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Chapter 4: Revelations
Topic Started: May 13 2013, 05:05 AM (86 Views)
Jason Hawk
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Two hours later....

Hitomi had a third glass of wine swishing in her glass as she paced around the front room of Arianne’s safehouse.  The adrenaline from the night’s gunfire and near-death was still coursing through her and she needed some relaxation.

The others were off on the other room, unlocking the files on Krueger’s computer and decrypting the V-42N nanovirus source.  They would be a while.  

Hitomi decided she’d spend some quality time with Marcus in the meantime.

She lit a cigarette, in violation of Arianne’s rules, and forced her face into a grim, mock frown and did her best, still very poor, attempt at imitating Jade’s accent.

“Ok, Marcus check this out.....”  she cleared her throat and attempted a British accent.  “I’m Jade.....I’m sooooo miserable.  All I do is brood and brood.  I have no friends at all because I’m a loser and no one likes me.  I’m going to go listen to some crappy goth bands and cut myself!”

Hitomi burst out into laughter.  “Oh god, that was hilarious.  How was I?  Need some more wine?  Ok, ok....now you do Hawk.  Come on, do it!”

Marcus laughed and shook his head, taking a sip of his wine before pausing to light a cigarette. “I’ll leave the imitations to you,” he replied.  “I’ll also remind you that before you mock them you might want to remember you’ve slept with them. Maybe I should be mocking you,” he teased.

“Aren’t you the least bit curious about what they’re doing in there?” he asked, nodding in the general direction of the room where the others were working.

“Decryption is not my specialty,” said Hitomi.  “Arianne and her people have the matter well in hand.  Something about nearly getting killed makes me lose my sense of perspective.  I drink to take the edge off.  Besides,” she picked up the television remote.  “I’d rather see how the news outlets are spinning this.....”

The television came onto the top of the hour news.

“...and the death toll, god only knows.  The simultaneous explosions in New York City’s lower Manhattan district and the five alarm fire at the ApostleCorp headquarters building are certainly related, but are being explained by authorities as related to a major gas line explosion late this evening.  Reports of helicopters firing on the building have been discredited, as are reports of a large, metallic vehicle falling from the forty-fourth floor.  Multiple fatalities are assured.  The death toll is only expected to rise before the night’s over....”

“I hope they found something or this will all be for nothing,” she said.

“Not all for nothing, We have undoubtedly set them back quite a bit. That has to be worth something,” Marcus replied. He stood up, taking his glass and his cigarette with him.  “i’m going to see what they’re doing.”

“Wait,” she said, stopping Marcus.  “I’ve got another one.....”  She slouched and her voice grew deep, imitating Hawk, “Jade, you’re stifling me.   I need my space.  I’m going to go move to the US so I can drink myself to an early grave and find some strippers.”

She switched to Jade’s voice, “Oh but you can’t!  I can’t *live* without you!  I’ll cut off my ear and send it to you.  Then, I’ll camp outside your house with a machete and a bottle of Jack.”  She burst out laughing, then continued.  “Only Morrissey understands me!  His lyrics are like.....sooooo deep.  I’m going to write him another letter written in my own blood.  Where oh where are my razors????”

Just then, Hawk entered the room with Jade behind him.

“Um....” said Hawk, his eyes narrowing.

Jade glared at Hitomi. “You fucking think you’re funny?” she asked. The question was almost a dare.

“I was just coming to find you,” Marcus said, hoping that the distraction would diffuse the situation. “She lost what little tact she had about four glasses in,” he said, glancing back at Hitomi.

“Hitomi has tact?” Hawk said, brushing past her and placing a laptop on a nearby table.  “By the way, you sound nothing like me, Hitomi.  Your attempt at Jade is awful, too.”

“We were just....blowing off steam,” she replied, sheepishly.

“Watching the telly while New York burns,” Hawk replied, bringing up a file.  “Isn’t that rather Nero of you?”

Hitomi shrugged.  “What have you found out?”

“Well, Krueger was behind the assassination campaign from the start.  He was helping Cord consolidate power.  The V-42N nanovirus was a means to that end, too.  It’s hard to negotiate with the man in charge of the only thing between your people and the new Black Plague.”

Marcus nodded. It all made sense. “And what of the cure now, then?” he asked. “Will someone else be able to synthesize it?”

“Arianne’s organization has the resources to begin widespread synthesis and distribution of the vaccine immediately,” said Hawk.  “Clarasseu’s organization in Europe should be able to do the same.  They have counterparts in Africa, Asia, Australia.  A bloody plague should be nipped in the bud, with any luck.”  Hawk stopped and cursed, “Sodding, blimey, bloody, shagging, knickers, bollocks....fuck, I’ve spent too much time in England.  Your country is rubbing off on me, Jade.”

“Maybe you should come back to England with me, then,” Jade replied. She was still holding on to fragments of hope that Hawk would consider taking her back. The rational part of her brain knew how she was behaving, but when she was overcome with emotion, she just couldn’t hold back.

“Jade,” said Hitomi.  “Can we sidebar the whole relationship thing until *after* this is over?”

“Does this mean we can leave this Godforsaken country, then?” Marcus asked. “What happened to getting our names cleared back home?”

“We have enough information here to clear our names,” said Hawk.  “It’s here....all of it, enough to even bring Cord down, with any luck.  However, there’s a problem.  Cord has a facility in the Nevada desert.  It’s located in a canyon near the Arizona/Utah border.  Its near a nuclear testing site that houses an abandoned nuclear research facility.  Cord bought it from the U.S. government twenty years ago.  He’s built onto it, added a satellite uplink to the CordSky satellite network.  It’s hooked into everything.  The Aquinas Router is located there....all global network traffic that uses the Aquinas Protocol is secretly routed through that one location.  He’s got an entire contingent of the most battle-hardened, fanatical Majestic Twelve troops located there.  Project Ascension is slated to go down in two days’ time....”

“When do we leave?” Jade asked, ignoring Hitomi’s comments but shooting her a death stare. “We’ll need time to scout out the location.”

“There’s something even more disturbing,” said Hitomi.  “If Project Ascension is on schedule, that means....”

“Cord has control of Helios again,” Hawk said.  “Helios injected itself into the ApostleCorp security network....if it was isolated and couldn’t get out.....”

“Cord has what he needs.....” said Hitomi.

An incoming transmission came in.  Hawk brought it on screen.  A live video feed of Marianne Clarasseu came on.

“I see you were successful in New York,” she said.  “My congratulations.  From the data you’ve recovered, I can funnel the information to the proper authorities to clear your names.  The V-42N virus should be shut down as well.  However, there is still the matter of Cord himself.  He must be stopped.  Fusing his consciousness to the Helios A.I. and merging with the Aquinas Router will result in Cord becoming all-seeing, all-knowing....in effect, God.”

“Not exactly our first choice,” said Hawk.

“Nor mine.  So, I make you a proposal.  When Cord is eliminated, give me the signal and I’ll have a team onsite to take control of the Aquinas Router.  The Illuminati, once in control of global communications, will once again be ascendant.  We will use our power to guide humanity to the future.”

Marcus looked at the others and began to pace. “It always comes back to that, doesn’t it?” he asked wearily.

“What the fuck makes you think you’ve go the right to guide humanity?” Jade demanded. "So have we just been a tool in your little power play against Cord? You’re no better than he is!”

“I knew this deal with Silhouette was a devil’s bargain,” Hawk spat.

“Who would you rather take control?” said Marianne.  “Cord?  Or perhaps you would rather destroy the Aquinas Router itself and cause new Dark Age.  Are you completely insane?  Who would take control if not us?  Surely others would follow Cord.....”

“So now our only options are you, Cord, or the dark ages?” Jade demanded. “I’m sure there are alternatives. There always are.”

“If reporting to a tyrant is the price we pay for technology, I’m voting for the dark ages,” Marcus muttered, downing his wine in one shot.

“Fuck this,” Jade said. “If you want to take over the world find new puppets.”

“Think rationally,” said Marianne.  “Would you condemn all of humanity to a new dark age that would take centuries to come out of?  Or perhaps a psychotic megalomaniac with delusions of godhood?  The Illuminati would guide the world as it always has, behind the scenes.....never taking direct action....but insinuating, suggesting....financing where need be.  Jade....don’t make an enemy of us.”

Jade laughed bitterly. “Really? You think that threat scares me? You know what my life has been like, what’s one more enemy? You’ll have to wait in line. And I fail to see how your illuminati is any better than whatever cord had planned, or Helios. It’s all just manipulation... If you’re a puppet does it really matter who is pulling your strings?”
Edited by Jason Hawk, May 13 2013, 05:20 AM.
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Jason Hawk
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Meanwhile, at Cord's Headquarters in Los Angeles...

"How many dead?" said Deacon Cord. He watched the footage from New York impassively as his assistant gave him the latest report.

"I'm sorry sir, we don't have a full count at this time."

"Have the renegades been identified as any of the bodies?"

"No sir, not as yet. However, we remain optimistic."

"Wonderful," said Cord, dripping with sarcasm. "Krueger's dead, ApostleCorp breached, our distribution network compromised and not one of the renegades dead or in our custody. Explain to me how this is *not* a disaster of Biblical proportions?"

"Sir, in the wreckage our men discovered this," the young man pulled out a leather satchel and produced a circuit board with an array of microchips attached to it. He placed it on Cord's desk. "Our men put it on a plane to you immediately after it was identified."

Cord examined it quizzically. "A circuit board. Fascinating....and this is supposed to mean what, exactly?"

"Sir, this is a the central processing unit of one of our Avatar-3000 series security robots. Our security team removed it from the network when its V.I. brain was compromised by an outside source."

"I thought these things weren't accessible from the security network for the exact reason that we didn't want them hacked into from the outside," said Cord.

"That was the Avatar-2000 series," said the young man. "The 3000 series allows for network access for remote maintenance and firmware upgrades. It was a necessary safety measure after the 2000 series' eight percent likelihood to turn on its masters."

Cord shrugged, "Still, ten percent less likely than the 1000 series. Anyway, what is the point?"

"Sir, we believe with ninety-nine percent likelihood that the Helios A.I. is contained within this robotic brain."

"Really?" said Cord, his interest suddenly perking up.

"More tests will be needed by our IT security team, of course. It was IT security's initiative in bringing this bot off the network once anomalous behavior was detected that allowed us to isolate Helios."

"Excellent," said Cord. "Inform necessary personnel that Operation Ascension is back on track on an accelerated schedule. Divert all key personnel to Aquinas Base."

"Sir, there is still the matter of the renegades. They are on the loose and we believe they may have assistance."

"Soon they will no longer matter," said Cord. "If they somehow manage to locate and enter Aquinas Base, they will soon find it a suicide mission. Aquinas Base has the defenses to hold off a small army and a contingent of my best troops on site. No, the time to worry about them has passed. Let them try to stop me. They will find out that, sadly, their misguided efforts are too little, too late. I have an appointment with destiny, and I don't intend to be late. Set the final phase of Operation Ascension into motion immediately."

"Yes, sir."
Edited by Jason Hawk, May 16 2013, 09:46 PM.
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Jade Anderson
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Later that morning, Hawk sat on the veranda overlooking the city while the sun came up over the horizon. A thick black plume of smoke extended into the sky over downtown.

He nursed a coffee and had the first of his three cigarettes of the day. As he lounged on a deck chair and took in the morning.

"Mind if I join you?" said Hitomi. She had a gin and tonic and a cigarette in her hands. "Arianne doesn't want me smoking inside."

"I think we should have fiddles," said Hawk.

"It would seem appropriate," she replied, taking up a chair. "Can't sleep?"

"Not after last night. Something about wrecking part of downtown New York City makes it hard to sleep. And isn't it a little early to start drinking?"

"I never stopped." She paused, taking a long drag and looking out over the city. "Must bring back bad memories for New Yorkers."

"Yeah, I think we all remember where we were on that day."

"You've been quiet. Anything I should know about?"

"Just thinking about this Operation Ascension. If what's on the computers we acquired is true, we're nearing the end. The base in the desert, the Aquinas Router, Cord…..everything. I just don't see a way out that wraps this up in a neat little bow. There's no good vs. evil, light vs. dark, black and white; no ending where evil is vanquished and we all live happily ever after."

"Funny thing about black and white," Hitomi replied. "You mix it together and you get gray. And it doesn't matter how much white you try to put back in, you're never gonna get anything but gray."

"Except for Jade, I think she prefers black," Hawk replied.

Hitomi gave a good-natured laugh. "Have you thought about the future with her?"

"I can barely think of a future of us living through this," said Hawk. "Cord's moved most of his Majestic Twelve operations to secure his base. Even if we somehow make it through his defenses, I have no idea how we're going to shut his operations down."

"Be that as it may, Jade's been quite…distant, withdrawn. After the business in Italy, is she really still with us? I know about her past, she was made by people who wanted to control human evolution. If it came down to it, could *any* of us take her?"

"No," said Hawk, without hesitation. "In Italy it was only by you and Cavanaugh's intervention that she didn't kill me. She's stronger than I am, faster….better."

"Yet she barely seems to keep it together most days."

"Recessive genes, designed to keep her from becoming another Gwendolyn. Take away the megalomania, homicidal tendencies and sadism, replace them with a whole other set of problems. IN the end, perfection was out of the reach of the scientists who created her."

"Do you love her?"

"Yes."

"What about me?"

"Hitomi….."

"What if I told you it was ok if you said it?"

"I'd say if we met before Jade, that would be another matter. And that was if you were being serious and not just fucking with me."

Hitomi laughed, "Just keeping you on your toes."

"The Aquinas Router," she said, changing the subject. "It all boils down to who controls it. Cord, that's a non-starter. Helios? Can we really leave the future in the hands of an artificial intelligence? That's just way too Skynet for me. The Illuminati? They definitely want to be back in control. The business with Stark and then Cain weakened them, but they've always been looking for a way to consolidate control again."


Jade stretched and yawned as she stepped out onto the balcony. She was dressed in a t-shirt and underwear, her hair was a tangled mess. Black eyeliner was smeared across her face.

She looked from Hawk to Hitomi, something didn’t feel right, and Hitomi’s tone gave her the distinct impression that she’d just redirected the conversation.

She shot her a glance that told her she knew something was going on.

Pouring herself a cup of coffee, she sat down on the floor, cross-legged and cradled the cup, enjoying the warmth on her hands more than the coffee itself.

“I don’t like any of our options,” she confessed. “But the alternative is shutting it down. What happens then?”

“The end of civilization as we know it,” said Hawk. “Most global communication goes through the Aquinas Router now, even though no one but the highest levels of the Illuminati know what’s really happening.”

“What if we leaked word about Cord’s plans to the authorities?” said Hitomi. “Wouldn’t they be forced to intervene?”

“No one’s going to move against Cord at this point,” said Hawk. “He’s too entrenched in power, too well-connected. Just getting a judge to grant access to the Aquinas Base would trigger Cord’s legal team to tie up the request in legal red tape for months. We have days.”

“What if they thought that it was under attack in some way? You know how you Americans get when you hear there might be some sort of terrorist activity. Maybe once they send someone in, they’ll figure out that something isn’t right?” Jade suggested. She was completely lost for ideas that didn’t involve sending technological progress to a grinding halt.

“We have schematics on the base,” said Hawk. “If there’s a viable way in, we should be able to exploit it. A head-on assault would be suicide. These are people who are very well-financed, very connected and have their fingers in everything from the World Wars, to the Kennedy Assassination to the cancellation of Firefly.”

“If it was up to you, Jade.....what would you chose?” said Hitomi. “If it came down to you choosing what happened. Hypothetically, of course.”

Jade frowned into her coffee. She wasn’t like the others. She didn’t see a future full of wonder and progress. Technology had made her what she was, and as long as the option was there to exploit it, there would be people vying for control. Part of her would rather live out her life without it, knowing that no one else would have to suffer.

“I don’t know, because the only solution that makes me feel as though we’ve stopped them means giving up life as we know it.” she confessed. “If we shut it down, we set them back a hundred years.”

At this moment, Marcus walked in. He was looking crisply ironed and freshly showered, but he still looked exhausted. “You can’t be seriously debating that as an option,” he said, horrified.

“Besides, shutting it down doesn’t stop human nature. There will always be power struggles and people who want to control things.”

“I’m with Marcus,” said Hitomi. “If you want to go all feudal on us, go get a plot of land in Denmark and start milking cows, Maiden Jade Anderson, I’m not about to live in a world with the clock turned back a thousand years. Anyway, shouldn’t you get some sleep, Jade? You look like hell, and not the fun one where they burn you with hot pokers for all eternity. More like Lindsay Lohan and Britney Spears.”

“If that’s hell, I’m glad I don’t believe,” Marcus shuddered.

“Why, do you want to get rid of me so that you and Hawk can finish whatever conversation you were really happening when I walked in?” Jade asked, narrowing her eyes at Hitomi.

“Am I missing something?” Marcus asked in confusion, looking at Hitomi questioningly.

“I didn’t know you were so keen on eavesdropping,” said Hitomi calmly.

Jade glared at Hitomi. “I’m not, but it’s pretty evident that you changed the subject when you saw me coming.” She said, standing up. “Fuck it. Come and get me when you’ve decided what to do about Cord. I’ll let the three of you get back to your little chat,” she said. Slamming the coffee cup down on the table, she stormed back into the building.

Marcus watched Jade storm off in confusion. “What was that all about?” he asked, sinking into a chair and helping himself to a drink.

“Jade’s going to yell at Hawk again,” said Hitomi. “It must be a day that ends in Y. Did she misunderstand something? Should I go in and talk to her?”

“No, I’ll talk to her,” said Hawk, setting down his coffee and following Jade inside.

“Jade, is something wrong?”

Jade had made it as far as the kitchen when Hawk found her. “Is something wrong??” Jade asked, staring at him in disbelief. “I know you were talking about me,” she accused. “How am I supposed to react?”

“We were talking about a lot of things,” Hawk replied calmly. “Last night’s festivities, computers that talk, secret societies and, oh yes, Mr. Merge with the Aquinas Router and Control Everything, well, I guess it’s nice to have goals.”

Hawk paused and looked around him. “You know, you and I don’t exactly have a great track record on being in kitchens and conducting tense discussions.”

Jade glared at Hawk. “Don’t give me a reason to keep it consistent, then,” she replied coldly.

“I want you to make a decision, Hawk,” Jade said. She could barely even believe that the words were coming out of her mouth, but she needed to know in order to go on. “Us. Are you all in or all out? I can’t do halves.”

Hawk shook his head, “Is that what this is all about? Hitomi and I? We’re not an item, Jade. She can hardly stand to be around me and when this is all over she’ll be on a plane back to Japan to terrorize the club scene and wineries.”

“God, you’re fucking thick,” Jade replied with a bitter laugh. “You think I’m worried about her falling for you? She only loves one person: herself... and maybe her best girlfriend Cavanaugh and his pool boy.” Jade shook her head.

“I want to know where I stand. You talk around things, make up excuses... I want to know... When this is over, if we’re still alive are you coming back with me, or is it over?”

“I thought I made myself quite clear in Italy,” said Hawk.

“Then it’s over.” Jade said, frowning.

“Jade, you’re just not listening to me. You want things to work and so do I, but the difference is that you want to simply go back to the way things were. Go back to what? We don’t even have a home anymore! Normal people don’t live like this! I want us to be happy, but I can’t live with the homicide attempts, Jade. In order for this to work, you HAVE to change! That’s what you seem to keep running away from. You say you want this to work but you consistently fail to give me a reason WHY things will be any different going forward. Give me *something*, Jade.”

“I’m angry, Hawk,” Jade replied, pacing. “But a big part of that anger is that you somehow think that we can resolve this by you moving to another continent. Come back to London at least. That way at least we can try to work things out... Start slow... We can’t do that if you decide to stay here in America.”

Hawk swore under his breath. “Well, I will say one thing. In Italy, you were holding back. I could tell. Let’s both be honest, I’m damn good....the best there is, but if you wanted to you could kill me in one on one combat every time, it’s in your blood.”

“I don’t want to kill you,” Jade confessed. “Fuck, Hawk. I just want what we had before all of this started. I know I fucked things up, but now I feel like you’re one foot in and one foot out. You need to make a decision. If you want this to work, you need to be willing to try. I’m willing to if you are.”

“I’m over London,” Hawk replied resolutely. “Though neither of us have a home there anymore. Sounds like you’re looking for a new place just as much as I am.”

“I don’t want to live here,” Jade replied. “I don’t like it here. It doesn’t have to be London, but somewhere in the EU, or maybe some place warm?” she suggested.

Hawk fidgeted and cursed, then sighed. “I have a cousin who has a lead on a place in L.A. Nothing’s definite. It’s big, polluted...lots of smog, traffic and gangs. Maybe in a way its not that different from London, only more humid.”

“Your perception of London is a little off,” Jade replied, rolling her eyes. “So what you’re saying is that there’s nothing I can do to convince you to come back with me?” She asked.

“It takes time,” said Hawk. “Anyway, if we survive this, which I’m not entirely sure we will, I’ve been thinking. A life-altering house fire and multiple attempted murders by a man’s girlfriend necessitates a period of wandering the earth for a while. Not settling back down in one place too quickly. Maybe a few months in Tibet to get some enlightenment. God, that sounds so cliche.”

“Jade, did you ever have a boyfriend before me?”

Jade chewed her lip. “I dated a few people. I was the other woman once... nothing serious I guess, at least not to the other person,” she confessed. “Why?”

“Because you just really don’t seem to get this whole relationship dynamic thing,” said Hawk. “You’re coming here *begging* me to take you back. That’s not the Jade I know. Look, I will agree that we can live in the same city, okay? I’m not sure what that city will be, for the record I don’t vote London or the UK in general, but I’m willing to agree on us living in the same geographic region. What happens after that is up to us.”

Jade nodded slowly. “Okay,” she agreed.

Marcus walked into the kitchen, placing a mug on the counter. “Do you suppose Arianne has an espresso maker?” he asked, stifling a yawn before rifling through the cabinets. “I don’t think I even slept an hour last night,” he said, stopping as he realized how tense the air was.

“I think we should all get some sleep, actually,” said Hawk. “Perhaps you could recite us some of your old poetry, Cavanaugh. Scratch that, I think I’ll just have a gin and tonic.”

“One more thing, I’ve been thinking about the Aquinas Router itself. What if there’s a way to cut it off from outside control while leaving its primary functionality intact. That way no one has control in the end.”

“How?” Jade asked.

Hawk put a hand on her shoulder. “I don’t know,” he said resolutely. “I honestly don’t know. T-minus forty-eight hours to Operation Ascension going down and....I don’t know. Maybe on the flight we can analyze the schematics of the Aquinas Router, it’s power and control source...we’re running on fumes, nearly out of time and out of options. One thing’s for certain, letting Cord merge is not an option. If we have to.....we take the whole thing down.”

“What if we can find a way to bypass it?” Marcus asked. “If we have the schematics, maybe we can cut Cord off,” he suggested, yawning again.

“How do the two of you sleep knowing you’ve killed someone?” he asked. Even though it was justified, it gave him nightmares. He’d spent the time he should have been sleeping lying awake texting to stay distracted.

“It’s my job,” said Hawk. “I wouldn’t be very good at it if I let the small details get to me. Do I have any personal quarrel with my targets? Usually not. They’re a profile on a dossier, most of the time. If I have a moral issue, I’m always free to turn the job down. Was there a point to that question, Cavanaugh?”

“No,” Marcus replied. “It wasn’t meant as a dig, I just don’t have it in me. I was up all night thinking about it. The last few years have changed me, but I still don’t like having to take a life. I feel dirty.”

“You know what? So do I. I remember everyone I’ve shot, stabbed, blown up, thrown throw a window, snapped the neck of, poisoned or otherwise caused to leave this mortal coil. You know my secret? I bury it deep down in a place where only I know exists. No one else is allowed there. It’s where I keep my sins buried. Maybe one day, they’ll come back to haunt me.”

“I don’t want to have to do that,” Marcus replied. “I need to be okay with who I am, what I’ve done in life. I may have done a lot of things that I’m not proud of, but I’m honest with myself.” He frowned. “I just don’t know how I’m supposed to go back to living a normal life after this... If there’s a normal life to go back to.... I’ve got someone waiting for me who has expectations. How do I reconcile this life with that one?”

Jade looked at him. “You don’t.” She replied. “Even if we manage to somehow make it out of this. You can’t pretend you haven’t seen what you’ve seen, done what you’ve done. People like us don’t get the white picket fence and happily ever after. If you wanted that you should have walked away in Wyoming. It’s too late now.”

“If it makes you feel any better I promise not to drag you into one of our little misadventures for another few years,” said Hawk, fidgeting with the toaster and some pastries. One popped out and Hawk took it out with a pair of tongs.

“Pop Tart?”

“Unless it’s laced with caffeine, not a chance,” Marcus replied, grimacing as he looked at what Hawk had in his hand.

Hawk shrugged and took a bite. He paused at the sound of loud snoring from out on the deck.

“Well that’s a first, Hitomi is the first one out.”

“Clearly you’ve never stayed up all night drinking with her,” Marcus replied wryly. “Maybe one day we can all just enjoy an evening that doesn’t involve coming from or going to war,” he said.

“If we live through this I’ll gladly have an evening out at one of your ballets or operas,” said Hawk.

“The ballet isn’t really my thing,” Marcus replied, smirking. “But if you play your cards right, maybe you can come by for a drink, or something. There are some ground rules, though... No guns in the house, no trying to extort money, no referring to my partner as the pool boy, and no one has sex in my living room except me.”

“Only if I can introduce you to incompetently dubbed kung fu movies,” said Hawk. “You have a nice home theater setup. You, me....um, Stefan....and the Dragon Fist of Shao-Lin.”

Marcus laughed. “I can’t promise I won’t retaliate with German art films,” he replied. “It’s a wonder Jade didn’t kill you years ago if that’s the kind of torture you subjected her to.”

“She hasn’t been successful....yet,” Hawk replied with a yawn. “One of us needs to put Hitomi to bed, I suppose. Her snoring will bring down the entirety of Majestic Twelve upon us. Jade, was she this loud in Monaco and oh dear, I really walked into that one, didn’t I?”

Jade glared at him. “I *slept* with you that night,” she replied. “And that was private.”

“Hitomi already told me about it,” Marcus replied, his laugh becoming a yawn. “I don’t understand it, but I’m really not in a position to judge. I’ve had my share of one night stands.”

“I’ll drag Hitomi to bed,” Marcus offered. “Unless she’s sleeping with the two of you these days,” he added with a wry smile.

Hawk laughed dryly as he finished the pastry. “I think we all need some sleep. We’ll be useless if we take on Cord running on fumes. That goes for myself, Jade, you Marcus...and Hitomi’s already way ahead of us. Maybe you could show us one of those German art films now, Cavanaugh....”

Marcus rolled his eyes. “I’m going back to bed,” he decided.”Wake me when we need to leave.”

“Six hours,” said Hawk. He never needed an alarm clock. His body clock was finely turned. He found a spare guest bedroom that was empty and collapsed on the soft bed.

Jade followed Hawk into the room. “Can I sleep here?” she asked quietly.

“Knock yourself out,” Hawk muttered into a pillow.

Jade stretched out next to him, pulling a blanket around her.

“So how was it with Krueger last night? It looks like he threw you through about ten windows and then ran you over. In any other context, I’d wonder why you’re still alive, but here, a welcome distraction. What went down?”

Jade groaned. “He did. My entire body aches,” she confessed. “If he’d had another few seconds he’d have thrown me out a window.” She rolled onto her side. “Admittedly it’s a bit ego bruising to admit that Cavanaugh saved my life.”

“Underestimate Cavanaugh at your own peril,” said Hawk drowsily. “Outwardly, a pretentious eurotrash playboy, but in reality his alter ego is a fucking death machine.”

Jade laughed despite herself.

“Jade, do you really think this can work. Us, I mean? Tell me what you really feel.”

“I want it to...” Jade confessed. She looked over at Hawk. “I guess I more than want it to. I need it to.. I need you...” She said. “I know I have to work on myself. We both do... But I’m willing to try if you are.”

Hawk did not reply. Instead, Jade was met by the sound of snoring. Hawk’s body had finally given out and he’d slipped into a fitful sleep.

Jade let out an audible sigh. This was why things didn’t work.


Edited by Jason Hawk, May 20 2013, 07:07 AM.
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