Writing A Tale of Two Spies [M-SLV]

[JJ]

[Font=Arial]A Dark and Dreary Beginning

It was a dark and rainy night. Water pounded on the window while JJ sat and watched. He sighed as lightning streaked across the sky. It had been a long week for him and it was nice to have some time to just sit and watch the rain.

He felt a tug at his pants, and he turned and picked up Purple the shiney. Shineys were small, round living organisms. They took a distinctive color and personality to follow. Each one was different, and sometimes that made the job of taking care of them even harder. Luckily, they all had a soft spot for muffins and pizza. Thinking about the troubles that could follow if they didn't all enjoy the same food scared JJ.

He gave Purple a hug and tickled his belly, winning a smile from the small creature. The two of them were always together. To some, it seemed like JJ favored Purple over everyone else, but it was a matter of who he wanted to protect the most. Purple had always been the smallest from the bunch and at one point had been kidnapped. Since that time, JJ rarely let him out of his sight and kept close tabs on him.

As he set Purple down, JJ heard a call from the kitchen that made him stop. His twin sister stood in the doorway. She looked worried about something. JJ let Purple skid off before he approached her.

"Annie, what?s wrong?" he asked.

Annie just stared at the space between him and the doorframe. This wasn't like her; she normally attempted a smile if she had bad news. She suddenly looked up at JJ and spoke: "Lock the door to the Shiney Shrine. Make sure everyone?s inside, then lock the door."

JJ looked at his sister as if she was crazy, but didn't stop to ponder it at that point. He ushered everyone into the Shrine and began the impossible headcount. The man whistled and most of the shineys stopped moving. JJ easily got the headcount and set his pet rabbit, Lancelot, down to play with them. He then quickly shut and locked the door, dreading the clunk of the lock.

JJ flinched when it happened and walked into the kitchen, where he hoped Annie was. She was sitting on the den's couch, and that worried JJ even more. The sofa was reserved for serious conversations and movies. JJ bet this wasn't time for a movie.

Annie scooted over and JJ sat down. He looked Annie in the eyes and asked "What?s up? 'Nothing' will not fly, because then I wouldn't have just taken headcount and locked the Shrine up."

"JJ, whatever happens in the next couple of hours, I want you to know, that I'm doing this for you and the Shineys," Annie said.

She began tear up and before JJ could lay a hand of bewildered comfort on her shoulder, Annie pulled twin .9mm Eagles on him and stood up from the couch. He heard the safety click and knew that he only had seconds to do something before he died.

JJ shot off from the couch, and tackled the woman, forcing her to drop the guns in the same movement. He then scrambled for one, and Annie for the other. They then both sat at a standoff in the living room. JJ was frantic and the only thing he could think of was talking with Annie, so he did.

"So, this supposed to be some kind of training, or is it real?" he asked with a smile.

"JJ, you know this is real. I'm sorry, this isn't what I had planned, but things change..." Annie's voice trailed off. It was obvious that she was trying not to cry, and it hurt JJ.

"So, we gonna have a cat and mouse chase throughout the house, or just end things here?" JJ asked, his muscles tense. As soon as she answered cat and mouse, he was out of there. Anni shot her eyes

"You know the answer, I'll give you three seconds," she said.

JJ bolted from the den towards the shrine. Annie?s pounding feet gave him all the more incentive to make it to his room. He arrived and slammed the door shut, listening for the click of the lock. As he let out a loud breath, a bullet hole appeared two inches from his head. He quickly jumped onto his bed and crawled to his pillow, where he recovered a cell phone and a Magnum handgun.

He flipped the phone open and dialled the number as fast as possible. It was a familiar one, and JJ was anxious. When the other end picked up, a shaky JJ answered, "H..hello? Is he in?"

"May I ask who?s.."

"Don't worry about it! Just tell him the Virgin is calling!"

The holding music kicked in and JJ silently cursed. If he ran out of time before he made sure... He didn't want to think about that. The music was cut off when a gruff voice answered, "You're not allowed to call on this line."

"She?s gone crazy. She pulled two guns on me, and now she's trying to kill me!"

"I'll call the Motherland and see if they know anything."

"I don't have time for that! I need a transport out of here. How early can you be here?"

"Twenty minutes tops."

"?K, Virgin out."

JJ closed the phone and set it back under his pillow. No sense in breaking habit now, right?

He carefully laid his head against the door, but heard nothing, which could only mean that Annie was now hiding somewhere. That put her in her element and JJ was slowly becoming the mouse. This was a dangerous position to be in and if he made one false step, it would all be over.

JJ sucked a breath in and flipped the lock to his door. The loud echo was heard thoughout the entire house and he knew that wherever Annie was, she had heard it. He breathed deeply and cracked the door open, praying it didn't creak. He was luckier this time and it opened silently, only offering him the sight of shadows and darkness.

He cautiously snuck outside the door, his back tightly kept to the wall. As he crept towards the Shiney Shrine, he could hear Annie step on the creaky floorboard. He flipped on the wall and saw her slowly moving towards him, her gun cocked. JJ looked up at the ceiling, silently cursed this whole ordeal and shot at Annie. He heard her surprised gasp and swiftly unlocked the Shiney Shrine. He opened the door, walked in and shut it.

"Purple! Lancelot! Time to go!" he called, his gaze darting around the room.

In addition to the two mentioned, Opal and Ruby also came, causing JJ to sigh. He grabbed all four in his arms and opened the door again. He was tempted to check on Annie, but her condition was not his main priority. He just hoped it wasn't fatal, because, if it was... JJ could never live with himself.

He ran outside and set all four of them out on the ground. He told them to wait and ran back inside to check on Annie. He flipped the hall light on and was only greeted with a smear of blood on the wall. He cursed and headed back for the door, when Annie stood in front of it.

"JJ, this has to end now. I don't want to kill you, but if I have to, I will. There is no other option, no other chance. The cards have been laid and I can't go against them," she said, levelling her gun at JJ?s heart.

JJ flinched at her words, but whipped out his Magnum as well.

"I'm not going to let you do this Annie. You don't want to."

Annie didn't show as much resolve as she continued to hold the gun at JJ?s heart. He tossed his gun down and held his hands up before getting on his knees and aiming Annie?s gun at his own head.

"Whenever you're ready."

Annie clicked the safety off and her finger slowly trailed downwards to the trigger. A single tear ran down her face as she began to depress it. JJ never flinched. She then broke down in sobs and tossed the gun down. JJ stood up and tried to hug her, but she slapped him away and ran out of the house.

JJ suddenly remembered his transport and rushed outside to where he had left his little posse, grabbed them up and ran in the street where headlights were coming around the bend. As a black SUV pulled up, breaking through the murky darkness, JJ began to wave an armfrantically, holding on to the foursome with the other.

The car pulled up to him, the door opened and JJ quickly climbed in, setting the four down. He then silently climbed back out and ran back to the house, throwing the front door open. He ran into the Shrine and wasn't surprised when he was greeted with silence. Annie had taken the others with her, whether out of comfort or some other feeling, JJ wasn't sure.

He sighed and jogged back out into the rain for the third time tonight. He slowly opened the door and took a final look at the place of about 6 months of happiness. He so dearly wished to still be sitting watching the rain, but it seemed like that wasn't on the agenda at that time. He sighed and slammed the car door shut. It was going to be a long night.[/font]

Feedback is wanted, especially if you want another chapter. ~_^

[Revelation]

[size=1][color=#191970]Once again, I commend you on your work. It's absolutely thrilling and these Shineys sound adorable. But furthermore, this is amazing and has an edge to it. It pulled me in and set me into the story. ^_^ Anywho, please continue with this. I look forward to the next chapter.[/size][/color]

[Gavin]

[SIZE=1]Interesting, most interesting.

Slightly difficult to follow, as the story is only in it's beginnings, when the next chapter comes along the story will become more clear as will Annie's actions. The dialogue and action is quite well written, although again as we're not sure of Annie's motivations it's hard to draw conclusions.

On with the next chapter.[/SIZE]

[Annie]

Jolly good show, ol' chap. I agree with Gavin. It's kind of hard for them, and myself, to follow seeing as how you can't really predict "my" actions, or motivation. This is why you [b]need[/b] to post the second chapter.

This first chapter introduced a jumbled tangle, and a suspense that must be explained. Very good, bro. Keep it comin'. :flasher:

[Circ]

I tend to hate these kinds of first chapters, because all you want is read the next, but there isn't any!

Anyway, it has been said before, but I'm going to repeat it for good form: it's got great thrill and rythm, and sounds like a fascinating world.

[Hevn]

[SIZE=1][COLOR=#DC9B99]More!

I love the dialogue and the action, yes. I also love the shineys! Somehow, I didn't feel the 'difficult to follow' thing. The mystery kept me interested all throughout the story. Really really good work. ^_~[/COLOR][/SIZE]

[JJ]

[Font=Arial]Is Information Always Vital?

JJ yawned as the SUV?s smooth ride slowly started to put him to sleep. As he began to doze off, a tug at his pants pulled him back to reality. There was Purple, looking like he was about to cry. JJ suddenly went parental on him, picking him up and cuddling him, and praying that he hadn?t seen anything.

JJ looked around the SUV and saw the others were all asleep on the seat in front of him. He sighed, and lay down with Purple. Tonight had been one fucked up night, and he wasn?t about to face tomorrow without at least a bit of sleep.

The pair soon drifted off, and were awakened, in what seemed like five minutes, although the sky had gained the benefit of sunlight. As the driver poked at JJ like he was a animal at the zoo, JJ shot his leg out and kicked the guy in the face. ?No animal here. Just say we?re here next time. It?s much more polite.?

JJ got out of the car, and waited for everyone else, who seemed to slowly begin to wake and move towards the door. Each of them got a huge comforting smile as JJ picked them up and pulled them out of the SUV. Lancelot was last, and as soon as he got down, he fell asleep again. JJ smiled, and picked him up, carrying him in his arms, and Purple on his shoulder. Opal and Ruby ran around his legs, playing their version of tag. Purple began to fidget, JJ set him down, and the three of them ran around, bringing a smile to JJ?s face.

The driver then coughed, drawing JJ?s attention to him. ?You?re supposed to meet the boss in five inside.?

?Thanks for the drive, and the late information. I?m sorry about kicking you though.? JJ said, gathering everyone up and heading for the door.

?HQ really hasn?t changed much since I was here last.? JJ whispered to the foursome in his arms as they walked in, ?The bustle of a building wasn?t lost in the six months I was off. Now, if I remember correctly, the boss?s office should be right about here.?

JJ stopped at a door, and knocked. A gruff, ?Come in?, greeted him. He opened the door, somehow, and entered. ?Chief.? JJ said, setting everyone down.

?Virgin, what the hell were you thinking when you called us? What, are we your protection service now? You?re lucky that she was on our list before you called. We?ve obviously keeping tabs on both of you, and in about two or three minutes, both of you will hit America?s Most Wanted List, which is distributed everywhere in the world.? The Chief said, smirking. ?I?m not a man without a heart though. In this folder you?ll find everything you need to try and find your sister. You?ve got sixty seconds. Have fun.?

JJ knew he wasn?t going to make it. Was the chief playing with him? As he turned to grab the folder and the others, the door behind opened, and JJ?s jaw dropped.

There standing there with a cake, and plates, was JJ?s teacher from the Academy, James. A big smile plastered on his face as a couple of JJ?s friends followed him in. JJ began to laugh and cry at the same time. Purple, Opal, and Ruby were too distracted by the cake to notice, and JJ covered Lancelot?s ears as he said, ?You bastard, what was that all about? I about died of heart attack.?

The Chief smiled and looked at James, ?He wanted me to come up with something to have you ready to leave as they came in. He heard about your call, and wanted to try and cool you down.?

JJ eyed James and the others for a second. If that many people knew about what had happened, then did the whole agency know? He figured he was just being paranoid, but if he was going to go looking for his sister, he couldn?t have people pitying him. He watched as James cut the cake and handed a piece to each of the shineys. JJ took a step forward, and said, ?I?m not sure you guys you should have that. Annie probably??

Tears began to form at the corners of JJ?s eyes as he turned from everyone and used the sleeve of his shirt to wipe them away. Now was not the time to break down, in front of everyone, and the four especially. Staying strong had been easy so far, he just had to refrain from talking about her until he sorted everything out.

Turning back to the group JJ said, ?OK, this time, you guys can eat the cake, but you?d better not get messy doing it.?

?No worries, if nothing else, there?s a shower here for them to clean up in.? Jean-Sebastien said, smiling.

JJ and Jean Sebastien went back to the days of the Academy where they were bunkmates. Jean-Sebastien had been working on a novel at the time, and many a night, the two would sit up talking about various ideas he had. On the nights that they talked, it seemed that he got the most writing done.

The last JJ had heard, his novel had been published, and was doing well. JJ also remembered that he was specializing in Linguistics. JJ was about to ask about how things went when he was swarmed by the others asking questions about him.

Twenty minutes later left the shineys smeared full of icing, JJ tired again, and everyone besides the Chief and James gone back to work. The Chief pulled out the folder he had thrust at JJ earlier and opened it. Inside, was a picture of Annie and 2 shadows that looked vaguely human with the back drop of Ciampo airport in Rome. JJ rifled through the pages some more, and found a list of names.

?You want me to head a mission to Rome to find her, correct?? JJ said, looking over at the pair.

?Correct, from that list, I?ll need you to at least have two agents follow you. All of them were picked for skills and compatibility to you. You?ll leave first thing tomorrow morning, and they?ll meet you there. Hopefully, you can find out what she?s up to, catch her, and end this ordeal.? James said, looking at JJ.

JJ scanned the list until he found his first partner. Codename, Lolly. JJ knew right away knew who that was and half smiled. Lolly, aka Sean, was another guy he met at the Academy. He was one of those funny and sometimes over friendly type of people who tried to make everyone laugh and spread the cheer around. Every once in a while, you would see him with a lollypop and that?s where JJ figured the name came from.

He would work, because of the laughter and his hard work. The spirits on this mission were the most vital part of it all. If he lost it, things would get hairy, and he couldn?t have that.

JJ continued scanning the list, and another name grabbed him. Gurt. JJ had to think about that one for a few minutes before coming up with it. Gurt was Jamie, the only girl in his class. JJ smiled as he remembered her working hard to get to the top, and even looking in any of the guys directions after she made it there. JJ and Sean were the only people she befriended, and they seemed to get along pretty well. After the Academy, they all ended up their separate ways, and fell out of touch.

Now JJ would be able to get back in touch, and possibly find out what?s been going on. JJ circled the two names, and handed the sheet back to the Chief. ?What about..? JJ started.

?I?ll take care of all four of them, if you want.? James said, smiling. ?I?ve taken a liking to the little Purple guy.?

JJ smiled, they would be fine with James, and JJ needed to go get tech anyway, so he left James with instructions on caring for the foursome and left the office. As he walked up the stairs to the tech room, he began to tear over again. Sure, he?d been betrayed before, but by his family? JJ wondered if he would be able to do his job in Rome. ?There?s only one way to find out.? JJ said climbing the stairs.

The next morning?

JJ awoke to sunlight filtering in through the blinds of his hotel room. He had gotten through tech with nothing more than a high tech camera, binoculars, and an upgraded Eagle Pistol. He had then had dinner with James and the shineys, leaving Lancelot to his own back at James?s place.

JJ and James had used dinner to catch up and plan for the mission. The shineys had been content with their pizza and took no notice of JJ?s eventual breakdown during dinner. James had comforted him, and then drove him back to his hotel, where he was now. He moaned softly and stood up. He got in the shower, and changed into the clothes he would be wearing to the airport. These, along with his IDs would allow him to take the pistol with him on the plane. After that, he would meet the other two on a bus to the end of the Metro line. They would go from there.

He turned the water off, and grabbed a towel. He dried off, got dressed, packed up, and walked outside. The clean, fresh air greeted him, and JJ took a deep breath, savoring it. After that, he strode down to the lobby, where he grabbed a bagel, and headed for the door, where an escort was waiting for him. Watching license plates and drivers, JJ finally found his assigned chauffer, the guy from yesterday. JJ nodded at him, and got into the back seat of the SUV. After the guy got in, JJ asked, ?Why do you always drive a SUV for just one person??

?Well, this thing has a bunch of security upgrades, bullet proof windows, shield to try and fend off any car attacks, that sort of stuff. And, before you ask, as of now, anywhere you need to go by car, you have to let me drive. Of course, these are the Chief?s orders.? He said, his stern look not faltering.

?So who are you exactly?? JJ asked, looking him in the eyes through the rear view mirror.

?The name?s Tony. I was a field agent, but I got thrown into this job after I screwed up an op. We were going after a terrorist cell, and after our initial observation, we figured we could take ?em. Problem was, they had ended up outnumbering us. Against the orders of the mission head, I began firing into the room, and started a battle that killed more than half of the 50-man team. I?ve been at my desk ever since.? He said, turning back to driving.

JJ wondered why Tony had divulged the information, but he decided not to dwell on it. He sat in silence the rest of the way there, his thoughts dwelling on Annie, the shineys, the house, and his next assignment. Everything seemed to blend together, and before he could sort it all out, the car stopped, and Tony opened the door. ?Your plane leaves in two hours. Delta?s the airline.?

?Thanks Tony. Take care.? JJ said, climbing out, and grabbing his carry on from the back.

He walked through the whooshing door to the airport, and things moved smoothly from there. He checked in, got through security, and got to the terminal in enough time to board the plane, and take off.

JJ slept most of the plane flight, not enjoying the cramped space. The flight seemed shorter due to his sleeping, and it seemed that within no time, he had landed at Ciampo, and was on his way to the meet point.

As he walked down the stairs, he noticed immediately the meeting point and his fellow agents. Jamie?s red hair seemed to act as beacon, drawing JJ attention to her and the fellow sitting a seat away from her on the bench. That was Sean, as his posture reminded JJ of the slouch he remembered from class. He smiled, and picked up his pace, sitting in between the two. The latter looked up and smiled when she realized whom it was.

Under orders, the interactions they had from this point on were to be of a nature of friendliness. JJ wasn?t sure about the other two, but for him it wasn?t going to be too challenging.

JJ nudged Sean and said, ?So, are we the answer to not keeping in touch, or what??

?Oh, I don?t know, Sean and I got through a full two letters before losing track.? Jamie piped in, beaming.

?I didn?t write those letters, my cat did. He was bored and decided he would do an experiment to see how dumb people were. He won the Nobel Prize for it.? Sean said, cracking a smile.

?You?ve got to be kidding me.? Jamie said slack jawed.

?Yeah, bad joke, wasn?t it?? Sean said sheepishly.

?Not as bad as the one about the duck in the ketchup.? JJ said, pulling out a piece of gum of his bag. ?Anyone else??

?You never got over your habit?? Jamie asked, taking a piece.

?Nope, there?s too much gum in the world to give it up.? JJ said, laughing.

?So, we going to get on the bus?? Sean asked, standing up.

?Yep, let?s go.? JJ said, tossing his gum wrapper away in the trashcan.

The mission had begun.[/font]

Here we are with chapter 2, and there are cameos galore!

I do have a question for you all for this chapter, do you guys think putting in a "Random Ober hit by a truck" into the story would take away from the atmosphere?

I must know!

[Gavin]

[SIZE=1]I'm sorry to say this ^.^ but I feel that this new chapter doesn't gel well with the last one, while the last chapter had a sense of obscurity and urgency to it, this one seems to relaxed as though it isn't at all linked to the last one. Personally I think you should stick to the style of the previous chapter, but again we still don't really know what's going on so I might be off in my judgement, but I feel the previous chapter had a better feel. [/SIZE]

[QUOTE=^.^][Font=Arial][b][B]Na Ceisteanna[/B]

[B]1][/B] Is Information Always Vital?

[B]2][/B] I do have a question for you all for this chapter, do you guys think putting in a "Random Ober hit by a truck" into the story would take away from the atmosphere?

I must know![/font][/QUOTE]

[SIZE=1][b]Na Freagra[/b]

A small bit of [I]Gaeilge[/I] for you all.

[B]1][/B] No, not always vital, though it this case it wouldn't have hurt unless it would have been detrimental to the story.

[b]2][/b] Yes, a definite yes on that one. While the cameos are nice I think the "Random Ober hit by a truck" would detract quite a lot from the mood of the story, unless that's the mood you're going for. [/SIZE]

[Circ]

[B][SIZE=1]Edit: bear with minor grammar trouble in my own comments: it's 1:25 in the morning here.[/SIZE][/B]

I offered to copyedit the thing, but you refused, so I'll be doing it here and now.

In English, lines of dialog follow this format (at least, that's what I've learned):

"blah blah blah[COLOR=Red][B],[/B][/COLOR]" said X.

[quote]A gruff, come in, greeted him.[/quote]
I think there are quotes missing here.
[quote]As he turned to grab the folder, and the others[/quote]
I'm pretty sure that's a comma too much
[quote]I?m not sure you guys you should have that.[/quote]
Duplicated "you"s
[quote]Jean Sebastien, smiling. [/quote]
Missing verb? And AFAIK, "Jean Sebastien" takes a dash (compound name), unless you want to combine a female and a male first names?
[quote][...]he was training in specializing in Linguistics.[/quote]
Again, I think there's a verb too much here. Either that or missing words.
[quote]JJ was about to ask about how things went when he was swarmed by the others, asking questions about him.[/quote]
Not sure this comma belongs here
[quote]Inside, was a picture of Annie, a picture of 2 shadows near her, and the back drop of Ciampo airport in Rome.[/quote]
Looks like you,re leaking commas or something. I'm pretty the first should go, and that "was" should probably be "were".
[quote]He was one of those, funny and sometimes over friendly type of people, who tried to make everyone laugh, and spread the cheer around.[/quote]
Over-comma-itis strikes again. I'm striking all three out.
[quote]Every once and a while[/quote]
That's "Every once [I]in[/I] a while"
[quote]so he left James with instructions on caring for the foursome, and left the office[/quote]
Another comma to go down.
[quote]He had then had dinner with James and shineys[/quote]
Not sure about this, but I think you want an article before "shineys"
[quote]JJ and James had used dinner to catch up, and plan for the mission.[/quote]
Dear JJ, breeding commas and conjunctions rarely wields good results. (inside joke)
[quote]He moaned softly, then got up. He got in the shower, and changed into the clothes he was wearing to the airport[/quote]
I find these two "got"s too close for comfort. I find that "was wearing" to be an odd construction. at this point, he's not on his way, is he? "would be wearing" seems more appropriate.
[quote]The clean, fresh, air greeted him[/quote]
No comma needed between "fresh" and "air".
[quote]Of course, these are the Chiefs orders[/quote]
Apparently, you reuse apostrophes for commas "Chief's"
[quote]Against the orders of the mission head, I fired into the room,[/quote]
A bit unwieldy. Maybe invert these phrases.
[quote]he noticed immediately the meeting point, and his fellow agents.[/quote]
"he immediately noticed", and extra comma
[quote]He smiled, and picked up his pace[/quote]
Again, commas and "and" don't mix well.
[quote]The latter looked up, and smiled when she realized who it was. [/quote]
See previous

I let slip a few more commas+and combination 'cause they can go as stylistic.

Otherwise, it's a great breather, if lacking in help understanding what's going on (well, for us, that is). And as far as I can tell, there would not have been any actual problem with the random ob-er thing if you weren't asking about it like that or planning to make it obvious.

I disagree with Gavin here. At this point, JJ is kinda thunderstruck (for lack of a better word :sweat:), and as I said, taking a breather, so it's pretty much normal that this chapter has a different pace.

[JJ]

[Font=Arial][B]Watching and Waiting[/B]

"I?ve got a tail, and I?m going to try and lose it, how are things on your end?" he barked into the headset.

He was greeted with silence. That could only mean she was busy. He continued running as the footsteps behind him became louder. This only increased his adrenaline and he picked up his pace, setting the package deep in his arms. He could not lose it now, after all the work and efforts they had put in to get it.

"Damnit, he?s on my tail, can anyone do something about it?" he practically screamed into the mike.

"We?re all BUSY!" a second voice shouted back. "Get your ass outta here, and go for the drop off point. You?ll lose the tail there for sure."

"I don?t want to kill him, I just want to lose him," the first guy said, kicking a door open. "It?s not right."

"Since when have you been..." a feminine voice started.

"Annie?" the runner asked, stopping for a second.

Only a grunt came through the headset, and he took off again as the tail caught up. "Give up, I?ve got you! Just drop it, and we?ll be able to..." he started.

The runner shot, causing the tail to jump to the side. He continued to follow, which pissed the runner off. "This is not going to be easy, now is it?" The runner thought.

He finally came to the huge entrance door and stopped. He had to push this door and with the tail in hot pursuit, he would have to hurry. The door creaked as the runner threw his body weight against it. A shot rang out as the door finally gave under the runner?s mass.

"GIVE UP! The police are outside and you?ll be put into custod..." the tail yelled as he ran out the door.


48 Hours Earlier....


"Why clowns of all things? Couldn?t we have just dressed up as tourists and left it?" Sean asked as he tied a balloon.

"Annie?s most likely a tourist. If we stand out, she?ll notice, giving us the advantage," Jamie said, trying to keep her fake smile up as she gave a kid a balloon.

"I will rain death of the dead upon the bastard that set us up in clown outfits," Jamie added. He sat down.

"Death of the Dead doesn?t even make sense Jamie," JJ laughed. "Besides, I think the costumes look great."

"JJ, you?re going to fall under the death too if you?re not careful..." Sean smiled.

"Sean, I?m going to shove this balloon somewhere you?re not going to like if you don?t shut up," Jamie said, waving the limp balloon.

"Ooh, I?m so scared!" Sean taunted.

"I?m going to make you scared, Seany-poo. I haven?t forgotten to keep in contact with that one girl you dated," Jamie said with a wink.

"Oh God, the Antichrist of Writing? The one who changed her name every time she wrote something?" Sean said, starting to laugh.

"The very one. She?s still very eager to make up with you after your last fight,? Jamie confirmed.

"But that was almost three years ago!" Sean protested.

"Clingy types never stop being clingy, Seany-poo," Jamie said.

"If you don?t stop calling me Seany-poo, I?ll call Trevor, and tell him all about your, party days," Sean threatened, a wicked smile creeping upon his face.

"Like I didn?t already tell him about ?em. I think it turned him on."

"The things that turn you two on." Sean said, shaking his head.

JJ started to tune the other two out as he began to scan the crowd. Annie had to be here, at the Vatican. There was nothing else here for her to be interested in. The museums had nothing she would need. JJ had decided that she was not acting of her own accord, and was working for someone or something.

He suddenly froze when he made eye contact with a girl standing in line for entrance to the Basilica. Her hair and skin, although dyed, were unmistakable. Those eyes he saw were the ones he used to find comfort in, and yet he was terrified to see them again.

"...eat away underwear." Jamie said, causing Sean?s eyes to bulge.

"OK guys, shut up and listen. Annie is in line over there. It?s time to put these costumes and the special contact lenses to use," JJ said. His body went rigid when he uttered her name.

"Right, we?ll work on initial eye contact, and you watch for the other two," Jamie ordered, standing up.

The three of them silently split up and walked towards the queue. JJ took the end of the line, beginning with a simple juggling trick that mostly entertained the children. By tossing the green bag under his leg, he would begin juggling the red and blue bags in the other hand, and then catch the green in the same hand that was juggling. It gave him the opportunity to watch the people. If someone could follow the green bag, it would show that the person had a heightened sense of sight, which would indicate training, which could in turn tip off Annie?s partner. JJ hoped he had the right train of thought when he decided to split the three of them.

JJ could have died when he saw a face in the crowd follow the bags ascend and descend. The watcher although disguised, could be easily distinguished as Trevor, Jamie?s current boyfriend. JJ could only continue his act and look for the other one. He spotted him about three pace behind Annie. JJ was not surprised to see Alan standing there. JJ had heard good things about him from Annie, and seeing him here was a certainty. It was all a matter of time now before he heard either a gunshot or a communication from the other two.

"Echo, this is Lolly, we have made contact, and it is indeed Squirrel,? Sean announced, keeping things in code.

"Right, Lolly, take Gurt and change. It?s time for Phase 2," JJ said, walking towards the exit.

Phase 2, the second most important phase, was one JJ was not looking forward to. Now that they had contact, each of them was going to follow the group, keep track of their movements, and get in on their schemes. Originally, JJ was going to follow Annie while Jamie and Sean would split up to follow the other two, but JJ could not allow Jamie to see Trevor. It would not fare well with her and it might compromise the mission.

They would meet inside the wait line as tourists, and the tailing would start from there. JJ ran out, threw the clown outfit in the trash and wiped his face off with a cloth from his bag. He checked for traces of makeup, and made a run for the special entrance. He was already thirty seconds late and if he did not hurry, they risked losing Annie. JJ threw the door open and, still out of breath, said, "Have we lost her yet?"

"Nope, she?s about to head through now," Jamie said, pointing.

JJ started off, but said over his shoulder, "Jamie, you take the guys behind Annie, and Sean, take the last guy."

"Aye, aye, Boss man,? Sean saluted.

"Good luck, and if anything changes, keep in touch,." JJ said into his earpiece.

"Righto. Lolly out."

"Affirmative, Gurt out."


"So they?re finally splitting up?"

"Yes, they?ve now made this job three times as easy."

"So shall we move in now, or wait? I mean, either way, we just have to keep killing one until we can get to the main two."

"No, it doesn?t work that way. They will just keep being replaced. We have to kill both targets. Cherry Blossom, you will infiltrate the target?s tail. Monitor both targets. Change, I want you to just watch the other four to make sure they won?t interfere too much."

"Hai."

"Yup."

"Ladies, Phase 3 is now online. Good luck."


"Annie, we have a serious problem."

"What?"

"Tails."

"Shit."

"Everyone, try to lose your tail and meet back at the hotel once it?s been successful."

"Right, ULX out."

"Inter out."


Sean kept the target in sight throughout the premises. He had to weave an interesting path, and to top it off he was tired. His tiredness led to him losing the target on more than one occasion. By either pure luck or sheer favor, he always found him again. At least, Sean hoped it was still him. "Saying I?ve kept up with him the entire time would be a lie, but the others do not need to know that," he thought.

He continued to watch as his target circled around in the Sistine Chapel. The place was more crowded than Times Square on New Year?s Eve. He sighed and kept his binoculars trailed on the target, which had his head covered by a hat. The hat itself was not distracting, but anything with Xion on it did rather distract someone who was trying to keep watch overall on the person. The hat was so pretty.

"This is Lolly, the target is in the Chapel, and Xion is his hat," Sean said into the headset, giving an update.

"This is Gurt, target is in the Egyptian gallery, and long is his hair,? Jamie responded.

"Echo here and target has left the Basilica," JJ replied quickly.

"Well since only one is out of here, Gurt, is your target in sight?" Sean asked, keeping an eye on Trevor.

"That?s a stupid question. Oh, wait, he?s gone, repeat, target is gone," Jamie said, just before cutting the connection.

"Damnit. Lolly, is your target still in sight?" JJ asked, upset.

Sean looked around. "Oh damnit. I?ve lost him too," he thought.

"Negative, target is gone," he answered.

"I?ll keep an eye on Annie, you guys go look. We have to keep them in sight," JJ said. He then closed off communications.

Sean started moving through the crowd and immediately bumped into Trevor. At first, recognition did not show on either of the men?s face, although it very quickly hit both of them who the other was. A creepy silence enveloped the both of them, and Sean motioned for them towards the exit.

The two men stepped outside. Trevor was the first to say anything. "So, how are you doing?"

"Not bad, I?m here vacationing with some old friends, yourself?" Sean asked, praying he was not getting red in the face.

"Actually here for a conference. My work company is sponsoring a video game tournament, and I am here on the team. I'm technically only an intern in the company, but they heard I was good, so they sent me," Trevor said, fiddling with his cap.

Sean gazed at it for a second, and alarms began to go off in his head. Xion... Trevor was with Annie. Sean shuddered and quickly said, "Well, I?d best be meeting with my group now. Wanna swap hotel information?"

"Sure, I?ll write it down," Sean said. He grabbed a pen.

"I?ll have it down in a flash," Trevor said, writing his down.

It seemed like a standoff for both of them. If Trevor realized what the other was there for, Sean was screwed. Both of them worked under the pretense that the other did not know their secret. Would they really be compromising each other?

"Well, hopefully we can get together again before we leave," Trevor said, turning away.

"How about we walk out together?" Sean suggested.

"Sure, it?ll give us some time to catch up," Trevor smiled.

"Cool, I?m gonna pop in the bathroom for a second and we?ll move out, sounds good?" Sean asked.

"Naw, if you gotta go, I?ll head off. I?d hate to waste your time,? Trevor said, heading towards the stairs.

"I can hold it. So, where were we?" Sean asked, loosing his gun in his pocket.

"Well, I was going on about my company," Trevor said. He eyed the other man. "You seem nervous, what?s up?"

Sean had to think of a lie, any lie, just one that could pop out of his mouth at this very second. "I?mbuyingaringformygirlfriendsoIcanpropose," Sean blurted, "but she can?t know, so mums the word."

Trevor winked. "Your secret?s safe with me. Who?s the lucky girl?"

Sean was getting pissed off about having to weave these lies. The academy told you how to do it, but never how hard it would be in the real world. "Nicole. I met her after the academy, in Germany."

"Wow, a German girl. Nice choice,? Trevor complemented.

"Yeah," Sean chuckled.

"Well, can I escort you any further?" Trevor asked when they reached the exit.

"No, oh sex man god, no more help for this weak fool in love," Sean said, flitting his eyes.

Trevor chuckled and walked away. "Call me before you leave. Maybe we can have dinner or something."

"Sounds good."

Sean walked off and wiped the sweat off his brow. He could not tell Jamie. It would compromise everything. As it was, things were probably going to change. Sean needed to get back to JJ, and fast.[/font]

"Next Time on, A Tale of Two Spies! A mysterious artifact, a murder, a fight, and violence! You say there's a chase scene? Find out who's being chased and who's chasing in A Tale of Two Spies Chapter 4: Blood on the Steps of St. Peter's!

Yeah, still taking forever to get to the action. ^_^;; But the preview should tell you everything you need to know for the next chapter. ;)

Once again, comments and critques welcomed.

Yup, sorry about the wait. These things take time! But hopefully this chapter's a teenie bit interesting. If nothing else, it shoud hold you over until the next one. hopefully.

[Solo Tremaine]

[color=#503f86]I'm sure I looked for this before and it wasn't there. I look tonight and there's three whole chapters!

I'll admit that the feel of the first was much more exciting than those of the seocnd two, but I also understand that when you're introducing more characters and setting up bigger storylines, things can get a little dragged-out and lose pace in the process. I did love this bit, though:

[quote name='^.^][font=Arial']He just hoped it wasn?t fatal, because, if it was? JJ could never live with himself. [/quote][color=#503f86][/color]A tiny play on words, but so clever. Just hit the right spot, that did ^_^

Great stuff, Josh. I'll keep reading; I'm really interested to see everything unfold. But don't forget to keep the gritty elements in, even when you're writing comedy, hehe ^_~[/font][/color]

[Guest Sean]

[SIZE=1]You just had to...you did...ewwwwwwwwww!

>>;;

Well then Josh, smashing stuff, I'm in love with this story so far, it's deep and well, the cameo's just make it fun. So, Annie, Trev and Alan, and you, Jamie and Moi...wow. Weird combination of teams there. But muchly enjoyable.

You just had to make me date the Antichrist didn't you, ah well, I like what you've done with Jamie and Trevor. It drags you into suspense, just expecting them to see each other.

But, for these 3 chapters, you get: 29/30.

=D

Keep it up! *waits anxiously for the next chapter*[/SIZE]

[Mimmsicle]

[FONT=Tahoma]My, my, my, my! This story is coming along quite nicely, I must say ^_^

The slower bits are actually nice (in my humble opinion), since it shows that you can write diversely and be equally good at action/suspense as with more relaxed interludes. Every story needs a little bit of breathing space, after all =p

Hopefully you'll have more to add to this! Soon! >>[/FONT]

[JJ]

[Font=Arial][B]Blood on the Steps of St. Peter?s[/B]

JJ was sitting in the square watching Annie. It was slowly getting dark and she had been sitting in the same place for over an hour now. He knew she was waiting for something, but what? It could not have been either of her comrades, because they had both headed off toward their hotel. JJ had not spoken with either of his mates, but they both seemed stressed, so JJ told them to hit a café near the hotel, and just wait. JJ had then shut off communications for fear of the bitching that would ensue.

Now, he slowly felt boredom creeping upon him. If she was going to meet someone, he silently wished he would hurry up and get there. At least, JJ assumed it was a guy. His question was soonn answered as a man walked over to the bench she was sitting on. He sat at the opposite end and set the briefcase that he was carrying down on the pavement. Annie scooted down the bench and got close enough for the two of them to converse in secret.

JJ quickly came out of his hiding place and threw a hat over his face. He walked slowly over to the pair, and tried to pick up a piece of the conversation. He pretended to drop something and bent over in an attempt to grab something of the conversation.

"..they should be enough," the man said.

"If my brother shows up, these?ll tear up the ligaments, right?" Annie asked, looking at the case.

"Yes ma?am. Besides, JJ won?t see this coming," he answered, turning in JJ?s direction.

JJ quickly made it look like he was looking for something, and the man turned back to Annie.

"Good, so we now have weaponry, and these," she said, digging around in the purse sitting next to her, "4000 dollars, a thousand for each, isn?t it?"

"That would be correct. Cash always makes these kinds of transactions easier," the man said, glancing in JJ?s direction again.

Annie quickly handed the money over, causing the man to lose eye contact with JJ again. JJ was starting to sweat, so he stood up, and gasped when he got a look at the man?s face.

***********

Sean and Jamie sat in the café, sipping on espressos. Both of them were tired and pissed off at JJ. "How could he have just let us off so easily?" Jamie asked, stirring her cup of coffee.

"He?s in a ?I am going to catch and possibly kill Annie? mindset and sadly, nothing will pull him out of it. Look at what happened. He had to shoot her. That?s unthinkable. I would be just as unstable as he is right now if I was in that position," Sean explained, sipping the coffee.

"True, but at the same time, you would think he would talk to one of us about it. He?s never been so shut up.?

"I think he?s suffering in part from post traumatic stress disorder and in part from grief," Sean said, setting his cup down.

"Either way, I don?t think sending him into this mission was the best of ideas on the Chief?s part," Jamie replied.

"True, but who are we to question him?" Sean observed, getting a queer glance from Jamie.

"Why shouldn?t we?" she retorted, her eyebrow rising.

"I mean, he?s the boss, right?" Sean said quickly.

"Yeah, but we have freedom of..." Jamie started.

An explosion ripping through the café interrupted her and forced the pair to throw themselves onto the ground. The remains of the storefront then showered upon them, causing both operatives to curse. Jamie was the first to get up and she immediately spotted a shadow running off, so she began to pursue it.

"Sean, go through the other side and try to cut him off!" Jamie shouted behind her as she ran.

Sean nodded and leaped to his feet, taking off around the other side of the building. As he came round a corner, he stumbled on a random bush and jumped it only to land in a rose bush. He cursed loudly and pulled his leg out of it, not noticing the shadow running right towards him.

The pair collided, throwing Sean on his already scratched leg. He howled in pain, and at the same time, winced as Jamie shot the suspect in the leg. "That ought to keep him still," She said dryly.

Sean threw the guy off himself and stood up. He looked at his surroundings and noticed that it was surprisingly quiet, considering the explosion that had just taken place. He did not stop to wonder about it, but instead stood on the suspect?s leg. "What the hell did you blow up that café for?"

"To throw you all off. As it is, the robbery has already begun, and you two are behind, while your pathetic friend is trying to stop all three of the team. The Vatican shall weep when the bones are taken, and the first step towards the Beginning shall be taken!" the man replied, throwing his hood back.

Jamie gasped and Sean just shook his head as the thrown back hood revealed none other than a resident artist in the office codenamed Boo. Sean kicked him in the leg once more and then slammed the butt of his gun into the man?s head. Boo?s cackling stopped and he slumped on the ground. Sean spat on him and motionned for Jamie to leave. Finally, sirens began to get near and they sure as hell did not want to be caught at the scene of this crime.

They ran for a bus stop and got on a bus, riding it all the way to the Vatican on pure luck. They got off and switched head communications on. A faint buzz was heard, and Sean barked into the headset, "JJ, are you there?"

"Duh. What?s up guys?" JJ asked.

"You?re not...oh son of a bitch," Sean said, slapping his forehead.

"Something?s definitely not right. We need to get into the museum, and look for... Oh my god. They?re after St. Peter?s bones!" Jamie shouted.

"JJ, meet us at the entrance to the Basilica!" Jamie said, running full speed into the plaza.

Sean tried to keep up with her, but for some reason, Jamie had gained a second wind as she flew through the archway. Sean quickly came in second as the three of them stopped in front of the big fountain they had been sitting on just the day before.

All three of them were out of breath, but it seemed like their minds were working as one as they ran up the stairs, jumping three or four barriers on the way. The guards made moves towards them, but Jamie just flung her identification badge at them and kept running. Very few things could stop the threesome as they also pulled out guns. They burst through the door and a body at the front desk greeted them.

"They are here," Sean said.

"Naw shit," Jamie retorted sarcastically.

"What are we going to do?" JJ asked, looking down the three halls.

"It?s kind of obvious, isn?t it?" Jamie replied.

"One of us per hall?" Sean stated, pointing them out.

JJ looked around and noticed a red scarf fluttering from the right hallway. The memory hit him hard and he ran down the hall. He turned on communications, but just ignored Jamie and Sean?s gripes. He had her. He finally had her.

The red scarf was something nobody but he and Annie would ever notice. It was the sign that one of them was currently busy, whether it be entertaining someone or with work. That meant she was up to something. JJ picked up his pace with this thought. He ran past the signs proclaiming the Tomb of St. John Paul the II and entered the crypt of Popes.

Only a dim lamp lit up the dark area. He saw movement near the tomb of John Paul the II and jumped over the rail with a "thump". The shadow fled and JJ was tempted to give chase until he noticed something near the so-called resting place of St. Peter?s bones. A second shadow had carved a hole in the glass and was giving the bones to a third shadow. JJ could not control himself anymore.

"STOP THAT NOW!" he yelled out.

"We?ve been compromised, take the bones and run!" A feminine voice said, shoving the bones into the shadow?s hands. It then moved into the light in front of the glass and revealed itself none other than Annie.

"Long time, no see," Annie said.

"I could say the same but I saw you buy the...tendon tearer earlier today," JJ said, spitting on the ground.

"I honestly wish I could tell you what?s going on. I wish it didn?t have to come to this, but dear brother, it is so."

She pulled out a knife.

"Ah, so you want a knife fight, ?eh?" JJ taunted her, brandishing one of his own.

A loud yell ripped throughout the museum as Annie and JJ charged one another.

**********

Sean was having no luck. He had walked through the Basilica enough times to know that there was not a single soul inside. He sighed and sat down on one of the pillars? base. If he couldn?t help, then what was he doing in the museum in the first place? His chance suddenly came as a head popped up from a vent in the floor. Sean threw himself behind the pillar and watched as someone, along with a box of some sorts pulled up from the vent.

Sean listened carefully to his headset and almost yelped when JJ?s voice came on panting and strained.

"The box... bones... stop them!"

Sean cursed and made a jump for the guy, causing him to shoot at the door. Sean heard him yell, but he did not try to make it out. He just cursed and whipped out his pistol. He hated this part, but it was vital. Sean decided to try one more tactic, shouting at the runner.

It did not help, so Sean shot. He missed and the target began to tug the door open. Sean yelled again and he was ignored. He moved to follow, but stopped when a gunshot rang out from outside. It caused him to pause only for a second before he flung the door open and followed.

A second gunshot rang out and Sean fell down, dead.

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

Jamie knew something was wrong when the gunshots rang out, but she was not sure what. She continued to walk down the hall, not noticing the fleeting shadow behind her. She never heard the footsteps that seemed in time with hers. She would not have felt the blade across her neck either if she had not decided to stretch at that time, causing her to assault her assaulter.

She was shocked, but quickly recovered and kicked him in the gut. That caused her assaulter to bend over and grunt in pain. Jamie then dealt a fist onto the back of his neck, bringing him to his knees. She grinned and kneed him in the face, giving him a nosebleed.

"You won?t be getting away, no worries," Jamie said.

"So is this how we?re going to solve all of our problems dear?" her boyfriend said, looking back at her.

Jamie gasped and stepped back. She could not, no; she would not believe that she had just beaten up the most important person in her life. She took another step back and began to sob. She took a third step back and collapsed in a heap. Her sobs rose as Trevor stood up.

"Never turn your back on an enemy Jamie," he advised, throwing his leg at her face.

She dodged to the side and grabbed his leg. He countered by turning and kicking her in the head. She went down, but came back instantly with a snarl on her face and a gun in her hand. He whipped out one of his own and the standoff began.

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

Annie and JJ clashed knives and jumped back a step. JJ threw every thought of Annie being his sister out and concentrated only on the fact that he was fighting an enemy. He swung a long arc in hopes of cutting her arm, but she blocked him.

They continued to trade blows in this manner with Annie following up in the same technique. This went on until JJ, while on the counter, swept Annie?s legs out from under her. She fell on her back, stunned. JJ was about to set a foot on her stomach when Annie brought her knife in a swinging motion across the tendon in the back of his leg. He howled in pain and fell to the ground.

A look of pure energy passed between the two as they leaped to their feet.

"You won?t win that easily," they both said in unison, not stopping to think about it.

They rushed at each other feet and knives blazing. JJ threw out his knife and feet in an intricate pattern of kicks and knife jabs at Annie?s neck. She dodged and continually tried to sweep JJ?s feet out from under him in return.

To the casual eye, it would look like nothing more than a learned dance, one danced many a times before. To JJ and Annie, it was a deadly game. One they had played so many times, but neither of them wanted to finish it. They both had many opportunities, but it seemed like neither of them really wanted to kill the other.

It all came to a screeching halt when both of the twins? radios echoed a gunshot. They both stopped dead in their tracks and looked at each other.

"If I break eye contact, one of two things will happen. I will go in for a kick and knock her out, or she?ll go for me," JJ thought to himself.

He did not wait another second. He jumped and spun himself in mid-air, extending a foot. It slammed in the side of Annie?s head and caused her to crumple downwards, but before JJ could bring his foot correctly under him, Annie slammed her knife into his leg and twisted the blade.

JJ howled in pain and dropped to the ground. He watched as Annie tried to stand up and mindlessly reached for his gun, aimed and fired. He was not going to let Annie kill him like this and not get some form of payback. A red hole in her right shoulder appeared and she looked back at JJ.

To JJ, through the tears pouring down her face, she was trying to tell him something, but the pain made it impossible. She then made a run for the outside, clutching at her shoulder.

JJ ignored her and grabbed on a rail to heave himself upward. His leg was wounded, so he would have to hope that at least one of his team members was still alive.

"Help..." he weakly said into his headset. "I?m in the tomb, hurt badly. I need some help guys."

*********

Jamie and Trevor stood, guns pointed out, sweat pouring down their faces. They also had heard the gunshot, but neither of them was going to blink. They had each other in the crosshair and one of them was not going leave this place alive, despite their love.

"So, is this how we?re going to end, Trevor?" Jamie asked, beginning to circle.

"I guess so, Jamie dearest," Trevor answered, an evil grin creeping up his face.

"What the hell do you have to be grinning about, you lying bastard?" she asked, putting pressure on her trigger.

"Oh, now I?m the lying bastard, miss ?It?s just a work convention??" Trevor retorted.

Jamie bit her lip. They both had lied to one another. They were on opposite sides of it all and at the same time, she just wanted to run into his arms and cry. Jamie fought back tears and stopped circling. She was not going to die. Hopefully, neither was he, but Jamie had no idea how this was going to go.

"I guess love isn?t going to save us this time, is it?" Jamie said sadly.

"Love, babe, it?ll always save us in the end," Trevor said and pulled the trigger.

Jamie was ready and as she fell, she pulled her trigger and shot Trevor in the stomach. The look of surprise on his face caused her to break out into tears as she hit the floor. The pain in her arm did not even begin to compare to the pain in her heart. As soon as she could breathe regularly again, she got up and walked over to her boyfriend.

He was coughing each time he breathed and Jamie was worried she had hit something important. She put her gun to Trevor?s head and waited until he opened his eyes again. He could only jump in surprise. Jamie quieted him.

"There, there pet. Things?ll be alright soon. I promise," she said, loading the barrel.

"I love you Jamie,"

He closed his eyes in anticipation.

"I love you too, you lying bastard," Jamie answered and pulled the trigger.

Tears spilled onto her cheeks as she stuffed the muzzle of the gun into her mouth. Her last thought was "I hope we see each other again."

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

JJ cursed aloud. No one was answering and his progress was minimal. His leg was gushing blood and the ripped piece of shirt was not helping. As it stood right now, it was soaked and leaking.

JJ was not sure how much longer he was going to last. He switched his headset to the one frequency you should never set it to and said three words. "Help, Tomb, Dying."

JJ?s vision then turned to black. He landed face first on the white tile.

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

"Good job ladies. Sakura, your timing in the hallway was magnificent. The explosions you set off were brilliant too," Boss said, smiling.

"And Reve, baby, the bones, we have them! You?ve done an excellent job. I didn?t want to tell Annie, but Trevor and Alan needed to die. You?ve done us quite a favor. I believe the Pants Goddess will be very pleased," he continued.

The brown haired girl flashed a thumbs-up and the black haired girl smiled. They had completed their first mission perfectly. The lights went out in the conference room and the halo projector shut off. The two girls left the room and closed the door.

About a week later...

JJ sat in the wheelchair above Sean?s grave. His funeral was a quick, government funded one involving a couple of agents, his family and a few close friends. The coffin was black with a folded American flag on top. JJ just sat there and cried inside.

He could not do it anymore. Sitting through Jamie and Trevor?s joint funeral was too much for him and he broke down. Between tears and sobs, constant, ?It?s all my fault??s weaved themselves in.

James and the Shineys were there for moral support and Lancelot served as a pillow, in which JJ?s embrace held. Afterwards, JJ just sat, dead to the world. Even Purple could not get more than two words out of him. It was a struggle for him, mentally and physically.

Now, he sat, tightlipped, his eyes following the sinking coffin. He had to stay strong. This was cake compared to the next one. The next funeral was Alan?s funeral. A very good friend of his would be there. Raina. JJ had to stay strong for her. He had to. There was no other way of doing things.

JJ turned away from the coffin. He had a plane to catch[/font]

Here we are ladies and gents. This is the end of the Rome Arc of ATOTS. I know it has been a bit rough, but hey, you?ve stuck this far in. I hope this chapter fulfills everyone?s gritty wants.

For now, I?d like to give Circéus a gigantic thanks for his work. Proofreader rocks!

[Ezekiel]

[SIZE=1]*is now teh sad*

I actually had tears in my eyes at one point there...you meanie. u_u

I think having me kill myself was a surprisingly good choice on your part, it kept the drama going, put the scene to a nice (haha, but not really >>) end and kept me in character. I'm sad Trevor and I had to fight, but at least we didn't hate each other while fighting, if you get my point.

I do believe the writing of this has gotten better as the chapters have progressed, so well done.[/SIZE]

[Solo Tremaine]

[color=#503f86]That wasn't what I was expecting at all ^_^;

[i]Very[/i] good stuff, Josh, seriously. I was hooked the whole way through. The pacing in this one worked much more freely than in the previous two chapters- it was much smoother, much easier to keep track of.

I'm interested to know if the Shineys will play a larger role later in the series, heh.

Can't wait for more ^_____^[/color]

[Boo]

[quote=Joshy Wooshy][size=1]"To throw you all off. As it is, the robbery has already begun, and you two are behind, while your pathetic friend is trying to stop all three of the team. The Vatican shall weep when the bones are taken, and the first step towards the Beginning shall be taken!" the man replied, throwing his hood back.

Jamie gasped and Sean just shook his head as the thrown back hood revealed none other than a resident artist in the office codenamed Boo. Sean kicked him in the leg once more and then slammed the butt of his gun into the man?s head. Boo?s cackling stopped and he slumped on the ground.[/size][/quote]

[size=1]I'm honoured!... I think ¬.¬

Nice piece of writing here Joshy. I didn't quite read the whole thing, but I'm sure it's nice all the way.[/size]

[Guest Sean]

[SIZE=1]=o

I...died...

I'm not too sure but was it Sakura who shot me?

Geh, the deaths were amazing...there was so much action in this chapter, I'm interested to see what happens in the upcoming series. You rule! =D

Congrats on such a good first 'saga' type of thing, yeah, that works. *waits for more*[/SIZE]

[JJ]

[Color=DarkSlateGrey]Well it's good to see everyone's enjoyed the chapter.

Now I've got some homework for you guys. ^_^

I've seen a couple of theories spring up, but what do you guys think is going on? What's Annie doing, why Boo was there, what Cherry Blossum and Change have to do with the plot..etc.

I'm interested to see what you guys can pull out of what's been written so far.

~Happy Trails![/color]

[Annie]

[size=1][color=indigo] ;_; That was tragic. It was so sad to see Trevor and Jamie die like that--but true love took them both to a better place.

And you shot me, you bastard! XD

Kidding, of course. I'll agree with Jamie, the writing has gotten better through the chapters. I think you're starting to pour your emotions into this story, and that's how a writer becomes great. That's how stories become heart-felt, not just by the author, but by the readers. Keep it up.[/size][/color]

[JJ]

[Font=Arial][B]Throw Me Down and Fuck Me[/B] (Working Title)

?The mountains are beautiful, aren?t they?? JJ asked, smiling.

?Of course. Skiing in the Alps. Who would have thought both of us would get the time to do this?? she responded.

?Not me. So what are we going to do when we get to the top?? he replied, his smile growing.

?Ski, of course. What else did we buy new skis for?? she exclaimed.

?I?m already ready to go.? JJ said, looking out the car.

JJ spotted something to his right. It was just a quick gleam of sunlight, but JJ recognized it instantly. It was the gleam of a sniper rifle. Two seconds was all he had. Two seconds.

It was already too late when he threw her to the ground of the cable car. Blood was spurting from her shirt, spreading into her white jacket. Before they could leave the car, she would be dead, her jacket blood red. And JJ could not do a single thing. He let out a wail and brought the gun out of his pocket. She died, why should he live? It was time to eat the bullet. He stuck the muzzle in, closed his eyes and?

shot up in bed. His breathing was rapid and raspy and the other two inhabitants of the room were awakened as well.

?JJ, are you OK?? the shadow on the right asked, turning the lamp on and putting on her glasses.

?Yeah, I?m fine, just a bad dream.? JJ replied.

He wiped his brow. The shadow on his left just turned back over, but the woman on his right threw a pillow at him.

?Lazy butt, get up!? she scolded.

?Meh.. five more minutes Kei,? he muttered and rolled over.

?Hugo, get your lazy butt up. JJ?s had a nightmare and if we?re not careful he?ll keep us up all night,? she chattered as she got up.

?Haha. Just because I can?t sleep doesn?t mean you guys shouldn?t. It?s four AM and we?ve got ski plans for later,? JJ said, slipping into a pair of jeans.

?Kei, don?t argue, just do,? Hugo said.

He rolled over to face the wall.

?Hugo, shut up. Just get your lazy butt up already so we can all get ready to go. We?ll be getting up in an hour or two anyway. Up and at ?em,? Kei exclaimed.

She then threw a book at the lump under the covers.

?Hey! That was my book!? JJ grumbled.

?Yeah, don?t throw JJ?s books around,? Hugo moaned as he rolled out of bed.

?Both of you stop your belly aching and get ready. I?m hungry,? Kei stated, walking into the bathroom.

?Women. I?ll never understand them,? Hugo told JJ as he threw on a shirt.

?I don?t think we were meant to understand them,? the other boy answered and stepped into his ski pants.

?I heard that!? rang from the bathroom and both men chuckled.

?Yup. This is the life. Being able to ski, much less walk is something you really take for granted,? JJ started.

?JJ, I can tell you, after seeing you in the wheelchair, I had my doubts. You?re going to be pissed, but I though you had hit an obstacle you couldn?t get over,? the other man said solemnly.

JJ just stared at Hugo for a second. This kind of statement was something he was almost positive Hugo would never say, unless something else was going on. It was then that he noticed Hugo?s winking. He could have beaten Hugo up had Kei not picked this moment to walk out.

?Hugo, I thought I told you not to talk about that,? She yelled.

?Kei, ixnay on the ellingye. He doesn?t need to know what?s going on under our roof,? Hugo whispered, winking at JJ again.

?Oh, so now you want to keep all of our conversation private do you? Shall I tell JJ about a certain person?s fetish for socks?? Kei asked with an innocent look.

?You wouldn?t dare,? Hugo started.

?Oh, don?t think I wouldn?t,? she replied, a smirk on her lips.

?You guys can go at it all you want, but I need to go get some fresh air. I?ll meet you outside when you?re done,? JJ said.

With that he walked out the front door. He sighed as he heard more yelling, followed by laughing. He quickly moved away from the room for the sake of staying sane and getting the fresh air he required. The week had been going well so far and to top it off, he had not heard from the chief, which meant Annie was not on the move. Which was a very good thing.


?Have you sent anyone after the target yet?? Mimmi, a.k.a. the Pants Goddess asked.

?Yes, Team Flower is en route and it?s been decided that the target will also join their group,? Boss replied with a bow.

?Good, good. Annie dearest, you don?t mind, do you?? Mimmi questioned, turning around toward the bed behind her.

Annie moaned as she sat up. Her outfit of the moment, a typical school girl outfit with hiked up skirts and tired up shirt, did not seem to display her mood A barely visible bandage snaked its way around her right shoulder. It was tinged with pink and dingy.

?I think I popped the stitches again.? she said after Mimmi shooed Boss out.

The other woman walked over to Annie?s bed.

?We?ll just have that new nurse, what?s-his-face, patch it up,? she cooed.

?But should we really be doing anything, ?physical? before I get it patched again? I?m a bit worried about it still not healing,? Annie protested, lying back down.

?Well, if you?re that worried about it, I could scrounge up some entertainment for us. I think we found a traitor the other day who?s yet to be played with, shall I call for her?? Mimmi purred, feeding her a cherry from the dish sitting by the bed.

?No chocolate?? Annie asked innocently.

?You said you did not want to do anything ?physical? Annie dearest,? Mimmi teased.

?Who said I always tell the truth?? Annie shot back.

She moved toward Mimmi. It was then a knock on the door interrupted the pair. Annie turned to Mimmi, who smiled.

?Looks like the package?s here.?

Annie smiled back, although to anybody, it would look forced. In reality, Annie hated watching things like this, because most of the time it was someone she knew or somewhat cared about. The torture and pain that Mimmi inflicted had given Annie nightmares at first, but (?she knew?) it was all for the better cause.

The heap of human the thugs dragged in this time, however, was not getting an ounce of sympathy from Annie. She could have spotted that face anywhere. It was her, Lemon. What a bitch she was. Always going on about how she would one day bring Annie down from her podium and become Mimmi?s favorite.

Annie spat on her as she was dragged by.

?I hope you?re proud of yourself.?

Lemon held her head high and said aloud, ?Annie, you?re a bitch, get over yourself and come down from your pedestal. Mimmi?s a cruel-hearted bitch and you know it. One day, it?ll be you sitting here and from wherever I am, I?ll laugh at you. I?ll laugh as you beg for mercy. I?ll laugh as she??

Annie could not take another word. She extended her hand and slapped Lemon. Hard. The woman went sprawling to the ground and Annie?s hand most certainly left a mark. Lemon scowled at Annie. She just smiled back.

It was then that Mimmi and her whip came to Lemon?s attention. It was a simple leather whip, but everyone feared it. Lemon trembled and stopped as Mimmi bent over, placing her face to face with Lemon.

?Who did you send information to?? Mimmi asked, snapping the whip.

?I have nothing to say to you,? Lemon answered.

?Don?t make this hard on yourself. I can make your death a short one, or a very long, very painful one,? Mimmi threatened, snapping the whip a second time.

?Do your worst, bitch, you?re not getting anything out of me,? Lemon replied.

She spat in Mimmi?s face. Mimmi, not one for taking things like that lightly, let her whip do the talking and quickly nicked Lemon three times in the face, drawing blood each time. The women shuddered, but never cried out. Mimmi began to circle the woman.

?Give up, this is just the beginning!? she shouted.

She cracked her whip three times and relived Lemon of her shirt. Now Mimmi had more space to work with and she brought her entire force behind her hits (there?s something weird that last clause.). Welts appeared all over torso and face as blood began to freely flow. Mimmi paused.

?NOW!? Mimmi yelled, ?Tell me who you transmitted to. Now.?

Lemon just stared at her.

?I won?t.?

?Well then, I think there?s something on the table that?ll help this. Annie, hand me the salt, now,? Mimmi commanded.

Annie quickly scrambled to the table and tossed the other woman the salt grinder. She grimaced as Mimmi began to grind and rub salt into Lemon?s already open wounds. She screamed out in pain and Mimmi laughed.

?Annie, be a dear and hand me the water bottle as well,? she shouted over Lemon?s screams of pain.

Annie scambled again and the screaming stopped. Mimmi had poured the water over the wound and washed the salt out, bringing Lemon?s nerves to peace.

?Now, we needn?t go any further. I?m feeling generous today. Tell me who you were transmitting to and I?ll let you live,? Mimmi cooed, causing Lemon to smile.

?It was the CIA. They hired me to pull every movement of Team Flower and Annie?s team,? Lemon practically cried, on the verge of tears.

?Good, good girl. Here, drink some water,? Mimmi said quietly.

It was then that she struck. Annie never saw the knife enter nor leave the neck. All she saw was Lemon?s head rolling.

***********

?It?s been almost three months. I haven?t been there for the Shineys or Lancelot. I haven?t been there for myself.? JJ mused to himself out on the balcony of the hotel.

He had been sitting there for about three quarters of an hour, but JJ did not mind. He had never seen Kei and Hugo so happy and he really didn?t want to spoil that because he was being a spoilsport. Besides, he needed to call the Shineys and James.

JJ whipped out his cell phone and typed in the number. It rang three times and James picked up.

?Hello??

?James, it?s JJ. Are the Shineys already asleep??

?Nope, Purple?s been really, depressed of late, I think hearing your voice might cheer him up.?

?Put him on.?

JJ listened as James in a soft voice told Purple who was on the phone. JJ smiled as he heard Purple put the phone to where he could hear it.

?Hey big guy, it?s me. I miss you a lot and I wish you were here. I sent you a postcard. And of course, I?m bringing you all a present. Keep being good and don?t be sad.? JJ said, wiping a tear away.

?Hello?? James said after a minute of silence.

?Yeah, is Lancelot there?? JJ responded, sadness thick in his voice.

?Nope, he?s asleep.?

?Don?t wake him. I?ll call, later.?

?JJ, stop it. You?re stronger than this. Stop letting everything get to you.?

?I know, I?ll call later.?

JJ shut his phone and dried his tears. Kei and Hugo were coming and they didn?t need to catch him crying.

?You guys have fun?? JJ asked, chuckling.

?All we did was talk.? Hugo responded innocently.

?I think you guys just need to get your own room. I?m just disturbing your natural cycles.? JJ said, chuckling.

Kei shot him a dirty look and Hugo punched him lightly on the arm. The group they had was something JJ treasured and would always treasure. Almost as much as he treasured his sister?

?Let?s go get something to eat. I?m starving.? JJ exclaimed as Hugo waved a hand in front of JJ?s face.

Hugo shrugged his shoulder as Kei pointed in JJ?s direction. Hugo just followed JJ?s lead and went back inside. Kei sighed loudly and was the last to go inside, shutting the door behind her. She would never understand men.

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

?That was all she said?? James skeptically asked the Step-in Chief.

?Yes, the Pants Goddess is sending a team to retrieve a student at a French boarding school with exceptional computer skills. His codename?s BJ. I?m activating JJ?s team to go after and retrieve the target before the other team. He starts now. Call him,? STI Chief told James grimly.

?You can?t just do this to him. He?s a freaking wreck as it is right now. He has no need to even think about going into the field. All he?ll do is put Wolf and Katze in jeopardy. Do you think that?s right? I respect your decisions Sam, but don?t you think you?re going a bit far this time?? James questionned.

?No, and don?t question me,? Sam replied quickly.

?Whatever. You?d just better hope the Chief gets better soon,? James said grimly, slamming the door behind him.

?Damn teacher. Always wants to protect the stupid ?kid?. I swear, the CIA had no business signing him up in the first place,? Sam muttered as he shuffled the papers on his desk.

?Who the hell are you to say anything like that?? James said, slamming the door back open.

?The guy your precious chief put in charge. Now, go call JJ or I?ll cause more trouble for you then you?ll know how to deal with,? Sam said.

He slammed the file in his hand on the desk. Papers flew out in every direction, one or two catching James?s eye. He moved up to Sam?s desk.

?These?they?re orders. You?re sending in another team to kill the team Mimmi?s sending? Are you fucking mad? What if they confuse the teams?? James shouted.

?Tough shit,? Sam replied.

?You bastard. You call that second team off. It?s too much of a risk,? James demanded.

?No, and if you don?t leave my office this instant, I?m calling security and having you fired,? Sam calmly retorted, sitting back down at his desk.

?Whatever, asshole,? James said, flustered, as he stomped out of the office.

?He?s going to have to be eliminated, if this is going to work,? Sam muttered. ?Damn fire-blooded idiot. Probably in love or something of the sort.?

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

?Yeah, you know, eating too much isn?t good for skiing,? JJ said, patting his stomach.

?Right,? Kei chuckled.

?I never said anything of the sort. You?re putting words in my mouth,? he replied casually.

?What are you talking about JJ?? Hugo questioned.

?What, what did I say?? JJ asked back.

?Never mind. We need to go get our skis and boots, then catch the bus, then go ski. In that order,? Kei quickly said.

Hugo and JJ nodded as they got in the elevator. At the last second, Hugo stepped out of the elevator, leaving JJ alone. He looked puzzled, but did not say anything. He had a key to the room and that was really all he needed.

At the same time though, why would Hugo leave? He had been thinking a lot about Purple and the others, but he did not think he was that out of it. His next question was about the leaving incident. What had just happened? It was as if Hugo did not?

?Oh my god,? he exclaimed aloud.

It was then that his phone rang and his theory was confirmed. Hugo and Kei had been hired by the CIA for whatever reason. He cursed aloud and picked up.

?What??

?It?s me again.?

?James, you?re calling from work and you sound flustered, what?s up??

?You?ve got an assignment.?

?Shit no.?

?Yup. The Pants Goddess has sent a team to retrieve one, BJ, from his boarding school in France. Your job, bring him to us. Not hard. Of course Kei and Hugo are accompanying you.?

?How long have they been working with the CIA? If I may ask.?

?Longer than you. They were a part of the team? well, let?s just say, they?re very established here.?

?Great. Great. You?d better have a good excuse on all this. Let me talk with the Chief.?

?No can do. Sam?s on Chief duty and I?ve already exploded at him. I really don?t think you need to.?

?I?m really starting to not care what you think James.?

?JJ...?

?When?s our flight??

?Six hours from the airport you flew into. Just show your passport to the guy at the ticket counter 10B to get to where you need to go.?

?Right, look, you?d better be by your phone so I can call. I don?t like this mission one bit.?

?Right, and JJ??

?Yeah??

?Watch out. I... the shineys would not be pleased if you got hurt again.?

?Right.?

?Bye.?

?Bye.?

JJ shut his phone and sighed again. Why was everyone acting so freaking weird today? He at least had an excuse, although when he got through with Kei and Hugo, they will have wished they had told him. He walked into the room. He never saw the shadow. He never saw the vase and he never felt it knock him unconscious.[/font]

[Ezekiel]

[SIZE=1]A very enjoyable read once again, Josh. *claps*

I have one criticism, and its not really that bad, but that was far too long for my tastes. I ended up scan reading the last part, because I have a bad habit of doing that when text gets too long. I think it would have been better if you split this into two parts for easier reading.

Also, I'm really amused because I know who Lemon is...teehee.

I have to say, this really brings me back to our old AIM role-plays of days gone by. Good times, good times.[/SIZE]

[Guest angelkillerslay]

[FONT=Franklin Gothic Medium]COOL STORY!![/FONT] ITS ENDING I SORT OF IROIC AND UNEXPECTED. :D AND THE PLOT IS,NT SO BAD TOO ITS PRITTY GOOD

[Hevn]

This is really good JJ. I like the Rome Arc very much. You killed Alan though, so... *shoots you in the head*

Kidding. *gives you Phoenix Down* XD

I really like that last chapter of the Rome Arc. I mostly get bored of reading action stuff but yours is not boring at all. Good good good job. :)

[Revelation]

[size=1][color=#B2566B]Whoa! Wowzers, I didn't even know I was in this story until you put up that Cast List! I'm so happy ^_^! But... why the name Change? Anywhozits, I'm glad to see that you got another chapter up, I should be writing in mine as well but I'm a bit lazy XP.

Keep up the work and I can't wait to know who this mysterious man is.[/size][/color]