A/N… Just a reminder (and to answer a quick question)… All the teasers for this story can be seen on FB and Twitter.

Information time… I'll let you get to it.

~o~H&E~o~

Chapter 4

BELLA

"He's getting damned good with that thing," Jasper muttered with an amused tone, coming to stand next to me at the window of the office.

Cracking a smile at that, I let my gaze drift back to my son following his dad around with the drone Alice had rigged for him. Even better was the expression on my husband's face as he tried to ready the chopper – pure patience and humor. Occasionally, he'd stop, ask Sammy questions on it, and then go back to work.

We were leaving first thing in the morning for Seattle to stay with Carlisle and Esme at the penthouse for at least a week, not that we couldn't come home if we needed to, but it was easier to simply stay there if the job was there. And Bethy and Sammy wanted to spend time with their grandparents, which meant poor Edward had to load up the chopper for family and a job.

"Well, that would've been the thing I'd have taken away if he'd gotten into trouble today."

Jasper laughed. "Cruel, Mom."

"Mmm…indeed." Smirking at him, I turned away from the window. "But somehow they made it through the last day of school without opening a can of whoop-ass on someone."

Alec laughed from the conference table. "Not gonna lie. I totally expected a call."

"Me, too." I nodded, taking a seat across from him. "Okay, talk to me about this schedule."

In response, Alec said, "IGOR, pull up the current files on the Cho job."

"Yes, Mr. Alec."

Along the back wall of the office, several holographic screens bloomed brightly. The faces of Cho Jin-Sang and Cho Seong were on the left side. In the middle was the detailed itinerary of the two people we would be watching. Next to the Cho itinerary was Jake's and Carlisle's schedules of appointments. Lastly, the list of Cho's people, along with their background checks. One person was flagged.

"What's the problem with this one?" I asked, standing up to point to a man by the name of Chung Sun-Woo.

"There's not anything wrong, per se," Alice answered, coming in from the computer room to set a notebook down on the conference table. "I just didn't find much on him. He has a limited background. Um, um, um…splotchy. But he grew up in a very small village, so he's not exactly traceable."

"Meaning?" I prompted her.

"Meaning he wasn't on the grid always. Like birth certificates, schools, banks…yada, yada, yada."

"Is it a problem?" I asked firmly, tapping the wall where the screen was illuminated.

"I honestly don't know," she replied, shrugging a shoulder, but she pointed to Dean.

"You could deny him, Bella," he said, his voice deep and soft, but he, too, shrugged a shoulder. "It could mean nothing, just what Alice said – a splotchy history. It could mean he's hiding something. If you want to play it safe, deny him access to Twi Tech. I wish it was more definite, but I know there are small areas of that country that aren't technologically inclined."

I turned back to Alec. "What do you think?"

"Better safe than sorry, I'd say. Deny him. If you contact Carlisle now, you may stop him from taking the flight altogether."

"Okay, I'll call him." I pulled out my cell, calling my father-in-law and godfather.

"Hey, sweetheart," he greeted. "Anyone bring home the heavyweight boxer's belt?"

I laughed, shaking my head. "Believe it or not, no."

"You know, my son and I had this very conversation not so long ago. It was before Sammy was born. We were certain Bethy would take after Edward in the fighting department. She's just as stubborn and fiercely competitive as my son. Though, more so as a teen than her age."

"Yes, I'm aware. You should've seen her in the principal's office, Carlisle. She was pissed no one was listening. She looked just like him."

Carlisle chuckled over the phone. "I have no doubt. So what has you calling me?"

"There's a possible issue with one of Cho's men."

"Ah, okay," he said, and I could hear him typing on the computer. "Send me what you have."

"IGOR, send the Cho file to Carlisle's email."

"Yes, Miss Bella."

"Got it," he muttered over the phone. He stayed quiet as he clicked through the file. "Mmm, so Alice is worried?"

"Alice and our new guy, Dean. He's had some experience with Korea. Former Marine."

"Excellent. You guys needed help. I was wondering when you'd finally fill Kurt's place." He went quiet again for a few minutes. "This Chung Sun-Woo is the one you're talking about…not a lot of background. Well, I can express my concern to Cho. If he gives me a bullshit answer, I'll simply restrict the guy from Twi Tech Tower."

"Then I'll let you decide, since you know this guy and we don't."

"I know Cho. I don't know his people, Bella. And with the state of things over there, I'd rather not take any chances. Twi Tech has access to too much weaponry and technology for someone to come in with bad intentions," he stated firmly, and his tone was almost harsh.

"Okay. Then you do what you do. We'll be flying out in the morning."

"Can't wait. You goin' to the zoo, too?"

Laughing, I shook my head. "I think I'd better so you don't spoil my kids by buying them a tiger or some shit."

Carlisle laughed. "Speaking of pets, will you be bringing Lock and Load with you?"

"Yes," I said, sighing a little. "If it were simply a day or two, I'd leave them here with Rose and Alice, but I think it would be better to bring them. Plus, they're an excellent deterrent sometimes for assholes. Load, especially. He tends to use his size and looks to his advantage to keep people in line."

"And the fact that they can search and sense weapons…"

I laughed. "There's that, too."

"I like it. Okay, see you tomorrow."

I disconnected the call at the same time Edward walked into the office, looking worn out and sweaty already and it wasn't even lunchtime yet. However, he caught up quickly as he looked over the info on the wall.

He tapped the flagged guy, asking, "Yes or no?"

"No." Turning to Alec and Alice, I said, "Carlisle said he'd talk to Cho. He doesn't want to take the chance. Chung is restricted, if not removed completely. He'll let us know."

"Fair enough. Then this is the schedule we'll follow." Alec pushed a piece of paper toward me, and I sat down across from him again.

Emmett, Dean, Jasper, Alec, and Edward would rotate shifts, along with Mickey and me. We were to accompany Jin-Sang and his daughter, Seong, to various meetings with Jacob and Carlisle. We also would be traveling with them throughout the city to different events and businesses. Seong wanted to see a few universities while in the States, so those visits were written in as well. If the daughter was involved, then Mickey and I played a more prominent role. Otherwise, we'd all rotate in teams of two to four people.

"Our base of sorts will be Carlisle's office. The penthouse is the safe house, but I want nothing, not a fucking peep, mentioned to Cho or his people about that apartment up there. Am I clear?" Alec asked, glancing around at everyone in the room.

"I agree," Edward said softly, flipping through the schedule and nodding slowly. "We're good to go, then. Everyone flying out will need to be here at seven a.m. sharp tomorrow. Mickey has given us permission to use her apartment in the city for the week as well," he added, giving a wink her way. "Thanks for that, wild child."

"Yeah, sure. At least it's good for something. And it's not far from Twi Tech." she explained.

"Okay, then Alec and Dean, we'll see you two in the morning. Mickey, I'm assuming that you, Jasper, and Emmett will come in on Sunday," I asked her.

"Actually, Emmett will be there tomorrow with Caleb," Rose answered instead. "You know, Poppy and the zoo."

We all chuckled at that. Poppy had been pushing this outing since spring break.

"Lord, my dad and Esme are gonna have their hands full this weekend," Edward said through a soft laugh, shaking his head slowly.

"Which is the other reason you want the penthouse kept secret," Dean surmised, and Edward nodded.

"Yeah, that apartment was Bella's father's before my dad's. It's completely hidden, and the only ones who know about it are in this room, along with a few higher-ups at Twi Tech. Not even his security people know about it, because it's not on any blueprint," Edward answered him.

"Originally, my dad used it for the occasional stay in the city, but he liked his gadgets, so it's impossible to get in it unless you know how," I added with a nod. "Now, Carlisle and Esme live there full-time, but should something go wrong, the penthouse makes for the perfect safe room, essentially."

"You'll see it tomorrow, man." Edward gave Dean a smile and a nod before everyone, aside from Alice and Jasper, left for the day. He then turned his attention to Alice, who had been sitting next to my husband patiently and silently. "Okay, pixie, I'm all yours."

"Okay, okay, okay," she chanted, holding up the notebook she'd brought to the table. "You tell me if I'm crazy."

"You are, but that has nothing to do with this," he teased her, ducking when she smacked his shoulder with the notebook before handing it to him.

"Shut up, Ed," Jasper said through a laugh. "I think she may have something."

"Okay, yeah, go on, Ali," Edward urged her, taking his hat off and raking his hands through his hair before pulling it back on. "Let's hear it."

"Well, you wanted to know about the shooting in Paris, and I looked into it. Random attack, really. However, there are some not-so-random shootings, Edward. Watch," she told him. "IGOR, please put up a global map on the wall."

"Yes, Miss Alice."

The Cho files evaporated, and in their place was a large map of the whole globe.

"IGOR, please show the mass shootings or terrorist attacks going back five years," she continued.

"Motherfuck," Edward whispered, standing up from his seat to look at the plethora of dots covering the globe. "Are you fucking serious?"

"Yes, and watch this. IGOR, remove all shootings with a religious agenda." A large amount of the dots disappeared, and she added, "Now, remove all the shootings that were personal or family oriented."

"Family oriented?" I asked.

"Yeah, believe it or not, if some asshole decides to go home and destroy his whole family in a drunken rage or if a family squabble gets out of hand, they classify it as a mass shooting," she explained, shrugging a shoulder. "Next thing," she said, holding up a finger. "IGOR, please remove all school shootings, police shootings, and gang-related attacks."

A heartbreaking number of dots left the map, leaving a widespread spattering of dots left over. They seemed to be centralized in areas with large populations – big cities, countries with political or religious issues, and densely populated islands. And this was just the last five years. The info on the wall didn't include September 11 or wars or civil unrests. It only included attacks for unknown reasons.

Edward studied the map in front of him, his brow furrowing. "Pixie, I'm not a Mensa member, so help me out. What am I looking for?"

I chuckled at that, and Alice grinned briefly. She stood up next to him, tapping the wall.

"Some of these are probably political, considering the clusters in the Middle East, Korea, China, and Cuba. However, some seem to be made to look like something else. IGOR, show the shootings I've flagged."

About a dozen dots remained on the map in various parts of the world. Each dot had a small window showing what and where it was.

Alice faced Edward, her expression filled with worry. "I flagged these for a reason, Edward. These all seemed to feel like…military precision. The attack came from within, from the outside, and from the air – I'm not sure about that last one. Jasper seems to think sniper."

Edward snapped his head around to look at Jasper, who was nodding.

"But I'm not sure they didn't have air coverage," Alice added, tapping one of the windows on the wall and bringing it up to play some video footage.

How she acquired that video was beyond me, but it seemed to be a traffic camera that just happened to be aimed at a small restaurant or bar that sat on a street corner in London. She had to have hacked into their transportation system once she'd seen the attack. The usual traffic bustled in and out of the building, until a bright flash of an explosion lit up the screen. It blew the doors out, not in. Several armed people with covered faces rushed inside the building, and the flashes of their shots flickered through the windows of the building. If someone tried to exit the building, they would fall to the ground instantly.

I stood and walked to stand next to Edward. "And the rest of these follow that same pattern?"

"Yeah, yeah, yeah," she answered immediately. "Almost exactly. Explosion inside, intruders rushing in, and fire coverage from the outside."

Edward was quiet, but he reached up to touch another shooting, watching that video as well, and then another. His jaw clenched as he took it in.

"That's military, for sure. Their formation, their timing, their use of explosives…" he muttered aloud, but he trailed off for a moment, watching one more. "They're…disciplined."

"Now, here's the kicker," Alice told him, clearly excited that he was seeing what she had. "IGOR, what do all these places have in common?"

"Miss Alice, the thirteen shootings all took place within the last two years, and all the buildings that were targeted belong to Twi Tech or a subsidiary of Twi Tech, except for two, but those places had been sold within the last three years."

"Shut the fuck up," I breathed, facing Alice. It wasn't a shock that Twi Tech owned places all over the world, but it was a shock that those flagged attacks were – or seemed to be – aimed toward my father's company. "Who is it?"

"I don't know, but I'm working on it. I knew there was a pattern. I'm still working on the origin, guys, but…I just… I wanted you to see it."

Edward nodded, placing a hand on her shoulder. "You're definitely on to something, Ali. And I'd like to show this to my dad tomorrow, so could you…" he trailed off but wiggled a finger toward the wall.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah! I'll put a file together for him. You can show him when you get there tomorrow."

"Thanks, Alice," he told her, kissing the side of her head. "Rest this magnificent brain for this job coming up, and let IGOR take some of the pressure off you. Promise me."

"Okay, I promise." She nodded and gathered up her things to start to leave with Jasper.

Once they were gone, I turned to Edward, who looked a little shocked over what he'd just learned. "You think there's something to this?"

"I don't know, sweetness. I trust her, that's for sure."

"Okay, then we'll show Carlisle tomorrow." I kissed his lips softly. "We need to pull the suitcases and pack up the kids' stuff."

Edward nodded, cupping my face and kissing me briefly. "I'll get them out of the basement for you."

Smiling at that, I nodded. He knew I still struggled with the basement stairs, my past kicking my ass occasionally, though I hadn't had a panic attack in months. He still would place himself in front of anything that might possibly cause me trouble. Even if it was the basement in our own home.

"Thanks, baby," I whispered against his lips, smiling when he scoffed. "I'll start dinner. C'mon. It's the last day of school. The kids wanted chili dogs in celebration."

Edward grinned, nodding a little. "Sounds good."

~oOo~

EDWARD

"Good job, little sweetness," I praised her, grinning over at my copilot in her backwards pink baseball cap and small headset. "I'm gonna take the controls back, okay?"

"Okay," Bethy said softly, nodding a little. Her pride in herself was all over that pretty little face when she beamed over at me. "I did it!"

"You did, Bambina," Alec said, reaching over from the back to give her a bit of a shake. "One day, you'll be flying us all around."

Bethy did the most adorable little wiggly dance in her seat, making the whole chopper full of people chuckle. I'd let her take the controls just after we'd lifted off, but I needed to be the one to land. She'd held her steady the whole time, though, and I was extremely proud of her.

I called in my landing on Twi Tech Tower, circling the building a little before setting down and powering off. The whole cabin was full. Besides the humans – Abby, Bethy, Bella, Sammy, Alec, Dean, and myself – there were Lock and Load and all the shit I'd had to pack. However, most of the equipment for the Cho job would come in on Sunday with Jasper and Mickey.

Before she could leave, I stopped Bethy, waiting for everyone else to pile out. Immediate hugs and introductions to Dean were made, but I waited until we were alone.

Wide eyes in a color that matched my own blinked up at me, and I cupped my daughter's chin, smiling at her. "You keep it up, Bethy, and when it comes time for lessons, it'll be a breeze. You did really well, little sweetness."

"Thanks, Daddy."She unbuckled herself and scooted over to me, planting loud, sloppy kisses like she did when she was little, making me laugh and groan at the same time.

"Now, go tell Poppy you kept your horizon just fine," I said, kissing her forehead and tugging one of her long, dark braids.

She squealed, hopping down out of the cabin and calling my dad. "Poppy! Guess what!"

Chuckling, I hopped down from my seat, and I came face-to-face with Esme. "Hey, son," she greeted me, her arms open.

"Hey, Mom," I replied, hugging her.

It was getting easier and easier to call her that. It had taken years for me accept that she loved us all as a mother should. Many talks with Bella helped me to realize that it wasn't an insult to my real mother but a show of respect to Esme. More than one time had Esme expressed how much she loved Bella and me. She said if she could've handpicked her children, it would've been the two of us.

"Are you excited for the zoo, too?" she asked teasingly.

I laughed, shrugging a shoulder. "Yeah, sure. Why not? If anything, it'll be fun to watch Poppy try to keep four kids high on soda and cotton candy under control."

"I heard that," Dad said with a laugh, clapping my shoulder and giving it a squeeze, but he leaned closer, speaking softly. "Did she really fly most of the way?"

"Yeah," I said with a grin and a nod. "She did an awesome fucking job."

"Nice," he crooned, giving Bethy a proud glance. "She's only ten. Imagine when she's taking lessons at seventeen…"

"Slow down, Dad," I grumbled. "It's bad enough she's already got boys at school. Give me a fucking break, would ya?"

"Ah, Colin." Esme's voice was all-knowing and full of amusement.

"Yes, yes…him."

My dad cracked the fuck up. "Put bars on your windows yet?"

"Soon. Trust me." I rolled my eyes at their laughter but looked up when Sammy called me.

"Dad, Lock and Load need to go," he urged, pointing to the two large dogs practically spinning in circles at the rooftop door.

"Okay, c'mon. I'll take them with you," I offered, reaching for Lock's leash.

Alec stopped me. "When you guys get back up, we'll set up in Carlisle's office. Emmett should be here by then." He held up his phone to let me know he'd heard from him.

"Ten-four," I replied, turning to Bella. "We'll be right back up, sweetness."

"Okay. You guys be careful crossing over to the park." She said that more to Sammy than me, but the reality was that Lock and Load could navigate traffic just fine. When she looked back to me, she smiled, kissed my lips softly, and whispered, "You made her damn year, Edward." She smiled again when I chuckled. "I'll give Dean the tour of Twi Tech while you guys walk the dogs. See you when you get back."

"Yes, ma'am."

~oOo~

"Can we feed the giraffes? Please? Please?" Caleb begged Emmett and then went straight to the man who was doing all the spoiling today. "Poppy?"

Chuckling, I leaned against one of the fences and wrapped an arm around Bella's shoulders, whispering in her ear. "I swear, the older he gets, the more like Emmett he becomes."

Bella giggled, leaning her head on my arm. "All the way down to his dimples and the fact that he's taller than every other kid in his class?"

"Yeah," I said through another laugh. "Never mind that he's willing to take any dare just to get a laugh. Jesus, Emmett was like that overseas."

Bella chuckled again, but the temptation to take pictures of the kids feeding the giraffes was impossible to ignore, so she told Dad she'd take them through with Esme.

Dad and Emmett took a seat on one of the benches, and I joined them.

"I think I was a little older than Bethy the last time you brought me here," I noted aloud, glancing around a bit, trying to remember. I knew it had been after my mother had died and after meeting Bella the first time. "So…what? Thirteen?"

Dad smiled softly and nodded. "Yeah, about that. Charlie and Bella were supposed to go with us, but he ended up having to go out of town for work."

Wrinkling my nose at that, I shook my head. So many missed chances with my Bella when we were kids. I'd concluded years ago that Charlie had worked too damn much.

My phone bleeped with an incoming message, and I glanced down to see Alice had put together the file of all the mass shootings for me. I sent a quick thank-you back to her and turned to my dad.

"When we get back, I want to show you something. Alice has been…obsessed with terrorist attacks lately. And she's narrowed down a bit of a pattern," I told him, and his brow furrowed because we all trusted Alice when it came down to the ugly shit she could research.

"I gotta admit," Emmett said slowly, "I kinda liked the serial killer hobby better. This is just…ugly. Because it's every-damn-where. What did she find?"

I handed him my phone, letting Alice's work speak for itself. She pretty much sent it like she'd explained it to us the night before – showing the last five years, narrowing down the attacks by removing the different agendas, and then showing ones she'd flagged. When her conclusion about Twi Tech and the military style precision was voiced, my dad glanced up at me and then Emmett.

"What the hell?" he asked rhetorically.

"You didn't know?"

"I knew of some, but I didn't see any connection other than the increase in mass shootings every-fucking-where." He rubbed his face. "And some of those wouldn't have gotten back to me, just because…they're not truly mine to worry about. Make sense?"

"Yeah," Emmett and I said together.

Dad watched a few more of the videos, frowning even more. "You're right, though. That's military. That's trained and disciplined. That's…done with a reason behind it."

"I thought so too. Originally, she'd said that it felt like chess moves," I explained, but I shrugged a shoulder. "And all of those shootings? That's been within the last two years." He handed back my phone. "She said she'd keep poking at it."

"Okay," Dad said, smiling when excited kids came rushing toward us. "Leave it for now. Today is theirs, okay?"

"Of course, Poppy." Emmett's voice was taunting, but he stood up with me, muttering just for me. "The pattern is in the attacks themselves – inside, outside, air."

Wincing, I nodded. "I saw that, too."

"I said later," Dad grumbled, just to make Sammy, who was tugging me to head to the next exhibit, laugh. "For once in your life, son, just do what I say," he said through thick sarcasm.

Grinning, I shoved him a little. "You were a terrible influence, old man. Just… Go spoil your grandkids."

~o~H&E~o~

A/N… Okay, so this about the time I should warn you that seatbelts, airbags, flotation devices, and probably parachutes are needed. Just sayin'…

One or two of you were worried about the Paris shooting, which wasn't anything. There are more issues at stake here. Also… I used a website (which scares the shit out of me that it actually exists) called … Some I note are real. Some I write are not real. Please keep that in mind. I didn't actually name any of the more infamous shootings for obvious reasons. I'm also not here to state any sort of political agenda, so soapboxes will not happen. Mass shootings are real; I'm merely absorbing that into the story. And that also goes for the North Korea jitters currently happening.

I think that's it. Like I said up top: the teasers are usually Thursdays or Fridays on FB and Twitter. Postings are on Sundays. Until then… Mooches, Deb ;)