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Post by skybright on Jun 27, 2006 3:17:57 GMT -5
Daws sighed -- thinking of her sister's family -- and crushed the butt of her cigarette beneath her foot. "Yeah, I can understand that well enough."
She gestured at Huber. "So what d'ya reckon Tiernan's gonna do when Doctor Frankenstein here isn't in that hotel room?"
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Post by Jordanna on Jun 27, 2006 3:25:38 GMT -5
Vance chuckled. "You're the one who's been playing fetch for him. You oughta know the answer to that."
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Post by skybright on Jun 27, 2006 3:31:55 GMT -5
Daws grinned viciously. "I'm secretly hopin' that he'll have an aneurysm. At the very least we've gotta be boosting his blood pressure a good ten or fifteen points every time we engineer one of these little misadventures."
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Post by Jordanna on Jun 27, 2006 3:38:32 GMT -5
"You better be careful, though." Vance frowned. "You keep bringing him bad news, you're gonna get hurt. He doesn't need to get suspicious of you. He might just decide you're incompetent--and depending on what you know, or what he thinks you might do, he might not let you retire quietly."
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Post by skybright on Jun 27, 2006 3:46:49 GMT -5
Daws grimaced. "It's a possibility that's crossed my mind, trust me."
Then she gave Vance a sly half-grin. "Y'know, you almost sounded like ya cared that time." She said jokingly. "Y'better watch that -- you could wreck your whole reputation."
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Post by Jordanna on Jun 27, 2006 3:50:55 GMT -5
"You're a valuable spy," Vance replied lightly. "I'm thinkin' of the greater good of the cause."
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Post by skybright on Jun 27, 2006 3:56:33 GMT -5
Daws chuckled and shook her head. "I guess I should've seen that one coming."
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Post by skybright on Jun 27, 2006 23:10:07 GMT -5
The rest of the night -- or morning, rather -- passed uneventfully: Huber had apparently decided to rest up before attempting any more futile lectures on genetic superiority.
Daws made a brief phone call to leave Luke Davis a message with the location of the motel and their room number; then she settled in for a few hours of sleep in the single threadbare armchair.
It was still before dawn when soft but insistent knocking on the motel-room door woke her. She pushed past an alert Jerod Vance and peered through the peephole, then nodded over her shoulder at the Major.
"Just Luke -- our courier." She retrieved the vials of blood from her trenchcoat pocket and slipped out the door.
Luke was dressed in his usual attire, a long black leather coat that had been cut to accommodate his wings. Sea-green feathers rustled softly as he stepped forward and held out his hand. "Got 'em?"
Daws nodded, handing over the vials and an envelope containing some of the money Tiernan had given her. "Y'know where you're going?"
"Sure." Luke grinned. "Got a cousin up there. Be nice to visit, anyway."
Daws nodded. "Hurry back. I'm sittin' on a powderkeg, here -- the sooner we get the test back, the better."
Luke nodded, tucked the vials of blood carefully within his coat, and leapt into the air.
Daws watched him gain altitude for a moment, then turned and slipped back into the room.
"Blood samples're on their way to Caddy." She announced. "We'll have the results as soon as it's possible."
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Post by Jordanna on Jun 27, 2006 23:26:35 GMT -5
"Good. I don't wanna waste any more time with Chuckles over there than I have to." Vance indicated the still-sleeping Huber.
Handy had been sleeping quite contentedly on the floor, his coat draped over his unwieldy form. Now he stretched all his arms, yawned, and sat up, blinking drowsily.
"I'm hungry," he murmured, and got up to investigate the groceries on the table.
"Don't spoil your appetite," Vance admonished him casually. "Malone said he'd feed us better than that when he comes around with the Doc."
Vance arched an eyebrow at Daws, recalling a few vague and fleeting snatches of perception he had picked up from Alex and Miriam the previous night--enough to tell him that the dynamic between the two had somehow changed.
"By the way, what's with those two being joined at the hip all of a sudden?"
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Post by skybright on Jun 27, 2006 23:34:39 GMT -5
Daws shrugged one shoulder and gave Vance an enigmatic smile. "There's some things in the world, Major, that keep right on happenin', war or no war." She chuckled. "You'll haveta ask them if you want any more details than that."
Daws stretched lazily and then rubbed her neck. "Hey, speakin' of Chuckles, I'm all in favor of making him sleep in the armchair from now on."
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Post by Jordanna on Jun 27, 2006 23:58:23 GMT -5
Vance shook his head. "So Malone and the Doc are lovebirds. I figured he had his head far enough in the clouds for that, but I thought she had better sense. Love on the battlefield ain't what you see in the movies, detective--even if they both manage to stay alive, the pressure's gonna crack at least one of 'em eventually. Attachment kills."
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Post by skybright on Jun 28, 2006 0:13:05 GMT -5
Daws chuckled and shook her head. "I may dress like somethin' out of a Bogart flick, Vance -- doesn't mean I live in one. I know they aren't gonna have an easy time of it." She tipped her head and studied the older man for a moment before she continued.
"But I'm gonna have to disagree with ya anyways." Daws took a seat on one of the hardbacked chairs. "My late partner used to tell me 'We come in alone and we all die alone. Anyone who's alone for all the rest of it might's well not have been here.'" She shrugged and chuckled softly. "Life kills, Major. But attachment makes it worth it."
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Post by Jordanna on Jun 28, 2006 0:26:13 GMT -5
"I still say they're in for trouble." Vance frowned. "I'm gonna warn you right now: if I ever see that this thing between them could put any of my people in danger, all bets are off. Fighters get careless when they start stooping to pick flowers."
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Post by skybright on Jun 28, 2006 0:36:03 GMT -5
Daws chuckled dryly. "Fair enough. I've already warned you about puttin' any of mine in danger. It's only right I get the same warning back."
She ran a hand through her hair and glanced at Handy. "Hey, McCarty, is there anything in those groceries to take the edge off? I didn't get dinner last night, and I dunno when Alex and the Doc'll get here."
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Post by Jordanna on Jun 28, 2006 0:45:55 GMT -5
Handy pushed forward a box of glazed doughnuts, which he had already dipped into. "They ain't fresh, but they ain't stale either. You want one, Jerod?" he asked his leader.
Vance shook his head. "I don't need anything." He glanced at Daws. "Now that it's banker's hours, might be a good time to get in touch with the happy campaigner and schedule a mind probe."
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Post by skybright on Jun 28, 2006 0:55:54 GMT -5
Daws snagged a donut from the box and nodded thoughtfully. "I'll do what I can."
Taking a large bite of donut, she slid the telephone across the table and then fished her pocket notebook out of her trenchcoat.
"Lessee . . ." She mumbled around a mouthful of donut, "I know I . . . here we go." She lifted the reciever and dialed the number scribbled across the notepad.
After a few rings, a tinny mechanical voice came on the other end of the line. "Thank you for calling the office of James Marcus Cole . . ."
Daws grimaced. "Answerin' machine." She waited for the beep, then said "Yes, this is Regina Dawson, with a message on behalf of Nicholas Tiernan. Mister Cole, could you please contact my office as soon as possible?" She listed off her phone number and hung up with a sigh.
"Hopefully whoever's in charge of screening Cole's calls knows to pass on anythin' with Tiernan's name on it. 'Course, with my luck Cole'll just get confused about whether I'm workin' for Tiernan or not, and I'll never hear back." She shrugged. "At any rate, I'll call the office voicemail later today and see if we hear back. If not, I can try sending Joey Falco to fetch Cole in person -- Cole knows the kid's with me."
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Post by Jordanna on Jun 28, 2006 1:07:54 GMT -5
Vance frowned. "I still don't entirely trust that kid--and for a lot of reasons. He had no complaints about working for Tiernan for quite a while, and I'm not convinced he can't be swayed back around to Tiernan's view of things--especially with the amount of money floating around Tiernan's organization. Even if he is determined to stick by you, a little threat to his mother could easily put a different complexion on things. He knows everything about this setup, Miss Dawson--and if he gets found out, he won't be nearly as strong as you or me under pressure."
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Post by skybright on Jun 28, 2006 1:18:28 GMT -5
Daws winced at that and shook her head, taking another bite of her donut. "Vance, if that kid gets found out I'll probably just get myself killed tryin' to save him -- so the operation'll have problems either way."
She shrugged and licked donut glaze off of her claws. "I was Joey Falco once upon a time, only I got lucky enough to get taken in by a good guy instead of a bad one. So you can argue this until ya turn blue, Major -- but it's not gonna change my thinking."
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Post by Jordanna on Jun 28, 2006 1:27:38 GMT -5
Vance shrugged. "Then take it as the same warning I gave you about Malone and the Doc. I've got people to protect, too--and to do that, I'll do exactly what I have to. Anybody who might turn out unfit for the fight is in it at their own risk."
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Post by skybright on Jun 28, 2006 1:34:03 GMT -5
Daws regarded Vance solemnly. "If the worst ever comes down to the worst, Major," she said, "And any of my people prove what you call 'unfit', then you just step back and let me worry about takin' care of mine."
She shook her head and regarded her still-extended claws. "You're an okay guy, Vance, and I could even get to like you, given time. But if you ever try actively hurtin' my people -- even for the sake of this cause . . ."
Daws chuckled dryly and sheathed her claws. "Let's just hope it never comes down to us havin' that particular fight. I wouldn't enjoy it any more than you would."
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