Fragmented World - Round 5.5

"Gah!"

Iris let go of the gun and threw himself to the side, just one second before it exploded. The boy covered his head to protect himself from the falling parts, cursing loudly. Because of the incident earlier, he still couldn't think straight, and continuously made mistakes. This was the fifth time he tested this gun, and far from refusing to work, it even committed suicide. How pathetic.

Iris blew at his burnt fingers and stood up. He glared sullenly at the work table. He ran out of parts. Usually he went out periodically to re-stock, but lately Memphis had forbidden him to get out without an escort. However the Duochromatic assassins didn't exactly have that much free time. So, it's been weeks since Iris has been stuck home.

Still mumbling curses under his breaths, Iris took his coat and got dressed. He's going out. His work would not progress if he didn't have resources; it was one of the reasons how he got his gun blown up in the first place. Also, his supplier was only a few streets away. Grabbing a suitcase, he climbed out of the window.

"S-Sir! You are not supposed to leave. Sir Memphis sai-"

"I can take care of myself!" Iris shouted back at the guard. Quickly before he could protest, the purple boy disappeared behind layers of rooftops.

Serafina watched the headquarters from a distance, scheming silently. Blueprints surrounded her in her hiding place, sketched out of what she had seen of the inside of the building, as well as the outside. So far, she couldn't find a good opening. No way to get the twins back.

However, lady luck was smiling on her, it seemed. She watched as someone slipped out from the building. Perfect.

Silently, she abandoned the blueprints and equipped herself before leaving the clock tower that served as her temporary stronghold.

As soon as Sera stood up, a telephone somewhere rang.

"Wheee~" Roszascin leaned forward to picked it up. "Speak!"

"The target just left her place. She didn't take any of her belongings. The reason of her actions is unknown."

"Well, take the opportunity and destroy all her documents." Another phone rang. "I'll contact later." She hung up, and reached to the other phone, "Yeees?"

"The guards just reported. Iris walked out without an escort."

"Oh my." Ros exclaimed. "He sure likes causing troubles, doesn't he?" She blinked. " 'cept... This time he's in big trouble... Is anyone available?"

"They are all out for missions."

"Send out two, no, three units of guards after him. Hurry."

*

There was no way to walk on the rooftops anymore, so Iris clung to a drainpipe and swung himself to the street. He entered a small alley, which he knew was the shortest route to his supplier. He would get his parts and get back in no time.

That is where Sera cornered him, rushing at him from the other end of the alley.

[-inserts dramatic music here-]

Iris came to a halt. "What the-" He glanced at the woman in front of him questioningly. He wasn't there when Serafina broke in to capture Banafrit, nor was he very updated of the organization's enemies. All he knew was to finish the orders Memphis gave him, and he had been spending his days thinking about nothing but the weapons. However, the moment he saw this woman, he knew she didn't seek for anything good.

"Sir!"

Iris turned around to see a small group of people rushing to him. The DuochromaticsHQ's guards, definitely. They knew... Iris could only stand and stare as the fifteen young men formed a barrier around him and readied their riffles, all aimed at the woman in front of him.

Sera hesitated. These... Weren't assassins. They were guards. Force by sheer number was a problem, not to mention that they had the upper hand at this second, but either than that, they were relatively easy to dispose of. She thought quickly. Make a move and she'd be shot, unless...

She moved behind the wall of the nearby building.

"Wai- What are you doing?" Iris spun around in surprise as the guards tightened the barrier around him.

"Let's go, sir," said a young man who seemed to be their leader. "HQ ordered us to escort you back." He looked over his shoulder, towards where Sera just retreated. "Let's hurry."

"But-" Iris protested, but stopped. A guard cocked his rifle and prodded him from behind.

"No but, sir." He said roughly. "We need to get you back."

While five guards forced Iris to move, the two units rest silently moved towards the opposite direction. "Take off the woman, right?" One of them whispered.

While all of this was occuring, Sera silently scrambled up onto the roof Iris had leapt down from just a little while ago. Quickly, she pulled out two small objects, and threw one down at the ten guards that were planning to go after her, and the other at the retreating five with Iris in tow.

Stun bombs. They exploded with impact so there was no time to react, but the effects were only marginal. She had to act quickly from there.

"What the-" Iris glanced at the small object, surprised. At first glance he knew what it was, but he didn't have time to react, or to do anything.

[I'm unsure about the effect of the bombs, so I'm letting you continue. c:]

(Mostly, they just completely disorient the one it effects for about a minute... They really can't react.)

After the effect of the bomb was in play and all the guards were standing around staring blankly, she leapt off the roof, landed behind Iris, and like she did with Banafrit just a few days prior to this, she thrust her fingers into one of the pressure points on his neck. As soon as he was out cold, she hoisted him on her back and ran off as quickly as she could as the effects of the bomb wore off on the guards.

[I was just not sure if it was strong enough to throw them backwards... or to hurt... or to bleed... or something like that. *headdesk*]

"Not good..."

Ros threw the binoculars to the floor, causing a series of clanking sound. She strode through the room with large, angry steps. "Damn it, she's too fast. And they are like innocent lost children!"

She picked up the phone and dialed Memphis. Better let he know what just happened, and keep him updated. She was sure the woman would contact soon.

Sera took him as far as she could go before her wounds reopened and she was forced to come to a stop, hiding away in the closest abandoned building; an old factory.

Putting Iris down, she made sure that he didn't have any weapons hidden on him and then bound him, before leaving.

She offered a pedestrian wandering nearby a hefty sum of franks to take a message to the Duochromatics, and told him if they made a response, to meet her quite a few streets over at a certain time. She also offered another sum if he made sure not to tell them where he had met her.

The man hesitantly agreed, and with a letter that Sera quickly scrawled, he left.

Iris blinked twice before opening his eyes to a fuzzy reality. He was almost facing the floor - a very very dirty floor, even - and the place around him smelled like dust and rotten metal and cockroaches and rotten rats - Not a very welcoming atmosphere, if you think about it. Iris blinked again to make sure he wasn't dreaming. As he attempted to move, he felt a violent ache from the back of his neck. Wondering what was wrong, he tried to raise his hand to touch it...

That was when he realized he was bound.

Memories came back to him in a stream. "What the-" He started struggling, "What the hell?" Glancing around the place, he looked for the one to blame for his situation.

*

"So she contacted?"

Memphis glared at the letter that was addressed to him. In front of him, stood Ros, who nodded and confirmed, "Through a total outsider that was paid to do this delivery. He didn't know a thing."

"Did you locate her new hideout?"

"We're still on it."

Memphis sighed and opened the letter, "Well, I guess it can't be helped."

Sitting a little ways away on a crate of some sort was the blond bounty hunter, tying makeshift bandages over her reopened wounds in her arms that she made out of her shirt. She didn't look up from what she was doing when she heard Iris's surprised exclamation, rather, she finished tying the bandage and stated "Keep making noise and I'll gag you as well."

...

The letter was rather quickly written, but Serafina's handwriting was actually rather nice, even when it was just quickly jotted down, and easy to read.

Just as you have two of my allies, I have one of yours. So, this is a request for an exchange. The bounty hunters are to be returned to me alive, and I'll return this boy. If you agree to such a simple request, send the agreement to the same man who I sent. Try anything and I won't hesitate to kill my captive.

[Uh oh, I see an incoherence. XD That guy that Sera sent isn't supposed to know where she is, is he? Sera wouldn't trust a stranger that much, because it should be easy for the Duo to beat/to bribe the info outta him. ]

Iris struggled more, but all he managed was to cause the ropes to tighten around his limbs painfully. "What is the meaning of this? What are you trying to do? Who are you?"

*

The knocking on the door got Agapeto's attention. He stood up and came to receive the guest, who turned out to be Memphis.

"Good morning, how are you?" The boy handed him a bottle of medicines. "I brought this for you. Also..." He handed Agapeto the letter from Sera. After waiting a little while for the other to read it, he said, "... You know... She's got my brother."

(Oh lawl, you have a point. I'll have to fix that later. -w- )

Sera didn't say anything for a moment, finishing the other makeshift bandage before standing. "The Duochromatics took two men. Close friends of mine, practically brothers." She walked closer to Iris, then knelt. "...I'm not going to leave my family behind. And if they care anything about you, they'll return them." She replied simply, coldly.

...

(I'm assuming Agapito's in a different room, because otherwise he'd be like, "Hahaha, take THAT!" Or something like that.)

Agapeto blinked at him, and sighed. "Yup. It isn't the first, nor the last time she'll try something like this. She has a big thing about karma... er, you know... What goes around, comes around?"

[It happens. And I pay a lot of attention to small details. =w=b]

Iris looked rather surprised at this. "There gotta be a mistake somewhere- We don't take prisoners. Or hostages. If they haven't returned to you and you are sure that they are not dead, it's very likely that they have decided to join with us, miss."

*

[Yeah, he shouldn't be around. And lol, you make him sound like a total jerk.]

Memphis shook his head. "She is sadly mistaken. We are treating you and your brother well, while she is threatening to kill her captive. The Organization's law prohibits us from letting personal issues taking over, and I probably won't receive any back up from them if I report this... You are the only one that can help me. Would you, please, explain to your former comrade how sadly mistaken she is?"

"I highly doubt that." Sera replied curtly, gaze hardening. A bounty hunter... Becoming an assassin? It was absolutely ridiculous.

...

(I don't like Agapito and how he ended up developing. XD )

Agapeto hesitated, then nodded. "I guess I could try," He offered. He didn't mention that a bounty hunter teaming up with a group of assassins was kind of an unwritten taboo, and that Serafina... Definitely wouldn't be happy, that what she did with the news would be unpredictable. But he did owe Memphis at least that much for helping him and Agapito.

"I'm telling you the truth... Or at least, what seemed to be the truth for me." Iris said with a hind of bitterness in his voice. "So yeah. My point is that what you're doing is pretty pointless."

*

[Well, but we need characters like him once in a while. XD *pets Agapito*]

"I know I can count on you... Agapeto." Memphis patted the former bounty hunter on the shoulder. "Please take your time and write her a few words, while we find out how to contact to her. I'm counting on you." He repeated it before leaving the room and closing the door.

"Nothing is pointless." Serafina spat, standing. "There are two possibilities. They are dead and the Duos are to blame, or they are captives. Bounty Hunters don't go rogue!" She snapped, before turning and walking off to her bag of things sitting in one of the corners of the abandoned building, and rummaging around.

...

(Agapito: *Emos in a corner*)

Agapeto stood there for a moment, before sitting on the bed, burying his face in his hands. How in the world would he go about this? Sera would have a hard time believing that her closest allies had become... Turncoats? Well, he guessed so... Sort of, at least. And if finally she did believe him, there was no telling where Sera's wrath would lead. Most likely, it'd all end in flames.

After sitting there for a long moment, he finally got out a piece of paper and a quill and began to write...

Iris remained quiet, watching her. He didn't know the story, still he felt something that was like pity to the woman. He wouldn't feel so good if someone important, say, his brother, turned on him or something.

Iris blinked. This wasn't a good time to pity his capturer, not at all. He glanced around, trying to find something that he could use.

*

Memphis closed the door to see Ros waiting outside. "Did you locate her?"

"Not yet."

"Well, we'll find another way to contact. We'll make sure that she notices it."

(You know, I'm drawing complete blanks as to what I should put next... Should we skip forward in time some? )

[Sure. I don't know how you are stuck, so, just continue as you're pleased.]

Agapeto stopped writing finally, and sighed. He folded the paper up, and stood, hoping that that could convince Serafina with such a thing. Truth be told, he was afraid it wouldn't make much difference. If Sera learned that the kidnapping of the Duochromatic member was in vain... Well, he wouldn't put it past her to turn around and turn her prisoner in for a bounty.

But he had to hope.

He opened the door, aiming to find Memphis.

The boy was still there in the hallway. He had just sent somebody off. Hearing the footsteps, he turned around to greet Agapeto. "Already?"