May 9 - We've already had enough of this.

[Ryan Gabriel]

As soon as they were returned to the campus, Ryan knocked on the Headmistress's door, still looking furious.

[Byrna Cooper]

Bear was right there with him, looking just about as furious.

[Samantha McManus]

Behind the door there was the muffled sound of Ms. McManus on the phone.

"...well, I should hope that if MI6 requested us to perform a politically sensitive escort, one in which my people were fired upon by terrorist elements, they would at least do us the courtesy of making sure it's actually Doctor Bloody Doom in the motorcade!"

[Ryan Gabriel]

Ah, good timing, then. No, it wasn't something he'd usually do, but as stated, he was pissed. So Ryan cracked the door enough for Sam to see the obviously angry boy make rather clear gestures: 'Me, her, in there, ok?'

[Samantha McManus]

Ms. McManus nodded to Ryan at the door.

"No, I don't think it's good that we flushed the terrorist cell out in the middle of the streets of London. Somebody wasn't doing their job if they got a bloody grenade launcher into the city!"

[Ryan Gabriel]

Ryan quietly closed the door behind himself and Bear, then bit his tongue rather hard to keep from shouting an angry addition to Sam's statement.

[Samantha McManus]

"Let me emphasize here, the more charitable assumption I can make is that you simply didn't know they were guarding Doom's bloody monkey, rather than the notion that you put my team members in harm's way because you wanted those terrorists to make a move. I'm certain that Pete Wisdom will rather feel the same way if I bring him into this as Excalibur's government liaison."

"Yes, I'd rather say that's a better tone to be taking with me now. You find out where the breakdown in intelligence was, and you bloody well fix it if you expect us to continue to be part of this operation. Good day, sir."

Ms. McManus hung up the phone, and let out a long breath.

[Ryan Gabriel]

"If they think that I believe for a goddamned second that they didn't know that Doom was already in his fucking embassy, they have another thing coming," Ryan fumed, although now making sure not to make any of it seem aimed at Sam like he'd first intended.

[Samantha McManus]

"Oh, I certainly think there's at least someone here who thought they were being too clever by half."

[Ryan Gabriel]

"Oh, yes, and he's laughing his tin-plated ass off. With a monkey," Ryan fumed. "Seriously, when has Doom ever traveled with a pet before! He could at least try to make it less obvious that he's working us like puppets!"

[Veronica Freud]

"Maybe he was testin' us to see how good we were?" Ronnie asked. She peeked out from behind Ryan and Bear, giving Sam a little wave. "How well we worked together an' how we'd react to the deception. I mean he's supposed to be puttin' his life and safety in our hands.

"I ain't sayin' it was right or nothin', just throwin' another reason fer it out there."

[Ryan Gabriel]

"We had to attack civilians because he had a body double pretending to be him. There's no excusing that," Ryan cut in. "The man is a narcissist and, let's not forget, utterly evil. This is a joke to be 'protecting' him."

[Veronica Freud]

"Well when folks start shootin' grenades I don't think they count as civilians anymore."

[Ryan Gabriel]

"You think that's going to be what the story was? You just wait, tomorrow it's going to be all over the news, footage of you and me fighting citizens to protect Doctor Freaking Doom. And the kicker? We weren't even protecting him! He was already there!"

[Samantha McManus]

"I don't think it will be spun that these were just concerned citizens that happened to procure a grenade launcher."

[Ryan Gabriel]

"And you don't think that it's going to bite us that we were in the middle of it defending Dr. Doom," Ryan said, looking back at Sam. "And you can't tell me that there weren't legitimate citizens that those idiots were in the middle of."

[Samantha McManus]

"I'm saying we're going to stress that this was a terrorist attack, with a fair amount of smuggled illegal weaponry."

[Ryan Gabriel]

"To attack a monkey," he said dryly. "And let me guess, MI-whatever is claiming they had no idea he was already here?"

[Samantha McManus]

"He seemed to be trying to spin it into 'oh yes, plan went splendidly, good job done by all,' but I believe I disabused him of that notion. He didn't seem to have much conviction in it, but rather thought it would be a good way to pacify us."

[Ryan Gabriel]

"So they thought we were idiots," Ryan said. He paused a moment. "Do I still have a firm lead of this team, or am I in 'I need to watch my step' territory? Because that MI guy made it seem like the latter," he said, weighing his next statement's wisdom.

[Samantha McManus]

"If you have a plan that you need MI6 to endorse, I'd say to run it by Wisdom first. He's the government liason for your team, and he generally makes the MI6 folks I've talked to wet themselves."

[Ryan Gabriel]

"And what would you say if I said I wanted to tell them that my team is out unless we get enough assurances to convince me that there wont' be more stunts like this?"

[Samantha McManus]

"I'd say that if you overheard enough of my conversation there, you know we're exactly on the same page."

[Ryan Gabriel]

"Do they have any ideas what Doom needs a monkey for," Ryan said, changing gears. "That one has me worried."

[Samantha McManus]

"Amusement, possibly. Keeping us off-balance."

[Ryan Gabriel]

"It also makes him look ridiculous. When he could have accomplished the same thing with a Doombot." Sam would be able to sense more than tell from his words that he was really unnerved by this.

[Samantha McManus]

"Perhaps ridiculous was what he was aiming for. Recall, he's often made plans that fail just so people underestimate him."

[Ryan Gabriel]

"And do you really think he'd expect us to underestimate him because of this?" he said. "The man knew who Captain Britain was. Granted, around here that's probably the worst kept secret ever, but it still shouldn't be something that someone outside the school knows," he pointed out.

[Samantha McManus]

"And he has you wondering why he has a monkey named 'Bobo.' You're on the back-foot, and you don't know what to assume."

[Ryan Gabriel]

"Well, let's try this one on for size. I could tell that wasn't a Doombot, just like I could tell that burning apartment over me was empty. And I've told maybe five people that. Did he know?"

[Byrna Cooper]

Bear considered that.

"No.. Even I forgot for a moment you can sense life nearby now. I doubt he knows.. He was playing us, demonstrating his superiority to the so called Defenders of London."

She made a face, disgusted.