"Did you see that?" Paulo practically yelled, pointing at the small TV in the small Tokyo hotel room and turning to his companions.

"It was definitely Li," Amber confirmed, having scrutinised the media coverage of the Asian girl being loaded into the police car. She turned back to the building plan spread on the table. It was adorned with small post-it notes, adding information to the otherwise plain architectural drawing.

The recent news article had reaffirmed the identity of the captive in their mind, having already received confirmation from Greenpeace. While the organization refused to release an identity to the media, they had no qualms about giving the information to who they thought was the captive's concerned sister.

Paulo's gaze lingered on the screen, watching with worry as the Li's walk of shame was replayed.

Hex was too busy in the bathroom to pay any attention to TV or conversation. He wrestled with his task in dogged perseverance, knowing that it was a critical detail in the success of their plan.

With a grunt of frustration he realised he hade made a mistake and would have to start again.

Sick of listening to him struggle and conscious of their time constraints, Amber rose from her seat to help him.

"Hex, I'm coming in before you strangle yourself," she announced and entered.

She found an aggravated Hex battling in vain with the emerald tie around his neck. With Amber's appearance he threw his arms up in defeat and surrendered to the experienced girl.

"I'd thought that you could do this by now." She taunted him, tutting with a shaking head like she was disappointed.

Hex grumbled something nonsensical above her head as she fixed the garment. Apart from the work itself and its location, the semi-casual dress code at DARPA had proved one of the main attractions for him.

Amber finished with his tie, straightened his lapels and stepped back to admire her man.

"How do I look?" Hex mumbled without much enthusiasm.

"Like a moody hacker who hates dressing up handsome." Amber judged with a sigh.

She knew that suits and getting all dressed up weren't really his style and she liked him in whatever he wore. But Amber still relished the rare occasions when she could convince him to suit up for her, usually when they had a dinner or function to attend.

As the finishing touch, she carefully placed a pair of square, narrow-brimmed glasses over his green eyes. The light disguise made Hex look at least five years older and gave him the air of intellectual or professional.

Paulo poked his head around the corner to give his opinion. Unfortunately for him it was at the exact moment that Amber decided to reinforce Hex's wearing of suits with a deep kiss.

Paulo stopped midstep at what always hit him as a shocking sight no matter how many times he saw it.

"Eaaagh." He commentated over the sloppy makeout.

"More like a sleazy, white businessman trying to pull some of the local Asian chicks."

"That would be your job." Amber shot back at him, cutting the pash short.

"Let's not be too hasty here," Hex murmured. "We'll see if there are any good looking, female cops at the station first." He added with a sly smile at Paulo.

Paulo returned his best friends grin and then some, as Amber slapped the hackers arm.

"You're a bad influence on him." She accused Paulo with no real venom. Hex nuzzled into her neck trying to regain favour he had just lost with his joke.

Paulo made a disgusted look again and Hex stopped

"Sorry," Paulo apologised, seeing the couple's reaction.

"Even after all this time I still find it weird, the two of you finally together and all." He admitted guiltily.

"I think I almost preferred the endless bickering and sexual tension instead." He added jokingly, throwing out his trademark grin one more.

"Jealous much?" Hex replied smarmily as he turned to face Amber again.

"Green is such an ugly colour on you Paulo." Amber added sardonically, closing her eyes and baring her lips for Hex in an exaggerated manner.

Paulo closed his eyes before the final terrifying moment.

"Yeah, whatever, can you two just keep it in your pants?" He pleaded, brushing aside their accusations with a wave of his hand.

Opening his eyes tentatively, Paulo was rewarded by the sight of his friends sniggering at him and not making out.

For a terrifying moment Paulo was forced to be the mature one.

The moment was fleeting

"If you lovebirds are done, can we hurry up and rescue Li now?" Paulo asked in exasperation as he ushered them out of the room.

As they were moving out the door, Amber quickly reached across and gave Hex's arse a firm squeeze. It was followed up by a giggle from the pair and a sigh from Paulo. After what he had just said, Amber of course felt obliged to further aggravate him.


The Tokyo police station was a modern, Spartan example of a law enforcement headquarters. Cameras peered from out of the wall at regular intervals, ensuring full video coverage.

Li had glanced up at these glass eyes in despair, as she was marched down the main hallway towards the holding cells. There she was thoroughly searched by a young female police officer and relieved of all items on her person. Finally her handcuffs were opened and she was ushered into her cell.

Under pressure from both the Japanese and New Zealand government, her identity had been disclosed and was now public knowledge. The only advantage of this was that it saved her the lengthy identity processing and gave her more time alone in her cell.

She was not alone for long though.

It seemed like she had only been waiting five minutes when her guard returned.

"You have visitor." She announced, before reapplying Li's handcuffs and leading her from the cells.

Slightly confused as to who was visiting her, Li silently obeyed.

She was led to an interrogation room, where she found a shorthaired Japanese man waiting for her. He looked every part the businessman, in a full formal suit and a short black briefcase beside him. Patiently the man waited silently, sitting in a chair at the small table, the sole occupant of the room. There was something about him that didn't sit right with Li.

The policewoman sat Li in the seat opposite the businessman and then left the room.

That's odd, Li thought to herself as the woman walked out.

No guard….

Li turned her gaze back to the man opposite her.

"Who are you?" She enquired after a few moments of them sitting in silence.


He spoke in flawless English without a trace of an accent.

"It does not matter who I am, only who you are Liang Chiang."

"What do you want from me?" Li probed suspiciously.

"Lets just say that you and your friends are of particular interest to my employer." He answered mysteriously without a trace of emotion.

He cut off Li's next question before she could finish.

"Lets spare the small talk and bravado. Tell me the location of your friend Alexander Miller." He ordered in a low cold voice. With his dark, dead-looking eyes Li felt like a shark was questioning her.

"Alex?" Li repeated in surprise before hardening into resolve.

"I have no idea." She answered with a blank expression, the truth ever so painful aloud.

Her interrogator frowned before placing his briefcase on the table, he sighed deeply and opened the coded lock.

"I will ask you one final time, tell me where Alex is or I will kill you." He threatened, speaking slowly so she wouldn't miss a syllable of his deadly intent.

Li paled as the cold man opposite her drew a sterile syringe and needle from the suitcase. He slowly screwed the threaded end of the needle onto the 10ml syringe.

"Help, help police! He is trying to kill me!" Li suddenly yelled at the one-way mirror of a wall, in a moment of inspiration.

The door, however remained resolutely closed, the only noise left in the room being the executioner's haunting chuckle.

"I don't think so my dear, I've arranged it so our little meeting won't be disturbed." He revealed with a sinister smile.

Li watched as the needle was used to penetrate the rubber stopper on an ampoule of clear fluid, with a deft draw back on the syringes plunger, the assassin drew up the contents.

"My friends will stop you." She warned him angrily.

"What friends? "He sneered, quickly becoming sick of the girl sitting in front of him. "We have Hex and Amber on the run, so easy to follow. Paulo died from the carbomb we placed in his ambulance." Her antagonist revealed to her maliciously.

"Paulo?" Li gasped, unable to contain her shock and horror.

"After you, Alex is the last loose end to tie up." He whispered, depressing the plunger to purge the syringe of air and push the liquid right to the end, ready to inject.

"Even if I knew where Alex was I would never tell you." Li hissed in fury, the attack on her friends burning her up inside.

The man shrugged like the information didn't matter that much to him either way. He was just there to do a job and collect a paycheck.

"Fine, goodbye." He casually said before getting up from the table, syringe in hand.


Hex walked right through the front door of the police station. He too carried a briefcase and looked every part the important yuppie he was pretending to be.

He briskly walked up to the front desk and caught the receptionist's eye.

"Hello, my name is Melvin Price, attorney." He announced in his most upper-class sounding British voice before handing over a fake business card. His false name kept his unwanted first name as a secret message to Li that it was a friend coming to see her.

"I'm here to see my client Ms Liang Chiang," he informed the receptionist, his voice strong with purpose.

"I'm sorry she can't see anyone right now, she's in interrogation room one at the moment." The pretty Japanese receptionist informed him, tapping her computer screen as if it would confirm it.

"Interrogation room?" Hex blustered. "Well she should definitely have her lawyer present during the interview."

"I'm sorry Sir but I was told not to allow anyone in." She begrudgingly told him with an air of apprehension.

"Young lady are you telling me that my client is being denied the right of legal council?" Hex demanded in outrage.

"No but Sir…"

Hex cut across her, both his hands on the desk now.

"You are now officially perverting the course of justice. Her case will never make trial now, I have grounds for dismissal based on coercion." Hex declared, getting into role and enjoying his verbal assault on the precinct.

He had helped Amber with her Law revision and case studies enough times to make a convincing lawyer.

The only reason he went instead of her was because of his specialist skills. Amber was quite disappointed to miss the opportunity but relented with a scowl that his posh British accent was better then hers.

Properly flustered and panicking, concerned about her job, the young admin waved down a police officer to take Hex to Li.

Hex grinned in triumph as he followed the officer into the bowels of the station.

With one hand in his pocket, he pressed two keys on his phone.

In speakerphone mode, it had captured the entire conversation, relaying it back in real time to Paulo and Amber. They had understandably, had a good laugh at Hex's tirade. By pressing two of the buttons he had let his listeners know that he had managed access and that the second phase of the plan was about to begin.

With a small shudder at the narrow corridors and low ceiling, Hex tabled his niggling claustrophobia as he followed the officer in search of Li.


A/N- My apologies for any mistakes in regards to the legal side of things or the inner workings of the actual Tokyo police station. Neither are areas I can claim to be an expert in so I'm playing the creative license card.

I'll make up for it with some kickarse action next chapter okay? Good.

-Grey