Spectre’s participation in the operation was confirmed, he was heading to Mexico as the past events took place.

He was supposed to receive a batch of objectives on site and get to work. Of course, he had brought his own gear; he never went anywhere without at least one of his weapons, the only guns he knew would never give up on him, because he cleaned, modified and repaired them all by himself.

He thought it would be a simple job, but a phone call was about to change the whole course of the operation before he even got to step into the country.

He picked up the call. – “Yes?”

“Spectre, this is Emilia.”

“Ah, you…What is it? Did Eyler forget to mention anything I should know?”

“Listen, we don’t have much time, you can forget about your current contract.”

Spectre rubbed his temple. – “…Ok…what the fuck happened now?”

“Kirsten identified the leaders of the conspirators. Apparently they are already taking action.”

“Alright…And what are they trying to do now?” -He asked, crossing his legs and holding onto his bag.

“According to Kirsten their main priority is to take all the assassins out of the picture, at least the ones they knew wouldn’t agree to their coup. Given the leaders were high ranking members of the organization, they must know about all current ongoing operations and who is involved in them. In other words, they may be targeting you already.”

Spectre grinned. – “Hah! Sounds fun, if those half-assed pussies think they can bring me down, then so be it, I’ll play.”

“Spectre, think rationally for once, you caveman with a rifle.” -She said, smacking her desk with a closed fist. – “You must not expose yourself to danger more than necessary, facing the enemy head on when you don’t even know who’s a friend or foe is simply suicidal.”

“Don’t worry, darling, I’m a professional. I’ve been through bullshit like this before. Worst case scenario: they already know I’m aware of what’s happening so they’ll wait for the first chance to take me down once I get off this plane. In any case, they are closing in on me, and I assume it must be the same for all the others, so while I’m in this desert abandoned by the hand of God, I’ll do things my way.”

Emilia threw her hands to the air and leaned back on her chair. – “Whatever, when you die and are sucking cocks in hell, don’t blame me for your own stupidity.”

“Never change, Emilia, wouldn’t like you any other way.” - Spectre finished the call and prepared himself for this sudden game of survival. Emilia, on the other hand, stayed there, covering her eyes with her hands, feeling a migraine creeping up.

“Why are assassins such freaking weirdoes?” -She wondered. – “Don’t they appreciate their own lives?”

She then called Jules to inform her, she still had to make another thirty calls and she was already tired.

“Sword? It’s me, Emilia.” -Jules had picked up her phone almost immediately.

“Hey, Emilia, what’s wrong? Do you have an assignment for me?”

“Not this time. Kirsten has obtained the identity of the lead conspirators. They are already on the move, and according to him, their first goal is to get rid of the assassins.”

“Oh… I see…” -She said. Emilia could hear her rummaging through stuff on the background. – “What should I do then?”

“For the time being, lay low. Are you in the headquarters right now?”

“Yeah, Mr. Alquist wanted to meet up with me in the warehouse.”

“What for?” -Asked Emilia. – “Right now is not the time to have secret meet ups, you have to…”

A new call entered the line, it was Alquist. – “Sorry, Jules, give me a minute and I’ll get back to you.” -She answered his call. – “John?”

“Ah, Emilia, I thought I should put you up to speed on this.” -He said.

“What are you doing? What the hell is going on?”

“I received a message from Darius. The traitors are going to try to take this place by force any minute now. I sent some people home already on a helicopter, others I’m discreetly securing in the warehouse. I’m setting up the battlefield, you know how it is.”

The migraine Emilia was trying to hold back had finally made it up to her brain. – “…Don’t tell me…” -She groaned.

“I’m glad you’ve got such a sharp mind, my dear lady.” – He said. – “I’m gathering up a little squad…we’ll give these subversives the what for, I guarantee it, I already gave instructions to some of them, with that said, stay away from the fourth basement, Arthur is there, and he plays a key role in my defense.”

Emilia closed her eyes and put her hands together, exhaling as loudly as possible. – “…There might be assassins allied with Fritz, taking these people head on is a death sentence at the moment, you are aware of that right, Alquist?”

“That’s true, yeah…” -He said. – “But I can only see that decision coming from some of the half-assed “pros” that Darius hired prior to bringing in the batch of freaks that keep you so much on edge.” -He laughed. – “You already know these people, how crazy they are, but I’ve got the feeling I am the only one here that understands them the most.”

“Of course you do, you savage.” -She said, to which he laughed once more.

“They’ll fight for the organization, not because they know who the biggest bidder is or because they agree with its goals in particular. I can’t speak for everyone, but I’m sure most of them love the idea of a good fight.”

“I’ll never understand you, murderers.” -She said, reaching for her cup of coffee. – “I’m just doing my job, if you people refuse to take the safe choice, then when you die, don’t cry because we replaced you.”

“The dead don’t cry, Emilia. Don’t worry about us, if I die, I’ll make sure to return as a canary and sing next to your window every morning.”

“I’ll throw a cup full of water at you if you do.”

John laughed once more. – “Never change, Emilia. Call you later.”

He ended the call and Emilia went back to Jules.

“Jules…you are free to meet up with Alquist…do whatever he wants you to do. I’ve got the feeling that telling you otherwise would be pointless.”

The background noise through the line was becoming unbearable for Emilia. – “You do know there’s only one thing we know how to do best, Miss Emilia… I’m sorry.” – Said Jules.

“Yeah, yeah, I know… I’ll leave you to prepare.”

“God be with you.”

Fritz didn’t know Kirsten had escaped his enclosure, and the only who knew was now in a morgue with a deep wound all around his neck, so he and his group proceeded as planned with little to no suspicions.

The Men of the World counted with many individuals experienced in combat and law enforcement, spread all around the world waiting for the call to action or a job, be it tracking down individuals, protection and covert operations alongside the assassins; an ever-growing army. Unfortunately, Lionel had found a way to persuade a great amount of these agents to support his insurrection, exploiting their moral fiber to convince them to support the change he represented. Deep inside, these people didn’t want to be renegades against the system forever, so allying themselves with a man that promised peaceful integration and work from the inside of said system, it was as if that man was promising a pretty much real paradise to them.

Lionel commanded a group of a hundred agents to start the assault inside the headquarters, all the while he surveyed the situation from a safe location far away from the base. These hundred agents and operators performed their usual activities and tasks around the complex up until they received the signal to act.

They placed explosive charges in the generator room and the corridors that connected every building directly, to sink the base into complete darkness and block the reinforcements movement, then they spread around the base in smaller groups to block certain areas, including all the possible exits, to make sure that no one would be able to escape during the firefight. They already knew the faces of all the people that weren’t part of the insurrection, and were instructed to dispose of them immediately.

Their main strategy was to clear the buildings simultaneously, eliminating all potential threats and witnesses, making sure to eliminate all assassins present inside the base, all the while closing in on Darius’ office at the main building and convince him to hand over the control of the organization to their new administration peacefully or be executed.

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That was the plan on paper, and given they counted with top notch weaponry, gear and training, the rebels were already convinced that the takeover would be a smashing success.

The fire teams got into position around the base, preparing discreetly, making sure none of the loyalists would spot them. Afterwards, they reported to Adam, telling him they were ready to begin.

Most employees around the complex could only feel the ground shake beneath them as the explosions triggered one after the other, those crossing the corridors from building to building were caught in the falling rubble with nothing more than a muffled scream, and the lights went out one after the other.

The moment Darius saw the lights go out he knew his enemies were already taking action. However, he was far from concerned, not even worried. He served himself some tea and looked out the window to stare in awe at the snowy mountains.

“It seems that Mr.Fritz cannot wait any longer.” -He said. – “I’ll give Kirsten a bonus when this is all over, hell, I may even promote him.”

There was someone else in the dark office with him, standing on a corner while eating a red apple.

“Knowing Eyler, he’ll probably find a way to turn it down. His lack of ambition concerns me.” -She commented.

“You think? I honestly would like to get him in a position closer to mine. He may be one of the few individuals I would trust this organization to.”

“I would drop this place if you were to step down the role of director.”

“Don’t be like that, Reaper. I told you that much loyalty hardly ever gets rewarded.”

“I don’t say it out of loyalty.” -She placed the bitten apple on a nearby table. – “I say it because I know for a fact anyone else would run this entire operation into the ground, just like Fritz is trying to do right now.”

“Well, you already know what to do to make sure that doesn’t happen.” – He took a sip of the tea.

“Why did you call me though?” -She asked, crossing her leather-clad arms. – “You could’ve called anyone else from the S-rankers, Praetorian is better suited for situations like this, for instance.”

“Praetorian is strong, but he’s too straightforward.” -He looked away from the window to look at Reaper, standing in front of the entrance. – “I didn’t want things to devolve into this situation, but if this is what’s going to happen, I’ve got to make sure the following seven days get engraved in the memory of all of our members, including the rebels that may be spared from our retaliation.” -He walked up to Reaper; her nose was flooded with the scent of his red tea. – “For that, a little bit of psychological warfare is needed, and I think that you, aside from Butcher, know this kind of warfare better than anyone else.”

“You always think in the long term, don’t you Darius?” -She kindly grabbed his cup and took a sip of the tea. It tasted like apples.

“That’s the way I’ve been able to fight on even terms with the idiots up there for a very long time.”

“I suppose the newborn blood they offered you wasn’t good enough.”

“Those are just mere stories.” -Darius laughed, wondering if there’s people out there who actually believe that story.

“I know, just wanted to humor you a bit.” – Just then, the sound of gunfire finally reached their ears. Guns shooting, people screaming and fighting; war had finally broken out inside the organization. – “I guess that’s my queue for me to go.”

“Make sure that Lionel gets the message.”

“Will do.”

The woman known as Reaper walked out of the room, into the fire of combat. Darius returned to his desk, sat down and placed his legs over the table, achieving absolute relaxation.

To the screams joined even more screams, which he was sure belonged to a handful of the rebels that had the misfortune to stumble upon one of the few real silent assassins, the one that appeared out of nowhere, codename: “Reaper”.

Suddenly his phone rang, he had a fair assumption of who awaited on the other side of the line.

“Hello?”

“Mr. Darius.” -Just as he predicted, Lionel couldn’t resist confrontation. – “I suppose you already know what this is all about.”

“I got a fair picture of the situation.”

“If that’s the case, I’d like to negotiate with you to stop this carnage as fast as possible. I for one didn’t want the situation to devolve into this, but your stubborn attitude has left me no choice. So, let’s start from what’s most important: We’d like you to step down from the role of director as soon as-”

“I heard that you placed a trap for Butcher.” -Said Darius, interrupting him. – “How did that go?”

“We are not talking about that person; she doesn’t have anything to do with the ordeal you currently find yourself in.”

“Oh, but she is.” –He looked back at the snowy mountains once again, wondering from where was Lionel surveying this operation. – “She’s a mere assassin, but you came out of your way to set up an ambush just for her before anyone else, did you not? So, you recognized how much of a threat she is to your entire conspiracy.”

“Do not change the topic at-”

“Tell me and then we’ll talk about what you want. Is she dead? Did your men manage to kill her?”

Lionel grunted with disgust, but then realized this was all on him; he already knew what kind of man Darius was, and skipped that detail altogether. He decided to give him what he wanted if that meant they could proceed with the negotiation. – “Yes, they had to sacrifice themselves to put her down. She now lies in a forest among the wreckage of the plane she was in, somewhere around Oregon.”

“Have you confirmed the kill?”

“…There’s men in the area working on it.”

Darius laughed. – “In that case I would advise you not to sing victory just yet. Believe me, it’s in your best interest to get rid of her before even thinking about taking over my organization.”

“Shouldn’t you be more concerned about the men inside the headquarters? They are getting massacred to the very last man.” -Commented Lionel, trying to get the smallest sensation of fear from Darius.

“It may be so, but the tides can change rather quick.”

Just then, Lionel started to receive reports from the many squads around the base.

“Zulu team reporting! The security team is fighting back, they are receiving instructions from Alquist! They are entrenching themselves around the southern wing, we cannot advance any further!”

“Foxtrot reporting in! We have to retreat from basement four. The Chain is here, he’s flooded the entire area and drowned half of the squad, he’s coming after us!”

“Alpha team reporting in, the Reaper has locked us out of the main building, she’s trapped a quarter of the squad inside, we have lost contact with them. We’ll have to find a way around!”

quarter of the squad inside, we have lost contact with them. We’ll have to find a way around!”

Lionel hoped that Darius hadn’t heard that, but he accurately assumed, judging by Lionel’s silence, that things weren’t going so smoothly for him anymore.

“I see that you’ve already found a wall, so to speak.” -He said. – “It’ll only be worse for you if you let the Butcher live.”

“…I’m curious now.” -Said Lionel, leaning forward on his chair, wondering why out of all the dangerous killers that Darius hired, she’s the most special. – “She’s hundreds of kilometers away from the base. Why should I be more wary about her the most? Logically speaking, she is not a threat.”

“Don’t disqualify her, that would be your last mistake.” -Argued Darius. – “For you see, she doesn’t need to be here to become a problem for you. Nor her, nor the others that are away from the base at the moment.”

“And why is that?”

“It’s a matter of what she’s capable of.” – Darius placed his feet back on the ground and straightened his back, reminiscing. – “I’ll tell you a little secret, but I’ve been following her from up close for a very long time. I’ve seen her evolve into what she is now. She wasn’t aware of it, but I was there, spectating her crusade across the desert, displaying a power unknown to everyone in this world… every assassin is driven by a concept, be it an idea, a goal or an emotion. In her case, she’s driven by many of these things, but she’s also driven by something more primordial, and that is hunger.”

“Hunger?”

“A very special kind of hunger…she may not recognize it as such, she may not even know how to describe it, but it is there, and she knows she has to keep on satisfying it if she wants to stay alive, just like how she needs to eat normal food three times a day. That hunger enables her to become one of the most dangerous hunters that ever walked the earth, always looking for the most exquisite specimen to satiate her spiritual palate.” – Darius’ tone became deeper and serious. – “And now, Lionel, you decided to send some of the people she despises the most after her, and you decided to season yourself with the sins and concepts that give flavor to a corrupted soul. Mark my words: she won’t get her eyes off of you until she finally kills you, because you my friend, look like the best wellington steak in the world right about now.”

“None of what you say makes sense at all, Wiltshire!” -Said Fritz. – “What? You say she’s going to eat me? are you that delusional!?”

“Not literally eat you. She’ll kill you.” -He snapped his fingers. – “Just like that, nothing you can do about it, what happens next you won’t even expect it.”

Lionel scoffed at Darius’ words. – “Thanks for the history lesson, Mr. Darius, but in my opinion, you are gravely overrating her. She’s just a mentally ill child forced to become a soldier, a couple of guns and a handful of bullets are enough to kill someone like her. And it’s better like that; we’ll put her out of her misery.”

“If that’s what you think.”

“I assume we haven’t gone nowhere with this agreement. In that case, you’ve forced our hand. God willing, you won’t leave that base alive.”

“We’ll see about that. Good luck, Lionel.”

Lionel ended the call abruptly, and listened to the radio frequencies again.

“Attention! Whiskey Team, be advised, Tango has been wiped out by the Sword, proceed with caution.”

“Foxtrot here, we have escaped from basement five. The current whereabouts of The Chain are unknown, we have multiple casualties.”

“Be advised, we have lost contact with alpha team, reinforcements have been sent to check up on the situation.”

Lionel didn’t want to play Darius’ mind games, he didn’t want to believe there was a figment of truth in what he said, he wanted to think that Darius was just a delusional and power-hungry idiot.

“Fire team, are you there? respond, over! Did you confirm the kill? Respond, fire team!”

Finally, someone responded the call, but it wasn’t a pleasant response at all.

“Are you Lionel?” -Asked a feminine voice on the other side of the frequency.

“Yes, it’s me, who wants to know?”

“…Where are you?”

“Far away. Like I said, who the hell wants to know?”

“The one person you keep trying to kill.” – Lionel felt his heart skip a beat. – “I finally got to have a talk with you.”

“…Butcher…if I’m being honest, I’m surprised you’ve managed to make it this far.” -He said, pretending to be amicable. – “I advise you to lay low and do not interfere with what’s happening right now. You don’t need to get involved in this fight.”

“…I see, you are all the same.” -She said. – “Don’t tell me how to pick my fights. I’ve made up my mind. If you want a war so badly, you just got it…”

“Listen to when someone is trying to be reasonable with you, Butcher. You may be a dangerous and experienced assassin; you may have killed hundreds upon hundreds of people but…you are still just a young girl. I can safely assume that your body is gravely damaged after the crash, I have a lot of men at my disposal; you cannot kill all of them, if you keep this up, you’ll inevitably fall.”

He got nervous when he couldn’t hear anything at the other side of the line for a few seconds, but then she raised her voice once again.

“I’ve got new scars and wounds in my body thanks to your people. I’m aware being wounded is a given in this profession, but still… now, you have my full attention. I don’t know how you look like, but that won’t matter. Rest assured; I’ll meet you soon.”

She crushed the radio, ending the communication with deafening static. The fact that she managed to get a hold of that radio spoke for itself, the scout team had been wiped out.

Things started to seem very somber to Lionel, and he preferred to cut his losses and proceed with plan B.

He made a call to his operator team and gave them their new instructions. – “Access the main database, I want all the data we can get, use it as a bargaining chip with the Imperium.”