And now, Part 4:

> McCoy looked up from his case notes with a what-are-you-nuts
>expression. "We haven't carried klemvazine on the manifest for 20
>years. Its side effects are extreme."
> "I know, man, I know!" Duke replied, the empty cigarette holder
>in his teeth wagging up and down as he spoke. "What do you think I want
>it for?"

Even if you'd have thought it was for its original use before, one stands
corrected now...

>Jim nearly had the hide off me for the -first- one."

Heh. So Kirk wasnt nearly as amused by the "Puppies" as we were...

> "It's an amnesiac." Duke turned and regarded McCoy with
>horrified, accusing eyes. "Surely to God you don't want to force the
>poor girl to -remember- being able to see through time."

OUCH... IOW, it was one NASTY trip for Valeris. Definatly earning her
redemption without even realising it, isnt she?

> Gryphon shook his head, smiling. "It's okay, Vanessa. I'm
>going to see an old friend. One who's never let me down. I'll be
>fine."

I dunno G... If its who I think it is, remember her best friend and
long time partner not only likes to hang out at her place, but last you
knew was... well... Still wrapped up in the horror of watching Repli-
Gryph splat those kids as she watched.

> He stood at the door of Apartment 261-A (boy, he thought, the
>Central Computer thinks it's cute), hesitating.

Eh? Lemme guess, thats the number to her quarters aboard the Son or
something like that and I've just forgotten?

> "I had it on pretty good authority that you were back from...
>wherever you went," she said, sitting down opposite him at the end of a
>sofa. "If you really -have- been away a long time, it was only logical
>that you'd come to me." She sipped her tea, sat back, and said, "So.
>Where've you been?"

Ok, so Grissom could have called Yuri, though personally I now think he
called someone more like the Queen and SHE passed the word on to Mars
Division and Yuri and some other select members of "We who never believed
that damn sham"

> "Kei!" he heard Yuri say. "What are you doing here? I thought
>you guys were on Tantalus all week."
> "Yeah, well, we were," Kei's voice replied, and Gryphon noted to
>himself that, at least, the sound of her voice -did- still give him a
>little thrill. "Except that Amberson decided Sunday that he didn't need
>us after all.

Heh. The more things change, et all...

> Yuri nodded. "Fine. Go to Salusia. The man you want is called
>Grissom. He's a scientific investigator for the RSMP. You'll find him
>in Saenar. He has what you want."
> "Whose side is he on?"
> "He's not on anyone's side. He's a scientist."

Not just ANY scientist, though... But yeah, he's the type who will susupend
judgement in favor of finding the facts.

>"If you let her down, I'm comin' for you."
> Gryphon met his yellow gaze unflinchingly, seemed to look into
>him for a few seconds, and then smiled.
> "I like you," he said. "You'll do."
> Hellboy backed off, looking quizzical. "Do for what?"
> "For her," Gryphon said.

IOW, when you love someone you want the best for them even if it turns out
that the best for them isnt YOU, HB.

>Oh - and Henry?"
> "Yes, sir?"
> "Buy some photon torpedoes if you have any money left over.
>Having just the one is embarrassing."

Yeah, unless you rename the ship Barney Fife!

> What was really sticking in Grissom's throat, though, was the
>-second- conclusion the evidence was forcing him to consider now. Of
>the seven killings he and Chu had investigated since February 21, three
>fit that same pattern perfectly.
> The other four didn't fit it at all...
> ... but they bore an eerie resemblance, in some particulars, to
>each other.

IOW, we have TWO, TWO serial killers for the price of one...

> Gryphon nodded. "Well, my plan wasn't to walk into Queen Shiva
>Square and make an announcement," he observed.

OOOO.... Famous last words there...

> Vanessa smiled a little tiredly. "I didn't think the captain
>needed or wanted to hear about the Largo/Gryphon slash fans."
> Saavik paused, at a genuine loss this time. "I am unfamiliar
>with this context for the word 'slash', I think."
> "Seriously, just forget it," Vanessa said. "You're better off
>not knowing."

EEEWWW.... Just... EEEWWW. Even after massive amounts of brainwashing
it still wont come out. *Shudder*

> "No," Gryphon replied, walking around the car, "but it was named
>after me. Where did you ever find a Sunrise Griffon in Eleanor City?
>I don't want to know if you boosted it from a museum."

What, not E-Bay? You know, there have been some other comments about the car's
provenance on the boards after this came out, about what the heck was VIN
GRN-00000001 doing on a used car lot instead of a museum, but looking here, and
thinking back on SoS, no where does anyone actually say 1) that this IS the same
Gryphon (though it stands to reason it is) nor that it actually is THE first one off
the line. I seem to recall Corwin saying it was ONE of the first, not THE first.

> "If that ship is native to this dimension, even if it's from
>another -time,- its subquantum resonance should still be 100.24
>millicurtisses," Grissom told her. "As I said, that wouldn't be
>definitive proof that it's native, but if it's different... "

The last few paragraphs didnt seem to make that much sense prior to this
but I think I get it now. If the hull piece DID have a resonence of 100.24,
you would need to do more tests to prove where it came from. But since
its got a resonence of 723.12, you CAN prove its not from around here, right?

>and if he -is- the man you think he is, he's hardly going to
>stroll into the Great Lodge and ask us to scan him."

If he thought it was the best way to prove his innocence, yes he would.
As Hunter would say "Sometimes the smartest thing is to dive STRAIGHT
INTO THE VORTEX"

> Grissom's brow creased. "Harrison? Is that you? I can barely
>hear you. What's that noise?"
> "Need help!" Chu called back. "My location - the Vampire!"

Ah, the second clue that there are TWO serial killers. On my first read
I was totally convinced that it was ONLY the Butcher doing all of this
even though you've done your best to lay the groundwork otherwise.

>"Mars
>Division has the Queen's warrant, you know that. All you have to do is
>say the word and I'm deputized, subject to the Confidentiality Act."
>With a little smirk, she added, "And you know I can keep a secret."

All of which folds right back into Azrael always being in G's courner,
and probobly one of the key movers of the "Lets get him cleared" conspiracy
especially since Lord F is still up to his eyeballs in getting the materiel
side of the WDF ready for when his 'Children' return.

>Grissom could tell by the
>way his legs were splayed on the ground that that probably wasn't going
>to work.

Ick. Broken legs at the minimum, probobly additional internal injuries to
boot I assume..

> Gritting his teeth against the rising waves of pain, Chu
>swallowed hard, then said, "He's the Butcher, Gil. The Butcher of
>Musashi. He's here. In Saenar. Tonight."

At LAST! Proof that our suspicions WERE correct and at least ONE of the
killers is the Butcher... Though one would have originally thought he'd
have been the one going after kids, but I guess he was given orders to NOT
hit kids to avoid tipping his hand and eating young adults was his best
comprimise between his needs and his orders.