*Part 4*
When Darien got in to the work the next morning, he wandered into the office he shared with Bobby and was surprised not to find him there. He debated looking for him for a moment, then decided to just get the boring duty of writing the report on the other night over with. Digging out a pen and the paperwork he needed, he sat in Bobby's chair and got to work on creating something vaguely resembling a proper report, with too few hours of sleep and not nearly enough coffee.
It had taken nearly an hour to come to an agreement with Manny, and in the end it was Alyx who had convinced him. She had pulled out a wad of cash that Darien had known nothing about and waved it under Manny's nose. He became real cooperative after that. Darien had been more than a little astonished, though he knew she had a source of income that he knew nothing about. Hell, he was pretty sure she was the one who'd arranged for the rather impressive sum to be deposited in an off-shore account in his name. If it wasn't for the gland and those nasty side effects, he'd have been long gone well before she had returned. So far he hadn't even touched the money, though he did have a few plans he was considering.
When they'd arrived back at her apartment, Alyx had been truly tired. After changing, they had both simply curled up in her bed. Alyx seemed to fall asleep almost immediately, but he'd lain there thinking for a while. Some of the comments Manny had made caused him to really think about what he was doing, getting her involved in this job. With any job outside of work. Bobby's commentary had also come to mind, and it made him wonder if Alyx truly hadn't known what he'd been doing at least subconsciously.
Not for the first time, he wondered what the hell it was she saw in him. Shifting on the bed, he buried his face in her hair, causing her to mutter something in her sleep.
"Dare?" She woke up just enough and he groaned. He hadn't intended to wake her.
"Sorry. Go back to sleep."
She rolled then so that he could see her. "Stop worrying about me. I'm a big girl and can make my own choices."
Darien shook his head. "It's not that simple." It never was these days, and that was part of the problem.
"Yes. It is," she said quietly. "When it involves you, it is that simple for me. Now go to sleep. The 'Fish will bitch if you're in too late."
He'd opened his mouth to say something else but her hand had come up to cover it. He had decided that, for the time being, he would let it rest.
He had finished the report and was about to sign his name to it when Bobby flung the door open. He had the Keeper in tow.
"Morning, Hobbes," Darien said, hoping to forestall whatever explosion was about to come.
"Don't 'good morning' me, partner. Your wrist. Now." Hobbes had a full mad on and was determined to catch Fawkes out on whatever his extracurricular activities were.
"Huh? Why?" Darien was truly able to sound confused. He had no idea what set off Bobby this time.
"Darien." Claire's voice was doing that tone that meant she was pretty angry as well.
With a glare at both of them he held out his right wrist for their examination.
Claire counted up the segments and then turned to Bobby. "He is ahead, maybe, one segment."
"Care to explain how?" Bobby asked him, his voice tightly controlled.
Darien knew exactly what it was from, but wasn't about to tell them that he and Alyx had been out casing a place, so he went back to his fall-back story. One that he was pretty sure Alyx would back him up on if asked. "Ummm, yeah. Well..." He did his best to look embarrassed. Not all that difficult; all he had to do was a remember an occasion when it had actually happened and the attendant embarrassment surged right to the surface. "You know."
Hobbes shook his head. "No, I don't. Explain it for me."
"Hobbes, it is kinda private." Darien rubbed the back of his head and refused to meet their eyes.
That's when Claire caught on. "Oh. Ooooh. Never mind Bobby. It was nothing suspicious." She was trying not to smile. They had had the little talk about quicksilver and sex, and she didn't know who had been more embarrassed by it -- her or him. Alyx had taken it in stride. She found the whole situation rather sweet and figured he'd get the hang of it eventually, just as she would with her control issues. "Darien, if you need to talk about it..."
"It's handled. Just, well..." He shrugged. "It happens."
"Fawkes, what are you talking about?" Hobbes sounded more than a little confused. He come in here expecting to catch Fawkes out on using the gland off hours and instead...he wasn't sure what the heck was going on.
Claire grabbed Bobby by the arm and pulled him aside, then whispered something into his ear. He glanced over at Darien and then snorted. "No shit?" When Claire released him he turned to Darien and said, "Sorry, partner."
Claire tugged on his arm and got him moving out of the room. "I'll see you later, Darien." Bobby gave him one last look and then allowed himself to be pulled from the room. When they were well away from the office he snapped. "Damn it, Keep, I don't believe a word of it. He's up to something and I'm going to find out what."
"Bobby, no matter what you think of her, Alyx would not let Darien do anything bad. That is one line I know she would not cross," Claire said, trying to get him to understand without revealing anything specific.
"Claire, before this whole mess I would've agreed with you, but now? The kid has changed too much and Fawkes has a lot of pull with her." Bobby shook his head, feeling a bit calmer now. "You've seen them together. Do you really think he couldn't persuade her into almost anything?"
Claire wanted to disagree, but found herself unable to. She suspected that Alyx was having far more problems than she was willing to admit to, and the few things she did know for sure led her to believe in the possibility that Bobby could be right. ''I don't know, Bobby." she admitted reluctantly. "But what are you going to do?"
"The only thing I can. Stop them," Bobby answered.
Darien signed the report, left the office, and handed it over to Eberts, who glanced over it quickly before burying it in a file. "Anything today?"
"Not as of yet," Eberts replied.
Darien nodded and left, heading to Alyx's office. He figured that Bobby might very well go after her next. Might as well give her some warning that Hobbes was on the warpath. He found her in her office, hand resting on her computer, eyes closed. He didn't for an instant think she was asleep. In fact, she was probably working on something rather complicated if she was using her shortcut method to do it.
He sat down on the oversized futon sofa she had across from her desk. He knew full well that she knew he was here, but he wouldn't make her refocus on him until she was ready. He did that to her once, by accident, and it had ended his plans for the rest of that evening. She'd ended up with a killer headache and been forced to take some of those pain meds she hadn't really needed since gaining full control. These days she only needed them when she overused her powers and ended up with an overuse headache. Claire still hadn't come up with a painkiller that would ease the pain without knocking her out. Not that Alyx complained about it. It was hard enough to define the pain, like the headaches he got from the gland. The pain was real, but it originated from such a unique cause that the solution had to be just as unique. In his case, it was the counteragent. For Alyx, some homemade painkillers. Claire had been able to reduce the side effects over the months, but so far there was no way to remove them completely.
She'd tried to explain to him what had happened without success. There was no way he could really understand. They had developed a signal system so that if she needed to be brought out they could do it without harming her. Right now it was unnecessary, so he just waited for her to return to herself in her own time. It was only a few minutes later than she sighed and opened her eyes to look at him.
"What now?" She had picked up on his concern, but had been unable to spare the focus to do more than that.
"Hobbes," he answered, getting up and moving over to her. "Interrogated me this morning about off-hours quicksilver use. Even dragged the Keep in to check me."
"Hmmm. Not surprised." She swiveled her chair to look at him. "Does it change anything?"
Darien seriously considered the question for several minutes, but came to no decision. "I don't know, yet."
Alyx nodded. "Fine. I'll meet Merrick and do a bit more research. Do you mind if I go out to... the place?" She wanted to avoid specifics just in case. She knew her office wasn't bugged and that no one was currently listening outside the door, but better safe than sorry.
"Sure. Why?" Now that she knew about the place, he didn't see any reason why she shouldn't make use of the equipment there.
"I'm going to see about rigging up some gear to make work a bit easier." While she was nearly infallible in spotting active electronics, the guys weren't, and she'd been mulling over some ideas on how to change that. With the gear Darien had, plus a few more pieces that she either owned or could pick up, she might be able to create a primitive version. This little job would be a good place to see if the idea was even feasible.
Darien just looked at her, wondering what was going on in her mind this time. He had figured out a long time ago that she was way smarter than him, and he was no slouch in the brains department. He had also figured out she had some knowledge about computers, but had no idea exactly how much. She had obviously managed to absorb more than enough science to be able to assist Claire with the quicksilver research.
In fact, she was able to learn and understand pretty much anything she chose to. Claire had been studying those cuffs Alyx had designed to react to quicksilver, and was more than impressed by the design. Darien still occasionally had shudders thinking about those damn things. His concern was that one day they would use them on him, to keep him in control, instead of just studying them out of what seemed, to him, a perverse sense of curiosity.
"Do I want to know?" he asked her finally.
"Later. I'm still in the 'Is it feasible?' stage." She smiled at him. "Take Hobbes to lunch and do some of that male bonding you've been neglectful of lately." She took one of his hands. "You need to spend more time with him. He misses you."
Darien was surprised; he didn't think she'd notice anything like that. "I...I guess I've been more worried about you."
She shrugged. "Go spend some time with him. I'll deal with Merrick and do some work. Richards will wait another night."
"Alyx..." He didn't want her to get in any deeper than necessary.
"Don't start. Stop by later if you want, but you don't need to. I'll be fine," she assured him as she got to her feet. "I'm off to the Keep. Go talk to him."
Darien walked with her out the door. "Yeah, guess that might be a good idea." He watched Alyx continue down the hall as he stood outside his and Bobby's office. He hadn't really thought about the amount of time he'd been spending with Alyx since she'd come back, and now that he did he realized it had been a lot. Not that she presumed to take precedence in his life, but he'd just felt she needed the help and had been more than willing to provide it. He didn't want to risk losing her again. As a result, he had been spending less and less time with Bobby, and he realized he missed it. There were just some things that you could only do with another guy, and Bobby had become his friend over the months he'd been here. He didn't want to screw that up; he couldn't go back to just being partners with him. It would feel wrong.
His little escapades after hours, if Bobby really found out about them -- well, he wasn't sure what would happen. Based on Bobby's attitude the last few days, he suspected that he wouldn't understand, wouldn't even try to. Unlike Alyx. Damn. He didn't want this to turn into a case of choosing one friend over the other. He needed -- yes, needed -- each of them, and for very different reasons.
Poking his head into the office, he found Bobby sitting behind his desk grumbling over some paperwork. When he didn't lift his head, Darien entered and shut the door behind him. "Hobbes?"
"What, Fawkes? I'm busy." Hobbes kept his head down and focused on the papers before him, even if he wasn't really seeing them anymore.
"Want to grab some lunch?" Darien figured he might as well just say it and see what kind of reaction he'd get.
Bobby's head snapped up in surprise. He couldn't remember the last time he and Fawkes had gone out to lunch together. He was usually off with the kid, probably getting in a little afternoon nookie. "Why? Trying to get me off your back?" Yeah, he was more than a little suspicious of his motives.
"No. I...do I really need a reason?" Darien slouched down in the chair on the opposite side of the desk from Hobbes and watched him.
"These days? Yeah, you do." Hobbes kept his tone gruff. He didn't want or need Fawkes kissing his ass just to get him off his back.
All right, he knew Hobbes was pissed at him for something, suspected he was up to something, but he was hoping that they could still be friends even if he was an inveterate troublemaker. "Look, I know I've been spending a lot of time with Alyx, but that doesn't mean I'm not your friend anymore."
Bobby shook his head. He had always known that if those two got together, he'd end up with the short end. Hell, he'd been there himself a few times. He knew what it was like and yeah, it did hurt a bit, but he understood. As much as he could anyway. And on top of that, the kid had been trying to straighten out her head. Fawkes had been a big influence in that area. "It's not that. Well, not too much, anyway."
"Then what? The Keeper still shooting you down?" Maybe not the best choice of questions, but he hoped Hobbes would take it in the spirit it was meant. As a friendly ribbing.
He did. "Yeah. I think she's got a thing for the kid's brother. Not that I can blame her or nothing."
"Bobby, don't you dare. If there was anything going on that way between them, it was out of convenience and nothing more." Darien knew the two Keepers had gotten close, but given everything that had happened, plus the fact that Michael was gone and not likely to return, he suspected that Claire and he had been nothing more than mutual sources of comfort. For a long time he had suspected that Claire was more than just a little attracted to Hobbes, but with that stupid 'no fishing' rule Hobbes bandied about, she had been unwilling to allow him too close out of fear of being hurt.
Hobbes snorted. "Doesn't matter." He glared down at the paperwork on his desk and realized that he would rather not do any of it now. No matter how necessary he knew it was, he still hated doing it. He'd much rather be out doing something, even if it was another boring stakeout. He looked over at Fawkes and decided that, even though it was a little early, he would like to go to lunch. "Where for lunch?"
Darien smiled. It was good to have his friend back, even if only for a little while. "You pick."
"Trying to suck up to me, huh?" He was grinning when he said it.
"No, last time we went out, I picked. It's your turn," Darien answered easily.
Hobbes was surprised that Fawkes could remember, but didn't mind. He knew just the place to go. "Let's get out of here, then." Bobby got to his feet and moved towards the door with Darien trailing behind him. "I'm still gonna find out what you've been up to at night."
Darien groaned. "Please. If it were anything that bad, I'd have been caught by now."
Hobbes laughed. He had a point.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Alyx spent the afternoon down in the Keep, assisting Claire in her work and doing some of her own research on ancillary subjects. Her relationship with Claire was on even shakier ground than Darien and Bobby's. She did understand why Claire had done what she had, but her stubbornness kept her from saying anything. So instead they did their best to work together and keep the progress on the gland and counteragent moving forward.
The inhibitor they'd developed was working better than either of them hoped, and they were working on a new version that should gain Darien as much as a month between shots. The biggest concern was how dependent his system had become on both the quicksilver and the counteragent. Although he was handling it well now, his addiction to the counteragent could and would progress. Extending the time between shots might cause more harm than good. While neither of them wanted him to build a resistance any sooner than necessary, they also did not want to send him into withdrawal, and there was no way to gauge where the line was.
There was also the risk that slowing the production of the gland too much could harm either Darien or the gland itself. There was no easy way to judge if his system had become dependent on the quicksilver the way Alyx's had. They did know that they would have to break both addictions in order to remove the gland safely. Cutting off both the quicksilver and the counteragent too suddenly could send his system into shock and kill him.
The removal of the gland was becoming more and more complicated the longer he lived with it. There were days Claire worried that by the time she had a viable solution it would be too late and the effects would not be reversible no matter what they did. The files Alyx had managed to retrieve were turning out to be extremely helpful. Claire still wondered what exactly she had done to get them, but Alyx wouldn't talk about it. Would only say that it was more than worth it.
It was shame that Arnaud had escaped from them. She would have really loved to discuss the counteragent in detail with him, but his notes and formulas would do. She hoped to have a new counteragent to test within three months at most.
Alyx stretched and turned to look over at Claire, who was grumbling at the monitor before her with a frown on her face. "Anything I can help with?" she asked quietly.
Claire turned to look at her. "Not right now. Did you get to that formula I wanted you to look at?"
"Yeah, I put my notes in. I didn't see any mistakes, I just made some suggestions of alternatives that might work." She shrugged. "It's not my area of expertise."
Claire snorted. "You caught on more than fast enough. There are days I envy you your memory."
Alyx turned off her monitor and got to her feet. "Don't. The disadvantages far outweigh any benefit. I'd gladly go back to the way I was before all this." She waved her hand about. "I was more than smart enough before."
Claire looked her over. "Are you still having problems sleeping?" She kept her tone mild, not wanting to scare Alyx off.
For a moment Alyx wanted to tell Claire it was none of her business, but... "Yeah."
"I could prescribe a sleeping pill if you like?" Claire offered. Lack of sleep would eventually do far more harm than a simple sleeping pill.
Alyx shook her head. "Thanks, but how much would it help? After two nights you'd have to prescribe a new one because my system has adapted. Anyway, they wouldn't solve the problem. I have no trouble falling asleep. I...I've been having nightmares. Memories actually." She didn't like admitting things like this to Claire, to the Keeper. She didn't want to give 'them' any more power over her than they already wielded.
Claire watched her for a moment, debating whether or not to push a bit more, and decided against it for now. This was more than the two of them had spoken about something this casually in a long time, but Claire still would not allow herself to open back up too much. Their little war about her loyalties when Alyx had come back had divided not only the two of them but herself and Darien as well, and it hurt.
"True. If you have any serious problems, let me know." She gave a hint of a smile as she watched Alyx pick up her backpack. "Skipping out early today?" She figured Alyx was going to head out and spend some time with Darien.
"Actually, I've been here since five-thirty this morning. I'm done for the day." She tried to smile at Claire, but failed miserably and she knew it. "I'll see you tomorrow."
"Have a good evening, Alyx." Claire said as she walked to the door. Alyx gave her a wave and the door slid shut behind her. She would just have to be patient and wait for Alyx to learn to trust again.
Alyx tossed her bag in her car and headed out to the meet with Manny Merrick. The guy was expecting Darien, but she didn't think he'd argue too much, since she had the cash. She was right. After a few moments casual conversation, the exchange was made. Manny walked off a few thousand richer, and she had two canisters of the destabilizing compound, which should solve the access tunnel problem. Or at least the first part of the problem. She was going to work on the rest of it now.
Heading out to the storage place, she used the keys Darien had given her and, after parking her car inside, went to work on the gear he had hidden there. He had some interesting pieces of electronics, used for overriding a variety of security systems using simple alligator clips and blank mag cards. They would generate random codes until one matched that allowed for the access they needed. What she wanted to do was combine several pieces that could be used as a standalone item or in conjunction the computer headset she had. Ultimately she was going to need her wireless connection in order to send the information she'd be retrieving someplace where it would do some good.
Pulling out her set of miniature tools, she got to work on tearing apart and recombining the various electronics until she had something close to what she was looking for. It wasn't perfect, so after glancing at her watch she headed out to pick up a couple more pieces that she could use. If Darien had any inkling that she knew about these places he'd probably freak, but aside from the government and cheesy 'spies are us' stores, these were the best places to purchase the type of gear she was after with the quality she needed.
She smiled as she pulled up down the street from the location. If Darien would freak, the Official would have a coronary. Hobbes would drag her off for a discussion that would surely involve various threats and include commentary about jail time and extended visits to the padded room. It was only the fact no one could imagine her coming to a place like this that kept her from being discovered.
She pressed the buzzer for Open Sesame Enterprises and heard a cheery, "Sweetpea, where the hell have you been?"
She opened the door at the buzz and walked in to see the smiling owner. "You know. Here and there."
"What do you need tonight?" he asked, knowing that when she came in it was for business.
She held out her headset for his perusal. "I need a comp pad that will connect to this and into other systems. It has to be able to take high-end computer connections, even if it's just an override hack connection." She looked over the items in the room. "Preferably with a display."
"Sweetpea, you don't ask for much do you?" he said, heading to the back room with her trailing along. She was one of the few customers he allowed in the back, and only because she knew her gadgets like few others. "What are you trying to do?"
She thought about how to describe it without giving too much away. "High-end, multi-layered security. I have to travel light, so I'm trying to rig one item with the various hook-ups to do it all, instead of carrying multiple crack pads."
He nodded. "I've had a few others trying to do that without much success. If you're successful, I can probably find a market for you."
"I'll consider it." She looked over the items he put out for her perusal. She picked up one that looked like a modified PDA and examined it carefully. She poked through the assorted connectors he had and tried a few. After playing with several, she found what she was looking for. "Can I borrow your comp? I just want to check the connection."
He considered for a moment, then nodded. He suspected she was something other than the typical thief he got in here, and knew she was damn honest. She wouldn't go poking into his system. As he watched, she swiftly made the connections and powered up the gear she had. When she smiled, he knew he'd made a sale.
She didn't even ask. As soon as she had disconnected everything she began to count out bills and, as always, overpaid. It had become routine, and was fairly standard in this business. Those that paid well would get forgotten when the occasional bust came his way. For all that she was difficult to forget, he knew he would have no memory of her when the cops came asking about her. And they would, eventually. They always did.
She left with a smile and a wave and headed back to the storage place to finish up her little project. Now that she had this last piece, she should be able to cobble together something that would get the job done without having to switch back and forth between four or five different pieces of gear.
What she really needed to do was sit down and map out that computer program she'd envisioned. If she did it right, she could program something that would handle everything she was trying to jury-rig with this hardware and be able to control the systems remotely. That would be sweet, and very useful to the guys on jobs that she was unavailable for. The idea was to duplicate some of her unconventional skills at finding and controlling electronics, security systems, power systems, and the like, with one computer, one program.
First things first. Take down Nate Richards, then start chewing up space writing the program.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Lunch had gone better than Darien hoped, and over the course of the afternoon back at the office Hobbes loosened up even more. Darien made a point of not mentioning Alyx, and did his best to keep their conversation light and away from subjects, such as his extracurricular activities, that would cause more than a little discomfort between them.
Hobbes was quite surprised when, at the end of the day, Darien said he had no plans for the evening. Now, being the suspicious sort that he was, he figured Fawkes was just trying to get him off his back.
When he pointed this out to Darien, he just grinned and said, "Yeah, so?"
Hobbes shook his head. "Go meet the kid."
"Can't, she has plans." It was true enough as far as it went. "Come on, Hobbes, not that long ago you were trying to drag me out on the town. Now that I want to go, you're trying to send me home."
Darien did that look, that pitiful look that just made you want to pet him, and Hobbes caved. "All right, but go change into something decent. I'll pick you up at eight."
Darien looked in the mirror, making a few final adjustments to his hair, and then looked at himself. The outfit he was wearing was something Alyx had picked for him. It wasn't all that different from the stuff he usually wore, just a bit better quality. Black linen slacks with matching black belt, a cream-colored, long-sleeved dress shirt -- tucked in, amazingly enough -- and his black leather coat. Her commentary on this outfit had included the words 'drool-worthy,' which he had found most amusing. He couldn't see it, but didn't argue with her about it. His sense of style was more than a little quirky, so when it came to buying real clothes he tended to rely on others.
He had to admit that he liked the way the silk felt, and the slacks were cut perfectly. Most days he saw no reason to get dressed up. Hell, if he could get away with hole-filled jeans and his barfly shirt at work, he'd do it. He was a big believer in comfort, and stuff like this just wouldn't be comfortable on a daily basis. Though he was seriously considering picking up more silk. Maybe some for Alyx as well.
His thoughts were interrupted by a knock on his door. He opened it to see Hobbes standing there in what could only be called a modified Miami Vice look. A black t-shirt, framed by a dark brown sport coat and matching slacks. He actually looked almost relaxed.
"You ready, Fawkes?"
"Yeah, I guess so," Darien answered, shutting and locking the door and following Bobby down the hallway. "We're not heading to that place in Chinatown, are we?"
"Nah, thought you'd be a bit more comfortable at one of my other haunts." He looked his partner over. "Let me guess, the kid picked the clothes."
"How'd you know?" Darien asked, surprised, as he climbed into the passenger seat of the van.
"Fawkes, you're wearing a hundred-dollar silk shirt. There is no way you'd think of buying that for yourself." Bobby started the engine and after a moment pulled out into traffic. He tried not to laugh at the look of shock on his partner's face. Good thing he didn't mention the cost of those slacks he was wearing. The shirt was high quality, but those slacks were top of the line and very expensive. Not something Darien would ever consider getting for himself. "So, Fawkes, have you thought about your cover story?"
"Cover story?" Darien had no idea what Bobby was talking about.
Bobby sighed. "Fawkes, you can't tell the girls you're a secret agent. You remember, I'm in textiles..."
Darien nodded. He did remember. He also remembered getting 'milked' by the Chinese shortly after learning about it. Not the most pleasant of recollections. He thought about it for a moment and came up with an idea. "How about security?"
"What do you mean?" Bobby asked.
"Installing security systems. High end ones, not that ADT crap." Darien kinda liked the idea.
"Which would explain your knowledge of lock picks and other nefarious means of gaining illegal entry into places." Bobby was smiling. It was a pretty good choice. "How do we know each other?"
"Ummm." Darien was drawing a blank. It wasn't like he'd been told there was going to be a test just for a night out, after all.
"Come on Fawkes, this one's easy. You installed the security at one of my factories." Bobby offered. "We discovered we had some mutual interests, including the lovely ladies, and it explains the lack of knowledge about each others' business."
"Bobby, do you ever really relax?" Darien had a feeling that Bobby enjoyed these nights out because he got to 'be' someone else for a little while. That Bobby Hobbes, government agent, got shoved aside and the person Bobby wanted to be came out.
"Fawkes, relaxing at the wrong moment is the fastest way to get oneself killed," Bobby said to him. "Do I relax? Yeah. Do I let my guard down? Never."
Darien shook his head at that. He could never live that way, but that was him. Bobby was...well, Bobby. As they pulled into a parking space, Darien looked around for the place Bobby was dragging him to.
Once on the sidewalk, Hobbes led him down the street and then down a stairwell that was nearly hidden by a crowd hanging around what was obviously an upscale club. "Uh, Hobbes, this does not look my style." The crowd standing outside was decidedly goth, and both he and Hobbes would stand out like sore thumbs inside.
Bobby snorted. "Give me some credit for taste. The place we want is back this way." He led Darien through a tunnel that ran around the side of the building, to a set of double doors outlined with neon tubing. "This is the place we want."
Darien was pleasantly surprised when they entered. The place actually looked like a bar. All the usual oddities hanging on the walls: photos, old license plates, record albums, blow up dolls, among other things. There were TV's everywhere, some showing the inevitable sporting events and others showing a variety of prime time shows. He could just make out a couple of pool tables in back past the bar. The place was filled with a wide selection of patrons. Neither he nor Hobbes looked out of place, either by age or dress. Some were dressed casually, with jeans and t-shirts, while others were dressed to the nines. Most, like them, fell somewhere between. There were a few cell phones and laptops sprinkled throughout the place, but for the most part the people were just being people. The music was canned, but with a good sound system and real music, not top forty pop crap.
As they approached the bar, several girls appeared out of the crowd and sidled up to Bobby. "Girls," Bobby said with a grin. "Long time no see."
Darien watched in amazement as all three lovelies immediately fell under Bobby's spell. One thing Bobby could do was mesmerize just about any female that he wanted. The only ones he'd seen resist his partner's charms were Claire and Alyx. He shook his head and then ordered a bottle of Corona, which the bartender swiftly got for him. Hanging out at places like this was something he used to do a lot of. Okay, maybe not places quite this upscale -- that right there said something about the quality of his life -- but since the gland, he'd mostly stayed away from everything he used to do. He had learned the hard way that he couldn't go back, that he wasn't the same person anymore. He might use the information and the contacts from his pre-gland days on occasion, but he found slipping back into that old life of his was an uncomfortable fit these days.
He watched the crowd and thought about it. Seriously looked at himself. Yeah, it could be argued he was going back to his old ways, what with these little 'Robin Hood' stunts, but he was helping people by doing it. What was really amusing was that nether Bobby nor the Official would have a problem with it if it was a real mission. Take this Nate Richards -- the FCC, the IRS, and the local police were at the top of a long list, all trying to gather enough information on the guy to bring him down, but without much success. Richards had some really good lawyers that were fully capable of stonewalling the whole thing until the day Richards died.
If he could just get into the computer system, he was sure he could find the trail -- or rather, Alyx could. The others he had managed to take down had had actual paper trails he was able to follow. This guy was good, and he had made sure any paper trails that did exist led elsewhere, to holding companies that were, supposedly, owned by others. There had to be a connection, there was a connection, he had just been unable to find it. That's why he had turned to Alyx. Somehow he didn't think Eberts, who was also damn good with computers, would be as willing to help.
"Fawkes," Bobby said for the third time, finally succeeding in breaking Darien out of the brood he had fallen into. "If you'd pay attention a bit, you might notice the brunette making eyes at you." Bobby pointed with his chin at the woman just a few tables away.
"Bobby, I don't know..." Darien began.
"Fawkes, the kid ain't the jealous type. Have some innocent fun. Get a life." Bobby gave him a shove in the direction of the woman who smiled up at Darien.
Figuring what the hell, he walked over to her and introduced himself.
Bobby shook his head. "And he thinks I need to loosen up." He turned back to the girls that he was with and picked up the conversation where it had left off.