THE EMPRESS | NYSM

ACT EIGHT.

THE NEXT STEP
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THE Horsemen run down the fire escape like they've planned. The sounds of heels clicking as they pace down the stairs. They run towards a alley, trying to lose Dylan and Alma. But Alma was right behind them, so they had to make a new plan.

Luckily, they already had one in mind. Daniel and Jack would have to split up from the group, Daniel would distract Alma and Dylan so Jack could plant the tracker on Dylan himself.

They jump a wall and then down. "Merritt, go! I'll follow along." Elizabeth orders as she slows down to catch up with one of the agents, Agent Fuller, is what Elizabeth believed his name was. "Stop!" He ordered and Elizabeth gives him what he wants, only for a second of satisfaction though.  "Okay, okay!" She raises her hands in mock defeat.

As Fuller was so close to cuffing the brunette, she turns around and grabs the cuff from his hand and cuffs him herself to a pipe. This gives enough time for the Horsemen to get away from the other cops. "Hey! Freeze!"

As soon Fuller was dealt with, it was time for Elizabeth to return to the Horsemen. "You freeze." She says, trying to clap back. Fuller gives  her a 'what?' look before she runs off.

On the other hand, Alma was after Daniel. He climbs up a wall, only to be stopped at the top by Alma who pulled out her gun at him. He puts his hand in surrender and he could see the hesitation in Alma and so he gives her a little wave before jumping off.

Daniel meets the rest of the Horsemen in the van where they would drive off, after doing the whole putting the tracker in Dylan. One thing was, Elizabeth wasn't with them and that worried him. "Where's Beth?" He asks.

"Last time I've seen her,  she was telling me to go. I think she got caught." Merritt answers. "We have to wait for her." Daniel says, in which the Horsemen agree too.

"No, need. I'm here." Elizabeth says, surprising the Horsemen. "Hurry up, get in." Daniel says, reaching his hand out for her to grab.

They drive through the city of New Orleans, through the many crowds that the parade brought. They sit quietly in the van as Jack drives, "Where the hell did you go?" Daniel asks Elizabeth privately.

"It doesn't matter."

"Actually, it does matter. It may not seem like I care, but I do."

"I got caught by Fuller, he pulled his gun but I'm fine. I got to him, before he got to me. I swear I'm okay, I don't need you to care, Danny." Elizabeth says, losing her temper.

Daniel looks at her surprise, this was the first time she's lost her temper in front of him. He knew that he got on her nerves some times but she keeps her temper around him.

"Oh God, Danny, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to--  I'm sorry. But thank you for caring."

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Shortly after arriving back at New York, the Horsemen knew they had to destroy everything they had. Every plan, every important blueprints, everything that could get them caught, they would have to destroy all of it.

Jack was responsible for doing that.

Daniel had Dylan's real phone. He had to destroy it in order to prevent them from being tracked down, but it was already too late for that.

"The firewall's down. Do they know about this?" Elizabeth asks as she works with Henley on the computer. "They who?"

""They", "Them," who ever they're working for." Henley says.

"Who are we working for?" Merritt asks, doubting whatever they're about to do. "And are we prepared to go to jail for them?"

"Okay, stop being paranoid."

"It really does happen.

"It happened to you. Doesn't mean it's gonna happen to us." Daniel snaps at Merritt.

Jack has second thoughts about the plan, it doesn't surprise Elizabeth though since Jack was a young magician who probably didn't plan on going to jail. Nobody did but he was more scared than the rest. "Guys, I don't know if I can do this, all right. I don't want to go to jail, you know?"

"Then don't screw up. You're always talking about wanting to be treated like an adult. Now might be a good time to start acting like one. Stick to the plan. Stay here and burn it all."

"Look, Danny is right. Do what you are supposed to do and do it correctly and you don't won't need to worry about being in jail." Elizabeth speaks up as she helps gather the blueprints to give to Jack.

"I don't know what I'm doing here." Merritt says, still in doubt.

"I don't know what you would do anywhere else."

"I'm here for the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow." Merritt says. "Thats it. Then I'm gone."

"You can do whatever you want when this is over, Merritt. But until, you stick to the plan." Henley snaps back at the hypnotist.

"Uh... Guys, they're here." Daniel informs the group.

"Oh, crap."

The Horsemen grab all their belongings, whatever they own they bring. But leaving Jack behind with the responsibility to burn the plans. They exit the apartment and head one floor down, as they get down at the fifth floor, they make their way to the garbage chute.

"Ladies first." Merritt says, letting Elizabeth or Henley go first. Elizabeth takes this chance to go now, since they didn't really have time to pick who goes. As they get to the bottom of the chute, they all exit the building. Looking for taxi, they get one and enter like nothing happened.

"Go, get in."

"We all know what to do. Make sure everything goes right, we cannot make any mistakes in this step."