#312 - Rerun
Rerun (#24: What is good, and what is evil?) [Set early December 2009.]
"I don't like this," Daniel says, jittering on the spot, biting at his nails. "No, no, I do not like this one bit." He spins to wail at the room. "Why are we just leaving him in there with them?!
"'Cause he asked us to?" Fred says, reasonably, tiny cards clutched in his huge hands.
"I do not like that Fitzroy," Daniel says.
"When my powers are all back, I'll drop him off a cliff or twenty for you," Charles says, studying his own cards. He plays one, and Fred slaps another down on it almost instantly. "Jeez! Are you cheating?"
"He's just that good," Erin says from where she's curled up in the rafters, near the outlets for the heaters. Which really should be at floor level, because heat rises, but what can you do? People are essentially stupid.
"Aw," says Charles. "I was hoping you'd be able to teach me how."
Fred laughs his deep belly laugh and deals the next round.
"I don't like this," Daniel repeats. "Why are we even here? We don't need them! And Magneto, we all know what he's like."
"He was all right to me," Fred rumbles.
"Everyone's all right to you," Daniel snaps. "They think you'll sit on them."
"Daniel!" Erin and Charles chorus, but Fred just grins.
"I might," he agrees.
"It's that guy's fault," Daniel says. "The one who wants to kill all our babies. He ruined everything, and now Mike's going to listen to Magneto and that horrible Fitzroy and hurt people."
"I don't think he wants to hurt people," Erin says. "I'm just not sure he cares any more whether they get hurt or not."
"What is this big plan of theirs, anyway?" Charles asks. "What's this alien stuff they're looking for in all those HYDRA bases, and why do we keep going after bioreactors and things? I don't even know what a bioreactor is!"
"It's a power source made of people," Fred says. They all stare at him, and he cracks up. "Your faces!"
"What is it, then?" Daniel asks. "What?"
"I dunno. I think they're growing something in it."
"Like ebola?" Erin asks, dropping down to join them. "Are we biological weapons terrorists now?"
"Mike wouldn't do that," Daniel insists. "He wouldn't. It's these others. This Hellfire club. It's all gone quite mad, I tell you."
Fred shrugs, a long, slow, ripple of a thing. "What is, is." He gets stared at again, and starts laughing once more. "Come on, pipsqueaks. You can all lose to me as easily as just Charlie here."
"Bite me," Erin says, but she takes a spot at the table and, half-a-second later, Daniel appears in the opposite chair.
"No good will come of this," he tells them. "You just wait and see."
"Yeah, yeah," Fred says. "Shut up and deal."
"I don't like this," Daniel says, jittering on the spot, biting at his nails. "No, no, I do not like this one bit." He spins to wail at the room. "Why are we just leaving him in there with them?!
"'Cause he asked us to?" Fred says, reasonably, tiny cards clutched in his huge hands.
"I do not like that Fitzroy," Daniel says.
"When my powers are all back, I'll drop him off a cliff or twenty for you," Charles says, studying his own cards. He plays one, and Fred slaps another down on it almost instantly. "Jeez! Are you cheating?"
"He's just that good," Erin says from where she's curled up in the rafters, near the outlets for the heaters. Which really should be at floor level, because heat rises, but what can you do? People are essentially stupid.
"Aw," says Charles. "I was hoping you'd be able to teach me how."
Fred laughs his deep belly laugh and deals the next round.
"I don't like this," Daniel repeats. "Why are we even here? We don't need them! And Magneto, we all know what he's like."
"He was all right to me," Fred rumbles.
"Everyone's all right to you," Daniel snaps. "They think you'll sit on them."
"Daniel!" Erin and Charles chorus, but Fred just grins.
"I might," he agrees.
"It's that guy's fault," Daniel says. "The one who wants to kill all our babies. He ruined everything, and now Mike's going to listen to Magneto and that horrible Fitzroy and hurt people."
"I don't think he wants to hurt people," Erin says. "I'm just not sure he cares any more whether they get hurt or not."
"What is this big plan of theirs, anyway?" Charles asks. "What's this alien stuff they're looking for in all those HYDRA bases, and why do we keep going after bioreactors and things? I don't even know what a bioreactor is!"
"It's a power source made of people," Fred says. They all stare at him, and he cracks up. "Your faces!"
"What is it, then?" Daniel asks. "What?"
"I dunno. I think they're growing something in it."
"Like ebola?" Erin asks, dropping down to join them. "Are we biological weapons terrorists now?"
"Mike wouldn't do that," Daniel insists. "He wouldn't. It's these others. This Hellfire club. It's all gone quite mad, I tell you."
Fred shrugs, a long, slow, ripple of a thing. "What is, is." He gets stared at again, and starts laughing once more. "Come on, pipsqueaks. You can all lose to me as easily as just Charlie here."
"Bite me," Erin says, but she takes a spot at the table and, half-a-second later, Daniel appears in the opposite chair.
"No good will come of this," he tells them. "You just wait and see."
"Yeah, yeah," Fred says. "Shut up and deal."