Chasing Time
by heaven'sgirl
Standard disclaimer applies. Any names used in this story (that are not in the canon GW timeline) are fictional; they were randomly chosen for the purpose of this fanfiction.
Chapter V: Breakthrough
[ December 5, AC 199 ]
"Heero, you remember Dorothy?"
Heero nodded, taking the seat in front of Relena's computer. "Dorothy Catalonia."
"Well, if it isn't Heero Yuy in the flesh," Dorothy drawled. "But I shouldn't be surprised. You would be out the door the second you receive that anonymous tip about Miss Relena's kidnapping."
"You sent that email?" Heero almost growled. "The trace didn't belong to your address."
"Of course it didn't," said Dorothy. "The Preventers isn't the only organization that has an impenetrable network system. I am employed by the DSD, if you weren't aware of that fact."
Heero glared. "You used the department's system to send me the message? Why didn't you just contact the Preventers directly?"
Dorothy chortled. "I was going to, but where's the fun in that? I wanted some kind of reunion… and you both did not disappoint."
Relena sighed. "Dorothy, if you're here to pick on Heero and me, now is not the time."
"I apologize, Miss Relena," Dorothy said, her voice genuine.
"Tell me how you found out about the attempted kidnapping on Relena," demanded Heero.
"Two days ago, I was working late at the DSD office," recounted Dorothy. "Some of the DSD labs were shutting down, so the department's scrambling to find some funding to keep them open. Anyways, I was talking on the phone with a friend when it accidentally intercepted another conversation.
"The moment I heard their plans of kidnapping Miss Relena, I knew I had to contact the best person to rescue her. Naturally, the first thing that came to mind was you."
"Did you recognize the voices?"
"Unfortunately, no." Dorothy scanned her office, then lowered her voice. "But I can tell you this: one of the voices belonged to someone in the department. I had a hunch that one of them must be nearby… my phone wouldn't have picked up the conversation if they were both far away."
Heero scoffed. "They had horrible communication."
"Yes, so I walked around the floor I was in and heard a voice within one of the offices. The voice from the office matched one of the people on the phone, word-by-word. But before I can find out his identity, their conversation ended, and I had to get out before I got caught eavesdropping. However, I did hear one name that was mentioned in the conversation…"
A loud, knocking sound was coming from Dorothy's connection. "The name was John Hall. That's all I have for you. Time to go. Duty calls."
Relena smiled gratefully at her. "Thank you, Dorothy. It's good to see you again."
"Likewise, Miss Relena."
When their communication ended, Relena sat on her bed. "Heero, I know you and Dorothy were never in the best of terms, but I know her and what she's been through. Although she claimed to enjoy war… that's far from the truth. She hates war because it took her father's life. So, what I'm trying to say is: I trust her, and I have complete confidence that what she told us was the truth."
Heero gazed at her in quiet admiration. Relena was right; he was never in good terms with Dorothy. The woman had challenged him to a fencing match in the Sanc Kingdom and had admitted directly to Relena that she was a spy for Romefeller. Yet, despite Dorothy's mistakes, Relena was strong enough to put those mistakes behind and saw beyond the cunning woman that Dorothy pretended she was.
"Alright, Relena," said Heero. "But if Dorothy's story is accurate, then our group has to be more cautious. If what she said is true, someone working for the ESUN is working with the enemy."
"Then we must to contact Commander Une as soon as possible, especially if she will be visiting one of the DSD's laboratories," Relena said, dialing Une's connection.
"Wait," Heero commanded. He typed a series of codes on Relena's laptop before she made the video call to Une. On Relena's inquiring look, Heero explained, "It's to make sure nobody will intercept the call."
After one ring, the Head of Preventers was on the line. "Heero? Is something wrong?"
"I've got some bad news, Commander."
"Tell me."
"Someone from ESUN is working with our killer."
"Ya got anything, Quatre?"
The blond shook his head. "Nothing, so far."
"Wufei?"
"None."
"Trowa?"
"I got a high-quality image of Quatre's attacker. The database is searching for a match right now."
"At least you have something," commented Duo, yawning. "Man, this is rough. We went through all the crime scene photos and evidence. Nothing in their food or drinks have any traces of the toxin. Whoever delivered the poison must have been good."
Suddenly, Wufei stood up from his seat and faced Duo. "What did you say?"
Duo blinked, halfway through another yawn. "This investigation is 'rough'?"
"What did you say after that?"
"We went through all the crime scene evidence?"
"The last thing you said?"
"Whoever delivered the toxin must have been good?"
Something dawned on Wufei for he quickly grabbed a picture from each victim's file. He motioned for the others to gather at the three photos on the desk. "We've been looking at it incorrectly," said Wufei.
"What do you mean?" asked Quatre.
"What if the victims weren't poisoned through food or drink, but were poisoned through something else?"
The other three looked at each other, realization dawning on their own faces.
"Look at each crime scene picture," continued Wufei. He pointed at Arthur Brown's picture. "A red envelope was found on his desk."
Duo was nodding and pointed at the crime scene photo for Grace Pruitt. "Her binder had a red envelope sticking out of it."
It was Quatre's turn. "According to her secretary, Rosemary was reading letters when she was found dead in the airplane." He pointed at a stack of envelopes next to the body: a distinctly red envelope was among them.
Wufei was becoming excited with this breakthrough. "Agent Lewis was assigned to screen Preventers letters and packages just the day before she had the heart attack."
"Oh my God," muttered Duo. He looked at Trowa and Quatre then looked at Wufei. "You mean…?"
"The poison wasn't consumed through food or drink," repeated Wufei. "The poison was inhaled."
"Someone from ESUN is working with our killer."
A momentary pause followed as Une let the information sink in. "How did you come to this conclusion?"
"Someone working under the Department of Security and Defense is in contact with whoever planned the kidnapping on Relena," answered Heero.
"How did you get this information?"
"Dorothy Catalonia. She contacted us not too long ago," Relena chimed in.
"She's also our anonymous tipper," added Heero. Heero and Relena proceeded to take turns telling Une everything that Dorothy had told them. Throughout their story, Une listened intently and took notes as she saw fit.
After recounting Dorothy's tale, Une took another moment's pause. "The name John Hall sounds very familiar, but I can't be sure."
"If he was mentioned in the conversation heard by Dorothy, he should be a person of interest in our investigation," said Heero. "He should be found and questioned."
Before she left, Une gave Heero one last order. "Notify the rest of the team that we will have another meeting at 0700 tomorrow as soon as Sally and I return from Luxembourg. Contact Zechs and Noin as well; they will have to delay their return to Mars."
"Understood."
Relena started pacing the room, while Heero took a standing position near her door (and making sure there were no unwanted eavesdroppers). "What should we do now?"
"You stay here. I'm going back to headquarters to continue with this investigation. Do not leave the premises unless you have a bodyguard with you or when I pick you up myself."
Relena stopped her pacing and frowned at Heero. "Fine. But you will take me to the meeting tomorrow." When she saw Heero about to protest, Relena continued, "I told you… I want to help in this case. I won't be left in the shadows, Heero."
The tone of her voice wasn't that of begging – it was far from it. Relena was demanding – stern yet polite. Heero knew that Relena sincerely wanted to be involved in the investigation. She had minimal experience on how to investigate, but her extensive knowledge of ESUN and her friendship with the victims can be of use. Her kidnapping was most likely connected to this whole investigation anyway. And besides, it would be easier for Heero to keep an eye on her.
"Okay," he finally said.
"Okay?"
"I'll pick you up at six in the morning. I'm certain Une would be against having you get too involved in this case... and I'm sure your brother wouldn't, either. However, since you really want to help with the investigation, just… stay close to me."
His words stirred some of Relena's deeply buried emotions. "Heero…"
"I will protect you." Heero felt somewhat foolish to utter the familiar words to her again, but he believed they were the best words to tell her what he felt when other words seemed to fail him. He just hoped she would understand.
She looked at him, her eyes soft and intense at the same time. She understood the meaning behind his words: Heero would protect her for as long as he could, no matter what the circumstances or consequences were.
"I know," whispered Relena.
When Heero returned to Preventers HQ, he found his comrades together mulling over the new information they had. Quatre was scribbling more notes on the blackboard when Duo greeted Heero on his arrival.
"Is Miss Relena alright?"
"She's fine."
"And…?"
"We received valuable information from an inside source." And for the second time that day, Heero recalled Dorothy Catalonia's message to him and Relena.
Wufei was shaking his head. "This just keeps getting worse."
Heero was reading every detail written on the blackboard. "Poisoned through inhalation? The toxin was airborne?"
"It must have been," explained Wufei. "There were no traces of the poison found in any of the food consumed by the victims."
"The toxin was delivered through an envelope?"
Wufei sighed, slightly dejected. "The crime scene investigators overlooked that detail."
Trowa, who had gone quiet ever since the breakthrough in their investigation, finally spoke. "It still doesn't explain why Quatre was targeted differently."
"We won't know for certain if the attempted attack on Quatre is connected to these murders… not until we find out if whatever was in the vial matches the toxin from the ESUN victims," countered Wufei.
"But we do know that the attacks on Relena and Quatre are connected," stated Heero.
"Funny you mentioned John Hall," interjected Trowa. "His name is connected to a man named Stephen Holt – the name of the guy who tried to poison Quatre and who tried to help Greene with Relena's failed kidnapping."
"This investigation is already giving me a headache," commented Duo.
Quatre suddenly spoke. "I know John Hall." The others turned to him. "While Miss Relena was still the Vice Foreign Minister, he was the head scientist of the Biological and Chemical Weapons Division under the DSD," he explained.
"That division was removed ever since Relena's Disarmament Edict was passed," Heero said.
Quatre nodded in confirmation. "As head of that division, the doctor wasn't at all pleased that most of his laboratories had to be shut down. He was invited to join the newly developed ESUN defense program, but the doctor has quit his position by then."
Duo snapped his fingers as he started remembering more details about the man named John Hall. "Oh yeah, I remember him now! I've heard he's kind of a nut job… typical mad scientist, I guess," Duo said thoughtfully. His words caused Duo to experience a flashback during the time all of five of them worked for similar 'mad' scientists. He frowned to himself.
"Could he have any role in this toxin? He was a scientist after all," Wufei noted.
"John Hall is linked to Relena's kidnapping, not the ESUN murders," said Heero.
"But he could be the link between the two cases," stated Trowa thoughtfully.
Quatre noticed Heero return to his desk. "Heero, what are you doing?"
Heero's mind was already set. "I'm going to look for John Hall."
The first thing that Une and Sally noticed as they were escorted within the walls of the DSD's science laboratory in Luxembourg were the pristine white walls of the compound, partly hidden among the deciduous trees in the outskirts of the Oesling region in Luxembourg (1). The site was heavily guarded and contained multiple checkpoints before reaching the laboratory complex itself. Each room in the laboratory was equipped with the most advanced scientific technology and communication was limited to the higher-ranking scientists working in the compound. Each scientist went through a rigorous background check to ensure that the laboratory was run by the best; clearly, the DSD spared no expense.
A laboratory assistant named Andre was escorting them to an office, its walls as pristine as the rest of the compound. Standing in the middle of the room was a middle-aged man with dark brown hair and piercing green eyes. His hands were casually stuffed in his lab coat pockets and an excited smile was on his face. As soon as Une, Sally, and their security team entered, the man approached them and immediately shook hands with his guests.
Andre cleared his throat, his deep voice echoing in the quietness of the room. "This is Doctor Samuel West, Head of the DSD Defense Project here in Luxembourg. Doctor, this is Commander Une of the Preventers and Agent Sally Po."
Une immediately went down to business. "You received the blood samples of our victims, correct?"
West nodded. "We received the sample from your headquarters yesterday, Commander. My assistants are processing them as we speak."
"When will we get the results?" asked Sally Po.
The doctor looked her up and down, giving Sally a look that showed irritation at their questions. "In time, Agent Po," he replied.
It seemed that time was on their side. A young scientist named Veronica approached the doctor, an anxious expression on her face. She handed West a stack of papers that he purposely snatched from her shaking hands. Both Une and Sally observed the almost wild and disbelieving look in his eyes, which seemed to worsen the more he read the results.
Doctor West looked at the Preventers agents, back to the papers in his hands, then back to the agents once more. His mouthed opened and closed, but no words came out. Sally wondered if the doctor didn't know how to explain the results to them in simple terms or if something more serious was about to be revealed by the nervous scientist.
It was his protégé and personal assistant Andre that brought the doctor back to his senses. "Dr. West, the results?"
The doctor cleared his throat. "The toxin found in the victims is… I mean, was produced by our one of our laboratories two years ago."
Une and Sally were aghast. "What?" the Preventers Commander exclaimed.
Doctor West handed her the papers and continued explaining, "Toxin X. Before most of our laboratories closed, one of our scientists produced this toxin for defense purposes… but of course, that whole weapons project was scrapped the moment Darlian's edict was passed. Toxin X was supposed to be destroyed when the laboratory was closed."
"Toxin X?"
"It's a toxin that is consumed airborne. It targeted the circulatory systems…"
"Which caused the heart attacks on the victims," muttered Sally Po. The doctor nodded in confirmation. Une was still going through the paperwork when she stopped at a page, her finger pointing at a name on the paper.
Sally glanced at the name. "John Hall." She gave Une an inquisitive stare. "What's he got to do with this?"
It was Andre's turn to speak. "Doctor John Hall was the head of the Biological and Chemical Weapons Division of the DSD until ESUN dissolved it. He was the scientist who formed Toxin X and only he had access to the samples."
The weight of the situation was becoming more cumbersome to carry for Commander Une. The pieces of the puzzle were coming together. "John Hall is one of our suspects in the attempted kidnapping on Miss Relena Darlian."
Everybody in the group gasped and exchanged murmured comments. "Miss Darlian was almost kidnapped?" West asked Une.
Une didn't mean to ignore his question, but she was more concerned on their newfound information. "Heero received information that John Hall is somehow connected to whoever tried to have Relena kidnapped. This means that he is connected to the attempt on Quatre as well."
"And he's the only one who has access to this toxin strain," Sally added.
Une was nodding; the big break on their case has set her on edge again. "He's our guy. And we need to catch him."
It was only a few minutes in Heero's probing of John Hall's background when he received a call from Commander Une. The voice from the other line was tense and it didn't take long for Heero to become on edge himself when Une mentioned John Hall and his connection to the toxin that killed the ESUN officials.
He found his comrades looking at him expectantly after he ended the call; although they already had an inkling based on Heero's exchange with Une, they wanted him to clarify everything. "The toxin found in the victims is the same toxin produced by a scientist named John Hall… the same man who we suspect is the mastermind on Relena's kidnapping attempt and the attempt on Quatre as well," he explained patiently as he wrote and connected the dots on their detailed whiteboard.
"Now the question is why he's doing this," said Quatre.
Heero shook his head. "I don't care about that right now. All I care about is finding this guy."
"Do we know what he looks like?"
Before Heero could answer Trowa's question, there was a loud knock and all five saw Zechs and Noin outside the command center, looking impressed at the quality of the workroom. Duo opened the door and grinned at their awed expressions. "I know, I had the same reaction."
"We've never been here before," Noin said as she and Zechs stepped in. The door closed with a slight hiss before locking automatically.
"Want to tell us why we had to cancel our shuttle back to Mars?" Zechs directed his question to Heero.
"We have a lead on who planned Relena's kidnapping," Heero said. Zechs tensed in quiet anticipation. "Une just contacted us not too long ago. It turns out that he's the same man who poisoned the ESUN officials."
"Is he the redhead that tried to poison Quatre's tea?" inquired Noin.
Quatre shook his head no. "But he has a connection with John Hall."
"His name is Stephen Holt," Trowa postulated. "He used to work for John Hall."
"So, what's the plan now that the pieces are coming together?" It was Duo's turn to ask a question.
Wufei held up a hand. "We have to wait until Commander Une and Sally get back from Luxembourg. As such, we still don't know where to find John Hall."
"Not anymore," Heero spoke as his computer monitor beeped and a GPS tracker slowly zoomed in at a house a few miles to where Preventers Headquarters was located. "He's home."
It had taken nearly everybody in the room to persuade both Heero and Zechs to wait for Une and Sally's return from Luxembourg to plan a course of action to detain John Hall. It was apparent to everyone in the room the main motive for their want of immediate action.
"Commander Une and Sally will not be returning until tomorrow morning," informed Wufei. "They are in talks with the head scientist in Luxembourg to create an antidote for the toxin, in case more of those red envelopes were opened."
Zechs was pacing the room. "What did those envelopes contain anyway?"
"Invitations to the Mars Opening Ceremony," replied Duo. Zechs still looked apprehensive, so Duo continued, "We've already contacted every official who received such letter. They were immediately confiscated by our agents. Those who have already opened the envelopes are under medical observation for 24 hours."
Heero stood rigid. "Relena never received a red envelope."
Duo raised an eyebrow. "You sure?"
"Maybe she didn't receive one because she was going to be poisoned some other way? Maybe that's the reason why they wanted to kidnap her," Zechs surmised. He continued pacing, slowly absorbing every detail he was told earlier and every information that they are currently discussing. It seemed that the more information they received, the more questions followed.
"That's the question, isn't it? Why Relena? Why attack her differently if the other three attacks were successful?" Heero's voice was monotone, but internally, he was frustrated. They had too many questions and not enough answers.
"The manner on how they wanted to poison Quatre was different as well," Trowa reminded them.
"And why a Preventer agent?" added Duo. A collection of frustrated sighs and groans came from some of the members of the group.
Heero's muscle jaws clenched. "That's why we have to detain John Hall while we have the chance."
"We have to wait for Commander Une come back and give orders," reiterated Wufei. "We need a plan."
"The plan is to catch Hall and question him," Zechs said through gritted teeth.
Duo was exasperated. "Are you two seriously going to start this argument again?"
"We have deduced that John Hall has people working for him," said Noin in an attempt to persuade Heero and Zechs to wait. "We know Agent Greene is compromised and is working with the same man who tried to poison Quatre. They must be working for John Hall. In that case, we have to plan a course of action that anticipates their moves as well."
While Quatre was pleading for Heero and Zechs to calm down, a thought struck Wufei and he felt utterly foolish and stupid for forgetting another piece of information. He couldn't believe himself and how he forgot such valuable information. "We can interrogate Ben Anderson while we wait for Une and Sally," Wufei finally said.
His idea was dampened, however, when Duo informed them Ben Anderson was still in the hospital in the same unconscious state. "Are you sure you didn't drug him or something?" he jokingly pointed at Heero.
"Then all we can do is wait," Quatre voiced out. "I'm sure Commander Une and Sally will have more information to tell us when they return tomorrow. Let's hope that the results they get will help us find more answers."
[ December 6, AC 199 ]
With Une and Sally not returning to Preventers HQ until the next morning, the rest of the team decided to stay the night in the control room, taking shifts so half the group was resting while the other half was keeping tabs on the whereabouts of John Hall.
Heero had easily tracked John Hall's location through the scientist's computer, which was suspiciously active as if the scientist was using it the moment Heero started tracing him. That piece of information had surprised all of them. For someone who should be hiding from them, the scientist suddenly popped up in their radar. But no matter, it would make things easier for them to detain their prime suspect.
Heero kept his promise and picked up Relena from her home in Brussels to bring her to the control center. Seeing her with her hair in a loose braid and adjusting her dark blue coat before occupying the passenger seat, Heero thought to himself that she looked nicer in simpler and casual clothing than her multi-layered business outfits. Heero almost shook his head for having such thoughts – why was he focusing on how beautiful she looked more than how she was feeling right now? And by the looks of it, Relena looked listless.
Her hands were folded on her lap again, a mannerism Heero noticed she often did when she was anxious, nervous, or lost in thought. One of his hands on the steering wheel twitched to hold her hand and comfort her again like he did last time, but Heero controlled the urge. There will be time for that later.
"Are there any updates in the investigation?" she asked, looking out the window.
"It appears John Hall was involved in the deaths of your former colleagues," replied Heero. "Since he's connected to your kidnapping and the deaths, he's our prime suspect."
Relena was silent as she and Heero made their way to the Preventers building and all the way to the basement where the control center was located. If she was surprised by the room's existence, she didn't show. Her gloomy countenance worried Heero. What was wrong with her?
Heero gently grabbed her shoulders and made her look at him. "Maybe it wasn't a good idea to bring you here after all."
She shook her head. "No, I want to be here, Heero. I'm just… I'm worried. ESUN has been compromised on top of this new threat. I don't want any more people getting hurt."
"That's why you're here, to help however you can," reassured Heero. He glanced to his right and saw Zechs gazing at them from inside the room. At his inquisitive gaze, Heero gave a curt nod to indicate that he's handling things.
Heero looked back at Relena. "You're exhausted and this whole thing is affecting you and your health; you have got to stop doing that." He squeezed her shoulders. "That's why we work as a team; share the load."
For the first time that day, Relena's features relaxed and she managed a small smile. "I'm silly."
Heero ushered her in the room. "No, your emotions are just getting the best of you."
Although most were sleep-deprived, the whole team was awake and awaiting Une and Sally's arrival. Relena gave Heero a soft smile before walking to the whiteboard, examining the details thoughtfully.
Heero and the rest of the group knew Relena had minimal experience when it came to investigations, but the moment she took a marker and scribbled on the board with a determined look on her face, Heero made a mental note to never underestimate Relena – the girl never fails to surprise him with her hidden talents. While she sometimes becomes emotionally overwhelmed, Relena could bring herself back up and instead channel her emotions more positively; it clearly showed with the way she gracefully handled her demanding life as VFM. She had always been strong that way.
"What are we looking at?" asked Noin, reading Relena's neat handwriting.
With a look of confidence and resolve, Relena pointed at the words PRIME SUSPECT: JOHN HALL on the board. "We know he's the prime suspect and we know what he's done, but we haven't figured out why he did all those things," she started.
"That's correct," said Trowa.
Relena pointed at Arthur Brown's name and drew a line that connected his name to Relena's on the board. "Arthur helped me write the early drafts of the Universal Disarmament Edict." She then drew a line from Rosemary Glass's name to her name. "Rosemary, who was just a colony representative while I was still VFM, helped me with the final drafts. And," Relena continued, doing the same thing with Grace Pruitt's name, "Grace was one of the biggest supporters of the Edict. She helped pass the law."
She looked thoughtfully at Quatre. "Quatre was also one of my best supporters from the colonies." She faced the board, circling her name. "I was the main author of the Edict."
"You all were targeted because each of you had a hand on the passing of the Disarmament Edict," concluded Heero. Heero wasn't the type to openly express his emotions all the time, but he looked at Relena and she saw pride and admiration. She looked at her brother, seeing the same expression on his face.
"And John Hall was one of the people greatly affected when the law passed," noted Duo.
"You sure you don't want to join Preventers?" Noin said, giving Relena a broad smile.
Too focused from listening to Relena, most of the group didn't notice Une and Sally's arrival until the Preventers Commander commented, "The investigation makes more sense."
"We received the results from the Quatre's vial. It had what was identified as the same toxin used to kill our ESUN officials and Preventer Lewis," said Sally. She placed the results on a desk.
"That doesn't explain how Agent Lewis is connected in this case," Wufei stated.
"The red envelope was meant for me," answered Une. "I am the head of Preventers and we all know that our organization gave its full support to Miss Relena's disarmament law."
"Everything makes sense now," said Zechs. "The only thing we have to do now is arrest John Hall and all of his accomplices."
Une's decisiveness proved why she was head of the Preventers organization. With a determined nod, she already had a plan in mind. "Zechs, I want you, Heero, and Wufei to track down John Hall and arrest him. You three must be careful; the toxin is airborne so I want you three to wear protective gear… just in case.
"Sally, Duo, and Noin will set up a post outside the location for backup. I will be staying here with Miss Relena, Quatre, and Trowa to help with communication and updates. Is that clear?"
Everybody nodded. "Good. No time to waste," stated Une.
It didn't take long for Heero, Zechs, and Wufei to gear up for their mission. To Wufei's mild amusement, it was a sight to see Heero and Zechs in the same room, working for the same purpose and not getting on each other's nerves.
While the three of them scaled the house that was purportedly the current location of John Hall, Wufei realized that this was the first time in a very long time that he was working with Heero and the first time that he was working with Zechs, the former Lightning Count and one of OZ's best soldiers. Even though Wufei and Zechs were Preventers, there haven't been any opporunities that required the two of them to work together, especially since Zechs was in Mars. Wufei smirked to himself; for what it's worth, it was a good feeling to work with competent and trustworthy people like them.
Wufei knocked on the door but no answers came from the inside. After a few more minutes of knocking and giving a warning, Wufei motioned for Heero to kick the door open. All three men simultaneously cleared every room in the house until they all ended up outside a closed door – the last place they had to clear.
Zechs braced himself and kicked the locked door, immediately pointing his pistol to the right while Heero took the left. Wufei was about to walk forward when the sight in front of them stopped him mid-step. His two comrades lowered their weapons, a horrified look on their faces.
"Dear God…" muttered Zechs from inside his protective mask.
Wufei picked up his radio, watching as Heero holstered his gun and carefully approached the scene in front of them. "Preventer Water, this is Preventer Chang. Request for immediate backup."
Sally was immediately on the line. "Preventer Chang, this is Preventer Water. What's the situation?"
"Sally, we need our CSIs in here now." The horrified voice of Wufei had Sally make eye contact with Noin and Duo. She saw their agitated looks and knew that she was wearing the same expression.
Despite feeling apprehensive, Sally's voice was firm when she repeated her question to Wufei. "Wufei, what's the situation in there?"
"We just found John Hall dead on his desk."
(1) Oesling or Osling is a region located in Luxembourg. It is characterized by hills and deciduous forests and is sparsely populated. Source: Wikipedia.
Thank you for all the reviews, comments, and follows. It is deeply appreciated :)
Yours truly, HG
Edited: 2/11/18