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House of Jaguars, Xibulba
Victoria sat on the bed made from gold and topaz, and held her head as she tried to digest the information that her abductor had fed her. To her it seemed like the plot of a bad sixties comic book where the heroes had to team up to defeat an evil that couldn’t be beaten by anyone person. The only problem besides that she was living it was, that if she was first pick, in what state would the four other members be in.
“You worry and rightfully so.” A voice whispered, one that caused a chill to run down Victoria’s back, something that rarely happened when she was dressed in her Southern Cross uniform. In fact it had only happened once before in his presence. “Ah so you do remember me, I’m touched.” The voice whispered.
“You’re not here, I wrote you out of existence!” Victoria snarled, her voice causing one of the black jaguars sleeping in the corner of the room to open its eyes and yawn lazily before turning over onto its back.
“That would be true if I were a mere construct created by your beautiful mind.” The voice purred, as Victoria looked over to the other side of the room before getting off the bed and walking over to the pool Onca had disappeared into. Looking down she saw her reflection had changed to resemble a man dressed in blue tinged samurai armour, a wicked looking sword covered in demonic runes slung across his back.
“Wishing Demon!!” Victoria snarled. “I don’t have the need or time to listen to you!” She added, as she turned back to the bed, only to find herself standing under the water of the pool, her eyes orientated up to the form of the Wishing Demon staring down at her.
“You will very soon. You’ll be forced to make a decision and in that moment of potential, you will turn to me.” The Wishing Demon hissed, as Victoria erupted from the pool, her costume soaked, the chain of stars wrapped round her neck burning. “And in that moment you will simultaneously save the world and destroy it in a single action.”
“Are you okay?" A voice asked, the words causing Victoria to jolt awake, thick satin sheets slipping off her as she sat bolt upright. "For a mortal to sleep in Xibulba they must either be embracing death or simply very foolish." The words continued as the slightly feline figure of her host swam into view, her hands grasped around a tray loaded with bowls of nuts, cold meats and what looked like a jaguar skull.
"I was dreaming." Victoria mumbled, as she hesitantly took a bowl of nuts off of the tray.
"Also a dangerous prospect, even for the gods that dwell down here." Onca replied as she saw Victoria's eyes focus on something in the corner of the chamber. Turning she saw nothing besides a rusty sword, black blood dripping down its blade. "Xibulba is known by many as the place of fear, there are many aspects of the old world who would seize the mind of a mortal down here."
"Then can we leave?" Victoria pleaded, as one of the melanistic jaguars leapt onto the bed before nudging her with his nose. As he did Victoria felt cold hands on her shoulders and turned to see the face of the Wishing Demon looming over her, cold blue flames dancing in his eyes. "Get off of me!!" She screamed, her words causing the jaguar to leap off the bed hissing and glaring past the woman at something unseen.
"It may be best to leave, I fear some minor demon or partially tangible phantasm has invaded my house while I've been away." Onca stated as she held out a hand to Victoria, the later taking it as she glanced around, almost as if she was looking for the invisible foe. "When we reach my family’s home in Madrid I will call one of my brothers or sisters to deal with it." She added, as she felt a cold presence grasp her hand as the pair of heroines walked over to the pool. "Whatever it is, it's confined here, and only a god can pass in and out of Xibulba." She added as she submerged into the pool dragging Victoria under the surface. "I assure you that whatever it is it won't follow us."
To Victoria though the words seemed distant, almost dreamlike, with the only real thing in sight being the open maw and burning eyes of the face Onca was dragging her down towards at the bottom of the pool. Frightened to let go, all she could do was close her eyes and scream as the pair of them were caught in the cold current of the River of the Underworld and swept up out of the land of the dead, and back towards the surface world.
**
Estuary Resourcing Ltd, Croydon, United Kingdom
The bald man dressed in a Hawaiian print shirt and cotton green chinos ran through the office space, his hands clutching multiple papers as he reached a locked door at the end of the corridor. Fumbling with the ring of keys he dropped a good portion of the documents before finding the right key and opening the door and darting into a canteen, the blinds pulled down over the windows. Closing the door he dared to turn on the light he had the shock of his life when he saw the two women sitting at one of the tables.
"Evening Eddie." Danika said cheerfully as a loud thud sounded on the door. "So you've moved from confidence tricks in Southend to resource management in Croydon, feels like a very lateral move if you ask me."
"Danika, listen about the Intel on Leighton, I swear I didn't know that he had increased security." Eddie yammered in an Estuarine English accent. "Estuary Eddie don't screw over his friends you know." He added as he looked back at the door, and the booming sound coming from the other side. "Listen I'd love to catch up but I got to leave." He added, as Danika removed a pistol from her holster and placed it on the table.
"Now that's illegal, you can't be carrying that around, but err I can get rid of that for you if it's hot for a price." Eddie stammered as his eyes went wide at the thought of salvation from his current predicament. As he was fantasizing about this, the door splintered revealing a massive man dressed in a shirt and trousers with grey armour plating and a ballistic mask over the top, a portable battering ram in his hands.
"Eddie Lyons, you screwed over the boss!" The new figure boomed in an East London accent. "He wants the keys you stole from him now or I crush your skull!"
"Mister Enforcer, I never had the keys to Mister Palmer's Phantom, I swear I'm innocent, I never screw over my friends." Eddie yammered as the Enforcer advanced on him.
"I came about the F-Type, not the Phantom." The Enforcer replied as Eddie took a step back before shooting Danika a blatant look that demanded help. Looking at her partner Danika bent down and removed a hand bow from the bag she'd picked up from her apartment in Hyde Park Corner and slid it over to Maya. Shaking her head Maya shucked the business jacket she was wearing and unbuttoned her blouse to reveal a purple tank-top with the Chinese character for 'action' stencilled on it.
"I hate you sometimes." Maya spat at Danika, before springing off her chair and planting her knee into the Enforcer's neck, the blow knocking the big man off balance and sending him crashing to the floor. "Actually sometimes I really hate you." She added, as the Enforcer got to his feet, his eyes bloodshot with anger as he glowered down at the tiny Asian woman.
"Have fun honey!" Danika called in a mockery of a mother sending her child to school for the first time. Reaching out for the gun, she gestured for Eddie to sit, even as he shot calculating glances at the far door, obviously in the hope he could escape whilst everyone was concentrating on the fight. "Now Edward, what can you tell me about your fuel importing exploits."
"I don't know anything about no fuel." Eddie stated proudly, only for Danika to aim a swift kick to his groin from under the table. "Look my driver had the HGV licence and an escort vehicle, it was all legal, I didn't do anything wrong with that." He stammered, his hands going to his crotch, just as Maya slipped under the Enforcer's guard and delivered a strike to the unarmoured spot under his shoulder.
"Totally legal and Estuary Eddie are two words that go together as often as legal and murder." Danika purred as she shifted her leg slightly under the table, the motion causing Eddie to shift uncomfortably in his seat. “I know what he was carrying, I want to know who for.” She added, as the Enforcer slammed the ram into Maya’s face, the blow knocking her onto her back, just as the larger man slammed the improvised weapon down with such force and brutality, that the bones of his target’s skull cracked.
“You can protect me right?” Eddie gulped, as the Enforcer removed his mask and spat on Maya’s unmoving body, before advancing on the two seated figures.
“We already are.” Danika replied, as Maya’s body twitched before she pushed herself back onto her feet, her finger flicking as she fired the hand-bow, the needle thin bolt stabbing into the Enforcer’s neck. Spinning around the hired thug glowered at her with a look that was equal part fear, shock and envy as his formally defeated foe held out her hand, ready for a strike.
“You’re on your own Eddie, personally I hope these zombie b*****s eat your brains.” The Enforcer snorted, as he turned and walked out of the room.
“How rude, I’m personally alive and Maya prefers to be called ‘necrologically impaired’.” Danika snorted before flashing a coy smile at Maya. “I assume you had fun?” She asked innocently as Maya walked over, the bones in her head resetting themselves with a sickening crunching sound.
“You know I didn’t. I just want to go back to the right side of the veil.” Maya stated, before slamming her fist down on the table. “Dam it Danika, you promised you’d find a solution to my problem!!” She snapped, before looking at Eddie, a hungry look flashing over her face. “It’s enough that I have to fight the hunger every second of every day.”
“If I give you the name you’ll call her off right.” Eddie gulped.
“Sure as long as it’s a good name.” Danika replied as Maya placed a hand on the crook’s shoulder.
“Boccanegra, she paid me to move the juice, please don’t eat me.” Eddie whimpered. With a smile Danika got to her feet and pulled Maya away from the trembling crook.
“Nice going, you really played into the stereotype there, now is there anything else we need to do before we leave?” Danika asked.
“We need to call Strauss and pass on what we discovered.” Maya replied. “Danni, I wasn’t lying about wanting to go back, promise me that you’ll keep looking okay.”
“I promise May.” Danika stated quietly as she placed the pistol back in her bag. “I promise that before I meet the reaper, I’ll find a way to return you to your grave.”
**
Butcher's Shop, Munich, Germany
Dronekiller rubbed his hands as he walked into the little butcher’s shop in Munich, the smell of fresh meat enveloping him in a cocoon of blood and gore. Giving a nod to the butcher cutting up a pig’s leg with a massive cleaver, he slipped into the back and down some stairs into the industrial sized meat-freezer. Running his thin fingers along the tiles on the back wall, he flicked a hidden switch and walked through the section of fake wall that had slid backwards to reveal a hidden chamber loaded with weapons resting on a wooden counter.
“You are late.” A voice announced, as a man in his twenties with spiky blonde hair and piercing blue eyes dressed in a business suit emerged from behind the counter.
“Flight got delayed in JFK.” Dronekiller replied as he walked inside. “I’m here to pick up lot 19.”
“Ah yes Mr Dronekiller, it’s all right here, as are the keys to the vehicle we rented for you. As per your client’s demands the van has cruise control.” The man replied, a fake smile across his face. “Between that, the remote sniper rifle, multiple quadrotor drones and this,” He stopped as he rubbed his hand along the surface of a modified Stinger Missile Launcher, “the price is considerable.”
“The Boss wanted me to check the quality of the goods first.” Dronekiller replied as he shouldered the launcher and looked inside to see a cluster rocket slotted into the barrel. “What’s with the abnormal ammunition?”
“You may have to kill the dragon guarding the professor, one of my acquaintances, one Doctor Rosenberg coated the projectiles with something he called Mijolnir, a chemical designed to denature Eiter on a molecular level.” The Arms Dealer replied, oblivious to the sentry gun on the shelf tracking its multiple barrels to lock onto his back.
“Thank you, tell your boss we owe him.” Dronekiller replied as he walked out the door with the keys and the launcher, the sound of the sentry gun opening fire and a body slumping over the counter. Heading back upstairs he flashed a smile at the butcher. “There’s an 'order to go' downstairs.” He announced with a smile. “Prime Cut and all.”
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