Disclaimer: Don't own any of the I-man property...the same old thing, eh?


A Day in the Life





Darien Fawkes strode into the dilapidated underfunded headquarters of The Agency. It was Friday afternoon, and he was ready for the weekend. There was one thing to take care of, however.

Fawkes slid his key through the slot and sauntered into the Keep. He looked around, but didn't see the Keeper.

"Hello, Darien. Come for a shot?"

She popped up from behind a file cabinet. "How did you know?" he said, displaying the seven red segments with a flourish.

Claire turned to the refrigerator as Fawkes hopped onto the chair. She selected an older container of counteragent, one that was close to going bad. Close to, but not quite.

"Ready for the weekend?" she asked, turning to him with a smile.

"Absolutely. Unless the Chief calls us in. You look like you could use some time off, too."

Claire shrugged and blushed. She was still a little uncomfortable around him, after that scene at the shipyards. He had always been somewhat attractive to her, and now he made her feel completely vulnerable. She slid the needle into his arm, anchoring it against a cotton ball. "I'm just a little tired, that's all."

He let out a small hiss as the counteragent took effect. "Aren't we always just a little tired?"

She smiled and took the needle out. "Thanks Keepy," he said as he hopped off the chair and grabbed his tan jacket. "See you on Monday."

Fawkes left and Claire returned to her work with a sigh.



The Official left his office and locked the door. Not that locking it would do anything to keep people out, but it was a habit of his.

It was about eleven thirty, and he and Eberts were leaving. Everyone else was long since gone, except for Claire, Alex, Eberts and himself. And now he and Eberts were leaving.

Charlie turned to look at Eberts. Eberts was in his usual spot, hovering over The
Official's shoulder. The little man offered his tentative smile. "Good night, sir. Have a good weekend."

"You too, Eberts. Go tell Alex we're leaving and that she and Claire are the only ones left."

"Yes, sir."

The Official walked briskly down to the labs. He couldn't wait to get home and sit down to some nice, calming dinner with some nice, calming TV. It had been a long week, what with the whole Beta-C episode.

His lips twitched into a smile as he thought of Claire hitting on Fawkes and Hobbes. It wasn't anything to laugh about, because it was just the drug talking, but it was amusing to see the normally very English Keeper flirting with the boys.

And it's not like anybody at the Agency didn't know about Bobby's feelings for Claire. He was more angry than he let on about catching Claire and Fawkes at the shipyard. The Official had been in the game for a long time and knew how to read people. And Hobbes was mad.

Shouldn't use the word mad like that anymore, really, The Official thought. Not with who I have working for me.

He entered the Keep, and Claire jumped. "Oh, hello! Leaving?"

"You got it. Just you and Alex left. Don't forget to lock up."

"Goodnight, sir."

The Official stood for a minute, gazing at Claire. She was one amazing woman. He hid his feelings well, but he felt affection her, as well as Fawkes, Hobbes and Alex.
But they could never know.

"Goodbye," he said in his hoarse voice.



Fawkes sat in his apartment, reading the mail. He had gotten back a little while ago, after hanging out with Hobbes for a while at a bar. It felt good to get off his feet.
Fawkes yawned and rubbed the back of his neck, easing the tension there. He'd had a nagging headache for a little while now, but didn't know from what. He'd just gotten a shot, he shouldn't need another one a few hours later. Out of pure habit, he glanced at his tattoo.

The snake had two green.

Fawkes leaped to his feet and rubbed his eyes. He looked again. Still two green.

"What the hell?....."

Then it really hit him.

"Aw crap."

He raced out the door, praying that he'd make it in time.



Claire began to pack up her work. It was two in the morning. Time to leave.
She yawned and exited the Keep. She'd been working hard lately, making up for all the work she missed during the Beta-C episode. She blushed suddenly, remembering. She tried not to think about it, but it nagged at her....Darien.....Bobby.....

She knew it had just been the drug, because she knew – or hoped, anyway – she wasn't really like that. But still.....thinking of Fawkes and his kisses......

And what was she supposed to do about Bobby? She knew he had feelings for her. Or thought she knew anyway. It was fairly obvious. And as for feelings in return.....well, she had those, too. She knew she had some feelings for Bobby. As for Darien, well, she couldn't be sure if that was the drug, or her actual feelings brought out by the drug....

"Stop it," she told herself firmly. "You shouldn't even be thinking about it."

Claire slid into her jacket and started to make her way down the hallway when suddenly the door flew open. Fawkes staggered in, clutching the back of his head. "I need a shot! Now! Hurry, Claire!"

Claire spun back to the lab and opened the door. Fawkes shoved past and raced into the lab. Pain shook him, and his hands flew to grab the back of his head. He moaned and convulsed again.

Claire rushed to the refrigerator and snatched up a bottle and a syringe. She began to fill the syringe when Fawkes screeched again. She looked up quickly, breathing hard, and concentrated on filling the syringe. He'd just had a shot......there was no way....
Unless.....wait a minute......the counteragent had been close to going bad. What if it was bad already? In which case, it would simply speed up the quicksilver madness cycle.

She started to approach him when she stopped short. He gazed at her with crimson eyes and his face twisted into a smile. Claire dropped the syringe and turned instead for the tranq gun. She picked it up with thick fingers, made clumsy from fear. Too late. Fawkes back handed her across the face, and she fell to the floor. The tranquilizer gun skidded away. She rolled out of the way of his swinging foot, inside the arc, and he tripped over her. Claire jumped unsteadily to her feet and looked desperately for the tranq gun. But he was too quick. He swung one leg in a wide arc and tripped her once more. She landed hard, the air leaving her lungs. Claire groaned and coughed.
Fawkes rolled to his feet and gazed down at her without mercy. He laughed and roughly grabbed her arm, pulling her to her feet. Fawkes pulled her close to him, so that their faces were inches apart. "Remember last time, Keepy?" he whispered. "Of course you do."

Claire wrenched her arm out of his grasp and turned once more to snatch up the gun. Gasping from fear, she faced him and brought the gun to aim. A punch caught her low in the gut, and then the back of his hand once more met her face. A red haze filled her vision as her lungs emptied again, and she felt the gun wrenched from her hand. She turned in a vain attempt to run, but it was useless. He caught her by the hair and pulled, yanking her so that she faced him again. She saw him pull back his fist and then all was black.




Fawkes gazed down at Claire's unconscious form. She never stood a chance. From the looks of it, he had really beaten the crap out of her. Her eye was swelling up like a balloon, and turning different shades of blue and purple. Blood ran from her nose, and her cheek was bright red. The rage still ran through him. How dare she try to control him! Did she really think she could beat him?

He grinned. Of course she couldn't.

Fawkes turned to survey the scene. Claire lay on the floor, the refrigerator open, the tranq gun next to her.

He licked his lips. Everything in this room was a pain in the ass to him. And he had to do something with all that anger.

Fawkes began to destroy the room. He ripped the drawers out and scattered their contents, tore up research, blew up a computer.

Then suddenly, the rage flowed out of him. A cold madness filled him rather than the normal red hot anger. He stood for a moment, then went and stood in front of the mirror at the back of the room. Rather than red eyes gazing back at him, he saw silver eyes. Pretty, quicksilver colored eyes.

He turned to gaze at Claire again, and then a plan crystallized in his insane mind. He laughed. Fawkes bent down, picked up the tranquilizer gun and slid silently out of the Keep.




Alex sat in her office, straightening out her desk. It was time to call it a night. Her bed was calling to her, and she was exhausted. Alex yawned, and wondered whether Claire was still there. She didn't think the Keeper would leave without telling her. Alex slid into her red leather jacket and grabbed her purse.

Suddenly, the door of the office slammed open, banging against the wall with its force. Fawkes stood in the doorway.

"What the hell is wrong with....."

She cut off when she realized what the hell was wrong with him. "Aw, crap," she murmured without thinking.

Fawkes gazed at her a moment with cold eyes then leaped. She dodged out of his way and turned to face him. He swung a fist at her, and she ducked. Fawkes paused for a moment, grinning. "You put up a much better fight than Claire did."

Alex froze for a moment. The only other person there was......well, she wasn't sure how Claire was, but she was most likely unconscious in some form or another. Fawkes took advantage of her pause and swung at her, knocking her to the ground. She winced as she hit the floor and rolled away from him. His foot caught her in the side, and she groaned, coughing. Another kick met her ribs, and she felt a bruise rise immediately.
Alex was seriously scared. Fawkes was mad. There was no telling what he might do. She had never really had to deal with a quicksilver mad Fawkes, let alone a stage five one. She had read about QSM in some debriefing files, but hadn't really taken it all too seriously. She hadn't known how it would be. Nobody ever really talked about it, and she'd only come up against it twice, really. That time with the woman who stole those old Chinese needles, and that time at the shipyard. The first time wasn't bad, because she'd taken Fawkes out before he could fully focus on her and do anything. It had creeped her out, though, the way he wouldn't listen.

The look in his eyes.

At the shipyards, he wasn't even paying attention to her.

And now he wasn't even just plain crazy. He was smart and crazy. She had never seen a stage five Fawkes, and the other people at the Agency had never talked about the time when it did happen. Claire had filled her in just a little bit, enough so that Alex knew what she was dealing with. But Alex was uncertain as to what to do.

No more time for thought. Fawkes pulled out a tranquilizer gun and shot her.




The Official woke to the ringing phone. He grumbled and picked it up.

"It's 5:00 in the morning. Who the hell is this?"

"Hello, Charlie."

The Official started. The voice was familiar, but.....

"Who is this?"

"Oh, I think you know."

Was is Fawkes? Why would Fawkes call him Charlie?.......Why would he call at 5:00 in the morning?......

"Darien?"

"Alex and Claire won't be in to work tomorrow. They've been delayed. I'm gonna make this easy. I want the recipe for the counteragent. If I don't get it soon enough, I'll kill them."

Click.

Charles Borden closed his eyes and ran a hand through his hair. He sighed, and reached for the phone to call Hobbes.