The search wasn't going well. Even with hours having passed, the right gun never showed up, and the frustration that it caused kept building up by the minute. That was the case for Bella, at least. Oliver was having a decent amount of fun looking at all the trinkets stuffed into that room, and it felt like he could keep going at it for a very long time. Well, that's what he thought until his stomach started protesting. Without him noticing, they had skipped dinner, which was far from good.

"Hey, Bella," Putting down the old gauntlet he was examining, Oliver braced himself to try and convince his raven-haired companion. "How about we call it a day? We don't have to find it this time, do we?"

Of course, she would give him the cold shoulder. She's invested in finding the gun more than he ever was.

"Hey, Bells, how about a break fi-"

When he turned around to confront her, having finally gathered the courage, Oliver froze in his place. His raven-haired partner was out cold, leaning on one of the crates and releasing soft breaths. Confused, Oliver just stared at her for a couple of seconds. He didn't even notice when she stopped moving things around.

"That's what you get for overworking yourself."

He pushed himself up, intending to wake her so they could go home and get some proper rest. Maybe some food, too. The oddness of the situation caught up with him soon, however. His legs buckled under him, tossing his balance aside as if it never mattered, and his entire body followed after it. He tried to catch himself by leaning on one of the crates, but ended up knocking it over, along with a few others.

The fall should have been painful, considering all the blocky objects his bed was made of, yet Oliver felt nothing. Barely able to think, he tried to push himself up. His shaky limbs barely had any strength in them. As he finally managed to get on all fours, he froze once more.

Right under him was a pistol, a bulky model that felt like it was made for hitting people on the head rather than shooting. Its surface was coated in a rusty crimson color, much like old, dry blood. Several scratches gave a glimpse at the dark silver underneath, a sign of the years of constant use.

Even though he couldn't think properly, Oliver knew instinctively that it was the exact gun. Just as he tried reaching for it, his vision grew blurry, and his eyelids suddenly felt far too heavy.

~[ ]~

A sudden jerk forced Oliver awake. He had one of those dreams where he was falling from a great height, and the ground was approaching fast before he found himself back in the waking world. The room he was in felt unrecognizable, and not because of the dim lighting that made looking around almost impossible. As the fog blocking his thoughts began to fade, not much changed—he still couldn't figure out what was happening to him. It was only once he looked to the side and saw the raven-haired girl sitting beside him that he finally began to recall.

"Bella…" his voice felt hoarse as he called. "C'mon, wake up!"

Turns out his hands and legs were cuffed, which was the reason he fell on his side, unable to move.

"C'mon, Bells! You gotta wake up!"

They needed to figure out the kind of situation they were in and how to get out of it. He already got the first part covered, but the second one seemed like it would take a while longer.

"Bells? Hey Bells!"

An ear-piercing screech silenced his effort, and he turned to the old door that was its source. As orange light seeped from the quickly widening crack, someone peeked inside the room before slipping in.

"Kyrs…" Oliver gritted his teeth upon seeing the hairy man. "The hell is happening here?"

"Remember when I said I don't take organs?" Kyrs chuckled. "Well, I lied. Kinda."

Organs? In this day and age? Who in their right mind still bothers with such things?

The black market for organs had long since died. Not only did bionics eliminate the need for them, but there were also multiple companies specializing in the cultivation of artificial organs. There was no point in harvesting organs because there was no one out there to buy them.

The hairy man walked inside with leisurely steps.

"I had been wondering why my little thieving cat stopped showing up for the last few months, so imagine my shock when I learned that she joined this small new gang that has been the talk of the town." Stopping right beside the girl in question, he poked her head, pushing it until she was leaning the other way. "Did you know there is a bounty on your heads?"

He didn't know until they got attacked that afternoon. Or was it yesterday's? How long was he asleep for?

'Oh yeah…' Oliver seemed to realize something just then. 'Sleeping gas…'

His mind still wasn't in the right place.

"Inferno, was it? You have done a lot since you showed up on the map. Made a lot of enemies." Kyrs said. "I mean, it's all your boss's doing, but the rest of you got caught in it. Really bad luck."

"Pretty sure the bounties are Red Markings." Oliver cut in, afraid that the hairy man would go on forever if he let him.

"So?" Kyrs fix him with a glare.

"So get it done with already. You aren't gonna get any bonus for delivering us alive."

Bounties hadn't used the "alive" part of "dead or alive" in quite some time. Seeing that he has yet to finish them off and claim his prize, Dante guessed that the short man had something planned.

"Don't worry, I don't plan on filming myself blowing up your brains." Chuckling, Kyrs walked over to Oliver.

"First, we will take a few photos and send them to your boss. I heard he got some pretty deep pockets, so I'm wondering if he'll buy you back."

That was a better strategy than it seemed. In the case of a high-class target, it's always best to check if their allies are willing to pay for their release. Of course, for a deal to be made, the allies would have to pay way more than what the bounty is worth.

"As soon as the Gold hits my wallet, you will be free to go."

Oliver didn't like the tone of that last part, and just like the third-rate villain he is, Kyrs couldn't help but monologue about his plans.

"I will let you go free, and you will make it out of my shop just fine." He said. "Once that happens, you will no longer be my problem. It won't be my fault if a totally unrelated party finishes you off."

Oliver changed his mind. This was a terrible strategy. It entirely depended on the allies forgetting about the party they paid the ransom to and blaming only those who claimed the bounty, even though it couldn't be more obvious that they were working together.

"Yeah, I don't really think that's gonna work." He said.

In fact, Oliver could see it backfiring spectacularly. Their boss was the kind to take these things very personally, and he would definitely not appreciate being played like that.

"You don't have to worry about that. I have already taken the appropriate measures to make sure it does."

"I see…" Casting his gaze down, Oliver heaved a sigh. "By the way, did you pick the Juggernaut for us?"

"The what now?" Kyrs frowned at him.

"The red one. Pretty sure I found it just before I passed out."

"And why the hell do you want it?"

"Well, we came here just for that. Since you're gonna let us go once you get your money, I thought I would grab it on my way out."

"... you need to get your priorities straight, kid."

"Well, I really don't want to go back without anything to show for it."

It might not be the same one, but it was a red Juggernaut nonetheless. It was bound to improve his boss's mood quite a bit, to the point that he might overlook how much they had messed up by getting caught.

"You're still gonna have to pay for it, though."

Kyrs said.

"You gotta dial back the greed, man. It's not good for your health."

"I will worry about that. You focus on what you must do when the time comes."

The short, hairy man turned around and left, plunging the room into darkness once more. Pulling himself up, Oliver leaned against the nearest wall and sighed, looking up at the ceiling. He was doing exactly as their captor had told him when he heard the faint sound of fabric shifting beside him.

"Hey, Bells. You up?"

"Call me that again, and I'm gonna shoot your balls off." A groggy Bella replied. "Did you really find the gun?"

"Yeah, I'm sure it's the one."

"Good." Even through the darkness, Oliver felt her gaze on him. "We must get it on our way out."