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"The plan is proceeding."
"Yes, my Lord. All of the pawns are in position."
"The path of broken minds will be testament to our triumph."
A tall man with broad shoulders, and close cropped blonde hair knelt before a short alter, an icon of the Madonna was on the panel behind it, and a circumscribed cross marked the top of it.
Selleck bowed his head as the faint apparition disappeared. He stood up and walked back out of the small chapel, looking up at the images of knights, dragons, angels, and devils that the sunlight played through.
He walked back to his small office and picked up the receiver on his telephone, dialing the number which had become familiar as of late..
"Yes, Giovanni.. The next phase will begin soon.. don't fail."
Selleck set the receiver back down into it's cradle and leaned back in his chair Placing his hands behind his head..
He reached down and pressed a button on his phone, "Candice, I won't be taking anymore calls today.."
`Twas brillig, and the slithy toves
Did gyre and gimble in the wabe;
All mimsy were the borogoves,
And the mome raths outgrabe.
`Beware the Jabberwock, my son!
The jaws that bite, the claws that catch!
Beware the Jubjub bird, and shun
The frumious Bandersnatch!'
He took his vorpal sword in hand:
Long time the manxome foe he sought --
So rested he by the Tumtum tree,
And stood awhile in thought.
And as in uffish thought he stood,
The Jabberwock, with eyes of flame,
Came whiffling through the tulgey wood,
And burbled as it came!
One, two! One, two! And through and through
The vorpal blade went snicker-snack!
He left it dead, and with its head
He went galumphing back.
`And has thou slain the Jabberwock?
Come to my arms, my beamish boy!
O frabjous day! Callooh! Callay!
He chortled in his joy.
`Twas brillig, and the slithy toves
Did gyre and gimble in the wabe;
All mimsy were the borogoves,
And the mome raths outgrabe.
-Jabberwocky, by Lewis Carroll
"Diedra here.."
The voice on the other side of the line answered back, "Diedra.. what are you doing answering Din's phone?"
The girl bit her lip and fumbled her finger in her shoulder length blue hair as she quickly thought of an excuse, "He's in the bathroom, we were just going over a project.."
"Well this is as much your business as it is his.. you two are going to Jerusalem.. You're going to intercept four team rocket agents.. They've gone rogue, you'll have to kill them.. and be sure to bring back everything they're carrying as well.."
Diedra held her voice even as she acknowledged everything Giovanni said, and was released from the conversation.. She sighed as she let the handset fall from her hand back into the cradle.
She walked over to the bed where Din was still sleeping, and sat down on the floor, leaning her back up against the wall.. She didn't know what to do.. she couldn't go after Jessie and James.. and although she'd never been good friends with Cassidy, she did think that Butch was much too cute to shoot.. She leaned her head back against the wall and looked up at the ceiling, imagining she could stare through it, and up into the heavens, questioning as to what she should do. Din would be awake soon, and they'd have to leave, or risk being killed themselves..
She looked over at Valli's face, she was lying next to her with her hands and feet handcuffed as well.
"Oh God... she's not blubbing again, is she?" Sarah thought to herself as she looked at Valli, a tear was forming in the corner of her eye, and her face slightly flushed.. Sometimes Sarah wondered why she even brought Valli along..
As the landrover rolled on she stared up out of the back window.. She listened to their conversations.. Cassidy was telling Butch about some magazine article or something.. 'she's so hopeless with him..' she thought to herself as she started out at the clear blue sky.
Valli eventually stopped her crying, but Sarah didn't bother to try to talk to her, if they were going to escape Sarah knew that she'd have to think up something herself.. It wasn't that Valli was stupid.. well, wait, maybe she is stupid..
She growled to herself.. then noticed they were passing some of the smaller buildings that lay on the outskirts of El Giza..
She already had her lock pick out, and had uncuffed herself, but she kept her hands behind her back so they wouldn't notice... she knew it would do her little good against four armed criminals to even have the cuff's off.. She'd have to wait for a real opportunity.
The Jeep finally stopped.
"Hey Butch, wait in here to watch those two, we'll get you a burger."
Sarah's ears perked up as she heard everyone but Butch exit the vehicle.. a few seconds later she made her move.
"Butch.."
"Huh?" He said turning to look back over his seat at her. She was still lieing on her back with her hands stuffed behind her.
"Butch.. um.. my right leg itches... could you please scratch it.."
Butch gave her a funny sort of look which sarah countered with an innocent pleading one.
He finally reached a hand over the seat and scratched her leg a little, immediately pulling it back over..
Valli looked at her strangely as she said that was the wrong spot. "Just start scratching and I'll tell you when you have the right spot..."
Butch cocked an eyebrow, but reached his hand over again, and started scratching.
"A little higher... higher.. ahh.. yeah.. higher..."
He thought it a little strange, she almost seemed like she was getting off on it.
Sarah smiled, then pulled her hand out from behind her back, unhandcuffed, and smashed Butch over the head with a large wrench she'd taken from a compartment just a few minutes earlier.
Valli cheered as Sarah climbed over the seat and pushed Butch's large unconscious body out of the Jeep them climbed up to the driver's seat. The Jeep was still running so that Butch could continue to enjoy the AC.
"Hey Sarah, aren't you going to uncuff me??" Valli yelled up from the back.
"Shut up Valli! You can wait," Sarah thought to herself 'after all, if it wasn't for your moronic self, you wouldn't even be wearing the things!'
The Jeep sped away as James and Cassidy ran out of the McDonald's.
Butch opened his eyes and saw James and Cassidy looking down at him.
"Yeah.." He felt the back of his head... no blood, just a bump..
Cassidy gave him a hug, and James asked what had happened.
Butch felt a little embarrassed about being taken so easily and totally.. but he was always honest with his friends, even if it made him look like a total moron..
"I.. uh.. she tricked me into letting my guard down.. lets just say she knows how to manipulate guys.."
James looked at him for a moment after he finished, then bust out laughing as Jessie finally made her way out with the food.
Cassidy clenched her jaw a little and helped Butch, who's face was a little red, stand up.
"Well.. we might as well go and eat this stuff in the AC then, we'll have a long walk in front of us." James said as he led Jessie back towards the restaurant. Cassidy helped Butch along, he was still a little dizzy..
They all gathered at a table near the back of the dining area. There was only 2 other customers in the place: the prices were generally too high for most of the inhabitants of the city.
Jessie had finally let Meowth out of his pokeball. It seemed she got a sort of despicable satisfaction out of putting him in one of those things. Meowth was already questioning them by the time Butch and Cassidy sat down.
"You get the ring?"
"Of course we got it."
"Are you sure?"
"Well I guess there's only one real way to find out.." James said.
He pulled the ring out of his pocket.
"Hey, let me try it this time.." Cassidy said
"Alright," he said as he handed her the small gold band.
Cassidy went to slip it on her finger, and, of course, disappeared.
"Well then, I guess that's settled.."
Everyone nodded and took out their burgers while they awaited Cassidy's return.
Butch took a bite out of his Big Mac and sighed... it was the standard low quality fare from McD's... soggy lettuce, lukewarm meat.. all on a slightly stale roll. He didn't even want to think about the secret sauce..
"So.. what do you guys want to do tonight?"
Butch looked up, James had come a little out of the blue with that as he looked back and forth between Jessie and Butch. After all, Butch had just been jumped by a girl, and their rented Jeep stolen.. He just went back to eating his sandwich, he never took an active part in deciding what they'd do with their free time.
"Why don't we go shopping?"
Butch and James cringed at the idea...
"Well why'd you ask me then?!" she said looking at the response written on their faces.
Butch cracked a smile and James let out a short laugh.
Jessie rolled her eyes and went back to her meal.
"I'm always content to just hang out and read a book, myself.."
"Well we're not boring like you, Butch." Jessie snapped at him.
James didn't laugh, he just kind of tried to stay back, apparently Jessie had gotten a little annoyed.
"Maybe we can go to a club and Butch can get whacked on the head by more girls," James said with a wink.
Jessie let out a small laugh as Butch rolled his eyes and leaned back.
At almost the same time Cassidy reappeared.
"Well, how was it, Cass?" James said extending his hand for the ring.
"I'll just hold onto this for now.. in fact, we should all hang onto one.."
"Yeah, I guess that would make them a little harder to steal..." James said as he handed a ring to Jessie. Butch had been holding one all along, and they now all were carrying one. He continued after he handed it to Jessie, "so what'd you see while you were there?"
"Well.. There were lots of people.. or that's what I thought.."
James and Meowth opened their eyes up a little wider and turned their full attention over.
"What you thought?"
"Well.. they were all statues.. but there were thousands of them.. all around me.."
"In a cave?"
Cassidy gave James an incredulous look, "no, it was all out in a field."
"Hm... I gotta see this."
Jessie stopped James as he was reaching for his pocket, "James, just wait on it, ok? I'm ready to leave, and I really don't want to have to wait around for you to get back to us."
James nodded and the five stood up with Cassidy inhaling her food as they walked towards the entrance.
Everyone groaned a little bit, knowing they'd have to walk all the way back to the hotel if they didn't want to sleep in a dumpster..
Butch wondered what Sarah and Valli were doing as they all walked away. He hoped they wouldn't see them again, but had a bad feeling they would..