As soon as I started running, I knew they were not too far behind me.

"Shit," I grunted to myself as I was full-on sprinting and making a right to go down some steps. I knew this city, at least I knew it from when I was here some time ago. I had to rely on what I remembered about each street and quick turn, hearing the others right behind me as they were trying to both catch up and get to me. it wasn't like Paris at all when I had to deal with one and I chased after him, I was the cat in that scenario.

But now, I was the mouse.

Then again, hearing how they were stumbling a few times just to keep up with me and almost arguing each other in German made me feel as though I had the upper hand. Even though there were three of them, they had one Immortal that has been around for at least 600 years, plenty of time to have experience and memories of being caught in similar situations. That one time in Brazil in the late '60s, another time during the Vietnam War when I disguised as a medic, and the latest one before this was over in America when I helped a few agents snatch some human traffickers and destroy their human trafficking ring that was huge in the southern states.

This, to me, felt like I was being chased by mere kittens than cats.

I practically launched myself off the top step of some small stairs, flying through the air and then rolling along my to get back onto my feet and I kept running, hearing the other not too far away and trying to get closer to me. I was weaving in and out from the pedestrians that were all over the place, finding it easier to do since I've done this before. It was all about quick feet and quick choice, and with one last glance behind me, I could see they were trying to keep up.

I kept bolting down the street, seeing a canal to my left and a smaller street right across the way. I had to get over there, it would be faster for me to get to the Palace, and since I told Nile to get the others over there just as fast, I had to hold my end of the bargain. Thankfully, I saw a fishing boat coming our way on the water with a motor, humming along and the fisherman just humming along. Within a split moment, I steered to the left, shoving through a group of tourists at the lat second and hopping up on the railing, launching myself in the air and within a second, landing in the boat.

The boat was quick, having me stumble a bit as I rolled onto the floor of the boat, looking up to see all three of them stopping at the railing. I could tell they didn't see that one coming, and they started running in the opposite direction to catch up to me.

"Cosa stai facendo?!" The fisherman, maybe in his older forties, asked me in a huff as I stood up and peered over for an opening on the other side of the canal. Finally, I saw a dock that was pocking out very slightly coming our way within seconds. The three goons were currently getting over to a smaller bridge that was a bit farther ahead of me, which gave me some time and some distance from them if I got to this dock. I walked over to the side of the boat, looking back at the shocked fisherman.

"Mie scuse," I apologized, sticking my foot out and stepping out onto the dock. The fisherman and his boat pressed on, though I could see him watching me in pure amazement as I ran down the dock and into streets once more. I had more leverage at this time, though it was a bit more crowded with tourists and locals trying to buy fish from the local market. I still weaved in and out, trying not to be seen too much in case they could see me from far away. Speaking of which, I finally looked over my shoddier when I had enough space, losing my breath for a moment,

Two were missing, I only saw one.

"Damnit," I said in a grunt as I veered to the left, seeing a smaller street that I can get through with fewer pedestrians. I had to think fast and quick since it seemed like the other two could come out of nowhere and surprise me in the end. There were beyond plenty of alleyways and passages to get lost in, and maybe these guys didn't know Venice as I did.

I had several hundred years as a leg up.

I went down a few more steps and over a covered bridge when I saw one of them show up on the other side of the bridge. He had a gun out and he shot at me once, having me dip to the side and get hit in the shoulder. Compared to other times I was shot at, this felt more like a sting as he tried to shoot again, but he then missed barely past my head as I ducked out of the way and behind the column. A few more shots were heard, hitting the stone column that was shielding me and covered my head from the debris.

The bullet was pushing its way out of my shoulder after a few seconds, a good numbing pain having me look down and see how my skin was trying to get it out like it was a splinter. Blood stopped flowing and was all over my shoulder blade on my shirt, but once the bullet fell to the ground, the sound distinct in the silence, I took a breath and tried to think of what to do since one of them pinned me down.

"Ich habe sie in die Enge getrieben," He said, sounding like he was talking into a walkie talkie of some sort on the other end of the small bridge. All it would take from me was a few more big steps to get to him, but if he had a good shot, he could pin me down and kill me, which was not in my favor.

But then again, I did pick up on German and I could throw him off.

"Du hast keine Schieße," I said out into the open in a loud voice, hearing nothing on his end now. Maybe he was shocked that I knew German and could speak it, the pain in my shoulder was no longer there and I had some strength and a level head back in me.

"Yeah, I know German," I said in English loudly, almost sounding a bit cocky since it felt like I had the upper hand now, "You don't scare me, kid."

Once again I heard a few more pops from his gun and I moved a bit farther into the column to get out of the line of fire. Something then clicked in my head as at least there were five more pops from the small gun he had, and I grinned. I had something else up my sleeve now as the gun was suddenly quiet.

A few clicks, showing me that it was empty. I couldn't help but grin.

"Keine Kugeln mehr?" I asked, almost being coy as I popped up onto my feet in a squatting position. I turned the corner, almost slipping on the dust and debris on the floor as I sprinted down the bridge walkway, seeing the goon trying to get his old clip out and a new clip-in. I was faster though, knowing that this was coming since he seemed slow on his reload as I was now right in front of him.

I grabbed his hand that had the gun, yanking it forward to throw him off balance as I cocked my elbow back to launch it into his throat. He released the gun as I made contact with his throat and he coughed, stumbling back a bit as I shoved the gun in my back pocket and grabbed his shirt before he could do anything else. His breath was erratic sing he was trying to breathe from my recent assault on his throat.

I finally had a good look on his face: he was so young and freshly new in the face. Almost like how Nile looked, like an infant with my old eyes. He even looked younger than Nile, maybe he was barely a teenager, which made this whole situation feel a bit worse and complicated.

"Englisch?" I asked, seeing him glare at me now as I was peering down at him like a lion about to swallow him whole. He wasn't going to say anything to me now since I had the upper hand with him and I felt like he would have to stay quiet. I then had to think of something else to do with him, look gin down at his jacket, and seeing what seemed to be a bulge pocking up from the side pocket. I reached over, grabbing the clip I knew he was looking for mere moments before. I held it in front of the both of us, having me tilted my head at him and node at him once.

"Danke, Schatz," I replied, then head butting him hard. He was out cold, limp as a noddle as I dropped him to the ground. I learned over his unconscious body, tapping his sides and pockets to find his wallet. Pulling it out quickly, I grabbed my burner phone and turned on the camera, opening the Wallet and seeing his ID. Of course, he was merely 22 years old, such an infant as I took the picture with my phone before I dropped the wallet on his chest.

Grabbing the stollen gun from my back pocket, I stood back up and loaded the new clip into the chamber, cocking it at the ready and looking around briefly to make sure no one saw what happened. All that was left was the debris from the rapid-fire of the gun, and of course, the body itself.

One down, two to go.

I started to run again, going down the last few steps from the opening of the bridge and going back down to the right, weaving through the alleyways that would take me to where I needed to go and get there fast. It made me wonder where the others were and if they were found by the other two.

I had to think but the current motive: get out go dodge.

Finally, after a few solid minutes of thinking that I had some sense of a clearing and a moment of safety since I was in another farmers market. I slowed down a bit, needing to catch my breath and re-wire my plan as to how I was going to move around. Doing a quick look around, I didn't see the other two anywhere near me. I was slowing bit a slight bit, still moving and not having a moment to rest as there were way more people in all the booths, going about their business. The farmer's market was huge, taking up at least ten blocks, and I know on the other side of the plaza we were in made me so much closer to where I needed to go.

So, I weaved through.

Keeping my head down, I was going along the booths and trying to think of some way to ben in a bit more. looking around for something that I could swipe, to give me some kind fo cover and to hide in plain sight, I hoped that there was some dumb tourist who had their possession placed down on the ground for a split second.

With my luck, I saw what I needed.

A sweatshirt on the ground near a fruit stand, the owner was turned away from me as I walked by and reached down, grabbing the sweatshirt within an instant and kept going without any hesitation. I threw the sweatshirt on over my back and backpack, which was slim enough not to be bulgy. I snagged a baseball cap, getting my hair into a ponytail and putting the hat on before I weaved over to the right. Lastly, which was a bit of a pity for me to do this, but I grabbed a pair of Ray-Ban sunglasses within a split second when the tourist had their back turned for one moment.

Throwing the glasses on and finding myself halfway to the end of the plaza, a small part of me was ready to think that I was in the clean. But of course, that flicker of a moment was short-lived when I gazed over, my eyes clearly not seen behind the sunglasses, the two other goons making their way through the plaza.

Now I had to think of another way.

I kept moving, trying to go at the same pace as the tourist that were there so that I wouldn't stick out. I took out the burner phone, blocking my view from the other two as I looked at the screen. I saw a message that was there on the top from Nile:

"Where you at?"

"Two minutes out. One out and two more to go," I typed back and sent the message, along with the photo for the first goon. I knew I had a pure moment or two of relaxation, which could make or break this entire operation. I took a few more steps when I felt a hand on my arm, gripping it tightly and it mad eye freeze up. There was a gun pointed to my rib, and I knew I was caught.

"Bewegen dich nicht," A voice growled in my ear as I felt the metal gun against my skin and my rib. At first, I had a split moment of panic within me, my breath was short and my head was in a panic mode not knowing what to do. I looked with my eyes down at the booth we were next to, seeing that one of the legs of the food stall was wobbly and loose. Peering up, I could see that the vendor was selling spices, in which it gave me an idea.

"Wenn du es sagst," I replied, throwing my foot out against the wobbly leg. The booth lurched forward, the front filled with bowl fo pieces came towards the both of us as I felt him loosen his grip on my arm slightly. I grabbed a bowl that was within reach and whirl around, crashing in into the goon's face.

The gun was now out or range of hitting me as he was screaming out from the spice being in his eyes. There was a massive sound of clatter and chaos, everyone else around us was reading and seeing the mess I made. But my mind was getting out of there while the chaos was still unfolding. I grabbed the gun from the goon's hand while he was trying to get the spices out of his eyes, the vendor of the booth was screaming profanities as I moved away within an instant.

Coughing from inhaling some of the spaces on accident, I finally was able to get my foot and briskly move. I had more room because most of the tourists and locals were surrounding the mess I partially made, so I had more space to go into a run and out of the plaza.

Now I had two guns, the newer one was shoved in my jacket pocket as I was trying to make sure I was going in the right direction. I knew I was close, so close, and the threat of one more goon out there hunting me down. All I could think about was getting to the others as fast as I could, even though I knew I could take care of myself and handle this on my own.

It was about the others though, and I was thinking of them rapidly as I was once again going through the smaller alleyways. It was so close, and I was pushing as fast as I could. All of this was chaotic in my head, trying to get it all to make sense seemed too much as I was running and just thinking about getting somewhere safe.

Finally, I could see a small glimpse of the Palace that I was aiming for. It was in a wide-open space and plenty of people were around and filling the space out there in the plaza. To me, I was close to finding the others and getting out of harm's way. I was in one more alleyway, sprinting now at full force before I was once again stopped abruptly.

Out on the left, I was slammed against the wall by a body, and a knife went right into my stomach.

I groaned out, against the wall as I saw the hand that was holding the handle of the knife. It was the third goon, who was the first one that I saw that started this whole case. He was a bit bigger, a few inches taller than me and his built was but heavier than the other two that were skinny. Once again, his eyes were covered by the sunglasses so I couldn't see his eyes.

I felt the pain of the knife in my stomach, and he wasn't budging in letting me go just yet. I looked down, seeing the blood slowly blossoming through the shirt and jacket I was wearing, but I took in a shaky breath, already feeling my insides and my skin trying to head around the metal and adapt to it. He looked down too, noticing that nothing was happening and I wasn't dying.

There was still enough strength in me from the small amount of healing to have me kick him hard in the chest, a grunt came out of him as he released the knife and stumbled back a bit. I stood up completely, the handle still sticking out at an angle from my lower stomach and I could only look at the knife in amusement. I grabbed the handle gently, wrapping my fingers around the handle. With one quick yank, the knife came out in one swift move.

I groaned from the new wound that happened from the knife leaving my body, having a moment or two before I felt my body once again heal itself. I was now holding the knife in a death grip, glaring at the goon now who was clutching his side where I kicked him. He was watching me now, stammering a bit in his stance as I glared at him holding a bloody knife.

Shrugging off my jacket and backpack, I had a more free range of motion in my arms and hands since the blood was sticking to my jacket to wear me down. The guns fell to the ground too, having me only be armed with the dagger. We were barely out of sight, though people could see us if they looked had enough. At any moment, the others could arrive looking for me. But I was focusing on this last goon that tried to kill me here in Venice. I looked down at the blade in my hand, seeing the German writing along the blade and how my blood was glistening in the sunlight and off the blade. I read what it said on the side, having me feel a roll of anger coming through me. I realized what this was:

SS-Ehrendolch. A Nazi dagger.

" ' Meine Ehre heißt Treue'." I said aloud between the both of us, having me slow look up at him and then pointing the blade right at him, " 'My Honor is called loyalty'. Tell me, little one, do you believe this?" He said nothing as I was holding the bloody dagger and was so close to cutting his throat. It was so tempting to just do it since I knew I had the upper hand. But then again, that part of me had to die since I left it behind after I came back to the Old Guard. They were my priority, and leading whoever was after me to them would break my heart altogether. I had to think of Andy….of Joe and Nile…even of Booker…of Nicky.

Would they want this for me?

"No one should outlive God," The young goon muttered in a groan as I took a step forward and cocked my head at him, "Even one with the likes of you,"

"You sound like you know me, child. I would try again if I were you," I warned him, getting a better grip on the handle as I was inching closer to him,

"You don't think we know what you are?" He grunted out to me, his grip on his rib was not easing up as he continued, "Stories of what you were back in the glory days and how you survived, you're nothing but a demon,"

"I can be far worse if you'd like," I advised him cooly, getting close enough where I could strike, "In fact, I can stab you with this very weapon of hate and anger do you can get a taste of what it feels like to die at your own hand,"

"We'll never stop trying to find you," he said in a glare, and I knew he was glaring behind his sunglass now as he was getting a bit more strength in himself, "We know there were others with you and we'll stop at nothing until you'll all answer to God,"

I dropped the dagger, hearing it clank to the ground as we both collided together in the middle of the alleyway, going into an all-out fistfight. One blow to him was a blow than in return to me, dodging punches in and out. He had some strength in his punches and kicks, but I was a bit quicker than he was as I dove in and out from his punches.

If there was another hobby that I picked up in my time alone, was boxing. I figured it was a good way to get my anger out and what I had bottled up inside. Hell, I was good at it as the years went on, noticing that I was just as good at a fistfight then using my bow and arrow or a gun for all I knew. This was no exception, and being able to and blow for blow with him was enough to have me feel as though I could stand on my own in this one.

Finally, I got the upper hand on the fight, feeling his energy was lowering down little by little as I got a good blow to his kneecap, seeing him crumble to the ground in a heap. Four sets of feet were rushing over in my direction, having me look over quickly to see it was the others, rushing over and Nile holding her phone out as if she was tracking me. They were all shocked, seeing one of their own perched over a wounded attacker in an alleyway, I was covered in sweat and blood in certain spots and I was looking disheveled from my recent fistfight. They all had guns out and at their sides, in case something did happen.

"I got this," I said to them calmly, changing my deminer with them and sensing that they were concerned.

"You alright?" Andy asked me, her eyes looking down at the attacker that was still on the ground. I nodded my head slowly, seeing Nile and Nicky looking down at the man too. Joe was watching me carefully, looking me over with his eyes and seeing that I was fine. I gave him a small smile as the others were looking at the man.

"Where are the other two?" Nile asked, her eyes looking cooly at the man who was leaning against the wall and clutching his knee in pain.

"Knocked them both out before they could do anything out in public," I answered, having me finally hear the man say something behind me.

"We'll finish what we started with you," He said in a spat to me, spitting blood on my jeans as I looked down at him. Joe cocked his gun, a flicker of anger there on his face as he was about to walk over, Nicky placing his hand on Joe's chest to stop him, though he too was just as angry. Nile's face was stone cold, and Andy's grip on her gun was clutched so tight I thought she was going to snap it in too.

I grabbed the dagger off the floor, wiping off the blood on my lower lip from where he got me and I peered over him, getting down to his level to place the edge of the blade against his sweet and blood cheek. Grabbing his neck, I glared down at him.

"Let me give you a piece of advice: You come anywhere near me or my family...if you do anything to them…I promise by God I'll end you and all you are with," I gave one more small press against his cheek, seeing his own blood coming from the wound down his cheek as I released him and gave him some space. Slowly, I moved the dagger away, flipping it around to where the end of the handle was and I rammed it hard against his face.

He slumped over, knocked out cold.

I finally stood up, looking down at the bloody knife in my hand, and having a sense of surrealness in me. I was holding a Nazi dagger, using it in a deadly manner, and it was fine to me. How was it that this was normal to me? Andy walked over reluctantly, keeping her eyes on the unconscious man before we locked eyes together and she looked down at the dagger.

"Read the side," I said to her as she took the dagger in her hand, looking at the writing while I saw Nile walking over to grab backpack and guns that I discarded on the ground. Nicky was looking out the opening of the alleyway to make sure we weren't being seen as Joe looked at the blade too.

"A fucking Nazi blade," Andy said in a bitter tone, Joe looking pale and angry at the item. I took it back from her, wiping off the blood from the blade against my jeans quickly.

"We can't stay in Venice, if more of those guys are going to come after us then we need to get space between us," Andy explained to the group.

"We need a place to lay low so we can talk to Copley," Joe said to her in agreement as Nile handed me my backpack. I threw it on over my shoulders, seeing Nicky watch me carefully as I was acting as normal as I could. I gave him a look, seeing that he wanted to ask if I was alright. He walked over to grab my bloody jacket, seeing the massive hole in the lower stomach doused in the blood that was now slowly drying on the fabric. I walked over to him, seeing him he was instantly taring at the bloody material as I gently took it from him, not wanting him to see it anymore as I balled it up roughly.

"I'll burn the clothes when we can," I reminded him, squeezing his arm to calm him down. I knew he was thinking hard in his head on what he saw, a sense of anger and fear coming over him from all that unfolded. I nodded at him, seeing him give him and not push it as I looked over at Andy.

"I know a place where we can go," I explained next to Nicky, the others watching me in intrigue, "I got it back in the 1950s, out in the countryside in France near Manosque. The nearest house is 10 miles away, so we don't have to worry about privacy," I felt like I had to protect them since these guys were obviously after me and I was back with the group. They were willing to help me with this, and I in return have to take care fo them.

"You sure?" Joe asked, having me nod at him as we were all huddling together.

"I've used it plenty of times, there's plenty of space for all of us and you can't find it on a real map," I explained, seeing them all look at each other and then at Andy. She gave me a knowing look, seeing that I was telling the truth. If we were really going to do this, we had to be fully prepared and know what we were getting ourselves into.

"Let's head back to the see house and get our gear. We'll leave in an hour." Andy instructed us, all of us moving at once to get rid of the scene that I inadvertently caused. Nicky and Joe moved the unconscious body into another tucked in a dead-end alleyway in the darkness where he wouldn't be seen, I grabbed the two extra guns as Nile was taking a picture of the Nazi blade with her camerawomen phone.

"Shame, I was starting to really like Venice," Joe sarcastically said to me as the five of us walked back into the plaza. I gave him a small smile like I knew a secret.

"Trust me, you'll like where we're going,"

Language Translations (Google Translate is me source, I apologize if it's wrong):

Italian Translations:
Cosa stai facendo ?! - What are you doing?!

Mie Scuse - My Apologizes

German Translations:

Ich habe sie in die Enge getrieben, - I have her cornered

Du hast keine Schieße - You don't have shit

Keine Kugeln mehr? - No more bullets?

Englisch? - English?

Danke, Schatz - Thank you, sweetheart

Beweg dich nicht - Don't move

Wenn du es Sagst - If you say do