Chapter 25
"Go now!" May commands into the headset to the infiltration group. She and Dawn are to remain outside of the mansion with Dawn as May's lookout while May is on the computer and directing the group through the mansion undetected. Since May has hacked all of the cameras, she changes certain video feeds for the group to enter halls and rooms without rousing any suspicion.
It has been a few days since May has hacked into the cameras, so the group had spent the time planning their mission on rescuing Ash. Drew has also notified Galactic Gang on when to attack, which gives Drew and his group a little time to rescue Ash before the other gang arrives.
Drew and Paul have escorted the infiltration group inside after knocking out the guards in their way. The two have then changed into the guards' clothing and masks to hide their faces and hair. Now, the two are pretending to guard the premises, but they're waiting for orders from May in case things go awry.
To prevent being found out, they planned on not having many people enter the mansion. Therefore, Leaf of course, being the best fighter and most stealthy, is inside. In addition, Misty is inside because she can also fight, and she is Ash's friend. She's only with the group because of Ash. Leaf advocated for Gary to join them since he's proven to be a helpful sidekick, much to his annoyance. He agreed, though, due to not wanting to leave the two women alone inside.
After knocking out a few guards and hiding them in various empty rooms, the infiltration group finally reaches Matthew's office, which is obviously locked. "It's locked." Gary mutters in frustration, earning him an eye roll from Leaf.
"You're with a criminal, Oak." she knowingly tells him as she easily picks the lock. The door opens and Leaf slowly enters with a smirk on her lips. If the situation was different, Misty knows she'd like Leaf a lot. The two may have even been friends, especially with the way Leaf can annoy Gary Oak.
Before the group can open the door fully, May shouts, "Stop!" Into their head pieces, causing everyone to freeze. "Once you open the door big enough for one of you to slip in, you need to disarm the alarm."
"Do you know the password?" Misty whispers.
"Of course she does." Drew scoffs into his earpiece, making May blush.
"It's all zeros." the technician replies.
Surprised at the easy passcode, Gary exclaims, "What kind of head gangster?"
"Sometimes the easiest passcodes are the best ones." Misty says as she's eager to see her friend again. It's been so long, and she feels like they never got to spend enough time together.
"And no one would suspect an easy passcode." Dawn pipes into the earpiece.
"Just get Ketchum already!" Paul hisses in annoyance. They're wasting too much time, and he's worried they'll be found soon, especially with Galactic Gang on the way.
"We're on it, Paulie." Leaf giggles, causing Dawn to frown.
Once the door is swung open, Leaf spots the security pad on the wall nearby and types in all zeros. True to May's words, the alarm is disabled, so the group closes the door. Misty walks over to the candle they've seen in the security video May has shown them plenty of times.
"What are you waiting for, Red?" Gary asks the hesitant woman whose hand lingers on the candle.
Leaf expectantly watches her too, and May soon says, "We don't have time, guys! Get in and get out! That's the mission!"
Taking a deep breath, Misty glares at the candle. It's now or never, and she's ready to see that dense man. Pulling the candle causes the fireplace to move over where a staircase is revealed. What the group didn't account for, though, is the alarm blaring throughout the mansion once the candle was pulled.
"Shit!" Misty exclaims and starts rushing down the staircase.
"What's going on, May?" Leaf asks as she follows with Gary in tow.
May worriedly types away on her computer while telling them, "I don't know!"
Dawn nervously watches the technician click away on the laptop trying to disarm the alarm. "It's too late, May! Just focus on the cameras!" Rather than have May try to turn off the alarm that has already alerted all of Hayden Mansion, Dawn figures May might as well continue watching over the infiltration group through the cameras. There's also no point in trying to find why the alarm sounded after they had disabled the one in the office.
"Fuck!" Paul mutters as he and Drew start sprinting with the other guards to avoid suspicion.
Basement
"Stand guard!" Shouts one of the men guarding Ash. The alarm had started blaring, which got everyone's attention. Ash hopes it isn't a false alarm as he is finishing loosening his right shackle. Two guards rush inside the room while the rest stay out in the hall, and Ash sees this as his opportunity when he hears gunfire outside of the room. This is definitely not a false alarm.
Once the door closes, Ash swings his chained legs out to wrap around one of the guards. The other one raises his gun, but Ash manages to kick it away in the small room. Being the second best fighter, of course he has these skills, even if he's weak from months of torture. While Ash continues fighting the two guards with his legs, their shouts bring in more. Ash manages to free his right hand from its shackle, and he has knocked out the first two guards.
Gunshots ring out inside the small room, but Ash dodges them or one of the other guards gets shot instead. Soon, Ash has disarmed everyone while knocking out 5 of the guards. He hears more gunshots, though they aren't directed at him. A few more guards run into the room looking like they're seeking shelter. When they see Ash hooked by one arm rather than two, and notice the unconscious bodies in the room, they aim their guns at Ash.
Unfortunately for them, they took too long to realize the situation, so Ash disarms some of them. A bullet grazes his cheek, but he's unfazed. It's now or never, and Ash Ketchum doesn't give up. Whoever is causing this alarm to go off is his savior because now he will finally get to see that redhead he misses.
When Ash knocks out a guard, the last one raises his gun at Ash from the doorway so that Ash can't reach him. As Ash braces to try and move away from the bullet, he sees the man get shot in the arm, causing the guard to drop the gun in pain. Soon, a woman in black with black hair rushes in to knock the man out. Ash, still stuck by his left hand, hopes this woman isn't going to kill him next.
However, when she turns to face him, he instantly recognizes those cerulean blue eyes, making him display that signature goofy grin of his. "Mist!"
She runs over as two more people run in after her, but before Ash can warn her of the new people, Misty grabs his face to crash her lips onto his. Okay. Ash Ketchum can die like this. Let these people kill him as he kisses back his crush who is surprisingly kissing him. The two make out and forget about the gravity of the situation because these fearful months apart have made their longing for each other very strong.
A cough gets their attention when they separate for air. "You guys can do that when we get out of here." the auburn haired man tells them.
Ash nervously blushes, and the other person he recognizes asmLeaf easily releases him from his last shackle. She then gets him out of the chains around his legs, but with Ash's broken ankle, he can't move fast. In addition, he has been chained up for so long, he doesn't have the strength to stand. Fortunately, Misty supports him along with the auburn haired man, and the group exits the room.
"We got him!" Gary mutters, which confuses Ash.
"Who are you?"
"He's Gary Oak. Used to be a cop with me. Now we're saving you." Misty replies with a deep blush on her face from kissing Ash and from his contact right now.
"Thanks, Gary." Ash weakly replies before he looks up at the assassin leading the way and smiles. "I'm glad you're okay, Leaf. I knew you'd be."
She turns her head to wink at him. "You know me too well, Ashy."
Although Misty is annoyed with Leaf flirting with Ash, this is not the time for those feelings. They rush through the halls while Leaf fights off many lowly guards. Occasionally, Gary and Misty get involved with the fights, but they never release their hold on Ash. With the large mansion, there are many ways to get out, though there are even many more guards. Plus, Ash's broken ankle is slowing them down significantly, especially with Leaf as the only one able to fight right now since Gary and Misty are supporting Ash.
"Bang!" Leaf falls over in pain as the gunshot echoes through the hall. Gary quickly leaves Ash to rush to the assassin's side while guards close in on her. Misty supports Ash to the side because she wants to avoid getting shot too.
"Leaf!" May shouts into the earpiece because she sees the video feed.
Soon, the many guards are holding onto the four with most of them around Leaf. A man approaches them while pointing his gun at her. "You've caused a lot of trouble for me, Leaf."
Despite her pain and the situation, Leaf smirks at him. "I said I'd kill you, Matthew."
"Too bad I'll be killing you." he chuckles and points the gun to Gary. "After I kill your little friends here. Let's start with your sidekick Gary Oak." He then points the gun at Misty. "And the detective just so Ash can watch her die." this causes Ash to glare at Matthew, but with the young man's current weak body, he can't move. Matthew points his gun at Ash. "Then your little friend here." He then rests the gun back at Leaf. "And finally you."
Much to his annoyance, Leaf isn't fazed by his threat, but then again, he did train her to be a stone cold assassin. "You always have big dreams, Matthew."
He scowls at her and points his gun back at Gary, which amuses Matthew to see Leaf's smirk falter. She must really like this spy to break character like that. Matthew had taken precautions with his security, so if someone enters his office and doesn't type in the second code to the stairwell alarm, then the alarm will sound. Therefore, since the infiltration group only typed in the office code, they neglected to type in the second code for entering the secret passage.
"I hate spies." Matthew grins, but before he can pull the trigger, Leaf manages to free herself and tackle a guard into Matthew, causing the Hayden Head to stumble while shooting his own guard. The disruption allows Gary to fight the guards on him, and Ash and Misty follow suit.
As the group engages in combat with the many guards, Leaf throws a knife at Matthew who is in the distance pointing his gun at them. The knife cuts his hand, making him drop the gun in pain. Before he can pick it up, though, one of his bodyguards drags him off since Leaf and her group are quickly knocking out the guards they're fighting.
"We must go, sir!" The bodyguard tells Matthew who reluctantly runs off. They'll get Leaf later, especially since Matthew now knows Gary Oak is her weakness. Right now, they have a different problem on their hands.
Outside
With Galactic Gang showing up and the infiltration group still inside, Drew had rushed in with Galactic Gang. He wants to make sure they don't kill Leaf, Gary, Misty, and Ash. Therefore, Paul is left outside fighting anyone from the Hayden Family trying to escape. Soon, the corrupted police officers are also on the scene, making this into one large bloody gun fight. Paul is glad that Dawn is down the block hiding with May.
Since most guards are inside the mansion, Paul doesn't fight many outside. His phone rings, which makes him confused as to why someone would call him. They have their earpieces unless someone lost theirs? Paul hasn't heard much except for the infiltration team managing to escape from Matthew.
Pulling out the phone, he scowls at the call. It's the man himself, the head of Hayden Family. Paul ignores the call, but soon, the loud speakers throughout the mansion and courtyard turn on. "Paul Shinji! I know you're out there. You owe me a favor. I will forgive you and let your girlfriend live if you kill Leaf and her three little friends."
The command repeats, and Paul knows it's Matthew's voice. While Paul is a man of his word, he isn't going to work for an evil gangster any longer. If they manage to take down the Hayden Family, then this threat is irrelevant. Paul will take his chances because they're looking very good right now.
When Dawn sees May's nervous look at the video footage of Paul in the courtyard, she says, "Paul won't do that. He hates the Hayden Family too much."
May smiles while keeping her attention on the laptop. "I know, but I was a little worried."
"He knows I'd kill him if he listened to Matthew." Dawn giggles while thinking about the troublesome man who shares the same feelings as her.
"I can hear you, troublesome."
She giggles and replies, "No need to worry, Paul!"
He rolls his eyes and refocuses on the courtyard. While Paul wants to go inside and help with the fight, he knows someone needs to stand guard outside. He fights off a few more guards before feeling a sharp pain in his side. Reaching over, Paul pulls out the knife that was thrown into it, and he dodges another one.
"Lucas!" He shouts because Leaf had informed them of how Lucas is the last Hayden Family assassin.
Walking out from the shadows, the black haired assassin points his gun at Paul. "You're all gonna die."
"Not yet, Lucas." a voice pipes in and walks up from behind Lucas.
Paul glares at this new green haired man. "I thought you ran away like a bitch, Junior?"
Chuckling, Junior has his gun pointed at Paul too. "I'm glad you guys are here to kill my father. Now Hayden Family is mine." he chuckles. "And don't think I forgot about you and Dawn."
"I can take care of them, sir." Lucas grins evilly at the stoic Paul.
"Not yet, Lucas." Junior reminds the assassin. "I want them to suffer, so capture them."
"As you wish." Lucas then shoots his gun at Paul who easily dodges it and runs.
With both Lucas and Junior having guns, Paul knows his chances aren't looking good. He can easily get rid of Junior by running away, but Lucas won't lose his tail. Paul also knows he can't win in a fight with Lucas, although he can severely weaken the assassin. Maybe if he holds off Lucas long enough, then Leaf will come out and help? Yes, Paul will use that plan.
"Leaf!" he gruffly shouts into the earpiece as he ducks and dodges between the brush.
When there's no response from her, Paul grits his teeth in frustration. She can't be dead, right? Else May would've said something. Paul now needs to resort to a new plan with Lucas because the assassin is quickly closing in on him. The Hayden Family fighters are usually more meatier, while the assassins are more lean. This makes the assassins very fast and they also train their speed. Even though Ash and Paul aren't buff fighters, they're still muscular and slower than the assassins.
"She's busy, Paul." May's voice comes through his earpiece making him sigh in relief.
"When she's free, let her know I need her help with Lucas."
Down the Street
"Got it." May replies and sighs. Dawn had heard from Leaf about Lucas being the last Hayden Family assassin and the best one after Leaf. The bluenette worriedly watches the screen but hasn't seen a sight of Paul since he took off from Junior. Fortunately, the Galactic Gang members rushed the outside of the mansion as well, forcing Junior and his guards to fight and run off.
Inside
"Get Ash out!" Leaf shouts as she kicks another guard.
"I'm not leaving you!" Gary yells back and he dodges a punch.
Winking at the auburn haired man, Leaf throws a guard at the one coming towards him. "I know you're my sidekick, but that also means you listen to what I say."
Gary can't help but smirk during the fight because Leaf really does amuse him. "I'm not your sidekick."
Despite her wounds reopening and the bullet in her arm, Leaf won't slow down. She can't since all these lives are on her. Moreover, she needs to catch up to Matthew before he gets too far away. She had heard him make an announcement to Paul, and there are few places in the mansion to make those announcements. Once Leaf fights off the last guard in her way, she blows a kiss to Gary who is too focused on his fight. "See ya later, Gare."
Surprised, the ex-cop looks over to catch the last second sight of Leaf disappearing down the hall. Since when did she get away? What? Although concerned, he smiles at the flirtatious assassin. Of course Leaf would get away without anyone realizing. Plus, he likes the nickname. Speaking into his headpiece as he fights off more guards, he says, "Smell ya later, Greeny."
Gary then looks over at Misty and Ash trying to fight off some guards. The auburn haired man rushes over to fight the guards while telling Misty, "Get out of here, Red! I'll hold them off!"
"I'm not leaving you, Gary!"
He shakes his head with a smirk on his lips. "Our mission is to rescue Ash! I'll see you outside!"
Ash gives Gary a grateful smile after punching a guard. "I'm too slow, Mist, so we should go first! I trust Leaf will make it out with Gary!"
With one hesitant look at Gary, Misty reluctantly sighs. She puts one of Ash's arms around her neck to support him before telling Gary, "You owe me a proper dance, Oak!"
Gary chuckles as he recalls their meeting in the nightclub weeks ago. While he enjoyed dancing with the hot detective, he knows that isn't her scene. Something more formal and with more clothes is her cup of tea. "Smell ya later!" He laughs and fights off the guards trying to chase after them.
Somewhere Else in Hayden Mansion
After meeting up with Saturn, Drew and the other Galactic Gang leaders stormed the mansion with Galactic Gang members. Hayden Family managed to rally many people in a short amount of time, especially with the dirty cops coming, so both gangs are engaged in a very heated and bloody battle. Drew manages to fight his way through the crowd so that he can reach the hall where May indicated the Infiltration Group is.
While Drew is rushing and fighting through the hall, May shouts, "Turn right! Misty and Ash need help!"
"Got it." he huffs out and sprints down the corridor to see a small group of HAyden Family thugs fighting Ash and Misty. For being heavily injured, Ash is putting up a good fight, but this is for survival.
Drew knocks out the man closing in on Ash, and when green meets brown, Ash smiles brightly. "Drew!" No one has had a chance to tell Ash about everyone rescuing him, so he's amazed and relieved to see the outcasted Hayden. Ash had feared Drew would get caught up in this situation, but he seems to be a part of it.
With a smirk as Drew fights off another thug, he says, "I'm glad to see you're still alive."
"I did train you." Ash laughs and punches someone.
"Are you guys done flirting?" Misty annoyedly asks the men, causing Ash to sweatdrop.
"We're winning, Misty. We can have some fun." Drew chuckles while knocking out the last thug. "Where are Leaf and Gary?"
Ash puts his arm around Misty's neck and answers, "They went after Matthew."
Furrowing his brows, Drew lets out a breath. As much as he wants to make sure Ash and Misty make it out safely, he needs answers from Matthew before Leaf kills the Hayden Head.
Ash seems to notice the man's conflicted face, so he reaches his free arm out to pat Drew's shoulder, startling him from his daze. With a warm smile on his face, Ash says, "Go, man. Misty will get me out."
Drew gives them a concerned look, but when Misty also smiles at him, he thanks them and sprints off towards Matthew's office. The night that Drew and May had left her, Misty figured out Drew doesn't have a good relationship with the Hayden Family, especially since his parents were murdered. She then learned that Drew suspects Matthew and the Hayden Family for his parents' deaths because Drew's father was favored to take over the family once Drew's grandfather passed.
After a while of fighting more goons, Drew reaches Matthew's office, but of course Matthew isn't in there. Where would that man go? The rooftop! There's a helicopter pad up there! Drew mentally curses at himself for not realizing that's where Matthew will escape to, especially since there's a room for the speaker announcements on the way.
He sprints through the hall and up one of the staircases while fighting off more guards. Drew really hopes Leaf hasn't killed Matthew yet if the leader hasn't already fled. However, he hasn't heard a helicopter, so he believes Matthew is still here somewhere. Once at the stop of the staircase, Drew runs down the hall, but he is instantly grabbed into a room.
Opening his eyes, he spots 4 men in black, and the man he's been searching for holding a gun at him. "You're not the only one with a techy girl, Drew."
Outside
"Shit!" May shouts as her computer screen turns to static and the earpiece starts screeching. She and Dawn quickly remove theirs, and the bluenette gives May a worried look. "It must be the same person who hacked into my system to find you!" May exclaims while typing furiously on her computer.
Dawn had been focused on the window of May's laptop with Paul fighting the assassin near the garden. When the screen cut out, Paul looked to be in trouble, and Dawn is tired of sitting around. She stands up, causing May to look at her. "Where are you going?"
"To protect Paul!" the bluenette determinedly says.
Sighing, May doesn't have time to argue with Dawn, especially since the technician knows Dawn will do whatever she wants. May takes out a knife and hands it to her. "Just in case."
With a final smile, Dawn thanks May before sprinting off towards the mansion. Frowning, May returns her attention to her laptop to no avail. She's struggling to get the cameras back on and the ear pieces, but she assumes everyone may have ditched their screeching earpieces by now. May is so focused that she doesn't notice anything until a cold hard metallic item is pressed against the back of her head.
"I was wondering when we'd meet." the female voice snickers.