PATHETIC

"The only real failure in life is not to be true to the best one knows." -Buddha

Tom and Nadia's house, San Felipe (Elysium)

There's a special guest in Tom and Nadia Falk's bed this morning.

Little Maria Falk, their 5 year old daughter, lies in between her mother on the left and her father on the right, curled up and snuggled up close to Nadia's body, sharing her pillow and wearing a nightgown that nearly matches her mother's.

The sun hasn't been up for more than a half an hour. A dark orange light coming from the sun beams through the curtains in the large bedroom window that overlooks the sea, making the bedroom awash in an orange glow from the rising sun.

The light crosses over Tom's body and hits Maria's closed eyelids. The light causes her eyes to open up for the first time this morning. It's not uncommon for her to wake up well before her parents, and this morning is no exception. With sleep still in her eyes, she stares up at the ceiling and, noting it's not pink, realizes she's not in her bedroom.

She looks down at her waist and sees her mother's arm wrapped around her. She always feels safe with her parents nearby, and it comforts her to see Nadia's arm holding her close. That and the warmth coming from Nadia's body up against hers makes her feel cozy.

Maria looks up and sees Tom is lying on his belly and looking towards her while he's asleep. He looks completely at rest. An indicator that he's resting soundly is that he snores occasionally.

At this point, Maria cups her mouth while she giggles a bit to avoid waking Tom up. Something about seeing her father asleep and snoring is extremely amusing to her...although she's not sure why. It's probably just one of those silly things that easily amuse kids her age.

Maria then notices Tom has drooled a bit. Because he sleeps with his mouth wide open, Tom has a tendency to drool a bit in his sleep...just a bit though, not too much. Feeling helpful, Maria gently wipes the spit around Tom's mouth with her right hand...then in an unintentionally unkind move, wipes that very hand on Tom's undershirt.

Whether it was her intent or not, Maria's actions have caused Tom to wake up.

Tom opens his eyes and sees his giddy daughter staring back at him. This surprises Tom, as he was expecting to see Nadia's face when he woke up, not Maria's.

A very sleepy and confused Tom asks Maria "What are you doing here?" Maria quickly puts her finger over her mouth and whispers "Shh! Don't wake Mommy!"

Too late.

"Sweetie?"

Tom looks up and sees Nadia has now woke up and is looking down at Maria, who's still in her arms. Maria shifts to lie on her back and looks up at Nadia with a look of exuberance. "Good morning, Mommy!" Nadia cracks a sleepy smile and says "Good morning, sweetheart..."

A groggy Tom asks Nadia "Babe, what is Maria doing in our bed?" Nadia looks up at Tom with a sleepy look and replies "She snuck in around 2 this morning..." A now-sullen Maria says "I had a nightmare..."

Tom sighs and says "Maria, did you do those tricks Grandma Mary showed you to keep from having nightmares?" Maria insistently replies "Yes! But I kept going back...it was scary!" Nadia asks "What kind of nightmares were you having?" Maria, frightened by the memories of her nightmare, says "People were chasing me and I couldn't get away..."

Tom asks "What kind of people?" Maria thinks for a bit, then timidly replies "Um...they wore black...and...I dunno." Nadia asks "Did you see their faces?" Maria thinks really hard, then shakes her head and says "No..."

Tom gives Maria a smile and a kiss on the forehead. "Well it's all over now, Maria. No men in black are going to chase my baby girl today." Maria, with a relieved look on her face, says with confidence "I know! You and Mommy will keep me safe!"

Nadia strokes some of Maria's hair back from her forehead and says "You did the right thing coming to us. And I bet you didn't have anymore nightmares during the night, did you?" Maria shakes her head and, with a smile, says "Nope!"

Tom leans in and says "I'll make you a deal...you go to your room and get dressed, and me and Mommy will make your favorite breakfast this morning, ok?" Maria's eyes open wide and she lets out a loud gasp. "French toast!" Nadia leans in herself and says "And the sooner you get the dressed, the sooner you can have your French toast!"

That was all the motivation Maria would need to scramble out of bed and run down the hallway towards her room.

Tom watches his now-relieved daughter run out the room, then looks over at Nadia, who was doing the same thing he was. Tom leans over and gives Nadia a quick kiss on her left cheek. This causes Nadia to look over with a grin and say "Good morning, handsome." Tom replies "Good morning..."

Tom can't complete the sentence because Nadia leans over and gives him a soft kiss on the lips. Nadia releases after a couple seconds, which allows Tom to finish what he was saying with a wide smile. "...beautiful." This causes Nadia to grin wider, which pleases Tom, who matches her grin with a one of his own.

Five years after they got married, Tom still finds Nadia to be so enchanting. This point is proven when Tom just stares into Nadia's eyes half lovingly, half in a trance.

Nadia completely realizes the effect she has on Tom...after all, it seems not a day goes by where Tom doesn't profess his undying love for her. And she's every bit as amazed about him. Tom's loyalty to her is unmatched by anyone she's met in her life. Loyalty, love, respect...three things that she long desired from her father...three things she ended up getting from Tom instead.

But in reality, Nadia's issues of the past seem so far gone, it's like she's thinking about a completely different person when she thinks of her childhood and even her fretting over Sloane. And of course, Nadia finds Tom to be handsome, but it's his devotion to her and Maria that's even more handsome to her.

Finally, Nadia breaks the silence by saying "You must have really slept well...Maria woke me up sneaking in from the foot of our bed." Tom chuckles a bit and says "Wine always puts me out for the count. And I think Maria takes after you in a lot of ways...including your ability to be stealthy." Nadia laughs and says "Yeah...thank goodness she doesn't have to apply those abilities on the street like I did."

Tom smiles a bit, then says "While we're on the subject of Maria, I didn't really get to talk about this last night because Jack and my mom stayed around late, but we need to talk about Maria's 'boyfriend'." Nadia leans forward and asks "You think that there's a problem?"

Tom shrugs and says "Like I said when she broke the news, it's probably just a phase caused by one too many Disney movies. But she does need to know the difference between really liking a friend and loving that friend. I think it's a conversation that a mother needs to have with her daughter." Nadia nods, understanding the logic, and says "I'll talk to her about it today. I do think it's cute that she's so close with this boy." Tom replies "I actually agree...I'm glad she has found a good friend. That was one of my concerns when she was growing up was making friends with kids her age. Most people that come to Elysium are old farts."

Nadia lies on her back and looks like she's reminiscing about something. "I forget how old I was, but I remember my first 'boyfriend'. It must not have been long after I was delivered to the orphanage in Argentina. There was this boy at the all-boys orphanage that was down the street from us. His name was Paolo..." Nadia then giggles as the memories flood her mind of her one-time puppy love.

Tom, meanwhile, rolls his eyes as he leans on his arm, which is propped up on his pillow. "Great, more former boyfriends to be jealous at." Nadia gives Tom a slap on his chest and says "Paolo wasn't a boyfriend! At least, not in the traditional sense. I was too young to have a REAL boyfriend. But Paolo...ooh Paolo! He was tall for his age, handsome, and he was so charming, even if he didn't mean to be. He just had this charisma about him! I chased him every time our orphanages got together for picnics. To me, he was everything I wanted in a boyfriend...or so I thought at the time."

Tom, now curious, asks "What happened to Paolo?" Nadia lets out a depressed sigh and says "He got adopted and moved to another part of Buenos Aires. My heart was so broke. He was the only boy that I bothered talking to, really. I didn't have anyone close to a father or brother growing up, but Paolo was the closest thing I had to a brother...even though he was really just a good friend. My point, I guess, is that Maria's probably going through a lot of the feelings and emotions I felt with Paolo. I mean, Emilio is a year older than her after all. I don't remember how old Paolo was or even how old I was at the time, but I knew he had to have been at least two years older than me."

Tom smirks and says "And so, that's when you started getting attracted to older men like me..." Nadia rolls her eyes and says "Cesar Martinez was my age! And I consider Cesar to be my true first boyfriend...for better or worse." Nadia then hangs her head at that fact.

Meanwhile, Tom looks down at the palm of his hand. All of the sudden, Tom feels rather cocky. He remembers when he and Nadia were captured by Cesar in Minsk during their APO days. He remembers when Cesar tried to shoot him. And of course, he remembers the bullet bouncing off the titanium bones in his palm of his hand and plunging into Cesar's forehead.

Tom smirks at that memory and says "I remember Cesar..." Nadia exhales and says "Cesar really turned into a monster after we separated. I barely recognized him when I tried to distract him to give you time in Minsk. It's like our past didn't matter, and he only saw me like a piece of sexual meat." Tom's cocky mood is washed away by concern. "You never told me this..." Nadia pauses for a bit, a little timid to say anything further. Finally, after a few seconds, she says "And I'm not going to tell you now. What happened before you were caught is between me and him."

Now Tom fears the worst. Did Cesar...no. He couldn't have. He's seen many women in his workings in the Anti-Cartel after they've been raped, and Nadia didn't display any post-rape symptoms after the mission. Nadia can be good at burying her emotions, but could she hide a rape?

Tom can't take it anymore. He gently puts his hand on Nadia's shoulder and concernedly asks "Nadia, did Cesar rape you?" Nadia's closes her eyes tightly, and her face remains frozen as she stares down at the bed. Her look of concern and pain tells a thousand words, and the fact that she's not coming right out and denying it tells Tom everything he needs to know.

A good 10 seconds passes. Tom's heart starts to sink. His angel, his queen, the love of his life...raped because she tried to protect him. Tom closes his eyes and tries to block the sadness and anger swelling up in him.

Before his heart sinks any lower and before any of that sadness and anger can bubble up to the surface, Nadia suddenly looks up at him and says "What does it matter? It was six years ago, and Cesar is...who knows where he is. Probably suffering is my guess. And rightfully so." Tom shakes his head quickly, not buying Nadia's dismissal. "Nadia, I had no idea..." Nadia cuts him off and says "That was the point. Me and Cesar have a history that I wanted to keep buried then and I want to keep buried now."

Tom goes to say something, but Nadia cuts him off intently. "Tom, we're not going to talk about this anymore. I've said all I want to say about it." Tom bites his tongue, but his heart is still sunk somewhere between his stomach and sternum.

Nadia props her head up on her hand and asks "I do want to know what it was that you and Mary were talking about on the back patio last night." Tom flatly and quickly replies "My brother is having issues with Connie's wedding this weekend." Nadia understandingly nods and says "His wife on Earth is getting married...I figured that was why he gets all weird around Julieta. He must be so conflicted."

Tom nods and says "He's all tied up in knots. Mom wants me to talk to him and have a real heart-to-heart. Quite frankly, I'm dreading this conversation. Eddie gets a little cranky when you bring up his love life." Nadia rubs Tom's shoulder to calm his worry a bit and reassuringly says "He's your brother, he'll listen to you. You'll do fine."

Nadia's tone and words have an extremely calming effect on Tom. Her accent is one half Latina, one half Irina Derevko. It has the spice of a Latina, but the softness and sometimes sultry nature Irina's voice had. That combination almost has a hypnotic effect on him sometimes, and this is one of those times.

Tom then smirks and shakes his head. "I'm not worried about him using his ears or his mouth, I'm worried about his right hook and the black eye that will follow!" Nadia laughs and says "The Fighting Falks...wasn't that what you said you and your brother were known as growing up?"

Tom laughs and says "Yup. For as close as we were, were had some scraps over some real stupid shit. But you know something? Every time we fought, we'd make up right away and act like nothing happened. So maybe you should hope your husband returns with a black eye." Nadia rolls her eyes with a smirk and says "You're crazy! You know you don't mean that!"

As Nadia finishes her dismissal of Tom's desire for bruising, the sound of little feet running down the carpeted hallway is heard. Tom and Nadia both look up and see a dressed-up Maria running to the room. She hasn't quite grasped the concept of dressing herself, as her shorts are backwards and her right arm isn't entirely through the arm hole in her shirt.

None of this appears to concern Maria, who jumps to a stop at the foot of parents' bed and matter-of-factly says "I'm DRESSED already!" Tom and Nadia both flip the covers off each other and sit up. With a smile, Nadia tells Maria "Ok! We're coming!" Nadia then gets out of bed and heads out with Maria, adjusting her shirt on the way out so the right arm completely pokes through.

Tom, meanwhile, sits on the edge of bed. He thinks back to Maria's nightmare. Men in black chasing her. When he was alive, Tom had a habit of having nightmares that foreshadowed bad events in his life.

Tom dreamed of Sovogda and Nadia's fall there before it happened. And not 12 hours before Nadia was murdered by Arvin Sloane, Tom woke up from a nightmare where she was being killed.

This isn't the first time Maria has dreamed about these men in black chasing her. He starts wondering if Maria has this odd ability to foreshadow troubling events like he does.

Then he lets out a relived sigh and stands up. He's in Elysium now. Bad things like Sovogda, Nadia's death, and suspicious men in black chasing 5 year old girls just don't happen here.

He was right about Sovogda and Nadia's death.

But the men in black? They had better things to do today than haunt the dreams of a 5 year old girl.

Elysian Council Chambers, Vatican City (Elysium)

The five members of the Elysian Council are gathered at the large blue marble round table. At the head of the table at his usual spot is Aristotle, the High Counselor. Starting clockwise from his left are Milo Rambaldi, Marcus Aurelius, Albert Einstein, and Paris of Troy.

Einstein, the normally quiet one of the group, looks uneasy. "I like the idea. Compensating adoptive parents for adopting an orphaned child is a good idea...in theory. However, we run the risk of a major dilution of the currency we have currently circulating. And if there's more currency, that means higher prices for goods. And then you have jealousy with the citizens that don't adopt. It's a vicious cycle that almost requires the adoption of a child, and if someone adopts just to help their pocketbook, isn't that defeating the purpose of this idea in the first place?"

For someone who's normally quiet, Einstein's words do have an effect on the rest of the council. Paris, in all his regal glory, hangs his head, sensing his original idea might not come to fruition. This appears to trouble him more than it might another person for some reason.

Rambaldi, in his customary off-white robe, turns to Aristotle and asks "How much in currency reserves do we have?" Aristotle, the well-fed bearded sage, opens up a manilla folder and rifles through some papers. As he does, he says "I think we would have enough to absorb the blow..."

Aristotle continues to shuffle through his papers. Aurelius, meanwhile, chimes in. "I would caution against dipping too much into our reserves. We do keep this currency off to the side for emergencies, since that was it's original intent." Paris lifts his once-sullen head up and asks "Is this not an emergency? Is the overcrowding and lack of attention to orphans not worthy of an emergency situation? What defines an emergency to you?"

Aurelius sneers at Paris a bit. Like Rambaldi, Aurelius also is starting to grow weary of Paris' smugness of late. Still, Paris does raise some worthy points. Aurelius then sighs and says "You make valid points. I just ask for a little discretion..."

"We have plenty."

The rest of the table looks over at Aristotle, who has pulled out a sheet of paper. "Gentlemen, we are above projections on our reserves, thanks to years of sound currency policy. In fact, it's more than I thought we had. The accountant that oversees these figures gave me no indication that we're doing so well, actually. Then again, he was commanded to be a non-biased accountant that is supposed to keep financial figures to himself, so perhaps he's doing his job a little too well."

Paris slides a graph towards Aristotle. "Sir, these are the projections that I've gathered for the costs involved for this proposal. Will we have enough to cover that without affecting the market for goods?" Aristotle picks up the graph and studies it a bit. Then, he asks "How accurate are these estimations?" Paris quickly replies "I'd stake my seat in the Council on them."

Aristotle studies the graph and financial sheet a little more, then slowly starts nodding his head. "The financials work out. There should be minimal effect on the free market with the added circulation. And I do see eye-to-eye with Paris in the fact that this is an emergency. These kids need our help. Does anyone else disagree with that?"

The rest of the council members look at each other, gauging each other's responses. Rambaldi and Paris, despite being bickering enemies, appear to almost be unitedly bearing hopeful looks at their council neighbors, hoping that they agree that this is an emergency with their facial mannerisms. Aurelius looks a bit grumpy, but grudgingly says "I would say these kids do need help, and I guess this is the only way they're going to get it." Einstein understandingly nods and says "I concur. I'm not all that enthusiastic about dipping into reserves, but I do think the benefits outweigh the risk here."

Aristotle nods and asks "Ok, the next question is implementation. It's been suggested that we draw staff to handle these adoptions. Any thoughts on how we solicit this staff?" Rambaldi quickly replies "This adoption program is going to be lessening the need of orphan mothers, correct?" The rest of the table nods. Rambaldi smiles and says "There's your staff right there. As more kids get adopted, more orphan mothers will need to seek other employment."

Paris leans forward and asks "There's going to be an early adoption boom, and no spare orphan mothers around to handle the surge. We need a full staff in place in the early going." Aurelius then says "Well, it's also been proposed that we have staff to monitor how these adoptions are going after the fact. People will check in with adoptive families to see how the transition is going. We will also need some staff to handle the financial element as well. I propose that we hire a staff that qualifies to either be an adoptive followup specialist of sorts or a financial manager, but they would start off as extra hands to handle the adoptions in the early going."

Einstein appears to like that idea. "I think that is a good idea. With new arrivals coming, they'll need employment themselves. I think we should encourage new arrivals to take jobs with the adoption process." Rambaldi then asks "I'm guessing that we still want Nadia Falk's organization to oversee the adoption process as well, correct?" Aristotle says "That's is correct, Milo. There may even be a need to reorganize her group when the emphasis goes away from orphanages and into the adoption program, but either way, I think it'd be best if she stayed in charge. Any objections?"

The rest of the table all collectively shake their heads. Aristotle then asks "When do you suggest we implement this program?" Rambaldi replies "As soon as Nadia is ready to go. I'll have her review the rules and guidelines presented here and we can work with her on implementing it. Based on my last conversation with her, she was eager to get the ball rolling as soon as possible."

Paris's face suddenly turns a little worried, unbeknownst to the rest of the table. It's almost as if he's conflicted about the conversation that's taking place all of the sudden.

Aurelius notices and asks "Paris, do you have a concern about this program getting started too quickly?" Paris looks up and over at Aurelius and says "No...no, I was just...imagining how all of this will work, and all the good that will do. I think Nadia is the right person for this job, and I hope she can fulfill it." Rambaldi cracks a grin and says "Nadia will be just fine. She knows what she's doing."

Aristotle then says "Alright, do I have a motion to approve the new adoption policy that has been presented and discussed here today?" Paris raises his hand quickly, almost as if he was in a hurry. "I'll make the first motion." Rambaldi quickly fires "Seconded."

Aristotle then says "We will now take the roll call. Milo?" Rambaldi fires out an "Aye." Aristotle asks "Marcus?" Aurelius says "Aye." Aurelius then asks "Albert?" Einstein nods and says "Aye." Aristotle looks over at Paris, who's fidgeting with his fingers nervously. "I'm not sure why you're so nervous Paris, this measure will pass. But for the sake of parliamentary procedure, what is your vote?" Paris looks up and emphatically says "Aye!" Aristotle nods and says "And I also vote 'aye'. 5 to nothing, the measure passes. Milo, get with Nadia and let's start the process of implementation. Gentlemen, this meeting is..."

Suddenly, a group of people in black uniforms and masks rushes into the room through the door behind Aristotle, startling the council members. They all are brandishing daggers and knives of some sort. The council quickly stands up, but no one is able to go anywhere as the group of nine quickly circles the table, each one of them pointing a knife or dagger in the direction of a council member, freezing them at the table. Some of them even make it a point to put their hands on a council member's shoulder.

An angry and frightened Aristotle asks "What is the meaning of this?" One of the men, standing directly across from Aristotle and in between Aurelius and Einstein, asks "Who's asking?"

Rambaldi remains calm and collected. In fact, he almost looks amused as he recognizes the voice right away. That cold, dry voice of a man whose obsession with his prophecy consumed his life and led to his very death. Rambaldi glares at that man and replies "That man that you're speaking to is Aristotle, a great thinker of his time, and a man whose name is synonymous with intelligence and achievement. And I know who you are. Oh yes, you are just a jealous, smug, and insignificant little man. A man who longed to be put into legend, and sold his very own life, and all that remotely cared about him, to try and get it. A man who wanted a legacy that no other man could match, but in the end...ended up as a very slight burp in the annals of history, a burp heard by so few, and forgotten by just about everybody as soon as the burp ended. Councilmen, I introduce to you...Mister Arvin Sloane."

The council members all gasp slightly, having never seen Sloane, but having heard about him through Rambaldi's discussions about his prophecy.

The man pulls off his black mask and reveals that he is indeed Arvin Sloane. Sloane's face is contorted in a sneer as he stares at Rambaldi, offended over his long insult. Rambaldi sees the frostbite scars that crease Sloane's entire face, along with other nicks and scars.

Sloane cracks a slow, evil smirk as he stares down Rambaldi. "Milo...Rambaldi. I must say...I had hoped in my life's work that I might be fortunate enough to even get a glimpse of you. I must say...you're taller than I had imagined." Rambaldi flatly replies "I get that a lot."

Sloane continues unabashed. "In the last five years, I still hoped to see you, but for different reasons than I had originally hoped. I hoped to be standing right here, eying down the man that made me chase a fruitless prophecy and, what was it you said...sold my own life and everyone that supported me to try and get it. I have defied the Devil himself. Even after death and exile...hope can still become reality." Rambaldi chuckles a bit and says "Ahh. Hope. Hope was about all you had these past five years, hasn't it?" Sloane points to the scars on his face with his knife and says "That's not all I have. The cold wind of Cocytus Lake gave me these scars. Two other of my...compatriots if you will, bear similar scars."

Two others standing to either side of Sloane take their masks off and reveal themselves as Irina and Elena Derevko. Irina has frostbite scars on the right side of her face while Elena has scars on the left side of her face, along with a bullet scar on her forehead courtesy of Irina when her Sovogda dreams literally exploded in a watery avalanche.

Rambaldi starts laughing out loud all of the sudden. The rest of the council members all look at him with looks of befuddlement. Sloane and both Derevkos also look at him suspiciously.

Rambaldi leans forward and puts his hands on the edge of the table. The person behind him keeps his or her hand on his shoulder. "I must say, I'm impressed Arvin." He slips his right pinkie finger under the table and hits a hidden button as he says that. "I'm impressed that you managed to get two women that not only hate your guts, but also hate each other's guts to work together in perfect harmony. Very, very impressive. That's about the one thing about you that impresses me: your ability to unite fractal elements to satisfy your own needs." Irina and Elena exchange less-than-friendly glares at each other after Rambaldi is done, which Rambaldi notices, amusing him somewhat but enjoying his personal victory internally.

Sloane just smirks back at Rambaldi and says "What was that you were saying about hope? Hope grows over time, and we all are united by a common goal. You ruined our lives. You rendered them worthless. Your prophecy sent all of us on a one-way ticket to Hell...with the exception of the man standing behind Aristotle, who was put to his grave by your...Caretaker."

The husky masked man presses the tip of his dagger on the back of Aristotle's head, just enough for him to feel the sharp tip, but not enough to puncture. With a thick Latino accent, he says "Your friend will be even more impressed with the army that I have assembled. It's a shame you won't get to see them ravage the life of Tom Falk like he ravaged mine." His voice reveals that he is Francisco Alvarado, the former leader of the Lobos Rabiosos gang in Mexico...a gang that Tom Falk almost single-handedly slaughtered one by one after they decimated Matt Aguero, Tom's former Anti-Cartel running mate.

Sloane then starts scanning at the table, looking at Aurelius, Einstein, and Paris. "You three...we are not here for you. Cooperate with us and you will not be harmed." Marcus Aurelius slams his hand on the table and angrily says "WAIT A SECOND!"

Everyone's attention focuses on him. Aurelius then looks over at Rambaldi with a look of fury on his face and says "You KNEW these people could be coming?" Before Rambaldi could respond, Aristotle says "Milo informed me that there might be portals to Hell a couple days ago. He...WAS having it handled." Rambaldi looks over at Aristotle and defensively says "The world is a big place, in case you haven't noticed. A portal isn't exactly as easy as finding the nearest 7-11."

Aurelius scowls at Rambaldi and starts shaking his head. "I trusted you! Now, you put all our lives in jeopardy!" Sloane then chimes in. "Like I said, we're not here for you. But you are going to remain here while we take care of Aristotle and Rambaldi just to make sure you don't do anything stupid...like scream for help." Aurelius closes his eyes and hangs his head and says nothing.

Aristotle then asks "Why do you want me killed?" Sloane knows why: Paris, the rat willing to allow this caper in exchange for Helen of Troy's inclusion to Elysium, asked him to kill him as part of the deal to be sprung from Hell.

But Sloane knows not to break his poker face. He flatly replies "Why not? We're not just going to storm in to the room, kill one man, and leave the leader unscratched. We've waited too long to kill just one person, as your friend with the knife to your back of your head just said. Rambaldi isn't the only person that screwed us." Rambaldi shakes his head and says "You're not going to harm Tom and Nadia Falk. They're under protection."

Sloane raises an eyebrow at that. "Protection? Since you weren't forthright to inform your council friends of our doorway to this utopia, I'm going to guess you haven't informed Tom or Nadia, have you? Maybe we should kill everyone at this table so no one lets Tom and Nadia in on our presence." Paris insistently says "NO!" Sloane turns and tilts his head a bit, surprised at Paris' outburst. He quickly recovers and says "Nah, you won't tell. You know better than to squeal...courage isn't your strong suit." Paris remains frozen in silence, perhaps realizing he put himself in jeopardy of being caught as the rat already. The rest of the council give Paris suspicious looks at that exchange.

Sloane looks over at a man standing behind Rambaldi and says "Gordon, get in position." The man behind the mask, Gordon Dean, nods and presses the tip of his knife on the back of Rambaldi's head, much like Aristotle. Sloane then says "By now, you realize the futility of teleporting to safety, as you will take whoever is in contact with you wherever it is you go. And each and every council member has a hand on their shoulders, just like you."

Sloane slowly starts walking towards Rambaldi. "You all have a nice little world here, a world free of fear, a world free of suffering. This world is the exact opposite of the world me and my companions have been in since our demises. But it's time you had a taste of the world we've been living in, and feel the feeling of fear and suffering once again...the very fear and suffering that have overtaken our lives in recent years." Rambaldi and Aristotle remain silent as a stone, not wanting to encourage Sloane any longer.

Sloane walks up to Rambaldi and stares him down face to face for a few seconds, letting the hate boil up in him. Rambaldi returns the stare with a defiant stare of his own. Rambaldi, being the even-keeled man he is, looks rather calm and assured in spite of the situation he and the rest of the council is in right now.

Suddenly, Sloane snatches the knife away from Gordon. He points the tip of the knife on the left side of Rambaldi's temple. "This is how you die in Elysium, right? Right through the skull?" Rambaldi stays silent...then flashes a daring smile. "If I perish, or any one of us perishes here...there is no way any of you walking out alive." Sloane lets out a quick chuckle and says "Is that a fact?" Rambaldi slowly nods and says "Before you know it, all of you will be back in Hell. And you're right...a knife through the brain means your time in Elysium is done."

Sloane smiles wide and says "Then let it be done."

Sloane pulls the knife away in a windup. But before he can thrust forward, two more guests enter the room quickly...and they're in a hurry.

Two men in off-white robes rush in behind Aristotle and the man holding him captive. They both brandish hidden knives from the sheathes on their wrists.

Before Sloane can even think of thrusting his knife at Rambaldi's temple, one man tackles Francisco Alvarado and the other tackles Gordon Dean...the men standing behind Aristotle and Rambaldi respectively.

As they hit the ground, the robed men each thrust their hidden blades into the back of the skulls of Francisco Alvarado and Gordon Dean.

Their bodies spasm quickly, and they both yell out in pain. A stunned Arvin Sloane remains frozen, his knife suspended in mid-air and ready to thrust forward. He looks at Alvarado's spasmed body with a look of trepidation. He seems less concerned about Gordon Dean. After all, Dean didn't have the only way of contacting an army willing to aid them against Tom Falk.

The man behind Gordon Dean pulls his knife out of Dean's head. Some blood pours out of the back of his head. And suddenly, his body disappears, with only a small puddle of blood as evidence that he was even in the room.

The other man pulls his knife out of Alvarado's head. Alvarado also bleeds out a bit and disappears like Dean's body, leaving another small puddle of blood about as wide as an apple.

Sloane turns to the rest of his group and says "GET THEM!" The tall man that killed Dean remains on one knee, looking down at the puddle of blood while the hood conceals his face. He calmly says in a thick French accent "If any of you want to live, I would strongly advise against following those orders."

As soon as he says that, ten men in off-white robes all leap down to the floor from alcoves above the council chambers. They all quickly bounce up to their feet and point their daggers and knives at the heads of everyone in Sloane's group.

The man with the French accent lowers his hood and reveals himself as Laurent L'Andre. He looks at Sloane and says "Drop your weapons and release your holds on the councilmen, or suffer the fate of your two dead friends."

Sloane takes a moment to analyze the situation. His group is now outnumbered by this group of men in robes. He also realizes that he's out-positioned, as no one man or woman of his group is without a knife or dagger pointed at their back, including his own. Sloane takes into account that two men, Dean and Alvarado, are no longer among the living. Oh, and he has no idea where to find Tom, Nadia, or Mary Falk, and he was hoping to glean that information before he left the chambers.

A tall, well built man in black hollers in a loud Latino accent. "Let's just kill these pendejos! (Spanish for "asshole")That way at least we did something before we returned to Hell!" Unfortunately for Cesar Martinez, Sloane already made up his mind. Sloane looks at Cesar and says "No. Everyone, do as you were told." Everyone else, including Irina and Elena, reluctantly does as instructed. Cesar drops his knife eventually as well and unhands Einstein.

Laurent then says "Councilmen, leave. Go to the hideout and await further instruction. GO!" Each council member closes their eyes and teleports away.

This leaves the men in robes and Sloane's group. And the men in robes still have the numbers and positioning advantage. Oh, and they also are the only ones holding weapons now.

Laurent points his knife and places the tip of it on Sloane's forehead. Sloane starts breathing deeply, not from nerves, but more of a sign of his anger over his plans completely exploding in his face.

How did these men show up? Who tipped them off? Was it Paris?

Before he can postulate any further, Laurent asks "You people do not belong here. There are two ways we can settle this." Sloane says "I assume both ways end with us returning to Hell." Laurent replies "Yes. The manner of your return is your choice. Either you lead us to the portal and you can return just as you arrived...or we can kill you all right now."

"Why should this man have to choose for the group?"

Everyone turns at the hooded man who killed Alvarado. His voice reveals that he's Russian. He stands about average height with a somewhat thin build. He lowers his hood and reveals a bald head, a face that looks like the face one gets from working in the sun all their life...compressed and tight with wrinkles around the eyes. This man has brown eyes and one sour expression on his face.

Laurent tells the man "Alec, if this man is the leader, we should be speaking with..." Alec cuts him off angrily, continuing in a very, very thick Russian accent. "No. I am not going to stand here idly while my own flesh and blood stands mute and subservient to this pitiful excuse for a man!"

Alec then turns his attention to Irina and Elena Derevko. His face is contorted in a snarl...a snarl that is a little unsettling to the ladies...even if they don't visually express their concern.

Irina finally asks "Who are you?" Alec replies "I am Aleksander Derevko...Assassin for Il Credo Divino, and Research Assistant to Milo Rambaldi. And today, I am ashamed to call myself your ancestor."

Irina's pursed mouth opens up a bit, relaxed because of the surprise of seeing her ancestor. Elena also allows her face to reveal a surprised expression. Sloane, however, doesn't look as impressed. "You are one of Rambaldi's seedbearers..."

Alec quickly flashes Sloane a death stare. "SHUT YOUR MOUTH YOU WHORE OF A MAN! YOU WILL SPEAK WHEN SPOKEN TO!"

Sloane's face turns blank and he does as instructed, only because Alec's outburst has completely put him at a loss for words. He thought Laurent was a cold bastard, but Alec has certainly made an even more impactful first impression.

Alec turns his attention back to Irina and Elena. "I remember a time when you two were cunning. While I rarely approved of your actions in life, I couldn't help but feel respect for your abilities. You reminded me of how I did business in Il Credo Divino." Elena, looking a little confused, asks "What is Il Credo Divino?" Alec coldly replies "The men with the sharp weapons pointed at the back of your heads are Il Credo Divino. Yes, we are The Divine Creed. We are assassins, and we are good at what we do...for it is all we do."

Alec then slowly starts walking around the the table, behind Sloane, and towards Irina and Elena, keeping his death stare at them all the way.

He casually slips in front of them and stands eye to eye with Irina, then looks over at the just-slightly shorter Elena. "Now that you are here, and now that you have sold your skills to a worthless human being, I only have one thing to say to you both...and especially Irina."

Alec turns and stands nose-to-nose with Irina. In a low, haunting voice, he tells her "You're pathetic."

Irina tries to keep a straight face, but can't help feeling both hurt and offended by his words. Normally words like Alec's wouldn't even phase her. But perhaps her time under ice has changed her ability to control her emotions somewhat. A look of shame takes over her face.

Still, she composes herself and tries to return the haunting tone of Alec. She coolly asks "Why me?" Alec quickly replies "Because only a pathetic human being sells out his or her own family. Only a pathetic human being tries to erase the one she loves...the one she brought and nurtured to life...because of obsession for her own wants. And only a pathetic human being..." Alec then turns to Sloane and shouts "...PICKS THIS WASTE OF CARBON TO BE THEIR LEADER!"

Laurent tersely, but calmly tells Alec "That will be enough, Alec." Alec glares at Laurent a bit, then turns to Irina once more. He takes a deep breath to try to calm himself down, then says "I am ashamed to call myself a Derevko because of you and Elena. And the fact that you don't even try to defend yourself speaks volumes of the quality of my descendents. I had high hopes for my bloodline, that is why I volunteered to be a seedbearer. Your failures in life are my failures as a man."

It looks like there's a lot that Irina wants to say in defense...but she bites her tongue and says nothing. For some reason, she feels that this is not the time and place. After all, she still has a knife barely a centimeter away from the back of her skull from an Il Credo Divino member.

Alec then turns his back on Irina and Elena and slowly makes his way back towards Laurent, his hanging somewhat out of shame.

Meanwhile, while everyone in the room appears to be focused on Alec and his temper, some of the men or women in black have started holding hands.

Alec returns to Laurent's side and says "I am done. Let's get this over with." Laurent studies Alec's angry face for a bit to make sure that he is indeed finished with his business. Satisfied, he turns his attention back to Sloane. "Even though some of us would rather not speak to you, you are the mouthpiece of your tribe. The choice is yours. Lead us to the portal and return unscathed, or let Il Credo Divino do what we do best."

Sloane and Laurent eye each other down for a few seconds. Laurent doesn't appear to be in any particular hurry, which pleases Sloane, as he's stalling for time to mull those very options.

Finally, he gets an idea. "How about a third option?" Laurent replies "I don't see any other option." Sloane replies "Reveal to us the locations of Tom, Nadia, and Mary Falk. Do so, and we will spare Aristotle and Rambaldi from future suffering." Laurent lets out a quick chuckle, then says "What makes you think you'll be able to escape? You have no leverage here."

Sloane smirks and says "Quite the contrary. We rise up against you, you kill us all, and then we'll send an army that would love nothing more than to wipe anyone named Falk off the face of Elysium. You will not know where the portal is, and you will have a bigger problem than just us. Sending us to Hell would not be wise, Laurent. Let us complete our business with the Falks, and we will not be a bother to the council or anyone else."

What Laurent doesn't know is that Alec Derevko killed the man who controlled that very army he just referred to. Without Alvarado, that army's whereabouts and protocols are unknown. Sloane is bluffing, and he hopes Laurent buys the bluff.

Laurent ponders Sloane's statement about the army for a second, then shakes his head. "It is unfortunate that you are known as a pathological liar, otherwise there would have been a remote chance that I might have accepted that stinking pile of fertilizer you just fed me."

Sloane smirks and says "It's a shame you will never find the location of the portal to Hell..." Suddenly, the right arm of the person in black next to him reaches out and grabs his left arm, causing Sloane to smile wider. "...and it's a shame we have to cut our conversation short. Until next time."

Sloane quickly closes his eyes and teleports away, taking every single person in black with him. Laurent and Alec seem very surprised at this, then ashamed that they didn't see this coming.

When Alec was voicing his displeasure at Irina and Elena, the group in black started holding hands. When Alec returned to Laurent's side, Irina and Elena linked that chain. And Sloane was the final piece needed to evacuate everyone to safety. That's the rule in Elysium: if anyone is touching you when you teleport, you go with them. No one of Il Credo Divino had a hand on Sloane's group.

Sloane and everyone gets away scot free while Il Credo Divino stands alone in the chamber.

The rest of Il Credo Divino lowers their weapons slowly. Alec hangs his head. "They can teleport..." Laurent then says "Not everyone. As far as we know, only Sloane can. They required him to leave." Another member of Il Credo Divino says in an Italian accent "They all were holding hands. I thought it was just symbolic..."

Laurent shakes his head and says "No matter. The Council is safe. Everyone remain here. I must speak with Rambaldi. The Falks must be protected." Alec then asks "Does anyone...ANYONE have an idea on where this portal is?"

No one responds at first. The chambers go deathly silent.

Alec shakes his head in disgust. "Amazing...I suggest we start exploring Siberia. That is where the first members of this group were spotted..." Laurent then says "Siberia is too large for us to comb through, Alec. We must go the intel route. We protect the Falks...let Sloane, Irina, Elena, or anyone in their group try to approach them...when we catch one of them, that's how we'll find the portal." Alec reluctantly nods his head. "We must be extra careful. We should not inform the Falks that they are in danger or change their lifestyle in any way." Laurent nods and says "I agree. We protect from a distance. Let me speak to the Council and get their thoughts, and when I return, you will have your assignments. The portal and Sloane's crew are the priorities in your lives now. We will not stop until those problems are solved. Understood?"

Everyone else gives a quick headnod, acknowledging Laurent's orders.

Laurent then disappears to get further instruction from the Elysian Counsel...who have literally gone off the face of the planet.

END OF CHAPTER