A Bitter Pill To Swallow

GRAYBRIDGE, 5 NOV 2023
Outside Dark Lips Books

AA> omw.

"Okay, let's shelve shipping, and go to Melissa. She's still at that hospital," she says to Eva as she checks the route from the phone map.

"I would like to go look for clothes with you, though."

Eva sits in silence as she watches Augusta text madly. She wants to say, what, you want to go shopping? but she stops herself and just waits, looking out the window, bored. Briefly, she wonders what Mike's getting up to, then Ang is talking again as she pulls the car onto the street.

"Can't we just stake out his apartment or something?" Eva asks, but a glance downward at her knees serves as a reminder that her wardrobe is a little threadbare lately. "Yeah. Yeah, I guess I could at least get some new tights. So -- what have they all been up to?"

GRAYBRIDGE, 5 NOV 2023 Graybridge Hospital

"Those two are definitely up to something..." he could hazard a guess as to what from the who they asked about. "At least they're not trying anything by themselves. We'll just have to wait til they get here to figure out exactly what they've got intended."

He switched back to discussing Melissa's dilemma, "You've definitely put yourself in a tight spot... Trying to play too many angles is a good way to get tripped up. Especially if you haven't had to juggle this kind of thing before." He turned in his seat and rubbed his eyes as he tries to think of some easy way to explain things, some piece of advice he could give Melissa that would be helpful. "The problem with Smythe is that, as you said, she holds all the cards. You don't know where you stand with her or even what she wants out of you. We need to figure out how to turn the tables on that so you're not operating from a position of disadvantage. Find some point of strength or operational advantage for yourself but I'll be damned if I know what that might be at the moment." He grumbled a bit, "I don't like you being in a position like that right off the bat. Smythe is smart, manipulative and devious. With her position and connections that makes her dangerous. Up to a point, anyway." When push came to shove, and it usually did with Dave, he could rely on his ability to keep him relatively safe. Melissa didn't have that luxury. Seeing through things was handy but it wouldn't do much to prevent a knife wound, bullet hole or tire iron from wrecking the rest of her life. "Okay, okay. So, as far as I know, Smythe's main source of leverage comes from knowing how the system works, like the social and political system, and how to use it to get what she wants. I feel like she's wanting to use metahumans to expand her power outside of those circles... probably starting with you."

"Then she knows I can see through things? And how does she know? Maybe she's connected with whoever gave me the powers in the first place. But what would she want from me? Look into her opponent's office through the closed door and steal their strategy? That feels dumb."

She knew she had bitten off a lot, maybe more than she could probably chew but what was done was done. She could always decide that working for Peyton wasn't for her.

"Is it the usual power thing thats she after? A stable of metahumans to do her dirty work? I can always change my mind and not work for her. I don't think spending the day with her is going to be dangerous and maybe I'll find out the answers to my questions."

After a moment she realizes she did prattle on. "Sorry. That's a lot of questions."

Dave shrugged, "People like Smythe make it their business to know stuff they shouldn't so I'd assume she knows about your abilities. That's how they get into positions of power. It's like some sick game of chess." He sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose, "No. I don't think shadowing her for a day would be dangerous. She's feeling you out just like you'd be feeling her. She's probably taking a gamble on being able to impress you enough to slide you under her influence. She probably can do a lot for you to be honest. You just have to be strong enough realize that she's not on your side. That's you're a strategic move for her, in some way, and not to rely on her to be the person you think she is." He'd like to think he was being pragmatic and not cynical but his experience has rarely proved him wrong. There were good people in the world but none of them rose to levels of systemic power.
"Hey, nobody learned anything without starting at questions. Take the Tuesday date and see what Smythe has to say. Might be enlightening."

"You know what, Dave? You're alright. Thanks for taking me under your wing and letting me begin to spread mine."

She smiles genuinely at the man who is still a bit of a mystery to her but she thinks he means well.

"Ok, it's the plan then. I'll do it and keep my ears and eyes open at all times. Maybe I will find out how she knows about my powers and even find out how I got them."

GRAYBRIDGE, 5 NOV 2023 Graybridge Hospital

After a brief drive, Augusta pulls the clunker into the hospital pick up lane, and sees Melissa and Dave waiting patiently for them. She waves as she pulls in beside them, and they enter the car.

"Any luck? He going to be okay?"

Dave held the door open for Melissa as he leaned in to answer Augusta, "Hard to tell. No real news yet but he's in good hands." He looked at the faces of Augusta and Eva and immediately knew something was afoot. "It's nice of you to pick us up in Black Beauty, Kato, but what's going on?" he strummed his meaty fingers in the hood of Brock's beater car as he tried to guess before either of the women answered. "It's from the Green Hornet..." he clarified, noting the blank stares from Augusta and Eva. "Sorry, before your time... Find out anything from Tanya?"

"Get in," she says sweetly, "I'll tell you in a moment. Unless you'd prefer to drive. Don't you old timers have a thing about Asian women driving?"

Once they're inside, she gives them the scoop.

"Tanya doesn't know what's in the pills..The yellow ones are what her and her sisters take. There is something wrong in Eva's family's DNA and those pills keep them healthy. The blue ones are what Plaxo is currently working on. They're meant to suppress powers, make it so people with debilitating abilities can live normal lives. They've been testing them on inmates in the TANC. But not Belinda. At least, they promised they wouldn't experiment on her. In exchange for being allowed to meet Eva and give her the yellow pills, Tanya had to find 'free-range' test subjects. So she gave some to Brock. Apparently it worked. Just the side effects still need to be figured out. The sickness.".

She clasps Eva's hand and gives her a squeeze.

"I also asked about Brian Floyd. She doesn't know how he is involved exactly but she said he's involved with everything at Plaxo and the Lake. She also confirmed that the uniform Melissa saw from the guy that hit my car was the same as the guards at Wyvern lake."

She says after a pause, swallowing her worries, "I also promised her Id get Belinda out of TANC. I don't know how, but I'll do everything I can."

"Thanks," she says to Dave as he holds the door open for her.

"Why am I not surprised about Brian?" She says looking at Dave after Augusta gives the low down on what she knows. It's confirmation of what he had told her. "Seems like all bad things lead to that bastard. What I don't get is if they aren't experimenting on Belinda, why is she there? But whatever the reason, I will help you get her out."

What is Melissa doing? She was involving herself in too many things. Working with Dave. Being assistant to the strange councilwoman, and now she was going to aid in the escape of her friend. She needed her head examined.

These big, fast-flowing conversations often left Eva behind, but she was doing her best to keep up when suddenly Augusta was squeezing her hand. It feel strange, but also... good. She squeezed back -- gently -- and just nodded, agreeing with the other woman's take on what they'd learned about the drugs from Tanya.

"So why don't we go lean on this guy?" Eva adds, "Get to the bottom of some of this, find out what he knows, find out how we stop this shit. He's a a creep, right? I mean... I know... you like had a thing with him, but--"

She stops and looks at Dave before she finishes, "He's a bad dude, right? Stop whatever he's masterminding and you get Belinda out of harm's way, right?"

Dave shrugged and scooted Melissa into the car and sat himself wherever there was room left. "Floyd is into something nefarious. He's a go-between for too many slimy folks." he affirmed. "You don't deal with the kinds of people he deals with without being dirty too... Melissa and I cased his apartment building the other day and it's got good security. More than the two of us could get around but maybe with a couple of extra hands it'll be do-able." He looked at Melissa, 'You know, if you want to help but not risk getting arrested you could call 'loverboy' for a date to discuss your exciting new job opportunity so we could break in and search his place..." Search for what, he had no idea, but if Floyd kept anything in his apartment they'd find it.

"I'm uncomfortable with that. Let's just crack open his place like a walnut, and hope he's there, too. They seem to be onto me, given the vehicular assault, and so it's not a leap to say that my known associates would also be suspect. Our group isn't exactly covert. Sooner or later, they're going to do to us what I want to do to them -- grab someone and squeeze them until they vomit secrets."

"Ugh, Dave. He did text me again as we all know. It seems so obsessive. Does he really think I'm that dumb or does he truly believe I am obsessed with him? Are you sure he's not going to murder me or something if I agree to meet him somewhere? Maybe I should wear a wire? Do you have access to that kind of thing? I suppose I could suggest a restaurant redo."

It was clear Melissa was nervous and felt that she needed some kind of safety valve like the wire. Brian wasn't likely to take her clothes off in the restaurant at least. But what did the asshole really want from her? Knowing what she knew now about him it was all pretty troubling. The pressure from the others was weighing heavily on her too.

Eva is frowning at the discussion, and turns around so she can see the pair in the back seat.

"Enough sneaking around. It's taking forever, and like Augusta says -- it's not like these assholes aren't already onto us. They're probably making plans right now. You should all know that these pricks do a lot more than just experiment on people with drugs, and Tanya reports to these people. Your boy Brian is in the middle of it all somehow. Let's just grab the fucker and get some answers."

"Easy for you to say, Eva." But she's right. At this point it was time, and if she was going to work with Dave and sneak around Peyton, it was time for Melissa to put her big girl pants on.

Resolved to the task she announces,"I'll text him."

MK>Brian: Ok, let's meet. Try again.

Melissa keeps the phone in her hand but lets it hang by her side. She's not about to stare at it like a needy loser. She is one of the cool people now. When the phone dings she fights the urge to read it instantly.

"Oh, she says nonchalantly. "That must be him." Reading it out loud she shakes her head. "What a douchebag. What do you think guys? Should I risk him picking me up? I don't want to go to that same restaurant either.

Her question is mostly for Dave but the others could chime in too if they want.

Eva just looks at Melissa. "Invite him somewhere you can... be alone. I mean you won't be alone, but he can think you're alone."