Part 13
Don't Tug at Superman's Cape
The Office feels lonely without him here. Eberts should be here.Maybe if I should send more people out to look for him. Usually the Raven just kills people, hes a hired mercenary, kidnapping is not his M.O., why would he start now? And why Eberts? Who would kidnapp Eberts, maybe it is not a kidnapping, but maybe one of his bizarre pranks. I have heard from his old boss at the Irs, Albert was a joker, playing pranks on many of the workers. But he told me that childish was out of his system, -or- maybe he never really pulled those pranks, maybe someone else just set him up. He's never pulled pranks here, though sometimes he does joke about his office, but nothing else. I usually make him stay quiet.I wonder if I can afford to send Claire on the stakeout with Alex, but would she be able to catch up with her.
I sigh.I miss him standing over my shoulder. He is like my guardian angel, -or- my conscience. He countacts my general bureacrate side that likes to screw with people sometimes. Its a part of every bureacrate, since people generally fear the government, and suspect the government of terrible things. We use that to our advantage. Though IRS men are generally thought of as weasels, and especially auditors, which Eberts was, one hearing he was from the Irs would think Eberts that way too. Eberts has very few weasel traits -or- bureacrat traits, he believes in ethics, and you won't distrust him like you would a lawyer, when he tells you this. I would suspect it on his general like for his mother, a painter, and distrust of his father, a ex marine and soon to be senator.( I have been a friend of Robert Eberts, his father, for years(this had nothing to do with me hiring Albert) and I do know how he loves to his negative traits, his marine and bureacrate traits, and Albert hates it.) Maybe I should call Rob, and ask him if he knows where his son is, though I don't think he would care much. That's just how Rob is, always preferring Lionel, and Susan to Albert.
I'm drifting from my original thought. Alberts, Eberts I mean, is like my conscience, he makes sure we don't get too many unethical cases. Though a few cases have slipped by, that were purely unethical, and he could not stop me from taking them. For example, when Kevin Fawkes suggested we use his brother as the next guinea pig for the Invisible Man project. Eberts felt it was wrong to hire a convict for the government, he was very vocale about it. He felt we had another nuts with our other agents, and we do not need one who could easily reverte back to his old ways though. Eberts lost though, Kevin was his friend, and he cornered Eberts at lunch today, and pleaded with him to change his mind.(I had left them to decide.)Eberts agreed, if only one person befriends you out of all the staff excluding me, then you can't help to deny them simple favors like that for them, though they are a compromise against your values, I think that's how Eberts explained it to me. (The Agents have a non written "Do not talk to Eberts" policy, which had been instituted when they found out my assisstant was from the Irs.)
I am going to go talk to Claire.
I walk down the cold hallway, not looking at the ones scurrying away from me, I have my angry face on, I want to see how many people will think they will get fired today. I am actually just mad at myself, for only sending Alex, but they aren't suppose to know anything is wrong. I use my card to go into Claire's Lab. She is studying something in her high powered microscope, one of the only pieces of hightech equipment we can afford with our small budget. She looks up.
"May I help you, sir?"
"Yes, I was wondering if you are up to some field work?" I wonder if she will thinks its the contamination case.
"The restaurant one?" She asks, raising an eyebrow, and pushing back some strands of honeycoloured hair.
"I'd like you to help Alex." I hope she will consent, not like she really has a choice, but I do need more people looking for him.
"Oh? Do I have a choice?"
"Not really, "
"I guess I can do it, the quicker we find him, the last damage I have to fix on him, I hope."She laughs dryly. Her eyes go to her fish, her voice is strange, that isn't really what she meant to say, I believe. I think she was trying to make a joke out of this uncomfortable situation but she knows it won't work.
"I have the address where Alex is staked out in my office. We probably should call her first, so she knows your coming."
She nods, and she follows me to my office. I hand her the address and she picks up the phone. An hour is left before the Raven will call.
"Hello, Alex?" I try to listen to the other side. I can't hear anything."Yes, I will be joining you on the stakeout...okay... okay, I'll tell him."
She hangs up the phone.
I want to ask her what she said but I nod for her to go if she wishes.
"She wants me to tell you, we will find Eberts." She departs, and I am stuck again with my thoughts.
Don't Tug at Superman's Cape
The Office feels lonely without him here. Eberts should be here.Maybe if I should send more people out to look for him. Usually the Raven just kills people, hes a hired mercenary, kidnapping is not his M.O., why would he start now? And why Eberts? Who would kidnapp Eberts, maybe it is not a kidnapping, but maybe one of his bizarre pranks. I have heard from his old boss at the Irs, Albert was a joker, playing pranks on many of the workers. But he told me that childish was out of his system, -or- maybe he never really pulled those pranks, maybe someone else just set him up. He's never pulled pranks here, though sometimes he does joke about his office, but nothing else. I usually make him stay quiet.I wonder if I can afford to send Claire on the stakeout with Alex, but would she be able to catch up with her.
I sigh.I miss him standing over my shoulder. He is like my guardian angel, -or- my conscience. He countacts my general bureacrate side that likes to screw with people sometimes. Its a part of every bureacrate, since people generally fear the government, and suspect the government of terrible things. We use that to our advantage. Though IRS men are generally thought of as weasels, and especially auditors, which Eberts was, one hearing he was from the Irs would think Eberts that way too. Eberts has very few weasel traits -or- bureacrat traits, he believes in ethics, and you won't distrust him like you would a lawyer, when he tells you this. I would suspect it on his general like for his mother, a painter, and distrust of his father, a ex marine and soon to be senator.( I have been a friend of Robert Eberts, his father, for years(this had nothing to do with me hiring Albert) and I do know how he loves to his negative traits, his marine and bureacrate traits, and Albert hates it.) Maybe I should call Rob, and ask him if he knows where his son is, though I don't think he would care much. That's just how Rob is, always preferring Lionel, and Susan to Albert.
I'm drifting from my original thought. Alberts, Eberts I mean, is like my conscience, he makes sure we don't get too many unethical cases. Though a few cases have slipped by, that were purely unethical, and he could not stop me from taking them. For example, when Kevin Fawkes suggested we use his brother as the next guinea pig for the Invisible Man project. Eberts felt it was wrong to hire a convict for the government, he was very vocale about it. He felt we had another nuts with our other agents, and we do not need one who could easily reverte back to his old ways though. Eberts lost though, Kevin was his friend, and he cornered Eberts at lunch today, and pleaded with him to change his mind.(I had left them to decide.)Eberts agreed, if only one person befriends you out of all the staff excluding me, then you can't help to deny them simple favors like that for them, though they are a compromise against your values, I think that's how Eberts explained it to me. (The Agents have a non written "Do not talk to Eberts" policy, which had been instituted when they found out my assisstant was from the Irs.)
I am going to go talk to Claire.
I walk down the cold hallway, not looking at the ones scurrying away from me, I have my angry face on, I want to see how many people will think they will get fired today. I am actually just mad at myself, for only sending Alex, but they aren't suppose to know anything is wrong. I use my card to go into Claire's Lab. She is studying something in her high powered microscope, one of the only pieces of hightech equipment we can afford with our small budget. She looks up.
"May I help you, sir?"
"Yes, I was wondering if you are up to some field work?" I wonder if she will thinks its the contamination case.
"The restaurant one?" She asks, raising an eyebrow, and pushing back some strands of honeycoloured hair.
"I'd like you to help Alex." I hope she will consent, not like she really has a choice, but I do need more people looking for him.
"Oh? Do I have a choice?"
"Not really, "
"I guess I can do it, the quicker we find him, the last damage I have to fix on him, I hope."She laughs dryly. Her eyes go to her fish, her voice is strange, that isn't really what she meant to say, I believe. I think she was trying to make a joke out of this uncomfortable situation but she knows it won't work.
"I have the address where Alex is staked out in my office. We probably should call her first, so she knows your coming."
She nods, and she follows me to my office. I hand her the address and she picks up the phone. An hour is left before the Raven will call.
"Hello, Alex?" I try to listen to the other side. I can't hear anything."Yes, I will be joining you on the stakeout...okay... okay, I'll tell him."
She hangs up the phone.
I want to ask her what she said but I nod for her to go if she wishes.
"She wants me to tell you, we will find Eberts." She departs, and I am stuck again with my thoughts.