Brimming with excitement, the chubby Harry arrived at Neal's place with a look of awe on his face. Clark couldn't help but comment, "Harry, you don't need to be this excited. You'll be taking on a crucial role in the team I'm about to introduce you to. You'll be our command center. Look at you now, do you think this is the demeanor of someone who's supposed to be a command center?"
Harry, still beaming with excitement, replied, "Uncle Clark, is there something wrong with my excitement? Neal Caffrey, my idol! If I had his handsome face, who would spend time playing with computers? My hacking skills developed because I couldn't get a girlfriend and stayed home. If I had been a bit more handsome back then, Lisa would have definitely agreed to go out with me..."
Seeing this chubby genius who turned into a bumbling fanboy when away from his keyboard, Clark sighed, "Alright, do as you wish. But you should be thankful to Lisa. If she hadn't turned you down, you wouldn't have achieved what you have today, right?"
Harry actually pondered this seriously before sighing and saying with a hint of sadness, "You're right, Uncle Clark. I really should thank Lisa for turning me down back then. Otherwise, I wouldn't be where I am today or have gotten that huge sum from the Brazil trip..."
Not wanting to dampen the spirits of Harry, whom he saw as family, Clark decided to change the topic. He led Harry upstairs, intending to introduce him to his quirky idol and hopefully boost his confidence.
Neal and Mozzie had been waiting for Clark. As soon as Clark walked in, he noticed a strange device on Neal's dining table. He quickly realized that Neal and Mozzie hadn't been idle while he was in Brazil. The contraption, covered in vacuum tubes, was clearly Mozzie's attempt to create a passive responder to the distress signal from the sunken submarine hidden within the music box's fractal pattern.
Neal enthusiastically greeted Clark with a hug, snapping him out of his reverie. Clark introduced the chubby Harry, standing behind him, to Neal and Mozzie. "Neal, Mozzie, this is Harry. Harry Dominic, the hacker prodigy I told you about..."
Harry, red-faced and trembling with excitement, managed to stutter a greeting, "Hello... you... Neal... you're my idol. No, I mean, Neal, you're my idol. So happy... to meet you..."
Harry's fanboy behavior left Neal and Mozzie slightly bewildered.
Clark had to step in again, "Neal, Harry has known about you for a long time. He admires your looks that drive women crazy. That's all there is to it."
Neal and Mozzie exchanged a glance, struggling to contain their laughter. Neal extended his hand to Harry, who still looked starstruck. "Welcome, Harry. It's good to meet you."
Harry, still serious, replied, "Kevin is my cousin... He used to be my idol too, but now I'm not any worse than Kevin!"
Harry's expression changed from seriousness to confident pride in his hacking skills, something Neal and Mozzie immediately picked up on. They realized Clark intended to integrate Harry into their group to monitor Vincent Adler's actions, especially since Vincent had recently returned to New York and was likely planning to retrieve the submarine.
Neal warmly welcomed Harry, "Welcome aboard, Harry. I hope we can all work together smoothly."
Mozzie, after shaking hands with Harry, added, "Yes, Harry, welcome. I'm also quite interested in tech. We can exchange ideas often."
Seeing the two seasoned conmen charm the naive Harry, Clark couldn't help but smile. "Alright, enough with the welcoming speeches. We have things to discuss. Come, sit down."
Mozzie, eager to show off, led Clark to the strange device he had built. However, Clark quickly poured cold water on his enthusiasm. "This contraption won't help us much. Vincent returned to New York yesterday with a Panama-registered salvage ship. He's even rented a large warehouse at the port, likely to store the retrieved submarine."
Noticing Mozzie's darkening expression, Clark quickly added, "But, Mozzie, I really admire your work. You managed to create this from just a fractal pattern. Last time, you mentioned many parts were missing. How did you put this together?"
Mozzie, his pride restored by Clark's praise, explained, "It's not easy, but it's what I do best. Finding these parts and materials in New York in such a short time isn't something anyone could do."
Before Mozzie could continue boasting, Neal interrupted, "Alright, let's put that aside for now. Clark, you said Vincent returned yesterday with a salvage ship? A massive one?"
Neal, trying to escape Harry's adoring gaze, quickly sat down at the table. He focused on Clark's information about Vincent, wanting to know more.
Clark, seating Harry beside him, addressed the room, "My first purpose here today is to introduce Harry and hope you'll accept him into our group."
Seeing Neal and Mozzie nod in agreement, Clark continued, "You know that my conflict with Vincent won't end just because I gave him the music box. Vincent is focused on finding the submarine, which is why we have a temporary truce. But once he retrieves it, our war will resume, and one of us will be finished. I believe it will be Vincent Adler.
Vincent surely hasn't dropped his guard. He's likely monitoring me and you, Neal. To keep tabs on Vincent's actions, we need Harry. His skills, along with some equipment and drones I'll provide, will allow him to monitor Vincent's activities."
Clark's endorsement of Harry's skills left no room for doubt. Neal and Mozzie, having already guessed Clark's intentions, nodded in agreement. They officially welcomed Harry into their group.
Harry, overjoyed, stood up again. Working with his idol to take down Vincent Adler, the infamous conman, felt like reaching the pinnacle of his life.
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