The Broken Silence

by MangoKat

A massive misunderstanding causes several operatives to defect from V.I.L.E. Carmen must now protect them before they're hunted down and killed. As Team Red fight against V.I.L.E, they begin uncovering a disturbing web of mysteries involving kidnap and murder. Everything always seems to point back to a certain mime. Who is Mime Bomb, and why does everyone seem to want him dead?

39. Death By a Thousand Paper Cuts

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

---

The Broken Silence

Chapter 39

Death by a Thousand Paper Cuts

---

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

---

.

.

"Paper Star is being stationed in Japan."

There was an instant icy feeling of dread, and Paper Star heard nothing else being said. The words buzzed around her unintelligibly, and she crushed down the emotions that were threatening to force their way out.

Feel nothing.

Feel nothing.

Paper Star knew she was likely going to die the moment she heard Mal Evolence's words. It had been like a punch to the gut, and had taken her completely by surprise. She'd been under the impression that if Team Crackle ever disbanded, she'd once again be a solo operative. She thought she was valuable enough to be protected from her enemies, but clearly she'd been wrong. She knew V.I.L.E hated her bad habit of killing people, but she'd almost always succeeded in her missions and she believed that was all that mattered.

There were other Japanese operatives that could have been used, but V.I.L.E's decision to use her showed how little they actually cared for her safety. All of these thoughts flashed through her mind as Mal Evolence spoke, and before she knew it, the man was lying dead at her feet. Paper Star wasn't dumb, and she knew she had severely stepped over the line. She had killed another operative in cold blood, and there was no forgiving this. If her mission didn't kill her, then V.I.L.E definitely would. She had no doubts that she had just sealed her own fate.

When the Cleaners took her down, she felt a deep sense of despair as the sedatives took hold. She didn't want to die, and she didn't want to allow this to happen. Unable to do anything about it, she lost consciousness, her team staring at her in horror.

When Paper Star regained consciousness, she was aboard a V.I.L.E plane by herself. Glancing around at the completely empty plane, she rubbed her throbbing head, and slowly got to her feet. She was a bit surprised over the fact the Cleaners hadn't escorted her, and she looked out one of the windows to see where she was. Nothing but clouds were below the plane and so she knew they were still a long ways from their destination.

Paper Star narrowed her eyes, and turned her attention to the cockpit, wondering who her pilot was. Having every intention of forcing the man to alter their course, she began making her way towards the front of the plane. Still feeling a bit dizzy, she gripped the seats as she walked up the aisle, trying to clear her mind. The door to the cockpit was closed and when she tried the handle, it was locked. Peering through the tiny window in the door, she saw the pilot was reading a book, the plane obviously in autopilot for the time being. Paper Star knocked on the door, and the pilot looked up, the woman's eyes betraying her fear. Paper Star smiled sweetly and beckoned the pilot over with a crooked finger, but the pilot immediately refused and shook her head.

Paper Star scowled and reached down to her belt, and quickly realized her pouch of paper was missing. Paper Star glanced all around, but didn't see anything she could use as a weapon. V.I.L.E had left her helpless. She would have to depend on her hand-to-hand combat. She glared at the pilot, knowing there was nothing she could do for now. Turning away from the door, she began searching for anything at all she could use to defend herself.

"Good morning, Paper Star," came Roundabout's voice across the plane's speakers.

Paper Star looked up towards the camera and didn't respond.

"I suppose you must be wondering why you are being sent to Tokyo for this mission," Roundabout said, his tone sounding polite but also a little bit awkward.

Paper Star still said nothing.

"You will find an information packet on seat F13," Roundabout informed her, "Open the packet and I will explain."

Paper Star glared up at the camera for a moment, but then turned to find seat F13. Sure enough there was a thick beige envelope waiting for her, and she smiled, now having paper she could use as a weapon. Opening the envelope, the smile immediately dropped away at what she found.

"You have been chosen because of your knowledge of the target. We understand this is risky for you, but you're the only one who can get close to the target. Your mission is to take him down at all costs."

Paper Star stared at the photograph of the middle aged man in silence, her expression completely indifferent. It was her father.

"If my sources are correct, there is no love lost between the two of you," Roundabout commented, "As the only heir to the Hinode Empire you are in a unique position to get close to the target. Lady Dokuso will be waiting at the airport for you, and she will assist in any way she can to ensure Eikichi Hinode is eliminated."

Paper Star was silent as she flipped through the information she was given. It seemed that the Hinode Empire had betrayed V.I.L.E to one of their competitors The Void. They had caused V.I.L.E to lose over 100 million Euros in profit from the sale of military grade titanium, so they were going to cut ties with the Hinode Empire in the most dramatic way possible. Once her father was dead, V.I.L.E wanted her, as the heir, to assign Lady Dokuso to run the empire. V.I.L.E would then have control over the largest criminal syndicate in Japan.

"We have contacted your father and explained that you wish to have a meeting with him to discuss your return to the Hinode Syndicate."

"You were ill-informed," Paper Star stated, glancing up from the paperwork. "The only thing you have done is ensure my death."

"I beg your pardon?" Roundabout demanded, sounding a little bit offended.

"I was disowned when I was sent to V.I.L.E academy," Paper Star explained, "My father is the one who told me I would be killed on sight if I ever returned to Japan. He would never trust me enough to allow me anywhere near him. He's not an idiot and he knows this is a trick."

Roundabout went silent for a few moments, and she could hear him typing on his computer. "I have no record of you being disowned," he finally replied, "Your father still has you listed as the sole beneficiary for everything he owns."

Paper Star's eyes widened in surprise. It had been two years, why hadn't he officially disowned her? This didn't make sense.

"Your father seemed willing to speak with you, and so take advantage of this, and take him down. You will be searched for weapons, and so keep a few pieces of paper with you at all times. You'll notice that there are several blank pieces of paper in that packet. If they confiscate the paper, you'll have to find another way to eliminate him."

Paper Star went silent as she stared down at the picture of her father. After everything she had done, he still hadn't disowned her. He had been so ashamed and angry the day he sent her away, that there had been no question in her mind that he had written her off. She crumpled his picture up in her fist, and dropped it to the floor. Her father was weak, and this mistake would be his downfall. If he was stupid enough to fall for this trick, then that was his problem.

"Read through the information carefully," Roundabout instructed, "It tells you what to say to your father in regards to the V.I.L.E betrayal. All relevant information is there."

Paper Star glanced towards the nearest window. "Where am I right now?" she asked.

"About an hour from Tokyo," Roundabout replied, "Study that paperwork, and then leave it behind once the plane lands. Do you have any questions?"

Paper Star shook her head. If her father really was willing to meet with her, perhaps she'd actually survive this mission?

"Very good," Roundabout said, "Good luck on your mission. Don't disappoint us."

Paper Star sat down in one of the empty seats, and began flipping through the information carefully. She still had severe doubts this would work, but knew she had no other choice. Lady Dokuso was incredibly talented at her job, and it was unlikely Paper Star would be able to escape this mission without getting caught. She had no choice but to walk into the lion's den.

Humming tunelessly to herself as she read, she pushed aside all emotions until she felt nothing at all. She felt completely empty, and that was the way it had to be. Feeling nothing was far better than being held back by sentiment. Life was nothing but disappointment and pain, and Paper Star had long ago found a way to survive it. Never again would she allow herself to be controlled and manipulated in such an easy way. She would kill Eikichi Hinode, and she would feel nothing.

When the plane landed, Paper Star watched out the window, the familiar sight of the city feeling anything but welcoming. Setting aside the information packet, Paper Star folded the blank pieces of paper and placed them into her pocket to be used later. The plane touched down, and Paper Star continued staring out the window, keeping an eye out for anything that didn't seem right. The plane came to a stop in front of the terminal, and Paper Star didn't move, watching out the window suspiciously.

"The plane has landed, and the door is now going to open," the pilot's voice announced over the intercom, "Good luck on your mission."

Getting up from her seat, Paper Star approached the door, and sure enough, it popped open on its own. The airstairs unfolded themselves and lowered down, and Paper Star popped her head out of the plane, looking for signs of an ambush. There were a few cars picking up passengers from other private jets, but no one was anywhere near her plane. As she carefully looked around, her gaze fell on Lady Dokuso who was waiting for her outside of the terminal.

Slowly walking down the stairs, she stepped onto the tarmac, and exuded self-confidence as she smiled serenely and began making her way over to the older woman.

"こんにちは," Lady Dokuso greeted formally.

Paper Star said nothing, simply humming the same tuneless song to herself as she approached. Just as she neared Lady Dokuso, a black car suddenly drove in-between them, causing Paper Star to come to an abrupt halt. Before she even had time to react, three men jumped out of the car and seized her by the arms and legs, and then yanked her into the car. As the car sped off, Lady Dokuso stared after them in shock. She then let out a deep sigh. Well, so much for Paper Star.

---

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

---

Paper Star didn't bother struggling once they had her in the car, and knew this was her father's doing. Of course he wouldn't trust her to just show up at his office building. He was a very paranoid man, and he would expect V.I.L.E to betray him. The fact the men hadn't knocked her unconscious or drugged her showed that her father really was willing to speak with her.

There was complete silence during the car ride and Paper Star simply stared straight ahead, watching the familiar streets go by feeling a little nostalgic. She wondered what had happened to her old gang and whether there were any still alive. Her father had despised them, and she wouldn't doubt that he'd had them all killed.

When they pulled up to her father's main office building, she was yanked out of the car harshly, but she didn't resist. She played the meek captive, and allowed herself to be led into the building without protest. The men ushered her off to one side away from prying eyes, and then hit the button for the executive elevator.

The businessmen that milled about in the lobby didn't pay them any attention, and once the elevator arrived, Paper Star was pulled inside out of view. Once the doors closed, she was immediately searched for any weapons. They opened the papers she had in her pocket, and when they saw they were blank, they tossed them to the floor and continued their search. When they found nothing on her person, Paper Star knelt down to pick up the papers. The men eyed her warily, but she said nothing and simply put the papers back in her pocket.

The elevator went up and up, and Paper Star remembered riding this elevator hundreds of times as a little girl. Every single day after school she would ride this elevator to her father's office and then quietly do her homework until he finished work for the day. It felt like an eternity since she'd been here, but it had only been two years.

The elevator dinged and the doors opened to reveal her father's outer offices. She glanced at the little table in the corner of the room, remembering the countless hours she had spent there studying and simply waiting. Turning her gaze straight ahead, she followed the men towards her father's private office. One of the men knocked on the door, and then waited.

"入る," came a very familiar voice from inside.

The men ushered Paper Star inside and for the first time in years, she laid eyes on her father. He sat behind his large desk by the windows, his fingers steepled as he watched her approach.

[[You may leave us,]] he ordered the men.

The men didn't question him at all and they backed out of the room without hesitation. The second the door clicked closed, Eikichi Hinode looked his daughter up and down slowly.

[[You look absolutely ridiculous,]] he commented, [[You look like a clown. You bring shame upon the Hinode name, Shiko.]]

Paper Star said nothing.

Eikichi let out a deep sigh and then waved a hand towards the chair in front of his desk. [[Sit down,]] he ordered.

Paper Star approached and slowly sank down into the chair, purposely sitting in the most unladylike way she could manage. Eikichi seemed annoyed by her behaviour, but he didn't comment on it.

[[So V.I.L.E has sent you back to me,]] he stated, [[Failed in that as well, have you?]]

[[V.I.L.E is cutting ties with the Hinode Empire,]] she replied calmly, [[I did not wish to be an enemy to my own father.]]

Eikichi looked skeptical. [[You hate me,]] he pointed out.

Paper Star shook her head. [[Of course I don't,]] she answered, [[I was angry and bitter, but I never hated you. I should have handled things better than I did.]]

[[I would almost think you had finally matured, but by the look of you, you're still a foolish child.]]

Paper Star pushed her anger aside knowing it wouldn't do any good. She had to remain calm and collected. [[I wanted to apologize to you for my actions, and ask that you take me back. I want to return home. I missed you.]]

Eikichi's gaze softened a bit and he let out another deep sigh, crossing his arms. [[Do you really mean these words, or are you simply telling me what I want to hear?]] he demanded, [[You tried to kill me the last time you and I spoke face to face.]]

Paper Star met his gaze directly, her face a blank slate. [[I deeply regretted it,]] she said, [[I let my anger cloud my judgement, and it poisoned my heart. V.I.L.E helped me overcome that, and now I finally understand.]]

Eikichi raised a brow in question. [[Oh?]]

[[She needed to die.]] Paper Star replied, [[It was what was best for the company, and there was no other way. She dug her own grave the day she betrayed you.]]

Eikichi seemed genuinely shocked to hear these words come out of her mouth and he leaned forward, eyes searching her face.

[[Don't forget that you also betrayed me, Shiko.]]

Paper Star nodded in acknowledgment. [[I was a foolish child,]] she replied, [[A grieving little girl who didn't completely understand the situation. I have done a lot of growing while I was with V.I.L.E, and now I see that you had no other choice. She would have ruined you, and I too would have been at risk. You protected our family in the only way you could.]]

Eikichi scratched at his chin, his eyes narrowed as he stared at his daughter. [[And if I allow you to return, what will you do?]]

[[I will become the daughter you always wanted,]] Paper Star replied, [[I will stop fighting you, I will enroll into university and get the business degree you planned for me, and I will marry the man you choose for me. I will make you proud of me.]]

Eikichi still seemed skeptical, but there was also something else lurking in his eyes. It almost looked like desperate hope, but Paper Star couldn't be certain.

[[I never disowned you, Shiko,]] he informed her, [[I always held hope you would someday return to me. You're the only child I'll ever have, and so my hopes for the future lie with you. I have a feeling you're not being completely honest with me, but I'll be willing to discuss the possibility of your return.]]

Paper Star stared at her father, and felt nothing but immense hatred for the man in front of her. He offered her a smile and it made her want to vomit. Eikichi Hinode was a weak and gullible idiot. She honestly didn't think it would be this easy to gain his trust.

[[I will do anything you want,]] Paper Star told him, [[But please don't send me back to V.I.L.E. I can't work for anyone that are enemies of the Hinodes. They will likely kill me if I return, since they would never be able to fully trust me. My life is completely in your hands.]]

Eikichi stared at her in silence, and again looked her up and down. [[Well, the first thing we're going to do is get rid of that ridiculous hair. We'll have it dyed and cut into a more normal haircut, and then we'll get rid of those hideous clothes. I won't have my daughter looking like some sort of carnival freak!]]

Paper Star tensed and closed her eyes as she pushed down another wave of anger. Her father hated anything even slightly different than the norm and so he'd never accepted anything about Paper Star. Paper Star was too strong, too smart, too independent, and far too different for his liking. He had a mould that she simply didn't fit. She'd tried to fit that mould for her entire childhood, but the day her father did the unspeakable act, was the day that she stopped caring. Paper Star didn't want to fit in, she didn't want to be normal, and she certainly didn't want to settle for a life of mediocrity.

[[Are you still suitable for a proper marriage?]] Eikichi asked with a frown, [[I need to know this so I know what sort of man to match you with. Be honest because you will be getting a physical at the doctor's. I won't be mad, I promise.]]

Paper Star gritted her teeth. He was asking if she was still a virgin. As a daughter, her only value was her uterus. If he married her to a man of his choosing, he would then wait for a grandson that would someday take over the company when he died. Paper Star would only ever inherit the company if he died before she married.

Paper Star clenched her hands into fists. She knew Eikichi did love her, but he would never see any true value in her, only what she could do for him. His love was only a weakness that she could exploit. He didn't see her as a real threat, and he would never understand how much she despised him.

[Shiko?]] Eikichi questioned, [[Your silence is answer enough. You don't have to worry about anyone finding out, I'll find a suitable match for you.]]

[[I learned many things in the V.I.L.E academy,]] Paper Star said, looking up.

Eikichi was taken a bit off-guard, and he blinked at her in confusion. [[Oh?]]

[[One of my instructors was Japanese and he taught many ancient customs.]]

[[Very nice,]] Eikichi said dismissively.

Paper Star pulled the paper out of her pocket and Eikichi suddenly tensed. She held the paper up and then offered him a very slight smile.

[[My favourite thing that I learned while studying at the academy was origami,]] she told him.

Eikichi sucked in a deep breath. [[...like your mother.]] he said softly.

Paper Star began folding the paper as Eikichi watched her, a pained look in his eyes. A few seconds later, Paper Star set a perfect swan on the edge of his desk. He stared at it for a few seconds and said nothing, seemingly struggling to find the words. Paper Star folded her next piece of paper and then set an origami flower beside the swan.

[[They're beautiful,]] Eikichi said with a grimace, [[You have a talent for it like your mother…]]

Paper Star set down a dragon next. [[Oh no,]] she corrected, her smile going even sweeter, [[My talents for origami have far surpassed mother's.]]

She set down a delicate looking origami ballerina next.

Eikichi nodded, seeing the talent in the origami. [[I suppose you're right,]] he acknowledged, [[Finally you found a calm and gentle hobby that is suitable to someone in your position.]]

Paper Star began folding her last piece of paper. [[Oh, I don't know about that,]] she replied calmly, [[Mother used to do origami wherever she was upset at you. She channeled her anger into it and would fold dozens upon dozens of different shapes. Origami was never calm and gentle for me either, it was a hobby of hatred and patience.]]

Eikichi frowned at her. [[What is this nonsense you're talking about?]] he asked, [[I thought you were going to try improving yourself?]]

[[I am going to improve myself,]] Paper Star replied, a finished star in her hand, [[I'm improving my life by getting rid of you!]]

She threw the star as hard as she could, and to her shock it passed right through her father's head and stuck into the back of the chair deeply. The image of her father flickered for a moment and she saw a beam of light projecting from under the desk and her eyes widened. Eikichi let out a deep and resigned sigh.

[[This is what I thought,]] he said in defeat, [[You'll never change, and you'll never be more than anything but a blight on our family name. You belong to V.I.L.E now, and you never should have returned.]]

The door suddenly opened and the men from before stepped in with guns drawn. Paper Star leapt across the desk reaching for the Paper Star, but they fired before she could reach it. Several sharp stabs of pain exploded in her back, and she fell to the floor as she gasped. Glancing over her shoulder, she saw three darts sticking out of her back. Getting up to her knees, she again reached for the star, but the men shot her again, this time in the chest. As the drugs coursed through her, she tried to fight it, but her entire body suddenly felt like it was full of concrete.

She stumbled and fell back onto the floor and this time she couldn't get back up. Just as her vision began going black, she saw her father step into the room.

[[Contact V.I.L.E and we'll try to ransom her back to them,]] he ordered, [[Shiko is dead, and I no longer have a daughter. If V.I.L.E doesn't want her, then sell her to the highest bidder. I no longer care what happens to her.]]

Paper Star then lost consciousness.

---

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

---

Paper Star was kept in a state of constant sedation, and she briefly regained consciousness several times, and she caught glimpses of a dusty warehouse, and the men who guarded her, before she was shot with another dart. She had no idea how long in total she had been unconscious, but when she awoke again, she was alone. Rubbing her throbbing head, she quickly realized she was absolutely starving and thirstier than she'd ever been.

Blinking tiredly, she glanced around and saw she was in a small metal cage in a dark room filled with expensive looking objects. Paper Star saw there was an I.V in her arm but the bag was empty which explained why she was so thirsty. How long had she been left alone?

Her gaze settled on the bottle of water and she grabbed it up without hesitation. Unscrewing the cap, she downed the entire bottle, and instantly felt better. She stared down at the bowl of rice that had been left for her, and by the amount of mold on the surface, she figured it had been there for a few days. Pushing the fuzzy rice out of the cage, she reached a hand through the bars and touched the massive padlock that held the cage closed.

Reaching up to her hair for a pin, she realized her captors had already thought of that and hair was down. They had taken most of her clothes and she was in nothing but her undershirt and leggings. She had no way to escape.

The small room was hot and stuffy, and the objects around her appeared to be antiques. To her trained eye, she realized there were millions of dollars worth of valuables in the room. Was this a storage room of some sort? Why would her father leave her in a storage room? Is this where he was honestly planning on keeping her?

Rubbing her throbbing head, Paper Star leaned against the bars, having no idea what was going to be done with her. Why didn't they just kill her? Why leave her alive when she was an obvious threat?

The hours dragged by slowly, and Paper Star found she was sleeping more and more just to pass the time. Her stomach ached from hunger, and she was beginning to wonder if she was being left here to die. Slowly dying of hunger and dehydration was a cowardly way to kill someone, and she wouldn't put it past her father to do it. He'd always been a weakling when it came to her, and she was beginning to doubt he had it in him to do the deed himself.

When she heard the sound of a door unlocking, she hurriedly sat up. The room was flooded with light and she held a hand up to shield her eyes as a man crossed the room towards her.

The man knelt down beside the cage and then reached inside to remove the empty water bottle. As quick as lightning Paper Star grabbed the man by the arm in an attempt to overpower him. The man jerked his arm back and Paper Star's forehead smashed against the metal bars of the cage, but she didn't let go, instead sinking her teeth into his arm. The man let out a howl of pain, and Paper Star yanked back his arm, smashing his face into the bars as hard as she could. There was a sickening crunch as his nose broke, and he began screaming as he clutched at his face, blood pouring out of his nose. Paper Star reached for the keys on his belt, and was just unlatching them as the door opened.

Two men entered and when they saw what was happening, they ran to help the guard get away from Paper Star. She refused to let go and dug her nails into the bite wound, eliciting a high-pitched shriek from the man. One of the men slammed a baton down as hard as he could on Paper Star's arms, and she let out a cry of pain when she felt the bone crack. Releasing her hold on the man, the others dragged him away from her, and then helped the man out of the room, none of them having spoken a single word to her.

Paper Star clutched at her broken arm in agony, cursing angrily to herself. They had broken her dominant arm, and now it would be difficult to fold origami and also difficult to throw. Paper Star didn't have to wait long, and a few minutes later, three men entered the room. They were wearing different uniforms than the others and they were't Japanese. She narrowed her eyes at them, wondering how they were connected with her father.

"Alright, let's just get this over with," one of the men grumbled, "This is going to take forever."

To Paper Star's surprise, the men didn't approach her cage, they instead began going through the valuables around her, tagging everything with a number and writing down the item on their clipboard. They chatted with each other as they worked, and none of them spared her so much as a glance. They took pictures of every item, and after two hours of tagging and documenting, they finally turned towards her cage.

"Okay, tag her with a number," one of the men ordered.

The man with the wooden tags approached the cage and then began digging through the box of tags, looking for the right one. Paper Star watched as he looped the tag through a metal band, and then he attached it to one of the bars. The other two men stared for a moment and then the leader of the group sighed and then rolled his eyes.

"Oh, very mature, Bill," he commented, "What are you, twelve?"

The man, Bill, grinned sheepishly, but he didn't respond. The leader then reached over and grabbed the paperwork that hung from the cage.

"Japanese female, age 21, 155cm tall, 46kg, perfect health. Name: Shiko Hinode, daughter of Eikichi Hinode of Hinode Industries, status disowned. V.I.L.E operative, codename Paper Star, specializes in deadly origami throwing stars. Starting bid suggested at $1,000,000 USD."

The three men then turned and continued tagging the rest of the valuables, still not saying a word to her. Paper Star glanced up at the wooden tag with a frown. Her father was selling her off. He'd actually disowned her. A small part of her had doubted his words, but it was clear he'd made good on his threat. Closing her eyes for a moment, she leaned against the bars of the cage. She had failed in her mission, and she doubted V.I.L.E were planning on rescuing her. She could only depend on herself as usual, and she saw no immediate way to escape. If Paper Star was anything, it was patient, and she knew she would just have to wait for her opportunity. She would either escape or die trying. She would never allow herself to be sold off like some sort of farm animal.

Paper Star said nothing at all while the men worked around her, and when they left, she was once again bathed in darkness. Although hungry and thirsty, she ignored it and instead focused on conserving her energy. A few hours later the door opened again, and the guard she'd bitten entered. He gave her a fearful look and hung back out of her reach.

[[Food and water,]] he told her, setting a bottle of water and a bento box about five feet away from the bars of the cage. He then used his foot to push them within her reach.

He then turned and hurried from the room without another word. Paper Star waited until the door closed before she reached through the bars for the food. Opening the water, she drank half of it in one giant gulp, and then opened the bento box to see what was inside. It was a pretty basic fare, and likely from a corner store, but Paper Star didn't care, breaking apart the chopsticks one-handed, and began eating, not certain when her next meal would be. Finishing every bit of it, she tossed the empty box out of the cage, and once again closed her eyes. She would keep the water rationed in case she wasn't provided any more.

If they were tagging the items to be auctioned, she knew the auction must be pretty soon. All she needed was to be patient, and her chance would come. She held her broken arm against her chest, the pain a little more tolerable if she didn't try to move it. She napped off and on for a while, but eventually she found herself unable to sleep and feeling incredibly agitated. The cage was too small for her to stand, and she was stiff and sore from remaining in the same position for too long.

Stretching the best she could in the tiny space, Paper Star had every intention of taking down as many of her father's men as she could. Perhaps she would die, perhaps she would escape, but either way there was going to be blood.

Eventually the door opened and several men entered and began carrying the valuables out. Paper Star watched them silently, and over the next couple hours, they carried the items out in batches. When they finally got to her, they approached the cage cautiously, clearly not wanting her to grab them. Paper Star knew she would not be able to escape if she attacked, and so she remained docile as they hefted the cage up. They carried it out of the room, and she saw they were in some sort of fancy mansion.

The men carried her down a long hallway and then through a doorway onto a stage. Paper Star stared out at the few hundred or so people seated in the auditorium, and she narrowed her eyes. The people were all clearly incredibly wealthy, and she had no doubts that each and every one of them were criminals.

"And now item number 69!" the auctioneer announced, glancing down at his item card, "A beautiful Japanese girl, age 21, 155cm tall, 46kg, and in perfect health. Her name is Shiko Hinode, daughter of Eikichi Hinode of Hinode Industries, but she has been disowned due to attempted patricide. She is a V.I.L.E operative, codename Paper Star, and she specializes in deadly origami throwing stars. A valuable fighter for those who wish to add her to their ranks, or a delicate beauty for those looking for a companion. Starting bid is $1,000,000 USD. Do I have $1,000,000?"

An older man held up his bidding card without hesitation. His expression was leering, and Paper Star gave him a murderous look in reply.

"Number 267 has bid $1,000,000! Do I have $1,250,000?"

A second man lifted his bidding sign. This man also had a leering expression on his face that made Paper Star's skin crawl.

"Number 421 has bid $1,250,000! Do I have 1.5?"

The first man glared over at the second and raised his sign again.

"267! Do I have 2 million?"

The second man raised his sign. "5 million!"

"A very nice bid from 421! Do I have 6?"

The first man grimaced and didn't raise his sign again.

"A very rare girl, I assure you!" the auctioneer shouted, "Never has such a vicious little thing been sold here! She has the guards terrified of her! A valuable addition to any syndicate! Come on, she's a steal at 6 million! Do I have 6 million?"

No one else moved.

"6 million? No one for 6 million?"

No one bid.

"Very well, this is your loss. Going once for 5 million, going twice for 5 million-"

The doors in the back of the room opened and the person who entered immediately raised their sign. The person was dressed in an incredibly bizarre costume, and Paper Star stared at them as they walked down the aisle towards the stage. They were dressed like a 17th century plague doctor, wearing a black cloak, and an odd bird-like mask covered their head. The person was of average height, and Paper Star couldn't tell if they were a man or a woman, the cloak making their body completely shapeless.

"6 million from number 500!" the auctioneer shouted, "Do I have 7?"

421 stared at the Plague Doctor in disgust and raised their sign to bid again.

"421 bids 7 million! Do I have 8-"

He didn't even get a chance to finish before the Plague Doctor raised their sign again.

"500 bids 8! Do I have 9?"

"10 million!" 421 shouted out, shooting the Plague Doctor a triumphant look.

"421 bids 10 million!" the auctioneer cried out in delight, "Do I hear 12 million?"

The Plague Doctor cocked their head as they stared at 421 for a long moment, and then they reached into the pocket of the cloak to search for something.

"No one for 12 million? Come on, do I hear 12 million?"

The Plague Doctor held up their sign and Paper Star saw they had written 20 million below their number.

"20 million!" the auctioneer yelled out, shocked at the amount, "500 bids 20 million! A very good bid for such a special young lady! Do I hear 25 million?"

421 seemed furious, and sat down, crossing his arms against his chest.

"25? Anyone for 25? 421? 25?"

421 shook their head, and didn't raise their sign.

"Alright, 20 million going once…"

No one moved.

"20 million going twice…"

Still no one made any effort to bid.

The auctioneer slammed down his gavel. "SOLD to bidder 500 for 20 million! Once payment has been received after the auction concludes, you may collect your item."

The Plague Doctor didn't say a single word, simply turning and walking back out of the auditorium. Paper Star knew the person was definitely not just a rich pervert and wondered if he (she?) was part of V.I.L.E. She'd never heard of a Plague Doctor operative, but that didn't mean there wasn't one. Perhaps V.I.L.E actually valued her more than she thought?

She was carried off the stage, and once again she was placed back in a room full of valuables. Someone attached a tag to the outside of the cage and once they were gone, she reached through the bars and flipped the tag over so she could read it.

'Sold to bidder 500: The Void, Plague Doctor, 20 million'

The Void? So it wasn't V.I.L.E who bought her? Who were The Void? She'd never heard of them before. Frowning, she let go of the tag, and adjusted herself into a more comfortable position. Why would they bid so much for her? Did they want her to work for them? Paper Star cocked her head as she considered that. Did she want to leave V.I.L.E?

She'd been forced to join them, and she'd honestly hated being under someone else's authority. She craved freedom, and that was something she'd fought for her entire life. She enjoyed being a thief, and she enjoyed fighting, but she held no loyalty to V.I.L.E just as she would hold no loyalty to whoever The Void were. She would escape and kill anyone who tried to stop her.

She didn't have to wait long this time, and soon several men entered the room. To Paper Star's fury, one of the men was holding a tranquilizer gun.

"Sedate her and then chain her," one of the men ordered, "The buyer doesn't want her awake."

The man with the gun approached the bars of the cage and then took aim at her. He shot a dart, but Paper Star was fast and she caught it before it reached her, and she stabbed it deeply into the man's hand. The man let out a howl of pain, and fell back as he yanked out the dart. Within seconds he was unconscious on the floor.

The other men stared for a moment and then one of them let out a curse. "I hope The Void know what they're doing buying this psycho!"

"They have a habit of collecting odd characters, so I believe they know exactly what they're doing!" the other man replied, "Although it was Plague Doctor who bid on her and not Matryoshka ...who knows what that weirdo is planning!"

"I didn't even know he was allowed to bid on things."

"Isn't Plague Doctor a woman?"

"No, I don't think so… Oh hell, who cares. Either way, they're a weirdo."

One of the men knelt down and picked up the dart gun and then approached the cage. He shot a dart at her, but Paper Star caught it and flung it at his face. He barely moved in time, and it zipped past his ear as he ducked away.

"Stop doing that!" the man snarled, straightening back up, "None of this is our fault, so stop trying to take it out on us! We're just labourers, and our job is loading you onto the back of the truck! We didn't kidnap you, we didn't put you in that cage, and we don't have the key to let you out!"

Paper Star met his gaze directly, her expression completely blank and he backed up a step.

"I am not paid enough for this," he muttered to himself.

He then turned and left the room, his partner hurrying after them. Paper Star stared at the unconscious man they left behind and reached an arm through the bars of the cage to see if she could reach him. Her fingers could just brush his pant leg and she stretched out her good arm as far as it could go and she closed her hands on the fabric. Dragging him towards her, she did a quick search of his person, but he had nothing of any use.

Knowing the other men could be back at any time, she knew she needed something to defend herself. Staring at the unconscious man, she knew something she could do, but wasn't sure if she could accomplish it one-handed. Knowing she needed to do everything she could to ensure her survival, she unbuttoned the man's shirt, exposing his bare chest. Giving a quick glance to the door, she began digging her fingernails into the soft flesh, ripping and tearing at the skin as she began burrowing her hand into the chest.

Luckily the man was deeply unconscious and didn't wake while she tore his chest open, and Paper Star was having a hard time doing this with only one arm. Relying on her razor sharp nails to help her, she ignored the puddle of blood that was forming underneath her victim. Her fingers finally found what she was seeking just as the door opened.

Paper Star froze and stared up at Plague Doctor who stood in the doorway by themselves. They stared at her in silence for a few seconds, and then slowly began approaching the cage.

Paper Star gripped a rib tightly and began hurriedly twisting and pulling at it, trying to snap it off. It was a lot more difficult than anticipated and her fingers couldn't get a proper grip on the rib. Plague Doctor stopped just on the other side of the man and then knelt down, glancing down into the gaping hole. They cocked their head curiously, gazing at the man, and then they glanced at Paper Star.

Finally Plague Doctor reached out and Paper Star jerked her hand away, having no idea what they were doing. Plague Doctor rested a gloved hand on the man's chest for a moment, but then to Paper Star's surprise, they reached into the bloody and gaping hole in the chest. There was a terrible cracking and squelching sound, and a moment later, Plague Doctor held the rib in their hand. They stared down at it, and because of the mask, Paper Star couldn't see their expression. Plague Doctor then held out the rib towards her, and she narrowed her eyes suspiciously. She stared at the mask but couldn't see eyes or any other human feature.

The Plague Doctor's bird-like mask made them seem terrifying and this was something Paper Star could appreciate. She stared at the hat they wore, and her gaze settled on the fancy 'V' that adorned it. 'V' for Void perhaps? The eyes of the mask were mirrored, and Paper Star stared at them, trying to see any hint of the person underneath. She saw nothing but the blank face of the mask, and so she couldn't get any sort of reading on this person.

Plague Doctor continued holding the rib out and didn't move, their gaze focused directly on Paper Star. Paper Star slowly reached out a hand towards the rib. Keeping her eyes on them cautiously, she snatched the rib away and then pressed herself as far back into the cage as she could.

The door then opened and several men entered. When they saw Plague Doctor kneeling beside one of their own with bloody hands, they let out shocked and furious yells.

"God dammit, you fucking weirdo!" one of them yelled, "Not again!"

Plague Doctor turned their head slightly and glanced at them over their shoulder, clearly unconcerned.

"Step away from Carl now, or I swear to god, I will tranq you!"

Plague Doctor slowly stood to their feet, and then turned back to stare at Paper Star.

"You're not even supposed to be in here!" the man yelled, "Leave now!"

Plague Doctor turned away from the cage, and then stared at the men, gloved hands still dripping blood onto the floor.

"Leave now or we'll contact Matryoshka about this! Do you want us to call her?"

Plague Doctor continued staring at them for a few moments and then slowly began approaching them. The men backed away and Plague Doctor passed them by without a single word, leaving through the open door. Once they were gone, the men turned to Paper Star, and it was then that she noticed one of the men had a tranq pole, similar to what was used for vicious animals. Knowing there was no way to avoid this, she clutched the broken rib tightly and waited for them to near. As two of the men reached out to drag their coworker away, she suddenly lunged forward and drove the rib into one of the men's throats.

As he gasped and began gurgling, Paper Star felt a sharp pain and knew she had just been tranquilized. Not wanting to go down without a fight, she threw the sharp piece of bone through the bars of the cage, feeling smug when it stabbed directly into the other man's eye. Paper Star then fell forward onto the floor of the cage, her limbs feeling too heavy to move. As she lost consciousness, all she could hear were screams from the men around her.

---

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

---

Crackle got out of the taxi and stared up at the fancy hotel, feeling a knot of worry in the pit of his stomach. What if the others weren't able to make it? What if V.I.L.E caught wind of what they were doing and stopped them? What if the others had already been killed? The taxi pulled away and Crackle was left standing on the busy sidewalk, people pushing past him on either side. He received a few disapproving looks for blocking the sidewalk like that, but he ignored them, hoping he didn't have to do this mission alone. Walking up the marble steps of the hotel, he entered and was immediately greeted with a smile from the woman at the front desk.

"Good evening, Sir, do you have a reservation?" she asked with a thick accent.

"Reservation for..."

Crackle paused as he realized he didn't know what name Neal used to book the reservation.

"Erm...under Dawson, or perhaps Ferguson?"

"Oh yes, two rooms on the executive floor!" she immediately answered.

Crackle gave her a nod. "Have the rest of my...coworkers arrived yet?"

The woman gave him an apologetic look. "I'm sorry, but I'm not certain. Someone already checked in the rooms a few hours ago, but I wasn't here when they arrived. Do you want me to call up to the room and ask who's there for you?"

Crackle let out a breath of relief. Good, it seemed like at least some of the team had made it. "No, that's alright," he replied, "Has the room already been paid for?"

The woman nodded, "Yes, Sir, I'll just need your I.D and then I'll provide you with a room key,"

Crackle pulled his wallet out of his pocket and removed one of his fake . The woman inspected it for a moment, and then typed the information into her computer. She then handed him his I.D and keycard.

"Thank you, enjoy your stay! You are in room 1202."

Crackle gave her a nod, and then turned to head towards the elevators. As he pressed the button and waited for the elevator, Crackle pulled out his com and glanced down at it. The com was still dead, but he had a feeling the second he charged it, it was going to receive a lot of calls. Things were going to get extremely ugly, but he was prepared to deal with it. The elevator dinged and he got on, slipping the com back in his pocket.

Neal had booked the reservation for him, and he hadn't been expecting him to choose such an expensive set of suites. Did Neal pay for this using his own private funds or did he stick it on his V.I.L.E credit card? When Crackle got to the twelfth floor, he saw there were only two rooms on the entire floor. They would have complete privacy for the duration of their stay.

Crackle swiped his keycard against suite 1202 and the door swung open. When Crackle stepped into the room, he felt a rush of happiness at the sight of his team. He had genuinely missed them, and everyone had shown up. Well...nearly everyone. A small sliver of sadness tainted his joy, knowing their team was missing two of its members.

"Heya, wombat!" Neal called over cheerfully, "You finally made it!"

Neal jumped up from where he was sitting and tossed his arms around him in a hug. "We were starting to get worried! Everything okay?"

Crackle offered him a smile. "I got a little delayed, but I made it."

Neal then glanced behind Crackle into the hallway. "Is Dash with you?"

Crackle shook his head sadly. "Dash isn't coming."

Neal's smile dropped away. "What?"

"Dash is going to remain with V.I.L.E," Crackle said, averting his eyes, "He wants to stay with Cleo."

Theodore shook his head. "Does he know that Paper Star is in danger?"

Crackle nodded.

"No, Dash is one of us!" Roosevelt said angrily, "He's part of our team!"

"What happened?" Otterman asked in concern, "Neal gave a brief rundown of the situation, but why don't you explain everything? Has V.I.L.E truly betrayed us?"

Crackle heaved a sigh and then took a seat on one of the nearby beds. "It seems we have no value to V.I.L.E at all," he began, "I'll start from the very beginning when I first arrived back on New V.I.L.E Island."

Everyone listened in complete silence as he explained everything he had been put through during the last month and also what he had overheard. He told them about his conversation with Dash and the fact the other man had been adamant he was remaining with V.I.L.E. When Crackle finally finished explaining everything, his team was looking grim and worried.

Neal was pacing about the room, and when he finally paused for a moment, he turned distressed eyes to Crackle.

"Dash can be a bit dense at times, so maybe he just misunderstood the situation?" Neal asked hopefully.

Crackle shook his head again. "He chose to stay."

"I'll call him!" Neal vowed, "I'll make him understand, and I'll get him here!"

"It was his decision to make," Crackle replied firmly, reaching over to plug is com in to charge, "We have to respect his decision, because asking him to commit treason is dangerous, and not the life he expected. He chose to remain loyal to V.I.L.E, and I hold no ill-will towards him for it."

Neal glanced around at the others in the room and then sighed in resignation. "Fancy's living the life he always wanted, so I guess I understand," he replied a bit reluctantly, "He didn't even like any of us."

"Well, maybe not you," Dash replied from the door.

Everyone turned to stare and Dash stood in the open doorway, dufflebag in hand, and looking a bit uncertain.

"Sorry I'm late."

"Dash!" Crackle exclaimed in complete relief.

To Dash's complete shock, Crackle stook and pulled him into a tight hug. "I knew I could count on you, Dash!" he exclaimed happily, "I knew you wouldn't let us down!"

Dash was then released only for Neal to surge across the room and yank Dash into a bone crushing hug. "Fancy, you made it! I knew you would come!"

"Neal!" Dash protested, squirming uncomfortably, "Let me go! Now!"

Neal did let him go, but there was worry in his eyes. "You feel like nothing but bones! What happened to you? Are you sick?"

"Cleo was starving me for the last month," Dash replied, "She was trying to punish me for leaving her."

Neal looked completely horrified. "Let's get you some food!" he said, "We'll order room service. What an absolute miserable harpy that Cleo is!"

Crackle nodded as well, "We'll order supper and then discuss our plans."

"I actually ate like fifteen packages of pretzels on the plane," Dash admitted, his cheeks colouring a bit.

Neal grinned at him and clapped him on the back. "Well, let's add some protein to that carb fest!"

Dash offered him a smile in return. "Alright."

There was suddenly a desperate and mournful meow from across the room, and Dash turned, and his gaze immediately settled on the cat carrier sitting beside Otterman's feet.

"You brought Steve on a mission?!" Dash cried out, rushing over to the carrier.

"Well, we were the ones feeding him and everything, and there was no one else to take care of him," Moose Boy replied.

"Your cat is an asshole," Otterman muttered, raising a hand to his clawed up face.

"You deserved it," Dash snapped, opening the carrier, "Leaving poor Steve locked up in this little crate!"

Otterman rolled his eyes, but didn't comment.

"Aw, Steve, it's okay," Dash said softly, "You can come out now."

Steve immediately left the carrier and began purring and rubbing against Dash, glad to see its favourite human again. Dash stared at Steve with wide eyes, and then turned furious eyes to Moose Boy and Otterman.

"What the hell have you been feeding my cat?!" he demanded.

"Er...cat food?" Moose Boy replied.

"How much did you feed him?!" Dash cried out, "Just look at him! You made him fat!"

"Well, I've never owned a cat so I just fed him a can every time I ate," Moose Boy answered.

"You fed him three cans of cat food a day?!"

Otterman glanced up at his partner. "You were feeding Steve? I thought I was supposed to feed him? I was feeding him this whole time too…"

Dash stared at them with wide eyes and then he glowered at them. "Who let these morons care for another living, breathing creature?" he demanded, "They could have killed my cat!"

Dash picked Steve up and then carried the cat over to one of the beds. "Aw, poor Steve," he lamented, "You look like you swallowed a watermelon! At least your fur is looking a lot better."

Neal let out a laugh, and simply shook his head. "We missed you, Dash."

Dash looked genuinely surprised by this, and when he looked up, he saw the others were nodding. "We may not always get along, but we're a team," Dash replied, "And we're a damn good team. We're going to find Paper Star, and we'll get her back."

"I've been sleuthing since yesterday," Neal informed them, "I'm no tech genius or anything, but I can hack a little bit, and I found some interesting information on the V.I.L.E servers."

"Oh?" Crackle asked, instantly interested, "Like what?"

"I'll tell you everything I learned. I managed to find the information about Paper Star's mission."

Everyone immediately gathered in close, and Neal took a seat on the bed next to Dash.

"So, this is what I was able to learn about Paper Star's mission," Neal began, "It all began with a partner betraying V.I.L.E-"

---

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

---

Paper Star awoke slowly. Her shoulders were in absolute agony for some reason, and this is what woke her. Her mind was still fuzzy, and when she went to move her arms, she realized she couldn't. Letting out a low groan as she tried to open her eyes, she suddenly felt a hand tip her chin up. The touch was cold, and Paper Star weakly tried to move her face away, her eyelids too heavy to open. The hand pulled away, and Paper Star's chin hit her chest, unable to support her head.

[[Get away from her!]] a woman's voice scolded in Russian, [[I told you to stay out of this room!]]

There was no reply, but she heard footsteps walk away from her.

[[Honestly, how many times do I have to tell you?]] the woman muttered, [[I'm still waiting for V.I.L.E's response. I can't believe you spent twenty million dollars on a V.I.L.E operative. She's not even anyone important!]]

There was still no response.

[[If V.I.L.E agrees to the ransom, at least we'll get back some of the money you've wasted!]]

The footsteps continued walking away, and then Paper Star heard the sound of a door opening and closing. The woman muttered a few more things under her breath, and a few seconds later, Paper Star felt a warm hand tipping her chin up.

"Are you awake?" the woman demanded.

Paper Star couldn't have answered even if she wanted to. The hand was removed and then Paper Star heard footsteps as the woman also left the room. The pain in her shoulders was intense and she tried again to move her arms. When she still couldn't move her arms, she then tried to move her legs. There was the sound of rattling chains, and she found she couldn't move her feet either. Paper Star fought against the drowsiness, and finally she managed to open her eyes.

The first thing Paper Star saw was the large and empty warehouse she was in. Turning her head slightly to look up, she realized her arms were shackled to a beam above, and this was the cause of her shoulder pain. Looking down, she saw her ankles were shackled to the floor and there was a blue tarp underneath her. Paper Star wasn't an idiot, and she knew what that tarp was for.

Paper Star yanked at the chains, but all she ended up doing was hurting her broken arm and she winced at the agony this caused. The chains were thick, and there was no way she was going to break them. Her arms were so stiff that she knew she must have been in this position for a long time, and she wondered just how long she had been there. The woman obviously wasn't impressed with Plague Doctor's purchase, but it appeared V.I.L.E weren't willing to buy her back. What were these people planning on doing with her if they couldn't sell her back? Paper Star glanced down at the tarp. She had a feeling she wouldn't like that answer.

As the minutes dragged by, Paper Star lost all drowsiness, and her mind cleared enough to think. Supporting her weight on her feet instead of just hanging relieved a bit of the horrible pressure on her shoulders, and she again looked closely at her surroundings. The warehouse was old, and the walls were full of holes, and part of the roof was missing. There was nothing at all inside the warehouse except for a few chairs and what looked like an empty crate. Whoever The Void were, they were clearly not planning on spending a lot of time here.

Paper Star saw nothing she could use to escape, and when she looked up at the beam she was chained to, she saw it was solid metal. Standing on her toes to get a bit of relief to her arms, she rolled her shoulders, knowing there was no way she could fight in this condition. She was probably too stiff and too sore to throw even if she could escape. She'd instead have to rely on talking her way out of this. Paper Star had never been the most social person, and she honestly hated people, but if she could convince them to allow her to join them, this was the only way she could see herself getting out of this.

The door suddenly opened and she glanced over and saw Plague Doctor peer into the room at her. She stared at them with a frown, and they slowly entered the room, staring straight at her.

Plague Doctor came to stand just in front of her, and they cocked their head slightly as if considering something.

"You want me to join The Void, right?" Paper Star asked, her throat feeling dry and rough.

Plague Doctor reached out a gloved hand towards her, but before they made contact the door opened a second time.

[[Dammit, I told you to stay out of here! Do you listen to a single word I say?!]]

Plague Doctor closed their hand without ever touching her, and then glanced over their shoulder at the woman. The woman was dressed in a traditional red Russian dress that nearly reached the floor, and her face was painted to look like that of a doll's. Her greying hair was tied up into a tight bun on top of her head, and Paper Star was immediately wary of her. Her movements were slow and deliberate and Paper Star had no doubt that this woman knew how to fight.

The woman approached and placed an arm around Plague Doctor's shoulders, staring at Paper Star curiously.

"Your circumstances are unfortunate," she commented, her voice slightly accented, "It does not appear like V.I.L.E will be responding to us."

"Who are you?" Paper Star asked.

The woman turned away. "My name is Matryoshka, but it doesn't really matter," she replied, "I have no use for you. If V.I.L.E refuses to pay the ransom, you will not live to see another day."

[[I want to join The Void!"]] Paper Star called after her in Russian, [[I am a fighter, and I'll be useful to you!]]

Matryoshka stopped, and then slowly turned back around. [[Your Russian is surprisingly excellent,]] she said in mild surprise, [[What do you know of The Void?]]

Paper Star wracked her brain for anything she knew of them. [[You're in competition with V.I.L.E.]]

The woman rolled her eyes. [[V.I.L.E are our sworn enemies,]] she corrected. [[Just having one of their operatives here disgusts me to no end. Your kind can not be trusted, and no one from V.I.L.E will ever be allowed to join us. If V.I.L.E doesn't respond within an hour, I'm allowing Plague Doctor to have you. They've been extremely eager to get their hands on you.]]

Paper Star glanced to Plague Doctor who was staring straight at her, not moving in the least. Although she couldn't see their eyes, she could feel the gaze on her, and it made her uncomfortable.

[[What is Plague Doctor going to do to me?]]

[[I really don't care,]] Matryoshka replied, once again turning away, [[It was Plague Doctor's money to waste, and so they can do whatever they please with you.]]

[[I could be valuable to The Void!]] Paper Star protested, [[I have perfect aim, I'm athletic, and I can tell you anything you want about V.I.L.E.]]

[[Why would I ever want someone who's so quick to betray their syndicate?]] she demanded with a scoff, [[You are worth nothing to me, and I don't care what information you have. Our plans are almost ready to take V.I.L.E down, and we don't need you. You're nothing but an annoyance.]]

Paper Star's eyes widened. The Void were planning to take down V.I.L.E?! Were they that big of an organization?

[[You spent twenty million dollars on me, and you're just going to kill me?]]

Matryoshka didn't bother turning back around. [[No, Plague Doctor spent twenty million dollars on you. I had nothing to do with it. They hate V.I.L.E much more than I do, and so you're definitely in for an interesting time if your ransom isn't paid. Plague Doctor's hatred for anything V.I.L.E is beyond anything you could ever imagine. I know they will enjoy disposing of scum like you, and I will not be getting involved.]]

Paper Star stared with wide eyes, not sure what to say to that. Matryoshka reached the door and then stopped, and turned around.

"Come, Bratushka" she ordered impatiently in English, ''You're not allowed to touch her yet.''

Plague Doctor's shoulders slumped a bit, but they dutifully turned away and followed the woman out of the room. Paper Star stared at the closed door and then let out a curse. There was no way V.I.L.E would pay the ransom within an hour. Struggling against the chains, she pulled and twisted until her wrists bled, but still the cuffs around her wrists were still too tight to escape from. Taking a few deep breaths, she struggled even harder, squeezing her eyes closed as she felt a few of her fingers snap. Unable to take the agony, she had to stop, blood trickling down her arms.

Hanging limply as she grit her teeth from the pain, she realized she was not going to escape this. She was going to die here, and there was nothing she could do about it. No one was coming from her, and no one would miss her. She would die and it would be like she had never existed at all. The world would remain unchanged after she was gone, and she doubted anyone would even remember her. Her own death loomed in front of her in the form of the Plague Doctor, and the darkness to come was a sure promise.

Although Paper Star worked hard to suppress any and all emotions, she couldn't stop the terror that coursed through her. The fear burned within her like a brand and she felt her breathing speed up as the feeling of helplessness overcame her. She'd worked so hard at always being strong, and always being fearless, but the surety of her death made all of that slip away.

When the door opened to reveal Plague Doctor, Paper Star knew the hour had passed. She was now going to die.

---

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

---

Crackle took a bite of steamed rice and then frowned as he listened to his teammates.

Team Crackle had been planning and discussing what they knew about Paper Star's situation while eating supper, and Crackle knew this was not going to be easy.

"If Paper Star was sent to kill her father, then the most logical place to start would be by speaking to him," he stated, "I know she's no longer there, but he may have some idea of who bought her at the auction."

Neal returned Crackle's frown and something seemed to be bothering him. He was silent for a few moments and then finally voiced his thoughts.

"Why would Paper Star ever agree to kill her own father?" he asked, "I understand that she left her family behind to join V.I.L.E, but she was so willing to betray him… He's her father!"

Dash gave him a long look, and to their surprise, he answered in a respectful tone. "You don't understand, Neal, you came from a happy and stable home. Not all of us were that lucky."

"But he was her father!" Neal protested.

"Just because someone creates you, that doesn't make them good parents," Otterman snapped, crossing his arms against his chest, "I hate my parents, I wouldn't care if their house burned down with them inside it."

Neal seemed genuinely surprised by this. "You don't really mean that, Sven, they raised you!"

Otterman seemed incredibly agitated. "My whole childhood I was beaten, isolated and told I was worthless. My parents hated me, and they made sure I knew this each and every day. I never experienced one ounce of love from any of my family, and I hate them all… Well, almost my entire family."

Otterman then paused as a pained look crossed his face. "I once had an aunt who used to visit me. She was the only bit of kindness in my life and I loved her. She saw how I was being treated and she promised she was going to take me away with her when she had the chance. She told me how she would raise me like her own, and how she would treat me right, and that was the worst thing of all. It gave me hope, but then she stopped visiting me. I don't know if my parents stopped her from visiting, or whether something had happened to her. The last time I saw her, I was ten years old and she told me she would be back in a week to take me away. She never returned and my parents refused to talk about her.

I tried running away to find her, but my father found me at the bus station and beat me so hard that he fractured my hip."

Moose Boy's expression was downright dangerous, and he wrapped an arm around his partner, not saying a single word. By the look on his face, Otterman's parents had better hope they never met him.

Neal knew Otterman's life hadn't been the best before he joined V.I.L.E, but he'd had no idea it was that bad.

Theodore reached out and gently ruffled Otterman's hair, his own expression pained. He glanced over at his twin, and the two exchanged a long look before Roosevelt gave him a nod. Theodore then turned towards Neal.

"I can understand how Paper Star and Gwen both feel," he said carefully, "I hated my parents so much for what they did to my brother…"

Neal's gaze flitted to Roosevelt, but Theodore shook his head.

"No, we used to have another brother…"

Team Crackle knew this was a sore subject to never bring up, and Theodore instantly had everyone's attention.

"...the one who died…" Crackle said cautiously.

Theodore grimaced, and then nodded.

"It's hard to imagine there were three giants," Neal said, carefully keeping his tone respectful, "I bet the three of you could do some real damage during fights!"

Roosevelt shook his head. "No, he wasn't big like us, he was tiny and helpless."

Theodore got a pained look across his face as he nodded his agreement. "He was so small that he used to ride on our shoulders, and he loved it. We did everything we could to protect him."

"What happened?" Dash asked, knowing how touchy the twins were about this.

"Delano was four years younger than us," Theodore began.

"Wait, your parents named the three of you Theodore Delano Roosevelt?!" Dash asked with a hint of disgust. "Were they on drugs or something?"

"Yes," Theodore answered simply, causing Dash to wince, "They were. You have no idea how horrible they were."

"...oh...sorry."

Theodore gave him a nod and didn't seem to be offended, and continued his story. "We lived in a disgusting bug infested apartment in New Jersey. Our parents were addicted to both meth and heroin, and our mother used during her pregnancy with our brother. She didn't go to any doctors, and she gave birth in our bathroom while strung out. Delano was born severely premature and addicted to both meth and heroin. He went through immediate withdrawal, but our parents never took him to the hospital, worried about being arrested. I remember he was getting weaker and weaker and finally our mother dumped him into the garbage can to dispose of him."

"Holy shit…" Neal commented, eyes wide.

"Roose and I dug him out and we took him to our bedroom. We fed him formula and canned milk with an empty heroin syringe, and he managed to pull through the addiction. Our parents were barely ever home and Roose and I concentrated all of our attention on the baby, using him to distract us from the horror of our lives. He was always so weak and so frail, but he wanted to live. Delano was small, but he was a fighter.

As we got older, food became more and more scarce in our home, and Del quickly lost weight and he started to starve to death. By this time he was three years old and he still wasn't walking and still wasn't talking. Sickness and neglect had delayed him, and he depended on us entirely. He was always so sick, and we carried him everywhere with us so that he was never left alone. He was difficult to feed even when we managed to scrounge up food, and it soon became clear that he was going to die if we didn't get him help.

Although Roose and I were only seven, we knew we had to find him help, and so we carried him out of that disgusting apartment and began walking. We walked until we found a policeman, and we told him everything. He took us to the hospital, and Child Protective Services was called. Delano was admitted into the hospital, and they managed to save his life. Our parents lost custody of us and we were sent to live with our grandmother who we had never met.

Once we were out of that hellhole and away from our parents, he began to improve fast, and he loved our grandmother a lot. She worked with him every day until he finally began to catch up to where he was supposed to be. We loved our little brother more than anything, and as he got older, we realized how smart he was. Whereas Roose and I kept failing grades in school, he found everything easy and he soon caught up to us in grade four. He didn't want to leave us behind, and so he worked with us for hours every single day to make sure we understood the schoolwork, and he had a way of explaining things so we could understand. He was the brains of our team, and when he died, we were completely lost."

"How did he die?" Crackle asked hesitantly.

"During training at the academy," Roosevelt answered, "There was an accident involving one of Dr. Bellum's weapons. Roose and I were in Brunt's class while he was excused for private study, and he got injured in one of the hallways. Most of his lower body was severely burned. He held on for a few days but passed away in his sleep."

"I'm sorry," Neal said, placing a hand on Theodore's knee.

"The point I'm trying to make is that parents are capable of more pain and abuse than anyone. I hated my parents for what they did to us, and when they died, I was glad. None of us even went to their funerals. I don't know Paper Star's situation, but we can't judge her for hating her father. We don't know what happened."

Neal had a great childhood, and so he knew this was something he'd never fully understand. He glanced over at Crackle and by the disturbed look on the other man's face, he had a feeling Crackle didn't understand either.

Crackle's com suddenly started to ring, and he glanced over to where it was plugged in charging. Everyone went silent, and then Crackle let out a low groan.

"Pass me my com," he ordered, "I might as well get this over with."

Dash unplugged the com and then handed it over to Crackle, knowing this was bound to be interesting. Crackle glanced down at the screen, saw it was Dr. Bellum and then rolled his eyes. Leaning back against the headboard of his bed, he answered the call and Bellum's face appeared on his screen.

"Evening, Dr. Bellum," Crackle greeted, popping a piece of sushi into his mouth.

Bellum looked absolutely livid and she took in the sight of Crackle eating with an angry scowl. "How dare you disobey me and leave the isolation chamber without permission!" she scolded, "You stole your com, you stole the crackle rod, and you damaged lab property! Where are you? Return to the lab right now!"

Crackle chewed slowly and simply stared at her until he had swallowed. "I'm sorry, Dr. Bellum, but that won't be possible."

Bellum wasn't expecting this and seemed taken aback. "What are you talking about? Where are you?"

"I'm sure you're already tracing me," Crackle replied, "See for yourself."

Bellum narrowed her eyes at the disrespect, and then began typing on her computer. She then paused, simply staring in disbelief.

"You're in Tokyo?!"

"It appears so," Crackle responded without concern.

"How did you get to Tokyo?! And why are you in Tokyo?!"

Crackle took another bite of food and didn't answer her. Bellum had never seen him show such disrespect to her before, and it honestly took her a little aback.

"Crackle, what is the cause of this sudden rebelliousness?" she demanded, lifting her goggles to see him better, "What is bringing this on?"

Crackle stared at her with lidded eyes. "You don't know?" he questioned.

Bellum let out an impatient huff. "I wouldn't have asked if I knew," she retorted.

Crackle furrowed his brow. "Have I ever shown you anything but complete loyalty?" he demanded, "Have I ever once done anything that warranted your hatred?"

Bellum blinked at him. "You're talking complete nonsense," she said dismissively, "You were an adequate operative, and I trusted you. This is why I'm not understanding this sudden disobedience!"

"So from your own mouth, I have been nothing but loyal," Crackle said, a hint of anger creeping into his tone.

"Are you angry that I've been hard on you lately?" Bellum asked, "I did everything for your own good, and I only punish you so that you improve. Don't you want to be a better operative?"

Crackle narrowed his eyes. "How does being executed make me a better operative?" he demanded.

Bellum went silent for a long moment. "Who told you this?" she demanded, "They were lying to you, and it's not true."

Crackle expression turned furious. "I heard you with my own ears," he snapped, "and this conversation is over with until you're willing to be truthful with me."

Crackle disconnected the com, and then tossed it onto the bed beside him.

"Wow, wombat, you just hung up on a faculty member!"

"She'll call back," Crackle responded, taking a long swig of his pepsi.

Sure enough, within seconds the com began to ring. Crackle set his can of pepsi aside and then reached for his com, taking his time. He answered it, and Bellum was practically frothing at the mouth she was so angry.

"How dare you hang up on me, Crackle! There are going to be severe consequences for this!"

"You were already planning on killing me, so I don't see what difference it could make," Crackle replied.

"I'm going to tell you what is going to happen, and you are going to listen!" Bellum snarled, "First you are going to-"

Crackle interrupted her. "No, you are in no position to be giving me orders. Not anymore. The moment you tossed me aside to be killed, you lost that privilege."

Bellum immediately raised her voice. "Crackle, how dare-"

"Until you're willing to be calm and truthful, I have no interest in what you have to say."

Crackle then hung up the phone a second time.

"Are you going to tell her we defected?" Otterman asked.

"Probably at some point," Crackle answered, glancing down at his com as it began to ring.

To everyone's surprise, he ignored it, and took a bite of his food instead. "I'll talk to her when I feel like it," he explained, "She's low on my list of priorities right now."

The com rang and rang, and after Crackle finally finished his food, he answered it. Bellum's eyes were murderous, but Crackle pretended not to notice.

"Good evening again, Dr. Bellum, shall we try this conversation again?"

Dr. Bellum took a very deep breath, but she seemed to be holding onto her temper because she simply nodded.

"What are you hoping to accomplish with this?" she asked him, her tone strained but polite.

"I'm getting Paper Star back," Crackle truthfully answered, "V.I.L.E is leaving her to die, and we're not allowing that to happen."

"We?" Bellum questioned, "Is someone there with you?"

"Perhaps," Crackle answered evasively.

Bellum pinched the bridge of her nose, and then let out a deep sigh. "Alright, Crackle, you've made your point. Enough of this foolishness. I was perhaps a little too quick to write you off. Return now, and all will be forgiven."

Crackle shook his head. "Sorry, but I'm never coming back. You betrayed all of us, and we are not willing to be used like this. If you want to work with us, then it will be on our own terms."

Bellum looked like she wanted to get angry, but she took another deep breath and clenched her hands into fists.

"You're betraying V.I.L.E."

"V.I.L.E betrayed us."

"Who is us?" Bellum demanded, unable to see anyone else in the video.

"We will be in touch with you," Crackle promised, "After we get Paper Star back."

"Paper Star is as good as dead," Bellum replied, "The Cleaners are already in Tokyo and they have orders to take her out at all costs. If The Void doesn't kill her then the Cleaners definitely will."

Crackle's expression hardened. "Call the Cleaners off," he ordered, "We can get her back."

"No, I don't think so," Bellum answered, "They will make sure she doesn't end up in our enemies hands, and they will be tasked with bringing you home."

"That lab is not my home," Crackle snapped, "It was my prison!"

"I am sad to hear that, Crackle. You have truly disappointed me."

Crackle had to fight the instinctive emotion of shame that came over him at those words and he scowled at her. "I don't care what you think, and I will never return to that lab!"

Bellum let out a deep sigh. "Such a shame," she commented, "I truly wonder where I went wrong with you. If you don't willingly go with the Cleaners, then they will have no choice but to dispose of you. That goes for whoever is working with you as well."

"If the Cleaners challenge me, then I will fight with everything I have," Crackle answered, "We will fight for Paper Star, and V.I.L.E will never get their hands on her."

"Don't be so foolish, Crackle, the Cleaners are perfect operatives, and they cannot be defeated. They're the more advanced version of what you were supposed to be. They feel no emotions, and they're able to push aside pain to keep fighting. You don't stand a chance."

"Well, then I will die fighting," Crackle snapped, "At least I'll die free instead of in a metal box in your lab!"

"Crackle-"

Crackle disconnected the call and then powered his com off.

"That's enough of that," he commented.

"Are you okay, Graham?" Dash asked, carefully watching the other man's expression.

Crackle offered his team a slight smile. "I'm good," he said softly, "I'm better than I have been in a long time."

"Good job telling Bellum what's what!" Neal said proudly, "Feels good, eh?"

"It does," Crackle agreed.

"So...what do we do now?" Theodore asked, "We need to hurry and find out where Paper Star is!"

"We should probably head to Hinode Tower to find out what her father knows," Crackle said, setting his food aside. "That's the most logical place to start."

Neal glanced back at his laptop and typed for a moment. "Okay, he seems to still be in the office because I'm not showing he passed through security yet."

Crackle nodded, and looked at his team slowly one by one. "We have no idea what we're going to be faced with. V.I.L.E are already here, and they're likely going to be causing problems for us. I can't promise that we'll come out of this unharmed. Anyone who wants to stay here will not be shamed, and I'd completely understand."

Moose Boy frowned down at Otterman, knowing how bad his eyesight was. "Sven, you should…"

"I'm going," Otterman said firmly.

"But, Sven…"

"I'm tired of doing nothing right in my life. Neither of us expected to be part of this team, but I feel it in my bones that this is where we belong. Paper Star is one of us, and I refuse to leave her to die. I'm going and I don't care what anyone else has to say about it."

Moose Boy was clearly fretting, but Crackle gave Otterman a genuine smile.

"Very well, Sven," he said, "Is everyone else going?"

He received nods from everyone.

Crackle turned his gaze to the door. "Alright, let's get going."

---

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

---

Paper Star stared at the Plague Doctor as they slowly approached, and her gaze settled on the black bag they held. The only sound was the light footsteps from Plague Doctor's heavy black boots, and once they neared her, she could sense the excitement in their movement. They set the bag down on the table beside her and then approached, reaching a hand out towards her face. Paper Star jerked her head to the side, and they withdrew their hand, instead turning their attention to the black bag. Plague Doctor didn't make a move to open the bag, but instead slowly began circling Paper Star as if thinking. She could feel their gaze on her, and she wished she could fight, but she was completely helpless.

"You want to kill me, don't you?" she asked.

Plague Doctor stepped back into her field of vision and cocked their head at her.

"Wouldn't it be so much more satisfying to kill me if you defeated me in a fight?" she asked, "You'd get the satisfaction of beating me down and then watching the life leave my eyes."

Plague Doctor said nothing, but seemed to be listening, and so she continued.

"Unlock these chains and let's see what you're capable of! Fight me, Plague Doctor!"

Plague Doctor stared at her in silence, and the seconds seemed to drag by painfully slow. Paper Star felt a wild need to survive and she began struggling and fighting against her chains, only making the wounds on her wrists even worse. Plague Doctor watched her struggle without reacting and this made Paper Star furious.

"Don't be a coward!" she challenged, "What's the point in killing me like this? Fight me, and prove you're the better fighter! Unchain me!"

Plague Doctor stared at her for a moment longer and then turned towards the table. Snapping open the bag, they reached inside, fumbled around, and then pulled out a hard plastic case.

"What's that?" Paper Star demanded.

Plague Doctor opened the plastic case, and Paper Star could see something metal glinting from inside. They reached into the case and then held up a surgical scalpel. Paper Star sucked in a sharp breath, unable to stop the fear that came over her.

"So that's it?" she demanded, "You're just going to kill me?"

Plague Doctor slowly approached her, and then reached a gloved hand out towards her. She turned her face away and squeezed her eyes closed and she felt a hand placed on her shoulder. A moment later there was the sound of ripping fabric and she opened her eyes to see Plague Doctor cutting her clothes off with the scalpel. Although they were slicing through the fabric fast and business-like, she wasn't cut, and she stiffened as her clothes dropped away.

The door opened, and Paper Star looked over to see the woman from before approaching. Plague Doctor glanced over their shoulder, then went back to what they were doing, clearly not concerned. Matryoshka crossed the room and then stood beside Plague Doctor, watching as Paper Star was stripped.

"As you've probably guessed, V.I.L.E have left you to die."

Paper Star simply stared at her.

[[Skin her and make V.I.L.E a new pair of boots,]] she said switching to Russian, [[Show them exactly what we're going to do to them once we defeat them. Make it brutal, for the camera.]]

Paper Star glanced around in horror. Camera? What camera? Her eyes fell on a security camera attached to one of the rafters and she realized V.I.L.E were likely going to see her execution. They made no effort to get her back and were now going to watch her die. Paper Star felt a deep hatred for them at that moment, and she turned furious eyes to Matryoshka.

[[Let me fight for you,]] she said firmly, [[V.I.L.E are absolute scum, and I was forced to join them by my father. I've never held any loyalty to them, and I hate them. Let me join you, and let me help you destroy them.]]

Matryoshka stared at her for a moment, and then slowly approached. Reaching out, she rested a gentle hand on Paper Star's cheek.

[[The reason The Void have survived this long is because we don't trust outsiders,]] she explained, [[We don't need you, and we don't want you. You are nothing to us.]]

Paper Star flinched as the last of her clothes dropped away, and the scalpel glinted in the light, as The Plague Doctor kicked aside her ruined clothes.

[[Beat her, torture her, and make everything as painful as you can,]] Matryoshka ordered, [[Make an example out of her.]]

Plague Doctor nodded, and Matryoshka patted them on the back before turning to leave.

[[Try to keep the mess on the tarp.]]

Without so much as a glance in Paper Star's direction, she left her alone with Plague Doctor. Taking a deep breath, she watched as Plague Doctor stepped in front of her and stared at her intently, expression unknown and hidden behind the mask.

[[You don't have to do this,]] Paper Star told them, [[Just let me go.]]

Paper Star knew such a request would have been ignored if their positions were reversed, and so she wasn't surprised when she was suddenly struck in the face. The chains held her upright, and she tasted blood, and grimaced against the pain. She was then struck a second time and there was a flash of white inside her skull that left her feeling dazed. The third strike left her vision spinning, and she could already feel the bruises forming. Gloved fingers then gripped her by the hair and jerked her head forward painfully. Paper Star then blinked in confusion as she saw black and white strands of hair fluttering past her face to the floor.

Paper Star's mind took a moment to catch up, but when it did, she realized her hair was being sheared off. Her head was jerked this way and that and her long hair fell off in chunks in front of her eyes. When Plague Doctor was done, they ran a hand over her head, and she knew her hair was gone. Humiliated, she stared down at the floor at the piles of hair and truly felt hopeless. No one was coming for her, there was no escaping this, and this was where she was going to die. Paper Star was struck again and she felt complete helplessness consume her. She didn't want to die, she wanted to live, she wanted to fight, but this is where her story was going to end.

For the first time since she was a child, she felt true fear. The terror made her begin to hyperventilate, and the Plague Doctor stood over her like an angel of death. The Plague Doctor smelled strongly of flowers and spices and the scent was overpowering as they began bringing the scalpel towards one of her eyes. The scalpel stopped just a hairsbreadth from her pupil and Paper Star held her breath, not daring to breathe as she stared at the blade in fear. Plague Doctor watched her reaction carefully and then withdrew the scalpel.

Paper Star watched as the scalpel was set down on the table, and Plague Doctor reached into the bag for something new. They pulled out a small handheld device and Paper Star eyed it warily, knowing it couldn't be anything good. Plague Doctor pressed it against her ribs and the moment it was turned on, Paper Star let out a howl of agony as a powerful shock tore through her body. She was then struck before she had a chance to recover. Feeling a rib crack from the force of the hit, she panted as she tried to get herself under control.

Plague Doctor then shocked her a second time and hit her again. Paper Star accidentally bit her tongue and she choked on the blood as she convulsed under the shock. Gasping and choking, she let out a cry as her ribs were hit again, and she spit out a mouthful of blood, trying to suck in a breath of air.

Plague Doctor shocked her over and over again, and she screamed as her muscles began seizing up from the repeated shocks, feeling like she was being burned alive from within.

Her face was bruised and swelling, and every inch of her body was in agony as she was shocked and beaten without pause. She wasn't given any time to recover, and the pain just kept getting worse and worse. Several times she lost consciousness, but she was brought back around with a few hard slaps to the face. When she was hanging limply from her wrists, clearly giving up, that's when Plague Doctor reached for the scalpel.

The first cut across her leg had Paper Star screaming in absolute agony, but there was nothing she could do as Plague Doctor very slowly began peeling a patch of skin away. The pain was worse than anything she ever could have imagined and she struggled all to no avail.

Paper Star felt like everything was in a fog of excruciating pain and she was aware she could hear someone screaming. She blinked a few times and was surprised to discover it was herself. The scalpel pulled away, and a moment later Plague Doctor held up a tiny strip of skin about an inch wide. If that's how much it hurt for an inch, what was it going to be like to have her entire body skinned?

Paper Star shook her head feeling hysteria taking over and she continued screaming and fighting, not even caring as she damaged her wrists even further. Plague Doctor gently tapped the scalpel against her cheek, the reflective goggles of the mask mirroring her own terrified face back at her. Paper Star stared at her gruesome appearance and quickly closed her eyes, her whole body trembling as she screamed.

Plague Doctor lightly tapped the scalpel against her forehead, and then continued tapping their way down her body until reaching her stomach. Paper Star jerked at the first cut of the scalpel, her screaming already reaching a new crescendo. As Plague Doctor made the second cut, that's when the door suddenly slammed open.

---

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

---

Hinode Tower was a massive 50 story building in the heart of Tokyo. Security was clearly very tight and Crackle knew this was likely going to be incredibly dangerous. He parked the van across the street from the tower, and then sat for a few minutes, watching the four security guards make their rounds outside.

Crackle glanced to his team. "Everyone ready?" he demanded.

He received all nods in reply.

"Does everyone understand what they're supposed to do?"

"We got it, wombat," Neal assured him, "We won't let you down."

"I've synced our ear-coms, and they should be on a private frequency," Dash informed them, "They don't have a far range and so if you're more than 100 meters apart, they won't be able to pick up the signal. I didn't have time to boost it any further."

"You did great, Dash," Crackle told him with a smile.

Dash seemed a little proud of himself, and he held out a tiny ear-com to each person. "I've blocked V.I.L.E from listening in to us by jamming the signal they use. This should buy us some time before they figure out what I've done."

"Perfect," Crackle said, slipping his com into his ear.

Crackle opened the van door and stepped out onto the crowded sidewalk, once again glancing up at the tower.

"Okay, everyone, do your best. Moose Boy and Otterman, you're with me."

Neal and Dash separated from the rest of the group and headed for a nearby alley, and Double Trouble stationed themselves near the front doors near the guards. Crackle, Moose Boy and Otterman headed straight for the front doors, knowing this was going to be extremely risky.

No one tried to stop them when they entered, and when they approached the front desk, the guard stationed there gave them a wary look.

"Hello," Crackle greeted, "Do you speak English?"

The guard nodded. "Yes," he replied, "How may I help you?"

"Could you please let Eikichi Hinode know I am here to speak with him?"

The guard narrowed his eyes. "Who are you?" he demanded, "It's very late and you do not have an appointment!"

"Let him know Crackle from V.I.L.E is here to speak with him."

"V.I.L.E? What is V.I.L.E?" the guard demanded.

"It's the company I work for. We have been dealing with Mr. Hinode, and a matter has come up that requires a face to face meeting. He'll know who we are."

The guard clearly knew something was definitely wrong with this situation, but he still picked up his phone and dialled. The guard spoke in Japanese for a few minutes, looking the three of them up and down, and when he finally hung up the phone, he gave them a long and hard stare. Opening his desk drawer, he pulled out three visitor badges, swiped them to activate them and then he handed them over.

"Normally we would require photo I.D in order to issue a visitor's pass, but Mr. Hinode has stated that you are exempt from this. Please step through the metal detector."

Crackle stepped through first and when it didn't beep, the guard approached to give him a pat-down. Finding nothing, he stepped back and motioned Moose Boy through. He too didn't beep and so the guard searched him as well. When Otterman stepped through, the machine beeped and the guard made him step aside to be searched. He found nothing on his person and so he made him remove his glasses and try again. This time he didn't beep and so the guard returned the glasses, and then waved them to follow.

Otterman slipped his glasses back on and then exchanged a look with Crackle who gave him a slight nod. They followed the guard across the lobby to the public elevators, and he hit the button.

"Your passes are only authorized to take you to the top floor, and then return you to the lobby when you're done. Any attempt to go to any other floor, will immediately alert security, and the police will be called. Do you understand?"

Crackle nodded. "Yes, that's fine."

The guard waited with them until the elevator arrived, and then he watched as they got on the elevator without a word. Crackle swiped his card and pressed the 50th floor button, and then waited as the doors closed. Knowing they were likely being watched, they stood in complete silence the entire elevator ride.

"We're in," Neal whispered into their coms, "We found an unsecured vent on the roof. We're on our way down to locate our target."

Crackle made a sound of approval, and then masked it by seeming like he was clearing his throat. Moose Boy glanced down at Otterman in worry, but he said nothing, simply stepping a bit closer to him as they approached the 50th floor. The elevator dinged and when the door opened, they were met with the sight of several armed guards waiting for them.

"This way," one of the guard's ordered.

Crackle nodded and followed without protest, ignoring the guns that were pressed to their backs as they walked along. They were led to a large office, and their gaze immediately fell on Eikichi Hinode who was seated behind his desk. The guards backed out of the room and then left them alone.

"Welcome, gentlemen," Eikichi greeted, "Please take a seat."

Crackle crossed his arms against his chest. "No thank you, we prefer to stand."

Eikichi narrowed his eyes and pointed to the three chairs waiting for them. "I insist."

Crackle plunked himself down in one of the chairs without further protest and stared at the man before him. He was an older man with salt and pepper hair that was neatly groomed, and he looked a lot like Paper Star. He had the same round face, the same hard gaze, and even his body language as he shifted impatiently seemed like her. Once the three men were seated, he gave them a long look.

"Crackle, Moose Boy, and Otterman," he said slowly.

"You know us?!" Moose Boy asked in surprise.

"I make it my business to know who I'm speaking with," Eikichi replied, "I also know the two men you left guarding the door are Double Trouble. I'm going to overlook the fact you brought reinforcements in the hopes we can keep this conversation civil."

There was no mention of Neal or Dash.

"We hope to keep things civil as well," Crackle replied, "No one wants any trouble."

"None of you are the best or brightest V.I.L.E has to offer, which means you're seen as disposable. What exactly is your mission? Kill me?"

Crackle shook his head. "No, we have no interest in you, it's your daughter I want."

For just a moment there was tightening around Eikichi's eyes before he masked the look into indifference. "I no longer have a daughter," he replied.

"We know Paper Star was sent here, and we want her back. Who bought her at the auction?"

"V.I.L.E had their chance to pay the ransom and you refused. After that assassination attempt, you're lucky I didn't have you killed on the spot."

"Just tell us who has her," Crackle ordered firmly, "Tell us and we'll leave."

Eikichi raised a brow. "And if I don't?" he challenged, "What are you going to do, attack me in my own office building?"

"Guys, we just found Eikichi Hinode in a side office," Neal whispered.

"He's sitting near some kind of high-end camera set-up with a green screen. I think he's projecting his image into the next room," Dash added thoughtfully, "He must be doing this as a precaution against assassination attempts. There's nobody behind that desk."

Crackle's eyes widened and he really stared at the man in front of him. He looked completely solid, and Crackle never would have suspected it was just a projection. Now it made sense why Eikichi was so adamant they remain seated. If seen from the side, that would spoil the illusion.

"Is he alone?" Crackle asked.

"Yes," Dash immediately answered.

"Is who alone?" Eikichi demanded, "What are you talking about?"

"Take him down," Crackle ordered.

"Explain yourself!" Eikichi ordered, "What are you-ack!"

An arm suddenly appeared and yanked Eikichi off his chair and the projection disappeared. They could hear scuffling from over the com, and a few seconds later, Dash spoke up.

"Okay, we have him contained," he told them, "We should be in the room next to you."

Crackle and the others got to their feet and a few seconds later a door opened from the side of the room. Dash poked his head out, and when he saw them, he waved them over.

When Crackle entered the side room, he was met with the sight of Eikichi Hinode hogtied in the middle of the floor. He was struggling angrily, but because of the gag, he wasn't able to say anything.

"Where did you find something to gag him with?" Crackle asked in surprise.

"It's his sock," Dash responded in complete disgust.

"Neal took his sock off in the middle of a mission?" Crackle asked, glancing over to Neal.

"No, that would have killed Mr. Hinode," Dash replied, "We used his own sock to do it."

Crackle glanced down and sure enough Eikichi was missing a shoe and sock. He was glowering up at them hatefully, but Crackle didn't especially care.

"Get him up and tie him to a chair so we can interrogate him," Crackle ordered.

Moose Boy helped lift Eikichi up, and they loosened the bindings so he was able to sit down. When they had tightly tied him to the nearby computer chair, Crackle slowly approached, expression determined. Neal handed him his crackle rod, and he turned it on, knowing things were probably going to get ugly. Yanking the sock out of Eikichi's mouth, he pressed the crackle rod to his throat, but didn't yet pull the trigger.

"Even try to yell and it will be the last thing you do!" he threatened.

Eikichi swallowed heavily and then gave a slight nod.

"Now that we finally have your attention, I'm going to ask again. Where is Paper Star?"

Eikichi averted his gaze. "I really have no idea," he replied, "My auction house sold her off days ago, but I don't know where she was taken."

Crackle narrowed his eyes. "Who bought her?" he demanded.

"An organization that calls themselves The Void," he answered, wincing as Crackle pressed the sharp points of the rod even harder against his throat.

"Where do The Void operate out of?"

Eikichi shook his head. "I don't know. The Void are incredibly secretive and I don't know much about them."

"You sold your own child at an auction," Neal said, his tone oddly cold.

"She's no longer any child of mine," Eikichi said angrily, "She's completely insane, and she's attempted to kill me twice now. I gave her a chance to return to the family, and she threw it back in my face. She's a liability, and I've washed my hands of her."

"She's your own child!" Neal snapped, "You don't give up on family!"

Eikichi rolled his eyes and didn't answer.

"Um...guys?" came Otterman from the other side of the room. "I think you should take a look at this."

Stepping away from Eikichi for a moment, everyone approached Otterman who was leaning in close to a nearby laptop.

"What is it?" Crackle asked.

Otterman slowly turned the laptop around and they were met with the sight of Paper Star hanging by her wrists in some sort of warehouse. At first they thought it was a picture, but then they saw her lift her head.

"Oh my god…" Dash gasped, "When is this from?"

Otterman grimaced. "It's a livestream. Read the description under the video."

They leaned a bit closer and saw there was a single line of text.

'We will skin all of V.I.L.E starting with this operative'

"They're...they're going to skin her?!" Moose Boy demanded in shock.

Crackle felt sick as he stared at the video feed. She didn't look harmed yet, but he knew that was going to change very shortly. His gaze settled on the timer and saw it had fifteen minutes left.

There was suddenly the sound of a fist hitting flesh and they turned just in time to see Eikichi fall to the floor, bringing the chair down with him. Neal stood over him, fist still raised and fury on his face.

"You sick waste of air, you were watching your own daughter being tortured! You were going to watch her skinned!"

Eikichi spat out a mouthful of blood and said nothing, and Neal pulled back to his fist to hit him a second time. To his fury, Crackle caught him by the arm, and he turned around to see Crackle shaking his head.

"That's enough, Neal, help me get him back up."

Neal scowled, but he did as he was told and helped heft the chair back to its proper position. To everyone's shock, Crackle then drove his fist into Eikichi's face as hard as he could. There was a loud crack and then a squelch as the nose broke from the force, and blood immediately began to pour out of the nose as Eikichi gasped in pain.

"Get him up again," Crackle ordered.

They lifted the chair and Crackle pressed the crackle rod to Eikichi's throat.

"I suggest you begin talking or we're really going to have a problem. Where is Paper Star?"

"I really don't know!" Eikichi protested, "I was sent the link, but I don't know where they're keeping her!"

"Only thirteen minutes left, Crackle," Otterman called over.

Crackle narrowed his eyes. "Gag him," he ordered.

Picking the sock up off the floor, Neal shoved into the other man's mouth none too gently. Without even waiting for him to realize what was about to happen, Crackle pressed the trigger on the crackle rod. Muffled screams filled the room, and Crackle kept it going for about five second before pulling away. Eikichi gasped and shook from the shock, and after a few seconds, Crackle gave a nod to Neal who pulled out the gag.

"Where is Paper Star?"

Eikichi gasped for a moment longer and then looked up. "I-I really don't know. I swear I don't know!"

"Neal."

Neal shoved the sock back in the other man's mouth and once again Crackle gave Eikichi a powerful shock. This time it took longer for Eikichi to recover and he was left wheezing and choking as he attempted to breathe through the sock. Neal removed the sock and Crackle stared down at him and tipped Eikichi's chin up using the crackle rod.

"If we're too late to save her, I am going to do everything to you that happens to her. You will feel every ounce of her pain. Tell us now where she is, and we'll let you live."

Eikichi glanced towards the laptop screen and stared at the image of his daughter hanging there limply, and a brief look of pain crossed his face.

"Where is Paper Star?"

"...I don't know."

"Ten minutes left, Crackle." Otterman called over.

Crackle's expression hardened. "Right, we'll do this the hard way then…"

As Neal began stuffing the sock back in Eikichi's mouth, he began shaking his head.

"'Ait, 'ait!" came his muffled protests.

Neal removed the sock again, and this time Eikichi began talking.

"I don't know exactly where she is, but I know she's here in the city. The Void owns several properties in Tokyo and she has to be at one of them."

"Properties where?" Crackle demanded.

"There's a file on my computer with information about all known criminal enterprises. There's information about The Void and the properties they've purchased here in Japan."

"Found the file," Otterman said, typing fast, "Looks like they purchased six properties in the Tokyo area. Based on the video, Paper Star looks like she's in an empty warehouse, and there's only one property that matches that description. She might be there if Mr. Hinode is telling the truth."

Crackle pressed the crackle rod sharply into Eikichi's ribs, his expression murderous. "Don't doubt my words when I say that if you've lied to us, we will track you down, and we will kill you."

"I've told you everything I know!" Eikichi protested, "Now let me go!"

Crackle stared down at him for a long moment and then he smashed the Crackle Rod down hard on Eikichi's skull, the older man immediately going limp.

"Let's get out of here," Crackle ordered, "How much time do we have left?"

"Eight minutes," Otterman replied.

Crackle let out a curse. "Double Trouble, start the car and wait for us. We're on the way!"

"Okay," Theodore replied, "Be safe."

"Neal, show us how to get out of here from the roof, we'll need to grapple down to the ground. We don't have time to waste."

As everyone headed for the door, Otterman lingered behind, his gaze focused on the laptop. There was so much information about enemies and allies alike that he found himself unplugging it and tucking it under his arm. If they were truly leaving V.I.L.E then they could use all the help they could get.

"Sven!" Crackle called from the hallway, "Now!"

Otterman jogged after the others. "Coming!"

---

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

---

The door suddenly slammed open and Plague Doctor paused what they were doing and glanced over their shoulder. The woman from before burst into the room out of breath, her eyes wild and each hand clutching a dagger.

[[We have company!]] Matryoshka yelled, [[Leave the girl and grab your weapon!]]

Plague Doctor glanced at Paper Star and then down at the scalpel in their hand, and then back to Paper Star, clearly conflicted. They hesitated a bit too long and Matryoshka turned a glare in their direction.

"брат! Коса!" Matryoshka snarled. "сейчас же!"

Plague Doctor heaved a silent sigh and reluctantly turned away from Paper Star, setting the scalpel aside on the table. Unclasping something from their belt, Plague Doctor unfolded it to its full length and locked it into place.

Paper Star blinked the blood out of her eyes and stared at the double headed scythe as the Plague Doctor headed over for Matryoshka. They spun the scythe as they walked, fully prepared for a fight.

[[They've already taken out ten of our men,]] Matryoshka said, taking another deep breath, [[I've called for back-up, but we'll need to hold our own until they get here.]]

Plague Doctor nodded, and again spun the scythe, eyes focused on the door.

Paper Star wheezed and felt like she was going to pass out, but she fought against it, knowing something interesting was about to happen.

The doors swung open, and to Paper Star's surprise, it was Boris and Vlad, V.I.L.E's Cleaners. Matryoshka threw one of her daggers straight at Vlad's face, but the man easily caught it and tossed it aside, expression never once changing. The Cleaners' eyes turned to where Paper Star was hanging, and then they exchanged a look with one another. Boris nodded, and then the Cleaners stanced themselves to fight.

Matryoshka charged forward as Plague Doctor hung back to cover her. She lunged viciously at Boris, blade slashing at his throat, but missed as he nimbly leapt back. He retaliated without a pause, his own knife just barely missing her face as she dropped to the floor to avoid it. Kicking out to swipe his legs from under him, Matryoshka wasn't expecting him to easily jump over her leg like he had seen it coming. Before she had time to react, he brought the knife down towards her head for the killing blow. Metal met metal in shower of sparks as Plague Doctor stopped the knife with their scythe.

Matryoshka quickly rolled out of the way, and grabbed up her second dagger just in time to block an attack from Vlad. Plague Doctor was slowly and confidently striding forward, and they slashed out with their scythe at both of the Cleaners who fought side by side. They leapt back but the scythe still made contact and blood appeared on the arms of their jumpsuits. They looked down at the blood in a sort of mild annoyance, and then focused their attention on Plague Doctor who was clearly the bigger threat.

Plague Doctor backed up a few steps and continued spinning the scythe, waiting for The Cleaners to make the first move. Matryoshka eyed them warily, and then she glanced over at Plague Doctor, realizing they were now dismissing her completely. She smiled at this, and remained crouched where she was, tightening her grip on her blades as she waited for her chance.

Plague Doctor briefly glanced over at her, knew what she was thinking and began taking slow steps to the side, forcing The Cleaners to turn their backs to Matryoshka. Vlad attacked first and ran for the Plague Doctor, dodging the first swipe of the scythe and grabbing the handle before it could be spun. Plague Doctor came to an abrupt halt, and before they could react, Boris slashed out with a knife, forcing Plague Doctor to abandon the weapon and jump back.

It was then that Matryoshka lunged forward, blades poised for the kill. Like before, the Cleaners seemed to predict this and turned and dodged her attack easily. Emotionless eyes met her own, and Matryoshka let out a frustrated curse.

[[I'm getting too old for this shit,]] she muttered, [[Who are you?]]

[[You are an enemy of V.I.L.E and you will be killed,]] Boris replied, surprising her.

[[You're Russian?]] she demanded.

Neither of The Cleaners answered, and instead they separated, one going for Matryoshka and the other going for the Plague Doctor. Matryoshka took a low stance, using her small stature to her advantage, and she charged forward to meet Vlad head on. Plague Doctor had a different approach and waited for the attack to come to them. Just as the Cleaners went in to meet the attacks head-on, Matryoshka leapt straight into the air and kicked out with all of her strength. Vlad saw the blades in her boots a bit too late and Vlad's arm was deeply gouged, causing him to stumble.

Using that to her advantage, Matryoshka lashed out with one of her daggers and Vlad threw himself backwards, the blade barely nicking his throat. Matryoshka then smiled at him sweetly, her doll-like makeup making her seem somehow more dangerous.

[[Do you know who I am?]] she asked, adjusted her grip on her blades.

[[We do,]] Boris replied, ducking under attack from Plague Doctor, [[We are E-12 and E-13.]]

Matryoshka faltered, and her eyes widened. [[You survived the attack!]] she gasped.

The Cleaners didn't respond, and both lunged forward to initiate another attack. Plague Doctor blocked and pushed back, while Matryoshka dodged to the side, using her speed to her advantage.

[[You are Volkov! Why are you working for V.I.L.E?!]]

Boris slashed out at her mercilessly, catching a piece of her dark hair with his knife as he did so. Matryoshka watched the strand of hair flutter to the floor and she scowled.

[[You have betrayed your creators!]] she accused, [[Volkov would not want this!]]

[[We are not Volkov,]] Boris replied, once again slashing at her, [[We are the property of V.I.L.E.]]

Matryoshka leapt away, and then ran in an attempt to widen the space between them. Boris followed right on her heels, and she dodged behind a support beam just as a knife was flung at her back.

[[You are not V.I.L.E, and you failed in your programming!]] Matryoshka accused, continuing to run.

[[We were given to V.I.L.E as a peace offering many years ago,]] Boris replied, tone emotionless, [[Our orders were to obey V.I.L.E until our deaths. We betrayed no one.]]

Matryoshka let out an angry curse. [[Maxim was always a fool! Even a decade after his death we're still left to clean up his messes!]]

Plague Doctor cocked their head at her words and then glanced back at The Cleaners as if considering something.

[[No, we're killing them!]] Matryoshka responded, shooting a glare over at her partner, [[Don't even think about it!]]

Plague Doctor gave no indication they heard and charged for Vlad, swinging the scythe viciously at the man's face. Vlad evaded the attack and then took several steps back to avoid the spinning blades as Plague Doctor closed in on them.

The doors on either side of the room burst open, and that's when dozens of guards swarmed into the room.

The Cleaners stepped back to reevaluate this situation, and when it was obvious the guards were armed, they ran for cover behind one of the large steel support beams nearby. Plague Doctor took this opportunity to catch their breath, lowering the scythe as they glanced around at their backup.

[[Kill them!]] Matryoshka ordered, pointing while never once taking her eyes from the Cleaners. [[They're there! Kill them at all costs!]]

The guards were about to attack when the doors swung open for a second time. Team Crackle burst into the room, and then froze in the doorway, staring at the enormous group of armed guards in surprise.

"...Oh," Neal commented awkwardly, "Er..hi?"

"Who are you?!" Matryoshka demanded.

Team Crackle stared at her, and then glanced to the Plague Doctor who lurked just behind her.

Crackle scanned the crowd and when his gaze fell on the beaten and bloody Paper Star, and his eyes widened in horror.

"She's here!" he called out to his team, "Paper Star is here! Move in!"

That was all Team Crackle needed to hear, and they surged into the room, ready to fight their way through the crowd. The guards turned towards the newcomers and drew their weapons, knowing the large team was more of a threat than just two men. Team Crackle split up as they charged into the crowd, knowing they had to trust their team to protect themselves for the time being.

Crackle powered up his crackle rod and lashed out at the first man, hitting him solidly in the stomach as he discharged the weapon. The man let out a scream of surprise as he was electrocuted, and Crackle swung out at the second man without pause, ignoring the bullet that whizzed past his ear.

Double Trouble had teamed up with Moose Boy and the three of them were smashing their way through the guards viciously like a steamroller. Seeing the three men as the biggest threat, the guards all turned to fire at them, and fifty guns went off simultaneously. As gunfire rained down around them, they jumped behind the metal columns that supported the warehouse, barely getting out of the way in time. The bullets struck the metal in an explosion of sparks, and several guards were hit from the ricochet.

"We gotta take out the guns," Theodore called over to his brother, "Can you get to me?"

Roosevelt peeked out from behind his support beam and a bullet almost hit him in the face, and he hurriedly pulled back.

"No!" he called back.

"Hang on, guys!" Neal yelled over, "We're coming for ya!"

Neal was too fast for anyone to properly aim at, and he tripped guard after guard as Dash worked with him by slicing the guns into pieces. Dash ran and dodged as he was shot at, but Neal was doing a good job of keeping most of the gunfire away from him. Crackle was defending them both from the outer edges and when they had drawn attention away from the three men ducking for cover, he called out to them.

"Roose, now!"

Trusting his leader's orders without question, Roosevelt burst out of his hiding spot and ran across to where Theodore was. Moose Boy did the same, and now that they were together, they turned questioning eyes to Theodore.

"You have an idea?" Roosevelt demanded.

Theodore nodded, and then pointed up towards the ceiling. The others looked up and they saw the support beam they were currently ducked behind had come unbolted from the ceiling due to rust. Roosevelt furrowed his brow.

"You sure?"

Theodore nodded.

"What are we doing?" Moose Boy asked in confusion.

"Knock this down," Theodore ordered.

Moose Boy simply nodded, and all three men backed up several steps.

"Timber!" Theodore yelled out to the rest of the team to warn them.

Crackle looked up in alarm and then scrambled out of the way as Neal and Dash did the same just as the enormous metal beam came crashing down right into the middle of the crowd of guards. There was a massive boom, several screams, and a cloud of dust filled the warehouse, blinding everyone. The twins and Moose Boy charged back into the fight and began smashing and tossing guards before the dust had even settled.

Neal and Dash were both working together to disarm the guards, and as Dash threw his bladed hat, Neal fought hand to hand, tripping and knocking the guards to the ground one after another. The moment the guards were knocked down, Crackle shocked them unconscious, and then Double Trouble and Moose Boy tossed them aside.

Otterman, who was not a fighter, was carefully slipping along the wall and heading for Paper Star. The others knew what he was up to, and they covered him as he ran from column to column, doing his best to remain unnoticeable. Luckily everyone else was too busy with the fight to pay him any attention, and he made it to Paper Star unscathed.

"Don't worry, we're going to get you out of here," he whispered, resting a gentle hand on her shoulder.

Paper Star flinched away violently, and turned wild eyes towards him, pain and fear written across her face. Otterman had seen that look many times before on his own face when he looked in the mirror as a child, and he knew how to handle it.

"You're safe," he whispered, "No one is going to hurt you any more. We're here for you, Shiko, and we're going to take you home. It's all over, I promise. I'm going to untie you, and then we're going to get out of here."

Paper Star stared at Otterman, and she could see the sincerity in his blue eyes. They had really come for her. She wasn't going to die. She took a deep breath and then gave him a nod. Otterman returned the nod and then knelt down beside her to pick the locks on her ankles.

The Cleaners watched Team Crackle for a few minutes in silence, and then stepped out from their hiding spots to resume their attack on Matryoshka and the Plague Doctor. Vlad charged out from behind the support beam, and he slammed Matryoshka to the floor hard, blade coming down for the kill. Plague Doctor reacted on instinct and dove for Vlad, knocking his arm off course, the blade stabbing deeply into the floor beside Matryoshka's head. Plague Doctor then spun their scythe viciously at Vlad who was forced to step back away from the attack. Plague Doctor had placed themselves in front of Matryoshka protectively, and by their stiff movements, it was obvious they were furious.

Matryoshka rolled back to her feet, and then leapt towards Boris who was swinging his knife straight at Plague Doctor's throat. Boris was kicked hard and he stumbled back before the knife could make contact, but he recovered quickly and turned on Matryoshka, tightening his grip on his knife.

One of the guards saw their leader was in danger, and he intervened, stepping between them, and Boris lodged the knife deeply into the man's skull without hesitation. The guard dropped dead to the ground, and Matryoshka knew they were losing this fight. She reached out and grabbed Plague Doctor by the hand, and then fled through the crowd, knowing they had to get away from The Cleaners. Plague Doctor tried to tug against her, but she was persistent, and they had no choice but to go along with her. The guards closed in around them to protect them as they fled, and The Cleaner's once again had to take cover behind the support beams as they were shot at.

Plague Doctor suddenly yanked Matryoshka towards Paper Star when they saw Otterman had somehow snuck past everyone to free her. He currently had his back to the fight, picking the locks on Paper Star's wrists. Her ankles had already been freed, and Plague Doctor was not happy over the fact they had almost lost their prisoner.

Releasing Matryoshka's hand, Plague Doctor charged towards Paper Star and swung out the scythe towards Otterman who didn't see the danger he was in.

"SVEN!" Moose Boy bellowed out from within the fight.

Otterman turned around just as the scythe sliced deeply into his abdomen, sending a shower of blood splattering across the floor. Otterman froze as he felt his organs begin to spill out of the cut, and he quickly held his hands over the wound to hold himself together. He stared with wide eyes up at Plague Doctor as they pulled their arm back for the second and final slice.

Otterman was clutching his stomach as blood poured out from the horrific wound, and he then fell backwards, before the second slice came. He hit the floor hard, and didn't get back up. Otterman was in shock from the pain and sudden blood loss, and he curled in on himself and began to shake as the Plague Doctor stood over him like an angel of death.

"SVEN!" Moose Boy screamed out with a desperate wail, "NO!"

Otterman didn't react to Moose Boy's yell, his eyes closed as he continued to shake.

Plague Doctor cocked their head down at Otterman for a moment, and then turned to look when there was a sudden furious bellow from within the fight.

Moose Boy's expression was murderous as he punched and tore his way through the guards, smashing in skulls without a care as he roared in pure fury. He felt the bite of a bullet as it hit his leg, but he didn't care, nothing but a desperate rage consuming him. Double Trouble did their best to defend him, but he charged into the thick of the fight with abandon, not caring about anything at that moment except reaching his partner.

Moose Boy felt the sharp sting of another bullet, this time in his shoulder, but he kept going, feeling like he had nothing left to lose. Seeing what was happening, Crackle knew Moose Boy would die unless he got help.

"Close in!" he bellowed out to the others, "Defend Henrik!"

The rest of the team didn't need to be told twice and they broke their formation to close in towards where Moose Boy was fighting. Neal ran and slid through the crowd, kicking and tripped as he did so, allowing the others to break through. Dash threw his hat over and over and used his fists to knock back the guards. Double Trouble threw guards across the room like they weighed nothing at all, and as the amount of guards thinned, the team began working together to take down the men with more ease. As the twins took down the guards at the outer edges, Neal tripped the men in the middle of the group as Dash disarmed them, and then Crackle shocked them unconscious. They stayed behind Moose Boy and were able to protect his back as the man smashed his way through the rest of the guards like an enraged Hulk.

They finally cleared enough of the guards for Moose Boy to reach Otterman and he ran straight at Plague Doctor, having every intention of ripping their head off. A fist hit Plague Doctor solidly in the face and the bird-like mask was knocked off onto the floor with enough force to crack it. Plague Doctor rolled from the force of the hit and when they looked up, their face was uncovered. A completely normal looking man stared back at Moose Boy, and he shook his head as he recovered from the hard blow. Plague Doctor was middle-aged with dark hair and blue eyes, and was wholly unremarkable in all regards. He sat up, glanced to where his scythe and mask had landed, and then glanced back to Moose Boy as the man stalked towards him.

Plague Doctor raised a hand to the blood on his chin where the mask's straps had sliced him and he reached over for his fallen scythe. Moose Boy grabbed him by the leg before he could reach it and yanked him as hard as he could towards him. Plague Doctor's head hit the floor hard as he was yanked, and other than a brief wince, he gave no outward reaction.

Moose Boy released his full fury on the smaller man, and he stomped down hard on Plague Doctor's chest where there was an audible crack as several of his ribs broke. Plague Doctor didn't make a single sound, but he grimaced as he struggled to get away from the enraged giant. Plague Doctor's expression betrayed nothing of what he was thinking or feeling as he stared up at Moose Boy, and just as Moose Boy lifted a foot to stomp on him again, Matryoshka lunged forward, burying one of her daggers deeply into his side.

Moose Boy let out a pained grunt and lashed out with a fist and knocked her aside, before he fell to his knees. Plague Doctor scrambled backwards away from him, one arm wrapped around his injured chest.

[[Brother, we need to retreat!]] Matryoshka informed him, surging forward to help him to his feet.

Plague Doctor grabbed up his scythe and seemed to be intending on continuing to fight, but Matryoshka grabbed him by the hand and pulled him away as Team Crackle began closing in. He struggled against her for a moment, but she tightened her grip and gave him another tug.

[[No, live for another day,]] she begged him, [[Don't leave me by myself.]]

Plague Doctor stared at her and for just a moment a pained expression crossed his face. Not saying a single word, he nodded, grabbed up his mask and then ran with her towards the door. Moose Boy held his side for a moment, but then his gaze fell on Otterman who was lying nearby in a puddle of blood. Crawling on his hands and knees, he pulled Otterman towards him. Turning him over, he checked him with shaking hands, but Otterman wasn't moving

"No, please no…" Moose Boy whispered, [[Sven, open your eyes, please open your eyes!]]

Otterman didn't move.

[[Not again, you're not going to do this to me again!]] Moose Boy cried out, giving Otterman a gentle shake. [[Wake up! Please Sven! I love you! Don't die, please don't die!]]

Moose Boy let out a wail of absolute distress and Crackle knelt down beside him as the others defended them.

"Henrik, let me see him," Crackle ordered.

Moose Boy tightened his hold on Otterman and didn't let go.

"Henrik, I need to see Sven," Crackle said firmly, "Let me check him over."

Moose Boy was in hysterics, but he did reluctantly open his arms so Crackle could take a look. Crackle felt his stomach turn at the sight of the gaping wound on Otterman's abdomen, and he reached out a hand to feel for a pulse and placed his fingers against Otterman's neck.

Crackle waited for a moment and was relieved when he felt a steady pulse, and saw Otterman was lightly breathing.

"Henrik, he's alive," Crackle told him, "Sven is alive."

Moose Boy clutched Otterman close to him and wailed in relief, knowing how close they had come to losing him.

The rest of Team Crackle took down the last guard and then glanced over at the others. They took in the sight of Moose Boy and Otterman, and then they turned their gaze to the naked and injured Paper Star.

"Don't worry, love, we're here," Neal said in a soft voice as he approached, "We're going to get you out of here."

Paper Star was barely awake and she stared at him not really understanding any of this. Why was her old team here? They disbanded, and so why were they together again? She stared at Otterman, knowing he'd gotten injured trying to help her.

"W-why?" she asked weakly.

"What do you mean 'why'?" Crackle demanded, resting a gentle hand on her cheek, "You're one of us and we'd never leave you behind. I'm sorry it took us a while, but we're going to get you out of here."

Dash was already picking the locks on the cuffs, and when they popped open, she fell, unable to support herself. Roosevelt easily caught her in his arms, and he lowered her down to the floor as Dash removed his coat and wrapped her in it, trying to give her a bit of modesty.

This was when The Cleaners stepped out from the support beams they were watching from, and began to approach.

"Guys?" Theodore said, turning to face the Cleaners.

The Cleaners stood side by side as they approached, and Team Crackle instantly stood in front of Paper Star. Paper Star watched how her former team placed themselves in front of her, and she was honestly shocked. They had risked their lives and fought for her, knowing fully well she wouldn't have returned the favour.

"You are to return to New V.I.L.E Island immediately," Boris informed them, "We have our orders to bring you in."

Crackle narrowed his eyes. "And Paper Star?" he demanded.

"She is to be terminated," Vlad answered with a shrug.

Crackle held up his crackle rod. "You're not touching her!" he snarled.

"Do not be foolish," Boris scolded, "You will obey your orders and not try to stop us."

The entire team stepped closer to Paper Star, none of them backing down in the least.

"You'll have to go through us first!" Crackle warned, "She's one of ours and no one is laying a hand on her!"

"She's part of our little family," Neal informed them angrily, "We may be a complete mess, and we might be mismatched, but we will defend each other to the death! No one hurts one of us and gets away with it!"

"Back off now!" Roosevelt snarled, cracking his knuckles.

Paper Star watched from where she lay, confused and having no idea what to think about any of this.

"Enough of this," Vlad scolded, "Step aside now before we're left with no choice but to terminate all of you!"

"We're not afraid of you!" Dash shot back, "We will never allow you to kill her!"

"I'll tear your heads off before you ever lay a hand on her!" Theodore threatened, narrowing his eyes.

Paper Star stared at her team and felt taken aback.

Team Crackle had never tried to change her, never betrayed her, and they had never once given up on her. They treated her like she was one of them, and she couldn't understand it. Why would they do this? Why would they risk themselves in such a way? Paper Star looked up at Roosevelt who stood over her, clearly ready to protect her, and she felt an odd and unfamiliar emotion. The emotion burned hotly within her, and Paper Star didn't try to fight it. These people...these strange operatives she'd lived with for months were now going to fight for her. They cared enough about her to risk their lives for her. Her own father didn't even fight for her, and Paper Star grimaced.

She'd never been nice to any of her team, and she'd never even been very helpful all things considered. She would have understood it if they'd left her to die, but instead they were fighting for her. They didn't betray her, and they didn't leave her behind. Team Crackle was something entirely else, and she knew she didn't deserve this. They wanted her for who she was, not because of who her father was, or because of her abilities, they had a connection to each other that felt strange but oddly right. Paper Star's beauty was gone, she was too injured to be of any use, and she was a liability, but they still wanted her. None of that mattered to them.

Paper Star felt a hotness on her face and she was shocked to realize there were tears in her eyes. She hadn't cried since she was a little girl, and for the first time in many years, she felt a raw and desperate helplessness consume her. Her team had come for her. Her team were not going to abandon her.

"If you fight us, we will kill you," Vlad informed Crackle, "Our orders are clear, and so the decision is yours."

Crackle glanced to his team and when they all readied themselves to fight, he gave The Cleaners a nod. "We won't step aside," he informed them firmly, "We will defend our team to the death."

"So be it," Boris replied, and he surged forward faster than any of them expected.

Crackle twisted out of the way, and a blade grazed his side, and before he could retaliate, the blade was back forcing him to dodge to the side.

"Henrik, defend Paper Star and Sven!" Crackle ordered.

Moose Boy crouched over his two injured teammates without hesitation, prepared to use his body to shield them from any attacks.

Neal dove down to the ground and lashed out with both feet and he knocked Boris off his feet before The Cleaner had a chance to react. Dash ran in and threw his hat in for the kill, but Boris saw it coming. Before the hat even came close, Boris rolled to his feet and slashed it out of the air. The hat fell to pieces on the floor, and Boris then lashed out with the heel of his boot as Neal attempted to trip him again. The kick hit Neal solidly in the face who fell back, taken by surprise.

Neal clutched his bloody nose and then quickly rolled out of the way as Vlad stabbed at him from behind. Neal was back on his feet in an instant to try again, and he dodged and fought with everything he had.

The twins were large and strong, but they were slow and they had no hope of hitting the Cleaners while the men were on their feet. They were certainly still trying however and lashed out over and over, but were unable to land a single hit. They received several deep lacerations to their arms as The Cleaners retaliated against them, and Crackle knew the twins needed help.

The Cleaners were V.I.L.E's pride and joy for a reason, and they seemed completely tireless as they slashed out at anyone who neared them.

Crackle was vicious as he stabbed and swung his crackle rod, and he landed a hit on Vlad, but before he could shock him, a blade came at him from Boris. He went in for another attack, but no matter which Cleaner he went for, the other was always ready to defend their partner. Another knife swung out at him, and it grazed his arm as he leapt back to avoid it. Crackle knew they had to think of a new strategy.

"Team, remember the sawmill?" he yelled over, "Work together in the same way!"

Neal and Dash exchanged a look, remembering perfectly what they had done to Carmen. Dash ran for his broken hat, and Neal followed behind to cover him as he went for it. Vlad and Boris were busy avoiding the twins and Crackle, but it was obvious they were still keeping an eye on what they were doing. When Dash reached for the broken hat, Neal suddenly shoved him out of the way as a blade unexpectedly stabbed deeply where Dash's head had just been.

Boris snatched up the blade before Neal could reach for it and he slashed down and caught Neal across the ribs. Neal hissed in pain, but he still dove down onto the ground to land a solid kick to Boris' groin. Boris barely reacted, and only hesitated for a few seconds before he recovered enough to lash out again.

Dash now held the circular saw blade out of his hat, and he glanced to Neal in concern. Neal gave him a nod, and they split up, Dash taking one side and Neal taking the other. With the twins behind them and Crackle in front, they now had the Cleaners completely boxed in.

Crackle made eye contact with his team, gave another nod and they began closing in. The Cleaners knew they were in a dangerous position, and so they went for who they perceived to be the weakest link.

When The Cleaners charged straight towards him, Dash lowered himself into a solid stance and then lunged forward viciously. Not expecting Dash to go on the offensive, the Cleaners were taken off-guard and Dash landed a deep slash across Vlad's arm. The knife fell to the floor, and as Boris slashed out at Dash to deliver a killing blow, he was suddenly knocked off his feet by Neal. He hit the ground hard and then slid backwards several feet. He layed stunned for just a moment, and then looked up just in time to see Roosevelt's boot come down on his head with all of his strength. That was the last thing he saw before there was a loud and sickening crunch and everything went dark. Roosevelt stomped him a second time just to make sure and then flicked the blood and brain matter off his boot, expression absolutely ferocious.

Vlad stared for a moment at Boris' body for a long moment, and then he rolled forward, grabbing up his knife before anyone could grab him. Spinning in place, he slashed Roosevelt across the leg, and then he ducked and rolled under the other man's legs. Slashing upwards to stab him in the groin, his hand was suddenly pinned to the floor with Boris' knife before he could make contact.

Grimacing from the pain, he yanked his hand away from the knife, nearly splitting his hand in half in the process. Grabbing the knife with his other hand, he rolled again and knew there was no way he was going to win this fight. Making one last attempt to complete his mission, he ran for Paper Star, dodging around the others nimbly. Neal was faster than the others and he dove for Vlad, catching him by the legs. The Cleaner crashed to the floor hard, and then kicked Neal away from him, before he could be pinned.

Crackle stepped forward and landed a massive hit to Vlad's stomach with the crackle rod, but before he could shock him, Vlad lashed out and drove his elbow into Crackle's face. Crackle staggered back as the crackle rod sparked dangerously, and Vlad knew he had to get the upper hand. He saw his opportunity as Neal dove in to trip him, and Vlad kicked Neal in the side of the head. Vlad then had his knife to Neal's throat before anyone could react. Neal went very very still, realizing he had messed up badly.

Paper Star saw what was happening, and although she was very weak, she crawled a few inches over and began stretching out an arm for the nearby table, her fingers reaching for what she knew was there.

As Vlad held Neal at knifepoint, he took this opportunity to catch his breath and come up with a plan of action. The rest of the team charged in to defend Neal, but Vlad turned merciless eyes on them.

"Stop," Vlad warned, pressing the knife hard enough to draw blood.

Team Crackle froze, and stared at Vlad knowing there was nothing they could do to help Neal.

"You don't have to kill us," Neal told Vlad, trying his best to remain calm, "V.I.L.E doesn't give a shit about you, so why should you care about them? Let us go and no one has to get hurt."

"I do as I'm told and nothing more and nothing less," Vlad replied, "It doesn't matter whether my superiors care for me. Things like that are not my function within V.I.L.E. I will execute you all, or I will die. There will be no mercy for any-"

It was then that Vlad dropped dead to the floor, collapsing before he got out another word. Crackle stared in surprise, but then quickly shocked the body a few times just to be sure. Once he was certain Vlad was dead, he used a foot to roll him over so he could see what killed him. A surgical scalpel was lodged straight into Vlad's heart. They turned to look at Paper Star who still had her hand outstretched from the throw. She then sagged limply onto the floor, her skin pale and sickly looking.

The whole team was out of breath, but they headed for their injured teammates, worried when they saw Otterman still wasn't moving. Moose Boy had his hand pressed firmly over the gaping wound, and he turned terrified eyes to Crackle.

"His insides were on the outside!" he whispered in a panic, "We need to get him to a hospital! He's losing too much blood!"

Crackle knelt down and looked at the wound and he grimaced, knowing how serious it was. "Do you need help carrying him?" he asked.

"Nej," Moose Boy said firmly, "Sven doesn't weigh much."

Crackle then turned his attention to Paper Star.

"Hi," he greeted her with a gentle smile.

"Hey," she answered, too weak to even lift her head.

Once again Paper Star found the tears began to spill over, and Roosevelt very gently scooped her up.

"Are you crying because all your pretty hair is gone?" he asked in concern.

"Roose, you dumbass!" Dash scolded incredulously, "She's been traumatized!"

"Yes...it's because of my hair," Paper Star lied, averting her gaze.

Roose carefully wiped her tears away, and then ran a gentle hand over her shaved head. "Don't worry, you're still beautiful with or without hair. It'll grow back. Don't be sad anymore, we're here now."

Paper Star let out a low chuckle, barely able to keep her eyes open. "You idiots actually came for me," she said softly. "Why?"

"Course we did!" Neal responded, leaning in with a smile. "You're our girl! We'll always come for you!"

Paper Star returned the smile, allowing her eyes to slip closed. "...thank you."

"Let's get out of here before more reinforcements arrive," Crackle said, glancing towards the door.

Everyone nodded, and Moose Boy and Roosevelt carefully stood to their feet, worried they were going to hurt the person in their arms. They gave one last glance to the carnage around them, and then headed for the door.

---

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

---

The Faculty sat in complete silence as they stared at the large overhead screen. They watched as Team Crackle gathered their injured teammates, and then left the warehouse, no one knowing what to say. They exchanged a long and silent look between them, and it was Maelstrom who spoke up first.

"It appears that we have severely underestimated Team Crackle."

Brunt stared at the screen where the bodies of The Cleaners could be seen laying in a puddle of blood. "They accomplished what no one else has ever managed to do…" she observed with a frown.

Cleo was looking absolutely furious about something and she reached for the remote without a word. She rewound the footage and then paused the video on Dash. She narrowed her eyes and then zoomed in, revealing his flawless and unscarred face.

"...how dare he!" she sputtered indignantly, "He faked it all! Just so he could go back to playing at being a stupid operative!"

"Well, you must admit that he is truly a talented fighter," Bellum pointed out, "Did you see how well the team works together? They didn't even need to speak to each other during the fight. I've never seen operatives work so well together!"

"Indeed," Maelstrom agreed, "I must admit that I'm curious of what they can accomplish now that they're properly motivated."

Roundabout frowned over at him. "You mean you want them to return to V.I.L.E?"

Maelstrom nodded. "Just imagine the destruction they could do for us! A team that could take down Volkov's greatest creations! We need to utilize them."

"They've betrayed us," Brunt snapped, her eyes narrowed.

"Well, not really," Roundabout pointed out, "We were the ones to betray them, and at this point they're angry, but they haven't made a move against us."

"Bellum, you need to speak with Crackle," Maelstrom ordered, "Tell him whatever he wants to hear. Get them back at all costs."

Bellum frowned, but she could see the logic in this. "Do you think they can be trusted?"

"That remains to be seen," Cleo replied, still glaring at the image of Dash, "I personally think they should be punished!"

"Who cares if the pretty boy lied?" Brunt challenged, "That just shows how talented he is at it. He lied right to your face and you didn't pick up on it!"

Cleo frowned, not wanting to admit this was true.

"We still don't know if they'll be willing to return," Bellum pointed out, "Crackle was incredibly angry when he spoke with me earlier."

"Perhaps a few allowances will have to be given to Team Crackle to make them more cooperative?" Maelstrom suggested.

Bellum didn't like the sound of that. "Oh? Like what?"

"Give them a bit more freedom," Roundabout suggested, "Show them we trust them,"

"Preposterous!" Cleo protested, "Giving operatives freedom is a foolish idea!"

"These aren't ordinary operatives," Maelstrom pointed out, "Not anymore. This team is unique, and I think we should give this a try."

"I'm against it," Cleo said automatically, "I treated Dash kindly and respectfully, and look what he did to me! Lied and ran away like a petulant child!"

The others gave her a skeptical look.

"Well, I'll reach out to Crackle and then go from there," Bellum said, "He may be unwilling to even discuss it."

"Keep us updated as soon as you reach him," Maelstrom requested.

Bellum nodded, and then grabbed her com as she hopped down out of her faculty chair. She dialed Crackle's number as she left the room, and like before it went straight to voicemail. Bellum wasn't deterred, and she knew she had to decide what to say to Team Crackle. She would keep trying his com, and she knew eventually Crackle would take her call.

---

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

---

.

The Next update will be in 2 weeks on June 15th