Written By: Armina Qi Saxton

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Chapter 6: End Game I

It was only a short time after he had been thrown out of the Von Helson mansion, did Johnny Gambino march up the same path that he had taken to get back to Isle de Gambino with Gino in tow. The boy didn't seem as tired as he had only a little while before, having rested for the time it had taken his father to get into the place that he had stored the spare G-Pins. Johnny had been surprised that there was someone there to let him into it, thinking that he had to break into it to get what he wanted, regardless of what would happen to him afterwards. That had put a smile on his lips and more then a few thanks to those that had helped him; his words of repayment weren't hallow, but they wouldn't come anytime soon. Not when he had nothing to his name except for the clothes on his back and the son that walked behind him, carrying several bags of the pins.

He had allowed Gino to sleep for a half hour more, as Johnny got everything that he needed together and in order. If he got everything ready before he went back to the mansion, then that was less he had to do in front of thousands of Gaians. Every few minutes he had looked over at his son, sleep soundly underneath the tattered cape he had taken off so that Gino would have something from the rain that had let up for the time being. The image of him sleeping on the wet ground, shivering in winter's cold, pulled at his heart and it took everything inside of Johnny to keep from breaking down and crying. Was this how Gino had lived right before he had come back to him during Christmas? Had he been scared and alone, without anyone to protect him? Johnny found that he was better off not knowing what his son went through during those two months then living with the knowledge of what had happened.

Now the two of them were in front of the mansion in Durem, looking up at it with determination. The large doors to the mansion, the main ones that everyone had entered earlier, were stead-fast and quiet, perhaps bolted together from the inside with no way of having a way in through the outside. Johnny stared at the doors for ten minutes, his face twisted in concentration on how he would get inside instead of using the man entrance and without alerting the sisters to his presence. They wouldn't be stupid enough to have this way into their home unlocked and unattended, not when there was a chance in all the hells that a Gambino would wander back into their home. Besides, he didn't want to attract immediate attention to himself, not until he got into the ballroom.

"How are we going to get inside?" Gino asked, setting the bags of G-Pins down upon the ground. He seemed to have the same exact thoughts, that there was no way they would be getting back into the mansion through the main entrance. Johnny looked at him, measuring Gino's size to that of a small window; he was small and light enough to get inside, but his father would have a harder time getting inside then Gino would. If I remember the layout of the mansion correctly..., Johnny thought absently, turning his back to his son for a moment, trying to think of other ways to get inside without alerting security to his presence right away.

Then he smiled, motioning to his son to follow him as he picked up one of the bags of pins, not wanting his son to have to carry both bags all the way around the mansion. If he did remember how the mansion was set up, then there had to be a doorway to the lower kitchens behind the mansion itself, with a small alley behind it. This was how he had managed to sneak his late wife back home many years before, when they both had come home from late-night parties and didn't want to wake anyone up from them coming inside.

If there was anything that he had forgotten since the last time he had gone around to the back of the mansion, it was how long it seemed to take him just to get to the other side of it. Before, he was younger and thinner then he was now, having been able to walk from city wall to city wall without having to break a sweat. By the time he had actually found where the mansion broke off and the wall of the city began, Johnny was out of breath and ready to sit down to catch it. Leaning against the wall of the mansion, he took in several breaths, looking up towards the sky that held so many dark clouds that covered up the light. What little moonlight could break through the storm clouds, the last bit before the sun would soon rise from it's slumber, shone down upon his face and onto the boy that stood next to him, staring behind him to see if anyone had bothered to follow them.

If anyone had seen them walk to the back of the mansion, then they most likely would have alerted the security at this point and anyone else that might be interested in their movements. And Johnny didn't seem to care if anyone knew he was back at the mansion or not, now that he was nearly inside, as he pushed himself from the wall and clenching the bag tightly. He wasn't going to let a momentary lapse of tiredness overwhelm him, not when he could taste the power returning to him already. He had to regain the power he once held, if not for anything but Gino. That was his concern, ,his son and only his son, even if others thought he was just blinded by the return to power.

"Wait here," He instructed, holding a hand up to halt Gino before Johnny or the boy had moved. He inched his way the last foot to the alley behind the mansion, carefully making sure that there were no surprises on the other side. He wasn't about to take any chances on having something, or someone, jump out from the darkness of the alley and catch them unawares. He stared into the darkness, squinting to see if anything was there, then turned his head over his shoulder. "Come on. It's okay."

Gino didn't say anything, dragging the other bag of pins with him as he followed his father around the corner to one of the few secret entrances to the Von Helson mansion that was not kept inside the family. Johnny moved a hand along the back wall of the mansion, creeping along in case he missed anything at all, any doorways that lead inside, or anything else that might have left his memory. It took him a moment of slow movement to find the doorway that lead into the lower kitchens, a smile coming upon his lips as he touched the cool metal. This was a small victory for him, one that could only be hindered slightly by the door being locked. If it was, he knew where to look for a key, if it was still there or had been broke in any way. It had been a long time since he had used this entrance in his younger years, but that did not mean others had not found the key that had been hidden there so long ago.

Johnny turned the know to the kitchen doorway, then cursed loudly. It was locked, much to his disappointment and anger. This was one of the times, in the last few months, that something wasn't barring him from entering the Von Helson mansion. Still, he had one trick up his sleeve, one that he hoped was there and not just a faded memory.

****

Inside the mansion, the Ball started to move into the final stretch. It was early on the day after the creation of Gaia and many Gaians were more then worn out from dancing and doing other things that need not be mentioned. Some had collapsed into one of the many spare bedrooms that the mansion held, eventually woken by friends or others that had no other place to go do deeds that they didn't want the public to see or, if they were more unlucky then some, prodded awake by security. These well-muscled men, who seemed to have the same nature as those that made sure Gaia was kept as orderly as possible, had pulled these certain ones out of the room and back into the hallway, some muttering on orders of the sisters. Others were thrown into the bathtub, to wake them up with cold water or to cool them down; either way, it was a rude awakening for them.

There were some that had left already, too tired to do anything but walk the distance back to their homes and fall asleep wherever they could. They did not bother to undress out of the clothing that they wore, other then to let go of their balloons and to take off the V-Pins they wore, if they had not smashed the small items already or had not gotten them. Even so, they would hear what happened at the end of the Ball on the news or from whoever had seen it to the end; either way, they would know what excitement they missed only moments after they left.

And that excitement came in the form of someone unlocking the door to the lower kitchen, someone who had made sure he could get inside without being noticed. It only took a matter of a few moments to enter, with bags full of small items that would soon break Gaia into three different groups. That was something he knew was going to happen, as a smaller figure entered through the same doorway that closed once he and the bag he carried was safely carried inside. Neither one bothered to lock the door behind themselves, for they would not need to be coming back into the mansion that night or any night afterwards.

Johnny put an arm in front of Gino to stop him when they walked halfway into the room, casually looking around the brightly-lit kitchen. It was unusually calm for someone to be having a party, something he hadn't thought about until he had stopped. There was a mess of leftover food, bowls, and cooking items left around the normally neat kitchen, indicating that there had been someone cooking the food earlier. When they had cooked it and if they were going to be making anything else for what little time was left of the Ball, he didn't want to stay and find out as he beckoned his son to follow him the rest of the way out of the kitchen.

The noise from the ballroom, as well as loud thumping sounds coming from upstairs, indicated that the Ball was still in full swing, despite the little time remaining. Johnny didn't quicken his pace, a satisfied smile on his lips. So far, he had managed to go unnoticed by security, which only heightened his sense of pride. Here he was, on the first beginnings of regaining his power, and the Von Helsons did not even have an inkling that he was back inside their mansion, having gone through an entrance that no one thought would pose any problems for them.

Even so, he had to be careful as to not arouse the suspicions of the sisters like before, as he moved along the lower hallways of the mansion, some passing Gaians looking at him with surprise as he passed. They stood where they were as he passed them, mouths hanging open and eyes wide as though they had seen a ghost. How he had managed to get back inside the mansion without the sisters knowing was beyond them, as he gave them a smile and a wink as he went by. His return to the mansion would remain a mystery until they could find the time to solve it.

One of the Gaians he passed along the way, a young lady no more then the age of seventeen and looking up at him with wide eyes, he stopped right in front of. She didn't seem to want to move, even though neither Johnny, Gino, or the Gaian were in each other's way. His eyes went down quickly to the top of her dress, where a completed silver V-Pin was upon the cloth. Johnny frowned, hardly noticing that he had reached down into the bag and pulled out a G-Pin.

"Why would you want a V-Pin when you can have this lovely G-Pin instead?" He didn't wait for the Gaian to respond to his question, pushing the G-Pin into her hand and striding the rest of the way into the ballroom, Gino still in tow. The Gaian stared after him, then looked down at the pin that had been roughly shoved into her hand. Unlike the pin that she wore, she didn't even need to have to spend hours upon hours, searching for both halves. But, unlike some of those that were at the Ball, she placed it into her handbag and walked away, intent on making a profit off of it at another date.

Johnny looked around the ballroom as soon as he entered from one of the side doorways that lead from it, his eyes scanning almost the entire room. It was slightly less crowded then it had been when he had first arrived at the Ball, but there were still plenty of Gaians mingling around, attempting to dance and hold conversations at the same time. He felt positive that a good portion of his followers were still there, waiting for him to return, but he didn't expect some of them to stay. After all, they didn't know if he was going to try and come back to the mansion or if he had other plans in mind. Either way, they would hear about it after the madness of the Ball was over.

Several Gaians that were stuck along the wall closest to the doorway that Johnny was slowly walking away from, slightly turned their heads towards him as he began to reach into the bag for more of the G-Pins. They did a double-take when they looked back, as though a ghost had just wandered into the ballroom. There were low mutters from these that had noticed his return, some poking those that were next to them and pointing in the direction that Johnny had gone into. Their friends didn't believe them, having not the ability to locate the man that had been thrown out of the mansion before. It was only when a voice rose over the conversations, did their disbelief turn into excitement.

"Fellow Gaians, rejoice! We will be victorious!" Johnny shouted over the heads of those that stood in front of him. There was a wild look in his eyes, a look that indicated that a glimmer of power had returned to him. He heard the cheers of those that supported him, the silence of those that were more then just a bit confused, and a hiss of boos from those that did not wish to see him there. Regardless, he welcomed anything, even a chair to stand upon so he could look across the entire room. "I am determined to regain my former glory, for Gino!"

If there had been any indication that the boy had been in a vegetable state before, all doubts were erased that he was when he shrunk down and tried to hide himself behind several tall Gaians that were standing in front of him. Johnny didn't seem to notice as a group of Gaians rushed forwards and started to chat quickly, on how glad they were to see Johnny and that Gino looked better then he had when they had first come to the Ball. G-Pins were placed quickly into the hands of those that were praising him, the first wave of pins to be released since the year before. These supporters, those that had spread his name and stood by him, would be the first to be rewarded with this small item.

He would get his loyal supporters more once he was able to get his power and riches back and his son's memory returned, that he was sure. It was just enough now that he was beginning to feel the effects of his return and the words of his supporters as he started to throw any remaining G-Pins he held in his hand into the crowd like confetti. These were safe to throw, he had made sure of it when they were first made a year prior. He didn't want anyone to get hurt over them, a precaution he should have used later in the year.

But that was the farthest from his mind, as he lavished in the spotlight once again.

****

"Are you sure that no one broke it?" Anna demanded sourly at the head of security. The stubby man pushed up his thick glasses, glancing nervously down at the clipboard he held and looked back up at the twin sisters that stood in front of him. They stood near where the two staircases came down from one of the upper levels, near the main entrance of the mansion. A clap of thunder came from outside, the pattering of rain beginning as the early morning storm began to roll in. The sisters didn't seem to notice it as much as the man in front of him, who looked like he was about to pass out.

They had hired the man's services not only to have enough security in the mansion during the Ball, but also to install a better alarm system then what their father had in before. The previous system had been functioning well enough for the days that the sisters would be home alone, but it was not up-to-date as they hoped for events such as this, but this new system was already beginning to fail after it had been installed only days prior. It had started to short out at random for the last ten minutes, leaving the security team clueless as to what was going on inside the mansion.

"There is nothing wrong. Everything has been checked and double checked to make sure that it is working properly," The man said, smiling forcefully at them as he tried to lie his way through this situation. Truthfully, he was scared either one would jump him and start clawing at his skin if either one found out that there was something wrong somewhere; no matter how much he tried to get his shaking body to be still, he was still afraid of them.

"There has to be something wrong. Someone must of sabotaged the security system," Anna snapped back at him with cold eyes. If anything had added to her suspicions at that moment, it was in the form of what appeared to be a small, gold coin, rolling across the ground towards them. It hadn't come from a far source, as it twirled in small circles by Marie's foot, coming to a rest just after a glimmer of gold had caught her eye.

She looked down at the ground as Anna and the head of security continued to argue about the security system, a perplexed expression on her face as she bent over to pick up the gold piece. When she got a closer look, she found that it wasn't a gold piece but a finely crafted item, a pin to be more exact, in the shape of a 'G'. Marie frowned at it as she picked it up and straightened her back, moving her hand so that the pin laid neatly on her palm, her brow furrowing in rage. She looked up as several Gaians walked past, a glint of gold on their clothing instead of the silver that should have been there.

"G-Pins?" She asked more to herself then to anyone else. Anna stopped talking as though Marie had shouted the word, raising a hand up to silence the man in front of her as she stared at her sister in confusion. She walked the few steps that separated her sister from herself, looking down at the small object that was in her hand.

"Here?" Anna asked, surprised as she also looked towards the ballroom where their sheep were conversing. It took them no less then a minute to find the person that was handing out the pins, their anger rising as Marie clasped her hand around the pin as though she could crush it. Everything finally clicked together in their minds, a smile of anger coming upon their lips as they stood side-by-side, ready to walk out into the crowd and face him once again.

"We'll see about that," They said together, the smiles fading and a frown coming onto their fine features. They walked into the ballroom without any security around them, comfortable at the moment that they wouldn’t need anyone to protect them at this time. As they walked towards the small crowd that had gathered around the man, their eyes darted towards a younger version of him, who was standing out of the circle, handing a pair of pins to a couple that were just passing by. He smiled at them as they left, looking quite content on helping his father out despite his back being turned on him.

But the sisters' eyes did not linger on the boy for long, as their stride started to quicken as they approached. They didn't feel as angry as they should have been when they saw him standing there as though he had not left at all, not even noticing that there was someone else approaching his circle. If Marie didn't read his facial expressions correctly, she thought she had seen a glint of happiness on it, like this was what he wanted. To be surrounded by people that were not in the same class as himself. She couldn't understand why someone would want to be surrounded by sheep who didn't deserve the time of day to be even looked at. That angered her more as she stopped at the outer edge of the crowd around him.

"You!" Marie snarled as soon as she was in range of Johnny’s sight. She didn't care much on how he had managed to get back into the mansion this time, but he would go out the same way he had before. The only difference would be that he wouldn't have his son with him.

"What do you think you're doing?" Anna growled, surprised Gaians turning around at the sister's voices. Johnny's head snapped around, his eyes going wide when he heard their voices so close to him. His mouth hanged open slightly at them, several of his supporters moving out of the way in the sister's line of sight. They didn't want to be in the middle of the unknown feud if it got out of hand any more then it had.

He composed himself a second later, looking Marie straight in the eye without blinking. He wasn't so much as worried about Anna as he was Marie, hardly paying attention as to where the other sister was going or if she had left altogether. He didn't care, so long as both of them got out of his sight completely. They had their moments to gain supporters, now it was his turn to do so. The war between them had started before the rest of Gaia had any clue as to what was going on or why it was happening.

"I will not be silenced!" Johnny said when he saw the sisters motion to the security that kept an eye on the situation in the middle of the ballroom, calmly and loudly with a causal smirk on his lips. There was a cheer from his supporters, much to Marie and Anna's dismay and anger. These were the same Gaians that they had invited into their home and gave them a reason to talk about this event for years to come. They would talk about this one alright, but not in the way the sisters had intended for them to gossip amongst themselves about it.

Before either sister could growl any commands to the security that was slowly moving through the crowd, or to bark out any insults towards Johnny, a loud boom echoed from outside, with a pounding from above that pattered on the rooftop. The storm had come, the light around the mansion flickering several times. Several conversations had stopped completely at the motions of the lights, not even taking in consideration the brewing storm outside. They ignored it completely, as they had the storm that was brewing inside. If the lights went out, there would be more then two angry people in the mansion this day.

And out the lights did go.