Axis

[Rose]

Whatever the others had to say, Cally missed it. The sudden, unfamiliar voice over the com system made her jump in surprise, her finger jabbing over the detonator. Cally froze, looking down with wide eyes as a green flight started flashing over the little back remote. She had about ten seconds until-

“Green means GO!” Cally cried out over the intercom as a huge explosion tore apart a section of the fence toward the front of the house. A plume of smoke and fire expanded into the air, throwing bricks across the yard. Cally ducked low, hissing into the speaker over the sound.

“Start running down the fence line Jack, and fast!” She looked down at her remote. If she timed it right, the second bomb would go off just behind him and they could make it through the third hole before anyone noticed. The remote blinked red and Cally bit her lip. “Er…run really, REALLY fast.”

Cally took off in Jack’s direction with the hope of meeting him in the middle, her bag bouncing heavily on her back as she jumped over underbrush. She heard the second explosion and cringed, hoping it didn’t just take out their new teammate. She saw a figure up ahead, smoke and brick behind him. He was carrying something….

“GUNS!” Cally tackled Jack to the ground before he even had a chance to recover from the explosion behind him. She pinned his hands to his sides and glared down at him. “Who the fuck are you?!”

“J-Jac-“

“Oh, Jack? Okie dokie, just checking!” Cally climbed off of Jack, barely giving him any time to respond. She grabbed him by the hand and helped him. On the other side of the fence a few angry voices were calling out. The beams of flashlights bounced around above their heads.

“Come on!” Cally whispered, taking off again in the direction she had come from. Her remote was blinking again, still green….They had about a minute….then…BAM. The third explosion was the largest. It rocked the fence, sending a huge chunk of it crumbling to the ground. Cally’s breath was ragged as she ran hard to try and reach the hole. She heard Jack’s heavy footsteps following closely behind her.

“You better get those guns of yours ready!” She called over her shoulder as they reached the opening in the fence. She’d designed that particular bomb to let out a thick plume of smoke to cover them, whilst still making a pretty flashy explosion. Unfortunately, smoke worked both ways and Cally couldn’t see if there were any guards around or not, or how far away the mansion was. She just had to hope her distraction worked.

“We…have to get inside…” Cally said, coughing on smoke. “And quickly, before anyone finds us. The others are inside.”

[GnomesAteMyCake]

"Say wha?" Jack yelped down the earpeice, looking up at the brick wall surrounding the manor just in time to see a section of it explode. The young man yelped again, hitting the ground as a brick sailed in his direction and smacked the tree next to him, breaking in two.

“Start running down the fence line Jack, and fast!” the same female voice from before. Jack opened his mouth to question why, but the answer seemed likely; more of the wall was about to go up in flames.

Pushing himself to his feet, Jack took off at a sprint away from the explosion, his shotguns bouncing on his back as he raised a hand tug his cap harder onto his head.

BOOM. Another explosion! His shoulder's tensing, Jack fought the desire to turn around and see what was happening when he heard a loud cry of "GUNS!" both in his earpeice and other ear when something collided with his back and sent him sprawling to the ground.

His breath coming out in a loud, "Oof!" the southern boy groaned as he attempted to wrap an arm around his stomach, the air effectively knocked out of him. Rough hands rolled him over before pinning his arms at his sides, and he looked up into the face of a girl about the same age as he was, her eyes wide and furious, her long colourful hair falling over her shoulder and tickling his neck. "Who the fuck are you?!"

"J-Jac-" he attempted to tell her, his voice weak due to her effective tackle, but she interupted him before he could finish. “Oh, Jack? Okie dokie, just checking!" She quickly scrambled up off of him and tugged him to his feet, tossing a glance over her shoulder before running again, pulling him along after her. Placing a hand on his cap once again so he wouldn't loose it, Jack also chanced a look behind them; the small amount of smoke was clearing, and he could see one or two figures spilling out of the hole in the wall.

"Miss, we got ourselves some comp'ny-"

BOOM.

Coughing into his hand, Jack practically felt the heat of the last explosion behind them, and they were suddenly surrounded by thick smoke. Without thinking, he quickly clamped his hand around the girl's wrist, pushing his legs harder to keep up with her. She looked back at him furiously. "I dun wanna loose ya in this 'ere fog, miss!" he shouted. She raised an eyebrow, but didn't comment.

“You better get those guns of yours ready!” was the only response he got...but boy was it the right one. His crooked grin spread across his face as he thrust his baseball bat into the girls hand before pulling one of the pistols out of his belt. Reaching into a pocket, he quickly screwed a silencer onto the barrell before tipping his hat to his comrade.

"'Bout time you asked, miss. Y'all keep yur hand on that bat now, 'kay? You might just need it, and I ain't gunna forgive you none if ya lose it." Directing that winning smile her way, he followed her in through the small side door into the manor's kitchen. Placing a hand on her shoulder, he pushed her down behind the counter, where he followed. Panting, he looked at her and held a finger to his lips. "Right; you sit tight, I'll secure this room 'n the hallway a'fore you move out, 'kay? Keep yur eye's on this here door-" he gestured to the door they'd just come through, "- 'n hollar for me if anyone comes through. I won't be far, 'n I'll be right back," he whispered in her ear, giving her an encouraging nod before gripping the pistol, one placed under the butt of the gun and the other gripping the trigger.

Poised on the balls of his feet, he quickly sprung up from behind the counter. The room was clear for now, but whether the hallway was as well was a whole different kettle of fish. He stalked across the room, flattened himself against the wall, and slowly turned the handle of the door before pushing it open. A single deep breath, and he span around and through the door, gun raised.

The two guards didn't know what hit them. Jack sent a single bullet through the neck of one guard before the gasp of the other alerted him to the other. Dropping to one knee and twisting his upper body, Jack planted another bullet in the man's knee before quickly finishing him off with a shot to the head. Looking up and down the corridor, he rose to his feet, picked up one man under one arm and dragged the other by the collar into the kitchen.

Grunting, he deposited them both on the floor and ripped open their shirts. Just as he expected; body armour. Making sure that the bodies would be unseen if anyone glanced in, he lent over the counter and looked down at the girl he'd come in with, a small smile on his face.

"All clear miss. Might I be so bold'us to excort you through the house?" he drawled, buffing his nails on he shirt before extending a hand to help her up. "I never did catch ur name."

[Eva]

"We should not use our guns unless we must, Mr. Silk." Lauren told her comrade. Just as she finished speaking, though, a loud explosion rang, and both knew what to do. With surprising agility, Lauren climbed over the fence and ran ahead, Silk right behind her. The guards near the back door had left their post, presumably to check out the explosions. This gave Lauren and Silk a clear path to the door.

Once they got there, Lauren took a pick from her pocket and began to negotiate the lock. "Watch my back, Mr. Silk." she said, her voice fairly calm. The lock took a bit longer to open than she had anticipated, but after less than a minute it was open. "We are inside." Lauren said into her speaking-thing, although she was sure that Captain Cally couldn't hear her.

The two entered some sort of laundry room, as Lauren could tell from the smell. She slowly made her way to do the door and looked out. She saw nothing, but she DID hear a loud gunshot. Immediately, Lauren took out the small pistol that was holstered on her hip. She looked at Silk, who nodded.

The two quietly slipped out of the room, and heard another explosion but no gunshots. Lauren quietly tiptoed along the wall, making her way through the hallway. She could see two figures in the next room, and smelled the results of a gunshot. With as much speed as she could muster, Lauren turned into the room and pointed her gun.

"Captain! You're alive!" Lauren sighed, lowering her gun. She smiled when she saw Cally, but became slightly more suspicious when she noticed a man with her. Silk followed Lauren into the room, not quite as exuberant as she had been. Eyes flickering from person to person, Lauren finally landed on the new man. "You must be new member." she said, walking up to him. Lauren's manicured fingers touched the man's arm in a playful way, her eyes dancing. "I am Lauren Brie. You may call me Lauren." she said softly. "What is your name?" she asked sweetly.

[Rose]

Cally stared up at Jack, blinking as he helped her up. For once, she was quiet. She looked him over, took in all the guns he had strapped on his body. She leaned heavy on one leg, her hand on her hip and eyebrow raised.

“Do you actually know anything about guns, or do you just pull triggers and watch them go boom?” She asked skeptically, looking him over again. There weren’t many things in the world Cally didn’t like- mean people, chimps, and sour candy were among the few- but at the top of the list of her dislikes were guys who liked to carry guns to look badass. They always though they were better than her, like she was just some stupid little girl who didn’t know a thing about “man stuff”. And when she rattled off calibers like she was ordering them on a menu, they’d just shake their heads and make up excuses. She really, really hated gun-toting wannabes.

“Well, a’course I know about guns! If I didn’t, then surely I would’t be here,” he replied with his charming little smile, like he didn’t know she was testing him or didn’t care.

“Guns are really just an explosion forced into one direction, a simplified bomb…” Cally said, looking to his pistol and then to her bag. “I’m our demolitions expert. If anyone knows about bombs and explosions, its me. I’m Cally. But that’s Captain Cally Carnage to you.”

“Aye aye, Cap’n!” Jack said with a chuckle. There was no hint of disbelief in his eyes, no mocking humor directed at her knowledge of guns and bombs. He pat the gun at his side. “Let’s go blow stuff up, eh?”

Cally stared at him for a long moment. Footsteps were coming around the corner, but she could hear from her earpiece that it was the rest of the team.

“I think…”Cally started, looking him over one more time like he wasn’t real. “I think we just became best friends.”

Cally lunged at Jack, wrapping her arms around him and squeezing him in a vice-grip hug, the bat dangling behind him, narrowly missing his head. As she let him go and skipped for the door, her face split in a huge, excited smile.

“Let’s go blow shit up!!! Right no- Oh. Hi guys.” Cally stopped as the others came through the door, though she was still jumping excitedly from foot to foot as she waited with very little patience for Lauren to finish introducing herself in that slutty way.

[GnomesAteMyCake]

Jack barely managed to catch the slim girl- Cally- as she threw herself at him, wrapping her arms around him as she attempted to squeeze the life out of him. Chucking, Jack managed to raise a hand high enough to ruffle her colourful hair before she let him go.

"'Kay Cap'n, we're friends now. We should pro'bly go find the rest of yur gang, right?" he said smoothly, his thumbs pushed through his belt-loops as he followed Cally towards the door.

“Let’s go blow shit up!!! Right no- Oh. Hi guys.” Jack looked up as Cally broke off in mid-sentance, coming face-to-face with a quiet-looking man about the same height as he was, and a shorter blond woman.

"Captain! You're alive," the woman said, a pistol hanging from her hand as her other rested lgihtly on her hip. She had a very exotic accent, Jack thought, but growing up in a small Georgian town, any accent that wasn't the drawl of his own sounded other-wordly. The woman took in Cally's appearance before her eyes snapped up to his own, her eyes flashing interest before she hid it so well Jack questioned if he'd even seen it to begin with. Still, he managed to give her a causious smile before she spoke again.

"You must be new member-" her cool fingers traced up his arm, making the young gun fanatic flinch, his cheeks colouring slightly. "I am Lauren Brie. You may call me Lauren. What is your name?" she asked softly, her words accompanied by a sugary sweet smile. Gulping, Jack did what he always did when flustered; resort to his guns.

"P-pleasure tuh meet'ya ma'am," he managed to get out, bobbing his head with a touch of his cap. "M'names Jack, I'm yur first stop fur guns'n the like. Could I take a look at yur pistol, if it ain't too much trouble, Ma'am- I mean, Lauren," he corrected himself when the woman cocked an eyebrow with a gentle smile. She handed him the firearm, to which he immediately cocked, looked down it, then put on the safety and stuffed the thing in the back-pocket of jeans. "If I might be so bold, this guns too heavy f'you. The grip looks a lil' too big fur yur hand too..."

Pulling the left pistol from his belt, he handed it to her with a smile. "This's much lighter, n' the grip's smaller too. A mighty fine gun. I-I mean, y'all kin use yur other one n' pay me no mind, but Clementine said I was tuh keep y'all safe, so I'ma do that..." Rubbing the back of his head, doubtful in his own abilities's for a second, he pulled a smile onto his face as he looked at the man. He couldn't quite tell how much of the man's body mass was muscle under his suit jacket (not everyone was as helpful as him, wearing t-shirts so his muscle definition was clearly viewable), but no man could not use a shotgun. Pulling one of the automatics from his back, he cocked the gun with one hand before offering to the other.

"Here ya go, Sir. Better to have it'n not need it than need it'n not have it," he finished with a grin as the man took the gun. Grabbing his own Remmington and cocking it one-handed as he had before, he nodded to Cally who was looking more and more impatient as time went on, giving a sheepish smile in apology.

"Y'all better stick with the bat, Cap'n. Just keep a'hind me, n' no bullets'll come near ya or yur bombs." it wasn't that Jack didn't trust the girl with any of his babies... well, he kind of didn't, but with all the gunpowder and god knows what the girl was packing, he didn't think it was all that wise a choice to give her a firearm. "Ya know where we're goin', right?"

[Eva]

For a split second, a scowl flashed across Lauren's face, but it vanished just as quickly as it appeared. "I am grateful for assistance. In my country, men talk first and women talk second." she said, holding the new gun in her hand. It really felt more comfortable than her old one, but that gun had some sentimental value...

"My father gave me gun. He said I keep it until I meet the man I marry. Then he gets it." Lauren said, giving Jack a wink. With that, Lauren handed over the spare magazine she had brought for her gun. "I will not need this." she said nonchalantly. Lauren turned to Cally now, ready. "Captain. I am sorry we take so long. You say to us what we need to do and we do it." Behind Lauren, Silk was checking the shotgun, clearly ready to go as well.

Lauren felt...uneasy. Something about the mansion just didn't sit well with her. The four of them had gotten in easily, no injuries, no guards chasing them into the house. It felt like a trap. Like Clementine was setting them up. But that was just Lauren; she always thought everything was a set up. But still...why else would she FEEL like this? "I think we go as fast as we can. This place makes me feel...bad." she muttered.

[Aubs]

Gretchen was going to continue thrusting herself against Jimmy as long as she could to get him to finally speak to her. It killed her inside that he was taking everything she was throwing at him and he still hadn’t talked. Never had a guy been that way around her before. Even the gayest men at least have the audacity to stop me while I’m ahead of myself. He didn't even bother to do that.. With Jimmy, she could feel he wanted her [and who exactly could deny the Asian beauty? She was flawless] but for some apparent reason he was holding back. It was confusing, as she certainly hadn’t pegged him as someone who would refuse an offer like the one she presented. She didn’t want to admit it, but it crushed her confidence some.

As Jimmy looked her deep in the eyes, probably surveying her every move, Gretchen wanted to make a bold move and kiss him. However, before the time presented itself Jimmy let go of Gretch and quickly sprinted away across the club back into the VIP.
Does he have the ears of a dog or something? What did he hear because I didn't hear a thing. There's no way he could have just wanted to get away from me. I mean, look at me... I'm perfect. What kind of man wouldn't want me, right? I won't just accept rejection and he's going to have to find that out the hard way. Gretchen thought, standing still next to the column. She would have continued to stay in place, wanting to gather herself from her rather embarrassing show of not getting a man, when the faint sounds of banging finally caught her attention. She quickly rushed into the back and slipped right through the door behind Jimmy.

Gretchen hadn’t even liked the girls who were in VIP but even she was worried to have seen the sight of the gun pointed in their direction. She looked over at Jimmy, who had the look like he was going to do something unexpected. Don’t do anything stupid silent hottie! I can’t have you dying on me! she thought, watching as Jimmy lunged forward toward Dominik and soon after a gunshot went off. She gasped aloud, reaching her hand out although that served no purpose at all seeing that she didn’t grab for anything. It was really an in the moment sort of thing. She watched Jimmy handle Dominik like a ragdoll, swinging him from left to right as if it were nothing. She was turned on definitely. Mmmm.. he could toss me around any time he chooses. As Dominik went limp and stopped moving completely, Gretchen rushed over to Jimmy.

“Are you alright?” She hadn’t even bothered to walk over to the girls to see if they were, the main concern in her mind was Jimmy. She needed to know he was okay. "You scared me right there, I didn't know if you'd got hit or not." She examined his body to see blood all over his top half with only a smidgen on the bottom.

[Rose]

Jimmy barely heard Gretchen’s voice beside him, his light brown eyes blazing as they bore into the Russian’s unconscious figure. His knuckles were still white where he clenched the man’s head and his chest was heaving with how hard he was panting. Something had flipped a switch inside of Jimmy, turning the pacifist monk into a monster.

“Jimmy…” Basia said softly, stepping up to him. When he made no response she tried again a little louder and with more urgency. “Jimmy, we have to get out of here. Dominik needs to be interrogated, but someone is sure to check on us soon…”

The monk was still for a moment, then grunted and got to his feet, hauling the Russian up with him. He threw the man over his injured shoulder to hide the wound. It hurt him more, but the distant, angry expression never left his face, making him seem immune to the pain. He jerked his head toward the door and Fox opened it for him. His eyes staring straight ahead, Jimmy slipped out and down the back hallway, kicking open the next door for himself. The girls followed quickly behind him and they found themselves at the back of the club, where a few strippers had slipped outside to smoke and take a break from all the eyes and music. Shifting the weight of the man on his shoulder, Jimmy walked past them without concern. Anyone watching would assume what they were supposed to- that Dominik had gotten out of hand and a bouncer was escorting him away from the premises. It really wasn’t far from the truth.

Pilot was waiting in the alleyway, the van parked so they could easily haul Dominik inside and speed away with their job done. Jimmy wasn’t sure what they were supposed to do with Dominik when they were done with him, but he honestly wasn’t thinking that far ahead. His thoughts were focused on one thing. He climbed into the back of the vehicle, throwing Dominik into the seat. Getting on his knees to be eye-level with the Russian, Jimmy shrugged off his ripped and stained coat and tossed it to the corner of the van, then pulled off his black undershirt. A ripped, bleeding shoulder was revealed, bright red ribbons snaking down the man’s chest and back over smears from the clothes. The silent man grabbed the shirt by the rip and tore a long shred from it, wrapping it around his knuckles. He glanced over at the women as they climbed into the van and closed the door before looking back to Dominik, grabbing him by the shoulders and shaking him a few times, then slapping him to wake him.

As Pilot started the vehicle and pulled out onto the street, Dominik opened his eyes blearily. He blinked, the drugs obviously still strong in his system. Taking in his surroundings, he slowly realized what was going on. His lips pulled into a snarl as he focused on Fox and he opened his mouth to curse at her, but Jimmy moved faster than a man his size should be capable of. The Russian was silenced by a fist to the mouth, toppling to the side of his chair. Jimmy grabbed him by the neck and yanked him upright again, glancing once again at the woman. He looked at each of them in turn, his forehead creased with the anger of thoughts he never spoke, until finally he nodded to Fox. It took her a moment to realize what he wanted, but when she did she nodded back and moved closer to the two of them, holding onto the wall of the van so she wouldn’t move as it turned.

“We need to know where you keep your computer, and what the access code is,” she hissed, clearly despising the man. Dominik’s eyes narrowed and he looked them all over again, an odd clarity suddenly creeping into his features.

“So… you’re Clementine’s… new little fucks?” He asked in his thick accent with a huge smile, but it was full of bitterness. He breathed heavily, shaking his head.“I should have known….he would just hire more bitche-”

Jimmy’s wrapped fist slammed against the side of Dominik’s face, silencing him again. His lip pulled up into a small snarl, showing teeth clenched together. His godly patience was wearing thin. He nodded for Fox to go again, his grip tightening on their captive’s throat in warning to answer her question properly.

“Just give us the damn code,” Fox insisted, and Dominik laughed.

“Or what….you will…kill me? Ha! Better you kill me here…then give me to him.” Despite his words, the Russian was looking worse and worse. Jimmy’s punches and the heavy dose of drug were doing their job. Without the support, he would have toppled over. His eyes started to close, but Jimmy shook him violently to rouse him.

“The code…it’s a mixture of dates…and names…” He stopped to cough up blood, and Jimmy had to wonder what effects the drug Clementine had given them might have on the body. Not that he really cared what might happen to Dominik. He looked to Ghost, who was nestled in the opposite corner with all his technology. He hoped he was writing this down.

“Nhg…its…414Malarie196S95M8A…”Dominik went on, then chuckled at something, but it wasn’t a joke for any of them to ever know. He flashed his bitter smile to Jimmy, showing the blood that climbed the cracks of his teeth and stained his lips. “You should…really read that file…..its really funny. Real hilarious…”

Dominik coughed again, blood flecking his chest. Jimmy grimaced and released the man, letting him fall over half conscious. With the seats taken up, Jimmy just settled onto the floor at the woman’s feet with a loud sigh, finally looking to his torn shoulder. It was still bleeding freely, showing a shred of torn muscle that burned viciously now that his adrenaline was fading way. He shivered at the dark thoughts in his head and closed his eyes, pressing his hands together in prayer for a long time. He had a lot to ask forgiveness for. Gradually, the heaving of his chest slowed to normal breathing and his tense muscled relaxed, returning him to the state of blissful calm he’d been taught. Finally lifting his head, he grabbed his torn shirt and pressed it to his shoulder to stop the bleeding. From that point on, his eyes never left Dominik, as if weary he might spring back will full force.

[Rose]

Cally weighed the bat in her hands, swinging it back and forth a few times before looking up through her shock of colorful hair at Lauren Brie. She nodded curtly, resting the bat on her shoulder. It looked odd on the cute, almost dainty-looking little woman, but then, so did her tattered backpack full of bombs.

“Yeah, I agree..” Cally said, looking around. It was oddly quiet now, and she suspected some sort of ambush from any remaining guards. They were bound to start leaving the broken, smoldering wall any minute. They were running out of time.

“I feel a bit safer with Jackie boy here, but let’s get this over with as fast as we can…” She peeked out the doorway, hesitating. She bit her lip, wondering how she ended up in charge someone anyway. “I…honestly have no idea where to go…”

“Clementine said we were looking for a vault that held only a computer, maybe a safe of some sort,” Silk spoke up, and everyone turned to him. “So where would a small vault be? My guess is a master bedroom, perhaps.”

Cally nodded. He was probably right, and anyone else’s guess would be far better than hers. She moved to step out of the kitchen, then paused and moved behind the counter. A moment later she returned with the two Kevlar vests the guards had been wearing. Slipped one on over her small frame, not really thinking about how it would just make people aim for her head if they got the chance. She left the second on the counter for anyone who wanted it before nodding to them again and skipping out into the cleared hallway.

It really was too quiet. Cally glanced back at her new best friend Jack and nodded for him to lead the way. Keeping their eyes peeled for any sort of main bedroom or vault, they swept through the first floor of the mansion. With every step they took in silence and safety, Cally grew more and more uncomfortable. With nothing on the first floor, they made their way to the front. There they found a marble, spiraled staircase leading up to a sort of balcony. There were two bronze doors that looked promising. The group made their way up, and it was when they reached the top that all hell broke loose.

The huge French windows of the front of the mansion shattered as gunfire slammed through them. The mahogany double-doors and their golden lion-head knockers were torn to pieces as a machinegun fired wildly from outside. Cally screamed, ducking behind the cover of the marble with the rest of the group. She could heard the footsteps of three or four guards closing in from outside. They’d trapped Beta upstairs and likely planned to pick them off easily from there. At least that meant they were heading in the right direction.

Cally looked over to Jack, her eyes glittering in excitement even now. Her hand fished around within the black bag and she withdrew something the size of a fist…

“I gotta get into that room! You cover me, ok?!” She had to yell over the clatter of the guns smacking into the precious marble. Without letting anyone respond, she grinned wildly, lifting her hand to her face. She was holding a hand grenade, and with her teeth she tore out the pin. “BOMBS AWAY!”

Cally threw the grenade over her shoulder and it dropped to the first floor. As soon as it exploded, rocking the house and shattering more glass, she bolted for the bronze doors, throwing them open, and frantically started searching for a safe of some sort. She pressed her finger to her ear, flicking her com back on.

“Pilot, Pilot! You there?! We uhh…we need that code if you got it! And uh…could you get over here. Like…NOW?”

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

Back in the van, Jimmy heard Cally’s voice scream over the line, gunfire sounding off close by. His head shot up, an uncharacteristic look of deep concern passing over his usually stolid face, his hands tightening into fists. He stared at the radio as if he could hop through it and rescue her.

An ominous laugh came from the seat across from him where Dominik was laying curled up. Jimmy looked over slowly to see the Russian’s body shaking with his coughing mixed with a raspy chuckle.

“So….you have friends…at my mansion? I had no idea…” His red-rimmed eyes focused on Jimmy with glee and he smiled his bloody smile. “They will never….reach that computer…”

He let the words sink in, egging Jimmy on, just wanting him to pull his gun out and kill him before he ever reached Clementine. When Jimmy merely stared at him, Dominik chuckled again and closed his eyes almost peacefully. He was really enjoying this.

“If anyone goes for that computer....my guards know to trap any thieves…” He said, his voice almost a whisper, like he was running out of breath. The drug must have really been getting to him. “They know to burn the place to the ground….and everyone inside with it.”

[Rose]

((( D: I'm sorry for the tl;dr textwall guys! I didn't realize it was so much until it was too late. ))

[Tusk]

Ghost listened to everything as his brain began to turn to another gear. His eyes scanned Dominik as he could only think. He needed to do something. After reading everyone's files, there were many who were like him. They were recruited to be tools. Though he did not trust Clemintine, It was time to start caring about those who were in the same boat as him.
" Let me guess, you have a security post at the gate of the mansion. "
He spoke as Dominik tried to muster a threatening look. However the Drugs only made him look silly.
" Pilot, Can you get me to the security post. It should be a small building right at the gate. It will have some sort of system to sound alarms and other security measures. I can hack into the system and make it easier for them to get to the computer and quicker. "

Something did not settle well with Ghost. This man risked burning the mansion for a single computer? What did it hold that he would risk so much for it? Ghost kept quiet as the van began to go. First things first, get the computer and everyone out alive.

[GnomesAteMyCake]

If Jack had been blushing before, it was nothing compared to now. A gun as a wedding gift? He'd never heard of anything like that, even when home! Surely the woman was joking with him. Rubbing the size of his nose, Jack followed after Cally into the hallway, taking the lead slightly and making a mental note to give Lauren her gun back at the soonest possible moment.

Gripping his Remmington tightly, Jack peered around a corridor corner before motioning for the others that it was safe, the ball of nerves in his stomach growing with each step. If the mission was as serious as Clementine had told him it was, then why were there no guards?

"I do not like this guys," he muttered, his eyes flicking from one end of another hallway to the other as they reached the top of the stairs to the first floor. "It's way too quiet. Y'all be on the lookout, got it? Hey, looky over there." Pointing towards a double-set of bronze doors, Jack grinned at Cally and Silk over his shoulder; this was surely the master-room. And the corridor was clear! It was perfect; too perfect.

As Cally bolted for the door, Jack reached out and grabbed her wrist. A glint in the window caught his attention. It was the barrell of a gun... but there was no way it was one of their guns, the angle wasn't right....

"GIT DOWN!" he suddenly yelled, grabbing Cally's collar and pulling her to the floor as the windows blew out and gunfire surrounded them. Even now, the girl managed to raise herself on her elbows, grinning back at Jack as if this was the best damn joke she'd ever heard. Pulling a bomb from her bag, she raised herself to one knee.
"I gotta get to that room! Cover me okay?" she yelled at him over the sound of flying bullets before throwing the bomb outside. She emmediately scrambled up, practically flying down the corridor to the master bedroom.

"Cally, wait!" Jack shouted after her, reaching a hand out in a futile attempt to pull her back. "Awwh, Christ in a hand basket!" Rolling to the window, Jack flattened himself against the wall, took a few deep breathes before ducking out and opening fire. With shots born more of instinct than shill, Jack managed to hit two of the guards, incapacitating one and killing the other. A bullet skimmed the side of his face, opening a cut on his cheek and making him duck down, panting heavily. He looked over to Lauren and Silk. "Y'all stay there, okay?! Keep an eye on the stairwell, I gotta make sure Cally s'alright!"

Chancing a blind shot out of the window and almost not believing his ears when he heard a cry a pain, Jack pulled himself to standing and sprinted towards the door Cally ran through, bullets embedding themselves in the wallpaper of the wall. Skidding through the door, Jack looked around quickly, panting heavily.

"Shit, Cally, why'd yuh run?!" he shouted, stalking over to her. "D'you know how easily yuh could'a been shot? You ain't invincible girl!" They stared at eachother for a second before Jack sighed and began searching the room for the safe while Cally made a frantic message to someone called Pilot. "Tell'im he better hurry up; Lauren n' Silk're sittin' ducks out there..."

[Eva]

Lauren looked over at Silk and smiled. "I am not some fragile American girl. I do not need a vest." she said, rather haughtily. "Take it. Someone has to." Silk replied. Lauren laughed and shook her head. "If you insist." Lauren took the vest and put it on as the two of them followed behind Cally and Jack.
By the time the first two were at the top of the stairs, Lauren and Silk were only starting to climb up the steps. "I hear-" Lauren started, but she was quickly interrupted by an extremely loud explosion. With almost lightning fast speed, Lauren and Silk dashed up the steps. Gunshots rang behind them, and the two barely made it to cover.
"My leg!" Lauren shouted. She pressed her hand against her shin and grimaced. Bright red blood seeped out of her pant leg. Through the gunfire, she could see Jack and Cally making a break. She heard Jack order her and Silk to stay where they were, but it wasn't like she could move fast enough to follow them.

Lauren took a short glance and saw that there were, indeed, many guards trying at them. Jack shot at a few of them before running, so maybe that would prevent more from approaching. "If they try to go up the stairs, we shoot them." Lauren said to Silk. But something was...odd. There was a smell in the air. Not gunpowder, but smoke. It was just different from the smoke that Cally's bombs had made. Lauren's eyes bulged slightly. "Perhaps we can go faster!" she shouted at the others.

[Eva]

Pilot didn't pay attention the chaos behind him. Whatever the others planned to do with Dominik, he didn't need to know. All he needed was orders. What he DID hear, though, was Dominik telling Jimmy the code. Without taking his eyes off the road, Pilot took a notepad from his left pocket and wrote the code down as fast as he could. He wouldn't be called 'Pilot' if he wasn't capable of driving a vehicle one-handed now, would he?

As Pilot took them to the mansion, a very loud voice shouted at him in his ear.

“Pilot, Pilot! You there?! We uhh…we need that code if you got it! And uh…could you get over here. Like…NOW?” Cally screamed at him, through his com.

Pilot closed his eyes for a second. "We are approaching as fast as we can, Cally. As for the code, give me one second." Pilot looked at his notepad and read it. "Listen very carefully! The code is 4-1-4-. Then Malarie, spelled M-A-L-A-R-I-E, then 1-9-6-S-9-5-M-8-A. I will stay on the com if you need me." he said.

Just as Pilot was back to driving, he heard Ghost speak up.

"Pilot, Can you get me to the security post. It should be a small building right at the gate. It will have some sort of system to sound alarms and other security measures. I can hack into the system and make it easier for them to get to the computer and quicker."

"They are already starting to get into the computer, Ghost, but sure, whatever you want." Pilot replied through clenched teeth. These kids were so disorganized. The van rode up to the mansion, or so Pilot assumed. It was the location that the mansion was supposed to be at.

Pilot pulled up to the gate, and unlocked the doors. "Ghost, there's your securitywhateverthefuck. Take Basia with you." he ordered. Once those two were out, Pilot locked the doors once again. "Right, so we don't have a focking plan because nobody's talking to each other. What are we going to DO to save those four?" Pilot asked.

[Rose]

Cally cursed beneath her breath as she tore apart the room, leaving a path of destruction behind her as she always did. She wrenched open a door and found a walk-in closet. Diving in, she dug around inside, tossing out heaps of finely-tailored suits and polished boots that got in her way. Apparently Dominik had a cleaner side when he wasn’t out at strip clubs. Either that or the clothes belonged to the missing owner of the house. Cally barely noticed them at all as she ripped shirts from their hangers, finally letting out an elated cry.

“It’s here! Jack, I found it! Just give me three more minutes, that’s all I need.” Whatever risks she had taken in running into the room, it was worth it to her. She knew their time was limited and sitting around worrying over getting shot would just make things worse in the end. It seemed she was fearless, or perhaps too dim to realize the danger she was in. Even now her face was calm, that glint of excitement in her eyes as she huddled in the back of the closet over a much smaller safe then she’d expected. She slung her bag over her shoulder, yanking out one of the black boxes she’d made before. The eccentric woman set it down on top of the safe and a bright yellow face stared back at her, grinning as madly as she had.

Cally pressed a button on top of it then turned and ran to Jack, grabbing him and yanking him down as he had done for her. As she hit the floor she pulled the thick blanket from the bed a foot away and threw it over them before covering her ears. Just as she did, an explosion ripped through the closet, leaving a huge gaping hole in the wall along with some faintly smoldering clothing. Pieces of wood splintered out from the blast, but they scraped harmlessly over the blanket. Cally threw it off quickly and ran back to the closet, returning a second later with a triumphant look and a plain silver laptop tucked beneath her arm, scuffed and smudged with soot but otherwise unharmed. She shoved it into her protected backpack and nodded to Jack.

“Alright, let’s get the fuck out of here!” She ran to the door, peering outside. From her position she could see Lauren holding her leg, blood spilling over the white marble. And she saw thick black smoke rolling up from downstairs…

“The fuck….?” Cally whirled around to Jack, her expression confused and finally mildly concerned. “Jack, you trust that I’m a professional, right? Well…my bombs burn themselves out. I don’t leave a fiery mess in my wake or anything, not unless I want to….There is a fucking fire going on downstairs, and I’m telling you, its not my doing.”

Cally couldn’t fathom why the place was on fire, but she didn’t like it. She suspected their situation had suddenly gotten much worse, and she was right. Downstairs, the guards set torch to the place and began backing out slowly, leaving the mansion behind. The gunfire gradually fell as they backed off, taking up new positions outside where they could easily pick off anyone trying to flee the soon-to-be inferno.

“I think we’ll worry about that code later…” Cally said into her com to Pilot, a bit of worry creeping into her voice. “We gotta get outta here.”