Eleanor quickly took her seat next to Mathew at the head of the table. As he made a toast in her honor she studied the massive table before her. It was made out of solid oak but the middle was completely glass and the legs were made out of chiseled choral. A chandelier made of glass cut diamonds hung from the golden painted ceiling. But best of all, the table was covered with food and drink from which a pleasing aroma drifted around the room.

"Miss?"

Eleanor jumped in her seat as the steward tapped her on the shoulder. The gray haired man tilted the bottle he was carrying. Eleanor retrieved her goblet and watched the purple elixir pour into her cup.

She thanked the man who then refilled Mathew's cup as well. Eleanor took a small sip and felt the liquid create a light burn down her throat and a warm sensation in her stomach. She looked over at Fred and Stanley and waved towards them.

Fred faked a smile and waved back. While the food was good he was not enjoying the company. He Looked at Stanley who sat beside him. The man was gorging himself on a leg of chicken engulfed in thick, brown gravy and downed a partly chewed bit with a swig of wine. The sight was almost as disgusting as watching that pompous man Mathew lust over Eleanor… almost.

If only his sons could be there with him. Fred retrieved a photo tucked away in his shirt pocket. His eldest was ruffling his younger sibling's hair and only one was looking happy.

"Damn I miss my boys."

He felt a hand slap his shoulder and noted the edible grime covering it.

"Youug nade to lighen oop," laughed Stanley in a full belly, half drunk stupor. He then started hiccupping and took another drink.

Fred massaged his eyebrows in shear annoyance. "Hey Stan, you know that drink looks really good and I think you took the last of that vintage. Hey let me have a sip." Before Stanley could reply, Fred had downed the glass in record time and nearly gagged at the pungent taste. "Here, thanks for the swig."

Stanley tried to drink from his glass but nothing came out. He shook the glass upside down. "I- I think I'm dry."

"You know what," Fred commented in a droll tone. "I believe you are running dry. Let me get that for you."

Fred waved down a waiter and whispered something to the man then slipped him some money. The waiter nodded and returned with a full glass which Fred handed to Stanley. "Here you go. I got the waiter to get the good stuff."

Stanley's head bobbled and he peered at the glass. "Lookz like wateer to me pal."

"That just proves how potent it is. They told me the stuffs one-hundred proof. It's practically pure alcohol."

Stanley's eyes widened in pure delight. "Won-hudred proof? No way." He gulped down the glass and wiped his mouth clean with his dirty sleeve. "That tasted… GOOD. Hey, do ya think I could get sumore."

With a big smile, Fred proceeded to flag down same waiter and tucked another bill in the man's hands for his continued services. He took a satisfying swig and glanced back at Eleanor who seemed to be having a good time.

"Are you having a good time?"

Eleanor's head tilted toward Mathew. She was clearly in good spirits from drinking too many.

"I'm having a very good time."

Mathew suppressed a chuckle as Anthony rushed towards him. The henchman whispered something in his ear which caused his eyebrows to tilt. In a hushed voice he replied and sent the man on his way.

Eleanor propped her head with her hand. "What's that jerk want?"

"Oh ah, nothing," Mathew replied, "just some interesting information."

Eleanor was going to ask for a more in depth answer when an explosion tore through the adjacent room. A stray rocket propelled itself through the room and struck the ceiling causing the chandelier to crash through the glass portion of the table. People screaming in fright and ran towards the exits but were repelled by the brute splicers blocking them. Eleanor saw Anthony thrown back from the hallway closest to them by a black man holding a rocket launcher.

"No move," he shouted.

Eleanor clung to Mathew who slowly positioned himself between the brute splicer and Eleanor.

"You disgusting animals," spat Mathew. "Have you no shame? No honor? Even with all that muscle you still decide to attack us at our weakest moment. These are good people and you terrorize them."

The black man dropped his weapon and approached Mathew. Eleanor stared into the bulging eyes of the brute splicer and saw a terrible truth.

"Markus, is that you?"

Markus's eyes drooped for the slightest moment but then his anger returned. "You called Mathew. We take you to death."

Markus was about to pick up Mathew when Anthony, still lying on the floor, shot a spear at his former partner. Markus saw it coming and stuck out his hand. The spear lodged itself in Markus's hand with the barbed tip exposed on the other side. Eleanor jolted when the blood splashed across her dress.

With a grunt, Markus pulled out the spear and kicked Anthony in the chest rendering him unconscious. With his good hand, Markus picked up Mathew and ran off with him. Several people tried to retaliate but were cut down by the brutes who immediately retreated.

In a state of panic, Eleanor picked up the folds of her dress the best she could and ran after Markus. When she realized she could not catch up to Markus she tried teleporting but she couldn't focus. Her head was spinning in a fierce current that was making her sick. She fell to her knees and cried. A firm hand clasped onto her shoulder and she looked to see Fred comforting her. Eleanor weakly smiled back but then her stomach rebelled and she vomited onto his shoes.

Author's Notes: So Markus is the bad guy behind it all. Showing off his true colors. Betcha didn't see that coming. Well neither did I at first. I had pretty much just written Mathew as a pretty/wealthy guy who would drive a wedge between Eleanor and crew. Funny how these things pan out. And uh please comment if you like it. thank you.