1
Everybody wants to go to Heaven
But nobody wants to die
CHAPTER 1
Location: Abandoned distillery in the port city of Livorno, West Coast of Tuscany, Italy.
Mission: Raid and reconnaissance on a confirmed headquarters of the Volturi mob organization.
Time: 1900 Zulu.
THIRD PERSON
"Head count, check in!"
"Seal Team 1, in position"
"Seal Team 2, in position"
"Seal Team 3, in position"
"Excellent job men, you are finally able to move your pansy asses faster than my grandmother! Now let's move!"
Deep chuckles echoed in the earpieces attached to the men scattered all around the derelict distillery. The men were unseen in the darkness as their ink black gear blended them seamlessly from head to toe with the rot covered walls of the decaying building.
"Ever the encouraging supporter, Chief," muttered the largest camouflaged soldier, his dimples noticeable even through the facemask of the wetsuit as he smiled rather mischievously.
"Shut it Cullen, teams give me your recon."
"Appears to be a group of 4 lightly armed men on the north and west side playin' Texas Hold em', no heavy weaponry in sight or cover positions from this vantage point," the heavy southern accent could easily be detected in the words even when muffled by the earpieces.
"Same for the east and south side," muttered a velvet smooth voice.
"That's odd; our source confirmed this was a headquarters for the Volturi organization, there shouldn't be a small number of lightly armed men playing poker at a key hideout!"
"Maybe the rest are just sleeping with the machine guns under their beds?"
"CULLEN!"
"Shutting up"
"Do we proceed with the mission, Chief?" interjected the velvet voice, irritation now covering the smooth lilt.
"Affirmative," the Chief snapped instantly, "even if there is a small chance of finding anything we have to take it, this organization is gaining too much power quickly with their terrorist links and are already an international threat! Gather any intelligence you can find, destroy anything of value to their operations and no prisoners! On my signal…"
With that the three teams of five readied their weapons, the shrill clinking sound of the weapons being cocked bounced quietly in the air as all fifteen men sank into position.
"GO!"
With the signal, the fifteen heavily armed soldiers moved to infiltrate the distillery. The synchronization of their precise movements, barely detectable in the night, was evidence of their intensive training and unbreakable brotherhood.
As soon as the teams broke down the doors of the supposed headquarters, an ear splitting bang and flash shrieked throughout the air as all fifteen soldiers were brutally blown off their feet.
None of the soldiers could stand with the unstable equilibrium that the flash grenades had painfully caused. They were blinded from the disorientation and a shrill ringing echoed throughout the earpieces, deafening them. Excruciated groans resonated within the brick walls of the building as debris rained down on them and each fell into unwilling unconsciousness.
...
An attractive couple around their mid-twenties surveyed the scene before them as they casually strolled through the wreckage of the ruined building. They removed the protective gas masks from their faces as the flash from the grenades dissolved and they observed the fifteen groaning soldiers on the ground.
The woman's brilliant shock of orange hair stood out vividly against the filth colored beige bricks of the building whilst her partner's sandy coloured hair, tied in a ponytail at the nape of his neck, seemed to disappear with the colours behind him. Both stood with a cocky demeanour and looked down with disgust at the unconscious men on the floor.
"These are the special forces protecting the country?" remarked the woman snidely as she delivered a rather vicious kick to the face of the largest man in the group.
The man, amused with his wife's display replied with a dry chuckle as she continued to comment derisively as they searched for their targets. Both of them carried small paring knives in their hands, using the blades to cleanly cut the wetsuit masks off the men's faces.
"Here's one," muttered the sandy haired man as he knelt by one of the unconscious men, his ripped mask showing a mop of bright bronze hair and pale, angular features akin to an aristocrats.
"Oh yes, the pretty boy," the woman leered, her mess of wild hair flailing with excitement as she watched her husband tie up the man's hands and feet.
The woman circled back to the man she had kicked, ripping through the golden trident insignia embroidered on his mask to see his facial features. A full brown grin graced her delicate features as she tied up the huge boulder of a man and hauled him in a position that would make him easier to drag.
"Victoria, this is the last one, drag the one you have and I'll meet you by the car so we can head straight to Volterra," the man grunted at his wife as he pulled two unconscious men by the feet behind him, the golden curls of one turning black with dirt and dust as his head dragged across the floor next to his brother.
"If I can even drag this lump, James," the woman replied as she watched her partner leave with the two men before looking back at her own captive with a sneer plastered on her face, she heaved the massively broad and giant man in her arms before walking awkwardly backwards towards the door after husband.
"Oh this plan better work," she panted, as she heaved the heavy set man back in her arms with a grunt.
As she and her husband finally stuffed the three brothers in the back of their SUV, both stood still, staring with an unhinged gleam at the three men that any terrorist would sacrifice anything for.
"I can't believe how pathetic they are"
The woman's occupation with taunting her unconscious captive's held her attention from the man beside her who was leering lasciviously at his raving companion.
"Seriously, they are so pitif-mmph"
Her snide remark was cut short as without warning, the man grabbed his fire-haired lover in a crude embrace, his lips dominating hers as she forgot her cruel taunts and immediately began to bite back ravenously. Her nails scratched his thinly clothed back as he roughly palmed her behind, they hungrily moaned with intoxicated pleasure. Everything about the couple screamed animalistic, from her wild scarlet locks to their carnal embrace that mimicked the destructive fire in their hearts. Their pain and ecstasy inducing touches only served to exhibit the true sadistic natures that they both wore with a grin.
They broke apart as harshly as they came; their ragged breathing was the only sound amidst the inactivity of the fallen night in their decrepit surroundings.
"This is just the beginning my love," the man spoke hoarsely, "and I cannot wait until the finale."
She answered with a maniacal grin as they untangled without further word, both getting into the vehicle and starting off towards Volterra, home of the Volturi mob.
CARLISLE
"WHAT DO YOU MEAN THEY'VE BEEN KIDNAPPED?!"
I ignored the sharp twinge in my hands as I pulled the collar of the secret service agents' shirt with a painful tension. I had him by the neck as I saw my spit land on his face but I didn't care as icy tendrils of fear clutched my heart and began to tighten. Within a few seconds the rest of the white house security had a hold of me, wrenching me away from the agent.
"Mr President! Carlisle! Calm down!" yelled Felix, my head of security, but I was beyond calm, the icy hand that had an unrelenting grip on my heart was battling with the sudden rage that burned through my system.
"CALM DOWN?! YOU TELL ME MY SONS HAVE BEEN KIDNAPPED AND YOU WANT ME TO CALM DOWN?!"
I freed myself from the guard's grips and took hold of the uneasy agent once more.
"WHAT HAPPENED?!" I bellowed in his face that was now drained of any colour.
"I-if you would please stop yelling and calm down Mr President I will inform you," stated the agent calmly, only a slight tremor could be detected in his voice as he looked up at me by a few inches. I practically growled at the man as he told me to calm down, presidency be damned, my sons were in danger and the horrible feeling in my chest was growing tighter by the second.
"Carlisle?"
"Esme!"
I released the agent just in time to catch my wailing wife as she ran into the room and flew into me, her familiar weight easing some of the icy tension in me as I buried my face in her hair, breathing in her perfume. I rubbed circles on her shaking back as she tried to calm her hysterics.
I glared at the security staff to leave and I could see the shock, sympathy and confusion etched onto their features as they filed out of the room. I was never rude to any of my staff and glaring at them was definitely a first, but I couldn't bring myself to feel any remorse as I sat in one of the leather chairs in my office, my wife crying with grief in my lap.
The secret service agent walked over hesitantly before sitting in the leather chair a few meters opposite of where Esme and I were.
"Mr President?" the agent murmured questioningly.
I looked up at him and felt the urge to attack him once more as Esme cried, I turned my eyes back to my wife, hugging her tightly in hopes to ease the overwhelming grief that consumed us both.
"Talk," I said tightly, my voice threatening to break as I felt my eyes water.
"They were on a mission to raid a confirmed Volturi headquarters for reconnaissance in Livorno, Italy. Their orders were to gather intelligence and destroy anything that would benefit the Volturi mob," the agent said, continuing to speak in a quick, low tone that was meant to be soothing.
"Confirmed? By who?" I asked, my voice coming out harshly.
"We don't know," the agent uttered hesitatingly, "the information was given by a reliable source in the Navy for the SEALS to execute; we are currently questioning the intelligence officers for the source."
My eyes narrowed at the statement but I held my tongue as Esme's heartbreaking sobs beat against my heart.
"Continue."
"All that is known is that as the teams stormed the building, several low impact mines and flash grenades were set off at close range which knocked them all unconscious. By the time one of the members awoke and alerted the base, Jasper, Emmett and Edward were gone and presumably kidnapped based on the footsteps and marks in the dust on the floor-"
The agent was cut off as Esme keened, burying her face in my chest as I sat frozen staring ahead. This was my worst nightmare coming to light. Winning the presidency was one of my biggest achievements but it was nothing compared to the pride and love I held for my wife and sons. When my sons began to train to become Navy SEALS, I was wracked with fear from the beginning. My sons were famous just for being mine and their aspiration to be in a special force would be the same as putting a sign on them saying 'FREE BARGAINING CHIPS.' I knew that if they were ever captured, I would do anything to get them back alive because those boys meant the world to Esme and me. Not a day went by when I wasn't afraid that an enemy I had unavoidably made as the American president would harm my family. But it seemed that day had arrived.
"Why low impact weapons?" my voice was hoarse, cracked with emotion as I refused to let go of my wife even for a second.
"It seems the intention of the kidnappers was to capture them alive and not dead," the agent said bluntly and formally, "presumably because your sons are in a special force privy to sensitive material regarding national security as well as the fact they are a way to America's president," the agents sentence finished with a regret that broke his professional facade.
"S-so they'll h-hurt my boys to get i-information?"
My eyes slid shut as Esme spoke through her tear filled voice, I could hear the agent open and close his mouth several times in hopes to appease the sobbing woman by saying no, but he couldn't because we all knew that is exactly what would happen.
"I'm sorry Mrs Cullen"
Esme's choked cries renewed as she clutched me in a painful grip that I did not try to lessen, I held her just as strongly in comfort and support.
"We are deploying every force to find your sons, Mr and Mrs Cullen and I assure you we will do everything we can to bring them back home alive."
My eyes remained tightly closed as I heard the agent leave the room; I continued to breathe in my wife's scent rhythmically, calming the sobs that tried to fight their way out my chest.
"We have to find them Carlisle, we just h-have too," I heard Esme whisper quietly against my neck
"I promise we will, we'll find our boys and bring them home, we have every resource in the country to look for them and we will. I promise," my words of reassurances repeated over and over, late in the morning until my Esme fell asleep in exhaustion.
The cries that I had struggled to withhold bubbled up and spilt from my throat in ugly sobs. All I could think about were my sons being tortured by my enemies, the people that hated this country with everything they had or the ones driven by an unforgiving greed. If people were willing to kill for their beliefs, wealth or power, I couldn't even begin to comprehend what they would do to my sons. I fell asleep soon after Esme, praying that my promise of our boys coming back alive came through; because I vowed right then and there that I would do anything to make sure they came back alive and well.
FELIX DEL MARCO
It was two days after the kidnapping. My doorbell rang tonelessly and I was surprised to see Tori as I opened the door, I smiled for the first time in two days as I caught her in my arms. Her tongue was down my throat in an instant and I barely remembered to shut the door as we began what I knew would be the perfect stress reliever to recent events. Neither of us were committing people, nor looking for anything serious but we were compatible and at this point, after meeting a couple of months ago in a bar, we were just great fucks to each other. I couldn't really find a label for us and I didn't care, she was my 'girlfriend' to other people but we both had our own lives, whenever she was in town she stayed at her place and spent the nights at mine.
Her suit was strewn all over the floor, her CIA badge on the neck tie was still on, resting between her breasts as we lazed, spent on the bed.
I toyed with the badge, "do they have any leads?" I uttered quietly, unsure whether she would tell me such information or not. She bit her lip as she clearly debated with herself before shrugging minutely, her wild curls bouncing with every movement.
"No," she replied sadly, "I'm not on the task force but news travels fast, they are sure it's the Volturi, a big factor being the SEALS were trying to raid their territory. The Volturi are so secret being such a new organisation that the CIA, FBI, NSA, no one, has information on them, at all. And without information on where they could have taken them, they have no leads."
My hand caressed her bare pale shoulder; silence filled the air as my hand ran through the ruby strands of her thick hair.
"I can't begin to understand what Esme and Carlisle feel," I spoke quietly.
"Neither can I… I wish I could help, I just…" she stumbled over her words as her ocean blue eyes locked with mine.
"What? Do you know of something that could help?" I shifted to look at her more closely.
"Yes, I just don't know if it's actually… real," her eyes flashed with something indecipherable and I waited for her to continue.
"Well?" I asked, eager at the thought of something that could bring back the President's sons, the boys I protect when they're on American soil.
"It's just this legend that floats around all the time in the agency, of this assassin that's unbeatable. There is evidence to their existence but I don't think people would actually be able to find this person, let alone get someone like that to agree to help."
"An assassin?" I repeated, dumbfounded, "how would an assassin help?"
"Who better to infiltrate a ruthless mob than an unbeatable killer who's never been caught?"
"I suppose so," I conceded, "but they don't know if this person is even real?"
"They don't," she nodded, her head moved to rest on my chest as her hand came up to trace patterns on my stomach.
I spat out my last question as lust started to build up once more for the woman whose hand was starting to stray lower.
"What's the killer's name?"
I didn't think Tori heard me as she shifted to straddle my waist, sitting up with a salacious smirk on her face as I openly leered at her naked form. She tilted her head slightly, staring at me and again, her eyes flashed indecipherably once more and I was momentarily distracted as I tried to place my confusion.
"Eidolon," she breathed, before effectively capturing my attention once more as her bare breasts pressed into my chest and her scarlet lips crashed into mine with a pleasurable force.
"The legend" she whispered as we broke apart, "is called the Eidolon."
...
"How the fuck did they get inside the gates?!"
I grunt in exertion as I haul another screaming pair of incensed reporters out from behind the meticulously clipped hedges and make my way to Demetri who holds the side gate open with a bland smirk on his face. I toss the shrieking pair out and turn away with Demetri on my heels, not bothering to answer the indignant reporters who were incessantly shouting about their so called rights.
I turn to Demetri as we continue to scan around the eastern wall of the house; the headache that harshly beat against my skull was a constant reminder of the emotionally exhausting turmoil that has been the past three days.
"Well?" I growl through clenched teeth.
"They are determined, more than usual, to get through the gates, even if it means bribing the staff obscene amounts of money just to get a half an hour," replies Demetri as he holds up the memory drive from the photographer's camera before releasing it. He stomps on it as soon as it hits the ground and it shatters into irreparable pieces.
I sigh in disgust at the lengths people will go to as I look up at the incredibly impressive white mansion that proudly stands amidst the emerald grass, the stars and stripes of the American flag flies in the whipping wind and my sigh turns to one of sadness.
"How are they doing?" Demetri asks with a troubled tone.
"As well as you can imagine, they've barricaded themselves in the study and aren't answering any phone calls."
"Do they know about the media's response?"
"Most likely yes, the maid says she can hear the TV in the room turned on and talking but they don't answer when she knocks."
Demetri exhales a deep breath and the fists of my headache continue to pummel my brain relentlessly as we double back to our starting point where we could finally rotate off. I shake my head as we pass the side gate where the reporters are still banging on the gates and hurling insults.
"This is fucking bullshit," Demetri hisses in disbelief, "Do they have no respect?"
"Apparently not" I growl out, equally infuriated at the unending stream of reporters who were seemingly without an ounce of compassion when it came to the horrible grief of the two residents in the White House.
I change direction and start towards the gate where the reporters seem to snap out of their childish harangue and take notice of my size and the furious twist to my features. They scramble back hurriedly and with a few more menacing steps they stumble their way from the gate and down the long path back to the city.
I make my way back to a chuckling Demetri with a small smile but it quickly upends back into a frown as we wait for the two other guards to come so we can end our shift.
When the news had been leaked three days ago that Edward, Jasper and Emmett, the awed Navy SEALS, had been kidnapped by an identified threat overseas, the country had gone into an absolute frenzy while the media exploded at the seams. From morning till night, the faces of the President's sons were plastered on every corner, magazine, newspaper and covered every inch of the internet and TV.
Carlisle had always risen through the ranks quickly as a politician, easily favoured over the opposition with his genuine honesty and clear cut morals that was easily seen even through a TV screen. It was a surprise to no one when he was elected, and then re-elected, he and his family were incredibly popular with the media and public of America. Carlisle had never steered them wrong so far and whilst negativities came with the job, he was inarguably one of the best President's they had seen in a long time. The First Lady, Esme, had always been a very influential public figure with her notable charity work and occupation as a nurse attached to volunteer teams that work in third world countries. Their three sons however, could probably outshine both of their parents with the public attention they received. All three were in their twenties and 'three hunks of eye-blinding gorgeousness' as the girl magazines so lovingly put it. Each of the Cullen boys had a fanatic group of both sexes and of all ages that the media never failed to cater to.
With the loss of America's icons; the air had been suffused with a hollowness and paranoia that struck the hearts of them all.
"You know if they've got any leads?" said Demetri as the two other guards finally came and we both made our way into the White House.
"I don't know," I respond gruffly, "the CIA are certain of the Volturi mob but are stumped as how to proceed, they have no knowledge of headquarters or bases or even the hierarchy in the organisation. It's so hushed, I mean that's what the boys were doing in the first place trying to uncover information, but they have none, so they're stuck."
"Well… shit," was Demetri's articulate reply and I could only shrug my shoulders at the shared sentiment.
I had been attached as one of the Cullen family's personal bodyguards from the beginning of Carlisle's campaign before becoming Carlisle's head of security. I knew firsthand how kind and amazing the five of them were as they integrated me and the other guards into their family seamlessly. We were all chosen by Carlisle specifically and mostly due to the extensive travel that came with the job, we all personally knew how genuine and kind our President was. To see the family ripped apart in terror and grief was unforgivable to watch.
"How'd you even know? When I asked the suits I got stonewalled!" exclaimed Demetri, his Middle Eastern accent becoming more pronounced as he spoke vehemently.
"You got stonewalled because they don't have anything," I muttered, "Tori told me."
"Tori? Your girl that travels a lot?"
I smiled faintly thinking of my long distant 'girlfriend', "Yeah, she works with the CIA but isn't a part of the team looking for the boys. She got back yesterday but has to leave again soon."
"That sucks man," Demetri uttered sympathetically and unnecessarily, but I nodded as we continued down the long hallway, "You know you've got to get Carlisle and Esme out of that room; they have to be kept informed of this and meet with the suits."
"Yeah," I agreed, intending to do just that as I stood before the stairs that would lead me to Carlisle's study.
Demetri nodded my way and clapped me on the back before heading off to get his stuff to leave for the day. I made my way up the lavish, marble staircase, determined in my task to get Carlisle and Esme out of that room. I stopped short of the mahogany door that opened to the study, wisps of mourning and agony were practically leaking from the cracks of the door that would lead me to the aggrieved couple and I was suddenly terrified of what I would see on the other side.
I could hear the blaring voices of the TV through the door, the nasal tones and formal speech of the news anchors repeatedly reminding the nation of the loss of the pair huddled in the room.
"Carlisle?" I spoke firmly to the door, "Esme? Open the door, please."
No response.
"I need to tell you… you need to come out and let us help you."
I waited, my worry for the couple rising in pitch and gripping me in a tense hold of anxiety. My earlier discussion with Tori came to the forefront of my mind but I was still unsure, willing to do anything I could to help Carlisle and Esme but the possibility of false hope was something I could not give them.
I was as taut as a wire, unsure of what else to say as I heard the electronic beep of the soundproof door signal its opening. The door seemed to exhale softly as it automatically parted with the door frame and allowed me to push the door open.
"What do you want, Felix?"
I was frozen, my hand on the knob of the door turned bone white in its grip. My fear only worsened as I stared at the deteriorating couple in front of me. The study itself was spotless, not one thing out of place except for the two hunched figures that sat in the single leather chair that faced the TV.
Carlisle's voice was hoarse, as if he had not spoken but had only cried for the past three days, the once impeccable and formidable man was unrecognisable. His golden curls were haphazard and slicked with unshowered grease; his clothes were in no better shape as they hung off a slightly wasted frame. The once happiest and carefree resident the white house had ever known was struck down with pure grief as he sat stiffly in the chair, his eyes fastened to the smiling faces of his sons on the TV screen. Esme was no better as she sat curled in Carlisle's laps, their arms wrapped around each other tightly as she sat with a catatonic demeanour, her face etched with raw dread as tears ran unendingly in a heartbreaking stream down her face.
I didn't realise I was holding my breath until the headache drumming in my head reached new strengths and I released the air in my lungs with a relieved sigh. Concern and pain for the terrified couple was all I could feel as I forced myself to stay calm and vowed to do anything I could to help them and the kidnapped trio.
"Carlisle, Esme, you cannot keep doing this, you need to let us help so we can get your boys back."
At the mention of Edward, Emmett and Jasper; Esme broke out of her depressed reverie and started to shake with the force of her cries as Carlisle glared at me and immediately started to sooth her. Each other's presence seemed to be the only sliver of solace they could find, simultaneously grounding each other whilst being a reminder of what had been taken.
Carlisle's blonde curls, Esme's copper hair, the dimples that adorned both of their cheeks…
The pierce of Carlisle's gaze was frightening; his eyes were blank and the sapphire blue that matched Jasper's so clearly was glazed over.
"Please," I whispered forlornly, hating the fact that I was causing them further anguish.
I resigned myself to what I was about to say, hoping with every fibre of my being that I was making the right decision in telling them what might not even be true.
"I think I might have something that could help bring them back."
Their heads snapped up instantly, their eyes flashing desperately with a flicker of hope that broke through the haze of despair that immersed the room.
"What?" Carlisle growled out as I hesitated.
"Carlisle, Esme…"
I took an unnecessary deep breath, hoping, praying that this was the right choice.
"Have you ever heard of the Eidolon?"