"I wonder how much time we have until the tournament starts," said Ginny, rubbing her tender legs.

"Anyway, we met some strange drifters," said Gallows.

"We better hurry. Begucci probably knows we're here and we still have to find Jet."

Virginia replied.

Gallows found a new way to pester Romero and Dario by asking them the question of, "Are you related to those guys?"

The team walked into the hall.

xxx

"Guess Maxwell's team is here. Looks like Janus and Maya's team is here, too."

The man brushed away his black hair. A light danced in the pupil of his crimson eye as he picked up his AR34 magnum.

"Sir, the cameras clicked off," said woman bent over a monitor.

"They're smarter then I thought," said the tall man. His black trench coat stood stiff as he walked.

"Should we attack now?" said a fairly attractive woman. Her hair was a short black, a few strands of hair over her eyes. The dress that concealed her had a ruffled black top with a strap that went around her neck. Her petticoat was large and red covering down to her feet. In her hand, she held a ruffled black umbrella which had a hole at the top.

"No, let's just what and see," said the man.

Jet struggled to get out. The man walked over to Jet and slapped him. "Your friends will not be alive whether you get out or not. Stay still or I'll make you!"

The woman smiled in her chair. "Losing your cool now, are you?"

"Quiet," he turned to one of the women. "Where are they now?"

"Recovered memory claims they are in sector B, sir."

"Very well," he said. "Reinforce all doors in the sector B."

"What do you want me to do, sir?"

"Just put in something nasty," said the woman.

The man frowned at her interference. "Must you always get into my business, Sauna?"

"Begucci put me with you," she teased. "So I can do anything with your commands. We just have to make sure he doesn't get out." She pointed a gloved finger at Jet.

The man walked over to the elevator. "I'm going to deal with the people interfering with the cameras." He pressed the button that led it to the control room…

xxx

"Do you smell something?" Alfred asked. Concrete barricades closed over the doors.

Purple gas erupted in the hall.

Gallows felt the fumes invade his body. "Ugh, cough what is this!"

Clive recognized the odor. "cough It's miasma gas." He tried to shield his mouth, but it was no use.

Ginny stumbled trying to keep consciousness. Everything wasn't clear and then, it was like everything darkened.

xxx

Virginia woke up tied to a wall. "Clive, Gallows, wake up. Where are we?"

"The gas must have knocked us out." Clive said.

They could see a shaking box in the corner.

"Shady!" Maya screamed.

"Don't even try—"

The same man accompanied with the woman came forward.

"Where's Jet, you bastard!" thundered Virginia. She struggled to get free of the ropes.

"Gone I'm afraid." said the man. "I am quite humbled to introduce myself to the infamous Virginia Maxwell. My name is Atrum Meador. This is my lady friend, Sauna Hunter."

She did a curtsy, still gripping her umbrella.

"What have you done to Jet?" Virginia screamed.

Atrum smiled. "You don't have to worry about him. Begucci has other plans for him. For you however, you should be worrying about yourself."

"Drifter thugs hired by Begucci, I suppose," said Clive, regaining his composure.

"Oh, did I forget. I caught some rats sneaking around in the control room." Atrum threw three motionless bodies on the floor. "I also caught two other ones," he dragged two girls on the floor.

Virginia got a closer look. "The Morte gang, the Hinabi girls, what did you do to them!"

"Pure business, Virginia Maxwell, we drifters have to do all it takes to survive in the wasteland." he said. "Begucci is paying us a pretty significant amount of gella to catch all resisting fugitives. Even if it means we have to kill them."

"Come Sauna, the cameras should be back online," he walked out the door.

It was like all hope was lost. Virginia could only watch everything unfold.

"They're dead…"

Silence echoed in the room. The bodies just laid there, unaware of wait's happening.

"No…we're…not…"

Gino pushed himself up, blood covering the top half of his face with the dog bite still on his arm, and struggled his way towards the team.

"Don't move," he drew one of his shurikens and started cutting away at the ropes that bound Virginia. The final rope snapped and she was free.

Virginia decided to help out but first she had to check the others. "Clive, how do I check if they are alive?"

"Check if they're breathing or have a pulse," said Clive. Gino was busy cutting him free at the time.

"Thank god, they're alive," said Virginia, relieved. She was especially worried about Shita, being the youngest.

Clive took his back up knife and started to help cut the others free.

When Gino was cutting Romero free, it was like Romero was looking at the mirror image of himself.

"Please don't kill me," he begged.

"Quit whining," Gino said, cutting the last rope. "I don't even have the energy to kill you right now."

xxx

Atrum sat over a monitor. "I knew they wouldn't stay tied up for long. Well Sauna, let's go do that fight you wanted…"

"Oh yay," she twisted the handle on her umbrella. A clicking sound was heard.

xxx

A shot rang through the air. Virginia pointed her dual pistols at him.

"Why are you doing this?"

"As I said before, pure business," said Atrum. "If we pull this out right, I'll be rich."

Clive aimed his Gungir. "So you plan to get rich off the expense of other people?"

"I do what I am told to," he shot his AR34 at Virginia.

She rolled and the bullet hit the wall. Clive was loading his rifle, hoping Virginia would fend him off a little longer.

"Don't even think about doing that…"

His female partner, Sauna, pulled the handle on her opened umbrella. It started shooting bullets like a machine-gun type arm.

"Clive!"

At that moment, Clive moved at amazing speeds, holding his ARM.

"Whoa, I thought you were the slowest," said Gallows.

Clive couldn't help smiling. "Who knew?"

Gallows admits his assailant was beautiful, but he could only say one thing. "What is that?"

"Like it?" asked Sauna, blades sticking off the edges of her umbrella. "It's a handmade custom ARM, only one in existence. Boys, meet my friend, the Malice 13 chain gun."

xxx

Atrum pointed his magnum at Virginia and pulled the trigger. She slid to the left, the bullet grazing her shoulder. Stumbling back, she quickly rolled and shot both her guns.

One of the bullets hit Atrum's leg, making him stumble as the other one hit the floor.

"Nice job, Maxwell," he said. "But I won't die here."

He lunged at her, the AR34's bullets ringing off the walls as she ran.

"I won't let you win, Atrum Meador." Virginia managed to dodge every shot Atrum threw at her.

I can't keep dodging him forever.

xxx

Gallows and Clive were fighting against an ARM they have never seen before.

"Dammit, everything we shoot at her keeps bouncing off her umbrella." said Gallows gripping his sawed-off coyote. They were running in a complete circle, dodging her multiple bullets.

"Wait, there's an obvious way to beat her. Gallows, run the other way," commanded Clive.

"If I do that, I'll get shot!" said Gallows.

"Then I'll do it!" said Clive. He waited for the exact moment. Holding his breath in adrenaline, he rolled under her crossfire. She continued following Clive in a circle.

He turned to Gallows. "Shoot her now!"

He got the idea and aimed his coyote. The bullet sliced through the air and pinned her between the shoulder plates…

xxx

Atrum shot at her two times, hitting her right on the legs. She stumbled, rolling on the hard floor. She struggled to get up, but Atrum slammed her down again. Knocking the guns out of her hands, he aimed the gun at her head.

And pulled the trigger…

click

"Oh shit."

She quickly reached for her Bantorian and shot Atrum in the chest. He fell back, holding his chest. "Sauna, we'll finish this battle later!"

"Right!" she came over to her injured team mate and put her hand on his shoulder. With a quick spin of her umbrella, they were gone in a cloud of smoke.

"Cowards…"

Virginia collapsed in exhaustion. "Guess Begucci's going to high limits to keep us in order."

Gallows started panting. "Damn straight."

"Ugh…"

She ran over to Sequoya's body. "Great, you're awake. You don't have to worry about those two assassins. We scared them off for now."

Sequoya had blood running from her mouth. "S-shita…Is she okay?"

"Don't worry," said Virginia. "She's alive."

Clive finished cutting Maya and Janus's team free.

"Whelp," Virginia drew her pack. "Better get busy with the heal berries."

xxx

"This time, try not to get almost killed," said Virginia. "Well, I guess we have to continue our search for Jet.

"Good luck," said Sequoya. "We're going to help free other drifters."

"We'll help with that too," said the Don. The Hinabi girls and the Morte gang left the room. Alfred ran outside the door.

"Wait, Sequoya!"

She stopped and turned around. "Alfred?"

Alfred looked at the ground. "Please don't die, okay?"

"Uh, okay, I'll try not to die."

Alfred paused. "Wait, one more thing!"

She stopped.

"If we escape, when we escape, would you like to see me sometime?"

She blushed. "Sure."

After that, he left them to do what they needed.

He walked back into the room. Maya smiled at him in a teasing way.

"S-shut up!"