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Post by Jordanna on Jul 6, 2006 13:15:21 GMT -5
The Latimore Apartments building was a gray, square block of concrete, located in the same heavily mutant-populated area of the city that was home to Our Lady of Refuge. The apartments it offered were simple, but comfortable and impeccably clean--and the unwritten rule was that only mutant tentants were accepted.
Roger Latimore, the owner and manager, was a husky, amiable man of about forty. A former soldier, he had served under Major Vance ten years earlier, but it wasn't until they met again after Vance's own manifestation that he learned Latimore was also a mutant. Now Latimore was an operative in Vance's campaign against Nocturne, and he was always glad to give his commander the use of an empty apartment, free of charge.
When Vance walked into the landlord's rather cramped office, with Daws, Handy, and the sulking Huber in tow, Latimore was sitting behind his desk and staring blankly up at the point where the wall met the ceiling.
"'Lo, Rog," Vance greeted, and receiving no response, he said more sharply, "Corporal Latimore!"
There was still no answer. Finally Vance leaned over the desk and waved a hand in front of Latimore's face. The other man gave a start and turned, grinning sheepishly.
"Oh. Howdy, Major, Handy." His expression quirked when he noticed Daws. "Hey! You're keepin' interesting company these days, detective. Last I saw ya, you were runnin' down the guy that--"
"Save it, Rog," Vance interrupted, with a faint smile. He turned to Huber. "Don't mind him. He picks up radio waves in his head, so he gets a little distracted sometimes. Nearly got himself killed in Mogadishu, listenin' to a stray BBC broadcast--but as long as he stays focused, there's nobody I'd trust more to watch my back."
He turned back to Latimore. "Rog, this is... Hubert. We need to park him here for a few days. It's a long story I'm not at liberty to go into, but--he just manifested, so he's a little cranky."
Latimore glanced at Huber, eyeing his vaguely reptilian purple skin with curiosity. "Yeah, I can kinda see where he'd..." He cut himself off, clearing his throat, and gave Huber a friendly smile that was not reciprocated. "Don't worry, pal. You're with friends here."
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Post by skybright on Jul 6, 2006 17:16:18 GMT -5
Whatever snide or caustic comment Huber had opened his mouth to deliver was cut off by Daws elbowing him gently -- but not too gently -- in the ribs. Huber gave the detective a shocked glare before muttering "I'm sure I am" in a sulky tone.
Daws shrugged amiably at Latimore. "Hubert's gonna need some time. Culture shock from the changeover. You know how it is."
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Post by Jordanna on Jul 6, 2006 22:57:51 GMT -5
"Oh yeah, I remember. I thought I was goin' crazy when I first started hearin' Jethro Tull and David Bowie in my head--along with the DJs playing them." Latimore grinned. "You wantin' room service while you're here?"
Vance shook his head. "No thanks. We'll be out 'n' about with Hubert. We're not hiding out--we're just waiting til we can arrange a few things."
"Great." Latimore shrugged. "Well, lemme know if you need anything."
"Will do." Vance turned and left the office, steering Huber toward the elevator. With Daws and Handy still in tow, they rode up to the fifth and topmost floor.
"I like havin' a roost where I can keep a watch out below," Vance remarked in half-explanation, as they stepped out of the elevator and moved down the hall. He led the group to room 509 and unlocked the door.
"Alright, 'Hubert', make yourself comfortable. You'll be here til we hand you over to the doctor who can get you a new job."
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Post by skybright on Jul 7, 2006 4:24:52 GMT -5
Huber pursed his lips and surveyed the sparsely-furnished, well-kept apartment. "How utterly charming." He chose a nearby armchair and sank into it. "Would it be imposing to ask when I will be able to retrieve my things from the Millenium?"
"There's an easy answer to that -- and it's never." Daws replied quickly. "Any sub-rate flatfoot with a little diligence and a tin badge could track that move in half a second. Sorry, Hubert," She shrugged, not sounding particularly sorry, "But whatever you had in your luggage, give it up for lost."
Huber scowled. "And does that extend to my other possessions as well?"
Daws shrugged again. "Welcome to the world of the newly-manifested, buddy. More'n half the mutants I know -- counting me -- haven't got so much as a photograph from their life beforehand."
"I see." Huber raised an eyebrow and turned to Vance. "Well, I will need to acquire at least some clothing in the near future." He said archly.
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Post by Jordanna on Jul 7, 2006 4:54:05 GMT -5
Vance lazily reached for his pocket, and the half-spent cigar tucked into it--but then he paused, raising an eyebrow at Huber, as he remembered the scientist's objection to smoking. He let his hand drop, and shrugged.
"We can arrange a little shopping trip, let you pick up whatever you need. Like I said to Rog, we're not gonna be keeping you cooped up here. Before we give you to Doctor Ollivard, I want you to get a good look at people like us in their everyday lives." He raised his hand to still the remark forming on Huber's tongue. "You can insist all you want that your ideas'll never change, even now--but people can't lie to themselves for long about the realities they have to live with."
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Post by skybright on Jul 7, 2006 13:52:04 GMT -5
Huber gave a longsuffering sigh. "Oh, very well. I suppose that for the sake of a clean shirt, I can endure your misguided efforts to re-educate me."
Daws snorted in amusement. "That's the spirit, Hubert -- or close enough to it for starters, anyway."
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Post by Jordanna on Jul 7, 2006 22:41:40 GMT -5
"Okay. We'll take you down to Miranda's place, a couple blocks from here. She's got a little general store." Vance raised an eyebrow at the newly rechristened Hubert. "I know, you're thinking most places like that wouldn't sell clothes, and you'd be right--but considering a lotta mutants can't just stroll into any department store, she tries to keep everything folks need."
It went without saying that Miranda herself was a mutant. Her powers were in the somewhat prosaic vein of manipulating electricity--but she was remarkable for keeping the cleanest store in New York, because the constant electrostatic field in her vicinity repelled dust.
Vance straightened from his one-shouldered slouch beside the door. "If you're ready, we'll go now."
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Post by skybright on Jul 7, 2006 23:22:49 GMT -5
'Hubert' nodded and rose. "Very well."
The small group left the apartment building and made the short journey to the store in question, passing various mutant homes and businesses along the way. Hubert took in the sometimes-unusual atmosphere with an air of detatched skepticism.
Daws nudged his shoulder. "Funny how nice of a neighborhood it is, huh buddy? Bet you figured our part of town'd be nothing but a slum."
Huber said nothing in reply -- but from the look on his face, Daws' words had struck close to the truth.
A trio of bells chimed brightly as the four of them entered Miranda's shop. The clean, well-kept space within smelled faintly of tea and floor polish. Daws felt a faint ticklish sensation as her fur rose slightly, responding to Miranda's electrostatic aura.
The shopkeeper herself was a dark, pretty woman, with skin like polished mahogany and black hair pulled back at the nape of her neck. She smiled broadly at the sight of Vance, and came out from behind the counter.
"Ah, good day t'ya, Major!" She smiled, with the trace of a Caribbean accent in her voice. "And what can you be wanting here today?"
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Post by Jordanna on Jul 7, 2006 23:34:22 GMT -5
Vance gave the shopkeeper a charming smile that might have surprised those who knew him only as a tough-talking soldier, lending credence to the suggestion that he had once been a ladies' man.
"This is Hubert," he began, pointing to the scientist. "He's sort of in transit, and I'm babysittin' him for a few days. Without going into it, he's lost his stuff, so he needs some new clothes and things like that."
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Post by skybright on Jul 7, 2006 23:45:19 GMT -5
"Oh, a'course." Miranda turned an equally friendly smile on the newly-turned scientist. "Well, we'll start with the necessities an' go from there. Follow me."
Huber (looking off-balance and a little embarrassed) trailed the shopkeeper to the far back corner, where several racks of men's and women's clothing were situated. The others followed behind Huber.
Miranda cast a critical eye at the little man before pulling several shirts from the rack. "You needin' a medium shirt. Pants . . . I think we've got some in the back will fit ya. Here." She turned the hangers over to the nonplussed Huber. "You try those on while I go lookin'."
Miranda disappeared through the door to the back room, and Huber glanced around with a bewildered look. Spotting the changing screen tucked in one corner, he gave a beleaguered sigh and darted behind it, shirts in hand.
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Post by Jordanna on Jul 7, 2006 23:49:47 GMT -5
Vance chuckled, giving Daws an indulgent smile. "There's a mirror back there, you know. I don't think 'Hubert' has gotten a good look at himself before now, so I'd bet..."
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Post by skybright on Jul 7, 2006 23:55:47 GMT -5
The loud, pained groan from behind the screen cut off any response Daws might have made, and she half-winced in sympathy.
Miranda, choosing that moment to re-emerge from the back room, did more than wince. She frowned deeply and rushed to the screen, only just stopping herself from darting behind it.
"Hey! Somet'ing de matter back dere?" She called, her accent deepening as concern set in. "You okay?"
There was no response except for a slight, incoherent noise. Miranda glanced at Major Vance with a questioning frown.
"You don' seem that concerned, Major. What's wrong wit' him?"
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Post by Jordanna on Jul 8, 2006 0:01:49 GMT -5
"The guy's only just turned," Vance replied, without any particular concern. "I'd say he just got his first good look at his new skin."
He rubbed the bridge of his nose, with his good eye glancing past his fingers to Daws. "I don't guess that'll make our job any easier, but it had to happen sometime."
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Post by skybright on Jul 8, 2006 0:15:23 GMT -5
Daws shrugged one shoulder. "He'll haveta get used to it. The rest of us did." All the same, the detective seemed somewhat pained by the soft, unhappy noises emanating from the concealed Huber.
Miranda's features softened and she turned back to the screen. "Hey, friend -- don' worry. It's gonna be okay." She said quietly. "Take y'time." She set the pants within reach of the screen and stood.
"I'm gonna put together some other t'ing he'll be needin'." She explained, slipping past Daws and heading for the shelves.
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Post by Jordanna on Jul 8, 2006 0:25:00 GMT -5
"Thanks," Vance murmured to the retreating shopkeeper. Then he glanced toward the screen.
"Think about it for a minute, Hubert. You may look different now, but on the inside, you still feel the same and think the same as you ever did--and the same's true of every mutant that ever lived. We don't turn into bloodthirsty animals just because of a few physical quirks. The mind and the heart, they don't change... unless other people make 'em change."
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Post by skybright on Jul 8, 2006 0:41:34 GMT -5
Huber made no reply. The silence stretched out until Daws shifted uneasily. "Y'think that . . ."
Before she could complete the thought, a purple hand snaked out from behind the screen and seized the pants Miranda had left. After another moment's pause, there came the sounds of movement and clothes being tried on.
Daws relaxed slightly. "Y'know, someone once told me 'the hardest thing you'll ever face is yourself'." She muttered. "Guess Hubert's findin' that out."
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Post by Jordanna on Jul 8, 2006 0:53:10 GMT -5
"Just like all the rest of us," Vance muttered, with the faintest tinge of bitterness. Facing himself had been the hardest task of his own life, as well--but in his case, his mutation had been little more than his own excuse not to.
"I guess I'll stick with Hubert for another day or so," he finally said, not bothering to lower his voice to a confidential level. "If he behaves himself, I'll camp out in the apartment across the hall, til your pal Ollivard gets around."
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Post by skybright on Jul 8, 2006 1:02:50 GMT -5
Daws nodded. "Sounds good. Caddy's supposed to be back in town by the end of the week, but I'll call him before that and talk the situation over with him."
Miranda chose that moment to return with a shopping basket full of various toiletries and similar items. She nodded sympathetically to the screened corner.
"How's he doin'? Any better?"
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Post by Jordanna on Jul 8, 2006 1:08:51 GMT -5
"Well, apparently he decided to approve of your fashion sense," Vance replied wryly, gesturing to the now-empty spot where the pants had been laid. "He'll be fine--whether he believes it or not."
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Post by skybright on Jul 8, 2006 1:30:41 GMT -5
Miranda clucked her tongue. "The first few weeks are the hardest." She said, loud enough to be heard behind the screen. "Then things get easier. You find your place."
There was no immediate response, but a moment later Hubert re-emerged from behind the screen, dressed in his own clothes with the new ones folded neatly over one arm.
"These will be suitable." He said, in a very restrained voice. "Except for these --" and he held out two short-sleeved, button-down shirts.
Miranda tipped her head and examined Hubert for a moment. "Gon' be a hot summer, friend." She said quietly. "Can't wear long sleeves forever." She pushed the shirts gently back into his hands. "You take those. Don' mean you gotta wear 'em. Just mean you'll have 'em."
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