Cowboy Bebop Fan Fiction / Gundam Wing Fan Fiction ❯ Ed n Duo's Greatest Adventure ❯ Chapter 18 ( Chapter 18 )
Ed and Trowa's Bogus Journey
Chapter 2
By Devon Masterson
Aoi37@hotmail.com
"I'm such a genius, I don't know why I didn't think of it sooner," Faye replied as she sat on Quatre's desk.
"Did you find something?" Heero asked as he looked up from his new laptop. He and Ed would have a long talk once he found her.
"Sort of," Faye replied. "I was thinking about how much trouble you had been having with Ed's picture, that image recognition virus thingy."
"Yes," he commented in an effort to expedite her theory.
"The reason we can't expand our search is because we can't show her picture unless we physically have it in our hands," Faye continued. "So I did it the old fashion way, and put a bounty on her for a nice amount that would get attention, but not make anybody do anything crazy."
Heero raised an eyebrow. It was not the way he would have liked to do things, but he had to admit that Ed did put them in a situation. All they had left was old fashion legwork. Ed had already fried his laptop, between the image recognition virus, and information worm she sent out, she was nearly impossible to find. He was getting quite desperate. He had greatly under-estimated Ed's abilities until now. She was really picking his brain. The only card he had left was Victoria. He hated using his personal contacts for information, but it could not be helped. Being that she was head of the Preventers, she would privy to all types of information that he could not currently get his hands on. "What does Quatre have to say about this?"
"Quatre has absolute trust in me," Faye replied. "What he doesn't know won't hurt him."
Heero looked skeptical for a moment. "So he doesn't know."
"He'll be alright," Faye smirked just as the door opened.
"What is this?" Quatre asked as he walked into his office holding a piece of paper. "A bounty out on Ed?"
%%%
"What are you talking about?" Sunny asked innocently.
"This," Raine answered throwing the paper at the red headed girl. "You have a bounty out on you. And don't say it isn't you, your features aren't exactly generic."
Sunny looked at the paper. She knew Faye had to be responsible for this. Quatre would never put a bounty out on her, though he would offer money for her return if he did get desperate enough. "You caught me. But I'm not letting you turn me in."
Raine shook her head. "Something doesn't make sense. He wants half a million for you, but he wants you unhurt. So who are you to him?"
Sunny's hands absently rubbed her abdomen as she tried to think of something to tell the dark haired girl.
"Oh hell," the girl sighed lowering her gun. "Don't tell me you're knocked up with Quatre Winner's kid? I mean that's a good-sized rock on your hand…"
"No, it's not his…he's just a friend," She replied quickly. "Look, I don't want to talk about it. That part of my life is over and my past doesn't want to let go. I'm different now."
"Whatever," Raine replied, "I won't turn you in, but that doesn't change that fact that you're useless."
"I am not useless," Sunny remarked angrily. "I can still back you up if need be and when I can't, I will work support. But I'm not going back to being that goofy little kid that no one took seriously and dumped the first chance they got."
"Geez, aren't we a little bitch," Raine commented as she took the paper from Sunny and ran it through the shredder. "Look, I won't say anything. That's between you and who ever the hell the father is, but if you're working with me, you got to be straight with me, understand?"
"Fine," Sunny nodded then sat down in the chair that Sylvia has vacated not too long ago. "What are these?" She picked up some surveillance photos.
"Some of pictures we took while we trying to figure out Taylor's habits," She replied. "Him and his whore."
"Do you have other pictures?"
"A whole gang of them, why?" Raine asked.
"We might be able to find something in the pictures that was overlooked," she answered looking at the pictures carefully. There was a different woman in each one, but there was something weird about it that she could not put her finger on.
"Have at it," Raine replied as she grabbed her jacket. "I'm going to get something to eat. My mind can not function without food or sugar. Want anything?"
"Juice, a burger, and fries," Sunny said as started scanning the photos.
"I'll be back," Raine replied as she started to leave then paused. "Two questions. Your name's Ed?"
Sunny flushed. "Trust me it's better than my given name," she said light-heartedly.
"What happened between the two of you?"
"I was forced to wake up from my dream," she answered cryptically. "Question for you? Why aren't you going to turn me in?"
Raine smirked. "I know what it feels like to run from the past..."
"So you have a bounty on your head," Sunny translated.
A bright smile flashed across her face. "I knew there was a reason, I tolerated you," She replied before leaving.
%%%
"I know you mean well, but I don't think it's wise put a bounty on her," Quatre commented. "That might…"
"Excuse me, Mr. Winner, you have a call on line three."
Quatre rubbed his eyes in an effort to release some of the tension he was feeling. "Please take a message, Ms. Daily."
"The caller said it was important. I think it's a bad connection because the picture is distorted and pixilated," she replied.
Mediterranean eyes widened in realization. "Please put her through, Ms. Daily, right away," he said quickly as he sat down at his desk. "Ed?" he asked as the distorted picture appeared on his screen.
"You've been a bad boy, Quatre," she replied, "Take the bounty off or you'll have to take a time out."
The blond man looked at the distortion concerned. The syntax was not like her, but he knew her voice. "Ed…"
"Do what she says Quatre?" Heero said quickly. He was working on a tighter security program and he still had no clue what she did to his laptop.
Quatre nodded to Faye and she left the room to cancel the bounty. "It's done," he said then sighed. "Are you okay, Ed?"
"Stop looking for me," she said sternly.
"You were set up by Dorothy," Quatre blurted out in an effort to throw her off guard.
She paused for a moment. She suspected such, but she hadn't spent too much time looking into it. The month that she was gone was spent dealing with her feelings and going after her bounty. She already had the sad sense of closure that she needed when she left Paris. "That doesn't change anything," she sighed.
"Ed…"
"Stop looking for me," she said before ending the transmission.
"Damn," Quatre cursed lowly as he banged his fist on the desk. He was quite frustrated. He was half tempted to leave her alone for awhile, but he knew that would only make her harder to find. "Were you at least able to track the signal?"
Heero shook his head. "She re-routed the signal so that when I tracked it, it led me to your cellphone. She's has to be using satellites."
"So then she's in outer space," Quatre commented, "since Earth's intervideo system is still networked through fiber optic cables and not through satellites."
Heero nodded. "At least we have a general idea now."
Quatre nodded as he started to get a sense of hope. "I noticed that Ed had picked up a little weight about a month before the Brazil trip so she could be around 3 months by now."
"Which would keep her from going to Earth or Mars due to re-entry," Heero added to seeing his train of thought. "Trowa's in L-2 right now."
"He just arrived today," Quatre commented. "I'll let him know what we found."
"What are we going to do about Dorothy?" Heero asked.
"We'll worry about that after we make sure, Trowa and Ed are okay," Quatre answered then shifted the subject slightly. "Heero, did you hear about the situation with Alex Taylor?"
Heero nodded. "The Preventers are getting desperate to catch him to the point of putting a bounty out on him."
The blond knew that Lady Une would never tip her hand like that. Everyone strategic knew that Nichol was responsible for such stupidity. Only the people behind the scenes knew what was truly going on. "I think we're in danger of another war starting," Quatre commented. "We need to find Ed right away."
"Wufei, Duo, and I are going to Preventer HQ so we can keep an eye on things."
The Arabian nodded. He knew it would come to this. He hated taking away some of their resources from finding Ed, but complacency for life could cause them to lose everything if they did not act. It would not be long before, he too would have to report to Preventer HQ to assist the others. Then there was Faye, he did not want her caught up in all of this or Ed for that matter. "Keep me posted."
Heero nodded then left the room just as Faye came back. "Where's he off to?" she asked.
"He and the others have been called in," Quatre answered as he stood and walked over to her. "Sweetheart, we have to talk."
%%%
"Do you care to explain your man's incompetence?" an angry blond asked as she entered the room.
"Dorothy, what are you doing here?" Alex asked looking around. "We agreed that we'd never meet unless…"
"I took precautions," she replied cutting him off. "Now explain how one of your most trusted men got caught by bounty hunters no less?"
"I took care of it," Alex assured her.
"Forgive me for not being reassured by that, dear Mr. Taylor," Dorothy spat as she ran her hands through her hair. "Who was it?"
"Sixkiller Enterprises," he answered.
"Was it Sylvia Noventa?" she asked balling her fist. She never really liked that girl and she thought it was an even more waste of time that she became a bounty hunter. With Marshall Noventa's connections, Sylvia could have practically ruled system, but instead she fought for goodness her own way. If she knew that Heero Yuy would have impressed her so with his actions, she would have shot him herself.
"No, some new girl. Sunshine Valentine," he answered picking up a file that he had recently acquired. "It took some time to find stuff on her."
Lavender eyes narrowed as she opened the file and read it. It was when she saw a picture of her new annoyance that amusement spread across her face. "Perfect," she sighed then turned towards Alex. "I know this girl. You need to watch her and your network very closely. She's a hacker."
"You know her?"
"Remember that job in Brazil I got your help on?" Dorothy asked amused.
Alex nodded in understanding. "She doesn't seem like some goofy kid from what Webb told me and the name…"
"It doesn't matter," Dorothy commented. "Now have her right where I wanted."
©2002 Devon Masterson
Another Bond Girl Blue Production.
Let's be real here… we all know that I don't own these characters or you would be watching this instead of reading it [with the exception of manga of course]. I just do this for kicks and wiggles [yes, I know the real expression, and this is mine] anywho don't sue me, hire me instead;p
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