Heist 10, Challenge 17 - Route One - Team Hacker
Challenge 17 - Route One - The Quick Revenge Job (Poster #3)
“Are you sure you wanna do this?” Nate asked.
“Not really, no.” Eliot said.
“What do you mean not really, no?” Hardison snapped, cutting Eliot off. “This is Parker we're talking about here. Not some two bit blonde you met at the bar and had a one night stand with, but Parker. Par-ker.”
Eliot scowled. “You didn't let...”
“I should have known.” Hardison said, shaking his head.
“What do you mean you should have known?” Eliot demanded.
Hardison dropped what he was doing, puffing out his chest as he got into the hitter's face. “I mean I should have known. You pulled this same crap when she got trapped in the Wakefield building.”
“What the hell are you talking about?” Eliot snapped.
“I ain't too crazy about doing this in broad daylight.” Hardison's voice rose as he mimicked Eliot, then went back to his own voice. “You didn't want to save her then and you don't want to save her now. Well fine, I'll save her my own damn self, don't need your help.”
As Eliot and Hardison continued to argue, Sophie brushed against Nate and slid her hand along his arm.
“You aren't going to stop them?” She asked.
“Wasn't planning on it.” Nate said back.
“Nate...” Sophie gave a gently squeeze to his arm and nodded towards the other two. Nate sighed as he focused back on the other two.
“Oh, you're gonna save her?” Eliot smirked. “How, huh? You're scared of stuffed animals, Hardison.”
“First of all, I ain't afraid of stuffed animals. I just don't like it when they come to life. Ain't you seen Chucky? Creepy, man, super creepy.” Hardison said. “And at least I'm trying to rescue her, what are you doing, just standing around with your no not really's. Maybe if you'd been...”
“Maybe what?” Eliot said, his eyes narrowing. “Finish that thought, Hardison. Go on, I dare ya.”
“Okay, okay, that's enough.” Nate said loudly, causing the other two to stop. “If we're going to do this, we're gonna have to work together. We've been up against him before and he knows our tricks. We're gonna have to trust each other in order for this to work, otherwise there's no point in trying. Can you two do that? Trust each other to rescue Parker or should I just call Moreau and give the okay to kill her now?”
“What? Give the okay...” Hardison's mouth dropped open slightly as he looked at Nate and then turned a disgruntled frown on Eliot. “Can you believe that? Girl's only been gone for 48 hours and he's already throwing in the towel.”
“Not cool, Nate.” Eliot growled, glaring at Nate. “Not cool.”
Nate rolled his eyes a bit. “So, we're all in.”
“Yeah, we're in dammit.” Hardison snapped.
“Good. We have a few seconds before the note says he's supposed to call.” Nate said as the phone rang. “That's him. Hardison, put him on the screen.”
Damien Moreau's head filled the screen as a call came through. Hardison immediately began tracing the IP address in hopes of finding out his location.
Damien's voice crackled through the speakers as he panned the camera back and over until they could see Parker tied to a chair. “There's your proof of life.”
“Parker?” Nate called out to her, but there was no movement from her on the other side of the camera.
“Why isn't she responding?” Sophie asked.
“If you hurt her...” Eliot's threat hung in the air.”
“She's not dead.” Damien's face smiled down at them from the screen. “She's just... resting. And I would never hurt a beautiful woman, Eliot. You of all people should know that. Unless of course, they like that sort of thing. Does she like that, Eliot?”
“Don't you dare tou...” Hardison raved.
“You touch her and I'll kill you, Moreau.” Eliot broke in. “You know me, Damien. This ain't something you want to test me on. It ain't a threat or a promise, it's fact. If you touch her, I will kill you.”
“No, Eliot, I'll kill her. If I see any of you, she's dead. You know what testing me does, Eliot, so don't. You'll get a list of demands within the hour. The first one not fulfilled and your pretty little barbie gets a bullet in her head.”
Eliot growled as the screen went black and the call ended. “Son of a...”
“Now what?” Hardison demanded of Nate.
“Now, we rescue Parker.” Nate said. “Sophie, get Tara on board. Eliot, find some help.”
Sophie nodded and walked away with the phone already to her ear. Eliot followed suit.
“Hardison, were you able to locate them?” Nate asked.
“Yes and no.” Hardison said. “I tracked their signal to New York, but it's still pinpointing where in New York. Should be done in a couple minutes.”
“Tara's in. She'll be here in the morning.” Sophie said as she rejoined the group.
“Quinn, too.” Eliot said, rejoining them.
“They just shut the phone off, Nate, but I got a city. They're in New York, the city.” Hardison said. “I can't narrow it down any further until they turn their phone back on.”
“Great. Okay, guys. Here's what we're gonna do.” Everyone drew in close to Nate as he began to outline the plan to save their thief.
“Are you sure you wanna do this?” Nate asked.
“Not really, no.” Eliot said.
“What do you mean not really, no?” Hardison snapped, cutting Eliot off. “This is Parker we're talking about here. Not some two bit blonde you met at the bar and had a one night stand with, but Parker. Par-ker.”
Eliot scowled. “You didn't let...”
“I should have known.” Hardison said, shaking his head.
“What do you mean you should have known?” Eliot demanded.
Hardison dropped what he was doing, puffing out his chest as he got into the hitter's face. “I mean I should have known. You pulled this same crap when she got trapped in the Wakefield building.”
“What the hell are you talking about?” Eliot snapped.
“I ain't too crazy about doing this in broad daylight.” Hardison's voice rose as he mimicked Eliot, then went back to his own voice. “You didn't want to save her then and you don't want to save her now. Well fine, I'll save her my own damn self, don't need your help.”
As Eliot and Hardison continued to argue, Sophie brushed against Nate and slid her hand along his arm.
“You aren't going to stop them?” She asked.
“Wasn't planning on it.” Nate said back.
“Nate...” Sophie gave a gently squeeze to his arm and nodded towards the other two. Nate sighed as he focused back on the other two.
“Oh, you're gonna save her?” Eliot smirked. “How, huh? You're scared of stuffed animals, Hardison.”
“First of all, I ain't afraid of stuffed animals. I just don't like it when they come to life. Ain't you seen Chucky? Creepy, man, super creepy.” Hardison said. “And at least I'm trying to rescue her, what are you doing, just standing around with your no not really's. Maybe if you'd been...”
“Maybe what?” Eliot said, his eyes narrowing. “Finish that thought, Hardison. Go on, I dare ya.”
“Okay, okay, that's enough.” Nate said loudly, causing the other two to stop. “If we're going to do this, we're gonna have to work together. We've been up against him before and he knows our tricks. We're gonna have to trust each other in order for this to work, otherwise there's no point in trying. Can you two do that? Trust each other to rescue Parker or should I just call Moreau and give the okay to kill her now?”
“What? Give the okay...” Hardison's mouth dropped open slightly as he looked at Nate and then turned a disgruntled frown on Eliot. “Can you believe that? Girl's only been gone for 48 hours and he's already throwing in the towel.”
“Not cool, Nate.” Eliot growled, glaring at Nate. “Not cool.”
Nate rolled his eyes a bit. “So, we're all in.”
“Yeah, we're in dammit.” Hardison snapped.
“Good. We have a few seconds before the note says he's supposed to call.” Nate said as the phone rang. “That's him. Hardison, put him on the screen.”
Damien Moreau's head filled the screen as a call came through. Hardison immediately began tracing the IP address in hopes of finding out his location.
Damien's voice crackled through the speakers as he panned the camera back and over until they could see Parker tied to a chair. “There's your proof of life.”
“Parker?” Nate called out to her, but there was no movement from her on the other side of the camera.
“Why isn't she responding?” Sophie asked.
“If you hurt her...” Eliot's threat hung in the air.”
“She's not dead.” Damien's face smiled down at them from the screen. “She's just... resting. And I would never hurt a beautiful woman, Eliot. You of all people should know that. Unless of course, they like that sort of thing. Does she like that, Eliot?”
“Don't you dare tou...” Hardison raved.
“You touch her and I'll kill you, Moreau.” Eliot broke in. “You know me, Damien. This ain't something you want to test me on. It ain't a threat or a promise, it's fact. If you touch her, I will kill you.”
“No, Eliot, I'll kill her. If I see any of you, she's dead. You know what testing me does, Eliot, so don't. You'll get a list of demands within the hour. The first one not fulfilled and your pretty little barbie gets a bullet in her head.”
Eliot growled as the screen went black and the call ended. “Son of a...”
“Now what?” Hardison demanded of Nate.
“Now, we rescue Parker.” Nate said. “Sophie, get Tara on board. Eliot, find some help.”
Sophie nodded and walked away with the phone already to her ear. Eliot followed suit.
“Hardison, were you able to locate them?” Nate asked.
“Yes and no.” Hardison said. “I tracked their signal to New York, but it's still pinpointing where in New York. Should be done in a couple minutes.”
“Tara's in. She'll be here in the morning.” Sophie said as she rejoined the group.
“Quinn, too.” Eliot said, rejoining them.
“They just shut the phone off, Nate, but I got a city. They're in New York, the city.” Hardison said. “I can't narrow it down any further until they turn their phone back on.”
“Great. Okay, guys. Here's what we're gonna do.” Everyone drew in close to Nate as he began to outline the plan to save their thief.