QUEST FOR THE MIRRORED BALL

(AKA NORTH SENDS THE GANG ON A SCAVENGER HUNT)

By Trace

'We have to do what?' Trace exclaimed, moving to the side, and allowing her visitors to enter her room.

Walking through the door, Aly, Roy, and Gray all smiled, thinking that they were getting the exact reaction that they had expected. The very thought that Trace would have to participate in a Scavenger Hunt was more than any of them could handle. As if to emphasize the sheer pleasure such a game would illicit, Roy laughed out loud, quickly covering his mouth when Trace turned her gaze on him.

'Let me get this straight,' Trace began, her head turning, and her steady gaze settling on Aly. 'We are being told to participate in, of all things, a CLHQ Scavenger Hunt?'

'Yep,' Aly answered, smiling and barely able to maintain her glee. 'But you haven't heard the best part yet,' she said.

'Whats that? Don't tell me, the reward is an evening with Michael? No wait, that would be the losers gift,' Trace commented, snorting in spite of herself.

'Now stop it!!' Aly exclaimed. 'No, the winner... now get this... gets exclusive rights and usage of the seldom seen, yet widely admired... mirrored ball!!!!'

When Aly finished, she couldn't help but laugh, because Trace was actually at a loss for words. The very thought that Trace could be made to be quiet, more than shocked the threesome in front of her.

Walking over, and waving his hand back and forth in front of her face, Gray looked back at Aly and Roy. 'I think we over did it gang,' he began. 'We should have eased her into it. She may be in shock, or brain overload.'

Roy and Aly both stifled laughs, then Aly walked over and punched Trace in the arm. 'Hey!!! Stop it!!! That hurt!!!' Trace yelled, drawing back her fist to punch Aly back. Before she could Gray grabbed her arm, and eased it down.

'So, are we going to do this or not?' Roy asked, walking up and placing his arm around Aly's waist.

'What? You mean the four of us...a team?' Trace asked, still rubbing her shoulder where Aly had hit her. Aly just rolled her eyes, and smiled. 'I didn't hit you THAT hard,' Aly giggled, as Trace just continued to think over Roy's proposition.

'Yeah,' Trace decided, squinting her eyes until they were little slits. 'I think we should give it a go.'

She then turned from the small group of scavengers, and headed for the door. Behind her, the others looked from her to each other. 'I am not liking that look she just had,' Roy offered, with Gray shaking his head in agreement. Aly only moved forward, towards the door, and in the wake of her friend. 'If you only knew,' she muttered, 'if you only knew.'

****************

'Okay, who has the MAP?' Roy asked, shifting the shoulder strap of his large black bag.

'You have GOT to be kidding me!!!' Trace exclaimed, looking at Aly and Roy in front of her.

'What?!?!?!' Aly asked, innocently.

'Do you really think that was necessary?' Trace asked, as the twosome looked to one another, shrugged their shoulders, and then looked back to Trace.

'To what are you referring?' Roy inquired, using his Michaelesque blank stare. Trace couldn't help but laugh. Aly and Roy just stared at Trace, a complete look of confusion on their faces.

'Come on!! You know what I mean,' Trace said, gesturing up and down with her hand, 'for goodness sakes!!! Matching mission gear...complete down to skin tight leather pants? I bet you all had to jump off a dresser to get into them,' Trace giggled.

'We did not!!!' Aly exclaimed, placing her hands on her hips in agitation. 'We used a SHOE HORN if you really must know!!'

All three burst out in laughter, only to be hushed quiet by Gray. 'You all want to keep it down,' he said, coming around the corner, and looking quite serious. 'Keep this up, and the whole place will know where we are, and where we have been!!'

'Been, schmeen!!' Trace joked, then turned serious when she saw Gray's stern look. 'Okay, mon capitain!! What is first on the agenda?' Trace inquired, saluting Gray in a very comical, satirical way.

'First up, is an easy one,' Gray offered, smiling at the group. 'All we have to do, is sneak into the tower, and retrieve Operations personal pair of NAIL CLIPPERS.'

Aly, Trace, and Roy looked from Gray, to one another, and let out a loud and resounding collective... EWWWWWWW!!!!

'Shush!!!' Gray said, putting his finger to his lips.

'I can not believe I am doing this,' Aly whispered. 'You and me both,' Trace offered'This is SO above and beyond the call,' Trace muttered, as the group headed for the Tower.

*********

'Okay,' Trace said, squinching up her face, dropping the NAIL CLIPPERS into the black bag, carried by Roy. Before he could close the flap, Trace presented her other item. 'Hold on cowboy!! I was also able to get this,' she said, presenting a half-burnt aromatherapy CANDLE.

'Where did you find that?' Roy asked, placing the item in the bag. Trace smiled, and wiped her hands on her pants, trying to get the feeling *EWWW* off of them.

'Next to the NAIL CLIPPERS. Either Operations is clipping by candle light, or he uses it for romantic, foreplay reasons. Remind me to ask Northy when we get done here,' Trace mentioned, as Gray pulled out the MAP, and the list for the hunt.

'Okay gang, next up is a MAP,' Gray offered. 'Well, that one is easy,' Aly replied, 'we have one right there,' she said, pointing at the one in Gray's hands.

'Right you are Aly,' Gray answered, then continued. 'Next is a CHEESECAKE.'

The entire group laughed, and Trace rolled her eyes. 'Like there is a CHEESECAKE in this place, and Curlly hasn't gotten it? Fat chance!!!'

'Wait,' Roy said, a smile spreading across his face, 'What about CHEESECAKE crumbs? It doesn't say a whole CHEESECAKE, so wouldn't crumbs work?'

Aly smiled, and threw her arms around Roy, kissing him lingeringly. Trace only placed her hands on her hips, and rolled her eyes. 'Oh puleaze!!!,' she exclaimed, 'it wasn't that great or original an idea.'

'I think it was absolutely pure genius,' Aly replied, gazing into Roy's green eyes.

Suddenly, a loud whirl brought her attention back to those around her. Standing in front of the door to Curlly's room, and holding a dust buster was a smiling Trace. 'Dust buster, never leave home without it. Shall be get us some crumbs?' she asked, as she slowly and quietly opened the door to Curlly's room, and entered.

****************

'Thank goodness Curlly wasn't in,' Gray said, as Trace emptied the contents of the dust buster into a small plastic baggie, and placed it in Roy's shoulder bag.

'Yeah,' Trace agreed, 'kinda figured she was out hunting with the rest of the gang.'

'Hey, wait,' Aly chimed in, as she exited Curlly's room. 'I was able to find a COMPUTER DISK lying on her desk. Wasn't that one of the items on the list?' Aly asked, handing the disk to Roy, who placed it with the rest of the stuff.

'I believe you are right, Aly,' Gray replied, as he skimmed over the list of items. 'Yep, here it is, number four. Good job!!!'

'What all do we have left?' Roy asked.

Gray scanned the list once again, then looked to the group. Three things...an UMBRELLA...which is no problem. I had one when I arrived, and left it in Trace's room. A BAND AID, and a SHOE HORN.'

'We can use the SHOE HORN that Aly and Roy used to get into their mission pants,' Trace exclaimed, as Aly and Roy looked to each other and smiled mischievously. 'That leaves just the BAND-AID. That could pose a problem.'

'Why's that?' Gray asked, his brow furrowed in confusion.

'Because,' Aly began, 'all of that kind of stuff is kept in the Med-lab, and it is sure to be closed this time of night.'

'See,' Roy said, turning to Aly, 'I told you this whole black mission gear motif would come in handy. We will just sneak in there, and get the band aid. No problem.'

Trace and Aly looked to Roy, then too each other. 'This boy needs to get a clue, and fast,' Trace offered, and Aly nodded in agreement.

'How hard could it be?' Gray asked, as both girls only shook their heads in disbelief.

******************

'Would you please get your hand off my butt Roy!?!?!?!?' Trace whispered, as she was hoisted over the wall. 'I am so gonna kill you when we are done,' she grunted through clenched teeth.

'Chill out Trace!!! You think I like the view?' Roy answered, as Aly snorted in response.

'Did I ask for any comments from the MG section on this?' Trace asked, as Roy gave her one last lift, and propelled her over the wall. She went flying with an *AHHHH* and landed with a *kaTHUD*.

'Would you keep it down over there?' Gray yelled, in a rather hushed tone. 'Sorry, I will try to fall quieter next time,' Trace replied, as she stood up and brushed herself off. 'I can not believe I let them talk me into this,' she muttered, as she scanned the area. After making sure there were no alarms, or security breaches, she signaled the go ahead for the others to come over the wall.

Once they were all over, they headed for the outer entrance of Section. 'Why didn't we just go through the front door, again?' Trace asked, continuing to scan the area. 'Because, how would we explain the reason we were here to Operations? None of us are scheduled to be here for another two days,' Aly answered.

Before Trace could come back with a reply, a loud siren went off, and flashing lights were everywhere. In the time it took them all to catch their breath, they were surrounded by fellow operatives, and were being herded into Section.

After being escorted to the observation deck, and being told to wait, they were greeted with his highness himself...Operations.

'Let me guess,' he began, grinning like a shark, 'this was all part of some elaborate scavenger hunt, to help with a little stress relieving?'

The foursome's mouth dropped open in unison, unable to believe that Operations knew. 'How did you know?' Aly asked, the first to regain the use of her mouth.

'Because, every one of you girls from CLHQ have been her tonight. Talk about a very unorganized, ill equipped group of operatives. I have suggested to Madeline that maybe you all need a few hours to better hone your skills.' Operations answered, placing his hands in his pockets. 'Now, get down to med-lab, and have those scratches looked at,' he said to Trace, then turned from the group.

Heading down the steps, and arriving at the bottom, the group turned towards the Med-lab. Looking over, Trace saw Roy smiling, and came to a halt. 'What are you grinning about?' she asked, 'did I just miss something up there?'

'No, its just that, since we are going to Med-lab, we can get the last item on the list. We can get the BAND-AID.'

Aly and Trace looked to one another then back to Roy. 'Roy,' Trace began, 'shut up!!,' Aly finished.

Then they started moving towards Med-lab again, Trace muttering the whole way, 'how do I get myself into these things...'

THE END

This story ©copyright Trace, 2000