Chapter One:
~*~*~*~*~*~
Night time, summer time, and pass midnight. The moon was barely seen, mostly hidden by withdrawing dark-grey, thunder-storm clouds. At a small abandoned cabin over a hillside, halfway rundown with creaking windows and many holes in the roof, moonlight seeping through them in strings of faint light, casting a shadow for anything that comes in their way. Rain drops dripped quietly to the floor, in small puddles scattered on the wet, broken wooden-slot floor.
"Hatcho~!" Axl Low rubbed his wet nose, "Darn, I think I've caught a cold!" he told, two hands held his hair, squeezing it, water dripping on the wooden floor.
"Sadly, the wood is all wet or I could've made a campfire." Sol Badguy grumbled angrily, his Fire-Seal gripped tight in his hand while he crossed his arms over his chest, the hunter was all wet because of the earlier rainstorm as well.
Sniffling, Axl rubbed his nose, "And I'm all wet." He whined.
"Wet yourself?" the hunter grinned, taunting.
"No!" the blond youth shot, blushing. Axl sighed and then looked around the shambled cabin in hope to find a dry spot to sit.
Sol chuckled, sitting quietly on the only dry stool available among the ruins.
Axl suddenly stopped, his spine stiffened, "Uh Oh! I'm getting tingly!"
Sol went bug eyed, practically jumping off his stool, comically using it as a shield against the blond youth, "Again?"
The portal abruptly opened and it slowly widened under the blond youth's feet, Axl was so freaked he jumped over the hunter and grabbed his leg, Sol freaked even more, throwing away the stool and threatening the youth not to pull him long, but too little too late. The time traveler and hunter were both pulled into the portal…
Falling on their soft behind, Sol growled and sent his knuckles to the boy's head before standing up, Axl stood up and felt his offended flesh, and head as well, the two were busy looking around their new surroundings. For starters, the place seemed familiar and everything seemed the same and everyone Sol knew was the same as he remembered, so what the hell changed? Did they time travel or simple switched places?
"Hey! Isn't this the Holy Order's main base in France?" the blond Sickle user asked, confused.
"Sure looks like it." the bounty hunter growled, "C'mon, we'd better check if everyone is still here."
"Wait for me, chief!"
Sol scanned the ward and that's when he saw Ky Kiske walking his way, nose stuck in a report he was reading.
"Hey! If it isn't old French fry! Got your nose stuck in a book again?" Sol taunted.
"Huh?" Ky looked up at the hunter then arched a brow, "Oh, Sol! What are you doing here?" the youth frowned, "I thought you said you had a bounty to catch!"
"Whatever…" the hunter shrugged.
"And why on earth are you so darn wet?" the Frenchmen cried, "You've gotten the floor wet you idiot! Do you know how long it takes to get this placed waxed?" he scolded.
Sol snorted and was about to snap back when Axl cut in.
"Uh, got stuck in a summer drizzle!" Axl said, laughing nervously.
"Axl Low?" Ky blinked and was just about to say something more when something else caught his attention, "Oh! Excuse me!" he told the two men and walked around them, the folder in his hands.
Sol and Axl followed the blond French youth with their gazes only to see that he was hurrying towards a man in an armored bodysuit with a crew of at-least thirty men following him. The man was not so tall; the suit was a mix between the Holy Order's blue-white uniform and a protective armor-bodysuit, and he wore a helmet that covered most of his face.
Ky approached the armored man and the man stopped, they both greeted each other, Ky spoke to the armored man and then handed him the file, the man accepted it, took a minute to read what was written and then told Ky something and the youth nodded, quickly heading back to the two men.
"Sol, we have a new mission, are you ready?"
"No! And who the hell was that?" the spiky haired hunter growled.
"Chief!" Axl warned, teeth gritted.
"Sol you Idiot! That is Vice-President of the Holy Order's Communication Community, also the Commander of the Defense Unit and Head Leader of the Holy Order's Swat Team!" Ky informed, angry, "Don't you ever pay attention to anything these days? What's gotten into you?"
Sol snorted again and then walked towards the armored man, "We'll see about that."
Sol strolled angrily towards the armored man, but when he got close enough, the crew surrounding him stopped and faced Sol, battle pose pretty obvious. Ky and Axl followed and tried to cool the hunter, but Ky panicked when the armored man turned and looked at the hunter, nothing but fine thin lips were visible from under the helmet, and that had Sol startled.
"It's a woman?" he gawked at the red lipstick he saw on the lips.
"Sir Kiske, I'm sure you have an explanation for this?" the woman spoke, clearly angry.
"Yes, I do milady, and I'm very sorry!" Ky smiled, a poor attempt of explaining himself.
"What's with the prissy attitude? Let me see your face!" Sol growled at her, fighting under Axl and Ky's restraining.
The woman snorted then lifted both her black-leather gloved hands to pull the helmet off.
Sol stared… glorious bloody red hair flowed down like a silken sash over her shoulders, her long forelock bangs framing her pale face, her lips so thin with the crimson color adding cuteness to her calm, solemn face. A lonely peach colored eye with beautiful black-eyelashes framing it, proving the elegance and femininity it possessed, her other eye was in pale pink-grey and scarred, a faintly visible jagged line running over it, staining her beauty.
"Baiken?" Sol gawked, 'How the hell did she become a Vice-President?' he thought.
"That's Lady Baiken, Sol!" Ky snapped, "Please~ remember that!" he begged.
The redheaded woman looked at the hunter, "You're Sol Badguy?" she tilted her head with a faint smile, a smile Sol had never seen before, "I've heard much of you." She nodded.
The spiky haired man glared down at the shorter woman, "Oh really?"
"…!"
"Lady Baiken!" a solider rushed in, so all turned to face him, startled, "I've just received info that Anji Mito had escaped the colony again, and he somehow retrieved the Zessen fans as well!"
"Again?" she gasped, "OH!" she groaned angrily, comically her head started steaming, "That's it! I'm gonna nail his ass to the floor next time!" she growled, stomping her feet back to the main entrance, "Where was he last located?"
"He was last seen about an hour ago, he is probably still in town." The messenger replied.
"Lady Baiken," one of her swat team members called, "would you like us to send a search party?"
"No thank you, Ace, I'll deal with that rascal myself." She told, "You boys can have the rest of the day off." With that, she left with the messenger.
Sol and Axl stared at her until she left then they turned to look at the team.
"Okay," Sol began, "I'm beginning to get the idea of where we went."
"Me too." The British blond replied, "Looks like Anji's causing trouble even now, huh?"
"Meh, that four eyed geek had always been a sore thorn in my side, I'm just glad he's stuck with a dame he likes this time." The hunter smirked.
"I beg your pardon!" the one named Ace frowned, walking closer to the hunter though he was a head shorter; "Lady Baiken is not the primitive type to get hunted by a runaway fugitive like that Mito."
"Aw you're just sore cause she turned down your request for a date!" a blond man from the team taunted.
"No she didn't! She was just- just- late in answering!" Ace told.
"And what was her answer?"
"Oh, I'm sorry Ace! I'm too busy chasing Mito's cute ass to go out on a date with you!" another blond mocked.
"Quit it!" Ace shot, blushing beat red.
Axl, Sol and Ky all blushed with sweat drops, 'So I'm not the only ones who tried to hit on her?' they never knew they were sharing the same thought.
"Enough!" Ky shot, "May I remind you that Lady Baiken is very punctual, so you had better not stir anything up." The young French blond warned, "And take this as a warning," he grinned, "I still haven't told her about the missing tank."
The Swat Team members widened their bug-eyes at the Knight.
"You wouldn't dare!" a brown-headed man hissed.
"Oh you know very well that I would!" Ky grinned, a grin as evil as Sol's!
Sol gained a sweat drop, 'Heck! The kid actually bounces back, huh?'
"Brat! If you dare, then that would ruin everything we worked for!" the first blond man hissed angrily.
"Enough!" Ace cried, but his eyes were diverted to the main entrance, "Something happened to Lady Baiken! I can feel it!"
"What?" Ky gasped, "What is it? What happened?"
"What do you see, Ace?" the brown-haired man asked.
The youthful, brown-haired boy closed his honey-gold eyes and crossed his fingers, index and middle fingers flat against each other, concentrating.
Silence was filling the place…
"It is an ambush! The messenger was a fake and Lady Baiken was kidnapped by the Assassins Team!" Ace informed, "We have to hurry, they're boarding a black truck!"
Sol stomped his foot, "How the hell do you know that?"
"Ace has psychic powers Sol, but this is no time to chat!" Ky informed, "Swat Team! Move out!"
"Yes Sir!" the Team cried in unity, quickly rushing out of the building; Ky quickly followed.
Sol looked at Axl and the blond British youth shrugged and followed the Team, "Sh**…" Sol cursed and then followed.
~*~*~*~*~
"Uh… you goddamn, bit**ing, bastards!" Baiken hissed to herself, her armored bodysuit flexibly helping her beat up the enemies surrounding her with hand-to-hand combat since she had no weapon available. They were forcing her back into the opened doors of an old black truck.
Venom, the leader of the assassins was standing quietly atop of the vehicle. "Save your breathe woman, resistance is futile."
"As futile as that stupid, old-fashioned fish-eyed wig you're wearing!" she shot back, never looking at him, her eyes fixed to the many assassin comrades surrounding her; the messenger grinning at her among them. 'Traitor…' she hissed.
"Sorry! Assassins pay more, and I don't get bi**-lead by a woman!"
'Humph…' she snorted.
"But there was something true," the messenger grinned.
Venom tilted his head the tiniest bit, face hidden under his long silver hair.
"What?" the redheaded leader glared, waiting. "What was true?"
"We have Anji in our grasp!"
Baiken widened her lonely eye, not daring to gasp.
BANG!
The redheaded woman gawked wide eyed as the messenger received a hole in his forehead, blood gushing out like a barrel with the cork pulled out. Red as wine, blood spilt on the concrete with a disgusting 'Splut!' and a dead blank face. Ears twitching, the woman jerked her head around to sneer up at the assassins leader, Venom only lowered his hand, a man at the side of the truck lowered his gun. A magnum, 6 mm!
"That… was unnecessary…" she growled, fists clinched, face gone pale.
"He talks too much…" the silver-haired leader said coldly and then swung his arm to the men, "Move, they're coming!"
"Huh?" Baiken jerked around and back to the many men surrounding her, most of them were giving her creepy looks.
"Let's go to town, boys!" a man laughed.
"Gah!" the redheaded woman gasped, a hit on the backside of her head was enough to knock her out cold.
~*~*~*~*~
"Halt!" Ky cried, arriving at an old smelly ally where the black truck kicked up to high gear and the wheels screeched, the truck bolted off.
The roaring of a motorcycle screeched as well, it stopped at the crew and that's when Ace looked at the blond Knight from under his helmet, "Get on, sir! Thunder-Bird can catch up to them."
"Good!" Ky smiled and jumped on the bike, Ace handed him a helmet so the knight wore it, "Lets go!"
Sol looked at the bike as it jolted away, Ky's uniform fluttering with the wind, "Some things sure have changed around here…"
"Yeah…" Axl replied, "We're even dried up already!" the British blond wasn't paying any attention to the hunter; he was busy inspecting his now-dry clothes, "Wonder when this happened."
Sol comically gained a vein pop, a karate-chop right on Axl's head, "Moron!!"
"Ow~!"
"Why the hell are we standing here doing nothing!" the blond from earlier shot, "To your vehicles, men!"
"Yea!" the crew cried, quickly running back to the Holy Order's building.
Axl looked at Sol and they both shrugged.
A minute later, roaring motorcycles zoomed through the ally, a motor stopped at the hunter, "Hop on, Sir! We need to catch up on Sir. Kiske!" the earlier brown-haired man informed.
Sol grunted, "Fine, but I'm driving!"
"Huh?" pushed back, Sol took the bike's control and zoomed forwards, "WHOA~!" the brown-headed man clutched to Sol's shoulders.
Axl gained a sweat drop and then looked at a redhead that stopped his bike near him, waiting, "I'll take the back seat, thank you." The redhead nodded, so Axl rod on it, now he was starting to catch up with Sol and the rest of the Team.
Sol grinned wide, the powerful speed of this bike amused him, it was fun! The wind pushing back his spiky hair, wind in his eyes, his prototype-brain began to function, locating the truck position, status and speed merely a few minutes away. His muscles pumped up and ready, hands twisting the handles to add more speed, bones literally shaking with excitement. Licking his lips, Sol held back the need to laugh, the heart of the solider behind him was beating 100 times a minute!
"You know, if you over do it, the engine might explode!" the brown-headed man informed, slowly collecting his courage from the sudden, raged speed.
"What? Are you scared?" Sol taunted, "If so then jump off!"
"What? And leave my Angel with a road hog like you?" the youth cried, "Over my dead body! I spent twelve years of my life assembling this bike! Angel is tough but I need to get her a new heart, the old one is growing old."
Sol laughed out loud, the black truck coming into sight, "You're such sissy, boy! Mothering a machine like that."
"Boy?" the youth snarled, "Wears some glasses, stupid! I'm a girl!" She hissed, "One fourth of the Swat Team is formed of girls!" she paused, "And Angel is not just a machine! Why, we're practically sisters!"
"Heck?" Sol gaped, not daring to look back at her, now feeling her feminine hands slide up to hold his shoulder, standing in her seat, "Hey! Sit down, stupid!"
"There is the truck!" she cried, few brown bangs fluttered with the forceful wind, "And the name is Sophie! Sophie Crafter!"
"Yea, whatever," Sol muttered, "Sit down! This is gonna be a rough ride for you and your Angel!" the hunter lowered his head and kicked up to high speed.
"Whoa~!" she gasped, sitting down quickly before the hunter threw her off. "Watch it! If anything happens to Angel, I swear it'll be your ass!" she threatened.
"Whatever…"
~*~*~*~*~
"Sir! The cops are gaining on us!" an ugly looking gangster with cuts and scars all over his face informed the man in the back side of the truck, "What should we do?"
"Lose them." Coldly said the silver headed assassin, Venom sat on the floor of the inner side of the truck, he had his arm crossed over his tanned, bare chest, one leg was outstretched while he other knelt, his knee at the high of his chest; he lifted his head up and toward the two tiny, circular windows in the back of the truck, the sight of the motorcycle with Sol on it fairly catching up to them, "I see, so he had returned."
"I thought he was out of town!" a man with an eye-patch next to the driver growled, "Sh**! We were double-crossed! Why those damn ninjas!" he pulled out a pair of nun-chucks, "Why I oughtta-!"
"Quite!" Venom ordered, his hidden face fixed to the back windows.
Venom spared a look at the unconscious woman; one of his men was holding her tight as if she was very dear to him, a thin line of blood was clear on her cherry-colored lips; a look of worry on the youth's face. The youth who held the redhead was about 20 or so, shoulder long, blond hair tied back with a sky-blue ribbon, brilliant blue eyes, he had just entered the Assassins' Guild, so basically, he was still just a rooky, inexperienced in real battle, this was his first one and he was already shaking.
Venom was a bit doubtful of letting him join in this mission in the first place, but the youth was persistent, it somehow reminded him of a very hateful woman he knew in the past, and those eyes! Those damn blue eyes, they resembled her so much! Venom had to look away to be able to cool himself down enough to concentrate back on the main mission, sparing a quick look at the blond and the redheaded woman.
Venom shook his head and then reached up a hand and pressed a little thing near his ear, "Plan B, commence!" he ordered.
"Roger that." A static voice replied.
~*~*~*~
"Damn!" Sol cursed, the truck was beginning to gust out black smoke, it was getting the scenery all fogged up.
Sophie started coughing and then flung down her helmet, "Oh, God, that's better." She mused, reached back and flicked a small lock open, took out a helmet and then tapped on the hunter's shoulder, "Here, wear this before you chock to death!"
Sol ignored.
"Hey! Mister!" she called, "Are you listening."
"There is another truck!"
"Huh?"
"Sh**!" Sol grunted, but that's when the smock started chocking him.
"Hey! Wear this, hurry!" Sophie told, "It has a filter, it'll be easier to breathe."
Sol paused, squinting his eyes, unable to see anything, he twisted a hand back and grabbed the helmet, popping it on, it took a minute before a smile of relaxation washed on his face, "Damn that's so much better!"
"Yeah, wonderful, isn't it girl?" Sophie laughed, patting her bike.
Sol was just about to taunt her when the bike roared on its own, "What the-?"
"Easy girl!" the woman told, "We're on a mission! Don't go naughty on me, got it?"
The bike roared again, freaking the hunter.
"Hell? This bike has its own brain?"
"Hell yeah! I didn't spend twelve years just to make on ordinary bike!" the woman laughed, "Pretty neat, huh?" ^_^
"Whatever…" the hunter muttered, "We gotta find the truck."
"The smock is clearing out!" Sophie told, "And there is the truck!"
The bike sped up even more.
"Wow! Hey! Stop this thing!" Sol cried.
"Aw~ what's the matter? Are you scared?"
"No you moron! That's a trick! The real truck turned left a corner back!" Sol shouted.
"How do you know?" the woman asked, puzzled.
"None of your business!" the hunter sneered.
"Feh… Angel, use your digital maps, how many old seventies style black trucks that are over legal speed can you locate?"
After a few beeps and glitches, the bike began to give out Morse code language.
"Alright, we have five trucks! Three are about a mile ahead, stopped, and two are moving, one is this one ahead of us and one as a while back,"
The bike beeped again.
"Oh! The other truck stopped!" Sophie gasped.
"Hell, it talks?" Sol gawked.
"I'm saving up money to buy her a new digital screen; it would make communicating with her easier." The brown headed girl told, "I've got a long way to go, I've even thought of giving her a voice and a memory bank, a black box if necessary, but I can't afford a good one."
"Wow…" the hunter mused.
Sophie reached back and pulled out a talkie, "Hello! This is Angel! Thunder Bird, can you hear me?"
Static buzzed, "This is Thunder Bird, repot Angel, what is you status?"
"I am currently chasing a black truck identical to the accused one, but I've received info that there are five other identical ones scattered around town, I am at sector A-12 and the original target is heading towards sector A-15 twenty miles south east, but I'm loosing it, my radar isn't showing much, over!"
"Roger that, Angel. Street-Shark is at that sector, contact him, I'll contact Sky-Dancer."
"Roger that! Over and out!"
Sophie changed frequency while Sol maneuvered his way around to the real truck, following the Morse code Angel was giving him, 'Good thing I know Morse.' He muttered to himself.
"Hello! This is Angel, Street-Shark, can you hear me?"
"Oui! Street-Shark reporting, what is it, Angel?" a Frenchman replied.
Sol's skin pin prickled, 'Damn! Another French fry…'
"Hatcho~!" a sneeze came, "Oh, excuse me," Street-Shark sniffled, "Uh, repot your position, Angel."
"I am at sector A-12 and the truck is heading towards you, approximately twenty miles south east, now heading east towards section A-15, can you catch up to it?"
"Roger that! Over and out."
"Good luck!"
~*~*~*~*~
"Who's Angel?" Axl asked the redhead he was riding with.
"Angel is the code of the bike, that's probably Sophie's bike, mine is Street-Shark." The redhead smiled.
"You name your bikes?"
"It's easier for undercover missions and if we're chasing anyone." The Frenchman replied.
"Oh…" Axl nodded, "Oh! There's the truck!" he pointed a head.
"Alright! Hold on!"
~*~*~*~*~*~
"Sir! We've lost Sol, but that damn brat, Kiske is on our tail!" the driver told.
"Aw man, another bike is coming, too!" the one with the eye patch growled.
Venom uncrossed his arms and looked out the back windows, "I see…" he hissed, reached up a hand to stroke his silver crown, "It looks like plan B didn't work, we will simply jump to plan D then."
"D already, sir?" the driver asked, eyes on the road, "It'll take a while before we reach that location."
"Excuse me, sir." The blond rookie spoke.
Venom turned to look at him, Baiken still unconscious in his arms.
"If my memory doesn't fail me, I think there is a shortcut right down left at main street, if you take it, you'll be home free."
"You're right, I remember that old alleyway, no one goes through it any more." The one with the eye patch mused, "Good thinking!" he tensed up suddenly, "Uh- but you're not as cleaver as the boss, though." He chuckled nervously.
"I see," Venom said coldly, "Boy, remind me, your name was?"
"Raphael, sir." The blond, blue eyed youth replied.
"Raphael… I see." Venom nodded once, "Follow his directions and let us see where it leads."
"Well, it leads to an underground driveway that-"
"Uhh…" Baiken stirred, her lonely weary peach-colored eye looked up at the young boy, "Kiske?"
Raphael blushed, "No, I'm not." He smiled a bit.
"Lady Baiken, I am pleased that you have finally decided to join us." Venom said with the tiniest sign of mockery.
"You!" she said dizzily, "What do you want of me?"
Raphael helped her sit up straight.
"Nothing, but having a very important hostage is worth a while, no?" the silver-headed assassin told, "The Holy Order would currently pause until you have been returned," he informed, "and besides, I need you for a special mission."
"Well I aint lending a hand if that's what you're asking." Baiken hissed.
"Two Japanese are better than one." Venom told.
Baiken frowned, 'Anji…' she whispered, pressed a hand to her temple and glared, "What do you have in mind?"
Venom reached up a hand to fork back silken silver strands, revealing his evilly grinning face, brilliant blue eyes lazily looked at her, "You will soon find out."
"Hold on! This is gonna be a though one!" the driver told and turned the car in a 90 degree turn, barely missing the lamp post at the corner.
Venom lost balance and almost slammed into the side of the truck, his hair over his face again.
Raphael grabbed Baiken shoulder and they were sitting so it was easier for them to stay upright.
"Watch it!" the one with the eye patch growled.
"Hey! Don't blame me! You're too close to the window!" the driver hissed, "And besides! You're reactions are too slow!" he smirked.
"What!?!" the one with the eye patch pulled out his nun-chucks, "Dare say that again, you lummox?"
"Who you calling a lummox, you jackass!" the driver hissed.
"Enough!" Venom shot angrily and both men literally turned white, paralyzed in fright, "Turn off the lights and drive quietly to the other side."
"Yes sir!" the driver mumbled.
The truck drove into a dark alleyway, unseen since the lights were turned off as well. The Holy Order's Bikes zoomed pass them quickly.
~*~*~*~*~*~
A/N: whatcha think? ^_^