Love Struck Eternal
Chapter 40 - Time to act.
Ace's POV.
"Stay still." The wolf urged me as she finished wrapping up my eye. During the process I took notice of her eyes. We were inches apart, but I could tell she possessed a pair of eyes that I've never seen on a single other person in my lifetime. I had to ask, so without moving my head, I asked her as she tied off the knot that held my dressing in place.
"Your eyes are remarkable. I haven't ever seen a pair much like yours. What do you call that?"
Giving me a small smile as she stepped back a few feet to go into the first aid kit which she had on a small kitchen table towards my left. Pulling out a prescription bottle, she looked back at me and she replied.
"I don't have a name for it. They're just my eyes."
"You don't suffer from cataracts, do you?"
"No." She replied as she handed me two pills from the bottle.
"These should help with the pain, but if I were you I'd try and see a professional as soon as you can. Don't fuck around."
I swallowed the two pills easy, but my mind soon went back to her amazing display of the city's layout. The fact that she had a whole wall dedicated to it showed me that she was meticulous, if not a perfectionist. Yet on the board I noticed references to Violet and even Roman Petal. She had plenty of others lined up among them, but I had to ask, seeing as I might actually be in the right place when it comes to locating the assassin who gunned them both down.
"Back before you got your ass kicked? You told me that you expected honesty if we were to work with one another, correct?" She asked me first as I was still busy trying to put together my original formation for my own question.
All I could do was nod my head and reply to her as she crossed her arms from a few feet out from where I was sitting on the couch.
"I did, yes. Why do you ask?"
I watched as she chuckled and started a short walk towards the kitchen table. Once she got there she took a seat and replied.
"I'm asking because when you came to me you clearly knew some very specific things about what I've done. You weren't basing your decision to confront me solely off of what I did back in the US to earn me this tattoo. You have to have other reasons and I'm guessing; now that I have you here where I live. You've been looking back and forth at that wall for the last few minutes, so be straight with me when I ask you this."
We locked eyes as she went on to wonder.
"You're up to date on current events? You even told me that the business you are doing isn't legal. So that leads me to believe that you aren't in favor of this government and its current operation when it comes to taking down the majority of the city's illegal weapon and drug trades, which I'm assuming you're involved with. In fact, the work you do probably fights against that type of progression system. I'd also be willing to bet on what your real intention on meeting me was for in the first place. You want to know if I'm the one who killed the head of state and Esteban's personal security advisor. Am I right?"
"Are you?" I asked her back bluntly as I sat up from the couch while clutching my stomach.
She didn't have to say anything back. I knew she did from just off her reaction of being asked. Yet after a moment or so more she replied.
"I am."
"Why?" I asked her back. The question came out of my mouth so fast. I swear it was a reflex. I came to sit down across from her as she went on to answer.
"Because I wanted a challenge."
"What?" I questioned in disbelief. Was she this cocky about herself or was she just stupid?
"I grew up in the US. You already knew I wasn't a local, so let's get that out of the way first. I grew up with my mother and father in PA. My mom was Russian and my dad was born in the US. They met on a business trip when my dad had to go to Russia. They fell in love and before you know it they had me and my mother had moved with him back to the US."
"Explains a good portion, but I still need to ask how you got tangled with the mob to the degree you did. And why did you do what you did? Then comes asking about how you got to be so talented with your body? You're military aren't you?" I asked her as she licked her lips.
Sam's POV.
"No offense Ace, but I'm not about to give you my life story. I don't have the time nor the patience to go through it all again. Especially not with a stranger who's life I just saved."
The rabbit nodded and seemed accepting of my response. However I knew I was safe to discuss some things with him so I decided to at least answer his first question.
"I was a contractor before I got involved with the mob. My business however got me in touch with Don Vincent Cora. It wasn't anything too serious. I just moved some product for him for a few weeks, but I'm also strong enough to admit that I got greedy and tried to scam him out of some profits."
"How much profit?" He then asked which got me to look up slightly at the ceiling to begin thinking for the number. After a few seconds I replied.
"I managed to steal maybe twenty grand off him before he caught wind."
"I'm gonna guess that he didn't come asking for his money back right?" Ace asked back as a joke. Giving him a dead serious stare back, I replied.
"No. He didn't."
Ace knew I was serious so he took it down a notch and just listened as I said to him.
"He tried to kill me. He nearly accomplished that too, but he fucked up and I lived."
"So why not just run?" Ace wondered which got me to growl back.
"Because he killed my dog."
I showed him the wrist that held Mocha's collar up. Ace just stared at it as I went on to state.
"I wanted nothing more than to kill him after that moment of realization came to pass. So I went to war and saw to it that I killed him, his men, and anyone standing in my way. In the end I got what I wanted, but the rest of the mob wanted to be sure I wasn't left unchecked. So we decided to have a meeting in LA. I could have just walked away after getting this tattoo on me, but instead….?"
"But you saw an opportunity instead of a way out." Ace said that with such confidence it was somewhat scary. All I could do after hearing him say that was nod my head once to show him that I agreed with his assessment.
"Yeah. And I made damn sure I got away with it too. The network was quite happy with the results." I informed him of. Giving me a small smile, he mumbled under a short and pained groan.
"The network, G.U.N, the criminal up and coming? They were all happy I bet."
I nodded before stating back.
"They probably were, but it's no business of mine. I got what I wanted and I got out of that country. I couldn't just stay after all that. It didn't feel right just retiring."
"But why come here of all places? Why the fuck are you going out of your way to kill people like Roman Petal and Esteban's security consultant? Why care at all? They have no open contracts to pursue. No government is gonna support a hit like that. You're risking your life for what end result? You're not even getting a cent at the end of the day Sam." Ace stated as I was now focused on my stance. I had to look pent up, so I decided to lay back in my chair for a minute to think of a good enough answer to give him. He allowed me that time even; which made this matter better. After that minute though, I looked back at him to reply.
"I like fighting, okay?" My response got me an almost lost expression back from the rabbit, so I took my time and explained.
"I love fighting. I love the money that comes from it, but being where I am right now leaves me at a disadvantage. No one knows me. I can't expect to get a hand out from some PMC while having no real experience to back me up."
"This is about your reputation?" Ace proceeded to question as I simply looked at him to reply.
"Partly. Normally I work for a paycheck, but since LA I haven't had many problems with cash. So I don't feel rushed to get right back into hunting legit contracts. I'd go as far as to say it makes me happier to go after closed ones actually. Tends to be tougher too which I like. Leads to a much more impressive record if you can pull off the impossible."
"But why come here to Azerbaijan? Why not Europe? And from what I'm gathering it sounds like you're not interested in working for a government to begin with. Your more in this for yourself and being that as it is, it feels like you're more interested in becoming a terrorist. That's what the world calls people like us."
"Us?" I questioned with a small smirk on my face. Giving me a simple nod back he replied.
"The people I work with aren't considered part of a paramilitary organization. We aren't aiming to become one ether. We operate because we all believe in the same thing."
"Which is what?" I proceeded to ask him as I took a moment to try and see if I could read his mind. I had just enough left in me to clue myself in, but it wouldn't last. After a moment or so he replied while cupping his stomach once again from the pain.
"The world we live in sucks. The people who run it are running it into the ground. People like Ajex Marano, Raptor Voltz, Hecan Moore and Esteban are a few of them. World peace isn't gonna work in this day and age. The way things worked over two decades ago made sure that even the lowest form of talent could see business in all fields. Including ours."
I was just focused on listening now as it seemed like I finally was about to get a little insight into his business and if he was with Dusk then this would be nothing but good intel to have. So slowly I decided to get up from my chair and proceed to the freezer. The rabbit kept the conversation rolling however as I reached in to grab onto an ice pack.
"Before Hecan Moore the world was a simple operation to run. Money and power was divided evenly despite what people like Raptor Voltz claim. Now I'm not saying G.U.N's way was the best, but having one person in charge of the world is a whole lot simpler then having every country and coast control themselves. War only became possible because idiots couldn't see that. They think it's unfair. Look at how many people have died because of it."
Handing him the ice pack, I nodded my head when he said thank you back to me. A few seconds after he placed it to his gut he proceeded to ask me.
"Do you think the world would be better if everyone had a democracy?"
"No." I replied back bluntly enough which got him to nod back and shout.
"Exactly! There isn't a right way to have a government. You can claim having a dictator is worse, but in truth it isn't. It's easier. No political beefs, no wars, just a single combined world of people working towards a common goal. What goal? I don't have a fucking clue, but I'd rather not have to worry about it as I live my life the way I want to live it."
"So do you and your people have an interest in getting rid of some of those dreamers you mentioned? Esteban for example." I asked him back in a serious tone which got him to slowly nod his head towards me. After that he replied.
"Don't get me wrong Sam. We aren't the good guys. The world views us as terrorists. We want to make things right again, but that involves getting a clean slate and a stable leadership to back us. That means getting rid of Esteban and others, but for all that to happen we need money."
The rabbit took a small breath and leaned back in his seat before stating.
"We have revenue being earned across the globe. Most of which comes from drugs, weapons, ransoms, sex trafficing, and assassinations to name a few. However despite that we still don't have enough in terms of resources to pull off killing someone to the degree of Esteban. Especially now that he's under lockdown within the capital. The fact that you managed to get to Roman and Violet without getting dragged into a gunfight shows how capable you are. And now that I'm here I can also see that you possess quite the knack of organizing such tasks and pulling off the operations. But I need to ask you this. Are you aiming for Esteban? Cause if you are; your gonna die. There isn't a way to get to him now that he's aware that someone is targeting his close friends without remorse. Attacking him at the capital is a suicide pact. You'd be better off walking away."
Shaking my head I replied.
"I can't. I've been working on this for too long now to just quit without giving it a try."
Giving me a look of utter disbelief back, Ace proceeded to ask me.
"Are you just this fucking cocky or are you mentally handicap? Listen to me. You can't, I can't, no one can pull this assassination off with how his security is and the building isn't fit to be attacked by long range. Sniping the guy is off the table instantly. The building is a castle and sneaking in will be near impossible just due to how few people can actually get close to the building itself. Before what you did, Esteban had two checkpoints leading up to the capital. Each of which stops you and asks for papers, id, and a vehicle search and those papers are only given out to employees of the government and they do good fucking background checks for that."
"I can and I will." I informed him back calmly as he just looked disappointed by my response. Lowering his head to the table the rabbit slowly asked me without eye contact.
"How?"
"Don't concern yourself about it. You don't need to know. All you need to be aware of is that after I kill him I'm gonna be moving on. Where? I don't yet, but I'll figure it out."
"What's there to figure out? You pull this off and you'll be public enemy number one. No where will be safe. People will put a price on your head and it's gonna be a big fucking number and there isn't gonna be a contractor sitting it out. You'll die one way or the other Sam."
"I'm not gonna be seen. I won't be heard and I most certainly won't fail. You're lucky to even be alive right now because I still don't know you and that means I don't trust you. If I was going to use my head; I'd kill you right now because for all I know you're just a bullshit cop or even a contractor yourself. You could sell me out easily. Just like you did to those drug pushers. At the very least I could tie you up till I'm finished."
"You aren't gonna…..?" Ace went to respond but just as he started I raised my Luger up and onto the counter. His eyes then went still as he stared at the gun for a moment before looking back up at me to see my face. I was dead serious. This was all a setup. I knew he was telling the truth and there was no way he was a cop or would even dream of selling me out to anyone, but I still wanted him to take me as seriously as possible. If one thing was true however it was that I still didn't trust him. Even if he trusted me.
Keeping my menacing tone going, I said to him.
"Don't assume anything. Now we're gonna talk this out. Are you someone I should be worried about? Or are you really who and what you say you are? I'll let you leave peacefully if you can convince me."
Now I took my gun and leaned back in my seat. Ace watched as I then kicked my feet up to stare back at him. After a few silent and heavy seconds he replied.
"I'm being as straight with you as I can. I might have led on a bit with what I knew, but that doesn't make me a liar. We're on the same side, but I can't just look at your potential and let you go to waste by getting yourself killed doing something stupid."
"You really want me don't you?" I asked him back with a small smile which got him to instantly nod his head and reply.
"You proved you could handle yourself, but it's not my decision if you get accepted or not. This group I'm with? We all have to agree on things and that includes bringing in new blood. But you already did more than enough to earn my trust and the others will see that. If we cooperate; I can promise you right now that you'll be helping a real cause. And you know what else? If you're really into this shit for the thrills then I'm sure my higher ups can offer you work that the network and some of our connections have in common. You'd be rich and free to do whatever you want. We don't steal freedom from our people. We give it."
"Assume I get in. What then? You and your friends are just gonna use me? I'm perfectly fine working alone if that's gonna be the case."
"It can stay that way if you want, but everyone in this group is family. We all have our problems and unique personalities, but we are still a family. A family that loves each other. It's a bond of brothers and sisters. People you will regret not ever meeting if you decline my offer."
"Is that why you were looking for me then? To offer me a family?"
Giving me a smaller nod back, he replied.
"It's partly to blame, but we really do want someone like you. I might even say we need you. Someone with your talent could really get us a step up. Especially in the fighting business. We're already a man down because of my size, let alone condition. Hehehe."
He managed to laugh despite his pain. I just kept a smile on as I twirled my gun around using my left hand. Ace watched it the whole time as I slowly came to a stop to wonder.
"I'll say this. I'm taking action tomorrow afternoon. You stay here with me for the night and you follow my rules; I'll let you live and I'll be more inclined to trust you and your buttery words. You do that and I promise I'll at the very least consider your invitation."
"Give me access to my phone and let me make a call and you have a deal."
"Who you gonna call?" I asked him as he slowly reached down into his pocket to pull out his cell. Offering it to me he replied.
"One of my people. They need to know what I'm up to for this to work. I'll keep it vague and short. I promise."
Using my gun to push his hand back to him, he got the message that I was gonna allow him to use it. Once that kicked in he started to make that very call. During that time he leaned over the table and focused more on his breathing till someone answered on the other end.
"Yeah?" I heard a man's voice answer back and it sounded brutally intimidating. Couldn't be a human or small animal on the other end of that. I thought to myself as Ace said back to the man a moment later.
"I made contact. Gonna need a few days to make some ground. Ease up and let me handle this. Tell the upper everything is under control."
"I gotcha. Be safe."
"You too." Ace replied as he was then ordered.
"Call in once you're good."
"I will. Bye." Ace replied as he hung up and put the phone down in front of me. I took it away from him after that and from there listened as he said to me.
"There's only three of us in Azerbaijan. We were all tasked with finding you once Violet went down. This way I don't have them wasting any more time on this. They can get back to doing whatever they do for fun and what makes us money."
Seeing this as my chance to ask, I wondered while sitting back up.
"Who are they?"
"They're the muscle in our trio. Go by the names Gwent and Dusk."
I showed no reaction to hearing the names, but inside I felt something in my heart begin to shake. Thankfully I had the ability to control those emotions easily thanks to Roslin. Otherwise I'd be shaking right now myself. What mattered was that this confirmed everything I assumed would happen up till now. Major Fenning was right. A group like this would come looking if I did the right things.
Adjusting the ice pack I gave him by switching it to his other hand, The rabbit went on to state.
"Gwent's a hedgehog. He's one of the younger guys and he's a bit energetic in comparison to his Dusk. Dusk is one of the more seasoned guys in our group and to be honest I can see why he gets the way he does so easily. Gwent is annoying to work with. It's like surrounding a bulldog with a litter of hyperactive kittens. Their relationship is just like that."
"They contractors?" I asked him back calmly.
"More like soldiers, but we all work for money at the end of the day. Some of us just care more than others. Some of us rant more than others and some are just so damn serious it makes you wonder if they even still have a reason to stay."
"Dusk and Gwent though? Are they military trained? I'd assume the muscle you guys keep around aren't lightweights in terms of abilities."
Nodding Ace grumbled over another small burst of stomach pain.
"Dusk has some, but he's more of a tactician. Has a great shot, but he can also smell a problem a mile away. And he's scary enough that most people don't want to fuck with him. He doesn't talk about it much, but I'm sure once upon time he might not have been such a serious prick to be around. Gwent is just the opposite though." Ace explained with a sigh as I sensed that Gwent was indeed special.
"He's hyper like I said. I don't know how he gets the energy he has, but he uses a lot on his mouth. He can talk down a charging rhino with enough effort put behind it. Despite all of that though he is ex-military. G.U.N for four years and was put in charge of a demo team for most of his service. He's typically who we go to for anything that needs a more personal touch applied. Like a safe for example."
I nodded and kept silent as he soon said to me.
"And despite everything I just said, I'm nothing like either of them. I've been around a little longer, but I'm mostly here because I want to be. I believe in our cause."
"You have to do more than that." I said back to him jokingly.
"I'm good at providing intelligence. If there is a place that needs to be cased, a person that needs to be found, or a business secret revealed; I'm the man for the job. I blend in very easily when compared to predators like you. Helps when everyone else is on edge and looking for a fight. No one looks at a rabbit and thinks of trouble. Same thing applies when I need to fight."
"You killed Jent without much consideration behind it. Was that the right thing to do?" I asked him as he gave me a shrug of his shoulders to reply.
"Well it wasn't the right thing, but nothing I do typically is. Jent was warned. You saw what he did with that warning. He shoved it right back down my throat. He deserved what he got."
"Any beef with his buddies we let live?" I then wondered as he gave the idea some thought now. After about a minute or so he replied.
"I doubt it. They aren't smart enough to find me a second time. Especially without Jent there to guide them. Nah, we shouldn't hear anything from them ever again. If we do? Well we'll see."
I gave this man some consideration. I had a feeling he wasn't telling me everything about himself. So I just decided to ask him seeing as we were on the subject from before.
"You seem confident regardless of your size and species. Your how old? Late twenties? You have some experience with self defense. I'm not willing to chalk it all up to luck yet. So what can you do?"
Giving me a somewhat confused look back, Ace replied.
"Huh? What do you mean?"
"How do you fight? You don't look like you carry a gun on you and even if you did it wouldn't be this hard to spot from my angle. You also don't look like much of a fist fighter. Doubt you hit hard enough to stop a wolf or hedgehog up close."
"You always judging people?" He proceeded to ask me back with a small chuckle. I just continued to stare at him and that was more than enough to get him to start answering my questions.
"You're right on all accounts. Though I can handle someone my size don't be fooled. I do prefer using a blade. Dusk can vouch for my skill. If I had one right now I could show you."
"How good are you?" I proceeded to ask him as I slowly stood up from the table while at the same time; grabbing his phone.
Watching from where he was as I entered my room to put the phone down on my nightstand, Ace replied while I gently pulled out the K-bar I had in one of my bags.
"With a decent knife I could probably take just about anyone in close quarters. Even a wolf like you Sam."
"I doubt that." I replied as I came back to the table in time to see his reaction once he realized I had a knife pressed towards his gut. He widened his eyes and looked down at it in awe as I had the blade by it's tip. The handle was facing him and after giving me a curious look he took it from me and wondered.
"What's this for?"
"Impress me." I urged him as I sat back down across from him to watch closely as he looked back at my knife to mumble in some concern for his own strong words towards himself.
"Okay? Ahhh…..I got an idea. Bet I can hit the capital building from here."
He was referring to my nearby wall. So with my eyes looking over at the thing, I took notice of where the building was and put together in my head that the distance from this table and there was about ten or so feet. Not to mention but the map was fairly small considering the size that I was covering across its surface area. Once I looked back he smirked and wondered curiously.
"Bet I can't?"
Shaking my head once I replied.
"Not saying that. It's just a fairly hard thing to do."
"You told me to impress you, so here we go. Just watch."
I was ready to see this and much to my surprise I was wrong assuming this guy's talent. He threw my knife with such speed and accuracy that it made me wonder if I was anywhere close to his level. However he seemed happy with himself as I got up to approach the wall.
"Impressed?" He asked me as I slowly took my knife back from the map to then turn and head back his way. Halfway there, I replied while gripping the blade by the tip.
"Depends. Let's see how hard that actually is."
Ace widened his eyes when I spun around as fast as I could to throw the knife back at the map. If I used any extra power in my arms I would have sent the knife clear through the wall. Thankfully it got stuck about halfway inside, but it landed right where I wanted it to and that was back on the capital where he first hit.
All I did from that point on was laugh to myself as the little rabbit looked stunned. Going off on what I just said to him I decided to state out loud.
"I'll still give you that one. It's not that easy to do. Especially since that knife isn't balanced to be thrown like that."
Giving me a dead serious look back, Ace replied.
"Assuming this situation we have here works out and we get the chance: I'm getting my set of knives and we're having a contest. Ain't a person I know can throw like you just did with a K-bar. Impressive."
I just chuckled and looked back at my knife which sat in the wall. During that time I wondered where to take this conversation next.
Maggie's POV, Iraq.
"Take it." Raptor ordered me as he handed me a glass.
I took it and gave it a sniff before questioning.
"Whiskey?" Giving me a smile as he sat down across from me he replied.
"It's good, trust me. I know you can handle it. Just sip it or take it. Goes down smooth."
It took very little for him to convince me of much so I just took and chugged down the liquor. He watched with a slight childish smile as Zeta came walking out from the back of the house to join us by a campfire they had pre planned for tonight. My first reaction however to the drink was quite literally shocking. My body got all warm and cozy inside, but my throat burned like a motherfucker. At first I coughed a little, but quickly found my tongue as Zeta asked Raptor curiously.
"Are you trying to get her drunk?"
"She's a big girl hun. A single glass isn't gonna put her down. Right Maggie?"
I chuckled as Zeta sat down next to me. At which point I also replied.
"I'm good. I just wasn't expecting to drink tonight. What's the occasion?"
Zeta was all smiles this whole time. She was happy and what caught my eye was the fact that her tail was slightly wagging behind her back. Even as she sat down next to me it still went back and forth slowly.
Raptor however took a sip of his glass then gently wiped his mouth before replying.
"No occasion. We're just both happy to spend some actual quality time together. Can't you tell?"
I nodded my head and instantly felt my emotions coming to me. This was amazing just to be able to do. I figured I'd be in a slump if not for these two being a part of my life.
Yoga's POV.
You know shit wasn't so bad being back where I was now. Raptor has given me my hope back. Hope and faith that I didn't really have when I was laying in that hospital.
I was currently enjoying myself inside his house. I had my own drink that he gave me permission to drink of course, and I was keeping an eye on him from time to time from the kitchen window.
It warmed my heart to see him and Maggie together. It was clear he was using her as a replacement for Sam, but even Maggie has to know that much about the situation.
When I wasn't watching them I walked back to the living room to look outside the main set of windows. I even got around to watching the stars when I decided to take another sip of my drink.
Heading back into the living room, I walked right up to the windows which were covered by two yellow cloth blinds. I could look out at them if I stood right in the middle so that's what I did. This time however as I looked up at the moon I heard a motor coming from down the east side of the street. With my glass in hand, I took another sip and didn't question the noise. It had to be someone just driving up the road. However my mind began to wander when I noticed that the engine wasn't really moving as fast as other vehicles who've driven up this way. So this time I decided to look out in the direction of the car to barely spot a gray SUV and another larger white van maybe twenty feet behind it.
Unsure of what I was seeing, I lowered my glass to my chest and squinted as the cars came up to the house in a matter of about ten seconds after I began to focus. That's when I realized something was very wrong.
The two vehicles came to a stop in the middle of the street and all at once the windows to the SUV lowered and the van completely opened up from the front and back doors. Out of the van came about ten guys all armed with assault rifles. Two of which had M249s. Widening my eyes from the sheer fear, I dropped my glass and dove for the couch where my M16A2 laid. During my dive I screamed out in hopes Raptor and the others would hear me.
Raptor's POV.
My heart was in the right place tonight. I was happy and thanks to the temperature outside it made this small night even more memorable. I could sleep out here if I really wanted to. I thought to myself.
With the fire crackling between us, I looked up and widened my eyes in confusion along with Zeta and Maggie who heard Yoga scream from the inside of the house.
"RAPTOR! GET DOWN!"
I was utterly lost for what he was saying, but everything came to life when all the sudden the sound of the fire was drowned out by gunfire coming from the front of the house. The three of us didn't move for the first second or two just because we were caught completely off guard. However I panicked when the gunfire got even louder. This time the rounds being fired came directly through the house and into the backyard.
"Get down!" I ordered as I looked right at both of them to see a round hit Maggie right in her upper chest and left leg.
"Aghhhh!" She screamed as she was sent backwards by the sudden force till she stumbled back into the log she once sat on. Then another round came and hit her in the side of her neck. My whole body went numb when I saw blood splatter out from the force it had.
The instant she fell down was when I went to move for her, but it was then a round found Zeta and hit her right in the hip and stomach.
"Zeta!" I screamed as she fell back onto the grass while screaming out in agony.
Doing the only sane thing I could think of, I jumped down right in front of both of them in hopes I would stop any more bullets from hitting them. Thankfully I wasn't shot. The rounds that managed to get through the entirety of the building came out to either hit the shed or my fence. A few seconds later the gunfire went silent and I began to hear Yoga shooting back from inside the building. I heard a few screams then a pair of squeaking tires shred off towards the other end of the street. Once I heard that I scrambled over Maggie's body.
The look on her face brought so much fear to my own body I struggled to speak correctly. She had one hand over her chest and another over the left side of her neck. Blood however was squeezing out from between her fingers and her breathing was rapid.
"YOGA!" I screamed back as I looked over at Zeta to see her rolling onto her front side. Both hands were gripping at her stomach.
"Zeta! Don't move!" I ordered her as I looked back at Maggie's face to scream once more.
"YOGA!"
A moment later the ferret came sprinting out from the house with his rifle in his hands. The second he saw us he got down next to me and Maggie to ask me.
"Are you hit?!"
"I'm fine, but…..! Maggie, slow down!" I begged her as she needed to control her breathing.
"Help Zeta!" I ordered Yoga who immediately ran over to her.
Putting my hands around her neck, I begged her with tears in my eyes.
"Calm down baby! Breathe! I'm right here! Just focus on me! You hear me!? Focus on me! I got you! Call it in!" I then ordered Yoga who managed to carry Zeta over to the shed where she could lay back. Once that was done I heard him go to his radio.
"Command! This is Lima two five! I need immediate backup at eagle's den! We got two critical casualties, but the president is safe! Repeat! I need immediate medical and tactical support!"
I knew they were gonna send everyone, but none of that fucking mattered right now. With Maggie and I face to face, I got within inches of her to beg.
"Gentle breaths. In and out. Slow down your heart rate so you don't bleed to death. Look at me baby."
Her eyes never left mine but I knew she was losing it. Using all of my power I focused my entire being into saving her life. I'm sure at this point she didn't even know what was happening around her. Let alone notice the progress I was making on her injuries.
The shot on her chest hit right near the base of her right breast. I had to cup it there just to make sure I got a hold over the bleeding. The one that hit her neck went right in and stopped just short of her windpipe. The bullets were easy to get out, but the damage was done. I felt my heart nearly come to a stop once I saw her eyes go still. Immediately I questioned my own abilities and stopped to feel for a pulse just under her neck.
"Raptor!" I heard Zeta shout at me as she saw my face looking down at her.
"What's wrong!? Raptor!"
Going into my own mind I sent a signal to Marcus who immediately came to my aid from out of nowhere to question as he got down on the other side of the wolf.
"What the fuck happened?!"
Yoga looked back immediately once he heard the unknown voice.
"Hey! Whooo! Back the fuck off!" He ordered Marcus who then looked to me as my eyes went over to the ferret who was already on his feet aiming at the man.
"Stand down Yoga! He's with me!" Unsure of what that meant, he lowered his weapon and allowed me to refocus on Marcus who I decided not to answer and instead asked him.
"Is she gone?"
The fox put his hand on her chest and a moment later replied.
"She's there, but you need to give it everything if it's to stay that way."
I went right back to work and with all my focus on Maggie I could only listen as Marcus got up to approach Zeta to ask.
"Where are you hit?"
Her hands were already on the holes as she replied back in tears and fear for Maggie's life.
"Right here! Raptor!" She screamed at me as I was set on saving this girl's life.
"Calm down! He's got her!" Marcus ordered her as he then got down to grab her open wounds. Zeta then began to cry and sob as we could soon hear sirens coming in from all directions. Yoga got up the instant the first truck came in that was loaded with mine and Zandro's men. Three of which were medics who came sprinting to us the second Yoga had told them where we were.
Of course when they reached Zeta and Marcus the men ordered him with weapons at the ready.
"Step back!"
"He's with me!" I screamed out, but by then he was off Zeta and pushed aside by the medics. Thankfully I knew and trusted him enough to believe he had already saved her life in what time he had to work with. Mine however was slower, but I was nearly done. The other medic just held himself back from assisting because he saw my body language from a mile away. In a matter of another minute, I came to a stop. I was done.
"Let me see her." The medic finally said to me.
Sitting up on my knees, I tried to collect myself as he made sure she was okay. Pointing at her leg I said to him as he was checking the neck and chest.
"She got hit in the leg! Right here!"
His focus then went down to that and I was left to try not to pass out. Yoga came running back once more people arrived to help secure the area. Coming right down next to me he whispered into my ear.
"We have to move you. It's protocol."
Nodding my head and bringing myself up to my feet, I went running over to Zeta to ask her.
"Are you gonna be okay? I have to go."
She looked just as bad as me. Barely able to move, she replied.
"I'll be fine. Go."
"Please Raptor." Yoga begged a second later which got me to move towards the front of the house.
Soon I was huddled by at least twenty guys and led to a truck where I was then tasked with being sent to Iraq's presidential shelter. It wasn't the capital. This was something else and it was only meant to be used if something like this ever tried to happen in our country. I'd be safe there until things could be contained and secured.
Once in the truck, I was asked by Yoga.
"You need something to drink man? Yours pale."
Nodding my head, Yoga reached up towards the front of the truck where one of the guys sent back a canteen of water for me. I got right to work on drinking as it was soon just a matter of getting me to safety.
Vetra's POV, Twenty minutes later.
"What do we got?" I asked Zandro as I finally managed to get to Raptor's home to see it was shot to hell and five dead guys laid in the street.
Knelt over one of the guys, Zandro replied.
"No fucking idea. From what we know about these five here; they're no one. They aren't military and they aren't contractors. We also don't have any terrorist groups operating within the country. So for right now I'm thinking this is just some poorly coordinated attempt to assassinate Raptor."
We all knew Raptor took risks when he was in office. Mainly when he only had one armed guard and free reign to roam the city alone. We know this is his home, but there is a fucking reason the president of G.U.N is required to live in a government building for his full term of office. So shit like this doesn't ever come to light. We're also lacking in real law around the city. Sure we have a police force now to handle most things, but we don't put much time into searching and preventing people like this from coming together. We had our time and now we have to crack down, but not till Raptor is safe and secure.
"Who got hit?" I then asked Zandro who promptly replied.
"Zeta and Maggie were both injured from the gunfire. Raptor and his" friend" got them stabilized and now they're both being transported back to the capital to go under emergency care. Zeta for the sake of her sister who is on her way with a vengeance and Maggie who hasn't woken up yet from passing out during the attack from her injuries, but that's not the issue we face."
Now Zandro and I were both among Raptor's inner circle. We knew what he was and we all believed his story about there being another person like him. Someone more powerful than him, but for him to really appear seemed unreal. So once I heard that I asked him.
"Did anyone else see him?" Nodding, he replied.
"Yoga and a few medics from alpha company. But when they apparently turned their backs on him he suddenly disappeared; so they're just as confused with what happened."
"What do you need me to do?" My question came out bluntly and with force. Zandro noticed that so he stood up to face me. Pointing down at the body next to him, he replied.
"For now I want you and a few others to track these guys down. We got witnesses and plenty of pictures from the cameras around here. Find out where they're based then call it in to command. We'll send in everyone to make sure this ends immediately. And when it comes to our witnesses? Deal with them, but as per Raptor's request; you keep Yoga out of it. He's one of ours."
"Understood. Do I have everything I'll need to make sure this happens?"
"Absolutely. This is serious shit Vetra. Attacking Raptor like this is like asking for war. We aren't going to waste any resources to get this city under control. We get this done fast and we make a statement along the way."
"Got it." I said back as I then decided to get to work. This wasn't going to be a witch hunt. This would be over in the morning.
Sam's POV.
Ace wasn't all that bad the more I got to know him. He gave me the same vibes Jari gives me. He was a sweet man at his core, but unlike Jari I could tell he was a killer. There wasn't any hiding that.
We found ourselves just talking about the world and other shit. I wasn't learning much in terms of the operation they had going, but I was at least learning about him in a way. But as he spoke I suddenly heard Roslin call from inside my head.
"Who the fuck is this guy?"
I knew he was within feet of me if he was asking. I could sense it, but Ace could most certainly not. So with my eyes remaining on the rabbit, I replied to my master.
"Friend of Dusk. Can you help me out?"
The very moment I asked Ace was suddenly knocked out by the wind so to speak. He just stopped mid sentence and fell down face first onto the countertop. That's when Roslin appeared physically to then ask.
"How'd that happen while I was gone? You want me to make him talk?"
"He's been plenty talkative to my surprise. Leave him be for now. He's spending the night here and I'd like it if he didn't lose his mind on our first date."
"He's fucked up." Roslin pointed out as he put a hand on the rabbit's stomach to ask me.
"Should I just assume you'd want me to be nice to this guy for now?"
Nodding my head, I replied while standing up.
"For now. I'll owe you one, but keep him the way he is. I won't be able to explain to him how he suddenly got cured from internal hemorrhaging."
Shaking his head as he took his hand off of the rabbit, Roslin nodded and proceeded to state.
"I wouldn't consider this something you'd owe me for. But I did manage to pin down where Esteban will be if you want to hit him."
"Is it that easy? What's going on over there? What's security looking like?"
"I'd love to believe you could find a way inside the building on your own, but it's just not gonna happen. You can't even get close to the place without being stopped ten times by the military. They have three blocks locked out from public traversal without proper identification and even if you did; the entire site is covered from head to toe with the majority of the national guard. Inside the building is another story on its own. There isn't anything other than security walking around the place. I was there for a few hours and the only normal person I saw was a janitor." Now Roslin was looking at me. Hoping that I was listening to everything he was saying. Before I could say anything back he added on.
"You'd have to go in there guns blazing. Bring a lot of ammo if you do, but I'm gonna remind you again of what I said before. I know where the guy is. Just like when we went out to eat back in LA? Do you remember? I can just put us right next to him like I did that restaurant and pop us back out. Like a fucking ghost."
I was already hard at work considering my options when he then urged me with a small chuckle ending his tone.
"Think of it this way. We go my route and you'll have yourself an unbeatable record for the fastest target killed ever. That and it's fun to consider that it'll take you longer to put all that gear on then it'll take you to just to shoot one guy and disappear."
I chuckled with him a little before asking him back bluntly.
"Are you sure you can make that work? Two quick transitions might be too much for you?"
He was always good at catching on to my sarcasm and my idea of teasing. So with a wider smile on his face the echidna replied back jokingly.
"You know now that you mention it. I might not be able to handle that. I've only had a few thousand years to practice!"
"Calm down tiger." I playfully growled back which then got him to reach out for my neck. He grabbed me rough at first, but soon he softened up. Yet with that same smile he asked me back in a whisper.
"Or what?"
I decided not to say anything back to him. I just wanted him to know that I was just fucking with him. Soon he picked up on it and released my neck to start laughing to himself. His head then turned to look at Ace who was drooling on the table. Taking my chance, I asked Roslin seeing as this would be important to me.
"How long is he gonna be out for?"
Approaching the rabbit, he replied.
"Depends on how I feel. I could wake him whenever I want, but if you have a preference I'll hear you out."
I gave it some thought, but soon replied.
"Not till I'm done with Esteban."
"You going tonight?" The echidna wondered back as he took a seat next to Ace.
Going into my room so I could get some of the coke I stole, I replied in a louder voice so he could hear me from where he was.
"Tomorrow morning!" When I got back out to the kitchen I added on to my last sentence.
"I wanna go over a few things before I do it. That and I wanna make sure G.U.N is aware beforehand."
"Curious enough, but can I ask why this is happening at all now that you have contact with this runt here? Wasn't this hit designed to draw them out? Why do this if he's already here?" Roslin questioned as I was already preparing myself a line.
Taking the hit up my nose a few moments after, I took a heavy and drawn out breath before answering his question.
"Why? Well you have a point. I don't have to do this, but I want to. Pulling this off will give me all the leverage I need with these people. What more could I prove to them if I did this? There wouldn't be any questions involving my skills. That and I want a better looking record."
"Better looking to who?" Roslin asked me back as I retook my seat and laid out the rest of what I took from the key onto the table. It was enough for one more line so I took half of it before looking back at my master. Once our eyes were on one another again I replied.
"To myself."
Roslin could do nothing more than chuckle as I leaned back in my chair to urge him.
"Try it." I was referring to the other half of the line as I urged him to give coke a chance. For a moment he looked at me as if I was crazy, but to my surprise he didn't argue. He simply stood up and leaned over enough so he could snort it. Once he did he immediately sat back down before groaning out in stunned confusion.
"Jesus!"
I just started to laugh as he soon recovered his body before asking me back in the same lost tone.
"What the fuck is that shit supposed to do to you? It's just…..it's just burning."
"Give it a minute. You'll feel the head high soon enough and trust me, it's awesome."
With his one hand pinching his nose shut, Roslin went on to groan.
"It's no wonder you're so crazy sometimes. This shit is bugging me out already and high? This isn't weed."
"Trust me." I again urged him as he quickly tried to relax once more before saying back to me.
"I'd rather leave it up to fate if we're being honest. Now what's the rest of your plan for today? You just going to stay here till tomorrow?"
Nodding, I replied back calmly.
"About as accurate as it gets."
A moment later my phone began to ring. I looked in the direction of my bedroom where I proceeded to go check who was calling. To my surprise it was Zandro of all people, so I answered with some confusion.
"Hello?"
"Oh…you answered. Wasn't expecting that." He laughed back to me as I questioned.
"Why wouldn't I? If you're calling me out of the blue then it must be important. What happened?"
Roslin slowly came creeping to the doorway to look in at me as Zandro replied to my concerns.
"I don't really know where to start when it comes to explaining this. I guess I should just be direct and get to the point to avoid wasting any time."
I was ready for whatever he had in store, but it still came at me just as hard when he went on to say.
"The house was attacked tonight. Gunmen pulled up while your parents were having a bonfire with Maggie. They shot the place to pieces Sam."
"What? Was anyone hurt?"
Roslin was listening in. He had to. Zandro on the other hand went on to inform me.
"Yoga and your pops are unharmed. Your mother and Maggie were both shot though."
"Are they alive?" I asked him back with a small growl.
"They're fine. They were both taken to the hospital as soon as my people got there. Yoga moved your dad to safety as required by law, but the bottom line is that no one was killed apart from a few of the assassins who Yoga managed to get before they drove off."
Lowering my gaze slightly, I continued to listen as Zandro went on to state.
"Don't worry about anything. Your mom is already back on her feet. Maggie on the other hand took a shot to her leg and is slow to recover, but they're both safe and under my protection for the time being. Marx will be looking after her recovery and your mom should be released tomorrow morning."
"What about the guys who got away?" I asked him as I looked over at Roslin who just seemed like he was looking over me. During our small lock of the eyes Zandro replied happily.
"We already brought them in for questioning. It wasn't hard to find them after what they did. These guys weren't professionals. Some of your dad's men are already at work trying to get us some answers, but I just thought you should know."
I didn't really know how to feel. I was just glad neither my mother or Maggie died. Yet with my growls subsiding, I informed Zandro as nicely as I could.
"I appreciate the call Zandro. I do. Thank you."
"It's not a problem Sam. If you want you can call your mom now. She should have her phone on her, if you want to make sure she's okay for yourself."
"No. I mean….I'm sure she's fine, like you said. I'm just happy they weren't killed, but can I ask you something? This might be more of a question for my dad though."
"Sure. Go ahead." He replied as I then had to wonder.
"What are you going to do now that this happened? I know you said you caught the guys, but what's to say there isn't more? What if this is a movement or something? Like the anti-rebellion from the first war with G.U.N."
Zandro was quick to respond.
"That's what we're working to find out. If it is a movement like that then we're gonna take every action to make sure it's snuffed out before something serious like this can happen again. We got lucky this time, but who's to say? What I can promise you though is that your family isn't gonna be living in that house anymore. I know how your dad feels about the matter, but he can't push this off any longer. He's not safe where he is. Not while he's in office. For now we're gonna have him stay within the capital. Same goes for your mother. This is a matter of national security and someone has to be strict and put their foot down."
"No, you're right. You're absolutely right, Zandro. That's the right thing to do. My dad isn't gonna listen to anyone else. Probably not even my mom, so thank you for doing this. Please make sure they're safe. That's what matters most."
"You should come back Sam. It would be better if you were here with them for this. You could also be a target if people over there know your relations. I can arrange you a private flight if you want." Zandro tried to explain to me as I sat down on my bed to quickly state back.
"I can't just drop what I'm doing, Zandro."
"I'm sure it's not easy to do, but please think it over. I know they would love you to consider it."
"I'm sorry. I can't. I'm trying to put my life together now that I'm away from all that and it's been going very well. I've been keeping my head out of trouble and things are looking up for once. Coming back isn't an option right now for me, but I will be there for the wedding. I just don't know when yet I'll decide to fly back."
"Okay Sam." He replied sadly as I softly went on to say to him.
"I gotta go. Thank you again for calling."
"No problem at all. Stay safe."
"You too." I replied as I hung up the phone to look over at Roslin who proceeded to ask me.
"You think the rabbit out there had anything to do with it?"
I considered the idea, but quickly shook my head to reply.
"No. Zandro seemed pretty confident with his assessment. I doubt my mother would still be alive if that wasn't the case."
"What about the other girl?"
Giving him two lost eyes I replied.
"I don't know how to feel about her yet. She was my best friend growing up, but we drifted since then. I doubt we'd get along. Especially with who I am. I'm not saying I wish she was dead or anything. Don't get me wrong. I'm happy she's alive. I just don't know how to fully feel yet. With time? Maybe I'll know, but for now I just don't care one way or the other."
Roslin took my answer on the chin as I stood back up to then change the subject by informing him of my next move.
"I'm gonna move him to the guest room for now."
As I went back out into the living room to find Ace still out cold on the kitchen table, I wondered what I would do after this. Tomorrow was the big day. I had till then to get a plan together for the aftermath of my actions. With any luck I'll start to feel a little better with the distraction of my mission taking back over.
mT Shadow.