In the main gathering room of the Libra headquarters, the upper echelons of the mob gathered. An emergency call went out to every member from Archard, but it did not specify why. It was noon, and like the sun, anticipation was high in the sky. All the curtains were closed and all the doors were locked. For this meeting, in particular, Vincent was also told to join.

Archard was seated at the back of the room, while everyone else was on the other side of the room, sitting in a semi-circle formation. His arms were folded and his head rested on them in a solemn manner. He didn't speak a single word for many minutes. He made everyone sit there and stew in the silence. He let the lack of sound speak for itself. This was a meeting unlike most others.

The other members of the mob looked at each other with nervous glances. Larry and Lawrence exchanged side-eyed looks multiple times, while Siegella remained steadfast in her focus on the godfather. Al and Vito kept near one another, but Vito was obviously the most jittery of the two. He constantly shifted about in his seat, occasionally dissociating himself from the current environment. Vincent just simply gave a questioning look towards Fang, who was just as stoic as Siegella, although they returned a glance back at Vincent. It was a look that said, “I’m just as confused as you are”.

Finally, after a number of moments had passed, Archard slowly stood up. He motioned for everyone else to remain seated as he sauntered around the room.

“So,” Archard calmly said, “you’re all probably wondering why I’ve gathered you here today.”

He then stopped and stood behind Lawrence, who had sweat starting to drip down his forehead.

“You see, an interesting bit of information came to me yesterday,” Archard continued. “Now, I’m not one to make assumptions or to act on pure speculation, but this source is…reputable, to say the least.”

He then placed his metallic arm on Lawrence’s shoulder. “Some of you may have heard some rumblings in the streets as of late. There have been some rumors and some…gossip, shall we say? These are things that,” he looked into Lawrence’s eyes, “don’t bode well for us.”

Archard then took his hand off Lawrence and began to pace about the room once more, nearly completing his circle around it.

“It seems like we have to watch our backs a little more than usual. Things are about to get a little more tricky from here on out.” He then outstretched his arms and cracked a slight, wicked smile. “You all know what this means, right?”

Vincent then looked at Fang, who had wider eyes than normal.

“That’s right,” Archard stated. “Aries is back to their old, brutal, barbaric tactics.”

As Vincent looked around the room, he saw everybody visibly tense up, except for Lawrence. He seemed to visibly, albeit subtly, sigh in relief.

Archard then continued his statements. “I have word from my most trusted informant that Aries is planning an attack on the London Train—the very train that we just got back up and running. Not only that, but they plan to do it while it’s full of passengers.”

With an unmatched intensity in his eyes, he then looked around at every single person in the room. When they landed on Vincent, he felt a kind of magnetic force pull at his heart. There was something that drew him towards Archard. Something about Archard’s words and passionate eyes caused Vincent to believe in him that much more.

“Now that's evil!” Archard shouted. He then instantly composed himself. “And so, I needed to call this meeting in, so that we can plan for this assault and save our city. So, let’s begin.”

He then sat down in his seat and resumed his introspective, commanding posture. Gesturing out towards the group, he signaled to everybody that the time to speak was now. He allowed the rest of the voices in the room to finally be heard. And that intent seemed to get through to everyone, including Vincent.

“So,” Archard said, “first thing’s first. Does anyone have any information that could be relevant towards this attack?”

For a few seconds, everybody just looked around at each other, hoping that someone would speak up. Eventually, Vito stood up and looked down at the ground.

“A-Actually, sir, I do have something,” he said, his voice nasally and quiet. “M-My scouts have t-t-told me that they saw s-some suspicious behavior last night at the C-Station. Although we just assumed that it w-was those spray painting hooligans again.”

“The C-Station?” Archard repeated. “What all did they see?”

“W-Well, they didn’t get a g-good look at any of the people, b-but they saw a small group out after dark who seemed to h-hurriedly move away from the premises.” Vito’s hands were shaking and his voice quivered, but there was an unexplainable confidence to his words. His entire demeanor was a walking contradiction. “I-I’m sorry that I didn’t t-tell you sooner, boss.”

“No, no, it’s alright, Vito,” Archard said with a reassuring smile. “What matters is that we know this now. Was the train parked there last night?”

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“Um, yes, sir.”

“I see.” Archard then looked around at the rest of Libra and scratched his goatee. “If I were to guess, I would say that Aries attached the bomb to the train at that point, which means we have to act today and quickly.”

“I agree,” Siegella interjected. Her face was stern and full of purpose. “We can't let innocent lives die in the crossfire of this conflict. I refuse to let Aries get away with any more murder.”

“I’m with her,” Fang added.

“A-And me too!” Vincent agreed, not really thinking much about it.

Archard looked at the three of them and placed his hand on his chest. “And I share the same sentiment.” He then looked at the rest of the mob members. “Which is why I’ve devised a plan to thwart their insidious efforts. The first part of this plan is very important—it involves a possible major obstacle with this operation.”

“And what would that be?” Siegella asked.

“You see, Aries has been getting bolder lately. Because of the scope of this terrorist attack, I believe that they will be present for the mission.”

“You don’t mean…”

“Oh yes, I’m sure Platinum John will be used.”

Instantly, it was like the air had vacated the room, escaping from everyone’s lungs. There was a palpable tension that coated the room with many emotions. Vincent could feel fear, nervousness, hatred, and many more swirling around him. Whoever this Platinum John person was, each and every member of Libra had some sort of strong feelings towards them.

Archard then waved his hands, seemingly acknowledging the emotions of the room. “I know how most of you feel about them, but I’m just being realistic about the situation.”

Vincent raised his hand.

“Yes, Vincent?” Archard called out to him.

“Who’s Platinum John?” Vincent asked.

“Ah,” Archard replied, “allow me to explain. Platinum John is essentially Aries’ version of the Slayer. They are dangerous, powerful, and weapon seldom used. Personally, I’ve only seen them fight twice, but both times were devastating.”

“What do you mean by “they are Aries’ version of the Slayer?” Isn’t the Slayer already part of Aries?”

Archard looked at him for a moment, and in that moment, there was a slight break in composure. But before it could be examined, Archard coughed and chuckled to himself.

“My apologies, I didn’t state that very well. Of course the Slayer works for Aries. I was simply comparing them in terms of strength just so everybody knew the dangers of coming into contact with Platinum John. That's my fault, Vincent.”

“Oh…ok then,” Vincent said, accepting the explanation.

“Now, where were we? Ah, yes, the plan.” He turned back towards the rest of the group. “Our number one goal for this is to locate the bomb, disarm it, and dispose of it. In order to do so in an efficient manner, I will be assigning everybody roles for this job.”

His eyes moved over toward Vincent’s area.

“Vincent, Siegella, and Fang,” he said, “you three will be in charge of bomb reconnaissance. Haunlich’s ability to move through solid matter will be invaluable for locating the bomb. However, I know that you’re more vulnerable while using that power, so I have assigned Fang and Vincent to also be in the train cars with you. Vincent will stand guard next to Siegella in the back of the train, while Fang will start in the front and make their way towards the back, looking out for anything suspicious within the train cars.”

“Yes, sir,” Siegella said.

“Understood,” said Fang.

“Alrighty,” Vincent said.

“Now,” Archard continued to say, “it is of utmost importance for you three to remain hidden, disguised, and lowkey during this operation. If they discover that any Libra member is on board, they might just blow up the train then and there.”

He then turned towards Al and Vito. “Now for you too, I just want you to do what you've always done.”

Al and Vito looked at each other. “S-So does that mean we can bust out B-Bunny and B-Betty?” Vito asked with excitement in his voice.

With his arms raised up, Archard replied, “Of course! After all, how could I send my best two snipers out there without their best guns? You two will be in charge of being the main lookout. With your rifles and other scopes, I need you to pay attention to everything in and around the train. The moment you see an Aries member, you shoot them without hesitation. Understood?”

Al silently nodded and Vito smiled and said, “As always.”

“I believe that just leaves Larry, right?” Archard said, twisting his head in Larry's direction. “I want you to go with the low-level mobster team and investigate C-Station. I want all my bases cleared and I want absolute assurance that nothing poses a threat to us.”

Larry narrowed his eyes at Archard. “Yeah, I suppose that’s fine,” he said.

“Now, is there any que—”

“Um,” a voice softly spoke up. “What about me?”

With his eyebrows raised, Archard spun around and saw Lawrence, who had their hand in the air.

“What am I supposed to do?” Lawrence asked.

“Umm,” Archard said, glancing at Larry and then back towards Lawrence. “I guess you can just stay with me during the operation. I’ll be in an undisclosed location, passing along information through our earbud system. You’re good with audio and electronics, right?”

“That’s right!” Lawrence said with some enthusiasm.

“Good.” Archard then puffed out his chest and raised his chin. “Now, are there any other questions?”

Most of the Libra members shook their heads and lowered their faces into a more serious state. The air in the room vibrated with tension and anticipation. Everyone was ready to go.

Archard cracked a cold, devious smile. “Well, in that case, let the operation begin.”