Special (2/?)
Title: Special (2/?)
Word Count: 3,431
Pairing: For this chapter there's mentioned Nixon/Speirs, mostly one-sided Webgott, and implied Babe/OC.
Summary: All over the world, people are waking up with extraordinary abilities. Not knowing how they got them or what to do, they will soon discover that they are not alone. They are all connected. They are all special.
Beware, this chapter might be kind of confusing as I am attempting to be somewhat mysterious :)
There is a link to the previous part inside.
Disclaimer: I’m not making any money off of writing this story. It’s entirely fictional and based on the performances given in the HBO miniseries Band of Brothers and not the actual soldiers. Any ideas or phrases borrowed from the NBC show Heroes belong to the writers of that show, not me. I don’t own anything…so please don’t sue me. I wrote it for your enjoyment so…enjoy!
Here’s a link to the previous part:
Part 1-http://community.livejournal.com/camp_toccoa/351591.html
Joseph Liebgott, San Francisco, CA
Joe sighed and looked at his watch. He’d been waiting on this guy for almost 15 minutes. Who calls for a taxi and is actually late getting to it?
He supposed it could have been worse. He could have been at school, but that just wasn’t an option right now. Maybe later, after he figured out what was happening to him. Maybe then he could go back.
Glancing out of his window he saw a figure rushing towards the car. About his age, brown hair, bit taller. But that was all he could tell. He always liked to check out his passengers before they got in.
Being a cabbie was a dangerous job no matter what city you lived in.
As the guy got in, Joe refrained himself from mentioning how long he’d been waiting. God knew he’d made passengers wait on him before. Besides 15 minutes wasn’t that big of a deal in the grand scheme of things.
Whatever the Hell that grand scheme was supposed to be. Joe was still trying to find out.
“Sorry, didn’t mean to keep you waiting.”
Joe ignored the familiar sound of the voice, “Where to?”
“A few places actually, Joe.”
Glancing at the man in his rearview mirror, Joe groaned, “Are you fucking kidding me?”
David Webster threw his hands up as if to plead his innocence, “Hear me out-”
Joe turned to glare at the young man in the back seat, “This is the 5th time I’ve picked you up this week. Are you requesting me?”
David put his hands down and stared at him with big eyes, “Well…yeah.”
“WHY?”
“You know why.”
Joe rolled his eyes and started the car, “Don’t even start with that bullshit again. I’m sorry I asked.”
The day that Joe had decided to drop out of college, he had met David Webster. Apparently they had American History together. Joe didn’t remember if that was true or not, the class had been so big.
Since he was no longer in school, Joe was driving his taxi full time. That day, when he didn’t show up to History, Webster had looked him up and had been basically stalking him ever since.
Apparently they were ‘meant to be together’, were soul mates or some shit. He had never even met the guy before.
Personally Joe didn’t get it. Webster was smart, good looking, wealthy. Basically normal, why would someone so seemingly perfect go all stalker on some guy like Joe? It just didn’t make sense.
He wasn’t sure why he hadn’t just kicked the guy’s ass yet.
“So where do you wanna go ya Psycho?”
Webster pouted at him, “Really? That’s what you’re going to call me now? To think I actually miss being called Harvard.”
Joe smirked at the nickname he’d given him previously. Webster told him that he’d transferred out of the prestigious school and Joe liked to insinuate that it was because he hadn’t been able to cut it.
“Well how about it? The car’s running.” He reminded him, trying his best not to invite too much conversation.
Webster rattled off an address and Joe turned to gape at him, “That’s on the other side of the fucking city!”
David just leaned forward with a smirk on his face, “They have good ice cream.”
“Not that good.”
“Maybe I just like your company. Doesn’t really matter does it?”
”Why you little-” but Joe was too frustrated to finish his sentence and merely made a show of choking the air where he wished Webster’s neck was.
“You’re so violent.”
“No talking.”
Bill Guarnere, San Francisco, CA
Leaning against the side of his rental car, Bill watched as David Webster got into Joseph Liebgott’s cab. Folding up the newspaper that he had only been pretending to read, he pulled out his cell phone and called his boss.
“Guarnere, glad to see you made it okay. Have you found your target?”
Bill nodded, eyes not leaving the still stationary taxi, “I found one of them. He’s with one of our possible recruits.”
“Which possible recruit might that be?”
“The taxi driver we tagged in San Francisco a few months ago.”
“That’s…interesting. Do you know which one it is yet?”
“If I had to guess, I’d say the younger one.”
“Keep an eye on this one regardless. Wherever his past self goes, your target is bound to show up. Trail him and see why he’s hanging around Liebgott. See if you can use it against him.”
Bill nodded and slipped into his car as he saw the taxi start. He was about to hang up when his boss spoke once more.
“Oh and Bill…”
Bill paused, “Yeah?”
“Do whatever you want to the time traveler, but leave Liebgott unharmed. He really does have potential.”
“It shouldn’t be a problem.”
“Excellent. I’m counting on you. Get it done.”
George Luz, Brooklyn, NY
Wiping his grease stained hands onto his jeans, George Luz turned to prop up the hood of a car that the owner was claiming to be damaged beyond repair.
“Everyone said the same thing, that it can’t be fixed. But my friend, he says you can fix anything. Even this.”
Luz nodded to the man, “Well your buddy’s right. If it’s a machine, then I can fix it.”
“Really?” The man asked, doubt expressed on his face. “Um how much is it gonna run me?”
He sighed…he didn’t want to rip the guy off…though it would be so very easy. Looking back over the damage underneath the hood, Luz just shrugged, “$300 bucks.”
“That’s it?”
Luz smiled and nodded, “That’s it. And you can pick it up first thing tomorrow morning. I open up at nine.”
“Thanks man!” The guy smiled before handing Luz the keys to his car and heading over to where his ride was waiting for him outside the garage portion of Luz’s shop.
When the customer was out of sight, the young mechanic looked over at the button that controlled his garage door. Concentrating, he fixed it with a stare.
Seconds later the garage door began to lower seemingly on its own accord. George just smiled and turned back to the car.
Placing a hand to the damaged engine, Luz concentrated on making it work. He watched as all the damaged parts began to repair themselves.
Once he was satisfied that it was fixed, he shut the hood and concentrated on making the car start.
When the vehicle sputtered to life, Luz smiled. With a wave of his hand he cut the engine off and headed towards the front of his shop.
Technically what he’d told the man was true. But it wasn’t so much about fixing machines..as it was about controlling them.
If he wanted a machine to fix itself, it would. If he wanted information from it, it would give it to him. He could control virtually any aspect of any machine.
Sometimes he wondered, with this incredibly odd gift of his, why he was still a mechanic…but then he knew the answer to that question.
No matter how remarkable the things he could do, George knew that he would never go beyond using these powers in a minimal manner. He had responsibilities to think about.
Sighing he locked up the shop, and flipped the sign over to indicate that it was closed. Glancing at his watch he saw that it was almost 4 o’clock.
Time to pick his son up from school.
Dick Winters, Philadelphia, PA
As he leaned against a tree in the currently empty high school court yard, Dick Winters wondered whether the female security guard watching him thought he was cute, or thought he was some sort of pervert.
Fortunately he didn’t have to worry about it much longer as a mass of students began to pour out of the school’s numerous doors. Shielding his eyes from the sun, Dick began to look for Babe.
When he spotted the beat up Eagles cap he smiled and waved Babe over. Babe spotted him and said goodbye to the boy he had been talking animatedly with.
“Hey Dick,” Babe smiled at him and Dick couldn’t help but be curious. He motioned to the friend Babe had left behind.
“Who was that?”
Babe looked down at his feet and shrugged, “His name’s Chris. He’s my lab partner in anatomy. We were talking about maybe catching a movie or something this weekend.”
Dick wasn’t sure he liked the sound of that, “What-like a date?”
“No! Just…maybe like a date, I dunno. I haven’t decided yet.”
“Can I decide for you?”
Babe glared at him as they got into the car, “Uh no. If you and Bill had your way I’d never get laid.”
Dick froze, “Get laid!? I thought you were seeing a movie! Babe you aren’t having sex yet are you?”
“I’m 16! Also…I’m not having this conversation with you.”
“Oh my goodness you are having sex.”
“You better not tell Bill!”
Dick said nothing to that. On the one hand, Babe was as much a little brother to him as he was to Bill. And he didn’t want Babe to be upset with him.
Yet on the other hand…if he told Bill, they could team up to make sure that Babe never dated any guy ever. Until he was at least 30. He liked the sound of that.
“I can’t make that promise.”
Babe groaned, “Why must you both be so crazy?”
Dick just laughed and reached over to pull down the bill of Babe’s hat. Truth was that they wouldn’t be any less over protective if Babe liked girls.
Protecting Babe was their main priority now.
Of course it wasn’t their job. No if they had done their job…they wouldn’t even have Babe around anymore.
“What ya thinking about?” Babe’s question jerked Dick out of his thoughts.
“Oh, I was just wondering how your brother was doing. He’s bound to have been there for awhile now.”
Babe nodded, “I’m surprised you didn’t go too. I thought you guys had to do these business trips together.”
Dick shrugged, “They thought he could handle it alone. Bill’s the best at what he does. Plus he wanted me to stay in the city and keep an eye on you.”
Babe laughed, “How do you become good at selling paper anyways? And what about you? You’ve been working with the company just as long right?”
Dick had been working with the Company longer than Bill had actually. But he didn’t tell Babe that. He just nodded and kept driving.
The company that they both worked for couldn’t be further from a paper company if it tried. Selling paper was just a front. A façade so that people didn’t find out what they were really up to.
He had been working for them since he was a teenager. Ever since he discovered that he had a gift. The kind of gift that the people running the Company wanted working for them.
He had thought he could do good with the Company. Thought he could help change the world. But that was a long time ago.
So many things had changed since then.
He had worked solo for a few years but eventually, everyone got a partner. He and Bill had been partnered up and made a good team, and good friends.
One thing was for certain, they made better friends to each other than they did employees to the Company.
If they hadn’t been then they never would have gone against their orders.
They never would have gone to the extremes they had to go to in order to keep Babe safe.
Safe, and hidden from the people they worked for.
Because Babe was like Dick and so many others that worked for the company.
He was special.
Ronald Speirs, NYC, New York
“Do you ever plan on telling us what the Hell is going on?”
Ron couldn’t keep the frustration out of his voice no matter how hard he tried. When agents Compton and Nixon had arrived to his office they had both been a big hurry.
Apparently another body had turned up, this one in New York. They had been
rushed to a car and were currently heading to the crime scene.
While it seemed that getting formally briefed would have to wait, that didn’t mean they couldn’t get any information.
However his question was met with silence as the two agents in the front of the car were too focused on the news that had received only an hour earlier.
Christenson, for his part, looked bored.
But Speirs hadn’t spent the past couple of hours pouring over his case to get shoved into a car and rushed to a crime scene. He wanted to know the details of the case, and he wanted to know now.
“Enough of this horse shit. The guy’s fucking dead already, what’s the big ass hurry?”
Lewis sighed, “Ron, once again, I’m astonished by your sensitivity.”
Ron ignored him, as far as he was concerned, Nixon wasn’t his boyfriend right now. He was just an agent.
“I’m assuming that this recent victim was one of the abductees in our case. What’s his name?”
Compton sighed, “James Miller. His parents found him in his bedroom…”
Shit…Ron remembered him for their interviews. He was just a kid. “And you’re sure it’s the same people who killed your other victims?”
“Well they're all on your list of abductees. What about you? What’s the connection?” Buck glanced at him in the rearview mirror and Speirs struggled not to meet his eyes.
“There is no fucking connection between them all. But I know what you’re really asking. And no..I don’t think whoever abducted them is killing them.”
“Any particular reason why?” Lewis asked.
Speirs nodded, “Well the obvious question to ask would be ‘why now’? Why go through all the trouble of abducting people if you were going to have them killed months after the fact?”
“But this is the fourth name on our list to be killed. It’s not a coincidence. Whatever got them abducted, has to be what got them killed.” Christenson piped in finally.
Ron saw the black and whites up ahead and knew they were coming in on their crime scene. As Compton pulled the car off to the side of the road, Speirs grabbed the file with the list of names that Christenson had been smart enough to bring.
Walking towards the apartment complex, Lewis fell into step with him. “You said have them killed. You think it’s organized.”
Speirs shrugged as they all boarded an elevator, “Maybe. It’s definitely more than one person. You said the first 2 murders happened in New York. So unless of course the killer just happened to be in California at the time of the third murder..”
Lewis regarded him thoughtfully, “Stranger things have happened.”
Ron shrugged, “You’re the expert on serial killers, not me.”
“No you’re the organized crime expert. It’s your job to look for these kinds of connections; I just don’t want you seeing something that isn’t there.”
“Correction: that was my job. I got reassigned. Remember?” Ron shot back, cold as ice.
Buck intervened quickly, “Well the ways in which two of them were killed suggest that more than one person had to commit the act.”
Christenson looked over at him, “How’s that?”
The elevator doors opened and Ron saw the apartment guarded by police officers. Looking over at Christenson he jerked his head in that direction.
“Let’s go see for ourselves.”
Joseph Liebgott and David Webster, San Francisco, CA
“Here you go.”
Joe looked down at the ice cream cone David was offering him as if it had spikes coming out of it. He shook his head.
“I don’t think so.”
David leaned next to him against the cab, I’m not going to like drug you….or anything.”
Joe gave him an odd look, “Webster, that hadn’t even crossed my mind. But now that you mention it I will definitely pass on that ice cream. Thanks.”
“You really don’t trust me.”
“Should I?”
At that Webster looked down at the ground and he looked so pitiful standing there that Joe took mercy on him.
Snatching the ice cream cone from him he glared at the other man, “This had better not be poisoned.”
David just grinned at him as Joe took a bite of the ice cream, and he had to admit- Webster was more than a little charming. It was a shame he was nuts.
Finishing the bite he looked down at the dessert in surprise. He had just assumed it was vanilla.
“How did you know I liked cheesecake ice cream?”
David shrugged, “I’d rather not say. Let’s pretend it’s something I picked up from stalking you.”
“Okay…”
“Joe can I ask you a question? That question not being the one I wanted to ask.”
Joe just sighed, not sure where this was going to go. “Whatever Webster.”
“Why did you drop out of school? The truth.”
Joe laughed at that. Like Webster would ever believe the truth. Hell, Joe didn’t believe it sometimes.
David frowned at him, “What’s so funny?”
Joe shook his head, “Nothing…it’s just…you wouldn’t believe me if I told you.”
“You’d be surprised at what I’d believe.”
Tilting his head to the side, Joe considered it. What was the harm? Maybe it would turn him off of Joe if he knew.
Ah to Hell with it.
“I left school because it was driving me insane.”
“How so?”
“Every book I opened, every lesson I learned. They became engrained into my memory. I started to know things I didn’t even remember studying. Then I realized I must have just read it someplace. At first I thought it would be a good thing. Being able to remember anything, being able to know it expertly. But it didn’t stop there…”
For his part David looked fascinated, which was kind of the opposite of what Joe had been hoping for. “What do you mean?”
Reluctantly Joe continued, “Everything I read, I know and remember. But everything I see…I can do. I don’t know how to explain it. You must think I’m full of it.”
Webster shook his head quickly, “No I don’t. I think you’re special.…just like me.”
At that, Joe looked up, “What do you mean ‘just like you’?”
The moment the question was out of his mouth, his cell phone started to ring. Joe grabbed it and turned the alarm off.
“Shit, my shift’s ending soon, lemme take you back.”
David shook his head, “You don’t have to, I can get back another way.”
As tempted as Joe was, he’d feel like an asshole for leaving him there.
Webster put a hand up to stifle his protest, “Just do something else for me.”
Joe rolled his eyes as David pulled out a piece of paper from his pocket and handed it to him.
“What’s this?”
“My address and phone number. Call me, come see me. Whatever.”
“Look Web about what I said-”
But Webster cut him off by leaning over and giving him a small peck on the lips. Joe closed his eyes on reflex.
But when he opened them…David was gone.
Looking around in shock, Joe didn’t see David anywhere. It was like he had vanished.
Special indeed.
Bill Guarnere, San Francisco, CA
He watched as the cabbie looked around frantically for his companion, but Bill knew he wouldn’t find him.
He spoke into his phone, “Our time traveler just teleported.”
”Let’s hope that’s all he did. Don’t worry about him right now. That’s not the one you want. Stay on Joseph Liebgott. Judging by what you’ve told me I have a feeling your target will try to make contact with him.
“I won’t let him out of my sight.”
Next time: Joe meets someone he thought he already knew and our FBI agents start to make some sense of their mysterious case. Find out the tragic way in which Gene discovered his abilities. And find out who else is special…
Word Count: 3,431
Pairing: For this chapter there's mentioned Nixon/Speirs, mostly one-sided Webgott, and implied Babe/OC.
Summary: All over the world, people are waking up with extraordinary abilities. Not knowing how they got them or what to do, they will soon discover that they are not alone. They are all connected. They are all special.
Beware, this chapter might be kind of confusing as I am attempting to be somewhat mysterious :)
There is a link to the previous part inside.
Disclaimer: I’m not making any money off of writing this story. It’s entirely fictional and based on the performances given in the HBO miniseries Band of Brothers and not the actual soldiers. Any ideas or phrases borrowed from the NBC show Heroes belong to the writers of that show, not me. I don’t own anything…so please don’t sue me. I wrote it for your enjoyment so…enjoy!
Here’s a link to the previous part:
Part 1-http://community.livejournal.com/camp_toccoa/351591.html
Joseph Liebgott, San Francisco, CA
Joe sighed and looked at his watch. He’d been waiting on this guy for almost 15 minutes. Who calls for a taxi and is actually late getting to it?
He supposed it could have been worse. He could have been at school, but that just wasn’t an option right now. Maybe later, after he figured out what was happening to him. Maybe then he could go back.
Glancing out of his window he saw a figure rushing towards the car. About his age, brown hair, bit taller. But that was all he could tell. He always liked to check out his passengers before they got in.
Being a cabbie was a dangerous job no matter what city you lived in.
As the guy got in, Joe refrained himself from mentioning how long he’d been waiting. God knew he’d made passengers wait on him before. Besides 15 minutes wasn’t that big of a deal in the grand scheme of things.
Whatever the Hell that grand scheme was supposed to be. Joe was still trying to find out.
“Sorry, didn’t mean to keep you waiting.”
Joe ignored the familiar sound of the voice, “Where to?”
“A few places actually, Joe.”
Glancing at the man in his rearview mirror, Joe groaned, “Are you fucking kidding me?”
David Webster threw his hands up as if to plead his innocence, “Hear me out-”
Joe turned to glare at the young man in the back seat, “This is the 5th time I’ve picked you up this week. Are you requesting me?”
David put his hands down and stared at him with big eyes, “Well…yeah.”
“WHY?”
“You know why.”
Joe rolled his eyes and started the car, “Don’t even start with that bullshit again. I’m sorry I asked.”
The day that Joe had decided to drop out of college, he had met David Webster. Apparently they had American History together. Joe didn’t remember if that was true or not, the class had been so big.
Since he was no longer in school, Joe was driving his taxi full time. That day, when he didn’t show up to History, Webster had looked him up and had been basically stalking him ever since.
Apparently they were ‘meant to be together’, were soul mates or some shit. He had never even met the guy before.
Personally Joe didn’t get it. Webster was smart, good looking, wealthy. Basically normal, why would someone so seemingly perfect go all stalker on some guy like Joe? It just didn’t make sense.
He wasn’t sure why he hadn’t just kicked the guy’s ass yet.
“So where do you wanna go ya Psycho?”
Webster pouted at him, “Really? That’s what you’re going to call me now? To think I actually miss being called Harvard.”
Joe smirked at the nickname he’d given him previously. Webster told him that he’d transferred out of the prestigious school and Joe liked to insinuate that it was because he hadn’t been able to cut it.
“Well how about it? The car’s running.” He reminded him, trying his best not to invite too much conversation.
Webster rattled off an address and Joe turned to gape at him, “That’s on the other side of the fucking city!”
David just leaned forward with a smirk on his face, “They have good ice cream.”
“Not that good.”
“Maybe I just like your company. Doesn’t really matter does it?”
”Why you little-” but Joe was too frustrated to finish his sentence and merely made a show of choking the air where he wished Webster’s neck was.
“You’re so violent.”
“No talking.”
Bill Guarnere, San Francisco, CA
Leaning against the side of his rental car, Bill watched as David Webster got into Joseph Liebgott’s cab. Folding up the newspaper that he had only been pretending to read, he pulled out his cell phone and called his boss.
“Guarnere, glad to see you made it okay. Have you found your target?”
Bill nodded, eyes not leaving the still stationary taxi, “I found one of them. He’s with one of our possible recruits.”
“Which possible recruit might that be?”
“The taxi driver we tagged in San Francisco a few months ago.”
“That’s…interesting. Do you know which one it is yet?”
“If I had to guess, I’d say the younger one.”
“Keep an eye on this one regardless. Wherever his past self goes, your target is bound to show up. Trail him and see why he’s hanging around Liebgott. See if you can use it against him.”
Bill nodded and slipped into his car as he saw the taxi start. He was about to hang up when his boss spoke once more.
“Oh and Bill…”
Bill paused, “Yeah?”
“Do whatever you want to the time traveler, but leave Liebgott unharmed. He really does have potential.”
“It shouldn’t be a problem.”
“Excellent. I’m counting on you. Get it done.”
George Luz, Brooklyn, NY
Wiping his grease stained hands onto his jeans, George Luz turned to prop up the hood of a car that the owner was claiming to be damaged beyond repair.
“Everyone said the same thing, that it can’t be fixed. But my friend, he says you can fix anything. Even this.”
Luz nodded to the man, “Well your buddy’s right. If it’s a machine, then I can fix it.”
“Really?” The man asked, doubt expressed on his face. “Um how much is it gonna run me?”
He sighed…he didn’t want to rip the guy off…though it would be so very easy. Looking back over the damage underneath the hood, Luz just shrugged, “$300 bucks.”
“That’s it?”
Luz smiled and nodded, “That’s it. And you can pick it up first thing tomorrow morning. I open up at nine.”
“Thanks man!” The guy smiled before handing Luz the keys to his car and heading over to where his ride was waiting for him outside the garage portion of Luz’s shop.
When the customer was out of sight, the young mechanic looked over at the button that controlled his garage door. Concentrating, he fixed it with a stare.
Seconds later the garage door began to lower seemingly on its own accord. George just smiled and turned back to the car.
Placing a hand to the damaged engine, Luz concentrated on making it work. He watched as all the damaged parts began to repair themselves.
Once he was satisfied that it was fixed, he shut the hood and concentrated on making the car start.
When the vehicle sputtered to life, Luz smiled. With a wave of his hand he cut the engine off and headed towards the front of his shop.
Technically what he’d told the man was true. But it wasn’t so much about fixing machines..as it was about controlling them.
If he wanted a machine to fix itself, it would. If he wanted information from it, it would give it to him. He could control virtually any aspect of any machine.
Sometimes he wondered, with this incredibly odd gift of his, why he was still a mechanic…but then he knew the answer to that question.
No matter how remarkable the things he could do, George knew that he would never go beyond using these powers in a minimal manner. He had responsibilities to think about.
Sighing he locked up the shop, and flipped the sign over to indicate that it was closed. Glancing at his watch he saw that it was almost 4 o’clock.
Time to pick his son up from school.
Dick Winters, Philadelphia, PA
As he leaned against a tree in the currently empty high school court yard, Dick Winters wondered whether the female security guard watching him thought he was cute, or thought he was some sort of pervert.
Fortunately he didn’t have to worry about it much longer as a mass of students began to pour out of the school’s numerous doors. Shielding his eyes from the sun, Dick began to look for Babe.
When he spotted the beat up Eagles cap he smiled and waved Babe over. Babe spotted him and said goodbye to the boy he had been talking animatedly with.
“Hey Dick,” Babe smiled at him and Dick couldn’t help but be curious. He motioned to the friend Babe had left behind.
“Who was that?”
Babe looked down at his feet and shrugged, “His name’s Chris. He’s my lab partner in anatomy. We were talking about maybe catching a movie or something this weekend.”
Dick wasn’t sure he liked the sound of that, “What-like a date?”
“No! Just…maybe like a date, I dunno. I haven’t decided yet.”
“Can I decide for you?”
Babe glared at him as they got into the car, “Uh no. If you and Bill had your way I’d never get laid.”
Dick froze, “Get laid!? I thought you were seeing a movie! Babe you aren’t having sex yet are you?”
“I’m 16! Also…I’m not having this conversation with you.”
“Oh my goodness you are having sex.”
“You better not tell Bill!”
Dick said nothing to that. On the one hand, Babe was as much a little brother to him as he was to Bill. And he didn’t want Babe to be upset with him.
Yet on the other hand…if he told Bill, they could team up to make sure that Babe never dated any guy ever. Until he was at least 30. He liked the sound of that.
“I can’t make that promise.”
Babe groaned, “Why must you both be so crazy?”
Dick just laughed and reached over to pull down the bill of Babe’s hat. Truth was that they wouldn’t be any less over protective if Babe liked girls.
Protecting Babe was their main priority now.
Of course it wasn’t their job. No if they had done their job…they wouldn’t even have Babe around anymore.
“What ya thinking about?” Babe’s question jerked Dick out of his thoughts.
“Oh, I was just wondering how your brother was doing. He’s bound to have been there for awhile now.”
Babe nodded, “I’m surprised you didn’t go too. I thought you guys had to do these business trips together.”
Dick shrugged, “They thought he could handle it alone. Bill’s the best at what he does. Plus he wanted me to stay in the city and keep an eye on you.”
Babe laughed, “How do you become good at selling paper anyways? And what about you? You’ve been working with the company just as long right?”
Dick had been working with the Company longer than Bill had actually. But he didn’t tell Babe that. He just nodded and kept driving.
The company that they both worked for couldn’t be further from a paper company if it tried. Selling paper was just a front. A façade so that people didn’t find out what they were really up to.
He had been working for them since he was a teenager. Ever since he discovered that he had a gift. The kind of gift that the people running the Company wanted working for them.
He had thought he could do good with the Company. Thought he could help change the world. But that was a long time ago.
So many things had changed since then.
He had worked solo for a few years but eventually, everyone got a partner. He and Bill had been partnered up and made a good team, and good friends.
One thing was for certain, they made better friends to each other than they did employees to the Company.
If they hadn’t been then they never would have gone against their orders.
They never would have gone to the extremes they had to go to in order to keep Babe safe.
Safe, and hidden from the people they worked for.
Because Babe was like Dick and so many others that worked for the company.
He was special.
Ronald Speirs, NYC, New York
“Do you ever plan on telling us what the Hell is going on?”
Ron couldn’t keep the frustration out of his voice no matter how hard he tried. When agents Compton and Nixon had arrived to his office they had both been a big hurry.
Apparently another body had turned up, this one in New York. They had been
rushed to a car and were currently heading to the crime scene.
While it seemed that getting formally briefed would have to wait, that didn’t mean they couldn’t get any information.
However his question was met with silence as the two agents in the front of the car were too focused on the news that had received only an hour earlier.
Christenson, for his part, looked bored.
But Speirs hadn’t spent the past couple of hours pouring over his case to get shoved into a car and rushed to a crime scene. He wanted to know the details of the case, and he wanted to know now.
“Enough of this horse shit. The guy’s fucking dead already, what’s the big ass hurry?”
Lewis sighed, “Ron, once again, I’m astonished by your sensitivity.”
Ron ignored him, as far as he was concerned, Nixon wasn’t his boyfriend right now. He was just an agent.
“I’m assuming that this recent victim was one of the abductees in our case. What’s his name?”
Compton sighed, “James Miller. His parents found him in his bedroom…”
Shit…Ron remembered him for their interviews. He was just a kid. “And you’re sure it’s the same people who killed your other victims?”
“Well they're all on your list of abductees. What about you? What’s the connection?” Buck glanced at him in the rearview mirror and Speirs struggled not to meet his eyes.
“There is no fucking connection between them all. But I know what you’re really asking. And no..I don’t think whoever abducted them is killing them.”
“Any particular reason why?” Lewis asked.
Speirs nodded, “Well the obvious question to ask would be ‘why now’? Why go through all the trouble of abducting people if you were going to have them killed months after the fact?”
“But this is the fourth name on our list to be killed. It’s not a coincidence. Whatever got them abducted, has to be what got them killed.” Christenson piped in finally.
Ron saw the black and whites up ahead and knew they were coming in on their crime scene. As Compton pulled the car off to the side of the road, Speirs grabbed the file with the list of names that Christenson had been smart enough to bring.
Walking towards the apartment complex, Lewis fell into step with him. “You said have them killed. You think it’s organized.”
Speirs shrugged as they all boarded an elevator, “Maybe. It’s definitely more than one person. You said the first 2 murders happened in New York. So unless of course the killer just happened to be in California at the time of the third murder..”
Lewis regarded him thoughtfully, “Stranger things have happened.”
Ron shrugged, “You’re the expert on serial killers, not me.”
“No you’re the organized crime expert. It’s your job to look for these kinds of connections; I just don’t want you seeing something that isn’t there.”
“Correction: that was my job. I got reassigned. Remember?” Ron shot back, cold as ice.
Buck intervened quickly, “Well the ways in which two of them were killed suggest that more than one person had to commit the act.”
Christenson looked over at him, “How’s that?”
The elevator doors opened and Ron saw the apartment guarded by police officers. Looking over at Christenson he jerked his head in that direction.
“Let’s go see for ourselves.”
Joseph Liebgott and David Webster, San Francisco, CA
“Here you go.”
Joe looked down at the ice cream cone David was offering him as if it had spikes coming out of it. He shook his head.
“I don’t think so.”
David leaned next to him against the cab, I’m not going to like drug you….or anything.”
Joe gave him an odd look, “Webster, that hadn’t even crossed my mind. But now that you mention it I will definitely pass on that ice cream. Thanks.”
“You really don’t trust me.”
“Should I?”
At that Webster looked down at the ground and he looked so pitiful standing there that Joe took mercy on him.
Snatching the ice cream cone from him he glared at the other man, “This had better not be poisoned.”
David just grinned at him as Joe took a bite of the ice cream, and he had to admit- Webster was more than a little charming. It was a shame he was nuts.
Finishing the bite he looked down at the dessert in surprise. He had just assumed it was vanilla.
“How did you know I liked cheesecake ice cream?”
David shrugged, “I’d rather not say. Let’s pretend it’s something I picked up from stalking you.”
“Okay…”
“Joe can I ask you a question? That question not being the one I wanted to ask.”
Joe just sighed, not sure where this was going to go. “Whatever Webster.”
“Why did you drop out of school? The truth.”
Joe laughed at that. Like Webster would ever believe the truth. Hell, Joe didn’t believe it sometimes.
David frowned at him, “What’s so funny?”
Joe shook his head, “Nothing…it’s just…you wouldn’t believe me if I told you.”
“You’d be surprised at what I’d believe.”
Tilting his head to the side, Joe considered it. What was the harm? Maybe it would turn him off of Joe if he knew.
Ah to Hell with it.
“I left school because it was driving me insane.”
“How so?”
“Every book I opened, every lesson I learned. They became engrained into my memory. I started to know things I didn’t even remember studying. Then I realized I must have just read it someplace. At first I thought it would be a good thing. Being able to remember anything, being able to know it expertly. But it didn’t stop there…”
For his part David looked fascinated, which was kind of the opposite of what Joe had been hoping for. “What do you mean?”
Reluctantly Joe continued, “Everything I read, I know and remember. But everything I see…I can do. I don’t know how to explain it. You must think I’m full of it.”
Webster shook his head quickly, “No I don’t. I think you’re special.…just like me.”
At that, Joe looked up, “What do you mean ‘just like you’?”
The moment the question was out of his mouth, his cell phone started to ring. Joe grabbed it and turned the alarm off.
“Shit, my shift’s ending soon, lemme take you back.”
David shook his head, “You don’t have to, I can get back another way.”
As tempted as Joe was, he’d feel like an asshole for leaving him there.
Webster put a hand up to stifle his protest, “Just do something else for me.”
Joe rolled his eyes as David pulled out a piece of paper from his pocket and handed it to him.
“What’s this?”
“My address and phone number. Call me, come see me. Whatever.”
“Look Web about what I said-”
But Webster cut him off by leaning over and giving him a small peck on the lips. Joe closed his eyes on reflex.
But when he opened them…David was gone.
Looking around in shock, Joe didn’t see David anywhere. It was like he had vanished.
Special indeed.
Bill Guarnere, San Francisco, CA
He watched as the cabbie looked around frantically for his companion, but Bill knew he wouldn’t find him.
He spoke into his phone, “Our time traveler just teleported.”
”Let’s hope that’s all he did. Don’t worry about him right now. That’s not the one you want. Stay on Joseph Liebgott. Judging by what you’ve told me I have a feeling your target will try to make contact with him.
“I won’t let him out of my sight.”
Next time: Joe meets someone he thought he already knew and our FBI agents start to make some sense of their mysterious case. Find out the tragic way in which Gene discovered his abilities. And find out who else is special…