Gunsmith Slayers

Chapter 3

The Duel

Zelgadis, also known as the Chimera, walked along the catwalk of the old warehouse. He got to a point, stopped and looked about. 'Yes, this is a good spot,' he mused as he placed a berretta next to the guard rail of the catwalk. He then jump down to a stack of boxes under it. There he placed another berretta and a taser. 'Just about ready for my guests tonight,' Zel walked along canvassing the area for strategic points to place weapons. "Tonight is the night I put the Gunsmith Cats out of commission," with that Zel walked into the back of the warehouse chuckling to himself as he went.

At the same guns shop the phone is heard ringing. Lina runs down from the break room to answer the phone. "Gunsmith Cats, this is Lina, how may I help you," she asked a bit breathless.

"I was just calling to see if you were ready for tonight," replied a smug voice over the receiver. "Zangulus, I thought I told you to keep your nose out of my business. And, how did you know about tonight?"

"Oh, Senator Metallium clued us in on the sting and said he had already given you the same information. I'm just calling to see if you need backup for this one," he asked with an air of annoyance.

"No, I don't. Last time we did this you guys almost got me killed. So just keep your nose out and Amelia and I will take care of it," Lina huffed at the ATF agent on the other side of the line.

"Fine, fine just don't get yourselves killed. This Chimera isn't just some second rate street dealer," Zangulus said, letting a little concern slip into his voice.

"We will be alright, he may be well organized, but there hasn't been any organization that can top the Gunsmith Cats," Lina said in triumph and set the receiver back on the phone.

After hanging up Lina leaned slightly against the wall and sighed. 'I may sound all confident about this on the outside, but I keep thinking that something isn't right,' Lina mused as she went back up to the break room. She was greeted by Amelia and Filia's worried looks of concern as she sat down to her mug of coffee. "Who was that," asked Amelia.

"Oh, just Zangulus trying to give me a hard time about tonight," Lina answered in a bland tone.

"Well about that. So far as I have found there is activity in that old warehouse. My sources report that they have heard of two deals already going down in that area," Filia stated matter-of-factly.

"What?!? I thought Xellos said they where starting tonight," Lina asked somewhat shocked that the deals had begun.

"Well, who knows what people are working for this Chimera guy. He could have agents all over the place and one might of heard that we had caught on to his pattern and changed it. Either that or Xellos was giving us somewhat false information as he tends to do," Filia said trying to keep Lina calm.

"Oh great, looks like I'll have to check my phone and house for bugs and bombs after this one. Or give Xellos another knot on the head," Lina said exasperated at the ease of which leaks appeared in things like the ATF, or how unreliable Xellos' information was.

"But anyway, so far as I know the group in charge of this operation doesn't know that we are planning a sting on them. If we play our cards right then we will be able to hit them hard and fast," Filia said as she laid out a map of the warehouse complex. "Now if you park here and get through the fence right here you can get to one of the main shipping bays in the back."

Amelia soon piped in getting a devilish look on here face, "And I can place charges here and here, and when the explosion goes off the door will be blow off and they won't know what hit them."

"And after that a few shots from me and maybe a few flash bang grenades and we should have them were we want them," Lina ended the planning with her contribution.

They all nodded at each other then Lina and Amelia went to get ready for the night. Filia glanced back down at he files and thought for a brief second, 'Hopefully we can pull this off before someone gets word of this operation.'

She then began to pack up and head out to get some more dirt on the Chimera. As she was walking from the shop she caught sight of a man in a long black trench coat and neck length red hair. The coloration looked exactly like Lina's but she brushed it off when she saw the silver streaks running through it. She found herself saying, "What an odd hair style," as she hopped into her car.

The man with the odd hair style walked up to the shop known as Gunsmith Cats. He looked inside to see no one behind the desk but the sign saying 'open' in the window. He then noticed the bell on the door to alarm anyone that a customer had walked in. 'Hmm, have to make the first one quick and the second one careful,' he mused before entering and quickly walking to a gun rack. He pulled a rifle out from the rack and quickly placed a small, round, and same colored microphone on the rack and then began to act like he was judging the rifle. He turned when he heard from behind, "Welcome, how may I help you today."

Lina and Amelia had heard the bell and Lina had sent Amelia to take care of this one. When Amelia got out to the counter she saw a man looking to be about twenty-three, five foot eleven inches, and had shoulder length red hair with silver streaks going through it. She then made her presence known by saying, "Welcome, how may I help you today."

The man turned around and said, "Yes, I was wondering if you have any competition scopes for up to a thousand yards."

Amelia looked at the inventory list and found that they were suppose to have some in but she had no clue where they were. Lina usually handled the guns. She turned to the man and smiled saying, "Excuse me I need to go ask if we have in scopes in storage. Sorry for the inconvenience."

"No problem," the man replied and leaned up against the counter to wait.

As soon as Amelia left the room the man checked for any cameras about the store. 'Good, no cameras that will make this much easier.' He then quickly reached over the counter and grabbed the phone receiver from behind the desk. He then took out a small pocket knife and undid the top and bottom covers to expose the speaker and microphone ends. He then placed two small bugs in the receiver. To finish up he took out some quick drying adhesive and applied it to both covers before sticking them back on. He then replaced the receiver and went back to his first position right as Lina came walking out of the back. He turned towards her then she said, "Your in luck we have one of those scopes left...sir," Lina somewhat stammered when she saw him.

The man and Lina stared at each other for a short moment before they both shook it off. The man paid for the scope and said, "Have a good day," as he left the store.

"Miss Lina, what just happened? You and him acted like you knew each other or something," Amelia asked with concern.

"Well that's just it Amelia. I have never seen the guy before in my life, but he looked so familiar that I had this feeling that I did know him," Lina said with a bit of a sigh while going back to preparing for the sting.

Later that night at the old warehouse on the eastern side a car pulled up to the back side of the complex. As they got out Lina pulled out a pair of night vision binoculars and surveyed the scene. She saw a few men, presumable the chimera's men, walking about the building looking for anything out of the ordinary. 'Hmm, I guess our hunch of them not thinking that a sting would happen was right. There aren't but a handful of guards, I would have stepped up security for this place if I heard of a rumor of a sting,' Lina mused to herself. She pulled on a vest filled with weapons and clips for them as she turned to Amelia and said, "Ok, let's go crash this party, shall we?"

Amelia nodded excitedly as Lina and her made their way to the opposite end of the complex. As they made sure they were out of sight of what guards where there, Amelia produced a pair of wire cutters and attacked the fence. After a few minutes there was a small hole in the side of the chain length fence and the bushes in the back of the complex had new visitors that were glad the shrubs existed. Lina and Amelia crouched in the bushes until they knew it was clear. They then rushed to one of the back shipping bays. Amelia placed some c4 charges near the door and then motioned for Lina to back off. Lina complied as Amelia made her way back towards the bushes. Then they both had laid down Amelia threw the switch and the huge door flew back into the factory. With the resounding clang Lina took off towards the breach in the structure while pulling out a berretta. She ran into the building and began to look around in the debris filled production floor. 'Strange. I haven't heard any alarms sound, or seen anyone flee the scene, what's going on here,' Lina asked as she made her way into the middle of the floor followed by Amelia. They both got the middle and saw that it was totally vacant, like nothing had ever happened, and where quite confused. Lina turned slightly to look at Amelia and said, "You see anything."

"No I don't see or hear anything, its like that no one was ever here," Amelia said as a clapping resounded throughout the factory.

"Who's there," Lina yelled as she wheeled around to face the point that the clapping originated.

A man dressed in full ivory stepped out into the light not stopping in his mock clapping. He stopped at the edge of the cat walk and said, "Impressive, had we actually been dealing I believe you would have caught us with our proverbial pants down."

Lina recognized the outfit automatically, this was the chimera, and he was here to deal with them it seemed. "So the chimera himself has come to try and take us out, how flattering," Lina said mockingly.

The chimera let out a brief chuckle and then replied, "I would take this a bit more seriously my dear. Tonight will be the last night you ever see," as he dropped down quickly to retrieve the berretta that he had hidden earlier today.

Lina saw him move and quickly drew a bead and fired twice. The bullets flew into his chest and the distinct sound of them ricocheting off down the way was heard soon after. The chimera finished standing up and drew a bead on Lina saying smugly, "I'm a little disappointed, I was expecting for you to have harder hitting rounds than that. Oh well, not like I was expecting you to make it out alive," with that he let three rounds fly from the pistol.

Lina tried to dodge as best she could but one round ended up hitting her in the right calf. She, with the help of Amelia, quickly moved to cover behind some crates. At the same time the chimera jumped down from the cat walk and pick up the other berretta and taser. As he came out from behind the boxes he heard a *tink* noise as he turned toward it. Before he could react the flash bang grenade went off and he was blinded. He let out a scream of pain as his eye, being more acute than most, seemed like they burned. He collapsed to the ground and laid still while he recovered.

Lina and Amelia peeked out of the crates with their shades on when they heard the inhuman scream. After the flash bangs light cleared they were amazed to see the chimera in a ball of pain on the floor. 'What the hell happened?!? He came on acting all confident and one flash bang took him down? Wait...That's it, his eyes are more sensitive to light and the bright light of the flash bang was too much for him. Hehehe, now lets see who has the last laugh,' Lina mused as her and Amelia moved towards the unconscious chimera. "Check him Amelia, and disarm him quick, I don't know how long he will be down."

Amelia bent down and as she was about to grab one of his weapons she felt electricity flow through her as she passed out from the extreme shock. Lina looked on in horror as the chimera had managed to hit Amelia in the sheen with a taser. Lina's look deepened as the chimera stood up to revel a pair of sunglasses over his eyes. 'Shit, he was ready for the situation of flash bangs, that whole pain thing was just a stunt to make us drop our guard,' Lina thought panicky as she tried to get away. Her hand soon landed on one of her weapons that she had dropped as she had made her way behind the crates. She pulled it up and quickly fired twice at the chimera who crumpled to one knee soon after. He clutched his stomach as it began to bleed and he coughed up some of it as he reached for the taser. Lina looked at him wide eyed and then at the gun, 'No wonder I actually hurt him this is a forty-five magnum.' Lina saw him go for the taser and she leveled and fired again, this time to hit air as the chimera seemed to disappear right before her eyes. She looked about and the picked herself up when there was no sight of him. "Man, we really blew it tonight didn't we kid," she said to the unconscious Amelia as she went towards her.

As Lina was about to bend over to pick up Amelia she heard something behind her and dove for cove as four bullets went flying past where she used to be. She looked through a slit in the stacked boxes as she thought, 'Where is he.' Soon another two shots rang out as bits of the boxes exploded with the impact of the bullets. "Damnit all," Lina cursed as she fired at the general area that the bullets came from.

She saw a faint silhouette of the chimera as he moved in the darkness to another area of the floor. She compensated as best she could for his inhuman speed and fired two shots. She smirked slightly as the chimera pivoted to avoid her shots, 'I still haven't lost my touch,' she mused as she began to aim again. "Almost got you...Shit!," Lina squeaked as she ducked right before bullets hit the point right behind where she had just been.

She jumped back up and looked around to see nothing, the chimera was no where to be seen. She slowly moved towards Amelia's body and was about to nudge her with her foot when she heard, "Goodnight," whispered in her ear.

Lina was then consumed by shocking, cackling pain that shot through her whole body as the chimera placed the taser right at here spine. She collapsed to the ground screaming before the sweet bliss of darkness over took her and she passed out and became unaware of the pain. The chimera caught her unconscious body as it went limp. He smirked under his mask while thinking, 'Now no one can stop me from what I want. Even though she was out matched, and that was mainly because of my surprise, she did good enough to injury me,' he scowled as he clenched at the area his injuries where located. 'That and it would be a shame to kill something this beautiful without having some fun first,' Zelgadis thought as he looked at the unconscious bounty hunter in his arms, 'Good job. You've earned both your partner's and your lives tonight my pretty little one,' Zel mused as he place an arm under her shoulder and one under her knees as he made his way out of the factory. He stopped at a back door, turned around and said, "Thanks for the information Xellos, I will be sure to call on you again if I need information. Oh yes, and your payment will be wired to one of your account," he then walked out to a car ready to take off as soon as he was in.

"Your welcome Zel-kun," called a voice from the rafters, "and, you should know that just getting to watch these things is part of my payment."

As Zel's get away car pulled out of the complex and onto the street Xellos hoped down and landed in front of Amelia's unconscious form. 'I should probably inform the ATF," Xellos mused as he changed into a guise of a homeless forty year old man as he made his way to the nearest phone to place an anonymous call to the desk of one top agent at the ATF office.

Disclaimer: Any characters or ideas from The Slayers do not belong to me. I am not selling this material, just writing for the heck of it as I go.

GunSmith Cats belongs to Kenichi Sonoda. Any material used in this series isn't being use for any form of profit.

Feedback is requested, please send all comments to findelhe@hotmail.com