PSA

Okay so as some of you may know I'm participating in nanowrimo this year and I'm planning on writing an F-Team story sort of thing.  Since I feel this is more of the collaborative brainchild of all of us I don't feel quite right writing about these characters without running it by you guys first.  So yeah.  If any of you are not comfortable with me using the F-Team for nanowrimo speak now or forever hold your peace.

A Picture for "No"

hahaha yup I don't even know

Ugh I hate this I can't write things the way they are in my head but whatever here you go.  This takes place waaaaaaaayyy later.  Like....after the team has been together for maybe a year or two?  Sorry it's a piece of shit ughhghsjdgls;sddlka

                Laura clutched at the paper in her hand, trying to make sense of the message written on it.  She shook uncontrollably as she imagined the man who wrote it.  The most hated man: her father. 

                He had written his message in bright blue ink.  Laura knew exactly which pen he had used.  It used to be her mother’s favorite; she would use it to write official letters with. Laura remembered watching her mother craft her swooping signature in that same blue.  She glowered, knowing he had used the pen to upset her.  She crumpled the note up in her fist and strode to the door of her room. 

                She had to go out, to walk around and let off some steam before she broke down from stress.  She punched the elevator button furiously and stepped swiftly through the sliding doors, only to be met by Mr. Lindsey.  “Going somewhere?” Mr. Lindsey’s eyebrows were raised slightly.  That was never a good sign. 

                “Yes,” Laura hissed through her teeth, willing Mr. Lindsey not to interfere.  He narrowed his eyes slightly but said nothing.  As the elevator slid to a stop at the ground floor he inclined his head and stepped out. 

                Sighing in relief that she was alone again, Laura pressed the button for basement floor one and entered the passcode.  Luckily, Suzy wasn’t anywhere to be seen in the basement garage, so all Laura had to do was grab a set of keys and hop into the nearest car.  She chose a simple, nondescript model that wouldn’t attract much attention.  Once the car elevator reached ground level Laura shot off into traffic.  As she sped through the city a plan began to take shape in her mind.  She could go talk to Johnny.  Maybe he would be able to make sense their father’s strange message.  Finding a bit of solace in her new purpose, she turned sharply and began her journey to Johnny’s current residence. 

OOOOO

                As Laura’s car drew closer to the rather upscale neighborhood her brother occupied she began to feel heavy with foreboding.  She kept passing more and more cop cars and crowds of people and soon she could drive no further.  Fire engines and ambulances were scattered everywhere, blocking the whole street.  Laura frantically parked the car and ran forward.  The police barricade kept her from getting much further but she could still see all she needed in order to understand.  Her brother’s car was upside down in a large crater.  Scraps of metal and other debris were scattered everywhere.  Tears filled Laura’s eyes as she saw two bodies being hoisted into a nearby ambulance.  The note’s cruel message was now abundantly clear.  “What is the one thing better to go out with than your mother?”

A bang.

                Laura quickly got back in her car, quivering with fury.  She knew what she should do. 

OOOOO

                “You sure this is the kinda gun she ast for?”  Manuel looked a bit lost.  “She usually want the bigger ones.”

                “Shut up,” Laura snapped and snatched the handgun from Jennifer’s old acquaintance.  “This is the one she asked for.” 

                “Awright man, whatever you say.” Manuel took the money Laura thrust into his arms and shrugged.  “’S not my problem if you’re wrong.” 

                Laura rolled her eyes and stalked away.  As soon as she was out of his line of vision she gingerly placed the gun in the cotton bag she had brought with her.  Once she reached the place she had left her vehicle she opened the driver side door and slid in.  She placed the cotton bag gently on the passenger seat.  Soon she was off navigating the crowded city streets again, intent on her new destination. 

OOOOO

                Mary was very angry with her mother.  She had promised work would only take a few hours today and that she would be in time to pick Mary up from school.  Mary waited excitedly for her mother in front of the school, but she never showed.  So Mary decided she would walk home.  That will show Mother! 

                Mary scuffed her worn sneakers on the sidewalk, not really paying much attention to where she was going.  When she finally did look up she realized she had no idea where she was.  On her right was a large brick wall and on her left, across the street, was a chain link fence.  Behind the fence there were some old rusting shipping containers.  Mary had never seen this part of town before and was even more upset that her mother had been hiding such a wonderful-looking playground from her.  All of those fantastically stacked storage bins would make a great jungle gym for a little girl.  Grinning at the brilliance of her discovery she dashed across the street to stand before the fence.  She gripped the links of the fence, deciding what would be the best way to get over them. 

                Mary decided that if she was grown-up enough to walk home alone that meant she was also grown-up enough to climb a fence.  As she stuck her left foot into one of the links to hoist herself upward she noticed a figure on top of one of the containers.  It was a middle-aged man, Mary figured about the same age as her Uncle Dan.  Something about the sight of the man both intrigued and frightened Mary very much.  She could feel her heart fluttering in her chest and it reminded her of the first time she jumped off the big kid swings at school. 

                As Mary was considering running away she noticed another figure approaching at a rapid pace, jumping from container to container with hollow thuds.  The new figure had obviously caught the attention of the man as well.  Mary watched as the new person came to a halt about twenty feet away from the man.  It was a young woman.  She hardly looked any older than Mary’s own mother.  Mary’s eyes widened as the two figures faced off. 

                “Hello Laura, it’s been a while,” the man smirked slightly as he called out to the woman.  At his words the woman visibly flinched but didn’t back up a single step.  “I take it you saw the present I left for your brother?”  Now the woman was visibly shaking and glaring with hatred in her eyes at the man before her. 

                Mary suddenly got a strong feeling that she shouldn’t watch any more of this, but it was already too late.  The woman pulled a small handgun out of the bag she had slung over her back and pointed it at the man.  Mary backed away from the fence slightly but still managed to notice that the woman was the one who looked terrified, even though she had the weapon.  The man just grinned.  “As if you could.  You’re much too much of a coward.” 

                The impact of his words on the woman was obvious.  She seemed to shrink into herself.  Her gun arm shook and almost faltered, but just then a lone car zoomed past, startling her.  Mary threw herself on the ground, the sound of the gun’s discharge ringing in her ears.  Completely shocked, Mary slowly lifted her head to see the man fall to the ground with a sickening crunch. 

                The car that had driven past just seconds before came back from the other direction and came screeching to a halt in front of Mary.  Two men jumped out and vaulted quickly over the fence, drawing guns as they went.  They both pointed their weapons at the woman, who still stood on top of the container. 

OOOOO

                Laura’s eyes glazed over as she looked at the smoking barrel of the handgun.  She barely even registered the presence of the little girl who had squealed at the gunshot.  As the same car that had startled her into firing returned to her line-of-sight, Laura blinked once.  It was an undercover cop car, for sure.  Laura lowered the gun down to her side as the two cops made their way towards her.  Suddenly, Laura realized she recognized them.  One was the deputy of the local police department, and the other….

                It clicked.  The night she had stolen some files on one Jennifer D. from the police headquarters.  This cop had been there, in that file.  He was there on the night that Jennifer’s family had been killed.  Without really realizing what she was doing, Laura raised her gun once more and let off two shots into the man’s chest.  The deputy swore and then fired his own gun in Laura’s direction. 

                Laura felt a searing pain as the cop’s first shot skated across her cheek and whizzed by her ear.  She felt her whole body jolt as the second connected with her head as she turned to run.  The last thing she remembered was the sound of her gun clattering onto the rusted steel of the container beneath her.   

Roles!!

Just for reference (taken from today's discussion feel free to add/change as you see fit): 
Police Force:

• Arend: Chief
• Doug: Deputy
• Bono: Loyal officer
• Leon: Forensics
• Bryce: Reporter
• Saxian: Detective

The Main Team:

• Nichole: Duel wielding handguns/underworld knowledge
• Anna: Pilot/Air Force experience
• Monica: Science!!/explosives/poisons/general destruction
• Jennifer: More guns/criminal experience
• Laura: Knives
• Natalie: Hacker/tech person
• Suzy: Heavy artillery/ground transportation

Other:

• Mr. Lindsey: the Mastermind
• Alina: Information extractor
• Sarina: Information extractor
• Johnny: Hacker

Hey There!

I made Alex yellow....  You can't see, but on the original he was yellow.  And Uyenie has a tan.  Since Reuben in the original clip http://youtu.be/uvWlgLUvSCg had his disgusting man-boobs hanging, I gave Uyenie a tan.  That is the tan I have now....  It's disturbing....  Never taking summer school again.

Where the PIZZA is my baby?!

Minami and Uyenie were playing hide and seek... for a really long time.  Oddly enough, Minami was sitting on the couch.  How do you miss that?
I like the skin colors in this picture XD.

next story

ok, i'm just letting everyone know that I will write the next installment of the story :) If there's anything you guys want included, let me know!

Baby Carrier

Hehe....  This picture's funny.  I was inspired--INSPIRED--by Suzy's activity on this blog that I wanted to draw a picture (because then I explored the blog again and saw all of Laura's pictures).
So in this picture, Alex lost a bet to Uyenie in poker (which Uyenie won with the sneaky help of Jennifer), and so he must carry around their baby on his chest.
I will make the REAL Alex carry around my baby like this one day (whether it's his baby or not).  Note this Alex!  I know you're reading!

Suzy's Origin Part 2

            Suzy stretched lavishly as she woke up. A smile widened on her face as she looked around the room.  The day she had long awaited at last; the last day of high school was finally here! She looked around the room she had inhabited for nearly 10 years.  The lush fabrics, skyscraper bookshelves, full closet, and personal bathroom, even after all this time seemed like a dream.  She picked a worn pair of blue jeans and black tank top out of her closet and quickly got ready. Just in the nick of time as familiar footsteps raced down the hall. Her door popped open as a mat of curly brown hair was thrust into the room. “Suzy!!!! I’m Graduating!!!!” Alan yelled.

Suzy grinned at him, “you do know most people graduate high school right?”

Alan glared at her, “Fuck you. If Ms. Oshefa had her way I’d be repeating her class for the next 20 years.”

“Maybe if you bothered going to her class once in a while, she might be more inclined to give you a passing grade.” Suzy retorted.  

A smile spread across Alan’s face and laughter bubbled out of him, “And insight like that is why you got into pre med at Stanford with Junior level credits. If someone would’ve just told me teachers like you to go to class maybe I could go to college too.” Suzy rolled her eyes and Alan gave her a lighthearted shove, “come on, it’s time for breakfast.” Suzy pushed him back, and like the very mature, graduating seniors they were they had a pushing match down the stairs, racing each other into the kitchen.

The rest of the family was already settled around the table. Alan’s 3 older brothers, Arthur, Alex, and Antoine, along with their dad Albert were having an animated conversation about standards of operation in the C.I.A. as his mother, Becca served pancakes.   They said grace over their meal and conversation soon ensued.

Albert looked over at the two of them, “You guys ready for tomorrow?”

The two youngsters grinned at each other. If anyone was listening in on this conversation they would assume he was talking about graduation or maybe grad night. But, there was something no PTSA mom knew about the Flannigans. They were a prominent family in the Irish-American Mafia.  At first when Suzy had moved in they had tried to keep their secret, but she was much too smart to be blinded by their trickery.  Small clues started to give them away. Secretive visitors, great wealth though they seemed to go to work only very rarely, a huge collection of odd cars, a live in doctor, and of course, Alan.  Alan was the youngest of 4 and happened to be a terrible liar.  After about a week Suzy started weedling information out of him, but it became entirely unnecessary as one day Alex and Arthur rushed their oldest brother Antoine into the door with blood soaking down his arm.  Their brother, who was only about 7 years older than Alan and Suzy, had been shot. 

All of a sudden, all the clues fell into place and then as the precocious child she was she demanded answers. Arthur Flannigan had been a crime lord for the last 22 years and he was not used to having demands, but he answered her questions all the same. By the end of his stories, she had one more question: “How can I help?” Arthur looked astonished, but it made sense. The way Suzy looked at it this family had saved her life, had welcomed her, she got to go to school, and had dinner every day. She wanted this situation to last, and more so she wanted to repay them for the great debt already made. This was a clear way how. So the family welcomed her in. She became one of them. She gained almost equal status with Alan in the crime world. They were still young so mostly they were only given the easiest of missions. Innocently spying on targets, or finding blueprints for locations.  They were also assigned homework hours at the shooting range, behind their house every week. Suzy learned fast.

 As they got older they were assigned harder and harder missions and even got to go on full family missions. In these they were often in charge of driving and would have to wait in the car. This revolted Alan who wanted to be in the midst of things, but Suzy reveled in driving, and became one of the best drivers in the family at only 13.  She then went on to learn to operate motorcycles, tanks, 4 wheelers, and anything else with wheels.   

Though it seemed odd, the Flannigans were a tight knit family.  Arthur and Becca were a force to be reckoned with in the parenting department and demanded all their sons get a high school diploma. They had high hopes for Alan to go to college, but he slacked in his studies, way more interested in the family business. Suzy saw this and as she was want to do, and went out of her way to fill another niche in the family.  From that moment on she excelled in school, took every AP she could find and took college classes on the side.  However, she didn’t know what to go to college for that could help the family. She thought about Business or Law, but was only decided when she realized how old the family physician, Henry was.  He had been with the family for 36 years and what little hair he had greyed long ago.

It was hard for a good crime family to find live-in servants. Besides the plethora of goons that would come and go regularly, the only constants were Henry, and the butler, who seemed to get a lot of nanny positions, Mr. Lindsey.  If anything were to happen to Henry, the family would be completely out of luck. It wasn’t as if they could just walk into a hospital to get patched up every time something happened, which was fairly frequently.  So once again, Suzy saw a niche and filled it, applying for med school. Of course, she got in.

So, by asking, “you guys ready for tomorrow?” Albert was not talking about graduation.  Tomorrow evening Alan and Suzy were leaving for their first and last solo mission.  They had gone on missions before, they had even gone on missions just the two of them before, but it was never like this.  Any missions they had gone on alone up to this point had been child’s play and any real missions had been only with the rest of the family. Tomorrow they were taking one of the family cars, driving down to Mexico, paying for and picking up a shipment, and then sneaking it back across the border. It was real, it was dangerous, and they were ready.     

Jennifer Doodle

STYLE WHY YOU NO STAY CONSTANT??

also how do you feet

ffffffffffffffff

I wanted to reuse the sketches of me and Monica that I used for our fandom pic in an F-Team pic, but I had to draw each person on a separate piece of paper, so they aren't very consistent.  aklgdsjaklgasdlkg Don't judge me DX It's so uglyyyyy and don't tell me it looks good, cause I know a bunch of them are super messed up T____T

Alex and Uyenie Back Story Part 8 (The Wedding Part 1: Tea Ceremony)

A few months later, I wake up in an extravagant red bed.  Today’s the day!  I opened my eyes and saw him staring back at me.  He’s so adorable.  His pale and milky skin glowed from the sunshine laying upon it.  It’s like the skin of a vampire.  Wait, but not like Edward Cullen.  He wasn’t shimmering like diamonds in the sun or anything.  Nor did he look like he was about to puke.  He just had a gaze that said, “This girl will be my wife,” or “The girl is MINE,” as if he was the creepy Duke from Moulin Rouge.  Wait, that doesn’t sound good either.  I should stop talking about this and just go on. 

So we got out of bed, got dressed in regular clothes, and left in different directions.  Of course we exchanged a kiss before we went our ways.  I met up with Alex’s female employees.  They were buzzing around “Are you excited?”, “How do you feel?”, and “Can you believe you’re getting married?”

The first ceremony was the tea ceremony.  We rushed all the female employees and I to the highest suite, like on the highest floor.  So we went up and prepared me in my tea ceremony dress.  It was a silk red traditional Vietnamese dress embroidered in gold.  My headpiece, unlike Vietnamese girls these days, actually contained my hair and held it up.  

I was sitting on the bed, with all the other maidens.  I was like a princess in a tower waiting for my knight in shining armor to save me.  He took a while.  The wait was killing me.  When was he going to come?  The small talk with the female employees was so boring and irrelevant!  “Did you hear Jessica found a pickle in the middle of the bed!  How random is that?”  It was dreadful!  Who cares what Jessica did?  I’m getting married!  Wait, why was there a pickle in the middle of the bed.  Was it from that one time I was eating a sandwich in one of the rooms?  Woops.  Anyways, all I wanted to do is see Alex.  Gah!  When was he going to bust down that door?

Then there was a knock.  Time to play.  “Who is it?”, I called out to the door.

His timid and deep voice came through, “It’s me, Alex.”  We all giggled.

One of the employees asked, “Hm?  Who is it?  I can’t hear you.”

He grumbled….  “It’s me!  Alex!”  Everyone in the room exchanged a look that said, “Let’s mess with him.”

“Alex who?  What do you want?”

“Please Kacie, you work for me.  Open the door….”

“Huh?  Who is this?  Uyenie, do you know this guy?”

“Fine, fine.  It’s me Alex, Uyenie’s fiancé.  I’m here to court her into a life of eternal joy and love.”

“Aw!  How lame can you get?  How do I know it’s you?  Give me five dollars.”

“What?  Really?  Don’t I pay you enough?  Hey Mike, give me five dollars.”  He slipped the five dollars under the door.

“Is that really how much your wife costs to you?  Come on man!” Kacie teased back.

“Just let us in….  Please?”

We eventually opened the door.  He stood there holding a giant roasted duck.  Why would he bring in a duck?

“Why would you bring in a duck?” I asked him.  He just stared back, shrugged, and gave his smile.  He handed the duck over to Mike and took my hand.  We walked over to the elevator as a couple.

We kept walking to the lobby where there were two grand chairs and a small table waiting.  Tea was set up there.  We stood there waiting for our first blessing.

Couple after couple sat in those grand chairs, wishing us a happy marriage and drinking the tea.  I didn’t really care for them.  They were random couples anyways.  I really excited to hear Winston’s blessings.  After all, he did know us before we met, I mean like back when I was babysitting him.  Yeah, he was the butler.  He was the last to sit in those chairs to drink tea, after all, he was the most important.  He also brought along a stranger.  I’m not sure why.  Maybe that was his close friend or something.  I think his name was Mr. Lindsey.  Strangest name I’ve ever heard.

Mr. Lindsey looked kind of familiar.  He was this old Japanese man, kind of like Mr. Miyagi from The Karate Kid, except he wasn’t that short.  He wasn’t even that old.  Nor did Mr. Lindsey look that humble or bald.  He looked more stern and serious.  It was like he was planning something.  I could tell he’d been through a lot.  Maybe I’m just being racist right now; he doesn’t look anything like Mr. Miyagi.  Now that I think about it, he kind of looks like an older version of Alex.  His voice sounded extremely familiar.  I could never put my finger on it though.

Shipping

I  made a shipping chart......... Here's one with the characters that have appeared in the story so far

Here's one with no names

And here's one I filled out.  They are jokes, btw XD I'm not really a serious shipper.  Ever.  Also, I'm using Troll shipping types, minus the Auspicing quadrant, because it's too hard to put on a shipping chart XD

Red = Matesprits (love)

Pink = Moirails (best friends)

Purple = Kismesis (hate...kinda...)

The... 6th? Installment

Natalie was cold and tired-she was shaken by the violent events that had occurred. She seemed desperate to assure herself that she was not a cold-blooded killer, although she had not even fired a weapon. During all the madness that had ensued, she had fled to a vantage point in the corner of the lofty suite, telling herself that, if need be, she could deal with the threats with her strategic oasis. She was still rattled though… The blood, the raw violence and malice and chaos, it was too much for her. She knew that poor Laura was dealing with the news that Johnny was searching for (and finding) them… And the slightest mention of the word “gang” sent her into almost epileptic seizures. Natalie didn’t want to bother her, but she needed to talk to someone, anyone. Jennifer was clearly thinking through a plan, and for everyone’s safety Natalie thought it was best to leave her alone. That left the three other girls, the unexpected party crashers at the drug bust. There was the wounded one, Anna. She seemed, shockingly, to be enjoying herself, or at least pretending to. Even the fact that she was wounded didn’t seem to faze her. There was the one with glasses-she thought her name was Monica, but during the course of all that had happened she couldn’t be sure-though at the time she was busy explaining the anatomy of Anna’s broken shoulder to her, and Natalie didn’t really care to become violently nauseas. That left the one called Nichole. Nichole was busy scanning everyone’s faces, mapping out the threat that each one posed, but at the time Natalie didn’t know that. They made awkward eye contact, and Natalie, whose anxious conscience would not leave her alone, decided to break the silence that had descended upon the group after Mr. Lindsey left the room.

“So… Uh, have you ever killed someone before? Oh god, I’m so sorry!” she checked herself. “That was out of line”.

“No, no, its fine. I, uh… I’ve have never killed someone. I can’t say I’m envious of Monica. Or the other one, is it Laura?”

“Yes, Laura. Ok, so if the cops ever catch us, I would totally go to jail, right? I mean, even though I did not shoot or kill anyone, I’m still an accessory of whatever, right?” Natalie’s breath was rash and irregular. The weight of had happened was still descending upon her. She wished she wasn’t so damned cold.

“Well, don’t count on the cops catching us. If I thought they were that competent, me and Anna and Monica wouldn’t have gotten involved in the first place” Nichole pushed her bangs out of her face.

Natalie was comforted by Nichole’s tired, yet earnest, confidence. She was further assured when Jennifer confirmed the point.

“The only way we’re going to jail is if we refuse Lindsey’s offer-which I really do not recommend we do. Look, I hate being someone’s pawn, but I don’t think we have a choice. Not that our situation is all that bad” Jennifer surveyed the room. Actually, she decided, it wasn’t doing the grand suite justice to call it a “room”. It was huge-there were numerous coffee tables and couches and tables and god knows what. Her only complaint was that there was a suspicious lack of exits… Only one door, and at the moment it was being guarded by a kindly Asian woman with a huge smile. Jennifer thought it best not to cross her.

“Well, here it is. The six of us have been pushed together by extremely unlikely circumstances. I really don’t know you three”-Anna indicated Jennifer, Laura and Natalie- “but I think we should all at least agree to get to know each other to a certain extent… I’m not getting involved in another screw up with people I don’t know”.

The group of girls looked to each other’s faces to see the response. Laura looked up for the first time since Mr. Lindsey had so unkindly brought up her past, and everyone was surprised to hear her speak up, albeit shakily:

“Yeah, I guess that’s a good plan. Goddamn it, I don’t know” The day’s events were having their impact on her, and she could hardly organize her thoughts.

Before anyone else could respond, Mr. Lindsey calmly slid back into the room. All eyes turned to him, malevolent eyes that were the portals to violent thoughts. He, however, was not shaken by the girl’s anger… He had expected much worse, to be completely fair.

“Alright, I am going to assume you all accept my offer, am I correct?” His words were stopped momentarily by Jennifer and Nichole (and everyone else, to different extents) exchanging furious glances, but he resumed when no one cried out- “Ah then, wise decision. You all have separate rooms, as I am you are glad to hear. I suggest you all go to them now. We have a big day tomorrow, ladies, and you need your rest. Adieu” And with that, he left.

The room was completely silent for only a moment, when the sweet lady at the door spoke up. “Hello, I am Uyenie. Please feel free to talk to me if you need it… I think you’ll be seeing a lot of me in the future. Let’s see… Anna, Laura, and Monica, your rooms are over here”-Uyenie motioned to her left- “and Jennifer, Nichole, and Natalie, you’re over here. Have a good night, ladies” Uyenie swished out of the room.

“Ok, I don’t care what that lady Uyenie said, I’m rooming with Jennifer. No way am I being separated from her, and Natalie too, after what just happened” Laura looked incredibly indignant.

“I agree, for the time being. I think we should split up into our previous groups, just for safety’s sake. We’ll all have time to get to know each other later, but, holy shit, I just want a good night’s sleep” Nichole was tired of having to be diplomatic. One more plot twist by Mr. Lindsey or Uyenie, and she would shoot first and ask questions later.

The group dissipated, and each soon realized that their plan was doomed before they had even hatched it. Each room was personalized, and they couldn’t figure out whether Mr. Lindsey was a sadist, or simply had an odd, extremely vast knowledge of their personal lives. All they could do was stand and stare, and they seemed to learn more about their compatriots from the rooms than they ever could have by talking to them.

I volunteer to write the next one as well, since I have a few ideas kicking around. But if anyone else wants to do it, by all means write it!! XD

Part 5 of the Hotel Heist

    It's not perfect, but this is what I have.  Let me know if there's something you don't really like, it's definitely open to change.  

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

            The man was middle aged and dressed in a simple, fitted suit.  He gazed around at them with confident yet gentle eyes.  Nobody knew what to say, and nobody knew what to do.  Monica looked up cautiously from the floor.  As she adjusted her position, she brushed up against Nichole’s leg.  The sudden touch of her friend snapped Nichole back into focus.  She lifted her gun and pointed it at the man’s head.  Following her lead, the rest of them all pointed their weapons at him as well. 

                Instead of looking unnerved, the man simply smiled.  “I wouldn’t do that if I were you.” 

                “And why is that?” Nichole shot back, “give us one good reason.  Right now, you’re in the way of our escape.”

                “Well, first of all, I know exactly what went happened in room 312.  I’ve been watching you ever since you first stepped over the threshold of my hotel.”  The elevator hummed quietly as it climbed. 

                Jennifer made a small sound of recognition, “you…you’re the doorman.  You were standing by the door of the hotel when we walked in.”  All the rest of the girls looked at her in surprise.  Monica frowned a bit, trying to recall the appearance of the doorman they had passed on their way in.  He was certainly the right height and build, but there was no way to know for sure.    

                The man inclined his head slightly.  “You caught me Jennifer.  You have quite the eye for detail.”  Jennifer flinched at the use of her name, and glared at the man.  “You shouldn’t be so surprised.  I said I’ve been keeping an eye on you all day.  You do remember introducing yourselves to each other, don’t you?” 

                All the girls looked at each other quickly before turning back to him.  Anna stepped forward and asked rather forcefully, “If you know our names, don’t you think it fair that we know yours?”

                Natalie took this moment to chime in, “and where exactly are you taking us?” 

                The man held up his hand, stopping their questions.  “I’ll tell you everything you want to know, and some things you don’t.  But first, I’d appreciate it if you took your weapons out of my face.”  Reluctantly, they all lowered their assorted guns and knives.  Just then, the elevator dinged and shuddered to a stop.  “Ah, here we are,” the man smiled again, suddenly very chipper.                 

                The doors opened to reveal a huge, beautiful room.  Dark tiles covered the whole floor, and a sweeping view of the city could be seen out the tinted windows that dominated all four walls.  Tasteful yet eclectic pieces of furniture were scattered about the room.  A huge flat screen TV commanded the attention of one whole corner of the room.  The red, plush couches that surrounded it looked extremely attractive to the exhausted girls. 

                With energetic steps, the man strode into the room, turned on his heel and opened his arms to gesture at the room around him.  “Welcome to the headquarters of my pet project.”  He grinned, “You may call me Mr. Lindsey.”  The girls began filtering into the room, gazing around in astonishment at the splendor. 

                “You should consider yourselves lucky,” Mr. Lindsey continued, “No other people have ever been allowed in this room before.” His voice suddenly grew darker, “You’re also among the only people who have seen my real face.”  The openness of his face closed off and he exuded an air of terrifying anger and regret.  The tension in the room was nearly too much for the drained group of girls, and they began shifting uncomfortably, waiting for Mr. Lindsey to reach his point. 

                “So,” he continued lightening up a bit, “I have need of your services.  You work for me now.” 

                “I work for nobody,” Jennifer spat out, and Nichole nodded emphatically in agreement. 

                Mr. Lindsey looked as though he expected such a reaction.  “You don’t really have much of a choice.  It’s either take my offer, or be arrested.  It’s up to you.” 

                “You sound awfully secure in your convictions.  What exactly makes you think we’ll do what you want?” Natalie inquired. 

                “Ah yes, a good question.  You see, at this very moment, police are making their way to your apartment, Natalie.  They’ve been looking for the three of you for quite some time.”  He nodded at Jennifer, Natalie, and Laura.  Natalie looked as though she was about to faint.  “Especially you younger two…something about a connection with a gang shooting and five dead men?”  He raised his eyebrow slightly as Laura squeaked in fear. 

                Finally, Natalie was able to choke out a sentence, “but…how did they find me?  There’s no way that they could trace any of our actions back to my apartment…” 

                Mr. Lindsey looked at her steadily.  “I believe it has something to do with a tipoff from a certain Bloomsburg Security employee.”  At this, Laura’s legs gave out and she dropped into the nearest chair.  She put her head in her hands and started shaking.  Natalie’s eyes glazed over as she realized how big of an enemy she had made out of her former employer.  Now they were using Laura’s own brother’s skills against them.  “Yes…you three have quite the collection of dangerous enemies.  A sociopathic killer, a murderous gang hungry for revenge, and an extremely powerful businessman with nearly unlimited resources at his disposal.”    

                Laura whimpered slightly and Jennifer sighed.  Natalie cleared her throat and asked quietly, “so they have all of my stuff?  All of my equipment?  My computers…” 

                “No.”  At this answer, Natalie looked up.  Mr. Lindsey answered her confused look, “I had all of your belongings removed from your apartment and delivered here.”  He nodded at Jennifer, “all of your things are here too, as well as Laura’s.” 

                As the three girls tried to absorb all the information they had just been given, Mr. Lindsey turned to Nichole, Monica, and Anna.  “Now you three…”

                Before he could continue, Monica spoke up, “perhaps before you enter the next phase of your tirade you should consider letting us patch up our injured.”  She motioned to the pool of blood around Jennifer’s leg and the streams that stained Anna’s shirt.

                Mr. Lindsey seemed slightly taken aback, but conceded that Monica had a wise point.  He went to a cupboard and pulled out a large first aid kit.  He tossed it to Monica, and she immediately began tending to Jennifer’s leg.  Laura stood up and went to wash her bloody hands at a sink in the room’s kitchen area.   

                After they all finished cleaning up and settled down, Mr. Lindsey continued where he left off.  “So yes, you three.  I have noticed that none of you really have homes to return to.  Nichole, you sold your parent’s property and have been traveling around for years.  You seem to have no desire to settle down, but you can’t live out of hotels and motels forever.”  Nichole glared at him, but didn’t dare contradict what he said.  She knew it was true.  “And Monica,” Monica looked up, slightly unnerved by being the center of attention, “You don’t want to return to your parent’s house.  If you do, you will have to return to a life of social events and fancy clothes.  A life I know you want to avoid at all costs.”  Monica frowned slightly, and looked down at her hands, lost in thought.  “And last of all, Anna.”  Anna raised her head proudly, guessing what was coming, “You cannot return home.  Even if you wanted to, they would not take you back.  You have shamed your family and now they want nothing to do with you.”  Anna showed no outward sign that his words had affected her, but in reality, the words hit her in her most vulnerable spot. 

                “And so you all can see,” Mr. Lindsey concluded, “You need me.  I have a place for you all.  A place to call home and a place that is completely hidden.  All I need in return is the knowledge that you will help me with a couple jobs here and there.  That’s all I ask.”  As the girls looked around at each other, weighting their options, Mr. Lindsey added one more comment:

                “Of course, you could all always just choose jail.”  

Part 4 of the hotel heist!

OK so i apologize for my failure at transcribing action. I really hope i did a decent job of putting the picture in my head into words. Also i apologize for this sucking but because i said that now you guys are just going to be like "NO LYK OMG UR AWESOME" Anyways here it is.

*********************

The sound of those words put a rush of adrenaline pumping through everybody in the room. Every movement was amplified into an enormous gesture, every tiny sound an orchestra. The tension was only growing greater with every passing moment, full of fear, uncertainty and an unmatched excitement. 

One of the men twitched just slightly too violently in the never-ending silence and broke the focus that all the tension in the room had been mounted on. The knife in Laura’s hand slipped and fell to the ground with a hollow thud. The man nearest to her, clearly the oldest of the group, supposed himself the wisest and took advantage of her momentary disarmament by grabbing her by the shoulders, gun to her head. 

The hostage taker only had a moment to be proud of what he thought was a brilliant move before Laura had palmed one of the knives hidden up her sleeve and jammed it into his gut. Not truly understanding what had happened, only understanding the sudden pain, the man released his grip on his hostage. Laura broke free but did not run. Knowing he was still fully capable of pulling the trigger of the gun that remained aimed in her direction, she slit his throat with a motion that was swift but somehow still incredibly reluctant. 

There was no time for anyone to worry about emotions or morals. There was no time to worry about anything. Suddenly chaos reigned. Guns were fired. No one ever really knew from whom. Consciousness was lost and instinct was in charge. 

A small explosion. Blood. Endless profanity. Shouts that were sure to grab the attention of other guests. More blood. And then darkness.

“Natalie, what is going on with the lights? You said this would be easy!” Jennifer was not angry or disappointed, just curious, an emotion that seemed magnificently out of place at the moment.

“This isn’t me. I have no idea what’s happening.” The room was pitch black. For the girls, moving seemed out of the question, in this strange hotel room filled with enemies and shrapnel from the momentary battle. This clearly wasn’t the case for the men, though. Scraping and scuttling from their movements revealed that they were all moving, but not very effectively. 

The noise of the window opening was distinct and quickly followed by a shot. The lights flicked on once more and the only men remaining in the room were the corpse with the slit throat and a dying man with a bullet through his head.

“Who shot? How stupid are you? You could have hit one of us!” Nichole exclaimed.

“But I didn’t hit any of you. Now there’s one less criminal in the world.” Monica glared at Nichole, knowing she had no way to counteract her argument. Nichole smiled affectionately in defeat. 

Jennifer looked around the room, formulating a plan. Before she could get very far though, she realized she was hurt, a piece of glass embedded in calf, as was another girl. She also realized they were now bonded, at least until they could escape, to these strangers whose names they didn’t even know.

“You’re hurt. What’s your name?” Jennifer asked bluntly, revealing her impatience.

“I’m Anna and it doesn’t matter. I’m fine. It’s just a graze. I’ve had worse.” She looked at her shoulder passively, examining the wound.

“I’m Jennifer. Laura. Natalie.” She said nodding toward each as she said their names.

“Nichole.”

“Monica.”

“Good. Now what do we do?” Nichole demanded.

“Check the safe.” Natalie said, grimly. She checked it without waiting for anyone else’s approval or response. The door to the safe was a jar, which saved them a lot of trouble. Natalie looked around for anything to carry the cash it contained. A laptop case on the floor of the closet seemed to be of sufficient size so she began to fill it without worrying about how much money was there or what was going to happen next. 

“We need to go. We made too much noise,” Jennifer headed towards the door as soon as Natalie seemed to be done collecting the cash. Everyone else followed, despite the fact that Nichole, Anna and Monica had no reason to trust Jennifer besides her aura of confidence.

“We can’t just wander around,” Anna said. “We’ll attract too much attention. Most of us have some kind of visible wound or bloodstains.” She was right but they had to go somewhere and no one had planned for things to get this messy.

“Natalie, you look the least suspicious. Wait for the elevator. We’ll be down the hall. Call us if it’s empty and warn us if people get off and start heading towards us,” Jennifer said calmly. 

The first time the elevator opened, a young man in a suit and an older woman stood arm in arm inside. Natalie made a quick excuse not to board and let it go. The next elevator was empty so she did as she had been instructed and called for everyone else, holding the elevator door open while they boarded.

The severity of what had just happened began to weigh down on all of them. 

Laura was shaking visibly. She leaned against the elevator wall, staring at her bloody hands. Her actions had been necessary but that didn’t make the realization that she had taken that man’s life any less painful. She knew she had to be strong though, for Jennifer’s sake, for Johnny’s sake, for everyone in this elevator whom she felt an inexplicable affection for. She did her best to, at least temporarily, block out her pain and focus on the matter at hand.

Natalie’s expression was vacant. She could hardly comprehend what she had just seen. All she thought was going to happen was that they would sneak in and take the money and leave. No hassle. She had now seen two men die. I just want to code… She thought in the silence, When did I get wrapped up in all of this and more importantly why? It seemed impossible that she was the same person she had been such a short time ago.

Like always, Jennifer was formulating a plan. The past was behind them and the future was all that mattered. They had the money, how much, she wasn’t sure but it was enough for now. Getting out without being caught was crucial. If they escaped, they would be safe. The police in this town wouldn’t investigate something a simple as a drug deal gone wrong as long as nothing suspicious accompanied it, like half a dozen young girls covered in blood being spotted fleeing the scene of the crime.

Unsure of what was truly happening, Anna simply let herself enjoy the thrill. Since she had been court-martialed and discharged from the military, nothing mattered as much. Anna simply couldn’t make herself care that they were all in terrible danger and that two men were dead because of her actions. She couldn’t focus on the pain in her shoulder either. It was there, throbbing incessantly, but it wasn’t important. Surviving was the most important thing right now, and it was frankly the most fun to think about. A thousand dramatic scenarios of their escape ran through her mind, very few were plausible but it didn’t matter anyways.

Monica, sitting on the floor, hugging her knees, was struggling with the notion that she very possibly could have hit someone besides her intended target. She had been entirely confident at the time of the shot that she knew the location of everyone in the room, but what if she had been wrong? What if instead of hitting one of the criminals trying to flee, she had accidentally hit some one else? How would she have felt if she had shot Nichole? Her friend, her human friend. The idea was too much to bear. Remembering that the bullet had hit the man in the head as she had intended reassured her that she had done the right thing and no one had been in danger, but she didn’t know how long that reassurance would last.

Nichole twitched nervously as she tried to retain her composure. So many things had gone wrong. There were so many things that still could go wrong. Worst of all, three of the men had escaped. They we’re still out there. Nothing had gone right and she could feel herself starting to give up. Knowing that they still had to escape was the only thing keeping her going, the only thing keeping her strong. Her strength was more important than anything else right now. Her strength would save her and save everyone, if need be. 

Everyone’s mind was deep in thought so no one got the momentary warning of the elevator beginning to slow before the door began to creep open. Any move they could make would be suspicious but it was too late to do anything, anyways. 

“Ladies, I would be honored if you would have a quick word with me upstairs,” He said stepping into the elevator. He slid a key card and pressed the elevator button for the top floor, the penthouse suite. No one could quite find their breath.

************* 

More comments from me: Yes obviously that was either Mr. Lindsey or one of his lackeys coming to whisk us away to our happily ever afters. :D Someone else can write the next part. And for Laura you need to know how hard it was for me not to put "chuffed" in place of "honored" in that last bit of dialogue, I actually still might change it.

T___T

Seeeee?? This is why I don't do faces DX 

So that's the F-Team pre-Suzy but post-hotel heist

Also, how the FUCK do you draw hands??? ;___;

Their eyes freak me out.......and the poses DX ajskglsdag

lol how do you art

what is this I dunno O___o

(it's supposed to be the docks >.>)

Pages!!

All the pages up top should be updated :DD Just in case you want to re-read something but don't want to have to search through pages of posts

The Final Part of Laura and Jennifer's Backstory

This happens probably about two years or so before they meet up with Natalie.  

                It has been about seven years.  Jennifer has been giving Laura progressively more and more jobs.  Laura has been keeping her grades up, as requested.  Although she and Jennifer have plenty of money saved up, she still worries about her future.  Soon, she will be eighteen years old.  The orphanage will legally be able to kick her out.  She has no idea where she will live.  Luckily, Jennifer still has a couple months before she has to move out. 

                One day, as Laura’s birthday drew ever closer, Jennifer was busy counting their savings.  After she was done, she turned to Laura, “I have a job for you.”

                Laura looked up from the book she was reading, “hmm?”

                “I need you to use this money to get us a car.  I don’t care how.  Use your fake ID or something.”

                Laura shrugged her shoulders, “okay, whatever you want.” 

                Jennifer turned away with a grim expression on her face.  It was finally time. 

~~~~~~~~~~

                A few weeks before this, Jennifer had paid a visit to her old stomping grounds.  Over the years she began going to the poker games less and less.  For the most part, she only went to see her old mentor and friend, Charles.  She owed her present fortune to him.  If it wasn’t for his simple charity of one poker chip, she would still be a broke beggar, wandering the streets. 

                So, that night, she decided she’d pay him another visit.  As she went in through the front door of the poker building, she could hear the sounds of raised voices in the room adjacent.  She stood outside the doorway and listened in on the conversation.  “That little bitch is getting rather old.  About time she got a WOMAN’S job if you know what I mean,” one harsh voice cut across the rest and was completed with a nasty laugh. 

                A few other men joined in his laughter.  “I’m sure she’d fetch a fair price, don’t you agree Charles?”  More laughter rang out.  Jennifer’s eyes widened in horror.  They were talking about her! 

                “You fucking bastards.” Although quiet and calm, Charles’ voice pierced through all other men’s laughter.  “Don’t you dare touch her.  She’s better than all of you put together.” 

                “Oh, is THAT what you think of us now?” More laughter. 

                “Yes.” 

                Before Jennifer could react to what she had just heard, two shots rang out.  She flinched and cringed into the wall.  Peeking carefully around the doorframe, she saw what she had been most dreading.  Charles lay on the floor, blood seeping out of two bullet holes in his chest. 

                She pressed a hand to her mouth, stifling whatever sound was trying to escape her throat.  She stumbled backwards, turned unsteadily, and ran out the door.  She caught the city bus back to the orphanage.  All the while her mind was consumed by thought of betrayal and revenge.  A plan slowly began to form in her mind.  It would work, but only if she could get Laura to play along. 

~~~~~~~~~~

                Jennifer looked up as Laura retuned from her trip to a local car dealership.  It was a sketchy place, but it had allowed Laura to buy a car hassle free.  The only problem was she had been forced to use her name. 

                Laura tossed the car keys to Jennifer, who caught them with a deft movement.  “Alright, back to my book,” Laura yawned as she headed toward her bed. 

                “Wait,” Jennifer stopped her. 

                “What?”

                “I need some help with a very important job tonight.  Are you in?” 

                Laura shrugged, “Sure.  What is it?” 

                Jennifer gave her a serious look, “All you need to know is: when the time is right, run.”

~~~~~~~~~~

                It was dusk now.  Laura drove their new car cautiously, following Jennifer’s directions.  Jennifer had her park outside a large warehouse.  They then walked to each of the cars parked in the area and slashed their tires thoroughly, only leaving their own car plus one other unharmed.  With this part complete, Jennifer strode confidently up to the door and pushed it open.  Laura followed behind her, obviously unsettled by her bleak surroundings.

                Once inside, Jennifer was greeted as an old friend.  Not a single person made any sort of excuse for Charles’ absence, and Jennifer didn’t ask for one.   She sat down in her usual seat and joined the game.  She introduced Laura as a friend that wanted to learn the game, and asked that they allow her to sit at the table and observe. 

                As the game progressed, Laura received and hid the money Jennifer was stealing from her neighbor’s pockets.  As the game drew to a close, the men began cashing in their chips.  The man next to Jennifer suddenly started up from his chair, in a rage.  “Who the fuck took my money?” 

                All eyes were immediately turned to Laura.  The newcomer.  The outsider.  She stammered and backed up, “uh…I-I……don’t know what you’re talking about…”  She found herself pressed into a corner, surrounded by angry criminals. 

                Jennifer, her eyes filled with anger pushed through the crowd, jostling them aside.  She pointed a finger at Laura and growled at her, “I trusted you enough to bring you here, and you take advantage of that?!”  Laura sidled along the wall, inching her way towards the door.  Eventually, a slight gap appeared between two men, and Laura took advantage of it. 

                She pulled out the knife she had sheathed in her left pocket and streaked through the opening in the crowd.  Swiping with her weapon, she managed to pass by a startled whore standing in the doorway without being stopped. 

                She dashed out the front door and towards the car.  Jennifer followed closely behind and shouted back at the men, “This is my fault, I’ll get her!”  As Laura’s car squealed around the corner of the street, Jennifer hopped into the front seat of the only remaining car with working tires.  As she knew they would be, the keys were still in the ignition.  She revved the engine once before peeling out into the street and after Laura. 

~~~~~~~~~~

                Laura’s breath was ragged as she drove towards the docks.  She knew Jennifer would be following close behind.  Although she had been expecting the anger and the violence of the poker players, it had still terrified her out of her wits.  Jennifer had also played her part too well, in Laura’s opinion. 

                Upon reaching the docks, Laura put the car in park.  She closed her eyes and rested her head on the steering wheel, trying to regain her senses.  Soon after, Jennifer rapped on the window, startling her up and out of the car.  As she looked around her, Laura shivered.  The icy breeze wafting off the ocean was enough to go right through her clothes and freeze her to the core.  Huge warehouses loomed out of the misty darkness, and piles of rope lay abandoned, scattered across the wooden dock. 

                Jennifer and Laura quickly made their way into the nearest warehouse, its front door wide open.  “Now, we wait.”  Laura nodded in acknowledgment.  Jennifer knew that it would only take the poker players a few more minutes to order some working cars to transport them.  She also knew that the car she had stolen from them had a GPS tracking system installed in it, so that its owner could track it wherever it went.  They would follow them to the docks, and there they would pay for what they had done. 

                Minutes later, the sound of screeching tires rents the air.  Car doors slam, and angry voices can be heard.  Footsteps approach, and three silhouettes can be seen at the warehouse entrance.  As their eyes adjust, they spot Laura.  They pull out their guns and open fire. 

                Acting quickly, Jennifer grabs the back of Laura’s jacket and pushes her to the floor, then pulls out her handgun and takes out two of the three men.  The third man is more cautious and decides to take cover behind some crates.  He and Jennifer exchange fire as Laura, terrified, crawls off behind some stacked barrels, nursing a bloody nose. 

                As the third man ducks back behind his cover to reload his gun, Jennifer rushes forward to meet him at close range.  Although surprised, the man still manages to knock Jennifer’s gun out of her hands.  They struggle with each other for a moment before Jennifer manages to set the man off-balance and shove him to the floor.  Taking possession of his gun, she puts her foot on his chest and points the gun at his head. 

                Her voice, cold with fury fills the warehouse, “Who killed Charles?” 

                The man simply laughed and ignored her question. 

                “WHO KILLED HIM!?”  She presses the gun to his forehead. 

                With a self-satisfied smirk, the man replies, “I did.” 

~~~~~~~~~~

                As Laura, dazed, looks up to see what has become of Jennifer, she sees her raise her gun and shoot a man in the head.  As his blood spills onto the pavement, images of her mother and father and blood and guns fill her mind.  She collapses back against the ground and curls up into a ball. 

                Laura can hear quick footsteps approaching.  She squeezes her eyes shut and hugs her legs to her chest.  As Jennifer reaches where Laura is crouching, she turns around quickly to check for more enemies.  Satisfied that there were no more, she again grabs the back of Laura’s jacket and pulls her up onto her feet.  After swaying for a second, Laura shakes her head.  As her eyes regain their focus, they immediately lock onto the gun in Jennifer’s hand.  She begins shaking uncontrollably and backs away. 

                Jennifer traces the path of Laura’s gaze to her gun.  She quickly sheaths it in her jacket pocket.  Laura takes one more step backward, and then makes a break for the door.  The sound of sirens frighten Laura enough to coax her into a full-on sprint.  She glances behind her to see Jennifer leaving the warehouse as well.  Both police cars and the rest of the poker gang seem to have arrived at the same time.  In the chaos that ensues, Laura watches as Jennifer spots two police officers approaching.  Her eyes grow hard, and she raises her gun.  The two police officers fall to the ground, and the sound of two shots ring in Laura’s ears. 

                With that, Laura turns away and continues running, tears streaming down her face.  Back at the orphanage, Laura sneaks in through the back door.  She quietly makes her way to the bathroom and washes the blood and tears off of her face with water from the sink.  Once satisfied, she continues on to her room and collapses on her bed.  Although Laura stays up all night waiting, Jennifer never returns. 

~~~~~~~~~~

                As soon as the first ray of sunlight streams through Laura’s window, she gets up from her bed.  She slowly packs all of her earthly belongings as she softly sings “Happy Birthday” to herself.  After her things are packed, she removes all of Jennifer’s money and weapons and clothes and puts them in another bag.  She exits her room and goes down the stairs for a final time. 

                She takes the city bus to the neighborhood high school.  She waits on a playground bench until the late afternoon, when the final bell of the day rings.  Children stream out of the school entrance and disperse into the city.  Finally, Laura spots her.  She is one of the last people to leave the school. 

                Laura slowly approaches her and hands her the bag full of her belongings.  As Jennifer takes the bag from her, Laura begins, “Listen.  I may not know enough about your past to judge you, but you know enough about mine.  What you have to understand is I cannot stand guns.  As much as I’m horrified by the fact that you killed five men last night I find that I still trust you.  I’m sorry for bailing on you, and I brought you your stuff.  I figured you’d never be coming back.” 

                “Thanks.  But just so you know, that car we left there was in your name.  You’re just as screwed as I am.” 

                “I know.  But even if it wasn’t in my name, we’d still be in this together,” Laura smiled tentatively. 

                “Now that’s just fuckin’ cheesy.” 

                “I know.” 

                “Oh, and Happy Birthday.”  

Story Part 3!

Ok it's kind of short but it seemed like a good place to stop and share. I can keep writing or someone else can, I don't really care.

Part 3!

The few seconds of confused, anxious silence stretched on for ages before a crash interrupted the feelings of panic that we’re beginning to overtake everybody in the room.

The darkness was brief but when the lights flicked back on a new scene was being played out in the hotel room. Where before the picture had been that of three relatively innocent looking girls waiting politely at a hotel room door, it now featured almost a dozen people, all poised for battle, a tint of insanity piercing the ferocity in each persons’ eyes.

Jennifer, Laura and Natalie had made their way into the hotel room in the brief darkness and were all focused on a small safe that was peering out at the room from the back corner of the indulgently large closet. The unexpected return of the lights had caught them off guard and in their panic, Jennifer and Laura had drawn their weapons (like almost everybody else in the room) while Natalie stood stone still, terrified but, somehow, still upset that her program to keep the lights off didn’t work. Jennifer and Laura stood nearly shoulder-to-shoulder. The gleaming tip of Laura’s knife always aiming at the opposite target of Jennifer’s firearm.

No one in the room was entirely positive of who was an enemy and who was an ally. Weapons constantly changed their targets in anticipation of who was the greatest personal threat.

Five young men in business suits all stood near to the center of the room, their backs to one another, handguns out towards the rest of the room. Their allegiance was clear. Nichole’s look of easy confidence, as she stood blocking the door, was set slightly askew by the fact that she very clearly couldn’t decide whom to target. A pistol in each hand, changing targets at every suspicious movement from either the larger group of men or the intruding group of Jennifer, Laura and Natalie. To Nichole’s left, further into the room, Anna didn’t move her aim from Jennifer, who she deemed to be the most capable seeming intruder. Monica, off to the right of the door, back to the wall, seemed unsure with her handgun as she aimed irresolutely at the mass of men in dark colored suits.

Nichole glared intently at the unknown girl, the hitch in their plan. Jennifer was clearly no one to mess with. Despite being entirely unaware of these girls’ intentions, Nichole smiled slightly at them. What else can we do? She thought, as the possible negative outcomes of this alliance pressed on her mind. Jennifer nodded ever so slightly and both women changed their targets to the group of men. Laura, Anna and Monica picked up on the cue and joined them.

“You’re outnumbered,” Nichole said, her ferocity and disdain evident in her tone.

“Hardly,” said the man who answered the door, “We don’t count the unarmed.” A slightly gratuitous glance at Natalie followed his statement. Not a second later, Anna had reached for her ankle holster and slid one of her many spare guns across the floor towards Natalie.

Natalie picked up the gun with an evident reluctance but tried her best to give off an aura of confidence as she pointed towards the men and said, “Now, you’re outnumbered.”

Second Installment of the Story!

It was an incredibly hot day; Monica was dressed in a black tank top and shorts, and she was sweating incessantly. Nichole was quietly cleaning her guns on the seedy hotel’s bed, while Anna was changing in the bathroom.
“So let’s run through scenarios… How many people?”
“Oh, I’d imagine quite a few. Drug exchanges are usually busy.” Nichole answered.
“Ok, how many guns? How many weapons?” Monica wasn’t sure how many dynamite sticks to pack.
“Depends on the amount of people. Damn it, I wish there was some way for us to check out the hotel’s security… We’re going in there blind, Monica.”
“I know.”
**********************

“Jennifer’s a mad genius”, Laura decided. There was a calm coolness about her, despite the fact that they were going to crash a drug bust in about two hours. Natalie seemed especially somber, as though she felt responsible for telling Laura and Jennifer about it in the first place. For the most part, Laura was anxious. The three of them had been drifting for a couple of weeks, and she had no idea how they were going to support themselves. Plus, Laura knew that her brother Johnny was somewhere close, but she had no idea where. Natalie knew, but Laura would have to work on that later. Back to the drug bust.
“Jennifer, what happens when they start shooting?” Natalie blurted out. It was obvious she was nervous.
“Duck, I guess.” Jennifer was polishing her large, intimidating gun. She was busy thinking, but she was completely silent. She knew the most about the criminal underworld; had learned their secrets over poker games, and things had just advanced from there. Laura was catching up to Jennifer, but she had more to learn. Natalie was a computer hacker, but was hardly criminal. They made an interesting group.
“One hour.” Laura announced. She couldn’t decide on which knives to bring, there were so many choices. “I guess I’ll just bring them all…” She murmured.
“Ok, it’s time to go. Laura, you go and book a room for tonight, and Natalie and I will book another. Meet us in the restaurant and we’ll take it from there.” Jennifer loved the thrill, the tension, that was in the air. She thrived on it.

************************
In the restaurant, Laura ordered a paltry plate of mozzarella cheese sticks to keep the waiter busy for some time. It was almost 2:30, and the weather could not be more hot and miserable. It was all Laura could do to keep the butter knives in the restaurant from slipping from her fingers, let alone her throwing knives. Natalie hadn’t spoken a word since the trio left for the hotel, but as she and Jennifer returned from booking a room, she broke her silence.
“Ok, let’s be honest. I work with computers. I like computers. I don’t, on the other hand, like guns. Or knives, or whatever else drug dealers have with them. Can someone explain to me why we’re crashing the drug bust anyways?”
Jennifer took that one. “At a drug exchange, what’s usually there? Besides people and drugs?”
Natalie blinked. “…Money?”
“You bet. Tons of it. So think of it like this-we break up a drug bust, snatch the money and leave. No big deal. Of course, we’ll use intimidation”-here Jennifer patted her jacket pocket, which housed a rather poorly hid gun- “but hopefully, we won’t even be seen.”
Laura finally spoke up. “Not seen? How are we going to manage that?”
Jennifer smiled, and Laura and Natalie felt the sinking dread pit in their stomachs.
“Oh no… Jennifer’s on the jazz…” Laura sighed.

*****************
Anna liked to think she was tough and dangerous. She had taken on a chauvinistic pilot, and although it cost her a career in the Air Force, it had reinforced the idea that she was not to be messed with. She was only slightly frightened, therefore, when she, Monica, and Nichole started their descent up the hotel’s staircase.
“Hey, uh, so why exactly are we doing this? Because I’m a little fuzzy on the details. Kinda.” Anna knew that silence was sacred at this point, but the question had been bugging her insistently since dawn.
Nichole hissed, “Can’t afford to have drug dealers run around this city-they cause too much trouble. They ruin lives.”
Monica nodded silently. It was odd that two financially independent women and an ex-Air Force pilot would crash a drug bust for seemingly “no reason”, but we all know that isn’t quite true.
“So, are we going to just…Knock on the door?” Anna whispered.
Monica and Nichole traded glances. It seemed rather absurd, but…
With a wink and a smile, Monica rapped lightly on the door of room 312.

*****************
The door swung open silently, and out peered a clean cut, young Caucasian man in a business suit. For a moment Nichole thought they had made a major mistake, but she remembered that her parents didn’t exactly look like back-alley criminals, though they had done some major damage in their time.
“Hello.” The man smiled. Monica and Anna waited for something more, but Nichole knew the routine from the days when she would listen in on some of her parent’s deals. It was her turn to provide some vital piece of information.
“Hello yourself. I hope you accept cash here?” It was a long shot, but she had seen femme fatales get into her parent’s meetings using the same line.
“Ah, it just so happens that we do! Please, step in, and be sure to throw your guns, and all other weapons, on the floor before we shoot them off.” With that, the door was opened to the three novices.
Monica, the last to enter the room, had hardly enough time to survey her surroundings (initially deemed to be very high end), before everything went black.

TO BE CONTINUED…