Open ACME Retro

[Ivy]

The flight back was relatively uneventful and as soon as the team landed they began their assigned tasks. Ivy was in charge of the section she set up, as were the other Junior Detectives. Unlike the morning, there was less time for jokes and rude gestures at the camera by Lee Jordan.

It didn't take very long for ACME to be on their way again, this time headed to El Guero Canelo. Conveniently it was to continue their search for clues and satiate growing hunger pains.

 

[Agent Z]

Zack got a small nap along the road. He had his iPod on, listening to the latest top 20s list, while dreaming of being chased by a Yeti in Tibet. The Yeti was just about to grab him when the SUV hit a small pot hole, jarring him awake.

"Ahh, don't kill me!" Zack yelled, as his eyes flew open.

He noticed that he was safe. There was no Yeti. There was no snow... but they were in front of El Geuro Canelo.



It looked a bit run down and dirty, but that's usually where the best food in the world comes from.

"Those thieves sure knew how to pick a lunch spot," he joked, "I say the first thing we do is a reenactment of what we think they would have done... and that includes going to order and eat some of those hot dogs!"

 

[Nace Bilby]

Nace, as a matter of caution, had loaded a heavy duty plastic case into the back of one of the SUVs. It was an unmanned ground vehicle, a variation on the US military Talon Robot.

He did grin, lightly, at Goliath's small whine about being left at the kennel back at headquarters. "Sorry boy, you're too young to go on active cases."

He went in and started driving the SUV that Zack and some of the team had been riding in. He obviously had to deflect quite a few jokes at driving on the right side of the road.

"You mean the wrong side of the road." Nace joked, and started the drive till winding up at the restaurant.

"Ahh, don't kill me!" Zack yelled, as his eyes flew open.

"Really, Zack, I've had my share of complaints regarding my driving back in South Africa, but I've to date not killed anyone whilst doing so." Nace joked.

"Those thieves sure knew how to pick a lunch spot," he joked, "I say the first thing we do is a reenactment of what we think they would have done... and that includes going to order and eat some of those hot dogs!"

"Good idea. And I shall bring Goliath something from here as well." Nace replied.

 

[Julie Justice]

Julie had no doubt that they would reach the restaurant safely with Nace driving; after all he had helped all the the Junior Detectives get through some situations that could have been a lot more dangerous than...lunch...In fact, Julie was so at ease, she divided her time between looking out the window...and looking up info on El Guero Canelo on her phone, to see if there were any other items on the Menu that she might want for lunch, other than the Sanora Style Hot Dog... Julie*thinks to herself* "Hmmm...the Beef Burrito Jr..and Beef Taco w/Cabbage also sound kinda good..."

So Julie is a bit *startled* by the words,"Ahh, don't kill me!" Zack yelled, as his eyes flew open. Julie*laughs a bit* as she says to @Agent Z, "It's OK; I have dreams like that a lot, too...I'm a bit of a sci-fi/fantasy/action-adventure-girl...who sometimes says up too late...and I really have to be careful what I read...or watch...or listen to...right before I go to bed. Not that I have had a lot of time for any of that stuff since I came to ACME. But that's OK, I have really enjoyed doing all this Detective stuff. It has been a lot of fun, too."

Julie was glad when they got to El Guero Canelo; it would be nice to get out...ans stretch her legs..and have some lunch!!

 

[Jason West]

After loading everything up, Jason jumped into the driver's seat of the second SUV that had been dropped off at the training facility. Once everyone had gotten into one of the two SUVs @Nace Bilby and Jason made their way to El Guero Canelo. Jason had heard that this particular restaurant was well known for their Sonoran style hot dogs and Jason had vowed that if he ever had a reason to be out this way that he would stop and indulge himself in a few of the specialty hot dogs.

The ride had been filled mainly with small talk among the passengers. As Jason eased into the parking lot, he noticed that the exterior of the building seemed to a little on the rough side but this didn't bother Jason. Growing up in Detroit, Jason had learned to not judge the quality of the food based off the exterior of the restaurant. The exterior of many restaurants in Detroit were in various states of disrepair but the food was usually much better tasting in the more run down restaurants.What many restaurants lacked in curb appeal was made up for in the quality food that they sold.

"We're here." Jason said to his passengers. Jason stepped out into the bright sun and was surprised by the heat from the desert.

"Get whatever you guys would like to eat and drink. Lunch today is my treat. You guys have been working very hard and in my opinion have been showing great teamwork." Jason said to the group before he approached the building.

As Jason made his way inside, he was greeted by a young woman standing behind the counter. Jason explained that the group was all together and to just keep track of what everyone ordered and he would come back in to take of the bill before they set out on the road again. He quickly placed his order and stepped to the side to let the next person in line place their order.

After Jason got his food and drinks, he made his way back to the SUV and pulled out his laptop to begin reviewing security footage from the wireless cameras on the building and the surrounding traffic cameras.

 

[Joe Kerr]

"Get whatever you guys would like to eat and drink. Lunch today is my treat. You guys have been working very hard and in my opinion have been showing great teamwork."

The smell of grease was the first thing that assaulted Joseph's senses as he took in the 'restaurant'. It was certainly a popular joint with the locals, which from his experience, was always a good sign. If the locals didn't touch a place, it was a sure indication that it was either a tourist trap or just not very good; either way, you were best served avoiding the place altogether.

Joseph smiled as he observed the JDs lining up to order; it was a rare moment of carefree relaxation for the class. @Jason West had kindly decided to give them a treat; a nice gesture most fitting for the occasion.

Leaving everyone to enjoy the deep fried spicy delicacies, Joseph slipped out to place some phone calls. Looking through his contact list, he looked up a couple of acquaintances from his time in 'the dark side'. He hoped that his old 'friends', being locals, would be able to provide some useful 'travel advice' for them.

 

[Agent Z]

"Me gustaría pedir un perro caliente con guacamole por favor." Zack asked for one of the Sonora style hotdogs with a large helping of guacamole, "Hey! They have Hibiscus Jarriots too!"

Jarriots was a brand of mexican soda that the young detective had developed a taste for, having grown up next to a Latin American grocery in San Francisco. The sweet, fizzy drinks came in all sorts of fruit flavours, which made them stand apart from the brownish colas that were usually the norm.

"Anyone want one?"

He was more than ready to start eating. While Zack knew they were still technically on the trail of some dangerous guys but it was also nice to have a little down time to relax. You usually found out more about people seeing them at ease.

 

[Julie Justice]

Julie Justice was happy to have a moment to stand still. Having looked at the menu on her phone before they got to the restaurant, she had decided to have a Beef Burrito Jr., and after asking about some of the flavors of the Jarriots Mexican Sodas, she decided she would try a Tamarind Soda, which was described to her as being an apple soda with lemon flavor...so sort of like tea..but not tea...exactly.

Once again, Julie checked the right front pocket of her pants, to make sure the small, round pill box was still there. It had a very long, challenging, fun morning...and under the circumstances...taking her medication a dose of her medication a little early was probably a good idea.

Julie was looking forward to having some good food...and getting to know some of her fellow Junior Detectives a little bit better, too.

 

[Ivy]

The burritos were well worth the trip.

As lunch went on, she observed a few things: Just as he had been this morning, Jason West was charitable when it came to food, Zack, seemed to have a bottomless stomach, their instructor Joe Kerr left the 'party' early to place a few calls outside, and Julie Justice took a few pills from a round case. It was relatively standard, but Monaghan was starting to wonder who else was watching their group.

She caught site of a small camera on the fast food joint's ceiling. There were at least two more outside. Roadside spots like this often had a small security circuit, but there was always the possibility of damaged or decoy pieces.

She remembered an old case log about thieves making off with several paintings in a city museum years ago. They were able to pull it off because every single outdoor camera was a plastic imitation. Sometimes, it was better to be safe than sorry.

"I hope we can get something on film," Ivy pointed to the glossy black half-sphere with a blinking light, "Though we might have our work cut out for us... judging from the dust, these cameras weren't installed recently."

 

[Julie Justice]

The atmosphere in the restaurant was inviting. Somehow, it was both lively... and relaxed...at the same time. Julie was glad to find a spot at one of the tables to sit..and put down her food. Fortunately, she had been smart enough to make sure that she asked the person that handed her food to her to open her soda for her. Of course...that meant that she had to be careful not to spill Tamarind Soda all over herself in the few steps it took to walk over and sit down at the table.

Julie put down her food and drink, and carefully took the cap off her soda. Now was was not the time to get cocky...there was still a chance that she could spill it all over herself...in front of everyone. She reached into the right front pocket of her pants, and took out the round silver pill box with the black enamel lid with the silver Celtic design on it.

If she remembered correctly, it was supposed to protect you from evil spirits that lived in the forest. They were attracted to the design, and would get trapped inside it, and not be able to get out. Julie had no desire to see if there was any truth to the story by walking through the woods near her home in Ohio...or anywhere else for that matter.

She liked the design because to her, it kind if looked like an abstract flower in bloom. Making sure her hands were dry, she took out one of her small white pills, and drank a little of her soda.

Mmmm...she kind of liked that soda...she remembered that Zack said there was a Latin grocery store in San Francisco grocery store that sold this brand of soda. When they got home, she would have to ask him exactly where it was, and she would have to check and see if they had this flavor. Julie *smiled* a bit when they phrase,"When they got home" popped into her head. Noone here was related...except for Zack and Ivy...of course. And they weren't Detectives yet either. But they had already spent so much time working together this morning...and they got along so well...for the most part. In a way...she already felt like knew these people. And she didn't know how else to describe it.

She took a bite of her Beef Burrito, Jr. She had had burritos before, of course. The small town she was from in Ohio wasn't that small, after all. But it had been a long time since she had one...and none of them had been this good!!

As she chewed her food, Julie looked around for a moment. She saw all her fellow Junior Detectives, happily eating...and talking. She saw everyone...except Kidman. She looked around again and saw all her instructors...except Joe Kerr. It was strange how those two people were always disappearing all the time. They were both very mysterious...to say the least.

Everyone continued to have a good time eating and talking about various random subjects. Meaningless stuff, mostly. But when a group of people are getting to know each other, nothing is really meaningless.

Julie didn't realize how close she was sitting to Ivy. She was surprised when Ivy said,

"I hope we can get something on film," Ivy pointed to the glossy black half-sphere with a blinking light, "Though we might have our work cut out for us... judging from the dust, these cameras weren't installed recently."

Julie looked at Ivy...and...at the camera and nodded, and said,"Yes...that would be great. It would certainly make all of jobs easier, wouldn't it? That is..assuming the cameras actually work."

Julie stood up for a moment, and before putting her small round pill box in her pocket, she said to Ivy,"I have epilepsy. But it well-controlled with this medication."

Julie sat down again and ate the last bite of her food and drank the last bit of her soda and continued to enjoy chatting with her classmates.

 

[Nace Bilby]

Nace had gotten a burrito as well, and sitting at a table, enjoying his meal he heard his cell phone go off. Reaching into a cargo pocket on the right side of his pants he took out the phone and smiled.

The name Angela was visible as well as the phone number on the screen. He smiled and answered, "Hullo."

He listened for a bit as his girlfriend told him about how things were going at ACME's Cape Town branch, how her day had gone, and the lot.

"The JD's are on a case now, and I'm keeping an eye on them with the other instructors. They're coming along rather nicely." Nace replied, smiling as he did.

He listened a little more as Angela caught him up on things at the Cape Town office, a small smile on his face.

"I miss you too, Angel." Nace said softly, before taking another glance to his charges, ensuring everything was alright before saying, "I love you, and I'll call later on."

Nace hung up the phone before heading over with some of the other instructors to see what the plan of action would be after checking the surveillance tapes...

 

[Ennai]

Ennai plunked down with her Very Mucho burrito with a side of chips, 3 different salsas, cucumbers, chilies, jalepeños, grilled onions, and a lime Jarritos in tow. She picked up the massive burrito, examining all its angles with appreciation, elbows propped up on the table in the way that's only acceptable when eating massive finger food, and took her first bite. She closed her eyes and tilted her head back, a stifled groan escaping her throat. "Holy crap, I've missed being out west." She straightened up, dipped a chip in a dark brown salsa, and popped it in her mouth. Ennai looked around the table seriously. "Clearly, I'm dead, and this is heaven." She took a brief moment to give thanks that heaven had AC, and looked back at her food shaking her head a hint of a smile quirking her lips. Then she slowly and methodically continued eating until she had quietly polished off the last of her burrito and swept up the few fallen beans and the few remaining onions with her last couple of chips. Finally, after pausing a moment to digest, she glanced over at Nace. "How are things in Cape Town?" Ennai asked.