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Post by Jordanna on Feb 15, 2007 23:00:10 GMT -5
Tiernan was pacing furiously when Daws entered his office. He turned to her sharply.
"Pardon what may seem a foolish question, Miss Dawson--but I have need to confirm your identity. How did we first meet?"
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Post by skybright on Feb 15, 2007 23:08:10 GMT -5
Daws frowned in faint confusion, but then she shrugged. "I got a little too nosy at Lusus Naturae one night. The little wea -- uh, George -- slipped me a mickey and hauled me down to your basement, where I woke up with one heck of a headache. And the rest, like they say, is history. That good enough, or y'want more details?"
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Post by Jordanna on Feb 15, 2007 23:21:26 GMT -5
"No... that's alright. Only you, George, Hori, and Joey would know those details."
Tiernan strode back to his desk. He sank into it with a surprisingly weary, worried look, and rubbed the back of his head--still tender from a parting tap that had left him unconscious.
"Proteus has called on me, Miss Dawson."
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Post by skybright on Feb 15, 2007 23:25:38 GMT -5
Daws' frown turned puzzled. Tiernan certainly wasn't acting as if he had the metamorph in custody . . .
Understanding dawned. "By that, you don't mean that he turned himself in." She pushed her fedora back. Looks like I underestimated the old man . . . "I don't guess he was very happy about what happened this morning."
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Post by Jordanna on Feb 15, 2007 23:44:43 GMT -5
"That was a foregone conclusion." Tiernan scowled. "He came here, Miss Dawson, to inform me that he's devoting himself to making my life... unpleasant. He could easily have killed me on the spot, but that at least doesn't seem to be in his plans."
With a restless growling noise, he pushed away from his chair and paced back over to the window.
"Finding Proteus is our new--and desperately urgent--priority. He might do almost anything to make my operations difficult--and with his powers, he can. He could impersonate me, or you, or any of my people, and this organization is too vast and complex to ensure against it fully with such identity checks as I gave you." He turned to Daws, a glint of cold intent in his eyes.
"Proteus must die. At the moment, I don't care about anything else."
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Post by skybright on Feb 15, 2007 23:48:46 GMT -5
Daws nodded slowly. "That's certainly understandable." She pushed her fedora back. "Well, I'll do everything I can to track him down for you, Mister Tiernan -- but I don't have to tell you that it's gonna be . . . problematic . . . to track someone who can look like anyone at all."
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Post by Jordanna on Feb 16, 2007 0:05:32 GMT -5
"I know." Tiernan frowned. "For what it's worth, I intend to have the DNA of every person in my employ registered. If anyone should be caught behaving... suspiciously... they can be detained and screened. I needn't tell you this is going to cause a tremendous inconvenience."
He slumped back into his chair. "I'll have to ask you to make an appointment with my doctors to submit a DNA sample, of course."
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Post by skybright on Feb 16, 2007 0:09:40 GMT -5
Daws scowled faintly. "If it's necessary. I'm sure he'll be careful not to slip up around here, though. There's probably just as much chance of my tracking him down out on the street as there is of that."
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Post by Jordanna on Feb 16, 2007 0:22:28 GMT -5
"No doubt." Tiernan frowned. "In the meantime, if we can find any of the Spooks that have scattered, I intend to have them questioned about their troublesome patron. You might let me know of any that you happen to come across yourself."
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Post by skybright on Feb 16, 2007 0:36:06 GMT -5
"Sure." Daws shrugged. "If any of 'em stick around long enough for me to run across them, anyway. They know I work for you, now."
She spread her hands. "All right, I'll see about tracking down Proteus for you, and I'll let you know if I bump into any of his people. Anything else you need from me?"
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Post by Jordanna on Feb 16, 2007 22:25:39 GMT -5
"Not at present." Tiernan frowned. "Simply be prepared for much more stringent security measures the next time you come."
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Post by skybright on Feb 17, 2007 22:51:24 GMT -5
"Naturally." Daws kept her private reservations about exactly what those measures might entail to herself, and tipped her fedora slightly to the brooding Tiernan.
"I'll be in touch, as usual. Good morning, Mister Tiernan."
With that, she made her way out of the Tiernan Enterprises building and turned back towards her own neighborhood -- to spend the rest of the afternoon looking for Proteus. She didn't hold out a great deal of hope in her ability to find him if he wasn't in the mood to be found -- but maybe she'd get lucky.
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Post by Jordanna on Feb 17, 2007 23:08:05 GMT -5
In fact, Proteus was in the last place anyone would have thought to look for him. When Daws arrived at her office, she found the shapeshifter sitting in her waiting room, in the form by which he was known to the Spooks and the resistance.
He glanced up with grim alertness when she came in, but said nothing, waiting for her to speak first.
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Post by skybright on Feb 17, 2007 23:14:18 GMT -5
Daws gave no outward sign of exactly how shocked she was to see Proteus sitting in her waiting room. Instead, she shrugged out of her coat and took off her fedora, tossing both onto one of the armchairs. Then she cleared her throat and turned to face Proteus.
"I . . . owe you an apology." She shrugged rather hopelessly. "I know your people mean just as much to you as mine do to me -- more, probably. I never intended for them to take the hit for what we did. But they did -- and I'm sorry for it."
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Post by Jordanna on Feb 17, 2007 23:24:30 GMT -5
"What's done is done," Proteus murmured. There was a tinge of anger in his voice, but it was not directed at Daws to a hostile degree. "I can guess you've talked to Tiernan, and you know I've seen him."
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Post by skybright on Feb 17, 2007 23:29:49 GMT -5
"Yeah, I've seen him." A faint grin tugged at Daws' mouth. "I've got to give you credit, Proteus. It's been quite some time since I saw Tiernan rattled at all -- and you rattled him more than I think I've ever seen him."
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Post by Jordanna on Feb 17, 2007 23:48:11 GMT -5
"He oughta be." Proteus scowled. "You know the one thing I can't do, even now, is kill him--but I'm going to see to it he suffers, Miss Dawson. And since you'll be just as happy to see that happen, I'm counting on you to let me know of any traps he might set for me. I'll be around now and then to hear the news from you."
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Post by skybright on Feb 17, 2007 23:51:48 GMT -5
"That I can do." Daws nodded. "To start with, he's gonna have everyone who works for him turn in a blood sample -- so he can test against their DNA if he catches 'em acting oddly. I don't know what else he'll put in place, but you can bet there'll be more."
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Post by Jordanna on Feb 18, 2007 22:52:41 GMT -5
"I'm sure." Proteus shook his head. "Don't worry about that DNA testing. He'll never be able to compare my blood with anything--I'm too different for that."
He frowned. "You're probably worried about the Spooks betraying you. Don't. They still know better than that--as long as I'm alive."
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Post by skybright on Feb 18, 2007 23:10:18 GMT -5
Daws gave a relieved smile. "That's something for me to be grateful for."
She perched on the arm of the nearest chair. "Speaking of the Spooks -- Father Rick and some of Vance's boys are trying to round up food and shelter for as many of them as they can. From what I understand, not everyone's taking them up on it."
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