The Panther and its Prey
The night was young.
The only sounds heard were the rustling of distant evergreens in the cool night wind and the soft lulling roll of the ocean behind the lush forest. Nocturnal creatures carried about their business, completely ignoring the out-of-place figure that stood erect and silent on a small patch of grass beside a protruding rock pew.
It simply did not move.
There was no sign to betray the fact that this…thing was still alive.
An owl hooted, and a mouse squeaked in terror.
The mouse was no more.
"This is to be a strictly HALO landing. By the book people, you've done this plenty of times I'm sure. The target structure is situated on a small island, as you have no doubt realized from the schematics you have all studied."
A few figures shifted uncomfortably. They stood in a modified Hercules cargo plane, known as an MC-130 'Combat Talon'. The preferred choice of Special Forces Units.
Tonight however, it contained an assortment of twenty-five heavily-clad soldiers, with only their uniforms distinguishing between them. Some wore signature SEAL outfits, whilst others wore US Marine attire.
There was even a smattering of Delta uniforms in the pack, although they were few and far between.
These people however, were not soldiers. At least, not anymore. They were mercenaries, hired out by an extremely secretive client, who wished for certain targets to 'cease functioning'.
That is a mercenary's playing field, is it not?
"Face masks on people! Opening ramp in three…two…one…"
A mechanical whirring sound was heard as the gears cranked to life beneath the metallic shell of the Talon. With a 'clunk' the whirring ceased, and an ice-cold wind assaulted the mercenaries' faces and bodies.
Luckily for them, they were wearing their face-masks, along with high-altitude jumpsuits.
"Like I said before, HALO jump. Ready… go!"
A HALO jump is a High Altitude, Low Opening jump. As the name suggests, the diver leaps from the plane at an altitude of roughly 37,000 feet, falls brutally fast and hard, and then stops dangerously close to his landing zone.
Like dominos they fell, out of the plane and into the night sky. The wind drove against them even harder as they approached terminal velocity.
"All units, this is Delta two. We are currently approaching our target at an angle of 76 degrees from the horizon. I and Delta one will land on the island the structure is situated upon whilst the rest of you will land atop the building itself and attempt a roof infiltration. Targets are extremely hostile and dangerous, so be sure to use lethal force, understood?"
"Copy that Delta two."
"Understood Delta two."
"No problem Dickwad."
Not everyone appreciated Delta members' aura of apparent superiority, and this was one mercenary who decided to voice his opinion.
"This isn't the time Marine."
The 'Marine' didn't respond.
The figure witnessed a truly remarkable event unfold as he stood motionless beside that same rock pew.
He had witnessed the jump and landing of elite military troops, something only top-ranking military commanders are entitled to view.
"You have signed your own death warrant, Delta two."
The figure moved, and a startled raccoon scooted out of its way and scampered up a nearby tree in an attempt to escape its potential predator.
The figure didn't even notice it, instead he kept his eyes on the parachuting mercenaries and the giant tower shaped like a 'T'.
"Once we land, switch off your tac radios. Switch to UHF to communicate with one another. We can't run the risk of our robotic subject picking up our signals. Understood?"
The same round of 'affirmative' circulated the team, and after pulling the rip-cord on their parachutes, they reduced speed substantially and the bulk of the military team landed on the roof, whilst a lone pair landed on the island beneath.
The two Ex-Delta members landed roughly on the ground, but the tall grass cushioned their landing and eased the pain off their joints. They landed in a run and unhooked their parachute before folding it neatly and sliding it away.
No need for local authorities to suspect a para-militaristic force was ever here.
A curious thing to pick up on before we progress. Each soldier has been provided with exactly the same weaponry, and all were provided by their client. Each soldier was armed with a silenced MP-5SN, two fragmentation grenades, two stun grenades (also known as 'flash-bangs'), a Desert Eagle Magnum sidearm and a combat knife.
This was starting to look suspiciously like a training exercise, but for what? They were mercenaries, not soldiers, they didn't need training.
Regardless, the two mercenaries cradled their MP-5 in their hands, scouring the island in separate directions.
Delta Two soon lost sight of Delta One as he circled the gargantuan building.
The figure now sped quickly across the rugged terrain, sprinting at impossible speeds whilst still avoiding every rock protrusion and withered tree-stump that lay in his way.
Hopping like an acrobat, he twirled around and over fallen logs, twisting his body in midair to dodge a large tree trunk. He withdrew a long, curved machete from his thigh holster and proceeded to cut and chop stray branches that swat his face recklessly. He sliced them maniacally, leaving a slight trail of destruction in his wake.
He reached the edge the shoreline, and stopped. Mumbling a few inaudible words to himself, he felt a foreign force lift him off his feet and propel him towards the island. In the eerie moonlight, more distinguishing features of this person were visible, such as a black robe, similar to a gi, donned upon his body, but it was sleeveless, revealing a perfectly toned set of fore-arms and biceps, thanks to countless years of rigid training in ninjitsu and various other styles of Martial Arts. This man was no mercenary. This man has no military training. He doesn't need it. This man is the single most deadly human being on this planet.
He was a ninja. Code Name: Black Panther.
His reputation is legendary. No-one had the money to hire out his services, and he was happy that way. He didn't enjoy being used as a common grunt for higher powers. He enjoyed meditation and training.
It's what he lived for.
That all changed when he was approached by a strange individual one night. How he found him, he did not know, nor did he ask.
The individual simply said that if he were to protect the lives of five teenage superheroes, then he would receive the one thing that matters the most.
His humanity.
That story however, we will discover as this one progresses.
He reached the island and ducked behind a small boulder, his black robe concealing his position. Delta Two continued his ever-cautious walk.
"One step closer, and you are mine… Now."
It was so quick, Delta Two could only watch in confusion as he saw the ground rapidly approach his masked face. The last thing he saw before his vision permanently turned black was the sight of his body, still upright, as if it was still in shock as well as to what had just happened.
Then he saw no more.