Raines' Payback

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Raines’ Payback
By the Princess

Author's note: All right, I had to let Rainesy have some fun too, him being my muse and all. After I left him in trouble with the Triumvirate in the last story, he’s been bugging me for a sequel where he can get some revenge.
Disclaimer: This one’s going to be fairly normal for a change. They’re not mine, I don’t claim to own them, so please don’t sue… consider it an early Christmas present. (Sorry, just couldn’t resist)
Addendum: Ok, don’t expect many more of these… unless someone (that’s you Kris) forces me into writing another.

Willie crept through the dark hallways of the Centre, his footfalls making not a sound on the expensive marble flooring. It was late at night, and almost everybody was at home. He used the shadows to conceal him from the prying eyes of the security cameras, for he was sure to get into trouble if he was caught on this mission.

After the incident at the Tower Council, the Triumvirate had issued a directive that any more employees engaging in funny business caught on Centre grounds would suffer severe consequences. What Willie was about to do was sure to be classified as "funny business", meaning he better not get caught in the act. Had it been his decision, he wouldn’t be putting his butt on the line for something so childish, but his old boss wouldn’t give it up.

"Damn you Gar," whispered the sweeper, angry that the cleaner had gone and died, leaving him to do all of Raines’ dirty work.

Falling silent again, he raced through the shadows toward the technician’s office. He had already tried Miss Parker’s, and the shrinks, but both had proved empty, so he figured all three would be down here. All the better for him. It made it easier to get Raines’ revenge, allowing him time to make a quick getaway.

The light was on, and he could make out Miss Parker’s silhouette in the small office, talking to the old man beside her. This was just too easy. They were unexpecting and defenseless. An easy kill. Willie shifted the backpack he carried, and withdrew his weapon of choice for the evening. A glowing white airplane crafted from the very best of classified documents. Raines always made sure his subordinates had the best supplies to work with. Smiling darkly, Willie moved forward.

Broots was trying to listen to Miss Parker and Sydney’s conversation at the same time as he worked on tracing some of Jarod’s latest crumbs. His boss and the older man were talking quietly about times long past, when Miss Parker was a little girl, and Sydney and his brother used to take her and her mother out on picnics. These glimpses into Miss Parker’s childhood were intriguing, and each time Broots gained a little insight into her past, he found himself craving more.

He paused momentarily when a dark figure moved outside his office in the hallway. At first he thought he was imagining it, but it came again, moving slowly closer to the three hunters.

Broots forced down the panic that threatened to overwhelm him. He needed to remain clear-headed if he was going to be any help to Miss Parker. He was determined to protect her from this approaching threat in any way possible, no matter if it got him into trouble with the Triumvirate. After all, she would be so grateful to him, she’d stand before the Tower board, and with a bat of her eyelashes and an innocent smile, she would have him out of there in no time.

"Miss Parker," Broots hissed, cutting her conversation with Sydney abruptly short.

The tall brunette turned towards him, a worried frown creasing her forehead and furrowing her eyebrows. Broots thought she looked adorable like that – not that he’d ever say so out loud - what was he, suicidal? "What is it Broots?" she whispered back, glancing nervously around them.

"We’re under attack," he replied, discreetly pointing to the dark figure stalking closer to them.

Miss Parker’s worried frown changed to a devilish smirk. "Oh, so he wants to play, does he?" she purred, watching the sweeper come.

Sydney placed a hand on her elbow. "Will you need planes, Miss Parker?" he asked quietly, smiling along with his young friend. These games sure beat the Hell out of watching Jarod do SIMs, he reflected.

Miss Parker shook her head slowly. "Screw the planes," she answered, her voice deep in her throat. Her smile was predatory. "Broots, hand it over." She ordered, holding out her hand to him.

Broots nodded solemnly, pulling open his desk drawer and withdrawing a red plastic squirt gun. He handed it to her like it was the Holy Grail, and in a way it was; it was their secret weapon against attacks like this one. Miss Parker accepted it gratefully, with a little conspiratorial grin… until she saw the color.

"No, you moron! I don’t like red! Give me the blue one, Dammit!" she scolded, throwing the gun back at him, and snatching the blue one from his trembling hand impatiently. "Incompetent," she muttered glaring at him. As he handed Sydney the green gun, and pocketed the red for himself, Broots reflected that for that little screw up she’d probably leave him to the Triumvirate without another thought about it. But Dammit! He had been hoping she wouldn’t notice the color. He wanted the blue one! Willie made his move, pulling Broots from his sorrowful thoughts. An airplane soared into the office narrowly missing Broots’ bald head. Miss Parker growled and squeezed the trigger on her pistol. A startled shriek graced the quiet hallways as the jet of cold water impacted Willie’s face.

Miss Parker whooped in victory, slapping Broots a high five. There was no way the lone sweeper was going to win this battle.

Willie pulled out the radio he had wisely brought with him, and thumbed it to his boss’ frequency. "Mayday, mayday, I’m under attack! It was an ambush! I need reinforcements, I repeat, I need reinforcements!" he cried desperately into the crackling walkie talkie.

Raines’ voice responded raspily, "Roger that, reinforcements on the way, hold position until then, over."

Willie shook his head worriedly. How in the Hell was he supposed to 'hold position’ when he had Miss Parker in there armed, and pissed off?

Lyle glanced at the security screen in front of him and laughed. His sister was at it again! Not one to be left out of the fun, Lyle grabbed the yellow gun she had given him, and headed down her way to help out. He just hoped that he could get there before Willie’s reinforcements. If he didn’t, he’d never make it into the office with his twin and her allies.

Brigitte and Mr. Parker glanced up as they saw Lyle race past them, heading for the elevator, intrigued, husband and wife followed after him, wondering what evil scheme he was up to this time.

Miss Parker as refilling her weapon with ammo, when a cry carried to her from out in the hall. "Sis, cover me!" Lyle shouted as he neared them.
She smiled. Her brother was here to help her, like she had hoped for. It just wasn’t as fun without her twin here.
She signaled to Broots and Sydney and they all concentrated their fire on Willie, overwhelming him so that he could not fire on Lyle as he made his way to them. Lyle leapt through the doorway, landing and rolling, coming up beside his sister.
"Smooth," she complimented, smiling in welcome. Lyle grinned back and gripped her shoulder.
"I’ve been practicing," he responded. He turned to the other two men and smiled. "What has my sister gotten you into this time?" he asked slyly, evading the punch Miss Parker sent his way.
"Nothing worse than usual," Sydney answered, chuckling.
A commotion sounded outside the doors and the offices’ four occupants blanched. A whole army of sweepers and cleaners under Raines’ jurisdiction had come to Willie’s rescue, laying siege to the pitifully small office.
"When we’re finished with this, Broots, remind me to get you a larger office. This just isn’t as fun when we’re all cramped in here together." Miss Parker commented.
Broots nodded, still watching the platoon of sweepers outside. They were in so much trouble…

Brigitte and Mr. Parker came from behind Raines’ gathered flunkies, surprising them, and almost getting bombarded with airplanes in the process.
"What’s going on here?" Parker demanded angrily. He didn’t like being kept out of the loop on things, and finding twenty sweepers camped out in front of a technician’s office, without a clue as to why they were there, was what he considered being kept out of the loop.
Willie stood to answer, and received a few squirts on his back, head, and neck for his trouble. He scowled in at his enemies, crouching down to answer the Chairman.
"Well, sir, we’re engaged in some friendly revenge is all," he informed the old, but powerful man, hoping not be reprimanded for following Raines’ insane orders.
Mr. Parker huffed and shook his head ruefully. His old friend never did know how to let anything go. "Whom are we attacking?" he asked, squatting down by the sweeper.
Willie gulped nervously. "Um… your son and daughter, sir… and the techie and shrink."
That gave the Chairman pause before he finally shrugged and stole some airplanes from a nearby sweeper. "Well, count me in then." He replied, rewarded by a happy squeal from his wife.

Jarod entered the Centre cautiously, preparing to break into Mr. Parker’s office in search of information on his family. As he made his way through the air vents, his friend, Angelo, intercepted him.
The empath gestured emphatically to follow him, until Jarod conceded, following his shaggy haired friend to the tech level.
He realized he was above Broots’ office right as he caught sight of the spectacular scene before him. What in God’s name?

"Shit!" exclaimed Miss Parker angrily. The three men turned to her, worried that she had been stricken by enemy fire.

"What is it?" Sydney inquired nervously, keeping in eye out for any incoming airplanes.

Miss Parker stuck her lower lip out in a pout. "Daddy’s out there with them, helping them… with that… that… TROLL!" she growled, very unhappy at her father’s most recent betrayal.

Lyle directed a heated glare out to where their father was entrenched. "That no-good, back-stabbing, self-serving, bas--" he was cut off when a hand clamped over his mouth.

Sydney frowned at the younger man sternly. "He’s still your father – behave." He ordered in the no-nonsense tone of voice he had learned from the brunette beside him.

Lyle seriously considered biting the psychiatrist’s hand, but decided against it – he had seen what the old man had done to Raines. He nodded reluctantly and Sydney removed his hand.

"What are we going to do now?" Broots asked somewhat timidly, "They have us trapped."

Miss Parker shrugged and smiled, her eyes wild. "If I’m going down, I’m taking some of them with me!" she hissed, raising her gun and waving it in the sweepers’ direction.

Mr. Parker watched as the large, threatening sweepers launched plane after plane into the technician’s office. Jets of water shot out in response, soaking some unlucky sweeper more often than not. A squeal to his right brought his gaze to his wife. She was holding her shirt away from her, eyeing the large wet spot in disgust. She looked up at him with indignant eyes.

"I’ve been shot! Again!" she yelled, furious. Mr. Parker cringed. There was no reasoning with his wife when she was like this.

Lyle crowed in victory, reaching over to slap his sister a high five. "I got her!" he exclaimed happily.

Miss Parker was beside herself with glee. Nothing pleased hr more than seeing her stepmother humiliated. Sydney laughed softly and shook his head. She was incorrigible. Broots laughed too, until a plane whizzed by slicing him on the cheek. He let out a startled, pain-filled yelp, holding his hand against the paper cut.

Miss Parker cursed and glared outside the office. "Now it’s personal!" she growled.

Willie’s satisfied smile disappeared from his face as four streams of water erupted from the office at once. More and more of his men fell back, returning to their vacated stations through out the Centre as they found themselves soaked.

He was down to ten men not counting the Chairman, his wife and himself. Things were not looking good. Lifting the radio to his mouth, he pleaded for more reinforcements. Raines’ response was that there were no more men to send.

"I think its time to bring out the secret weapon," announced Sydney. Broots nodded agreement, moving over to a cabinet in the corner of his office.

Miss Parker regarded him quizzically. "Secret weapon? I thought the squirt guns were the secret weapons?" she asked, brow furrowing in confusion.

A wide grin spread across Sydney’s face as he waited for Broots to hand him his surprise. Broots came over holding a monstrous looking cannon, handing it to Sydney. The psychiatrist gripped it firmly and began pumping a small handle in the front of the gun. "It’s called a Super Soaker 500," he told her before she could ask.

Broots blushed a little. "It used to be Debbie’s, until she grew out of it. Syd and I figured it would be useful in a situation like this."

Miss Parker nodded. "Got anymore?" she asked, her voice holding no recognizable emotion.

Sydney grinned and pulled out three more. "We thought it was only fair we each have one. We only have four, not knowing Lyle would be joining us." Broots shrugged. "He can have mine."

Lyle smiled his thanks and accepted the large weapon from the psychiatrist. Hefting it experimentally, he nodded, grinning evilly. This was going to be a slaughter.

Willie watched the entrance of the office worriedly. All action had ceased a moment ago, and now he and his men crouched, waiting for whatever their enemies had planned. He heard Mrs. Parker whining about being cold and damp somewhere behind him, and desperately tried to block her voice out of his mind. He needed to concentrate. There was a rustling sound in the office, and the sweeper tensed, holding his breath.

Miss Parker, Lyle, and Sydney burst from Broots’ office, the Super Soakers pumped and ready to fire. They had taken the sweepers by surprise and used that to their advantage.

They each pulled the trigger at the same time, sending enormous fountains of water at the men in black suits. The sweepers were so overwhelmed by the sudden onslaught, that they had no time, or way, to retaliate. Willie called for them to retreat, and they did, back-pedaling through the Centre’s dark hallways. Miss Parker and Lyle chased them madly, never letting up on the spray of water.

Willie ran as fast as he could, looking over his shoulder as he did. Not paying attention to where he was going, he plowed into what felt like a brick wall. Looking up, he paled when he found Mutumbo and a flock of his personal cleaners standing over him.

The rest of Willie’s army rounded the corner and stopped dead in their tracks when suddenly they saw what their leader had gotten himself into. Miss Parker and her brother were right behind them.

The twins took one look at Mutumbo’s angry face, and discreetly crept backward out of sight, and then ran for their lives toward the parking lot where they could each make a break for the relative safety of home. Willie shivered, his soaked clothes amplifying the chill breeze that always seemed to lurk in these halls at night.

"Willie, tell me, why is it that whenever there is trouble your boss or one of his cronies is in the middle of it?" the large man asked him. The sweeper was at a loss for words, merely shrugging.

"I’ll tell you why. It’s because your boss is usually the one causing the trouble!" Mutumbo roared, as his sweepers moved forward to apprehend Willie and his men.

Mutumbo’s gaze fell on the Chairman and his wife, both as drenched as the rest of the troublemakers. "Why Mr. Parker! You too?" he queried, sighing. "Come a long then. I’ll let you and Mr. Raines explain this to the rest of the triumvirate."

Parker shuddered, from fear and cold. He should have known better than to go up against his children. He just felt glad that they’d be in just as much trouble as he when this was all over.

Jarod watched on from his front row seat in the air vents. He shook his head and grinned, facing Angelo, who wore a similar grin on his face.