A/N: It's been a little over a month since I last updated, and this is a short chapter that isn't very good. Sorry about that. Reason why in the bottom A/N.

Reviews:

StacyMcMissile- You want me to break your heart? But then I'll have to give this story a really happy cheesy ending to put it back together again!

Jaell- I feel ya, man. The security thing is annoying -_- aw, thank you! It always makes me feel so wonderful when people compliment this story.

Lyra Heartstrings or Tuquorise- BECAUSE I CAAAAN'T DX don't cry! *sits in corner and cries with you*

DauntlessAngel11- He is a klutz XD proof that my version of him is based on me. I can barely walk in a straight line!

Guest/Dark Magix- No, but I wish I did! Captain Jamie Tiberia Kirk tried to teach me, but I'm not making much progress XD and maybe he did, maybe he didn't YOU'LL NEVER KNOW.

Chapter 14- The Search Begins

Finn burst into the office fuming. A receptionist looked up, startled. "Oh, good morning, Sir-"

"Yes, good morning. Are they busy?" Finn asked distractedly, referring to the closed doors on the opposite side of the room.

"Y-yes, right now..."

"Alright, thank you," said Finn, and swung the doors open. He stepped into the meeting room, leaving the receptionist to ponder what the problem was.

"I've got news," Finn announced.

The CHROME bosses turned to him, clearly irritated that someone was interrupting their meeting. "Yes, McMissile, what is it?" one man asked.

The tall woman who'd previously been speaking- Finn recognized her as the head of CHROME's transportation department- sighed and took a seat, shuffling her papers away into a folder. Finn took her place at the front of the room. "I've gathered intel on Agent A113."

The CHROME chief executive, an intimidating man with wide-set shoulders and a presence that commanded respect, nodded for Finn to go on.

"He joined the Lemons."

The bosses waited for Finn to elaborate, but when he remained silent, the chief executive leaned forward with interest. "Are you sure about this, McMissile?"

"Yes, sir. I visited my French informant. The best informant I've ever had."

"And you visited this informant under whose orders?"

Finn lost his confidence. "I... Went without anyone's orders..."

"You went off on a mission alone? Did you really think you could do this all by yourself?" The chief executive's voice rose. "This agency is not a toy, McMissile. Not something to play around with."

Finn's head drooped. His boss stood and slowly advanced toward the spy. "This is a serious matter. You may be the most skilled spy CHROME's ever seen, but you aren't invincible. And I most certainly do not appreciate my best agent going off alone on a mission we haven't authorized!"

"I needed that info," Finn said quietly. "I just wanted to find my friend."

The older man's expression softened. He went up to Finn and placed both hands on his shoulders. "I know you wanted to find him. But don't you dare do anything like this again, McMissile."

After Finn answered with a nod, the tall man in front of him visibly calmed. He gestured at the door and gently led Finn along. The two walked toward it, the attention of the other bosses following them carefully. Once reaching the door, the chief executive turned to Finn with a very serious look on his face.

"You are not to try finding Siddeley again," he said.

Finn's gaze hardened, and he stared into the eyes of his superior. "I wouldn't dream of it."

With that, the spy turned and pushed through the doors, leaving the heads of the agency behind. Once the chief executive was seated again, he locked his fingers together and started planning.

"Right, this is a very serious matter," he began.

"I say we go after him immediately," said a tall, thin man who reminded everyone of a bird of prey, with his skinny body and sharp eyes. "He could be giving the Lemons all our information!"

A chorus of agreements rose up from the group.

"We'll track him down and attack their base!"

"We'll imprison every Lemon there!"

"We'll hang Agent A113 for treason!"

"That's enough!" the room's highest authority figure barked, and everyone quieted. "We work in secret, remember that. We don't want to cause a scene by attacking their HQ, wherever it may be."

"We might not draw attention, based on where the HQ is," one man objected.

"And may I remind you that we still have no clue where it is."

The birdlike man spoke again. "If I were a Lemon, where would I hide my base...?"

"Somewhere you couldn't be found, where do you think?" snorted the head of the transport department.

"So that leaves two basic options: hide where no one goes, or hide in plain sight."

"That doesn't make it much easier."

"The Lemons are smart enough to hide in plain sight," said another woman, short and stout with deep auburn hair. "I suggest that if we were to track down Agent A113 and the Lemons, we start our search in a city."

"A city where, though?"

"Well, we know where Zundapp is from..."

The bosses looked around at each other and nodded as one, coming to an agreement.

The chief executive stood. "Miss Emily," he said, addressing the head of the transport department, "arrange a patrol of your best pilots. The search begins in Germany."

With a swish of his coat, he was gone. Emily sadly looked at her folder and held it tightly to her chest. She spoke to no one in particular. "If Siddeley were here, he'd be leading this patrol."

The birdlike man gently rested a hand on hers, and all the bosses exchanged wordless glances of sympathy and encouragement.

But the moment was gone as soon as it had started, and the men and women began the hunt for the missing agent.

"So, what's new?" asked Leland, raising a cup of hot coffee to his lips.

Stephenson tapped his chin and pretended to think about it. "Sid's our enemy and Finn's gone crazy."

"What a newsflash."

"Didn't see that coming at all."

Leland attempted a laugh, but it came out as a half-hearted puff of air. "We're rubbish at sarcasm."

"Siddeley was so much better at it," the other man agreed. "I miss him."

"Don't talk like that! You make it sound like he's dead!" Leland scolded.

"He might as well be dead. No one's had any luck finding him so far and the search they're setting up now is just collecting his body."

That caught Leland's attention. "What search?"

"You haven't heard?" Stephenson was surprised. "Finn told all the higher-ups about what he learned from Tomber and they're launching a mission to find him."

Leland blinked. "Now that's news. Why haven't I been told about this?!" Just as he finished the question, Leland's phone beeped. He opened the mail app and read the email he just got.

Agent Turbo,

We have received new information on the whereabouts of Agent A113. There will be a mission to find him, and the search begins in Germany. You are to be part of it, seeing as you were more familiar with him than most other agents here. Be ready to leave within one week.

CHROME

Leland closed the mail app and put his phone down. "I wonder if Finn will be part of the mission."

"Doubt it," Stephenson said. "He wasn't too keen on finding Sid after coming back from Paris."

"Hm. Well why have they waited for so long to start a search?"

"I guess it was too much of a waste of time and effort looking for them there when they could be anywhere at all. Sid's disappearance is a really big deal."

Leland sighed, a long sigh of weariness and exhaustion. "If we do manage to track him down, what remnants of him do you think will be left? Will he be the same?"

"I don't know," Stephenson replied. He glanced out the window into CHROME's airfield and spotted the empty gate that Siddeley's jet used to occupy.

"I'm afraid to find out."

A/N: The reason this chapter took a while and isn't in very good quality is that my anxiety's been getting worse. I even failed a class this quarter because of it and just barely avoided failing another. Originally it was just anxiety, but it progressed into feeling scared 24/7. So if any of you know how to help anxiety (yes, I've already tried Google and it isn't helping much and no, a psychiatrist isn't what I need) please tell me. I feel like I'm losing my mind to paranoia.

Thanks for reading, and reviews are always greatly appreciated.