AJack, we=re running out of ideas. I=m sorry, but it=s true.@

And true it was. After two weeks had passed, Jack, Vaughn, and Will were meeting in a room that was mostly occupied by a table, and solely lit by a dying bulb. The three men were continually coming up with nothing in their leads. Two maps hung up on the wall: There was one of the United States, and the other showed the world. Both had thumbtacks ranging from red to blue, sporadically placed at, seemingly, random places.

AAlright, let=s just thing about this for a minute,@ Will suggested. Exhaustion plagued his eyes, and beard, as stubble was coming in. AShe=s gone, and doesn=t want to be found. The way I see it is she=ll either try to hide in a big city, or anticipate us thinking this, so she=ll hide in a small town. Most likely she B Will you put that down, Vaughn!@ The last statement was directed to Vaughn who was finishing off a bottle of beer. Angered at the lack of respect Vaughn showed, Will reached across the table and slapped the bottle out of his colleagues hand, making it shatter all over the ground.

ACan=t, dude!@ Vaughn shouted, the all too familiar glazed eyes and stupefied smirk were on his face. AI=m surfin=!@

AWhat the hell are you smokB surfing?@ Will asked, curiously.

For the first time in hours, Jack looked up from his laptop and the papers strewn around on the table, and made a connection that Will made at the same time.

AYep, yep!@ Vaughn chuckled in his drunken stupor. ASurfing with Sydney! Sydney Surfing!@ He took a stereotypical surfer=s pose, his arms out for balance. But that necessary balance gave way to drunkenness, and he collapses. Will and Jack, disgusted by Vaughn=s display, both went to their main source of information: The letter.

A...But I can promise you we won=t need locks on our doors, and we will learn how to surf: together.@

This was a lead: a solid lead, left by Sydney herself. They scoured their maps for any pins on shore or islands with particularly good beaches.

AJack!@ Will exclaimed, pointing to Japan. One red pin lay on a minor island, just outside of the mainland. ADue to the constant tsunamis and hurricanes over there, the beaches are likely to be... to be...@ struggling to come up with a word, Agnarly@ popped out of his mouth.

At the sound of the surfer lingo, Vaughn cried out ASurf=s up, dude!@

***

AArigato.@

The police officer bowed, and turned away, leaving Jack with no choice but to return to his party of three.

AHe said she should be in...@ he began to count the houses along the shore, until he stopped at a white, one story building. He counted again to be sure, and finally said, Athat one.@

They trooped together, all three of them, including the now sober Vaughn, towards the house,. They all wore black tactical gear, in case anything went wrong. Their suits cooked in the sun as they crossed the beach. The crowds stopped their activity and began to murmur amongst themselves as they watched the three Americans try to open a door, and eventually resort to kicking it down with flashlights blaring and assault rifles ready.

All at once, three beams landed on the TV with the snow screaming. It was Vaughn who saw the VCR and the tape on top of it. They all looked at each other, and unspokenly agreed to play it. It started off with just the eye of Rambaldi, red on a black background. After a second of confusion between the trio, a black robed man stepped in front of the eye, and looked directly into the camera. He pulled down his hood to reveal short, black hair and Asian skin. He clasped his hands in front of him and smiled an evil smile.

AHello!@ he said, with a voice oozing of evil, deep and harsh. AI assume you=re looking for prophecy girl. I=m sorry.@