"What the hell do you mean that Crux is there with a bomb?!" Robin Larrikin exclaimed into the phone, "How did he even get there?"

Anton Shudder frowned, rustling around behind the reception desk for the controls of the hotels transport system.

"But what do they want?" Anton listened to Robin as he looked over the controls before muttering a curse under his breath. One of the sigils that connected to the ley lines must have been scraped as they had arrived by the sea.

"One minute," He mouthed to Robin who nodded absentmindedly as he tried to figure out what was happening from Erskine.

Anton walked out, grabbing a carving knife from one of the drawers before he did. It was quite windy at the beachside of the Irish coast. It was a secluded area, part of a magical town. He waved to one of the locals as he walked around the entrance way of the hotel, reaching the line of sigils that decorated the lower end of the hotel.

He crouched down, pulling out the carving knife and looked for the issue.

Then he saw it.

A calculated slash at the base of one of the sigils, breaking apart the runes for adaptation and connectivity.

"Careful, darling." Anton froze, feeling the barrel of a gun press to his back.

"Or we might have to carve out the eyes of your red haired pet."

"Marr," Anton snarled. His hands rose and the carving knife fell to the ground.

"Hello, Anton," Davina Marr smiled a sickly smile, "It seems we have something that you want, and you have something we want. Maybe we should have a chat?"

Ooooooooooo

"Stay back!" Remus Crux screamed, holding his arm out warningly like a crazed man, whirling around, "Or I'll blow us all up!"

Hopeless observed, narrow eyed from behind the safety of a squadron of cleavers. It all seemed… a bit fake.

"Check the security systems," He muttered to Erskine who stood next to him. Erskine nodded and tapped at a few things on a tablet.

"All clear," Erskine said, "But this seems too-"

"Fake, I know," Hopeless said, "I doubt the bomb is even real."

"Don't risk it," Deuce said, "It's a pressurised detonator, if he lets go, we all get blown into smithereens."

"Stay back!" Crux yelled. A circle of cleavers surrounded him, all with their scythes pointed at him.

"Evacuations have been completed, sir," Iris informed them, looking pale.

"Good- Please evacuate yourself, Iris," Erskine told her.

She nodded and left quickly with a cleaver escort.

"Fletcher?" The blond haired boy who was hidden behind Corrival stepped forward.

"Yeah?"

"Get ready to get us out as soon as something goes down," Saracen ordered. Fletcher nodded, reaching for Hopeless' sleeve as stated in the new protocol that had been put in place as soon as Fletcher had been trained.

"Is Dexter answering?" Erskine asked.

Saracen shook his head, looking slightly concerned, "No- Robin answered though. But it was weird, he got cut off. Must have been mid-transportation."

Crux was still screaming and another headache was beginning to form at the back of Hopeless' skull.

As he watched Crux wail and spin, he felt a hand press something cold into his fingers. Pain-numbing leaves.

He shot Saracen a grateful look before slipping them under his tongue, letting them work their magic for a moment before stepping forward, "Crux, is there any particular reason you have come into the Sanctuary to trigger an evacuation, threatening to kill us all?"

Crux swung around wildly, and Hopeless could see the man's wild eyes rest on him. What the hell had happened to Crux? Sure he had been a bit strange and a bit weedy, but he was an okay detective and got stuff done. He had worked for Guild for many years and while Hopeless hadn't seen Crux come into the Sanctuary once while Guild was elder, he knew that he worked behind the scenes for Guild. But Hopeless was sure that Crux had atleast been of sane mind, otherwise he would have been a loose canon, too wild for Guild to control.

Which meant something had happened to Crux.

"I want you to pay for the death of Thurid Guild!" Crux exclaimed maniacally, "I want the truth!" His acting was terrible. It was obvious he was stalling.

"Check again," Hopeless ordered Erskine, "He's stalling."

"I'm running through the cameras again and again," Erskine hissed, "Nothing is coming up!"

Corrival let out a sound of annoyance and grabbed the tablet before swearing, "There's a loop playing on the Repository cameras." He smacked Erskine on the back of the head, "Idiot."

"Mobilise a squadron and go," Hopeless ordered before turning back to Crux, "Put the remote down, Crux."

Crux shook his head, "No!" He cried, "You will all suffer!"

"Bomb is fake," Saracen muttered to Hopeless.

Hopeless just sighed. This was the biggest waste of time ever. "You have the worst magic ever," He told Saracen with a sigh. He needed more of those pain numbing leaves.

Oooooooooooo

"Let's play a game," Davina Marr said with a crooked smile as she rested a hand on Robin's shoulder. Anton watched in horror as the love of his life winced in pain, blood trickling down from the cut across his swollen face.

"What do you want?" Anton rasped. He was trying to keep calm. Springheeled Jack was standing behind him, a dagger poised at the small of his back. There was no way the gist would be able to attack anyone, not without Robin getting hurt.

"It's no secret that gist users have a…" Davina twirled her hand suggestively, "strange relationship with Remnants which is why you were the one enlisted to babysit the little suckers."

It dawned on Anton what they wanted. But why?

"So, the deal is," She said, leaning down to come to level with Robin's battered face, "You give us a remnant, and we'll give your husband back."

"Don't," Robin managed out, "Don't do it-" He let out a howl of pain as Marr smacked his head hard.

Anton snarled, lurching forward only to held back by Springheeled Jack, "Careful now," Jack said with a leer, "I don't mind this getting a little messy."

"Now, now," Marr said with a smile, tugging Robin's head back with a fistful of his red hair, "Let's settle down."

Robin's head lolled to the side gently, and Anton realised that he was starting to blackout from the pain.

"Shall I ask again?" Marr asked, pulled out the carving knife that Anton had before and pressing it to Robin's jugular, "Actually, I'll make the deal sweeter because I'm a nice person. Give me a remnant and I'll give you Mr Larrikin and the Murder Skull."

Anton didn't answer, his eyes on Robin. Nothing could happen to Robin, he had decided, nothing. Fuck the world if something happened to Robin, everyone could crash and burn if something happened to Robin which wasn't a very Anton Shudder thing to think, but he didn't give a shit.

"I'll make it easier for you," Marr said in mock reluctance and pressed the blade tight to Robin's limp form.

"Fine!" Anton shouted, "I'll do it! I'll give you a remnant!"

With a bright smile and glinting, mismatched eyes, Davina pulled away from Robin, "I knew you would see sense." Her thick American accent dripped off her words in a honeyed tone. "Jack, be a dear and fetch us the soul-catcher."

Oooooooooooo

Valkyrie frowned at her phone. Something was wrong. She had sent four messages to Robin in the past half hour and the elemental was quick to respond with either a ridiculous reply or a zoomed in picture of his nostrils. The fact that he hadn't replied was a worry.

She pressed in Tanith's number, knowing that the ex-assassin had been in touch recently with Robin and Anton while working on something for the English Sanctuary.

"Hey, Val- Thank god. I thought you were at the Sanctuary."

"Hey, have you heard- Wait, what do you mean?" Valkyrie was confused.

"Evacuation protocol. I've just got there now. Crux is in there with a bomb apparently. Ghastly is with me."

"What about Davina Marr? Any sign of her?" Valkyrie asked, stiffening in her seat.

"Don't think so- Saracen, Fletcher, Erskine and Hopeless are in there. Dexter and Satya aren't picking up their phones, have you heard from them?" Tanith asked worriedly.

"No but Robin's not replying to my texts either and he never does that. Do you think…?" Valkyrie trailed off, she was being too damn paranoid.

She heard Tanith say something to Ghastly, she presumed, but it was too low for her to make out.

"Okay," Tanith was back, "Stay put, Val. We have no clue where Anton and Robin are so there isn't much we can do until the Sanctuary is reopened, okay?"

Valkyrie let out a sigh, "Sure- Call me if anything else happens, alright?"

"Will do." Tanith hung up. Now Valkyrie was regretting staying at home. A bomb threat? That sounded a bit more interesting that going to dinner with Beryl and Fergus.