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?

45. Family

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Authornote:

WARNING
WARNING
WARNING
READ THIS WARNING

This chapter is incredibly dark in places and could be triggering for some people. Please read this carefully before choosing to proceed with the chapter. This chapter discusses extreme child abuse, sexual assault, murder, strangulation, and contains a scene which could bother those with claustrophobia. If you are bothered by any of these things and choose to read anyway, I don't want to hear any complaints. Proceed with caution.

There is one more chapter after this before there's a timeskip to December where the Christmas fic takes place. Even if you've already read the Christmas fic, it has been completely re-written to include things I had to leave out the first time due to spoilers. The Christmas fic will likely be four short chapters.

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The Broken Silence

Chapter 45

Family

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.

"Dammit, Neal!" Otterman snarled, "I swear if you touch that cashbox one more time, I'm going to bludgeon you with it!"

Neal smiled widely, and gave him an innocent look. "I put my receipts in the box just like you ordered us to," he pointed out, "What seems to be the problem?"

Otterman scowled at him and held up one of the receipts. "This money is for necessities only ! We can't afford this! Forty-three dollars for cheetos and beer? I want that money back!"

"It's been two months of frugal spending, love, give me a break."

Otterman adjusted his glasses and continued glaring at him. "I don't care what you have to do to get it, but I expect forty-three dollars back in this box by the end of the day! We still need to somehow pay for a new roof and I have no idea how we're going to do it!"

Neal let out a sigh and rolled his eyes. Otterman was perhaps the stingiest person he'd ever met, but he'd managed to keep them afloat so far by carefully controlling all spending. It was mostly Dash that had the fights with Otterman, the designer not liking the minuscule budget. Dash had expensive tastes, and he wanted the new base to be high class and fancy, but they simply couldn't afford it. The two men were always arguing, but it was always Otterman who won in the end.

"What if I get at least forty-three dollars worth of roofing materials instead?" Neal suggested.

"And how would you do that?" Otterman demanded, crossing his arms.

Neal grinned at him. "Does it matter?"

Otterman sighed. "I suppose not, as long as you don't get caught shoplifting. Fine, I either expect forty-three dollars in cash, or a hundred dollars worth of roofing supplies."

Neal simply shook his head, knowing the other man would do anything to save a few dollars.

"Alright, my stingy Swede, I'll see what I can do," Neal replied, turning to walk away.

Otterman had his little 'office' set up underneath the large oak tree since it was the only spot on the property that was always shaded. At first the others were a bit resentful over the fact he didn't have to do any physical work, but they quickly came to realize he had the worst job out of anyone. He was getting more and more stressed trying to stretch their very limited funds, and if it wasn't for the fact all of them shoplifted, they never would have been able to do it. He was constantly price-checking every item they needed, trying to find the best price for everything in town, and they were frequent shoppers at the goodwill and demolition store.

When Dash began approaching his 'office', Otterman heaved a sigh and closed the cashbox. Dash was clearly ready for a fight and he had his shoulders squared and expression set into a scowl as he held out his notebook towards Otterman. Otterman accepted the notebook, held it close so he could see it and looked over the design Dash had come up with.

"I need this approved," Dash informed him, "It's the design for the common room."

Otterman shook his head and handed the notebook back. "Denied," he stated, this being a word he used pretty much non-stop with the other man.

"Why?" Dash demanded angrily, "I've already reduced my design to the bare minimum! This is a completely reasonable price for that room!"

Otterman shook his head again. "Too expensive."

"It's essential!" Dash insisted, holding the notebook out towards him.

Otterman gave another quick glance to the design, gave a glance to his ledger and then shook his head. "No, it's not. Nothing about that design is essential."

Dash slammed the notebook down and looked angry enough to throttle him. "I hope you choke on that stupid ledger of yours!" he snapped.

Otterman rolled his eyes. "Have some water, Dash, you're looking overheated."

Dash glared at him but he did reach over and open the nearby cooler to grab a cold bottle of water. It was then that Paper Star pushed him out of her way so she could speak with Otterman.

"I need twenty dollars," she informed him.

Otterman reached into the cashbox, removed a twenty and handed it over without protest.

"Thanks," Paper Star responded, turning to walk away.

Dash was instantly outraged. "You didn't even ask her what it was for!"

"Paper Star doesn't waste money on three hundred dollar plastic beads," he answered, giving Dash a meaningful look.

Dash crossed his arms. "Those beads are designer and on sale! They would have made that common room!"

"Still way out of budget for one room," Otterman informed him, "Buy some beads at the dollar store if that's the design you want."

Dash sputtered indignantly and then stormed away without even dignifying that with a response. He took a seat underneath the avocado tree beside the house, and then opened his water. As he sipped at it while scowling in Otterman's direction, his com suddenly began to ring. Pulling the com out of his pocket, he expected it to be the faculty and was prepared to turn the phone off. The head faculty had been calling all of their coms pretty much non-stop for two months straight, but Crackle had forbade them from answering. Dash glanced down at the screen and was surprised to see it was Sterling Silver who was calling him. He hesitated a moment and then glanced over in Crackle's direction. The other man was busy building a bed frame and wasn't paying any attention. Dash accepted the call and a moment later, Sterling's face appeared on the screen.

"Dash?" Sterling exclaimed in surprise, looking at the other man in disbelief.

Dash was dressed like a construction worker, covered in what looked like mud and he wasn't wearing any makeup at all. Sterling simply stared at him in awe. Sterling's hair and makeup was as perfect as always, and Dash suddenly realized how he must look to him.

Dash self-consciously wiped a bit of dirt off his face and frowned at the other man. "I'm a bit busy, Sterling, what do you want?"

"I honestly wasn't expecting you to pick up," Sterling admitted sheepishly, "You wouldn't believe what's been happening since you left!"

"Oh?" Dash questioned, "Cleo have a fit?"

"Understatement of the century…" Sterling replied, "When she found out you had faked your facial injury, she went absolutely ballistic. She ripped apart all of the clothes you had designed, and lit your bedroom on fire. It was a bit bad considering my room was beside yours and I woke up to my room on fire."

"Did you make it out safely?" Dash asked in concern.

Sterling nodded. "I just grabbed my violin and ran for it. That entire tower is gone now. I've been staying with the assistants on the lower floor for now, and Cleo was furious that I had lost everything in the fire. She blamed me of course, but seeing her flustered expression when I reported to work in my pajamas was worth it. She had to buy me a whole new wardrobe and I swear it nearly killed her to do it."

Dash let out a snort of amusement. "How did Cleo find out I faked the injury?"

"The faculty all saw your fight with the Cleaners and The Void!" Sterling informed him, "I saw it with Cleo and you were absolutely amazing! I never knew you could fight like that! Cleo's been obsessively replaying it over and over every time she gets drunk."

Dash's eyes widened as he realized there must have been cameras in the warehouse. So much had been going on at the time that he hadn't even noticed.

"I suppose Cleo wants me dead?" Dash guessed.

At this, Sterling laughed. "No, the faculty desperately want you guys back. They never knew how well your team could fight, and they realized how stupid they were by driving you away. They've been doing everything they can to find you, but they haven't had any luck yet."

Dash's eyes widened. "They want us back?!"

Sterling nodded.

"After we killed the Cleaners and betrayed them?!"

Sterling nodded a second time.

"The head faculty have been calling all of our coms, but we just ignore the calls," Dash admitted, "We're not going to be returning to V.I.L.E."

Sterling gave a shrug. "I don't blame you," he commented, "This whole place is bloody rubbish."

"Why are you still there?" Dash questioned, "You're not an operative and you could have quit at any time."

"Well, to be honest, after you left, Cleo became a lot more tolerable to be around. I think she was scared I'd leave too, and so she stopped being so horrible to me. I mean, she's still a bint but at least she doesn't try to make me cry anymore."

"Really?" Dash asked in surprise, "That's very unlike her…"

Sterling grinned. "You were her favourite, and the fact you were willing to fake a facial injury just to get away from her hit her hard. She was under the impression everyone loved her, and I think reality was a shock to her. I actually get most evenings off now, and she hasn't made any comments about my violin."

"If you ever need help disappearing, just let me know," Dash told him, "I don't trust Cleo's new 'kindness' in the least."

"Neither do I, but it's nice for now at least," Sterling answered, "She's certain you'll return one day, and she has one hell of rant prepared for you! She's been practicing the lecture for like two months now, and it's pretty awful."

Dash rolled his eyes. "I won't be returning to V.I.L.E," he replied, "And I'll certainly never willingly speak with her again."

"Is your team ever going to accept one of the faculty's calls?" Sterling asked, "I think they're starting to get pretty desperate."

Dash gave a shrug.

"Everyone, get back to work, breaktime is over!" Crackle called over when he noticed no one was doing anything.

Dash sighed.

"Who's that?" Sterling demanded.

"That's just Graham," Dash responded, turning the com so the other man could see Crackle.

"Oh, he's cute!" Sterling commented, "He sort of has that rugged mountain boy thing going on!"

"Don't waste your breath, he's straight," Dash responded.

"You sure?" Sterling asked with a wink.

Dash rolled his eyes. "One hundred percent certain," he answered, "He kisses like an uncomfortable teen after a bad breakup."

"Ouch," Sterling responded with a laugh.

"Wait, when did you kiss Graham?!" Neal demanded, leaning around from behind the tree.

Dash let out a startled screech and swung out at Neal on reflex. Neal winced at the slap, but he still looked at Dash expectantly.

"You kissed Graham?"

"What the hell were you doing lurking behind me?!" Dash snarled, "Were you eavesdropping on my conversation?!"

"I was here first, love," Neal informed him, "you're the one who sat near me !"

Dash flushed as he realized Neal had overheard everything. Sterling stared at Neal in complete disgust, looking him up and down in morbid fascination.

"Ew, what is that ?" he demanded.

"That's Neal the Eel," Dash answered, "He's just a greasy pest, and don't pay him any attention."

"Harsh, love," Neal responded, "Are you even supposed to be chatting with people from V.I.L.E?"

Dash gave him a deer in headlights look, and Neal gave him a cocky grin.

"Graham is going to be pissed at you, fancy, you'd better end that call before he notices."

"Notice what?" Graham asked from right in front of them.

They looked up and saw the Aussie standing over them, arms crossed and eyes narrowed.

"Bye," Sterling said, disconnecting the call.

Crackle stared at Dash long and hard for a moment, and then held his hand out for the com. Dash reluctantly passed it over and Graham looked at the call history and saw the name Sterling Silver.

"You were speaking with Countess Cleo's executive assistant?" he demanded, tone icy.

Dash simply nodded, having no excuse for disobeying Crackle's orders.

"You took the call despite me saying over and over and over none of us are to have any contact with V.I.L.E?"

Dash averted his gaze. "Sterling is a friend, he's not part of Cleo's schemes."

Crackle took a deep breath and was clearly trying hard not to get angry. "You will tell me everything he said," he ordered, "What has been happening at V.I.L.E?"

Dash was rather embarrassed, but he explained what Sterling had told him. Crackle listened patiently and made no move to interrupt. When Dash had told him everything, Crackle crossed his arms as he debated on what to do. Dash was tense and wondered if this was serious enough to warrant a shock from the crackle rod. Crackle rarely used it anymore, but the threat was still one he didn't want to test.

Although Crackle gave a thoughtful look to Dash, he still seemed somewhat annoyed. He'd assumed V.I.L.E wanted them all dead, but if Sterling was to be believed, then V.I.L.E were actually trying to get them back. That was never going to happen, but it was still intriguing to him. How could they ever expect them to willingly return to them after they tried to have them all killed?

Crackle handed Dash his com back and then turned away. "Break-Times over," he announced, "We need to finish the drywall today."

"That's it?" Dash asked in surprise, "You're not mad at me?"

"No more unauthorized calls. Now back to work," Crackle ordered, "The base is almost done, and we can't be slacking off now."

Crackle walked away, and the others stared after him in disbelief. Dash exchanged a look with Neal who simply shrugged and reached a hand down to help him to his feet. Dash accepted the hand up and they headed back for the base, having a feeling Crackle wasn't going to let this go. Now that the frames were completed, it was fast work putting up the drywall and insulation in each room. The twins would hold the drywall in place, and then Crackle and Moose Boy would screw it in. Neal and Dash were crack-filling the walls right after them, and in no time at all, the entire base had walls.

As they took a breather before they started their next project, Dash glanced around just noticing someone was missing.

"Where's Paper Star?" Dash demanded, "This was supposed to be her job today! I was supposed to be on windows!"

"She's on an errand," Crackle replied distractedly.

"What kind of errand?" Dash asked, crossing his arms.

"A personal errand," Crackle responded, "Let it drop."

Dash sighed and glanced down at the toolbox. "I'm going to start sealing the windows," he commented, kneeling down to dig through the tools.

"Good idea," Crackle praised, "I'm going to start removing shingles from the roof."

"Make sure to tie yourself off in case you fall," Theodore cautioned, "I once saw a guy fall off a roof and land on the road. It wasn't a pretty sight."

"I'll be careful," Crackle promised.

Dash frowned when he didn't find what he was looking for. "Who has the caulk?" he demanded.

"Neal does, I think," Roosevelt responded.

"Neal?" Dash yelled out of the room, "I need caulk!"

"Right now?!" Neal called back teasingly from down the hall, "In front of everyone?"

"Yes, I need it now !" Dash snapped, "Give me the caulk!"

Neal poked his head in the room and gave him an enormous grin. "I bet you do need the caulk, Dashie. Maybe you'd be less bitchy then."

Dash then realized how caulk had the same pronunciation as another word and he flushed. "Oh shut up! Do you have it or not?"

Neal tossed a tube over to him and Dash caught it, still glaring at the other man. Neal simply laughed and disappeared out of the room, and Dash shook his head in exasperation.

As Crackle gathered up a few supplies to begin work on the roof, his com suddenly began to ring. Setting down his toolbox, he pulled his com out of his pocket and glanced down at the screen. Doctor Bellum was calling him. He'd ignored hundreds of calls from the faculty over the last couple months, but now he found he was curious as to what she had to say.

Debating for a moment, he accepted the call. When Doctor Bellum's face appeared on his screen, she seemed surprised that he picked up, but she quickly pushed her surprise aside and leaned in towards the camera eagerly.

"Crackle my dear boy!" she greeted.

The rest of the team stopped what they were doing and glanced over towards the com in shock. Crackle gave her an unimpressed look.

"Alright, you have my attention," he informed her, "What do you want?"

Doctor Bellum pushed up her goggles and gave him a serious look. "We at V.I.L.E have made a terrible mistake," she responded.

"Oh?" Crackle questioned with disinterest.

"It appears...perhaps we were a bit too...hasty in discounting your team," Doctor Bellum began, "You were loyal to us, and we betrayed your trust."

Crackle was tempted to just hang up, but he resisted out of curiosity.

"I'm not going to ask you to re-join V.I.L.E because you'd be a fool to ever accept that, and I know you're not stupid."

Crackle wasn't expecting this and he furrowed his brow. "I'm listening."

"The faculty has discussed your team at great length, and after seeing your fight with The Void and The Cleaners, we were rather impressed. There has never been a team like yours in V.I.L.E and I doubt it would be something we could ever replicate. At least not to the level your team operates at."

"What's your point?" Crackle demanded rudely.

"I'm not going to ask you to return, but I have a compromise…"

Crackle narrowed his eyes, immediately suspicious. "A compromise?"

"V.I.L.E doesn't normally do this, but we would like to hire your team on a mission to mission basis."

Crackle rolled his eyes. "Not interested."

"Wait! Don't hang up!" Doctor Bellum said quickly, "Just listen for a moment."

"Alright," Crackle informed her, clearly not very impressed.

"The jobs we would hire you for would be special cases where it might be too difficult for regular operatives to complete. This could mean accessing somewhere secure, or it could mean a mission that is extremely time sensitive. You would be paid extremely well, and it would be up to you whether or not to accept missions. You would be sent information packets to look over, and from there you could decide whether or not to accept the mission."

"Why would we ever agree to this?" Crackle demanded.

"This gives you all the freedom of being your own team, but the security of guaranteed jobs. You will never be without a steady stream of income."

"This is obviously just a trap to find our location," Crackle said, rolling his eyes, "I'm never going to work with you. As far as I'm concerned, V.I.L.E can burn to the ground."

"All I ask is that you think it over," Bellum requested, "There's a mission for October 15th at the Orlando university. We will pay your team fifty thousand dollars in cash just for accepting the mission, and then another fifty if you complete it. We will pay you in cash and we will never ask for your location."

A hundred thousand dollars would pay for the rest of the renovations and Crackle hesitated, seriously tempted. Bellum could see the thoughtful look in his eyes and she realized it was money he was after.

"We will always pay you, even if you fail the mission," she assured him, "Just put some thought into it and I can answer any questions you have."

"Why would you want this sort of arrangement?" Crackle demanded, "You have no reason to believe we would ever trust you again."

"V.I.L.E has many enemies and we don't want your team against us as well. We would prefer to remain indifferent to one another and not get involved in the other's business. V.I.L.E just wants the occasional mission."

Crackle glanced over at the rest of his team who were shamelessly eavesdropping. "I'll think about it and call you back when I've made my decision," he informed her.

He then disconnected the call and set his com aside.

"Are we really considering this?" Dash demanded.

"Accepting jobs from some of the big criminal empires might not be a bad idea," Crackle responded, "We wouldn't just have to take missions from V.I.L.E, but we could do a few from the other Big V's as well."

"Why do all the big criminal empires have 'V' names?" Neal asked.

"From what I once overheard Bellum talking about, all the 'V' empires used to be part of the same group, but they all split and became their own groups."

"I don't like this, Graham," Dash commented.

"We need to have a team meeting and discuss this," Crackle informed them, "Let's go grab Sven and then wait for Paper Star to get back. The roof can wait another day."

"This meeting won't take too long will it?" Moose Boy asked worriedly, "I have a special date-night planned for Sven tonight. I'm going to surprise him."

"Once we're all together, it shouldn't take us too long to discuss it. I want everyone to have a voice in this meeting, and I want to make sure everyone is on the same page about this."

Moose Boy nodded, his expression still looking a bit troubled. "Alright…"

Crackle returned the nod. "Let's go collect Sven and let him know what's happening."

The twins seemed incredibly confused over the whole thing and they exchanged a look with one another. Roosevelt gave a shrug which Theodore returned and then they followed the rest of the team outside.

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Plague Doctor had never hated any place more than he hated San Diego. They had been there for over a month and there was still no sign of Team Crackle. Every single day, their henchmen patrolled the city, but they never found any sign of Otterman. The search for Team Crackle's van had been a dead end, and as suspected the registration was fake.

The henchmen had concentrated on the downtown area first, but when that proved fruitless, they began searching the suburbs and outskirts of the city. San Diego was a massive city and the searches were long and hard. It was like Team Crackle had simply disappeared and Matryoshka was beginning to wonder if they had left San Diego.

Plague Doctor didn't like sitting idly by, and despite his sister's orders, he too searched every single day. He hated every minute of it, and he felt exposed dressed like a civilian, but there was nothing he could do about that. The only highlight of each day was the fact he would try a new taco truck while he was out. He had no idea how many different food trucks there were in San Diego, but after an entire month, he hadn't even visited half of them.

Matryoshka spent her days relaxing at the resort or at the beach like she was on vacation and she was enjoying every minute of it. She'd go to fancy spas and get massages, and Plague Doctor would come back sunburnt and exhausted. No matter what she said to him, he ignored her and kept searching every single day. Finally his sunburn was so bad that Matryoshka had to help him treat it, and she forced him to remove his shirt so she could inspect it.

Plague Doctor let out a hiss of pain and glanced over his shoulder at Matryoshka who was pouring aloe vera over the worst of the blisters on his back.

[[You're not going out tomorrow,]] she informed him firmly, [[You're going to end up getting sick if you keep this up.]]

Plague Doctor silently shook his head.

[[Look at how bad these burns are! You are not leaving this resort!]]

Plague Doctor once again shook his head.

Matryoshka scowled at his stubbornness, and she slapped a hand directly on his back across the blisters as hard as she could. Plague Doctor let out a startled yelp, and immediately shot her a withering glare.

[[Your skin isn't even beginning to tan, you're just burning over and over again,]] she pointed out, [[Enough with this nonsense. Either stop searching, or switch to going out after dark. I'm not going to allow you to keep doing this.]]

Plague Doctor pulled away from her and reached for his shirt. He winced as he tried to get it back on and Matryoshka simply watched him, not offering to help. When he realized his arms and back were too sunburnt to get it on, he let out a resigned sigh. He stood where he was, still holding the shirt and a moment later, Matryoshka gently took it from him.

[[Go to bed, Dmitry,]] she suggested, [[Sleep through the heat of the day, and then try relaxing for a while. Sven will eventually be found, and then we can take action. For now there's nothing we can do.]]

Plague Doctor's shoulders sagged in defeat, knowing she was right. He hated waiting around and wished they had stayed at their base until Otterman was found. He preferred being busy, and he found this whole trip unbearable. As silent as always, he left Matryoshka's room and headed for his own. Raising a hand to his overheated face, he winced in pain and then flopped facedown on his bed. Every inch of his body ached uncomfortably and he simply laid there staring at the wall as the A.C blew at him. If they didn't find Otterman soon, he was going to leave the United States and return to their base in Ukraine. At least it was cooler there.

Closing his eyes, he took a deep breath and allowed himself to drift into an uneasy sleep. He dreamt of his brother Alexei, and the fight that had taken his life. They had been ambushed by V.I.L.E and every member of their team had been shot before they even had a chance to defend themselves. One moment they were walking through a small village, and then next gunfire seemed to explode from every direction at once.

Alexei was fast to react, and he ran for his little brother to protect him. Alexei had dove on top of him the second he heard the gunfire, and it was only because of this that Plague Doctor survived. Alexei had knocked him down to the ground just as a wave of bullets rained down at them. Plague Doctor felt the bite of a bullet as it pierced his chest and he instinctively looked to his brother as they fell. It was then that blood seemed to explode into his face, and just like that Alexei was dead.

Alexei had been shot through the head, and Plague Doctor had been drenched in blood and brain matter, his brother's lifeless eyes still staring into his own. The blood felt hot against his skin, and Plague Doctor couldn't move. He had completely frozen in terror, and within seconds, everyone was dead on the ground. There was then a silence that was so deafening, it had been unbearable.

V.I.L.E appeared out of the trees, and as they searched the bodies, they thought Plague Doctor was dead. The V.I.L.E foot soldiers then began dragging the bodies into a mass grave that had already been dug. V.I.L.E had been expecting them.

Plague Doctor was thrown carelessly into the grave and he still couldn't move. He had simply laid there at the bottom of the grave as corpse after corpse was tossed on top of him. Plague Doctor stared straight up out of the hole as the man in charge glanced down at the pile of bodies.

"Is that all of them?" Doctor Vesalius demanded, his expression completely indifferent.

"Yes, Sir," a guard responded, "The Volkov resistance has been annihilated."

"Good, I'm sick of these pathetic attacks on my lab," Vess responded, "Perhaps this will finally send them a message they can't ignore. Those two right there are Alexei and Dmitry Volkov. All Volkov heirs are dead now, and that means Volkov is finally dead."

"Er...what about that little pretty-boy that keeps trying to get your attention?" the guard asked, "Isn't he a Volkov?"

Vess let out a dismissive snort. "Michael is too stupid to ever be a threat to me. I'm planning on having him killed once Volkov realizes what has happened. I want Mikhael Volkov to see me kill his only grandson right in front of him. This lab is mine and they will never take it from me."

"Michael left on a mission this morning," the guard informed him.

"What?" Vess hissed out, "Why was I not informed of this?"

"He's coming back in two days," the guard quickly assured him, "He's on some sort of personal mission to 'prove his worth' to you."

Vess let out a snort. "Like that moron could ever do anything to impress me. As soon as he returns, bring him to me."

"Yes, Sir."

The guard then glanced down into the pit. "Should we burn the bodies?"

Vess glanced down and considered it. "No, that's a waste of fuel. Just fill in the hole, and leave them to rot."

Plague Doctor still felt completely paralyzed and he simply watched as shovelful after shovelful of dirt rained down on him. The bodies were buried in loose dirt and Plague Doctor laid in darkness, barely able to breathe and feeling completely numb. When he couldn't breathe anymore, he slowly began to shift his body trying to move in the suffocating darkness. His fingers clawed at the cold earth and he could feel bodies all around him as he struggled and fought to get free. Clawing upwards, he felt his nails break and his fingers were in agony but he didn't stop fighting to escape this pit of death. He felt one of his hands burst into fresh air and as he sucked in a deep and gasping breath. His other hand clawed out through the dirt and he began fighting his way up. The light above seemed to make everything hazy as he looked up, and he dug and struggled as if in a trance.

Plague Doctor crawled his way out of the grave, gasping and his whole body was bruised and bleeding. He wiped the dirt and blood from his eyes and laid beside the pit of death, shaking and feeling completely numb. His gaze then fell on the guard who had buried them.

The guard was standing with his back to him, next to a jeep while smoking a cigarette and chatting on his com. Plague Doctor stared at him for a long moment and then slowly struggled to his feet. He silently limped his way towards the man, feeling nothing except a burning hatred. The guard had no idea he was in any sort of danger and he laughed at something the person on the com said, still not turning around.

Just as he reached the man, Plague Doctor stumbled a bit, sending loose stones skidding forward. The guard glanced over his shoulder and then let out a shriek at the sight of Plague Doctor. Plague Doctor launched himself at the man and wrapped his hands around the man's throat and squeezed as hard as he could. They both crashed to the ground and the guard thrashed and hit Plague Doctor as hard as he could, but Plague Doctor's grip could not be broken. Plague Doctor couldn't even feel the attack on his ribs and stomach, all of his attention on choking the life out of the other man.

The guard's attacks became weaker and weaker as his face began turning blue and Plague Doctor stared straight into his eyes, a manic and desperate look in his own eyes. The guard's mouth gaped like a fish out of water, and then his eyes rolled back as he lost consciousness. Plague Doctor sat there with his hands around the throat until he felt the last bit of life leave the man.

Plague Doctor then continued sitting there for a long time, feeling absolutely nothing. He felt like all life and emotions had been sucked out of him and there was nothing left inside him except for an empty void. An empty void that was calling him towards death. He had escaped the void, but now he still teetered on the edge of it, feeling like it was calling him back.

Ignoring the call of the void, he slowly stood up and then approached the jeep. The blood and death filled his mind as he turned on the ignition, and as he drove away, he knew he would get his revenge on V.I.L.E. He would kill them all. He would send them all to the void.

Plague Doctor woke with a start and jerked up as if he was expecting V.I.L.E to be in the room with him. Taking a deep breath to calm his racing heart, he wiped the sweat from his brow and glanced towards the window. It was dark out and he'd slept for the entire day. Glancing beside the bed, he saw a tray of food had been left for him but he ignored it, his stomach queasy from his dream. Rubbing his eyes, and got to his feet just wanting to distract himself. Grabbing a shirt, he discovered he wasn't as stiff and sore as he was earlier and slipped it on.

He then headed for the door, just wanting to be by himself for a while. Glad that it was now a lot cooler out, he chose a random direction and simply began walking. He headed for the Pacific Beach which was over an hour's walk away, but he didn't care. He had no idea what time it was, but it must have been pretty late since there didn't seem to be too many people around.

When Plague Doctor reached the beach, he took a seat on the sand and stared out towards the ocean which looked like an endless black void. It made him feel uneasy to stare at it and without really thinking about it, he kicked off his shoes and began walking towards it. The sand was soft and cool under his feet and as he headed for the water, he stepped over a crab as it scuttled to get away from him. He could hear odd noises coming from further up the beach and when he glanced over, he saw fat shapes laying all across the sand. Having no idea what those animals were, he decided to give them a wide berth and continued heading towards the water.

The water was cold as he stepped into it and he stared out at the black nothing that seemed to stretch on forever in front of him. He slowly continued wading out, feeling like the nothing was somehow calling to him. When he was up to his hips in the water, he relaxed and closed his eyes simply listening to the sounds of the ocean.

"Keep your eyes closed!" came a voice from somewhere nearby.

Plague Doctor quickly turned to look and saw two men making their way onto the beach nearby.

"Okay, okay," the other man responded in amusement, "But you better not let me trip over anything."

"Of course not!" the other man responded, just as the man with his eyes closed tripped over a piece of driftwood.

The man quickly caught his partner.

"Oh, er, watch your step…"

"Yeah, thanks, Henrik," the man replied dryly.

"Okay, now we're almost there! No peeking!"

"I'm almost blind anyway, Henrik, why do I have to close my eyes?"

The larger man scoffed. "Because it's a surprise."

"Why do I hear water? Are we at the beach?"

"Stop guessing!" the large man scolded.

Plague Doctor watched as the large man led the smaller man towards the lumpy animals on the beach who began making grunting noises as the humans approached.

"What is that?!" the smaller man demanded.

"You can open your eyes!"

There was a pause and then the smaller man took a step closer to the animals. "Seals?" he asked in confusion.

"No, they're otters!" Henrik announced happily, "I found you otters!"

"...those are seals."

"Well, seals and otters are the same thing, aren't they?"

"They really aren't, Henrik."

"...oh," the large man sounded incredibly disappointed and the smaller man was quick to take his partner by the hand.

"I like seals too," he assured him, "They're very...round."

"I knew you would love it!" Henrik crowed out, startling a couple seals into the water.

Plague Doctor rolled his eyes and turned his attention back to the water. He couldn't swim and he was honestly a little bit afraid of water, but wading here seemed to be what he needed. The nightmares weren't as frequent as they used to be, but they still left him in a major funk for days afterwards. He kept all of this to himself and he knew his sister believed he'd gotten past the nightmares. He didn't want her worrying and fussing over him, and so he normally dealt with it on his own.

The two men chattering nearby were starting to annoy him and so he began walking away from them, heading further down the beach for some privacy. As he waded along, he felt something smooth and rubbery underneath his foot and then there was an agonizing stabbing sensation in his calf. Letting out a sharp cry of surprise and pain, he stumbled and fell, the pain feeling just like a knife wound. As he flailed in the water trying to find his footing, he suddenly felt strong arms pluck him out of the water and he looked up into the face of Moose Boy.

Plague Doctor froze in surprise as he stared up at Moose Boy, and a moment later he was set down on the beach.

"What happened?" Moose Boy asked him, "Were you drowning?"

Plague Doctor simply stared up at the large man, surprised Moose Boy didn't recognize him.

"Sven, his leg is bleeding bad!"

Plague Doctor slowly turned his head and stared at Otterman who was kneeling down beside him.

"Don't move!" Otterman ordered, looking closely at the bleeding leg, "There's something stuck in your leg."

"Did he get bitten by a shark?" Moose Boy demanded.

"It's a stingray barb," Otterman replied, adjusting his glasses as he stared at the wound, "You must have stepped on a stingray when you were wading."

Plague Doctor simply continued staring at Otterman, not quite sure what to do. Reaching into his front pocket, he pulled out his com which was now completely waterlogged. Shaking some of the water off it, he powered it on, glad that it still seemed to work. Just as he sent a text to Matryoshka with his location, Otterman yanked the barb out of his leg and he let out an agonized yelp.

"Sorry," Otterman apologized, "It would only make the pain worse the longer it stayed in there. The wound isn't too big and I'll bandage it for you. You might want to take a few tylenol or something once you get home."

Plague Doctor watched as Otterman removed a medkit from the nearby car and then jogged back to him. Wincing in pain as Otterman wrapped the leg, it seemed to occur to the other men that he hadn't said a single word yet.

"Are you alright?" Otterman asked him, expression concerned, "Should we call you an ambulance?"

Plague Doctor said nothing. He stared into Otterman's eyes and it was like his brother Maxim was staring right back at him. Otterman had the same blue eyes and light brown hair that his brother had, and it made him feel a little uneasy. Although the DNA tests had shown Otterman to be his nephew, he'd still been a little skeptical until this very moment. He could see Maxim in the other man, and he no longer had any doubts at all. Otterman was a Volkov.

Otterman's mannerisms were nothing at all like Maxim's. Plague Doctor could see the gentle concern in Otterman's eyes, and the man was clearly doing his best not to hurt him. He may look like Maxim, but Otterman was certainly nothing like him. Maxim never would have helped a random stranger on the beach, he would have just ignored it.

Otterman's brow furrowed when he got no response. "Are you alright?" he asked again.

Plague Doctor still didn't answer.

Moose Boy frowned and looked down at Plague Doctor. He stared at his face for a long moment, feeling like there was something vaguely familiar about him.

"Why isn't he saying anything?" he asked in confusion.

"Maybe he doesn't speak English?" Otterman suggested, glancing back to Plague Doctor, " Parles français ?"

There was no response.

"¿ Hablas español ?"

Still no response.

" Sprichst du Deutsch ?"

Plague Doctor still remained silent, simply staring.

"Er... pratar du svenska ?"

Plague Doctor cocked his head but didn't respond.

Otterman shrugged, not sure what else to do. Moose Boy narrowed his eyes at Plague Doctor, getting a very bad feeling about the other man. When he stared at him, he felt the instinctive need to protect Otterman, and he began very subtly putting himself between them.

"Come on, Sven, it's getting late and we should go home…" Moose Boy said, gently pulling his partner away.

"Henrik, we can't just leave him like this!"

Moose Boy glanced back to Plague Doctor and felt something feral within him and he pulled Otterman in close.

"We need to go," Moose Boy said firmly, pulling the other man with him towards the car.

"What's gotten into you?" Otterman demanded, pulling away.

Moose Boy continued staring at Plague Doctor who hadn't once looked away from Otterman. [[I don't know,]] he responded, switching over to Swedish, [[Something's not right with that guy. Does he look familiar to you?]]

Otterman glanced over to Plague Doctor and squinted. [[No.]]

Moose Boy's skin was crawling and he knew Plague Doctor from somewhere , but he just couldn't place the face. Once again he began backing away towards the car, pulling Otterman with him.

A strange purple car suddenly pulled into the parking lot, followed by another, and then by another. They were now blocked from reaching their car.

Moose Boy pushed Otterman behind him and then raised his fists, ready to fight.

"What's going on?" Otterman demanded, squinting in the direction of the cars, "Who is it? V.I.L.E?"

"I don't know," Moose Boy answered, "Stay behind me."

The car doors all opened and within seconds they were completely surrounded. Matryoshka got out of the car and her gaze went to Otterman, and there was obvious relief in her eyes. Her gaze then went to her brother who was still sitting on the beach, bloody bandages around his leg.

"Restrain the big one!" she ordered the men, immediately rushing to check on Plague Doctor.

Moose Boy stared at the woman and he suddenly recognized her. Eyes wide, then looked at Plague Doctor, now recognizing him as well. Letting out a roar of outrage, he charged forward, ready to defend Otterman at all costs.

"Henrik?!" Otterman called after him in a panic.

"Run, Sven!" Moose Boy ordered, "Run!"

Otterman would never leave Moose Boy behind and he stared at the blurry men that surrounded them on all sides, knowing he wasn't going to be much help. Matryoshka ran across the sand to Plague Doctor and dropped down to her knees beside him, her hands immediately reaching for the bloody bandages. Plague Doctor caught her hands and gave a slow shake of the head and pointed back towards Otterman.

"You're hurt!" she protested, "What happened?"

Plague Doctor shook his head again and jabbed a finger more urgently towards Otterman who was watching the fight in front of him with wide eyes.

"You're sure you're alright?" Matryoshka demanded.

Plague Doctor nodded and gave her a not so subtle shove towards Otterman. Matryoshka trusted him and gave a nod, turning back towards the fight.

Moose Boy was fighting with every bit of strength he had, but his opponents were all highly trained in hand to hand combat. They hadn't been ordered to go for the kill, so they were trying to get a hold of the bigger man to restrain him. When they finally got him by the arms, they pulled him to the ground and then the entire group pinned him to the ground. Moose Boy bellowed and struggled in rage but he couldn't move.

Otterman saw Moose Boy was in danger and he changed forward and he hit the first man he came to as hard as he could. The man lost his grip on Moose Boy for just a moment and Otterman jumped on another man's back, trying to get him to let go. Gripping the man in a headlock, he held on as tightly as he could as the man tried to dislodge him.

Otterman was suddenly yanked off the man by the back of his shirt and he turned and swung out a fist on instinct. Matryoshka caught his fist and then pulled him a few steps away from where Moose Boy was being restrained. Otterman swung at her again and again, but she easily blocked all of his attacks.

"Sven, that is enough ," she informed him.

Otterman paused, fist still in the air, not realizing he'd just been fighting a woman.

"I just want to talk to you," Matryoshka promised, "Neither of you will be hurt."

Otterman turned desperate eyes to Moose Boy who was still screaming and struggling in pure rage.

"Let Henrik go!" Otterman ordered angrily, "Who are you?"

"Don't you recognize me?" Matryoshka asked in surprise, backing several feet away.

"No," Otterman snapped, "Why would I?"

"Look at me closely," Matryoshka ordered, "and you'll know who I am and then you will listen to what I have to say."

All Otterman could see was a vaguely human shaped red figure and he scowled at her. "I don't see very well," he responded, "I can't see you."

Matryoshka's eyes widened. She was only standing ten feet away from him but he couldn't see her? She stared at his thick glasses and wondered what had happened to him. He used to have perfect eyesight as a child.

She approached him and Otterman immediately tensed up, expecting her to attack him. She leaned in close to him and his eyes focused on her. He stared at her blue eyes and dark hair and he gasped when he suddenly knew who she was. Without a single word he launched himself at her and hugged her as tightly as he could. Moose Boy who had been watching the whole thing went still in complete surprise.

"Sven?" he questioned.

Otterman simply hugged her as tightly as he could, overwhelmed and not knowing what to say. After a minute or so, he was able to collect himself and he pulled back as he realized something very important.

"Where did you go?" Otterman demanded, suddenly furious at her, "Where were you?!"

"It's a long story…" Matryoshka responded hesitantly.

Otterman's gaze hardened. "You abandoned me!"

"Oh Sven, I would never abandon you! I've missed you so much," Matryoshka whispered to him.

"Then what happened?" Otterman demanded, "Where have you been for the last twenty years?"

Matryoshka averted her eyes for a moment. "You remember how much I loved you, right?" she asked.

Otterman backed up a step. "I thought I did, but then you left and never returned!"

Matryoshka let out a long and deep sigh. "I loved you, but your family fought my claim to you. I wanted to adopt you and take you away from that hell, but they wouldn't allow it."

"You didn't try very hard!" Otterman hissed. "I would have gone with you in a heartbeat!"

"I came for you as planned, but your family told me you had died in a car accident. They showed me a death certificate and told me to never return. I had no idea they had fabricated the whole thing! I never would have left you, I swear! I checked every record I could and everything said you were dead!"

"You were the only family I had that didn't hate me! You promised to save me!" Otterman snapped, "You gave me hope and that was a cruel and dangerous thing! You have no idea what they did to me! They nearly destroyed me!"

Matryoshka yanked him back into a hug. "I'm sorry, I'm so sorry. I should have never believed them. I knew they were horrible people but I never would have expected them to lie to me like that! I was mourning at the time and wasn't in a good place mentally."

"Mourning?" Otterman repeated, frowning at her uncertainly, "Mourning who?"

"The same summer I was going to rescue you, I lost my husband and child in a fire. When I was told that you too were dead, it was more than I could handle and I was in a very dark place for a very long time. I nearly...ended myself on more than one occasion..."

"Aunt Alexandria…" Otterman said uncertainly, "Who are you?"

Matryoshka took him gently by the hand and motioned for him to come with her.

"Let Henrik go," Otterman ordered firmly.

"He will interfere," Matryoshka pointed out, "I just need to speak with you privately for a few minutes."

Otterman glanced over to where Moose Boy quietly watched.

"Henrik, I need to speak with her for a few minutes. She's not going to hurt me. If they let you go, please don't attack anyone."

"Sven…" Moose Boy said, looking confused, "Don't you know who they are? They're going to kill you!"

"Let him go," Otterman ordered firmly.

To his surprise, all the men released Moose Boy without question, who sat up on the pavement and gave Otterman a somewhat lost look.

"I'm okay," Otterman assured him, "I'll just be a few minutes and then I'll explain everything."

Moose Boy nodded but didn't once take his eyes from his partner. "But, Sven…"

"I'll be fine," he assured him again.

"If any of you so much as bruise him, I'll rip your heads off!" Henrik snarled.

"Agreed," Matryoshka told him.

Otterman allowed himself to be led onto the sand towards Plague Doctor and he suddenly got a very bad feeling about all of this. They took a seat on the sand beside him, and Matryoshka took Otterman's hand more to keep him there than to offer him reassurance.

"This is your uncle Dmitry," Matryoshka introduced, "He's not much older than you. You two would have grown up together if I'd adopted you."

Otterman stared at the young man in shock. "Uncle?! I have an uncle ?!"

Matryoshka gave a slow nod. "There's a lot you don't know about, and I'll explain it the best I can. I was going to tell you all this when you were a child, but I never got the chance."

Otterman glanced back to Moose Boy who was watching them like a hawk.

"Dmitry and I are your father's siblings," she began.

Otterman nodded with a frown, thinking of the violent man he remembered from his childhood. He'd always wondered how he was related to his aunt Alexandria since both of his parents had seemed to hate her.

Matryoshka then paused a moment before she continued. "The father you grew up with was not your biological father."

His suspicions were now confirmed and Otterman nodded, finally knowing why he'd been so hated growing up.

"Who is my biological father?" Otterman demanded, "He must be pretty important for all the secrecy and henchmen you two have."

"Your father's name was Maxim Volkov and was the heir to the Volkov empire."

Otterman had heard the name Volkov several times throughout his career at V.I.L.E and he remembered the ill-fated mission that had almost taken his eyes.

"Was?" Otterman questioned.

Alexandria nodded. "He was killed by V.I.L.E back in 2010 after our two organizations declared war on each other. He was in a safehouse in Botswana and V.I.L.E managed to track him down."

Otterman went stiff and his eyes went wide. "I...I…"

Matryoshka nodded. "Yes, but it was not your fault. I read the reports and Dr. Bellum attempted to kill you along with your father that day. I saw in the reports that you were injured during the explosion, but I didn't realize it was your eyes."

"...I killed my own father."

" V.I.L.E killed Maxim, not you," Matryoshka assured him, "You had no idea what they were planning. You were innocent and we don't blame you for it."

"But...but…"

"You are a Volkov and there aren't many of us left. We've worked hard to find you, and we came to finally bring you home."

Otterman stared at her, already feeling overwhelmed. "Who exactly are the Volkovs?" he demanded, "You're villains?"

Matryoshka shrugged. "Call it whatever you want, but I prefer to call it opportunistic. My brother and I separated ourselves from the main Volkov vein, and we now head The Void."

Otterman gasped and he suddenly recognized Matryoshka from the fight. He couldn't see very well, but he remembered a woman wearing red and speaking in Russian. If she was the woman from the fight...then that meant Dmitry was…

Otterman let out a cry of pure panic and he tried to scramble away from Plague Doctor, clapping a hand over his stomach instinctively.

"Wait, wait, wait!" Matryoshka cried, reaching for him.

"Get away from me!" Otterman yelled, kicking at her as she got too close.

"It's not what you think!"

"Oh really?" Otterman snarled, scooting backwards across the sand, "Then he's not the one who nearly sliced me in half?!"

Matryoshka winced. "Well, he is...but he didn't know who you were at the time! He never would have hurt you if he knew you were family!"

"You tortured my friend and nearly killed her!" Otterman yelled at her, "Then I was gutted like an animal! You were recording the whole thing like complete psychos!"

"Let me explain!" Matryoshka cried out, knowing this was not going the way she hoped, "There's more to it than that!"

"I don't want to hear it!" Otterman snarled, "Henrik? Henrik!"

Moose Boy was at Otterman's side within seconds, helping him to his feet and wrapping an arm around him protectively. Matryoshka seemed surprised by this.

"Is that your...are you two…?"

"Yes," Moose Boy snapped, "You got a problem with that?!"

Matryoshka shook her head. "No, I'm happy you found love," she informed him.

"Get away from me!" Otterman ordered.

"Sven, please! Dmitry feels terrible for hurting you and he's been working day and night to find you to make things right. We thought you were V.I.L.E and that's why we attacked you. I'm sorry for everything, and I just want you to listen!"

Otterman leaned against Moose Boy and shot her glare. "I'm supposed to believe all this? You abandoned me as a child and now come swanning back in my life twenty years later expecting everything to just be peachy between us? You tried to kill my team, and I frankly don't trust you at all. I don't even know for sure you're my aunt! This could all be some sort of sick twisted game V.I.L.E cooked up!"

"Don't say that!" Matryoshka begged, "You're a Volkov! You belong with us!"

"I belong with Henrik ," Otterman responded firmly, "I've made my own family, and I'm finally happy. I won't let anything jeopardize that!"

"I'm sorry I failed you, Sven, I'm sorry!" she said, her tone pained, "Please just talk to us! At least listen to what we have to say!"

"I'm not ready for this," Otterman told her, "I can't deal with any more shit right now!"

"I understand this is a lot to take in, but please don't just cut us off. At least allow me to speak with you over the phone or over video call."

Otterman didn't want to be anywhere near Plague Doctor and he stubbornly shook his head. "No, this conversation is over. I've moved on from my past and you need to too. Forget I ever existed and don't come near my friends again."

Matryoshka looked like she wanted to argue but she fell silent as they turned to walk away.

"We're staying at the Grand Oceanview Gold Resort," she called after him, "If you change your mind, you can reach out anytime you want."

Otterman didn't answer and Matryoshka watched as they got in their car and drove away. Once they were gone, she turned to Plague Doctor and gave him a hard swat on the shoulder.

"A lot of help you were!" she snapped, "Why do you have to act so damn creepy around people?"

Plague Doctor didn't answer and instead turned his attention out towards the ocean. Matryoshka let out a deep and disappointed sigh and then she plunked down beside him.

"Sorry," she said after a moment, "I didn't mean that."

They continued sitting on the beach for a long time, but Otterman never returned.

"Don't worry, I placed a tracker on their car."

She would give him a few days to cool down, but she would make him listen to her one way or another.

Otterman was completely silent as they drove away from the beach and it wasn't until they made it back to the base that the tears came. Raising his hands to his face, he simply sat there in the driveway crying as Moose Boy removed the key out of the ignition. Getting out of the car silently, he walked around to Otterman's side and opened the door. Unbuckling his seatbelt, Moose Boy scooped him into his arms and lifted him out of the car.

"Stop!" Otterman protested, struggling half-heartedly, "Put me down!"

Moose Boy said nothing, and simply carried him around back towards their tents. They passed by the rest of the team seated around a bonfire and when they saw Otterman sobbing in Moose Boy's arms, they glanced over in alarm.

"What kind of shitty date did you take him on?!" Roosevelt demanded in concern.

Moose Boy said nothing at all and simply helped Otterman inside their tent and zipped it up. Once in relative privacy, he then held his boyfriend close, wishing there was more he could do to help. Otterman replayed the entire conversation in his mind over and over and it only made him feel worse and worse. What if Matryoshka was telling the truth? Did he commit patricide unintentionally? Was he actually related to those freaks?

Otterman wasn't sure of anything anymore, and didn't know who to believe. As he laid there thinking about it, he realized there was someone who knew these answers. They could confirm Matryoshka's story, and then he'd know for sure.

He needed to call his mother.

---

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

---

Early the next morning,

Otterman stared down at his com trying to work up the nerve to dial. He hadn't been able to sleep all night, and now it was early morning and the sun was beginning to rise. Everyone else was still asleep and Otterman was pacing around the yard, trying to decide what to do. He hadn't spoken to his family in seventeen years, and he'd honestly never wanted to ever speak to them again. His childhood had been miserable, and he never wanted to feel that helpless and that unloved ever again.

Otterman rubbed at his head and then continued pacing, wanting to find out the truth, but knowing it was going to be horrible to make that call. Taking a seat at his 'office' underneath the oak tree, he once again stared down at his com. The phone number was already entered in and all he had to do was call it. Seventeen years was a long time, and they probably didn't even still have the same phone number. He'd call and it would say the number was disconnected or something. There was no way it would actually still work.

Before he could lose his nerve, he hit call and put it on speakerphone. It rang once and he held his breath in terror. It rang twice and he tensed up suddenly wanting to hang up. The third ring made him relax slightly. Perhaps he was right and the number was no longer in service? It rang four times and he shrugged. Oh well, he tried. He didn't know his parents' new number and so there was nothing more he could do.

[[Hello?]]

Otterman froze, his breath catching in his throat. It had been seventeen years, but he still recognized his mother's voice.

[[Hello?]] she repeated in Swedish, [[Is anyone there?]]

Otterman swallowed heavily. [[Hello, mother…]] he greeted hesitantly.

[[Nils, is that you?]] she asked in confusion.

Nils...his younger brother…

[[No, it's Sven,]] Otterman replied, half-hoping she would hang up on him.

There was dead silence on the other line. The silence stretched on awkwardly for a long time, and Otterman finally cleared his throat nervously.

[[Are you still there?]] he asked.

[[I don't know anyone named Sven,]] she responded, her tone cold, [[Don't call here again.]]

[[Wait, wait, don't hang up!]] Otterman cried out.

To his surprise, she didn't.

[[What do you want?]] she demanded, [[You want money? Well, you're not getting any from us! I'm hanging up now, and I don't want you to call here again!]]

[[I swear if you hang up on me, I'm going to show up at your front door in person!]] Otterman snarled at her, surprised by his sudden confidence, [[It will be a little harder to ignore me when I'm staring you in the face!]]

There was another lengthy pause.

[[What do you want?]] she finally asked.

[[I want to ask you some questions, and then I'll hang up and never contact you again,]] Otterman replied.

[[I have no interest in speaking with you, Sven,]] she responded, her tone firm, [[You're no longer a part of this family.]]

[[Why?]] Otterman demanded angrily, [[What did I ever do to make you hate me so much?]]

[[You existed,]] she responded coldly.

Her words stung and Otterman took a deep breath before responding.

[[You've hated me my entire life and I've had no idea why!]] Otterman shot back, [[Why? Why do you hate me?]]

His mother let out a deep sigh.

[[Tell me!]] Otterman yelled, [[Tell me why you hate me!]]

[[You really want to know why?]] his mother snapped, [[You really want to make me say it?]]

[[Tell me!]] Otterman ordered, [[I'm thirty-two years old and I deserve to know the truth! Why do you hate me?]]

[[I hate you because you were forced on me!]] his mother snarled viciously, [[You were the disgusting result of assault, and I wish you never existed!]]

Otterman felt his chest tighten. [[You were raped?]] he whispered.

[[Yes, I was raped, and August was made to watch as that monster and his men assaulted me in front of him! He did it to hurt August, knowing how much he loved me! I barely survived that assault and every single day since, it has haunted me!]]

[[...no…]] Otterman whispered, horrified and feeling sick to his stomach at the thought.

[[Yes!]] she yelled back, [[You were a disgusting stain on our family and an everyday reminder of what happened to me! Every single day I wished for your death, but it never happened! I had to stare at your face and be reminded that you were a curse sent from the devil himself to punish me!]]

[[...was it Maxim Volkov who assaulted you?]] Otterman whispered.

[[So you know of him,]] she hissed in disgust.

[[...and aunt Alexandria was his sister…]]

[[The Volkovs were a plague on this family and she was obsessed with taking and adopting you!]]

[[You hated me!]] Otterman cried out, [[Why wouldn't you have just let her take me?! Then I would have been gone forever!]]

[[I refused because she wanted you,]] his mother replied, [[The Volkovs deserved to suffer and I was never going to give them what they wanted! You would have been happy, and they would have been happy and I couldn't stand the thought of it!]]

[[I was an innocent child!]] Otterman screamed out at her, his voice cracking, [[None of that was my fault! I did nothing wrong and you hated and abused me my entire childhood! I tried so hard to make you love me and all you did was hurt me in return!]]

[[Even saying your name makes my skin crawl,]] she told him, [[Every time I looked at you, I saw Maxim staring back at me. When you smiled, he smiled, when you laughed, he laughed, and I couldn't stand it. Whenever you reached out to touch me, I felt like the assault was happening all over again. You were a constant reminder of what had happened.]]

[[If you hated me so much, you should have aborted me!]] Otterman yelled, [[It would have been kinder than forcing me to live through hell like that!]]

His mother fell silent for a few seconds and he swiped a hand across his wet eyes, feeling anger and despair fill him.

[[There was a chance you were August's baby and I had to be sure,]] she finally replied, [[When you were born, you were a blond like the rest of our children, and I felt certain you were August's. We named you, and loved you, but then your hair began to darken as you got older. By the time you were three, you looked so much like Maxim that I couldn't deny it any longer.]]

[[I was your son!]] Otterman yelled, [[ None of this was my fault! I did everything you asked of me just in the hopes you would love me! You should have given me up for adoption, or sent me to Alexandria! How could you do that to a child ?!]]

[[You weren't a child, you were a curse on this family!]] his mother snarled back, [[I kept thinking I would be able to get used to you, that I would be able to love you again, but the older you got, the more you looked like him . I knew you were evil like him and you would grow up and hurt people just like he did! You look identical to him!]]

Suddenly the com was snatched away from Otterman and Moose Boy glared at the screen, looking angry enough to murder.

[[Sven is the kindest, sweetest man who ever lived!]] Moose Boy snarled at her, [[He would never hurt anyone, and it's a miracle you didn't turn him mean with all the terrible things you did to him! He told me how you would lock him outside in the garden shed without food or water, how you would beat him, break his bones, slap him around, and tell him he was worthless. Nothing you said was true. Sven is smart, perhaps the smartest person I know and he grew to be a wonderful man!]]

[[Who is this?]] she demanded, [[Who's speaking?]]

[[My name is Henrik and I'm the man who loves Sven more than anything else in this world. I will always be by his side, and I will always protect him from people like you !]]

There was silence for such a long time, it seemed like she had hung up.

[[You're gay...]] she finally stated, her tone oddly defeated.

[[I am,]] Otterman snapped, [[Let me guess, you have a problem with that?]]

[[...I was not expecting that.]] she admitted.

[[I've been with Henrik for nearly fifteen years, and he's the only good thing to ever happen to me!]] Otterman yelled, [[He was the first person to ever truly love me!]]

Otterman's mother went quiet, but he could hear as she adjusted the phone in her hand.

[[...I felt certain you were just a carbon copy of Maxim…]] she said hesitantly, [[I was sure you would grow up to hurt and manipulate people just like he had done.]]

[[Well, you were wrong !]] Otterman snarled, [[No matter how much you hit me or tore me down as a kid, I never once gave up, and I knew life could be better. No matter how bad things get in my life, I never stop fighting, and I suppose I have you to thank for that. I would never hurt an innocent person, and I would never ever assault someone. You hated me so much that you never even got to know me as a person!]]

[[You do seem different..]] she said slowly, [[You're braver now.]]

[[I will never be a victim again!]] Otterman vowed, [[I'm no longer afraid of you!]]

His mother paused again.

[[Are you married?]] she asked, sounding hesitant, but curious.

[[No,]] Otterman snapped, [[Not yet, I'm still waiting for the doofus to propose to me.]]

Moose Boy's eyes widened at this, and his cheeks coloured.

There was another awkward silence.

[[I suppose you'll be pleased to know Maxim is dead,]] Otterman stated, reaching over so he could take Moose Boy's hand.

His mother let out a gasp. [[He's dead?!]]

[[He is,]] Otterman confirmed.

[[Good!]] his mother announced vehemently, [[I hope that miserable monster burns in hell for all of eternity! How did he die?]]

Otterman narrowed his eyes. [[I killed him.]]

This time the silence stretched on for an uncomfortable amount of time. Finally, his mother broke the silence with something unexpected.

[[Good,]] she stated, [[I'm glad.]]

[[I wanted you to confirm whether or not I was a Volkov, and now I have my answers,]] Otterman stated angrily, [[You should seriously consider some therapy before you start taking out your anger on one of your other children. I'll keep my word, and you won't hear from me ever again.]]

[[Sven?]] she asked, her tone sounding a little bit exhausted.

[[What?]] Otterman snapped rudely.

[[Are you happy now?]]

Otterman glanced up at Moose Boy and tightened his grip on the other man's hand. [[Yes,]] he replied, [[I've found a new family, and I'm finally happy. I don't need or want your love, not anymore. You can forget I ever existed, and I won't be calling you again.]]

Otterman hung up the call without waiting for a response, and Moose Boy immediately yanked him into a bone-crushing hug. Otterman glanced over and saw the entire team were watching the exchange from their tents. Apparently he had woken everyone up, and he flushed in embarrassment. He wiped at his eyes again and then pulled away from Moose Boy.

"That didn't sound like a very good call…" Theodore commented sympathetically, "Who was the angry lady?"

"Just some woman I used to know," Otterman replied.

"Are you alright?" Crackle asked him in concern, "What happened last night, and what was that angry phone call about?"

"I...think I should probably explain a few things…" Otterman said hesitantly.

Crackle crawled out of his tent and the others did as well, gathering around the smaller man worriedly.

"Something serious happened," Crackle stated, "Was it V.I.L.E?"

Otterman shook his head.

"I don't even know where to begin…" Otterman said, rubbing at the bridge of his nose.

"Well, just start at the very beginning and go from there," Neal suggested, tone gentle, "Take your time."

Otterman nodded, and then took Moose Boy's hand for emotional support.

"I suppose I should begin with who I am... My real father's name was Maxim Volkov and it appears the Volkovs want me to join them…"

---

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

---

Siren stared at his screen and tapped his fingers thoughtfully on the desk as he considered what to do. He could see the impressive amount of security on the Team Red servers and knew there would be no subtle way to break through. Siren had gone ten years without keeping up to date on the latest technology and now his knowledge was sorely out of date. He wasn't familiar with a lot of the defenses, and would need time to study them. The only thing he could do was bludgeon his way through the defenses like a bull in a chinashop. The Team Red tech-guy would definitely notice, but he didn't really see any other options.

"Would you stop that noise?" Vess suddenly snapped from the other side of the lab.

Siren glanced down at his hand and stopped tapping without comment. He'd been relatively well-behaved in the lab for the last few weeks, and Vess was finally starting to adjust to it. Vess was honestly a little more tolerable due to not being overworked for once, and now that Siren was actually doing what he was supposed to, Vess found he actually had free time in the afternoons and evenings. Vess was very slowly starting to trust Siren to work without supervision, and he increased Siren's workload little by little to see how much he could accomplish.

Siren did everything with no complaint, but the stress of the heavy workload was starting to get to him. He barely had time during the day to even take a lunch break, let alone work on his plan. He was staying up at night to hack and do research and so he was always exhausted, and always grouchy. He'd called the Team Crackle numbers thousands of times but no one ever answered. He now knew where the Team Red tech guy was, but he hadn't reached out yet. Siren had no idea if Team Red could be trusted, and if they betrayed him, V.I.L.E would execute him. He needed to gain access to their servers and nose through their files before he spoke with them to make sure they had no ties to V.I.L.E.

Black Sheep had always been very close to Coach Brunt and he couldn't rule out the possibility they were still in contact. That was if she was even still alive.

Siren stared at the wall of encryption on his screen and knew it would take hours to force his way through. He'd given a few pokes at the security and now it looked like they were already aware of him. The security had increased exponentially and he knew it was going to be no easy task to force his way through. It would take hours of continuous assault to gain access, and that was risky with Vess sitting so close to him. He definitely couldn't do this while at the lab or Vess was bound to notice he wasn't working. He'd need to stay awake during the night to hack the servers.

Siren closed the window on his laptop and then glanced up towards Vess. The other man was busy with the latest flu vaccine and Siren knew he'd likely be working late to finish the tests. Michael was sitting quietly to one side reading a comic, and it didn't escape his notice that the boy had a black eye. He'd been rather quiet the last few weeks, and Siren was starting to suspect it was because of Vess. Michael normally loved to torment him, but he'd mostly kept his distance. Siren looked him up and down and could see more bruises that were mostly hidden by his sleeves and shirt collar. Siren knew Vess sometimes slapped Michael around, but this seemed to be something else entirely.

Vess hadn't shown any anger or aggression towards Michael in public, but Siren wondered if things weren't quite so happy behind closed doors. Siren didn't like Michael, but he knew no one deserved to be saddled with Vess. He watched as Vess absentmindedly reached over and rested a hand on Michael's head like one would a dog. Michael smiled up at Vess but said nothing, simply leaning into the touch. Siren narrowed his eyes. Something wasn't right here. Michael didn't seem at all wary of Vess, and was completely relaxed around him. There was no coldness or anger in Vess' eyes that Siren could see, and so the whole thing was strange.

"Michael, would you please go to our apartment and bring me the blue folder I left there?"

Michael's smile was gone in an instant and uncertainty entered his eyes. Vess didn't look up from his work, but he did give Michael a light poke.

"Michael? Did you hear me?"

"Uh, y-yeah, I'll go get it."

Michael gave a quick glance towards the door, and Siren was surprised Vess didn't notice the odd behaviour. Siren pretended to be busy with work as Michael got up, but the second the younger man left the room, Siren stood to his feet.

"I'm hungry," Siren announced.

Both Vess and Terry shot him identical looks of skepticism.

"It's after one and I'm taking my lunch break," Siren announced.

Vess narrowed his eyes at him. "Did you finish studying the case files of patient 34B1?" he demanded.

"Yeah," Siren confirmed, "I have the case files memorized and I'll put some thought into it during lunch."

Siren had never once claimed to be hungry during the ten years he'd known him, and Vess was incredibly suspicious. Siren had been pretty well behaved lately, but he couldn't help feeling like he was scheming something. He had no reason to deny him a lunch break however, and he gave him a nod.

"Terrence, you will accompany Siren as usual."

"Yes, sir," Terry confirmed.

Siren headed for the door and Terry followed behind him, wondering what Siren was up to. His suspicions were confirmed when Siren led them in the opposite direction of the cafeteria. Siren was stopping at the end of each hallway and peeking around the corner before proceeding and Terry simply watched, having no idea what he was doing. At the next corner, Terry peeked around the corner with him and saw they were following behind Michael who didn't seem to notice them there.

"Siren, what are you doing?" Terry demanded.

"Shh!" Siren scolded, watching as Michael slowed down.

When Michael glanced back, Siren jerked back out of sight, hoping he hadn't been seen. He waited a few seconds and then peeked again, only to come face to chest with Michael. Michael was standing arms crossed and he scowled down at the smaller man angrily.

"Are you following me, you weirdo?!" he demanded.

Siren let out a dismissive snort. "Of course not, who would want to follow you ?"

Michael seemed unusually agitated and Siren gave him a curious look.

"What's wrong?" Siren demanded.

"What?"

"Why are you so nervous? Is something wrong?"

Michael narrowed his eyes. " Nothing's wrong! Why would anything be wrong?"

Siren let out a sigh. He really disliked Michael, but it was still clear he was hiding something.

"Are you and Numa having issues?" Siren demanded.

Michael's eyes widened momentarily and then his expression turned furious. "Excuse me?! We're not having any issues! Everything is fine!"

Siren mirrored Michael and crossed his arms. "Oh? Then why do you have new bruises everytime I see you?"

Michael scowled and suddenly lashed out towards him. Terry quickly caught Michael by the wrist and pushed him back. Michael winced and clutched his wrist like he'd been injured and Terry's brow furrowed in concern.

"I barely touched him..." Terry commented.

Siren eyed the wrist and could see the dark bruising around it.

"You didn't do that, those injuries were there," he informed Terry, "Numa's clearly been beating the shit out of him every night."

"He has not!" Michael snarled, "Numa loves me, and he'd never hurt me!"

"I've seen him hit you," Siren pointed out, "He's not capable of real love."

"Siren, that's enough," Terry ordered, seeing how furious Michael was getting.

"He only hits me when I deserve it!" Michael snarled, "I sometimes make stupid mistakes and he has a right to be angry with me!"

Siren sighed, knowing Michael was a lost cause. "And what about that black eye or that sprained wrist? Was that another 'mistake'?"

Michael lashed out at him again only to be stopped by Terry who pushed him back several steps.

"I told you Numa didn't hurt me!" Michael snapped, "Now mind your own fucking business and get away from me you ugly little eunuch! Leave or I'll bash your face in!"

Terry let out a deep sigh, knowing he would never let that happen. Although Michael was younger and perfectly fit, Terry was a lot taller and heavier with more experience. Michael wouldn't win that fight.

"Well, that's not a very nice thing to say," scolded a woman's voice.

Michael tensed up, and slowly turned towards the woman standing behind him. The woman was incredibly short and thin, and she was wearing a guard's uniform. Her gaze was entirely on Michael, who hunched his shoulders and took a step back.

"Oh, hello, Lisa," Terry greeted, "I didn't know you worked in the lab now."

Lisa's gaze went to Terry briefly and then settled on Siren.

"Oh, so this is the little sociopath," she commented, her tone curious, "He doesn't look so scary."

Siren noted he was the same height as Lisa and remembered everyone in town had mistaken him for her.

"You got me in a lot of shit, you know," she commented lightly, "People were mad at me for days after your little stunt."

"Well, I think it says more about you than me when everyone assumed it was you just because I was acting like an asshole," Siren responded.

Lisa narrowed her eyes. Terry knew Lisa's reputation and subtly pushed Siren further away from her.

"He was punished for what he did," he informed her, "It won't be happening again."

Lisa stared long and hard at Siren and then turned back towards Michael. She smiled at him widely, and then patted him on the head as she passed by. Michael was completely tense and just as she turned to leave, she shoved his head hard into the wall. There was a sickening crunch and then Michael began screaming as he clapped a hand to his bleeding nose. Michael took a swing at her, but she easily sidestepped him and gave him a hard punch to the stomach which brought him to his knees. He swung again, but she blocked and then punched him in the chest hard enough to knock him flat to the floor. Lisa waited for a moment, but when it was clear she had won, she wiped her hands off on her pants and then turned to walk away.

"See you later, Mikey," Lisa said teasingly, giving him a wink as she disappeared around the corner.

Siren looked down at the blood on the floor and then at Michael who was clutching his face in absolute agony.

"Huh," Siren commented, "I guess it wasn't Vess after all…"

Terry despised Michael, but he still had pity for the boy and he knelt down beside him.

"Here, let me see," he ordered, reaching towards Michael's face, "Move your hands."

"Fuck off!" Michael hissed at him.

Terry gave him an unimpressed look. "Then go get Doctor Vess to take a look at your face. I think she broke your nose."

Michael hesitated and then slowly lowered his hands so Terry could take a look. Terry gently touched the bloody and swollen nose and Michael let out a hiss of pain.

"Yup, it's broken," Terry confirmed.

"Aw, shit," Michael groaned, "I'm gonna look like Owen Wilson!"

"You want me to fix it or do you want to go to Vess for that?"

Michael wiped some of the blood off his face and then averted his gaze.

"Just do it," he ordered, "I'm not going to bother Numa with this."

Siren knelt down beside Terry and stared at the crooked nose. "I think it's an improvement," he commented.

"Shut up, you little goblin!" Michael snarled.

Terry gently placed his hand on the nose, feeling for the break.

"So, you've been getting bullied by a girl?" Siren questioned innocently.

"I'm going to fucking ki-"

Terry yanked the nose back into place and Michael screeched in absolute agony. He immediately took a swing at Terry who simply batted the hand away from him.

"There, all fixed," he told him, "Just put some ice on that and try not to break it again."

"I hate you," Michael moaned in pain, "...both of you. Fuck both of you."

Siren couldn't help but feel incredibly smug over this. The bully was now getting bullied and it was absolutely the highlight of his day.

"So she's the one that's been beating the shit of you every day?"

Michael glared at him. "No! I just didn't want to hit a girl! I could have beat her into a bloody pulp!"

Siren snorted. "Sure you could've," he responded, not pointing out the fact Michael had tried to fight back and failed miserably.

Michael looked both furious and embarrassed and he wiped a bit more blood off his face.

"So, what did you do to her?"

Michael averted his gaze.

"You were a pervert to her, weren't you," Siren responded, certain this was what happened.

Michael was instantly offended. "No, I ain't no cheater! The bitch is just crazy!"

Siren raised a skeptical brow. "Uh huh…"

Michael then let out a deep sigh and closed his eyes. "You know that coffee girl that works in the cafeteria?"

Siren nodded. "Yeah? The one you beat the shit out of and sent to the medical wing?"

"Apparently she's Lisa's little sister..." Michael replied, "She was...rather pissed at me over the whole thing…"

"Huh," Siren replied, wondering if the coffee girl had tattled to Lisa about all the Pepsi he'd been stealing from her. Perhaps he should start paying for his Pepsi...

"I'm surprised Doctor Vess hasn't fired her for this," Terry commented, "Why hasn't he put a stop to it?"

Michael averted his eyes. "I didn't tell him about it…" he admitted.

"Well, why not?" Terry demanded.

Michael flushed and didn't answer. Siren stared at him for a moment and then smirked.

"You're embarrassed," he commented.

Michael turned even redder. "Shut up!" he snarled.

"Big tough MJ is embarrassed that he's being beat up by a girl half his size!"

"I said shut up!" Michael ordered, getting to his feet, "If you tell anyone about this, I'll MURDER you!"

A thought then occurred to Siren and he frowned. "Numa's not a moron, he must have noticed you look like you were fed through a meat grinder."

Michael crossed his arms. "I told him the truth that I've been getting in fights...I just didn't tell him with who."

Siren knew how busy Vess had been lately and knew it was likely he'd taken Michael at his word because he was too busy to deal with it. Vess was so self-centered that he hadn't even noticed how badly Michael was hurt.

"And what are you going to do about it?" Siren asked curiously.

Michael scowled. "Gonna kill her."

"How? You can't even land a hit on her. She's been V.I.L.E trained while you're just a street thug."

"I don't know, but I'll deal with it!" Michael snarled at him, "Now leave me alone before I bust your face open!"

Siren rolled his eyes and glanced at Terry. "Okay, I'm bored now, let's go back to the lab."

"I thought you said you were hungry?" Terry demanded.

Siren gave him a look of disbelief. "And you believed me?!"

"Well, no, not really," Terry admitted, "but you're still going to eat lunch. Lucy packed you mac and cheese."

Siren narrowed his eyes. "The white kind?"

Terry rolled his eyes. "Yes, the white kind."

Siren sighed and then nodded. "Fine," he agreed, "There's a few things I want to tell you about too."

As they walked away, Michael stared after them with a scowl. Touching a hand to his sore nose, he let out a furious curse and kicked the wall, leaving a hole in the plaster. Turning away, he stormed down the hallway feeling embarrassed and angry.

---

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

---

"Are you alright, Sven?" Crackle asked in concern, "You don't have to come along on the mission if you don't want to."

Otterman shook his head. "No, I could do with a distraction right now. I still have no idea what to do, and I need time to think everything through."

"You're not going to join them are you?" Theodore asked, frowning worriedly, "They nearly cut you in half!"

Otterman winced and placed a hand over his abdominal scar. "I know," he replied, "That's all I can think about. I understand they didn't know who I was, but they still nearly killed me."

"Send them your bill for therapy," Neal suggested.

Otterman rolled his eyes. "What therapy? We can't afford therapy."

"True enough," Neal acknowledged, "Maybe if we make some cash from this mission, we can set aside a therapy fund for anyone who needs it."

"You mean all of us?" Paper Star responded in amusement.

Otterman laughed. "I think all of us had messed up childhoods. That would be a very expensive fund you'd have to set up."

Neal smiled. "That's right, laugh off the trauma!" he announced, "Speaking of buried trauma, has anyone seen Dash?"

Crackle glanced around, but there was no sign of the other man. "Dash?" he called out.

There was no answer.

"Maybe he's in his tent?" Roosevelt suggested.

Crackle nodded and stepped outside. "Dash?" he called out loudly.

"I'm here!" Dash called back from his tent.

"What are you doing?" Crackle demanded, walking down the stairs, "We need to leave in a few minutes!"

"I'm not going!" Dash responded.

Crackle heaved a deep sigh, wondering why it was always Dash who caused a big fuss whenever they had to do anything.

"Yes, you are!" Crackle said firmly, crossing the yard towards Dash's tent.

"I'm not!" Dash snapped back at him.

Crackle unzipped Dash's tent and peered inside, expecting to see a sullen and stubborn Dash. Instead Dash stared at him with terrified eyes and said nothing.

"What's the matter?" Crackle asked, "Are you sick? Did you hurt yourself!"

"No, no, it's Steve!" Dash exclaimed, pointing to the nearby cat.

Crackle frowned and crawled inside the tent. "What's wrong?"

"I think she's going to have her kittens!" Dash told him, his voice incredibly nervous.

Crackle glanced down at the cat who was laying on her side, and he gently rested a hand on her bulging stomach. Steve looked up at him, gave a weak hiss but otherwise didn't move.

"See! She's not acting like herself! I think the kittens are coming!"

Crackle studied the cat, noted how she was breathing a little faster than normal and had to agree. "I think she is as well," he agreed.

"What do I do?!" Dash demanded, "I should call the vet!"

"Dash, she doesn't need a vet. Cats have been having kittens without help for thousands of years. She'll know what to do."

"I have to do something !" Dash insisted, moving several blankets around Steve to make a nest, "Don't people usually get hot water and towels for some reason?"

"Why would you need that?"

"I don't know!"

Crackle offered the other man a smile and gave him a reassuring pat on the back. "She'll be fine, Dash. When we get back from the mission, there will be new kittens for you to meet!"

"I'm not leaving her to go on a mission!" Dash snapped, "She could get into trouble, or a dog could get in the tent!"

"The base is pretty much finished, and we can move her inside for now and leave the AC going for her. She'll be perfectly safe and will have plenty of food and water while we're gone."

"No way!" Dash protested, "She needs me!"

"Dash you are not skipping a mission because of a cat. We all agreed to work on a contract basis for V.I.L.E, and we need you. Steve will be fine."

"But Graham!"

"No buts! Put Steve inside and then meet us at the van. We should only be gone for a day."

"But the kittens!"

"They will be safe with Steve. There's nothing you can do even if you stay!"

Dash looked incredibly stressed and Crackle rested a hand on his arm. "Come on," he urged, "Bring Steve inside. I'll help you carry her things."

"Is it safe to move her?" Dash asked worriedly.

"Just be very careful," Crackle advised.

Dash nodded and very, very gently scooped Steve up along with all the blankets and pillows and then carried her out of the tent. He passed by the rest of the team who gave him curious looks, but he didn't say anything, too worried to think about anything except for Steve. The only completely finished room in the base was the bathroom, and so Dash carried her there and set up the pile of blankets and pillows in the shower. Crackle entered after him and set the litter box beside the toilet, and then set down the food and water bowls. Dash glanced around, but it seemed secure enough and so he petted Steve gently and then stood up to follow Crackle out of the base. Crackle locked the door after them, and Dash glanced towards the base, unable to stop the dread he was feeling.

"Is Steve okay?" Neal asked, as soon as they approached.

"She's gone into labour," Crackle informed them.

"Really?!" Theodore asked, instantly excited, "We'll have kittens when we get back?!"

Crackle nodded. "We put her in the base so she'd be cool and safe while we're gone."

Dash said nothing at all and simply crawled into the van to wait for the others. Neal took the seat next to him.

"You okay, Dashie?"

Dash crossed his arms and glanced back towards the base.

"We could always ask Karen to cat sit for us?"

Dash slowly turned a withering look at him and Neal smiled at him innocently. "We'd come back and she'd have married Steve off to avoid the kittens being born out of wedlock."

Dash sighed.

"She'd probably get an exorcism done while she was at it since the cat was contaminated by all of us 'unnatural creatures'."

Dash rolled his eyes, but didn't comment.

"I can see it now! She'd name the kittens Purity and Faith and have them baptized."

The mental image of this made Dash snort. "Yeah, that woman is not stepping foot near my cats."

"Are you planning on keeping both kittens?"

Dash shrugged, the thought of giving them away making him feel uneasy. The others got into the van, and as they drove away, Dash gave one last glance towards the base.

---

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

---

Player was keeping an eye on the hacker, but so far they'd done no more than give the occasional poke to his defenses. Team Red were almost to Florida, and he was hoping whoever was trying to hack into him would get discouraged by the security and back off. Just as Player was beginning to relax, there was suddenly a full blown assault on his defenses.

"Red, they're trying to get though!" Player said through the com, as he quickly began to fight back.

"Can you hold them off?" Carmen demanded, her voice sounding alarmed.

"Yeah, I think so," Player responded, "They don't really seem to know what they're doing and are trying to force their way through."

"Will that work?" El Topo asked in surprise.

"No, not at all," Player answered, "I'm going to throw them out in just a second."

Player furiously typed and a few seconds later he had shoved the hacker out.

Siren, who was sprawled across his bed, frowned at the screen as he was thrown out. Sitting up, he pulled the laptop onto his lap and knew this was going to be a fight. He studied the line of code that had blocked him, memorized it and then began thinking of how to get past it. Breaking down the code in his mind, he understood what Player had just done and after a bit of thought, he knew how to counter it. Typing fast, he forced his way back in.

Player unknowingly mirrored Siren's frown. "Oh no you don't!" he muttered, once again blocking him from getting in.

This time Siren countered the attack and Player was forced to change strategies to once again throw him out. Siren followed the code and his mind analyzed it as he continued his attack, learning from his mistakes and coming at the servers with more force.

"...dang," Player commented in frustration, "this person is really determined!"

"Should we abort the mission?" Ivy asked worriedly, "What if this guy gets through?"

"They'd have access to everything we've done, and all of our funds," Player responded distractedly, "They'd find out absolutely everything about us and where I live and where the base is."

Le Chèvre let out a curse in French.

"Going radio silent guys because I need to concentrate," Player informed them, "I'll check in when your plane lands down."

"Okay, Player, show V.I.L.E exactly what you can do!" Carmen encouraged.

Player went silent as he studied the approach the other hacker was taking. It seemed to be incredibly old-fashioned and they clearly didn't recognize most of the defenses Player had set up. What surprised Player was that every time the hacker hit a trap or was thrown out, they learned from the mistake and got better and better. At first Player easily tossed them out or blocked them, but as time went on it became harder and harder to do this.

Player found he had to pay complete attention to what the hacker was doing because they were quickly learning Player's style of defense and overcoming it. Player was a little bit awed at the hacker's learning curve, knowing they'd gone from barely knowing how to hack to giving him a good fight in just a couple hours. Whoever he was going up against was smart, and Player knew this was going to be a difficult battle.

Player began to lose ground against the hacker, and he was both frustrated and elated at the same time. He'd never had a battle like this before, and he wanted to know who this person was. He had to know who he was dealing with.

Changing strategies, Player pulled up his wall of impenetrable encryption and then began investigating his hacker. The hacker had left himself wide open for attacks and didn't seem to have any defenses at all. Player gave a few hesitant pokes, but the hacker didn't seem to notice what he was doing. The hacker was inspecting the wall of encryption, and Player knew he was wasting his time. It would take a supercomputer to even begin to break through his coding. To his shock, the hacker began attempting it anyway.

Player shook his head in disbelief and began hacking into the other person's computer. He quickly discovered the hacker was using a laptop that didn't really seem to have too much saved on it. Player then realized there was an active webcam on the laptop. Player smirked and began hacking it. Alright, time to see who this V.I.L.E hacker was.

The webcam went live and Player stared at the man that appeared on his screen. The man was young, had a rat's nest of brown hair and looked like he hadn't slept in a month. Dark circles were under his oddly coloured eyes, and he didn't look like the usual type of operative V.I.L.E used. The man glanced towards the webcam for a moment but when he made no move to cover it, Player assumed he hadn't realized Player was watching him.

Player then realized that the man wasn't using any sort of equipment to aid him in hacking. Player's eyes widened in shock, knowing that meant the other man was doing it all by memory. How was that even possible? He'd have to memorize thousands of numbers to be able to hack into him like this! Player then turned his attention back to his defense and to his horror, he saw the man was starting to get through it. That should have been impossible, and he knew the man would need a mind like a computer to even attempt something like this.

He could see the man's mouth moving as he worked, and so Player hacked into the microphone to hear what he was saying. To Player's utter confusion, the sound of singing came across his com. He stared at the man and realized he was singing Beatles songs to himself as he hacked. How could he concentrate while singing like that?!

Suddenly Player got an alert and when he looked back to the man's progress, he saw he was somehow managing to plow his way through every level of security.

"Shoot, shoot, shoot!" Player cried out, quickly going back to defending himself, "How is he doing this?!"

Siren seemed completely calm as he worked, and Player frantically tried to block him, but quickly realized he couldn't. The man was managing to get through, and there was nothing Player could do to stop him. Player typed and typed and typed, but no matter what he threw at the other man, he managed to slice right through it and continue fighting to get into the servers.

"No!" Player yelled as the hacker finally got into the servers.

He witnessed dozens of pages and documents opened and closed too fast to even read and he knew he had to get the man out before he found what he was looking for. The man had opened hundreds of documents, only keeping them open long enough for a glance and Player ran for the servers, knowing there was only one way to stop this. He yanked the power cord from the servers, and the hacker was instantly booted from the servers. Player let out a breath of relief and took a seat at his desk to continue watching the man. The man frowned, typed for a few seconds and then rolled his eyes. To Player's surprise, the man then looked straight into the webcam and gave Player the finger.

"Sore loser," Siren commented.

"Who are you?" Player asked, unmuting himself.

Siren scratched at his head for a moment and it seemed like he was debating on whether or not to answer.

"From what I've seen of your files, your team hates V.I.L.E and no longer have any ties to them at all. You've gone on a total of 73 missions against them, and almost all have been successful. You've managed to steal billions from V.I.L.E and there was nothing they could do to stop you."

"There's no way you read all that just now!" Player exclaimed, "You only had the files open for a few seconds!"

"That was long enough," Siren responded, "Carmen Sandiego is still alive."

Player went silent.

"Relax, I'm not going to tell V.I.L.E," Siren informed him.

"And why would I ever believe that?" Player shot back.

"Because I want to join you."

Player's eyes widened. "What?!"

"Did I stutter?" Siren snapped, "I want to join Team Hero."

"That...that's not what we're called…"

"Does it matter?" Siren challenged, "I hate V.I.L.E, you hate V.I.L.E and so we should work together to take them down."

"You're with V.I.L.E?" Player questioned.

"V.I.L.E kidnapped me and I've been held here against my will for the last ten years," Siren responded bitterly, "I hate them, and I want to see all of V.I.L.E burn."

Player didn't trust him for even a moment. "You're an operative?"

Siren shook his head. "No, I'm one of the scientists that work at Doctor Vesalius' lab."

Player gasped."Hold on, don't go anywhere!"

Siren rolled his eyes and didn't answer.

Player muted himself and then pressed his ear-com. "Red, we have a situation here!"

"What is it, Player? Did the hacker get through?"

"He did, and I cut off all power to the Team Red servers."

"Did the hacker gain access to anything important?" she asked worriedly.

"I don't know, but that's not the issue."

"What is it?" Carmen demanded, "Did something happen?"

"I'm speaking to him right now, and well...he said he knows Carmen is alive and he wants to join Team Red! He said he works with Vess!"

"WHAT?!" Tigress shrieked in surprise.

"It is a trap!" Chase insisted.

"V.I.L.E must be planning something," Shadowsan agreed, "This is highly irregular."

"Who is it?" Carmen demanded, "One of Team Crackle?"

Player shook his head. "I don't know who this is, I've never seen him before."

"Ask him for his name," Shadowsan ordered.

Player nodded and switched back to Siren. "Who are you?" he demanded.

"Codename Siren," Siren replied, "Are you talking to Carmen Sandiego right now?"

"I'll be right back," Player informed him, switching back over to Team Red, "He said his name is Siren."

Shadowsan frowned. "There is no operative by that codename unless he was in the new class after I left V.I.L.E."

"What should I tell him?" Player asked, "Should I tell him to buzz off?"

Carmen frowned thoughtfully. Why would an operative just contact them out of the blue like this?

"Put him through to the plane's screen," Carmen ordered, "I want to speak with him."

"Okay, Red, just a sec," Player said, switching back to Siren, "Carmen wants to speak with you. I'm going to put you through to her."

"Fine," Siren agreed.

A few seconds later, Siren appeared on the large screen of the jet.

"Oh my god, look at this guy!" Tigress commented.

Siren turned his gaze to her. "I can hear you," he snapped.

Tigress rolled her eyes, but made no further comment.

"Hello, you must be Siren," Carmen greeted, staring at the strange man curiously.

Siren glanced around at the assembled team and his gaze fell on Shadowsan.

"Aw, fuck," he commented, "I thought you'd be dead by now."

Shadowsan stared at Siren in surprise and then his eyes widened as he recognized him. "Delano Scordato?!"

Siren nodded.

"No, you died during training!" Shadowsan exclaimed.

Siren rolled his eyes. "Clearly not," he snapped, "I was kidnapped from the infirmary, and I've been in Vess' lab ever since."

"Impossible, I would have known about this!" Shadowsan retorted, "What reason could the others have for keeping you a secret?"

Siren snorted. "You have no idea what they do in this lab, do you?"

"Experimentation on operatives," Shadowsan replied.

Siren let out another snort. "That's just the tip of the iceberg. These assholes are doing so much more."

"You said he was killed during training?" Carmen asked in confusion, "I don't remember him!"

Siren stared at her long and hard. "Really?" he questioned, "You don't remember shooting me with Bellum's gun and melting my dick off?"

Carmen gasped, now recognizing Siren.

"Thanks for that, by the way," Siren commented dryly, "It's made my life so pleasant."

Carmen gaped at him and then turned to Shadowsan. "You thought he was dead all this time?! You told me he was sent home!"

Shadowsan grimaced. "I did not want you to know you caused the boy to die," he replied hesitantly, "It appears I was mistaken about his death…"

"You both know this guy?" Ivy demanded.

Shadowsan nodded. "He was a genius that was recruited to the academy by Professor Maelstrom along with his two brothers. He was given special treatment which I did not approve of, and he frequently skipped class. He had no respect for anyone, but was allowed to get away with it. He was injured two weeks before graduation and presumed dead."

"Ouch, tough break," Tigress commented, "Wait a sec...did you say your dick was melted off?!"

"Look, Marilyn Monroe, I'm not talking to you, I just want to speak with Carmen Sandiego."

"What did you just call me?!" Tigress snapped, jumping to her feet.

"Sheena, that's enough," Carmen stated, "I want to hear what he has to say."

"I know you've been working to take down V.I.L.E, and I want to help you," Siren informed her.

"Why would we trust you?" Carmen replied, crossing her arms.

"I can provide you information about V.I.L.E and about Vess' lab. I frankly don't care whether you trust me or not."

"And what's in this for you?" Carmen demanded suspiciously.

"Get me out of this lab," Siren answered, "All I want is my freedom."

Carmen raised a brow. "That's it?"

Siren nodded. "I have no allies, and I need help getting out. I honestly don't give a shit about your moral high ground or your missions, but I'll willing to help if you get me out of this lab."

"Such a pleasant person," Chase commented.

"This seems like a trap if I'm being honest," Carmen informed him, "We don't know you, and we have no reason to trust you."

"You're right," Siren confirmed, "But I'll throw you a free bit of information. This mission that you're going on is a trap."

"Excuse me?" Carmen asked in surprise.

"This mission in Florida is all a ploy to draw you out of hiding," he replied, "V.I.L.E wants to know for sure if you're alive, and they're using Team Crackle to do it. Neal the Eel planted false information on the V.I.L.E servers stating that their mission was for the museum, when in fact, it was for the University instead. The museum has been rigged to explode the moment anyone steps foot inside during the fire drill."

"You're lying," Le Chèvre commented, "We have no reason to believe a single word he's said."

" Et, si il ment, ça remet tout ce qu'il a dit en question ," Chase commented back to Le Chèvre.

Le Chèvre nodded his agreement and switched to French as well. [[There's no way this ugly little toad is being straight with us. He's obviously working with Vess and trying to get revenge on Carmen. She melted his balls off, obviously he's just being a bitter idiot to think we'd ever fall for this. Leave him to rot at that lab.]]

" Va te faire foutre, branleur! " Siren snarled at Le Chèvre, "I don't recall asking for your opinion, and so keep your mouth shut!"

Tigress laughed at Le Chèvre's surprised expression. "That'll teach you to assume someone can't speak French!" she teased.

Le Chèvre flushed and then crossed his arms. "I don't trust him," he muttered.

"Do you have any proof this mission is a fake?" Carmen asked.

Siren nodded. "I can transfer the files I stole from Doctor Bellum's personal com. It details the plan in full."

Carmen gave a slow nod. "We'll look them over," she promised, "but I'm not saying that I trust you. Not yet."

Siren rolled his eyes. "Look, ginger barbie, I don't care if you trust me or not. I'll help you out when I can, but I'm not putting myself at risk for you. Vess isn't stupid, and if he realizes what I'm planning, I'll be executed without hesitation."

Carmen was a bit taken aback by the tone, but she gave him a hesitant nod. "Stay connected with Player during this mission, and I'll speak to you after."

"Fine," Siren agreed, "Team Crackle are going for the University the same time the museum fire drill is happening. Their target is a one of a kind piece of medical equipment for Doctor Bellum."

"Alright, we'll be in touch," Carmen responded, "End the transmission, Player."

Player cut the feed, and now Player was the only one still connected with Siren. "The plane lands in twenty minutes."

"I know," Siren snapped.

Player crossed the room and plugged the servers back in, hoping Siren wouldn't immediately try hacking into them again.

"Okay, so while we're waiting, why don't you tell me how you managed to hack into me the way you did?"

"No."

"No?"

"No."

Player wasn't sure how to take Siren's irritable mood, and decided to just shrug it off. "You're a good singer," he commented, "Do you like The Beatles?"

Siren's mood seemed to switch in an instant, and he nodded. "I enjoy a lot of the oldies," he replied, "I like music that has a wide vocal range."

"Is that why your name is Siren? Because you like to sing?"

Siren nodded. "I suppose. I was given the name by the other scientists in order to make fun of me. I love to sing while working, and a Siren was a female mermaid that sings. It was both a jab at my accident and a jab at my singing at the same time. It never really bothered me and so I've been Siren ever since."

"I like it," Player told him, "My codename is Player."

"I know," Siren told him, "I've done my research about your team."

"Well, I don't know anything about you , how about if you tell me a little bit about yourself?"

"No," Siren responded, "I'm going to be ignoring you now. Tell me once the team fails the mission."

"We're not going to fail!" Player protested.

Siren said nothing and began typing on his laptop, clearly planning on ignoring him. Player watched him for a few minutes, and then let out a sigh and focused on Team Red.

---

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

---

"Alright team museum, are you ready?" Carmen demanded.

"Ready," El Topo confirmed over his com.

"Ready," Tigress confirmed.

"I'm ready," Le Chevre answered.

"Perfect, you understand what your mission is?"

Le Chevre sighed. "You certainly went over it enough times," he commented, "We're looking to disable the explosives that Siren 'claims' are here."

"The fire drill is in an hour and so you three need to be as fast as you can. Report the second you find anything."

"Sure thing," Tigress responded with a sigh. She obviously didn't believe they would find anything either.

Carmen then glanced at the rest of the team still in the van with her. "Alright, now I'll stay in the van and watch the security cameras while you guys keep an eye out for Team Crackle."

Everyone nodded and they slid open the van door. Carmen watched as her teammates scattered in all directions, the only one remaining behind was Ivy. She was acting as the driver since Zack had remained in San Diego, and was staying to help protect Carmen.

"You think this Siren guy is legit?" Ivy asked, once the others were out of sight.

"I don't know," Carmen admitted, "It does seem awfully coincidental that he shows up the same time Team Crackle are planning a heist. This does seem like the sort of thing V.I.L.E would try to pull on us."

"So he's a liar?"

"Probably, but I still want to be sure. If he's telling the truth and I refuse to help him, I'd be just as bad as V.I.L.E. I'm not going to turn my back on someone who asks for my help. If he's truly the victim in this, then we will make sure he gets out when we take down Vess' lab."

Ivy nodded. "Just be careful. That guy was an asshole."

Carmen laughed. "Well, not everyone can be as happy as you and Zack! You two are the chillest people I know!"

Ivy laughed as well. "We're happy in this team, and so we kinda let our guard down a bit. I just don't want anyone betraying us again after what happened with Le Chevre."

Carmen sobered and she nodded in agreement. "He made a mistake, but it was something that could have torn this entire team completely apart. We need to be careful and make sure nothing like this happens again."

"I'm in position and no sign of Team Crackle yet," Shadowsan informed them over com.

"Nothing here either," Chase stated.

"Nor here," Julia said.

Carmen looked down at her watch and saw they still had a while before the fire alarm.

"Everyone just keep position until the fire drill."

"Carmen?" El Topo suddenly cut in.

"What's up, Antonio?"

"I just found several explosives in the basement of the museum. It's enough to take the whole building down."

"I'm on my way to you, mon ami," Le Chevre stated, "Don't touch them until I get there. I was always better at disarming bombs than you were."

"So the messy wonder was telling the truth!" Ivy exclaimed, "We would have been blown up!"

"This could still be part of a trick," Chase pointed out, "This could have been arranged to gain our trust."

"That's something we'll have to keep in mind," Carmen agreed, "Disable the bombs and be incredibly careful. We don't want any of them detonating!"

"Relax, Carmen, this isn't our first rodeo," Tigress responded in exasperation.

"Team Crackle spotted," Shadowsan suddenly stated, "They're pulling up in the East parking lot."

"Dang, Siren is two for two on this," Ivy said in surprise.

"Is the whole team there?" Carmen demanded.

Shadowsan watched as they piled out of the van. "They're all here, and it looks like Moose Boy and Otterman have joined their team."

Ivy let out a barking laugh. "Oh boy, they'll probably foil the mission without any interference from us! Those two are absolute losers!"

"It does seem an unusual choice for this team…" Shadowsan agreed thoughtfully, "Otterman and Moose Boy don't have the best track record when it comes to missions."

"Well, at least we know where the weak link is!" Ivy answered, still snickering to herself.

"That's eight against three…" Carmen said in concern, "We need the rest of our team to take them on. Guys, how long to disable the bombs?"

"Probably ten minutes," El Topo said, "Then we have to dispose of them."

"Team Crackle will get away before you can get here…" Carmen said worriedly, "I'll need to fight."

"No, you're not!" Shadowsan said firmly over the com, "You are not leaving that van!"

"You need me!" Carmen insisted, unbuckling her seatbelt.

"No, the only thing you will succeed in doing is injuring yourself!" Shadowsan scolded, "Ivy, keep her in that van by all means necessary!"

"Shadowsan!" Carmen protested, "We're going to fail the mission!"

"If we do, then so be it, but I will not jeopardize your life!"

Carmen had never felt more frustrated in her life and she clenched her hands into fists as she glared out the window. She'd never been one to sit aside as others did her dirty work and it felt wrong.

"I'm heading to the east parking lot now!" Chase announced.

"They just entered the building," Shadowsan told him, "We will wait for them to exit and then ambush them. If we can get the piece of stolen equipment from them, we can consider this mission a success."

Carmen switched the camera so she could see the East parking lot and she just caught a glimpse of Shadowsan as he took his position for the ambush. Five minutes later, the camera feeds all went dead, and she knew Crackle had disabled them.

"The cameras are down, and so they must be going for the equipment," Carmen announced, "They'll be making a run for it any time now."

Suddenly there was the sound of an alarm and Carmen's eyes widened. Team Crackle had tripped some sort of alarm!

"I'm ready for them," Shadowsan confirmed.

Within seconds Team Crackle burst out of the building at a run, and Shadowsan could hear Dash snarling at one of the others.

"Stupid, stupid stupid!"

"I didn't mean to!" Moose Boy insisted, "It was an accident!"

" YOU were an accident!" Dash snarled back.

"The Police will be here any second, stop bickering and get in the van!" Crackle ordered, looking furious.

It was then that Shadowsan jumped from the roof and kicked Moose Boy to the ground.

"Henrik!"

Shadowsan didn't even hesitate and he grabbed a hold of Otterman and tossed him over his shoulder directly at the twins. Roosevelt easily caught him, set him back on his feet and then charged for Shadowsan. Chase then leapt out from behind a tree and hit Roosevelt as hard as he could in the face. Blood splattered, but the enormous man remained on his feet and he lashed out without hesitation towards Chase. Chase was faster and dodged to the side and hit him a second time. It was then that Theodore shoved Chase hard to the ground and kicked him before he could get back up.

Paper Star threw a star straight at Chase's throat, but the man managed to roll out of the way just in time, the star stabbing deeply into the pavement. She took aim again but she was hit hard from behind and she faceplanted into the pavement.

Julia was suddenly in the fray, and she kicked Paper Star's paper pouch far from the fight and then dodged a hit from Theodore. Using her newfound fighting skills to go for Crackle, she lashed out at him before he could turn on the crackle rod. Crackle bashed her across the face with the rod, and then powered it on while she staggered back. Shadowsan then kicked Crackle to the ground hard, but was instantly tripped by Neal.

"Kia ora, Instructor Shadowsan!" he greeted cheekily, "Wasn't expecting you lot!"

Shadowsan rolled away and then kicked out at Crackle who was taking a swing for him.

Neal's gaze fell on Julia, and he grinned at her. "Haven't see you in a while, love! How you been?"

Julia's response was to punch him straight in the face hard enough to knock him off his feet. Dash was instantly lashing out at Julia with his hat, slicing through the air viciously. Dash was a lot faster than she expected and he got a slice across one of her arms as she attempted to dodge to one side.

"Well, can't say I was expecting that!" Neal commented, rubbing his jaw, "Where's the rest of your lot?"

No one answered him, and Shadowsan found himself pitted against the twins and Moose Boy as the three enormous men worked together to take him down. Shadowsan knew they were completely outmatched, but he was still trying to figure out who held the equipment. He was subtly checking pockets as he fought, but there was no sign of it anywhere.

Sirens began sounding in the distance, and by the sounds of them there were a lot of cars on the way. Crackle glanced towards the road, and then at his team.

"RETREAT!" he bellowed out, "Leave Team Red!"

Shadowsan's eyes then fell on Otterman who had a suspicious bulge inside his shirt. Dodging around the swings directed at him, he ran for the thin man who didn't even see him coming. Moose Boy did however, and with a speed Shadowsan wasn't expecting, he threw himself in front of Otterman. Shadowsan dodged the punch that was aimed for his face and then tripped Moose Boy, reaching for Otterman. Otterman had something clutched in his hands and Shadowsan realized too late it was a can of mace. Shadowsan was sprayed directly in the face, and he was instantly blinded and in absolutely burning agony.

Moose Boy hit Shadowsan hard in the stomach and then turned to check on his partner.

"In the van!" Crackle ordered, "Ignore them!"

Team Crackle knocked both Chase and Julia to the ground and then they ran for the van. Just as they got inside, Carmen ran around the bend, clutching her side and breathing hard. Crackle started the ignition and then his gaze met Carmen's. His eyes widened in surprise and Carmen stared back at him, hoping he would finally be willing to speak with her.

Crackle then narrowed his eyes and floored the gas, heading straight for Carmen. Carmen barely had time to throw herself to the side, the van brushing against her as she fell.

Carmen was sprawled on the pavement gasping for air, her whole body exhausted and in pain. Chase was hovering over her a few seconds later as Julia attended to Shadowsan.

"Are you hurt?" Chase asked in concern.

Carmen couldn't seem to speak, but she mutely shook her head. Chase scooped her into his arms and then headed back for the van as Julia led the blind Shadowsan.

"Carmen, I don't know what just happened, but I am incredibly angry over it," Shadowsan informed her.

Carmen didn't answer, still fighting to get her breath.

When they reached the van, Ivy was standing beside it looking incredibly nervous.

"I tried to stop her! I swear! She snuck away when I dropped a cheeto under the seat and went down to get it!"

"I-I'm fine!" Carmen wheezed.

The sirens were almost to them and so they jumped in the car, and peeled out of the parking lot as fast as they could. Once they were a safe distance away, they stopped at a convenience store and bought a gallon of milk to clean the mace out of Shadowsan's eyes. Once Shadowsan could finally see again, he turned a glare on Carmen.

"What did you think you were doing?" he snapped, "You could have been hurt!"

"I wasn't going to fight, I was just hoping to speak with Crackle," Carmen admitted sheepishly, "I was hoping his anger had cooled down a bit…"

"I think he gave you his answer," Chase replied.

Carmen's face coloured and she reached up a hand to her ear-com. "Player, patch Siren through again."

"Um...there's a slight problem with that…" Player responded.

Carmen furrowed her brow. "What is it? Did Siren log off?"

"Sort of…"

"Sort of?" Carmen questioned, "Did something happen to him?"

"Er...he fell asleep."

Carmen's eyes widened. "He fell asleep right in the middle of the mission?!"

"Yup, I was chatting with him and he just sort of slumped over. He's still connected to me, but he's completely out cold."

"See if you can wake him up," Carmen instructed, "I need to speak to him."

Sure thing, Red," Player replied, muting himself on her end.

He turned his attention to his screen where Siren could be seen passed out, hand still on his keyboard.

"Siren?" Player said loudly.

There was no response.

"Siren!"

Still silence.

Player took a deep breath and then yelled into his mic as loudly as he could. " SIREN !"

Siren jerked upright in a panic, looked confused for a moment and nearly knocked the computer off his lap.

"I'm awake!" he cried out, catching the laptop before it fell.

"Good, Carmen wants to speak with you," Player informed him, "Do you want me to connect you over?"

Siren rubbed at his eyes and nodded silently. Player patched him through to Carmen's com, and Siren did not look very with it.

"Okay, Siren's on the line," Player informed Carmen.

"Past your bedtime, Siren?" Carmen teased.

"Go to hell," Siren muttered with a yawn, "It's been like three days since I've slept. Have you failed your mission yet?"

Carmen frowned and hesitated. "...yes," she admitted, "Why were you so sure we'd fail?"

Siren let out a snort. "Because you are too much of a hero to ever allow that museum to explode and so I knew you would split your team between the two missions. Half a team is no match for Team Crackle."

Carmen wasn't sure how she felt about that observation, but she decided to ignore it. "What exactly do you want, Siren? You saved my team's lives, and so I owe you one."

"I want to join your team, and I want to help destroy Vess' lab."

Carmen nodded. "Alright Siren, I'm still not sure I can trust you, but I'll accept you on a trial basis."

"Send me the specifications for your ear-coms so I can link up with the team," Siren ordered, "I won't be able to stay in touch very often during the day, but I can reach out at nighttime if you need me."

"Player will get you set up, but I want you to provide us with everything you know about Vess' lab and V.I.L.E."

"Fine," Siren agreed, "I'll transfer over the information once I have the chance sometime this week. Vess keeps a really close eye on me, and so it will take me a few days to gather all the information together."

"That's fine," Carmen assured him, "Just be careful. I don't want to be responsible for getting you caught."

Siren snorted. "I'm not an idiot," he retorted, "I'll be fine. I'm going to bed now considering I have to get up for work in two hours."

"Siren?"

"What?" Siren demanded, impatiently.

"Welcome to Team Red."

---

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

---

Crackle passed off the equipment Doctor Bellum wanted to an operative they met at the airport and they were paid in cash which Otterman immediately took and counted. When they confirmed the agreed upon cash was there, they nodded to the operative and they boarded opposite planes and went on their way.

The whole flight back to San Diego, Dash was fidgety and irritable, and other than helping the others tend to their wounds, he didn't say much. No one was hurt more than a few scrapes and bruises and they were in pretty high spirits.

"So, how many more of these jobs do we have to pull to be able to finish the base?" Crackle demanded.

"This should almost be enough to finish everything," Otterman replied, "We now have enough for the roof, and I'm going to allocate an amount for Dash to use for each bedroom."

"Finally!" Dash exclaimed, "I can actually start some real designs! I have plenty of ideas, but until I know my budget, it's difficult to plan. How much are you giving me?"

Otterman dug inside his jacket pocket and pulled out his ledger. After making a few calculations, he closed the book and glanced up.

"I can give you ten thousand dollars."

Dash immediately crossed his arms angrily. "Ten thousand dollars? The rooms are going to look like absolute garbage if I only have ten thousand per room!"

"No, you misunderstood me," Otterman replied.

Dash raised a brow. "Oh?"

"You have ten thousand to do the whole base, not just one room."

Dash's eyes widened. "That's impossible! That's only a thousand per room! How do you expect me to completely furnish and paint a room with only a thousand dollars?"

"There's a large indoor yardsale coming up on the weekend at the firehall," Otterman replied, "You'll have to try to get some good deals on furniture there. As for paint, we'll have to buy the gallons that other customers returned. We likely won't get much choice on the colour, but they're incredibly cheap."

"Secondhand furniture?" Dash repeated, "That is the most disgusting thing I have ever heard of!"

"Calm down, Dash," Crackle ordered, "It's only temporary. The more jobs we pull, the better things we'll be able to afford. The faculty are going to be in touch with me to discuss our next heist."

Dash had absolutely no intention of sleeping on a second hand mattress but didn't especially care if the others had to. He'd have to play around with the budget a lot if he wanted to make sure his own room wasn't a disaster. A good mattress alone could be over $1500 and that would take a lot of shifting funds around.

Dash went silent and went back to staring out the plane window. He was incredibly worried about Steve, and was certain something terrible had happened. For years Dash had carefully avoided getting attached to anyone and anything, knowing how easily he could be hurt by it. When he joined Team Crackle however, he found it harder and harder to shut off his emotions. People were difficult and untrustworthy, but Steve was different. The cat had easily won him over, and despite being allergic to cats, he quickly got attached to the shabby stray. After spending years of loneliness working for Cleo, he didn't want to ever experience that again.

Team Crackle was his new family, but had a special affection for Steve. If she died while he was on a mission, it was going to hit him hard.

The moment Team Crackle arrived home, Dash ran for the base ahead of the others and quickly unlocked the door. He burst into the base and ran for the bathroom door, terrified he would find Steve dead. Throwing open the door, his gaze went to the nest of blankets, certain something had happened.

He found Steve curled up in the nest of blankets, blood smeared all around. Steve looked up at him and tiredly meowed, but she made no move to get up. Dash knelt down beside her and stroked her head in relief, glad that she seemed fine. Did she already have the kittens? Giving her another reassuring pat, he reached underneath all her fluff looking for kittens. He found one and pulled it out and saw it was a tuxedo cat.

The kitten was clean, dry and it looked healthy. The kitten realized it had been taken away from its mother, and it mewed pitfully, squirming in his hold. Steve immediately reached over and plucked the kitten out of Dash's hand and put it back in the nest, licking its head affectionately. Dash reached under her again and pulled out the second kitten and saw this one was solid orange like its mother.

"The kittens are here?" Crackle asked, peeking over his shoulder.

Dash nodded happily. "They both look great!"

The rest of the team began squeezing into the small bathroom, all glancing down at the tiny kittens. Theodore reached down and picked one up and Dash immediately let out a cry of alarm, certain the enormous man would accidentally crush it. Theodore was incredibly gentle however, and he ran a massive finger across the kitten as he grinned down at it.

"It's cute!"

"I told you she'd be fine," Crackle commented, reaching towards Steve who hissed at him.

"What are you going to name them?" Neal demanded, "I vote for Slug and Snail!"

"Over my dead body are they being named that!" Dash snarled, "I already have names picked out!"

"What about the third one?" Paper Star asked.

"What?" Dash asked, caught off-guard.

Paper Star pointed, and sure enough there was a third kitten hidden in Steve's fluff. Dash carefully picked it up and saw it was a calico. He quickly searched the rest of the nest, but there were no more.

"She was hiding another kitten this whole pregnancy!" Neal laughed, "Sneaky girl!"

"Now they can be named, Slug, Snail, and Maggot!"

"Go away, Neal!" Dash snapped, "Your greasiness is bad for the kittens!"

"Well, what are you going to name them?" Otterman demanded, leaning in closely so he could see them.

"The Tuxedo kitten is Gucci, the ginger kitten is Chanel, and the calico is Hermes!"

"Hermes?" Crackle questioned in surprise, "That's a really awesome name!"

Dash gave him a confused look. "Why?

"Hermes is the perfect name for a Team Crackle kitten! It's so clever! We're all thieves, and Hermes was the greek god of thieves ! A really awesome name for our cat!"

"No, he's named after the purse brand!" Dash snapped.

Crackle rolled his eyes. Of course it was a purse brand.

Crackle gently patted the calico, secretly thinking he liked his idea better. Dash wasn't sure how safe it was for so many people to be handling the kittens and so he took them back and placed them in the nest with Steve.

Steve, who was glaring at all the people in the room, was clearly not happy with this situation.

"Steve is tired, everyone out!" Dash ordered.

"But this is the bathroom!" Roosevelt protested, "I have to pee!"

"Tough, go use the portapotty!" Dash snapped, shoving everyone towards the door, "Everyone leave Steve and the kittens alone!"

"What about you?" Moose Boy demanded.

"I'm staying here in case Steve needs anything!" Dash responded.

Neal exchanged a smirk with Paper Star, but everyone did back out of the room to leave the cats alone. As the rest of the team made their way to the kitchen to grab a few drinks, a loud knock came at the door.

"Bloody hell!" Crackle said angrily, "I swear that better not be Karen making another noise complaint! I'm going to tell that bint to go jump off a bridge!"

Crackle stormed towards the door and threw it open expecting to see their neighbour Karen standing there. Instead he was met with the sight of a fully costumed Plague Doctor and Matryoshka.

"We would like to speak with Sven if you please," Matryoshka informed him.

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TBC