You have no idea how much I could curse in relief in getting this chapter done, but I feel that would quickly venture into the exceedingly inappropriate; but seriously you have no idea how much I hated writing that chapter, I didn't like its content to be honest but it needed to get done. Not to discourage reading it, of course! One really pissed off Cammie returns in the next chapter along with Zach so worry no more – that's if you were worrying about it at all.
Their Compared Alliance.
"Let's start with, who the hell are you?" Krissy demanded through her teeth as she hesitated on her next move. Bex huffed as she struggled where she swung, gaining little but a glance back from Martin who still had his hands raised up.
"Let's start with getting me the hell down!" The British operative in training snapped in a tone that suggested that letting her down probably wouldn't be the wisest decision.
"My name's Martin. I'm a friend of Cammie's." Martin supplied to Krissy's question in a way that implied these were facts that he would really rather be getting out of the way. "Or I was."
"Oh great, let's crack out the champagne because all the friends Cammie has are unquestionably a friend of ours." Bex huffed sarcastically as she continued to struggle with the wire at her ankle.
"She's right, that's not a reason for us to listen to you." Krissy said folding her arms and raising one unnervingly perfect eyebrow up at him, not that it was as unnerving as the way her eyes dug forth as she took in everything that was possible to ever notice about the boy in front of her that wasn't currently posing as a threat, but both Bex and her were damn sure would.
"It means we share a common interest." Martin countered with a face fixed with a convincingly genuine seriousness, although Krissy wasn't convinced but Bex was too frustrated with the lack of blood she could keep in the top of her body to work her strength into where she was trapped to express her opinion on his words as clearly as the other Gallagher Girl did.
"Not common enough to have us work with a member of the circle though." Krissy remarked coldly as she continued to fix him with an expression so equally frozen that despite being the guy who was a well trained circle member since birth he was more than slightly affronted by her. Not that he let any of it onto his face, he was a better spy than that – but the girl mastering what he was facing was younger than him, only a little, but it took him by surprise the way circle members were meant to ridicule people like that. He did however; sigh in exasperated frustration as he shifted his weight.
"I would have thought you'd understand that not all of us have a choice in that matter, considering how much you look like a Solomon." Martin pointed out; despite the fact Krissy was fully aware that in her father's case his life mistake was down more to a few misleading teenage years on the little she knew about it. She rolled her eyes.
"Are you seriously still leaving me bloody hanging here? Krissy, come on!" Bex exclaimed as her anger grew, which was only making her more dangerous.
"And your harshness over that is doing wonders for convincing me to trust you." Was all the Solomon replied with, voice dripping in sarcasm.
"I'm not asking you to trust me; I'm asking you to listen." Martin amended, blatantly looking tiresome at how awkward the two operatives were being about this situation.
"Blood is rushing quickly to my head now." Bex announced, not really expecting anyone to pay attention anymore.
"Fine, I guess I'll listen to you when you tell me which body part you want me to cut off first." Krissy snapped, threat spitting venom to make it clear that she was incredibly serious. Martin scoffed a little, shifting back to the more upfront way he had stood before.
"You'd make a good circle member talking like that but d'you really think you could-?" He started before Bex interrupted with a wild fury in her weakened temper, being quite done with the layout of their situation.
"When you two are quite done flirting!" She yelled in a way that was somehow exceedingly more frightening than Krissy's threat. "I'd really appreciate solid footing to witness this debate." Martin only raised his eyebrows at Kristina as if she were the only thing standing in his way of releasing his captive. To reply, Krissy intensified a glare in warning of her patience, something that spoke for the both of them, Martin proceeded to turn carefully – keeping eye contact with Krissy and one hand raised until he undid the loop he'd executed so quickly around Bex's ankle and letting her hurtle to the floor.
It was barely a second before Bex was stumbling on her feet after having scrambled upwards, undoubtedly suffering the world's worst head rush, which stood as the only reason as to why Bex wasn't currently attacking Martin under the general heading of ripping his arm off, but the look that was growing on her face and the clumsy step forward she took suggested it wouldn't be long before she was. Krissy yanked at Bex's arms, the exceeding strength needed still clearly showing how begrudging she was in being pulled up to stand with Krissy, who wasn't all together against lashing out at Martin again, but figured whatever he had to say would be in some way helpful towards evaluating their next move.
"Tell us what you knew about Cammie." Krissy demanded to stop Bex from taking advantage of any potential silences.
"As in...her favorite food is a hamburger, or...?" Martin offered at the spy in training's unspecific questioning, although both Gallagher Girls showed no appreciation towards his remarks and their restraint dithered somewhat. "Okay, look, there's a long story about how people like me were made recruited into the circle and how we work now, but we don't have time for that – it would probably help you and if it would be time sufficient believe me I would share everything I know about this with you but Cammie is the problem now because she's basically just a malfunction; and malfunctions are eradicated here. They already sent me to get her - which was a bugger to explain, shootings, flooding's, they're trying to kill her and it hasn't worked yet but I need your help to keep her safe." It was quite a ramble considering his previous certainty in what he'd wanted to say.
"Flooding's?" Bex clarified thinking of how they'd picked up Zach and Cammie to get to this place at the same time that Krissy scoffed.
"You seriously care that much about her?" which only made Martin shuffle impatiently as he focused something of a frustrated glare back at her.
"Yes." He pushed indefinitely as he continued. "You have no idea how many double agents are getting close to her."
"Yet more reasons for us to believe you." Bex remarked arrogantly and as if only for her own benefit.
"Well it would be if you're convinced I'm so invested with the circle – that way the only double I could have would be with your lot!" He exclaimed, distractedly bothered by the stubbornness that was making them so ignorant to paying attention right now. "I was practically born into this stuff, they're the only family I have; it's too late for me - even if both despite and due to the fact that I grew up on their priorities - I can estimate that you'd have to have something seriously wrong with you not to realize that death and torture is bad, but it's not too late for Cammie; you just have to help her."
"Oh…" Krissy exclaimed abruptly as if suddenly figuring out the next answer to a cross-word puzzle. "Thanks for that, didn't know that was what we needed to do. Well…cheers, mate, you've been a wonder of a help." She finished sarcastically winning a smirk from Bex, which was only half successfully quelled.
"Bloody hell!" Martin snapped before they could proceed with either of their intentions, his stance was still molded to make him look as if he were a victim at gun point, but his frustration was exceedingly clear by now. "I'm trying to help; I am offering you information why are you wasting time! He could be slitting her throat by now, please!" His desperation broke into the professionalism of his persona. As was becoming cue; the Baxter and the Solomon promptly replied with a moment of consideration that clearly infuriated Martin with their insistence of having it every time he spoke.
"What have you got?" Bex said as if opening up a new area for discussion in a conference room and yet Martin breathed something of a sigh in relief that he was prolonging how long they would listen to him.
"We need to get away from here for starters; you're not going to like what you'd run into behind that door I can promise, the circle will be trying to lure anyone else you've got here into the center to limit the ease at which you could run." It didn't seem to occur to him that they had no intention of running; nor really that his first dismissal of direction had made both Bex and Krissy immediately doubt how quickly he had supplied that refusal, especially considering their compared alliances.
"Why? What's through that door?"Krissy pushed without hesitation, both Gallagher Girls pushing aside their counters to the second part of his proposal for starters, and yet despite their hesitation in believing anything about this guy neither could help being slightly taken aback by the fact that the fear that flashed in his eyes did nothing to squander how pale he became at his answer, which he gave vaguely.
"Something dangerous."
"There's nothing down there." The voice that dismissed it was defiant and cut and strong and familiar to Bex and Krissy; but there was an uncharacteristically dead tone to it which matched the indifferent looking face that stood at the end of the stretch of underground the four teenagers occupied. Yet the scars hidden behind Macey's expression couldn't go unnoticed when her best friend was one of the three she was staring at, but that was the whole point of the expressionlessly unyielding demanding look she had presumed, and anyone who might have questioned it knew and accepted that.
"What?" Martin palled even further.
"It's empty," Bex replied, as if she had had enough personal experience over whatever had not been found down there to be as certain over the matter as Macey was pretending to be. Martin palled still further as Bex continued to demand, firmer this time - not that it hadn't been before. "So what the hell was that build up about?" It was clear Martin held reservations over how he came across to the three enemies he was trying to befriend on a certain level but from the facts that were transpiring from what was being spurted back and forth as if it were banter to rebuff stalling with the debate on whether to temporarily ally with a member of the circle. Something about the disturbance Macey had brought, however, made him disintegrate and pale with a flicker of worry in his eyes without really a care as to whether it made him look like he was lying or not.
"If he's not there then he's gone and if he's gone then Cam is going to die. Whatever she is to you, can you honestly tell me you'll feel content letting that happen," Martin cursed, speaking impatiently with an expression that had no pretenses over what upbringing coursed through his veins which was as good an excuse as any for being what he was now, which unfortunately meant exceedingly little to those he was trying to get to follow him. "We don't have time for me to persuade you to change your mind over my loyalties so just believe I care enough around that about her for me to use your help."
"Why? What was down that corridor that is getting a big tough circle member trembling so cowardly?" Macey questioned him, her eyebrows tucked in slightly but there wasn't really a dedication to the sassy retort in her voice and the other two girls she now stood by the side of never had any hope of not noticing Macey's out of character behavior, which wasn't as specific as to identify when she was working as best she could when they were in the presence of the reluctantly non-threatening enemy that had no intention of leaving.
"Sorry Gallagher Girls, like I said, we don't have time anymore for you to decide your faith in me, so I'm going to save Cameron whether you come with me or not and I'm guessing you're not going to want her with the circle no matter what you think of me; so I would assume it wise to take my word when I say that behind those doors is the Circle of Cavan's best weapon, one that never misses, and don't ask any more questions." Martin said breathlessly – clearly frustrated - he was edging in the direction the Gallagher Girls had come from without giving them any reason to attack back yet, only to stay more alert at his impatience.
The three Gallagher Girls glanced at each other as Martin continued down the hall, no misunderstanding on not letting a member of the circle walk away from him – especially if what he said was anywhere near the direction of right – and Macey had the screaming knowledge of how well the thing behind the door had fought and how indefinitely she would be dead if the face she was choosing to ignore for now hadn't recognized her. The three of them nodded in different varieties of confidence in the reasoning they had in following swiftly after a member of the Circle.
The remaining Solomon's had crafted their way far into the depths of this circle base half as swift and quickly as someone familiar with the almost pitch black halls could – half the time being incidentally twice as quickly as anyone else. Joe had never been to this place before, obviously, else he and Matt would have fought relentlessly to have it dealt with. The circle was incredibly careful, especially now, about how it executed its workings – which ironically regularly included executions – so as trusted as Solomon was in the circle there was no way in hell he had been to all their bases and was loose on the number they still had remaining even if he was uncomfortably disgusted to be included in that specific they.
The others had split to encase as much of the joint as they could with the shared knowledge of anything Matt and Joe had learnt about Circle bases over the years and with that not a thought had crossed either Solomon's mind to the others since that point considering the capability that was strong enough for it to be petty to worry, and yet for as brilliant as the spies that had found this place were; the circle was just as good, and so the couple had quickly been ambushed upon the carefully proceeded entering of a corridor, notably made of different varieties and shadings of wood, which included the grand door that stood in the middle of the stretch; all compared to the rocky walls and metal doors every single breaker and enter-er within the place were not quite lost amongst in that moment, all of which created the impression that they had arrived at something vital to this base.
Being the incredibly skilled operatives that both Abby and Joe were, however taxing the speedily assumed fight that was brought upon them was to their physical being they attacked with a presence that seemed barely to make an impact on them. They just don't let up, Abby thought infuriatingly as she knocked a surprisingly heavy delicate frame down to unconsciousness and came up to the successfully beaten down selection of bodies her and her husband where stood amongst, no more attackers; or so it would seem as she breathed in frustration at the people rushing and dropping down to them at an alarm that had probably been raised. Abby cursed to herself.
"These people still think you're on their side right? Are you telling me none of them can recognize you?" Abby questioned without looking at Joe as she swung an arm around the stomach to wind the first circle member that reached them, taking her own shattering blow to gain advantage in her next move as the other Solomon was caught up in his own professional rough up.
"I'm dealing with the ones who might have seen me, Abby dearest, but I don't get around much – even here." He supplied coldly but only sounding agitatedly frustrated as he highlighted it hand in hand with the snide endeared name he'd given her. It was common enough that the two of them took part in missions together that Abby was well adjusted to the way Joe acted in situations vaguely like the one they were in now and in all honesty, throughout the entirety of whatever mission was in question, because that was how he was professional; Abby, on the other hand, found no difficulty in talking at the same time as being ripped at relentlessly and saw it logically as an opportunity to overlap the separate times for understanding. As couples arguments went, it was a fairly good routine to get them out of their system.
What Joe said was supposedly accurate considering the effort he had made so far to snap a certain number of necks or slam heads with a specific strength into the panels that closed them in as walls on a choice number of people no matter how unnerving he was in doing so. It was an understanding that they kept a good selection of people in critical condition rather than plain on dead, alive enough to procure any information about the little grazes of the Circle that was left that was surprisingly hard to stamp out but still damaged enough to be out of use if it happened that either of them failed here today; which unnaturally now was what Abby couldn't help be nauseatingly distracted by.
"Just promised me you won't blunder about without thinking while we're here." Abby pleaded as she pretty much picked up the man she had been fighting to chuck him harshly down onto the floor as if he were a relatively light box of furniture she wasn't quite happy with. Even that was a little weird from the normal stuff for Abby to spurt out when she was strangling someone with her legs, Joe picked up on that of course, but had very little time to analyse it as he dislocated someone's arm and rolled over the body to hook back a leg to fall.
"You are aware I'm capable." It was a statement, undoubtedly, but he pointed it out like he was questioning her understanding of him.
"It doesn't mean you're not going to do anything stupid though, you always do ridiculous things on big missions, and especially considering where we are." She argued her point as if it was a casual debate for rehearsal and not like she had just kicked over Joe's shoulder high and hard enough to cause some serious damage with her heel to a circle member's eye.
"Everything you're referring to has paid off before, and I'm not going to mess this up." Joe snapped, almost exhaustively if they both hadn't known they couldn't afford to be exhausted in that moment, jamming a knife he'd only just unsheathed through a skull to damage the part of the brain specifically relevant to the memory of someone he recognized; there would be a whirl of complaint if anyone got close enough to hope to question him if the person in question hadn't passed by that time. Solomon rarely had any interest in the retribution he was expected of for messing up because that was simply not how he saw it. The number of members to the Circle of Cavan were dwindling much more down to the bodies that lay beaten around them even if the two Solomon's still bled from it all, broken bones on themselves almost inevitable, not that any still standing were unprofessional enough to be reassured by that.
"Just tell me you'll be careful this time!" Abby demanded, simply punching a Circle member but with a blow skilfully aimed that sent them down cold without a fault.
"Abby!" Joe remarked, fairly alarmed by her out of character – not to mention unprofessional – insistence on being paranoid over his safety.
"I need to tell you something!" Abby called as she pushed herself up from where a heavily muscled woman held her firmly back and kicking with force that knocked the two of them stumbling back slightly as she pushed an approaching member back and, coincidentally, in the direction of her husband; who barely had time to win the fight he was already battling in time to deal with what Abby had sent him with two feet.
"Can't it wait?" Joe pushed as he flipped the circle member into the nearest wall and down to where they lay still as Abby finished overpowering the last of the attackers and her hair swung like she was in a shampoo commercial to face him, barely ebbed from the adrenaline the dozens of unconscious or dead bodies lay victim to, refusing to budge from where it screamed in her veins just yet; in fact it only ran faster when she said the only words that she knew could make Joe Solomon crack through his demeanor and stand as something near traumatized.
"I'm pregnant." She could tell instantly he was scanning her for any nudge in the direction of a hint to a clue that said she was lying, but they both knew there was no just reason to. The look he maintained, almost seeming stumped, was one that was so rich of an emotionally based reaction that Abby was fairly certain no one would recognize it - even if it was simply that his eyes had just gone a little wider and his mouth was kept only ever so slightly open, the lack of effort in remaining the way he had always built himself to be in those few moments let the feeling and genuine side make him look younger, and perhaps – Abby considered now as she couldn't have done the first time she'd told him this – as lost as he had been when he'd joined the circle. It was reasonably brief and yet for long enough in this situation and on Joe Solomon for it to feel like an age before he solidified once more.
"Yeah, no, that definitely could have waited." He argued, still sounding a little stumped about it, not as smoothly as he might have done any other time. Not that he could let that happen any longer as the grand doors they had been fighting a good two dozen or so circle members next to swung open to the center of this Circle's base like there wasn't a single security measure tapped into it and Catherine Goode beamed – hands on hips – along at them. But upon the first barely sound the door had made to open Joe had already locked a harsh hold over Abby, a hold tied in a bow with the knife he held to her throat.
PRAISE THE LORD WE MADE IT! HOW WAS IT? I DIDN'T LIKE IT THAT MUCH ;) I beg of you to review and tell me what you think about this. Maybe not to do with this at all just review about your breakfast or something, first time you saw a dog, perhaps? Because I know you might get it a lot on fanfictions you read but reviews (Or any notification) really kick me into writing when I haven't updated ( which we can't deny – I'm sucky at) ... Well I updated this time, but I did finish my exams a week and a half ago. FYI I'm dedicated to writing a multi crossover fan fiction as well, so the one with more notifications has top priority each week (Check that out too, it's got GG and Heist) Just a warning/note.
I'm hoping to update every week from now on, so that's why everything I just said would be really helpful and I also want to know what you think of the story right now. Another baby Solomon, eh? Got a bit annoyed with writing that ship in this chapter, but that's probably because it took so long to do but I just remind myself how much I hate Roe (And obviously that can't happen in this story, none of this is an offence to anyone who ships it - just my feels). Can you trust Martin or not? More importantly can the Gallagher Girls trust Martin? How much do you hate me for how I've messed with dear sweet Preston and what even is that, anyway?