After Aaron’s rant and fit, everyone completed their errands as planned. Eventually, Michelle’s voice could be heard over the comm-link. “OK guys, you have instructions if things get crazy. I’ll be leaving the comm-channel for now. The rest of you who aren’t clueless should already know what to do. Later bitches”!

Allison’s voice shortly followed after Michelle’s “Eh”? Unfortunately for her, it was already too late. She found herself snared by Michelle and Emilia’s vice-like grips. Escaping Michelle would be difficult, let alone the impossibility of escaping Emilia. Faced with the very much overkill capture, Allison merely sighed and dropped her head. “What do you want me to do this time”?

With completely opposite smiles, one of mischief and one which was noticeably fake, her captors replied “Preparing you for your date of course”! She quickly glanced around and realized she’d be unknowingly taken into a clothing store. Before she could even scream, she was drug into a changing room by Emilia while Michelle dashed off to find something more appropriate for an evening out.

A similar scene was unfolding across town. Jesse had been taken captive by Aaron, as well as Mark and Javon who appeared out of nowhere. He didn’t resist though, and merely went through the motions of selecting clothes. He turned and spoke to his comrades “So, I assume you ass-hats have more planned than this. Well, what are we in for”?

“Oh, we were nice enough to book reservations for two at all twelve of the restaurants where reservations could be made” Mark replied. “We’re letting you pick, here’s a list”. Mark pulled a neatly folded piece of paper out of his picket and handed it to Jesse. “I personally suggest the ‘Golden Duck’. I’m not sure if Allison like Chinese food though”.

“I appreciate the consideration, but it’s really not such a big deal, really. I just lost a fucking bet” Jesse argued.

“And you’re trying to avoid a night out on the town with a girl like Allison? What are you, gay”? Javon teased.

“Sounding that interested, I’m surprised you haven’t made a move Javon” Jesse taunted back.

“I have my own interests to pursue. I’m not saying shit else on the matter, so don’t ask, or to quote you ‘I’ll shoot you if you ask’”. Javon cut his portion of the conversation there.

Mark shrugged. “Well, a deal’s a deal, and for once, you lost. Be sure to pay what you owe. Since we’re already done with our preparations here, all you have to do is pick a place. Our comm-links are off for now, so there wont be any disturbances. Just catch any of us by text or something if you need us. Also, there’s a car waiting for you outside. Aaron and I will be taking our leave now”. The pair left in a direction away from the store front as the three of them exited. Mark turned back and tossed the keys to Jesse. “Oh, one more thing. Let Michelle know when you’re ready and where you plan on going. She’ll take care of things on the girl’s end”.

With those parting words, Jesse was left alone. He sighed as he got in the car and started it. He made his choice, checked the on-board GPS, and made a phone call to Michelle. Approximately twenty minutes later, he handed his keys to the valet and took a seat outside of the Golden Duck. He drew a lot of attention, although he was merely dressed in black slacks and a blue button-down dress shirt. Moments later, Allison was dropped off, presumably by Michelle, and approached the bench. She quickly spotted Jesse, who raised an eyebrow upon seeing her in a strapless blue dress (complete with a large bow). They just happened to match as they entered the restaurant, drawing quite the attention.

Emilia sighed, “I really didn’t wanna make a big deal of this. Hell, I never even agreed to accept a meal today, or a date, or …well any of it really. I did get some decent clothes out of the deal though”.

“Oh really”? Jesse asked.

“Yeah. The girls are nice, a bit crazy, which all of you are, but they are all nice for the most part. Anyways, I got some new outfits since I really didn’t get to bring anything with me from my old base. I didn’t have much there in the first place. I actually have pajamas now, that don’t have dickies on them. I’m more a fan of kittens myself”.

“I cant say I expected that, but I do understand the point of not making a big deal of something. Just so we’re clear though, I’m not a guy who goes after every girl I see or something”.

“So, you’re into Michelle only, eh? Good thing she isn’t the jealous type. Something seems off about Emilia though”.

Jesse frowned momentarily. “About that, well, where to start. Michelle is kinda… well, I’m not exactly sure how to describe it. I’d like to request a subject change now”.

“Is it another touchy one for you? You seem to have a few of those, not that I cant understand why after that last story, but keeping it bottled and running away from it doesn’t exactly help you know”.

The waiter passed by, quickly placing the pair’s food, and leaving, sensing a growing development. Jesse spoke between bites. “I’m not the sort of person who is helped by talking things out. It usually takes me to a dark place, not that I don’t perpetually exist in one. Not to mention, my experiences are the kind that most people have traumas over”.

“I can agree there, but I’d still like to know, so that I at least understand you, or know if I’m about to step on a land mine”.

“You mean like the one you’re inching closer towards with every statement you make? Landmines are buried for a reason. You’re not supposed to know they are there. In the case of emotions, its not good for one to lose themselves and rage on another person, and its just a defensive mechanism, but the premise is the same. Mind fiends and buried secrets serve to keep people away from something. I’ll remind you of this once more, cuz I genuinely like you… as a friend. mostly cuz I really don’t wanna wake up one day and realize I shot your or something as a reaction. For your own safety, just don’t fucking ask”.

“Did I just get friend-zoned and threated and warned all at the same time? Not gonna lie, I’m mildly impressed at that ability, and of course annoyed and freaked out. As far as being friend-zoned, I’m ok with that. I wasn’t interested anyways”.

“Ouch, that’s pretty damn blunt. It kinda hurt actually”.

“And now you know what it feels like when I ask a question and get a death threat as a result. Also, I was serious when I said I wasn’t interested. This grilled chicken is delicious by the way”, Allison finished up as she stuffed her mouth with more chicken.

“Glad you like it. It was actually Mark’s recommendation to come here. I had nothing in particular in mind when I made that bet”.

“Is this some slight degree of modesty I sense? I never knew you had such a trait”.

“hardy-har-har, you got jokes today” Jesse groaned.

“Is an evening with me really that bad? Is it cuz I ask too many questions of you? You came up with the terms, the team just kinda did the rest. If it’s that much of a pain, we can get the check and go ya know”. Allison, having run out of patience, stopped bothering to keep her thoughts in.

“Well, shit. Sorry, I didn’t mean to annoy you. I’m just a kinda private person. It’s not that spending time with you is a bother, it’s just that I wish the situation was a bit different. I’m sitting here thinking to myself that I’d rather have been able to set this up with…”

An explosion shook the restaurant, nearly upsetting the drinks on the table. “I’m pretty sure we were about to have a moment of some sort, but what the fuck was that”?! Allison shouted.

Jesse slammed some bills on the table and grabbed Allison’s arm, quickly going to the door. He glanced up at the sky where red and blue flares detonated.

“Well, whether you wanted it or not, looks like our date has been cut short” Jesse sighed.

“I’m going to assume that’s a signal from teammates”.

“Yeah, one attack warning, and the blue one a defensive order. In this case, its…” The blue flare gave off a second explosion, resulting in more blue light and smoke. “Withdraw. Hmm, that’s not good. You didn’t bring your guns did you”? As Jesse turned around, he saw Allison raise her skirt and pull out the matching pistols given to her by Emilia. “I wasn’t expecting to see that much. This evening has been worth it for that much of a peek alone”.

“Oh shut it. To answer your question, yeah, I got my guns, what about you”?

Jesse finished getting the valet’s attention and turned back around to Allison. “Yeah, and I got ammo too. You didn’t bring much I’m sure”.

“Well, no one expects a firefight during a day of shopping, at least no one normal”.

The valet brought the car around and Jesse ran to get into the driver’s seat, then paused. “You’re driving”. He quickly shifted himself over the center console and took his seat on the passenger side.

“You’re kidding, right”? Allison laughed.

“You really want a guy who’s known for destroying things to drive a car when such a capable driver is present? That sounds a bit foolish to me”.

Allison stared wide eyed. “Why the hell do you have to make sense now?! Fine, I’ll drive, but you’re navigating. Are we heading back to base or something”?

“Nope, we’re going towards those flares. That wasn’t a typical warning, looks like someone tried something, I’m setting up the GPS now, just head left once we get out of the parking lot”.

Allison did as she was told as the tires squealed and the car took off. Jesse manipulated the center console and sirens could soon be heard. Allison shouted “Fuck, I didn’t think we’d get cops tailing us so soon”!

“Relax, that’s us. I’m activating some of the special features of this car. You just worry about driving, I’ll play around with the rest”.

“You have no idea what you’re doing, do you”?

“I’m not gonna say I’m totally clueless but…. TURN LEFT! … I’m not going to say I have all the answers either. Just be prepared in case I hit some button that has a booster or something”.

Screeching was heard as the modified luxury sedan scarcely made the turn. Allison barely managed to maintain control, while not harming or hitting anything.

“And this is why I told you to drive. I’d have crashed right there I’m sure” Jesse grinned.

“You’re not exactly the ‘inspiring confidence’ type, are you? What’s next”?

“GPS overlay is up. It should be quite faintly visible on the windshield. You shouldn’t even have to look away now”.

“Holy shit you did something useful. Good job. You figured out the other buttons yet”?

“No, Tiny Tina, I mean Michelle never let me get close to them”. He pushed a button and a pair of micro-machine guns raised themselves from the side of the hood. A trigger extended from just above the glove compartment and a targeting system lowered itself from the visor.

“What the hell kinda sci-fi shit is this” Allison shouted. “I see why she never let you play with the controls though”. She made a sharp right turn and slowed down just slightly. “We’re getting close, what do you want to do”?

“See the 9 glowing points on the map? Notice five that are together, moving towards those other two which are on our destination? That’s the team members. They don’t know where we are since our comm-links are still off. I’m guessing that the others turned theirs on right after the explosion. It’s good news since they can’t be too badly injured”.

“That’s good. Wait, we’re not on the map? So no one knows where we are? We shouldn’t have used the sirens then”.

“Actually, pull into that parking garage up ahead. We’ll kill the sirens inside. Since someone was watching us, I’m willing to bet the pair of dots are David and Jessica, probably out on a date”.

“That’s all fine and dandy but what the hell are we supposed to do about this. Someone obviously has their sights set on us. We should radio in and…”

“No. We stay hidden. At our speed, it’d have been hard for us to be tailed. We’re also out of communication, which IS bad, but it’s also an advantage as they can’t track us”.

“Huh? You mean someone is monitoring these comm-links?! That’s not OK”!

“You see the GPS right? Of course they’re being tracked. We can see them, and so can someone else. I’m trying to trace it and see other sources too, but that’s Mark’s area of expertise, or at least Aaron’s. Stop two floors below the top floor”.

Allison did so and parked. Jesse flipped up the back seat to reveal a small armory of weapons and light body armor. “So that’s where you keep the toys. Isn’t that Javon’s rifle”?

“One of them, He keeps his main one with him. This is just another high powered rifle that he can use. He wont harm you for using this one, but touching his favorite will draw you some trouble”.

“O….K? I’m using this”?

“Only if you can handle it. It’s got a fuck of a recoil”.

“How many choices do we have”?

Jesse sighed “Unfortunately, at our range, we have two. The other is a rocket that would give away our location immediately and cause more chaos than it would help”.

“Rifle it is then. To the top floor”?

“Not yet. Gimme a minute to scout the area and the floor above. Keep a fair distance behind me and cover me with the pistols only if necessary. You won’t be able to keep up carrying that rifle anyways”. Jesse ran ahead, pistols in hand. He made sure the area was secure and then moved to the next floor, repeating the process. He paused and took two shots, killing a single person who was surveying the blast scene from afar with binoculars. After moving the body to some place inconspicuous, he gave the signal and the pair moved ahead.

They made it to the top of the parking garage and Jesse took a post covering Allison. “You sure you can use that thing”? he asked.

“I’ve never held one this big before, let alone actually putting it to use”.

“Oh, I like it when you talk dirty to me” Jesse teased.

“I will fucking murder you” Allison groaned.

“What do you see down there”?

“Grrr” Allison stared through the scope, surveying the scene of what was once a movie theater. She found Jessica amidst the rubble, fortunately only with light injuries. David was standing nearby, helping bystanders to safety. Another explosion occurred near him. He appeared to have escaped the blast zone directly, but it was unclear if he’d escaped entirely as the area was covered by smoke and dust. Allison watched through the scope and shivered at the sight. Jesse gave up on keeping watch and went to her aid.

“What happened? ‘Scared shitless’ really isn’t a good look for you”. He took Allison’s spot and glanced through the scope. “Fuck? Allison, I know this isn’t the time, but I’m gonna have to ask you to cover Jessica, we got trouble”…

~~~

The couple, Jessica and David, where watching a movie. Amidst the explosions and gunfire of the movie, the theater was rocked by a very much real explosion. Screams and tears filled the room as the pair sprang into action, calmly directing others away from the scene. Jessica turned in David’s direction to see how he was handling things….

An explosion rang out very nearby, shaking the earth, knocking Jessica to the ground. A bright flash rendered her momentarily blinded. Her ears rang with a high-pitched sound as the blast rocked her eardrums. She glanced up from the floor at where her love once stood. There was no one present. She quickly looked around, too incoherent to even shout his name. He was nowhere to be seen.

Jessica struggled to stand and again surveyed the area. Amidst the corpses of bystanders, nine men stood out. Calm and collected, they had the eyes of killers. Each of them also shared one fact; they looked at her as if she were prey. She knew the look well from working with certain teams. One laughed and spoke “That’s one target, just one to go”.

Jessica froze in shock momentarily. Screeching tires could be heard in the distance and Michelle’s voice could be heard in pieces through Jessica’s damaged comm-link. “Jessica! David! Backup’s… now. You …OK. Do… read me?! Guys!? Damn…”!

Jessica snapped back to reality and glanced at the man who spoke. Her shoulders dropped and shook. She slowly glanced down at her waist, at the weapons kept there. She then turned her gaze back up to the surrounding enemies. She was encircled by nine men, approaching her slowly, savoring the moment with disgusting stares.

Jessica's soulless eyes regained their vigor, flaring in anger and sorrow. She quickly grabbed her knife and pistol. As she brought the weapons out of their holsters and took a combat stance, her consciousness faded. She began to move, erupting into motion with a beast like howl.

Charging forward, she quickly plunged her knife into the first man's throat, slashing it as she pulled the blade away. She moved to the right, using her first victim's body as a shield from the man on his left. She took aim with the pistol and fired a round to his forehead, leaving her 2nd victim. She quickly spun backwards and ducked, rising with knife in hand, straight to the nether regions of the following attacker. She slashed his carotid artery as he fell the ground in agony, a mercy kill.

Jessica moved about, as if a ballerina performing a dance to a hell-born tune. Her knife moved through the air in beautiful arcs, its trajectory followed by crimson ribbons of blood. Soundless screams where projected in her direction as her gun fired. Wasting no movements or ammo, eight of the would-be attackers lay on the ground, slain or clinging helplessly to their last moments of life. In her single moment of pause, true to the form of an assassin, the sole remaining enemy made his move…

~~~

Allison trembled at the scene unfolding before her and she peered through the scope. She was neither physically able to fire as the targets where moving with alarming speed, and mentally unable to fire as she could not comprehend the situation. Jesse moved up beside her and gently spoke. “Some crazy shit huh? Must be Jessica or David going nuts. I assume the situation isnt good for you to make that face. I’ll help you a little”.

Jesse gently reached his arm around the lightly shivering Allison, bringing her mind back from the stupor it was placed in. He merely questioned “Good now”?

Allison sighed and exhaled a long breath. Jesse gently applied pressure to his arms wrapped around her. Allison pulled the trigger…