A/N:

Not much to say, though I'll try to have another chapter out within the next two weeks. Hope y'all enjoy.

"…" - Spoken dialogue

Italics - Michael's thoughts

'Italics' - Telepathic dialogue

/\/\/\ - Lemon Scene


"It is bias to think that the art of war is just for killing people. It is not to kill people, it is to kill evil."

-Yagyu Munenori


Ch. 42 - The Playhouse

Zaire stepped forward, already having taken on the appearance of one of the two dead guards in case someone noticed her. From the looks of things, the large room they had entered served as a smaller lobby as evident by the reception desk. Michael quietly looked over it, seeing nobody there, and returned his attention to the set of doors ahead of them. Alex squatted down, taking a small probe from his side and gently sticking it underneath the door to their left. The video feed was put on their displays, showing a long hallway that seemed to connect to the other side of the building. Sure enough, there was a lone guard in there, standing in front of a pair of doors that led towards the center of the building.

"Looks like we're leaving this one for a minute," Thomas said.

"What? Why?" Zaire asked, lacking a visor, and thus, complete awareness of the situation.

"Because if we shoot him we'll hit the windows towards the pool room. That'll make more noise than we need right now," Michael answered. "We'll get him from behind." Alex left the probe where it was, then slid a second underneath the other door. Able to cycle between the two feeds, they found no immediate threats on the other side and quietly turned the doorknob and pushed it open. Another hallway stretched out towards their right, and a single door led into a room directly ahead of them.

The Reapers split up, each taking a different path while remaining mindful of their comrades' positions. Michael walked down the hallway, using his probe to examine the contents of the second room on his left. It appeared to be a medical screening room. Several glass cabinets contained medical supplies, but there wasn't anyone inside the dark room itself. As he stood up, Thomas walked by, ready to round the corner leading towards the multipurpose room. The large space was used typically for the scheduled events in the community center and was positioned directly in the middle of the building.

The larger Reaper checked under the door in a similar manner as his comrades, and the interior of the room appeared on everyone's visors. "Alright, how're we takin' out these guys?" Gordon asked.

"We can get the guards on the other side of these doors, but those three assholes in the front will probably start shooting before we can get them," answered Kevin. "It'd probably be best if someone went around to the lower entrance." Thomas was already on it, and from the map, Michael noticed that Zachary was also taking position on the opposite side. They would be shooting at the five guards from four different angles, and hopefully it would all be done in a split second.

"On my go," Thomas said, standing in front of his door and getting ready to kick it down. Outlines of the five enemies appeared on their display, one of which was on the opposite side of the door that Michael was behind. The .45 would easily punch through and into the guard's head; all that he was waiting for was the call. "Three… two… one… go!" He pulled the trigger, then kicked the door open. All of the Reapers acted simultaneously - a quick series of flashes in the dark. Thomas released multiple controlled shots in the direction of his targets, going through one of the enemy's eyes and taking a significant part of his skull with it. Before anyone had known what had happened, the Reapers had cleared the room.

"Move it - get those bodies out of the open!" Wesley commanded. Michael quickly holstered the pistol and dragged the body backwards, deciding to ditch it in the medical room. Not like that would be an area that most people would decide to visit on a whim, and all they needed was half an hour. His comrades disposed of the others in a similar manner, leaving the majority of first floor cleared.

Now that they were free to look around, the multipurpose room seemed untouched. The retractable stage was clean and ready for usage, as though the building had never been booked in the first place. They must be in the basement floor, Michael thought. It only made sense that they would want to avoid visibility with their planned events, particularly since they had rented out a building in the middle of the city. Samuel walked behind the stage, quietly opening the door and aiming his pistol. A single shot fired, and the guard in the hallway fell to the floor. So far so good.

"You need to make your way to the basement floor," Wesley stated. There were stairways on each side of the building, and the two crews retraced their steps back out of the multipurpose room, finding the steel doors that led to the lower level. Kevin slowly twisted the doorknob and peeked inside, coming face-to-face with an enemy who was walking up the stairs.

"What the—." The Reaper swiftly connected his fist with the guard's face, sending him falling down the steps ungracefully as he took aim. Before he could get back to his feet, a bullet had been placed between his eyes.

They continued into the basement floor and already they could hear a multitude of voices – all of which would fall silent soon enough. Kevin knelt down and slipped the probe underneath the door, and immediately the Reapers abandoned any idea of further stealth.

"Looks like we're gonna have to go loud," Thomas said. There were at least thirty people in the room, with guards near every single door, including the one that the Twenty-Fifth was getting ready to breach through. It looked like this was a dining room of sorts, with tables and chairs scattered about, and a kitchen in the corner, though it was apparently being used as a waiting room.

"That doesn't mean we can't make it easier to take them all out, not to mention secure the computers. Zaire, do you think you'll be able to cause a distraction?" the Colonel asked.

"Sure," she said. "I've got it." She walked towards the door, and Michael and the others stood against the wall and out of sight. She opened it, causing the guard to turn around and face her, before stepping aside, completely oblivious to the armed forces within the building. She walked forward, and her appearance was displayed alongside all the people in the large room.

"Try to make your way to the kitchen area," Wesley stated. "Make sure those computers are out of the range of fire. Police are flooding the first floor, so if you all can protect them for a few minutes, we should be able to secure the intel."

"You realize they're gonna look at her like she's fucking crazy, right?" Kevin asked. "If they suspect a thing, we might not be able to keep her from getting shot…"

"That's a risk I'm willing to take," Zaire stated flatly. "What better way to go out than help catch a bunch of pedophiles?" Alex nodded to Michael, clutching a flashbang in his right hand.

"Zaire, the second they start looking at you, get to cover," Michael stated. "We're flashin' everyone." All the Reapers set their pistols within their holsters, taking their rifles in hand. No more sneaking around.

The zoroark made her way to the corner of the room, and through a small window in his visor, Michael could see what the hidden camera on the dark-type was seeing. She walked through the crowd of men of all ages, making her way to the kitchen. A pair of laptops was on the countertop along with a large desktop. "Is that it?" Gordon asked.

"I can't see any others," she quietly replied. "It's go-time." A single guard stood in front of her, and one individual was typing away at the computers, scrolling through spreadsheets of various sorts. The camera feed was on one of the two laptops, but he didn't seem to be paying much attention to it. Maybe had he been, he would've noticed the continual loop every few seconds. Looks like this is it.

Zaire slashed the enemy's throat before he could react, then shoved the man out of the chair and pulled the computers down into cover. Everyone's attention immediately shifted to her, and the soldiers kicked the doors open, lobbing the flashbang grenades into the room. Several of the guards spun around, drawing their weapons and firing wildly at the Reapers, but began to lose their balance when the bright light overtook the room.

They stormed out of the stairway, shooting at each and every individual. The guards fell as the bullets tore through their armor, and through the deafening noise the cries of terror and pain could be heard. All of them sprayed as many of them down as he could, completely indifferent to the havoc being wrought on their targets. The thunderous fire echoed throughout the entire building, and the guards from the next rooms over were surely on their way. He saw John shoot a quick, controlled burst into an older man's head, taking off the majority of it before averting his fire towards more of the pedophiles.

As soon as the firefight had started, they quickly took position throughout the room, with the Twenty-Eighth squad getting ready to press forward into the hallway on their half. But as soon as they had, a barrage of bullets greeted them from the other side, forcing them to take cover. Michael reloaded the rifle, then carefully aimed it towards the enemies towards the wall. As soon as one of the guard's peeked around, he shot, hitting his arm and causing him to retreat behind cover once again. Gabriel and Zachary each took their places alongside the wall opposite to the enemies, exchanging fire with them.

Kevin, Thomas, and John took aim near the other hallway, preparing themselves in case any more enemies came forth. In the meantime, Alex secured the laptops and desktop system away from danger, already placing the extraction drives within their USB ports. Michael continued to pressure the members of Javier's crew as much as he could, emptying the mag in their direction and allowing for the two other Reapers to get better positions on them.

"Fuck!" Thomas yelled, stumbling back. John immediately capped the enemy who had shot the larger Reaper, who had caught a shotgun shell directly to his chest, causing him to stumble back. But he regained his composure as quickly as he had lost it, then shot the dying guard once in the head for good measure.

Sure enough, police stormed the room within a matter of minutes, providing them with plenty of backup to finish the job. While the cops were laying down supportive fire, Zachary and Gordon headed towards the end of the hallway, creeping closer to where the guards had just been. Without hesitation, Zachary held his rifle around the corner, spraying in the general direction of the enemies. Michael was about to help his own comrades out when he saw the grenade.

"Get back!" Gordon yelled, diving away. Zach looked at his feet, but before he could react, the explosion went off, hurling him into the wall. His body fell limp, and all the Reapers stared in disbelief. "Fuck you!" Gordon yelled, stumbling back onto his feet.

"Use the probes!" Alex yelled. The dazed Reaper crawled forth, placing the small camera on the floor close by his dead comrade, and the Twenty-Fifth did the same thing. Using the small devices to peek around the corners for them, the Reapers readied their flashbangs, waiting until the enemies were behind cover and unsuspecting. The shrill noise sounded out, and the special forces members stormed the hallways, firing at the stumbling guards before they could regain their senses.

Michael and the rest of the Twenty-Fifth came up to a large room with dozens of beds, most of which were separated into small compartments with tarps raised between them. Dodging the incoming fire, he noticed the cameras in various positions throughout the room, most of which were pointed at the beds. "What do we do?" Thomas asked loudly. "There are hostages in there!" Bullets were flying through the doorway and the walls, and the Reapers were forced to retreat to avoid the lethal barrage.

"I say we just flash everyone in there and get it over with! We don't have much of a choice!" John yelled. Thomas looked around, then saw the dead body of the guard towards the end of the hallway and seemed to get an idea. He ripped the sight off of his rifle, snatching up the probe before ripping off the deceased enemy's sleeve, tying it firmly around his rifle. Slipping his arm underneath the guard's vest, he lifted the body off the ground and headed for the door.

"You can't be serious right now…" John stated.

"Got any other ideas?"

"You're fucking stupid!" Kevin yelled over the gunfire.

"I already knew that much! Hawkins, put this probe's feed on my visor!" Thomas headed towards the enemies, his makeshift shield in hand, and marched right through the doorway, drawing nearly all of their fire. The others quickly backed him, firing from the doorway at the various guards before rushing in and taking cover. Thomas took the majority of the heat, and as he mowed several of them down, Michael noticed that multiple bullets had made their way through the dead body and into the large Reaper. But he didn't even flinch, continuing to fire until he emptied his magazine into the enemies.

Zaire ducked as she entered the room, already taking on the appearance of another guard, and Michael followed suit. Just about everyone had found cover of some sort, and in the commotion, he could hear the crying of the hostages, most of which had hidden under the beds. Michael looked away quickly as he saw a girl no older than ten who was half naked, and it was then that he realized an enemy had peaked up and taken aim at the zoroark, having quickly pieced together the fact that it was all just an illusion. After all, she had just come in with the armed forces. The Reaper had no time and only reacted, tackling her from behind as the series of shots were fired.

"Shit!" he yelled as he rolled off of her. Three of the bullets had caught the metal plate over his chest, stinging his ribs, but one had embedded itself deep within his shoulder. He clutched his collarbone in pain, trying to compose himself and get back in the fight. He aimed his pistol underneath a bed and shot one of the enemies in the foot, causing him to fall to the floor. He carefully aimed his next shot at the man's neck, taking him out.

The other Reapers didn't take long to rush forth, killing what was left of the guards swiftly and violently. On the opposite end of the room, Kevin had wrestled the M4 from an enemy's grasp, hurling it to the side before slamming his head onto the bedrail. Before he could draw his pistol, Samuel had shot him once, ending the fight.

Michael pushed himself back onto his feet, the burn that he had forgotten for well over a year now lancing pain throughout his body. Fuck… and this one is in there, too… He could feel it towards his shoulder blade, meaning he'd need to have it removed later, as his body would inevitably heal over the wound.

"You okay?" Alex asked, ready to give him a helping hand.

"Stings like a bitch, but I'll be fine. I'd be more worried about fucking Thomas over there." He had taken several shots, though the blunt of most had been absorbed by the now-shredded guard that he used like a shield.

"Nothing serious here," the large Reaper stated flatly. "How are y'all holding up, Gordon?" There were still gunshots on the other side of the building, though it didn't sound like there were many left. "We're being pinned down by Javier and two others! I don't—fuck you!" he yelled, firing rapidly at someone. The members of the Twenty-Fifth walked out of the room, leaving everything else for the cops to resolve as they headed towards the other Reapers.

But once they had gotten to the others - with Michael doing his best to keep up all the way - the fight had already concluded. Javier had run out of ammunition, hearing that audible click as his pistol locked up. He looked at the handgun and tossed it to the side, knowing that the fight was over. "I've got him," Gabriel said. "Get the hostages out." The other Reapers gathered the young girls, all of the soldiers being grateful that they had been there fast enough to prevent anything major from happening. But Michael stood there, clutching his shoulder, and watched the exchange.

Gabriel holstered his pistol, then unsheathed the knife at his side. "You're Orrenian," Javier said, picking up on the accent.

"That's right," Gabriel replied. "And you were special forces, you piece of shit. You sold your principles out for money…" Javier shook his head with a smile.

"Ah, here to give me a moral lecture? After all that Johto stands for? Pinche hipócrita! This country is so ass-backwards that it turns me off!"

"Then I guess we should take that as a compliment," Gabriel said, walking towards him.

"Ha! 'We?' There is no 'we!' You'll never be anything more than an immigrant to them, but yet you will continue to lie to yourself! Well I suppose you'll just have to figure it out on your own - how disposable we all are!" Arceus, does this guy ever shut up?

Gabriel closed the distance between them, his knife hanging at his side. He raised it up, and Javier's arm shot up, trying to keep the blade from siding towards his head, but the Reaper brought it down swiftly, slicing well through his vest and into his abdominal cavity. The criminal stumbled back before catching another slice to his right leg, and he lost the ability to stand as the blade cut through bone. Gabriel grabbed him by the neck, shoving him onto the ground.

"I… I'll see you in hell, cabrón…"

"Yeah, I reckon you will…" He pierced Javier's throat with the knife, slicing it outward and spraying blood out the side. Javier clutched his neck, unable to stop the bleeding as he gasped and sputtered, and Michael figured that there wasn't anything more for him to do here. He turned around and left the room, still holding his throbbing shoulder.

With the mission completed, everyone was going about the cleanup, with police identifying several of the bodies. He clenched his fist the moment he saw a necklace bearing the symbol of Arceus being removed from one of the pedophile's neck. A fucking priest…

It had been the first time that he had seen a Reaper die. He hadn't really known Zachary aside from a few missions, but the newer Reaper had seemed like a pretty good guy. They would definitely be attending a funeral soon.

Alex and Samuel were carrying out the computers, all of which were unharmed and ready for data mining. For a group like this, there was no doubt in his mind that Johto's intelligence agencies would all have whatever information was on those devices in a matter of hours. Hopefully there would be some inclination about Delta's involvement so that the Reapers would have the justification necessary to eliminate the entire group.

He was stopped when a clawed hand grabbed his unwounded shoulder. She quietly made her way around, finally managing to look at him for the first time in a week. "Why?" she simply asked.

"Why what?"

"Why did you do that?" The blood had created a small trickle outside of the kevlar suit, and it hadn't gone unbeknownst to her.

"I mean I wasn't going to let you get shot," he replied. "I can't even count how many times one of the others has saved my ass from getting killed. It's pretty often if I'm being honest." They continued towards the stairs, and Michael's only regret was that they hadn't been able to find these people sooner. But with all the bodies being removed from the building, there was no denying that everyone in the Playhouse had gotten what they had deserved. And soon they would rip out every single member that had tuned in online, too.

"Well thanks I guess…" she said, looking ahead of them. "I thought you'd be more inclined towards letting me get hit…"

"Yeah, I've kinda been an asshole to you," he admitted. "Well… not kinda. But that's something I hope to make right."

. . . . .

The reaction was swift and uncontrollable. It was impossible to keep the results of the operation a secret given that it had been in the middle of the city, but then again, that hadn't been the intent. Going loud towards one of Goldenrod's busiest roads had ensured that they had half the city's attention. News outlets had all gotten some coverage of the aftermath, capturing footage of police carrying the bodies out of the community center.

As predicted, the people who had viewed anything that the Playhouse had put out were taken in for questioning. For many of those people, that would be the last that anyone heard of them. Everything had taken the nation by surprise, but nobody was about to disavow the actions of the Reapers - not this time. Instead, the military had received unanimous support for their operation, including from Senator Callahan. But it was likely just a coverup for what he really had going on. If they were able to find any substantial donation from the Playhouse to his administration, then they would have everything they needed to take him in.