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Post by Jordanna on Feb 10, 2009 0:11:41 GMT -5
"Great." Vance shot a significant glance at Alex and then tilted his head toward the door, indicating they should leave the young man's earshot before they resumed talking business. Accordingly, they left him alone again with Miriam.
"You can wish Regina luck," Vance muttered grimly to Caddy as they headed for the stairs. "She's got to call on the Bat--find out what he knows about today's pyrotechnics."
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Post by skybright on Feb 10, 2009 0:18:59 GMT -5
"Ouch." Caddy winced and glanced at Daws. "You were just born lucky, huh? Don't answer that." He added quickly, holding up one hand.
Daws grinned crookedly. "It's a living." She shrugged and gestured at Caddy and Hubert. "I could use you guys' help, actually. Anything in that stack of stuff from the clinic you think won't do Tiernan much good?"
The two doctors traded a glance, and Hubert spread his hands. "A few things. Certainly the invoices are more or less innocuous -- and I'm not sure what harm he could do with that genetic profile."
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Post by Jordanna on Feb 10, 2009 23:25:43 GMT -5
Vance shrugged, and explained to the two doctors, "Tiernan hasn't called her in--which we figure means either he's happy with the way things are going, or he's been caught off guard too. She needs an excuse to drop in for a visit, so she can find out which."
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Post by skybright on Feb 10, 2009 23:40:06 GMT -5
"Ah." Hubert nodded. "Then I think those would be your safest choices. As you mentioned, Major, it's better if Tiernan doesn't get his hands on the improved version of that suppressant formula."
"Exactly. No use giving the bad guy anything useful if we can possibly help it." Daws shrugged. "I figure I can pass it off as stuff a 'contact' of mine recovered in the post-bombing chaos, if he asks. It's not too far off from the truth, anyway -- and it might nudge him into giving something about his own contacts away."
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Post by Jordanna on Feb 10, 2009 23:49:15 GMT -5
"Here's hoping," Vance muttered, as they reached the bottom of the stairs.
"Okay, boys. You can keep the rest of that stuff and go over it some more, if you want. Cole's got the original copy to that sheet of phone numbers; he's gonna see if he can't trace any of 'em, along with whatever else he digs up. We'll let you know if he finds out anything else."
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Post by skybright on Feb 11, 2009 0:02:11 GMT -5
Caddy nodded. "Like I said, I'll get on those victim names for you. Can't make any real promises for an ETA, but I've got some favors I can call in. Depending on who's working and how tight the security is that they've got the victims under, I might have something for you by tonight."
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Post by Jordanna on Feb 12, 2009 23:18:23 GMT -5
Vance clapped Caddy on the shoulder. "Just don't be obvious about it. If we do end up taking one of the patients for a ride, we don't want word of your curiosity getting back to anybody."
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Post by skybright on Feb 12, 2009 23:41:13 GMT -5
"Who, me? Obvious?" Caddy raised his eyebrows and grinned crookedly at Vance. "You wound me, Major. I'm the very soul of discretion."
Behind them on the stairs, Hubert made a distinctly amused choking noise.
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Post by Jordanna on Feb 12, 2009 23:50:01 GMT -5
Vance shot Hubert a half-pained look, then glanced back at Caddy. "...Okay. I'll settle for you not flat-out asking any spooky guys in black suits where the mad scientists are."
He glanced at Daws, and asided, "How'd he ever keep it down to one blackmailer, anyway?"
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Post by skybright on Feb 12, 2009 23:56:29 GMT -5
"Near as I can tell? Pure dumb luck." Daws deadpanned.
"Hey," Caddy shot her a wounded look, "You know how long I spent in college? Pure overeducated luck, if ya don't mind."
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Post by Jordanna on Feb 13, 2009 0:04:28 GMT -5
Vance rolled his eye. "Anyway... I'm afraid it's about time we got Regina in touch with the Bat. Hubert, where's the stuff you said we could give him without any more bad things happening?"
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Post by skybright on Feb 13, 2009 0:14:25 GMT -5
"Ah . . . give me just a moment." Hubert slipped past the others and into the living room, returning after a few moments with a handful of the papers Proteus had recovered from the clinic.
"Here you are." He handed the sheaf of papers over to Daws with a faint shrug. "I'm fairly sure there's nothing there that Tiernan can use to do any real harm."
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Post by Jordanna on Feb 13, 2009 0:22:02 GMT -5
"Great." Vance began to move toward the front door, taking his keys from his pocket, and let out a sigh. "You know, going up against just Tiernan is starting to look like the good old days."
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Post by skybright on Feb 13, 2009 0:32:59 GMT -5
"You said it." Daws sighed and held up the papers slightly, nodding at Hubert. "Thanks for looking these over -- and let us know if you come up with anything else, huh?"
"Of course." Hubert nodded gravely. "Be careful."
"Always." She turned to Caddy and gestured up the stairs. "You guys, just . . . take care, okay?"
Caddy smiled reassuringly and patted her shoulder. "Of course. Don't worry . . . she's gonna be okay."
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Post by Jordanna on Feb 13, 2009 22:56:08 GMT -5
"I'll admit... I'm more hopeful now." Vance patted Caddy's arm again. "We'll see ya."
He glanced at Daws and Handy, and led them out to his car.
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Post by skybright on Feb 13, 2009 23:32:53 GMT -5
Daws slid into the passenger seat with a sigh. "Well . . . I guess that visit wasn't a total loss." She remarked, thumbing absently through the paperwork she'd carried back out with her. "At least there's a couple leads, even if they're a little sketchy."
She grinned weakly. "I suppose it was too much to ask for that the bad guys would leave all their maniacal plans lying around for Proteus to pick 'em up."
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Post by Jordanna on Feb 14, 2009 22:03:09 GMT -5
"The old man's really gone a long way for us this time," Vance said quietly, starting the car's engine. "I think the stakes in this case are too high even for him to ignore."
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Post by skybright on Feb 14, 2009 23:25:47 GMT -5
"I think you're right." Daws said. "Unfortunately, they're too high for someone else to ignore, too."
She grimaced. "I'm not sure which scenario is worse -- that Tiernan set up that bomb, or that somebody else did."
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Post by Jordanna on Feb 14, 2009 23:34:27 GMT -5
"At least we know enough about Tiernan to have had some kind of a plan," Vance muttered. "Now we're fighting phantoms."
He sighed and gave Daws a glance. "Obviously Handy and I won't be pulling up to the curb at Tiernan Enterprises. Where do you wanna be dropped off?"
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Post by skybright on Feb 14, 2009 23:39:16 GMT -5
Daws shrugged one shoulder. "Anywhere that's far enough away to keep us under the radar. A walk won't do me any harm, and we've got enough problems right now without taking any chances."
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