The characters of I-Man have agreed that they wanted to help all I-Maniacs with any questions they might have about anything (though they ask that you keep it clean as this is a family publication). Hobbes volunteered to go first, then came Darien and now we ask Claire!

===
Hello everyone!
These past few weeks, Bobby and Darien have been sharing tales of their success with answering different questions from everyone. I'm so glad that I finally get a chance, I get to put a woman's touch on this assignment. This may be the best idea the Official has had in awhile, but don't tell him I said so.

Dear Claire;
Like you I work in the medical profession (at a research library) and am so busy with work, family, and school that I have no time for my puppy. I wonder what I can do to have more time with my wonderful dog, Hercules.
LaRin
P.S. love the lip gloss--what shade is it?

Dear LaRin
My poor little Pavlov has often had to go long hours when I started working with the D.O.D and then at the Agency. However, now that we've had some ... cutbacks, the Official often sends me home early, so I can spend more time with him. I trust the same cannot be said with you. How about lunch breaks? Do you live close enough to go home to go and see your precious darling? How about weekends? Maybe taking him for a drive when you drop family off, I'm sure he'd love that. With busy schedules, we can't always spend the time we want with the ones we love, but making the time can make all the difference. PS -- the color is Sultry Strawberry
===

Dear Ms. Keeper,
Your subscriptions to the journals "So you want to be a botanist?" and "Changing-Careers" have lapsed. We hate to lose your business as much as your employers, I'm sure, will hate losing you. Have you reconsidered your request for information on our study-at-home program "Learning sciences that won't get you killed"? I assure you botany is a very benign and prestigious field to establish yourself in. Please, Ms. Keeper. Don't let a few biased academic studies and published reports about six foot tall dandelions in the swamps of Georgia deter you. We're still safer than the government.
Yours,
Ms. __**)O)_-= (Name deleted for safety purposes)
Director of Academic Services Stay Alive -- At Home Science Courses

Oh! Uh ... how did this get in here? I was sure that I'd forwarded my home address .... if the Official gets a hold of this ... I think I better give Eberts a call ...
===

Hi! I feel so privileged to ask you of all people a simple question. Here goes. In my lab, I have this really hard time with beaker tongs. I swear, every time I use them, they slip and it makes a huge mess all over the floor, not to mention screwing up the grounding straps I have on my shoes. They have those rubber grips on them but don't seem to work! My question is, what do you use? I'm sure you never drop anything! Oh, and do you know where I could get some magnesium? I'm working on pyrotechnics, and yes I do know that water will make the fire worse. Thank-you for your time, and make sure Hobbes stays away from the bunsen burner.

Prof. Jenn

Well, as you know, the Agency is somewhat strapped for cash, so many times I have to be rather ... inventive when it comes to my instruments. I actually use salad tongs. They have a much wider grip base and you can really get your fingers on the handles. I know that it sounds strange, but necessity is the mother of invention. When half of your equipment is being toted away and you have nothing to work with, you'll be amazed at what you come up with. Give those a try, you'll be amazed. As for the magnesium, Eberts usually orders it online for me. I would do it, but my computer was taken recently during some nasty cutbacks.
===

Greetings, Doc! I can't wait to see what kinds of questions you get... I have a feeling a lot of it'll be personal. ;) Anywho, I have a professional question. I've been living an isolated existence for the past eight years (having been involved with one of the many *hushhush* gov projects out there), and have finally regained my freedom. I'd like to find employment in the neurosciences field, but since all of my experience is top secret, I can't provide any references (or tell any potential employers what I'd been doing for the past eight years). Do you have any ideas on how I can find a fulfilling career, without having to answer a lot of background questions? I appreciate you taking the time away from your research to answer questions. Have a lovely day! Sincerely, Amy D.

Well. You certainly are in a bit of a bind, aren't you? I remember feeling that way when I worked at the D.O.D, after that whole mess up with a biological ... nevermind. I was lucky enough to get a call from the Agency, because I had the clearance they were looking for. Perhaps you could give the WHO a call, they are government based and would understand the need for "top secret" clearance. The CDC is also a good choice for neurosciences, I have several friends there who are enjoying satisfying careers without a lot of questions. If none of these sounds appealing, there's always Wal-Mart. They don't ask too many questions, and I know Darien shops there alot.
===

Dear Claire, My Darien clone is going QSM and I need to know how to make counteragent. :) hehehe I could ask my Arnaud clone... but he is busy at the moment, he's working on some new way to take over the world, I even had to buy him a rat to call pinky so he'd stop whinning :) He says, "the same thing we do every night pinky, try to take over the world." over and over :) And my Hobbes clone doesn't know how to make it, and my Eberts clone lost the file.. I know, how can Eberts lose a file? And my Claire clone is visiting my brother in San Diego at the moment. And I haven't got my Alex clone yet. And even though my newold boyfriend looks just like Arnaud... he's just not the real thing :) So, can you tell me :) I know my Darien clone would love to know, and I don't want him going into 5th stage QSM that isn't pretty. :) Thanks, Mandy AKA fawkesieladyandEd

Oh my.
You certainly do have a lot of .... clones about. You do realize that you're treading on the rights of humanity by having so many of them? And one of them is QSM, that is certainly not good. The Counteragent formula is really quite top secret and if the Official found out I told you, I would lose my job and Darien would be in serious trouble. It's a very delicate blend of some volatile ingredients that if mixed incorrectly could prove quite toxic. Oh dear. Alright, since you are in a bind : you take one quart Vodka, mix it with 2 tablespoons of pure ground sugar and stir until dissolved. You then put it in the fridge for about half an hour, so it can chill. Remove it and pour in one entire packet of Spaceberry Raspberry Kool-Aid (in the blue packet). Stir until dissolved and then replace in the fridge until chilled. These ingredients have to be *exact* otherwise, you will poison your clone. If asked, you didn't hear it from me.
===

Dear Claire:

My best friend is a guy (I'm a girl) and I'm totally in love with him. But, I'm afraid to tell him because I'm worried that it might ruin our friendship. We've been friends for over ten years. I don't know if he feels the same way about me as well. I don't have a whole lot of experience with the opposite gender. That is to say, I never was much of a guy-magnet if you will. Whenever I'm with him, I freeze up or babble nonstop about nothing. I just can't seem to get up the nerve to tell him how I feel. Do you know how I could let him know that I'm crazy for him without hurting the friendship? I know they say that best friends make the best lovers, so I'm hoping that'll be true in this case.

Sincerely,
Helplessly in love

Oh, how sweet! Reminds me about a certain someone .... nevermind. My advice to you, get a lovely card that tells how you feel, Hallmark makes the best ones. Write a nice note inside of it, telling him how much you love his friendship and would love the opportunity to try things on a different level. Don't be pushy, but tell him in the card honestly how you feel. Be sure to tell him also that you will always want to be his friend, regardless. Some people around here don't "fish off the company pier", if only they'd take the chance ... Good luck!
===

Ooh! Ooh! I get to embarrass Claire! I get to embarrass Claire! Me first! Me first! Did you know that smart is sexy? (Too bad Xander didn't find that out in the tenth grade!) You are the pin-up girl for laboratories around the globe. I've got this poster that stretches wall-to-floor with nothing but your picture holding up one of those nasty Counteragents needles with a "I'm gonna get you!" silly grin emblazoned on your face, ready to collapse into helpless giggles and then a moan-worthy lovable sigh as soon as the camera clicks off. Okay, I don't really have one of those posters. (holds up digital camera) Pose? I *promise* not to do anything freaky! Oh, would you record your voice into this mike and say "I hope they'll remember her saucer of milk at tea-time. Dinah my dear! I wish you were down here with me! There are no mice in the air, I'm afraid, but you might catch a bat, and that's very like a mouse, you know. But do cats eat bats, I wonder?" I just lovvvvvvvvvvve the British accents and I would love to synthesize your voice for my computer. (Claire looks at me like I'm nuts.) Nono, I'm not nuts! And I'm not going to do anything untoward! I just lovvve your voice. That's not untoward, is it? So, do Americans really have an obsesion with peanut butter? What are you hiding behind that saucy smile? Nono, don't deny it! When you said "Come get" to Dahrien's "Gimme!" I heard and saw a YUM!-worthy glint to your voice. How do I get to ask all these questions? Well, you see, I have an imaginary friend, several, uh..many actually. Here's Elizabeth Montgomery Selma, and here's Elizabeth Ashley Collins, I usually call her Miss Collins or Miss C... so I was wondering, since I have a half dozen imaginary friends that I've seen for ten years, does that mean that I... don't get out much? Shaun/ClaireKeeply

Uh ... wow. You certainly do have an avid imagination, don't you? Your admiration is appreciated, but because of my line of work, I could never offer you the companionship you seem to desire. I have no idea if Americans are obsessed with peanut butter, I personally can't stand the stuff because it sticks to the roof of my mouth. And there is nothing wrong with imaginary friends, they can sometimes be the only ones who will listen to us. I once remember a young girl who had an invisible friend, he saved her life. But, you might want to try hitting the bars and meeting some new friends once in awhile.
===

Hi Claire! I have a question for you and would like your advice. I have this friend, let's call her June. I really like the discussions and fun we have together, but she always ends up making me feel stupid, or making me mad at her. I really like our friendship outside her sometimes mean actionsand words to me. She's an only child and sometimes selfish and lazy. I really want to keep the friendship together, but i feel like she doesn't appreciate me. I don't know what to do! frienships shouldn't hurt, but i still want to be friends. Help me Claire!
--Unfriendly Friend Problem Girl

Honey, this person is not your friend. Friends support, care for and look out for each other. They do not hurt and verbally abuse each other. Believe me, I've seen true friendship in action. With Darien and Bobby, they would give their lives for the other, that's friendship. My advice to you is to cut the cord before it strangles you. This person, June, is not helping you grow as a person, she is only holding you back and hindering you. This "friendship" will only deteriorate and your anger will only build until it consumes you. Better to let go and move on than lose yourself in it. I"m sorry, I know that's not what you want to hear, but that is my advice to you.
===

Hi! I started school today...nursing school...Do you have any tips for me to help me in my studies. By the way how could I get into your job? It seems to be very interesting indeed...
isister

Studies can be somewhat dull and uninteresting, especially if the professor is a bore. The best thing to do is find the one interesting thing about what you're studying and focus on that. If you can find a way to make the words interesting for you, then you've won! As for my job ... you'll need several Graduate degrees, several years working with the government and luck. That's how I got the call to work for the Agency.
===

Well, these questions certainly were fun and a bit ... entertaining. Thank you all for taking the time to write to me, now I'll have something to discuss the next time Bobby and Darien are in the Lab.

Claire
===

In this section of the newsletter you get the chance to get your creative juices flowing and write the next part of an ongoing story. Below, you'll find the story so far. Your mission, should you choose to accept it (unlike The Official, we give you the choice :), is to write the next part of the story in about 125 words or less. It'll be a tough choice, but I will pick one submission and post it in the next newsletter and continue from there. Ready? Here goes!

The teaser:
Darien was a happy guy. He had just gotten a shot of counteragent and wouldn't need a new one for a while, things were quiet at the agency, and most importantly, he was going to spend a nice relaxing evening at home with a home-made meal and his favorite book "The Story of Philosophy: The Lives and Opinions of the World's Greatest Philosophers". "It doesn't get any better than this", he thought as he headed toward his apartment with a bag of groceries in one arm.
As he unlocked the door, the scene inside made him stop in his tracks. "Aw crap!" he said as the smile disappeared from his face and was replaced by a look of dismay. His apartment had been ransacked and very thoroughly at that. After taking a moment to digest the situation, he walked cautiously into the apartment careful not to step on anything breakable, which had not already been broken, and checked to make sure that whoever made the mess wasn't still there.

Part 2 by R2:
Glass crunched under Darien's feet as he made his way through his destroyed apartment. Nothing had been spared and Darien felt violated. Unknown hands had rifled through his possessions, going over his personal affects. The intruder, or intruders, had been quite thorough. He could feel his heart pounding in his chest, his small abode abnormally quiet. With a deep breath, Darien allowed the quicksilver to coat his body, neatly rendering him invisible. If whoever had done this was still here, he saw no need to give them the advantage. There was a small noise from inside the bathroom, Darien's head snapped around at the sound as he began to make his way toward the closed door.

Part 3 by R2
Slowly, Darien reached out and grasped the cold handle in his equally cold hand. Fear and anger were vying for attention, whoever had ransacked his home was still stupid enough to be here. Big mistake.
He flung the door open and blindly launched himself inside, grabbing a stunned individual around their waist. There was a startled shout as he and the intruder fell to the ground in a tangle of arms and legs, Darien could feel them struggling to get out from under him and he knew that he had the upper hand.
Darien gripped a flailing hand tightly as he glanced down at the person who had destroyed his apartment. His breath left him in a horrified gasp as he recognized the man, "Hobbes?"

Part 4 by Kathy Czechowski, a.k.a. Hei_Mao
Hobbes snorted, jerking from Darien's grip and standing. "Thanks for the hospitality. Love what
you've done with the place," he said, brushing broken glass from his sleeves.
"What do you mean by that? I didn't do this." Darien's brow furrowed as he let the quicksilver fall
away.
"What, and I did? You called me here."
"No, I didn't." His voice trailed off as he stared at the mess.
"Yeah, you did. You said you wanted to talk to me about something, the door would be unlocked, I
should just walk in. I walked in, and POW! I woke up in here. Then you came barreling in...."
Darien paused, shaking his head. "I didn't call you. This doesn't make sense."
"Right. If someone wanted to frame me for tossing your apartment, why call me here?" Hobbes rubbed the back of his head. A large bruise was rapidly purpling beneath a dozen small cuts. He winced, mumbling curses.
"Somebody wanted us here at the same time. The mess is just a distraction. Someone wanted us out of the
way," Darien declared.
Hobbes nodded, his expression grim. "I was thinking the same thing."

Part 5 by FawkesFox
Hobbes' cell phone began to ring. He took it out of his pocket and answered it, "Hobbes... What?... Where are you?... Stay there, we're on our way." He hung the phone up and turned to Darien. "There's trouble partner." Hobbes started for the door, Darien following closely behind him. Within minutes they arrived at the Agency. Once they got there, they knocked on the door of Charlie's office. There was no answer so Darien kicked the door in. Inside, Charlie was tied to the chair, a gag in his mouth.
"Hello, Darien." A familiar voice said from behind the door. Darien turned to see the man who was responsible for his brother's death.

Part 6 by Allison Riley
Darien's couldn't speak. He never, in his wildest dreams, thought that Arnaud would come back for a third time. Then, the memories of Kevin dying in his arms came back to him. His speechlessness disappeared. Darien tried to punch Arnaud, but he wasn't quick enough. Arnaud grabbed his fist and squeezed it tightly. Pain rushed through Darien's arm. Then he let go. The pain vanished. Darien ran to the center of the room and quicksilvered. Arnaud just laughed. Darien tried again to punch him, thinking that he couldn't stop his fist this time. But he did. Hobbes had been standing there staring. Now he could see Arnaud holding something in midair. Arnaud squeezed Darien's fist even harder than before. Forcing him to become visible again. Arnaud laughed. "How did he do that?" Darien, Hobbes, and Charlie all said quietly to themselves.

Part 8 by jakgirl
"Are you selling me out?" cried Darien.
Arnaud perched on the Official's desk. "I think we should tell him, don't you? Otherwise he will waste his time and my patience trying to discover the answers." He quirked an eyebrow at the Official and continued,
"The explanation is simple. Using nanotechnology, I've perfected special contact lenses with tiny viewers, which enable me to see quicksilver: a superior version of the Agency's viewers. I have proven to your employer that they work. Now he knows I can find and kill you anywhere, at any time, and he has agreed to let me…borrow you for a little job I have. Otherwise, I shoot you and harvest the gland. Don't think I won't do it."
"What's the job?" asked Darien warily.

Part 9 by FawkesFox
"My neice has been kidnapped by some very ruthless people." Arnaud said.
"More ruthless than you?" Darien quipped.
Arnaud ignored him and continued, "I can't stand seeing my sister so upset."
"Well, well... Never would have figured you for a softie." Darien said.

Part 10 by Sasscat
"Ordinarily no," Arnaud said smoothly, "but Jessica shows a lot of promise. Her mother is right to worry."
Darien froze, barely hearing Arnaud's next words. He knew he was being stupid - it wasn't exactly the most uncommon of names - but somehow he had a feeling, low in his gut, that he was about to hear some unpleasant news. "Your niece is called Jessica?"
"Jessica Semplar. She's in grade three at Heatherfield Elementary. If you'll come along I'll give you all the information you need."
"My god," Darien said softly. "Jess." He stumbled backwards until he found the wall, and clung to it for support. Jess had been kidnapped. Jess was related to *Arnaud*. And that was something even her
invisible best friend Ralph couldn't save her from.
But he could try. Darien lifted his eyes to Arnaud's, coldly determined. "I'll do it."

Part 11 by Mandy, a.k.a. fawkesielady
"Good" Arnaud said with a slight smile. They walked out of the building, guards on either side of Darien just incase he decided to change his mind, and got in Arnaud's car.
"So, what do these people want with Jessica?" Darien asked as the car pulled out on the street.
"That I am not sure of yet. She is a very bright girl, very bright for her age." Darien thought he saw a tinge of hurt behind Arnaud's hard exterior. He would have felt sorry for him if he wasn't Arnaud.
"Yeah, I know." He mumbled.
"What was that?"
"Nothing. Tell me what you want me to do. But understand one thing, I'm not doing any of this for you."
Arnaud chuckled, "I'd hope not. After this is over, we can go back to hating and wanting to kill each other. But for now, I'm afraid we have no choice, we must work together."

Part 12 by The_Mad_Fangirl
"You hate me?" Darien asked. The guards flanked him in the limo's back seat. "Why? I mean, I hate you because you killed Kevin, and," his voice hardened, "I will kill you for that, but what did I ever do to you?"
"You're in my way," Arnaud replied, leaning over the limo's back seat, gun sideways. "That's always been sufficient for me, but even if it weren't, there's the small matter of nine or ten invisible grenades."
"Oh, yeah," Darien replied, smiling slightly. "Yeah, that was a good one."
"Obviously not good enough. Story of your life, Fawkes, which is why you'll be dead and I'll have the gland, but not until after Jessica is safe." Arnaud turned forward again and looked out the front window. A few minutes later, "Ah. We're here."
Darien looked over a guard's shoulder. "Jessica's house."
Arnaud's head whipped around. "And you know that how?"

Part 13 by Maxdout
"Well, It's too small for a villain such as yourself," Darien remarked cautiously but slyly. Arnaud seemed unimpressed so Darien added, "and your oversized ego."
Arnaud still seemed unconvinced, "I suspect it was just a lucky guess."
The driver opened the door and Arnaud got out while staring at Darien probingly. Darien glanced at Arnaud's thugs as he pointed to the door and said, "Ladies first."
They were not amused. They grabbed Darien, one on either side, and pushed him out the door. It was apparent they were fighting the urge to throw him.
They all walked together up the drive to the door of Jessica's house and Arnaud rang the doorbell. Just then Darien became very afraid that Jessica's parents might recognize him from Jessica's painting of Ralph.

Part 14 by liz_Z
Mrs. Semplar opened the door, a curious expression on her face. "Arnaud, what are you doing here?"
Arnaud gave her a wan smile. "I'm here to help find Jessica."
Mrs. Semplar's lip trembled for a moment, and then she broke down into tears. Arnaud immediately pulled her up in a hug, whispering soothing words in her ear.
After a while Mrs. Semplar began to calm down. Darien watched in surprise. He had never thought that Arnaud was capable of anything like compassion.
Mrs. Semplar frowned and gestured at Darien. "Who is this?"
"Someone who can help us."
"He looks familiar... Oh well, it must be my imagination. His face just reminded me of... a painting Jessica made..." She broke down into tears again.
Arnaud frowned. "What painting?"
"The one of... her invisible friend..."
Arnaud pulled her up in another hug, but his eyes were filled with cold anger. "I see."

Part 15 by IMFreak
After a moment Mrs. Semplar took a deep breath, pulled away from Arnaud enough to wipe her eyes briskly, and said in a voice that sounded as though she were trying to be cheerful, "Well, where are my manners? Come in, come in."
Arnaud kept an arm around his sister and after a quick glare backward at Darien they walked into the house together. Darien was practically hustled inside by the two bodyguards behind him. Once they were in the living room, Mrs. Semplar sat down on a couch, Arnaud beside her. She gestured toward the other chairs arranged in a semi circle around the room for the others to sit in. Subtly, the two muscle men pushed Darien toward one that was pretty much between the other two. Just enough nudging so that Mrs. Semplar wouldn't notice.
"Thanks. How are you holding up Mrs. Semplar?" Darien asked once he had sat down, a look of sincere concern on his face.
Mrs. Semplar, who had been looking more at the beige rug than anything else, brought her head up sharply to look at him. "Fine, thank you." Her voice was a bit tight.
"It's alright, Dear, I told you. He's here to try and help."
She looked earnestly into Arnaud's face, "But why? What makes you think some stranger can find Jessica when the police can't? I mean, how well do you know this man?"
"Trust me. He will do his best to find her." Arnaud looked at Darien with stern eyes that seemed to add "or he will be very, very sorry" to his last statement.

Part 16 by Mandy AKA fawkesieladyandEd
"I'm sorry." Mrs. Semplar said to Darien. "I just can't get over how much you look like Ralph."
"Ralph?" Darien asked trying to sound confused.
"Yes. Jess's invisible friend." She said as she stood up. Mrs. Semplar left the room and returned a moment later with the painting. "See, this is a painting of Ralph."
"Wow." Was all Darien could force out of his mouth.
Mrs. Semplar sat down wiping away fresh tears. "It's alright dear." Arnaud said as he put his arm around her shoulders. "We'll bring her home safe."
He looked at Darien with angry eyes. "May I speak with you a moment?" He said through clenched teeth. He had tried to sound friendly, but his sister flinched at his tone.
"Sure." Darien said and left the house with Arnaud.
"Do you want to tell me why Jessica painted a picture of you?" Arnaud asked when the front door was closed behind them.

Part 17 by bookwormgirl
Darien stepped up to Arnaud real close and said, “Do you want to find Jessica or do you want to waste time with a history lesson?”
Arnaud stared back at Darien. “We’ll talk later, after Jessica is safe. But trust me, Ralph,” he said with venom in his voice, “we will talk.” With that, Arnaud opened the door and the two reentered the house.
“Is there a problem?” asked Mrs. Sempler.
“Not at all, my dear. We were just discussing the best place to start our investigation. Mr. Fawkes and I have different,” Arnaud paused, “techniques.”
“Mrs. Sempler,” asked Darien, “did the kidnappers leave a note? A clue of any kind as to who they are or what they would want with Jess?”

Part 18 by Veronica aka Scout
Mrs. Semplar ran into the kitchen and returned with a piece of paper and something else in her hand. "Here is what we found on the front stoop yesterday morning. A letter and a dead butterfly.
What does it mean?" Arnaud shrugged his shoulders and looked confused.
Darien knew exactly what the butterfly meant, "Crysalis."
Arnaud grabbed Darien's arm, "What?"
Darien repeated, "Crysalis is behind this and I know why they went after Jessica."

Part 19 by RGtwilight
Arnaud's grip on Darien's arm tightened even more and Arnaud seemed to turn purple. Darien turned away from Mrs. Semplar and quicksilvered his arm. Arnaud quickly released his grip and said “Merde!”
“What is Crysalis?” asked Arnaud’s sister. She wondered why both men seemed to be so agitated with each other.
Darien shook off his quicksilvered arm and studied Arnaud—he seemed to recognize the name Crysalis! Darien then said “Look I am sure these people won’t hurt Jessica but I think we should stay calm and look at the note to see what they want.”
Arnaud, still agitated grabbed the note from his sister and began to read it. But before he finished he looked up at Darien and hissed, “What do you know about Crysalis?”
Darien asked Mrs. Semplar “Can I use your phone?” Then he dialed a number and looked at Arnaud and said, “I really think I am going to need help with this. I need Bobby Hobbes. He will know the best way to infiltrate Crysalis. Now what does the note say?”

Part 20 by Sasscat
Arnaud pressed his lips together for a moment, then handed the note over.
"Very well, but warn Mister Hobbes not to come armed. I don't think he'd like the consequences."
"Armed?" Jessica's mother looked worried. "Arnaud, is this man dangerous?"
"Of course not, _ma chere_," Arnaud said soothingly. "You know I would never do anything to put you at risk." He looked daggers at Darien, as if daring him to argue.
Darien managed to keep his mouth shut, barely. He turned his attention back to the phone, rattling instructions off to Bobby as he held the note up to the light.
_In lieu of promised payment, the girl is ours. Consider your debt discharged. J.S._
Stark. Darien scowled and resisted the urge to crumple the note up into a ball. It looked like Arnaud and Chrysalis had had some business dealings. But Arnaud had double-crossed them, and they'd trumped his double-cross.
If Jessica weren't caught in the middle of it, Darien would have been inclined to sit back and watch them fight it out. Instead... well, he could only imagine the things Chrysalis could do with an impressionable kid.

Part 21 by fawkesieladyandEd
"Story?" What the hell does that mean?" Darien asked as he looked at Arnaud.
"You are the one that knows Chrysalis so well, you tell me." Arnaud returned.
Darien thought for a moment, "I don't know." He said finally.
"Hello boys, good morning Mrs. Semplar." A voice called from behind them.
Darien turned, "Hobbes? What are you doing here?"
"You called Darien."
"Yeah, but you never answered the phone."
"Let me see that." Hobbes said as he took the note from Arnaud. He read the note then looked up at Darien. "It was Chrysalis, and they want a story."
"We figured that part out Hobbes, but what kind of story?" Darien asked.
"This is a clue Darien. Chrysalis wants us to have a little treasure hunt. The next clue is in the children’s section of the library."
"Alright then," Arnaud said, "Let's go."

Part 22 by KAT_bboard_lurker
Apparently, the local library didn't realize a girl's life was on the line. They had yet to open the massive, locked doors, when Darien, Bobby, and Arnaud arrived. Arnaud thought it best if his sister stay behind and his thugs guard her.
"Go find a way in, Fawkes," he barked.
"Yes, my Swiss Miss," Darien said under his breath. Bobby started to follow, but Arnaud stopped him dead in his tracks by firing his gun so close to Bobby's face, he could feel it pass by.
"Oops, I missed," Arnaud said innocently enough. "I wonder if I will next time."
"I think I'll stay here with him, Darien," Bobby squeaked out.
Darien walked behind the building. There was a small window, towards the ground, perhaps to a basement. He climbed down into the black abyss. What's that moving? He couldn't see… "Oh my…" he thought. "HEY YOU GUYS!!! YOU BETTER COME LOOK AT THIS RIGHT NOW!!!"

Part 23 by dakFinv
Arnaud and Hobbes ran to where Fawkes had entered the library. "What is it Fawkes?" questioned Hobbes.
"It's one of Stark's guys. He looks pretty beat up," answered Darien Darien helped Arnaud and Hobbes into the library. Fumbling around in the dark Hobbes found a light switch and lit up the dark room. The room was completely trashed.
"Whoa. It looks like a wrestling match took place down here," said Hobbes. "You. What happened here?" Arnaud snarled as he shook the already half-conscious Chrysallis agent.
"I...I...I can't...a struggle...gunshots...other people...other than Chrysallis," stammered the man. He slowly started to create more understandable sentences. "My partner and I were supposed to wait here and watch you while you were at the library, but there were other men here other than us. I don't know who they were, but they took my partner."
"You have no idea who they were?" asked Darien.
"No, but they left this. Maybe it will help."

Part 24 by Kimpire
Darien reached out to take the note from the Chrysalis agent, but Arnaud slapped his hand away and grabbed it himself. While Arnaud read the note to himself, Hobbes pulled Darien over. "Why the hell is he offering this information up to us?" he asked.
Darien frowned. "What do you mean?"
"I mean," said Hobbes, "That if this guy really was attacked by someone else, he wouldn't freely tell us that. It's obvious he recognizes us, so why is he volunteering information?"
Darien paused for a moment. "Hobbes..."
"Trust me, Fawkes, I'm the expert here, and we're being set up, my friend."
Darien sighed. "Well, only one way to find out." He turned to Arnaud, who had finished reading the note. "What's it say?"