â€œSanctus Unum? That does sound vaguely familiarâ€¦â€ The name stuck in Zachariahâ€™s mind for awhile and he rubbed at his beard while he thought about it. For years he has been trying to figure out who they were, as Elias said they always worked under different names to keep under the radar, and now he finally had these people where he wanted them. A smile touched his lips at this glimmer of hope. Maybe they werenâ€™t too late after all, and he immediately decided that this Elias guy was a gift from God himself, showing them that they were not too late. Things could still end positively however he was not about to jump up and start celebrating just yet. He knew full well that there were still things they had to do before they were in the clear and he was about to push everyone to their limits to get it done. Sanctus Unum had to be stopped at all costs and if there was any time to do just that it was now. There was no more room for error; those who proved incapable of completing the tasks he was about to lay out accordingly were going to be eliminated.<br/><br/>Standing from his chair, he walked around a bit, â€œI cannot even begin to tell you how much Iâ€™m satisfied with what youâ€™ve done for us, Elias. You will be rewarded greatly in the end.â€ He began in a calm tone. The man on the other line was obviously stressed out about his friend. Zachariah couldnâ€™t have him be stressed out about his friend, not at such a critical time. As much as he didnâ€™t want to stray from the objective it was obvious that if they didnâ€™t rescue this man in time, hopefully before this organization decided to turn him into a monster, Elias would lose focus and falter. Faltering would cause him to be caught. â€œGive us some information on your friend, track him down, whatever you can do using the information youâ€™ve just found. Iâ€™ll send someone to rescue him right away, and rest assured I intend on having the man returned to you alive. Itâ€™s the least I can do to repay you for all your help at least for the time being.â€ He told the man, reassuring him.<br/><br/>Looking to a few of his people he said, â€œMake sure that Azrai and the others arrive in Bethlehem safely. If anything proves to be an obstacle eliminate it immediately. Itâ€™s show time.â€ The people nodded and went about their business. He prayed that this situation would not get any worse but something told him that they have only just scratched the surface.<br/><br/>------<br/><br/>With their bossâ€™s orders final he took the pilot to the â€˜usual spotâ€™ in this area and began to question the pilot. The man was stubborn as hell and had a ratherâ€¦ colorful vocabulary as he would have expected from someone who was obviously in the military for some period of time. Air Force from what he gathered. He wondered briefly if the boss wanted to turn this man into one of those Kamikaze pilots or something if they couldnâ€™t get him to reveal who the hacker was. It would be a way to use this man against them, however he was sure the boss had bigger plans. He knew better than to question his bossâ€™s motives for it wasnâ€™t his place and his boss was a busy man who didnâ€™t like to be bothered by such things. He also knew that this pilot better cough something up soon. Things were only just starting and they could not have some insects getting in their way. Insects would be squashed no matter who they were, for sure.<br/><br/>â€œStill not talking?â€ He snarled at the pilot, shaking his head. â€œI really, really donâ€™t like it when people choose to be silent. It only prolongs the inevitable. Now, really do suggest that you tell me everything about your hacker friend or Iâ€™ll start removing some fingers. Or perhaps I can just kill Azrai and his friends right now. All I need to do is give out a few signals and theyâ€™re history.â€ They were lies, mostly, that held some small truth to them in hopes of riling the man up a bit more. They were running out of time. In all honesty, he didnâ€™t even want to begin to imagine what would happen if he had to tell his boss that they werenâ€™t getting nay information. His boss was not someone you wanted angry with you, especially when his plan was supposed to be flawless unlike that idiot Cain, who let his thirst for revenge get the better of him.<br/><br/>And fucking hell, the pilot was still not talking; the man just glared daggers at him. Oh, but he knew he could make the man talk eventuallyâ€¦ He lit a cigarette and touched the burning tip of it on the manâ€™s arm, smiling as the man tried not to make a sound from the pain. â€œThatâ€™s only a taste of what is to come,â€ he said with a smile, taking a drag from the cigarette and blowing smoke in the pilotâ€™s face after he relit it.<br/><br/>â€œKiss my ass.â€ Lucian spat. Even if he allowed himself to be caught he would always be loyal to his friend.<br/><br/>------<br/><br/>Despite being the stubborn man he was, he was not stupid and knew full well that he was not in any condition to be moving around. His deeper wounds burned while the less fatal ones were very uncomfortable. His shoulder felt stiff again as well and he had a bad limp because of the wound in his thigh. More than likely some of them had also started bleeding again though when he checked the bandages he didnâ€™t see any stains. Maverick did an exceptional job patching him up he did have to give the man credit. Hell, it was needless to say he owed that man his life at the moment and it made him feel even guiltier than he had before. If only he could turn back time somehow, to when he accepted this mission in the first place, and heeded their warnings. His friends would not be angry with him and he wouldnâ€™t be in pain. And he would not have gotten attached to his objective eitherâ€¦ that was probably what he was starting to regret the most. It was written all over his face, the regret, but he remained as notoriously calm as possible.<br/><br/>He wasnâ€™t thrilled about the sudden change of plans to leave Jerusalem but he had a feeling that Zachariah knew what he was doing; it wasnâ€™t like the man to be reckless. In all the years he has known the man, heâ€™s come to like his ability to think rationally even if his decisions were last minute. The man never told his people to move if it wasnâ€™t urgent. And every fiber of Azraiâ€™s being was telling him that there was something wrong about all this. He has always been a bit more sensitive to things, his murderous side heightened it quite a bit even if most rational thinking was thrown out the window, and something was telling him once again that he had been right about taking on this mission. The reason why was about to be revealed, he just had a feeling. Looking to Shizu for a moment as everyone got ready for departure he knew he was to be her guardian for a little while longer. She was not free yet and they were not out of the woods yet. Whatever the hell was going on, they were going to get to the bottom of it, and he would make them pay dearly for messing with him.<br/><br/>â€œI think itâ€™s best that we drive instead of take a bus or a taxi,â€ Maverick said, looking Azrai over. It really pained him to see the man up and moving but what other choice did they have. And it wasnâ€™t like they could make the guy rest anyway; he was far too stubborn for that clearly, so they had to move. He knew full well that Zachariah and the snipers still hidden around were looking over them while theyâ€™d be making their escape. â€œMaybe I watch too many movies in my spare time, but we not only have someone wounded, but I donâ€™t feel safe in public transportation while we have very dangerous people pursuing us. Of course our other option is to walk, but that, again, is obviously out of the question with Azrai in the condition heâ€™s in.â€ So many things could go wrongâ€¦ but then again so many things could go wrong if they did drive.  What if they knew what Azraiâ€™s car looked like, since that was obviously the vehicle theyâ€™d be taking though not without his permission?<br/><br/>What if they were expecting them to escape to Bethlehem or out of Jerusalem? At this point, it was wise to expect the unexpected. It was a sort of golden rule of their little organization as anything was possible once shit hit the fan.<br/><br/>Maverick knew he wouldnâ€™t have to worry about that judging by the look in Azraiâ€™s eyes, â€œThe keys are hanging on a hook in the kitchen,â€ he said softly. â€œI suppose I willâ€¦ let you drive.â€ Maverick was relieved when he heard that, fearing the man would want to be stubborn again and the fact that Azrai drove like a fucking madman sometimes. So often he felt himself hanging on for dear life whenever that manâ€™s road rage kicked in. Although, on the other hand he has never gotten into an accident before, surprisingly, so he was a bit of a safe driver in that sense at least. Still Maverick was not about to take risks especially with this feeling telling him that what Zachariah had to tell them was not something they were going to like hearing. He really hoped they were going to fill him into everything; there was something bigger than the Oni woman. They all probably knew that by this point.<br/><br/>With a nod, Maverick grabbed the car keys and lead the way outside, moving only when directed by his snipers. He would be blind if not for them. It was sad that Azrai had to be helped down the steps and even if the man was too prideful and stubborn to ask for help, Maverick didnâ€™t care, he helped him anyway despite his protest. It was also no surprise that he took a seat in the passenger side, probably to give him more room to relax since it was pretty much a full car. Hopefully in no time they would make it to their destination, but he knew this probably going to be a bumpy ride. As soon as they crossed over into Palestine, things would become ugly. The real battle was about to begin. He could feel it. In the pit of his stomach something told him he has just been dragged into something he was about to regret, even if it was helping dear friends.<br/><br/>Rolling down his window a bit, Azrai held his Desert Eagle tight in his grasp. They seemed to be thinking the same thing, â€œShould any trouble find us, as we all know I am a magnet for trouble, I shall deal with it.â€ Maverick almost wanted to slam his head into the steering wheel; he swore the man was way too stubborn and trigger happy for his own fucking good. He hoped he wouldn't continue to be this way but he also knew that was partially wishful thinking. He decided to just let it go for the time being, figuring Ivan could keep giving him a piece of his mind if he so wished, and just started the car.