Coffee Shop Encounters CSE-3: The Depth Charge
Quatre was still yawning by the time he got to work- he had been too excited to sleep after the weekend he'd had, even after taking a long, hot bath to soothe the pains in his body that he could never have admitted to the other guys. And that Trowa would be meeting him for lunch again...
He stopped at the coffee machine on his way in and mechanically prepared himself a large mug full. It was going to be one of those days, he could feel it...
And Julia's face made it even more evident as he walked out to speak with her. He felt bad, actually, for having left her to deal with his problems, but she had insisted that she could handle it.
She had that pinched look around the lips, as though she would slap the next person who said the wrong words to her, and Quatre cringed in guilt. "Hi, Julia. I take it there were problems."
She snorted. "Sir, it's your company, not mine, but if I were you..." She trailed off and looked down at her desktop. "Sorry- not my business."
He sank into the chair facing her desk, concerned. "Rashid obviously didn't tell me the whole story. What happened?"
She gave him a weak smile. "Richards wasn't happy and he made a big stink out of it."
Quatre rolled his eyes. "He's welcome to come back and talk to me about it- he's managing to screw up the aftermath of an incredible weekend."
She fixed him with an intense look. "He wants to call together the directors, sir. He wants to get a vote on you."
Quatre frowned. A vote? Sure- to get someone into my position who won't interfere when he wants to fund his vacation in Greece by shorting a major contract! "Pain in the ass! Has he called the meeting yet?"
Julia shook her head. "No, but he's working on it and he's not going to tell us about it until after the damage is done. I fortunately have other resources."
He looked up into eyes that glinted deviously. "We secretaries should really run this place, sir. We stick together. I think he's gonna have a hard time with scheduling," she said.
He gave her a smile. "Lucky for me, too. Thanks for everything, Julia. I'll take it from here."
~*~
"You can't do that, young man!"
"I can and I have, Scott. Those are the established rules- either live by them or pack your desk," he heard Quatre's voice saying, as he stepped off the elevator.
Chang Wufei quickly got out of the way as a large set of oak double doors flew open and an angry man came out, practically bristling in anger as he stormed forward and roughly shoved the student out of his way. It was all he could do to stare as the elevator doors closed behind the man.
He turned to face the woman behind the desk in front of him with questioning eyes.
She gave him a small smile. "Good morning, sir. Can I help you?"
He nodded, still wondering what could have possibly transpired behind those doors. "Yes- my name is Wufei Chang, and I'd like to speak with Quatre Winner, please."
"Wufei?!" Quatre called from inside the office. A blond-haired form shot out into the executive lobby.
Wufei's eyebrows shot up into his hairline as he observed his friend- the blond was visibly shaken and about as tense as a compressed coil. Even his voice sounded strained as he spoke, "Hi! How's it going?"
Wufei gave him a searching look. "I think I should be asking you that. Trowa asked me to drop in- says he's sorry he can't be here, but his practical session is supposed to run over in a big way."
The blond tried hard not to look disappointed. "Of course! No problem- real life sucks sometimes, doesn't it?"
Wufei cocked an eyebrow. "Looks like you've had a rough morning."
Julia snorted. "You have no idea, Mr. Chang."
Wufei gave his friend a smile. "Um, I don't know how much help I could be, but do you want to tell me about it?"
Quatre hesitated a moment before giving a firm nod. He turned to his secretary. "Julia, would you join us, please, in my office?"
Wufei followed the other two in, eyes wide as he took in the tasteful decoration and expensive-without-being-overbearing feel of the office. Quatre led them over to a set of 19th century couches and waved for them to be seated.
The blond began without any further delay. "Scott Richards is a long time employee of WEI- my father hired him over ten years ago, and he has done some excellent work for the company.
"But... He's the chief architect of our new satellite contract. I fought like hell to get it, but I wasn't involved in any of the design particulars, Richards was. Well, we got the contract and it's been in final development since." Quatre sighed, staring at his hands. "I looked over the books, though- there's been a steady amount of money coming out of the project, and no one knows where it's going. And there have been incredible charges- I suppose it's the way governments fund their covert agencies, but this is private industry! I started checking it out- Scott has been siphoning off funds into private accounts- he's been doing it pretty steadily since father died and I took over."
Quatre finally looked up, fire flashing in his eyes. "The problem is that I have no solid information against him, and if I fire him as I should... he could take the contract and run with it to one of my competitors! Unless I can prove without a doubt that he's guilty..."
Wufei sat back with a frown. "There must be a computer trace of it..."
The blond shook his head. "He's been slick- it goes through the proper channels, and then just disappears. I asked people to try and trace it, but we haven't found anyone who could do it, and then there's the legality issue..."
"His expenditures?" Wufei asked, with a raised eyebrow.
Quatre actually smiled. "That was the first sign- him building the type of house that no one with his salary should be able to afford! We could definitely cast some doubt on him like that, but if I take it to the police, it becomes a legal issue, not a corporate one... and I still lose the contract."
Wufei looked up- both Quatre and Julia were staring at him, as though he held the answers to their problems in his hands. It was a tough position, but he smiled as a thought came to him. "Well, I can try and advise you on the legal and business side of it, though I doubt you need that help from me, but I know someone else who might know how to catch the man in the act. Mind if I make a phone call?"
Quatre gave him a big smile. "Go right ahead- just dial nine for an outside line."
~*~
Heero's eyebrows shot up as he entered Roberto's and found that the ever-present owner was quietly singing: "Allons enfants de la patrie, la jour de gloire est arrive..." The Cajun looked up at him with a strange glint in his eye and pointed him to the back of the room. Curious, he walked in the indicated direction.
It was more than unreal as Wufei waved him over, and he found that Quatre was there as well, accompanied by someone whose clothes fairly screamed 'lawyer.' He nodded greetings to everyone and pulled a chair to the table. "What's up? You said it was important..."
From behind them all came a loud. "Dey're plotting de Revolution, boy! What does dis look like to you, eh?" The man put a fresh coffee in front of each person. "Food's comin.'" He walked off.
Heero turned to the small blond and was met with a shaky smile. "Care to explain this?"
Quatre nodded and began talking. He had told the story enough times by now- it was an easy task for him.
He finally sat back, his eyes glued to the Japanese student intently.
Heero gave the blond and his lawyer piercing looks. "You guys know this is probably illegal?"
Jimmy Frost, Quatre's principal attorney, nodded quietly. "Not probably. It is illegal. Can it be done?"
Heero quirked an eyebrow and sat back silently as Roberto approached their table with a large tray. The Cajun chuckled as he set it down on a neighbouring table and began serving out the plates of gumbo. "He he- you know, I'm not going to say a word to anyone..."
Wufei grinned at the man. "About what, Roberto?"
The man aimed a playful punch at the young Chinese man. "Keep talking like dat, and dere's no more coffee for you!" He walked off again, and they could all hear him humming- "Allons enfants..."
Heero grinned at the others. "Well, I've never done something of this magnitude before, but it is possible, and I'm pretty sure I could do it undetected, if I was within the company firewalls. You do have firewalls, I hope?"
Quatre gave his friend a withering look.
"Okay," Heero tried not to grin as he replied. "I'd need to do it off my laptop, though- special programmes."
Frost looked a bit unnerved. "We'll need your solemn promise that you will only do what has been asked of you..."
"Jimmy!" Quatre exclaimed. "These are my friends you are talking to!"
The man turned back to his employer. "And your friend just happens to be a hacker, sir. I don't want to see..."
Quatre was about to respond, but Heero stopped him with a hand on his shoulder and a shake of his head. "He's right, Quatre. You're giving me a lot of trust, here. And you have my promise."
Quatre nodded, but Frost still had wary eyes on the Japanese. "I mean it- I know your friend is in charge of that orphanage..."
No one predicted how quickly Heero could move as the Japanese boy lunged across the table and grabbed hold of the lawyer's shoulders, forcing the man to meet his eyes. "Duo has nothing to do with this, Frost! You don't want to go there, got it?" He released the man.
"Pull another stunt like that, Jimmy, and you're back to budgeting," a glaring Quatre growled from the side, as Frost straightened his tie.
The other man stiffened. "I'm merely trying to protect your father's company, sir..."
Quatre's eyes flashed. "It is not his anymore- it's mine. Got that?"
Wufei cleared his throat. "If you want to protect it, you're gonna give your boss the support he needs right now. Is that so difficult to understand?"
Quatre flashed the Chinese student an appreciative smile. "When can we do this, Heero?"
The Japanese boy gave him a smile. "Any time you're ready, really, though I don't have any of my stuff with me," he added quickly, seeing the bright look in the executive's face.
Wufei intervened again, "Maybe tonight?"
Quatre smiled and nodded. "Tonight it is. Damn- I'm glad you stopped by!"
~*~
Wufei watched his blond friend apprehensively- the boy had drank enough coffee that his hands were shaky and he was unable to sit still for any prolonged period of time. It was a good thing they had thought to call Trowa and ask him to join them- if not, the full force of the Winner brain on caffeine would have been directed at the two Asians, who were now sitting in front of Heero's computer.
Quatre stood again and began pacing again. "I don't see why we can't just do it already..."
Heero's smile was tempered by patience. "It'll be easier when he's actually making his moves, and it looks like... There!"
Quatre and Trowa were immediately hovering over the other two boys' shoulders as Heero began typing at a blinding pace, his eyes never leaving the computer screen. Finally taking a break, he asked Wufei, "Which package should I be paying the most attention to?"
The Chinese boy pointed. "There- there's no way he's spending forty million, just on ?inch screws!"
Trowa wrapped a long arm around a practically vibrating billionaire's shoulders as the blond began mumbling about crooks and torture devices again. "Just try and relax, Quatre! Heero's good- he's real good."
He got a look of 'thank you' from Wufei as he steered Quatre back towards his desk.
Heero's eyes were bright and sparkling as he worked- he had never gone up against a system like this before, and it was by far the most exhilirating thing he had ever done in his chosen profession. And his target was none too shabby, either...
He smiled as he continued to trace the bundle- it was almost there- he could feel it...
"Hey! I'm in!" Quatre was there immediately, something like a hummingbird bouncing at his shoulder.
"Talk to me- what's going on?!" Trowa put a steadying hand on the businessman's shoulder.
Heero's smile got wider. "Oh- he's smooth, but he'll have to do better than that! Let's see- look! He's transferring it in smaller packages and it's going..."
The others watched in amazement as the Japanese student followed the tracers through three separate banks and finally...
"Gotcha! The account is in Old Switzerland, National Bank of Zurich, account number X51198P." He sat back with a sigh.
Wufei grabbed a hold of his arm. "Is there any way you can find out when his major transactions, like this, took place? If we can find that and match it to the days that major payments came out of WEI..."
"Good idea! Heero, can you..."
The Japanese boy was already on it as Quatre trailed off, staring intently at the screen. "I'm starting a code-breaker programme. With any luck, it should have it for us in a few minutes. That is, if I don't get booted off the network."
Quatre straightened in alarm. "They won't be able to trace you here, will they?"
Heero gave an easy laugh, turning to face them while keeping on eye on the screen. "No- I went in through a bunch of shadow drops and other networks. Even I wouldn't be able to trace it."
The computer beeped loudly, and everyone jumped, suffering the effects of caffeine overdose. Heero hit enter.
The screen went blank for a moment, then began to load the page. They were in. Quatre gave a little yell and threw his arms around Trowa's neck, squeezing the tall boy tightly. "We've got him! The stinky bastard! We've got him!" He planted a kiss on the green-eyed boy's cheek.
Trowa felt a blush rising and was happy that neither Wufei nor Heero were watching. His arms tightened around the billionaire.
Heero finally turned with a triumphant smile. "Where should I print all this stuff to?"
~*~
Trowa insisted on being there two days later, when Quatre called Scott Richards to his office.
The man sat down with a look on his face, as though someone had just force-fed him brussels sprouts. Trowa felt a wonderful burst of glee as he watched the man carefully- he would look far worse before the meeting was done!
Richards looked around angrily, unhappy to see WEI's lawyers in the room, as well as some strange brown-haired kid. "What the hell is this?"
Quatre stood and walked around his desk slowly, leaving the man waiting for his response in a show of strength. "I want to deliver you some terms, Scott. And I want you to pay very close attention." He stopped so that he could look the man in the eyes as he spoke. "In two weeks time, you are resigning from WEI. You will go quietly, and you will not attempt to take any contracts or information with you when you go."
Richards practically laughed. "What the hell would I do that for?"
The small blond did laugh. "Because of account number X51198P."
Richards stopped in mid sneer. "Even if such an account existed, which you can't prove, you have no reason to throw me out for it."
Quatre turned and picked up a folder from his desk. "Actually, I do. According to your bank's records, you transferred 23.7 million in only two nights ago, coincidentally at the same time as you were supposed to be submitting the charges for the Satellite Project. Two weeks back, 18.3 million that was supposed to be spent on... what was it... replacement parts for the mechanical arm? Strange, those parts don't cost anything in that magnitude..."
The man rose from his seat, practically growling in anger. "How the Hell did you get that, Winner?"
Quatre was no longer smiling as he faced the other man down. "You were warned- I told you we would be watching your transactions. You were sloppy. Of course, none of this is admissible, should we take this to court, but I'm sure the authorities could do a much more efficient job of it, if we put them on your trail..."
"You miserable shithead!" Richards stalked towards the smaller man angrily, almost reaching for the boy's throat. "You can't do this! You can't..."
"I just did. You're lucky I'm being generous. You have two weeks." Quatre made a show of turning his back on the other man as he sauntered back towards the huge chair behind his desk.
"We're not finished, Winner!" Richards snarled.
Frost stepped neatly in front of the man. "Oh yes we are, or are you threatening my client in front of this many witnesses? Think for a moment, Mr. Richards."
Richards turned and left, slamming the door behind him so hard that several books fell off a shelf.
Quatre turned to his lawyers. "Did I do that right?"
Frost gave him a small smile. "Yes, sir. He's gone, and if he tries to make trouble..."
Lots of hands were shaken before the lawyers filed out, and Quatre and Trowa were left alone in the office.
The brown-haired boy smiled. "That was an impressive performance, Quatre."
Quatre shrugged. "I feel... I feel so much better! You can't imagine..."
Trowa laughed. "I won't try to!" He hugged the smaller boy close.
The blond felt butterflies in his stomach, but forced them down as he pulled back slightly from Trowa's embrace and pressed his lips lightly to the other boy's in a fleeting caress. He froze as he heard Trowa gasp and felt him stiffen in surprise.
Trowa felt as though... he couldn't describe it, but he quickly pulled Quatre a little closer against himself and kissed the boy back gently, nibbling lightly at the boy's lower lip before he pulled back to smile down into a flushed face. "Still want to eat lunch with me?"
Quatre smiled back. "That would be great."
Trowa pressed one last light kiss to Quatre's lips before pulling back and grinning. "Then let's go."
Julia smiled to herself as the two walked past her desk to get to the elevators. It was really too cute.
~*~
Roberto didn't miss how close the two were standing as they walked in and took a small table under the ceiling fan. He walked over with a knowing grin. "What can I get for you today?"
Quatre smiled back. "Whatever's for lunch and two large coff..."
Trowa clapped a hand over the boy's mouth. "Oh no you don't! You've already passed your coffee quotient for the week!" He turned to Roberto. "Do you do iced tea?"
Roberto didn't miss how Trowa's fingers lingered over Quatre's lips as his hand drew back, and his grin widened. "Sure do!"
He stopped before he vanished behind the counter, turning to look back at the two, who were smiling and talking in low enough voices that they had to lean over the table to hear each other. He grinned. "Super- j'en étais certain!"[1]
OWARI
[1] That means- "Great! I knew it!" (literally- great- I was sure of it!)
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