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Post by skybright on Jun 22, 2006 5:11:38 GMT -5
Daws shrugged one shoulder. "It's a big city, Vance. There must be a rathole motel in it where we can keep the guy under wraps for a coupla days. Heck, we're gonna have to be under wraps anyhow -- Tiernan's not gonna be happy if Huber disappears on him."
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Post by Jordanna on Jun 22, 2006 5:18:58 GMT -5
Vance was silent for a moment, deep in thought. Then he chuckled and shrugged.
"It won't be any nuisance to me to let you play it that way... to a point. But if we can't use the drug on Huber, you'd better come up with a plan B pretty fast. I'm not willing to sit on him for long--especially with his partner still out there doing dastardly work. We've gotta get that person's identity from Huber before they get any ideas. You have to admit that yourself."
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Post by skybright on Jun 22, 2006 5:23:59 GMT -5
"Things haven't gotta be all that complicated, y'know," Daws replied. "You forget -- we've got a telepath on our side now.
"As for what we do with Huber if that stuff won't work," Daws nodded at the vial, "We'll cross that bridge when we come to it -- assuming," she added wryly, "That nobody's blown it up when we get there."
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Post by Jordanna on Jun 22, 2006 5:33:49 GMT -5
"Well, it sounds like half a plan, anyway," Vance muttered. "Let me know when you're gonna be ready to move on this."
He glanced around the room. "Anyone else wanna speak up?"
Miriam rose. "I have a question for you, Major. I'm sure Tiernan would like nothing better than to put that drug into use--to make anyone a mutant who might possibly be, and kill everyone else. So why hasn't he?"
Vance chuckled. "That's a simple one, Doc. The cost is prohibitive--even for a bankroll like Tiernan's." He held up the vial again. "These few milliliters cost more to produce than the gross national product of some countries."
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Post by skybright on Jun 22, 2006 5:39:58 GMT -5
Daws grinned sardonically. "I'm sure Doctor Huber will appreciate our sparing no expense on his behalf," she remarked dryly.
She nodded at Vance. "Okay. We'll still need to scout the security and logistics at the Millenium. And I'll haveta get in touch with my friend -- have him ready to test the guy's DNA. Other than that -- I can move whenever you can."
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Post by Jordanna on Jun 22, 2006 5:43:37 GMT -5
Vance nodded. "You know how to reach me," he replied, and stalked away.
When the Major was gone, Miriam shook her head. "I think we've all gone crazy."
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Post by skybright on Jun 22, 2006 5:46:44 GMT -5
"It was a very short trip for some of us," Father Rick glared disapprovingly at Daws, who caught the glare and shrugged in response.
"What d'ya want, Padre?" She spread her hands. "I can't bring myself to work up much sympathy for the devil on this one -- and after all, it is still better than letting Tiernan get ahold of him."
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Post by Jordanna on Jun 22, 2006 5:58:00 GMT -5
Miriam sighed. "I'm not sure forcing Huber to become something he hates is any kinder than letting Tiernan kill him. It may be poetic justice, but it might just be worse to him than any torture Tiernan could put him through."
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Post by skybright on Jun 22, 2006 6:06:23 GMT -5
Daws gave a frustrated sigh. "Doc, I'm not sayin' you don't have a point -- but we just plain don't have the resources to run up against Tiernan and Vance simultaneously, for one thing. And for another . . ." She shrugged. "I turned into somethin' Huber hates, and so did all the rest of us. It didn't kill me. It won't kill him -- but it might just stop him from killing us all. For that, I'm willing to risk him havin' to put up with some mental anguish."
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Post by Jordanna on Jun 22, 2006 6:16:50 GMT -5
"Vance will kill Huber if he doesn't carry the mutant gene," Henry said quietly. "You know that."
"What about Huber's partner?" Alex asked. "You might get his name, but how do we stop him? Go through the same thing all over again? He may not even have the gene."
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Post by skybright on Jun 22, 2006 7:06:14 GMT -5
"Questions I haven't got answers for yet, Alex," Daws said honestly. "Truth is, if I can see a way out of this that involves Huber not gettin' injected with that stuff -- even if he is a carrier -- then I'm gonna take it. No sense making even a bad guy suffer if we can avoid it." She sighed and glanced at Henry.
"And if Vance wants to kill Huber, he's gonna have to go through me to do it, Henry. That's nowhere near as easy as it looks." She frowned. "I may not like Huber's ideas, or his motives, or anythin' else about him -- but I'll still fight tooth and claw for his right to stick around and be disliked."
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Post by Jordanna on Jun 22, 2006 21:13:29 GMT -5
"Would you have argued against hanging Nazi war criminals, too?" Grace muttered, folding her arms.
Alex gave her a stern look. "Now, that's enough, Gracie. You don't need to be involved in all this. Go on home."
With a scowl that came across as more of a pout, Grace shouldered her purse and headed for the stairs. Alex sighed and shrugged to Daws.
"I guess that's it, then... for now." Miriam stood up. "Keep us informed, Daws."
Seeing that the group was breaking up, Henry seized his opportunity and moved toward Miriam. "Are you alright, my dear? I haven't heard from you."
Miriam gave him a somewhat chagrined smile. "Oh... I'm sorry. Yes, I'm alright." She leaned into his offered embrace, giving him a kiss on the cheek. Then she drew back and took his hand in hers, giving Alex a quick glance as she added quietly, "I want to talk to you, Henry."
He noticed that glance, and in his intuitive mind, it put an end to any need for explanation. He felt a pang in his heart and swallowed hard, but he forced out a wan smile.
"Oh. I see," he said quietly, and followed the pair--the couple--to a corner of the room where they could speak in relative privacy.
Sid, for his part, had remained seated, staring down at the floor. Lost in his own thoughts for several minutes now, he had barely noticed the movements of his friends, or even a large part of the discussion about Huber. Vance's visit had changed everything, and now there were vague ideas in his head that held too much of a morbid fascination to dispel.
At last he glanced up to see Daws moving past him, and waved his hand at her slightly. "Hey, Daws? I... I got somethin' on my mind."
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Post by skybright on Jun 22, 2006 22:59:31 GMT -5
Daws tipped her head and frowned slightly at Sid's preoccupied expression. She pulled out the nearest chair and perched on it, studying the older man's face.
"What's up, Sid?"
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Post by Jordanna on Jun 22, 2006 23:20:20 GMT -5
Sid frowned and shifted his weight. "I dunno. It's just... that stuff Vance showed us."
He chuckled nervously and shook his head. "It's crazy, I guess. I was just sorta thinkin' that... if it's me that'd passed on the mutant gene to Tara, an' not Caroline... well..." He cleared his throat and shrugged awkwardly.
"It just sorta occurred to me to wonder... if that stuff would work on me."
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Post by skybright on Jun 22, 2006 23:26:58 GMT -5
Daws' eyebrows shot up, and she blinked a few times in shock. "Sid, I . . . um . . ." she closed her mouth, opened it, closed it again and took another long moment. Finally, she ran a hand through her hair, frowned in puzzlement, and managed "Huh?"
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Post by Jordanna on Jun 22, 2006 23:37:06 GMT -5
"I was thinkin' about Tara," Sid murmured. "It's hard for her, Daws--bein' different from her friends, even her family. She's a brave kid, an' she's dealin' with it best she can, but... I know she hurts. She feels alone."
He shrugged again. "I guess I just thought... ya know. If maybe she wasn't alone--it'd be a little easier."
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Post by skybright on Jun 22, 2006 23:48:26 GMT -5
Daws took a long moment before replying. "Sid, I . . . You don't . . ." She stopped and shook her head. "No, that isn't right. You do know what you're suggesting. What you'd be letting yourself in for -- if you were a carrier. You know what life's like, even for people who can pass."
Daws frowned, gazing absently into the distance. "Sid, you haven't got any way of knowin' what that stuff could do to you. What'd happen to your business -- to your whole life -- if . . ." She turned and looked her friend hard in the eyes, "If you suddenly ended up lookin' like me?"
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Post by Jordanna on Jun 22, 2006 23:56:12 GMT -5
Sid gave a faint grin. "You're better-lookin' than me, Daws," he replied. Then he sighed and shook his head.
"I know. I know it was a crazy thought--but ya can't really blame me for thinkin' it. After all, it ain't really just Tara." His halfhearted smile grew a little warmer. "Seems like all my friends are mutants these days."
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Post by skybright on Jun 23, 2006 0:04:07 GMT -5
Daws reached out and put her hand on Sid's shoulder. "You're a good friend, Sid," she said quietly, "And a good father. And you're one of the best men I've ever had the privilege to know. That's somethin' no X-Gene'll ever change, one way or another."
She fell silent for another long moment. Then she said firmly "If . . . if it's really what you want -- then I'll help you."
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Post by Jordanna on Jun 23, 2006 0:16:46 GMT -5
Sid gave Daws a surprised look. He had expected--and perhaps on some level wanted--her to continue arguing against the idea. His emotions were more confused than they had been at any time since Tara's mutation emerged, and he certainly didn't trust himself to make any decisions at the moment.
"I need ta think," he muttered, staring up at the ceiling as he rubbed the back of his neck. "I need ta see my kids."
He met Daws' gaze again, and reached out to pat her knee. "Thanks, Daws. For everythin'."
Rising, he began to glance around the room, looking for Alex and Miriam--but then he looked back at the detective, and shrugged. "All the same... maybe you could ask if Doc Ollivard would mind checkin' out my DNA. It ain't only about that, see... I'd kinda like to know anyway, if it was me or Caroline."
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