(Ultraviolet's POV)
"It's X-Rated." The sarcastic glint in X-Rated's tear-strained voice has returned. "What do you want now, blondie?"
"Don't call me that." Cashmere says, striding up behind him. Ultraviolet's jaw drops when she sees how beaten up he looked. His damp bleach blonde hair was literally glued to his head with blood, and his face and body was horribly bruised. She can still see the cuts she made on him…
"I'll call you whatever I want. How'd you get out?" X-Rated asks curiously.
Cashmere says nothing. Terror and rage in his eyes, he holds out his arm.
"Take it out." He demands.
"What?" Ultraviolet asks.
"Your fucking leader captured both me and the drunken idiot and put a tracker in me. So take it out!" Cashmere snarls.
"A tracker?" X-Rated comes closer and observes Cashmere's wrist. "Did you see what kind?"
"No, I was still knocked out. She told me she put it in afterwards." Cashmere tells him. "Do you know how to get it out?"
"Why did Severa put a tracker in you?" Ultraviolet counters.
"She wants me to lure the Aftermath out. It's an assassination plot." He growls. "And if I go to them and tell them to hide, then she'll track me and bury me alive."
X-Rated and Ultraviolet exchange a glance.
"How can we trust you?" X-Rated asks cautiously.
"Fuck! I'm not asking you to trust me!" Cashmere wails. "Just get it out of my arm!"
"Odds are, it's a very high-class tracker." X-Rated says. "It's impossible to get it out with just a knife or a magnet."
Cashmere's blue eyes were full of terror. "There has to be a way."
"Surgery could help." Ultraviolet says.
"And where am I going to get surgery?" Cashmere snaps. "Tell them that a deranged murderer is after me."
"It could work." X-Rated narrows his eyes. "Or I could just tear it out."
"Shut up, R-Rated." Cashmere snarls.
"How hard is it to remember X-Rated?" He crosses his arms over his chest. "At least I'm not named after a clothing line."
"Is this helping?" Ultraviolet cuts in.
Cashmere glares at Ultraviolet. X-Rated says, "Now, this isn't going to work, is it?"
"What?" They both look at him.
X-Rated stares at Cashmere for a while. Muttering under his breath, "I can't believe I'm doing this," He turns to Cashmere and says, "Hear me out, here."
Cashmere raises his chin and stares at X-Rated challengingly.
"This is going to sound funny." X-Rated says with a tiny chuckle. "But, we're in the same boat here."
"What—"
"Severa has betrayed us." X-Rated says. After hearing it, Ultraviolet feels that hollowed space in her open up. Their own leader, betraying them? It's so hard to believe—
"I don't believe it." Cashmere counters.
"She's going to kill the Aftermath, okay? There's no time to believe or to not believe—we have to be realistic." X-Rated growls.
"It's true." Ultraviolet pipes up. "You better think fast about trusting us, Cashmere. You don't want your precious Aftermath to die, do you?"
Cashmere glares at both of them, before swallowing. "Go on."
"Now, come on. You, I—we're very different. But now, we have a common goal here." X-Rated explains. "People may die—and we don't want them to."
Cashmere listens wordlessly.
"There's no room for trust anymore. We have no reason to trust each other. But we have to do something—anything, God damn it." X-Rated stares at Cashmere with hard green eyes. "I don't want to kill you, Cashmere. And if we both want the same thing, then why are we fighting?"
Cashmere gazes at the ground, before saying, "So, you want an alliance or something?"
"Not the kind of alliance where we hug and act like we're friends. Frankly, I think you're kind of a bitch, and you royally piss me off. But I'm sure you can say the same thing about me." X-Rated smiles.
Cashmere glares at X-Rated.
"What I'm asking is, we're going to have to—dare I say it—trust each other for a little while." X-Rated says. "This shindig isn't going to last too much longer. And it'll end with us winning or us dying. What do we have to lose?"
Cashmere says nothing.
"So, how about it, Cashmere? We'll look out for each other. You listen for signs of Severa, and her betraying of us. And we'll listen for any assassination plots. Two birds, one stone, am I right?" X-Rated holds out his hand.
Cashmere stares at it.
"Come on." X-Rated says gently. "What do you have to lose?"
"My life." He says quietly.
"Just shake his hand, God damn it!" Ultraviolet snaps. "Just do it."
Cashmere's pale hand shakes X-Rated's.
"Good." X-Rated smiles. "Why do I feel like I'm going to regret doing this?"
Cashmere steps away. "Because we probably will."
(Sam's POV)
"Sam, wake up!"
Her eyes snap open and she's already on her feet. Assassin instincts give you that. But it was Freddie, staring at her.
"No, no, it's okay." He says, a hint of giddiness in his voice. "You won't believe it!"
"What?"
"They're on Severa's tale." He says eagerly. "They caught sight of her, and they're following her. She can't get away this time!"
Sam rubs her arms. "Let's hope." She says emptily.
Freddie rests his hand on her shoulder.
"I have some people watching Carly and them." He says softly. "It'll be okay, I promise."
"Are you sure they're covered?" She almost whimpers.
"They're looking out. Severa won't get near them. She already knows she's close to being caught—she wouldn't dare venture near."
Sam presses against Freddie. "What will we do after she gets caught?"
"Anything we want. Because it'll be over." He says with a smile.
"Are you sure?" She asks briefly. "What if they're still…you know, after me?"
"I wouldn't worry about—" Freddie says, but the vibration of Sam's phone interrupts them.
Sam feels the ice crawl into her veins. "I don't want to see what it is." She whispers.
"Neither do I." Freddie frowns. "But you know we have to do."
Sam wordlessly crosses the room and picks up her Pearphone. It wasn't a text—it was a request for a Facetime.
"Oh no…" Sam whispers. "Get out of frame, Freddie."
Once he moves, Sam bites her tongue and hits 'answer'.
Severa's face greets her. "Hi, Sammy!"
"What did you do?" She whispers.
"What did I do? Oh, I don't know." She says innocently. "What did you do? Call the cops on me?"
"I didn't call the cops." She says through gritted teeth.
"Aww. Lying again? It isn't going to work this time, I'm afraid." Severa says with a teasing frown. "Here's what we'll do. Tell me you admitted it and I'll show you a surprise."
Sam feels queasy. "There's nothing to admit."
"Or is there? You better hurry, Sam. You're gonna wanna see this one." Severa insists.
Sam hears coughing in the background, and her mouth drops and words fly out at the speed of light. "Okay! Okay! I did it! Show me, now!"
"As you wish." Severa smiles, using her pointed fingernails to press the flip button.
Sam almost drops the phone when she sees what she sees.
Alex, tied to one of the stone pillars in what are presumingly the tunnels, is wailing his head off through the tape over his mouth. He didn't look too bad, but his face was bruised and there were little cuts all over him. His hair, damp with sweat, sticks to his forehead as he screeches as loud as he can through the gag. His eyes cry out for help, to Sam, who's trembling now.
"The tunnels. You know where. Bring police with you and he's dead." The phone hangs up.
Before Sam can bolt out the door, Freddie's already grabbing her wrist. "I'm coming with you."
"But—"
"I'm part of the tech team, Sam. I'm technically not part of the police team. And I'm coming with you." He's already moving to the bedroom. "And I'm bringing a gun, end of story."
Freddie's phone rings. It's Carly. "She's probably worried about where Alex is." Sam murmurs.
"Don't answer it. We'll get him back to her before the night is over." He returns with a gun in his hand. "I've always wanted to use this."
"Come on," Sam says breathlessly. "We don't have much time!"