Axis

[Rose]

Cally blinked in surprise and looked over at Lauren Brie, her mouth opening and closing a few times in surprise.

“L-leader? Me?” Cally stared at the woman a moment longer before bursting into laughter, slapping her knee with her hand that wasn’t clinging to the bomb backpack. “Yeah right.”

The doors to the van closed them in as Silk climbed into the back after the woman. There was the crunch of rocks and then just the dull sound of the quiet engine as the vehicle took off down the driveway. Close behind, Pilot was driving as well, but as soon as they left the mansion grounds they would be parting ways.

As the van bounced along, Cally was still chuckling. She looked Lauren up and down, her expression full of its usual amusement and playfulness.

“No one in their right mind would ever make me a leader of anything. I’m just here to sit tight and blow stuff up when I’m needed. Otherwise, I just follow orders. Actually….” Cally rubbed her chin as if she had a beard to stroke ponderously. “Does this group even have a leader? Hm. I vote Silk.”

Cally figured he was probably their best bet. Lauren Brie seemed competent, but there was a definite language barrio going on or something. And she knew that she wasn’t the best leader herself. Truly, Cally did better when being told what to do. Her mind was far too erratic to make her very successful at anything. Her orders would have been half-assed and undetailed at best. At worst, they’d get everyone killed. The whole leadership thing was best left to the real professionals.

“Dominik’s mansion is an hour away. It will be dusk by then,” The burly driver said from the front, his eyes never leaving the road. He didn’t sound thrilled about having to talk to them. He turned the wheel and they pulled onto a main road. As they did, he flicked on the radio, shaking his head and sighing at some thought.

“That will give you some time to scope the place out before going inside. I’ll be leaving after that, but if you need Pilot early for any reason, use one of these.” The driver reached into the seat beside him and grabbed a small box. He passed it into the back, still without looking, and Cally grabbed it quickly so he could concentrate on driving.

As the radio played some mainstream alternative rock, Cally pried open the box and dug around inside. She found three com systems, one for each of them. They were nothing more than a small plug that fit into your ear. Cally stuck one in and made a face.

“Hello? Hello? Testing, testing.” Cally’s voice echoed through the other coms, clear and audible, but only to the person using the device.

“All three of you can talk to each other through those if you separate for any reason. From his van, Pilot will also hear all of your conversations and be able to respond accordingly,” The driver finished explaining.

Cally passed out the coms before falling silent. They had at least an hour of driving ahead of them. What was there to do? And then it hit her.

“Pilot! Hey! Hey Pilot! Can you hear me? Ok, cool. So. What’s your favorite Disney song?”

[Rose]

“He doesn’t speak,” A smooth voice said, covered in a familiar Polish accent. Jimmy glanced over to see Basia climbing into the back of the van, Ghost right behind her with his bags of tech supplies. At the same time, Pilot was climbing into the front.

Jimmy smiled fondly and bowed his head to the sniper ballerina, but as his eyes fell to the thick overcoat she was wearing the expression melted away. He folded his arms, his eyes and tapping fingers showing the agitation he felt. Any other man sitting in the back of a van with three beautiful women dressed as strippers would have a mild heart attack of joy. Well, Jimmy was feeling similar heart pangs, but without all the joy that made it fun.

He needed to keep himself distracted. There was nothing he could do about it at the moment. The best he could hope for was to get the mission done quickly and smoothly so he could get the woman back home and into some decent, respectable clothing. Jimmy shook his head, trying to let it go, and looked around. Well, this was always this new girl to occupy his mind, as well as Basia. He’d speak to them the only way he knew how.

Jimmy tapped Gretchen gently on the shoulder to get her attention, then rolled up the sleeve of his black blazer to show the roaring dragon tattoo scrawling up his arm. All Gretchen could see was the winding tail, but that was enough to show what it was. Jimmy angled his body toward her in the small (for him) place to show her his other arm as he rolled up that sleeve as well. He pointed to the Chinese cherry blossoms, then to himself. He smiled and nodded to the woman, hoping she’d see the Chinese influences and understand that he was answering her questions.

From the front of the van a voice came over the radio. Jimmy sighed and shook his head, chuckling softly. He knew Cally’s voice anywhere. And besides, who else would be singing Disney songs to a quiet man named Pilot as he drove everyone to a mission at a strip joint? Yeah, only Captain Cally Carnage.

“So, this one is from Mulan! Sing along if you know the words! Ohhhhh….. LET’S GET DOWN TO BUSINESS. TO DEFEAT….THE HUNSSSS!...But like, not the Huns. DOMINIK VIC. Come on, Pilot! You have to know this one! OHHH…”

[Eva]

"We don't have Disney in Russia. When children want to have fun, they play 'See who starves to death first'. Almost as good as Disney." Pilot replied, his thick accent laced with sarcasm. "Perhaps you should concern yourself for our mission. It is most important that you not be distracted." he advised. Of course, Pilot knew that the silly girl would not heed him, even if he used his most authoritive tone. He had experienced many like her, and she would have to make her own decisions.

"Ladies, gentlemen, we are approaching the club." Pilot called to the others, when the time came. It was a gaudy building of lights and shadows; not the kind of place he would take these respectable women, were it his choice. "I will stay here, as told. Good luck, ladies. And gentleman." he said.

[Tusk]

" I will be waiting here as well, " Ghost said as he began to unpack his laptop.
He soon began to quickly type and pulled up a schematic of the night club and studied it. It made him look like he was working, but in reality, he was stalling for time. Pilot would not be talking to him much if any during the duration of the mission. This would allow Ghost to study everyone in the group.
He even wanted to get a quick scan of Clemintine, but his file was not in the system. Ghost figured that if you hired on a tech genius, to get rid of any information about yourself. However, he still could not shake how they found him. He waited until everyone had left, and then he began to browse their files. He was searching for anything that helped him better know them, thus knowing if they were dangerous or safe. It was suprising that some people did not have much on them. Pilot was one. Not much was said about the Russian Driver. Still he searched on the other people. He was also looking for any information that lead to his discovery. If Clemintine could find him, who else could? That was a scary thought for Ghost.

[Aubs]

Gretchen genuinely smiled upon seeing Jimmy try to show her a little bit of himself. It might not have been the way she wanted with having him speak and all, but she was still pretty impressed that he attempted to let her in to getting to know him. As she looked at the tattoos artistically placed in a sleeve-like placement. In a weird way- okay it wasn’t really weird for Gretchen –it turned her on. She went from admiring the artwork to wondering to herself how much he could bench-press. She bit down on her tongue to keep herself from veering off into a sexual fantasy. That hadn’t seemed to have helped in the least, as she could picture herself tearing off his snug suit as the seconds went by. She was getting all hot and bothered when a singing voice so horrible it had to have belonged to the weirdo Cally, caused Gretchen to land back in reality.

“ugh.. she can’t be serious right now?” the mean girl inquired, joining everyone else in the van by peering over to the walkie held in Pilot’s hand. Luckily, Pilot had set the woman straight before Gretchen had to do so herself. It was all for the best, especially if Cally wanted to be able to sing another song again. She’s on a ten, and what I need for her to do is turn the damn notch down to a four if she knows what’s good for her! Damn these people.. If it weren’t for my darling boytoy, wait- He didn’t tell me his name! What’s his name? Gretchen thought, staring over in Jimmy’s direction. Arghh.. how couldn’t I have gotten his name? This is so embarrassing. I couldn’t even ask him what his name was. I swear to god, if you slip anymore Gretch you’re gonna be on the same level as these basic bitches. She sighed to herself, no one in the van really knowing why she’d done it. I need to focus for now. There’s a job to do and I’m going to make sure it goes over perfectly. Even if that means I have to ruin anyone who gets in the way.

“Ladies, gentlemen, we are approaching the club.” Pilot announced shortly after the van made a few turns and finally made it to their destination.

As everyone except Pilot and Ghost filed out of the van, Gretchen unbuttoned the top button on her trench coat. She turned back toward Basia and Audra, smirking deviously. Her aura read complete bitch, but by now everyone was well aware of that trait. It was who she was and it didn't take people that long to see that. She wasn't someone you needed to take days getting to know. No, you got to know how much of a mean girl she was the moment you met her. Her permanent bitchface said so. “You two better be taking notes because I’m about to put in work like the rent’s due tomorrow morning.” Shifting her eyes over to Jimmy she gave him a quick little wink and made her way inside the surprisingly decent club, “Cristal’s Donkey Punch.”

Gretchen had assumed it’d be some d-list shit fest but everything was a better upgrade than what she’d thought. She elegantly glided across the floor, heading into the direction where a sign cleverly labeled, ‘Dancers Palace’ met her. She proceeded inside and prepared herself to get ready for the stage. This was going to be fun. She first had to impress Dominik with the other girls but there was someone else she was going to try her best to impress as well. ‘He’d better be looking over this way,’ Gretchen thought behind the curtain as she began moving her eyes through the crowds of men to find Jimmy. She was going to sell him all her candy whether he wanted it or not.

[Rose]

Jimmy tried not to let all of his feelings wash out here in this dreadful place. The monks had taught him to find inner peace in the most grueling situations, to keep cool through torture and taunts and emotional turmoil. They had taught him there was no such thing as pure evil in the heart of man, not even in the worst of them, but Jimmy…all he could see were monsters here. Monsters paying to slowly drink in the souls of women with their bodies. Clenching his fists, Jimmy walked into a dark corner, leaning against the wall with a sigh. He had to contain himself. His chance would come.

The other bouncer in the room nodded to Jimmy, expecting nothing, and he nodded back as the other man left, thinking he was being replaced for the night. Out of the corner of his eye, the monk watched as the girls went backstage. They would wait a few minutes before showing themselves. Once Domink went into the back, they would follow him in. Because Basia had the drug, she would be the one to take him down. Then Jimmy would be called in, and from there he could quickly get the women out of this mess.

Hasty to get started, Jimmy looked out at the crowd. The gaudy, colored lights of the place were all shining on stage, leaving the men with the illusion that they were alone with these women all to themselves. None of the men so much as glanced at each other unless they had come together as a group, and even then it was obvious what the focus was. He had to strain his eyes to see, but finally the monk spotted the man from the picture. Domink, the target. Domink, the man who liked new women every other day to flaunt their bodies for him. And Jimmy wasn’t stupid; he knew what happened back in the separate rooms you had to pay money for. Not that he was going to let things get that far.

The Russian stared at one of women on a side stage swinging on a pole, but he seemed distracted. It was obvious he was growing impatient. Finally he stood, and Jimmy watched discreetly as he pushed his way through the room and disappeared through a curtain. Through the waving fabric, Jimmy saw him open a door and slip inside. Go, he thought urgently. Go before any of the other girls have a chance to get in there.

A quick flash of red hair and a pale, nearly naked body told Jimmy the girls had gotten in. They were good, he shouldn’t worry so much about them, he knew. These women were professionals, they had handled far worse than a little dancing. And yet, he would always be their Guardian, he knew that. For as long as they were a part of his team, no harm would come to them if he could help it. He was already tempted to just go in and knock out Dominik to save them the trouble. Jimmy got up, deciding to do just that, but what he saw on stage made his mouth fall open.

He should have known this would happen, really. It made sence that only two women could go into the rooms at a time, and that the other girl would have to do something else, but the thought never crossed his mind.

Jimmy had prepared himself to have to see women dancing, of course, but this….

Gretchen sauntered up on the main stage with the confidence of a raging forest fire, her lips turned up in a sultry smirk and her eyes directly on him. The monk swallowed hard and shook his head, looking away, but he found his eyes wandering back to what they very badly wanted to see and he very badly did not. A hot red blush colored his cheeks as the Asian beauty winked at him, catching him off guard even worse. Clenching his fists tighter, he tried to look like the bouncer he was supposed to be and not the shy monk who had never seen a woman naked before.

God’s forgive me….I’m going to have to do a lot of praying tonight for this….

[Aubs]

Continuing to flaunt sexily around the stage, Gretchen focused her eyes over to Jimmy, who stood a great distance away from her. She twisted her body sensually, slowly starting to thrust against the pole in the middle of the stage. In her mind, she wanted to think of only her and Jimmy being alone in the room but the countless number of eyes on her made her want to work more. Spectators watching wasn’t something that would have crossed her mind neither was it something she even would have dreamed of but while she was in the moment, she had to give her all. She wanted to please them surely, they were there for a show.. She just wanted to please Jimmy even more.

“You want this?” She mouthed, her eyes piercing through Jimmy’s soul as she gently ran her hands through her hair all the way down her body. She was taking all the shots. But maybe her mind should have been on the more important matter at hand, the other girls in the room. As the music winded down to a stop and Gretchen exited the stage, she made her way on to the main floor over to Jimmy’s post. Her fingers touched Jimmy’s face. “So what’d you think?” She moved in closer to him, allowing the heat of their two bodies to gather. She was going to use the art of coercion to get what she wanted. “You know, I was thinking.. I didn’t even get your name. I remember giving you mine, but you didn’t tell me yours. That’s definitely not common courtesy, you know? I figured you to be much more of a gentleman than that. I wasn’t wrong about you, was I?” She removed her fingers from touching his face and seductively touched her mouth with them.

He’s going to be mine. I won’t accept anything less than tall and yummy.
____________________________________________________________________

Meanwhile.. inside of the VIP, the two girls were trying their own hand at seduction. Fox was more accustomed to it, while Basia wasn’t. Luckily for them, Dominik only had one thing on his mind than worrying about whether who was interested in him or not. Force was going to make them want him. He patted down the gun in his blazer as he watched the two girls dance. If they were going to pass this mission with succession, they were going to have to up the sex appeal because things were about to get real in a matter of minutes.

[GnomesAteMyCake]

His dark bag slung over one shoulder which jossled against the pump-action Remmington slung across his back, Jack paused to look up at the huge building. Stuffing in the pocket of his jeans, he trotted up the steps to the mansion he'd be staying in for the forseeable future. He knew he was late; the finalising of his bail papers had been set back a few hours, causing him to miss his flight, then his lift to the mansion. He had to make a very embarrassing call to Mr. Clementine to tell him where he was, but the man was happy enough to send him a replacement.

Pushing the door open with his shoulder, Jack whistled as he stepped into the entrance hall. Smiling widely as he tipped the bill of his cap back so he could look at the high ceilings, he noticed that the place was practically silent, other than the sound of humming electricals.

"H'lo?" he called, taking a few steps further into the building as the door swung shut behind him. "Anybody here?" The house remained silent. "Huh...thought maybe somebody'd be here..." he muttered to himself before stepping through an arch to the left into the living area.

He carefully made his way through the building, tiptoeing in his heavy boots as if scared he'd mark the flawless carpets. He walked through a strange-smelling kitchen, where the residue of brightly coloured mixtures clung to pots, then into another hall, then into a huge dining room. A crooked smile broke out over his face as he saw a number of butlers cleaning away the remains of what was a very expensive looking meal.

"S'cuse me sir?" he asked, jogging across the one of the butlers. He looked up at the sound of his voice and looked politely confused; all the people who'd been staying in the manor (besides the young Callista) looked like lords and ladies and acted as such. This young man was dressed in jeans and a t-shirt with heavy work boots and a gun slung across his back. A cap was placed over his dark blond hair, and one or two cuts across the bridge of his nose and above his eye marked him as a ruffian. The southern accent only cemented the butlers opinion.

"Yes?" he answered, his voice as proper as he could make it.

"I was wanderin' if you could direct me tuh where Mr. Clementine is? I need to speak with him an' find out what's goin' on 'round here."

"Our benefactor is very busy..." the butler started before Jack cut him off, his blue eyes almost pleading.

"Awh, please sir! I dunno where I'm s'posed to be or what I'm s'posed to be doing. Mr. Clementine said it was okat that I was a lil' late over the phone, and I wanna apologise to'im real bad..."

"I will see what I can do. If you will take a seat-" he gestured to the table, "- I will see if Mr. Clementine will see you."

"Much abliged," Jack answered with a smile, falling into one of the high-backed chairs and dropping his bag to the floor with a dull clunk. "Oh, and couldja do me a favor? See, I was in such a hurry tuh find Mr. Clementine I was here that I forgot all ma' guns in the car out front. Can some make sure they all get in'tha house? I'd be real grateful..." Jack's voice trailed off as the butler waved to one of his colleges, who nodded and walked briskly from the room.

Feeling a little put out, Jack removed his cap and ran a hand through his hair before jamming it back onto his head. Resting his elbows on the table, he tapped his fingers together as he waited for his new 'Boss.'

[Tusk]

Ghost stayed in the van as he scanned what information was given to him from the mansion. Everything was pretty much as he expected. His mind worked a mile a minute as he tried to find anyone who could be trusted, or at least be used later. First prority was Fox. She was ready to minipulate him and he had a feeling if thy had a partnership, He would be dead when his use was up. She was an expert thief and great at minipulation. Ghost had already figured that out, but it was suprising to see that she had a thing with loyalty as Clemintine had tracked her missions and there was a foot note. Ghost kept a note that he needed to earn her trust and she would not take him out. That would take some skill.

Most actually seemed not that bad. Everyone actually seemed like they were the good guys. Silk had a bad hit, but so far, Clemintine picked people who did not seem to be a threat to each other. Fox was the only one he had to really watch out for. However, He did not trust Clemintine. Ghost searched wildly into how he was found. To his suprise, he was found once he deleted his name from the government database. Axis had their eyes on him ever since the hack into the CIA database. Every Hacker leaves a trail when they hack the system and Ghost managed to erase his trail while leaving a bug. Clemintine must of saw the bug then traced it to his computer. That or he simply saw Ghost erase his name.

This had him worried. Clemintine must have eyes all over. Ghost had to be careful. Clemintine was not one to fool around. He was a business man. Now all Ghost had to do was get the computer that he needed and transfer the data.

[Rose]

“Jack, my boy!” The deep but silky voice called from the doorway. “When Seven said there was a filthy southerner asking to see me, I knew it had to be you.”

Clementine chuckled heartily as he strolled over to the table, settling into the chair beside Jack and crossing his legs. The way he talked and smiled so warmly, it was like he’d known the boy all his life. His gray eyes glanced over Jack’s figure, sizing him up despite knowing absolutely everything on record about him. Lips stretched over perfect white teeth, Clementine finally reached out and shook the weapon expert’s hand.

“Don’t worry about Seven, though. He’s just an uppity old butler. He’s all class, but he doesn’t know a thing about firing a gun. Trust me when I say you are far more useful.”

Clementine reached across the table, picking up a grape as the other butlers worked around the two, cleaning the mess of the other members. Even with the hurry he was in to get the mission done, the boss took his time speaking. He could never be personally rushed.

“Well, as you can see, the rest of the team has already left. But you are not so late that you have missed joining them. Team Beta could use a hand, I think. I will have my personal driver take you to them. You might catch them before they begin.”

Clementine paused to take a cigar from his pocket. He held it out and a butler rushed to his side to light it for him. He puffed it a few times to get it going and the scent of smoke and cherries wafted through the room.

“Because of the rush, I won’t lay out the whole mission for you. Your teammates can do that when you see them. All you need to know is that they are sneaking into a mansion. They may use stealth, or they may choose to destroy everyone there. What they do is of no concern to me. You, on the other hand, might want to bring a health variety of guns, just in case.”

He grinned like the devil, cigar between his teeth and smoke rolling out between his lips. He nodded to the tall, silent butler who followed Clementine everywhere.

“One, please take him to join the others. And make it quick. I have a feeling beta is going to need some backup. There’s a reason it’s taken us this long to get to Dominik.”

The lanky butler stared at Clementine for a long moment before nodding and gesturing for Jack to follow him.

“Right this way. Your guns will just remain in the vehicle for you to choose from until you come back safely.” The butler waited for Jack to rise, then fell silent once more and led him back outside to the very van he had just left. He pointed toward the back, not the extra seat in the front for Jack to sit in.

As the southerner climbed in, One grabbed a com system from the front like the others had. As he clicked it on for the man, Cally's voice singing a Disney song came on, then Pilot's berating her. One just rolled his eyes and passed the earpiece back.

"Use it to let them know when you've arrived so they don't shoot you, too."



Inside, Clementine tapped his cigar on a plate, dropping the ashes. He stared off as Jack and One disappeared out the door. He chuckled quietly to himself, shaking his head.

“You knew you couldn’t fight me forever, Dominik.” He took a puff, enjoying it even more under the circumstances.

[Rose]

Jimmy felt his body go icy cold, then sweltering hot simultaneously. He’d been so focused, so ready for the mission, and now all his thoughts were melting away as soft fingers trailed down his face, touched wet, parted lips. He stared down at Gretchen’s face, his dark brown eyes searching hers for some hidden intent. Where had she come from? Why was she doing this to him?

He felt the distance between their bodies grow smaller, felt the woman’s warmth even beneath the cool air blowing from the ceiling. He stepped back, swallowing the lump in his throat. His back touched the column he’d been leaning on before and suddenly he felt like a trapped beast being preyed on by a starving lioness. Hadn’t anyone ever taught her not to play with her food?

----------------------------------

In the VIP room, Basia flaunted her body in a way that sickened her. She was a ballerina, not this. Fox, however, smiled seductively at Dominik despite how disgusted she was with him. He wasn’t a terrible looking man, but the look in his eyes held terrible secrets. Anyone could see that.

“Come here, baby,” The Russian said, his accent think. He motioned for his lap with a grin. When Basia hesitated suddenly, looking to Fox, he grunted and grabbed her by the arm, pulling her close. “I said come here.”

Fox eyed Basia, hesitating. She had the drug, but if she was in a position that made her uncomfortable she was bound to make mistakes. Fox steeled herself, then slid over to Domink, putting herself between him and Basia.

“Don’t neglect me…” She said, pouting her full lips. She crawled into his lap, straddling his waist. Her fingers trailed across his belt, teasing. “I’m much more fun than she is.”

Fox looked over at Basia, smirking at her like they were being competitive, but her eyes said otherwise. She nodded discreetly behind the Russian, hoping the woman took the hint. “Go somewhere else.”

Basia moved quickly, hiding a smile. She took her place behind Dominik’s chair, caressing down his chest with one hand as she reached into her lingerie with the other, pulling out the capped syringe.

“God, you’re a feisty one…” Dominik said with a grin, his voice heavy with lust. He took Fox by the back of her neck and pulled her in, kissing her deeply. That was all Basia needed. She ripped off the cap with her teeth and shoved the syringe into the Russian’s neck, pushing in the drug into his system.

Dominik cried out, cursing in Russian. He shoved Fox away and reached back faster than Basia expected, grabbing the woman by the hair and neck and throwing her to the side of the room. She slammed against the wall but recovered quickly, diving at Dominik as he fished the gun out. Still on the floor, Fox banged against the door urgently, hoping Jimmy would hear…

----------------------------------

Gretchen wasn’t letting him go anywhere. He pressed his back up against the column, but the woman’s body closed in on his. Jimmy swallowed, unsure. He remembered being told to respect women, to never chase after them or look at them the wrong way or think ill things of them. But what was he supposed to do now? If Gretchen was inviting him so forwardly, was this disrespect. The music thumped loud in his ears, drowning out any sounds. Or was that his heartbeat?

He felt his face flush red hot as his hand moved to Gretchen, his fingers brushing her bare side. He cursed at himself internally, wondering where all his self control had gone so suddenly. Then again, he’d been doing a lot of things in the past months that he never would have dreamed of before. Why stop at killing people?

No, he thought, shaking his head to clear it. Not here. Not in a place like this. Not with her looking like this. Whatever Gretchen wanted, she deserved better than having it here.

Jimmy took Gretchen by the shoulders and looked into her eyes. Hers were filled with intent that he didn’t quite understand. His were soft but serious. He shook his head slowly, gently guiding her body from his. He might’ve said something, anything to make up for how bad he felt suddenly, for everything he felt suddenly, but he heard a faint sound, just a little knock beneath the music. His head snapped to the side, his body tense. That wasn’t the signal, not even close.

Jimmy was through the curtain and to the door in a breath. He heard banging inside as he pressed his ear to it, a small yelp, a curse in Russian. With a growl nearly inhuman he grabbed the door and flung it open, slamming it shut just as Gretchen slipped through behind him.

Jimmy was greeted to the sight of Dominik pointing a gun at the two girls in the corner. The side of Basia’s head was bruised and there were scratches along her neck, but otherwise she was alright. Fox appeared unharmed, but her eyes were trained on the gun aimed at her head. At the sight of the huge man charging through the door, Dominik swung the gun around to defend himself. That was his fatal mistake.

Jimmy lunged forward with a roar, tackling the Russian to the ground. The gun went off, barely making a sound from the home-made silencer screwed to its barrel. The bullet ripped through the top of the monk’s shoulder and buried itself in the ceiling. Jimmy made no indication that he noticed or cared. All of his attention was on Dominik.

Dominik was a big man himself and thicker with muscle than his opposition, but this was where Jimmy shined. He grappled with the man, grabbing his wrist and snapping it backward, his other hand seizing the gun as it fell away. Dominik cried out, but the drugs were starting to get to him and his eyes fluttered. The monk put all his weight on the man, pinning him to the floor, and grabbed his head, cracking it on the ground. Dominik was out like a light, and Jimmy sat over him panting heavily, his eyes dark and lost in rage. He still held the limp head between his hands, his knuckles showing white from his grip. He panted, his chest heaving as blood pooled down his shirt, invisible against the black material.

[Eva]

Beta pulled up to the mansion, in all of its...mansion-ness. Lauren Brie looked up at it, surprised. She had expected it to be more...fancy. Oh well. "So we need plan for better getting inside." she said to Silk and Cally. "I think distract. Cally can perhaps explode something. Make distract. And then Mr. Silk and me go inside. Cally...try to avoid them after making distract." Lauren explained. She gestured with her hands, trying to make some kind of language bridge. "Maybe...big explosion. And then you sneak to the back. I pick open door while explosion. Mr. Silk watches to make sure nobody sees me. So when Cally's explosion, we are get in." Lauren looked at her two teammates, hoping that they understood her. If they didn't, well, she would just start speaking in actual sentences. "I think plan is best for what we need. We find the safe and we get out, perhaps they never notice us."

[Rose]

The van finally stopped in an upper level neighborhood where the yards were so big you couldn’t see most of the houses. That is, if the fences weren’t already six feet high and made of brick. The area was nowhere near so nice as where Clementine lived, however, and the bricks that guarded Dominik’s place were old and falling apart without looking charming or antique. The faded gold plating on the iron gate read “Gregory’s”. Dominik probably didn’t even own the place. Not by any legal means, anyway.

Cally peered out the windshield, climbing half way through the front to see. There were only a few trees around the place that she could see, though she had no idea what the back area looked like. The others would have to scope that out themselves.

“Tell the driver to take you guys around the neighborhood and around the back of the yard,” Cally said, sitting back down and looking at the others. “I’ll have to find a way in through the front. I’ll meet you guys there somehow, alright?”

Cally smiled despite the danger she was being put into. She was confident in herself and her abilities. She’d blow the place to high heavens if she had to. She grabbed her bag and moved toward the back of the van, opening it up a bit and peering out into the creeping darkness.

“I’ll set a few bombs. They’ll all go off at once. I’ll go through the opening from one.” She climbed out, waving to them. “I’ll let you know when I’m in….Good luck!”

Cally slammed the door shut and snuck through the darkness, moving through the field beside the brick fence. She had to run quite a way to avoid being seen from the street, stopping twice to set a bomb a random distance apart. Panting already from nerves and excitement, Cally finally ducked down into the long, unmowed grass approximately half way along the property. On the other side she thought she heard the sound of footsteps, perhaps a guard doing night rounds…

“Be careful of guards….,” Cally said, tapping her earpiece. “The bombs are in place. The Captain is ready when you are.”

She fished the detonator out of her bomb, re-wiring it so each bomb would go off at a different time, the second a minute apart, then five minutes apart for the last so all of the guards would hopefully be preoccupied.

[GnomesAteMyCake]

Jack smiled at Clementine as he walked towards him, a smile on his face which the southerner happily returned. He tipped his cap at him as the man sat across from him.

"As I mentioned to yur butler, I am awful sorry for bein' late-" he blurted out, but the older man simply waved his hand, silencing the boy effectively. Clementine watched him closley, making Jack feel like her was under a microscope. He pulled the bill of his cap down to cover his eyes as he fidgeted slightly, but Clementine suddenly held his hand out, a smile on his face. Breathing out a sigh of relieve, he extended his own hand, grinning.

Helping himself to what was left of the food on the table, Clementine briefly brought Jack up to date with the mission, instructing him to go back outside into the car he'd arrived in to be taken to someone's house to aid with a break-in. Jack paled delicately, but had the intelligence -for once- to stay silent. He'd been told what sort of life he'd now be living thanks to his new benefactor, so complaining to the man on their first meeting was not a good idea. Besides, as frightening as it was to think he'd be in someone's home, taking their things in less than an hour, he'd get used to it.

"I can take as many guns as I want? Well, thank'yu kindly sir!" Jack said happily, smiling his lopsided smile at the man before standing. "I'll do'ya proud, Mr. Clementine, just you wait'n see!" Following after the silent butler, Jack stuck a thumb through the belt-loops on his jeans, whistling tunelessly.

Jack ducked into the back of the car and took the small earpeice from the Butler. Looking at the earpeice, then looking up at the butler, Jack looked at the earpeice once more before screwing it into his left year. A man telling someone off about Disney echoed into his ear before the line went silent.

"Use it to let them know when you've arrived so they don't shoot you, too."

"I will, sir. I don't want them shootin' me. That'd be kinda... anti pro-duct-tive, right?" he said happily, resting one booted foot on his knee and linking his hands behind his head as he leant into the plush seat. The thought of his guns behind him was a very comforting one.

~~

"Here we are. Get the weaponry you wish and we will leave. All the weapons you leave behind will be left in the entrance hall of the Manor." Nodding, Jack pushed open the side door and stepped out before popping the boot-door. Inside was a collection of guns. A very large collection of guns.

Grinning, Jack's hands trailed over each one before he began grabbing, sliding barrels and clicking triggers as he began stuffing weapons onto his person; two pistols through his belt, another shotgun, an automatic, joining the Remmington on his back and the .44 Magnum he'd stolen the name of joining a pistol on his right hip.

Bullet clips were stuffed into his deep pockets as he finally clipped a small first-aid kit to the back-holster he wore and grabbed a dark-wood baseball bat from the trunk before slamming the lid down. Still smirking, he propped the bat on his shoulder, looking up at the building as the van drove away. He was at the front of the building, the tall gates heavily locked and possibly armed to an alarm. So how was he to get in?

As he thought about it, bouncing the bat on his shoulder, the earpeice in his left ear came to life.

“The bombs are in place. The Captain is ready when you are.”

Jumping, Jack looked around him, thinking the person was right beside him. When he realised it was from the ear-peice, he knew it was one of the people he was now working with. Clearing his throat and feeling a little foolish, he spoke aloud;

"Uh...hey there. M'name's Jack, Clementine sent me ta help you guys out. I'm outside the front, is there anywhere I need tuh be? Oh, ma manners. What's yur name?" he said happily, walking towards a nearby tree just to get a little farther away from the mansion on the off-chance he was spotted.

[Eva]

"Drive around neighborhood and take us to back." Lauren Brie told the driver, exactly as Cally had said. Lauren turned to Silk and smiled. "Nice and easy, Mr. Silk. We will be best tonight. Clementine will think we are smartest." she said, winking.

The back had a pool and some trees, as well as a deck. It was dark, but Lauren could make out some guards standing at the back. She spoke into her...speaking thing. "Captain Cally, there are guards. We will need distraction." she said. With that, Lauren opened the door and quickly rolled out while the van was still moving, Silk behind her. The two rushed behind the cover of a nearby tree, and Lauren felt confident that they had not been seen.

"Come on, Mr. Silk. I'll get us to door." Lauren whispered to her teammate. She was quite happy, really, to be 'leading' in a way. She had come up with a plan, one that was rather decent, and these plebeians were following it exactly as she had laid out. 'Dumb blonde', she was not.

Lauren Brie lead Silk along the back fence, making sure to listen out for any guards. The duo went quickly, attracting little attention. Lauren Brie motioned for Silk to stop when they were under a tree's shadow, and turned her...uh...talking thing on. "Lauren Brie here. We are near the back. I can see...door. But there are guards. Once you do explosion, Mr. Silk and I run for door, if guards leave door." she explained, whispering the entire time. "If you could make person noises, like screaming, maybe they will come faster. Once they leave, Mr. Silk and I jump over fence, run to door, and open it." Lauren took a deep breath and looked at Silk, who was ready. "We are ready. Captain. Bomb time."