Dalton Roth stepped into Terrence Vigil's office. It was dimly lit and he could barely make out any of the furniture, but he noticed the faint glow of a cigarette ember coming from the corner.
"Agent Roth," a gruff voice spoke from the darkness, "please sit."

The sound of a desk lamp chain cut through the tense silence, followed by the illumination of a bulb reflecting off a dark cherry executive desk. Sitting behind this desk was Terrence Vigil, the source of the voice and lit cigarette. A stack of files sat in front of him.
Roth took a seat across from the desk, looking up at Vigil with a serious expression.

"Agent Roth, do you you know why you’re here?" Vigil asked.

"Well, sir, are you asking rhetorically or would you like my genuine thoughts?"
Vigil smirked. "Heh. You’re lucky the FBI considers your spunk a character asset. Tell me, what’s your take?"

Roth's composure remained the same. He blinked twice. "Thank you, sir. Considering I’ve been practicing the tapes and meditating thrice daily—I’ve manifested good will that I would receive a promotion on an impactful scale; one where I can actually be in the field where I can use my people skills to help better humanity."

"Roth, it’s that kind of thinking that’s not giving you a typical promotion."

"Sir?"

Vigil leaned back in his chair and exhaled. "How familiar are you with the former shadow branch known as IPC?"

"Not terribly…Part of my research revealed its existence but most documents are classified and in archival lockup? The only information I really know is public knowledge and its involvement as a contingency to the Government Hero Program."

Vigil looked over Roth carefully. "That’s to be expected…but you are aware of its existence and dissolution."

Roth nodded.

Vigil gestured to a file folder on his desk and slid it across the glowing surface toward Roth. "I want you to take a look at this. Give it a read—real quick—and tell me what you think."
Roth picked up the file and opened it to skim the contents. "This is a missing persons report on Adelynn Abernathy, last seen in the company of Erick Spann. Over a year old."

"Exactly. Give it a closer examination and tell me if you notice anything out of the ordinary."
Roth took a second glance at the document. "She disappeared from a nightclub. Her parents believe she might have gone there to meet someone but never returned home. The police questioned the suspect named Erick Spann but didn't find sufficient cause for further inquiry."

"And what do you make of his testimony regarding her disappearance?"

"He claims that Abernathy vanished from a cloud of pink smoke mid-orgasm."
Vigil snorted into his hand and blew out an amused puff of air. "You think that sounds fishy?"

Roth looked up from the document and at Vigil. "It's not impossible, but it's certainly strange. Could it be a similar chemical reaction that causes spontaneous combustion, yet somehow coinciding with hormones released that drive sexual urges?"

"Hmm…" Vigil leaned forward, placing his elbows on top of his desk and steepling his fingers together. "Do you consider yourself well versed in science and the paranormal?"

"Not as much as you, sir. But I've studied what I could get my eyes on."

"Well, if we're going to continue this conversation, Roth, I would like you to take a step back and look at the bigger picture here. How does the disappearance of a young woman fit into all of this?"
Roth thought for a moment. "She fits into a pattern of unnatural disappearances. Five unexplained cases within the past month."

"Exactly!" Vigil exclaimed. "Five. That's how many we've seen vanish just from the streets of Hamptonville, within the past few months! Would you believe that this is just one of at least three-dozen recent cases in the state of Ghostwood that have a paranatural angle?"

"So there's an influx of unexplained activity?" Roth stared back at Vigil with a serious face. "Sir, it is possible that Abernathy was kidnapped by an unknown entity that is behind several other cases?"

"What makes you say that?"

"The pink mist Spann described--sexual combustion has no record in parapsychological research. It's likely a visual byproduct of some sort of energy."

"Interesting theory, Agent Roth. If that's true, then we have an unknown entity that is capable of controlling others via sex-based impulses."

"Yes, sir."

Vigil stared at Roth in silence.

"There are several things to consider," Vigil began. "First, we are dealing with unknown entities that have not been identified as of yet. Secondly, we don't know the motive for abductions."

"Agreed on both fronts," said Roth.

"We can theorize a couple reasons for these disappearances: a supernatural power capable of manipulating other people's minds to create an illusionary reality; and perhaps another type of alien species or humanoids who are more sexually active than humans themselves…"

Roth shook his head vigorously. "I would agree with neither hypothesis." He paused briefly before continuing. "There is something about the cases that doesn't seem right."

"What do you mean, Agent Roth?"

"I don't have all the information, sir, but I have a gut feeling that there is a connection between Abernathy and the other cases, including those not filed under 'missing persons'."

Vigil considered this. He could sense Roth had an idea. He wanted to hear the rest of his reasoning out loud. "Go on…what else do you see?"

Roth took a deep breath and closed his eyes. For a brief moment, he let his mind go blank, letting his intuition guide him. As he meditated, he could feel the presence of something in the darkness around him that wasn't quite visible but had been present since he had stepped into this building. It was like a faint seductive singing that he couldn't quite hear.

As soon as he felt this thing, his senses came alive and he could finally see it clearly. At first it looked like smoke that was trapped in midair, and when Roth looked closer, he realized that it was a mass of dark pink energy. He watched as it began to coalesce and grow until it formed a large sphere that seemed to be made up entirely of pure blackness. It grew larger with every passing second, expanding until it was almost touching Vigil's ceiling and filling his office with its presence.

When it finished growing, Vigil could tell it was more than just a form of energy because it contained a shape—a vague outline of a humanoid-shaped figure hovering in the void—that slowly took on definition as its form changed. It looked somewhat like a man, dressed in a baroque pink suit with frills. His face was obscured by a Bauta venetian mask, behind which a pair of gold-and-blood-red swirling eyes peered through at him. The being reached out its left hand and gestured toward Roth, who was staring wide-eyed at his manifestation.

The being spoke with a voice that sounded like the wind whistling through an open window at nightfall. "Hello, Dalton Roth."

Roth could hardly make out what the being was saying. Within a moment's notice, the being vanished as well as its presence--the room returned to normal.

A chill ran down Roth's spine, and he felt goose bumps run up his arms. "I…I…saw…it, sir."

"Excellent work, Agent Roth," Vigil said as he rose from behind his desk to shake hands with him.

"Sir?"

Roth's hand was enveloped by Vigil's. His palms were hard, rough, and dry. Vigil leaned in close. "Agent Roth, I'd like to let you in on strictly confidential information."

"Of course."

Vigil smiled and leaned in a little closer. "You know…there's been some talk lately about you possibly being promoted above your current rank level."

"Really?"

Vigil nodded. "I'm afraid I can't tell you how or when that will come to fruition, but I can say that you're on my short list for consideration."

Roth was stunned by this news.

Vigil released Roth's hand and sat back down. "The IPC has been reopened due to the rise of paranatural occurrences in Ghostwood."

"How so?" asked Roth, trying to understand the scope of this situation.

Vigil sighed heavily. "Our organization hasn't been fully active for decades, ever since a fatal mishap occurred in the research department."

Roth frowned at Vigil's choice of words, thinking it sounded ominous. He had heard of what had happened long ago, and he was curious why Vigil was bringing it up again now. "And what do you mean by 'mishap'?"

"Let me put it this way…we lost a few good men that day. I'm not at liberty to disclose any further information. I'm also a little shaky on the subject matter. They won't even tell me everything."
"I see," Roth responded, his mind racing. "If the institute has not been fully active for decades, then how do you propose that I be involved?"

"Well…" Vigil hesitated for a moment. He was hesitant to reveal anything about his superiors' thoughts on Roth because he was unsure of their intentions. "The increase in paranormal activity in Ghostwood has alerted some of our officials. They'd like a select group of agents to go undercover and perform field work to find the source."

Roth thought it over for a moment before speaking. "Undercover? Depending on the severity of activity, there's a risk that my cover can be easily discovered."

Vigil gave Roth a reassuring smile. "Agent Roth, we have contingency for the exact type of situation."

Roth looked confused. "What do you mean by that, sir?"

"We have two teams working in the field, specifically assigned to deal with the current phenomenon."

"Two teams?"

Vigil nodded. "I can't disclose any further...unless..."

"Unless what?"

"Are you interested?"

Roth paused for a moment. "Yes, sir."

"Good." Vigil clapped his hands together. "Welcome to the IPC, Agent Roth."