A New Reason to Hate Paris

"I like guns," Khaat shrugged. "You have seen Daddy's collection at the farm house, haven't you?"

"You do not need to have a gun. I'll keep the gun, thank you," Marcus said. "Actually, Jack, I keep the gun in case I get disarmed. Sometimes it is a handy back up."

"You don't need to port if you don't want," Khaat said. "I suppose you could take a muggle airplane if you want. I always wondered if it felt different than porting."

"It does, but it is quite time consuming," Marcus said. "And the airports are about as confusing as the Ministry atrium--only worse. I much prefer porting. If you can make it to Heathrow airport this morning, Jack,  you'd be there by sometimes this afternoon. The flight time to Paris ought to be two or three hours, I would guess."

"As opposed to a moment by wand," Michael said. "But there is a bit of drawback to an airsick werewolf. I guess you won't be stopping for breakfast when you get there, will you?"

"Hardly," Marcus said.

"On a serious note, do find Brian and bring him home, won't you?" Michael asked. "I would check the map first."

"What map?" Khaat asked.

"Shows you don't know it all, do you?" Michael said. "Go into the captain's quarters in the Paris office. The doubloon you wear is the key. You'll need the key and the password if Brian secured it."

"It has a password too?" Khaat frowned.

"Yes. Always has. It just isn't secured all that often. It's pretty much always unlocked for any of the crew to use. If Brian locked it,..."

"If he locked it, he had a bloody good reason," Marcus said.

"Indeed. That's why you should check there first," Michael said.

"What's the password?" Marcus asked.

"Natpac," Michael replied.

"What?" He frowned. "That isn't even a word."

"Sure it is. It's 'captain' spelled backwards," Michael said.

"That isn't even spelled right, though."

"I know, but Niatpac is unpronounceable," Michael shrugged. "So I took the 'i' out."

"Why am I not surprised this is one of your cockamamie passwords?" Marcus sighed.

"Hey, who better to handle security than a burglar?" He kissed Khaat on the cheek. "Just say the word, Sweetheart, and I'll be straight there. If all else fails, just shrink Jack, and he ought to be able to squeeze in about anywhere. The map is on the wall, but you'll have to look for it. It isn't in plain sight.."

"I wouldn't let her transfigure me into anything when she's upset if I were you, Jack. It's hard to say what you'll end up as," Marcus said. "Brian told me once that she has a tendency to like to change people into teacups and really tacky looking hats.'

"And little fluffy yellow ducks," Michael said, eyeing Jack.

"There's a story there, I'm sure, isn't there, Jack?" Marcus frowned. "Khaat, I think we're ready to go. I think I should to the porting because I really would hate for Jack to hurl somewhere on the way. Jack, you ready?"

Jack looked over at Khaat as she spoke of mugle transport and he shivered " crambed into a small box with sweaty, noisy people for hours at an end, nope no thanks." He said then he looked embaressed at his next words " besides the seats on those things are never big enough for me and I always hit my head on the over head storage." His hand went to the back of his neck rubbing it in a nervouse habit he had. "Good point, I think I'll risk losing one mornings breakfast, thank you."

He stood listening again and was impressed at the password Brian had chosen it had not been one of the ones he would have guessed being so simple, not like Brian but so like Michael, simplicaty is the last thing any one would think of a high ranked person in an organisation so keeping it secure.

At the mention of transphiguration Jack groaned and hid his face. The words yellow and duck were spoken and he looked up at Michael tried to look unimpressed but ended up with a half smile gracing his lips." oh yeah, a long one I'd rather like forgotten thanks." He could feel the flush of pink warm his cheeks at the memorys it brought back.

He looked at khaat and nodded "Ready when you are, and no worris about that haven't eaten yet, plus Jess found and made an anti motion sickness potion." He patted his pocket where a small vial sat. " the ingredients don't react with my other potion, she checked it out first." Now he stood waiting for Khaat to move them, his bag held tight in his hand and an eger willingness to find and bring Brian home safe for Khaat and his kids.

"I haven't flown in a muggle plane," Khaat said, "but it doesn't sound like I'd like to either."

"Jack's right," Marcus said. "That is essentially what it is but not nearly as safe as porting, in my opinion. Alright. Now that we know Jack isn't going to yak on us, I think we're safe. I'm glad Jess made you a potion, Jack. Shall we?"

The next thing Khaat knew, they were standing in a Paris side street, not far from the front door of the flat that housed the organization. Khaat looked at Marcus and Jack. She hadn't been here for a long time. Brian hadn't ever said that they had changed the front door locks, so she hoped her key still worked.

She took a deep breath, nervous, hoping that she wasn't coming here to discover that this was the mission Brian wasn't coming home from. She did not want to be going home without him. She didn't want to face a life without him. She went quietly up the stairs of the flat to the front door and, she didn't know why, but she knocked on the door.

The door opened, and it was Owens who had answered it. He frowned deeply at her. She was the last person he had expected to see. He had half expected Jack. That wasn't surprising. When something went sideways, Robert tended to send him staff that was closer to him to handle it.

"You, I expected," Owens said to Jack. "I must admit, Khaat, I did not expect you." He looked at Marcus. "And who are you?"

"MI6," Marcus said dryly, wondering who Owens thought he was if he were standing there with Khaat and Jack.

"He's alright," Khaat said. "Can we come in?"

"Oh! Yeah. Yes, of course," Owens said awkwardly, stepping aside. Khaat and Marcus went in. He closed the door once they were all inside.

"Any word?" Khaat asked Owens.

"Not a clue," Owens said. "Have you ever encountered Thomas Gelding before, Khaat?"

"No, but there's a first time for everything. I can hold my own with a wand," she said. He did understand why she thought she had to do this, but she had no experience with Gelding, and Owens didn't know what her track record was with dangerous wizards.

Marcus knew full well that Owens had no idea who he was, but he also saw that Owens greatly was underestimated what he and Khaat were capable of. It wasn't their first skirmish. Jack was the only one of the three of them with any sort of a proven track record.

"Is this wise, Jack?" Owens looked skeptically at Jack. "Do you seriously think we should be doing this like this?"

Jack looked at Marcus and nodded with a smile before he took the vial out his pocket and downed some of it. He then corkced it and placed it back in his pocket now ready for porting to Paris.

Once done Jack dropped his bag and used a wall to steady himself while he took a deep breath to settle his stomach. At least he didn't throw up this time. Once his stomach was back to normal he stood upright and looked around and huffed " paris ...again" he said softly as he picked up his bag from where it had fallen from his hand.

Jack followed Khaat and the others down a side street and to the steps of a seemingly normal flat. He watched the ally as he heard Khaat knock on the door his eyes moved to watch every shadow and dark corner making sure nothing man nor beast could suprise them. When he heard Owens voice he glanced at him foe only a moment before he returned to watching the alley. Hearing Marcus responce to Owens Jack could not help but chuckle and look to him with a shrug before they moved inside the building much to Jacks relife as he was not liking the ally one bit.

When Owens spoke again Jack looked at him waiting until he'd finished. He moved to stand beside Khaat befoer he spoke and nodded. "Yes I do, We need to get Brian back from... from where ever he's ether being  held or is hiding." He said to Owens a little too forcefully. " I ..no, we all owe him so much that we can't sit back and not try, I for one will not." his voice became gravely as his wareside slipped out with his anger.

@Khaat Lupin

"We should check the office," Marcus reminded Khaat of Michael's words.

"The office?" Owens said. "No one's been in or out of there since about the time Brian left. I think I was the last one in there with him before he went out."

"No one suspects you, Owen," Khaat reassured him. She looked back at Jack and Marcus and headed down the hallway towards the office. She used her medallion and opened the door. She looked around and saw it looked meticulously organized, and it smelled like leather and tobacco. So typical of something so traditional.

Marcus looked around for any sign of a map. Then he remembered Michael saying it wasn't in plain sight. Of course it wasn't. Nothing was ever simple, was it? There were portraits and landscapes all over the walls. He lifted up the deskpad and found no map, just bloody take away menus. Who the hell needed take away menus in Paris?

The only thing he saw big enough to cover any sizeable map was the large landscape that hung behind the desk, over the credenza. He walked over to the landscape and peered behind it.

"Aha!" he said. "Not very subtle of him, is it?" He found that the painting was hinged on one side. He swung the portrait open to reveal a large map of France with little lighted dots on some different locations. "What is he marking?"

"I would wager it has something to do with Tom Gelding," Khaat said. "Is he not the bloke that has been causing the organization some grief for a few years now, Jack? Isn't he some huge pain in the butt? The only thing I remember was that some jerk named Luther Burke was the second banana for someone or another. I had a run in with him years ago, but I never knew much else. It wasn't something Brian ever really talked about."

"I think its a bloody good thing we didn't leave you at home, Jack," Marcus said. "It's sounding a lot like she's got a whole lot of nothing. I hope you have more history than that or Brian is screwed."

Jack stood back and listened to the conversation every one was havibng as he pushed the memories of the months Jess had been missing and he had searched for her that Owen had some how managed to pull from the pit of his mind. He followed them silently as they entered Brians office he sneezed to clear the strong smell of leather and tobacco from his nose.

Looking over as they moved around he stayed by the door way until the map was found. Now he walked over and lent over it to take a closer look. He huffed at the mention of Gelding again "Yeah, his orgnisation was behind the kidnapping of children and my Jess a few years back, Brian and I found his operation and shut it down, after got Jess and the kids back." Jack looked at Marcus and shook his head " maybe hes got his operation back up and running again these.." He pointed to the marks on the map infront of them "These could be past or new sites of abductions or holding facilities for the children." He looked at Khaat.

"I've been told to add more imput, even if it's wrong." He gave a small smirk " Jess's doing Im afraid she wnts me to be more take charge."He lowered his head back down to look at the map again "Not that Im not already in certain cercomstances." He said softly

@Khaat Lupin

"You could be right about additional locations that Brian might have had suspicions about, then," Marcus said.

"If that's the case," Khaat said, "then perhaps Gelding's operation was never as shut down as we believed it was."

"And, if I were Gelding, I would have struck in areas close to some sort of center of operation," Marcus said. He turned to the desk and began looking through the center drawer and stared at the map for a bit looking for some point that looked rather central. Then he started drawing straight lines towards the center of the map. That led him to finally draw a rough circle where the lines seemed to come together. "That might give us a smaller area to work in to try to find Gelding's operation--if that was what Brian was aiming for."

"He would go straight for Gelding himself, I think," Khaat said. "They've been trying to shut down Gelding and his family for decades."

"Well, what isn't clear is whether he's after Gelding or whether he's trying to stop some sort of an additional movement of children. I don't understand why he'd go alone in either case. It isn't like he doesn't have help here."

"I don't know," Khaat said.

"Jack, perhaps it is time for you and I to go take a look through this area here," he tapped the circle he'd made on the map. "I don't know Brian's men here, but do you think we might want to take them and split them up to cover more ground? Not sure what I'm looking for, exactly, but I'm sure you do. What do you think?"

Jack stood and watched the others talking his eyes scaning the map infront of him as he listened and watched the lines connect to a central point. He sighed and looked at Marcus who had spoken, biting his bottom lip he shook his head.

"no, a small group is less likely to be spotted, we need intel first there's no point in going in all guns blazing if theres nothing there, scout it out first, then if anythings there we can call them in as backup." He said hoping it made sense to them all as he scanned their faces. He knew it was out of his ushal characture to be careful ushaly he was the one wanting to storm in and rip everything and one to peices.

((Sorry its taken this long))

@Khaat Lupin

(np)

It made sense to Khaat, and she glanced at Marcus, who nodded.

"You would be perfect bait, then, to a man like Gelding, if he has a long standing grudge with either Brian or your father," Marcus said. "And you would, no doubt be recognized. I suggest you stay here at least while we get some basic information about Gelding's current base."

"I did not come here to be left behind," Khaat bristled.

"I am not suggesting you stay behind forever," Marcus said, knowing he could not talk her out of staying behind for very long. "Just give us a couple of hours to go take a look. In the meantime, if there is anyone here who can make a guess about how Brian thinks, it would probably be you. Jack and I need you to take a good look around and see what else Brian knew that make him go out alone."

"Maybe I need to go back and use an imperius on my father to make him tell me what he sent Brian out on," Khaat said, angry.

"And Jack and I would be sorting through your father's bug jars trying to figure out which one is you," Marcus said. "If he's keeping secrets, he's doing it for a bloody good reason."

"Not good enough to keep the rest of us in the dark. That's inexcusable," Khaat said.

"Do we need to take you along just to make sure you don't do something stupid?" Marcus frowned. Khaat said nothing. Khaat looked at Jack.

"I don't think he's kept more than a couple of missions from me since Abbey and I moved in with him," Khaat said. "And I know he doesn't keep those things from you either. I don't care what my father's directives are to you. I need Brian home. Whatever you and Marcus need, I'll get it. Just get him home."

Marcus looked at Jack. He knew Robert was just the sort of man that would play the odds and put his family on the line if he truly believed one of them were the best person for the job. He also believed, though, that Robert would be fully prepared to either send someone to rescue his family or he would be ready to come to do it himself. What he did not understand was why Robert was being so silent this time.

"If we're going into a muggle sector of Paris, don't you think you should take some sort of a muggle weapon, Jack?" Marcus asked. "A blade? Something?"

Jack stood and listened to the banter between Marcus and Khaat his arms folded across his chest when she turned to speak to him he listened and sighed. "That is why Im here." He told her simply then looked at Marcus and rolled his eyes.

"I don't like weapons but.." he walked over to his bag and took out a Samshir sword from the Persian Safavid period. "Its my favorate." He said grinning as he slid it onto a belt he wore. " Now, shall we get going or is there more debating to be done?" he asked looking from Khaat to Marcus and back then down to the map.