All right. As this is one of the few fanfiction people have repeatedly
requested, I shall update this next.
"Beryl? What are you doing here?" Darien's confusion was evident.
"Demando?" Serena asked, not believing her eyes. "You told my father you were in South America."
Demando smiled suavely. "I was. Before I decided to blow up your house."
"But . but why?" Serena asked. Gazing around, she saw the devastating wreckage. She saw the limp bodies of her mother, father, and brother, laid side-by-side. She was unable to tell their condition, and bit her lip. Amy, Mina, Raye, and Lita were nowhere to be seen, as were Zephyr and Nick. Jared and Kirk were both visible, evidently bruised, and bleeding profusely in some corner. She surveyed the room, seeing Alex and Michelle still conscious, comforting a distraught Hotaru, who was babbling in Japanese. Aunt Trista was nowhere to be found. Neither was her other friends and family. There were large piles of rubble all around, though. "My friends? Are they ."
Demando shrugged. "They're either dead and out in the pile of bodies they're burning right now, or they're trapped. Either way, they won't live. Either way, you won't live?"
"Why?" Darien repeated Serena's question, but more forcefully.
Beryl smirked. "Why, Darien, dear. You're so smart; I thought you would have figured it out by now. You. Know. Too. Much."
Serena's consternation was evident. "What?"
"Not you," Demando flicked her a glance. "You were in Boston, at that other branch. But your father knew a bit too much to please me."
"And Dary-poo," Beryl cooed. "You should have known better. Even those who help the Mafia wind up dead."
"My parents . are they?" Serena glanced at her family worriedly.
"We had reason to insure that your father was dead," Demando said. "And he most definitely is. Your mother is too, I'm afraid. Poor, poor Serena. So alone in the world. Your brother's still alive. That might comfort you. But he's probably paralyzed for life." Demando's sneer was evident as he gazed disdainfully at the shocked look of horror on Serena's face.
"So you killed everyone because you wanted to keep a secret?" Darien asked, disbelief etched in his voice.
"Yep," Beryl nodded, stretching lazily.
"You b*****s!" Serena spat out.
"Now, now, don't be naughty," Demando said. "I was thinking of shooting you as it's so painless, but now, I think I'll stick a knife in your gut. And twist it. And watch the agonized look of pain on your face. See, you have to twist clockwise. I find that you get more painful results that way."
"Don't go near her," Darien said, standing in front of Serena.
"Oh look," Beryl taunted. "Your knight-in-shining-armor has arrived. Guards! Hold him!"
Darien had taken some self-defense classes when he was younger, but even he couldn't do anything against five muscled, burly bodyguards who moved to intercept his moves.
Demando pulled out a rather sharp, elaborate-looking knife. "This knife has only been used to kill the most beautiful," he explained. "Princess Di. Narincotta. And that Miss Universe a couple of years back. Feel honored."
Serena took one step back, and then seemed to think better of it. She would show no fear. She took a step forward instead, and looked him bravely in the face. He advanced. Her hands reached up to tie her meatballs. First her left one. She did it slowly and deliberately. When her hand left the meatball, her hair spilled onto the left side of her face. She looked up with a martyred expression, and began untying the other one. And yet Demando advanced. He raised his sword to strike and .
To be continued . not!
Serena's hand whipped out, rose dagger in hand. With an expertise that did not belong to her, she calmly slit Demando's throat, and watched as he staggered back, spurting blood. Beryl stepped back, shocked, and the burly bodyguards stepped forward in vain to help their old master.
Seizing his chance, Darien leapt in the air, and promptly proceeded to attempt to take out some of bodyguards. Serena was just staring in shock at the body on the floor. Beryl, meanwhile, advanced.
"Thank you for getting rid of him." Beryl's voice was no longer sugary sweet. "I had been meaning to do that for a while now. And you. I suppose I'll have to kill you." Only the twitch of the eyelid of her left eye betrayed her. She was fast.
But some somehow, Serena was faster. Before long, Beryl, too, lay on the floor beside her ex-co-worker. Serena stared at blankly at the corpses, before beginning to retch.
The problem with organized crime organizations is that there is always some greedy-guts character that is ready to seize the reins of control. In this case, it was a small pipsqueak by the name of Rubeus. Seizing his chance, Rubeus rallied the band of cutthroats, thieves, and murderers. "To me!" he squeaked. "To me! Revenge on the man and the woman!" Utilizing their ex- loyalty to Demando and Beryl, he cleverly seized control.
Darien and Serena backed up, side by side, as an entire mob advanced upon them, side by side.
All of a sudden, three girls leaped into the midst. With a whirl of leather breeches, legs, knives, swords, and guns, the room began to be littered with dead people. Everyone else fled. The three girls turned around to reveal themselves as .
"Raye! Lita! Mina! What are you three doing here?" Serena asked bewilderedly.
"They're Artemis's Angels," a voice said, and Amy stepped out. "I'm one of them, too."
Both Serena and Darien were poleaxed, and completely confused.
"Isn't Artemis the Roman Goddess of the Moon?" Darien asked.
At the same time, Serena cried, "Does that have anything to do with Charlie's Angels?"
Darien would have sweatdropped at this point, but this is an alternate universe fanfiction, and thus does not have sweadrops. Instead, he rolled his eyes.
"Actually," Raye said, "she's not far off the point. This person named Artemis (we don't know if Artemis is a he or a she) calls us and gives us missions. We're more like a tool to help save political crises and get bad guys. The fact that we're all kinda sorta in the same family is just a coincidence. We were Angels before I became your cousin. Or step-cousin. Whatever."
Serena blinked several times. "Okay ." she said finally. "But . how is my family?" This time, her voice was concerned.
Amy sighed. She had been checking the bodies. "Brace yourself, Serena ."
To be continued .
That wasn't too much of a deux ex machina, was it?
"Beryl? What are you doing here?" Darien's confusion was evident.
"Demando?" Serena asked, not believing her eyes. "You told my father you were in South America."
Demando smiled suavely. "I was. Before I decided to blow up your house."
"But . but why?" Serena asked. Gazing around, she saw the devastating wreckage. She saw the limp bodies of her mother, father, and brother, laid side-by-side. She was unable to tell their condition, and bit her lip. Amy, Mina, Raye, and Lita were nowhere to be seen, as were Zephyr and Nick. Jared and Kirk were both visible, evidently bruised, and bleeding profusely in some corner. She surveyed the room, seeing Alex and Michelle still conscious, comforting a distraught Hotaru, who was babbling in Japanese. Aunt Trista was nowhere to be found. Neither was her other friends and family. There were large piles of rubble all around, though. "My friends? Are they ."
Demando shrugged. "They're either dead and out in the pile of bodies they're burning right now, or they're trapped. Either way, they won't live. Either way, you won't live?"
"Why?" Darien repeated Serena's question, but more forcefully.
Beryl smirked. "Why, Darien, dear. You're so smart; I thought you would have figured it out by now. You. Know. Too. Much."
Serena's consternation was evident. "What?"
"Not you," Demando flicked her a glance. "You were in Boston, at that other branch. But your father knew a bit too much to please me."
"And Dary-poo," Beryl cooed. "You should have known better. Even those who help the Mafia wind up dead."
"My parents . are they?" Serena glanced at her family worriedly.
"We had reason to insure that your father was dead," Demando said. "And he most definitely is. Your mother is too, I'm afraid. Poor, poor Serena. So alone in the world. Your brother's still alive. That might comfort you. But he's probably paralyzed for life." Demando's sneer was evident as he gazed disdainfully at the shocked look of horror on Serena's face.
"So you killed everyone because you wanted to keep a secret?" Darien asked, disbelief etched in his voice.
"Yep," Beryl nodded, stretching lazily.
"You b*****s!" Serena spat out.
"Now, now, don't be naughty," Demando said. "I was thinking of shooting you as it's so painless, but now, I think I'll stick a knife in your gut. And twist it. And watch the agonized look of pain on your face. See, you have to twist clockwise. I find that you get more painful results that way."
"Don't go near her," Darien said, standing in front of Serena.
"Oh look," Beryl taunted. "Your knight-in-shining-armor has arrived. Guards! Hold him!"
Darien had taken some self-defense classes when he was younger, but even he couldn't do anything against five muscled, burly bodyguards who moved to intercept his moves.
Demando pulled out a rather sharp, elaborate-looking knife. "This knife has only been used to kill the most beautiful," he explained. "Princess Di. Narincotta. And that Miss Universe a couple of years back. Feel honored."
Serena took one step back, and then seemed to think better of it. She would show no fear. She took a step forward instead, and looked him bravely in the face. He advanced. Her hands reached up to tie her meatballs. First her left one. She did it slowly and deliberately. When her hand left the meatball, her hair spilled onto the left side of her face. She looked up with a martyred expression, and began untying the other one. And yet Demando advanced. He raised his sword to strike and .
To be continued . not!
Serena's hand whipped out, rose dagger in hand. With an expertise that did not belong to her, she calmly slit Demando's throat, and watched as he staggered back, spurting blood. Beryl stepped back, shocked, and the burly bodyguards stepped forward in vain to help their old master.
Seizing his chance, Darien leapt in the air, and promptly proceeded to attempt to take out some of bodyguards. Serena was just staring in shock at the body on the floor. Beryl, meanwhile, advanced.
"Thank you for getting rid of him." Beryl's voice was no longer sugary sweet. "I had been meaning to do that for a while now. And you. I suppose I'll have to kill you." Only the twitch of the eyelid of her left eye betrayed her. She was fast.
But some somehow, Serena was faster. Before long, Beryl, too, lay on the floor beside her ex-co-worker. Serena stared at blankly at the corpses, before beginning to retch.
The problem with organized crime organizations is that there is always some greedy-guts character that is ready to seize the reins of control. In this case, it was a small pipsqueak by the name of Rubeus. Seizing his chance, Rubeus rallied the band of cutthroats, thieves, and murderers. "To me!" he squeaked. "To me! Revenge on the man and the woman!" Utilizing their ex- loyalty to Demando and Beryl, he cleverly seized control.
Darien and Serena backed up, side by side, as an entire mob advanced upon them, side by side.
All of a sudden, three girls leaped into the midst. With a whirl of leather breeches, legs, knives, swords, and guns, the room began to be littered with dead people. Everyone else fled. The three girls turned around to reveal themselves as .
"Raye! Lita! Mina! What are you three doing here?" Serena asked bewilderedly.
"They're Artemis's Angels," a voice said, and Amy stepped out. "I'm one of them, too."
Both Serena and Darien were poleaxed, and completely confused.
"Isn't Artemis the Roman Goddess of the Moon?" Darien asked.
At the same time, Serena cried, "Does that have anything to do with Charlie's Angels?"
Darien would have sweatdropped at this point, but this is an alternate universe fanfiction, and thus does not have sweadrops. Instead, he rolled his eyes.
"Actually," Raye said, "she's not far off the point. This person named Artemis (we don't know if Artemis is a he or a she) calls us and gives us missions. We're more like a tool to help save political crises and get bad guys. The fact that we're all kinda sorta in the same family is just a coincidence. We were Angels before I became your cousin. Or step-cousin. Whatever."
Serena blinked several times. "Okay ." she said finally. "But . how is my family?" This time, her voice was concerned.
Amy sighed. She had been checking the bodies. "Brace yourself, Serena ."
To be continued .
That wasn't too much of a deux ex machina, was it?