NATURAL BORN KILLER PART 1
"Nulla è Reale, tutto è lecito. Requiescat in pace." (Italian for: "Nothing is true, everything is permitted. Rest in peace.") - Ezio Auditore
Note: There will be French spoken in this chapter. (English translations will be in parenthesis)
Tenay, France, circa 1476 (Earth)
The fallen leaves crunch beneath the cheap and worn brown bateau boots that he wears. The crunching isn't too loud, but it's still audible, which is too loud for him. But still, he has not quite learned how to walk lightly. He's gotten better, but he's still learning. After all, he's just an 8 year old boy.
His blonde hair is a bit on the shaggy side. That suits him just fine. He doesn't like his head being touched all that much and winter is coming, so he could use the warmth for the top of his head.
He's always been tall for his age. He was a big baby as well. C-sections are not available in this time period, and his mother's labor was trying. However, she survived, as did he.
It was a perfect way for this survivor, Laurent L'Andre, to be introduced to the world.
The challenge in front of him today is not survival, however. It's a bit brisk out, but not terribly cold. It's an overcast day, and most of the leaves are off the trees in the eastern French woods. This area of woods is not known for having a terrible amount of bears and wolves in it, due to the village of Tenay being nearby and hunters frequenting the woods for deer, elk, and other game.
No, the challenge is finding an important item in the woods. It's an item that has been strategically placed in these woods, but there are no clues as to its whereabouts except that it's between the two ridges that meet at the north end of this section of woods to form a triangular shape.
And he's not the only one searching for this item.
Laurent treds slowly. He scans the area around him slowly and carefully, studying everything around him, soaking everything in. The wind blows lightly from his right, but not enough to impede any progress. Ahead are a few branches and what looks like a thornbush off to the right. Laurent realizes what contact with that thornbush means: blood, pain, and the possibility of a yelp or a cry of "ow!" He can't have any of that. Not in this game.
Laurent gracefully passes the thornbush, shimmying past it about as carefully as a woman shimmies past a fat man in a tight hallway, trying not to touch him for fear of feeling his sweat.
That challenge cleared now, Laurent continues down the woods, looking for a hint of color amongst the colorless scenery. Color means that this item he seeks will likely be found.
Laurent continues his slow and somewhat careful comb through the woods, searching for whatever it is he's searching for.
Suddenly, he stops and looks up, startled by a group of birds taking off from the branches high above.
He keeps looking up, then around him, assessing the danger. Seeing that there is none anymore, he looks back down and takes a few steps forward.
He looks right quickly and swears he sees something or someone else in the woods. It looked like a man in a black hooded cloak. He takes a few steps that way, but doesn't see anything else. So he goes back the way he was going.
And then he sees it.
About 30 feet ahead of him, he sees the red chochet hat hanging from a tree branch. It's low enough for him to be able to hop up a little bit and grab it. It's his...his for the taking.
But he's not alone in these woods, and he doesn't want to give away his location to his competitor. So he starts creeping up towards the hat. It's here where he makes a critical mistake.
He stops scanning the rest of the woods. His eyes are fixated on the prize ahead of him. He becomes oblivious to his surroundings and he doesn't appear to be in any hurry.
And this is why he fails.
He gets to about 5 feet away from his goal when another boy sprints up to the tree from his right, jumps up and grabs the hat. He laughs at Laurent a bit and then starts sprinting to Laurent's left.
Laurent gives chase. He goes as fast as his shabby shoes will let him. The boy he's chasing is just a little bigger than him, but he doesn't look too much older than him. Maybe 9 or 10 years old, tops.
But this boy is fast. It takes every ounce of energy for Laurent to merely keep up with him. Sweat starts to protrude through his wool shirt. Moss and grass stains from grazing trees and bushes start to stain his wool pants.
Laurent chases the boy through the clearing and towards a small house on a lush pasture, with a fenced in area for some pigs and chickens. Mountains behind the house complete the picturesque small farm.
The boy Laurent is chasing runs up to a tall, lanky man standing near the pig pen. The man looks up when he sees the boys running toward him and starts clapping out of delight.
The boy runs up to the man and says "Ici, vous allez, Papa." (Here you go, Dad.") The man takes the hat from the boy and says "Excellent travail, Tremont." (Excellent work, Tremont).
Tremont cracks a wide, toothy grin and looks at Laurent, who only stands an inch shorter than him. Laurent gazes menacingly back at Tremont, but doesn't say anything.
The older man notices Laurent's look of anger. "Mon fils, pourquoi votre frère vous battre?" (My son, why did your brother beat you?") Laurent gazes at Tremont for another second or two, then turns to his father. He hangs his head in shame and says "J'ai été trop fixé sur le prix, et non pas ce qui m'entoure." ("I was too fixated on the prize, and not my surroundings.")
Laurent's father chuckles a bit, then pats Laurent on the shoulder. Then he turns to Tremont and asks "Comment avez-vous abordé le chapeau rouge?" ("How did you approach the red hat?") Tremont smirks and replies "Laurent a été à nouveau être tout sournoise et j'ai dû lui battre pour elle. Alors j'ai fait." ("Laurent was being all sneaky again and I had to beat him to it. So I did.")
The father approvingly nods, then looks down at Laurent. "Je demande encore une fois, pourquoi vous at-il battu?" ("I ask you once again, why did he beat you?") Laurent sighs and grudgingly says "Parce qu'il est plus âgé que moi et il est plus intelligent que moi!" ("Because he's older than me and he's smarter than me!")
The father shakes his head quickly. "Âge n'est pas nécessaire pour l'intelligence. La sagesse est atteint par l'apprentissage de ses erreurs. Votre échec n'a pas été en ignorant votre entourage tellement. Non, il a été voir le prix et ne pas la prendre. Lorsque vous avez une chance là-bas, juste vous et votre proie, vous n'attendez pas pour l'occasion. Vous le prenez." ("Age is no requirement for intelligence. Wisdom is attained by learning from one's mistakes. Your failure wasn't ignoring your surroundings so much. No, it was seeing the prize and not taking it. When you have a chance out there, just you and your prey, you don't wait for the opportunity. You take it.")
Laurent remorsefully nods and remorsefully says "Oui, Papa." His father lifts his chin up so he can look him in the eyes. "Aujourd'hui n'était pas un échec. Aujourd'hui, c'est une opportunité. Et que faisons-nousdes possibilités?" ("Today was not a failure. Today is an opportunity. And what do we do with opportunities?")
Laurent quickly replies "Nous les prenons!" ("We take them!") The father laughs as he pats Laurent on the back. "Très bon! Maintenant, nous allons profiter de cette occasion d'en manger le souper!" ("Very good! Now, let's take this opportunity to eat some supper!")
Laurent gives his father a sheepish smile and follows him into the house. He says nothing, being the quiet kid he is. But he thinks a lot about what happened today, and what his father told him.
Just as he turns into the house, his mother looks up from setting a pot of stew on the table. "Oh Laurent, pourriez-vous aller et de recueillir du bois de chauffage? Nous sommes en cours d'exécution faible!" ("Oh Laurent, could you go out and gather some firewood? We're running low!") Laurent stomps his feet in anger and says "Mama!" Laurent's father scolds him harshly. "Faites comme votre mère vous dit! Par ailleurs, vous avez perdu tout à l'heure. Si vous avez gagné, Tremont aurait obtenu le bois de chauffage! Maintenant, allez!" ("Do as your mother tells you! Besides, you lost just now. Had you won, Tremont would have gotten the firewood! Now go!")
Laurent stomps off and heads back towards the woods. There's a rack where all of the firewood is cut just inside the tree line. The sun is starting to set off into the west, just beyond the mountains. The sunlight is starting to dim in the valley, signaling nightfall that is soon to come.
Laurent reaches the rack where there's wood stack at least six logs high and 12 logs long. By now, his arms have grown long and strong enough for him to handle four logs at a time on the way back. So he starts to gather logs one by one.
However, as he grabs the fourth log, four men mounted on white horses start to approach his home. Laurent hears the galloping and looks up. He gasps out loud because he knows these men, and these are not the kind of men that his father is known for inviting over. These are not nice men.
Two men stroll into the home carrying large broadswords. Two others remain outside on lookout. Shouting is heard. Laurent can't make it out what is being said, but he knows it isn't good.
And then the screams of his mother and brother are heard, followed by the sound of bodies crashing around the house and the kind of manly yells you hear during a struggle.
Laurent starts getting extremely concerned, but he doesn't accept the worst case scenario quite yet. Those screams from his mother and brother were bloodcurdling, the kind of screams you get when you're stabbed or sliced with a very sharp and pointy object. But no, Laurent still holds some hope.
Laurent's father stumbles out of the front of his house. He's holding his ribs. His face is a crimson mask. He's so weak from being beaten that he kneels down on one knee. Laurent's hope fades.
One of the men inside the house just casually walks out and shouts in a thick French accent "Delmont, c'est ce que vous obtenez lorsque vous défie Leroi-Baptiste!" ("Delmont, this is what you get when you defy Leroi Baptiste!")
And then much to Laurent's dismay, Leroi plunges a sword through his father's heart and through his back. And that's when the waterworks start in Laurent's eyes.
Laurent goes to scream "PAPA!", but is stopped by a hand going over his mouth. Laurent starts punching and fighting the arm that's muffling his sounds, but the man controlling the arm does not submit to Laurent's fighting.
Instead, he leans down and says in French "Laurent! C'est Bruno De Luca! Calmez-vous!" ("Laurent! This is Bruno De Luca! Calm down!") The accent is actually Italian, not French, and the voice does at least soothe Laurent enough to stop fighting. Laurent knows this man, for he was kind to his father.
As his father's body falls in a heap, Bruno whispers to Laurent "J'ai averti votre père de ne pas se lancer en affaires avec ces hommes. Mais il avait trop d'orgueil. Et maintenant, il paie le prix. Je suis désolé, Laurent. Venez avec moi." ("I warned your father to not get into business with these men. But he had too much pride. And now he is paying the price. I am sorry, Laurent. Come with me.")
And as the men responsible for the death of his family start to remount their horses and leave, Laurent is guided into the woods by Bruno.
Bruno is a shorter man for his age, which appears to be late 30's or early 40's. His curly black hair is covered up in a black hooded cloak. There is a noticeable scar that runs from the right side of his forehead and down over his eye socket and finishing at the cheek.
Bruno leads Laurent deep into the woods...those very woods that Laurent was just playing with his now deceased brother not 10 minutes ago.
Bruno stops and squats down to look at Laurent in the eyes. Laurent has been sobbing over the death of his family and he can't seem to stop. "Laurent, regarde-moi." ("Laurent, look at me.") Laurent shakes his head and feels more content crying.
Suddenly, Bruno slaps his face hard. That stops Laurent from crying and gets his attention. As Laurent rubs his face, Bruno says "Laurent, vous devez venir avec moi si vous voulez vivre... si vous voulez vivre et se venger de votre famille. Est-ce ce que vous voulez?" ("Laurent, you must come with me if you want to live...if you want to live and get revenge for your family. Is this what you want?)
Laurent sniffles a bit, then asks "Pourquoi ont-ils tuer ma famille? POURQUOI?" ("Why did they kill my family? WHY?")
Bruno shushes him, then says "Pas si fort! Nous ne voulons pas qu'ils vous attraper! Maintenant, écoutez-moi, l'homme que vous avez vu tuer votre père est le chef de file de l'équipage Baptiste. Il est un voyou impitoyable qui tente de contrôler la région à l'intimidation. Votre père a travaillé à un accord avec lui pour aider à fournir sa boucherie. Il pensait que c'était une grande, mais l'accord ne cessait de changer à cause de Leroi. Votre famille est mort, Laurent, parce que votre père ne pouvait plus se permettre de payer la protection. Je sais que ton père parce que j'ai déjà échangé avec lui, et quand il est devenu évident qu'il avait besoin d'aide, moi et mon peuple a tendu la main. Malheureusement, il était trop fier et que swatted main. Et je sais qu'il parle bien de vous et de vos compétences. Donc, je vous offre un moyen de sortir ... un mode de vie qui vous mènera dans des endroits que vous n'avez jamais vu ou peut-être même rêvé. Et plus important encore, je vous offre les compétences dont vous aurez besoin de tuer Leroi. Vous n'avez pas d'autre choix de vie en dehors de votre propre chef. Tout le monde vous aime sera tué si vous êtes repéré vivant avec eux. Viens avec moi à Rome, et vous aurez votre revanche. Vous avez ma parole."
("Not so loud! We don't want them to catch you! Now listen to me, the man you saw kill your father is the leader of the Baptiste Gang. He is a ruthless thug that is trying to control the region with intimidation. Your father worked out a deal with him to help supply his butcher shop. He thought it was a great deal, but the deal kept changing because of Leroi. Your family is dead, Laurent, because your father could no longer afford to pay protection. I know your father because I once traded with him, and when it became apparent he needed help, me and my people extended a hand. Unfortunately, he was too proud and swatted that hand away. And I know he speaks highly of you and your skills. So I am offering you a way out...a way of life that will take you to places you have never seen or possibly even dreamed of. And more importantly, I am offering you the skills you will require to kill Leroi. You have no other choice besides living on your own. Everyone you love will be killed if you're spotted living with them. Come with me to Rome, and you will have your revenge. You have my word.")
Laurent looks surprised at that. "Je ne sais pas où Rome est! Je n'ai jamais laissé Tenay! Et qui sont vos collaborateurs?" ("I don't know where Rome is! I've never left Tenay! And who are your people?") Bruno replies "Rome est l'endroit où nous sommes basés. Mes gens sont Il Credo Divino, ou La Divine Creed dans votre langue. Nous sommes un groupe d'assassins dont les objectifs sont supprimer l'oppression et de promouvoir le progrès. Il est de notre conviction que Dieu a voulu l'homme de croître et de prospérer, non pas vivre dans l'oppression de voyous, des voleurs et des tyrans." ("Rome is where we are based. My people are Il Credo Divino, or The Divine Creed in your language. We are a group of assassins whose goals are to suppress oppression and promote progress. It is our belief that God wanted humans to grow and prosper, not live in oppression from thugs, thieves, and tyrants.")
Laurent thinks for a bit, then shakes his head. "Je n'ai jamais entendu parler de vous les gens." ("I've never heard of you people.") Bruno smirks and says "C'est en quelque sorte de l'idée." ("That's kind of the idea.")
Laurent cracks the faintest of smirks, then takes a deep, resolute breath. "Ma famille est mort maintenant. Il ne reste plus rien ici pour moi, sauf la vengeance. Je veux venir avec vous et apprendre à être un assassin." ("My family is dead now. There is nothing left here for me except revenge. I want to come with you and learn how to be an assassin.")
Bruno pats Laurent on the shoulder and says "Ce sera un tour quelques jours. Nous allons pendre ici pour un peu jusqu'à ce que la côte est clair. Puis, je vais vous laisser recueillir certaines de vos choses, puis nous allons rouler." ("It will be a couple days ride. We'll hang here for a bit until the coast is clear. Then, I'll let you gather some of your things, and then we will ride.") Laurent nods and walks back with Bruno towards his house.
Once the coast was clear, Laurent entered the house. Bruno cleared the bodies before Laurent entered to keep him from being frightened, but the blood stains of his mother and brother still grace the wooden floor. Still, that does little to deter Laurent from gathering his clothes and other belongings.
As Bruno keeps watch at the front door, Laurent goes to the back right corner of the single room home and lifts up a wooden plank. He reaches in and pulls out a jar containing money. Laurent smiles. This was his father's emergency money, to only be used should something happen. Something happened today obviously, and Laurent would need that money for something down the road.
It would not take long for Laurent to pack and get ready. He was fueled by the desire for revenge, and now he was about to start down the path to becoming an assassin.
Los Angeles, CA (Elysium)
It's been a few days since Jack Bristow arrived in Elysium. Today, in the Earth version of Los Angeles, his daughter Sydney and anyone else that cared about him are laying him to rest. It's probably going to be a very nice funeral and Sydney, Vaughn, and others will have nice things to say about Jack.
But Jack isn't interested in hearing those things, or seeing his dead body back on Earth.
Jack never liked funerals. In fact, if you were to write a list of the things Jack despised on Earth, funerals might crack his top 3, behind Arvin Sloane and maybe Irina Derevko. In fact, the mere thought of people hovering around his dead body and mourning over him never made much sense to him.
Instead, Jack is home today, taking care of some things around the house and trying his best to stay busy, although his biggest challenge since arriving in Elysium has been fighting boredom.
But besides winning that fight, there is also something he wants to accomplish today.
Jack walks up to his refrigerator and takes a familiar slip of paper off of a magnet. It's the slip of paper that Mary Falk handed to him a couple days ago with Bill Vaughn's phone number on it.
Bill Vaughn, the father-in-law to his daughter Sydney. Jack always wanted to meet him, and now he's about to.
Jack grabs a phone from the wall, then pauses for a bit. Might Bill be at watching his funeral today back on Earth? After all, his son Michael will be there.
Doubtful, he concludes. If Bill was anything like Michael, he probably doesn't like funerals either.
Jack punches the numbers into his phone and listens in. The dialtones in Elysium sound just like they do on Earth.
After a few dial tones, a man answers. "Hello?" Jack says "Yes, is this William Vaughn?" The man laughs and says "My father was called William. You can call me Bill. Who is this?" Jack cracks a small smirk. He likes Bill already. "This is Jack Bristow. Mary Falk gave me your number."
There's a pause a bit on Bill's end. Then, a small, subtle chuckle. "Jack Bristow...wow, I always wondered when I'd get to meet the father of my daughter-in-law. This is an absolute pleasure." Jack, who was never much for flattery, replies "The pleasure's mine, Bill."
By now, Jack has noticed that Bill has a similar tone and pattern that his son Michael has, albeit a little more gregarious.
Bill says "Mary told me you passed away a couple days ago of a brain aneurism. I'm so sorry to hear that, Jack. I hear Sydney took it hard." Jack sighs and says "She did. I have no regrets, though. I guess it was just my time. Anyway, listen, I called you because I wanted to see if you wanted to have lunch sometime...give us a chance to catch up."
Bill replies "Yeah, it'd be great to catch up. I know a place down here in San Felipe that's right on the ocean. You'd like it. I'm teaching the orphans down here today and tomorrow...why don't we aim for a couple days from now?" Jack smiles. "That'd be great."
The doorbell rings in the living room. Jack looks over a the door and looks a little curious on who could be visiting him.
As Jack ponders, Bill says "Alright, I have to get back to teaching the kids. I look forward to meeting you in person." Jack starts walking to the door and says "Likewise, Bill. See you then."
Jack then hangs up the phone and looks through the eyehole. He sees Nadia Falk standing on the doormat, holding a glass dish of some sort.
Jack opens the door to see Nadia smiling wide and greeting him with a friendly "Hey!" Jack smiles back and says "Hello, Nadia. Come in."
As Nadia steps in, she notices Jack holding the phone. As she looks at the phone, she asks "Everything alright?" Jack casually replies "Yes. I was just speaking to Bill Vaughn, as a matter of fact."
Nadia's eyes open wide a bit. "You talked to Bill finally! He was asking about you the other day when I picked up Maria." Jack looks a bit surprised. "He was? He must really want to talk to me."
Nadia nods as Jack closes the front door and says "He does. He's got a lot of memories of Michael and Sydney that he's been dying to share with you." Jack smirks and says "I can't wait. What do you have there in your hands?"
Nadia looks down at the glass dish and says "I brought you over some chili that I made last night. You'll like it, it's a recipe I've known all my life. Tom LOVES it. In fact, I told Mary that I was making it last night and she demanded I bring some over. I just dropped some off to her, actually. She says hi." Nadia hands Jack the glass dish. Jack says "This is really nice of you, Nadia. You didn't have to do this."
Nadia just shrugs and says "I was just thinking of you...kind of like how you thought of me when I was laid out in a coma for almost a year. Homemade chili is the least I can do to repay your kindness. When I was cured, I should have been around more..." Jack holds up a hand and, in a voice that somehow combines sternness with comfort, says "Stop. We've been over this. We both wanted to keep our distance for reasons that made perfect sense. You don't have to beat yourself up over it...but I will happily take that chili of yours."
Jack cracks a wide, closed smile after he says that, causing Nadia to laugh out loud. Jack's dry humor completely caught her offguard. Then she remembers from her weekly talks with Sydney that Jack has lightened up a bit since retiring.
Nadia takes a deep breath to compose herself and says "Well it's all yours! So, how have you been? I haven't seen you since you watched family movies with us a few nights ago." Jack shrugs as he starts walking to the kitchen. "I've been fine. I still miss Sydney, but I'm getting better with all that. I'm beginning to realize boredom is a challenge here in Elysium."
Nadia follows Jack to the kitchen and concernedly says "Well, you know you're welcome at my home anytime..." Jack cuts her off. "I know. I don't want to be a bother, though." Nadia quickly replies "You wouldn't be a bother, Jack. The door's always open for you."
Jack puts the chili in the fridge, then turns to Nadia. He's noticed that Nadia has been nothing short of extremely kind to him since he arrived. Yes, Nadia and Tom were somewhat distant to him after she returned from her coma, and this seems to be a total change of policy. At dinner a few nights ago, both Jack and Nadia expressed a desire to get to know each other more, and it seems that Nadia really wants to be a friend to Jack. This does give Jack some comfort since he's still dealing with dying not even a week ago.
Jack gives her a modest smile and says "I appreciate you opening up your home to me. Really, I do. By the way, you mentioned Mary earlier...how is she doing?" Nadia hangs her head. "She's staying with her parents. She and Tom Senior had a bit of a falling out."
Jack concernedly asks "What happened?" Nadia shakes her head. "They got into a fight. They do this every now and then. I don't know...I just get the feeling that Tom Senior still resents her for faking her death to protect me and Tom."
Jack now looks a bit somber. He respects Mary a lot and doesn't like hearing what he's hearing about Tom Senior. "I know your husband couldn't stand his father when I knew him in APO because he was selfish. Sounds like not much has changed. I'm sorry to hear Mary has to put up with that still."
Nadia shrugs and says "She's loyal, maybe to a fault." Jack deadpans "Sounds like your husband." Nadia laughs a bit at that and says "That's so true, isn't it?"
The doorbell rings again. Jack rolls his eyes and says "Apparently I'm popular today."
Jack opens the front door and sees a woman he's never seen before. She's heavy-set and wearing hospital scrubs.
Jack curiously asks "Can I help you?" The woman replies "My name is Helen and I'm with the local hospital. I've been sent here to collect some blood from you, Mr. Bristow."
Jack raises a curious eyebrow. "I beg your pardon? Who asked for this?" Helen looks at a clipboard. "This came directly from Milo Rambaldi, one of the Elysian High Councilmen."
Nadia now steps forward and stands next to Jack. "What is this about?" Helen smiles at the sight of Nadia. "Ah, you're here too! That's good, because you were next on my list today."
A now-irritated Jack asks "Nadia asked you a question." Helen picks up on the agitation in Jack's voice and says "Rambaldi asked for your blood so we can update our database. As you know, we try to keep Elysium as disease-free as possible, and we need to make sure it stays that way."
Jack turns to Nadia. "Is this normal?" Nadia nods. "Yeah, they make home visits. They did this to me and Tom not long after we arrived, and then once a year. Not many people go to the hospitals here, so they do have nurses and doctors that go around checking on people on a yearly basis." Nadia then turns to Helen. "Why do you need my blood? I just had my check-up a couple months ago." Helen sighs and says "Look, this order came from just about the highest authority imaginable. I just need to quickly draw your blood and I'll be out of your hairs in no time."
Jack sighs himself and grudgingly says "Alright, come on in. Can I get you something to drink? Nadia brought over some chili..." Helen laughs and says "I cannot accept food or drink from patients, but thank you, though!"
Helen grabs her medical bag and enters the house. Nadia and Jack both look at each other a little suspiciously. Both weren't expecting this visit at all.
Tenay, France, circa 1486 (Earth)
Laurent L'Andre is now 18 years old. He stands about 6'2 and is quite the lean machine. His blonde hair is short and his scowl is long. His face looks like it's never cracked a smile.
For the past 10 years, he's been training at the headquarters of Il Credo Divino in Rome, learning why they do what they do, who they do it for, and how they go about the business of death.
While their main technique of conflict resolution is assassination, Il Credo Divino is not about starting wars or participating in big battles. In fact, you can't even call their tactics guerrilla warfare. Usually their confrontations are one on one, and they prefer to keep it that way when the situation dictates.
Laurent is not yet a full assassin. This is his first solo mission. His assignment is one that he's been waiting to tackle for ten years, ever since he saw his parents and brother murdered at the hands of Leroi-Baptiste and his group of thugs.
If he succeeds in assassinating Leroi-Baptiste, not only does he become a full assassin, but he gets vengeance...sweet, sweet vengeance.
Today marks the first day that Laurent has stepped foot in the small village of Tenay. Wooden frame buildings are a common type of construction in this town, although some of the more affluent have graduated to brick and plaster buildings.
Many of the owners of the sturdier homes are Leroi-Baptiste's people. Leroi is not the Mayor of this town, but he might as well be. His methods of intimidation have made him the most feared man in town, and quite possibly the region.
Laurent has been taught to hide in public. Sure, Il Credo Divino can resort to stealth when needed, and they're very good at that, but keeping a stoic profile is the first rule of being an assassin, and if you keep a stoic profile, then hiding out of sight isn't necessary, and it makes your job easier.
Laurent is cloaked in a familiar off-white robe. It's baggy and sags on his body. His hood partially obscures his face, but he's still able to see ahead with his blue eyes. He walks through the main drag of town, doing his best to not be recognized. Robes are fairly common in this era, so Laurent easily blends in with the crowd.
If his intention is to not be recognized, it's successful. It's been 10 years since anyone in town saw him, and he's gone through so many changes physically, it'd be hard to tell him apart from the next guy. So his presence is ignored completely.
Laurent slips across the main drag and enters a shoemaker's shop. The store is quiet, with no customers and an elderly shopkeeper behind the counter. Not too many shoes on the shelves either. The store is well on its way to becoming decrepit. The shopkeeper, his voice shaking and cracking from age, asks "Puis-je vous aider, monsieur?" ("Can I help you, sir?")
Laurent lowers his hood and looks at the shopkeeper. A few seconds pass and Laurent realizes that the shopkeeper does not recognize him. "Garlan Marceau, vous ne me reconnaissez pas?" ("Garlan Marceau, you do not recognize me?") Garlan squints his eyes and studies Laurent's face for a bit, then shakes his head. "Non, monsieur. Je crains que je n'ai pas. Dois-je vous le savez?" ("No, sir. I'm afraid I do not. Should I know you?")
Laurent looks around the store. "Sommes-nous seuls?" ("Are we alone?") Garlan nods his head quickly. "Oui ... oui, j'ai envoyé mon apprenti sur d'obtenir des tissus." ("Yes...yes, I sent my apprentice out to get some fabric.")
Laurent takes a deep breath and says "Il a été dix ans depuis que j'ai mis les pieds dans Tenay. Il ya dix ans que Leroi-Baptiste assassiné ma famille. Vous étiez amis avec mon père. Son nom était Delmont L'Andre." ("It has been ten years since I stepped foot in Tenay. It's been ten years since Leroi-Baptiste murdered my family. You were friends with my father. His name was Delmont L'Andre.")
Garlan gasps loudly, then quickly scurries around the counter and shuts the front door to his shop and locks it. He rapidly shuts the blinds to the shop and turns to Laurent. He delightedly says "Vous êtes Laurent L'Andre! Dieu soit loué, vous êtes en vie!" ("You're Laurent L'Andre! God be praised, you're alive!") Garlan goes to hug Laurent, but Laurent just casually pushes him away. "Je suis en vie. Et j'ai été très occupé. Je suis venu ici parce que j'ai besoin de votre aide." ("I am alive. And I have been busy. I've come here because I need your help.")
Garlan quickly nods and says "Tout pour vous! Qu'est-ce que vous avez besoin de moi? Demandez et je vais briser mon dos pour vous accueillir!" ("Anything for you! What is it you need from me? Ask and I will break my back to accomodate you!") Laurent cracks the faintest of smirks and says "Je suis sûr que vous le feriez. Mais je crains que ma demande est assez simple. J'ai entendu mon père parler de vous une seule fois sur ces chaussures à semelles spéciales qui suppriment le bruit de vos traces faire. J'ai besoin d'une paire de ces chaussures." ("I'm sure you would. But I'm afraid my request is rather simple. I overheard my father talking to you one time about these special soled shoes that suppress the sound your footsteps make. I need a pair of those shoes.")
Garlan slowly nods, knowing exactly what kind of shoes he's referring to. "Mmm-hmm. Soulevez votre chaussure." ("Mmm-hmm. Lift up your shoe.") Laurent lifts up his right foot. Garlan kneels down and examines the length and width of his shoe. He smiles. "Vous avez les pieds de votre père. Je serai de retour avec vos chaussures." ("You have your father's feet. I will be right back with your shoes.")
Garlan gets up to his feet and walks to the back area of the shop. Laurent, meanwhile, looks a little bewildered. How does Garlan remember his father's shoe size?
Garlan quickly returns with a pair of pitch black boots. They're not big boots, but they look clunkier than Laurent would have thought. Garlan tells Laurent "Asseyez-vous." ("Sit down.") Laurent sits down in a wooden chair next to him.
Garlan takes Laurent's right boot off. As he does, Laurent wonderingly says "Ces bottes de la vôtre regarder lourds. Etes-vous sûr que c'est ce dont vous parliez avec mon père?" ("Those boots of yours look heavy. Are you sure this is what you were talking about with my father?")
Garlan just ignores him and goes about his business quietly. Laurent patiently sits as Garlan puts the new boot on. Garlan laces up and ties the boot tightly. He then stands and says " Ok, levez-vous. Promenez-vous dans, dites-moi si vous pensez que la chaussure est trop lourd." ("Ok, get up. Walk around, tell me if you think the boot is too heavy.")
Laurent does as instructed and takes a couple steps forward. He immediately notes how light the new boot is. Almost weightless. And he didn't realize this before, but his existing boot on his left foot actually does make somewhat of a clump on the ground. His right boot? Dead silent thanks to the feather-light sole.
Laurent stops and turns to Garlan. "C'est incroyable. Je sens à peine la chaussure à mon pied. Je n'entends rien quand je sors!" ("This is amazing. I barely feel the boot on my foot. I hear nothing when I step!") Garlan quickly asks "Comment va la forme?" ("How is the fit?")
Laurent looks down and says "Comme vous fait sur commande de la chaussure pour moi." ("Like you custom made the boot for me.") Garlan laughs a bit and says "Je me souviens beaucoup de choses au sujet de votre père avec tendresse. Il était un client de mes préférés. Je me souviens toujours des petites choses au sujet de mes clients, pointure en particulier, puisque c'est mon affaire!" ("I remember many things about your father fondly. He was a favorite customer of mine. I always remember the little things about my customers, especially shoe size, since that is my business!")
Laurent sits back down and Garlan puts the other new boot on. Laurent stands up and reaches into a pocket and pulls out a wad of money. Garlan quickly puts his hands over Laurent's hand and says "Rangez. Votre argent n'est pas bon ici." ("Put it away. Your money is no good here.") Laurent shakes his head and says "J'ai été la tenue de cette argent pour dix ans à vous donner pour ces chaussures. Vous devez..." ("I've been holding this money for ten years to give to you for these shoes. You must...")
Garlan shakes his head. "Je ne vais pas prendre l'argent de ton père dernières. Je vais vous donner ces chaussures parce que je sais qu'ils vont vous aider à faire ce que vous devez faire." ("I will not take your father's last dollars. I will give you these shoes because I know they will help you do what you need to do.") Laurent pockets the money, but looks somewhat ashamed.
Garlan suddenly grabs Laurent's collar and pulls him towards him. "TUER CE FILS D'UN LEROI SALOPE!" ("KILL THAT SON OF A BITCH LEROI!")
Laurent looks at Garlan in shock. This is not an animated man usually.
Before Laurent can speak, Garlan continues. "Ce chien mère a ruiné mon entreprise, il a ruiné mes amis, il a ruiné cette ville! Je sais que c'est pourquoi vous êtes ici! Je sais que c'est pourquoi vous avez besoin mes bottes silencieuses! Merde, Laurent, LE TUER!" ("That motherless dog has ruined my business, he has ruined my friends, he has ruined this town! I know that is why you are here! I know that is why you need my silent boots! Dammit, Laurent, KILL HIM!")
Garlan then breaks down into a sob. Laurent lets him cry out a bit, then puts his hands on his shoulders. "Garlan, regardez-moi." ("Garlan, look at me.") Garlan looks up at Laurent and wipes some tears away. Laurent resolutely says "Il peut ne pas être ce soir, il peut ne pas être demain soir, mais je vous assure que Leroi ne vivra pas pour voir le lever du soleil troisième à partir de aujourd'hui. Vous avez ma parole." ("It may not be tonight, it may not be tomorrow night, but I assure you that Leroi will not live to see the third sunrise from today. You have my word.")
Garlan nods and steps back. "Je vous souhaite la meilleure des chances, Laurent. Votre présence sera le silence, vous avez MA parole sur ce point!" ("I wish you the best of luck, Laurent. Your presence will be silent, you have MY word on that!") Laurent gives Garlan an quick head nod and says "Merci pour les chaussures ... et pour le respect de mon père." ("Thank you for the shoes...and for respecting my father.")
Laurent then puts his hood back over his head and walks out of the shop.
Time to do some recon on Leroi-Baptiste.
San Felipe, Mexico (Elysium)
Tom Falk sits in his office room at home. He's holding a manilla folder and looking over some stats from his new arrival program. There's something he's not liking, as he has a generally displeased expression on his face.
Luckily, Nadia and Maria would walk in to take his mind off things. Nadia's wearing a cream-colored silk shirt with white khaki pants. Maria's in a basic pink shirt and jeans.
As Tom looks up from the folder, Nadia says "Ok, I'm going to drop off Maria at the orphanage, then run some errands. Need anything while I'm out?" Tom smiles wide at Nadia as he examines her and, completely ignoring Nadia's question, says "Isn't that your new shirt?"
Nadia looks down and says "Yeah, do you like it?" Tom, still smiling, says "You look beautiful in it, babe." Nadia looks up with a flattered smile. "Thank you! I thought you might like it."
Tom looks down at Maria and says "Doesn't your mommy look beautiful today?" Maria examines Nadia's clothing for a bit, then looks back at Tom and says "She's gorgeous!" This causes Tom and Nadia to laugh at their 5 year old daughter's choice of words. Nadia even gives Maria a peck on the cheek for that.
Nadia then tells Maria "Your Uncle Eddie is going to be picking you up from the orphanage at about 3. Is that ok?" Maria quickly hops off the ground and, with a wide grin, says "Yay! I like Uncle Eddie!"
Nadia looks back over at Tom. "Do you think your meeting with your Storm Crew friends will be done by the time we get back?" Tom shrugs and says "I don't know. We've got a lot to talk about, including why less and less people are showing up to the new arrival meetings."
Nadia sighs and says "If these people aren't ready, just give them time." Tom shakes his head and says "I know, but it's important we get as many of these new arrivals as possible so they can acclimate to life here. Gotta keep the peace. By the way, how are you doing on the new adoption procedures?"
Nadia can't help but smile at the mention. "Great! I'm thinking we can roll this out in a week or two!" Tom raises his eyebrows. "Really? Isn't that a little hasty?"
Nadia shakes her head. "No. I think we can handle it. It's going to change so many lives, Tom. Kids will have homes to live in and adoptive parents that didn't experience raising a child on Earth will get a chance now. It's just so good for so many people. Oh, and I need to talk to you about what we're going to do when this program rolls out."
Tom sighs a bit. He knows exactly what Nadia's talking about. She's brought up the idea of giving Maria a brother or sister in the past. And now with this new program rolling out, what better way to promote it than to have the woman heading the program adopt herself? Since childbirth is impossible in Elysium, it's actually bothered Nadia that she can't have another child and she's made that concern vocal to Tom, who is always reassuring but shares that same disappointment himself.
And it's not that Tom doesn't want an adopted child. It's just that not ready to commit to that yet. And with Maria within earshot, this is definitely not the time or place for this discussion.
Tom them notices something on the inside of Nadia's left elbow: a band-aid and a gauze pad. He looks at it a little funny. "What happened there?" Nadia looks at Tom and sees that he's looking at her elbow. "Oh, when I saw Jack earlier today, a nurse from the local hospital came by and drew some blood."
Tom looks up at Nadia a little funny. "Didn't you just have your checkup..." Nadia cuts him off. "That's what I said! Milo Rambaldi ordered it apparently!"
Tom turns away and thinks about why he would do that...but no answers come to mind. "That's weird...did the nurse give you a reason?" Nadia shakes her head. "No. I asked again and I was given a confidentiality lecture. Oh well, it's just a bit of blood. I won't miss it."
Tom just shrugs and stands up. "Well, alright I guess. I'll see you in a few hours. Call me when you're on your way home, babe." Nadia smiles and walks over to him. She leans in and gives Tom a couple quick kisses on the lips, which causes Maria to giggle a bit.
Nadia then looks down at Maria and says "Give your Daddy a kiss goodbye." Tom kneels down and Maria gives Tom a kiss on the cheek and a hug to go along with it. Tom kisses Maria back on the cheek and tells her "I love you, munchkin." Maria replies "I love you too, Daddy."
Tom releases the hug and goes back to his studies while Nadia and Maria walk to the garage, get into the black Cadillac, and exit the garage.
As they pull down the road, another car down the road that was parked on the quiet street has started up and followed them out. This causes some alarm in the house next door to Tom and Nadia's.
Because the owners of that particular home on Earth have not yet arrived in Elysium, the house is vacant. But today, there is one man inside the empty home. He's been stationed at the home since the attack on the Elysian Council a few days ago.
Laurent L'Andre notices the second car as he looks outside the front window. He's holding a hand-held radio in his right hand. We hear Tom Falk talking to someone on the phone through the radio.
It's now apparent that Laurent has bugged Tom and Nadia's home, almost definitely without their knowledge. And he knows that Nadia's doing some errands today. But what he doesn't know is who's in the second car that took off after her.
So Laurent, feeling the need to waste no time, teleports out to the street next to a white car. He gets in the car, starts it up, and follows the second car.
Tenay, France, circa 1486 (Earth)
It is the second night since Laurent L'Andre got his shoes from Garlan Marceau. Ever since, his presence in Tenay has been as noteworthy as a fly on the wall. There is absolutely no buzz about him, and Garlan has kept quiet about his presence, although most of his friends have noticed that he seems particularly giddy in the last day or two.
Which takes us to Leroi-Baptiste. In the decade that has passed since he murdered Laurent's family, Leroi's waistline has grown with his power. His beard has also grown, as he seems to not really give a damn about how he looks to the world anymore.
He moves about the main drag of town on this clear night a drunken mess, fresh off another night of celebrating whatever it is you celebrate when you have the town you live in almost under complete control.
Power brings money, and when combined with money and intimidation, you can buy yourself some friends that laugh at every joke while they pour you another mug of beer and do other subservient things.
Leroi no longer has to work hard for his money, which combined with his present drunkenness makes him oblivious to his surroundings.
This is why he would fail tonight.
Leroi approaches an alleyway that is sandwiched by two of the tallest brick buildings in this little village. Two local officers protect this alleyway, and when they see Leroi approach, they separate and allow Leroi to enter. One of them says "Bonsoir, Leroi." ("Good evening, Leroi.") Leroi just gives the man a condescending chuckle and walks by him, humming along some old French song along the way.
The alleyway really begins after Leroi turns left at the dead end. Now the alley is wide enough to allow a walking path between some boxes and a large haystack ahead. At the end of the alleyway is a couple wooden steps leading up to a door that could be the back door of a home. Perhaps Leroi picked his home to be at the end of an alleyway that local police on his payroll can guard.
Leroi continues walking down the somewhat wide alleyway, humming his song and acting very drunk. All is going well for him...
...until the large haystack to his right suddenly explodes.
No, it's not the explosion from a blast of dynamite. Rather, it's the explosion caused by Laurent L'Andre's dramatic leap out of it, catching Leroi completely unaware. All Leroi can do is stand there all dumbfounded and drunkenly staring at Laurent's leap, unable to make another sound.
It wouldn't be until Laurent crashed down on him that Leroi would notice the hidden blade that comes out of the sheathe in Laurent's right wrist.
As they hit the ground, Laurent thrusts the hidden blade upwards through Leroi's neck, with the blade's tip coming to a stop just shy of his brain.
Laurent puts a hand over Leroi's mouth and sinisterly says "Se souvenier de moi, Leroi-Baptiste?" ("Do you remember me, Leroi-Baptiste?)
Leroi doesn't respond, as Laurent's hidden blade cut through the back of his throat. Oh, and there's the issue of the blood that's starting to rise up in his throat that renders Leroi unable to speak.
Laurent lifts up his hand and sees the predicament Leroi is in. He just smiles. "Je vois ... vous ne pouvez pas parler. Désolé à ce sujet. Mais vous êtes à la recherche au visage d'un homme qui a regardé vous tuer ma famille. Vous êtes à la recherche au visage d'un homme qui a été la formation pendant dix ans pour un moment ... ce moment. Le moment où je pourrais regarder dans les grands yeux peinés de l'homme qui a pris ma famille, loin de moi. Vous devez avoir été fier de toi, faire ce que vous avez fait, tuant trois personnes innocentes. Mais devinez quoi? Vous devriez avoir tué quatre. Mon nom est Laurent L'Andre et c'est ma vengeance." ("I see...you can't talk. Sorry about that. But you are looking at the face of a man who watched you kill my family. You are looking at the face of a man that has been training for ten years for one moment...THIS moment. The moment when I could look in the wide, pained eyes of the man who took my family away from me. You must have been proud of yourself, doing what you did, killing three innocent people. But guess what? You should have killed four. My name is Laurent L'Andre, and this is my revenge.")
Leroi grunts a bit in anger, but no sound comes out except for Leroi regurgitating the blood that he's choking on right now. He coughs a few drops of blood on Laurent's face.
Laurent doesn't care. He's enjoying this. His training has made him cold to death.
Finally, Laurent leans in a bit and says "Que la mort de fournir de la paix que vous avez maintenant chercher, tandis que votre mort, prévoit les gens de cette ville de la paix qu'ils recherchent. Repose en paix, pour vous ne sont plus les bienvenus ici." ("May death provide the peace that you now seek, while your death provides the people of this town the peace they seek. Rest in peace, for you are no longer welcome here.")
Laurent yanks the blade out of Leroi-Baptiste's head. At about the moment Laurent's blade escapes his head, Leroi's eyes roll to the back of his head and close forever.
Laurent sheathes his hidden blade and stands up to his feet. He drags Leroi's body over to the disarray of straw that he caused from his perfect hiding space. No one heard the attack...partly because he made sure Leroi couldn't scream.
Laurent buries Leroi under the straw. Then, he climbs up a box that's almost as tall as him. He leaps up and grabs a window ledge. Using his own strength, he uses his hands to thrust himself upwards and grab onto a rail that is sticking out of the wall. And finally, he thrusts himself up to the edge of the roof and pulls himself up to the top of the building.
He gets up to his feet and looks around town. No one is rushing to his location. The whole town is completely ambivalent to his mere presence, much less what just went down.
Perfect.
Laurent looks south and scans the buildings that lead up to the walls of the village.
With great speed and physical ability, he runs and leaps onto the roof of the next building...and the building after that...and the building after that. He keeps roof hopping until he reaches the wooden city wall.
He leaps over the wall and crashes down on a couple bushes. No one noticed him crashing on the bushes except for a white horse, who just sort of grunts at Laurent as he gets back up to his feet and brushes off leaves from his robe.
He quickly mounts the horse and gallops southeast with great haste.
And just as he predicted to Garlan, Leroi-Baptiste's dead body would be discovered on the third sunrise from the day Laurent arrived in Tenay. No one, except Garlan, knew it was Laurent that did him in.
San Felipe, Mexico (Elysium)
Nadia walks into the grocery store in town. It's the only grocery store in the small town of San Felipe, although there are little farmers stands all around town that sell fresh produce.
She grabs a cart and starts wandering down the aisles. There's not too much on the grocery list today, just a couple small things.
Maria was just dropped off at the orphanage, and her brother-in-law Eddie was given his orders to pick Maria up in a couple hours. Nadia would normally have Maria tag along with her for her errands, but she wants to see how Eddie does with his new task. Plus, Maria's notorious for running the halls when she gets bored in the store, so this saves her a headache or two.
It's very quiet in the store today. It's the middle of the week and it's early in the day, so it's understandable. This store rarely gets busy, being in a small, sleepy Mexican town and all.
Nadia walks over and picks up a red onion and examines it. She checks for feel, size, and even smell. Satisfied, she bags it and puts it in the cart. Both Tom and Maria like onions with their hamburgers and that's what's planned for dinner tonight.
As Nadia walks further down the produce area, she starts thinking about Mary. It's been a few days since Mary and Tom's father split up, and while spats between them are not uncommon, it's rare for the separation to last this long. She saw Mary earlier this morning and she seemed to be in good spirits at least.
Seeing as she's in a good mood today, she wants to think about more positive things as she starts looking over some lettuce.
She still needs to get her haircut today. Her movie star quality black hair remains about as long as it was when she recovered from her coma. Tom likes how her long hair looks on her and most people she talks to also say she looks good with long hair. But it's getting a bit too long for her tastes.
Plus, she thought she'd surprise Tom and get it styled a bit today. Even in life, she was always more than happy to surprise Tom when she could. She chuckles when she recalls the look on Tom's face when she told him she was pregnant with Maria. Even to this day, Tom is easily surprised.
Nadia decides to pass on getting lettuce today and decides she'll just stop at a farmer's stand for it. She starts walking forward a bit towards the meat...
CLANK!
That's the sound of a large metal object being struck very hard on the back of her head.
She yells out in pain as she crumples to the ground, shoving the cart down the aisle as she falls head-first.
The back of her head is throbbing in pain and already, she can feel her consciousness fading away. As the world gets darker around her, she wonders just what the hell happened.
Her concerns are answered by two arms scooping her up off the ground. As she fades away, she looks down and sees they are two strong arms wrapped in long black sleeves.
She would pass out completely before she could hear the man say in a foreboding Latino accent "Little Nadia Santos...it's been a long time since we did what we're about to do! Lucky for me, you're actually prettier now than when I knew you as a teen on the streets. I'm going to enjoy this a lot..."
But as Cesar Martinez dragged an unconscious Nadia Falk to the back room of the grocery store, he didn't realize that all this time, he was being followed by a natural born killer.
TO BE CONTINUED