The following night
November 6th, 2016
West Manchester Avenue
The twins blasted under the 110 heading east.
They were being pursued by a pair of large Jeep SUVs and bullets were flying. Mist was heading south in a bid to get around behind the Jeeps. Back at the Safehouse, Overwatch was scouting ahead of the three riders checking for trouble.
"Bane, Venom, take a left on South Main Street – you're clear, ignore the stop light."
Bane and Venom had no choice but to trust Overwatch as they took the turn at speed, blasting straight through the red light as they went.
"Mist, left, left, left. Another left at Broadway, then hard right onto East 88th. Take the following left onto South Main Street."
For the three female vigilantes, riding at speed was what they lived for. Their state-of-the-art machines were powerful and fully equipped with safety features. Route updates appeared in their HUDs as they rode with additional guidance provided by Overwatch, easing their evasion. Overwatch was keeping an eye on the road ahead, and she identified the perfect evasion at West 79th Street.
"Bane, Venom – full speed, NOW!"
"Come again," Bane asked.
"FULL SPEED, NOW!" Overwatch yelled. "Do as I fucking tell you!"
The two motorcycles roared ahead, shooting through the gap between two trucks which were stopped for a car to reverse out from a driveway. The pursuing SUVs were forced to slam on their brakes, one colliding with a truck – Venom and Bane were in the clear. Mist closed, and she slowed to monitor the two Jeeps which appeared to have given up on any pursuit.
"Overwatch, pursuit is over – the Panther SUVs are otherwise occupied," Mist radioed.
SAFEHOUSE C
Maddie was fuming when the twins returned.
She stood her ground as Sky and Chrissy tried to walk past her.
"What am I here for?" she demanded.
"To provide us with tactical support," Sky replied.
"So why the fuck did Chrissy ignore me twice?"
"I thought I knew better," Chrissy pointed out.
"Who has access to traffic cams? Who has access to traffic alerts? Who can see everything that goes on? Your job is to concentrate on riding your machines. I give you a route that is safe. I can see what's happening way ahead of the both of you. I would have thought that my guidance would be useful."
Maddie stormed off back into her command centre.
"Have I just fucked up again?" Chrissy asked.
"You owe that girl an apology," Erika pointed out. "She kept the both of you from getting your little arses shot."
Later that night
OAK PASS ROAD
Chrissy knocked on Maddie's bedroom door.
"Yes."
Chrissy pushed open the door to find a glowering girl sitting on her bed with her legs crossed.
"I apologise for earlier, Maddie. I tend to think that I always know best. You have no idea what my sister and I have been through. We've had a majorly troubled childhood. But that is not an excuse. One day, we'll tell you all about it. But for now, accept our apologies and know that we trust you."
"Thanks, Chrissy."
The following morning
Monday, November 7th
Office of the CEO
The Tomahawk Group
CENTRAL LOS ANGELES
"Rosa!"
"Yes, sir."
Rosa knew exactly what her boss was so angry about – she had seen the interesting graffiti on the whiteboard in her office.
"What the fuck is this?"
Dieter Mannheim held a small card in his hand. It bore the Fusion symbol – a shield bearing the atomic symbol, and the hilts of two swords.
"There appears to have been a break-in, over the weekend, only nobody saw anything, and nothing was taken."
"Search every fucking inch of this floor and do it NOW."
"A bug sweep is already underway, sir."
OAK PASS ROAD
The sun was shining, and the temperature was average, at around twenty degrees.
"You ready, Maddie?"
"I'm not going out . . ."
"Get your skinny butt out there, right now!" Erika demanded.
"No!"
"You have five seconds to get out onto that grass or I call Sky in to pull you out, kicking and screaming."
There was a mini rage-suppressing scream, and Maddie kicked open the door. She was a very different young girl to that which had entered the house forty minutes earlier. She looked very embarrassed as she wrapped her arms around her torso.
"I'm almost naked!" Maddie growled.
"No, you are not," Erika laughed as she shoved the girl forwards.
Maddie was clad in just a sports bra and a pair of shorts that covered the essentials and not much more. Maddie had never shown so much skin since she was about eight-years-old. It had been a major effort on Erika's part to strip the girl and then redress her.
"Why am I doing this?"
"You are a very important part of this team. You've saved all our collective arses and we want to give something back to you," Sky explained. "We want to keep you alive. You also need you to learn to look after yourself – we are not babysitting you should the need arise for you go out into the field."
"This is so embarrassing. My body sucks and I hate you all seeing it."
Sky and Christina walked over to the almost scared teen. They walked around her and they each checked out every inch of her body. As they did so, Sky pulled Maddie's arms down to her sides.
"There is nothing wrong with your body, Maddie. You're thirteen and still growing," Sky explained. "Your boobs are fine – they'll grow. Your upper arms need firming up – that's a piece of cake. Your tummy is a bit flabby, but we can sort that out too. Your thighs need some work, but otherwise, girl, you have everything in the right places and it all looks good. You feel better about your body, then you'll feel better about yourself."
"Why do you all care about me so much?"
"We think you're worth it," Erika said. "You help us when we are in danger on the streets. You never let us down. You're cutting edge on your computers, but you need to be cutting edge on the proverbial mat, too."
..._...
Eight minutes later, Maddie was really fed up.
"I can't do it," Maddie complained as she sat down on the grass, keeping her legs together.
"Just because it's something that you can't hack, does not mean it is impossible. Sky and Chrissy were ten-years-old when they were forced to learn this. You may be a few years older, but you can still do it," Erika pointed out.
Maddie grimaced and she regained her feet. Instead of demonstrating and then guiding Maddie, Sky stood before Maddie and she moved slowly, allowing Maddie to see the strikes coming in. Chrissy came up and she stood directly behind Maddie, taking hold of the younger girl's arms. As Sky moved to strike Maddie, Chrissy moved Maddie's arms to intercept, demonstrating how to block each strike, keeping the arms straight and focussing on her opponent. Forty minutes later, Maddie was improving. A blind man with no arms could still put her down, but it was still early days. However, Maddie was smiling as she found that she could at least block a decent percentage of the blows aimed at her.
"You need to get fit, too," Sky commented. "We'll help you with that."
"Okay, that's enough," Erika said, and she grabbed a bottle of water, downing a small amount before lying down on the warm stone that surrounded the swimming pool.
The twins did the same, but after they put the bottles back down, they both shocked Maddie by pulling off their own sports bras and shorts and diving into the swimming pool completely naked.
"Join 'em," Erika suggested.
Maddie just shook her head as she took her own drink of cold, refreshing water. For a moment or two, she watched the twins mock fighting in the pool as they cooled off after the sparring session. Then, with a furtive glance around the pool area, Maddie Tyler pulled off her meagre clothing and she sprinted for the pool. The twins cheered as the naked teenager jumped into the water. Maddie came up coughing and spluttering but grinning too.
"Not too bad – the boobs are just right, and she has plenty of hair down below," Sky commented.
"More than we had at her age," Chrissy added.
"You two are so weird," the pink-faced Maddie commented as she swam around, enjoying the freedom – it felt good, she decided.
Whatever, she wanted to be part of the team, and she so wanted to be accepted, so doing what the rest of the team did seemed right. After another twenty minutes, the twins leapt out of the pool and they ran off to their bedrooms – still naked. Maddie hesitated, but she found Erika holding out a towel for her which she gratefully wrapped around her naked body.
"You're a brave girl – I would never swim naked with those two," Erika chuckled, then her eyes twinkled. "Too much eye candy."
Maddie scowled, and she realised that she had been tricked, but she just laughed it off as she went to get on some clothing which properly covered up her body. She had no idea what had come over her to make her strip naked and swim that way, but she had enjoyed it and she had found it exhilarating.
She had also learnt something about Erika, too – ewww!
SAFEHOUSE C
After lunch, there was some more training awaiting Maddie.
They headed down to the Safehouse and Maddie found herself standing on the twenty-metre range.
"This is a Walther P22 – a nice little pistol for you to learn on."
Erika passed it over to Maddie. Maddie behaved like it was a live tarantula and she backed away.
"Maddie!"
The girl reached out and decidedly reluctantly, she took the pistol.
"Now – the pistol is currently empty, but you need to learn how to clear a pistol. Keep it aimed at the floor and DO NOT touch the trigger. As you will notice, there is no magazine inserted. Still, we check the weapon for safety before we do anything else with it. THINK SAFETY! First, check that the magazine has been removed – good. We move on to the breech. Pull back the slide and visually check that the breech is empty. You can also use your finger to confirm that the breech is empty in addition to looking. Release the slide gently back into place. Even though you know that the pistol is empty – KEEP YOUR FINGER AWAY FROM THAT TRIGGER!"
Madeline was not happy – she hated guns and she had never ever wanted to even touch one, let alone be taught how to use one.
..._...
After learning how to load a magazine and insert it into the pistol, it was time to escalate.
Maddie was shaking with nervousness. The thirteen-year-old was not stupid, she knew the power which she held in her hands. She knew that with five bullets in the magazine she could potentially kill five people . . . or shoot herself in the foot. She was scared; frightened by the awesome power of the pistol. Maddie aimed down the room and then with trepidation, she squeezed the trigger.
Bang!
Scream!
Thud!
Laughter!
"What the hell did you drop it for?" Erika demanded as Sky rolled around on the floor laughing.
..._...
It took almost ten minutes for Sky to compose herself and for her to apologise to the mortified Maddie.
"I didn't mean to drop it – the bang scared me."
"Don't sweat it, Maddie," Chrissy said. "Ignore Sky – she's just not normal. Maddie, I want you to pick up that pistol. I want to check it is safe – you know how to do that?"
"Yes."
"Go ahead."
Maddie stepped forwards and with a shaking hand, she picked up the pistol, keeping her finger well away from the trigger. She flicked down the safety to prevent the cocked hammer from striking the firing pin. Then she ejected the magazine, placing it on the counter. She worked the slide to eject the single round in the breech. Then, she de-cocked the hammer, placing the weapon back down on the counter.
"Well done!" Erika announced. "Now, reload the magazine so you have five rounds . . . good . . . insert the magazine and ready the weapon."
..._...
Twenty minutes later, Maddie was grinning after having successfully fired off ten more rounds without incident.
"Can't you drop the pistol, just once?" Sky asked. "That was really funny?"
"Can I shoot her?" Maddie asked with a scowl.
"No, Maddie, but I might if Sky doesn't behave," Erika commented.
"Thank you. I enjoyed it. I know why you're making me learn this . . . and why scares me, but I know it's necessary. What's next?"
"Now, little lady," Chrissy grinned. "You learn how to clean your pistol."
Maddie's shoulders slumped dejectedly.
That evening
OAK PASS ROAD
The two bitches had retired to Sky's bedroom to watch some sassy movie or such.
Maddie chose to remain in the living room with Erika. They were both watching, but not watching, the TV.
"How did you get into hacking, Maddie?" Erika asked.
"To be honest, I have my dear parents to thank for that – wish I had the nerve to tell them that."
"They don't seem the sort to encourage that sort of behaviour," Erika pointed out.
"They're not, but they are also not what they seem. You know how they make money? They don't spend it on anything unnecessary – such as on their kids. Don't get me wrong, me and Connor lacked for nothing – except maybe for parental attention. Dad liked to work late at the office and so did Mom. That left eight-year-old Madeline to look after her four-year-old little brother. I had to feed him, ensure he got a bath, put him to bed. He was a little monster. I was exhausted after a day at school. There were whole weeks where I barely saw them – they sometimes got home well after midnight. At the weekends, they tended to pay more attention to their 'lovely little boy', rather than their tired daughter who often fell asleep at weekends.
"Then I turned eleven and I went to middle school. I met some people there and I learnt about computers. I found that it was something I really enjoyed. I put my foot down and I refused to look after Connor. It thought: 'fuck this – I'm not the damn parent! I used to get on really well with my little brother, but then when I started being a kid and paying less attention to him . . . he missed me being his surrogate Mommy. He started being more bratty than usual and he told Mom and Dad that I wasn't helping him with his homework and everything else the brat could think of to get me into trouble. I went more and more into learning to hack – I found it therapeutic. Then I accessed the CIA and I download a 'hot file' and before I knew it . . ."
"Your home was raided," Erika stated.
"Yeah – door kicked down, armed men everywhere, Mom crying, Dad shouting, Connor screaming. Not the best day of my life. The FBI had little evidence as I dumped my SSD the moment they kicked the door down. They let me go home, but after three days, they came and took me away. I spent two weeks in some crappy foster home which was basically a jail for kids. I can almost guarantee you that Connor rarely sees Mom and Dad – He's old enough to look after himself as far as they are concerned."
"Why'd you never contact child services?" Erika asked.
Maddie laughed sardonically.
"Do you know who my parents work for?"
Erika shook her head.
"They work for DCFS," Maddie responded with no emotion.
"DCFS?" Erika queried. "As in the Department of Children and Family Services?"
"Ironic, huh?"
"You could still turn them in."
"They'd just erase the report, so they wouldn't lose their jobs."
Erika felt the anger surging through her. Maddie had been through hell and she was where she was through no direct fault of her own. She was a victim, pure and simple. Vigilantes helped victims.
Madeline Tyler needed her own vigilante to help her.
The following morning
Tuesday, November 8th
OAK PASS ROAD
For the first time since their arrival, there was a buzz from the main gate.
Erika looked at the control panel in the kitchen and she scowled. It was a black Chevy Suburban that screamed 'Feds'.
"Yes, can I help you?" Erika asked into the intercom.
"FBI, ma'am."
"Identification, please?"
Two sets of federal credentials appeared on the high-definition colour screen from which Erika was able to positively identify the two Federal Agents. She as aware of who they were, and she had feeling why they were at the gate requesting entry.
Erika stabbed the button to open the gate.
..._...
The tall man who exited the SUV was FBI Special Agent Frank Draper.
His age and stance showed him to be a career agent, probably since college. He had an air of authority and Erika figured that he was a hard ass. The other agent was female, tall and blonde. She was probably but a few years out of the academy. Probably in her late twenties while her male partner was knocking on forty. She was FBI Special Agent Aimee Francis. Both agents strode towards Erika and they held out their credentials which Erika perused for the second time. She had also noticed the holstered automatic pistols each agent carried. Other weapons included the ubiquitous ASP and Special Agent Draper sported a backup pistol on his right ankle.
"Good morning, how can I help you?" Erika asked.
"Madeline Tyler has not been residing at her home," Special Agent Francis announced without fanfare.
"That kind of goes against the rules set out for her parole," Special Agent Draper added.
"Do you have a family, Special Agent Draper?" Erika asked.
"I do – two girls."
"Maddie does not get on with her parents or brother. I took her there, but the welcome was decidedly chilly, and I was concerned for her safety and well-being, not to mention her mental state," Erika explained. "The girl is of no use to us if she's in a fragile mental state."
Erika noticed that both Special Agents grimaced – they had obviously met the parents.
"Just let us know, next time, please, Miss Cho," Special Agent Francis said. "Is Madeline around?"
"She is," Maddie announced as she slipped out of the front door, glaring at the two FBI Special Agents.
"We are not the enemy, young lady; we are here to ensure your safety and to ensure that you adhere to the stipulated directions for your continued parole," Special Agent Draper explained.
"Really?" Erika growled. "Please speak something resembling English."
Erika noticed a smirk on Special Agent Francis' lips. Her partner was obviously 'by the book'.
"Please keep us informed of any potential violations to Miss Tyler's parole," Special Agent Draper announced as he climbed behind the wheel of the SUV.
..._...
"I hate them!" Maddie hissed as she watched the SUV head back down the drive.
"They're just doing their jobs, honey."
"Why can't they leave me alone."
Erika saw the tears spill over and roll down Maddie's cheek.
"As long as you are with me, you are safe; I promise."
"Promise?"
"Promise."
That evening
Safehouse C
"What is that?"
"Huh?" Chrissy asked as she sat up from securing her boots.
"Behind your right ear. What is that, a tattoo?"
"Maddie – you are not cleared for that," Sky announced.
"You have one too?" Maddie asked.
"Yes, I do."
"What do they mean?"
"We're sorry, Maddie, but we cannot tell you."
"Super-secret, huh?"
"Something like that," Sky replied. "Look, if we could, we would. Maybe, sometime, the time will be right for us to tell you, but not now."
"Okay. Hope it's a good story. I'm headed to the Command Centre."
Once Maddie had gone, Chrissy looked at her sister.
"She deserves to know why we are what we are," Chrissy said.
"Not yet," Sky responded. "I still have nightmares, and I know you do, sis, so why scare her?"
..._...
"Fusion!" Maddie called out over the radio. "Deploy!"
At the signal, the lights went out, the gates opened, and the three motorcycles accelerated out of the Safehouse and they headed west. Mist turned her red Ducati SuperSport S onto the 110, heading north. The Aprilia RSV4 RR motorcycles in black and grey followed closely behind. The twins were watching the back of their leader as they rode, looking for threats. Their job was to keep her alive, just as her job was to lead the team into danger in a manner which they could survive. A mile up the road, they took the West Martin Luther King Jr Boulevard exit and cruised past the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum.
"Fusion, Overwatch – take a right on South Vermont."
Mist made the turn with Venom and Bane following.
"Venom, take a left on Browning Boulevard."
Venom made the turn as directed.
"Bane, take a left on Leighton Avenue."
Bane turned left leaving Mist to continue North, up South Vermont Avenue.
"Venom, take a right on Budlong Avenue. Break. Bane, stop at Budlong Avenue."
Both vigilantes followed instructions.
"Venom, Bane? Wave at each other."
"Fucking little bitch!" Venom exclaimed.
"What the fuck, was that in aid of?" Bane demanded.
"Just wanted to check that you two minxes are following my commands, tonight," Overwatch responded.
"Minx?" Venom growled.
"Fits," Mist commented as she pulled up. "I had considered 'hussy' for you two, but I think 'minx' fits better."
"What did we ever do to receive all this abuse?" Bane asked her sister.
"I think Overwatch is establishing her bounds," Venom commented.
"Trouble on Exposition Boulevard, move it, minxes!"
..._...
Exposition Boulevard had a dual railroad running down the centre.
On the far side, there was a drug-dealing skirmish. Mist turned right, and she accelerated hard for the next junction where it would be possible to crossover. As for the two girls, they raced against the traffic to a closer junction, dodging approaching vehicles in a cavalcade of blaring horns. They made a U-Turn at Raymond Avenue before accelerating in the correct direction but again against the traffic flow. Two hundred yards from the junction, Venom slammed on her brakes while Bane rode directly at a large man who was aiming a MAC-10 down the street. Bane kicked the man in the back as she rode past. His target, another drug dealer, grinned at Bane who kicked him to the ground too.
Mist arrived at the scene and she skidded to a halt before dismounting and removing her helmet. Bane joined her, and they began to fight the two groups of drug dealers who had, up until that point, been fighting each other. It was an expected turf war as the Panther Organisation rooted out its opposition and spread its influence around the city of Los Angeles. Mist let fly with her fists and her chain whip while the twins attacked with their own fists and they whirled their bō-staffs. For the three vigilantes, it was a fun fight. There were only eight men to fight – easy for three seasoned vigilantes – and before too long, eight men lay on the ground in various states of unconsciousness. Venom and Bane high-fived each other as they surveyed the results. Mist rolled her eyes as she stowed her chain whip.
"When you three have finished making a mess, the cops are two blocks away."
"Copy, Overwatch; Fusion is rolling."
Later that night
Safehouse C
"You guys okay?"
"Fine, Maddie. Thanks."
"No problem, Erika."
"Us minxes are fine," Sky commented.
"You know, I like the name – nice choice, Maddie," Chrissy added.
Maddie grinned as she headed off to shut down her equipment before they headed back to the house.
The following morning
Wednesday, November 9th
OAK PASS ROAD
Maddie opened her eyes to find herself staring into a set of dark brown eyes.
"Which one are you?"
"Sky."
"Okay. What do you want?"
"You are coming with us, this morning."
"Where?"
"Call it an intervention," another voice cut in.
"Chrissy, Sky. I'm tired, so please leave me alone."
..._...
Twenty minutes later, Maddie sat scowling in the backseat of Sky's Tangerine Scream Ford Focus ST.
Sky worked up the gears of the six-speed gearbox with practised ease as she weaved in and out of the traffic on the 405.
"Do you enjoy your sister's driving?" Maddie asked Chrissy.
"Not really – to be honest, her driving scares me," Chrissy admitted with a grin.
"Wimp!" Sky laughed as she pressed the accelerator down further.
Three hours later
OAK PASS ROAD
Erika looked up as she heard yelling.
She then heard giggling as three girls burst out into the backyard. Maddie looked different; she was wearing new clothes for a start. The youngster wore a light blue skirt which barely reached her knees and her legs were bare. On top, she wore a white short-sleeved blouse and she had blue sneakers on her feet and she held a pair of fashionable sunglasses in her left hand. The girl was scowling. Erika looked closer and she noticed that Maddie's chest appeared different.
"You look a lot better, Maddie," Erika complimented.
"I hate them."
"The girls or the clothes?"
"Both," Maddie declared. "Well, the clothes are okay, I suppose. Except for . . ."
"It gives you a fuller figure," Erika reassured the teen.
"I don't want a fuller figure – and it itches; I've not worn a bra since I was eleven."
"Go put on your swimsuit and enjoy the sun," Erika suggested.
"Okay."
A few miles away
The home of Rosa Müller
BELLA OCEANA
"Mom, can you give me a hand?"
Rosa found her daughter in the bathroom, standing nude in the tub and trying to figure out the instructions on a small box in her hands.
"That time again, huh? Your roots were showing."
"Funny, Mom!"
"Why do we have to keep doing this?" Cara Müller asked. "I preferred being dirty blonde."
"I know, honey, but we've talked about this. There are people out there who want to hurt you, so it's better this way."
"Won't Uncle Dieter protect us?" Cara persisted.
"Yes, he will," Rosa replied as her twelve-year-old daughter began to reluctantly dye her hair the same black it had been, on and off, for the past eleven or so years of her life. "Now you're getting older, honey, it's not just the hair on your head that needs dying."
"Ewww!" Cara exclaimed once she had figured out what hair her mother was referring to and she involuntarily crossed her legs.
"I know there isn't much," Rosa commented, receiving a glare in return, "but you'll need to pay attention to down there too."
"Nobody's going to see it," Cara pointed out.
"We need to be perfect, honey, to stay ahead of the bad men."
"It's still really ewww."
..._...
After Cara had finished in the bathroom, she joined her mother in the kitchen.
While Cara was helping prepare the evening meal, the ever-curious child began asking questions about anything and everything. There were times that Rosa had just considered changing her name to 'Google'. Eventually, the conversation turned to current events and Cara's current favourite topic came up.
"Mom?"
"Yeah, honey."
"I think those new vigilantes are doing really good in L.A. putting down those drug dealers."
Rosa knew the subject would come up – it always did.
"What have I told you about discussing them, honey?"
"To keep my observations and feelings to myself as not all will agree," Cara stated.
"Good. Yes, I agree to a point, but there are others who do not, so please remember that."
"I know, but they help people."
"They do, but they are also illegal."
"Kind of."
"They break the law every time they hurt somebody. They commit murder each time they kill somebody, no matter what that person has done. There are laws in the world which guarantee everybody a trial to prove guilt prior to prison or worse."
"But, if you choose to go out with a gun to commit a crime, doesn't that make you fair game for a vigilante? If you don't want to get caught or killed – don't go out and commit a crime," Cara stated.
"If only life were that simple, honey."
"Why can't it?"
"The world is bad and full of bad people, Cara."
Rosa knew that was an accurate statement as she worked for one of those bad people. She had also indirectly caused people to die. Once upon a time, Rosa had been an angry youth who had enjoyed hurting people, but then becoming a mother had begun to change that. Though she had taken lives – that had been in her angry youth before the arrival of Cara. The coldness which she had displayed had been what had attracted Dieter to her. Then Cara had arrived, and Dieter had promoted Rosa out of frontline work. He had personally selected her to be is Personal Assistant. Nobody knew that she had softened inside. Nobody knew that she had become sickened by death. However, you did not just resign from working for Dieter – not if you wanted to remain with breath in your lungs. Rosa also had Cara to care for and Dieter loved Cara too. Dieter treated her almost as well as he treated his own offspring.
Rosa could not risk offending Dieter, so she ran the Organisation with an iron hand and nobody challenged her.
SONOMA ROAD
Napa, California
To say that Dieter Mannheim was annoyed was like saying that the San Francisco earthquake of 1906 was just a bump in the night.
The fifty-eight-year-old magnate was at the pinnacle of his career. However, for him, a pinnacle was just a stopping off point as he continued his meteoric rise to ultimate power. For Dieter Mannheim, there was no limit to his aspirations. He had no desire to go for Office, to be the President of the United States of America – he was born German, which barred him from such a position anyway. No, Dieter was content with being a powerful businessman who could manipulate the Senators, Congressmen, and Presidents as he saw fit. Arguably, Dieter was much more powerful than the leader of his current adoptive country.
As he gazed out of the window of his home, he looked out across the rolling hills of the Napa Valley with their vineyards. He was very much the master of all he surveyed. The vineyards all belonged to him and were a key component to the legal income which had assisted in making the Tomahawk Group the worldwide monstrosity that it was. However, the financial lion's share of what propped up the squeaky clean public face of Dieter came from the shady, hidden side; the Panther Organisation.
The Panther Organisation existed everywhere that the Tomahawk Group did. The Panther Organisation ensured that anything which interfered with the Tomahawk Group's potential success was 'removed'. Each country had its very own black revenue stream which funded every bribe, every death, every seedy deal. As far as Dieter was concerned, he no longer got his hands dirty, but when required, he would appear and quite literally break skulls. The man had a fearsome reputation which meant that he had very few natural predators. Nothing was ever traced to him when it came to court actions against him. The man had almost as many lawyers as he had soldiers. Anybody attempted to litigate against him and he would send a battalion of lawyers in their direction and should that fail, a battalion of mercenaries would follow in their wake. The man was unstoppable. The only advice offered when dealing with the man? Should Dieter desire something which you possess? You hand it over, should you wish to live.
Dieter turned away from the stunning Napa Valley and he looked over at his Head of Security.
"Günther, I want to make a show of force . . . down in San Diego. Show them that nobody stands against Panther."
"Collateral damage, boss?"
"Do I give a fucking shit?"
"Right, Boss."