"What's happening?"
"What do you mean?"
"You guys know what I mean. Oliver's accident, the fire at your place, then suddenly, all of you guys seem to have a whole collection of bullets that have your names written on them."
Enrique folded his arms. I've got to give the guy credit; he doesn't allow the wool to be pulled over his eyes. "Do you think it's because you guys are assassins?" Tala leaned back on his seat, arms behind his head.
"FORMER assassins. And your guess is as good as ours, Giancarlo." Tala said. "Any number of people might want us dead."
"Still... There's a high chance, right?"
I sank further into my seat, rubbing my sore wrist. Enrique can be a pro at pointing out the worse case scenario when it suits him. Kai noticed as well, squeezing between my shoulder blades to make me feel better. Enrique looked at me, the question written on his face. I sighed, decidedly, shrugging.
"I don't know" I said as I exhaled. "I hope... I hope it not because of..."
I looked down at my feet. Someone can't want us dead. We practically announced to the world we weren't assassins anymore. Why would someone be after us then? Why would they want to shatter our happiness? My happiness? Okay, I admit, I'm living in a fantasy land here, lying to myself like this... I have to slow down. I need to think things through. Okay, so the shootings. An obvious attempt on our lives. The same person, maybe? After all, there was roughly half to one hour between the café shooting at Kai and the hotel shooting at Max and Tala. Someone could have ran from the café to the hotel in that time... Providing they're fit and fast, that is. Even I would have trouble doing that nowadays. Second, the fire at the house. No evidence so far, but a possibility it could have also been a murder attempt... As for my accident... I winced a little, having rubbed my wrist too hard.
A knock at the door grabbed our attention. We all stared at the entrance. An envelope was pushed through the bottom. Enrique was the first to stand and pick it up. The rest of us stood up and stood around the Italian.
"Who's it from?" Max asked. "Or to?"
"It's unmarked..." Enrique muttered, turning the envelope over to open it. He pulled out a note. His face turned serious. Not a good sign... "I think this is for you two..."
Enrique handed the note to me and Tala. The handwriting was so small, I had to squint to read it. I read the note out loud for all our benefits...
"The time has come, agents. Our superiors predicted this will happen, And so it is my duty to rectify your bungling.
There's no hiding from me. You may have escaped my previous attempts, But I promise you, I will succeed.
I will come for you, Shadow and Cypher. Darkness and codes won't hide you this time. You may run, but you can never hide."
******
Oliver stared at the ceiling, deep in thought. The note was at the moment being read and re-read, checked over like a pro by Tala, trying to discover the identity of their mysterious note writer. Kai was in the bathroom. Max and Enrique were talking about something. Oliver blinked, his mind swimming.
Who could it have been...? Another agent? But I was under the impression that Tala and I were the only agents in the BIOVOLT ring... A lackey then? No...
With an exasperated sigh and growl, Oliver pushed himself into a sitting position on the couch. Tala looked up and shook his head.
"No luck. No fingerprints other than ours and Enrique's." Tala said "Paper like this can be bought anywhere and the ink looks like a biro. Everyone uses biro. As for handwriting, I don't know whose it could be..."
Oliver sighed. "Great. We have someone or some group after us, most likely sent by someone within BIOVOLT, and we don't know who they could be. Isn't there something we can do, or find?"
Tala thought for a moment to himself. He looked like he was about to suggest something, but shook his head. "No... Not a thing."
"What were you..."
"Forget about it..."
Oliver sat up properly, staring his foster brother down. "Tala?"
Tala simply shrugged and sat back. "I thought I had something, but I don't. Just forget it."
Oliver scowled a little at his brother, sceptical. Tala raised an eyebrow momentarily before sniggering. Enrique, Max and Oliver stared at the red- head.
"What's so funny!?" Oliver asked.
"You spend too much time with Kai. You're even starting to scowl like him."
"I do not! .... Do I?"
The toilet flushed and Kai appeared out of the bathroom, drying his hands. He looked at the faces of everyone in the room, ending with Tala's smirking face. Kai scowled.
"What's going on?"
Enrique suddenly burst out laughing. "You're right, Tala! An exact mirror image!"
Kai just looked a little confused as he sank onto the couch next to Oliver, giving his boyfriend a questioning look. Oliver just waved it off with the tinge of giggles on his cheeks. Kai simply shrugged and leaned back on the couch. "Did you guys find anything?"
Tala's smirk dissolved quickly as he shook his head. "Nothing conclusive. If we had slightly more information, I might be able to pinpoint something... Has anyone seen anything, anyone recently, acting suspicious?"
Everyone thought hard, trying to pinpoint something. Max was the first to speak up.
"Well... that night, before the fire when Tala and I went for a walk..."
"What is it, Max?" Kai asked.
The blonde looked up, facing everyone. "I thought I saw someone near the house when Tala and I left. It was too dark to see, but I think he was about... Oliver's height. I didn't think much of it at the time. He was wearing a servant's uniform."
Tala immediately pounced in with questions for Max. "Max, think. Do you remember anything else? What did this guy look like?"
"Or was it even a guy? Could it have been a girl?"
Max shook his head after thinking. "No. It was definitely a guy. He was walking out of the house. He noticed me and Tala and bowed slightly, like all the other servants did. I couldn't get a good look at him, we were a way away at the time."
Tala sighed, his hand on Max's knee, thinking. Oliver thought to himself for a moment but came up with nothing. Suddenly, Tala stood up and left the room, everyone sending him questioning looks. The Russian redhead returned sometime later, a brown paper parcel in his hands. The Unicorn looked at the Wolf questioningly. Tala sighed, resigned, and placed the parcel down on the coffee table in front of everyone.
"Tala... What is that?" Max asked.
Tala simply gave a sideways glance to Oliver, meeting eyes, sadness but determination in his eyes.
"I'm sorry Oliver... but with Max and Kai in danger, I couldn't bear to just sit back and do nothing. We have to do something."
"Tala? What do you have in mind?" Oliver asked, nervous with his brother and the contents of the suddenly dangerous looking package.
"Oliver... I know I promised I would get rid of these..."
Tala snapped the string holding the parcel together and allowed the paper to unfold by itself. A black and a white blazer tumbled from the jumbled mess. A belt snaked out of a pile of trousers. Oliver jumped as if an animal bit his ankles when two unfriendly, familiar items fell by his feet. A glass visor and a dart...
"Tala... How... WHY!?"
"It may have been easy for you to try and forget, but it wasn't for me..."
Oliver sank back, his shoulders suddenly carrying a large weight. "Tala..."
"Listen Oliver, I know it's hard. But this is the best idea I have. We need not only to protect ourselves, but Max and Kai, too."
"Does this mean what I think it means?"
"I'm afraid so, Oliver.... As much as we hate it, I think Shadow and Cypher have to return from the grave..."
__________________________________________________
Anime: *bows repeatedly* Gomen-nasai! Gomen-Nasai!Gomen-Nasai!Gomen-Nasai!
Wufei: I'm surprised anyone would want to read this...
Anime: Quiet you! Anyway, sorry everyone! I am alive! I am back and I will finish this before Summer! ^_^ Guess what!? I'm going to a con this summer! Amecon! W00t!
Heero: -_- You never shut up about it...
Wufei: Of course. She's a stupid onna, that's why who's never been to one.
Anime: ;p You can't hurt me with comments like that! Besides, you're sore because I never considered cosplaying you!
"What do you mean?"
"You guys know what I mean. Oliver's accident, the fire at your place, then suddenly, all of you guys seem to have a whole collection of bullets that have your names written on them."
Enrique folded his arms. I've got to give the guy credit; he doesn't allow the wool to be pulled over his eyes. "Do you think it's because you guys are assassins?" Tala leaned back on his seat, arms behind his head.
"FORMER assassins. And your guess is as good as ours, Giancarlo." Tala said. "Any number of people might want us dead."
"Still... There's a high chance, right?"
I sank further into my seat, rubbing my sore wrist. Enrique can be a pro at pointing out the worse case scenario when it suits him. Kai noticed as well, squeezing between my shoulder blades to make me feel better. Enrique looked at me, the question written on his face. I sighed, decidedly, shrugging.
"I don't know" I said as I exhaled. "I hope... I hope it not because of..."
I looked down at my feet. Someone can't want us dead. We practically announced to the world we weren't assassins anymore. Why would someone be after us then? Why would they want to shatter our happiness? My happiness? Okay, I admit, I'm living in a fantasy land here, lying to myself like this... I have to slow down. I need to think things through. Okay, so the shootings. An obvious attempt on our lives. The same person, maybe? After all, there was roughly half to one hour between the café shooting at Kai and the hotel shooting at Max and Tala. Someone could have ran from the café to the hotel in that time... Providing they're fit and fast, that is. Even I would have trouble doing that nowadays. Second, the fire at the house. No evidence so far, but a possibility it could have also been a murder attempt... As for my accident... I winced a little, having rubbed my wrist too hard.
A knock at the door grabbed our attention. We all stared at the entrance. An envelope was pushed through the bottom. Enrique was the first to stand and pick it up. The rest of us stood up and stood around the Italian.
"Who's it from?" Max asked. "Or to?"
"It's unmarked..." Enrique muttered, turning the envelope over to open it. He pulled out a note. His face turned serious. Not a good sign... "I think this is for you two..."
Enrique handed the note to me and Tala. The handwriting was so small, I had to squint to read it. I read the note out loud for all our benefits...
"The time has come, agents. Our superiors predicted this will happen, And so it is my duty to rectify your bungling.
There's no hiding from me. You may have escaped my previous attempts, But I promise you, I will succeed.
I will come for you, Shadow and Cypher. Darkness and codes won't hide you this time. You may run, but you can never hide."
******
Oliver stared at the ceiling, deep in thought. The note was at the moment being read and re-read, checked over like a pro by Tala, trying to discover the identity of their mysterious note writer. Kai was in the bathroom. Max and Enrique were talking about something. Oliver blinked, his mind swimming.
Who could it have been...? Another agent? But I was under the impression that Tala and I were the only agents in the BIOVOLT ring... A lackey then? No...
With an exasperated sigh and growl, Oliver pushed himself into a sitting position on the couch. Tala looked up and shook his head.
"No luck. No fingerprints other than ours and Enrique's." Tala said "Paper like this can be bought anywhere and the ink looks like a biro. Everyone uses biro. As for handwriting, I don't know whose it could be..."
Oliver sighed. "Great. We have someone or some group after us, most likely sent by someone within BIOVOLT, and we don't know who they could be. Isn't there something we can do, or find?"
Tala thought for a moment to himself. He looked like he was about to suggest something, but shook his head. "No... Not a thing."
"What were you..."
"Forget about it..."
Oliver sat up properly, staring his foster brother down. "Tala?"
Tala simply shrugged and sat back. "I thought I had something, but I don't. Just forget it."
Oliver scowled a little at his brother, sceptical. Tala raised an eyebrow momentarily before sniggering. Enrique, Max and Oliver stared at the red- head.
"What's so funny!?" Oliver asked.
"You spend too much time with Kai. You're even starting to scowl like him."
"I do not! .... Do I?"
The toilet flushed and Kai appeared out of the bathroom, drying his hands. He looked at the faces of everyone in the room, ending with Tala's smirking face. Kai scowled.
"What's going on?"
Enrique suddenly burst out laughing. "You're right, Tala! An exact mirror image!"
Kai just looked a little confused as he sank onto the couch next to Oliver, giving his boyfriend a questioning look. Oliver just waved it off with the tinge of giggles on his cheeks. Kai simply shrugged and leaned back on the couch. "Did you guys find anything?"
Tala's smirk dissolved quickly as he shook his head. "Nothing conclusive. If we had slightly more information, I might be able to pinpoint something... Has anyone seen anything, anyone recently, acting suspicious?"
Everyone thought hard, trying to pinpoint something. Max was the first to speak up.
"Well... that night, before the fire when Tala and I went for a walk..."
"What is it, Max?" Kai asked.
The blonde looked up, facing everyone. "I thought I saw someone near the house when Tala and I left. It was too dark to see, but I think he was about... Oliver's height. I didn't think much of it at the time. He was wearing a servant's uniform."
Tala immediately pounced in with questions for Max. "Max, think. Do you remember anything else? What did this guy look like?"
"Or was it even a guy? Could it have been a girl?"
Max shook his head after thinking. "No. It was definitely a guy. He was walking out of the house. He noticed me and Tala and bowed slightly, like all the other servants did. I couldn't get a good look at him, we were a way away at the time."
Tala sighed, his hand on Max's knee, thinking. Oliver thought to himself for a moment but came up with nothing. Suddenly, Tala stood up and left the room, everyone sending him questioning looks. The Russian redhead returned sometime later, a brown paper parcel in his hands. The Unicorn looked at the Wolf questioningly. Tala sighed, resigned, and placed the parcel down on the coffee table in front of everyone.
"Tala... What is that?" Max asked.
Tala simply gave a sideways glance to Oliver, meeting eyes, sadness but determination in his eyes.
"I'm sorry Oliver... but with Max and Kai in danger, I couldn't bear to just sit back and do nothing. We have to do something."
"Tala? What do you have in mind?" Oliver asked, nervous with his brother and the contents of the suddenly dangerous looking package.
"Oliver... I know I promised I would get rid of these..."
Tala snapped the string holding the parcel together and allowed the paper to unfold by itself. A black and a white blazer tumbled from the jumbled mess. A belt snaked out of a pile of trousers. Oliver jumped as if an animal bit his ankles when two unfriendly, familiar items fell by his feet. A glass visor and a dart...
"Tala... How... WHY!?"
"It may have been easy for you to try and forget, but it wasn't for me..."
Oliver sank back, his shoulders suddenly carrying a large weight. "Tala..."
"Listen Oliver, I know it's hard. But this is the best idea I have. We need not only to protect ourselves, but Max and Kai, too."
"Does this mean what I think it means?"
"I'm afraid so, Oliver.... As much as we hate it, I think Shadow and Cypher have to return from the grave..."
__________________________________________________
Anime: *bows repeatedly* Gomen-nasai! Gomen-Nasai!Gomen-Nasai!Gomen-Nasai!
Wufei: I'm surprised anyone would want to read this...
Anime: Quiet you! Anyway, sorry everyone! I am alive! I am back and I will finish this before Summer! ^_^ Guess what!? I'm going to a con this summer! Amecon! W00t!
Heero: -_- You never shut up about it...
Wufei: Of course. She's a stupid onna, that's why who's never been to one.
Anime: ;p You can't hurt me with comments like that! Besides, you're sore because I never considered cosplaying you!