A/N

Short chappie is short :I ... I feel like mentioning turtles for some reason...*looks at previous chapters* Oh, I did :P

Ch. 4

Not too long from what just happened, Layton was reading the files he had been given by Chelmey the day before and sipping his tea casually. Luke seated himself across his friend, chewing on his food. Once he was done and finished cleaning up the table, Luke went over to his friend to see what bits of information he can disclose.

"Professor, may I ask, but, who is Mr. Kirkland's relative and did you find anything about the other two?"

"Hm, well," he started, "I admire your curiosity, but from what I've read so far, Alfred F. Jones is Mr. Kirkland's missing brother from America, and he has quite the reputation, too. The Italian's name is Feliciano Vargas and the German's is Ludwig Belschmidt."

"Can you tell me about them?" Luke asked eagerly.

"Of course," replied Layton, "Mr. Jones, as stated before, is Arthur's brother, but he was born in America. Apparently, Mr. Jones, like his brother, is an authorative figure, but his, and oddly his brother and the other two, are not stated what position they are in government, other than the fact that they are representatives of some sort. It does say, however, what professions these people took up in addition to their governmental status, and it does fit their personalities quite well. Mr. Jones's a logger; Arthur's is studying the paranormal, naturally. Mr. Vargas has a brother and they own a pizzeria that they run together; Mr. Ludwig is a drill sergeant and a personal trainer, and like Mr. Vargas, he has a brother too: Gilbert Belschmidt."

"Wow, that's quite interesting, professor" said Luke. Suddenly, Rosa, Layton's maid, called from another room.

"Hershel! Come quick! There is a report on the telly on those missing people you talked to me about!" Layton came in not a moment too soon with Luke trailing behind; Rosa was standing next to a bookshelf, duster in hand and facing the TV, which was showing Chelmey speaking to the media from a podium.

"I understand it has come to my attention that Arthur Kirkland, a representative figure in government, has been reported missing as of late along with the representatives of America, Germany and Italy, and recently, Canada. Investigations are being held in those countries and protocols are being issued to other governments to secure the rest of the representatives from other countries from further harm."

"Well, you can't always be too cautious," Rosa replied to Chelmey's statement before turning to face Layton, "wouldn't you think so, Hershel?"

"Yes, but it won't always protect them," he answered.

"Well, I guess you're right," she gave a shrug, and her attention returned back to the television.

"Now, though these people target only the reps, it is advised not to approach them, for some civilians have also been reported lost alongside the kidnappings," Chelmey continued, "as for who to look out for, these people are from what has been believed to be an inactive science laboratory with this label," he reveals a photo of the dirt circle that Luke had taken a picture of from the day before, and murmurs rose amongst the crowd, "they will have this logo on their person shown, which may also be imprinted on their vehicle. It is advisable to be indoors by nightfall, as that is when they arrive; please secure locks on all doors and windows, and when it is necessary to be expecting a guest at a late hour, confirm their identity before letting them in. That is all."

A wave of reporters greeted Chelmey as he stepped off the podium and the camera cuts back to the news anchor shortly to comment on the speech. Layton turns off the TV and silently walks back to the kitchen to re-read the files, leaving Luke and Rosa in his silence.

"I think the professor's contemplating something," Rosa said, breaking the silence, "but whatever's he's thinking of I'll never tell with that look on his face. What do you think he's probably planning of, Luke?"

"Well, I for one also have the foggiest idea, but I feel it's going to be something great," the boy responded.

"I think you should go and see him, see if he'll tell you what's on his mind," the maid grinned.

Luke offed of the seat he was on and walked to his mentor, who, oddly, wasn't in the kitchen like he thought he was, and was, in fact, in his study with the door slightly ajar.

"Professor?" Luke sounded after knocking on the wood.

"Oh? Come in Luke, I want to tell you something," he gestured to a chair. The boy seated himself and the professor cleaned up the papers on his desk.

"Luke, I have been thinking," began the professor.

"Yes?"

"Do you want to fancy yourself for a trip to America?"

The boy stared in wide eye excitement, "oh, would I!"

"Good, I have our tickets booked for the flight tomorrow, and I have already contacted your parents in advance for their permission to bring you along."

The boy was hyper with joy and ran off to pack his bag for the next day's trip. As soon as he was out the door, Layton looked back to his neat pile and gazed at them longingly.

"But how?"