Chapter 1
Note: Private thoughts, flashbacks/dreams, and telepathic conversations appear in italics.
East Berlin, Germany (U.S.S.R.) – Present (1983)
The ice cracked sharply against the glass, the only movement from his position on the catwalk where he stood perfectly still, silently surveying the packed club floor below. Of course, with the deafening music and the jeering cries of the spectators so loud he could feel the noise in his bones, he couldn't hear the shifting of the melting ice. His focus wasn't on the music or the party-goers or his rapidly warming drink; no, his attention was on the grey suit seated to the right of the main fight cage, indulgently chewing on a cigar while some little dark-haired whore hung off his arm, waving away the noxious smoke. It was an excellent spot; from his perch shrouded in shadows above the blinding lights, he could stalk his prey without fear of being seen or heard from below. The grey suit was his target; his bosses made it quite clear with the thick stack of money slipped to him a few hours before that this man was to disappear. If there was one thing he excelled at, it was making people vanish into thin air.
The flamboyant announcer cried out for the next match to come forth, or at least, that's what he guessed by the maddening response from the crowd. His German was terrible at best, but talking really didn't matter in his line of work. Secure in his position, his eyes drifted away from his target long enough to watch handlers hauling a chained metal box towards the cage entrance. A winged fighter stood victorious inside the cage, his feathery plumes beating forward as he pumped his fists and rallied the crowd, awaiting the next opponent. Cage matches, the shadowed man sneered, fighting the urge to roll his eyes, such drama for such play fighting. These matches were child's play compared to the rigorous training he went through when he was even younger than these fighters; more than half of the recruits in his line of work didn't even survive their first month on the job.
He turned his concentration back to his target and sipped his drink, not even bothering to watch the metal box being unloaded into the ring. The grey suit cheered on the fight, waving money and his cigar in the air as bets were surely won in his favor while his whore checked her watch with bored, glassy eyes. Enjoy it before your luck runs out, the man smirked as he threw back the rest of his drink and placed the glass on the floor, now leaning almost casually on the catwalk railing. This assignment had been easy, almost boringly so. He knew the grey suit was waiting for this final match to finish before leaving through the VIP rear exit. He'd strike when the suit was waiting for his car, which courtesy of a little visit he paid the driver earlier, wouldn't be arriving as scheduled. He'd finish this job in the next hour, tops. The night would still be young; he mused what he could do with his free time once this assignment was complete. Maybe he'd go out for a bit, or call a girl. He hadn't called a girl in a while. He briefly wondered if Nadya was working that night. He liked Nadya. She a pretty little redhead who never once flinched or hesitated when he touched her. She was also smart enough to keep silly mouth shut, unlike some of the other girls in his bosses' employment. Small talk made him uncomfortable. He hated their well-meaning, curious questions and comments; he much preferred silence from a woman. Yes, a little company sounded like a very nice way to celebrate an easy assignment. Below him the match had started earnest, but he didn't even glance at the fighters. His fingertips brushed his concealed weapon as he concentrated on his target, savoring the last few minutes before the strike.
Suddenly, metallic purple flashed to the left of his mark. It was brief, but the gleam drew his gaze. He saw a young blonde woman in a revealing dress slip past the grey suit, smiling as she snaked her way through the crowd. Something about her abrupt appearance made him frown. While he could only partially see her face, she looked somehow familiar, and instinctively, he felt something was wrong. He narrowed his eyes, concentrating as he tracked her movements. For a fleeting few seconds, the blonde turned and faced the main cage. Displeasure flickered across her features as she watched the battle beneath where he stood hidden in shadows. He suddenly inhaled sharply and stood up very straight, his eyes widening and his hands reflexively clenching down on the railing in his shock of recognition.
Foolish! He slammed his fist against the catwalk railing. Adrenaline and anger flooded his veins as he watched the blonde briskly move towards the club's back operations. Foolish girl! He ran his hand through his hair as if to calm himself, his eyes darting around the catwalk as tried to make sense of the situation and steady his breathing. After a brief pause, he looked back down at her, scowling, his heart still beating hard enough in shock that he could feel it thumping in his chest. What was that stupid girl thinking, wearing such a recognizable face? And here, in the East, of all places? She had a high price on her head, after what she did in '67. She knew better than to show her face – any face of hers – in the Eastern Bloc and expect to make it out alive. If he recognized that face of hers so quickly, there was no telling how many other people had recognized it too. That pretty little mask was going to get her killed.
He moved silently down the catwalk, now tracking her every step. She had slipped out of the throng of taunting onlookers and rapidly approached the man guarding the cage controls. His eyes flickered back to the grey suit; he was dismayed to see his carefully stalked prey was now moving towards the exit with his whore in tow. His glanced back to the blonde; she was now flirting with one of the cage guards. A thought surfaced in his mind; the price on her head was at least three times that of the grey suit's, especially if he took her alive…
No.
He shook his head, unsettled by his own silent consideration. He couldn't permit himself to think in those terms.
He looked back again to see his target almost at the VIP exit; an easy kill slipping rapidly out of his grasp. When he next faced the blonde, she was sprawled on the floor, blood dripping from her split lower lip. The cage guard was clutching his face, blood seeping between his fingers from a broken nose, but his other hand was groping the gun holster on his hip. He wavered with indecision. No one else in the crowd noticed their violent interaction; they were too focused on the mutants battling the in cage. Judging by the rising intensity of their screams, one of the fighters had scored a defeating hit against his opponent. He watched the blonde twist to face the cage operator just as the man drew his gun level with her face. In the distance, the grey suit vanished through the back exit.
He released the catwalk railing, and narrowing his eyes, he drew his own weapon.
It was time to make a choice.
A/N: Hello again, my dear readers! I'm back with a BRAND NEW story! "Monsters" will feature shorter chapters but more frequent updates (my goal is to update as regularly as possible while still maintaining quality: expect to see new chapters once a week or every two weeks). This story will also feature some graphic violence and it will get a little racy here and there (meow!), so you know, adult warnings and all that jazz. While this story is mostly drama/serious, those of you who know my writing can expect some comedic gems interspersed as the tale unfolds.
Side-note 1: The title of this story - "Monsters" - is inspired by the Latin phrase HC SVNT DRACONES, which translates to "Here be dragons" (sometimes "Here be monsters"). In medieval sea-faring days, this phrase was used to mark dangerous or unexplored territories, and was often accompanied by drawings of dragons, sea serpents and other mythological creatures to denote uncharted areas of maps.
Side-note 2: This tale was first-inspired by Metric's song "Black Sheep," which you can find on YouTube.
Happy reading and as always, reviews are love!