Ashes of Eden (Drew)

[Helena Rahal]

Mathias frowned heavily as he looked upon this street once more. The last time he was here, it was because the ego of Christian Moynahan had gotten so large that he had thought himself above the law. Regardless of the intentions behind the actions, the man had still broken the law and Mathias had been put to the task to bringing him into the FBI for questioning and processing. What happened in the aftermath of that assignment still haunted him, it had been the beginning of the end of the Sawyer administration in his opinion.

Now he was here on for a completely different matter, one that regarded the cousin of the former target. Mathias had taken this assignment from his supervisors with a certain amount of trepidation, given what he knew of Christian and what he knew of Drew. There was a feeling in his gut that was telling him that this was one assignment he should have passed on to one of the other agents. Alas, when the director of the FBI says that you are the man for the job, you just do not turn them down merely because you have a bad feeling about the assignment.

It was amazing at how little things had changed with the Kilvayne administration, Mathias assuming he would have been relieved of his position in the aftermath. However when days became weeks and then became months without being terminated, he found himself surprised. Christian was a known close friend of Lucius Kilvayne and his name was clearly on the report for the agent who had apprehended Christian. That being said, he was not a part of the fiasco of the court case that followed, the fools had let it get there knowing full well that they would be taking on Dakari Johessman in the courtroom. There was only one way that was going to end up.

Christian had deserved to pay for his disobedience of the law, yet the trial was such a farce. They could have hit the man with a fine and used the potential of a court case as leverage against Ark to get them better supporting the government. Taking him to trial and letting the nation and world know of the secrets that had been kept was such an idiotic move. Perhaps that lack of participation in the fiasco was what had saved him in job in the agency.

Now though, with Drew's position within Ark, as the liaison to the government, there were some who wanted to know more about him. This was more the job of the CIA Mathias thought, yet here he was scoping out the Moynahan Manor once more to try and find out if his suspicions about Drew were right. There was secrets about him, of that Mathias was sure of following his previous investigation into Christian. Just what those secrets were was the point of this investigation, and with luck he could finish it without incident and quickly.

[Christian Moynahan]

The Dark (AKA Drew Moynahan)

One talent that came naturally to the dark was the ability to sense similar forces around it. A sort of foreboding, a strong premonition, a shiver of… anticipation. It was just the sort of thing the dark liked. And to have it at its doorstep… simply delicious.

Now of course the dark had its own plans in progress, circulating around its chosen host. For millennia the dark had slept, waiting for the Moynahan family line - as it had become known - to produce a suitable vessel. And for millennia it had been disappointed. As the bloodline diluted, it seemed to grow ever duller. Ever so mediocre. Occasionally a descendant would be born with some ability or another, but it was always something unhelpful, or something that constituted only part of the picture, like “illusions.” And the dark never could quite make it through.

A shame. It missed so much in that lull - two world wars, multiple natural disasters, and more terror than anyone cared to account for. Now, though, things were truly becoming interesting. Things were coming to a reckoning. The truly powerful were taking over, taking their rightful places - and, at last, an unusual assortment of genes awakened a truly impressive ability in the child Christian Kiernan Moynahan. What power, and what intellect! Of course, the innocent child rejected the dark at first, but time and isolation on the part of society - and, indeed, his own family - saw away with that.

The ability was changing, shifting, growing. Christian did not know it at the time. The dark had had to push that through following the unwitting interference of an entity the dark ruefully referred to as Scáthach. With Christian’s inner nature altered so much by his… sentiment for her, the dark had been forced to use one of Christian’s latent abilities and manifest outside of its host temporarily.

It had taken some effort, but the dark had managed to create a mostly legitimate identity. There was a birth certificate, a Social Security card, a license, even a school history and a college degree. Look too closely, and it would fall apart, as the records had all been created in 2014; but it was enough for what the dark needed.

It took on the name Drew Georgian Moynahan.

Drew had introduced himself to Christian as the man’s “cousin.” Christian was overjoyed to find that someone in his family had the same level of intellect and insight as him; that accounted for why he had as yet failed to notice a key logic hole - that both of his parents were only children. No matter. This was all temporary.

Christian hired Drew to Ark Industries - as the company’s government liaison, no less - and gave him keys to Áine, his Los Angeles home, less often used now that Christian’s actual home was in Texas. That particular fact was known to next to no one, of course.

All this led to explaining why Drew was at Áine, or “Moynahan Manor,” by himself that night. He very seldom ate - given that he did not technically exist - so what should have been dinnertime actually found Drew relaxing with a book in the living room. A classical piece was playing throughout the room. It kept playing as Drew sat up to follow that sense of his. That sense of ill will and impending doom.

Its source was outside, just beyond the house on the street.

Well, well. We meet again.

The dark remembered Mathias; it had been present for the agent’s first visit to Áine. Back then, of course, it had been contained within Christian. Now it was unfettered. Drew opened the front door and strode out to the curb, and offered the agent a congenial smile.

“Good evening, agent,” Drew said charitably. “I’m afraid Christian isn’t home yet, but you’re welcome to come inside nonetheless. I take it it is Christian you are waiting for?” Drew honestly did not think he was Mathias’ actual subject. Drew Moynahan was harmless.

“I assure you, it will be much more comfortable - and less unseemly - indoors. The neighbors are quite protective of Christian now, you see.” Drew steered Mathias toward the open front door. “Forgive my manners. I’m Drew, Christian’s cousin.”