16 - High Trust
[Okay, here's the deal. This game came to a screeching halt when SP and I had a bit of a blowup about it. We're still friends and still game together, but our creative differences about this game are such that it seems unlikely we can collaborate on it. I have long wanted to continue it, perhaps solo using the Mythic Roleplaying rules in place of a GM, but time and attention have been an issue. Maybe someday, likely in the summer.]
[That said, I abruptly realized the other day that I had most of our last session written up, but had never posted it. Here you go: ]
Jon returned from his patrol and reported in wearily to Alpha. "I suppose I should go looking for Struthers before the night's over. Would you look up his address for me?" Alpha replied flatly, "No."
Jon blinked. "I beg your pardon?" "You may consider this conversation your 'verbal slap upside the head'." "...Huh?" For reply, Alpha replayed a video segment from his records:
Security Video said:
Jon sat for a long time, staring at his hands. Finally he said, "Alpha?" "Yes?" "If I start acting like I need to prove something to somebody, please give me a verbal slap upside the head." "OK, I think I can do that."
[That's from session 2, 'Bolt From the Blue'.]
Jon blinked again. "I don't think I'm acting like I have something to prove..." "Well, believe me: You are." "To whom?" "That I don't know - maybe yourself. But the fact remains that you seem determined to suffer nobly, and you're being a jerk in the process." "...You've lost me, Alpha."
For reply, Alpha replayed a segment from just before Jon's patrol:
Security Video said:
Alpha's voice: "And Jon... Tex is right." Jon sighed. "We'll talk about it at the next team meeting." "I... All right."
"That ring any bells?" Jon mimicked his image's sigh. "I'm sorry I brushed you off." "Accepted. But that's not really the point." "What is?"
Alpha paused, then said forcefully, "Jonathan, you can't keep blaming yourself for everything that goes wrong. You're going to make yourself crazy - and incidentally destroy the team - and I won't watch it happen."
Jon replied, annoyed, "Alpha, in point of fact, this whole mess IS my fault. What's wrong with owning up to that fact?" "You made a strategic error, yes. Deal with it and do better next time. But don't shoulder the blame for all the fallout. Did you shoot the Amulet?" "...No." "Did you even know that Sirocco had handed it off to Demeter?" "No, but-" "Oh, don't you even DARE say you should have known!"
Jon chuckled weakly despite himself. "Okay, valid point. But the simple fact remains, I should have waited until after the ritual..." "News flash, Jon! Demeter and Sirocco are
grown-ups! I don't recall you holding a gun to their heads and forcing them to follow you. They were perfectly capable of pointing out the timing issues - either they didn't think of it any more than you did or they chose not to say anything. Am I right or am I wrong?"
Jon bit off a peevish reply and actually thought about it. Finally he said quietly, "You're right." Alpha's voice tilted just barely toward humor: "Yeah. Get used to it." "...So what are you suggesting, then?"
"I'm suggesting that you present the strategic issues at the next team meeting in a realistic way slanted toward positive outcomes in the future. But don't air all your dirty laundry, and don't invite the others to help you flog yourself into a neurosis. That IS what you were planning to do, isn't it?" "...Not quite. But I admit it's uncomfortably close. Okay, fine, no melodrama." "Yeah, leave that to the villains, it's what they're good at, right?"
Jon laughed and half-joked, "So the idea is to leave people with the illusion I know what I'm doing?" "If it's a good enough illusion, does it matter? It worked for Mike!" "Heh. I guess it did. You're saying he didn't?" "You tell me. If he wasn't sure what to do, what would he do?" "He'd... say we needed more intel." "And if there was no time to gather more intel?" "Contingencies. Lots of them." "And if something came up that wasn't covered by a contingency?" "He winged it, I guess."
"Right. See, Jon, nobody ever
really knows what they're doing. No plan survives contact with the enemy. You WILL make mistakes. Surf them, then learn from them." Quietly, "...And when people get hurt because I make mistakes?" "This is a dangerous job, Jon. People will get hurt. You knew that when you signed on, and so did the rest of the team. When it happens, you mourn and you make for damn sure the other bastard won't be bragging about it."
Jon thought that over. "Yeah." "I repeat: They've chosen to follow you. And if you stepped down, who's the alternative? Demeter's got enough issues right now, and would you be willing to follow Sirocco?" "No." "Neither would I."
"...Okay, you win. Thanks, Alpha." "Free o'charge, m'friend. And let's just notice that you done good, right? VIPER's been badly hurt, and Sirocco's going to be okay! Demeter's situation isn't ideal, but on the bright side we've got a potential new team member out of it!"
"Huh. Do you think that Carlton will accept 'Jade' as the magic number five?" Alpha sighed. "Probably not. I'm guessing he'll think of her as 'four and a half'." "So what are our options for a fifth member? We're running out of time."
Alpha mused, "Well, the basic possibilities are to recruit locally or nationally. You already made a national appeal a couple months ago; if you do it again so soon, we'll look weak and/or desperate. Not a good idea." "...Who on earth is there locally?"
"Well, there's Nocturne. He's more than powerful enough..." "You've got to be joking! That guy makes Erebus look like a Girl Scout!" When no response came, Jon asked, "Alpha?" "...Sorry. That mental image was... distracting." Jon laughed. "Well, he does. There's no way I could work with a serial killer."
"Okay. Then there's Bubbles." "Mike said he wasn't willing to be responsible for her death. Neither am I." "Yeah, but he also said that if she improved her power, he'd consider her. There are reports that she has, in fact, been improving." "Hm. Do you know how to contact her?" "I'll look into it." "Anyone else?"
"Lightning Lass, maybe?" "...Would she be willing to move up here from Portland?" "I haven't the faintest idea. But we won't know unless we ask." "True. She overlaps with my power set a good deal..." "...But at this point we desperately need another warm body." "True."
"And I'll throw this one out there: American Eagle." "You know she won't. She's got the whole Freedom Squad legacy thing going." "Yeah. But - warm body." Jon shook his head. "Not worth jeopardizing our good working relationship when I already know what her answer will be." "Fair enough. That's just about everybody of an appropriate power level in the state. Unless you want to try Fury." "No thanks, the last thing we need is another hothead, much less one with the added perk of passing out after every fight. Wasn't there a guy off in... Walla Walla?" "Spokane. But he's retired now."
"Oh, right. Well, put it on the agenda for the next team meeting. We'll thrash it out as a group - though right now, if Bubbles can hold up her end, she's looking like the best of a unpromising bunch. Oh, and before I forget - about the whole teleportal business, what do you know about it?"
Alpha snorted. "It's pretty silly. Environmental impact statements, if you can believe it." Jon rolled his eyes. "Is the flak coming locally or from out-of-town?" "The latter." "Get me appointments with my state representative and senator, if you would." "I'll see what I can do." "Tell them they can have a photo-op, within reason. That should help." "Heh. Yeah."
"Any word from Chris Perkins?" "He's called back, and I'm playing hard to get. When I have something solid, I'll let you know." "Check. So... Struthers?"
"You tell me why that's a bad idea." Jon paused, then sighed. "If I don't find anything, I'm losing sleep for nothing. If I do find something, I don't have any backup to do anything about it." (Beta was recharging.) "Got it in one."
"Anything else I should know before I go home?" "I got you an appointment with Icon, for two weeks out." "Heh. By then, there'll probably have been three more crises at least! I've almost forgotten why I wanted the appointment in the first place." "What, really?" "...No. But still." "Yeah, I know."
Jon yawned. "I'm going to bed. Call me if Sirocco wakes up. I mean it." "I will. Sweet dreams!" "Yeah. Have plenty of electric sheep yourself." Alpha made an electronic 'baaa' sound, and laughed as Jon vanished.
Jon reappeared in the hospital and spent some more time with Sirocco before finally zipping home to collapse into bed.
----------------
Jon groaned as the buzzer awoke him. After a hurried shower, he zipped in to the base. "Any word?" "Actually, yes. The hospital called just a couple minutes ago; Sirocco awoke during the night and they've been observing him. He seems fine, they anticipate releasing him soon." "Dangit! I told them to call me as soon as he woke!" "They said he fell back into normal sleep and they didn't want him disturbed." "Fine. I'm gone."
Materializing by the nurse's station, he checked in impatiently. The nurse cleared him to enter, but asked him to wait for the doctors to finish their work before approaching. [As SP put it, she clearly was reluctant to tell a superhero to sit down and shut up.
]
Entering the room, he caught sight of Sirocco sitting up and letting a doctor examine him. Sirocco's face lit up and he waved as he caught sight of Photon; Jon waved back but didn't approach. When the way was finally clear, Jon lunged forward and hugged his teammate tightly. "Good to see you awake."
Sirocco grinned and accepted the embrace, patting his back. "Good to be seen!" "How are you feeling?" "Kinda weak. But very rested. Give me a day or two and I think I'll be fine - but I'd sure like Tex to reassure me all the same." "He said there'd be no lasting effects. But you'll get to see him, yes." "Okay, good. Later today?" "I don't see why not. No reason to keep him waiting!" "Heh. Yeah. ... How's Demeter?" "It's complicated. The person who was in the Amulet is now in her." "Uh. What?" "Yeah." "...Probably best not to talk about it here, I guess?" "Probably, yes. Do you remember handing off the Amulet?"
The young man frowned and rubbed his neck ruefully. "Only vaguely. My memory of the fight and the meeting beforehand is fuzzy. But I know I wouldn't have done it willingly." "Yeah, there was probably some mind control involved." "Lovely. Anyway... I guess the three of us will have a lot to talk about, huh? Maybe this afternoon, after Tex checks me out?" "Sure. Tex wants to have another look at Demeter too, so it all works out." "Great."
Sirocco paused, hesitant, then added, "Thanks, Photon." Jon blinked. "For what?" Sirocco shrugged, a little uncomfortable. "I gather you've been here quite a bit. For taking the time, I guess." Jon clapped his shoulder and replied simply, "You're a teammate." Sirocco nodded, still uneasy. "Yeah."
Jon took his leave awkwardly not long after that, then got in touch with American Eagle. She was still in high spirits after the VIPER fight. "Good to hear from you, Photon!" "Likewise. Thought you'd like to know that Sirocco's awake and in good shape." "Great to hear!" "Yeah, tell me about it. Anyway, I'd like to tie up a few loose ends with you if you have a few minutes." "Sure! Above City Hall?" "You're on."
A.E. grinned as she flapped up to him. "Should have known you'd be here first! What's up?" "Well, first of all, I wanted to brief you a little more on the Tacoma site I found the other day." He showed her holograms of the strange, beetle-browed monastics he'd seen, and she whistled. "Wow! They do look odd, don't they? I wonder if they're from another dimension or something?" "Maybe. No matter what, though, you're going to want to keep an eye on them." "Agreed. What's the address again?"
That detail taken care of, Jon then mentioned, "If there's no objection, we'd like one of Hybrid's boots for our Trophy Room." "Oh. Well, like I said, I do want to have them checked out by an expert..." "Absolutely. When you're done with them." "Okay, I don't see any reason why not. Anything else?"
Jon passed on what the cops had told him about VIPER and Hybrid, then said, "You know, it probably wouldn't be a bad idea for us to meet on a regular basis." "I agree - like you said, we're in this together." "Right. So, weekly? Twice weekly?" "Weekly sounds good for now. Monday mornings?" "Fine with me! Next Monday, then?" "You're on!"
Jon was about to take his leave, then remembered something. "Oh, before I forget: I've been talking with Moke about having a three-team get-together at some point." A.E. hesitated. "Well, I'm not exactly a team yet..." "Yes you are! You're the Freedom Squad, right? It just happens to only have one member so far."
A.E. sighed. "I don't know..." Photon said firmly, "I do. You should get to know the Protectors, and they should get to know you. Besides, I kind of insist." She grinned at that. "Hmm. Is this the part where I'm supposed to say, 'You're not the boss of me, you can't tell me what to do'?" Jon grinned back. "No, no. This is the part where you say, 'Why, you're absolutely right, Photon! I completely agree!'"
They both laughed, and she replied, "Oh, fine. Maybe a few weeks out, though, as I'm still settling in?" "Sure, they've got some irons in the fire themselves. Have you met Moke, by the way?" "No, I haven't. I'd like you to introduce us before this gathering happens." "Will do. Anything else we should discuss?"
American Eagle sighed. "Yes, actually. There's been a sighting of Black Phantom. I have a witness who saw him stop a jewelry store from being robbed. Apparently somebody in the Black Phantom costume severely roughed up the thieves... One of them hasn't woken up yet." "Yikes! Definitely something to keep an eye on." "Yeah." "Do you want me to do a search for him?" "Probably, yes. At night sometime - he isn't likely to be out and about at this hour! And... I probably don't need to say it, but I will: I want to take the lead on this one." "Understood."
Jon went in to work and threw himself into his research with gusto, the stress of the last few days finally winding down. (Gerhard was visibly relieved.) He met Karen for lunch and found her still worried about Jim. "I've decided to take you up on your offer to take him out to a firing range. You're right... A healthy outlet for all this may be for the best. And, well, I want you to talk to him. I need to know what's really going on."
Jon nodded. "Certainly I will. But Karen, I have to be clear with you: If Jim tells me something and asks me to keep it in confidence, I'll have to do exactly that. Unless it's something that you as a parent absolutely HAVE to know about, of course - something illegal or dangerous." Karen sighed. "I understand. Mainly I just want to be reassured that nothing horrible is going on." "That much I can definitely do."
"Thank you so much, Jon." "Not a problem, Karen. Can you tell me anything more of this Urban Defense League? How did Jim find out about them in the first place?" "From his civics club at school."
Jon paused. "Let me get this straight: There's a civics club. At a
middle school. Didn't that strike you as a bit odd?" Karen sighed again. "They had activities like going to Olympia to see the legislature in action... I thought, 'Wow, my son's interested in how the government works, that's great!'" "So where does the UDL come in?"
"Apparently, the club had one of them over as a speaker a few times." "There must be some sort of faculty advisor for this club. What's up with them?" Karen snorted. "I've met him, and I wasn't impressed. I get the impression he'll sign off on anything that gets put in front of him." "You said Jim had gone to meetings... Where are these meetings held?"
"They rent a hall a few blocks from the school." "You've GOT to be kidding me. These people are blatantly recruiting minors without parental supervision... The school administration might have a thing or two to say about that. Maybe even the cops." She put her head in her hands. "I don't know, Jon! I just... I don't know!"
Jon backed off. "Okay, I understand, Karen. When do you want me to meet with Jim?" After some comparison of schedules, they settled on the Saturday of next week. "But maybe you could come by this Saturday to discuss it with him? I don't want to spring it on him at the last second." "Sure, no problem." After some quieter chit-chat, they headed back to work.
That afternoon, the team met for a meeting, together with Tex. After some filling-in of the blanks for Sirocco, Tex reassured him that he'd suffer no further ill effects from his time with the Amulet.
Photon then pointed out, "Presumably you can't fly any more, right? So we're going to need to think of a way for you to keep up with the rest of us. Demeter, can he ride a tree?" She nodded. "Yes, but I'd be the one controlling it, not him." Jon nodded, with a sigh. He said to Sirocco, "Likewise, I could maybe whip up a flight routine like mine for you... but letting you control it would be very tricky." Sirocco rolled his eyes. "So if you get knocked out, I plunge to the ground? No thanks." "Yeah, I understand. Tex, do you have any ideas?"
Tex cleared his throat. "Wail... It so happens that there may be a way, Ah reckon. An item to let jest any feller fly, wail, that'd be quite an investment. But there's one effect of that-there Amu-let that may be of use. It, uh. How to say this mundanely..." He paused in thought, then said, "Mages like me an' Eris, we hold loads o'... magical power. Like... a bucket, mebbe. A feller like Di-abolus, wail, he's more like an oil tanker. Sirocco here, he's more like a bitty shot-glass, y'see what Ah mean? No offense." Bemused, the young hero said, "None taken."
"Raht. Wail, y'see, yer time with the Amu-let... it's, uh, left a hole in your shot-glass. Nuthin' dangerous, but it's given you... an opening... to let your magic dribble out, under the raht conditions. An item to draw on that... dribble... to let you fly would be much easier to make." Sirocco asked, brows contracted, "Wouldn't that be dangerous if I got too low?" Tex nodded. "Yessiree. But don't worry 'bout that none, it would take a powerful lot o' flyin' to get ye to that point, son. An' the item could be designed to let you down gentle afore that happened."
Photon asked, "Could you make such an item for Sirocco, Tex?" The older man shrugged ruefully. "Ah could... but it would take time Ah don't have, to be puhfectly frank." Jon nodded. "Understood. We're very grateful you took the time to come out here in the first place!" Demeter and Sirocco added their fervent thanks to his.
"Mah pleasure, Photon! T'weren't no trouble. Stay in touch now, y'hear?" He shook hands with Jon and Sirocco, then doffed his hat to Demeter. After a few more pleasantries, he took his leave.
Jon looked to Demeter. "So what's Eris' take on the flight-item idea?" Her eyes glowed green as Eris surfaced. (Sirocco started - he hadn't seen that before.) "The Cowboy's right - for once. The 'dribble' from the 'shot glass'," she rolled her eyes at the terms, "can be harnessed relatively easily. I'll think about it and get back to you when I have something solid."
Jon nodded. "Oh - and something else. You said you could try to do just about anything you could imagine?" She nodded confidently. "Anything." "Okay. How about contacting the mind of somebody in another dimension? Given that their body is still here?"
Everyone stared at him at that. Alpha gave a low whistle: "Good thinking!" Eris cleared her throat. "I can try it, but I won't lie, Science - that's a tricky one. Depending on the dimension, and a thousand other factors. Who did you have in mind?"
Jon pondered that, then announced, "Okay, everybody. This is a team secret, so keep it quiet, but... The Phantom is an astral projector. His body is still in this dimension, while his mind is presumably in the Shadow Realm." Sirocco absorbed that with a shocked expression, and even Eris seemed a little taken aback. "Huh. I'd have to scan him up close to get a feel for the situation. But yes, I can make the attempt. Where is he?" "In a private hospital. We'll work out a visit, soon." "Check." She faded back into Demeter.
Jon cleared his throat. "Okay, the next order of business. If we want to keep this base - and we do - we need another team member, and soon." He outlined the situation. Eris surfaced again: "What's the problem? You've got me." Jon explained, "Alpha and I don't think Mr. Carlton will accept you as a genuine fifth member."
Eris rolled her eyes scornfully. "So don't tell him. I can easily create an illusionary double to make it seem that Demeter and I are two different people. I was already planning to do that in public, in fact." Jon frowned. "Mr. Carlton has always played straight with us. I intend to play straight with him."
Eris shrugged. "Fine. But after one meeting with me... let's just say that I'm sure I can get him to see things our way." Jon positively scowled. "Eris, how shall I put this? I happen to like and respect Mr. Carlton, and I wouldn't want to see him mind-controlled by a five-thousand-year-old witch."
Eris scoffed. "Who said anything about mind control?! He's a widower, isn't he? Give me five minutes - he'll be putty in my hands!" Jon: "Eris. How
shall I put this. I happen to like. And respect. Mr. Carlton. And I wouldn't want to see him SEDUCED by a five-thousand-year-old witch, either!!" Eris pouted. "You're no fun." "Why do you care so much about this base, anyway? You've spent all of a few hours here."
Eris paused. "I'm a queen, Science. I... don't like the thought of someone taking my castle away." She sounded oddly vulnerable there for a moment, but Jon was a little too pole-axed to appreciate it: "YOUR castle?!" "Fine. 'Our' castle." Sirocco glanced between the two of them, unwilling to pipe up.
"I guess that brings us to another topic. When we first met, you rather memorably told me never to give you orders. How's that supposed to work in the field? If you're going to be on the team, you're going to have act like a team member."
Eris told him, "The situation is different now. You've got experience with the hero biz, and I don't. Fine. I can accept that. But there's something else you've got to accept, Science." "I'm listening." "I've got experience with magic, to say the least of it. And you don't. Dangerous situations will arise, magically speaking, in which there'll be no time for me to explain what needs to be done - I'll just have to tell you what to do, and you'll just have to do it. Got that?" Jon narrowed his eyes at her. "I'll take that under advisement."
"Not good enough - not unless you want people to die. Can I count on you?" Jon snapped, "Enough with the hard sell, already! I said I'd think about it. That's all I'm going to say for now." She smiled slowly. "What's the matter, Science? Don't you trust me?"
Jon replied, "Frankly? No, I don't. You've given me no reason to trust you." "Sure I have! I have no reason to work against you, and plenty of reasons to cooperate!" "To cooperate? Or to manipulate? Bluntly, Eris, you're a user. And you're accustomed to being in charge." She smirked. "Oh. So
that's what you're concerned about."
Jon stood up and glared at her, saying tautly, "You're not reading my mind - I know the signs. So kindly knock off the all-knowing routine. I simply don't want to have to butt heads with you every time a decision has to be made. You
aren't a queen here, Eris: Deal with it." She grinned. "I don't have to read your mind to read
you, Sci-" Demeter abruptly took over. "I think that's quite enough of that." Jon nodded sharply. "Agreed."
Demeter paused. "She says she's got one more point to make. And promises to be good." "Whatever." Eris came out again. "Demeter and I have tested our bond, Science. While I can force my way out with major effort, I can't hold onto it for longer than a few seconds. How am I supposed to do anything significant in that time?" Jon paused. "You know what, Eris? I don't know. And I don't even care. Strange as it may seem to you, I don't give people my trust because they have no rational motive to betray me. I give people my trust because they show themselves to be trustworthy. You haven't - and every time you open your mouth, you rub my nose in it."
Eris' retort was cut off by Demeter again, who deliberately changed the subject: "So what are our options for a fifth team member?" Jon and Sirocco both relaxed; Jon sat down. "Alpha?" The computer laid out the options for them as he had for Jon, and the team pondered them.
Jon asked, "So what are these signs of improvement in Bubbles you mentioned?" Alpha responded, "She can protect herself much better - wraps herself in layers of her force-spheres. The press have inevitably dubbed it 'bubble wrap', but it does work." "Hmm, that does sound a little more promising. Think she can keep up with us?" "She can also 'skate' now by lowering the friction of the ground beneath her feet. But in the larger sense... No, she isn't quite in the same league as the rest of you. But she's a lot closer than she was a year ago."
Jon mulled it over. "What do you guys think? She's not ideal, but I'm inclined to think she's better than the alternatives." Demeter nodded. "Agreed. And if she keeps improving, who knows?" Sirocco concurred. "Yeah, I say we ask her."
Jon asked Alpha, "Can you contact her?" "I'll see what I can do, but it may take a few days - and we need to be out of here by this weekend." "I'll go in and ask Mr. Carlton for an extension." "Sounds good."
"Then there's the matter of the cell phones." He passed them out, then added, "Do we still need these? Are we willing to go high-trust?" Please, he didn't say.
Demeter pondered her answer carefully, then nodded. "Yes, I am." They looked to Sirocco, who seemed ill at ease. After an interval he finally said, "...Yeah. I guess." Jon assured him, "No pressure, man." "Nah, I'm good." "All right..."
Jon stood up and shimmered briefly, changing into his civvies. "I'm Dr. Jonathan Winters, a professor of physics at UW. My friends call me Jon." He was almost shocked at the degree of relief it brought him to say it - like a joint being eased back into its socket. Something was right with the world again.
Demeter nodded and removed her mask. "Amanda Rosenbaum. I'm a florist." Jon smiled at her. "Pleased to meet you. Do you prefer 'Amanda', or 'Mandy', or something else?" She laughed. "My mom calls me Mandy. 'Amanda' is fine." "Sure thing - Amanda."
They both turned to Sirocco, who let his mask crumble, revealing a beak of a nose and dark eyes. (Jon quietly ignored the fact he'd seen his face before, in the hospital.) "I'm Tony Sabatini." He looked nervous, but bulled forward: "I'm a salesman. I sell security systems to corporations." Jon beamed and clapped him on the shoulder. "It's a pleasure, Tony. Is that short for 'Antonio'?" The young man shook his head. "For 'Anthony' - I'm third generation."
Demeter held up a hand. "Eris has something she wants to say." The green-eyed witch sounded somewhat subdued as she said, "The name I went by for the longest is 'Calliope'." Jon absorbed that, a little touched despite himself. "Thanks, Calliope... isn't that a Greek name? I thought you weren't Greek." She nodded. "I'm not. But I simply
can't tell you my original name. There's power in it." "...Didn't you tell Tex that knowing your name wouldn't do any good?"
She rolled her eyes. "I said it wouldn't do HIM any good. And it wouldn't. But there are bigger fish in the sea, Science - I have to be cautious." "All right, I understand. Welcome aboard, Calliope." She nodded, and faded back into Demeter.
Alpha then made a throat-clearing sound through his nearest speaker. "Uh, my name is X-97 Alpha..." Everybody got a good laugh out of that, releasing some of the secret-identity tension. Alpha followed up with, "...And I'm a superhero." (He said it with a note of quavering shame in his voice, as if confessing it at a 12-step meeting.) Yet more merriment followed.
When they finished, Jon felt at peace; Amanda was beaming, too. Tony still seemed uneasy and on edge, though. Ah well, Jon thought, he'll get used to the idea.
[There was more - Carlton gave us the extension and Bubbles joined, so we ended up being able to keep the base. Likewise, Jon took Jim out to the range at the suspicious youth center and did some snooping. But I don't remember it well enough at this late date to write it up.]
