Chapter Twenty-One:

"Five I am actually going to fucking kill you!" Lotus screeched as she held onto him for dear life. They landed in an empty dark room, the only light filtering threw seemed to be from a tiny rectangular window on the door. Once again, his hand found her mouth and her voice was muffled as she began swearing. Lotus wasn't much of a curser, but Five had a way of pissing her off.

"They'll hear you!" He sneered, "Do you want to get us both killed?"

Lotus huffed, and he removed his hand. She sucked in a sharp breath, "What do I have to do?"

There was no point in rebelling any longer, she was there now and she really didn't feel like dying yet. A satisfied smile crossed his features before returning to his normal expression of mild rage.

"We're in a storage closet in Gloria's office. Behind her desk."

"Who's Gloria?"

Five sighed, "Old. Gray hair. To cheerful for a normal person." A shrug found his shoulders, "She delivers messages to people like Hazel and Cha-Cha. Who to kill and whatnot."

She nodded as if she understood, but her mind was buzzing with worry and anxiety. She had no control in this situation, and even though she hadn't in any other situation before this one, she had actually chosen to go along with it. This time, she was just thrown into the chaos unravelling before her.

"She'll come in, and I'll send a few messages ok? But first I'll knock her out, you grab her and bring her in here." Five walked over and peered out the small window. "Shift into her, and if someone comes in, distract them."

Lotus sighed, "Five, I don't know if this is a—"

But he was gone, opening the door and squeezed himself out. She stared out the window, watching as he grabbed a stapler from the desk and disappeared out the door. Lotus shook her head, waiting to see who entered the room first. She watched patently, zoning out when the sound of heels clicked on the tile. Lotus ducked away from the window, just enough so she could still see what was going on. An older lady walked in, she had to be Gloria.

The women was humming to herself as she gripped a small piece of paper in her hand, she rolled it up and placed it carefully in a tube. What the women couldn't see though, was Five sneak up behind her and hit her over the head with a stapler. She hit the ground with a thud and Lotus came rushing from the closet and grabbed ahold of Gloria's feet and began dragging her back to the opened closet. She felt the shiver flow threw her, and when she tried pushing the rest of old women's body in the room, her fingers grew boney and her vision blurry from the glasses.

She could hear Five's footsteps and then another set of heels click there way along the floor. Lotus got one more shove to conceal the old lady before she felt the presence of another person.

"You know that's not how we do things here." A women's voice cut in. Five had been caught, and soon she figured she would be too. She ducked and inched her way towards the desk, where she peered up and watched. "Where's Gloria?"

On cue Lotus pulled herself up, trying to mimic her best old lady voice. "I'm right here." She smiled, "Mr Five was just helping me."

She walked over and stood next to Five, placing a hand on his shoulder. The woman had white hair and bright red lips, her outfit made Lotus question fashion but the vibe rolling off of her just said power.

A groan echoed from the closet and Lotus held her breath as the women turned, it seemed she hadn't seen anything when she faced them again.

"You're a great disappointment to me." She sneered, "You can't change what's to come, Five."

The women took a step forward, and Lotus couldn't help but take a step back. "I truly find it so odd that you can't shed this fantasy. You're a first-rate pragmatist. You belong here, with us."

"I don't belong anywhere. Thanks to you." Five shouted, "You made me a killer!"

Lotus frowned, watching the way he seemed to change when he said those words. In that quick moment, he was just a kid again. Lost in a new world, afraid, not knowing what to do.

"You were always a killer. I just pointed you in the right direction."

The women moved her skirt and revealed a gun, she raised it and pointed it, not at Five but at Lotus.

"And who's beneath that mask?"

Five stepped in front of her and held his arms out, "I don't think it's any of your business."

The women laughed and pulled the trigger, the bullet narrowly missing Lotus' head. She ducked, letting a yelp escape her lips. Five grabbed her and tried to haul her away as another bullet hit the ground next to her.

"Oh but I think I know who it is." The women whipped a single knife from her boot and whipped it, someone it lodged itself in Lotus' thigh. She shrieked as it hit, stumbling into the ground. She felt the image of Gloria fade, her normal features returning. "And of course I was right."

"We gotta get out of here." Lotus yelled at Five as more bullets left the barrel of the gun, but he only shook his head as alarms began blaring and she saw Gloria jump from the floor and rush out into the hall. "Five—"

"Severity to Tube room." Voices echoed through a PA system. Lotus was panicking now as Five kept disappearing, leaving her open in plain sight. She limped her way around, trying to avoid getting shot and to cause more of a distraction. The women let out another sick laugh as she walked over and grabbed Lotus by her crappy bun, ripping the elastic from he hair. The woman's hand pulled her to her feet by her locks, she used her empty hand and punch her right in the eye, grinning as she stared.

"Pathetic." She spat, but Lotus swung out her foot and her shoe connected with the women's stomach. Eventually Five did come back, sweat trickling down his forehead.

The women laughed again, "Is this how you want the last line of your report to read?"

"When I'm done, I'm done I guess." He took a deep breath, staring over at the women.

"You can't keep this up, Five." She shook her head, "We both know you have a limit."

And she was right, Lotus even knew it. That was why she didn't want to come, and she did for nothing. She hadn't helped at all, she had been useless.

"I saved you. From a life time of being alone." Her voice as shaking from rage, her stare something that could kill. "You owe me."

She pulled the trigger again, but this time nothing happened. The only sound was the clicking of the trigger, she hissed trying to change the cartridge.

"I do owe a debt." Five huffed rushing over to Lotus, he helped her stand up straight. He removed something from his pocket and that's when she saw the grenade. "But not to you." He used his teeth to ignite it, rolling it towards the white haired women. Lotus and Five rushed out into the hallway, an explosion shook the building causing them to fall onto the floor.

"C'mon." He panted jumping up, "We have one more thing to do."

Lotus growled standing up and rushing after him, going as fast as she could with a knife sticking out of her leg. They ran down unknown corridors until they came across a large room, he tossed another grenade but this time at Lotus, and she caught it with caution. A giant sign on a door read The Brief Case Room.

Five grabbed a case from off the shelf and ran out to meet her, she yanked the tab from the grenade and chucked it in. She felt his arms wrap around her as they threw themselves out of range. The new explosion seemed to pick them up and throw them, but again they never hit the ground as his signature blue filtered around them and took them far, far away.