With everyone else.
Mahiru's group arrived at the safehouse.
Mikuni paced. He was worried for his little brother, but mostly for Tsurugi because he was not supposed to be fighting anymore, he couldn't. Mikuni knew that Tsurugi hated being kept out of all the action, no matter how hard he tried to hide it, Mikuni just knew the black-haired boy better than anyone. Could see through him like a glass window. Could know what he was thinking as if he could read his mind. Well, I guess that's what happens when you've been around someone so much. Misono could take care of himself, so he didn't need to worry about him.
Alex sat at the table, tapping on the keyboard to her computer. Mikuni and Mahiru both knew that Alex was only trying to distract herself so that she wasn't thinking of Lucky, which obviously wasn't working and they could tell mostly because of how hard she was pressing the keys on the keyboard, which meant that distracting herself wasn't working.
Mahiru was sitting at the table reading through what Gear had given them. It was two hours later when the door opened. Mikuni immediately grabbed the gun that he had lying on the chair under the table. Alex just looked up for a few seconds before turning her attention back to her computer. Mahiru turned around in his chair to face the hallway that lead to the entrance, cause if it is the enemy then its better to be facing the enemy than dying with your back turned right.
Anyway, there were hush voices and quick footsteps and two people rounded the corner and everyone froze.
"Tsurugi?" Mikuni asked, eyes widening.
Tsurugi was leaning on Sakuya, with Sakuya's arm around him. He looked pale, his left hand was resting on his right shoulder. He was covered in blood. Sakuya had one arm wrapped around Tsurugi's waist holding him up and his left arm dangled at his side. Blood covered him as well.
"Well, hello! Could you please help us instead of staring?" Sakuya asked in a stuttering voice as he stumbled forward and gentled lowered Tsurugi into the chair that Mikuni had been sitting and collapsed into the chair next to him. Mahiru hurried into the kitchen, then into the bathroom, there were a series of noises, crash, bang, clatter, clang, thump, that echoed down the hallway. A minute later Mahiru walked hurriedly down the hallway with the first AID kit.
Mahiru walked over to the lounge area. Mikuni approached Tsurugi and gently picked him up and carried him over to the couch, while Sakuya stumbled over with Alex's help. Mahiru kneeled on the floor, opened the first AID kit and gestured at Tsurugi to take his jacket off. Tsurugi stared at Mahiru, Mahiru stared back and when his gaze turned into a glare, Tsurugi slowly shrugged himself out of his jacket.
Mahiru tore his shirt so that he could get a better view of his shoulder. "What the hell happened?"
Sakuya sighed. "We got attacked. Tsurugi got shot then 3 SSWEA agents attacked us. We killed them of course and destroyed their radio. That's why we were late getting here!"
Tsurugi gasped as Mahiru pulled a bullet from his shoulder. "Bullet from a sniper rifle."
"Son of a bitch." Tsurugi muttered under his breath. Mahiru gave the bullet to Alex and went back to cleaning his friends shoulder. "You okay Sakuya?"
The said nodded. "I'm fine. I managed to avoid getting shot."
Mikuni leaned over the back of the couch to hug Tsurugi. "I'll go and make us all some coffee." Mikuni walked into the kitchen.
"Are we the first to get here?" Tsurugi asked as he walked back into the lounge after going upstairs to change into some clean clothes.
Mahiru nodded not looking up from the files he was reading.
"Well, aren't you going to go and find them?"
Sakuya waltzed into the room and sat down as Mikuni walked in and handed him a drink. "Tsurugi, we are not going to go and find them."
Tsurugi sat at the table next to Mahiru. "Why not? I mean what if they are in danger or they need our help!"
Alex sighed as she peered over her laptop at Tsurugi. "Okay, you must not know what's happening. For one if Niccolo and Iduna do end up getting captured and their identities revealed it won't be long before SSWEA agents are in the city searching for the rest of us. Its too risky going out to search for the others."
Mahiru stood and put his empty glass on the bench, before leaning against the bench and folded his arms against his chest. "This safehouse is off the grid. They don't even know about it. Plus this safehouse has a map," he gestured to the map on the wall, "which has all the locations of the other secret safehouses, if they got their hands on that map, then we'll be giving away the locations of all of our friends that left the SSWEA when we did, but they all choose to hide away in a secret safehouse."
"Also, Mikuni, Mahiru and me as well as maybe Misono and definitely Tsurugi cannot, under what ever circumstances get captured." Alex added in a stern voice.
Tsurugi looked confused, but before he could say anything Mahiru spoke. "I'm the leader firstly and secondly Misono and I are the only ones who have actually seen you-know-who without the mask on."
"I'm a hacker, just like Iduna and Niccolo. If they ever got captured I would be the one to do the hacking on their behalf. Plus I can crack codes in every language, two I have valuable information, three we need a hacker, fourth I create my own viruses to hack computers that not even C3 or SSWEA can solve fast enough to track us and lastly I know how to use Iduna and Niccolo's equipment. The rest of you wouldn't have a clue how to use it and would most likely end up breaking it."
Mahiru nodded. "Exactly and well you know, Tsurugi why you cannot get captured either."
"Why Mikuni? Let me guess, its because he's the one who has a higher chance of speaking and blowing our cover?" Sakuya asked smirking and rolling his eyes.
"Hey!" Mikuni exclaimed, feeling betrayed.
Mahiru sweatdroped and sighed. "Something along those lines. But remember the others are smart and we have worked in England dozens of times before. So we know the place. The others are probably doubling back checking that they aren't being followed."
"Misono's plan was probably to split up no doubt." Mikuni sighed.
Alex looked back at her computer. "It is a good idea. The enemy would split up into smaller groups, which would be easier to lose. Plus we have Gears underground tunnel system that they can use, if they remember where they are that is."
"But wouldn't it be easier to stick together?"
Alex stared at Tsurugi. "Why are you asking all these questions? You were with us back then so you should know!"
"Technically back then, Tsurugi and the others only were around for a while until they ditched us for C3. So I doubt they would even remember how it was beck then." Sakuya reminded her as he looked over the back of the couch at her.
Mahiru looked up. "In some cases, yes, sticking together is a good idea, but in this case, being a big group would end up catching unwanted attention quicker and it would make them a bigger target and result to everyone getting captured all at once. You have to remember England is where the SSWEA all began. Its where the biggest base is. If they stuck together there would be a high chance that they would all end up getting captured."
Tsurugi laughed. "Like that mission they sent us on to Russia to sneak into their SSWEA base and half of us ended up getting captured and the rest of us had to sneak in and blow the place up!"
"That was Licht and Sakuya's fault!"
"It was not! Don't blame me, Mikuni! That was your fault! We wouldn't have gotten caught if you hadn't stopped to flirt with that female worker!"
"It wasn't my fault!"
"Like hell it wasn't! You just had to flirt with her, you pervert!"
"It was both of your faults. Mikuni. for stopping to flirt which got us caught, then we would have gotten away if Sakuya and Licht hadn't stopped to argue on which direction to go and they only did that because Yumikage was stupid enough to lose the map. And you guys were moved into the cells which if it wasn't for the rest of us blowing it up you would have stayed in there because its impossible to get out of from inside and you guys were in there simply because Sakuya and Licht and Mikuni started an argument. So technically your both correct it was all of your faults!" Alex said matter-of-factly.
Mikuni and Sakuya both fell silent. 'Never argue with Alex or be prepared to lose.' They both thought.
Mahiru and Tsurugi just stared.
"Anyway, if they separated it would be easier to move around without being seen." Mahiru continued the conversation as if he was so used to their arguments. I mean if you were around these people twenty-four seven you'd be so used to it.
Mikuni sat in the chair next to Tsurugi and pulled the latter into his lap. "So its every person for themselves?"
"Not exactly, even though they appear to be separated which they are, but they are not actually that far form each other. In our training we learned to move silently and quietly. They would be keeping each other in sight and by using hand signals made up by the group to direct each other which way to go and where the enemy is." Alex replied leaning back in her chair.
"This is like military training."
"Kinda. But in the SSWEA form, Tsurugi."
"So you don't need to worry about the others they'll be absolutely fine."
Silence fell in the room until there was a loud knock on the door.
"Oi! Don't knock so loud! You do that and they'll think we're the enemy!"
"I didn't knock that loud, shorty. Calm down."
"Yes you did! And for the last time, QUIT CALLING ME A SHORTY! And I am calm."
"No your not! You freaking out."
"Lets just go in already!"
The door opened and two people came walking in.
"Hey we have ari-" Misono didn't have a chance to finish his sentence due to being rudely interrupted by his older bother who had launched himself across the room and was now hugging him. If you call being squeezed to death a hug.
"Mikuni, let him go or you'll end up squeezing him to death!"
Mikuni let him go and looked him up and down. "You okay little bro?"
"Yes we are okay." He replied as he and Tetsu walked into the dinning room and collapsed into chairs.
Sakuya moved so that he was lying down on the couch so he could see the others. "Let me guess, you split up?"
Misono nodded as he was busy catching his breath.
"So where are the others?" Alex asked worriedly.
"Iduna and Niccolo were probably captured because there were lots of SSWEA agents out as well as trucks and helicopters. So we split up into pairs and we took different routes." Tetsu said bluntly.
"I went with Tetsu.."
"Naturally." Mikuni muttered making Misono stop talking to glare at him.
"Lucky went with Licht, while Ryusei and Kouki went together." Tetsu continued.
Misono sighed. "The plan was for Tetsu and I to go ahead. Licht and Lucky to take the long way around and Ryusei and Kouki to take a loop to make sure that none of us were being followed."
Mahiru looked at Misono with worried eyes. "That was a tricky plan, Misono. Lots of things could have happened."
Misono's eyes met Mahiru's. Misono's eyes were stern. "I know but it was a risk we had to take."
"See! That's the reason why Misono is second in command and not Licht or Mikuni!" Sakuya chuckled going back to the TV.
Mikuni sent a glare in the green hairs direction. "What's that supposed to mean, you overgrown house plant! I would make an excellent leader!"
"What did you just call me, doll loving freak? And you would make an excellent leader if our goal was to get captured or caught!"
"You wouldn't make a good leader yourself, Sakuya so you cannot talk! And Mikuni would make a great leader, he did when he was at C3." Tsurugi said hopping in.
"Thank you, see cabbage head!"
"I bet you were to lazy to actually do any work, hound! And don't be too happy crazy cowboy who always finds new ways to almost get us killed, its no surprise that Tsurugi would agree with you!"
"What? I do not always get us almost killed! Your sprouting nonsense as usual lettuce!"
"Sakuya is right." Alex said.
"Oh yeah? And when have I ever done that?"
"Want us to read everything from our book records in alphabetical order, in order of higher chances of dying or in order of year that it happened?" Mahiru, Misono, Tetsu, Alex and Sakuya all say at the same time.
"Wait you keep a record?" Tsurugi asked.
"Yup. And its called 'Mikuni events that almost got us killed' and so far all the events full two thousand, nine hundred and ninety-nine books." Misono said.
Mikuni paused before speaking. ".....I think I'll pass thank you."
"IT WAS A REHTORICAL QUESTION YOU CRAZY COWBOY/ DOLL LOVING FREAK/ DOLL BOY." Misono, Sakuya and Alex yell at him.
Mahiru sighed and rubbed his head as if he had a headache. "Quiet down. Quit shouting or I'll end up getting a headache!"
"Oh, I forgot to ask where is Gear?" Tsurugi asked.
"He's waiting for Youtarou to arrive home and when the coast is all clear then they'll be joining us." Alex explained.
"Anyway, how was the mission Misono?"
Misono slamed to pictures down on the table. "These two targets we weren't able to get. Sorry, Mahiru."
"It's okay."
"Who are they?" Tsurugi asked.
"That one is a hacker. She is as good as me and Iduna and Niccolo. That one is one of their best snipers." Alex pointed to each picture.
"What happened to the other targets, little brother?"
"How about you come and see for yourself, blonde!" Sakuya called from the lounge as he turned up the TV which was showing the evening news.
Mikuni walked over and stopped behind the couch. Tsurugi sat on the arm rest opposite the one that Sakuya was using as a pillow. Alex looked up and so did Mahiru. But they stayed at the table. Misono and Tetsu rested their heads on the table.
"Only minutes ago several reports came in of 10 people found dead in their homes. They are yet to be identified. They have been classed as suicide but many believe they were murdered. The strangest thing was that all these people had kids and none where found on the scene instead they were found at neighboring homes and friends house's. They were unharmed. But nobody knows why this happened. Could this really be suicide or murder made to look like suicide? There will be more news about this tomorrow."
Sakuya switched the TV off.
"We won't be able to go after the other two without being spotted. So we'll let them live." Mahiru answered Mikuni and Alex's silent, unspoken questions.
"Lets hope the others get here okay." Misono said sighing.
"At least Yumikage and Junichiro will see this on the news and know where not to look for us in case the Servamps coming looking." Tsurugi said trying to stay positive.
"Which they will. Cause they are stubborn, selfish, troublemakers." Sakuya said.
"I couldn't agree more. So, Mahiru, where to next?" Misono asked.
"Lets wait for everyone else to get here first."
________________________________________
With Iduna and Niccolo.
Iduna awoke on a cold grey floor. She groaned ad she sat up. Chains rattled against the floor as she moved. She opened her eyes and discovered that her hands and ankles were in chains. She didn't have her mask on, so she could only guess that they had taken it and know exactly who she was. She looked around. The back of the cell was a stone wall. But what surprised her wasn't the back of the cell but the front and sides. The other walls of the cell, weren't brick walls like the ones they used to put them in, no, these had bars. She could see out and they could see in.
'So they can keep an eye on us, so we don't escape. They remember how dangerous we are. Well at least they remember. It's good to be remember.' Iduna thought to herself.
Outside the cell was a long corridor. She carefully got to her feet when she heard a groan. In the cell next to her, hands and ankles also in chains was Niccolo and his mask was missing as well. He too was surprised by the steel bars of the cell.
Niccolo smirked. "Steel bars instead of a wall is a nice change. This is so much better then boring red brick walls." He said chuckling.
"Guess these guys finally learned why putting us in a cell with boring red brick walls is a terrible idea." Iduna giggled.
"Yeah. Cause when we are bored we get out and besides brick walls are easier to escape out of. You can just break 'em down."
"Or kick 'em down if your Licht." Iduna added.
"Exactly steel bars give us more of a challenge. But no matter what type of cell they put us in. We'll always find a way to escape. We don't stay in cells for long."
"Yup. But it's nice to know that our reputation really scared our enemies!"
"That it did." A familiar voice was heared from the corridor as a figure approached their cells.
"Well, well, well. Look who we have here. It's our old ex-friend Orian. How wonderful." Niccolo said sarcastically.
"Oh, how I wish I could say how good it is to see you again." Iduna rolled her eyes muttering.
"Ex-friend? I thought we were friends?"
"Friends? After betraying us back on our mission in Mexico 80 odd years ago? Last I checked you walked away yelling 'we are no longer friends, I will get you for this' or did ya forget?" Niccolo shotback.
"I too remember that happening." Iduna nodded.
"Alright, maybe I did say that, but I didn't mean it. C’mon, we were great pals after that!"
"The ones in your imagination? Cause I don't ever remember being friends with you after that." Niccolo replied.
"That mission to Australia? The one where we had to blow up the bank? Im sure we became good friends!"
"We didn't even speak. Last I remember we told you to shut up and leave us alone." Iduna replied.
"That trip to Alaska?"
"You hid in your room the whole time complaining about the cold."
"The great wall of China battle?"
"You ran around screaming like a kid. I will never understand how you became an SSWEA agent. Anyway, it was not so nice talking to you but we really need to be going!" Iduna announced.
"And I'm very glad to say that you two ain't going anywhere."
'Oh, know. Why did I expect them to say that?' Niccolo thought.
'Well, our day just got a while lot better!' Iduna groaned.
______________________________________
Hey everyone!👋
Sorry about the late update. Hope none of you are mad!🥺
But good news!🤠
I'm currently on term holiday so hopefully I can get out more chapters!🥳
I love your comments!😍
They truly made my day.😊
Thank you so much!😄
I'm glad you are enjoying this story!
Hope you like this chapter!
Also can anyone tell me what this emoji is? 💢
Also what do you think is gonna happen in the next chapter?🤔
See you all in the next chapter!😄👋