the EMTs and looked at Langton who was looking around.  "See anyone?" Langton asked.

"I caught a glimpse of a guy getting off the elevator that may have been him. I'm pretty sure I'd recognize him if I saw him again. Youngish, bit of a dandy from his dress. Not a burglar type, that's for sure. He knew what he was after . He was in the lab for at most maybe 3 minutes..  Bloody elevator... I'm thinking he must have had the place under some sort of surveillance too, to know when to shoot in and how quick he'd have to get back out."

"Could you do a sketch?" Langton asked.  "Ah the professor seems to be coherent.  Time for a chat perhaps," he murmured.

"Hey there buddy," Leroy was saying. "You got any idea who did this?"  The EMTs were already wheeling the prof off toward the elevator.  "Do you know what he took?"

The professor stopped the EMTs and grinned.  "Not what he thinks.  I was looking at a schematic for another project I'm working on, the one that I was working one when I got this other thing, and that's the one he took...it's for a better set of headphones...not earbuds, I hate those things, they fall out and the sound is terrible."  He grinned again.  "Sorry, I get distracted.  The one for the psi modulator is in the safe."

"Woof, good news!" Leroy watched the professor get wheeled away, complaining already about being coddled and how he didn't like it. Then Leroy turned to Langton. "I'm  a lousy artist, but if you get me with a police type of artist I could probably get you a half decent sketch of him. Any ideas?  I'm thinking too, you better put a bodyguard on the professor. This guy'll be back when he realizes he napped the wrong thing. And he'll be pissed."

"Yeah, I agree, but I'll need to talk to the University first.  They don't have a lot of experience with this sort of thing and they're a bit hidebound.  Find it hard to imagine anyone would want to steal anything like this."  Langton shook his head and looked around.  "The cops are on their way.  I called Turpin from the car.  Maybe prints if we get lucky but I doubt it."

Leroy looked around. "He's a professional. Least amount of physical violence as possible, quick in, quick out. There won't be prints. Probably no DNA evidence either."

"Like last time when he broke in," Langton said.  "Fortunately they listened to Turpin who called us.  Look, you free for a while?"

"Yeah, what you got on your mind."

"Can you stay with him at the hospital while I get a bodyguard sorted out?  At his age they'll wanna keep him overnight, keep an eye on him, but I'd feel better if someone were there, to keep him in line.  I'll send a sketch artist over and then I have to find someone to cover him more permanently," Langton said, nodding hello to Joe Turpin as he walked in with the crime scene guys.

"Yeah, I can do that. You want to let the cops know where I'll be? We shouldn't wait."

"Yeah, and I'm sure they'll be by to chat," Langton replied.  "Jeez, I'm tellin' you, I miss the days it was just me and one job at a time."

"I hear ya.  Talk to you later," Leroy said zapping out before Turpin could latch onto him.  He zapped down to the coffee shop and grabbed a cab to the hospital.  He talked to the duty nurse, explaining why he was there, and a cop walked over to chat with him. He showed an ID and got admitted into the ER.  Abner Friday was awake and seemed to be enjoying his sudden fame. "Hey, Abner. How ya doin'? I'm supposed to keep an eye on you for the University. Don't want you getting another kosh on the head."

"Well then, tell them to let me out of here.  I sleep better in my own bed and it's never quiet in hospitals," Abner said, glaring at the nurse.  "Do I know you?" he asked Leroy.

"Yeah, I was at the lab. I'm the guy that found you laid out on the floor and called the cops and ambulance. I know what you mean about hospitals. Spent some time in one myself a time or two. But I'm thinking they'll keep you overnight, just to make sure you're okay. Tell you what. I'll fend off the nurses for you. See you get some sleep. Head hurt?"

"No, they gave me a shot.  It's making it hard to remember my own name."  Abner sighed and closed his eyes.  "I'd just figured out what I been doing wrong on those headphones.  Now I can't remember and I can't think."

"Hush, go to sleep, Abner. It'll all come back to you in the morning..."  Leroy was with him when he was wheeled up to a room.  The kid found a spare pillow, flirted with the nurses and then got himself comfortable on a chair nearby the bed. He checked his watch, surprised the cops hadn't shown up already. Well, maybe they had a lead they were chasing down.

Hours later, after the sketch artist left and the cops finally came and went Langton arrived.  "Sorry," he said, smiling apologetically.  "We're so short handed."

"Not a problem. Old geezer's been sleeping. I did the sketch with the artist so you should get a copy soon. Whoever's here should have a copy handy, just in case. You got someone on the lab, in case he returns to look for what he really wants?"

"Yeah, Azria for now."  Langton sighed.  "I don't suppose you kow anyone looking for a job?"

"You know, I just might. Remember Robyna?  Vampire?  She was at Grand Isle. She's kinda lost at the moment, not too sure what to do with herself."

Langton nodded.  "Yeah I remember," he said, rubbing his jaw.  "She handled herself pretty well.  Yeah, why don't you ask her, see if she'd be interested.  Last thing I want ot do is stick an ad in the paper."

"Okay, I'll talk to her tonight then. Let you know tomorrow. You want me back when?  I gotta get Chris to class tomorrow morning."

"Soon as I can get you, but do what you gotta do."

"Okay, I'll drop Chris off then come over to relieve you. Maybe they'll let the professor go home in the morning."

"Probably.  I'm betting he's real crotchety when he doesn't get what he wants.  Anyway, see you tomorrow, " Langton said, getting comfortable int eh chair Leroy vacated.

Leroy zapped over to the green where Jelly was already waiting for him and the two went back to the Refuge. He wasn't real sure where he'd find Robyna.

He tried the pub and found her sitting in a back booth with a glass of red wine in her hand.  "Hey, mind if I join you?" he asked walking up to her.

"Hi.  Sit down.  Haven't see you in a while," she said with a smile.

"Hey," he replied with a grin, slipping into the booth across the table from her.  "Yeah, Sorry.  I've been kind of busy off world. I've got a sort of job. I was wondering if you wanted one too."

"Job?  Doing what?" she asked.

"Well, you remember Lang/Langton and Azira from Grand Isle?  Well, they're working for the university on St Michael's trying to keep an eye on things, and well, this professor was attacked earlier tonight. I was on stake-out  and somebody broke into his lab to try to steal some plans. Old fart is in the hospital at the moment. Langton asked me if I knew someone who could help protect him and maybe help figure out who is trying to steal the plans too. Well, that last is my addition, but I'm not happy just playing bodyguard so I figure I'm gonna deal myself in to help solve the mystery. I got a glimpse of the guy, so..."

"So which are you suggesting I do?  Or is it both?"

"Well, both if I get us a lead. Or you get us a lead. Primarily at the moment keeping an eye on the Prof and the lab and hoping the bad guy comes back."

"Sure," she said, "but you do recall I only do nights, right?"

"Uhm, yeah. Sure. So maybe I handle days and you follow up on nights."

"Sure," she said.  "So uhm, when do I start?"

"I'm gonna go back there tomorrow, and I'll set it up so you can start tomorrow night. How's that?  And maybe tonight, you and I can, uhm, you know."

Her smile appeared slowly.  "Uhm, yeah.  I think we might be able to, uhm, you know..."

He grinned.

Everyone was already at breakfast when Leroy rolled in the next morning, wearing a grin and helping himself to eggs and bacon and coffee. "Hey, y'all. How ya doin' partner?" he said to Chris.

Marc commented, "Out all night, and in a good mood. Only can mean one thing."

"Please," Dinah said laughing, "there's children present."

Leroy shook his head. "Don't pay him no mind, ma'am. He's hardly in a position to talk.  Oh, and maybe you guys had better find a backup for ferrying Chris back and forth. I'm helping Langton and Azira with a problem on St Michael's. I'll let you know in plenty of time, of course, and I'll get him there and back today.  I'm gonna hand off to Robyna tonight, if things work out okay."

Dinah looked intrigued.  "Do tell," she said, wiping egg off of Christopher's face.

"Well, the University wanted to increase security for some of their folks who are working on experimental stuff. I was keeping an eye on him yesterday afternoon while Chris was in class and someone zapped in and tried to steal some plans.  I couldn't get there fast enough to nab the guy but he didn't get what he was after. So we're guarding the professor and his lab."

"Wow," she said.  "but if you're working days and Robyna's working nights, there goes the grin on your face."

"Yeah, well, she needs a job. She's feeling kinda, you know, useless at the moment."

"Oh yeah," Dinah said dryly, "I know exactly how she feels."

Marc poked Dinah in the side. "You're currently an oven. How much more useful can you be to the species?"

Dinah stuck her tongue out him.

"You know... I wonder," Marc said thoughtfully as he chewed his sausage.

"What?" Leroy asked.

"Well, Christopher tweaked Carmine's brain. I wonder if we could tweak Robyna's. Of course it might not be possible with all vampires. Maybe there's a difference in how their vampirism works or something, I mean they aren't all the same. But still... It might be interesting to take a look at that."

"Fix,' Christopher said, bouncing in Dinah's lap.

"We'll take a look at her tonight Chris, if you've been good for Ellen all day. How's that?" Marc wheedled.

"Good for Ellen," Christopher said.  "Always good."

Marc grinned. "Great. Then we're on for tonight."

Awhile later they all waved and kissed Christopher off to St Michael's.  Leroy swung the kiddo up onto Kalie's back and they were off. Without incident Leroy dropped Chris off at the school, happy to see that Chris was enjoying it, and then Leroy made his way over to the hospital, where he found Langton looking a bit wild-eyed as he listened to Abner Friday harranging the poor nurse regarding his being held captive against his will in the hospital.

Leroy laughed when he heard it. "Man, you've had a great night, I can tell," the ex cop said to the investigator.

Langton shook his head and took the coffee Leroy offered.  "Thanks, you've no idea how bad I need this."

"I talked to Robyna. She can take a shift tonight. Will that help?  Somehow I don't see Abner yelling at her the way he is at that poor nurse."

Langton snorted.  "No, me either.  Thanks, that's great.  And have fun."

Leroy waved by to Langton who skedaddled out of there as fast as his legs could go. Then Leroy turned his considerable charms on the nurses who were eating out of his hand within the hour and amazingly enough, he had Abner Friday sprung from the hospital by 10am.  Leroy got him home and settled and then he called Lang to appraise him of the status. And the cops, who were supposedly going to keep an eye on things too, since everyone suspected there'd be another attempt to steal the plans for the psi manipulator.

Aedan pushed his plate back and waved for the server to bring him another ale.  He was downing the last of the one he had when his cell phone rang.  "Yeah," he said by way of greeting.  "Oh, yeah, hi.  No I'm not busy.  Why don't you just meet me here?   The Pub.  Yeah okay, see you in a few, man," he agreed and hung up.  He was halfway through the new ale when Dino slid into the booth across from him.  "Hey man.  How's it going?"

"Not bad. I've got an answer for you."

"Oh?" Aedan asked.

"It's yes. Here's the fellow we want you to cultivate." Dino slid a business card sized pice of paper across the table to Aedan.

"Oh man, I should have guessed," Aedan said when he saw the face.  "I've heard about this guy.  Everybody's talking about him.  He's unstable."

"Yeah, we noticed," Dino answered dryly. "So just get his user ID and password. Surely with an unstable guy, it won't be too hard for you."

Aedan shook his head.  "They're saying he's here by special request.  And that Mikey's keeping an eye on him to keep him outta trouble."

"You're just a guy who's interested in making a friend and who understands the Rev's obsession. Mikey, trust me on this, wants to have as little to do with the Rev as anyone else who's sane does."

"Gee thanks, pal," Aedan grumbled.  "I'll give it a shot but I ain't promising anything.  You know anything about where he lives or where he hangs out?"

Dino passed him another business card sized note. "His address and his class schedule. He eats dinner here fairly often too, generally on Tuesdays and Thursdays."

"Thanks," Aedan said and pocketed the paper.  "Anything else you can tell me about him?"

"If you profess to believe, I think he'll welcome you to his side," Dino explained.

"Believe what?"

"That it is his calling to rid the world of demonkind. And a few other types I gather. He seems to think he's been chosen to rid the world of bad guys."

Aeden started laughing.  "Oh man.  Bet he's a good time at a party."  Aedan was about to say more when his cell phone rang again.  "Excuse me," he said to Dino and answered it.  His face darkened when he realized who it was.  "Yeah, I tried.  No, I haven't.  No, I don't know.  I told ya man, stop hassling me.  If I can I will, otherwise I'm not gonna risk it.  Fine I'll be in touch."  He rang off and scowled.  "Jerk!" he said.  "Sorry about that."

"Yeah, your House gets a lot of business doesn't it. No problem. So, you're gonna chat up the Rev for me," Dino summed up.

"Yeah," Aedan said.  "I'll give it a shot."

Dino picked up the tab and watched Aedan leave. He was on his cell phone so missed the young man who paid his own bill and left the pub shortly afterwards. Leroy, for that's who happened to have been there, watched Aedan grab a cab.  He got his own and said the dreaded words, "Follow that cab."