Author's notes:
2022-03-18: Hey, here is a preview of the next chapter of the story. Please, bear in mind that it is, as mentioned, a preview. Some parts of it might not be included in the final release.
2022-03-19: Hey, small update.
2022-03-22: Hey, small update.
2022-03-30: Hey, the chapter was finally finished. I'm sorry for the long development time, but I have recently felt like a complete s*.
Don't forget to comment. I really appreciate your feedback.
Note that the dialogues written in italic are thoughts.
As always, I would like to thank you for everything. See you soon :)
Changelog:
[2022-03-18]: A preview was released.
[2022-03-19]: The chapter was updated.
[2022-03-22]: The chapter was updated.
[2022-03-30]: The chapter was updated, and its final version was released.
Info: Overall, the current plan is for me to write 'My home is where my heart lies' and 'Family tree' alternatively. Between the updates of these stories, I will try to upload other texts. Maybe, just maybe, I will be able to finish some of the short stories. However, I truly doubt that. It seems that most if not all of the stories will be extended both in terms of the time and the number of chapters.
Info: I will try to rewrite some of the older chapters between releasing new ones. I expect to start working on that goal in the middle of January. So, please be informed that the new chapters might take a bit longer to be finished and published.
Bonuses' section:
A new story taking place in the Warhammer 40k universe.
Story of one lost soul: The war call: rewrite.
An entirely new story (possibly Akali x [Irelia, Syndra, Katarina]).
A new short story (Vi x Cait).
An entirely original story (possibly even 2 stories, one taking place in medieval times, the other in the far future)
References:
Troy Harley – I'm Not Running
*bonuses will be worked on when I don't feel like writing the chapters pointed out in the schedule :D
End of author's notes section.
Within the next couple of heartbeats, Akali closed the gap between her and Shigekazu. It was all too easy to hunt down the supposed big fish. Even though the Japanese wanted to break, trying his hardest to do so. The effort was all but futile. The difference in strength between them could have been compared to Great Canyon. No matter what the businessman tried to do, once the vampire grabbed his left hand, it was a game over for the man.
"Why do you try to run away, Mister Shimamoto Shigekazu?" the council's leader asked, throwing the man toward the nearest wall. Unfortunately, the wooden construct did not survive the impact, shattering into smaller pieces. Then, the white-haired vampire approached once the businessman found himself lying on the cold floor. "Why did you insist on making it difficult for yourself? All I wanted was a piece of information that you possess. All you needed to do was to give me that piece. But by doing so, you would have earned yourself a little gift. But, unfortunately, now you have left me with no other choice but to dispose of you," she commented coldly.
"Please, please… I can give you these," the nearly-bold man started to beg for his miserable life.
"I will get these regardless," the white-haired woman stated as she lifted the Japanese from the ground. "I would have wanted our little conversation to have a different conclusion, yet you forced my hand. So, goodbye," she whispered before sliting the man's throat.
Before the blood had an opportunity to spray over Akali face, the vampire threw him toward the ground. Then, once a disgusting sound of crushed bones sounded, a dagger was thrown toward the man. The council's leader did not pity the man, but on the other hand, he did not deserve to die painfully slow.
"Is it safe to assume that our mission here is concluded?" Duncan's warm voice sounded nearby.
"Nearly," Akali opted to respond plainly. As the woman turned around, she noticed Loghain and Duncan entering the devastated corridor. "All that is left to do is plug into the company's system and seek the answers. I will have the man's successor informed by Adria about his sudden promotion."
"It turned out messy," Loghain commented. "It is not your usual style, Miss Tepes."
"Sharp as ever," the white-haired woman sighed heavily. "But, yes, the situation got a little out of hand. I must be losing my touch, apparently."
"What are the odds of this man's successor seeking revenge?" Loghain asked once again.
"Marginal, but such a situation can arise," Akali replied simply. "Mister Shigekazu's son has a troubled past with his own father. As far as I am aware, he wanted his old man dead. So, in a way, we have made his wishes come true."
"Fair enough," Duncan spoke. "Let's leave this place. I have a feeling that you didn't wake us up just for this. So what's going on, Miss Tepes? It has been years since the last time you've summoned us."
"We will have plenty of time to discuss the matter once we are on the plane," the council's leader cut off the discussion. "But… I agree; let's wrap the situation up as soon as possible."
"What is the `black legion`?" Shauna finally mustered enough courage to ask out. "My German is rusty, but I understood some of what you had uttered."
"Does it bother you?" Eckstein responded with a question of his own.
"Let's just say that I don't like secrets being kept away from me," the RDT officer stated. "So, will you tell me, or should I start asking Cortana for more information?"
"Hmm… let me think for a moment," the council's agent hummed. "It will not be necessary, I think. I will not explain everything to you, but I do feel you deserve to know, at the very least, the basics. So, let's take some beverages and take seats, shall we?"
"Don't try to sell me any crap!" the raven-haired woman uttered. "I hate being kept away from the case. Still, your boss decided to cooperate with me. So, be a good lad and tell me what I need to know to do my damned job," she added, switching her voice to overly sweet.
"I have already told how much I will reveal," the German responded cooly. "Take a seat, and let's get this matter over with. I am pretty sure we have a lot of work on our hands," he stated. Next, the man took a mug filled with hot chocolate then situated himself on the nearest chair.
"Fair enough," Vayne spoke, taking her coffee. "So, what's the `black legion`?" she repeated the question once again.
"Do you know what KSK was?" Eckstein asked, then took a sip of his beverage.
"I've heard that name before… let me think for a moment," the black-haired woman hummed. "Wasn't it a special ops unit originating from Germany? I've heard they had been disbanded before the war."
"Yeah, KSK was an equivalent of English SAS at the time," Martina started quietly. "And… you are also right about the disbandment of the unit. But unfortunately, it happened a couple of months before the war kicked in. The German government announced that they wanted to introduce a new special ops organisation that would replace all existing ones. The code name `black legion`, I do not know why such a name, but who am I to judge," the man continued the story, shrugging nonchalantly to express his feelings. "Anyway, KSK, GSG9 and many others were disbanded, then moved to the new training ground deep below Frankfurt. There these men and women had trained until the war started."
"So… to sum up, it must have been an elite unit?" Shauna asked.
"Yeah, you could safely say that," the German agreed. "However, there were some nasty holes in that entire arrangement. For example, the law that brought the unit to life allowed the criminals to be drafted to the legion. In a way, there were whole companies entirely composed of the prisoners. None of these lads would have ever left the army. They had only two options, fight and try not to die whilst doing so, or die in the prisons," Martin added, lowering his voice even further.
"What would be the point of such companies?"
"You know, some people were thankful for a chance to adamant their sins," Eckstein responded. "Moreover, these soldiers would have never surrendered. I can not honestly say whether it was driven by patriotism or being pushed right against the wall. But, they would have fought to the last men. And… considering their experience, training, and equipment… yeah, they would not have sold their skin cheap. I am certain of that much," he added, taking another sip from the mug.
"Let me guess, the unit has never stopped operating, hasn't it?" Vayne uttered a quiet question. "And… based on your question, you've been a part of that program; the same can be said regarding Richter. That makes awfully a lot of sense if regarded for a moment," she added more to herself than anyone else.
"Congratulation, Miss Vayne, you have solved that case," the German spoke, allowing his tone to soften slightly. "Yes, I was part of the legion in the past. And… I have allowed myself to ask around Cortana about our newest agent's duty record. Considering the high notes, I was nearly positive that he was a legionnaire too, but I needed to be sure before bringing the matter to the table," he explained casually.
"Is there anything more that I should be aware of?" Shauna continued to ask questions.
"Look, it is the most I can brief you, Miss Vayne," Martin replied, putting down the mug. "You are free to shoot the questions that bother your mind. However, I am not promising to answer all of them. Hell, I can see a scenario in which I would not provide any answer at all."
"Is there a point in extending this conversation, then?"
"If all you are seeking are the answers regarding that particular topic, then I do not see any value coming from continuing our little chat, Miss Vayne."
"Fair enough," Shauna responded after a few seconds of silence. "Have you received any update regarding Miss Tepes's mission?" she opted for a change of the topic.
"No, unfortunately, nothing," Eckstein spoke. "Though I feel like it is only a matter of time. Miss Tepes is capable of taking care of herself and her business. So, I think it will be far more productive to focus on our task."
"I'd certainly want to do that. But sadly, we're in the corner, apparently," the raven-haired woman sighed heavily. "Look, all the clues we have in our possession don't seem to match at all. Or, at least, the connection between these is shady."
"Would you want to give up, Miss Vayne?" the German asked whilst standing up. "Sometimes, it takes time for the clues to align. It might be a wise decision to start looking at some other case. Or, we can potentially try to recreate the whole passage of events. Either way, the call is yours to take," the man shrugged nonchalantly. "Miss Tepes's decision is crystal clear in that regard; you are in the command."
"Then… please, take a look at the current open cases," Shauna finally uttered after a full minute of pause. "Please, pick the one you find the most complex. Considering that we're funded by the council, we should try to help the RDT."
"Let me be clear, Miss Vayne," Mathias quietly started. "We are not going to abandon this case. We are simply redirecting our resources to another one because, as you have stated, we are currently facing a wall. So, it might be a good idea for Cortana to process these clues. Maybe… she will see something that we have omitted. After all, she can foresee much more scenarios than we combined."
"Yeah… go ahead."
"Do you need something more?" the German asked, preparing himself to leave.
"No, that would be all."
"Shauna, Miss Tepes sent you a message with attachments," Cortana allowed herself to inform the RDT officer. "I forwarded it to your personal computer. So, please, feel free to take a look," the AI friendly added.
"Thank you, Cortana," Vayne responded, sighing heavily. "I'll take a look in a moment."
As expected, the artificial construct did not respond to that. But, frankly, there was no need to. So, the raven-haired woman was allowed to be left alone with her troubled mind. Shauna had foolishly decided to look into the case files, quickly encountering the photos taken during the autopsy. To say that she struggled to prevent herself from vomiting would be like saying nothing. The raven-haired woman had never had a strong stomach for such disturbing pictures, sceneries. So, if she had been allowed to, she would have skipped such cases. However, this time, she could not ignore it.
When her smart band started buzzing, she knew it was already 7:30 PM. The alarm had been set to wake her up. But unfortunately, due to her internal struggles, she had not fallen asleep in the first place. So as Vayne wiped her teary, exhausted, bloodshed eyes, she knew it was high time to return to work. The raven-haired stood up, stretched a little, then header to her desk with some problems. A ghostly, transparent keyboard appeared once her biometrics were recognised and accepted. A moment later, a gap within the nearest wall started to open, revealing a decently-sized display. Vayne waited a couple of extra moments for the operating system to load before opening her mailbox. As expected, the message from Miss Tepes was marked as critical, marked with a shiny star next to it. However, as soon as the officer selected the item, a message box popped up.
"But, of course," Shauna scoffed quietly. "It'd have been too easy to expect this message not to require additional authentication," she sighed.
Once again, her thumb was pressed against the scanner, waiting for the clearance to be granted. Surprisingly enough, the provided biometrics were not enough. Once the first data batch was accepted, the new window popped up, asking for the scan of her iris. So, without any other option, she did as she was told. When the input was accepted, the final requirement was displayed.
"Ehhh… you seem to know quite a lot about me, Miss Tepes," Vayne commented as soon as she read the question.
Nevertheless, the answer was rapidly typed and provided for verification. The moment the application accepted all the data, the window vanished, and the message started to be decrypted. Considering the process's time, either the transmission was heavily encrypted or contained many attachments. As the progress bar slowly filled up, the officer's interest only grew. What could have potentially Miss Tepes discovered was the question bothering Vayne's mind. But unfortunately, she would have had to wait for that mystery to be resolved.
The uncertainty kept the officer on her toes for the better part of the next quarter of an hour. There had been moments when the raven-haired woman had been mere inches away from giving up. But instead, she kept focusing on the display, praying for the message to be finally decrypted. The process was simply taking too much time; it seemed like the council's leader had sent her hundreds or even thousands of files. However, in the end, the process was finished successfully. The explorer opened up the moment it happened, revealing the previously encrypted content. As feared, dozens of directories were filled with images, documents, and reports.
"It seems that the shuteye throughout the night can't be taken for granted," Shauna commented as soon as she realised what was before her. "I better start it now; these files won't process themselves."
"Would you like me to give these a quick scan, Shauna?" Cortana asked out of a sudden. "It will take me far less time to go through it all."
"No… yeah, yeah," Vayne started to mumble. "Please, take a look. In the meantime, I'll try to read these on my own."
"Affirmative; I will report back as soon as the process is finished," the AI informed before its voice faded away.
The raven-haired woman woke up around noon the next day. If she had been asked when she had fallen asleep, she would have not been able to reply. So the only realistic scenario was that she had a blackout sometime after her last conversation with Cortana. Considering that she woke up lying flat on her desk only furtherly proved that speculation. Hence, the annoying pain in her lower back was understandable. Unfortunately, these circumstances were not enough for Vayne not to put the blame on herself. So, regardless, the woman needed to stand up and resume the investigation. Otherwise, she would not be able to cope with herself.
A couple of minutes passed before Shauna started to register smells. Like a clueless moth circling around a hot bulb, the woman was pacing around the desk, unable to locate the source. Funnily enough, it turned out that a dark mug filled with hot, black as night coffee was the sought cause. And… to the woman's utter dismissal, it was proudly located at the very centre of her desk. As soon as Vayne spotted the item, she facepalmed herself, trying to get herself into any reasonable shape.
The moment the RDT officer took a sip of the hot liquid, the door leading to her office opened. Even though Vayne's perception was still far from the normal state, she focused on that occurrence nearly immediately. Initially, she expected to spot either Martin, Lucian, or Taylor to check up on her, but her assumption appeared to be wrong. Once the entrance opened fully, Dr Michel entered the room. She wore a light-coloured peacoat matched with much darker jeans and brown knee-high boots. The doctor looked stunning. Or, at least such an opinion could have been considered before the officer had a better look at the council's agent's face. Adria's skin seemed dry and thin; small purple veins were visible underneath it. The doctor's eyes were in no better shape; they appeared dead-tired, bloodshot covered nearly the entirety of the eyeball. Dr Michel's lips were drawn into a straight line, emphasising the concern that lurked behind her eyes.
"You look like death," Vayne allowed herself to comment, omitting the greeting.
"Good morning to you too. I wish I could say that you look better," Adria responded, forcing a small smile to appear. "Considering the imprints on your cheek, you must have slept on some documents. Is it safe to assume that we haven't been sleeping well recently?"
"Yeah, I think it's safe to say," the officer spoke, stretching out. "But, there's still a question that intrigues me; why are you here, Dr Michel?"
"Please, drop that attitude and formalities," Adria scoffed. "We're in the same boat right now. So, please cut that slack; I don't need to be titled. Reserved that for Miss Tepes."
"Ok… I won't complain about dropping the titles," Shauna commented. "Anyway, can you answer my question first?"
"Yes, I think it might be handy," the doctor uttered, closing in. "As you might already expect, I'm here because Miss Tepes requested me to come. She mentioned something about changing the topic, at least for a moment, till our killer shows up. Have you looked into the files she obtained?"
"Let's say that I've," the raven-haired woman whispered back. "Though… To be honest, I didn't make any progress," she added, scratching her nape. "Most likely, I've fallen asleep whilst reading the files."
"Frankly, it's understandable," the council's agent commented. "There're so many attached files; hmm… have you considered asking Cortana to help you with that?"
"Well… it wasn't my idea, but yes, Cortana was to look through these files and try to find some link between them."
"Take your coffee then; let's walk for a little, shall we?"
"Good idea, I guess," the RDT officer spoke, picking up her mug and following the agent. "When is Miss Tepes supposed to return?" she asked, taking another sip of the beverage.
"No clue, but I'd bet it'll happen soon enough," Adria replied whilst strolling through the corridor. "As far as Miss Tepes trusts us, she doesn't like to leave the responsibilities solely to her subordinates. I don't know why she prefers this approach, but, as far as I can see, it's working."
"I don't understand this either," Vayne whispered. "Considering all the resources, all the power she has, she doesn't need to lift a finger for any job to be done. But, strangely enough, Miss Tepes opts to run the show from the first line. I'd love to know why."
"Well, maybe it's worth the risk to simply ask. So, what do you think?" the doc allowed herself to giggle slightly. "Or… on the second thought, maybe it's not the best idea."
"I'll make a mental note not to try this," Shauna responded. "I assume you want to take a walk outside?" she asked, smiling.
Dr Michel did not respond. Instead, she quickened up the pace, heading toward the elevator.
It was a late evening when Akali arrived at the RDT's headquarters. To say that she was in a bad mood would be like saying nothing. Throughout the entirety of the journey, she had not uttered a single word, allowing her mind to run freely. In her mind, the whole situation was represented as a vast map filled with numerous small dots. Each could mean a clue, an event, or even a person. Between some of these, there was a drawn line connecting them. In moments like this, the council's leader was thankful for the near-picture-perfect memory that allowed her to freely rerender any scene. Hence, of course, she was capable of projecting things that she had never seen. However, the ability to imagine things appeared incapable of finding the link. Even for Akali, some of these clues and their connection seemed too small to proceed with. The whole image she held inside her mind appeared flawed as if some crucial details were missing. Maybe she had missed something, omitted a piece, or disregarded some event.
"I must be missing something," a heavy sigh sounded in the deepest part of Akali's subconsciousness. "Let's go through all of this once again."
According to the manufacturer's logs, the twin blades they had taken away from the black-skinned men had been ordered by an acclaimed surgeon. That surgeon was Professor Hector Lane. The man was weirdly known as a culinary enthusiast and an amateur cook. As far as Akali remembered, she had been invited to one of his parties at least a couple of times. Even though his cooking skills were nowhere near his medical ones, he was a proud man. Some of the council's agents had been sent to these parties as a token of recognition. Yet, through all of their reports, one detail was consistent. The professor apparently liked to entertain his guests with his extensive collection of knives. So, to sum up, the man had a perfectly valid reason to purchase such beautiful blades.
But unfortunately, the easy part ended here. In the trade logs, there were registered events regarding this particular shipment. The very first one of them mentioned the doctor's claim. The professor had claimed that the knives had never been delivered. Then, he had fielded an accusation of scamming against the manufacturer, demanding a full refund. The claim would have seemed like a reasonable countermeasure if the situation had been examined from the client's side. However, as always, the coin had two sides. The entire incident became a bothering nuisance without any efficient way of proving the validity of the doctor's claim.
A few logs later, a note regarding an agreement between the parties could be found. Hence, knowing the manufacturer, Akali was not surprised when he had not agreed to provide the refund. Instead, he had offered a significant discount for a new set. In the following few entries, the correspondence between the parties was mentioned. Regardless of the nonsense recorded in the logs, the agreement had been reached in the end. Lane had purchased a new set for the reduced price, and this time the package had been delivered without problems.
"It does not look any clearer," Akali allowed herself to comment. "I can not entirely side with any side of that story, not really. However, it is a reasonable assumption to verify the doctor's report, to doubt his words," she proceeded. "What it is that I can not see?"
There was a possibility, at least a potential possibility, to sort out the dilemma. Considering Cortana's and Aria's capabilities, they should be able to recreate the delivery route. After all, the most crucial milestones would not be challenging to obtain. A short question sent to the delivery company responsible for the shipment should do the trick. However, the next step seemed near impossible. So, the Ais would need to retrieve all possible video footage and then recreate the actual delivery based on the timestamps. In theory, as the council's leader, her clearances would allow her to request such an attempt. But sadly, it might take time.
Moreover, there was no saying that every district worldwide was actively monitored. Even a tiny gap between events could mean doom for her plan. Hence, as the white-haired woman slowly exhaled, the project was discarded. There must be another way of achieving the same goal. But, the woman seemed unable to see it as of now.
"Maybe a slight change of plans is required," the council's leader whispered. "I have exhausted my possibilities; hence, it is time for your turn, puppet master."
Then, the snowy-white-haired woman froze for a few moments, allowing her mind to relax, to clear itself. After that, she reached out toward the bag located on the seat to her left. Once opened, a small laptop was retrieved. Before Akali placed the piece of technology on her lap, a moment of hesitation had been allowed. Nevertheless, the moment was weakness was overcome momentarily. After a quick sequence of lunching the computer and logging in, the desktop loaded nearly instantly. It was high time for the woman to return to work, kicking in the next gear.