27/12 Instance : Second Shift

[steyn]

timeline: Current Game time please


Japh rubbed his eyes. He was staring at the screen for hours, going through phone numbers and addresses and names and what else he and the investigations team could get their hands on. They pretty much gave up on the idea of it being a registered mutant organisations, even support groups, and now they had turned to tons of information and contact details on unofficial clubs, among other things.

They were grabbing at straws now. Japh leaned back, the chair making an unhealthy creaking sound.

Tessa knocked casually on the doorjamb, watching the numbers on the screen filter and shuffle. "Want some help? You look like you need it."

She came up and leaned over his shoulder, looking at the numbers. "Phone numbers, extensions....postal boxes. Japh, there's no way any one person can filter that much information." She put her hands on his shoulders lightly. "You're going to burn out trying."

He brought one of his own hands up and placed it on hers, giving it a squeeze. "I just want to get them back. I feel guilty if I don't do anything, especially now that I'm team leader." he sighed, blinking a couple of times, staring at anything further away then what the screen is. His eyes were burning.

"Trust me, I know the feeling." She sighed quietly and took a seat beside him. "You could have asked for help." She looked over the numbers quickly, noting what they were for.

"yeah I could. Don't know why I didn't. Guess I thought I could go through them on my own. You know the saying, if you want something done, you gotta do it yourself. But...yeah, I should have asked for help."

Tessa ran her figners over his head lightly. "What are you thinking?" She indicated the computer screen. "These don't seem to have all that much in common."

He took a deep breath, exhaling. "We're desperate. We're looking for anything, any place concerning mutants. I know if you're going to kidnap a person you wouldn't have your e-mail address and phone number for the public to find, but, we're desperate for anything now."

She thought for a minute, appearing to zone out as she ran through the numbers in her head. Finding nothing, she shrugged. "WE could go about it from a different approach. I mean, whoever took those kids has to have money, either to hire people for cronies or for equipment. Checking the banks for large withdrawals might get us somewhere."

Japh nodded. "Yeah, it would take a heck of a long time. Have you ever seen how much large sums of money gets transferred from one place to another every day? And frankly, if you ran a big operation like that, would you name things like kidnappers and get away vehicles on a bank statement? But it's still something to do. Hopefully they screwed up somewhere."

He realised he was shooting down Tessa's help. "I'm sorry, I'm starting to get cranky." he looked around him, then went still for a moment, checking his link with the maggots. They were foraging for food. Good, he needed the energy.

"People do some really, really stupid things. Like keeping a second set of books for money laundering. Why bother to record it at all?" She shook her head with a little smile. "It's your job to point out flaws, Japh. If you didn't I'd be worried."

Japh smiled back, "Thanks. If you don't mind, would you start on that idea of yours when you get the chance, and I'll ask Forge and some of the others to help you on it." he gave a yawn and checked his watch. It wasn't even 6 pm yet.

"I'll do that tomorrow. Want to go down to the kitchen and get some dinner?" She looked at him with her head tilted to one side.

Thank God, something to get his mind off this tragedy for a little while. He nodded, getting up and stretching, hearing a bone or two cracking. "I'd love the company. I should take more breaks."

"Come on then. Let's go find food." She took his hand and led him out of the room, blinking at the contrast between the information room light and the hallway.

She pulled him along, through hallways and doorways untill they ended up in the kitchen. "It's a bit eerie, being six o'clock and no-one's even in here."

"Yeah, but the Danger Room's been booked for days." Tessa rummaged through the cabinets until she found a pack of fruit snacks and ramen noodles. "Vic says he's doing four hours of training a day now, instead of two. and still he won't spar with me." She rolled her eyes playfully.

"Hey, he needs the practice to get up to your level," he joked, taking a seat at the kitchen counter, watching Tessa hunt for food.

"Sure, you say that now." She debated between the soup and fruit snacks, and ended up just with the jellies. "I want to work on something I saw once on TV, the Dynamic Circle." She smiled pleasantly. "It's amazing how little there is at three in the morning on television."

"I'm a little bit afraid to ask, but what, my dear, is the Dynamic Circle?"
Session Time: Sat Dec 22 00:00:00 2007

Tessa chuckled. "It's a defensive thing. Enabels you to basically fight people much larger than you with considerable ease. hence why I asked Vic." She gestured with one hand as she bit into the packet, trying to tear it open. "Why would you be afraid to ask?" She asked as she took a seat next to him.

"Nah it was just a joke...didn't come out that well, did it?" He sat still for a second, calling the maggots, and he could feel them coming closer. "Hey, if you ever need a big guy to throw on the floor, I'm always available for your throwing pleasures."

"If I ever threw you to the floor, it would be for an entirely different purpose." She put her head on the cap of his shoulder, sucking on a jelly. "You doing okay?"

He nodded, "Yeah. Cess is kind enough to keep me sane when I'm grumpy after a long day. And you? How are you holding up?"

"Could be better. Could be worse, I suppose." She chewed on the jelly snack. "I've been told everything's going to turn out fine. It better, or as the Americans say the 'shit will hti the fan'."

Japh half snorted a laugh, but got a little serious afterwards. "I'm sure it will, Tessa. I'm sure of it."

"So I've been told more times than I care to think of right now." She wound her arm through the gap between his elbow and his waist, looking around. "Your smurfs got sidetracked, it appears."

"Nah, they'l be here in a sec, they were on the otherside of the mansion doing God knows what. They tend to go awol when I don't give them any attention." He gave her arm a squeeze. "So that's all you're going to have for dinner?" he nodded towards the jellies.

"Nah, they'l be here in a sec, they were on the otherside of the mansion doing God knows what. They tend to go awol when I don't give them any attention." He gave her arm a squeeze. "So that's all you're going to have for dinner?" he nodded towards the jellies.

"I'm not very hungry. The dinner suggestion was to get you out of the computer room." She laid her head on his bicep and crossed her eyes trying to focus on a piece of hair on the bridge of her nose.

The twins finally came pushed open the one door leading to the recroom, and made their way to Japh. "See, here they are." He held out his leg for the to climb up on.

Tessa held out some of the candy in her palm before setting them on the countertop. "You should eat something too before going back to work."

He watched the maggots not try and chew, they just devoured. "That's what they've been doing most of the time while I was stuck in front to the computer." The two finally climbed up on Japh, who was already holding his shirt open a bit for them. After they were in, he was beginning to feel much better. He made a small sigh. "And that's my meal for the day...or night...or whatever. You know what I mean."

Tess laughed and rubbed the side of her head that was beginning to ache. "More than I think most people pick up on." She patted his shoulder and looked consideringly at him. "You should go to sleep. I'll come and get you if I find something useful."

Japh stood up from the seat, stretching a little. He then copied her and placed his hand on her shoulder, "Thanks. You're a real sweet heart, you know. And even if you don't find anything and hit a deadend, come find me anyway."

She half-smiled when he called her a sweeteart. "I will. Maybe I can catch a few hours of sleep with you if I work fast." Her expression turned wry and sober as she stretched and headed for the computer room.

[Edited on 27/12/2007 by steyn]

[Slarti]

He nodded, "Yeah. Cess is kind enough to keep me sane when I'm grumpy after a long day.

I just bet she does.