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Post by skybright on Jul 26, 2007 23:40:30 GMT -5
"Ah . . ." Hubert hesitated for a moment. "Some of the details, I believe, are for your father to explain. But the brief answer is that they're working for a very powerful, very dangerous man whose goal is to wipe out normal humanity.
"As to what they want with your father . . ." Hubert spread his hands. "We've been doing our best to resist them, and he is one of the driving forces behind that resistance."
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Post by Jordanna on Jul 26, 2007 23:48:39 GMT -5
Nate shook his head in mild amazement, then grinned slightly. "That sounds like Dad. Couldn't stay away from finding himself a cause to get behind."
"We'll be where he's at in a few minutes," Handy supplied, and glanced back at the two doctors and grinned. "That'll be Daws' office. I think he wanted to wait with her 'cause he was nervous."
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Post by skybright on Jul 26, 2007 23:52:39 GMT -5
Caddy grinned crookedly. "Well, hey, nothing like Daws' soothing personality to help with the jitters, right?"
Hubert chuckled quietly. "Oh, yes. She's almost as calming as you are, Cadeceus."
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Post by Jordanna on Jul 27, 2007 20:27:07 GMT -5
Nate's lips quirked. "Who's this 'Daws'?"
"She's, ah--uh..." Handy winced and grinned feebly. "Better ask your dad."
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Post by skybright on Jul 27, 2007 22:45:31 GMT -5
Hubert smiled faintly -- and a bit sadly. "I'm sure the two of you will have much to discuss." He remarked.
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Post by Jordanna on Jul 28, 2007 20:53:10 GMT -5
Less than a minute later, Handy pulled the cab into the usual alley near Daws' office. "We walk the last block, Lieutenant. The bad guys don't know Daws--er, Miss Dawson is one our side, so we don't take any chances."
Nate shook his head. "I'm out of my depth--I'm just a plain old rank-and-file grunt, not a Black Ops agent. Lead the way, gents."
The four men made their way down the sidewalk, with Handy watching keenly for any observers or suspicious activity, but there was no sign of trouble. At last they reached the door of Grimalkin, and Handy knocked while Nate regarded the worn shopfront with curiosity.
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Post by skybright on Jul 28, 2007 22:11:16 GMT -5
Daws -- who had spent most of the past few hours trying to both diffuse Vance's unspoken nervous tension and conceal her own -- slipped off of the arm of the couch and moved to the door, pushing the shade aside just enough to confirm the identities of the four men on the doorstep.
Well, Ace, here goes nothin'. She let the shade fall back and glanced back at Vance.
"It's them." She said, gesturing at the door. "D'you wanna do the honors?"
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Post by Jordanna on Jul 28, 2007 22:36:04 GMT -5
With a slightly apprehensive look at Daws, Vance moved to the door and opened it. He wasn't sure what to expect--but he need not have worried about a cold greeting.
"Dad!"
Nate nearly bowled Handy over in his rush to throw his arms around his father. Vance returned the hug instinctively and with feeling, and for a few moments everyone else was forgotten.
Handy edged past the pair in the doorway, grinning at Daws. "Well, there's our prize package, safe 'n' sound."
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Post by skybright on Jul 28, 2007 22:42:46 GMT -5
Daws nodded, grinning broadly. "And glad to see it." She glanced at Caddy and Hubert, who had followed Nate and Handy into the office. "How'd everything go? Any trouble?"
Caddy shot a glance at Hubert -- but the smaller scientist seemed to be lost in his own thoughts. Caddy shrugged and slouched into the nearest armchair. "Things got just a little bit hairy -- one of you-know-who's pet cabdrivers tried to pick up the Lieutenant, but we discouraged him." The blonde doctor grinned smugly and leaned back, lacing his hands behind his neck. "And his multiple very cross-looking accomplices. Hubert even knocked a guy out."
Daws' eyebrows shot up and she turned to Handy. "Nothing too explosive, I hope."
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Post by Jordanna on Jul 28, 2007 22:53:14 GMT -5
Handy shook his head. "Seems like they didn't wanna make a scene in public any more than we did. Anyway, all we had to do after we pulled the kid loose was dump him in a cab an' run for it. The rest of our guys were there to clean up after us."
His lips quirked. "Not saying there wasn't a little weird, but... the kid'll have to tell about that."
By this time father and son had concluded their emotional embrace and murmured greetings, and Vance pulled back, squeezing Nate's shoulders. "You look fine."
"I feel fine--now that I've got you back." Nate beamed at Vance. Then his interested gaze wandered to Daws, and he took her in without surprise.
Vance smiled and reached out to put a hand on Daws' shoulder. "This is Miss Regina Dawson. She's our resident double agent... and a friend." He would elaborate further elaborate on his definition of friend later, but for now he didn't want to put the young man through too many shocks at once.
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Post by skybright on Jul 28, 2007 22:58:11 GMT -5
Daws smiled and extended her hand. "Your father's talked about you often, Lieutenant. Sorry the arrival had to be so unorthodox, but welcome all the same."
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Post by Jordanna on Jul 28, 2007 23:14:51 GMT -5
Nate smiled and shook Daws' hand firmly. "It's a pleasure, ma'am. Any friend of Dad's."
"Especially one I owe my life to," Vance submitted, with uncharacteristic humility. The remark was enough to bring Nate around to his father with a grave look again.
"So what's going on here?" he asked bluntly.
Vance sighed and sat down, gesturing for Nate to do the same.
"You'll remember, I got pretty mysterious before--well, before you thought I'd been killed. The truth is... I was working for a mutant crime lord: one Nicholas Tiernan, publicly known as a mutant-rights advocate with more money than a good-sized country and an army of loyal followers." He dropped his gaze contritely. "I did a lot of wrong things then, Nate. But I realized it, and I tried to get out. That's when I was targeted... and that's why Deanna died."
Nate winced slightly, but that was all. His expression was intent and unaccusing.
"So you've been fighting this man ever since," he said quietly. "I know you, and that's what you'd do."
Vance nodded. "And Tiernan's gone on fighting, too--not just us, but anything else that stands in the way of total mutant domination. And he's got the power to do it. It's even money whether he's going to start a mutant-human civil war, or just find some way to crush the entire normal population... if we can't stop him."
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Post by skybright on Jul 28, 2007 23:22:09 GMT -5
"It isn't easy." Daws said, perching on the arm of the couch closest to Vance. "It's not just that we don't have the resources Tiernan does; we've got to be a lot sneakier than he does, too. If we should get caught waging a guerrilla war in the middle of New York, if the wrong people -- the authorities, mostly -- should catch wind of what Tiernan's trying to do . . ."
"The blame for his lunacy would fall squarely upon the rest of us." Hubert finished quietly. "And then the war would certainly cease to be a quiet one."
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Post by Jordanna on Jul 28, 2007 23:37:33 GMT -5
Nate was silent for a moment, taking in those revelations. When he did respond, his words were firm and unhesitating.
"Let me help."
Vance gave a start, then relaxed slightly.
"Well, I expected that... But Nate, it's no place for you. This isn't even anything like the battlefields you've been on, where you've got a military machine behind you to keep some kind of order. This is an underground war like nothing else there's ever been. It takes more than guns and intelligence and courage combined to fight this."
Nate grinned slightly. "You mean it's no place for normals," he murmured.
"If you want to put it that way..." Vance shrugged. "Yes."
The younger man did not move a muscle; but the shadow he cast on the floor seemed to congeal and solidify and stir on its own. Impossibly, it slithered across the floor and up over a table, knocking over a bookend with its entirely tangible physical mass.
Major Vance stiffened, and his face went white.
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Post by skybright on Jul 28, 2007 23:40:26 GMT -5
Daws quirked an eyebrow in Handy's direction. "I guess that would be the 'little weird' you mentioned." She said placidly.
Her gaze turned to Nate. "How long've you known?"
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Post by Jordanna on Jul 30, 2007 22:36:51 GMT -5
"About a year," Nate admitted, rather interestedly watching the shadow explore the room, almost like an animal set down in an unfamiliar environment. "I haven't done it much, and I'm not so good at it."
Handy fidgeted. "You're--well, controllin' that thing, right?"
"Not exactly. At least not consciously." Nate finally glanced around at the others. "It has kind of a habit of doing things I've got the impulse to do, but I'm either too slow or too disciplined to do--like that brawl earlier. It was on top of that big guy before I even figured out what was going on. And if I concentrate, seems I can fix the idea of a simple task in its--well, whatever it's got for a memory. But if I let it alone..." He gestured at it vaguely. "It just sort of goes its own way."
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Post by skybright on Jul 30, 2007 23:43:47 GMT -5
Caddy had sat bolt upright with interest when the shadow had first begun its ambling motion around the room; now he was watching it with a delighted expression. "Probably has something to do with the subconscious," He said, half to himself, "Something vaguely related to the latent telekinesis that's responsible for some 'poltergeists', only much . . . much cooler. And a lot less prone to breaking the furniture."
"Glad to hear that part, anyway." Daws noted with amusement.
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Post by Jordanna on Jul 31, 2007 0:02:59 GMT -5
Vance had been staring blankly at the shadow in stunned speechlessness. At last he managed to pull himself together, and looked sorrowfully at his son.
"How did it happen?" he asked gravely. "Were you caught in an ambush?"
"No, Dad." Nate shook his head. "I wasn't even in Iraq when it happened--I was home. See, a buddy and I got together on a Saturday night to play video games. After I lost for the tenth time in a row, I was getting sort of mad, and that was when my shadow... well..." He grinned feebly. "It came to life and sorta smashed the console."
Handy gave Daws a wide-eyed glance. "You sure you wanna stop worryin' about the furniture yet?"
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Post by skybright on Jul 31, 2007 0:14:28 GMT -5
Daws chuckled. "Hey, the place is insured. Besides, if my clientèle hasn't destroyed this furniture yet, I'm not entirely sure that a mobile shadow can."
The shadow in question bumped into the side of a small bookcase at that moment, causing a small avalanche of battered mystery novels, and Daws grinned. "Although I may've spoken too soon." She glanced back at Nate. "Do you share any sort of sensation with it or anything like that?"
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Post by Jordanna on Jul 31, 2007 0:23:48 GMT -5
Nate frowned. "Just barely. But I'm thinking it'll grow."
Major Vance let out a windy breath and rubbed his face. "I'm sorry, Nate. I never wanted this to happen."
"I'm not sorry." Nate smiled at his father.
"Does anybody else know?"
"Just the guy who was there when it first happened. And I can trust him with my life."
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