Chapter LXVII: Vigil of the Demon -Multex

Needless to say, Multex hadn't been expecting *this* twist fate had just thrown him. Glancing over to Vaurix, who looked as if he were about to do something *very* ungentlemanly, the agent finally raised a slight hand to stop him and looked at the girl. Drawing a breath between his teeth, he once again assumed his cool, casual demeanor. "What did you want, again?" this was added with a slight edge of anoyance and a slight glance in the direction of Vaurix. Multex was very professional when it came to buissness, and, be it rude or not, he did let someone know when they had pushed the wrong buttons. If she had felt the edge to his remarks, the girl was pretty dam good at not showing it as she spoke up. "Are you from Parallel Earth." she stated simply. Though this slightly puzzled multex, as to how this..human knew of his home dimension, it also caused him to restrain a groan and slap to his forehead, along with a nice "You interrupted me to ask THAT useless question?!". Instead, he handled things more calmly. "Yes, I am. Now would you kindly move so that I may get back to my discussion?" "Not yet, i still have a few more questions to ask." The agent mentally groaned. "Great...fate of things in balance, I'm playin twenty questions with a girl. Human at that. Still...somehow.."
Multex shook free of his thoughts and returned to the present situation. "Fine...what?" The agent pondered the second after the words left his mouth..just *why* he has so easily given in against his will.
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"So when dawn rolls around we'll head for that large building, crossing through that forrest and the side of the ravine on the way. That sound doable?" Vaurix put his empty glass back on the bar and nodded. "Yeah. I'll fly up near there tonight, meet you there in the morning.", then, leaning in close to Multex's ear, he added "What if *She* decides to tag along?" Multex frowned slightly and replied in a similar whispered tone "What happens happens. If I see she's in someplace safe, I'll do the old slip out. If she follows, which would be pretty darn amazing to catch me in the act, then she follows. I answered all her questions and talked to her a bit more since. If that's all she wanted, she'll be outta this buissness in no time." Vaurix glanced to the side where the girl was trying to move in a little closer, then turned back and spoke his next reply in Tantalou, the counter part to the First Earthling's french or Spanish. "Perhaps. Just make sure you make it and keep your mind on the mission. We can't afford to tinker around if Havoc really is here. And Havering as his boss? Things ain't gonna be easy." Multex nodded and replied in the same language as well. "Yeah, never are are they. You know, if i had the chance i'd mangle that-" The agent was suddenly cut off as the bounty hunter's expression changed and he pressed a hand to the side of his head. His expression didn't improve, infact, it went the opposite and quite quickly. "What? What is it??" Multex nudged. Vaurix looked the agent square in the eyes before answering. "At was a dispatch from 2000V. A call sent to that pal o yours Omega. He's been called in to investigate the dissappearance of Alpha Tech's main headquarters and lab facilities in his home time!" Multex's expression fell even faster than Vaurix's had. "WHAT?! Alpha Tech GONE?? How the hell could that happen!" Vaurix shook his head. "Authorities are baffled, 'at's why they sent for Omega. Course...I think I might know more than he does at the moment.." Multex frowned with a confused expression, leaning forward just a bit. "Just what do you mean?.." "What I mean is, who i the blazes do we know who could take a building like *that*, and make it look as if it wasn't even there? Not even Holograntis coulda pulled that one off, and he specializes in illusions. Think about it." The agent paled even further, sinking back into his chair. "Holy...you don't think..Damn! Of course! It is!!" Vaurix nodded and put his fist down on the table. "Bingo. Now we have to see how quickly we can puzzle out just WHY and WHAT Havering could do with that company's main building and labs." "Vau...the answer is, what *couldn't* he do with it? If he has the entier facilities of AT headquarters, do you REALIZE how easily the odds we held have gone to hell already? Too damn quickly is how fast! Geeze..He has Holograntis, Havoc, and now the AT HQ?? CR shouldn't have sent me, he shoulda sent a frikkin army to take this guy down!"
As he glanced up, Multex caught an odd expression on the moments ago down and out face of the bounty hunter. "But...he *didn't* send an army. He just sent *you*....why just you? Why not both you and Omega. Why not you two AND the Cosmic Crusader even? Why did he JUST send you, Multex707, top agent of Kazi's outstanding agency? And an agent who nearly had a nervous break down last year at that! Hell, he knew you were partially unstable in emotions, but still, bang, here you are. Now why is that?" The gears in multex's head suddenly caught and sprung into a slow, building motion. "Because...Havering Specifiedme." Vaurix nodded. "Ok, but why you?" "Because...I'm figuring he's still got a grudge against me for my taking him down back home." Vaurix slammed his palm down on the table. "YES! Precisley! You defeated him once, and now he values you as a legitimate THREAT to him! He's brought you to a place where you aren't on home turf, placed a lot of civilians around to keep you from just going destructive to flush him out, and he's *definately* not out to kill you right off, else he would have by now." Multex's glance shot up. "He wants the diamond.." Vaurix blinked. "What??" The agents head slowly nodded definitavely. "That's gotta be why...he still wants the diamond for something. It's why we first crossed pathes and locked horns back home too." Vaurix nodded, gesturing to the agent's odd right eye. "So he wants your diamond? Why? It do anything special besides meld to your face and become a new eye?"
Multex nodded. "Yeah. It gives me the ability for shape shifting." "Shapeshifting?" "Yes. That *and* I think it may be responsible for unlocking and allowing me to use my Rage Force." The hunter slowly nodded his metallic head. "Yeah...I'd say that would be a nice little side thing to have. I mean it would be usefull to me even to be able to get stronger as a battle went on, and it gives a nice edge. But wonder why Pseudo wants the ability to use Rage Force?" Multex shrugged and stood up from his stool, watching the girl do similar. "We'll just have to find that out. See if we can't find any of his lackeys out here that might be a bit more persuadeable than Havoc. Until then, i suggest we get movin. It's late and dark enough for you to make that flight and not be seen, and there's always something that jumps in my path to keep me busy." Vaurix stood from his stool and chipped in half for the drinks. "True. Just try to stay low pal. We don't need any more attention with the likes of those nuts starin down our backs. I'll be hittin the skies now, so remember- North East, through forest, past the wooded ravine, then uphill a good three miles or so to that building. Rendez vous a half mile off the enterance." Multex nodded and gave the robot the highsign before the three made their way outside, where the Agent and the Girl watched as the robot leisurly stolled out of town before taking to the air. Glancing to the girl, then back around the night scene of the town around him the agent though to himself,
"Well, looks like the first few ours of free time i have to kill since i got here. Just wonder why I feel so edgy about that..."