This fairly obvious, but I do not own Locus, Felix or Siris, those rights belong to RoosterTeeth (bless those wonderful people!), but Joseph Santini is a character of my own creation. :)
Enjoy!
"It's going to be a long night." Felix heaved a dramatic sigh as he dropped to a seated position against the wall.
"Stop complaining." Locus returned evenly, peering through the scope of his rifle.
From his vantage point atop a nearby building, Locus kept a close eye on the warehouse across the street, where Siris had baited a trap for their most elusive target: Joseph Santini. The man was a crime lord whose control spanned across four separate planets, a dealer of various drugs, weapons and people. The price on his head would be more than sufficient for the three mercenaries to retire comfortably.
They'd gathered intel from various sources, carefully identifying points of exploitation, lapses in security, safe houses-anything that could prove useful. The entire ordeal had taken months, consuming countless hours of sleep and overextending the mercenaries on several occasions-it had all led up to this night.
Tonight, they'd finally capture Santini, collect their bounty, and they could all get some sleep. The plan seemed to be proceeding flawlessly, traffic cameras had picked up their target's vehicle approaching the warehouse five minutes ago, which meant, they were about to have company.
"There it is." Locus broke the silence, alerting his partners to the train of vehicles pulling up to the structure. "Siris, are you in position?"
"All set here." Siris stepped into the spotlight of lamp above him, eyeing the cars as they stopped inside.
"Felix?"
"Waiting outside." The tall, lanky mercenary returned, pushing himself to a standing position and taking up a position outside the nearest door, fully prepared to charge in should the need arise.
Locus nodded, slinging his rifle over his shoulder as he moved, "En route to secondary position."
"Here we go." Siris mumbled over the commlink as the doors of each vehicle swung open, allowing various men clad in suits to step out, weapons in hand.
Finally, the door to the limousine was pulled open, revealing Joseph Santini.
"Ah, Mr. Fen, I'm pleased to see you've made our appointment." The criminal overlord stepped from the vehicle, approaching Siris with a mild smirk.
"Wouldn't miss it for the world." He returned evenly, eyes drifting past the target to the men equipped with standard M-16's.
"Do you have what we agreed upon?"
Siris's expression remained blank, careful not to display any emotion, "The deal has changed."
Questioning tilt of the head. "Really?"
"Really." A single nod of confirmation.
Santini's arms shifted to a crossed position over his chest, "An unwise decision, Mr. Fen, but I am a reasonable man. I'm willing to overlook your youthful brashness-what are your terms?"
"As of now, you have two options, Mr. Santini. Your men drop their weapons and you come quietly, or they lose their lives and I take you by force."
Deadpan expression. Slow arch of the eyebrow. "Are you threatening me, Mr. Fen? I'm not sure whether to pity or admire you."
Siris noted the slow advance of his men, his own hand drifting to his sidearm in preparation for the inevitable fight.
"You see, you aren't the first man to double-cross me, nor will you be the last. Either way, you won't live to tell the tale."
Siris's expression hardened, "You made the wrong decision."
"No, Mr. Fen, you did."
Without warning, Siris dove to the side for cover behind a large crate as the rapid barrage of bullets collided with the wooden shield.
"Move in!" Siris ordered, crouching lower to avoid a spray of splinters above his head.
Felix kicked the door open, rushing inside as he dropped two of Santini's men. Siris moved upright for brief moment, returning fire before ducking downwards again, dropping three others.
A sniper shot shattered a nearby window, lodging itself in the cranium of a man closest to Santini. Locus turned his sights to the crime lord himself, but the projectile was intercepted by another man stepping in to protect Santini, allowing him the opportunity to climb inside the car.
"Kill them all!" He shouted before slamming the door shut.
"We can't let him get away! Locus, do you have a shot?"
"No. The vehicle is too heavily armored, I'd run out of ammo before I'd dent it." He returned, dropping another two men.
"Felix-cover me!" Siris ordered, darting from his cover towards the limousine.
"Siris! Wait!" Felix shouted, barely making it to his feet in time to take out the man who had lined up the purple-clad mercenary.
Siris never heard him as he leapt over the side of car, tucking and rolling as he pushed up to his feet. His hand wrapped around the handle of his pistol, tearing it from its holster as he crept to the door.
Felix growled in frustration, forced back into cover as their full attention was directed to him, "Locus! Get down here! I'm pinned."
"Moving." The larger mercenary returned, draping his rifle across his back and sliding down the ladder.
"Siris, wait for Locus! We'll catch Santini after we finish these idiots." Felix called over the commlink, casting a concerned glance towards his partner as he gripped the handle of the limousine.
"You and Locus can handle his henchmen-Santini is mine." He swung the door open, aiming the barrel at the crime lord within.
Santini's expression remained cold and calculated, as if disinterested in the looming danger the mercenary presented. "Are you going to shoot me, Mr. Fen? Or should I call you by the name your associates used-Siris?"
"Get out of the car." Siris snapped, motioning the crime lord from his safe haven.
As he climbed out, he met Siris's gaze evenly with an unamused expression, "Now what? You're nothing but a bounty hunter, you're mission is to capture me. And for what? A measly four million? Whatever they're paying you, I'll double it, perhaps even triple it."
"Save it!" Siris all but snarled, noting the converging henchmen on Locus and Felx, "call your men off."
"I'm afraid I can't do that, Siris. You see, you hold no leverage over me. Killing me won't stop their advancement, and I have no incentive to tell them otherwise." His hands turned palm-upwards, shrugging mildly, "It's your move, Siris-but I warn you, choose wisely."
"Maybe I didn't make myself clear," he roughly shoved the crime lord against the side of the car, pressing the gun to his chest, "call your men off, or I put two bullets through your chest."
"I don't believe you heard me-"
"I heard you, and I don't care. Call them off-now!" His grip tightened around the trigger, prepared to pull it.
"Do it." A fearless dare.
Siris's eyes searched his for a brief moment for signs of weakness but found none, "Fortunately for you, you're wanted alive."
Sinister smirk, "A cowards answer. Here you face yet another choice: capture me, or save your friends."
Siris scowled, eyes darting to his partners as they remained behind cover, struggling to hold their ground. His eyes shifted back to the arrogant expression before him.
"Choose wisely."
Indecision gripped him for a moment before he pushed away and took off in a dead sprint to aid his partners.
"That's what I thought." Santini smirked, moving around the car to clamber into the driver's seat before speeding out of the warehouse.
"Backup inbound." Locus called to Felix.
"What do you mean?" Felix peered around the crate, a smirk spreading across his lips as he watched Siris open fire on their adversaries. He shot a final glance towards Locus, offering a nod of agreement before both mercenaries broke from their cover, working their way into a flanking position.
The battle raged for a matter of minutes, the henchmen unable to land a single bullet on the trio of mercenaries. The battle seemed to have reached a conclusion when the mercenaries met in the center of the room.
"Well, that plan went to shit." Felix nudged a corpse beside him, kicking the weapon out of reach.
Locus glared at him, "We've significantly damaged his forces-it wasn't a complete waste."
"It was my fault, I shouldn't have-" Siris sighed, only to be cut off by Locus.
"We would have done the same for you."
"Yeah, Si, don't sweat it. We'll just track him down again...spending more time, energy and sleep."
Locus scowled in his general direction, accompanied by a look of you're not helping.
The three continued to discuss their plans, oblivious to a wounded lieutenant's approach. He grasped at his side, fighting to quell the steady flow of blood staining his suit.
He stumbled forward a few steps, kneeling just enough to retreat an M-16 from a fallen companion before lining up a shot.
Locus detected the quiet click of the weapon, drawing his attention to the lieutenant a few feet away. "Siris-"
He never finished as the sole survivor opened fire, sending a volley of bullets towards the group. Before he could react, Siris caught four bullet through the chest, sending him abruptly to the floor.
"Siris!" Felix cries out as he unloads the remainder of his magnum into the lieutenant, taking his life in the process.
Locus knelt beside Siris, rolling him onto his back and checks his pulse.
Felix slid down beside him, touching their partner's shoulder, "Is he okay?"
Locus shook his head, Felix frowned, "Locus, is he-?"
Siris weakly shifted his head between the two, "going to die? Yeah." He coughed violently, spitting blood on the cold concrete beside him.
"Hang on, we can get help-" Felix started to stand, only to be restrained by Siris's firm grip on his forearm.
"No."
"No?! Si-Mason, you're dying!"
"It's too late, Isaac, there's no stopping it now. But, I need you two to promise me something."
His eyes moved between the two, searching for confirmation. Locus offered a gentle nod, while Felix squeezed his hand, "Name it."
"Take care of Megan; tell her-tell her I love her and that I'm sorry...sorry for leaving her like this. You'll tell her-?"
"Yeah, Mason, we will." Felix assured him, touching his shoulder gingerly.
Siris nodded, launching into another fit of coughing before he could speak again. "It was an honor serving with you, both of you."
"We're gonna miss you." Felix assured him.
Siris offered a slight smile, "Sure you will." He glanced at Locus, who had been all but silent as he met Siris's gaze, "Sam, keep Isaac out of trouble. He needs you as much as you need him."
"I will." Locus acceded.
He nodded slowly, his breathing growing more shallow and labored until finally, his chest fell one final time.
"Goodbye, old friend." Locus murmured, pushing himself to a standing position before starting for the door.
Felix cast a final glance over his shoulder as Locus left before turning back to Siris as he pushed himself to a standing position, "Goodbye, Mason."
He stopped beside the corpse of them man who has killed Siris, "Son of a-" he cut himself short, reloaded his pistol before unloading the entire clip into the chest of the corpse.
Locus paused, frustration etched into voice as he spoke, "Are you done?"
Felix provided an aggravated flower before bolstering his weapon, "No, but I doubt you'll tolerate anymore maiming of that asshole."
Locus rolled his eyes, waiting impatiently as the lanky mercenary moved past him and left the warehouse.
"So, now what?" Felix whipped his combat knife across the room, lodging it in the far wall.
"Now, we finish the job." Locus returned, cleaning his rifle.
"And how do you propose we do that? Siris is dead and Santini is in the wind!" Felix snapped back sharply, sending another blade hurtling through the air into the wall.
"We still have all the intel from our surveillance. It's not much, but it's enough to help us find him." Locus returned, checking his scope.
"And kill him." Felix strode across the room, jerking the blade free from the drywall.
Locus glanced at him, "The bounty was specific-"
"Screw the bounty, Sam! That bastard is going to pay. This isn't about money anymore, this is personal." He raged, approaching Locus, "and I'll be damned before I let him escape and kill anyone else."
Locus met his even glare for a moment before relenting, "Fine, we'll do it your way."
Felix smirked approvingly, "Now where can we find Joseph Santini?"
"This is it?" Felix frowned, eyeing the structure carefully.
"Intel says he's in there." Locus answered, peering through his scope, gauging how many guards there were.
"How many guards?"
"A lot." Locus returned, scanning the perimeter, "it's going to be hard to get in there."
"We've faced worse." Felix dismissed his concern, trailing a finger lightly over the edge of his blade.
Locus rolled his eyes, "Stay focused. I count 20 on the perimeter and who knows how many on the inside. We have to be cautious."
"Fine, you wanna lead, or shall I?" Felix slid the blade back into the sheath on his belt before drawing his pistol from its holster.
Locus sent an aggravated glance towards him, "Okay, okay, you lead." Felix mockingly raised his hands in defeat.
The two made their way towards the structure, dodging in and out of the shadows cast by surrounding warehouses. Locus slung his rifle across his back and drew his pistol, screwing the silencer around the barrel.
A quick glance towards Felix conveyed a silent order to do the same. His partner nodded and did as instructed, trailing close behind the larger mercenary.
The duo required only a few short minutes to execute the exterior guards before they slipped inside.
"We must be cautious from here, our intel provided no indication of how many men Santini has inside." Locus warned quietly.
"Yeah, yeah-cautious, careful and diligent. I get it. Can we please go gut this son of a bitch?"
Locus scowled at his partner, who in return offered nothing beyond an aggravated tilt of the head. In years past, Felix's brashness had been tempered by Siris's naturally calming approach, but with the recent demise of their companion, his hot-headed nature was likely to run rampant.
Nonetheless, Locus narrowed his eyes before turning and proceeding down the hallway with Felix close on his heels. The mercenaries worked their way through the compound, eliminating target after target with ease. The expression etched into Felix's features conveyed no shortage of prejudice and, dare he suggest, exhileration as each opponent fell.
Locus refocused his attention on the large open room ahead of them, his gaze flickered over the six body guards surrounding Joseph Santini as he swore into the mouthpiece of his cell phone. Locus allowed his gaze to shift to the large crates stacked around them, a plan forming with each new item discovered until his thoughts were interrupted by the lean mercenary beside him, "There he is, let's go."
Locus opened his mouth to say something before Felix abruptly cut him off, "If you say "be cautious", I swear I'll shoot you right here and now."
Locus scowled, "I was going to suggest flanking positions." His voice held no shortage of annoyance.
Felix cleared his throat quietly, "Oh, right."
Locus's features returned to a deadpan expression before he shook his head and moved to the right. Felix suppressed a shudder, mumbling something about unnerving bastard as he took up a position to the left of their targets.
A quick signal from Locus commenced their ambush, his rifle dropping the three closest guards as Felix dove from his cover, unloading his magnum into the remaining three, leaving the gangster exposed and vulnerable.
As he hung up the phone, his gaze shifted from the lean mercenary to the broad man stepping from the shadows, slinging his rifle across his back, "Can I help you, gentlemen?"
"I'm afraid not-see, one of your lieutenants murdered a friend of ours during our last encounter." Felix created a calm facade, forcing the previously visible rage below the surface.
Santini arched an unamused eyebrow, "What do you want me to do about it? Your friend made his decision. He shouldn't have double-crossed me."
Anger flickered to life in Felix's eyes, "You sick son of a bitch, you're going to wish-"
"-I'd never been born? Please, Mr.-Felix, was it? If I had a dollar for every time I'd heard that threat, I'd be even more rich than I am now." Santini dismissed his threat passively, causally checking the time on the phone in his hand.
Felix glared, his eyes darting to Locus for an act of intimidation. Locus lifted his pistol, pressing the barrel to the base of Santini's skull, knocking the phone from his hands. Upon contact with the unforgiving cement, the device shattered, leaving only the case intact.
Santini appeared unimpressed, glancing down as the mutilated device, "How very original. Neither one of you are very good at this intimidation act, I'm not impressed. No wonder your friend died, sheer incompetence."
Before Felix could advance, Locus had locked an arm around Santini's neck, encasing him in a stiff headlock.
Felix collected his wits before he stepped closer, "I'd watch your mouth, smart ass. He's got a temper."
"I doubt it. I've seen your capacity for-" his snide remark was abruptly cut short as Locus tightened his grip.
"We're not here to argue, Joseph. In fact, your little tirade has done nothing but prod the proverbial dog. So, you have two choices: one, I lodge a bullet in your chest and you die, or two, Locus snaps your neck and you did anyway. Either way, Joe, you're not leaving alive."
Santini's gaze hardend, his expression appearing more annoyed than frightened, "You wouldn't-"
"-dare? Please, if I had a dollar for every time I heard that threat, I'd be rich right now." Felix returned, visibly mocking the crime lord.
A subtle exchange of glances with Locus provided the catalyst for their intentions. Locus abruptly shoved the gangster to the side, allowing Felix the opportunity to unload the remainder of his clip into the man.
Santini's eyes widened in horror as he stared down at his blood soaked suit before he collapsed to the floor, choking on the crimson fluid flooding his lungs.
"Good riddance." Felix reloaded his weapon, dropping the empty cartridge beside the man on the floor. He cocked the weapon before firing a single shot into the forehead of their target, cleansing the earth of his wretched existence.
Felix released the breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding as he turned to Locus, "It's over. Job's done."
Locus allowed his eyes to shift from the corpse to his partner, "Then why doesn't it feel done?"
Felix's expression softened, allowing reality to set in, "...because, even after all of this, we lost. We lost Mason, and-there' s nothing we can do about it."
Locus set his jaw, holstering his gun before he could unleash his fury, " Let's go."
Felix watched the broad mercenary turn on his heel and start towards the door, he cast one final glance at the motionless husk, a vivid image of Mason Wu lying before him flashed in front of his eyes. He allowed a quiet gasp, a moment of weakness before he shook his head to clear the memory. He backed away cautiously before turning and quickening his pace to catch up to Locus.
With his partner close at his heels, Locus allowed his mind to wander to their most difficult task yet, telling-admitting to Megan Wu that her husband wasn't coming home.
It would be the hardest mission they'd ever faced, one they would never forget.
Hey folks!
This is my first story I've uploaded here on fanfiction and would greatly appreciate the feedback! I have two more one shots written that I will be publishing soon! Again, if you enjoyed the story, feel free to leave a comment and keep your eyes peeled for another story soon!
~Phantom