Doug and Midnighter - Backdated to Monday
Nov. 16th, 2015 06:23 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
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om_mainMidnighter turns to Doug for a favor. A Mojo kind of favor.
Midnighter should have thought of it earlier, but the truth was, he barely thought about this kid at all. And more to the point, he had been too wrapped up in everything he personally couldn't do to think about what others might be able to do. If they agreed. Ramsey had no reason to.
Still, Midnighter came knocking on his door, because he might just say yes.
Doug was in the middle of translating an article for SHIFT when he heard the knock at the door, and grimaced as he got to his feet and glanced over at the clock. Was he late anywhere? He couldn't remember anywhere he was supposed to have been...
The person on the other side of the door was one Doug recognized, but who he had to admit had to be right on the bottom of a list of people he would have expected to see there. "Umm, hi? Can I help you with something?"
"Hopefully," Midnighter confirmed, and glanced at the room over Ramsey's shoulder. "Can I come in?"
"Yeah, of course." Doug stepped back from the door, watching the taciturn student with bemusement and shutting the door behind him. "It's...Midnighter, right? I don't think we've actually ever really met." And honestly, he wasn't at all sure why they were meeting now.
Midnighter nodded to confirm his name, his body language, for now, giving away as little as his tone, nothing but the usual don't-come-near-me vibe he gave off. "I'm here for a favor. A big one."
"Alright." Doug's eyebrows rose a little, but he gestured Midnighter towards Diaval's desk chair, and sat down in his own. "What kind of favor? Other than a big one?"
Midnighter paused for a split second before going to sit on the other chair; he didn't want to be towering over the other kid. He wasn't exactly good at putting others at ease. "The computer sort. I don't know what's possible or not, but I need help tracking down Mojo."
"The guy with the arena," Doug said aloud, more to himself than to Midnighter. His mind was already spinning. What did he know about what had happened that Spring? Three students had been kidnapped, there'd been some kind of gladiator arena. Now that he thought of it, he was almost positive one of those students had been Midnighter, which certainly explained his interest in locating the asshole. He'd been planning to look into it more, and then Simon had been attacked and River'd needed him and...
And there was a guy sitting in Diaval's chair waiting for an answer.
"It may be possible?" Doug hedged. "I mean, it's possible, but...from what I've heard, this guy has been in business a long time. He's got to be good at covering his tracks, or someone would have been on to him years ago."
"I'll give you everything I know about him," Midnighter told the kid. He was glad that the answer hadn't been an upfront 'no'. "He'll probably lay low for a while, but when he comes back up..." He wanted to be the first to know. He'd share the intel with Shatterstar, of course, but there was no fucking way he was getting cut out of it.
Doug nodded slowly. "That would help. If the others who were involved would, too, it'd help even more. How likely do you think it is that he'll lay low for any real length of time?"
"His operation was relatively new," Midnighter replied. "The last time he was known to have done something like this was years ago. You don't set up something like that in a handful of months. But as soon as you start, you're going to be giving off signs of what you're doing." The question was how good Mojo really was at covering them up.
"And if he wasn't that entrenched yet, it'll be easier for him to move things to a new location than it would have been if he'd been there for years," Doug mused. He was quiet for a while, considering, then met Midnighter's eyes. "I'll start digging. I can't promise anything, though."
"I wouldn't expect you to," Midnighter told him. "Here," he added, holding a thumbdrive out to him. "Everything I know about him and his operation." Including things like his heart condition, in case tracking down the meds he might use for it might help. Midnighter didn't want to leave any stone unturned. "I'll talk to the others. Find out if they know anything that could help."
Doug took the thumb drive and nodded. "Any information about the arena itself would be useful, too. Things like what kind of security system it had. I'm guessing they left everything behind when they ran - did anyone get anything out of the computers?"
"They didn't have time, herding us out of there before the actual authorities could show up," Midnighter shook his head. "But I'll get you more on the security system." Brand and Triptych would know more than he did.
Disappointed, Doug sighed - okay, he could understand not drawing attention, but getting some information couldn't have taken that long, could it? He nodded, though, and offered a crooked smile as he got to his feet. "I'll see what I can do. Did you want this kept quiet?" If not, he could enlist Tim's help. Two heads were better than one.
Midnighter was silent for a second, considering. And then he came out with the truth of it, because that was what he did. "The idea's to make sure Summers doesn't fuck this up again. I'd rather this didn't get back to him, but I don't give a shit what he has to say about it if it does."
Well, that was interesting, wasn't it? "Pretty sure Summers doesn't even know who I am," Doug admitted, wondering what, exactly, Summers had fucked up and how hard it was going to be to find out. "But I'll keep it quiet, then, unless I think it'll make a difference."
Midnighter nodded. He wasn't sure why Ramsey was helping him, or willing to keep it quiet, but it worked for him. "Thanks," he told him, and got to his feet.
"Not a problem." Doug got to his feet as well and walked over to open the door. "I'll keep you posted if I find anything."
Midnighter stopped in the doorframe, turning back to Doug to tell him, "I owe you." Because it was the kind of thing you acknowledged out loud, to make things clear.
Taken aback by Midnighter's pointed assertion, Doug rubbed at the back of his neck self-consciously and waved that aside. "You can buy me a coffee if I find anything."
"I owe you," Midnighter repeated, as if to say that coffee was hardly going to do the trick. He didn't give Ramsey time to answer, and simply turned to go.
"He owes me." Doug muttered it to himself as he closed the door behind Midnighter, and headed back to his desk. He supposed, then, that he had better get started finding something that Midnight would owe him for.
Midnighter should have thought of it earlier, but the truth was, he barely thought about this kid at all. And more to the point, he had been too wrapped up in everything he personally couldn't do to think about what others might be able to do. If they agreed. Ramsey had no reason to.
Still, Midnighter came knocking on his door, because he might just say yes.
Doug was in the middle of translating an article for SHIFT when he heard the knock at the door, and grimaced as he got to his feet and glanced over at the clock. Was he late anywhere? He couldn't remember anywhere he was supposed to have been...
The person on the other side of the door was one Doug recognized, but who he had to admit had to be right on the bottom of a list of people he would have expected to see there. "Umm, hi? Can I help you with something?"
"Hopefully," Midnighter confirmed, and glanced at the room over Ramsey's shoulder. "Can I come in?"
"Yeah, of course." Doug stepped back from the door, watching the taciturn student with bemusement and shutting the door behind him. "It's...Midnighter, right? I don't think we've actually ever really met." And honestly, he wasn't at all sure why they were meeting now.
Midnighter nodded to confirm his name, his body language, for now, giving away as little as his tone, nothing but the usual don't-come-near-me vibe he gave off. "I'm here for a favor. A big one."
"Alright." Doug's eyebrows rose a little, but he gestured Midnighter towards Diaval's desk chair, and sat down in his own. "What kind of favor? Other than a big one?"
Midnighter paused for a split second before going to sit on the other chair; he didn't want to be towering over the other kid. He wasn't exactly good at putting others at ease. "The computer sort. I don't know what's possible or not, but I need help tracking down Mojo."
"The guy with the arena," Doug said aloud, more to himself than to Midnighter. His mind was already spinning. What did he know about what had happened that Spring? Three students had been kidnapped, there'd been some kind of gladiator arena. Now that he thought of it, he was almost positive one of those students had been Midnighter, which certainly explained his interest in locating the asshole. He'd been planning to look into it more, and then Simon had been attacked and River'd needed him and...
And there was a guy sitting in Diaval's chair waiting for an answer.
"It may be possible?" Doug hedged. "I mean, it's possible, but...from what I've heard, this guy has been in business a long time. He's got to be good at covering his tracks, or someone would have been on to him years ago."
"I'll give you everything I know about him," Midnighter told the kid. He was glad that the answer hadn't been an upfront 'no'. "He'll probably lay low for a while, but when he comes back up..." He wanted to be the first to know. He'd share the intel with Shatterstar, of course, but there was no fucking way he was getting cut out of it.
Doug nodded slowly. "That would help. If the others who were involved would, too, it'd help even more. How likely do you think it is that he'll lay low for any real length of time?"
"His operation was relatively new," Midnighter replied. "The last time he was known to have done something like this was years ago. You don't set up something like that in a handful of months. But as soon as you start, you're going to be giving off signs of what you're doing." The question was how good Mojo really was at covering them up.
"And if he wasn't that entrenched yet, it'll be easier for him to move things to a new location than it would have been if he'd been there for years," Doug mused. He was quiet for a while, considering, then met Midnighter's eyes. "I'll start digging. I can't promise anything, though."
"I wouldn't expect you to," Midnighter told him. "Here," he added, holding a thumbdrive out to him. "Everything I know about him and his operation." Including things like his heart condition, in case tracking down the meds he might use for it might help. Midnighter didn't want to leave any stone unturned. "I'll talk to the others. Find out if they know anything that could help."
Doug took the thumb drive and nodded. "Any information about the arena itself would be useful, too. Things like what kind of security system it had. I'm guessing they left everything behind when they ran - did anyone get anything out of the computers?"
"They didn't have time, herding us out of there before the actual authorities could show up," Midnighter shook his head. "But I'll get you more on the security system." Brand and Triptych would know more than he did.
Disappointed, Doug sighed - okay, he could understand not drawing attention, but getting some information couldn't have taken that long, could it? He nodded, though, and offered a crooked smile as he got to his feet. "I'll see what I can do. Did you want this kept quiet?" If not, he could enlist Tim's help. Two heads were better than one.
Midnighter was silent for a second, considering. And then he came out with the truth of it, because that was what he did. "The idea's to make sure Summers doesn't fuck this up again. I'd rather this didn't get back to him, but I don't give a shit what he has to say about it if it does."
Well, that was interesting, wasn't it? "Pretty sure Summers doesn't even know who I am," Doug admitted, wondering what, exactly, Summers had fucked up and how hard it was going to be to find out. "But I'll keep it quiet, then, unless I think it'll make a difference."
Midnighter nodded. He wasn't sure why Ramsey was helping him, or willing to keep it quiet, but it worked for him. "Thanks," he told him, and got to his feet.
"Not a problem." Doug got to his feet as well and walked over to open the door. "I'll keep you posted if I find anything."
Midnighter stopped in the doorframe, turning back to Doug to tell him, "I owe you." Because it was the kind of thing you acknowledged out loud, to make things clear.
Taken aback by Midnighter's pointed assertion, Doug rubbed at the back of his neck self-consciously and waved that aside. "You can buy me a coffee if I find anything."
"I owe you," Midnighter repeated, as if to say that coffee was hardly going to do the trick. He didn't give Ramsey time to answer, and simply turned to go.
"He owes me." Doug muttered it to himself as he closed the door behind Midnighter, and headed back to his desk. He supposed, then, that he had better get started finding something that Midnight would owe him for.
