Mission Accepted: Dark Discovery, 2
Relative disclaimers apply.

Two hours later....

They slept in extra-large sleeping bags in a rough circle around the candle, except for Heero and Quatre, each of whom sat crosslegged nearby accessing data via an unbranded laptop computer.

"Did you find Michael Booth's extension yet?" Heero asked.

"No. You would think that a man like that....but maybe he's so important that no one's supposed to call him."

"Hmph."

"He appears to be a very private figure, for someone who's such a public figure. I can't find him anywhere."

"He must speak only through publicists."

"Maybe he doesn't exist," Duo said sleepily.

"Shutup," Heero said absentmindedly. "Go back to sleep."

"And miss all the action?" Duo asked sarcastically.

"Shhh!" Quatre said.

"I bet I'm right," Duo sing-songed.

"I think you might be," Quatre said, and nodded. "Yes. I'll just try this....Hmmm, there's no listing for any Michael Booth. You were right, Duo. We haven't gone through everything here yet, but the man really does not exist. He's a front."

Quatre exhaled.

"You get a cookie, Duo."

"Yaaaay," Duo said dryly.

"Heero, just to be sure, let's look for the real person in charge."

"Okay."

For a moment or so, only the clicking of fingers flying over the keyboards could be heard. Then:

"Anything yet?" Heero asked Quatre, even though his own computer screen was displaying promising-looking data.

Quatre nodded.

"Almost there."

"Hmmm, and it only took us three hours to get to this point," Heero said dryly.

Quatre chuckled, causing Heero to grin.

"Oh, Heero."

Heero glanced over at the others, focusing his gaze on Relena for a few seconds.

I shouldn't have asked you to come. But I need you where I can keep an eye on you. Hmmm. I hope that you didn't lie too much. I don't want us to have to deal with any "missing person" reports.

Quatre's computer speakers suddenly emitted an annoyed-sounding beep.

Heero scowled and looked at the computer.

"What is it?"

Quatre cursed mildly.

"I've been blocked again."

"Ahhhhh, you're probably tryin' to get in the conventional hacker way," Duo said affectionately, then sat up and stretched.

Quatre smiled indulgently.

"I can't sneak in like you do."

Heero looked at Duo and made a clockwise half-circle in the air with a forefinger, then went back to work.

Duo scowled, then lay back down.

"Try an emergency code," he suggested. "You know, like dispatchers use to patch into a system to track a distress call."

Quatre nodded thoughtfully.

"Good call. I hadn't thought of that."

Heero shrugged and shut his computer down.

"You're getting further than I am."

Quatre jerked.

Duo scowled.

He's flingin' out compliments because she's here. Let's leave her at home next time, man.

But he doubted that this would happen. Heero and Relena were like two halves of one whole. Apart, they could each do only so much. Together, there was no stopping them.

Quatre swallowed and entered an emergency code.

"Hmph, nothing. I'll try another one."

"Three strikes and yer out," Duo said dryly.

"Quiet," Quatre said absentmindedly, and made another attempt.

This time, the computer emitted a flat beep.

Quatre gasped.

"I'm in!"

"Shhh!" Heero and Duo said as one.

Quatre hunched his shoulders.

"Sorry."

Heero waved this aside.

"What've we got?"

"The phone extensions of the executive staff."

"Have we been discovered yet?" Duo wanted to know.

Heero shook his head slowly.

"They must really think that this is an emergency."

Quatre frowned.

"It won't take them too long to find us. Who do I call here? We've got secretaries—"

"Administrative assistants," Duo grandly corrected him.

"—secretaries, managers—"

"A misleading layer of big boys," Heero groused. "We gotta get past this list."

Duo placed a hand on Quatre's shoulder.

Quatre jerked, then glared at Duo, who shrugged.

"Sorry. But you gotta be more aware of your environment, man."

Heero exhaled.

"I thought I told you to keep an eye on the others?"

"I can do it from here."

Heero pointed to the candle.

"Awww, man..."

Duo removed his hand, hunched his shoulders and walked back over to his sleeping bag.

He froze before he got back into it.

"Hey—who's in charge, on that list?"

Heero's eyes quickly scanned the list.

"Some guy named Frank is supposed to be in charge."

Quatre raised his fingers over the keyboard.

"I'm on it."

"Wait." Heero pointed to the one name on the list that was ranked as an assistant to an administrative assistant. "Look at that."

Quatre blinked rapidly.

"Why...oh, all right."

He listens to his instincts.

"Okay....Peter Bims. Does that mean anything to either of you?"

"No," a disappointed Duo said.

Heero scowled.

"No, but look who his boss works for."

Quatre shrugged.

"Mister Booth himself. Why's that so important? Oh wait...we've already agreed that he doesn't really exist. So maybe, if I check further..."

"Wait," Heero said again, and set his computer up again. "Something's not right about that list. I want to check the floor plans again."

"What's not right?" Quatre asked.

"The room number." Heero frowned. "If I remember correctly, that room doesn't exist because that area of the building's being renovated. Ahhh, here it is."

"We're getting somewhere," Duo said excitedly.

Quatre looked over at Heero's computer screen.

"You're right. We're at another dead end!"

"No, you just have to dig deeper," Duo said confidently.

"In any case, we have to hurry. We're leaving a trail." Quatre said, glancing at Heero.

"Who's in charge of the renovations?" Duo asked suspiciously.

Heero's fingers sought the answer.

"Some guy named—"

Quatre gasped.

"Briggs Hawton. The name's familiar somehow."

"That's our man," Heero and Duo said as one.

Quatre trembled. He nodded too quickly. His fingers became a blur over his keyboard.

"We-we have to get out of here now."

"Calm down. If he has a legitimate business there'll be some public information about it."

Again, Heero's fingers sought the answer.

Duo exhaled.

"I better wake up the others."

Quatre shut his computer down and off, grabbed it and stood up.

"Yes. I need to make a few phone calls, but hopefully I can do it in one. We can't stay here any longer. They'll find this place for sure, since we haven't actually placed an emergency call."

Heero nodded.

"We have to destroy these computers once I'm done. Hmm, here's something interesting. Briggs is associated with Datarese."

"Didn't that place go out of business some time back?" a sleepy-sounding Trowa asked.

Relena yawned.

"Yes. The battles between Earth and the Colonies forced it to declare bankruptcy before too long."

"What did it do, that it couldn't survive that?" Duo demanded, the location of his voice indicating that he was close to Relena.

Heero's eyes narrowed to slits.

"It made a lot of money supplying computer chips to both Earth and the Colonies. It lost its money trying to keep up with the demand," he said slowly.

"Idiots," Duo spat, his voice now indicating that he'd moved closer to the candle.

Don't blow my head off, Heero. I'm not touching her. Geeze!

Trowa sighed.

"So why is he so associated with it? Why stay with a sunk ship?" he mused aloud.

"He's hiding behind it. Remember, we weren't supposed to get this far," Relena said, and got to her feet.

Heero's eyes widened. He shut his computer down and off again, then slipped it under one arm and stood up.

"Make your calls, Quatre."

An all-terrain vehicle with untraceable license plates and mirrored windows, driven by a man wearing a cloak and mirrored sunglasses, pulled up to the entrance of the one-floored Magia Inn.

Quatre, in the front passenger's seat, turned to face Heero, who was sitting in the left back passenger's seat and next to the pensive Duo.

"Are we all set, kemosabe?"

Heero glanced at Trowa, who sat at the other window, then at Relena and Duo, then looked at Quatre again.

"Yep."

Don't call me that. You're the brains of this team.

Quatre nodded.

"They can properly dispose of the laptops inside. It'll be as though they never existed."

Relena smiled at him.

"Thanks, Quatre. For all of this."

He smiled back.

"I'm just glad that I can help, Miss Relena."

The smile faltered a little.

"Although, I must admit, it wasn't easy finding this place. My father kept it a secret even from me."

Relena hid a giggle behind a palm.

Duo grinned.

"But you found it, for which we are very grateful."

Quatre nodded again.

"You're welcome."

Heero frowned.

"Don't get too comfortable. Remember, we're leaving in the morning."

"We'll have enough time to finalize our plans," Trowa pointed out.

Duo leaned back.

"Yeah, we need to tighten it up a little. The back-ups too."

Quatre nodded yet again.

"We're up at five."

Duo groaned.

"So much for my beauty sleep."

"Oh please," Trowa muttered.

Relena shook her head slowly.

"Don't start, you two."

Duo frowned.

"But I didn't do anything!" he protested.

Quatre shook his head slowly and faced forwards again.

"We have to spend a few more hours together. Let's try to make the best of it."

"Hmph."

Duo scowled.

"I'm sleeping with my eyes wide open."

Heero looked at him fondly.

"And we're sleeping with blinders on."

on to A Quiet Night • home page • back to Relena Comes