Two men stood alone, peering over a nameless grave that served as the final resting place of a previous Raysh Al Shaytan. Sparrow's remains should've been housed in the main monestary alongside his predecessors. But it was not so, the monestary and everything else was gone. A thing of the past. The current incarnation of The League of Shadows had no monestary, no main base of operations. No home. The League now operated as nomadic cells stationed all over the world. Training, and recruiting individuals who like the League itself, had no place in this world.
"How long have you been here? In this dismal place my Shaytan?"
Amir spoke. His voice smooth like silk, his hands held at his side while he waited for his Shaytan's answer.
"A few months, just...treading through old memories."
Vincent unfolded his cane and turned from his sworn brother's place of rest.
"I know what you're going to say next, Amir. That I've been idle for far to long. That it's time I step back out into the world of the living. I intend to do just that. I still have to find my successor after all."
A smirk stretched across Amir's face, "So, you're not going to let Sparrow's daughter take control after all? You're going to pass the League into someone else's hands? Surely not Aensland?"
Vincent's brow furrowed at the mention of her name. "No, not Abigail. The League was a means to an end for her. I want my heir to place the well being of the League above their own wants and needs. They have to be different from the Shaytans of old. Whomever becomes the next Raysh Al Shaytan, they have to be better then their predecessors. Especially me."
The rythematic tapping of Vincent's cane started the moment he stopped speaking. Already, The Blind Shaytan was moving away from Amir, and the direction this conversation was headed.
Vincent had served his time. He wanted out. The laws he had put in place to ensure that the League would survive had worked. The League had adapted, and was starting to flourish. The League no longer needed the Dublin Devil. It needed someone new with a grander vison for the days to come.
The Sapien Flu hindered X's ability to move with anonymity; most nations closed borders in response to the spreading flu, but that didn't stop her from stowing away on a Cargo Freighter from Daytonville to Eygpt and from Eygpt into Europe. Despite Mari's unwillingness to work with her, she'd return to Daytonville; the Order of Malta seemingly established a recruiting station, a School Club that'd be used to replenish the Order's political ranks.
Now, she'd gotten intel from one of the former children in the Program, Yuriel Taskov, now grown. He informed her that an American Accountant named Travis Norton was trying to establish a stronghold for the Order of Malta in Prague. Normally the information was useless, the Order was establishing recruiting stations all over the globe, but Norton was different. The rumor was he provided monetary assets to Ada to attack both Grimm and Valor City. In her mind, he swiftly moved to a priority one target.
She bought out the hostel; she couldn't afford a roommate while trying to plan and execute an assassination. Doubling back to a small Zune she had resting within her gear, she placed her headphones on with a singular song playing in the background. Using a table in the middle of the room, she laid out various files and dossiers she'd compiled on the Order. She learned there were two distinct branches. The Fraternity was composed of the Orders Political and Influential figures; these were world leaders, big corporations, banks, and celebrity socialites. The II Klab was the execution phase or the horsemen as they were called. The obvious one was her mother, Ada Guillaume, the Horsemen of Population Control, a woman so adept at her craft most people considered her a fable. The only other one she knew was the "War Monger" Royce Dallas, an arms dealer that had a penchant for partying.
Taskov owned an affluent nightclub in downtown Prague, a place called Tune. It was one of those clubs that only the elite knew of, scantily dressed bar staff with a Red Light District feel. One of his girls informed him that Norton was meeting there in a couple of hours with some prospects, and then they'd move to some clubhouse for the initiation ritual.
It seemed too good to be true, but Taskov was good for his information--Always. Besides, Americans had this ridiculous idea that most Europeans didn't speak or understand English. Maybe that's why he was so forthcoming with information.
She didn't hear the knock at the door, not at first, but once she felt the vibrations, she removed a headphone before gingerly moving toward the Baretta she'd hid under her pillow. Without so much as a creak in the floorboard, X moved toward the door before whispering. "When does the Eagle Fly?"
The Eagle Flies in the Afternoon.
The man responded confirming his identity to X. It was Taskov. He entered doting both of X's cheeks before handing her a package with an access badge that'd allow her entrance into Tune. Taskov was in the Lethal Weapon Program with X, he was there with her mother, when Ada escaped so did he. He was never really a good agent but he was excellent at procuring information. Well, excellent by human standards. "Are you working with the other Mercenary?" He asked which forced a curious brow from the platinum assassin. "Uh, I guess not," he said realizing he'd spoken too much. "Out with it. Who's this mercenary?"
"I don't have a name for him, this kid's fricken tall, easily over 6'0. Blonde hair, strong Irish accent."
She didn't need any more information, she knew exactly who he was talking about. Shawn her old Academy buddy. The only one who could tell her entire personality was a farce. Why was he here? they couldn't be working the same angle, could they? It didn't matter if Shawn was here then she had help, and she could assist him in whatever he was up to. "Give him my information, tell him to meet me at Gallery 44." Taskov nodded before hesitating to leave. "Is that all?"
Shackles forged from reinforced steel bound his wrists and ankles, and chains cold and thick dug into his bare flesh without reprieve. Surrounded by men armed and seething, Shawn hung his head low, avoiding the vengeful glint of their sharp stares as they watched the blood of their fallen colleagues drip from his muscled torso. Silence hung in the air, riding it alongside a breath of tension that thickened as the seconds swept by, disturbed only by the mechanical grunt of an engine as a black van sped down the road, transporting the Celtic Gorilla and the armed militants to the Czech countryside.
Soon, smooth asphalt gave way to the bumps and cracks of a dirt road, and buildings colorful and blooming were replaced by trees old and creaking. The van slowed to a stop, and its rear doors were parted open to rays of sunlight beaming in.
"We here?", Shawn asked, breaking his silence to wrap them all in the deep timbre of his voice.
"You are not here to speak!", one of the men barked, smashing the butt of his rifle into Shawn's face, "You are here to die..".
Long locks of blood-soaked hair veiled the smug grin cutting across the Celtic Gorilla's face. Rising from his knees to his feet and hopping out the van's rear doors to gaze upon the pale Sun, Shawn swept his gaze across the woodlands he'd been brought to. Leaves rode the crisp air, drifting past the afternoon light slanting down from the heavens above as Shawn sighted a safehouse of old wood in the distance.
"Bring out the boss", one of men rasped, nudging a colleague into action.
"Oh good, he's here, now I can get this shite over with", Shawn smiled, breaking through his restraints with nary a twitch of strain. Broken chains and shattered steel fell to the grass, and the panicked cocking of firearms abound were quickly drowned by a sickening symphony of crunching bones and brutal screams. Within moments, the men and their leader were dead and Shawn had completed his bounty.
A second afterwards and his cellphone buzzed in his pocket. Retrieving it, the Celtic Gorilla unlocked its screen to gaze upon a text message sent from Taskov.
"Funkin' hell, she's still alive", Shawn chuckled, his voice pitched by disbelief, "Guess I'm headin' over to Gallery 44".
The former Ruby left her weapons at the hostel and departed to meet Shawn. She kept a small decorative dagger on her person; given the city's size and the resources the order had at their disposal, she didn't want to be caught unarmed. Though currently, they had no reason to expect her.
She arrived before he did and ordered the two a lunch special; it was the least she could do, considering she was about to ask him to risk his life.
After a couple of minutes, Shawn arrived. He had this rough, broguish look that the silly girls (Like Mari) loved, but to X? "You look like shit," She called out, watching as he took a seat. He'd clearly been beaten, but Shawn was one of those mercenaries who liked to let you think you had the upper hand right before he smashed your face in.
Since their Academy days, she hadn't seen him; there was a high amount of mutual respect between the two. Given her shortlist of 'friends,' he was the only person she knew she could count on.
Sliding the glass of water in his direction, she got right to it. "Looks like you're already warmed up. That's good because I need your help. I'm on the trail of a man named Travis Norton. He's an American accountant here on business to establish an outpost for the Order of Malta. I believe the Order is behind the Sapien Flu, don't have any evidence yet, but you can trust me on this one. The mission is simple we find the order hideout, kill everyone, takes all documents."
X realized she must've been talking too loud as various people around her were caught glancing in their direction. She gave a sheepish laugh at everyone before turning back in his direction. "Whaddya say?"
Gone were Shawn's days of designer suits and polished watches of gleaming luxury. As he strode into Gallery 44, jeans of dark grey and a jacket of black leather hugged his oxen frame. Cracking his knuckles, the symphony of his popping joints was a subtle source of comfort, as was the throbbing of bruises on his face. They were relics of a world he was familiar with, at ease with - that of combat and brutality. Seeing the whites of his foe's eyes, knowing the crippling damage his fists dealt, and the dread warning him that the very same could happen to him next, it sent a rush of adrenaline swarming his veins.
But this? Dueling glances with Czech bluebloods who questioned his presence among them with every stare? It couldn't be more tedious.
Yet as he swept his gaze to and fro, Shawn sighted the platinum blonde shade of X's hair amidst the tables ahead, and the contempt eased out his face. A minute afterwards, he'd eased into a seat, and his eyes met X's for the first time since their days at the Academy.
"You look like shit"
"Well", Shawn paused, his lips riding a curve of roguish charm, "I suppose when ya don't swing me way, I'll never look like anything but", he shrugged, a chuckle escaping his lips like an autumn breeze, "Back in the Academy days, I could've sworn either you or I would've been six feet underground by now. Glad fate proved me wrong", Shawn smiled, his gaze genuine, "It's good to see ya again, X. How've ya been?".
Wrapping a hand around the glass of water X slid him, the Celtic Gorilla took a slow sip as X detailed the purpose behind their rushed reunion, "Of course it's the Order of Malta", he sighed, setting his glass down, "Those bloody fools are everywhere. And if they're behind the Sapien Flu...", Shawn growled, a cold storm brewing on his brow, his eyes staring through the table as a lump thickened in his throat, "It took me old man from me. Now I've got no one, nothing. So this", he exhaled, his breath as deep as the open sea, eyes edging with the light of conviction, "Is personal".
"I'm in", Shawn nodded, "So", he cleared his throat, "Any leads on the hideout?".
His comment made her laugh; she evaded death many times since their last meeting, and based on his current look, so did he. But as he spoke on the Order, he seemed to have some insight into who they were, that was good; it saved her an explanation, but as he dropped the bomb that he'd lost his father to the Sapien Flu, she didn't know what to feel.
The look on her face said she was sorry, but she couldn't form the words. It was one of those things she knew people said to one another. However, she never found herself in a position to do so. One thing X wouldn't do was act like she understood--at least not to Shawn.
"Uh, no." She said, visibly flustered, struggling with the transition from his dad's death to the details of the mission. She felt she needed to say something about Mari; she knew they were close; perhaps they could console one another. 'No...he needs this. Besides, it isn't my place.' She justified internally before focusing on why she'd sought him out.
"But I do know he will be at a club called Tune later. Word is he's meeting with a couple of prospects. I figure we go there cause a scene to force him back to his hideout and end it there."
She made it sound simple, but this was the Order of Malta nothing was simple with them. "I scored big in Daytonville, we finish this I can pay you" She knew she didn't have to, but no mercenary works for free, and it was a way to show she respected his work.
For those fleeting seconds of silence, the air was lonely as X struggled to muster any words of comfort. Sighting the flushed shade of her cheeks, Shawn briefly shoved all thoughts of revenge into the recesses of his mind and eased into a small smile as he held X's eyes.
"Payback's payment enough"
"Christ, it's like your dad just died now too", he paused, the dark, Irish sense of humor leading his words through the air, "I'm.. I'm alright", Shawn assured, nodding, "I've had time to deal with it. It's just...", he sighed, balling up a fist underneath the table, his knuckles whitening from the quiet fury as those same vengeful thoughts he'd banished moments ago resurfaced in defiance, "Now there's someone I can blame, someone responsible, someone who owes a debt I now get to collect. It was different before I knew someone was behind all this. Couldn't kill God for takin' me old man from me", he chuckled, "But the Order of Malta's a different story".
"But I'm good", he breathed out, his chest rising and falling as the air flowed out his lungs, "Anyway, if he'll be at Tune, that's where we'll be too. I can cause the scene we'll need to get them to flee or some shite. I can throw a nice little punch, implode something big in the club, make them think a bomb went off in a failed assassination attempt. While I do that, you can be outside in a getaway car or bike we'll use to follow them as they run out the club. It's better I cause the scene since those funkers don't know me, but I'd bet me bleedin' house they know you".
"Oh come on, you don't gotta pay me, X", Shawn scoffed, waving the offer off, "I got money, and payback's payment enough. But um... if ya ever see that girl Mari again, give her my number since ya seem to have it", he smiled, "I hope she's alright".
"Anyway, if he'll be at Tune, that's where we'll be too. I can cause the scene we'll need to get them to flee or some shite. I can throw a nice little punch, implode something big in the club, make them think a bomb went off in a failed assassination attempt. While I do that, you can be outside in a getaway car or bike we'll use to follow them as they run out the club. It's better I cause the scene since those funkers don't know me, but I'd bet me bleedin' house they know you"
It was good to see that he was on the same page with the execution of drawing them out, though the last part grabbed her attention. Did they know her? Was it an arrogant thought to think they didn't? She hit many of their facilities, leaving no one alive, but was her mother really that good.?
But um... if ya ever see that girl Mari again, give her my number since ya seem to have it", he smiled, "I hope she's alright".
X's eyes rolled a bit at the mention of Mari; it was almost as if the Beast of Belfast read her mind. "I'll do you one better." She said, removing her phone from her back pocket. Sliding her finger through her contacts, she found Mari's number before sliding her phone across the table in his direction. "We linked up in Daytonville. Long Story, but you should text her. And sooner rather than later, because like you, she also lost a parent." Not long after the waiter came back looking to snag their order. X ordered before taking her phone to text Taskov. She'd secure a getaway vehicle.
"When we finish here we can link up at the club in 3 hours"
Answering X's rolling eyes with a breezing laugh, Shawn shrugged with nary a grain of regret. His eyes were an ocean, their shade of icy blue carrying currents of certainty as he held X's gaze.
"The heart wants what the heart wants", he smiled, soon stunned into silence at the sight of Mari's phone number on X's cellphone. Flicking his eyes from the phone to X then back again, Shawn raised his brow, his heart clamoring in a fleeting second of shock. He couldn't have foreseen this, but wasted little time in pulling his former classmate's phone into his grasp. Retrieving his own phone from his pocket, the Celtic Gorilla raked his eyes over Mari's number, quickly saving it before returning X's phone with a smile boyish and writ with gratitude.
"Because like you, she also lost a parent"
"She has?", Shawn paused, the shock surging through his chest, his smile receding as sympathy and empathy swarmed his face, "Damn.. I take it that she lost her mum then. I know her old man wasn't in the picture.. and she and her mum seemed close. Your parent doesn't walk in and embarrass you in front of your classmates unless you're close", he smiled, wistful as his mind pulled back to memories of their days at the Academy.
Jotting Mari a quick text message - Hey Mari, it's Shawn. I got your number from X. I'll be in your area next week, so you and I are hanging out next Friday, just letting ya know - Shawn hit send before returning his attention to X.
"I used to draw you know? I should give that a try again once I'm done with this merc shite. Anyway", he sighed, "Let's get ready for those fools tonight. I'll see ya in three hours. And I know I said it before but really, it's good to see ya".
Three hours later, the night darkened the city of Prague and the full moon silvered its streets with slants of pale light. The stars twinkled across the evening sky like cosmic diamonds, yet even their light seemed a distant memory compared to the strobing rainbow in Tune's dancefloor. Music rode the air, revving up the soul and inspiring a primal need for others to move and sway with the ease of the alcohol flowing in their cups. Seated on a sofa in the nightclub's private lounge, Shawn passed his eyes over those around him, like a wolf stalking a doe as he sent text after text X's way.
So what does he look like? I need to be sure I spot him before I make me move. Don't wanna scare the bloody fool before he's even here.
I'll see ya in three hours. And I know I said it before but really, it's good to see ya".
He said it when she first arrived, but she disregarded the comment as a 'Good Will' greeting. But as it came again, she realized he meant it. She gave the nod with a slight smirk as to say 'same' before departing the restaurant, having left just enough euros to cover the bill.
Back at her hostel, she spent the time in between gathering her things. Once this job was finished, she'd have to hitch-hike back to Daytonville somehow. Thankfully Shawn chose not to take her funds, which kept her head of her budget. The exchange rate from Euros to Daytonville Credits was high-way robbery; she had just enough money to put herself in a low-end hotel for a couple of weeks, but when the money went dry, she'd have to go back to the mercenary boards. That option sucked because she'd have to miss school; with the Order of Malta acting in plain sight at Daytonville High, it was something she couldn't afford.
After sharpening her blades and placing her uniform on, she checked her phone, a text from Shawn.
So what does he look like? I need to be sure I spot him before I make me move. Don't wanna scare the bloody fool before he's even here.
'He's about 6'2; I'd give him around 185 muscular guy, light brown hair hazel eyes. Just look for the obnoxious American surrounded by a bunch of pretty women.'
She texts back, exiting the hostel. Moving around the building, she got the feeling she was being watched. In truth, ever since Shawn revealed that they could be watching her, she felt as if we're being watched. There were only a few platinum-haired assassins in the world.
Revving the bike, she sped off in the cover of night before shooting Shawn a message that she was en route. Travis Norton, the man who funded terrorist attacks, taking him down, would hinder the Order's operations only. temporarily; it was a massive engine that'd continue to roll. But the information Norton undoubtedly had would allow X to inch ever closer into taking down her mother.
Drumming his fingers atop the sofa's gilded armrest, Shawn glued his eyes to the dancefloor, sighting a trio of women dancing under the strobing lights, their heartbeats thrumming as one with the speakers booming all about them. Eyes glinting with amusement, a smile wicked and subtle crossed his face, and a thought raced into his mind.
Shame I'm gonna ruin their night.
Seconds afterwards, his phone buzzed and the Celtic Gorilla passed his eyes over X's texted description of their target - Travis Norton. Lifting his gaze from his phone's fading screen, Shawn glimpsed at a man easing into the trio of women. Tall and muscled to the lean proportions of a fitness model, he matched X's description. Yet as Shawn stood from his seat, rolling his neck as he did so, his eyes narrowed on the man's - emerald, not hazel.
Oh for funk's sake, his mind cursed, I need a bloody drink.
Wading through the sea of clubgoers as he strode towards the bar, Shawn felt a finger frantically tapping his upper-back. Turning at the heel with a cocked eyebrow, the Celtic Gorilla met eyes with the storming brow and hazel eyes of a foul-mouthed American.
"What the funk guy!? You just stepped on my goddamn shoes! You know how much I paid for these alligators?", he barked.
Glancing at the man's feet, Shawn held his laughter behind the curve of a silken smile, "Sorry about that mate, didn't see ya there", he paused, lifting his foot off the man's shoe.
"Damn right you're sorry", he huffed, flicking his eyes up and down with a sneer before turning away. Yet as the man strode off, Shawn kept him in his sights, watching as he strolled into a festive group of young women.
There's our man, the Celtic Gorilla grinned, abandoning his current path and heading to the men's bathroom instead. Once there, Shawn retrieved his phone, shooting X a quick text - Just spotted Travis. Get ready, distraction should be up in a minute. Don't wait for me if I'm not there right away. I can catch up to a bike in a short sprint.
"Alright", Shawn breathed out, balling up his fist as kinetic energy thundered in his muscle fibers like a raging storm, "Let's do this".
Swinging his arm like a whip, his fist crackled - then tore the air asunder with a blast. A shock-wave billowed outwards, filling the bathroom then shattering the walls in a fury. Heated rubble flew through the air and dust joined smoke in toxic plumes as panicked screams pierced through the music and both men and women flocked out the club.
Don't wait for me if I'm not there right away. I can catch up to a bike in a short sprint.
X mocked Shawn while sliding her phone back in her pockets. But knowing that did provide some comfort; she didn't have to worry about losing Norton waiting for Shawn to return to the bike.
A couple of minutes went by before a muffled explosion at the night club immediately followed by panicked patrons exiting the building gave the signal.
At the club's mouth, she saw Norton scampering toward a vehicle surrounded by various members of his entourage. 'Looks like 4 Prospects and 2 bodyguards,' She thought, watching as they sped off recklessly down the street. Kicking up the kickstand, she sped off behind them.
After a couple of blocks, the urgency in their escape waned, probably believing the nightclub incident to be an isolated thing.
She indirectly followed them for a couple of miles, periodically taking a risk and veering off to side streets to ease any suspicions. The vehicle convoy pulled off the main roads to a country road that leads to a single barn on the far right side and what appeared to be a cattle pasture on the left. X veered off just before exiting the city and took the rest of the way by foot.
She crept as far as she could without alerting armed guards positioned outside. She scoffed at the thought the Order brought their own guards; these were probably members of the Police Force or Army public servants that pledged their allegiance to the engine of death.
Shifting around in the tall grass, she gradually made her way behind their vehicles, inching ever so close to the two armed guards. Killing them now without Shawn could alert people on the inside if they didn't radio back.
'Got it.'
Closing her eyes, she channeled her abilities before speaking subtly. "Carry on as if nothing happened. No matter what you see or what you hear...nothing happened."
The two guards seemingly entered a trance before talking back and forth with one another, X walk right passed them, and they acted as if nothing happened. It was a power she inherited from her mother. Basic yet extremely effective.
'Kill the two guards when you get in. I'll be on the roof of the barn.'
She sent a text to Shawn before scaling the barn. Through a small crack, she could faintly make out the Order's initiation ritual; they hadn't started yet but were making the preparations. As her eyes honed in on a poster littered with all types of knives and darts she could faintly make out her face. 'That forker was right...' She thought. 'They're tracking me'
Wave after wave of panicked clubgoers fled the scene, storming out the exit like a river stream flowing into the open sea. Watching the fruits of his labor, a satisfied smirk crossed the Celtic Gorilla's face as the crowd thinned and the smoke thickened. Turning at the heel, Shawn rushed out the nightclub's backdoor, blasting it through the air with a shoulder barge. Once outside, the Celtic Gorilla leapt from the ground's concrete pavement to Tune's rooftop. Sweeping his eyes across the street, Shawn caught the faraway glint of silver hair vanishing down the road to his right.
Breaking into a sprint, he hopped from rooftop to rooftop, gluing his gaze to X's speeding motorbike until the asphalt gave way to a road paved in dirt, and the rooftops vanished. Landing on the country road with a thud as dust climbed into the air, silvered by the slanting moonlight, the Celtic Gorilla followed the tire tracks like a bloodhound on a deer's trail. The grass on either side of the road was poorly manicured, allowed to grow and rustle with the crickets chirping all about them. And the deeper Shawn ventured, the louder nature shrilled as small prey animals shrieked and cried in a desperate bid to ward off predators.
Soon, his phone - a vestige of the modern world in the woods - buzzed, and as he retrieved it, the Celtic Gorilla spotted X's latest text.
Kill the two guards when you get in. I'll be on the roof of the barn
Sighting the silhouette of a barn on the farmlands ahead, Shawn glimpsed at the two guards patrolling the perimeter, and his blood heated into a slow simmer as the memory of his father's suffering burned in the recesses of his mind. Chest heaving, his adrenaline in a frenzy, Shawn stopped, breathing in, then out. His breath misted in the evening air, and his heart slowed to the thrum of a cold fury. He was calm. Focused.
The guards never saw him. There was no scream. Their deaths were quick but brutal. The hideous crunch of crushed bone was drowned out by the rustling chorus of trees and bushes as their blood dripped from his fingertips.
Flicking his eyes upwards, Shawn sighted X perching atop the barn. Nodding, the Celtic Gorilla cracked his bloodstained knuckles and strode on, stepping over the slain guards he'd slaughtered a mere moment ago. Pushing the barn's doors open, the white of his grin flashed through the shadow the night cast over his face as Shawn wrapped every foe in his gaze.
"The funk? You're that dink from the club!", Travis exclaimed as a row of firearms were quickly aimed at the Celtic Gorilla.
"You never did tell me how much ya paid for those alligators", Shawn taunted, countering the hail of gunfire with a thunderclap, its kinetic roar flattening the bullets before they ever reached him. Knocked off their feet as a sharp ringing lanced through their ears and into their skulls, the guards and Travis rolled around the ground as blood trickled from their ruptured eardrums.
Dazed and disabled, they now lay prone on the wooden floor for X to pick off one by one.
Like a bird of prey descending to the unsuspecting rodent, the Platinum Assassin followed Shawn's brutal display with a downpour of Shuriken. Each tossed with precision instead of a direct hit; they curved mid-flight lodged into spleen and mother major organs that sent blood spewing like a Tarantino flick.
Landing in a crouched position, X spun around in the pool of blood, her basic blade lashing out like the 'string' of a lawnmower, clean cutting the feet from the ankles.
Like the crimson decor, her eyes began to hum red slowly. Throwing her hands over her head, she tried her hardest to keep it in. In the Lethal Weapon Program to celebrate the "10th Anniversary", she was 'Gifted' with a feature none of the other 'models' had--Berserker Rage. Like blood to the nose of a shark, X's rage mounted with each kill. "Fck...Fck.FCK!!!!" She screamed as her body swirled with an invisible force. A gunshot rang out, but instead of hitting her enraged body, they ricocheted elsewhere, only gaining the attention of Lethal Weapon X.
Turning her attention toward the lone gunmen, her body pounced from her location like a puma descending on the man with inexplicable speed; she drove her sword downward, piledriving her blade right through the top of his head, splitting him in half on impact.
She turned her attention to Shawn and Norton, who was next. Shawn obviously wouldn't go down easily, but Norton was defenseless, vulnerable. In her right mind, she wouldn't kill him. She needed information from him. Norton, he'd feel her blade next.
Before the Weapon could move, Taskov's voice rang out loud with a set of nonsensical words.
HYDRATE, EXCEL, FINESSE
She stopped. The rage swelling through her body subside, the invisible field disappeared; and the Platinum Assassin stood idol waiting for the next Manchurian command. Trying to seize the moment, Norton pulled out a pistol to shoot X but was pelleted in the arm by Taskov's own pistol.
Reboot
He commanded again, which relinquished control and gave X her mind back. "I got a headache..." She whispered before looking at the carnage around her. As X tried to regain her bearings, Taskov trained his pistol on the flailing Norton, he pleaded for the former Weapon to not kill him, but he wouldn't act without X's command or Shawn.
"Don't kill me; I'll tell you anything you wanna know!" He called out, holding his arm where he'd been shot. "He's with the Fraternity," Taskov said, shaking his head. The Klabb were the executioners of the Order; capture meant death via suicide. They would never surrender information.
Norton took a moment to eye Shawn up and down; there was a familiarity in his gaze. "Where's the Order going next..." X asked, still feeling the effects of the rage. Norton chuckled; he had an epiphany. He was being sacrificed; it was only once he noticed Shawn did he realize it.
"She really is something else." Rummaging through his pockets, he removed what appeared to be a hollow transmitter of some type. As he chucked it on the floor, a message from Ada appeared. The moment Ada's appeared, X tensed up; this was the first time since presumably her birth, she'd physically laid eyes on her mother.
Travis Norton. The Order has a need for your skills in Praga. You mission will be to establish a stronghold for the Order. This mission will be particulary dangerous as the Platinum Assassin is expected to make an appearance. Regardless of the circumstances this mission is no fail.
The Mission in Ireland depends on it.
The Transmission didn't make any sense. Why would she send Norton to Praga if she knew X would show.
Apparently, the confusion on the Lethal Weapon's face was apparent as Taskov stepped in with a handful of photographs. One of Shawn, One of Mari, One of So-So, and various other classmates at the Academy.
"Y-you don't think she knew you would come and help me? How'd she know you would be here?" X asked, taking a seat with her hands massaging her temples.
Unknown to the three of them from far off they were indeed being watched. The Lethal Weapon Cassia, The Beast of Belfast Shawn, and the Former Agent Taskov were in the scope of Ada's own clandestine group of assassins.
Yeah, She's here. He's here. Taskov's with them. Waiting orders.
Just as the Celtic Gorilla loomed over the bodies of criminals prone and groaning, so did disaster over his and X's mission. A primal rage simmered in the Lethal Weapon's heart, soon storming through her mind as it eroded her every sense. Butchering each enemy with an exhibition of blood and gore, X slaughtered every foe until none but friend was left. Muscles tensing as he met eyes with X, Shawn held her piercing gaze with a lion's glare, his fists balling up in immediate defense until Taskov's voice echoed out the shadows, replanting the seeds of rhyme and reason in the Lethal Weapon's mind.
It's never a simple job, Shawn sighed, rushing to X's side, "Well, ya lost your head for a bit", he paused, steadying her until her balance had returned. Flicking his eyes towards Travis, the Celtic Gorilla caught the smug twitch of his grin, narrowing his eyes as Travis answered X's demands with a revelation. A hologram flashed out the depths of a transmitter, and its message sparked Shawn's heart into a clamoring mess.
"Ireland?", he murmured, his brow wrinkling with confusion, eyes tightening with concern as they raked over pictures of X, himself, So-So, their Academy classmates - and Mari. Chest heaving as his breaths grew shallow, Shawn glared into Travis with so cold a fury it dared freeze his very bones, as though Travis had been stripped bare and left in the heart of a hailstorm where every shard of ice was a dagger cutting into his flesh.
"You little funkin' weasel", he growled, quickly returning to his senses at the pitch of X's voice, her question adrift in his mind, "I don't know", Shawn sighed, "I really don't know. I can only guess by those damn pics that she's been watching us for a while now. She knows who we know, so now", he paused, returning his attention to Travis, "We gotta know what you know".
Charging towards Travis, the Celtic Gorilla pulled the man's head into his grasp, his calloused fingertips digging into his skull like a vice, "Tell us everything you know or my friend here cuts your balls off", he threatened, motioning for Taskov to fetch a knife.
"What are you lot doing in Ireland? And what do those pictures mean?", he seethed, his mind in alarm at the danger that now hung over not only he and X, but Mari as well.
The Order of Malta had showcased the reach - the extent - of its influence, but in so doing, incited the Celtic Gorilla's rage. Muscles swelling, skin heating into a subtle shade of red, chest rising and falling like a magma chamber a second from erupting, Shawn was furious, clinging to a grain of self-control that shrunk with every passing second.
X's face echoed the irritation surging through her fellow mercenary. X stood unmoved as Shawn's pincer-like finger dug into the temples of Norton. His screams unraveled Taskov, who didn't have the stomach for things like torture, but X pulled her brass knuckles from a pouch in her uniform, fully prepared to deliver her share of the punishment.
Agh! W-wait wait! I-I-only know the Order was already in Ireland. We have a laboratory there. My Orders were to just come here and establish a stronghold, and kill the platinum chick. That's all I know I swear!
X took a deep look at the photos. They'd been expecting her, probably been on her trail for months now. So-So was Mari's cousin; there was Mari herself whom she'd built an odd partnership with. And of course, Shawn. The four were specifically connected through various partnerships.
The rest of the Academy crew were littered across the globe; she hadn't personally seen any of them since the school shut down. She looked over each of the files and saw what appeared to be an "As of Date" listed by powers and abilities. "This is a living document. You guys are studying us."
While Norton was dangling from Shawn's mammoth grip, the Platinum Assassin's reflex strike crashed against Norton's stomach, audibly shattering his ribcage on impact. Norton's mouth opened to scream, but he couldn't; his body was still trying to process where the pain hurt more.
X circled the room taking the pistol from Taskov, nodding toward Shawn to release him. "You need to understand something." She commented tasking a single 9mm round to eject the rest of the rounds in the magazine. "You can scream and lie all you want. But you will die today" X then placed the one round in the magazine, tapping at the top to ensure it was secured.
"Comply, and I'll afford you with the opportunity to do it yourself." She said, flashing the magazine with the single round before sliding it back into the pistol. "But if you don't. Then we'll have to do it. And we're perfectionist."
Norton's eyes darted back and forth between the three of them. Even if he did somehow survive, the Order would flush him out and kill him anyway. "They're trying to..." He stopped taking a moment to hack up blood.
"They want to create clones of your powersets. Some new guy...Crumm. He's been placed in charge of a bunch of projects. Even that damn flu! He's leading it. But That's all I know, I swear!"
X glanced around the room, making eye contact with both Taskov and Shawn before moving toward Norton. "Where can we find Crumm?" She asked, literally wiping the side of the pistol on Norton's face.
"I-I don't know, dude moves around. Last I heard he was in Moldova."
"What do ya think?" She asked from her crouched position looking back at Shawn and Taskov.
A scream from deep within lanced out Travis' throat, and the charming olive glow of his face sank in shade. The pain was unbearable, and Shawn offered him little in the way of reprieve. Fury swirled in the Super Spartan's eyes, driving his fingers deeper into Travis' skull till the thick bone nearly cracked in protest. Easing his grip once panicked confessions began soaring out Travis' mouth, Shawn hung on his every word before tossing him aside. Averting his gaze, the Super Spartan ran his fingers through his hair, a huff of frustration escaping him at the thought of the Order of Malta sinking their teeth into Ireland - into Mari.
Into X.
A blaze of anger heated his blood to a boil, and Shawn turned round to pull Travis back into his grasp, holding him in place as X shattered his ribcage with the hard edge of her brass knuckles. Releasing Travis from the binds of his iron grip, Shawn fought against the rising tide of anger swarming through him. Pacing back and forth, Shawn balled up his fists into steel bludgeons, his chest heaving and his thoughts gluing to the danger looming over X and Mari.
Yet as he found himself wading through a red mist of rage, the words flowing out Travis' mouth silenced the storm brewing in Shawn's heart into a fury cold and quiet.
"They want to create clones of your powersets. Some new guy...Crumm. He's been placed in charge of a bunch of projects. Even that damn flu! He's leading it. But That's all I know, I swear!"
So the hands stained with his father's blood belonged to a foul man named Crumm. Pulling the evening air into his lungs with a deep breath, Shawn exhaled, and the Super Spartan met eyes with X.
"We're heading to Moldova"
"We're heading to Moldova", he answered, wrapping X in the deep rasp of his voice as he strode forward, inching close enough that his voice was pitched low and for her ears only, "These funks stabbed a poster of you with knives and darts", he almost growled, "They've been tracking you and Mari, and they already killed me old man. So I'm not letting shit happen to either of you. Kill him", he paused, glancing over his shoulder at Travis, "Then we round up a team to take care of business".
X's eyes cut to Shawn on his proclamation; she could feel the anger radiating from his massive frame. While she agreed, Moldova was worth investigating; she also believes they needed to approach with caution.
Before she could voice her concerns, he went into a low grumble, concerned for her safety, concerned for Mari's safety, and vengeful of his father's death.
X bent down to the down Travis and whispered in his ear before placing the single round pistol into his hands. The moment his hands met the grip, he took the weapon and fired it under his chin. His blood and brain matter splattered across X face. Thankfully she was facing away from Shawn when it happened; he didn't get to see just how excited forcing someone to kill themselves made her.
It was almost an involuntary response. "I'm more than capable of handling myself, Shawn," She said with a subtle sigh, not trying to undercut his concern but elevate her own standing within his eyes. "And if anyone is stupid enough to think they're going to take out Mari with the support system she has, then they're moronic."
X saw first hand what Mari's abilities had grown to be. Magic-based abilities with a penchant for the Dark Force. She wanted to say something in regards to his father but opted against it. What could she say? She didn't know her father, and after today, she had a pretty strong impression that her mother wouldn't be forthcoming.
After going around the room scavenging for resources that'd assist her in her quest, she moved back to Shawn and Taskov.
"We can't consider this a win. If they're watching us, then we have to assume they knew Norton would squeal. They are probably expecting us to hit Ireland and even Moldova. We have to hit them when they least expect it. Let's regroup at a later time."
Taskov nodded in agreement; he gave the Platinum Assassin a hug and kiss before patting Shawn on the back to signal his departure. "Be careful!" She called out as he disappeared beyond the barn.
"Go to her," X called out referring to Mari. She had to return to Daytonville anyway.
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