Not what you think

OOC

2009-02-20T11:27:36Z

This journal is now on indefinite hiatus. It's been a ball playing with all of you, but - for the moment at least - Kelly's story has come to an end.

Feel free to assume in the meantime that he's hanging out at home, playing with the kids, and staying the hell away from politics.

TM Prompt 265 What did you dream last night?

2009-01-15T15:30:26Z

His dreams are all memories.

wicked tongue

He has nightmares that stretch beyond that childish term, verging on true physical pain when he revisits those cold blue eyes, colder iron against his hands. He flinches at the thought of the man he was - bigoted, scared, human - and the memory of what they'd made him.

The rush of adrenaline, air around his body, water that batters and consumes him... Escape brings more fear than relief, and then a euphoria that scares him even more.

He survives, but he does not wake up.

we're not what you think

He dreams with his eyes open, feeling eyes behind his own, a perspective, a way of thinking that is so alien to him it makes him choke on air. Not just a voice in his head, but a man, making him see again, making him examine every moment, every angle, of his own torture.

He's tried everything to suppress even one detail, but Xavier's left him with everything. Every damn second.

He dies, and lives, and does not wake up.

where's the mutant?

He lives through someone else's nightmare, learns acutely what it is to be a mutant, what it is to be afraid. A human dies for him, and a mutant saves his life, and he can no longer tell the difference. In his mind, although he reaches for detail and for meaning, it remains a bloody smear.

He wants change, desperately, but he knows fear better than heroism. He knows the chill of those iron bars, the hatred in blue eyes.

He survives, but he does not wake up.

we've been better than this

He dies on the senate floor. In his nightmares, his blood is hot and thick and red, and not the water he knows it was. He struggles to live, to live as a mutant, knowing that his wife and his daughter and his baby son may already be dead. It is the longest day of his life, a day he could grow old reliving.

He comes back to them, to all of them, something less than a hero. Nothing has changed but the scar in his shoulder, and scars in his mind he can never erase.

He dies, and lives, and does not wake up.

not the one you want

He dreams of his children, of life, of a normality he's never had. He dreams of Beth drawing on the porch, inspiring the world with tales of superheroes even more valiant and daring than those she's met. He dreams of Dylan puzzling over his ABCs and growing up as much in the ocean as on dry land.

He dreams memories of refusing the greatest offer he's ever had, of knowing that it's not for him, of knowing, finally, what is.

Gradually, his eyes are starting to open.

TM Prompt 261: Which fictional character would you like to be?

2009-01-01T22:19:14Z

Aquaman.

Now, I can't say that I know much about the man. Beth is much more into Marvel Comics, as I'm sure you all know. But, with the abilities that I have, comparisons always come up. Usually unfavorable comparisons.

I was never cut out to be a superhero, or even to have extraordinary physical abilities of a purely human nature. The limit of my sporting feats was running cross-country in high school. I'm a tall skinny guy - Captain America before they gave him the Super Serum - and, honestly, not so skinny anymore. There aren't too many 40-something lawyers with superpowers. There's probably a reason for that.

Aquaman looks good in spandex. He has physically implausible muscles. He's aged about two years in fifty. He's a two-dimensional, primary-color character in a comic book, and my wife still thinks he's hot. Still, she's always had questionable taste.

He can talk to fish, too. When people ask me what I can do, I list my fantastic, mindboggling abilities, and then they ask: "yeah, but can you talk to fish?" I don't even understand why anyone would want to talk to fish.

Most of all, though, the moral issues he faces are mostly very black and white. Clear. Easily resolved within thirty or so pages. What wouldn't I give for a few problems like that.

The Narwhal, or, Dylan Kelly's First Christmas

2008-12-26T11:34:56Z

ooc: tm_northstar used with permission.

Pad pad pad.

It's just after ten, the night before Christmas, and a little girl in Spider-Man pyjamas is creeping down the stairs to do her heroic duty and fight off intruders - even if they happen to have a bright red nose, or a reassuringly bushy beard.

Jean-Paul Beaubier has neither of those, but he does at least have a Santa hat on as he kneels under the Kelly family tree, arranging the presents he's bought. The pointy ears probably help too.

"JP!"

Super-Soaker cast aside, Beth jumps on his back in what might be either a hug or some kind of Judo move.

"Oh no!" Jean-Paul manages out past the mad giggling the two of them are doing. "It's Spider-Man!" He rolls over onto his back, hands in the air. "I give up! I give up!"

Beth grins. "That doesn't look like a bike," she says, pointing at one of the presents, which has been judiciously wrapped with very much sticky tape, and more precisely resembles the shape of a narwhal.

JP looks over his shoulder. "Um. Well. Did you want a bike?"

"No... I've got one. But that's always what the kids get on TV. It looks more like a narwhal."

"You know what a narwhal is?"

Beth give him a patented 'duh!' look. "Dad goes sploosh. You know."

Jean-Paul readily admits that he does.

***

"Eeeee!"

"Bobby, he's going to poke himself in the eye with that thing," Nic comments from the desk where she's trying to clear away mounds of wrapping paper in a possibly futile attempt to re-discover the research paper she had been working on.

Her husband and daughter, meanwhile, are busy setting up their new Wii.

"No, that goes there. It's color-coded, Dad!" A sigh of pre-teen frustration.

Robert looks up. "He's fine. It's only a soft toy."

*Thump* goes the narwhal on the floor.

Sniffling noises come from the crib, as if a small boy is seconds away from erupting into earth-shaking wails.

"Beth, can you..." he dumps the rest of the wires into Beth's eager hands, and gets up to hand baby Dylan back his new favorite toy. "Hey there, kid."

Grabby hands. At six months, Dylan may have figured out what his fingers are for, but, as far as he's concerned, his father is simply a device for picking up stray toys.

In a matter of seconds, the Wii is making happy noises too. "Come here, Dad," Beth says in a tone usually adopted by schoolteachers the world over. "I'll show you how to use it."

Robert sits down on the floor, and gives in.

***

Dylan is happily giggling in his crib, limbs waving, the picture of a happy child utterly delighted with a day filled with lights, colors, and his new best friend the narwhal.

His parents are not quite so delighted to be up at 2am to witness this outburst of joy.

"He should be sleeping through the night by now," Nic says wearily.

Robert is busy wiping condensation from his glasses. "Who are we kidding? I haven't slept through the night since I was eight. He's probably just preparing himself for a life of stress, phonecalls at the crack of dawn, and screaming kids."

"Eeeee!" Dylan says, agreeably.

"Mm." Nic wonders whether to ask. "So, did you...?"

"I told him I'd be in touch when I'd made up my mind."

"He's already announced the rest of his cabinet."

"This is an entirely new position... no one's expecting it. And, I suspect, if I refuse there may not be a Secretary of Mutant Affairs. At least, not until another viable candidate appears." He smiles. "Viable candidate. I'm not sure that I'm a viable candidate."

Nic pats his arm. "You look very handsome in a suit."

"I'll be sure to mention that to Congress."

"Smmmibbleibble." Dylan says, solemnly, addressing the narwhal. The narwhal seems unimpressed.

"I'll decide before the New Year. We both need to know where we stand." Robert leans over and tickles Dylan's tummy. "We should go back to bed. He'll never go to sleep with us here."

"All right..." Nic yawns and stands up, reaching for the light switch.

"Sploosh!"

Robert freezes.

"Bobby?"

"...did he just...?"

The light comes back on, and two very puzzled adult faces look down at Dylan, who is busy hugging his narwhal.

Robert looks at Nic.

Nic looks at Robert.

Dylan giggles.

[ooc]

2008-12-22T14:44:53Z

I'm making some cuts to the flists of my various RP journals to remove dead journals and people who I no longer interact with, just so I have some hope of getting on top of everything and commenting as I should. No offence meant.

TM Prompt 259: I Don't Understand

2008-12-04T15:12:46Z

"I don't understand why I'm here."

Here is a non-descript office building in windswept Chicago in early December. Earlier in the day, Robert had received several telephone calls to his Washington home - calls that had quietly convinced him to make his way to Illinois in his customary fashion. Standing dripping wet in a bathroom, a young man in a suit had handed him sweatpants and a hoodie emblazoned with an all-too-familiar campaign logo before he had been led to the inner sanctum.

He is, by far, the most casually dressed person in the room. And the only one whose bare feet make faint squelching noises against the hardwood floor.

The man he's addressing - a man about his age, with close-cropped dark hair and piercing eyes - sits forward a little in his chair and spreads his hands wide. "I would have thought that it was obvious."

It's really not.

Robert takes a breath. "I watch the news, Mr. President-Elect. You're putting together your cabinet. A... team of rivals, isn't it? One of the most diverse groups of people ever seen at the highest level of government."

"I'm not aiming for diversity, Senator. I'm choosing people based on ability. And if that means African-Americans, Hispanics, women, gays, then that's what it means. But I'm hardly turning away straight white men if they've got the goods."

"Or if they're mutants."

The President-Elect smiles. Robert's seen it on television more than enough, but in person it's quite... captivating. "From what I read in the papers, you're not the straightest rod either, Bobby."

And, with that, Robert gets to his feet. "I shouldn't be here. With all due respect, sir, I was voted out of office. The electorate doesn't want me, and neither does the Democratic Party."

"And mutants? You're the only mutant ever to hold public office in this country. You're a role model. This administration will need the input of experts in the field of homo superior. We'll need to make and change policy..."

He's still standing. "There are people far more qualified than I am. People who haven't made the mistakes I have. People whose personal lives aren't fodder for the tabloid press."

"Name them," the President-Elect says, and Robert's at a loss. Mutants are terrorists, superheroes, pop singers. Mike Connor's far too volatile. John Allerdyce too dangerous. Doug Ramsey, Terry Cassidy, and Jean-Paul already tied up with too many projects.

"Hank McCoy." And, even as he says it, he has his doubts.

The President-Elect motions to an aide to bring them coffee. "Sit down, Bobby. I have a feeling we have a lot to talk about."

TM Prompt 256: What do you hope for?

2008-11-13T20:10:51Z

I hope that things will get better rather than worse, and that if they get worse, it isn't by too much.

I hope that my life, when it's totaled up and examined and accounted for, will have meant something, whatever that means. I hope I'll know what that means long before I have to seriously worry about things like memoirs and legacies and whether my grandchildren are eating enough spinach.

I hope that my children will be happy, in general at least, even if they don't realize it at the time. I hope that neither of them will ever hate me too much, that they won't ever mind that Daddy goes sploosh, or that their childhoods will be very far from normal. I hope that they will each be content with who they are, regardless of who they fall in love with, which God they pray to, or how many tentacles they have. I hope they know now, and will always know, that I love them.

I hope that neither Jamie nor Nic will ever realize that they are far, far out of my league and could do much better than a somewhat dorky ex-Senator with strange hair who often feels compelled to throw himself in front of bullets.

I hope that I am wrong about a great many things, and right about a few others.

I hope that hope itself is worthwhile, that it doesn't exist solely to trip us up on dreams.

Fingers crossed.

Color Meme

2008-11-13T19:48:58Z

I think this is a message from God telling me to stay the hell away from politics.

Name: Robert
Date: 11/13/2008
Colorgenics Number: 16253407

You don't need anxiety and problems. All you really seek is a conflict free environment which can offer peace and mental security. You don't like the idea of being alone and, whatever the reason, at this time of your life you feel as if you are being 'left out'. What you really need is perhaps some 'tender loving care'.

You are working extremely hard trying to improve your image. You need for those people in positions that matter to recognise your potential and to acknowledge you.

Your confidence has been shattered. There are so many things that you would like to do with your life, so many dreams to be fulfilled - and you know that your hopes and dreams are not just figments of your imagination, they are real and you are looking for reassurance from someone. Basically your fears are such that you may be prevented in attaining your hopes and dreams. Even now you would like to broaden your fields of endeavour but in order to develop your 'inner- self' you need peace and solace. You are distressed by the fear that you may be prevented from attaining your goals. What you really need at this particular moment in time is quiet reassurance from someone close to you to restore your confidence.

You are being unduly influenced by the situation that is all around you. You do not like the feeling of loneliness and whatever it is that seems to separate you from others. You know that life can be wonderful and you are anxious to experience life in all its aspects, to live it to the full. You therefore resent any restriction or limitations that are being imposed on you and you insist on going it alone.

You wish to be left in peace... no more conflict and no more differences of opinion. In fact you just don't want to be involved in arguments of any shape or form. All you want is for 'them' to get on with it - and to leave you alone.

Feels Like Today

2008-11-06T13:33:59Z

[locked to JP]

I'll be going to Rebecca's grave to pay my respects today. If you feel like coming along, give me a call, okay?

[/locked]

I woke up this morning with a little boy on my chest. He apparently doesn't hold losing the election against me, as long as I'm still entirely prepared to tickle his tummy and repeatedly pick up his elephant for him. If only the electorate were as undemanding.

1. What is the middle name of the first person you had oral sex with?
Anderson. I think.

2. What kind of underwear are you wearing and what color?
Fantastic pants. Black.

3. What is the song you want played at your funeral?
I'd prefer not to think of that. Perhaps Jean-Paul would find something appropriate.

4. What would your last meal be before getting executed?
Corned beef and mashed potatoes.

5. The Beatles or The Stones?
The Beatles.

6. If you had to pick one person on earth who should die, who would it be?
~~Magneto.~~ It's not my responsibility to choose.

7. The person whose problems you would never want to hear again?
Several people, if it meant they no longer had problems.

8. What is the thing most important to you (physical) about the preferred sex?
~~That they laugh at my jokes. Oh, apparently that's not physical.~~ That they don't hit me. Will that do?

9. Do you secretly hate some of your friends but are too nice to reject them?
No.

10. If you could have any super power what would it be?
Other than the ones I have? The ability to win arguments with my wife and/or children.

11. Favorite hangover cure?
Gallons of water.

12. How many drinks does it take to get you drunk?
I can't get drunk.

13. Favorite song lyric?
"I may not always love you..."

14. Hair color you most like someone you're dating to have?
Hair color is the least of my concerns.

15. If you had to be blind or deaf?
Deaf.

16. Do you have any psychiatric problems?
No more than most people.

17. Siblings that should go to rehab?
Billy. I hope he's there now.

18. Least favorite month?
March.

19. First movie you can remember seeing as a kid?
God. I have no idea. Something Disney?

20. Favorite person in the whole world?
Nic, Beth, Dylan, Jamie, Jean-Paul.

21. When's the last time you went on a date?
A long time ago. I really should take her out.

22. Do you like violent movies or dirty movies?
Dirty, if Nic watches it with me.

23. Fall or spring?
Spring.

24. Person you most wish you hadn't made out with?
She who shall remain unnamed, back in college.

25. If you are straight, what person of the same sex would you do it with?
I'm not exactly straight.

26. Where do you want to live when you are old?
An island somewhere.

27. Who did you last get into a big argument with?
The American public, alas.

28. Are there some songs you cant listen to because they remind you of someone?
Yes.

29. Do you have anything that belongs to your ex boyfriend/girlfriend?
Not so far as I've noticed.

30. What's a word you would use to describe your life?
Wet.

31. Are you cheating on someone right now?
No.

32. Do you think you can last in a relationship for 6 months without cheating?
I have done so for many, many 6 months.

33. Are you obsessed with being 'normal'?
I think that would be grasping at straws at this point.

...

2008-11-05T11:18:33Z

Almost entirely overshadowed by the Democrats' victory parties in the early hours of Wednesday morning was a single, albeit long-expected, defeat.

Robert Kelly, who has made history as the first mutant to serve in Congress, lost his seat after a long, well-fought, but ultimately doomed campaign. Rocked by allegations of marital infidelity and unprofessional behavior, Kelly, who by his own admission was surprised to win in resolutely Republican Kansas six years ago, had always lagged in the polls.

In his concession speech, Kelly called on members of his own party to continue to work for the future of Kansas, raising the specter of two members of his staff who have been murdered during his term of office. "Henry Gyrich and Rebecca Vilas were both victims of vicious, unprovoked hate crimes," Kelly said. "Whether it be anti-mutant, pro-mutant, or any other form of discrimination or intolerance, America as a whole must combat it wherever it lies."

Kelly praised the efforts of his campaign staff and field teams, and thanked his wife Nicole, young children Beth and Dylan, and former assistant Jean-Paul Beaubier for their support.

...and now I'm going to bed.

Thank you all.

TM Prompt 252: Innuendo

2008-10-16T22:29:37Z

Politics is innuendo, for better or worse (usually worse).

There are less than three weeks to go until the election. It's a nervous period, the time when politicians and their supporters realize that jobs and ideals are truly on the line. When people are nervous, they are rarely inclined to quote the latest economic reports, the most in-depth scientific studies, and the public is rarely inclined to listen.

Much as we would love to think that we vote with our heads, most of us vote with our guts. Who is this guy? Is he like me? Does he make me feel nervous? Suspicious? Friendly? Would I invite him over to dinner with my family? Would I buy him a beer?

Intelligent, hard-working men and women from all parties and walks of life are suddenly reduced to stereotypes on the page. There's been a tendency lately to define opponents as "unAmerican". Etymologically, it's a little hard to define. But semantically? Oh, of course we all know the meaning: Black. Hispanic. Asian. Muslim. Jew. Homosexual. Mutant.

One might think that a loss is a loss, that the reasons behind it hardly matter. If I lose this election, I will be out of a job, and trying to reflect on the reasons why might seem pointless. Perhaps I have, through my own actions, made this race more about personalities than about issues. But let me be voted in or out based on who I am, not what I am, on what I believe and what I have done, rather than on what others say I believe or have done.

And don't let it be because I'm "unAmerican", whatever that might mean to you.

Meme from the Campaign Trail

2008-10-16T11:49:23Z

Robert Edward Kelly's Dewey Decimal Section:

336 Public finance

Robert Edward Kelly = 85258054318415225 = 852+580+543+184+152+25 = 2336

Class:
300 Social Sciences

Contains:
Books on politics, economics, education and the law.

What it says about you:
You are good at understanding people and finding the systems that work for them. You like having established reasoning behind your decisions. You consider it very important for your friends to always have your back.

Find your Dewey Decimal Section at Spacefem.com

facepalm

2008-10-12T08:27:04Z

MyHeritage: Celebrity Collage - Genealogy software - Tracing family tree

I wish I looked as good as Leo DiCaprio...

2008-10-01T20:44:14Z

Updates

2008-09-30T14:08:34Z

My wife reminded me today that I hadn't touched my computer for days, and that I had over a hundred unanswered emails. Being on the campaign trail while simultaneously dealing with the usual chaos in the Senate and spending time with my family has left me with little time for keeping up with my friends, so I apologize.

Things seem to be going relatively well in Kansas, but it's difficult to see the bigger picture. When I speak to people individually, I get a very positive result. The polls, however, don't agree with me at all. Still, I am getting to see a lot of the state, which is nice. Apparently, if anything, the electorate seem to think I should work on my farming skills. Not coming from a rural community is a bit of a setback, and I can understand why many people aren't inclined to trust a lawyer.

My greatest weapon at the moment isn't my brain, nor my public speaking skills. Predictably, it's my secret cache of baby pictures. Dylan may win this election for me through the sheer adorability.

Sadly, my campaign has lost a couple of key members. Due to recent events in Gotham, Pepper has left, and rejoined Stark Industries where I'm sure she'll do a stellar job. In addition, my press secretary CJ has departed for greener pastures. Best wishes to them both. ~~I'm cursed, aren't I?~~

And, despite all of this, despite the fact that my entire body aches and I've just spent two hours in the shower, there's still over a month to go until the election.

...I think I'm going to bed.

TM Prompt 249: Talk about politics

2008-09-19T19:52:47Z

Politics is not about winning.

I don't suppose that most nine-year-olds are particularly enamored with the democratic process. My daughter is exposed to it more than most kids, because Dad is a Senator, and she knows a lot about what I do simply from having to live with me on a daily basis. She knows I work long hours. She knows I go to work in an office that has more security than Fort Knox. She knows I do a lot of talking, and a lot of arguing.

The talking is what turns people off, I think. Beth is fascinated by superhero comics, and by the superheroes she knows exist in real life - from Jamie, who was a marine, to Spider-Man and Iron Man and Captain America. Superheroes act. They are, generally, shown to be decisive. Occasionally they regret their actions. Occasionally they make grievous mistakes. We may not agree with what they do, or even whether they are legally permitted to do it, but we can all agree that they do, at least, do something.

In running for the Senate, I'm constantly asked what it is that I've done over the past six years. It's a very hard question to answer to anyone's satisfaction. If we go by what's made it onto the front pages, I've been abducted, changed into a mutant, and been shot on the Senate floor. I've also had a highly colorful personal life. Even though little of it has been pleasant for me, the perception from voters is that I've taken taxpayers' money and done practically nothing except showboat around and get my ass kicked by various brands of terrorist.

Beth isn't quite so critical, but she does ask me why I do this stuff. No child should have to worry whether her father's going to make it home every night, or if she's going to have to visit me in hospital. She's already having a pretty extraordinary childhood, and that's good when it's filled with positives, but I don't want her or her brother to grow up traumatized or afraid as a result of what I do.

I got shot... for what? Well, I told the world that I was a mutant, that the US Senate had a genetic freak in it, and somehow the world hadn't ended. We managed to pass the Mutant Hate Crime bill, making crimes against mutants illegal. Was it worth it? Were those two achievements, significant as they were, worth almost dying for? Almost never seeing my son?

Beth's studying the Middle Ages at school. She's pretty enthusiastic about all the jousting, and learning about King Arthur and his knights - the superheroes of a bygone age. She learned about Trial by Ordeal and Trial by Combat the other day, and we were talking about how scary that might be today, if you had to prove your innocence by thrusting your hand in a fire, or fighting to the death. It's definitely quicker and more interesting to the spectator than today's courtroom dramas, but not very fair. What if Spidey had to fight Superman? We all know Spidey's a good guy, and Superman's a good guy, but Superman's just stronger and more powerful. If he wins, does that mean he's better than Spidey? Does it mean that he's right?

This is why we talk. This is why we do the boring stuff - so that might doesn't always make right. It's about the process. It's a process that I believe in, no matter the dangers it puts me in, no matter how frustrating it can often be. I'd prefer that the issues in my life be decided by long-winded arguments and screeds of paper than a two-minute battle with lances. No, it's not always fair. But it's still the best way we know to do things.

Politics isn't about winning, it's about running. And I've always been a runner.

Birthday Gifts

2008-09-18T17:42:05Z

For Jeanne-Marie:
A giant sea turtle stuffie.

For Jean-Paul:
A talking 12-inch David Bowie action figure.

They come with a note written in very 9-year-old handwriting:

Happy Birthday JP and JM!!!
From Mom and Dad and BETH and Dylan

Since Martha insisted...

2008-09-17T18:23:30Z

1. There are 30 questions.
2. Next to each number, write only the name of the person who fits.
3. Answer one question with one name.
4. Don't tell the questions to anyone who isn't doing the meme.
5. Want to know the questions? Then you have to agree to answer them too.

1. tm_northstar
2. bullet_jamie
3. sewing_on_ears
4. will_stiles
5. doug_ramsey
6. tm_magik
7. osborn_heir
8. fever_crusade
9. shaman_x
10. john_movinon
11. only_pepper
12. sewing_on_ears
13. slayer3063790
14. tm_aurora
15. alan_shore
16. justcameback
17. mutha_flippin
18. tm_aurora
19. siryn_song
20. mark_witha_c
21. I have no idea.
22. Me No idea to this too.
23. sewing_on_ears
24. morty_toad
25. madharleyquinn
26. sewing_on_ears
27. fever_crusade
28. mr_colbert
29. sewing_on_ears
30. Without you, my life would be much less weird.

mutantwatch @ 2008-09-16T13:25:00

2008-09-16T10:28:28Z

I wasn't drinking last night. I haven't had a drink in almost eleven years.

So why does my head still hurt?

Thank you, Martha and Pepper for a wonderful evening, and to Mr. Stark and Mr. Luthor for their generous contributions.

I will be fast asleep on my couch if anyone should need me... even though my entire staff is still in Kansas, so I doubt that could possibly be the case.

[ooc] Masquerade!

2008-09-15T16:43:24Z

The Kelly Kampaign's masquerade ball is open for business. Bring your friends, relatives, and very best 1800s era costumes to Luthorcorp Plaza in Metropolis, and experience the event of the ~~day~~ ~~week~~ year!

Everyone is invited! (Particularly since Luthorcorp's security is never exactly on the ball.)

Incarcerated!Robert - Ficlet for tm_northstar

2008-09-13T12:46:55Z

ooc: a sort of sequel to JP!mun's fantabulous Incarcerated!JP. And I only owe this from, er, last Christmas. *is totally on top of things*

He's bleeding water from his pores, from his hair, from his eyeballs. It's pooling at his feet, evaporating into the air and fogging up the two-way mirror that decorates one wall. Robert has been drowning for hours, sitting cross-legged in the center of the room, head bowed, struggling to breathe. There are so many switches in his brain, so many ways for him to adapt and survive, but, for now, nothing is working.

"These people are experts. More than experts," Doug Ramsey had explained to him before the mission. "If they could get JP, they can get anyone. They have access to all of the old Sentinel records. Full-body analyses. They know how they can take each and every one of us down."

A molecular disruptor. It sounds like one of Dylan's plastic ray guns. But, whatever it is, it's keeping him from being human, from being water. It's keeping him from even being able to think about escaping: every thought he has needs to be focused on getting air to his lungs, gills clicking open, shut.

Then, one word: "Dad?"

There's a click, a hiss, and Robert's blissfully, completely free, swimming momentarily as liquid on the floor of the containment cell before finding his human form and standing up. Only one person is standing at the door, and it's neither the savior he had expected, nor the one he had hoped for.

"What are you doing here?" he asks sharply as the 6'4 guard in full body armor morphs into a very sheepish-looking small boy in an Indiana Jones t-shirt.

Dylan shrugs, and points at the roof where there's a vent. "Doug says that's the way."

Robert grabs his son's hand, and evaporates them both.

***

They arrive, moments later, a confused mess in Doug Ramsey's bathtub - Dylan coughing up water and trying to wring out his t-shirt as Robert angrily sets about blaming Doug for sending the boy after him in the first place.

Doug looks worse than Robert had seen him before as he hauls the older man aside. "There wasn't anyone else. No one who could do it. And he wanted to."

"He's eight!"

Doug grabs him by a slippery arm. "Are you listening to me? I said there wasn't anyone else. John and Terry haven't been in touch for days. Now did you find JP?"

He looks so full of hope that Robert tries for a moment to find a positive spin to put on his news. "I did," he says finally. "He thinks he's an angel, and he tried to kill me."

Doug, though, doesn't collapse into his chair, doesn't let his face fall. What he does do is take a breath and check his watch as Dylan sloshes into the room. "Well then," he says. "We'd better go find him."

[Email]

2008-09-11T11:10:21Z

To: Jean-Paul Beaubier
From: Robert Kelly
Subject: Help

Jean-Paul, I'm having a fashion crisis.

If you're free over the weekend, I need you to help me find clothes for the masquerade, and probably get as drunk as I can without using alcohol.

If you're not free, please just mail me a paper bag full of the drug of your choice (paper bag can be used as alternative costume).

Thank you.

- Robert

Back

2008-09-07T10:52:36Z

Well, I'm back from Kansas, and utterly exhausted. I'm going back out there next week, too. Hopefully Pepper and Miles have kept the office in one piece during my absence.

Going home was nice. I met a lot of people: squash with Lionel Luthor, dinner with the Kents, trading verbal jibes with Perry White. I have to say, the people in Smallville are very understanding about the mutant situation. In Metropolis the questions were far more centered on economic issues. And, yes, personal issues. The one benefit of having most of one's romantic life in the newspapers is that it rapidly ceases to be news.

Dylan burst into tears as soon as I walked through the door. I've missed the little guy. Apparently my squad of babysitters for the week did admirably, though.

Meme from Mrs. Kent

2008-09-04T12:47:26Z

1. Start Time – 15.41
2. Name – Robert Edward Kelly
3. Astrology sign – Cancer
4. Gender – Male
5. Eye color – Blue
6. Favorite color - Blue
7. Glasses – Yes
8. Tattoos - No
9. Birthday – June 28th
11. Sibling's name(s) – Billy and Stephen

HAVE YOU EVER.
12. Cut your own hair? As a teenager.
13. Did you do something in the past month that you regret? No.
14. Skipped school? No.
15. Bungee-jumped? No. But I have jumped off a cliff without the rope...
16. Punched someone? Yes.
17. Cheated on a test? No.
18. Been arrested? No.
19. Broken into someone's house? No.
20. Been rejected? Yes.
21. Been to a funeral? Yes.
22. Used a lighter? Yes.
23. Been on stage? Yes.

FAVORITE.
24. Season – Spring
25. Food – Potatoes
26. Ice cream flavor – Vanilla
27. Candy – Whatever Beth is dealing in.
28. Breakfast – None, usually
29. Person – My wife
30. Book – "The Lathe of Heaven"
31. Song – "God Only Knows"
32. River – Mississippi
33. Place – Home
34. Sport to watch on TV – Athletics
35. Disney movie – Little Mermaid
36. Disney princess - Cinderella
37. Name for a son – Dylan. I'm not going through that naming process again.
38. Name for a daughter – Beth. Which was Nic's choice, and a good one.

PICK ONE.
39. Chocolate or vanilla? Chocolate.
40. Coffee or Cappuccino? Coffee.
41. Long relationships or one-night stands? Long relationships
42. Dogs or cats? Dogs
43. Scary movies or comedies? Comedies
44. Short or long hair on the opposite sex? Long
45. Croutons or bacon bits? Croutons
46. Sitcoms or dramas? Dramas.
47. CDs or radio? Radio.
48. Friday or Saturday? Friday.

IN THE PAST THREE DAYS, HAVE YOU.
52. Talked on the phone? More than is really necessary.
53. Watched a movie? No.
54. Cried? No.
55. Smoked? No.
56. Drank a glass of water? Oh, the amount of water I drink could fill a swimming pool.
57. Used drugs? No.
58. Read a book or magazine? No.
59. Watched TV? No.
60. Looked in the mirror? All too sparingly.
61. Taken a shower? Yes.
62. Taken a picture? No.
63. Listened to music? No.
64. Told someone you love them? Yes.
65. End Time: 15.47

New Campaign Slogan?

2008-09-04T12:37:56Z

Your Slogan Should Be

Kelly. Live the Pleasure.

The Slogan Generator