Love Struck Eternal
Chapter 25 - Presence.
Roslin's POV.
I took in the warm air and meaty smell from outside the building and gently released her at the same time. Completely at a loss for what the hell I just did, she questioned while looking all over the place.
"How the….? What?"
"It's how we gods get around so quickly. Your father was never late to anything important right? This is how."
The girl just chuckled to the realization and proceeded to say to me promptly
"This is fucking insane though. Holy shit I didn't even see it happen."
"You're not going to." I informed her as I gently patted her back and urged her with a gentle push.
"Let's get inside."
Sam's POV.
Roslin kept his hand on my back as we entered the restaurant. I was still blown away by what just happened and being that the case I wasn't really able to focus or speak for myself. Enough so that when we were asked if we wanted a table, Roslin himself had to say yes. On the way to the table, I whispered to him from behind.
"Sorry."
"You're good. Relax. Here."
We were at the table by that point and I watched as he pulled out a chair for me. With a smile he urged me to sit and that's what I did. I was caught off guard by his chivalry. I fully expected him not to care about things like being a gentleman. By the time he sat down my nose began to take over.
"What are you gonna get?" Roslin asked me as I tried my best to reply.
"God everything at this rate. What about you? Do you normally eat like this?"
Shaking his head he replied while checking the menu.
"Typically I don't eat at all. I don't need food like you do."
"What? Really? How?" I asked as he seemed focused on the menu now.
I waited for his response by going to my own menu to begin hunting for my dinner. During the process he replied to my question.
"It's complicated. It comes with being what I am. My body doesn't need anything to stay the way it is. Same goes for your father. We don't need it."
"If that's the case does that apply to me? We're both demi right?"
"Yes, but you aren't on his level yet. You have some power to you, but it's nothing compared to what will come. And unlike your father; he is Marcus's demi. Marcus is the current head of this realm. Which in turn makes your dad his successor. In order for that to happen your dad's body is forced to adapt to what it is like to already be a god. It makes things a lot easier once the torch is passed so to speak." He informed me as a waiter approached us to ask if we wanted any drinks.
"I'll have water." I told the waiter as Roslin added.
"Same for me. Keep things simple."
"I'll be right back with those for you guys." The waiter stated as she left our side to fetch our drinks. With his eyes still going over the menu, Roslin informed me.
"You're my demi. I'm a past ruler of this realm. Which means you aren't going to be the next in line. Not while Marcus is in charge. If I was; you would be. Does that make sense?"
"Yeah." I replied as he looked up at me for a moment to smile. I smiled back and quickly noticed the waiter coming with our drinks. As she set them down she asked us.
"Do you guys know what you want to eat for the night?"
Nodding, I replied with a question.
"Actually we've never been here before. Do you recommend anything?"
Our waiter was a fairly thin female black cat. With a high yet leveled voice. She reminded me of Uno from boot camp. With a smile she replied.
"The brisket. It's to die for. I'd go with beef if I were you, but I don't want to impose. We can have it made from other meats. We serve beef, rabbit, chicken, lamb even."
"Ohhh I think I'd like to try rabbit." I said back to her as Roslin questioned.
"What? Really? Rabbit?"
Laughing, she replied.
"Domesticated. Not the walking ones. It's actually pretty good. Different from the standard of course, but worth the try. The sauce we use does a world of good for the gamey taste."
Roslin seemed stunned by the idea, but I was down for a new thing. So with my mark set I asked her.
"Can I have that?"
"No problem hun. What about you now sir? Same thing or something else?"
We stared at the echidna now together as he took another look at the menu to reply with some uncertainty.
"Oh man well I never really had this kind of stuff in my lifetime, so I guess for safety reasons I'll have what she's having."
Giving him another chuckle, our waitress replied.
"That's some very logical thinking. I'll have this order placed for you two now and it'll be probably fifteenth or twenty minutes. Okay?"
"Thank you." I said back as she nodded and went on her way.
With our menus now gone, I was left with Roslin who had no escape from paying attention to me directly now. Fixing my hair slightly so it was out of my eyes, I asked him nicely enough.
"So you don't really have to eat. Do you sleep? I mean of course you sleep. I saw you sleeping just a bit ago, but I don't think that was normal. How much stress does it put on you to help me?"
Roslin honestly seemed relieved that I asked him that, because his eyes widened as he sighed out.
"A lot."
I felt bad. I didn't know I was hurting him.
"You're not." He informed me bluntly.
"Huh?" I replied unsure of what happened just now. Looking me up and down, Roslin mumbled.
"I can read your mind. Trust me, you don't have to try to hide your emotions."
"Wait, you can hear what I'm thinking? Is that a thing that you do all the time?"
Chuckling he replied.
"No thank god. I'd go crazy if I had to hear everyone's thoughts. I just tune in when I feel it's best."
"And just then was one of those times?" I questioned with a wide smile and a sideways chuckle.
"I guess. Don't worry, I'm not always listening. Your thoughts are safe…...most of the time. Hehehe."
"You fucker. Fine I won't feel bad for you." I muttered back which got him to laugh a little.
"I don't need you to feel any type of way Sam. So long as you're not fighting me we won't have any problems."
"Fight you? I can barely touch you when I try. No thanks. Not yet."
Roslin cocked an eye to question.
"Yet? You plan to then?"
"I'm not telling you shit. I have a better chance if you're not expecting it." I informed him which again got him to laugh a little. Now just because I was curious I asked him next.
"This reminds me. I've been curious, but do you actually have any training when it comes to combat?"
Now Roslin seemed open. He delayed himself to find the right answer. After about ten or so seconds he replied.
"If you're talking about military training then no. I've never experienced it the way you have in your life. I know how to use my gun if that means anything to you. But when it comes to fighting; I just know the basics like everyone else. My powers tend to handle anyone and everyone."
"Do you want me to show you some stuff when we get back to the hotel room?"
Unsure he replied.
"I don't think that's necessary Sam."
"Why not?" I asked him back as he calmly muttered.
"Why? Because if anyone tried to lay a hand on me they first of all can't. It's physically impossible for a mortal to lay a hand on me unless I let them. Only gods can touch me without consent."
"What about me?" I wondered as he quickly replied back after sensing my curiousness.
"You're mostly mortal. I still can choose. Which again should be another reason why you should reconsider attacking me in the future. You might just make yourself look dumb."
"I'm willing to chance that." I informed him with a slight giggle as I realized our food was inbound. Roslin and I both widened our eyes when the cat came over to hand us both a very large plate of pure meaty goodness. I nearly jumped on it before it left her hands, but I refrained from my lesser instincts until she was on her way towards another table.
"Oh fuck this looks amazing." I moaned out as the echidna took a few moments to observe me as I began to dig in.
I knew I wasn't pretty to look at, but I wasn't aiming for anything else. I needed this kind of meal and thanks to all my hard work I had the cash on me to make this trip more often. Between my second and third bite, he asked me while grabbing his own fork.
"How is it?"
"Fucking amazing." I replied as I quickly urged him.
"Don't let it get cold. You'll regret it. Just dig in."
Even though I was in another realm of my own eating my food, I took notice of how he was acting as he made his first bite. He looked like he really never ate before. Or if he did it wasn't anything quite like this. But I saw that leave his body the second he took his first bite in. The dude practically looked excited now as he looked back at me with two wide eyes to announce.
"Oh my god, that's really good."
"Told you!" I laughed back as he went back in for seconds.
This was really nice. I didn't expect him to be so open considering how agonist he was towards me asking more then one question up till this day. I wanted to ask him so much, but again I was worried about boundaries. How far could I go by abusing him with questions before he got annoyed? And part of me was struggling not to mention the other experience I had while I was unconscious. How would I even talk to him about that? If my assumption was anywhere close to being on the money then I'd bet that was a really bad experience for him. It's not like I can expect him to talk about it to a complete stranger.
Yet my mind was focused on eating. I threw those thoughts aside for now and just focused on enjoying myself. Towards the end of our dinner Roslin said to me.
"You know this wasn't how I pictured today going, but that's not a bad thing. This food was worth the effort. Are you ready to go back?"
Wiping my face off, I replied.
"Oh yeah. I could go for a nap."
Reaching out to offer his hand, I quickly chuckled and informed him.
"Hold on, I gotta pay."
"Seriously?" He questioned as I nodded and replied.
"Of course. What? You just want me to skip out on the bill?"
"I mean…..I guess not. Just tell me when you're ready."
I stuck my tongue out at him and quickly waved down the waitress to urge her.
"We're ready to pay."
Taking my new card that I got from Minky, she replied.
"I'll be right back then hun."
"Take your time." I begged her as I sat back down to smile at Roslin who just seemed indifferent about the deed of paying for once. Now stuck waiting he asked me.
"So what did you make off of Cora and his family? Money seems to be no longer a concern for you if you don't mind me saying."
Testing his ability, I thought of the number he seeked. A moment after I did he smiled and muttered back.
"Okay. Impressive for a scumbag."
Cora's contract was a little higher than some of the other Don's on the site. Just under Hannibal Marxist and Jeremiah Soul who came in around five million a piece. Cora was four. Under him they went in order. Brock Verno, Skier, and then Pharynx. And what was even better was that every Underboss, Caporegime, and even some of the enforcers each family had were worth something on top of that. George earned me about a quarter million extra on top of Cora. I wasn't complaining one bit.
"You considering the others?"
His question got me to mellow down. He noticed my reaction and asked me.
"What's stopping you?"
"Time." I replied simply enough.
Nodding Roslin questioned.
"Worried about travel time?"
"I'm worried about everything it involves. Between going to each fucking place, I'd have to recon each compound separately, figure out patrol patterns, locate the best time to strike each one of them. That's also not taking into account their Underbosses who are tasked with close protection. I barely have enough time to get my shit together here; let alone plan for that."
"But could you imagine what kind of presence you'd have pulling off something as big as that? If you ask me; it might be worth it for you if you plan to take your little mercenary gig a step further."
"Don't get me thinking. "I begged him as this was clearly on my mind now that he was pushing it. Giving me another wide smile, he said to me in a whisper.
"You'd be set for life with that kind of cash. Not to mention you'd be doing the world a favor."
"Shut up." I whispered back as our waitress was inbound with my card.
Roslin readied himself now to leave and as I took my card back from the girl, I said to her.
"Thank you again. I'm gonna leave you a tip before we go."
"You don't have to honey. I'm just glad you enjoyed the food."
Taking the written bill from her hand, I nabbed her pen and signed my name and wrote in a considerable tip for her anyway. When she took back the bill I saw her eyes widen and I took that as the perfect time to leave before she knew what happened.
Reaching over for my owner, I smiled as he took my wrist and did just that. This time my mind was a bit more ready for the experience, but yet again I was still amazed when we were suddenly back in my hotel room in what didn't even seem like a fraction of a split second. Roslin released me as I readjusted to real life by laughing out.
"This is so fucking crazy!"
The echidna just chuckled as he took a seat on my bed. Looking back at him I asked.
"Can you honestly look at me with a straight face and tell me that even to this day that kind of power doesn't excite you!?"
"I've been using it for a long time. The excitement tends to dissipate after a few years."
I was still blown away regardless.
"So what's your plan for tomorrow then?" Roslin asked me as I settled down gently to reply.
"I don't know yet. I'm still not leaving this place till Minky tells me I can. Just to be safe."
"And when he does?" Roslin went on as I walked over to the bathroom to check my face in the mirror to make sure I didn't have any of my dinner still on me. As I checked and washed my hands, I replied to the man sitting in the other room.
"If everything works out I plan to see this guy I met before I shipped out to boot camp. Nothing serious so don't get any ideas. He was just a sweet dude and despite this shit with Cora and I; I'd like to make a friend."
"I'm not here to judge your intentions Sam. You can hang out with whoever you want so long as you remember what I told you."
Walking back out while going behind my back for my gun, Roslin carefully examined his situation; as it might have seemed like I was pulling this out as an emotional reaction to his previous statement. However my intention was to put it down next to him on the nightstand. However I still decided to remind him of one of my own previous statements I gave him a while ago.
"I know what you're saying. There isn't a chance in hell of it ever happening either. Don't you remember what I said to you? I know my place and I know that I'm only here now because of you. I owe you everything Roslin. My life…...my body…...my mind. Whatever I can do to show gratitude; I'll do my best to give you. I'm not going to do anything stupid to prove otherwise. You're…..?" I reached out with my left hand attempting to go for his shoulder. Instead I couldn't bring myself to really embrace him so my hand ended up running down his arm till it fell off his touch. The echidna however stayed perfectly still and managed to maintain a heavy stare as my mouth mumbled out.
"You're my owner."
The echidna widened his eyes once more now as he heard it for the second time. Doing my best to maintain control over my own emotions, I went on to immediately say to him.
"Just please have some faith in me. I'm telling you how I feel and I'm being as true to myself as I can in the process. But do me a favor and if you ever need me to do anything…..and I mean anything…..just come out with it and say it. I don't know how to prove it to you by myself just yet, so it would be awesome if you sometimes lent a hand. You know what I'm saying?"
Breaking his deadly glare he began to chuckle. After nodding his head towards me he replied.
"I can do that. But for now all I want from you is to figure out your next step. Develop yourself Sam. You need to figure out what's best for you."
"What's best for me right now I think is to take a break." I informed him as he nodded.
"I'm not going to lie to you since there isn't a point to it. I never thought I'd see the day where I enjoyed taking someone's life in return for profit, but what happened with Cora really showed it to me."
"Then pursue it." Roslin urged me. Shaking my head I questioned.
"And just leave G.U.N now that I'm done training with them? I can't do that. Not yet. I'm gonna have to work through this and make it count. Maybe when the first chance comes I'll decide to take the exit from active service, but till then I have to keep a leveled head on my shoulders and not make any more enemies then I already have."
"Well apart from that what are you going to do about your family? Your mind drifted once or twice while we were eating. Your father proposed? Mind me saying but it took him long enough."
"Yeah..?" I mumbled as I took my care to look away from him now that I had been put back in this position. Roslin knew how I felt. I saw it in the way he observed me as I struggled to find an answer that meant anything real. Gently he reached over to take my hand and I just slowly looked back at him. Keeping his tone sweet, he urged me.
"Do whatever you feel is best for you. Or at the least do it for the one person I can see you love. Your mother."
He was right. My feelings struggled with my dad, but I really did love my mother. With a tear breaking free from my right eye I whispered.
"I just don't know how to approach them after all this time."
Roslin held me still within his reach as I went on to begin crying to myself.
"I mean what can I do to fix this? My dad just wants me to send him a text back, but it can't be that simple. Even if my mind wants to hate him; I can't help but feel it's all because I'm acting selfish. I know how you feel about him, but I don't really know if I can hate him the same way. We got into a fight…...a fight that I escalated by being a bitch." Roslin at this moment seemed to be staring at me with the eyes of a parent himself. Or at the very least he was looking at me like Teddy used to when I was in this kind of shape.
"Sure he went out of his way to hit me, but that's because he's as easy to trigger as me. We're two fucking rocks. Neither of us knows when to back down from a fight."
"Don't just blame it on yourself. You acted the way you did because of so much more Samantha. Don't deny it."
I nodded because I knew again he had a point. Regardless, I replied to him.
"I've made this happen. I asked to be off the grid. I made myself not answer any of their messages or phone calls. I wanted to disappear. I…..I wanted them to worry. I…..I….I think it's too late to say sorry. Even if I did, what could I do? I can't go back to Iraq. I can't just go back to my old life. I'm not a child anymore Roslin."
Nodding he stated.
"You can be anything you want to be Sam. You can figure out something so you can find happiness in this."
"What would you do?" I asked him out of sheer curiosity. Gently letting my hand go, he replied.
"If your family matters then I'd reach out to someone you know you can trust. Otherwise? Well I'd just keep focused. Or at the very least, send your dad a message back telling him you'd rather not be involved. He'll be happy knowing you're just alive. I have faith he'll respect your choice."
"I think you have more faith in my dad than I do Roslin. He's made it through his life interrogating people. I doubt he will let me off after this long by just saying no."
Chuckling somewhat, the echidna nodded and proceeded to urge me.
"Then how about this? Treat this problem like it was Cora. Plan ahead. Figure out a way to get through this cleanly. I mean that's what you're best at from what I can see. Use your talents and I bet you'll naturally find a way."
It was hard to tell if he meant that or not. Either way it seemed to make sense. I planned for Cora. I planned to get through that situation with as little trouble as possible. What's to say I can't do the same with this? I wondered as I took a breath in and prepared myself for what was to come.
Yoga's POV, Two days later, Iran.
"Remind me again Yoga why my girlfriend had to accompany me to something so boring?" Char urged me as I chuckled and watched as he got finished putting on his M.E.A.F uniform.
Luna stood watch as well as for once she shocked us both by being done first.
"Don't answer that Yoga." She ordered me as she now focused back on Char to say with some snark.
"I'm here because I want to be. You've been running all over this fucking country for the last few months and I've grown tired of just letting you leave me for another stupid business meeting."
"This isn't just a meeting hun." Char informed her as she went on to correct herself.
"Of course not. I'm just being dramatic. I've seen all the cameras out there waiting for you. No doubt this isn't just a meeting."
I kept to myself this whole time. I had my rifle resting on my chest by it's sling. My arms were crossed and I rested for now on the nearby couch in this suite we had. Being a bodyguard had its perks. Char on the other hand had finished his outfit and I watched as he collected his M9 from off the bed to place it tightly into its holster. Once he was done he looked back at Luna to add to the conversation.
"This is the day we've all been waiting for Luna. I have some of the most powerful and influential people in the middle east waiting for me out there in that hell."
"Is Ajex Marano here yet?" Luna asked as I shook my head to reply.
"His flight was delayed. Said he won't be able to make it in time and urged us to proceed without him."
"Convenient." Luna chuckled as Char begged her.
"Leave him be hun. You know he's got a lot on his plate. Not to mention he just had another kid, which makes three. He doesn't technically need to be here anyway. It just looks better for everyone if G.U.N was there to approve the merge."
"I know, but you would think this would mean more to him right now. All his talk about following in Hecan Moore's footsteps and brokering world peace. I'd expect this to be a high point in his career." Luna muttered as I jumped in to say.
"It is a high point. This is just a freak accident. If luck is on our side he'll make a full recovery and get here before the night is up and celebrate with us."
"Celebrate Yoga?" Luna questioned with another laugh as I just snickered and refocused on relaxing before the show.
With Char all set to go, he begged his girlfriend.
"Just stand up straight and we'll all be better off. Oh and please, please don't do anything stupid. You represent the middle east just as much as I do. Just as much as Yoga does. Now are we all set to go?"
Luna nodded and with that Char gave me a smile and asked me.
"You ready to go?"
"You know I am." I replied as I stretched one final time.
Lifting back up my weapon, I stood up from the couch and ordered.
"Stick close to me Luna till Char has taken the stage."
"Okay." She replied as Char was the first to get his legs going. I followed behind but took the lead once we left the room. Outside was just as Luna said. Cameras everywhere with a crowd the size of a few hundred people waiting for the signing.
I did my best to get Char where he needed to be as fast as humanly possible. It took us about a minute to navigate to the stage where he would be standing among the fellow leaders of the middle east. A rep from nearly all countries. Char was the rep for Iraq, Afghanistan, Pakistan, and even Iran. Most of which had guards of their own watching their backs. With the crowd beginning to settle in, Char urged me with a gentle pat to my arm.
"Go sit with Luna. I got this from here."
"Understood. Go get them" I urged him as I obeyed and took my place with his girlfriend who had a front row seat. As I got in position Char ordered the room.
"Settle down now everyone. Today is a historic moment indeed, but we won't finish this anytime soon with all the chatter."
I nodded and continued to watch him as the crowd listened and took his order in respectfully. Now with the room silent, Char took the front most position to state.
"I regret this all had to happen now. G.U.N president Ajex Marano has had his flight delayed and will not be joining us for this moment. But that's not his fault nor ours. Just rotten luck would have it this way. So without any further delays; how about we finish what we have worked so hard for here and now?"
Char turned to confirm this with the other foreign leaders who each had a separate table among the crowd where we were all watching from. Without hesitation everyone seemed to be for the notion and with his voice heavy and proud Char announced.
"Today marks the day where the middle east has officially come together to declare world wide peace between G.U.N and the border colonies. This treaty, which has been signed by everyone in this room; states that each country will abide and avoid another senseless war. We won't be pointing fingers at each other and instead we can focus on reforming the rest of the planet. Now I want this to be clear. This is all the middle east ever wanted. Peace."
No one dared to speak a word as the wolf went on to say.
"This kind of treaty should have always been in play. If it was, we would have never gotten to this point. We might have been able to prevent a lot of this hardship. Things might have been different for everyone. We could have…..?"
I'm not going to lie, I zoned out a bit because I was starting to hear the same old shit leave his mouth. Char was always this way. Emphatic and dreamy. Crazy for once that it all made sense. But we had men like Raptor and Shadow Robotnik to thank for that.
With my eyes going up to the ceiling, I took my time and stretched my arms and legs. For a moment I shut my eyes because above us was a skylight which had the sun blazing down on me. It was so fucking bright. I thought to myself as my eyes suddenly saw something cross over the skylight. It looked like someone was up there, but I was unsure because I knew we had snipers and a few foot patrols up there making sure the streets were clear from any unnecessary disturbances. I wondered if it was just one of those men crossing over.
"Hmm." I mumbled as Luna saw my eyes looking up at the skylight.
"What are you looking at?" She asked.
Bringing my gaze back down to her I replied.
"Nothing. Just thinking."
Luna went back to watching Char as he raised his voice up an octave to shout.
"Going forward we will change the world. The middle east will no longer be just a war zone. With the help of everyone in this room, we can find peace. Peace that will correct our past sins. A goal that the middle east will accomplish. A goal we can all strive to achieve. What says you?"
In a matter of seconds everyone began to raise glasses full of champagne. The cameras began to flash nonstop and for a moment I felt like everything had changed. Everyone was together in a common cause for once and with the work Char put forth; we will now be able to clean up the mess we made years prior. Even Luna smiled and raised a glass to her boyfriend's speech. However despite all of that the world came crashing down when all the sudden a loud bang could be heard above our heads. A bang that shattered the skylight into pieces.
The crowd around us went into a panic when we looked up to see a figure shrouded by the sunlight. In a complete panic I realized the figure had a gun and turned back to see Char standing there with a bullet in his chest and a shocked expression on his face. My hands barely could keep a grip on my gun as the wolf took a step back; placing his right hand on top of his heart.
"Char!" Luna screamed out as the shooter took a second shot hitting him square in the head.
Char's body fell backwards with enough force to rock the stage and once I saw that I got a hold of my weapon and opened fire towards the skylight. The other bodyguards provided suppressing fire as most of the civilians began to run from the scene. However their efforts were fruitless because when they reached the only exit; the door they pushed on appeared locked.
"Char!" Luna screamed again as she ran for the stage.
"Luna wait!" I shouted at her as I noticed the attacker was gone. Turning my feet around, I ran for the stage to find Luna over top Char's body crying. Putting my gun down, I got on my knees and stared at the hole in his head. The whole time more shots were fired at the skylight. With my heart racing I went to my radio to order.
"The capital is under attack! We have a shooter on the roof! All security teams, engage at once! Protect the VIPs!"
"Char!" Luna screamed as I quickly went to her side to order her.
"Move to cover! This area isn't safe!"
"He's dead!" She announced as I looked back up at the skylight just in time to see a horde of figures take position above us, all with loaded rifles.
"Oh fuck me!" I shouted as they opened up.
Within seconds I got torched with a few rounds to various parts of my body. Most of which got me in the arms and legs, forcing me to fall down next to Char. Looking over at Luna I screamed at her as she seemed absolutely frozen in place.
"Run!" I begged her.
It was too late. I watched as she got riddled with bullets. Two of which flew through her head.
"No! Luna! No! Fuck!" I shouted as I tried to get up.
The moment I tried to move I got shot again. This time I felt five or so rounds collide with my vest and I was forced to stay down. My lungs felt like they got punched. I barely had enough power to look off the stage to watch as everyone else in the conference hall got gunned down like animals trying to escape a cage. It felt like the gunfire never ended, but when it did there was no one left standing. Countless bodies piled up including those of the VIPs.
"Ugkkk!" Blood pushed its way up my throat as I attempted to crawl my way backwards towards the far end of the stage.
My goal was to reach some form of cover. I had no chance at fighting back with this amount of damage to my body. Hell, I could barely believe what just happened. Char's blood was on my hands as I found a spot behind some nearby technical crates that held heavy cameras and lighting equipment for the event.
Barely able to move my body, I did my best to peek around the cover I had to check and see what was going on now that the shooting slowed. My eyes found the attackers coming down from the skylight on ropes. On their way down I got a good look at their uniforms. They looked like mercs but I could tell just by looking at them that they weren't just some normal goons. The gear they had looked all custom, but the one thing they did have in common was the fact that they wore masks and or helmets. Each part of their outfit also matched the same color scheme. A mostly dark gray and bitter yellow looking digital camouflage.
Gripping one of my many wounds, I held my breath and kept my noise to a minimum as I heard one of the mercs order.
"Check the bodies! Make sure we got everyone!"
Using my left hand, I reached down to my hip to pull out my M9. This could be the end for me if I made one wrong move or if someone came over here. Thankfully I didn't look to be the nearest mercs target. Char was. He was joined by three other men and one of which said to the other.
"That was a beautiful shot. Fucker had no idea what hit him. Think this is his wife?"
I watched as the one who asked the question kicked Luna over with his right foot.
"Guy wasn't married. Probably a girlfriend or his sister. Who gives a fuck? Make sure he's dead."
"With pleasure." The merc replied as I watched him shoot Char again in the head with his rifle.
"I don't think he's getting up from that Dusk." The shooter chuckled as I now knew one of their names.
"Hey?" My eyes widened when all the sudden the third merc questioned.
"Wasn't there another guy on stage?"
"I watched that dude get shot like twenty times. He's probably dead. I put four in his chest when he tried to move."
"You sure about that?" The merc who seemed concerned wondered as I knew I had left behind a trail of blood for them to follow if they wanted to make sure of the matter. With my gun ready I readied myself for my last fight.
"You confirm it then, but I'm not wasting my time. The heli is on the way and we gotta get out of here before backup arrives." The man stated as I watched the merc look my way to debate the matter.
Thankfully luck was on my side. In a matter of seconds the mentioned helicopter flew overhead and began to hoover above the skylight. The merc who was interested in my fate quickly fell in line as his friends began to board the vessel by means of a long rope ladder. I watched in agony as they flew off into the sunset.
"Fuck!" I grunted as I tried my best to hang on.
That prick was right to not waste his time. I was bleeding out and judging by the amount of blood I was gushing I gave myself another minute or two before I'd pass out. Resting my M9 on my lap, I let out a deep sigh and whispered to myself.
"I'm so fucking sorry Char. I should have expected this. I should have….?"
Sirens could be heard all around the capital. It was no surprise the police turned up late. This was a goddamn nightmare.
With time passing, I soon found myself crying. I can't believe I fucked up this bad. Char's dead and I couldn't do a fucking thing about it. Those mercs…..they weren't normal. They were organized. Well equipped and trained shooters. I had no idea who they could be apart from maybe Ying PMC, but those weren't their company colors. Nor could I believe Ying would pull something like this off. Killing Char and every other middle eastern leader is an act of war. The network would never allow this to happen either. All of the contracts belonging to these men were closed ones. Which means whoever did this didn't care about the rules. They didn't care about the network. For once I was able to say with utmost confidence that we were dealing with terrorists. But who? I wondered as I shut my eyes and allowed my body to rest.
Raptor's POV, An hour later, Iraq.
The day was slow. Dinner felt like it took hours to prepare; when in reality it was maybe thirty minutes thanks to Maggie's help. Zeta for once sat back and watched as we finished setting the table. With my eyes looking over at the white wolf I said to her.
"Thank you again for the help Maggie. You didn't have to."
Shaking her head she replied.
"It's okay. I wanted to. You're soon to be wife has done so much for me since I got here; I figured this is the least I could do to repay the favor."
Setting up the last plate, I widened my eyes when I felt my phone begin to go off in my back pocket.
"No calls at the dinner table Raptor." Zeta ordered me as I looked at my phone to see it was General Hoffer calling. Shaking my head towards Zeta, I informed her.
"It's Hoffer. I gotta answer. I'll be quick, just give me a minute."
Zeta sighed as I answered my phone.
"Raptor here."
In the lowest possible tone Hoffer asked me.
"Are you sitting down?"
Chuckling nervously I replied.
"No. Should I be?"
Very slowly I took my seat and listened as Hoffer said to me bluntly.
"There was a problem in Iran."
In confusion I questioned.
"What kind of problem?"
Both the girls before me were now focused on my conversation as it was clear something was wrong. Before I knew it Hoffer hit me with it as easily as he could.
"The peace signing was attacked. Char was killed."
"What?" I was at an absolute loss for words. Zeta saw my reaction and sat up as Hoffer said in a crippled voice.
"I'm so sorry. We just found out."
Slowly I stood up from the kitchen table and it was at that moment Zeta asked me.
"What's going on hun? Where are you going?"
I was dropping everything. Running up to my room, I grabbed my jacket and ran back down ordering Hoffer who held on his side of the line.
"I'm on my way to the capital. Are you there now?"
"Raptor?" Zeta was lost. She had no idea what my head was going through right now.
"I'm here in Char's office with Zandro."
"Does he know? Does the public?" I asked Hoffer as I put my phone down for a second to urge Maggie who remained at the table.
"I'm sorry but this is important. I'll make it up to you."
"What's going on Raptor?" Zeta asked me again as Hoffer replied to my concerns.
"He knows. He found out first. As for everyone else? Raptor, this is massive. Everyone who was at the signing got killed. Apart from Yoga. He's in a critical condition right now and being prepped for emergency surgery as we speak at Iran's local hospital."
"I'll be there in two minutes." I informed him as I hung up and looked back at Zeta to tell her the truth.
"The peace signing was hit in Iran."
"What?" She questioned as Maggie asked.
"By who?"
"I don't know yet." I replied as I felt myself start to cry without consent.
Slamming my hand down onto my side; I informed them both before I could break down further.
"Char was killed. Along with everyone else that was present."
Both girls widened their eyes in complete shock as I again tried to recover enough of my mind in order to travel. Stuffing my phone down into one of my pockets, I said to them.
"I gotta go."
Zeta was destroyed. So was I, but she managed to wave me off as I left my house through the front door. With Maggie out of sight, I phased the rest of the way over to the capital. I found Hoffer and Zandro waiting right where I was told and the second they saw me, Hoffer had shut the door to the office. Looking to my friends for answers I questioned.
"How could this happen? Who did it?"
"We don't know yet." Zandro informed me as Hoffer added.
"Only person with information is Yoga. Cameras were wiped and no one saw anything prior to the attack."
I was unable to comprehend this. My friends saw this as I sat down on the desk to put both my hands over my face. I tried my best to cover up any tears. Halfway through Zandro said to me.
"I'm already working with the network to figure out who pulled the trigger, but chances are this is a terrorist group we're dealing with. No one country would ever consider hitting this. It's an act of war."
"You said they killed everyone? Does that include Ajex?" I asked Hoffer as he quickly shook his head to reply.
"No. Ajex wasn't there. His flight was delayed."
"Pretty ironic." Zandro muttered as I considered the idea that maybe they had something to do with this.
"Ajex wouldn't have anything to do with this. He was the one pushing for peace talks. He has no reason to turn his back on everyone and do something this big." Hoffer informed us both as it was clear this was all up in the air.
"Get me a name Zandro." I ordered him as I was already feeling the urge to start another war over this.
"A name can wait Raptor. Right now we have to figure out how to approach our people." Hoffer stated as I understood his point. Nodding my head after a few seconds I asked.
"How do you suggest we do that? Because the way I see it, everyone in the middle east will be demanding blood. That also includes every other country who had an official at the event. This isn't going to just be about us Hoffer. Attacking that peace signing just turned this into an all out war."
"No it hasn't. War can be evaded if we focus throughout the next few days. Focus that needs to be put on finding answers we can relay to the public."
"We're also going to need a replacement for Char." Zandro added as both him and Hoffer now looked at me. I knew where this was going and with anger covering my voice, I said to them both.
"I'm not doing this again. We're finding someone else."
"Like who?" Hoffer questioned as I gave it a moment of thought before saying to him.
"I don't know yet. Give me some time."
"We don't have time." Zandro informed us as I reverted backwards by shouting at him.
"Make time then!"
"We can't!" He replied as Hoffer jumped in to shout.
"Stop it! Both of you!"
Zandro and I exchanged looks and before long Hoffer said to me personally.
"Raptor, we can't delay this. Word has already reached the news stations. What happened at that conference will soon be exposed to every city we control and like you just said there will be plenty of people seeking blood. We can't afford war. We can't afford to delay this. Everyone will be looking for us to act and that starts by replacing Char as soon as possible like Zandro said. And I'm sorry, but there just isn't anyone else."
"There has to be." I replied as he quickly questioned me.
"Who then? Do you know anyone else that can give our people hope during something like this? I don't and you only did one term. You can do a second one without any problems politically. No one is gonna contest you. In fact there isn't anyone else I can see filling into this role as smoothly as you could."
Hoffer had every reason to say what he was saying. He was right but I hated to admit it. The last thing I wanted to do again was fill these shoes. I wanted to avoid trouble. I wanted to live the rest of my days on the sidelines. Why can't they see that? I asked myself as Hoffer approached me to whisper.
"Please Raptor. I'll do everything in my power to keep you from being swamped like you were during your first term, but I need you now more than ever."
"We do." Zandro added on as I put my head down to exhale deeply. After a few moments I looked back up at Hoffer to mumble in anger.
"Fine. But this isn't over yet. Get me a fucking name that I can work with. I want to know who killed him. I want to know; then I want them dead. Am I clear?"
"Of course." Zandro replied as Hoffer begged me.
"Please keep your head on during this Raptor. We want to avoid war. Not start it. Once we figure out who did it we can assign operators to the task of killing them. A confined operation. We won't be the only people gunning for revenge. Yeah?"
Nodding, I replied.
"Yeah, I got you."
"For now just sit and relax." Hoffer urged me as Zandro nodded and stated.
"I'm going to get to work on this. I'll contact the network first. If anyone knows anything it'll be them."
"I don't care what it costs Zandro. Do whatever you have to do to make it happen."
"Yes sir." He replied as he marched out of the office.
Left with Hoffer, I growled.
"Char was supposed to be my best man."
The old man understood and remained quiet as I slammed my fist on the top of the desk.
mT Shadow.