How insidious is evil? Can it become genetic? Can good be genetic? Where does that leave freedom of choice? The last few scenes had a lot of jumping around in order to get characters into play. Now I will take a longer period of time on each character. Please do not get upset if you miss an installment with a certain character. I'm getting a lot of people reading this but very few comments . I get most of my idea from the things that happen around me. Maybe if you comment I'll get a new one.

He wasn't an introspective man, but today Jackie Estacado was sitting in a darkened room contemplating the twists and turns his life had taken since his 21st birthday when the Darkness had offered him the chance to become it's host on Earth. At the time the offer had seemed too good to refuse.

He hadn't even known that there were such things as demons or black magic at the time. But he had to face reality, some of the things that he had done in the past five years would have made him sick just thinking about them before he had received the Darkness. Now... well now most of the stuff he did didn't seem that bad to him.

Now that he thought about it, he realised that the Darkness had eroded his morality. Oh no, he had no illusions that he was a saint, even before holding the taint of the demon he knew full well what he was. He loved being a mobster because it gave him a feeling of power that he doubted he'd find anywhere else.

It was odd for Jackie to think so deeply but today there was a reason. The Darkness wanted a firmer foothold on Earth and it wanted to imbue itself into his family line by becoming a genetic part of him. It told him that his counterpart in another dimensional reality had done this and he had all the power that he wished for.

Jackie knew that anything granted by the Darkness had more downsides than upsides and so not to anger It by refusing straight away he said he'd think about it. He realised that once the Darkness had insinuated itself into his genetic make up he would become it's slave, even if the head of the BMO was correct and his will kept the full strength of the creature at bay. Jackie was not fool enough to discount the possibility that re-incarnation of souls did occur.

If such a thing was possible then who was to say that he wouldn't be born again as a weak willed Darkness bearer with no control of his own life. His meandering thoughts were interrupted by Butch. “Boss you've got a visitor.”
“I told you not to disturb me.” He snapped.
“I think this one will be worth it boss, her brother's gone missing and she says he was working for you at the time.”
“So?” came the reply. “My boys know that if they are doing work for me they may have a short life. I pay them well. We are the Mob you know!”
“Ah, but that the thing.” Babliano said. He wasn't on the books, at least not ours.”
Jackie just looked at him as he was now curious. Butch 'the butcher' grinned an anticipatory grin. He worked for the Darko Group, apparently he reported to a Jackie Estacado.”

Jackie just growled. Butch relished the fact that Estacado realised that Darko was using his name for some reason. This could mean a turf war between the Darkness and Dark magicians. The torture skills that had given him his nickname were getting rusty. Using them on magicians was fun as they were harder to hurt. This meant that he had a greater range of tools for experimentation when he questioned one of them.

* * *
Mika Stern had received a letter from her brother five days ago telling her that if she hadn't heard from him by today he was dead. She couldn't understand what had happened. Howard had told her that he'd gotten some sort of magical assistance to free her from her forced service and he told her that he'd made good on the debt he owed the magician which meant that she didn't need to worry about him not being able to pay.

Mika knew that it was her own stupidity that had landed her in the situation in the first place. 'No matter how desperate for cash I was, I should have known dealing with criminals was going to backfire.' She knew that her brother said that he had paid his debt in full to this Estacado character, if this was so she wanted to know why her brother was dead. So she found herself back in the position she started in but, for very different reasons. She was going to speak to Jackie Estacado, mob boss of the upper eastern seaboard of the United States.

Mika looked up as the man walked into the room in which she was waiting. He was an imposing man of 6”1 with shoulder length black hair. A perfectly symmetrical face and chiselled bone structure with eyes so dark that they almost seemed black. He walked straight up to her and stopped three feet away from where she stood.

Jackie had decided to act like he didn't know why she was there, perhaps he could get more detailed information. “I believe you've a business proposition for me Ms...” he began.
“Ms. Stern” she replied. 'My god, didn't his employees tell him this' she thought to herself 'for such a high powered mob boss he doesn't have very good staff.'
“No Mr. Estacado, I'm not here to get involved with your business my brother paid you to get me out of certain problems and I'm not about to get involved in the criminal side of society again.

This was a surprise for Jackie, she didn't seem to be the type of woman who lusted for power, he wondered what the story there was. “Well Ms. Stern why don't you tell me why you're here?”
“Sir, please do not take me for a fool, a man like you doesn't rise to the position you're in without find things out from his underlings first.”
Jackie was beginning to like this woman, 'she's got spunk' he thought.
“Hmm...you're correct in that observation, however I would like you to repeat your tale to me in case something was left out.”

She looked at him with haunted eyes and told him about her experience as a drug mule and how she was forced into prostitution. He seemed to take it in stride until she got to the part where she got to the part where they got her addicted to cocaine and magic.
“My god!” he exclaimed,”That's a brilliant idea.”
You're all alike she thought, grimacing at what he said.

He looked offended. “I wouldn't do that, that's stupid. If you can get a prostitute who enjoys her work what's the use in going to one. If I owned an escort agency, my girls would be very well paid, instead of the way it was done to you. Men going to really good establishments enjoy being with women who enjoy being with them. Drugs just complicate things and a discerning person doesn't like paying for an addict.”
“Addicts act differently. They work for the drug instead of the job, and some men can tell the difference” he said.

Mika shrugged, it sounded like poppycock to her, but if it was the truth all well and good. She continued, “So Howard went to this Darko Group who said that they could help stop the magic part of the addiction. I want to know where he is as he said you were his contact. He told me that he'd finished paying the debt but now he's disappeared. Where did he go?”

Mika felt like her life was in danger because Estacado's face had become as dark as a thundercloud. Before she had come here she realised that she might die but she owed it to her brother, and so she took the chance.

Jackie Estacado had been a violent man in his younger years but as he grew into his position as crime boss, he had mellowed out. However, his earlier years were what brought him to the attention of the Darkness. As he listened to the woman tell this story of how Darko was using his name all that violence that had been simmering beneath the surface came boiling up with the anger, he realised that he was losing control of rational thought.

He didn't want to kill the woman in a violent outburst as he hadn't finished talking to her. He told the woman to wait where she was.

He went into a room where the humans who were locked up to be given to the vampire were. And told them to run. They ran. He destroyed the room they had been in. And then he gave chase and would have killed them as well if not for the vampire.

He saw it running after prey. But before it could trap them Estacado pulled it into the shadows and let the Darkness take it. He didn't kill it just hurt it really badly. When he felt better he tossed it aside like garbage and returned to the room where Mika Stern was waiting.

“Excuse me for leaving so abruptly,” he said “just some unfinished business that needed attending to. Mika didn't say anything, this guy was a real weirdo. “Unfortunately Ms. Stern, the Darko Group is a rival of mine, I think your brother has unknowingly been a pawn. However I must thank you for bringing this to my attention as I do not appreciate Sonny Darko using my name.

If your brother is dead I shall get you revenge, and because Sonny Darko has slandered my name I'll do it for free. I will contact you when I've done this. Now please leave.” Mika didn't know how to respond to this so she just walked out the way she came.

'Well at least I found the truth and I'm still alive, maybe that's a victory' she thought and left feeling that she had paid a portion of the debt she owed her brother.

* * *
She had no idea what she was still doing in New York. Her main goal had been to find and stop the rogue vampire. Now it seemed that the main reason for the Angelus being in New York was to create a new kind of vampire queen and form an alliance with her and, at the same time renewing the alliance with Satanna.

She'd been in New York for almost three weeks now and decided that she wasn't needed here. She decided to speak to Ella, say goodbye and wish her well. It was time for Dani to return to Sydney. They had arranged to meet at Snug Harbour Cultural Center because Ella felt that her deep red skin wouldn't cause so much of a stir there.

With all the news of meta -humans coming out, people were less likely to gawk at a person who looked different, but it still happened. Although when Dani suggested meeting Ella had decided on this place because hers was a new culture.

The Vampirella met her at the entry to the botanical gardens. The two young women exchanged a friendly hug and walked over to the nearest park bench. They sat down and Dani looked at the outfit that Ella wore and smirked, “So much for not wanting to stand out El.”
Ella just shrugged, “Terak says that I need to get used to being out in public, even if the world doesn't learn about vampires, I'm still the Vampirella and have to get around. We think the best way to hide, is to pull a superman -in plain sight.”

“I need to get back to Australia,” Dani said. “Originally I came here to deal with the rogue but I think I'll leave that in your hands.”
“Thanks for your vote of confidence.” Ella said. “I don't know how I'm going to keep track of everything and stay sane.”
“Don't worry, you'll do fine. Just follow your instincts and let Terak help you.” Dani smiled and added mischievously, “Your majesty.”
Ella snorted. “Oh God no, don't you start that as well!” They got up and walked to a area where they weren't seen by other's.

Dani hugged Ella one more time and said, “Oh yes, before I go,” she handed her a gold statuette of a flame. “Finch says goodbye. She made this for you.”
The metal was warm and it reminded Ella of the Celestial flames that had cleansed her of the Darkness. After Satanna's explanation of why Finch had attacked her, Ella had become friends with the warrior princess. “Thank you” she said almost lost for words at the gesture. Dani smiled and erupted into flame and disappeared.

* * *
To the outside observer it would have seemed as though Dani had burst into flame but actually that is the portal into the realm of light. It is a very mystical and metaphysical doorway that is actually inside the Angelus but to get to the Realm of Light she must activate the flame within herself, making the internal flame an external one. Then She draws the external flame back into her body and as it's drawn in, the portal to Her realm is opened and she can enter.

Finch was sitting on her consort's chair with a glazed look in her eyes.
Dani glided over to her, “Whatcha looking at?” she said playfully as she held her lover from behind. Finch leaned into her. “It seems our friend Stephanie has got herself into a bit of a pickle, the funny thing is that she doesn't even know that she's just started a chain of events.”

“There is a scientist in France named Charles Victor Szasz. He created an interrogation formula called the 'Question Formula'. This was to be the ultimate truth serum, what makes it different is that it bonds with a person's DNA, this enables the person to be able to create pheromones that make any person pliable and very willing to tell them the truth. It also increases of the mental and physical ability of the wielder exponentially.”

“So why is this a problem and what's it got to do with Steph?” Dani asked.
“When she was younger she was injected with the experimental formula by a school teacher” was the reply, “it activated completely after we left for New York.”
“She's quite good at getting the pheromones to work for her but she has to be shown how to do it without destroying cells every time she does, otherwise she could be dead by the end of the year.”
Dani raised her eyebrow, “And I'm supposed to help her do this, how exactly?”
Finch got a mischievous look on her face, “You know how I cleansed Ella?”
“Oh, that little incident where you set her on fire?” Dani replied with a huge grin.
“Yep, Steph's body needs the same.”
“Won't that kill her?” Dani queried in a concerned tone.
“There's a very small chance of that” came the reply. “Except you don't need to hold her like I did Ella. Just stroking her hand with your flame should do the trick.”

“You see, all the other people that were experimented on died. The only reason Steph survived is because she had a metagene for the formula to latch onto. However when the chemical bonded to her DNA, her inborn metagene was destroyed.”
“My God!” exclaimed Dani utterly stunned. “Are you saying he experimented on people?”
“Uh- huh,” replied Finch “but as I said we can help Stephanie.”
“She doesn't know about me, how can I tell her?”
“Just tell her the truth. She's already trying to find out which government you work for because she thinks you're a spy and she wants you to stop that work. It seems she considers you her best friend and she's afraid you'll get yourself killed. It's quite sweet actually.
Dani laughed at the fact that Finch sounded like she were talking about a child. She then frowned as she thought, 'I suppose that's how we think of humanity now, as children.'
“Anyway the nature of the stuff that is now a part of her system is it will make her become more powerful and eventually she's going to find out all about us. It seems her DNA is getting stronger with age, if we can prevent her from dying there's no telling what she'll be able to figure out someday.”

“During Stephanie's investigation of your supposed spy activities, she drew the attention of some powerful people and while she made herself very difficult to trace, Szasz figured out she was somewhere in Australia. He's sent a search and recovery team to find her and take her back.

“Wow!” Dani said enthusiastically, “I feel like I'm living in a novel. Spies,villains, mad scientists. Then we've got the vampires, demons and magicians. They can write my tale. It would make a great comic book!”
Finch laughed at that. “Ah yes the Great Angelus, great mistress of Light.”
“You know that the funny thing is that in another dimension they really do write about me.” Dani said with a serious look on her face.
They just looked at each other and burst into giggles.

* * *

Ever since Dani became the Angelus, Marie- Elise had being studying the many different religions of the world. She had found references to what sounded like the Angelus in almost all religions. Funnily enough, she found that if she combined them all in to a single viewpoint and threw out the disagreements you actually got a decent idea of what the Angelus was.

The four elements: earth, water, air and fire are all governed by elementals which are creatures that are acknowledged by most of western society as myths and fairy tales. It seemed that the Angelus was the first fire elemental ever created. She was, in essence a goddess of an extremely important part of nature.

This was as far as she had got in her study of the creature that her daughter had become, she stood to put the religious text away, when there was suddenly a blinding light coming from Dani's room and her daughter came rushing out of her room to give Marie- Elise a hug. “Oh my child, I'm so happy you're safe, I worried for you these past weeks,” she said as she wept in Dani's arms.

“I missed you too maman,” Dani said using the name she had called her mother when she was a child. She wouldn't tell her mother everything that happened to her while she was in the States but told her what she she could. They had been sitting and talking for just under two hours when the doorbell rang.

Marie- Elise got up to open it but Dani stopped her, “I need to do this,” she told her mother. She opened the door to see Stephanie standing there. “Hi Steph,” she said.
“Hey” Stephanie replied, Dani would have been surprised at how Stephanie knew she was home, but after talking to Finch she felt she had been brought up to date with all that was important going on for her friends in Australia. She continued her greeting “I'm glad you're here we need to talk.”
“Yes, yes we do,” said Dani, “and it's a matter of life and death.”