"Female assassin!" the man shouted. Nero's head shot around, looking for what he knew was possible.
"Across the top!" another man yelled. Nero looked up. Raven ran across the roof of the large building just right of the field he was being held, her katanas strapped to her back as usual. The guards surrounding him put their guns up.
The chief watched for a second with narrowed eyes "Shoot her down." he ordered, his Russian accent coming strong.
"No!" Nero yelled. The guards hit him with their rifles at the sound of his voice. He grunted in slight pain, glancing up at Raven again. She still sprinted strong, seeking anyway to get to him.
"Sir, she's moving too quickly!" the man called
"Shoot her down. Shoot her bloody well down or we're all dead." the chief barked.
"No. Take her alive." one of the guards spat "It'll be easier to make this one talk" he gestured at Nero, who glared, although he felt an oncoming sense of dread of what he meant. The chief nodded slightly.
"Fine. Tranquilize her." he ordered "But if she dies from the fall it's no loss."
Nero watched in grave concern as the man upped his dart gun, He fired two shots, one hitting her neck, the other, her thigh. Nero knew as she fell, Raven had a slim chance of surviving. At least two hundred feet onto bare, cold concrete below
"Find her body!" the chief spat "Dead or alive and bring it to me."
Nero glared at him with hate filled eyes. The team left, armed heavily with guns and grenades. The chief turned to him after several impatient minutes.
We'll see how tough your pet assassin really is." he sneered. Nero struggled to hide his feelings of worry.
"She'll kill you all." he said coldly "You won't be able to stop her next time."
"If there is a next time." the chief laughed, His radio beeped.
"Her body is located. She's alive. The female assassin is alive."
The chief shot Nero a furious look, who returned it triumphantly. His radio beeped again.
"Shall we terminate?"
"No." the chief growled "Shoot her. Injure her badly, than bring her to me."
"You can't shoot her in cold blood." Nero growled.
"Now!" the chief barked into his radio "Tie her up as well. I want her as uncomfortable as possible."
"You're insane." Nero said coldly "Injuring a woman when she can't defend herself."
"But we both know she's not just any woman, Max." the chief smiled darkly
"It's not human." Nero spat "Where's your honor Gabdin?"
"All in my black heart, Nero." The chief laughed.
"Let her go. Leave her out of this."
"I know you're trying to stop her suffering. It's sweet, but too late. She's already bleeding and being brought back." The chief gave him a triumphant look and turned away. Nero dropped his head and closed his eyes. Several minutes later, the retrieval team came into sight. Two men carried Raven between them and blood dripped to the grass and concrete below their feet. They dropped her roughly to the ground, and went over to the chief.
"She's unconscious and strangely unharmed from the fall. We don't know for sure what happened. Perhaps a concussion, but that's all."
The chief narrowed his eyes. "And now?"
"We put a bullet to her leg and to her shoulder." the man replied. Nero caught glimpses of Raven, but couldn't see how bad it actually was.
"Good." The chief purred. He went and knelt by her body. "A shame too. She has such a pretty face." He pulled out a long, sharp scavenger's knife.
"Don't touch her!" Nero spat. He was shoved back by two of the guards. The chief smiled coldly at him and looked at her shoulder wound. He slowly began to cut out the bullet, his blade dripping red. Nero winced as he only deepened it.
"Stop!" he snapped over the rising laughter behind him. The chief ignored him and began to painstakingly carve the Russian Convit sign into her neck just below her ear. It was a triangle with two lines crossing through it, then a circle. Nero looked away, his stomach clenching.
"Just one more." The chief ran his knife across her ankle, a long bloody cut following it. "That should hold her."
"You're mad." Nero hissed through his teeth. "She's completely defenseless."
"That's the only way." the Russian man smiled. He gestured at another man "Wake her up."
Nero glared at him. The young man injected liquid into her arm and stepped back. After a second, Raven groaned in pain and shuffled. The chief laughed and pressed down on her shoulder. She gasped, almost cried, in pain and with her good arm tried to push his foot away. He eased up a bit.
"That's my good girl." He purred and took his foot off "Lift her up."
Two men came on either side and pulled her to her feet. She could hardly stand on either leg, but they held her in a way that forced her to take her own weight.
"What's your name, love?" the chief asked. Raven spat at him, her breaths broken with pain.
"Your name?" he repeated, pushing down on her shoulder.
"Raven." She hissed. He shook his head.
"Your real name." he growled.
"My name is Raven!" she spat. He kicked her viciously in her thigh gun wound and she fell to her knees gasping in agony.
"Your name!" the chief ordered. Raven glared at him. He looked at the leader of the squad.
"Weapons?" he asked
"Twin katanas and grenades." The man replied.
"Very well, Raven. I can see right now, I can't force you without putting you into a coma and you're no use to me dead, so…" he clapped his hands. "Take them away please. Wash her down first. Can't have blood stains."
The men pulled Nero back. He tried to look after Raven, but was swept away.