Disclaimer: I do not own Dead or Alive nor do I own or Alive is owned by Team Ninja and Koei Tecmo. Halo is property of Bungie, 343 Industries, and Microsoft... or something like that. Look, I don't own them, okay?
I'm gonna try and update this story at least twice a month but as many of you guys know shit may happen. and updates will be slower. thank you guys for the faves, reviews and the electronic pat on my back. Enjoy
CHAPTER 3: And I Saw
Hong Kong 12:00 AM
The city of Hong Kong was a metropolis the likes of which the world had rarely seen. A center of business and culture, the booming city was home to some of the finest eating and drinking establishments in the world. Establishments that appealed to the cities diverse population and attracted patrons from all around the world for its high-quality food and beverages.
The Blue Lily was not one of these establishments.
Despite its rather bland and inoffensive name, the blue lily was infamous as a haven for the scum of the city. Members of half a dozen gangs, crooks and thieves, mob enforcers, and every other type who frequented this kind of establishment filled its walls to the brim every night, drinking and fighting, and committing every kind of vice imaginable.
The poorly lit building was filled with enough cigarette and cigar smoke to strangle a horse, but it was the smell of stale beer and angry men that suffered the place.
Many people, who knew of Jane Lees choice of work would ask him why he chose to work at such a cesspool when he could make ten times as much on the other side of town.
The answer was as simple for the Jeet Kune Do master. It was because the bar was such a cesspool he chose to work there. Where was the fun working anywhere else?
But that seemed like almost a lifetime ago as only after a week in his new position, the hard asses and tough guys, the scum of the city and violent criminals were as docile and quiet as church mice.
With a bored sigh, the Chinese fighter crossed his arms as he looked around the room, hoping he would catch the eye of an unbalanced patron who would try and start a fight with him.
Unfortunately for him, He had beaten every local tough guy and criminal who came to this bar to a bloody pulp enough times for them to learn to play nice.
Which was driving the DOA champion up a fucking wall
"Well I'm bored," He thought to himself as he leaned against the wall behind him. "Maybe I should have taken that job babysitting that singer, Katy whatsername." The job would have been as simple and as boring as the one he found himself in now, but at least he could have traveled while being disappointed with the lack of action.
He looked towards the front of the bar and found the bartender signaling for him to come closer.
The bartender was an old man of at least 60, even though he might have been older than that, not like Jane Lee ever bothered to ask him. His hair and beard had long since turned white, and his mismatched eyes never seemed to miss anything that occurred in his establishment.
Over the years, The young bouncer was told, the bartender had given different explanations for his missing eye, each story being more elaborate and unbelievable than the last. Everything from a Tiger attack from his childhood. To a bar fight when he was a teenager. A declaration of love to a daughter of a powerful triad boss. To a payment of gambling debts, he had mustered later in life. He even claimed it was a war injury from his time in the military, even though his branch of service and the war he fought in seemed to change with each re-telling.
"A quiet night, " the man said, " hopefully no one of these brainless bastards does something stupid tonight."
"I'm a big fan of these guys acting stupid," Jane Lee answered, "At least it gives me something to do."
"Oh to be young again and to have more balls than brains," the bartender said as he returned to cleaning the dirty glass.
A conversation, taking place a couple of tables away caught the fighters table was filled by a group of regulars, a couple low ranking thugs to a gang Jane Lee never bothered to remember.
"I'm telling you, man, it's a cover up," a particularly weaselly looking man said to his companions.
"You were drunk man, let it go" one of his companions, a man of 40 with a bald head and tattoos covering both sleeves of his arms spoke as he took a sip of his drink.
" I know what I saw man, aliens crash landed outside the city, they're trying to say it was a meteor, but I was there I know what I saw" the first man continued.
"what's with the crazy?" Jane Lee said, pointing his finger at the table of men.
"He's been here the past two nights talking about aliens and spaceships, if he weren't spending so much money here I'd say he should lay off the drinks" the old man laughed as he continued cleaning the glass in his hand.
Jane Lee shook his head at the thought. Aliens? Spaceships? The guy seriously needed to quit drinking and get his life straight.
Those thoughts, however, died a quick death when he saw the bars newest patron.
No one seemed to notice her at first, but that quickly changed as she walked towards him.
She had to have been the most beautiful woman any of these lowlives had seen in their lives. Her petite form moving gracefully across the dirty floor, her ginger red braided hair swaying with her movements.
Every single guy in the bar looked at her like she was an angel descending from heaven, even the bartender, who was old enough to be the young woman's grandfather.
Lee, on the other hand, was not so affected as the men around him. This was not the first time he met the woman if anything he was confused why she was here in the first place. He figured this type of bar wasn't exactly her scene. The young woman stopped in front of him and despite her being nearly a head shorter than him, he knew she was the strongest person in the building. Besides him of course.
"Kasumi," he said, taking her appearance in "Never thought I see you outside a tournament. it's been awhile."
Kasumi smiled at him, which had the effect of causing the entire population of the bar to sigh to themselves. "worthless pack of losers, have some dignity for your own sake" Jane Lee thought to himself.
"I hope you are doing well Jane Lee, I apologize for coming to your place of work, but I couldn't wait."
"Well, if it's a fight you're looking for, you've come to the right place."He said as he crossed his arms across his chest. "I haven't had a decent spar in months."
"No, it's not that...I need your help."
Down Town Las Vegas 12:30 AM
"So let me get this straight" Cortona started " You were left to your own devices for a few hours, and you get into a bar fight?"
Her Spartan sat there going through his brand new identity, doing his best to ignore her as she prodded him about the event of the past few hours.
The man gave one of his patented shrug of the shoulders, the number 11 in fact, the ever popular, "What else was I suppose to do?" Shrug."They got into a bar fight" The chief spoke in his deep baritone voice "I finished the bar fight, they were endangering civilians."
"Still" Cortona spoke again "It's not what I expected when I sent you out on a simple errand, you are a neanderthal aren't you?"
"Your neanderthal" He spoke again, not looking up from the computer screen in front of him
"you now how to make a girl feel special you know that?"
"You've mentioned it before," John said as he finished reading up on his newly established past. It was simple, something he would have no trouble memorizing if brought up by a third party.
He was born on March 7th, in the year 1980, Cortona had taken to use his actual birthday in her deception. Smart, the less false information, the easier it would be for him to state the info without a second thought.
Apparently, he was an orphan, which would explain away the lack of family, who had spent much of his childhood growing up in a series of foster homes and joined the United States Navy when he came of age. Everything after that was deemed " classified" by many intelligence agencies. Classified files that didn't exist, but according to the FBI, CIA, MI6, NSA, MOSSAD, and the entire United States Military were essential to international and domestic security.
"Trust me," Cortana had said when pressed "Anyone who even tries to look too deep into who you are, will find themselves on the wrong end of every federal agent this side of the Pacific ocean,"
A birth certificate that reads John Hasley looked authentic enough and wouldn't raise questions. He had asked Cortona why she had chosen Dr. Catherine Halseys name for his surname; she had answered that it made sense for him to be named after the closest thing to a mother either one of them had." and besides" Cortona added "she wouldn't mind, trust me."
It was the bank account and financial records that confused him. Cortona had opened several accounts under his name with several different banks all over the world.
"Cortona how much money did you get your hands on?"
"Exact figures? Eighty-Eight billion, nine hundred and three million eight hundred and forty-two thousand one hundred and twelve dollars and eleven cents, why? Do you think that's not enough I can get us more."
"Should be fine, your the one with expensive tastes, not me."
"It's for the best; bullets and bombs are notoriously inexpensive."
"Where did you get the money?"
"Well, besides the stock market which I might add seriously needs better security, I also pillaged a couple of unsavory personal accounts. you know drug dealers, mob bosses, corrupt politicians, hedge fund managers, evangelical preachers..."
"You stole from a preacher?"
"He owns a diamond mine; he'll be fine, besides what happened to the whole vow of poverty," Cortona said.
"Any news on Donovan?" John asked "The more time we let him alone out there, the more damage he's allowed to cause."
"Before we can begin trying to take this Donovan guy out, we need to fix the issue regarding transportation." Cortona spoke, "we can't just travel around the world and cause mayhem wherever we go, it's gonna bring too much attention to us."
Their lack of transportation would hinder them in the long run, that was true. It would be close to impossible, even for a Spartan to battle a worldwide network of warlords and crime bosses when he was primarily grounded in one place. Even during the first contact war with the covenant, Spartans couldn't be everywhere at once and like back then everywhere the Spartans weren't suffered under the enemy.
"Besides, If we have to be stuck out here," Cortana had said, "We might as well try to get settled in before we fight a one-man war against Donovan."
In the end, John consented, and accepted Cortana's couldn't think about the war he couldn't fight or an enemy he didn't have the ability to confront at the moment and instead chose the time to reflect on the battle ahead and to plan his next move.
Despite only being in this period less than 48 hours, John found himself in the middle of a global conspiracy that threatened to send the world spiraling into war, And Donovan was behind it all. John wasn't going to sit by and allow him to cause so much misery, not when he could stop it.
"Hold that thought" Cortona spoke," I'm getting something."
After a brief second the A.I talked again "Well looks like my plan of keeping a low profile just went out the window, I got something."
"What did you find?"
"A few news reports detailing a civil war in western Asia, allegations of war crimes against civilians and noncombatants are spurring threats from the United Nations to end the fighting."
"Where is this."
"The Vigoor Empire or what was once the Vigoor Empire," Cortona said as she pulled up several news stories. "It was a relatively small imperialistic country dating back several centuries ago, very religious, very isolated. it seems the death of the last employer was the spark that lit the powder keg that the country had become over the past few years."
"What does this have to do with us ?" John had asked before he realized the significance himself.
Dozens of communication channels were being used to relay news reports about the incidents all around the world and dozens more were being used to organize relief efforts all around the region; There was one channel however that was far and beyond that most sophisticated piece of code in the area.
One channel that no one else on this planet had the ability to read except for them.
Forerunner
DOA Hong Kong headquarters 3:00 AM
Downloading video file... 15 percent complete
It was times like this the former professional assassin turned DOA Mercenary, Bayman regretted his choice of profession change.
Not that he missed making a living off of killing people for men like Donovan, or even that he disliked the new benefits his new employer has allowed him for his skill set.
It was the waiting,
He would rather do anything than waiting for a half deleted video file taken from a half-destroyed security camera to download into the encryption software. For hours on end, he might add.
Bayman scanned the room for what had to be the tenth time in so many minutes as he waited on the computer to finish. He gulped down his third cup of coffee as the mere boredom of his charge seemed to be getting to him. Put him in the middle of a war zone with bullets flying around his head and explosions filling his ears he was as happy as any man could be. Have him sneak into enemy bases, sabotage their equipment? That was the closest thing to a vacation he got. Sitting alone in an air-conditioned office building staring at a computer screen? He wanted to put a bullet in his head after the first hour
He checked the terminal again.
Downloading video file... 16 percent complete
The burly Russian thought about his arrangements with the French opera singer turned CEO that sent him here. His experience and a broad assortment of skills were of use to her, not only as a mercenary or security officer but as a potential means to his former employer's end.
Whatever personal problems they may have had in the past were put to the side for the time being until he was able to put a bullet between the eyes of the mad scientist.
Whatever happened after that, however, would be a bridge he would cross when he got there.
Downloading video file ...17 percent complete
What the Russian didn't understand was why he was here overseeing this computer terminal and not out looking for whoever raised hellfire in South America.
He was a soldier with decades of combat experience. He was a trained killer with contacts all over the world. If there was anyone in Helena's employ with the skills and background to properly handle the situation, it was him.
A new player had entered the game of cat and mouse that had become of their vendetta against the former DOAtech majority shareholder. And he was being wasted here.
He saw the carnage and the destroyed and broken bodies they left in their wake. There were only two things Baymen knew for sure about them. They were good, better than good at what they did and they more than likely had it in for Donovan. Not that he blamed them, though. Victor Donovan had a talent for getting under people's skin and fucking them over.
It was that particular aspect of his former employer's personality that would cause his downfall in the end.
Ring Ring Ring Ring
The disposable cell phone rang and dispersed the large Russians thoughts, as he answered it without taking his eyes off the terminals screen.
"Hello, boss." the mercs rough growl spoke
"..."
"No, nothing yet. the government is issuing a statement in a few hours., but the entire area's been evacuated."
"..."
"Yeah, the satellite feed is being decrypted as we speak, it just taking a while."
"..."
"Got it, I'll keep my eyes peeled for any trouble."
"..."
"Understood Ms. Douglas" he hung up the phone and began stretching his arms.
Downloading video file ...18 percent complete
God damn it, he was going to be here awhile
Jane Lee's Studio Apartment Hong Kong 5:00 AM
It wasn't until she had entered Jane Lee's studio apartment that Kasumi realized this was the first time she had ever been alone inside a boys bedroom.
She wondered if this was like other guys rooms, she had a feeling that Ryu's home wouldn't be this...cluttered. She looked around the simple dwelling; It was a large single room that was sparsely decorated. A queen size bed that looked like it had never been made, a TV, a couch that looked older than she was and a full kitchen. What made the room feel cluttered however was the weights, punching and heavy bags and other exercise equipment she had never seen before.
"Jane Lee...really takes his training seriously." she thought to herself as she stood still trying her hardest not to move something accidently out of its place.
"You know" the Chinese martial artist spoke, as he was grabbing items out of his refrigerator " I usually run into Zack or Brad or Lei Feng. so I'm glad I ran into a fighter who's sane."
"Lei Feng isn't crazy," Kasumi said defending the Chinese girl.
"Yeah, let her follow you around and see how you feel about it," Jane Lee said as he poured himself a glass of orange juice to go along with his sandwich." you're a girl, do you know what her problem with me is?"
Kasumi rolled her eyes and shrugged her shoulders for her answer. Despite not knowing Leifang all that well, even she knew of the obvious feelings the girl had for him. "In fact," she thought "only a complete fool couldn't see that."
Which would explain Jane Lees current predicament
'So what is it you needed?" he said in between mouthfuls of food" I doubt this is a social call."
Kasumi drew a deep breath to calm herself, mentally preparing herself for the long conversations and endless questions which she would soon answer.
"I need your help in killing Victor Donovan."
Christies Safe House, London 8:00 AM
Ring ring. Ring ring.
It was times like this, Christie felt truly at ease with herself. While she let the warm water sooth her nerves and relaxes her tired body, She let go of the world around her. This was probably going to be the only time in the coming days she was going to be alone and able to enjoy the pure luxury she enjoyed so much, and she was going to enjoy herself.
Ring ring. Ring ring.
The London streets her apartment overlooked was as busy as they have ever been with commuters going about their normal mundane existence. While she always hated staying in one place for long stretches of time, her hometown would always have a special place in her heart. But even so, her Choice of profession meant that she would be forced to leave the city that birthed her. So is the way of the world.
Ring ring. Ring ring.
An irritated groan escaped the young woman as the warm water of her shower abruptly stopped as the cell phone rang monotonously as she stepped out of the shower. The statuesque beauty gracefully emerged from the steam, like a shadow emerging into the sitting room, her bare feet barely making a sound.
"Whoever the bloody hell this is" The English assassin growled," better have a good reason to call me."
"Christie," a familiar voice said."I have a job for you."
The female assassin mentally sighed to herself as she poured herself another glass of French wine, knowing full well that whatever request her employer had, her quiet evening has over.
"Donovan," She said with fake enthusiasm" How lovely it is to hear from you, but I believe I told you that I would call you about Helena, not the other way around."
If he's calling me about the over privileged little princess, I am going to rip his heart out.
"This isn't about Miss Douglas," He said bluntly " I have a pressing matter, which I need you to deal with personally."
"Well as much as I would love to drop everything I'm doing and rush right to whatever godforsaken corner of the globe you want." Christie paused taking a sip of her wine. " I have prior arrangements."
"What?" Donovan almost hissed over the phone; The arrogance that he assumed she would put his needs over any other potential client made Christie sigh in annoyance. The man, despite being one of her most profitable and overall advantageous clients just seemed to rub her the wrong way.
"You're not my sole employer Luv," She said as she finished her wine as she sauntered over to her sofa, "A busy girl like me has to have options out in the workplace."
"I pay you more than anyone else does" he countered, like many men Christie had met in her long, exciting life, they became angry whenever they didn't get what they thought they deserved.
"Be that as it may, I already gave my word on the job." She said, "It would be unprofessional to leave my client hung out to dry just because I found a better offer, my reputation is at stake."
In her line of work, one's reputation was all the negotiation one needed. She had worked hard to keep both her reputation and success rate spotless. The only job she had ever failed was killing Helena, a job she had admittedly felt...a commitment to finish. Maybe it was because she had been the only person ever to elude her, not once but twice over. It wasn't wounded pride that drove her nor was it anger directed towards the French woman. She felt like a hunter finding a worthy challenge; she wanted to savor the feeling.
"when will you be available?" he asked in a huff, clearly not enjoying being pushed to the side, which caused Christie to smile to herself slightly. Whatever the man had in mind, it must have been big, to have him so worked up.
"you can't rush greatness Luv, but if you must know my client wishes the job done within 48 hours." she said as she stroke the pure black panther as her pet joined her on the sofa.
"Finish it in 24 and I'll double your standard rate."
"I'll see if I can pencil you into my schedule darling," she said before throwing the phone onto the table in annoyance. Resting her head on her hand, she wondered just what had caused Donovan, a usual calm and emotionless man of science, to become as aggravated and excited as he seemed on the phone. Whatever it was it didn't bode well for her in the long run, but at least the pay was good.
The Panther yawned as it stretched out its massive body, almost purring as Christie she went over the details of her next kill. With a cold smile, she dressed and packed, mentally preparing herself for the job in front of her before she can worry about whatever Donovan wanted from her.
Paris 11:15 AM
Ring ring. Ring ring.
The smartphone alarm rang twice, then stopped. 11:15 AM. forty-five-minute warning. Helana sent a few last minute emails, packed up her laptop and exited her top floor office for the executive had been in her office all of the previous day and night trying to piece together the flood of information she had received. But despite her best efforts, she wasn't anywhere closer to solving her mystery. Another wasted day, another wasted all-nighter for the French CEO.
Ding. The glass paneled elevator opened out directly onto the executive level parking garage.
11:22 AM.
She wasted no time in striding quickly to her pure black S-600 Mercedes. She smoothly drove out of the garage and made through the downtown financial district of Paris towards the freeway. The morning rush hour had ended hours ago, and the street traffic was relatively light, perfect for making time on her journey home.
She looked at her rear view mirror and found no one behind her and let off the gas slightly, as she took notice of her appearance for the first time that day. She looked almost as bad as she felt this morning. Lack of sleep was never a good look for her. But she had gotten used to it these past few years rebuilding her father's company into something he would be proud of, but even this seemed to get steadily worse over the past week.
She pulled up to a magnificent looking villa overlooking a private park. The marble used to construct the towering home dated back three centuries and had been owned by Helena's father since before she was born. While it felt good to be home after such a busy night, she knew the most stressful part of her day was just beginning.
11:31 AM
The fist thing Helena did once home was to take a shower, the hot water waking her up and soothing her tired body. As she sat down in front of her silver-framed vanity mirror, the same mirror that had been in her mother's family for generations, the weight of her upcoming meeting caught up with her.
Hayate and Ryu were coming to her to discuss her knowledge of the recent attacks on Donovan's private army. She, of course, knew nothing of it, but the ninjas needed to hear it from herself to believe it. For those living in shadows and dealing with secrets, they must assume everyone is as deceitful as they are.
The news cycle was still talking about which meant it was either a slow news day or it was that big of a deal. Regional warlords getting snuffed out in their headquarters didn't happen every day, unfortunately.
11:49 AM
Helena's train of thought was derailed however as she heard a small clink as a fresh cup of tea was placed beside her. Her newest assistant, Marie Rose, had taken it upon herself to try her best to make Helena's morning more bearable if at least a little.
"I'm sorry, Lady Helana" she started in her quiet voice." I brewed you your afternoon tea; I didn't want it to get cold."
"Thank you, Marie. I appreciate the gesture" Helena smiled as Marie beamed at her. The young Swedish girl was the best servant Helana could have asked for, easily better than her last one at any rate.
"You seem troubled Lady Helana, is there anything I could help you with?"
"No Marie, I'm just expecting company."
"should I brew more tea for your guest Lady Helana."
"no need, I don't expect them to stay long, you may go back to your duties," Helana spoke as she put the finishing touches on her makeup as she entered her private office on the top floor of her villa.
11:58 AM
Sitting in her large leather armchair, Helena gazed out of the double windows of the balcony waiting for her early morning was important for her to showcase that despite their best efforts, she had the power in this discussion and that if they wanted her help they had to play by her rules.
12:00 PM
At exactly 12 o'clock Ryu and Hayate appeared if out of nowhere on her balcony having the common decency to wait for her to allow them entry into her home.
Helana for her part stared dispassionately at them, or, at least, she hoped her stare came across that way.
"Thank you for agreeing to see us Helana" Ryu spoke first, bowing slightly to her as a sign of respect.
I'm sure the reason you wanted to talk to me was important, perhaps you can enlighten me on the reason behind this visit" Helana said, despite knowing full well the reason behind the ninjas request.
"the attack on Donovan's men" Hayate spoke as he walks closer to the French woman "what do you know about it?"
"I know as little as the two of you I'm sure," she said as she sipped the teas Marie had left her, "I was had been expecting you to have known more about it than I, but it seems I was mistaken."
the answer appeared to annoy the eighteenth Master of the Mugen Tenshin Ninja Clan, seemingly not believing her story.
"You expect us to believe that?"
"I expect you to be logical, Why would I willingly hamper the efforts of my allies to disrupt our common enemy's forces. If I was behind this attack you speak off, why would I keep you in the dark about it? If I had another alley capable of damaging Donovan's forces why would I align myself with you?"
The shinobi clan leader had no real answer for that. While Hayate's pride demanded he stand his ground, his better judgment decided against it. While he still didn't fully trust her, she was his ally. He had to Trust that she wouldn't harm her chances of capturing their common enemy.
"Have you made any headway? Have you discovered their motives yet at least?" Ryu spoke with a much more calm demeanor than his friend, But Helena was not foolish enough to press her luck with the super ninja.
"I have my best people working on it" She motioned for the two shinobi to take a seat" But I'm afraid we don't have much to go on, all we can do is wait for either for them to make another move or see if Donovan is going to retaliate."
"Not much of a plan to go on," Ryu said as he turned to look out the balcony window onto the now busy street, with cafe's, and market stalls were filling with morning patrons and early morning commuters.
"Unfortunately, that is all we can do at this point. However, there might be one thing that might point us in the right direction."
"Do you have a lead?" Hayate said as he moved from his original spot to stand directly in front of the French women.
"More than likely there's no connection to the men who attacked the compound. However, it may link us to Donovan."
-
1 mile under Tairon Vigoor Empire 11:00 PM
Maximillion Victarian Donovan
It was a stupid, annoying and if speaking frankly, a pompous, Haughty, and overly grandiose name. He always hated that name, always hated when his father used that name when scolding him for not living up to the man's standards.
and besides, the name Rig just seemed to roll off the tongue
He walked through the lab, with the nonchalance that came from being the most dangerous creature in eyesight, stalking the halls like a wild animal hunting for its prey. All the bookworms and lab rats he came across gave him a wide berth as he moved like, rabbits hiding in their burrows from a wolf.
He had arrived in the airfield less than an hour ago and had immediately been escorted to the hidden base underground. By the time the elevator signaled they had traveled the fifth floor below the surface, he had stopped paying attention to just how far they had traveled.
He didn't want to be here, and he made that known to whoever he saw. But his father had insisted. Victor Donovan didn't trust many people in his life, hell rig didn't think he fully trusted him all that much, But recent events seemed to make his scientist dad desperate.
"I'm so close," he had started, "all I need is a few more pieces, and my life's work will be complete, and I will not have a foolish little war over some godforsaken piece of dirt ruin what could be the biggest discovery humanity has ever had.
So now he was sent to this god forsaken piece of dirt country while the "foolish little war" occurred only miles outside the capital cities gate.
"Mr. Rig I presume?" the man in charge of the facility, a Doctor Gerald Hightower met him in the pure white hallway.
The man was a tall, slender, broad-shouldered man in his fifties. Clean shaven and bald, he gave off the vibe of an experienced military leader more than a scientist.
"That's me, you going to tell me what's so damn important that I had to come to ye old demon city while you massacre peasants?"
"I assure you, there is no slaughter of the citizens of this country; rest assured the rebel aggression will be suppressed, and peace will soon return to the streets," he said in an almost practiced way, like an actor memorizing lines he had spoken a thousand times.
"I'm not a reporter Doc, and I'm sure as shit, not the UN, you don't need to convince me of anything," Rig said with a shrug of his shoulders. He couldn't care less about the turmoil going on as they spoke, he certainly didn't need to be lied to. "Burn schools, Bomb hospitals. kill men, women, and children, hell strangle newborns with their own umbilical cords for all I care, just tell me why my father wanted me here."
The man gave what had to be the fakest smile Rig had ever seen as he began to lead him through the pristine corridor.
" Due to the classified nature of this facility as well as the importance and frankly the sensitive nature of this scientific discovery, Mr. Donovan was quite concerned with the level of security as well as the potential for information leaking out to the general public due to the political atmosphere our great city has recently experienced."
"Could you try speaking English this time." Again with the double talk, he could see why he and his father traveled in the same circles, they acted the fucking same.
The man's smile dropped as he stopped and answered the request."Your father doesn't trust the men under my charge or me and has sent you to babysit us, so our secret stays a secret."
"See, Was that so hard?"
"Hard?" the man scoffed bitterly as he turned his body towards rig. "Of course, it wasn't hard, I'm just a Duel Ph.D. in theoretical physics and astrobiology leading a team of astronomers, cosmologists, astrophysicists, astrobiologists, and some of the best electrical engineers on the planet." He said as he stared directly into the younger man's eyes. "And now I'm answering to you, a cocky, self-righteous punk, who's here because his father is the man funding this research facility."
The more the man spoke the urge for Rig to snap the old man's neck like a twig increased. In any other instance, he wouldn't hesitate to teach the old man that he wasn't the type of guy to get talked down to like a child, but he was here for a purpose and killing one of his father's men while he was still some value to their plans was going to happen.
"My father just wants to make sure this facility is secure; that's why I'm here."
"One of your fathers R&D cells has gone dark; we've heard nothing of the South American weapons testing facility." Rig felt his fist tighten, and his knuckles crack from the strain as he stared daggers at the man, who seemed to realize he was too valuable to be disposed of, for now at least. "You'll forgive me for wondering if your arrival is somehow involved with that?"
To be honest, Rig's patience had been running thin since he was forced to partake in this errand for his father, and this man wasn't helping matters in the slightest.
"It reassures me that the sanctity of my research is in the capable hands of a man like..."
But he didn't get the chance to finish his sentence, as Rig had shot one hand out to grab the man by the throat, Easily lifting the man up into the air and crashing his body into the wall like it was nothing. His legs flailed in vain; arms tried fruitlessly to pry Rigs powerful grip on his neck.
"Insult my father or me again," Rig began, mimicking the same fake smile the man had given him before. "And I'll cut your tongue out."
"Now, I'm going to let go after I'm done talking. When I do, I suggest you show a little bit more respect. Got it?"
The fearful man could only gurgle and vainly wheeze for air in response before he was unceremoniously dropped to the hard white floor. He was on his hands and knees gasping for precious oxygen into his lungs as his assailant loomed over him.
"So" the younger man started as he smirked at the cowering form of the older man. "Since we're done with the foreplay, why don't you be a nice little tour guide and show me why I'm here."
-
1 mile above Tairon Vigoor Empire 11:00 PM
The plan was simple, get into the closed off borders of an isolationist country going through a civil war. All in all a simple enough job for Cortona and her Spartan.
The country had been imperialistic for centuries, taking over small pieces of neighboring lands and converted its population to its wholly unique religious practices and killed whoever resisted conversion. The same Modus Operandi of empires since the dawn of existence, if fact it sort of reminded the UNSC's most intelligent AI of the Covenant in a way, Just about a billion times less dangerous.
The problem in infiltrating the borders was a simple one to remedy, in fact, it was the same problem Cortona had been working on fixing for their little war with Donovanns forces, Transportation.
The only way in and out of the Viggor empires borders was through airships, a mode of travel controlled exclusively by the same government that they were sneaking into. Which one would assume was a bit of a speed bump in their plans. But thankfully, her Spartans legendary luck had given them an answer as well as an opportunity to use her hard work in crafting a new identity for the chief.
So when an eccentric billionaire decided to donate a small fortune in humanitarian aid to the civilians caught in between the fighting, no one seemed to raise any questions. So to save face in front of the world, not only did the Vigoor government allowed the aid workers into the country but actually gave them an airship to use.
Said airship was now currently filled to the brim with food, water, medical supplies and a small army of volunteers intended to try and help in whatever way they could. Not bad for a few hours of work if Cortona was honest with herself.
Not that she was complaining about it, but Cortona just needed to bring it up about this choice of aircraft. She just didn't get it. Why in the world had airships become such a mainstay in air travel in this world? In fact, why did some parts of the world, like the part they were currently going to, have airships be the exclusive way some countries allowed people to enter and leave it borders?
It was just plain bizarre
The glorified blimp had a set course and wasn't allowed to dictate the course the governing body had set for them. The Vigoor Empire likes to control everything that transpired within its borders, even when receiving aid. It seemed that for whatever reason the airship wasn't allowed to make a stop in the capital city of Tairon, the official reason being was the uncontrolled riots and that the ancient city was not safe enough for outsiders. The real reason, however, seemed to be the same reason why the two-time travelers were here.
The forerunner beacon.
The Airship was due to fly over the capital in less than a few minutes, and they needed to make their move soon.
"What's the plan Cortona?" The master chief spoke as he checked his armors internal systems.
"The beacon is promptly 1.2 miles away from the city center, especially close to where the riots are said to be the most dangerous." Cortona spoke into the internal speakers of his helmet "Either the city is tearing itself apart, or they really want to keep people away from that spot."
"Knowing what we're dealing with, it could be either or," John said as he mentally counted down to when they would be over the city.
Then he jumped
John broke through the clouds like a missile, falling hundreds of feet a second as the image of the capital city of the Vigor Empire grew in his visor. He shifted his body midair as he neared closer to the ground, and used the M805X thruster pack of his MJOLNIR Powered Assault Armor to slow down his descent as he touched on the city street. His massive armored body smashing into the stone pavement of the street, shattering the hard rock like glass.
John crept silently towards the bottom of the stone bridge, his green armor blending in with darkened alleyways that surrounded him. As he reached the point where he would have to begin to climb, he noticed the enemies about halfway up the street corner. The enemy combatants wore pure white suits with black kevlar armor plates covering their chest, legs, and arms. Their assault rifles and shotguns held in their arms as they walked in precise military formation.
There were eleven men altogether, with several bodies laying on the ground around them, three of them being children. The men's armor had stains of blood, and from the formation of the bodies to the splatter of the blood it looked to John that these people were killed execution style, it was likely that these deaths were recent.
"God damn it, Ericson, why did you have to go and hit the kid? they were going along with it." A tall and thin man shouted. He wasn't wearing his helmet, and John could see his face flushed red with anger.
"That little bitch kept crying, what was I supposed to do? If someone found out about this, we would've been shit canned." a shorter man defended while pointing to the bullet-ridden body of a girl barely in her teens.
"That's enough from the both of you." The man in charge, a gruff looking man in his forties shouted. John noticed something off about the man, something not fully human" Quite your bitching and get to work. I'm not going through this bullshit and not getting anything out of it."
At their commanding officer's word, two of the men searched the bodies of the people they killed, taking anything of value they could find. The thin man who complained earlier had grabbed a dead man's wallet and watch, another grabbed a woman's earnings and wedding ring. Their luggage was pilfered through, and their belongings that didn't seem of value littered the street.
"John" Cortona spoke to him,"The leader, I'm sure you noticed isn't exactly an average person."
"Yeah" he answered back as he read the classified file on the cities elite soldiers being cybernetically enhanced, that Cortona was able to pilfer. Despite being able to mow down normal humans with ease the heavily armored Vigoor officers were nowhere near as powerful or advanced as the Spartan II, hell they weren't even as powerful as the Spartan I's
"What do we do with the bodies?" a young man who couldn't be over the age of twenty asked.
"What?" the man smiled, looking at his subordinate with a confused expression on his face, his red eyes glowing in an almost robotic fashion. "The bodies of these rioters who attacked us? We had to defend ourselves."
A sting of regret shot through him. If he had been a bit faster, climbed that wall a little faster, then maybe these people wouldn't be dead right now, maybe he could have stopped this.
"This isn't your fault John," Cortona spoke to his inter comm"You're not the one who did this, you can't blame yourself for what these men did."
His AI companion had a talent of reading his mind, but even with her words of wisdom, he couldn't get over this sense of failure that overcame him.
He couldn't save these people, but he was going to avenge them and punish those who did this.
Eleven hostiles. Heavily armed. In close military formations. The leader is cybernetically modified.
Threat level: Minimum
John ran full speed towards the Squads leader, a sergeant if John had to guess, covering the 20-meter distance in a little over a second without making a noise. Before any of the men had time to react, the Master Chief was behind the commanding officer; the sergeants enhancements doing little to save him from the spartan. In one swift motion the chief broke the man's neck quicker than a man like the sergeant deserved, and With his other arm, John grabbed the dead man's holstered handgun and took aim at the men that surrounded him.
John wasn't going to waste his own ammo on these men; He didn't know how long he was to be stuck in this era so he felt the need to ration the UNSC standard ammunition as best he could. Besides that, his opponents lack of space-era body armor and shielding made the use of his normal weapons overkill.
By the time their sergeant's body hit the floor, John had gunned down four more men with the dead man's weapon. Despite the armor they wore, a headshot at this range was still a headshot.
By the time the remaining men had time to react and unholster their guns, John was already on the move again. He jumped to the side emptying five more bullets from his newly obtained sidearm into the mass of men.
head shot head shot head shot head shot head shot
By the time the bodies hit the ground, the last man left alive had drawn his rifle and emptied half a clip into where the Spartan was a moment ago, but John had already closed the distance, smashing the man's weapon with his forearm, breaking it like a child's toy. With his other arm, the armored Spartan grabbed the shocked man's wrist and stepped in, twisting his arm in a way a human's limb wasn't supposed to bend, snapping it like a twig. Before the man could scream and moan in pain, John stepped with him, hooking his leg behind crippled man's ankle and shot his free hand out to his chest, slamming the man into the ground, unconscious and bloodied.
He had to restrain himself, force himself only to use a fraction of his vastly superior strength against the soldier. If he didn't, he would risk caving in the man's chest in and breaking every bone in his torso. Not that he didn't deserve death less than his comrades, but he needed one of them alive.
He turned to the bodies of the squads victims, stepping over the corpses he had made only seconds before. How soldiers could willingly fire on civilians was beyond him, and a deep feeling of anger rose in him again, not unlike when he dealt with the men in South America.
"Well then," Cortona spoke to him as he lifted the unconscious man over his shoulder." Where to now chief?"
"We need to find out the enemy movements in the city, before anything else we have to lock the city down."
leave a Review and tell me if i suck or not, cause god knows i need constructive criticism. Also Greg if you're reading this, could you pick up some milk on your way home? I need to make brownies for the party. oh... wait, this is the wrong place to put this isn't it? i've gone to far to erase this whole thing so Greg if you somehow read this in the next few hours bring home milk.