Chapter Seventeen: Do I Dare Disturb the Universe?
The sun hadn't been in the sky for more than two hours when Wufei awoke to find himself alone in an empty hotel room. He blinked in confusion. The bed next to his was empty and made, and his clothes were folded on the chair. Had he come here alone and dreamed it? No... He flung the covers off and dashed to the window. To his surprise, both cars were there.
"How?" he murmured. He observed the room again. The bag was gone. And that meant the laptop was gone as well.
"Shimatta." He growled. He yanked his jacket off the hangar and took the phone out. At least he'd gotten that out of the bag. Wufei hit redial and hoped for the best.
In a car about three hours away, Heero was once again behind the wheel, with Chase next to him. The sudden blaring of the phone sliced through the quiet morning.
Chase and Heero exchanged glances. They'd all ready barely escaped death by climbing out a window before dawn; dare they risk it being a trap?
Chase looked at the number. "It says it's Anna's back-up phone."
"Risk it then. They may have an update for us." Heero said.
Chase nodded as she pushed talk. "Anna?"
The greeting didn't surprise Wufei. "No, Chase. Let me talk to Heero."
"Good morning to you too. You sound like you got less sleep than we did." Chase said.
"I doubt it." Heero sighed.
"Possibly. Can I speak to him?" Wufei asked.
"He's driving."
"He's multitalented." Wufei countered.
Chase handed the phone to Heero.
"Hello?" Heero asked.
"Heero? She's gone."
Heero blinked. "Who?"
"Who do you think? Anna!"
"Where?"
"I don't know. Ask Chase if she has the laptop."
Heero complied. Chase nodded. "Of course I do. It's in my bag. Right... Wait...Heero? It's not my bag; it just has my sketches in it. Anna and I must have grabbed wrong ones. Why would she put my sketches in there?"
"Chase doesn't have it. You two do." Heero said, not sounding happy about it.
"No, Anna has it. And she used it, because she's not here but the car is. And Heero? She knows we suspect Duo of being up to something."
Heero groaned and smacked the top of the steering wheel. "Great. Look; just keep following Duo and Quatre. We'll deal with it."
"All right, but only for now. If she's doing what I think she's doing, I'm going in after her." Wufei said.
"Fine. We'll build that bridge when we get to it. Ja."
"Ja ne, Heero."
Heero hung up and looked at Chase. This was getting more and more difficult all the time. They heard a helicopter whine faint in the distance. Heero's look became grim and he shifted the car into a higher drive.
Trowa walked silently down the ornate halls of the palace. The old castle served as the military headquarters for OWN, and all the top leaders as far as Victor gathered there. He only hoped Victor was there today and not out... training. Although, from what Trowa had seen, Victor's training was far inferior to his own.
He ran his hand up the mahogany finish before rapping his knuckles against the wood.
"Enter."
Trowa grasped the doorknob and turned it. That was Victors' voice all right. He stepped inside.
General Victor stood, his surprise showing. "Trowa, come in, have a seat. I'm surprised to see you here. I thought you were in the past FBI."
"I was. My presence is not required now." He replied evenly. He sat gracefully in the chair Victor offered.
Victor smiled a cool grin at the younger man. "Something on your mind?" he ventured, retaking his own seat.
"Yes. I have gotten word you are trying to hire an assassin." Trowa said.
Victor poured himself a drink and looked at Trowa to offer him one. Trowa declined. Victor smiled again. "News does travel fast. I suppose the local grapevine informed you of this."
"I have my resources."
The General sipped his drink and regarded him carefully. "Very well, Commander Barton. Yes, I am going to hire an assassin. I wanted to find Odin Lowe, but he's apparently as dead as he seems. So I'm looking into other avenues."
"Like who?" Trowa asked.
"Fear not, Trowa. I'm not hiring any of your old playmates. Not yet, anyway." Victor answered. "I have an interview today -make that two- and I will make my choice."
"I'd like to meet them after you hire one." Trowa said.
"Of course. If you'll excuse me, now?"
Trowa stood, bowed, and took the dismissal. Once outside, he clenched his fist. He had to get Chase and Quatre back before that sniper was hired. He had a feeling if he didn't take care of it, Victor would.
"Do they ever give up?" Chase demanded as she watched the oncoming helicopter from the rear view mirror. She let out a small squeak as a bullet hit it and it shattered into a million pieces.
"Take the wheel," Heero said as he started to climb out of the driver's seat.
The car slowed slightly during the time when no foot was on the gas, but then sped back up as Chase made her way to the seat. "What in the worlds are you doing?"
Heero had climbed into the back seat and was rummaging through the bags he had brought. He soon found what he was looking for and a slight smirk crossed his thin lips. "This." He held up a large gun, fully loaded, Chase imagined.
"Where's an old fashion bazooka when you need one?" she muttered under her breath.
"Not here," Heero said as he returned fire, fairly unaffectedly.
"Sit."
Heero looked at the young woman in the front with questioning eyes, but did what he was told when she slammed her foot down on the gas.
She swerved this way and that, throwing the young Japanese man around the back. It was effective though.
"Where exactly do you expect to loose them in the middle of no where?" Heero asked.
"I'm not trying to loose them at the moment. Just trying to avoid getting the gas tank hit by one of those bullets. That or us. One thing at a time, boyo."
He glared at the man inside the helicopter. This was not how he had thought everything would turn out.
The sun hadn't been in the sky for more than two hours when Wufei awoke to find himself alone in an empty hotel room. He blinked in confusion. The bed next to his was empty and made, and his clothes were folded on the chair. Had he come here alone and dreamed it? No... He flung the covers off and dashed to the window. To his surprise, both cars were there.
"How?" he murmured. He observed the room again. The bag was gone. And that meant the laptop was gone as well.
"Shimatta." He growled. He yanked his jacket off the hangar and took the phone out. At least he'd gotten that out of the bag. Wufei hit redial and hoped for the best.
In a car about three hours away, Heero was once again behind the wheel, with Chase next to him. The sudden blaring of the phone sliced through the quiet morning.
Chase and Heero exchanged glances. They'd all ready barely escaped death by climbing out a window before dawn; dare they risk it being a trap?
Chase looked at the number. "It says it's Anna's back-up phone."
"Risk it then. They may have an update for us." Heero said.
Chase nodded as she pushed talk. "Anna?"
The greeting didn't surprise Wufei. "No, Chase. Let me talk to Heero."
"Good morning to you too. You sound like you got less sleep than we did." Chase said.
"I doubt it." Heero sighed.
"Possibly. Can I speak to him?" Wufei asked.
"He's driving."
"He's multitalented." Wufei countered.
Chase handed the phone to Heero.
"Hello?" Heero asked.
"Heero? She's gone."
Heero blinked. "Who?"
"Who do you think? Anna!"
"Where?"
"I don't know. Ask Chase if she has the laptop."
Heero complied. Chase nodded. "Of course I do. It's in my bag. Right... Wait...Heero? It's not my bag; it just has my sketches in it. Anna and I must have grabbed wrong ones. Why would she put my sketches in there?"
"Chase doesn't have it. You two do." Heero said, not sounding happy about it.
"No, Anna has it. And she used it, because she's not here but the car is. And Heero? She knows we suspect Duo of being up to something."
Heero groaned and smacked the top of the steering wheel. "Great. Look; just keep following Duo and Quatre. We'll deal with it."
"All right, but only for now. If she's doing what I think she's doing, I'm going in after her." Wufei said.
"Fine. We'll build that bridge when we get to it. Ja."
"Ja ne, Heero."
Heero hung up and looked at Chase. This was getting more and more difficult all the time. They heard a helicopter whine faint in the distance. Heero's look became grim and he shifted the car into a higher drive.
Trowa walked silently down the ornate halls of the palace. The old castle served as the military headquarters for OWN, and all the top leaders as far as Victor gathered there. He only hoped Victor was there today and not out... training. Although, from what Trowa had seen, Victor's training was far inferior to his own.
He ran his hand up the mahogany finish before rapping his knuckles against the wood.
"Enter."
Trowa grasped the doorknob and turned it. That was Victors' voice all right. He stepped inside.
General Victor stood, his surprise showing. "Trowa, come in, have a seat. I'm surprised to see you here. I thought you were in the past FBI."
"I was. My presence is not required now." He replied evenly. He sat gracefully in the chair Victor offered.
Victor smiled a cool grin at the younger man. "Something on your mind?" he ventured, retaking his own seat.
"Yes. I have gotten word you are trying to hire an assassin." Trowa said.
Victor poured himself a drink and looked at Trowa to offer him one. Trowa declined. Victor smiled again. "News does travel fast. I suppose the local grapevine informed you of this."
"I have my resources."
The General sipped his drink and regarded him carefully. "Very well, Commander Barton. Yes, I am going to hire an assassin. I wanted to find Odin Lowe, but he's apparently as dead as he seems. So I'm looking into other avenues."
"Like who?" Trowa asked.
"Fear not, Trowa. I'm not hiring any of your old playmates. Not yet, anyway." Victor answered. "I have an interview today -make that two- and I will make my choice."
"I'd like to meet them after you hire one." Trowa said.
"Of course. If you'll excuse me, now?"
Trowa stood, bowed, and took the dismissal. Once outside, he clenched his fist. He had to get Chase and Quatre back before that sniper was hired. He had a feeling if he didn't take care of it, Victor would.
"Do they ever give up?" Chase demanded as she watched the oncoming helicopter from the rear view mirror. She let out a small squeak as a bullet hit it and it shattered into a million pieces.
"Take the wheel," Heero said as he started to climb out of the driver's seat.
The car slowed slightly during the time when no foot was on the gas, but then sped back up as Chase made her way to the seat. "What in the worlds are you doing?"
Heero had climbed into the back seat and was rummaging through the bags he had brought. He soon found what he was looking for and a slight smirk crossed his thin lips. "This." He held up a large gun, fully loaded, Chase imagined.
"Where's an old fashion bazooka when you need one?" she muttered under her breath.
"Not here," Heero said as he returned fire, fairly unaffectedly.
"Sit."
Heero looked at the young woman in the front with questioning eyes, but did what he was told when she slammed her foot down on the gas.
She swerved this way and that, throwing the young Japanese man around the back. It was effective though.
"Where exactly do you expect to loose them in the middle of no where?" Heero asked.
"I'm not trying to loose them at the moment. Just trying to avoid getting the gas tank hit by one of those bullets. That or us. One thing at a time, boyo."
He glared at the man inside the helicopter. This was not how he had thought everything would turn out.
