Chapter 12: Sweet Opium To Ease Dying

[Kaschei Bessmertny]

Kaschei is angry when he learns that Bambi escaped. He is frustrated and unsure how to act now. He ponders the situation. He assumes Bambi would have escaped back to Switzerland to Global Bank. Alexei could go to Switzerland and try to kill her before she goes to Annette or anyone else, but, that would look suspicious and would probably cause a more probing inquiry of the bank in London.

If Global Bank became aware of the problems with London bank, they might freeze the assets of certain clients there.

However, maybe the bank would send someone else. Someone who could be bribed. On the other hand, perhaps Annette would be alarmed enough to visit the bank herself. Kaschei assumed she was above bribery and intimidation. Anyway, she had Creditor body guards.

The uncertainty of the situation, gave Kaschei a headache. Now, he did have some certain powers...concerning time. He could roll back time to before she escape, but if he did, would she just escape again? Alexei would not be aware of the time rollback and would act the same as he had before. Maybe in the worst case scenerio, he could give it a try.

Kaschei takes a teleportation booth to London and decides that he should take more direct actions in this situation.


He leaves a message for Alexei. "The obvious thing for you to do is try to figure out where she teleported to. There must be a teleportation booth operator you could bribe with money or drugs for that information. They are low paid and corruptable. When you find out where she is, tell me. I will decide what to do once we know where she is. In the meantime, I'll take to Archie about getting my money out of there...(but to where, Kaschei wasn't certain)" Kaschei states. He hates this lack of control and is near taking matters into his own hands. Maybe he will visit her himself once her location has been determined.

[Annette Rosenthal]

"You are interested in that position?" Annette questions sharply. Her nostrils flare slightly and her eyes narrow in on the woman. "Are you prepared to take the threat of rebellion seriously? The threat of communism, anarchy, socialism, and any other movement toward collectivism?" She questions.

"If so, how would you handle our current predicament? What would you do about this leaflet incident?"

She crosses her arms and awaits an answer with marked impatience.

[Hilja Kukkanen/Sasha Pisarev]

I get to work in the kitchen, making cookies since Tuesday has been busy with calls. In some ways, I am secretly envious of her popularity. It makes me feel a little insecure. But, the cookies keep my occupied and I don't dwell on those thoughts.

I think about Lucio and how he managed to escape. That is a mystery in itself. I also think of ways I can contribute to the party.

I then think of work. I need to go to work tomorrow, so, I can't stay here long to help out with much.

["Danny" Damascus]

It felt wonderful to be sitting close to a pretty girl again. Danny tried to keep his mind focused just in case she tried to pull a gun or knife him but it was hard.

Keeping with the conversation, Danny frowned. "She seemed really angry at me. Didn't do anything to make her mad at me did I? You know I'd never mean to upset someone unintentionally."

[Alexei Nacharade]

Alexei recieved Kaschei's message and immediately set out, but kept the key to Bambi's room on him just in case. He soon set out to locate a booth operator who gladly traded him the information he needed for just a few grams of heroine. Allwhere Florida.

Alexei rubbed his temples, sitting in the coffee shop he took Bambi to earlier, laying out a line cocaine as he called Kaschei and left a message. This acountant was getting to be trouble.


"Boss, I found her. She's in Allwhere...unless she's left by now. I know that's where she teleported to when she got away from me." He leaned forward and snorted the line, wiping off his nose and blinking a bit before adding, "I'll stay in London for now. Call me if you want me to go somewhere else."

With that he hung up and took out a cigarette. His thoughts whirled with all the different things happening. Getting a scientist to Sharon, finding out if Tuesday was spying on him, and this acountant.

He felt like he needed a vacation.

[Lilith "Mistress" Antekkereh]

What a stuck up hag. Despite the thought, Mistress smiled respectfully and placed one hand against one hip, the other continuing to rest at her side. She had to choose her next words carefully.

"Of course. Currently, I believe the Hand is on the job, but on the chance they fail... Perhaps various terms of motivation for them, and better recruitment measures are necessary. If they fail, the current hand is obviously, for the most part, ineffective.

As such, the training methods used on them must be ineffective, as well. I will devote my time to developing better means of recruitment and training. I will have plenty of time to devote.

If you believe you, or someone else though, would better be suited for this then by all means don't allow me to stand in the way. I wish only for there to be the best means of controlling these threats. We most certainly can't allow another stunt like this. How will it reflect on us?

Li Violette, the stunning speaker she is, delivered a fine speech to calm the masses's questions, but there simply can not be a next time to tend to."

[Lena Eva Aysel]

Lena takes the phone and scans the message. After a moment, she hands it back and nods thoughtfully. There was a chance this man had formed this as an elaborate trap, but it was worth a shot.

"All right. The rest of us three can hide in the area from every other angle. Whoever this is is daring, but we don't know how cunning he is. He could've simply spoken to you and made it seem like he trusted you to set up a trap. Few people are that clever nowadays, though.

Still, we need to be cautious."

[Peter "Levitas" Barak]

It'd been an exciting time for Peter. He'd broken ground on the new complex as soon as the loan paper work went through. They were going to start putting down the cement before the end of the day. Only the best. Well, only the most cost effective best at least.

He was looking his best for being back on the job, white coat perfectly in place, hair dyed black once more. A shame he'd missed out on the Feast. It would have been a chance to make new connections. He never planned to leave Dollar and Allmart (they did own him after all) but it never hurt to have a back up plan just in case.

Speaking of which, he needed a back up on some of the more far reaching plans. The Cuban issues where slowly grinding out but Mexico was only growing louder. If things got too out of hand than he'd lose the safe zone on the west side of the passage and put the whole plan in danger. The country needed to be calmed. Or at least the same part he wanted to be empty. He'd need Dollar to sign off on anything before hand though. Luckily the fellow signed anything that even looked like it wanted his signature.

His employer should have returned from the feast already and Dollar was usually easy to find. Peter hit the button to summon the elevator, intending to head for Dollar's office and was surprised to find himself looking at the man when the doors opened. But he was more surprised to see Dollar apparently convercing a person leaning against the elevator wall. It looked like a woman, he couldn't see her face, but she didn't look like she was in the best condition. Dollar had a world of women to wander but he brings cheap street walkers into the office? How very like the man...

"Um, sir?" Peter began, stepping into the elevator, "Uh..." He had no idea what to say here. Normally he handled Dollar pretty well but this was something totally new. He sighed and looked down at the woman again but this time, he saw her face. And yet more surprises. Peter neeled down to put himself even with the banker's face.

"Bambi? Ms. Engel, what happened to you?"

[John Duddy]

Duddy, sat quietly in his car, thinking. He whipped out his phone and called John the Baptist. "I need an arms dealer, now," he nearly screamed at John the Baptist. Duddy received the address and started the car. Duddy saw the complex, parked the car and slammed the door, he was mad. Sy was in his head, he knew she would kill him regardless of her feelings for her. John saw the man in the apartment ont he second floor, "I need trip wires, three Mana guns, 2 with stun capacity and 1 with fatal capacity." Duddy payed the man, got back in his car and drove to the ambush destinantion.

[Sy Lecy]

Sy took the phone and hooked it to her belt. She looked down for only a moment letting her her doubts cloud her mind for a split second before coming to ground. Her eyes came up to Lenas face full of resolve and dedication. She fixes an ear piece into her ear giving Lena the other half with the mic.

"Like I said I will be the bait. If it is a trap I willingly give myself to it. No one else will need to be sacrificed. As the old game said this is my story...and I will play it out. No matter the outcome. This is what I am for. Just dont forget to say my true name into the mic at the right time. Where shall we set this up at?"

She gives Lena a smirk taking her claws out of her velvet bag dropping her backpack to the floor. No need for it now.

[Tuesday DeCastro]

Tuesday slipped her phone into her back pocket, encouraging it to remain silent. She felt bad for taking so many calls, and paying so little attention to the people in her apartment, she didn't mean to seem rude.

Walking into the kitchen, she smiled at Hilja. "Sorry about that, I was trying to find out more about Sharon, getting invited to the Banquet, and all sorts of craziness." She shakes her head a little, and wonders a little about what she should wear to the banquet.

The warm, sweet smell of cookies in the oven wafts through the air, Tuesday sniffs. "Those smell really good. Your cookie-making skills far outstrip my own." She shrugs, before adding. "I'm basically a flub in the kitchen."

[Bambi Engel]

At the sound of a voice (Dinari's), Bambi tensed to run, but once she realized who was speaking she relaxed. This was not going to reflect good on her, but maybe Annette would overlook it. After all, she could've just gone along with the whole thing, avoided all of this... Then her mind registers Dinari's words and she mentally sighs.

She had heard of how the All Mart owner was from various gossip around the head quarters, but she had never imagined they were all actually true. Man, maybe she should look into going to a gym or something. Years of sitting behind a desk hadn't made that escape any easier.

And then she heard the elevator doors open again as she was gathering her strength to stand. It was probably just- He spoke to Dinari, before the air shifted and she knew he was kneeling in front of her. Peter?

Evening her breathing, she lifted a hand and weakly pushed her glasses up the rim of her nose. "I just... need a minute." She finally spoke without looking up. How embarrassing.

She opened her eyes and surveyed the damage on her lower half. Just as she thought, this pair of stockings was definitely ruined. Her skirt was ripped at the left. Her feet ached, and she hoped she hadn't stepped on anything, but that could just be from the running.

Hell, she felt like her entire body was one big ache and her lungs a burning sphere. She lifted her hand to the elevator railing, slowly pulling herself to a stand. The burning was slowly fading even if the ache remained. "Had to run. A lot. Really sorry about this..."

[Kiley Castiglione]

Kiley shakes her head. "No, you're fine. She's just a little over protective of me sometimes. I've known Sharon a long time, shes almost like a sister to me." She grins, imagining her older sisters face if she had heard that statement.

"She looks out for me, because, well...I'm just about defenseless." She admits, with a small shrug. Kiley didn't know how to protect herself and she wasn't exactly in top physical condition either, so if she were to come in harms way without Bella around to protect her, she'd be screwed, which is why she didn't really mind her sister being a little more than a little over protective....most of the time.

[Lena Eva Aysel]

Lena took the mic, staring at Sy hard before patting her shoulder. "I like your personality." She states before looking back at Sidapa and Markus. They seemed quiet, probably thinking about the plan. ... Well, Markus was always quiet.

"Where did he say he was, again? Do you know the location? It is open, or are there plenty of spots for the other three of us to take cover and hide until the right moment?"

[Taylor Jones]

The end of the month was always the worst time, financially, for Taylor. All sorts of bills were due, and she had a little trouble making ends meet. Somehow, she always managed to pull it off though, and without any extra persuading from the Creditors. She'd had to put in a few extra hours at work, and had even killed a couple hours stuffing a few bags with leaflets for a few extra rands. But she'd done what she had to do, and was able to cover all the checks she'd written out.

Now, she was at the Crest Mining office, typing something up on her computer, she printed out a few copies of whatever it was, and took them down to the mailroom to be sent out, then she returned to her chair and sighed, closing her eyes, and leaning back a little.

It'd been a long week.