"Drew suggested dancing girls."
Hawke grinned. "How many?"
Riley shot him an unamused look. "Don't encourage him or I swear to God I will hire a troop of strippers, complete with spangled pasties, and watch cheerfully while Sienna barbecues you."
Wondering what else Drew had been suggesting, Hawke stifled his laugh. "Seriously, how's it going?" Riley and Nell were sharing the overall organizational load, in charge of ensuring all the pieces came together into a cohesive whole.
"Good. My brother, when he isn't e-mailing me brochures about Brazilian samba dancers and Vegas showgirls, has found a job for every single person who wants to be involved in the preparation."
That was why, Hawke thought, Drew was so perfect for the position he occupied. Not quite part of the hierarchy, he was Hawke's eyes and ears in the pack, accessible to even the weakest of their number, those who might feel intimidated approaching one of the other dominants. No one was intimidated by Drew, and that was an incredible achievement, given that the other man was SnowDancer's tracker, charged with finding and executing rogues if the need arose. "It'll be a good night."
"The best," Riley said quietly, then took a deep breath. "We're here."
Hawke folded his arms and stared at the door with a sour expression. "I hate these meetings."
"We should make Drew attend instead. Teach him a lesson."
They both stared at each other and grinned. Yeah, he thought, pushing through the door, it was nice to be doing something as ordinary as grousing about a meeting with the maternals.
ALICE
FROM: Lara<[email protected]>
TO: Ashaya<[email protected]>;
Sascha<[email protected]>;
Tammy<[email protected]>;
Amara<[email protected]>
DATE: Aug 26, 2081 at 11.00 a.m.
SUBJECT: Patient A
I thought you'd all appreciate a quick update on Patient A. She remains unresponsive, in a comalike state. I say coma like, because frankly, she confuses the instruments. However, I can say with certainty that she isn't brain-dead, so that remains a positive indicator.
I'd almost think J had imagined his conversation with her, except he's not the imagining type.
I'm making sure her limbs are exercised and that she's getting the nutrients she needs. Otherwise, I'm at a loss.
Let me know if any of you have had a breakthrough.
FROM: Ashaya<[email protected]>
TO: Lara<[email protected]>
CC: Sascha<[email protected]>;
Tammy<[email protected]>;
Amara<[email protected]>
DATE: Aug 26, 2081 at 1.00 p.m.
SUBJECT: re: Patient A
Amara and I are continuing to work on the chemical traces discovered in her blood. We hope to find clues as to an antidote that'll work better than our emergency formulation, but some of the chemicals appear to be unknown.