Oh hello there

Russell was, as always, heartwarmingly considerate.

"Little critters always come first. But my only lil' critters are bugs an' they don't care. There was a big show bein' set off down by th' water, so I sat up on th' top of my building an' watched with a 12 pack of beer. Not too shabby."

But then he thought, "Hey what nerd game do ya play that lets ya set off fireworks? Grand Theft Auto 'er somethin'?"

Russell chuckled a little bit.

"I, I know Grand, Grand Theft Auto does," Russell said, "Or, or least it, it did for, for an event. But it, it was in this, this game that, that came out this, this year. Poke-Pokemon Pokopia. You, you can, you can get, get particular items so, so you can launch fireworks in, in the game."

But then a new thought came to mind.

It would have been hilarious to also make a second copy to send to her father as a kind reminder that he better watch his back even while there was no contact between them. She would look into that once they had the confirmation Russell was going to be okay.

"Remember, I dared do something a bit more chill and they all ran for the hills." Rook added, rolling her eyes, "Which is something to have gripes about when they're already fucking dead."

But there was no point in getting worked up about that at this time. They were up against Ratchet and Five, not the rest of his dumbass family. The general disgust among their group was enough motivation already.

"We should really consider making it a reality. Five probably wouldn't mind having an authentic eunuch around." Lucien stated.

"That should have sounded like a joke, you know." Fae told him, "But we'll see to that when we get there. The best torture takes form in the heat of the moment."

"Your remark extends to you as well." Willow mocked her, "Bananas are acceptable. Get ready and we shall handle the logistics."

Erica was definitely within earshot to know what she was expected to do.

"He has the strength but he still has no taste." Willow pointed out, "Being able to lift Russell doesn't exactly require much strength however."

"It's still enough." Rook replied, "I hope we'll be able to get rid of that thing on our own. Ratchet probably changed the combination. Russell has been through enough without us making it worse."

"In that case, we'll just have to go with Antonio's idea and do everything we can to keep Ratchet's crap jewelry away from us." Fae said then, "Come on, Rook. You've got Leofric and Bill here too. You can do this."

Erica nodded along. Rook's self doubt liked to show up at the worst times, even after all they had been through together, but they didn't mind reminding her they could take on anything.

"I think it'll be easier this time." the elf added, "Yeah, it's not right. We should really check it out."

"It's all right. I'm about to locate Five's new hideout." Willow was cut off as the lightning struck, "...Or I suppose we could investigate the ominous building in the distance."

Sometimes magic really clashed with her groove. Nevertheless, she straightened her coat, ready to go. If Five was so impatient to see them, then they better not keep him waiting.

"Then let's roll!" Fae took the lead then, dashing and sliding along a rainbow path, "Every joke has been made but you go right ahead, guys!"

Willow placed a hand on her katana, before following. "Tell me, Simon. Have you heard of a game called Ghostrunner?"

Rook motioned Bill to go ahead. "It's best if you go first. I wouldn't want to get you all toasted before we even see Five."

Erica finally got herself back on the ground. "You watch out for smoke machines, Leofric. I'll go get our token human."

Antonio simply nodded in agreement. He also liked that idea, but he was caught up in pondering just what they were going to do once they reached Five.

"It just goes to show how cool you really are," Bill said, "Assholes just can't handle it."

Antonio did let out a snarky little chuckle at Lucien's comment.

"Well, if anything, it might give him a reason to give up on life," Antonio then said, "And then he would be one less probably for everyone to deal with."

"I suppose that is true enough," Leofric said thoughtfully, "Most of it does happen without much planning."

"No problem," Travis said. He was quick to grab the bananas he had had sitting in the fruit bowl, and moved to place them near the shadows as instructed. If he could be there to help, he would be, "Right, beam me up please!"

"We can all agree on that," Simon said, "And that's saying something when it's coming from me as well."

"If worst comes to worst, we can probably find some way to cut it off without cutting Russell's arm off as well," Bill suggested, "And you sure can do it, Rook, especially with us with you. Fae's right."

He decided that he wasn't about to say that if that didn't work, then perhaps severing Russell's arm off could also be an option. Sure, it would rewind, and hopefully without the cuff still attached, but it was still unpleasant to think about.

"I did bring my shield with me," Leofric then said, "Along with my sword. They're both in my coat, which as we all know, stores more than what many perceive to be possible. If a gadget bypasses Antonio's telekinetic powers, then its momentum should be stopped by that."

Leofric nodded.

"Yes, I believe we should," he agreed.

"Good to know," Simon said, "I'm also working on that as we spea..."

Simon found himself trailing off when he saw the way the lightning had lit up that particular building. It was like it had been done on purpose.

"That's probably a good idea," Simon then agreed, once he found his voice again.

"Well, if he wanted to get our attention, he certainly got it," Bill said, before he looked at Rook, "Works for me. We'll see you there. I'm not going to joke, Fae, I'm just going to say I love the rainbow road aesthetic. Amazing track."

"Oh I definitely have," Simon said, "I have I'm going to like where this is going."

And he could keep an eye out on the other cameras for potential obstacles or possible threats while Willow did her thing.

"I'll keep an eye, an ear, and my nose out for any for those, Erica. Thank you for the warning," Leofric said, "Save travels, both by yourself, and when you return."

With that, he went to move on forward. No more time could be wasted. Bill used his shadowy tentacles to move himself forward, rappelling like Spiderman himself. Leofric simply phased through vehicles and other obstacles like they weren't there, and Antonio used his feline attributes to easily leap and dash over everything.

Five's powers reflected his family oddly well in that regard. Not a single ghost had nice words to spend about them these days even without considering their decision to leave the Order. A toxic child felt like a natural extension of their attitude towards anyone unfortunate enough to meet them.

"Oh, yeah, Rook told me about him. It's just something to hear Tails agree that he should be beaten with hammers first chance we get." Fae replied, raising her hand, "I don't exactly have a hammer or a saw to get rid of this guy's hands, but I could pin him to a wall so Willow can practice throwing all her fancy knives."

Willow gave her fairy double a look of appreciation, before raising an eyebrow at the way Ratchet had been renamed in the text. That was appropriate, she couldn't deny that.

"We may have to call him Dead Shit by the end of the day." Lucien added, before taking a deep breath. There was no point in destroying this alleyway when he could have unleashed his full rage on Ratchet later.

Assuming they could find him and Five. Hopefully, their intelligence branch could help them with that. Willow had briefly strayed from the task at hand to pay attention to Travis.

"You may save yourself some trouble if you were to leave a fresh offering by the nearest dark corner, if you're looking to join us." she advised, before considering the rather odd footage they were gathering, "To be fair, he's having pistachio. That is nefarious in its own right."

Rook decided to watch as well. Getting an idea of Five's physical condition would have helped them regardless of how absurd the whole scene looked. It looked like he wasn't fully recovered as expected, though he was still strong enough to catch Russell.

"He probably has a bunch of cars anyway." Rook pointed out, "This one isn't as pretentious at least."

There was still the problem of Ratchet. They could get around some tripwire, but he carried some actually dangerous junk and they wouldn't have much time to deal with it in the middle of a fight.

"Russell was bleeding. I think they figured out a way to slow down his rewind." Rook told Leofric, "We'll count on your spell and we should do everything possible to keep Five from luring us inside again."

Even if that meant standing in the rain and dealing with her soaked wings in the aftermath.

"Well, I guess we just have to follow the car, then."

Willow was well ahead in that regard. The footage from various nearby traffic cameras was being reviewed to track Five's movements and display them on a map for easier fruition.

While Willow worked, Erica crawled down the side of the building with the help of some shadowy spider legs.

"Hmm, so I suppose the apple doesn't fall far from the tree when they're trying to make that the case," Antonio said, frowning. It really was worrying just how easily he might have turned out like Five, "And now it's our problem to deal with."

Because of course it was. Like parents who let young children kick the back of a stranger's chair and laugh about it, this was something that fell onto everyone else's shoulders.

"I believe even the nicest people would agree once they met Ratchet," Leofric said, "And it really does say something about the man. I wouldn't mind seeing him meet some karmic retrubition himself."

"That's why Antonio making him think his dick was gone worked," Bill said, "But apparently not enough to make him stop."

Antonio also smirked a little bit at Fae's ideas.

"I'd have to make sure to get some good popcorn for that display," Antonio said. But they couldn't get ahead of themselves just yet. He knew that all too well.

"That would be ideal," Bill agreed with Lucien, "And of course Russell would try to warn us before anything else. Can't deny he's always a selfless lad, that one. And we'll find him and kick Ratchet's ass at the same time."

The second comment was aimed more at Lucien, and Bill hoped it would be reassuring.

"That sounds like a good idea," Travis agreed, "And I do a few bananas. I guess they could work as a worthy offering."

Especially if he knew just who might have been carting him through the shadows.

"I suppose there is that," Simon said, "Pistachio is one of the most bland flavours out there."

"He has regained some strength," Leofric observed, "But hopefully not as much as he had before."

He then nodded at Rook.

"I will do my best to take that off as soon as I can, and to administer remedies to alleviate the symptoms that those poisons may be causing," Leofric said.

"It looks like it took a fairly standard route," Simon confirmed, as he looked over the map display, "So catching up to them shouldn't be too difficult."

"I can use my telekinesis to at least stop some of Ratchet's projectiles or other gadgets," Antonio said, "Or maybe at least catch him and prevent him from moving to use them for a short time."

"Staying outside would also be the wiser idea," Leofric nodded, before he then looked over at Erica, "Yes, I will agree, it doesn't smell like your standard storm, and it isn't moving like a standard storm."

"So it's not a normal storm," Bill said, "What's that got to do with all of this?"

Leofric once again tilted his head briefly at the sight, as the lightning struck to highlight a particular building.

"Well, that's a bit ominous," Bill commented.

It must have sucked to live with a couple of shady skeletal figures. Five simply couldn't have nice things. It wasn't surprising he was a miserable asshole bent on ruining everybody's lives.

"It wasn't a fun trip for my nose, but I think he's going to have new tricks up his sleeves too now." Erica agreed, "We'll figure it out, though. We just have to look out for new weirdos and let Rook set Ratchet on fire."

"Damn. You know someone sucks when Erica wants them to combust!" Fae said, receiving a nod of approval from Willow.

"Indeed. I believe Russell would have warned us given the chance as well." Willow said, turning the phone to look at the screen once it was whole again, "They seem to have followed the same script, Five didn't expose himself last time either. Therefore, he will likely have us come to him again as well."

They could have used some masks right now. Though Five might still choose to stay true to his snake aesthetic and prefer fighting in the open this time around.

"You may thank my nanites for the quick repairs."

It was the least she could contribute, given the circumstances. Willow was able to absorb the relevant data before the phone could start replaying the recordings, using that time to theorize possible scenarios they could be dealing with. There was a look of approval from the ladies when Russell managed to land that very critical hit on Ratchet, but it was clear the gizmo loser had prevailed in the end.

"We should have buried him in the ocean." Lucien looked ready to punch a hole through a wall, and currently had the means to do so. Though before his cuffs could grant that wish, he found Rook's hand resting on his arm, as his shoulder was too far up to reach.

"The ocean is polluted enough. Save that rage for the fight, Russell is counting on you."

Lucien seemed pacified for the moment, though it was clear he was only forcing himself to appear calm. That allowed Rook to regroup with her doubles. This wasn't the first operation that required all four of them. Everyone fell into their roles without hesitation.

"We can't say that but you can trust we'll get your brother back." Rook said, before looking at Willow, "Do your thing."

Willow folded her hands behind her back as she turned to head off. "Simon, I'm going to hack some cameras for you. Please, review the footage."

"I'll have a look around." Erica hopped on the nearest wall and started crawling up to the roof.

"While I– Don't know this place well. So I'm going to stick with the group." Fae said, taking a step closer to Antonio, "I hope we'll be able to get around with all those other hunters you've got here."

Rook stopped her with a harsh wave of her hand. "Don't even mention that. I really don't have the patience for those idiots right now. Let's get moving, who knows what they're doing to Russell. We'll figure something out regarding the masks we should have brought along while we look for him."

To make things worse, it looked like it was about to rain. There were clouds gathering in the distance, just in case the situation wasn't dire enough.

He had found himself wishing Five had been in that abandoned construction building when Shade stomped it down. But now Shade had another chance to perhaps squish him like some kind of bug.

"I hope they know how much they messed up," Antonio said, "To have Five turn out like how he did."

After all, Antonio had come rather close to that himself. Perhaps not to being a hunter, but definitely some miserable old bastard.

"Oh he's a real scumbag," Bill agreed with Fae, "One of those people the world would definitely be better of without, and shouldn't have his hands and some other organs to creep on people with."

The phone screen had also come back to life, and opened up on the group chat. Russell had indeed been typing a warning. He had clearly been rushing, and so the phone had autocorrected what he had been trying to write. The message had read 'Rat Shit is back', but he hadn't had the chance to send it. Bill did laugh a little bit at that.

"Well, I have to say that's rather accurate," Leofric mused as he looked at the message, "And that does confirm that he was trying to warn us before that struggle ensued."

"Not sure we should subject Josh and his buddies to that kind of thing either," Bill said, hoping that would help Lucien calm down that little bit more, "As Rook said, best to save it for when we get to kick Five's ass and save Russell's."

"Yeah, I know you will, thank you," Travis said. There wasn't much else he could do right now, bar preparing to grab the next flight down there. He seemed to be considering it, given that he had already opened a web page to look them up.

"I got him," Simon said, "Just before this whole thing started."

He then got it set so everyone could check it out in the group chat, not wanting anyone to miss what he was seeing in case they wanted to see what was happening too. Having as many eyes on it as possible would be helpful.

"All right, that's just odd," Simon commented, "It's like Five doesn't seem to know what's going on. He's just getting an ice cream."

"Probably just having a pre torture treat," Bill said, "Don't let it fool you. He most likely sent Ratchet to go catch Russell while he chilled out."

"We won't let them stop us," Antonio said to Fae, "No one is going to stand in our way when it comes to Five."

The footage then showed Russell staggering out of the alley as Simon switched to another camera. There was some horrible tacky cuff fastened around his wrist. From the way blood ran down from under it, over his hand, and to the ground, it looked like there were spikes or something similar digging deep into his skin. Russell looked awful, and he collapsed just as Five caught him.

"A car!" Travis called out, as Simon changed to another camera feed that Willow had found, "Five got himself a new car from the looks of it."

"That's helpful to know," Simon agreed.

"I suppose I can at least use some kind of magic to protect us for a short time," Leofric suggested, "It wouldn't be as effective as masks, and wouldn't last as long, but it would provide some resistance."

Leofric looked up, tilting his head to the side a little bit when he saw the storm clouds. Something about them didn't feel entirely right.

"I definitely am," Bill said, "But a bit of rain isn't going to kill me, so if anyone else wants this, go for it."

The clouds were helping to block out the sun for now. If the storm got any worse, he wouldn't need the umbrella at all.

There was only so much Five's body could take, even with the blessing of his patron. With some luck, that meant beating him a second time was going to be easier. The critical question now was how many of little sidekicks he had gathered this time. Frosty was the only one she could really keep an eye on. There was no telling whether the others were ready to try their luck again.

"And you can't expect most people to come take a look whenever someone's getting jumped in an alley." Rook grumbled, "Lucien, stop poking around. You can't speak to the mold."

"I'm checking for traps. If Five is behind this, the pervert will be close by."

"Ah right, that must have been what set you off." Rook said, giving a shrug, "Bad news, guys. Ratchet is probably around too. Lucien's ears were whistling and it wasn't my fault."

"Oh, that sucks." Erica said as soon as she emerged from the shadows, "Hello! I brought Fae!"

"Hello, my darlings. I figured the group could use an extra old man." Fae said with a small smile, "And maybe some moral support."

"Here, Willow." Erica handed her double her gloves, "I figured you'd need them out here."

"Thank you kindly." Willow quickly donned her gloves, before reaching to take the phone, "Allow me to fix this. Simon, you may have a look as well as soon as I'm done."

The nanites worked swiftly, repairing the shattered screen and restoring the damaged connections.

Erica's ears flickered at the microscopic work. "I guess the whirring is a good sign."

Willow nodded. "The microphone might have recorded something meaningful as well. I will point you to the encrypted files."

"And that, guys, is how Willow always picks the best presents." Rook joked.

"I only visited him the once as well," Antonio said.

"It is true that he most likely hasn't recovered fully," Leofric agreed, "But there is the possibility that he has found more possible lackeys, or has created some new form of concoction, or perhaps learned new tactics that may surprise us."

"No, of course not," Antonio said, "I can imagine he would have tried to call or message one of us for help, but didn't get the chance."

Leofric took a brief moment to sniff at the phone when it floated close enough.

"Good thinking," Bill said to Lucien, "We don't know what they might have left behind."

"Five hasn't touched it," Leofric confirmed, when he had gotten a good whiff of its scent, "It's safe for us to handle directly at the moment."

"Of course he would be," Antonio said, like he had tasted something foul. He hated that man, possibly more than Five, and that was certainly saying something, "Maybe I'll make him think I've taken his hands this time."

"Sounds like fun," Bill said, before he smiled at Fae, "Always good to see a fellow old man, especially for moral support."

Bill then let out a low whistle as the phone seemed to repair itself right in front of his eyes at Willow's efforts.

"That is amazing," Travis said

"No problem, I got this," Simon said. It wasn't long before he navigated enough to where he found it, "All right, let's see if we can get a clue here."

"Heh, there is that," Bill said, "And that explains why I seem to conveniently find awesome things for you all when I need to."

The conversation started from where Russell had just run into the alleyway. Ratchet's voice as he taunted Russell and the jingling of his various accessories gave him away. It appeared that despite trying to hide at first, Russell had eventually decided to try and fight. There was a hiss of pain from Russell, but then it sounded like he had managed to deal a devastating blow to Ratchet in turn

"Ha! That's my bro!" Travis said.

The running started up again, but it was unsteady, and the wall kept being rubbed up against, like Russell was falling against it. Then there was that quiet plea that Russell struggled to get out of his mouth, and that was the last words he said in that conversation.

"No..." Simon only said, "He really didn't learn to leave us alone, did he? And now they've managed to snatch Russell."

That part was a given, though it was unlikely he would change his opinions any time soon. He would however be changing his approach. Ratchet couldn't have found his balls at a worse time. He wasn't ready for a major fight.

Nevertheless, it could be a learning moment.

"Shut up, old hag." Nobody would complain if he was being rude to a hallucination. He needed Russell to go to sleep already.

Left alone with his thoughts, Five decided he would be able to reflect on his next move better if he lit himself another cigarette. He took a long drag, then glanced at his cane, still embedded in the wall.

"Let's see where that moron went."

He was sure Ratchet would enjoy what he had in mind.

"I know it's good to keep our guards up. I just didn't miss it." Rook grumbled.

"It isn't ideal." Willow agreed, "I suppose it looks impressive. I simply had to find a way around the evening rush."

"Yeah, don't try that at home!" Erica said, before her voice turned to static.

While Erica took a stroll in the shadows, it seemed Willow had reached her stop. The construction site just by the railway allowed her to jump off and take a shortcut through the residential area that was closest to the facility. As she made her way up the crane, a swarm of drones rose from within the facility. Most would panic at the sight of the massive security drones. Willow, on the other hand, jumped right at them, snatching her portal device from the group leader and continuing her fall into oblivion.

Rook would have remarked that was exactly why they never rushed Willow, hadn't she been busy driving. She parked the motorbike out of the way, quietly checking their surroundings while Lucien climbed off. He decided he didn't have much to add to the conversation and immediately started looking around for clues.

"I'm surprised it hasn't been stolen yet." Rook mused, "Do you guys smell anything interesting?"

Right at that moment, there was a flash a little further down the alleyway. Willow made her way over, hands in the pockets of her summer coat.

"I may be able to help with that." Willow said, taking just an instant to recover from the transfer, before pointing in the direction of the phone, "It's over there. I wasn't able to get changed on the way here. I don't have my gloves and I'd rather not get grime on my hands."

"You shut up, you gullible little shit!" Cassandra shouted back at Five.

Cassandra had gone into another angry tirade about how he had made yet another person, saying how he won't wake up if she had anything to do about it. Russell could feel her hands starting to wrap around his throat as his consciousness was forced away.

Even though his breathing was steady, most likely thanks to the cocktail of poisons in his system keeping him from moving around too much, the movement of his eyes beneath the lids betrayed that his dreams were most likely extremely intense.

But he wasn't going to wake up, not anytime soon in any case.

"I don't think any of us did," Bill said, "But if we have to kick that guy's ass again, then we'll do it together. Besides, even if he's woken up and recovered, he'll still most likely be dealing with some aftereffects from that last battle."

He seemed fairly confident about that.

"Let's not get ahead of ourselves," Leofric advised, "If it is him, he most likely would have learned from our past encounters."

"Shame he didn't learn to leave you all alone," Simon snarked.

"And here I was thinking of trying it at home," Travis joked, "Thank you, Erica."

"If Russell was hiding, or trying to hide when it got broken, it's possible that no one noticed or thougbt to look," Leofric said, "I have tracked a scent, I believe it is down this alleyway."

Antonio came sauntering over then. His feline traits were already on display for all to see, most likely in case he needed to use magic or other enhanced abilities.

"I did smell traces of Russell having being here, and..." Leofric stopped himself when he realised that Willow had come to meet them, so he could listen to what she had to say.

"Good to have that confirmed," Leofric said.

"Allow me," Antonio said. With that, he held up a hand, and a green glow danced between his fingers.

The phone itself was revealed as it floated up from behind the dumpster, wrapped in that same light. It had indeed been stomped on rather harshly, and the screen was cracked and with no display on it at all. But there was something in that still worked, or else Simon wouldn't have been able to track it.