Love Struck Eternal
Chapter 64 - Not good.
Maggie's POV, Two hours later.
The amount of stress I was under right now was making me so nervous. Yoga was scarred from the fight with my dad and he was barely his old self since getting time to recover from nearly being killed for no good reason. But my mother was awake now and more broken than ever. She wouldn't stop crying to herself and I was left alone in her room to watch over her as she laid on the bed with her face halfway buried into the pillows.
I tried to talk to her about what happened but she was convinced she was the worst possible mother to ever exist. Between Sam and the cocaine, it was impossible to stop her from hating herself and life.
Dad on the other hand was a completely different story. I haven't heard a word leave his office since he got there and according to anyone who tried to talk to him; they were immediately ordered away with a voice that echoed the entire building. Mom might be the only one who could talk to him, but in this condition it was pointless to try. The fact that he hasn't even come down here to check on her showed me his mental state. This isn't the man I grew up around. He was someone different and he was…scary.
Yoga stood a foot beside me as I struggled to control my own emotions surrounding the situation. With a hand rubbing his neck and covering the marks dad clawed into him, I looked up at him to ask.
"What do we do?" Yoga was defeated and for once wasn't coming up with the answer. That made me shed a tear as it was clear the ferret was internally struggling with his own demons. With the man looking away from my watering eyes I decided to tell him the truth.
"You didn't deserve that Yoga. You did nothing. Can't you see that?" My question hit his ears but nothing came out of him as I looked back at my mom to reach over and put my hand on her arm. She cried louder to my touch and with no options available I had to act. So leaning down to hug her I whispered.
"I'm gonna go try and talk to him. Yoga is gonna stay here with you mom."
Grabbing onto my hand the second she heard my intentions, she rolled over with two red eyes to cry out.
"Don't. Leave him alone."
Shaking my head I questioned.
"And do what? Someone needs to see how he's doing. I don't know what happened up there with you guys, but he's not the same anymore. I'll be alright mom. Stop." I begged her now as she knew I was gonna do this in time. Holding her hand tightly as we stared at each other, I remained quiet as she slowly urged me.
"If he's not himself…..he's capable of hurting you."
"It won't come to that." I told her back as I leaned back in to hug her before setting off.
"Tell him I'm sorry." Zeta whispered into my ears as I proceeded to slowly back up with that in mind. The room went silent and as I turned around to pass by Yoga, I stopped to whisper to him.
"Just stay here with her please. I'll be back."
"Be careful Mags." He begged me as I was worried despite everything. As I walked into the hall, I began a short trip to the second floor where I was greeted by Marx and Zandro who both got in front of me to order.
"Hold up there kiddo." Marx said with a hand going to my chest.
"He's in no mood for visitors." Zandro claimed as I then asked him bluntly.
"Has anyone really tried?"
Both men went silent as I jumped in to state.
"My mom is alone, crying herself to death over this. My dad? He's in there. I don't know what happened between them, but he needs someone to reach out to. I know I'm not Sam, but I can be that someone. Just let me try Zandro." I then begged him as he considered the idea for a change.
After a few seconds the man looked back up at me to nod his head and reply.
"Okay. But I should go with you."
"He's not going to hurt me, Zandro. I promise. Having you there isn't going to help. I'm a big girl and I can handle myself if it comes down to it, but I need to go in alone. Please. Stay out here. Give me time to talk to him."
"He's drinking honey. He's always been a bad drunk. Are you sure about this?" Marx asked me to be sure as I again nodded my head before replying back to the cat.
"I'm sure. Just trust me."
It took some more coaxing, but soon I was allowed to approach the office door. Everyone watched me carefully as I took a deep breath and found my chance to open the door ever so gently. When I had enough space to see inside, I found my dad just sitting behind his desk with his back towards me. He wasn't moving, but I could tell he was there. With no immediate reaction to my presence, I decided to slip into the room completely and shut the door behind me. Once it was shut, I refocused on him and just remained where I was to watch as he lifted up his right arm to take a drink of whatever it was he was having. When his arm came down he called out to me in a depressingly low voice.
"Please Maggie. Go. I'm fine."
I remained quiet as he just sighed to himself now. After a few seconds I called out to him now with so much concern in my voice there was no way he couldn't deny my care for him.
"I can't. I….I need to know what's going on. Dad? What happened?"
In one soft turn, my dad was facing me now and from his body language alone he looked relaxed but at the same time lost. Putting his glass down on top of the desk, he reached up to wipe his eyes with his sleeve. Sniffling up some emotions, he was still low in tone, but easily able to be heard as he responded finally to my question.
"What happened? Nothing happened. Apart from your mother throwing away her sobriety. Nothing else happened honey." He was lying. He had no emotions behind that response other than self pity. Keeping my stance by the door, I had to ask him next.
"Is that why you nearly killed Yoga? Because of something stupid mom did?"
"Twenty years!" He proceeded to now shout at me with a growl which in turn made me jump in my own skin. My fur was physically moving from the chills it brought me as he clenched his right hand to add.
"I was blinded by my rage. Yoga was just in the wrong place at the worst possible time. I would have done that to anyone."
"Even me?" I asked him now as he looked directly into my eyes now. He instantly came back to shake his head. In disbelief that I would even ask such a thing he questioned.
"I'd never hurt you. Why would you even think that?"
"Because this isn't you." I replied, which is when I could see my words take effect in his actual heart. Yet somehow he seemed more lost.
"Isn't it?" He then mumbled half hearted which made me ask him back curiously.
"What do you mean?"
"No one's gonna understand or even believe me. To everyone I'm just some perfect guy who has life by the balls. I have no worries in life and everyone loves me. But that's all just bullshit. No one knows me. They don't know my backstory. Everyone who ever did is dead. Apart from your mother that is, but what use is she right now to me?" He asked me as he picked back up his drink to take another swig. Deciding to push the subject, I slowly approach his desk. Once I was right up next to him I muttered nervously to him.
"Just tell me what's going on. I'm not going to judge you. There isn't anything you can say to change that. You're as unreal as things get afterall. Hehe."
Without even breaking focus he replied back bluntly.
"I just found out from Marcus that my life is a lie. Every part of it has been fabricated. For his benefit. My entire bloodline has been an experiment to him."
Sitting up on his desk, I asked him now curiously.
"What does that mean though?"
"It means everything baby. Just…..do me a favor and just sit there while I try to find the words. Okay?" I nodded as he turned to his nearby bottle of whiskey. As his hand grabbed the neck of it, I reached over to lay my hand over his. I kept the bottle in place as he was intent on refilling his glass. However the second I touched him his eyes jumped back up to mine to see the face I had on. I didn't want him to keep drinking. After a few moments he released the bottle and put his glass down to just let out a sigh. I kept holding him as he soon looked back into my eyes to ask.
"Did I ever tell you about my first marriage?"
"A little. Her name was Julie right?" Nodding he went on to state.
"Yeah. Julie and I were lovers back when we were just teenagers. We got married young and had Abbey not soon after. Abbey was my first child in life. She was everything to me, that baby girl."
"What happened to them?" I then asked him which earned me another sigh before he admitted.
"G.U.N raided our house one night. This was when they were still based within the middle east. The rebellion wars hadn't started yet. They were just beginning actually and I supposed they wanted to snuff me out considering my old man was the head honcho. Killing me would have made my dad act irrationally. G.U.N would have killed him easily if that happened."
Pulling his hand out from under mine now, my dad attempted to stand up and that's when I saw him wobble. Instantly I jumped around the desk to help him get his feet together. He just chuckled as I held him there for a good minute before he continued on with the story.
"Long story short, they killed Julie in front of me and I snapped and made quick work of most of them. One guy though saw my little girl and saw his chance to even the playing field. He used her as a shield and for some reason I didn't try to come up with any other work around. I just did what I did best and shot him. Killing my daughter in the process. It….it broke me." He quietly admitted as I had no clue he went through this.
With his feet working now, my dad gently got away from my care and approached the other side of the room where he had a cabinet lined up with pictures of his time during the wars. He grabbed one of them and reached out with it to urge me.
"Look." I walked over to grab onto the picture. What he was showing me was a picture of him when he was eighteen. He was standing there with his father I'd assume considering the identical faces they had.
"That was taken the night before I lost them." He said softly as he then reached back into the cabinet to hand me another photo of him mounted up on a tank with a few other men. None of them I recognized as my eyes finally noticed his face. He looked angry and…..very intimidating. Seeing my reaction he then stated.
"That was taken just a month later when I joined the rebellion full time to support my dad."
"Didn't you hate him?" I then asked because I heard rumors for a long time.
"Yeah. That's why it doesn't make sense why I would want to help him. Little do people know I was originally a G.U.N soldier before the rebellion entered my mind. I joined them just to spite my father, but he never knew. Not until it was too late."
"What happened?" I then asked as he reached over to take my left hand. Just embracing my touch he slowly replied.
"G.U.N tasked me with killing him. Otherwise I'd be killed. I hated him so much back then it made me blind. Blind enough just to go through with it. Joining my father was just an easy way to get him alone at some point."
"So you did kill him." I mumbled now as we parted hands. Looking me right in my eyes he replied.
"I didn't have a choice. I regret it now more than ever. You have no idea what it takes to kill family Maggie and I pray to god that you never have to go through what I did."
"But what does any of this have to do with what you said before? Marcus is your connection to being a demi right? So how were you just an experiment to him? I thought you were close."
"So did I." My dad mumbled as he walked slowly back to his desk. I watched as she sat down and proceeded to pour another drink. I just sighed and watched as he began to drink, I had to assume he was trying to think about what to say next. Thankfully I was right because I didn't really know what else to say to advance this, but upon looking back at me he said to me in a tone that reminded me of how my real father sounded when he came to terms with his cancer.
"I spent decades hating myself for what happened between my father, Juile and Abbey. I killed my dad because I hated him for his dedication to the war and his neglect of our family. I couldn't save Julie because I thought I was just too fucking slow. And Abbey I killed because all I saw in that moment was the man holding her hostage. I thought I did it because I was just a heartless bastard who only cared about the cause. I figured after years of contemplation that I was just at my core…selfish and…..monstrous. No heart in me at all to care. I came to terms with that and put all my remaining time into training and leading. It earned me my name and my honor among my men. I was the best at what I did and that's all I ever thought I'd be good at."
At this point he was crying to himself as I was just feeling shattered watching him talk like this about himself. After a few seconds he looked back at his drink to growl.
"But it was all just fabricated and planned. Just so I could become that very thing I thought I was the best at. Killing. The job of a demi Maggie, is to keep killing. To thin out the numbers and incite wars between mortals. My dad was also a strong man. Too strong to break easily and Marcus knew that about him. He knew my dad could start another war so he made sure my dad did everything in his power to drive the rebellion forward. Even made sure Logan got the first position of commander among the troops. Together a war was starting faster than anyone expected, but my dad was not himself for those years prior. Marcus was in control of him. Dictated his actions and made sure I grew up to hate him for it. Years of neglect thanks to that did all the damage necessary to turn me into a spiteful and hateful bastard."
"He was…training you?" I asked him back carefully as he nodded not more than a second after being asked.
"In a more fucked up way then I could have ever imagined."
I approached the desk again to watch as he finished off his glass again. Letting out a small exhale from the burn, the man looked back up at me with two drunk eyes to admit.
"Marcus marked me when I was just twelve. I didn't know that until…..well until I found your mother."
"He just told you this?" I questioned as he nodded.
"He told me yeah, but not without…..encouragement."
"What do you mean dad?" I had to ask as this seemed bleak now.
"The people higher than us? The gods no one knows about. The ones who created everything. Life is just a game to them. We were visited by one of those gods. One far more dangerous than Marcus. She made him tell me. Why? I don't know yet, but thanks to her I don't know who I am or what to believe anymore."
"Why not?" I again asked him as he looked back at me to scream.
"Because I didn't shoot Abbey!" I widened my eyes as he was now standing in front of me crying visibility for me. Seeing my face made him level himself out before admitting.
"Marcus did. He made me. I didn't know it at the time, but I always wondered why then of all times I decided to lock up and not use my head. Marcus made sure I pulled that trigger the way I did. To break me. To make me think I was this terrible person who I really am not!"
"He can do that?" My question came off as a joke to him as he was quick to reply.
"He can do anything. Controlling the mind of a mortal like I was at the time is childsplay Maggie. I had no fucking idea! I always thought it was me! And because I thought that I became who I am now. I ruined a lot of lives. Just so Marcus wouldn't get into any trouble. But things didn't turn out the way he planned. Not perfectly anyway." He admitted as I made sure I was giving him my full attention.
"We became friends after some time and I dare say I changed him and his course as a god. Afterall Maggie, we've not had any major conflicts for over two decades. We've been working towards worldwide cooperation and peace talks. The people who make our reality a reality don't like peace. Now they've come to see what has happened between Marcus and I. We've broken so many rules they set in place to make sure this kind of thing never would happen between a demi and his master. And now that they know, they've given us our warning. We need to start a war if I'm to keep our reality from slipping off the mantle. A war, Maggie. It goes against everything I've fought for. I'd ruin everything for us. I worked so fucking hard and suffered so much to get here. I don't want to throw it all away. It's not fair."
"Then don't." I urged him as he looked back into my eyes with some concern for what I had to say now.
"Don't change who you are for anyone. Not even these…..gods. The world is in a good place thanks to you. People across the world are working together towards common interests. Advancement and peace are two things no one before now could imagine possible coexisting. People love you for who you are and who you were. Both of those things made you into the man sitting right in front of me. It's the reason I love you so much. You're not just my father. You're my hero and I hate watching you do this to yourself."
My eyes began to water but I was fast enough to stop it from getting out of hand. However he saw my tears and just fell back into his chair to continue drinking. As he did I asked him curiously.
"Do you have regrets?"
Looking back at me in silence I urged him.
"Don't make this one of them. Stay who you are. Fabricated, orchestrated, planned, it doesn't matter. It made you a better person than you ever thought you'd turn out to be and I don't want that to change. Not for anything. Okay?" My voice was soft and his ears were receptive as he just settled for nodding his head once to show his approval towards my instructions. Reaching in to grab his drink from out of his hand and using my other to snag the bottle, I smiled softly at him before saying.
"I don't care what you do to handle your internal struggles, but I don't want you drinking. It's ruined many a great man. My dad won't be one of them. Sober up and go see mom. She fucked up too, but you can't ignore her. Till death due us part, remember?"
He was absolutely listening and taking my words to his heart. I don't know what problems my words would help us avoid, but I'm sure I did the right thing and not just for myself. Making my way behind his desk, I sat down on his lap and leaned in to give him a kiss on the cheek. After which I whispered.
"I love you."
He reached up to pat my leg and as I stood back up he whispered back to me.
"I love you too."
Taking his alcohol with me, I exited his office to be greeted by Marx and Zandro. Handing Zandro the glass and bottle, I urged them both.
"He's gonna be okay. Just give him time to sober up."
They watched as I began to walk back downstairs. Now I just had to talk to Yoga. Hopefully I'll get everyone back on track. I'm sick of all this violence.
Sam's POV, A week later, Moscow.
Arriving in Moscow was again a lot different then anywhere else I've been. The city itself was beyond my comprehension. Millions of people huddled in a single place in temperatures that made me miss LA. Thankfully my natural coat would carry me through this land, but by now I've made some changes. My fur was growing back and my natural shade of salt and pepper was back now that I had ample time to wash out the black dye and in all honesty it was good to be back.
I also changed my phone number and since then haven't gotten a single call or text apart from Jari and his mother who I promised I'd keep in touch with as I went about my life. They were the only two people in my contacts to be honest. I'd hope to change that when I get back to the guys.
I called ahead of course and made sure Tika knew I was coming to her and the plan would be simple here on out. I'd watch her back. Nothing else mattered. Right now I had to find them and according to Ace they were still sheltered in the same bunker. I was gonna meet up with Byron. I missed that Dane. He was just this big sweetheart. Like an older brother almost. That alone made me smile to think about. He was gonna meet me at some place called Sparrow Hills. All I knew was that it was a hill on the right bank of the Moskva river. The walk around here was amazing on its own, but hundreds of tourists surrounded the area. Finding him among this mess would be hard but thankfully I remembered his energy and could easily feel him out using my abilities. I found him sitting at a bench overlooking the river with his back towards me. My god did he look cold. Had a jacket twice his size over him. Coming up behind him, I scratch the back of his left ear and gently said to him.
"You sure know how to pick the spot." The man jumped up so fast to hug me and I was instantly happy to give it back as he laughed and asked me happily.
"Hey! How've you been? You look…..different."
"It's my natural color. But I've been good. Dealt with a lot of loose ends and now I'm about ready to come back."
"You get into any trouble?" He then asked me as I now noticed he wasn't wearing one big jacket. He was wearing two. Reaching down to take my bags, The man put them on the bench and proceeded to take off the one coat. Watching as he did I replied to his question.
"Nothing I couldn't handle. I'm good. Just….I don't know. I missed everyone."
"Homesick?" He smiled back as I proceeded to shrug my shoulders.
"Maybe." I then mumbled as he moved in to wrap the coat around my body.
"Byron….you…?" Cutting me off he hushed.
"Shush. It's fucking twenty out here and we got a long walk back. I'll carry your things. Let's just get a move on and you can tell me all about what you've been missing. I know the others are excited to see you."
"How's everyone doing? Did I miss anything?" I then asked him as we walked with the crowds.
"Haven't missed much to be honest. We have to keep a very low profile in the city. No business has been conducted yet and that means our cash flow is at zero. Or at least we thought until you brought in all that money a few months back now. Which reminds me, but I gotta ask how the hell you got all that?" Laughing now I smacked his arm and replied.
"Remind me when we're back and I'll fill you in." Nodding now Byron pressed on by telling me.
"I gotcha then. Well that money saved our asses. Riley wants all the groups to bring in something and when she heard Tika stumbled across twenty million thanks to her new favorite contractor, well you got everyone's attention back home. Riley wants to meet you soon, as do the other teams. I'm sure one of them will try to snag you for a bit, but that's your call to make. I'm just happy you're back home with us."
"Thanks Byron. I'm happier now too. I don't know what to make of any of the others yet, because I simply don't know any of them, but I'm sure meeting Riley should be my top priority considering she's kinda like the founder right?" I asked as we crossed a street.
"She's that alright, but Riley is one tough bitch. Scary as hell too. I wouldn't want to be on her team and thankfully that won't ever happen. She seems to enjoy having the worst of our bunch at her side."
"Worst? How so?" I then wondered.
"We're all family. Let me get that out of the way first before I say anything too abnormal. But some of our family members can come off as…..well…..fantical? Maybe it's just how she runs her team, but everyone on that team is kinda wild. They know how to get the job done for sure, but they aren't known for being as social as we are. I'd stay far away from them if I were you. That's if she ever offers."
"What about the other groups?" I then asked as I was curious if I would learn anything new. This whole time I was shaking my hands at my sides, because I didn't bring gloves for this trip. It's the one thing I forgot to pack and before Byron went to answer he reached over to grasp my right hand in his. At first I was surprised, but that changed when he locked eyes with me to urge.
"Take'em." My eyes glanced back at his hand to see he was referring to his gloves.
"Byron?" I muttered in embarrassment.
"I got pockets. Just take them so you stop shaking." He again urged me which made me obey. As I slipped the gloves off his hands and got them on my own, he finally decided to tell me about the other groups.
"So you got our group and you got Riley's, but we got three others around the world operating. There's Lancaster and his jolly band who are in China right now I think pulling strings around the exporting services over there. Most of their income is from reselling contraband and misdirecting transport to anyone who will pay for the information, but from what I know that's a lot of people over there. Lane is pretty cool though. I've known him for a few years now and for an upper he's honestly pretty good at keeping our records together. He manages the finances. Most of our spare cash is with him and his group."
"So one group controls the money. Riley controls I'm assuming main operations? And our group?" I asked the man as he was quick to give me the answers I requested.
"Riley maintains the group's main operation. She's the spear to our future. Our group exists to solely bring in cash flow. We have one other group who does the same type of stuff we do. The upper in charge of that is Brecken. He and his people are running ops in France. Gambling mostly but it brings in a good chunk of change."
"And the last group?" I asked him back sweetly as he smiled and replied as we crossed the street.
"Cal's group. She's a lot like Tika, but she's in Brazil running most of our intelligence operations. Riley uses her group a lot, but most of the intel she gathers she sells and that can be very good money."
"So our group specializes mainly in what? Arms dealing and drug running?" I asked him as it was clear this operation spanned the globe.
"Yeah, that's Tika's specialty. She's a natural negotiator." Byron stated which is when I decided to ask a question I was concerned about.
"Is it true that she makes you guys take speed?" Byron instantly began to laugh.
"I mean it's not forced but when we're out in the field for months on end in the ass end of nowhere, we tend to accept the much needed help. But we're stuck in Russia now and we have to hide for the time being until we can figure out a better plan. So I don't think any of us are still on the stuff. I'm not at least. Can't speak for everyone though. How have your habits been since we last were together?" He then asked me as I considered lying to him about that, but decided against it and just replied back a second later.
"Tame? I haven't really had the time to go out and find some decent blow. Why you ask?"
"Just want to know what state my sis is in."
This whole situation to me was a whole lot more personal than back when I was around Maggie. Legally my family and I hated every second I had to be around her. Byron was no one. He was supposed to be a target like the rest of these people, but someone he ended up placed differently in my heart among the rest of the group. He was legit my big brother in my mind and in my heart and that just felt…..awesome to know. I wish I could express it to him, but I had no idea how to handle this to begin with. So with another embarrassed chuckle I begged him.
"Please don't be like that."
"Be like what? Protective? Nah, ain't gonna happen. You'll get that from everyone now. It's not just me."
"You guys are too much." I again chuckled back at him as we were soon in a small trance just walking together.
"We just care. You know?" Byron then asked me as we found some open space between the crowds of people. Nodding my head I replied back.
"I know Byron. I just don't really know what to say. I'm not used to that kind of care coming from anyone."
"It's okay. I understand. We're getting close to the bus stop I used to get here. We'll take it back to where we need to be. From there it's just a short hike." Byron claimed as I saw the bus stop he mentioned coming up.
An hour later.
"Where are we going Byron?" I asked the Dane as he guided me into a small church.
"Saint Joseph's church. The safehouse is in the basement. It's an old bunker for some special VIPs during the G.U.N wars. Was wiped and forgotten along with countless others that were made for the invasion. The church itself belongs to Riley. She bought it when the blackmarket was still a thing and it's always been closed to the public, so no one bothers us. Even if they do we always have someone topside to watch after the place. I think it's Jax's turn actually. He'll be happy to see you. Come inside. We can finally get warm."
Following him into the small chapel, at first glance the place was very simple. Only four benches stood in front of the podium and from the looks of things Jax wasn't in sight. That was until we reached the podium. Stepping out from a small sideroom, Jax was dressed in formal attire befitting a man of god in hopes to fool anyone who entered. However when he saw me and Byron standing there looking at him, he just smiled and shouted.
"Hey! Anpu!" I came to meet him halfway and as we hugged Byron asked him curiously.
"Is everyone home?" Nodding Jax replied while releasing me from the hug.
"With Anpu finally back, yeah I'd say everyone is home. Head on down."
"Ain't joining?" I questioned as he shrugged and chuckled back.
"Can't chance anything. It's my post and I'm not about to slack off to Tika. We'll catch up after rotation. Good to have you back."
"Thanks Jax. Good to be back."
He gave me a small pat on my arm as I began to follow Byron towards the back room of the chapel. Inside Byron stopped alongside a bookcase that had an alphabetical assortment of catholic books. He reached up to grab onto one of the copies in the B section and before I knew it the shelf moved out of our way to reveal a metal door. Looking over at Byron I chuckled.
"A little…..corny?"
"I'd call it classical at best, but we didn't invent the puzzle. Whoever did could be called inspired to come up with this." Byron smiled as he opened the door up and began to walk down a short set of steps that led to an even bigger metal door. This one looked old school for sure. Like out of a world war 2 bunker. Byron knocked three times before we heard it begin to open from the inside.
"Holy crap. It's you." Gwent was the one to answer the door and upon seeing me his whole face lit up. Byron guided me past him, but I still gave him a small hug before being escorted to a fairly large recreational room. Inside was the rest of the gang, even Tika who was busy in the corner reading a book.
"Found our stray!" Byron then announced.
Tika's POV.
Looking up from my book I widened my eyes when I found Anpu alongside Byron with her bags around his back. As she got off her coat the boys all greeted her fairly for being missed as much as she was, but I missed her more than most, apart from Sikes. I could tell he was itching to experience her energy again, because so was I. Standing up from my spot in the corner, I approached the wolf and just waited to speak as she was busy getting a hold on Ace who was desperate to talk to her about her trip to Libya. Riley heard about her trip there as well and it would be a lie if I said she wasn't concerned for her high profile execution on live TV.
"We need to talk now that your back, Anpu." Ace informed her as she was quick to nod her head and reply.
"Of course. No problem. Did I do something?" Her eyes finally came to me as she expected an answer.
"In my opinion no. You did nothing wrong. Riley on the other hand caught wind of your recent activity in Libya. She saw the role you played in that civil war and wants to talk about it with you for one reason or another. It's not my place to assume Riley's intentions. Doesn't have to be right now, but if you want to get this out of the way early so you can just rest after I'll call her now to see if she has time." Nodding her head Anpu replied back confidently.
"I can talk to her. Yeah as long as it's not a bother for her right now."
"Let me check and see. I'll be right back." I stated as I pulled out my cellphone to call Riley. She picked up after four rings.
"What?" She asked of me as I was quick to get to the point considering her tone.
"Anpu just came back to us. She wants to talk to you if you got the time. Figured I'd call and see what you wanted to do."
Letting out a small breath she replied.
"Yeah I have the time. Set her up on your laptop."
"May I sit in?" I asked her now which earned me a swift answer.
"No."
"Okay. I'll call you in a minute." I replied back as I hung up the line shortly after. With Riley still feeling sour towards me, it made me question our relationship as uppers. I didn't want any bad blood, but it was always gonna be this way when it came to her. Almost impossible to please. I just hope Anpu doesn't piss her off somehow.
Going back over to the wolf in question, I smiled and urged her to follow me. As we were about to move away from the rest of the boy, I shouted out.
"We'll be back!"
Anpu stayed right by my side as I was content with asking her a question or two before dropping her into this video call.
"So how have you been?" Now I just had to chuckle and question.
"It's weird having you back like this. I don't know what to do with you. I'm supposed to be your leader, but you're…..well you're a goddess. How can I lead someone like that?" Smiling softly beside me she replied back happily.
"I'm not different from you. I still bleed. I can still die. So can all of us. You just do what you do best and I'm gonna do what I do. Which is to watch your back. Don't think about what I am, but know that it's in your back pocket to use if we ever have to. I'm sure my….abilities….can really give us an edge if put in the right spaces."
"No argument from me on that one Anpu, but when would that be acceptable? I thought you didn't want the others to know."
"I'd prefer to lean them into it slowly, but as long as I know there's trust between us all I'll be okay to come clean at some point." She informed me as we entered my room to approach my laptop which I had on a small desk for her. I got down to enter in my password and once that was set I began to set up the call for her. As I found Riley's number I decided to warn her.
"Now she wants to speak to you by yourself so I'm gonna leave as soon as I hit this button, but be warned, Riley is not someone to mess around with. Just answer her questions, whatever they are and respect her. She's easily angered as of late, but if you keep calm and cool she should be okay. You just don't want to be in a bad spot with her. Trust me she can hold grudges. I'm still not on good terms with her because of what we did together with the resort."
"I'll be on my best behavior. I can handle myself." She smiled now as I hit the button and urged her as I got out of the chair she'd be using.
"Tell me what happens after. If she has any issues I can pull a favor or two for you."
"Gotcha." She now sat down and before I turned around I saw Riley pick up the line.
Sam's POV.
Parting my hair to my left side, I looked up at the screen to be face to face with an older black hedgehog. Had the roughest look to a woman I've ever seen. Scars on the right side of her face that looked like they came from a fire. Wearing attire similar to G.U.N operatives, except with some added yellow paint to the armor, she sat down in front of the camera and got a good look at me. She was reading me about as much as I was reading her. Only issue was the distance. I wish I could read her mind to get a field advantage. I'd have to play this carefully if things went off the handle.
"You're a whole lot younger than I expected you to be. Anpu right? Tika speaks very highly of you and to be honest you played a very big role in my tolerance of her failures. The Forth and Cardinal resort was not an authorized operation and it was very dumb of her to conduct with such little planning involved. I gotta ask and I'm not about to assume you're stupid by any sense of the word. But why accompany her for a suicide mission?"
Licking my lips, I replied back calmly.
"I was honestly looking to earn my place and her trust at the time. She was looking to test both of those in fact and decided it would be a good way to earn them both. She told me about her brother who died and with that I didn't feel like I had much of a right to say no to her."
"Tika wasn't using her head when she asked that of you. She was ready to die to get to that bitch that killed her brother and I'd be the same way in her shoes, but why are you so eager to die alongside her?" Riley then asked me as I took in her face. She wasn't going to smile or even blink during this conversation. You could tell this was a serious conversation for her so I had to take my care in proceeding.
"I'm extremely confident in my skills. I don't rush onto the battlefield without being one hundred with myself. I know what I can do and I know I could die, but I'm always prepared to do what has to be done to accomplish my mission. I made a promise to get her through that moment and I did." Riley didn't budge so I decided to add on to my statement.
"I don't have anyone to care for in my life. Both my parents are dead. Have been dead for a long time. I was a contractor before I ran into Ace and I was solely looking out for myself. It's why I went and killed Esteban."
"Ace claims you killed him because you wanted a challenge. Killing an M.E.A.F president isn't something most would consider a "challenge". More so it's again a suicide mission. Are you just crazy? I'm also aware you work alongside the network and I'm sure you know we keep business with them away. The network is not an ally." Riley informed me as I went on to state.
"I'm aware of how they operate. Enough money to the right person is all it takes to get fucked over, but I work only with a single member of that group and he's paid to cover every single track I make. He's been very good at his job and as far as I'm aware no one knows who I am."
"Yes, but they know the mask you wear. I've seen it along with countless others when you found yourself on the global news working in Libya for the tyrant, The Wall. G.U.N and the M.E.A.F are currently hunting you and Tika after that incident at the resort and I'm aware they sent operators over to Libya shortly after your reappearance on TV. Who you exactly are may not be known, but the moment someone sees you with that mask you'll have both armies on you. And I'm not sure how well informed you are from your inside man with the network, but both have reasons to believe you're also the one who killed Esteban. I know you got out clean, but your face brings a lot of problems to my doorstep. The main problem is how you operate." Riley claimed as I was just set on letting her speak her mind.
"I have a lot of people in my family who want a challenge and I settle that urge for them, but in a way that doesn't expose us to the entire world. We are where we are because of how we operate. I don't like having contractors perform outside work. It's too much of a risk and I want you to stop it. No more contract work unless I say so."
"How do you expect me to bring in money then? Tika doesn't have an operation at the moment producing anything from what I've been told since we got out here." I stated which is when she said back to me bluntly.
"I expect you to listen to your upper. It's her job to come up with a plan. You're not the one responsible for the income in that group. Tika can work a plan out. If you're as good as you think you are then you will have no issue in doing what has to be done. And let me clear this up. This isn't a fucking race to see who can bring in the most cash. It's a friendly competition. Nothing more. Money will come. It always does. I care more about our image and our presence. Keep both low and take no risks. When the time comes for more physical operations we will talk about it, but right now we focus on the family we have and build on it. You are proof of that and I welcome you with open arms despite my attitude."
"Thank you." I smiled now as she then said to me.
"Also you have my thanks for saving her life. I have my issues with Tika as of this moment and I'm sure she's said that, but I will get over it. Also despite the risks you took in Libya you provided a very heavy sum to our cause and because of that I've accelerated one of the steps. You are aware of the reason why we formed this family right?"
"We disapprove of the way things are currently runned by the federal government. G.U.N has grown soft thanks to the M.E.A.F and them forming an alliance and world peace is only going to make things worse for all involved." I said back confidently which is when she added.
"Our aim is to delay that ridiculous goal they have together. We for now have to operate in the shadows to do so, but I have no doubt we will stir the pot even more now that we have some real money, but we need more. A lot more. If you only knew how many people I had to make sure got paid to keep us in the dark your head would spin. You've bought us a lot of time and I'll now have time to work on how to get our next shot in. Killing Char was a good start, but we need to aim bigger."
"You killed the M.E.A.F president and most of the other negotiators who were at that signing. How much bigger are we talking?" I asked her as it was clear she was set on this. Giving me a straight look back she replied.
"Ajex Marano? Hecan Moore? Raptor Voltz? We kill the cerberus of the movement. That's one step towards bigger. I have ideas for how to get to each of them at some point when things are perfect, but we will not do a thing beforehand. There is a lot more to do and set up first. Leave the planning to me and the other uppers. Everyone will be let in once we have a move to make, you have my word. But I need to make this call come to a close. I have something going on here soon and need to finish my prep work."
Hearing that my dad was one of the targets made me question in every way how she planned to go about getting to him. Let alone go after Ajex and if Riley hear trusted my skills I'd be in a fucking mess if she tasked me with killing any of them. My dad though…..what the fuck was I gonna do if it came down to that? I asked myself as she looked me right in my eyes to order.
"Like I said before, I don't want a contractor operating on the side of family business. Not that I don't trust you, but I don't trust the idea behind it. No more contracts. Work side by side with your group and watch after your upper."
"Yes ma'am." I humbly said back to her as she went on to say.
"Your resume is impressive, Anpu and I will be taking that into account when I have the time. Thank you again for all that you've done to protect my family. I know Tika appreciates it and I know for a fact that the other uppers do as well. We share gratitude and potentially I might offer you out to some of the other groups if your skills are needed."
"Sure. Just let me know and I'll do what I can."
"Thank you. Tell Tika I'm sorry."
"For?" I questioned in confusion as she stood up from her spot to reply before shutting off the call.
"For being a bitch."
As the screen went blank I chuckled and let out a deep internal sigh of relief as I just met the almighty leader of this family. She was indeed intimidating but she still seemed very open and collected. Thankfully she wasn't too hard on me for being reckless. However I was curious what her group had planned. She was dressed to kill just now and had to finish prep work? Where was she operating? I had to wonder as I got up from my chair to exit the room. Tika stood outside the door and once she saw me walk out she asked me.
"How'd it go? That was a little fast."
"Good, I think. She doesn't hate me or anything. Congratulated me actually for the work I've done and just tried to get a general gauge on me as a person. She didn't have a lot of time though. Said she was about to go handle some business. Looked ready for war judging by her attire." The moment I said that I saw the look on Tika's face change and listened as she mumbled out in disbelief.
"Oh shit. She's really gonna make her move."
"What move?" I asked her back with some concern towards the way she said that. Looking me right in my eyes she replied.
"She's dead set on fucking up the political balance over in the US. The more G.U.N falls into disarray, the easier it will be to get shit done. From what I know she and her group managed to get close to Hecan Moore's residence in Florida a few months ago. They've been planning on how to take him down."
WIdening my eyes I questioned in disbelief.
"Take him down? He's a former G.U.N president and probably one of the best they've ever produced in the states. He's an old man with more security than Ajex arguably."
"Riley can handle any combat threat in her path. Her team as well. They could have killed him months ago if they wanted, but the issue was planning an extraction. Riley planned to land a private plane that could transport her and her team back to Iran without anyone catching on. Problem is no pilot she went to wanted to risk running into M.E.A.F fighter jets on the way there. So she planned to buy herself a plane instead."
"That's why she said my money had accelerated her plans. Holy shit. What happens then?" I asked the bird who just scratched her head.
"She'll probably spend the next few months back at base just kicking her feet up; planning the next move. I can't really speak for her though, we'll just have to wait and see how everything plays out."
I had to call Royce. I had to let them know what was coming. Hecan Moore was gonna die if I didn't. Tika noticed my flustered state to then ask me.
"You okay? You look worried."
"I'm just overthinking the plan. Why Hecan of all people? He doesn't have a say in the government's direction anymore. Why not go after the two people who actually do? Raptor Voltz and Ajex Marano." Taking a small breath, Tika went to start thinking that exact question over as I went back to formulating a plan for what to do. However after a few moments she said back to me slowly.
"We had the chance to take them both out, but Riley decided the time wasn't right. She wants to slowly destabilize the two militaries. It's meant to buy us more time so we can figure out what to actually do when they're dead. Say we kill Ajex and Raptor, then what? If we don't have a plan things will get out of control before we do. So just like how we killed Char to stir up the M.E.A.F; Killing Hecan will stir up G.U.N. Plus Raptor Voltz is close to the former president Anpu and he has a reputation for losing his shit when pushed into a corner. He finds out someone killed his old buddy from the rebellion wars, he might make a misstep. Same with Ajex. G.U.N will be in complete disarray; giving us all the time we need to plan for their removal next. Trust me, everything is in good hands with Riley. It might not make the most sense to you, but to her it does and she's always led us the right way. And it's not our group who has to worry about the operation. We just need to kick our feet up and rest while things play out."
Sensing I couldn't just leave this bunker to make a call, I went into my mind to call upon Roslin who I knew would be ready to answer if it was an emergency. Thankfully when I called for him he was quick to answer from within.
"What's wrong?"
With Tika's eyes on mine, I nodded my head and replied to the bird before my master could get his answer.
"I hope everything works out for them. It would be terrible if something went wrong. By the way, Riley told me to tell you that she was sorry for being a bitch." Tika instantly smiled and began to laugh. Shaking her head she said to me happily.
"See? That's why I know she's human. Has the heart to say sorry and admit when she was being rude. I forgive her, but let's get back to the others. You can rest your legs. I got some things I want to go over with you later also."
"Okay. I'm game. Give me like an hour to catch up with the guys." I urged her, which is when she agreed and turned to start the small walk back to the main room where everyone was. As I slowly followed from behind, I said back to Roslin from the safety of my mind.
"Go into my bag and get my second phone. Get it and call Royce for me. Tell him that Hecan Moore is about to be attacked."
"Why?" He questioned which in turn made me question him.
"Why? Because it's my job."
"And since when did you care about your job? You tip G.U.N off about an assassintion attempt that your friends here have been planning for months and you think for a second they won't suspect anything? You're not thinking. Your job is to serve the attrition. Our job is to cause chaos in the realm. This will do both. Forget about Royce and let this happen Sam. Don't suddenly grow a heart like your father." He urged me as I knew deep down that he was right. I was just conflicted at this state. Sensing that his words worked, Roslin vanished from my thoughts and left me with a lot to consider.
What this all came down to was where my loyalties were and that was to the attrition and to these people I cared about. G.U.N wasn't my family. I used them to learn how to kill and that they were useful for. I liked Royce, but he wasn't ever going to be enough to change my mind alone. Roslin was indeed right. I'd blow my cover if this somehow got out before the attack happened and that at the very least needed to remain. I had to prove to Lia I was the right person to control this realm. Giving a shit about one old man my dad looked up to wasn't an option. He had to die.
Hecan's POV, Florida, Later that same night.
"Ohhh man." I groaned as I sat up in bed with my back in pain.
I hated being this god damn old. Makes everything I used to be able to do so much harder. Especially sleeping. Standing up from my bed just to get a feel for what was happening around me, I found myself soon looking back to my wife who was still somehow asleep. I gave her a wide smile as I was sure I had to be the luckiest man alive to have her at my side.
With my full focus on her, I didn't notice the sound of my door slowly starting to open. Once I did notice it, I panicked and looked back at the door to widen my eyes at the sight of three armed soldiers sweep in. Before I could say a word I felt something go through my chest. I was so stunned my ears couldn't hear a thing. That's why when one of the soldiers pulled the trigger on their gun, I didn't even register that I had just been shot for the first time in my life. I wobbled with my cane before hitting the carpet under my feet.
My wife on the other hand wasn't even fully conscious when out of nowhere one of my attackers had decided to climb on top of her with a knife. I watched with no air in my lungs as he sent the knife right into the base of her skull. Her whole body jolted from the sudden killing blow and before I knew I was being stood over by the other two. They didn't say a word as I could feel my heart rate halting.
Riley's POV.
Scott was mauling the bitch. She was dead but he was embracing his bad side. Such a good guy with such a bad habit. Only thing I could do was let him get it out as he sent the knife down into her chest around ten times. Looking back down at Hecan, I held the wrist that kept my gun down and just watched as he was slowly dying inside from the round I gifted him. Looking over at Sammy I urged him while looking at my watch.
"We got time. Get his phone."
Sammy nodded and walked over to the nightstand to pick up Hecan's phone. Once I had it in my hands I unlocked it with his password and showed him the now open screen to state.
"Crazy what you can buy, right?"
Hecan was barely there as I turned on his camera. Once the camera was on I readied myself to record then looked up at Scott to shout at him.
"Hey! Come finish this for me."
Scott gave me a small laugh before hopping off the corpse. On approach he reached down to grab Hecan's cane. Looking at the man as he readied himself to swing, I urged him while hitting record.
"Send a message."
Scott chuckled under his mask as I now recorded the execution. Hecan on the other hand was probably already dead from the blood loss, but part of me wasn't sure when the first impact with the cane hitting his skull made his whole body flinch.
"Hahah!" Scott laughed as he kept swinging. Sammy and I just watched in silence as we recorded a solid six or seven swings before ending the recording. Scott still hit Hecan a couple more times just for fun as I tossed the cellphone on top of his body. Once I was done I tapped Scott on the shoulder to order him and Sammy.
"Let's get going. We don't have all night. I wanna be out of the US before the rotation shifts."
"Yes ma'am." Sammy replied obediently as I led the way back out of the room.
What we just pulled off would have the rest of the world looking over their shoulders. The amount of effort that went into getting this opportunity would never go understated and I had no one to thank other than my family. With Scott now looking like he had seen a ghost, he stopped next to me before leaving to mumble.
"I'm sorry. I lost control."
"Don't be. Now come on."
Pushing the man by me now, I got the door and followed them back the way we came.
mT Shadow.