Cryptotrappers!

Cryptotrappers- The Life Thief

Tuesday 24. What would typically have been a work day had been completely overridden by the events of the day before, and while the rest of us were on cryptid care, Eva was working on reverse engineering the Displacer I had recovered. I was still in a funk over yesterday; despite everyone's uninspiring reassurances that I couldn't do more it did nothing to shift the reality of the situation- I had let another cryptid fall into the clutches of Elizabeth's organisation, and whether she was alive or not her influence clearly hadn't died. It was probably for the best that I was just on cryptid care duty today; I had become unsure in my abilities to protect any in the wild from the Amber-Clad.

"Same wires, same connectors, it's an identical model." Eva began, frustration oozing from her voice. She'd deconstructed the alternate Displacer and the parts lay on the table, lining up with perfect accuracy with the blueprints that sat next to them.
"I've looked over them and they fit the blueprints perfectly." Lucy continued, looking the grimmest I've seen her. "The external hardware is a different shape, true, but they'd fit perfectly inside one of our models. It's no wonder that one of ours perfectly interfaced."
"The problem with that is," Eva continued, "The blueprints are my own. I made them personally three or four days before your run with them. There is no theoretical way they could have them. There isn't a single way."
Worried confusion was spread between the faces of us all. Sid spoke first, concern almost visibly rising in his throat.
"Eva, you don't think... you don't think that-"
"No, I don't think any of you are working for the Amber-Clad." Eva confirmed. "None of you have ever been any less than loyal to me, and I thank you profusely for that."
I was glad to know that Eva had enough trust in me to not think I was working for the enemy, so to speak, even if I still couldn't inherently put full trust in her. Despite everything I still knew practically nothing, and if she was willing to hold onto the card for so long, what else could she be hiding.

"So do you think we'll be on fieldwork tomorrow?" Sid asked, breaking the silence and my thought process. I didn't know if I was a hundred percent ready to get right back to fieldwork again so I really wanted to know the answer too. Eva ran the question through her mind for a few seconds before answering.
"There's nothing particularly pressing happening but if you want to go and find something to study that's fine. I'll be scouting this place for hidden cameras, sensors, microphones. Nikki was affiliated with them, who knows if they had her stuff something in here while we were out. Anyway, it's getting late, you should get some sleep."
"You too." Randy asserted. "I'm not letting you get into that state again. You can sleep for tonight, and I'll help you check the facility tomorrow if they're going out hunting."
However he acted on missions be damned, Randy was an expert emotional backer. I didn't know if I really wanted to be hunting anything tomorrow, but if the others wanted to I would just go along. Either way, I had some rest to get before that, so I settled in for the night.

I awoke to the sound of conflict a few rooms over, which pulled me scrambling to my feet and out the door. As I dashed down the corridor I almost collided with Eva, also running from the room in my direction.
"What's the situation?" I asked, as quickly as I could.
"I woke up to something attacking, apelike, it almost looked like it had a beak? Not a Kappa though, that's for sure. It had a hold on my head, it looked like it was-"
Eva was interrupted by the erratic escape of whatever was in her room, as something apelike dashed through the door. It would have stood probably just under my height if it stood fully up, and though it didn't exactly have a beak, it had extended, point like lips. It swerved away from us and dashed down the corridor, Eva and I chased in pursuit but to no avail, it was too fast. Something still didn't feel right though.
"What's the time, Eva?"
"Twelve past six."
She shared the same look of horror I had on my face as we spoke at the same time.
"Sid!"

Sid wasn't breathing when we found him in his bed. His heart was pumping, his skin was warm, his pupils dilated in the light. But no breath entered nor exited his body.
"Randy's the same, Lucy too." Eva responded, more fearful than I'd heard her since the Cherufe, her voice faltering just a little. "They're not dead, but I don't think they're entirely alive, and I can't wake any of them!"
"You think it was the Yokai?" I asked, almost certain but wanting confirmation.
"Absolutely. I... I just have no idea what it was! I've never encountered a Yokai or cryptid like it!"
Panic rose audibly in her throat like a snake rising from a ceramic jar, and though I wasn't exactly Randy, I did what I could to reassure her.
"It's... it's okay. They're still somewhat alive, we... we just don't know what's happened to them."
Eva was still panicking, but she also seemed to be considering options.
"We should start our research."