It's Dangerous Business

"Three weird looking people, yes. A woman, armored and another one, blond. Looks pretty innocent and harmless. And one guy. He looks more like a scientist than a killer. Yes, I am sure" he took off the sweatshirt again and grinned as he got off the phone.
"A room for three please" Elena said, smiling polite. The guy at the reception nodded smiling and came after her wish. They got a cheap but not ugly room, it fulfilled its purpose. "I'm going to take a shower" Rubi pronounsed half-hearted and went into the bathroom. "Copy that!" Richard nodded. "Hey, you getting into a partnership business?" Elena grinned "Nah .. just into you" he smiled warm and they both shared a tender kiss.
After a while, Rubi was done and came back out, wrapped in a long, white towel. "Bathroom is free"
"Oh thank you" Elena grinned sarcastic, looking at the mess Rubi left in there.

"Holy cow... did you do a genocide in there or what?", Elena laughed, when she saw clothes, towels, showering gel, shampoo and everything else lying around in the whole bathroom. "Nah... only massmurdered some of the porters", Rubi sarcasticly yelled back, when the journalist already closed the door after her. "No way I will clean her mess up", she thought and just got rid of her worn out clothes, when she jumped into the shower, which was the first thing she wanted to do since the flight. After a refreshing and cold shower she wrapped herself into the second of the three towels and then opened the door into the room again. "I'm dying of jet lag", she sighed when she fell into her bed and dissapeared in pillows and bed sheets. "Not only you", Richard mumbled when he also lied in his bed already.

“Shouldn’t you take a shower? Maybe it’ll fresh you up!” Elena said. But the taxi driver didn’t respond anymore. “Oh well, guess he’s asleep once again,” Rubi sighed also getting ready for bed. Suddenly Richard rushed out of his bed with mumbling to himself and walking towards Rubi. The woman both looked weird toward him. “I just realize something Rubi” he said towards her. “uh?” Rubi said with looking more weirdly towards him. “You never asked the poor man who, has an appointment with you, where it was…” Rubi stared glaring at Elena who stared back. “You didn’t asked him that, when you should’ve called him back for that!?” Elena then said. “Whoops” Rubi then replied. But without a problem in the world she laid in her bed with, this time, Richard and Elena glaring at her. “He probably will meet me at that taxi central building” she said and then closing her eyes. “Hmm…” Richard them mumbled again and stepped back in his own bed falling asleep again like he never woked up the last minutes. Elena sighed and then went to her own bed to get some rest for herself as well. “Hopefully I wont need to awake him with a glass of water this time” she mumbled to herself grinning.

"God... I'm sick of that", Elena suddenly got out of her bed again, after it turned dark outside and both of her compagnions slept already. She grabbed her PDA out of her backpack, which she placed on a chair before the window and then called the saved number again. "What.. what the hell how do you have that number?!", a sleepy voice on the other end said. "God, we called you two times already, remember silly?" "Hey hey, who are you!?", Smith answered. "... Alpert. Richard Alpert. We called you few hours ago.." "Richard? You are Richard? We? Are you... shizophren?" "FOR CHRIST'S SAKE! I AM ELENA FISHER, RICHARD ALPERT AND RUBI MALONE CALLED YOU A MINUTE AGO! WE MEET YOU TOMORROW 2 PM!" "Oh... it's you..." "Thank god. So... what I wanted to know... where do we meet?", Elena finally asked. "Uh... taxi central. I guess. And now good bye, I'm tired." The journalist placed her PDA in the bag again when she fell on her bed and closed her eyes. "Why did I even make an effort", she sighed and turned around to look out of the window - as usual.

Rubi stared at Elena a long time before she jumped up and threw her hands over her head "Are you INSANE?!". Richard woke up and jumped up, almost hitting his head on the wall next to his bed. Elena blinked at the black haired woman as if she were the one insane. "Yes?" she asked in return. "You just told him our names, you idiot!" Elena's eyes widened and her jaw dropped open "Oh crap .." "That's what I say!" "Silence in the cheap rows!" Richard mumbled, cuddling back under his blanket. "So.. what now?" the journalist whispered, looking down.
"Not showing up there, of course" "But we gotta do something" Rubi got silent and thought about that, leaning back on the bed with a sigh. "Maybe .. we should hire someone who'll go to that meeting for us? Three people, who will pretend to be us, that will confuse him" There was a long silence, where the two women just looked at each other "Sounds like a plan" Elena finally said and they both went to bed aftr all.

Richard woke up. He got out of his bed and, surprisingly to him, the women where still asleep. With not knowing they called Smith again, he picked up the PDA of the chair and start calling him. But before he pressed the call button he saw in the history that a call to him has already been made around 1 AM. “Hmm.. Guess Rubi did call then” Richard mumbled sleepingly to himself and he went towards the shower. “What a mess” he again mumbled and he took a shower and started to shave as well. With that all set it was time to wake up his fellow companions. He walked towards the curtains and pulled them open and said “Wake up sunshines! A new day has come! If you don’t come out of bed soon, I will deffinitly will come with a glass of water this time!” Rubi cursed and pulled her pillow over her head and Elena almost had an heart attack and jumped out of her bed. “What was that!?” She yelled. This time the taxi driver laughed and hugged her in return. “I’m sorry just a little payback” he said. “Well lovebirds it’s time to get some persons who can go to the meeting instead of us.” Rubi said then coming out of her bed and started to get her equipment. “What why?” Alpert asked confused. “I told him our names” Elena said in shame. “It will be okay.” The taxi driver replied. “I’m already going down to get us a table for breakfast. You two can make yourselves ready in time” Richard said and he went downstairs.

"Done", Rubi said, when Richard didn't even open the door yet. "Uh...", he mumbled, looking at her. "Yah... you don't even look different to yesterday. I'd wish I could do that too", Elena rolled her eyes, leaving into the bathroom.

Half an hour later the blonde journalist stepped into the mainroom again, when she was the only one being there. "Rubi?", she said, looking through the room. "Great company", she joked, when she left the room and closed it, before she was going down the stairs to the diningroom, where she saw them both, sitting and eating like pigs. "Thanks a lot for waiting", Elena smiled, while getting different fruits on her plate and sitting down next to Richard.

Rubi drank her coffee in one gulp, whiped her mouth and leaned back then. "Ahhh .." she sighed happily and closed her eyes. Elena blinked at her, shook her head lightly and began eating her own breakfast. "So how are we going to do that today?" Richard finally asked. "I think we should cruise through the city and find our three people" "Sounds like a plan" Richard answered Elena.
"Want some more tea?" he asked her after a while and she nodded thankful, as he got up to get her some. "One more coffee for me .. but if they have beer that's even better!" Elena blinked at her again, while Rubi just smirked.

Richard walked towards the tea cans and sarted to fill 2 cups with it. He looked around for beer for Rubi but there wasn’t any. Alpert then saw a woman of the canteen walking around and asked her if they had any beer. “Oh, sorry sir. I’m afraid we don’t serve beer in the morning.” “Oh! It’s okay! I will just get her a cup of coffee then.” And he walked back to the table. When he came back with three cups with drinks in it, Elena and Rubi were still eating their breakfast. He laid down the cups in front of them with “thanks” from the ladies. He sat down again and Rubi took a sip from her… “Pfffffft!!!!” suddenly Rubi spit out her Coffee, or was it? “You got me tea!” Rubi yelled towards Richard. Elena smirked and another hotel employee came towards them and asked if everything was alright, and started to clean up the tea. “Oh, I’m so sorry Rubi” Richard then said. “It’s early yet!” Elena started to smile and he smiled back. Rubi said that it was okay and went to the table herself this time.

Elena just took a sip of her tea, while Rubi crossed her arms and checked out the people in the hotel. "You're looking pissed", Elena smiled referring to the "coffee" incident. "Huh? No.. oh no. It's just.. who the hell do we send out to meet that son of a bitch?", the assassin wondered further. "Not to worry... he only knows Richard's looks... we just pay someone... and get them a wig. We need someone with a light beard though... and it doesn't matter who we send for you and me, since Mr. Smith doesn't even know what we look like", the journalist smirked and also started looking around in the diner room of the hotel. "Well... think we gotta go out and look for someone which is worthy to be representating me", Richard smiled with an ironic arrogant smile, when Elena gave him a light slap on his forehead. "Ouch! What was that for?!", he hissed. "For being a lovely idiot", Elena laughed and drank the last bit of the tea in her cup, when she headed to the entrance of the tiny hotel they checked in the day before. "Ah... the lovely streets of China. No wait, Cambodia... or... weren't we in Los... Washing... what the hell", Rubi then rolled her eyes, sighed and wanted to go ahead, when she bumped into a street lantern. "No wonder you have a loss of braincells when you run against everything you see. Or ... don't", the blonde reporter laughed and waited for the killer to catch up with her and the taxi driver, who were about to go through the streets of LA once again, to check out busy places for three people they could hire.

The killer was still rubbing her forehead, looking as if someone had shot her in the nuts, if she had any..
Anyways. The trio was heading through the polluted area, cars racing by, honking, engines, yelling, talking, laughing, arguing "I hate big cities .." Rubi mumbled and spit out. "I can tell .." Elena said, looking after the spit on the ground. "Fascinates you, ah?" Rubi asked, lifting an eyebrow. Elena didn't say anything and caught up again.
After a while of silent walking, Rubi grabbed a passenger and pulled him in a dark street corner, she had her hand pressed against his mouth, in the other she held one of her pistols, aiming at his throat "You are going to listen carefully, make no sound, don't run away or do anything else stupid, which tends to happen whenever I am about to kill someone" "You did that before?!" Elena gasped. "Yes ... defenitely" Richard mumbled. The guy under Rubi's grip nodded, sweat appeared on his forehead. "We need you to meet a guy for us. Get information out of him, why he was on a certain plane, what he does and such .. win his trust and work for him if necesarry and stay in contact with us." He backed off a little and wrinkled his forehead "And what do I get out of it?" "Your LIFE!" Rubi growled but Richard placed a hand on her shoulder to calm her down "You get 20% of the win. Believe me .. it will be a LOT" the taxi driver added smiling and waggled his eyebrows a little, to catch the guys interest. "How can I trust you guys?" he asked, nodding at Rubi's gun, which Richard took out of her hand then, which was a big mistake. "OW!' he mumbled, holding his nose Rubi punshed a second ago. "Here" Elena handed the guy a bunch of money "As a start .. now .. meet a so called Mr. Smith at 3p.m. at a big square .. I am sure you will find it. You are born here, right?" "Yes .. " the guy mumbled, counting the money with big eyes. "Okay, I am off. Can I get your number to stay in touch?" he asked and smiled sincere at Elena "Wow .. look, journalist gone bad" Rubi mumbled grinning, while Elena gave him the number of their only phone, then he walked off. "Hope that fucker will come back .. cuz if NOT-" "Shhhh ..." Elena calmed the killer "Try it .. with a little charm instead" she grinned and winked, before she grabbed Richard's hand and walked off "HEY! Where ya going?" Rubi yelled after them, catching up "Exploring the city" Elena answered with a big grin.

Richard was still rubbing his nose where Rubi just punched him. Elena smirked. “You shouldn’t have done that.” “I was just… You know, trying to make it more comfortable for him” he said still rubbing his nose. His eyes also where a bit teary. It really hurt. Rubi was walking behind, holstering her gun again. “So what are we gonna see in this big city of junk!?” she souted towards them. “I don’t know, we will find out soon enough!” Elena yelled back.
Hours went by and they went through roads of tourists and cars and more loud stuff, when suddenly Elena’s PDA vibrated in her pocket. “Oh, hold on” she said and accepted the call. “Hello, Elena Fisher speaking.” She said. Rubi went towards the taxi driver in that time and appoligised for the punch she gave him. “It’s okay” he replied smiling back. “It doesn’t hurt that bad anymore.” “Good!” Rubi then said also with a faint smile. Elena was still phoning. Sometimes her face went shocking. After a while she hung up and reunited with the duo. “That was our little friend Richard Alpert the second” she then said. “haha, very funny” the taxi driver then said. “So what did he tell you?” Rubi then asked. “Oh, God… Where do I even start.”

"Weeeeeell", Elena started with a weird look on her face. "So... uh.... well... uh... he. Yah. Okay. So they met at the taxi central and uh... well Smith wondered where the ladies were, so he told him he left them in the hotel and that he wanted to talk about him about his little "second business" he found out about, as we told him to do. Smith was skeptic at first, but agreed to meet him in his villa along the Hollywood Hills", Elena then said. "Ho...llywood?" Richard almost started to faint when he tried to repeat it. "Yah... he gave me the adress and the phone number of Smith's house... so we just gotta get to Hollywood and pay him a visit. We should try to get into conversation first though and then ask him about the organisation, so he won't be to paranoid about it. Anyway, the second Richard guy told me the meeting takes place tomorrow around 6PM and he's out of there since he doesn't want to get into drugs and secret crime stuff", Elena explained, when Rubi and Richard listened carefully.

"Hollywood .." Rubi repeated, sighed and shook her head, about 2 hours before they got off the plane that had landed savely in Hollywood.
It took the trio quite a while to get out of that huge airport as well as the many streets and highways but after all, they made it and stopped in front of Smith's house.
"Any plans?" Elena asked as they got out of the car and watched the taxi drive away "I begin to miss my job" Richard sighed. Elena put a hand on his shoulder and smiled comforting before they both spinned around, their attention attracted by a sudden loud noise. The next thing they saw was Rubi walking through the door, the broken door..
"So you call that a plan?!" Elena shouted "Yes .. it's called, lock .. load and live to tell about it" the killer answerd grinning.

When the trio got inside the house. The inside of it was looking pretty good. After checking all rooms, without anny success, the taxi driver said “Hmm, seems he’s not home, let’s go again” he turned around towards the doorway but he bumped against… Mr. Smith’s gun. He hold the gun pointed towards Richard’s forehead who now had panick in his eyes. The duo gasped and got their guns as well, they stood there for a second.
“Who are you, and what are you doing trespassing in my house?” Smith started. “Why don’t you put the gun down first?” Rubi then said. “Why don’t you?” again silence… "I want some answeres!" Smith then demanded. But the trio didn't moved or said anything. Then suddenly, “If you don’t put your guns down, I will shoot your friend.” Richard started to close his eyes and started to hope he could get out of this mess. “Okay! Okay!” Elena said and dropped her gun, leaving only Rubi with her guns and katana sword left. “Ah! Now I know who you are!” Smith started. “You are the rats that are sniffling around in our drugs business!” he started to grin. “You’re Rubi Malone!” he then reffered to the killer. “That means that,” he started to look towards Elena, “You’re Elena Fisher.” And then stared right in Richard’s eyes. “And you’re Richard Alpert.” He clicked his gun, and was about to shoot when Rubi then grabbed her katana, ran towards the duo and jumped past Richard, smashed Smith against the wall, and pointed her katana against his throat. The taxi driver then got his gun and Elena got hers again as well. “Now we demand some answers Mr. Smith.” Rubi then hissed.

"Then go and search some!", Jayred then literally spit into Rubi's face, when her expression went all pissed and angry but to everyone's surprise she stayed calm... for now. "Do you fear death?", Rubi said with a more or less soft voice. "What!?", Smith responded with a confused voice and look on his face. "Do you fear death, Mr. Smith?", Rubi repeated. "W...what? I don't know what you want." The rich American didn't quite get it, when he kept doing what he did best - lying. "Say what one more time and I'll kick your balls", the killer suddenly impended. "Wha-... I.. bu.. a.. I .. I don't get the question", he sighed with fear in his eyes. "It's that simple. Do you fear death?" "W...hy..what?" "SAY what... one more... god damn time and I swear you'll regret it." Richard and Elena looked at each others and lifted their eyebrows and shoulders when they nodded and smirked. "Alright, alright... but what do you mean with-.... D'AHHHH!" "Told ya." The journalist shivered and backed away a bit, when Smith suddenly started to cry. "Oh come on you coward. Now just answer my question, will ya?", Rubi rolled her eyes. "I... I don't fear death", Jayred said with a shocked expression on his face and a very subtle voice. "Can't hear you," "I don't... fear death!", he said a bit louder. "I won't understand you if you just mumble in your beard." "I do NOT fear de-... AHHHH!" "Wrong answer", Rubi smiled and had her fist put in Smith's stomache. "Do you fear death, Jayred?" "I DO! YES! I DO!" "Wow... now that took two minutes...", Elena went towards them and pointed at her watch. "Guess he had enough... leave him to me", the journalist smiled and Rubi went back to Richard. "Hope you learnt your lesson now. So, Mr. Smith, tell us... what is your organisation up to? And what were you doing on that plane?", the reporter asked, when Jayred leaned against the wall with his hand on his stomache. "You... you know Matthew don't you? He.. was on the plane...right?" "He was", Rubi said from behind Elena. "Yah... he died", Elena confirmed. "Huh... no wonder. He was only one of my... henchmen. He wasn't even worth joining us..." "He wasn't one of the twelve?" "How do you know about the twelve little lady?" "Read about them... in his journal. The twelve... the main circle of your organisation right? One from every nation... So he wasn't one of them?" "Matthew... was just one of my men. I am the one representing the United States... So it's Matthew's fault huh? You know about me... and my status because of him?" "Not just because of him but.... yes we do. What are you up to? What are you planing to do with your ... business?" "Why should I even tell you?" "Because you fear death!", Rubi laughed from behind and made a fist to show what she will do. "Ahh... you can kill me. They know you're here... when your.. little fake Richard told me he knows about the business and had some... information for us, I knew he was not to trust... so I told my ... friends to come over here. They'll soon be here. Come on.. just kill me." "We will find out what we want to know. Don't worry, Mr. Smith..." Elena then knocked the enemy out with the back of her gun. "What now?", Richard said.

One loud shot filled the air and the two friends turned to their killer. "Killing the first of the twelve assholes" Rubi grinned, pat Elena's shoulder as she walked by and then went through several rooms of the huge villa. "Keep looking for information!" she shouted from one room and her friends got moving.
They did it as quick and yet as detailed as possible, when they heard a bunch of cars parking in front of the house. "Quick, now!" Rubi whispered loudly and jumped out of one of the windows, showing the backyard. Elena and Richard looked at each other, shrugged and followed their insane companion.
"HEY!" a male voice shouted "Damn it!" Rubi growled and suddenly pulled a hand grenade, pulled the string off with her teeth and threw it behind her shoulder, right onto the house and the men following the trio. A loud explosion, some screaming and then a huge mess, and that mess, saved the trio's lives.
Catching their breath and bending down, their hands on their knees they rested for a little "That was narrow!" Richard gasped breathless, Elena dropped on her butt and sighed "Good gosh .. so now what?" "Did you find anything?" Richard asked, sitting down on the soft grass too. Rubi pulled something out of her pocket and held it in front of her friends's eyes "A USB stick?" Elena wrinkled her forehead "Exactly, a USB stick with all kinds of information" Rubi grinned and put it back in her pocket "Good! Now .. all we gotta do is get to a city save, survive there and find a computer to check it out." "And then?" Elena asked, rubbing her aching muscles "And then .. we will take care of the rest of the twelve?" Richard asked smiling "Eleven" Rubi corrected him grinning. "Eleven" He nodded, returning the grin.

It was evening, the trio went through the city looking for a hotel to sleep in. Whenever they passed one, it was full. When they finally found a hotel they ot into their room. “Maybe it’s good to ask if there’s a computer available here” Richard then said. “yeh, We can ask that” Elena then replied. “I’ll go to the reception,” the taxi driver said and went outside the room. When he reached the reception it was rather empty. He looked at the clock and it was 3 AM. Richard glanced over the wooden table and he finally found the bell to call the receptionist. “Tling” the bell went and Alpert waited. After a minute or two the receptionist finally came. “I am sorry sir, but do realise it’s late,” she said with a faint smile. “It’s okay miss,” Richard replied with a smile. “Are there any computers here we can use for a short amount of time here?” “Sure! They are in the tech room not to far from here! Just follow the signs and you will be there any minute. Just remember it’s 2 dollar per hour, so you might want to get some money first.” She said. “well, thanks!” Richard then said and went back to the room. The two women already took a shower and lied in their beds, asleep. The taxi driver tip toed around the room to, dress himself in his pyjamas’ and brush his teeth. When he went over to his bed, he still tip toed. When suddenly “WHO THE HELL ARE YOU!?” Rubi was awake and right up in her bed pointing a gun at him. “wow wow!” Richard then replied and he ducked. “It’s me Richard!” “Oh, sorry!” Rubi then said. Elena also was awake for a moment and mumbled something, then she turned around and was back asleep. “Why did you tip toed?” Rubi then asked sleepy. “I didn’t want to wake you guys up!” “oh, well. ‘night then!” and Rubi rolled over again making a mess of her sheets. Richard also cuddled in his sheets. Tomorrow they will find the answers that lie in the USB stick.

"Good morning", Elena mumbled, slowly getting out of her bed and yawning like a bunch of cows. "Good morning?", Richard ironically repeated. "Sounds more like a bad one if you ask me", Rubi finished what he thought. "Well yeah... I don't know, didn't sleep that good", the journalist went on and yawned another time. "Bed's are horrible around here...", she explained. "Well... you can't expect any super comfortable mansion for only 20 $ a night", the taxi driver laughed and sat on the small table in the corner for a while already, when the black haired killer was still lying in bed and watching the wall next to her. "So ... I'm taking a shower now if you don't mind", the reporter said, leaving through the small door into the tiny bathroom. "I don't mind", she still heard Rubi saying in the other room, when she already closed the door and smirked.

She let the journalist and the taxi driver go first, which gave her time to find a good, cold beer. It tasted more like a dollar, than the five it costed though.
Spilling her mouth with the alcoholic liquid and taking a quick shower, the trio headed back outside. "You know, we are kinda stuck here ..." Elena mumbled "I noticed that" Rubi grummled, her hands in her pockets. "Maybe we should just go back to normal life?" Richard asked, secretlu hoping for a positive answer, but deep inside knowing that they couldn't. They have seen too much to just let the world keep spinning that way. "Looking for information? Somehow? Somewhere?" Elena proposed, ignoring Richard's question, for they all knew it couldn't be answered without leaving them sad and disappointed. "Maybe we should split" Rubi suggested "Or just relax for a goddamn second?!" Richard now raised his voice in despair. The two women stopped and looked at each other for a second, Rubi then sighed "Okay. You two go ahead, have some fun, buy new things, clothes and such, I will look around and in four hours, we meet here again, okay?" Richard smiled lightly, then hugged the killer. Elena blinked and was ready to help him, in case Rubi shout accidently knock him down. But she just pated his back "It's okay! .. Now .. GET OFF!" she said after a while and Richard gladly did as she said and bowed lightly "Thank you! You are actually nicer than you probably want to be" That was when Rubi aimed her gun at him and the taxi driver lifted his hands "Okay, okay! I take it back" "YOU SUCK!" Elena gave it a try "You don't have to exaggerate" Rubi said but grinned, saluted lightly and then walked off.

When Richard was recovered from the shock he walked further with Elena. They saw Rubi going around a corner and she was gone. “Well, and we’re alone again, ready to shop some stuff?” Elena said with a good-humoured voice. “Yeh, sure” Richard replied. When they went to one of the shopping centres of the city and bought some new clothes. They also ate somewhere. “If it’s going on like this I really have no money left!” the taxi driver then said. Elena smirked and gave him a pat on his back. “Don’t worry! A couple of weeks of driving and it’s all back again.” Richard then smiled a bit.
After a couple of hours the killer came back. “You have NO Idea what I found out around here.” She then said. “What did you find then?” Alpert then said.
“You have no idea” Rubi then said and she started to laugh. “uh?” And the duo looked at each other. “You didn’t found out anything did you?” Runi then said. “No, we didn’t but you kinda make us curious,” the taxi driver then said. “Well. I went through some streets and then I followed some really suspicious looking people.” Rubi began. “I… Killed them,” she then said. “Wow, that’s new? When don’t you kill anyone.” Richard then said. Rubi glanced angry at him and he then shut his mouth. “well, back to the good part,” Rubi then continued. “oh good, we’re gonna find it out” Elena then said. “I found… a dvd in one of their pockets!” “uh?” “Okay?” The duo again glanced at each other when Rubi got out the DVD. On the cover it said “Further plans.” “So now we have to really find out what stands on that USB and this new DVD!” Rubi then smirked and the duo gained a light smile as well.

"Oh come on. Is this one bad hollywood movie?", Elena wrinkled her forehead when she had both the USB stick and the DVD in her hands. "How likely is it, you go through the streets of LA and meet some suspicious looking guys, shoot them over, take their DVD ... and... get back without being seen?", the journalist asked confused. "You seem to have forgotten what hollywoodmovie like things we already saw on this trip", Rubi responded. "What luck we're right in front of the hollywood sign?", Richard then said with a asking voice and grinned towards the big white letters. "Anyway... better than cursed artifacts and... rug merchants. I hate rug merchants." "Excuse me?" "Nevermind." Rubi and Richard looked at each others when they headed towards the hotel again, when the journalist catched up as well. The trio went into the "Techroom", like the sign on the door said and they set down to one of the computers. Elena both put the USB stick and the DVD in, when the PC finally reacted and opened two new folders. "Let's see.... no way!" Elena backed away from the screen when she read the map's names. "Lesbian porn" was just one of the folders the journalist quickly closed. "Plug that thing out!", Elena ordered Richard, who got the USB stick out and put it on the desk. "Well... now this is more like it", Elena grinned, when she saw tons of word, sound and video files. "Conversation#1 - Money Business, San Francisco" was the name of the first sound file they found. The reporter double clicked it and the trio witnessed a conversation between the drug lords probably in their hideout in San Francisco. It must have been secretly recorded by Smith so he would have further plans himself and fool the others around. Eventually Elena and her compagnions found out about some secret hall somewhere in SF and about how they will seperate the money, once they have their rich addicts to buy their drugs. "Now that's what I was looking for", Rubi said, getting the DVD out and putting it into her small backpack. "Excuse me, but your time is over, you only paid for five minutes last night", a man on the reception suddenly came in and closed the door behind him. "Oh, I'm sorry. We're already leaving", Richard smiled and stood up the chair, going towards the mean. "NO!", Elena screamed, jumping towards the taxi driver and pushing him down, when the man in front of the door suddenly pulled out a knife and wanted to hit into Richard's direction. Rubi didn't delay anything and dragged her gun in no time, shooting a bullet right through is head. "Crap... we better get out of here, before..." "THERE THEY ARE!" two other doors opened because of the gunshot and more guys with weapons came out, when the trio left through the main entrance. "God damn, aren't we save anywhere!?", Elena shouted when the friends ran through the crowdy streets, trying to hide somewhere. "COME ON!", Rubi yelled, dragging Elena, who already ran further, into some restaurant kind of thing, where Richard already sat down. "Okay... we order something.. and if they come our direction... we just watch that fountain over there, got it?", Rubi said out of breath and pointed to the fountain in the middle of some place. Some seconds later three men from the hotel already passed the restaurant, as Rubi said, but none of them saw the trio. "Woa.... that was too close", Elena sighed. "How did they know we were in the hotel?", Richard gasped, still out of breath and shocked due to the attack some moments ago. "Guess... some of them followed you from the mansion.... the ones you killed might not have been alone... we better get out of that city as soon as possible", Elena suggested. "Good evening. What would you like to order?", a friendly blonde waitress asked. "Beer....", Rubi said before anyone could say anything else. "Yeah... beer", Elena agreed smiling and the waitress nodded laughing and went off again.

The trio sat by the big Golden Gate bridge, a box full of beer with them. It had been Rubi's idea, but no one complained. Richard, Elena and the black haired, fearless killer were sipping the cold liquid, their feet hanging down a cliff, bouncing back and forth. It was nice to relax at least a little. "That sucks" "In many ways" Rubi agreed, patting the journalists leg. "So what should we finally do?" Richard asked after a while, grabbing another beer. "I think .. we should change city, it doesn't have to be a big one. You can drive a car so .. " Rubi answered and leaned back, crossing her hands behind her head, looking up at the sky, that was turning orange as the sun was setting. "And then?" Elena asked, laying back as well, following Rubi's example. "We will buy a laptop and find out where they last were found" "I think I heard something about an old, lonely desert, where they'd divide the money they got so far" The two women turned their head to Richard, all surprised. "You guys were busy fighting, I was busy getting the DVD and the USB stick" he grinned. "A lonely dessert it is!" Elena smiled bigged, leaning over to kiss the taxi driver's cheek. "I am not trying to ruin your romantic mood, sweetie, but there are MANY .. MANY deserts in the US" The trio became quiet again.

Richard threw away his empty bottle. “Well seems we’re back to square one then.” “Look, we can get to another man of them and just get them to tell us what desert it is.” Elena then said. “Look I’m not going to convince another person with a gun for a while,” Rubi then said. “It’s kinda like a daily routine now, normally I had a few weeks off.” “Few weeks off hu?” the taxi driver then said, and he stood up and stretched himself out. “I think I will need some weeks off to.” And he walked off. “Uh? Richard where are you going?” Elena then said. “Just gonna stretch my legs for a moment.” “Wait for us!” Rubi then yelled. “Urgh…” Elena sighed. “so much for resting…” and she followed the other two.

"There's a", Richard wanted to suggest, when he pointed to "Archer's Inn" on a tiny little corner, with the shield "Bed for 10 $ a night". "DON'T! Even say the word hotel", Elena interrupted him and dragged him away from it. "I can't see them anymore", she went on, when the duo folloed Rubi through the foggy streets, when it was about to rain any minute. "San Francisco huh...", Richard said. "Never thought I*ll get around this much in only... four days", he laughed. "Yeah... not that I don't get around much but.. this is my highscore", the reporter went on talking. "Guys... you know, that file we listened to... they talked about a conference hall in the underground of Frisco... and about meeting in "The desert" to adjust the money business... right?", Rubi asked, when she sat down on a bench. "Yah. Why?", the blonde journalist responded and also took place next to her, when Richard leaned against the dusty old wall of some industrial building. "Well. Question is: We go fnd the hall... or we go find the desert? We might get some answers in both of the locations, since the hall seems to be one of their pull-out hidingplaces and "The desert" seems to be some important area as well." Elena nodded, when Richard just shivered and seemed to be deep in thoughts, while the cold wind blew the fog through the... empty streets, they landed in. "The only useful reference point we have is that the talking guy on the audio file said something about some place called "Archer's Inn", where they have some informant, who brought them news about their drug facility in LA", Richard then came into conversation, when both of the girls looked at him. "Wha...what did. What... oh... I...ooh what", Elena said. "What... that, why... what did.. why oh... oh what", Rubi said. "What?", Richard said. "What Inn?", Elena said. "Archer's Inn", Richard answered. "Archer's Inn!", Rubi repeated. "Archer's Inn!", the trio then said in the same time and looked into the direction of the hotel they just passed. "And then again it's a hotel.... why am I not surprised", Elena rolled her eyes and went right behind the killer and the taxi driver to the direction of "Archer's Inn".