A copy. (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
repeatedprayer) wrote in ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png)
thehauntedfrequency2024-03-04 10:16 pm
repeatedprayer) wrote in thehauntedfrequency2024-03-04 10:16 pm
doggone
[In the time following his departure from Tabito and Manabu's company, the alias "Grey" has wound up sticking.
Not that everyone calls him that, he's used a few other aliases since then, but it's what he's wound up thinking of himself as. If Grey had taken the time to think about it a bit more he might have picked something with a little less connection to Rezo's name, but it's still leagues better than thinking of himself as "Rez- wait, no, just a copy." And maybe that's why he's felt significantly calmer since he left Sairaag.
By his own standards, Grey has been laudably well-behaved; sure, he's been mostly doing under-the-table psychic work, often on behalf of criminals, but! He's been trying to keep a low profile so it's usually things like clairvoyant spying rather than anything violent, and he's been making a point of not doing anything that directly impacts the galaxy railways.
It would be extremely awkward if Manabu Yuuki had to try and arrest him, after all.
He's found himself frequently thinking about Manabu, much to his annoyance. He has no serious expectations of ever seeing Manabu again, so it's simply a waste of mental bandwidth to find himself wondering what Manabu is doing right now or where he is, or to reminisince over their incredibly brief acquaintanceship. Grey can only suppose that because Manabu was the first reasonably normal person he got to know after leaving Sairaag that Manabu is going to stick out in his mind for a while.
And it's probably because of the real estate that Manabu is hogging in Grey's mind that he's been very aware of every mention of the SDF that crosses his path. He hasn't exactly been tracking the SDF's activities deliberately, but he does pay attention to the news and the SDF frequently winds up in there, even if Manabu's name in particular isn't normally dropped.
Until the day it does.
SDF Officer Taken Hostage By Pirates]
* * *
[It's taken several weeks of investigating, but Grey has been able to track down The Huntress's client, a Dr. Parish and associates. It must be a small galaxy, because Dr. Parish is someone Grey knows. Sort of.
Rather, Dr. Parish was a colleague of Rezo's who collaborated with the man on chimera research (and other unsavory things) in the past. Not only that, the man was an ardent admirer of Rezo's superior psychic prowess, and desperate to improve his own meager abilities.
He'd had quite a shock when Grey approached him in town, but after the initial surprise it had been sickeningly easy to convince Dr. Parish that he was the real Rezo. Grey can only surmise that the man wants to believe too badly to let himself be properly suspicious. It had only taken a day for Grey to be invited to tour Parish's laboratory.
The lab's located on the grounds of a former Marquess's estate, a ways out of town and secluded by trees, a high wall, and a long drive. Grey's done a little recon before, but actually being here is different, especially since he has to navigate by cane at the moment. Grey is doing his best to politely nod and smile as Parish guides him from room to room, explaining their work and occasionally handing him things to examine himself.
But evidently Parish realizes that "Rezo" isn't entirely interested, because he stops partway through an explanation of some stem cell experiments he and a few others have been working on to say "Of course, the really interesting specimens are kept in the basement floor."
Grey already knows this. He hopes his expression seems the right sort of eager.]
Interesting?
["Something along the lines of what we did in the past. Would you like to see them?"]
Nothing would please me more.
[Grey can practically hear Parish's delighted grin. To soothe the surge of irritation, Grey reminds himself that he's going to kill this man before the end of the day and allows Parish to guide him out into the hall and to the basement entrance at the back of the building.]
Not that everyone calls him that, he's used a few other aliases since then, but it's what he's wound up thinking of himself as. If Grey had taken the time to think about it a bit more he might have picked something with a little less connection to Rezo's name, but it's still leagues better than thinking of himself as "Rez- wait, no, just a copy." And maybe that's why he's felt significantly calmer since he left Sairaag.
By his own standards, Grey has been laudably well-behaved; sure, he's been mostly doing under-the-table psychic work, often on behalf of criminals, but! He's been trying to keep a low profile so it's usually things like clairvoyant spying rather than anything violent, and he's been making a point of not doing anything that directly impacts the galaxy railways.
It would be extremely awkward if Manabu Yuuki had to try and arrest him, after all.
He's found himself frequently thinking about Manabu, much to his annoyance. He has no serious expectations of ever seeing Manabu again, so it's simply a waste of mental bandwidth to find himself wondering what Manabu is doing right now or where he is, or to reminisince over their incredibly brief acquaintanceship. Grey can only suppose that because Manabu was the first reasonably normal person he got to know after leaving Sairaag that Manabu is going to stick out in his mind for a while.
And it's probably because of the real estate that Manabu is hogging in Grey's mind that he's been very aware of every mention of the SDF that crosses his path. He hasn't exactly been tracking the SDF's activities deliberately, but he does pay attention to the news and the SDF frequently winds up in there, even if Manabu's name in particular isn't normally dropped.
Until the day it does.
SDF Officer Taken Hostage By Pirates]
* * *
[It's taken several weeks of investigating, but Grey has been able to track down The Huntress's client, a Dr. Parish and associates. It must be a small galaxy, because Dr. Parish is someone Grey knows. Sort of.
Rather, Dr. Parish was a colleague of Rezo's who collaborated with the man on chimera research (and other unsavory things) in the past. Not only that, the man was an ardent admirer of Rezo's superior psychic prowess, and desperate to improve his own meager abilities.
He'd had quite a shock when Grey approached him in town, but after the initial surprise it had been sickeningly easy to convince Dr. Parish that he was the real Rezo. Grey can only surmise that the man wants to believe too badly to let himself be properly suspicious. It had only taken a day for Grey to be invited to tour Parish's laboratory.
The lab's located on the grounds of a former Marquess's estate, a ways out of town and secluded by trees, a high wall, and a long drive. Grey's done a little recon before, but actually being here is different, especially since he has to navigate by cane at the moment. Grey is doing his best to politely nod and smile as Parish guides him from room to room, explaining their work and occasionally handing him things to examine himself.
But evidently Parish realizes that "Rezo" isn't entirely interested, because he stops partway through an explanation of some stem cell experiments he and a few others have been working on to say "Of course, the really interesting specimens are kept in the basement floor."
Grey already knows this. He hopes his expression seems the right sort of eager.]
Interesting?
["Something along the lines of what we did in the past. Would you like to see them?"]
Nothing would please me more.
[Grey can practically hear Parish's delighted grin. To soothe the surge of irritation, Grey reminds himself that he's going to kill this man before the end of the day and allows Parish to guide him out into the hall and to the basement entrance at the back of the building.]
no subject
The adrenaline kicks into overdrive when they're spotted and have to dodge the security guards. There's shouts, footsteps- Grey latches onto Manabu and yanks the poor man around until they have an opportunity to take flight, then holds Manabu tightly during the flight back.
Even when they return, they're not out of the woods yet.
A figure just a little too close to the stairway catches Grey's attention. It's possible that it's someone out for a smoke, or just someone who happens to be lingering in a dirty alleyway. But even then, they don't want to be seen landing there.
So he sets them down on the roof of a building next to the alleyway behind the laundromat instead.
Expecting Manabu to say something once he gets his eyes open, Grey presses a finger against Manabu's mouth and leans in to whisper:]
Stay quiet. There's someone watching the apartment.
[As soon as Manabu seems to have his balance Grey creeps over to the edge of the roof to get a stealthy look at the stranger. Anger prickles beneath his skin, instinctive rage at finding his home potentially under threat.]
no subject
it takes a good few seconds for him to grimace and focus on past a nauseous wave of vertigo before he can interpret the flecks of streetlight and stretched-out shadows as what they are, and a few more to find the shape Grey's concerned about.
could they just be a diner employee on smokebreak? a loiterer waiting for a ride home from a bar?
no - in waiting some minutes, it's clear that the figure keeps slowly turning to look back at the stairwell - their stairwell.
he swallows.]
Did you notice anyone notice you when you were out and about before? [the question is quiet, but urgent. Manabu himself can't imagine this is someone called by people on the campus - it was too fast! and there's no sense of urgency in that posture down there.]
no subject
No.
[So who the hell is this? Someone Grey missed? Or were they able to track him from that data stick? He could speculate all night about who and where this person may have come from, but that won't get him any answers.]
We'll need to interrogate him.
[And so saying, Grey's just going to hop off the roof- buoyed by psychokinesis so he doesn't break anything- to go nab the guy. Leaving poor Manabu to either wait or make his own way down.]
no subject
[wait!
dammit! Manabu grits his teeth in a grimace, ears already full of the sounds of their initial altercation. he doesn't idle, instead leaning and looking about for a way down, anxious and agitated by the lack of immediate good routes.
there's a dumpster down there, but it might be empty.
that is very stupid. but it's an option. it'll become the only option if he doesn't find a fire escape route soon!
and all that time does free up Grey to do Grey things down there...]
i feel like grey has just pulled the kind of horse piss that manabu normally does
After he's wrestled the man a bit, Grey hisses:]
You have no idea how easily I could kill you. But if you play nice, perhaps it won't come to that, hm?
[This gets met with a snarl and an elbow to Grey's shoulder. Grey grunts, more in annoyance than actual pain.]
this is not the goodboy lesson he was supposed to learn from a cop
it's about as graceless and noisy as one would anticipate a move from him doing, but, miraculously, devoid of bone breaks or sprains!
just a lot of noise.]
Gyuh! A-! Owh! Wuh--ufh, we-wait-!!
[he rolls and drops off the dumpster lid and onto his knees, grunting.]
N-nobody's getting killed! We're...figuring this out!
no subject