12-04-2019, 02:52 PM
Julie Equals sat at the canvas once again. She tilted her head and stared at it.
She'd put Susan to bed and helped her down into a light trance, to see if she and the other women in her head could learn more about her odd connection with Helen. Troy was still talking to the hackers, and Helen and Mander had left for their meeting. Which meant that, at nearly midnight, for the first time all day, she had time to herself to at least make that first brushstroke, so she could say "Ok, you've put something on the canvas; you have officially begun painting. Now, keep going."
The word "time" looked for something to connect with in Julie's head. Well, it was almost tomorrow before she'd been free of distractions to come in here and try to get some work done.
"Distractions" played across her mind as well. Well, it'd been a day of distractions. First the Ultimados, then Helena showing up, all this Springheel stuff, Whyte calling, the Triad hit, Susan insisting on going downtown and into the midst of an attack on the hotel, discovering that Susan might be psychic. It was a damn busy day, with lots of problems, but it seemed they were, if not yet resolved, getting better. Which meant she was free to try to stop worrying about everyone and think about the crowd scene that had been trying to get out of her head and onto the canvas.
"Time" went through her head again as she stared. She'd been listening to the Beatles, Who, and Stones blaring from across the street until it got too late for loud music. Mander had almost certainly played Time is on My Side at some point during the day. Julie began humming the song. It was then that "distraction" played across her mind again. Everyone had been so busy today...
"We missed something." Julie said, just as her brush was about to touch the canvas. She stopped and thought. Whyte had done a good job of keeping everyone on their toes. Who knew how Helen's meeting would go? When the hackers would have something for Troy? What Susan would be able to find. He didn't even know Susan, but he was keeping her busy, too. Everyone had bigger things to think about than she did.
Julie dropped her brush. Everyone DID have bigger things to think about than she did, and now that she wasn't worried to death for Troy, Susan, and Helen; her head was clear. She'd remembered it as Whyte calling, then the limo hit; but realizing now, that wasn't how things happened. It connected in her head, and she ran out of her studio and down the hall into the library, where Troy was working.
"Twenty-six minutes, Troy!"
Troy stood up from the computer and listened to her.
"Helena called Whyte, remember? It took the Ministry of Intelligence twenty-six minutes to get his personal number once we knew his name. He CONGRATULATED her for calling him back in LESS than half-an-hour!"
Troy took in Julie's words, trying to see the connection herself. He'd been too busy going over the hackers' findings to consider whatever Julie had thought of. Julie saw the look of contemplation on his face and continued.
"Whyte called her. She told him she'd call him back in half-an-hour, and did it with time to spare. And then his people attacked the limo. And Whyte let her record his confession. So, why can't she just email it to the Elders or whoever? Maybe they're Elders, but they probably have people to work their computers for them! Why isn't sending it good enough? Why couldn't she just play it over the phone for them? Or send an Ultimado to drop off a flash drive?"
Troy gave a nod, working the ideas she gave him while Julie continued.
"That hit happened WHILE Helena was on the phone with him. He obviously planned it that way! But he'd called her twenty-six minutes before, and she hung up and called him back. So, did the limo and the ambushers just circle the block for half an hour? Was Whyte planning to keep her talking that long, while they set everything up?"
"You're thinking he's made a deal with the Elders, aren't you, Julie?" Troy asked, taking her hand, and leading her out of the library to go across the street and speak to Ortega about this. "She scared them enough to murder Raymond Chen just because he had the name of someone who pissed her off."
She'd put Susan to bed and helped her down into a light trance, to see if she and the other women in her head could learn more about her odd connection with Helen. Troy was still talking to the hackers, and Helen and Mander had left for their meeting. Which meant that, at nearly midnight, for the first time all day, she had time to herself to at least make that first brushstroke, so she could say "Ok, you've put something on the canvas; you have officially begun painting. Now, keep going."
The word "time" looked for something to connect with in Julie's head. Well, it was almost tomorrow before she'd been free of distractions to come in here and try to get some work done.
"Distractions" played across her mind as well. Well, it'd been a day of distractions. First the Ultimados, then Helena showing up, all this Springheel stuff, Whyte calling, the Triad hit, Susan insisting on going downtown and into the midst of an attack on the hotel, discovering that Susan might be psychic. It was a damn busy day, with lots of problems, but it seemed they were, if not yet resolved, getting better. Which meant she was free to try to stop worrying about everyone and think about the crowd scene that had been trying to get out of her head and onto the canvas.
"Time" went through her head again as she stared. She'd been listening to the Beatles, Who, and Stones blaring from across the street until it got too late for loud music. Mander had almost certainly played Time is on My Side at some point during the day. Julie began humming the song. It was then that "distraction" played across her mind again. Everyone had been so busy today...
"We missed something." Julie said, just as her brush was about to touch the canvas. She stopped and thought. Whyte had done a good job of keeping everyone on their toes. Who knew how Helen's meeting would go? When the hackers would have something for Troy? What Susan would be able to find. He didn't even know Susan, but he was keeping her busy, too. Everyone had bigger things to think about than she did.
Julie dropped her brush. Everyone DID have bigger things to think about than she did, and now that she wasn't worried to death for Troy, Susan, and Helen; her head was clear. She'd remembered it as Whyte calling, then the limo hit; but realizing now, that wasn't how things happened. It connected in her head, and she ran out of her studio and down the hall into the library, where Troy was working.
"Twenty-six minutes, Troy!"
Troy stood up from the computer and listened to her.
"Helena called Whyte, remember? It took the Ministry of Intelligence twenty-six minutes to get his personal number once we knew his name. He CONGRATULATED her for calling him back in LESS than half-an-hour!"
Troy took in Julie's words, trying to see the connection herself. He'd been too busy going over the hackers' findings to consider whatever Julie had thought of. Julie saw the look of contemplation on his face and continued.
"Whyte called her. She told him she'd call him back in half-an-hour, and did it with time to spare. And then his people attacked the limo. And Whyte let her record his confession. So, why can't she just email it to the Elders or whoever? Maybe they're Elders, but they probably have people to work their computers for them! Why isn't sending it good enough? Why couldn't she just play it over the phone for them? Or send an Ultimado to drop off a flash drive?"
Troy gave a nod, working the ideas she gave him while Julie continued.
"That hit happened WHILE Helena was on the phone with him. He obviously planned it that way! But he'd called her twenty-six minutes before, and she hung up and called him back. So, did the limo and the ambushers just circle the block for half an hour? Was Whyte planning to keep her talking that long, while they set everything up?"
"You're thinking he's made a deal with the Elders, aren't you, Julie?" Troy asked, taking her hand, and leading her out of the library to go across the street and speak to Ortega about this. "She scared them enough to murder Raymond Chen just because he had the name of someone who pissed her off."
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