DARK CANADA
CH. 3
Flynn walked into the living room of his home balancing a coffee pot and some mugs. He looked out the front window, did a double-take. "Your friend's collpased in the snow."
"She does that," Ross nodded, refusing to be fooled by Flynn's distraction.
(DM's Note: Nope. Nobody went to check on her. She was ... displeased.)
Andy and Denis surveyed Flynn's walls while the reporter poured the coffee. Various awards were hung among framed clippings. Apparently Flynn specialized in crime reporting. Andy took the proffered cup. "Who you writing for now?"
"Freelance, doing some research." Flynn settled in behind his desk. "See, I've been mucking around with some wierd deaths, that got me into some occult circles, then that, unexpectedly, crossed into defense tech research ..." He leaned forward. "Who wants to tell me about the super-strong dissolving guy who was after the Holy Grail?"
Ross, Andy and Denis exchanged looks. Ross took the lead. It was time to pull a little scary Men-in-Black action. Flynn seemed pleasant enough, but he needed to be warned off. The three of them squared their shoulders, leaned over Flynn's desk.
"I have two words for you," Ross said. "Hoffman. Institute."
Flynn nodded. Raised his hand from beneath the desk. "I have two words for you." CLICK. "Desert. Eagle."
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BANG. Jo slammed open the front door. Stormed in. "I'm sorry, did nobody &$#*@ notice me lying $#^%%$# unconscious in the f^#^%#ing SNOW?"
She stopped when she saw the handgun. Flynn nodded. "That's right. Why don't you --"
"How'd you get a gun?" she pouted.
"I, ah, had it in my desk --"
Jo pointed accusingly at Ross. "You said I couldn't bring my guns!"
Flynn raised his voice over her. "I was in the military and --"
"You know I can't sleep without my guns!" Jo continued. "I have to take three extra of the pink and green pills a day because I can't sleep! I have to wash them down with VODKA or else I have the DREAMS --"
Flynn watched Ross' massive frame wilt under Jo's assualt. He sighed, put down the gun. "Wow," he whispered to Andy. Andy nodded, and he and Denis quietly swug around to Flynn's side of the desk.
"Sweetie, sweetheart, good news!" Ross put an arm around Jo's shoulders. "We had a little misunderstanding, but it's all okay now! Now we can have hot chocolate, and get you guns!"
Jo perked up. "Really?"
"In due time." Flynn called up news items on his computer. "Sorry for being overly cautious, but the whispers around the Hoffman Institute aren't all good. I mean, look here. You were plainly involved in this weird missing kid/cult thing in Oregon last year."
"Sure," said Denis. "That was actually our team." Behind him, Andy shuddered at the memory. Anal. Corer. Brrrrr.
Flynn flipped through the news items. "Sherriff dired in a car accident right after. School was closed down because of groundwater poisoning, a couple of the students died, the rest were transferred out. With that and a slew of bad investment breaks, damn near the entire town went belly-up." Flynn called up a cesus report and some photos. "What few witnesses are left alive are also scattered to the four winds."
As one, the Agents turned to Denis. He tugged at his collar. "Ahhh, seems like Sully's ..."
"... been a little busy," Ross finished. Then: "When did you start calling her 'Sully'?"
A beat. Andy shook his head. "You did not hook up with the amoral homicidal Majestic-12 agent who left a trail of blood and death in her unspeakable cover-up of the truth. Tell me you did not."
Flynn raised his hand. "Wait, MJ-12 is real --"
Denis cleared his throat. "I believe that right now, we need to stay focused on the crisis here in the fine country of Canada. That homeless --"
"Home-ful." Flynn passed the Bomber's vehicle registration to Andy. "Tom Norris. I know the neighborhood the address is in. Sweet, suburban."
" -- the unfortunate Mr. Norris was obviously transformed by some sort of malign influence. I suggest we --"
"Vampire," Andy chimed in.
"We do not know this, and there has never been any proof of vampires --"
"I know it. Vampire." Andy waved over his shoulder as he wandered off. "Bathroom break."
Denis took a deep breath. He would not let his sanity escape. Not when it was entirely possible he was the only one with any left. "Let's just go to Mr. Norris' home and investigate. Please." He turned to Flynn. "If you agree to be our guide --"
Flynn gave Denis a thumbs up. "Not only that, but I'll contact this biker guy I know. Make up the wish list for your guns." He smiled back at Jo as she hopped up and down, clapping, like a twelve-year-old who'd just found a puppy under her Christmas tree.
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Andy washed his hands in the bathroom sink. Something moved in the mirror. He stared -- nothing now. He took a deep breath, closed his remaining eye.
As always, his vision remained crystal clear, despite the fact the all he was "looking" with was an empty socket under an eyepatch. If anything, this view seemed a little more finely detailed. Crisp around the edges. He waited for it ...
.. there. They stepped into view, reflected in the mirror. A sweet young redheaded mom, two adorable boys. Just standing there in the mirror. Staring at him. When he opened his only remaining "real" eye, the vision disappeared.
He exited the bathroom. As he joined the others: "Hey, any leads on this Norris guy?"
Denis nodded to Flynn, who was busy lying creatively on the phone. "I ran a background check using his computer. Tom Norris has a wife Ann, two boys. Jason, age eight, and Tom Jr. who's eleven."
Both Andy and Jo started to speak at the same time. Jo let Andy continue. "Ex-wife. Ex-kids. Trust me. They're dead."
Jo jerked a thumb to the car. "Those home-made leather straps in the car set off my vision. Nothing was clear, but I caught a lot of really sick violence." A pause. "I mean, a LOT. Downloaded right into my head. Never to come out." Another pause. Jo took another pill, this one yellow, and continued. "Yeah, I don't think they're with us anymore."
Denis hesitated. "Fresh leather straps?"
"Mmm-hmmm."
"... you know leather's made from flesh, right?"
"Sure, why ..." Jo looked down at her hands. They were stained with some of the fluid from the straps. "I'm... going to lie down for a while. Just ... think. What's worse: if there is no God, or if there is and he hates me?" Jo then proceeded to lie down. ON Flynn's floor.
Ross smiled encouragingly. "You do that, honey." Then, to the others: "Any thoughts on how to dispose fo the Bomber's car?"
Flynn hung up the phone. "Well, we are next to a lake."
"Is it big enough?" Ross asked.
Flynn stared. "It's a Great ... Lake. Lake Ontario. Inland sea." He shook his head again. "Americans ..."
TO BE CONTINUED