"Well now, aren't you lucky to have a bloke like me around to get you out of jams?"

Ciara peered up to find Michael saundering toward her, popping a brownie in his mouth. "Do you ever stop eating?"

He shrugged. "Criticize me if you like, but I just saved your pretty little bum."

"What are you talking about? Shana and friends are long gone with the map to the treasure, and Ian is currently brain dead." She reached out to nudge him in the head with her foot.

"So we follow them. It's not as if we really need to bring him along."

"Yes, but I didn't even see which way they went. And tracking people through a city is significantly more difficult that if you were prancing through the forest."

Michael nodded. "Granted, that is true. Provided, of course, that you don't have one of these."

He held up a small electronic device, and Ciara gaped at him. "Michael, is that a…?"

"You know, they really shouldn't just leave their bags lying around. They'll get bugs in them."

"That is the worst pun I've ever heard." She got to her feet and promptly kissed him. "Have I ever told you how much I love you?"

"Not recently. Mind you, I expect to hear it every day from now on."

Ciara rolled her eyes. "Come on, we have to go and catch a taxi. That's difficult enough in this godforsaken place."

Michael laughed. "Haven't you realized yet? I'm always three steps ahead. I already have a car waiting."

"And what's the third step?"

"They just made a call to Gatwick Airport, so we know where there heading. So let's go."

"Wait." Ciara turned back, looking at where Ian was still lying on the ground. "What about him?"

"Leave him there. He'll wake up eventually, and we don't have long to catch up to them."

Ciara cast one last glance at Ian, decided he deserved it for the extra difficulties he'd caused her, and chased after Michael.

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"Okay. So where are we going?" Riley asked, trying his best to be enthusiastic, and not remember the last time they'd gotten into this sort of situation.

"Hm?" Ben glanced at him. "Oh, I'm not really sure. I wasn't listening." He leaned forward to where Shana was driving in the front. "We'd better hurry. The next flight leaves in two hours."

Shana grinned. "Don't worry. I've made it in one before."

Deciding to ignore that, Riley turned back to Ben. "Wait, what do you mean you don't know? How can you not know where we're going?"

"I just booked tickets on the next flight out. I wasn't really concerned with where it is. By the way, it's at Gate 162."

"Great." Riley leaned back against the seat. "I just hope someone can speak Timbuktu-ian."

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The flight, as it turned out, was not to Timbuktu, but to Bucharest, Romania. At least that's what Ciara was desperately hoping, having just booked two tickets. Otherwise they were going to lose serious time.

"How do you know they'll go for the next flight?" Michael asked, passing yet another car. "I mean, I know they're trying to get away, and that they need the chance to stop and think, but don't you think that's a bit, well… stupid? They could end up anywhere."

"It's what I would do," Ciara answered, looking through the rain as if trying to will the airport closer. "And it's what Shana would do."

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"Okay, come on quickly, get out of the car!" Shana grabbed her back from the floor.

"Wait… you can't park here," Riley said.

"Oh, it doesn't matter. I don't need the car anymore anyway. They can go ahead and tow it. Come on!"

They ran inside, thanking the gods for e-tickets, and dashed for their gate. They got there just as they were closing the door.

"Wait!" Abigail screamed. "Please wait!"

The disgruntled attendant glared at them, saw their flustered faces as they raced for the door, and relented. "Oh, alright," he agreed, checking their tickets and letting them through. He locked the door behind them and prepared to shut down his station until the next flight.

"Hey, wait!"

He looked up, startled to see another pair of people running toward him, this time a young girl with a boy. He shrugged his shoulders. "Sorry. Flight's closed."

"Fuck," Ciara announced, turning to watch the plane taxi away.

Micahel turned back to the flight attendant. "You didn't happen to see our friends, did you? There was a guy and a girl about our age, with brown hair, and then another man and a woman? The man and dark hair, the woman blonde?"

"Oh, sure. Got here just in time. Funny, they didn't tell me to wait."

"Oh… yeah. Well, we told them to go ahead."

He and Ciara turned to walk away when her cell phone rang. She picked it up. "What?" she snapped.

"Thought you'd leave me behind sweetheart?"

"It's no worse than what you did to me," she retorted, in no mood for Ian's humour.

"That is true. God, I have a splitting headache. Did you catch them?"

"No, she answered, and then her voice softened significantly, turning slightly sultry. "Actually Ian, I'm glad you called. I could use your help…"