It was an odd sight, these two men seated across from one another. The din of the club was deafening, but it worked to befuddle any eavesdroppers who happened by. For their own part, Quinn and Garrison conversed as if they were the sole customers in a quiet steak house, an hour before closing time.

"What do you want?" asked Doyle, certain that whatever it was, it would involve deceit and probably be outside the agencies scope of normal operations.

Garrison tilted his head a bit, then nodded. "To the point, as usual I see Quinn." he said, removing a file from the briefcase he guarded as if it held the answer to just who WAS on that grassy knoll. He paused a moment, looked inside the folder, then handed it to Doyle and waited for him to look it over.

Quinn took the folder, keeping his cyan colored eyes on Garrison. "What's this?" he asked. "Your divorce papers?" Garrison smiled and shook his head. "Nothing so mundane Quinn, I assure you."

Doyle smirked and glanced down at the folder, then flipped it open.

Silence.

"When was this taken?" Quinn said as he stared at the Hubble image.

Garrison folded his hands on the table and grew serious. "Six years ago, Doyle." He never used Doyle's first name unless he wanted something, and Quinn felt a knot form in his stomach. "Right after you.....disappeared."

Doyle let out a laugh. "You mean right after I was reassigned, Garrison. A change in job description which, if I recall, you had an awful lot to do with."

"And" Garrison replied, "one which you have proven very capable at." He glanced down at the folder, reached over, turned to the last page and looked into Doyle's eyes.

"That one" he said, his finger jabbing at the image on the page, "was taken a month ago. I know you can do the math."

Doyle was already doing the arc computations in his head. "It sped up." he said after a moment. "Any of the brainiacs you have on the payroll know why?"

Garrison nodded. "A theory" he said. "But I need more than a theory...I need a fact. Take a look at the constellation acetate in the center. We made that from the last fly by that Hubble took of Cygnus......."

Doyle was already ahead of him as he placed the transparent film overlay onto the last image of the object....and his jaw dropped open.

"That's not possible" he muttered, still not believing what his eyes told him. "How big is it?"

Garrison shrugged. "Near as we can calculate, this far out, forty five, maybe fifty miles across. At the speed it's moving now though, size doesn't much matter. It could be the size of a house....same result."

Doyle didn't really hear him, as he stared at the object. "Somebody goofed, Garrison." he said, shaking his head. "There's no way this thing gets that close to Cygnus X-1 and survives. According to this, it crossed the damn event horizon and didn't even flinch."

"That's the Quinn I remember!" Garrison exclaimed. "Full of fire and curiosity. We need your help Doyle."

"Slow down there" Doyle said, shaking his head. "This thing is certainly a find, but....." he stopped, realizing what Garrison was talking about. He looked back to the picture and pursed his lips. "Ten years?" he asked.

"We figure ten to fifteen." came the not surprising response. "Give or take." Garrison realized that Doyle misunderstood him, from the look in his eyes. "Doyle...look we need to know if what you were working on when you.....were relocated....we need to know it it's possible."

Doyle was dumbfounded. "You gotta be shittin me, Garrison." he said. "I was working on adjusting the trajectory of an object, MAYBE half a mile wide if that! This thing went flying by a singularity with the gravitational pull of a million of our suns...and it SPED UP!!! When it flies by us, its probably going to shear off our exosphere if we're lucky."

"Look" Doyle continued. "You're talking a decade away, at least. I got more pressing problems right here. one I'm sure you know all about." He closed the folder and slid it back to Garrison. "You help me, and I'll THINK about helping you, deal?"

Garrison looked at the folder, took it off the table and slid it back into the briefcase. It was a good thing the place was rockin, and not a soul was paying any mind to the two out of place men. "Alright" he replied after a moments thought. "You have a deal. What do you need, besides her?"

Doyle was still pissed that the agency sent Jill, but he'd deal with that when the time came. "I need local help with this case." he said, knowing damn well what the response would be.

"Hell no, Quinn. No way. You know the rules, nobody but agency operatives. Too dangerous and you might be compromised." Garrison was a hard ass but Doyle knew that they needed him more than vice versa.

"I might already be compromised." he replied.

Garrison laughed. "Oh you mean the big bad sheriff? C'mon Quinn, you expect me to believe that he's anything more than a one eyed distraught country boy with a badge?"

Doyle shook his head. "You believe what you want Garrison, but he's part of this whole nasty business and I need somebody who knows him."

"Oh I see" Garrison said with a smirk. "The lil lady detective." He drummed his fingers on the table, the solid gold band on his ring finger having left its impression. "Ok Quinn, you go ahead...just remember...you keep playin the part. She gets wise, starts asking questions.....well we both know how that song goes."

Doyle nodded. He sure did know how that song went and he never wanted to hear it again "That's not a problem, no siree!" he said slipping back into character.

Garrison shook his head and rose, gathered up his briefcase and looked around at the throngs of dancers, watchers and...whatever else. He took a step away, stopped and turned back, eyeing Doyle. "By the way" he said. "Just FYI.....this thing isn't going to hit us.....it's headed for the moon." With that bomb drop, he turned and made his way out of the club.

Doyle waited a few minutes, until he was sure that Garrison was gone, then made his own way out of the club, finding it odd that a few of the patrons...sniffed him. He exited into the night air, looked up at the full moon and sighed. "Damn" he muttered..."Now THAT IS a problem."