Gold, Jefferson and Graham drove into the long, rocky driveway to Alexander Dunning's remote mansion.
Graham fiddled with the tie of his dark green Irish Army uniform as Gold counted the bullets in both his gun and back up magazine.
Jefferson cautiously maneuvered the stolen Irish diplomatic vehicle as they came closer to the mansion.
Nearly a mile west of the car, Mallory and Belle hid in the woods, looking out for both the trio and the FBI team that was reported to have been observing Dunning. Mal looked through her scope and found a well-concealed tent guarded by a group of heavily armored men.
"The FBI has a lookout on the east perimeter." Mal informed them.
"Copy that." Jefferson replied.
He parked the car and stepped out of it to open the passenger door for Graham. Gold followed suite just as Alexander Dunning came with his security team to greet them. He was three inches shorter than Gold, with a closely trimmed white beard and a crisp, clean dark blue suit. Dunning smiled, though it didn't reach his eyes.
"Alexander Dunning," he introduced himself, shaking hands with Graham. "Pleasure to see you, Brigadier-General O'Brian."
Graham smiled. "The pleasure's mine, Mr. Dunning."
"They're in." Mal announced.
Belle looked between the older woman and the direction of the mansion. She shivered thinking about what the trio had to do, and sitting next to a woman who was apparently really, really good at killing people. She zipped up her white and camo jacket up more as a cold breeze blew in.
She wasn't sure why Mallory wanted her there. She didn't have any particular skills that would be even remotely helpful in an operation like this one.
It was quiet between the two women for a while, when Belle finally spoke up.
"Frank said you wanted me with you." She said.
Mal turned to her and smiled. "Yes, I thought it might be nice to have a bit of girl time together," she said jovially. "And I just wanted to tell you that in all the years I've known Francis, I've never seen him like this,"
Belle felt a blush cover her cheeks and a wide smile grace her lips.
"So, if you break his heart," Mallory continued. Her light blue eyes pierced into the younger girl's very soul. "I will kill you. And bury your body in the woods."
At first, Belle thought she was kidding. She giggled awkwardly. But after a moment of thought, she quickly realized that Mallory was not joking and she sobered her expression.
"Wow. Okay." Belle replied.
Mallory smiled sweetly, then turned her attention back to the scope. "Oh, this is gonna be fun."
Dunning lead Graham, Gold and Jefferson to the foyer. He reached for a CD player hooked to the wall. He beckoned Graham closer as he pressed a button on it.
A clear recording of Dunning's voice boomed out of the player.
"Here at Browning-Orvis, we have a longstanding commitment to humanitarian causes, because exemplary corporate citizenship is our highest calling. As a company with global reach and global interests, we have global responsibilities. Now sometimes I'm asked, if this commitment to ethical behavior affects the bottom line. And my answer is always the same. Yes. It makes it stronger."
Dunning smiled and pressed another button on the wall, revealing a hidden door. He gestured for Graham to follow. Graham raised a dubious eyebrow and glanced at his two companions before going into the room.
The door closed behind him, leaving Jefferson and Gold alone with Dunning's men. They glanced at each other, then back at the door.
In the room, Dunning showed Graham around the concealed office. It was tastefully decorated with dark wood and furniture, and clearly well-stocked with a multitude of amenities. Graham couldn't help but be a little impressed by the little gangster man.
Dunning walked over to a wet bar and poured a finger of whiskey from a crystal decanter into matching tumblers.
"This is my safe room," Dunning explained proudly. "Sound proofed. Reinforced. Swept for bugs daily. You could fire a gun in here, and no one would ever know."
Graham smiled and tipped his head in a gesture of admiration. "Mr. Dunning, I cannot imagine a more perfect place to conduct our business." He said, thickening his Irish accent.
Dunning crossed back to Graham, giving him one of the tumblers.
"You do know that there's a surcharge for any arms deliveries to countries that are embargoed by the United Nations," he reminded.
"For every problem, mate, there's a solution." Graham replied.
Dunning smiled widely as he clinked his glass against Graham's.
They were about to take a sip when a buzzer sounded. Dunning mumbled something about his idiotic body guards as he went to open the door. He was ready to tell off his men when Gold greeted him with a knock-out punch.
"How many CEOs can say that?" the recording continued.
"So how did you guys meet?" Mal asked Belle. She looked away from the scope to look at the younger woman fully.
Belle couldn't help but smile whimsically as she recalled the beginnings of her "relationship" with Frank Gold.
"We started talking on the phone. I worked at the government pension office as a phone representative," she explained. "I guess I liked that it wasn't real. Of course, now I'm a fugitive, the CIA wants to kill me and I'm hiding in a hole."
Mallory chuckled and patted her shoulder reassuringly. Her expression had suddenly changed, from amused to sad.
"I was in love with an agent once," she sighed.
"What happened?" Belle wondered.
"Well, I was with MI6. And the relationship wasn't…sanctioned," she said. "When it came to light, my loyalty was questioned. And I was ordered to kill him. It was a test."
"What did you do?"
Mallory returned her attention back to the scope before she answered, "I put three bullets in his chest."
Dunning woke up duct taped to a chair, being glared down by three angry looking men. Graham had untucked his uniform, while Jefferson wore a plastic trash bag over his suit. Gold had only removed his overcoat and leaned on the edge of Dunning's desk.
Dunning looked at each man individually, trying to determine who they were, what they were doing in his office and why they had tied him up with duct tape.
"Okay. Who the hell are you guys?" he finally asked.
Gold smirked. "You don't remember us?" he wondered. "We remember you. You're the man whose shit we cleaned up down in Guatemala in 1981."
"And the question is, who did you fly out of there?" Graham added.
"You don't have any idea what you're getting into," Dunning laughed. "First of all, you can't touch me."
Graham stood up, smiling knowingly. "Sure we can." He stood in front of Dunning and back handed him.
Gold and Jefferson moved behind the desk, opening a briefcase and pulling out what looked like torture devices.
Gold picked up a blow torch. "Oh, yeah. Where'd you get this?" he asked Jefferson.
"Home Depot," Jefferson replied.
"How much?"
"Ten bucks."
Gold nodded appreciatingly, setting the torch down. Jefferson rummaged through the briefcase, gathering different clamps.
"Do you want…nuts…nipples…or potty trainer?" he asked, holding up the clamps.
"All right, stop it." Dunning ordered.
"Nuts." Gold lit up the torch.
Dunning shifted uncomfortably in his seat. "Stop it. For the love of Christ, stop it!" he yelled. "Stop already!"
Jefferson carefully placed the chosen clamps in the flames.
"Now do you have something to say?" Graham asked.
Dunning glared at him before answering. "We extracted a young lieutenant, who is the son of the late Senator, James Stanton."
Gold turned off the torch. "Robert Stanton?"
"Vice President of the United States." Graham elaborated.
Jefferson squinted his eyes as he lowered the clamps. "You're saying…the Vice President killed all the people in that village?" he asked dubiously.
"Yeah, went completely off the reservation," Dunning said.
"And that New York Times reporter?" Graham questioned. "Did she pressure you?"
Dunning nodded. "Yeah. She called me twice. So I called the Vice President."
Jefferson continued to stare at Dunning like he had two heads. He shook his head disbelievingly.
"And what did you think would happen then?"
"Oh, whatever," Dunning scoffed. "I made him Vice President."
"You kept your mouth shut and the Stantons made you rich." Graham shook his head disapprovingly.
Dunning shrugged, clearly unaffected by the comment. Graham, Gold and Jefferson looked at each other, silently trying to figure out what to do next.
Outside of the safe room, the unconscious bodies of the security guards lay spewed out as the recording of Dunning's pitch continued to play.
"…been working with our partners in the developing world to out corruption and…corruption and…corruption and…"
An FBI agent with headphones sat up taller as he heard the skipping of Dunning's voice. He looked at his superior, informing him of what happened. He nodded and pulled out his cell phone.
As soon as he finished his conversation, he ordered the SWAT team outside to start surrounding the mansion as a large, black SUV pulled up.
Stepping out of the car was the bruised and battered face of Emma Swan. She was greeted by the FBI agent in charge, who immediately led her to the tent.
"We're in position," he informed her. "Perimeter's set. No one's getting out."
Emma nodded. "Good. Get me connected with the main house. There's someone I need to talk to."
After a few minutes of agonizing silence, Dunning decided to break it. "Okay. I will pay whatever it costs to get rid of this thing."
The three men looked at each other once more and laughed. The action clearly surprised Dunning.
"We're not here for your money, mate," Graham informed him. "We're here because that New York Times reporter had the list of names of everybody who was in Guatemala. And everybody on that list has been ordered killed. Except you."
"I had nothing to do with that," Dunning insisted. "Don't you see? He's trying to clean up his past and get rid of me in one shot. He's trying to cut me loose before he runs for president."
They looked at each other once more when Mal's voice crackled over the radio.
"We have some major activity out here. Looks like we're blown."
Gold closed his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose. They spent too long interrogating Dunning. They gave just enough time for Emma Swan to put two and two together and start to surround them.
"They're moving a team up the east side." Mal added.
"Are you gonna let me talk to them?" Dunning asked seriously.
Graham scoffed, shaking his head fervently. Dunning looked up and scowled.
"I can negotiate something," he insisted.
"Thanks, but when we want your help, we'll get out the drain cleaner." Jefferson threatened.
Dunning looked at him and smirked. "Listen, Plastic Man, those bastards out there have orders to kill me, too."
"I hope so." Graham grumbled.
"Why?" Dunning asked sarcastically. "'Cause I'm a bad guy? I'm scum?"
Jefferson looked at Gold desperately. "Can I just shoot him now? Please?"
"No. You don't have people killed," Dunning said haughtily. "I have people killed. I'm the bad guy, remember?"
Jefferson's face scrunched up with rage. He reached under his plastic covering for a gun when Graham punched Dunning out. His head lolled to the side and a loud snore came from him.
Shaking his hand, he glanced at Jefferson apologetically. "Not worth the bullet." He said.
Suddenly, the phone ringed. Gold reached for it and answered it.
"Hello?" he greeted.
"How's retirement, Gold?" Emma Swan replied.
Gold chuckled. "It's been a real blast,"
"If we have to come in there and get you it's gonna be messy,"
"Of course, it will be messy,"
"I've got my orders, Gold,"
"They come from the Vice President. He's ordered these hits to cover up the war crimes he committed in Guatemala,"
"I find that hard to believe,"
"How did you know you'd find me here? Some anonymous, untraceable tip?"
He heard Emma sigh and shift uncomfortably before answering. "Here's the deal Frank," she said. "You're gonna walk out that front door and give yourself up. You have my word no one will shoot you. I'll personally take you in and you will get to tell your side of the story. You got sixty seconds to decide."
Gold hung up the phone and switched it for the radio.
"What's it look like?" he asked Mallory.
"Three's no clean exit. They seem to be coming from everywhere." She replied. "If we had a distraction, I could cover you to the woods."
Gold sighed and leaned against the desk. Graham moves closer, staring at him intently.
"It looks like there's not a lot of options, mate," he said softly. "I mean, somebody's gonna have to make a hard choice if you're going to get out of here alive."
Gold looked up at the implied suggestion. He knew exactly what Graham meant, and it hurt him to lose his friend in that way. But there was no other choice, he knew, and it also meant that Graham would be released from a lot of pain.
"It's been wild." Gold said with a sad smile.
Graham laughed quietly. "Wild and crazy," he agreed. "But I wouldn't want it any other way."
They shook hands briefly before pulling each other into a hug.
"It's been an honor, Graham." Gold whispered.
"Good luck."
Just as Emma glanced at her watch, the phone rang. She quickly picked it up.
"Tell your men to hold their fire," Gold said. "I'm coming out."
Emma immediately dropped the phone. She picked up her radio and started to bark orders. "He's coming out. All units, hold fire. Repeat, all units, hold fire."
She walked outside the tent and raised her binoculars in the direction of the mansion.
West of her, Mallory started to cock her rifle. "Get behind me, Belle," she ordered. Belle quickly did as she said.
When everything was set, she talked directly to Gold. "Come out now, I've got you covered."
Just as she gave the word, the front door opened and a man stepped out wearing a hat and trench coat. As soon as he came into view, gun shots were fired and he collapsed.
Emma drops her binoculars in surprise. "Who fired that shot?!" she demanded. When no one gave her a clear answer, she ran to the mansion, pulling out her gun as she went.
When she finally reached the body, she tugged on it to reveal a man who wasn't Gold, but one of his associates, Graham Humbert.
"What the –" Emma started to say when shots began firing all around her.
As Mallory continued firing, Gold and Jefferson stepped out of a side door and ran in the direction of the woods.
"Tell me when the boys make cover and we'll move." Mallory ordered Belle.
Belle looked to her left, searching for Gold and Jefferson. They came into view and ran past them.
"Now." Belle said.
Mallory quickly put the safety on and started to run. Belle trailed behind awkwardly, trying to run in the snow and side step all the fallen trees while trying not to fall. Suddenly, she tripped over a rock and started rolling down a hill into a ravine.
Mallory stopped and tried to figure out a way to reach her without seriously injuring herself, except bullets started to fly all around her. She shot back and escaped, feeling awful for leaving Belle like she did.
Belle groaned and slowly started to sit up. When she raised her head, she saw four guns pointed directly at her.
The SWAT team continued to chase after Gold and Jefferson. They ran through a drain pipe, where they saw Mal waiting for them on the other side. When Gold emerged, he saw worry and regret color her features. Jefferson lingered behind, pointing his gun threateningly in every direction possible.
"They've got Belle," she said sadly.
Gold's fist tightened and his jaw clenched. He moved in the direction Mallory had come from, only to have her stop him.
"Frank, you're no good to her dead." She reminded him.
Jefferson nudged them. "We gotta move." He said.
He turned in the direction of a road just above the drain pipe when a dark colored car pulled up. Jefferson aimed his gun at it.
When the car came to a complete stop, a man emerged with an all-knowing grin and a tip of his hat.
"Come. Now is not time to waste." He said.
Mallory stepped closer to get a better look at him. Her eyes widened and her jaw dropped in surprise.
"Elias?" she asked incredulously.
Elias Hades smiled widely. "Eínai ypérocho na sas doúme kai páli, lagoudáki."
Mallory grinned. "It's nice to see you again, Elias."
Gold looked between the two of them staring longingly at each other. Jefferson, though his gun was lowered, was unsure what to make of the whole situation.
"Did…did he just call you 'bunny'?" Gold asked hesitantly.
Mallory returned her attention back to him, giving him a withering look. "Life, sometimes, is complicated." She said with finality.
Without another word or glance, she started walking towards the car, with Gold and Jefferson trailing behind her.