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Post by skybright on Oct 26, 2006 0:24:48 GMT -5
On a Saturday afternoon a few days after Daws and Joey's meeting with Proteus, Daws arrived at her apartment with an armful of groceries. As she unlocked the apartment door and shouldered it open, the telephone started ringing.
Daws awkwardly deposited the grocery bags on the kitchen counter and made a grab for the phone. "Yeah, Dawson here."
"Well," there was a familiar dry chuckle on the other end, "Your telephone manner is certainly . . . abrupt."
Daws grinned at the familiar voice. "Hey, Hubert. Sorry, you caught me coming through the door. What can I do for ya?"
"Well," Hubert cleared his throat. "You remember that we had told Major Vance we'd inform him of any . . . interesting developments with all of that material you brought us."
"Sure." Daws leaned back against the counter. "You got somethin' to show off?"
"Rather." Hubert said with barely-suppressed pride. "Whenever you'd be able to come by . . ."
"Sure thing." Daws nodded. "Let me call Vance and I'll see about dragging him out there for the science fair."
"Excellent." Hubert said. "We'll be waiting to hear from you."
They exchanged pleasantries, and Daws hung up and took a moment to put the groceried away. Then she once again reached for the phone and dialed Vance's number.
She got a standard, computerized voicemail message, and grinned as she waited for the beep. "Hey, Major. How'd you feel about a trip out to visit our local mad scientists? Gimme a call and let me know."
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Post by Jordanna on Oct 26, 2006 21:08:13 GMT -5
It was less than half an hour before Vance called back, sounding dryly amused.
"I got your invitation to the Queens subsidiary of Castle Frankenstein. I haven't had any headaches lately, so trying to understand those two maniacs oughta fix that nicely." He chuckled. "Handy and I can pick you up in twenty minutes. You thinking of bringing anybody else along?"
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Post by skybright on Oct 26, 2006 22:46:11 GMT -5
"Hadn't really thought to," Daws replied. Then she added teasingly, "Unless, of course, you want me to call up Joey Falco and really help give ya a headache."
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Post by Jordanna on Oct 26, 2006 23:12:54 GMT -5
"I don't think so," Vance replied, in a somewhat withering tone. "We'll be there in a few minutes."
Less than fifteen minutes later, Vance's old blue car pulled up at the curb. Handy clambered out of the front passenger seat and removed himself to the back seat, making room for Daws to sit next to the Major.
"Hello there, detective," Vance rumbled, flicking cigar ashes out the window. "What's new?"
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Post by skybright on Oct 26, 2006 23:17:09 GMT -5
"Oh, not a lot." Daws replied, sliding into the passenger seat and taking care to make sure her tail was well clear before she shut the car door (a lesson she'd learned the painful way). "Mostly been doing some autumn cleaning around the office. I think the kid and I are finally near the end of all the old casefiles we've been going through."
She chuckled and added, "Which is sort of nice, except I dunno what I'll do to keep him busy once we're through them all."
Daws stretched her legs out and raised an eyebrow at Vance. "What about you, Major? Staying out of trouble?"
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Post by Jordanna on Oct 27, 2006 22:33:51 GMT -5
Vance uttered an ambivalent grunt. "Just waiting for some kind of useful info outta Tiernan's organization. With the Bat probing for leaks, my mole's had to lay low lately. Here's hoping Proteus digs up something he might deign to share with us."
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Post by skybright on Oct 28, 2006 3:04:25 GMT -5
"We can only hope." Daws shrugged. "He said he'd call me up when -- if -- he ran across anything. Meanwhile, I guess all we can do is wait."
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Post by Jordanna on Oct 28, 2006 20:31:49 GMT -5
The three mutants made only inconsequential conversation during the drive out to Queens. At last Vance pulled up in front of Doctor Ollivard's house and got out of the car, stretching lazily.
"Well, here we are. Let's see what the Baron and Igor are up to today."
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Post by skybright on Oct 28, 2006 23:23:35 GMT -5
Daws chuckled. "I wonder which one of 'em would be which?"
She ambled up the front steps with Vance and Handy on her heels, and leaned briefly on the doorbell.
Daws caught the muffled sound of sprinting footsteps from inside before Caddy pulled the door open and stuck his head out, grinning.
"Oh, excellent. Great great. The audience is here." He said, seemingly even more excited than was normal for him. "Good t'see ya again Daws -- Major -- Handy. Step right in. Right this way." The doctor stepped back from the doorway and gestured the trio into the house with a grandiose gesture.
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Post by Jordanna on Oct 28, 2006 23:43:24 GMT -5
Vance shambled in after Daws. "Okay, Doc. So where's the fire? Not to mention your esteemed colleague..."
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Post by skybright on Oct 28, 2006 23:56:40 GMT -5
Caddy shot Vance a lopsided grin. "No fire. At least, not at present. At least, I hope not." He turned and motioned for them to follow him.
"Hubert's downstairs, in the lab. We hauled in a bunch of castoff stuff from out at the Lef and converted some of the basement storage into a workspace." He elaborated as he led them down a flight of stairs to the basement.
The blond doctor gestured vaguely off to his right as they reached the foot of the stairs "Hubert lives off there," he said, as they instead hung a sharp left down a short hallway, "But we're here for things a lot more fascinating than his collection of illegible papers and houseplants."
"Leave my houseplants out of this, Cadeceus." Hubert's voice admonished, as they entered a long, brightly-lit room filled with worktables and all manner of mismatched scientific equipment.
Hubert himself was perched on a high stool near one counter, peering at a vial of bubbling fluid the same shade as his lavender skin. He slipped down from the stool as the others entered, and fixed them with a pleased smile as he buried his hands in the pockets of his white lab coat. "Glad you all could join us so soon."
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Post by Jordanna on Oct 29, 2006 22:25:07 GMT -5
Vance smiled crookedly at his former hostage. "We wouldn't miss it... but I never thought of you as a houseplant type, Hubert."
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Post by skybright on Oct 29, 2006 22:33:39 GMT -5
Hubert spread his hands with a smile. "I was using them for an project of mine -- just some idle curiosity on my part. Once I finished the experiment, I didn't feel quite right about simply throwing them out." He chuckled dryly. "They haven't died yet, so I suppose I must be doing something right."
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Post by Jordanna on Oct 30, 2006 21:08:02 GMT -5
Vance chuckled. "That's more luck than I'd have... heel, boy," he added almost without looking to Handy, who was about to pick up and examine a flagon of pinkish fluid. Handy quickly drew back his four hands, folding them innocently in front of him and pouting slightly.
The Major grinned. "See, he's housebroken."
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Post by skybright on Oct 31, 2006 1:36:22 GMT -5
"And a very good thing, too." Hubert replied with a faint smile. "It may look harmless, but that solution is highly volatile. Too much agitation, and a person could easily lose fingers in the resultant explosion."
"Hey, at least he'd have a few to spare." Caddy quipped brightly.
Daws rolled her eyes. "Tactful, as usual, Caddy."
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Post by Jordanna on Oct 31, 2006 21:51:05 GMT -5
Handy pulled a face at Caddy and stuck out his tongue. "It's not like I was gonna shake it or somethin'."
Vance chuckled and shook his head. "Alright. Before any idle hands bring the house down around our ears, what is it you wanted to show us?"
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Post by skybright on Nov 1, 2006 0:04:44 GMT -5
Caddy grinned in a manner exactly reminiscent of an eight-year-old at his first science fair, and nodded at Hubert. "Okay if I start, buddy?"
"Of course." Hubert smiled indulgently and buried his hands in his pockets once more.
Caddy beamed and then turned to Daws. "Hey, Daws, what's the most you ever saw me lift -- with my teke, I mean?"
Daws frowned thoughtfully and shrugged. "Hundred and fifty pounds, I guess. Maybe a little bit more."
Caddy nodded. "Personal best is one-seventy-five -- about as much as I weigh, in other words." He added.
Then he nodded at Hubert, who produced a syringe and a vial of blue-tinged liquid from the counter behind him.
"Okay, Major." Caddy continued, as he rolled up his sleeve and allowed Hubert to administer an injection of the fluid, "That DNA sequencing bank behind ya -- it weighs about half a ton. American ton, not metric -- and why do we have two different tons, anyway?"
Hubert cleared his throat chidingly. "Subject at hand, Cadeceus."
"Right, right. Just makin' conversation." Caddy rubbed absently at the injection site for a moment, then grinned. "Now -- watch this."
The telekinetic doctor closed his eyes, took a few deep breaths -- and the aforementioned bank of machinery creaked, groaned faintly -- and rose a foot in the air.
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Post by Jordanna on Nov 1, 2006 0:56:22 GMT -5
Handy goggled at the massive piece of floating equipment. Vance merely raised an eyebrow.
"If it wasn't you, I'd be impressed. Since it is you, I'm more just worried about the idea of you with your teke on steroids." However, the remark was followed up with a wry, teasing half-smile.
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Post by skybright on Nov 1, 2006 15:04:55 GMT -5
Caddy raised an eyebrow and grinned wickedly. "You want I should drop this thing on your foot, Major? 'Cause it could be arranged. Wouldn't even have to worry too much about getting you to a doctor afterwards. Since, y'know, I am one."
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Post by Jordanna on Nov 1, 2006 20:17:06 GMT -5
Vance chuckled and raised his hands. "Okay, okay. I get the idea. Next time we need to move furniture, you'll be the first guy we call."
Handy waved his right hands vaguely at Caddy. "So how're ya doin' that, anyway?"
The Major clamped a hand over his sidekick's mouth. "Don't start him up. I can't afford to lose any brain cells."
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