Wade trudged through the dank and damp. There were few people who operated in the shady side of the Londerground nowadays that were trustworthy, and fewer still that could work anonymously.

He wasn't really sure whether or not to follow up on this young PO. He didn't want to arouse suspicion by asking questions to people who wouldn't keep their mouths shut. He'd have to go in blind. It wasn't mission-breaking, but it would give rise to... complications if left unchecked. He withdrew the torn paper from his pocket, looking at it.

A public place. At the very least, people would know if he was killed. Or then again, if she was smart enough to keep her past concealed, she'd probably be smart enough to dispose of him without fuss.

The old man sighed. It didn't do any good to dwell on it. He was too tired to devote any more energy to the subject, and he cleared his head, anticipated his bed, and shuffled slowly into the night.

Pandora sat there for a while after that, staring into nothing.  Her world was, little by little, crashing down around her.  And for the first time in a very long time, she was afraid.  Eventually, she got herself together and pulled herself to her feet.  Taking a deep, shaking breath to clear her head, she looked around for Rikter.  Still no sign.  She wanted to wait for him, she really did...  Just so he'd know she was okay (that is, if he even cared).  But she had an appointment to keep.  Taking out her pen and pad, she was about to leave a note, but stopped.
Can't do that...  She thought to herself.  Already got one person who knows Jetty and I are working together (and who knows what else).  Don't need anyone else clued in.  I can always try to find him later.  Hope he's doing okay.  She paused.  Why was she worried about him?  Maybe it was because she felt responsible for him.  Maybe it was something else.  Who knows. 
She started walking off in the direction from which she came, moving unnoticed past the crime scene and into the tunnel that ran from King's Cross to Liverpool.  She hoped the old man would show.  He was probably her only lead.

As soon as he had heard the sound of running feet, the old man moved to the side alley and waited. He never did like that sound. It usually meant something was moving very fast. And fast objects around him usually lead to accidents. Mostly with him getting hurt.

The running feet slowed down to a walk then to something that made his gait seem fast in comparison. Covering all that wonderful commotion - to his ears - was the heavy breathing of an out-of-shape someone.

Unable to help himself the old man crept closer the only way he knew how - very creepily. He caught sight of the runner putting a young girl down from his arms. Apparently, he had been running while carrying her.

Shrewd eyes narrowed as the realization dawned on him. A kidnapping! Why else would that slob have been running when he obviously never did more than shuffle along in his life. While the girl looked like she could be man-handled by a gnat - by the geezer's estimates, of course.

The poor girl couldn't even scream for help as she steadied herself. This was a job for... 'me,' he thought.

Four quick hushed steps belying his age and his walking stick was in position. The orthopedic cane landed with a dull thud against the back of Rikter's skull.

"No time to lose," he whispered gruffly as he took the girl's wrist and started dragging her away almost immediately, hoping the blow was strong enough to knock the alleged kidnapper unconscious for a bit at the very least, and certainly not bothering to better understand the situation.

Three o' clock. A faint drip echoed through Wade's dormitory. Plip! Plip! Each successive drop mingled, pooling on the floor, disrupting the pragmatic organization of the room. Nothing was out of place. There were no chairs strewn about, no documents upon the table, little at all in the way of decoration. Everything was arranged according to Wade's more compulsive principles, each and every part of his life stowed where they belonged.

Wade was sound asleep. Then he woke up. A crack reverberated through his abode, the stillness dissipated. Rather than jump from his bed, Wade remained perfectly still. Light burst in. He whipped his pillow up, hurled it. In the mattress - his gun - gone! He whirled; the intruder had known where his gun was, removed it, had been stalking him, had been here the whole time.

Where'd he go? Wade was alert. Tendons pulsed, adrenaline pumped, and he flexed his arms, tensing and coiling in old habit. The blackness, once comforting, now stifled him, smiting his diminished vision. He lunged at something out of place, a figure where they should be none, dropping his arms together, bringing them up. A hammerlock crashed into the soft skin of a throat, bruising the windpipe, stunning his adversary. Knees crashed into the upper pelvis, cutting off circulation to the legs, knocking his enemy to the floor.

Shots rang out. Light erupted, blinding. Pain - his arm, shoulder, sprayed with his own bullets. Roaring, he kicked the body. Once, twice, thrice, he lost count. He dropped a knee to where the head should be and felt something hard give way.

Dizzy, sticky blood poured from his body. Stumbling, he tripped over the body, fumbling for his alarm system. As his fingers reached towards it, the furtive darkness smote his head and enveloped his body. His consciousness receded.

The first thing he felt was the coldness of his floor. Thoughts raced through his head. He really needed to get his heating fixed. Then - pain.

He let out a yell.

He opened his eyes.

Blinking, he tried to sit up. Tears welled in his eyes against his will, and he coughed blood. His aging frame collapsed back to the floor. He drew ragged breaths from the unflinching air. He looked wildly around, his eyes alighting on Pandora. "You, girl."

He breathed in, out. A trembling hand arced up, resting on the officer's shoulder.

"In the safe," he gasped. "1438921. Red key, oven. Blue key...freezer."

As his eyelids fluttered shut, he muttered under his breath. "Truth has gone, truth has gone, truth has gone."