(no subject)
The Warehouse (Angel Investigations HQ)
Wednesday, October 18, 2006
1:08am
"No luck?" Jonathan asks as Angel and Gunn step in. It's very nearly a rhetorical question; the two are trailed by a nearly visible thundercloud of frustration.
"We were too late," says Angel bitterly. "Someone got to Leland's place before we did. Cleaned it out down to the fridge magnets."
"So not only no traces of the stuff left," Gunn finishes, "but nothing we could even use to track where he mighta gone."
"Damn," Andrew mutters. "I have a bad feeling about where he mighta gone."
"Well, don't keep us in suspense," Spike says dryly.
"He was terrified," Andrew says. "And not of us. I think it must have been of his boss. Whoever's supplying him."
"The Sulcar." Angel nods. "And we had exactly two leads on him, Leland and Fitz. One's disappeared, and the other's under a geas -- and even if we broke it somehow, that'd only take us as far as his ex-boss, and convincing him to talk could be a lot harder." A glance at Jonathan. "Is breaking a geas possible?"
"Without killing the caster?" Jonathan shakes his head. "Probably not. And trying could kill him. And could also attract the attention of whoever put it on him in the first place."
Angel lets out a breath of frustration between his teeth. "Then we need to find another lead on the Sulcar, and fast. A lot more kids are going to die if we don't."
"Unless he finds them," Gunn puts in, grim and cynical. "If a dealer gets busted, the supplier's gonna find a new dealer if he doesn't want to lose his income."
"So what are you suggesting?" Andrew looks at him. "That we just sit tight and wait for him to come out into the open?"
Gunn shakes his head. "Nah. He's not gonna come out into the open. But think about this for a second: if we do find him, then what?"
In the pause, everybody looks at everybody else, as though hoping someone else will come up with the answer.
"Yeah. Same problem. If we stop him, all his buyers die. If we don't stop him, more people get hooked." There's a bitter certainty to Gunn's voice, and it takes on a little extra edge that Andrew has no idea what to make of. "Cause it looks like a good deal, doesn't it? Who wouldn't want to pop a pill and get smarter."
"Maybe ... maybe we can tell people about it." Jonathan sounds dubious even as he says it. "Like, so kids at least know it's dangerous?"
"Oh, sure." Spike scoffs. "Put up some posters, hand out flyers, buy some time and put on an after-school special. That'll fix everything."
"You got a better idea?" Jonathan snaps back.
"No, and I'll tell you why. Because there isn't a better idea." Spike's mouth twists, one part cynical sneer and one part frustration. "Because we lose this one."
The silence that falls this time is heavier, and for a long while nobody says a word to break it.
Wednesday, October 18, 2006
1:08am
"No luck?" Jonathan asks as Angel and Gunn step in. It's very nearly a rhetorical question; the two are trailed by a nearly visible thundercloud of frustration.
"We were too late," says Angel bitterly. "Someone got to Leland's place before we did. Cleaned it out down to the fridge magnets."
"So not only no traces of the stuff left," Gunn finishes, "but nothing we could even use to track where he mighta gone."
"Damn," Andrew mutters. "I have a bad feeling about where he mighta gone."
"Well, don't keep us in suspense," Spike says dryly.
"He was terrified," Andrew says. "And not of us. I think it must have been of his boss. Whoever's supplying him."
"The Sulcar." Angel nods. "And we had exactly two leads on him, Leland and Fitz. One's disappeared, and the other's under a geas -- and even if we broke it somehow, that'd only take us as far as his ex-boss, and convincing him to talk could be a lot harder." A glance at Jonathan. "Is breaking a geas possible?"
"Without killing the caster?" Jonathan shakes his head. "Probably not. And trying could kill him. And could also attract the attention of whoever put it on him in the first place."
Angel lets out a breath of frustration between his teeth. "Then we need to find another lead on the Sulcar, and fast. A lot more kids are going to die if we don't."
"Unless he finds them," Gunn puts in, grim and cynical. "If a dealer gets busted, the supplier's gonna find a new dealer if he doesn't want to lose his income."
"So what are you suggesting?" Andrew looks at him. "That we just sit tight and wait for him to come out into the open?"
Gunn shakes his head. "Nah. He's not gonna come out into the open. But think about this for a second: if we do find him, then what?"
In the pause, everybody looks at everybody else, as though hoping someone else will come up with the answer.
"Yeah. Same problem. If we stop him, all his buyers die. If we don't stop him, more people get hooked." There's a bitter certainty to Gunn's voice, and it takes on a little extra edge that Andrew has no idea what to make of. "Cause it looks like a good deal, doesn't it? Who wouldn't want to pop a pill and get smarter."
"Maybe ... maybe we can tell people about it." Jonathan sounds dubious even as he says it. "Like, so kids at least know it's dangerous?"
"Oh, sure." Spike scoffs. "Put up some posters, hand out flyers, buy some time and put on an after-school special. That'll fix everything."
"You got a better idea?" Jonathan snaps back.
"No, and I'll tell you why. Because there isn't a better idea." Spike's mouth twists, one part cynical sneer and one part frustration. "Because we lose this one."
The silence that falls this time is heavier, and for a long while nobody says a word to break it.