Gundam MegaWing: After Colony 229

What Lies Within

Chapter Seventeen: Claire

Trente looked over at Kenji, who was pacing back and forth across the length to the small room they occupied. “You’re making me dizzy…cut it out,” Trente complained.

Kenji looked at him. “My little brother is missing,” he said tightly. “And he’s in the hands of murderers.”

“And pacing is going to help?” Trente raised an eyebrow at him.

“What else can I do, trapped in this damned sardine can?” Kenji demanded. “We haven’t uncovered any new information in days, Trente – we’re useless here! We should be out there, with Noir and the others, helping them!”

Trente sighed. He felt the same way, although he hadn’t been quite as vocal as Kenji. “I know, I know.” He stood up. “But Rasheed will never let us go…”

Kenji sighed. “You mean he won’t let you go,” he muttered. “It’s you he’s worried about…he barely knows me.”

Trente scowled. “Let’s not go there,” he said sharply. Kenji looked at him. Trente sighed. “I didn’t mean it to sound that way…I’m as restless as you.” He stood up and walked over to Kenji, slipping his arms around his waist and pulling him to him.

Kenji rested his head on Trente’s chest. “Then let’s get out of here,” he suggested. “We’ll sneak out and meet up with the others.”

“Rasheed will kill us.”

“We’re not kids anymore,” Kenji said seriously.

Trente looked at him.

Then he nodded. “Okay. We’ll leave tonight, then.”

Kenji grinned. “Really?”

“Really.”

“Yes!” Kenji grabbed his laptop and began to download files onto it from the main computers they’d been using.

“What are you doing?”

“Transferring data,” Kenji replied. “This way we can continue to do what we’ve been doing, even from the road. With any luck, we’ll…” His voice trailed off. “Trente…did you see this?” He pointed to a file that had just appeared on screen.

Trente came over. “What’s that?” he asked.

“One of our worms came back with some information,” Kenji replied. “One of Claire’s credit cards was used yesterday…on L4.”

Trente’s eyes widened. “So the witch appears,” he said. He looked at Kenji. “L4, then?”

“If you can get the shuttle tickets.”

“Not a problem.” Trente grinned. “I still have about a half-dozen aliases I haven’t even touched.”

Kenji raised an eyebrow. “Oh?”

“Yeah…I used to make them up for fun,” Trente replied. “I’d think up a history, a career, an occupation, then put them into the system and everything.”

Kenji looked at him, eyebrow still raised. “You had a lot of time on your hands, didn’t you?”

“Does it show?” Trente looked sheepish. “Well, at least it’ll get us back into space.”

Kenji grinned and nodded, turning back to the laptop.

Trente returned to the reservations. Just you wait, Claire, he thought. We’ll get you yet.