Sandy

[notrosecolored]

Scott said he'd be there with information in five minutes. He was at the door, fully dressed and with his glasses replaced by a visor, in four. It took him that long to grab a cup of coffee and walk to the lounge where Sandy was waiting.

He got his debriefing on the move, and directly into his brain.

He felt better for having been looped in, however perfunctorily.

He walked in, and stayed standing up. Looked the guy over, and wondered why the hell this kid was the recon specialist and then moved on.

"New mutant manifested in Chicago. She's sitting in a jail cell, supposedly for her protection. We're going to get her. How long do you need to pack?"

Comments

[granularity]

"Agreement, then" because he wouldn't call it that yet either. That's why they were working on it. Alan liked to think of himself as, if not an optimist, then at least a polite sort of realist.

"Have you gotten to meet Michael or Karen yourself by any chance?" because he'd never been one for 'leading' when it came to it. At least not in the JSA. Being the backbone suited him just fine, even the heart, and Ted always called him and Jay the moral compass of the group, but the head wasn't where his talents lay.

"I'll be honest and admit I wasn't really aware of how far along things had gotten when I got the call from Sandy. It's good to hear that you're feeling like it worked well enough, though. Especially since you both got a bit roughed up."

[notrosecolored]

"I have not had the opportunity to meet with them," he said, levelly. He dropped a shoulder against the wall of the elevator and watched the indicator light. "I only met Sand moments before he left to do surveillance on the prison Allison was held in."

Which was enough of an explanation for him, and really he didn't feel like hashing out any kind of details at the moment. They were willing to help and were proving reliable. He would have more questions if those files weren't waiting, but they were and that was a ...positive sign of not being the source of any leak.

Then he looked toward Alan and made a low, bemused, sound. "It isn't the first time. It won't be the last." For him or Sandy or anyone else who did this work. "It worked out. Allison's here and safe. For now, anyway."

[granularity]

"I certainly know that old song and dance," Alan agreed with a soft nod and a light chuckle. "And I certainly agree with you: the girl's safe and among friends. That's the most important thing."

He watched Scott pick their floor and kept half an eye on him to make sure that he was as healed as he appeared to be, looking for any sign small or large that he still needed to heal. It was subtle, though. He'd had plenty of practice.

He backed up a little as he realized what Scott had said, though.

"Really? You only just met?"

That was... interesting.

[notrosecolored]

Scott still had blood in his hair, and until or unless he decided he could live without the headaches he was going to have near constant pain on some level -

but he was used to the headaches, and he really was back on his feet. Somewhat tired, maybe, but walking and moving normally and using both arms equally. Basically, he really was okay, and he was aware that Alan was still keeping an eye on him. Still less frustrating than if it had been one of his teammates (friends).

The question caught him off guard, and his eyebrows drew down for a moment before he stepped out of the elevator and immediately headed toward the back of the building. "Yes. Why?"

[granularity]

Alan considered the question as he stepped out, bit his lip a time or two, and gave a short shake of his head.

"I understand it might sound a bit odd, considering some of the things I talked to you about earlier but... to be honest, I don't feel like it's my place to say."

Because he'd seen how Sand had regarded an injured Scott; Sand wasn't used to guarding his expressions after all that time behind the mask. And he'd seen a man watching an injured friend.

[notrosecolored]

HIs eyebrows appeared over the visor, but he said only: "All right."

The not pushing thing applied by proxy, too, it seemed. "I need to take a shower and change clothes before I find those files. It's a big place, but nearly everyone should be asleep by now. You shouldn't run into any trouble looking around the place until you find Sandy." Or Sandy found him. "Almost anyone still awake will be able to help."

He assumed.

[granularity]

Alan considered what Scott said before--

"Where's your library?"

Because he knew Sanderson well enough to know that he'd need much more than just coffee to keep himself awake. And at this point, Sandy would want to be awake. Just because he kept his peace didn't mean he didn't see certain things.

The boy had made it clear he was going to take care of himself but that didn't mean Alan didn't worry over him.

"I plan to keep my searching to where he actually is."

[notrosecolored]

"Third floor, west wing."

Scott didn't know Sanderson well enough to know where he'd be, but it was an easy question to answer. "I'll catch up with one of you tomorrow. IF you run into Warren again, tell him I went to bed with the files."

Which was also an easy avoidance for him, for now.

Warren wouldn't hang around, long. He wasn't on active duty anymore. Mostly he was running his company and providing a... counter example, in his way.

[granularity]

"I'll do that if I see him," Alan said peaceably enough. Then he gave the other man a nod. "Thank you, Scott."

And it wasn't just for the directions to the library. Though he left it at that as he headed towards the room in question.