A New Beginning

Chapter Six

The General swore under her breath. She stood up, looking at the girls gravely. "Are you absolutely sure Butler has her? There's no possibility Joann may have gotten away?"

Anastasia shook her head worriedly. "No, Butler grabbed her and took her underwater." Julia whimpered at the memory.

The General sighed, sitting back down. "This isn't the first time Butler has taken one of my agents hostage." Anastasia frowned, trying to recall the incident. "It was long ago, but--" Romanov gasped.

"Oh no, General," Romanov growled. "You cannot expect us to do that again."

"Do what again?" Elizabeth piped up.

Romanov beat the General to it.

"To stay here while qualified agents--" Romanov rolled her eyes,"--rescue the hostage."

"What?!" Julia yelled. "You want use to stay here while one of our best friends is with Butler?!"

Elizabeth's eyes flashed with fury. "There is no way we're gonna do that, General."

The General sighed. "I'm sorry, girls, but there are better people for this type mission that can deal well with spirits like Butler." Just as the General finished speaking, four buff men walked into the room.

"These guys?" Elizabeth scoffed. "They look like they have nothing better to do then lift weights." At this one of the men gave her a nasty look and Elizabeth quieted.

Anastasia huffed. "What makes them more qualified than us?" The General rose her eyebrows.

* * *

"Gee, I didn't think you could kill someone with a paperclip..."

"Or a rubber eraser."

Anastasia, Elizabeth, and Julia chewed on their lunch, glum about not being able to rescue their own friend.

Elizabeth sipped some soda. "I guess those guys really are more qualified than us. I mean, if they can kill with simple office supplies."

"I suppose," Julia agreed reluctantly. "But we know Joann better than them-- we know what she would do and stuff."

Anastasia pushed her lunch aside. "You know what I think?" The other two looked at her. "I think we should go rescue her anyway."

Julia almost choked on her sandwich. "What?! Won't we get in trouble?"

Bond cackled evilly. "Not if we don't get caught."

"Exactly," Anastasia said, grinning maliciously.

Julia shrugged. "All right then. How are we going to avoid getting caught?"

Anastasia cast glances around the room. "I'll tell you, but not here; let's go to the cabin."

The girls threw their food away and hurried to their cabin. Once inside, on Anastasia's orders, Elizabeth and Julia locked the doors and drew the curtains. Satisfied, Romanov took a box out from under her bed, blowing the dust off of it.

"What's in there?" inquired Elizabeth, settling herself on Romanov's bed.

Romanov grinned. "Invisibility cloaks."

"Those are real?" gasped Julia.

"Yep." Romanov opened the box, taking out a wine red cloak made of velvet and handing it to Bond.

"Where did you get them?" Bond asked, rubbing the soft material against her cheek.

"I stole them," Romanov answered seriously.