My Bad! [chapter 9]

Prologue

10. When Alex comes to visit our headquarters, the proper greeting is not, "You've been in Afghanistan, I perceive." and she does not want to see pictures of Baskerville.
Both are references to Sherlock Holmes. Baskerville, of course, and "You've been in Afghanistan, I perceive." were some of the first words Sherlock Holmes spoke to Dr. Watson. "How are you? You've been in Afghanistan, I perceive."

19. Since your parents agreed to let you stay here, this is your home, but not a zoo. Please keep your ferret, Basil, and your cockatiel, Merle, in your room.
I have a feeling there are going to be many Sherlock Holmes references throughout this story. Basil Rathbone was the first actor to play Holmes on the big screen. Unfortunately, it was the Rathbone films that gave Watson the stereotype of a stupid, fat old man. XD Basil of Baker Street is also known as THE GREAT MOUSE DETECTIVE, suckers, an old Disney film based on you-know-who. Basil of Baker Street lives under Holmes's apartment and solves cases with his buddy Dawson and the nanny housemaid, Mrs. Judson. They are the product of author Eve Titus, who wrote several books with the crime-solving rodents THWARTING EVIL PLANS because they're awesome.

24. I am not an assassin known as Lilliana, no matter what story it was you read online.
A reference to Becca's many stories, of course. ^^

25. Subs is not the Godfather.
37. It's okay for you to talk about the mafia around Subs.
A reference to the Subfather.

42. We know you're the one who wrote "RACHE" on the wall with fake blood. That's vandalization.
More Sherlock Holmes referencing. In A Study In Scarlet, the first story EVER :D, Holmes and Watson investigate a case in which the word "RACHE" is written on the wall of a crime scene in blood. Inspector Lestrade, a cop, whom Holmes outwits every time, suspects a woman was involved because of a wedding ring, and assumes the criminal was going to write "RACHEL". Holmes already has the case solved by then, and tells Lestrade everything he needs to know about the criminal, including "RACHE" is German for "REVENGE". PWNED!

43. Lauren is not a "muggle" or "half-blood".
Harry Potter. Those not of pure wizardly lineage are considered inferior "muggles" and "half-bloods". Fantastic racism!


Chapter 1:

His name is Eddie Brockils.
So, the name "Eddie Brock" kept running through my head. I figured, "Okay, name Mustache Man that." And then I realized why it was so painfully familiar. Spider-Man's rival--who, for a while, was Venom! D'OH! How did I of all people not realize that? So I changed his name to Eddie Brockils. XD

Chapter 2:

No references. :(

Chapter 3:
Still no references. :(

Chapter 4:
"Allow me to take a bit of experience from my good friend John Watson," I stepped back and kicked open the glass door.
In the 2009 Sherlock Holmes movie, when Holmes tries to pick the lock to an accomplice's door, Watson walks up and kicks it in.

Chapter 5:
After listening to Dan McGavok complain about his wrist and ribs hurting again, the rogue FBI agents gave in and injected him with some sort of chemical...morphine, possibly. Lisa was almost positive they didn't even know what they'd given Dan, they'd just hoped he would shut up.
The plan had backfired.
Dan was now singing at the top of his lungs, swaying from side to side.
This isn't exactly a reference, but it is influenced by White Collar, of course. In an episode, the main character, Neal, slips in a doctor's office. Some bad guys catch him snooping, and hold him down, then inject him with some stuff. When his FBI partner Peter finally finds him, he's strapped to a stretcher singing, and tells Peter things he'd never say if he was in his right mind. He's essentially drunk. XD

Chapter 6:
"I don't care, it's my life! It's now or never--"
I'm singing "It's My Life" by Bon Jovi. XD

"Peter! I have the music box!" Now Dan was struggling to sit up, kicking his feet. "Kate! NOOOOO!"
Another White Collar reference because Season 2 premiered Tuesday and I'm currently on a WC kick. I'm pretending I'm the main character, Neal. Peter is his FBI partner (see, if you looked at the reference in chapter 5, you would know), Kate is his ex-kinda-sorta-yes?-no?-maybe one day-girlfriend, and she got blown up in the Season 1 finale. The music box is an old relic from Russia Neal's been after to save Kate from whoever's been holding her hostage. Um. Yeah.

CHAPTER 1
"My mind rebels at stagnation."
When Ben and I entered the room, Becca shot me a friendly smile.
I nudged Ben in the ribs. "Uh-oh..."
She lifted up a Ziplock bag holding a bullet. "This is the bullet used to kill Eric Lensherr," she began. "Ben, I want you and Dan to find out what kind of gun it came from."
"What does it matter?" Ben took the Ziplock and held it up to look at the bullet. "Lensherr and the FBI dude are dead, so..."
"In the video clip, the man loaded the gun manually. Get prints off the bullet and see if you can identify the gun. If you can get both of these things, we can get the ID of the man."
"Why do you need the gun?"
Becca shrugged and turned back to her laptop.
"To keep us busy." I muttered. As we sat down and Ben shook out the bullet, pulling on latex gloves Jay tossed to him, I grabbed a piece of paper and doodled a deep, philosophical comic.



Ben dropped the bullet with a frustrated sigh, "I see prints, but I have no idea what kind of gun it came from!"
I rolled my eyes. "Don't even bother. They don't need the gun."
Ben gazed sullenly at the bullet, clearly unhappy at the fact that we hadn't finished our job. I groaned and snatched an extra pair of latex gloves laying on the table, just begging to be worn. I studied the bullet carefully. Every ridge in its side, every speck of dirt on the bottom was crucial. I turned it slowly, and by the time I couldn't gather anything more, I was almost certain where it came from.
"He used a Glock," I declared nonchalantly, dropping the bullet. "Not unlike the ones in the artillery closet."
Everyone, even Lisa, turned to look at us. I grinned and waved.
After a moment, Lisa stood up from where she was bending over a stack of photos. "Did you find any prints?"
"Ben did!" I answered cheerfully, throwing an arm over his shoulder.
"Good." Lisa whisked away the bullet and resealed the Ziplock. "So there is something we can get from it after all."
"Excuse me!" I sat up straight in my chair. "I just told you what gun he used! By the scratches on the bullet! I don't think you can go further than that!"
"I appreciate your enthusiasm, Danny." she returned patronizingly. "But we need an expert to take a look."
I slumped in my chair, pouting, as Lisa left the room. Ben patted my head like I was a puppy. "Don't worry," he smiled and pulled off his gloves. "How about we go out to Wendy's and get a couple Baconators and Frosties?"
I perked up, throwing my gloves on the table. "That sounds heavenly!"
Lauren glanced up from where she was scanning papers. "You two are going to Wendy's?"
"Of course!"
She dropped her papers. "They have the best chicken nuggets. Anna?"
Anna jumped up from her chair. "You know it!"
The two girls turned expectantly to Subs, Jay, and Becca. "How about it?"
Subs was up almost immediately. Jay whispered something in Becca's ear. She nodded, "Yeah, sure. I'm up for it."
Proud of Ben for devising such an ingenious idea to bond with the fellow members of RPC outside of work, I led the way out the door.
...
Lisa Hammons frowned, tucking the bagged bullet into her pocket. She would have to be the one to tell Danny McGavok he was right about the bullet. And he would surely gloat, as was natural for a teen boy of Danny's temperament. She walked into the room and halted, glancing around suspiciously. "Rebecca? Lauren? Jay? Annabelle? Mycroft?" She peeked at the assorted laptops. "...Ben?" Noticing a slip of paper next to some sort of comic with stick people, she picked it up and read it.
Ms. Hammons,
Danny persuaded us to make a trip to Wendy's. We won't be gone long, and I already finished IDing the John Doe with the mustache. He's a John Doe no longer. His name is Eddie Brockils.
Rebecca
Lisa clutched the paper fiercely, reading the message over and over, seething, before finally letting it fall to the ground. "Kids will be kids, even if they're secret agents." she sighed, leaving the Ziplock by the comic she somehow knew was Danny's work. She bustled around the table, examining papers and notes the agents had taken. She noticed Mycroft's laptop had Microsoft Word pulled up on it. What had he been typing? She leaned over to investigate.
Her back was to the door.
Before she could finish the first sentence Mycroft had written, she felt a cloth rag tight around her mouth and an arm grip her waist. She struggled to fight against the man, but a strange smell reached her nose. Propofol. Almost immediately after recognizing the odor, her eyes rolled back and she collapsed, limp in the man's arms.