Axis

[Rose]

Fox stared down at the screen of her cellphone as she hurried through the mansion. Through the tall, elegant windows with their curtains drawn back, the sun was peaking over the horizon, throwing pink and yellow hues across the lawn. She closed her phone and shoved it into her pocket, biting her lip in thought. Ghost would be packing like she asked him to and hopefully preparing to leave. Unfortunately, Fox had found no way to steal Clementine’s computer and still get out alive. It seemed she and Ghost would be leaving empty handed, or nearly so. But there was one thing she needed to do first.

Clementine had taken her through a door in his study and down a flight of stairs. She’d found herself in a room made of plain gray concrete walls and a single giant metal door. With the flash of a keycard they were in, and Clementine was showing her all the rare goods he’d gained through his exploits that for one reason or another he couldn’t yet display or sell. And right at the back, her boss showed her, was a lovely artifact he needed her to memorize. The same artifact, Fox realized, from the files Ghost had hacked, and that she would be blamed for taking.

Clementine explained that Fox would be sent on a special assignment by herself to steal the twin of the artifact before her. It was on display in the Smithsonian museum, but with her talents and his technology, the boss assured her, she would make it out without ever being noticed. Fox knew this to be a lie. It was likely she’d be caught the moment she walked through the door. But she didn’t plan on ever getting that far.

Fox eyed the artifact as Clementine laid out the details of his plan. She wasn’t really listening. All the details of the artifact, it was just so beautiful and obviously ancient…It was something like a pot or jar, coated in jade and gold and polished white and soft pink, showing a beautiful mountain town ruled over by a dragon and a tiger….

“Both jars contain the mixed ashes of the temple’s founding members, as well as some scrolls of prayers and old Chinese lore on protection and other nonsense. This jar represents the Dragon, all that is spiritual and wise. I need the jar of the Tiger to complete the collection. I’m afraid the second jar will be moved from the museum within the next day…so I need you to steal it today. Can you do that?”

Fox looked up slowly at Clementine, forcing a smile. At her side, she took a picture of the artifact with her cellphone, hiding it from view with her body. She nodded slowly to Clementine, tucking the phone back into her pocket.

“Yes, yes of course I can, sir.”

Now Fox was hurrying up the stairs, glancing at the picture on her phone again. There would be no casual escape. Clementine expected her to be preparing for her mission and would no doubt trail her on it to make sure she failed. No, she needed to find another way out. She needed a distraction. And she knew the perfect one.

She stopped at a door and knocked lightly.

“Jimmy?”

[GnomesAteMyCake]

Jack sighed, deciding that Cally wasn't going to open the door. He was about to straighten from leaning on the door when it flew open, a yelp of surprise escaping him as he flew backwards. He heard the door shut before a hand grabbed his t-shirt and pushed him back against the door. He looked down at Cally, his mouth open to say something when the girl wrapped her arms around and pulled him down to her. Jack's eyes widened slightly at the kiss before sliding shut, his hands resting on her hips lightly as he kissed her back.

He felt Cally begin to stagger backward, dragging him with her. Refusing to break the contact, Jack followed her awkwardly, thier lips breaking apart as Cally plummeted, Jack removing his hands from her waist to put them out so he didn't crush her. Looking, he saw he was crouched over her awkwardly on a chair that was way too small for the both of them. Chuckling, he leant forward, resting his forehead against hers as he could with the bill of his cap on the right of his head. "Ya'know I can't read y'all fur shit, right?" he muttered lowly, a smile on his lips as he kissed her.

They somehow managed to stand up again, and the sounds of a few things breaking registered in Jack's mind as they staggered around the room, finally collasping on Cally's bed. Still chuckling to himself, Jack lay on his side and pulled Cally to him, one of his arms under her hand and the other over her waist. “Its…mhm….guess its pretty funny…” she muttered sleepily. Jack placed a lazy kiss on her neck before closing his eyes.

"Told yuh so, darlin'..."

[Rose]

((Text wall ahead, sorry guys. But its important. I apologize for all the shit happening at once >_>))
Jimmy faintly heard the knocking at his door and groaned in protest. He moved to roll over, perhaps to cover his pounding head with a pillow, when he finally registered the warmth of a body beside him and the feeling of soft skin beneath his arm. And breath on his neck. And the soft smell of lingering perfume, something flowery with a hint of alluring musk. Jimmy blinked his eyes open and a flood of confusing emotions bombarded him as he gazed over Gretchen, her body tucked into his side.

He pulled back slowly, gently so as not to wake her, and rubbed his head. He was still feeling the alcohol. The pounding of his head only got worse as he lifted it and sat up straight. What the hell had he done last night, he wondered? At least Gretchen still had her clothes on and so did he. That had to be a good sign, right? He’d never forgive himself if he took advantage of a woman…But no, Gretchen was sleeping peacefully, her clothes barely wrinkled. There was no way he’d done anything less than innocent. All was well.

The knocking came again, more urgent this time, and someone was whispering his given name. Jimmy sighed and got up, walking over and peeling the door open slowly. He still swayed a bit, the alcohol not letting him go.

Fox was waiting for him, and as soon as he opened the door she held up her cellphone, the picture of the artifact displayed on the screen.

“Do you recognize this? The writing is Chinese, I think, and I was hoping you could help me translate-“

Jimmy launched forward, grabbing fox by the arms and pushing her up against the far wall. His face lowered close to hers, his eyes wild, his teeth clenched together.

“Where the fuck did you take that?”

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Jimmy tore through his things, his eyes looking the way they did when he was fighting, only now they were glazed over from drinking. His heart hammered wildly in his chest, the sound deafening in his own ears and shooting pain behind his eyes. The monk ground his teeth together, his hate boiling, clouding whatever judgment he had left. He found what he was looking for- Dominik’s gun from earlier, nearly empty now- and closed his fingers tightly around it. He shoved it into the hem of his pants when he heard Gretchen stir. Turning slowly, he saw the woman open her eyes, yawning as she propped herself up on her elbows.

Jimmy looked her up and down, debating, before marching across the room. He took her chin in his hand, though where he had once been gentle, his hands now shook violently and there was a glint of something close to madness in his eyes. Gretchen must have seen something different in him because her face twisted with worry, though she was still bleary-eyed and tired. Jimmy stared at her for a long moment, his breath quick and anxious.

“Gretchen…” But after saying nothing for so long, no words knew how to come to him now. He just tilted her chin up and kissed her quickly, softly, barely a touch of the lips before bolting out of the room.

“I’ll be right back for you,” was all he could manage.

He planned on going straight for the study where Fox had told him to go, but something stopped him. He found himself just standing outside of his door, staring at the one across. Somewhere on the back of his mind he knew that his mission was suicidal. He knew Clementine wouldn’t leave a vault open for anyone to raid. But that artifact, that treasure of all the people who had died to protect it…well, what was one more life? He had to try. Everything in his heart told him he just had to.

But not without saying something t Cally. She’d never forgive him if he didn’t.

Jimmy opened her door slowly and peered inside, startled and embarrassed by what he saw. He was about to back away when Cally’s eyes shot open and she sat up quickly. Better than anyone, she knew there was something wrong with him.

“Jimmy?” She asked sleepily as she pulled out from under Jack’s arm and slid from the bed, dragging her feet as she came to the door. “What is it?”

Jimmy took her face in both of his hands and kissed her forehead, frowning deeply. He’d be back for them all if he could. He just had to do this first. Cally looked up at him, eyes wide.

“I’m going on a mission,” Jimmy mumbled, and Cally only looked more shocked at the sound of his deep voice and thick accent. “I just had to say ‘good luck’…..Now go back to sleep.”

“Good luck…” Cally said quietly as Jimmy released her and was gone again, sprinting down the hallway. It wasn’t until fifteen minutes later when she heard the first gunshots that she was really worried.

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Clementine chuckled as he set his briefcase on top of his car. It held only his laptop, but no one needed to know that. The rest of his bags were being loaded into the back of the solid black BMW by one of his more useless butlers as the boss gave some parting words to Vincent, who’d had a bit to drink but was in much better shape than some of the others in the mansion.

“I’ll be back in two weeks, but I’ll call you in a few hours. Fox should be getting ready for her mission. I’ll let you know when she’d dead. For now, just relax-”

Seven nearly crashed through the double doors, stumbling outside into the cool morning air, though the temperature was the last thing on his mind. He was clutching his chest, where blood spilled out between his fingers. He nearly fell at Clementine and Vincent’s feet, but he managed to keep himself up somehow.

“Sir….its…the monk. He’s turned on us. He’s going to the vault,” Seven choked out, and Clementine’s face went dark instantly. He cursed, slamming his fist down on top of the car.

“Trap him there, you idiot! He’s just one man. He can’t escape you all.” But Seven finally dropped, falling to his knees then pitching backwards. Clementine turned to Vincent and nodded. “Go kill him.”

Clementine threw his laptop into the car and ordered his butler to keep the car running as he cocked his own gun and stepped inside with Vincent.

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Jimmy had quickly come to the conclusion that every butler in the mansion doubled as a guard, or in the case of Seven, they really were just guards in disguise. Jimmy bent over the body of one of them, wrenching their gun free from the holster beneath their tailored black jacket. The monk was covered in blood- his and everyone else’s, it seemed. Five bodies lay around him in Clementine’s study. His stitches had opened and there was a fresh wound through his leg. His eyes seemed lit with a fire from within as he raised the gun toward the doorway. Whatever purity he’d once had was gone.

Jimmy looked toward the stairs, knowing there was no way he could get down them with his hurt leg and get back up in time to escape alive. Even know, he wasn’t sure how he’d make it out of the mansion. He hadn’t thought that far, honestly. He heard the shout and footsteps coming. Jimmy swallowed hard, making a difficult choice. He’d have to run. He’d have to leave the artifact here after being so close for so long. He’d have to find a way back later. Biting his lip in pain, Jimmy ran out of the study, making his way for the back door.

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Fox jumped into Ghost’s room just as the commotion downstairs was starting. She had a backpack slung over her shoulder and a pistol in each hand. Her expression was less panicked than before, but was still urgent and serious. She waved the gun at Ghosts packed things.

“We have the distraction we needed. Clementine has a car outside started and ready to go. We just have to get out there, kill the driver, and get out before Clementine gets back to it. I’d bet my life that every other car here is bugged except his personal car. They’ll never be able to track us.” She moved from foot to foot impatiently. “So grab your shit and let’s go, Ghost.”

Outside, she heard a butler on the stairs calling for everyone. As Ghost nodded to her, his bags of technology in his arms, she threw open the door.

“Everyone stay in your rooms! One of your fellows has turned on you, but he is being swiftly dealt with! Do not fear, Clementine will take care of-”

Fox silenced the butler with a bullet to the head, watching him tumbled back down the stairs where he’d come for. Clementine was so doubt about to call in the real reinforcements if they didn’t get out there soon. She looked back at Ghost expectantly before running down the stairs and for the front door.

[Tusk]

Ghost had spent a sleepless night downloading all the files from Clemintine's computer. It was a long process, but now he had everything that Clemintine stored, well at least the files that were not encrypted. That would take much more time to get. He had spent most of the night in a panic. He was to die, and his family as well. He spent a lot of time making it look like the house he lived in with them was being ceased by the government and they were to be relocated to a house in Vermont. It was the most he could do to keep them safe.

He spent a lot of time realizing he was dead if he did anything and dead if he did nothing. Fox seemed bent on doing something crazy and He needed to think of a plan and fast. However, by the time he focused himself, Fox came running in. She wanted to steal Clemintine's car and Ghost finished packing his things as he transfered all the files to his laptop and set his computer to not only shut down, but utterly destroy Clemintine's system in the mansion. Clemintine would lose everything that was not on his laptop and back up discs would be erased when they were entered. He only nodded to Fox when he was ready and took all that he needed. Together they set out as a butler tried to stop them. He paid for it with his life. Ghost could of threw up, but now was not the time to focus on death. He would see plenty more before it was all said and done. Ghost looked at Fox before swallowing and nodding. Together the two ran to the Car that was running, Clemintine's personal vehicle and after another shot rang out, the two hopped in, Ghost in the passanger Seat. He was no good at Driving. He tried to think of a plan. The airport would not work now. They would have to find a safe place and soon.
" Let's get out of Here! "

[tystys03]

Vincent held the sides of his head, rubbing his temples. Even though he had still been a little drunk, that didn’t stop the hang-over from taking advantage of his poor head. He ordered one of the butlers to bring him some water and Advil. The butler hurriedly made his way towards the medicine cabinet in the kitchen and brought Vincent back his requests. Vincent seemed to forcefully grab the objects out of the butler’s hand and downed either one in a matter of seconds. Shaking his head, he sighed, disappointed in what had transpired the night before. The night was interesting, no doubt, yet it didn’t go quite as he had planned. At first, he had intended on finding Gretchen and perhaps wooing her once more, bringing her back to his room for a little one-on-one time between him and her…and to perhaps get to the bottom of what happened the last time they had seen each other But, this all changed when he spotted her from across the room with another man, a large beast of a person whom Vincent remembered to be the monk named Jimmy. Instead, Vincent attempted to fraternize with the other members on the Echo team and ended up drinking more than he is normally used to. He sighed as his mind began to wander off, memories of his and Gretchen’s last rendezvous filling his thoughts.

The timing of the last visit certainly was a bit odd, seeing as how he had been ordered to assassinate her by his most recent client. When the name of the target had been said, his chest had tightened, his breathing becoming erratic. He never thought it would come down to this, but he always figured that she had a secret side to her that made her incredibly dangerous to him, yet he didn’t care. On the fateful night of her originally intended demise, he met her in a small little town in Northern Wisconsin. In the end, he couldn’t bring himself to go through with it. He cared too much for her…dare he say, loved her too much. After a long night of fiery passion, he had decided to himself that he would tell her what he set out to do. With that, he would also tell her that he could not bring himself to do it and would instead suggest perhaps leaving the country together, to a far-away place where they never had to worry about their past lives for the rest of their days. Yet, as he exited the shower, expecting to see a young and beautiful angel lying in his bed, his heart dropped as he had seen that the spot was vacant.

At first, he suspected foul play. Perhaps the client’s patience had run thin and he had sent another agent to do his bidding. He didn’t want to admit it, but he also felt that it was perhaps because it was her job to play him like a fiddle and make away with any of his valuables. Yet, upon further inspection of the room, he found nothing had been taken, other than Gretchen’s own things. Confused and depressed, he finally checked his phone’s voicemail and heard the message, his eyes opening in terror. Had she heard the message? That had to be it, he thought to himself. She had learned of his “plot” and left before he could go through with it. Vincent couldn’t blame her either. She had trusted him with so much in such a small amount of time, for something like this to happen…it must have been so frightening for her. He held his head in his hands, tears building up in his eyes. Enraged, he began to tear the hotel room apart, realizing he would never be able to face her again, to feel her warmth, to massage her brilliant body, to lay with her, to love her…to him it was a fate worse than death. He would have given it all up for her, yet he was never given the chance. Thankfully for him, he had received a call the next day from another trusted client of his who had given him the mission of taking out the former client. Vincent never really liked to mix business and pleasure, but when he saw the fear build in that man’s eyes as the knife was plunged deep into his side, he couldn’t help but feel an incredible sensation in his belly.

______________________________________________________________________________
Sighing to himself, Vincent’s mind began to feverishly run away from those memories; they had always brought a bad taste to his mouth…or perhaps that was the alcohol. He rubbed his eyes, attempting to stave off the blurry vision. As he was about to lay his head down on the pillows on his bed, a knock came at the door. Vincent, in a gravelly voice asked “What is it?” The door opened slightly, One’s head peeking out from behind the large frame. “It’s Master Clementine, sir. He’s leaving for business reasons and would like to say good bye,” Vincent’s ears perked up. “He’s leaving?” One nodded his head “I’m afraid so, sir.” Vincent shook his head. He looked up at One and asked “What the hell does he expect me to do here?” in a rather loud tone. One’s voice trembled slightly as he responded to Vincent. “P-perhaps that question is best reserved for the M-master, sir.” Vincent sighed again and pulled himself up from the bed. Groaning, he waved One off. This was definitely odd of Clementine to simply leave without giving Vincent the faintest clue as to why…not to mention it most certainly annoyed Vincent as well. “I suppose I should get to the bottom of this.”

Before he left his room, he spotted one of his most beloved weapons: A customized dagger. It was a marvelous little trinket that he had procured from one of his targets in Tibet. It had certainly gotten Vincent out of a number of hairy situations. As Vincent began to walk towards the door, he stopped himself. Something in his gut had told him to bring the dagger along, just in case. If there was anything Vincent had learned in his travels, it was to ALWAYS trust one’s gut instinct. Rushing over to it, he grabbed the dagger and hid it in the pocket of his jacket and made his way towards the front of the mansion.

As Vincent walked out of the large double doors, he spotted Clementine at his car, readying a few of his things before embarking on whatever journey he was to set out on. Clementine finally glanced over to Vincent walking towards him and exclaimed “Oh! Vincent, good morning, my friend!” and walked over to him, extending his hand out to the old friend. Vincent, however, did not take and instead asked, rubbing his head “And where on earth do you think you’re going without giving me a heads up?” Clementine’s face turned into a frown, his hand falling back to his side. He shrugged and began to explain. “I’m sorry, Vincent, truly I am. I should have known better then to keep you of all people in the dark about my whereabouts…it wasn’t like it would have done me any good.” Vincent’s left brow shot up. “See, my friend, it is merely a matter of business, quite trivial really. Merely meeting a few associates to discuss the terms of my team’s next mission, nothing to serious. I figured you wouldn’t really care for such a hassle, seeing as how One had told me a little earlier you’ve had quite the night…” Vincent glanced over to One, who jumped upon the realization that Vincent was looking at him. He bowed his head, apologizing to him. Clementine laughed and patted One on the shoulder. “Don’t let him scare you so bad, One. He can certainly be vicious, but this is merely the after effects of alcohol in his being. No worries, my friend.” One nodded and once again bowed his head to Vincent, who merely waved him off. Vincent looked back over to Clementine, shaking his head. “I suppose you’re right, but as one of your new benefactors, I find it quite rude that you would leave on such short notice. In the future, please take some precautions and let me know where I can get in contact with you if the need arises.” Clementine nodded and laughed a bit. “How very thick of me; I should have known. No worries, my friend,” he said, patting Vincent on the shoulder. “I will most definitely keep this in mind“ It was at that point that Clementine began to explain everything to Vincent.
______________________________________________________________________________
After a few minutes of explanation, Clementine nodded over to the driver, who started the car. “I’ll be back in two weeks, my friend, but I shall call you in a few hours. Fox should be getting ready for her mission. Hopefully, I’ll be able to let you know when she is pronounced dead. For now, just rela—“

But, before Clementine could finish his sentence, the double doors to the mansion shot open, a broken and bloodied Seven walking through them. Flabbergasted at the sight, both Clementine and Vincent could merely do nothing as they watched Seven walk towards them, clutching his chest in agony. He was ready to drop, yet his foothold kept steady as he sputtered “Sir…sir, it’s the monk. He’s turned on us; He’s going to the vault.” Vincent’s eyes widened. “Does he mean the large fellow who had been sitting next to Gretchen last night?” he thought to himself. He must have meant him; there was no one else on the team that could do that much harm on someone of Seven’s stature. Vincent raised an eyebrow. He knew that man was trouble from the very start. Clementine’s face once again turned into a grimace. He slammed down on the top of the car with his fist. “Trap him there, you idiot! He is but a man, he can’t escape all of you!” But his cries fell on deaf ears, as Seven finally had succumb to his injuries and fell over. Cursing, Clementine looked over to Vincent. “Kill him.” A smile befell across Vincent’s face. “With pleasure,” he turned about face and walked towards the mansion. “Finally, something to do…” he thought to himself. He looked to his side and found Clementine cocking a gun, about to enter with him. Vincent nodded to him and they both ran through the large double doors.

Clementine ran towards his study, gun aimed readily towards the doors. He kicked in the doors and let out a few warning shots. Upon closer inspection, he saw that Jimmy had already left the area. Cursing to himself, he began to yell into his tiny blue-tooth head set. “Where in the hell is that bastard?” he screamed. Over the head set, he heard several bullets being fired. One of the guards finally responded. “He’s making his way towards the back door, sir! It seems like he’s given up on finding the artifact!” Suddenly, some of the stress on his body had been lifted from his shoulders, allowing Clementine to breathe a bit easier. He then barked orders into his head set. “Corner him, I don’t want that son of a bitch alive!” He then yelled for Vincent, whom he had thought was right behind him. However, when he turned around, he was no longer there. His hand shot up to the head set. “Vincent, where are you?” Vincent responded, slightly laughing. “Come now, Clementine…it’s been too long hasn’t it?” Vincent ran through the house, moving at an ungodly speed through the foyer. “When have you ever known me to let my prey simply escape?”


______________________________________________________________________________
Jimmy was cornered behind a small counter. There was too many of them for him to pull off another all out assault. He needed to act fast if he wanted to make it out of there alive. He began to quickly survey the landscape, looking for any cover he could find. Surprisingly enough, he found what looked like a straight path towards the back exit. He peeked over the side, a bullet whizzing by and grazing his cheek. He quickly turned back, taking a few deep breaths. It was a long shot, but now wasn’t the time to think. He needed to act; and fast. He waited until he heard the sound of the guard’s clips hitting the floor before he made his move. Running as fast he could, he made his way towards the other side of the room; he turned his body around, aiming his rifle towards the guards. Spraying and praying, he was able to successfully take out two of the guards that had been dogging him. He quickly slid into cover, the guards’ bullets flying over head. He waited a few more seconds until they reloaded again. Once more, he ran for the other piece of cover, doling out a sufficient amount of suppressing fire upon the guards. He did a ninety degree turn into the pillar he had been running for and crouched behind it. He peeked out quickly to see if he had done any damage. “Three this time,” he thought to himself. The guards had become disorganized, attempting to drag back their fallen comrades back to safety. Jimmy looked towards the back door and saw that he was close enough to make a break for it. His heart pounded hard and loud in his chest, his mind in a tizzy. This was now or never.

As the guards were distracted, Jimmy ran wildly towards the door, laying down some more suppressing fire. His vision was locked behind him as he madly shot about the place, trying to take down the remaining guards, who now had some backup. Somehow, he was able to take out almost all of them. Grinning, he threw his guns down to the ground and looked forward towards the door. Suddenly, he felt someone else’s frame smash into him. As he crashed into the other person’s body, he felt a large hand wrap around his wrist. The hand then proceeded to flip Jimmy’s body directly into a wall. As Jimmy’s large frame made contact with the wall, the other person had smashed the full force of their weight into his, causing all of the air in Jimmy’s body to shoot out from his mouth. As Jimmy’s body slumped down to the floor, he desperately began gasping for air. In the confusion, Jimmy looked up, hoping to gain some sort of semblance of the situation at hand. His vision began to return, revealing that it was Vincent who had surprised him. Vincent began to laugh, walking back a bit, his body in a battle ready stance. “Come on, big ‘un! Let me see what you got!” Vincent laughed as Jimmy attempted to stand back up. Jimmy’s entire perception of reality had been torn. Everything was unstable, he couldn’t find a way back up. Was this what it felt like to die? “No,” Jimmy thought to himself. “I’m not letting him win. Not after what he did…” The memory of his burnt down temple shone brightly in his mind’s eye. Flashes of Cally and Gretchen rang throughout his head. He heard their screams in his head. He envisioned Clementine torturing them, raping them, breaking them until they couldn’t scream anymore. Jimmy’s eyes shot open. Vincent saw a fire burning in them that he had never seen in a human being before. It was frightening, it was awe inspiring…and it was exhilarating. Vincent’s smile grew wider as Jimmy picked himself up off the ground. He laughed again, attempting to coax the large monk into rushing him. “Come on, you limp dicked fuck head! Show me what those useless ass monks taught you!” Jimmy had enough. He didn’t care what happened to him now. Vincent had to die. Clementine had to die. They all had to die. If that meant his life in exchange for theirs, then so be it.

Jimmy let out a ferocious roar, his entire body shaking with anger. He ran towards Vincent blindly, his eyes glazed over. He felt no pain, no fear; just hate. It enveloped his entire body and Vincent was going to be on the receiving end. Vincent kept smiling madly. He had never been so scared in his life. It was exciting. It was just the thrill he needed. Vincent roared out towards Jimmy “GIVE ME EVERYTHING YOU HAVE!” Vincent then began to make a bee-line for Jimmy as well. From afar, one distraught guard looked on as the two engaged in an animalistic brawl.

Jimmy’s arms shot forward, attempting to grapple Vincent, but to no avail. Vincent slid underneath Jimmy’s large legs. Vincent then turned quickly and kicked out Jimmy’s feet from under him. He hooked his left arm onto Jimmy’s neck and used his right to plunge the dagger deep into Jimmy’s shoulder blade. Jimmy let out another roar to Vincent’s delight. Yet, Jimmy barely flinched it seemed. Jimmy grabbed Vincent’s left arm and tore it off his neck, dislocating Vincent’s arm in the process. He then flipped him over his large body and threw him towards the wall; a bit of revenge for earlier. Vincent flew a couple of feet away and smacked hard against the wall, yet he didn’t let this deter him. Upon making contact with the ground, Vincent quickly recovered and shot towards the monk with the speed of a bullet. He jumped high into the air, his legs several feet off of the ground. Vincent drop kicked Jimmy in the chest, which sent the monk sliding a few inches back, his feet still planted firmly on the ground. Using his good hand, Vincent caught himself on the floor and twisted his body around and used the momentum to deliver a kick another kick to Jimmy’s chest, hitting him directly in the solar plexus. Once again, Jimmy had no air in his body and fell to his knees. While Jimmy was gasping for air, Vincent used his good arm to grab Jimmy’s head and proceeded to bring it down to his level, kneeing Jimmy in the face. After continuing to do this for a few seconds, Vincent planted his foot on Jimmy’s left shoulder and proceeded to pull out his dagger from his shoulder. After he had retrieved his dagger, Jimmy’s left hand shot up and grabbed Vincent’s leg. Using all of his strength, he picked the old assassin up. As he was upside down, Jimmy proceeded to use his other arm to punch Vincent in the stomach; it was Vincent’s turn to go without air for a few seconds.

Vincent’s vision began to black out. Quickly, he gripped the dagger in his right hand and stabbed Jimmy in the thigh. Jimmy let out another roar of pain, letting Vincent go. Right before Vincent hit the ground, his right hand planted firmly on the ground below him. He then whirled his body around as if he were performing some sort of break dance maneuver and kicked Jimmy in the face. As Jimmy began to fly back from the power of the blows, Vincent went straight for the dagger and ripped it out of Jimmy’s flesh once more. In one motion, Vincent made several slicing motions around Jimmy’s body, severing some important arteries. Yet, it didn’t seem like that was enough to keep the large beast at bay. While Vincent was about to slice Jimmy’s Achilles tendon, Jimmy’s flung his right foot backwards, directly into Vincent’s face. Vincent was sent flying backwards from the power of the blow and hit one of the mansion’s statues. For what seemed like an eternity, Vincent was out cold. But, after a few seconds, Vincent’s eyes shot open. In the distance, he could see Jimmy hunched over. Vincent, using all of his strength, picked himself up from the floor. Jimmy quickly turned around to face Vincent and attempted to get up, but fell right back down. Vincent knew this was his only chance to strike down the behemoth…but even he had been bested. Vincent fell down to one knee, his whole body trembling in pain. Vincent now had the same fire in his eyes that Jimmy possessed. “One of us will die,” he thought to himself. “…and I’ll be damned if it’s me…” Vincent coughed up some blood. He had been in worse shape than he thought. Looking up, he saw Jimmy slowly making his way towards the exit. Using all of his remaining will power, Vincent stood back up and walked towards the lumbering man. Vincent was dumb founded. Even with all of the injuries he had sustained, Jimmy was still able to keep a brisk pace for the exit. Before he knew it, Jimmy was gone.

Vincent fell to his knees once more and began breathing heavily. Clementine ran towards his old friend, picking him up and propped him against a neighboring wall. Several guards began to run into the room, their guns aimed towards the back door. “Don’t let that bastard escape, everyone chase after him and gun him down—“ Clementine began to shout, but was stopped abruptly by Vincent’s yelling. “Take another step towards that door and I will kill you all myself.” Clementine’s face went dark. Vincent used the wall to support his weight as he began to pick himself back up. After finally obtaining a steady foot hold, Vincent walked towards one of the guards and took his gun, throwing it to the side. Clementine rushed to Vincent’s side. “Are you daft? We can’t just let him loose after all this!” Vincent simply looked over to Clementine and smiled. “In the shape that man is in? Please, I’m doing you and your men a service.” Vincent merely patted Clementine on the shoulder, his blood smeared hand staining Clementine’s vest. “There’s enough iron in that man’s body to supply a small Russian militia. Not to mention the fact that I severed several arteries in his body.” Vincent took his hand off Clementine’s shoulder, using it cradle his dislocated arm. “Make no mistake—“he then put his left arm back in place. After doing so, he began to wave his fingers about, attempting to regain some feeling in them. He then used his finger to point at the now broken watch that was on his wrist. “He’ll be dead by noon. You can be sure of that.” Vincent said smiling, as blood slowly dripped down the sides of his mouth.

[Rose]

“Let’s get out of here!”

“You don’t have to tell me twice,” Fox said, cursing beneath her breath as she revved the car, speeding out of the driveway. No shots fired behind her, and that was a good sign. The minute Clementine discovered what she and Ghost had done all hell would rain down on them. They had to get out of there as quickly as possible.

And yet, as the car’s tires screeched onto the pavement, Fox caught sight of a haggard, broken man. He limped out from the shadows as she pulled up the car, looking to Fox almost pleadingly. The monk dropped to his knees as Fox threw the car into reverse, feeling a bit of morality. She was partly responsible for his current state. If she could help him at all, she would. Fox stopped in the grass just before Jimmy and he pulled himself into the back of the car without a word. Fox sped off the instant his door slammed closed.

“I have no idea where to go from here,” Fox muttered, trying to dispel the heavy silence. Jimmy was eerily quiet in the back, save for his heavy breathing. Fox checked the rear-view mirror and saw that his eyes were fluttering closed. Blood pooled on the leather seats of the car, dripping down to the floor. “But we need to figure it out quickly.”

[Tusk]

Ghost had to think. At first it was simply Fox and himself, but after seeing Jimmy and Fox going to get him, This added complications. He was not a medic, and Jimmy would die if he did not get to a hospital. However, stopping in a hospital would mean Clemintine would find them quickly. Ghost had to think and fast. Now Jimmy's life hung in the balance.
" I have it! "
Ghost shouted as he pulled up his laptop. Clemintine was already going to kill them if they were caught, but now it was time to do something borderline crazy.
" Drive us to the nearest hospital. Dominik still has some breath in him, and he may serve of some use to us still. "
Ghost took out his laptop and began typing up a storm. Soon a smile appeared on his face as he finally hacked into the police mainframe. He used the government satalites to send a report of a suspected russian double agent being held in Clemintine's mansion and then took out a cell phone.

" The media has ways of spying on police scanners so they can find stories right as they happen. With this floating in the system, they will flock to Clemintine's Manor rather soon. Now all I have to do is call the police and Access the FBI files to change what they have on Domink and He will no doubt play the rest. If anything, this will buy us at least a few days because if Clemintine sends out anyone after us, they will be tracked by reporters then exposed. We will just have to let Cally know Jimmy is alive through an unknown message and there we have it. "
Ghost said as he plugged his phone into his laptop and gave the phone to Fox.
" Look i am no actor, so I need you to simply follow what I say. You are Agent Harmen from the FBI counter terrorism unit. One of your double agents has been compromised and he holds intellegence about a matter of national security. THe defence minister has been notified so they must send all avaliable units to the manor to extract the agent...which is Dominik. I know this sounds farfetched, but with a few fake emails and a file of Dominik suddenly appearing, by the time they dort everything out, we can have Jimmy in stable condition and on a train to Canada before Clemintine can even begin! Clemintine's connections can not even begin to get him out of this until everything clears up. And with a random tip that there are people being paid off in the FBI and CIA, we should have a cover until the matter with Clemintine is cleared. "

He hoped his plan seemed normal enough for her to go with. It was the only thing he could think of to save Jimmy.

[Rose]

Cally didn’t get any sleep after Jimmy left. It was likely anyone else who found it difficult to sleep through the sounds of gunshots and yelling didn’t either.

After Jimmy left her, his words confusing but pleasing her at the same time, Cally had returned to bed, curling within Jack’s waiting arms. Her thoughts drifted around but were subdued by how terribly hung-over and exhausted she was coupled with Jack’s warmth and easy breathing. She felt herself pulled down, quickly descending into the dream world….

The shots were faint at first, coming from the other side of the huge mansion, but the second Cally was roused they rang loud and clear. She scrambled around for a gun, Jack grabbing one on the bedside table out of habit without really knowing what was going on. Cally stood by the door, debating going out, but Jack beckoned her over, sensing something was very wrong, and she complied wordlessly, sleep still in her eyes though she was quickly sobering. They sat there together at the end of the bed for some time, guns cradled in their hands as the guards shouted.

“Everyone stay in your rooms! One of your fellows has turned on you, but he is being swiftly dealt with! Do not fear, Clementine will take care of-” A voice started by the stairs, but was silenced by a shot that rang out painfully close in the hallway. Cally jumped in surprise, but the gun remained firmly in her hands, pointed unwavering at the door.

But the house fell as silent as ever, and it stayed that way for a long time. Hours, it seemed, but it may have been only one or two. Cally refused to relax, Jimmy’s words echoing in her head. But no, she told herself. It couldn’t be him. She knew Jimmy, or at least she thought she did. He wouldn’t turn on them. He certainly wouldn’t kill anyone.

A butler finally came to the room, opening the door cautiously. He jumped at the sight of the guns, probably fearing they too would attack, but as they hastily lowered their guns he relaxed.

“Master Clementine wishes to speak with everyone at the breakfast table. As you might imagine, he has much to discuss about what has happened here. But rest assured: all is safe now.” And then the butler was gone, going on to the next rooms to tell the others.

Cally dropped the gun quickly as if it burned her. She stared off at the door, unsure. Her heart was still afraid and her brain fought with logic, telling her Jimmy wouldn’t do that but then that she didn’t know him. Her hands balled into fists and she didn’t move, even at the sounds of others leaving their rooms to go speak with Clementine and find out what happened.

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

Clementine stood at the head of the table, unable to calm himself enough to sit down. A bound and gagged Dominik sat in one of the chairs beside him, looking as rough as the night before. Their boss seemed to have lost much of his elegant nature with his composure. His hands dug into the table while he waited, his knuckles white from the grip, and the vein in his forehead looked dangerously close to exploding. He had contemplated dragging Cally and Gretchen from the rooms and interrogating them, but only a bit of sense from Vincent and One calmed him. And while they were rapidly losing faith in the plan, Clementine silenced them out of nowhere, marching off. He had new plans. He’d fix this. He’d make it all work. But first he had to easy everyone’s minds, show them that he fixed all of their mistakes. Clementine took a heavy gulp of his morning wine and tried at a smile as his butlers laid out plates before Echo arrived for their meals.

[GnomesAteMyCake]

Jack blinked blearily as he hovered between sleep and consciousness, pushing himself on one arm as he felt Cally leave his side and stumble across the room to answer the knocking. Rubbing his eyes, he heard a male voice that he didn't know, but before he could gather his scattered thoughts to ask who it was, Cally had closed the door gently and was picking her way back across the room to him.

"Uh, Cal? Ev'rythin' okay darl-" he started, but Cally quickly shook her head, crawling beside him once more, burying her face into his neck. Sighing, Jack looped his arms around her lightly, her head rising and falling with every breath he took as he tried to refind sleep.

It seemed like seconds later they were woken by gunshots. His senses still dulled, Jack sat up slowly, the cock of a gun snapping through his thoughts. He saw Cally cross the room with a gun, and he called out to her softly as he grabbed his Remmington which had been propped hazardly against the bed. He shook his head at her briefly and beckoned her back to him, which she did so after a few moments. The two of them sat side by side, Cally's gun in her hands while Jack had his laid over his lap, one of his hands rubbing comforting circles on Cally's lower back through her t-shirt, trying to relax the woman.

"It'll be alrigh', Cally," he muttered soothingly, his voice heavy from sleep. "We got nuttin' to worry 'bout..."

After a period of time which could've been hours or minutes, the bedroom door opened and a butler looked in fearfully, obviously shaken with a pistol and a shotgun trained on his head. The two agents lowered thier weapons, and the butler edged into the room, pulling at the collar of his shirt in a nervious gesture.

“Master Clementine wishes to speak with everyone at the breakfast table. As you might imagine, he has much to discuss about what has happened here. But rest assured: all is safe now.” Jack looked confusedly at the man before he turned on his heel and left the room, knocking on the next occupied door just down the corridor, the sound of the inhabitants leaving coming in through their open door.

Pushing himself to his feet, Jack tossed the gun onto the bed before stretching, taking his cap from the bedside table and jamming it onto his head. "Guess we better go see what tuh boss-mans gotta say on this whole thing," he muttered to himself, straightening his t-shirt and heading for the door, stopping when he realised the fiesty girl wasn't with him. "Cal?" He looked over his shoulder to see her stood in the same place he'd left her, staring ahead with her hands balled at her sides. Stepping in front of her, he leaned down slightly to look in her eyes. "Ev'rythin' okay, girl?" When he didn't get an answer, he took her hands in his, uncurling her fingers gently and threading thiers together, swinging them slightly to get her attention.

"Cally, wha's happening? Come on, darlin', you cun tell me, right?"

[Aubs]

“I’ll be back for you,”

“I’ll be back for you,”

"Gretchen.. I’ll be back for you,”

"Gretchen.."

Gretchen jerked out of her sleep upon hearing the gunshots. Her heart not only skipped a beat, it almost stopped completely. What was happening? “Oh my god, someone’s gone on the deep end,” turning over as she spoke to herself. It was then that she remembered the moment she’d shared with Jimmy the night before. She surely had thought that the kiss was all a part of some elaborate dream of her’s and that she’d find him asleep next to her but it’d been hours ago that she no longer had felt the warmth of Jimmy’s large body next to hers. She didn’t initially think anything about it at first; being as tired as she was, but now that she was completely awake, she began to worry. “Where is he?” She thought, pushing herself up in the bed so she could sit upright. Her few minutes seating in silence hadn’t gone unwarranted, as a few seconds later Gretchen heard a knock at the door. The creaking of the old door and the footsteps that proceeded in suddenly after startled Gretchen even more. [if it were even possible at this point

“Miss Okamoto,” one of the butlers, she was too shocked by the gun in his hand to get a grasp of who is completely was. “Your presence is needed downstairs in the dining hall. Master Clementine would like to have a discussion about the all happenings from last night.”
“What do you mean, “Happenings from last night? What all happened?” She lifted the large blanket from over her body and stood up. “Is everything alright?”
“I’m afraid I cannot personally discuss the matter with you, Miss.” The butler piped before leaving the room in silence.

Something’s going on, Gretchen thought to herself. Gunshots, butlers with guns, missing hunky gorgeousness.. This isn’t adding up. It was then she had a lightbulb above the head moment. She grabbed Jimmy’s robe, putting the ginormous housecoat over her small frame. She didn’t realize just how big he was until she’d put on his clothing. Moving into the hallway, she walked over to the next room and opened the door to see Cally and Jack. Normally, she would have referred to either one of them out of their names, but she wasn’t in the mood for playing up to her bitchiness. There was seriously some underlying problem going on.

“Can either one of you two tell me what happened last night?” She abruptly asked, folding her arms across her chest. “I had a weird dream, but it’s turning out not to be so much of a dream after all. I can't find that guy, who's name I still don't have seeing that he never told me, but I'm really worried. I don't trust anyone here enough to go to them. I don't really trust you guys either, but- something told me to come here instead of heading immediately downstairs.”

[Aubs]

Gretchen continued to stare at Cally and Jack, neither or which had bothered to respond to her at this point. “Are you two just going to stand there and stare into space saying nothing, or are you going to respond to me?” She shook her luxurious haircape, preparing herself for fierce mode. “There’s something going on, isn’t there? One of you two knows something.” Her eyes moved from one to the other. She could definitely read something from their blank expressions and the intensity the room had leveled up to. There was something going on and Gretchen needed to know immediately. There wasn’t any way she was going to let anything slip by her. She might not have liked Jack or Cally, but to her they were the only two left in the mansion other than her luscious, quiet hottie who were worth the time. And with Jimmy so attached to Cal, Gretch knew she’d have to have a civil relationship with the girl eventually. [or at least some time soon she dreaded..] It didn’t help though that the girl hadn’t said a word since Gretchen had walked into the room though. It made things more difficult, especially for someone as impatient as Gretchen. “You know what, scratch the thought that only one of you know something. The both of you do.” She unfolded her arms from across her chest and placed her hands against her hips. “Spill.” Lowering her eyes, Gretchen glared. “I need to know what happened, NOW.”

[GnomesAteMyCake]

"Ma'am, we don't know nothin'," Jack answered after a few moments of silence where he had waited to see if Cally would say anything. She hadn't, which confused him; he remembered her going to the door sometime in the night, and she hadn't mentioned it, which made him think that this was something to do with what was going on now.

"Big guy? D'you mean Jimmy? You mean he ain't here?" Jack gripped his gun tightly, the barrel pointed to the floor. "Man, somethin' don't smell right here. C'mon, we ain't gunna learn nothin' by standin' here. Even if it ain't everythin', Mister Clementine cun give us somethin' tuh go on, right?" Looking between the two women, Jack slung the gun across his back and dragged Cally from the room by her hand, beckoning to Gretchen.

"Listen. I'm sorry I can't tell you nuthin', really I am. Let's get what answer's we can, 'cause nuthin's addin' up. Cally?" Squeezing the girl's hand until she looked up from the floor and at him, "You sure there's nuthin y'all kin tell me?"