In the turbulent new world following the Third World War, arms dealing to pocket revolutions became quite the lucrative prospect. In a world where the oppressed yellow zones grew angrier and angrier, organized crime syndicates were more than pleased to share their goods. Gangs, crime families, and other such organizations exploded in wealth and popularity, profiting off of the strife of others. Despite Griffin's best attempts, the near collapse of Sangvis Ferri's rogue company has led to an influx of high quality weapons and machines on the black market. Anyone with the resources to source from abandoned SF territories stands to make a great deal of money, so long as they have the means to transport it all. After the numerous Collapse events that affected the planet, a continental railway was constructed to facilitate the transportation of goods. Unfortunately, this did not benefit the black market and meant that illegal goods still needed to be transported the old fashioned way.
This is where Kiril and his organization came into play and flexed their own influence. Criminals needed someone to transport their goods across land, sea, and air and he was happy to fill that niche. Possessing a natural talent for logistics and transportation, Kiril's men would safely transport anything and everything with no questions asked. Asking a decent fee for their work, entire revolutions were supplied by their network of contacts. As Paradeus moved their influence east, they paid good money for Kiril to spread the plague like rats in a medieval city. This was further assisted by a lack of public understanding of Paradeus, everyone seeing one of many faces. Kiril himself only saw them as an arms company, blissfully unaware of the atrocities that were committed to create their weapons and armor. Fewer still knew about the religious undertones, let alone the true origin of the mysterious Nytos. While he had the honor of dealing with the girls numerous times in the past, they simply seemed like more eccentric children than the abominations some people claimed they were. If Kiril were a lot younger, he'd even consider pursuing their hand in marriage simply for the exclusivity of dealing with Paradeus.
Unfortunately Kiril settled down with a strong woman a long time ago, and his son showed little interest in pursuing a life of crime. This was no problem to him, as hereditary empires seldom lasted past their progenitor. Instead, Kiril knew who to leave his organization to in the future should the worst finally come for him. He saw this as an opportunity to keep his family close, if not to be a good father than to keep them loyal to him as well. He often flaunted his illegal wealth with them, spending as much time with them as he possibly could so they would never believe that his job was more important. This simultaneously allowed him to keep his family safe, knowing full well how easily he could crumble if they were threatened. In this line of work, nobody was afraid to murder children to make a statement.
Tonight was a special night for Kiril and his family, celebrating his son's sixth birthday. All of the boys, and the one girl, had assembled for a day of unhealthy food and activities in the giant mansion. So long as they remained out of the office and work rooms, the children had free reign of the home for the day. They were blissfully unaware of the revenue stream that fueled their rampage across the premises, their parents only suspecting that something strange was going on. With the world the way it was, most everyone was happy to let the bad things slide if it meant a moment of peace. Sitting in his home theater with his wife and the kids, Kiril pretended to enjoy a children's animated movie when he was interrupted by one of his security guards.
There had been a complication on one of their shipping freighters earlier, and one of the groups he worked with had already heard about it. Seeing how quickly they had sussed out what had happened, he was extremely skeptical they could be trusted. Excusing himself to allow his wife and the maid to watch the children, he stepped away to his office where the representative from Paradeus would meet with him. He mentally prepared himself, ready for whatever pseudo religious bullshit they tried to throw at him to put the fear of God into his heart. The creepy Nyto girls might have been pretty, but he still knew better than to trust them one hundred percent. They paid exceptionally well, but they had an agenda. Accompanied by four of his closest friends and security guards, Kiril smoked a cigar in his office as he waited for the Nyto to be escorted upstairs to his office.
The first thing Kiril noticed about the girl sent to visit was just how different she looked from the usual girls that Paradeus sent to negotiate. Almost always, a young girl in all black robes, black hair, and pale skin would stand before him with a sort of haughty confidence. This girl was almost the complete opposite of what he expected to see; sporting white hair, her vastly more revealing outfit reminded him of a tabard that medieval knights would wear. Shockingly, most of her human body had been replaced by machine parts, making her look more like a doll than a person. Her expression even seemed different, carrying an almost malicious sense of superiority. Looking at her, Kiril felt that she regarded everyone in this room as disposable, something that she could easily make reality if she decided to swing that massive white scythe of hers. Apparently, she refused to part with it, signifying herself as a combat unit. The more Kiril learned about Paradeus, the less he doubted their humanity.
She refused his offered seat, choosing to stand in the center of the room. Doing some quick math, Kiril realized she was in a position to defend herself from his guards should he order her death. Taking note of this fact, he made sure that he still had his own sidearm ready as he pulled out a cigar to break the ice. Again, she refused the offer, as all the Nytos do. "So to what do I owe the honor of entertaining you tonight?" He asked, trying to get something out of this girl.
"There has been a breach of your security." Despite her fluency with Russian, the Nyto spoke with a heavy German accent. "We are starting to have doubts."
"Doubts?" Kiril tapped some ash from his cigar into an ornate bowl. "We've barely had time to deal with the situation in a proper capacity."
The Nyto frowned. "Our sources within State Sec claim that a leak came from your organization-"
"Your sources?" Kiril interrupted her. "If you have such a vast network that even the Soviet Union's thugs are under your watchful gaze, then why waste my time? Why not just march across the border however you see fit?"
The Nyto scowled at him, no doubt calculating the best angle to swing her bladed scythe into his neck. Someone really should have confiscated that thing from her before letting her in here. "You assured us of your own security, yet seem surprised when it fails."
Kiril pointed a finger at the Nyto. "You haven't even allowed my people time to work things out," he would be damned if he allows this bitch to come into his home and try to threaten him, "and now you're in here while everything is still hot like you know every little detail?"
The Nyto seemed unthreatened, as if Kiril had simply insulted her. "You're quite the history buff, you keep an old model Makarov in your desk." She smiled as she read off a list of things that would only disturb him more than the last. "Your wife ordered the cake for your son's party, chocolate with buttercream frosting. Your son is six years old, but you're having his birthday tonight because it is not a school night. Your daughter hasn't been born yet."
Kiril's hands were shaking as he struggled to remain calm as fear ran through him, realizing that this girl knew more about him and his family than most of the people that worked for him. "Why are you here?" he asked calmly, trying to keep his voice from wavering,
"Loyalty within Paradeus carries both great rewards, as well as unspeakable punishments," the Nyto explained as she reached inside her robe for something. Kiril caught a glimpse of a nasty scar on her stomach as she searched the interior pocket. "Failure is disloyalty, and we are experienced in discovering traitors."
"What are you offering?"
"Your protection in exchange for your cooperation." The Nyto placed a State Sec badge on Kiril's desk. She had come here and easily squeezed a confession out of him, that robot eye of hers was probably live transmitting this entire interaction. If she really was working for the government, she had everything she needed to throw him into a prison to never see his family again. Her offer was for him to work against one of his clients, something that could ruin him and put a massive target on his back.
Before Kiril could answer, the safety of a pistol clicked in the silence. The Nyto spun around, pivoting like a ballerina on one of her fancy peg legs, and faced down one of the guards. He tried to pull out his gun, but her hand had already grabbed his wrist and kept it facing away from her. "How long have you been working for Paradeus?" She asked.
He grunted as he tried to pull his arm free from her grasp. She slowly shook her head at him as Kiril stood up from his desk. "Boris has been with me for years!" He protected his friend.
"That lapel flower contains a microphone that has been listening on a short wave transmission, no doubt by someone within this building," the Nyto explained, "the fox is still within the hen house."
As she reached for it, the man began screaming in pain as he went into cardiac arrest. The Nyto pulled her hand away from him, having forgotten that the lapel device could also deliver a short dose of poison intended to induce a heart attack. She backed away from the man as the others tried to help him. Kiril, having enough, pulled his gun from his desk. "What the fuck is going on?" He demanded.
"This is how Paradeus will ensure your loyalty." She seemed to remain calm despite the situation. Before Kiril could respond, a commotion was heard downstairs. One of the children was screaming, and he felt his heart stop as he realized it had to be his son. "One of my sisters is here." The Nyto whispered.
"What did you do?!" It took every bit of restraint to keep himself from blowing the girls brains out right now.
"Protect the children." The Nyto seemed unfazed by Kiril's threats, more concerned about the screaming. He had to admit, he needed to know that they were okay.
Rather than leave the Nyto alone, he kept the gun pointed at her while one of the guards took the scythe from her hands. She offered no resistance as they forced her to join them, leaving their dying companion behind for later. With a gun in her back, she held her hands up as a show of good faith. Kiril didn't trust her, no matter who or what she worked for. If anything happened to his family because of her, he would make sure she'd live to regret it. As they escorted her to the main foyer of the mansion, the Nyto's demeanor and attitude had shifted, becoming warmer and more welcoming. She even walked with a slight bounce in her step, as if she was only pretending to be a miserable bitch to create the impression of working for Paradeus. That didn't stop her from gasping when they finally reached the massive foyer and found the maid holding Kiril's son at knife point by the main entrance.
"It's just so difficult to find good help these days, isn't it?" Their maid said, holding his son hostage.
"What do you want?" Kiril started to plead, holding his gun away from the two of them. He couldn't even bring himself to point a weapon in the same direction of his son. He left the Nyto's side and slowly approached the stairs to try and negotiate.
The maid, however, ignored him and focused on the Nyto. "My dear sister," she remarked, "what has Griffin done to you?"
"Father no longer uses me," she hissed, "as he uses you."
The maid chuckled. "You combat types are so headstrong and convicted," she held the blade closer to the boy, "I do love to watch you squirm beneath my blades."
The boy called to his father, prompting the woman to hold him tighter. "Let him go." The white robed Nyto hissed, pulling her scythe back away from the guards.
More guards came from the rest of the mansion, each one armed and ready for a fight. The maid stood confidently before all of the weapons, no fear in her eyes as she kept her back to the front door. "Let my son go," Kiril spoke, drawing closer, "and I'll make it quick."
The maid burst out laughing this time. "Do you think you can threaten me with pain?" She nodded her head in the direction of the Nyto, who was also making her way to the stairs at a swift pace. "Does she look like she was born this way? Torture me all you please, but pain and death are no punishment for Father's children."
Kiril was starting to understand who this woman was, realizing that she was just another Nyto in disguise. If she had worked for him for this long, how many of his guards were under their employ? Could he even trust his own family? Whatever the answer, he just knew he needed to get his son back. Culling his organization could wait, he needed to be a father before a boss. Slowly he leveled his gun to her head and tired to hold a steady aim. "I'm not going to ask you again." He threatened, feeling the presence of the other Nyto behind him.
The woman only held his son closer, the cold steel knife pressing against the boy's throat. "Go ahead and risk it," she sneered, "my life is as meaningless to Father as hers or this boy's. I'll gladly die if it means sending a message."
Nobody pulled a trigger, the woman letting go of the boy long enough to open the front door behind her to make an escape. She slowly turned the knob and pulled the door open, freeing herself from the mansion. As she turned to dash away with the boy, a doll with long blonde hair and a black uniform stepped in front of her on the front deck. The doll held an old assault rifle, dating back to the last time her particular uniform was seen in this country as well. The woman was genuinely surprised to have seen the doll, almost running face first into the barrel of the rifle. "Did you really think we'd leave Angel by herself?" The doll stepped forward, forcing the maid to step back.
The Nyto reached out to grab her Paradeus sibling. "Now, sister, let us talk about some things-"
A few of the guards, who were also wearing the lapel flowers, opened fire in the foyer. If their intent was to protect the maid, they failed immensely as the doll immediately opened fire into her face. At such close range, she was dead before she hit the ground, releasing the boy who continued to stand in terror at all the loud noises. While the doll took cover in the doorway, Kiril ran for his son to cover him from any stray fire. Shielding his son with his back, he waited for bullets to end him right then and there. Death never came for him, the Nyto holding her scythe out and spinning the blade to protect them both. The doll squeezed by him in the doorway and made her way into the room, using semi-automatic fire to force the more traitorous elements of Kiril's guard into cover.
As the room started to empty, the Nyto sprang forward to the nearest Paradeus paid guard with a graceful bull rush. The man tried to fire upon her, but she already had her blade hefted over her shoulder for a cleaving swing. The man fell apart under the strike, splattering across the floor and wall, as the Nyto prepared to reach her next target. A bullet implanted itself in her arm from above, but the pistol caliber was unable to really damage the mechanics enough to cripple her. Again, she held out her scythe and spun it like a fan, turning the offensive blade into a defensive shield. This dazzling display was enough to make her aggressor ignore the doll drawing down on him. She pulled the trigger and he too splatter across the wall.
Working in tandem with Kiril's truly loyal guards, the Nyto and the Doll were able to effectively clear the foyer and discourage any stragglers. While the doll seemed to breathe a sigh of relief, the Nyto simply looked about at the carnage and shook her head. Now she carried herself like a chaplain on the battlefield, careful to avoid the dead to bless the dying. She walked over to Kiril, who still held his son in protection. She smiled at him, offering her hand like an angel descending from above. "I apologize for my sister's behavior."
Her smile was welcoming, something he'd never seen from the Nytos before. Having seen her take a bullet to protect him and his son, as small of a feat it was for her, it meant everything to him. He gladly took her hand, holding his son close in the other. Despite being made of metal, it still felt as warm as a human's touch. "Let me take care of my family," he said, "and then we may talk."
"Please, take your time." She moved aside, allowing Kiril to see the children and his wife.
