(a/n) Yay! My friend gave me the new chapter, but I was being a scatter-brain, and just now posted it. I take full blame. ~ashamed~
Any-who, she wanted to send out a shout-out to her reviewers. =] So, enjoy chapter 2!

9764321Poppy Princess123456789: Well thanks! Always trying to stay ahead with this story. Hope you like the Captain!
Maddi Paige: Really? Thanks so much!
Pink-Pencil-Girl303: Okay, I'm just flattered! Thanks so much! I noticed a lot in these fanfic stories its usually the strong willed and smart aleck girls that get the adventure with Tintin. But what about the shy girls? Just giving one a chance. And yes, actually, I did read some of the Tintin comics. Its just "based" off the movie so that you can picture it in the same animation as the movie, not the cartoon series or the comic. But yeah, I like Tintin's bold but gentlemanly personality, and I was wondering what happens when you mix that with a shy quieter girl, because we ALL know what happens when you involve a loud outgoing girl.

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"Thundering typhoons," said Captain Haddock, another one of Tintin's friends when he had returned, soaking wet, to the hotel the two of them stayed at.

Tintin hastily but thoroughly explained what happened as he removed his wet trench coat and lay it over the side the bathtub in the bathroom to dry.

"Blistering barnacles. Who was the lass?" the Captain asked after a while.

"I haven't the slightest idea, Captain. But I plan to find out," said Tintin, assuredly.

"Thundering... How do you plan to do that?"

"I'm going to need Snowy's help with that, of course. She left behind a wrench. Tomorrow I will take Snowy back to the docks, have him pick up her scent," he explained.

Snowy barked happily. Not only did he want to find the girl who was responsible for his own freedom, but he liked being useful to his master.

"Why do you even want to look for her? I mean, like you said, she's been through a lot. Why would she want to find you again?"

"She could be in danger. I don't know why those bandits kidnapped her, but she may know something I don't. And notice that those kidnappers didn't force me to talk by gunpoint. They wanted to torture me. There could be a whole league of them. Not to mention a terrific story-"

"Thundering typhoons! You could be dragging someone you don't even know into a whole mess of trouble without a second thought!" the Captain exclaimed.

"It may be for her own good, Captain," Tintin argued. "And anyway, what choice do I have? I can't just leave this case like it is."

"How in blistering barnacles could this be helping that lass?" the Captain asked incredulously. "Driving her into this muddle doesn't seem to be very helpful, lad."

"Those criminals may be after her again, Captain. I need to know if she knows something that I don't know!"

"What if she doesn't know anything that you don't know what you need to know that she doesn't know?" the Captain asked.

"Er... What?"

"What if she has no information that you could use?" said the Captain, carefully rephrasing.

"I'm sure she does. And even if she doesn't, it would make a story better if I get her point of view as well."

The Captain sighed.

"As you like. But be sure not to force this girl into anything. It won't be fair to her."

Tintin blinked up at him.

"Why do you care so much about what is fair to her?"

"Thundering typhoons! She saved your life didn't she? I think you should at least treat her well."

Tintin chuckled inwardly. Why was the Captain being so fatherly about this girl? He hadn't even met her yet. Perhaps he had had a drink to many, as usual.

::~*~::~*~::~*~::~*~::~*~::~*~::

"I think this is the right dock, Snowy," said Tintin looking around. He had slept the night before rather well, considering all the excitement. He pulled the cold metallic silver wrench from his pocket and bent down to let Snowy sniff it.

The white fox terrier took three sniffs, then bent down to smell the docks, try to find anything that smelled like that bespectacled girl that had helped them the night before. Before ten seconds passed, his head bolted up and he barked before bolting off the docks, stopping now and then to recapture the smell.

"Good boy, Snowy!" Tintin was smiling triumphantly as he followed the dog closely.

The girl's trail made only three stops. One was by a police station, and then away. The second to a rather cozy looking house that was painted a nice sky blue, and then away. Snowy barked excitedly as the smell grew stronger and ran towards stop number three. Which, of course, was the Chemical Works.

Fortunately, no one was keeping a watch outside, so Tintin and Snowy slipped in quietly before continuing the chase. Tintin coughed into his fist a few times as he bolted down a long platform that was all foggy with steam. Finally, Snowy stopped and looked up, panting happily.

The girl from the night before was right in front of them, standing on a platform perhaps three feet higher than the one Tintin stood on, and was busily placing some gears in a better position. Her face was very focused, but also pleasant. Tintin smiled.

"Ahem, pardon me, miss," he called out.

The girl instinctively turned toward the voice, the widened her brown eyes when she saw who it was.

"Why... its you!" she cried out in surprise.

"Yes, miss. I believe we met briefly the other day?"

"Yes. Yes we did."

"Well, I haven't properly introduced myself. My name is Tintin," he said, politely sticking out his hand. The girl stepped down from her platform.

"I'm Eleanor Drake," she said, taking it in her gentle grasp.

"Well, Eleanor, I-"

Tintin got cut off by a feminine shout from a platform high above.

"Hey, Eleanor!"

Eleanor turned to the girl who shouted.

"Yes, Nattie?"

"Pipe 88-b has some weird pressure!"

"Too high or two low?"

"Too high!"

"Too high?" Eleanor nervously adjusted her glasses. "By how much?"

"I'd say about five d's."

"Only five? Hmm. Could be nothing. I'll have a look just in case."

"Okay, the flow's off!"

"Right, thanks, Nattie!"

"Yup!"

Eleanor turned to locate a pipe that had the number 88-b marked in white. Tintin blinked in fascination as she started to work.

"By the way, Tintin, how did you know that I worked here?" she asked, her face looking pleasantly curious. Tintin smiled.

"Oh, you have Snowy to thank for that."

Snowy came up from behind Tintin, proudly.

"Hello there, Snowy. I remember you. Good dog," Eleanor praised, bending down to pat his head. Snowy barked happily.

"That reminds me, I never go to thank you for helping me," said Tintin.

"Helping you?"

"When you rigged the machine so we could escape."

"Oh, well, you're quite welcome," said Eleanor, looking both pleasant and a little uncomfortable.

"What did you do when you left?"

"I was very shaken up about the whole thing. I ran straight to the police."

"I thought the police was quite a ways away from the docks."

Eleanor adjusted her glasses.

"They are."

Tintin rose his eyebrows. This girl must not be very used to dealing with this sort of danger.

"What did they do?"

"They said they would handle it," Eleanor adjusted her glasses again. "And I should go home and get a good night's rest. I have a feeling they didn't believe me, though."

Tintin frowned. By the looks of things, the police thought she was delusional, and had no intention of giving this case a second thought. Rather blunt and careless for the city's protectors.

"What are you going to do about it?" he asked.

"...I'm not so sure I can do anything about it." This wasn't deniable. Eleanor was a mechanic. A simple mechanic. Getting into this criminal trouble was really not her business. Tintin thought a moment. Eleanor really wasn't nosy at all and wanted to avoid things she had no business in. He respected that, not to mention it would help keep her out of trouble.

"Eleanor, I don't mean to frighten you, but I do believe you are in danger."

Eleanor immediately looked slightly anxious.

"How so?"

"You may know some things that those criminals didn't want you to know, or things they didn't want you to know if they let you go. Either way, there is a strong chance that you will be kidnapped or even harmed."

Eleanor adjusted her glasses.

"What do you suppose I should do?"

"That's what I came to talk to you about. Can you take a walk?"

"I'm sorry. I can't leave the works. At least not until the end of the day."

"When is that?"

"Five o'clock."

"Fine. May I meet you outside the entrance?"

"I believe so."

"Very well. I shall see you then. By the way, it would be a good idea to have someone very nearby as you work."

Eleanor adjusted her glasses and nodded.

"Yes, I think that would be wise. Thank you."

Tintin nodded.

"Very well then. Good bye, Eleanor."

"Good bye, Tintin."

For the rest of the day, Eleanor worked close to the girl she called Nattie.