Let Vaarvel take her gamble

Vaarvel seemed to love situations where you were forced to rely upon her cunning and leadership, undermining your rank as a handler. In this case, you had to knowingly give her another one. {if Weakness for Gambling = 1}As much as you were a sucker for playing cards, this situation was beyond you. {endif}The so-called "magic card" probably wouldn't pull you out of this hole, not without it being in your hand already and with a whole room of people watching you. The only thing you could rely on was Vaarvel's unique talent for trickery and hope that her hand looked a heck of a lot better than yours, with something in store that could block the Adjutant's game-winning play. Still, this situation seemed beyond even her.

"Ciao... It seems I'm called upon to bail us out once again, aren't I?" Vaarvel questioned, while holding a card up in one hand. She set it down atop the four that Adder Adjutant had discarded. "Five of spades."

"Impressive," the Adjutant admitted.

Vaarvel smirked.

"But impossible. Counting my hand and the discards as they stand, every five of spades has been previously accounted for."

"That's hardly fair. You're asking us to believe in your hand," your fellow agent pointed out, still holding her smile.

"True. This is the last hand, though. Would you like to take a look at what's in my hand?" the Adjutant questioned, gesturing with one palm upward.

"Ha ha... You really are ready to put an end to things, I see. Allow me to look over your shoulder then, for just a moment." Vaarvel pushed up from her seat and confidently walked to Adder Adjutants, while the others stupidly watched her shapely bottom in that gold-colored monokini. Once she reached Adder Adjutant, she pressed both hands boldly to the shoulders of the leader of Adder and looked over the terrorist's hand. "What do you know... You're right. My poor five of spades is impossible then, isn't it?"

A short silence.

"Almost as impossible as sneaking into a position of power over the leader of the largest terrorist organization in the world!" the South African agent laughed, while yanking the Adjutant up from their chair and grabbing around their neck in a powerful headlock. {if Vaarvel Handled the Guards = 1}You recognized this as the same motion she'd used to snap a man's neck just moments earlier. {endif} As soon as she'd lifted the villain up, she spun to face them towards the guards and use them as a bodyshield, while retreating further towards the entrance. For her part, Au Revoir dove in, knocking forward the table and grabbing Nora to draw both of their bodies behind it. You quickly joined them. This table was so heavy and sturdy, you wouldn't have thought it possible anyone could budge it, but such was Au Revoir's power. As thick as it was, though, you nonetheless felt intense alarm as gunfire began to riddle the back side of it, sending wood chips flying into the air in a cacophony of impact and discharge.

Vaarvel remained the only agent not shielded behind the table, seeing as she was using the terrorist leader to cover her retreat. "Hold your fire!" Vaarvel commanded; amazingly, every Adder soldier obeyed. "Good... You understand what happens to the Adjutant if you don't obey me, I see. Everyone, run to the exit. And you all... stay right where you are. I'm taking the Adjutant with me."

You weren't sure if her reasoning won them over or the raw, dominant aura she exuded, but whatever the case, the plan worked. You managed to run to the door with Nora and Au Revoir, with her coming up after you. Unfortunately, you only made it a short way down the hallway before you heard the sound of an impact and heard Adder Adjutant order their men to fire. Gunfire opened up so quickly at that command, Vaarvel barely had time to hastily flee the room and run after you. "Ciao, Au Revoir! Handle this!" she commanded. You felt just as compelled to obey as those soldiers earlier were.

"We're on it!" Au Revoir agreed, taking up a spot with her back against the corner leading to that hallway.