Disclaimer: Not mine.
A/N: Check it out! A new chapter for you guys. Or a testament to the fact that I have no life, your pick. Anyway, R&R, as always!
The Gray Man cleared his throat. "Now that we've got that all settled, we need to get down to work." He stood up. "We're going to need to head out to the van; this isn't a secure area."
George cocked an eyebrow. "And your van is?" she asked skeptically as the group headed outside.
The Gray Man leveled his gaze at George. "As a matter of fact, yes, it is. Soundproof. Completely bulletproof, of course. Lead-encased to keep radio waves in; even blocks incoming infrared."
"Oh." George was at a loss for words. "So how much of our tax money goes into this?"
The Gray Man's retort was cut off as a car pulled up to the curb and Bess Marvin leaped out, throwing her arms around Nancy. "I just heard... on the news." she gasped. "Joe, how is he?"
Nancy hugged her friend tightly. "He's... not good." she said, fighting back tears once again. She had to smile at the sight of Bess, who looked like she'd just gotten out of bed: nightgown, unbrushed hair and all. "I'm so sorry you had to hear it that way. I should have called."
"I know you had other stuff on your mind." Bess replied forgivingly. She took a step back, noticing Nancy's companions for the first time. She gaped momentarily at the dark-haired young man in front of her. She looked to George and Nancy for confirmation that she wasn't seeing things. "Frank!" she murmured accusingly, catching him up in another hug. "Oh my God. What is going on here!"
"Sorry we didn't tell you sooner, Bess," George started. "But everything's been happening so fast..."
Bess didn't take her eyes off Frank, still unable to believe what she was seeing.
"Bess." Nancy took her friend's shoulders and faced her grimly. "You have to go home. Right now. Don't ask questions."
"That's right." Frank agreed seriously. "The more time you spend with us, the more likely you are to be targeted. Stay out of this."
Forlorn tears pooled in Bess's wide blue eyes. "But I...what? Can't I-" she stammered, hurt and confused.
The Gray Man interrupted impatiently. "Every minute we stand here, in the open, might I add, is time the Assassins are using against us." he reminded harshly. "So, if you'll excuse us, Miss Marvin," -he gestured to her car- "You should be getting home and forgetting you even saw us."
Bess ignored the stranger's words and turned imploringly to her friends. "Nancy, George, whatever is going on, I can help! You know I can!"
George put an arm around her cousin. "Please, Bess, just trust us." she murmured in her ear. "I'll call you as soon as I can, okay?"
"Trust you, huh?" Bess sighed in defeat; she would leave, but she didn't have to like it. Before she got back in her car, she gave Frank one last impulsive hug. "You'd better tell me everything when this is over." she warned. "...whatever it is."
"Everything." Frank confirmed. "Now go, Bess, please."
Bess stood for a moment before sliding into the driver's seat of her car and slowly driving off. Nancy exchanged a guilty glance with George. Pushing her friends out of an important case hurt them, and Nancy didn't like having to do it, but she knew she'd done the right thing; having to worry about Bess right now might push her over the edge. Still, Nancy hoped Bess wasn't too upset.
"Nan!" George called. When Nancy looked up, she realized that Frank and the Gray Man were already in the Network van on the opposite side of the street.
Nancy and George caught up and climbed into the van. Like everything else in the Network, the van was plain and inconspicuous on the outside and hopelessly complicated within. Had Nancy never worked with the Network before, she would have been awed by the technology and weaponry found in the truck.
George was stunned but tried not to show it.It was a little cramped, but still much roomier than one would expect in a van. Glancing around at the blinking lights and colorful wiring, she remarked, "Reminds me of the Batcave." Except for one thing, she thought, looking at the full rack of weapons hanging to one side.
The Gray Man did not look amused as he took a spot in front of a miniature computer screen. "Do you know what this is?" he asked rhetorically. "This one computer allows us to communicate with Network agents worldwide."
"Too bad you don't have a computer that tracks the guy we're looking for." George commented snidely.
"This does as good as the same thing." the Gray Man answered. We have agents in nearly every city on the globe. Once any agent puts out an alert for a man, the agents in other cities keep a lookout."
"What?" Nancy cried. "A lookout? That's all you've got?"
"Not quite." The Gray Man assured. "Network agents have access to a lot of information. They're able to check out the wanted man's known contacts and are even privy to his credit card logs."
Frank shook his head. "Wouldn't a criminal know to use cash? Everyone knows that credit card use can be traced."
"Plus," George added. "Aren't Assassins and other serious criminals likely to have alibis and contacts you don't know about?"
The Gray Man squared his jaw. "While there are flaws in the system, our success rate has been high thus far." he said patiently. "Now I suggest we focus on the specifics of this case."
"Alright." Nancy said. "Where do we start?"
The Gray Man sighed. "As I've said, the Network has this mostly under control. Obviously, the man can't board a plane or cross the border without us knowing. The next Network agent who sees him will simply take care of it."
"I think you're forgetting something." George put in. "We think that this guy will still be after Frank, right? And he'll want to kill him as soon as possible. Wouldn't it make sense for him to hang around here a little longer?"
"That's right." Nancy agreed. "He won't be trying to book a trip just yet."
"Well, the most logical place for him to hide would be Chicago." Frank hypothesized. "It's a major city with a pretty big underground movement. I'll bet he has quite a few friends there."
"Good thinking." the Gray Man replied, tapping a few keystrokes into the computer. "Here we go. We have a list of all known criminal hideouts. Assassins, Mafia... the works."
"You have a list!" George asked incredulously. "If you know where these scumbags are hiding why don't you go in and bust them?"
The Gray Man sent her a scathing look. "Because, my dear Miss Fayne, if they know that we know where they are, they'll find a new headquarters. This way, we can cross-reference our wanted men with their known contacts and figure out where they'll be hiding, then nab them when they come out."
"It makes sense." Frank agreed reluctantly. "Now which one of these places will O' Toole try to contact?"
The Gray Man stroked his chin. "There's only two places in Chicago that are Assassin-controlled. I guess we'll try there first."
Nancy was astounded. "We're just going to follow them to their hideout?" she asked. "Hello? They want to kill us! We'll be walking straight into their clutches!" As much as she wanted to take down the Assassins, she wasn't looking for a death sentence.
Before the Gray Man could reply, however, the truck gave a mighty jolt. The sound of crushing metal filled the air. The truck was hit again from the opposite side. George screamed as the truck tipped onto its side, throwing its passengers to the floor. Broken glass flew everywhere. The truck was being assaulted again and again and Nancy, Frank, George, and the Gray Man were trapped inside!
A/N: Let's make a deal; you review and I'll promise to update ASAP!