Love Struck Eternal

Chapter 37 - An equal monster.

Sam's POV, Later that night.

It was easy enough to find something to do around the city. Roslin was right. There were hundreds of contracts posted by the network in this city. They all ranged in difficulty. Some contracts were posted by the military here and those the military targeted seemed to be drug runners and arms dealers. It was no shocker to me considering the situation.

Yet the other half of contracts were being offered by a multitude of PMC's and other freelance employers. Those targets however were posted on more sensitive matters and most of which were against the military itself. Some politicians had prices on their heads and those prices were a lot more in comparison. The government was good at low balling a contractor. Why work for the good guys when you won't make enough to make all the effort worth the risk?

Sitting in my car, I was on hold with one of the many employers of one of those contracts. Orders were to contact them directly before attempting anything and I understood why. It gave me time to think this through, but it went against what Roslin said. I planned to take a risk. The contract was on a man named Roman Petal. He wasn't the president, but he was up the ladder in terms of pull when it came to most of the major operations going out to take knocks on the local drug runners and arms dealers I figured Dusk and his associates would be backing.

Roman was the secretary of state. Has been for the last six years and he's excelled at his position. Man had his eyes on the prize and that was the same goal Esteban had in mind. Clean up the city and the filth loitering it. Besides that however Roman had multiple shares in more than a few pharmaceuticals companies. He was paying for them to push a new tax reform process. In simpler terms it just meant that he was financially supporting a bill that would lower drug costs and clearly some people didn't like that.

Killing him would put a big wrench in things and I'm sure this would be a good way to get people to look over their shoulders for me. I wanted these guys to be on the lookout. I wanted them to fear me; even if they didn't know exactly who or what I was. I'm positive this would spice things up. I was sick. I didn't like the idea of Esteban being easy. I wanted a challenge and after doing this I'd go after a few more of his friends. Objective?

Don't get caught. That meant leaving no footage behind if they had security feeds; which I'm sure they would. Lastly? Leave no witnesses who could make me out to the authorities and at the same time cause enough trauma so that my killings leave behind a clear message for anyone that comes later. Pure fear won't come if I just shoot my targets and leave. No…..I need to get these urges out in the open. If I had to paint the walls with their blood, then so be it. I thought to myself as someone finally answered the phone.

"Thanks for holding. It's not easy talking in the open about something like this. You're calling about who?"

"Forty two." I replied which was the number the network had labeled the contract under. A second after the voice on the line went a little quiet but that was just to question.

"Are you sure you have the right number?"

"Positive." I stated back as I slowly looked out my window and at a house which was locked behind a fancy manor gate.

"Well in that case I'm glad you called directly." The voice replied as I was focused on the lights going off and on inside the house. There was most certainly more than my target inside.

"Who do you work for?"

"Freelance." I replied as the man on the other end of the phone quickly stated back.

"Makes things simple if you end up in the ground. I'll assume that you know what you're up against. The contract only has one objective. You get that done and get out clean then we can talk about your payment. You cause a problem that invites the military or local PD getting involved; then consider our ties cut even if you accomplish the task at hand. No heat? You get your money. Heat? You get nothing. Are we clear?"

"Yeah." I mumbled back as I had my other hand between my legs holding onto my Luger.

With the man going quiet for a split second, I decided to ask one simple question.

"What about the family?"

A moment later he replied.

"Up to you. He's all that matters."

"Understood. I'll be in touch shortly."

"Good luck." He replied as the line went dead.

Tossing my phone in the seat next to me, I took one more good look around the area then proceeded to exit my car and go to my trunk. Inside sat a pair of black gripped gloves and a black gaiter. I took off my hat and threw that inside the trunk along with my father's, Shadow's, and now my dog tags. Once I had the gaiter covering my face, I proceeded to tuck my hair and shut the trunk.

Besides the gaiter and gloves, I was wearing dark blue jeans and a black tank top. I also had my armored harness covering it up so all but my arms were covered. My half sleeve went well with it all and now that I was looking the part, I made my way back around to the east side of the gated manor. On that side was a dumpster that I could climb to hop over the rest of the wall and that's what I did.

Once inside the perimeter, I made my way carefully around the house till I reached a small shed that they had tucked into the corner of the backyard. I made sure to check for any sensors or cameras they may have, but fortune had it settled. There was nothing around and a simple sliding lock was the only thing preventing me from getting inside and once I had opened it and entered; I found a large generator and a few sets of fuse boxes. Each one was labeled, but the first thing would be to make it so the generator didn't start up. I cut a few wires and once I was sure it wouldn't turn on; I got to work on cutting power to the house. My eyes were laser focused and once I had done it I looked back at the generator to see it not start up in response. Now I just had to wait. With any luck Roman might be the one to come out here to check out what was going on.

I made sure to lock myself in the shed and positioned myself so I could see outside using a set of small windows that were on the entrance. After maybe two minutes I saw a guy coming outside. It was a human male, white skin, a pair of glasses, and wearing a uniform that resembled the national guard they had within the city. These guys were tasked with making sure important people like Roman stayed alive, but unlike myself they were trained no more than a standard cop. Most of the guard consisted of common citizens and honest working joes. Of course there had to be a few good soldiers among them, but this guy wasn't one of them. I could sense some fear in him even at this moment. He wasn't a killer. He was just doing a job and once he reached the door I knew I had to do mine.

Raising my Luger up and taking a step back with the door as he opened it, I waited till he had fully entered to take the shot.

"Toof!"

Not a sound left his mouth when my bullet had taken out the back of his head with ease. He just fell straight down onto his face as I quickly moved out of the shed and made my way to the back door which he had left open.

Inside I could sense another guard who was on the second floor with Roman and his wife. His wife was in bed while he was just sitting on the edge waiting for the power to return. Downstairs however was his only child who had to be no older than sixteen. He was in the kitchen which was maybe two rooms down from where I entered the building from. There was no one else, but I had to draw that guard's attention. So I quickly paced my way through the large open living room they had; which was even nicer than I could imagine. All wood floors, an overlook from upstairs just above the master tv they had hung across the length of the back wall of the living room. The TV itself was on so I walked over to the couch where the remote sat.

I planned to catch this kid off guard. So I turned off the tv and quickly made my way over to where the door to the kitchen was. It was shut, but the kid must have heard the difference in sound change when I turned off his show. Slowly walking over to the doorway, I got behind the door again and waited till it opened to make a move. The second I saw the kid enter my line of sight, I used all my strength to grab him from behind using my right arm. Instantly I had to choke him into submission because at first he panicked and tried to shake me off. However I was triple his size considering the fact that he was a younger hedgehog.

"It's okay." I whispered as I dragged him back into the kitchen.

My arm was wrapped completely under his neck. He wasn't going anywhere and at this point he had all but quit his shaking. So using my head, I put my gun down on the nearby counter and reached behind my back to pull out my K-bar. The kid had no idea what was coming and it came as no shock when he let out a painful yelp for help when I stabbed him right in the lower part of his spine.

"Aghhh!" I knew that wouldn't be enough to get someone's attention from upstairs so with that my focus I decided to hurt this kid more. I wanted to hurt him in fact. I dreamed about doing this again ever since I was released upon the world by Ajex. So with my knife still in his back, I yanked it out and proceeded to stab him again, then again, then again. The whole time he screamed in between my chokehold and maybe after the seventh or eighth stab he began to cry out in agony. He was out of energy from it quickly, but that didn't stop me from having more fun before he died.

Leaving the knife in his back, I released my grip on his neck and proceeded to grab him by the head. Using all my muscles, I slammed the left side of his skull down into the counter and that counter was all marble so when I threw him down it made a monstrous sound on impact. I figured it was mostly his skull shattering and with pride in my veins I let him fall motionless to the ground. Blood drained from his head at such a pace that it made a pool in a matter of seconds.

My focus then shifted back to Roman, his wife, and the one guard they had left. The guard heard all the commotion and came running down the steps as fast as he could with a rifle in hand. With the kitchen door closed, I got down alongside the counter and listened as the man called out in confusion.

"Max? Max are you okay? What was that crash? Max?

Barreling through the kitchen door came a taller gray fox. He had no time to react because the moment he came into the room I threw myself at him getting to his rifle first.

"What the…!?" I disarmed him faster than he probably wanted me to by slamming the gun into his stomach with all I had. The gun then hit the floor next to Max after I had torn it from his hands. Using all my power, I began to wrestle this guy into the door. I got control over his head in a matter of seconds and decided now to begin slamming him into the door.

I got two good hits before I had to reposition myself so that I could end him; and end him I did. I moved faster than any person alive and with the same amount of force I hit him with a second ago; I collided my right knee straight into the base of his mouth and nose. The guy's body began to spasm with each knee I forced him to eat. After about four or five he went silent and was dead against the door which I had managed to break in the center.

"Jacob!?" I heard Roman call out from his room as I quickly leaned back to take my knife from Max's spine.

With my knife in my left hand; I grabbed back onto my Luger using my right and proceeded to power walk my way back into the living room where Roman was now approaching. I took aim up at the balcony and the second his face appeared we locked eyes and I sent a bullet right into his chest.

"Agh!" He screamed as he instantly fell backwards and out of my line of sight.

It didn't matter though. He had nowhere to go. His wife however was screaming at the sight of her husband who had barely managed to get back on his feet. Yet by then I was already upstairs staring at him. The second time we looked at one another he begged me with blood leaving his mouth.

"No stop! Please! I'll…..?! Toof!"

I sent one more bullet at him and this time hit him right in his left knee. He fell right back down as I took my chance to go for his wife who had just got her phone from the nightstand sitting next to her side of the bed. Before she had time to make a move, I had made my choice.

"Toof!"

My first shot hit her right in the stomach and in between her screams I fired two more with the intent to kill.

"Toof! Toof!"

Roman watched from the ground as I had shot her square in the chest and head. Her body threw itself down onto the bed again once my bullet entered her right eye.

"Jess!" I heard him scream as I turned back around a second later to aim my gun back at his head.

The look in his eyes said it all. Everything he had ever done was flashing before his eyes. I savored the look he gave me and for a moment stopped myself from pulling the trigger. Instead of this I wanted to make my mark known here and now, so using the hand that held my knife, I punched the guy right in the face. He went down just as hard as his son and with my objective clear to me, I grabbed him by the hand after stowing my Luger behind my back and proceeded to drag him back towards the balcony. He stood no chance and once I had dropped him he begged me with all he had in his heart.

"Don't kill me! Don't….?!"

"Shut up!" I ordered back as I again punched him in the face. This time a tooth flew out of his mouth and went between the railings to land down in the living room below.

Looking around the house, I found a small closet towards the bathroom and inside was a number of household tools and chemicals. I grabbed the longest extension cord I could find and then made my way back to him to begin tying it around his neck. The whole time he begged me again and again to not kill him, but my mind was already made up.

"Please! Don't do this!" He cried out as I pulled him back up to his feet.

Shooting him once more in the back of his other knee, I savored his screams of pain then began to tie the other end of the cord around the railing. Once that was done I threw him over the side and looked down as he slammed back first into the wall knocking off paintings and photo frames that were displayed all over the living room.

A moment after he had settled I began to watch him struggle to stay alive, but in maybe thirty seconds or so he began to stop breathing and began to just sway back and forth. I knew I was finished now, so without wasting any time I looked around for their security and found a small set of TVs sitting in a guest room. Ejecting the tape and making sure I put my training into good use, I wiped the footage and made sure no one would ever know it was me who did this tonight. Once I was sure I had finished I made my exit, but not before shooting Roman's body a few more times with the rest of my clip.

By the time I was empty there was so much blood on the walls it made Max's head look trivial. I knew I made my point in killing him the way I did and calmly exited the house and made my way back to my car by jumping over the wall using the same way I came in. It was then a short walk to get into the driver's seat and back onto the road. My next stop would be my condo, but before that I called my employer who answered after maybe a minute.

"What do you want?" He asked as I simply replied while taking off my gaiter.

"The job is done. Have my money wired by four o'clock tomorrow afternoon or I'll be coming for you next. That should give you ample time to catch the news if you don't believe me."

I hung up without a second thought. I never planned on taking any pictures or sending this guy evidence. He'd surely see my work soon enough and for that to happen I had to call the police from a payphone just outside the condominiums I was staying at. I gave them the address and a bullshit story for why I was so concerned then left them to their fates. I would sleep pretty knowing I had the ball rolling, but before that I stepped a foot inside my room to be greeted back by Roslin who appeared from out of nowhere behind me. With a concerned voice, he asked me before I had time to register his presence.

"What are you thinking?"

"What?" I questioned as I took a step away from him to begin taking off my clothes. Watching from the door as I got off my hoodie, the echidna asked me in return.

"You had how many other scumbags you could have aimed for tonight and you chose to murder that guy and his family? I thought you wouldn't want to draw any attention before dealing with Esteban?"

I didn't quite know how to describe my intentions to him. After a moment of me not saying much back he went on to say.

"And the way you did it? Your a fucking maniac you know that right?"

Chuckling a little I questioned.

"What do you mean?"

"What do I mean? When you're here with me and we're just talking and having a good time; your a completely different person. You're smart, funny, and sometimes you're even sane, but once you're off your leash you go and hang a guy. You beat a few people till they can't be recognized and you stab a kid that was only a few years younger then you about twenty fucking times like he's Caesar. It's just amazing how crazy you are. For real."

"Blame my father." I begged him as a joke which got him to instantly reply with some laughter.

"Oh I do! He's a fucking demon when he wants to be and he's surely had his moments, but your barely a foot into his universe and your already plotting a course to superseded him and his fucked up ways of killing people."

"Problem with that?" I then had to ask as he watched as I got off my pants.

Roslin gave me a face that made it seem like I just asked him a stupid question. After a few silent seconds he replied confidently.

"Not a problem. I'm just trying to get a read on you now that you're comfortable with your new life. When we talked way back when about how you wanted to be feared, I just didn't think you'd resort to such extremes this early."

At this point I was sitting on my bed in my underwear. I nodded my head slowly towards what he was saying then took a second to see some blood on my hands. Roslin noticed that too, but just let me focus on it as I for a moment took in the scent. I realized right then and there that he was right. I was a different person between those two moments. I had an urge to hurt someone and to kill and that wasn't a normal thing I craved till recently. It wasn't normal at all in fact and that made me believe that he was right even more than I thought he was.

I was crazy. I knew I had so much power and I knew without a doubt I couldn't be stopped by anyone so long as I played it smart; and that made the urge to kill even stronger. I knew I could do anything and maybe because of that I was getting extreme with my ways. I could have just shot Roman and left his family alive, but I chose otherwise and without a second thought to kill them all and to kill them all brutally so I could release this pent up energy I had. I wasn't like my dad at all now. He stopped himself from being this way. He had reasons though. I don't. I just have a mission and the permission to do whatever I want to make it a success. Looking back at my master I decided to say to him.

"You're right. What I did was extreme. You go back months before all this shit happened and I wouldn't have hurt a fly. In fact I had no urges like this ever before in my life. I had legit dreams of becoming a scientist and making the world a better place. But ever since all that went down the drain I've decided I could do what I wanted originally, but just in a different way."

Giving me a small smirk Roslin questioned.

"And that way is paved by blood?"

"Of those who get in my way, yeah. I know what this world needs."

"What about the kid?" Roslin then muttered back as I took a second to take a breath then reply.

"I'm not perfect. I'm crazy. You know that. That urge had to get out of me somehow and killing just Roman wouldn't have been enough. They didn't all have to die, but they had too for me. You know?"

Roslin nodded and proceeded to walk around the room. He stopped at the end of my bedside to then ask me.

"So now what? You know since you went after one of Esteban's close friends you're probably putting him and the rest of this city on high alert right? They're gonna throw everything at it to find you."

"They won't. I'm sure of it." I replied as he then wondered.

"So be straight with me then. Was this all because of that urge? Or is there something more to it?"

"I want a challenge." I informed him bluntly back which got him to chuckle a little.

"You have no fear do you? You taste but a fragment of my power and you think you're invincible? I know you're trained now, but that isn't a good mindset to get absorbed with Sam. You can still be killed. One wrong move and you'll be exiting this life once again. There isn't any guarantee I'll be around to pull you back again."

"You'd let me die after all this?" I questioned seriously as he just stared back at me blankly.

"You're putting a lot of faith in your ability and in me. You want a challenge? Esteban is gonna give you one now. You may be smart and extremely deadly, but purposely putting yourself out there will only cause you harm."

"I'm not gonna get caught, Roslin. Trust me. When I want to be caught? I'll make damn sure I do it on purpose." I informed him with some anger in my voice as he took notice and decided to go silent before causing any more trouble.

"I have a mission. Esteban will die. Dusk and his people will notice and even those guys won't know who did it in the end. By then I'll purposely give them something to work with to track me down. That's what I want. I kill this guy and dismantle the government? Dusk and whoever he works for will come looking. They have to. They'll crave me. They'll beg me to join them and when I do I'll start stage two."

"So what's stage one? Help me understand your plan a little more." He urged me as I took a second to stand back up and approach him by the door. His eyes went to my breasts for a split second before stopping to cross his arms and refocus on my face. Standing up straight with him I replied.

"Stage one is simple. I want this government to be on edge. More so then they already were. Killing Roman will surely do what you said. It'll get them to beef up security. Esteban will surely be the most protected and he probably won't have novices at his side. Whatever the case is I'll handle it, but I want this to be hard. The harder the better." I mumbled as I looked down at his crotch. The echidna gave me one stiff glare before he questioned.

"I don't get you. You're smart and somewhere in that head of yours you have to know this is a bad idea. Why take the risk when you could have just killed Esteban easily?"

"I just told you. I want to draw out Dusk and his people as soon as I can. I'll still make them work for it, but having them chase after me is exactly the point. I'm also crazy. So I'm gonna do this because I want to."

"So then what's stage two, you psychopath?" Roslin proceeded to wonder as I slowly decided to walk by him and into the nearby bathroom before replying.

"Stage two is confirming I have they're attention. I'm sure when I get done killing Esteban this city and its military will come crashing down on me."

"How can you be so sure? You just said they won't ever know it was you." Roslin stated as I nodded and turned on the water for the shower. With him coming up to the doorway, Roslin leaned against the frame and watched as I got myself into the shower itself. When the water got done pouring over my head, I replied while pulling back my hair.

"I said I'd purposely give them something to work with. Nothing major. Maybe I'll just accidentally leave behind a small batch of camera footage the military can go through a few hundred times. I'm not gonna be exposed like I am now on camera. I have Minky working on getting me a mask and a proper uniform. Something good that could go well with my solo operation I have running now that I'm free from G.U.N directly. It'll be something good that both sides could use to identify me if I was ever to be seen in it again. I'm not leaving any fingerprints or DNA. I'm gonna make sure I'm covered from head to toe before I commit to the operation. They won't know who I really am."

"What operation do you have planned for something this big? Killing a fucking president isn't nothing to fuck around with Sam. It's like going after your father. A single person can't just assault whatever building they have him stowed away in." Roslin stated as I had already considered that.

I took a few seconds to come up with my response. During which I got the rest of my body wet. Once I was satisfied I replied to my master.

"I know, but I'm not gonna go for anything complicated. A head on attack will draw the right kind of attention. I'll do my best to contain the fighting, but the second I get Esteban I'm gonna pull out as fast as I can and let the heat die down."

"Does your friend know about this idea?" Roslin then asked me as I nodded my head and replied.

"That's why he's making the mask and the uniform I'll be wearing."

"And let me just ask because I'm curious. How much is this guy worth?"

Running some soap down my chest I replied.

"Officially Esteban would run about twenty million, but since there isn't an open war being waged against him by another government like my father's; all that money will be useless. Killing someone that has a closed contract is pointless for a solo contractor like myself. Someone would have to decide to do something like this out of personal beliefs. I'm gonna bullshit something once Dusk comes looking, but for now just know I won't be making a dime off this."

"There has to be someone who wants him dead. No PMC's or other organizations want him gone?" Roslin questioned as I shook my head back to state.

"Plenty of people want him gone, but they won't pay me if I don't go to them first about taking the contract and I don't want to do that simply because I'd be risking a security breach within my own plan. That's not to say they won't come looking for me to pay some respects after the fact, but I doubt that will be the case. I'm assuming everyone will just pull their funds once they find out Esteban was killed by some random kid in a mask. Regardless, I don't care. Esteban is a test for me. Killing him will help me in a ton of ways."

"Like?" He then wondered as I took another minute to collect my response before washing out my hair. Once the soap was gone from my hair I replied.

"I get Dusk's attention first of all. I'd also get the world's. Which is something I wanted ever since getting my life up off the ground thanks to you. My network bio as a contractor will have another huge bullet point added to it and I'm sure I'll have plenty of people asking for my information in the efforts to recruit, hire, or kill me."

"You'd get a bounty like Esteban?" Roslin then asked as I nodded and replied.

"I don't doubt that for a second. Yet it won't be serious till they expose my name and actual face; if that ever happens. People will be looking for the guy behind the mask. Not Samantha Diskov."

"Oh that's also something to talk about. You won't be a Diskov for much longer right? You'll be taking your dad's name, so you'll officially be Samantha Voltz. How does that make you feel?" Roslin decided to ask me as I contemplated how that first of all sounded.

The name itself carried weight. Not my first name by any means, but Voltz is almost like royalty. The world knows that last name. They know the man behind it and again it brought me back to wondering just what those same people would come to expect from someone like me. A member of that family is gonna be looked at highly by others and unlike my dad I don't have much of a reputation apart from being a killer. Who was I to the world? I asked myself as Roslin must have listened in on my thoughts. Because a moment later he said to me calmly.

"You're not a war hero. You're not the sole reason why the middle east was able to resolve and become a first world country. Hell if we're being honest you're not much of anything to the common folk. Everyone would have expectations for you and none of those would be what you are now. You are quite the opposite."

"Yeah." I mumbled back as he went silent to allow me to speak more.

"I'd ruin my father's good name if people found out what I've been up to."

"It's a good reason to keep yourself stowed. A good reason to play safe and not do what you're doing now; like I said before to you." Roslin suggested as I reached down to turn off the water. He slowly changed his look when I looked at him through the curtain and despite him being right; I stuck to my guns and replied to him.

"I'm not worried. I know I can do this and keep my father's name intact at the same time. I'm not gonna be scared into changing. I want to do this. This is all I want to do with my life. I won't be happy staying in the dark. I want to make money. I want to establish my own line of power. I want people to know who I am, but I'm not naive. That third part can wait till the very end. By the time that happens no one will be able to stop me, Roslin."

"No one can stop you now." He admitted with a small smile as I took my care to step out of the shower and grab onto a nearby white towel to begin drying off. With my mind engrossed with other thoughts, I asked him out of curiosity.

"Can we train for the rest of the night? After I'm dressed of course."

Giving me a curious look back he questioned.

"Yeah, but are you sure?"

Nodding as I bent down to get my legs, I slowly looked up at him from my angle and replied.

"I need to keep sharp. I need to also get better at these things. I can't do that alone. It's easier if you're here to help guide me safely through the process."

Now I had something else on my mind and when I stood back up straight Roslin asked me back.

"Is this about your senses? No normal human could hope to outthink or outsmart you thanks to your gifts and after the other night you have enough control over it to push out great distances. I'm confident you can even reach further than your father can. What is this really about?"

Giving him a small shrug of my shoulders I replied while starting to take my first step towards him.

"It's about him. If I ever have to do what I did in my vision; I want to be sure I can actually keep up with another demi like my dad. And since I can't exactly spar with him or Marcus, I'd like to think you could demonstrate what I'd be up against. I'm not ordering you to do this. If you're worried I'll hurt you then just say so."

"Hurt me? Sam, we talked about this. You can only make contact with me if I let you."

"Then all the more reason to help me with this. You can surely avoid the damage of my strikes if I manage to get one past you. So just move with the speed a god has and dodge my attacks as they come in. I just want to see how fast I can expect my father or Marcus to be if I had to fight them hand to hand. It'll be for a few minutes, I promise. After that we can do whatever. Please?"

Roslin stared at me for a moment in silence as I took the towel to the top of my head to begin drying off my hair. I didn't take my eyes off him however, not until he smiled and replied back.

"Okay fine. I can do that. When?"

"When I get done here. Just wait on the couch for me or something while I get some clothes together. Sounds good?"

Nodding his head back, he replied.

"Sounds good. Just let me know when you're ready. I'll be waiting for ya."

Raptor's POV.

The one good thing about being the president again was the fact that everyone I talked to had respect for me. They took my word as if it was god's and that made my life so much easier when it came to discussing another peace signing in the future once we had this terrorist group dealt with.

Thankfully almost all parties were willing to try it again under a much more extreme set of security rules. There is even talk about taking this to the white house. Ajex was willing to do that if we needed to and it would appear we would have to if I couldn't come up with a better idea.

My first thought was to do the meeting underground using Pakistan's old panic room that was built under the capital. It would restrict movement but that was what we wanted. Only top brass and a select few reporters would be allowed entry to record the process. Not to mention the idea of having my entire fighting force above ground defending every inch to get to us.

Yet none of this really mattered right now. The problem I'm focused on is time. Every nation lost someone that day the terrorists attacked. Some were struggling to even elect a new leader and with things they way they were that could take months still. I said to myself as I continued to go over all the intel we had on Dusk and his people.

It was nothing more than guesses at this moment. Ajex was in charge of finding more out, but even he claims it could take months to figure out. All I knew was my focus had to remain on the middle east. I can't afford to let a war slip out from all of this fear. My country was strong thanks to G.U.N, but that didn't mean we could afford to pay for another full blown war. Especially if we had to go against another nation like China or Russia. I'm certainly not planning to invade them if it turns out they are backing the group, but having them attack us could mean certain destruction for my people. My fingers were crossed I'd never have to fight another war.

Alongside my duties as president peacemaker, I had to think about Maggie. That wolf was important and not only to me. Zeta agreed with my intentions and thanks to some research we came up with a plan of action for the upcoming weeks. I think we planned to spring it all on her at the wedding, but even now I expected that to be hard just due to my lack of faith. If I had any balls left I'd bring it up now, but I couldn't do that to Zeta. She wanted this just as much as me and as a good father I'll wait as best as I can.

On the other hand it's been fun training her. I always wanted to train Samantha, but I never could force her to fight for this country. I'd be going against so much if I forced her to do anything she didn't want to. With Maggie it was at the very least her choice to stand up for her homeland. So in the end I could get what I wanted even if she wasn't my blood. I loved Ghost and he wasn't mine. It's no different here. With Sam gone I had no other choice. I love my daughter. I love her so much it hurts to even think about her now. I'd do anything to have her back here, but I can't change it now. Maggie knows I love her too. Maybe she doesn't fully understands it, but she's my daughter too and I'll do everything in my power to not fuck up twice.

Sam's POV, The next day.

The news had gotten out about Roman and it was all bad. Just looking outside said that. I can't count how many cop cars I've seen drive by my condo. I've even noticed a few military convoys moving around since waking up. They had to be reinforcing security all around the city now that someone so high up the chain got murdered without anyone knowing a thing. The only people who had a clue were the people who paid me for doing it and when I got the call earlier the man I spoke to had a new level of respect for me. He wasn't making any smart remarks or doubting my skill. He was quick and to the point and apologized for his previous actions; even though they were slight. I accepted it and when our conversation reached its end he urged me to keep my head down for a few days or leave the city now that everyone was looking for a suspect. Too bad they had nothing but assumptions to go on. So far there wasn't any evidence to support a direct claim of who did it. The word that was getting thrown around on tv was that the hit was a professional one. Other words they used to describe my work were things like clean, thorough, sadistic and personal. All of which made me smile inside to hear, but I knew I had to get planning my next move. The news wasn't gonna inform me of Esteban's plans now that one of his friends was dead. I had to do my own research and anticipate his next step.

I kept my focus on both my gear and the tv as I waited for a call from Minky to come in. My mask should be ready and I was excited to get it. I paid a lot of money for this thing and with any luck it would be my identity from here on out when it came to my mercenary operations. It wasn't just any mask though. I paid for the best technology to be integrated with it and for it to fully protect my face if I ever came close to getting a bullet placed in between my eyes. The uniform as well would keep me more than alive in a gunfight.

Minky claimed the network could provide me with what I wanted, but in return it cost me a hefty chunk of the money I had saved up. I still had plenty though; so don't get me wrong. I wasn't going broke anytime soon. It just hurt when he read me the price tag.

Cleaning up my rifle from bolt to plate, I kept my ears out for anything new coming from the tv. Mainly for any information relating to me. I'm sure someone would be checking camera footage from around the area where Roman lived and I was sure they would be tagging any vehicles and surely one would be mine. Thankfully I thought ahead and already changed the plates I was using. It should be enough for now. I thought to myself as I finished up my work. Putting down the rifle, I took a second to just stare off into the void.

I had my work cut out for me. I could go right after Esteban if I wanted to now, but…..well I wanted to see just how bad this could get if I put on more pressure. Esteban had more than just Roman on his side when it came to taming the city. He had a lot of pull and with all that power he had other enemies apart from me. That made him acquire a personal security director who was in charge of keeping him alive at all times. I'm sure she was running circles as of right now.

With my focus landing on her and the idea, I turned in my chair to look at my living room wall which held all the information I collected since getting here. The same map I told Royce about over the phone. What I didn't tell him was that I had already collected information about these people ahead of time thanks to Minky. I knew Esteban's security director and I knew she was about as sturdy as a bag of potatoes. Her name was Violet and I looked at a small picture I had of her that was taped alongside a red twine thread I had leading to her home and her current place of work.

Taking my gun by the barrel and resting it on the ground using its stock, I leaned onto the barrel and took in her figure. She was ugly if you asked me. She had the face of a persian and the body of a lunch lady. About five foot two and always wore a bulky gray suit. She took her attractiveness to heart it seemed and decided early on to dress like an overweight mall cop.

Now Violet was easy prey. She wasn't gonna outrun me or even stand a chance in a direct fight, but she was hard to get to most of the time. If she wasn't with Esteban then she would be at her place of work; which turned out to be a military base near the city's capital. If she was there she would have half the army at her side. A direct attack wouldn't work and even if she was with Esteban it still wouldn't work any better for me. I'd have to get creative if I wanted to catch her alone. I thought to myself as I stood up and approached the wall to look at the topographical view of the base itself.

I had no way to know when the next time would be that she would show up here with Esteban on high alert, but with enough effort I might be able to trick her so she shows up when I want her to. All I'd have to do is find out a few little details about her work life. I'm sure she has a secure email address she uses for business and with any luck she might be monitoring it for any information regarding the recent death of the secretary of state.

"Hmmm." I hummed to myself as I thought about a few things I could do using that. The question that then came to me was asking myself if I wanted to hit her at the base itself or perhaps when she would be in transit to it if I could get her to leave Esteban's side. Killing her would surely scare Esteban into hiding. Two direct attacks against him so soon might put him into a lock down state at the capital and if that happens he would be playing into my hand. By the end of this I didn't plan on killing him easily.

Right then and there I decided on it. Violet was up next. She had to die and I had to make my move soon if I wanted to turn this country upside down. With my rifle in my left hand, I nodded to myself while staring back at her picture. However I had one thing left to consider when doing this. Royce would have to know sooner or later what I was up to. The question was how to play this the next time we spoke, because I'm sure by the time that happens I'll have burned this city to the ground. Do I withhold the information? Or should I be straight with him? I wondered as I began to walk back over to my kitchen table.

Putting my rifle down and my gear to the side, I cracked open my laptop and went to work on locating that email address. With luck it wouldn't be too hard to locate. I thought to myself.

Maggie's POV, Iraq capital.

Raptor was going to train with me again today. I just had to sit with him through a small meeting with General Hoffer and Zandro. Both of which had already hit him with enough information about politics it made my head spin.

Halfway through the process though Zandro stopped to ask him.

"Did you hear about Azerbaijan? Roman Petal, the secretary of state was killed last night at his home. Him, his wife, his son, and two soldiers were killed by an unknown gunman."

"What? How?" Raptor asked in confusion as Zandro went to his phone to hand him a news article describing the events.

"We're not too sure yet how it all went down, but most of them were shot. The son was stabbed to death from behind while one of the guards was beaten so badly with blunt force trauma that it made his skull cave halfway inside his brain before he died."

"Overkill?" I whispered out as Zandro took notice and went on to state.

"That's not the worst of it. Roman himself was hung from his second floor balcony using an extension cord then shot like a pinata."

"No one saw anything?" Raptor questioned as he handed Zandro back his phone.

"Camera footage was wiped clean from the home security center they had in the house, but the local police are looking through any cameras that could have been around the neighborhood at the time of the attack. With luck they might find something in a few days. No prints or hairs were left behind to help either."

"Could this be linked with Dusk and his people?" Raptor then asked which got Zandro to state back.

"It could be. Roman was saddled up with Esteban on cleaning up the city. If that includes cracking down on illegal operations, then it could have been their way of fighting back. We won't know of course, but Ajex is currently looking into it seeing as it's his job right now, but I thought you should know. It would make sense if this was one of their operations."

"You think they'll go after Esteban next?" I jumped in to wonder as all three of them turned to look at me. No one said anything back though. At least not until Raptor urged Zandro in a concerned voice.

"Get in touch with Esteban and see if he wants our help. If he does, send some of your people to watch his back. We can't leave our allies when they need us most and it'll look bad if we do nothing. If this is about Dusk and his people, then this might be our chance to predict their next move and stop them before this gets any worse for the middle east. We might even be able to capture one alive if we're lucky."

"What about Ajex? This is his operation. We can't leave him out of this." Hoffer informed him back.

"Talk to them both then. I don't care. I just want my people secure for once. We can't lose another battle so soon. All the work Char put in will go down the drain even faster if we lose Esteban or more people like him."

"I'll call them both right away. If Esteban wants help I'll send Vetra and two others of her choice to back her up."

"What about me?" I wondered out loud as Raptor widened his eyes for a split second before ordering me.

"You're staying here. Vetra is more than capable of handling this if the need arises. I need you here."

"But why?" I had to ask him as he gave me a more simple look back to reply.

"Why? Because I already lost my best man and my daughter over the course of these last few fuck ups of mine. I'm not losing you too."

"Char wasn't on you. We talked about this." Hoffer informed Raptor back in a serious manner which got him to nod his head back and admit.

"Maybe not, but my answer still stands. I'm not taking any more risks with my friends and family. Especially not you, Maggie. I'm sorry. I know you want to fight and defend your country, but please give me this. I'm not your father, but for both of our sakes, I would like it if you stayed within arms reach of me. I know he would too."

I understood where he was coming from completely and I respected that. In fact I loved that about him. He was always looking out for me and now with my dad gone it meant a lot just knowing that I had someone else at my side attempting to take over that role. I didn't like the idea of going AWOL or being alone. So giving Raptor a small nod of my head I replied back to him with a small smile.

"Okay. I understand. Thank you."

Raptor seemed relieved and after a few seconds Zandro stepped back into the mix to wonder curiously.

"I don't mean to change the subject Raptor, but I was curious. Do you have a replacement for Char at the wedding? I know it has to be hard to fill in that gap."

Leaning back in his seat, Raptor took a moment to lift both his arms up till he was stretching them behind his back. Giving a small yawn to us during the process, he replied mid stretch in a strained voice before lowering his arms back down.

"It is hard…but I have some ideas. It all really depends on how things go tonight. I'm going out with Yoga for a few drinks. The kid needs some time to relax so I figured it would be best to kill two birds with one stone."

"Can I come with you?" I asked Raptor as he looked back at me to consider the idea. A few seconds later he replied.

"If you want to. I have no objections to it so long as Zandro is okay with it. Do you care if I steal her again from you?"

"No. I don't have any issues with it. She's your student after all. Do what you want."

With Raptor and I exchanging smiles, I took a moment to recollect my calm demeanor before being ordered by Raptor.

"You have a point. However I need you to be on your best behavior. People are looking at us from all angles. Keep your head on and help Yoga by doing whatever he asks. He's my bodyguard for a reason and I'd like you to stay in line with that role. Got it?"

"You got it. I'll be on point." I replied happily as he nodded and looked back at Hoffer to ask.

"So where were we?"

Giving him a handful of papers, Hoffer replied.

"We were going over your press schedule."

Giving it a solid sigh, Raptor mumbled.

"Of course we were."

Raptor's POV, later that night.

Yoga and Maggie were both at my side as we pulled up to Ron's bar. Inside I spotted Ron's son manning the counter. Taking a moment to collect my composure and fix my quills, I kept my eyes on the inside of the bar when out of nowhere Yoga asked me.

"You only drink here? Place looks older than my mother."

"Probably because it is. Ron owned the place before I was even in diapers. He's never been big on upgrading. He says it reminds people of the good old days when a bar was just a hangout spot for hard working adults who needed some time away from the bullshit of everyday life in the middle east. I'd like to agree with him on that. I prefer my night's out this way. No crazy kids or crazy music to dance to."

"I kinda like the music though." Maggie informed us both which got me to admire her age. I can't remember the last time I went all out dancing like a lunatic. I think the last time I did was when we went out for Shadow's birthday. God that was ages ago. I thought to myself as Yoga soon jumped in to ask me.

"You ready to go inside?"

Nodding my head, I replied to him while collecting my wallet from the glove box.

"I'm ready, yeah. Let's do this."

My friends were both on par with one another when we got out of the car. Yoga took the lead while Maggie got my back and upon entering the bar Ron's son widened his eyes and stopped for a moment to just stare at us with a mug in one hand and a rag tucked deep inside it using the other. Giving him a smile, I asked him out of joy to see his condition.

"Nice to see you here James. I thought you were still in the hospital?"

Putting down the mug, he replied while offering me his hand.

"I got out yesterday actually. What are you guys doing here at this hour?"

Patting Yoga's chest with my backhand, I replied to the bear.

"Just taking some time off from the pressures of life. I wanted to get this guy a good drink for once. He's earned it. Where's your pops?"

"He's in the office. You want me to grab him?"

"Of course I do. We'll just take our seats." I informed him back as he smiled and went off to the back to fetch my favorite bartender.

Now Ron was up there in his age, but he was still built like a house. It came as no shock to me when he came rushing out of his office at mach speed. Maggie however has never seen Ron and I saw her whole face go soft when it was clear he was nothing more than a big teddy bear.

"I almost didn't believe him! Hahah!" Ron came out from behind the bar immediately to give me a hug. I was still so small when compared to his size. James was big too, but he was at least a hundred pounds lighter then his father. I could feel my back crack a little when he squeezed me to question.

"What are you doing here? I didn't think I'd see you again with everything going on. I'm so sorry about Char though Raptor. How are you holding up?"

Ron's voice was always soothing when it came to talking about my emotions. Giving him a slow nod I replied.

"I'm doing what I can. It's been hard. I'm still in shock actually."

"Understandably so." Ron muttered as I decided to change the subject completely by telling him.

"Zeta and I are getting married. I don't know if you heard. I haven't had the time to talk to you since getting back into the service. But that's what I'm here to discuss with you."

Widening his eyes, Ron just listened as I went on by saying.

"Char was supposed to be my best man at the wedding. With him no longer around to hold that spot; I wanted to come by and extend the offer to you. If you'd want to of course. There isn't anyone else I can think of that I'd want in those shoes and you've always been a father to me to some degree. You were there for the worst of me. More than a lot of people. I'd be honored to have you at my side for this Ron. If you'd be willing."

I fully expected him to shout out in joy to show his excitement, but I got the complete opposite when he started to tear up in front of me. Enough so that he nearly lost his footing. James did his best to catch him from behind as Yoga instantly jumped around the counter with a nearby stool for him to sit on. As they helped him get down I questioned.

"Are you okay Ron?"

The bear could barely look at me. He was so emotional. Maggie was concerned for his well being alongside my own.

"Dad?" James called to him and that got Ron to nod his head after a few seconds and look back up. Tears were still in his eyes as he looked back at him to reply.

"I don't know. I can't feel my legs." Then he looked at me to say.

"Are you serious?"

Smiling wider than I usually do, I replied to him with a healthy laugh.

"Of course I'm serious. Haha. There isn't anyone else I'd want at my side for that day other than you."

More tears came a moment after I said that to him. Enough so that I felt like I had to do this. Going around the counter, I offered Ron my arms. The old guy couldn't help but whimper as he somehow found his legs and managed to slowly stand back up from the stool. We then embraced each other and Ron at this point in my life felt so vulnerable. He was gentle with me and with a shattered voice he said into my ear.

"I don't know what to say."

"Just say yes." I urged him as I felt one of his tears drop onto my back.

mT Shadow.