Path of the Hunters [PART 3]

The fox smiled. "Okay."

They heard a commotion of voices coming from a room off to their right. Cross looked up at the double doors, smiled at the "Mess Hall" sign. "We're here."

Trip read the sign, slightly confused. Why would it be called a mess hall and not a dining room like he was used to?

Then he thought about how messy the dining room got at StarShine after lunch and snacks... And he smiled. That was more like what he imagined a mess hall to be.

He looked at the kit, chuckled. "Come on. Let's go eat."

"Yeah." His tails twined into each other, disguising themselves into one bushy tail rather than three separate ones.

Not long after, the two were sitting at a lone bench with Sol and Mani, full plates in front of them. "This stuff isn't so bad," Sol said, gulping down a helping of eggs. "Who'd thought they'd have such good cooks around here?"

"Take it easy, Sol," Mani said. "You'll make yourself sick, eating like that."

Swinging his legs and looking around the room, Trip ate. He savored the food, still able to recall a time where having any food - bad or good - was a luxury.

Cross sighed, taking a bite of his food. "So, what's the situation?"

"Well," Sol began. "With recent action, the state government is on high alert. All airlines to Station Square International and every other airport have been shut down. Hell, Air Force One couldn't get in. Also, all roads leading out of the city are being monitored by checkpoints, all of which are being inspected with a fine-tooth comb. In other words, we know they haven't left the city, since they are unable to."

Cross nodded. "That's a start."

"Nova and I 'ave an idea as to where they could be." Trip looked up, eyed the dog curiously. She was holding a baby and her belly wasn't round like when he'd last seen her. His ears perked slightly and, amused, Aurélie sat on his other side, showing him her daughter. "Salut, Trip. This is Aurora."

He touched her gently, eyes wide. He'd seen babies before, but nothing this small. Aurora cooed, grabbing at his finger. "Wow..."

"Cute, ain't she, kiddo?" Nova said, sitting on Aurélie's other side, his baby boy in his arms. "So's her brother, Dart." He was grinning madly, absolutely proud of the little bundles of joy he helped produce.

Cross smirked. "Jeez, Nova. Don't think I've seen a grin like that, outside the battlefield."

"What? Is is a crime, now?"

Trip scooted closer to Cross, smile shy. "I like them."

"As do I," Aurélie mused.

"I think I can grow to like them, too," Cross said, still smirking. "...As long as they don't grow to be like their dad. One Nova around is enough."

"That makes two of us," Nova said. "I'm not exactly lookin' for competition, y'know?"

Sol cleared his throat. "No offense, but d'you think we could get back to what's important?"

"D'accord." The dog shifted Aurora. "There is an underground embassy that they may be at. If they are unable to leave the city, then Star may be 'eld there."

Trip sat up straighter at that. "So you know where Mom is?"

"Per'aps."

"There's a tedious problem with it, though," Nova continued, shifting Dart. "To keep undetected, the embassy stays mobile, and I've heard of at least a dozen different spots it sets up at."

Sol nodded. "Possibly a different spot for each month."

"Also, there seems to be some kind of code set up, so you can't just waltz into it."

Cross nodded. "That could be a clue as to where the locations are."

"Oui. Luckily, I 'ave been there several times. I know the games they play and it is never revealed 'oo stays there, so it is possible that the code will not change."

"From what I gathered in the past, this month's code is '2nd Noise'."

"Hmm..." Sol thought for a moment. "Maybe the code translates to an address..."

Mani placed a hand to her chin in thought. "There's a Noise Street in the Greater North. Address numbers run from 1800 to 2400."

"If the letters in the abbreviated version of 2nd represent numbers," Cross continued. "then you get 2144."

"2144 Noise St." Nova finished. "That building used to be home to a law firm, but they were bought out, a couple of years ago."

Aurélie smiled. "It is nice to know people 'oo are intelligent."

"Are you gonna go get her?" Trip asked, turning his gaze on Cross.

"You bet we are," Cross said, fist tightened.

"It's not gonna be easy," Sol said. "They're sure to have tightened up from their last failure. Also, the 22nd precinct in the area is notorious for its crooked cops. They'll have law enforcement on their side, this time."

"Crooked cops? Like they could possibly be a problem." It was Damien in a simple blade t-shirt with ODST on it and blue jeans. Completing the look was a large cup of coffee.

Cross looked up at the human, smiled. "You're looking a lot better."

"This is true..." The dog frowned, leaning back in her chair. Her focus was on the plan, not on the human. "Mm... We should either go in underground or from above... Avoid them as long as possible."

"I like underground." Sunny sat beside Sol, yawning. "I got more control that way and so does Nova. We can go in quieter, sink the whole building, too. Closing the ground over it would make it hella difficult for anyone else to get in."

"Oui. Then we would only 'ave to deal with those 'oo are already within the building. Though... sinking a building would alert them to our presence. They may kill 'er immediately."

"Not if they want a trade."

Aurélie studied the labrador a moment, nodding slowly. "I see."

"I'll feel a lot better if Katherine would shut up about bed-rest and let me finish my coffee..."

"You've been up for the past three days using those damn stims! My concerns are well-founded!" She replied in an irate fashion.

"Yeah, yeah. That's what night-time is for."

She slapped a palm to her face and grumbled incoherently for a moment before vanishing.

Cross chuckled. "Feisty AI you've got there, Damien."

Nova sighed. "Chances are it's mostly Baudoins, this time. They know more about me than the Laroches. If they want anyone, it'll be me. Like it matters. I'll kill 'em all, once you guys are clear."

"You don't Think they'll be ready for that?" Mani said. "They'll probably kill her, if you try anything funny."

"Nova, if it is the Baudoins they will also want Crescent."

"Two to one trade? Shit, that'd work in our favor."

"It depends if they wish to go through negotiations."

"What if some of you went underground like Sunny said and then the other half go above? You could just talk to them. It could trick 'em." Trip's voice was quiet, but it made Sunny blink, then grin.

"Christ, kid, you can be a genius when you want to be."

He blushed.

Damien smirked, "Yeah. One of the reasons why I keep her around."