I walked down a flight of twisting stairs. The old rickety metal staircase moved and bounce with each step of my descent.

At the bottom was a good-size storage area filled with kegs, different types of alcoholic beverages, and equipment. The sound of muted jazz echoed down here. I felt the occasional sound of whooping or the vibration of cheering. All that didn't matter.

What mattered was the door down here. Behind it, I could feel several people with Nen.

I could sense it... all of them were stronger than me. The Red Squad...

I stared at the door as I waited for Sparrow to finish his descent. This wasn't like the Hunter Exam. I was, for certain, the weakest person on this floor. The only confidence I had with me was that I was Evira's nephew. Not that it had made my life any easier…

Sparrow moved past me, his footsteps causing the wooden floors to creak with every step. My nerves screamed out.

He opened the door.

A bright light filled the darkness. The loud sound of a TV on full blast roared out through the cellar. I blinked at what I saw.

It liked a clubhouse...

A beautiful, fully furnished wooden room with a small kitchen and several doors all around that probably contained several people's sleeping quarters. I was expecting guns, gunmetal, and grey dingy metal.

Closet to the door was a large dining table that could seat six people. Camber, who was reading a car magazine. No surprise there.

In the left corner of the room was a large TV with some type of console connected to it. Cabo and the masked Mantis were both were sitting on pillows playing each other. On the screen was some alternate universe version of Virtua Fighter. Behind them was Mercutio, casually smoking, watching them play as he smoked a cigarette.

In front of the TV was a couch on a nice little rug that sat the Amori brothers, looking weirded out and just as unsure as I was. Umori's left arm was in a cast and arm sling. Imori sat forward uncomfortably, pain on his face. It was obvious his injury from Leorio was still not fully healed. Amori looked the same except now I noticed some bruising I hadn't noticed before until now.

I followed Sparrow in. The moment he said, 'Yo' everyone turned to us. I close the door behind me.

The moment the door closed behind me, I saw something in the right corner close to the entrance. I turned to see a gigantic thing that looked like a robotic humanoid. Bronzed skin that looked like it was stretched over what looked like a metal frame. Ebony black hair with steel plates all over a square, statue-like face. It wore a massive grey suit covered by an even bigger, grey trench coat.

It must have been at least eight feet tall and would easily rival Buhara in sheer size. It sat there taking up the entire corner of the room, still and unmoving. It looked male, but it also looked like a poorly made android that was badly dressed up to be human. It even sat there like it was turned off: sitting with its knees curled in, arms to its side, with its head down and eyes closed.

I took a step closer, curious.

The moment I did, its head slowly turned up. Unnervingly smooth and automatic. It opened its eyes to reveal orange, glowing pupils and grey whites. It vibrated.

I stumbled back as it stood up and towered over me, literally hunching over to look me in the eye. It said one word, so deep and low it sounded like a proclamation from a titan.

"Argoooooossss..."

"What the FUCK-"

I stumbled back and nearly fell on my ass. I stared up at the automaton of a human towering over me. Its arms were so thick they were as wide as I was, shoulder to shoulder. There were no wrists on those limbs, I couldn't see where forearm ended and hands started. Just a giant block of mass and weight moving with robotic precision and smoothness, contrary to its steampunk looking nature.

It fell backwards and sat down back against its corner with a titanic shudder of the room. I turned to my left to see everyone looking at me with different emotions on their face.

Cabo had a dismissive frown, Mantis I had no fucking clue because of the silver Kamen Rider mask. Mercutio was indifferent, Sparrow looked at me with a bored face. Camber had an amused smirk on her lips. Only the Amori siblings looked like they understood the surprise.

Mercutio spoke with a sigh in his voice.

"Looks like everyone's here. We can finally get this over with. Considering your not dragging along Berto, I'm guessing it was a failure."

Cabo smiled and turned to Mantis, sticking his hand out to demand payment for som- oh fuck him.

Sparrow shook his head, "Nah, not completely. Red here is soft, yeah, but I have to hand it to 'em. He got the job done."

Biplane era female Racer X cut in, her voice smooth, haughty, and strong, "He didn't kill them? And he didn't pick up Berto? That sounds like a complete failure."

Sparrow sighed, walked up to the table, and grabbed a chair. He pulled it, spun it around, and sat down in it - in one fluid motion. He propped his chin up with his right hand and continued.

"Yeah, ok. I took care of the Westfield gang, and Berto was killed. But that's 'cause a Nen user killed 'em. By the time I got there the guy bounced," he punctuated his sentence by tossing the scissor onto the table. The dark, dried blood on the blades.

The silver cosplaying woman stood up and pointed at the scissors, yelling dramatically, "That is the weapon of the blasted fiend, Binolt the Cannibal! Haaa!"

The purposeful, dramatic pause she made was ignored by everyone except the Amori brothers and I. We stared at each other in confusion.

Cabo laughed, "Let me track 'em down! It'll be done in no time flat!"

Camber pointed at him and scoffed, "You are the worst tracker here. By far."

The sharky replied, "Tch, I don't need to track the guy down. I'm the fastest one here! I'll just look under every hiding place in the city."

"You'll be spotted a mile away from all the noise you make."

"If it's only a mile then he won't escape. You're just mad you're slower than me, even in your stupid cars!"

Mercutio stared at both of them before saying, "Enough."

They both shut up real quick, pointedly ignoring each other and turning back to face Sparrow and I. He stared at us for a moment, then nodded his head.

"Our initiation into red squad is usually job they need to complete. Either that or you fight all of us with none of us holding back."

I could see the Amori brothers freaking out at the thought of that. Twelve of them couldn't take on any one of them.

Not that I was doing much better. My face was barely hiding my nervousness. Killua told me he couldn't even hit Sparrow. He said it was as if he could predict Killua's or Shoots's attacks without looking. I couldn't even touch Knuckles yet and that was with him using basic Nen and fisticuffs...

I rather not take that kind of beating…

Mercutio rubbed his chin and nodded, "I can tell you're getting it... you got a month, a month before the Summit," he sighed when he saw my face confused face, "When the underbosses come for their quarterly meeting. It won't look good if we got a serial killer on the loose. 'Specially if it's suspected they're working for someone..."

I glared, "Not that I would want a serial killer on the loose, but why does it matter to the other underbosses?"

He took a drag of cigarette and shook his head.

"You really don't know, do you? Huh... I thought she was exaggerating about you knowing nothing. Fact is, she isn't a monolithic as she appears."

Sparrow chuckled, "Yeah, all of us were here before she came to York New City. We're actually a gang that joined forces with her Or was. We're the Red Street Gang. 'Cause of this street."

Cabo laughed, "When they decided to call us Red Squad, its 'cause they wanted to color code everything! Lucky!"

Mercutio sighed, "That's not important. All that matters is tracking down Binolt and finding the other hideouts."

I shrugged, "Nice, but why do I have to find Binolt?"

"Because you're the rooke here, and the other underbosses want proof you aren't a waste of time. The Rohan brothers are looking for any excuse to undermine Evira."

Mantis posed, "Ah! Then allow me to help oversee them I-"

Mercutio nodded, "I was about to say that. You're the old rookie. Its time to earn your wings by helping the new rookies. You'll be in charge of him and them," he flung his left thumb to the Amori brothers, who looked shocked.

"W-wait," said Amori, "Binolt the Cannibal's a high-class criminal! A-a Hunter too! A-and you guys told us all Hunters know Nen, right? Binolt's out of your league..."

Mercutio turned around and gave them a look I couldn't see, but seeing how all three of them turned white, it wasn't good.

"There's a lot of things that'll be out of your league, one of which is the Phantom Troupe. If you can't handle this... then I'll just have to put all three of you out of your misery, huh?"

"W-what?! I thought we were members now! You can't just kill us!"

Mercutio took a step towards them that made all three of them scramble behind the couch.

"First off: don't tell me what I can or can't do. Second: just because you're in the Tao Long doesn't mean I can't kill you. And lastly: you already know too much about us. Unless you want a lead lobotomy, I suggest you shut up and follow orders."

They did. Mercutio shook his head and turned back to me. He muttered hopeless' under his breath. He tucked his right hand into his pinstriped suit and continued.

"It's the first week of February, you have until the end of the month to find Binolt and what he's up to, ya got that? Considering there aren't many places to hide in the city that we don't own, he shouldn't be too hard to find. That'll be you and the Three Bozos' initiation. Everyone's dismissed..." he said as he walked past Sparrow and me.

I shook my head and sighed. Sparrow put his arm on my shoulder.

"Hey, you got this. If you're as talented as they say you are, you'll catch his ass in no time."

Cabo laughed, "If not, I get to kick your ass!"

Great.


Another week, another beat. Dead tired and sleepy. I walked around York New in my dark green suit and Stick like a cane. With me were...

Sigh

A woman dressed as a Silver Power Ranger and three idiots. I hadn't been trained to hunt in a city. All my experience from living in one only allowed me to survive in it - not track someone down like Sherlock Holmes.

Amori walked next to me, to my right. Everyone else was behind us as we walked the streets at sunset. Fortunately, what the Amori brothers lacked in power, they made up in with knowledge and cunning.

"Bars, clubs, pawnshops, even auto shops are good places to track down info on criminals. The Hunter website may have information on Binolt, but it'll be useless for finding him. We already know how dangerous he is, what we need is current info."

"What, so we go to every one of those stores in the city? That'd take us the better part of a month."

He smiled, "It would if we didn't have experience. Crime's like any career: connections, connections, connections."

The street we walked down was probably one of the worst I've ever seen. Even the vacant lots refused to grow weeds. Liquor stores, convenience stores, and autobody shops were this entire area. Grey and drab. I was starting to see a pattern in York New City.

We stopped in front of a bar that wouldn't be reputable and orderly if it was in a barren, post-apocalyptic world. Bones' Bar. Motorcycles lived outside the front of it like an old west saloon with horses. I was starting to regret not taking Sparrow's pistol.

Mantis moved her giant helmet around as she stared at the vacant, blank silver eyes surveying the building in front of her.

"Ah, the watering hole of terrible, hardened, and foul criminals! I don't think I should venture in, lest the evildoers decide to pick a fight with a heroine such as I!" her boyish voice as dramatic as always as she posed left and right.

I stared at here. Why?

I rubbed my face and sighed, "Ok, stay here and guard the premises... Mant-"

"It's the Silver Rider!"

I counted to ten. It was like this for the past week. We would have done this sooner if it weren't for the fact that she insisted on patrols first. Considering she could kick our ass... it's not like we could have said no.

"Ok... Silver Rider. Please stay outside and protect... I don't know the entrance?"

She saluted me, "I will do my best! No, better than my best! A perfect job!"

I gave her a lukewarm salute, turned around, and walked in with the rest of them.

Inside was what I imagined a biker bar to be like. A lot of denim on harden men, a lot of drinking, and a lot of glares. At me specifically. They ignored the Amori brothers entirely. I felt Amori pat me on the shoulder and lead the way with his brothers. I shrugged and followed.

The dim lights were made dimmer by the massive amounts of smoke from all the patrons. A jukebox was playing country music I never heard of before. Tobacco and probably a lot of other things that I didn't care to have in my lungs hung in the air. I waved the smoke from my face and did my best to imagine fresh air coming into my lungs.

The brothers led me past wooden tables and wooden chairs that looked like they'd seen better days. A time long ago, before being used as weapons in barroom brawls. Scuffed up tables and dried up blood that the owners did not bother to clean correctly.

I was a little over two meters tall. Yet, I could see giant football player sized bikers staring at me like they could pick me up by the ankle and shake literal money out of me. Or beat me like a pinata and get it that way. I frowned.

The Amori stopped at the bar counter and rung a tiny hotel bell three times in rapid succession. Then we waited.

Umori looked down at me and chuckled, "No reason to be nervous. As long as you're with us you'll be fine. Nobody'll cause trouble."

I looked at him and he became nervous. I sighed. I forget my face looks pissed off all the time. I replied.

"You guys sure about this? He definitely knows we're coming. We wasted a week canvassing the streets like bad superheroes. Mantis took pictures with tourists, I mean come on…"

Imori lifted a finger, "That's why this'll work. Someone had to have seen 'em. You'd be surprised how chatty criminals are, especially when unfamiliar faces show up."

"You mean like me?" I said as I stared down a guy far to my left who looked like he wanted to make me his prison bitch. His denim vest and long beard looked me to be someone who liked sawed-off shotguns. The bulge coming out of his chest only backed that claim up.

Amori waved his hand, "What do you expect wearing that suit? The Tao Long owns the city, but that doesn't mean everyone likes it. Some people like the chaos of crime more than the money..."

"But not me," said a GIGANTIC fellow who looked like a Viking transported from the past. A grey beard, grey, balding ponytail, and faded tattoos that were crossed out were all over his body. The fact he was almost a foot taller than me with both fat and muscle added to his intimidation factor.

Oh, and I saw his Ten. No wonder no one's gonna' start shit here. I positive this guy could fuck me up.

Man, stepping into York New City felt like going from a pond to the open ocean…

A tired smile came over his face as he placed two hands on the bar counter and looked down at the Amori brothers.

"Hey, guys! Come on in!" the bartender said, before swooping into a massive hug around the three.

The three of them groaned in genuine pain at the bone-crushing hug. Amori tapped the arm and groaned, "L-let go Stocks. Umori's arm's brok-"

The man named Stocks let go and they almost all fell to the ground from lack of air, but the massive gentlemen held all three of them up. He looked over Umori's arm and shook his head, "Got that from the Hunter Exam I see. I'm betting you guys failed again, huh?"

The three of them frowned and looked away. Stocks shook his head, "It's good ya'll rely on each other, but that's your biggest weakness. Ain't no good if all three of you ain't good enough to fight on your own."

Amori waved him off, "Yeah, yeah. You've told us that already."

"Yep. And I'll keep telling ya' until you get in through your thick skulls. Now, what'da ya want from little ol' Stocks?"

I don't think that phrase should come out from the giant, but I stayed quiet. I'm getting to know a lot of enormous people.

Umori spoke up with a smile, "We're looking for a guy named Binolt, pops. We have to track 'em down for a job."

The giant old man's eyes narrowed as his wrinkled made silver eyes disappear, "If ya'll go after him you're dead. Ain't strong enough for a bonafide Hunter."

Imori pointed a thumb to me, "That's why we got this guy. He's a Hunter too, and the guy who beat us in the Hunter Exam."

All four of them stared at me. I shrugged.

"All I did was break Umori's arm and distract you three. Kurapika, Anita, and Leorio did the rest."

Stocks scoffed, "I said what I said: ya'll go after him, you're dead. Even if you're Tao Long, ya' ain't ready yet. How long since you've been 'practicing'? Six, seven months?"

I shrugged. I wasn't particularly comfortable with people knowing how talented I was in Nen.

"Maybe a little less."

He frowned, "Lie to me if you want, but it don't change nothing. Binolt ain't the strongest, but he's dangerous. A rookie like you ain't good enough yet."

I sighed, "Well, it's not like we have much of a choice. I got until the end of March to find him and stop himm, at the very least..."

"Hmph, right. That meeting ya'll have every few months. Pain in the ass. I always gotta' close up shop when that happens."

Strange, but I shrugged.

He glared at me. I did the same.

Neither of us stopped our glares. In my peripherals I could see the Amori brothers squirming. The bar became quiet as everyone subconsciously felt our emotions leaked into our Ten, wavering and starting to flicker in agitation. He knew where we could find Binolt and I needed that information.

I wasn't backing down.

My hand gripped Stick tighter and tighter with each second.

Stocks leaned over the counter, closer and closer with each second.

Amori raised his hands up before things became worse...

Stocks sighed, straightened up, and spit a curse, "Fine. Not worth damaging my bar... Ya'll fools, ya know that? Let me get you the address of a fella' I know," he pointed an enormous index finger in my face, "but ya'll didn't get this info form me, understand."

I nodded. So did the Amori brothers. Satisfied, he walked away into the back. After a minute he returned with a piece of napkin paper with the address and slapped it down on the bar counter. Again, he pointed a giant finger at me, "This one's for free. Next one will cost ya'."

He shook his head and walked to the back of the bar. I turned to the Amori," Who was that guy?"

"His name is Sonny Stockton, but everyone calls him Stocks. He sells info to criminals and is the guy who raised us," he said as he slid the piece of information across the table and read it, "123 Sweeney Place, huh?"

I shrugged, "Let's get to it then."


After five minutes on knocking on the door, I kicked it down.

And everyone was dad. That was the scene we found after the door went down. The apartment was a little second-floor thing that was torn apart from the inside. It didn't seem like it happened from the attack though…

Three people were dead, two me and one female. In fact, they were sitting there in their seats in the living room. The woman, strangely, having a large chunk of hair missing. From how they were seated, it was probably a couple and a guest. And they look like they were caught by surprise.

They were carved up like a goddamn pork roasts. Deep cuts to their throats the death blows, which was before a whirlwind of thin slices. It must have been Binolt. The man was in his late thirty, the woman in her early twenties. The guest a mobster looking dude in his mid-twenties.

From Imori's face, he wasn't that used to people dying. Neither was I, but I held it together as I walked around the apartment. By any measure it looked like a straightforward single bedroom apartment. But when I came to the bedroom I found a turned over bed and a safe ripped out of the floor. It was twisted and destroyed, with all the papers inside torn apart.

I took a closer look at the mess.

They the scraps like contracts with various illegal organizations. This guy was meticulous in his dealings. From what little I could gather, he connected small-time criminals together for a small price. 'Small' was a few hundred thousand Jenny, but that was like a few hundred to thousands in American dollars. But the amount of shredded up deals showed it added up. He didn't do too bad for himself.

That doesn't help me though... if I was a rival Mafia and wanted to hire someone to undermine a rival, I'd do it indirectly. Not inside the city. The mobster Berto was selling drugs on Evira's turf, but not any old drug: Spice. That shit turned people crazy addicted. My guess, destabilize everything with a hyper drug epidemic.

But from the looks of it this guy was small time. I saw nothing connecting him to Binolt or the Mafia

Great. That still doesn't help me understand where Binolt was. Nor did I have any concrete evidence of an outside Mafia in York New City. If he is eliminating people... he must be cutting loose ends that could connect the Five-Families. But why have an elaborate plan, they could just slowly undermine Evi-

"Uh... guys... come in here... I found something" I heard Umori call from outside. I left the bedroom, took a right, and entered bath-

My eyes widened as I saw a hidden compartment above the toilet that Umori had found, the fake panel on the floor...

I saw a lot of fucking Spice. A two by two meter cube of fucking bricks worth of the crap.

Mantis stood in the hallway, her typical shonen behavior gone. Her body language screamed serious.

"Sparrow said he found Spice in the Westfield Gang's hideout. There was enough there to sell to a few thousand people. This... this is way more than that."

Well this proved part of my idea was right, "Binolt wasn't hired by the dead guy in the living room. He's killing all the people who can prove the Five Families are dealing Spice, or whatever future plan they have. But he keeps killing them when we get close. That means..."

The hairs stood up on my neck as I realized we were being watched.

I grabbed Umori and pushed him out of the bathroom, a shout escaping from me, "We have to leave! Now!"

Mantis nodded her head, and Ren engulfed her. She grabbed Amori and Imori by the waist. In an instant she disappeared from normal human sight, becoming a blur to my superhuman one.

I grabbed the biggest Amori brother by the torso as well and transitioned into Ren. The carpet underneath me giving me horrible footing as my first step slipped from under me. My second one ended up gripping the ground as I became faster than any human could be, zipping through the hallway and down the stairs with super-speed. The world around me warping, my mind no longer trapped in a body that was too slow for it.

I burst through the entrance and slid to a stop, skipping a bit as I stopped behind a parked van-

I roughly dropped Umori to ground as I ran to the back of the van and ripped the doors off with no control whatsoever.

I felt all the blood drain out of my face at the amount of explosives I was staring at. A small digital timer stared me in the face. Counting down from a minute.

Seconds felt like hours as the horror dawned on me: there was nothing I could do to stop it. I wasn't a technopath. I couldn't will the bomb timer to stop. This bomb's going to destroy the most of the building.

Strangely, I noticed a message on the floor of the van:

Don't send a bunch of rookies to do a professional's job.

6

Impotent rage filled my mind. Then despair. Then hopelessness.

Then I just went numb.

My body moved on its own as I grabbed Umori again and turned to Mantis. Somehow I knew she was far to my right. I yelled something. Her body stiffened before she disappeared with the other Amoris.

Next thing I knew, I'm sitting on a stoop a few blocks down. A giant plume of smoke in the distance and the sound of sirens speeding towards me.

My first job and I don't even want to know how many people died.

I heard the voice of Mercutio to my right, the world a grey haze.

"This is on me. This is too much for you guys to handle... this is something bigger. Much bigger."

I just hung my head.


I lifted my head up as the subway train made a stop to pick up passengers. At midnight? That meant no one. Just me and my... guilt?

It wasn't me that did it, it was Binolt.

Yet I feel like I should have stopped it. Logically that was impossible, but... this was nothing like the Hunter Exam. Or surviving in a forest. Or anything like I was trained for.

There weren't rules or guidelines to follow. Only my gut instinct saved my ass... and it was saving me more and more lately. Almost like it had a mind of its own...

My mind went back to the red, burning face I saw right after my fight with Pokkle.

I rubbed my face. What the fuck is happening to me.

I can't rely on just cunning and guile. I need to prepare, learn, I have to do more...

The train slowed and made another stop. I heard someone get on. On the last train car?

I turned up to see a man in a purple shirt and white pants a few meters away. Red hair, wild hair, and sci-

Without even a thought, I swiped down with an overhead strike down at the man. Two pairs of scissors stopping my strike. Bulging, mad eyes and serrated teeth smiled back at me.

He pulled them out of his belt holster in an instant…

"You know I'm a bounty hunter... and there's money on Tao Long heads..."

He pushed me back with both arms, forcing me to step back. I got into my guard.

I stared at the man with rage. And fear. Binolt stood as calm and composed as a fighter could be. He knew he was stronger than me. He knew he was better than me.

I knew it too, and I was stuck in a speeding subway with him.

"Please resist. It's no if there's no fight."

I needed to wait until the next train stop, but I didn't know how long that'd be. Five? Ten minutes? That's might as well a lifetime in a fight.

He knew that too. He smiled. Sharp teeth and beady eyes staring through me with pleasure.

Binolt lunged forward. With disturbing finesse, he danced around a subway pole and stabbed a scissor at my face. My eyes widened in horror at the speed.

I leaned back, then jumped back at his second stab. My back met a subway pole and I grimaced. Fear gripped me and I threw myself to the side, falling onto a subway seat just in the nick of time. Binolt sliced where my throat was and left a gash in the metal, almost clean through.

I held myself up with both arms and shot out both my feet to his right side, only for him to take a step back and avoid it with a smile. But it allowed me to get back up, shift Stick to my left hand, and pull out my knife from my left armpit holster.

I gripped Stick halfway up. Tightly. Sweat dripped down as the lull in battle felt like the buildup to terror.

He charged me.

I did my fucking damnedest to block his onslaught of scissor slashes. I felt my cuts cover my entire body as time ceased to exist in the fury of our fighting. His scissor snaked around my defense and slice me. Left, right. Up, down. He moved with disturbing fluidity and a madman's grace as he used the subway poles to make my sword strikes useless.

But difference in ability wasn't vast. He was nothing compared Knuckles or Hisoka. But his intent to kill was apparent with every strike. He wasn't holding back at all.

For every cut I parried or block, two would get through. Stings, burns, and sharp pain erupted from all over my body as I struggled to move his stabs from lethal to glancing.

He fully intended to kill me.

But so did I.

His deranged smile slowly disappeared as my strikes became faster and faster. My right arm dancing with the rhythm of his two handed style. Detail disappeared. Self disappeared. I hit my stride, the world becoming quiet. My movements became sharp.

No hesitation. No mercy.

My vision became trimmed with black as mind becoming utterly focused on tearing into this madman apart. My body moved automatically. I felt like a machine. I felt the wind. The floor, ceiling, and walls become diced and filled with deep cuts from our missed and parried attacks. Neither of us backing down from the spot.

I think I was roaring…

Then I parried left stab to my stomach, pushing it away to my right. That was an enormous mistake. I left myself wide open…

The kick pushed into my stomach in. I felt it more than saw it. It sent me flying back into the subway pole. This time I bounced off it and smashed my head against the seat before rolling to the floor.

Get up

I got up.

You must stay up

I had to stay up.

I wobbled as I stood, my world hazy. I stared down to see my tuxedo was shredded to bits, blood covering me. I felt so weak. I barely remembered the last few minutes…

I stared up to see Binolt... angry. Indignation on his face. He had cuts on him too. In my blind fury and fighting, I hadn't realized I had landed attacks.

Heh. So much for a rookie... thought I was an easy mark... ugh...

I think I was losing too much blood.

I need... I need to think.

Accessing Memory

You're still not going all out! You're overthinking the situation! When there's no solution, you gotta MAKE ONE!

Knuckles was right... I need to make one...

So I stood straight up, put my back against the bent pole...

And I flipped him the bird. Deuces.

Idiotic

I spit on the floor, smiled, and glared at him through the red veil of blood in my vision.

"That's all you got, bitch."

He grinned in fury, a vein on his head growing lunged for my neck with a left stab.

Without thinking, I ducked below the stab and shoved my own blade into his gut, falling in as I dropped Stick to put my entire weight into the blade.

I also headed butted him as hard as I fucking could. Courtesy of Knuckles.

Next thing I remembered was slamming into the ground by fists to my back. Then I felt furious stomps to my back, my Ten barely doing anything to stop his rage-fueled trampling. He groaned and stopped.

I felt a metal blade to my neck.

"You bastar-" was all he said before I felt the train shudder to a stop and the doors open.

Then footsteps. Then the loudest punch I ever heard.

Binolt screamed as I heard him fly past me and to the back of the train.

"You bastard!" Leorio said as I managed the strength to push myself onto my back. I groaned but smiled as I saw Leorio with tightly clenched fists. He stood between my laid out form and Binolt. The doctor-in-training's Ren on fire.

"I come down to meet James and I find this... I'm going to enjoy beating your teeth out."

I saw Binolt with teeth missing and his lower face beginning to swell up. Binolt's eyes moved down to me, then to Leorio. He held the wound to his gut and frowned. He spun to his side and shattered a subway window with a knife and leaped out.

In the glass I saw a red, glowing face in the broken window.

Mr. Hartford, I'm so very disappointed in you

In us

So much wasted potential

I'll have to do something about it

That was the last thing I remembered before I passed out.


Binolt stumbled into an abandoned subway maintenance tunnel. A hand held up to his face as he tried to hold back the tide of blood gushing from his mouth. A swollen face, missing teeth, and crooked jaw was the aftermath of Leorio's punch. If he didn't use Gyo at the last second, he'd have lost his head.

His other held the blade stuck to his gut. Blood falling out from the wound. Rage filled him as he fought to keep moving. He had to reach the rendezvous.

His balance was off and his mind dancing between consciousness. He felt weak. He felt blood escape him from the cuts all over him...

The dark tunnels held nothing but fear and rage. It was the only thing that kept Binolt going.

He arrived at the abandoned maintenance room. Dismantled electrical boxes and leaky pipes was all that was there.

Binolt crashed to the floor.

It was supposed to be easy. On his way to the meeting, a quick bounty. He was rookie!

Binolt closed his eyes and remembered terror he felt at the man growing better, faster, stronger. With each second of the fight...

A small man came out of the shadows. Pudgy and round, his head as bald, smooth, and grey. A paper facemask covered his mouth, while nothing held back his grey eyes and jaundice whites. A grey overcoat buttoned to the top with grey pants and grey boots. Strange, white cones jutting out of his sleeves. Wrapped around muscular forearms and hands.

The short man stood towering over Binolt, oval eyes staring cruelly at the cannibal. An obvious frown showed in the strange man's eyes. He began moving his fingers as he signed.

Binolt shook his head, barely mumbling his words, "I don't know sign language... don't you remember?! Where's the other woman?! The one with the nails?!"

The man sighed with his shoulders, yet no noise came from him. He pulled out a smartphone and began typing on it with his fingers. He finished in less than a second and turned the screen towards the serial killer.

Why are you hurt?

"I wanted to get a bounty..." Binolt spat out.

More typing.

That wasn't part of the plan.

"Well the plan changed! You said I could get a copy of Greed Island... gak... give it to me! I set the damn bomb off!"

The stout man frowned, grey skin wrinkling around his eyes. He put his phone away and visibly sighed, but no sound came from his mouth.

He raised his hands up. Like conducting an orchestra.

Binolt looked confused.

Then the man brought them together into single a clap.

The sound of thunder erupted through the tunnel as Binolt's head exploded into a cloud of blood, brains, and skull fragments.

The man pulled out his phone and began texting again. This time to someone else. Far away.

The agent has been injured and had to be put down. Red Squad has found the Spice hideouts. Plan compromised.

A message came back.

"That's unfortunate. Well, we have enough trouble to stir up trouble. Bloody brilliant."

The man sighed and walked into the shadows of the maintenance tunnels.

Silent.