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Post by Jordanna on Jun 28, 2006 1:38:18 GMT -5
Here's hoping," Vance murmured.
In the second bed, Sid abruptly let out a single loud snore and started awake. He blinked in confusion at the shabby environment of the hotel room, and when his gaze landed on Huber, he scowled. Rubbing his chin, he rolled off the bed and instinctively moved toward the box of doughnuts.
"That creep give you any more trouble last night?" he asked.
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Post by skybright on Jun 28, 2006 1:49:48 GMT -5
"Well, lemme think." Daws scratched behind her left ear, grinning. "Right about the time you dropped off, I got curious as to what happened to Huber's kid.
"Instead of answerin' me, though," she chuckled humorlessly. "He decided to try and convince us we should be ashamed of wanting to survive. Told us, and I quote, that 'mutation does nothing but destroy human lives'." She shrugged and gestured at Huber's still-sleeping form.
"Having failed to talk us out of the folly of enjoying our existence, Doctor Huber rolled over and went to sleep. He's been out cold ever since." She grinned wickedly. "His arms're gonna be awful sore from sleepin' in those ropes all night."
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Post by Jordanna on Jun 28, 2006 1:52:48 GMT -5
"Like I pity him," Sid muttered. Then he tilted his head. "Thought I heard a knock earlier. Was that your pal pickin' up the blood samples?"
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Post by skybright on Jun 28, 2006 2:03:24 GMT -5
"Yep." Daws nodded and helped herself to another half-donut. "Luke's a fast flier -- he oughtta be halfway to White Plains by now. And Caddy's promised to rush the results -- we'll know by tomorrow night, and go from there."
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Post by Jordanna on Jun 28, 2006 2:11:00 GMT -5
"Good." Sid frowned and dropped his gaze, suddenly interested in picking doughnut crumbs from his shirt. "Things'll make more sense after... we hear. You know."
Vance raised an eyebrow, picking up on a ripple of anxious confusion in the older man. "You don't exactly sound like you're talkin' about Huber. What was that business with giving the courier two blood samples, anyway?"
Sid blanched slightly. "I... well, I..."
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Post by skybright on Jun 28, 2006 2:15:35 GMT -5
"You know Sid's daughter is a mutant," Daws interrupted. "But he's got two other kids, who aren't old enough to've manifested yet." She shrugged one shoulder.
"Caddy's gonna take a look at Sid's blood, scan it for the X-Gene. Sometimes he can tell by that which way it'll get passed down."
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Post by Jordanna on Jun 28, 2006 2:26:27 GMT -5
Sid shot Daws a grateful look, but Vance was frowning.
"I'm no scientist, Miss Dawson, but it's my understanding they haven't gotten the X-gene that far figured out yet. Matter of fact, I seem to recall a couple of Huber's colleagues at the conference are working on that very problem."
He leaned back in his chair, folding his arms behind his head. "In any case, a guy doesn't need to be a scientist to know when he's being fed a line."
"Just leave it alone, will ya?" Sid growled.
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Post by skybright on Jun 28, 2006 2:32:01 GMT -5
Daws raised an eyebrow at Vance. "Time was that a man's genetics were his own business, Major." She said quietly. "Caddy's a friend of mine, doin' a favor for another friend of mine. Anythin' more than that isn't mine to talk about."
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Post by Jordanna on Jun 28, 2006 2:39:32 GMT -5
Vance gave Daws an unimpressed look, spreading his hands. "Fine. But you've piqued my curiosity now, and I'll be very interested to see what comes of this little dodge."
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Post by skybright on Jun 28, 2006 2:49:42 GMT -5
Daws grinned slyly. "Fair enough, Vance." She brushed a few donut crumbs off her sleeve. "We've gotta keep things interesting around here, after all."
She glanced with some disdain at the sleeping Huber. "So, should we wake up Sleepin' Bigot over there? Part of me likes him a lot better when he's quiet -- but then again, part of me doesn't think it's fair for him t'get more sleep than I did."
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Post by Jordanna on Jun 28, 2006 2:54:03 GMT -5
Vance chuckled, with a gleefully malicious look on his face. Stretching out in his chair, he extended his foot and gave Huber's mattress a hard, sharp kick.
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Post by skybright on Jun 28, 2006 3:05:20 GMT -5
Huber started violently awake, knocking his head against the headboard as he did so and loosing another stream of profanity.
Daws winced and shook her head. "Y'don't really picture scientific types havin' that kind of a mouth on 'em, do you?" She remarked.
Huber glared angrily at Vance's gleeful look. "I should have expected you'd excersize brutality against your prisoners."
Daws gave a snort of derisive laughter. "You hear that? Guy wants us all ripped apart on a genetic level -- and he's talkin' brutality."
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Post by Jordanna on Jun 28, 2006 3:15:38 GMT -5
"Remind me again why we woke him up," Sid muttered.
At that moment there was a tap on the door. Sid rose and peered out the window behind the cover of the sun-bleached curtains, then gave the others a nod and moved to open the door. Alex and Miriam came in, the former carrying a paper bag.
"Come get your homemade sausage biscuits," Alex said cheerily as he set the bag on the table. "How's everybody doing?"
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Post by skybright on Jun 28, 2006 3:23:59 GMT -5
Daws grinned and jerked a thumb at Huber. "Our friend here would like to talk to his Red Cross representative about our violatin' the Geneva Convention," she announced cheekily, "And I'm about starving. But otherwise, not too bad."
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Post by Jordanna on Jun 28, 2006 3:33:34 GMT -5
"Have you sent off the blood sample for the test?" Miriam asked, at which Sid nodded.
"If you guys don't mind," Sid remarked to Daws and Vance, "I'm gonna take the morning shift here. Later in the afternoon I gotta go home an' see the kids, an' then I gotta work until late."
"Fine by me," Vance replied. "I'd just as soon watch the rat overnight."
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Post by skybright on Jun 28, 2006 3:38:51 GMT -5
Daws shrugged one shoulder as Alex handed her a sausage biscuit. "Doesn't matter any to me. I've got nothin' else to occupy my time, anyway -- at least, not unless Tiernan decides to call me in." She bit hungrily into the biscuit and added "Which I kinda doubt he's gonna -- he sounded like he didn't much want me around on this one."
Before anyone could reply, Huber loudly cleared his throat. "I suppose it would be entirely foolish of me to expect a meal."
Daws rolled her eyes and turned her attention to her own breakfast. "Don't look at me. I'd hate to contaminate the good doctor's meal."
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Post by Jordanna on Jun 28, 2006 3:46:46 GMT -5
With a sigh, Vance stepped to the bed. He leaned over and untied the ropes binding Huber's hands--but before Huber could move an inch, Vance had produced a pair of handcuffs and chained the scientist to the bedpost by one wrist.
"Now you can feed him," Vance said laconically, returning to his sprawl in the chair. "And Huber--I don't have to remind you what happens if you try anything."
With a shrug, Alex deposited before Huber a paper plate bearing a sausage biscuit and several apple slices.
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Post by skybright on Jun 28, 2006 4:00:19 GMT -5
Huber gave the food a dubious look, but then began eating -- flexing his fingers and making none-too-subtle noises of discomfort as the blood flowed back into them.
At length he looked up. "You do realize, of course, that my colleagues will notice my absence at this morning's symposium and inform the authorities?"
Daws raised an eyebrow at the scientist -- and then laughed brightly. "Huber, you nutcase, nobody is gonna miss you." She chuckled and reached for an apple slice. "People who have orderly, sensible routines go missin' for a day -- and yeah, someone calls the authorities."
She gestured to the scientist with her apple slice. "Loony little creeps who disappear into the deep backwoods with nobody but Igor for months on end, and who pull nutty stunts like sleepin' in two hotel rooms, on the other hand . . ." she grinned and crunched into the fruit slice. "It might be weeks before they realize you're not just pullin' an ego trip."
Huber gave Daws a malicious glare, and resumed eating in (relative) silence.
Daws leaned back with a self-satisfied look and glanced at Miriam. "Mrs. Marcos give you guys any trouble at my place?"
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Post by Jordanna on Jun 28, 2006 4:05:11 GMT -5
"No, actually, we didn't see anyone. We decided to go last night instead of this morning, so everyone must have been asleep." Miriam handed Daws the duffel bag she had carried in, which contained extra clothes, a few toiletries, and the cards and chess set Daws had requested.
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Post by skybright on Jun 28, 2006 4:16:36 GMT -5
Daws smiled. "Thanks, Doc." She set the bag aside and raised an eyebrow at Vance.
"Well, Major, if you're half as good at chess as ya are at verbal sparring," she grinned, "This little vacation just got much more interesting."
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