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Post by skybright on Jan 5, 2007 23:44:08 GMT -5
"Two days." Daws replied brusquely. "And hey -- if you all think you've come up with a better idea -- don't hesitate to share. Otherwise," she shrugged. "Any plan's better than none at all."
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Post by Jordanna on Jan 5, 2007 23:53:30 GMT -5
"Fine," Sham retorted. "We'll send word to you. Maybe tonight. Where are you holed up?"
"Uh-uh," Handy cut in abruptly. "An' have you rat us out to Tiernan in exchange for leavin' you alone? Nix. We'll come to you."
Sham looked visibly irritated, but he nodded and said again, "Fine. Now shove off."
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Post by skybright on Jan 6, 2007 0:02:49 GMT -5
"Fair enough." Daws turned on her heel, gesturing to Handy and Sid. "We'll be in touch."
The trio left Spooktown and headed back for the car. "Well," Daws glanced sideways at Sid, "Now you've been to Spooktown. Nice place -- if you don't mind the neighborhood watch."
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Post by Jordanna on Jan 6, 2007 0:17:30 GMT -5
"I do mind it," Sid muttered. "I'd like to've laid that guy out. Still, I can't blame him fer pickin' at all the same holes in the plan that we talked about an' didn't have a good answer for."
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Post by skybright on Jan 6, 2007 0:23:03 GMT -5
"Yeah, me neither." Daws sighed and shook her head. "I'm no fool -- I know this is a risky idea. But so far it's also the only idea we've come up with, and beggars can't exactly be choosers. We've got to act quick, before Tiernan's mood turns any more dangerous than it was this morning."
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Post by Jordanna on Jan 6, 2007 0:33:21 GMT -5
"Yeah. I still don't like the idea of usin' a livin' person as a stand-in, though." Sid shrugged. "Ya think we oughta talk ta Henry, see if he's got any ideas?"
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Post by skybright on Jan 6, 2007 0:39:08 GMT -5
Daws grimaced faintly. "I can just picture the look on Henry's face when we start that conversation -- but yeah, it probably wouldn't hurt."
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Post by Jordanna on Jan 6, 2007 1:00:22 GMT -5
They had reached the car, and Handy pulled out his keys, looking at Daws. "So you wanna go see Mister Casselton now?"
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Post by skybright on Jan 6, 2007 1:07:29 GMT -5
Daws nodded. "Might as well, I guess, since we're in the City anyhow. Like I said -- we gotta work fast on this thing."
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Post by Jordanna on Jan 6, 2007 21:08:51 GMT -5
Handy, Daws, and Sid went directly from Spooktown to Casselton Mortuary, and found it busy. A funeral service was taking place in the chapel, which meant Henry would be occupied. Having been given a key to the back door, Sid let the two mutants in, and then--known as a friend of Henry's since his wife's death--he entered through the front door himself and spoke with the receptionist. She promised to let Henry know of his visitor, and Sid then made his way back to Henry's office, to wait with Daws and Handy.
"I... don't guess you care to be here," Handy observed solemnly to Sid. He was aware of the murder of Caroline, and the fact that her service, too, had been performed here.
The widower shrugged ruefully. "'S just bricks an' mortar. An' it's a good cover... fer things like this." He frowned at Henry's case of prized Egyptian embalming tools. "Though what he sees in this creepy stuff, I dunno."
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Post by skybright on Jan 6, 2007 22:12:43 GMT -5
"Oh, I dunno." Daws smiled crookedly and gestured to a beautifully-enamelled statue of a cat. "Some pieces strikes me more than others."
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Post by Jordanna on Jan 6, 2007 23:11:12 GMT -5
"You would," Sid replied, with a faint smile.
At that moment, Henry entered the room, looking sober and attentive as usual. "I'm sorry for my delay. What's the trouble? Is everyone alright?"
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Post by skybright on Jan 6, 2007 23:21:37 GMT -5
"Everyone's alive," Daws said with a faint shrug, "And the way the past couple days have gone, that's close enough to 'all right' for the time being."
She sighed. "The art gallery job went south -- really south, really fast. It's a long story, but the short version is that we ended up comin' to blows with Tiernan's boys, and Vance got grabbed while we were retreating. We managed to get him out -- but Proteus blew his cover helpin' us do it. Now Tiernan wants Proteus, or else -- and we gotta keep Tiernan from getting him."
She smiled ruefully and spread her hands. "Needless to say -- it's been a busy couple of days."
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Post by Jordanna on Jan 6, 2007 23:36:45 GMT -5
"I should say so," Henry murmured grimly. "How is Vance?"
Handy scowled. "He's hangin' in there. Proteus is doin' this... thing... ta help him heal. That's another reason we gotta keep Proteus away from Tiernan--without his help, we're not really sure if..."
"If Vance will live," Henry concluded gravely. He looked to Daws. "What can I do?"
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Post by skybright on Jan 6, 2007 23:45:04 GMT -5
Daws grimaced. "Like I said -- Tiernan wants Proteus. And he's not gonna be satisfied until he has him -- dead or alive. Just having him disappear, like Miriam, isn't gonna cut it. Not this time."
She sighed and met Henry's eyes. "We . . . we need a body."
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Post by Jordanna on Jan 7, 2007 0:00:54 GMT -5
Henry's eyebrows raised. "Oh."
"Daws was talkin' about havin' a mutant who can go into a kinda trance play stand-in for a body," Sid elaborated. "But we figure if Tiernan wants ta make sure it's no fake, he might... you know... do somethin' to it."
"I see." Henry paced across the room, and stood still for a moment, thinking. At last he turned.
"As a matter of fact, I think I have a solution for your problem," he said, with a frown that suggested even what he had to offer would not be ideal.
"I don't suppose any of you had a chance to see the morning news, but a mutant was murdered over in Mount Vernon last night. He was beaten to death by a group of drunks outside a bar. The killers were arrested, for all that's worth; but the point is that no one has claimed the body. That isn't terribly uncommon, with mutants whose families have disowned them or don't even recognize them. In any case, with such an obvious cause of death, they probably won't even do much in the way of an autopsy--especially since the victim is 'just a mutant'."
"Yeah, typical human justice," Handy muttered bleakly.
Henry shrugged. "What it all comes down to is that you--well, someone in the resistance, at least--could claim the body. Just to make it all above-board, I can create a paper trail of supposed funeral arrangements. Then you can use the body to carry out this unpleasant little charade. If Tiernan... detains it... then no one will be the wiser."
Sid scowled. "Seems like a really rotten way ta disrespect the poor guy's corpus."
"But it's better than putting another life at risk." Henry spread his hands. "I didn't say this alternative was perfect, or even particularly moral. But if the use of his body might help us save the lives of other mutants... well, I should think the poor fellow wouldn't mind."
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Post by skybright on Jan 7, 2007 0:10:11 GMT -5
Daws' worried frown had lightened considerably. "Yeah," she said, "Yeah, that could work. And I think you're right, Henry -- it's not exactly the best thing we've ever done, but for the sake of savin' so many people's lives . . ."
She sighed. "Okay. How do we go about claiming the body, Henry?"
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Post by Jordanna on Jan 7, 2007 0:25:13 GMT -5
Henry sighed. "Well, I don't think any of you should be directly associated with it. I think you should choose someone very low-profile. Someone who can pose as a relative--and to make sure things go smoothly, someone who isn't an obvious mutant. When you've picked a volunteer or two, send them back here. I'll tell them where to go and what to do. They'll have to bring the body back here, so you can pick it up then."
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Post by skybright on Jan 7, 2007 0:32:31 GMT -5
"Okay." Daws nodded. "I need to call the Padre and let him know what's happened anyways. He can send over some volunteers from the parish."
She sighed and stood. "Thanks, Henry. This really will help -- at least, I hope so."
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Post by Jordanna on Jan 7, 2007 21:11:08 GMT -5
"I'm glad to be of use for once," Henry replied, grasping Daws' hand briefly. "I'll call over to Sid's house when the body arrives here. Is that where you're caring for Major Vance?"
"Him an' just about everybody else in this outfit," Sid remarked, but his tone was good-natured. "I think I need ta buy a bigger house."
Henry shrugged. "Well... when Vance is more stable, if you want to give him a quieter environment to recuperate in, you're welcome to bring him to my house. I have plenty of room."
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