Wednesday, March 22nd, 2017
Greenwich Park
London, England
20:37
Gerome Portland continued driving towards his date with destiny, unaware that his every move was being watched by dozens of people.
Portland looked around, saw nothing amiss, and then turned his car into an empty slot located beside the Jaguar. One of the men in the Jaguar climbed out and said a few words to Portland, advising him that everything was clear, and that Portland was safe to walk the two dozen yards to where Fareham waited. Portland climbed out of his Mercedes and he was escorted by the man from the Jaguar. Everyone watching and waiting was on tenterhooks as they awaited the springing of the ambush. There were many breaths of relief from both sides as Portland climbed into the Range Rover beside Fareham and their fate was sealed.
Then everything moved very swiftly at a few curt commands from Q.
..._...
Intrepid and Resolute slipped out of SABRE and they walked slowly towards the Jaguar XF which was parked two cars down from them.
Up the road, Renegade Two and Renegade Four moved off. Renegade Two (Jackal) made for the second Audi A4 while Renegade Four (Petra) made for the first Audi A4 down near where SABRE was parked. At the same time, SCIMITAR, the armoured Land Rover Discovery moved off and headed north towards Fareham. Everything was perfectly choreographed so that each enemy unit could be attacked as one in a single devastating shock assault.
"Standby to take down Skunks!" Q announced before a dramatic pause. "Execute!"
Almost as one, everybody moved.
Intrepid and Resolute moved on the Jaguar XF where Resolute stabbed the right rear window behind the driver with a knife causing the window to craze over. Intrepid then punched her gauntlet through the glass and dropped in a flashbang grenade. Renegade Two and Renegade Four both did the same with their own targets, three separate detonations echoing out across Greenwich Park as the grenades detonated, blasting out the glazing on each vehicle and stunning the men and women inside. Simultaneously, SCIMITAR accelerated ahead, and Raptor slammed on the brakes with the reinforced nudge bar resting against Fareham's Range Rover, blocking any attempt at escape.
The first Fareham knew of an assault was when he caught sight of the blue strobe lights set into the front grill of SCIMITAR, closely followed by the triple explosions and flashes from all around. The man reached for a pistol stowed in the centre console even as Portland made to dive out of the Range Rover. Despite the glare from SCIMITAR's headlights, Fareham could make out shapes deploying from the vehicle preventing his direct escape in his Range Rover. He had no idea that the majority of his security force was even then spilling out of their wrecked cars and rolling around as they struggled to regain the use of their senses after the violent and unexpected assault on their hearing and vision. Fareham pushed open his door and then rolled out, even as someone kicked at his door, trying to get past. Someone else was scrambling over the bonnet and roof of the parked car to his left even as he scrambled for the rear of his vehicle and the perceived safety of the open park.
Rigour leapt off the parked car and she planted her left boot into Fareham's back, sending the man rolling onto the ground even as she landed and rolled coming up with her pistol pointed at Fareham who made to bring his own pistol towards the threat. Rigour found herself kicked in the side of the head by an unknown assailant which had suddenly appeared from another vehicle – obviously, someone they had missed. As Rigour went down, Fareham scrambled to his feet and he ran, as his security officer tackled an angry Kick-Ass who had seen Rigour go down. Fareham found himself running alongside Portland as they both ran to the east and hoped for safety. Fareham's mind was racing as he tried to understand who it was that was attacking them – it was not the police, not with such a coordinated and violent response. Maybe it was the Security Service – yes, that had to be it, he thought.
Back at SCIMITAR, Raptor triggered the electric boot lid which slit apart and opened upward and downward. Inside, the doors on two cages were opened and the hounds were released. Crusader and Commando leapt down from the armoured vehicle and they growled menacingly even as they were led past the abandoned Range Rover and onto the grass. Raptor pointed at each of the two fleeing men, twenty yards distant and he issued a single command.
"Crusader, Commando! Take them!"
With that, the two giant animals bounded forward, taking enormous strides as they easily outpaced the two humans.
..._...
The fleeing men fled into the darkness, but then they felt chills run up their backs as they heard the unmistakable sound of many paws on the grass,
Portland turned and he yelled out a warning as he spied the two animals passing beneath a lamppost. The two animals wore body armour which was mostly black but covered in dark and light blue splodges which helped to make the animals all but invisible in the dark. Even their faces were protected with a mask covering the snout, eyes, and most of the head. Their exposed chests and stomachs were protected as were their sides and back, extending all the way to the curved tails. Attached to the body armour were various pouches, fittings, and cameras. But what unnerved Portland the most were the dogs' primary weapons, the stunningly white teeth visible in their jaws.
"Holy fuck!" the man exclaimed as he ran all the harder.
Fareham glanced back too, and his face went as white as a sheet when he saw what was pursuing the pair of them. His reinforcements were just a little over two hundred yards ahead, but he knew that the dogs would have them both long before he made it to safety. He quickly reasoned that he only had to be faster than one other, and for that matter, he was certain that Portland had fucked up somewhere. Therefore, Fareham twisted around, and he fired two shots from his pistol, both bullets taking apart his former-lieutenant's head, and ensuring his silence. He also believed that the two dogs would stop to check out the tasty mess.
He was very wrong; the pair of trained military working dogs took one glance at the dead man and bolted past knowing that Portland was going nowhere under his own steam.
Cavalier One and Cavalier Two
While everyone else was busy taking down Fareham's men, the two motorcycles and their four riders were racing around to the far side of Greenwich Park.
The two high-powered motorcycles took the long way around to the south of the National Maritime Museum. Due to their semi-official capacity, the two Vengeance motorcycles were entitled to make use of their blue lights and sirens which allowed members of the public to leap off to one side as the two motorcycles raced through the park. There were one or two hair raising moments as Goshawk found her route blocked by errant dog walkers and she was forced to lean on her brakes, scaring the crap out of Wildcat who was clinging on for dear life behind her. Their job was to cut off any further reinforcements for Fareham. As they came level with Vanbrugh Castle on the east side of the park, gunfire erupted out and Goshawk was forced to evade, eventually putting her Triumph Tiger Explorer XRt down on its side on the grass, spilling her and Wildcat off their mount.
The pair rapidly scrambled for cover amidst the trees while Crimson and Psyche made a more sedate dismount nearby. The erupting gunfight was eerily lit by the blue strobe lights and the opposing high beams of two Audi A4 saloons. Bullets struck the trees around where Goshawk and Wildcat were sheltering, keeping their heads down. But the men in the Audi saloons were not used to fighting against seasoned vigilantes and they never noticed as they were outflanked on both sides. Wildcat and Goshawk struck as a single unit, taking down two men before they could bring their weapons to bear on the two girls. Wildcat found herself facing off against three men while Goshawk had drawn an equal number. Crimson and Psyche were nowhere to be seen. Wildcat raised her fists and the men laughed.
"The girl wants to fight! You wanna fight, little girl?"
"I came to London to see the sights and kick some ass," Wildcat growled. "Well, I've seen the sights..."
Wildcat triggered her titanium claws and the grins quickly vanished. As for Goshawk, she had ignored the theatrics and she had dived straight in before the men she was facing could mount a defence. While Goshawk may have spent a lot of her time over the preceding weeks buried in flight manuals and taking the AW009 known as MINNOW for test and weapons integration flights, she also spent time on the mat reminding her two little brothers who was who and who was in charge – she could also outshoot just about everyone in Vengeance. Indeed, one man was flat on his back within mere seconds with his colleague soon joining him. As for Wildcat, she was goading her opponents as she used her small size and high speed to dodge every incoming blow. The twelve-year-old vigilante took perverse joy in slashing the men, just to irritate them and to leave a nasty reminder of their clash with the feline vigilante from Chicago.
"Well, that was amusing," Goshawk commented as the last men fell.
"It was okay," Wildcat commented as she cleaned off her claws on one of the men's shirts before retracting them.
The pair wandered back to the motorcycle and remounted.
..._...
Crimson and Psyche as Cavalier One had had another target in mind as they raced further south and then caught sight of a cowering man who was backed up against a giant ancient oak tree which had been planted hundreds of years before in the 12th century.
Justin Fareham had thought himself lucky that most of his run had been downhill, with gravity helping him to run faster, but it had not prevented the canines from cornering him against the trunk of the giant oak which was a good eight feet or more in width. The animals growled at him and he had never felt such fear as he found himself staring at the razor-sharp teeth dripping with saliva. Taking a bullet was one thing but being ripped to shreds while alive was something else completely. Therefore, when he saw two armour-clad vigilantes approaching him, he felt intense relief, but the pair made no attempt to stop the dogs growling and pawing at the ground. One wore black, all black, but with a little bit of purple visible. The other wore a calf-length coat with dull yellow highlights.
"Get 'em off me!" he demanded.
"I don't think they'll obey me, sorry," the one in black responded in an electronic voice.
"You gotta read me my rights!"
"Rights!" Hit Girl declared derisively. "Okay. You have the right to suffer for all that you have made others suffer. You have the right to scream as I make you suffer. You have the right to die in horrendous pain . . . should I go on?"
"N – no."
"Commando! Crusader! Guard!" Crimson ordered as she and Psyche joined Hit Girl and Belle.
The two dogs gave Fareham one last longing look before they obediently backed away and then began to patrol the immediate area to ensure that nobody approached.
..._...
Fareham sat on the grass at the base of the tree scared to death.
His eyes darted all around him, catching sight of the dogs, the vigilantes, and hoping for any sight of police who might take him to safety. The four vigilantes were talking amongst themselves for what felt like hours but was mere minutes. Then the two shorter vigilantes stepped towards him and he flinched back against the solid oak behind him in a vain attempt to push through to safety. Both knelt beside him and he shook with fear. The taller one with yellow eyes spoke first.
"What are we going to do with you?" the vigilante growled. "Her over there wanted to kill you – make you suffer. Only, I think making you live will draw it out, for maybe the next twenty years."
Belle looked over at Psyche who continued to scare Fareham shitless.
"You are going to make sure that you stay in prison for at least the next twenty years," Psyche hissed into the man's ear. "If you do not, then there will be nowhere on this planet where you will be safe from us. You will make certain that you go down for every crime that you have ever committed. Do you understand, you fucking piece of worthless shit?"
Fareham nodded.
"I don't think you do?" Belle growled.
Fareham screamed as two of the fingers on his left hand snapped.
"You have many more bones that can be broken and that was just a taster of what we can make you endure," Psyche stated. "We see you outside of prison in the next twenty years, we break bones, got it!"
Fareham nodded. "YES!" he declared through clenched teeth.
"Oh, one more thing," Belle said conversationally. "You're going to rat out everybody you know."
"I..."
"Is that what I want to hear?"
"Yes, I will rat out everyone I know."
"Well, I think my work is done here," Belle said. "Have a wonderful evening, Mr Fareham."
"Yeah, you enjoy yourself," Psyche added as she followed Belle towards the motorcycles.
Hit Girl and Crimson simply shrugged as they walked off leaving four men from the National Crime Agency to secure Fareham.
An hour later...
25 Farm Street
Mayfair
The vigilante force had broken down after their successful evening and the majority had made for Safehouse Victor Lima.
However, Cameron and Natasha had chosen to host the Lizewskis and select others at their Mayfair pad. However, as they pulled up outside, three were not overly happy to lay eyes on a property which bore many uneasy memories.
"Looks a whole lot better without the bullet holes," Mindy quipped.
"It does, doesn't it!" Natasha responded with a sideways glare at the unfortunate Shannon, Jamie, and Abigail who each cringed.
"We didn't mean for the place to be attacked," Jamie whined.
"We don't blame you," Cameron said. "You had no choice and I am glad that this place could be somewhere you felt safe."
As they stepped inside, Jamie grinned as he thought back several months.
"What's so funny?" Shannon demanded – she was not happy being back in the house.
"I remember almost ripping your pubes out," Jamie responded, and Abigail burst out laughing.
"Are you certain," Stephanie asked, "that you two didn't - you know?"
"NO!" Shannon exclaimed. "With HIM!"
"Nice to feel wanted...," Jamie muttered dejectedly.
"Oh, Shannon, give the boy a hug before he cries," Mindy laughed.
Shannon grimaced as she gave the boy a very brief hug. Stephanie ignored her brother as she looked up at Shannon.
"Thanks for keeping my brother alive, Shan."
"Barely a day goes by without me regretting keeping the brat alive," Shannon complained with a wink in Stephanie's direction.
Mindy knew that Jamie was loved by Shannon just as much as he was loved by his sister, not to mention Abigail.
..._...
Natasha ordered in pizza for everyone and they settled down to decompress after the evening out.
As was usual, the adults split off from the children, leaving the rabble to their own delinquent behaviour with Shannon as the eldest in charge. The four adults remained in the kitchen while Shannon took the noisy rabble up to the drawing room on the floor above.
"Seeing what that bastard did to that family was heart wrenching," Mindy commented.
"Fareham was not alone," Cameron responded. "There are many more like him scattered all over London, let alone the rest of the country. Some people have no recourse but to turn to bastards like that."
"I know," Mindy agreed. "But at least that's four more youngsters that will grow up in a safer environment."
"So, the Lizewski property portfolio is expanding, I understand," Natasha commented.
"Yes, three properties were acquired in and around London – apartments to be used as safehouses both for us and for those in need," Dave advised their British opposite numbers.
"Not bad," Cameron said. "We've also been busy; as well as number twenty-five, here, which has been remodelled thanks to Shannon and your son, we have also acquired number eighteen, just along the street. Both will give us plenty of accommodation for when we're all in London as Victor Lima is not all that big."
"You've done well," Mindy confirmed.
"How's DJAK doing?" Dave asked as he moved the conversation along.
"We've had to start a waiting list!" Natasha replied. "We've capped the initial intake at sixty for the moment."
"That's amazing!" Mindy admitted. "A brilliant start!"
Natasha grinned happily.
..._...
As for the rowdy rabble in the drawing room, the dirty jokes and crude comments were flowing steadily.
The eight youngsters were scattered around the various soft chairs and sofas, stuffing pizza into their mouths. Not one of them showed any indication that Mary was any different than any of them there. It was an even split between Predators and non-Predators, but the behaviour was pretty much the same across the board! For the youngest pair: Anne-Marie and Danny, it was great to spend time with their elder siblings as well as with their friends of whom only Mary was technically an outsider.
As the evening wore on, the conversation turned to more mundane matters and then came general teasing of Stephanie – a pastime all enjoyed. However, after a while, Stephanie noticed that Abigail and Jamie had wandered off. She put it off to them wanting to spend time together, so she left them to it. However, as the subject matter turned to a topic which did not interest Stephanie, she decided to go in search of the missing Predators. Down in the kitchen, the adults were alone and deep in animated conversation, but there was no sign of the missing boy and girl. After descending further, and finding the pool devoid of life, Stephanie retraced her steps and wound her way up the spiral staircase before she then ventured up to the rooftop in search of her brother and Abigail. When she found them, they were not engaged in what her overactive imagination had assumed. Instead, the pair were sitting in chairs and sobbing their eyes out.
"What the fuck, guys?"
Abigail looked up at Stephanie and she smiled.
"We were remembering the last time we were both here together," she explained as she wiped away some of her tears.
"Abigail went out to get something nice for dinner to cheer me up," Jamie said. "But she never came back, and I missed her horribly."
"It was four weeks or so before I was recovered," Abigail said through more tears.
"And she was fucking raped in that time," Jamie hissed.
"I know it was a bad time for you guys," Stephanie replied. "We missed you by two days – just two damn days!"
"I know," Jamie said. "So much heartache might have been saved."
"When we got to this house and saw the bullet holes everywhere..."
Stephanie trailed off as she too began to cry.
..._...
Shannon stopped at the top of the stairs, unnerved by the sound of crying.
"I'd only just found out that you might be still alive and that I hadn't shot you," Stephanie said. "I was so desperate to find you. If only we had been quicker."
"Not your fault, Steph," Shannon said as she stepped onto the roof. "It was a bad time, but we survived. We kept each other alive and I owe Jamie for that. It was so hard to go on and on, not knowing if our next decision might be the last. Hell, I was being followed around the country by my Dad! Just knowing now, that you guys were out looking for us is worth a lot, believe me."
"For once she's speaking sense," Jamie grinned. "Mind you, she was fucking on fire! She loved blood and one bloody night she sodding wanked herself off after spilling a shit load of the stuff!"
"And I thought I had problems!" Stephanie muttered.
Shannon scowled and blushed at the same time as she remembered the event. So many memories, mostly bad, but some were good, she realised.
"Dirty bitch!" Abigail grinned.
"Considering she was in the shower as I watched her, she was very clean," Jamie quipped.
"You were spying on Shannon in the shower!?" Stephanie exclaimed. "You dirty little cunt!"
"It wasn't my fault!" Jamie declared loudly. "She was making such a noise as she worked herself into oblivion that I could not help looking!"
Shannon blushed bright red as she nodded in confirmation.
"Then she took me on a tour of her boobs and her pussy," Jamie grinned. "Abigail showed me what she had when I was in The Cage, but she's a bit boring in the boob and pussy department, so it was good to see what a real girl looked like."
Abigail opened her mouth to retort but then she realised that Jamie was just being honest – as for Stephanie, she just cringed.
The following morning...
Thursday, March 23rd
Wayne Enterprises Site A
Isle of Dogs, London
Sub-basement Level 4
The Lizewski clan had ventured into the domain of one Lucius Fox.
The man was an enigma but as much as he was a mystery, he was also intelligent. The man could complete an advanced Sudoku puzzle faster than many could complete their first square. His skills as a businessman had assisted Wayne Industries in becoming listed on both the American S&P 500 Index and the British FTSE 100. Indeed, the conglomerate existed in almost every country in the world and was worth billions and was among the top twenty biggest organisations on the planet. Money from the American side of the operation was funnelled into financing Batman's operations in Gotham as well as providing Hit Girl with some of the most advanced tactical equipment available anywhere on the planet. The British subsidiary produced an excess of cash, some of which flowed through the U.K. Government to assist Vengeance. Indeed, the registered owner of the helicopter which saw double duty as NIGHTSHADE, Convey Limited, was a company exceptionally low down on the Wayne Industries list of acquisitions, so far down as to be almost invisible. All of that had been put together with the guidance of Lucius Fox.
As was usual, the man wore a dark suit with a light-coloured plaid shirt and his customary bow tie. He smiled broadly as he focussed on Stephanie.
"Hello, Miss Stephanie, and how are we doing today?"
"Very well, thank you, Lucius," Stephanie replied with a broad smile.
"Hello, Jamie, are you well?"
"I am, Lucius."
"Looking as beautiful as ever, Anne-Marie."
"Thank you, Lucius."
"Danny! Looking good, pal!"
"Considering I have to put up with two sisters, I'm think I'm okay," Danny grinned.
"How's life treating you, Dave?"
"Considering my children are only a few notches from being wacko, and my wife is edging into the red portion of the psychotometer, I think I'm surviving," Dave grinned.
"That just leaves the stunning, Mindy," Lucius chuckled. "And how are you, good lady?"
Mindy laughed – it was always the same with the ultra-smooth Fox.
"I am the happiest I have ever been, I think," Mindy responded honestly.
"Good! Good!" Lucius chuckled as he led the group into the enormous workshop.
"Steph!" a voice called out.
It was Harper.
"Hi, guys!" Stephanie said as she spied Diana sitting on a chair while Keira assisted the girl with her artificial legs.
"I'm getting my combat legs!" Diana grinned.
"Cool!" Jamie said as he ran over to watch.
"Jamie!" Stephanie growled.
"Oh, sorry, Diana."
"I'm not embarrassed, if that's what you think, Jamie."
"Still, it's private."
"They're just my stumps – it's not like I'm naked."
"Diana's meeting up with Cory – he and his family are in London for some family gathering," Harper grinned. "Cory likes the bumps she calls boobs."
"Harper!" Keira said pointedly.
"Okay, okay – Diana's love life is her own."
"Harper!"
"Sorry, Diana."
Diana just laughed as she made to stand on her new combat legs.
..._...
The group moved off, leaving Diana in peace with her legs.
"What's that, Lucius?" Anne-Marie asked as they walked past a workbench on which there were eight strange looking objects fitted with harnesses and hoses.
"That, young lady," Lucius explained, "is a Dräger closed-circuit diving unit which I am modifying to be usable by those not yet of adult proportions."
"You mean Predators," Stephanie stated.
"Very good, young Stephanie!"
Stephanie grinned as Anne-Marie scowled. For some reason or other, Lucius seemed to think that Stephanie was a wonderfully polite and charming young lady – something which Anne-Marie could not fathom. Mindy ignored her two daughters and she studied the intricate pieces of technology which were being customised to allow them to be worn by younger members of the Fusion family. Lucius was swift to move on as they passed by a table strewn with sections of what could have once been a rocket launcher of some kind and onto an area occupied by vehicles in various states of build and modification.
"Wow!" Danny and Jamie exclaimed as they ran their eyes over a pair of awesome-looking off-road vehicles, both of which had a gun turret amidships and were painted in a desert camouflage scheme.
They then ran over to where a pair of ginormous Toyota pickup trucks were being worked on.
"These are two of four we are converting for sub-zero operations," Lucius explained. "We've had to shift the front axle forward to account for the larger tyres required and the additional suspension modifications. Specially adapted engines will be fitted along with a long-range fuel tank. And yes, Mrs Lizewski, it does come in purple . . . as well as black."
Mindy grinned as Anne-Marie chose to move onto finding something more exciting – which she did.
..._...
Anne-Marie screamed, and Mindy spun around, dreading the worst.
Danny burst out laughing once he caught sight of his twin, closely followed by Jamie who thought it was the funniest thing ever. Mindy tried not to laugh as Anne-Marie looked thoroughly miserable, but she found that it was impossible not to laugh at the youngster's current predicament.
"NOOOO!" Anne-Marie bleated as Dave took several photos with his smart phone. "Help me – I can't move..."
"I should think not, young Anne-Marie," Lucius said sternly with a twinkle in his eyes. "The very latest in non-lethal anti-personnel weaponry – which doesn't work too well."
Anne-Marie lay on the concrete floor, her body encased in a bright yellow compound which looked very much like porridge. Jamie walked up to his little sister and he tapped the substance which sounded hollow but seemed solid.
"We've been having some issues with it," Lucius explained. "Last guy who tested it was stuck in there for eleven days."
"What!" Anne-Marie declared.
"Well, the substance is deployed from the same chassis as a standard M18 Claymore mine. Coats the target in enough gloop to immobilise them as it hardens in less than a second. Stephanie, would you kick your sister, please?"
"Of course," Stephanie responded without a moment's hesitation and she gave the yellow substance a stiff kick.
At first nothing happened, but then a crack appeared, followed by another and another, then the substance shattered completely.
"That's also part of the problem – it isn't supposed to crack apart like that," Lucius said as he helped the embarrassed Anne-Marie to her feet.
"My armoury could do with a few of those," Mindy said as she glared down at her eldest child. "For defensive purposes!"
Stephanie grimaced as she realised that she might one day be encased in a similar substance.
..._...
Lucius led them on and around a corner to another area which was cleaner and where there did not appear to be anything for Anne-Marie to set off.
"Here we are," Lucius said. "These should be ready to ship in the next week or so. These...," he handed several out, "...are lighter and heavier than your current shields."
"Huh?" Anne-Marie asked. "How can something be both lighter and heavier at the same time?"
"The new shields have a heavier armour providing better protection while also being lighter than our current shields," Jamie said with a grin.
"Very good, Jamie," Lucius told the boy.
"Lighter," Mindy commented a she examined the shield which was about eighteen inches in height by about twelve in width. The corners were curved but otherwise the sides were straight and there was a small section which could be removed and was the approximate width of a G36 or a Sig Sauer MPX weapon, enabling the weapon to be fired from behind the shield. "I approve."
"A batch will be winging its way across the North Atlantic, next week, and a batch will be headed north to Edinburgh at the same time."
"Thank you, Lucius," Mindy said. "Without you, some of us would be long dead."
"Well, having someone push my kit to the absolute limits is great for the R&D!" Lucius commented dryly.
"We do our best," Dave chuckled.
"So, I have noticed – between you all, the caped crusader and his team, I have my work cut out reworking destroyed combat suits and other equipment which was not up to the task. It seems we have several tiers of quality; there is the normal standard, there is military standard, then there is exceptional standard, then there is my standard, and then far above is Hit Girl standard!"
"I'm not all that easy to please," Mindy conceded.
"No," Lucius said. "You are a very difficult client, but then I like a seemingly impossible challenge."
"That's Mindy," Dave chuckled. "A seemingly impossible challenge."
"A fucking enigma, if you ask me," Stephanie commented dryly.
"Nobody asked you, sweetie," Mindy growled.
Stephanie scowled as Anne-Marie laughed.
That afternoon...
Green Park
London
The Lizewski family had caught a pair of black taxi cabs back into the city.
They alighted at Hyde Park corner and then walked down Constitution Hill towards the top of The Mall. Naturally, the Lizewski family had no problem with a good long walk – even if it was just six degrees outside. The trees above them which ran down either side of the road in parallel were devoid of leaves, allowing plenty of light onto the pavements below. To their left was Green Park while to the right was the brick wall separating them from the gardens of Buckingham Palace. As they approached the twenty-five-metre-tall Victoria Memorial, they paused for Dave to take some family photos and they roped in a police constable to take a photo of the entire family with Buckingham Palace and the Victoria Memorial in the background – Mindy was insistent on building up a scrapbook of family trips with plenty of photos of the family together as a family rather than as their alter egos.
"It's also good for Mum to be able to move about London without causing shit!" Stephanie commented "For a change."
"Stephanie, I would hate to stain The Mall with your blood and cause someone a lot of work."
"In front of all these police officers?" Stephanie challenged.
"Are you forgetting who I am, honey?"
"Maybe...," Stephanie grinned.
The family blended in amongst dozens of other families enjoying an afternoon out in London. Anne-Marie and Danny would run ahead, laughing and joking as they went while Jamie and Stephanie would chase after them ensuring that they kept the twins in sight at all times. Stephanie also ensured that she could always see Dave and Mindy. In due course they reached the Admiralty Citadel at the edge of Horse Guards Parade. The concrete Boston Ivy-clad monstrosity rose dozens of feet, towering over the likes of young Stephanie and her siblings. They continued past, making for the much more impressive, towering edifice of Admiralty Arch. However, instead of passing through the left pedestrian arch, they leapt up five stone steps and then they vanished down a step set of stone steps which descended below street level and into the upper basement of the north wing of Admiralty Arch.
At the base of the stone steps, a musty-looking wooden door stood before them. The wooden door looked like it had not been opened in decades. Mindy pointed at an equally musty-looking white button set into a corroded brass fitting to the left of the wooden door.
"A doorbell?" Stephanie enquired. "Really?"
"Just press it, honey."
Stephanie screwed her eyes shut as she tentatively pressed the button in, dreading what might happen as a result, however, she felt a warmth on her fingertip, and then pain as everything went black.
The Archives
Stephanie could hear voices as she opened her eyes.
"She's going to kill me, isn't she?"
"Probably."
"I could have sworn she was in the system."
"Evidently not!" Stephanie growled as she sat up. "Which fucking worthless individual set up that abomination of an access control system? When I find out which degenerate cunt electrocuted me, they will fucking regret ever having been fucking born! I will make the bastards suffer a fate worth than fucking death. I will make them wish their parents were never born. I will make them wish that their grandparents were never born. I will make them wish that their great grandparents were never born. I will..."
"Okay, Steph," Jamie grinned. "Diatribe over – you're pissed, we get it."
"Where the fuck are we?" Stephanie asked as she looked around her.
She was seated on a not-very-comfortable sofa which felt like it was decades old. The room she was in was starkly lit by bare overhead fluorescent tubes and the bare walls were covered in a generic pale blue from floor to ceiling. The paint job was chipped in places and again, it appeared decades old. The floor was a generic pale green vinyl which was badly worn in places.
"Hi, Steph," a familiar voice said. "I'm truly sorry; it was my fault – please don't kill me."
Stephanie groaned as she looked up into the fearful grey eyes of Princess Mary and then the amused brown eyes of Electra Haig.
..._...
Electra grinned at her mentor.
"What the hell is going on, Your Royal Highness?" Stephanie demanded to know. "Mind you, if 'Lectra is involved then it can't be anything good!"
"It was meant to be a surprise," Electra admitted, but it looks like we forgot to enter you into the system correctly. "While it was funny – it should not have happened, and Mary is really unhappy about it."
"Let me restate my question, Your Royal Highness: What the hell is going on?"
Mary scowled at the way Stephanie addressed her, but she figured it was because Stephanie was mad – which was kind of understandable under the circumstances. Mary bravely stepped towards the irate ten-year-old and she held out her right hand.
"Sorry, Steph – it was a programming error on my part...," Mary tried before she screamed as her world turned upside down.
Her Royal Highness then looked up at the grinning face and gunmetal grey eyes of Stephanie Lizewski.
"You're forgiven . . . for now."
Mary laughed uneasily as she was hauled to her feet by Stephanie and Electra.
..._...
Mary grabbed Stephanie's hand and she dragged the younger girl down a corridor before she stopped at a huge steel blast door.
Stephanie glared up at the Princess. "Let me restate my question - again, Mary: What the hell is going on?"
"It'll be worth the wait, I promise you," Mary responded as she placed her palm against a flat panel to one side of the huge steel blast door.
As the huge steel blast door swung outward towards them, Mary pulled Stephanie back beyond a faded yellow semi-circle painted on the floor which marked the safe zone for the hydraulically actuated door.
"Now you're worried about my safety!" Stephanie deadpanned.
The opening door revealed a pair of large mesh-sided elevators surrounded by a square staircase which descended downwards for more than six levels. Stephanie looked over at Mindy who simply grinned and then at Dave who simply shrugged. Stephanie sighed as Mary waved them all into one of the open elevators which was easily big enough to hold all eight of them. Stephanie watched as Mary placed her hand on another palm pad and then pressed the button labelled 'A6'. The elevator descended speedily on well-oiled mechanicals and as they descended, Stephanie could see a huge steel blast door on each level they passed set into a concrete wall. As the elevator slowed and stopped at the sixth level, Mary stepped out the moment the doors had opened. Stephanie spied another palm panel beside the huge steel blast door before them. Mary applied her right hand and the huge steel blast door swung open as had the previous one. They passed through into an anteroom where another huge steel blast door was located, but at right angles to the first. Stephanie recognised a blast trap specifically intended to defeat a nuclear blast wave. That had the girl frowning; where were they and what were they doing deep below central London within a stone's throw of every Government department including 10 Downing Street which was around half a mile distant. Stephanie had a shrewd idea that Dave and Mindy – including that total nutcase, Electra – knew everything.
While the starkly decorated passageways they had passed through had been dated, by contrast the space beyond the final huge steel blast door was utterly amazing.
The Archive
Mary grinned enormously as she waved her hand around the large open space.
"Welcome to Belle's safehouse, otherwise known as The Archive," she said excitedly.
"Bloody hell!" Jamie exclaimed as he took in the sumptuously decorated safehouse.
Anne-Marie was uncharacteristically speechless as she ran her eyes over everything in sight. Directly ahead of them was a section of double armoured glass which was set ten feet into the enormous space and formed a security barrier stretching the full twelve-foot height of the space. The young girl recognised the same design as used for the command centre at Safehouse F in Chicago where a security shutter could shoot up in between the two panes of armoured glass to seal off the space from attack. The youngster passed through an open section of glass which a grinning Electra held open for the group. Once they were through, the glass door closed pneumatically and locked electronically. They all stood in a large open space which resembled an open plan apartment. To the left was a comfortably carpeted seating area attuned more to teenagers than adults with a large L-shaped sofa and plenty of beanbags arranged before an electric fireplace atop which sat a wall-mounted sixty-five-inch flat-screen television. An Xbox One S was readily visible on a cupboard to the right of the all-mounted television. To the right and behind the sofa, was a large oak table which could easily seat twelve, and probably sixteen at a push on oak benches. That area had a real wood floor and against the walls were six computer stations, all with twin twenty-seven-inch screens. Beyond those two areas there was a large kitchen area fitted out with four large microwaves, an electric hob, and a fan oven. There were also sandwich toasters as well as a single coffee machine and various fizzy drinks on tap. The left side of the kitchen was dedicated to two giant fridges and a freezer as well as a giant pantry stocked with food and drink. It was immediately obvious that whoever had stocked the kitchen enjoyed baked beans, Marmite, cheese and ham toasties, and porridge, not to mention the stash of sugary breakfast cereals and gallons of fresh milk.
However, it was when they passed through the kitchen that Stephanie's jaw dropped.
..._...
It was a compact dojo, fully equipped with weapons and a massive central exercise mat which filled the remainder of the space.
"This is amazing, Mary," Dave admitted as he took it all in.
He and Mindy were fully aware of the facility, but they had had no idea how expansive and amazing it was. Arrayed to the left side of the mat were display cases holding various melee weapons – some for training while others were obviously battle ready. To the right side of the mat were benches and rest areas as well as a pair of water fountains. There was also a doorway which led into a refurbished unisex bathroom with six separate shower cubicles. Another doorway led down a short passageway which passed by a large unisex changing area, an amazingly well-equipped armoury, and then six bedrooms, each of which could sleep four in two bunkbeds apiece. Each pair of bedrooms shared a bathroom equipped with a bath as well as showers.
"It sure beats Mindy's efforts," Stephanie commented, ignoring Mindy's warning growl. "I suppose it kind of makes getting electrocuted worth it. But my question from earlier still stands in part."
"We are in the former British Government archives," Electra explained. "Above us are five levels of bunkers which are sealed against nuclear, chemical, and biological weapons. The first level is forty-six feet beneath Admiralty Arch, and we are currently standing one-hundred-and-twenty-six-feet beneath the surface. Currently, the archives are abandoned, and everything got shifted to some secret location. Some interesting shit left behind, though."
Stephanie nodded approvingly.
"It is amazing, Mary; I am very impressed," Mindy admitted.
"Would you guys like to spend the night?" Mary asked, tentatively.
"We really want to try the place out," Electra said, her eyes pleading.
Mindy laughed – she had a soft spot for Electra, just as Stephanie did – which was the only reason that the cheeky little ten-year-old was allowed to cause so much shit when Mindy was around and get away with it!
That night...
The Archive
Dave and Jamie had made a brief trip back to the London Vengeance safehouse to retrieve their bags.
They had returned with Diana and Yvette in tow, just to add to the chaos! Diana was desperate to show off her latest abilities and Yvette just wanted to spend time with Stephanie and Electra as she would be heading home after the weekend. However, as far as the adults were concerned, Dave and Mindy were not alone as they were joined by Keira, who wanted to keep an eye on Diana, Ginny, who wanted to keep an eye on Mary, and Patrick Haig who had brought along his son, Edward, and Electra's brother Simon. It was truly an eyeopener for Edward and Simon Haig who knew that Electra was special, but the pair had only recently learned that she was also part of a super-secret Government organisation known as Vengeance. Electra also wanted to perform for her father and brother. While she was the 'baby' of the family, she also wanted them to know that she could look after herself. Therefore, the youngsters were allowed forty minutes of free sparring before it would be time for dinner.
Diana took centre stage when she emerged from the bedrooms wearing a navy blue Gi with three-quarter length bottoms. However, it was her lower extremities which caught the most attention as she wore her training blades – J-shaped sections of plastic-covered carbon-fibre fitted with a soft Nike sole which allowed her to run and fight like she still possessed her own feet. Indeed, the youngster had been training extremely hard for almost two months, doing her best to ensure that she was not simply dead weight as far as Vengeance was concerned. Stephanie and Jamie decided to see how good Diana really was after her crash-course in Taekwondo. The determined eleven-year-old fought with amazing vigour and courage, which meant that Stephanie and Jamie were forced to keep dodging the rather dangerous 'feet' which came their way. Indeed, Jamie was the first to be caught out and he swiftly learned that Diana had a very strong kick.
"Like a fucking mule!" Jamie had groaned as he had rubbed his sore chest and Diana had grinned.
Meanwhile, Electra took great joy in ambushing her mentor with Yvette, the two girls putting Stephanie down on the mat quite hard – hard enough that Edward and Simon had been stunned at the power of Electra, not to mention concern for Stephanie's wellbeing. Patrick had told them not to worry as a grinning Stephanie had gone after the two giggling girls with a vengeance. Stephanie soon found out that it was 'pick on Psyche night' as she was blindsided by the twins and put down hard with Anne-Marie then jumping on her big sister and wrenching Stephanie's left leg backwards and twisting the foot painfully. Mary had come to the defence of Stephanie by throwing Anne-Marie through the air (the little girl screamed as she hit the mat) and kicking Danny off to one side. Stephanie had sprung back to her feet and raced after the twins, but Mindy had then called time before things got out of hand.
Besides, Mindy was getting hungry.
..._...
As they all sat around the large oak table on the oak benches, the youngsters tore into the pizzas with their usual animal ferocity.
"This must be something a little different," Dave said to Edward Haig.
"Oh, yes!" the man responded. "Spending so long in a coma and then waking up to find out that my ten-year-old daughter was a highly-trained assassin – well, my mind is still reeling, months down the line!"
"I can believe that," Dave responded with a chuckle. "They are a difficult creature to comprehend, those Predators, but they crave human contact and human love."
"It's strange seeing my sister behaving like Maggie Q in Nikita one minute and then like some soft little girl the very next," fifteen-year-old Simon Haig admitted. "But I'm really proud of her, though."
"When I heard what Electra went through, and how close she came to dying on more than one occasion," her father said, "I was horrified. But, as Simon said, I am enormously proud of her for quite literally fighting against the odds."
"She is an incredibly special girl," Ginny agreed. "Not to mention that she has kept my wayward Princess in check – and alive."
"That was difficult to hear about, but I suppose that was what she was trained to do," Edward said. "I've seen her scars; shocking, simply shocking."
"Those scars are sobering, to say the least," Mindy admitted as she spoke for the first time.
"Neither my Dad, nor my daughter will tell me what you do for a living, Mrs Lizewski," Edward said.
"Call me Mindy . . . or if you prefer, I also answer to Hit Girl."
"What's wrong, Daddy?" Electra grinned innocently as she watched her father and brother both go very pale.
"Kind of figures," Edward muttered as he took a long drink from a glass of beer.
"You seem very normal," Simon admitted. "Not what I expected at all."
"Oh, she's behaving right now, aren't you, honey?" Dave commented.
"You have no idea," Mindy grinned.
Electra went back to tearing into her pizza like a deluded hyena.
..._...
Patrick left soon after ten that night, taking his son and grandson with him.
The eight marauding children had been sent to bed and they were spread out over three of the six bedrooms. While Dave patrolled to ensure compliance, Mindy changed into thigh-hugging shorts and a sports bra so she could gain some solo time on the mat. The underground dojo was just up Mindy's street and she revelled in the calm atmosphere – with no kids to get in the way! After about twenty minutes of calm meditation and some none-too-gentle movements, Mindy sensed the presence of another watching her.
"You have something on your mind, Mary?"
"Sorry to interrupt..."
"Join me."
Mary was already barefoot, so she stepped onto the mat in her pyjamas and she stood six feet from Mindy then began to follow her movements.
"Did I go too far in the flat, the other night?" Mary asked quietly.
"You're still alive, aren't you?" Mindy said.
Mary considered that and grinned.
"You made a good call," Mindy went on. "I had no right to step on your toes in your own country and you handled it perfectly."
"Unlike in Chicago when I made the wrong call."
"You've changed since then, or so I've been told. Apparently, young Polaris has a valuable teaching tool."
Mary groaned at the memory of said 'valuable teaching tool'.
"It obviously worked, Mary, because you stepped up and you protected your grandmother's subjects. You made Belle your own and you made her into someone I can respect."
"Thanks."
"You stepped up again with Fareham and I was impressed," Mindy said.
"Really?"
"Belle is someone to be reckoned with, no doubt about it."
Mary grinned, pleased to receive praise from someone so important – in her eyes at least.
"When I started this, I thought I was in control, but meeting Rigour showed me that I had no idea what was getting myself into. I never knew that Ginny was following me around like a guardian angel. I put her life at as much risk as my own. One day, I fear that Daddy is going to put a stop to all this and . . . well . . . I get a real buzz out of being Belle and I feel that I have learnt so much since I first stepped aboard Hull 67, as she was then. I already knew what a Predator was, and I could not believe that there were so many who had suffered. Then I experienced the harsh side when Olivia was stripped and publicly humiliated then incarcerated. I have no idea what that experience did to Olivia's mind, but it shocked me, badly. She was my friend and then suddenly I was her jailer. But I knew that she had made a big mistake and Harper then suffered for that mistake. I know I've screwed up, more than I care to think about, and I've suffered humiliations at the hands of Harper and the others – not to mention Ginny, who I think enjoyed my downfall just a little bit too much, in my mind. However, I do not think I was a genuinely nice person before I met Electra and Vengeance. They taught me to become a better person and I feel better for it, despite the ignominy of my experience. I've killed – more than once, and I have nightmares – I see their faces..."
"That is a nasty side effect of what we do, Mary. Each time you take a life, you rip your soul apart – even if it was a justified kill. Even I know that killing is wrong, but I also know that at times, some must die to save the innocent. Do I regret the kills I have against my name? Some, yes. Do I enjoy killing? Yes, I do – mostly. We have chosen a harsh life with many rewards but also with many hardships. Those of you that were not forced into this life have a different outlook to those of us who lost our childhoods to..."
Mindy faltered as she considered her life.
"I think it is time for bed, don't you, Mary?"
"Thank you, Mindy; you are an amazing friend."
"I try to do what is right, and supporting you is the right thing to do."
"Night, Mindy."
"Night, Mary – sleep tight."
Mindy watched as the fourteen-year-old girl ran off towards the bedrooms. She sighed. It was truly a strange life which she led, but one which she would never change – not even for a second. She had the most amazing husband and the most amazing – if fucked up – family. She had dozens of amazing friends and people who genuinely loved her for who she was.
Her life was utterly amazing in every way.
The following morning...
Friday, March 24th
The Archive
Everyone was up by eight o'clock and digging into large bowls of breakfast cereal.
They all had a long drive ahead of them as they drove to Dartmouth in the West Country, over two hundred miles and almost five hours of driving away. By general agreement, train travel had been deemed too dangerous – for the general public – and while they could have flown, their only qualified pilot who could fly NIGHTSHADE was a bag of nerves as her big day dawned. In fact, Keira was being flown ahead by Trevor in TWILIGHT along with Keira's maid of honour: Natasha King so that the pair could get ready. As for Blake, he was already in the West Country with a group of his Royal Navy oppos, presumably spending the day on a pub crawl. As for Keira, she was going to be having a night in and out with a group of friends from her Royal Navy days and some from more recent times.
"Just go with it," Dave suggested.
"What if I make a fool of myself?"
"You'll be fine, for fuck's sake!" Dave responded.
Mindy was not convinced – she had never been on a 'pub crawl' in her life, and she was very worried about messing up.
"What's the worst that can happen, Mom?" Danny asked.
"She goes on the rampage and destroys most of the West Country," Stephanie deadpanned.
"I think Commander Haig is putting the local riot police on standby," Jamie grinned.
"So fucking funny!" Mindy growled sourly.
"Let's just get on the road, honey," Dave said soothingly. "You can take out your anger on the British motorists."
"Crap!" Stephanie moaned.
"Bagsy go in any car but the one Mum's driving," Jamie called out.
"I bet she gets six tickets by the time we reach Devon," Electra grinned, getting in on the act.
"I go for four," Mary said. "But she gets pulled before she gets to the M3."
"I bet she gets a ticket for being obnoxious," Yvette suggested.
Dave laughed as Mindy simply glared at all the funny bastards.