Chapter 13

After they'd found Rysk's office empty, they went around 'asking' everyone in the office where he'd gone. Apparently, not many of Rysk's employees liked their boss. They would have been glad to tell Emerson and the others where he'd gone, however no-one seemed to know.

"Do you have any idea where he was possibly going to go; did he say anything to anyone?" Emerson asked a group of people in their office. He was sitting on a desk with all five people in the room in front of him, answering the questions he asked them. He'd decided to refer to Rysk as a him because he was pretty sure the people in front of him didn't have a clue they were working for a tall spiderlike creature which not only had no gender but was also able to look like almost any living thing it wanted.

"No." One of the people answered, a slightly overweight man with what used to be black, but was now so thinning it was hard to make out hair. "Rysk keeps himself to himself, we barely ever see him. Although he does seem to be out a lot."

"Ok, thank you for your help." Emerson said thankfully and they all turned back to their computers. Emerson turned and left. He went back to Rysk's office where the others were waiting having also asked their share of office workers.

"No luck?" Emerson asked and everyone shook their head. "Why is everyone drinking tea?"

They did all in fact have mugs in their hands with the brown liquid was presiding; every so often they would bring the mug to their lips, take a sip and sigh appreciatively.

"Alasdair made it for us." Amya explained. "You should try some, it's delicious, I'm sure Alasdair wouldn't mind rustling up another cup."

Alasdair shook his head, trying to contain the grin that was desperately trying to form on his face. "Sure, I could easily get you a cup Emerson." He offered smugly.

"I'm fine thank you." Emerson replied gritting his teeth.

"But it's 'delicious'." Alasdair insisted failing in his war against his mouth, a grin now forming on his face.

"I'm fine thank you." Emerson repeated glaring at Alasdair ferociously.

"Ok, suit yourself." Alasdair said still grinning.

"I was told that if anyone knows where Rysk is, it would be his personal assistant." Amya explained.

"Where does this PA live?" Emerson asked.

"In London, not far from here. Her name is Jane Thompson." Amya answered.

"Well, I think we should pay this Miss Thompson a visit." Emerson suggested.

"I agree." Alasdair agreed grinning mischievously.

"Wait, you aren't going to hurt her are you?" Jeremy asked suspiciously.

"No, of course not. We'll just give her enough of a fright to decide to tell us where Rysk is to the metre." Emerson replied happily.

It seemed that Amya might have got the location of Rysk's PA's house a little bit wrong. She'd told them that Miss Thompson only lived about fifteen minutes away, she didn't. It was a really awkward hour and a half as Amya and Jeremy sat in the front, which left Emerson, Alasdair and Ryker to sit squashed in the back.

This was because Amya was driving and Jeremy had been the first to get to the car, so he'd gone straight into the front. Emerson was the one to sit in the middle and his relationship with both of the men on either side of him was not very impressive. After about half an hour of what was made almost as awkward as possible, they arrived outside the drive of a large house, with a black Aston Martin parked outside.

"She seems pretty well off." Emerson muttered.

"Well she is the personal assistant of the owner of one of the biggest companies in Europe." Amya replied.

"But she has a hot tub." Emerson insisted indicating that she did indeed have a hot tub.

"A hot tub, that's what you point out as the most valuable thing that she owns?" Amya asked in mock despair.

"Yeah, they're really useful." Emerson insisted.

"I agree." Alasdair chipped in.

"I'm sorry?" Amya asked disbelievingly.

"Hot tubs are pretty useful; they're like a bath, but without the need to use soap." Alasdair explained.

"Agreed." Emerson agreed wholeheartedly. "Plus they're kind of like a swimming pool. They're like… a swimming bath."

"Yeah, a swimming bath, nice name for it." Alasdair said giving Emerson an approving nod.

"Wow, you two are so… immature." Amya said shaking her head.

"You're only just getting that now?" Alasdair asked and Amya laughed.

They pulled into the drive and Amya parked the car next to the Aston Martin. Emerson was the first to get out, followed by Ryker and Alasdair. Jeremy and Amya got out and they proceeded towards the house. Ryker reached the door first and rapped his knuckles lightly on the door. They heard a door open and close and footsteps approach the door. The door slowly swung open to reveal an attractive woman with long black hair.

"Who exactly are…" she started but didn't finish as Ryker started forward as soon as he saw the door open and strode right past her followed by the others with Emerson following last.

They all passed her without any acknowledgement, Emerson winked but continued after the others, then he thought better of it and backtracked until he was level with Miss Thompson.

"Miss Thompson, lovely to meet you, I'm Emerson Tate. Could I buy you a drink sometime?"

"Emerson." Amya shouted behind her.

"Just coming." Emerson said and winked as he walked after the others leaving the startled black haired woman to stand there on her own while five random strangers made themselves comfortable in her living room.

Miss Thompson's living room was a huge room with two large luxurious sofas, an extremely comfortable looking armchair and a large 92 inch flat screen TV. Ryker had made himself comfortable in the armchair, Jeremy was leaning against the wall attempting to seem casual but looking very awkward, Amya was sitting comfortably on one sofa and Alasdair had sprawled himself on the other. Emerson leisurely swaggered in and slumped down on the sofa next to Amya.

"What's Jeremy doing?" Emerson whispered unsubtly to Amya.

"He's trying to be casual." Amya replied.

"Well he isn't doing a very good job." Emerson said and Amya tried to stop herself from laughing and almost succeeding but she let out a slight gasp and the Jeremy looked at her quizzically.

"What?" he asked.

"Nothing, you're very casual." Amya insisted as sincere as she could.

"No he isn't, he's sprawled against the wall for what appears to be much needed support, as if he's been really badly hurt and needs to lean on something or he'll just collapse." Emerson said completely missing the Amya attempt at supportiveness.

"I was trying to be supportive." Amya said hopelessly.

"No, its fine, he has the wall for that." Emerson replied.

"No, not like that, I was trying not to hurt his feelings."

"Oh, in that case, you're doing a great job." Emerson said and Amya shook her head in mock despair for what felt like the thousandth time that day.

Jeremy looked quite put out; he thought he'd done quite a good job of looking casual.

Once Miss Thompson had recovered from the initial shock that five random strangers had stormed right into her house, walked right into her sitting room as if they owned the place and one of them had had the nerve to ask her out. Granted he was very attractive, she might even take him up on the offer, but that wasn't the point.

She decided to follow them into her sitting room and demand they state their business. She stormed into her sitting room with as angry a snarl as she could muster on her face and demanded:

"I demand you tell me why you are here!"

However they didn't seem to notice as their eyes were glued to the TV that Emerson had just switched on, they seemed to be watching a kids cartoon programme Miss Thompson noticed. They had the nerve to turn on her TV as if it was theirs, she thought, she was furious. She stormed forwards to stand in front of the TV to block their view.

"Oi." Emerson snapped. "Move out the way."

"Tell me why you are here!" Miss Thompson demanded again.

"Oh, that. Yeah, I was wondering when you'd bring that up." Emerson said thoughtfully.

"Oh shut up Emerson." Amya said. "I'm so sorry for the disturbance; we aren't here to harm you in any way. We just want to ask you a few questions."

"You aren't the press are you?" Miss Thompson asked worriedly.

"Oh no, of course not." Amya replied as if it were a silly idea, which indeed it was. "Do you really think someone like this would work for the press?" she continued indicating Ryker who kept his face expressionless.

"I guess not." Miss Thompson admitted. "What are these questions about?"

"Miss Thompson…" Amya started.

"You might as well call me Jane." Jane said.

"Ok." Amya replied. "Jane, we need to know a few things about your employer Navaryous Rysk."

"As his assistant, I am not able to disclose any information about my employer, but if you want, I could schedule a meeting for you."

"Yes, that would be great thank you."

"Ok, well he is not available at the moment and will not be for the coming months."

"How long exactly." Amya asked.

"I have not yet been informed of when my employer will return."

"You don't know?" Amya asked and Jane paused.

"No." she admitted.

"Do you have any idea of where he was going?"

"My employer does not want this information to be disclosed." Jane replied repeating her earlier statement.

"I'm sure he doesn't but where has he gone?" Amya asked again.

"I cannot tell you at this current time."

"You don't know?"

"I do, however, my employer does not…"

"want the information disclosed." Emerson finished. "We get it. But can't you just tell us."

"No." Jane answered bluntly.

"Why not just be a rebel for once?" Emerson suggested hopefully.

"No."

"We can give you money, or a new job or something. Pretty much anything you want." Emerson tried desperately.

"Pretty much anything I want?" Jane asked sceptically.

"Well yeah. We can't give you some things obviously, but we can give you money and stuff."

"I am already sufficiently paid at my current job."

"Yeah, but are you happy?" Emerson asked.

"I'm sorry?"

"Are you happy? Do you enjoy your job?"

"Well, I guess not really but that isn't the point. Money is money."

"Jane, what are your hobbies? What do you enjoy doing?" Emerson asked; his voice full of concern.

"I… I don't know." Jane said morosely suddenly close to crying.

"It's ok, there there, we don't all have hobbies." Amya said sympathetically.

"Well actually we kind of do." Alasdair replied helpfully and Amya glared at him.

"I've worked as Rysk's PA ever since I was eighteen; I've never really had a chance to find out my hobbies."

"Eighteen, that's a bit young isn't it?" Emerson asked.

"He wanted a young PA." Jane explained.

"The slimy git." Emerson muttered.

"Come and sit down." Amya said sympathetically and gestured for Emerson to get up next to her.

Sighing exasperatedly Emerson got up and let Jane sit down in his place. He looked around the room for somewhere else to sit but Ryker was very comfortable in his chair and Alasdair was not exactly going to give up lying down to make space for Emerson. Emerson gestured for Jeremy to follow and he walked out the room, Jeremy seemed surprised that Emerson had gestured to him, but quickly recovered and followed the older man out of the living room.

"This is not going how I'd expected." Emerson said, indicating the living room where Jane sat on the sofa crying her eyes out and having a counselling session with Amya while Alasdair and Ryker sat awkwardly nearby, not willing to give up their comfort.

"Me neither." Jeremy agreed. "I expected there'd be more punching."

"Whoa." Emerson said shocked, we wouldn't punch an unarmed woman."

"Well yeah, of course not." Jeremy agreed. "But I figured you'd probably put a butter knife in her hand or something and then start hitting her."

Emerson laughed at this. "I admit, we're a bit strange…"

"A bit?"

"Ok, we're strange, but we're not bad people, not even the 'Jumper'." Emerson insisted.

"Ok, phew. I was worried I was running around with four maniacs with superpowers." Jeremy sighed.

"Oh, no, don't get me wrong. We are most definitely four maniacs with superpowers." Emerson corrected and Jeremy laughed.

"Ok, ok, but at least you have your heart in the right place."

"Yeah, at least there's that." Emerson agreed.

They looked over to see that Jane had mostly recovered from her breakdown and it seemed that she and Amya had come to an agreement. Amya gestured for them to come over and when they did she said:

"Jane has agreed to tell us where Rysk is; in return we're going to find her a new job, one she enjoys."

"And some hobbies." Jane added.

"Yes and some hobbies." Amya agreed.

"Great!" Emerson exclaimed. "So where is the old bugger?"

A/N: And that's chapter 13! I know I haven't updated in ages and I'm so sorry. But I've had a few terrible diseases such as Power Cuts, School and Laziness (gasp). I haven't been doing anywhere near as much writing recently as I would've liked, but you know (or you don't). It's pretty hard to do a lot of writing with school and stuff since I finish really late (7:30 and stuff) but I try and do some in the evenings and weekends and now… HALF TERM! I'll try and do as much writing this week as I can, so be prepared for more updates. Thanks so much for reading and reviewing if you have. Please review, it means so much to me if you do. I've got one review that made me sooooooo happy, and thank you so much for it, but even the review after it, which said: 'Good.' made me overjoyed. Thanks so much for sticking with this story,

Mangobean.