Chapter 3, in which we get some action.
Hardison takes the wheel of the van again for the five minutes drive back to Golden Axe. He drops Eliot, Jake and Parker off behind the building, in front of a service entrance. He stays in the van, but disables the electronic lock for them.
Eliot ushers Jake into the empty corridor. "We need to stay out of sight," he says. "All of security probably knows our faces, though regular employees should be safe."
Parker is already at the elevator, checking that it's empty before she waves them in. The ride up to the fifth floor is short, but they have to hide hurriedly when the doors open into the busy corridor where several security guards are still posted.
"Security," Parker says, shoving Jake back into the car. "Two men."
"Get them away from here," Eliot hisses, his face hidden behind his hair.
Parker walks out and casually heads toward the guards, who are talking between themselves.
"Are you still looking for the men you were chasing before?" she asks loudly when she gets close to them. "Brown hair, look like twins? Because I think I just saw them in the northern corridor over there."
The guards look at each other, unsure what to do.
"Come on!" Parker says. "I'll show you where it was."
She puts herself between them and takes their arms, so that they both have to go where she leads them. Jake watches her lift one of their badges, so quickly he would have missed it if he hadn't been paying attention. She points again, still chatting loudly, getting both men to turn away from the elevator, which gives Jake and Eliot a chance to come out unseen and start walking the other way.
"Server room," Eliot says. "She'll meet us there."
Jake tries to avoid the employees' gazes, almost hugging the walls, but Eliot stops him with a hand on his elbow. "Not like that. Look casual, like you have every right to be here."
Jake does his best to relax and look more confident. "That's it," Eliot says, though he doesn't let go of his arm. Jake tries to remember the path Franklin led them through and stops at what he thinks is the last turn before the corridor where they saw the guarded door. When Eliot stays one step behind, he goes ahead and peeks past the corner.
"There's two guards at the door," he says. "How do we get past them?"
"That depends. What happens once you find the thread?"
"I'm not sure. Given what the myth tells us, I'm guessing unraveling it will be the key to destroying the Labyrinth, but I'm not sure how to do that. Or what will happen to the others if they're still inside."
"So basically, we need to get the thread and get out of here with it before we figure out what to do, right?" Eliot asks.
"Yeah," Jake answers.
"I've got the key card," Parker singsongs behind him, making him jump.
"Good," Eliot says, without turning toward her. "What can you tell me about the guards?"
Jake frowns, not understanding why Eliot doesn't just look for himself, but Parker just shoves him back to take a peek of her own.
"Two men, on each side of the door, in suits, carrying concealed weapons," she says.
Eliot nods. "Get Jake inside, take whatever he tells you to," he tells Parker.
"What are you gonna do?" Jake asks.
Eliot smirks and pushes past him. Jake barely has time to blink before he's covered the distance to the guards. He rams at full speed into the closest man, tackling him before throwing a punch at the second guard, who reacted to his colleague going down by going for his gun. Eliot knocks the gun right out of his hand and has him out with one more blow to the head. Jake watches in fascination as he turns back to the other guard, who is getting up again.
Parker's small hand grabs Jake's wrist, making him flinch as his concentration is elsewhere. "Come on," she says, dragging him though the corridor. She only stops briefly to step over the fallen man and swipe the key card. "We're going in," she says in Eliot's direction.
Once inside, Jake almost forgets their precarious situation. The room is full of some of the most ancient art he's ever heard of, objects that by all rights shouldn't even exist. He goes from one display case to the next, getting more excited with each new piece, until he comes across the ball of thread and remembers why they're here.
Looking up, Jake sees Parker busy studying the cases. "Can you get the thread?" he asks, hoping against reason that the rest of this art will not be destroyed when the Labyrinth disappears.
"Should not take more than a few minutes," Parker says, walking over to the electrical board.
"Great."
Jake gives one more longing look to the beautiful ancient painting on the far wall, then heads back to the door, where he can still hear Eliot fighting.
Four more guards have joined the first two, who are both lying on the floor. Eliot is fighting two men at the same time, while another is trying to catch his breath against the wall and the last is aiming his gun at Eliot from further down the corridor. Jake can easily see why he's not shooting yet, as he has no angle that wouldn't risk hitting one of his colleagues, but he will shoot the moment he has an opening.
Eliot doesn't look like he's tiring yet, his moves incredibly graceful. He is so much faster and deadlier than Jake remembers from his high school wrestling days. Jake isn't sure Eliot has noticed the armed guard until he sends one of his opponents barreling right into him with a high speed punch, making the man loose his aim and almost drop his gun.
Eliot jumps on him, kicking the gun out of his hand and wrestling him to the ground. Jake sees the last standing man, whom Eliot just turn his back to, prepare to strike him from behind and he reacts on instinct, throwing a punch at him.
It doesn't have anywhere near the precision of Eliot's blows, and only serves to get the man to turn toward Jake and engage him. Jake manages to deflect the first punch, though the next glances his jaw and he grunts at the pain. Out of the corner of his eye, he can see Eliot disentangle himself from his now unconscious opponent and start to come back toward them, only to freeze when he hears Jake's groan.
"No!" Parker shouts from behind Jake. He narrowly avoids yet another punch, but the fist coming toward him is suddenly jerked away, as Parker jumps on the man and catches him in a choke-hold. She only releases him when the man falls to the floor, loosing consciousness.
There are a few long seconds of stillness, during which Jake stares at Eliot, who is looking somewhere over his right shoulder. Parker breaks the silence by springing back to her feet. "You good?" she asks Jake.
"Yeah, I'm fine," Jake answers. Eliot starts to breathe again at the words, coming closer. "You shouldn't have done that," he tells Jake, looking disturbed.
Jake bristles. "I was just trying to help!"
Eliot shakes his head, looking pained, and Parker lets out a small sound of realization.
"Eliot−" she starts.
"Later, Parker. We need to get out of here. You got the thread?"
"It's unlocked, just need to grab it," Parker answers, slipping back through the door. Jake follows her and she suddenly throws him the ball of thread. Only pure reflex let Jake catch it, which suddenly gives him an idea. "Unravel the thread," he mutters. "Beat the Labyrinth like Ariadne did. Give me a minute," he adds, louder, for Eliot and Parker.
He takes out his phone and calls Baird again. Cassandra is the one who answers, and he can hear fighting sounds in the background.
"Cassandra? What's happening?"
"Colonel Baird is still trying to hold off the Minotaur, but he won't let go. Do you have the thread?" she answers.
"Yes," Jake says. "Can you get back to the Library?"
"I think so! We're not far from the door, but I have to calculate how to get back despite the Labyrinth warping our sense of direction−"
"Get on it! And leave the door open behind you." If Jake's suspicion is true, they are going to need it.
"Okay, we're out," Cassandra says after a while. "I mean, we're still in the Labyrinth, but also in the Library, so I guess this qualifies as out."
"Cassandra, it's not the time for this," Jake snaps, and he immediately hates himself. Cassandra may have betrayed them, but she doesn't deserve to be snapped at for this. He doesn't apologize, though.
"Hey, calm down!" she blurts out, sounding just as annoyed. "You've been on my case non-stop since we started!"
"Not now, Cassandra," Jake says, trying to keep his voice calm. They have at best a few minutes until more security guards show up, and he really doesn't want to have that conversation with Cassandra in front of Eliot.
"I know I betrayed you that first time," she continues anyway. "I was scared. I've a death sentence inside my head and they offered me a cure, so what was I supposed to do?"
"Not sell us out!" Jake can't help being drawn in.
"So self-righteous," Cassandra spits out. "'Look at me and all I've sacrificed, I'm such a good boy.'"
"Well, I take my responsibilities seriously," Jake says, really grateful that he didn't put her on speakerphone. This is the last thing he wants Eliot to hear right now. He doesn't want to be in this argument at all, but now, seeing his brother again after so long, the brother who left when Jake stayed...
"And you made your bed. I didn't get a choice in mine. You don't get to judge me for−"
"Incoming!" Parker yells from the door. "We need to go."
Hanging up the phone without another word, Jake turns to Parker and Eliot. "Guys, I'm gonna need you to hold onto me while I unravel the thread. It might get a little bumpy."
"What do you mean?" Eliot asks.
"It should erase the Labyrinth from existence. The thing is, we have to do it from this room, in the center of the Labyrinth, so we'll be ejected from here one way or another."
"Oh," Parker says. Eliot just frowns, tense, and grabs his elbow.
Jake gives one last forlorn look at the priceless Minoan artifacts around them, which he is fairly sure won't make it back with them. He doesn't give himself time to think of what will happen if he is wrong in his hypothesis and throws the ball of thread down the corridor, only keeping one end in his hand.
The ride is not exactly bumpy, but it's terrifying. Jake briefly feels dragged forward by the thread, then it's like a very long jump into a void. It's nothing like jumping from the roof of a skyscraper, though Parker seems to enjoy it just as much, and it feels like hours before Jake ends up on his knees inside the Annex, Eliot falling on him, under the worried stares of the other Librarians. Baird and Jenkins are getting back up themselves, holding the ball of thread.
"We made it!" Jake exclaims, relieved.
"Yeah, we did," Baird says.
"That was fun," Parker laughs, rocking on the balls of her feet. "Do you guys get to do this everyday?"
Jake turns to her in amazement, followed by everybody else in the room. Eliot just smiles, amused.
"Guys," Jake says, "This is my brother Eliot and his friend Parker."
"There's something wrong with you," Jones mutters toward Parker.
Jake can see out of the corner of his eyes Eliot's hands briefly turn into fists, and his protective step toward Parker.
"Hey!" Parker exclaims. "Only Eliot is allowed to say that!"
"Stone, you told them about the Library?" Baird asks, frowning.
"Yeah, I thought they could help. And they already knew, anyway."
"Where are we?" Eliot asks.
"This is the Annex," Jake answers. "It's our base camp. In Portland," he adds. The Librarians may not be too bothered to have gone from the West Coast to the East Coast and back in seconds, but Eliot and Parker made the first trip the long way, and their friend Hardison is still in Boston.
"We're back in Portland?" Parker asks, amazed.
"I believe you are, Miss−" Jenkins starts.
Parker doesn't answer, still looking around her, so Eliot does it for her. "It's just Parker," he says. "My name's Eliot Spencer. Nice to meet you."
"This is Jenkins, Colonel Baird, Ezekiel Jones and Cassandra Cillian," Jake introduces.
"Why does your brother have a different last name?" Cassandra asks, looking between them with an expression Jake is very familiar with, cataloging the differences between their faces. She still looks angry, but willing to put it aside for the moment.
"Did you say Eliot Spencer?" Baird asks at the same moment.
Eliot turns toward her, frowning. There is no recognition in his face, but he looks ready to bolt.
"Eliot Spencer is your twin brother?" Baird growls to Jake, suddenly looking murderous. "I thought I knew your face from somewhere. I want him out of here."
She advances on Eliot, menacingly. Jake almost expects Eliot to snap and hit her, but he only backs away, reaching for Parker to pull her behind him.
"What? What's going on?" Jake asks, but his brain is already working at full speed. He knows Eliot has been through, and done, things he won't talk about, in the years Jake believed he was dead. Eliot never gave him details, and even now Jake isn't sure he wants to know, but if Baird encountered him back then…
Jake doesn't even realize he's put himself between Eliot and Baird until Baird roughly pushes past him. He tries to resists her shove, but Eliot puts a hand on his shoulder.
"Eve Baird, NATO Counter-terrorism," Eliot says quietly, looking at the floor. "You weren't a Colonel, back then."
"You don't get to barge in here and pretend to the good guy," Baird spits.
"We did help you get rid of a magical Labyrinth," Parker says, looking serious for the first time since Jake met her. Her gaze is so intense Jake almost has to look away.
"It's okay," Eliot says. "I'll leave if you don't want me here. But Jake is still my brother. Please think of that before you decide to do anything."
Baird briefly looks at Jake, and he is thrown back by the fear in her eyes. "Just get out," she growls to Eliot and Parker.
"Fine," Parker says, finally. She looks around her for the exit, muttering under her breath so low that only Eliot can hear her. Eliot is still looking toward the floor, his shoulders tense and his face tight.
"Over here," Jake says, showing them out of the Annex and into the corridor. Baird tries to keep him and Jones from going with Eliot and Parker, but he throws her a challenging look. Whatever beef she has against him, Eliot's right. He's still Jake's brother, and Jake is not going to let him go this easily.
Parker turns around just before reaching the door. "Whatever you think Eliot did before, he's not the same anymore," she says to Baird. She looks like she wants to says more, but Eliot tugs on her sleeve and shakes his head. "Thanks," Jake hears him whisper.
"What was that about?" Jake asks once outside.
"Colonel Baird and I encountered each other before, back when I was...working a different job," Eliot says. "I'm sorry, Jake. This is gonna make things even more complicated."
"I'll talk to her. I'm sure she'll come around."
"Her anger is justified. I did things during those years… What we do now may not be legal, but it helps people in need. I used to be the one who hurt them, or worse. She has no reason to forgive me."
"What do you guys do now, anyway?" Jones asks when it becomes clear no one knows what to answer to Eliot's words. Jake is still trying to wrap his head around everything that's happened, and his reactions are slowed by overload. He'd forgotten Jones was even there.
"We're thieves!" Parker exclaims. "Well, more or less. We help people who've been let down by the legal channels, take down rich old men, that sort of things. Our company's called Leverage International."
"Leverage? Wait, you guys are from Leverage? You're the Parker?"
Parker suddenly looks smug and nods.
"You guys know each other too?" Jake asks, desperately trying to get it all straight in his head.
"They're basically legendary!" Jones says. "Why didn't you tell me your brother was part of the best crew in the world?"
"I didn't know!" Jake defends himself. "The best crew in the world?"
Now even Eliot looks sort of smug.
"Yes!" Jones exclaims. "Parker's, like, the best thief ever!"
"I thought you were the best thief ever," Jake tells Jones, annoyed. His sudden switch from his usual egotistic personality to fanboy mode is making Jake's head swim.
"Yeah, well, she might be the second best!"
"I beat you to the Hope Diamond," Parker says. "Twice. And I heard you almost got caught last month trying to steal the Dagger of Aqua'ba, which we donated to the Geneva Museum four years ago."
"I heard you guys were based in Portland now," Jones evades.
"Yes," Eliot says. "Speaking of which, we probably shouldn't stay here. Baird might decide she wants to arrest me right now after all."
"This is the St. Johns Bridge, right?" Parker asks, looking up the anchorage. "Should we call a cab or something?"
"No, I'll drive you, I've got my pickup out back," Jake says.
"I'll try to talk to Baird for you, okay?" Jones tells him, uncharacteristically quietly.
"Why would you do that?" Jake asks, genuinely surprised.
"Family's important, man. And if what I've heard is right, your brother really has changed. Neither of you deserve this."
"Thank you," Jake murmurs back before Jones slips past in the Annex's doors.
There are two chapters left to this story. I'm not sure when the updates will be, because I'm going away on vacation for a couple of weeks, but hopefully I'll still be able to post.
I hope you liked this chapter!