Chapter 38: Betrayals by the sea

Eda remained dumbfounded with the disbelief that after all the incidents that transpired, that Rock chose to throw everything away and align himself with the very man she sought and loathed. Santiago applauded Rock's decision and gestured to Victoria to hand him another item as she tossed it which was revealed to be a phone as he turned it on.

At the Southern Pier...

Revy and Roberta were forced to watch the three members of the Goliaths waiting for the couple to make a move while Dominic held a kid a gunpoint. Just then, one of their phones rang. Trey walked over, reach into Dominic's pocket, and answered the phone while aiming a gun in the ladies' direction. The man on the other side responded, " Dominic?" Trey placed the phone near Dominic's ear as he responded, "We're having fun, Santiago. Bad time to call us now." A smirk appeared on Santiago's face revealing the news to them, "But I'm having fun as well, Dominic. I assume Revy and Roberta are there."

Dominic nodded and the grew a smile when Santiago told him the news then ordered him to hand the phone over to them. Dominic shouted at the women as they listened, being surprised by the news, " I have vital information for you. We have Rock and Eda in our hands. Now if you cooperate with us, nobody else will be harmed, however, if you want a blood bath, we won't hesitate, starting with this kid. Now here's our generosity: We will hand you a phone and you can speak to him as long as you want. Trey, hand them the phone." Trey smiled and with his precise aim, threw a pass in which Revy caught the phone as she shouted at Santiago, "Hey, listen up you fucking fantasy man, put Rock on the phone now or..."

Santiago intervened on Revy's threatening, "Now. Now, Two Hands. House cats shouldn't make threats to lions besides I told you, Rock is right here and wants to talk with you." He handed the phone to the negotiator as Revy calmed herself and responded while Roberta listened, "Rock, are you and Eda alright?" A smirk appeared on Rock's face as he answered with a tone Revy was familiar with, "Everything's alright, Revy. Santiago has freed my mind and made me realize who I am. It's good to finally see and don't worry, I'll be able to save you even if that means watching a few people die." Revy had a disgust expression on her face, "What the fuck have they done to you? You sound similar to when Roberta returned to Roanapur." Rock chuckled at her questioning, "I know you missed this side of me. It's better than the Rock who couldn't save you, any of you. I'm finally here and I wanted to announce that I'm aligning myself with Santiago and with my leadership, I'll be able to protect everyone around and finally make that change I was waiting for. Don't worry, when I get back, you and I will have time to ourselves and discuss how great of a killer you are. What do you say?"

Revy, upset and frustrated, handed the phone to Roberta. She responded, "Rock, what's going on?" The negotiator answered chuckling again, "Roberta, you know you can be rude to me. I hope you don't mind that I'm joining Santiago. It's for a great cause. You've probably seen me as a weak man but that all has changed for I'm the man who saved you. You should be happy. I control the fate of everyone around me and if not for me, both you and Garcia would be dead. I'll make sure that nobody else will suffer. When I come back, you and I can discuss important stories in the bedroom. What do you say?"

She crushed the phone with her hands, not even wanting to talk to the new Rock as Revy's eyes widened at the strength of the maid. She began walking despite seeing the child as Dominic shook his head, "I won't forgive any of you. All of you will die." Revy then brought her back to reality, "Hey, Roberta. As much as I want to kill those fuckers, they have the advantage. We can't fight them. Don't let them get to you. We'll have to wait." Dominic smiled watching the women remain helpless in the situation, "For once, you have your cool, Two Hands. Rock is one important bullet."

Back to Santiago...

Rock tossed back the phone to Santiago who tossed the phone to Victoria. With his plan complete, he turned to the woman, "Victoria, everything is done. I want you to head to the Eastern Pier. In about five to fifteen minutes, you will either hear or see a signal and when you receive that signal, I want you to use the remainder of those bombs on that area. "

With a huge grin, Victoria saluted and began walking, "As you command, Mr...I mean Santiago." She then shifted her eyes to the negotiator, "As for you, welcome to the team. You're very handsome. If ever you become disinterested with those women, I'll always be available." Her focus returned to her commander, "Santiago, do you mind if I kill anyone on the way?"

He shook his head, "Do what your heart desires." With that, she smiled then began humming as she ran off into the distance as Santiago turned back around, "What an unusual woman; she is quite dangerous despite her height and innocent nature." His eyes shifted at Rock then Eda, "Now that I have you on our team, we can head out and as for you Eda, you should be considerate that I've spared your life but it's sad that I've taken another person from your side. Hahaha."

As Santiago began walking, Rock, with his hands in his pockets, refused to walk, smirked, and chuckled at the man. Santiago grew curious, "Is something wrong, Rock. If you want to kiss her, feel free to do so. Enjoy the fruits of your victory."

Rock shook his head as he took a few steps closer to the mastermind, "You were getting me ready, training me for this moment: Why? You set up all these events for me to watch and then had Revy and Roberta fight against you while I looked on: Why? I asked myself these questions and didn't know the answers until now. Santiago, the real reason you did all this is that you are afraid."

He began laughing at the negotiator's conclusion as he shook his head, "Me? Afraid? I have nothing and nobody to fear. I am the World's Most Wanted."

Rock shook his head as cackled a few times, surprising master criminal, "Yea, you want everyone to believe that but even the strongest live in denial, like yourself. I wondered why it was you and not the other Phantoms who partook in this mission. You aren't the leader. You said you have no bosses but the very people you aligned yourself with are your bosses and I could be wrong, but I can conclude you're the third to last weakest on the totem pole." Santiago didn't speak but continued to listen to the negotiator's rhetoric, "I believe they all hate you including the Goliaths and you begged the Phantoms over and over not to kill you but eventually, they will very soon. That's not all though. I wondered why you wanted me as the leader and it was very simple: You cannot lead. Why else would you need someone else to join your organization full of individuals who can already lead? It's sad really that I have to take over because of the number of duties."

Santiago grew a little tiresome and began walking, "We're wasting time. Let's go."

"What's the hurry, Santiago? You've already won. Why not stay and hear more about how your plan is nothing else but some childish frustration?"

Santiago grew a little impatient with Rock but decided to listen more, "The clincher now relates with not allowing me to rule Roanapur. Why didn't you allow me to follow and rule Roanapur? That set up to break Revy and me; It was really to get me out of the city wasn't it...because you couldn't handle the fact that a person in training, a nobody, was starting to become better than you as a criminal and a leader. Revy, Roberta. You wanted them to join your cause not so they would join you. Everyone around was already stronger than they were so I wonder, what reason would you have in acquiring them and it hit me; you wanted them to join you to keep them away from me. You couldn't even stand the fact that even your ex wanted me." He chuckled watching Santiago grow a little pissed, " So out of everything, the murderers, your invasion of Roanapur. Those are all illusions and diversions for your true purpose of me joining your syndicate: You wanted to keep me away, keep me away from the women I care for. In other words, jealousy. You were jealous that despite all the crimes you committed, all the attention you wanted, you were unable to fulfill your fantasy and that would be female criminals impressed and amazed with your infamous actions, however, they wouldn't notice you, and that's what drove you to do all of this. It's ironic: A man in the office cube accomplished more in a short period of time than an A-plus criminal and it's also ironic that a man of fantasies was unable to grant his own." Rock began to laugh which grew louder and louder as he watched Santiago clenching his fist and teeth while Eda grimaced at the one she knew.

Then a growing of laughter emerged from Santigo and it kept growing and growing, shocking the negotiator. He then applauded, "Bravo, Bravo. Incredible. This is what I wanted: Someone with leadership, someone with huevos to challenge my authority. You, you, Rock is exactly what I needed for this operation." He then noticed that Rock's grin slowly vanished as Santigo began smiling, "What's wrong? You were very certain of yourself. Let me guess: Get Santiago pissed off, have him kill me, and then Revy and Roberta will grow outraged, having a reason to come after me. That's what your aim was. I know how much you like games and to gamble. I'm not foolish. Now, let's go."

Just when it appeared Santiago was victorious, Rock noticed a small gun on the floor and quickly, he grabbed it and pointed it at Phantom member. A grin appeared on Rock's face as Santiago turned around to face him, "The world is in the palm of my hands and now I can end your life."

Eda did her best to plead with Rock, "Rock. Don't do this. You're playing into Santiago's hands. He wants to kill him so you end up becoming like him."

Rock shook his head as his eyes shifted to Eda then returned to Santiago, "No need to fret, Eda. After I'm done with this guy, we'll all be saved. Finally, I can save people and when that's done, we'll be sitting on a beach, earning twenty percent."

Santiago grinned at Rock's promise and opened his arms, encouraging Rock to kill him, "Go ahead. If killing me will change the world, then do it."

The nun focused on Rock's hands. It didn't appear at first, but they were shaking. A smile grew on his face, ready to kill the mad man, "For once, we've reached an agreement. Time to grant everyone's fantasy and kill your fucking ass. Farewell."

All of a sudden, gunshots were fired at Santiago as he did a few backflips until he ended at entrance. A smile came towards the face and then he exhaled, "Well it seems my fantasy wasn't fully fulfilled but I must say, it was very amusing. Hopefully, we can meet again Rock." He exited the warehouse and proceeded to the Southern Pier.

Meanwhile, Rock's body became quivering along with a startled expression as he began breathing heavily as he slowly looked to the left and saw a familiar face as he called out his name, "Matt." He fainted as Matt grabbed him and took the gun away from him. He walked towards Eda and extended his hand, "You've seen better days. Glad you're alive. We should get going." Eda shook her head as her saddened eyes met with his, "I failed him. I failed Revy and Roberta. He got hurt and almost killed Santiago if you haven't arrived." Matt laughed and shook his head as he handed the nun the gun, "Check the barrel and you'll see the type of kill Santiago wanted." Her eyes widened as she saw the entire barrel was empty and then threw the gun back at Matt, "Santiago was in control the entire time. He just wanted Rock to jump to the dark side and have him piss everyone off in the process." He went to pick up Eda but she waved him off, "Take him, Matt. I'm injured. I'll only be holding you back." He refused to listen to the woman, "Eda, SHUT THE FUCK UP! What happened to the Eda who wanted to protect, Rock? The Eda who wasn't afraid to shoot any fuck that stood in her way? Did she die? Now pray to whatever God you believe in, say a verse, and get the fuck up cause I'm not leaving without either one of you besides, I wouldn't forgive myself for allowing a nun to die."

She extended her hand as he grabbed it despite her grimacing with the amount of pain on her ankle as he began carrying the two as he examined the area for any Goliaths or prisoners and the placed was cleared as he continued walking. While he was walking, Eda began laughing, surprising Matt. His curious mind looked at her, "What's so funny?" A smile appeared on her face, "What you told me minutes ago, it sounded like something he would say." He smiled back, "You mean Rock? Well, that who I was trained to become. I guess he's rubbed off on all of us. Still, don't feel like it's over because you failed here. More wars are coming up. Those are the ones you should watch out for." Eda responded kissing him on the cheek, leaving him shocked. He didn't say anything and walked towards his house as Eda told him a word he never would've expected from her, "Thanks."

Back to the Southern Pier...

Revy and Roberta were still at a standstill as the Goliaths watched on being advantageous with a hostage in their possession. The women did their best to formulate a plan to prevent an unnecessary casualty, "Roberta, what the fuck do you think we should do? For all we know, those fucking bastards could kill that child."

Roberta shook her head, "As much as I loathe those fucking bastards, I must disagree with you. Had they wanted to kill, they would've done so. Santiago must be preventing them from killing. He must have another plan and with Rock by their side, we are unable to act on them, however, we must act in some other way."

A small smile surfaced on her face. She wanted to jump and shoot the Goliaths but knew they weren't the average small fry. She remembered jumping in with Shenhua and killed most of the platoon. There were just three of these guys and she ended up hesitating. Just that alone told her about the situation. Revy looked at the maid, "Damn, your analysis is as good as Rock. Hold on, do you have any more grenades?"

She shook her head knowing their chances were decreasing every second, "Unfortunately, no. I used them all against that redhead."

The gunslinger sighed, cracking her knuckles,"We have no choice; just follow my lead." She turned her attention to the Goliaths, shouting in their direction, "Hey you fucking assholes. You're going to get fucked. Ready, Roberta? Glad you have a couple of grenades left. Let's do this."

Roberta figured that Revy was going to frighten and allow the Goliaths to drop their guard, still, it was suicide and everyone in the process could end up dead. Just when it appeared that was about to occur, a tall figure emerged in the front of the three Goliaths with their hands in their pockets, causing Roberta and Revy to remain where they stood. Cackling came from the person as they spoke, "Well, I didn't think I would be here so soon. My fantasy didn't become reality but it was still fun while it lasted."

With her angry expression, Revy took a few steps, but Santiago shook his head, causing the woman to back up. Her arms began shaking, not of fear, but of controlling herself not to make any mistakes, "Not even Rock wanted to join your fucking cause. Did you get that? Get the fuck away from us and go find some small criminals to join."

Santiago cracked his knuckles and his neck as a grin emerged on his face, "You both need to take your anger out on something and that would be me, so I will give you that opportunity to kill me, both of you, two-on-one, no interference. Should be good."

As Revy and Roberta armed themselves against what they knew would be a dangerous battle and as Santiago took a couple of steps, he was stopped by Dominic, who grabs his shoulder, while Trey had his gun pointed at the child, "Santiago, let me in on this fight. I need to take my stress out on them." The leader smiled at Dominic's words, "I admire your confidence, however, you got cocky last time, almost resulting in your death. Are you certain you want this?

Dominic cracked his knuckles as he focused on the two women, "I need this, however,..." He spoke while placing his hand back on Santiago's shoulder, you won't have to worry about being dispassionate. We'll fulfill that fantasy."

A baffled expression emerged on Santiago's face as the Australian Goliath threw the child at the two women and out of nowhere, and with that distraction, a vigorous uppercut got thrown at Santiago's midsection causing him to scream and just as he was about to recover, Trey and the woman grabbed and tightened their arms around his own, respectively. Unable to move, Dominic began unleashing jab after jab at Santigo and whenever contact was made on his face, cuts appeared on his cheeks and began bleeding from his mouth and nose. Revy and Roberta, who held the child, was astounded and unsure how to approach the situation; all they could do was wait and see the conclusion of the onslaught. Dominic continued unleashing his punches, each one growing stronger than the other, as the other two Goliaths unleashed their fists on the back of Santiago, causing him to gasp for breath faster than usual and spitting a huge amount of blood on the floor. Dominic grinned at the Phantom leader, tugging his hair as he grew angry, "Enjoying this, Santiago? Cause we are." He continued throwing more punches, this time to his ribs, as Santiago's body began quacking as Dominic used his fast punches on as the sound of impact on Santiago's face grew louder and when he was finally finished, the other two Goliaths released the leader who was now unable to react, beaten with plenty of bruises, a black eye, cuts on faces, and his broken and bruised ribs. He tried to throw a punch but was too slow as Dominic rubbed his hands as he watched Santiago back all the to the edge of the sea is behind him. Dominic approached his leader with a grin and a gun aimed at the man, "Santiago, this is a message from the Phantoms: You will not hold us back any longer. It's time to unleash our tenacity on the world and you will be our first victim we will unleash our fortitude on.

Holding his ribs and growling with blood dripping, Santiago unleashed his anger on the redhead man, "You dare fucking attack me after all I've done for you? Unforgivable. I won't allow you to live as long as I'm alive."

The redhead's grin grew wider as he used his impression on Santiago, "You've done shit for us. The other Phantoms helped all of us but all you were interested in was satisfying your causes instead of us. Now I will do something you always do and grant you your fantasy but don't worry, you'll be able to grant the sea creatures theirs. Farewell." With that, multiple gunshots hit the Phantom leader as he slowly walked back as his lifeless body fell into what was now his watery grave.

Dominic tossed the gun to Trey as he stared at Revy and Roberta who were confused about the situation to which the redhead revealed, "Santigo, he was foolish. The leader of the Phantoms asked me to deal with him. You should be happy. He's dead, however..." He held four detonators in his hand and grinned at the two, "This isn't a cease-fire. This is a pain of life." Right away, Roberta and Revy ran inside a building as Dominic pressed all four triggers as wide-ranged explosions came around various places.

Eastern Pier...

Sitting on a bench surrounded by a few civilians, Victoria gazed at the cloudy sky pondering about the soldier she saved, hoping he was alive. Just then, smoke entered the sky followed by a few booms. She rose with a detonator sealed in her hand as she realized a bomb was planted around the area. The mission was to kill all the remaining innocent individuals but Victoria had other plans as she grabbed a Heckler and Koch MG4 and shot reckless, as intended, in the air, causing everyone to run from the area as she smiled.

Back to the Southern Pier...

Minutes later, A few buildings were nothing more but rumble with endless amounts of smoke rising in the sky. Dominic informed the rest of the Goliaths as a motor yacht driven by a six-foot-two, caucasian male, "Something's wrong. There was supposed to be another explosion."

"Wait, you mean Victoria? Do you think she's in danger?" He laughed at the question, "Pfft. Danger? This is Victoria. She's the second strongest of the Goliaths. Even at her height, she could overwhelm almost all of us. She's fought me many times and was able to beat me two out of the six times we sparred. Something is odd and I intend to discover the cause. You all, enter the boat and meet me at the Eastern Pier." He clenched his fist as a huge grin surfaced on his face, " I'm looking forward to a new challenge; Roberta caught me off guard but I now know that I will be focused at all times and no matter who the person is, I will remain triumphant."

Everyone except Painkiller entered the boat and drove to meet him at the other pier as he began running to that location. As he ran, people were running which surprised him because they weren't supposed to be alive in the first place. He grew angry with every moment.

After about fifteen minutes when the smoked cleared, Revy and Roberta, with a child her arms, managed to end up walking with only a few bruises and dirt on their faces as the maid finally removed the child from her chest as they exited the now ruined building. Finally regaining her breath, the gunslinger was able to speak on the situation, "Fuck. We should've killed those fucks while we had the chance. We could've had less to worry about."

Roberta shook her head while gesturing her eyes to the child, "Had we followed our instincts, this child would've been killed."

Revy crossed her arms and kicked a random bucket, "Fuck, Roberta. One million people are more important than one fucking child. We don't even know him."

The maid shook her head knowing right away what the gunslinger was saying wasn't true as she decided to question, "I can tell you aren't serious, besides had it been Rock in that situation, would you not hesitate to kill everyone?"

Revy had no answer. The maid was correct about the situation, unfortunately, Revy wasn't ready to admit anything and lashed out on the maid, "Look who's talking. You almost killed your Young Master despite the face he was in the same car with us."

"You're right. Painkiller mentioned the same thing to me but I'm more aware of my actions as before, however, we shouldn't argue anymore. Our focus is now on the Goliaths. I heard they're going to the Eastern Pier."

Revy sighed and stared at the child and back at Roberta, "Fuck, these Goliaths are fucking driving me insane. I didn't mean that. These bastards are frustrating." She walked towards a parking area and found a motorcycle, jumped on it, and laughed at for the fact a dumbass left the key in the ignition, "You coming along, " she asked the maid.

She shook her head, "I'll meet you there in five minutes. I must get this child to the authorities." The gunslinger revved up the bike and was about to take off when Roberta paused her, spoke some words which made the gunslinger smile and afterward, drove off, "Come back alive."

Eastern Pier...

After passing through various individuals, the leader of the Goliaths finally arrived at the pier and what was shocking was the fact he wasn't gasping for air; his stamina was above par. He walked closer with a smile as he came upon Victoria who was gazing at the sea. He grabbed his wrist, cracking them, then proceeded to get the woman's attention, "Hello, Victoria. I was worried about you. Glad to know you're still alive."

As usual, a big grin emerged on her face while still holding her gun, "I'm happy to see you as well. I got worried. Despite us not being together, I'm happy to see you in front of me."

His demeanor morphed to a serious expression as he rubbed head and took a few more steps towards Victoria, "I was looking around and as I was arriving here, I noticed that there wasn't an explosion in this area and I've come to three conclusions: Either the bomb was a dud, the trigger is meant for another bomb, or you chose not to push the button." He cracked his knuckles, " Now tell me, why didn't you push the button."

She looked around and her focus returned to the leader as she cracked her neck, "I just thought it would be a better idea if we kept a few bombs. As Santiago would say, these people deserve to suffer rather than die. Don't you agree?"

He walked up to her and embraced his former lover, "You feel as good as always, Victoria. However, you're so fucking dumb." Surprising her, he removed and tossed the gun far from their space as he threw a punch but he was caught off guard as the woman deflected his punch and threw a quick, strong jab at his cheek but she wasn't finished as she continued to throw a few more uppercuts to his stomach and one uppercut under his chin which sent him flying back. He grew with frustration as he came charging with another punch but Victoria easily deflected his punch with her elbow, threw a few more punches, which sent him back, followed by her charging him, and simultaneously kneeing him in the stomach and elbowing him in the back which resulted in him spewing a medium amount of blood. He was having difficulty with her and couldn't figure why. His teeth grinding, he went into a fighting stance then grinned while strategizing in his mind, "She won't be able to counter this and even if she does, various injuries await her." With his confidence high, he charged up to her a third time, however, Victoria ran halfway and unleashed a barrage of punches on her former lover and with each punch, more blood was donated to the ground as he back away, finally gasping for air and unable to move for a few moments, "How? How did a fucking bitch like you beat me?"

Victoria walked up to the red head man as she cracked her knuckles , threw a few more punches, and looked down at him with her killer eyes as she began to smile, "That was your ultimate technique: Infinite Kamikaze fist, a barrage of jabs in which one hits me, I won't escape the rest of your punches because of how fast you move in a circular motion, however, if I come to you before you have a chance to attack, then the technique is useless. We've been fighting for years. I know your moves, Dominic. You won't beat me but I'll tell you what, how about you kiss my feet so when everyone arrives, you won't be humiliated, especially a fucking bitch like myself?"

Just when Victoria thought she was victorious,The redhead threw threw an elbow at the short woman then laughing kept growing and growing; Dominic tightened his muscles and then removed his gloves revealing diamond tattoos on each of his knuckles along with four-leaf clover tattoos on his wrists, respectively. He cracked his knuckles again, "This is the first time I've taken off my gloves in battle. Not even Santiago has received this compliment but I must say, I'm glad it's you who will feel these fists. A traitor like you deserves this." To Victoria's surprise, Dominic began to close his eyes and tighten his muscles revealing a few veins then a grin emerged as she began running and threw a punch, but gently, Dominic deflected her punch. She threw another punch but again, Dominic deflected another punch and countered with a punch of her own which she spat out blood automatically. She moved back a couple of steps as Dominic threw a couple more punches, landing both on her cheeks which made her land on one knee, catching her breath. Rather than wait for her to regain her breath and allow her to come charging after him, Dominic came and did the same knee-elbow combo that Victoria unleashed before that sent her flying several steps back, spitting more blood. A grin emerged on his face as he screamed out, "Infinite Kamikaze fist," as Victoria was unable to keep up with the man's velocity of punches as she endured every punch that had the strength of diamonds until finally she fell and slumped on the barricade, blood dripping and dripping, plenty of bruises on her faces, and the rest of her body was paralyzed.

Just then, a person emerged behind Dominic with a surprised expression as he saw Victoria beaten badly. He ran up to Dominic, "Painkiller, what the fuck are you doing?! That's Victoria. Don't be corrupted."

His eyes shifted to the man as he grinned and shook his hea, speaking calmly to the one approaching him, "Don't be alarmed AC. I know exactly who that is, a traitor. Someone who tried to take us down from the inside."

"Traitor," he questioned Dominic, not believing his statement, "Are you certain? I never saw any signs of hesitation. When it came to killing or following orders, she did well."

Dominic's eyes shifted to Victoria as he walked towards the woman and held her chin as he punched her mid-section as she was helpless to counter any of his jabs, "You're correct. None of us, not even Santiago would be able to notice someone who actually followed orders but like you, I was surprised when I discovered her betrayal. I thought her innocent nature was meant to catch our enemies off guard but unfortunately, she also caught us off guard." He cupped her chin again and focused at the woman with his narrow eyes focused on her, unleashing a growl or two with anger in his words, "Victoria, you thought you could deceive a Goliath, no, the leader of the Goliaths? Did you think I wouldn't notice?"

More members arrived via boat as Trey and the Australian emerged close to Dominic as he saw their reactions. Trey crossed his arms, "Fucking shit, Who the fuck beat Victoria up? Was it Rober..." He then saw Dominic's gloves were removed, astonishing the Goliath, "Shit Dominic, I know you two broke up but..."

He regained his composure and spoke calmly once again, "This isn't about jealousy but eliminating a traitor," he spoke while his eyes gazed on the woman."

Still able to speak, but slowly,with her body nearly shattered, Victoria gazed her eyes on her former lover, "We were supposed to protect kids. They are the future. We are Phantoms, our mission was supposed to be ridding the governments of their powers and stepping in as our branch, improving the cities around bringing peace."

Everyone was surprised to hear her statement as everyone's eyes expanded. AC shook his head, "Victoria, don't tell me you believed that bullshit. I thought you knew that." AC turned around to his commander, not wanting to see one of his own to get killed, "Dominic, I know she was wrongfully informed, but she shouldn't be killed for this. Now that she's aware, Victoria will come our way. She's the second strongest as you stated and I would never doubt your words."

Dominic nodded but still disagreed, "I appreciate the fact that you want her still on her side but she's already made her choice. Do you think she would come back to our side like that, AC? You were right about my words being true so please don't doubt when I say she's a traitor." He walked over and cupped Victoria's chin then leaned in as he planted his lips onto hers but she reacted spitting blood on his cheek. "So you aren't interested? Anyway, allow me to rightfully inform you: There will be an endless cycle where some greedy fuck who will perform some normal duties, however, above him, are some horrific monsters that will pull the strings of those in power then when they're of no use, their strings will get cut off and replace another as the new puppet. Our true objective is war domination. Something you should know: Santiago and I met a month before our supposed first meeting. He convinced me to form an unrivaled faction, one that wouldn't be held back and would eliminate all competition. You see, our mission is to start wars as they are for-profit, but we also decide who lives and who dies in wars, however, most of the time, we kill both sides allowing us to remain the victors. We are the ones who step in and fight for the dead; we are the non-existent, the specters of those who souls who are trapped within the labyrinth of war, unable to stand and fight for themselves; that's when we come in. We'll piss a few politicians off, the war begins, and everyone on the battlefield dies but us: The Phantoms of the Fallen."

Trey smiled as he was about to unleash a punch on Victoria but was stopped mid-way by Dominic, "Not now Trey. She's my problem. I appreciate the gesture but I must end this." Trey removed his fist and back up with a grin, "No problem, Dom. I just wish I had some fucking popcorn for all this."

The female Australian walked over to Dominic whose curiosity was aroused, "Anyway, we should get going, but I am curious. What crime did Victoria commit, Dominic?"

" I'm impressed you ask something not male-hate related. You see, Victoria allowed a soldier to survive and that is taboo. You see, we don't exist but because of you, that soldier has seen us and you have ruined us but that won't matter for you will be dead, but look at the bright side: You will be joining Santiago in the grave I created in the sea."

Victoria was surprised at the last statement, struggling to talk, spitting out more blood, " Santiago is...You killed..."

He crossed his arms as he proceeded towards her while cackling admittedly at her confusion, " I'm afraid I'm guilty of killing that fuck. He deserved it." He grabbed her by her neck and grinned, "Well Victoria, it's closing time." Dominic delivered a robust uppercut and a sidekick to her chin which lifted her over the rail into the sea. He gestured for everyone to walk to the boat as AC grabbed Painkiller's gloves and as they were on the boat, the redhead turned around, waved to the demolished city, then focused back to the sea as he smiled as he placed his gloves back on, " Be happy that you died by my hands than an unworthy adversary. I must thank you for allowing me to remove my gloves. DIE!" With one last jab to her jaw, the power sent the woman over the ledge into the depths of water where the bottom of the sea was ready to accept another victim at the hands of Dominic. He grabbed the bag of the remaining detenators and gestured everyone onto the ship. Everyone decided not to disturb Dominic for the remainder of the trip. Meanwhile,Trey than wrapped his shoulders around the Australian woman, "I guess you have a change of heart for us. How about I show you why men are the fucking best." She slowly removed his arms, groaning with a " you've got to be kidding me" expression which all the other members laughed. The boat then faded farther and farther.

Meanwhile, five minutes later, a man in a woodland, camouflage, military uniform ran and dove into the water where he saw an unconscious Victoria falling rapidly to the bottom of the sea. He grabbed her and swam to the surface, carrying her over the railing and placed her down as he began performing CPR. There was no response the first four times but the fifth time, she spat some water out as the soldier held her hand. Before he could speak, she pulled down his mask halfway where she pulled him down for a minute kiss.

She smiled at him, despite her injuries, as she released the kiss, "Thanks for saving me. I owe you."

He replied, placing his mask back over the bottom of his face, laying over her body, "Don't talk. I have to get you to the hospital."

She rejected his idea, "I can't allow that."

He was surprised at her objection, "What? You have injuries all over your body. I won't leave you here to die."

She was happy he cared for her but still was counting on him too, "I know but I can't be in a hospital. Trust me. Please bring a doctor to tend to my wounds."

As much he didn't understand, he went with her idea, unaware that Victoria's expression transformed into a frightful one, "Alright. I'll get a doc..."

Before he could finish, his body began to quiver, hearing the cocking sound of a gun planted on the back of his head, as he heard a mature, female voice, "Move the fuck out the way if you value your life. That woman deserves to die."

END

Author's Note: Sorry for the wait everyone. With what's going on in the world and lack of computer, it was difficult to get this out. Anyway, Whoa. Hope all of you enjoyed this chapter. Next upcoming chapters will be some slice of life, Black lagoon style. Idk when I'll get the next chapters out, so be on your toes and as always, thanks for the support.