Tarot Card

Disclaimer: I do not own Now You See Me 2. I only own the character Clarissa Sinclair and her original plot lines and dialogue. I also own Charles 'Charlie' a character that will be introduced throughout the story.

Her heels clicked across the marbled floor, her phone clutched in her hand. Clarissa Sinclair was a qualified child psychologist, with very little experience, in a sense, and a certain charm that could draw anyone in. She had this maternal air about her and parents felt more than comfortable with allowing their children to sit down and have a talk to Clarissa.

She had just finished with a client, an eleven-year-old who wanted to please his parents so desperately that he was forcing himself into restless nights and eating disorders and now she maneuvering her way through the bustling streets of her new home – Paris.

Her work was engaging and gave the green-eyed woman a sense of accomplishment. After leaving the Eye, Clary had moved to France and joined a psychiatric practice, finally using her knowledge to the fullest.

Clarissa's best friend and roommate, a beautiful American woman named Joan, was at home and Clary knew better than to ask her to come out of the apartment for lunch. It just wasn't who Joan was, she preferred to stay out of sight. Clary understood that, she was extremely close to the woman and saw her as an older sister and wouldn't force her into anything she didn't want to do. Besides, Joan had company other than Clarissa to keep her sane and although Clary didn't want Joan to take all the responsibility around their quaint apartment, Joan said it was okay and did so anyway.

Clarissa had once explained to a young woman who she spoke to about Tarot cards. The girl was suffering from mild depression, that her parents feared would grow, so Clarissa gave her something else to focus on. Tarot cards were sometimes referred to by names – names that were directly akin to attributes of the card. The girl noticed that the Tarot card 'The Star' could be referred to as 'Stella,' the girl's name coincidently, and represented tranquility, hope and goodwill. Clary didn't discourage the girl when she told Clarissa that she would try to be everything The Star was.

Clarissa's own Tarot card: The Empress, was always in her bag, tucked into her wallet. The card, a belt and her jewelry – the ones given to her by her father – were the only real reminders the brunette kept from her old life with the Eye. Her now-shoulder-length brown hair flicked around her face as Clary pushed her way out of the building and into the street, hailing a taxi as quickly as possible. A taxi pulled to the side and Clary climbed in with a huff.

"Tough day?"

Clary's jaw set at the question. Did the driver really expect an answer? He was already suspicious enough, he was speaking English in France. Something wasn't right. "No."

The taxi driver hummed and it was silent again. Clarissa tried not to focus on how familiar the driver's voice was, or how she should've gotten out of the taxi immediately and instead thought about the Four Horsemen's comeback attempt that had gone horribly wrong. Both Jack and Dylan's covers were blown and they were, once again, running for their lives.

"You know…" The driver started and the brunette in the backseat lifted piercing green eyes up at the man. "You really are as scary as everyone says you are."

"What—" Clary began to say but the man flicked the lights on that were on the roof, the word 'sleep' highlighted in them.

Clarissa shifted uneasily, staring at the word. He was attempting to hypnotize her. After a few more moments of just staring at the roof, Clary looked towards the rearview mirror trying to meet the driver's eyes.

"Whoever sent you apparently didn't tell you. I can't be hypnotized."

"No, they didn't," the man admitted and finally lifted his head. "But I came prepared."

The hat had shielded his face but now the Sinclair woman was staring at a man who looked eerily like Merritt McKinney.

Her eyes widened, "You're Merritt's brother, Chase…" Once, what seemed like a lifetime ago, Merritt had told Clary all about his life and his psychotic brother who had run off with everything the Mentalist had.

"Right," Chase McKinney confirmed before he shot Clary in the chest with a taser. Fifty-thousand volts flooded through Clarissa's body and she convulsed before she collapsed against the seats, unconscious. The creepier McKinney twin shrugged, putting down the taser and sang the McKinney twins' song quietly as he drove.

XXXXX

"Get your grubby hands off me," Clarissa snarled, venom lacing her voice and her eyes shooting daggers at people. The guards didn't drop her arms, having already seen – in the five minutes Clary had been there – how destructive the five-foot-four woman could be if they let go of her. Clarissa struggled again.

Slow clapping drew Clary's attention up as she tugged against the grip of the hired-muscle that still had a tight grip on her. The brunette scowled, deciding that not speaking was probably the best course of action.

The man was dark-haired and British, judging by the annoying accent. Clarissa usually loved British accents, but something about the man in general made her want to back away and sprint for the elevator she had seen as she was dragged into the room.

"My name is Walter Mabry."

The woman raised a brow at the familiar name, "And I don't care."

Walter chuckled, amused, though Clary knew he wouldn't be for long, before continuing, "You played an FBI agent, now you're a successful psychologist. You're also an extremely talented magician. It's an honor to be working with you."

Clary frowned, lips sealed shut and she glanced at a bundle of fabric thrown over the couch near her and a gun beside it. She wasn't working with anyone. With a calculated move, Clarissa drove her elbow in the man's nose who was holding her left arm, her foot into the family jewels of the man on her right and grabbed the gun. With her right hand, the brunette leveled the gun at the Mabry man.

"I've got to say," the man started, a smug smile on his face and the guns of the bodyguards were turned on Clarissa. He had placed the items there on purpose, the Sinclair woman knew that, but he had no idea about what Clarissa was capable of. "I'm a little disappointed. I thought you would've gone for the cloak."

Clarissa smiled a dangerous grin. "You really don't know me, so don't pretend that you understand me."

Her left hand was behind her back, her fingers ever-so-slightly tangled in the fabric and she flicked her wrist, the cloak wrapping around her shoulders. The British man's face fell, not expecting the woman to have enough time to go for both items, and at that moment, Clarissa shot out her cloak, the tip wrapping around the ankle of the bodyguard closest to her and tossing him on his ass, causing him to take out two of his friends.

As the man fell, Clary was already angling the cloak around the gun of another guard, dragging it to her. The woman smashed the butt of the gun against the nearest guard's head and kicked out her leg, catching the man's knee. He fell with a groan of pain and she turned back to another guard, running to jump onto the guard's shoulder. With a calculated twist, both fell to the ground, the man unconscious and the female standing up and flicking her cloak around.

Vaguely, the Sinclair woman heard the elevator open but she continued to fight, the cloak wrapping around the five guards near her. She had wrapped the cloak around a guard's neck, keeping him near her to shield her in case any bodyguards wanted to shoot her and Clary's gun was pointed at Walter's face. He stared down the barrel of the gun for a moment before he spoke exuberantly.

"Ta-da!" Walter trilled as a card, which Clary hadn't noticed he was holding, flew out of his grip, the man turned to the Horsemen in the elevator. "So happy to be working with you. Please, come in, come in." The odd man tilted his head at Clarissa, "Do let him go; good help is so hard to find these days."

When Clary didn't move to let him go, Walter let out a sigh and said slowly, "Charles." Clarissa froze. The Four Horseman had stood in the elevator, watching Clary fight, the male members and friends of Clary keeping their eyes on her and they had been shoved into the room as soon as the man in the white suit 'welcomed' them in. She had reacted so violently to one name. Why?

The Sinclair woman bit her lip, releasing the man she was holding.

Walter flicked a hand to another of his men, "Take anyone injured and fix them up. And take her gun and cloak."

Clarissa dropped the cloak and gun, kicking them away from her and standing still. A guard swooped over to grab the items and the injured – those either unconscious or groaning in pain – were dragged from the room. Clary extended her hands and one of the guards stepped forward to snap a pair of cuffs around her wrists.

"That was impressive," Walter praised. "But I'm glad you were able to listen. I would hate for something to happen to the love of your life."

"Oh, get fu—" The woman didn't finish her curse as a burly man's hand clamped over her mouth.

The green-eyed woman watched as the guards moved away but not before they moved Clary closer to the Horsemen. The Sinclair woman glared forcefully at Walter and as soon as the hand removed itself from her mouth, swore at him in French. It didn't last long, her cursing him, but it sure as Hell made her feel better. This man had the gall to kidnap her from her life in France and then threatened one of the only people she cared about?

The British man had a sick sense of humor, cheerfully watching the hints of jealousy and confusion flicker over Jack Wilder's face and the despair and fear on Clarissa's, along with an unwavering hatred flashing in her eyes. Walter sat on one of the pristine couches in the room and pulled on his shoes. The woman really had no doubt that Walter would not follow through with his threat, or at least, he'd get someone else to do the dirty work for him.

"Wait, sorry, how are you working with us?" Daniel demanded.

"Oh, well, as much as a magician who pulls a rabbit from a hat is working with that rabbit." He strode across the glass floor of the sunken lounge, "We'll be working together. Yes. Allow me to introduce myself."

"Yeah, you're Walter Mabry," Jack drawled, arms crossed over his chest and his face devoid of emotion. "You died a year ago."

"Yes. An idea I got from you, Mr Wilder. Fake your death, the world puts its guard down. I'm able to control quite a few companies, including my old partner, Owen's, as a consortium of so-called anonymous shareholders."

The dark-haired woman Clary didn't know spoke up, "And that violates how many SEC laws?"

"I believe it breaks all of them." Walter didn't seem too fazed by that fact, sounding almost proud.

"All of them," The woman repeated, nodding sarcastically.

"You see, you all want an audience. Need one, desperately. It's quite sad, really," Walter explained.

Clary scoffed, "Not the only thing that's sad in this room."

Walter ignored the brunette, "Hence, my ability to nab you. I, on the other hand, want the opposite of that. I just want to be, and I am one-hundred percent off the grid. You know why?"

"Yeah, because the grid is for actual human beings," Daniel sassed and Clary bit her lip to cover her smile. She missed his attitude, even if the Atlas man was a huge pain in her ass.

"No, because in a world of total surveillance, the only true freedom lies in not being seen. You can't control the grid from within the grid."

"Ooh," Clary smirked, tilting her head. "You're afraid of being seen."

Walter glared and pointed at the cuffs, as if to say 'don't test me.' He looked to the Horsemen, "Follow me." None of them moved and Walter repeated, "Follow me."

The Horsemen were pushed forward by the guards, each of them muttering some type of annoyance at being pushed around. The same man that had gotten an elbow to the face when he touched her, moved awkwardly towards Clarissa.

"Try it," Clary taunted. "I dare you."

The man moved backwards and the brunette flipped her hair back and sauntered over to the Horsemen by herself, grateful that she wasn't being manhandled by the guards. Walter Mabry was already on her bad side and Clarissa was more than willing to give him a piece of her mind.

XXXXX

Oooh, who is this Joan? Can she be trusted, she sounds a bit suspicious...

And who's Charles? Is he really 'the love of Clary's life'?

Then, we end with a very sassy Clary who kicks ass like a boss. I've never said 'like a boss' before and I don't think I'm going to do it again.

Thank you for supporting this story! The Emperor is going to be filled with a lot more drama than The Empress. As it's shown in this chapter, yeah, Lula is going to be in this story, but she isn't going to hold a major role. Cause, you know, Clary and Jack are endgame (someone can think of a ship name if they want).

I was also asked if Henley is going to be in this story and all I can say is: maybe...(insert devil face here)

I love you guys! Please review, favourite and follow this story. I'm in the process of writing the next few chapters so wait for that and please, send me your theories on why you think Clary left the Eye!

~ Raven