Lupin and everyone who is not mine is not mine. That is to say, if they do not belong to me, they are not mine...er, nevermind. You know what I mean.

Chapter 12: And The Banned Played On

General Waker sat, head leaning on his left hand heavily and his right hand drumming his fingers on the conference table.

"You let them get away?" he said slowly, trying to keep calm.

"It wasn't a matter of let, sir," Agent Roth said nervously. "They had a tank. It was a matter of survival."

"First, they steal the alien specimen we've been trying to get information out of for two years. Next, they kidnap one of our top agents and hold her hostage. Then, they get hold of a U.S. Army tank. What's next?" Waker's voice steadily rose on each sentence, until by the last one he was shouting in fury.

Agent Peters, sporting a bandage on his head and another on his right hand, looked unimpressed. "They can't hide from the U.S. government forever. Sooner or later, they're bound to slip up."

Agent Roth consulted the files in front of him. "These guys are no amateurs, as they've proven several times on this escapade of theirs. They've constantly eluded many of the top organizations and networks in the world before we ever came into contact with them. How would we be any different?"

Peters slammed his fist down on the desk. "They've made a fool out of me. They've made a mockery of our government's power. I say it's time to bring out the big guns."

Waker groaned. "I don't have the authority for that, Peters. It could take weeks..."

"I could have them here within the hour," Peters said darkly. "I've already contacted them and gotten the processes underway. There's no way they can escape this time."

Waker and Roth threw each other a worrying glance. "Fine. Get them here as soon as possible. Have them stationed around the base, and particularly heavily around the target in question."

Peters nodded, smiling grimly. He stood and left the conference room.

Waker went back to rubbing his temples. "Still no word on Agent Hanes?"

Roth shook his head. "Nothing."

"We may have to count her as lost if Peter brings those...people in." Waker said. Groaning, he added, "Some help that damn Interpol agent turned out to be. All he did was offer me paranoia and bad advice."

"All who did was what?" Zenigata had appeared at the door to the conference room.

"Well, well, if it isn't the bungling Inspector Zenigata. Since you're here, I guess I'll go ahead and tell you you're off the case."

"What?" Zenigata growled. He leaned forward, slamming his hands on the table and glaring at Waker. "But we're so close. Give me a few more hours to catch Lupin..."

"Nothing doing. You've wasted enough of our time and energy. Agent Peters has called in the big guns. We won't need your help because Lupin and his gang will be dead the minute they try to break in."

"Not a chance. Once again, you've underestimated him!" Zenigata fumed.

Waker grinned. "What makes you so sure?"

Zenigata pulled out a gun and aimed it at Waker. "Because, you silly stuffed shirt," Lupin said. "I'm already here." With that, he ripped off his mask. Waker made a small, amazed gasp. Roth, however, leapt up, reaching for his firearm.

Lupin was faster and pulled the trigger. A small hiss issued from the gun and Roth fell to the ground.

Waker was a white as a sheet. "You cold-blooded murderer," he said, looking ready to plead for his life.

"Nothing doing. That's a tranquilizer dart," Lupin said, replacing his mask carefully. He then returned the tranquilizer gun to the trenchcoat and pulled out his familiar Walther. "However, this gun is quite real, and unless you do what we tell you to, you are going to see how beautifully it functions."

Waker slowly stood up, hands in the air. "What do you want with me?"

Lupin grinned. "You happen to have the security clearance to the places we need to get to. So, if you help us out, we'll get our friend home and no one will be the wiser. However, try to fight us and you'll end up dead...or worse."

Using his gun, Lupin guided Waker over to stand in front of him. "Now," he hissed, jamming the gun in Waker's back, "we're taking a quick jaunt by security to pick up the rest of our friends. After that, you'll take us to the bay where Eshe's ship is being kept."

Waker nodded, sweat pouring down his face. Together, he and Lupin quietly left the conference room. They arrived at security without a problem, Waker bellowing and issuing orders to interfering guards along the way. When Lupin and Waker arrived at security, everyone was ready to go. Jigen and Goemon had already borrowed the uniforms of the two unconscious guards, and a third spare uniform had been found for Fujiko. Eshe was clad in a hazard suit that covered her from head to toe, found in the emergency kit. Hanes, however, remained in her normal outfit.

"Everyone ready to go?" he asked. Jigen and Goemon nodded, though Goemon glanced at the machine gun in his hands with obvious distaste. Lupin could see the end of Zantetsuken just poking out of the gun case slung over his back and hoped no one else would notice.

Waker looked at Hanes. "Agent Hanes," he said, breathing a sigh of relief. "You're okay."

"Of course I'm okay," Hanes said. "But don't try anything, sir. If they say something, they mean it."

Lupin, still dressed as Zenigata, made a grand gesture to Waker. "After you...sir," he added with a small grin.

Waker swallowed nervously. The group left the security room, locking it tightly before they began the trek to deep in the base.

"Direct us to the alien ship," Lupin said quietly. Waker nodded. At the next intersection, he started to go left. Lupin grabbed his arm in annoyance. "Boy, you just can't trust anyone nowadays. I have a map and the map clearly says it's this way," he said, pointing to the right. "We shouldn't wander into the shooting grounds by accident, should we now?"

Waker flushed slightly. "How did you get a map?"

"I picked one up at the directory, right under the spot that said 'You are here.'" Lupin jerked his head towards the correct hall. "No more farting around, Wanker. Let's go."

"It's Waker," the general protested weakly, but he continued down the hall as indicated. The group continued in silence. Waker made no more attempts to steer the group in the wrong direction. After what seemed like hours, the group stepped up to a heavy security door. Waker pushed his hand against a panel and placed his eye against a lens in the wall.

"Voice confirmation?" a pleasant female voice intoned.

Waker looked at Lupin and the rest. Lupin tensed. If Waker decided to rebel now, things would get very, very, difficult. Luckily, the general chickened out.

"General Gregory Waker, code Charlie Bravo Zebra 4-4-9-0-2." After a pause, the voice said, "Confirmed," and the door slid open.

Breathing a sigh of relief, Lupin stepped towards the open door, pushing Waker in ahead of him. Just then, he heard a voice scream, "You!"

He turned to see Agent Peters standing in the hall, breathing heavily. "You miserable thief!" he howled. "Your stupid disguises can't fool me!"

Lupin tried to play it off. "Excuse me, sir. But I think you're hysterical."

Agent Roth rounded the corner. A second later, so did a very annoyed Zenigata.

"Oh, crap," Lupin squeaked. He pushed Waker towards the door. "Run!" he yelled as shots from all three sounded behind him. He heard a cry of pain from his left, but he didn't have time to think as he grabbed whoever it was and shoved them ahead of him. He heard return fire from Jigen and the sound of bullets ringing against Zantetsuken. Approximately three seconds later, everyone was once again in a heap on the floor and the heavy security door had somehow been pulled shut.

"We need a new strategy," Lupin groaned. He sat up and pulled off his Zenigata disguise. "Everyone okay?"

Another gasp of pain answered his question. He turned to see Agent Hanes gripping her leg just below the knee. "Flesh wound," she said, trying to bear up as best she could.

"Amy!" The gang turned in shock to see General Waker dive towards the fallen agent. "Amy, are you okay?"

"Yeah, Dad. I'll be fine," Hanes grunted. Waker helped her over to a nearby bench.

"Dad?" Jigen repeated.

Lupin tilted his head. "How about that? The surprise is on us for once." He then turned to see Goemon looking wildly around. "What's wrong?"

"Eshe is missing," he said gravely.

"Did she make it through the door?" Lupin said, growing pale.

"Yeah, I pushed her in ahead of me," Jigen said. "She definitely made it."

"She probably went to search for her ship," Fujiko suggested. "Let's go find her before she sets off any hidden traps." With a quick glace at Waker and Hanes, Lupin ran after the rest of them to find Eshe before she could put herself in danger.

They found her just around the corner, her hazard mask off and staring at what could only be...

"Eshe's ship," Lupin said, dismay filling his voice.

The ship was indeed mostly in one piece, but the explosion had burned out the interior almost completely. The hull was riddled with holes from shrapnel and debris, and they could see through one rather large crack in the ship the charred and empty bridge. What little technology had survived was apparently removed by human scientists and researchers, ripping it out for their own interests. There was no hope of Eshe's ship flying again.

Lupin broke the stunned silence first. "Eshe...I'm sorry," he said quietly.

Eshe silently turned to look at him. "It okay. You try. You try very hard," Eshe said, a game smile on her face. Lupin could tell from her eyes, alien as they were, that she had lost all hope of ever seeing home again.

A loud crash sounded. Lupin actually jumped. Jigen had given the hull of the ship a good hard kick. "Crap!" he yelled. "All of this for nothing!"

"Jigen," Goemon warned the gunman, hoping to defuse Jigen's temper before something very bad happened.

"Shut up! You wouldn't let us just leave her. You had to help her out! And now, thanks to you and monkey boy, we're in deeper shit than we've ever been in in our careers.

Lupin thought feebly that Jigen had really started it all with his complaints of boredom, but decided now was not the time for pointless bickering. He remained silent as Jigen pushed over a nearby crate, topping electrical components onto the floor.

Eshe let out a gasp and dove for the pile. "Eshe, what is it?" Fujiko asked.

Eshe pushed aside loose gears and microchips, pulling loose a piece of equipment that was mostly intact. "Homing beacon," she said quietly. "It not broken bad. Someone fix."

Jigen fell silent and Lupin ran to Eshe's side. "Do you think they'd come if you activated it?"

Eshe nodded, and then her face fell. "Ambassador," she said, pointing to herself. "Not good with machines."

Lupin took the homing beacon from her and turned it over thoughtfully.

Fujiko and Goemon waited in silence. "Can you fix it, Lupin?" Fujiko asked.

Lupin's face took on a grim smile. "Get me a toolbox. I'll figure this out if it kills me."

"It very well may," spat Jigen. He had calmed down, but Lupin could see the end of his cigarette shaking with contained rage. Goemon ran off to find some tools while Lupin, Fujiko, and Eshe cleared a nearby workbench of parts and crude models of Eshe's ship.

"Let's see. Looks like something you'd find in a home computer. Nothing's burned or melted. Just some loose wires and chips, it looks like," Lupin muttered. He looked at Eshe. "Do you think there's even a chance they can rescue you if I can get this working?"

Eshe nodded firmly. "They will come."

"Alright, then I'll figure this thing out."

"Do it quickly," Goemon said from behind Lupin. The samurai set the tool box down on the table. "They're literally banging down the doors. They'll be through in a matter of minutes, and Agent Peters is out for blood." As if to emphasize Goemon's point, a faint string of curses sounded from around the corner. Lupin flung open the lid on the tools, grabbed a small screwdriver, and set to work.

"Goemon," Fujiko said, grabbing her machine gun firmly. "We need to set up battle positions in case they make it through. This way, we can buy Lupin some time."

Goemon nodded. "Come on, Jigen. We may be dead, but I am not going down without a fight. And I doubt you would, either."

Jigen huffed, but pulled his Magnum out from the flak jacket he was still wearing. Without a word, he pushed between Fujiko and Goemon. The two exchanged a weary and wary look before following him around the corner.

Squinting in the dim light, with a screwdriver about three times too big, Lupin tinkered with the beacon. He was distracted by the continued sounds of the U.S. Army banging down the door. When General Waker and Agent Hanes came around the corner, advised by Goemon and Fujiko to seek shelter from the impending hurricane of ammunition, Lupin nearly had a heart attack.

"What are you doing?" Waker said, looking suspicious as he set Hanes down on the floor near the ship.

"Getting her home," Lupin answered, prodding a loose wire with his screwdriver. It emitted a sudden spark. "Whoa!" Lupin said, withdrawing his hand. "Now, we're getting somewhere."

Waker's face paled. "You can't...they won't get here in time. And what if...if..."

"If they see how horribly you treated one of their own?" Lupin finished crossly. "Intergalactic war and all that?" Lupin paused in his work and shot Waker a very nasty look. "I suppose it's possible. But given how forgiving Eshe has been towards the human race, I'd like to think the rest of her people are equally open-minded. Go ahead, Eshe," he said, turning back to the beacon. "Tell the nice bureaucrat what you do for a living on your planet."

Eshe looked at Waker with an even stare. "Ambassador," she said. "We came in peace."

Waker shook as he slumped down next to his daughter. "Will...will your people come in peace again?"

Eshe looked away. "I can only hope."