Living Memory

Chapter Nine: Last Word

            "You called us up here 'cause you can't take care of one man?" asked one of the men that Brian Hunt summoned to Boston.

            "He's not any ordinary man.  He defies all logic and physics," replied Brian evenly.  The group of men he brought to Boston eyed him strangely until one of them spoke up again.  "Who is this guy anyway?"

            "Dante," said Brian.  There came a gasp from some of the men.  "I think some of you have heard of him."

            "Yeah, I've heard of him.  I heard that on one job he axed out over twenty people all in the dark," said one.

            Another one spoke up, "I heard that he can run on walls."  There came more murmurs from the group.  Some knew that Dante was one of the best, and the only one who was up to Dante's skill was Brian.  The Jacks-of-All-Trades were in a class all their own, and if Brian couldn't handle Dante on his own, then Dante had to be even better than Brian.  They became uneasy and Brian detected it at once.  "He is only one man," said Brian.

            "He's only human.  Extraordinary, but still just a human being.  Just like you and me," said Brian. 

            "Fine, whatever you say.  You're paying us, right?" asked one of the men.

            "Of course," answered Brian.  There came more mumblings from the crowd.  Another man stepped forward, "If this is the Dante we're talking about, I need to get more money."

            "No," said Brian.  After his answer they knew better than to question him. 

            Two of the men stood up and got ready to leave the room.  "Where do you think you're going?" demanded Brian.

            "I would rather stay alive.  Thank you very much.  There isn't enough money in the world for me to go after that guy," said one of them as he continued walking.

            "I would rethink the whole thing if I were you, Hunt.  And so should the rest of you," said the other man. 

            "Go ahead and leave.  What about the rest of you?" he asked them as they looked amongst themselves, but no one else made the move to leave.  "Fine.  Let me explain what we're going to do."

*

            Dante woke up the next morning to find that Eden was already wake.  She had gone to a nearby bakery and café to bring back coffee and pastries to eat.  "What are we going to do now?" asked Eden.

            "We'll have to go back to England.  There's nothing more we can do here.  We'll go to London," replied Dante.  He sipped his coffee.  He took his coffee like he took his scotch: straight.  He didn't have sugar or cream in it.  Eden bought a café latte for herself, but she wasn't sure what kind of coffee Dante took, so she just bought regular coffee and brought back sugar and cream for him to add in.  She noticed that he never buttered bread when he ate it; he took it plain. 

            Also for someone who was trained to be an assassin, he didn't work out at all.  From what she could see, he took no efforts to maintain his trim frame at all.  She knew that he was strong.  He also knew how to use a multitude of weaponry.  And she was pretty sure that he could kill anyone using anything.  He wore expensive clothes and sunglasses with an olive green tint in them.  His eyes were deep blue that held no soul or life in them.  Eden suspected that in his past life he must have done great work.  Work that meant something.  Work that was good and important.  He wasn't the lifeless killing machine he had become.

            Eden could see flickers of it.  Dante never took off his wedding band.  He kept it on him as proof of his past.  Even though he made it appear as if he didn't know for sure that the ring really was his, he still wore that ring because in his heart he knew that he was still married to someone.  However, where was his wife?  Did she care that he was gone?  That was strange because Eden had no strong connection to her past like he had to his.  Wasn't there anyone out there who cared where he had gone?  

            "We'll have to get moving soon.  I'll have to call to see if there's a flight or check on-line.  We have to catch the first flight out of Boston to England," said Dante.  He believed in moving quickly.  To Eden, he moved as quietly as the wind most of the time.  It was hard to believe a man of his size could move like that at all. 

            "Okay, but we may not be able to, even if we get a flight.  It looks like it's going to rain.  I can smell in the air.  It's pretty strong, if I can smell it over the ocean air," said Eden as she looked out the window.

            True enough, the clouds seem to fill the air with dark ominous clouds that threatened to break and pour rain at any moment.  Dante looked at the clouds with his usual apathy and disinterest.  Perhaps, it would delay their plans a bit, but it wasn't going to stop either of them from finding out the truth.

            Which each path they went down, more questions arose even more.  Dante was wondering what really happened almost three years ago.  What happened in the world that made things so different for him and Eden.  Too many strange things happened around the world that made him wonder.  How was it possible that two people from two different parts of the world with obvious differences would have the same story to tell?  Eden didn't speak with an English accent, but she spoke with a soft accent that was native to New England.  Eden reminded him of someone, not his wife, but someone else.  Someone who was important to him.  She made him feel as if he had to protect her at all costs. 

            She seemed so much younger and innocent compared to him.  Her world was strange and unfamiliar to her, but she didn't have the blood of men on her hands.  Dante had the blood of men on his hands.  That was why he didn't say anything about Brian coming after him.  He didn't want to worry her unnecessarily.

*

            Hermione focused her investigation on any Muggle involved in the murder of Skye Jones.  She was at home working late at night when she received at knock at her door.  Her son was fast asleep, but ever since her husband's disappearance she was more alert than ever.  Her safety felt violated, so she was ready to defend herself just in case.  She reached for her wand.  And went to the door after she had put a quick protection ward over the doorway of her son's room.  Tyler stirred slightly, but he didn't wake.

            She was surprised to find, Charles Jones at her door.  "I'm sorry to bother you at this hour, Mrs. Weasley," he said in a tired voice.  He looked tired.  Or numb from something.  She noticed that he didn't address her as "Dr. Granger", but rather by "Mrs. Weasley."  She opened her door wider.  "Please come in, Mr. Jones," she said to him, inviting him inside. 

            "Please have a seat.  Would you like some tea?" asked Hermione anxiously. 

            "No, I shouldn't.  I don't want to impose on your hospitality," he said as he looked at her with a look of near guilty. 

            "What is it?" she asked.

            "I wanted to tell you about something that happened not too long ago," he said.

            "What?"

            "My daughter didn't die at the hands of the man known as Dante.  A Muggle murdered her."

            "You know about Dante?"  she asked in a surprised voice. 

            "Yes, I know about Dante," he answered in a bitter, sad tone.  "I also know the man who killed my daughter.  He's a Muggle.  He didn't kill her by his own hand, but he hired the man who did.  I don't know the man who killed her really, but I know who paid for it.  And I know that my own hand led to her death."

            Hermione's jaw dropped.  "But, why do you care so much what I think of Dante?"  She noticed how he went out his way make sure that she knew that Dante wasn't the one who committed the murder.  "Because I do not wish for you to think of him that way," he answered. 

            When Hermione had seen him last time, he didn't look his age.  He was close to the age of Mr. Weasley.  Now, he looked older than Mr. Weasley.  He looked like a man burdened by the death of his daughter and the guilty of something else.  It appeared as if he was apologizing for some wrong he had done to her.  "How do you know about the man who killed your daughter?  How do you know that he was a Muggle and someone hired an assassin to kill?  If you knew, why didn't you prevent it?" she asked. 

            "I know the man.  I can't say.  I am bounded by silence.  To break that silence…will result in my own death.  Just know this: Dante was a wizard," he said breathlessly as he looked away from her. 

            "He 'was a wizard'?" asked Hermione.  The only time she knew of a wizard being stripped of status and wand was Hagrid, the gamekeeper at Hogwarts.  However, that was a different case.  Most wizards who did something illegal enough to be stripped were sent to Azkaban and their wands were snapped.  "Is he living as a Muggle?"

            "Yes, he is.  He was a wizard," he verified again.  He hung his head in shame again.  "I know of a way for you to get your answers.  I cannot continue like this.  I cannot face my wife and my son after what I've done to my daughter.  And I cannot continue to even look at you after what I've done.  You don't understand how much courage it's taken me to come here tonight to speak with you.  I can only hope that you can forgive me."

            "Who can I talk to?" she asked. 

            "Bode and Croaker," he answered.

            "They're the Unspeakables.  There's no way they'll talk to me about anything they're doing," she said in an incredulous voice.  Bode and Croaker worked in the Department of Mysteries.  They were the most tipped men in all of the Ministry of Magic.  They worked on cases that were separate from the Aurors. No one in the Ministry, save the Minister of Magic, knew what those two men were up to. 

            "Ask them about Project Lazarus.  No one is supposed to know about it, but they do.  It will surprise them to know that anyone other than them knows about it," he said simply as he walked to the door.  Hermione made no move to stop him, but as soon as he was gone, she allowed herself the shudder that she had suppressed from the moment he said he knew who murdered his daughter.  She went back upstairs, deciding that it was done to go to sleep, even though she couldn't.  Hermione stopped to look at her son.  She pulled down the wards and went to his crib to pull the blankets over him.  He stirred again, but Hermione gently kissed him.  After that, she put the wards because she still felt uneasy.  After that she went to bed in a restless sleep.

*

            Dante was able to book a flight.  It cost more, but he knew that it was worth it.  He was hoping to get out of Boston long before Brian had a chance to do anything.  He was willing to protect Eden no matter what.  He always traveled alone for a reason, and now he knew what that reason was: he didn't want anyone who trusted and cared for him to get hurt.  Even though it had been for only a few days, Eden trusted and cared for him.  He couldn't fail her.  She was the first person in almost three years that he cared about. 

            In the airport, Brian Hunt had set his trip among the airplane hangers with the men.  They came in and shot the mechanics along with any other staff members they found.  They hid the bodies away and took uniforms and cover alls out of lockers.  Brian decided that he would be the man to lure Dante to the hangers, and that Eden would be handled later on.  Dante made it a point to dispose of his weapon.  Not that he didn't know how to conceal his weapon on a plane.  There were ways, but he didn't want to risk it.  Weapons were easy to come by anyway he went.  He knew where to go.  They were waiting for the flight when the rain had finally broken through and the storm had started.  "All Flights are delayed due to rain," announced a voice through the sound system in the airport. 

            "I told you it would rain," said Eden with a slight smile.

            "It's fine.  We'll just have to wait it out or find another hotel," said Dante as his eyes continually scanned the airport until he saw Brian standing near one of the exits.  The expression didn't change on his face.  "I'll be back," he said as he stood up and took off.

            "Wait!  Where are you going?" asked Eden.  She stood up and sat down as he took off running after Brian.  She looked around her nervously.

            Dante ran after Brian through the rain.  Gunfire came at him.  But, he was able to out run the bullets.  He was aware that there were more people out there.  He was going to have to find a way to stop them from killing him.  He decided it was time for him to do so, he ducked into one of the hangers where he knew that the bullets were coming for.  He came up behind one of the men without any noise.  He broke the man's neck quietly and cleanly.  He grabbed the gun along with whatever bullets the man had on him. 

            Brian ordered the men to find Dante.  How could they just lose him so quickly?  Suddenly, there came shoots and the sounds of men dying.  Brian could hear the sickening sound of a man choking his on his own blood.  When Brian and the other men arrive at the scene,  he could sense Dante's presence.  Two men were shot who were standing next to him.  He tumbled forward and turned.  The other men had disperses around him and took off running to different directions. 

            Lightning flashed in a moment, outlining the shape of a man standing in the shadows underneath a window.  The men fired at the shape, but as soon as a the lightning flashed again he was gone like a phantom.  Another set of shots fired, and three men dropped dead.  The other men who didn't know about Dante before understood why the two men had walked out during the briefing. 

            Some time later, another man-opened fire at him as he saw Dante clearly approach him.  His hand was unsteady and he couldn't hit Dante at all.  His eyes were open wide with fear.  "Please, don't kill me!" he pleaded.  He ran out of bullets and was on his knees.  He went as far as throwing the gun at Dante, but he landed right in front of him.  "Who are you?"

            The man who was coming at him had blue eyes that were piercing him.  "I am the Angel of Death," he answered finally as he pulled the trigger.  Brian decided that it was time to end this.  All the men that he had brought with him were killed.  He took off running back to the waiting area of the airport.

            Eden didn't know what was happening.  Dante had been gone for more than fifteen minutes.  He took off after someone.  She sighed and stood up and took off to go look for him.  When she got outside, someone grabbed her and had a gun pressed up to the jugular of her neck.  "Scream and you die right now," said a voice in a harsh whisper.

            Dante walked around the hanger and saw other people who were shot died.  Obviously, the work of Brian and his men.  He went through and got some more bullets from one of the bodies and went after Brian. 

            "I've been wondering where you've been," said Brian as the lightning flashed again.  He was holding Eden in his arms.

            Dante's body tensed up as he lowered his gun.  "What is it that you want?" he asked Brian.

            "Nothing more, but your death.  I'm sick and tired of dealing with you, Dante.  I don't care about the damn rules.  This is personal," replied Brian.

            Dante's eyes narrowed dangerously.  Brian was a hypocrite who used the rules when it suited him, but discarded them when they didn't serve his personal gains.  "You were ordered not to kill me, weren't you?  You were the one who killed Skye Jones, but why?" he said in a harsh voice.

            "I don't know why.  I don't know why you can run on walls either.  I don't care either," said Brian with a sneer that showed a nasty gleam of madness in his eyes.  He pressed the gun against Eden's throat even more.

            "If you kill her, then I'll kill you.  This time, it's for real," warned Dante.

            "I don't care," he said.  Eden's eyes never showed any fear.  She trusted Dante, so she had no fear.  She trusted that he would keep his promise and bring her home.  Brian pulled the trigger at that moment and without a gasp from her, she fell limp in his arms.  Brian let her body dropped to the ground. 

            Dante fired his gun, but Brian came at him.  They started to battle each other through the hanger shooting each other left and right.  They continued battling at each other.  Brian hid in the shadows.  He was the second best Jack-of-All-Trades, so his skills almost matched Dante's.  They raced after each other's shadows.  Soon, Dante was out of bullets, and he had no choice but throw down his gun.  Brian knew that he was out of bullets and he smiled to himself again.  He was going to win this thing.  He put his gun away for a moment and said, "Come on, Dante.  You keep talking about honor.  Let's fight face to face," he said.

            Dante appeared behind him and did a roundhouse kick.  Brian was able to jump and avoid it.  He threw a punch, which Dante blocked.  Brian attempted to kick him, but Dante did something that defied gravity by jumping behind him.  Brian continued his fighting.  He had more martial arts skills than Dante.  It was obvious that he would be able to beat Dante in close hand-to-hand combat like this.  Dante never allowed anyone to get close enough to him.  He did some pressure points with his quick moves.  Dante was knocked off his feet and landed on his back.  There was some ringing in his skull. 

            "You've finally failed.  I warned you, Dante.  You should have known better.  Do you have any more to say?" he asked the notoriously quiet man because he didn't expect any thing more from him.

            Dante could feel the numbing from the pressure points.  He should have been able to block it, but he didn't have the training from a sensei in Japan that Brian had.  He felt the unfamiliar tingle through his veins once again.  It seemed to come alive in him.  His peripheral vision he could see a gun from one of the other fallen men.  He knew that one of the men who he had killed owned that gun.  There might still be some bullets left in it.  But, the gun was too far from his reach.  However, something over took him at that moment.  By his own strength of will and some power within him a single word escaped his lips: "Accio."  The tingle got stronger in his body and the gun came to him.  Brian's eyes widened in disbelieve the gun was more than six feet away from him.  How was it possible? 

            Dante was able to thrust his hips up and push his body off the ground.  He came up and Brian didn't have time to react because of his movements.  He shot him through the heart.  Brian clutched the hole in his chest as the blood spurted out of him.  He looked at Dante in disbelief.  Dante stepped aside as Brian sank to his knees and died.  He let him die.  He ran out to find Eden.  And found her on the ground.  Her blood created a puddle on the ground.  Her eyes were still opened.  She blinked as the a trickle of blood came down the side of her lips.  Dante came to her and gathered her up into his arms.  Dante pressed his hand against the wound, but it was futile attempt.  "There's nothing I can do," he whispered helplessly.

            Her breathing was ragged.  "I waited for you to come back to me," she gasped as she yanked at the necklace around her throat.  He tried to stop her from causing more strain against her throat, but she gave the slightest shake of her head.  She broke the chain and pressed it into his hand that was covered in her blood.  "Promise me…promise me to bring me home.  No matter what.  Don't give up.  Bring me home," she pleaded as she looked into his eyes.  "Please."

            Dante held her hand with her pendant in it.  Her body shuddered as she gave a sigh.  "I promise," he whispered.  He held her tightly as her life left her finally.  He took of his coat and wrapped her around her coat.  And he carried her out of the hanger, leaving all the bodies behind. 

            The rain came pouring down his shoulders, hiding his tears in the rain.  "Come home with your shield or on it," he whispered as he walked into the night more determined to find the truth at all costs.

AN: The mystery is really heating up here.  I know that there is something wrong with the time change between England and New England.  Sorry, if I did.  If I did, just assume it's on different days.  ^_~  I finally got some action in.  Hermione's going to talk to the Unspeakables about Project Lazarus.  I was planning on killing off Eden Martin and only keeping her for three parts.  You also got a chance to see Dante kill people and some action also.  I hope that Eden's death was as meaningful and as sad as I hoped.  And Dante just found out a little bit about his powers.  ^_~   And due to popular demand, I've also updated, Angel of Apocalypse.  See, I read the reviews.  I went away during the break, but I worked on the stories.  I'm going to need a number (mystery, I don't like to say what my limits are) of reviews before the next parts for either story goes up. 

Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter.  I own Eden Martin and all the other original characters.