Samine turned off the television when she heard someone knocking on the door. Tossing the remote onto the couch, she pulled open the door and looked at the person.
"Lexxiss isn't here. She's with the boss."
"I know. I wanted to talk with you."
"Me?"
"Yeah, I figure if Jackie and Patrick haven't told you why we're here then someone has to. No reason why four agents and one cop can't work together on two simple cases."
"I don't know what you're talking about," she said calmly as he walked past her.
Closing the door, she turned to watch him as he sat down and looked around. Walking around the couch, she pulled out a hard back chair and sat backwards on the chair. Resting her arms on the back, she looked at him and raised her eyebrows.
"You know exactly what I'm talking about Stasia. If that's your real name."
"You have my undivided attention," she said, not taking the bait.
He smiled and started to talk as Samine listening closely.
Several hours later, Samine and Lexxiss were almost ready to leave for their small hunting mission. Both were clad in solid black and each was armed with their personal weapon.
"I thought gun holsters turned guy on?" Lexxiss asked as she rotated her shoulders to loosen up.
"Usually, but on you it sends guys into overload. They can't handle too much hot ass at the same time," Samine laughed just as the door burst open.
Samine and Lexxiss spun to look at Shelly as she slammed the door behind her and stood in the middle of the room.
"Someone has PMS," Lexxiss muttered with a smirk.
"He's gone."
"Who's gone?"
"Xander-I mean Patrick. Last time I saw him was at least five hours ago and he isn't answering his cell phone," she said angrily and glanced back at Cory.
"Maybe he went to screw someone and he couldn't get up," Lexxiss suggested causing Shelly to glare at her. "It can be quite an ego killer you know."
Samine looked over at Lexxiss and pointed at her. "You, shut your trap about Xander's ego and anything else of his," turning to Shelly and Cory, "you two, sit down, shut up, and we'll solve this when Lexxiss and I get back."
"So now we're calling him Xander?" Lexxiss asked looking between everyone.
Samine looked at Shelly and saw the horrified expression on her face. Holding up her hands, she tried to head off the train wreck threatening to happen.
"Now wait a minutes. Lexxiss shut up and let me handle this. Shelly don't freak out on me. Lexxiss is a secret agent so she knows about everyone."
"Oh, and I know everything about everyone," Lexxiss said smugly.
"That's it! I've had it with you bitch!" Shelly snarled and lunged at Lexxiss.
Samine jumped between the two women as Cory lunged for Shelly to hold her back. Samine pushed Lexxiss back as Cory wrapped his arms around Shelly to pin her arms to her sides. Samine shoved Lexxiss onto the couch and pulled out one of her guns to deter any other attacks.
"Sit down and shut up, both of you!" she snarled as she glared at both women. "Both of you are acting like a pair of idiots and I am sick of it! Once Lexxiss and I get back, we will solve this. Both of you had better still be here when we do get back."
Samine looked at Lexxiss and the back door, implying for her to leave. Samine watched as she left before turning back to Shelly and Cory.
"Just stay here, we'll be back in a few hours," she advised as she holstered her gun.
Walking out, she found Lexxiss waiting for her by the door and playing with a dagger she carried. Without a word, the two started off towards the woods to look for the hidden trapdoor that led to the underground passageways. The two spread out and started to look for the door with occasional words between the two.
"You care for them."
Samine looked up and over to Lexxiss who continued to look at the ground. Samine shrugged and thought for a few minutes before answering.
"Why do you say that?"
"If you didn't, then they would already be disposed of. You used to be less forgiving that this," she said and disappeared behind a tree.
"I haven't grown soft if that's what you're implying."
"Well then what is it?"
Samine pulled out a Bowie knife and flipped it in the air to hold the blade. "I've grown impatient."
She threw down the knife and both heard the distinct sound of it hitting wood when the blade pierced the ground. As Lexxiss walked over Samine found the handle and pulled up the door to reveal a black hole. Lexxiss pulled off her small pack and dropped it on the ground before digging through it. She handed a pair of night-vision goggles to Samine before pulling her pack back on and pulling out her gun.
"You first," Lexxiss offered with a smirk.
"So kind," Samine ground out and pulled the goggles over her eyes.
Climbing down the small metal ladder, she dropped lightly onto the hard packed floor and quickly scanned the passageway. She motioned for Lexxiss to come down and stepped to the side to avoid Lexxiss. Once Lexxiss cam down, the two women started to move quietly down the passageway and check every room they came across. Pipes ran down the ceiling and water dripped from some of the pipes to create a small stream.
Lexxiss tapped Samine on the shoulder and motioned towards a door that appeared to have a brand new lock on it. Turning Lexxiss around, Samine dug through her pack and pulled out a small box with lock picking tools. Kneeling in front of the door, she had it opened in a few minutes as both of them slipped in.
"We found the printing press," Lexxiss muttered as she slowly walked around the large machine.
"And this oil is fresh. It's been used recently," Samine noted after inspecting the gears.
"Lets keep looking," Lexxiss said and cracked open the door to check the passageway.
Leaving that room, the two started off again. Several minutes later Lexxiss held out an arm and stopped Samine from walking on.
"Someone is coming," she whispered in Samine's ear.
Samine pointed towards the shadows against the wall and pushed Lexxiss towards them. Looking up at the pipes, she jumped and swung her body up to hide above the pipes. A few minutes later two figures walked down the passageway and past the two agents. Samine saw Lexxiss look up at her to ask permission to attack. She shook her head quickly for 'no' and watched as the two figures disappeared down the passageway. Waiting for a few minutes before moving, Samine dropped silently to the ground and watched as Lexxiss moved out from her hiding spot.
"Why couldn't we bust their asses?" she asked quietly as the two started moving again.
"Because we don't know how many more are down here. We could be outnumbered."
"Oh come one, we can handle it," She whined softly as Samine glared at her.
"Lets keep moving."
"Wait!" Lexxiss grabbed Samine's arm and made her stop. "Do you hear that?"
"Do I hear what?"
"Follow me," Lexxiss said and started off at a quick yet silent walk.
With a mental groan, Samine followed and listened closely for whatever Lexxiss was listening to. A few yards down the passageway, Samine started to hear angry voices and the clank of metal on metal. Following the sounds, they reached a heavy door that was cracked open a bit.
"And it sounds like we found your ex," Lexxiss whispered as they listened to the conversation.
"I say he's a secret agent."
"No, I think he wants to take over Hodge's empire for himself."
"So, which one is it?"
The question was soon followed by the distinct sound of flesh hitting flesh and a groan. Samine visibly bristled, though she tried to hide it from Lexxiss. Her hand drifted to her thigh and pulled out the silencer and screwed it onto her gun. She pulled Lexxiss closer to her and pushed down her Bowie knife.
"We do it quick and silent," she said as sounds of the beating continued to filter out.
"Let's just bust in and beat their asses down. We'll have surprise on our side."
"Fine, we do it your way."
"On my count; two, one," Lexxiss mouthed as both agents stood ready to kick down the door.
Samine sighted the first person she didn't recognize and shot him through the heart. Lexxiss caught the other around the neck and quickly slit his throat. Samine spun around the room and looked for anyone else as Lexxiss lowered the body to the ground.
"I've got Xander, you get the door," Samine said and holstered her gun.
She turned to look at Xander and had to stop to reign in her emotions. He was hanging from his wrists and was covered in blood from various cuts and gashes along his torso. Samine didn't know where she could touch without hurting him. She followed the rope and found where it was tied to the wall as she quickly moved to it. Untying it, she lowered Xander slowly until he was resting on the ground. Samine softly hissed as she untied the rope from around his wrists and saw the raw skin. Quickly doing a physical check, she grimaced once lifting an eyelid.
"He definitely has a concussion among a pile of more injuries," she said quietly to Lexxiss.
"You mean something actually got through that thick skull of his?"
"Lexxiss," Samine hissed in a scolding tone.
She wisely shut up which Samine was thankful for.
"We've got to go Samine; we've been here for far too long."
"I know, come and help me with him."
Lexxiss draped one of Xander's arms over her shoulders and helped Samine lift him to his feet. Checking the hallway again, the three quietly moved out of the room and moved in the direction that Samine and Lexxiss had come from. Arriving at a split in the passage way, they stopped to catch their breath and get their bearings.
"How are we going to get him up that ladder?" Lexxiss asked, thinking ahead along the passageway.
"Simple, we can't. We'll have to go another way," Samine replied and looked down the darkest branch off the main way.
"And what other way is that?"
"I memorized the network of passageways down here and where they all end up at. If I am correct, this way leads to a hidden doorway in the wall of the dining room in my place. There shouldn't be any ladders or steps, just an incline. But the doorway was painted over, so we'll have to break the seal."
"So let's test it out and see where we get."
Several minutes down the passageway, they sensed a small incline that continued up. About twenty yards further up the incline, they stopped in front of a seemingly solid wall. They carefully lowered Xander to the ground before thinking of the next step.
"We're here, what now?"
"Now we try and break through," Samine said as she ran her hands over the surface, searching for weak spots.
The two women braced their shoulders against the door and leaned hard into it. It shifted slightly but it wasn't what they wanted. Lexxiss grabbed Samine's arm and pulled her away a bit.
"We both kick it, on my count," she said and faced the door with Samine beside her. "Two, one, now!"
Both women kicked out and hit the door at the same time to knock it open a few inches to allow a bright sliver of light to slice through the darkness. Samine jerked off her goggles and looked through the crack.
"Shelly! Yo bitch!" she yelled, listening for someone in the room.
"Samine?"
"Cory! Thank god, can you get us out of here?" Samine asked as Lexxiss stood behind her.
"Where are you?" he asked as he looked over the wall and saw the apparent outline of a door.
"Behind the wall you moron, now help us out of here!" Lexxiss snapped impatiently as Samine looked at her. "I don't like small, dark, and cramped places."
"I see," Samine replied dryly. "Okay Cory, you pull and we'll push."
With the combined strength of three people, the door opened easily with a small shower of paint chips.
"What in the hell happened to Xander?" Cory asked in shock as he helped the two women with Xander.
"Long story, but first get Shelly. All of us need to have a heart to heart about our missions before someone gets killed."
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Okay everyone there is the newest chapter in this sage. I am dreadfully sorry that it took so long getting up, but I have lost a major supporter of this story and it hit close to me. I started having doubts of my writing abilities and doubts about this story so I was seriously struggling for a time. But I've coped and hopefully came out better from it. So um, everyone please review and make my day for me. Take care and peace.
Lexxiss-Here ya go chica; I hope you enjoy this chapter and everything that happens. And where are my emails? I've missed talking to you.
Eadha Ohn-You were lazy on that review. 'Wow'- you almost blew my mind with that one. Heehee, don't mind me, it's late at night and I'm sleepy.
AsaHekA aka Slone-Hey, there can't be action in every chapter. I'd run out of action ideas.