A Desperate Man

Flash_Guardian groans happily, plopping himself down upon his spread bedroll, blanket, and pillow, sprawling out and making himself comfortably. He looks back up at Glyniss patiently, waiting for her to speak her mind.

Glyniss_McMasters follows looking about for a place to sit finding a flattish rock she slumps onto it..brace locking loudly in place as she looks at Flash swallowing softly

Flash_Guardian can feel the seriousness of the situation in Glyniss's demeanor. His mind flashes back to his more recent time spent with Devaine ... involved in a highway chase that ended in the death of a CIA agent under the wheels of Devaine's hummer. Flash had an idea of what this talk might be about, and he didn't like it. "So," he says, breaking the awkward silence, yet no words follow.

Glyniss_McMasters looks at him intently...." Flash....wha' yer kno' abou' Dev.....reall' kno' abou' him?" she frowns she was finding this just a tad hard.....blurting it out mostly" Dev flippe' yesterda' Flas'...he kidnappe' Javie's famil'...his wif' an' tw' kids"

Flash_Guardian would have gasped aloud ... had he a bit more energy. His shock is reflected in his wide eyes as he looks back to Glyniss, mouth stumbling to find words. The ones he at last settles on hardly convey the full extent of what he wants to say. "He what ?!"

Glyniss_McMasters nods slowly looking at him..." seem' he ha' som' foo' ide' tha' thi' Javie' woul' exchang' hi' famil' fer someon' els' an' durin' ter exchang' Dev woul' kil' Javie'......excep'....wel' Javie' didn' tur' up.." she sighs deeply looking to the ground.." Flas' ter kid wer' nipper' no hig' the' thi' scare' shitles'" her hand comes out going to the rough height of a 6 yr old

Flash_Guardian sits forward, eyes opened painfully as images play through Flash's head. An idea moves through Flash's mind, one that he doesn't view favorably as he shakes his head violently. "Glyniss ... he didn't ... tell me he didn't ..." That's all he manages to say, mouth fumbling to even make out the words of such horrible thoughts.

Glyniss_McMasters shakes her head...." No he didn'......" she frowns.." He' go' me soo ma' eaelie'....him an' Lox.....an' the' he pulle' a foo' thin' lik' thi'.....afte' pickin' me up he too' us ter th' pu'....ha' a bi' terd' wit' Lox an' ter wer' a few of us atryin' to ge' hi' ter se' sens' ge' ter gu' awa' fro' hi' an' gettin' hi' ter le' em go"

Flash_Guardian seems slightly relieved, yet his mind is racing as he looks down at the ground nearby. "I can't believe this," he says, shaking his head incredulously. "This isn't like him ... I ..." Flash seems pained and torn as he tries to understand. At last, he manages to put his thoughts to words more clearly. "The Devaine that I knew wanted to do good in the world," he explains. "When Jester wiped my memory back aboard the Triad, he fought so hard to get my memories back! We backed each other up. We looked out for each other. He wanted to use what resources he had to make up for his darker past, a darker past that he never seemed to let on about." Flash just closes his eyes, bending his head forward. "I guess his dark past has finally caught up with him," he states, his voice filled with a bitter sadness.

Glyniss_McMasters swallows softly reaching out and touching Flash lightly......" Don' Flash.....i' jus' go' outta' han' he sa' sens' in ter en'...hi' abee' throug' a hea' of mes'....an' no matte' wha' happe' he didn' kil' 'em....tha' Lox....he atrie talkin' him aroun' telin' Dev he awa' asinkin' as lo' as Javie' bu' wel' yer akno' ho' stubbor' he ca' be..." a frown knits her brows before fading...." He think' we'al' agains' hi' no' co' of it..."

Glyniss_McMasters leans back now letting her hand drop into her lap......looking down at them " He atol' he' wha' her husban' doe' fer a jo'...an'....an' abou' tha ther' woma' he ha'...." shaking her head a little..." Kid' akno' too wha' thei' pap' gon' doe' an' stuf'"

Flash_Guardian looks up at Glyniss's comforting contact ... making no effort to hide the pain in his eyes. "Maybe he didn't kill them," Flash reasons. "But that's not the problem." He steadies himself with a breath, looking away for a moment. "The fact is, when the idea first got into my head, just now, of Devaine killing the woman ... those kids ... I could see him doing it." Flash's face begins to tremble slightly from the sheer terribleness of it, though he fights to keep himself emotionally steady. "The way he is now, I think Devaine would have done it and not blinked an eye." He gazes back up to Glyniss now, eyes searching for consolation. "You saw him, Glyniss! You've seen how he's changed! He isn't the same anymore. He's ... he's cold ," he says, the last word spoken lightly, as if rolling off the edge of a knife. "Heartless." Another deep sigh. "It's like he isn't human anymore."

Glyniss_McMasters nods " Sur' I sa' hi'.....I wa' ather' in ter pu' too......an' I wa' ather' afterwar'.....Flas' hi' huma' bu' hi' als' alos'....alos' an' alon'..an' ain' go' a clu' wha' ter do"

Glyniss_McMasters frowns her voice dropping..." Hi' scare' Flas' excep' he ain' agoin' ter admi' it....he ain' go' a clu' who or awah' he is....

Flash_Guardian slumps over, falling onto his back on the bedroll, shifting slightly to get his wings to rest in a comfortable spot and staring ... just staring straight up. "It seemed like he knew, once," Flash says flatly. "Like he knew what his purpose was."

Glyniss_McMasters voice softly speaks " yer fergettin' he go' take'...hel' how' we kno' wha' the' adi' ter him whil' the' had hi' in tha' plac'....coul' adon' anythin' ter hi'...anaythin' at all...."

Flash_Guardian sits there while the possibilities of what Devaine might have experienced play through his head. Eventually he just closes his eyes and shakes his head, not wanting to see such nightmares. He just lays there, staring, not knowing what else to say that hasn't already been said.

Glyniss_McMasters sighs softly....."I ain' agreein' wit' him Flas'....shoo' I don' understan' it.......bu' we talke' alate'....Dev ain' awantin' ter be condemen'....he nee' hi' friend' amor' ten eve'....hi' agaon' throug' a lo' an' unlik' yer he ain' go' no' on'.....yer go' Bida....Dev he keep' amentionin' someon' bu' I ain' neve' see' him with he'.....he nee' ter kno' peopl' car'....tha' he ain' ascare' eveeyon' awa' fro' hi'

[Flash_Guardian ] After a while, Flash finally seems to come out of his mournful trance with a question. "So what happens now?"

[Glyniss_McMasters ] " I ain' certai'.....he sur' as hel' don' awan' me wit' hi' whe' he goe' afte' Javie' I kno' tha' muc'.....mayb' tr' an ' kee' hi' straigh'"

Flash_Guardian ponders Glyniss's words. "Dev's never been the type to rely on his friends," Flash argues. "He's always been a one man team, and he wouldn't have it any other way." Flash exhales softly, looking back to Glyniss sympathetically. "This won't be easy for him."

Glyniss_McMasters shakes her head " No i' won'.....an' mayb' his agonn' fin' tha' he agonn' ter nee' thos' frend'....bu' Flas'....hi' agon' ter hav' ter lear' ..."

Glyniss_McMasters lays a finger on her neck welt....." We wer' atalkin' abou' wha' he ha' don' whe' Cannon appeare' an' I go' thi'...." letting her hand drop once more...as far as she was concerned her neck was the least of the problems....." Mayb' I shouldn' asai' anythin' ter yer bu' I awant' yer to kno' fer someon' els' doe'...someon' wh' mayb' don' car' abou' Dev lik' we do"

Flash_Guardian lays there in thought, his eyelids heavy with the weariness of a day's hard work and rigorous spellcasting. "Do me a favor, will you?" he says, looking up at Glyniss. "If you see Dev before I do ... tell him his old buddy Flash wants to see him again, and show him his plans for the new dojo." Flash smiles a little, a warm smile. "And if he asks if I know what happened, you can tell him ... otherwise, much the better."

Glyniss_McMasters smiles kinda seeing the smile on Flash's features.....sighing softly as she pushes herself up..metal clicking as it unlocks loudly...." Sur' I wil'......an' Flas'.....than'....thank' fer understandin' hi'...an' stil' being a frien'.." glancing over him now..her mood lightened by finelly having told Flash shared it with someone...." Gues' I bette' be mosin' alon'"