A.N.: Now edited.
Watchpoint Gibraltar, Main Lab
4 days after museum heist
Winston was having a nap. He was also dreaming. In his dream, he was trying to solve a conundrum that required all his intellect to figure out.
Standing before him was the mother of all peanut butter jars and he has no idea how to remove the giant lid.
However, just as he finally figured out a way, he was yanked from his dream heaven by Athena who effectively utilized the lab klaxon alarm to immediately wake up the hyper-intelligent-mega-gorilla.
He spoke while rubbing the sleep from his eyes. "Athena! I almost had it…" He started to complain but was cut off by the A.I.
"Winston, the Michaels residence is being attacked!" She spoke sternly.
Winston's eyes shot open.
"What!?"
"Echo-4, do you read?"
"Loud and clear."
"Do you have eyes on the target?"
"Copy that."
"Echo-2, Echo-3, report."
"In the elevator, heading up."
"Roger that. Eliminate objectives then pull out. Echo-4 has scope on them, just in case.
"10-4. We arrived on their floor. Delivering message now."
Rhodes Apartment Complex, Apartment #908
"There's an error with the regulator. That's why the safeties keep kicking in."
It was a late Numbani evening. Inside the Michaels household, Danny was sitting on the kitchenette floor, staring at his laptop. The oven was on the fritz, so Danny, being a wizard with a computer, decided to connect to the oven's interface to see what the issue was. He was starving and dinner was on hold due to the malfunctioning appliance, so he put his entire being into finding the issue. Which he did. Unfortunately for him and Jessie, the problem is hardware related and that left them stuck with no oven for a while.
Jessie sighed at the news. "Well, there goes dinner. Gonna have to get a repair guy in to fix it."
Danny pouted. "Oh maaan. I was REALLY looking forward to garlic bread."
"Sorry, little buddy." Jessie apologized as he got off his perch on top of the island counter. He then patted his little brother sympathetically on the shoulder. Danny just shrugged and got up with his laptop.
"Eh. C'est la vie, right?" He looked up to his brother with a smile. "So. Salem's?"
Jessie smiled back. Salem's sounded good to him at that moment.
"Definitely. Grab your jacket, it's chilly tonight." He finished just as there was a knock on the door. Confused as to who would be calling, Jessie decided to answer it, while Danny went to his room to grab his things. He reached out and opened the door halfway.
Two men stood before him. Both wearing matching long coats and black outfits and they both held serious, no nonsense expressions. They were intimidating figures to say the least.
"Can I help you?"
"Are you Jessie D. Michaels, formally of the united states military?" One of them asked, voice colder than Antarctica at night.
Alarm bells went off in Jessie's head but kept on a stoic expression. His body, however, was tense and ready to react at the first sign of trouble.
"Yeah, that's me. Who are you?" He asked carefully.
His reply came in the guise of assault rifles, curtesy of the long coats.
"SHIT!" Jessie jumped to the side, slamming the door as he did. Just in time, as he just missed the barrage of gunfire that tore through his front door. He was completely caught by surprise. He need to move and get to cover before he ended up a statistic. Without a second thought, Jessie dove for the island counter. The cabinet under the sink was his next goal as he took no time to yank it open and pull out a large, grey attaché case. Thoughts of his brother's safety flooded his mind as he flipped the case open and grabbed the gun inside along with the three loaded magazines.
The gunfire had receded as he loaded the shotgun in his hands. By the time he pumped it, what remained of the front door was kicked off its hinges as it came crashing to the floor. Jessie let his military training take over as he quietly leaned against the island, ears straining to listen as he waited for the right time to make his move on the home invaders.
Echo-2 and Echo-3 stood outside the door, pointing their reloaded weapons through the gap as they scanned the apartment for their targets. Echo-2 signaled for Echo-3 to move forward and they slowly and quietly made their way inside. They circled around the destroyed door as to avoid making noise. Echo 3 stalked towards the couch and T.V. while Echo-2 went in the direction of the kitchenette, slowly and methodically clearing the apartment.
Echo-2 approached the island counter that shielded the elder Michaels, his footsteps muffled by the carpeted floor until he was close enough that he started walking on the tiles. He proceeded with even gentler foot falls, and yet, despite this, Jessie still managed to hear the first step, but only just, and swung the business end of his pump-action towards the source, ready to blow the head off anyone who threatened his family.
Echo-2 was close enough that Jessie could see his shadow. Both off them tightened their grip on their respected weapons, trigger fingers at the ready.
*thunk*
Echo-2 snapped around in an instant, ready to tear into what he thought was his target. However, it turned out to be Echo-3, who had inadvertently knocked the trophy lamp off the end table. Jessie, having been fully familiarized of the table's flimsy nature, saw his chance while the enemy was distracted.
He leaned forward and took the shot, aiming for Echo-2's arm. Consequently, this caused the gunman to drop his weapon and yell out in pain. Not wasting a single second, Jessie jumped up and grabbed Echo-2 in a stranglehold. Aware of the need to pump it, he dropped his shotgun and, with precise skill, kicked up the automatic rifle the wounded man dropped. Echo-3 reacted to the commotion behind him and opened fire, unaware his partner was being used as a shield. The armor-piercing rounds ripped through Echo-2's armor vest before being lodged in his chest. By the time Echo-3 realized this and stopped, he ended up sharing the same fate as jessie shot back with the twin rifle.
In an unforeseen turn of events, Jessie Michaels had successfully eliminated two hitmen sent to kill him, and possibly, his little brother.
He dropped the body he was still holding, letting it hit the ground with a thud. He then leaned down and grabbed his shotgun. He hooked the smaller rifle to the belt loop on his pants letting it hang freely.
"Je-e-essie?" Danny's fearful and hesitant voice came from the small hallway leading to their rooms and toilet. Jessie took a moment to sigh a breath of relief, knowing that the worst was probably over and that his brother was safe.
"It's ok, Danny. I'm here. But don't come out, yet. It's a mess." Jessie called back as he began to search the body of Echo 2. He found extra ammo for the rifle and little else. 'Whoever these bozos were, they didn't leave anything to I.D. them.' He thought, grimly.
"What happened?" Danny asked, still shocked by what transpired in their home.
"Two guys picked a bad day to be home invaders."
"Invaders!? You mean like…like burglars!? But Numbani's supposed to be one of the safest cities in the world! Who were those guys?" Danny started to panic at the thought that someone tried to break into their home.
"Calm down, champ. Deep breaths. Take deep breaths." The elder Michaels attempted to placate his younger brother's nervousness before he continued. "No idea who they are. They got nothing on them that can give us a clue."
Danny did as he was told and started to calm down. Jessie, meanwhile, remained by Echo-2 as he thought over the situation. 'Who ever these guys are, they were pros. Chances are there's gonna be more where these jackholes came from.'
"Danny."
"Yeah?"
"Call the cops, will ya?"
"Okay."
While Danny tried to get a hold of the police, Jessie gave Echo-2 another look. He was about to call it quits but then noticed something in the stiff's ear. Pulling it out, he found the man's earwig communicator. This did NOT sit well with Jessie. If both gunmen had these, that meant that there were definitely more of them.
"Jessie!" Danny's worried call broke through his thoughts.
"Yeah?" Jessie replied. His own voice was laced with worry.
"The lines are dead! I can't call anyone!"
'Holy shit, this is not good.'
"Danny, grab the back packs. We're buggin' out."
Danny gasped at his brother's order. He shot up and ran back to their rooms to grab their things. Jessie held the earwig in his hand and walked over towards the other body in the room, with the intent to search it before they left.
Not two feet away from the body, Jessie's fears have been proven valid as a bullet smashed through the window, grazing his shirt.
"DAMN IT!" He shouted in surprise as he ducked to the side.
"DANNY, THE SHUTTERS! COVER THE WINDOWS!" He didn't wait for a reply as he closed the shutters to the two windows in the living room. A sniper can't shoot what it can't see. Still didn't stop the shooter from sending a burst through both windows.
"Aaagh!" Jessie quickly looked around the apartment for something that may remedy their situation. He noticed the light controls by the front door and he quickly reached for them and killed the lights.
'The darkness should help…I hope.' He thought to himself. With a second's reprieve, Jessie headed to his room, grabbing his dropped shotgun. On the way, he remembered something that may help them get out of this mess alive. He looked down at his hand and saw the earwig comm. piece he pulled out of Echo-2. As he entered his room, an idea came to mind.
He found Danny packing like he was told.
"Danny!" He said, gaining the attention of the younger boy. He was shaking, terror clear in the child's eyes. Jessie can see his little brother's distress. He dropped the shotgun and knelt in front of him, placing both hands on his shoulders as he spoke gently.
"How you doing, champ?" He asked quietly.
If Jessie didn't know his brother as well as he did, he wouldn't have been able to tell that Danny was freaking out. As it is, he simply looked nervous, but Jessie knew better.
Danny swallowed before he spoke. "Good. I'm doing good. Just...uh, just packing up...like you said. Packing up so we can bug out, right? ...Right." He nodded as he spoke, tone thick with nerves.
Danny is only ten years old. He's not a soldier by any stretch. He didn't have the life experience to handle this situation. He didn't even believe he would be in this situation in the first place. Jessie knew this better than anyone, and if he could, he would have saved Danny from ever having to experience this mess at all, and made sure he never would.
Jessie pulled his brother into a tight, protective hug. Danny reciprocated with his own, not daring to let go of his older brother.
"Keep it together, little buddy. I need you to keep your cool. We're gonna get out of here, and when we do, we're gonna have a totally boss story to tell." He gave Danny a gentle squeeze. "But to do that, I'm gonna need you to be strong for me. Can you do that?" He felt Danny smile on his shoulder and nodded his affirmative. After another gentle squeeze, he pulled back to face his brother. "That's what I'm talking about." He gave Danny a confident smile. Danny smiled back, thankful his older brother was there to look after him.
"Now, listen. We're not out of the woods yet but if we keep our heads, then we'll be able to skate by. Understand?" Another nod. "Good. Now, I need you to do me a favor." He showed Danny the earwig. "This is a 2-way communicator. Can you kill the mic on this?"
Danny looked at the tiny, ear-mounted device before he took it, confused as to why Jessie needed it.
"I should, but…why?"
"If we can listen in without them knowing, we'll know what they're doing and we'll be able to move around them, avoiding any confrontations." The former soldier explained.
Danny didn't say anything else and went straight to work, grabbing his laptop to hack the communicator. While he worked, Jessie finished the packing. The packs were travel spec, so they had plenty of space to carry what they needed. Both packs carried clothes. Jessie's had a first-aid kit and their I.D.s and passports. Danny's would be carrying his laptop and all associated equipment.
Once that was done, Jessie reached under his bed and grabbed another gun case. This one was much smaller and housed a pistol, ammo, and his old military-issued combat knife. He placed the weapons on top of his bed before grabbing his jacket and putting it on, zipping it up halfway. He tucked the pistol in one of the jacket's inner pocket and the ammo in the other. The knife was strapped to his left thigh.
Finally, Jessie grabbed his wallet, and pocketed his smokes and lighter.
By now, Danny had finished tweaking the earwig and handed it to his brother, who wasted no time putting it on.
"...cho-4, drop scope and head to the rear entrance."
"Acknowledged."
"Echo-1, this is Echo-5. We are approaching the floor."
"Copy that, Echo-5. Stay frosty. This guy took down Echo-2 and Echo-3. He's no pushover."
"Roger that, Echo-1."
"Second wave's coming." Jessie stated. Danny was getting worried.
"What're we gonna do, Jessie?"
Jessie thought for a moment before being hit with inspiration.
"Danny, are you still hacked into the oven?" He quickly asked.
The underage hacker just stared, dumbfounded. "Uh, yeah? Why?"
"Can you disable the safeties?"
"Yeah, I can but wha…oh, oooohhh." Danny realized what his brother was planning. Wordlessly, he grabbed his laptop again and reactivated the oven's interface, fingers flying over the holographic keyboard as he attempted to deactivate the safety protocols installed in the firmware.
Meanwhile, Jessie walked out into the living room and listened. He could here thumping boots coming from down the hallway, outside the apartment. Knowing they were running out of time, he ran back into the room, grabbing his assault rifle from his belt.
"Danny, they're almost here. Hurry up!"
Danny was typing furiously. "Al…most…there…THAT'S IT!"
"Good. When I tell you, crank it to max. Understand?" Danny nodded quickly. Jessie nodded back then checked the ammo clip on the rifle before walking out of the room to set up.
"There's definitely going to be a noise complaint for this."
Echo-5, Echo-6 and Echo-7 stood out front of the wrecked apartment. They could see their team members lying dead on the ground. Slowly they made their way in, scanning their surroundings much more carefully than the two stiffs did. Also, unlike Echo-2 and Echo-3, this group was outfitted in proper combat armor and helmets.
They'd spread out to cover the dark, moderately sized living room quicker; one cover the kitchenette side, one went down the center, and one went around the couch, stepping over the trophy lamp.
They were halfway down when, suddenly, gunfire erupted as Jessie unloaded a full magazine of armor-piercing rounds out of his confiscated assault rifle, shooting wildly at the three new gunmen. Caught by surprise, Echo-6 and Echo-7 dove behind the island counter. Unfortunately for Echo-5, having been the closest to the barrage, he took the brunt of it as he hit the ground dead.
As soon as the gun ran dry he jumped back into his room, avoiding the return fire.
"Danny, now!" He commanded and Danny hit the button on his laptop that turned on the oven at full power. As soon as he did, both brothers hit the deck, covering their ears.
Out by the island counter, the remaining gunmen were about to rush their targets but a sound from behind caused them to spin around and aim at the source. They were confused when they saw that it was just the oven, wondering what turned it on.
They would never get the chance to find out.
The rest of Echo unit was sitting inside the transport van that they arrived in. Echo-1 was rubbing his temple to alleviate the headache he was getting. This was supposed to be a simple assignment for him; get in, kill a couple of nosey kids and get out. However, one of the targets turned out to be crafty.
Now he's two men down and those kids were still kicking.
'No matter.' He thought. 'Echo-5's team will take care of those punks. Heh, this'll make an interesting story for the bar.'
Confident that the Michaels boys will soon be nothing more than a memory, he leaned his seat back and relaxed as he waited for the all clear from his men.
*BOOOOOOMMMMMM*
The call which would never come.
Echo unit jumped out of the van and look up towards the targets' apartment, debris from the explosion raining around them.
The sound of something heavy crashing behind them made everyone turn around. A semi-charred body had landed onto the transport van, leaving the raised roof collapsed in the middle.
Echo-1 took a closer look at the cadaver, only to recognize the mess as Echo-6.
The remaining members of Echo watched as their commander began to seethe at this major setback.
He faced them and spoke, his voice clearly showing his irritation.
"Get your candy-asses up there and make sure those punks are dead. Do you hear me? DEAD!"
They didn't say a word as they grabbed their gear and ran into the building. Echo-1 stayed where he was as he cursed this assignment and the targets with a sailor's tongue.
Jessie and Danny slowly lifted their heads and uncovered their ears. The bedroom was covered in dust and a little bit of soot. Smoke was floating in from the living room. Thankfully it was not a thick plume, which means there wasn't a massive fire to contend with.
They gave each other identical looks; ones that clearly said "Damn."
Jessie got up and looked out the bedroom door. His jaw nearly hit the floor.
The apartment was complete and thoroughly destroyed. Everything. Even the trophy lamp was a write-off. The walls were charred black, the windows were blown out, there was nothing left of the oven, the island counter no longer existed, the sink was somehow lodged in the ceiling, and the bodies were barely recognizable. One was missing.
"The oven did this." His voice was heavy with disbelief.
He went back to Danny and grabbed his guns, securing the rifle and picking up the shotgun.
"Time to leave, little buddy. Close your eyes until we're out in the hallway. I don't want you to see this." He stated, remembering the burned remains of the gunmen.
Danny swallowed and took a deep breath before nodding his consent.
This was it. It was time for them to make their escape. Danny held his brother's hand and closed his eyes, completely trusting his brother be his eyes as the elder Michaels began to lead them through the destroyed apartment. After the two made it out into the hallway, Jessie took a minute to run back in and salvage some more ammunition for the rifle. Once that was done, he aimed his shotgun down the hall and started walking at a pace, with Danny in tow.
The elevator was at the end of the hall. Hidden in a notch right next to the elevator was the stairwell. As they approached they, ready to climb in and descend to freedom, it suddenly came alive and began to head down without them.
Danny looked crestfallen at the sheer bad luck while Jessie nearly swore before he heard his earwig came on. He listened closely.
"Echo-1, elevator's coming down now, getting ready to head up."
"Good. Bring me their goddamn heads. Damn kids."
"For the love of god, how many of these guys are there!?" Jessie was getting tired of this. He grabbed Danny by the arm and pulled him towards the stairwell.
"Hey! Jessie what's wrong?" Danny complained.
"There're more coming we need to go." Jessie's reply was flat as they entered the stairwell. Jessie looked over the railings down towards the ground floor. The stairs themselves followed the walls of the spacious room, leaving a significant chasm in the center.
"How many are there!?" Danny asked, his frustration showing.
"That's what I said." Replied Jessie.
The little super genius racked his brain for a way to deal with this latest threats. They were using the elevator which was much faster than the stairs by a long shot. That's when he had a brainwave.
Jessie saw his little brother's face light up before he quickly pulled out his laptop and got straight to work.
"Danny, what're you doing, man?" The older man asked incredulously, as he saw his brother sit down.
These guys are taking the elevator up here, right? I'm gonna show them why that's a bad idea." Danny had a mischievous smile that matched his tone.
Jessie was confused at what he was up to. He leaned over Danny's shoulder to see what he was doing. On the screen was a green wireframe display of the building's elevator shaft. There was on orange box moving up along the shaft. Jessie presumed it to be the elevator car.
"Abra kadabra, you ain't getting what you're afta!" With the press of one final key, the orange box came to a halt halfway up the shaft and in between floors. Immediately after that, Jessie began hearing the now trapped gunmen call to their disgruntled and further irritated captain for help.
Jessie couldn't help but laugh.
"Niiiice! Good work there, little buddy. Really good work." He high-fived Danny as he finished.
"Booya! You know it, big bro! I'm a conductor with a keyboard and the digital world is my orchestra!" For the first time since this mess started, Danny was his energetic old self again.
"Heh, you got a way with words, champ. Come on, let's get out of here."
They soon reached the first floor. However, before the took a step down towards the ground floor, the door flew open as a pissed-off Echo-1 marched in before climbing down the stairs towards the basement, no doubt to try and get what's left of his team out of Danny's little trap. Only after he heard the door into the elevator shaft close at the very bottom of the stairs did Jessie take his hand off a surprised Danny's mouth, shocked stiff by the sudden appearance of the captain.
After Danny regained his motor functions, the exited the stairwell onto the ground floor. Not wanting to risk walking into an army of those gunmen, the two brother mutually agree to head out the back where they only had to deal with one.
Out in the back allies, the night air was cool, as they quietly exited out the back door of the apartment complex. Seeing that the coast was clear, the boys briskly walked towards the side alley, and hopefully, their freedom.
As soon as they rounded the corner into the next alley, the brother immediately backpedal behind it again. They were nearly seen by another one of the gunmen sent to kill them. Jessie remembered him as Echo-4, the sniper that nearly got him by the window in their apartment.
In the alley with Echo-4 was a moving truck. Its rear shutter was lifted, showing an empty cargo area. Jessie saw an opportunity to sneak around the armed killer by hiding behind the truck. All him and Danny had to do was sneak past him.
*grrrrrrp*
Jessie snapped his horrified gaze back at his brother, who held his stomach with equal parts fear and guilt. Danny hadn't eaten since lunch and his gut picked a bad time to let its displeasure be known, and rather loudly as well.
"Who's there!?" Echo-4 had heard the noise, and spun around facing the corner, gun at the ready.
Jessie cursed their luck. As the gunman began to approach the corner they were hiding behind, he quickly and quietly put down his guns. Danny blanched at what his older brother was doing, but before he could say anything, Jessie lifted a finger to his lips. Danny got the hint and stayed quiet. Jessie then signaled to him to cover his eyes and ears. He didn't want Danny to see or hear what he was about to do.
As Danny did what he was told, Jessie unsheathed his combat knife and stood at the ready, waiting for the right time to strike. He let his mind fully focus on the sound of the other man's footsteps, the whole world around him going silent. He felt the muscles in his body tense to the point of tearing. Time seemed to slow down as adrenaline saturated his blood. His eyes followed the approaching shadow with a hawk's focus. Jessie's reflexes were military honed. He was a cobra ready to kill.
When Echo-4 reached the corner, he didn't see it coming. It all happened in the blink of an eye.
At the sight of the tip of his gun, Jessie pounced with speed unmatched. Before Echo-4's mind processed what was happening, his rifle barrel was knocked upwards and a combat knife was plunged into his throat until it hit his spine. A few seconds later, Echo-4 was stone-cold dead. Jessie pulled his knife out and let him fall to the ground. After taking a short moment to relax, the ex-soldier wiped the blood off his knife and hand on the corpse's clothes before returning to his little brother.
Danny was right where Jessie left him. After sheathing his knife, he tapped Danny's shoulder, letting the child know it was safe.
Danny opened his eyes to his brother's smiling face. He then took his fingers out of his ears as Jessie grabbed his guns again.
"Okay, the coast is clear. Now listen, we're gonna jack that truck over there. There's a good chance the keys won't be in it. If that's the case, I'm gonna need you to hack it. You up for that?" Jessie laid out the plan for Danny and waited for his answer.
"Definitely!" Danny nodded with vigor. Their escape was a stone throw away.
"Atta boy! Oh, you might wanna look away for a bit."
Jessie put his arm around Danny's shoulders, making sure he's between him and the dead body. Once past, Jessie pushed his little brother ahead of him towards the unmanned truck. It was then that the earwig came alive once more.
"Echo-4, this is Echo-1. I got the others out of the elevator. What's your status?"
…
"Echo-4, report."
…
"I said, report!"
…
"SHIT! Echo-4's gone silent. Everyone to the back alley! MOVE, MOVE, MOVE!"
"Oh shit!"
Danny was halfway in the truck when he heard his brother's sudden exclamation. Before he could say anything, however, he was pushed the rest of the way in as Jessie climbed in behind him and started frantically searching for the keys.
"Jessie, what…"
"They know we're here. We need to move, now." This got Danny going.
They searched all over the cab of the truck for the keys, feeling deaths grasp on their shoulders.
Meanwhile, Echo unit were now in the stairwell as they made a mad dash to catch their targets.
Seconds felt like hours to the Michaels as they kept looking for the elusive keys.
"Come on, come on! Where are you, you little…" Jessie's frustration was skyrocketing. They would have tried hacking the truck like planned, but with death only seconds away, it would have taken too long. This wasn't an oven, this was an automotive security system. It was far more complex than even the elevator systems.
"Jessie!" Jessie's head snapped to his little brother, his eyes widening at the beautiful sight that was the truck's ignition keys hooked to a golden 8-ball keychain.
Jessie grabbed the keys from Danny, and rammed them home in the ignition barrel before twisting the living daylights out of it. The engine cranked once, twice then roared to life. Music to the brother's ears.
"AHH! AHAA! YEAH BABY!" Jessie cheered as he shifted into gear and buried the accelerator pedal. The truck jumped forward as Jessie thanked god and the army that his military training covered driving this class of heavy vehicles.
As soon as the truck reached the alley entrance, Echo unit finally arrived and opened fire on the escaping truck. Unfortunately, the truck was already rounding the corner, and all they could hit was the side of the cargo container.
"DAMN IT! GOD-FUCKING-DAMN IT!" Echo-1 was pissed beyond words. Not only did he fail his mission, but his unit was reduced from being ten-strong to only four by a dishonorable discharge and a ten-year-old.
As for the Michaels, they were elated. They just escaped with their lives and none worse for wear.
"Hah! I can't believe we made it. Am I dreaming?" Danny asked, relief evident in his posture.
"No, no you're not, little buddy." Jessie was a lot calmer than his younger sibling, but no less relieved as he rolled down his window and tossed the earwig out. He then reach into his back pocket and pulled out his cigarettes.
Danny took a deep, calming breath before he spoke again.
"So, what do we do now?" He asked, as his mind went over what happened tonight. Outside, fire trucks roared past, sirens blaring, heading towards the apartment building.
Jessie contemplated as he lit his cigarette and took a drag.
"Right now, we're getting out of this neighborhood, then we're gonna get some food. After that, we ditch this rig and go into hiding."
"Hiding?"
"Whoever those guys were, they wanted us dead. Why? I don't know, but I have an idea."
"You mean the museum?"
"That's what I was thinking."
"So, those guys work for Reaper and Widowmaker?"
"Also, a possibility."
"But why didn't they come after us instead?"
"They probably thought we were easy pickings and not worth their time. If that's the case, then thank god for that."
…
"Danny?" Jessie looked over at Danny, who was thinking.
"Do you think Overwatch could help us?"
"I wouldn't put my hopes on a dead organization, little buddy."
"But they're not dead! You saw them at the museum! Maybe they're working underground because of the Petras Act!"
Jessie sighed. "Maybe, but right now, I don't think we should put all our chips on them. For now, we can only rely on ourselves. Besides, even if they are, we wouldn't know how to contact them to begin with."
"Yeah…I guess you're right." Danny solemnly admitted. "Still wish they could help us."
Jessie reached over and patted his baby brother on the head.
"I know, little buddy, I know."
