From: adjonas2000@yahoo.com   
      
   Title: The Human Touch   
      
   By: Amy Jonas   
      
   Feedback: adjonas2000@yahoo.com   
      
   Archeive: sure   
      
   Rating: PG13   
      
   Summary: An elderly homeless man's death ties into the Gunmen's   
   investigation of a pharmecuticals company   
      
   Disclaimer: I don't own them; I just take them out for playdates.   
   The Poem is by Spencer Micheal Free   
      
   References: This assumes everyone got out of the vault from All   
   About Yves and makes a reference to All About Yves as well as   
   several other episodes.   
      
   I want to thank Magrose, my beta, who challenges and inspires me to   
   be a better writer.   
      
      
      
      
   Daewoo Pharmaceuticals 1:10 am   
      
   "Testing; can you read me?" Byers tapped his headset; glancing at   
   his associates for confirmation that their communication was   
   working. Frohike's short and stocky form emerged from the shadows.   
   Tossing a cutting tool into the van, he gave Byers a thumbs up in   
   reply.   
      
   Langly grinned as he pulled his long blond hair into a ponytail,   
   securing it with a grubby rubber band. "Everything's a go." He   
   jumped into the back of the van, already bringing up the building's   
   security on his laptop even before his butt touched the chair.   
      
   "Security will be ready when you are," Frohike told him as he joined   
   Langly.   
      
   Satisfied, Byers turned to Jimmy, "Ready?"   
      
   The younger man nodded and they moved toward the opening in the   
   chain-link fence that Frohike had cut for them. Byers slipped   
   through easily while Jimmy had to squeeze past the jagged wire . As   
   they started jogging into the bowels of the compound, they heard   
   Langly's voice in their headsets, "Bring us back some souvenirs."   
      
   Langly was of course referring to the anonymous e-mail they had   
   received that morning. The tipster accused executives of Daewoo   
   Pharmaceuticals of destroying and falsifying data that proved their   
   latest miracle drug, RP10 had an insurmountable failure rate. With   
   FDA approval only weeks away the four journalists were determined to   
   uncover the truth and get the evidence.   
      
   Cautiously, they continued through the darkness until they came to   
   the narrow pathway that lead to the rear of the building. The dirt   
   trail cut through what had once been a carefully maintained   
   recreational area, but neglect from company budget cuts had left it   
   overgrown with brush.   
      
   After traversing half the commons area, Byers stopped suddenly and   
   grabbed Jimmy's arm. "I thought I heard something," he whispered in   
   answer to Jimmy's questioning look. They stood silently, listening   
   to the night. The constant din of cicadas surrounded them while an   
   owl hooted somewhere in the distance.   
      
   After a minute passed without hearing any other noises, the tension   
   that threaded Byers' muscles eased. He shook his head, ready to   
   dismiss the sound as his imagination when he heard the sharp report   
   of snapping twigs. Byers stomach twisted nervously, someone was   
   moving in the thicket. He glanced at Jimmy; the younger man's   
   worried look indicated he had heard it as well. For a moment, Byers   
   entertained the notion that a security guard was making an outside   
   sweep of the grounds, but years of experience and instinct argued   
   that underpaid security guards rarely left the warmth and comfort of   
   their stations.   
      
   Signaling Jimmy to move ahead of him, Byers watched the larger man's   
   dark form for a moment before sweeping his gaze over the trees and   
   foliage, attempting to determine which direction the sounds were   
   coming from. More twigs snapped. Someone was just ahead and getting   
   closer. Byers felt his heart thudding in his chest.   
      
   The next few seconds became a blur as a black shape burst from the   
   thicket, crashing into Byers. His legs flew out from under him and   
   he slammed backwards into the ground. His breath rushed from his   
   lungs. The prowler tumbled on top of him. Byers gasped for air.   
   Green eyes, inches from his own, widened in astonishment from a slit   
   in the black ski mask. Then there was pressure on his chest as the   
   man pushed against him, leaping to his feet. Byers rolled onto his   
   hands and knees, coughing, just as the man withdrew a deadly looking   
   hunting knife.   
      
   "Don't move!" The man rasped.   
      
   Byers froze, barely aware of the sharp pain of a stone cutting into   
   his palm. His eyes trailed the knife's tip as it waved inches from   
   his face. Moonlight gleamed off its serrated edge. His heart slammed   
   against his chest, trying to break free from the confines of his   
   chest. Nervousness radiated off the other man in waves. Byers knew   
   that one sudden move on his part and the man would strike like a   
   cornered rattler.   
      
   "Hey!"   
      
   Both men jerked around to see Jimmy racing toward them like a   
   determined bull, oblivious to the danger. Byers wanted to shout at   
   the younger man to stop when out of the corner of his eye he saw the   
   prowler unconsciously take a step back. Though thick and solid, the   
   intruder was smaller in stature than Jimmy. After a second's   
   hesitation, the man turned, fleeing into the darkness until even his   
   muffled footfalls disappeared.   
      
   "Byers, are you ok?" Jimmys' worried face towered above him.   
      
   Byers released a shaky sigh of relief. "I'm fine." He accepted   
   Jimmy's hand and was yanked to his feet. "I don't imagine you got   
   his license plate number," he joked, brushing non-existent dirt from   
   his dark clothes, allowing him time to regain his composure.   
      
   Frowning, Jimmy peered into the darkness where the man had run   
   off, "I don't hear an engine. Do you want me to check?"   
      
   Byers sighed as he picked up the headset that had fallen off in the   
   scuffle. Jimmy took things too literally at times, "Jimmy, it's an   
   old joke." The younger man nodded, his attention wandering back   
   toward the brush, scanning it. Byers checked to make sure the   
   headset was working properly then spoke into it. "Frohike, what's   
   your status?"   
      
   Langly's voice came over the headset. "We're waiting on you guys.   
   Their security is a total joke. The guard at the main desk is   
   watching Attack of the Killer Tomatoes." Despite the disdain in   
   Langly's voice, Byers knew the hacker never missed a chance to watch   
   the movie so he could mock it.   
      
   "Shut up, punk." Frohike took over the conversation. "Byers, where   
   are you guys? We have enough tape for a loop when we shut off the   
   cameras at the back entrance."   
      
   "We ran into an intruder," Byers said dryly.   
      
   "Are you guys ok?" concern threaded through Frohike's voice. "Do you   
   want to abort?"   
      
   "We're fine. I think we should continue with the plan."   
      
   "Copy," replied Frohike. "Just be careful out there."   
      
   Byers grinned as he cut the transmission. "Let's get moving, Jimmy.   
   Jimmy?" Byers glanced around but Jimmy had disappeared. His stomach   
   knotted with frustration and concern at this development. Jimmy   
   could sometimes be distracted in his enthusiasm but Byers knew he   
   wouldn't just take off. "Jimmy!" He whispered as loudly as he   
   dared, "where are you?"   
      
   "Byers, over here," Jimmy's anxious voice drifted from the   
   underbrush. "Call 9-1-1."   
      
   Byers removed a small flashlight from his pocket and plunged into   
   the thicket, careful to avoid any dark shapes that might trip him.   
   His mind raced as he considered the possibility that the prowler had   
      
   [continued in next message]   
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)