Val Mancini had barely managed to get down the hall before he had to scream for Rhiannon again, but with a loud "Gack!" he was cut off mid sentence. When the 00 turned the corner to see what the problem had been she was treated to quite the sight. Mancini struggled as he was lifted a foot off the ground, but there was nothing holding him. Four of his own men stood there with a glazed look over their eyes holding their pistols at him. The only other thing was a man in a black duster sitting in a chair, a cold look in his eyes. Altair spoke quietly.
"Val Mancini. Hero of the Crusade. Hero to the people who oppress others with God as their justification. Though anyone with any sort of connection to the underworld knows exactly what he is. A thief. A drug dealer. A crooked and manipulative cesspool of evil. But all that power, wasn't enough for him was it? He needed more. I thought it strange the Brotherhood was able to make such a precise strike on something like the Tesla. Guess this sort of explains it, doesn't it?"
Altair looked up as Rhiannon raised her hands, presumably to use her power.
"I wouldn't do that if I were you. Aren't I doing what you've always wanted to? I've read your personnel file. Which do you prefer? Rhiannon? 06? No, you would never go by 06. Why go by the codes they give us? I suppose that doesn't matter right now though now does it?"
Meanwhile
As Jason sat in his quarters looking over what few things they recovered from the Tesla's database, he leaned back in his chair and sighed. As he set his glasses down on the desk and rubbed his temples. There was a knock at his door.
"Who is it?" he called.
"Jason?"
"Oh, Linette. Welcome back, Sis. Come on in."
The door opened and Jason's twin sister Linette entered. Before he could even begin speaking she yanked her stilettos off and sighed in relief at the feeling of carpet under her feet, "Ugh, I hate these things. I don't even know why I wear them. Tobias doesn't seem to be the kind of guy who would care what I wore to work.," Linette, for lack of a better phrase, was the secretary of the Head of the Church, Tobias. She took a seat on the bed and opened a music box by the nightstand. The only memento of her late father Randal Xavier, "Where's Altair?"
[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=loyaFoVWI8k&feature=related"]YouTube- Code Geass R2 OST 2 Track 24 "Memory Museum"[/ame]
"He's still trying to complete the operation. Once Sahar's secured, we can begin," Linette stared up at the ceiling.
"Will this work, Jason? Last time Altair did this it cost people their lives. Dad's life."
"Linette, I know you're worried but Dad was one of Altair's strongest supporters last time. He trusted Altair with his life and was the reason he's still alive today."
"But-"
"Al was young. He made a mistake. He had no idea he'd have to fight a 00. How could he have? He thought the goal of the Project Genesis had been achieved and was over. That's why its different this time. This is more than just more than just overthrowing someone and taking personal revenge. This time he's trying to solve the mystery of the 00s. You can't dwell on what happened to Dad. Its been almost 10 years. He may not be biologically related to us, but Dad still considered him a son," Linette remained silent for a moment.
"Albert Talbot. Randal Xavier. An unknown blood relative. How many fathers will he have by the time the fighting is over?"
"I don't know Linette. He has an ever changing family. Two adopted fathers, a biological one, A mother, two adoptive siblings, and a biological sister. Who knows how long that list will be by the end of it all?"
Mancini Mansion
[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pnm3oRv_n8E&feature=related"]YouTube- Code Geass R2 OST 2 Track 22 "Reversed Thinking"[/ame]
Altair's glare intensified as he stood from the chair drew his fist back, and punched Mancini as he hung in the air like a marionette.
"Where is Sahar?!" he yelled.
"Go to hell! You four! Kill him!" Mancini choked. Altair smirked.
"I'm afraid their not listening to you at the moment. Where is Sahar!?"
"Maybe you didn't hear me the first time, prick! I said go to-" there were four bangs a four bullets whizzed by Mancini's head. His eyes widened. He hears the air hiss as the went past his ears. They couldn't have been any farther than a centimeter away. Altair's smirk gave way to his glare again.
"Are you afraid of me? Are you afraid that I don't fear Rhiannon? Are you afraid because you know I'm doing what she wishes she could do? You know that if she turned on you you'd be dead," Mancini looked at Altair.
"Who are you?"
"Let's see. I got into this place undetected even with so many people here, you're being held by the neck when nothing is holding you, I must have some trick to me if I'm not afraid of Rhiannon, your men are obeying me, and I'm obviously reading your mind because I'm telling you every thought that runs through your brain right now."
"You're a 00...but the only one with psychic powers other than Genesis was 01 and he's dead! And if you were 01 then you could just read my thoughts for the location of the white haired little bitch!"
"You're right, I could. Or maybe you don't know where she is because you're too busy trying to save your own skin to even specify a place to take her. So why do this?"
Altair looked behind Mancini to Rhiannon.
"And now you know for sure Rhiannon. You have nothing to fear from this man. He is a coward who care for no one but himself. You don't have to listen to him. He's nothing but a murderer. You're better than that," Mancini yelled angrily.
"Damn it! I'll kill you 01! I'LL FUCKING KILL YOU!" Altair raised his AMT AutoMag V level to Mancini's left shoulder and fired. As the gangster screamed in pain Altair dropped him to the ground."
"You have no right to call me by that code. Now, I've shot you in a ball and socket joint. Now, you can either escape finding a way to stop the bleeding. If you do that, you'll left arm will never function again. Your other option is to risk your life to get to a doctor to fix it, and even then it will take several months of physical therapy to regain use of it. Have fun making that choice."
Altair dropped Mancini onto the ground and approached Rhiannon and held his hand out to her.
"We have to get out of here before the Government's sanitation squad gets to us. My hoverbike is out in the backyard. If you're finally ready to leave that scumbag then you're free to come with me. I'll have to save the introductions for later. If you're ready to start looking at the world beyond this hell hole, then let me be the one to take you there. Let a fellow 00 help you and then maybe you might be able to help me find Sahar. Then we can both help her."
[Summary: Jason and Linette reflect on Altair's past and their own. Altair interrogates/tortures Al Mancini in front of Rhiannon for information to show that the gangster truly has no power over her or any 00. As he prepares to escape, he offers to take Rhiannon with him, asking for her help finding Sahar.]