Cops and Robbers... Part 2

Damn, is it a new month already? Thanks for sticking with me peps even tho I know last month was a little dry of new material.

Anywho, if you thought I forgot Edward... Teehehehehe... Go Team Space Groove! Alas my brain (nor social life) doesn't seem to be cooperating like I wished it would... but why not keep things moving, right?


...Back at Headquarters for the morning briefing...

Trieze closed the door behind him after entering Milliardo's office; they had a little time before the meeting...

"What is this thing you've uncovered?"

"I'm sure Sally would have some arguments about showing it to you, but I've edited the clip down the important part so it shouldn't be too bad." Milliardo clicked closed what he'd been working on and slipped a plain writable CD into the tray.

"I'm sure I'll be able to make due..." Trieze cringed as he leaned over the back of his office chair to watch.

"Did you ask Une about Shiko's landing clearance?" Millard paused.

"Yes, it should get settled soon enough. I don't think she suspected anything."

"Of course, that wouldn't be like her at all..." Milliard shook his head dryly shooting a 'think again'look over his shoulder at Trieze before opening the disc's file...

((see Epilogue of By The Roadway ch3))


...Else where at Headquarters...

Une was lost to her own swirling thoughts as she headed towards the briefing room and nearly walked over a child whom had skipped out in front of her and stood at ridged attention holding a salute.

"Um, excuse me, exactly where are your parents? This is not a day care." She glanced around to try and spot the owner's of the pint sized, wild orange haired, creature.

"I have no~ooo clue!" The girl, or was it a boy? Beamed up at Lady Une through a thick pair of goggles as 'it' balanced a flat metallic case on its head like a strange hat.

She caught a glimpse of flashing text on the lens' interior and frowned about to sputter out her next question, when an all too familiar (and to Une VERY annoying) voice offered an explanation,

"Ed! There you are!" Nitroglycerin Mudo laughed as he appeared out of no where, seemingly a shared trait among colonists from the L1 cluster as it was someone else's favored entrance as well, "I thought I told you to stick by my side down here!"

"Too boring!" Edward swung the computer case from her head and lifted the goggles up, scrunching her eyes as she gave Nitro a childish display of her unenthused wet tongue. Une now noticed the old Colonial Militia's tech division symbol emblazoned upon the back of the kid's loose white tee shirt.

"Mudo, what is the meaning of this? Last I checked today wasn't show-your-child-the-abysmal-future-that-awaits-them day." Une gave him a tight lipped glare.

"Of course not! But today is the appointed day you said I should make sure to bring the very best the old Militia had to offer in regards to digital prowess! You already have all the Gundam Pilots, this is our last reserve... The Guggenhaltz job? The Ukraine server collapse? Countless terabytes of classified data stolen...?" He gave a presenting gesture to the young child prodigy.

"This..." she looked to the child and back to the grinning ex-militia leader who was now the head of the Preventors Space division, "...I don't know if this can be allowed. I'm sure it would be a violation of countless labor laws and ordinances for us to put someone this young to work for us!"

"Well... that pooch is already screwed." He shrugged nonchalantly.

Lady Une threw her hands up in frustration as she blew past the two,

"Ugh! Just keep that thing behaved during the meeting!"

"No love for Ed; Oo-la-la..." Ed bent completely over backwards watching Une go, then raise herself up to stand on her hands.

"Eh, don't worry about the Lady. Trieze is always putting her in bad moods like that." He looked down at Ed, as Ed looked down at him from her relative position. "Ready to see the rest?"

"YAYAYAYAYAYAY~YAY!" Ed sprung a flip and took off down the hall with her rectangular hat and thick goggles in place once more; arms out wide like an airplane.

Nitro just laughed following after the kid, he loved jamming with Edward.


...Morning of 'the job'...Granny Spiegel's house...

"SP-IKE! Oh, Spike! Your best friend is here!"

There was the clattering clang of a three set of cow bells over Spike's door as his Grandmother yanked on the cord that ran along the wall from his tiny bedroom, down the far too steep and narrow staircase that matched the too cramped and narrow theme of the rickety two floor apartment, to where the elderly woman was calling up to him from the living room.

That living room, was barely able fit an arm chair and coffee table in one corner by the window – the 3 ft flat screen TV mounted on the opposite wall with feeding cable attachments was an out of place addition with its impervious to dust shine amidst the ancient disarray.

In his room: Spike pulled the pillow out from under his head to use it to cushion his ears from the painful racket, letting out a long groan as he peered at his bedside clock. His 'friend' always had to ruin the best of his dreams. With great effort Spike reached as far as he could to snag hold of the pack of cigarettes off the nightstand to start his waking ritual.

Down stairs, satisfied with her work, Granny Spiegel hobbled her way back into the kitchen,

"Oh, Vee honey!" she gave a delighted exclamation finding Vicious pouring batter into the heated waffle-maker, "You don't have to go making an old lady breakfast!" (she knew he rarely made himself anything to eat.)

"I brought strawberries over too." He closed the iron and pulled the plastic catch container from the paper bag he'd taken in with him, "Do you want me to take all the crowns off?"

"You are too much, Sweetheart!" The old woman laughed warmly taking a seat at the small, round, cluttered table, "I still say your committing a terrible crime being a bachelor like you are! Down right robbing some nice lady out there of a whole kit-n-kibudel of treasure!"

Vicious' expression twisted into a wincing snarl of a grimace, which was actually a flush-less blush, as he set about prepping the juicy fruits,

"You should keep the News off today; I don't want you to worry yourself too much."

"Vee, I hope your not getting my little Spike in trouble..." the elderly woman tisked.

"Yeah really! I doubt her little Spike needs to be rolling around in any pig pens or diving under the dirt today..." Spike had just come down from upstairs, fully dressed, and let out a huge yawning stretch, "...Aw Vic, really? For me?" he gave a big lopsided grin spotting the waffles cooking.

It was returned with a sharp glare,

"Set your granny's table and get out in the van. Don't make us late. Weren't you going to clean this place? If your going to be this lazy for the next few years? You would be more useful in lock down tagging guards getting Snake pay." Vicious growled.

"Hey, hey... Okay... I was kidding..." He waved his hands to try and ease the chastising tirade, his voice still raw with the early hour, "...You could have at least made coffee." Obediently he set the kitchen table for his granny as Vicious finished his own preparations, then took the time to start cleaning the rest of the disarray in his grandmother's little kitchen before they headed out the door bidding the old lady farewell...