P.O.V.
By Aesop
DISCLAIMER: I don't own the characters from Gargoyles and don't profit by writing this story. I did create Sean and Susan though.
SUMMARY: New arrivals have some adjusting to do.
When I was eight I lived with a businessman, a real go-getter. He didn't want a kid; he wanted a status boost. I think his boss was big on 'family values' or something. One time he had this big party to attend with bosses from his company, and he made me wear this suit, it was just like his only smaller. I hated it. I looked in the mirror and saw a model like in a magazine, or more like one of those dummies they put clothes on in the stores, since I was just supposed to stand there with him and look good. Either way, it was like looking at a stranger, and I hated it. And I wasn't just supposed to look like this I was expected to act it. Be a miniature him.
All I thought about was what I'd do to the suit as soon as I got back and got it off. Burn it? Cut it up with scissors? That's how I kept smiling while he yammered about stock tip merging or whatever. Never got the chance to burn it, or do anything else to it. He put it away somewhere and I had to settle for knowing that I'd grow out of it pretty soon.
Now I'm looking in the mirror at another suit, only it's worse. I'm stuck with this one and I won't out grow it. I won't ever be 'me' again. This stranger, this… thing in the mirror is gonna be with me forever. It's not fair!
The thing in the mirror bares its teeth… really, really sharp teeth, at me, and the eyes glow a bright white. Not natural. Not right. And it's really not right that one of those gargoyle kids sees me scaring myself silly. What's she doing here? What the hell's so funny?!
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I shouldn't have laughed. I don't know why I did. There's nothing funny about what he's going through, gotta be scared. I mean one day he's human, living a perfectly normal life. The next… Gotta mess with your head.
Following him and apologizing seems the right thing to do, but where did he go? Man he's fast. "Talon?"
"Huh? Oh, Arianna?"
"Did you see Sean pass by here?" He shakes his head and rushes off. No help there. Not sure he would have even noticed. He looks real distracted about something. Where did he go?
It's not like I meant to laugh at him; he'll understand that. Its just that, seeing someone jump back from their own reflection like they're scared it'll bite them is bound to make you laugh. It's not funny when you're the person being scared. I know that, and I want to tell him that, if I can find him. "Goliath?"
"Yes Arianna?"
"Have you seen Sean?"
"I believe he is in the lab with his sister."
Arianna shook her head. "She's asleep. Dr. Goldblum said he would tell us when she wakes up."
Goliath nodded distractedly. "Then perhaps he is in one of the storerooms that Talon has converted." He points back the way I came.
"He was." Goliath gives me a weird look, like he's going to ask and then doesn't, hurries off instead. What is up with the adults? It doesn't matter.
Where would he go? He only arrived a couple of hours ago and was kind of intimidated by the place. Think. He wouldn't just wander around. It would be a place he'd been before. He and Susan stuck close together. It doesn't help that I don't know the labyrinth all that well myself.
When we heard that Lexington and Hunter were bringing the twins to the labyrinth, dad had us rush to meet them with everyone else. Goliath thought it would be easier for them if they saw there were other kids. Maybe they'd relax a little. I don't think it helped. They were… overwhelmed. I noticed this right after I noticed how cute Sean was. It's hard to believe he and Susan were once human. Not that human is a bad thing, or that they can't be pretty or handsome. I wish I had hair like Aunt Elisa's. It's just that going from being one thing to being something else is strange.
Almost everyone had gone out to search for the missing twins. As usual, Graeme and I got to stay behind to 'guard the castle.' I heard the adults whispering while they were getting ready to go. They didn't tell us much, but they mentioned the name Sevarius. That's not something they talk about in front of Graeme and me. Sevarius is dangerous, I know that much. No one tells kids anything though. I thought that maybe Sean or Susan could tell us, but I didn't mention it in front of dad. He would've said that it's probably not something they'd want to talk about. He'd tell us not to ask. I understand, I guess, if Sevarius had something to do with them not being human anymore.
Goliath was the first to come back. Mom and dad got there right after him. They said the twins had been found, and they were going to the Labyrinth. I wanted to ask why they weren't coming to the castle but wasn't given time. Dad got us moving right away headed for the nearest entrance to the tunnels.
Hunter, uncle Lex, and two hatchlings arrived right after we did and they rushed Susan to Dr. Goldblum's lab. She got hurt somehow, but I didn't find out she got shot until later. Hunter had carried her because of the hurt wing, and she looked very happy to be on the ground again. Her brother wasn't hurt, but he looked very unsteady.
It was a pretty strange meeting. We all crowded into the room to see if they were all right, but all we could do was stare. Even Goliath looked shocked when he saw them. No one expected them to look like aunt Demona. I'm not sure what that means. Are they her kids? If they used to be human how is that possible? Guess I'll have to ask. Aunt Elisa managed to arrive while we were staring at them. The way she was panting it looked like she had run the entire way.
She didn't get any more chance to speak to the twins than the rest of us. Dr. Goldblum shooed us all out while he treated Susan and Sean insisted on staying with her.
I think it was as much to get away from the crowd as it was to watch after his sister. None of us saw the twins for over an hour and we had all drifted apart by then, the adults meeting privately to discuss what had happened and what they were going to do. Graeme and I wanted to see Eve and Robin. Talon had rounded them up, thinking the same as dad that other kids would help make them more comfortable.
The grown-ups all looked pretty shaken.
I keep moving. Not there. Not there. Here maybe? Bingo.
"Sean?" No answer. "I'm sorry. Really, I didn't mean to laugh."
"Sure, whatever."
That's not an improvement. "Really. It just surprised me. I know it's gotta be hard-"
"You don't know anything!"
Okay, that was the wrong thing to say. How can I know anything about what he's going through? I can't. "Sorry. Again. I guess I really don't know anything about you or what's happened to you. I'd like to though. There aren't that many gargoyle kids. I'd like to be friends."
"I'm not a freak." Freak? What's that about?
"Didn't say you were. No one else will either, or I'll punch them." That got a response. He looks surprised, then actually smiles a little. It doesn't last though. He goes back to brooding. Time to try something else. "Is Susan okay?"
"Doctor said she'd be fine. Said something about stone sleep. What's that?"
"Um, you know… We sleep during the day. Turn to stone?" He's staring at me. "What?"
"Turn to stone? We didn't do that."
"You don't turn to stone?" He shakes his head, staring at me like he doesn't quite believe it. He doesn't say that though. It's just another thing to absorb I guess. Doesn't know what to believe at this point. "There's a lot to learn for both of us I guess. Can I start over?" He frowns for a moment, then nods. "I'm Arianna. My brother Graeme and me have been looking forward to meeting you ever since we heard about you. You wanna meet him? And the others?" He doesn't look happy, but I guess he figured he might as well, cause he nods and I lead him toward uncle Talon's home where I know we'll find Robin and Eve.
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Arianna looks upset about something. It will have to wait. The call from Bluestone takes precedence. Elisa's partner believes that he has a lead on Sevarius. Even a slim lead cannot be ignored. This monster must be brought to justice. Whether it is human or gargoyle is unimportant at this point, although there is an attraction in circumventing the human's endless procedures to protect the wicked.
I must remember not to express such sentiments in Elisa's presence. She firmly believes in the 'system,' and it has been the source of more than one argument. This time the line is blurred. It involves crimes against humans and gargoyles. Those that the law protects and those that it does not recognize.
Such dark thoughts do me no good. It was allowing such thoughts and beliefs to consume her, I am certain, that led Demona to where she is today. As Broadway might say, 'Don't go there.'
Talon, Elisa, Hunter, Brooklyn, Lexington, and Broadway are already there when the rest of us arrive in the communications room as Lexington calls it. There are computers and a reliable phone system present that allows communication with the surface. Before Xanatos stepped in to fund the Labyrinth, the best they could do was tie into the phone system illegally. It worked roughly half the time, which made contacting them difficult. Elisa moves to my side without hesitation or thought. This had disturbed her mightily though she tries to hide it. She is already working on what lies to spin to her superiors. I know her well enough to be able to tell when she is doing this, and I can tell how much it disturbs her. It is not a task she should have to perform, but there is much about our lives and history that must not come into public view. She knows this, but this time it is different.
This time the lives of innocent children have been destroyed. Their families must be mad with worry. I glance at the others and see the mutual understanding there. This time Sevarius must be found and stopped. Permanently. To do this, however, we need information. We need a full explanation of Demona's involvement in this affair, but it may have to wait. Lexington looks uncomfortable, as if anxious to relate his news, but he realizes that there is little time, vital though it may be. Hunter shares this conviction, I know, I believe that the others do as well.
The mutate is a puzzle. Trusting him is difficult at times, but he has always acted in our best interests. It is his methods that trouble me. The war he wages against the Unseelie is a perfect example. He alternates between shining a light on them, bringing them into public view, causing them to scurry for the shadows and then striking at them from those shadows. A sniper's bullet, a knife in the dark, both crafted of the iron so poisonous to Fay. They strike back of course, but for all their centuries of experience they seem to lack his knack for subtlety. Each attack by the redcaps or swiftly shrinking halfling population becomes the new focus of public attention. There has even been news footage of the halflings in action. Several of them are being actively sought by the police.
Hunter himself seems pensive tonight. He watches the rest with brooding eyes, his thoughts well concealed despite the fact that his 'mask' has slipped. I notice his shared glances with Lexington with concern. It is normally difficult if not impossible to read him. Tonight he is more open, but it does not help me in determining what he will do. He may send his entire clan out to search for Sevarius or he may withdraw them entirely to put his focus somewhere else.
Loath though I am to delay the search, we need to know more about what happened. I begin before Elisa can give us the news from Bluestone. "Hunter, Lexington. Tell us what you have learned." They share another look.
Elisa glances at me, startled, but then she nods and gives them her attention. To his credit, Hunter keeps the story short and to the point, minimizing Lexington's digressions. It is worse than I had feared. I knew Demona was involved somehow when I first saw the twins, but even I had never anticipated this. No one is even attempting to hide the outrage they feel, even Elisa, who has the least reason to feel any compassion for my former mate. I should not be surprised that she would empathize with another female, regardless of personal history, though. This ability to put past wrongs behind her is another reason I love her.
Hunter finishes the tale with a promise to bring us more information about Sevarius' former employers. His mask has slipped again. I can tell this has angered him and that he will, most likely, not rest until he has answers. Rarely have I seen him display his feelings so openly. Only after his description of the failed experiments he discovered in one of the labs did he become so emotional. Perhaps what has been done to the twins has caused him to reflect on his own transformation.
Elisa is speaking. I set my speculations about Hunter aside. He will do as he sees fit, as always. The new information directly affects the search for our quarry. Demona may be looking for him as well, it adds an element of urgency to the situation, and however well-deserved Demona's wrath may be we must, Elisa insists, find him first. Why? Again the question of human vs. gargoyle justice assails me.
My mate and her partner have already thought out the details of the search for Sevarius and the best ways in which we can supplement the efforts of the police. It is a good plan and I agree to it at once, but my mind is elsewhere and Elisa sees this.
"Goliath?" The others are filing out, dispersing to their assigned search areas.
"Yes, my Elisa?"
"There's not really time now, but… we can talk later, about all of this." I nod, understanding. There is much about this situation that troubles me. Not the least is what will become of the twins. They have human families and we still have secrets to protect. I don't like thinking like this, but the safety of my clan is always my priority. That clan now includes the twins, and I find that I am at a loss as to how to proceed.
The meeting with the twins did not go as well as I had hoped, Demona's involvement being completely unforeseen. I was ill prepared for this. No battle plan survives first contact with the enemy. The thought almost makes me smile. Almost.
It was not a battle with easily defined goals I could work toward. I had to find a way to help two children who had had their safe familiar world torn from them in a manner that neither of them could have imagined only a few days before. I had to account for their families and friends who would not understand what had happened to them and would likely respond unpredictably. Elisa could only be expected to do so much. The clan's part in what had happened would likely come out. Things are about to change, and those two innocents are going to find themselves at the center of a storm.
Steps taken so far, I realize when I think about it, were merely delaying tactics, avoiding the larger issues. I had hoped to make them feel welcome, to ease their transition into a new life. Even that didn't start well. When they arrived with Susan injured, in pain; we rushed her to Dr. Goldblum as quickly as possible. There was no time for introductions or proper greetings.
The damage to Susan's wing did not look serious, but such wounds can be painful, I know from experience. The two stuck close together, and by the way they looked at the gathered clan I could tell I had already made an error. Injured and frightened, they arrive to find waiting for them a group of what many humans consider to be monsters. I do not know what I should have done, but I wonder if there was a correct way to handle the meeting.
I saw their coloring when they arrived, and marveled at Susan's resemblance to Demona when she was young, but I did not at first realize the significance, at least I did not wish to realize it. When Lexington and Hunter told us what they had learned from Demona, I began to truly take in how complex the situation was. Complications multiply in my mind like a boulder gathering other stones to it as it tumbles down a slope. I do not know what to do, and this frustrates me more than anyone save Elisa realizes.
A soft knock on the partially open door brings Goldblum to his feet. He puts a finger to his lips and moves into the corridor. "She needs her rest, Goliath."
"I had not thought the injury that serious."
"It's not, but she was overwrought it was easier to work with her sedated." He glanced back at the small form in the bed and shook his head. "She is in no danger, but…the life she knew is effectively over." He adds something in Hebrew that doesn't sound complementary. "That monster. Why did he do this?"
"I intend to ask him," I assure the doctor. "Sevarius will not escape this time." It is, perhaps, a rash promise. New York is a big city, and we cannot search it all. Such thoughts do not help though. There is work to be done, and all of us will be needed. I cannot forget the reason for our resolve though, even as I leave the labyrinth to join the search for Sevarius. Susan needs to recuperate and they both need time to adjust to what has happened to them.
Children are resilient, but I have no illusions about the trials that lie have before them. When they arrived they were too busy with the crisis of the moment to think about what had happened. They steered clear of us as best they could even then. Sean refused all help and took his sister into the infirmary himself. He stood by the bed, holding her hand and glaring at us if we got too close. In retrospect I can understand his wariness. He is still not sure what to believe. Lexington told us only a little of what Sevarius has said. It is just another debt we owe that monster.
Brooklyn suggested letting the children make the first overture. Let the twins approach them. I hope it is successful, that they find the children easier to accept than the entire clan at once. I fear though that I will not learn the outcome of their efforts tonight. The lead Bluestone called with requires that we act immediately.
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Where is Ari? 'Female's touch' my tail. I bet she blew it. I look at the clock and see she's been gone nearly 20 minutes. Robin and Eve don't seem to notice the delay. They're playing checkers or something like it. I know the pieces aren't supposed to move like that, bet Robin's making it up as she goes along. Eve doesn't mind. She giggles when Robin jumps backwards or to the side and has even begun to make up new moves herself. Weird.
"Graeme? Robin? Eve?" Maggie looks nervous. It doesn't take much to make Aunt Maggie nervous, but there's something important to worry about this time. Even Eve, who can be kind of out there at the best of times, sees it. "Detective Bluestone called. He… needs the help of the clans for something tonight."
"Do they want me and Ari-"
"No. It's more important to help Sean and Susan get settled in. They'll need friends," and it'll be safer, she doesn't add. I know she's thinking it though. I bet everyone's going after Sevarius. It's so annoying when they try to protect us like that. Can't they see we're not little ki-. What did she say? Oh.
"I'm not sure where they are. I was just wondering myself." Maggie looks worried again, or more worried and goes to find them. I'm not worried about Ari. She can take care of herself. Don't know Sean though. What's gotta be going through his head?
They used to be human. Now they're gargoyles. Aren't they? Were they ever human? I don't know, but I guess it doesn't really matter. Well it'll matter to them. I don't know.
All I know for sure is that they didn't look happy when they arrived. Ari and me were there with the clan, front and center to greet them. Ari seemed excited, and I know I was looking forward to it. Aren't that many kids for us to play with, least not our age. Tom can be fun, but he's still a baby. Eve is off in her own little world for the most part, and Robin? Nice enough, but she creeps me out sometimes.
Last week she, Puck, and Alex were playing tag around the castle. I think Robin got the idea watching Star Trek. Scared the crap out of us when she stuck her head out of the TV and quoted Nightmare on Elm Street. Someone's really gotta start monitoring her viewing habits. Did I say that?
She isn't the one I need to worry about right now though. Susan is. She was hurt, but she wouldn't let any of us near her. Sean just glared at everyone like we had hurt her. Angela stared after them with a weird look on her face, like she recognized them, but I don't see how she could. I did see her pull uncle Lex aside after they went in to see Dr. Goldblum and then rushed off saying something about a call.
"Graeme?" Ari comes in with Sean. He looks angry about something; wonder what Ari did now? Robin and Eve get up along with me and smile at him. "This is Sean. Sean, this is my brother Graeme and this is Robin and Eve."
Sean nods to us, but he doesn't say anything. He's staring at us. Maybe he's never seen a gargoyle up close before, never looked in a mirror? Don't say that idiot. Say hello. "Hello." Good start. "You hungry?" Just a guess, I can see his ribs, and the loud growl I hear from his stomach seems enough of an answer. "I'll take that as a yes. Come on, let's raid the kitchen." That goes over well. No pressure. No questions he can't answer and no attempts to be comforting.
The kitchen is empty when we get there; the others have already left. The kitchen at the castle is bigger, cleaner, and usually is where we find uncle Broadway when he's not on patrol or off being romantic with aunt Angela. The one in the labyrinth isn't kept spotlessly neat like the one at the castle. Things are left out or stacked just out of the way. It's messy. It feels more like people live there.
We're in and out fast, knowing that we don't have to sneak but pretending we do for the fun of it. Food secure, we head for the lab where Susan is sleeping to see if she feels any better. Dr. Goldblum isn't sure he should let us in, but then we hear her and realize she's waking up. He stands aside. Good thing too; I think Sean would have run him down.
Dr. Goldblum lets us in while he examines her wing. "Strange," he finishes removing the dressing so he can get a better look at whatever is 'strange.' I didn't like the confused look on his face, and it made Sean and Susan absolutely frantic.
"What is it?" Susan demanded. "What's wrong?"
"Nothing," he says, still sounding confused. "It's healing nicely. In fact it should be completely healed by morning."
"Nothing left for stone sleep to do huh?" Wow. Susan and Sean are giving me weird looks. "What?"
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What does mother have to do with the twins? What Lex and Hunter told us is more confuses than enlightening. I have so many questions, but they didn't really have time to answer. I want to hear it from mother personally, but I'm not even sure how to bring it up. There was no answer at the manor, and now it seems that it will be at least tomorrow night before I can speak to her.
A glance at father shows that his expression is grimmer than usual. We all owe Sevarius for something. He's caused a lot of pain and sadness, and father is determined that it will end tonight. We all are.
The brownstone on the lower-east side that is our destination is in sight now. Matt believes that Sevarius lived therre under the name Andy Simmons. Police are there now, I see. Several patrol cars and two familiar unmarked cars are parked out front. Our job is simple. We circle the building in widening arcs in hopes of spotting some sign of the doctor. It isn't a stake out. They came close to catching him here. Claw and Lex are underground searching the areas he might have ducked into. I honestly can't understand the man's motivations. How can he do such horrible things to people? It isn't the time for thoughts like that though. Sevarius is what he is and it is up to us to see that he doesn't hurt anyone else. We spread out, circling the building in widening arcs, searching, hoping to spot some trace of him.
It is growing late. He would be noticed on foot. A car then. I can't imagine what kind of car he might drive, and Matt hadn't a clue. I spot five taxis, three buses, two motorcycles, and a partridge in a pear tree. Whatever that means. I really must ask Broadway
Focus girl. I can't sort one person out of the crowd from this altitude, and he could be disguised. What do I tell father? Flying lower seems worth the risk. Keeping to the pattern, I turn right and start down another, narrower street. There's a flash of hair much like his near a shopping cart at the mouth of an alley. Dropping to a fire escape I look more closely, and nearly scare the poor woman out of her wits.
"S-sorry, I, I thought you were some-"
"G-go away!! No devils! Go away!!" She turns and breaks into a staggering run, abandoning the cart that probably contains everything she owns. This is no good. I could try to talk to her, but she would only grow more frightened. It's frustrating, but there's nothing I can do but let her go and continue the search.
"Angela?" Father checking in. I take wing again and touch the receiver.
"Here father. No sign of him."
"Keep looking."
"I will."
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Where is it? Where is that box? It is amazing the amount of junk one can accumulate when one is immortal. I haven't seen some of these items in decades. A book of spells purportedly written by the mad Arab comes to my hand. Back in the box. I've never opened it and never will.
A human would probably have a garage sale. Perhaps I should thin out the clutter, but I honestly don't think I ever will. It's impossible to tell when I might want a particular item, like now. I'm not sure why I even picked them up, let alone kept them. I never imagined seeing them again. I never wanted to. So why, I wonder as I finally find the right box, did I keep them?
They are simple utilitarian things, not pink for the female and blue for the male, as human tradition seems to dictate. There are no flowers or animals embroidered on them, and even the scent is gone. It was the scent that led me to the trash bin in the first place. I remember that scent distinctly though, even after all these years. It was what led me to them in the first place. The blankets my hatchlings were wrapped in. I couldn't think of them that way then, and I'm not sure I can now. I think… I know I would have killed them on sight, and the thought gives me a sick fluttering feeling in my gut. Have I really changed that much? Has Angela really had so great an influence?
Angela! What must she be thinking now? I've never told anyone about that. Angela will want answers. I'm not sure I'm up to giving them though. I've learned a lot about placing blame over the last couple of years, enough anyway so that I can't hate those hatchlings for what happened to me. Angela wanted me to be her mother, to be part of the clan. Is that what these two will want? I honestly don't think I can do it.
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Buck up Anton, things aren't all that bad. Goliath will find a way to make use of the twins. They would have been difficult to conceal from Madoc anyway. It would have been nice though, to have more time with them, ensure that they believed about gargoyles what I want them to believe.
It will work out though. I'm sure they are better positioned now to fulfill the prophecy. Prophecy, fah, utter nonsense. I'm a man of science, and I put no faith in prophecies, but I've also seen too many things I can't readily explain.
If Madoc is destined to be defeated by a union of humans and gargoyles then what better weapon than two hatchlings he will not even suspect? They were made to be soldiers, killers. When that side of their nature begins to assert itself the Unseelie will be in for a big surprise. As will Goliath and his clan. The thought makes me smile for the first time today.
Yes. Things have actually worked out rather well. A bit ahead of schedule perhaps, but I can adapt. Perhaps I should have expected it; she is a very good detective. I knew dear Elisa would discover the truth if I dropped enough bread crumbs for her to follow. No doubt that old dotard, what's his name? Hudson. Hudson will soon be teaching them how to be warriors, in the gargoyle tradition. Will he be pleased, I wonder, with what is sure to be their rapid progress?
No matter. I'll check on the twins from time to time, but for now, it is time for me to go. The police are still milling about the brownstone I see. Fools. Detective Maza at least should know it wouldn't be that easy.
Ah, there she is now. The cameras are well placed around the apartment. Had I the time, I could watch them search the place that I've only ever set foot in on three occasions for another hour or so before they even come close to finding one.
Tossing one last item in my bag, I turn to leave. Like the brownstone, this place is no great loss. It's rather more upscale, but is still small and a bit Spartan for my tastes. It hardly matters now though. In an hour I'll be on a plane to Madrid where I can meet my associate and we can begin our new venture. A venture that will distance me somewhat from Madoc, there's another happy thought.
My usefulness to Madoc, I fear, is coming to an end, and I have no desire to be labeled a liability. Best to sever my ties if I can do so in such a way that it won't be too obvious to him. Shouldn't be too difficult. It isn't as if he doesn't have other concerns at the moment. Perhaps I'll even have a more direct hand in this 'prophecy' if Madoc starts gaining the upper hand. I am, after all, working with a gargoyle. An interesting thought.
Knocking? Judging by the tentative sound of it, it's my landlady. Annoying woman, what does she want now? I'm paid up through the end of the month. Caution dear boy. Check the peephole. Entirely too many people looking for you.
"Mr. Severn?" It's her.
"Yes, Mrs. Biers, what can I…? Uh. Hello." Large men in suits, this can't be good.
"Dr. Sevarius. You are under arrest." They move fast for Neanderthals, I'll give them that. No fuss Anton, they've already cut you off from the fire escape. Wait for your chance. The cuffs are quite tight. That's bad. They didn't read me my rights. That could be good or bad. There are no squad cars, and no uniformed officers. This is starting to look bad. That car is definitely not department issue.
These people go through the motions, but they are not police. That much is obvious. Ah, here's the fellow to ask.
"Dr. Sevarius. We've been looking for you for some time."
"Indeed? Who precisely is 'we?'" He smiles and actually chuckles at that. Again, this could be good or bad. The man himself is nothing much to look at. Short with glasses and an old hat, covering a bald spot I suspect. He's rather shifty about the eyes, and his attempt to appear amiable is somewhat spoiled by the presence of the two goons flanking me.
"My name is Martin Hacker. I represent your new employers."
THE END… FOR NOW