Episode 020 Previous Episode	Next Episode
“Television. Television is the explanation for this – you see this in bad television. Little assault guys creeping through the vents, coming in through the ceiling – that James Bond s#!t never happens in real life! Professionals don’t do that!” Special Agent Paul Smecker, Boondock Saints The four-story apartment building stood before the Crimson Rose as if mocking him. Between the Rose and the building, a narrow road, barely wide enough for a single car, stood imposingly. The Rose turned around as Sydney and Everett closed. Their red shirts stood out in the dim light of the city, their trench coats flapping like the Rose’s cap in the city wind. “Listen,” Everett said, holding his hand out as he approached, Sydney behind him. “We’re not trying to threaten you. We just want to talk.” The Rose turned and looked down at the street as if considering the distance. “He wouldn’t,” Sydney whispered. The Rose stepped to the edge and spread his arms wide. He stood up straight, his head facing towards the building. “No!” Everett yelled, bursting into motion. The Rose stood up on his toes, beginning to swing his balance forward. He begin to tilt towards the edge. At the last second, he leaned back onto his heels and turned. Rather than leaping off the side, he raced along the edge of the building, running for the far end. “What the hell?!” Everett exclaimed, giving chase. The Rose ran along the edge of the building at full speed, reaching the corner. He leapt over the side, landing and collapsing into a roll. Everett vaulted over the side without hesitation, landing in a crouch. Both stood at the same time. The Rose looked at Everett and turned, rushing back to the edge. Facing the same road he had a second ago, the Rose sprinted at full speed to the edge and threw himself off. Swinging his arms wide, he didn’t quite make the ledge. Colliding with the brick wall, the Rose grabbed hold of the storm drain with his finger tips. The metal tubing jostled and shook, but held. Dangling over the street, the figure groaned in pain before pulling himself up. He desperately grabbed hold of the ceiling and started to fight to reach the top. Sydney came up next to Everett. “This is some serious Parkour,” she said. He nodded, judging the distance. “Two-man horse?” he asked. She looked at the distance, then sighed, nodding. Everett ran back along the roof, turning as he did. Facing back at Sydney right at the edge, he broke into a sprint. Sydney held her hands together at knee-level, waiting. Everett ran at her and stepped into her hands. Throwing her weight back, she hoisted her hands up, giving Everett added height and momentum to his jump. He swung his arms broadly, reaching the edge of the building. Slapping his hands onto the side of the building, he pulled himself up. Again, the Rose and Everett made it to their feet at the same time. The Rose drew out the rapier, holding it diagonally across its body. Everett stared for a moment. “You really don’t want to do that,” he cautioned sternly. The Rose looked at Everett, the sword, then Everett again. A quiet stillness descended on the two for a moment. Finally, the Rose stood up straight and sheathed the sword. “Okay, good,” Everett said. “I’m glad to see you’re…” The Rose darted across the roof. “Son of a…” he cursed before taking off in pursuit. The Rose raced across the entire rooftop in a matter of moments, Everett closing the distance in a few breaths. Before he could grab hold of the vigilante, the Rose vaulted onto the neighboring building and raced in front of Everett for the rickety wooden stairwell that led up to the roof of the adjoining three story building. Sprinting up the steps, the Rose raced out onto the tar rooftop, the soft surface giving him pause. He turned back to see Everett and Sydney regrouping before coming out on the ceiling. The Rose raced over to the edge and looked down. Sydney came up first this time, both her short swords drawn. “I’m getting real tired of this,” she said, looking across the roof. Several tinted ceiling windows sat over the roof, all gathered around the one rooftop entrance. Sydney moved around the entrance to see the Rose at the corner of the building, standing on the very edge. “Here we go again,” she muttered. But as she and Everett neared, the Rose leapt off the building. The two knights ran to the edge to see the Rose racing off across the street. Both stared in awe at the three story drop to the ground below. “Who the hell is this guy? Batman?” Everett searched the edge of the roof, leaning over the edge. He smirked with annoyance. “No,” he said, reaching over. “He just wishes he was.” Everett pulled up several lengths of bungee cord, all tied solidly together. “That’s the kind of bungee cords you get at K-Mart,” Sydney marveled, looking back at where the Rose had been. Everett looked out into the distance with a worried look. “Precisely.”
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