Episode Eleven

Sniper Games

"You've been doing sloppy work lately," The voice paused as his words cut into the one he was criticizing. "I expected better of you."

"But the task was accomplished!" The young man exclaimed.

"Yes, and with every law enforcement office sniffing close behind!"

"But…"

"Silence!" He paused for another moment. "I want the police off this case. And I want this case to be close. Our motifs were accomplished."

"Is that all?" Michelo burned with hidden anger.

"I want Rally Vincent…"

"The bounty hunter? What do you want with her?"

"Terminate her."

"I understand." The young nodded and turned around to walk out.

"Oh, and Michelo…"

Michelo Chariot turned around and peered into the darkness where the other man in the room sat.

"If you fail…" The sound of a gun cocking filled the silent darkness. "…there will be consequences."

Michelo peered into the darkness and stood still as he heard the gun. "I understand, Mr. Torrio."

"Good."

Michelo slowly turned around and walked out of the dark room.

Deep in the darkness of the room sat Johnny Torrio, the head Mafia boss of Chicago. Quite mysterious was the man who always sat in darkness just quietly stroking the scar across his cheek. Even more mysterious was the young girl who sat at his feet. The two sat together in the darkness for hours merely sitting in silence.

Feeling too hot indoors, Rally walked out onto the porch with her cup of coffee. She walked to the ledge and rested her elbows against it.

"Nice morning, isn't it?"

Rally jerked her head, almost choking on her coffee. She looked over to her right where Akira silently sat on the bench. "I didn't even notice you were there."

"That's my job."

Rally glanced back towards the horizon, not wanting to look at Akira. "Yeah, I suppose it is a nice morning. Well, I suppose I should head in…"

"You just got out here."

"Well, now I want to go back in."

"Why?"

Rally looked over at him. "Because I don't feel very comfortable right now," Rally truthfully answered.

"Why is that?"

"Because you've been living in my house, and I don't even know you…"

"And I seem to have you figured out better than yourself."

"See! There you go again! You even know what I'm going to say before I…"

"…Even say it?" Akira questioned.

"Stop it!" Rally hissed.

Akira sighed. "What is this really about?"

Rally stared at him. "Who are you?"

Akira turned his head fully towards Rally so he could stare back at her. He remained in that position for a few moments then scooted over on the bench making a place for Rally. "Take a seat."

Rally reluctantly agreed and took a seat on the bench.

"What do you want to know?"

"First off…" Rally paused. "…what was wrong with you the other night?"

Akira looked out towards the sunrise. "I got a lot of problems. Sometimes they come back to haunt me."

"What in the heck is that supposed to mean?" Rally snapped. "Why don't you just cut through the crap and get straight to the point?"

Akira gave a small laugh. He took a deep breath. "Well, I suppose it all started when I was thirteen. I lived in Japan with my family in the mountains. Things were very isolated up there. We lived in a small community of about 100 people. Our house was about a mile away from the village. Both my parents were descendants of ninja clans. Therefore, me and my four sisters carried ninja blood."

"I don't understand what this all has to do with anything."

"You'll see," Akira said. "To help the family survive financially, my father used his skills to capture criminals to collect the bounty. Because of this occupation of my father's, the family got in trouble for it."

Rally took a slip of coffee.

"I was only thirteen when it happened." Akira looked down at his shoes. "I was sick that day so I was inside the house with my mother and baby sister. My other three sisters were outside with my father training as we were required everyday. My mother and I were talking then all the sudden, we heard gun shots. My mother told me to get in the trap door behind the kitchen door while she rushed to the window.

"Trap door?"

"All ninja house have trap doors and traps for easy entrance and escape."

"Oh."

"I did as she said but kept it open a crack to see what was going on. Then five men came into the kitchen carrying guns. My baby sister started to cry because of all the noise. One of the men got angry with her crying so he rushed over to her crib in the corner. My mother tried to block his way, but he clubbed her with his gun. She fell over, and the man went towards the crib…" Akira stopped.

"What?"

"He fired his gun and killed my sister. My mother jumped back up and started fighting the men. She was a ninja and all, but she wasn't able to take on the five men who were apparently trained fighters themselves. They beat her badly. They slammed her head into the table and clubbed her with their guns. After beating her they threw her to the ground." Akira bit his lip and paused, anguish washing over his face."

"What is it?"

"After that, they violated her for the next hour and in the meantime, I was too afraid to move. For the first time in my entire life, I saw my mother cry. She was always so strong and fiery, and then she was a broken woman. After they were finished with their sick torture, they shot her. Reality finally hit me. I felt a katana next to me that we left in the trap door. I grabbed it and charged out of the trap door. I sliced at them but some of them also had swords. He hit me and gave me this scar." Akira pointed to the large scar over his right eye. "Then one of them hit me with the butt of his rifle, and I passed out."

Rally felt extremely guilty for yelling at Akira earlier. "I'm sorry."

Akira looked down to his shoes then closed his eyes. "I woke up a few days later. There was blood everywhere. I ran outside and found my dad and three sisters dead too. I ran away from the house and never went back. For the next seven years, I wished I were dead too."

"What about now?"

"No, but sometimes I feel it."

"What changed you?"

"To be honest, only the grace of God."

Rally pondered for a moment. "What were their names?"

"My father's name was Eiji and my mother's name was Jun. My four younger sisters were Aya, Reiko, Sakura, and Kaori."

Rally glanced out towards the horizon. "I'm really sorry that happened to you."

"Ever since that day, I covered my face. I never wanted anyone to see me, I never wanted to love anyone ever again…"

"So why did you let me take your mask…"

Akira glanced up into Rally's eyes, which caused her to stop talking. She remained silent for a moment then started to feel uncomfortable with Akira's stare. "What?" She nervously asked.

Surprisingly, Akira leaned in and placed a light kiss on Rally's lips.

Finding the perfect time to interrupt, May flung the door wide-open and walked out onto the porch. "What a wonderful morning!" May exclaimed loudly.

Akira quickly pulled away from Rally and looked away.

Rally jumped up from the bench. "I better get inside. I need a shower." Rally rushed into the house.

May followed Rally into the house with her eyes then once Rally was in the house, May jerked her head towards Akira. "Don't like her, huh?"

Akira glanced up at May. "It's not like that…"

"Don't lie!" May hissed. "You want her!"

Akira turned his head away.

"Admit it!"

Akira took a deep breath. "I don't think it matters because I couldn't have her even if I wanted to..."

"That's right!" May interrupted.

Akira looked up at May to finish. "Nobody will ever have Rally. Rally is free to chose whomever she wants. Nobody can claim her or take her."

May snorted. "Well what makes you think she'd ever choose you?"

Akira looked away from May's smirk.

May's smirk grew wider. "That's what I thought." She walked into the house.

All dressed up, Rally and May walked towards the large ceremony in the middle of the park. Today was the graduation of the new cadets of the Police Academy. Akira and Kenny followed behind chatting among themselves while the girls looked around for Roy Coleman.

"Roy!" May exclaimed in a cute voice.

Roy turned around from talking with a group of the cadets. "May, Rally…"

Rally walked up with her usual grin. She shook Roy's hand and greeted him warmly. After all, they had a long history.

"How you doing, Ral?" Roy asked.

"Good. And you?"

"Great," Roy gasped with his usual cynical attitude. Roy released Rally's hand. "Who are these guys?"

May grabbed Kenny's arm and pulled him forward. "This is Kenny."

"Ah, the famous, Kenny. I've heard so much about you. May's told me so much that I think I even know your shoe size."

"What size?" Kenny asked while shaking Roy's hand.

"Ten and a half."

Kenny glanced at May. "You even told him my shoe size?"

May shrugged her shoulders and gave a cheap smile.

Roy glanced back at Akira. "And him?"

Akira looked up from his standoffish position.

"Uh…" Rally uttered. "This is Akira Shinagawa. He's been my partner on the Vanzetti case for a few months now."

"Oh, I see." Roy shook Akira hand then turned his attention back to Rally. "Uh, Devin told me that he wanted to see you before the ceremony started."

"Oh," Rally uttered.

"He's on stage."

"Okay."

Roy cleared his throat. "You know, he talks about you a lot."

"Really?" May exclaimed. "What does he say?"

Rally shot a dirty look at May.

"Well, I don't know if the details are important…" Roy nervously laughed, wished he would have kept his mouth shut.

"Spill them!" May hissed.

"Well, I overheard Devin talking to the other guys at the department, and he said that you and him…well…"

A bright red color flushed over Rally's face.

"Oooo! Rally! I had no idea!" May chorused. "It was about time!"

Rally turned even redder. "It's not true!" Rally burned with anger, and she stormed off towards the stage where Devin was.

As Rally took off, a figure in the crowd started to move just a few feet behind Rally. Akira looked up from his sullen posture of staring at the ground. He slipped off from the group and went his own way.

Rally stormed up the stairs and walked across the stage pushing security guards out of her way. "Devin!" Rally's voice shrilled.

Devin looked up from his paperwork at the podium and smirked. "Hey, babe."

"Don't you babe me! What in the heck do you think you're doing?"

"What?" Devin looked surprised. He stepped away from the podium towards Rally. "What's wrong?"

"What's not wrong!" Rally hollered. She looked around for eavesdropping ears. "Have you been telling your friends that…" She whispered then looked around again. "…that you and I are…you know…"

"What?"

Rally groaned and looked around again. "Sleeping together?"

"Yeah."

"WHY?" Rally hollered. "It's not true!"

"Well, I figure since it'll probably happen soon, I could just start saying that it was happening."

Rally's anger flared. "Let me tell you something, it's not going to happen! So stop talking about it! I wouldn't even let it happen if you paid me!"

Devin placed his hands on Rally's tense shoulders. "You're right. I'm sorry."

"Well you better be!" Rally said, still ticked off but she started to calm down.

Devin gave a small smile. "That'll be your own decision in your own time."

"Good."

"Love ya, babe."

Rally cast a strange look at Devin. "Love?"

Suddenly, a bullet whizzed between Rally and Devin's heads. Devin, with his hands on Rally's shoulders, shoved Rally forward towards the crowd as he used the motion to help himself jump back behind the podium.

Rally's ankle twisted from the awkward push. As she started to fall, her eyes wracked over the crowd. There in the center of the crowd was a red-haired man with a black trench coat. In his hand was a small, machine-gun like handgun. He repeatedly fired the weapon while people tried to flee from the area.

"RALLY!"

Rally glanced up to her left as she was falling.

The first bullet pierced Akira in the shoulder as he threw himself in front of Rally. The second hit Akira's left arm. Two more bullets entered his stomach. The fifth and final bullet entered Akira's chest. He fell backwards from the force of the bullet.

"AKIRA!" Rally fell to the ground on her butt. Akira fell backward landing on her folded legs. Rally tried to sit up the best she could. She tried to lift Akira's upper body up as he gasped and choked for air.

"RALLY! ARE YOU OKAY!" May and Kenny ran up to the stage circled around Rally and Akira.

Rally supported Akira's upper body against hers. Akira gasped and choked for air as his eyes started to roll back into his head. She looked down at the blood that was gushing out of Akira's wounds. Soon she found herself sitting in the puddle of the blood as she tried to help Akira breathe. Rally shook her head as memories of her mother's death started to flood back in. "So much blood…so much…"

"Rally!" May hollered. "Snap out of it!"

"I…can't…breathe…" Tears leaked from Rally's eyes just before she fainted.

Rally sat in a catatonic position in the corner of the hospital room. She sat for hours in the vinyl chair watching Akira's chest rise and fall as he gasped for air.

May walked in with two cups of coffee. She stopped near the doorway and glanced over the room. She then stepped forward crossing Akira's bed and walked over to Rally. "I brought you something to drink."

Rally said nothing for a few moments. "Why would he do that?"

May sat down the coffee on the plant stand next to her. "Do what?"

"He wasn't even wearing Kevlar! Why would he do that? Why would he risk his life like that?"

May took a deep breath. As much as she hated to admit it, she knew it was true. "He loves you, Rally."

Rally looked up at May. "What is love?"

"What do you mean by that? You know what love is."

"Devin said he loved me. What does that mean? You say Akira loves me. What does that mean?"

May rested her hand on Rally's shoulder. "Rally, that's something you're going to have to figure out yourself. I know I've pushed you into things, and I'm sorry. But this is something I can't choose for you." May picked up one of the coffee cups and walked out.

Rally sighed and sunk her head down. She pondered for a few moments then finally stood up from the chair. She walked to the edge of the bed and glanced over Akira's wrapped wounds. She then looked over to the vitals, which didn't look so good then turned back. She closed her eyes to try to escape reality; however, the beeping from Akira's pulse on the machine wouldn't let her. Rally opened her eyes again and tears leaked from her eyes when Akira gasped heavily for air. "Why would you risk your own life to save mine?" She asked aloud while staring over the unconscious Akira.

As she heard the beeping from the pulse drop to less frequent intervals, she took a deep breath and kneeled down at the side of the bed. She took another deep breath as she prepared to do something she hadn't done since she was a little girl. Rally folded her hands together and closed her eyes. She started to pray.

May yawned as she walked down the hallway. She decided that she should probably head home with Kenny since he was already asleep in the lobby. She walked towards Akira's room and stopped in the doorway. "Rally," May uttered as she saw Rally silently kneeling at Akira's side.

Michelo looked down at his shoes as the silence went on. Sometimes dead silence was worst than being screamed at he reasoned as he stood there. The first sound that came to his ears was a cocking of a gun.

Michelo looked up. "Mr. Torrio, let me explain…"

The gun fired and Michelo fell straight to the ground after being shot in the head right between the eyebrows. "No explanation necessary." A voice spoke in the darkness.

A small feminine chuckle filled the air a few seconds later. Footsteps struck across the marble floor. A figure walked into what little light was in the room. The female was young and beautiful with long locks of ebony-black hair and smooth, fair skin. She dressed in black leather and carried a pistol on her hip and a motorcycle helmet in her arm. "About time you did that, daddy. He was really getting on my nerves."

"Come here, Gabriella."

The young girl laid her helmet down on the ground and approached, stepping over Michelo's dead body. "Yes, daddy?"

"Come sit with me. We'll play chess."