Taylor
Taylor revved his bike, pulled his sunglasses down over his eyes, and reversed out the driveway.
If he was going to have another personality change, it wouldn't do for Zoe to be around at the time.
He made his way back to the park, and pulled up at the bench again. It seemed he'd been spending a lot of time there lately. He shut the bike off, leant it against the side of the bench, then sat beside it so he could lean his head on the seat.
He closed his eyes. God he was tired.
Blakesley
Blakesley put his newspaper down and smiled slightly. Well, how interesting.
Sedative? Check. Restraints? Check. Car? Check. Mostly deserted park? Check.
Looked like he was ready to proceed then.
He put his newspaper in a bin as he walked over to Taylor and sat on the bench.
"Hello, Taylor. Up for another fascinating discussion? I did so enjoy our last one."
Taylor
Taylor's eyes shot open as he almost jumped out of his skin.
He practically jumped from the bench and backed off.
"Blakesley," he frowned.
He looked around, not seeing anyone else around. He gulped.
Blakesley
Blakesley just smiled at him coldly.
"Actually, I'm rather surprised to see you here. I would have thought you would have been coaxing Jane out of her room. But I guess after that little incident with your brother, her insanity doesn't really concern you anymore, does it?"
Taylor
Taylor gave him an odd look.
"What are you talking about?"
Blakesley
"You don't know? My, you really don't keep up with day to day events."
Blakesley ran a hand through his hair lightly.
"Her wolf was shot. She's gone into a state similair, but not quite the same, as deep nervous shock. Barking and snarling like there's barely a trace of a conscious mind left in there. I would like to examine her. to see the effects of a deep empathic link breaking so suddenly and violently at close hand..."
He looked suddenly thoughtful.
Taylor
"Faf... Fafnir was shot?" Taylor stuttered, not sure whether to believe him or not.
But if he was telling the truth...
His eyes fell to the ground as he turned away.
"Oh my God," he cringed.
Blakesley
"Yes, he was. Fafnir, the wolf that devours the sun...so the little street arab has a bent for the classics..." Blakesley murmured.
"Intriguing. You are concerned for her still?"
Taylor
Taylor ran his hands through his hair, then bit his fist.
"What the hell do you think?" he snapped.
Blakesley
"Judging by your over emotional reaction, I would venture a guess at yes," Blakesley said.
"Emotional attachments...thankfully, I don't suffer from them."
Taylor
"If I didn't I'd be f*cking dead already," Taylor gulped.
Fafnir... God.
Blakesley
"I believe it was a clean shot, if that's any consolation," Blaklesley said offhandedly.
"At least it looked that way from the video."
Taylor
"Oh shut the f*ck up," Taylor scorned, glaring at him.
"I know you don't think this is bad enough. I f*cking get you by now. I don't need constant reminders of your growing insanity."
Blakesley
"My growing insanity?"
Blakesley raised an eyebrow delicately.
"My dear Taylor, I am perfectly sane. I merely choose to apply it in a different way. But speaking of growing insanities, how are yours progressing?"
Taylor
"I'm sorry to inform you that sadism is not a normal trait," Taylor said.
"You are f*cking insane. Probably moreso than I could ever be."
Blakesley
"I highly doubt that," Blakesley said.
"Besides...I have the feeling that you're harbouring a few sadistic tendecies of your own. Need I remind you of the bloodrain and the occurences there after?"
Taylor
"That was not sadistic," Taylor corrected.
"What the f*ck is up with you? You have spies watching the house... you probably have the place bugged, the phones bugged... I'm right, aren't I?"
Blakesley
"Not myself personally..." Blakesley said.
"I am employing the servies of a professional. His company, highly illegal, but highly effective, watches everyone, I think. You probably haven't heard of him, but your clone would have. Even if the Spider and later as the Eye didn't have to utilise the company's talents."
Taylor
"The Eye is dead. Christian's taking over. But of course you probably knew that," Taylor rolled his eyes.
Then he snorted.
"And you go off at us for having an illegal government... which is currently being legalized anyway."
Blakesley
"The government gladly uses King's services when the FBI or CIA aren't quite up to scratch," Blakesley said.
"I was aware of the Eye's demise, yes. Your sister appears to be doing well."
Taylor
"Like you give a f*ck about my sister's state of mind," Taylor scorned, "you just wanna research her carcass."
He stopped himself and frowned, trying to wipe that picture from his head.
Blakesley
Blakesley tilted his head slightly.
"Yes, it would be a great boon if one day she simply dropped dead and I could procure her body for research purposes. I might look into seeing about that..."
Taylor
"Oh shut up," Taylor scorned, grabbing the handlebars of his motorbike.
He backed it up a little, then sat on the seat. Not willing to sit any closer to Blakesley.
He leant forward, leaning over it tiredly.
Blakesley
"On second thoughts, obtaining her alive and then taking her to pieces would be more valuable in terms of research," Blakesley said.
"Live subjects usually respond much better."
Taylor
Taylor raised his eyebrows.
"If you plan on leaving here without a broken leg I'd suggest not talking about my sister that way," he threatened.
Blakesley
"I actually have need for a telepath at the moment..."
Blakesley mused silently for a few moments, then shook his head.
"I can make do with what I have. Even if he is a rather weak telepath, it suffices for the experiment at the moment."
Taylor
Taylor groaned and closed his eyes again.
When the hell was this asshole going to leave him alone?
"Good for you."
Blakesley
"No compassion for the being suffering under my hands at the moment?"
Blakesley shrugged.
"Refreshing change."
Taylor
"Why should I care when the same thing could be happening to me anytime soon?" Taylor pointed out without opening his eyes.
He tuned his ears to some conversations in the trees, so he knew Blakesley hadn't moved.
Blakesley
"When I have time for you," Blakesley said.
"Or I recapture Christian."
Taylor
"Christian's gone underground. No one knows where he is. No one in on the operation can speak out, as a precaution to keep people like you and other criminals from finding out.
He opened his eyes and looked at the ground.
"I heard somewhere it was some kind of intense training now that Craig's gone."
Blakesley
"How interesting. Maybe he'll actually be a challenge, this time," Blakesley said.
"The two of you...such fascinating cases."
Taylor
Taylor glanced at him, then up into the tree to spot the birds he'd been hearing.
"Well we didn't choose it, but we have to live with it," he pulled a face.
He spotted the birds, and called out to let them know he was there. One of them soon flew down to his shoulder and started pecking through his hair.
Blakesley
"How unhygenic," Blakesley commented with a small shudder of distaste.
Taylor
Taylor almost snorted.
"I wouldn't expect you to understand. It's actually quite hygenic. She's cleaning me."
He leant his head against the bird for a moment and thanked her.
Blakesley
"I've dealt with birds before, usually just before I detached their wings from their bodies, and they're often covered in mites and other parasites," Blakesley said.
"*Quite* unhygenic."
Taylor
"You'll find that around these areas of Tulsa, things are quite different," Taylor said softly.
He nuzzled the bird for a moment, before she flew up into the tree to her mate again.
"And of course it's hard to see things in a different light when you have a one track mind."
Blakesley
"I am quite dedicated to my research," Blakesley said.
"Which is progressing much quicker now I have relocated to my own labratories and other research facilities."
Taylor
Taylor raised his eyebrows and looked at him.
"And you wouldn't want to tell me where exactly they are, right?"
Blakesley
"Eventually, you'll be there yourself, so there's no need," Blakesley said.
"Besides, you would tell someone like Tanya or Leroy where they were. My experiments are quite delicate."
Taylor
"Doesn't matter," Taylor shrugged, looking away.
"I'm not exactly planning to be rescued next time."
Blakesley
"Oh, really?"
Blakesley looked at him sharply.
"And what chain of events has brought you to this way of thinking?"
Taylor
Taylor looked him over for a moment, then looked away again.
"I thought you were supposed to know everything," he almost snorted.
Blakesley
"I know the physical occurences, yes," Blakesley said.
"I'm interested in your interpretation of them."
Taylor
Taylor looked at him curiously, as if sizing him up.
"What do you want to know?"
Blakesley
"Merely your thoughts on them," Blakesley said.
He rubbed his thumb over his top lip.
"How they affected you, why you think they happened at all."
Taylor
Taylor hesitated, grinding his teeth.
He looked across at the nearby street, then whined a little like a dog.
"I won't always know the answers," he said finally, "I'm having enough trouble with memory as it is."
Blakesley
"We can start with more recent events, then go backwards, if you like," Blakesley said.
"Such as Jane's infidelity."
Taylor
Taylor froze suddenly, as if the reminder had just hit him.
"Well I don't really blame her as much as I blame him," he said softly, a look of betrayal crossing his face.
"He went to her of all people, and I just wasn't around, I..."
He cut himself off and bit his fist again.
"I still love both of them."
Blakesley
"But yet, it proves my point about emotional attachment. Useless vanities that lead only to pain that could be easily prevented."
Blakesley stretched slightly.
"If I was to take her, what would you do? Would you let her go? Would you seek to protect her? Would you take her place?"
Taylor
Taylor stopped to think.
"I love her. I couldn't just let you take her," he said softly, "but I don't know what I'd do."
He took a shaky deep breath and turned his head onto it's side so he could face the scientist.
"It would probably depend on my state of mind."
Blakesley
The scientist nodded slightly, thinking.
"It often does."
He stood, brushing his coat off.
"I have things to do, so I will say...not goodbye. Because I will see you soon, Taylor."
Taylor
Taylor sat up, still wary of the older man.
"Can you tell me when?" he gulped, "or... or what you're going to do with me?"
Blakesley
Blakesley appeared to think about this for a few moments, then shook his head.
"No."
He walked off across the park to his car.
Taylor
Taylor kept his eyes on him until he was in the car, afraid he might turn around and shoot him with a dart or something.
When he drove away, he leant over his bike again and closed his eyes.
Why had he talked to him like that? Why didn't he just leave? He was confusing himself so often lately.