The Ashlanders - Chapter 6: The Blind Man's Last Gambit (Closed, Started)

[Dogmatic99]

You don't need to do this...

She was crying again. She'd been doing that more and more recently. Not loud weepy crying, the quivering lip and welling tears kind. The more she tried to hold it back the more obvious it got. Her tears always gott heir way in the end. She was even biting the back of her bottom lip, trying to keep it in line.

Please, you don't need to do this...

She even tried to keep it quiet. So it always just on the edge of his hearing. It was so passive aggressive. Couldn't she just grow up and stop trying to lash out at people every time she didn't get her own way. she was so immature sometimes.

You don't want to do this! Don't let them tell you what to do! Please! Please!

Wait that wasn't her crying. That was a male voice. This wasn't right. She was here, sat in the window seat like she always was trying not to look at anything. This was what she always did when she was upset. why was he here if it wasn't for her.

"I'd hoped so much you wouldn't go down to the tunnels tonight." And there it was, here comes the guilt trip.

"I did it for us. It was the right thing."

"Right for who?"

"You know how things work! I didn't have any choice... it had to be done."

Don't let it end like this, please, I'm so sorry. I'll go, I'll disappear, you'll never see me again!

God, he would just NOT stop crying. Show some goddamn pride. "I shouldn't even be here, I had plans tonight." And he wasn't wearing anything with a hood or shit. "Can't even feel my ears." No doubt they were redder than his scarf by now. "Bet I look like a right wanker." Wait that wasn't right. What was a wanker, when had he even heard that word?

Would he just stop crying! maybe if he pistol whipped him. He was holding a pistol now. The wet thud and sobbing echoed through the tunnels. He was in the tunnels now... yeah of course he was. Where else would he be? Any way it had to be done.

"Imagine a world where it didn't have to be though." Said the old man. He was so annoyingly calm.

"SHUT UP! This is your fault too! You didn't want this you should have taken the fucking shot when you had the chance!"

The doors were opening now, he had to put his mask on. Didn't want to be tasting ash all night. Of course he was up to his knees in water by now. Wait... water... was that right? Yes, of course it was. Everything was right, it had to be. He grabbed the traitor by the scruff of her neck and pulled her to her feet. Had they always been a woman? They must have been. Yes, Elizabeth had this coming. It was what had to be done.

"Please, father, please don't do this." She wept.

"We have to get out of here!" He yelled. There were guns everywhere but the gates were locked. He could shoot them down, break them somehow. But they were everywhere, surrounding them. Figures in red. Their eyes were full of cold, dead, fire and their hands full of knives. And he was there, silver rod in hand with his empty eyes looking through them.

"You belong here, Florian. This is your home." He was pulling Florian back by his bloody red leash as Elizabeth fell through the gates that he couldn't follow through. The light scorched his eyes away but there wasn't any darkness. He tried to scream out just before the leash crushed his throat, pulling him back like a dog.

***​

Florian's head jerked back as the crawler sped along its bumpy path. His eyes weakly beginning to shake themselves open just a sliver.

["I'm sorry... I'm sorry..."]

 

[Fappy]

Can't a man enjoy his fucking coffee?

Cranston didn't like the looks of the situation one bit, though you'd never know by the look on his face. As Lilith and the bounty hunter traded quips he continued sipping his drink. Lilith had failed to notice his presence when she arrived. A strategically placed newspaper worked wonders when hiding in plain sight.

He lowered the newspaper ever so slightly as to get a glimpse of the confrontation. Just then, Lilith fired her weapon and dove behind a table with her dwarf friend in tow. Sitting in the back corner of the cafe, none of the panicking bystanders noticed him draw his pistol as he remained seated. Before he made a move, however, the backdoor to the cafe swung open, right beside him.

Who's this, now?

"Luck's a fickle mistress. Don't go doing something dumb, now. Just how long do you think the kid's gonna last if I perforate the fuck outta you? How do you think he's gonna hold up?"

Looking over at the cashier who'd been frozen in place since the shooting started, Cranston shook the newspaper as to get her attention. Remaining as stiff as a board, the woman's eyes found his. Nodding towards the door that was blocking his view, Cranston pointed the pistol towards it with one hand. Raising his eyebrows, he silently asked her if he was on the mark. Hesitating but for a moment, the woman nodded.

Cranston fired two shots through the door catching the man on the other side in the shoulder and forearm. After hearing him curse and stagger back into the alley, Cranston added, "She's fickle indeed." Springing to his feet, Cranston shouted. "I've got our flank."

And with that he disappeared into the alley behind the cafe.

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Fuckin' *****!

Lilith had managed to graze his scalp before he scrambled to cover against the cafe's front entrance. Blood trickling across his furrow brow, he turned his head towards his men and shouted, "LIGHT EM' UP!" Before he too could join the fray, however, he saw one of his men get blinded-sided by a bullet to the temple. "FUCK!" He pointed to three of his men. "YOU, COVER THE NORTH SIDE OF THE STREET!"

The trio nodded and ran past the cafe, taking positions on the south-side of the buildings, "I see her!" One barked as the three returned fire against Viola.

Confident his men had his flank, Gorgon spun around the pillar he'd been using as cover and fired all six shots into the table the pair hid behind. The table may have been durable, but his revolver packed a helluva punch. Perhaps one would find its mark.

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Sprout caught the majority of the conversation between the two and had to keep himself from interjecting after the bounty hunter implied Lilith was a whore. Trembling slightly, Sprout looked to Maria, "I don' know what's 'bout ta' go down, but I need ya' to get ta' safety." Reaching into the back of his shirt, he produced a snubnose revolver from his waistband. "I reckon ya' know how ta' fire---"

Sprout's words were drowned out by a tidal wave of gunfire, "I gotta go!" He shouted as he ran past her, down the alley and around the bend towards the cafe, pistol at the ready. He could hear them further down, just as he thought. They had the cafe surrounded. Running full tilt now, Sprout wasn't prepared for what he'd find upon turning the next corner. Two men stood against an alleyway entrance to the cafe, preparing to blindside Lilith.

The two men's eyes fell on him as he stopped dead in his tracks no more than a couple meters away. He was out in the open. Exposed. And Lilith... Lilith would die if he didn't act. The two men hesitated when they took in his appearance. He was just a kid. A kid with a gun. Sprout didn't have time to think. He didn't have time to reflect. He had a small window to act.

It was do or die.

Within the two seconds the men had hesitated, Sprout fired four shots, catching them both in the chest twice. The way they slammed against the wall and crumpled to the ground was... surreal.

Lily.

Sprout banished his doubts and threw himself against the door-frame. Looking in, he spotted Lilith and Tobin several meters away, "LILY! OVER HERE! THIS WAY'S CLEAR!"

 

[The Funslinger]

Moving back up the alley, Landon cursed under his breath. His arm was bleeding thickly and pulsed in pain. He'd have to tend to it later, but for now he needed to make himself useful. The fuck had happened? There were only supposed to be two of them, and someone should have clocked the kid if he'd been there. Either his squad mates were blind, or they'd had bad intel.

Backing up around the corner, he crouched, setting his wounded left arm across one knee and crooking the assault rifle over it. Nice and steady. The moment the others pressed them out of the cafe, they'd be in his line of fire and he could take them out.

 

[NinjaDeathSlap]

"When da' y'all reckon Amy'll---"

Something was wrong.

The Gentleman, now shed of his disguise and dressed in his preferred get-up, was just poking his head out of his room when Meredith barged passed in considerable distress. A second later, Carlos was calling down the hallway.

"Should we follow her?!"

He shot Carlos a look that said plainly 'Well duh!", and within the minute were racing down the porch outside, just as Amy was exiting her recently parked crawler.

"What are you... and who is this?" she asked bewildered, looking first the the Gentleman and then to Carlos.

"Our schedule has changed my dear, now drive!" he told her, leaping into the passenger seat of the crawler with surprising grace and agility. They followed Meredith all the way out of the domed city, no easy task considering her blistering pace and erratic driving. Despite this being far removed indeed from her usual work, Amy kept remarkably focussed under pressure.

Undoubtedly preoccupied, Meredith raced blindly towards the wreckage of the Maiden until the last minute. The Gentleman was more perceptive. Directing Amy to the top of a rocky ridge some kilometres away. When they reached their destination, The Gentleman hopped out, breathing apparatus already fixed and wait straight for his luggage in the trunk. Within minutes he was making the finishing touches to the assembly of a long, slender sniper rifle. Taking up a prone position at the edge of the ridge, The Gentleman focussed his sights. From what he could see through the magnification of his scope, The Maiden's underbelly had suffered extensive, but superficial damage. The vast majority of the super-structure was still intact. The ship was likely close to still being in flying condition, provided Austin had left enough skilled crew alive to man it, In the shadow of the battle-scarred cargo bay, The Gentleman could see two children (he guessed they were both around 13) patrolling with assault rifles slung over their shoulders.

'How about you pop out for a breath of fresh, toxic air Austin? I only need one shot to scatter your army to the four winds.'

He adjusted his gaze downward, in search of Meredith. If there ever was a time for her to do something irreparably stupid, it would probably be now. Whether she truly would have it in her to massacre her way the children in order to get at Austin was a question to which even he wasn't sure of the answer. Luckily for Meredith, she had less scrupulous friends. If indeed she was about to try something stupid, she would need some covering fire.

What he saw when he finally found her though, changed the plan.

=========================================================================================================================

Minutes later, their crawler was skidding to a halt behind Meredith's, only this time it was only Amy who got out, carrying one of her smaller cases as she rushed over the harsh sands to check on Florian. When she reached the other crawler, she set straight to work, checking Florian's pulse, breathing and temperature. Meredith appeared to not even notice her at first. Opening her bag, Amy withdrew a syringe from her medical kit, and injected its contents straight into Florian's neck, before hooking up a rudimentary saline drip.

"Meredith..." she said.

The woman in the driver's seat still appeared not to notice her, being too busy warping the steering wheel with her fists, cursing herself as tears flooded her face .

"Meredith!" Amy said again. He voice was raised, and firm, but there was still a soothing music to it. "We need to get him out of here!"

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Back on the high ridge, The Gentleman spoke to Carlos, his eyes never leaving the scope.

"I want to know who your client is, and everything you know of their intentions. Whatever they were paying you for your silence, I will double. Whatever threats they may have made to ensure your loyalty, I will countermand with threats of my own, threats that you know full well I do not make lightly."

=========================================================================================================================

Agent Sandringham had been tasked with tailing Gorgon's thugs for days now. In that time, any number of opportunities to take them out had arisen. However, his orders were clear. Do not engage in any capacity until the boy and his minder were in immediate danger. Well, that moment was now, and even so it had taken some careful planning and quick execution to set up a situation where he might intervene, with the appropriate amount of force, without needing to reveal himself. If it became apparent that the stray Maidens had more silent guardians than they knew what to do with, then he and his employer's role in this whole affair was at an abrupt and unsatisfactory end. He had had to wait until the shooting started to clear the square of all collateral. He had to wait until Miss Graves and her new pet were in position so as to provide a scapegoat; and he had to wait for Cranston and the kid to collectively clear an exit. Now that was done, it was his turn.

In order for Lilith and her stunted companion to make a break for it, they'd still have to break cover in a square full of very angry armed men, most of whom would have clear fields of fire on the pair of them the whole way. A distraction was needed.

A big one.

Crouching down below the window of his vantage point on the fourth floor of the Feroxi Grand Hotel, Agent Sandringham drew a radio control from his coat pocket, and calmly pressed the red button. While he couldn't see the result, the shock-wave as an ash-crawler on the street below was blown apart by the plastic explosives he had placed underneath the wheel arches shook the entire square and shattered every window. The crawler had been positioned on the opposite side of the square to the cafe, far enough away so as not to be lethal to any important persons. Three of Gorgon's rear guard had been inside the 'pink mist' radius when he had detonated, and there was no sign of them any more. The rest had their heads (and guns) forced down by the ear-drum perforating bang, and the shower of broken glass and twisted shrapnel that flew in all directions.

That was almost certainly enough to give Lilith the window she needed to escape. Beyond that, the gunfight was not his concern. The methods may have been noisy, but so long as Sandringham himself remained inconspicuous, the mission was accomplished.

 

[ProtoChimp]

Aesop felt dead. Completely detached from the world as Silo was carried away like some kind of trophy for the banditos.

"My boys'll take your friend's corpse outside the compound and march it around for all to see. He'll be in pieces by the end of the night!"

That snapped him back into reality. When Aesop spoke he was... different. Something, he didn't know how to explain. Still a prisoner yet, it was like it didn't matter. Like nothing mattered, like an asteroid could hit the planet and kill them all and he would feel exactly the same.

"I hope all those men I killed were father's and that they can't go home to their kids." Aesop looked up at Rodrigo. "I hope people miss them. I hope people hate and blame me for killing them. And I hope people grieve for them. And they're just corpses now. Like him. Who gives a fuck about the body? Its just a body. Like all 50 of those fuckers we killed yesterday." Aesop grinned a wicked grin that matched even Santiago's.

 

[Fappy]

[sub]"Meredith..."[/sub]

Pixie didn't even remember stopping the crawler. Practically blinded by backlogged tears, she stared straight ahead across the featureless expanse of the Rock. Despite the heat of the twin suns, she was shivering.

It's all my fault... It's all my fucking fault.... I...I...

"God fuckin' damn it," She muttered between bated breaths. "I'm so sorry... I'm---"

"Meredith!"

Pixie straightened up and searched for the origin of the voice. It was Amy. Her voice was warm.

"We need to get him out of here!"

Suddenly aware of her surroundings, she wiped the tears from her eye and nodded, "Right... Yer right." She muttered, slamming her foot down on the gas. Amy sat behind Florian, ensuring the medical equipment wouldn't get shaken up by the rugged terrain. She allowed herself one glance at the priest before looking towards the road once more. She couldn't look at him. Not now. She had to get them to safety first.

The three of them drove thirty minutes in silence before Pixie conjured up the courage to speak, "Th-thank you, Amy." She sighed heavily. "I won' lie to you, sweetheart, the next few days'll be... rough fer me. I get kinda... unhinged in these sorta sitch'iations, ya' know? If ya' wanna keep yer distance I won' hold it against ya'." She allowed herself a weak smile. "I know how I am. An'," She paused for a moment as her words escaped her. "Hell, I don' even know what th' fuck I'm goin' on about. Jus'... thanks."

A low, raspy sigh escaped through her breathing mask once more. She was really just talking for the sake of it. Anything to get her mind off of the situation. Vengeance was clawing it's way to the forefront of her mind. She'd done enough killing today. Dwelling on doing more of it... it made her sick.

Monsters reap what they sow.

Suddenly, her thoughts went to Cherry and the unspoken promise she'd given her as she lay dying that night. What of Elizabeth? Had she been killed or was she to be indoctrinated by Austin's cult? No, she had new priorities. She had to ensure her Maidens were safe. That was all that mattered, right?

Pixie groped at her chest only to be met with empty air. She hadn't recalled giving the necklace away until now. Fighting against the tears, she balled her hand into a fist.

I'm sorry, Margaret...

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"I want to know who your client is, and everything you know of their intentions. Whatever they were paying you for your silence, I will double. Whatever threats they may have made to ensure your loyalty, I will countermand with threats of my own, threats that you know full well I do not make lightly."

Carlos threw his hands up in a gesture akin to surrender, "No need to pay my friend. I'd be happy to indulge you, but," He ran his fingers through his hair and crouched down on the edge of the ridge overlooking where Pixie and Amy were. "I do so only when she asks. I'm sorry, friend, but I don't trust you. I don't trust Meredith either, as any sane man would, but that's irreverent. I do what she says, no questions asked. It's an easy enough rule to remember."

Rising to his feet once more, he turned to the Gentleman, "I'm willing to help out in any way I am able once she gives the word." His gaze bore into the Gentleman's. "I know you better than you might think. Though yours may be an impossible face to read, I'm aware of your nature through reputation. You don't commit to anything unless you have something to gain. If I sound like I am judging you, I apologize, it's a mentality I can relate to. However..."

He stepped in closed, a mere meter separated the two of them now, "If you betray her, I will kill you."

 

[Terratina.]

"I'll be spotting for you. The abbey's clock tower makes for an adequate vantage point. I will be monitoring the operation from there. Should make for a good perch for you as well. If we have to bale we can quickly reach the ground floor using a rope in the tower."

"Acknowledged, Commander." Jun replied and sank back into thought.

The gears of his mind whirred as the soldier thought more and more about the mission, mainly because a map giving an overview of the mission's location was right in front of him. Wind direction, humility, range... All had be taken into account when taking a shot. And then there was the prospect of having the Commander herself as his spotter. While he couldn't say whether she would do a good job or not, well, there was one thing which bothered him: spotters in sniper teams usually took orders from the sniper, well at least that had been the case during his time at Mwgunghua-i. Jun had certainly did when he was training to become one - the sniper he had been assigned with, along with the rest of his experiences during training, had taught him that was little warmth in the world. In Frostfall, that was certainly true literally and figuratively. Nevertheless, he shoved that worry into the back of his mind. Surely the chain of command would be untouched, spotter or not.

It really didn't matter, anyway. From the sound of it, Jun would be mostly taking out targets of opportunity while in an overwatch position, regardless.

***​

"I don' know what's 'bout ta' go down, but I need ya' to get ta' safety."

"Obviously." Maria sighed, in situations like these, all she could do was hide. All she wanted to do was hide. 'Coward.' She thought to herself, 'Kid's got more courage than a woman nearly double his age.' That little bit of self-deprecation wasn't doing much to ease the tension, nor did it stop the thumping of her heart. Sure, the kid had chosen to run into that cloud of gunfire, however, she couldn't help but worry. Maria did have a heart, after all.

She timidly tried to advance towards the corner of the building she was currently hiding behind, but was stopped by the noisy percussion - each beat a bullet, telling Maria to stop her little march. The explosion nearby only served to accentuate a small fact: it was a war zone out there and if she left cover, she would be riddled with holes. "This isn't your fight... This isn't your fight," Maria whispered to herself as she cradled the snub-nosed revolver and screwed her eyes shut.

Then she realised that was just making things worse. She had to see what was going on, even if it was just quick glances. Well, that was all she could afford to do, given the situation. She bit her lip and shuffled a bit sideways, scanning what she could see of the battlefield. There was so many people involved: that kid, his companion (Lily, was it?), a couple of armed men, and was that Viola? One could say it was rather fitting to have the Gunslinger at a shootout like this, just like those really, really old shows.

The temptation of rushing into the café nudged her mind, but she would resist. After all, there was no point in getting close to the action.

 

[The Funslinger]

"Try to get out of there if you can! Otherwise, hang tight! We'll be there soon! Ruffles, give Parker the signal. We move on their cue."

Ruffles nodded, fiddling with the frequencies. "Parker, get the lead out. We got gunshots, and at least one casualty!"

"---zzzzttt----Roger that, Ruffles. You hold on to yer shit and be ready to move!---zzzztttt----"

Ten seconds after the radio went silent a massive explosion echoed across the streets of Boomhower.

 

[Evrant-Knight]

To hell with this!

Viola dashed into a nearby doorway, taking Hannibal along with her as the shot she had taken drew the attention of several members of Gorgon's mercenary unit; luckily they were mostly using single shot weapons like revolvers and hunting rifles, so there was an increased chance of dodging them. With her back against the wall of the doorway she looked at Hannibal.

"Listen Hannibal, we're going to have to pull back to a better firing position. I'll provide covering fire whilst y-" Viola was about to say 'you' but was interrupted by the sound of a large explosion going off somewhere in the market square. It looked as though the actual radius of it was mostly within the square itself, taking out some of the mercs, though it did kick up a little dust their way, not to mention the noise it gave off.

What in the, who in the hell set that off?

It took a moment or two for Viola to get her bearings straight once more.

"Now that is over, I can carry one speaking. Hannibal, we're going to have to pull back to a position of better cover. I'll provide covering fire whilst you make it to the other side of the street. Run on my mark; Three! Two! One! Go!" At that precise moment, Viola peaked out from behind her partial cover and began firing at the mercs; whilst her intention was to simply force them to stop firing for a moment, if one of them got downed, that was a bonus.

When Viola could see that Hannibal made it across, she holstered her rifle and switched to her twin revolvers, thinking they would be more effective at hitting a target whilst on the move.

Alright then. Three! Two! One! Go!

Viola began running across the street, firing her revolvers down towards the marketplace. Whilst many of the mercs shots flew wide, there was also an equal number that missed her by an inch or less. One managed to even hit her body armour which made Viola stumble a little bit, knocking her hat off in the process. She quickly bent down to pick it up before making it to the other side.

"Well wasn't that fun? Hadn't had a run like that in a while." Viola said to Hannibal with a smile, a part of her was strangely enjoying this surge of adrenaline despite her thoughts of what was going on. Sitting down on the street to catch a breath, she began to reload her weapons.

 

[NinjaDeathSlap]

"If you betray her, I will kill you."

"Perhaps you do not know me as well as you think." The Gentleman replied calmly, still not rising from his prone stance. "This isn't my fight, and yet I have chosen it anyway, and what's more have chosen the side that is vastly outgunned and far less able to reward me for my service. If I were as calculating as you say, then why am I here? It would be so terribly dull though, participating in such a white-wash. This way, things are a lot more interesting; and in a world full of fools and their lackeys trying to unite us all under one broken, worthless banner or the next, what's a man to do but make things just a little more interesting?"

For a moment The Gentleman turned his head, looked to Carlos and smiled.

"Or perhaps I'm just spinning you a good old yarn. In any case, should you ever decide to kill me, I relish the opportunity of watching you try."

===========================================================================================================================

"Hell, I don' even know what th' fuck I'm goin' on about. Jus'... thanks."

"It would seem that you're stuck with me regardless." said Amy, still tending to Florian. "Our mutual friend wishes me to remain here with you for the foreseeable future, and we both know that he tends to get what he wants."

Amy had know doubt that Pixie meant what she said, regardless of what else she may have said, but after the things Amy had been through, she was made of sterner stuff than to melt away now.

 

[Fappy]

"Never said he did, did I? Don't change what the plan is. Shit like this is all about outward image, y'know. He's a man what'll pacify resistance one way or another."

Skinner shrugged, "I suppose, but---" He stopped mid-sentence when Tsubaki opened the door, looking at the three men expectantly. Skinners smiled. "Don't reckon you'd leave a girl hanging like that?"

Tsubaki rolled her eyes and ushered her two subordinates into the backroom. The four members of Samsara stood around a wood table with a large map of the city at its center. Several flags and other markers dotted its surface. Tsubaki pointed to the warehouse where the meeting was to take place, "Vasa's paranoid about a double-cross and has opted to host the conference in the office of an old warehouse on the edge of their territory. No fancy shit, Vasa's nothing if not practical. The office is low and narrow; close to impossible to attack from the outside."

Her hands planted firmly on the table, Tsubaki looked up at her men, "That's why we need to draw him out." Sorting through the documents on the table, she produced Carthage's dossier. "That's where Carthage comes in. The meeting will not go well, but he will appeal to Vasa's position. When the negotiations break down and they part ways, he will attempt to mend the damage done by offering Vasa dinner at his favorite restaurant."

Tsubaki traced her finger from the warehouse out into the street, "We'll wait for them to leave the compound before we initiate our attack. I will be spotting for Jun at the top of the abbey's bell tower. Jun, you're job is to cover for Bryan, who will be attacking them from the street. You're our face Bryan, your only role in this is to show them Wilks-Vine is to blame for this attack. Come in close, kill some of Vasa's men, and get out alive." Looking to Asad, she pointed to a warehouse across the street from the meeting place. "I need you on this roof Asad. You're to initiate the attack and, well, yours is the most important role in all of this. You need to make it look like the intended target was Vasa. Using an RPG, destroy one of the vehicles flanking his and then slip out. You may need to hide inside the warehouse before getting into position as there will likely be a sentry posted there during the meeting."

She'd barely broken a sweat before she paused to gauge her team, "Any questions so far?"

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"I hope people miss them. I hope people hate and blame me for killing them. And I hope people grieve for them. And they're just corpses now. Like him. Who gives a fuck about the body? Its just a body. Like all 50 of those fuckers we killed yesterday."

The two men stared each other down in silence. Rodrigo's grin had long since vanished. Eventually, he gave a weak chuckle, "You're one sick fuck, you know that? You're right, some of those men did have mothers and fathers; wives and sons. And yeah, they will miss them. You know who I miss?" Rodrigo same in close, his forehead nearly touching Aesop's. "I miss my fuckn' brothers, you get me?! That queen ***** of yours? Yeah, she's killed three of my brothers, you know that? Two of them a few years back. Another... she shot him dead in the desert just a few days ago. Maybe you remember?"

Rodrigo removed an enormous bowie knife from a sheath on his belt and pressed the tip of the blade against Aesop's cheek, "Fuck intel. Maybe I should just send her your head."

Randy furrowed his brow and stepped forward, "No, Rodrigo! He may still have---" Randy's words were suddenly drowned out by deafening blast that shook the whole building. Staggering against the windowsill, Randy regained his composure quickly. "That sounded like it came from the eastern outpost!"

Wide-eyed, Rodrigo's head snapped towards the hulking bandito that had watched over Aesop earlier, "Jorge! Have Enrique send a team over there!" Jorge nodded in silence. "Have the men fan out and form a perimeter around the compound, the blast may have been a diversion!" And with that, Jorge bolted out the door.

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Bennie grinned as the blast sent tremors through the streets of Boomhower. The explosion was deafening, but oh, so sweet. After giving Cameron a swift nod, he barked into his radio, "GET INTO POSITION! ONCE THE FIRST CONVOY LEAVES THE PARAMETER WE GO IN HOT, GOT THAT!?"

Not waiting for a reply, he and Cameron sprinted across the street and into the nearest alley, guns drawn. Weaving in and out of its winding, degraded streets, the pair took cover against an old brick wall on the edge of the Boro. Well within the compound's parameter, they'd be lucky if they didn't have a sentry walk in on them. Pressing his back against the wall, Bennie peered around the corner. Several banditos had taken up positions around the manor. No sign of a convoy yet.

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"Or perhaps I'm just spinning you a good old yarn. In any case, should you ever decide to kill me, I relish the opportunity of watching you try."

Carlos returned the smile before laughing, "You know, I like you!" Watching Pixie's crawler speed off, he looked to the Gentleman. "Perhaps we can continue this stimulating conversation on the road? It appears our queen means to leave us behind."

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"It would seem that you're stuck with me regardless. Our mutual friend wishes me to remain here with you for the foreseeable future, and we both know that he tends to get what he wants."

Pixie shrugged, "I'd be lie'n if I did'n say I rather like this arrangement." She shot Amy a forced smile, though she'd only be able to see it in her eye. It almost seemed like she'd attempted to flirt, but her voice was raspy and the inflection was all wrong. Pixie shut herself up for awhile after that. Amy was too sharp to deceive. She'd have easily been able to see right through Pixie's poor excuse for a mask. The pain she felt was evident enough in her wavering voice alone.

Soon after, Pixie's eye found its way to Florian. He looked like hell, but his color was returning and his breathing had become stronger. She rested a hand on his forehead. He was cold, "Jus' hang in there, Florian. Everythin'll be okay." She whispered as she ran her fingers through his hair. "I've been meanin' ta' apologize to you, Amy."

Pixie looked back towards the road, placing two hands on the wheel. Might as well talk about this now. Any sidebar distraction was better than letting her rage fester, "I reckon this may sound weird, but I'm sorry 'bout the other night. I know it's yer job'n all an' ya' probably didn' even think twice about it, but..." Pixie looked back at Amy. The closest thing Amy could think to describe the look she gave her was that of sympathy. A cold, distant sympathy. "Ya' spent yer entire life getn' used like that. Hell, I reckon even Gents jus' uses you like he does everyone else." She paused, not satisfied with her words. "I reckon what I'm tryn' ta' say is that I know how it feels. I know what it's like ta' be treated like an object. I know what it's like ta' be used."

Pixie sighed. This was coming out all wrong. She never was any good at talking to people, "Look, what I'm tryn' ta' say is that I'm sorry I ain't better'n everyone else. There oughta be someone in this world that's will'n ta' look out fer you without the promise'a gettin' somethin' in return. It's not fair, ya' know? I..."

Stop it. Just, stop it.

What was this, now? She slept with her to make herself feel better and now, what? Now she wanted to extend unconditional love to a girl she hardly knew? Had the absence of her child made her long for a replacement? For someone else to fill the void? Pixie was sick. She was sick in the head, and she knew it. She knew that, no matter what she said to Amy, it would be wrong.

Pixie saw herself in Amy, that much was clear. They'd suffered through similar trials and had been shaped by them. Both had within them a a powerful conviction, fueled by a need to make the world suffer just as they had. Or at least, that's what Pixie thought anyway.

Perhaps she was just looking for a means to validate her own twisted mind. How many ways did she mean to use this girl? If not on a physical level, surely on an emotional one. And there it was.

STOP IT!

It was no use. She'd already receded into the depths of her own self deprecating psyche. If she wasn't to rage against her enemies and imagine their slow, painful deaths, she'd spend her time pondering her emotional shortcomings. This wasn't fair to Amy. Everything about Amy Pixie had managed to make about herself.

Closing her eye, Pixie offered a sad laugh, "Be honest with me, Amy. Do ya' look down on people like me? Ya' know, the type 'a people so far gone others consider 'em 'beyond help'. 'A lost cause'." Pixie's sad laugh warped into a genuine grin. "That's right, yer an information broker, right? Alright, how 'bout this: you answer me truthfully an' I'll tell y'all any one thin' ya' wanna know. Nothin's off the table."

 

[Daystar Clarion]

Spoiler: GOTTA GO FAST!

Lilith clenched her jaw as she felt several shots hit the table, quite the situation she found herself in. Quickly flipping open the cylinder of her revolver, she replaced the spent round, "Gonna need more than six shots." She said to herself, the corners of her mouth curled upwards, "Now this is my kind of fi-"

"Luck's a fickle mistress. Don't go doing something dumb, now. Just how long do you think the kid's gonna last if I perforate the fuck outta you? How do you think he's gonna hold up?"

'Jake?!'

No, not Jake, this man had a cruel face, the hesitation had cost her though. Her eyes wide, Lilith kept her weapon low.

'What now Lil! Think!'

"The kid's a lot smarter than you give him credit, smarter than you dumb wankers." Her eyes narrowed, if she was going to make her move, she needed to do it fast.

Amongst the cacophony of sounds behind her, two shots sounded clearly within the confines of the cafe, her armed assailant grunted in surprise as he ducked back out into the alley. In the corner of the room, A man placed his newspaper on his table as he got to his feet, a huge grin slowly crossed Lilith's, she'd recognise that shiny head anywhere.

"I've got our flank."

'Of course Merry would send someone to keep an eye on us.' She quickly thought, "Yes sir!" she replied playfully as she turned her attention back to the hail of bullets raining against the makeshift cover she found herself trapped behind. "This isn't going to hold out forever." She muttered to herself, as the metal of the table began to deform under the barrage.

Keeping her eyes on her flanks, she anxiously awaited an opening to return fire. From the sounds of it, another party had gotten involved, maybe the local law enforcement, either way any distraction was a welcome one.

"LILY! OVER HERE! THIS WAY'S CLEAR!"

'No, please, not here...'

Lilith's expression changed notably at the sound of the boy's voice, searching frantically for its origin. There! By the side exit, in the door frame.

"Axel?! What the he-" Clapping a hand to her ear, she winced painfully as a deafening explosion tore through the air behind her. It was close, too close, but whatever it was must have bought them a momentary distraction. Her ears ringing, the sound around her had dulled to a whisper as she quickly staggered to her feet. "Haul arse!" She shouted to Tobin as she began to sprint towards to Axel.


-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Asad crossed his arms across his chest as Tsubaki went over the details of the operation.

"I need you on this roof Asad. You're to initiate the attack and, well, yours is the most important role in all of this. You need to make it look like the intended target was Vasa. Using an RPG, destroy one of the vehicles flanking his and then slip out. You may need to hide inside the warehouse before getting into position as there will likely be a sentry posted there during the meeting."

Asad furrowed his brow, seemed simple enough, providing the intel was reliable. The real difficulty would be the extraction.


"Any questions so far?"

"How reliable is this intel?" His expression hardened.

 

[NinjaDeathSlap]

"It appears our queen means to leave us behind."

"So it would seem." agreed The Gentleman, pushing himself to his feet, dusting the ash from his clothes and disassembling his rifle. Unfortunately, it would seem that Austin would be living another day.

===========================================================================================================================

Amy listened in silence as Meredith clumsy apology stumbled out. It was indeed strange. Meredi.th had taken nothing from her that Amy hadn't given willingly. For the longest time, none of what she said touched her.

"I know what it's like ta' be used."

That did. Behind Amy's flawless composure, a flash of fire roared through her conciousness. No, she had no idea. Amy doubted that Meredith could comprehend it even if she knew the truth. Over their last day together, Amy reckoned she could deduce exactly how Meredith had been used, and it wasn't the same. It wasn't even close.

"Do ya' look down on people like me?"

What a strange question. 'I'm a whore, Meredith.' Amy wanted to say. 'Even the most expensive, most coveted whore in the world is less than the world's worst thief. I have no cause to look down on anyone.'

She wouldn't though. No-one applies value to a person who does not value themselves, and it was Amy's value that kept her alive.

"you answer me truthfully an' I'll tell y'all any one thin' ya' wanna know. Nothin's off the table."

"We're all lost causes here Meredith." she replied earnestly. "It's the world we live in that's beyond help. We can't cure it, the most we can do is dull the pain, one person at a time."

The silence hung in the air for a minute, before Amy spoke again.

"Does revenge make it easier for you?" she asked quietly. "When you've paid someone back for their crimes, how does it make you feel?"

 

[Fappy]

"How reliable is this intel?"

Tsubaki remained silent for a time, staring down at the map before her, "Reliable enough." She looked back up at Asad. "Stay sharp. If something goes wrong early on we abort the mission. If we're already committed... we cut our losses using any means necessary." There wasn't a hint of emotion in her voice.

***********************************************************************************************************************************************************

"We're all lost causes here Meredith. It's the world we live in that's beyond help. We can't cure it, the most we can do is dull the pain, one person at a time."

"Where there's a will there's a way, Pixie. These people are worth defending! This world is worth saving!"

Pixie bowed her head as a familiar face crept into her thoughts. The face of a woman she'd failed in more ways than she could count.

"Does revenge make it easier for you? When you've paid someone back for their crimes, how does it make you feel?"

Being pulled back to realty, Pixie blinked stupidly before chuckling, "How does it make me feel?" Her sad giggle quickly warped into a cynical laugh. As her laughter faded she straightened up and wiped a tear from her eye. Eventually, she continued. "I don' reckon I feel anythin', sweetheart." She glanced back at the girl. "To me, people never stop pay'n fer their crimes. There ain't nothin' I can do ta' them that'll make the pain go away. The thought of it? Thinkn' of their demise is cathartic enough, but the actual doin'?"

She turned her gaze back towards the road, "When a man takes the life'a my friend I stick a cold knife deep in ta' their gut an' I look 'em in the eye. I watch the life drain from their face. I listen to their pathetic squeals as they beg fer mercy. Sometimes I say nothin'. Sometimes I mock them in their final moments. Eventually... they die. But it's always too soon, Amy. It's never enough. Their misery... their death don' bring that friend back. In the end I jus' made another corpse, nothin' more."

Popping open the glove compartment, Pixie reached in and produced a flask. After screwing off the top she took a swig and wiped the booze from her lip with her forearm, "To answer yer question: no. No, Amy, it don' make it any easier. But, you know, I can' help doin' it. It consumes me think'n there are those out there who I hadn' paid back yet, an' even if I don' feel shit after puttn' 'em down I'm still gonna do it. It's what I know. I reckon it's one of the two reasons I even bother suffern' another minute in this rotted-to-fuck world."

 

[ProtoChimp]

Hannibal did everything he was told by Viola. He knew by her reputation of her experience and certainly handled things professionally. From other times Hannibal had to temporarily hang with bounty hunters or bandits or anyone who's job was violence really, they all had an immature nature to them. Viola didn't. She was the only one she had met that stayed professional and didn't suddenly stop during a job to beat up someone who looked at her sideways, or stop to have a drink while following someone, it was comforting actually, knowing they were totally focused on the job and wouldn't be distracted by some vice. Plus she actually seemed like a good person, either that or the more preposterous idea that this was all an elaborately drawn out act to do something dreadful to him. Even Hannibal wasn't that paranoid.

But he still didn't trust her, even if she did make him feel more comfortable than anyone had in a long time. When she was frustrated she just sighed at him, rather than cut him or... or take off his...

Hannibal had absolutely no trouble keeping up with the Gunslinger. Despite his lack of strength he was extraordinarily fast. He didn't know why but he was certainly not one to question a gift. Hell he never really questioned anything unless it put him in danger, though in his life most things did.

As they travelled he noticed there were less and less people. Not that he minded but... there weren't enough. What was this? What was going... he knew. He knew what was going on. He knew exactly what was happening. He sighed as he knew today would be yet another day were bullets flew and bodies dropped.

"You might want to keep your head down or find cover for this next bit Hannibal. Things are about to get messy."

Of course they would. He quickly ducked behind the nearest cover of a doorframe as she engaged in the firefight. However she had the same idea and pulled him nearer inside for cover. He was listening to her words but soon his ears were ringing and every part of his body shook, his bones, his organs, his brain. He could barely hear, and all he could see was Viola.

"...annibal, we're going to have to pull back to a position of better cover. I'll provide covering fire whilst you make it to the other side of the street. Run on my mark; Three! Two! One! Go!"

Despite his state he knew when to run. Hell she was still saying the word "Go!" by the the time he was already halfway across the street. He ducked behind cover and watched her as she was shooting down the street while running. He put his hand into his 'pockets', reaching for his gun. 6 shots... yet he has never been able to fire a single one. The thought of hurting another person, no matter who they were, made him sick to his stomach.

"Well wasn't that fun? Hadn't had a run like that in a while."

"Fun?" Hannibal asked confused to all hell. "I always have to run like that its not fun!" Was he irritated at her? Or just scared. Who the hell could enjoy violence. He really had no idea how anyone could enjoy ending the life of another... as he slowly pulled out his gun.
===========================================================
"Maybe you remember?"

Despite not being there at the time, Aesop had to make a pop at Rodrigo's expense. "Nah I don't remember. I don't waste my time remembering the people who don't matter." He grinned widely as he could see the rage building up behind Rodrigo's eyes. The thought of getting to such a 'bad man' made Aesop feel awesome inside. Nothing could fucking bring him down now. Even death, even being cut to bits couldn't kill him now, he was fucking immortal!

"Fuck intel. Maybe I should just send her your head."

"Go ahead, this head doesn't know shit, other than a bunch of jokes about dead Santiago's." Aesop giggled, a high pitched giggle like a small child. Suddenly he was knocked onto the side, screaming in pain as his ribs hurt like hell but afterwards he laughed like he had just heard the funniest joke in the world.

"That sounded like it came from the eastern outpost!"

"They're heeeeerrrrreeeeeeee..." Aesop spoke quietly and winked at Randy.

"Have the men fan out and form a perimeter around the compound, the blast may have been a diversion!

"What's the matter? Is Mr Santiago scared?" Aesop laughed wildly and coughed up blood. Yep, probably a busted rib or two, yet the pain it... it tickled him. "For all these men you got, they got nothing on the... what? How many guys did I say there were when I squealed? Cos that many are gonna bend you over a fucking table and take turns raping your worthless ass after they wipe out your whole fuckin' crew!" He spat out blood onto the floor. "Maidens are comin' mother fucker. Though take solace knowing me and Randy will die with 'em." He looked up to Randy. "They don't like rats ya see?"

The shame of giving information and being killed because of it, it comforted him. He knew he deserved to die.
======================================
"Come on Isabel. Its gonna be okay its gonna be okay." Franklin spoke to his girlfriend.

Meanwhile Austin was on the other side of the bed she was laying on, mirroring Franklin exactly. "Listen to your brother Isabel, it will all be alright." He stroked her hair. "I'm proud of you, we all are darling we all are. Isn't that right Franklin?"

The temptation to not leap over his beloved and break Austin's nose even further was crippling as Franklin shook with rage. He tried to cover it as nerves though. "Yes," he said through gritted teeth. "I'm proud of you Isabel... sister..."

Austin noticed his shaking and mistook it for concern. "Franklin you don't need to be here, your sister will be alright, go on lookout. Pretenders may be coming for us."

"Bu-"

"Go. My son please, just let the your brothers and sisters here work. They know how to deliver a child and take care of her." He put a hand on his shoulder. "Its lovely to see how much you care about her."

His brain was on fire. He wanted to murder the bastard right then and there. "Yes father." He snatched his breathing mask off a nearby table and walked past the doctors and nurses as he made his way outside into the lookout position. He was the only one there. He pulled some binoculars out of his bag and looked out into the distance. Franklin couldn't keep focused as he thought of his girlfriend, but out there in the roasting ash he could see a dust cloud kicking up in the distance. Was it a mirage? His vision playing on him? Or a person.

'No. No! Fuck off go away they'll kill you they'll kill you!'

Thankfully the dust cloud disappeared. Must have just been his vision. He couldn't stay here forever. He needed to get out. He didn't know who 'mother' was, but he did know. Austin would be attacking someone, and using the ship to do it. Depending on who they were they didn't stand a chance. He hoped and prayed for someone, anyone, a maiden, an assassin, hell a sandstorm to whisk Austin into the air and tear him to pieces. This was hell, he and Isabel needed to get away, he didn't know how, but they needed to. They just needed to.

 

[Evrant-Knight]

"Fun?" Hannibal asked, confused and possibly angry at what Viola had said. "I always have to run like that its not fun!"

"Sorry." Viola said immediately in response, her voice sounding sincere in the apology. She propped her rifle on the wall beside her, resting her hat on the end of the barrel for a moment as she looked up at the sky.

"That was a poor choice of words on my part. What I meant to say was, that it's been a long while since I traded shots with people of such skill as these mercenaries. If I'm being honest, this wasn't exactly how I imagined things panning out, then again in my line of work, you have to suspect anything could be possible." Viola remarked, the sounds of gunshots still going off in the distance as she turned her head to face Hannibal directly.

"Believe me when I say I don't get kick out of this, I don't derive any sort of perverse pleasure from taking a life; I usually try to do things without shooting first and asking questions later, but the situation is different right now. However, there was one big exception to that rule, but the man in question did me a grave injustice. I suppose I was younger then, more brash than I am now as well." Viola said, a tear almost coming to her eye as she put an arm around Hannibal.

"Listen, Hannibal, you've got a good man inside of you, just hasn't been given the chance to shine; but I guess life has dealt you a crap hand so far. How about we change that after this hmm?" Viola said with a smile as she removed her arm, taking up her rifle once more, and putting her hat atop her head. Peaking her head around the corner, she saw that the mercs were still there and still shooting.

Breathing a sigh, she leveled her rifle, ready to fire.

"Hannibal, could you do me a favor, watch my back in case anyone tries firing on us from behind."

 

[NinjaDeathSlap]

Amy wasn't sure how she felt about the answer. She wasn't sure what she had expected, truth be told. She hadn't felt anything either, that night when she finally grasped the opportunity to pay back those men; but then again, they had been asleep, drugged by her. It had been the easiest thing in the world to draw the knife across their throats, one by one. The months of planning, and waiting, while they did as they pleased with her, that had been the hard part. Perhaps it would have been different, had she given them the chance to beg, to snivel and cry at the feat of the little girl they'd kept chained as less than a dog.

She had thought she was free of them, in that moment. Free of being taken by force, only to end up giving herself away for the first time just days later, in exchange for just enough carbon to feed herself that night.

"Meredith..." Amy said eventually, her voice quiet. "There's no need to apologise for what happened between us. I enjoyed it. However, if you truly are sorry then there is one thing you can do, or rather steer clear of doing. Never try to fix me Meredith. Don't ever try and make me right, just like you want to do for this world. I understand that you're no stranger to suffering, but trust me... there are places in my past that neither of us want to go."

 

[Ruedyn]

Tobin

"Bastards, I hadn't even finished my tea."

'Oh my, hasn't THIS escalated quickly.'

Tobin groaned, he didn't want to get into a gun fight. This wouldn't even end up in any sort of payment, every shot he'd have to fire would come directly out of his own wealth. And, since it seemed diplomacy wasn't going to be an option anyways, one of the figures was shot nearly on the spot by his accented friend. So far, he seemed to gather they were a warrior race obsessed with food and tea.

He drew his revolver, more men joined the fray, a few on their side. A bald man, some couple of people with guns, even the kid from last night. If he knew how to shoot like he did punch, this could be over quickly, at least. An explosion ripped through the air, Tobin winced and covered his ears, so far he hadn't needed to shoot at least. Lilith got up beside him, already scampering off,

"Haul arse!"

"Brilliant plan right there!" Tobin muttered, following close behind with his pistol out. Damned long legs...
________________________________________________________________________________________________
Vergil

"Try to get out of there if you can! Otherwise, hang tight! We'll be there soon! Ruffles, give Parker the signal. We move on their cue."

'Like I would risk going out there.'

"Hanging tight, over." Vergil muttered, preparing for the boom. Yet, he could hear voices in the room next door, seemed the crowd had gone silent. Something was wrong... The boy pressed his ear against the wall, listening to see if he could make out any of the words.

[sub][sub]"You're one sick fuck, you know that? You're right, some of those men did have mothers and fathers; wives and sons. And yeah, they will miss them. You know who I miss?[/sub][/sub][sub] I miss my fuckn' brothers, you get me?![/sub] [sub][sub]That queen ***** of yours? Yeah, she's killed three of my brothers, you know that? Two of them a few years back. Another... she shot him dead in the desert just a few days ago. Maybe you remember?"[/sub][/sub]

[sub][sub]"Fuck intel. Maybe I should just send her your head."[/sub][/sub]

[sub][sub][sub]"No, Rodrigo! He may still have---"[/sub][/sub][/sub]

*BOOM*

"Gah, fuck!" Vergil forgot about the explosions, he got too invested in the drama. Idiot move, idiot move, he heard orders being shouted, they were fanning out. Quick reactions from the leader, but they had to order an entire compound. 2 minutes, Vergil guessed. He'd have to see about using that. Maybe try and get the prisoners to something like safety? He dug his hand into his bag, pulling out some firecrackers. Vergil snuck up to the door, looking through the crack. Movement, but mostly getting men to correct positions...

"Top floor is pretty empty, going to try and rescue a prisoner. Might not end well. If you ever meet Lilith without me, tell her she's a slag. Over."

He sneaked out of the room to next door, looking nonchalant after pulling his hood up. He straightened himself up, fiddling with his bandages. It was time to be a hero, or something like it... Vergil quietly pulled out his lighter, sparking it with a single motion. He held it up to the fuse, watching it burn for a few seconds.

"They don't like rats ya see?"

"Nice burn. Here's another." Vergil lobbed the strand of explosives at the Santiago, all quickly bursting and crackling on his clothing.

'Step two, try not to die.' Vergil drew his switchblade, looking between the two. Randy drew his weapon, but the boy wonder was quick, dashing... right back out the door, lobbing more fireworks inside, listening to them crackle and pop under his foes. He really hoped everyone was clear of the hallways...

 

[Fappy]

"Meredith..."

Pixie kept her eyes on the empty wasteland ahead. Strengthening her grip around the steering wheel, she braced herself for Amy's words.

"There's no need to apologise for what happened between us. I enjoyed it. However, if you truly are sorry then there is one thing you can do, or rather steer clear of doing. Never try to fix me Meredith. Don't ever try and make me right, just like you want to do for this world. I understand that you're no stranger to suffering, but trust me... there are places in my past that neither of us want to go."

Pixie didn't respond for awhile. It was important she consider her words more carefully going forward. If she misspoke now she may never get a chance to see the real Amy. And despite what Amy'd been saying, Pixie did want to know what was under that mask.

It was best she let her off easy. Humor her. But then, she wasn't about to lie to the girl.

Glancing back at her, she rested her right hand on Amy's and spoke softly, "You have my word, sweetheart. I don' reckon I wanna fix you none anyway." Pixie giggled. "I like ya' jus' the way you are." Giving Amy's hand a firm squeeze, she turned towards the road once more. "But listen, Amy... you have ta' know ya' can' run from yer past fer'ever. At some point yer gonna have ta' face it. It has a funny habit'a catchn' up ta' ya' when ya' least expect it, an' believe me... you'll regret it if yer not prepared fer it."

I'm live'n proof'a that.

She sighed, "Anyway, jus' know I ain't gonna push ya', okay? I've got enough skeletons a' my own ta' worry 'bout, anyway." She mused.

*******************************************************************************************************************************************************

Spoiler: Just Keep It Going For the Next Three Characters XD

Bennie fingered his radio as a group of five crawler passed them by, "Spotted a convey leavin' the compound. If you spot a gap in their parameter, take that chance to breach the building. Over." Just as soon as he'd taken his finger off the radio Vergil chimed in.

"Top floor is pretty empty, going to try and rescue a prisoner. Might not end well. If you ever meet Lilith without me, tell her she's a slag. Over."

Bennie and Cameron exchanged dumbfounded looks before he quickly barked back into the radio, "Wait, what are---" A few blasts could be heard coming from inside the manor. What the hell was that kid thinking? Bennie peeped back around the ruined wall to see a few banditos venturing inside to check out the disturbance.

There it is.

Bennie looked to Cameron as she handed him a 9mm with a silencer attached, "You good backing me up from here?"

Cameron smirked, "It'll do, Carmine." Crouching down beside the wall, Cameron looked down the scope of her rifle. "Ready when you are."

Bennie nodded and whispered into his radio, "I'm headin' inside. Maintain radio silence." After the two exchanged swift nods, Bennie ran out from behind the wall. Two banditos spotted him from atop a hill as soon as he'd taken his first step onto the lawn. Before they could level their weapons, however, Bennie had fired his twice, catching them both between the eyes in quick succession. The silencer muffled the shots just enough to be drowned out by the blasts within the manor.

Bennie continued up the hill to the compound's garage without further incident. Throwing himself against a nearby wall, he slowly crept along the side, towards the entrance of the garage when a gunshot suddenly echoed through the street. Looking behind him, Bennie spotted a body ragdoll no more than 5 meters from where he stood, "Thanks." Bennie whispered, nodding in Cameron's direction.

Despite saving his ass, she'd likely blown his cover. Quickly, Bennie shoved the pistol into his belt and slung his shotgun from over his shoulder. As he'd predicted, a group of banditos came running around the corner from inside the garage. Three shotgun blasts later and Bennie was inside the garage. No more hostiles in sight. Hitting his radio once more, Bennie chuckled, "I think I got their attention. You two should have a clear path to the front door now. Over."

*******************************************************************************************************************************************************

"WHAT THE FUCK!?!?" Randy and Rodrigo shouted in unison as small balls of fire detonated all around them. Before he could clear the doorway, however, Randy spotted the kid and drew his weapon. "WHERE THE FUCK DO YA' THINK YER GOIN'!?" With reckless abandon, the pissed off rat went out into the hallway and after the kid.

His jacket aflame, Rodrigo struggled to removed it as it licked his flesh, "GOD FUCKN' DAMMIT!" He screamed as he crashed against the wall struggling, dropping his revolver on the ground. By the time he'd removed his jacket and shirt Aesop was on his feet and eyeballing the gun that lay between them. "FUCK!" Rodrigo screamed as he dived forward, grasping for the rogue weapon.

*******************************************************************************************************************************************************

Cranston scrambled past a hail of gunfire as he crossed the gap between the backdoor and the alleyway. He knew he hadn't completely crippled the young man and it was clear that, despite Landon's injuries, he'd fight on. Throwing himself against the brick wall, Cranston shouted to his adversary over the gunfire, "Turn back, Landon! I'll give you this one chance! I don't want to have to tell Jake I spilled his family's blood!"

 

[ProtoChimp]

Isabel's pain wasn't getting any better, being in labour for hours now, these were just the early stages. Who knew how long they would be.

"Father," Spoke Oliver as he burst into the medical room. "We can't get them to co-operate at all. Even our engineers can't work to get this ship off the ground."

Austin sighed as Isabel squeezed his shoulder. "That is because, despite how much we hate it, these pretenders know more about the mechanical workings of this vessel than any of us." His hand trailed to Isabel's shoulder. "I will be back, I just need to sort something quickly. I am proud of you baby."

"Please, please send Franklin, I need him here please please." Isabel spoke through grunts and wheezes as she felt a pain unlike any she had ever felt before.

"Of course, you two are the few that realise that brother and sister can love each other and birth more of my sons and daughters. When we rise, you will lead by example." Austin stood proudly, despite his destroyed hand and still fucked up nose.

Isabel meanwhile felt nothing but shame. She couldn't be a part of his 'uprising', she just couldn't, and Franklin was NOT her brother. And this baby was NOT Austin's!

She simply screamed out however in physical pain, her emotional trauma being masked by the early stages of childbirth. Austin made his way out of the room as he followed Oliver, passing a guard on the door he said, "Send for Franklin, his sister needs him." The guard went almost the second he was told.

"How is your hand and nose father?" Asked his most responsible child, Oliver.

"It is... when we tell your siblings we must break the news softly. Your brothers and sisters who worked on my hand think that I won't be able to use it for a long time... possibly never." Austin was ashamed of himself as he spoke.

Oliver had stopped dead in his tracks. "But what of-"

"You shall play my guitar during the funeral my son." Austin placed his bad hand onto the young man's shoulder, wincing as he did so, while hope and confusion filled the boy's eyes. "Don't worry. You are ready my boy. When I pass on from this world you will be the one to lead my children. You will teach our family how to become adults. You are... you are..." the words came hard out of Austin's mouth, yet love was the most prominent emotion. "You are nearly an adult yourself, my boy."

Oliver was nearly in tears of happiness from the praise of his father. "Thank... thank you father... um, the engineers?"

"Right, take me too them." Austin spoke as the continued walking towards the mess hall were the engineers had been moved, there were dead bodies strewn across the floor. All maidens, whether they died there or not they had been moved there by the family as an intimidation tactic to the engineers. Three of them sat there on the tables, as one lay face down on the floor. Still alive. "It appears none of you wish to die quickly!" Boomed Austin as he took in their faces. He didn't need their ages, his law was 'if you look like a pretender at first glance, you are one.' The same rule applied to his children, though he had been known to kill any 'children' who turned out to be 'pretenders'.

"Look." Austin spoke softly changing his tone, however as he did he stomped his head atop the engineer on the floor, killing him instantly. "You are in a rare position. You are pretenders, yet I will allow you to live long enough to allow this ship to fly... except you." Austin pointed towards the youngest of the engineers. "You are but a boy... please don't become a pretender."

The engies were filled with anger, having seen their cohort's head crushed beneath Austin's boot. "You seriously think we'll do what you say YOU CULTISH FUCKIN-"

Austin knocked the man flat onto his back, right off the table with a powerful big boot to the face. "Fine let me put it this way." Using his good hand he picked the man up by his hair. "If you don't do what I say, I will have my eldest children take turns breaking your body. Then I will have my teenage children take turns raping your body, you know how they are at that age. Then I will have my youngest children take turns eating your body, with the parts still attached of course."

Eyes widened but they all laughed at Austin. "You wouldn't have your kids do all that rape and eatin' stuff. Tha's fucked up even for you."

"GOOD CHILDREN DO WHAT THEY ARE TOLD! Now this pretender pays the price." Austin threw the man onto the floor and snapped his fingers as his eldest set to work beating the man to a bloody pulp. "I need to go and look around the ship, after 15 minutes switch. If they die during, switch to another until they are all dead, but if they respond keep them alive to do their jobs." They wouldn't be able to watch their fellow maidens become destroyed like that, they just wouldn't.

Austin set off along the walkways of the ship, followed suit by a few guards. His first stop was that of the head engineer. "The best engineer is apparently out on some kind of mission. His room is around here father.