Ezra was waiting for them when they arrived.
"Ah, you're here, excellent. I've found some very interesting things while you were away that can beneficial to unveiling our leak."
"Ok, shoot." Chris ordered as he sat down in the chair next to Ezra to see the screen.
"Now I tried the whole cracking into the organization's system once before to watch some pirated movies-"
"I thought that was JD?" Chris said with a raised eyebrow.
"Where do you think he learned to do that from? Anyway, I had to go around the blocks set up by the organization's main computer system in order to watch on certain sites. Now you know how the say goes, 'breaking in is easier than breaking out', well it's true and false. I had to crack a couple of firewalls and bypass many security areas but I was able to eventually break in. This is something that only a really good hacker can pull off. I'm good of course and so is Dunne, but there aren't that many who are in the computer skills classes at 4C. My original theory was to consider them as possible suspects, but what if we're looking for someone not taking the classes."
"You think the leak is someone who isn't in the class because they don't need to take it?" frowned Chris.
"Or they're trying to avoid the attention. That would be my guess. If that were the case then we'll be looking at over three hundred possible suspects."
"Tell me you narrowed it down."
"I did." Ezra turned to his computer, "The person who leaked the information used the organizations computers. They tried to cover up their tracks but I managed to get find their user and password."
He clicked on a screen that pulled up the information.
Chris looked at the screen, "Fuzzybare and myLITTLEpony34?"
"Obviously it's fake, but I was able to find out which computer it was and the exact day the leak released the information. I then used the surveillance cameras in the halls outside the computer room to see if I could find anyone who was in the room at the window it took to release the information."
Ezra clicked on a tab and brought up a video where it showed people going in and out of the computer room.
"Now judging on this person's skills, I think it probably took him about forty to forty-five minutes to get this done. Only a few people went in and out after fifty minutes."
Chris watched the familiar faces leave the room on the screen.
"Does anyone of them stick out to you in particular?" asked Ezra, looking up from his screen.
Chris sat silent, studying each face, "Maybe. And are you sure that this recording is the right date?"
"Yes, the video shows a time and date stamp at the bottom."
"I'll have you coordinate with JD. He's pulling up names right now. He thinks that the leak is a possible relative of a criminal Travis put away."
"That would narrow things down considerably."
Chris stood up, "Email JD and have him send you his information."
"On it."
Chris joined Nathan and Josiah in the kitchen. Nathan was filling them each a glass of water.
"So what did you guys find out?" asked Chris.
"They moved Travis and his family out of town. Supposedly to a safe house." scoffed Nathan.
"What do you mean by supposedly?"
"I was able to find some information about where they are hiding them when I snuck into the station."
"You snuck into the police station!"
"Well actually I didn't have to do much sneaking. Travis sends me there once a week to do some deliveries. They're mostly private documents that are encrypted. Anyway, I was able to get by with the pass he gave me and I went into that Bryce fellow's office. I found some documents on his desk where they have a few safe houses in the area."
"Are you freaking kidding me! Travis's families lives in the hands of this idiot!" Chris growled.
"The man had just left his office a few minutes before I snuck in, Chris. He wouldn't have possibly known I would come in and find them." Nathan said, trying to find reason behind the mistake.
"The man should be fired!" Chris snapped, "This is exactly why we have to do things ourselves."
"Maybe one of us should go and warn the Travis that the safe house ain't so safe." Josiah suggested.
"Yeah. Do you think you can sneak over there and do it? If not I can."
"I'm pretty big you know. Bigger and an easier target to shoot at. I also don't have your skills."
Chris nodded, "Write down the address and I'll head over there tonight."
Chris waited until after JD and Buck got back before heading out when it was dark out.
He took Buck's old bike to ride over to the town about four miles away.
It was about seven when he arrived. His legs ached from the journey and he set the bike down in an area that was in the shadows.
Chris took his backpack off and fished inside, pulling out his binoculars.
He looked around to count how many men were posted outside watching the house.
As far as he could tell there were three. There were probably more hidden in the surrounding houses.
Chris slipped his backpack on and began his mission.
He climbed the drain pipe of a house two doors down that was up for sale.
Climbing the ledge, he hoisted himself onto the little roof that was under a window to the second level. Digging through his bag again, Chris pulled out a crowbar. He jammed it into the bottom part of the window and began pushing on his bar. There was groaning noise before there came snap and the window opened.
Chris crawled inside and looked around the room. He smiled when he found what he was looking for and began pulling more things out of his backpack.
An old empty paint bucket, hickory wood and newspaper and a book of matches.
He threw the wood and newspaper into the bucket and struck the match.
Chris threw it into the bucket and held it up so the smoke would reach the smoke detector.
It took a while but eventually the alarm went off. Chris pulled a water bottle out and put out his fire. Stuffing his things back into his backpack except the bucket, he climbed outside of the window and closed it. He jumped down to the ground and landed with a thud. His legs took most of the fall and he groaned as he picked himself up and threw the bucket into the bushes of the neighbor next door.
He fled from the scene and watched as the police and fire department arrived. Chris waited until he saw that the officers that were watching the safe houses were distracted enough to sneak pass. He waited by the side of the house to catch his breath before looking for some way inside. There wasn't a drain pipe at this side of the house to climb.
Finally he settled on the overhanging branch of the neighboring house. It was about three feet away from balcony he was aiming for, but he'd go for it.
Chris climbed the tree with little difficulty and crawled slowly across the branch. When he reached the part of the branch he could stand on without fear of it breaking under his weight he prepared to jump.
After taking one more look to see if the officers were watching, Chris jumped. He fell short and he had to cling onto the railing to keep from falling. His head hurt from slamming into the railing and he shook his head to relieve the pain. Once he was ready to move again, he heaved himself up and over the railing and onto the safety of the balcony. Chris took a moment to collect his breath before getting up and picking the lock of the slide door. It opened with a little click and he slipped inside.
Keeping his noise to a minimum and staying close to the walls, he went to the door. His heart was beating so fast that he couldn't hear much.
Chris opened the door a crack and peeked out. When he was sure no one was coming, he slid into the hall. He followed the voices of Travis and his family. They were downstairs it seemed.
Picking his way down the steps and keeping as low to the ground as possible, Chris looked to see who was down there. He instantly saw an officer who was standing in the room with them.
Crap.
Chris pulled a piece of wood out of his bag and threw it in another room. He hid in the shadows as the officer went to investigate the noise.
Still being quiet, Chris made his way down the rest of the stairs and into the room where the Travis family was sitting.
"Chris." Travis hissed.
Chris put up his hand for him to be quiet.
Travis shook his head and nodded in the direction of the kitchen.
Chris followed him in with Stephen.
"What the hell are you doing here?" asked Travis.
"You aren't even supposed to know where we are." Stephen added.
"Clearly you've never met me or my team. We can do anything and find anyone if we really tried, and it honestly didn't even take JD or Ezra to find where you guys were at. The safe houses are not safe. That idiot playing director left the information of the safe house on his desk while he went out to go to the bathroom. Anyone could've seen it. You need to be relocated."
"I'll take what you said into consideration Chris, but you being caught here isn't good for you."
Chris turned to Travis.
"Sorry if I find the officers incompetent. I'm not planning on getting caught by anyone."
"I caught you."
Chris smiled, "But did you really?"
They heard the sound of the officer returning into the front room.
"I hope you take my advice." Chris said sternly.
"Why should we?" Stephen scoffed.
Chris turned to the other boy, "There's a reason why your dad asked my friends and I to join the organization, not the other way around." He turned to Travis, "I brought this burner phone. It has only one number in it. My team and I our working to find the person responsible. We should have their name by tonight. Josiah and Nathan will work together to see if we can find a safer place for your family."
Chris opened the window in the kitchen and climbed up on the counter, "I'll be in touch."
He crawled out and darted to the fence.
"You don't really believe him do?" hissed Stephen.
"Chris and his team are something special. They have the skills of a professional. I trust him."
It was about ten when Chris finally made his way back to Buck's house.
His body was sore and he fell onto the couch with exhaustion.
Ezra and JD were sitting beside each other going over their collective information.
"Find our culprit yet?" he sighed, rubbing his burning calves.
"We are fairly certain that we found him." Ezra answered and handed Chris a piece of paper with two pictures on it.
Chris looked it over and frowned, "Are you sure this idiot can actually pull something like this off?"
"It is shocking-" Ezra began.
"Try ridiculous. The guy ain't known for his brains."
"Maybe that was all a ruse. People can fake stupidity."
"More like an arrogant prick who depended on his friends to back him up. The guy hasn't got a spine." huffed Buck.
"JD found a possible connection between him and a relative Travis arrested. The kid was living with him at the time and has no other known relative. Travis brought him in for his skills with computers." Ezra continued.
"Why didn't Travis say anything?" growled Buck.
"Probably because when the kid got to 4C, he stopped working with computers and entered other classes. As we already know, he was in the class with you and Chris. This was probably to keep up the persona of a brute."
"Is there any evidence that he's been in contact with his relative?" asked Chris.
Ezra handed him another piece of paper, "He had tried to delete the messages but I was able to recover them. It took a while. Again this guy is pretty good."
On the piece of paper there were messages received and sent by the kid with dates going back months.
"How does a person in prison receive messages?"
"Well, prisoners can only receive letters and packages that go through security. The kid used a white ink trick on the letter he sent. Sending a normal letter, but when wet, it reveals the hidden message." JD explained.
"I was able to find all the classes this guy has been taking since entering into 4C. He was in various science classes when he first arrived. Nathan was able to identify what he used to pull this off." Ezra said as he ran his fingers through his hair. His stuck up in different directions when he stopped.
Chris studied the prisoner's information, it still looked like he was in prison. He looked at the name of the prison and he flinched.
It was the same prison that his father had been held in. He tossed the papers onto the table and sat back.
"So we know who the leak is and a little bit of why he's doing this." he sighed.
"That's not the only information." JD said in a low voice as he handed Chris another paper. It was an article. "Apparently the other arresting officers have been either killed or put into a severe coma. The guy in the coma has been 24 hour security so we can only hope that whoever is doing this can't get to him."
"So it isn't actually this guy who's seeking retribution?" Chris asked, pointing to the prisoner's face.
"It could be that he's behind it all. Shame we can't get close enough to ask."
Chris didn't think it was a shame. He didn't want any of his friends getting close to the man.
"I think it's a good thing that we left." Josiah smiled.
"Was the food that bad to you?" grinned Ezra.
"No, I was thinking about that if we stayed and had decided to solve this case, we would have been found out by him. The kid's a genius and probably would've had no problem putting it all on us. This way he doesn't suspect us. Probably thinks we don't care what happens anymore."
Nathan and Buck nodded.
"The girls weren't that hot anyway." Buck muttered.
"I'm assuming that's because none of them fell for your charms. One in particular." Chris smiled.
"That ship has sailed a long time ago." Buck waved.
Chris looked around the room and frowned.
"Did Vin go to sleep already?"
"Vin's been gone a long time ago." Ezra said dismissively.
"He said he was going to be staying here with you!" Chris growled.
Ezra flinched, "He told me that you were sending him somewhere."
"Hell." Chris groaned, rubbing a hand over his face.
"I'm sure he'll stay out of trouble." Buck reassured.
"We should all head to bed." Josiah yawned.
The others agreed and began to pack up their things.
Chris sat at the dining table to wait up for Vin. Ezra joined him.
"You aren't going to sleep?" Chris asked with a raised eyebrow.
"Eventually. I found this on the floor."
Ezra pulled a piece of paper from his pocket and placed it in front of Chris.
"Standish, you're a great liar, but I also know you picked my pockets."
Ezra had the decency to apologize.
"What's the number for?"
"My father gave it to me."
"Judging by the condition this thing has been in, I'm guessing you don't want to talk to him still."
"What's it matter to you anyway?"
Ezra shrugged.
Chris sighed and stuffed the slip of paper into his pocket. He looked at Ezra who was now pulling out his deck of cards.
Chris had noticed the slow changes the younger boy was exhibiting. He wasn't as formal with him which was a relief. He didn't dress to the nines which he characterized with the Standish look.
"What happened to the fancy clothes?"
Ezra looked up from his game and gave a little chuckle, "Seems you have also noticed that my appearance have been sorely lacking. I had all the intentions today to wear my 'fancy clothes' but you didn't give me much time to do that. Besides, none of you wear 'fancy clothes' and you all seem perfectly fine."
Chris watched Ezra finger the tip of the card he was holding.
"Why do I get the impression that you're a great chameleon?"
"How do you figure?"
"You try to blend into your surroundings. It almost seems like you like being in the background. Every time when we walk together, I notice you're exactly behind me. You're always the one who sits back on surveillance instead of joining. You're like a more than capable player who enjoys being on the bench supporting there. Do you think your clothes bring to much attention to yourself?"
Ezra looked at Chris then his cards.
"I see where you get that impression, but that's not the reason I'm not wearing my clothes. I do enjoy safety from a distance instead of being a part of the thick of missions. I guess I've never challenged myself to try anything else."
Chris nodded.
"At Thanksgiving at dinner," Ezra continued, his hands folded, "I noticed that all of you were wearing old and torn clothes while I was in a suit. I'm not sure why it affected me, but I can't bring myself to wear my clothes, at least not the full thing. I'll still pretend that…that all is fine." Ezra shook his head, "I've been wearing suits for as long as I could remember. My mother always told me that keeping up appearances were everything. I did it because I wanted to make her happy. I convinced myself that wearing nice clothes made me happy too, but I honestly could care less. You guys don't care what you wear and you're happy. I figured that if I didn't care then I could be a bit happier too."
"What you wear isn't important, that's true, but that's not what decides if you're happy or not."
Ezra sighed, "Figures. Happiness still evades me."
"Does it really?"
The younger boy shrugged.
"Well if it makes you feel better, we all like having you here. It wouldn't be the same without you or your fancy clothes and five dollar words."
"Really?"
Chris nodded.
Ezra tried to keep his smile hidden but it didn't work and he gave a little laugh, "I never felt wanted before."
Chris felt a pang of sadness for one of his own.
"Well, I hope you'll continue to wear your wonderful clothes."
Ezra grinned, "Hope we settle this mission soon so you all can start wearing your uniforms. That's the best I've seen you all dress!"
Chris threw a playful jab which was dodged. The front door opened and the boys looked up. Chris at first thought it was Mrs. Wilmington returning home, but a small figure entered and Chris stood up. It was Vin
"I've bad news." Vin said as he tried to catch his breath.
A/N: Can I say that I enjoyed writing this chapter. I just felt smart while writing the scenes where they were researching information. In real life I have no clue how to do this and I can't write a research essay to save my life. I think watching shows on TV helped J
Hope you enjoy this chapter as I much as I have in writing it. Stay tuned for Vin's bad news. Love your reviews.
