Friday night
Southern Chicago
I had found her!
There she was – a female vigilante standing just several feet away and it was the one that I so desperately needed to kill. In hindsight, it was so obviously a trap... She turned as I approached – she smiled at me. I had to admit, she looked slightly ridiculous in that getup – was I jealous? Get a fucking grip, Foxtail!
I fired off three shots and she went down – no nines for Psyche, .40-calibre only! I heard a muffled scream of pain, but then nothing... Had I killed her? Part of me wished no... What! I kept my pistol pointed as I approached – there was nobody else in evidence. Psyche was not moving, but then as I leant over to check her pulse, I remembered the electric shock gizmo and hesitated.
Then, to my surprise, her eyes opened.
..._...
"You wearing a vest?" She asked with a grimace of pain.
"Yes..." I replied without thinking.
"Good!"
Three gunshots rang out and I felt three sharp pains in my chest, followed by another sharp pain as I crashed to the ground. I found myself on my back and I struggled to stand back up, but I managed it and I felt shaky, then I felt an arm snaking around my neck. I found myself in a choke hold... My training told me to break out of the hold and to kill my assailant, only the man – it felt like a man – held me too tightly and I could not execute the required breakout.
"Don't struggle..." The man said quietly into my ear as consciousness began to fade. "It is not your fault..."
Three hours later
Where the hell was I?
It was dark – I remembered shooting that bitch and then... She shot me! I cried out as I felt my chest; it hurt! I remembered being put down, but nothing after that. I heard movement close by where I lay and a light came on – it was dim and was not intended to dazzle. Then a voice spoke; it was a young voice.
"I was almost like you..."
It was a girl's voice; a young girl and I instantly recognised the accent, too. I felt rage building – yet again, I had failed...
"I know, Walker – I know your training and I've seen you in action, more than once... What are you hoping to achieve here?"
"I want to help you..."
That was unexpected... or was it?
"Why would you want to help me and why would I want to accept your help?" I paused. "What am I doing here?"
"You passed out and you must have been tired; you stayed asleep – you snore by the way; I'd forgotten about that..."
"It's been a stressful couple of days!" I growled in reply. Sarcastic bitch!
..._...
I saw the shape move into the light – it was her, it was Stephanie Walker – my nemesis, only I should have been hers... She was not wearing her ridiculous body armour, just ordinary jeans and a t-shirt. The girl was full of surprises, but why did that make me feel better? She had made no overt attempt to threaten me – she wasn't even carrying a weapon. Her expression was neutral, maybe... No!
"No... It's not happening, bitch!"
She smiled... God, I hated that girl! Why couldn't she just die, like a good little girl!
"Come with me..." she said slowly.
The girl held out her hand to me and I realised that I was lying in a bed. My jacket and body armour were gone, along with my weapons. I was wearing my t-shirt and pants, but no boots.
"We took your armour and weapons..." Walker went on. "Think yourself lucky; I was all but naked when I woke up in that bed!"
I swung my legs off the bed and faced the girl. For a moment, I considered attacking, but what was the point... Was I capitulating?
I slid off the bed and stood up, looking down at the girl who I had tormented for years and then tried to kill. She looked up at me, her expression still neutral – no gloating over her having captured me. Her hand was still extended out towards me.
"Lead the way, Psyche..."
..._...
I followed Psyche out into a passageway.
There was only one way to go – to the right. At the end of the corridor was another door, we passed through it and I found myself in a kind of vestibule.
The door I had just passed through had a sign: 'Medical Center'. To my left was another door that read: 'Power/Generator/Pyro Store'. That door also had the usual 'DANGER – ELECTRIC SHOCK WARNING' type signs, plus a palm scanner for access. To my right was another door that had large bolts on the outside of it; the sign read: ''Interrogation & Holding'.
Ominous! Why was I not in there?
The other doors seemed to lead to couple of storerooms and all had palm scanners beside them. The final wall, farther to my right, was mostly glass and through the glass, I could see a Martial Arts training centre. Even more important, I could see Jō-staffs and other potentially lethal weapons in a rack off to one side. However, the glass door was locked with a palm scanner too!
All that was left were some steel stairs that led upwards.
..._...
Psyche made for the stairs and I followed.
As I emerged into what appeared to be a large cavern, I stopped dead. I was roughly mid-way down the cavern. Behind me was there was a large vehicle-sized steel door and some large vehicles. I instantly recognised Iron Hide, not to mention the pair of Ducati Panigale motorcycles, one in blue and the other a purple colour and a larger motorcycle in black, yellow and green. They were parked behind an eight-foot tall armoured glass shield that ran across the available width of the forty-foot wide cavern and there was a large six-foot figure '1' on it. The top of the shield was angled over at forty-five degrees away from me, to prevent anybody climbing the structure from the far side. The floor of the 'cavern' was ribbed steel and concrete and it felt rough under my feet as I only wore my socks.
Beside me was a large training mat and in front of me, at the end of the cavern and over to the left was a glass-enclosed room that housed computer equipment and large flat screens. It was obviously a Command Centre. Immediately beside the Command Centre was an external steel staircase leading up.
The staircase provided access to a walkway, which ran around the central section of the cavern and provided access to a number of rooms on the second level. There was another steel staircase, which came down behind me. The walkway itself, was about ten feet off the ground and ringed with a steel and glass barrier that rose to a level of three and a half feet and the walkway itself was made of steel, but appeared to have a foam rubber covering. There were various doors visible, that led off the walkway into rooms, with unknown purposes. The ceiling and some of the walls had foam rubber sections that I presumed were designed to reduce the echo in the cavernous room.
..._...
Psyche turned to face me.
Gathered around her were several others, all masked – I recognised Shadow, Jackal, Hit Girl and Kick-Ass. They had arrayed themselves behind the girl – an obvious statement. There was another man, I had seen him before somewhere but I could not remember where. This was some kind of intervention, that was obvious.
"Look at us two sorry bitches," Psyche said, indicating herself and then me. "Look at what they make you give... Do you really want to be a cold-blooded killer, or do you want to make something of your life?"
What was she saying? It was my life, only I had no alternative, but...
"Join us..." Psyche continued and I saw genuine concern in her eyes.
"I can't..."
"There's no such word..."
"You're all killers – just as much as I am... What makes you all so different?"
..._...
I saw Hit Girl, herself, step forward (I flinched involuntarily) and she put an arm around Psyche's shoulders, then she spoke – but not in her usual electronically enhanced voice, but with the voice of a normal young woman.
"The difference, Foxtail, is that we only kill when we have no other choice – we don't kill just because someone has ordered us to kill. I used to be just like you, and so did Stephanie here – if we can change, then so can you... The program was based on me – so I should know the limits of what you can and cannot do..."
The man stepped forwards.
"You are part of a CIA scheme that was beyond immoral – I should now; I was part of another very similar hare-brained scheme," the man explained then waved at the people around him. "These people are killers, that is an accurate description, but in my short time with them I have seen them use their skills for good and they have one thing that you, me, Psyche and Hit Girl lacked initially, they have morality, unlike those CIA bastards."
"My name is Stephanie Lizewski – do you have a better name than 'Foxtail'?"
"I do," the teenage girl replied in her thick Irish accent.
"Well?" Stephanie persisted.
"Saoirse, Saoirse Doherty – bit of a mouthful, so my friends just call me 'SD'..."
"Does that mean that we can call you 'SD'?"
SD smiled for the first time and I took that as a 'yes'.
"Will I ever have to kill again?" She asked.
"Only if you want to – nobody will force you... I choose to kill, or I choose not to kill."
"Why, Stephanie?"
"Huh?"
"Why are you doing this for me? I used to make your life a living hell – even after you killed that girl in the shower..."
"You killed a girl in a shower?" Hit Girl enquired with a tone of intrigue.
"I'll tell you later..." Steph replied still looking at Saoirse. "Everybody deserves a second chance – I got mine here and while I am still damaged, I can now put my special skills to some good and I already have. Not that long ago, I saved the life of somebody very special to me – without my special skills, I would not have been able to do that and that person would have died."
"I can't change on my own..."
"You will never be alone, Saoirse, not if you don't want to be."
I had read about what Fusion stood for, but I had been told it was all bullshit – I now had to make a choice.
Who did I believe?
The CIA?
Stephanie?
Hit Girl pulled off her mask, as did Shadow, Jackal and Kick-Ass. I would be putting my life into the hands of a nine-year-old that I hated and had tried to kill on three occasions. I would also be putting my life into the hands of a woman who had tried to kill me only the night before. My only other option? Go on the run from the CIA... In retrospect, what did I have to lose.
"Hit Girl, Psyche – I place my life into your hands..."
That night
Glenview
"This is really weird!"
"I know what you mean; I've been in your shoes," I replied encouragingly.
"Guys, this is Saoirse and she will be staying with us for a day or two..."
"This another nut job, like Stephanie?" Anne-Marie enquired with a dubious smile.
"What have I told you? That is not polite!" Mindy growled. "The CIA may want to kill her."
"Sorry – good to meet you. I'm Anne-Marie and this is my brother, Danny. Stephanie is our big sister."
"Actually, Anne-Marie, I am a nut job, just like Stephanie," Saoirse admitted with a small grin.
"Saoirse, can you and Stephanie sleep in the same room without killing each other?" Mindy enquired, with a serious tone.
SD smiled for the first time that night.
"What's the point in trying to kill her – I've tried everything – plus I've seen her kill and I'd rather not be on the receiving end of that!"
..._...
"Stephanie?"
"Yeah?"
I looked up to see SD sitting on the chair by the window, pulling off her boots and socks.
"I apologise for everything I ever did to you. I've never known anybody show so much bravery, courage and compassion – even towards an enemy like me... I was a wimp at your age – worse than you were – and to be honest, I was jealous of you and that was why I hated you so much."
"It's in the past, SD – let's just look to the future."
"Okay... We sleeping in the same bed?"
"Yeah – just don't get any ideas; I know we used to share the showers, but just keep your hands to yourself!"
"You're so full of yourself, Brit!"
"I know... Sorry about the bruised tits!"
"If you actually had any, I'd return the favour..."
Bitch!
Early hours
Saturday morning
1714 West Grace Street
Lieutenant Matthew Casey turned away from the blaze.
It was almost out, but it had taken a lot of skill, especially as it had been on the top floor. Men had also been put at risk searching what had turned out to be an empty apartment. He saw two cops walking towards him and recognised them both.
"Morning, guys!"
"Morning, Lieutenant," Murphy and Fellowes responded together. "Arson?"
"Yeah – apartment 3E – nobody inside, though. Looked like a phosphorus grenade was thrown in after somebody kicked in the door. Damn lucky no other apartments were put at risk."
"Shit!" Murphy growled. "I need to make a phone call."
Glenview
I walked up the stairs to wake the girls.
Both girls were sleeping soundly when I entered 'The British Sector'. I shook Stephanie's shoulder and then that of Saoirse. Both girls were instantly awake – Saoirse had a knife in her hand and held towards my throat.
"Really!" I growled.
"Sorry..." Saoirse apologised.
I sat down on Saoirse's side of the bed.
"It looks like the CIA has noticed your failure," I said quietly. "They torched your apartment – I'm sorry."
Saoirse looked pained and then resigned as she lay back down and closed her eyes. I looked over at Stephanie who just grimaced and lay back down too.
Sunday night
Central Intelligence Agency
Langley
"Sir, we have an alarm at CIA Station, Chicago..."
"What now?" Vossen demanded as he swung his legs off the couch in his office.
…_…
A young female face appeared on the screen, staring directly at the security camera, she smiled.
"Sir – I want to tender my resignation from your sick experiment, effective immediately!" The soft Irish lilt said politely.
"I concur..." Another voice stated – that one electronically altered. "It is time for CIA Station, Chicago to cease trading..."
"You burn mine – I burn yours!"
As Vossen watched, Hit Girl and Foxtail proceeded to attach devices to all of the electronic equipment in the room before they both turned back to the screen.
"We'll be seeing you very soon, good buddy!" Hit Girl growled before both girls ran from the room.
"Get an EOD team in there..."
Before he could finish his sentence the screen went white and the connection was lost. The view changed to a shot of the outside of the building. There was a person standing outside the building – that person, dressed in a red and blue armoured suit, waved at the camera!
She then raised her right hand followed by her middle finger and she smiled. Vossen's temper was about to go nuclear and his face was scarlet with rage. Psyche raised what was obviously a detonator with her left hand and used the middle finger of her other hand to press the button. The image vanished...
"Sir – CIA Station, Chicago has just gone offline..."
Vossen did not trust himself to speak, he just stormed out of the room.
Monday evening
Glenview
"Saoirse – this was recovered from your apartment – yes, we found it when your apartment was searched the other day."
Saoirse looked at me and I saw tears in her eyes as she opened the small cardboard box and stared at the intact photos inside. I had asked Fellowes to retrieve the box before anybody else found it.
"Why didn't you kill me?" Saoirse asked.
"A very good question, Saoirse..."
"I was taught to kill without hesitation, just as you and Steph were... When I was about your age, I learnt to control my instincts and I learnt to not kill. It was not easy and it went against everything I knew."
"Will I be able to learn that?"
"I hope so – Stephanie has proved herself a capable killer. I've seen her kill mercenaries without breaking sweat – eight in one night... She's still learning, but she's young. I'll help you as much as I can, but ultimately it is down to you. You fight well – one assassin to another..."
Saoirse blushed.
My entire life was gone.
Had it been a sign? Everything that I had been since 'graduating' was gone, all I had were the clothes that I stood up in and a small cardboard box of memories. Memories of a past life that no longer existed. Mindy had been really nice, and she had taken me shopping that morning for clothes and everything.
I felt weird having somebody to do things for me and help me. I had spent the past couple of years on my own, living as if I were an adult. I was struggling to get used to being with other people, people who genuinely wanted to help me. Stephanie was a case in point – we were mortal enemies, at least we had been...
I could tell by her eyes that she resented me, but I felt that she resented me for what I represented. I represented her past, something that she was struggling herself to put behind her. I was determined to put it all behind me too – if that brat could do it, then so could I! I owed Stephanie – she had saved me from death at best, or a life of unending pain at worst.
..._...
"What ya doing?"
I looked up to see a grinning Stephanie emerge from the bathroom. She was always grinning!
"Hi..."
Stephanie studied me for a moment before joining me on the bed where I sat cross-legged in just an overlarge t-shirt.
"It's a lot to get used to, I know – I'm still trying to cope with it all. I want to help you, but you have to let me... I know we're mortal enemies, but we need each other. Despite our past history, we're the same – almost. You spent longer in that shithole than me, so it'll be worse for you..."
"Thanks, Steph – you're a good kid and I know we've had our disagreements and it would be nice to have a friend..."
"I'm your friend and I always will be, SD."
..._...
"You two, okay?"
It was Mindy, sticking her head around the door.
"Yeah, thanks."
Mindy came in and sat on the bed beside Stephanie.
"I've been meaning to ask, Steph – and maybe Saoirse can help... About that girl – in the shower..."
I saw Stephanie blush and look uncomfortable for a moment. Obviously, Mindy knew nothing about that event! Stephanie looked over at me.
"Mindy doesn't know about what went on in that place – I've not told her yet."
"Sorry if I..."
"No, SD – it needed to come out... Mindy knows that I killed my parents and my little brother, but she has yet to learn about my first hand-to-hand kill..."
I couldn't resist chipping in.
"It was an awesome sight. I was there, but I missed the actual fight. By the time I got to the showers and pushed through the crowds, I saw two people in the showers – one was dead, her head caved in and the other was standing butt naked, with tears streaming down her face and blood on her body. Steph was only eight at the time, but she had beaten a twelve-year-old girl to death, right there in the showers.
"It was the other girl's fault – she had been Steph's biggest tormentor, other than me, and she pushed Steph a little too far. We were all stunned with what had happened; the little British brat, who cried every damn night keeping us all awake and whom we expected to fail miserably, actually had teeth! Not only was she commended for her actions – she gained her coveted codename: psyche.
"That pissed a lot of people off – she was too young for a codename, but the powers that be liked what she did. That attack and killing also gave her some breathing space and she used it to excel in everything that she did. I hated to admit it at the time, but I was impressed with her resolve and how she progressed after that. I had spoken with some other girls about the actual fight and as I understood it – it had been violent; Stephanie went completely wild."
Stephanie was now blushing and staring down at her bare feet.
"I've seen Stephanie fight and when she goes wild, she sure goes wild!" Mindy commented.
"Wow..."
I turned to see two faces at the door. Both were stunned by what they had just heard. It was Anne-Marie who had spoken.
"You went through a lot, Steph," she said quietly. "But you're not a bad person – I know that."
..._...
"Mindy – err, could I ask you a personal question?" Saoirse asked.
"Of course – always..."
"Me and the short, skinny, Brit here," Saoirse went on, ignoring Stephanie's scowl, "were trained in your image – how did you become who you are?"
"Okay," I replied, getting comfortable on the bed and I waved Annie-Marie and Danny to join us.
Once the three girls and the boy were comfortable on the bed, I began the story of my life.
"It all started with my Daddy – he was a cop in New York and a very successful one. He was so successful that he was framed by Frank D'Amico for a crime that he did not commit. He was ultimately thrown in prison and my mother suffered, not being able to cope - she was pregnant with me and she eventually took her own life. I was saved, but she died. I went to live with my Daddy's partner, Marcus, who brought me up for the next five years.
"I don't remember much from that early age, but I was a girly girl who liked pink dresses and My Little Pony... Actually, My Little Pony stayed with me... Anyway, when I was five, Daddy was released from prison and I went to live with him. The first few months were difficult, but fun. Then Daddy began to subvert and corrupt me - it was all a game, a game of superheroes. I had no way of seeing through it all, I loved the purple suit and the pink utility belt - the rest was just a game. By my sixth birthday, I had killed three men. I actually enjoyed it... I truly became Hit Girl – that is, I grew a dark side that became difficult to control.
"The next four years were spent building up everything that we could find about Frank D'Amico. We used torture and any interrogation method that got us the information we needed to complete our mission. The mission was to take down D'Amico and his entire organisation. I became more and more ruthless as time went on. Then a new vigilante came onto the streets when I was eleven."
"That would be me!" Dave said as he sat down on the bed beside me.
"Yeah – the dick in a wetsuit; you seen the 'I'm Kick-Ass!' video?"
"Yes – it was fun to watch..." Saoirse commented.
"Not so fun to experience..." Dave commented.
"Turned out that was Kick-Ass 2.0 – Dave's first trip out was about as successful as the Titanic's first voyage, and it almost ended up the same way too! But I won't dwell on that... Somehow, Frank D'Amico thought it was Kick-Ass going after his pushers – as if! Then Kick-Ass and I met, at some shitty apartment belonging to a dick called Rasul."
"I got to see Hit Girl in action for the very first time. I was amazed – appalled – scared – almost physically sick at what I was witnessing. But she was good – a dozen people died within two minutes – and the bitch smiled as she was doing it. Turned out she was showing off to me..."
"I had a small crush on the idiot... Well, things went to shit and Kick-Ass accidentally betrayed me and Daddy – not his fault! I managed to rescue Kick-Ass, but not Big Daddy. Kick-Ass helped me avenge him and we both took down Frank D'Amico. Kick-Ass blew his ass out the window with a goddamn bazooka, would you believe."
"A bazooka!" Saoirse and Stephanie exclaimed together.
"It was one hell of an entrance I can tell you – didn't see much of it as I was all but out cold. He saved my life and I revealed my true identity to him. I have never regretted that day... Anyway, its bedtime – I'll cover 'Hit Girl and Kick-Ass – part 2', another night."
Tuesday night
Washington D.C.
I had never been in the Capital before – the visit to collect Curtis after his parents died did not really count.
There was an event happening and Dave and Mindy Lizewski had been invited. So had a good friend of ours...
..._...
"Oops! Terribly sorry, old chap!"
"Who the hell let goddamn kids in here?" Vossen complained as the teenage boy accidentally bumped into him.
"Tell me about it!" The slim blond-haired young woman stated. "Damn menace – they should all be institutionalised if you ask me."
"I can only agree, Miss...?"
"Williams, Mindy Williams..."
I enjoyed my chat with the cunt, it helped me get a good feel for my enemy.
Meanwhile, there was somebody else I needed to speak with and she was just finishing up with a tall gentleman.
"Good evening, you must be Deputy Director Landy," I began.
"Pamela Landy, yes..."
"Mindy Lizewski – we have a mutual acquaintance and I believe we can assist one another..."
"Is that so?" Landy replied cautiously. "Who is this acquaintance?"
"Four – fifteen – seventy-one..."
Landy paled for a second before regaining her composure.
"I see – is he well?" She asked.
"He is – he mentioned that you could be trusted..."
"I should be flattered – what is this about?"
"A greying piece of shit that looks remarkably like that gentleman across the room," I replied, sending a casual glance over at Noah Vossen.
Landy smiled and nodded.
"A very apt description, Mrs Lizewski, I feel dirty just sharing the same room as him."
"I will be in touch..." she finished, shaking my hand before walking away.
That was a strange encounter!
I looked down at my right hand; there was something in it... The card was purple, with two embossed letters. The girl was putting a lot of trust in me, exposing herself like that. However, if Jason Bourne was vouching for her...
I was looking forward to my next meeting, especially if Noah Vossen had pissed off Hit Girl!
After he got home, Vossen emptied out his pockets as he usually did.
"What?" He muttered as a small card appeared from his jacket pocket.
He picked up the card and his face went white as he felt the two embossed letters on the purple card... She had been there – she had been so close to him... Why hadn't she killed him?
Vossen was shaking at the thought of what might have occurred.