The Assassin's Way

Part 3

Eagle Forces, Eagle Treatment

"To be born is to begin to die"

-Sazhori

Sacremento Airport

2 June

0707 hours Sacremento time

Davies was a Cleaner, but this was too much to clean up for sure. Arriving first at the scene of the firey crash that Mark, Agent Scorpion, had caused while still in the air, Davies observed the surroundings carefully, nobody had gone to the area yet, it had been marked off completely. The fire had long since gone out, yet there was still evedince enough of Marks handiwork.

Of course it was the burnt kerosine that had the Cleaners attention completely. Davies stepped up to the wreckage and went through it carefully, most of the shell had survived, the planes crew however, and all its passengers had been burnt alive to nothing but burnt out corpses.

He found notice of someone however that caught his undevided attention. he then left the wreck and went to an internet cafe. The city was filled with them, as part of the Equator City, Sacremento was mostly industrial in most forms. Many of the suberbs had moved out in favor of the Equator Highrises leaving most nighborhoods desolate and empoty save for a few diehards

Davies typed in a code onto a machine, making sure nobody was around, he had gotten a spot at the very back anyhow to begin with,. He went through his next list of orders. Giving information of things as well as getting fresh orders. Of course the info he first sent was three words

"He Is Here"

His next set of orders were to eleminate a certain person and make it look like an accident, typical Cleaner work. He smirked however when he asked who the target was. When he was told it was a woman named Vivan Ordu. Any means nesseceary.

Of course that meant luring the woman to Sacremento Airport, when the plane had gone down outside the city limits and more, closer to a major town called Cresent City. A moment later and he was told not to engage the woman known as Ruth Big for any reason. Davies then did a internet search on the woman, finding only scant info, Ruth Big, known to the kids as Grandma Ruthie was a nononsense woman with a son named Big Tony, whose father, Fat Tony was the former owner of Fat Tony's Fatass Trucks dealership in Cresent City.

Ruth Big was not someone to trifle with under any circumstances. It was made clear not to engage the woman in any manner. Cresent City was a nozone.

However there was keynote to be on the lookout for a woman named Angela Moore. Davies had no clue who she was other than a single picture. Apparently a Agent, to be burnt ? Nope, someone to be contacted concerning a mission requirement.

Plugging in a flashdrive, he opened a encrypted chat that connected him directly to his overseer. "D here. Specifications needed." he typed.

"Target in Crescent with Main Objective. On mission of their own. Wait until no longer under protection of BR." BR being HQ's name for Ruthie. "Eliminate on sight. Make to look like accident."

"Contact?"

"Moore. Key."

"Capabilites?"

"Unknown. Classified."

Davies sighed, checking over his shoulder again. "Projected hunting zone?"

"Go gambling."

With that, the chat ended, and he removed the tumb drive. Logging out of the computer he stood and payed the fee for using it, then left.

The only gambling location outside of BR's control was just within the Sacremento Airport grounds itself. A massive complex worth visiting for sure. Gambling was not one of Davies strong suits, but it was worth a shot.

Cresent City Casino also had a hotel. Which he checked into. There was a bar within the lobby, so he headed in there. Hopefully his contact could arrive. Agent Key was always on duty even when helping BR. Then again, BR... oh dear.

Davies opened the dossior the clerk at the interent cafe gave him, It had al lthe information the CIA could get on Ruth Big. In the corner booth and his back to the wall, Davies could see who entered and exited, as well as not have anyone sneak up on him. Seeing Ruths info the man took in a sharp breath.

According to the CIA, any agent who went on missions inside Cresent City were killed, after getting information from Ruth Big, either shet killed them or had someone else do it. But the whole yellow sheet was there. The last agent known to be in her good graces apparently was Angela Moore.

He decided to wait. Moving to his room from the booth he paid the bill for the drinks and went upstairs, his weapons readied upon the bed. If his target was going to go gambling at the casino he'd watch the casino floor. He set up shop as a security guard on the second floor able to see who came in, and who was below him pon the main floor of the casino.

There he waited, but not for long.

At about 1000 hours, From his perch on the second floor he saw a woman dressed in black, almost as skintight black jumpsuit, unlike any woman he had ever seen, feathers of ink black, if not blacker, almost as if any light was simply absorbed by the black making it so dark it was like, endless were on her shoulders. The woman had almost ink black hair with a shot of red. Her eyes he saw scared many people.

The woman moved through the crowd outside towards the cassino doors, apparently on a mission as behind her a empty buss exploded down the street. People scrambled for cover as the woman dressed in the skintight black leather with feathers easily ducked into the casino main entry.

Easily dodging around one of the true security guards Sazhori nailed the casino 'bouncer' who was really a Templar thug, dead in the man sank to the floor. She moved deeper into the casino then stepping over the groaning in pain man who try as he might could barely breathe without hurting himself further.

Sazhori stepped into the main casino floor, easily ducking a jumping thug aimimng to tackle her she nailed the man as he stood back up dead in the face with a well aimed foot, the talons of her toes slammed home, knocking out a few teeth and briefly sending the man sensless to the floor.

From above Davies watched, not getting involved in the apparent suicide attack on the casino the woman was doing. His job wasnt her. The arrival of a six by six anphibious landing transport however caught his attention through te window. His eyes went wide seeing two peopel step from the rig, one of which was his target.

In the span of five minutes all the Casinos 'bouncers' were out of the fight on the floor, limbs shattered, throats unable to gulp in important things like air. Then the woman was tackled, by two at once. Briefly sparring with one the other managed to whack her solidly at the basse of her kneck, sending her to the floor in a heap. The man who she hit in the throat stepped into view, gun drawn. The Casino owner, a man named Greg, growled something. "Take her in the back, the rest of you, clean this mess up. We open in thirty minutes. Move it!"

Davies smirked, tyurning to look out the window he saw his target, and the man with her, observing the burning bus...

Outside the Casino.

Corner of White and Maplelaw streets

At that same moment

Stepping from the sedan belonging to Ruth Big Viv stared at the wreckage of the bus, what was left of it at least, thankfully nobody was on it at the time of the explosion they had seen only moments before. "Who set it ?"

"Someone we're about to get on the bad side of...let's go." Mark said, lifting his hood as his eyes glowed a dim bronze. His body glowed a deep, rich bronze before his armor, looking as fresh as ever, appeared on his body, the Black Gauntlet on his left arm the only thing different, though it was the same one as before. In the low light of the parking lot, it blended into the very air around him. The bronze glow of his armor soon faded and it settled, the well-protected joints moving with silence as he moved into the building with his Desert Eagle Drawn and a dagger in his free hand.

Viv withdrew a pistol, the 7mm weapon given her by Tony before they left the car. Tony's driving was fun, atl east Mark didnt throw up when Tony went int othe tunnel network under the airfield. Stepping into the casino's backway the first thing they saw was a outcold thug ? Wjhich Mark promptly killed with a swift kick to the neck. Viv too kthe thugs weapon, a club, and what had to have been a crowbar at one point

Moving into the cvasino Viv felt something wrong. Grabbing Mark she pulled the man backwards as sniper rounds slammed into he doorframe around them. A sput however signified she or Mark had been hit, but in the sheer adrenaline of the moment she didnt feel the pain until she saw her shoulder blossom red.

Davies smirked, they'd walked right into his line of sight when he saw the two duick around the corner towards the back of the building.

"You're bleeding fast." Mark said calmly as he slowly reached his left hand out into the door, knowing the light would give him a nice reflection of the room where the sniper was hiding. In the dark of the hall way it was hard to make out the fact that Mark was doing anything but hiding. "In the pocket on my thigh closest to you. There's a syringe...it'll clot the blood and stop the bleeding. I have nothing for your pain though." he said to Viv.

"I'll be fine, its not the first time I've been shot in the arm" Viv said, it was true, she'd been shot at, dropped off a speeding car, heck everything but blown to bits in her life. Getting shot was a walk in the park. Literally.

She sat against the wall. The sniper fired again, Davies aim was good, it nailed Mark in the hand, but the duradaeden defelected the bullet into the ceiling with a shriek of tortured metal. But it was the angle that told Viv where their shooter was. "Can you keep him busy ?" Marks armor could stop anything short of a shadowfire round.

"Does a bear shit in the woods? I'll keep you covered. On my gunshot." he said, using his Eagle Vision to track the heat left over from the round. He dove into a roll from the corner to another secluded hiding spot with a clear line of sight, and aimed his anti-everything pistol, then fired. His .50 caliber anti-magic round sundered the air with a bang that would deafen an artillery veteran, and blew a chunk of the wall Davies was using for cover clean off, the round narrowly missing the man's body but the chunks of wood and metal from the wall hitting him in the chest dead on, causing the man to blink and lose his focus as another round then broke the rest of the wall, destroying his cover completely and forcing him to move.

Viv nodded, She got ready to move, as Mark fired she ran for the nearby stairs, darting up them without a sound, however a silenced Pop was heard as a dead man fell down the stairs she went up.

Viv moved along the upper floor unseen by Davies as the Cleaner sought new cover. This time simply laying on the floor a few meters from his original spot. He took aim and fired another snioer round, slamming into and destroying the doorframe above Mark before reloading his weapon.

Which allowed Viv to tap the man "looking for me ?" She asked him, Davies sprang to his feet. As mark watched the two fighters, injured Assassin, and CIA Cleaner grappled and fought over the pistol Viv held, nine more shots were heard at random directions, and three beer bottles and a wine cooler met their end.

Finally Viv had enough. With a grunt She turned her weapon a the last second, one last shot.

shrieked as Davies used his greater strength to break her hand, she dropped the pistol. By then the rest of the Casino staff were alerted and had Mark briefly cornered before backing off, the Casino Security team recognised Mark because Tony had also arrived with them.

then it happened. Viv knew her time was up. But she also knew she couldnt let the CIA keep their killer. Her unijured hand went to his face, and briefly she poked him deep ni the eyesockets before the man spat at her and she tripped him up, they broke the railing and fell to the hard floor from twenty feet. Viv had the last laugh as her gun teetered on the edge, of the broken rail, its barrel aimed at Davies, who was on top of her, as death took her she heard a very loud BANG as Marks gun connected with the trigger of her pistol, her body then under the dead Cleaner.

But that left the owner of the Casino, and the woman who set the bomb on the bus

Crecent City Casino

2 June 1025 Crecent City local time

Inside the soundproofed office

"How is your chin holding up ?" The Casino owner asked one of the men who held his chin. The man spat out some broken teeth. "Go see a dentist. Now" Looking over the out cold woman on his office desk the head of the casinos security looked over the woman and reached a hand to the chain about her neck. It had an Eagle of some form on it. But he recognised it. "Eagle Forces ?... I'll take this"

"Eagle Forces ? You mean this nasty bitch with a mean right hook is one of them those loud shirt wearin' fucks warned us about" Asked them an whose teeth Sazhori had kicked out.

"Yeah, didnt you hear to watch for them ? Look at this bitch. She kicked your teeth out, she's got feathers on her shoulders, you think for a minute that she's not a human ?"

"She looks human" Said one man holding the Raven to the table

"Yes, and Nixen was a German. We have to get rid of this one before she wakes up..."

Sazhori's eyes snapped open and her hand snapped towards his neck with a sudden movement before another man grabbed her arm and struggled with her briefly before she knocked him out, and a third man clouted her in the face, making her black out completely.

The first man, the man she tried to choke went over to a nearby tool chest and started digging through it. "What are you doing ?" Asked the third man seeing the guy remove from the chest a small camping axe.

"Eagle Forces... Eagle Treatment. Move her hair" he said simply he motioned for the third guy to move her hair to make her neck clear. After all, a chickens body lasted another thirty minutes with its head cut off now didnt it ? The man lined up the ax and then raised it to swing...

As the Ax began to fall a single gunshot rang out and the door was burst off its hinges. The gunshot left a single hole inthe door, and the ax-bearers brains all over the back wall. Following the door in, Mark's gun shot twice more, the man never taking his eyes off the ax as his body moved on its own, and left the other men in the room. Reaching out, Mark's hand caught the ax an inch before it touched the woman's neck, then he turned, his hand sliding down the handle, and chucked the thing into the chest of another man across the room, the blade sinking in with a satisfying ishuck/i.

"Looks like I was wrong...not someone we're going to get on the bad side of..." he said as he examined the woman's features. There was a slight charred smell to her, soot on her fingertips, she'd set off the bomb in that bus. "Someone I'd rather have stay on my goodside." he nodded his head to the woman, seeing her eyes glaring at him.

The other men reacted as their boss broke apart from the sudden bang as the door blew apart. One man sprang for the nearby shotgun, getting only a shot off that bounced harmlessly off Marks armor before the ax took him down and he slid to the floor.

The woman glared daggers at Mark "Took you long ehnough!" She all but shrieked in his face as her foot easily snapped up and caught the last remaining man in the chin... again. Breaking it completely and sending him to the floor, That left the Casino Owner, watching them. Her voice had a strong almost avian accent to it. The feathers ofcourse could have given that away, but at that moment Mark figured them part of her clothing, which looked exotic to be sure

"So here they are" Said the owner of the Casino, he stepped into view, two more burly men with him Guns ready."You are who I have to thank for todays profit loss ?" He said with a pointed look to Mark. Not knowing that Mark was actually there to take him out completely as Sazhori got to her feet.

A single step, a flash of Bronze, and a startled gasp.

That's what occured within the time frame of one second as Mark used a transport array to get right in front of his target, grab the barrels of the guns his bodyguards were holding, and yank them to face their boss, both guns to his head, and Mark's arms holding the body-guard's arms in place.

"I'll cut you a deal...Which ever one of you kills your boss gets to live. The other I let my new friend deal with as she sees fit." he said with an eerie calmness to his voice. There was silence. "Or I can kill all three of you in five seconds."

"Five."

A bead of sweat dripped down from one of their foreheads.

"Four."

"Thr-" Mark was interrupted by the barrel of a pistol coming to rest up under his chin, lifting his head so that the Casino Owner could see his face in its entirety.

"You do not threaten me, boy." the Caisno Owner, a man named Greg, a low ranking yet very smart Templar said simply, the Casinos were only one way of many means to get money for the Order.

Mark only smiled, his lips parting in a toothy grin as his eyes began to glow a dim bronze. "I wasn't making a threat." Mark said before his eyes flashed Silver, and his body ignited in a Phoenix Cloak of Icefire, freezing the barrels and hands of the body guards leaving them useless before Mark brought his clawed hands together around the gun Greg was holding, who let go as soon as the metal began to perma-freeze, and began to step back. Mark pursued however and slammed the man into the wall behind him with a push-kick to his gut. The Pheonix cloak disipated and Mark shot out the knees of Greg the Templar before crouching in front of him and searing his cheek with the hot barrel of his Desert Eagle. Greg started to scream but Mark then smacked him. "Shut up."

"Names. Who are your friends? What do they do? How's they're cooking? Do they sleep naked, and..." Mark held up a queen of hearts with the word Talak written on it in sharpie. "...Is this your card?"

Greg spat broken teeth after Mark smacked him to shut up. he started laughing as Mark went through the cards apparently. He looked at Mark, blood crusted on his lips as he spat again. "You have no idea what tyou're into, Boy. You think magic is going to save you ?" he laughed again.

"You kill me... And She will know" He smiled, his teeth Mark then saw were rotted, corruptive magic kept this man alive. But for how long. "You think a display a power will let you win ? Invade my home, take what is mine, and expect to walk out ?"

As Mark moved to attack the man, Sazhori made her own move, two black feathers lodged easily in the knees of one man, who went dfown screaming, easily silenced by her hand, her fingernails raking deep into the flesh of the man before he went silent as he choked on his own blood. The other man stared for all of two seconds before turning around and promptly running dead into a steel post with a solid KAWANG before bouncing back into Sazhoris arms. slice. His adams apple hit the floor before he did.

"That's usually my plan, yes. Now answer me before I shoot a testicle." Mark brought his gun to the man's crotch. "Names."

Greg laughed again. "This is about that woman isnt it ?" Mark moved the barrel closer" He laughed again. "The woman killed, by an old friend..." Mark fired, but Greg, though old, and corrupted by ancient dark magic continued laughing. Blood spurted from the wound as Sazhori went into the main casino floor, moving to the door she easily put the "Sorry we're closed" sign on it before going through the front offices

Greg smirked then. Better to give names of already dead comrades. After all they were, like him, alive thanks to certain magical properties. "james, Jackson, Davidas. Nik, Tamara,..." The gun barrel moved to his chest, so he started giving locations for each of them. then he said simply "Do not trust in others until you can trust yourself..."

Then it happened as Sazhori returned Greg made his move, old yet strong arms grabbed Marks gunhand, and forced him to pull the trigger, Greg fell against the wall dead. "Looks like the Casino is closed..." Sazhori mumbled. Why Diamond said to raid the place was beyond her.

Mark paused as the man made him shoot him. "Was gonna do that anyway...but thanks for volunteering, asshole..." Mark popped another round into his head for good measure before holstering his run at his thigh. He was silent for a moment before he turned away from the carnage and paced down the hall a few steps, then leaned against the wall facin away from Sazhori, taking deep breaths through his nose, long slow, heavy breaths, not meant to catch his breath, but to calm himself down. After a moment of doing this he let out a quick breath from his mouth, and turned to Sazhori. "Any enemy of the Templars is a friend of mine." He extended a clawed hand, the metal of his gauntlet shining even in the dim light of the hall way. "Mark, Mark Wolfe." He introduced himself quickly before licking his lips and cutting to the point that was next on his mind.

"Why are you here?"

"Sazhori" Sazhori said introducing herself to Mark as she shook his hand, the gauntlet ddint even dent the glittery leather. Her hematite eyes shone brightly in the dim light of the hall. "A mutual friend of ours sent me. My job was to find you, So I did. Seems my lure worked."

She went quiet however as Tony entered, carrying Viv in his arms, her neck had been broken, that was what killed her. It was time to go. She had never met Viv, but she knew that Mortals didnt live long regardless of their birthright.

Tony didnt even have to say anything, it was time to return home to Crecent City. Sazhori looked to Mark, the man simply nodded to her, go with Tony, he'll be along after a moment. Sazhori nodded and fell instep behind Tony as Mark went int othe office once again.

As the much larger man, -Sazhori could fit herself and her older sisters in Tony's arms and still have room for Mark or even the dead men in the office plus takeout, it wasnt that Big Tony was big, he was, in a word, the entire LA Rams entire offensive line packed into one guy- carried Viv into the six wheel drive sedan and bid her to pick a seat aside from the drivers seat Tony fired up the rig and got it ready for the road. It was a good fourty minutes to home. And Grandma Ruthie had to be informed

Mark paused, something caught his eye as the lights flickered in the hallway. Something shiny. Picking it up, he tilted his head. Car Keys? To A Dodge Challenger no less...Interesting.

He pocketed them and walked out, hopping into the car and sitting next to Tony silently. It was a quiet drive back to Grandma Ruthie's garage, and as they stopped, Mark cleared his throat, the engine turning off as Mark took the keys from his pocket. "These were on Greg's body." He said, looking to Tony while lowering his hood. "They're much too nice to have belonged to a Templar." He said.

Tony stared at the keys in Marks hand. Ruthie stepped up to their parking space. Seeing the keys she reached over her son through the window and took hold of them. "I aint seen these things since your uncle Roy died" She said simply. Well that explained a lot, she handed the keys back to Mark while giving a firm nosd to her son. The news had reached her. "Stariek Funeral Services will help get her ready." She said meaning Viv's death.

Though Ruthie turned to Mark, "Tell me something though Wolfe, Did Viv get the last laugh like she always asaid she would ?" Tony even looked to Mark as Sazhoeri stepped out the back of the six wheeled rig and took in the fresh air.

Mark nodded. "Just like always." He said simply. Ruthie nodded, a hand went briefly to her heart she went back to the house

Tony smiled, also nodding he got up from his seat, the fgroup exited the car as various members of the Pit Crew, most of which Mark had yet to meet outside of the two only known policement who always helped out at Grandma Ruthies, Offciers James and Raymond. Good men, men Mark could trust with his life. Tony turned to Mark. "There's something you need to see. Come with me" He turned towards the deeper part of the barn where the lights rarely worked. Tools were piled high along with carparts and similar.

"Back when my uncle died and the keys to his car disappeared, me and the Crew made bets, whoever found the keys, got the car, fully paid for you name it." Tony motioned for two members of the Pit Crew to uncover the car in the back part of the massive barn. The paint glittered a prestine brand new black. Tony turned to Mark. "Looks like you won that bet." he said

The Challenger was a custum built rig, designed off both a website and apparently a video game as the car was designed to both take a beating and give just as much. Sazhori was curious and stepped into the barn, coming to a halt as the door to the car unlocked by use fo the key as the cars lights even flashed and a 'click-chirpchirp' was heard as the alarm disarmed

Mark took a look at the car, pacing around it as he examined it. His armor vanished and he ran a gloved finger across the reinforced carbon-fibre of the car's body, the everything-short-of-a-ICBM-proof windows and windshield, and the streamlined door handle. The door popped open and he sat in the fresh leather seat, the likewise leather and mahogony wood of the steering wheel, dash, center console all felt fantastic under his touch and his body as he leaned back in the seat. Closing the door, he moved the seat up and the wheel down a bit so he could see better, took the keys, put them into the ignition, and turned.

The car didn't hesitate to rumble to life. The compact V8 engine roaring to life and purring like a contented Lion, the lights coming on and the dash coming to life with beautifully dark ocean blue lights behind the black foreground. Mark revved the engine, felt the rumble in his chest, and fell in love.

From, where she sat on the front porch Ruthie heard the Dodge rumble to vibrant life. A smile graced her face. Memories flooding back of Roy, her younger brother returning home with his prize. Now it ran again. Nothing was going to stop her brother from getting the last laugh this time