The Past Never Dies Quietly
By Didi
Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters and don't know anyone that does. Suing me will probably get you the 23 cents stamp in my pocket now and nothing more than that. Summary: Tasha takes steps to confirm a rumor. Note: Okay, I knew that it was a bad idea to start a new fan fiction when there are other ones that I haven't finished yet. Can't devote enough time to any one exclusively. (sigh)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Chapter Seven
"Tasha," Peter groaned as he hauled himself to his feet, his body screaming in protest the entire time. "There is no way you are going to get me past customs in my condition. Even if I can get my hand on some latex right now, we still can't do it."
"Yee have little faith," she muttered as she looped her arm around him. "And we're not leaving by the way of the Russian mob connected international flights." She grunted as he stumbled, almost dragging them both back onto the ground. "God you're heavier than you look."
Peter closed his eyes and concentrated on keeping himself upright. "Tasha, this is foolish. I can't let you risk.."
"I'm not leaving you here for Nikolas Stoboisky to find when he realized that you failed." She knew that the Russian mob didn't take failures well. In fact, they didn't take it well at all. Peter had too many people after him right now.
"Who said that I failed?" he asked, tightening his grip on her shoulder.
She turned her head and watched him carefully. "You got the documents?"
"Oh yeah," he nodded his head and sighed. "I have them exactly where I need them to be."
"Peter."
"No, Tasha." He looked her, his eyes serious. "Don't ask me for them."
"How can you." but stopped herself. He was who he was and she had to accept that. "Okay, let's get you out of Russia first and argue about this later."
"And how do you expect to get out of Russia without being seen by all the eyes and ears?"
"By the way of Germany."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Refuel and get ready to take off at any moment's notice," Nikki yelled over the roar of another plane taking off from the Moscow's only airport. "Don't wonder far."
"Yes, Madam." The two copilots knew better than to disobey the "Little Don Franco," as they've taken to nickname Nicole 'Nikki' Louise Marie Charlotte Franco. She was worse than Don Franco when riled.
"And don't talk to anyone," she ordered before jumping down to join her companions. "Okay, let's get going."
Quick and Johnny exchanged glanced before following Nikki toward the terminal. It took them three hours of really bad translations and some serious bribing to get through customs and off in a little taxi with a driver that sounded like he would fit in nicely on the streets of New York.
"We need to find a fairly decent hotel that isn't controlled by any of the big families here," Quick instructed, sure that Tasha would be there as well.
"Vacation?" the driver asked while taking a curve at pace that impressed even Nikki.
"No, we're looking for a friend that may have gotten lost," Quick answered quietly.
Though Quick warned her not to, Nikki pulled out one of the few pictures she had of Tasha. In the photo, the ever stoic Tasha stood by Nikki and Quick for a promotional shot. "Have you seen her?" Leaning over the passenger seat, she stuck the picture under the driver's nose.
The driver gave a low appreciative whistle. "Can't forget a face like that," he grinned and took the picture. "Picked her up three days ago, very hurried she was. Told me to take her to St. Francis's church."
"A church?" Johnny frowned and looked at Quick, who was as puzzled as he. "Where did you pick her up from?"
"From the Red Fire Hotel."
Quick frowned. "Can you take us there as well?"
"The hotel? Now you people want to be finding something a little more elegant. I know a place that will be well worth the."
"No, the church." Quick amended.
"The church?"
"Yeah," Nikki flashed her a smile and pulled the picture back. She flashed Quick a triumphant look before settling back into her seat.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Quick winced painfully as Nikki's rendition of the Russian language boarder lined murder. Glancing at Johnny, he had a good idea that he wasn't the only one that thought so.
"Nikki," Johnny reached out and stopped her just as the young woman looked ready to tear her hair out in frustration. "Please remember that he is a man of the cloth."
"Yeah but how are we ever to find anything out if we can't even."
"English?" the priest asked, eyes wide with relief. He held up one finger, indicating for them to wait there for a moment before rushing off to the confessional. He returned five long minutes later with a man just over fifty with gray hair and smiling blue eyes.
"I'm Father David Jensen, my kind but English challenged companion informs me that you are in need of some assistance." He held his ands together in front of him and smiled in patience.
"English!" Nikki laughed and hugged the man with great excitement. "Oh thank god.. No offense."
"None taken," he nodded his head to the other two. "Now, how can I help you?"
"We're looking for a friend of ours," Quick's hand slipped into his pocket and pulled out a snap shot of Tasha. Her sober brown eyes seemed to challenge anyone to make fun of the photo. "We were told that she was seen her a few days ago."
The Priest frowned as he took the photo in his hand. Studying it for a moment, he looked up at them and shook his head. "I'm sorry, but anything said within the confines of the church are considered privileged and confidential."
"Then you have seen her," Nikki concluded, her eyes wide with delight. "Can you tell us if she's all right?"
"She was in good health when she felt me," he gave them.
Quick's eyes eyed the man for a moment. Sensing that the priest was protecting Tasha, he realized that getting a location was going to be difficult. "I don't suppose you'd be willing to tell us where she went or what she was doing here."
Father David Jensen shook his head. "I'm sorry."
"But we're trying to help her," Nikki confided. "She's got to be in trouble or she would have called by now." She paused, frowning when she saw the priest frown as well. "Okay, that's a lie. She wouldn't call even if she's got one arm falling off and an entire country after her head. But still."
Father David laughed. "That sounds more like the Tasha Vildra that I know."
"Tasha what?" Quick asked, her eyes narrowing suddenly. "That's not her name."
He held up one finger in patience. "It was when I met her. I believe she goes by her maiden name now. Daxter, I believe it was."
"Vildra?" Johnny, silent until now, scratched his chin with his index finger. "So the Owl is involved in this. I guess we should have guess with Tasha in Russia and all. But I don't see her hot footing it over here unless there was something terribly wrong with the Owl."
"She always did have a rather soft spot for that rascal," Nikki grinned. "So let's see what's been happening the past few weeks and why it would interest Tasha enough to come here."
"Be careful," Father David cautioned. "Do not step into something that you are ill prepared to handle."
"Father," Quick gave a quick bow. "We're equip for almost any situation, Tasha taught us that."
They hurried out the church and into the still waiting cab. "Hey, what was that hotel you said you picked up our friend from again?"
So preoccupied with their new discoveries that none of the three saw the gray sedan follow them as they continued from the church to the hotel.
Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters and don't know anyone that does. Suing me will probably get you the 23 cents stamp in my pocket now and nothing more than that. Summary: Tasha takes steps to confirm a rumor. Note: Okay, I knew that it was a bad idea to start a new fan fiction when there are other ones that I haven't finished yet. Can't devote enough time to any one exclusively. (sigh)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Chapter Seven
"Tasha," Peter groaned as he hauled himself to his feet, his body screaming in protest the entire time. "There is no way you are going to get me past customs in my condition. Even if I can get my hand on some latex right now, we still can't do it."
"Yee have little faith," she muttered as she looped her arm around him. "And we're not leaving by the way of the Russian mob connected international flights." She grunted as he stumbled, almost dragging them both back onto the ground. "God you're heavier than you look."
Peter closed his eyes and concentrated on keeping himself upright. "Tasha, this is foolish. I can't let you risk.."
"I'm not leaving you here for Nikolas Stoboisky to find when he realized that you failed." She knew that the Russian mob didn't take failures well. In fact, they didn't take it well at all. Peter had too many people after him right now.
"Who said that I failed?" he asked, tightening his grip on her shoulder.
She turned her head and watched him carefully. "You got the documents?"
"Oh yeah," he nodded his head and sighed. "I have them exactly where I need them to be."
"Peter."
"No, Tasha." He looked her, his eyes serious. "Don't ask me for them."
"How can you." but stopped herself. He was who he was and she had to accept that. "Okay, let's get you out of Russia first and argue about this later."
"And how do you expect to get out of Russia without being seen by all the eyes and ears?"
"By the way of Germany."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Refuel and get ready to take off at any moment's notice," Nikki yelled over the roar of another plane taking off from the Moscow's only airport. "Don't wonder far."
"Yes, Madam." The two copilots knew better than to disobey the "Little Don Franco," as they've taken to nickname Nicole 'Nikki' Louise Marie Charlotte Franco. She was worse than Don Franco when riled.
"And don't talk to anyone," she ordered before jumping down to join her companions. "Okay, let's get going."
Quick and Johnny exchanged glanced before following Nikki toward the terminal. It took them three hours of really bad translations and some serious bribing to get through customs and off in a little taxi with a driver that sounded like he would fit in nicely on the streets of New York.
"We need to find a fairly decent hotel that isn't controlled by any of the big families here," Quick instructed, sure that Tasha would be there as well.
"Vacation?" the driver asked while taking a curve at pace that impressed even Nikki.
"No, we're looking for a friend that may have gotten lost," Quick answered quietly.
Though Quick warned her not to, Nikki pulled out one of the few pictures she had of Tasha. In the photo, the ever stoic Tasha stood by Nikki and Quick for a promotional shot. "Have you seen her?" Leaning over the passenger seat, she stuck the picture under the driver's nose.
The driver gave a low appreciative whistle. "Can't forget a face like that," he grinned and took the picture. "Picked her up three days ago, very hurried she was. Told me to take her to St. Francis's church."
"A church?" Johnny frowned and looked at Quick, who was as puzzled as he. "Where did you pick her up from?"
"From the Red Fire Hotel."
Quick frowned. "Can you take us there as well?"
"The hotel? Now you people want to be finding something a little more elegant. I know a place that will be well worth the."
"No, the church." Quick amended.
"The church?"
"Yeah," Nikki flashed her a smile and pulled the picture back. She flashed Quick a triumphant look before settling back into her seat.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Quick winced painfully as Nikki's rendition of the Russian language boarder lined murder. Glancing at Johnny, he had a good idea that he wasn't the only one that thought so.
"Nikki," Johnny reached out and stopped her just as the young woman looked ready to tear her hair out in frustration. "Please remember that he is a man of the cloth."
"Yeah but how are we ever to find anything out if we can't even."
"English?" the priest asked, eyes wide with relief. He held up one finger, indicating for them to wait there for a moment before rushing off to the confessional. He returned five long minutes later with a man just over fifty with gray hair and smiling blue eyes.
"I'm Father David Jensen, my kind but English challenged companion informs me that you are in need of some assistance." He held his ands together in front of him and smiled in patience.
"English!" Nikki laughed and hugged the man with great excitement. "Oh thank god.. No offense."
"None taken," he nodded his head to the other two. "Now, how can I help you?"
"We're looking for a friend of ours," Quick's hand slipped into his pocket and pulled out a snap shot of Tasha. Her sober brown eyes seemed to challenge anyone to make fun of the photo. "We were told that she was seen her a few days ago."
The Priest frowned as he took the photo in his hand. Studying it for a moment, he looked up at them and shook his head. "I'm sorry, but anything said within the confines of the church are considered privileged and confidential."
"Then you have seen her," Nikki concluded, her eyes wide with delight. "Can you tell us if she's all right?"
"She was in good health when she felt me," he gave them.
Quick's eyes eyed the man for a moment. Sensing that the priest was protecting Tasha, he realized that getting a location was going to be difficult. "I don't suppose you'd be willing to tell us where she went or what she was doing here."
Father David Jensen shook his head. "I'm sorry."
"But we're trying to help her," Nikki confided. "She's got to be in trouble or she would have called by now." She paused, frowning when she saw the priest frown as well. "Okay, that's a lie. She wouldn't call even if she's got one arm falling off and an entire country after her head. But still."
Father David laughed. "That sounds more like the Tasha Vildra that I know."
"Tasha what?" Quick asked, her eyes narrowing suddenly. "That's not her name."
He held up one finger in patience. "It was when I met her. I believe she goes by her maiden name now. Daxter, I believe it was."
"Vildra?" Johnny, silent until now, scratched his chin with his index finger. "So the Owl is involved in this. I guess we should have guess with Tasha in Russia and all. But I don't see her hot footing it over here unless there was something terribly wrong with the Owl."
"She always did have a rather soft spot for that rascal," Nikki grinned. "So let's see what's been happening the past few weeks and why it would interest Tasha enough to come here."
"Be careful," Father David cautioned. "Do not step into something that you are ill prepared to handle."
"Father," Quick gave a quick bow. "We're equip for almost any situation, Tasha taught us that."
They hurried out the church and into the still waiting cab. "Hey, what was that hotel you said you picked up our friend from again?"
So preoccupied with their new discoveries that none of the three saw the gray sedan follow them as they continued from the church to the hotel.