Title: Hitmen

Author: vashsunglasses

Fandom: The Magnificent Seven

AU: The Hitmen Universe (Status-Closed without express permission from me until the story is finished. If you really want to write something, please ask, I'm a nice girl and will probably say yes as long as you link back to me and this story.)

Rating: T

Summary: AU Las Vegas is home to group of seven professional hitmen.

Disclaimer: I don't own "The Magnificent Seven" in any of its incarnations. I am not a hitman and I know nothing about assassination techniques or weapons so don't be too hard on me if I get something wrong. I am making no money from this writing and do this for my own personal enjoyment only.

Warning: The fic contains graphic violence and criminal behavior.

Note: This chapter is the start of a multi-chapter arc so it will be slightly shorter than the usual chapter length. However, what length there is will have action enough for many pages I promise.

Hitmen Chapter Four

The Next Day

Las Vegas 9:43AM

Westside Apartment

Ezra sat in his soft leather office chair and reached for the phone on the desk. He dialed and waited for the person on the other end to pick up before speaking softly into the receiver, "Did you undercut me, Mr. W?"

What?

"I'm asking if you hired some one else to take out Douglas without informing me. Did you?" he purred.

Is this some kind of joke? I heard on the news that you finished the job-

Ezra's eyes flashed and his voice was suddenly very, very serious, "This isn't a joke. I'm not in a joking mood. I put myself and my men at personal risk to complete our transaction only to find that someone beat us to the punch. This situation does not amuse me."

That's good news, if someone beat you to it, I don't have to pay you.

"Oh, really?" Ezra said coldly.

Yes, really.

His voice took on a deadly quality, "I was promised 50,000 dollars upon the death of Larry Douglas, Mr. W, and I intend to collect on that amount one way or the other."

Is that a threat?

"Yes Mr. W, that was indeed a threat. If we don't receive the specified funds within 72 hours we will make another hit, but this one will be free of charge…"

You can't touch me, I have anonymity! You don't even know who I am. This transaction was done anonymously, remember?

"What anonymity? Did you really think that we would take an assignment without checking into the identity of our clients? Do you think I am a fool? The police know my face and my name, yet I still walk free… do you know why that is? It's because I'm not stupid enough to accept a job unless I know for a fact that my client is not a cop or a fed."

heavy breathing

"I really must be going now, Senator-" There was an audible gasp on the other end of the line and Ezra smirked, "-Oops! I mean Mr. W. I will be awaiting your payment. Have a pleasant day."

He hung up the phone and turned to the other two men in the room, "It's not him."

Josiah nodded and rubbed one of his big hands down the side of his face, "So now we pay a visit to our competitors on the east side?"

"What if it's not them either?" Nathan said, looking worried.

Ezra stood up and his face became grim, "Then we tear this town apart until we find him. I will not accept anything less than his total destruction at my hands."

Later that day

Las Vegas 1:08PM

Nellis Super Wal-Mart

Three men moved down the isle in the grocery section of a Super Wal-mart. One of the men was sitting in an electric cart while the other two walked alongside him. One of the men, who was tall and blond, moved slightly ahead as the other man spoke to the man in the electric cart, "Tell me again why we both had to be here with you, Buck?"

Buck looked up from the box of pancake mix he was examining and said, "Because if I don't take Chris, he'll spend the next few weeks mad at me because I didn't get him the cereal he was hungry for and if I don't take you, you'll whine and complain about the quality of the steaks I buy."

Vin smirked, "…so?"

Buck smirked in return and put the box back on the shelf, "So, I can't take any more attitude from you two babies! You can go ahead and leave, I'll be more than happy to pick out steaks for you. And when you complain, and you will complain, I'll also be more than happy to kill you in your sleep." He smiled beatifically.

"Jerk!" Vin hissed and turned to Chris in mock anger, "Don't you think Buck is a jerk, Chris?"

Chris didn't respond; too busy looking off into the distance with a strange look on his face.

"What are you staring at?"

Chris pointed towards the book section which was barely visible in the distance, "Does that kid over there seem familiar to you?"

Buck rolled his eyes at this and went on ahead to finish the shopping.

Vin squinted towards where Chris was pointing, "Which kid? There are a million kids here, Cowboy; you're going to have to be more specific."

"The one with the longish black hair." Chris replied.

Vin stared across the distance for a moment, mentally cataloging every aspect of the young man that Chris had pointed out to him and comparing it to his memories of noteworthy people he had met recently and in the past. "Hmm… Nope, never laid eyes on him before, why?"

"Never mind" Chris shrugged. The two men began to move again and turned the corner into the next isle only to find Buck being held at gunpoint by a large man while a dark skinned man stood in the background and a man who they recognized as Ezra, the infamous assassin, standing in front of him.

Ezra smiled at the two men, "Good evening Gentlemen."

Vin and Chris stopped and glared at the men who dared to put a gun to their friend. Suddenly, Buck pulled a gun from his jacket and pointed it at Ezra's back. Nathan immediately pulled out his gun and aimed it at the back of Buck's head. Chris and Vin pulled their guns at the same instant, with Chris pointing his gun at Josiah and Vin pulling his gun on Nathan.

Ezra smiled even wider. Things had just gotten interesting.

-To be Continued-

Note: So, who's going to come out of this Mexican standoff on top? Will it be Chris' ragtag assassins, or Ezra's sophisticated syndicate? Will they shoot up Wal-mart? What will happen if someone needs to get something from their isle while they are there? Will Chris find the right brand of cereal? Who's that kid with the shoulder-length black hair everyone keeps running into? These questions and more might be answered in the next chapter…