Shadow-filled apartment

[evillurks]

When last the two Shadows met, it was an uncertain, wary encounter in the younger world. The apartment carefully shrouded in black was as much a sign of distrust as any body language, although in a first meeting nothing less than caution was expected

Comments

[sable_cloak]

The Shadow actually takes a moment to decide how he will appear in the world of the Old Tiger. He knows from his brief discussions with Reldon, that whatever he wears will be out of date, save the cloak and hat. He takes one last glance in the small mirror that sits on a nearby desk before standing from his seat in the small room, donning the usual black garments over the visage of Lamont Cranston and PINpointing to the coordinates that have been provided

[sable_cloak]

The Shadow pulls out his PINpoint, checking the time on it, and then pockets it again and hands his mug to the Old Tiger. He's learned that time does not pass evenly between worlds, and has made certain his PINpoint keeps up with his own

[evillurks]

The possibility of a sudden death is one he has long been prepared for, but the older The Shadow gets, the more the eventuality of it weighs on him. He is not sure, himself, if he'd want his younger alternate to try to take up work in his own world. He would never ask. Preventing world war in one's own world is an onerous enough task by itself.

The kitchen gleams quietly in chrome and black lacquer, echoing the sleek lines of the living room. He pours for them both, peripherally aware of the casual pose in the doorway behind him. "I knew it was a delicate situation even before I lost one of them to it. Only older agents were involved in the investigation." He frowns as his thinking covers the gap of fifty years. As he offers a fresh mug of coffee he adds, "Older by my standards. You still wouldn't know any of them."

[sable_cloak]

"I figured." He accepts the mug and steps out of the doorway, returning to his seat. "Some of them probably haven't been born yet." For a moment, he looks rueful for dating the Old Tiger, and himself in a single phrase, but the moment passes. He sips thoughtfully at the warm coffee, glad for the heat, as he acknowledges that the next few hours after he leaves will be cold ones.

[evillurks]

The Old Tiger follows him with a grimace, but it's a very deliberate expression rather than a genuine emotional response. "You're going to be sorry for saying that, someday." In that dry comment at least, there is a flicker of amusement. Calling him old, and variations on that, lost most of their effect some time back.

"What else do you want to know?" He moves past the grouping of furniture to click off the television, seeing the news program drawing to a close. Nothing else on the airwaves interests him.

[sable_cloak]

It hasn't passed the younger man's notice that he was already serving in the military when Myra was only a child. The insult hadn't been intentional on his part.

There are a number of questions he has, but many can be easily answered by Myra talking to Harry, and he will save them for just such an opportunity.

"I'll have to go through the file before I have any more questions concerning that issue. Anything else I have to discuss is unrelated, and not urgent."

[evillurks]

That's another thought he hardly likes to linger on. That their age difference is even greater now that he's working with an alternate Myra was tricky to adjust to.

"...How unrelated?" He returns to the sofa and sinks down, eyeing the paperwork spread out before him. What he has to do needs doing, but anything time-sensitive he got out of the way before summoning the other Shadow. He is prepared for this meeting to take however long the younger man requires.

[sable_cloak]

The Shadow takes a sip of his coffee and looks the Old Tiger squarely in the eye as he mentions a single name that explains itself.

"Mocquino." The eyes harden, it's an enemy he's faced before, and one that is nearly as persistent as Shiwan Khan. The Doctor is clever, and the fight against him is often difficult and tedious.

[evillurks]

"...Ah." He nods calmly, and settles back on the couch. Reminiscing about old cases and an old enemy is a joy in comparison to the worries of the present day. He won, in the end, after all. "You'll have to remind me which fight with him this is..."

[sable_cloak]

"The third. I only have enough information to guess that he's returned, and involved. I have a couple leads I'll be following tonight to verify my suspicions." It will be a cool night, following shifty criminals and eventually, unknown to him at the moment, clinging to a fourth-story wall.

[evillurks]

Memories swirl and coalesce in his mind, and the Old Tiger frowns thoughtfully across his coffee mug at the younger man. "...I survived, obviously. He's gone. How much information do you really want to know?" It's a careful question, as on the one hand he knows the other Shadow has plenty to keep him busy aside from this, but on the other hand were their positions reversed he's not sure he'd really want somebody to simply hand him all the answers and solve the case in one swoop. Certainly he has a file folder in his possession that could do just that.

[sable_cloak]

"Is there anything you recommend bringing to the inevitable meeting with him?" He knew he would solve the mystery, and take Mocquino down. The man had survived twice, and a third escape would not be permitted. The younger Shadow was willing to admit, however, that there were occasions where he would leave items behind to save weight and maneuverability, and regret it, though he would never admit it. Whether he got an actual answer or not was not going to affect him, but the worst the question could gain, was nothing. He would still be ahead of the mastermind, irregardless.

[evillurks]

Settled further back in his seat on the sofa, now, the Old Tiger gives and absent glance ceilingward. His memory has always been one of his more incredible assets, and while it has not dulled much with the passage of time, there is simply so much more to remember. The human mind has its limits. His answer is slow and distant, as if coming across a great span of time. "I'd say a gas mask might be in order, but the moments I could've used one, I hardly had the chance to anyway. Are you on the Cortell girl's trail yet, or...?" If he isn't, dropping the name will certainly speed him to it.

[sable_cloak]

As facts stood, The Shadow was set to meet George Grulen tonight, the young man who would first utter the name of Marcia Cortell once he'd been released from his zombi-like state.

"No." Though the tone of voice says that he'll look into that lead once the night's activities are finished. "Tonight I'm following Beak Hyler to a meet with his lawyer." That meeting will make it more than just conjecture about Mocquino's involvement.

He takes the suggestion of the gas mask and files it away for the time being. He has not directly pressured Mocquino, so it is unlikely the master will be an intentional threat tonight.

[evillurks]

"Ah..." His gaze travels slowly back to the present from whatever distant place it was previously focused, and he sips his coffee with a sigh. "In that case, the best advice I can provide is go early, and be prepared for a fall..." The details have resolved themselves more clearly into his mind, now. He feels a twinge of sympathy for the young man before him, knowing what lies ahead. He is better prepared now to throw off the effects of Mocquino's methods, but that does little to help his younger alternate.
"Just keep your mind as well shielded as you can, in what's to come. Keep your wits about you." Since he knows The Shadow puts that into practice every waking moment, hopefully the warning will be seen as a significant one.

[sable_cloak]

Through the mask-like face of Cranston there is the concerned narrowing of the younger man's eyes. To hear the Old Tiger give such a warning is no light matter.

"I will." He adds a nod to this acknowledgment, and then downs the last of his coffee. Smoothly he slips the cloak and hat back on, standing as he fixes the scarf in place and withdraws the PINpoint. "Good luck." In his opinion, the Old Tiger needs it more than he does, though the younger Shadow will certainly be testing the extent of his own in the coming days.