One month later

It felt odd to be back out into the world. The most Sam had gone out lately had been to Magnet Town for groceries, and even then, heavily disguised.

But after an entire month of plotting and planning, they had finally arrived in Washington DC. It was very lucky that Kyle had inherited numerous jets as well as a flight instructor in Phillip. Even if he'd flown them over, they were all taking flying lessons. Sam wasn't a great fan seeing as his fear of heights made getting off the ground very hard, but he'd pulled it off.

All in due time, though. First, find jewels, then decide what to do with the rest of their lives. For now, it was just great to be able to sit on a bench near Arlington Bridge, studying the blueprints of the Agency compound.

Here, it was disguised as a youth training center, which was ironically accurate. After all, the Agency's entire MO was to train unsuspecting kids into becoming cannon fodder for some crazy old men they never got to meet.

"Lovely weather." Billy stopped by Sam's bench, his gaze lost in the distance.

Sam didn't turn to him, but contemplated the sunset. After it had rained in the morning, the sun had come out and it had turned into a lovely summer day. It sort of reminded him of the day the entire madness had started, when Herrison had come to offer him a spot on his study camp. It had started with rain that day too, and then, he'd officially met Christine for the first time.

The same Christine he now texted to ask how their kids were doing. It was almost impossible to compute. They'd both changed so much over the years, it was hard to compute that those two kids were now adults who shared a life.

"All good?" he asked.

Billy sat next to him. "The place is starting to empty out. They've grown a bit lax over the past two weeks."

"Are we sure they haven't moved the jewels out?"

"No. But there is no indication that they did either. They're a secret here as well."

Of course they were. Weapons of mass destruction should always be kept a secret. Sam's eyes drifted towards the sky even if he could only guess what the satellite looked like and where it was. No one should have the power to just smite a city from the skies.

"We should go," Billy said.

"Yeah, good point."

Sam stood and put the blueprints in his backpack, then the two of them headed across the bridge and towards the youth center, easily getting lost in the mass of people heading home for the day.

"Everyone in position," Corey announced through the headset.

"Let's do this," Jimmy confirmed.

Sam's stomach twisted, but he didn't change pace. He knew what would happen. Corey would enter the empty entrance hall and distract the security guard while Jimmy got behind his desk and broke into the security system in order to freeze the cameras. Even if the task was easy, knowing Jimmy was going in still gave Sam a small panic attack. Anything could go wrong in a building full of hostile secret agents.

"All clear," Jimmy announced in what felt like minutes.

The knot inside Sam loosened for a moment after which it returned with a vengeance since he was about to go in himself. For the first time in his life, he had the choice not to. They had enough agents and goons of their own to go out into the field and do the dirty work. But he still felt that this was his duty. His mission. So they'd planned the break in with minimal aid. He really didn't want anyone else dying for them.

"Show time," Billy said, sounding way too excited.

Sam pursed his lips, but as he came before the entrance and met up with Jerry, Kyle and Tom, he had to admit that the anxiety was starting to turn into adrenaline. The five of them entered the building and heard the doors click behind them as Jimmy locked them.

"Let's get this over with," Jerry said with a sigh, taking off his backpack and pulling his gear out.

"Right this way, gents," Jimmy said, spreading out vests and weaponry on the security guard's desk. "Take your pick of neutralizing weapons."

"Could we just not shoot anyone this time?" Jerry mumbled, equipping a silencer to the barrel of his gun.

Jimmy crossed his heart. "Only tranquilizers."

"Though, to be fair," Tom said, "this is about the time we should actually start shooting people. We need to get rid of them, not give them a nap."

Jerry winced. "Please. Can we just... Abstractly use the goon empire for that?"

Kyle gave a small huff of laughter. "We'll cross that bridge when we get to it. Let's find those jewels for now. Sam, you come with me, Jerry, you go with Jimmy, Tom and Billy. Corey..."

"Yeah, yeah, I'll stay here." He didn't sound thrilled, but someone did have to secure the exit.

As they split up, Sam followed Kyle up the stairs to the third floor. The building wasn't tall, with their floor being the last one, but spread out, so it was still a lot to search.

"You think the jewels are up here?" he asked as they navigated empty hallways.

"You know, this strangely reminds me of the cave system in Montana," Kyle said instead.

Sam frowned. The corridors were many and a little twisted, but everything was lit and clinical. "How so?"

"Didn't you say back then that there was no way the jewel could be at the top?"

Sam faltered. Kyle stopped, too, turning to him with a fond smile. And Sam realized the two of them were not searching for jewels.

"What are you looking for?" Before the question was even properly out, Sam's gaze moved past Kyle's shoulder to the office he'd stopped in front of.

"I have a feeling someone is working long hours." And without further ado, he pushed the door open.

Sam followed, his eyes resting briefly on the eagle sigil of the Agency and the name engraved under it.

Keeves raised his eyes from his work, a look of smug annoyance on his face. His eyes widened the moment he took in Kyle charging at him. He made a poor attempt to roll his chair back and stand, but before he was halfway up, Kyle wrapped his hand around his neck and pulled him forward, bumping his body against the desk.

Sam hovered in the back, trying to fight the repulsion building up inside him and the need to grab the nearest heavy object and smash it against Keeves' head. He had a wide variety of choices anyway since the office was filled with tacky bronze sculptures.

"I see you're alive," Keeves spat between his teeth. "How... Disappointing."

"Don't look so down," Kyle said pleasantly. "Actually, please do." He tightened his hold around the man's neck and he gagged. "Unfortunately, I'm not here for pleasantries."

"Let me go you--"

Kyle narrowed his eyes and squeezed harder, turning the words into a desperate cough. "Me what?"

"You're dead," Keeves wheezed.

"And conveniently so," Kyle agreed.

The man's desperate gaze moved over Kyle's shoulder, and Sam wondered if he was actually expecting help. Sam could only offer a punch in the face, so he raised his eyebrows, inviting Keeves to beg.

"You're just going to let him...?"

"Let?" Sam let out a hallow laugh. "You seem to not realize who is actually in charge here."

Keeves turned his bulging eyes back to Kyle and the terror in them proved he'd lost all hope.

"Now," Kyle said, his tone light. "A little bird told us you're in charge here."

"You're not getting back in!"

"I'm holding you off the floor by your neck. Do you actually believe we want back in? Oh, no. We want to crush you. So if you want to save your miserable life, you're going to tell us who's in charge."

Keeves just stared like a bovine, his eyes wide and teary. Then, his expression morphed into a calculated one. "No."

"Trust me, I can break bones with my bare hands."

"I can also shoot off your kneecaps," Sam chipped in. "Don't mess with us. We're way past that point."

"I will have you killed!"

"You're already trying to have us killed," Sam pointed out.

"That also relies on the faulty assumption that you're leaving this room alive to give any orders. Unless you talk."

Keeves huffed, though it came out shaky. "You're not going to outright kill me."

Kyle narrowed his eyes and the temperature in the room seemed to drop. "Sam, how hard do you think I'd have to throw him at the window to break it?"

Sam tapped his fingers on his chin. "It is security glass, so my guess is pretty hard. But you could try multiple times until it works."

"So I suggest you talk." The threat in Kyle's voice was now very obvious and Sam had to admit he was a little impressed that Keeves didn't outright wet himself.

He did look right on the verge of a panic attack. Sam stepped closer, strangely enjoying this. He wanted the information, but he couldn't say he minded the way they were getting it.

But Keeves didn't blurt out information. The panic morphed into rage and his eyes narrowed in disgust.

"That's what you don't get. There's no head that you can cut off and fix this. We're everywhere. And you won't ever get rid of us. We'll hunt you down, all of you, until we wipe you out." And he gritted his teeth so hard, Sam was sure his jaw would crack.

Instead, his eyes rolled into his head and white foam spilled between his lips.

"Shit." Kyle let him go and stepped back. "What the actual fuck?"

Sam stared at the convulsing body behind the desk, trying to compute what had just happened. "Did he... Did he actually kill himself?"

"I think he was right. He might have been one of the highest ranking ones. That's why he had that thing. Just..." Kyle ran his fingers through his hair in a rare show of uncertainty. He turned to Sam, his eyes pleading. "Does that make sense to you?"

Sam just nodded. He was sure his voice would shake. Because Keeves had been right about one more thing. Not having one head they could cut off made their job a lot harder.

"We should grab his stuff," Kyle said, already moving around the desk.

"Yeah." Sam swallowed heavily. "And we should look for the HR files as well. If they have any."

Kyle agreed, and after taking everything form Keeves' desk and stuffing it his backpack, they left the body behind and started ransacking the other offices on that floor. It worked for Sam. His mind had to focus on the meaning of documents, so he could ignore the blood rushing through his veins, the crazy adrenaline. They hadn't actually done anything, and yet he felt as if he'd been involved in a shoot out.

Keeves had killed himself.

More death. He was so sick of death right in a moment when he was aware he would indirectly be the harbinger of it. Tom was right. It had come to a point where it was either them or the members of the Agency. They could no longer coexist.

"We should've thought about searching for HR files in Chicago as well," Kyle mumbled browsing through filing cabinets in the last office on their floor.

"Yeah... But at least they burned with the rest of the building so they lost trace of the people on our side." Here, Sam wouldn't hazard bringing down a building. They weren't that far off from Capitol Hill.

"Also true." Kyle shut the final drawer. "Nothing useful, so let's get out of here." He pressed his communicator in. "Guys?"

"Come to the basement," Tom answered immediately.

The strain in his voice let Sam know they'd maybe found something, so he and Kyle charged down the stairs and into the basement. It was a huge, cavernous room inaccessible via elevator. Rows upon rows of shelves filled the space, laden with everything from weaponry to cardboard boxes filled with equipment, drugs and documents.

"Looks like our evidence room," Kyle mumbled as the two of them made their way between two towering rows.

It was easy to gather where the others were because of the light coming from their flashlights. At one point, the room led into what looked like a bank vault big enough for all of them to squeeze into. Inside that vault, there was another, smaller vault Jimmy was trying to break into using a circular saw. Sparks danced in the air around him as he knelt and pressed the blade hard against the metal.

"Finally," Jerry said. "We were getting worried. What took you so long?"

"Keeves offed himself via cyanide pill," Kyle said without further ado.

Jimmy stopped the saw and turned to them, lifting the protective glasses on top of his head.

"Oh," Jerry said after a few moments of silence. "That."

"Well, that doesn't sound good," Tom said matter-of-factly.

"Nope. Because he did that instead of telling us anything about their command chain which makes me think he was part of it and..." Sam drew in a deep breath. "Do you think the jewels are in there?"

"We didn't find them anywhere else," Billy replied waving his arm around.

"I have a very bad feeling about this," Kyle said. "Billy, you should go warn Corey that there might be trouble."

Billy hesitated for a moment, as if he didn't want to leave them there, but ultimately nodded and headed out.

"I don't like this," Jimmy said, putting his glasses back on and restarting the saw.

"Me neither," Kyle said. "Keeves said they're everywhere. And unfortunately, he has a point. Without a head to cut, this is going to take much longer."

"It just means we're going to have to cut a lot more heads," Tom said.

The metal finally gave out and Jimmy stopped the saw and tossed it aside. Without faltering, he sank his hand in the newly created saw and yanked the door off.

"Bingo!"

Sam's heart jumped into his throat. The jewels were really there. They'd done it.

"I think..." Jimmy passed them back to Tom. It was impossible to see their colors in the dark since they all knew not to point lights at them. "One of them is missing."

"What?" Sam's spirits sank as fast as they'd risen. "Which one?"

"Ironically enough, the ruby." Still on his knees, Jimmy glanced at them over his shoulder. "But at least we have the rest."

"I would say that is a good start," Jerry agreed.

Yes, it was. A very good start, actually. Despite Keeves' fatalistic message and death, they had managed to do what they'd come here to do. Their mission was a success. Well 83.3% a success.

At least that's what Sam tried to tell himself before the floor started shaking under their feet.

"Um, wha--?"

Before he could finish the question, the sound of an explosion rang inside his very being. Everything after that seemed to be in slow motion. Jimmy cursing, Jerry screaming, Kyle pressing into him as if trying to protect them all as the entire structure crumbled on top of them.

🧭

The darkness consumed everything. It sucked the air out of the void, leaving Jerry in a state of uncertainty that cut him to the core. It took him a few moments to gather his wits and convince himself that he was still alive and not caught in a twisted form of purgatory.

Then, other sounds began catching his attention. Whatever had happened, there was still a muted screech of giant masses grinding against each other. There was also heavy breathing. His muscles burned, but he could tell he wasn't alone, he was pressed up against someone.

"Guys?" he whispered. Someone shushed him and he waited.

"I don't think anyone is coming," Tom finally whispered.

Jimmy cursed under his breath and a wave of relief washed over Jerry.

"What happened?" he asked.

"The building most likely crashed on top of us," Sam answered, and it became obvious that he was the one Jerry could feel against him.

"Then how are we...?" Not dead.

"The vault we were in saved us," Jimmy answered, his voice strained. "It only half caved in."

Jerry didn't like the sound of that at all. He didn't like the darkness and the stifled air, either, so he used what little mobility he had left to reach out for the flashlight strapped to his belt.

"Billy, Corey?" Kyle called from somewhere above.

"If the building crashed, you won't have a signal under all the concrete," Jimmy pointed out.

"Yeah, and this doesn't mean they didn't get out," Tom said. "They were basically right by the door and on full alert."

"They could've also been right next to the bomb," Kyle muttered, but then he let out a helpless sigh.

Jerry's heart started thumping even harder at the thought of Billy and Corey getting hurt and he forced the flashlight off its strap and into his hand properly.

"Jerry, what are you doing? Stop nudging," Sam said.

"I'm just trying to turn on the light."

"What? No!" Tom said the moment Jerry pressed the on button.

Blinding white light filled the tiny space. Jerry turned off the flashlight and closed his eyes, but his vision still burned and he could see white even behind his eyelids. It hurt and all the cursing from Tom showed it wasn't just him.

"Damn it, Jerry, I dropped the jewels around when the building crashed," he finally hissed.

"Let's gather them up in one corner so that we can turn on the light," Sam said. "If anyone can actually reach them."

Eyes closed, and with his vision still swimming, Jerry pawed at the ground. He found two of the jewels and raked them towards him, hiding them underneath him.

"I have two," he announced.

"I think I have the rest of them," Tom said. "You can try again, but point it upwards."

Jerry complied. It was hard to tell the light was one because his sight was still impaired, but after a while, he started seeing shadows.

"Wow, we're blind," Tom said. "Good job, Jerry. What a tragic ending to our many adventures." The sound of a thump was heard before he hissed in pain.

"Not the time, Tom. Not the time," Jimmy said, his voice still strained.

And as Jerry kept blinking and his vision slowly returned, he realized why. The breath whooshed out of him as their surroundings came into view. Yes, the vault had saved them, but it didn't mean it hadn't crashed in. Only that Kyle and Jimmy were holding the roof up, keeping the rest of them safe. For now, until they'd no longer be able to, and then they would be effectively stuck under the rubble to either die or have someone find them and kill them.

"We have to break the jewels," Jimmy said. He took in a deep breath and closed his eyes. "Whatever happens. Because even if they find us and take them, they'd have to recalibrate the satellite and update the sockets for the new size which might buy the girls some time to--"

"Oh, no, you're not going there," Sam said. "We're getting out of here, one way or another."

"The other could be dead," Tom pointed out. "Jimmy's right. We can't risk this."

Jerry bit his lip so hard, he drew blood. As much as he tried to deny the obvious, Tom was right. It was really probable for them to die in there and... He tried to draw in a breath, but the air was stuffy and filled with dust.

Yes, the girls would know what to do if they failed. They'd discussed it. It was the reason they'd been able to convince them that it was a good idea for them to stay behind this time. They had a backup plan.

And yet, Jerry had never thought they'd have to use it. No matter how dangerous things were, they always got out. Bruised, battered, barely breathing, but they did. They couldn't die like this. Not crushed under a building.

"This isn't Game of Thrones," he muttered.

"I can't believe you're making pop culture references right now," Tom said. "But you're right. It's not."

"Give me the jewels," Kyle said. "One by one."

Jerry reached out his