Chapter Six
He was led as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before its shearers is silent, so He opened not His mouth. - Isaiah 53:7
* * * *
Soft soothing music could be heard coming from the magnificent Hotel De Labelle in Venice, a city in western Italy.
The lights that decorated the outside of the hotel seemed almost mythical and magical-like, lighting up the hotel as well as the pathways for the guests. Many politicians as well as several members of Italy’s wealthiest families were making their way to the ballroom of the hotel, all in formal wear.
The parking valets of the hotel were helping to park the cars of the guests who had arrived for the party in the ballroom of Hotel De Labelle. It was going to be a grand party and dance with many important politicians as well as people from the wealthiest families around the globe present, and as such, security was tight, judging from the number of guards in black suits and dark sunglasses in the ballroom.
Music floated in the ballroom, and the few gigantic fish aquariums which had been placed around the ballroom for decorative purposes, the fishes in them swimming around, feeling the vibration of the music that resonated through the water.
The organisers of the party had the entire ballroom decorated beautifully with the theme colours of the party – royal blue and silver. Flowers and sashes were elegantly tied everywhere. Golden lights lit up the entire room, and the floor had been cleaned and waxed to perfection, carefully prepared by the organisers of the party to prevent injuries.
The party was soon well underway, and the guests were waltzing around the ballroom floor, swaying to the music. A blonde man with his hair gelled and slicked back, wearing a white suit, could be seen conversing with a number of important politicians well-known in Italy and America.
Hollander Schwandretz was trying to get as much support from as many of the politicians currently present at this party as possible. Two of his bodyguards were standing a little way away from him, and yet, not too far away to prevent them from doing their jobs properly.
“Hollander! How are you?” said a rather burly looking man with cropped black hair, wearing a black and gray suit, speaking in Italian. “I’ve heard that you’re in the running for the elections for the President of the United States of America. I wish you good luck in the election.”
“Thank you very much,” said Hollander Schwandretz politely, replying back in Italian fluently, a glass of champagne in one hand. “Naturally, I don’t intend to give up without a fight.”
The man laughed boisterously. “That’s the spirit!” he said, clapping Hollander on the shoulder. “But for tonight, just relax and let loose. All the people here are good friends. Enjoy yourself as much as you can.”
“Italy…it truly is paradise indeed,” said Hollander to himself, placing his half-drank glass of champagne on a passing waiter’s tray, and looking around the ballroom, only to spy a lone young woman who didn’t seem to be older than twenty or so, standing by herself at one of the tables, sipping a glass of champagne.
The young woman’s silky black locks cascaded down to the middle of her back, and she was wearing a red spaghetti strap dress with slits on either side of it, exposing her legs. A silver scarf wound around her neck with the rest of the scarf trailing down her side completed her look. And almost like she’d sensed Hollander staring at her, she turned around, and Hollander Schwandretz was captivated by the innocence shining in those doe-like eyes as she smiled at him sweetly.
‘Well now…’ thought Hollander to himself with a smirk. ‘What do we have here?’
As Hollander made his way over to that mysterious woman, he felt a strange pull drawing him towards this woman.
“First time here, milady?” asked Hollander politely in Italian.
“What gave me away?” asked the young woman with a shy smile, replying in fluent Italian, placing her glass of champagne on the table, as she turned to face Hollander.
“You’re not socialising with the other guests at this party, for one.” Hollander pointed out, and he smirked inwardly as a light flush covered her cheeks. “Not used to it?”
“Not really.” The young woman admitted. “My brother is supposed to be at this party, but he was taken ill suddenly, and I was sent in place of him. I don’t like parties.”
“My sentiments exactly,” said Hollander before he put out a hand, and the young woman stared at him curiously. “May I have the honours of a dance, milady?”
The young woman smiled and nodded before taking his hand. “It’ll be my honour.”
The two made their way to the middle of the floor, waltzing together with the music among all the other guests on the dance floor. Hollander was surprised to find that his ‘guest’ for that night was a surprisingly good dancer for her age.
“You’re a very good dancer.” Hollander commented, and the young woman laughed.
“You sure have a sweet tongue,” she remarked. “You’re American, aren’t you?”
Hollander smirked. “So you can tell?”
The young woman nodded. “I’ve travelled to America quite a few times with my brother, so I can tell,” she said. “And how can I say it? But you’re a little different from all the other men here.”
“You’re a smooth talker,” said Hollander smugly. “By the way, I still don’t know your name.”
The young woman smiled mysteriously. “Do you want to know?”
“Yes, I do. But it wouldn’t surprise me if you’re a princess from some wealthy family,” said Hollander.
“You give me too much credit,” said the young woman with a mysterious smile tugging at the ends of her rosy-red lips. “Just my name that you want to know? Nothing else?”
‘Looks like we got ourselves a real little seductress here.’ Hollander thought to himself. ‘Well, two can play at that game.’
“I do, of course,” he said, one hand moving down the side of the young woman, further than necessary. “And all other things as well.”
“I see,” said the young woman, a strange glint in her eyes. “Then I shall tell you.” She made her voice low and drawling. “My name is…”
The lights of the ballroom went out just then, and the only lights that could be seen was the strange blue glow illuminating from the various fish aquariums around the ballroom. Hollander’s eyes then widened in horror as he felt the cold metal of what was unmistakably the barrel of a gun pressing against his ribcage where his heart is.
“My name is…Hekate,” said the young woman with a cold smirk on her lips, the innocent and fragile look from moments earlier, disappearing.
Hollander felt shivers run down his spine at this.
She was no innocent princess but a trained assassin, trained to use her body and pretty face to get close to her unsuspecting target.
The silver scarf around the young woman’s neck came undone just then, and Hollander’s eyes widened as he saw the tattoo of a black butterfly on the left side of her neck. And as he glanced down at the hand currently closed around the gun pointing at his chest, he saw the bracelet around her right wrist, a black chain looped three times, from which a silver crescent moon pendant with the Roman numeral thirteen engraved on it.
Hollander’s eyes widened. He knew who this girl was now.
“Y-You…” He managed to choke out even with the gun pressed against his chest. “You’re one of those Hati people…! One of their elites…! A-A Phantom!”
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The smirk stayed on Hekate’s lips. “So you know who I am,” she said. “You’ve sure caused Hati a lot of trouble. A word of warning for the future. Never trust a beautiful woman.” She tightened her hold on the gun and pressed the trigger. An act that had Hollander’s eyes widening in horror. A cold and impassive look was on Hekate’s face. “Hell is waiting for you.”
A gunshot rang out.
* * * *
Less than a minute after the ‘blackout’, the lights came back on again. A loud scream then rang out from a female guest at the party. There was a large pool of blood in the middle of the ballroom, and the body of Hollander Schwandretz was lying in the middle of it. His body crumpled, and his eyes were wide open with fear.
A gunshot wound was clearly visible on his chest.
He was dead.
“Jesus…!”
“Sir! Are you alright? Sir!”
One of Hollander’s bodyguards went towards Hollander’s body and shook him gently, whilst the man who was speaking with Hollander at the start of the party gave the order for the guards to secure the hotel to prevent anyone from leaving the premises.
In the midst of all the confusion, no one noticed a figure slipping out of the ballroom unnoticed. And no one even noticed a young woman wearing a dress for social events slipping into the female bathroom located a little way away from the ballroom. Exiting the bathroom soon after is an eighteen-year-old teen wearing a black slightly off-shoulder shirt and black jeans with a dark blue jacket with a hoodie over it. The teen then chucked a red dress and a black wig into the trash can just outside the bathroom before making her way out of the hotel unnoticed.
“Good work as always, Hekate,” said a soft voice as Yuri Yagami landed on her feet in the dark gardens of the hotel – having made her exit via some window on the first level of Hotel De Labelle.
Yuri was a little startled when she heard the voice, as she hadn’t sensed any other presences. She then looked up and sighed in relief as she saw the unmistakable form of Ren Kamizuki leaning against a nearby lamp post with his arms crossed over his chest, half-hidden in the shadows.
“Ren?” Yuri muttered as she straightened up from her crouch as she landed in the gardens of the hotel. “What are you doing here?”
“I’m here to get you.” Ren replied, walking over to Yuri before both bent down so that their heads were below the windowsill from which Yuri had just clambered out of to prevent anyone from discovering them. “To escort you back to base. I’ve already taken care of the enemies on the way out.”
Yuri snorted at this.
The Elder sent her into a place for an assassination mission where hundreds of people may be shooting at her, trying to kill her, and then he thinks that she can’t get back to headquarters on her own?
“Hardly ever see you dress the way that you did for the mission,” said Ren, amusement dancing in his eyes, and a smirk tugging at the end of his lips.
Yuri scowled inwardly and resisted the urge to smack Ren on the head, knowing that he could hold his own against her quite well. Ren is one of the few in Hati who is comparable in skill to her after all, as the Elder and the captain of the Phantoms wouldn’t pick someone who is weaker than her to be her partner in the Phantoms.
“Shut up, it’s not like I had a choice about it.” Yuri grumbled before glancing around her surroundings only to see that there is a sudden rise in activity in Hotel De Labelle, no doubt due to her recent ‘work’. “Come on, let’s go. We will be found here if we stay any longer.”
“That’s true. Let’s head to the rendezvous point.”
The two Phantoms then started to make their way around the gardens of Hotel De Labelle which were dimly lit, which was to their advantage, as there was less chance of being discovered. Ren was looking left and right for enemies whilst following Yuri who had her gun poised to shoot around every corner that they turned to guard against any dangers or enemies.
The two were nearly out of the hotel’s premises when a large spotlight of the hotel caught the two by surprise, exposing them. Ren cursed.
“Shit!”
“I’ve found them!” said a loud voice in Italian, over a loudspeaker in the hotel’s premises.
Both Ren and Yuri immediately ran for cover as bullets peppered the area where they were both standing in a few moments prior, running for cover behind the stone fountain of the hotel’s garden which provided ample protection for them both.
“I thought you said that you’ve already taken care of them?!” Yuri growled, glaring daggers and knives at Ren who looked embarrassed for a moment, as a particularly powerful bullet smashed in a part of the stone fountain just above their heads where they were both hiding.
“Shut up!” Ren snapped. “It’s not like I expected things to turn out this way!”
All of Yuri’s danger senses kicked in just then, and she immediately grabbed Ren by the arm before ducking around behind the white stone arch in the gardens of Hotel De Labelle. And just in time too, as the stone fountain which they were both hiding behind was suddenly blown to bits.
Ren can’t help twitching his eye when he saw that. “T-They have missiles too?” He yelped in horror. “Since when do mafias obtain weapons like that?!”
Yuri growled as she ducked behind the arch while hundreds of bullets peppered past them. No lack of ammunition for the enemy, and this meant bad news for them.
Major bad news.
“We’ll worry about that later.” Yuri muttered before glancing at her gun.
Yuri’s gun was a beautiful ebony black with the designs of red flames and silver dragons engraved on it. This was the ornamental handgun Odium which is the favoured weapon of the Phantom XIII of Hati, Hekate.
Yuri’s uncle had that gun made specially for her when she had first became an assassin in Hati. The man having trained, and had even taught Yuri everything that she knew about guns, and how to handle them, and he had also taught her how to fight.
Looking at the gun Odium which had been by Yuri’s side for as long as she had began her life as an assassin had her recalling memories long past…memories which she’s buried deep within her after her uncle had died mysteriously on a mission three years ago.
Listen Yuri, and listen well. A gun is not just a weapon. It’s a manifestation of your soul. Your partner. This is the ornamental gun Odium. The brother gun to my Cerberus. It shall be your companion and partner from now on. Treat it well.
Yuri shook herself out of her thoughts and groaned to herself. ‘This is no time to be going down memory lane!’ she thought before loading her gun with bullets quickly and releasing the safety catch on it.
Next to her, Ren was reaching into the pouch hanging by a belt holster around his waist and drawing out a single fingerless black glove. It had Hati’s symbol of a silver crescent moon on the back. A silver rectangle box-like object was also fastened onto the palm area of the glove. Ren then pulled the glove onto his right hand and strapped it on tightly, flexing his fingers.
That glove wasn’t any ordinary glove. That was Ren’s chosen weapon in the Phantoms: Elvigar, from which he would be able to manipulate and control several wires at once, and they’re even strong enough to cut through metal and bone.
Every member of the Phantoms had a specialised weapon they would have fully mastered the use of, and were masters at using it. To be a member of the Phantoms in Hati, there are two requirements. One of which is that you must be stronger than most, and the second is that you must be able to hold your own against an enemy without any assistance.
“I can’t believe that I actually have to use Elvigar against these guys!” Ren grumbled. “It’s an insult to my weapon!”
“Just shut up and use it!” Yuri snapped before the onslaught of bullets stopped, when she ducked out from behind the arch and started shooting at the number of enemies she’d sensed hiding in the darkness.
The screams and groans that greeted her told Yuri clearly enough that she’d hit the target, and killed them. All Phantoms were trained to kill with one lethal blow.
The number of panicked screams and shouts from Ren’s side showed that he had done well too. The trees and ornaments in the gardens were destroyed. Yuri knew that her partner definitely weren’t cutting anyone any slack here.
Yuri was somewhat alarmed by the destruction of the place, and silently prayed that she would not be held answerable for it, as it was after all her mission.
“Damn it, how much longer until the helicopter arrives?” Yuri asked Ren, as she ducked behind the arch and re-loaded her gun, just before the onslaught of bullets began on her side once more.
“It shouldn’t be long now!” Ren answered, not letting up with his onslaught, and it might be Yuri’s imagination, but she could have sworn that the number of enemies that she’d sensed in the garden had tripled.
“I hope that you’re right,” said Yuri, loading the final bullet in her gun. “Because I don’t have too many bullets to spare. I’ve only brought six magazines’ worth, just enough for me to deal with any resistance for this mission if necessary!”
“Fire!”
Both Yuri and Ren heard that same shout at the same time, and the onslaught of bullets on both sides stopped just then. The two then ducked around the arch only to wish that they hadn’t, as they saw the unmistakable sight of a missile heading their way fast, much to their horror.
“Kami-sama…!” Ren muttered in horror, looking as if he was about to faint. “A missile?!”
Yuri was about to pepper the missile with bullets from her own gun, hoping to at least force the missile off-course a little, only to blink as she caught a silver flash out of the corner of her eye.
A silver dagger with a black hilt with the design of silver dragons coiling around it came flying out of nowhere just then, spinning so quickly as it impacted with the missile, that the missile actually split in half down the middle before falling to the ground with a dull clang.
The dagger that had just saved their lives then flew back through the air before being caught by someone descending to the ground with a parachute. The newcomer, a nineteen-year-old male with his hair framing the sides of his face perfectly, with his hair just reaching the nape of his neck, was dressed in a white shirt with a black coat which reached his thighs. He had on black jeans, and dark blue and white sneakers. Even in the dark, Yuri’s sharp eyes could catch the black butterfly tattoo on the side of his neck as well as the silver hoop-like earring that he wore in his left ear, along with the bracelet with the Roman numeral for five engraved on it around his left wrist.
“Eh?” Ren blinked as he recognised the spinning dagger that had just saved both their lives. “That is…the twin spinning daggers, Zeus?” He then looked up into the air and spotted the newcomer, and recognised him immediately. “Tohya?”
‘Very flashy entrance, Tohya.’ Yuri thought sarcastically. ‘Way to catch the enemy’s attention.’
Tohya Tanigawa, Phantom V of the Hati’s elites, as well as the assigned partner of both Ren and Yuri grinned at them as he landed onto the ground safely, releasing the clasps which attached the parachute to his body, and tossed it to the ground.
“Sorry to keep you waiting!” he said cheerfully before he pulled out the second dagger from the pouch around his waist, twirling it in between his fingers. “I’m your backup!”
“Idiot, not like it can make much of a difference.” Ren grunted, getting to his feet as well.
“I know,” said Tohya calmly before drawing out two small black balls with his fingers which Yuri and Ren both recognised as smoke bombs immediately. “Get ready to run. The helicopter is at point 2415. Head there immediately.”
Tohya threw the two smoke bombs at the feet of their enemies which immediately started giving out thick smoke, enveloping the three within a thick smokescreen which enabled them to slip out of the premises of the hotel.
* * * *
Half-an-hour later, Yuri Yagami, Ren Kamizuki, as well as Tohya Tanigawa were seated in the helicopter that Hati had sent for their rescue, heading back to their headquarters in Japan. Ren was currently wrapping a roll of bandage around his left hand which had been grazed by some bullets earlier, and Yuri was wrapping a roll of bandage around the palm of her right hand.
“Why did you come, Tohya?” asked Ren whilst bandaging his wound, the only light visible in the helicopter being the torchlight that Tohya had brought out – every Phantom had an emergency torchlight, complete with a set of tools for emergency purposes. “Not that I’m not thankful for your help, though we would have been fine by ourselves, but why did you come?”
Tohya rolled his eyes slightly at Ren’s refusal to ask for help, and Yuri said nothing, having been used to Ren after having worked with him for three years. Even Tohya only joined them as a Phantom about a year ago, having replaced the former Phantom V who had died on a mission four years earlier.
“The captain sent me.” Tohya stated, and Yuri looked up in interest at this.
“Riou-taichou[1]?” Yuri asked, and Tohya nodded.
“He got worried,” said Tohya. “After Yuri was dispatched to take out Hollander Schwandretz, we received word that Hotel De Labelle where he was confirmed to be at is owned by one of the major drug lords in the underworld, rather well-known in the underworld of both America and Italy. I was the only one available, as all the other Phantoms were out on missions then, and the captain sent me after you guys.”
Yuri sighed. “That explains how the mafia that we ended up facing got their hands on missiles of all things!” she muttered. She rubbed her temples tiredly. “This mission nearly ended up in disaster.”
“Come on, we’re lucky that both you and Ren didn’t ended up getting killed!” said Tohya comfortingly. “The captain won’t blame you for it, and neither would the Elder. They’ve both gotten intel on the job from Italy’s authorities.”
“A cover-up?” Ren guessed, and Tohya nodded. “I knew it.”
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[1] -taichou: Captain or commander in Japanese.