Writing A Tale of Two Spies [M-SLV]

[JJ]

[Color=DarkBlue]I promise, this is chapter 6. ^^

Now, I know I said I was going to post anything until June, but I had Chapter 6 looked over by Lady Katana and I also wanted to make an another announcement, so I figured, what better way than to post Chapter 6?

First the chapter, since I know that's what the fans want.[/color]

[Font=Arial][B]Moving In From On Top[/B]

JJ moaned and picked himself off from the floor. Whatever asshole had decided to bring a plant vase over his head was going to get in the worst way. He reached for his gun. Not there. Cursing, he was thrown back to the floor by his assailant

?You saw me in the park in Rome, didn?t you?? he barked.

?How the hell did you find me and what the hell are you doing in my room?? JJ questioned, leery.

?Very easy JJ, my friend. It?s logical, really. You know I?m still alive, there?s nothing more to it,? he answered, proudly.

?Look, how about we let it slide, I mean, you?ve been dead for what, three years now? I need to get out of here and either way; I?m going to forget about you,? JJ said, throwing the shadow?s foot off his back.

It all happened in a second. JJ jumped up and the shadow?s foot connected with his stomach, causing JJ to cough up blood. He bowled over and the shadow knocked him flat on his ass.

?Damnit JJ! Don?t make this harder than it need to be. I don?t want to have to hurt you anymore than necessary before you die. Annie?s next on my list, so hey, you?ll have company in hell,? the shadow yelled, whipping out JJ?s own gun and pointing at his temple. ?Move and I?ll shoot. Like I said, you?re going to die either way, but I figure you?ll want to know why I didn?t die before I put a bullet between your eyes,? the mystery man said, his eyes seeming to radiate heat.

?Yeah, I?m seriously wondering how you seemed to just survive an explosion that killed over 200 people,? JJ replied sarcastically.

?Very simple. I left before the bomb went off,? the man said, circling him slowly.

?You?re shitting me. There?s no way you could ever even begin to think that you got out of there before?? JJ?s voice trailing off.

?What, before your little friend, before the brave great American patriot, codename White, was blown into little, itty, bitty pieces?? the man behind the mask sneered.

?Go to hell. White was a better man than you?ll ever be,? JJ sneered right back.

?Don?t be so sure. But I guess I?ll leave for him to tell you. If you survive, that is. Now, it?s time for the ever so cliché, duel to the death. Take your weapon and face me like a man, JJ,? the man said, spitting on him.

?One condition.? JJ said as he stood and grabbed his weapon

?What would that be?? the shadow asked, ever so curt.

?Take off the mask, show me your face,? JJ replied, stone faced.

?So be it,?

He pulled off the facemask.

?It begins,? JJ whispered and leveled his gun.

****

The airplane itself was not the problem. No, it was those two that were in it. Those two damn bitches that stole his glory. He and Jordan were the ones he deserved this mission. They could have stolen those bones quicker without having to take the one most important person to a certain CIA agent. Of course, that was all moving according to plan, but still, the CIA was going to be hot on everyone?s trail from now on.

Sadly, Mimmi?s say was the law, so all Alex could do was sit and sulk watching as the woman took off. He turned to Jordan who had dosed off. He poked him and he jumped.

?Wha??!? He exclaimed.

?They took off. It?s time to get Annie and put the plan into action. If we want to try and stop what he?s doing in the Alps, we have to hurry.? Alex explained, turning the car on.

?Right, but why wake me?? Jordan muttered.

?Because, you gotta call Annie, you idiot. She said to call once the girls had taken off.?

?Right. Where?s the phone??

?You should know where the phone is.?

?But, you had it last.?

Alex punched him in the arm and snarled, ?I did not, now find the phone before I steal your blanket and burn it.?

?Not blankieee~!? Jordan cried, squirming around in his seat.

?Idiot.? Alex said, shaking his head.

*****************


?We should travel like this more often.? Change exclaimed, stretching back in the reclining seat.

?Yeah, private jets are the way to travel.? Cherry Blossom responded, smiling.

They had finally received orders on another assignment and their spirits were high. Cherry Blossom had even done her hair up for the assignment, causing more than a couple of guys to stare as they left. Change could not pass up the opportunity to joke at any free moment.

?Yeah, Sakura, going anywhere special?? or ?Sakura, looking rather womanly today.? filled the air as the two joked on about it. By the time an announcement of arrival was made, both women seemed to have butterflies in their stomachs. Not a word could be heard from either of the women as they disembarked from the plane and got into the limo.

The first spoken word came from Change and it was more of a grunt. The two needed to change into their uniforms, so they turned around and quickly changed. Ever since the incident with Lemon, no one wanted to be caught with his or her clothes off.

That was, after all, how they caught Lemon. She had been sleeping with one of the various guards and while she was, riding him, she had been sending the signal, which was usually not easily decoded. This time, she made an error in her moment of ?passion? and forgot to encrypt the message which in turn alerted the guards which warranted her arrest and lead to the entire execution process.

The talk around the entire organization was that Lemon had been a CIA spy and now Cherry Blossom and Change were going to recruit the boss of the CIA?s son onto their side. Neither of the women knew if that was true or not, but one could never be too sure with office rumors. They just took in stride and prepared to make this mission smooth and fast. The quicker he joined, the quicker they could get onto part two of the mission. Namely, stealing the bones of one, Napoleon Bonaparte.

Of course, the target would not receive this bit of information until after the initial pick up, but what one does not know, doesn?t hurt one, correct?

Cherry Blossom shrugged off the mental questions as the limo pulled up to the massive iron gates. The school?s crest, a griffon and dragon curled around each other with a C and A in between, was emblazed upon it and gave a feeling as if the pair was watching you.

Change shuddered as they gates quickly swung open, which were very modernized, despite their looks. Cherry Blossom laid a hand of support on her shoulder and the pair of them got out as the gates swung shut, the sound echoing across the cold, dead plaza.

Cherry Blossom then did something funny, causing Change to give her a strange look. ?Well Erika, we?d better be getting inside, shouldn?t we??

Change, now Erika it seemed, looked at Cherry Blossom weirdly. Cherry Blossom knew that using a first name was the biggest taboo in the organization. Why did she just call Erika by her first name, much less her real one? That was the one secret they had sworn to take to the grave.

The two women walked up to the door and it swung open, almost as if magic. The entire place was starting to serious creep out the both of them and wishes of turning back crumbled as the doors swung shut. Erika and Cherry Blossom both shuddered and took a last look at the door. They wouldn?t see the other side of it for a while.



JJ clutched his side. While still trying to keep his gun pointed at him, he doubled over in pain. What was going on? JJ let out a low moan and fell over. The now unmasked man just smiled and walked over to JJ who was still squirming in pain. He laid his right boot upon the younger spy?s hunched over form and pressed down.

JJ collapsed with a yell. The pain was overwhelming. He had never felt anything so painful in his entire life. Not even when the Russian border police caught him and tortured him for two weeks could compare to what he felt in his stomach. If he could just make the pain go away, then he could shoot the grinning bastard standing over him.

That was when the pain shot from his stomach to his head, as if it had traveled through his spinal cord. He threw his hands to his ears and shouted out, but he could not hear it. No, the man JJ had called friend less than a year ago was holding a sonic emitter over his head, sending out the waves currently destroying JJ?s eardrums.

JJ opened his eyes and tried to survey his surroundings. The only thing he could do at this point was grab the book sitting on the table and beat his assailant until he dropped the emitter. The chances of that working were about six million to none, but JJ valued his eardrums, so he dove for the book.

The masked man, not knowing what he was doing, followed. This played into JJ?s plan almost perfectly as he grabbed hold of the book and brought down upon the hand that held the emitter. The man let out a yell and JJ brought the book down on his other hand that held JJ?s revolver. He quickly grabbed it and shot at the man?s foot, causing him to fall over in total shock. He shot again at his kneecap, obliterating his chance of trying to get away. This jackass had gone far enough and it was time for JJ to get a couple of answers from him. JJ shot out the other kneecap for pleasure and grinned as his face strained.

?So, jackass, like the pain?? JJ asked, keeping the gun pointed at his heart.

?You know I do. Have you not asked Annie about our ?sexcapades?,? He arrogantly questioned.

?You know damn well I know about those. Hell, I probably have a recording of them somewhere around my collection. That?s not the point. You went too far. It is time for you to answer a shit load of questions.? JJ demanded.

?I ain?t answering a single thing I don?t want to.? The man responded.

?Fine, how did you escape the bomb?? JJ asked.

?Not telling. White?ll explain it all when the time comes.? He replied curtly.

?Well, why not tell Annie you were still alive? She was devastated after you ?died?.? JJ tried.

?She knew. After she moved to where she is right now, she was told.? He responded.

JJ faltered for a second. She knew the entire time and didn?t say anything? JJ was starting to worry about having known his sister at all. Why did she hold so many things secret? Especially after what they had lived through together.

JJ just shook his head and shot a bullet into the guy?s head. He could not deal with this anymore. The lying and distrustfulness of Annie was really starting to disturb JJ deeply. He really needed to sit down and talk with Annie now.

Either way, the dead figure in front him would need to be disposed of. Annie had once told JJ she hated his guts, so he guessed she would not mind too much, although the glint of doubt shimmered brighter. Either way, Joe would never say another word or try to kill another person. His days of that were over. JJ grabbed the top blanket on his bed and draped it over the body.

He shed no tears and grabbed the things he, Kei and Hugo would need. He then closed the door and put the do not disturb sign up. He and the other two would need to leave and fast. They only had an hour to get to the airport now.

*******

Cherry Blossom and Erika wadded through the crowded halls to the dean?s office. Cherry Blossom?s skirt was already starting ride up, so she stopped to fiddle with it. Erika did not notice and just kept walking, quickly losing her partner in the overcrowded hallway. It was not until she found herself alone in front of the glass door that she realized anything.

Cherry Blossom, meanwhile, was starting to feel that sense of worry you feel when you are doing something you should not be and people are watching you. She turned around, looking for anyone suspicious and Erika at the same time. She did not see either, she finally found hope in the fact that a bell had rang and the flow of students was slowly receding. Cherry Blossom sighed annoyed and stamped her foot.

That was when someone tapped her on the shoulder and caused her to jump and yelp. She also reached for her throwing knifes stashed in her socks, but she quickly remembered where she was and turned around instead.

?Hi. I?m sorry to have scared you. My name?s Kat and that sulky guy over there is Liam. We noticed, well, Liam noticed you were lost and I thought we might be able to help you find whatever you?re looking for.? The blonde haired girl stated, smiling.

?Uh, yeah. I could use some help. Which way is the dean?s office?? Sakura asked, smiling back.

?Yeah, we?ll show you. Liam! Dean?s office!? Kat shouted over her shoulder, bringing life to the sandy-haired boy?s face.

?Right this way m?dear.? Liam replied, bowing.

?My name?s Sakura, by the way. I just transferred here due to, well, let?s just say I know how to please a guy. My friend was also a part of that particular time, so our parents sent us here to learn how to control our lovely hormones. From the looks of things, it seems like they?ll only get a workout here. My ego too if things go well.? Sakura stated, chuckling.

Liam and Kat stared at Sakura for a second and then laughed with her, until all three of them had tears streaming down their cheeks. Sakura that she was smooth enough to make the joke, Liam and Kat because they did not have any idea what else to do.

Finally, after the trio got control over themselves again, they walked to the dean?s office, finding a steaming Erika along the way. Sakura only smiled at her and pulled her to the side, whispering words of apology in her ear.

?If only looks could kill.? Erika thought sarcastically.

The foursome walked quickly to the dean?s office, got Erika and Sakura?s schedules sorted out and then headed on their merry little way to the dorms.
?I?m warning you now. You?re not going to get a good room. The dorm producer is the biggest bitch on earth. Luckily though, you guys will get to stay together, because?? Kat started.

?Oh! You two must be Sakura and Erika. We have been waiting for you. I am Kitty and he is Stuart. We just replaced Sara and Vicky for dorm room supervision. You guys are going to be in room 504. It?s up the stairs two flights and last room on your right.? Kitty exclaimed.

?Thanks. Are we going to get--? Sakura started.

?Here are your room keys. Do not lose them, because they are worth about four or five nights out, which you only get once a month. So, don?t lose ?em, ?kay?? Stuart explained, eyeing Erika.

?She?s taken, so do not even try.? Sakura said quickly, grabbing Erika?s shoulder.

?If you ever get lonely, I?ll be here!? Stuart shouted after her, earning a punch in the stomach from Kitty.

Kat and Liam walked up to the two women and Liam took Sakura?s luggage. Liam smiled and winked at her as Kat leaded the way, all the while, chatting with Erika.

?So, you got a boyfriend back home?? Liam whispered to Sakura.

?No, actually, I don?t. You?? She asked, looking into his blue eyes.

?Nope. Although the saying about CA is, don?t you? Of the ten boys here, eight are gay and two are in love with older women.? Liam exclaimed.

?And you fall where in that saying?? Sakura asked, amused.

?I?m the eleventh guy.? Liam replied, starting up the stairs.

Sakura chuckled and followed him. They came upon the room in no time and Liam and Kat left the pair for an hour to go down and grab something to eat. Sakura and Erika were planning to freshen up first, or so they said.

?Done the sweep yet?? Erika asked, undoing her shirt.

?Yeah, we?re clear.? Sakura answered, putting on a tie.

?Good, so, how are we going to find the target?? Erika asked.

?I?ve got bugs on Liam, Stuart and Kat. How else other than playing our part?? Sakura answered, batting her eyes.

?Well, you could just sleep with Stuart?.? Erika started.

Sakura threw a pillow at her and laughed. This mission was going to a piece of cake.


?We?ve established contact, shall we kill them now??

?No, wait a bit. Let them lead you to the target.?

?Right. BonBon out.?[/font]

[Color=DarkBlue]Well, the brings us to the announcement. Instead of updating with chapters. Until June, I will be updating with character profiles much like those found at the back of Bleach.

Our own Ezekiel will be doing sketches for everyone, so look forward to that.

And I'm going to hold off on the cast list. It's better in the credits anyway. ^^[/color]

[Revelation]

[size=1][color=#CD6619]Now, wait just one cotton-pickin' minute here, there's too many questions I'm stuck with, like: Why did Sakura call Change by her real name and not by her codename? Who's Bon Bon- could he/she/it be someone who Change and Sakura met? And, and, and...well, I'm out of questions but still...

Anyways, JJ, you've outdone yourself. I found this chapter a bit more mellow than the other ones, but it was still a good one...even if other people didn't think so XP. I wonder if the next chapter will have suspense. Now that I think about it, I wonder if this entire story has been about suspense, blood-lust, killing, gore, and sibling rivalry to the extreme?

Oh how it hurts my head x_X. But, nonetheless, wundebar! Can't wait for the next arc and possibly new characters![/size][/color]

[JJ]

[Font=Arial][B]Such Sweet Sorrow...[/B]

Sakura and Erika finished freshening up and left their room, making sure to close and securely lock the door. They used a map to guide their journey through the hallways of the academy and came upon the cafeteria.

A grand hall with a very cheerful décor greeted them. Banners of red and gold, and others of dark blue and green seemed to elope the rafters and still hang down, giving an illusion of neverendingness. Sakura seemed enthralled by the design, while her friend was busy scoping out the place.

"What are you looking for?" Sakura whispered in the woman ear.

"Our target, what else?"

"How do you expect to just find him?"

"We got a description in the mission briefing," Erika retorted.

"Dear, it was about as easy to understand as Stuart?s attraction to you," Sakura deadpanned right back.

"I thought they were pretty straightforward."

"Just keep thinking that."

The two moved in line for a meal and were quickly discovered by Kat and Liam who had sat themselves down near the line. Kat waved and her companion half-heartedly smiled at the pair, who casually waved back.

"We're going to have to do something about them," Erika muttered.

"Oh, be quiet. They're nice people and it doesn't hurt to know them," Sakura scolded back.

"Whatever."

The line moved surprisingly quickly for such a busy place. Within no time, both girls stood at the end of the line where trays piled high with various types of food on top. They scooted over to Liam and Kat?s table and sat down, hoping that not too many people would notice them. The man set his fork down.

"So, how was you guys? room?" He asked.

"Oh, it?s not bad. I've seen much worse, I can tell you." Sakura replied with a smile.

"That?s great to hear. You guys know where all your classes are going to be? Liam here would be more than happy to show you guys around if you need it," Kat chimed in.

The mentioned one groaned in the background and Sakura laughed. Erika sat and ate the entire time, seeming to contemplate something. Sakura accepted the generous offer and everyone finished eating, but Erika still did not say much.

As the three went on the grand tour of their classrooms, Sakura pulled her friend to the side.

"Penny for your thoughts?"

"How about a quarter?"

"What?s up?"

Erika gave the other girl an uncomfortable look.

"Things here are too... easy. You know what I mean?" she asked.

"Yeah, it?s almost like they're too lenient. I haven't seen a teacher since we left the Admin office and it?s starting to creep me out," Sakura commented.

"That?s because the teachers are scared of the students," Liam exclaimed loudly.

"You heard us?!" both girl shouted in unison.

"Sorry. I've been told my ears are too sensitive to be called normal. The godawful truth is, the teachers are terrified of us. Most students' parents have more money than the teachers could count to and if they cross any of us and we go crying home to daddy or mommy..." Liam trailed off.

"Oh, right. We knew that. I swear we did," Sakura stuttered nervously.

"Don't be nervous. It?s alright, I promise. Trust me, you guys being secretive is not a big deal at all. You ever wonder why Kat and I seem to be the only two that hang out in a little group? We're the poorest family in school, our parents only bringing in about half a billion American dollars a year. That tells you just a little bit about what kind of money the kids here have at their fingertips," Liam explained.

"My god..." Erika gasped.

Sakura just nodded her head slowly. That was something not mentioned in the mission brief and it could make the mission that much more complicated.

"So, shall we head back to the dorms for the night?" Liam asked.

"Sure, I'm feeling kind of tired. Probably jet lag," Sakura answered, winking at Erika.

"Yeah, that'd be nice Liam." Erika responded quietly.

"Let?s head outta here then ladies," Liam announced

He turned around and walked back down the hall.

"Recon tonight?" Erika whispered.

"Definitely," Sakura answered.

For the two of them, the night was just beginning.

---

11:30 PM

Erika crept through the entrance hall, eyes out for any signs of an alarm. She and Sakura had decided to split up to make the job go quicker. She was going after the student records in an attempt to try to flush out BJ from there and Sakura waited for the signal and directions.

Erika quickly slipped into the Admin office and picked the simple lock on the file cabinet holding student records. She sighed as she looked through the first drawer; A to L. Seeing how they only had a first name to go by, she cursed the luck of the straws. How Sakura convinced her to actually draw straws in the first place was still a mystery to her, but as a result Sakura sat in their room, acting as a decoy until she radioed in with BJ?s coordinates.

Thinking about BJ, with him being the son of the CIA director and all, brought about what little she knew about the CIA. JJ worked for them, although it was forced and they almost killed him, Annie and those other things they had been taking care of. The head Boss of the CIA...

Bingo! Erika slammed the drawer shut and stopped moving. She had forgotten she was on a mission and that could have been her last mistake. Luckily, either no one heard it or no one cared, because there was no reaction whatsoever. Erika opened the M-Z drawer and began digging at the back. Zitter..Zitter... She smiled as she came upon the file and began poring over it.

"Oh shit..." she muttered.

She turned on her headset and waited until she had the green to talk.

"Sakura! He?s in the room next to us for Christ?s sake! We need to get him out of here now though. He?s... ." she was abruptly interrupted.

"Erika!?" Sakura whispered."Agent Change do you read me?"

"No and I don't think she will be for now. Bye Bye Agent Cherry Blossom," a cold voice responded.

Then the radio died.

---

11:45 PM

JJ, Kei and Hugo had finally made it to the academy after having more than a couple of problems along the way. Who the hell questions a government agent? JJ had been fuming for the past hour in the car after being thoroughly searched by the police force at the airport. They had apparently gotten a tip that JJ was a drug user.

Whoever tipped them off would get it from JJ. For now, the trio stood at the gates trying to figure out if anyone there was still awake. All three of them were in uniform, even if Hugo had gotten the short end of the stick...

"Why again do I have to go in drag?!" he complained to no one in particular.

"Probably because Sam saw those of you from the last New Year?s party..." JJ started.

"You kept those?!" Hugo exclaimed, turning red.

"Yeah, I think Kei said she wanted them in case you guys ever decided to get married." JJ explained with a smirk.

"Kei..." Hugo threatened

Kei, who was currently sitting at the driver?s wheel, just ignored him with a plastered on innocent smile on her face.

Hugo resigned and pouted in the backseat. The school gates swung open. JJ stiffened up as the dark shadow of the school came into full view. They had arrived at what could be the site of a very bloody battle and JJ wasn't sure he was ready to actually fight that battle.

Either way, the front doors were now open and in a creepy way at that, inviting the trio in.

"To enter or not to enter..." JJ recited.

"That?s the question." Kei finished.

"Well, there?s no more question. Let?s get this over with quickly. Just go to the room, grab the kid, drag him out and drive away. Then we can go back to skiing," Hugo muttered.

"You really think it'll be that easy Hugo?" JJ asked.

"Yeah... no. I was just imagining," Hugo answered sheepishly.

"Well get your act together, alright? We're in a mission now and we need to stay focused." JJ scolded.

As JJ slowly approached the school, Hugo slunk over to Kei to complain.

"What?s eating him?"

Kei could only shrug and follow JJ, leaving Hugo with a sour taste in his mouth. He huffily jogged to keep up Kei, all the while keeping his skirt from riding too far up his backside.

---

11:50 PM

Sakura was now standing in front of the target?s door, trying to figure outwhat to do. The handbook always said to continue and complete the mission if one of your teammates was incapacitated. Teammates were not your main priority. But in this case, Erika was... well, Erika was her teammate.

Sakura bent over and started picking the lock. For being such an expensive and flashy school, the lock opened with barely any trouble. It was almost as if it was meant to be so easy...

Sakura once again brushed off a feeling of dread and cracked the door open. She was greeted with two sets of snores. So they hadn't awoken yet. She silently moved to the first bed and looked at the sleeping face. It wasn't the target.

She moved to the second bed, a bunk. The top bunk was not the target either, so Sakura bent over to peer into the bottom bunk. There, sleeping, was the target. She almost whacked her head pulling out, but saved herself at the last second by backing out slowly. She sighed gratefully and struck her hand out to tap BJ.

"Click"

The cocking of guns filled the room.

---

11:55 PM

Erika groggily came to and immediately realized something: she wasn't tied up or gagged but simply lay on the floor of the Admin?s office. She shook her head and looked around. Her radio lay next to her and she turned it on. Static and gunshots greeted her, surprising the woman enough to drop the radio with a loud thud.

She looked around in panic and silently breathed a sigh of relief, as she heard nothing. She took another look around and stood up. She had to use the desk near to herself to support her legs, which had fallen asleep.

She tried to walk and fell down. That was when she realized her legs hadn't fallen asleep. They had been numbed by whatever nerve agent she had been injected with while she "slept".

"When I get my legs back, I'm going to find you and kill you, whoever the hell you are," she muttered.

She would be going nowhere as quickly as she wanted.

---

12:00 AM

Sakura, out of breath and shot in the shoulder, shuddered at the sight around her. The target?s two roommates lay dead on the floor and the target was shuddering under the covers, refusing to come out. She sighed loudly and tapped the shuddering boy on the shoulder.

"BJ, we need to get out of here." She cooed softly.

"Not going anywhere with you, you bitch. You just killed my friends!" BJ screamed, leaping out at her.

Sakura fell back surprised as the boy tried to stab her with a pocketknife. She grabbed him just as he came at her and slammed his hand on the ground. BJ dropped the knife and his face contorted in pain. Sakura threw him off her and pinned him to the ground, pressing on his hand and chuckling.

"Don't underestimate me BJ."

BJ just moaned in pain.

"If you want me to let you go, you've got to promise to chill and come with me. We need your computer expertise," Sakura explained."Grunt if you understand."

BJ was silent for a second. He grunted.

"Right then," Sakura whispered. She let him go and got off him with a smile."I'm Sakura."

"Well, you seem to know already, but I'm BJ, short for Blackjack; my hacker name, but I prefer BJ," he replied.

"Right then. Look, grab whatever computer stuff you need and let?s get out of here. There?s transportation waiting for us outside the school gates, but we need to hurry," Sakura told BJ, pointing to the laptop on his desk.

BJ nodded and rushed to his desk, cramming everything into a black laptop-carrying bag. Sakura could only smile at the boy?s eagerness. Hopefully he'd be this eager once he knew he was hacking into a museum in Paris?s mainframe to disable the entire thing long enough for Erika and herself to steal the bones.

Sakura could only hope.

---

12:10 AM

Sakura and BJ stalked through the school as quietly as possible, making sure to pass as few dorm rooms as possible. Sakura sighed with relief when they reached the entrance hall, but gasped as she saw two people leaving the Admin?s office with a third person in between them.

She tried to get a better look, but she couldn't get a good angle, so she assumed it was Erika and drew her gun. BJ looked at her fearfully and she tried her best to smile reassuringly.

"My friend might be down there and I need to help her. Get outta here quickly."

BJ nodded and started down the stairs.

"Wait!" Sakura hissed at him.

"What?"

"Go around back. Get out of here as quick as possible and wait for me by the black car that?s about half a mile down the road. I'll be there as quick as can."

BJ nodded again and walked around her to the other side where he and his computer bag disappeared. Sakura set her face in a scowl and stalked down the stairs, her gun cocked and ready to fire any second.

As she touched the carpet of the entrance hall, she noticed a third party coming out from one of the many doors lining the hall. The only thing that came to mind was "Oh shit."

---

12:10 AM

JJ, Hugo and Kei had opted to stay together as they began to explore the school, going through the unlocked doors that opened on the entrance hall. They had entered about ten of them when they noticed that something was going on in the room behind the glass doors at the way back. They all stopped and watched as three people left the room, two carrying the third, and started towards the exit. JJ, not knowing what else to do, started towards them, his gun at the ready.

"Stop!"

The two turned around and almost dropped the third out of surprise.

"What the..."

"Katze, Wolf! Go!" JJ called as he opened fire on the two.

He struck the one on the right in the kneecap and the one on the left in the shoulder. JJ had to drop to avoid gunfire from behind, so he didn't see what happened to the two in front of him.

"Wolf, Katze, report in!" JJ barked into the headset.

"Targets in front are down, one dead from head wound, the other still breathing with chest wound." Kei replied.

"Target behind is currently down with shot to knee cap. She-" Hugo started.

"WOLF!?" JJ yelled into the microphone.

Unclear was the last thing JJ saw as grey enveloped his line of sight.

---

12:13 AM

Sakura knew what odds she was playing against. She had a shot out kneecap and a most likely dead friend. She cried out in pain once more as the person approached her. She was beaten and she knew it. She let the tears fall because she knew this was the end.

She knew the stories. Fail a mission: you'd better hope you die, because when you returned, the Pants Goddess made your life a living hell. She was about to ask the person to kill her when the smoke bomb went off.

It didn't matter who it was from, Sakura knew this was her last chance to get away and get BJ to the next checkpoint. She began to crawl desperately across the floor, ignoring how the person who had tried to get closer was stomping around.

As she quickly crawled toward the front door, she came upon a body. She climbed over it and tried to get a look at the face. She gasped, but wasn't really surprised. Even dead, Liam?s smile was still the one thing Sakura would always remember about him. She smiled briefly though her pain, if nothing else, to show respect for a guy she barely knew.

"Hopefully he died doing the thing he enjoyed most..." she thought as she crawled for the exit.

The entire time she was ignoring the pain in her legs and could only wince at the thought of the gravel and her legs and arms. As she reached the front door, she cursed, realizing that she couldn't push the doors open and the smoke was starting to fade away. As she cried out silently in frustration, she felt arms lift her up and she immediately stopped.

"Miss me much?"

"Erika!"

"We need to get out of here right now."

Sakura could only nod as Erika set her back down and pulled the door open. Within a couple of minutes, the smoke had cleared totally and the pair was already on their way out the gates.

Sakura knew that Erika worked to keep her body in top physical shape, but the strength that her partner was exerting was more than surprising. This forced Sakura to believe that Erika and herself, while being good friends, really didn't know each other all that well. She swore to change that if she made it out alive.

With no gunshots from behind, Sakura safely assumed that whoever had opened fire had given up on catching them. Erika let her fall to the ground and sighed. Sakura patted the woman on the arm and smiled at her. "The target should already be at the car. Let?s hurry over before he decides I lied to him and leaves."

Erika nodded and grabbed Sakura underneath her arms once more, bringing her and herself to the car within no time. BJ sat there with his back to the car and his laptop out, his fingers flying across the keyboard. Erika set Sakura down with an impressed look on her face.

"They weren't kidding when they said you were a little genius, were they?" she exclaimed, patting him on the head.

"Who the hell... Sakura?" BJ asked, standing up.

"I'm here. I've been shot, but we need to get away. If that third group catches us..." Sakura trailed off.

"?Nough said, let?s get the hell outta here," BJ answered

Erika nodded and unlocked the car, propping Sakura in the front seat. She opened the door for BJ and shoved his bag into the car, ignoring his protest. She then walked around the car again and got in, smiling at Sakura as she started the engine. They drove away and three hours later, the bones of one Napoleon Bonaparte disappeared without a trace of the thieves.[/font]

[Color=DarkSlateGrey]Well, here we have it! The public has waited two months and I'm hoping they find this to be worht the wait. I cannot promise another chapter within the next month, but keep in mind, before Sept. 13, I plan to get 2 chapters done, so keep an eye out everyone![/color]

[Ezekiel]

[SIZE=1]That was a really good chapter, JJ. I like especially how you used the time to sepparate the different groups. It makes things so much easier to understand so events can be kept apart from each other.

Your writing has really improved since you started writing this, it seems a lot more fluid now and the characters are so colourful.

I can't wait until the next part. <3[/SIZE]

[Solo Tremaine]

[COLOR=#503F86]Wow, everyone wants a piece of BJ ^_^;

Amazing stuff, JJ. It was riveting, and really well-paced. But having come back to it now, you know I have to go back and read from the beginning again, damn you...[/COLOR]

[Revelation]

[size=1][color=#CD6619]That's right, watch out Erika's supergirl, hear her roar! XD

But to the more serious case, like Zeke said, I like how you separated the different events with times, it helped me to track characters better. It also gave a sense of suspense and mystery. I'm in awe at this chapter, it had a bit of suspense, I mean when Erika stopped talking and someone else spoke, I was freaking out "What happened?! Is she dead?" And then the third party, oh my that was a thriller.

Overall, great chapter. I knew it was going to be good ^_^.[/size][/color]

[JJ]

[B]Death and Politics Go Hand In Hand Part I[/B]

"What do you mean you didn't find him?" Sam shouted into the phone.

"Sir, the opposing team..." JJ began.

"I don't give a flying fuck if it was Jesus fucking Christ himself agent. You lost the Chief's son. I personally am putting every single last one of you on deskwork until further notice. The Chief will deal with you as well when he returns," the man curtly told JJ before hanging up the phone.

Sam lowered his head and began to quietly chuckle. Everything was going according to plan. The boy was in their custody, as were the bones. They only needed the remaining two pieces and they could begin the ritual. Those fools at the Anti-International Redirection wouldn't stand a chance as their, no, his group took over the power and installed their four kings in their rightful thrones.

But he shouldn't get ahead of himself. JJ was going to start resenting the CIA and before long, he'll most likely go rogue, which wouldn't be good. Sam would have to use his teammates to convince JJ that the CIA was there to help him, which of course it wasn't. If only the man knew of the dangers sitting in front of him... If only he knew. Sam continued to muse for few minutes.

His door opened and he looked up. His eyes met a gun barrel and his heart sunk into his stomach.

"What do you want?"

Sam received no answer and glanced around. There was nothing he could defend himself with. He closed his eyes and hoped that whoever was holding the gun knew what he was worth.

"Get up, you worthless piece of shit," the shadow with the gun said.

Sam stood up and got a look at his assailant. He gasped when he glimpsed his face.

"Sir... I'm sorry... What have I done wrong?"

The shadow just grunted and pointed Sam to the door with the end of his gun.

"You know damn well what you did wrong. You're being pulled and we're putting someone else in your place. There's a black limousine outside. Get in and tie your legs with the straps provided. Expect punishment when you get to the end of the ride. You'll be told by the driver when to take them off. From there, you'll know what to do."

Sam just nodded feebly and scooted out the door like a dog with its tail between its legs. He was beaten and knew it. Having the boss's right hand tell you to piss off was never a good sign. He was most likely going to die if he did as he was told, and if he didn't, they'd hunt him down until he was dead. So he made a choice then and there. He stood up and headed for the back entrance. He would make a run for it.

He didn't know where he'd be going, or how he'd be getting there, but one thing was for certain: he was going to need money.

---

JJ, steaming from the ears, threw the cell phone up against the wall and, where it broke in multiple pieces. How dared that asshole have a say in his "punishment"! How dared anyone punish him! It wasn't as if he could have done anything. The goddamn third team had fucked everything up. How was he supposed to react if the Intel wasn't complete? For that matter, what the fuck was with this sending him on a mission without backup? Where had his tech support been?

He sighed loudly as Kei came out of the bathroom with a bathrobe wrapped around herself. Hugo was out getting something to eat for the three of them. It had been stressful and each of them dealt in their own way. Kei took forever in the shower, JJ threw things around and Hugo drove through the small town they were staying in.

"JJ, we're all to blame and we're going to have to deal with the consequences. You knew it when you signed up, and we knew it too." Kei softly said, laying a hand on his shoulder.

"Yeah! I really expected the CIA to handle me like I was a two year old child who just stuck his hand in the cookie jar before dinner! Or better yet, a child in school who didn't do his homework! This is fucking ridiculous. I'm not even part of the damn CIA anymore, but here I am, being punished!" JJ fumed.

Kei stared at him

"They didn't tell you?" she asked.

"Didn't tell me what?" he answered, returning the look.

She sighed and turned back towards the bathroom. She grabbed some clothes from the bed and closed the door. JJ was about to get up and knock on the door when Hugo barged through the other door, his hands full of food.

JJ stumbled backwards and caught himself on the side of the bed. He grabbed some food and set it on the only table space available. He sighed as his friend dropped the rest, splattering drops of something on various papers.

"Sorry JJ," Hugo muttered.

"Don't bother apologizing. Just don't," JJ sighed sarcastically. "I'm going to go get some fresh air."

He left the room in a huff, leaving behind a very upset-looking Kei and a somewhat irritated-looking Hugo.

---

JJ sighed as he left the hotel and entered the fresh, crisp mountain air. It had been a long night and he hadn't gotten much time to just catch his breath and let off steam. After the smoke bomb went off and everyone either crawled away or died, He hadn't been able to think straight. It was one blur after the other and he wasn't sure if he would remember anything else beside the fight he had with Sam and the fight he'd just picked with Kei and Hugo.

He knew he shouldn't have said what he had and there was no excuse for it. He would worry about whether Kei and Hugo were mad later. It seemed he would worry about lots of things these days. The shineys, Lancelot, whatever the hell was going on with... him among other things... and Annie all were shoved in the "Later" box of his mind. It seemed that this box was slowly starting to overflow.

He was going to need to do some serious mental filing and figure out exactly what he wanted. If he could figure that out, that is. At this point, he wasn't sure what was up or down, so he figured he'd give it a bit of time.

Right now, the one thing on his mind was how he was going to deal with the CIA. The question that had been swimming since he got off the phone with Sam was whether this was really where he wanted to be right now. Was the CIA really the only way he could find Annie? He had plenty of contacts thanks to his work, did he really need to put up with someone harping on him about his every move, even thought he didn't even work with them?

JJ had his contacts, he knew people. Why force himself through the routine of daily scolding? It was about damn time he did something to further his investigation.

"I'm going to go tomorrow, pack up my stuff on the case and give my two week's notice, or in this case, leaving and never coming back notice," JJ said aloud, sounding more and more proud of himself as he thought it.

His burst of inspiration quickly died down as he realized that they wouldn't let him continue nor leave the building with the things he had. That meant more sneaking around and rule breaking, which was fine with him; it was all technically a part of his job description after all.

Looking up to the sky, the brown haired man sighed. Clear and dark, the only thing he could see was the moon, half-full and bright. This was his life, the life he'd chosen. Sneaking, lies, espionage, it was what he knew he wanted to do. The only question was why was it so hard to go head to head with his twin sister. It was as if she could read his moves, but he couldn't read hers.

That was yet another frustrating topic that needed to be dealt with quickly, which seemed to be everything JJ had to deal with. He was not going to catch any breaks from anything and things were just going to spiral out of control even more if he didn't snip this in the bud now.

The only question was, what was Annie's next move?

[Revelation]

[size=1][color=#4B5B5B]Welcome back to the Anthology, JJ. I was expecting some sort of action-packed chapter here, but I can suffice with this. The character development with JJ is becoming more and more complex or maybe it's becoming more and more simple, I don't know. It's 1 in the morning, I can't process what the hell I'm thinking.

All I know is, it's about damn time you got this up. =P Can't wait for the next installment.[/size][/color]