Hi again guys! I have decided from now on to not mention the amount of time between updates as I should now be on a regular schedule of Friday updates (Don't point out that today is Saturday, I know). I think I ought to say that from now on chapters will be alternating between the two groups (the prisoners and the others), so this chapter is with those who haven't been killed or captured by Hyena and co.

Thanks to Beccaxoxo704, Dragon-Ninjagirl and Arwen16 for reviewing the last chapter, much appreciated as always!

Disclaimer: As much as I hate to say it I do not own A.T.O.M. however I do own Wolf, Jackal, Vixen, etc, etc...

Aggravation

Vixen's pov

The cab pulled slowly up outside a dilapidated ramshackle attempt at a building, not that every other building in sight wasn't virtually identical. A black haired woman slipped out and handed a few notes through the window to the driver before waving him on, she didn't want anyone hanging around unnecessarily. Vixen watched him go and as soon as she was sure that he had left pulled out her earpiece and waited. Nothing changed as she stood there, no movements, no other signs of life or time except the slow descent of the red sun below the horizon. She started to get agitated as she continued to wait, her nose was itching unbearably underneath the plaster and the sooner she had other people to distract her the better.

Her impatience was soon allayed however when a sports car pulled up somewhat erratically, just avoiding her. Jackal triumphantly leapt out of the driver's seat and seemed throughly pleased with herself for not crashing. The other inhabitants of the car did not look anywhere near so pleased. As soon as he had squeezed his way out Shark bolted for a nearby drain and proceeded to dump the large breakfast he had eaten out of his churned up system.

"I take it your driving hasn't improved then Jacks?" Vixen stated more than asked, virtually everyone knew about the quality of Jackal's driving.

"What do you mean? I got the car here in one piece didn't I?" She replied, oblivious to just how bad she was.

Her passengers clearly did not agree with her priorities and Vixen smiled, tempted to giggle.

Andrew was not in the mood for either of them and snapped rather viciously "Can you guys please just get on with this"

"But where's the fun in that?" Jackal asked, jokingly.

He growled and Vixen decided to change the subject "So, what's the job then?"

"Oh, nothing much Vix. Just a couple of dead gang members running around with a handful of traitors intent on incinerating the lot of us who just happen to have Kiwi and Wolf as prisoners"

"Ah, right then..." Vixen sighed, talk about dangerous.

"You forgot our friends, they're at risk too!" Hawk piped up as Shark was still throwing up.

"Hmm" Vixen turned to properly look at the two boys "That wouldn't happen to include the bastard who punched me?"

"He's not a bastard" Lioness muttered, just quiet enough for the others not to hear.

"Yeah, you deserved it" Hawk told her somewhat arrogantly.

"Excuse me?" She hissed in reply, pent up rage threatening to spill over.

"Vix, not now..." Jackal put a hand on her shoulder, to try and calm her friend.

"I said excuse me?"

"You deserved to get punched" Hawk answered again, he was starting to get annoyed as well.

"Why would that be?"

"You were being a bitch!"

"I what?"

"Vix..." Jackal tried again, she knew how Vixen could be in situations like this especially when she was already very pissed off.

"Go on, say what you were thinking"

"Shut up all of you!" Andrew suddenly shouted over them.

"Whatever, I just hope that bastard gets what's coming to him" Vixen retorted as she turned her back on the pair as if to close the discussion.

"He's not a bastard" Lioness muttered a little bit louder this time.

"So would someone care to enlighten me on the plan?" Asked Vixen, changing the direction of the subject.

"Sure thing, we storm in there gun the traitors and zombies down and rescue the others" Jackal waved it away, she wasn't a major fore-planner at the best of times.

"Excluding the bastard?"

"He is not a bastard!" Lioness repeated, shouting this time, and taking herself and almost everyone else by surprise.

"I think somebody likes him..." Jackal taunted playfully.

"Really? Well that changes everything" Vixen said sarcastically, although probably not clearly enough for some.

"Seriously?"

"No you twat, I was being sarcastic" She retorted angrily.

"Can we just get going already?" Andrew snapped, he was getting awfully tired of waiting.

"Sure, the sooner we get in the sooner we get out" Vixen replied as she opened the car boot and pulled out a gun.

"And the sooner the captives are safe" Jackal finished as she picked out a pair of pistols, slipping back into her serious mercenary mode, even though it had been some time since she had last needed to.

Andrew grabbed another gun out of the car to add to the one he had on him at all times and Katie reluctantly came over and picked up a small one, she wasn't too familiar with firearms. None of the other three even made a move towards the stash.

"Going in unarmed then?" Vixen looked surprised.

"We've faced worse" Hawk replied coldly.

"Oh ho, I doubt that" Jackal laughed before catching the serious looks on their faces and sighing "Well if you insist" and slammed the car boot shut before locking it up.

"You guys ready yet?" Su Ji asked over the ear pieces, she had nearly fallen asleep back at the warehouse.

"Yep, so where we heading?"

Silence greeted the question and they wondered if they'd lost the connection. "Su Ji? Still there?"

"Yeah, I just..."

"You just what?"

"Give me some time, these coordinates may take a while to register and process"

Jackal sighed "Fine, we'll get started then. Call us when you've got it"

Without waiting for an answer she started off across the road but stopped at the edge of the favela. A thick wall ran around it's extent with a few openings which were watched non-stop by agents of the Costa-Santos, fortunately the one they were using had been temporarily 'overlooked'. Jackal glanced through and checked for any people, but on finding none she took a deep breath and stepped onto the soil that made up the 'streets' of the favela. "Well I haven't been gunned down, care to join me?" She called back to the others.

"Lord have mercy on our souls" Vixen muttered before following and again taking time over that first step into the slum.

The other two followed, Andrew just stalked through while Katie spent at least a minute hovering on the edge. Lioness sighed deeply before joining them and the boys came pretty quickly on her heels.

"Right, we've officially trespassed now, so everyone on your best behaviour." Jackal broke the silence, taking over until Su Ji came back, before adding to Hawk and Shark "And be quiet if you value your lives"

No one else spoke and the group remained in total silence for a few minutes as they started cautiously weaving their way through the dusty alleys. They kept moving although Jackal, who was leading, would occasionally check for other people. It was Hawk who broke the silence.

"So what is so dreadful about this place anyway?"

He was immediately shushed by about four different people and given death glares by Vixen and Jackal.

"Just asking" He defended himself, although in more of a whisper this time.

Lioness decided to answer and in the lowest whisper possible explained "Favelas are slums, where people who can't afford anything else live. But these places are rife with crime and the people are generally living under the control of a drug lord. This is probably the most notorious one in Rio and is controlled by the Costa-Santos family, they have the biggest criminal network in the country. If a Costa-Santos doesn't like you, you die... And they don't like people in their favelas without due permission, which we currently lack"

"Oh..."

"Yeah, oh"

The silence continued unbroken for a while until Hawk got curious again. "So what happens if we get caught?"

Lioness was about to reply but a sudden burst of sound a few streets ahead cut her out and the five who knew what was going on froze in horror and fear

"The firecrackers..." Vixen trailed off, all Rio citizens knew what the firecrackers meant.

"What's going on?" Shark piped up, his stomach had stopped churning so he felt comfortable opening his mouth again.

"This isn't good..." Started Jackal with a clear note of fear in her voice.

"What?" Hawk asked now, the nervousness of the others was infective.

"There's a raid! The police are raiding the favela!" Vixen answered, raising her voice to a shout to be heard but giving away the quiver now in the voice.

Jackal finally tore her eyes off the streets ahead and ordered "We need to get out, now!"

"But..." Shark began, not quite grasping the danger of the situation.

"No buts, unless you want to be gunned down!" Jackal rounded on him, not in the mood for ignorance.

The group turned to retreat back the way they'd come but as they began to run a smoke cloud descended on the area.

"Damn them!" Jackal shouted over the noise "Everyone get under cover, now!"

The others struggled to hear her voice over the firecrackers and bursts of gunfire that seemed to be coming from every direction. They were in utter confusion, the smoke was making breathing hard and no one could see anything. Some of them heeded Jackal's orders, those who couldn't hear her however bolted.

"Thank God they didn't use tear gas..." Jackal sighed to herself as she crouched down just inside a doorway.

"Tell me about it..." Andrew's voice replied out of the shadowy mist.

"Do you know where any of the others are?"

"No, I heard at least a couple running for it though"

"That would be those damn tourists, the idiots, I told them to get under cover not run"

"Don't think they heard you"

"Fucking police!"

"Just hope no one is stupid enough to run into the police fire..." He trailed off, neither of them dared to think of anyone being shredded to pieces by the unmerciful police bullet barrage.

They stayed in silence until the noise had died down slightly, the fight seemed to be moving deeper into the slum, although the smoke was still as thick as ever. So as she could know hear herself think properly Jackal tried her ear piece to reach Su Ji, there was nothing but static however...

Another few moments silence followed where Jackal was torn between remaining silent or calling out to the others, the later option won and she shouted out into the smoke "Guys, is anyone there? Are you alright?"

Nothing answered her except silence, until footsteps became audible and they were coming straight for them.

"Vix? Katie? That you?"

"Not quite" A gruff voice answered as an unfamiliar armed figure stepped into the shack...

Man I am mean, another cliffhanger... Oh well you guys are going to have to wait a while for what happens next (Not too long though). Next time in chapter 15 we rejoin Wolf, Kiwi, Axel and King in the grips of Hyena, Vulture and co... See you there!