A/N: Thanks for the reviews!
Chapter 29: A View for Worms
Despite being known for his unusual candour and gregariousness, Gavroche sometimes still prefers to think of himself as a lone wolf. "Say what they will, there's no splitting to be had on a solo job," he tells himself as he opens up another window on his laptop screen during a lull in his workday. It's an odd train of thought for someone who works on a team of computer engineers; however Gavroche has lived too long with uncertainty to allow anyone's hands but his own to have a hold of his destiny.
He figures this is why Mr. Fauchelevent has gone through the effort of teaching him the proper ways of accessing records instead of doing the job all by himself or relegating him to the role of mere assistant. At the very least this has given him more reason to thumb his nose at the intricacies of politics and big business. 'Why this is poor spider silk,' he notes derisively as he carefully types in passwords and keywords that bring up files for him in a flash.
Suddenly the workroom door swings open and clangs shut noisily. "Hey there Thenardier, could you get a livestream going? There's some sort of hairball going on downtown," one of the technicians drawls. "Some sniper is on a roof."
Gavroche quickly opens up another window. "On what channel?" he asks even as he surreptitiously begins typing up another series of passwords. He waits as a whole series of traffic camera displays flash on the screen, and he zeroes in on a screen that shows a figure muffled with a black mask being pursued by two smartly dressed men. "Looks like someone is stuck with the worm's eye view again," he chuckles as he opens up another camera feed on another intersection.
However instead of a fugitive rushing out of an alley, Gavroche sees the barrel of a rifle emerging from a window, followed by the shadow of a form collapsing in the mud. With a few keystrokes Gavroche overrides the traffic camera's feed, forcing it to zoom in on a doorway. In a few moments he sees another man emerge, also appropriately masked. This is his impetus to zoom out, just to catch sight of this gunman's nondescript blue getaway car, and more importantly, the license plate. "Gotcha," he whispers gleefully as he presses a command to capture the footage, and another to save it to the external hard drive he always keeps tucked by his elbow.
By this time the technicians are knocking on his cubicle. "Where's the live feed, kiddo?" one of the older engineers asks impatiently.
Gavroche simply holds out his hand and someone hands him a phone. In a few moments he keys in to a video of a reporter interviewing the shaken bystanders at the scene. "Knock yourselves out," he says before beginning to pack up his equipment.
"Just where do you think you're going?" another one of his workmates chimes in.
"Troubleshooting," Gavroche calls over his shoulder as he shoulders his bag, taking care to put the external hard drive in the inside pocket of his jacket. He hurries downstairs to retrieve his new motorcycle in the parking lot before setting out for the 5th police precinct's crime laboratory.
True to form he finds several vehicles, including his brother-in-law's car, already parked outside the police station. Gavroche scampers past the officer at the foyer and follows the signs upstairs to the laboratory. He knocks thrice on the door. "News Delivery!" he calls, feigning a scratchy voice.
The door flies open to reveal Karen Hooper, already wearing a laboratory coat over her day uniform. "Gavroche? What are you doing here?"
Gavroche grins as he holds up the hard drive. "A gift for the fair lady."
"Which is?"
"Traffic camera footage. I know who pinched your sniper."
"Sniper-you don't say?"
"It's on the news everywhere by now."
Karen takes the device cautiously. "Does Mr. Fauchelevent know you do this?"
"I'm everyone's free agent," Gavroche replies, making a deep bow. "Where are the big lugs?"
"If you mean Remy and the boys, they're fine," Karen says. "The sniper was after Magnussen. He's in critical condition now."
"That's all there is to him?" Gavroche quips. "How can he sing with his box blown in like that?"
"We'll find out," Karen replies, indicating her lab coat. "If you just wait, I'll copy the file and give back your hard drive right away." She retreats into the lab and shuts the door, but all the same Gavroche still hears her cuss and whine a little bit about the size of the video on question. She emerges a few minutes later and hands back the hard drive. "Thank you. This will really help everyone in the case."
"You should probably ask Mr. Fauchelevent to install more of those things, just for you coppers," Gavroche points out.
Karen shrugs. "Won't do; there are some rules with surveillance." She indicates the helmet that Gavroche has with him. "Please be careful."
Gavroche makes a jaunty salute before heading back outside. It becomes nigh impossible to keep at his work for the rest of the day, not when he can feel the thrill of the chase in his veins. 'This is even better than outwitting Montparnasse,' he tells himself. That is, until he gets a text message from Eponine asking him in no uncertain terms to call her up right away.
She answers on the first ring. "Gav! We heard from Karen that you were the one who got the video from the traffic camera," she greets. "How?"
"A little bird gave it to me-come on Ponine, it was through the codes that Mr. Fauchelevent gave me," Gavroche says. "I can't be traced, I promise."
"You sure?" Eponine asks nervously. "Because now there are names to the faces."
"I'm not scared of that sort of swell-"Gavroche whispers, seeing now that his workmates are looking at him. He hunkers down in his cubicle so as not to be heard. "So who is it?"
"The guy who died is from a gang-that old Difunto gang that we were chasing down. He's gotten hired." Eponine replies. "You'd better be sure that you're safe, Gav, since the car you got a photo of is registered with a security agency, the Condors-"
Gavroche quickly does a search and shakes his head at the names and links he finds. "Magnussen's entire circle, those businessmen you and Enjolras have been tracking."
"Obviously," Eponine says. "The question is, which one?"
Before Gavroche can make any conjecture, he peers out the window of his office and sees a blue car cruising by the parking lot. 'Too many birds of the same color,' he thinks. "Ponine, you and Enjolras better not go out tonight," he finally says.
"Yep, we're staying in," Eponine replies. "You stay safe, Gav. Call us in the morning."
"If you're awake by then!" Gavroche jokes before hanging up. All the same he's going to have to change his route home tonight.