TWO MONTHS LATER

London, England

Miguel Bain sat in the Reform Club in the evening listening to some old haggard go on about a supposed wager between members of the club in the second half of the nineteenth's century, concerning the possibility to travel around the entire globe in less than three months.

An attendant arrived with an envelope that he handed to Bain, who was busy politely smiling to the old man and resisting the urge to punch him in the teeth.

"Whose it from?" he asked.

"He said he was from the office, Sir. He didn't give his name."

"How did he look?"

"He was slightly shorter than average height, had sandy brown hair and a moustache."

The description sounded familiar, but he couldn't figure out what who it was. He accepted the envelope and opened it.

Two coin-like circular iron disks slid out, each was inscribed with a single world in lower case letter. One read lex and the other read talionis.

He went pale, realizing what was the meaning and remembering someone by the description of who was it that gave the attendant the letter.

"Dear Christ, chap," said the old man, "What's wrong? You look like you've seen a ghost!"

"I'm a mark." he mumbled, then the window behind him shattered and the back of his head exploded spraying blood everywhere.

Thirty Minutes Later...

Dorian Gray brushed Bain's face and closed his dead eyes which held a frozen look of disbelief. Sofie Fatale stood behind him watching on, she wondered what emotions were going through her lover's mind and heart, was it fury? Insult? Remorse? It could be any of that and a number of others or a combination of all, but she can never know.

"Who can it be?" she asked.

"Who knows? It could competing agencies, vengeful kin of past victims, but most likely, it was the Shadows."

He picked up the two coins in Bain's palm and read the inscriptions.

"Talionis... Lex... lex talionis: An Eye for an Eye. This was an act of retaliation, revenge for the death of their fallen comrade. This was certainly the work of the Turkish Sniper."

He placed the two disks on Bain's shut eyelids, For the Ferryman" he whispered, then stood up and faced Sofie, "How are the new recruits holding up?"

"The Monk is having trouble abandoning his beliefs, but the mutant is showing great cooperation."

"And the vampire? The Reaper?"

"He doesn't like working with Mr. Trick, but is cooperating as well."

He looked into her eyes and brushed a lock of hair from her face.

"Will we see each other tonight?" she asked.

"For dinner? Sorry, no. Perhaps tomorrow night. I'll let you pick the restaurant."

Meanwhile...

In a high apartment building in one of the better parts of London yet a safe distance away from the League's Headquarters, in the top floor, in the ample balcony, there sat Logan and Skinner, playing chess.

After delivering the envelope with the coins, Judas headed on to the airport to pick up Jekyll who had been out of the country, and drove him to their new quarters.

Turkish had returned to the apartment as well and was in the living room cleaning his rifle when Jekyll and Judas walked in.

"Turkish…" said Jekyll.

"Doctor Jekyll." Turkish replied with a nod, like a solider saluting a superior officer.

"Nice to see you, how is Mr. Bain?"

"Monumentally Dead."

"Good to hear that, well done."

Jekyll and Judas walked on to the balcony where they met Logan and Skinner.

"Hello, Skinner, Logan."

"Jekyll."

"Henry, My Boy!" hollered Skinner as he pulled his old friend into an embrace that lasted for a good fifteen seconds, "How do you like the new base?"

"Nice, not too secretive at all."

"Eheh. We'll they probably didn't expect us to do it twice, do they? Now tell me what did you find?"

"Nothing useful, I'm afraid. Only Dorian knows the secret to his demise."

"Cheer up, Mate." said Judas, "We can always burry him in cement."

"That wouldn't work in the long run, though."

Turkish opened the door to the apartment and saw Natalya standing outside, surrounded by her luggage, waiting to be let in.

"Turkish!" she exclaimed, "It's great to see you!"

She put down her bag and raised her arms to hug him, he smiled faintly and allowed her to wrap her arms around him.

"It's great to see you too. How was Boston?"

"Great. Some of my friends at M.I.T. were very helpful. Would you mind helping me with my bags?"

"Sure."

Turkish picked up her bags and followed her into the apartment.

"I see you've developed an extra pair of eyes." said Turkish as he noticed a new pair of glasses resting on Natalya's nose.

"Weeks of exposure to florosenic light will do that to you. And you, you've shaved your beard."

"I though it would make me look less conspicuous, what do you think?"

"You don't look too repulsive."

"The beard stays off, then."

"Is everybody here?" asked Natalya as she started to open one of her bag in the living room.

"Yes, Jekyll just beat you here by a few minutes."

She spotted the rifle on the couch and her tone of voice changed from upbeat to slightly glum.

"Kill anyone interesting lately?"

"Miguel Bain."

"Miguel Bain? Is he…?"

"Yes."

"Well, he deserves it."

Turkish looked away, seeming to be ashamed to have killed someone, especially if Natalya had found out.

"The rest are over there." Turkish said, pointing to the balcony and sitting back down to clean his rifle.

She walked on by herself.

The shadow brigade gathered in the study, as Skinner and Jekyll stood before them, explaining their strategies for the weeks to come.

"We had been going about it all wrong," started Jekyll, "We were preparing to go at it like soldiers, we were buying weaponry, expecting to go to war with the league, which was a terrible move, we can't survive a war with the League."

"What we must do is play it like Guerillas, Instead. We hit them when they least expect it and run before they know which end is up. So far, the League were slightly irritated by us, now they're raving mad because we killed one of their on and there is nothing they can do about it. We want them to hate us, to loathe us, to crave exacting revenge on us." said Skinner, "Mind Games and Shadow Boxing, those will be the weapons for the upcoming weeks."

"We will also take extra precautions, we will change Apartments once a week at least."

"Of course, at one point, we'll have to actively battle the League, but that won't be anytime soon. We must first obtain necessary knowledge of Big Brother's true identity, Dorian's Achilles Heel and the inner structures of the League's Headquarters, which will referred to as L-H-Q from now on as well as the location of 'the Eye'." finished Jekyll, "Now, Natalya, report your findings."

Natalya stood up to face the five as Skinner and Jekyll sat back down, as she was about to explain what she learned after two Months of Intense Work.

"All-Seeing-Eye can't be hacked."

"Well, that's very helpful!" said Skinner in frustration.

"It is virtually connected to every airport, every intelligence agency, and every computer that would contain records of ID's about Individual's movement, it compares names, physical features and so on to find specific individuals and track down their movements. It is a marvel of Engineering, it is a God as far as all other computers are concerned. I can overwhelm you with floods of Technical Information and Computer Jargon, but I'll spare you, and simply state that to stop it from working, I have to do it from the inside. I have to shut it down from wherever it is, and even that will be difficult."

"Out of the question." said Skinner, "You were hired only as technical support, you were never meant to go in with us."

"Why not?" objected Natalya.

"Yeah, why not?" asked Jekyll.

"Every one else is going."

"Every one else can look after themselves." said Skinner, looking at Jekyll out the corner of his eye.

"And I can't, Why? Because I'm a woman?"

"Yes, and a civilian, you have no combat training or superhuman resources. Look, I'm all for women's liberation, equal pay and all that rubbish. But you're going to have to look for another solution."

"I've been doing that for two months, there's no other way."

Skinner was about to say something when Natalya interrupted him, "And I can't teach someone else to do it. I may need to improvise."

"Alright, you'll go in with us, I don't care. So, if you had access to the Eye, you can kill it?"

"Uhh, theoretically, yes."

"You mean you're not sure."

"No, not really, my plan is not fully developed, but I'm working on it, don't worry."

"What about the League's mainframe, can you hack it?" asked Jekyll.

"Yes."

The meeting was soon concluded and everybody scrambled out to do something or another.

Hours later, Turkish walked in on Natalya as she was typing a series of complicated instructions and commands to be compiled as a computer.

"Do you eat?" asked Turkish.

"What?" she asked as she looked up, not sure if that was actually a question.

"I'm pretty sure the answer is yes. Would you be interested in erasing any doubt?"

"Umm… Sorry?"

"Would you like to get some dinner?"

She shifted between looking back at the screen and looking at him.

"I'm not done yet."

"Will you be done tonight if you keep at it?"

"No…"

"Well, it's pointless then. Have a break."

"Alright.." she said as she got up after a moment of hesitation and exited to the living room which was empty.

"Where is everyone?" she asked.

"Jude went to do some heavy drinking."

"Alcohol?"

"And otherwise."

"Oh.."

"The others have went to buy the weapons."

"Why are you here then?"

"I got banned last time. The dealer wasn't enthralled by my middle eastern charms."

Natalya opened the fridge in the kitchen and found nothing but Logan's beer and some pickles.

"There's no food."

"No problem, let's go out." said Turkish as he put on a jacket.

"Where?"

"There are lots of good restaurants in London, you know, most of which serve something besides that ghastly thing they call English Cuisine."

"Are you annoyed by the surroundings?" asked Turkish as he and Natalya sat at a table in the corner of a loud Turkish restaurant, swarming with immigrants and Britons eating a variety of Turkish and other Mediterranean dishes.

"No. I actually like it." said Natalya with a smile, "I guess I forgot that Turkish was your nationality and not your name. Why do you go by Turkish, I know it's because you're from Turkey, but why don't you use your birth name? What is your name, anyway?"

Turkish didn't answer right away as he chewed and swallowed,

"My former affiliates had made it policy to omit personal identification to facilitate our work. Old habits die hard I guess. What about you, why did you join the team?"

"I could use the money?"

"So you got in on a plot to bring down a major Intelligence Organization? The I.T. job market must be in a rut."

"Well, Skinner promised to pay me a lot of it."

"But, that's not all, is it?"

"Well, there was this man, I used to be romantically involved with him. The League killed him."

"Oh, I'm so sorry, was he your husband?"

"No, it didn't last long either, the bastard cheated on me! But, he saved my life, I owe him."

"You still haven't told me your name." said Natalya after a beat.

"I will, if this all ends and were both still alive, I'll tell you my name."

There was a pause as the two ate.

"Listen, Natalya. I was wondering, do you really find it to be a good idea to go in with us?"

"Oh god!" exclaimed Natalya.

"What?"

"Skinner told you to do this, right? Try and talk me out of it?"

"No. Well…. Yes, though the dinner was my idea."

"I can't believe this!"

"Natalya, Shh." said Turkish, urging Natalya to be silent.

"I won't shhhh! I expect to be tr-"

"PLEASE! Quiet."

Natalya obeyed, sensing something was on, she looked over her shoulder but Turkish ordered her not to do it.

"Don't look, but Ethan Rayne is sitting behind you."

"Can he see us?"

"No, I don't think so. There is another man with him, a tall albino. Do you know who it may be?"

"No. A new recruit?"

"Probably. We should leave."

Turkish placed a stack of Euros on the table and quietly got up and walked to the back.

He peered out of the back door and instantly noticed a number of the League's agents, loitering around, trying to look casual. He dialed Skinner's number and waited till he picked up.

"Skinner?"

"Yeah."

"We're in a bit of a pickle."

"What do you mean?"

"Natalya and I went out to dine, there is a number of Agents outside. Something is definitely going on. Ethan Rayne is in as well. He has someone with him who may very well be a new recruit."

"And EXACTLY what are you doing… Never mind. Where are you?"

"A Turkish restaurant on Watford Street."

"Alright, we'll be there. Stay put till we come."

Skinner hung up.

"Don't think of moving, Captain Kebab."

The click sounded very familiar. He didn't have to turn around to see that some Agent was aiming a Beretta at him.

"Captain Kebab, eh?" said Turkish as he stuck his hands into his pocket, "Did you come up with that just now or did you have to use the hash-pipe drugs to get the creative juices flowing?"

"Shut your trap, cockroach. Walk out, and you too."

Natalya and Turkish couldn't do much but oblige. They had individually come to the conclusion that the situation was as bleak as it could get. They had no weapons, and were being led to enforcers working for their enemies. They crossed the street and walked to a clear area near an ally, a car with tainted windows was parked.

"Well, well," said another Agent, "Two of the Six, we're definitely getting a raise."

There was seven of them in total, they all resembled each other in being of average to well built, wearing dark suits and brown coats, they circled the pair as they stood in an ally.

"Natalya," started Turkish calmly, "Don't fret."

One of the larger Agents punched Turkish in the jaw knocking the wind clear out of him, and sending him to the ground, two others started kicking the fallen Turkish.

"Leave him alone!" said Natalya as she tried to pull one of them back, but he turned around and slapped her.

"Bitch!" he cursed, Turkish tried to go to her rescue but only managed to get beaten some more.

"What now, lads?" asked the Agent, who seemed to be of the highest rank, "What do we do with two captives?"

"Oh, they're too much, Rookwood. We need only one."

"My thoughts exactly. He's an enforcer, he probably knows just a little, while she is a thinker, probably knows about the ins and outs of everything."

Rookwood grabbed Natalya by the arm and pulled her up as she struggled to get away.

"Kill him." He said.

"And her?"

"Oh, she'll soon meet a fate worst than death. It'll soften her up for interrogation back at headquarters."

The other Agents laughed like a pack of wolves having stumbled upon a wounded lamb.

"Don't worry, I'll save the scraps for you." said Rookwood as he headed to the car with the tainted windows, "And for him, make his death last for ages, will you, lads?"

Oh oh! R&R. By the by, I know I said I had abandoned this little fic, but I got a sudden brush of inspiration when I had nothing better to do.