[H3][color=gray]The Dreadnaughts[/color][/h3][hr]
Baron barely had the time to explain himself and what he wanted to say to Lihua – not all at once, of course, as the secrecy of this information was top priority – but he did want to relay the information needed in order for them to meet. Before he could, they were once again interrupted. As soon as Lihua answered her phone, the voice of a panicked young girl started rambling on the other end. The NEST agent, normally composed, went into a similar state of panic and emergency. This alone was enough of an indicator that something was very wrong.

“Wait, Meifeng!? What’s going on!? Where are you?! [i]Meifeng![/i]”

Baron looked at her with worry as she whipped around and began running off through the building! “Wait Lihua!” Baron called out after her. “Assess the situation first! Ah, hell!”

He didn’t entirely know what just came up – except that he heard the word kidnapped on the other end – but he did know that Lihua shouldn’t just run in blindly. Sure, maybe someone might be taking kids for a Filipino sex ring or something, but anyone in Verthaven with any kind of local urban savvy would know if a kid belonged to a government agent unless they were deliberately ignorant. That meant if someone who did their studying and took this girl - “Meifeng” was it? If someone took Meifeng, knowing who her family was, that’d be too risky. That meant Meifeng wasn’t their real target.

“Damn it…” Baron muttered. This was starting to remind him of Paraguay. He reached into his pocket and called a speed dial number on a secured line. A moment passed before he heard a gruff “hello” from Washe.

“Caesar, its Zombie. Something dangerous came up.”

“Fuck, what now?” Washe grumbled bitterly. “I already heard from Grit that he lost [i]the fucking trail[/i] on that [i]trigger happy ass wipe[/i] in the sewer.”

“It’s not that.” Baron replied. “Our… favorite agent got a minatory call. Something’s happening and I’m not entirely sure what it is, but it relates to her daughter, I believe.”

[i]“And?”[/i]

“I know I don’t need to explain that to you, Caesar. She rushed out without thinking. Push comes to shove, I know you would do the same.”

“Not the fucking point, you pompous stiff.” Washe retorted. “Why should this bother me? She might give [i]you[/i] the butterflies in your crippled limp dick, but I frankly don’t give a fuck. She ain’t my mission.”

Baron sighed. [i]‘Repulsive as ever.’[/i] “Okay, look.” Baron began. “You might not think she can be of any use, but I do. What’s more, I think she might even be [i]instrumental[/i] in the extrapolation of what data our quarry feeds us.”

“You can’t beat around the bush with me anymore, [i]doctor.[/i] What else is it you’re offering?”

“That you may not offer any assistance on your end if you do not wish it, but that I may covertly undertake this task of extraction personally.”

“[i]Nonsense![/i]” Washe shouted over the phone. “I think you’d best stay put if you know what’s fucking best for this mission [i]and for you![/i] I am no longer willing to compromise any more of my fucking resources for the sake of playing [i]nice.[/i] As far as I’m concerned, we’re taking care of every problem by tomorrow!”

“You flatter me, my friend. Truth be told, I am not a necessity for the [i]contract[/i], which can be easily accomplished by just you and Grit! I appreciate your enthusiasm for your job, Caesar. I think the matter of fact is that we can accomplish much more with her on [i]alive[/i] and on our side than without.”

There was a moment of silence on the other – or, half silence, as it was apparent that Washe was ranting to himself with the phone set on the table. When he picked it up, Baron heard a deep breath – his tactician, he concluded, had conceded.

“You’ve been through hell in Paraguay.” Washe started. “Taking that into consideration, I’m sure you might be able to get through whatever nightmare could be going down in whatever shithole you plan on diving in. Eyes, you getting all this? Can you get a location?”

“Hm...” Maria muttered. “A NEST car burned rubber out of the building not too long ago. Let’s see… here it is. Okay. GPS signals are being sent and received, and the signal received is… the Rivera Gentleman’s Club.”

“Oh, yeah, a real fuckin emergency alright.” Washe commented sarcastically. “Did your mind reading science have her figured for a dyke, doc?”

“Not so fast. There’s a manhole near the club. The sewers seem like as good a place as any if you want to orchestrate a baby-napping ring.”

“Thank you, Eyes.” Baron said graciously. “Is there anyone nearby that could give me a ride, Caesar?”

“Eh? No, not one of us. I’m busy up here. I can get one of these NEST idiots to take you there. Got as much clearance as a NEST captain at this point. Hope they know how to drive stick.”

“Fantastic. I’ll prepare myself for insertion then.”

“Just don’t try going all James Bond like some idiot.”

“Is it worry that I’m sensing?” Baron mused slyly.

“It’s about as fucking close as you’re gonna get to it, wise guy. Just hurry with packing your shit so we can save your girlfriend already.”