Sorry for a shorter chapter this time, I usually try to make these chapters at least 3 thousand words but I have sadly been a little lazy this week and wasn't feeling a 3K + chapter. But don't worry the scene I cut out in this chapter to make it shorter will still be used next chapter. I ain't deleting any scenes in this story since everything will be needed to complete the story I am trying to tell.
Three years ago
Barb was on a airship along with thousand of other Raptor soldiers heading towards A poor town in Southern Africa. The army was led by Drago and Ash, by Raptors order no one was aloud to say a word during the whole flight until the ship landed.
Once grounded Drago spoke on the purpose of the mission.
"Listen up, for years this town has been under the protection of the Raptors. We have been responsible for their shelter, their food, water, without our help this poor town would starve to death in a little over half a year. But recently it appears their mayor thinks they don't need us anymore, that they are better off without us. Let's show them how wrong they are. Let's show this town what happens when you turn your back on the Raptors!"
The airship door flung opened and the Raptors stormed out, guns wielding as they opened fire on the entire town. Barb watched as several soldiers gunned down innocent civilians. Mothers begged and pleaded for mercy as they shielded their children only for the soldiers to gun them both down where they stood. She witnessed as other soldiers boarded up homes holding entire families before burning them to the ground. The Raptors was just standing there and admiring their sadistic deed as they listened to their screams.
What horrified Barb the most though was when Ashe had her robotic assistant Bob storm into the mayors house and drag out him out along with his wife and teenage daughter. Barb watched helplessly as several other Raptor soldiers tied them upside down to a tree and paced around them as they begged for mercy.
"Please!" The mayor cried, "We will do anything just please stop this!"
"You had your chance," Drago replied calmly, as if this was just business to him. "But you decided to just up and end our business relationship. Even after all we did for you!"
"Our economy was getting better, we finally was in better financial shape as a city, it had nothing to do with you I swear!"
Drago kept his calm demeanor, even giving a little smirk as he lowered himself to eye level to the mayor and lifted his chin so he could look him in the eye. "Mr. Mayor, I believe you, I really do. Trust me this is nothing personal. In fact if I was the head of the Raptors I would be more forgiving. But Creeks orders are clear, once you make a deal with the Raptors, it's a life time commitment, and breaking that commitment punishable by death. Trust me Mr. Mayor, this is nothing personal. Just business." Drago then turned to three of his top soldiers, who all pulled out butcher knifes. "Slice them up."
Barb's eyes widened in horror as she watched the Raptors butcher the mayor as well as his wife and daughter. She tried her best to hold back her tears as she watched and listened to them scream as the knives tore into their skin. The worst part is they butchered them one at a time starting with the mayor. His wife and daughter could only watch and scream in horror as they watched their husband and father be stabbed and sliced repeatedly. One guy even sliced off his entire face.
Barb couldn't stomach it any longer. After they dealt with the mother Barb turned her head and ran off as she heard the screaming of the daughter in the background. Running behind a tree she barfed. Being a surgeon she would think she could handle the sight of the amount of blood that was being spilled in front of her. But this was different. These people were being tortured, then butchered needlessly. She couldn't take this anymore. She thought she was making the world a better place when she joined the Raptors. Now she knew the true wickedness of their nature. They wasn't changing the world, they were destroying it. Taking off her helmet she looked at its crimson red color one last time before throwing it to the ground.
She than ran as fast as her legs could take her. She ran and didn't look back. The Raptors lied to her, used her. She didn't know what she would do when she finally stopped running, but one thing was for sure, she had to get as far away from the Raptors as possible.
Present day.
Barb gasped as she woke up from yet another nightmare. She had been having a lot of these since that infamous night. The night she knew she could no longer be a Raptor. Sitting up in her bed she noticed how soaked her hair and clothes was in sweat and decided to get up and wash her face in the sink. Staring at the clock she saw that it was almost six, she would have to be at the ship to leave Haiti in a little over two hours. Quickly taking a shower she got dressed as quick as she could before leaving to get a bite to eat at the diner.
She and the rest of her team of doctors had finished up their job at Haiti the day before and as Barb promised Tooth she would leave the next day to join her. It wasn't easy leaving the people she had spent the last two years working with. But knowing what Tooth had done for her, rescuing her and giving her a chance once she quit the Raptors, she felt she owed it to her to join her in her mission.
Carrying what few belonging she had with her in a duffel bag, she entered the diner and sat down at a booth by herself as the waiter walked up to her with a menu.
"Would you like to see the specials for the day mam?"
"No thanks, I already know what I want. Just get me a plate of bacon and eggs over easy and a cup of coffee please?"
"Will do mam." A couple of minutes later the waitress came back with a cup of coffee and sat it down at her seat.
"Your eggs will be done shortly mam."
Barb nodded politely and took a sip of her coffee as the waitress walked off. A few seconds later a familiar face walked up and sat down in the booth in front of her. A face she thought she saw the last of years ago when she quit the Raptors.
"Well look who the cat drug in?" A thin man with silver hair that stood on it's end said with a intimidating tone of voice and cunning smile. "Barb ain't it? It's been a while."
"You got a lot of nerve showing your face around here Grimmel," Barb growled.
"And you had a lot of nerves leaving us" Grimmel shot back.
"You know your not the first person Creek has sent after me? He has sent close to two dozen actually. You know what happened to all of them? They all ended in unmarked graves all around the world. I wouldn't mind one bit adding one more to the collection."
"Well lucky for me then I'm just here to talk." Grimmel replied calmly, not even the least bit intimidated over what Barb just said. "We used to be good friends you and I? We could be that way again."
"I wouldn't be so sure of that. Considering you was laughing as you removed that Mayor's face from his head."
"Hey I was just following orders, you want to be mad at someone be mad at Drago or Creek."
"You was laughing!" Barb shouted, slamming her palm on the table with so much force her coffee nearly spilled. "Like a child on the playground."
"You act as if your hands are so clean," Grimmel shot back, his voice now firm. "I do remember you taking several lives over the years. In fact Creek used to brag he had never seen a surgeon with such a great shot.
"I never killed anyone who wasn't armed," Barb replied "It wasn't my style. I only killed someone if they shot first. Never in cold blood and definitely never with a butcher knife or smile on my face."
"Well then lucky for you I am unarmed at the moment."
"Go away Grimmel," Barb growled as she noticed the waitress coming with her food. "You want to talk, meet me at the pier in one hour. Until then I would love to enjoy my breakfast in peace."
"Fair enough," Grimmel chuckled as he got up and walked away. "But I do hope you realize, I ain't planning on leaving Haiti without you. One way or another, your coming with me."
"We will see about that." Barb growled inside her coffee mug, low enough so the waitress couldn't hear her. "We will see about that."
As promised as soon as Barb finished her breakfast she walked to the pier where Grimmel was waiting for her with his arms crossed.
"Glad to see you didn't ditch on me," Grimmel replied "I was afraid I might have to come looking for you."
"I keep my word," Barb shot back, "You should know that about me by now."
"And you should know Barb that I could very easily shoot you dead right here. You know the rules of the Raptors, it's a lifetime commitment. You try to break that commitment and you are marked with death. But I don't want to kill you Barb. Believe it or not I still consider you a friend. We used to go to rock concerts together. You used to play Crazy Train on your guitar so well I thought for a while you was part of the band. What changed Barb? Why did you go and betray our friendship like that? Betray the Raptors?"
"Because I saw what you really was that day! I am a surgeon Grimmel! A doctor! I don't willingly take lives! Every life I have taken was in self defense. What I witnessed you guys do that day was unforgivable. You murdered a entire town. Burned it to the ground, you killed innocent woman and children. I saw a little girl crying as she held on to her doll like it was a lifeline. Than you put a bullet in her head."
"I was just following orders."
"The hell with that excuse. You enjoyed it, I could tell by your laughing you enjoyed every bit of what you was doing. I learned that day that the Raptors don't care about changing the world, they want to destroy it. And I would rather die, than ever be a part of that group again."
Grimmel frowned at that response. "So that's it then? You are choosing death?"
"If that's the only way to keep from joining you monsters again, then I guess so." Barb replied as she pulled a small device out from her back pocket, keeping it hidden so Grimmel didn't spot it.
"Then, I really do apologize for this, but you left me no choice," Grimmel than pulled out a gun and fired it toward's Barb's chest. He then suddenly froze in shock as a energy field suddenly surrounded Barb bouncing the bullets right off of her.
"Ah ha, I knew you would never enter any place unarmed," Barb laughed "You always was a bad liar."
"What?" Grimmel gasped "What is that thing?"
"Immortality shield," Barb bragged "Tooth created it with her nano tech, a handy device to have whenever you are a wanted troll." Suddenly Barb pulled out her own gun and shot Grimmel three times in the chest. She then exited her immortality field and grabbed Grimmel by the collar as he fell to his knees. Grimmel could do nothing but look at Barb in horror and spit up blood as Barb looked down at him and growled.
"Remember when you killed the Mayor's family Grimmel? You was laughing like you was enjoying spilling their blood on the ground. Well let me tell you something. I might not kill unless I have to, but I am sure as hell enjoying this one."
Barb pointed her gun at Grimmel's head and fired a single bullet, finishing him off. She then let his body fall into the pier, and watched as his body sank to the bottom.
"Stop sending men after me Creek," Barb growled before walking off.
An hour later, and after changing into some less blood stained clothes, Barb bordered the ship. Once she was settled into her room she called Tooth to let her know of her departure.
"Tooth, I just want to let you know I am on my way."
"Oh thank god!" Barb could hear Tooth reply in a stressful tone. "Because I am swarmed over here, with a injured Watchdog and a couple of trolls with a rare degenerative disease. I could really use a second pair of hands right now."
"Helps on the way Tooth," Barb then hung up her phone and looked out at the ocean water as the boat took off. She then let out a smile knowing that despite her dark past, she really was on the right path now, and should the Raptors continue to come after her, she would have backup next time.