[Episode] The Hit

Episode:

"So, what do you think?"

Amadeus looked over himself in the small mirror. Eloise had managed to get him some new clothing, after his old attire had been torn up during his last fight. She had even insisted on it, after Amadeus said he could simply patch up his old clothes. "I even managed to find the same color you wore before." Amadeus looked to the young woman, slightly confused, "Color?" Eloise blinked, "Yeah. All the black and purple. Strange color choice, but it works on you."

Amadeus looked back in the mirror. "I never noticed. All I see is black, while and grey." Eloise's face fell. "Oh. Right. Can't see color. Can't taste. Can't feel anything. I don't know how you can possibly stand it." He gave a small shrug. "I've been like this for years. I'm used to it." He shifted his arm, looking down at it. "I will say, these new enhancements you made, I'm honestly surprised." Eloise's smile returned. "Well, my family and I always had a knack with machines. I just wanted to transition to repairing people too."

It had been three days since Amadeus' fight with Grigory the Flail. He, Eloise and Dr. Fizzeti had managed to find themselves a cheap hotel room on the other side of town. There, they had finally been able to give Amadeus a full work over, and much to the cyborg's surprise had even included some upgrades. While the good doctor had handled the more medical side of things, Eloise had handled the mechanical side very well.

The door to the room opened, with Dr. Fizzeti peering in. "You decent? How's the body feel?" Amadeus turned to the doctor and nodded. "Working better than ever it seems." "Good to hear," the doctor replied, "Now then, we got some planning to do."

Indeed they did. Amadeus' victory over Grigory had caused thrm to become targets of the Morati Family. And one didn't last long being an enemy of one of Baratelli's crime families. The trio needed to find a way off of the island, and soon.

Post Word Count: 347
Total Word Count: 347

Sarah was busy finishing up for the day. The day had been a bit slow. No new arrivals, and those that were staying at the Bagoda Hotel were keeping to themselves. It was getting close to the end of her shift and was wiping down the reception counter.

Hearing the door open, she sighed. Of course someone comes in right when she's about to leave. She put a smile on her face and looked up. "Welcome to the Bagoda! How can I...help...you?" She trailed off when she saw a group of men in suits enter, following who she could only describe as a slimy young man with green hair.

Carmine Morati:

She resisted the urge to recoil as the young man approached the counter. "Good evening," he said. Good grief, even the way he talked made Sarah want to slap him. "A few friends of ours are staying in this hotel I believe. Can you be a dear and tell us where their room is?" Sarah looked at the man, trying very hard to keep the smile on her face. "Can I have a name?" "Dr. Fizzeti."

Yeah, there was no way she could trust this guy. She reached for the Den Den Mushi on the desk, "I'll let you know you're here for them." The man reached across the desk, taking her hand. "There's no need for that. Just give us the number." Sarah finally let the smile drop. "We have a policy here. We can't just give out people's room numbers." "Aw, not even for a surprise?" "I said no!"

The man paused, his smile fading into a blank stare. "So that's how it's going to be, huh?"


MacIntyre had been in the back, going over some last minute expenses. Normally he was fine with Sarah running the desk. She seemed yo handle things quite well. But today, things seemed a little different. He tried to focus on the reports, but there seemed to be an incessant knocking coming from the front desk area. Dangit, just what was she doing out there?

Finally having enough, he got up and walked to the door. "Dangit Sarah, what is that kno-"

He froze at what he saw. There, laying on the floor was Sarah, eyes wide, in a pool of her own blood, leaking from the hideous slash across her throat. Horrified, he looked at the suited men at the desk, before he felt a hand on his shoulder. "Ah, good. Someone who can help. I'm afraid your receptionist wasn't being particularly friendly. Don't worry, I took care of it."

Slowly MacIntyre turned, seeing that horrific, grinning face. "Now, my associates and I are looking for some folks, and we heard they are staying here. Would you be so kind as to give us their room number? I would so hate to have to check every room here, as I'm sure you would too."


Post Word Count: 482
Total Word Count: 829

"The Moratis would have people watching the docks. We aren't the only ones who have tried to skip town. You can bet they'll try to stop any boat they think we're on." Dr. Fizzeti explained, sitting at the small table. Sitting across from him, Amadeus thought on their next move. "Any way we can find a small boat and slip out that way?" Fizzeti shook his head, "Most people don't want to risk anything be traced back to them if things go wrong."

"Maybe we can go to the marines?" Eloise suggested, "They can probably get us out, right?" Amadeus looked over at her. "The crime families wouldn't be thriving here if they didn't have their claws in the marines. I doubt we'd get far with them." Eloise's  face fell. "Then what do we do?" The trio fell silent. This really wasn't a straight forward problem.

Then, Amadeus heard something. It was faint, so faint his enhanced hearing was what allowed him to pick it up. A sound coming from outside their room. A series of clicking sounds...

...or as Amadeus realized, cocking sounds.

"GET DOWN!"

All of a sudden, a storm of gunfire blasted through the wall, completely shredding the door. Amadeus had managed to pull everyone down just in time, flipping the table to use as a make shift shield. Eloise let out a scream, covering her head and ears as bullets tore through everything, leaving the room looking like a complete war zone.

What seemed like an eternity was only a few seconds before the gunfire halted. Silence fell over the destroyed room before the remains of the door fell away, and someone sauntered in.

"Hotel rooms these days. If I were you, I'd demand my money back."

Amadeus and Fizzeti stood up from behind the ruined table, eying the loathsome young man as goons in suits, all carrying rifles, came into the room behind him. "And you are?" Amadeus asked, his face carved from stone. Dr Fizzeti's eyes narrowed in disgust. "That is Carmine Morati," he answered, "Don't Morati's psychotic little shit of a brother." Carmine gave an amused laugh, "Oh please, you're going to make me blush. But we're not here to talk about me." He pointed to Amadeus, "So, you're the purple guy who beat up Grigory, huh?"

Amadeus' expression never changed. "What can I say? You pick shit employees." Carmine gave a short laugh. "Maybe, maybe. But you see, we can't just have someone beating on our men. A matter of principle. So I do hope you understand that we can't just let you walk away with that." Behind him, the men started reloading their weapons. "So, if you would just kindly stand there and..."

He didn't get to finish. There was the cocking of a shotgun as Fizzeti pointed the barrel right at Carmine. "Amadeus, grab Eloise and go!" "Doctor!" Eloise yelled out in shock. Amadeus shook his head, "I'm not leaving you to fight them alone." Fizzeti didn't take his eyes off of Carmine. "Don't try to play the hero here. Do you think you can take thrm all on like this? And you know afterwards he won't just leave Eloise alone."

Amadeus looked from his companions to Carmine. The man seemed far to calm and confident in this situation. And his thugs were quickly training guns on them. Amadeus was durable, but not invincible.

He really hates to have to do this.

Before Eloise could object, Amadeus suddenly bent down and grabbed her, diving through a nearby window in one swift motion. One of Carmine's goons tried to shoot at them, before a shotgun blast from Fizzeti launched him off of his feet.

The doctor quickly moved to reload, before a chain suddenly wrapped around his arm. Carmine was suddenly up in his face, a twisted smirk on his face. "Now doctor, whatever happened to "Do no harm"?" Fizzeti scowled at the man. "I've been doing harm for years, helping you over glorified thugs. No more!"

Carmine's smirk widened as he pulled a blade from behind him. "Well, if that's how you feel. Here's your severance package."


Post Word Count: 687
Total Word Count: 1,516

Amadeus Rhodes uses
Bomber Knee - MT at Hit Squad
Gear Change - LT on self
Palm Shot - LT at Hit Squad
UT at Hit Squad

Hit Squad uses
LT at Amadeus Rhodes
LT at Amadeus Rhodes
UT at Amadeus Rhodes

COMBAT TRACKERS:

The member 'Amadeus Rhodes' has done the following action : Dice Roll

---

#1 'Reflex Check' : 7, 13, 3

--------------------------------

#2 'Reflex Check' : 6, 3, 7

"Let me go!" Eloise shouted, struggling against Amadeus' hold as the bounty hunter quickly carried her down the fire escape, "We can't just leave him there!" "If we go back, we're all dead," Amadeus retorted, holding onto the squirming woman tightly, "He's doing this for your safety." "I don't care! I'm not leaving him!"

Amadeus skipped the last couple of flights of stairs, jumping down into the alleyway below. Holding Eloise tight, he dashed out onto the streets. A couple of Morati thugs, waiting outside the hotel's back door, spotted the pair coming out. Quickly shaking off the surprise, they pulled out their pistols and fired.

Eloise cried out as Amadeus hissed lightly, one of the shots grazing his arm. He held her close, trying to keep her covered from the bullets as he dashed across the street, running into another alleyway. He couldn't let small hits like that stop him. Fizzeti had essentially sacrificed himself to give them a chance to escape. He wasn't going to let the old man down.

The two thugs were about to give chase when the door burst open. Carmine, along with his men, stepped out. There was noticable blood staining one of his blades. "You see them?" he asked. The men, needing no clarification, nodded, pointing to the alleyway Amadeus had run down.

Carmine's face split into a predatory grin. "And here I thought this was going to be a boring hit. Well boys, it's hunting time!" With a laugh, he swung out a pair of chains towards a nearby sign hanging over a nearby shop. Almost like an acrobat, he swung himself up onto the nearby roof, opting to pursue the duo while his men followed on the streets below.


Post Word Count: 288
Total Word Count: 1,804[/color]

Amadeus Rhodes uses
Unrelenting Machine - HT on self
Bayonet Rush - LT at Hit Squad
UT at Hit Squad

Hit Squad uses
LT at Amadeus Rhodes
LT at Amadeus Rhodes
UT at Amadeus Rhodes

COMBAT TRACKERS:

The member 'Amadeus Rhodes' has done the following action : Dice Roll

---

#1 'Reflex Check' : 13, 12

--------------------------------

#2 'Reflex Check' : 16, 15, 9

"Come on!" Amadeus grunted as he pulled Eloise along, trying not to yank her off of her feet, but at the same time trying to keep a good speed. They could hear the sounds of Amorati's goons chasing behind them, and while Amadeus would have gladly stayed back and fought, he had to ensure her safety.

The pair burst our of the alley, out onto the street on the other side. The people, having been drawn by the sounds of the commotion, yelled out in surprise and scattered. They knew what was going down and wanted absolutely no part of it. Amadeus for his part, didn't have time to take them into consideration. They had to keep moving. He had to decide where they were going next.

The sound of chains behind caused him to suddenly stop. He quickly shoved Eloise out of the way, before a blade shot past, catching him in the shoulder. Overhead, the figure of Carmine Amorati flipped through the air, pulling back his blade and grinning like a mad predator. "Aw, now don't be like that! What happened to all that gusto I heard so much about?"

Amadeus ignored the bleeding from his shoulder as he looked back at Eloisr. "Run! Now!" Eloise wasn't in any position to object. She quickly broke into a run towards another alleyway. Carmine grinned wildly as he readied to throw a blade, "Now what did I just say?"

He suddenly stopped mid-action to block an incoming strike from Amadeus' hidden blade as the cyborg bullrushed him. Carmine laughed, bringing up his second blade to slash him across the chest. He was caught a little off guard when Amadeus seemed to ignore the attack, instead swinging a punch to catch him right in the face.

As Carmine reeled back from the hit, Amadeus turned and dashed down the alleyway after Eloise. Carmine rubbed his nose, making sure it wasn't bleeding before he grinned. "Now now. You can't just give me a taste and then cock block me like that! Get back here!"


Post Word Count: 342
Total Word Count: 2,146

Amadeus Rhodes uses
Pirate Breaker - HT at Hit Squad
Ripcoil - LT at Hit Squad
UT at Hit Squad

Hit Squad uses
LT at Amadeus Rhodes
LT at Amadeus Rhodes
UT at Amadeus Rhodes

COMBAT TRACKERS:

The member 'Amadeus Rhodes' has done the following action : Dice Roll

---

#1 'Reflex Check' : 13, 2, 5

--------------------------------

#2 'Reflex Check' : 15, 6, 8

As Amadeus charged down the alleyway, he felt some irritation to see that Eloise had stopped to wait for him. "Dammit! I said run!" he shouted as he caught up with her. "I'm not leaving you too!" she shouted in response, running alongside him, "And you're hurt too!" "I've dealt with worse! Now keep runni-Dammit!"

Ahead of them, a cart had been pulled up in front of the alleyway. Amadeus recognized the suited thugs of the Amorati, guns drawn and ready. He had to admit, they had a good deal of foresight and quick thinking to pull something like this out quickly. And with Carmine hot on their tail behind them, it wasn't as if they could turn around.

So, that only left one option. Charge on through. "Get behind me!" Amadeus shouted, pulling Eloise behind him as the Amorati goons started firing. Eloise cried out as bullets shot past, many of them catching Amadeus as he charged towards them, using his own body as a human shield.

Behind them, Carmine couldn't help but laugh. "Oh, I love it when they try to fight their way out!" He brought up one of his blades, aiming to throw it right at Eloise's head.

As the blade shot through the air, Eloise found herself being pulled down as Amadeus dropped. Holding onto her tightly, the cyborg slid across the ground, past the armed goons and underneath the cart. Sliding out the other side, Amadeus turned in one fluid motion, bringing his arm back as fire suddenly burst from his elbow.

The following blow launched the cart back, catching the surprised grunt as they were smashed against the wall. Carmine had managed to stop himself in time to avoid being hit by it, pausing almost in surprise as Eloise and the wounded Amadeus made a run for it.

Then, regaining his senses, Carmine pulled his blade free from the wreckage with a laugh. "Keekeekee! Now THIS is what I'm talking about! I'm not done with you yet!"


Post Word Count: 334
Total Word Count: 2,480

Amadeus Rhodes uses
Fury's Eye - HT at Hit Squad
Palm Shot - LT at Hit Squad
UT at Hit Squad

Hit Squad uses
LT at Amadeus Rhodes
LT at Amadeus Rhodes
UT at Amadeus Rhodes

COMBAT TRACKERS:

The member 'Amadeus Rhodes' has done the following action : Dice Roll

---

#1 'Reflex Check' : 6, 11, 8

--------------------------------

#2 'Reflex Check' : 4, 15, 8

Smashing the cart had given the pair some breathing room at least. Anyone chasing behind them had been temporarily blocked by the wreckage, allowing Amadeus and Eloise a good lead. Slipping down a couple of alleyways, Amadeus finally allowed himself to pause and lean against a wall. Though he could not feel pain, he had been in enough fights to recognize when the damage his body sustained was starting to pile up.

Eloise looked over him, concerned. "You can't keep this up," she said, flashing back to how he was when she first found him. And again after his fight with Grigory. If it hadn't been for him being a cyborg, the man would be long dead. Amadeus shook his head. "I can keep it up for as long as I need to," he said, giving Eloise a determined gaze, "I can't stop until we're out of here."

"Now then, that's the spirit!"

Amadeus couldn't move in time, before a pair of sharp blades suddenly stabbed into Amadeus' sides. The chains connected led over to Carmine, standing at the mouth of the alleyway with a manic grin. Amadeus snarled. This man just did not give up! Carmine chuckled cruelly, "You know, I'm starting to wonder just how you managed to beat Grigory. I mean, all you do is keep running. At least Fizzeti tried to put up a fight."

Amadeus growled as he grabbed hold of the chains with one hand. "Oh? Finally deciding to fight?" With his free hand, he tore his eyepatch away, revealing an eye that was increasingly glowing red. Carmine paused, his interest piqued.

Then the blast fired. Carmine managed to twist his body out of the way, the red laser shooting past him and crashing into a building across the street behind him. Carmine looked back at the hole burnt into the wall before letting out an amused laugh. "Well now, not bad. But you're gonna need to work on your ai-"

BLAM!

As Carmine turned around, there was a spray of blood as a bullet caught him along the side of his head, grazing his eye. His confident smirk was replaced by a shriek of pain. "GYAH! FUCKFUCKFUCK FU!" He was cut off by a sudden punch to the face, knocking him flat as Amadeus and Eloise ran over him.

Amadeus knew that shot wouldn't put him down for good, but at least he wiped that damn smirk off of his face.


Post Word Count: 408
Total Word Count: 2,888

Amadeus Rhodes uses
Quick Repairs - MT at Hit Squad
Bayonet Rush - LT at Hit Squad
Ripcoil - LT at Hit Squad
UT at Hit Squad

Hit Squad uses
HT at Amadeus Rhodes
UT at Amadeus Rhodes

COMBAT TRACKERS:

The member 'Amadeus Rhodes' has done the following action : Dice Roll

---

#1 'Reflex Check' : 7, 6, 10, 19

--------------------------------

#2 'Reflex Check' : 17, 4

Getting over the initial shock of it all, Carmine was seething in rage as his men caught up to him. His hand covered his eye, now bloody from Amadeus' lucky shot. "OK, Now this is no longer funny!" he snarled through clenched teeth.

One of his men approached him. "Boss! You alright?" Carmine snarled, causing the man to back up. Carmine's remaining eye caught sight of a rocket launcher being held by one of the others. "Gimme that!" he growled, snatching it from him. He threw up a chain with his free hand, latching it onto the roof of a nearby building before pulling himself up. Rocket launcher in hand, he looked around, trying to see any sight of those two.

Then he saw them. They had gone some distance down the road and were crossing a bridge going over one of the waterways. With a viscious snarl, Carmine took aim with the launcher and fired.

The damage had been starting to pile up. Amadeus was having a hard time moving. Blood and oil stained his clothes as he found himself leaning onto Eloise for support. Dammit, he was supposed to be protecting her, and yet she was the now being slowed down by carrying him.

And then he heard it. The screeching of something flying at them. He looked back in time to see the rocket approaching, and with his fading strength threw his body between it and Eloise. The resulting explosion mixed with Eloise's scream as both were thrown off of the bridge, into the water below.

From atop the building, Carmine watched the smoke clear, showing no signs of either of the pair. "So," he called out to his men below, "Who here thinks they're dead?" The men were quiet for a moment. "Um, pretty sure nobody could survive that boss." Carmine's eye narrowed. "Well, too bad. My brother pays you. Go search the canal!"


Post Word Count: 318
Total Word Count: 3,206

Eloise hit the water hard, the rushing currents of the channel immediately tossing her around, disorienting her further. All she could hear was the rushing of the water, and the ringing in her ears from the blast. Fortunately, she hadn't taken the brunt of it all. That had been.

In the gloom her eyes snapped open as she immediately tried to right herself up. Something bumped into her, which she immediately grabbed hold to. He had seen the rocket coming and used his own body as a shield. Though she was having difficulty seeing and being tossed around in the water, she refused to let go whom she assumed was Amadeus.

Her back suddenly hit something hard, knocking what little air was out of her lungs. Still holding onto him with one hand, she frantically reached out with the other, trying to grab hold of the hard stone. Instinct forced her to try and climb upwards, or at least what she thought was up. Finally she broke the surface of the water, gasping for air.

They had been swept some way down the channel and were now up against a low walkway along its edge, most likely used to try and clean stuff out of it...or dump stuff in, depending on what you did. With a strength born from desperation that Eloise didn't even know she had, she heaved herself up onto the walkway, pulling Amadeus up along with her. She rolled onto her back, gasping and panting heavily. Her muscles were screaming with pain and fatigue.

After what seemed like an eternity, she rolled over to look at the man laying beside her. Amadeus wasn't moving. He laid there, battered and broken. Any oil and blood on him had been washed away by the water, but that just left the unconscious cyborg looking like a drowned corpse. Eloise pulled herself up and over to him.

"Amadeus," she croaked, shaking him. There was no response. A whole new fear started to grip her as she felt his neck for a pulse. Timed seemed to stand still for a moment before she felt the faintest sign of life. It was only then she allowed herself to breath. "Thank God," she murmured to herself.

Then, finally, her mind caught up with what was going on. Were they still being chased? Did they think they were dead? Just how far down did thry travel? She couldn't allow herself to assume they were safe. That scumbag was pretty pissed after what Amadeus did to his eye, and she foubted he was going to be satisfied with just that. And right now, Amadeus wasn't in any condition to protect either of them.

She needed to get them somewhere safe. Somewhere quiet. She hefted the unconscious cyborg onto her shoulders. It reminded her of how they first met. The first meeting that started all of this. But she didn't have time to dwell on that now. With her body crying out, she started to carry the broken man along.


Post Word Count: 503
Total Word Count: 3,709

COMBAT TRACKERS:

It wasn't easy, trying to move Amadeus somewhere remote without being spotted. Last time, it didn't matter I anyone saw her carrying him, but right now she couldn't risk being spotted by those mafia goons. It took some time, but she finally managed to find a relatively deserted warehouse along the docks. Tired, hurting, her clothes becoming soiled in blood (Amadeus', not hers), she carried the unconscious cyborg inside.

She gently set him down by some crates, quickly checking for a pulse. Still there, but very weak. Without the water to wash the blood away, it was becoming clear just how bad Amadeus was bleeding. And here she was without medical equipment to help.

She looked around desperately before pulling off her jacket. She started tearing off strips, using them as make shift bandages. It wasn't a perfect solution, but she had to stop the bleeding somehow.

"Amadeus..." she whimpered, everything about today finally catching up to her. There was no doubt in her mind that Dr. Fizzeti was dead. And now the only person she had left was laying against a crate, slowly bleeding out. And all she could do was sit here and cry. Her eyes started to sting as tears ran down her cheeks.

"Ah fuck me."

Eloise's breath caught in her throat at the sound of the voice. Trying to keep as quiet as possible, she peered out behind the crate. Standing I the doorway, lighting a cigarette, was one of the Morati's goons. "Don't know why he's bothering with this," the man muttered to himself, "Those two will be washed up corpses by morning anyway."

He hadn't noticed them yet! For all he knew, they were still in the channel. If she kept quiet, perhaps he would just leave. Ducking back behind the crate, Eloise clamped her hands over her mouth, trying to remain as silent as possible. Everything was deathly quiet for a moment.

Then a hand swung around, hitting the box next to her head, causing her to squeak in fright. "Well, looks like I spoke too soon."


Post Word Count: 346
Total Word Count: 4,055

COMBAT TRACKERS:

Eloise backed up in fright as the man stepped around the crate, a cocky grin spreading across his face. "Lucky lucky me," he chuckled coldly, "I step away for a smoke break, and I happen to find the ones causing all the trouble." His eyes turned to the unconscious Amadeus, letting out a sharp laugh. "And the damn robot's here as well. Aw, it looks like he's all broken though.

The man strode over yo the seated figure, delivering a sharp kick right to the side of his head. "Hah! Not so tough now, are ya? All stoic and confident. You honestly look kinda pathetic now."

"You son of a bitch!" Eloise yelled out, leaping at him and punching him in the back. Not that the blow did much. All it did was cause the man to stumble forward. He quickly spun, delivering a sharp back hand to Eloise's face. As she reeled from the hit, he grabbed hold of her, slamming her against a crate before driving a knee into her stomach. Eloise wheezed in pain, almost doubling over if not for the man grabbing her by the throat.

He let out a cruel laugh. "Well, look at you, trying to be a fighter here. Well, too bad you haven't got anymore men to hide behind." He looked over her, his face taking on a sickening expression, "Still, no reason I can't have some fun with you before handing you over." He gave another laugh as Eloise frantically struggled.

Suddenly, there was an inhuman roar and something struck the man on the side of the head.

The thug barely had any time to comprehend what was happening, before he found himself lifted up and slammed bodily onto the stone floor. His attacker gave a mechanical growl before he unleashed blow after blow onto his face. Every strike caused the man's head to hit the stone hard with a sickening crack. Blow after blow after rage fueled blow. By the time the attack stopped, the gangster was still, blood pooling around his head.

Eloise leaned back against the crate, watching with wide eyes as Amadeus slowly rose to his feet. His face bloodied, his eyes red, in the gloom of the warehouse he looked almost demonic.

Slowly, he turned to look at her. His voice was almost a mechanical croak. "We need...to keep...moving." He took a couple of steps before stumbling. Eloise quickly rushed to his side, helping him remain stable. It was some relief to see him awake, but that still didn't change their situation. This place wasn't safe. They had to keep moving.


Post Word Count: 435
Total Word Count: 4,490

COMBAT TRACKERS:

Amadeus Rhodes uses
Bomber Knee - MT at Hit Squad
Gear Change - LT on self
Ripcoil - LT at Hit Squad
UT at Hit Squad
Retreat Roll

Hit Squad uses
LT at Amadeus Rhodes
LT at Amadeus Rhodes
UT at Amadeus Rhodes

COMBAT TRACKERS:

The member 'Amadeus Rhodes' has done the following action : Dice Roll

---

#1 'Reflex Check' : 14, 3, 5, 18

--------------------------------

#2 'Reflex Check' : 8, 1, 5

Carmine sat back, setting bitterly as one of his men carefully wrapped the bandages around his head, his eye covered by a patch. Though he had yet to see a doctor, it wasn't looking good, and that fact was passing the man off more and more as time passed. Especially since he had yet to see a single sign of that damn cyborg and his little bitch.

As a few of his men approached, his one good eye sent them a baleful glare. "Any sign of them?" He hissed. The men hesitated before shaking their heads. "S-Sorry sir. We looked up and down the river. No sign of them. Maybe they got washed out to sea?"

No, that wasn't good enough! He wanted to see their broken bodies in front of him. Hell, he wanted to deal the killing blow himself! But the anger was slowly starting to give way to apathy. And try as he might, he was having a hard time keeping himself out here. He gave an irritated growl. "Keep looking," he muttered, "But you can bring most of the others back. I doubt my brother wants everyone out looking for a couple of corpses."

Who knows. Maybe they were already dead, and he was chasing after nothing. As the men ran off to relay his orders, Carmine rose to his feet. After all of this, he needed a drink. Maybe a good hooker or two.


Eloise and Amadeus had managed to finally find a place to hide out. A couple had left on vacation, leaving their house empty. Though Eloise felt bad about having to break into someone's home, they were rather short on options, and after everything today, she really wasn't in a mood to split hairs over such things.

Right now, Amadeus was resting in another room, while Eloise sat at the kitchen table, sobbing. Only now was she finally able to let everything out. The sheer helplessness of the situation hitting her hard. She couldn't do anything. Even when it came to defending Amadeus, it ended up being him saving her. Maybe if she wasn't around Fizzeti wouldn't have had to...and Amadeus wouldn't be in such a wreck. It was all her fault.

"Eloise..."

She looked up, eyes red with tears to see Amadeus leaning against the doorframe. She quickly rose to her feet. "Amadeus, you need to rest!" She said, walling over to him incase he needed support, "I-I'll try to get the parts to repair you. Once we have you all fixed up, we'll..." Amadeus shook his head. "They'll keep...hunting...us..." Eloise paused before looking to the floor. As much as she hated to say it, they he was right. If they tried to flee, they would only get spotted and all this would happen again. "Then...what can we do?" she said helplessly.

"There is...one...way." Eloise blinked and looked up into Amadeus' eyes. She could see the anger smoldering behind them. An almost frightening determination. "Where...are...they?" Eloise blinked. "What?" "The Moratis," Amadeus replied slowly, "I'm going...to find them...then...I'm going...to make...them...bleed..."

Episode End


Post Word Count: 516
Total Word Count: 5,006