"Inside each of us, there is the seed of both good and evil. It's a constant struggle as to which one will win. And one cannot exist without the other" – Eric Burdon
It was another brisk fall evening in Chicago, and on one of the poorly back streets a man stumbles out of a shady bar, he leans against the paint chipped wall while he lights a cigarette after he has been thrown out of another deadbeat bar. The leather jacketed man took a long deep breath watching as the smoke escaped his mouth dissipating into the chilly night air.
"Mr Crews"
The man turns to see an older gentleman dressed in a navy expensive looking three piece suit, his hands clasped behind his back
"Mr Dean Crews" he repeated in a well spoken voice
"Who's asking?" questioned the first man in the leather jacket, cigarette still in his mouth as his hands move to his pockets
"my employer requests an audience with you" he gestured to a black limo parked on the side walk looking wildly out of place in the shady, badly lighted back alley
"you got the wrong man" he started to walk away when the suited man called after him
"Dean Crews, ex-detective of Chicago police department of 15 years, dishonourably discharged for brutally beating a convict in your custody"
"shut up" interrupted the man in leather "who the hell are you?"
"my name is Stevenson, you are Mr Crews"
"yer I'm Dean, whats this about?" asked dean walking back towards Stevenson
"as I stated my employer requests and audience with you, he has a proposition involving your brother's release"
Dean dropped his cigarette, his anger starting to build
"what do you know about my brother?"
Stevenson gestured towards the car once more, dean looked towards it weighing out his options, finally he turned his gaze back to Stevenson
"who is your employer?"
It had taken them 3 hours to arrive at the location of this supposed employer and Dean was pretty sure they had crossed into another state, his hand remaining close to his revolver the whole drive. Eventually they pulled up to a very old looking building in the middle of a city, the streets were mainly empty a few early rises beginning their day. Stevenson moved to open Dean's door but the ex-cop was already out waiting for him.
Their footsteps echoed down the long dark corridor as an early sunrise illuminated some of the shadowy corners, Dean followed Mr Stevenson silently, he could still feel the slight buzz from his earlier drinks. Mr Stevenson came to a stop infront of a set of ornate double doors, he pushed one open and ushered Dean inside.
"make yourself comfortable Mr Crews, my employer will be with you presently" he then closed the door leaving Dean in a grand boardroom, a long wooden table with carved wooden chairs, along the walls were large paintings each had a middle aged man, some looked very old and each man wore a black suit with the same gold pin
"each one is a portrait of a past leader of The Order"
Dean spun around hand instinctively going to his back where his trusty revolver was kept, a man dressed in all black his hair slicked back, a gold pin identical to the portraits on his chest
"take a seat Mr Crews we have a lot to discuss" he pulled out his own chair and sat, undoing his jacket button as he did.
"who are you?" asked Dean as he remained standing
The man leaned back and crossed his legs
"straight to business I see, you can call me Mr Smith"
Dean snorted
"Smith? Really? Let me guess first name John"
Mr Smith smiled slightly
"I have a proposition for you Mr Crews"
"I'm listening" answered Dean leaning on the back of one of the carved chairs
"what I'm about to tell you is not public knowledge and cannot leave your mouth" once Dean nodded Mr Smith continued "the world is under threat from a bio terrorist names Frederick Deeming, he in creating an army using biometrics, he has kidnapped four of the worlds greatest scientists and is forcing them to create his army, the bombings in London last week was due to him, he tried his new toxins on the public with disastrous results, luckily our people got to the infected first, this is what happened to them"
Smith slid a file over the table, looking inside Dean's stomach turned the creatures in these photographs were not human, their features distorted skin color tinged with blue veins protruding from their skin, they were monstrous looking.
"he did this to them? Why?"
"what you cannot see in these photographs is the strength these… people possess, one threw a doctor through a wall killing him, Deeming wants that power but he also wants to be able to control them"
Dean flicked through the remainder of the folder, not understanding any of the scientific babble
"and the British public don't know about this? How'd you swing that?"
Smith began to walk around the room
"the order has a wide discreet reach with officers in every major city around the world, we informed the press that the damage was done during the bombing and the people who were infected had died from shrapnel damage"
Dean dropped the file back onto the desk
"so why am I here? I'm no scientist"
Smith stopped and turned meeting Dean's gaze
"we need to track down and stop Deeming before he tries again or god forbid succeed?"
"I'm still failing to see why you need me"
Smith pulled out another file and began to read from it
"Dean Crews graduated top of your class at the academy, highest closure rate, although some of your methods were not what the department wanted and when you almost killed a suspect trying to find out where an abducted little girl was when they discharged you dishonourably" he closed the file" and you saved the girl anyway"
Dean remained quiet so Smith added
"you do not know the meaning of the word failure, you are an excellent marksman and a formidable detective, you will lead a team of people with unique abilities to stop Deeming"
Dean still felt sceptical at what this stranger was telling him
"what makes you think i would do this if it is even true?"
"because Mr Crews I have evidence that will prove your brother's innocence"
Dean stood abruptly and strode towards the well-dressed man, his voice grew louder
"you have evidence and you have just left an innocent man imprisoned, why? Why would you do that?" smith just looked him straight in the eye and simply said
"for an occasion such as this, when the order needs an outsider it is necessary to have leverage to make sure the job gets done"
Dean's hands rushed forwards grabbing Smith's lapel, pushing him against the table
"what evidence?" shouted Dean
"that's not how leverage works Mr Crews" said Smith calmly as if they were having just a normal polite conversation
"and if I refuse?" growled Dean
"then the information does not come to light and you will be drugged to forget the events you have witnessed" Smith removed Dean's hands straightening out his expensive jacket.
The door opened behind them causing them to both turn as two women entered, Stevenson held the door open for them, one dark haired, curvy with dark make up, the other was tall, brunette and slim, she wore high heels, pencil skirt and lab coat
"ah, Mr Crews I would like to introduce you to Mistress Rhonda Davi and Dr Selene Ford they are part of the team I was telling you about"
Both women looked at Dean, Mistress Davi bowed her head slightly while the doctor just watched him.
"Mistress Davi has the unique ability, she can foresee future events before they happen, you might call her a…"
"psychic" interrupted Mistress Davi, Dean rolled his eyes
"psychic? C'mon, seriously?" he pointed towards her "let me guess you can read my mind as well"
Mistress Davi squinted slightly moving slowly towards Dean, she stopped in front of him, tilting her head a little, Dean warily stepped back
"that would be ridiculous" she said with a thick Spanish accent, Smith and the doctor both smiled
" I can only see certain future events my people call me El Vidente"
Dean straightened "right"
Smith stepped round gesturing towards the other woman
"and this is Dr Ford one of the brightest minds in biology among other sciences, Deeming tried to kidnap her as well, luckily we got to her first"
"and it still feels like I'm being held against my will" she finished, Smith waved her off
"she has agreed to help us with the science side of the situation"
Dean lent against the wall, pulling a flask out of his pocket
"so this is it" he took a gulp of whatever spirit he left in there "this is the team you've assembled to defeat a deranged psychopath whose is building an army somewhere, who also has an unlimited number of resources and probably has his own private security" he pointed at the two ladies with his flask
"a doctor and a psychic, supposedly" he took another drink
A flash of silver flew past his face embedding itself into the wall, looking to his immediate left he saw a silver dagger an inch away from his eye, taking it from the wall Dean held it in his handit was a beautiful blade, it had scripture on it but he did not know what it said, Smith chuckled
"I forgot to mention, Mistress Davi is a blade expert, and we have two more members to recruit, one has a military background"
"and the other?" asked Selene curiously
"will help us or he'll kill us" replied Smith solemnly.