A SHORT PARTNERSHIP
"A genuine leader is not a searcher for consensus but a molder of consensus." -Martin Luther King, Jr.
Vecchiano, Italy (Earth, circa 1486)
19 year old Laurent L'Andre, 30-something Milo Rambaldi, and 20 year old Alec Derevko continue down the coastal Italy path on their loaded horses under the hot afternoon summer sun.
It's been a few days since Laurent was sworn in as a member of Il Credo Divino, fresh off his first kill since being admitted into The Divine Creed after he watched the murder of his family a decade ago. It was a kill that he had trained a decade for, and it felt better than anything he has experienced in life. It was even better than sex.
Alec, meanwhile, has been an assassin for a year. Like Laurent, he's also a "lifer", which is a term given to trainees that were recruited by the Creed at a young age. Although his circumstances were different than Laurent's, he doesn't think it's a very interesting story.
But Alec is also not one to talk about himself. Not to Laurent or to anyone. He told his story to Laurent once a long time ago and that was the end of it. You can count on one hand the amount of people that know Alec's story at this point.
Laurent wondered how the next decade of his life would be spent after his first kill. He had spent over half of his life working towards that one, glorious kill. And now, for at least the foreseeable future, that future is going to be tied to a somewhat strange prophet who somehow convinced the Council of Grand Assassins to allocate him and Alec to his service.
Why them? Laurent and Alec still don't understand that.
After Rambaldi met with the Grand Assassins, Bruno De Luca, their mentor, wouldn't divulge any details on the meeting. But for the first time in Laurent and Alec's lifetimes, they saw a completely disheveled look on Bruno's face.
Bruno wouldn't say a single word to them about anything, except to say "the bag..." when Alec asked what Rambaldi had with him in a large leather bag that he brought to the compound. Bruno then walked away at that point, leaving Laurent and Alec without answers.
Later that night, Bruno STILL wouldn't say anything about the meet, but he informed Laurent and Alec that they had been given a permanent assignment as Milo Rambaldi's hired hands. They were to do whatever Rambaldi commanded of them, as long as it didn't break the one rule that Assassins live by: suppress oppression and promote progress. They still would be subject to recall back to the main camp, and they still were required to report once a month on their activities.
But as mysterious as this man employing them may seem, it hasn't forced Alec or Laurent to utter a peep since they left their hidden Alban Hills compound. It's about a day's ride from their compound to Rambaldi's home in the coastal town of Vecchiano, but they've let Rambaldi do all the talking, which is usually just to tell them which direction to turn and about how long is left on their ride.
The silence his new companions have embraced since leaving their assassin compound has served to somewhat confuse the man of mystery himself. Rambaldi has wondered why Laurent and Alec have not asked any questions about why they were picked, about his prophecy, about where they're going, or about anything at all. He figures they must be curious about what's going on. Plus, the ride from the Alban Hills to Vecchiano takes a few hours, and the ride's been made longer by the silence, and that bothers Rambaldi.
As they clear a forest and enter out into the hilly coastal plains, Rambaldi says "Ah, we're almost there." Laurent and Alec just give him cordial headnods, but say nothing. Rambaldi lets out a small sigh. "It is my hope that we become friends during our time together. It's ok to converse with me not as your boss..." Alec shakes his head quickly and stoically says "No it is not. Not now anyway."
Rambaldi takes Alec's words as hostile. Alec has a bit of a bite in his tone sometimes, even when he doesn't mean it. It's just the way he is. Still, a concerned Rambaldi asks "You don't like me very much?" Alec shakes his head again. "It is not that. Conversation during long trips like these can be very distracting."
Rambaldi looks around and asks "Distracting from what?" Alec replies "Distracting from our jobs. We were hired to protect you from anyone that might want to kill you. Our focus must be sharp at all times. It was one of the first things myself and Laurent were taught."
Rambaldi lets out a relieved chuckle. "I appreciate your commitment to your professions. However, there are friends of mine in this area..." Laurent cuts Rambaldi off. "We need to be more cautious than ever in the company of friends."
Rambaldi turns to his left and raises a curious eyebrow at Laurent. "Is that so? Why would you believe this?" Laurent flatly replies "When we are at our most comfortable, we are also at our most vulnerable. Senses dull and defenses open. If I were an enemy of yours, I would seek to assassinate you from a place like this." Alec then takes over the conversation. "Say an assassin kills you in their territory. It's that much easier for police to point their fingers at them. But die in the territory of a friend...not only do less fingers point at your killer, but police wonder about your friends, who are also more than likely your killer's enemies. The killer succeeds on two fronts: death and distrust of rivals."
All of this seems to sink in with Rambaldi pretty well. "This makes a lot of sense, actually. Should I be suspicious of my actual friends?" Alec shrugs and says "Too early to say. I have not met your friends." Laurent then says "In the end, humans are no better than animals when it comes to doing what it takes to survive. Never underestimate a human's ability to turn on a friend when he deems it necessary."
Rambaldi looks at Alec, then back at Laurent. "I understand you two are friends yourselves. Are you concerned about one turning on another?" Alec smirks and says "No, because Laurent knows he's no match for me." Laurent just frowns and says nothing. He could bicker with Alec right now, but he knows there's too much talk right now and he needs to focus on the road and the surroundings. Alec notices Laurent is back into security mode and realize he's spoken too much himself. He fixes his gaze back on his surroundings.
Rambaldi just cracks a smile on his face. He's happy he at least had one conversation with his new hires during this trip.
A couple miles down the road, the three start to pass a tall white stone wall on the left. It stretches about a half mile until it ends at a large iron gate, with two guard shacks to each side of the gate out front. A seagull flies off of one of the shacks as they approach.
A physically intimidating man carrying a long wooden musket steps out of the left shack and stands between the men and the gate, which is actually set back off the road about 30 feet. He is also wearing a wool shirt with the o symbol on the front.
The man gives a small headnod to Rambaldi and says in Italian "Benvenuti a casa, signor Rambaldi. Queste sono le tue guardie del corpo nuovi?" ("Welcome home, Mister Rambaldi. Are these your new bodyguards?") Rambaldi chuckles and says "Bernardo, non insultare questi uomini, semplicemente li chiama guardie del corpo. Questi sono i miei nuovi assistenti." ("Bernardo, don't insult these men by merely calling them bodyguards. These are my new assistants.")
Bernardo gives a good look to Laurent and Alec and says "Questi uomini sono dei Colli Albani? Sembrano stranieri. L'uomo a sinistra è, credo, francese? E l'altro, non sono sicuro..." ("These men are from the Alban Hills? They look foreign. The man to your left is, I believe, French? And the other, I'm not sure...") Rambaldi just smiles his goofy smile and says "Bernardo..."
But before Rambaldi can continue, Alec sternly corrects Bernardo. "Io sono russo. Ed entrambi parlano un italiano perfetto, perché abbiamo vissuto nella zona di Roma per oltre un decennio." ("I am Russian. And we both speak perfect Italian, for we have lived in the Rome area for over a decade.") Bernardo looks taken aback at Alec's tone and says "Non credo che questo mi piace molto." ("I don't think this one likes me very much.")
Rambaldi gives Alec a look, then turns back Bernardo and says "Alec è un uomo orgoglioso, proprio come sei. Ho l'impressione che non ha gradito essere chiamato una guardia del corpo." ("Alec is a proud man, much like you are. I get the feeling he didn't appreciate being called a bodyguard.")
Bernardo frowns. He's just realized that he's insulted Rambaldi and his new friends during his bravado. In a total act of fealty, gets down on one knee and says "Perdonami, mio signore. Ho dimenticato il mio posto e ho insultato i tuoi amici..." ("Forgive me, my lord. I forgot my place and I have insulted your friends...")
Laurent and Alec each exchange surprised looks at how Bernardo is acting towards Rambaldi, calling him "My Lord", almost as if Milo's someone of royalty. It becomes evident to the both of them that there is more to this prophet than meets the eye.
But Rambaldi actually laughs a little at Bernardo's elaborate showing and says "Tu sei fedele, e io sono riconoscente del vostro servizio. Il tuo lapsus è già stato dimenticato. Sì, questi uomini sono assassini addestrati, ma servono anche uno scopo molto più alto solo proteggere la mia vita. Questi uomini devono essere mostrate la massima cortesia nel mio compound. Se chiedono qualcosa, la loro richiesta verrà soddisfatta al più presto. Sono loro stanze pronto?" ("You are loyal, and I am appreciative of your service. Your slip of the tongue has already been forgotten. Yes, these men are trained assassins, but they also serve a much higher purpose than just protecting my life. These men are to be shown the utmost courtesy in my compound. If they request something, their request will be fulfilled at the earliest convenience. Are their rooms ready?")
Bernardo gets to his feet and nods quickly. "Sì, mio signore. Ho ricevuto la vostra comunicazione di ieri, ei tuoi uomini hanno lavorato sodo per ottenerlo alle specifiche. Laurent e Alec sarà molto impressionato." ("Yes, my lord. I received your communication yesterday, and your men have been hard at work getting them to specifications. Laurent and Alec will be very impressed.") Rambaldi gives Bernardo a headnod and says "Grazie. Potete farci entrare adesso." ("Thank you. You can let us enter now.")
Bernardo nods quickly and, as he starts backtracking, rapidly says "Subito, mio signore." ("Right away, my lord.") Laurent and Alec both wonder why he's not going to the gate or turning a hand crank. Instead, Bernardo goes to a metal lever on the left side wall and simply pulls down.
And that's when the gate starts to open. Laurent and Alec look on in amazement as it creaks open. Electronic gates are still at least 400-plus years down the road. The gate is being opened by some sort of mechanism...a mechanism that shouldn't exist in 1486.
They can hear the gears turning inside the walls. The gates continue open slowly, but they do open, as if powered by some unseen force. Rambaldi looks over at Laurent and Alec and smirks at their surprised looks, but says nothing.
Laurent stammers a bit, which causes Rambaldi to give him a curious look. Finally, Laurent finds the words. "How...are...the gates opening...if..." His words are slow and clumsy, and Rambaldi decides to end the suffering. "...if there are no men to turn the gears? Come inside. The answer you seek is inside my villa."
Rambaldi then starts marching his horse through the gate. Laurent and Alec follow behind him. But as they do, they both give each other a look that tells each other that they're really not sure what they've gotten themselves into.
San Felipe, Mexico (Elysium)
Nadia Falk sits by her lonesome at the kitchen table, stubbornly working out the details of the new foster program that will essentially reinvent her orphanage program. The groundwork has been laid out by the Elysian High Council, but she's been given carte blanche to build the battleplan on how the program will be rolled out.
It's Saturday, which means it's been three days since arguably the worst day of her time in Elysium since the day she died, when she found herself sitting on her bed in the San Marcos Orphanage in Argentina and realized that not only her, but her unborn daughter Maria were dead.
Speaking of Maria, she's hanging out at the orphanage with her grandma Mary Falk, her friend Emilio Ortega, and the rest of the orphans. Maria's been a good kid since her grandmother Mary instructed her to be strong, be good, and be her usual optimistic self. Maria's also very perceptive and knows when her mother is feeling bad. Her natural tendency is to sing or do some sort of performance to cheer Nadia up. It appears to work on the surface.
But not all that deep down, Nadia's hurting, and it's hard for her to keep on a friendly face. As she continues to jot notes and ideas down, she stews over the harsh facts she learned a few days ago.
Violence and even rape is possible in Elysium. So is death. And the people that tormented her life the most when she was alive have somehow found their way into her life again. These are things that she was told should never happen again...and yet, here they are.
But above all else, the man that tormented her the most, Arvin Sloane, isn't even her father. Jack Bristow is. And those facts have Nadia tied up in complete knots for oh so many reasons.
But despite her husband Tom Falk's best efforts, she's stayed mum about what's been going on in her head. As Tom stands outside with his Storm Crew friends keeping guard on the house, Nadia's distant personality these past couple days have been really unsettling to him. It's a complete 180 from the woman that she had become after they both died and a return to the frustrated and sometimes closed-off woman she was in life.
Nadia's focus on her work is broken by the front door knocking, followed by the sound of Tom, Charlie O'Doyle, and Jerome Thompson gleefully chatting with Julieta Romero. Nadia looks at the door, and then back down at her paperwork and lets out a deep, demoralized sigh.
Everyone else is happy except her. That's because they don't have daddy issues. But she still has to at least act like she's in a good mood.
Nadia forces herself up from the kitchen table and walks over to the patio door and examines her reflection on the window. The bruise on her jaw and chin area from Cesar's punch has improved a lot these past few days. The swelling is down and her lip is no longer fat and puffy. But the look on her face definitely reflects other internal scars that are bothering her.
The door knocks again and Nadia hears Julieta shout "Nadia?" Nadia shouts back "Coming!" and forces herself to walk to the door. She knows Julieta just wants to chat, but she's not in the chatting mood. There is a little part of Nadia, though, that is curious on how her date with Tom's brother Eddie Falk went. Maybe that'll cheer her up a bit.
She gets to the door and opens it up. Julieta stands on the doormat, looking absolutely radiant. But above all else, she looks...confident. Nadia's seen Julieta happy before plenty of times, but not like this. Julieta almost looks like she's about to explode in a giggling fit.
Visually, she's decked out in an egg white sun hat, smaller than the one she wore when Eddie asked her out in the orphanage playground a few days ago. Her long black hair is tied in a ponytail that extends out of the hat and down her back. She's also wearing a white sleeveless blouse that almost looks like she just pulled it off the rack at the store. Finally, she completes her radiant look with a medium-length light pink skirt, some very nice sandals, and a light pink purse. Everything about her appearance looks brand new, somewhat pricey, and glowing.
In fact, Nadia thinks deep down that if Julieta were glowing any more, she might emit radiation. Maybe it's because her world-view is askew, but she can't deny that Julieta looks lovely.
Even in her moroseness, Nadia can't help but look amazed at her best friend's appearance. With her eyebrows raised as she examined her all stunned, she finally works up a greeting. "Julieta, wow! Look at you!" Julieta giggles and says "Hey Nadia! I went a little crazy at the New York stores today, huh?" Nadia shakes her head and says "A little, but it looks like it was worth it!"
Charlie, with his thick Irish accent, says "You're not kidding there! I'm jealous of Eddie now! Lucky bastard..." Julieta lets out a flattered laugh and says "These boys are not letting me hear the end of it, Nadia!" Tom defensively says "You're going to have to forgive my brother from Belfast...the two things that make him weak in the knees are stiff drinks and beautiful women. Just be happy Charlie hasn't had both today!"
Nadia, not fully invested in the lightness of the moment, concernedly asks Tom "Is everything alright out here? Anything happening?" Tom, Charlie, and Jerome shake their head at the last question. Jerome says "Ain't nothing going on...well, except Julieta of course." Jerome then bashfully hangs his head.
Tom smirks and says "Jerome, you may come off tough, but your poker face is horrible." Jerome gives Tom a playful shove and says "Hey, who took your money last week at the poker table?" Tom gives Jerome an incredulous look and says "You pushed all-in with 5-2 offsuit and you hit trips on the river! You almost got put into the poorhouse with that garbage!"
Nadia turns to Julieta and says "Come in...before the lions start fighting to see who's the alpha male." Julieta just giggles as she steps in the house, leaving Tom, Charlie, and Jerome to throw up their arms and voice their displeasure at being called a bunch of animals.
As Nadia shuts the door behind her, she says to Julieta "Have a seat. What would you like to drink?" Julieta just shrugs as she heads to the couch and says "Whatever soda you got is fine."
Nadia starts heading to the kitchen, and Julieta picks up on Nadia's slumping body language and and flat tone immediately. Nadia's almost shuffling to the kitchen, like it's just some sort of obligation and not because she wants to be a gracious host. This has Julieta a bit concerned.
Still, Julieta sits down on the couch and waits for Nadia to come back with a couple drinks. As Nadia enters the living room, she asks Julieta "So, how was New York?" Julieta turns her head towards Nadia and, as she watches Nadia approach the couch, happily says "It was unbelievable!"
Nadia forces a smile to her face and doesn't immediately respond. Instead, she just hands Julieta her soda and sits down next to her. Julieta now senses that something's wrong here. "Nadia, are you alright?" Nadia just dismissively shrugs and says "I'm fine..."
Julieta shifts her body weight to face Nadia and says "No you're not. I can tell when my Naddy is troubled. You're still upset about Jack and Sloane..." Nadia holds up her hand and sternly says "I really don't want to talk about that right now."
Julieta hangs her head and says nothing. Nadia lets out a sigh, feeling bad over being a terrible host. She could use some cheer in her life right about now, and the account of her best friend's date might be the ticket. With a calm smile, she leans in and asks Julieta "Come on. I want to know how New York went!"
Julieta takes a moment to gather her thoughts. She takes a deep breath and starts off. "Well, first of all, Eddie was super early!" Nadia asks "How early?" Julieta laughs and says "Ten minutes early! I wasn't ready and he showed up to the front door with his mother!"
Nadia then looks down at her watch. "Is Mary still at the orphanage watching the kids?" Julieta says "Yeah...but she knows I'm over here. She thought I could cheer you up a little." Nadia just sarcastically smirks and shakes her head. She now realizes that her down mood must really be infectious to everyone around her. And leave it to Mary to try to be the puppetmaster again.
Julieta then puts a hand on Nadia and says "It's alright! I know what you're going through. We just want to help..." Nadia cuts her off, not in the mood for consoling right now. "Ok, so what happened when you got ready?"
Julieta replies with a smile "Well, Mary and Bill got the kids ready for storytime..." Nadia gasps. "Bill Vaughn was there? What was he doing?" Julieta shrugs and says "He told me he wanted to help Mary, so he went home for a while and showed up not too long before Eddie and Mary got there."
Nadia lets out a quick, surprised chuckle and turns away. She knows all about Mary's turmoil with her husband Thomas and her past with Bill...is there something going on between Mary and Bill now?
Julieta cuts her thoughts off by continuing. "So, Eddie then took my hand and teleported us to this BEAUTIFUL restaurant. I mean...this place was just gorgeous! Like nothing I ever seen!" Nadia curiously asks "Which restaurant?" Julieta replies "The River Cafe. I almost felt under-dressed, but Eddie kept telling me how good I looked..." Nadia giggles a bit and says "I'll bet he said that a lot! The River Cafe...I remember him and Tom talking about that place before..."
Julieta's smile closes a bit and she says "That's where he took his first wife Connie. He told me that the place has a special spot in his heart. I told him we could go somewhere else, but Eddie just smiled and said 'No. I only take the girls I really like here. I'd be doing you a disservice if I took you somewhere else.'"
That causes Nadia to let out a loud laugh, which shocks Julieta. Looks like Nadia's feeling better already.
Nadia then stops her laugh and says "Oh my God, that sounds like Eddie! Taking the girls he really likes there...geez! How many times do you think he's used that line before!" Julieta just has an astonished smile on her face and says "He told me he's only taken me and Connie there, so not very much I guess."
The smile quickly erases on Nadia's face. "I'm sorry, I didn't to offend you..." Julieta pats Nadia's hand and says "It's ok. Eddie's not really a 'player'...despite appearances. He's so modest about himself. He's reminds me a lot of Tom, actually. You've told me how Tom treats you...I see that a lot in Eddie." Nadia gives Julieta a smile and says "Eddie's a good guy. A bit of a dork, but a good guy."
Julieta laughs and says "Yeah, but I don't mind if my guy is a bit of a dork. We all have our quirks. But, I do think Eddie's the cuter Falk brother." Nadia gets a defensive look on his face. "No way! My husband's much cuter than Eddie! Not that Eddie's terrible, but he doesn't have Tom's...oh I don't know...charisma. Besides, he doesn't have Tom's dimples, either!" Nadia laughs at the end of that. Julieta just shakes her head with a smile and says "Well, he's every bit the sensitive guy that Tom is...but I still say he's cuter. I guess I just have a soft spot for cute brown-haired dorks."
Nadia just playfully rolls her eyes, still standing by her man. Then, trying to get the conversation back on track, she says "Anyway, you're at dinner..." Julieta takes over from there. "Yes! We got a table overlooking the Brooklyn Bridge. We had a beautiful chat about...well, just about a lot of things. Mainly just life in general. He had steak, I had salmon. We had the most DELICIOUS chocolate silk pie you've ever tasted in your life! And we drank a lot of wine...I mean, a LOT of wine! Thank goodness you can't get hangovers in the afterlife!"
Nadia nods in agreement. "Oh I know! If I had a dime for every time Tom and Eddie have gotten drunk and said that, I'd be the richest woman in Elysium!" Julieta laughs a bit, then says "Well, before we knew it, we had spent so much time at the restaurant, they kicked us out so they could close! Can you believe that?" Nadia gasps and says "Wow! That long?"
Julieta nods quickly. "And I had just remembered that I left Mary hanging back at the orphanage. So me and Eddie talked and we both agreed that we should get a hotel room...I didn't want to go back to the orphans drunk on wine! So I called Mary and I really tried not to slur, but I think Mary knew what was going on right away and told us to not worry about the kids. She said she'd stay the night and just told us to have a good time." Nadia smiles at that and says "That was really nice of her."
Julieta giggles a bit and says "It sounded like she was having fun of her own. I think she likes being a mother figure with the kids..." Nadia rolls her eyes and says "...and hanging with Bill." Julieta forms a curious look on her face. "You think there's something going on with them two?" Nadia thinks for a bit, then just shrugs. "Who knows. Let's get back to you..."
Julieta eagerly cuts Nadia off. "Well, we got back to the hotel...we had more drinks...and..." Julieta starts laughing. Nadia tilts her head a little confused. "What happened?" Julieta quickly shakes her head in between laughs and says "It's...private." Nadia gasps, picking up on what Julieta was saying. "You and Eddie...on the first date...had sex? Julieta! That's totally not you!"
Julieta blushes a little bit and she turns away her head. "I couldn't help it! I don't know if it was the alcohol helping, but he just looked so adorable and...it was wonderful. That's all I'll say." Nadia just shakes her head in astonishment. "You, of all people, sleep with someone on the first date?"
Julieta turns back to Nadia and sincerely says "I trust Eddie. He's been a friend for a long time and I honestly feel safe with him. He'd never hurt me and that means a lot to me. Ever since you and Tom arrived, I wanted what you two had so bad! I was almost jealous of you! You and Tom have something so beautiful together, even over five years after you got married! And Eddie is every bit the gentleman that Tom is. I just think back to all these years when he'd act so bashful around me...I couldn't see it, but now I see it so clearly!" Nadia gives Julieta a hug and says "I'm so happy for you two. You're a good match. And I didn't see it until recently, either. Eddie's a lot more reserved than Tom...he can hide his emotions better. But I'm so happy that everything went well for you two last night. I really am."
Julieta releases the hug and tells Nadia "I know you were so worried about me because I was still so skittish around men when you arrived. I was still a mess! But between Eddie and those kids at the orphanage that look up to me...I really feel blessed to have you as a friend!" Julieta's voice cracks at the end of that and a few tears stream down her face. Nadia's face turns compassionate as she lets out an "aww...". She then turns to grab Julieta a tissue so she can wipe her tears away. As Julieta dabs her eyes, Nadia tells her "Stop crying, you'll ruin your makeup!"
Julieta laughs and says "I know! I don't know where that came from!" Nadia rubs Julieta's shoulder a bit and, with a friendly smile, says "You're the happiest I've ever seen you! It's ok! And I like having you as a friend, too. We helped each other out so much growing up, and it's so great seeing you so happy!"
Julieta sets down the tissue and takes a deep breath to compose herself. Then, she says "I just feel so happy to be here...so happy about my life. Thank you so much for bringing me up here to San Felipe, I can't thank you enough, and I've done so much thanking already..." Nadia forms a sincere look on her face and says "I couldn't leave you down in Argentina. You're my best friend and I love you like a sister. And I'm SO happy you're happy. I really haven't had much reason to smile these past few days..."
And with that, the tenor of the conversation just went back down. Nadia frowns and looks down at the ground, a tell tale sign that whatever's vexing her is still very much vexing her. Julieta puts a hand on Nadia's knee, realizing that she's got to pull Nadia back up again. She calmly says "Everything's going to be ok, Nadia. We may be still vulnerable, but this place is so good for us...for everyone...because the hate and anguish in life isn't here." Nadia shakes her head. "It's not that. It's not that at all."
Nadia then looks up and looks Julieta intently in the eyes. "I know you have no idea who your parents are, but how would you feel if you were led to believe that one of the worst people to ever walk Earth was your father? How would you feel if you let that man torture you, hurt you, and eventually kill you, and no matter what you did, you couldn't change him and just get him to love you? And after all that...how would you feel if you learn that man isn't even your father at all? I've almost been physically sick these past few days because my life was ruined by a man who lied about being my father! And I pushed away my real father Jack, who cared about me more than Sloane ever did!"
Nadia's emotions start to flare up and she puts her face in her left hand and tries to compose herself. Meanwhile, Julieta's not really sure how to answer all that. It's a situation that disturbs her as well. Finally, she thinks of a response after a few seconds. "When are you going to tell Jack?" Nadia shakes her head. "I...don't know. I'm guessing he's going to be getting a letter any day now...I'll deal with it then."
Julieta curiously asks "Why wouldn't you tell him right away?" Nadia fires back "Because he just got here! He's still in a vulnerable period for new arrivals...I don't want to give him any grief."
Julieta just nods and doesn't push the issue further. Instead, trying to be consolatory, she holds Nadia's hand and says "Jack being your father is actually a good thing!" Nadia gives Julieta an offended look in response and somewhat grouchily asks "What did you say?" Julieta defensively replies "Jack is the man you always wished was your father! Now, it's actually true!"
Nadia stands up quickly and starts breathing heavily out of anger. Yes, Julieta is right in that she always wished Jack was her father and not Arvin, but the fact that Jack is her father doesn't hide the damage that Arvin did to her, to Maria, to Tom, to Sydney...to everyone in her life.
The damage is still there, and those wounds have been reopened.
Nadia starts backing away towards the hallway and angrily tells Julieta "You should be getting back to the orphans. I...have to go." Before Julieta can respond, Nadia turns and quickly walks down the hallway. As a remorseful Julieta gets to her feet, she jumps a bit when she hears Nadia slamming the door behind her.
Julieta closes her eyes and hangs her head. She was sent here to give Nadia cheer and ended up just making her woes worse. She wasn't meaning to be offensive at all. She just forgot how sensitive Nadia is when it comes to parental issues. She was so giddy over her date that she forgot that very fact.
Julieta slowly slinks her way to the door. She can hear Nadia openly sobbing from down the hall, which serves to make Julieta feel even worse.
Julieta walks out the front door, and Tom, Charlie, and Jerome can see how morose she's looking. Tom immediately asks "Hey, what happened?" Julieta pulls her eyes off the ground and tells Tom "I shouldn't have even talked about Jack and Sloane. Tell her I'm so sorry that I upset her. I was just trying to help."
Tom sighs and says "I should have warned you, I'm sorry. Nadia absolutely refuses to talk about the truth of who her biological father is." Julieta shakes her head and says "And I had her laughing and smiling...I feel like such a horrible person..." Tom calmly tells her "You're not. Don't worry about it, she'll be fine. Just give her time."
Julieta looks up at Tom and says "I really did have a great time with your brother last night. He's such a great guy. And your mother is so awesome helping out at the orphanage." Tom just shrugs and says "Us Falks take care of our own. I'm glad you got to have a good time with my brother...for both your sakes."
Julieta gives Tom a hug and says "You people are awesome. Thank you so much!" She then releases the hug and says "I guess now I have to convince Maria to leave Emilio and come home!" Tom lets out a giant, defeated sigh and says "She's getting worse and worse about that." Julieta says "I know. They've really become attached!" Tom smiles and says "Good luck with that. My mom's there to help out."
As Julieta turns to walk away, Tom suddenly remembers something when she thinks about Maria and Emilio. "Hey, did Nadia talk to you about the foster program?" Julieta shakes her head sullenly as she turns around to face him. "No, things fell apart before I could ask her about her plans."
Tom continues. "I think she wants San Felipe to be the launch for the program. And if that's the case...we may be talking to you about adopting a child of our own." Julieta's morose look gets washed away when a giant smile on her face forms as she happily gasps. "Really? You really want to adopt?"
Tom cracks a small smile and says "This all stays between us, but Nadia's been wanting to give Maria a brother and since she can't have kids anymore because of the way Elysium works, she wants to go the adoption route. She also believes that it'd make sense for the head of the orphanage program to adopt...kind of like setting an example, I guess. I'm starting to come around to the idea myself." Julieta grins. "Well, I'll be ready when you are! And we'll keep this our little secret, ok?" Julieta winks at Tom, which Tom responds wink in return.
Julieta gives Tom a smile, then looks over at Charlie and Jerome and playfully says "Bye, boys..." In unison, Charlie and Jerome wave and say "Bye..."
Julieta then teleports away. Tom turns and gives Charlie and Jerome some really incredulous looks. "You two need need girlfriends really bad." Charlie quickly replies "You hooked your brother up! How about helping your Storm Crew brothers?" Tom smirks and says "Eddie and Julieta hooked themselves up. And I know you two...you don't need my help...unless you're just being lazy or don't think you have what it takes to impress a woman anymore..."
Charlie and Jerome just roll their eyes and go back to their lawn chairs, not wanting to hear any more razzing from their boss. Tom smirks and says "You guys are getting soft on me..."
Even though he's just joking, softness could pose a problem should, say, an army of Tom's victims in the Anti-Cartel come knocking on his door. And that threat is still out there. But where?
The plains of what was formerly Sovogda, Russia (Elysium)
Seven years ago, a large, thriving city sat on these plains in far southwestern Russia. Now, it's just an empty field where Arvin Sloane, Irina Derevko, and Elena Derevko meet to conduct business in the afterlife. Elena thought the Oransky Building might still have been here, and was as surprised as her company that Sovogda has been reduced to an empty field.
Sovogda was established in the early 1700's as something of a midpoint between Tsarytsin (later Stalingrad and now Volgograd) and Astrakhan. Merchants traveling back and forth across the Caspian Sea from Iran would travel just a couple miles up the Volga River to Astrakhan, but they would face a long journey to Tsaritsyn from there.
Tsarytsin was a destination of some merchants but others just used it as a midpoint to get to Moscow. However, there were still tribes, murderers, and thieves that knew of the fortunes flowing through the path between Astrakhan to Tsarytsin and they set up shop in the long stretch of forest and nothingness between the two cities, ready to ambush defenseless merchants. That was one issue.
The other issue was that, in 1719, the Persians completely plundered Astrakhan. The Empress Elizabeth set about rebuilding the city, but in the process decided to kill two birds with one stone.
Astrakhan had been built, burned, rebuilt, burned, and rebuilt so many times in its history that Elizabeth wondered if the city was cursed. However, there was demand to have a front on Caspian Sea, as well as the demand for safer travel between the Sea and Tsarytsin, so she had builders build Astrakhan again as well as build Sovogda.
Mercenaries loved Sovogda because the merchants traveling from the Caspian Sea would need protection to Tsarytsin and back to Astrakhan. Merchants could pay well for distances that were cut in half once Sovogda was built. They had the money, and plenty of it. Those merchants made mercenaries downright wealthy in those days.
Like many Russian and post-Soviet towns and cities, Sovogda outgrew it's original purpose and became a solid business and agricultural center. In fact, like it's sister ghost town of Pripyat (the primary victim of the Chernobyl nuclear blast in 1985), Sovogda was becoming something of a boom town.
That all stopped when Arvin Sloane and Elena Derevko rolled into town in the spring of 2005. We all know what happened there.
Afterwards, all the poor infected folks were slaughtered by the Russian government, the town was razed to the ground, all evidence wiped away and now today, it stands as an inconspicuous field in the middle of nowhere. The Russian Government learned its lesson with Pripyat, and since there was no nuclear fallout this time to disturb, they decided it was best to wipe any lasting memories away forever. Sure, the people of Russia wouldn't forget Sovogda, but if there's no landmark to trigger memories, those memories can fade away. With all historical accounts of Sovogda wiped from local textbooks, Sovogda would be a myth in the next generation of Russian children. That's the hope, anyway.
But back to the matter at hand. Three members of The Nine, as Il Credo Divino and the Elysian High Council are calling them, are meeting today.
Arvin Sloane has a new cut on top of his left eyebrow, maybe a day old at the most. It stands out above the frostbite scars on his entire face that he earned being stuck in the frozen Cocytus Lake for the past five years because it's a fresh looking cut.
Elena Derevko is looking at that cut with great interest. Her frostbite scars still crease the left side of her face along with a bullet hole scar on her forehead that was put there by Irina, but otherwise, she looks downright calm and content.
And then there's Irina Derevko. Her scars are on the right side of her face, which reflects her position in relation to the direction of the wind the chilly air that gave her, Sloane, and Elena those scars.
Irina looks her usual balanced, cool self. Looking at her, you wouldn't know that she lost one of her men a few days ago when he tried to sow some oats with his teenage running mate in Argentina. And you definitely wouldn't know that she actually has made contact with Mary Falk, one of the targets on their list.
As usual, Irina is a closed book with a pretty cover.
Elena finally points out the elephant in the room...err, field. "Where did you get the cut, Arvin?" Sloane, in typical fashion, just blankly replies "When searching for the Councilmen, me and Julian explored some cliffs in the Isle of Skye in Scotland and I had an accident."
Irina doesn't buy that one bit. She knows there's more to that cut than he's letting on. There's two reasons why. One is that Sloane's eyes are darting around like a bird twitching its neck to look around. It's not as obvious as he makes it sometimes, but Irina picks up on it. It's one of Sloane's only tells. The second reason? "You do know that you can teleport in this place, right?"
Sloane gives her a cocky smirk and says "I wouldn't be here if I didn't, now would I?" Irina quickly replies "All this time and you still don't know how to teleport quickly out of danger. You're slipping, Arvin." Sloane fires back "I was never as nimble as you, Irina. I never had your...flexibility."
Sloane closes his perverted statement with a demented smirk. Irina just gives him a blank stare in return. Her affair with Sloane is one of the things she likes to forget about. Oh, and the one positive she takes out of that whole relationship, her daughter Nadia, is actually one of Jack's positives. She hasn't the slightest idea of that yet, though.
Elena gives Irina a cocky smirk and says "My sister always attracted the weird ones..." Irina shouts "OH SHUT UP!" Elena bites her tongue, but a long, closed smile tells Irina that she still enjoys picking on her younger sister, who she still hates. She knows what buttons to push after all this time.
Sloane lets out a deep sigh and, with irritation all over his voice, says "Let's get down to the business at hand. Elena, is there any word from Kelly Peyton yet?" Elena shakes her head and says "Nothing. She's still looking for Francisco's army, last I checked." Irina asks "When was the last time she made contact?" Like nothing is wrong, Elena just replies "Couple of days."
Sloane's eyes bug out. "A couple of days?" Elena turns to Sloane and casually replies "Yes, we have a protocol, like we do here. We are to meet at a designated location and she hasn't been there for our meetings." Irina then asks the obvious question. "And this doesn't bother you at all?"
Elena just shrugs and says "The army is just a bonus, right? I have no sentimental connection to Kelly Peyton, I never worked with her before now. Just one more mouth that could rat us all out." Sloane then cooly replies "Then I guess it won't be a problem if I told you that I sent Julian Sark to search for this army as well."
This takes Irina by surprise. Kelly going AWOL means one of two things: A. She's playing some angle and going into business for herself or B. Francisco Alvarado's army saw her as an outsider, freaked out, and killed her. And now, Sark's on the hunt, too.
But what's also somewhat interesting to Irina is that Elena didn't seem to feel any remorse for Kelly's possible fate at all. Then again, Irina herself didn't feel any remorse about Cesar Martinez meeting his fate at the end of Laurent L'Andre's hidden blade, either. It wouldn't be the first time in history that sisters thought alike. After all, her daughters Sydney and Nadia did in a lot of ways.
Irina's ponderings are broken up when Elena replies to Sloane. "Actually, it wouldn't at all. Maybe it'll speed things up on our end if this army is found. After all, I know that's why you won't move forward on your plans with Irina." Sloane defiantly sneers, thinks for a bit, then forms an agreeing look on his face. "You know what? There's no reason we can't move forward with that. Irina, where are you with Tom and Nadia?"
Irina doesn't respond at first. She had been hoping that Sloane would continue to delay what he wants her, Cesar, and Mitch Hayes to do. This is what she alluded to when she tipped off Mary a couple of days in the Missouri snow.
But before Sloane and Elena can start wondering about what's going through her head, Irina snaps out of it and says "Mitch and Cesar are scouting the place. Rambaldi was right...Tom and Nadia are under protection. So we have to be careful." The lie about Cesar comes out of her mouth as smooth as butter. Elena disappointingly sighs and says "Il Credo Divino is watching them..." Irina shakes her head slowly. "No, Storm Crew is." Sloane raises an eyebrow at that. "Tom's handpicked tactical team in Dark Cover? So they're here too...and they're the ones doing the protecting and not the trained assassins?"
Irina then says "It gets better. Only two at a time keep watch. No weapons that I can see. My guess is they're just scouting. They won't be hostile if we approach...they'll just teleport inside, tip off Tom and Nadia, and flee to who-knows-where. So there's still a danger here by approaching." Sloane just snickers and says "I remember reading the profiles on Tom's team. They're talented, yes, but I wouldn't put them anywhere near the level of killer that Laurent L'Andre and Alec Derevko are. There's three of you and two of them. This will be a sinch."
Irina steps forward and says "But if we're caught..." Elena cuts her off. "Then don't get caught! Listen to yourself right now! My sister is afraid of a couple of stiffs?" Irina sighs and gives Elena a scowl.
Sloane then says "Elena's right. And if they've been here for six years, their skills have probably dulled in this peaceful environment. Quite frankly, you could handle them yourself if you were on your game." Elena then turns to Sloane and says "Maybe I should join Irina and..."
Irina snaps "No way. This is my responsibility and I've been the one planning this. Back off." Elena raises her eyebrows, taken aback by Irina's snappiness. Sloane, meanwhile, just happily smiles at the fire being rekindled in Irina. "Very well then. Tomorrow, you do what you need to do and meet me at the rendezvous point when it's done." Irina just flatly says "Done."
Elena asks "In the meantime, I suggest a new approach to the Elysian Council. Arvin, we should start searching for Rambaldi and Aristotle's homes. Maybe they've returned." Sloane nods and says "Good. You start doing that, that'll give you something to do. In the meantime, I have some business I have to take care of."
Other business? What the heck is Sloane doing? Irina wants to know. "Where are you going, Arvin?" Sloane just replies "I have a similar protocol with Sark. I have to go meet him and get an update. Farewell and good luck tomorrow."
Sloane then closes his eyes and teleports away, leaving Elena and Irina wondering about just what's going on. That story about Sark is bullshit and they both know it. Elena turns to Irina and asks "Are you thinking what I'm thinking?"
Yes, Irina's thinking what Elena's thinking. Irina's thinking that Sloane is working some other angle here. The cut on his left eye, his shortness with his 'business' that he suddenly needs to take care of, and his abrupt leaving. There's something Sloane needs to tend to, but Irina doesn't think it's related to what they're doing at all.
But above all else, Irina is actually happy that it's Sloane that Elena is questioning, and not herself.
Irina grins and says "You know Sloane's tells, too." Elena laughs and says "A child could have saw the cut above his eye and his darting eyes and knew something was going on." Irina then folds her arms and says "Don't forget he sent Sark behind our backs because he doesn't trust Kelly."
Elena looks away towards the trees in the distance and says "I knew this alliance of ours was tenuous at best. And of course, now our mole in the Council has ran off." Irina corrects her. "Sloane ran Paris off..." Elena fires back "...thanks to your distraction." Irina fires back "So Paris ran off instead of catching a bullet between his eyes. Either way, he's gone. Who cares if the Council is taken care of now?" Elena shrugs and says "He does. He still wants Rambaldi's head on a stick. And that's good enough for me."
Why is that good enough for her? Another question for Irina to decipher. And here before this meeting, she was worried about her own secrets.
Irina reaches into her back pocket and pulls out her Glock. "I saw Sloane's gun bulging on his right hip. You still have yours, right?" Elena spots Irina looking at her hips. She knows Irina's looking for her gun. She also knows that she's standing in an empty field with no witnesses. Elena starts backing away, and as she does, she says "I gave it to Kelly for protection..."
Irina raises her eyes in surprise. Elena's unarmed...or so she says. But Irina's not even pointing her gun at Elena and already she's saying she's unarmed. Apparently Elena has no desire to kill Irina...at least not now. Maybe she thinks Irina would have the drop on her or maybe she's working something of her own. Regardless, Irina didn't even intend to startle Elena by pulling out her gun. She just assumed Elena had hers.
Irina just shrugs and puts the gun back in her waist, giving Elena much relief. "Well, let's just hope that Kelly isn't compromised then." Elena just replies "Let's hope. You should be getting ready for tomorrow." Irina just smirks and says "You're right, I should."
And with that, the meeting ends with Irina teleporting away with more questions than answers.
Siberian Forest (Elysium)
Kelly Peyton is very much alive. She is also so deep in the woods, she has no idea where she is.
The great expanse of the Siberian Forest is almost an ocean with its layout. The pine trees that litter the landscape, along with the rolling hills, almost mimic an ocean with it's uniformness. And if you're like her and you don't have a GPS, you can get lost just like you would if you were stranded in the ocean.
But despite not knowing where she is, she's not giving up.
She knows its been days since she set out with her gear: a couple days worth of food, Elena's gun, a tent, and a canteen for fresh drinking water. She's getting hungry. She knows that she's going to have to teleport back for food soon.
But therein lies the problem. She's worried about not being able to find her way back to the spot she's in now. Because everything in the forest looks the same, she has no idea if she'll actually teleport back to her spot and not somewhere else.
Still, Kelly is confident. And the reason she's confident is that she's starting to see different tracks in the snow besides deer tracks or other wildlife tracks. No, there are no pets in Elysium because the sheer number of dogs and cats that have been in existence would completely swamp Elysium. However, animals that can be killed and consumed by humans are allowed in Elysium. People still have to eat.
And just an hour ago, she started seeing other things in the ground. Cigarette butts, wrappers, beer cans, and other items made in Mexico. Oh, she's getting close, and she knows it.
Kelly continues traveling the woods, passing trees that have become all to familiar to her. No one tree looks any more different than the other.
But something that she spots in the ground is a whole lot different. It's a green beer bottle. It's something that should not belong amongst the Mexican trash that she's been finding.
She stops at the bottle and squats down. She picks it up and examines the label: "Galway Ale: Irish Pale Ale". She turns the bottle around and notes that it was brewed in Galway, Ireland.
Only one person she knows that's from there, and he's one of The Nine.
She feels the lip of the bottle and notes that it's still warm. The man that drank this isn't very far away. She reaches for the inside of her hip...
"¿Quién coño es usted, señora?" ("Who the hell are you, lady?")
Kelly realizes she let her guard down examining this Irish beer bottle. She slowly turns to the left, the direction the deep male Latino voice came from, and examines a very tall and intimidating man. His arms are laced with tattoos, his black hair is long enough to be put into a small ponytail, and he wears a frightening scowl on his face.
Oh, and he's also holding a tire iron in his right hand. Kelly has yet to draw her gun.
Knowing this, she says "¿Estás con la banda Francisco Alvarado?" ("Are you with Francisco Alvarado's gang?") The man gets angrier at the mention of Alvarado's name. "¿Cómo sabes que el nombre de?" ("How do you know that man's name?")
Kelly realizes that she's in no danger if she tells the man of the unfortunate demise of his leader. She knows he's a fellow portal crosser. She knows all this because Mexicans aren't known to roam the Siberian woods in any plane of existence. There's only one reason he's in these woods.
Kelly lets out a deep breath as she slowly stands upright and replies "Yo soy uno de Los Nueve que cruzó el portal del Infierno. Crucé con Francisco Alvarado. Le entristece saber que ha muerto." ("I am one of The Nine that crossed the portal from Hell. I crossed with Francisco Alvarado. It will sadden you to hear that he has perished.")
The man lets out a deep grunt and says "Ya sé que está muerto." ("I already know he is dead.") Kelly cocks her head in surprise and asks "¿Cómo?" ("How?") The man replies "Sé que son Kelly Peyton. Nuestro nuevo líder te está esperando. Sígueme." ("I know you are Kelly Peyton. Our new leader is expecting you. Follow me.")
The man starts heading off to the northwest. Kelly, meanwhile, is stunned. Who is this new leader?
She looks down at the beer bottle that's still in her left hand. That's when she closes her eyes and sighs, realizing who that probably is now.
Kelly follows the large man for about a half mile until they reach a clearing, which contains a large camp that is set up for an army.
Francisco's army. She has finally found them.
There are at least fifty, maybe sixty men of Latino descent at this camp. And just about every one of them is looking at Kelly very suspiciously. One of them, a shorter sparkplug of a man, strolls up to the large man and asks "¿Quién es la perra blanca?" ("Who's the white bitch?") The large man replies "Un asociado de nuestro líder. Él ha estado esperando esto." ("An associate of our leader. He's been expecting this one.")
The shorter man smirks and turns around and heads to the larger tent. The large man holds an arm out in front of Kelly and says "Quédate aquí." ("Stay here.") Kelly does as commanded.
After the shorter man talks into the tent for a bit, finally a man emerges from that tent.
It's Julian Sark. Julian Sark is now the commander of Francisco Alvarado's army. Despite finding the beer bottle from his hometown earlier, Kelly still can't believe what she's seeing. Why is he here? She doesn't know that Sloane dispatched Sark recently because Kelly was having trouble.
As Sark confidently strolls towards her, she wonders how Sark got the drop on her. Elena taught Kelly how to teleport before sending her hunting for the army. Perhaps Sloane also taught Sark or just dropped him off, probably the former. And somehow, someway, Sark found his army fast.
Sark notices the shocked look on Kelly's face and says "Don't look so surprised. Up until Tom Falk gave me head injuries that lasted throughout the rest of my days, I often thought that it was me that was the luckiest man alive." Kelly fires back "I have been searching for days upon days. I know all about tracking and hunting..."
Sark shrugs and says "Arvin also knew that Elena had you searching from the south. I came from the north. Turns out I was closer all along. I ran into these fine men as they continued to venture north." Kelly replies "So you told them about what happened to Francisco."
Kelly notices a couple gang members hanging their heads. Sark turns and notices, and then turns back to Kelly. "As you can see, there's still mourning that's taking place over that. Some men were very loyal to him. But they seem to be happy with the food I was able to gather for them..." One of the men shouts "We would like to go home, esse!"
Sark turns to the man and coolly says "There's a time and place for everything. We have to be careful about revealing ourselves. We'll go back in time." The man kicks up some snow and says "This is bullshit! I didn't sign up to make snow angels in the middle of fucking nowhere!" Sark just smirks and replies "You can always leave." The man shuts up, not interested in wandering aimlessly through the forest.
Sark turns to Kelly and says "Welcome to the team. Let me show you around..." Sark starts to turn away, but Kelly grabs his shirt. Sark turns back and asks "What was that for?" Kelly replies "I didn't sign up to be a part of a team. I was tasked to become the LEADER of this team. These are my men."
Sark slowly cracks a smirk and says "I was ordered to do the same thing. Seems we have ourselves a little predicament here. But one that can't be solved. No reason why we both can't share the throne." Kelly asks "What are you suggesting?"
Sark extends his hand and says "A partnership. We are in this together after all." Kelly studies the hand for a moment. She really doesn't want to shake that hand...
...but she does anyway. She looks up at Sark and just nods at him. Sark's smirk grows wider and he says "Good. Let's go get your tent ready. There's another big one like mine."
Sark turns around to head back towards his tent. That's when Kelly lifts up the back of her coat and pulls out the gun she had tucked in her jeans. She quickly points it at the back of Sark's head.
And before the rest of the camp can voice their protest, Kelly fires a shot into the back of Sark's skull. He had no idea what hit him. He had no idea she had a gun. He probably assumed Elena still had it.
Sark falls lifelessly face-first into the snow. The rest of the camp look at his lifeless eyes with shocked looks.
And then the whole camp jumps when Sark's body disappears, as all dead bodies do in Elysium. This is clearly their first experience with death in this plane of existence.
Kelly cracks a smirk when Sark's body vanishes. Under her breath, she says "Sorry Sark, but I don't do partnerships."
The short man that voiced his opposition before asks "What did you do that for, lady?" Kelly gives the man a commanding look and says "The last time I was in a partnership, I made the mistake of partnering with Halcon Diablo. I ended up with a bullet in my forehead..." Kelly points to the bullethole scar on her forehead. "...and my head cut off." Kelly then pulls down her scarf to reveal a scar that looks like it's forming a ring around her neck.
Kelly studies the camp a little more. She still has a gun in her hand...a very valuable tool in a land where guns are in very, very short supply. It would seem that she has the attention and respect of the entire camp now, which she finds very satisfying.
Kelly takes a breath, then says "Now you all listen to me. I, too, am a victim of Tom Falk. I DO want what you all want. And I'm tired...I'm so tired of others telling me to do things on their terms, and so are you! Now who here wants to go home to Mexico?"
The rest of the camp roars their approval. She's won them over already and it was that easy.
Kelly grins as she examines her new best friends and asks "Alright. Now, who here wants to go find Tom Falk and kill him by sunset tomorrow?"
The roaring approval stops. Once cheerful faces have now turned somewhat despondent. There's a lot of head turning going on amongst the gangsters. One man, a different average sized man, says "What's the big hurry?" An aghast Kelly replies "Isn't that why you all came here? To get revenge?" The man replies "Well yeah, but this is the first chance I've had in over a decade to live our lives! I want to have some fun before our mission is over, don't you guys?" The rest of the crowd roars their approval at that.
Kelly is fuming now. She sees their point. They're in no hurry and they want to take their time and have some fun while they're here. But she wants Tom dead in the worst way.
Kelly insistently says "Guys, if you want to go back home, you need to focus on the task at hand. Don't you all want to get out of this forest? " The rest of the gang defiantly remains uncommitted to that statement. A frustrated Kelly says "Ok! Listen, I'm supposed to report to my superiors anyway. I'm told they're going to set up Tom somehow for our ambush. So there will be time for you all to have fun. You have my word on that. But promise me that you still want to go through with revenge. Come on, guys. You mean you all have forgiven Tom Falk for what he's done to you all?"
The gang unanimously shouts angrily at that notion. They still want blood. But Kelly realizes that there needs to be concessions made. And the biggest concession is time.
Still, upon hearing that the gang still sees eye to eye on her on that subject, Kelly smiles wide and says "Good. Now, I have never been to Campeche before. I understand that's where a good portion of you are, correct?" A man says "Over half of us are Lobos. We all voted that Campeche would be our base once we got out of this shithole."
Kelly nods and says "Good. I have been to Cancun before, and that's not far away. We'll go there, and find our way to Campeche. Let's go home, boys." Kelly then extends her hand out as the gang roars their approval. After the roaring stops, she says "Form a chain starting with me. Anyone that is not connected will not join me in Cancun!"
The gang quickly assembles and links up together in rapid time for a gang this size.
Kelly asks "Is everyone linked up?" After some quick checking, the rest of the gang affirms that they are.
Kelly then closes her eyes and teleports to Cancun with the rest of Francisco's army.
The army that once was lost has now been found, and now that army is in Mexico. But the lack of drive among the gang to see a quick resolution to their Tom Falk problem has Kelly not in a hurry herself to report her finding to Sloane, Elena, and Irina.
That's a shame for them, since the reason Sloane waited to greenlight whatever Irina and Mitch are going to do tomorrow hinged on having Francisco's army ready for an ambush.
Even though they don't have the slightest idea, Kelly's silence will end up being the biggest favor Tom, Nadia, and Maria could have asked for...
...and also Irina.
END OF CHAPTER