The night was silent, and as the empty moon crossed the sky, no light was given off. All in all it was the perfect night for sneaking around theft and above all, and assassination. Steven led his small group through a small city town on the edge of the desert.
They had travelled to the Guardians fortress and the Heirs tomb, and traced a path along the lines of where Hannibal had suggested the escapees would flee to. This had led them to this town. From there they had gone around to the underworld of the town and paid people off for information on the whereabouts of their target. Now they finally had the location, so moving with stealth they crept towards the hotel in the centre of the city.
Reaching the doors, Steven checked them to see if they would open, and when they did he led his force inside.
"Check the logs." Steven commanded the men his brother had given him.
As the group searched the logs a security officer appeared at a door startled by their presence.
"Quick." Steven hissed. "Before he raises the alarm.
One of Stevens men stepped forward with his gun raised. Pulling the trigger the gun let a three bullet burst that was silenced by the extended barrel of the gun.
"click, click, click."
The security officer fell forwards caught by his killer just before he hit the floor.
"There's no record of them booking a room, but there is a record of a room that has a permanent booking but has been empty for the last twenty years." The mercenary checking the log said as he slid the log book over to Steven so he could see.
Twirling on the spot Steven strode across the floor leaving his two followers to catch up. Up and up he went ascending the stairs until he reached the top floor. From here he moved down the corridors until he reached the door he wanted. Coming to a complete stop Steven stretched out his hand until the door knob was encompassed by his hand.
"Guns ready." He mouthed to his followers as they caught up to him.
And Steven turned the knob and opened the door.
"Elenna, quick get up." Karter whispered as he knocked on the door to Elenna's room. "There is a group of three men entering the hotel below, they don't look friendly."
There was silence for a few seconds then the door creeped backwards, opening to reveal Elenna standing behind wiping sleep from her eyes.
"Karter. What are you doing up this late, you should be asleep."
"We've been over this before, you might think I am some special pharaoh, but I am still free to do what I please. And as for you, stop treating me as your master."
Elenna suddenly froze as Karter said this, having been asked this before she felt somewhat embarrassed to have already reverted.
"Sorry, it's just I was raised to serve the Heir should he awake."
"It's alright, so I am just going to have to get to unlearn it. As in this new age I don't know anyone, and the only person I feel I can call my friend is you." Karter leant onto the wall, his left arm resting onto a power switch.
Suddenly a shock ran Karter's body, and everything faded and refocused. Only now he felt like had a thousand eyes. Before him he could no longer see Elenna, but rather he was seeing every room of the hotel, it was like he was seeing through the cameras. No it was as if he was the cameras. He could feel the pulse of electricity flowing through them.
Suddenly a mew sensation hit him, a data surge.
"That must be the computers." Thought Karter completely confused.
He could feel them, monitoring the systems, laying asleep just waiting to be turned on and put into use.
All of a sudden Karter felt something else, and emergency signal. Unable to control it Karter felt himself pulled towards a specific camera. Through the film he could see a group of three cross the entrance hall and begin to search the desks.
"Karter!"
A sharp pain shot through Karter's face.
"Karter what's wrong."
Karter found himself suddenly back inside his own body. Elenna was kneeled beside him in her night dress, she looked worried.
"What do you mean? I am fine." Karter responded to Elenna's earlier question.
"No, you're not, you suddenly froze and went blank. When I tried to move you, you collapsed."
"Oh that. Well this will sound crazy, but when I leant onto the wall I was somehow connected to the wiring of the hotel."
"Ok, anything else?."
"I don't know, I could just feel all of the computers, and I could see everything in the line of sight of the computers."
Elenna suddenly gasped and stepped back.
"Karter you can't just connect the network of the building, people can trace that."
"Wait. What do you mean?" Karter paused. "Are saying that you knew I could do that?"
"Yes, well, no. I was told that as a result of your millennium brain build, you might be able to hijack and invade wiring and networks if your metal arm comes into direct contact with them."
Elenna stopped and looked at Karter to see if he was processing this.
"So, basically if I touch a computer or network cable, even a plug or output, with my metal arm, then I can hack into them with my millennium brain microchip implant."
"Yes, and you ca…."
Suddenly something Karter had seen in the cameras came back to him.
"Elenna stop, I almost forgot. The men I saw are I the building. I think they are looking for us."
Elenna stopped.
"What did they look like."
"Umm." Karter thought for a minute. "Black cloaks, hoods an…"
"Its them, the ones who attacked the tomb. They're here for you." She stopped and stared at Karter. "Quick we have to go now, grab anything you need and let's go out the window."
Karter and Elenna ran back into their respective rooms. Once in his own Karter grabbed the pile of clothes that the hotel manager had supplied them with. Throwing those in a backpack he had also been given he ran to his bed and pulled the box of duel monsters out in front of him. Checking that it was shut properly he lowered it into his backpack and wrapped in the clothes.
Finished packing his belongings Karter ran back into the main room, a couple of seconds later Elenna appeared with a backpack much like Karter's.
"How are we getting out, they will probably already be in the hallway." Karter asked.
"Out the window, when my father put a permanent hire on this room he had a trap door fixed to the ground directly below the window. When you hit it after a fall it opens up to admit you to an escape tunnel. Now Karter lets go."
Elenna turned grabbing Karter's wrist and opened the window. She climbed out onto the ledge and began to pull him out with her.
And then when he was halfway out, the door opened behind him.
As Steven stepped into the room he saw instantly what he was after. There on the ledge outside the window were crouched his target and the Guardians daughter.
"Quick get them." Steven shouted.
Running forwards, he watched as the pair dropped from the window ledge out into the night.
"No." He thought. "They're going to kill themselves."
However, Steven's soldier's instinct reminded him that the only reason they will have jumped was if they had a way out below. So without hesitation he hurled himself out of the window after his quarry. Below him he saw a trap door open to let his targets pass through. As they disappeared into the opening began to close.
"No!" Screamed Steven.
Then the door reopened as he collided with it. Winded Steven dropped into the darkness below.
Elenna heard a scream as the door began to close after her. The scream sounded as though it was one of rage rather than pain.
"Were safe." She thought. "They didn't see where we went.
Hitting the ground Elenna rolled forward coming to her feet. However, behind her Karter crumpled to the ground as his legs buckled from the impact.
"Argh!" He cried out as he rolled to the side semiconscious from the pain.
"No." thought Elenna. "He must have broken something."
Just then a small beam of light entered the darkness as the trap door reopened. Moments later a figure landed in the tunnel.
Reacting on instinct Elenna went for the knife she had strapped to her ankle, drawing it up she ran over to defend Karter. However, when the pursuer looked up at Elenna, a shiver of fear ran through her. Staring back at her was the face of a veteran, there were small scars crisscrossed all over his face, and his hair was white with red marks that looked as if they were made from the blood that would not wash out. Yet most terrifying of all was his right eye, instead of his right eye he possessed a golden replica. A replica all too familiar to Elenna.
"Ah, so I see you recognise it." The man said referring to his eye. "Ah but then of course a guardian would recognise a millennium artefact on sight."
As Elenna stared at the golden eye, a heavy dread began to settle in her stomach. As long as this man possessed that eye there was no way that she defeat him and protect Karter.
"No." Elenna began hoping that it was all a hoax. "That item was lost long ago."
"Ah ha ha ha." The man began to laugh. "Oh but it is. Guardian prepare to hand over the Heir, for you cannot hope to match me, Steven when I possess the millennium eye."
Elenna stepped backwards, placing herself with a firm stance directly between Steven and Karter.
"I do I know that you aren't bluffing?"
"Well, let me see." Steven paused as he focused something.
"Oh No." Thought Elenna.
Steven stood still his golden staring right at Elenna.
"Well right now." He began. "You are trying to convince yourself that my eye is fake, but in your heart you know it's true. In truth you know you can't win and are afraid. You are afraid because you know you cannot protect the heir from m…."
"Stop it." Elenna screamed.
She rushed forward wielding her knife. Striking at Steven's heart Elenna stumbled as he blocked her strike and stepped to the side, taking hold of her wrist in an iron grip.
"Well, that won't work. Did you really think that by feigning a strike before reversing your grip and stabbing me in the side you would beat me." He stopped and waited for Elenna to respond, but when no response came he continued. "Well then, you seem to have forgotten that you can't think up a strategy that I cannot read. I know what you are going to do before even you do."
As he said those words Steven twisted Elenna's wrist, forcing the knife from her hand and taking her arm behind her back into a chicken wing lock.
"Ahhh." She screamed as her shoulder was pushed to its limit, threatening to pop from its socket.
"That's right little girl. Scream, I knew you didn't have what it takes, I knew you were no guardian." Steven forced Elenna's arm to her back until she was pushed to her knees on the ground in front of him. "Now beg, beg for your life and that of your precious heir."
"Let her go."
Steven looked up. Standing of to the side of he was tormenting Elenna stood the heir. No as the boy stood out of the shadow, Steven could see that his left arm was metal, along with his eye.
"Why should I boy." Steven asked almost hissing at Karter.
"Because it's me you want."
"no, Karter. No!" Elenna screamed.
Standing up Steven drew Elenna up before striking her in the temple and letting her incapacitated body crumple to the floor.
"Now boy, are you going to come quietly."
Staring Steven straight in the eye Karter simply shook his head before running to the side where he picked Elenna's knife up from where she had dropped it. As he regained his feet Karter saw in his peripheral Stevens form rushing at him.
Acting quickly he dove to the side and thrust the knife out to the side. Then with a strike of surprise he felt it tear into flesh. Rolling out of his dive Karter pushed himself back to his feet, a pain in his shin where his bone had cracked. There before him Steven kneeled with is hand to his side, blood pouring through his fingers.
"How boy, did you do that." Steven gasped. "My millennium eye, I should have been able to read your mind. HOW DID YOU STOP ME!" He yelled.
Forcing himself to his feet Steven stumbled towards Karter. His eyes blood shot and red with rage.
"Nobody does that to me, nobody…" Suddenly Steven collapsed to the ground having lost to much blood from the cut.
Stunned, Karter just watched as Steven hit the ground. Had he really just blocked the millennium eyes searching power, and then killed the professional assassin who owned it.
Walking forward Karter kicked Stevens body to make sure it was real.
Yes, Steven was dead. Leaning down Karter rolled the assassins body over and shifting his hand up ran a finger over the millennium eye.
"Can't leave this here." He thought as he forced his fingers into Steven's eye socket. His fingertips running down the sides of the eye. Then at the back of the eye he felt a switch, clicking it the eye popped from Stevens head severing the connections the man's body until it rested in Karter's hand.
Pocketing it Karter ran over to Elenna and pulled her arm over his shoulder. Lifting her he began to move forward dragging her feet over the ground. And in this manner he proceeded down the tunnel toward whatever exit awaited him at the other end.
Me: Thank you to my readers for waiting for this chapter. Sorry for how long it took, I have been busy over the holidays, and for those who read my other story New Blood I have finished half of the fourth chapter. And stay tuned I may be starting a new story soon, however I am not sure if I will put it up as I want to spare time to continue these two stories. Again thank you and keep looking for new chapters.