"Place your briefcase on the conveyor belt please." The guard raised his gun slightly.

Heero calmly put the briefcase on the conveyor belt and stepped back, feigning a look of surprise. "You guys sure have a lot of security around here."

The guard glared at Heero. "It's the way Mr. Remir runs the place. Now, can you please show me some I.D.?"

"Sure," Heero said easily, reaching into his pocket. The guard continued eyeing him suspiciously, gun still kept at an alert angle. Heero pulled out his false ID and handed it to the guard, watching the other guards standing nearby out of the corner of his eye. If his ID hadn't been faked as well as it should have been, he was going to have to leave the building in a hurry.

The guard studied the ID and grudgingly handed it back to Heero. "Here you go, Mr. Sotoru Mr. Remir has you down on the entrance list here so you're clear to go in."

"Thanks." Heero stuffed the ID back in his pocket. "Guess you guys don't see much action."

The guard looked a little disappointed. "No." He waved toward the metal detector portal. "Now, step through there and you're all set."

Heero nonchalantly stepped through the metal detector, hoping it wouldn't detect the gun strapped to his leg. When the detector did not beep, Heero sighed inwardly. This was an important first contact. He could get a look at what kind of security Remco used, how sensitive their equipment was, and also get a feel for the owner himself, Joaquin Remir.

"Okay, you're clear. Have a nice day."

Heero nodded and picked up his briefcase from the conveyor belt. He walked off toward the elevator, head down, eyes closed slightly.

The guard watched Heero step into the elevator when it opened immediately in response to his pushing the button.

"Strange guy," He muttered.

______________________

Heero stood quietly until the elevator heaved to a halt. When the doors slid open, Heero stepped out into the decidedly brighter and less imposing receptionist's lobby. The receptionist looked up when the doors opened and smiled at Heero as he walked toward the desk.

"Good morning, sir. How may I help you?"

"I'm here for a job interview with Mr. Joaquin Remir." Heero placed his briefcase on the counter, flicked it open, and pulled out a folder. "He's expecting me." He handed her the folder.

The woman took the folder, still smiling. "Certainly." She absently flipped through the papers in the folder. "I just need to see your ID and I can call in for you."

Heero took out his fake ID once again and slid it across the counter. The receptionist picked it up, glanced at the picture and at Heero's face, and then handed the folder and the ID back to Heero. "Here you go. Hold on just a second while I call him for you."

Heero nodded slightly. She reached for the phone and placed the receiver against her ear, dialing a few numbers. Heero leaned against the counter, discreetly watching which numbers the receptionist pushed on the phone's keypad. The receptionist tapped her fingers on the desk while she waited for the call to go through. While Heero was studying the equipment behind the desk, the woman's face suddenly lit up with a smile.

"Hello? Mr. Remir?" The woman glanced at Heero and he straightened from his leaning position. "This is Marie at the receptionist's desk."

There was a pause and the woman nodded emphatically. "Yes, sir. In fact, he's here right now, Mr. Remir."

Heero placed his folder under his arm and closed his briefcase.

"I'll send him right in. You're welcome, sir."

The receptionist put the phone down and smiled at Heero. "He said that you can go right in. His office is down that hallway." She pointed down a hallway to the left.

Heero stepped away from the desk, holding his briefcase at his side. He nodded slightly and left the desk. The receptionist went back to her work.

_____________________

"Come in, Hikaru Sotoru."

Heero had not even raised a hand to knock on the door yet. He looked down at the ground, surveying the corners of the hallway around him out of the corner of his eye. There. A hole in the wall. Joaquin Remir kept even the door to his office monitored with a surveillance camera. Heero filed the information away for future use. Heero turned the doorknob and stepped into an office that flashed the very word opulence.

Joaquin Remir rose from his chair behind the heavy cherry wood desk sitting near the panoramic windows facing the colony's cityside. "I am Joaquin Remir, the owner of Remco."

Heero walked forward, stopping on the red carpet between the desk and the door. Remir waved toward a chair facing the front of his desk. "Have a seat, Mr. Sotoru."

Heero did so, placing his briefcase on the floor and holding his folder in his hands. Remir surveyed the young man for a few moments before sitting down in his chair and speaking again.

"So, Mr. Sotoru, you would like to work for Remco?"

"Yes." Heero refused to feign politeness in front of this man. He knew from reading Remir's dossier that the man did not appreciate it.

"Ah, a man of few words. I like that." Remir leaned forward, his dark eyes flashing in the brilliance of the lit room. His voice lowered, as if he were asking Heero a personal question. "Why?"

Heero stared at the man seated at the desk. He was powerfully built and looked nothing like what Noin's description of him as a "madman" had triggered in his mind. Heero leaned forward, giving Remir a slight smile that spoke volumes to the other man. "You pay well."

Remir leaned back in his chair. "But, Mr. Sotoru, I only pay if you deliver."

Heero handed him his folder silently. Remir took it and Heero waited patiently as the man flipped through the papers within the folder. Remir made no comments as he read over the information. The only thing false about the papers Remir held in his hands were the false name Heero used and the fact that he had left out all mention of his military past. After a few minutes, Remir laid the folder down on the desktop.

"I see that you are a chemist who specializes in volatile gases."

Heero nodded. He had learned much from Doctor J during his training, including all the sciences. He briefly wondered what Arys would have thought if she had heard Remir's comment. She would have laughed. Heero quickly pushed all thought of her away and concentrated on the mission at hand.

Remir studied Heero thoughtfully. "You've come at a good time, Mr. Sotoru. I am currently working on a project that will require your talents. And I will pay you well." Remir slid a piece of paper across the desk and Heero picked it up, looking down at the numbers scrawled across it. "Very well."

Remir stood to his feet. "We have no contracts here, Hikaru, if I may call you that. A handshake is good enough."

Heero stood to his feet as well. Remir put out his hand. "Welcome to Remco, Hikaru."

"I'm glad for the job, Mr. Remir."

"Call me Joaquin."

Heero took Remir's hand, shaking it firmly. "Joaquin."