Chapter 2

1 Week Later

"Maybe she s a werewolf and she ll wake up when it s the full moon? Lycanthropy is very popular practice in the old country types," Silas looked to his friends and second in command exasperatedly and warily.

Silas said, "No, that is not going to happen."

"Look, man, her bruises healed like within minutes and she is definitely breathing but what hasn't happened it her waking, so werewolf?" Tony said while leaning back into the chair. He was trying to lighten the mood but it wasn't working very well.

Silas and his team were currently at headquarters, in an underground base in a large house on the outskirts of London where his beloved was in the room next door on a bed with the radio playing a jazzy song on her favourite station. There was a clear glass vase on the bedside table with her favourite flowers: peonies. There was no obvious explanation to why she hadn t woken up yet as Silas had a doctor come into their secret base to oversee her condition but all the doctor could tell was her eyes were a shocking shade of purple and that she was simply sleeping.

One whole week later since the incident and Lexi was still resting peacefully with no sign of waking. Meanwhile, Silas was panicking and worrying to no end but still running his secret organisation with his close friend and their progenies.

Their organisation consisted of basically vigilante acts and Robin Hood type of work while still getting by on regular jobs and means of living. Hiding from the local police was alarmingly easy and even when the police know entirely about what happens in the dark alleyways of the streets of London, they don t do a thing. In which those lazy and cruel acts from useless law enforcement and the suffering of the poor, even after the war that had wrecked havoc throughout the lives of the many, it had lead to the creation of , Silas and Lexi's group for doing the work they can to help. The began with the couple s blissful 3 year anniversary as a couple. They weren t married on paper but anyone being around them (usually Tony or Lexi's best friend, Jenny) couldn't tell the difference as after 3 years they are still just as in love as ever.

So, dearest reader, you can see why Silas is so distraught over his Lexi's coma that he sees no end to, and the pain he is going through.

Another week passes and Silas only becomes more agitated as Lexi hadn't woken from her sleep yet. However, this is the day she does and the day hell freezes over, the day a snowball finally has a chance in the inferno that is hell. They were on the second level of the house when it happened.

It was 5 am and Lexi s eyes flashed open.

SILAS!

He had trouble sleeping without her in his arms but he managed to sleep for a few hours and now he bolted upright because he knows that voice. It follows him everywhere and in this case he was sure that it was from her.

"Silas! Silas!" She sprung out of the bed and was at the door faster that possible and at the same time her beloved leapt up off the sofa just on the other side of the room and grabbed the handle. He twisted, pulled it towards him to reveal a bright-eyed and scared Lexi. He froze for half a second before her arms were around his neck and their bodies pressed together. His own arms made his way to her hair as they embraced.

"Lexi, he choked out, my love." She hmmm d in response and squeezed tighter. "Love, that's a bit too much," he said as he felt himself become light-headed and breathless.

"Oh!" She drew back slightly and gave him a sheepish look before drawing him to her again.

Finally withdrawing from the hug she looked a little confused and worried, "Silas. What happened? Last I remember I was being hanged by Nate and then I saw you and Tony and the others come for me. Then it was just really dark," she put a palm to his face, which he leaned in to, but I could still hear you, I m sorry you had to see me like that.

He looked appalled, "What? No! None of that was your fault, it was that man s and his group of bastards that did that to you? Wait, what did he do to you? Don't answer if you're not ready or don't want to. No, darling, it's fine," Lexi lead them to the sofa against the wall he was just napping on and then went onto explaining the events of her almost death- was it death though? Or situation ? She wasn't sure but gave a description as best she could.

Silas was horrified, then murderous by the end. He jumped up from her arms and then cried, I need to get Tony and they guys, we have to hunt down this son of a bitch and then fucking destroy him!

He was making to Tony's room but in less that a second Lexi was by his side holding onto his arm yanking him to face her. Silas, no! Think this through, are you really going to wake Tony and make him angry at you? And how are you going to even find that man without any plan whatsoever? See why you can t rush off like this? She calmed him for a moment before leading him back to the room she was sleeping in.

"Come on, let's go to sleep and then we can find and take down Nate, okay?" They were inside her room now and he nodded at her, simply glad to have her back and seemingly healthy, climbing into bed Silas fell asleep quickly, glad to have Lexi in his arms once again. Lexi, however, thought that she had had enough rest for a while and was content being with him until the sun rose. She focused on his even breathing and the calming pace of his heart, she marvelled at the feeling of their bond. Even after 3 years they still were as close as ever and not many people had anything like they did, it was rare connection that after three years it was the type that was meant to last a lifetime, lifetimes even.

Eventually dawn crept up on the pair but she waited another hour to wake him, knowing he didn't often sleep very well, especially without her presence. She gently shook his shoulder and called his name. He smiled lightly with his eyes still closed and tightened his arms around her, she leaned up and kissed both his eyelids and then carefully let herself out of bed tugging on his hands, "Come on, we have to wake up. I ll make breakfast and you can wake the others, remember, Tony is last or he ll be grouchy all day."

"Fine, I m coming," he grouses. The both of them get dressed and get ready for the day before doing their respective activities. She made a start of breakfast, it would take some time as some of the other guys usually helped with food but they were much like Tony, never wanting to leave bed, meaning it would be a while yet. She didn t have to listen very hard to hear the complaints of the others and their whinging (very few of them were morning people) but then she heard Silas yell something and a few crashes down the stairs prior to almost all of them bursting through the heavy door.

"Lexi!" Tony shouted, giving her a big hug, "You're awake! When did this happen? Are you okay? Why wasn't I told?!"

She grinned and said, "Early morning and we didn't want to wake you."

"Aww, Lex, you should have let me sleep but I m glad you're returned to this ass here, he's been sooo mopey without you, thought I was going to have to send him off to the gentleman's club if you know what I mean, just to cheer him up a bit, not that he d go, darlin', man's too in love to even consider it."

"Hah. Right, Tony," Silas said next to Lexi, "Move along, lets leave Lexi and the other to the cooking while we get ready for the day."

Everyone expressed their happiness to Lexi's well being and then did what they were supposed to.

"Okay, people. Let's get going, we've got 14 mouths to feed including ours, so move your arses and make some smashing food for the day," Lexi said, her fellow cooks, Mallory and Tom, chuckled and got started.

Half an hour later they had finished breakfast and Lexi asked Tom to call everyone to the kitchen.

They had just finished before Lexi asked Silas, "So, what are we doing today?"

"Just work and then training and after that we have a murderer to catch," he replied, eyes full of mirth, then turned to the group and said, When you re done, go to your day jobs and when you get back get changed and meet us in the gym.

Their gym, part of the underground base, wasn't much but it had the equipment that everyone needed for their own individual needs, lots were basic exercises found in any old gym such as punching bags but most if not all of the team had thorough training in martial arts, learnt from a close friend that was at that moment was in the Amazon rain forest observing the plants and animals.

Silas turned to Lexi and said, "I'm going to go to the garage for the morning, see you later," he pressed a kiss to her cheek and made his way to the door.

Silas garage was one of the only two in the area, that meant they were always busy and there was always noticeable profit coming in.

Lexi worked at the telephone company, she just connected wires to wires, that meant she was the local electrician in the community.

When they weren't at their day jobs they would be training and saving their city. London, after the war wasn't doing as well as they projected to the rest of the world. It was a city that was still healing and with that it was still and open wound that could be attacked. Serial murders, bombs, illegal and harmful drugs, all these and more contributed to the suffering of the city.

However, The Cloaked Red, would fight and defend London to their last breaths. Silas and Lexi had originally just been a couple that were confronting and standing against the crime going on. Soon after they started though, Tony found out, then Jenny, it was hard to keep anything from them. Tony was the nosiest bastard they knew (affectionately). Eventually the four brought in people that were on their own and had no means to live, those that had been casted off into the streets to die. They gave them a home and a purpose, Lexi and Silas were on a crusade, but they didn't have to do it alone, the more of them there were, the less chance they had in anything going wrong during their nights out in taking down the people hurting the city.

At around 4 pm people started to return home and go downstairs. Lexi had just gotten back from work and was in her and Silas' room when he came bursting in with the local newspaper.

"Lexi, he's done it again, the killers, they've taken a man in his late 50s," he said while panting.

She took him by the wrist and lead him to the gym, "Come on, we have to tell the others, if we're going to catch them tonight then we will need all the info we can get on them."

Arriving at the gym Silas gave the newspaper to Tony who scanned it and handed it to the person closest to him.

Right, now all of you have heard of the gang of serial killers making their way around London, taking men, women and children, and recreating families out of the corpses of the people they've killed. We are going to stop them tonight, we've been through the plan enough times now

Two hours later everyone was ready to go, they had deduced the location of the gang s base and they were headed there now. The group split up and headed to their respective vehicles, they would park half a mile away from the known location before storming the abandoned warehouse. The police were to scared to go in and help them, it was down to the Cloaked Red to defeat the gang.

Lexi and Silas had their crimson masks secured on their faces as they took the back entrance that was surprisingly unguarded. Swinging open the metal door, they slipped out their knives from the thigh holsters and slit the throats of the men in front of them, too fast for the men to realise they had been infiltrated. Lexi pulled out a radio device from her pocket and whispered, "Back entrance secure." Tony was with one of the men, James, as he replied, "Copy, east side secure."

Silas made a few hand motions to the men on the other side of the warehouse, they discovered a bulk load of crates, filled with grenades, C-3 explosives and tons of RDX explosives, all mainly used in the war.

In the next ten minutes they were able to invade their way into the very heart of the building, to where the mind of the whole operation was. The whole group surrounded the room before Mason, the lock pick, opened the door to reveal a tall man, white and in his 40s standing in front of a desk, pistol in hand. That wouldn t do him much good though, almost all in the Cloaked Hood apart from Alfie who was their sniper, that had a clear shot, was aiming their guns at him.

As Silas was at the very front of the group, he was the one who ended up in a brawl with the master-mind in question. The man was the first to throw a punch which landed on Silas shoulder, even when he dodged. They were just about to engage in a vicious fight before Silas said to the others, I ve got this. Soon enough Silas got the upper hand and put the man on his back with his boot at his neck threateningly. "Who are you and why did you do this?" he said.

"I am no one. This is bigger than your petty game of chasing criminals," the man on the floor spat out blood in his mouth, he painfully turned his glare towards Lexi, "Can t you feel it? You will soon."

She looked at him and to Silas worriedly. He brought out his side arm and aimed it at the man's forehead. "What is your name?"

The man said, "The thirst for bl-"

A bullet fired out of the gun and straight into his head, ending his words. Blood splattered over the floor and dirtied Silas leg.

"Come on, let's go. It's over, he can t do anything now. James and Tyler, you two search this room, collect anything you deem useful. Tony, Mallory and Will, snake the upper levels down to me. The rest of us will search ground level. Everyone meet at the cars in 15 minutes," Silas ordered, he wrapped an arm around Lexi's shoulders and guided the team into the corridor. They all acknowledged and made agreeing sounds and set off to complete their orders.

By the time they made it home it was 2:50 am and everyone was too tired to do much but change and go to bed.

Silas and Lexi had just dropped into bed when Lexi asked, "Are you okay?"

He pulled her close and said, "Yeah, I m fine. Just a bit worked up over today. Do you know what he was going on about at the warehouse?"

"No, I don't really know what he was going on about. Let's just leave this for tomorrow, okay?" While she was talking she had a tense feeling of dread in her, "Go to sleep, beloved."