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A sleek black Porsche stopped in front of them and a voice called out. "Mason! Where to now?" Nykki looked curiously at the driver. White teeth gleamed in the relative darkness of the car, the driver stuck his head out of the window and grinning widely at her. He looked at her father, then back at her. "I see the resemblance. Mason, those photos don't do her justice." To her absolute disgust, she started to blush. The driver turned back to her. "Hi, glad to finally meet you. The name's William Banks, loyal side-kick to your father." Will climbed out of the car and stuck a dark hand at her. "Enough introductions for now. What happened to O'Malley?" Mason Storm asked. "He's fine, the ambulance got there on time. But I couldn't find the tape…" "It's with me," Nykki interjected. She pulled it out of her jacket and handed it to her father. "Thanks. Will, take the tape and video to the CNN office and get them to air it as soon as possible. Be careful. I'm sure that bastard tooks steps to try and destroy it before it reaches Jerry Dunphy. Hand it personally to Dunphy and no one else. If anyone tries to stop you, you know what to do. Bring Nykki with you as well, I've got one more take-out order to finish…" "I'm going with you Dad." Her father opened her mouth to protest, but she overrode him by sheer volume. "Nicholas is there, and I will not leave without making an effort to save him." "But…" Mason started to protest again. "What if you get captured too? He'll have even more leverage on his side. I won't allow it!" "Will you stop treating me like a six-year-old kid with pigtails and bows! You, Nicholas and Christopher are all alike! You all think that girls should be wrapped up in wool and stuffed in a box!" she said, her jaw set stubbornly. "Actually, I don't think I've ever seen you in pigtails and ribbons before. I don't think we should be having a feminist argument here. I agree that girls shouldn't be treated like fragile ornamentation, but this situation is too dangerous!" "Dad, I've been training for this kind of 'situation' for fifteen weeks! What do you think I've been learning at the academy? How to cross-stitch? I am going with you. Period." "Nykki, I may just knock you unconscious and leave you here with Will," he threatened. "We're wasting time arguing, and you wouldn't dare," she replied calmly. She saw a flicker of surprise in his eyes at her tone. "Nykki, you're pushing it," he warned, but Nykki could tell that he was wavering. She opened her mouth to speak. "Forget it Mason. Let her go," Will interrupted her. "You won't understand it between twins. We're two halves of one whole, without the other, we're not complete. Anyway, she's right. From O'Malley's reports of her, she'll hold her own." He winked and Nykki and she grinned back gratefully. Mason Storm looked at his daughter, then at his friend and threw up his hands in frustration. "All right then, Nykki will come with me. Will, I'll need the car, you'll have to take a cab." "No problem, I'll deliver the stuff. Take care of her, and yourself too." Will stood on the sidewalk and waved good-bye as the two climbed into his car and sped off.
They traveled in silence for a while then Mason spoke. "Nykki, did you bring a gun?" Mason asked his daughter. "A Lugar. Why?" "Just as a precaution. Things may get rather ugly in the Senator's mansion." There was a pause. "Dad?" "Yes?" "I hope there won't be any bloodshed." Her father just concentrated on driving, not even turning to look at her, presenting a barricade in the form of a bland, impassive profile. "I know you want revenge, but I cannot support it. Mum died unnecessarily, I agree. I also agree that those bastards who did it should be killed for all that they've done. But the way I've been brought up, the way I've been educated, will not let me do the killing. I prefer to let them suffer in jail, or let them wait a long time for their deaths, than to let them get away with it so easily. If you kill them, you'll be the same as them, and I don't want that. Dad ... do you understand what I am trying to say?" She saw her father struggle within himself and finally, his stern countenance relaxed. He smiled at her. "I see you've grown up even more than I imagined, and turning out to be more and more like your mother. I promise you, I will try my best to avoid any bloodshed." "Thank you." He heard the sincerity in her words. "We're here." Mason said, pulling up at the wrought-iron gates of a large Victorian mansion. "I just hope I won't regret that promise.
The two of them climbed over the wall and silently made their way across the grounds, carefully avoiding the patrolling guards. Her father hoisted her up a huge oak tree and made his way up after her. She slowly crawled along a thick branch and landed lightly on a second story balcony. Nykki could not see any movement in the room through the glass paned balcony doors. She quietly broke a glass pane and reached in to open the doors. The two stepped into a thickly carpeted room. It seemed to be a guest room as there was nothing in the closets. "Nykki, do you have any idea where Nicholas is?" her father asked. "No. I suppose he should be kept in a more isolated wing of the house. The Senator wouldn't want his visitors to inquire about heavily guarded doors when he's showing them the house. We're in the West Wing now. I'll go and find Nick, Dad, you go and finish whatever you have to do." "Right." He gently ruffled her hair. "Remember, be careful. And if anyone shoots at you, don't hesitate to fire back." She nodded. "I'll remember. You too Dad." "Find Nick, then call the police, got it?" She nodded. The two crept out of the room and went off to do their respective jobs.
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