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?

40. The Long Recovery

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The Broken Silence

Chapter 40

The Long Recovery

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Siren's dreams were disjointed and didn't make a lot of sense. His dreams were mostly just flashing colours and sounds with no clear meaning. He felt like everything was spinning out of control, and his thoughts were incomplete and confused. He knew something was seriously wrong, but his mind couldn't seem to comprehend it. He felt no pain, but there was a sensation of endless falling, making him feel constantly afraid.

After what seemed an eternity, the swirling colours and sounds settled into regular dreams, and his mind relaxed, the fear finally melting away. It was then that he felt pain, and he instinctively thought of his two brothers, the only two people in the whole world he trusted.

He dreamt of being stabbed and beaten and his brothers came to his rescue, protecting him from the faceless and shapeless assailant. He imagined his brother Roosevelt fighting the attacker while his brother Theodore shielded him.

When the pain receded, his dreams shifted and the three of them were now all safe, happy and far from V.I.L.E. They were back in New Jersey living as a family.

Siren started drifting in and out of consciousness, his head pounding, and the darkness of sleep pulling at him incessantly. It felt like a heavy weight was in his mind, keeping him asleep, and Siren had a hard time resisting it. At one point he felt something cool placed on his forehead, but he was much too tired to open his eyes.

During one bout of semi-consciousness, he felt his entire body jostled as he was moved, heard a lot of aggravated yelling, heard some arguing, and then he fell back to sleep, too tired to make sense of it.

The second time he woke, he was in a tremendous amount of pain and was able to open his eyes a crack. He saw glimpses of white all around him, and multitudes of beeping machines, and he blinked heavily. He then saw Vess lean over him, shine a penlight into his eyes, and then reach towards one of the machines to adjust his medication. Allowing his head to fall back against the pillow limply, Siren drifted back into sleep as he heard Vess muttering to himself irritably.

The third time he woke, he was in terrible pain and incredibly confused. Everything was dark around him, and he was instantly afraid.

"Teddy?" he called out weakly, closing his eyes, "Roose?"

He felt a gentle hand brush his hair out of his face.

"Ted?" Siren questioned.

"Shh, you shouldn't be awake," a familiar voice softly chided, "Go back to sleep, it's really late."

The voice was familiar, but Siren couldn't place it, his mind too confused. When he opened his eyes, all he saw was shadows and darkness.

"Teddy...it hurts…" Siren complained, his eyes closing again.

"Hurts? What hurts?" the voice asked in concern, "Should I get Vess?"

Siren didn't answer, but he groan as he tried to move.

"I'm waking Vess, just hold on," the voice told him, "Don't try to move,"

Siren drifted back to a light sleep, but was awoken when he felt hands checking him over. He let out a small pained noise, and the hands became a little more gentle.

"The morphine wore off," Vess said, "I'll give him a bit more so he'll sleep through the night, but I don't want him to become reliant on it."

"He's been calling for Ted again."

Vess let out a sigh. "I was hoping we'd gotten rid of those hallucinations, but clearly not. Keep an eye on him and don't wake me again unless it's an emergency."

Siren felt a rush of cold enter his arm and the pain melted away in an instant. Letting out a deep breath of relief, he fell back asleep.

When Siren next awoke, he was a bit more alert and he opened his eyes, knowing he was in the medical ward. Blinking a few times, he could make out the machines beside him, and he winced at the brightness of the room around him. He wasn't in much pain, but every part of him felt stiff and sore, and he didn't want to move. Remembering why he was injured in the first place, Siren hoped his plan had worked, and Vess had fallen for the lie.

Blinking tiredly, he glanced over, and was met with the sight of a Kevin sitting beside his bed reading a book. Braxton had clearly been replaced, and Siren felt relieved, but then annoyed that he was still stuck with a guard. The Kevin's helmet reflected Siren's bruised and battered face back at him, and he realized Michael had really beaten him badly. His head was in agony, and his whole body felt tired and sore. His eyes travelled around the room, but he was completely alone with the Kevin. The other man was sitting right beside his elbow and just the proximity was enough to make him bristle.

"You're sitting too close to me," Siren grumbled at the other man, "Get away from me!"

"Oh, you're awake!" the guard said in surprise, setting aside his book.

Siren now recognized the voice. "Ter-Kevin?!" he asked in surprise.

Terry gave him an amused look. "Did you just almost say my name?"

Siren shot him a grumpy look. "No."

Terry edged over a bit closer and looked him up and down. "How are you feeling?"

Siren stared at Terry with a frown, and then reached out a hand towards him. Terry allowed it and was taken by surprise when Siren suddenly yanked his helmet off. Siren stared at Terry's face for a long moment and then tossed the helmet across the room.

"I don't like it, leave it off," Siren ordered.

"What did you do that for?!" Terry demanded, crossing the room for his helmet, "It's against regulation to take off my helmet during work hours."

"I don't like it," Siren repeated, "I can't tell you from any of the other Kevin's with it on. Leave it off."

"You know I can't do that," Terry replied, putting the helmet back on.

Siren reached for the helmet again, but this time Terry leaned out of his reach.

"Knock it off," Terry scolded, "You're supposed to be resting."

"What happened to the gorilla?" Siren demanded, "Did Vess shoot him?"

Terry blinked. "Gorilla? What are you talking about?"

"Gorilla Kevin," Siren specified.

Terry frowned. "Do you mean your previous guard? Braxton?"

Siren nodded, and then winced when the motion hurt. "Did Vess kill him?"

"What? No, of course not! Why would Vess kill him? He fired him, but he didn't kill him."

Siren scowled. Just the thought of Braxton lurking somewhere out in the world was enough to make him feel uneasy.

"Are you my Kevin again?" Siren demanded.

"It appears so," Terry replied, "Apparently I'm the only one who can handle being near you for any extended period of time."

"Good, at least you don't hit me," Siren replied, raising a hand up to touch the bruises and cuts on his face.

"I've been given authorization to hit you as much as I deem necessary," Terry informed him.

Siren looked up at him in complete alarm, but Terry quickly continued.

"But I'm not going to hit you," he promised, "It's ridiculous that they actually expect me to beat someone just because they're a spoiled little shit."

Siren eyed him a bit warily. "You hate me, why wouldn't you jump at the chance to beat the shit out of me anytime you wanted?"

Terry frowned down at him. "I don't hate you, I'm annoyed by you. There's a big difference, believe me."

Siren stared back at him, not quite sure what to think about that, but his thoughts were interrupted when the door suddenly opened. A nurse came in, glanced at Siren and seemed a bit surprised.

"Oh, you're awake!" she exclaimed.

"Very observant," Siren snapped, glaring over at her, "Did you graduate top of your class in medical school to make such a profound observation?"

The nurse seemed a bit taken aback by his rudeness, but she brushed it aside as she approached the nearby table. Without saying a word, she reached for a blender and removed the top. Siren watched as she reached for a nearby container of protein powder and added 2 large scoops to the blender cup, and then she opened the bag she had brought with her. She added spinach, kale, a carrot, a peeled orange, and what looked like trail mix, and then added a few pills and milk before blending it all together until it was smooth. Siren just watched her in disbelief, having no idea what she was doing. When she was finished, she lifted the cup off the blender and set it aside for a moment.

"What are you doing?" Siren demanded, "Lunchroom out of order or something?"

She glanced over her shoulder at him. "I'm preparing your lunch," she responded, pouring the smoothie into some sort of plastic container.

Siren stared at the brownish-green goop, and narrowed his eyes. "I am not drinking that," he said firmly.

"You don't have to," the nurse assured him, approaching the bed.

Siren stared at her in confusion, and when she pulled aside the blankets covering him, and lifted his shirt, he looked down. To his horror, he saw a plastic tube sticking out of his stomach. He glanced back at what she was holding and saw the smoothie had been placed into a feeding syringe. Vess had put a feeding tube in him when he'd been unconscious.

He reached down and touched the tube in his stomach, and as the nurse approached him, he felt rage fill him. She reached towards him, and without hesitation, he kicked her as hard as he could in the stomach, ignoring the pain this caused him. The nurse let out a startled gasp as she stumbled back away from him, and she dropped the syringe to the floor as she clutched at her stomach.

"SIREN!" Terry bellowed, "What did you do that for?!"

Siren was absolutely furious, and he whipped everything within reach at the nurse. "Stay away from me!" he snarled, "You're not touching me!"

The nurse backed away, and her expression quickly turned angry. "I'll be informing Dr. Vess about this!"

"Good!" Siren roared at her, "I'll kick him too!"

The nurse gave him a dirty look and then left the room, intending on tattling to Vess. The second she was gone, Siren relaxed a bit and then reached down a hand towards the tube. The skin around the tube was a bit sore, but it didn't actually hurt very much.

Terry sighed, and gave Siren a tired look. "You've been awake for less than five minutes and you're already being a rotten little shit. Is this what I have to look forward to?"

Siren began tugging at the tube in his stomach and Terry hurriedly reached down to pull his hands away from it.

"Stop that, you're going to hurt yourself!" he scolded.

"He put a fucking tube in my stomach!" Siren yelled, struggling against him.

Siren was still incredibly weak and injured, and Terry was able to easily pin him down.

"I understand you're upset over this, but perhaps there was a reason for it?" Terry told him calmly, "Why don't we wait to speak with Dr. Vess about it, and find out what happened?"

Siren glared up at him for a moment and then took a deep breath and nodded. Terry released him, and Siren glared towards the door, knowing Vess would soon be coming. He didn't have to wait long, and only a few minutes later the door was slammed open and Vess stormed in looking furious.

"Did you kick one of my nurses?" he demanded.

"No."

Vess narrowed his eyes at the obvious lie. "She was here on my orders, and you will not interfere with her job again, am I clear?"

"I didn't do anything," Siren insisted grumpily.

"Why did you kick her?" Vess demanded, "I was right in the middle of an important experiment, and you interrupted it!"

"You put a hole through my stomach!" Siren snarled, pointing to the tube.

Vess sighed. "Is that what this is all about?"

"Take it out!" Siren ordered, "Now!"

"You were unconscious for over a week," Vess explained, "You were getting weaker, and you would have died without it. This way I can actually make sure you're eating appropriately. The nutritionist designed a diet plan for you, and you should begin putting on weight fairly rapidly."

"No, I don't want it, take it out!" Siren snapped.

"Don't be stupid," Vess snapped, "You refuse to eat, and I'm not going to let you starve to death. Perhaps after you've gained a bit of weight and you've proven you can be trusted to eat, I'll consider taking it out."

Vess knelt down and picked the food syringe off the floor and then crossed the room to sanitize it. Siren watched him clean it, and then tensed as Vess turned back towards him.

"It doesn't hurt if that's what you're worried about," Vess commented, "You'll barely notice it."

"You're not touching me!" Siren snarled, placing his hands over his stomach.

Vess narrowed his eyes, and approached the bed. Siren glared up at him, and waited until he neared before he lashed out with a foot and kicked Vess solidly in the stomach. Vess let out a grunt of surprise, and fell back a step, but wasn't overly hurt.

Vess stared at Siren for a moment, unable to believe he actually dared do that before his expression turned furious. Reaching out, he seized Siren by the ankle and gave it a sharp twist eliciting a shrill scream of pain. Keeping the ankle in the uncomfortable position, Vess loomed over him furiously.

"Try that again, and I swear I'll snap your ankle!" he hissed, "You do not kick or lash out at me like a toddler, or I will restrain you to this bed!"

Siren was writhing in agony and he wailed at the pain as Vess held his ankle in the unnatural position. This was when Terry suddenly surged forward and grabbed Vess by the wrist and forcibly removed his hand away from Siren. Siren immediately curled into a sobbing ball as Vess stared at Terry in complete shock.

"How dare you!" Vess hissed out furiously.

"No, how dare you!" Terry snarled back, crossing his arms, "You will not lay a hand on Siren as long as I'm his guard! You're his superior and so act like it! You have no right to abuse him!"

"Are you trying to get yourself fired?" Vess demanded, expression getting angrier by the second. "I can have you shipped off within the hour!"

Terry wasn't backing down and he met Vess' gaze fiercely. "You brought me back to be Siren's guard and to protect him, and I will do my job even if that means protecting him from you! You will not hurt him like this again as long as I'm here! No one will harm him, and nothing like what happened in the basement will ever happen again. I am Siren's guard, and I will protect him."

Vess stared at him in silent fury for a few moments, but he knew this was exactly what he had wanted. He wanted a guard to unquestionably protect Siren from any and all harm, and that's what he got.

"Touch me again, Terrence, and you and I will have a problem," Vess snapped, turning his gaze to Siren.

Siren was sobbing pathetically, and Vess reached down to forcibly roll him over. Siren struggled against him, but he didn't dare lash out again. Vess pinned him on his back as he removed the cap on Siren's feeding tube, and without a word, he injected the food syringe into it. Siren hated the sensation as he felt the cold food enter his stomach, and he struggled even harder, but Vess easily held him in place as he flushed the feeding tube with a bit of water to clean it.

Setting the syringe aside, Vess then did a quick check of Siren's stitches and bruises, adjusted his morphine pump, and then finally released him. Siren immediately curled back into the fetal position crying, and Vess shot Terry another glare, before glowering down at Siren.

"Don't give the nurses a hard time ever again," he warned, "If you interrupt my work even once more for this childish nonsense, you will have privileges revoked."

Siren didn't answer, and so Vess turned and left without another word. Terry watched him go, and then relaxed his posture as he looked down at Siren.

"Siren, are you alright?" he asked gently, resting a hand on Siren's side.

Siren immediately flinched like he was going to be struck, and then he lashed out at Terry defensively. Terry easily caught the hand, and Siren went limp, simply crying in misery. Terry continued holding the hand, and after a moment, Siren tightened his grip in return. Terry knew it wasn't a lot of comfort, but it seemed to help as Siren hung onto him like his life depended on it.

"I-I can't stay here," Siren said in a small shaky voice, "I have to leave…"

Terry was silent, knowing this was something that should be reported. Siren had all but said he wanted to defect, but Terry found that he really didn't care about that.

"You're right," Terry agreed, "You shouldn't be here. V.I.L.E is no place for you."

"Help me," Siren begged, "Help me get out of this place!"

Terry fell silent again, knowing he could be executed for even having this conversation. "I have a family, Siren, I can't be involved in this."

"...please."

Terry looked down at him, and he saw how miserable and beaten the other man was, and he felt guilty. How could he leave someone like Siren to be used and abused in such a terrible way? Siren needed professional mental help, and this was something that would never happen at V.I.L.E.

Terry gave Siren a slow nod.

"What do you need me to do?"

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Le Chèvre glanced down at his com, and then subtly turned his gaze to Mime Bomb who was sitting cross-legged on the end of Carmen's bed, enthusiastically telling her about the day he'd had with Zack as the other boy translated. Mime Bomb was almost fully recovered, and he'd been venturing out every day with Zack and Ivy to explore the city. Carmen was a lot slower to heal, and she'd been getting increasingly depressed as the days passed. She'd now been bed-bound for over a month, and it would still be weeks before she could even attempt to walk. The rest of the team had been doing their best to remain cheerful around her, but everyone could see how Carmen looked utterly defeated.

Carmen barely ate and Shadowsan was constantly nagging at her to eat, drink, or take care of herself. She seemed to perk up a bit when her team told her about their day, and so they all made a point of telling her everything interesting they'd seen or tasted in the city. Zack had begun bringing foods for her to taste from the various restaurants, and she usually indulged him by tasting what he brought.

Carmen slept a lot more as the days passed, and they were all worrying about her. Carmen began speaking daily with Mime Bomb's therapist, Dr. Brownswell, and the woman took her on as a patient without hesitation once Mime Bomb explained. The therapy sessions seemed to be working, and Carmen was very slowly starting to show signs of improvement.

Le Chèvre felt like the whole team was falling apart, and he knew they were sitting ducks the longer they stayed in Kazakhstan. He knew the best thing would be to leave the team, but El Topo was loyal to Carmen, and he refused to abandon her. Le Chèvre felt like El Topo was thinking with his heart instead of his mind, and knew he had to protect his partner at all costs.

Le Chèvre glanced again at Mime Bomb, and narrowed his eyes at the other man. He detested everything about the mime, and knew he was the weakest one in the team. All of this mess was because of him, and he blamed him entirely for everything. He and El Topo were sent by V.I.L.E to kill the mime, and this was what led to Le Chèvre's capture by the Finnegan's and subsequently his injuries. It was because of Mime Bomb that Player was kidnapped, and it was because of Mime Bomb that they were still in danger. Everything could be linked to the mime.

Le Chèvre stared at Mime Bomb as the other man smiled at Carmen, and then clenched his fists. The mime had no right to look so unbothered by all of this. He was endangering them all, but yet he still stayed with the team instead of leaving. Le Chèvre felt certain it was pure selfishness that made him stay, and over the last month, Le Chèvre had been stewing about it.

Le Chèvre had thought long and hard about Vess' offer, and when the doctor had called him back, he had agreed to the deal. He would give him Mime Bomb and Vess would correct Le Chèvre's lung condition. Vess had seemed completely ecstatic about this, and was going to send men to collect Mime Bomb immediately. Le Chèvre refused and told him about the recent surgery and that he'd have no way of getting Mime Bomb alone until he recovered.

Although annoyed, Vess had reluctantly agreed. He stated that he would be sending several operatives to the city within the next few weeks to wait for the perfect moment they could take him. Once Mime Bomb had been captured, Vess would send someone to collect Le Chèvre for the surgery. Le Chèvre would then be welcomed back to V.I.L.E without prejudice. Le Chèvre knew this would be his best bet for survival, and once Team Red disbanded, El Topo would go with him. They'd go back to being operatives and everything would go back to the way it was supposed to be.

The mysterious Russians had been calling Carmen for updates on Mime Bomb, and so far they'd been given no proof that Player was even still alive. Le Chèvre knew the Russians couldn't be put off for too much longer, and he hoped Vess would find a way to nab the mime shortly. He'd provided Vess with the hospital information as well as the hotel name they were staying at, and so it was only a matter of time before V.I.L.E made their move.

"You're awfully quiet over there, JP," Ivy suddenly said, "Everything okay?"

Le Chèvre looked up at her and realized he'd gotten lost in thought. "I'm fine," he replied, "I was just thinking about everything that's happened since we left V.I.L.E."

El Topo reached over and took his hand. "I know it looks bad right now, mi amor, but everything will work out. We'll get Player back, and we'll keep fighting."

Le Chèvre stared down at El Topo's smiling face and instantly felt guilty. He knew El Topo wouldn't approve of what he was going to do, and so he hadn't told him. He knew how close El Topo had grown to the others, and his actions would be seen as a complete betrayal. The only thing he could do was hope that El Topo loved him enough to choose him over Team Red when the time came. The thought of El Topo leaving him was the worst thing he could imagine, and he knew it was a real possibility.

Reaching out, he wrapped an arm around his partner, wanting to reassure himself that everything would be fine.

"Why don't we grab some supper?" Zack suggested, "I'm starving, and it's getting late."

"Like what?" Tigress demanded, "No burgers."

"I saw an Italian place next to the art museum," El Topo suggested, "It looked interesting."

"I'm good with Italian," Chase commented, looking up from his paperwork.

Chase had been compiling everything they knew about Mime Bomb, the lab, the Russians, and Player in an attempt to find clues. He'd been working obsessively on it, and he'd barely taken a break all month from investigating. Chase had called several contacts he had around the world, but no one knew anything about Volkov or Player. Julia was constantly worrying about how hard Chase was working, and no matter what anyone said, he didn't slow down. He was convinced he was onto something, but when he tried to explain his logic, no one else could see the connections he did. Carmen suspected he needed several nights' sleep to calm him down, but Chase refused. He slept very little, he inhaled way too much coffee, and he only ate if it was brought to him. The fact he seemed interested in supper was surprising and the others were quick to agree.

"Italian is fine," Carmen said.

"It'll do, I guess," Tigress commented with a roll of her eyes.

Mime Bomb gave him a thumb's up, and Zack grinned. "Great, everyone write down what you want and I'll do my best!"

"You won't be able to carry that much by yourself, Bro," Ivy pointed out.

"I'll go with him," Le Chèvre found himself saying, "I could use the exercise."

Zack gave him a nod. "Great, Jean Paul, thanks!"

"You want me to come along?" El Topo asked.

Le Chèvre gave him a fond smile. "No, you stay here and finish watching your movie."

El Topo returned the smile and then glanced back to his com to resume watching. He'd been binge-watching the Fast and Furious movies and he was now on number five. They didn't interest Le Chèvre, but he still kept El Topo company as he watched them.

Everyone passed around a notepad as they wrote down what they wanted, and then Zack shoved it into his pocket and stood up. As Le Chèvre followed Zack out of the hospital room, he was annoyed when Mime Bomb got up to follow.

"Oh, you coming too, buddy?" Zack questioned.

Mime Bomb gave a nod and signed something. Zack immediately rolled his eyes.

"I'm not going to get your order wrong," he responded, "Make a mistake once and you never let a guy forget it."

Mime Bomb shook his head and held up 4 fingers.

Zack rolled his eyes again. "Okay, fine, make a mistake four times and you never let a guy forget it," he corrected, "Come on then. We can use the help carrying."

Le Chèvre shot the mime a glare who didn't seem to notice the hostile look. He fell in step beside Zack as Le Chèvre followed behind them angrily. He just wanted a few minutes without Mime Bomb's constant presence, but clearly he wasn't even going to be allowed that.

Mime Bomb had only just gotten out of the wheelchair a few days prior, and the mime was eager to get his stamina back. He insisted on going out daily with the others, and he was so oblivious that it made Le Chèvre sick. Mime Bomb kept trying to be friends with him, and no matter how many times Le Chèvre brushed him off, he kept trying. Le Chèvre knew Mime Bomb was the weakest member of the team, and he felt certain he was only trying to befriend him so he'd be protected. It disgusted Le Chèvre to no end. He was putting everyone else in danger and didn't even seem to care. Le Chèvre had never depended on anyone before, and saw it as a complete weakness.

They walked through the nearby streets slowly, Mime Bomb still not able to walk very fast. Le Chèvre glared at the back of his head as they walked, unable to wait for when he could finally return to V.I.L.E. He was a good operative, and other than the few times Carmen thwarted them, he and El Topo completed every mission. He felt certain V.I.L.E would appreciate having them back, and Le Chèvre longed for it. He wanted to be a thief, he wanted the thrill of it, and he wanted to climb again. V.I.L.E could give all of that to him. The only thing that would make everything perfect was if El Topo joined him.

Mime Bomb and Zack were signing back and forth, not paying him any attention and Le Chèvre took a few deep breaths as his chest began to pain. He refused to mention it and kept walking, knowing he would soon have the damage repaired. As they crossed the square, Le Chèvre was forced to pull his inhaler out of his pocket and take a couple puffs to calm his ragged breathing. The sound made Zack and Mime Bomb turn around, and they stopped walking.

"Jean Paul?" Zack questioned, "Are you alright?"

"I'm fine," Le Chèvre snapped, taking a third puff.

"Should we sit down for a few minutes?" Zack asked, glancing around for the nearest bench.

"I said I'm fine!" Le Chèvre snapped.

Both men were staring at him in complete concern, and it only aggravated him further. They both looked so genuine, but he knew it had to be fake. No one was really like this, and they only wanted him healthy so they could use him.

"Hey man, it's okay," Zack assured him, "I think Mime Bomb needs to rest a minute anyway, right bud?"

Mime Bomb nodded, and suddenly put on a show of seeming to be exhausted. Le Chèvre did not appreciate it, and knew the mime was just making fun of him. When Mime Bomb reached out to help him, Le Chèvre slapped his hand away harshly.

Mime Bomb flinched back, and then gave him an uncertain look as if just now realizing how angry the other man was.

"Hey, not cool!" Zack scolded, "You didn't have to do that!"

"Look, le crétin, I don't want you or him anywhere near-"

Le Chèvre cut off abruptly when two black vans pulled up on either side of them. They stared in surprise as several men jumped out of the van, and without hesitation, they headed straight for Mime Bomb. Realizing Vess' men were making their move, Le Chèvre stepped back to watch as they headed for the mime.

Zack instantly stepped in front of Mime Bomb. "Who are you? What do you want?" he demanded, raising his fists.

The men said nothing, and so Zack took a swing at the first one to reach them, and he landed a solid hit to the man's stomach. Someone else struck Zack across the face, and Mime Bomb lashed out at the man in an attempt to protect Zack. Two men seized Mime Bomb before the hit ever landed and he began struggling like a wildcat in an attempt to break free. Zack lunged at the men, but two others kicked him down to the ground, and blocked his way.

Zack looked up and his gaze met Le Chèvre's who was simply standing there watching.

"Help!" Zack cried out, "They're taking Mime Bomb! Help him! Jean Paul!"

Le Chèvre crossed his arms and simply watched. Mime Bomb stared at him with wide eyes, and the betrayal that shone in those blue eyes made Le Chèvre avert his gaze.

"JEAN PAUL!" Zack bellowed out as he was pinned to the sidewalk. "WHAT ARE YOU DOING?! HELP HIM!"

Le Chèvre didn't move, and Mime Bomb was tossed over one of the men's shoulders as they headed back for the van. Mime Bomb kicked and struggled uselessly, and Zack screamed in fury, unable to move. Most of the men crawled in the van with Mime Bomb, and two remained behind to pin Zack to the ground. The van screeched away as Zack screamed in despair, and once it was gone from sight, the men released Zack who immediately began swinging at the men. One of them backhanded him hard enough to send him sprawling back to the pavement, and he clutched his face as the men got in the other van.

"Where are you taking him?!" Zack yelled, rolling back to his feet, "Where are you taking my brother?!"

The van pulled away and Zack ran after it, still screaming. The van sped up and Zack stopped, standing in the middle of the road, completely shellshocked. Mime Bomb was taken, and they had no idea where he was going. Zack's eyes blurred with tears, furious with himself that he wasn't able to protect the other boy. He'd promised to protect him and he failed. Zack let out a yell of fury, and wiped at his eyes with the back of his hand. He then stiffened and whirled to face Le Chèvre.

"YOU!" he snarled, stalking towards the other man, "You just watched as Mime Bomb was taken! You never even tried to help him!"

"I froze," Le Chèvre responded, turning away. "I'm sorry."

"He needed you, and you did nothing!" Zack hissed, wiping more tears aside, "You were useless!"

"My asthma was bad, and I was taken by surprise. I'm sorry," Le Chèvre said again.

Zack shook his head, and then turned away. "We need to tell the others! I'm going to call them."

Le Chèvre watched as Zack pulled out his com to make the call, and Le Chèvre took that opportunity to walk away from the other man. Once he was a few streets away, he pulled out his own com, and dialled Vess' number.

It rang and rang, and when it was finally answered, he was met with the sight of Michael Jr.

"Yo," Michael greeted, "Numa's in the shitter. Can I take a message?"

Le Chèvre hesitated for a long moment. "No, I really need to speak with Vess…"

"Well, he's kinda busy if you know what I mean…"

Suddenly a voice came from the background. "Michael? Who's on the phone?"

Michael glanced over his shoulder and shrugged. "Dunno, some guy looking for you."

"Michael!" the voice scolded angrily, "How many times have I told you not to answer my com?"

Michael rolled his eyes. A moment later, Vess' face appeared on the screen. He seemed a bit surprised to see Le Chèvre and he frowned.

"Le Chèvre," he greeted, "What happened? Is everything alright?"

"Everything went perfectly," Le Chèvre assured him.

"Then why are you calling me?" Vess demanded impatiently, "I'm incredibly busy."

"I just wanted to find out when El Topo and I will be picked up to be returned to V.I.L.E."

"That will be arranged after my men collect Mime Bomb. Until then, no exact date can be arranged."

Le Chèvre gave him a smile. "Then you'll be happy to know that your men collected Mime Bomb without issue, and he's on his way to you now."

Vess blanched. "What?"

"Mime Bomb was just picked up a few minutes ago," Le Chèvre told him.

Vess simply stared at him. "Is this some sort of joke?" he demanded.

Le Chèvre was instantly confused. "No, why?"

Vess narrowed his eyes. "I haven't sent any men to collect Mime Bomb yet."

Le Chèvre's eyes widened. "What?!"

Vess' expression became furious and he glared hatefully at Le Chèvre. "Whoever you just let take Mime Bomb was not V.I.L.E," Vess snapped, "Now we have no idea where he is, or who has him. You have once again made me lose him, and this failure will not be forgotten."

Le Chèvre gaped in shock. "There has to be some mistake!" he insisted, "Are you sure it wasn't your men?"

Vess narrowed his eyes until they were barely a slit. "You will never be welcomed back to V.I.L.E and you have made an enemy of me, Le Chèvre. I know where you are, and you can be certain I'll be informing the head faculty about your location and the fact Carmen Sandiego is still alive."

"Wait, wait!" Le Chèvre insisted, "I can make this right! I'll get him back!"

"You had your chance, and you failed. I have no use for such a pathetic operative. I'll now have to trace him down through alternate means. Someone in the criminal world has him, and I will find him. Don't contact me again."

Vess disconnected the call and Le Chèvre was left staring at the blank screen, feeling like someone had just kicked him in the stomach. He tried to call Vess back but discovered his number had been blocked. Le Chèvre raised his hands to his face.

What had he done?

---

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

---

"Henrik, this is ridiculous!" Otterman protested in annoyance, "I can walk!"

"Nej," Moose Boy said firmly, not loosening his grip in the least.

"The doctors said I can walk short distances if I'm careful," Otterman argued, "I'm not going to rip my stitches."

"Nej," Moose Boy repeated.

"I feel fine, really," Otterman assured him, "Nothing vital was damaged, and the doctors completely numbed the area. I want to walk on my own."

"Nej," Moose Boy said even more firmly.

"You're being ridiculous!" Otterman protested, "Put me down, Henrik!"

"NEJ," Moose Boy said, his tone starting to grow annoyed, "Every time I let you go, you get hurt."

"That is not true!" Otterman argued, squirming against Moose Boy's iron hold, "You can't keep carrying me forever!"

"Watch me."

Otterman turned his gaze to Crackle. "Graham, tell him I'm fine to walk. This is getting embarrassing! People are staring!"

Crackle didn't even glance in his direction. "Suck it up," he responded, opening the front door to the hotel. "Henrik was really worried about you. We all were."

Otterman sighed heavily and then crossed his arms grumpily as Moose Boy carried him into the hotel. He glanced over at Paper Star who walked unaided beside the twins. Her arm was in a cast and she was covered in bruises, but she was looking a lot better than before. She met his gaze and then rolled her eyes at him. Otterman's cheeks coloured, but he said nothing as they walked through the hotel lobby towards the elevator.

"Sooo, Sven," Neal said with a cheeky grin, "How was your caesarean? Did you have a boy or a girl?"

Otterman let out another sigh. "I'm not in the mood, Neal."

"You're so hostile!" Neal teased, "It must be all the new 'mommy' hormones."

"Stop teasing, Sven," Moose Boy scolded, "He doesn't like it."

"Just joking around, love," Neal assured him, "Sven knows how I am."

"I do unfortunately," Otterman grumbled.

"Neal is like a fungal infection," Dash commented, "You don't want him, but he's extremely difficult to get rid of."

Neal elbowed Dash with good nature. "You'd know all about fungal infections, wouldn't you Dashie?"

Dash elbowed him back.

"They have a cream for that sort of thing, you know," Neal informed him in amusement.

"Neal, why don't you go get stuck in a vent somewhere?" Dash demanded, "You're really annoying today."

"No bickering," Crackle scolded, flashing them a tired look, "Why don't we just relax for the evening, without any drama? We catch our plane early in the morning and I'm tired."

Everyone went quiet and Crackle gave a nod of approval. It had been three days since they rescued Paper Star, and he knew it was too dangerous to remain in Japan any longer. The hospital believed Otterman and Paper Star had been in a serious car accident, and not too many questions were asked about the injuries. Otterman had been extremely lucky that no organs had been damaged, and since the slice was a clean cut, the doctors were able to stitch him up without any issue. He'd be extremely sore for several weeks, but he'd be fine.

Crackle just wanted to get a good night's sleep, and then catch their plane back to The United States. Crackle knew they would need to find a more permanent base once they arrived, and they'd always have to be on the look-out for V.I.L.E coming after them.

When they reached their room, everyone felt relieved. Moose Boy immediately approached one of the beds to lay Otterman down, and Paper Star headed for the bathroom, presumably to shower. Dash took a seat on his bed and pulled Steve into his arms, glad that they could finally relax for a bit. They had pushed all the beds from the two suites into one room, no one wanting to be separated after such an ordeal.

"I'm going to put a movie on," Neal announced, crossing the room towards the television, "Anyone care what movie?"

Everyone shook their heads, and so Neal picked up the remote, and turned the television on. Crackle got undressed for bed and then powered on his com and plugged it in to charge. Settling himself down to watch whatever cringey comedy Neal picked out, he relaxed and gave a tired stretch. The others got ready for bed as well, and Dash approached the bathroom door, pajamas in hand. He knocked on the door, and then opened it a crack to slip the pajamas in to Paper Star. She had no clothes of her own at the moment and had been wearing whatever fit from the others for the time being. She didn't complain about this, and had in fact been very quiet since they left the hospital. She always seemed lost in thought, and so the others gave her space, knowing she'd been through a lot.

Dash returned a few moments later, and took a seat beside Graham, pulling his dufflebag over so he could rummage through it. Crackle watched as Dash began meticulously removing his makeup using a hand-mirror and several foul smelling products, but he didn't say a word. Neal kept glancing over now and then, and when Dash was finally finished, Neal shot him a grin.

"The freckles have returned!"

Dash rolled his eyes and put his things away, not wanting to acknowledge the teasing.

"Graham," Theodore said, looking a bit uncertain.

Crackle looked up. "Yeah?"

"We can't return to the motel, can we?"

Crackle shook his head. "No, V.I.L.E knows where we were staying, and they'll likely be watching the motel."

"Then what are we gonna do? Where are we going?" Theodore asked, "Gwen and Paper Star are both hurt, and they need time to get better."

"I've been searching for a base," Crackle informed him, "I have a few ideas."

"Really?" Otterman asked, "Where were you thinking?"

"San Diego."

Otterman blinked. "Wait...what? V.I.L.E will be looking for us there!"

"Carmen Sandiego's base is in San Diego, and until we can confirm she's dead, I want us to keep patrolling the area."

Everyone turned to stare at him in disbelief. "We're no longer with V.I.L.E," Dash pointed out, "Who cares if she's dead?"

Crackle frowned. "I do," he said firmly.

Dash crossed his arms. "Why?" he demanded.

"Carmen Sandiego is going down, not because of V.I.L.E's orders, but because of what she did to you and Neal. No one - and I mean no one - abuses my team and gets away with it. I will make her pay for what she did. Until it's confirmed she's dead, we're staying in San Diego."

Everyone exchanged looks, knowing how risky this was going to be. No one commented however, knowing Crackle had never let them down before and they trusted his judgement.

Suddenly Crackle's com began ringing. He glanced over at it and narrowed his eyes. Picking it up, he saw it was Dr. Bellum. He dismissed the call, but only seconds later it was ringing again. Crackle rolled his eyes and turned the volume off on his com and then tossed it aside, having absolutely no intention of answering it. Settling himself back down, he turned his attention back to the television.

Everyone watched the movie in silence, and when Paper Star came out of the bathroom a few minutes later, she was looking a lot more relaxed. The sleeves and legs of her pajamas were much too long, but she didn't seem to mind, simply looking around for where she'd be sleeping. When she realized she'd be bunked with Neal, she didn't say a word about it, but she gave a slight frown.

"How are you feeling?" Crackle asked her, "Did the shower help with your stiffness?"

"A bit," Paper Star answered, averting his eyes from him.

"Do you want a painkiller to help you sleep?"

"I'm fine," she replied, taking a seat on the bed next to Neal, "I'm just tired."

Neal glanced over at her. "You want me to turn the movie off, love?"

She shook her head. "No, the noise doesn't bother me."

"You should sleep too, Sven," Moose Boy said, giving his partner a worried look.

Otterman rolled his eyes. "I'm fine, I'm watching the movie."

"But-"

Otterman shot him a glare and Moose Boy fell quiet, simply fretting internally. The twins were laughing loudly and hysterically at the cheesy comedy, and the sight of them enjoying such a ridiculous movie lightened the mood in the room. Neal laughed right along with them, and even Paper Star cracked an amused smile at them. When the movie was finally over, most of Team Crackle were asleep and Neal turned the tv off before getting up to turn out the lights. He glanced around at his team, and felt relieved they were all safe. Would they be so lucky next time though?

Grimacing at the thought, he headed back for his bed and crawled under the sheets. Settling himself down and making sure to give Paper Star a lot of space, Neal fell asleep, still worrying about his teammates.

---

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

---

Le Chèvre sat head in hand, unable to move, and unable to believe how badly he had messed up. He had single-handedly ruined everything. V.I.L.E would never take him back, and Team Red would immediately expel him from the group. How could he have been so stupid?

He thought of Mime Bomb and felt a wave of guilt come over him. He had just sent the mime to his death for absolutely no reason. As much as he disliked the other man, he didn't actually want to see him dead. At least with Vess, the doctor wanted to just study Mime Bomb, but the Russians who took him clearly wanted him dead.

He thought of Mime Bomb's shy and gentle nature, the way he kept trying to befriend him and felt disgusted with himself. Before it had seemed so clear to him that Mime Bomb was just trying to use him, but now he wasn't so sure. He'd allowed his anger and dislike to cloud his judgement, and he was starting to second-guess himself.

Mime Bomb didn't deserve any of this. The mime was going to die and it was all for nothing.

Le Chèvre let out a low groan. Would El Topo leave him over this? The sweet El Topo had liked Mime Bomb and loved being part of the team, but Le Chèvre had ruined everything. How much would this betrayal hurt El Topo? Would he choose to stay with Team Red?

Le Chèvre dug his fingernails into his scalp having no idea what he was going to do. Where would he even go? Le Chèvre sat there for a long time until eventually he felt a gentle arm wrap around him. He didn't even have to look up to see who it was.

"We were worried about you, mi amor," El Topo said softly, "Zack told us what happened. Do you want to talk about it?"

Le Chèvre didn't answer and simply closed his eyes.

El Topo's grip around him tightened. "Everyone freezes now and then, Jean Paul, it's completely normal. You weren't expecting it to happen and it took you by surprise. You can't blame yourself for this, it wasn't your fault."

Le Chèvre suddenly pulled away from him and stood up abruptly. "No, Antonio, it was all my fault."

El Topo shook his head. "No it wasn't," he insisted, "You had nothing to do with it! You froze, but that's not your fault!"

Le Chèvre raised his hands to his face.

"Jean Paul?" El Topo questioned in concern.

Le Chèvre silently shook his head and didn't answer.

"You're starting to worry me, mi amor. Please talk to me."

Le Chèvre slowly looked up at him and the concern and love he saw in El Topo's eyes only made things worse.

"I'm so sorry, Antonio, I've ruined everything."

El Topo furrowed his brow. "I don't understand."

Le Chèvre went silent again and El Topo reached out and took him by the hand.

"Jean Paul, what have you done?" he whispered.

Le Chèvre grimaced. "I didn't freeze."

El Topo gave him a puzzled look. "What do you mean?"

Le Chèvre took a deep breath, knowing he had to admit what he'd done. "I allowed Mime Bomb to be taken on purpose."

There was complete silence as El Topo stared at him in shock. He then shook his head in denial. "No, no, Jean Paul, freezing doesn't mean you allowed it to happen. It was an accident!"

Le Chèvre averted his gaze. "Non, I wanted him to be taken. I've always hated that mime, and I jumped on the chance to be rid of him. I wasn't thinking and now he could die because of me!"

El Topo didn't look like he believed him. "I think you'd better tell me everything," he said with a concerned frown.

Le Chèvre tightened his grip on El Topo's hand, worried the other man was going to pull away once he began explaining.

"You will hate me," Le Chèvre said worriedly.

El Topo offered him a smile. "I could never hate you, mi amor. Please just tell me everything from the very beginning."

Le Chèvre nodded and took another deep breath. He explained everything starting from the first phone call and told him everything he'd been thinking and feeling over the past month, and then ended with the call where Vess told him V.I.L.E weren't the ones to take Mime Bomb. El Topo was looking angrier and angrier as Le Chèvre explained, but he stayed quiet to let him finish. When Le Chèvre was done, he pulled away from El Topo and once again raised his hands to his face. El Topo was dead silent, and Le Chèvre stood there for several minutes, not even sure the other man was still there.

"You need to tell this to the rest of the team immediately," El Topo said, his voice sounding a little bit cold.

"I'm so sorry, mon amour!" Le Chèvre said, "I didn't mean to make you mad."

El Topo gave him an angry and incredulous look. "You didn't mean to make me mad? You betrayed our team, you betrayed Mime Bomb, and you..." El Topo paused a long moment and looked away. "...you betrayed me."

"I'm sorry!" Le Chèvre said, now certain El Topo was going to leave him. "I am so, so sorry!"

Le Chèvre couldn't bear to see the hurt and disappointment in El Topo's eyes anymore and he turned to flee. He only made it a single step before El Topo caught him by the wrist.

"No," El Topo scolded, "Just because I'm upset at you does not mean you get to run away from this! We are going back to the hospital, and you are going to tell the others what happened. They need to know."

Le Chèvre didn't try to pull away from him and he stared down at the ground. "Forgive me, Antonio,"

El Topo went silent again, and Le Chèvre felt despair consume him.

"It is not my forgiveness you should be asking for," El Topo finally said, "You owe that apology to Mime Bomb."

Le Chèvre chanced a look at El Topo and the anger he saw in the other man's eyes didn't give him much hope.

"Come," El Topo urged, pulled his arm, "They need to know."

Le Chèvre allowed himself to be pulled towards the hospital without a word, knowing he was about to be tossed out of the team, and quite possibly lose his lover at the same time. Everything felt hopeless, but he trusted El Topo and went with him willingly. Neither spoke a single word the entire walk back, and even during the elevator ride, neither said anything, the tension and awkwardness heavy in the air.

As Le Chèvre walked towards Carmen's hospital room, he really, really didn't want to go in there. He wanted to leave and never return, and it was only El Topo that made him stay. He had hurt him, and he would do anything to make it better, even if that meant facing the rest of Team Red.

When they entered the room, they were met with the sight of Zack in tears, sitting in a chair beside Carmen as Ivy tried unsuccessfully to console him. The boy was completely devastated, and Le Chèvre knew how close he'd been with Mime Bomb.

"I couldn't protect him," Zack said dejectedly, "I promised to always protect him! I let him down, and I'm a failure of a brother. I should've tried harder! I should've done more! It's all my fault!"

"Bro, it's going to be okay," Ivy assured him, "We're going to get him back. No one is going to hurt Mime Bomb."

El Topo gave Le Chèvre a hard look and he once again looked away.

"Welcome back," Shadowsan said, matter-of-factly, "We're going to begin plans to get Mime Bomb and Player back. Please close the door."

El Topo shut the door and then gave Le Chèvre a light elbow. Le Chèvre squeezed his eyes closed and stayed silent. He couldn't do it. He couldn't admit that he'd betrayed them all. El Topo elbowed him harder, and Le Chèvre winced.

"Jean Paul has something to say to all of you," El Topo informed the room.

Everyone went quiet and they looked over, El Topo's angry tone taking them by surprise.

"Go on," El Topo urged, giving Le Chèvre another elbow, "Tell them what you told me."

Le Chèvre kept his eyes squarely on the ground as he began speaking. He told them everything, and when he was finished, he looked up and everyone had identical looks of shocked fury. Le Chèvre kept his eyes on Zack who was looking absolutely murderous, and as Zack stood to his feet, Le Chèvre tensed. He was certain the boy was about to attack him, and he readied himself. He definitely wasn't expecting to be sucker-punched from the side, sending him sprawling to the floor. Nursing a bloody lip, he looked up into the furious face of Ivy.

"How dare you!" she snarled, raising her fist to hit him again.

El Topo was quick to catch her arm and put himself between them.

"You let them take my little brother just because you don't like him?!" Ivy yelled, "Are you seriously that selfish that you would throw his life away just so you can climb trees again?! I can't believe you! Family doesn't betray each other! I'm going to rip your limbs off and shove them up your urethra!"

"I'm sorry," Le Chèvre said, not getting up, "I'm going to do everything I can to get him back. I'll make this right."

"El Topo, move out of the way!" Ivy ordered, cracking her knuckles.

El Topo shook his head. "No, everyone needs to calm down, and we will discuss this in a non-violent fashion."

Shadowsan looked furious and he glowered down at Le Chèvre like he was some sort of disgusting bug he'd scraped off the bottom of his shoe. "Jean Paul, I think it would be best if you waited in the hall until everyone calms down. Sit in one of the chairs outside the door."

"I agree," Carmen said, looking equally angry, "We need a few minutes to calm down and talk."

El Topo turned to Le Chèvre and reached a hand down to help him back to his feet. Le Chèvre accepted the hand, but still avoided eye contact with everyone. Opening the door, El Topo watched as Le Chèvre left the room and sat down in the seats in the hallway.

"Promise me you won't run," El Topo ordered.

Le Chèvre didn't answer.

"If you love me, then you will stay in those seats and not leave."

Le Chèvre felt a lump form in his throat at those words. He gave a mute nod and El Topo disappeared back into the room. Le Chèvre sat in the hallway for over two hours as the people within yelled and argued with each other. He couldn't hear what was being said, but he could only imagine. When the door finally opened, he looked up to see El Topo exiting the room. He closed the door after him and then took a seat beside him without a word.

Le Chèvre stared down at his lap silently, and then risked a quick look at his partner. El Topo seemed a lot more calm than before, but there was a tight look around his eyes that worried Le Chèvre.

"Are you going to leave me?" Le Chèvre asked.

"Do you want me to?" El Topo responded.

Le Chèvre was alarmed at that. "What? No, of course not! I love you more than anything, Antonio, and I would never leave you."

"You were going to leave me and return to V.I.L.E," El Topo pointed out.

Le Chèvre frantically shook his head. "No, Antonio, I wanted us to return together! I never would have left you behind!"

"I told you I don't want to return to V.I.L.E, but you would have made me choose between you or my freedom?"

Le Chèvre felt his stomach sink. "I was selfish," he admitted, "All I was thinking about was myself and I never once considered what you might want. I'm so sorry."

El Topo heaved a tired sigh.

"Are you going to leave me?" Le Chèvre repeated.

"No."

Le Chèvre let out a deep breath of relief.

"We are far from okay, however," El Topo continued, "You and I are going to be having some very long discussions about all of this. You really hurt me and everyone else, and it's going to take some time to recover from that."

"Where will we go?" Le Chèvre asked.

El Topo raised a brow. "What do you mean?"

"I was thrown out of the team, wasn't I? Don't I have to leave?"

El Topo shook his head. "No, everyone is going to allow you to stay, but on a trial basis. You have to earn back their trust, and this is not going to be an easy thing. We're going to rescue Mime Bomb and Player, and then hopefully we can finally begin to mend our family."

Le Chèvre wasn't entirely sure how he felt about this, and he hesitated. El Topo watched his expression carefully, and then gave him a nod.

"I know you don't want to be a part of Team Red," he acknowledged, "and so I told the others after we rescue Mime Bomb and Player, and take care of this Russian mission, we're going to separate from the team."

Le Chèvre looked up at him in complete shock.

"I'm tired of this life," El Topo admitted, "I think it would be nice to buy a little home somewhere with you and settle down. No more stealing, no more missions, and no more fighting. We'll just be two civilians living our best life."

Le Chèvre stared at him in awe, honestly not sure what to say.

"How does that sound, Jean Paul?" El Topo asked, watching the other man's expression carefully.

Le Chèvre gulped. "That sounds wonderful."

El Topo then offered him a sad sort of smile, and leaned over to hug him. Le Chèvre squeezed back tightly, unable to believe El Topo was going to stay by his side.

"You are much too good for me, mon amour," Le Chèvre whispered, "I love you so much."

"I love you too, Jean Paul, and we'll get through this."

"I'll do everything in my power to get Mime Bomb back," Le Chèvre vowed, "This is our last mission, and I swear to you I won't let you down!"

"I know you won't," El Topo replied, standing up, "Come back inside now, everyone wants to discuss a few things with you."

Le Chèvre grimaced. "This is going to be ugly, isn't it?"

El Topo nodded. "Definitely. I think Shadowsan has a very long lecture planned for you."

Le Chèvre sighed and stood up. "I deserve it."

"You do," El Topo agreed.

Le Chèvre reached out and linked his fingers with El Topo's and then headed for the hospital room door. They entered the room together, ready to face whatever came their way.

---

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

---

Siren stared up at the ceiling as he thought. He was reviewing the mental map he had made of the compound, and trying to come up with a plan. He could just walk out of the doors and leave, but it wouldn't take Vess very long to notice he was gone. They were extremely North, and even if he survived the cold walk to the nearby town, it was a V.I.L.E owned town where all the guards lived. They'd recognize him in an instant and tattle to V.I.L.E. He had no doubt he'd be immediately captured and then he'd have to face Vess' wrath. He'd likely lose any and all privileges he had, making it extremely difficult to plan anything. He would have to find another way to leave the lab.

Siren's mind went to Patient D.D., and he grimaced as he realized he didn't even know if she was still alive. She'd seemed so sick the last time he saw her, and he knew Vess wouldn't care if she died. Dozens upon dozens of children had been killed in this lab, and to Vess, D.D. was just another test subject. Siren thought of the girl's big brown eyes, and her sharp wit and felt guilty. Could he really leave her behind?

Siren's thoughts turned to Patient Y.V., the little boy he had saved all those years ago. He hadn't been able to save everyone, but he had saved Yuri. He hoped that boy was still out there in the world alive and happy. Siren and First-Kevin were going to release all the children, but when Kevin died, Siren was only able to save one. The fire had spread too quickly, and he had been too injured to make it in time. They had barely made it out alive, but Siren had felt so relieved when he was finally able to pass the boy to his uncle Dmitry.

Patient D.D. was a complete mystery to him, and he knew she would be a liability. The smartest thing to do would be to leave her behind. He didn't know if she still had family, and he didn't know how far he'd be able to carry her.

Siren thought of the little girl laying dead on a medical table and the image turned his stomach. He clenched his fists. No, he couldn't leave D.D. behind. He would take her, and he would get her to safety. He'd somehow make it work.

Siren's thoughts turned to Vess, and he immediately scowled. There was no hope for Vess. Vess was a black ooze that poisoned everything around him, including those he claimed to love. He remembered when Vess had met Michael five years ago. The boy had been just a stupid teenager that had a very obvious crush on the handsome doctor. Vess made it clear he wasn't interested, but Michael persisted. As the months passed, Siren saw drastic changes in Michael as he became more and more violent as he tried to impress Vess.

Vess had been complaining that he didn't have enough young test subjects, and Michael had decided this was his mission. The boy left the lab and was gone for two weeks. When Michael finally returned, he presented a baby to Vess to use as a test subject. Siren knew that baby was likely D.D.

This unexpected action had surprised Vess and he had looked at Michael like he was seeing him for the first time. Michael did everything and anything Vess asked him to, and he endured being hit around with little complaint. Vess had a temper, and Siren himself was slapped quite frequently if he annoyed the other man. Siren wasn't exactly sure when they began dating, but the constant bruises and stitches that covered Michael didn't escape his notice.

Michael began trying to act tough, and that's when he started bullying Siren. As much as Siren detested Michael, he knew he'd been poisoned by Vess. Michael was a victim, but one that was addicted to his toxic life. There was no saving Michael either.

Siren was still undecided whether Vess even cared about Michael. He was almost positive Vess was a sociopath, but he hid it well. He could smile and be charming if he wanted to be, and it hid the monster lying beneath. Vess' eyes were cold, and Siren knew that if Vess didn't need him, he would have been disposed of long ago. Vess was dangerously smart and difficult to trick, and Siren knew Vess would be his biggest obstacle in escaping. He needed to plan everything carefully.

Siren wished there was a way he could see the nearby town so he could map it out in his mind, but there was no way he'd be permitted to leave the building. Although he'd never actually been told that, he had a feeling Vess would never allow it.

Siren glanced beside him at Terry who was quietly working on a crossword puzzle. Terry had a wife and three sons in that town, and he couldn't risk Terry's life by asking him to take him. Terry was a guard, and was completely disposable in Vess' eyes. Siren didn't even have any idea what would happen to Terry's family if the man was executed. They knew too much.

No, Siren would have to think of another way to get to the town. Whoever went with him would get the full brunt of Vess' anger, and there was only one person he could think of that could survive such a thing.

"Kevin?"

Terry looked up from his crossword. "You're supposed to be sleeping," he scolded, "What do you need?"

"Can you let MJ know I want to speak with him?"

Terry's eyes widened, knowing how much Siren disliked Michael. "What?! Why?" he demanded.

"It's better if you don't know," Siren said evasively.

Terry stared at him long and hard trying to figure out what he was planning. "Be careful," he cautioned, "Whatever you're scheming, Vess is going to be watching you like a hawk."

"Just go get MJ," Siren ordered.

"Sorry, I can't leave you by yourself, but-"

Terry never got to finish because Siren was instantly in a rage as he threw a tissue box straight as his head. It bounced harmlessly off the helmet, followed by a pillow and then an empty cup. Terry could see Siren was going to work himself up into an absolute fit, and so he decided to end that before it could truly begin.

Terry then began yelling in a loud tone of voice. "Twas brillig, and the slithy toves. Did gyre and gimble in the wabe; all mimsy were the borogoves, and the mome raths outgrabe."

Siren paused, hand still in the air to throw something. He stared at Terry like he'd suddenly sprouted an extra head, his anger seeming to abate.

"There, now if I now have your attention, as I was saying, I can't leave you alone, BUT I can radio another guard to fetch MJ for you."

Siren lowered his arm. "...oh...okay."

Terry eyed him for a moment but Siren seemed back to his usual self, and so he pulled his walkie-talkie out of his pocket.

"Terry calling Paul, Terry Calling Paul."

There was a few seconds pause.

"Paul here, what do you need, Terry?"

"I was hoping you could do me a favour…" Terry replied.

"I'm broke right now," Paul quickly said, "Rent's due in a few days."

"No, no, no, not that kind of favour! I need you to find Michael Finnegan Junior and ask him to come to the infirmary. Siren wants to speak with him."

"Oh. Yeah I can do that."

"Thanks, Paul."

"No problem, Terry. I hope you survive the little demon!"

Siren scowled as Terry put away his walkie-talkie. "I don't like Paul."

"You don't like anyone," Terry pointed out.

Siren couldn't argue that and then sagged back into his pillows tiredly. Throwing that small tantrum had wiped him out, and he glanced around at the mess he'd made.

"Pass me back the box of tissues," Siren ordered.

"Please," Terry scolded.

Siren scowled at him.

"If you want me to do favours for you, you have to learn to ask nicely."

Siren crossed his arms stubbornly and looked away. "Nevermind, I don't want them anymore."

He then proceeded to wipe his nose on his sleeve instead.

Terry rolled his eyes, and resumed his seat beside the bed. Five minutes later Michael entered the infirmary looking a bit confused and somewhat wary. When his gaze fell on Siren, he looked him up and down slowly, taking in the sight of all the damage. He then glanced at Terry, not wanting to say anything in front of the guard.

"It's fine, Terry knows it wasn't Braxton who beat me up."

Terry stiffened in his seat, this being the first he heard of it. He knew Siren was now including him in on his scheming, but this still took him by surprise.

Michael shuffled over to the bed, looking a bit awkward. "Er...look, nerd, I didn't mean to hurt you that bad...I got a little carried away…"

"I don't care about that," Siren informed him.

Michael frowned in confusion. "You don't? Then why did you ask to see me?"

"You know how we had a truce in order to get rid of Braxton?"

Michael nodded. "Yeah."

"I was wondering if you would like to possibly extend that truce?"

Michael stared at him for a long moment and then let out a snort. "You wish, nerd."

Siren didn't seem bothered by this. "You said it yourself, MJ, there's no one even close to your age here, no one to hang around, no one to game with, no one to talk to. At least with me you don't have to worry about Numa putting a bullet in my head."

Michael wrinkled his nose as he stared at him. "Ew, are you asking to be my friend?"

Siren didn't answer.

Michael let out another snort and then ran a hand through his slicked-back hair, clearly dismissing the notion. "You're a pathetic little crybaby, and just the thought of being your friend makes me want to puke. I don't like you, and I certainly don't want to hang around you!"

Siren gave a shrug. "Whatever you say, MJ, it's up to you."

Terry stared at Siren in disbelief. The fact he was acting so nice was immediately suspicious and he wondered what the other man was planning. Michael stood there for a few moments in silence and then shifted a bit on his feet. He appeared to be thinking extremely hard, and seemed to be struggling with something internally. He looked positively furious, and then he averted his gaze away from Siren.

"...maybe I'll allow you to sometimes hang around me," he finally said.

"Okay," Siren replied in an easy tone of voice.

"But only if you do everything I say!"

Siren gave him a nod. "Alright," he agreed, "Come here for a second."

Michael narrowed his eyes. "Why?"

"I have something to tell you but I don't want the guard overhearing."

Michael glanced over at Terry and frowned at him. "Leave the room!" he ordered.

Terry immediately shook his head. "Sorry, I'm not allowed to leave the room until my shift ends. These were orders given to me by Dr. Vess."

Michael gave him a dirty look and then approached the bed. "What?" he demanded.

"Closer," Siren ordered.

Michael stepped up right beside him, and when Siren beckoned he leaned over so Siren could whisper in his ear. Terry couldn't hear what was being said, but Michael's eyes widened and he paled. He suddenly pulled away and stared at Siren in complete horror.

"Are you serious?!"

Siren nodded. "I saw it myself," he replied, "It's been happening for weeks."

Michael's expression crossed between anger and hurt, and without another word, he fled out of the lab. Siren watched him go and then smirked. He then lifted a com from his blankets and set it on his chest. Terry hadn't even seen him pickpocket Michael and he'd been watching the whole time.

"What did you say to him?" he asked.

"Not much, only that the Girl-Kevin in charge of making the coffee for the lab has been flirting with Vess for weeks. I told him there's a reason Vess has been drinking fourteen coffees a day. I told him I saw Vess smile at her."

Terry furrowed his brow. "I thought Dr. Vess was gay?"

"Oh, he is," Siren confirmed with a snort of amusement, "MJ's just incredibly stupid. Now he's going to be so busy trying to 'win' Vess back that he won't be paying any attention to what I'm doing."

"Won't he just ask Dr. Vess about it?"

"Once again, MJ is an idiot. He won't do that. He'll get passive aggressive, and likely be rude to the coffee girl, but he won't come right out and say what the problem is."

"Why do you want to be friends with him if you think he's a moron?"

"I definitely don't want to be friends with MJ, but being his friend will grant me more freedom and access to the compound than I would have had before."

Terry gave him a concerned look. "That seems dangerous…"

"Relax, I'm not going to tell him anything about what I'm planning," Siren informed him, "He's going to be completely oblivious."

Terry turned his attention to the com. "What are you going to do with that?" he asked.

Siren glanced down at the com in his lap, and then gave a shrug. "I can't use it to make calls since V.I.L.E monitors all coms, but I can at least play around with it a bit until MJ notices it's missing."

Terry didn't look happy about this, but he didn't comment, simply watching as Siren powered on the com.

"Oh!" Siren exclaimed in surprise, "This is Vess' com! Michael must have borrowed it for something. I'm going to be nosy and read his text messages."

Siren typed in Vess' password, and then scrolled through the messages fast, frowning as he saw quite a few messages between Vess and Dr. Bellum. He saw the plans for acquiring new test subjects, and also several messages about how someone named Carmen Sandiego had survived being shot by Vess. He said nothing at all as he read through every text stored on the com, and he scowled. Vess truly was an evil bastard.

"I'm going to download a few games on this thing," Siren commented, "Keep watch and let me know if anyone is coming."

Terry sighed. "Helping you play Angry Birds was not part of this arrangement."

Siren glared at him, and Terry could sense an impending tantrum coming, so he simply let out another sigh and stood to his feet.

"Fine, but you better not complain to me when Vess gets angry at you."

Siren didn't answer, his eyes already on the screen. Terry watched him for a moment and then approached the door so he could watch up the hallway. He had no idea what Siren was planning, but he just hoped he didn't end up getting them both killed.

---

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---

Vess had informed the faculty that Carmen Sandiego was alive, and Roundabout was doing his best to stay clear of the others until they calmed down. Brunt was furious that Carmen had survived, and she began smashing everything in sight. Bellum was still trying unsuccessfully to get a hold of Team Crackle, knowing they needed them now more than ever.

Roundabout however was suspicious over the fact Vess had been the one to deliver this news. How had the doctor found out this information? He only said he'd been informed by his 'sources' and didn't give any further details. Remembering what Dash had told him about Vess and Dr. Bellum, he knew he needed to research this further.

Dash had mentioned an operative by the name of Siren, but the problem with that was that there was no operative named Siren. Roundabout knew the names of each and every V.I.L.E operative and he'd never heard that codename before. Just to be sure, he'd run the name through the V.I.L.E database and nothing had come up.

Dash may have been mistaken over the codename, but something about this didn't sit right with Roundabout. Vess, Maelstrom and Bellum were up to something, and he wanted to find out what it was. As he sat there at his desk thinking about everything Dash had told him, he pulled his laptop over and logged into the old V.I.L.E servers. The servers had all been replaced five years ago, and all information was supposed to be transferred, but perhaps there was a mistake of some kind?

Roundabout typed in his password and once he had access to the server, he did a search on the word 'Siren'. He waited patiently as the server searched for the information, and he was mildly surprised when it came back with one result. There was a heavily blacked out document on his screen, that seemed to be some sort of report from Vess dated ten years prior. All mentions of who was being described was blacked out, but towards the center of the document, it appeared Vess had missed one mention of Siren. Roundabout stared at the sentence and his eyes widened. 'Siren is V.I.L.E's most valuable asset until the needed information can be extracted.'

Too many words were blacked out on the rest of the document to make sense of it, and Roundabout frowned. Why was this Siren operative so important? What information did he have? He felt like it was no coincidence that this document wasn't transferred to the new server.

Roundabout knew he needed answers. He would call Vess, and order him to tell him about Siren. That was the only thing he could think of. The rest of the faculty had to begin recognizing him sooner or later, and he was tired of being left out of the loop. Perhaps if the others realized he was on to them, they'd finally tell him about everything to avoid him interfering?

Pulling out his com, he dialed Vess' number and then waited. It rang several times, and when it was answered, it wasn't Vess who stared back at him. It was a young man covered in bruises, with long scraggly hair and the most bizarre eyes he'd ever seen. The man's eyes seemed to be two different colours, and they stared at each other in surprise.

"Um...hi?" the man greeted, looking rather uncertain.

Roundabout furrowed his brow. "Who are you?" he demanded.

The man stared at him for a few more seconds and then hung up on him. Roundabout called the com back, and once again the same young man answered.

"Why do you have Vess' com?" Roundabout asked.

The man hung up on him for a second time, looking a bit annoyed. Roundabout frowned at the rudeness, and then called back for a third time. This time when the young man answered, he let out an irritated huff.

"You're interrupting my game! What do you want?"

"Who are you, and why do you have Vess' com?" Roundabout repeated.

"I'm the lead scientist for V.I.L.E. My name is Siren and I'm authorized to use this com. Any other questions before I hang up on you again?"

"Don't hang up on me!" Roundabout ordered, "Do you have any idea who I am?"

"Nope."

Roundabout let out a sigh when he was hung up on yet again. He had found Siren, but clearly the man had no idea Roundabout was head faculty. He called the com back, and this time when Siren answered, he looked mad.

"Look, Vess isn't here right now. Call back later."

Roundabout could see Siren was about to hang up again, so he spoke up quickly. "I didn't call to speak with Vess, I called to speak with you."

A slight lie, but Siren didn't need to know that.

Siren froze, a completely bewildered expression on his face. "What? Me?!"

"I'm Roundabout, the newest member of the head faculty," Roundabout told him, "All records that pertain to you seem to have been destroyed and I'm just trying to get some answers."

Siren blinked at him. "I wasn't aware anyone even knew I existed," he admitted, "I thought I was Vess' dirty little secret."

"Are you an operative?" Roundabout asked.

Siren shook his head. "Technically, no. I was kidnapped two weeks before I graduated from the academy."

Roundabout's frown became even more pronounced. "Kidnapped? From V.I.L.E Island? Impossible!"

Siren rolled his eyes. "Tell that to Vess then. He stole me away in the dead of night and I've been trapped at this damn lab for the last ten years. Are you transferring me?"

Roundabout stared at him for a moment, and then asked, "What are the experiments Vess has been researching?"

Siren went quiet, and he gave him a suspicious look.

"I'm just trying to find out what's going on," Roundabout assured him.

"If you're head faculty, shouldn't you know this already?"

Roundabout nodded. "I should, but Vess and Dr. Bellum are keeping all of this secret and I want to know why."

"Probably because child experimentation tends to disgust most people," Siren replied.

Roundabout's concern grew. "So the rumours were true then. Vess really is killing children for his experiments."

"Look, Roundbert, I'm probably not even supposed to be talking to you right now."

"My codename is Roundabout."

Siren rolled his eyes again. "Whatever. Please tell me Vess is going to be in trouble for all this. That would be so satisfying."

Roundabout's gaze shifted away from his com and settled on the picture frame on his desk. He stared at his two children and felt a rage fill him. Roundabout had always loved children, and just the thought of torturing and killing them in a lab was enough to turn his stomach. He barely ever saw his children, but he cherished them. His family believed he was a businessman that constantly travelled, and he knew they missed him, but there wasn't much he could do about that. He sent plenty of money to his family, and his children attended the best private schools in England, and their college funds were enough for any Ivy League school, but he knew it wasn't enough. He did his best to attend holidays and birthdays with his family, but because of his line of work, it wasn't always possible.

"Siren, what is it you want to happen in this situation? You have my word I won't repeat anything we discuss."

Siren was instantly suspicious again. "This is a trap. Did Vess arrange this?" he demanded.

Roundabout shook his head. "I just want to completely understand the situation and your involvement with it."

"Trap," Siren repeated.

"It's not a trap," Roundabout insisted. "If children are being harmed by V.I.L.E then I want to know about it! There's a reason why V.I.L.E only allows people eighteen or older to join the academy. It's been a silent rule, that we don't hurt children."

"Trap."

Roundabout sighed and gazed at Siren who was staring at him with narrowed eyes. He supposed it did look rather suspicious for one of the head faculty to be asking questions like this, and so he understood Siren's hesitation.

"What happened to your face?" Roundabout asked, changing the subject, "You're covered in bruises!"

Siren raised a hand to his face and Roundabout could see the arm was badly bruised as well.

"My guard beat me," Siren replied.

"Your guard?"

Siren gave a slow nod. "I was assigned a guard to make me obey everything I was ordered to do. I wandered off from him and so he beat me until I lost consciousness."

Roundabout knew this was yet another thing that went against V.I.L.E's policies. Guards were always held at a lower level than operatives, doctors and scientists, and hitting their superiors would be a fireable offense. If Vess was correct and Siren was the most important asset V.I.L.E had then it was ludicrous to allow harm to come to him.

"Why did Vess say you were V.I.L.E's most important asset?" Roundabout asked.

Siren gave him another suspicious look and hesitated as he debated whether or not to answer.

"I'm the only one who knows how to complete Vess' experiments," he finally said, "He has no way to finish anything without me."

"And you haven't told him what he needs to know?"

Siren snorted. "Of course not. That information is the only reason I'm still alive."

"What would happen if Vess finds out what you know?"

Siren grimaced. "He would literally be able to take over all of V.I.L.E if he wanted to. Vess is the last person on this Earth who should ever be allowed to know this information."

"What is Vess trying to create?" Roundabout asked.

Siren shrugged. "The perfect operatives," he replied, "Heightened intelligence, heightened physical abilities, resistant to pain, no emotions, and unquestionably loyal."

Roundabout sucked in a sharp breath. Was such a thing even possible?!

"And he's using children to do this?!" Roundabout cried out, his calm demeanor cracking for a moment.

Siren cocked his head at him thoughtfully for a moment. "It has to be children," he informed him, "The growth hormones interact with the serums and get the desired result. Children heal better than adults and so all the body mutilations are more likely to heal correctly."

Roundabout felt his stomach twist. "He's creating child soldiers. Child soldiers who were tortured into nothing but mindless shells."

"That pretty much sums it up," Siren acknowledged.

A voice suddenly called from somewhere in the same room as Siren. "Vess is in the hallway chatting with a guard. He's going to be here any moment. Get off that call!"

Siren glanced off at the person off-screen and then turned back to Roundabout. "I have to go now."

"Siren, I would like to speak with you again about this," Roundabout requested.

"This isn't my com, and I'm not actually allowed to speak with anyone outside of this lab. Vess would never allow it."

"If I give you my phone number, could you call again when you have time for a more in-depth conversation?"

"Once again, I have no com, Roundbert," Siren pointed out, "I frankly don't trust you, and I'm not sure I want to talk to you again."

Roundabout knew that was a smart approach and let out a sigh. He couldn't blame Siren for being suspicious and knew it would take time to earn the other man's trust.

"If you want me to put a stop to this, you will find a com and call me back," Roundabout informed him.

Siren's eyes widened. "You want to stop Vess?!"

"I find this whole thing completely disgusting, and I want no part in murdering dozens of children."

Siren gave him a considering look. Was it possible Roundabout was actually telling the truth?

"Siren, now!" Terry snapped at him from across the room.

"I gotta go," Siren said, glancing over at Terry, "Vess is coming."

Roundabout quickly spouted off his phone number and Siren frowned at him.

"Please write that down!" Roundabout requested, "In case you change your mind."

"I don't need to," Siren answered, "I'll remember it."

Without another word, Siren hung up on him. Roundabout pinched the bridge of his nose, knowing this was going to be an absolute disaster. Could he trust Siren? He certainly didn't seem to hold any love for Vess, but was he loyal to V.I.L.E? There were too many unknowns in this situation, and Roundabout needed to do some research. V.I.L.E kept a massive storage room of physical paperwork that had been uploaded to the server, and so there was a possibility he would find information about Vess' experiments.

Roundabout sighed deeply and glanced back to the picture of his children. Their smiling faces lifted his heart a bit, and he thought of all the children that Vess was hurting.

Roundabout clenched his hands into fists. He would do everything in his power to shut that lab down.

---

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---

Plague Doctor stood in the center of the destruction staring around at the gore indifferently. There was so much blood on the floor that it was impossible to tell who it belonged to. One thing was certain however, the team that had fought them had won the fight and escaped. Matryoshka came up behind him and laid a hand on his shoulder. He glanced over at her, and then turned his attention back to the bloody warehouse.

[[Who do you suppose they were?]] Matryoshka questioned.

Plague Doctor shrugged.

[[They clearly weren't V.I.L.E since they killed the two experiments, but who else could they be? Is there a new syndicate we don't know about?]]

Once again Plague Doctor shrugged.

[[They're left no clues behind, and it's impossible to collect a DNA sample when there's dozens of bleeding bodies around.]]

Plague Doctor cocked his head as he stared around himself, but then he realized something. Removing the scythe from his belt, he held it out and Matryoshka could see the blades were stained with blood.

[[Is that someone from the mystery team?]] Matryoshka questioned.

Plague Doctor nodded.

[[Are you sure?]]

He nodded once again.

[[It's not much to go on, but perhaps there'll be a match if we test the dna. Maybe this will provide us a clue about who these people are.]]

Matryoshka turned away from the blood and gore, and began heading for the door. [[Brother, come on, don't linger here too long.]]

Plague Doctor gave one last look around and then turned to follow his sister out of the warehouse. They boarded the waiting helicopter and seconds later, they were headed for the airport.

Two days later…

Plague Doctor carefully stirred the liquid into the test tube, and watched as it changed colours.

He and Matryoshka were now safely back in their base, and things had been incredibly quiet. There was no news of this new team, and both Volkov and V.I.L.E had said nothing about it. Plague Doctor wasted no time taking the bloody scythe to be tested, and Matryoshka began seeing to replacing the men she had lost in the fight. Luckily they were just foot soldiers and of no real importance.

Plague doctor put the sample into the machine in front of him and then began typing on the keyboard. There were a few different dna samples on the scythe and now he had to separate them. He was able to extract Boris' dna first and he added it to his database and included his notes about the subject. He then extracted Vlad's dna and did the same thing. Both were deceased, but would be very useful in his research. Their bodies had been collected and were in his personal storage for the moment.

The mystery dna was all that remained, and Plague Doctor watched as his computer analysed it. He had collected a photo of Otterman from the security footage, and it was added to his profile as he waited for the machine to finish. He sat completely still at his desk, eyes on the screen as the computer tried to find any matches in their database.

The hours dragged by, and finally the computer dinged that it had a match. Plague Doctor clicked on the result and when he read what it said, he audibly gasped in shock. He stared and stared, and then looked at the picture of Otterman. Jumping up from his seat, he typed on his computer and the results printed out a few seconds later. Ripping the sheet from the printer, he ran out of the room as fast as he could.

He shoved everyone out of his way as he ran through the complex, and when he reached Matryoshka's office, he threw open the door without knocking. Matryoshka was in the middle of a meeting with potential clients and she paused at the sight of her brother in full costume and clearly out of breath.

[[I'm in the middle of a meeting!]] she scolded, [[How many times have I told you to knock?!]]

"Who is that man?!" one of the client's asked in disgust.

"That's just my brother," Matryoshka replied, "He's just a bit eccentric, don't pay him any mind."

Plague Doctor charged across the office and held out the piece of paper.

[[I'm in a meeting!]] Matryoshka snapped.

Plague Doctor held the paper directly in front of her face. Matryoshka blinked in surprise and then her eyes focused on the words on the page. She gasped and snatched the paper, reading the entire thing.

[[Are you sure?]] she demanded.

Plague Doctor nodded.

"What is the meaning of this?" one of the clients demanded, "This is extremely disrespectful! This is a 100 million dollar contract that you're jeopardizing!"

"Meeting's over," Matryoshka announced, not taking her eyes from the paper.

There was a murmur of confused and indignant chatter from the clients, and Matryoska turned a fierce look on them.

"The meeting is over!" she snapped, "Get out of my office!"

"The nerve!" one of the clients snapped, "I will be taking my business elsewhere!"

"LEAVE!" Matryoshka boomed, her tone going dangerous.

The clients all stared at her for a moment and they all quickly filed out of the room. The moment they were alone, she turned to Plague Doctor.

[[You're absolutely certain? No mistake?]]

Plague Doctor nodded.

Matryoshka stared at Otterman's picture for a long moment and then looked up. [[This changes everything.]]

---

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TBC

Next update will be in two weeks on June 30th