Back to the normal PoV, again some overlap with the past chapter, thanks for all the reviews folks, this one is actually going to be wrapping up in the near future. Of course, you can blame Milareppa if it doesn't or if there is a sequel *L*
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"Sweet dream left behind, I can't seem to find my way back to where you are. Fading, you are fading." Kim Richey - "Fading"
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Duke and Scarlett's family went down to the front desk, expecting to meet the greenshirt and IV. He saw her, looking around quickly for the other man. She shook her head, indicating that he hadn't come down yet. Duke swore softly under his breath, today was not a day to have incompetents running around. Just as he was about to send IV back up to look for him, the elevator doors opened and out stumbled the greenshirt, looking rather beaten.
"I don't know which way she went," he spoke haltingly, knowing that he let her escape.
"She was by herself?" Duke demanded. When the greenshirt nodded, he swore again. He should have known better than to leave her alone. She gets alone, she gets scared, she attempts to escape. He was just about to give orders to lock down the hotel when he heard a faint cry that was familiar, and with the way her father's head turned, he knew that man recognized it too. They looked at each other, "Out there."
They led the way, with her brothers, IV and the greenshirt close behind. They found the door she had exited through and heard the squeal of tires as a car accelerated away. Ice blue eyes scanned the area and his heart stopped for a moment when he saw silver glinting on the asphalt. He moved over to it, picking up the medic alert necklace and the bracelet he gave her. His jaw tensed when he saw the blood on it and on the ground. Not enough to suggest they killed her, but he vowed that they would pay for hurting her.
Patrick came and looked at the items in Duke's tightly clenched hand and spoke quietly, "This is bad."
Duke unclenched his jaw for long enough to nod to him, then looked at the greenshirt. "Cancel the call to HQ and bring the car around." The young man hurried off to follow his orders and Duke looked back at Scarlett's family. "I will be in contact with you soon. I'm sorry I can't give you more information." He turned on his heel and he and IV quickly followed where the greenshirt had led, back to the car, leaving Scarlett's upset and worried relatives behind.
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Later, with Flint, Hawk, Jaye, Snakes and Beach Head, they sat at the conference table making plans. "Obviously this is Cobra," Jaye said impatiently.
"We don't know that for sure and we can't afford to rush to conclusions," Hawk said sternly.
"Cobra is the only one who would have known to remove the jewelry, the only ones who would realize we could track her with those."
"I'm inclined to agree with her, Sir." Flint broke in on Jaye's side. "No one else would have the motive."
"But how would they have known?" Beach Head grumbled from where he was sitting, "We better damn well not have a security leak."
'It could have just been luck,' Snakes signed to the group, 'There was no way for any of us to have predicted where or when she would bolt. It was an upscale hotel, always the possibility for Cobra then.'
"Alright," Hawk conceded the point finally, "Our main suspects then? Twins, Destro, Baroness, who else?"
"Possibly Firefly, but this doesn't seem like his MO." Jaye spoke and Snakes shook his head at her.
'Zartan or the Dreadnoks. I think they should be on the list of suspects.' Snakes' hands moved gracefully through the words.
"A list of subject doesn't do us a damn bit of good when we have no idea where they are." Beach Head was pissed about the whole situation, he didn't think Scarlett should have been allowed to leave base to begin with.
Through the whole discussion, Duke sat silently, listening to their discussion but also listening for the faint ring of his phone, hoping to God that she had managed to escape and would call. To his frustration though, the small silver phone stayed silent. He realized everyone was looking at him suddenly, "What?"
"Get your head in the game, Duke," Hawk snapped at him, "You've got to put aside personal feelings and get the job done."
Beach Head muttered under his breath, "This is why fraternizing is against regs." He tried not to wince at the sharp blow to his shins from Jaye and the dark glares from both her, Flint and surprisingly, Snake Eyes.
Duke nodded, sitting up straighter, "You are right sir. We first need to find where she is, we can start by-" His words were cut off by the ringing phone, and all eyes were back on him. He answered it quickly, "Hello?"
"Who is this?" Scarlett's hesitant voice came through to his ears.
"This is Conrad, are you alright? Did they hurt you?" He made a motion to indicate to Flint to get Mainframe and Breaker on tracing the call.
"They who? What's going on? I could just remember this number and to call it if I was lost." She sounded scared too, she was speaking quietly. He tried to determine what type of room she was in by how her voice sounded.
"Shana, do you know where you are?" He couldn't help the note of desperation creeping into his voice.
"I...I'm not..." He heard her words trail off and her say quietly, off the receiver, "Hello."
"Shana?" He knew she couldn't hear him now though. He motioned that they needed to hurry with the trace; he knew he would be cut off soon.
Duke heard through the phone, her companion speaking to her gently and he could have sworn he heard the man kiss her, "Now dear, you know you shouldn't be using the ph-" The phone clicked off.
Duke was fuming and turned angry eyes to Flint, "Any luck on the trace?"
Flint shrugged, "Not yet. Give it time."
"We don't have time damn it." Eyes went back to him and his jaw was still tightly clenched, "She's totally helpless out there. I expect to be notified the moment anyone has any information, is that understood?"
He waited until everyone nodded and then Hawk spoke, "Dismissed," ending the meeting and letting them begin their assignments to find who did this.
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"Sweet dream left behind, I can't seem to find my way back to where you are. Fading, you are fading." Kim Richey - "Fading"
----------------------------------
Duke and Scarlett's family went down to the front desk, expecting to meet the greenshirt and IV. He saw her, looking around quickly for the other man. She shook her head, indicating that he hadn't come down yet. Duke swore softly under his breath, today was not a day to have incompetents running around. Just as he was about to send IV back up to look for him, the elevator doors opened and out stumbled the greenshirt, looking rather beaten.
"I don't know which way she went," he spoke haltingly, knowing that he let her escape.
"She was by herself?" Duke demanded. When the greenshirt nodded, he swore again. He should have known better than to leave her alone. She gets alone, she gets scared, she attempts to escape. He was just about to give orders to lock down the hotel when he heard a faint cry that was familiar, and with the way her father's head turned, he knew that man recognized it too. They looked at each other, "Out there."
They led the way, with her brothers, IV and the greenshirt close behind. They found the door she had exited through and heard the squeal of tires as a car accelerated away. Ice blue eyes scanned the area and his heart stopped for a moment when he saw silver glinting on the asphalt. He moved over to it, picking up the medic alert necklace and the bracelet he gave her. His jaw tensed when he saw the blood on it and on the ground. Not enough to suggest they killed her, but he vowed that they would pay for hurting her.
Patrick came and looked at the items in Duke's tightly clenched hand and spoke quietly, "This is bad."
Duke unclenched his jaw for long enough to nod to him, then looked at the greenshirt. "Cancel the call to HQ and bring the car around." The young man hurried off to follow his orders and Duke looked back at Scarlett's family. "I will be in contact with you soon. I'm sorry I can't give you more information." He turned on his heel and he and IV quickly followed where the greenshirt had led, back to the car, leaving Scarlett's upset and worried relatives behind.
:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Later, with Flint, Hawk, Jaye, Snakes and Beach Head, they sat at the conference table making plans. "Obviously this is Cobra," Jaye said impatiently.
"We don't know that for sure and we can't afford to rush to conclusions," Hawk said sternly.
"Cobra is the only one who would have known to remove the jewelry, the only ones who would realize we could track her with those."
"I'm inclined to agree with her, Sir." Flint broke in on Jaye's side. "No one else would have the motive."
"But how would they have known?" Beach Head grumbled from where he was sitting, "We better damn well not have a security leak."
'It could have just been luck,' Snakes signed to the group, 'There was no way for any of us to have predicted where or when she would bolt. It was an upscale hotel, always the possibility for Cobra then.'
"Alright," Hawk conceded the point finally, "Our main suspects then? Twins, Destro, Baroness, who else?"
"Possibly Firefly, but this doesn't seem like his MO." Jaye spoke and Snakes shook his head at her.
'Zartan or the Dreadnoks. I think they should be on the list of suspects.' Snakes' hands moved gracefully through the words.
"A list of subject doesn't do us a damn bit of good when we have no idea where they are." Beach Head was pissed about the whole situation, he didn't think Scarlett should have been allowed to leave base to begin with.
Through the whole discussion, Duke sat silently, listening to their discussion but also listening for the faint ring of his phone, hoping to God that she had managed to escape and would call. To his frustration though, the small silver phone stayed silent. He realized everyone was looking at him suddenly, "What?"
"Get your head in the game, Duke," Hawk snapped at him, "You've got to put aside personal feelings and get the job done."
Beach Head muttered under his breath, "This is why fraternizing is against regs." He tried not to wince at the sharp blow to his shins from Jaye and the dark glares from both her, Flint and surprisingly, Snake Eyes.
Duke nodded, sitting up straighter, "You are right sir. We first need to find where she is, we can start by-" His words were cut off by the ringing phone, and all eyes were back on him. He answered it quickly, "Hello?"
"Who is this?" Scarlett's hesitant voice came through to his ears.
"This is Conrad, are you alright? Did they hurt you?" He made a motion to indicate to Flint to get Mainframe and Breaker on tracing the call.
"They who? What's going on? I could just remember this number and to call it if I was lost." She sounded scared too, she was speaking quietly. He tried to determine what type of room she was in by how her voice sounded.
"Shana, do you know where you are?" He couldn't help the note of desperation creeping into his voice.
"I...I'm not..." He heard her words trail off and her say quietly, off the receiver, "Hello."
"Shana?" He knew she couldn't hear him now though. He motioned that they needed to hurry with the trace; he knew he would be cut off soon.
Duke heard through the phone, her companion speaking to her gently and he could have sworn he heard the man kiss her, "Now dear, you know you shouldn't be using the ph-" The phone clicked off.
Duke was fuming and turned angry eyes to Flint, "Any luck on the trace?"
Flint shrugged, "Not yet. Give it time."
"We don't have time damn it." Eyes went back to him and his jaw was still tightly clenched, "She's totally helpless out there. I expect to be notified the moment anyone has any information, is that understood?"
He waited until everyone nodded and then Hawk spoke, "Dismissed," ending the meeting and letting them begin their assignments to find who did this.