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Storm and Logan quietly walked back into the room. Storm turned to see that there was a cart nearby, and a dirty plate under the tray lid. "I guess she wasn't asleep the way we thought she was," Storm said. This wasn't the first time she had been fooled by Hawk. She had perfected the skill in pretending to be asleep, that only when they came home late at night would she know that Hawk was truly asleep.

After changing in the bathroom, Storm slipped into the bed, while Logan grabbed a blanket and pillow and placed it onto the floor. "Logan," she said. "Do you have any ideas on how we're going to get into Shaw's files?"

Logan shrugged. "I don't know 'Ro," Logan replied. "We'll discuss it in the morning."

Storm shrugged, then turned out her side-lamp. She fell into a fitful sleep; images of Sabretooth at the edges of her mind.

XMDII

Hawk woke up the next morning to find Storm standing beside her bed. Then she saw the cart from last night still there. Oh, crud, she thought. Busted.

"Who said you could call room service?" Storm asked.

"No one," Hawk said stetching her arms.

"Then why did you?"

"Because you were on a date with Logan," Hawk said. "And I was hungry."

"You know you'll be paying for that with your own money, right?"

Hawk laughed. "Storm, I don't know where you get your ideas sometimes. Of course I knew that." She sat up. "So, is there anything you wanted to tell me about last night?"

"If only you could have been this enthusiastic when I was going out with Sabretooth," Storm muttered.

"Hey, he was a bad guy. Besides, personally, I'd rather have you go out with Logan than Sabretooth any day."

Logan walked into the room just then. "What are you two talking about?"

"Nothing," they both said, looking away from him, Hawk trying to look innocent. "Just some girl talk," Hawk said.

XMDII

Logan and Storm returned to the hotel around lunch time. They picked up the blueprints that Logan was able to get earlier and examined. "Alright," Logan said. "How are going to do this?"

"I was thinking we should send Hawk in," Storm said. "She can shape-shift into anyone at the office if need be. The only issue is getting caught, but I think she can improvise; she does have telepathy."

"No wonder I sometimes feel like she's reading my thoughts; it's because she is."

"I'll talk to her about that."

Hawk came in the door just then. She saw the maps and the looks on their faces. "Don't tell me I'm the one goin' in?" No one answered. "Great," Hawk growled.

XMDII

Hawk crawled through the air vents. She was used to doing this since she was the smallest one at the orphanage to actually use them Through them, she would steal the food and bring it up to the others. That was five years ago, of course, but she still practiced whenever she stayed home; should an emergency situation arise. With her, she had a video camera and a regular camera to take photos with. Luckily, it was digital, so she could clean up any of the blurry images.

When she reached the office area, she dropped down and walked to Mr. Shaw's office. She had already taken care of the security cameras that surrounded the area. Not by cutting them out, but by using a trick from National Treasure to make sure she wasn't seen. She easily picked the locks- one of the good things about having Storm around, she taught you everything she knew- and slipped into the office.

"Alright, I'm in," she said into her com.

"Good," Storm, relief clear in her voice. "His targets should be located in a file in the filing cabinet."

"Probably a locked one," Hawk said. "Keeps snoopers out, and no one would suspect a thing. Either that, or it's in an anagram."

"Just keep looking," Storm said, a little urgently. She clearly wasn't comfortable about this, even though it was her idea to send Hawk in. "Do you have the camera?"

"Storm," Hawk asked exasperatedly, reaching for the camera in her backpack. "Why wouldn't I?"

"Just double-checking. Start videoing now."

"Alright, alright, don't need to get all pushy." She turned the camera on and hit record. "Going into the filing cabinet..." She pulled at each drawer. "...all of them open- wait!" She said as something caught her eye. She bent down to get a closer look. "Storm, why would someone have a drawer for a 'Rag Sett'? Two T's at the end?"

"I don't know. I don't think Shaw cares much about spelling as he does about results and money; but I don't think he cares about wash cloths either."

Hawk only half-listened. She was busy studying and counting the letters. "Wait, hold on." She took out a pencil and a note pad and quickly wrote down the letters.

R A G S E T T

Then she crossed out each letter and wrote under it.

R A G S E T T

TARGETS

"Bingo!"

"What?" Storm asked.

"It's an anagram. Stands for targets."

"Hurry up and get in there then."

"Alright," Hawk said as she opened the drawer. "Sheesh, you think it's easy trying to find the right drawer and solve an anagram at once?"

She looked at the name of each file. One of the names caught her eye.

SARCHEL, XAVIER

She didn't need to write down the name to know that if she put the 'S' at the end of Sarchel; reverse the 'el' to 'le', and put at the beginning, then swapped the names to know whose file it was. She grabbed it, noting the names it was in between, quickly zoomed in with the video camera, did a slow quick-scan, then grabbed the digital camera to take some shots of it.

It took all of five minutes. "Guys," she said. "We have a situation."

"Don't tell me there's someone in the office," Storm begged.

"No, but one of the targets is someone we know. Where's the nearest air vent?"

"There should be one in the corner to your right, just above the bookshelf."

Hawk looked at the bookshelf, it reached all the way to the ceiling. "If there is one, I can't get to it. The bookshelf is blocking it. Is there another one?"

"Behind you, go to the farthest corner from the door."

Hawk looked around that area. "Got it, goin' in."

XMDII

"Alright, I'm in," Hawk said into her com.

"Good," Storm said, relief clear in her voice. "His targets should be located in a file in the filing cabinet."

"Probably a locked one," Hawk said. "Keeps snoopers out, and no one would suspect a thing. Either that, or it's in an anagram."

"Just keep looking," Storm said, a little urgently. She wasn't comfortable about this, even though it was her idea to send Hawk in. "Do you have the camera?"

"Storm," Hawk asked exasperatedly, reaching for the camera in her backpack. "Why wouldn't I?"

"Just double-checking. Start videoing now."

"Alright, alright, don't need to get all pushy." There was a pause. "Going into the filing cabinet..." Hawk started muttering this as she went through the file. Storm sighed and put the com down. She leaned back into the chair and groaned tiredly. Logan came over and placed his hand on her shoulder.

"She's going to be fine, 'Ro," Logan said.

"I know," Storm replied. "I just get worried over her. Hawk calls it 'anxious-mother-syndrome'. Says that she gets worried over little kids sometimes. Even the ones that she doesn't even know. Although, she says it's in the genes for all girls and doesn't become 'anxious-mother-syndrome' until you're a full adult."

Logan shook his head.

"...all of them open- wait!" She said as something caught her eye. She bent down to get a closer look. "Storm, why would someone have a drawer for a 'Rag Sett'? Two T's at the end?"

"I don't know," Storm said, reflexively shrugging. "I don't think Shaw cares much about spelling as he does about results and money; but I don't think he cares about wash cloths either."

"Wait, hold on... Bingo!"

"What?" Storm asked curiously.

"It's an anagram. Stands for targets."

"Hurry up and get in there then," Storm said urgently. Hawk had been in there for over ten minutes, and she didn't know if someone was coming back.

"Alright," Hawk said. There was a sort of rolling sound, like she was opening a drawer. "Sheesh, you think it's easy trying to find the right drawer and solve an anagram at once?"

Storm rolled her eyes at Hawk's comment. There was the sound of rustling papers. Logan started to massage her shoulders again, trying to coax her to relax. Storm didn't know why she even let him do this. When she had been going out with Sabretooth, she didn't even let him touch her shoulders, let alone, her neck. But, since he and Hawk along with her friend Emily came to her rescue last month, she has always felt a sense of security around him.

"Guys," Hawk said, bringing her out of her thoughts. "We have a situation."

"Don't tell me there's someone in the office," Storm begged.

"No, but one of the targets is someone we know. Where's the nearest air vent?"

"There should be one in the corner to your right, just above the bookshelf." Storm said, looking over the blueprints.

"If there is one, I can't get to it. The bookshelf is blocking it. Is there another one?"

Storm looked over the blueprints again. "Behind you, go to the farthest corner from the door."

"Got it, goin' in."

Storm signed off, took the headset off and sighed with relief. They had broken in and got what they needed. Now, they just needed to get back out of the assassination business.





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