Singer floated gracefully above the other assassins, lighting their way with her powers. The five killers were in a huge old mansion in New Orleans. Rumor had it the mansion was haunted, but the assassins didn't believe that. Questa had overheard two people in a Starbucks near the safehouse of the Unified Guilds saying that a scientist was using the mansion as a laboratory for genetic experiments. The assassins walked carefully, knowing the scientist might enjoy trying to figure out their own genetic enhancements.
"Careful, Singer." Fifolet said quietly, keeping a close eye on the beautiful dark-haired woman. She paused a few feet ahead of them, watching them through her dark glasses. She was keeping an eye on Fifolet as well. Just days before, the two had admitted their love for each other, something they had each been keeping secret for years.
As they walked through the main floor of the mansion, they stayed close, knowing they might have to defend themselves and each other.
"Where do you t'ink de laboratory is?" Bella Donna asked, her dark blue eyes almost glowing in the strange light. She held two small swords in her hands, ready for anything.
"Basement, perhaps?" Gris-Gris replied. "We should find de door an' check it out."
"Stop for a second." Bella Donna commanded. Her four companions halted near her, and Singer landed close beside Fifolet, trembling slightly as she felt his hand rest on her arm. "Questa, what did dose people in de café say?"
"Jus' dat dis scientist guy was usin' dis place as a lab for genetic experiments." Questa replied. "Why?"
"People don' usually talk openly 'bout stuff like dat." Bella Donna said. "Not unless dey want someone to know 'bout it."
"You don' s'pose dey knew who I was…?" Questa asked.
"Dey might have. In which case, dey wanted us to come here. Dey want us, our powers. We have to be careful." Gris said.
"Perhaps we should split up?" Fifolet suggested.
"Non. I don' want us getting separated. Dis could be dangerous." Bella Donna said. "Let's keep goin'. Singer, continue to light de way for us, but stay close."
'I second dat.' Fifolet thought. Bella Donna heard his thought loud and clear and smiled at him. Love had changed the man. He was still as ruthless and mean as the rest of them, but where Singer was concerned, he was protective, caring.
Singer nodded and floated into the air again, leading the way towards the back area of the mansion. Suddenly bright lights shone all around them, blinding them. Moments later, the lights were off again and the assassins were in total darkness. Singer was nowhere to be found.
A look of dangerous worry crept into Fifolet's face, his dark eyes clouding over. If anything happened to Singer, he'd kill whoever was responsible for it.
"Singer?" he called quietly, unsure of what to expect. He started to go off on his own looking for her, but Gris stopped him.
"Non, mon ami. Stay wit' us."
Fifolet spun around and looked at Bella Donna, his long, thick black hair swinging around his shoulders. "Where is she, Bel? Can you find her?"
Bella Donna was quiet for a few moments as she telepathically tried to locate her best friend. She finally shook her head sadly. "She's in dis building Feef, but I couldn' tell you where. She's hurt…barely respondin' to me."
Fifolet thought his heart was going to break. He didn't want to wait any longer before trying to find her. "Well, why are we still standin' here?" he demanded. "Let's go find her!"
"Not so fast, Feef. We need to find some light b'fore we keep goin', or we'll get caught." Gris said, holding onto Fifolet's arm so the younger man couldn't go anywhere.
Fifolet yanked his arm away and glared at Gris, anger and fear contorting his face.
Bella Donna decided to handle Fifolet telepathically since it was obvious he wasn't going to listen to Gris.
'I know you love her, Fifolet.' Bel's voice said in Fifolet's mind. He glanced at her quickly.
'I'm…scared…Bel.' He thought back, the thought barely audible.
'I know. Don' worry. I won' tell. An' we'll find her, I promise.' Bel told him.
Fifolet nodded and thought, 'I sure hope so…'
He had barely finished his thought, and the four had barely gotten started on their search, when they were hit with a blast of foul smelling gas. Within seconds, they were on the floor, unconscious.
Singer slowly returned to full consciousness, trying to figure out where she was and what had happened. As she became aware of her surroundings, she realized her glasses were missing. If she opened her eyes, the blast of power and light would destroy everything around her. She was helpless, a feeling she wasn't used to.
Keeping her eyes firmly shut, Singer used her ears and hands to guide her. She was on the floor in a very quiet room. The floor was cold and hard, and she could feel dirt on it, as if it hadn't been swept in a very long time.
Suddenly, there was the sound of a door opening and closing, then of footsteps coming towards her. Two other sets of footsteps were also in the room, but weren't near her. Singer wished she could see who had just come into the room, but she could only rely on her ears.
"Ah, you're awake, I see. Very good." A male voice said.
"Who are you?" Singer demanded with as much force as could be expected from an assassin trained from early childhood to be aggressive. She wasn't about to let her lack of vision hinder her.
"That is of no concern of yours." The voice replied. "You won't need to know anyway, after I'm done with you."
"What are you gon' do?" Singer asked, more quietly this time. She was suddenly worried. Bella Donna's voice had been a constant in her mind ever since they were separated, and just then it was gone, as if it had never been there. She feared something had happened to the other assassins.
"I want your powers, Miss Singer. I am going to take them from you, a process that will surely kill you, especially seeing as though you can't defend yourself." The voice explained.
"Mes amis…dey'll find me…stop you…you won' succeed."
The voice laughed. It was an evil sound, one Singer didn't like. She had often heard Gris-Gris and Questa laugh like that, but from them, she didn't mind it because she knew them, they would never hurt her. This man…he was different. He was out to kill her for her powers. "Your friends have been taken care of for the moment. By the time they come to and find you, it will be too late. And one by one, I will take their powers too, until none of you are left."
The other two sets of footsteps suddenly came close to Singer and two large pairs of hands grabbed her arms roughly. She struggled and fought, careful not to open her eyes. However, she was powerless against them and couldn't use her powers without her glasses, without being able to see. It was too dangerous. She wouldn't risk hurting herself or the others.
The two men carried her across the room and put her on a hard, flat table, strapping her arms and legs down so she couldn't kick or struggle in any way. She felt them stick a needle in her arm and figured out it must contain a sedative of some sort. Before she blacked out, she sent a frantic telepathic message to Bella Donna, praying her friend would get it.
'Bella…wake up…hurry…dey're gon' kill us all for our powers…I don' have much time…please…tell Fifolet I love him…'
"What 'bout her?" Fifolet demanded, getting to his feet somewhat shakily.
"De scientist…he's plannin' on takin' our powers from us an' killin' us. Startin' wit' Singer." Bel replied. "Dat's what she told me…dat an'…"
"An' what?" Questa asked.
Bella Donna shook her head. She looked at Fifolet. Telepathically she gave the rest of the message. 'She told me to tell you she loves you.'
Fifolet's heart sank. He fought the tears that threatened to fall from his eyes and set his lips determinedly. "Well. We're jus' gon' have to get outta dis room an' go stop dis scientist guy b'fore he succeeds."
Gris sighed. "Yeah. Right. We can' get out. Dey took our weapons, so we have no way of escapin'. It's not like we have a key, non?"
Fifolet snickered. "You don' have a way out. But I do."
"Fifolet…." Bella Donna began.
"What?" Fifolet demanded. "I'm gon' go save her an' stop dat guy. Den I'm gon' come back here an' get you guys. Any questions?"
"Non…jus' be careful…" Bel replied with a sigh. She knew somehow that Fifolet would succeed, but she didn't know how.
Fifolet concentrated on his powers and his entire body began to glow with a faint green light as he made himself and his clothing intangible. He then proceeded to walk right through the door into the hallway.
'I made it.' he thought to Bella Donna. 'I'll be back.'
'Hurry, Feef.' Bel thought back. 'Singer said she didn' have much time.'
Fifolet used his sight and hearing to locate the laboratory fairly quickly. He glanced in the window in the door and saw his beloved Singer lying on a table with restraints on her arms and legs. He couldn't see her glasses anywhere from his position, which told him that even if she was awake, she was powerless, unable to open her eyes.
"Hang on, chere, I'm comin'." He whispered before becoming intangible again and entering the laboratory. The scientist and his friends weren't in the room. Fifolet hurried over to the table and ran his rough fingers over her soft cheek.
"Singer." He said quietly, not wanting to speak loudly in case he was heard.
Singer moved her head slightly and murmured his name. "Fifolet…help me…"
"I'm not gon' let dem hurt you, chere." Fifolet told her. "Dey haven' started yet…?"
"Non…dey went to get somet'ing…hurry…"
Fifolet started breaking the bonds that were holding Singer to the table. "I'm gon' get you outta here, an' den we're gon' get de others outta here too. Dis was a big mistake, comin' here."
When the last bond was broken, he picked her up into his strong arms. "Hold on." He commanded. Singer did as she was told and managed to get her arms around his neck even though she couldn't see. She buried her face in his soft hair and absently thought that it smelled like apples.
"Find my glasses…" she said. "Dat way, if dey try to stop us, we have a better chance at escapin'."
Fifolet glanced around the room and saw Singer's glasses on a table at one end. But before he could take more than two steps towards the table, the door opened and the three men came into the room.
"Well, well, well." The scientist said. He was dressed entirely in white, from his lab coat to his shoes, and had short dark hair. The other two men were dressed almost identically to him. One of them had blonde hair and glasses, and the other, a larger, more burly man, had dark hair like the scientist.
"Fifolet…" Singer whispered into Fifolet's hair.
"Trust me, chere." Fifolet whispered back, putting her gently back on the table. He wished he had time to kiss her, but that would have to wait.
"Always." Singer replied.
Fifolet sighed quietly and turned to face the three men. "You won' succeed." He said simply, his voice filled with venom. His training as an assassin was kicking into high gear and no way on earth was anyone going to hurt him or the woman he loved.
"You don' t'ink? I do." The scientist replied, laughing that evil laugh.
Fifolet snorted and pulled out a large knife from his gray and black outfit. "I'm gon' stop you. You don' stand a chance."
The scientist nodded at his two companions. They sprung into action, attempting to subdue the long-haired killer. But Fifolet anticipated their moves and leaped into the air. When he came down, he whirled and stabbed the blond man. The other man tried to attack him from behind, but Fifolet became intangible and the man fell to the ground, unable to move. Quickly, Fifolet brought his knife down on the man's chest, allowing him to join the first man in the afterlife. Blood gushed out of the two bodies, but Fifolet didn't pay any attention to it. He looked at the scientist.
"Impressive, Monsieur Fifolet." The scientist chuckled. "Dat didn' take as long as I t'ought it would. However, you want dese? You better not hurt me den."
Fifolet's eyes widened as he saw the man had taken Singer's glasses, the only pair they had with them, and had his foot poised over them. One quick movement and they'd be smashed to bits. He realized he only had one chance, since co-operating with the man was not an option.
With accurate precision, Fifolet flung the knife straight at the scientist's chest. It struck the man in the heart and he fell backwards, sinking against the wall. He clutched at the knife, tried to pull it out, and failed.
Fifolet went over to him and snickered. "Dere's only one t'ing more dangerous dan a mad scientist, homme. An' dat is a pissed off assassin." As the life left the man's body, Fifolet bent down and yanked the knife out, wiping the blood off on his pants. Then he picked up Singer's glasses and went back to her.
"Fifolet…what…" Singer asked as she heard him stop by the table.
"Shhhh." Fifolet whispered, gently taking her chin in his fingers and tilting her head up. He bent over and kissed her deeply, thrilling as she whimpered softly and returned the kiss with equal passion, running her fingers through his hair.
When they broke the kiss, Fifolet put the glasses in Singer's hand. "Here. Put dese on an' we'll go get de others an' get outta here."
Singer sighed with relief when she could see again. She jumped down off the table and laughed when she saw the blood on Fifolet's clothing. "You're gon' have to wash dose."
Fifolet looked down and shrugged. "Yeah…"
They paused on the way out of the lab. Fifolet knelt by the scientist and got a set of keys out of his pocket. "We're gon' need dese to get de others. Let's go."
"Where have you been?!" Bella Donna demanded when the door to the room opened and Fifolet and Singer entered. Singer was floating again, but was staying very close to Fifolet, something he didn't look like he minded.
"De scientist an' his pals are dead. Dere's no more t'reat." Fifolet told her.
Gris looked at Singer. "You okay?"
Singer landed beside Fifolet and smiled, happy to be able to see everything again. "Oui. T'anks to him."
Fifolet pulled Singer closer to him and their lips met in a soft, gentle kiss. Bella Donna smiled, Gris-Gris groaned and looked away. Questa was the most vocal with his opinion.
"Oh, get a room!" He complained loudly, walking out.
Singer and Fifolet broke the kiss with laughter.
"C'mon, let's go home. I t'ink we could all use some rest after dis." Bella Donna suggested, following Questa. Gris joined her, but it wasn't until they were almost out of the mansion that the three noticed their friends hadn't followed.
"Hey, what're dey…?" Questa asked, confused.
Gris chuckled. "You did tell dem to get a room, Questa."
Back in the room, Fifolet and Singer were wrapped in each other's arms, sharing an intense, breath-taking kiss. They both knew how close things had been cut back in the laboratory. If Fifolet had been five minutes later, it might have been too late for him to save Singer.
When they broke the kiss, breathing hard, Fifolet smiled softly at her. "I love you." He whispered. "I don' ever wan' lose you."
Singer returned the smile and kissed his lips lightly before replying. "I love you too. Now let's go home, I'm tired."
Rather than fly, Singer took Fifolet's rough hand in her soft one and together, they walked out of the mansion, joining their waiting friends in the yard.