Duo frowned down at the report in front of him, scribbling hasty notes on the legal pad as he read. Man… how do these two ever solve a case? Together they have as much common sense as a rabid squirrel. He’d only read over the file once so far, but he already had a list of questions the two agents conducting the original investigation hadn’t thought to ask— assuming Lady Une ever let him back into the field to ask any of them. He had spent most of the last week going through the old files and making notes of possibilities for reopening at least a third of the cases. I know I’m still considered a rookie by a lot of people here, after all, I’ve only been an agent for six months myself… but still… some of this is ridiculous.

Muttering softly to himself as he flipped the page and started scribbling on a blank sheet, he almost didn’t notice when Zechs paused beside him to set down a fresh cup of coffee.

“Thanks, man,” he mumbled, taking a sip of the hot drink before going back to his notes.

“You’re welcome…” It was the amused tone to the smooth voice that finally made him pause long enough to look up. Zechs had picked up one of the files he’d set aside and was reading through the notes he’d attached to the front with an odd smile on his face.

“What’s so damn funny?” Duo growled, a little stung at thinking his ideas were just amusing his partner. “If they’d thought to check some of this stuff, maybe the case would have been solved….”

“I have no doubt of that, Duo.” Zechs grinned at him. “I’m just trying to figure out how to convince Une not to put you in Mission Research permanently when she sees this. That or she’ll want you in charge of training the rookies.”

“Huh?” Duo blinked. “She wouldn’t…would she?” He watched warily as the taller blond quickly flipped through two more case files.

“You seem to have a—unique— thought process when it comes to some of these investigations.” Zechs shook his head. “No wonder you have so much trouble working with partners.”

“Why? Just cause I like to think outside the box sometimes?” Duo scowled. “And I’m glad I’m managing to amuse you.”

“It’s not that you’re amusing me…” Zechs lowered the file and met his eyes soberly. “I just can’t help but wonder how you managed to keep Yuy and Chang from killing you during the war, if you approached your missions like this.”

“What’s wrong with the way I approached missions?” Duo glared at him, crossing his arms over his chest. “Though if we were gonna be working together, I normally let them plan the mission,” he added with a soft mutter. “Yuy was such a perfectionist that even Chang couldn’t plan a mission to his satisfaction.”

“Absolutely nothing is wrong with it.” Zechs put the files back down and put on hand on Duo’s shoulder. “Don’t get so defensive, Duo… I’m not criticizing.” He grinned again. “It’s just… you look at these cases from the viewpoint of a former terrorist, self confessed thief, and juvenile delinquent. Not a former soldier, or a police officer. You not only threw out the book on a few of these, but you’ve started a bonfire with it.”

Duo just raised one eyebrow skeptically. “Yeah, right. All that’s missing are the marshmallows, right?”

“Something like that.” Zechs nodded, his eyes unfocussing slightly in that way that Duo was starting to realize meant he was ‘talking’ to Treize. Man, that still freaks me out a little…. It was weird enough when I kept seeing them in bed together and thought I was just nuts. But knowing that the former leader of Oz is just… here…hanging around in our office cause he’s bored or something…. “But, seriously… I think you have a real knack for looking at these and seeing the patterns in them that everyone else misses. I certainly wouldn’t have considered a few of these angles.”

“Maybe…” Duo shrugged uncomfortably. He would have said more, but at that moment Zechs’ phone rang. Duo frowned as the tall blond answered, and glanced back over the notes Zechs had been reading. Huh…I guess some of that stuff wouldn’t be obvious unless you had spent most of your life perfecting the art of breaking and entering.

“Shit…” Zechs tossed the receiver at the phone, not appearing to notice when he missed, as he was already heading for the door while shrugging into his jacket. “I’m probably gonna be late, don’t wait dinner for me if you guys go home before I get back. You have the key I gave you, right?”

“Yeah…” Duo said to the closing door as Zechs vanished down the hall at a pace just short of a dead run. “No…problem.” With a sigh, he reached over the desks to hang up the phone.

* * *

Zechs stared around him at utter chaos and sighed. How the hell did I let Une rope me into this mess? The front parlor of Senator Jameson’s mansion was overflowing with security personnel, police officers and Preventers, not to mention the Senator, his staff and his distraught wife. Meeting Une’s eyes across the room, they both winced a little as the Senator began demanding for the seventh time since they’d arrived that somebody do something to find his daughter. Believe me, I wish I knew what to do. At least I’m not the one actually in charge of this investigation…

‘Keep telling yourself that,’ Treize grumbled near his shoulder. ‘But we both know that Une is only here for show as the head of Preventers. While she is a more than adequate administrator and tactician… she’s never actually worked in the field as an investigator.’

Silently agreeing, Zechs frowned and made his way across the room to where Une was standing with one of the Senator’s aides, the Mayor, and the Chief of Police for Sanck’s capital city. And this case is going to be unusually high profile. Any missteps are going to be… bad.

Excusing herself from the small knot of politicians, Une met him halfway. “Thank you for coming down here, Agent Wind.”

He nodded. “How long ago since the kidnapper’s called?”

“Six hours.” She glanced around. “The Senator is about to go ballistic. They asked for 5 million for the safe return of Seely Jameson, and gave a twenty four hour time limit for him to raise it.”

“Who took the call?” He asked grimly.

“Mrs. Jameson.” Une gestured at the pale woman sobbing on the couch. “She’s been hysterical since then.”

“Any idea who saw the little girl last?”

“Her nanny tucked her in about 7 p.m. last night, as usual. Apparently, it’s somewhat normal for her to get out of bed by herself in the morning and go play, so no one noticed she was missing until nearly nine a.m. They spent several hours searching the grounds before the call came at noon.”

“This is turning into a sideshow,” He muttered. “We’ve got to get some of these people cleared out. They may have already destroyed any potential evidence that might have given us a clue how the Senator’s daughter was kidnapped.

“I’ll see what I can do.” She scowled at the room at large, and he saw more than one former Oz soldier pale and start edging for the doors.

Zechs watched silently as Une and the Chief of Police gradually got the crowd to disperse into side rooms where police officers and the Preventers agents called in as backup for Zechs and Une were taking statements and checking alibis before sending the staff members home. Mrs. Jameson was still sobbing quietly on the couch, holding a framed photograph of the smiling, six year old Seely.

“Prince Peacecraft… thank you for taking charge of this case.” Senator Jameson moved to his side. “I know that if anyone can find Seely, it will be the Preventers.”

“It’s our job.” Zechs tried not to roll his eyes, understanding the man’s distress over his daughter’s abduction. “Though I’m not a Prince anymore Senator. Just another citizen of Sanck. Lady Une is actually in charge of this investigation.”

“Er…yes.” The Senator dismissed that with a wave of one pudgy hand. “Of course… So what do we do next, your highness?”

Treize just rolled his eyes where he was standing a few feet away. Zechs successfully fought down a laugh and tried to think of something placating to say. He could appreciate the man’s distress, but the Senator had been buzzing around the room and getting in the way since they had arrived.

“We’re finished taking statements from the staff that were here last night,” Une spoke from behind them, saving Zechs from having to answer. “A forensics team is currently working in Seely’s room looking for any evidence the kidnapper may have left behind. How are you doing in preparing the ransom? Just in case we need to go that far to catch the people behind this…?”

“My accountant said he would have everything ready by 9 a.m. tomorrow morning.”

“Good.” Une sighed. “In that case, Senator, all you and Mrs. Jameson can do at this point is wait. And let us do our jobs.”

“Yes, yes of course…” With a last beseeching look at Zechs, the Senator moved over to sit beside his wife and quietly took her hand.

“Any ideas?” Une asked quietly.

“None… I wish there were a recording of the call from the kidnappers. It might have given us a little more to go on…” He shrugged. “Are those the statements? Perhaps once I have a chance to read through them, something will fall into place. Have the Senator’s Security staff, or the Police found out how the kidnappers entered the mansion?”

“No… and so far forensics have not found anything to indicate anyone but Seely, her parents and her nanny were in her room.”

“Perhaps she was taken from outside after all?”

“Perhaps. They’re waiting for more lights before searching the grounds outside.”

Zechs frowned thoughtfully. Something… something was not right about the situation, but he was unable to pinpoint what. Apparently Treize shared his feelings, as the ghost was studying the room with a grim intensity that worried Zechs. A moment later, the apparition crossed the room to look under a cloth-draped table along the far wall. It was harder this time to keep his concentration on the conversation with Une; but he knew it would look too odd if he kept staring at nothing. ‘Treize? What is it…?’

“Zechs? What is…?” Une asked worriedly, and he realized he’d missed part of the conversation after all. When he glanced casually back at the table, Treize had vanished.

“Sorry… just thinking.” He shook his head. “What did you say?”

“I asked what you thought the next step should be?”

“I want to call in Dorothy. Her family was close to the Senator’s, she might be able to get more details from Mrs. Jameson about the call from the kidnappers,” Zechs sighed. “And I want to call in Duo.”

“What? He’s not been cleared for fieldwork yet…”

“Lady Une… I think we need him. And Dorothy and I are both willing to partner with him. He’s been sleeping, which was your requirement, wasn’t it?”

“I suppose you’re right. And we’re probably going to need all the spare bodies on this one we can get.” She threw him a thoughtful look. “But why him, specifically?”

“I… think he might be able to figure out how the kidnapper got into the house.” Zechs smiled. “This sort of thing does seem to fit into the realm of his prior experience.”

“He’s kidnapped people before?” she asked skeptically.

“Breaking and entering was his specialty, more so than the other Gundam pilots.”

“There is that.” She scowled. “Fine. Bring him in…but I’m holding you responsible if it turns out to be a mistake.”

“Thank you, Lady.”

“Don’t thank me until it works and we’ve solved this.”