I know, I know it's been a long time but I've been very busy!
And here it is!
Enjoy!
**
Tom groaned.
A heavy headache and a sour taste in his dry mouth greeted him.
He opened his eyes very slowly.
It was dark and the air smelled musty.
And he couldn't move.
A strand of sweaty hair fell in his eyes as he tried to free himself out of the bonds that held him flat on the floor.
No chance!
Grumbling, he rolled himself over the dusty stone floor till he reached a door.
Collecting his last power, he started bumping his legs against it.
**
"YOU´VE HID A CORPSE IN THE CELLAR???" Trinity shouted at her best friend angrily.
She shook her head.
Apparently it was not possible to keep Felice and "trouble" separated.
"SShhhhh!" Felice hissed and watched her bedroom warily. Aunt Gretel was snoring loudly next door.
"AND YOU´VE KIDNAPPED YOUR MARTIAL ARTS TEACHER? ARE YOU GONE NUTS??"
"Sshhh!" Felice winced again.
Trinity shook her head again and reached for the bottle beside her friend's bed.
"And what are you going to do now?" she asked after a really long sip of Kirschwasser.
Felice shrugged.
"That's exactly my problem. I don't want him to get killed…"
Trinity raised an eyebrow.
"But we just can't let him go that easily. He would go and press charges against the Twins immediately!"
She sighed and snatched the bottle out of Trinity's hands.
They passed a long moment in silence.
Well, not exactly…
"Rronnnfschnurchel….Chhrrrr…ghhrarcchhhh.." it came from next door.
"And what about the corpse?" Trinity asked finally.
"One and Two take care of that."
"Ha!" Trinity coughed.
Felice shot her a glare.
Her friend smiled apologetically.
"So it was Jürgen…"
"Hmm."
"Well, at least it wasn't Klaus! That really would've been a shame!" Trinity said and patted Felices leg.
"So what can we do?"
Felice straightened up and her eyes started gleaming.
"I'm going to go through Julia's room again tonight! There must be something left that proves his guilt!"
Trinity nodded.
"I will accompany you!"
**
Finally.
He heard footsteps getting nearer his prison and then the door opened and bright light blinded him.
Someone shrieked as he/she almost tripped over his bounded body.
A bundle of dirty clothes fell to the ground.
"Oh gottogottogottogott!! You poor, poor man!" a female voice cried and a small figure in a chamber maid's costume bend over him.
"I'll help you!"
**
Meanwhile, the Twins were lying in wait in the cold storage room.
They had changed some of the money containers against their "corpse containers" and were now waiting what would happen next.
Already half an hour later Jürgen and his companion appeared and started loading their precious freight into a small dirty brown van. They finished loading and Jürgen started pondering. The second man approached him and nudged him playfully.
"We're ready, let's go!" apparently he was in a cheerful mood.
Jürgen shook his head.
"Not yet."
"Why not? We have the money and no one will miss us tonight! They think we have a date in town!"
"There's still something left for me to do! We'll meet again in 30 minutes!"
"But then we will leave this place?"
"Then we will leave!" Felices cousin promised.
"What now?" One whispered as Jürgen left the underground parking next to the cold storage room with resolutely steps.
Two gestured towards the second man who now leaned against the van and lit a cigarette.
"You'll continue watching him! I'll go and follow this ill-conceived thing!"
One nodded.
"And he can only hope that whatever gods he's praying to will show mercy on him if he's only thinking about getting after Felice!" he added.
Two just smiled evilly.
**
The same time, Neo´s room.
"STAND AT ATTENTION!" Morpheus shouted.
Neo saluted smartly. Thereby the loose ends of his pink flowered scarf slipped him in the eyes.
His hands closed tight around his brand new mop.
Morpheus paced up and down the room.
"NOW ANSWER: WHAT ARE THE THREE SECRETS TO WIN A WOMAN´S HEART?"
"Yes Sir, the three secrets to win a woman's heart is 1. Cooking, 2. Keep the house clean and 3. Hold her bags when she's shopping, Sir!"
Morpheus paced some more and smiled evilly.
"And what is the most important of all?" he asked.
"Yes Sir, Keeping the house clean, Sir!"
"PRESENT THE MOP!"
"Hyyyyiiiaaaa!"
Neo pulled his mop with a start into the air and nearly poked the stick into his left eye.
"Moooorphiii!!" it suddenly yelled from next door.
Morpheus twitched.
"I need to go to the bathroom! Get your lazy ass over here and help me getting out of this armchair!" Niobe yelled impatiently.
Morpheus winced and let his shoulder slump down.
**
Cackling, Tom limped in a surprising speed through the corridors.
After the maid had freed him he had thrown the poor girl into one of the many laundry wagons and locked her in for good.
Now it was time to flee this scary house and call the police, the army, whatever!
Two searched criminals, killers even! And a damsel in distress to rescue!
Yes, he would save the day!
But those headaches!
He hid behind a big plant as a couple came out of a room and entered another. The woman seemed to be pregnant with triplets.
He looked around and then experimentally tried to open the door of their room.
It was open!
Hastily he got in and searched for something to sooth his pain.
**
"Nothing!" Felice said disappointed.
Trinity sighed.
They had searched Julia's room very carefully but hadn't found anything that gave evidence about what had caused her death at least.
"I need to wash my hands!" Trinity said and entered the small bathroom next to Julia's bed.
With a frustrated sigh, Felice sat down on her cousin's bed and put her face into her palms. A small noise made her startling.
She looked up.
Right into Jürgens grim looking face.
No good!
Her gaze wandered to his right hand. A garrotte!
Wonderful!
"You're not seriously expecting to come through with this, aren't you?" she whispered.
"Why not, dear cousin? I came through with a first kill, thanks to you. Why should a second do any harm?" he grinned.
Felice coughed.
"What did she do to deserve that?"
He snickered.
"Oh come on, Feli! You know damn well what she has been doing! Didn't she blackmail you too?"
"But was there no other way?"
"No, I fear there wasn't any! She shouldn't have interfered with family business. And surely not with my own business!"
"Bastard!" Felice hissed and got up.
Jürgen came slowly nearer.
"Well, at least it was a painless death, I used a fine poison. But yours will not be this peaceful, I fear!"
They started circling each other while Felice feverishly searched for her razor blade.
Damn! She had put it on her bed-side table and forgot to put it back into her pocket again.
"Well, I wonder what little dirty secret she found out about you and those white rats of husbands of yours!" he chirped.
Felice gulped.
"But that's unimportant now. Say goodbye, little cousin!"
Then two things happened simultaneously.
The bathroom door flew open and Trinity rushed in screaming "Hyyyaaahhh!".
And a silver ghost emerged through the carpet and transformed into a whirling shape of silver clothes and rotating blades, grunting "Diiiiieeeee!!!".
In the following chaos Felice decided to duck and crawl towards the door.
Again.
Just as she finally reached the door to get help, a scream from outside was to be heard.
It sounded suspiciously like Niobe.
Jürgen used that second of shock to free himself out of the disaster. He overran Felice and fled out of the room.
Trinity pursued him immediately.
Two helped Felice up from the floor and squeezed her tight.
"I'm ok, really! But that scream!" she groaned and freed herself out of his strong embrace.
Just as she entered the corridor, she was overran a second time.
But this time it was Tom.
Mad cackling he made his way down the corridor. Some small beans hit her face as his boot connected painfully with her stomach.
She heard Two cursing.
And wishing for a gun.
**
As Felice opened her eyes again, she still sat on the floor.
Like Niobe who seemed to be over ran too.
Trinity was there and looked sorrowful down on her.
Her head lay in Two's lap.
Neo was there, too, holding his mop in fighting stance.
"We have to follow them, they have to be arrested!" she heard Morpheus complain who tried to sooth down a cursing Niobe.
Who wished for a gun, too.
"Can you get up, Cherie?" Two asked her tenderly. Trinity blushed and turned away.
"Of course I can!" Felice protested and scrambled to her feet.
"What's that? Tom must have lost them!" she eyed a handvoll of beans that lay on the floor.
"Oh look! Some of them are blue and some are red!"
Morpheus suddenly started coughing.
Niobes eyes flashed dangerously.
"PILLS? YOU´VE TOOK PILLS WITH YOU?? COULDN´T WAIT TO PLAY THE GREAT SAVIOUR AGAIN, COULD YOU?? DAMN MORPHEUS, WE´RE HAVING HOLIDAY!!!" she screamed.
The captain of the Nebuchadnezzar did have the decency to blush a deep crimson red.
Trinity and Neo shuffled their feet.
"Pills? What pills? Could you please explain?" Felice asked irritated. Two made a disappointing noise somewhere deep in his throat.
All four of them were suddenly very eager to capture the two fugitives.
"No time!"
"I'm sorry!"
"Have to go!"
"See you later!"
Felice huffed and took Two's arm.
"Let's follow them; I still have to fleece that dear cousin of mine!"
**
Jürgen cursed.
It had completely gone wrong! The only thing that was now to do was to get as far away as even possible.
Away from this freaky family of his.
Now he didn't have to wonder any more what blackmail poor dead Julia had against little Felice.
He smiled as he turned around a corner and entered the underground parking.
Maybe that knowledge would come in handy someday when he found a place safe enough!
He approached the van, already seeing the other man sitting in the driver's seat. Furrowing his brow, he quickly closed the van's trunk door. That mustn't happen again! In the end they would loose what they had worked for so hard by pure inattention! He entered the van and told the other to drive off.
"You haven't closed the door!" he said accusingly.
"But I did!" the other opposed.
"Shit!" Neo cursed as they finally reached the parking. All that was still to be seen of their attackers was a heavy cloud of dust.
"Aargh!!" Felice screamed and threw herself onto Two's chest. One appeared out of his hiding place and joined them. Niobe scolded loudly everything and everybody while Trinity kicked some stones on the ground.
Suddenly she took a closer look.
"Wait a minute. PILLS?"
"Huh?" Morpheus finally woke up out of his trance.
"PILLS! There!" she pointed at the ground.
**
Tom grinned.
It had been a good idea to climb into the van and hide. Once they had left the mansion he would enter the driver's cabin and take over control.
And get help, the police, and the army, whatever!
He fumbled with his pockets. That damn headache was almost unbearable by now!
But what medicine to take? Red or blue?
He climbed over the containers. Now or never!
He stuffed a handful of red and blue pills into his mouth and attacked the driver with a loud scream from behind.
**
They finally started the pursue.
Unfortunately, there was only one car left to use and that was Trinity's mini cooper.
Neo desperately wanted to drive but that would've meant that Trinity had to sit either on Morpheus lap (death stare from Niobe) or on one of the Twins ("don't you dare"-stare from Twins) laps.
Therefore Morpheus had to drive.
Neo had to sit on the passenger seat with Trinity on his lap (pout from Felice who wanted to sit in front too), in the middle of the back seats sat Niobe (who refused to be left behind), left from her Two (pouting, cause he wanted to drive but then Niobe would have to sit on Morpheus lap) and One on her right side with Felice on his lap (grinning because he could use the opportunity to "grope" his own wife).
"THERE IT IS! THERE´S THE VAN!!" Trinity suddenly screamed and leaned that deep out of the window that the whole car made a jump to the right.
"Aaarghh!" (Morpheus, angry)
"Ouch!" (Neo, who got Trin´s elbow right into his stomach)
"Ahem, One, you don't need to hold on to my breasts. They are grown tight at my chest and they won't fall off!!" (Felice, in a very compromising situation)
"@€**'###!!!" (Two, jealous)
"I'm hungry!" (Niobe, bored)
The van, witch was ca. 50 meters in front of them, suddenly started to sway.
"Watch out!" Morpheus cried.
Then the van tipped over and started burning.
Morpheus stopped the car near it. Very quietly they got out and watched the scenario.
There was no sign of life.
**
"…..couldn´t be identified yet…parts of a female corpse…counterfeit money…"
Resolutely, Trinity turned the radio off and looked at Morpheus. Finally she dared to ask.
"What happens when you take both pills at the same time?"
Morpheus looked at the other side of the room where Felice and the Twins were talking to Felices mother.
"Honestly, I don't know." He answered.
**
On board of a ship that by chance passed the matrix´ breeding fields.
"Captain?"
"Yes?"
"I'm not sure, but I think I've seen someone down there!"
"Do we have any people to free on the list for today?"
"No, Sir!"
"Then I couldn't think of any way a human could be down there!"
"Yes, Sir!"
"Michael?"
"Yes, Sir?"
"We're going home in a minute!"
**
Awww, poor Tom…
There's still an epilogue to be written, mind you!
I've spent a whole afternoon and half of the evening writing this so please review (I won't bite!)!!