[@WhiteAngel25] [@Estylwen] [color=gray][h1][b]The Louvre Museum[/b][/h1] [h2]Monsieur de Villiers[/h2][/color] The marble floors glistened in the early morning sunlight as Thierry wandered stoutly down several hallways. His lack of sleep had made way for newfound vigour that had been granted by several cups of black coffee, but more notably [i]The Council[/i]. The ancient order had been very understanding regarding the current situation; the global crisis regarding HiveMind. The order recognized that if HiveMind was willing to directly assault The Louvre, they were defiantly brazen enough to attack of the rest of the archeological world- [i]and then some[/i]. World governments? Nobody was deemed safe in de Villiers' last meeting. Not only had HiveMind been discussed, but The Louvre found it essential to tread carefully while dealing with artifacts of certain origins. Even more when dealing with trinkets that Thierry had found haphazardly tossed aside in little shops downtown, shops he frequented such as Antiquités du Tourniquet. He'd found all sorts of nifty things through the years that the ordinary person would have no idea of the real power it held. Big things like ceremonial daggers used by The Order of Prémontré, special finds like a replica of The Triangle of Light, all the way down to a lock of hair from Christ himself... Still, in order to keep the peace amongst the various archeological organizations, it was always best to seek permission before using any store bought antiques. As they were considered black market finds. Or at least ones with special mystical properties. Permission from [i]The Council[/i] and permission had been [i]granted[/i]. [i]One meeting turned another.[/i] [b]"Monsieur de Villiers, I'm [i]Voidlight's [/i]Vice President. We are glad that you took the time to speak with us. I know you're a busy man. We can discuss things on the way to the airport. Shall we?"[/b] [i]A very busy man indeed.[/i] [b]"So very nice to meet you, Mr. ... ?"[/b] Thierry's voice paused, not knowing the man's name, but also at the sight of an old business partner and another of Nick's affiliates. [b]"Ramses... Aaron. Compliments of The Egyptian and Smithsonian Museums."[/b] He started, [b]"Under any other circumstances..."[/b] [b]"A pleasure working with you again, Monsieur."[/b] Thierry and Ramses shared a strikingly sturdy handshake before Thierry turned to Aaron. The younger of the two chirped, [b]"I'm still angry about the situation with my Uncle, but this is bigger than my feud with Nick. This HiveMind group is beyond ridiculous. They need to be stopped, so I'm here to help where I can. Besides..."[/b] Aaron paused looking up to Ramses with a smirk fortified through years of working with Nick, [b]"It's been awhile since we've Codename Andrewed anybody and we've heard rumors about a fellow hacker named [i]Ghost[/i], was also involved."[/b] [b]"So it would seem as though HiveMind's struck a nerve with all of us then."[/b] The four men stood in agreement with their individual mannerisms showing. Thierry sternly turned to Voidlight's Vice President, [b]"Does Voidlight deal in antiquities at all? I'm bringing a very special object of Louvre admiration with us... on this [i]little [/i]trip of ours. Gracieuseté du Conseil. Let us be swift, gentlemen. Time waits for none."[/b] [i]Toujours[/i]. [color=gray][h1][b]Hivemind Underwater Facility[/b][/h1] [h2]Operation Mute[/h2][/color] [b]"All I can say is that you're in danger..."[/b] Now there was a lackluster statement of the century. When did, Subject #004- [i]Nick's[/i]- profession by default, [i]not [/i]have him in some kind of peril? If it wasn't the eternally undead mummies of Egypt, it was this sort of shit. He was honestly sick of hearing about it about it over the years. He tried to sit upright, but his movements were incredibly sluggish. His head was still hazy despite the lack of equipment he was once hooked up to. Kept dropping various parts of the garments. Movement was sloppy as he pulled on the clothes Stella had given him. The clothes acted as a nice barricade against the room's chilled air. And no, for the record, he wasn't embarrassed that Stella had seen him naked. And then Subject #004 heard a gunshot followed by a loud popping sound. Then more gunshots and what sounded like several scuffles. A very distinct voice was in the mix. All coming from down the hall. What the hell was going on in this place? There was some silence, then a single voice raged. Nick recognized this particular temper. He'd been at the brunt of it several times himself. [b][h3]"Comment ça va? ...[i]Ça va, toujours[/i].[/h3] Especially when dealing with the likes of [i]you[/i], Mr. Galloes."[/b] Thierry paused, [b]"Non. You are no Mister. You are a [i]connard[/i]. An [i]enculé[/i]. How [i]dare [/i]you threaten The Louvre, non, [i]moi[/i]."[/b] [i]Thierry? Here?! How?[/i] Nick stumbled out of the observation room, hands shaking as he tried to make sure the pistol was loaded. He had to get down there, figure out what was going on. He was heavily involved now, even if he didn't want to be, so he might as well not hold back any potential useful information. It seemed that all the scuffles had left several guards dead. Quite a few bodies were scattered down the hall that Nick found himself stepping over. [b]"I have many more cards than you seem to believe, Mr. [i]Putain[/i]."[/b] Nick attempted to fully stand himself upright, but didn't manage to do so. He leaned heavily against the doorframe, grin across his face. It was times like this that he questioned his asexuality and also very glad to have Thierry on his side. But the grin quickly subsided as he realized his personal doctor had also been caught up in the crossfire, lifeless. Slumped over on the table. Probably at the hands of Galloes himself. Death was a hard truth of being or working with a secret order like The Louvre. And with another glimpse around the room, Aaron and Ramses were here as well, [i]Let the good times roll.[/i] Subject #004 kicked in after another quick glance at Thierry. [b][i]Target acquired.[/i][/b] The gun in Thierry's hand went off as Subject #004 knocked the elder man's arm up. The two scuffled for several minutes to the sounds of laughter mixed with dual sets of feverish typing. Codename Andrew had kicked into high gear as Ramses and Aaron tried to find the file source for Nick's- [i]Subject #004's[/i]- potentially lethal assault. But without the doctor spy, it was proving a difficult task. No matter. Thierry, while [i]technically [/i]retired from full time field work, was able to hold his own. He yelled mostly at Galloes, but to whoever cared as well, [b]"Sacré dieu. [i]So help me[/i] if I have to kill my own spouse!"[/b] The typing abruptly stopped. Nick found himself face down bent over the table, with both hands tightly bound behind his back. So now not only was he exhausted, but also in excruciating pain thanks to Thierry's white-knuckled deathgrip. A grip that damn near broke both his arms in the process to acquire. The look on Aaron's face was of utter shock; his hazel eyes were in complete disbelief at what had just transpired and Ramses' olive expression wasn't too far behind. He then looked over to the dead doctor and remembered what he'd said about giving up [i]certain freedoms[/i]. So even if he felt he was incapable under normal circumstances, they could still program him to have the drive? The drive to commit kamikaze for the good of whoever was in control of his mind? [i]Shit.[/i]