Love Struck Eternal

by mT Shadow

Change is not always for the better. Eighteen years have passed since the events of the second most major war for the middle east had come to a close. Leaders have come and gone, society itself has changed, and those who seek a different outcome have gone dark. The focus is now on one person. Yet her story will change the world forever. Following down her father's dark past.

24. Chapter 24

Love Struck Eternal

Chapter 24 - A well laid plan.

Sam's POV, The next morning.

Everything sat upon this one meeting. Minky was surprised to see me after so long, but I told him this was important. When we came face to face within the small hotel room I rented out; we shook hands and sat down to begin the discussion. He started it off by asking me.

"So it's been a long time since we last spoke like this Samantha. I've been keeping an eye out on you. I understand your time spent with G.U.N has most certainly paid off. You took advantage of your gifts and now you're a full fledged soldier. It seems to run within your family. Now I'd assume this is important to want to meet with me in person again. So what's on your mind as of now?"

"Don Vincent Cora." I replied as he widened his eyes to wonder back.

"The drug lord? Why?"

I figured there was no reason to hold back the facts, so I told him it all bluntly.

"He tried to kill me.""

Really? Guess that explains the scars. What happened?" Minky asked as he crossed his arms.

"The night you dropped me off at his compound we both got to talking about business. I needed a place to stay after what happened to Rosco and he offered it so long as I ran some drugs for him. Of course I made a mistake and tried to take advantage of him by skimming some extra cash off the top at the time. He must have caught on and when he did he lured me away from the compound and had his head of security George attempt to kill me. I managed to survive, but my dog Mocha? He killed her."

"I'm not gonna judge your past actions Sam, but I will attempt to prevent your future ones from coming back to haunt you. If you're planning to kill Cora then you're gonna wind up killing yourself in the process. Cora is a very dangerous man and he has a lot of muscle behind him. You can't take him down alone."

With a dead look in my eyes I replied.

"I don't care. He took the most important thing in my life away from me. I don't care how many people there are between me and him. I've waited too long to let him go on living his life in peace and glory. I've worked my ass off with G.U.N and I earned this. I'm prepared and I want the network behind me. I want your permission to go after his contract."

Minky clearly knew I was serious. He gently undid his arms to let out a small sigh. I waited for his next move and during which I took the chance to say to him again.

"I will kill him. There isn't a person on earth who can prevent that. I swear to you."

Minky seemed hesitant. Giving me a very serious look back he questioned.

"Are you sure this is what you want to do with your life? You worked hard, but dying will have meant it was all put to waste."

"I'm sure." I replied back as he sighed.

"Okay. Cora's contract isn't a closed one though. You don't need the network's permission to go after it. Same with all the other crime families. These men aren't backed by the government. Only reason people don't go after them is because these men are protected very well by some even more dangerous hired guns. However, if you're aiming to make a name for yourself in this business; this is a good way to do it."

"I need supplies though." I informed him as he nodded his head to reply.

"That's fine. I can get you what you need, but obviously for a price. You just write down the list and I'll have it for you within twenty four hours."

"Do you have any information that could help me with this?" I then proceeded to ask. Shaking his head back he replied.

"I know nothing off hand apart from where he lives. I can write down the address for free, but if you're curious about something more specific; again it will cost you. I have people who can figure out just about anything."

"I need the general layout of his compound. Blueprints would work best."

"I'll have them sent to you with whatever gear you order. How's that sound?"

"Good." I replied as he nodded and went on to ask me.

"Is that all?"

"Yes." I mumbled as he reached for his laptop that sat between us on the table. Closing it up, he urged me.

"Shoot me a text message with the list of gear and your current residence so I know where to send everything. Good luck Samantha. I'm sure you won't need it judging by the look in your eyes, but still. It doesn't hurt to say so."

"Thank you." I replied back as he got up and left the coffee shop.

I was itching to get this started, but I knew I had to worry about some other things first. Starting with locating a new apartment I could bunk in for the two weeks I had to make this happen. However as I started the search I decided to check my phone for those missed messages. My eyes stared at a number as I recalled the experience. He was probably the only person I had here in the city to distract myself with and for some reason I wanted to see him again. That little fucking rabbit. The only thing I had to ask myself was when?

I didn't want to call him just yet so I wrote him a quick message over text asking.

"Hey. I'm sorry I haven't answered any of your messages. I just got done with boot camp and I'm back in the city for a few days. Is your offer still valid?"

I would have to wait and see what he would say back and even then I'd have to focus on one thing at a time for now. Starting with collecting the things I needed to make this one shot at Cora work.

Finding a decent hotel to rent, I texted Minky my carefully thought out list and address and sent it his way. He sent me back a thumbs up icon and with it a small message stating.

"I'll have it all sent out to you by the end of the night. Keep an ear out for the door till then."

Letting out one more good sigh, I took my time and laid back to shut my eyes. I was going over a million ideas at once for how to handle Cora and none of it was going to be solid till I got an understanding of his compound. My ideas would rely on those blueprints, but I had more than enough faith that I'd figure this out and do it all right. Fuck the odds. You can do anything in life so long as you plan ahead for it and this was all going to be for Mocha in the end.

"I'm going to fix this baby. For both of us." I thought to myself as I reopened my eyes to look at her collar that was wrapped around my wrist.

Don Vincent Cora's POV, Three days later.

"You nervous?" George asked me as I prepared myself ahead of time for this stupid meeting with all the other families. Looking my friend right in the eyes as I took a line of product up my nose, I replied.

"What the fuck do I have to be nervous about? This isn't about us. It's about Pharynx and his goons. They just want me and the other families there so we can't pretend like nothing has changed. It's a waste of my time. New York was never in my sights. All I care about is LA and my product."

"Clearly." George stated back as I nodded and ordered him.

"Go do your rounds. Meeting isn't till tomorrow, but that doesn't excuse everyone from paying on time."

"Yes sir." He replied as he left my office.

Letting out a stiff sigh, I did one more line of blow then fell back into my chair to shut my eyes. I just wanted this infighting to be over between the other families. You don't see Verno and I fighting like kids. That's all I wanted.

George's POV.

Collecting my fedora and checking my glock on the way out, I took a moment to admire the area around me as I got outside.

This compound was always a place of peace regardless of what was happening around us. Nothing but beauty and endless amounts of foliage and trees surrounded us. The sun stood tall and many birds could be seen flying and singing as they did. It almost made me forget where I was at times. I could picture this being a part of Hawaii if I tried hard enough to forget where I was at.

With my car parked right in front of the compound, I looked ahead to find three of my enforcers waiting for me to give the order. Putting on the fedora, I opened up the driver's side door and ordered them all as I reached into my pocket for my keys.

"Hop in boys. We have a long day ahead of us."

With my men finding their seats and myself shutting the door, I put my keys in the ignition and listened as the engine started up. Towards the end I heard a weird noise that resembled beeping, but it went away a second later as the engine came on in full force.

Don Vincent Cora's POV.

It came out of nowhere. I was nearly asleep when all of a sudden a humongous explosion shook the compound. I felt my heart leap out of my chest and quickly got up to run out of my office to see what the hell that was all about. Instead I watched as members of my family could be seen running throughout the building in search of fire extinguishers. Running a few steps towards the main entrance, I asked at the top of my lungs.

"What the fuck is going on out here!?"

I got nothing back from anyone and I soon figured out why. Right outside the front door was George's car. It was covered in flames tall enough to rival the compound's height. A few of the doors were blasted off and glass from the windows covered the area around it. Inside I saw four of my men. George was nothing more than a burned corpse and I widened my eyes when one of the men who sat in the back somehow managed to get out to begin screaming and rolling around the front of the lawn covered in flames. The men with extinguishers tried to put him out first, but it was clear as day in a matter of seconds that he was dead.

My emotions ran rampant at this point. I had adrenaline pumping through my veins as I screamed out.

"Get that fire out! Hurry the fuck up! George!"

George was beyond dead. I couldn't fucking believe it. Stumbling back a few feet, I began to look around. I had at least twenty guys hard at work on the fire and at least another ten or so crowding around me just as protection. One of which urged me with his gun out.

"Get back inside! Secure the compound!"

I couldn't agree more. My men and I ran back inside the mansion with our path going back towards my office. Halfway to the stairs the ground shook again but this time it came from inside the house. Under extreme pressure, I ordered a handful of my people.

"Go see what the hell that was!"

"The kitchen!" I heard one of them shout over the noise as I took another step back towards the stairs.

Six of my men remained by my side. All with their guns out and their bodies spread to cover all the angles. However halfway up the stairs the man standing right next to me got shot right in the head. I didn't hear the gunshot either over all the noise. I just panicked when all the sudden the side of his head cracked open like a melon.

Then another one got shot and then another within milliseconds of the other. At this moment I turned to my right to see the shooter leaning out from behind one of the few pillars I had within the lobby. I drew my gun, but it didn't matter, because before I knew it I was shot in my right hip.

"Aghhh!" I shouted out as I fell backwards onto the few remaining steps I had to reach the top.

And just like that the rest of my guards went down before they even had a clue as to what was going on around us. With the shooter not wasting any time, I widened my eyes when they shot at me again, this time hitting me in the right shoulder.

"Aghh! Fuck!" I shouted as I dropped my pistol down the stairs.

"Help! Somebody fucking help me!" I screamed out as I attempted to scramble the rest of the way upstairs.

Sam's POV.

Cora was down but his call for help attracted the attention from outside. Flicking back towards the front door, I opened fire on three other targets as they barged right on through the doors. Those men went down fast due to the lack of armor and with it I pressed my body up against another pillar for quick cover.

Lowering my rifle, I reached down towards my hip to pull the pin on a smoke grenade and peeked out to toss it at the front door. By the time the smoke went off more men began to push into the building. I gunned down a few, but had to resort to more conventional methods; otherwise I would risk getting overwhelmed. So going up to my vest, I pulled the pin on a frag grenade and threw it right into the smoke as I could hear more coming in from outside.

The explosion shook my feet and screams filled the air as the entire infrastructure surrounding the front door came crashing down to block it off. Quickly looking back at the stairs I saw Cora make a break for it by running off towards the living quarters. With my feet ready to move, I ran up after him and emptied the last of my magazine as he ducked inside a room at the far end of the hallway. None of the shots hit it seemed and with my heart zooming I pulled out my Taurus G3 Luger and ran for it.

I was running off memory. The only place he could run on this level was towards one of the second floor windows. Judging from the room he chose, I was expecting him to jump. There were plenty of thick bushes he could use to cushion his landing. However, he was injured. There was no chance I'd let him try at the speed he was moving.

With the door to the room shut, I sent my boot directly through the base of the door and watched as it flew open. With my sights aiming for the window, I widened my eyes when out from the corner I saw a lamp swinging right at my face.

"Motherfucker!"

Cora swung as hard as he could, but I ducked just in time. Quickly I scrambled around his backside and grabbed him by the base of his neck. The hedgehog was unable to react due to the bullets in his body. With my feet set up for a takedown, I pulled the man down as hard as I could and crossed both his feet on the way. Cora came down hard on his face and with it I got on top of his back and quickly reached into one of my side pouches to pull out a set of cable ties. Once I got his hands bound behind his back I heard him scream.

"What the fuck do you want!? Do you have any fucking clue who your screwing with motherfucker!?"

Hitting him right in the back of his skull with my right elbow, I looked back at the door to hear more of his men coming from the lobby in droves. So putting my pistol back in my holster, I reloaded my T91 and aimed out into the hallway to find three of his goons searching for us. They had no time to react to my presence before I put them all down. Once my gunfire ceased, I heard Cora shout from where he was.

"I'm over here! Somebody kill this fucking bitch!"

I had no care for his personal safety at this point, I just wanted him to shut the fuck up. So with no care towards the hedgehog I shot him once more in the same leg as before.

"Aghhhhh! Fuck! Fuck! Fuck! Fuck you!" He screamed as I looked back into the hallway to find more of his men waiting for me.

I took two more of them down before having to reload again, but this was going to get messy if I had to stay here much longer. A good chunk of his men were dead but there were at least another ten or twenty guys left to deal with that would soon find another way into the compound. I had to either hold my ground here or move. Moving however would only be possible from the windows to this room.

With another clip loaded, I took a peek back into the hallway to find three more guys coming from up the stairs and another two about halfway to where I was. They used the other rooms as cover which made my time harder. Quickly going to my belt I pulled the pin on another grenade and rolled it out down the hallway. The blast got a few of them it sounded like and the shock wave from it forced the men in cover to stumble outwards and back into the hallway. I gunned them down with full auto fire in mere seconds before looking back at Cora to find him crawling slowly towards the center of the room.

At this point I decided to take my chances. Running over to the man, I grabbed him by his feet and cable tied him to the radiator that was stationed in the east corner of the room. During the process however he finally got a good look at my face to question.

"Sam?! What the fuck!? You're supposed to be dead! George killed you! You fucking thieving bitch!"

Ignoring his words, I ran back to the door to look back out. No one was up yet so I took my chance and ran out towards the main stairs to challenge the rest of his men. By the time I reached them I found two more guys running up at me. Both of which widened their eyes and panicked as I clearly had the drop on them with my gun pointed right at them.

"Toof! Toof! Toof! Toof! Toof! Toof! Toof!"

I couldn't describe what I was feeling as I killed man after man from this moment going forward. I lost track of the bodies after ten more had entered my sights. My rifle was burning hot and I was nearly out of ammo towards the end. By the end I found myself downstairs killing the last few goons with my Luger. One of which got the lucky chance to hit me in my chest with a nine milometer. The round itself hurt and took the wind out of me, but my vest took it just fine and allowed me to keep going without hesitation.

Reloading my Luger behind one of the few pillars the lobby had for cover, I widened my eyes when a couple more guys came running out from one of the western hallways with guns already aimed at me. I had no choice but to duck back behind cover and take my time killing them. During the process I took another round to my chest and one to my left hip. That round being where it was didn't hit my vest. It went right into me and I had to bear with it as I finished off my last attacker with a head shot.

My adrenaline at this point had me running at full capacity. Enough so that I took about a minute to make sure I was done with Cora's men. I even reloaded my T91 with my last clip and performed a sweep of the mansion that wasn't on fire from the kitchen blowing up.

By the time I was done I was confident it was over and made my way back upstairs. The trip there was one I would never forget. So many bodies littered the floor it was nothing short of a massacre. I couldn't believe what I did. My mind couldn't wrap around the fact that I just killed thirty or so armed guards and lived. It became even more crazy to me once I returned to the room where I left Cora to find him struggling to escape the radiator. His whole face went blue once he locked eyes with me once again. I saw the fear in him and basked in it as he said to me.

"You don't have to do this."

I didn't know what to say to him. All those months preparing for this and what I thought I would be able to say flew right out of my head. Reality was finally here and the only thing I could do was stare at him as he begged me.

"Please? Please don't fucking kill me Sam. I'm sorry for what happened, but….?"

"Shut up." I ordered him as I aimed my rifle at his head.

"Please! You want money right?! I can pay you! Drugs!? You know I'm good for it! Just please don't fucking kill me!" He screamed now as it became clear he was going to die here and now to him.

Tears began to roll down his face and with it came another apology.

"I'm sorry! It wasn't personal! I swear to god it wasn't!"

With my finger on the trigger, I said to him with a growl.

"You took the only good thing I had in my life away from me. She might have meant nothing to you, but she meant the world to me. It wasn't personal, but you fucking made it personal the moment you took her from me. You deserve this!"

"No! Please Sam just...?!"

I lost it. I dumped my last magazine into him without any regrets. The sound of his skull shattering and the bullets breaching his chest made my whole body shiver. Once I ran dry, I lowered my rifle and stared at his bloody corpse which remained tied to the radiator. Soon I began to breathe rapidly from the experience rushing over me like a raging fire. This was over. After all this time and effort; it was finally finished. In the moments that followed I snapped a picture of his body and sent it to Minky stating.

"It's done."

Putting my phone back into my vest, I took a second to remember I had been shot in my hip. My blood gently ran down my pants as I tried to calmly collect myself for my next move. Chances are the police would be here soon to investigate the explosions that most certainly shook the earth and I'd need to be gone before then.

Using my venom to numb the pain I was in, I carefully navigated my way out of the compound and into an escape car I had ready and waiting down the street from the main gate. I could hear sirens coming, so I quickly got in and began to drive as far as I could from this place. In about ten minutes I found myself merging back onto the highway and reentering the main city and it's droves of civilian vehicles.

"Ahhhhh!" I groaned as I felt the pain in my hip getting worse.

I couldn't risk people seeing me in this condition. It would draw too much attention. So I managed to keep myself together till I reached my hotel. Parking my car near the top of the lot, I turned off the engine and reached over to the passenger seat to grab onto a duffel bag I had waiting for me with fresh clothes and enough space to hide my gear. But before that I had to handle this injury.

"Okay." I mumbled to myself as I turned on my venom to try and treat myself. The problem was the bullet. It didn't go through so I had to get it out manually first before anything else. Thanks to my venom and the medical training I received from G.U.N, I managed to extract the round with a little help from a friendly first aid kit I had stowed in my bag.

Letting out a deep sigh as I dropped the bullet to the floor of the car, I focused up and used my venom to do the rest. Once the wound was closed, I took a few minutes to relax and collect my thoughts before switching into fresh clothes and storing the rest of my gear into the bag itself. After that I exited the vehicle with the duffel around my back and made my way back inside the building like nothing happened. It was only when I had reached my room that I truly felt relieved that I was done.

Letting my body fall onto the bed once I had dropped the duffel bag down onto the ground, I shut my eyes and just got lost in my own mind. So much was happening inside my head I could barely comprehend reality at this point. I thought for sure I'd be able to take this on the chin, but what I did was evil. I killed so many people to make this happen and now that it was over I didn't know how to feel about myself. Hell, I didn't even know what to do now. The only thing that I knew for sure was that I wanted to sleep just a little. Hopefully with some rest I'd have a more clear mind to work with.

Checking my phone beforehand, I read to myself what Minky replied with.

"It's gonna be a few days till I have this all sorted out. Lay low till I contact you. No going outside and no outgoing calls. People will be looking for answers and those people will be affiliated with Cora and his benefactors. Let the network do it's thing and we'll have you cashed out in no time with no one the wiser. Amazing work by the way. I didn't have a lot of faith in you when you came to me about this, but you proved me wrong and I'm glad you did. Your actions are gonna send a shock wave throughout the city and this will most definitely cripple the mob here in LA for better or worse. But like I said, just lay low till I contact you."

"Understood." I sent back to him as I finished reading his message.

Once that was all done, I officially took my chance to try and sleep. God willing this would be the first time I'd sleep knowing how poorly it's been going over the course of the last six months.

Jari's POV, The next day.

I was bouncing off the walls trying to build up the courage to text Sam back. I left her on read for more than a few days just out of fear. I was so scared to approach her again. She was just out of my league and my body couldn't push itself to make another move. I was stuck sitting on my bed with my phone in my hands. My eyes stared at it and my focus had been set up until I heard my sister ask me from her side of the room.

"You've been staring at your phone for the last hour. What's wrong?"

"Nothing." I replied as I looked up to see her walking over to me.

Everyone in this family looked almost the same. We all had the same color fur and builds. Except for my sister of course; who also had two red eyes. Her name was Lola by the way.

Sitting down alongside me she looked over the screen I was staring at to question.

"Who's Sam?"

Getting red in the face I replied.

"She's a girl I met a few months ago at the bookstore."

"Oh my god. Does my little brother have his first crush?" Her question got me even more red. Lola was always getting herself involved in my personal life. She was overprotective to say the least. However she was also filled with energy. More so than I when it came to things she found exciting to partake in. Giving her a quick shake of my head, I tried to cover it up by saying back to her.

"It's not like that! I just….?" Cutting me off, she asked while grabbing my phone.

"Do you have any pictures? Does she have a social media account I can follow? How old is she?"

"We're the same age and I….I don't know and I definitely don't have any pictures."

"Boot camp? She's in the army? My oh my. You'd make dad so proud if he ever found out you had a thing for a military woman." Lola stated as I stuttered back after realizing she read our past messages.

"I don't want anyone else to know yet. I don't even think we'll see each other again."

"She wants to hang out with you though." She stated back as she read over her last message.

"You left her on read? What's wrong kit? Getting wet feet?" Lola asked as I clearly looked distraught from her concern. Sensing she hit the nail on the head; my sis took a step back to ask me out of curiosity.

"You want a relationship with her right?"

Nodding my head, I looked up to her as she calmly went on to say.

"You can't have one if you don't even try and I know you so that's why I'm gonna do this."

My eyes widened as she quickly wrote Sam a message back. Something in my heart jumped and with it I shouted at her.

"What are you doing!?"

Lola just smiled as she wrote a little more without my permission. I did my best to snatch my phone back, but she managed to keep me away using her feet which were much stronger than mine. I couldn't even see what she was doing and that made this all worse when she hit send and shouted out in happiness.

"There! Now you can't just sit here and look like a lump!"

"Let me see!" I ordered her as she handed me back the phone.

Scrambling to get a tight grasp over it, my sister just smiled and giggled as I read.

"No it's my fault for ignoring yours. Of course my offer is still valid. It's been too long since we last saw each other. Just name the place and time and I'll be there."

Lola really did do this. She chuckled at my fear and urged me happily.

"Take a breath and trust me kit. You'll thank me one day."

What the hell was I going to do now when she texted back?

Sam's POV.

I heard my phone vibrate on the small kitchen table I had across the room. I took a few seconds to wonder what I wanted to do. I was already busy meditating. I couldn't sleep since I got here. My mind was racing half the time and the other half consisted of me being utterly lost and confused about how to feel now that Cora was dead. It wasn't even really about Cora.

I could see the exact moment I took a life. Every life I took in that compound was flashing back at me. Every one of them made me question my own sanity. I never considered myself capable of taking a life, but during that moment my world was just cold and so was my heart. I felt nothing. I didn't care or think for a single moment during the process. I just killed and killed and killed without feeling. What was wrong with me? I wondered as my nose picked up on a familiar smell from right in front of me as my focus was still on the phone.

Turning back I widened my eyes when I found Roslin standing above me. His body looked relaxed and calm. He wore a smile and without even saying hi; he said to my previous question.

"Nothing is wrong with you Sam. I promise you that."

Giving him a frown I questioned.

"How can you be so sure? Do you know what I'm going through?"

"Yeah. I do." He replied as I sighed, shut my eyes, and lowered my head.

Very gently the man sat down. He sat right on the floor with me and didn't hold back what he felt was the truth.

"People have a stigma about this. It's believed in this world that not everyone can take a life. That's false. We are all animals and when put into a corner we have a natural instinct to defend ourselves. Killing is what happens when that happens. We can all kill because it's part of our genes. But not everyone can live with themselves after."

I was looking right into his eyes now and just listened as he very gently reached up to touch my chin. Giving me a smile, he mumbled under his breath.

"You were put into a corner and you took action to defend yourself and what you believed in. Mocha would be proud of that. When it comes to living with what you've done, you just have to ask yourself if it was worth all the effort. You killed a bunch of worthless criminals who've done more harm than good to this city. Those pricks got what they deserved with you and don't you ever regret that. You hear me?"

I nodded slowly as he fully enveloped my chin with his right hand.

"Killing is easy to get used to when you have a reason to do it. Killing for nothing? Even a sadist has a heart, Samantha. You'll be lost at sea trying to find closure there. No regrets. You did the right thing and I know you may not want to hear it, but this experience will help you. If nothing is to be gained then at the very least believe the next time you kill it'll be simpler."

"Can you…?" Cutting me off Roslin stated.

"I can but I said I'd give you more once this moment came. I'm gonna teach you how to do this yourself. So give me your attention and listen to what I'm about to say to you. First thing that needs to happen is I'm gonna need you to try and relax. Last time we exchanged; you passed out. There is a strong chance of that happening again here. When you're ready just take my hands."

I gulped down some of the fear I had going into this. I trusted Roslin without a second thought, but passing out was never something I looked forward to. However I did as requested and after about a minute of deep and steady breaths, I managed to maintain my composure and reached out to take his hands. Once we held one another, he urged me with a whisper.

"Close your eyes."

I did and during the process I felt his hands grow warm.

"Breathe in. This is gonna be hard on your body at first. You're gonna feel constrained. Do your best to stay aware that I'm here with you. You might see things, feel things, and you might even hear voices. You'll be breaking another barrier within your own mind and it's gonna send you somewhere that I can't picture. Just remember who you are and do your best to hold onto me. If you lose me; know that it isn't the end of the world. Just stay the course and you'll come back to me. Are you ready?"

Taking another breath, I nodded my head and replied.

"Yes."

I heard him exhale and within five seconds I felt my head get wrapped in a feeling similar to experiencing brain freeze. However it seemed worse. I gritted my teeth and did my best to stay focused as Roslin grunted.

"Stay aware Samantha!"

His words felt powerful as I suddenly felt my whole body grow warm. It was borderline boiling inside me in a matter of seconds and then I felt my arms go numb. I couldn't believe what came to me next. The amount of pain that rolled over my entire body was something I could only describe as dying again. My eyes reopened but in front of me I saw nothing but darkness. Have I gone blind? I wondered as I felt my body fall forward.

Roslin's POV.

"Ahhh!" Sam fell forward as I reached my end. Catching her with my shoulder, I breathed heavily into her neck and wrapped both my arms around her back to hold her up.

I was in just as much pain as I expected to be in from doing this, but I had nearly forgotten the experience up till now. It brought back memories of Marcus that I wished never existed.

"Ughk!" My eyes widened as I coughed up blood. Blood that seemed fresh. It was thin and dark and it rolled down my chin as I asked myself when was the last time I really bled? When was the last time my blood flowed?

Collecting myself, I remembered who laid in my arms and gently began to carry her over to her bed. Laying the wolf out on her back, I moved her hair out from her eyes and leaned in to adjust her mouth so it was facing up at me.

I hesitated at this part because I knew what I had to do to make this work assuming she got out of her mind alive. Using my tongue, I licked my lips and collected my blood back into my mouth. I tasted the iron within seconds of doing so and it made me shake. Shiver in fact. My body was excited to claim this wolf as my successor. I was itching to watch her grow into the demon I knew she would become. So without waiting any longer, I leaned in and pressed my lips to hers. An action I never embraced with another mortal being till now. With Marcus we just exchanged blood using open wounds.

Parting her lips and embracing her tongue, I transferred my blood into her mouth and slowly pulled away to close her mouth shut with my right hand forcing her lips together. I held them for a few seconds and once I was sure she got it down, I let her go and smiled out of relief that this was over. It then hit me that I was out of energy. My body was light in nature and I could feel my blood quickly return back to normal. However I wasn't able to handle the experience, so I let out a deep growl and passed out alongside her.

Sam's POV, Unknown.

I had no clue as to where I was now. I found myself laying down outside in an orchard of grass and sunflowers.

"Where am I?" I asked as I tried to stand.

There wasn't anything around that caught my eye. There was grass all around me for starters. No people, buildings, or even animals. It was so quiet and that had me concerned as I began to walk around in circles.

"Sniff! Sniff!"

My nose spiked when all the sudden I smelled smoke coming from the east. It wasn't that far ether from what I could tell, so I just ran in that direction to soon find a small wooden cabin that was set on fire. The ceiling collapsed in on itself from the heat and all I could hear was the crackling from the flames and burning wood.

"What the hell is going on?" I wondered as I stopped to admire the sight.

"Stop!"

I jumped in place when all the sudden I heard a voice screaming out from the back of the house. In confusion I ran down towards the fire and tried my best to see what was going on by hiding on the corner of the cabin. Peeking my head out slowly I widened my eyes to find a large group of men beating on a child who they had pinned to the ground.

No words were exchanged. Just beatings. The kid couldn't be any older than ten and he was being beaten like a grown man. All I could do was watch as his face swelled up from all the hits he was taking to the head.

"Kill the little fucker already!" Someone shouted as I quickly recognized the kid after I had gotten a good look between punches.

It was Roslin.

Everyone here looked like normal farm hands by the way they were dressed. Each of which was armed with some form of melee weapon, be it a spade or a pitchfork. I had to help, but when I went to my body for a weapon I quickly realized I was unarmed and panicked when the men started to beat the kid again. Using all I had I ran out to stop them by screaming.

"Stop!"

I didn't want to waste any time so I tried to grab the man who was in charge of throwing more punches. However I was quickly brought to a standstill when my hands went right through him as if he was a ghost.

"What the…?" I cut myself off because I was quickly lost by the events I was witnessing. No one was giving me any attention. I stood right in the middle of them and still somehow I was being ignored. But I think that's the exact moment I realized I was the ghost. This had to be a dream. Maybe even a memory? I wondered as the men went on to beat the child some more.

"Ahhhh! Stop! Please!" He begged as it was clear this was out of my hands to stop.

I was forced to watch as this went on for at least another ten minutes. In time the men left the area, leaving me with Roslin who cried in the position of a ball. I felt horrible for him, but I had no idea what was going on to even begin with. Part of me tried to say something to the boy, but I knew my words would fall on deaf ears. So I tried to reach out and when my fingers went right through his image, I widened my eyes when all the sudden everything around me changed.

"What's going on?" I asked myself as I quickly adjusted to the area.

This looked like my living room back home in Iraq, but…..?

My ears perked up when all the sudden I heard someone running at me from behind. Quickly ducking out of the way, I widened my eyes when I found my father standing before me with a lost look on his face.

"I don't want to do this Samantha! Don't make me do this to you!" He begged me as I questioned the situation in my own head.

My dad looked like he was dressed for war. M.E.A.F uniform and all. He wore his old combat vest that I recalled he had displayed in the basement. On his hip was Shadow's gun and just by looking at his face he looked like he had been fighting for days. He was sweating and on his neck looked like blood. Unsure of what to do I questioned.

"Dad?"

Just as fast as before; he came at me. This time he threw a combination at me and I was forced to play the defensive. Dodging and weaving between his punches, I was shocked by how fast he was. Even during training the men and women I fought hand to hand weren't this quick. He had to be using his power. Yet this wasn't him going easy on me by any means. I felt like he was really trying to hurt me; so I screamed at him.

"What the fuck are you doing dad?! Stop!"

He just kept coming. I had to back up further this time. However I panicked when I felt my back bump into the TV. My father on the other hand took that as his chance to try and hit me, so I widened my eyes and refocused on him when he decided to send in his next hook.

Grabbing his arm by the wrist to get him to stop, I had to use all my strength to keep it there. Enough so that I began to growl from the pressure he placed on me. Together we stared at each other as if we were enemies. In his eyes I saw that he wanted to hurt me, and that shook me more than anything up till this point.

With time passing, I decided enough was enough. I had to break out of this standstill. So using all I had, I kicked him right in the shin and threw my head forward hitting him square in the temple. The impact sent him a few feet back and gave me the chance I needed to make a move. So I decided to hit him. Running at him with all I had, I threw a heavy hook and widened my eyes when all the sudden he disappeared and I woke up to find myself laying in bed.

Almost instantly when I realized where I was my head began to throb in pain. Enough pain that I sat up to hold my head up with both my hands. With my eyes shut I asked myself.

"What the fuck just happened to me?"

I kept my head down for a few seconds. Just long enough for me to adjust to the pain I was in. Once that happened I lowered my hands and looked to my right to find a familiar echidna laying down next to me.

"Roslin?" I whispered as it was clear he was sleeping.

Unsure of what to do, I suddenly stopped to taste something on my tongue. It tasted like blood so I quickly wiped my tongue on my arm to see if it was. I found nothing however, but I could taste it still. Was I bleeding from my injuries? I wondered as I refocused on the fact that Roslin was really asleep next to me. I figured he would have left. What happened to him? Did he pass out too?

Very gently I rested a hand on his shoulder and tried to see if he was okay. However, he was feeling so cold. It was like his body was ice.

"Roslin?" I said his name again to no avail. He was out. There was nothing I could do. I wasn't about to wake him. I wonder how long it's been since he's even slept. Do gods need that? I had to wonder as I heard my phone suddenly go off on the counter across the room from us.

"Ughh." I groaned as I stood up from the bed to go for it.

Picking up my cell, I unlocked the screen to see two messages. One from Jari and another from my dad. However what got my attention about my dad's message was that it was just an emoji of a red heart. So I decided to check out the rest of his chat to see he sent me a paragraph only a few minutes before the emoji I saw. Leaning over the small table I read it to myself.

"I don't know if you're reading this, or ever will, but for my own sake I'm gonna send this anyway. I proposed to your mother."

Widening my eyes I went on.

"She said yes and we plan to get married. I don't know when yet. It's hard to pick a date because neither of us can imagine a ceremony without you there. I know you hate me. I can't change that. But I love you and I want you to be there for this. I know she does too. More than anything. Please Sam if you get this; give one of us a call or a text back. I love you. Please be safe wherever you are."

I was at an impasse. Cora was dead. I had what I wanted after so long, but still found myself questioning my own hate towards my father. Was I being naive at this point? Rebellious? Part of me believed that everything coming out of his mouth was a lie. Even the idea that he loved me sounded fake. But again was I being dumb thinking like that? I wondered as I looked away for a minute to check on Roslin.

He was still asleep so I went back to my phone to ask myself if I wanted to send him a message back. If I did it would surely bring about a conversation between us and I had no intention of going through that right now. I had to focus on myself now that Cora and George were both off of my mind. What was my next move? I wondered as I checked Jari's message to see he wanted to meet up again.

It took him some time to text me back from when I first asked if he wanted to hang out, but I'd like to think that's because he was shy. I got that vibe from him. He tried his best to be upfront and open with me when we last saw each other, but it had to be hard. He just seems kind of fragile.

Going through my head to think of a time, I decided to hold off till Minky got back to me. I didn't want to leave this hotel till that came up. So I carefully put my phone back down and went back to the bed where Roslin still slept soundly.

This guy was intimidating up close while he was awake, so it felt kinda weird to see him sleeping like this all the sudden. My eyes looked over his body from top to bottom to see the rest of his condition. The cloak he wore hid no secrets. It just looked like it had walked through hell.

Very slowly I sat down next to him and gently lowered my muzzle to begin sniffing him. He didn't smell bad to my surprise. In fact he smelt like lavender for some reason. Did he really wash himself or was I just imagining this? I asked as I slowly brought my muzzle back up to let out a sigh.

I had no idea what to do right now other than stare at him. My body felt fine. Did he really give me something more in terms of his power? I didn't feel very different. In fact I felt very calm about the whole thing. Strangely calm. Did he do that? Or did I? I wondered as I decided to shut my eyes.

Keeping my noise to a minimum, I tried to start meditating. That always helped me pass the time. Yet this time it felt completely different then just doing breathing exercises. I got the same warm feeling I did when Roslin numbed my emotions and radical thoughts with his hands. It felt so good. Was this what he gave me? I wondered to myself as I reopened my eyes to look at him.

Standing up, I took a position on the floor in front of the bed and tried to meditate again. The same thing happened moments later, so I decided to put all my focus on it. I was going off of the good feeling I got when I did and I didn't want to stop. So until he wakes up I think I'll do this. There might be more to this power then I can see and without experimentation I doubt I'd learn anything new. Hopefully Roslin would be proud of me once he saw I was capable of learning on my own when it came to his gifts.

Roslin's POV, An hour later.

"Uhhhh?" I groaned as I woke up to the feeling of grogginess. A feeling I haven't felt for at least a decade now.

Slowly sitting up on the bed I was on, I wiped my face and eyes and looked down towards the center of the room to find Sam sitting there with her legs crossed and her hands on her knees. Her head was down and her eyes were closed and it didn't take me long to realize why. How long was I out for? I wondered as I reached out to her slowly with words.

"How long was I out for?"

Unmoving, the wolf replied without losing her focus.

"A little over an hour I think. I woke up before you, but I can't account for how long that was."

Her voice sounded so soothing. Clearly she was capable of calming her nerves down herself. I didn't expect her to figure it out this fast, but who am I to complain? I asked myself as I stood up to fix my cloak.

"How are you feeling?"

"Amazing." She replied as I nodded and went on to ask.

"Have you caught on? It's not that hard, but I didn't expect you to master it this fast on your own."

"It's simple, yes, but at the same time it's also very complex. One wrong move and I believe I could ruin it." She replied back as I walked over to where she was sitting to get down next to her. Her eyes remained closed for the time being as I listened to what she had to say.

"It's hard to stop myself. The feeling I get when my mind is under this is just too good. I can't imagine going back to the way things were. I could do so much with this level of clarity."

"That's the idea behind it, Sam. A clear mind like yours could accomplish a lot."

"Thank you." She said back.

Looking over her body closely, I decided to ask her a more personal question.

"You saw something right? After you passed out? What was it?"

My question got her to open her eyes. She leveled herself with me and used one hand to fix her hair before replying back to my question.

"I was back home. Just standing in the living room doing nothing. But my dad was there too and he attacked me. Not with words, but with physical dominance. I don't know why we were fighting, but it seemed important. He was clearly fighting himself at the same time. He didn't want to hurt me. He begged me to stop what I was doing."

I understood what the outcome could be from the moment I gave her more power. However I had to play this right if I wanted her to understand. After scratching my chin and cheeks, I said to her calmly.

"What you saw was most likely the future."

"How's that possible?" She asked me back as I took her hand to check and see for myself if she was under control. Sam watched my hand as I shut my eyes to reply.

"How's anything we do possible? It's not for anyone to judge or understand. Everything has to happen and it all has to happen for a reason. Now I wouldn't take what you saw to be the unchangeable truth. There are hundreds of questions to be asked before we can find answers. Don't stress yourself out by thinking about it. Just remember it and if the moment comes where you are confronted by it? Well you'll have a chance of changing it because you already saw it coming."

Reopening my eyes, I found Sam looking down between my legs in deep thought for how to proceed forward. Sensing she was indeed gifted and under control, I asked her.

"What do you plan on doing now that Cora is dead?"

"I'm not sure yet. I have a lot on my plate to think about before I commit to anything serious. If I had to give you an answer I'd say I'd just continue working with G.U.N. There is a lot they can offer me now that I'm done training."

"Any returning interest in pursuing your scientific goals? You had a plan before Cora fucked everything up. Why not focus on that for now till something more serious comes across your table?"

Looking me right back into my eyes she replied.

"I don't know. Maybe? What's the point? My condition doesn't seem to really matter now that I'm with you. Is there any point in fixing viper venom now that I have your power?"

"Maybe not. You could be right." I informed her as she went back to looking between my legs.

Giving her a small sigh, I stood up and offered her a hand. Very slowly she took it and once she was back on her feet I said to her calmly enough.

"Your path is your own. I can't change that. Cora is dead and you again have the chance to walk in any direction Samantha. If you want to focus on G.U.N and your military career then by all means do it. I just get the feeling your heart might have a hole in it now. A hole that needs filling from another purpose."

Looking back into my eyes, Sam appeared to be thinking deeply about that purpose. She didn't know what she really wanted yet, but I hope with time she'll come across something interesting that she'll want to put her effort into. Till then I'd have to just watch. Reaching over to put my hand on the top of her head, I smiled and said with confidence.

"You'll figure it out in time. Till then just do your best to remain leveled and calm. Take your life a step at a time now that you have freedom. Try not to get involved in anything you don't absolutely need to be a part of. As always I'll be watching and if you need me again just call my name."

"Where are you going?" She asked me back as I noticed her voice seemed concerned for the answer.

"I don't know yet. I tend to just wander till I'm needed."

"Do you want to do something with me instead?" She wondered. Giving her a curious look back I replied.

"I guess that depends. What do you have in mind?"

Giving me a sweet enough look she replied.

"I don't really know to be honest. Maybe dinner? Just something small we can do together. I still want to be friends."

"I'm not leaving you for good Sam. There isn't any point in feeling like you need to try for me." I informed her which got her to quickly say back.

"I'm not doing this because I feel like I need to. I just want to."

Again I let out a small sigh. At this point I wasn't against the idea. I had no reason to hide from her. However I wasn't used to being around other people. It was never something I was truly good at. But unlike Marcus I wasn't afraid of it either. I'm sure it took some time before he and Raptor got used to each other. What was the harm in embracing this relationship sooner rather than later? I asked myself as I examined the wolf before me. After a few more exchanges, I said to her.

"Okay. I can do dinner if you would like. Do you have any place in particular in mind?"

"Not really." She informed me back as I nodded and debated on what to do. Before long she said to me in a somewhat higher and excited tone.

"I saw a BBQ place just up the road. You want to try it?"

Smiling, I replied while walking towards her bathroom.

"That sounds good to me. You hungry for a meal like that though?"

"Of course. I haven't left this room for nearly two days. Eating chips and granola isn't anything compared to real food. You serious?"

Chuckling as I entered the bathroom, I looked around at the sink where she appeared to have sat her gear from the other day in a larger duffel bag of sorts. On the edge of the sink sat her handgun. Keeping to myself, I replied to her question.

"Not always. Just curious."

Turning back towards her, Sam approached and walked by me to grab her gun. I grew curious again as she pulled up her shirt to tuck it behind her back. Adjusting her pants, I asked her.

"Worried about something?"

Not giving me a clear answer, she replied.

"Just can't be too safe right now. I shouldn't even be leaving the room till Minky tells me it's safe."

Understanding her fear, I said to her while watching her walk back towards me.

"Concerned about a tail then? Or even if someone who knew about Cora's demise decided to try and attack you for revenge? You don't have to worry about it."

"How do you know?" She asked me back as she now stood next to me.

Keeping a relaxed presence, I replied to her honestly while admiring her scars.

"I know because I'm a god. And I can make it so no one would know you even left".

"How?" She wondered while offering me a curious smile.

"By introducing you to the way I travel. Where is this place you want to go to? Can I see an address maybe?"

Pulling out her phone the wolf began to search for the location. I watched her curiously enough. At one point I questioned.

"What are you doing there?"

Focused on her device she replied.

"Using the internet to find the restaurant. Did you not know you could do that?"

Shaking my head I replied back.

"I'm not typically walking the world this much. I haven't been for nearly a few hundred years. Rarely do I have a need or want that requires me to adventure outside my realm of being. So when it comes to things like phones and such? I have no clue what you're talking about."

I watched as she seemed stumped and somewhat shocked by the truth. Giving me a wide and cheeky smile she laughed back.

"That's fucking crazy. I'm sorry I had no idea. I just assumed. Wow."

"That doesn't mean I'm against learning."

Looking me back in my eyes, the wolf questioned.

"You want me to show you?"

"Maybe over some food. Did you find it?"

Nodding, she replied.

"Yeah. Here look."

Giving me her phone, I read off the address and urged her with my hand grabbing her wrist.

"Okay. Just relax now."

"What?" She went to say as I jumped us to the address in a matter of a second.

mT Shaow.