Hello, readers! I'm happy about the feedback I received for the last chapter. Also, I added a little surprise at the end of this chapter. Also, I don't know what to do when the new series Vespers Rising coming out. It will make my story obsolete, so I need ideas, please! So, enjoy and comment!
Amy and Nellie threw open the door, their pistols raised. Amy's hands shook a little, she'd never used live ammo on a real, live person before. But she knew, this kind of duty came with being a Madrigal. That's why, back in Boston, Uncle Fiske had insisted that she take some firearm classes. She had even earned her Firearms Safety Certificate. Dan couldn't because you had to be 12 to take the class.
Anyway, they burst into the room. They saw Zai tied to a chair in the middle of the room. Elizabeth spun around and whipped out two USP pistols, pointing one at each of them. Then, Amy and Nellie noticed another person in the room. He was the most hideous man either of them had either seen. In two quick leaps, he was at Zai's side and pointing a pistol at his stomach. Elizabeth narrowed her eyes at Amy and Nellie. "I believe," she said, "that you have something I want."
Everyone was still. That monster of a man jabbed his pistol into Zai's stomach. He winced. Elizabeth was pointing her pistols at Amy and Nellie, ready to shoot if they made one wrong move. Amy and Nellie were pointing their pistols at Elizabeth. Then, Nellie and Amy lowered their weapons.
"We'll give you what you want." said Nellie coldly. Amy nodded. "Just don't kill him." Giving up the valuable contents of the pouch that Zai gave her would be an awful loss. But Zai's life was worth much more than that. Elizabeth chuckled. "Kill him? Why would I do that?"
"Wh-wh-what do you mean?" asked Amy, "If you're not going to kill him, then why do you have a gun pressed against his stomach?" Elizabeth sighed and shook her head. "Zai. That's what you're being called now? Well, whatever your name is, you're too valuable to kill. However, I won't hesitate to shoot him. It won't kill him, it'll just incapacitate him for a while." She sneered. "Because, unlike you, I have a use for him."
Nellie didn't hesitate. She aimed, and shot. The hideous man dropped his gun, screaming and clutching at his leg. He started crawling toward a well-camouflaged door at the back of the room. Elizabeth turned and aimed her pistols at Zai. There was no mistake about what she was about to do. Suddenly, two shots rang out. Elizabeth shrieked and dropped her guns. But there was no blood on her hands. She ran after her horrible assistant. Amy and Nellie turned around. Standing in the doorway were two people wearing black digital camouflage fatigues.
One was a woman with shoulder-length brown hair and a nasty smile on her face. The other was a tall teenager, maybe 17, with sunglasses and really short, dark hair. They both had Lucian crests on their shoulders, and they were both holding smoking Beretta pistols.
"Alana Flores?" asked Zai incredulously. "And, Elias Feur?" The teenager, Elias, smirked. "Good thing Alana and I were here. We saved your pathetic hides in the nick of time." Nellie spun around and pointed her gun at Elias. "Who is this jerk? Should I shoot him?" "No," coughed Zai, "They're friends...sort of." "You? Shoot me?" snorted Elias, " I'd like to see you try, but in that case I hope you shoot better than you sing. I've heard some the horror stories of your singing. They say that your singing will induce deafness on anyone who hears it." Nellie looked over and unleashed her most lethal attack on Elias. If looks could kill, Elias would've been beaten, impaled, chopped up, and burned.
Zai coughed from the back of the room. "Um, could somebody help me up, please?" Nellie and Elias were currently engaged in a glaring war, so Amy walked over to Zai and undid the ropes binding him to the chair. He collapsed onto the floor, heaving. Amy helped him stand up. She noticed that the skin above his eye was bleeding, and he was limping slightly.
"How did you guys find us here?" asked Zai. "We were contacted by a friend of yours." replied Alana. "A guy named Juno." "Juno!" exclaimed Zai, "That's my caretaker!..I mean chauffeur." Elias rolled his eyes. "Whatever. Unlike us Lucians, you Madrigal punks can't take care of yourselves." "I'm NOT a Madrigal!" hissed Zai. Amy and Nellie looked at him strangely. "I mean, I AM a Madrigal." he said sheepishly. Amy and Nellie shrugged.
"We have to go after Elizabeth." said Amy. "She's injured. She can't be that dangerous in her current state." Zai shook his head. "There's no way to follow her." he pointed to the back wall where Elizabeth and her lovely companion had escaped from. "That door is retina-sensitive. We have no idea where she went. Worse, she's probably got your brother and uncle...er, great-uncle right now."
They were just deciding what to do next when they heard something that sounded like static. Then, they heard a voice coming over two speakers mounted in the ceiling. "He's right." came Elizabeth's voice, raspy and furious sounding. I've got your pathetic brother and that foolish old man. If you ever want to see them again, that is, in one piece, that is, then meet me in the lobby. Only...Zai. You will bring me what I want, and I will give you your brother and uncle back."
"This is the only way we can get them back!" argued Amy. "Hmph." grunted Elias. "If that wimpy excuse for a Cahill was stupid enough to let himself get captured in the first place, then I say say we keep the serum and let her take him. We'll get him back...eventually. But the serum is more important." Amy looked like she was about to attack Elias. "How could you even say that? You think that stupid serum is worth more that a human life?" "Whoa, kiddo, calm down." Nellie said, holding her back. "Sorry," Amy said, taking a deep breath. She turned to Zai. "What do you think?"
Zai looked up. "I'll do it. No matter how valuable the serum is, Dan is more important. Losing the serum is nothing compared to losing a family member." Is he trying to imply something? thought Amy. She looked at Nellie. "Nellie?" "I agree with Zai." she said. "Dan and your uncle's life are more important." Finally, she turned to Alana. "What do you think?" Alana shrugged. "I don't care, as long as I get to take a crack at Elizabeth." Amy grinned smugly at Elias. "Looks like you're out-voted." Elias snarled but didn't say anything.
Zai walked down the long, white hallway on his way to the lobby to meet with Elizabeth. He was thinking what he was about to do. I know it's the right thing. I have to do this, he thought. I know it would make Mother proud,and Dad, and Nehara. This is what they would want. This is what they would do if they were in my position.
Zai walked into the lobby. He saw Elizabeth sitting one of the luxurious couches, having a glass of what looked like champagne. She looked up and smiled. "Ah, so you've decided to show up. I hope we can work something out." "Don't your hands hurt from getting shot?" asked Zai. It was the only thing he could think of. "Of course not, dear." she responded light voice. "I was wearing Kevlar gloves. Besides, the bullet didn't hit me, it just knocked the guns out of my hands." Pause. "Oh." said Zai. He sat down opposite Elizabeth.
"So, did you bring it?" she asked. Zai shook his head. "I wanted to make sure we had an agreement first. But I came to offer an alternate deal. I know how much you want me, so I came to say this. You can take me but release Dan and his uncle." Elizabeth considered. "You're offer is... interesting. Tell you what. You give me half of the serum, and I'll give my prisoners to you." Zai thought about it, knowing that Elizabeth could not be trusted. He knew she would betray you at the blink of an eye. She'd done it before.
"Deal." he said, knowing he would have to be on his guard. Elizabeth's deal seemed too generous. And she was a dangerous woman, Zai had firsthand experience and the scars to prove it. "Now, I'll go back to where the serum is and bring you your half." Elizabeth opened her mouth to speak, but Zai beat her to it. " I know the drill. You'll have to send someone with me, to make sure I don't do anything tricky or dishonest. Believe me, I'm not the one you have to worry about." he said, looking her in the eye.
Elizabeth chuckled. "Touche, Ka- I mean Zai. You will be accompanied by two of my agents. Although betrayal is not your style, you can't be too careful, right?" Zai just scowled and got up. Elizabeth snapped her fingers, and two agents clad in dark suits stepped up. They grabbed Zai by the arms and escorted him out of the lobby.
Back up in Amy's room, she, Nellie, Elias, and Alana waited. "So, how long have you guys known Zai?" asked Amy. "For a few years," answered Elias "What about you?" "A few days." replied Amy. It was 12:30 AM, but she wasn't tired. Part of that was due to worry, and part due to jetlag. Now, they were just waiting for the signal.
Zai walked down the hallway with the two agents beside him. Just from taking the elevator with them, he had already gotten a pretty good idea of what they were like, even though they didn't talk. The one on the right walked with a slight limp of his left leg, and the one on the left had her sleeves pulled all the way up past her wrists, with gloves on. She was trying to hide something on her wrist, perhaps a really ugly scar or a birthmark. Okay, he didn't find out a lot about them, but it was something to start with.
They reached Zai's room. They walked in with him, and he reached into his backpack, pulled out a vial of something yellowish-green. He held it up, looking at with a mixture of awe, disgust, and wondering. The two agents looked at each other, and nodded. Zai tensed and coughed. The signal.
Amy, Nellie, Elias and Alana jumped up when they heard the signal. They ran out of Amy's room and down the hall, positioning themselves about 20 feet away from Zai's room. Inside the room, one of the agents sprang. Zai spun around and kicked him in the stomach. He stumbled backward, then rose up to his full height. Glorp, thought Zai, I never realized how huge this guy is! Zai reached into his pocket and pulled out a small, key-chain-looking thing. He unraveled it. It was a Changquan, or chain whip. It had 13 sections, and was about 10 feet long. Perfect for mid-range fighting.
One of the agents pulled out a Taser. Zai spun around and lashed the chain whip at her. It wrapped around the Taser and yanked it from her hand, sending it spinning off. Before she could retrieve it, Zai shook something from his sleeve into his hand. It was a rope dart, which is just what it sounds like: a sharp, metal dart about 5 inches long on the end of a 15 foot rope, made for throwing and retrieving. He flung his hand forward, and the dart whipped out. It flew threw the air and struck the agent in the shoulder. Ugh, he thought, always a little to the left. There was a spot of blood appearing on the agents shoulder, but they started moving toward him again. Well, he thought, time to play rough.
Zai reached into his backpack and pulled out two swords, one was long, and the other was a bit shorter. He remembered the words of his trainer: Your swords are an extension of your own body, as well as two parts of the same whole. He turned and faced the agents and grinned, despite himself. This was just like back when he was younger. He ran at the agents as best as he could in his hotel room. He bent his legs and launched himself into the air, sweeping his hands in a downwards arc. "AAAULLGHH!" screamed the agent, as the swords slashed over his shoulders. Zai twisted in the air and landed, his swords pointed out to the side. A quick bash to the head with his sword hilt sealed the deal. The first agent slumped to the floor, out cold. One down, one to go.
The second agent pulled out a pistol with a silencer on it. Zai leaped behind the bed. This is bad, he thought, than woman has me pinned down! He groaned in dismay when he realized that his chain whip and his rope dart were lying on the ground just beyond his range. He reached into his pack and pulled out another weapon he used: a stiletto, or throwing knife. Just then, a shot spat silently out of the agent's gun and slammed into the wall behind him. Now's my chance! He thought. He jumped up from his crouched position and hurled the knife at her. He threw it so quickly, he didn't have time to aim. The knife streaked through the air and buried itself into her forearm. She shrieked in pain, then pulled the knife out and tossed it aside, growling. Yikes, he thought, she's tough!
Zai used this as a distraction. He dropped his swords and jumped onto the bed and bounced off of it, landing near the discarded Taser. He picked it up and aimed it at her, daring her to make another move. They were both still for a moment. Suddenly, the woman dropped her gun and dashed forward, catching Zai off guard. She spun and kicked, knocking the Taser from his hand. She's fast, too! But... Zai ducked down and swept the Taser off the ground in a flash. I may be faster!
He aimed it at her again. She scowled, then sprang toward the bed. No, not my swords! He thought frantically. He aimed the Taser at her and shot. Nothing happened. Ugh, this was a trick! She knew that the Taser wasn't working, it was just a distraction! He threw the Taser down in disgust. The agent was holding up his swords. Oh my god, she's holding them like an expert! She knows how to use those things! The woman hissed and jumped off the bed, doing a front flip in the air. She landed right in front of Zai. Now, the real fight begins.
The Vesper lunged forward and slashed with one of the swords. Zai leaped backward to avoid getting his stomach cut in half. He prepared to lash out with his chain whip, but the agent dropped to the floor and swept his legs out from under him. Zai thudded to the floor. Grr, he thought, she's too good! I'll have to use my best techniques if I want to beat her. Zai leaped to his feet. The woman pounced toward him, swords spinning at an alarming rate. Zai flipped backward, putting some distance between them. Then, he realized he had backed himself into a corner. This was his last chance. He pulled out his chain whip and lashed his hand forward.
The chain bound itself around the woman's wrist, halting the swinging sword. She cursed under her breath, trying to wrench free. Zai jumped forward, kicking one of the swords out of her hand, at the same time kicking the door behind him. He yanked the whip back, and the sword flew through the air, and Zai caught it. Now we're evenly matched! He dove toward her, and at the last second, slashed his hand forward. The woman, who had the shorter sword, blocked his. Now, they were pushing against each other. But the adult's physical strength gave her an advantage. She may be physically stronger, but I'm smaller and faster, Zai reminded himself. He took a deep breath, then reared back and kicked with all the energy he could muster. She stumbled back. Zai used the opportunity and shot out with 2 fingers directly into the woman's heart, then throat, then head, then stomach. It was he trump card technique.
The woman gasped and staggered backward, winded. Zai jumped and kicked his other sword out of her hand. She was just about to attack again when the door flew open. Elias, Alana, Amy, and Nellie were standing there. Alana held a silenced pistol. The woman put her wrist to her mouth and pressed a button on her watch. "Backup! I need backup at the location of extraction!" she said into it. "Oh, great, backup?" asked Amy. "There's no way we can take them all." said Zai. "I'll deal with this one here. She's better than she looks. You guys stay get out of here. Find a way to escape." "I'll help you." decided Amy. "You might need assistance." Zai shrugged. "Fine by me. Now hurry!" Elias, Alana, and Nellie ran out of the room and down the hall. Zai pulled out his swords again. Just then, the woman spied the serum, the vial with the yellowish-green liquid sitting on the floor near Amy. "Amy, grab the serum!" whispered Zai.
Amy snatched the serum off the floor. The woman whipped out another pistol, but this one wasn't silenced. She aimed it directly at Amy. "Throw it here!" called Zai. Amy threw the serum to him. The woman shot. The bulled missed, and smashed into the window, shattering it. She aimed her pistol at Zai. Zai zoomed toward the woman, and slashed with his sword. The woman groaned, a spot of blood appearing on her waist. She stepped back and pulled out what looked like a bar of soap. She pressed a small button on it, then ran out the door. "I think if we don't get out of here, we'll get blown to bits!" screamed Amy. They ran for the door. Suddenly, about twenty more agents came running down the hall toward the. "Other way!" yelled Zai. He and Amy sprinted back into the room. The agents slowly came through the doorway. "We only have one choice. JUMP!" screamed Zai. He grabbed Amy's arm and threw himself out the window.
"!" they both screamed as they fell hundreds of feet to the cement sidewalk below.
There! The longest chapter to date. Hoped you liked it! And now, for the little surprise at the end.
Amy and Nellie were preparing to go on the mission to rescue Dan and Uncle Fiske. "But what'll we do with Saladin?" asked Amy. "Shoot!" said Nellie, "Your right. We can't bring him with us. Do you know anyone that will be willing to take care of him?" "Yeah, I think I do." replied Amy. "One of my friends from school, Sandra, said she always wanted a cat. I can ask her." Amy went to the phone and dialed Sandra's number. Suddenly, a creepy, deep voice answered. "I know you're out there, Cahill. You think you can win this. But we, the children on Damien Vesper, are here. We know your secrets, and we're waiting for the right moment to STRIKE!"
Amy screamed at the top of her lungs. Nellie came running. "What is it, Kiddo?" she asked worriedly. Amy pointed wordlessly to the phone. Nellie frowned and picked up. She listened for a few minutes, then dropped the phone. "Whoa. That. Was. Like, FREAKY!" She said, sounding a little shaken. "I think," said Amy, "That we'll need to find Saladin another place to stay.
Amy and Nellie drove to Mr. McIntyre's house. "Maybe his maid won't mind keeping him for a while." Amy carried Saladin's pet carrier up to Mr. McIntyre's door. There was a message scratched into it. Nice try, Cahill. But I'm watching you. I can see your every move. Beware. There was a big 'V' next to it. Amy shivered and dropped the pet carrier. "Mrrrrp!" complained Saladin. Amy ran back to the car. "Nope. Not here." Then, they drove the pet store. "They have a pet watching thing. They can watch Saladin for a few days." said Nellie. They walked into the pet store. They dropped Saladin off, and as they were walking to the car, Amy didn't notice a man dressed all in black, with a big, red 'V' on his jacket. And he was watching them.