Chapter 4: Murder and Martyrs
In all my years of being of being a hitman I don't think I've seen such a juicy target. Yes you can say it is overly ambitious and will probably get me killed but look on the bright side, you get rid of me for as long as time continues. Besides, ambition is the brother of innovation and you need that. Honestly, what would you do without me? I'm a symbol for all that you despise. I don't align myself with a faction or side that demands we be put into one group, I contradict what you have upheld and called 'sacred', and I love to poke fun at what I do. I admit it, I'm a sick son of a ! #$%, which almost makes me more dangerous than most. If you put a sane person on the spot about their insecurities they grow paranoid, mad, and question what they stand for. Me, oh I'm too far gone to reason with, I have grown to the point where I logically can condone the things I do. You won't find me frazzled by the things you say, I might actually agree with you on some point. Sincerely from one madman to another, The Welder.
It was the beginning of the dusk when the sky was turning orange but blue still hung on the clouds like a broken branch stuck on a tree. Of course I couldn't be bothered to notice as I was busy at table with sparks and small bits of metal flying of a helmet that belonged to my found 'compatriot' Takeda. After removing his armor I was able to get a better look at the samurai's armor. While ornate in theme, he made it very practical; hooks to keep the chains he wrapped around his arms from falling off willy-nilly. His helmet had a tactical visor that let him see in multiple views was what he told me when I was about to rip it apart to see if I could make a better. I replaced damaged pieces with the best replicas I could make, which is pretty damn good mind you, while giving it a few upgrades. Sure I've had to stay up all night but I do that enough already so it didn't bother me. Takeda woke up after sleeping all day from our scuttle last night, an ice pack was pressed up against his short brown hair where he had developed a bump. I swear I don't have the slightest clue where he would've received such a nasty bump.
"What are you doing?" He asked in an annoyed tone.
"I am making you some new armor," I replied taking the grinder off, "think of it as an apology."
"For what? Kicking my ass?"
After nodding to myself I gave him a different answer, "We'll just say it's for anything I do in the future."
He took a long look at it, grabbing pieces and putting them back down, rotating, and sizing them next to his older armor. "Sorry but I must decline."
"And why would that be?" I asked thoroughly surprised, "Were my calculations off, the color scheme not right, oh wait don't tell me you're a filthy carbon fiber person."
"No it isn't that, it's just that," he began before looking at his old armor which had been placed on the table beside the new version for a good long time finally picking up the helmet and staring into the visor, "it's an old family heirloom."
"Heh, oh well then," I said picking up the new pieces and placing them in a big bin full of other bits of metals, "I can find a new use for those."
"What just like that, no remorse or comment on how long it took you, nothing to make me feel guilty?" Takeda questioned.
"It's metal, metal can be melted down and changed however you please, besides I've spent a week making a catapult the size of a small airship," I commented.
Takeda stood there, with a 'are kidding me look' then promptly saying the magic question: "Why?"
"It was midday and the only thing on were stupid talk shows with forty to fifty year old something ladies talking about crap that doesn't involve them, so I started working on a catapult to launch them all into space. I didn't look at the clock until it was a week past. Still have it I think."
"No, no you don't need to find it!"
"Oh why not? We can launch you to Mr. Sherwood's house, it would just take about three hours if the winds were perfect."
"You figured out how long it would take for me to get there by catapult?"
"If you prefer I could make you a trebuchet? We can use all the armor I spent hours making as a weight. How was that for a retort!" I suggested already starting to think of designs in my head.
You know those looks that have that demeanor of 'shut up or I'm going to kill you?'? That was the look Takeda was giving, and damn he was good at it.
"Just get ready, we're going to pay our little friend of ours a visit in ten," I told Takeda breaking the silence.
I left Takeda to his own devices while I grabbed a belt of my refined grenades with the remote detonator going in my coat pocket. After placing fresh canister of patent pending fuel into the pack attached to my back I clamped the Reason A and Reason 2 on my corresponding arm. I leaned up against the hood of my suped up monstrosity of a car when Takeda followed in his old armor, if he dies all I'm going to say is I told him so. The engine roared to life, the ground below it glowed orange and red from the glow of the engine. Clouds were starting to come in more aggressively, with each making the sky a bit more darker, the night would be with us. Two hours later of silence we arrived at Mr. Sherwood's estate, the man knows how to live large, a huge white mansion with a long almost maze-like backyard. There must've been a party tonight because a long line of people and cars were lighting up the night sky. We stopped out on a ledge overseeing the whole estate, getting a good side view.
"We'll have to go through the back," Takeda said looking through his visor, "there may be more guards but we don't have to deal with unnecessary violence with people who are trying to have fun.
"Oh, come one where's you're sense of adventure my samurai friend?" I asked putting my arm around his shoulder.
"Where you slammed me into ground."
Good point, I thought nodding to myself, "Okay then, let's split and meet at the back door."
"What you're crazy we'll be going into them head on, it's suicide."
"Wouldn't be the first time for me, and definitely won't be the last," I said jumping off the ledge we were just on.
Sliding down was fun, if you like kicking up dirt and going body-first into a hedge. After ripping the inside of the hedge apart I dramatically out of the hedge, at least it would've looked dramatic in slow motion (life finds a way). A black suited bodyguard with stereotypical shades jump scared himself. As the pistol he reached for was coming up I roundhouse kicked it out of his palm and grabbed him the arm. I pulled on him and as he stumbled forward and uppercutted his chin knocking him cold while doing an impressive flip, quite the feat for a cookie cutter security personnel. Going through the maze I was running through guards trying to keep as quiet as possible. While sprinting I vaulted myself on top of a guard and tossed him as momentum carried me through the other side. When I let go he got stuck in the hedge and I took his badge off him, he won't be needing it anymore. As I got closer to the door I tried to communicate with Takeda, we put earpieces before we did this (we're professionals what do you take me for?).
"Takeda," I radioed in, "I'm close to the door how about you?"
No answer for a few minute but then the sound of fighting screeched its way into the earpiece. I saw a guard go high into the air. At least he gives me a signal, I sighed shaking my head, this is why I work alone. By the time I got there Takeda was being a bad 'a' double 's'; three guards were unconscious and he had two guards wrapped in his chains struggling to crawl away. He whipped the two chains which made the two groan and he swung his arms across one another and the chains went likewise. The two guards were ripped from the ground and before they went to the opposite side he lodged his elbows into their stomach. Their expressions were priceless, tongues sticking out, their eyes wide, and their limbs going extending farther than their bodies were. They fell to the floor, probably in so much pain they didn't care that he took their key cards. He turned and saw me and was surprised with his visor's digitized representation of eyes.
"What are you doing here?" He asked.
"Well you- the guy flying the- you know what never mind. We got a party to crash.
We got the door, it was large but wooden, shame it was decorated so wonderfully. Takeda used the heat vision mode on his visor, they went from light blue to a red but not a dark red.
"Two guards on the edges of the door," he relayed to me, "by the looks of it they're moving the people out."
"How long till they're all gone?"
"Maybe thirty seconds."
I grabbed a cylinder from my belt and placed it right in front of the doors. "This will hurry it up by twenty-seven."
"What's that by any chance?"
"This is a bomb," I answered picking up the samurai and chucking him over the side of the stairwell.
We got in position as I pulled out the remote detonator out of my pocket. The small hand-gripped shape was caressed by my fingers with my thumb flipping a small red cap. Underneath the cap was a red button; in white paint drizzled on for effect were the words 'the fun button'. Hah indeed, were the only words going through my head when I pushed 'the fun button'. With a loud bang the bomb did its one and only job, the great magic trick as I like to call it. The doors were gone, nothing but splinters and scorch marks were left from whence they stood. I don't even know what happened to the two guards, the party attendees were on the floor in fear as some scuffled out. I walked into the hall past the smoke with my arms crossed behind my back and a little hunched over. They were scared, desperate, it was almost amusing but they weren't my target; only those who stand in my way get the verdict.
"Can any of you tell me where I can find is?" I asked the crowd switching my voice to the garbled tone of my disguiser.
They stood silent, in fear naturally, until Takeda came up beside me, "Now, now we wouldn't want any of you to have the dear misfortune of dealing with my samurai friend here while I go take my sweet time finding Mr. Sherwood now do we?"
They all pointed to a hallway that was well lit with ornate lights shaped like parts of a chandelier, red carpet that differed from the tile floor that was the main room of the house.
"Thank you, your compliance has spared you….for today."
We both walked down the hallway, multiple guards stepped from the corners with pistols up and shot wildly at the two of us. Almost reflexively Takeda pulled out his two chains and swung them in a circle at unbelievable speed somehow blocking all the shots. He lunged a chain at the guard at the far right that wrapped around his leg and pulled him down. Takeda whipped his arm to the left and the chain responded by doing the same sweeping the other pistol carrying guards. I sprinted down the hall running and bouncing off to gain momentum as a new guard carrying a blade appeared. When I got close Reason 2 sparked to life slicing the blade in two and guard got singed as I punched him into the wall. We ripped through the guards like a poorly made shirt and made it to a large, and thick metal door.
"Well what now?" Takeda asked beating his chain wrapped arm on the door.
"Helloooo," I replied letting Reason 2 ignite once more, "there's a reason I'm called The Welder."
Placing my arm near the door Reason 2 began to cut a large blob that could be considered a human being. Once I had finished I pushed up against the door to see if it would budge, it wouldn't so I ran my fingers over it.
"Great job there all powerful Welder," Takeda sarcastically noted.
I removed my fingers from the door and took a step back and did a full 'sparta' kick to the door. It fell flat down with a loud *clang* and then I looked at Takeda. "You were saying," I retorted to the samurai who gave me that look from earlier. We walked inside and found Mr. Sherwood in a bed with gold satin sheets. He was scared, like most people who see me and I was with a legitimate samurai this guy must be setting off the richter scale. He was old with white hair in a spire mess and a white mustache that was bushy.
"We-well what do you want?" He asked us.
"I'll let my friend do the talking," I said moving to the side of the room.
"Thanks Welder, he said almost in a 'bite me' tone and then he preceded to tell Mr sherwood of his predicament. After a long talk Mr. Sherwood pulled out a file full of papers that if it got in the right hands it could bring down his whole life, what a shame. "Well then Mr. Sherwood thank you for your time, I'm sure the courts will give you some leniency for handing over the papers."
"You're not going to kill me?" He questioned, almost relieved.
"Nope, that was not my mission, only to get the information. Come on Welder let's go."
"You go on ahead, I'll cover our escape and don't wait for me, just go."
"Are you sure it doesn't seem necessary?"
"Just go I'll meet you back at the warehouse."
He left breaking a window in the process, the jerk those were nice windows. But now that I have my target in private I can fulfill my duty. "Now you get to listen to me."
"What is it do you want? Money? Land? My company?"
"Oh no it's none of that, trust that stuff isn't interesting to me. I have been asked to kill you for the crimes you have committed."
"But the other one said I could live."
"I know and it pains me to go back on my word to someone who I admire, but orders are orders…"
I grabbed mister by the collar and smacked his head against the side rail of his bed. He went out cold, not dead….yet. I placed a canister in the room and scorched the side of the wall with my name, it's my calling card, then I slowly welded the metal slab back on the door. I took a deep inhale and turned invisible, then I punched 'the fun button'. I returned to the car on the ledge as it began to pour, a thunderstorm was going to arrive. When I was leaving the red a blue lights of sirens illuminated the sky, I chuckled as once again they were too late. I returned to the closed doors of the warehouse, just as I left you. I went to go open the doors when a branch snapped and a familiar voice came back.
"You ! #$%^&!" Takeda's voice yelled.
As I turned to see where the voice came from I got punched at a great velocity sending me sprawling. As I sat up and looked up at Takeda I began to chuckle uncontrollably.
"What do you find funny here? We had deal!" He exclaimed.
"You think my word means anything, I'm a murder by nature. So when you heard that I was hunting Mr. Sherwood do you think I wouldn't kill him."
"You know what I was wrong. Wrong to think that in this business there might still be people who have enough decency to honor another's agreement."
His chains fell to the mix of dirt and water with the rain bouncing off the links. So that's how we're going to play, I thought to myself. He lashed one chain over his shoulder which broke the pre-desecrated wall beside me. Out of pure speed I flicked a cylinder bomb out past the face of Takeda, who saw what they can do, leaped back into the forest. This gave me enough time to get back to my feet and spark both my torches to life. In the dark and stormy night they shone like a beacon, or a target if you want. Out from the trees Takeda jumped over my head bringing his chains down. Taking a small hop back I avoided the samurai. He began to spin the chains like fan blades flourishing them in practiced positions. One chain smacked my jaw which caught me off guard and really hurt, probably the first time in a while something has hurt. He smacked me with the other chain and I began to get pissed. After typing in a key command the torches began to spin faster. Finding the opportune moment I threw a fist into the flourishing chains so my hand went cleanly through it. The samurai side stepped and the tree behind him was cut instantly, that is the level of temperature were talking about. Takeda stopped spinning his chains, which wrapped back into place perfectly may I mind you and charged me. Because of the mushy footing he was able to put me on my back as he was on top.
"You gives you the right!? To kill somebody! The right to make that kind of decision!" He yelled with each sentence ending with a punch.
With the last punch I heard the clinking of glass and the feeling of shards touch the skin of my face. At that point the next punch I grabbed and pulled away only to punch Takeda in the face hitting his mempo. We both straightened up and stood apart from each other. A lightning bolt struck the ground that may have been off in the distance but from the side it was perfectly in the middle of us. He was beginning to bleed where I hit his when the lightning flashed the sides of our faces, he could probably see the color of my eye as well. We both looked at each other, dead in the eyes, we charged at one another. Our hands met as we were put in, as I like to call it, the 'Arm Lock of Destiny'. We stood where the only motion was our arms going back in forth. In all my years in being The Welder I don't believe I have met somebody who could go toe to toe with me and I loved every bit of it, even to the point where I started t chuckle again.
"What's so funny?" Takeda asked.
"Oh, nothing," I replied, "I just love this. Two different ideals finally fighting it out the way it was always meant to. It's almost poetic."
"Sure. It's 'poetic'. You kill people for a living; I bring them to justice!"
"As do I."
"How!? You kill them before they are given a chance at a fair trial!"
"And where was my fair trial when I was killed years ago!?"
"What are you talking about!? You're still alive right now you crazy ! #$%^&!"
"When I died years ago no one knew, no one cared, even the man who said he cared for all of us left us to die! So tell me 'oh honorable one' where is the fairness in that!?"
"I don't know who let you die, but exacting revenge won't solve anything!"
"Oh but are you sure? While I kill more and more don't you think that maybe I do them a service when cretins like Mr. Sherwood had court judges in their pockets. I do them a favor when I am an unbiased executioner."
"You're completely insane!" No wonder you have died once before because you went crazy! You probably killed the other people you were talking about!"
At this moment my anger had reached its tipping point. "You think I killed them? The only people who cared about me! The only ones who enjoyed my company! The only person who I ever loved!" As I went on I began to push Takeda down, his eyes began to fear like Mr. Sherwood's. "You cannot comprehend the things I saw before I became this….this WRETCH!" As I pushed him down I swept his legs and he fell. I got on top of him and started to punch him like he did to me only I didn't care. He may have been someone I admired once but he crossed the line that no one shall cross. I raised my arm and Reason A flared with a blue flame, Takeda raised his hand, it was weak and he barely breathed out a 'please'. "What? Don't want to die a warrior's death? I taunted as I began to bring down the killing blow. But before I killed the samurai, just before the torch touched him I stopped, more like froze. It was one of those moments where the whole world stood still, even if it was just for a second. A voice came into my head. I stopped the torch and helped Takeda back up and we walked inside the warehouse.
I patched up his wound and fixed my goggles, then I sat on a stool and stared at a work table. I dropped Takeda off in a small town a few days laters after clearing up the whole debacle. We decided to stay in contact in case we needed help, I told him to wait a while before he does because I had some stuff to sort out.
"Before you killed me you stopped. Why?" Takeda asked.
"Something came back to me, something I thought was long gone. Trust me I'll need you for it when the time comes."
"Okay, if you ever need help in the meantime, you know what to do," he finished closing the car door.
"No problem." I said in the privacy of the quiet car, "The anniversary is coming….it's coming…."