The door easily opened as I unlocked it. I got into a pretty small cabin, with two beds, cabinet and a wardrobe. A usual cabin for a sail trips, nothing special. Neither a lux, but nor an economy class. For now, all this makes sense to me and fits the image of that Archie Aquantis guy and his supposed economic situation.

Three cases were lying on floor opened. I carefully looked inside it and found nothing but regular clothes. Just one thing attracted my attention – the blue bandana with a strange white symbol that looks like "A" and has two bone endings below. There is something like pirate feeling in this. Maybe, he is a sailor? The beard fits him very well then.

Well, Bill actually told me about the strange symbol. At least, now I know that I`m on the right way and Leaf did not steal someone else`s key by mistake. That would be just hilarious. And horrible at the same time.

On a cabinet there was a lone photo in a frame. I could see Mr. Aquantis here with a girl, but not the one he was dancing with. This one was a bit older and… Prettier, maybe. She has a bit darker skin, just like Archie has, an interesting blue top with a form of the same symbol from Archie`s bandana over the chest. She also had lush black hair let free with some curls colored blue. Looks like his sister, I think. Or, maybe, even daughter. But I haven`t seen this girl on party. Well, I even didn`t try to look for her, actually.

I slowly turned around to observe the room to think where the device could be? I hope it`s not in his pocket, otherwise this could be an epic fail for me. The cases will the last things to check – I`m sure that Bill gave him a special carrier of his own for it, with a manual, spare parts, or something. And for some reason I think this will be nearly a size of usual suitcase. Which will be firstly hidden… In a wardrobe, of course!

I rushed to the wardrobe and opened it. To my surprise there were just two suits – a strange leather blue suit that looks like a swimmers outfit, and a modest casual woman white shirt and black tight skirt. If this belongs to that girl, then the swimmers suit is Mr. Aquantis`? Yeah, that makes him more than just a sailor – maybe, a professional sportsman or somebody like that. But why the heck would a sportsman need the forest scanner? Bill was right about his suspicions.

And when I lowered my eyesight down, besides a pair of rough man boots and a bit battered woman shoes I saw a metal case.

"Bingo!"

Suddenly some footsteps sounded from behind the door, clearly heading to this exact room. They were very loud and VERY determined. And also very fast.

What the hell? Did Leaf… failed to stop Archie? Why she didn`t warn me, or… Damn, what if something happened to her? I will never forgive myself if something bad happens to her. It`s all my fault that I involved her in this crap.

I threw away all these thoughts because if I will not find a place to hide, something bad will happen to me. And after a turn around myself, I couldn`t find anything more suitable than to hide than the wardrobe itself. Classic. Almost never works.

Quickly I moved the boots and the suit and placed myself behind them. This definitely will not work if he will open the wardrobe anyway, but maybe I still have some chance. I closed the door right in the last second the sounds of picklock reached me.

A picklock?

After some seconds of trying to open the lock, the intruder realized it is already opened.

"I told you he was there!" The voice of the unexpected guest was tough and rude. And for some reason I couldn`t associate it to Mr. Aquantis.

"Shit! I`m sure he escaped me a minute ago!" Suddenly, the second voice sounded and it was almost the same. Rude man not hesitating to swear loudly even when during the stealth break in.

I cautiously moved the suits to look at the gap in doors. All I could see were two quite big guys in black outfits, just like Rocket grunts have, but without any writings, just long purple lines on side. The grunts had something like a portable gas filters in their mouths, which surprisingly didn`t prevent them from talking. Maybe it`s somehow connected to small and tube coming right out of the neck. Their fists were covered by fingerless gloves, but the knuckles had some sort of short blades on them. Both had holsters with guns and small bags on belts.

Oh crap… Belts…

Their belts were the same as mine! The same symbol on a buckle.

Everything changed immediately. Sudden fear and panic flooded my mind, not allowing me to concentrate my thoughts. The heart is beating like crazy, I can almost feel and hear blood coming through my veins. The sound of heartbeat becomes even louder so I start to worry if they can hear it too. If they can – I`m finished.

They have found me…

"I don`t know where he is now. This is the last trail I had. This bastard moves too fast. What about yours?"

"She is here too. Maybe, they cooperate somehow." The second grunt came to the cabinet and took the photo. He was staring at it for some seconds and then, disappointedly put it back.

They are looking not just for me, but for someone else? What if they are looking for Leaf herself? She… she is connected somehow to all this? I simply can`t believe it. Today this girl managed to change my opinion about her completely.

"Damn it! Boss`s gonna kill us for this. These two were right here, on this stupid ship!" The second grunt threw the photo from the cabinet and stomped it fiercely, making small shards of glass spread around the floor.

"Yeah, we could get them both… But… wait a second…" The first grunt came closer to the smashed frame and took the photo from it. "Isn`t this… Aquantis?"

"Yeah, looks like him." His companion replied after inspecting the photo. "What does this pest need from Aquantis?"

"We should tell this to the boss. This could be useful."

"Do you want to leave our targets here? I`m promised a good money for her head. With or without the rest of body."

Shit is going crazier… Does that mean there is a bounty for my head too? I uncontrollably swept my neck. I want it to be whole…

"We will find them, they won`t get away. I will make a call to a man that will make this ship sail away right now. They will not leave the ship before that. And then they will have the only way to escape – through the water with wild and hungry Tentacools!" He threw the photo on the floor and walked away.

"Traitors must be punished!" The other grunt said and followed him. Soon their footsteps became quite and finally faded away.

Just after some time I managed to come back to senses. This exact moment changed my life entirely and forever. That`s it - there is no way back anymore. If they have sent headhunter for me – this is all over.

In despair I fell on floor, breaking the door with my body. The moment of my nose collision with the metal floor was pretty hurtful, but I didn`t care anymore. The pain in my head was much, much bigger right now.

What sense does this make now? Screw the car and its content; those guys have sent hounds for me. And I will not be able to hide for a long time: these bastards will find me anyway. Someday, somewhere… They will find me and kill me. I know that they NEVER lose their prey.

I tried to put all my strength to get up, and that was so tough. Just now I noticed that my nose is broken and the blood is coming out, so I quickly wiped it with my sleeve and raised my view to the cabinet where the photo was.

They made a big mess here, and I will be in much trouble if I`m not getting out of here right now. Maybe, if I escape right now, they will not search for me in Kanto anymore.

If WE escape…

Leaf! I should warn her about the headhunters!

I rushed to the door, but then suddenly stopped and turned my head back to the wardrobe. That steel case was attracting my attention a lot, and the content of it did even more.

But why do I need that now? It`s all over, my mission now is ended. I have already failed, so what sense does it make?

…

It MAKES sense!

Yes, what`s the difference? They will search for me anyway, and even so they would have search for me, so I will at least try to do something. I always suspected something strange in all that shit happening these years, and maybe this is finally my chance to do something. I was silent and indifferent, but now everything changed. That damn case brought me so many troubles; I will not give it to them that easily. It is MINE!

I grabbed Bill`s metal case and quickly left the room, trying to remember the way to the hall. The plates showed me the way like before, but now I was running so fast I had barely time to read them.

Suddenly the whole ship shook a little and made me stop. Is it starting moving already? Judging by the feeling, it is!

I accelerated even faster to the main hall and in a minute was there. I tried to search for Leaf and Mr. Aquantis at the same time. I tried to keep the case hidden from other people`s sight, lowering it as I could.

I found Leaf in the middle of crowd that started to panic and grabbed her hand.

"Ven, what`s going on?" She asked me with trembling frightened voice.

"No time to explain. We need to get out, and fast!" I pulled her to my side, carefully trying not to offend any other people. "Look down, and try to hide your face. We are watched." I said while putting my cap lower to hide my face.

Leaf started to look around with a scared look, but kept following me.

"Look straight and don`t attract any attention."

Now I have to think how we will escape the ship. The headhunters really used their connections to start the ship moving, and will definitely block all the ways of escaping to catch us. But there are just two of them… At least… And the way is the one – through the main ladder. Otherwise we will have to jump into the water. Considering a valuable electric device here, this could be both risky and dangerous as I don`t want us to be electrocuted, if the case is not water-proof. Damn, a knife-throwing pan could be useful here…

We ran to the one of corridors and for a second I stopped. What if we will take even more risk and escape through the conveyor belt? I hope it`s still on place.

"What`s happening, Ven?" Leaf suddenly pulled her hand, freeing from my grip and seriously looked at me, demanding an explanation.

"Leaf, we are in danger. THEY have come!"

"THEY who?"

"Well… They! You know who! And they ordered the ship to sail away so we will be trapped here until they get us. Just… shut up and follow me!"

I ran to the cargo hold constantly looking back to make sure Leaf is following me and the pursuers are not. We reached the destination pretty quickly, and returned to the place where I started the whole damn operation. Workers have already gone, so we could use the conveyor as we want. To our luck it wasn`t disconnected from the port transporter machine, but the slowly moving ship was bending the whole construction to its doom.

I hopped on the crate and gave Leaf a hand.

"What are you going to do?" She asked me mistrustfully.

"Save your neck, damn it! Do you want to live?"

"Of course, but…"

"Then take my hand and follow me up!"

She was standing there for some seconds, thinking through the offer, but then nodded and took my hand. I helped her to get on the crate and then gave her lift to the higher one. When we both were nearly at the height of crane and the conveyor ending, she finally realized the whole idea.

"Are you crazy? You want to run across this thing?" She sounded pretty terrified by my plan right now.

"Both answers are positive. Move on!" I gently pushed her to the line, but she grabbed one of the pillars nearby and held onto it.

"But it`s… moving!"

"Damn it, you are faster… Never mind." I grabbed some metal stick lying nearby and pushed it inside the wheel of conveyor, deadly jamming it. The machine began to sparkle dangerously. "You`re welcome, madam! Now you have less time to pass."

I let her go first, like a real gentleman, but she just shockingly shook her head in refuse. After a deep sigh, I jumped onto the jammed line and gave her my hand again. She hesitated to continue, but I could already feel the whole conveyor line bending under me, and the time ticking dangerously. There still was some movement as the driving wheel of the line was on the other side – in the port machine, and the conveyor belt was just rotating around the second wheel here.

So I had to grab her hand and lead through the whole line over 30 meters above the water, jumping over the stopped crates and trying not to lose Leaf. The glass cover wouldn`t let us fall down, but the sight of height could make some people crazy. I could see terrifying look on Leaf`s face as she keeps up with me while we`re doing this damn run with obstacles.

And, of course, according to Sod`s Law, when we were so close to the end, my jamming stick on that side broke or flew out, or something like this happened, freeing the crazy machine and launching the conveyor movement again. Leaf almost fell down when sudden inertia reversed our movement backwards, but I managed to catch her.

"Take this." I handed over my case to her and then lifted Leaf with my hands. That affected my jumping and running skills a lot, but I wouldn't want to leave the girl here. Through the pain in my head, leg, and everywhere, I finally managed to get to the beginning of line and jump over it. Both of us fall on the floor, heavily breathing.

"You… you…" Leaf tried to talk through her heavy and intermittent breath. "You are crazy!"

"And I`m alive." I got up and then found two workers, the same that were controlling the loading back then, now shockingly looking at us.

Leaf slowly and hardly got up and then noticed them too. She cautiously made a step behind me, touching my hand.

"You. Didn`t see us." I carefully took a banknote from my pocket and handed it over to the men. Still in shock, the one of them took banknote and carefully stepped back. I slowly took the case from the floor while continuing looking at them, and then grabbed Leaf`s hand and quickly left.

We cautiously left the port and just then followed into a dark alley where Leaf finally found some courage to talk again.

"Maybe, you will explain to me, what the hell happened there?" Right now she sounded a lot more serious than usually.

"Me? You should know even more than me! The headhunters came for us, you too!"

"What are you talking about? What headhunters?"

"Don`t play fool, you perfectly know who I`m talking about. Black-purple suits, highly technological equipment, implants… This sign!" I undid my greatcoat to show her my belt. "You recognize it?"

She looked at it some seconds, like trying hard to remember.

"Nope, I do not."

Damn, such impudent lie just makes me really angry. I pressed her to the wall and started to whisper.

"Listen, I don`t know who you really are, but the facts are facts! The headhunters came for both of us. Maybe, even you led them to me. It was not a coincidence that you came straight to me, was it?"

"Let me go, you`re hurting me!" She screamed wheezing.

I suddenly realized that I lost control over me again. I stepped back from Leaf, letting her fall down on ground and cough. I had so many thought about this situation right now, and it was so hard to sort them out.

I crouched before her and gently raised her head to look in her eyes.

"I don`t want to harm you, girl. I`m not that bad. I am really grateful for your help, but… But until you tell the truth, you remain dangerous to me."

Her eyes looked strange – the mix of confusion, despair and tears. She definitely knows something, but doesn`t want to tell me. I stood up and turned around to take Bill`s case. The situation changed. Everything changed.

"Don`t cross my path, girl." I said without turning back. "Please. I don`t want to betray my principles."

I walked away, leaving her alone in the dark alley. Today she showed me her other side. The side I would never want to see. Maybe we are really connected even more than I think. But this connection I don`t want to have with anyone.

She can take care of herself, I`m sure. At least for some days. The time will pass until the pursuers will realize we haven`t left Kanto region…