For the first time in my career, I found myself amazed by where my mission took me. I never had any interest in anything Chinese, but as I crossed the snowy mountains at night and going through detailed towers, I had to hold myself back not to spend the time gazing at the sights.
I had only two targets left. Considering how I killed every other member of the Fiendish Five, I didn't want the tradition to continue. Muggshot just received the 'Best New Arrival' award from his prison. I didn't want the Panda King literally walking into a cell and then leaving ten seconds later.
Thankfully, he had a known record, unlike his former comrade. He came from a proud family of fireworks experts, and on his 16th birthday, he received a chance to run the entire fireworks display on New Year's Eve. It was supposed to be his big debut.
But he ended up burning down his own village.
But don't feel sad for him. It became his main way of making money. If you don't pay, you get blown away. If any law enforcement came by, he would cause a avalanche to literally cover his tracks. And because he had a base deep in the narrow Kunlun Mountains, it made it next to impossible to lead a air assault. The only downside is while he could live here for as long as he want, he could never leave. All the army could do was to set up a ring of watchtowers to catch anyone who left the mountains.
Getting in actually provided a worthy challenge. The Chinese army didn't hire complete idiots; they hired people who checked behind them every minute. I wasn't used to knocking out people and stealing their clothes, but it was the only way into the mountains, outside of scaling up a sheer thousand foot mountain face. My scythe could support my weight and could pierce the rock, but I wouldn't be able to support the scythe for long.
The Panda King had a giant metal factory to make his fireworks, which stuck out with the Oriental buildings. Destroying it would be simple. Find the room where they kept the black powder, (Like a freezer with a tight lid) move a couple cans of it to where the fireworks are actually made, light and run.
Of course, Panda King came first in my book. But leaving the factory running would just make him a martyr to his followers. But I had a plan. Hide a bomb, and explode it in front of Panda King's eyes. Let him watch as his empire crumbles right in front of him. And if he so wishes, I will gladly end his misery.
"Do they have any Moo Goo Guy Pan?" Murray spluttered out.
As much as I was loving the mission, there was a downside. Of course. Why wouldn't there be. Initially, I thought I would need Murray to help me with destroying the factory. But as we barely snuck through the guard tower and into the range, I realized it would be easier just to make a bomb on the spot. What was I thinking? It wouldn't be very stealthy if a giant hippo was tearing apart a machine.
"I'm not sure that's not how you pronounce it." I replied back, keeping my voice low to avoid detection and nice enough to not piss Murray off.
I should discuss Murray. The death of his 'mother' had left him in a pitiful state. In the two weeks that took us from that wretched swamp to the beautiful mountains, he barely spoke. He sure ate a lot though. At least when we did small jobs for the pay, he helped out big time. His brute strength might not seem like ideal for assassination, but when you got a gator twice the size of the three of us stacked together, you need it.
But I always killed the targets when the back was turned. He never knew about Mz. Ruby. He didn't need to. He doesn't need to feel sad for a monster, or any monster for that matter.
"So, what's the plan?" He asked.
"First off, avoid breaking anything that is red." I warned him. "From my experience, anything red means something dangerous. Usually that means fire or explosions or both."
"Okay." He bobbed his head.
"Second, don't eat anything."
"Sorry."
"Third…we're going to hit the factory first, plant the bomb and then we go after the Panda King." I pointed to the tallest tower, literally placed inside the mountain across a deep gorge. "Bentley believes he's up there. I'm inclined to believe him. Look at the other towers. Notice any difference?"
"The big one looks more bulkier."
"Good. That means that the tower is metal under the wood panels."
"Why would you do that?"
"For protection. Meaning something…or someone important is inside."
"How do we get over there?" Murray pointed out. I scanned the area for any signs of a retractable bridge. It looked like the tower had a slot for it, but I didn't see where the bridge would come from. Presumably, it was hidden in the snow.
"We'll look for the bridge later." I pointed my scythe to the factory. "We'll head there first."
For a giant walking tank, Murray managed to sneak past some pretty watchful eyes. The Panda King knew that the factory was a linchpin, and once plucked, everything would fall apart. And I bought somebody to pull that pin out.
Getting through the factory was fairly tough, but again I shall detail in lovely glory, this place is better than that swamp. I swear, I'm going to need therapy once I finish this. Anyway, the factory wasn't meant to hold firefights, it was just a factory. Cover was hard to come by, but so far, so good.
However, the hardest problem was dealing with the guards. Murray might be missing some lights off the Christmas tree, but if I killed anyone in front of him he would figure out the truth what really went down with Mz. Ruby. Of course, my scythe would have given it away. So playing easy became a lot harder, given the fact I never really practiced non-lethal take-downs and Murray could break their necks by flicking them.
At least we made it through without any trouble. That's always a good thing to report. Armed with a few pounds of black powder in tow, we made tracks for the room where the cargo was ready for shipping. As I searched the room for a good hiding spot for the bomb, Murray began to talk. So glad I took out the guards first.
"What are you going to do with the Panda King?" He asked.
"Let him watch as his place goes down." I replied, telling him the 'truth'. "I take my Codex page and beat a hasty retreat before the army moves in to check the explosion." I reached into my coat pocket and handed Murray a map. "Here, after the bomb gets set up, follow the path through the mountain and get back to Bentley. I'll catch up."
"Sly?"
"Yes?" I groaned from underneath the truck near the biggest dump. By my predictions, the bomb would set the truck ablaze, light the fireworks and send them all over the factory to explode in a bright fashion.
"Is he going to die too?"
I already had a excuse lined up. "It's up to the government around here. He's done a lot of terrible things to the people around here, so if they think that the death penalty is necessary punishment, it's not up to us."
"…okay…" Murray started to walk off in the direction on the map pointed him. He sounded…dejected. As if the populace-approved death was too good for the pyromanic. After I could no longer hear his loud footsteps, I wired the bomb with a receiver strong enough to pick up the detonation signal from the tower.
Everything is set. I started to feel giddy again. So much so, I didn't care about anything else.
Getting to the King took some time. There was a bridge, but it required so many security precautions it was just smarter to find a firework and ride it over. As it turns out, the bridge just happened to be the key to the door, so I needed to climb up the reinforced tower. With careful precision, I dug my scythe into the less thick mountain and had to climb up real slow-like to reach the glass window at the twentieth floor.
But at least crashing through caught the slob's attention.
"Cooper." His voice boomed. As expected of a fat panda who lived like a royal. "I have been expecting you since that fateful day at your house." He cracked his knuckles, expecting a honest one-on-one fight that wasn't going to happen.
I gritted my teeth and gripped my scythe tighter. "At least you were smart enough to prepare accordingly."
"I'm prepared for anything, child." He got into the crane style, ready for his quick death.
"…really?" I smiled. "Then, tell me this. What did I do before I came here?"
He punched the air in front of him. "Should I even care?"
"You should." I withdrew the detonator and held it out in front of him. "Take a wild guess."
"Hmm." The Panda King just…sighed. "My factory is about to explode, right?"
"…and here I thought…"
He snapped his fingers. And after the resounding echo faded, a explosion happened right behind me.
The factory. He blew up his own factory.
He blew up his own damn factory before I could!
"As soon as I heard the news of Raleigh's death, I knew my prediction had came true." He dropped his style. "Leave a crying child over the corpse of his parents, and you'll see the adult laughing over yours."
"You…" I couldn't even talk. So far, all the Fiendish Five had some sort of defense waiting for me. Raleigh basically had a military base. Muggshot surrendered to the law to avoid me. Ruby also had a military base and fought back. The Panda King, a living mountain, a master of bomb-making, blackbelt in his own style of martial arts…just…gave up.
"I've lived a rather sinful life."
"No shit." I got out.
"Your tongue is far more vile than my entire body." The Panda King remarked. He spread his arms to show the place. "I gained all this wealth and glory because of a small accident…one that you know every detail to."
"But you continued like you did it on purpose."
"I had no reason to destroy the home my mother built with her blood and sweat." He sounded angry. But not because of the accident. Oh no. He was angry because it was all over, and he rather die than to be killed. "But when the people turned against me and called me a monster, I decided to grant their wishes."
"Stop trying to defend yourself." I proclaimed, as the sky behind turned a bright orange. "You took pleasure in what you did."
"I did, did I?" He asked, before sighing. "I was thrown here to die, you ignorant child. The only way I can leave if I bribe a dozen men to look a different direction for a minute, and it costs more to get back in. I only left this mountain range three times since I was cast out. First time it was to gather supplies and followers. Second time…we met. And the third time…" He stopped at the third time. "…to pick up the daughter I didn't know I had."
I never felt so infuriated in my life. This...thing…was trying to become…human. I couldn't think straight. I just wanted to silence the ramblings. But I knew better. He blew up his own factory to annoy me; attacking him would be suicidal.
"Jing King fixed my cold heart." He sighed. Again? "I did the extortion business as senseless revenge against the stupid people of the land. She pointed out the obvious flaw in my plan."
"A obvious flaw." I stepped closer. The fire outside was getting bigger, and nothing but time would quell it. "You set fire to villages if they don't pay you. You bury men simply doing their jobs alive. You…" I stabbed him in the chest with my finger. "…you think those aren't obvious flaws?"
He glared. "You blew up a building with men also doing their jobs."
"You have experience."
"…so I have."
"HOW DARE YOU!" I roared as kicked him off his feet. My foot swelled in pain, but I ignored it. "You dare to give up? After all this! All this! For nothing. I came all the way here to kill a monster and all I find is a mouse! You killed my parents, stole pages from a ancient encyclopedia…"
"So you're selfish." He boomed.
"Shut…"
And up I went, as his massive foot bulldozed into my face. I landed right next to the hole I made in the window. Again, he took the floor. " You're selfish. You came for…revenge. Not vengeance. Revenge is a worthless, selfish cause in which no one wins. You could have fought for all the people I killed for nothing, but instead…you aim to kill me for two instead of a thousand."
"So that's what this all about!" I started to laugh. The blow must have rattled my brains. "You blew up your factory just so you can talk down to me!" I cackled. "Like you have any standing!"
"I need to stop you from destroying yourself."
"Whatcha talking about, Willis?"
"Look at yourself." He said. "Dressed in a cloak stained with blood. You have removed many horrible things from this world, but you don't care for the impact. You think killing is the only way to solve problems?"
I couldn't answer that.
"Of course not. Even someone as bloodthirsty as you knows better. You were on planning on blowing up my factory and letting me watch as everything I created goes up in flames before killing, weren't you?"
"Yes." I growled. "I wanted you to suffer."
"But I don't." He…turned his back. Every moment with him was driving me to insanity. "I made sure to have my entire staff to abandon the entire area. Turn themselves in, sneak out, or fight out, it's their choice."
"Spare me." I held my scythe to his throat. He didn't move. "Please. Spare me your holier than thou attitude and submit to the hell you deserve."
"Like a child with a stick." He remarked.
"SHUT UP!" I said, adding to his pool of evidence.
"But yes, I deserve punishment." He got down onto his knees, ready. "I've lived a horrid life, and death is my reward. But…" I again groaned. "…I have only one regret and one thing I'm thankful for."
"I take it's your daughter." I remarked.
"Only as a regret to leave her here in the cold. She's innocent. Your code forbids to harm her."
"…I'll find her mother." I said in a rare moment of kindness, which sprang from the code I keep above all.
"It will be for the best." Panda King bowed his head, ready for the final blow.
"Before you go, one more thing." I asked. "If you're not thankful for your daughter convincing the error of your ways, what are you thankful for?"
He laughed, like it was dumb joke. "One thing."
I bended down so my right ear was right in front of his mouth. "Tell me."
Five words.
All it took was five words.
All it took was five words was to drive me into a rage worthy of the hell-beat Cerberus itself.
"I am not like you."
Fury overtook me. Never before have I felt so much rage exploding in me. The scythe became much more of a axe as I swung down upon his neck.
"STOP!"
But the familiar cry stopped me. Both me and the Panda King looked over to the far side of the tower to see two figures running over to us.
"Murray?" I asked, going even more mental as these events kept on going. I almost forgot about him. Looks like he escaped the blast in time, but he must have followed me here somehow.
"Jing?" The Panda King also asked, more scared than angry or confused.
"Father!" She cried out, her eyes red from crying. She fell into his open arms to cry even more into his chest.
"You shouldn't have come here." The Panda King sternly said.
"But…" She started to say, but she drowned in her own tears before she could continue.
"She helped me get up here, Sly!" Murray proclaimed. "What are you doing? Is he not giving you the pages?"
"…yeah. I'm…being…forceful." I started to stumble. For once, I didn't have a proper excuse for Murray. He usually followed orders to the letter. He never saw anybody killed.
"You haven't told your friend the truth?" The Panda King said.
"He doesn't need to know!" I shouted back. I pointed my scythe at him…and then withdrew.
Jing was laying on top of her father, crying still. No. Wait. It wasn't her. It was me, all those years ago. And the Panda King wasn't the Panda King, it was…my father. But I barely harmed the Panda King…where did the all bloody wounds come from…
No.
No.
NO.
"I WON'T LET YOU!" I screamed, placing my round edge of my scythe into the Panda King's neck.
"What are you…!"
"You know that I watched my father die! YOU WERE THERE!" I flicked my scythe, cutting a thing line into the Panda King's neck. "And now! Now you think I'll spare you because your own child steps over you!"
"I didn't mean for it to be like this!" He sounded panicked! Like he could like that! He's faking! Acting! "She's was supposed to somewhere else!"
"YOU LIE!" I again struck the Panda King, this time in the chest and more deeper. He was starting to bleed out. "You wasted time with nonsense to allow your offspring to get here!"
"NO!" He tried to swipe his arm at me, but he just fell flat on his face and decreasing his life span even more.
"You think this will prevent me from killing you!" I again dug the scythe into his neck, deeping the wound. "You can't do this!"
"FATHER!"
"Shut up!" I slapped her with my free hand.
And then I got slapped by a bigger hand.
"Murray?" I asked, putting my head back on. " Do you realize…"
"I WON'T LET YOU!" Murray repeated, as he dived his hand into the ground where I laid before.
"He needs to die!"
"Like Mommy?" He asked, his voice rising to the rage heard when he beat the Beast to death. He wasn't going to take prisoners.
"This is how things work!" I screamed back, slashing in front of him to keep him back. "The monsters die for the better good!"
"YOU'RE A MONSTER!" He replied, braving my defensive attacks and picking me up. Regardless of my struggle, I got throw out of the window, and not out the same window I came in from. And as I fell out his sight and into the snow, I could hear him helping the Panda King off the floor.
Faking my death to Bentley was harder than I thought. If Murray betrayed me, then so shall Bentley in due time. No earpiece, implant under the skin, nothing. Shame really. Our last conservation was about how I should wear thicker clothes into the mountain range and I scoffed at him. He was right then, but not now.
My clothes were both soaked by the snow and torn by crashing through two different windows. I ditched the pair and switched to the normal clothes I packed nearby. As I watched my clothes burn to hide the evidence, I looked over the pages of the Codex, remarking on another English ancestor of mine who shot the Red Baron just because he thought his mustache was off by a inch.
So I was alone now. Again. I liked it this way. Only one target was left anyway. I already had plans to leave them once Clockwerk laid in his grave. They helped me get this far, and I had no plans to go further with a team. I liked being alone.
But after I escaped the range and made my way to the village nearby, I would have one of my last conservations with somebody close.
"Sly?"
"Carmelita?" The two of us were surprised beyond belief. Again, we met in another part of the world.
"Enjoying your tour I see." She said after we finished hugging.
"Oh yeah. Enjoying your own tour?" I replied after patting her back.
"Not so much. The Grey Sickle is beyond elusive. Have you seen the explosion?"
"Woke me up, but I was on the dark side of the mountain."
"I just the got the report." She pulled out her notepad. "The Panda King's factory was blown up, and the King himself was placed in the hospital for several deep cuts that match the weapon used by the Grey Sickle."
"He survived!" I shouted, nearly blowing my cover.
"…not a big fan of him, huh?" Carmelita asked, leaning on a nearby rail.
"No, not really." I started to backtrack. "Kinda wished he did die."
"Well, he's already healing fast and is expected to make a full recovery in time for trial." Carmelita finished her notes off as she placed the pad back into her pocket. "First Muggshot, and now the Panda King. I guess every other intended victim of the Grey Sickle avoids the death penalty. That might piss him off; he might make more mistakes."
"You have no idea." I grunted.
"Pardon?"
"Nuthing, sis!" I again backtracked. She was right, I was starting to make mistakes. Any minute now, and I would end up just tell her the truth. It was time to go and finish the job anyway.
"So there's only Clockwerk left." Carmelita said.
"Somewhere in Russia." I replied.
"This will be a historic event."
"Indeed." I smiled. "Indeed."