(Realm Chasers HQ, Game Room)

Sasha and Sarah are playing a game of Billiards in the Game Room, a game Sarah is clearly losing. It's official when she accidentally sinks the 8 ball into one of the corner pockets

Sarah:Shit..

She mutters to herself. Sasha begins to laugh, at this point it was becoming embarrassing

Sasha:What's that make? 5 in a row? 6? I think I've stopped counting…

Sarah shakes her head and she begins to get a new game set up, getting all of the billiards balls back onto the table

Sarah:Again..

Sarah was always a perfectionist. Whether it was her work as a Ghost Hunter or with the RC, or even now during a harmless game of Billiards. Everything she did she had to be first in.

Sasha:Easy there, I can only beat you so many times before it starts getting old for me..

An icy stare from Sarah only makes Sasha's grin grow wider

Sasha:I just hope you're better at leading a team than you are at doing this..

Another quick glare gets Sasha to at least ease on the gas, however.

Sasha:My bad..

v

Sarah rests her pool cue next to the table and she lets out a frustrated sigh.

Sarah:I just- I'm surprised it's me. I know what they talk about. They all love Edward. Why not him? Why me?

Sasha:Well, you're usually the one doing all of the heavy lifting. Sure Eddie's personality is good for keeping people happy, but I'd rather be with you in a fight. I'm sure that's how Charlie sees it too. If he didn't think you could, I doubt he would have made the call.

Sarah nods. She knew that Sasha was right. The announcement yesterday admittedly caught her by surprise.

Sarah:The weirdest part is that I know I can do it. Aside from Charles, I have the most experience here. I guess I'm more worried about the new recruits. That was a government funded move right?

Sasha begins setting up a new game while they talk, not content to just stand there and do nothing.

Sasha:Yeah, A.L.I.E.N gave the RC the extra money, but they didn't tell him what to spend it on. These new recruits are 100% a Charlie move.

Sarah:Do you know why he's doing it? We haven't recruited since we took in Hannah and Andrew. Why now?

Sasha gives Sarah a small shrug. She hadn't even bothered to ask.

Sasha:You know how Charlie gets. I think he's just trying to be cautious. I actually heard that-

The door to the Billiards room swings open, and Andrew rushes inside, clearly holding something in his hands but doing his best to hide it.

Andrew:Guys, guys, you WILL NOT believe what I found yesterday.

Sasha rolls her eyes and Sarah crosses her arms together, both a bit irritated about their conversation being interrupted, but both being nice enough to let Andrew keep going. Andrew places what he's holding onto the billiards table and both women gasp

Sasha:Is that??

Sarah:You can't be serious..

Andrew:I know! Isn't he cute? He's going to be our new mascot!

The Albino Capybara stares at them blankly for a moment. After an awkward silence it begins exploring the table.

Andrew:His name is Steve. Technically he's not a Cryptid, but he IS endangered. Which means I get to keep him.

Sasha:You do realize that you'll have to take care of him right?

Andrew smiles

Andrew:Oh I know, and I already got the green light from Charlie.

Sarah storms out, and Andrew gives Sasha a frown



Andrew:Did I just do something wrong?

Sasha:No, you didn't. She just has a lot on her plate right now. Just- you take care of him properly, or I will release him back into the wild. Understand?

Andrew nods. He lets out a small laugh when Steve lets out a small chirp

Sasha:And grow up…

(Realm Chasers HQ, Shen's Lab)

Erika Shen is interrupted by a knock on the door. She sets her pencil down and she spins around in her chair. A break was probably much needed right now anyway.

Shen:Come in!

Hannah walks in and gives Shen a friendly wave.

Hannah:Heyy!!



Shen gets up out of her seat and they give each other a quick hug before Shen sits back down. Hannah peeks around Shen's shoulder, hoping to get a quick look at whatever it is that Erika was working on, but she quickly tucks it underneath a large stack of papers.

Hannah:Did you even get any sleep last night? You've been working here a lot more lately..

Shen sighs, she definitely felt exhausted. She could even begin to feel the dark rings begin to form under her eyes

Shen:Yeah, Charlie had me start working on something last week. I guess I'm still in the developmental stages.

Hannah:Woof, a week and you haven't built him a transformer or a spaceship yet? You're slacking girl..”

Hannah laughs to herself and she pulls up a chair to sit next to Shen

Hannah:Let me guess, he ordered you to secrecy?

Shen:Yep..

Shen bites her lip and rubs one of her eyes. At this point she was struggling to stay awake, but she wanted to at least make some sort of progress before she went to bed.

Hannah:Yeah, I know how he is..

Hannah takes a folded up piece of paper and hands it to Shen. Wearily, Shen opens it and scans through it. Her eyes widen

Shen:You're resigning?



Hannah:Well my mom thinks I should. College is getting tougher, and between school and this, I don't have a lot of time for homework, or to date. Actually I have zero social life. I like being here, but my parents think it's too risky. They want me focusing on my classes full time.

Shen nods. She hands Hannah back her paper

Shen:Have you told anyone else?

Hannah shakes her head. She had been too nervous to tell anyone else yet

Hannah:I was going to do it last month, but Charlie has gotten a lot moodier lately. I feel like I can't even talk to him anymore without him getting irritated or upset with me. I think something is going on with him.

Shen:If you only knew..

(Home of Edward Montoya, Los Angeles, California)

Charlie sits in his car, the engine still in idle as he sits in the driveway, unable to walk inside and face the truth quite yet. He pulls out a flask from his jacket pocket and he takes a heavy swig.

Heather:You know I hate it when you drink..

Charlie looks at his passenger through the rearview mirror, and he shakes his head in disgust after meeting his wife's eyes.



Charlie:You didn't tell me it was going to be him. You fucking bitch..

His wife, or well, her ghost, sat in the backseat, her eyes worriedly resting on Charlie as he continued to finish the flask, presumably filled with Whiskey or Rum.

Charlie:So is that why you're here? To rub it in my face? To remind me that I was too late?

Heather:Charles, I..

Charlie:Just shut it. I knew I should've sent you back a long time ago. Now I have a good reason to.

Heather:You can't do that Charles. Not yet. They're only getting started. You need to help them.

Charlie shakes his head violently back and forth

Charlie:I can't. You won't even tell me how to do it. We don't have the technology or the manpower to stop them. And you know it. First they took you…



Charlie examines the flask closely before throwing it into the backseat. It phases through his wife's ghost, hitting the leathered cushion with a solid thud.

Charlie:You couldn't even tell me who they were going after first. I should've known it would've been family. It's always so personal with them..

Charlie spots Austin looking at him through the blinds of one of the windows and he lets out a sigh

Charlie:They think I'm going crazy, listening to you. But everything that you said would happen has happened. I don't know how..

Charlie looks through the rearview mirror again. Without warning, she was already gone. Charlie shuts the engine off. He feels for the door handle and gets out, finally deciding to head inside

Charlie:I'm getting too old for this shit..

(Realm Chasers HQ, Tuesday, May 8th, 2007)
Sasha peaks through the blinds of her office window, her office being one of the many perks of working closely with both the RC and the FBI. Even though her office door was closed, she still spoke quietly while she was on the phone.

Sasha:Yeah, no it's gotten worse. His hallucinations are becoming more frequent, and his behavior is becoming more…erratic?

Agent Carter:Look, I don't know how you convinced him to sit at his desk for a week, but we need a more permanent solution. Whether you lay him off or give him a vacation, according to your reports, Charles clearly isn't fit to lead anyone right now.

Sasha sighs. She had liked working with Charlie, but it was right there in front of her on paper. She didn't want to investigate him initially, but even she couldn't defend him anymore.

Sasha:He's just-he's in mourning. The man lost his wife, his daughter, and now the only family member he has left that was willing to even be in the same room as him has vanished. I'm sure if we just gave him some time..

Agent Carter:Time? We don't have time. Reports are growing by the day, and this group is falling behind. We need results, and we need them now

Sasha:But Carter, he's just not himself right now. He's just grieving

Agent Carter:That may be so, but it doesn't excuse his behavior. Do you need me to bring up the incident in Phoenix last year again?

Sasha:No, no, you're right. I will talk to Chaplin. Even as reluctant as she was to say so, I think she's ready to take command.

Agent Carter:Good. If they want our support, Charles is to never step out onto the field again. You make that clear to him. If he protests, give him the Director's number. I'm sure she'll make it crystal clear to him the conditions for our cooperation.

Sasha:I understand..



Agent Carter:These people aren't our friends Sasha. They just do the dirty work so we don't have to. Don't forget that.

Sasha's conversation is interrupted by the sound of Andrew downstairs, welcoming the new recruits. She quietly hangs up the phone and takes a deep breath.

(CLOSED UNTIL THE START OF EPISODE 1)