Liz grit her teeth with fiery determination in her eyes. "I'm not losing another team," she declared adamantly. Jelavic gave her an appraising look as she attempted to decipher the entangled voices coming through her radio earpiece.
Fia glanced around and hurriedly pulled the other two women around a corner and into an alcove in the hallway as a few more straggling conference-goers drifted out of the elevator in deep conversation.
"What happened?" she asked, anxiety seeping into her somber expression.
Jelavic shook her head. "Both teams are calling for help, but I'm not sure why. C'mon, Tadaomi. Answer me already! Tell me that you're okay," she added, more softly.
Instead of reassurance, they were met with Noriko's voice. "We've gotta go back-" was all they could make out before the pounding of footsteps and the cacophony of overlapping shouts drowned her out.
Liz held her comm up to her ear. "Wait. Did you hear that?" She held up a hand, beckoning the other two women to listen beyond the calls for help.
"That sounds like…"
"Morse code!"
Fia recoiled. "If that was Noriko over the radio, then that must be the other team! Haven could be in trouble!" She almost shouted, save for Jelavic's hand clamping down over her mouth. Still hyperventilating, she looked to Jelavic in alarm.
"You want to let everyone know we're here?" she asked sharply.
"Get it together, Fia." Liz said. "Thinking about losing your team is terrifying, I know… But you have to pull it together."
Jelavic released Fia and turned on her heel, briskly leading the younger women back towards the elevator. In a low voice, she explained. "We need to get down to the first floor. From there, Fia and I will find Haven and the security team. We have no way of knowing what their situation is."
"And me?" Liz asked, repeatedly smashing the elevator button.
"You should head to the basement. If they're in a fight, they could use your help."
Liz nodded in agreement. As the elevator doors slid open, she nodded to her teammates. "Let's give them hell."
Just a little while earlier, deep in the basement of the building, Noriko looked around suspiciously. "We've run into no one down here… I'd figure a secret underground area would be better guarded."
"It is suspicious," Classified replied. "But I think we're more likely to find Red and his team down here."
Suddenly, Classified was against the wall, signalling to keep quiet. Noriko and Karasuma followed his lead as the trio slowly crept forward, towards a corner.
"Those prisoners from the other day, what happened to them?" a person dressed in combat gear asked.
"What do you think?" the other replied.
"Enjoying the arid beach?"
"Yep," the guard nodded.
Classified cursed under his breath. "New plan, we just get out," he whispered.
"What about..." Karasuma started.
"They're probably already dead," Noriko replied grimly. "Most likely in a sandy grave. There's a lot of desert around LA."
"Do you want to join them?" a guard loudly asked the trio.
Classified swore as the three of them prepared for impending battle. He, followed by Noriko and Karasuma jumped back into defensive stances, just in time as the guards charged the group.
One guard grabbed Noriko by the leg and swung her around, only releasing her to go flying towards a nearby wall. Noriko was able to rotate and hit the wall feet first. She tried to jump back towards the guard when she suddenly yelped in pain, crumpling to a pile on the floor.
"LUCK?!" Classified called, flipping another over his shoulder.
"I'm FINE," Noriko replied through gritted teeth. She stood up and ran towards the guards swarming to their location.
A few moments later, Noriko stumbled again, yelping in pain. Before she could even try to get up, Classified picked her up and ran towards Karasuma.
"Lady Luck, it was a pleasure working with you. Don't take life too seriously, stay kind, and have a good life."
"Wait, wait, what are you doing?" Noriko struggled in the arms of her mentor.
"My name was Keith," Classified grinned as he handed Noriko off to Karasuma. "Now, get out of here."
Karasuma nodded as he turned run towards the stairwell.
"We've gotta go back for him!" Noriko screamed. "There's no way he can fight them all off alone!"
"You're no help to him like this," Karasuma insisted, taking the stairs three at a time. "Contact the other teams."
Noriko nodded and lifted the comm to her lips, tears in her eyes.
Suddenly, the door to the security room burst open and a single person barged in.
Before Nagisa even had time to react, a loud bang echoed through the room and he was on the floor, bleeding and writhing in agony. With a well-placed hit to the head, Nagisa went still.
Karma cursed. His opponent was larger, efficient, skilled, and armed. Everything about this fight was stacked against him, he knew that. After a few seconds of pure dodging, Karma knocked the gun out of the fighter's hand. But before he could blink, a knife ripped a gash through his arm. It glinted unnaturally, coated in something strange.
Haven's eyes were hard as steel as she entered the main surveillance room.
"Go back," Karma yelled, dodging another blade.
"No need," Haven replied coolly and began approaching Karma. "I work for their side."
Karma looked to the girl in shock, which he realized was a mistake as a cold sliver found its way into his side. It burned and Karma could feel something toxic pumping through his veins as the blade exited. He turned to glare at his attacker, but in a few seconds, he was on the ground, barely able to move. Above him, Haven turned to the guard still standing.
"Show me to our superiors. I need to make a report."
"What about these two?" the fighter asked.
She looked at the battered boys coldly. "Let's just leave them here. It's only a matter of time until they die. I've cut their communications with the rest of their group. He's bleeding out. And is the other one even still alive?"
"If you say so." The man shrugged and followed Haven out of the room.
As the door shut behind them, Karma's vision began to fade, first the periphery vanished, then the room dimmed before plunging him into darkness.
Karma tried to open his eyes. His eyelids felt so heavy though. When he finally succeeded, he could hardly make out what was happening in front of him.
"Found him! I think he might be waking up." A familiar voice floated somewhere above him. Everything felt heavy. Ah, this splitting headache, he could barely think. If only he could focus, maybe he could figure out who it was.
"Karma," the voice floating above him said again. "Karma!" Fia shook his shoulder, gently but insistently. "He's hurt."
"I think we'll have to carry him as well…" another voice said.
"No, no, I can get up," he tried to say, but it didn't sound quite right. He attempted to get up, but it didn't go as planned. He tried again and nearly fell flat on his face before he felt someone support him.
Fia pulled Karma to his feet and slung his arm over her shoulders as she braced herself against him. Her green eyes met his with concern. He shook his head a few times, his vision seemed to be returning, slowly.
Noriko was hobbling between Liz and Jelavic. And still unconscious, Nagisa was slung over Karasuma's back.
"Wait! Server room," Karma slurred a bit.
Liz nodded as she transferred Noriko completely to Jelavic. The girl darted into the server room for mere moments before returning with a laptop and comm set in hand.
"Where's the green-haired joker?" Karma asked. Noriko looked away.
"We need to get out of here," Karasuma said as he started walking out of the room. "I can fill you in once we're safe."
Grunting, Liz kicked open the door to the hotel room and deposited Noriko onto a cushioned chair. Fia stumbled into the room behind her, helping Karma onto the nearest bed.
Stooping down to get a closer look, Liz huffed. "Jeez, Noriko, your ankle is the size of an orange! Jelavic and I should have carried you!"
Noriko waved her hand dismissively. "I could still walk!"
Fia looked up at Karma as she gently peeled his shirt away from his wounds. He dragged his gaze lethargically from Noriko to her. "How's it look, doc?"
She managed a tiny, reassuring smile. Gingerly, she began to clean the gashes in his skin, working from the smaller scratches to the largest laceration. Just as she touched the cloth of soaked saline solution to his stab wound, Karma reflexively pulled back with a hiss.
"Shit!"
"Sorry!"
Fia pouted, turning immediately to Liz and Noriko. "Are you sure I should do this?" she asked nervously, for the third time since arriving at the hotel room.
"Yes," Noriko, Liz, and Karma all replied at once.
"B-But I've never stitched up a person before!" she protested, wide-eyed as she took in the swollen, discolored skin in front of her.
"Supplies are in this kit," Liz handed Fia a little box, which she accepted with anxiety and displeasure, swearing in Italian under her breath.
"I'd do it, but I think Liz will yell at me if I get up," Noriko shrugged.
"You bet I will! No weight on that ankle! And I still need to deal with your cuts." Liz turned to Fia, "Just think of it as one of your theater crafting projects."
Fia's fingers trembled as she dabbed lightly at Karma's cuts again. This time, she took a deep breath in, holding it for a long moment, then exhaling… into another string of swear words.
"Fia." Karma was more awake now, though every movement brought him pain. He clasped her hand in his.
"I know-" She said, all too quickly. "I can do it. I just… need a moment." Fia squeezed her eyes tightly together, as if that could shut out the rest of reality.
Though his limbs felt like rubber, Karma leaned forward and placed a hand on Fia's head. Her eyes flew open as she looked at him with a bewildered, scared expression. Karma shot a furtive glance at the pair of women on the other side of the room and lowered his voice. "What is it?"
"I- You-! And… And Nagisa!" she sputtered, tears threatening to fall. She waved her hands emphatically as she searched desperately for the words. Fia pulled Karma's hand from atop her head and clasped it tightly to steady her own. Hoarsely, she finally whispered. "You almost died! And where's Haven? She's still missing. Classified, he-he's gone."
Karma wrangled back the bitter image of Haven walking away. "We'll find her," he promised.
"But-"
Karma shook his head, but he couldn't hold Fia's earnest gaze. Shaking, Fia rested her cheek on his knee. "I haven't felt this scared to lose someone," she murmured, "Since Felix left. And he never came back."
Emerald eyes met gold as his fingers intertwined with hers. They took a breath together, then another, until they were in sync. Fia brushed her lips over his bruised knuckles and, before she lost her resolve, began to suture the cut wound with a steady hand.
Fia cut the thread finally, and Karma flopped back on the bed with a satisfied sigh of relief. Fia smiled despite herself and, having passed the medical kit back to Liz for Noriko's cuts and bruises, took a seat beside Karma on the bed. She gazed quietly at him, clearly still shaken by the recent turn of events.
"Like what you see?" He smirked, despite resting his eyes. In response, Fia rolled hers. Still, she had the sense to look embarrassed for staring. Karma continued, "What's the prognosis, doctor? Am I going to live?"
She scoffed, poking him in the arm in lieu of the usual playful punch. "You'd better!"
"Or what?"
"Or I'll bring you back to kill you myself."
"Is that a fact?" Karma answered with a cheeky smile. He moved to prop himself up on his elbow, but fell flat, earning a stifled laugh from Fia.
"See that? Instant Karma," she said matter of factly. He grunted and settled back down on the bed. After a few moments, his breath began to slow. With the adrenaline long gone, Karma felt as if his body were encased in cement. "'M just gonna rest my eyes."
"You do that. Doctor's orders," Fia gently brushed the hair from his face with a fond smile. She draped a sheet lightly over him and moved to stand when she made eye contact with Liz and Noriko across the room.
"Don't stop on our account!" Liz grinned devilishly, causing Fia to jump to her feet and turn beet-red in the process.
"W-well, get some rest!" she stammered, rushing to open the room door, leaving Liz to cackle behind her. Fia bumped directly into Karasuma, who gave her a questioning look, which she returned sheepishly before shuffling, head down, back into the room.
Karasuma closed the door and took in the tired faces of his remaining team. He nodded at Karma, who had not moved but was clearly awake, face riddled with angry concern. "Are you all alright?" Karasuma addressed the group.
"As well as we can be, given the situation." Liz answered, given the exhausted, injured states of the other agents in the room.
Fia anxiously looked between her companions. "Mr. Karasuma, can you fill us in on what happened with your team? What happened before we found you and Noriko in the lobby?"
Karasuma, a crease deepening between his brows, shook his head in response. "We have to assume Red Baron's team has been permanently dispatched. And as you are all now aware, Classified is no longer with us. He sacrificed himself so that we could get away." Now looking a little older, he sighed deeply and let that hang in the air.
"Where's Nagisa?" Karma asked, finally.
"At the hospital. His injuries were too severe to be taken care of quietly," Karasuma answered. "I just spoke with Irina on the phone. He's sleeping off a concussion."
Noriko, who sat in a chair with one bandaged foot on the bed, spoke up. "If Classified stayed behind," she began, but the absence of her longtime teammate, mentor, and friend finally hit her. She swallowed stiffly and blinked back tears with practiced control. "What happened to Haven?"
All eyes turned to Karma, who frowned. "She went with them."
"Then we need to go get her!" Fia said immediately. "She could be in danger!"
"No, she went willingly. She said she was part of their team," he admitted.
Fia's shoulders slumped. "So then. When you said we would find her…"
"That's concerning." Karasuma intervened. "It will take some time to file a report and evaluate our options. You should all take the next two weeks to recover. We'll regroup then. Understood?"
Right Brain: Happy birthday, Leftie~! I know we kick ourselves every week for it, but I love writing with you!
Left Brain: I love writing with you too!
Right Brain: I feel so bad for our characters though ToT Poor Nagisa and Classified. What do you think is up with Haven though?
Left Brain: Me too. This episode breaks my heart. But remember, characters are like geodes! To make them sparkle, you've gotta break them.
Karma: Hey, now. Is this just some game to you? Look at Nagisa and say that again to my face!
Left Brain: As an author, I could do that with a straight face. As a fan, not so much...
Right Brain: There was a reason, we promise! ~
Left Brain: Honestly, this story is not at all what we thought it would be when we started, so we sincerely appreciate you all for continuing to read our chapters. We hope to bring the rest of Class 3-E into the fold soon, so just a little more patience please! And do let us know what you think. We miss hearing from you guys.
Karma: What exactly did you put on that blade?
Fia: I wanted to know too! The biochemical makeup of most paralytic poisons are super interesting~! In fact-
Left Brain: *sweatdrops*
Narrator: Next time, a bit of rest, relaxation, and research.
