Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter, nor do I own Marvel.
And so, it begins... the end is coming...
Reviews!
bisda - have no fear, none of that sort of thing is happening any time soon. Nope, no kids, because I agree - it would be a bit weird at this point.
starboy454 - yes, I've been planning to include Sinister since the start. He's such a devious little creep and I love him.
Chapter 9: Infiltration
Laura gazed in wonder out the windows of the helicopter at the world around her. She never thought it would be so big. Even with the scent blocked by the airtight compartment she was held in, she could tell just how many people were milling about the city below her, among its gleaming towers and bright billboards, illuminating the night time.
"Where are we?" she asked her only companion.
"Tokyo," Tom grunted. "Japan. Didn't you read the file?"
"I wasn't given a file," she answered. "I was told to follow your lead."
"Hmph."
"Tom?"
"X23."
"First, my name's Laura," she said through gritted teeth. She liked the boy - or was it boys - and felt safe around him, but his persona of Tom grated her nerves. She struggled to understand how she enjoyed spending time with him. "But I just wanted to ask something."
"As long as it isn't some inane prattle," he drawled. "Then you can ask a single question before I begin the briefing you obviously haven't been given." The last part was delivered with a glare to the camera.
"Have you ever been here before?" she asked. She knew he'd been sent on missions all over the world, but not whether he's been there before.
"A handful of times," he answered curtly. "The dense population lends itself to abduction and assassination, and the high volume of technology firms affords many opportunities for sabotage."
"Thanks."
"Don't mention it," Tom said. "Now, for the briefing. We are here for a covert assassination. We will be going in and out, and, hopefully, the only person we'll be fighting is this man - Makarato Todora."
He held up a picture of a Japanese man, with long black hair, and a dragon tattoo peeking out from beneath his suit.
"Who is he?" she asked, though that wasn't really what she bent. She was asking whether they were killing an innocent man.
"Makarato is the current head of the Hei Makar, a mid level Yakuza gang," he replied. "The main compound is located in residential Tokyo, currently occupied by an approximate force of three hundred grunts and twelve lieutenants, known within the gang as the Twelve Sins. These are… classical fighters, and will most likely be armed with katanas passed down by their ancestors."
Laura frowned. "That's a lot of grunts." At least she no longer had to fear shedding innocent blood. On this excursion, at least.
"Yeah, and that's not even counting the mercenaries he's probably hired," Tom said, shaking his head. "Most likely, they're going to be the biggest problem. They won't be bound by the laws of honour the lieutenants will be, and will probably be better trained."
"Why's he got mercs, if he's just a mid level gang?" Laura asked. "This sounds like what a higher level gang would do."
"Makarato recently tried to open up a business in America," he replied. "Manhattan, to be precise. Fisk wasn't happy. Hence, we're here to make the problem… go away."
And there it was, the gnawing pain of guilt. Killing one criminal to help another. "So, how are we going to do this?"
Tom pressed a button on the display, changing the picture to a three dimensional blueprint. "This is the facility. See here? Laser guarded ventilation hatches. After that, no defences."
"So you intend to breach that," she realised. "And then have free reign through the facility."
Tom nodded. "Yep. Now suit up. We'll be dropping in five."
Laura had been given a suit for the mission. It was simple, especially when compared to Tom's. It was a padded black catsuit, providing minor protection without restricting movement. With it was a balaclava large enough to loosely conceal the bottom half of her face. She hated it. It made her look like the assassin she was.
Tom paused his preparation for a moment, inexplicably distracted by the athletic shape of his partner. He cursed under his breath. It had been happening more and more often as of late, and he didn't understand. Why did he get so distracted around her? Why did his thoughts keep drawing back to her, thoughts that didn't even picture her bathed in blood? He hated her… didn't he? She took his eye! But did he care anymore? He didn't know.
He spat a curse, before continuing suiting up. Harry was the emotional one. Leave this to him.
Tom's suit was far more substantial than Laura's, consisting of thick Kevlar plating, allowing substantial protection but not so much restriction on his movement as full Kevlar. Like Laura, he had been given a bandana, but unlike he's, it clung tight to his entire face, a single eyehole exposing his remaining eye, his eyepatch concealed with the rest of his face.
Unlike Laura, he was laden with a vast variety of weaponry, each giving a plethora of options for any given situation he came across. Across his chest were a pair of straps, tying a pair of katanas to his back, ready to draw whenever he required more reach than his claws provided. At his waist were a pair of handguns, capable of combining to create a more powerful, further ranged gun, a sort of pseudo sniper. A taser hung from one side of his belt alongside a dagger, a torch from the other, and a pouch full of assorted small tools sat at the centre. Concealed beneath his swords was a small bag, full of various mechanical components and chemical formulas. Attached to the two straps were a pair of bandolas, the left holding half a dozen throwing knives, and the right holding what was deemed as his last ditch weapon.
The weapon took the form of a set of adamantium vials, capped with a needle, ready for injection at a moments notice. Each contained a serum holding a single X-Gene, ready for emergency integration into his own DNA. The use of one could turn a battle in his favour - the use of an extra mutation for an hour or so - but he couldn't do so often. Without Doctor Windsor, the production of new vials was long, costly and resulted in many failed attempts, completely ruining the sample it was derived from. So, it would be his emergency back up weapon, in case he fought a foe he couldn't defeat.
"You ready?" he asked, having received a notification, warning them of the approaching drop.
Laura grunted, making her way over to the bay doors at the back of the helicopter, ready to retract and leave them without a floor to stand on.
Tom shook his head, standing just off to the side - where the floor would still remain. "Okay, we'll be dropping in three-" a pneumatic hiss signalled the deactivation of the airtight seal. "Two-" A whir of pulleys and pistons began the retraction. "One-" the floor pulled away, and Laura dropped out of the helicopter with a sharp shriek, stifled immediately by intense training.
Tom chuckled, stepping over the lip of the whole, rolling to a stop on the rooftop below. Beside him, Laura slowly pulled herself up, broken limbs snapping back into place. "You know, I would think you'd be a bit more graceful."
"Shut up," she growled. "You could have warned me.
"Less chatter, more moving," the voice of Ajax buzzed in his ear. Right. The camera in his chest. "The longer you're there, the more likely you are to be found."
"Yeah, yeah," Tom muttered. "Do shut up. Your dulcet tones are distracting."
"You will obey-"
"Sure," Tom said, switching his earpiece to the private channel he shared with Laura. He looked over at Laura. "Come on then."
The pair made quick work of the rooftops, vaulting over obstacles as they rose and fell with the stone platforms, until they found themselves overlooking an alleyway, separating themselves from their target.
It was a taller building than the others around it, a dull grey building, stained with smog, with a slightly irregular shape. Despite its height, it was a sprawling complex, easily capable of confusing an inexperienced intruder. Unfortunately for the Hei Makar, Tom was the complete opposite of inexperienced.
He pointed out a thin finger at a glowing panel on the side of the building. "The vent."
"Right," Laura muttered. "So, what do we break?"
Tom tutted under his breath. "This requires a subtle touch. It has a two-fold defence - one inside, and one outside. The outside is simple - all you need to do is pull a lever. That'll deactivate the alarm for the inside panel, where I can manipulate the electronics, shutting down the lasers."
"In case you didn't realise, the lasers are between you and the panel," Laura growled. "Your plan sucks."
"Doubting me already, X23?" he chided.
"My name is Laura!"
"Hush!" he said, enjoying teasing his partner. He shouldn't - it interfered with the mission. If anything, he should want to kill her! He did, partially, but he found her company… pleasant. He let out a growl. What was wrong with him? "Anyway, see that panel there?" Laura nodded, seeing a yellow box on the wall of the second story, only a single story below the vent entrance. "You head on over there, and pull on the lever. Let me know when you do."
"Fine," she hissed. "And what will your lazy ass be doing?"
He smirked. "Waiting." He disappeared in a burst of brimstone smoke, leaving her alone on the rooftop.
"Arsehole," she spat, irritable. She may, for some inexplicable reason, enjoy his company, but sometimes she just couldn't stand him. Shaking her head, she took a running jump, flipping off the edge of the rooftop, her slender fingers finding purchase on the building's window sills.
It was a slow and tedious process, but eventually, she managed to reach the security box, a single claw used to prise open the door. She spat a curse at the sight before her.
"Tom?" she hissed into the earpiece. "There's three levers."
"Oh, yeah," he drawled, sounding uninterested. "Yeah, just pull the red one."
She looked at the levers. They were all painted matte black. "There isn't one."
Tom was silent for a moment. "Well, shit."
"Does it matter if I pull the wrong one?" she asked, hand resting on the central lever.
"Oh, I don't know - how do you feel about killing the building's electricity and drawing the entire Hei Makar to your location? Or simply a blaring alarm?"
She removed her hand. "Well, I don't hear you having an answer."
"...pull the right one."
"You sure?"
"No, I'm not sure," he groaned. "Confident, yes. Sure, not in the slightest."
"Okay…" Laura murmured, resting her hand on the lever. "Pulling it… now!" She wrenched the lever downwards. She shut her eyes, holding her breath for a moment."
"...I think it worked," Tom said. "No alarms, lights still on, no mass movement. Just have to hope that the alarms are deactivated. Keep holding it down, will you?"
Up in the vents, Tom reached into the satchel on his back, pulling out a set of components, combining them into a crude circuit converter. "Here goes nothing." He pulled out a small wire from the circuit board, replacing it with his device. "Done. It's in."
"Umm, Tom?" Laura asked hesitantly. "The lasers are still up."
"Well, of course they are," he spat. "You're still holding the lever, aren't you?"
"...of course not."
He raised his eyebrow as the laser grid shut off with a stutter, revealing an opening. "Of course not. Get up here."
A few minutes later, and the pair were crawling through the vents, communication relegated to simple hand gestures in which Tom would guide Laura through the vents towards Makarato's accommodation.
He raised his hand in a clear signal to stop, before slowly, silently removing a roof panel, exposing the room below, a cloaked figure relaxing in his bed. Dropping here would let them fall behind him, striking him unseen.
Tom relayed this information through a flurry of hand gestures, before dropping down, the impact only audible to his heightened senses. Laura fell beside him, somehow even quieter thanks to her slender frame.
He lunged at the Makarato, pinning him to the ground. "Good morning, Mr Makarato? Do you know why I am here?" He flipped up the man's hood, before frowning. He pulled his balaclava off, to glare at the man. "You aren't Makarato."
The Japanese man held a passing resemblance to their target, but was clearly not the same man. He gave a toothy grin. "The Boss is smart, American. He knew you were coming for him. And now, the guards are coming for you."
Tom lifted the man by his collar, slamming him into the wall. "Where is Makarato?"
The man spat in his face. "I won't speak, American."
"Tell me what I want to know!" he yelled, slamming the man's head against the wall.
The moment his flesh meant his victim's, something strange occurred. A rush of some strange energy coursed beneath his skin, winding through his fingers into the man, and in return came a flurry of images.
He dropped the man in shock, staggering backwards. The man attempted to scurry away, but was quickly put down by a slash across the neck, courtesy of Laura.
"Tom?" Laura queried. "Are you alright?"
Tom blinked, making sense of what he had seen. It was some sort of telepathy, localised to physical contact. "Fascinating… some sort of latent ability, unconnected to the X-Gene? My file did contain an unidentified energy…"
"What?"
Tom shook his head. "I have what I need. Makarato has been moved to the safe room. They knew we were coming - or rather, they knew someone was coming. Isn't that right, Pointdexter?"
"Damn, son, you're good," came a drawl from the shadows, followed by the emergence of the speaker. He was dressed in spandex, black with white highlights, complete with a white target sketched across his forehead. "Surprised I haven't heard of ya before now, with those skills. And please, call me Bullseye. We are on a mission, of course."
A/N: Yep! Harry - or Tom, rather - and Laura are on a mission! And it will take (*thinks for a moment*) three chapters! And then, there will be one more, and this arc will be over! Woo-hoo!
As for Makarato and the Hei Makar, they are OC. I kinda needed a Yakuza that was slightly a threat, but not too much. Hence, Makarato was born. Have no fear, he will not be a prominent character - he's just a handy punching bag. Also, I know almost nothing about Japanese names, so I just made something up that sounded kinda Japanese.
And yes... that was touch telepathy, aka Psychometry - a magical trait.
As for the new characters:
Wilson Fisk - aka the Kingpin of Crime, basically a very strong, very large man with lots of money, who controls the vast majority of the New York underworld, and connections across borders. While not the most powerful physically, his influence makes him truly dangerous.
Benjamin Pointdexter - aka Bullseye. A slightly insane hitman who works for Fisk. He is able to hit anything with any form of projectile, even if he throws it, and even with ricochet. Has a tendency to use playing cards simply to show off.
Next week comes part two of this tri-part finale!
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Until next time, this is JaguarAJG, signing off.