Again, Lucy sniggered just slightly as she spotted a piano in the corner, making a
mental note to herself as. "C'mon." She respired as she took the lead, her brain
now becoming use to the unusual vision the quicksilver provided. She raced after
the child with her stealthy grace she had developed years ago. The child ran into
the kitchen where the mother was preparing a dinner. Lucy waited, listening carefully
as the girl related her story to her mother who listened with that classic parental
disbelief belief that was always given to young children with large imaginations.
Lucy sunk around the side, keeping close to the edge though she really didn't know
why. Silently, she reached for a cup and lifted it behind the mother. The kid looked
up, her eyes wide again, pointing. "Mommy! Look!" Lucy replaced the cup quickly as
the mother slowly stood and turned around. Looking back to the child, she gave a
soft delicate about lying before shoving the kid from the kitchen sighing. The mother
was absorbed in dinner now and didn't notice as Lucy opened several of the cupboards.
Finally looking up, her eyes widened, giving her a look similar to her daughter's.
Blinking several times in disbelief she slowly shut the cupboards and went back to her
preparing, glancing around paranoid.
She couldn't resist. Lucy opened another cupboard and removed a plate, dropping it
and shuddering with delight at the sound. The mother turned, her hand grasping at
the racing heart in her throat. Again, Lucy removed a plate in her full view and
dropped it.
Darien busted up with laughter until he got pulled along for a chase after
the little girl he just scared to death. They ended up in the kitchen and hey
look another victim to scare! He stood there beside Lucy listening to what
the child was telling her mother of course the woman didn't believe a word
the child was saying. Hell who would believe anything about a flying, talking
bear?
Darien watched as Lucy picked up the mug then ended up setting it down again.
What was she going to do next? He wondered then watched the kid leave. He
watched Lucy open up cupboards...he didn't touch anything this was her time for some
fun although he was going to join in in a minute.
After the first plate breaking Darien grabbed a glass that was sitting on the
counter, he tossed it up in the air then let it fall to the ground with a crash.
"Muhahahahahaha!!"
Lucy was sent into another of her laughing fits as Darien dropped the glass with a
melodramatically evil laugh. In truth he sounded vaguely like 'The Master' from
Doctor Who. However she did manage to keep a tight clench on Darien's hand.
"This is a dream, isn't it?" She said softly, attempting to recover from the laughter.
"This is real." Darien answered back just as low. He watched Lucy mess around
with the mother. This was all to much fun.
She picked up another mug, tossing it up and catching it. Again and again she watched
the frightened woman's eyes follow the cup before she finally allowed it to drop.
"Oops...pity...nice floral design like that. Seventeenth century influence, no?"
She did this several times, the woman speechless until a faint scream finally escaped
her lips. "Here, catch!" Lucy cried through the laughter, throwing the mother a
plate. She fumbled in her daze and the plate dropped to the floor. "Ah, a set
for the glass? That's a pity too."
Feeling *she* had done enough in the kitchen, she pulled herself back to Darien's
side. "Monsieur, your turn."
He laughed when the woman finally ran out of the kitchen in fear. "Two down...
wonder how many more there is around this place...Come on." He said pulling her
along into another part of the house.
They walked down the hallway...Darien stopped by an open bedroom door. "oooh
what do we have here? Victim number three?" He said loud enough for just Lucy to
hear.
Lucy drew in the tense excitement and the fear of the household members that lay
thick in the air. This was the feeling she got every time she stole, every time she
killed...but this feeling was different somehow. She shrugged it off as the woman
ran from the kitchen, not screaming but obviously terrified. Again she laughed a high,
uncontrollable laugh. "Darien..my god...." It was all she could say, speechless once
again.
She followed close behind him as he drug her down the main corridor of the house.
Lucy giggled shrilly like a schoolgirl. A teenage girl, about 14, lay on the bed, winding
the cord of a phone around her fingers lazily. Lucy pushed the door open the rest of
the way, creaking it slightly. The girl looked up and shrugged, returning to her
conversation.
Moving quietly, Lucy looked around the room for the perfect idea. Working her way
to the bed, Darien close behind, she considered cutting off the phone, but held
herself against it. She wanted the person on the other line to hear. Instead, she
moved to a poster and slowly began to rip it down the middle. The sound of heavy
paper tearing cut into the room. The girl stopped her conversation and turned back,
wearing the same paranoid expression her mother had.
Darien walked into the bedroom with Lucy. He watched the teenaged girl
laying on the bed talking to her friend. For some reason he wanted to jump up
on that bed and use it as a trampoline. But he held that off and moved over
to where Lucy was going. He watched her rip the poster in half then he saw
the look on the girls face. "Looks like you'll have to get a new poster." He
said to her before finally jumping up on the bed.
"You just don't know how to be subtle do you?" Lucy said through a haze of hysterical
laughter. She nimbly managed to hang onto Darien's hand as he jumped onto the bed,
but only barely. She pulled herself up and joined him, still unable to control her
laughing fits.
"Nope!" Darien jumped a couple of times on the bed when the girl was still on
it.
The teenage girl stumbled as she got up from the bed, screaming piercingly.
"Oh god..." Lucy said lazily, "Please, do shut your mouth." The voice on the other
end of the line was heard screaming the girl's name. The girl gone, Lucy's thoughts
strayed elsewhere. "I've got one more trick to try....c'mon back to the living room."
She said, feeling the bed lift up and down as Darien jumped.
He stopped when she got off then ran out. "Another one gone! Okay back to
the living room then." He jumped off and went back to the living room. "Okay
why are we back in here?"
Lucy giggled again. Giggled? She couldn't believe it herself, though she blamed it
purely on the fact she was more susceptible to alcohol tonight for one reason or
another. "Just laugh like you did in the kitchen." Grinning, she dragged Darien
back into the living room. The mother was comforting her two children who were
crying into her. "I don't know...I don't know..." She kept saying. Lucy thought
briefly that she'd have been out of the house by now...but nevertheless.
She guided Darien over to the piano quietly, hoping the suspense would calm the
petrified family, at least for the moment. Lucy sat, one hand still clutching Darien's
and slowly began to touch the keys of the piano. The keys began to march expertly
under the orders of her depression and she began to play Bach's Toccata & Fugue,
the music she always associated with ghosts.
Darien shrugged and didn't even ask why she wanted him to laugh the way he had
in the kitchen. He just went along all the way to the piano. He watched the
three family members, looking pretty scared. Aww what a strange Kodak moment
they were having. Oh well soon they'll probably be running out of the house
because of all the stuff they had done.
Darien glanced down at the keys of the piano then looked back over at the
family. When was he suppose to do his evil laugh? He let a few cords go by
before he started up with the laughter. "Muhahahaha!!"
This was something she had always dreamt of doing though she never quite knew why.
It pain her momentarily as her thoughts strayed to her father, but her mind once
again came back to the scene at hand. She played expertly, though it was very hard
to get the full effect of the piece with only one of her hands. But nevertheless,
Darien's evil laughter added what the lack of left hand music had left out.
She ended it with a crescendo and stood up, glaring at the family. There was a
sound heard behind Lucy and Darien in the hall. She turned catching a quick glance
at the teenage boy stumbled from the corridor. "What the hell?" He said looking over
at his mother and sisters. The mother regained herself enough to stand, whispering
"Run." to the boy and his sisters. There was a mad rush to the door, as if no one
had thought of this before.
The door slammed behind and Lucy turned, still gripped Darien's hand. "That was
abso-bloody-lutly incredible!" She said, forgetting all thought of what her ultimate
goal was.
Darien quickly looked over his shoulder when the brother had finally made an
entrance. OOh somone else, he though right before the mother told them to
run. "RUN FAR AWAY AND NEVER COME BACK!!!" He yelled as they made a
mad dash for the door. "I just had to add that." He said more to himself then
to Lucy. "Okay now that that's over with lets get out of here."
Lucy was in hysterics again. Though now she wasn't quite sure if it was from the
vodka or from the pure enjoyment of it all. "Y'know, they'll have the paranormal
investigators out here tomorrow...not to mention the media." She smiled and laughed
again. "I'm surprised the constables haven't shown up yet. And yes, let's go!" She
grinned something that would've looked quite insane. Glancing to where she suspected
her hand was, she took in the world of Quicksilver knowing Darien could let go at any
moment and also realizing she wouldn't be seeing this world again. At least not yet.
She laughed, but this wasn't her former mad laughter, this was something different.
"Like I said Dar, I'm not letting go until you do." She didn't trust him in this state
and even so, she wanted the invisible feeling to go on as long as possible.
"Yeah, I thought about that but we wont be here to see the circus of people
trying to figure out what had gone on tonight." Darien said with a smile. "Or
maybe we could drop by and see what's going on...You laugh a lot did you know
that?" He started walking out of the house, still holding onto Lucy's hand
until they got into the middle of the yard then he let go of her. "And that
concludes our tour into a haunted house." He joked as he became visible to
the world again.
"Sounds like a good plan to me. Perhaps we were crossing on the street at the time,
the terrified family...oh it was horrible!" She said with a sly smile on her not yet
visible face and her voice once again entering the overly dramatic. With her accent
it made her sound vaguely like an over trained Shakespearean actress. "Yes, I do
laugh a lot, thank you. However, it is rather hard not to laugh when you've got a
gallon of alcohol running through you're veins and company like you. That was without
a doubt the most excitement I've had in ages."
And then, it was gone. She opened her eyes just in time to watch the quicksilver
falling from her body. She gasped, her black eyes still unusually wide as she looked up
to Darien. "Ah, Darien, what just happened?" She asked, still attempting to figure how
a 'regular' person would have reacted.
"We went invisible and scared the hell out of a family...need I say more?"
That probably wasn't the answer she wanted to her question but he didn't feel
like explaining the whole thing. So that's all she was getting from him right
now. Darien took one last look at the house then started walking down the
street. "Gotta find something new to do..."
Lucy stared rather blankly at him for a moment. But then again, what was he going
to say? I've got a gland in my brain that emits a substance which can bend light
and create the illusion of invisibility? Not only did that slightly too scientific for
Darien, it was also rather obvious he didn't like to talk about it.
"I'll just blame it on the vodka. It'll all make sense when the hangover's done."
She laughed again, careful not to let herself slip into the hysterics as she was so
prone to tonight.
Lucy followed at his left side, taking out another cigarette. Not like she needed it,
but it had been at least a half an hour since her last and she didn't feel like breaking
the habit she had been working up to over the last several months. Glancing briefly
at the case, her thoughts strayed to Arnaud, causing her to find herself in a fit of
laughter again at the very thought of his expression should he ever find out what just
happened. Taking in a stream of smoke, she blew it out slowly managing to calm her
nerves, for the time at least.
"I don't think anything could top that, but I suppose we must try." Lucy sighed,
flashing him a sly grin at the same time.
"Hmmm....maybe, maybe not but as you said 'we must try'." Darien said as he
took a glace over at her. Again with the cigarettes. She laughs to much
and smokes too much. "Since I picked the last fun thing to do I say its your
turn to figure out what to do next."
"I've no ideas, Darien. But give me a moment, I'll find something." She said, left
eyebrow cocked and mouth twisted in deep contemplation. Briefly, she attempted to
sneak a glance at his wrist, remembering for the first time the time-bomb inherent
to Darien's gland. No luck, the tattoo was well hidden. How long until he reached
QSM? She had no idea, not with the unknown amount of Quicksilver he expended on
her during their little adventure in the house.
"When you figure out something let me know." Darien told her as he turned
down another street.
She noticed his glance to her cigarette, looking at him with a partially unsure,
partially whimsical expression. "I know, sorry. Nerves." She dropped the smoke to
the ground and stepped on it.
"You didn't have to put it out on my account. Doesn't bother me...much." He started
to whistle that stupid tune he was whistling earlier on that night. For some reason he
couldn't get that tune out of his head. Didn't know where it came from but it was
there.
"Uh huh, sure. Don't worry I get those looks a lot. Just keep reminding me and I'll
cut back to two cartons a day." She smiled momentarily before attempting to think as
Darien broke out into whistling. Lucy couldn't cogitate correctly, a combination of her
intoxication and the whistling no doubt. And had it been anyone but Darien Fawkes at
her side, she would have made quite sure they belted up and always considered
carefully before opening their mouth again. But she restrained herself, biting at a
nail to provide the activity she now lacked from the cigarette. "I've got it..."
She said after a moment in a quiet yet dangerous voice.
While Lucy thought of something fun to do he just kept whistling until a sharp
agonizing pain shot through his head. He ended up on the ground, holding the back
of his head and moaning and groaning from it. Gotta love the set in of quicksilver
madness!
However her thoughts of disturbance had come too late. The whistling stopped and
the next moment her comrade was stumbling to the ground, gripping at the base of
his skull. "Jesus Christ....Darien!...." She knelt down, unsure if the worry that
flicked in her eyes was true or feigned. Recognizing the symptoms immediately, she
ran the possibilities through her mind. She kept a counteragent shot with her at all
times, Arnaud demanded it. However he wasn't in the advanced stages yet and that
was only for emergencies. She could take him back to his Keeper...but she'd be
screwing any chances she had. Darien would have to tell her, and in this drunken
state she doubted that would be foremost in his thinking. "Damn it..." She whispered
under her breath, gripping at Darien's shoulders. "Look at me, Darien." She doubted
he was too far into it, but she needed to check even so.
Darien laid there for a couple minutes after the pain stopped. He was silent,
eyes closed, it looked like he just passed out, that was until he felt someone grab
onto his shoulders. He opened his normal colored eyes and looked at her.
"I'm looking at you..."
Lucy sighed in relief, his eyes were perfectly normal. She didn't want to put up with
having to think of a plan for getting him the counteragent without him realizing it was
her. Her speech stumbled, thinking of what to say. "Good....can you focus?....Very
good...." She said, no clue why he needed to focus but figuring it sounded right for
the situation. "Gave me a bit of a scare there." Smiling mischievously, she stood up,
offering him her hand. "Mind telling me what that was?"
Darien just looked at her with a strange look on his face. "I can see
perfectly fine." He said as he sat up. He needed to get to Claire and fast!
"Just checking...can never be too careful." She looked at Darien for a moment,
successfully stifling another laughing fit, keeping her expression dead serious and very
worried. It just wouldn't have looked right had she broken into hysterics again. But
she had to admit the madness was an utterly brilliant addition and she mentally
congratulated Arnaud.
He grabbed Lucy's hand then stood up off the ground. "I...uh...it's nothing. I
just get these really bad headaches out of the blue..."
"Yeah, obviously. They don't appear too pleasant either." She smiled softly, attempting
something that appeared sympathetic. "Perhaps we should postpone the idea of havoc
creation for another day?" Lucy searched her coat pocket briefly for her cigarette
case but halted with a smile at Darien who still seemed slightly dazed. She had to
get him back to the Agency, but it wasn't exactly as though she could suggest it to
him. She hoped he might just start to walk that way since Lucy really had no clue
where they were.
Her mind was now returning to a somewhat normal state. "So, this is the life of a
Fish and Game officer?" Her attitude appeared to have changed. While still feeling
rather tipsy, she had more control over her emotions than in moments previous. She
now seemed more serious and aristocratic however she still had a very mercurial,
charming presence that had a hint of her more dangerous side.
Much to her disapproval, thoughts of her goal began to force themselves back in her
brain. There had to be a way to get into the Agency. She felt that perhaps she had
a basis for Darien's friendship, however it would take much more to gain enough of
his trust for him to endorse her to the Official. Or Hobbes, for that matter. She
would just have to work a little harder than originally thought. Perhaps a proof of
loyalty would be in order.
"Anywhere in particular you'd like to go? And might I suggest it's not another
taproom..." She added slyly.
"Yeah, I need to find my...friend..." He started walking back down the street
heading toward the Agency, hoping maybe Claire had gone back there but he doubted
that. But it was worth a quick look.
Lucy followed close beside him, thinking things over. "Like I said, whatever you want."
He was going in the general direction of where Lucy believed the Agency to be located.
She kept herself in quiet for most of the walking. If he didn't want to talk, nether
did she. She needed the time to think anyway and this gave her an opportunity.
As her thoughts were given to do, they wandered away from the scene at hand and
back to the time a few hours previous. While on the building, she had witnessed a
little girl waltz unnoticed into the Agency HQ. The girl had later come out with
Darien and Claire. They left in Darien's car and minutes later Hobbes had emerged,
gun at the ready. That kid, there was something about her. But Lucy just couldn't
place it. And what her nexus to the Agency? It was most definitely not Charlotte
Eberts. And neither Claire nor Darien had children. She knew almost every living
relation, friend or acquaintance of these people and the kid was never among them.
Marcus waited....waited...."We're sorry, the cellular phone you are trying to call is
not answering at this time. If you wish to leave voice mail, please press three at the
tone." Beep! "Hey, ah," Marcus stumbled, he was never good at talking to people's
machines. "Hobbes, this is Johnson, your ol' drinking buddy." He laughed nervously,
never was good at jokes either. "Anyhow, call me, I'd like to talk." He shut the phone
onto the receiver and looked around the room, lips pursed.
Rather suddenly, he jumped off the corner of his desk and grabbed the sheet of
paper with Hobbes information on it. He risked his job for this info. and he wasn't
going to waste it. Okay, so perhaps he didn't risk his career, but he still risked a
lecture from Morales which was equal to the losing of one's job any day of the week.
He threw his briefcase together, tossing in several files and downing his umpteenth
cup of coffee. Storming out of his office, he nodded to the secretary with a blustery
confidence that suited him well. "I'm going out. If Morales decides to show up, tell
him to go screw himself." Wow....had he just said that? Obviously he was feeling
slightly more aggressive than he originally thought. His secretary looked stunned,
nodding in compliance and blinking unsurely. Marcus blew out of the office and waited
outside the building momentarily, attempting to regain himself. Strange what a day at
a desk could do to you.
He got into his sedan and flicked off the official radio under the seat. He really
didn't want to listen to that today. Turning on his 'Good-time' radio, he turned it
back to his Big Band station, whistling along to Cab Calloway's 'Minnie the Moocher'
as the drove along, glancing over at the sheet of paper he had laid on the passenger
seat. An hour later, he arrived at an obscure Fish and Game location. Really, he didn't
know what to make of it, but heck, if Hadley said Hobbes worked here, Hobbes
worked here.
"Had a dream about the King of Sweden....he gave her things that she was needin'.
" Marcus' singing was atrocious and he sounded reminiscent of a dying cow, but he
persisted in doing it. Slamming the door to his car, he waltzed up to the entrance to
the building. At the same time, he noticed two people, a man and a woman, approaching
his area. "Fish and Game has sure changed." He muttered as he watched the pair.
Neither seemed quite right to him.
The whole time they walked there it was silent Darien kept to himself and
Lucy kept to herself. Who knows what she was thinking but that little prank
they pulled on that family kept replaying in his mind. He couldn't help but
to grin at the looks that those people had on their faces before they bolted
out of the door. He stopped walking when he saw someone walk up to front
entrance. Hmm...who's this? he wondered before going over there.
Lucy chewed at the side of her lip as she thought. She needed to do something to
relieve the apprehension she was feeling. How long had it been, almost an hour since
the last cigarette? She was already feeling the repercussions. Several times she
glanced over to Darien, who was being oddly quiet yet had his classic Darien-grin on
his face. She laughed lightly, knowing exactly what he was thinking about. The family,
their faces, their fear. Even if Arnaud never figured out the gland technology, she'd
never forget that memory. Pity she forgot a souvenir, it would have been a nice
addition to the collection.
Finally looking up, she realized quite suddenly they had arrived back at the Agency.
Her car was missing and she cursed under her breath. "Well, that's perfect. They
towed my car." She cursed again and looked up to Darien. Perhaps this disadvantage
would work for her. Another anomaly struck her. There was someone at the front of
the Agency. She stopped briefly. Marcus Johnson, Hobbes' former FBI partner. She'd
spoken to him briefly when she had first started tailing Hobbes. Of course, to him,
she had been Nata Molokov; a blond struggling actress with violet eyes and a Russian
accent. Lucy was good at disguises, and there had only been one occasion when an
identity had been detected. However it always made her nervous when confronted with
someone she had met as someone else.
Never leaving Darien's side, she advanced on Marcus, her cynical expression present
again.
Marcus watched Lucy and Darien carefully. No, both were definitely wrong in his book.
"You two work here?"
"I do...she don't." Darien replied not taking his eyes off of Marcus. "Why do
you ask?" Who was this guy and why was he here?
Marcus eyed Lucy and Darien cautiously as did both Darien and Lucy with equal
suspicions. "No I don't work here, not yet anyway." Lucy said, turning to grin
briefly at Darien. Lucy hadn't liked Marcus when she pressed him for information
about Hobbes. In fact now that she had met Hobbes personally, they were *very*
similar. A little too similar to her tastes. She regarded him carefully, now positive
he didn't recognize her and lightening up a bit.
"Who are you anyway?" Darien asked.
Marcus continued to eye Darien suspiciously. "Johnson, Marcus." He said with a tone
that was totally unbefitting of him. "You know a guy name Robert Hobbes?"
Darien glance over at her wondering what she meant by 'not yet.' Oh
well not important right now this other guy was. He put his
attention back on Marcus. "Maybe I do. Maybe I don't. What's it to you
Johnson, Marcus?"
Lucy cocked her eyebrow to Darien's glance, smiling mischievously. However, when
Darien looked back to Marcus, so did Lucy, glaring at him. She folded her arms,
feeling the cigarette case in her inner pocket and pulling it out. It'd been long
enough for Darien to except her smoking again. It wasn't as if she could just quit.
She lit it with a click of her lighter, her dark eyes boring into Marcus.
Marcus' eyes however were staring with an intensity that matched even Lucy's, at
Darien. "I don't believe that is anything which you should concern yourself about,
Mr. ah, who exactly *are* you?" He continued the face-off, his eyes never leaving
Darien's.
"The names Fawkes, Darien Fawkes. And since you don't want to answer
my question I'm not going to answer yours." He crossed his arms over
his chest giving Marcus the same intense stare, that is, until that
sharp annoying pain in the back of his head came around again. He did
the same as he had done before, grabbed the back of his head and
ended up on the ground except this time he wasn't sprawled out on the
floor he was leaning up against the building.
Lucy dropped her cigarette quickly and took up attempting to steady Darien who had
fallen against the wall. "Damn it Darien...not again..." She looked up to Marcus.
"Look, just get out of here, got me?" Marcus stared at her, not at all feeling like
himself. Had this been anyone else, he would have been attempting to help Lucy,
but he had decided upon first sight he didn't like or trust either of them.
Marcus finally took a step forward. "What is it....does he need a doctor?" he said,
attempting to sound important. Lucy stared back at him, not saying a word however
her expression said volumes. She'd administer the counteragent if she had to, but not
with another witness to worry about. "I told you to get the hell out of here..." She
whispered in dangerous tones. Her voice had gone through a complete change; she now
sounded deadly serious. Marcus just couldn't draw himself away and he wasn't going
to listen to some random woman. He started to inch closer curious. "I've got my cell
with me, let me call..."
The first ramblings between Lucy and Marcus sounded like nothing but two people
mumbling, which of course they weren't, but that's what it sounded like. The rest of
the 'conversation' was pretty much clear. Darien looked up finally with his now red
eyes then got up off the ground as if nothing had happened. "I don't need a
doctor...I'm fiinnee." He said with a grin.
Lucy swallowed hard, successfully managing to switch off any fear she might have
been feeling at the time. She stared at Marcus as Darien stood up, mouthing "Are
you deaf?" She turned to the now standing Darien, unable to keep her eyes away from
his which now were swimming with red. Taking a deep breath, she drew herself up.
She could deal with this as long as that idiot Johnson stayed out of her way. Fumbling
in her pocket, she made sure Darien was focusing on Marcus.
"Damn...where was it...please don't let it be in the car...." Ah, she found it.
God, she was no medic...what was she supposed to do? Arnaud seemed to have
conveniently forgotten to tell her this. And how was she supposed to administer it?
Jesus...but there was a part of Lucy that wanted to see this. Talk about some
interesting company...
Marcus stared, wide-eyed and speechless. "What the hell...what's wrong with your
eyes?"
Darien wasn't paying much attention to Lucy; who was searching for the
counteragent in her pockets. All of his attention was on the guy
that stood in front of him. "My eyes?" He asked tilting his head to
the side. "Nothing's wrong with them. They're perfectly fine." He
said taking a step closer to Marcus. "What's wrong buddy you look a
little scared. Are you scared?" He asked with an evil grin on his
face.
Lucy drew out the counteragent, staring at it, shaking her head and using language
that would make a sailor blush. She closed her eyes briefly, opening them again with
a glint that hadn't made itself apparent for what seemed an age. She was feeling
vicious, damning Arnaud for leaving her like this. He would hear all about this.
Resigned, she stood back, watching the inevitable unfold before her with a sadistic
grin as she lit another cigarette.
Marcus let his eyes stray to Lucy who only stared at him, mouthing 'I told you...'
He turned back to Darien's disturbing red eyes. Bringing himself to full stature, he
stared back at the maniac that stood in front of him. "Mr. Fawkes, I beg to
differ...they are red." He had no idea what he was doing, but he slowly brought his
hand up to gun, hoping Darien would be too involved in staring at him. He was careful
not to break the eye contact, which was the key, at any time. However, Marcus
ignored Fawkes' taunts. Admittedly, he was nervous, but not scared.
"Really? I guess I should go and have that looked at huh?" Darien
glanced down just in time to see Marcus getting ready to pull the gun
out if he needed to. "OOHH! The big bad tough guy has a gun and he
might use it on me. Oh no should I be scared?"
Marcus drew in a breath. The man in front of him was utterly crazed and there were
very few ways to deal with the insane. Marcus stood his ground, continuing the eye
contact even though Darien had broken it, watching Marcus draw out his gun. "No,
Mr. Fawkes, not at all. I will not use my gun unless you give me a reason." Again,
Marcus had no idea what he was doing. He had confronted murderers, terrorists,
arms runners...but there was something so unusual about the man who was watching
him with those mad, red eyes.
Lucy still stood back watching, attempting to once again stifle the laughter that
wanted to burst from inside her. In a way, she hoped Arnaud's lackey was filming
her, she'd want to have this moment to keep. But she was also thinking about ways
to gain the trust of Hobbes, someone she would definitely need if her plan was to
work. Lucy allowed her eyes to dart between the two men. If Marcus tried anything,
anything at all, she'd take him. But of course, not before saying if was for his own
good.
"I have to give you a reason to use it huh?" Darien asked, taking a
glance at the gun. "Well what if I did...Oh I don't know; This,"
He punches Marcus hard in the face. "Would that be a good reason to
shoot me?"
Marcus was taken back, not at all expecting the fist that landed hard across his
cheek. Lucy swallowed back laughter, drawing in the smoke and blowing it onto the
scene. Stumbling, Marcus fell backwards yet managed to grab a hold of his gun,
drawing it out and holding it steadily at Darien. "Damn it, don't make me do this."
He said, watching Darien for the slightest move but paying no attention to the fact
that Lucy had been inching closer.
Darien tilted his head to the side again as he watch Marcus pull out
the gun. "I guess that's all I had to do." He said in one flat tone
of voice as he started to move closer, not caring about the threat
that came from Marcus. "Go ahead and do it. I dare you!"
Marcus stood there, using only one hand to hold his gun, which to anyone who knew,
meant he was not serious about it actually using it. His other hand was rubbing his
jaw which was throbbing. Lucy continued to make her way closer to the scene, her
eyes flicking back and forth between Fawkes and Marcus. Which one? Finally, she
dropped the cigarette to the ground and casually reached into her blazer. But then
she halted, guns would not be necessary, at least not currently.
Lucy smiled and intrepidly stepped between the two of men. She faced Darien with a
sly grin, Marcus' gun now pointing at her back. She was very good in hand to hand
combat and she knew that while Darien was currently insane, she could deal with him.
It would also work to her advantage if she did get a little roughed up for the sake of
Marcus. Perhaps Hobbes would rethink his assessment of her. Not to mention the
reactions of the others, including that of Darien when he was once again sane, could
be quite interesting.
"Darien, don't be a git. I know the guy's an s.o.b., and frankly, I would've done the
same thing had I been in your place. But c'mon, he's not worth it. Just look at him.
Save it for someone who deserves it." Lucy paused tilting her head to match the
inclination of Darien's. "Johnson," she now spoke to Marcus but kept her gaze level
with Darien. "Either get out of here or you make yourself useful. Find someone and
tell them there's something wrong with Darien Fawkes. Go! You'll both thank me for
this later." She added with a foxy smirk
Marcus wanted to stay, just to watch how this scenario was threatening to unfold.
But this was not the time for curiosity. He turned back to the entrance, thinking
over what he should do. Call for backup? Help the woman?
Lucy stared at Darien, her eyes flickering dangerously. "Dars...."
Darien looked at Lucy then slowly looked back at Marcus. He didn't think that
guy wasn't worth it, he was someone to screw around with, well Lucy could be
someone else to mess with but he'd rather mess up Marcus more then Lucy. "Save
it for someone who deserves it....I have been but he's not around right now
so Marcus here will have to do." Darien watched the guy for a minute more
before looking back at Lucy. "Hmmm...?"
Lucy pursed her lips, continuing to watch Darien's mad eyes carefully. "Not around,
huh? Might I ask about whom you speak?" She was pretty sure who he was talking
about and, in the position which he currently had placed her, Lucy wouldn't have
minded a little Arnaud-focused violence herself. "Perhaps you're right, perhaps
Marcus would make a fine replacement. However I'm afraid I can't let you do that."
Lucy grinned dangerously at Darien. "Just hold on a minute and he'll be all yours."
Her hands were behind her back and Lucy was narrowly trying to shoo Marcus away
from the scene. Marcus was in a trance of sorts, unable to tear himself away from
Darien and Lucy. Darien was obviously a threat, but Lucy appeared to be a threat in
her own way and there was something *very* familiar about her. But in the end,
Marcus ran into the building telling the first person he saw, "There is something
wrong with Darien Fawkes..."
"You wouldn't know him so why bother telling you who it is?" Darien told her,
keeping his focus on Marcus. He really wished Lucy would move on her own. He
really really wanted to have some fun with this guy but she was in the way!
Oh well she wont be in about two minutes. "Make up your mind if I can have
some fun or not." He glanced down then looked back up to see Marcus run
inside the building. "You made him go in there didn't you?"
"No...actually. Yes, I suggested it but I never *made* him go in there. You see,
Darien, he just wasn't your type. No challenge, I promise." Lucy's expression was
held tightly in her grin. Had anyone besides an insane invisible man been near her,
the grin would have made them feel more than rather uneasy. She tilted her head
to the side again, matching her eyes upwards at Darien's and mimicking his mannerisms.
She wasn't going to move unless he did, and hopefully that fool had left by now.
Marcus raced back out, but watched from an area he hoped he wouldn't be seen. The
person he had spoken to only swallowed and looked away nervously, mentioning
something about a Keeper? And how she wasn't there currently, and....Marcus left
before he could finish.
"And who's my type? Hmmm...?" Darien asked as he grabbed a hold of her
shoulders. "Is it you? Or is it somebody that you have in mind? Or can it be
the next person who walks by us?"
Lucy's adrenaline was pumping. It was obvious in her eyes, they had an berserk glint
to match even Darien's. And when Darien gripped her shoulders, it only became more
apparent that she was currently fearless. Marcus watched this display with interest.
Who were they? What were they doing? Upon first viewing, he could have sworn they
were some sort of friends. But now, both looked bloodthirstily at the other.
"It could be one of two people." She said, her voice still sly but dangerous. "It can
either be me," she hesitated as anger flashed in her black eyes, "Or the other which
I am currently thinking about. However, since the latter is not present, it appears
I'm the only choice." She grinned at him, her eyes widening. In a quick move, she
freed a shoulder from Darien's grip and brought her hand up in a fist, swinging in the
direction of Darien's jaw.
Darien's head moved a little to the right from when Lucy punched him but other
then that it didn't affect him though it did piss him off! "Shouldn't have done
that." He grabbed her then pushed her against the wall, hard.
Marcus still watched from the shadows, but he was ready at any moment. While he
distrusted the woman, she was still that, a woman and he had very deep chivalrous
interests.
It was apparent that Lucy had mentally snapped. The air that was felt about her was
so different from the original facet she used to charm Darien.
She felt her back pain under the pressure Darien had used to press her against the
wall. However she remained silent, staring at him as her hair began to fall over her
face. Continuing the outface, trusting it would be enough to distract Darien, Lucy
wrapped a leg around Darien's, avoiding touching it. Then in one push, she heaved
her entire weight against him, attempting to push him from her. She brought her
leg forward, hoping it would be enough to bring him to the ground and giving her a
chance for the upper hand.
Marcus began to move, but the woman moved to quickly. She was good, quite good.
Perhaps she could handle herself. Marcus decided this was probably the truth. He
needed to find someone from the building. He needed to find this 'Keeper' Or maybe
Hobbes...If he worked with this Darien Fawkes, perhaps he knew what to do.
Whipping out the cell phone again, he dialed the number he had memorized from the
paper.
Before Darien knew it he was on the ground, looking up at Lucy. "Are we
having fun yet?" He asked before grabbing her legs and pulling her down to the
ground.
Lucy cocked an eyebrow, too busy congratulating herself to truly notice that while
on the ground, Darien was still active. In an instant, her legs shot out from
beneath her and she found only her palms...and Darien...breaking her fall. She
stared down at him, grinning at the irony of the situation. "Of course. Aren't you?"
"Hello." Darien said with a grin when Lucy ended up landing on top of him.
"Yeah, I'm having the best time of my life...would have been better if you
would have let me beat the hell out of that guy."
Lucy just shrugged, cocking an eyebrow. "Sorry, Dars. But like I said, he's not worth
it." Where the hell was he anyway, he should have caught the Keep....Jesus...she
wasn't there. Lucy had watched as Darien *and* the Keeper leave the building with
the child. She swallowed, still smirking at the grinning Darien, attempting to choke
back the nervous feels that had made themselves apparent in her mind, but not
apparent in her expression.
"Shall we continue then?" She said, attempting to push herself from the precarious
position she was currently in. There was no one at the Agency, no one to administer
the counteragent. Damn! What the hell was she supposed to do now?
"Continue fighting? or going after somebody else?" He stood up once Lucy
moved out of the way. He took a peek inside the building to see if he could
see Marcus in there but he wasn't there or he was just in an area that couldn't be
seen from this position. Either way Lucy wouldn't have let him have the
pleasure of torturing the guy so save that thought for another day when she's
not around.
Lucy brushed the dust from her blazer sleeves, feeling something that made her
heart drop to a pit in her stomach. She swallowed and began searching for the
counteragent, attempting to keep a calm facade. Where the hell was it? Regardless,
it wasn't as if she could administer it, but if they ever found out she had a vile of
it, it would be *very* suspicious. Then she spotted it. Only feet from where she
toppled on top of Darien and indeed where he now stood.
Casually, she walked back to Darien, keeping her dark eyes focused on his swimming
red ones. Removing her cigarette case again, she feigned dropping something to the
ground and quickly pocketed the vile. Sighing, she shifted the small bottle until it
rested safely in an innermost pocket. Glancing over to Darien, she replaced the case
without taking a smoke from within.
"It's completely your choice, of course. But neither sound too attractive." She grinned
at him, attempting to shrug off the fact she was now alone with a mad, unpredictable
invisible man.
Darien stood there watching Lucy. She was searching for something but
what? that question was answered when she tried to be sneaking or
trying to do something else to distract him but he saw what she had
grabbed off the ground...COUNTERAGENT! "What did you put in your
pocket?" He asked, knowing damn well what it was that she had. It was
just a matter of seeing if she'd tell the truth.
Lucy stared at him momentarily. She must have been more intoxicated than
she previously thought. For years she had successfully been able to pull
to wool over someone's eyes, but not only had she been matched in hand to
hand combat, but had also been witnessed while retrieving the
counteragent. "Nothing Dars," she said casually, "Only my meds, I should
have taken them by now, but hell, it's not like I've had a chance." She
grinned at him and damned herself at how horribly she was botching this
job.
"Nice cover up. But I don't believe it..." He started walking towards her.
"Now lets try this again...what did you pick up off the ground and put in
your pocket?"
Lucy continued to stare at him, a rather shocked look on her face. "Told you Dar,
I'll show you if you want. It's some sort of new therapy for bipolar disorder. Hold
on one..." She began to search her pockets, cursing under her breath. "Where the
hell is it...I don't even know why they give it to me. I don't have this 'Bipolar' crap
anyway."
Darien stared at her, not buying any of that explanation at all. "Here let me
refresh your memory." He pushed her up against the building again then dug in
the pocket that he watched her put the vile in. He pulled it out a couple of
seconds later. "I know what this stuff is...and its not medicine from any
doctor either."
Lucy, while not forgetting that Darien was suffering from QSM, had perhaps become
slightly too casual. She was thus taken back as Darien once again pushed her against
the wall of the building. Cursing mentally, Darien's hands dove into her inner pocket,
pulling out the small vile. Luckily, her shoulder holster had managed to stay hidden
through the entire affair. She watched as Darien looked up at the vile, holding it
only inches from her face.
"Damn it Darien, what the *hell* did you do that for?" She said struggling against
him. She wouldn't fight him, not while he was holding the counteragent. So instead,
she adapted an angry, almost vicious, expression. "Read the label..." she said
indicating to the small label wrapped around it. Just for this sort of case, she had a
label of another medicine types across it.
Darien kept holding her against the wall with one hand and held the
counteragent in the other. He shook it up and kept it in plain view for the
both of them. "Because I wanted to do it." Was his reply to her question. He
glanced at what was taped on the vile then looked back at her. "Nice try...I
know what it is and I'm not falling for fake medicine names taped on the
sides...What would you do if I...dropped it?" He let go of it but caught it
quickly. "Why do you have this anyway?"
"Well, I did say there'd be no more protesting from me." Her glare melted away and
was quickly replaced with a grin. She watched Darien, not the vile and only caught
herself glancing to it briefly.
Lucy caught herself from moving, or indeed even gasping. She had full control and it
wasn't as if the counteragent was of great use to her anyway. However she was
visibly relieved when Darien caught the vile. "Drop it Dars, it'll give me an excuse not
to take it. And I told you why I have it, they think I'm a manic depressive.
You think *that* is bad," she said, lowering her voice and laughing.
"You should see my medicine cabinet. I could make a fortune on the
street."
Darien shrugged his shoulders then let go of the vile. It crashed to the
ground by their feet, blue stuff all over the ground with little shards of
glass in it now. "Oops I drop it." He grinned then took a step back.
Lucy's stomach lurched forward as if she suddenly found herself on some sort of
thrill ride. Oh well, no big loss, she kept telling herself. But it didn't change the
fact that she had lost her only possible savior. To mask these feelings, she broke
out into a grin. "Thank you, Darien." She started to laugh mildly. "I'd like to see
Doctor Baker's face when I tell him the fate of his dear medications." Though
released, she continued to lean against the wall, watching Darien in his madness.
"Hmm...that's nice, really." Darien said as he leaned up against the wall.
"Now do you have anything in mind to do or do I have to go off and find my
own fun?"
"Not currently," She said turning to face him but still leaning against the wall, "But
I'm sure we can find something." Christ, he was going to leave the Agency in this
condition? Where the hell was Marcus? Hobbes? Anyone, she wasn't particular.
In truth, Marcus was watching this entire exchange from a place well hidden. He felt
like a coward, but there was no arguing with the obvious. This man was deadly and if
that woman knew how to handle it, let her be. Again and again, he tried Hobbes'
numbers. All of them, house, cell, daytime but there was no answer. "C'mon Hobbes,
pick up." He whispered as he watched Darien and Lucy, now both seeming rather civil.
However, it was obvious the threats still hung heavy. And what was in that vile Fawkes
had taken from the woman?
"I'm sure we can find something too." Darien said, stepping away from the
wall. "No need to stick around here anymore." He starts to walk away but
stops when he sees Claire and the kiddies arrive. More fun without having to
go far...
Claire, Maggie and Charlotte were on their way to the Agency. Maggie had lost her key
and was determend on finding it.
"Is this the key? " Charlotte asks while holding it up to Maggie. "I found it here on the
floor."
Maggie shook her head. "I never saw that one before, mine is...bigger than
than one." Once they arrived back at the angency she was feeling less like
she might break down in tears. The three of them entered as Claire keyed in
the codes and began to search. "It has a square bottom," Maggie told them
as she began to crawl around on her hands and knees looking for the key and
feeling really desparate.
After searching around the lab, Claire spots a key under the edge of the lab door.
"Is this it?" she asked, holding it up for the little girl to see.
"Yes," Maggie cried relieved as she took the key. "I saw you're friend out
there with a lady..."
Claire gave the girl an odd look. Lady? What lady and what friend? "Come on we
better get the two of you to Eberts'." She walked out of the lab, stopped halfway
in the hall, making sure they were following.
Lucy smiled and brought herself away from the wall, dusting an invisible speck
of dust from her blazer. Pulling her glasses from an inner pocket, she stuck them
on the bridge of her nose. She didn't trust Darien in this condition and wasn't
about to take any chances. Glancing briefly to the counteragent, she returned her
gaze to Darien. "Yes, and if it comes to it, there's still more houses. We could
make it mass poltergeist sightings." She grinned at him, however she was distracted
by Darien's car which pulled up. Claire exited, then the kid from earlier and another
kid...no....Charlotte Eberts.
She sighed, cursing. "Damn...hey, Dars, I've got it.." She said. If Arnaud hadn't
insisted on both the downfall of the Agency *and* Darien Fawkes, she could have
taken him down several hundred times already. But no...de Fohn knew the Agency
would always be a thorn in his side, especially if Fawkes was left alive, as he had
insisted. So she decided on the next best thing. Lucy ran, catching up with Darien
and glaring at the party. If he tried anything, she would simply have to step in again.
Sure, her back was starting to ache, but there was the advantage she assumed before.
Darien slowly looked back at Lucy, tilting his head to the side again.
"You've got something for us to do? Is that what you've got?" IF she didnt he
was going inside that building and he was going to create some fun with or
without her.
Lucy hesitated. The last thing she wanted was to take Fawkes from the Agency.
Without the counteragent, he would be more than a handful. But if she could ever
get back to her car, there was more available. However, she would still be faced
with how exactly she was supposed to administer it.
She swallowed, remembering something she had been thinking about since she had
arrived in San Diego. Perhaps she could distract him long enough for that git Johnson
to get Claire out here and administer the shot.
Grinning at Darien with a foxy expression, she reached into another blazer pocket.
She had been casing the San Diego Art Museum in Balboa Park. There were several
museums, all with priceless artifacts, but Lucy wanted something big....something
that would grab some attention. But she shrugged it off, she couldn't go through
with it, not now at least, and the entire scene would rely on Claire or Marcus' timely
entrance.
"Cree Dars, I think I've got something for us to do. That nifty little talent you
displayed in the house. Was that my drunken imagination? Or was that what really
happened?"
"I'm all ears Luc. Tell me what you've got in mind." Darien said. "What we
did wasn't your imagination, it was as real as the ground we're standing on."
Maggie ran after Claire and heading outside. "Hi," she called waving at the pair.
Darien looked up when he heard Maggie calling and waving out to them. He
grinned then started walking over to the little group. "Well, well, well what
do we have here?"
Charlotte notices Darien's red eyes. She quickly looked at Claire. What was wrong
with him? She'd never seen anyone with red eyes before.
Claire saw the look on Charlotte's face then she quickly looked up and over at Darien.
Great, he had hit QSM and she wasnt around to prevent this from happening. "Come
on Darien. I have something for you inside."
Darien shook his head knowing exactly what she had inside for him. "How about
I stay right...hmmmm...I dont feel like going back in that place..I've been
trying to escape it all day."
She drew in a deep breath and glared at Darien. "Fine." Claire said before heading
back inside to retreave the counteragent. He needed it and she was going to give it
to him if he liked it or not.
Darien watches not saying anything. He didnt want any of that damn
counteragent! He watched Claire go inside then come back with the stuff. "Oh
no, you are not giving me any of that." When Claire came near him he smacked the
shot out of her hands. "I said I dont want it."
"What is wrong with you, Darien, you need it. You're ill." She told him. Hopefully
the kids will by the whole he's ill line and maybe they wont ask a bunch of questions
later on.
"Nothing is wrong with me, Claire." Darien replied, taking a step away from
her. "I'm not ill, I feel perfectly fine. Never felt better."
"I don't think so." She said, taking a step towards him.
"I do." Darien said moving away from her again. "We can do this all night if
we have to but I don't feel like playing this game."
Lucy's gaze strayed to Claire, who had obviously noticed that Darien was not quite right.
Moments later, Lucy at Darien's right side, Claire began to advance with the
counteragent. Apperently, she hadn't even noticed the woman that stood beside the
man of the hour. "'ullo." She said to Claire, her mischievous grin firmly in place.
An argument began between the Keeper and Darien, and Lucy just stood, never leaving
Darien, and lighting herself another cigarette. And so it continued, Darien and Lucy
stepping back, Claire advancing, needle at the ready. "Dars," she said "Hold still."
She looked to Claire then to Darien and once again threw a hard punch at Darien.
Unsure if it would give enough time for Claire to inject him. If it didn't work, she
covered herself. "Sorry Dars, just testing. Shall we?" She smiled before breaking out
into her hysterical fit. She was obviously still quite drunk.
Marcus blinked several times. There was that Fawkes again. And the woman. The
woman that entered the building soon had a shot of sorts in her hand and was
attempting to administer it to the man. He watched with an unusual fascination.
mental note to herself as. "C'mon." She respired as she took the lead, her brain
now becoming use to the unusual vision the quicksilver provided. She raced after
the child with her stealthy grace she had developed years ago. The child ran into
the kitchen where the mother was preparing a dinner. Lucy waited, listening carefully
as the girl related her story to her mother who listened with that classic parental
disbelief belief that was always given to young children with large imaginations.
Lucy sunk around the side, keeping close to the edge though she really didn't know
why. Silently, she reached for a cup and lifted it behind the mother. The kid looked
up, her eyes wide again, pointing. "Mommy! Look!" Lucy replaced the cup quickly as
the mother slowly stood and turned around. Looking back to the child, she gave a
soft delicate about lying before shoving the kid from the kitchen sighing. The mother
was absorbed in dinner now and didn't notice as Lucy opened several of the cupboards.
Finally looking up, her eyes widened, giving her a look similar to her daughter's.
Blinking several times in disbelief she slowly shut the cupboards and went back to her
preparing, glancing around paranoid.
She couldn't resist. Lucy opened another cupboard and removed a plate, dropping it
and shuddering with delight at the sound. The mother turned, her hand grasping at
the racing heart in her throat. Again, Lucy removed a plate in her full view and
dropped it.
Darien busted up with laughter until he got pulled along for a chase after
the little girl he just scared to death. They ended up in the kitchen and hey
look another victim to scare! He stood there beside Lucy listening to what
the child was telling her mother of course the woman didn't believe a word
the child was saying. Hell who would believe anything about a flying, talking
bear?
Darien watched as Lucy picked up the mug then ended up setting it down again.
What was she going to do next? He wondered then watched the kid leave. He
watched Lucy open up cupboards...he didn't touch anything this was her time for some
fun although he was going to join in in a minute.
After the first plate breaking Darien grabbed a glass that was sitting on the
counter, he tossed it up in the air then let it fall to the ground with a crash.
"Muhahahahahaha!!"
Lucy was sent into another of her laughing fits as Darien dropped the glass with a
melodramatically evil laugh. In truth he sounded vaguely like 'The Master' from
Doctor Who. However she did manage to keep a tight clench on Darien's hand.
"This is a dream, isn't it?" She said softly, attempting to recover from the laughter.
"This is real." Darien answered back just as low. He watched Lucy mess around
with the mother. This was all to much fun.
She picked up another mug, tossing it up and catching it. Again and again she watched
the frightened woman's eyes follow the cup before she finally allowed it to drop.
"Oops...pity...nice floral design like that. Seventeenth century influence, no?"
She did this several times, the woman speechless until a faint scream finally escaped
her lips. "Here, catch!" Lucy cried through the laughter, throwing the mother a
plate. She fumbled in her daze and the plate dropped to the floor. "Ah, a set
for the glass? That's a pity too."
Feeling *she* had done enough in the kitchen, she pulled herself back to Darien's
side. "Monsieur, your turn."
He laughed when the woman finally ran out of the kitchen in fear. "Two down...
wonder how many more there is around this place...Come on." He said pulling her
along into another part of the house.
They walked down the hallway...Darien stopped by an open bedroom door. "oooh
what do we have here? Victim number three?" He said loud enough for just Lucy to
hear.
Lucy drew in the tense excitement and the fear of the household members that lay
thick in the air. This was the feeling she got every time she stole, every time she
killed...but this feeling was different somehow. She shrugged it off as the woman
ran from the kitchen, not screaming but obviously terrified. Again she laughed a high,
uncontrollable laugh. "Darien..my god...." It was all she could say, speechless once
again.
She followed close behind him as he drug her down the main corridor of the house.
Lucy giggled shrilly like a schoolgirl. A teenage girl, about 14, lay on the bed, winding
the cord of a phone around her fingers lazily. Lucy pushed the door open the rest of
the way, creaking it slightly. The girl looked up and shrugged, returning to her
conversation.
Moving quietly, Lucy looked around the room for the perfect idea. Working her way
to the bed, Darien close behind, she considered cutting off the phone, but held
herself against it. She wanted the person on the other line to hear. Instead, she
moved to a poster and slowly began to rip it down the middle. The sound of heavy
paper tearing cut into the room. The girl stopped her conversation and turned back,
wearing the same paranoid expression her mother had.
Darien walked into the bedroom with Lucy. He watched the teenaged girl
laying on the bed talking to her friend. For some reason he wanted to jump up
on that bed and use it as a trampoline. But he held that off and moved over
to where Lucy was going. He watched her rip the poster in half then he saw
the look on the girls face. "Looks like you'll have to get a new poster." He
said to her before finally jumping up on the bed.
"You just don't know how to be subtle do you?" Lucy said through a haze of hysterical
laughter. She nimbly managed to hang onto Darien's hand as he jumped onto the bed,
but only barely. She pulled herself up and joined him, still unable to control her
laughing fits.
"Nope!" Darien jumped a couple of times on the bed when the girl was still on
it.
The teenage girl stumbled as she got up from the bed, screaming piercingly.
"Oh god..." Lucy said lazily, "Please, do shut your mouth." The voice on the other
end of the line was heard screaming the girl's name. The girl gone, Lucy's thoughts
strayed elsewhere. "I've got one more trick to try....c'mon back to the living room."
She said, feeling the bed lift up and down as Darien jumped.
He stopped when she got off then ran out. "Another one gone! Okay back to
the living room then." He jumped off and went back to the living room. "Okay
why are we back in here?"
Lucy giggled again. Giggled? She couldn't believe it herself, though she blamed it
purely on the fact she was more susceptible to alcohol tonight for one reason or
another. "Just laugh like you did in the kitchen." Grinning, she dragged Darien
back into the living room. The mother was comforting her two children who were
crying into her. "I don't know...I don't know..." She kept saying. Lucy thought
briefly that she'd have been out of the house by now...but nevertheless.
She guided Darien over to the piano quietly, hoping the suspense would calm the
petrified family, at least for the moment. Lucy sat, one hand still clutching Darien's
and slowly began to touch the keys of the piano. The keys began to march expertly
under the orders of her depression and she began to play Bach's Toccata & Fugue,
the music she always associated with ghosts.
Darien shrugged and didn't even ask why she wanted him to laugh the way he had
in the kitchen. He just went along all the way to the piano. He watched the
three family members, looking pretty scared. Aww what a strange Kodak moment
they were having. Oh well soon they'll probably be running out of the house
because of all the stuff they had done.
Darien glanced down at the keys of the piano then looked back over at the
family. When was he suppose to do his evil laugh? He let a few cords go by
before he started up with the laughter. "Muhahahaha!!"
This was something she had always dreamt of doing though she never quite knew why.
It pain her momentarily as her thoughts strayed to her father, but her mind once
again came back to the scene at hand. She played expertly, though it was very hard
to get the full effect of the piece with only one of her hands. But nevertheless,
Darien's evil laughter added what the lack of left hand music had left out.
She ended it with a crescendo and stood up, glaring at the family. There was a
sound heard behind Lucy and Darien in the hall. She turned catching a quick glance
at the teenage boy stumbled from the corridor. "What the hell?" He said looking over
at his mother and sisters. The mother regained herself enough to stand, whispering
"Run." to the boy and his sisters. There was a mad rush to the door, as if no one
had thought of this before.
The door slammed behind and Lucy turned, still gripped Darien's hand. "That was
abso-bloody-lutly incredible!" She said, forgetting all thought of what her ultimate
goal was.
Darien quickly looked over his shoulder when the brother had finally made an
entrance. OOh somone else, he though right before the mother told them to
run. "RUN FAR AWAY AND NEVER COME BACK!!!" He yelled as they made a
mad dash for the door. "I just had to add that." He said more to himself then
to Lucy. "Okay now that that's over with lets get out of here."
Lucy was in hysterics again. Though now she wasn't quite sure if it was from the
vodka or from the pure enjoyment of it all. "Y'know, they'll have the paranormal
investigators out here tomorrow...not to mention the media." She smiled and laughed
again. "I'm surprised the constables haven't shown up yet. And yes, let's go!" She
grinned something that would've looked quite insane. Glancing to where she suspected
her hand was, she took in the world of Quicksilver knowing Darien could let go at any
moment and also realizing she wouldn't be seeing this world again. At least not yet.
She laughed, but this wasn't her former mad laughter, this was something different.
"Like I said Dar, I'm not letting go until you do." She didn't trust him in this state
and even so, she wanted the invisible feeling to go on as long as possible.
"Yeah, I thought about that but we wont be here to see the circus of people
trying to figure out what had gone on tonight." Darien said with a smile. "Or
maybe we could drop by and see what's going on...You laugh a lot did you know
that?" He started walking out of the house, still holding onto Lucy's hand
until they got into the middle of the yard then he let go of her. "And that
concludes our tour into a haunted house." He joked as he became visible to
the world again.
"Sounds like a good plan to me. Perhaps we were crossing on the street at the time,
the terrified family...oh it was horrible!" She said with a sly smile on her not yet
visible face and her voice once again entering the overly dramatic. With her accent
it made her sound vaguely like an over trained Shakespearean actress. "Yes, I do
laugh a lot, thank you. However, it is rather hard not to laugh when you've got a
gallon of alcohol running through you're veins and company like you. That was without
a doubt the most excitement I've had in ages."
And then, it was gone. She opened her eyes just in time to watch the quicksilver
falling from her body. She gasped, her black eyes still unusually wide as she looked up
to Darien. "Ah, Darien, what just happened?" She asked, still attempting to figure how
a 'regular' person would have reacted.
"We went invisible and scared the hell out of a family...need I say more?"
That probably wasn't the answer she wanted to her question but he didn't feel
like explaining the whole thing. So that's all she was getting from him right
now. Darien took one last look at the house then started walking down the
street. "Gotta find something new to do..."
Lucy stared rather blankly at him for a moment. But then again, what was he going
to say? I've got a gland in my brain that emits a substance which can bend light
and create the illusion of invisibility? Not only did that slightly too scientific for
Darien, it was also rather obvious he didn't like to talk about it.
"I'll just blame it on the vodka. It'll all make sense when the hangover's done."
She laughed again, careful not to let herself slip into the hysterics as she was so
prone to tonight.
Lucy followed at his left side, taking out another cigarette. Not like she needed it,
but it had been at least a half an hour since her last and she didn't feel like breaking
the habit she had been working up to over the last several months. Glancing briefly
at the case, her thoughts strayed to Arnaud, causing her to find herself in a fit of
laughter again at the very thought of his expression should he ever find out what just
happened. Taking in a stream of smoke, she blew it out slowly managing to calm her
nerves, for the time at least.
"I don't think anything could top that, but I suppose we must try." Lucy sighed,
flashing him a sly grin at the same time.
"Hmmm....maybe, maybe not but as you said 'we must try'." Darien said as he
took a glace over at her. Again with the cigarettes. She laughs to much
and smokes too much. "Since I picked the last fun thing to do I say its your
turn to figure out what to do next."
"I've no ideas, Darien. But give me a moment, I'll find something." She said, left
eyebrow cocked and mouth twisted in deep contemplation. Briefly, she attempted to
sneak a glance at his wrist, remembering for the first time the time-bomb inherent
to Darien's gland. No luck, the tattoo was well hidden. How long until he reached
QSM? She had no idea, not with the unknown amount of Quicksilver he expended on
her during their little adventure in the house.
"When you figure out something let me know." Darien told her as he turned
down another street.
She noticed his glance to her cigarette, looking at him with a partially unsure,
partially whimsical expression. "I know, sorry. Nerves." She dropped the smoke to
the ground and stepped on it.
"You didn't have to put it out on my account. Doesn't bother me...much." He started
to whistle that stupid tune he was whistling earlier on that night. For some reason he
couldn't get that tune out of his head. Didn't know where it came from but it was
there.
"Uh huh, sure. Don't worry I get those looks a lot. Just keep reminding me and I'll
cut back to two cartons a day." She smiled momentarily before attempting to think as
Darien broke out into whistling. Lucy couldn't cogitate correctly, a combination of her
intoxication and the whistling no doubt. And had it been anyone but Darien Fawkes at
her side, she would have made quite sure they belted up and always considered
carefully before opening their mouth again. But she restrained herself, biting at a
nail to provide the activity she now lacked from the cigarette. "I've got it..."
She said after a moment in a quiet yet dangerous voice.
While Lucy thought of something fun to do he just kept whistling until a sharp
agonizing pain shot through his head. He ended up on the ground, holding the back
of his head and moaning and groaning from it. Gotta love the set in of quicksilver
madness!
However her thoughts of disturbance had come too late. The whistling stopped and
the next moment her comrade was stumbling to the ground, gripping at the base of
his skull. "Jesus Christ....Darien!...." She knelt down, unsure if the worry that
flicked in her eyes was true or feigned. Recognizing the symptoms immediately, she
ran the possibilities through her mind. She kept a counteragent shot with her at all
times, Arnaud demanded it. However he wasn't in the advanced stages yet and that
was only for emergencies. She could take him back to his Keeper...but she'd be
screwing any chances she had. Darien would have to tell her, and in this drunken
state she doubted that would be foremost in his thinking. "Damn it..." She whispered
under her breath, gripping at Darien's shoulders. "Look at me, Darien." She doubted
he was too far into it, but she needed to check even so.
Darien laid there for a couple minutes after the pain stopped. He was silent,
eyes closed, it looked like he just passed out, that was until he felt someone grab
onto his shoulders. He opened his normal colored eyes and looked at her.
"I'm looking at you..."
Lucy sighed in relief, his eyes were perfectly normal. She didn't want to put up with
having to think of a plan for getting him the counteragent without him realizing it was
her. Her speech stumbled, thinking of what to say. "Good....can you focus?....Very
good...." She said, no clue why he needed to focus but figuring it sounded right for
the situation. "Gave me a bit of a scare there." Smiling mischievously, she stood up,
offering him her hand. "Mind telling me what that was?"
Darien just looked at her with a strange look on his face. "I can see
perfectly fine." He said as he sat up. He needed to get to Claire and fast!
"Just checking...can never be too careful." She looked at Darien for a moment,
successfully stifling another laughing fit, keeping her expression dead serious and very
worried. It just wouldn't have looked right had she broken into hysterics again. But
she had to admit the madness was an utterly brilliant addition and she mentally
congratulated Arnaud.
He grabbed Lucy's hand then stood up off the ground. "I...uh...it's nothing. I
just get these really bad headaches out of the blue..."
"Yeah, obviously. They don't appear too pleasant either." She smiled softly, attempting
something that appeared sympathetic. "Perhaps we should postpone the idea of havoc
creation for another day?" Lucy searched her coat pocket briefly for her cigarette
case but halted with a smile at Darien who still seemed slightly dazed. She had to
get him back to the Agency, but it wasn't exactly as though she could suggest it to
him. She hoped he might just start to walk that way since Lucy really had no clue
where they were.
Her mind was now returning to a somewhat normal state. "So, this is the life of a
Fish and Game officer?" Her attitude appeared to have changed. While still feeling
rather tipsy, she had more control over her emotions than in moments previous. She
now seemed more serious and aristocratic however she still had a very mercurial,
charming presence that had a hint of her more dangerous side.
Much to her disapproval, thoughts of her goal began to force themselves back in her
brain. There had to be a way to get into the Agency. She felt that perhaps she had
a basis for Darien's friendship, however it would take much more to gain enough of
his trust for him to endorse her to the Official. Or Hobbes, for that matter. She
would just have to work a little harder than originally thought. Perhaps a proof of
loyalty would be in order.
"Anywhere in particular you'd like to go? And might I suggest it's not another
taproom..." She added slyly.
"Yeah, I need to find my...friend..." He started walking back down the street
heading toward the Agency, hoping maybe Claire had gone back there but he doubted
that. But it was worth a quick look.
Lucy followed close beside him, thinking things over. "Like I said, whatever you want."
He was going in the general direction of where Lucy believed the Agency to be located.
She kept herself in quiet for most of the walking. If he didn't want to talk, nether
did she. She needed the time to think anyway and this gave her an opportunity.
As her thoughts were given to do, they wandered away from the scene at hand and
back to the time a few hours previous. While on the building, she had witnessed a
little girl waltz unnoticed into the Agency HQ. The girl had later come out with
Darien and Claire. They left in Darien's car and minutes later Hobbes had emerged,
gun at the ready. That kid, there was something about her. But Lucy just couldn't
place it. And what her nexus to the Agency? It was most definitely not Charlotte
Eberts. And neither Claire nor Darien had children. She knew almost every living
relation, friend or acquaintance of these people and the kid was never among them.
Marcus waited....waited...."We're sorry, the cellular phone you are trying to call is
not answering at this time. If you wish to leave voice mail, please press three at the
tone." Beep! "Hey, ah," Marcus stumbled, he was never good at talking to people's
machines. "Hobbes, this is Johnson, your ol' drinking buddy." He laughed nervously,
never was good at jokes either. "Anyhow, call me, I'd like to talk." He shut the phone
onto the receiver and looked around the room, lips pursed.
Rather suddenly, he jumped off the corner of his desk and grabbed the sheet of
paper with Hobbes information on it. He risked his job for this info. and he wasn't
going to waste it. Okay, so perhaps he didn't risk his career, but he still risked a
lecture from Morales which was equal to the losing of one's job any day of the week.
He threw his briefcase together, tossing in several files and downing his umpteenth
cup of coffee. Storming out of his office, he nodded to the secretary with a blustery
confidence that suited him well. "I'm going out. If Morales decides to show up, tell
him to go screw himself." Wow....had he just said that? Obviously he was feeling
slightly more aggressive than he originally thought. His secretary looked stunned,
nodding in compliance and blinking unsurely. Marcus blew out of the office and waited
outside the building momentarily, attempting to regain himself. Strange what a day at
a desk could do to you.
He got into his sedan and flicked off the official radio under the seat. He really
didn't want to listen to that today. Turning on his 'Good-time' radio, he turned it
back to his Big Band station, whistling along to Cab Calloway's 'Minnie the Moocher'
as the drove along, glancing over at the sheet of paper he had laid on the passenger
seat. An hour later, he arrived at an obscure Fish and Game location. Really, he didn't
know what to make of it, but heck, if Hadley said Hobbes worked here, Hobbes
worked here.
"Had a dream about the King of Sweden....he gave her things that she was needin'.
" Marcus' singing was atrocious and he sounded reminiscent of a dying cow, but he
persisted in doing it. Slamming the door to his car, he waltzed up to the entrance to
the building. At the same time, he noticed two people, a man and a woman, approaching
his area. "Fish and Game has sure changed." He muttered as he watched the pair.
Neither seemed quite right to him.
The whole time they walked there it was silent Darien kept to himself and
Lucy kept to herself. Who knows what she was thinking but that little prank
they pulled on that family kept replaying in his mind. He couldn't help but
to grin at the looks that those people had on their faces before they bolted
out of the door. He stopped walking when he saw someone walk up to front
entrance. Hmm...who's this? he wondered before going over there.
Lucy chewed at the side of her lip as she thought. She needed to do something to
relieve the apprehension she was feeling. How long had it been, almost an hour since
the last cigarette? She was already feeling the repercussions. Several times she
glanced over to Darien, who was being oddly quiet yet had his classic Darien-grin on
his face. She laughed lightly, knowing exactly what he was thinking about. The family,
their faces, their fear. Even if Arnaud never figured out the gland technology, she'd
never forget that memory. Pity she forgot a souvenir, it would have been a nice
addition to the collection.
Finally looking up, she realized quite suddenly they had arrived back at the Agency.
Her car was missing and she cursed under her breath. "Well, that's perfect. They
towed my car." She cursed again and looked up to Darien. Perhaps this disadvantage
would work for her. Another anomaly struck her. There was someone at the front of
the Agency. She stopped briefly. Marcus Johnson, Hobbes' former FBI partner. She'd
spoken to him briefly when she had first started tailing Hobbes. Of course, to him,
she had been Nata Molokov; a blond struggling actress with violet eyes and a Russian
accent. Lucy was good at disguises, and there had only been one occasion when an
identity had been detected. However it always made her nervous when confronted with
someone she had met as someone else.
Never leaving Darien's side, she advanced on Marcus, her cynical expression present
again.
Marcus watched Lucy and Darien carefully. No, both were definitely wrong in his book.
"You two work here?"
"I do...she don't." Darien replied not taking his eyes off of Marcus. "Why do
you ask?" Who was this guy and why was he here?
Marcus eyed Lucy and Darien cautiously as did both Darien and Lucy with equal
suspicions. "No I don't work here, not yet anyway." Lucy said, turning to grin
briefly at Darien. Lucy hadn't liked Marcus when she pressed him for information
about Hobbes. In fact now that she had met Hobbes personally, they were *very*
similar. A little too similar to her tastes. She regarded him carefully, now positive
he didn't recognize her and lightening up a bit.
"Who are you anyway?" Darien asked.
Marcus continued to eye Darien suspiciously. "Johnson, Marcus." He said with a tone
that was totally unbefitting of him. "You know a guy name Robert Hobbes?"
Darien glance over at her wondering what she meant by 'not yet.' Oh
well not important right now this other guy was. He put his
attention back on Marcus. "Maybe I do. Maybe I don't. What's it to you
Johnson, Marcus?"
Lucy cocked her eyebrow to Darien's glance, smiling mischievously. However, when
Darien looked back to Marcus, so did Lucy, glaring at him. She folded her arms,
feeling the cigarette case in her inner pocket and pulling it out. It'd been long
enough for Darien to except her smoking again. It wasn't as if she could just quit.
She lit it with a click of her lighter, her dark eyes boring into Marcus.
Marcus' eyes however were staring with an intensity that matched even Lucy's, at
Darien. "I don't believe that is anything which you should concern yourself about,
Mr. ah, who exactly *are* you?" He continued the face-off, his eyes never leaving
Darien's.
"The names Fawkes, Darien Fawkes. And since you don't want to answer
my question I'm not going to answer yours." He crossed his arms over
his chest giving Marcus the same intense stare, that is, until that
sharp annoying pain in the back of his head came around again. He did
the same as he had done before, grabbed the back of his head and
ended up on the ground except this time he wasn't sprawled out on the
floor he was leaning up against the building.
Lucy dropped her cigarette quickly and took up attempting to steady Darien who had
fallen against the wall. "Damn it Darien...not again..." She looked up to Marcus.
"Look, just get out of here, got me?" Marcus stared at her, not at all feeling like
himself. Had this been anyone else, he would have been attempting to help Lucy,
but he had decided upon first sight he didn't like or trust either of them.
Marcus finally took a step forward. "What is it....does he need a doctor?" he said,
attempting to sound important. Lucy stared back at him, not saying a word however
her expression said volumes. She'd administer the counteragent if she had to, but not
with another witness to worry about. "I told you to get the hell out of here..." She
whispered in dangerous tones. Her voice had gone through a complete change; she now
sounded deadly serious. Marcus just couldn't draw himself away and he wasn't going
to listen to some random woman. He started to inch closer curious. "I've got my cell
with me, let me call..."
The first ramblings between Lucy and Marcus sounded like nothing but two people
mumbling, which of course they weren't, but that's what it sounded like. The rest of
the 'conversation' was pretty much clear. Darien looked up finally with his now red
eyes then got up off the ground as if nothing had happened. "I don't need a
doctor...I'm fiinnee." He said with a grin.
Lucy swallowed hard, successfully managing to switch off any fear she might have
been feeling at the time. She stared at Marcus as Darien stood up, mouthing "Are
you deaf?" She turned to the now standing Darien, unable to keep her eyes away from
his which now were swimming with red. Taking a deep breath, she drew herself up.
She could deal with this as long as that idiot Johnson stayed out of her way. Fumbling
in her pocket, she made sure Darien was focusing on Marcus.
"Damn...where was it...please don't let it be in the car...." Ah, she found it.
God, she was no medic...what was she supposed to do? Arnaud seemed to have
conveniently forgotten to tell her this. And how was she supposed to administer it?
Jesus...but there was a part of Lucy that wanted to see this. Talk about some
interesting company...
Marcus stared, wide-eyed and speechless. "What the hell...what's wrong with your
eyes?"
Darien wasn't paying much attention to Lucy; who was searching for the
counteragent in her pockets. All of his attention was on the guy
that stood in front of him. "My eyes?" He asked tilting his head to
the side. "Nothing's wrong with them. They're perfectly fine." He
said taking a step closer to Marcus. "What's wrong buddy you look a
little scared. Are you scared?" He asked with an evil grin on his
face.
Lucy drew out the counteragent, staring at it, shaking her head and using language
that would make a sailor blush. She closed her eyes briefly, opening them again with
a glint that hadn't made itself apparent for what seemed an age. She was feeling
vicious, damning Arnaud for leaving her like this. He would hear all about this.
Resigned, she stood back, watching the inevitable unfold before her with a sadistic
grin as she lit another cigarette.
Marcus let his eyes stray to Lucy who only stared at him, mouthing 'I told you...'
He turned back to Darien's disturbing red eyes. Bringing himself to full stature, he
stared back at the maniac that stood in front of him. "Mr. Fawkes, I beg to
differ...they are red." He had no idea what he was doing, but he slowly brought his
hand up to gun, hoping Darien would be too involved in staring at him. He was careful
not to break the eye contact, which was the key, at any time. However, Marcus
ignored Fawkes' taunts. Admittedly, he was nervous, but not scared.
"Really? I guess I should go and have that looked at huh?" Darien
glanced down just in time to see Marcus getting ready to pull the gun
out if he needed to. "OOHH! The big bad tough guy has a gun and he
might use it on me. Oh no should I be scared?"
Marcus drew in a breath. The man in front of him was utterly crazed and there were
very few ways to deal with the insane. Marcus stood his ground, continuing the eye
contact even though Darien had broken it, watching Marcus draw out his gun. "No,
Mr. Fawkes, not at all. I will not use my gun unless you give me a reason." Again,
Marcus had no idea what he was doing. He had confronted murderers, terrorists,
arms runners...but there was something so unusual about the man who was watching
him with those mad, red eyes.
Lucy still stood back watching, attempting to once again stifle the laughter that
wanted to burst from inside her. In a way, she hoped Arnaud's lackey was filming
her, she'd want to have this moment to keep. But she was also thinking about ways
to gain the trust of Hobbes, someone she would definitely need if her plan was to
work. Lucy allowed her eyes to dart between the two men. If Marcus tried anything,
anything at all, she'd take him. But of course, not before saying if was for his own
good.
"I have to give you a reason to use it huh?" Darien asked, taking a
glance at the gun. "Well what if I did...Oh I don't know; This,"
He punches Marcus hard in the face. "Would that be a good reason to
shoot me?"
Marcus was taken back, not at all expecting the fist that landed hard across his
cheek. Lucy swallowed back laughter, drawing in the smoke and blowing it onto the
scene. Stumbling, Marcus fell backwards yet managed to grab a hold of his gun,
drawing it out and holding it steadily at Darien. "Damn it, don't make me do this."
He said, watching Darien for the slightest move but paying no attention to the fact
that Lucy had been inching closer.
Darien tilted his head to the side again as he watch Marcus pull out
the gun. "I guess that's all I had to do." He said in one flat tone
of voice as he started to move closer, not caring about the threat
that came from Marcus. "Go ahead and do it. I dare you!"
Marcus stood there, using only one hand to hold his gun, which to anyone who knew,
meant he was not serious about it actually using it. His other hand was rubbing his
jaw which was throbbing. Lucy continued to make her way closer to the scene, her
eyes flicking back and forth between Fawkes and Marcus. Which one? Finally, she
dropped the cigarette to the ground and casually reached into her blazer. But then
she halted, guns would not be necessary, at least not currently.
Lucy smiled and intrepidly stepped between the two of men. She faced Darien with a
sly grin, Marcus' gun now pointing at her back. She was very good in hand to hand
combat and she knew that while Darien was currently insane, she could deal with him.
It would also work to her advantage if she did get a little roughed up for the sake of
Marcus. Perhaps Hobbes would rethink his assessment of her. Not to mention the
reactions of the others, including that of Darien when he was once again sane, could
be quite interesting.
"Darien, don't be a git. I know the guy's an s.o.b., and frankly, I would've done the
same thing had I been in your place. But c'mon, he's not worth it. Just look at him.
Save it for someone who deserves it." Lucy paused tilting her head to match the
inclination of Darien's. "Johnson," she now spoke to Marcus but kept her gaze level
with Darien. "Either get out of here or you make yourself useful. Find someone and
tell them there's something wrong with Darien Fawkes. Go! You'll both thank me for
this later." She added with a foxy smirk
Marcus wanted to stay, just to watch how this scenario was threatening to unfold.
But this was not the time for curiosity. He turned back to the entrance, thinking
over what he should do. Call for backup? Help the woman?
Lucy stared at Darien, her eyes flickering dangerously. "Dars...."
Darien looked at Lucy then slowly looked back at Marcus. He didn't think that
guy wasn't worth it, he was someone to screw around with, well Lucy could be
someone else to mess with but he'd rather mess up Marcus more then Lucy. "Save
it for someone who deserves it....I have been but he's not around right now
so Marcus here will have to do." Darien watched the guy for a minute more
before looking back at Lucy. "Hmmm...?"
Lucy pursed her lips, continuing to watch Darien's mad eyes carefully. "Not around,
huh? Might I ask about whom you speak?" She was pretty sure who he was talking
about and, in the position which he currently had placed her, Lucy wouldn't have
minded a little Arnaud-focused violence herself. "Perhaps you're right, perhaps
Marcus would make a fine replacement. However I'm afraid I can't let you do that."
Lucy grinned dangerously at Darien. "Just hold on a minute and he'll be all yours."
Her hands were behind her back and Lucy was narrowly trying to shoo Marcus away
from the scene. Marcus was in a trance of sorts, unable to tear himself away from
Darien and Lucy. Darien was obviously a threat, but Lucy appeared to be a threat in
her own way and there was something *very* familiar about her. But in the end,
Marcus ran into the building telling the first person he saw, "There is something
wrong with Darien Fawkes..."
"You wouldn't know him so why bother telling you who it is?" Darien told her,
keeping his focus on Marcus. He really wished Lucy would move on her own. He
really really wanted to have some fun with this guy but she was in the way!
Oh well she wont be in about two minutes. "Make up your mind if I can have
some fun or not." He glanced down then looked back up to see Marcus run
inside the building. "You made him go in there didn't you?"
"No...actually. Yes, I suggested it but I never *made* him go in there. You see,
Darien, he just wasn't your type. No challenge, I promise." Lucy's expression was
held tightly in her grin. Had anyone besides an insane invisible man been near her,
the grin would have made them feel more than rather uneasy. She tilted her head
to the side again, matching her eyes upwards at Darien's and mimicking his mannerisms.
She wasn't going to move unless he did, and hopefully that fool had left by now.
Marcus raced back out, but watched from an area he hoped he wouldn't be seen. The
person he had spoken to only swallowed and looked away nervously, mentioning
something about a Keeper? And how she wasn't there currently, and....Marcus left
before he could finish.
"And who's my type? Hmmm...?" Darien asked as he grabbed a hold of her
shoulders. "Is it you? Or is it somebody that you have in mind? Or can it be
the next person who walks by us?"
Lucy's adrenaline was pumping. It was obvious in her eyes, they had an berserk glint
to match even Darien's. And when Darien gripped her shoulders, it only became more
apparent that she was currently fearless. Marcus watched this display with interest.
Who were they? What were they doing? Upon first viewing, he could have sworn they
were some sort of friends. But now, both looked bloodthirstily at the other.
"It could be one of two people." She said, her voice still sly but dangerous. "It can
either be me," she hesitated as anger flashed in her black eyes, "Or the other which
I am currently thinking about. However, since the latter is not present, it appears
I'm the only choice." She grinned at him, her eyes widening. In a quick move, she
freed a shoulder from Darien's grip and brought her hand up in a fist, swinging in the
direction of Darien's jaw.
Darien's head moved a little to the right from when Lucy punched him but other
then that it didn't affect him though it did piss him off! "Shouldn't have done
that." He grabbed her then pushed her against the wall, hard.
Marcus still watched from the shadows, but he was ready at any moment. While he
distrusted the woman, she was still that, a woman and he had very deep chivalrous
interests.
It was apparent that Lucy had mentally snapped. The air that was felt about her was
so different from the original facet she used to charm Darien.
She felt her back pain under the pressure Darien had used to press her against the
wall. However she remained silent, staring at him as her hair began to fall over her
face. Continuing the outface, trusting it would be enough to distract Darien, Lucy
wrapped a leg around Darien's, avoiding touching it. Then in one push, she heaved
her entire weight against him, attempting to push him from her. She brought her
leg forward, hoping it would be enough to bring him to the ground and giving her a
chance for the upper hand.
Marcus began to move, but the woman moved to quickly. She was good, quite good.
Perhaps she could handle herself. Marcus decided this was probably the truth. He
needed to find someone from the building. He needed to find this 'Keeper' Or maybe
Hobbes...If he worked with this Darien Fawkes, perhaps he knew what to do.
Whipping out the cell phone again, he dialed the number he had memorized from the
paper.
Before Darien knew it he was on the ground, looking up at Lucy. "Are we
having fun yet?" He asked before grabbing her legs and pulling her down to the
ground.
Lucy cocked an eyebrow, too busy congratulating herself to truly notice that while
on the ground, Darien was still active. In an instant, her legs shot out from
beneath her and she found only her palms...and Darien...breaking her fall. She
stared down at him, grinning at the irony of the situation. "Of course. Aren't you?"
"Hello." Darien said with a grin when Lucy ended up landing on top of him.
"Yeah, I'm having the best time of my life...would have been better if you
would have let me beat the hell out of that guy."
Lucy just shrugged, cocking an eyebrow. "Sorry, Dars. But like I said, he's not worth
it." Where the hell was he anyway, he should have caught the Keep....Jesus...she
wasn't there. Lucy had watched as Darien *and* the Keeper leave the building with
the child. She swallowed, still smirking at the grinning Darien, attempting to choke
back the nervous feels that had made themselves apparent in her mind, but not
apparent in her expression.
"Shall we continue then?" She said, attempting to push herself from the precarious
position she was currently in. There was no one at the Agency, no one to administer
the counteragent. Damn! What the hell was she supposed to do now?
"Continue fighting? or going after somebody else?" He stood up once Lucy
moved out of the way. He took a peek inside the building to see if he could
see Marcus in there but he wasn't there or he was just in an area that couldn't be
seen from this position. Either way Lucy wouldn't have let him have the
pleasure of torturing the guy so save that thought for another day when she's
not around.
Lucy brushed the dust from her blazer sleeves, feeling something that made her
heart drop to a pit in her stomach. She swallowed and began searching for the
counteragent, attempting to keep a calm facade. Where the hell was it? Regardless,
it wasn't as if she could administer it, but if they ever found out she had a vile of
it, it would be *very* suspicious. Then she spotted it. Only feet from where she
toppled on top of Darien and indeed where he now stood.
Casually, she walked back to Darien, keeping her dark eyes focused on his swimming
red ones. Removing her cigarette case again, she feigned dropping something to the
ground and quickly pocketed the vile. Sighing, she shifted the small bottle until it
rested safely in an innermost pocket. Glancing over to Darien, she replaced the case
without taking a smoke from within.
"It's completely your choice, of course. But neither sound too attractive." She grinned
at him, attempting to shrug off the fact she was now alone with a mad, unpredictable
invisible man.
Darien stood there watching Lucy. She was searching for something but
what? that question was answered when she tried to be sneaking or
trying to do something else to distract him but he saw what she had
grabbed off the ground...COUNTERAGENT! "What did you put in your
pocket?" He asked, knowing damn well what it was that she had. It was
just a matter of seeing if she'd tell the truth.
Lucy stared at him momentarily. She must have been more intoxicated than
she previously thought. For years she had successfully been able to pull
to wool over someone's eyes, but not only had she been matched in hand to
hand combat, but had also been witnessed while retrieving the
counteragent. "Nothing Dars," she said casually, "Only my meds, I should
have taken them by now, but hell, it's not like I've had a chance." She
grinned at him and damned herself at how horribly she was botching this
job.
"Nice cover up. But I don't believe it..." He started walking towards her.
"Now lets try this again...what did you pick up off the ground and put in
your pocket?"
Lucy continued to stare at him, a rather shocked look on her face. "Told you Dar,
I'll show you if you want. It's some sort of new therapy for bipolar disorder. Hold
on one..." She began to search her pockets, cursing under her breath. "Where the
hell is it...I don't even know why they give it to me. I don't have this 'Bipolar' crap
anyway."
Darien stared at her, not buying any of that explanation at all. "Here let me
refresh your memory." He pushed her up against the building again then dug in
the pocket that he watched her put the vile in. He pulled it out a couple of
seconds later. "I know what this stuff is...and its not medicine from any
doctor either."
Lucy, while not forgetting that Darien was suffering from QSM, had perhaps become
slightly too casual. She was thus taken back as Darien once again pushed her against
the wall of the building. Cursing mentally, Darien's hands dove into her inner pocket,
pulling out the small vile. Luckily, her shoulder holster had managed to stay hidden
through the entire affair. She watched as Darien looked up at the vile, holding it
only inches from her face.
"Damn it Darien, what the *hell* did you do that for?" She said struggling against
him. She wouldn't fight him, not while he was holding the counteragent. So instead,
she adapted an angry, almost vicious, expression. "Read the label..." she said
indicating to the small label wrapped around it. Just for this sort of case, she had a
label of another medicine types across it.
Darien kept holding her against the wall with one hand and held the
counteragent in the other. He shook it up and kept it in plain view for the
both of them. "Because I wanted to do it." Was his reply to her question. He
glanced at what was taped on the vile then looked back at her. "Nice try...I
know what it is and I'm not falling for fake medicine names taped on the
sides...What would you do if I...dropped it?" He let go of it but caught it
quickly. "Why do you have this anyway?"
"Well, I did say there'd be no more protesting from me." Her glare melted away and
was quickly replaced with a grin. She watched Darien, not the vile and only caught
herself glancing to it briefly.
Lucy caught herself from moving, or indeed even gasping. She had full control and it
wasn't as if the counteragent was of great use to her anyway. However she was
visibly relieved when Darien caught the vile. "Drop it Dars, it'll give me an excuse not
to take it. And I told you why I have it, they think I'm a manic depressive.
You think *that* is bad," she said, lowering her voice and laughing.
"You should see my medicine cabinet. I could make a fortune on the
street."
Darien shrugged his shoulders then let go of the vile. It crashed to the
ground by their feet, blue stuff all over the ground with little shards of
glass in it now. "Oops I drop it." He grinned then took a step back.
Lucy's stomach lurched forward as if she suddenly found herself on some sort of
thrill ride. Oh well, no big loss, she kept telling herself. But it didn't change the
fact that she had lost her only possible savior. To mask these feelings, she broke
out into a grin. "Thank you, Darien." She started to laugh mildly. "I'd like to see
Doctor Baker's face when I tell him the fate of his dear medications." Though
released, she continued to lean against the wall, watching Darien in his madness.
"Hmm...that's nice, really." Darien said as he leaned up against the wall.
"Now do you have anything in mind to do or do I have to go off and find my
own fun?"
"Not currently," She said turning to face him but still leaning against the wall, "But
I'm sure we can find something." Christ, he was going to leave the Agency in this
condition? Where the hell was Marcus? Hobbes? Anyone, she wasn't particular.
In truth, Marcus was watching this entire exchange from a place well hidden. He felt
like a coward, but there was no arguing with the obvious. This man was deadly and if
that woman knew how to handle it, let her be. Again and again, he tried Hobbes'
numbers. All of them, house, cell, daytime but there was no answer. "C'mon Hobbes,
pick up." He whispered as he watched Darien and Lucy, now both seeming rather civil.
However, it was obvious the threats still hung heavy. And what was in that vile Fawkes
had taken from the woman?
"I'm sure we can find something too." Darien said, stepping away from the
wall. "No need to stick around here anymore." He starts to walk away but
stops when he sees Claire and the kiddies arrive. More fun without having to
go far...
Claire, Maggie and Charlotte were on their way to the Agency. Maggie had lost her key
and was determend on finding it.
"Is this the key? " Charlotte asks while holding it up to Maggie. "I found it here on the
floor."
Maggie shook her head. "I never saw that one before, mine is...bigger than
than one." Once they arrived back at the angency she was feeling less like
she might break down in tears. The three of them entered as Claire keyed in
the codes and began to search. "It has a square bottom," Maggie told them
as she began to crawl around on her hands and knees looking for the key and
feeling really desparate.
After searching around the lab, Claire spots a key under the edge of the lab door.
"Is this it?" she asked, holding it up for the little girl to see.
"Yes," Maggie cried relieved as she took the key. "I saw you're friend out
there with a lady..."
Claire gave the girl an odd look. Lady? What lady and what friend? "Come on we
better get the two of you to Eberts'." She walked out of the lab, stopped halfway
in the hall, making sure they were following.
Lucy smiled and brought herself away from the wall, dusting an invisible speck
of dust from her blazer. Pulling her glasses from an inner pocket, she stuck them
on the bridge of her nose. She didn't trust Darien in this condition and wasn't
about to take any chances. Glancing briefly to the counteragent, she returned her
gaze to Darien. "Yes, and if it comes to it, there's still more houses. We could
make it mass poltergeist sightings." She grinned at him, however she was distracted
by Darien's car which pulled up. Claire exited, then the kid from earlier and another
kid...no....Charlotte Eberts.
She sighed, cursing. "Damn...hey, Dars, I've got it.." She said. If Arnaud hadn't
insisted on both the downfall of the Agency *and* Darien Fawkes, she could have
taken him down several hundred times already. But no...de Fohn knew the Agency
would always be a thorn in his side, especially if Fawkes was left alive, as he had
insisted. So she decided on the next best thing. Lucy ran, catching up with Darien
and glaring at the party. If he tried anything, she would simply have to step in again.
Sure, her back was starting to ache, but there was the advantage she assumed before.
Darien slowly looked back at Lucy, tilting his head to the side again.
"You've got something for us to do? Is that what you've got?" IF she didnt he
was going inside that building and he was going to create some fun with or
without her.
Lucy hesitated. The last thing she wanted was to take Fawkes from the Agency.
Without the counteragent, he would be more than a handful. But if she could ever
get back to her car, there was more available. However, she would still be faced
with how exactly she was supposed to administer it.
She swallowed, remembering something she had been thinking about since she had
arrived in San Diego. Perhaps she could distract him long enough for that git Johnson
to get Claire out here and administer the shot.
Grinning at Darien with a foxy expression, she reached into another blazer pocket.
She had been casing the San Diego Art Museum in Balboa Park. There were several
museums, all with priceless artifacts, but Lucy wanted something big....something
that would grab some attention. But she shrugged it off, she couldn't go through
with it, not now at least, and the entire scene would rely on Claire or Marcus' timely
entrance.
"Cree Dars, I think I've got something for us to do. That nifty little talent you
displayed in the house. Was that my drunken imagination? Or was that what really
happened?"
"I'm all ears Luc. Tell me what you've got in mind." Darien said. "What we
did wasn't your imagination, it was as real as the ground we're standing on."
Maggie ran after Claire and heading outside. "Hi," she called waving at the pair.
Darien looked up when he heard Maggie calling and waving out to them. He
grinned then started walking over to the little group. "Well, well, well what
do we have here?"
Charlotte notices Darien's red eyes. She quickly looked at Claire. What was wrong
with him? She'd never seen anyone with red eyes before.
Claire saw the look on Charlotte's face then she quickly looked up and over at Darien.
Great, he had hit QSM and she wasnt around to prevent this from happening. "Come
on Darien. I have something for you inside."
Darien shook his head knowing exactly what she had inside for him. "How about
I stay right...hmmmm...I dont feel like going back in that place..I've been
trying to escape it all day."
She drew in a deep breath and glared at Darien. "Fine." Claire said before heading
back inside to retreave the counteragent. He needed it and she was going to give it
to him if he liked it or not.
Darien watches not saying anything. He didnt want any of that damn
counteragent! He watched Claire go inside then come back with the stuff. "Oh
no, you are not giving me any of that." When Claire came near him he smacked the
shot out of her hands. "I said I dont want it."
"What is wrong with you, Darien, you need it. You're ill." She told him. Hopefully
the kids will by the whole he's ill line and maybe they wont ask a bunch of questions
later on.
"Nothing is wrong with me, Claire." Darien replied, taking a step away from
her. "I'm not ill, I feel perfectly fine. Never felt better."
"I don't think so." She said, taking a step towards him.
"I do." Darien said moving away from her again. "We can do this all night if
we have to but I don't feel like playing this game."
Lucy's gaze strayed to Claire, who had obviously noticed that Darien was not quite right.
Moments later, Lucy at Darien's right side, Claire began to advance with the
counteragent. Apperently, she hadn't even noticed the woman that stood beside the
man of the hour. "'ullo." She said to Claire, her mischievous grin firmly in place.
An argument began between the Keeper and Darien, and Lucy just stood, never leaving
Darien, and lighting herself another cigarette. And so it continued, Darien and Lucy
stepping back, Claire advancing, needle at the ready. "Dars," she said "Hold still."
She looked to Claire then to Darien and once again threw a hard punch at Darien.
Unsure if it would give enough time for Claire to inject him. If it didn't work, she
covered herself. "Sorry Dars, just testing. Shall we?" She smiled before breaking out
into her hysterical fit. She was obviously still quite drunk.
Marcus blinked several times. There was that Fawkes again. And the woman. The
woman that entered the building soon had a shot of sorts in her hand and was
attempting to administer it to the man. He watched with an unusual fascination.
