Snippet #2815528

Sairyn felt like he maybe should have warned Alex that temporary heightened aggression was a minor side-effect of the bone growth stimulation chamber, but when he turned to do so Alex was already on his way. He clucked his tongue once.

It'll be fine.

"Yes, I ate already. We're the first ones up so there should still be plenty but... if you can't find anything after Jemma has her way with the buffet I can prepare something for you," he said offhandedly, glancing down at his phone. "Be careful if you intend to go to the beach: I didn't catch sight of SINS in the area on my last Drone flyby but that doesn't mean they're not observing the area, and they know all our faces," he said, draining the last quarter of his cup in a single draft. The grip on his coffee cup tightened noticeably on Pendleton's arrival, and he regarded the lawyer through a narrowed expression like he might will the man out of existence right there.

"D-... Don't you have something better to do??" he asked, in an icy tone. "Anyway," he muttered, turning back to the others. "Be cautious on your trip," he said in a very deliberate tone that suggested what he meant was "Don't give SINS the opportunity to test the red tape protecting them" and "We're not talking about my involvement with the lawyer about."

Sairyn's phone buzzed, drawing his attention. He quickly tapped out a reply and a few moments later the air was sundered by tendrils of shimmering pearlescent energy, revealing a rift leading back to NAHLA's evidence locker. A pale skinned woman with purple locks and glowing pink eyes ushered a dolly laden with several sealed medical totes through and carefully lowered them next to him. She wiped her hands on the front of her white NAHLA duster afterwards, looking nearly as frumpy as Sairyn. Clearly neither of them had gotten very much rest recently.

"Sai, I..."

"It's fine, I know you can't stay long," he cut her off, his face twisting into a scowl at the sight of the totes.

"It was already over when I got there," she said softly, laying a hand on his shoulder.

"I know: it was over in under a minute. The only way you could have gotten there faster was if the fucking moron been using the drone I built for him instead of that useless mask camera. Could have given you coordinates," he said, though his voice lacked the usual bite. "I'll forward you the results once my analysis is complete."

"I can delegate this to someone..." she offered, letting the rift close behind her. Color flushed back into her skin, and the glow faded from her mismatched eyes.

"No," he said firmly, taking the dolly and starting back towards the lobby with it. "It has to be me. Nobody fucks with my family," he replied icily. Eva blew an exhausted sigh as he left.

"Good morning Pendleton... Hello," she smiled at the others. "I hope he hasn't been too prickly..."