35: A Plot that Lacks Honor

"So what's our plan?" Tobias inquired later that day.

Everyone was thrown off kilter by the time change and had spent a few hours resting. Now they were all assembled in the living room of the hotel suite Josiah and Belphoebe had rented. Tobias and Santi were seated comfortably in the loveseat, while Edward took up most of the couch, Rin on his lap. Josiah was sitting in an armchair, Belphoebe leaning over the top.

"There are multiple points of entry, but I think our best bet to get inside without causing too much trouble would be through the payload bay, where they get shipments of machines and whatnot," Josiah explained, pointing to a door on the holographic blueprints hovering above the coffee table.

"Are there any other possibilities?" Edward asked.

"The back door, but that's usually under careful watch of both a security camera and a guard. We'd have to find a way to take out the guard and disable the camera, unless we want to pose as equipment," Josiah huffed.

"I could do that," Rin offered. "The Syndicate has cameras on every entry point, so it's not just the back door we'd have to take out. We'd have to compromise the entire network before we could even get close to the any of the doors."

"You're right," Edward nodded. "The branch in California was pretty heavily watched. I saw like, twenty cameras and who knows how many guards."

"There's also the issue of locating your daughter, Ed. We're not sure where she is, because she is moved quite a bit. She stays mainly on the western half of the building complex, but recently she's been going back and forth to one of the warehouses on the eastern half of the property. We're not sure when she goes, because the time changes each day," Belphoebe said.

"So once we get in, we'll have to find Rio quickly, lest we be caught," Tobias stated.

"Yes," Josiah nodded. "Time will be of the essence once we get inside. If any one of us is caught, I can't guarantee that we'll be able to get them out."

"That's a risk we'll have to be willing to take," Santi commented. "If one of us does get caught, there might be a chance that they'll get out alive, but the chances are slim to none. We also can't guarantee that we'll be able to send in a rescue party. They'd have to rely on themselves alone, because the Syndicate will surely be after us."

"I think I know how we can get to Ri... Rio is her name, right?" Rin asked choppily, looking to Edward for confirmation. He nodded. "She's being turned into a machine, right? I can probably use the GPS in my systems and somehow connect to her mechanical output, enabling us to pinpoint her exact location."

"Can you also hack the security system?" Josiah asked. "Not just the cameras, but the inner defenses too?"

"Inner defenses?" Tobias repeated skeptically.

"You know, lasers, booby traps, mechanical guards. Don't you watch movies?" the man replied teasingly.

"Movies and real life are completely different!" the young blond shot back. "That's all special effects and stunt doubles. We're just running in there with nothing but ourselves and our skills! If something goes wrong, there's no director to say 'Cut!' and have us re-shoot the scene!"

"You make an excellent point there," Saru, the small green-haired cat-girl that followed Rin around mumbled, folding her arms and staring at her small cup of tea. She grabbed one of the cookies set out for snacking and bit into it vigorously. She hardly ever spoke, but did comment when she had something to say.

"You two especially can't die," Belphoebe said heavily, turning to Rin and Edward. "If something happens to you two, or one of you, everything we're doing will be for naught and all hell would break loose. You two are vital assets to our team."

"You've told me that about a million times already," Edward sighed, moving one arm from behind his head to over his eyes. This conversation was already getting boring.

"Don't shirk your role, Ed. Nothing good can come of it," Rin muttered softly.

"I know..." he huffed.

"Then stop acting like a child. Tobias is a child and he's handling the situation far better than you are," she chided.

"Don't make me stuff you in a drawer," he threatened.

"Just saying," she grinned.

An hour and a half later, nearly everything had been figured out to the extent of rescuing Rio. Rin was going to hack into the security system's network and disable all the internal defenses apart from the human guards. Josiah and Belphoebe were going to handle any guards that came after them while Tobias located Rio. Edward was in charge of keeping Rin safe, mostly because she was so small, and finding a way out of the Syndicate. He sighed heavily as he took several rolls of blueprints to his bedroom and fell face-forward on the bed.

"You okay?" Rin inquired gently.

"I'm tired..." he mumbled, his voice muffled by the bed sheets.

"So sleep. We're not going to make our move until we've perfected the plan, and that's going to take a few days. You can rest," she said softly.

"Why do you care so much?" he asked, turning his head to look at her.

"I have my reasons," she said, looking away. Edward thought he saw her blush.

"You love me, don't you?" he asked. She stiffened and looked away more, turning her head.

"Shut up," she replied curtly.

"No, I won't. It's a perfectly legitimate question and I'm not going to stop pestering you until you answer me," he pressed.

"Alright, fine, I do!" she burst, glaring at him. "I fail to see how that relates to the issue at hand!"

"Is it because I'm like your husband?" he inquired.

"Yeah, I suppose..." she mumbled, idly playing with the hem of her dress. "Does it bother you?"

"No, actually, it's kind of the opposite. The more I'm with you, the more I like you. I know it's wrong in a sense, but each time I try to imagine my wife, I picture you," he admitted, rolling on his back and staring at the ceiling. "Guess we're pretty screwed up."

"It's not like that," she insisted. "It's not your fault that you forgot her! These things just happen sometimes and we have to make the best of it. It's not like that... I'm sure she knows that it's not your fault! She can't have known that this would happen!" By this time she was sobbing, virtual tears running down her cheeks. "You have to try to remember her, for her sake if not your own. For Toby... he needs a mother... he's still a little kid and I'm sure he feels the same way!"

Edward blanched momentarily, shocked by how much passion she was throwing into this conversation. She was crying over it, saying that he had to try to remember his wife when not two minutes before she had said that she loved him. Before he could think clearly, he grabbed her and held her against his chest, like a child would hold their favorite stuffed animal.

"You have to keep trying too. Your husband is probably looking for you the same way you're looking for him. You can't give up," he said softly, absently stroking her hair. "I admit that I'm a fine piece of eye candy," here she giggled softly, "But you can't let that distract you from what you have to do. I know he's out there looking for you, so you can't give up."

He didn't know how long they lay there, but after a while it was dark and his back was stiff from lying halfway across the bed. Rin was 'sleeping', being on while not really doing much of anything. He sighed heavily and kicked off his shoes before crawling under the covers, being careful not to disturb Rin as he moved her from across his chest to a pillow.

"I'll get it," Aislinn said, reaching for the phone resting on the table. She paused, wondering who would be calling the cell phone. Not many people knew the number. "Hello?"

"...big sister?" Christin's voice asked timidly. "Um... it's me..."

"I know. How are you?" Aislinn sighed happily. Her sister wasn't mad at her after all.

"...I could be better..." she admitted glumly.

"Does Ed..." the redhead started, unsure how to finish.

"No..." her twin replied sadly. "He doesn't. I'm taking quite the beating over it."

"I'm sorry," was all Aislinn said. "And I'm sorry for yelling at you that time. I know you're doing your best."

"It's okay," Christin sniffed. "I was eaten by a phone."

"I know. Katie told us," she replied.

"God damn it! Can't I tell you people anything without someone telling you first?" she cried. "I mean, it happened to me; I have dibs over spreading the news!"

"I guess it hasn't affected your personality," Aislinn laughed.

"We're getting closer to finding Rio, though. We've thought up a rough plan of how to get in and out, but need a few days to perfect it so we don't get caught. How are things over there?"

"Well, we learned something interesting about Fletcher the other day, but apart from that just more Unforgiven attacking. Ai is being especially weird about Marcus lately, and no one will tell us why, not even Katie," Aislinn replied.

"Huh. Well, I'd try to tell you something, but I lost most of my power when I was eaten. Ed thinks my body's dead, but I think it was just misplaced. But I do have a theory as to where it went," Christin chattered.

The twins spent a few hours catching up, though it was mostly Aislinn trying to console Christin about her current situation.

"Say hi to everyone for me, Ed's waking up," Christin said.

"I will; take care," Aislinn smiled before hanging up. She brought a hand to her mouth, trying to hide her smile for one reason or another. She spun around when she heard someone clear their throat, her smile widening when she saw Alphonse leaning casually against the doorframe.

"Have a nice chat?" he inquired.

"Yeah, I did," she nodded. He spread his arms and she stepped into them, deeply inhaling the scent of his skin. "She's not mad at me," she said after a while.

"That's a good thing?" he asked jokingly.

"Has there been any word from Rose?" she inquired softly, her fingers curling around his collar.

"None yet. We're trying everything, but nothing is coming through," he admitted sourly. "Katie can't sense anything from that area."

"Well, I was told that a plan to break into Cassiopeia Syndicate is in the works, so some of us are making progress," Aislinn chattered.

"Isn't that dangerous?" he asked, running his fingers through her hair.

"There's no choice. If we have any hopes of stopping the enemy, they have to get Rio back. It's because of her power that the enemy is becoming so prominent. If they take her back, it'll at least set them back, giving us enough room to make a move," she replied hotly.

"I love it when you act like that," he grinned, leaning in for a kiss.

"Daddy, the sacrifice is here," Mirian's voice cut in. Aislinn suppressed a groan and turned to address her child.

"What sacrifice?" she asked. Why was the child talking about something so morbidly? Calling someone or something a sacrifice was in bad taste.

"Hello," Nina said as she entered the room.

"A sacrifice?" Belphoebe repeated. Josiah nodded, his mouth forming a taut line. "I was never aware of something like that."

"I regret that it had to come to this, but the enemy's power is such that the old world might not make it through what the enemy is planning. Our power is such that we have to steal from others to maintain the world in this critical time," he admitted grimly.

"But really, those two? Have you any idea what the Godchildren will do when they find out?" the blond woman demanded.

"By the time they realize it, there will be nothing they can do. From the moment they were brought back to life, those two were meant for this. It will be a painful loss, yes, but this is war and you know what they say," Josiah said firmly. He watched as Belphoebe's expression shifted between disgust and defeat.

" 'All is fair in love and war'..." she said finally. "But that is no reason to steal the lives of those children!"

"It's plenty reason!" he roared, ramming his fist into the wall, not caring if he woke up the others. "Without them everything we're working for will be in vain! Are you so against it that you are willing to put millions of innocent lives at risk?"

"I... I am not. Do what you must, for the sake of the world," she said dully, accepting defeat. With that she retired to her room.

"Do I really want to know?" Edward's voice asked.

"You really don't, though you will in due course," Josiah replied, not turning around. "I wish it were otherwise, but nothing can be done about it."

"How honorable," the blond sniffed.

"Honorable? I think the jet lag is messing with your head if you think this lying and deception is honorable," Josiah chortled.

"Oh, that's as low as you can get, really. I'm talking about how you're trying to prevent our pain as long as possible. I envy you for that quality," Edward said as he turned to go back to his room.

"If only you knew how honorable you make it seem. I'm no better than a common thief the way this is heading," Josiah mumbled to the still evening air. He smiled sadly to himself and sat on the couch, staring at the thick clouds trying to cover the moon.

A/N 9-5-10: yet another one out. Honestly I have to wonder where the hell I keep coming up with this stuff. The story hasn't been getting many reviews lately (though I really don't blame anyone because most schools are back in now) and I keep writing.

You know, I think I might actually be able to pull off the whole '25 chapters per arc' plan I mentioned forever ago. Anyone doing anything interesting for Labor Day? I'll be sitting at home, typing up chapter 36 and working on the story I'm going to have published into an actual book. Like, 'Mom, can we stop by the bookstore? My friend said there's a really good book there and I want to buy it' kind of book. A hard copy, if you will.

If you'll just indulge me, the next few chapters will be about the break-in they're planning.

As for me, I'll just be sitting here writing away, working on chapter 3 of the DXM manga (yes, I'm actually making progress with it, though it is WAY overdue. I'm almost done, actually) and watching old movies like 'Singin' in the Rain', 'Annie Get your Gun', 'Meet Me in St. Louis', etc.

Yeah, I admit to being a musical fan. *cringe of shame*