Chaos Returns.... and Jamie's Gone *Poof*! by Christina Kamnikar, Merc Mommy General Tuesday, July 30th, after dawn, very early morning Merc Central [After "Bail from Heaven?" by CLK, and in between the two parts of "Fast Moving Chocolate" by Dawn Steele (and you can shoot me for back-posting later... It's getting late, and SOMETHING has to happen)] Most Mercs work most nights, and when they don't, they're partying. But there were actual conscious bodies frantically running hither and yon, from attic to cellar, checking phone lines, polishing weapons, readying combat gear, when Chris returned to headquarters. All of them were too busy to note Christina's stealthy, silent entrance through the back door. The MMG grabbed one of her sodas from the fridge (all carefully labelled "Mine! Mine! MINE!" to keep her cohorts from snitching them) snuck up the back staircase to the second floor, and paused to eavesdrop on the following conversation outside the GHP's Office: "We do not give in to terrorists!" A >THWAP!< that might have been the Shillelagh of Extreme Pain hitting Dianne's desk could be heard out in the hall. "And we aren't now! This is to buy time, got it? We will get the ransom back after she's safe." "I'm not saying we shouldn't pay the ransom, I'm saying that a strategic strike at the drop might recover her more effectively, and guarantee her safety---" Lane was sounding quite persuasive, but another loud >THWAP!< cut off the rest of what he'd said. Christina frowned. Ransom? Strike? Who had gone missing? And why on earth were they even *thinking* of paying? "Dianne, don't you think it's time we bailed Chris out of jail?" Abby pleaded. "My spy network hasn't got a clew where she is, and if they don't know, we just can't find out. We need Chris." Chris nodded in appreciation of the Spymaster's words, only to frown at her leader's response. "No, I don't. I'm not bailing her out. This is all her fault." WHAT was all her fault? "If Chris had told me where she hid her Jamie-tracker, we could have found her by now. We wouldn't have to even _discuss_ ransoming her back---" "JAMIE'S MISSING?" Chris shrieked out in the hallway, slapping open the oak door on Dianne's office with one hand, her other hand still clenching her Diet Pepsi. "Gone? As in KIDNAPPED? As in what she *hired* me to PREVENT?" "Uh, yeah," Abby confirmed, looking guiltily from Dianne to Christina and back again. "Guess you made bail, hunh?" Dianne was glaring down at Chris, slapping the Shillelagh of EP(TM) in her hand to a Carribean, voodoo-drums kind of beat. The MMG glared back, too angry to be intimidated. "How could you let this happen? How? How? HOW?" Something akin to guilt, but not actually guilt, since no GHP worth her chocolate has ever felt real remorse or regret or guilt, crossed Dianne la Mercenaire's face. "That's not important. What's important is that you tell us where you put your Jamie-tracking equipment, so we can get her back without paying the ransom. You've got twenty-four minutes to find her." Chris took a swig of the Pepsi, crushed the can, and threw it at Dianne's head, sending a spray of cola across the floor. Chris's aim being what it is, Dianne ducked easily, but only Lane's quick reflexes saved him from being brained by the aluminum can. "Hey! You're going to have to clean that up!" "It can't be done." "Oh, I don't know, a little seltzer water, a sponge---" Abby said thoughtfully. "I can *not* find Jamie using a triangulation tracking signal in an area as large as Toronto in 24 minutes. Twenty-four hours, yes, easily. Two hours, even, quite possibly. But twenty four minutes???? No. And it is NOT my fault, Dianne. We talked this over when I took the job! You said there wasn't a problem, and then what do you do? You leave me in jail! To rot! Separated from my client and Merc Baby, who is probably scared out of her mind and lonely and---" 36 hours in jail had left Chris with a bit of repressed anger, and as everyone knows, that sort of thing can be unhealthy if it goes on too long. "SPARE ME." The GHP collapsed onto her chair and groaned aloud. "Okay? I'm not a Knightie. I have no guilt. I'm doing everything in my power to get her back safe, so just lay OFF." She grumbled under her breath, "Nag nag nag. Someone is taking her title way too seriously." "You should talk." Lane cleared his throat significantly, interruptting the staring contest between the two Merc officials to diffidently point out that they still had to drop off the ransom and pick up Jamie. "And if they don't come through, we can still use Chris's tracker to find Jamie and the people who grabbed her." Kira came to the door just then. "We're all set! We've got to go NOW, Dianne, if we're actually going to do this---" The younger Merc was dancing in the doorway, adrenaline overriding the fact that she'd only been awakened twenty minutes ago. Dianne sighed in defeat, snarled, and rose to her full height. "Fine. Chris, you use the tracker to find Jamie if this doesn't work. Lane, get a team together. Abby, double check with the spies, and try to find out who did this. Kira..." An indescribable emotion, equal parts anger, frustration, disgust and resignation crawled across Dianne's face. "Deliver the ransom. Aaaaagggh. I can't believe I just said that..."