The Redemption of Ace Merrill

Do your job Chambers.

Stella crept down the stairs, following Eyeball slightly as Billy and Charlie in turn followed her.

"Ouch Billy that was my fucking foot!" Stella quickly snapped as the four attempted to navigate themselves in the darkly lit corridor under the B&B.

"Sorry ma'am." Billy mumbled quietly.

"I didn't know all this stuff was under here." Charlie mumbled as he looked around as they past various cardboard boxes.

"Old files and crap from the B&B." Stella mumbled as she briefly looked them over.

"Sshhh!" Eyeball shushed them all as they reached a corner.

They all froze as they heard Salvatore and Seth's voice talking in a hushed tone.

"You think he's actually fit to date her?!" They heard Salvatore snap harshly.

"He showed you upstairs and you know it. The kids as harsh as you were." Seth replied.

"He's just a kid." Salvatore grumbled.

"Funny how your backstories are very similar."

"We're nothing alike." Salvatore responded as his calm manner returned.

"You might claim to be nothing alike. But Salvatore, none of us would have just shot that guy."

Eyeball, Stella, Billy and Charlie all shared a silent glance. Had Ace actually shot someone?!

"The kid did what needed to be done." Salvatore responded calmly.

"He's not a killer Salvatore." Seth snapped. "Don't turn him into one."

Salvatore was heard laughing slightly. "I'm not doing anything. Anything he does is his own choice."

Stella's hand flew out and clutched at Eyeball's arm as he gave her a small comforting smile.

"Get rid of them." Stella whispered.

"What?!" Eyeball whispered back.

"I need to get into that room."

"With all due respect ma'am-" Eyeball started.

"I know the guy that tried to kill me is in there, I know the guy that shot Austin is in there and I know you're going to do as I say and get rid of Seth and Salvatore so I can get in there." She snapped back.

"That's not exactly a smart move there." Charlie mumbled as Stella turned to look at him and Billy.

"I don't care whether it's smart or not. You're gonna do it because I'm ordering you too."

"Ace might have killed him though..." Billy mumbled as he almost seemed to not to want to believe it.

Stella shook her head slowly. "Ace isn't like that."

"You sure now?" Charlie asked, staring at her. "He ain't the only one that's changed." His eyes drifted to Eyeball.

"Hey I did what had to be done!" Eyeball snapped quietly.

"And now this has to be done so fucking do it now Chambers!" Stella quickly snapped.

"Do your job Chambers." She snapped harshly.

Yet before Eyeball could say anything they heard Seth speak up again.

"Let's just see how Ace handles this new bit of information. Reckon he should have woken the boss by now?"

Salvatore didn't respond straight away.

"We leaving him here?" Seth asked as the others assumed he was talking about the gunman.

"Let him die." Salvatore snapped as they heard his footsteps.

Eyeball slowly peeked around the corner as he saw Seth and Salvatore quickly walking away.

"They're gone already." Eyeball mumbled as he came back to face Stella.

"Great." She snapped.

Before he could warn her, she had reached into his jacket and grabbed his gun.

Taking off down the corridor as the others followed her.

"This don't feel right!" Charlie snapped as she opened the door and they all stared in.

A man had been tied up to a chair, mouth bound as his face was dripping with blood. His legs were tied to the legs of the chair as they all saw the holes in his knees of his trousers and shoes.

He'd been shot in the knees and feet.

Stella slowly walked forward as she shook off Eyeball's hands trying to pull her back.

She reached him as she raised the gun slowly, nudging his head with it as his head shot up.

Jumping back startled as he shook about awake, she felt Billy's arms around her, holding her back as Eyeball and Charlie moved themselves in front of her.

The man's attention landed on them as he tried to speak through the rope shoved in his mouth.

"The fuck did he say?!" Charlie snapped down at him.

Eyeball sighed as he moved closer and pulled the rope from the guys mouth.

"I've fucking told you everything you want to know!" He blurted out as he desperately tried to gasp for air. "You can get the fucking girl out in time!"

Eyeball and Charlie looked at each other in sync, their expressions showed confusion.

They turned back to Billy and Stella, who had steadied herself.

"The fuck does he mean?!" Billy snapped.

Yet his question was answered as a loud explosion was heard above them.

***** 5 minutes before *****

"WHERE THE FUCK IS MY DAUGHTER?!" Her father screamed as everyone stood outside, his anger directed at every agent and every cobra.

"Sir we searched the whole building." Hugo answered as he was completely stumped.

Stella, Eyeball, Charlie and Billy had been missing since Ace had come up to warn them of the bomb they'd found out about.

"What about Eyeball? And Billy and Charlie?!" Vince snapped. "Where the fuck are they?!"

"My daughter is top priority." Her father snapped as he took a few steps closer.

"Your fucking priority!" He snapped as he turned to his agents.

"Sir, she wasn't in the-" Wilder's sentence was interrupted as the building ahead of them was suddenly engulfed in fire and flames.

Each agent, cobra, Jordan and her father all stumbled backwards as Wilder and Graham almost dove on their boss.

The couple of staff members who had still been working were also protected by the agents as they watched their workplace go up in flames.

*****

Eyeball, Stella, Billy and Charlie all lay unconscious, half covered in rubble, stone, soot and dirt.

Eyeball's hand was outstretched towards Stella as Billy's and Charlie's almost met.

Not one moved.