[Alexander,Jack]
Scene Started: Wed, 16 August
2000
Dateline: 7.45am, Friday, December 25th, 1998
[ PC ]
Passing down the corridor to the elevator, they could see that the men who had been standing guard were gone now. The papers lay on the floor outside the rooms they passed.
Tanberg called the lift and they descended to the first floor.
[ CT ]
Jack spoke to Marcus, "Quentin's fine, but Andrea had a little nausea from the exam. Quentin took her to check in with a Doctor Boothby. I'm sure she's going to be fine. Quentin isn't going to let her out of his sight."
[ PC ]
There were a few other people about in the Hotel Foyer now. A man in a smart suit with a deep tan was talking quietly to a receptionist, two men and a woman were heading into the resaurant ahead of them and a boy, dressed in a suit, about Alan's age was standing in the middle of the Foyer. Waiting for them. He wasn't happy. He was furious.
Tanberg hesitated a moment as he stepped out of the elevator. "Ah, Adam."
Turning to Jack and Alex he said, "I better introduce you to an associate of your father's." Tanberg led the group over to the boy in the suit.
[ CT ]
Jack hesitated, sure he hadn't heard that right. "A wh-what?" he stammered and followed after the rest.
[ PC ]
"Adam. I wasn't expecting to see you here. Allow me to introduce Jack, Marcus, Alex and Alan Jameson, four of Samuel's children."
"You had no right bringing them here," Adam talked quietly, not to be overheard. He hadn't even glanced at the brothers as they were introduced, he was glaring at Tanberg. "Who gave you authorization to bring them? I didn't, and it wasn't even remotely part of your brief. Take them back before their presence here is revealed, and that's an Order."
[ MT ]
Alex watched the boy with interest, but decided not to say anything. He didn't know enough about the situation to guess what was going on.
[ CT ]
Jack leaned toward Zen and asked him a little too loudly, "What'd he say?"
[ MT ]
Alex hesitated for a moment, then, after Adam had left, said "It sounds weird, but I think the kid's the one in charge, or he seems to think he is. Tanberg will hopefully explain what's really going on."
[ PC ]
Tanberg watched Adam's back as he walk back out the front of the Hotel. He looked surprised. "I suppose you better add another half dozen questions to your list. Come on lets get some food, I'm famished."
Tanberg led them through into the restaurant and was approached by a smartly dressed waiter. "A table for 5, non-smoking, please." They were led through the relatively quite room to a round table with seating for eight.
"Would anyone like some tea or coffee?" asked the waiter.
[ CT ]
"Yes," Jack said. "Sweet. Real sugar. Nothing artificial."
To one end of the room, on their left as they came in, was a serving counter with all the different breakfasts on offer. Continental breakfasts, english breakfasts, even a section of about the third of the counter that they couldn't really recognise anything as any food they knew. Strange shaped fruits, sweet smelling 'meatballs' in a cream sauce and a bowl of raw seeds.
[ CT ]
Jack found himself a sweet roll and an innocent looking piece of fruit. He would normally have dived in recklessly, but the adrenaline in his system had staved off his appetite.
[ PC ]
Once everyone had collected something to eat they gathered around the table and Tanberg looked around at them. "Where would you like me to begin?"
[ MT ]
Zen sat down with his vegetarian meal (though he was uncertain of the contents of certain foods he put on his plate) and started with the topic currently on his mind. "I know I'm starting at the end and working back to the beginning, but what's the deal with that kid we met in the foyer?"
[ PC ]
"Yes. Adam Faskil." The distaste in his voice was crystal clear. "He has exercise his 'right' under Al Amarjan law to be declared an adult. I think he is only about eleven, I don't know for sure, he doesn't really want anyone to know his age."
"He is the head of the organisation your father was working for. The Faskil Organization. It was originally founded by Adam's father, Peter Faskil. He was killed a couple of years ago, prompting Adam to try and fill his father's shoes rather than have a 'regent' until he came of age."
"I have only met him briefly when I was collecting the commission to help trace Mogul, he seemed quite reasonable that time. I don't know why he would object to you being here. And I'm, afraid I don't know who he is worried might find out you are here."
"As for what your father was doing for Faskil, I'm not sure but I was told that his creation had escaped and my go after him. Morelli had apparently worked with your father, but I don't know in what capacity. And I'm afraid I don't know what your father was bringing to the table in creating Mogul, only that he had been involved with them for the last twenty years or more."
[ CT ]
"Are you still on the hunt for 'Mogul?'" Jack asked. "I'm asking you whether you're looking for our sister Amanda. Can you find her? Is she..." His eyes flicked between Marcus and Alan, "...safe?"
[ PC ]
"Yes, Mogul is the name of the ... entity ... that has taken your sister. And yes I expect we will continue looking for it. And Amanda."
[ MT ]
"Yes, we all want to know what's going on with this Mogul thing that's causing all the problems. What will you do to it, to her, if you find it... her... them? Can you stop it without hurting Amanda?"
[ PC ]
Tanberg had managed to take a bite of his roll while Alex spoke. He put it down and steepled his fingers. After a moment's contemplation he looked up at the brothers, "We don't know what it will take to capture Mogul, or even if we can do it. When it comes to Mogul, I'm afraid we only have a few parts of the puzzle. We can detect it's presence in a host, using Professor Time's contraption, and we can determine using 'other' means if it has been in a host. Morelli, was an example. This, 'other' method, isn't one the 'host' survives."
"Unfortunately, we are unlikely to be the only people looking for her, it. There are many in the world who would like to capture Mogul. We have a head start on them and we obviously have to beat them."
Tanberg stopped speaking as the waiter returned with a pot on each hand. He filled cups with tea or coffee and left.
Tanberg watched him leave. "I will be leaving shortly, to return to Washington. It will be about this time in the morning on christmas day when I arrive. The airport was closed due to snow earlier but they expect to have it open again in a few hours. I believe Mogul, Amanda, will attempt to leave when the airport reopens. I should be back sometime tonight. Hudson will stay here with you, once he returns from the hospital with Quentin and Andrea. In the meantime I suggest you get some sleep for a few hours till this afternoon."
Tanberg moved his seat back an inch as if to leave, "Unless you have anymore questions, I had better get ready for my trip." He stayed in the seat waiting for an answer.
[ CT ]
"Was our mother involved in the project?" Jack asked. "Officially or otherwise, did she have a hand in our father's work?"
[ PC ]
Tanberg leaned back in his chair, "Not that we were aware. Dimitri has never mentioned to me that she was."
[ CT ]
"Oh," Jack sounded surprised. Damn, that was another mystery altogether.
[ MT ]
"And what was our father's work, anyway?" Zen chimed in. "It's always been so secretive that I'm unsure what exactly he did for your group."
[ PC ]
"Your father was what you might call the Operations Director. Quite senior. As to the secrecy, very few people outside of the organization itself even know it exists. At least that's their objective. It is quite likely that even your mother didn't really know what your father's work involved."
[ CT ]
"But then how did she...?" Jack began and stopped short. "I mean..." Jack glanced at his brothers.
[ PC ]
Marcus raised his head from the bowl of vegetable soup he was eating and almost glowered at Jack. Tanberg cocked his head in Jack's direction.
[ CT ]
He continued in a slow measured tone, "It's just that she gave us this message...and it seemed a little unusual." Jack's face twisted more and more quizically as he spoke, and when he was finished it bore some resemblance to the middle one of Picasso's 'Three Musicians.'
"Right?" he said.
[ PC ]
"Message? She was able to speak to you before she..." Tanberg stopped uncomfortably glancing at Alan, but the question still hung there.
[ MT ]
"Well, she... um..." Alex started, but then he gave up, unsure whether to reveal all to Tanberg, and unable to create a convincing story to explain Jack's remark.
[ CT ]
"Well," Jack repeated. He shrugged at Zen and Marcus. "Not... exactly," he answered Tanberg's question. Then, he turned to Alan, "Alan? Did mom have any...weird hobbies. Y'know, things nobody at school seemed to know anything about. Anything she said to keep secret, or where she would say 'nobody would understand'? Like... *MAGIC* tricks. Anything like that?"
[ PC ]
Some cereal spilled from Alan's mouth onto his chin, "'Magic'? What, like she was Aunt Zelda?"
[ CT ]
Jack chuckled, "Yeah."
[ PC ]
Alan wipped his chin and seem to think for a moment.
"Magic?" inquired Tanberg. Tanberg shook his head and sighed, "What happened? What did you see?"
Alan shook his head, "No, mom only ever went out to her women's evenings every few weeks. They'd call round sometimes, but I didn't like them so I stayed at Pete's when they come round." He seemed sheepish admitting the last.
[ CT ]
"Okay," Jack said. He turned back to Tanberg, seemed about to speak again, but nothing came out right away. Then, "Okay," he said again. Another pause. "Our mother, you see...is an incredible person. Just great." Jack waved his hands. "Anyway, I don't know what she did exactly, but... There was a..." Jack leaned foward as if to whisper, but it was a stage whisper, so anyone who wanted to could hear him clearly say, "...an apparition!" Jack leaned back and seemed satisfied his secret was intact. "Of her. She told us we could save them both if we..." he took a deep breath, "...'found the maker.'"
[ PC ]
Furrows grew on Tanberg's forehead as he watched Jack.
[ CT ]
Jack paused a moment to let that sink in, then he rambled on, "There were some other things that I don't really understand, but basically that's what happened. The other details won't help if you don't know what I'm talking about."
[ PC ]
"When did this happen?"
[ MT ]
Zen spoke up to answer Tanberg. "It was just after we found the bodies, if I remember, but everything's been going so quickly and so weirdly that it's a bit confused in my mind."
[ PC ]
Tanberg was very interested, "Do you know what she meant by 'The Maker'? The Maker of what? Mogul?" Alex could sense in Tanberg's voice that he was confused.
[ MT ]
Zen shook his head 'no'. "We were hoping you could shed some light on that, actually."
[ PC ]
"Not just yet, I'm afraid," apologised Tanberg.
Marcus had his eyes closed and appeared to be counting under his breath, very slowly.
"I wish I could stay and speak with you some more. Unfortunately I need to head back to Washington to try and find your sister. Hudson should return shortly. As I said, you should rest for most of the day."
Tanberg pushed his chair back and stood. Nodding at the brothers he turned and headed for the foyer.
[ CT ]
"Hey," Jack called out, "where do we find Quentin?"
[ PC ]
Pausing, Tanberg turned, "He is with Hudson, at the Hosiptal." With that Tanberg left.
[ MT ]
After Tanberg was gone, Alex looked around at the others and, in an effort to lighten the mood, said "I don't know about you, but I'm still confused."
[ PC ]
"Well I'm not any much the wiser for all that," grumbled Marcus.
The brothers had only eaten about half what they had brought to their table, but they were still hungry, even if their appetite wasn't all there. Alan and Marcus had made the most effort to eat, but even they gave up before finishing.
A few others from the hotel were starting to appear for their breakfast, a few of them were wearing red bobbled santa hats and carrying some wrapped presents. They all sat at a table and were talking excitedly, like children.
"What are we going to do now?" asked Marcus.
[ CT ]
"Let's get to the hospital," Jack suggested. He pushed out his chair and stood up. One last swig of his coffee and he was ready to go. "When we get our luggage, I'll take another look at that metal strip. Maybe the maker's name is printed in tiny letters...'Made in Al Alamarja.'" He quoted it with his fingers. "I'm sure the concierge can point us in the right direction."
[ MT ]
Zen stood up from his half-eaten meal. "Good idea. We'll gather what remains of our family, and then see what we can do."
[ PC ]
As they were walking out of the resturaunt they noticed the receptionist waving to them, she had a telephone to her ear under a wave of loosly curling blond hair.
Approaching the desk they could see her bright blue eyes sparkle with the bright morning light flooding in through the foyer. "Telephone for you Mr Jameson," she was looking round all the brothers and offering them the phone.
[ MT ]
Alex looked at the phone, looked around at the others, and asked "Which one? We are several Mr. Jamesons." He decided to keep to himself his questions about who could be calling them.
[ CT ]
Jack looked at the receptionist without saying a word, without giving her any help as to which Mr. Jameson might be the correct Mr. Jameson. His only expression was a smirk which flashed at her for a moment.
[ PC ]
"Any," was all she said placing the receiver down on the top of the reception.
Out of the earpiece, Alex and Marcus could make out a voice, "Yes, ...Alex...Jack...Marcus...got there?"
The receptionist had turned away and was working on some papers behind the reception desk.
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This Page Last Modified: Sun, 19 Sep 2000
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