I detest using
assassins. They are highly effective, true, but their loyalties are often suspect. In addition, the truly elite assassins are few and
far in between.
-Ares
Phillip Delacroix sat up in his bed with a shock, panting hard from the nightmare. It was real. It had been real. He could still feel the knives in him, tearing him apart while leaving his vital organs intact. The dark power channeling into his very soul, awakening his own heritage while binding it at the same time.
In some ways, Rytais had never stopped twisting the knives. He looked down at his body, scarred all over like somebody had taken his body to be a blank canvas and made a tapestry with a variety of weapons. There were bullet holes, blade scars, burn marks, patches where the skin colors didn’t match. But bad as the physical scars were, the mental ones were worse.
He rubbed his eyes tiredly. He was never going to get enough sleep, but he was used to it. He would prefer to take short naps during the day, not long enough for dreams, but long enough for some real rest. Still, it was almost seven o’clock, and he had slept for about 3 hours since the meeting ended. Damn Ares. Just because he’s a god and never gets tired, he just has to drag us until late in the night every time.
He had not had that particular nightmare, that particular memory for some time now. It reminded him of just how far he had yet to go if he wanted to attain his vengeance. And how foolish Ares was to promise his assistance. Did the god of war realize just how powerful the entities of the universe could be?
He had read all the local news articles and intelligence reports, and nothing hinted at the level of power that could successfully challenge a high level arch-demon. There were the silly Oans, who thought they were at the center of the universe, when it was all hyperbole and they were likely to be only at the center of the galaxy, albeit with the ability to affect events and timelines within said galaxy. Neron, who would probably translate to a 6th Circle demon, and would undoubtedly piss his pants in the presence of Rytais. Did they understand the sort of power that could command entire armies which are as numerous as the stars themselves?
But he had. The extent of power which destroyed entire star clusters with a mere whisper. The snuffing out of trillions of lives within a single instant, with as much thought into it as scratching an itch. Mind numbing evil which reveled in spreading destruction and death, and was clever enough to do it with a smile and a knowing wink.
A
fool’s errand, he had been told before. You
would have better luck parting the seas, moving a continent, changing the color
of the sun. Trying to kill a 2nd Circle demon lord… what the hell do
you think you fucking are? One of the famed killer angels of
legend?
So what bloody chance did he have? Oh wait, he did have a chance. A snowball’s chance in hell. But damn if he wasn’t going to try.
Phillip stared blankly at the wall for a few more moments before he decided he had to stop feeling sorry for himself. He had too many tasks awaiting him. He got up and made his bed.
After a quick wash-up, and some time to change the bandages on his injured hand, he proceeded to the small study room. After the fiasco of the night before, there was something he needed to do urgently. There was a very strong chance some newspaper reporter might paste his ugly mug on their pages, and there are people he would warn to keep his real identity a secret, because they’d have seen him without his beard before.
He punched in the number on the phone, knowing that the person he was calling woke up early. The phone on the opposite line rang only for a short while before it was picked up.
“Hello, good morning! This is Jake Kabrinski.”
“Jake, this is Tom.” There was a sudden sound, and Phillip knew Jake had dropped the handset out of surprise.
It took a few more seconds before Jake came back on. “Tom?” Jake was, quite naturally, incredulous.
“Yeah, it’s 91, Papa Bear.” Papa Bear was Jake’s nickname, and by using it and his own code, Tom confirmed his identity. “Rumors of my demise have been greatly exaggerated.”
“Wonder Woman came over and told me you’re dead.”
Phillip swallowed hard. Now that was a new
piece of information. “It’s not her fault. Look, I’m still alive, and in the
middle of something. But I need you and Gawain to keep your mouths zipped. And
“What? Hey, what’s going on?”
“Trust me, you don’t want to know. Just don’t tell anybody, not even Wonder Woman, all right?” Especially not her.
“I’m having a lot of trouble accepting your return from the dead and all these requests you’re suddenly dumping on me…” there was a pause, “But I’ll manage.” Phillip could hear the smile on Jake’s face. “Should have known you were still alive. If an army of demons couldn’t do you in, what’s a bunch of commandos?”
Phillip suppressed a shudder. He did not want to be reminded of just how he had defeated those demons… “Jake, zip it.”
“So you’re not wasting away in some dingy hellhole now?”
Phillip groaned, “No, I’m as far from a hellhole as I can get. I’ve got to go now. I’ll talk to you again when I have the time. Meanwhile, watch your six.”
“Got it. Call when you need backup.” Those words were part of a time honored tradition between him and Jake after their long years of campaigning. It was, in their own way, a wish of luck.
Phillip left the small apartment he had bought for his use after a short, quick breakfast of two slices of plain bread and a cup of coffee. He had another apartment, a much larger penthouse suite more appropriate to his status as a rich and important owner of a company, but that was only a decoy. Ares had provided him with a portal gate that would transport him to the other suite every morning, so that the workers in that other building would not suspect anything amiss.
He left that other apartment, moving down to the basement car park where his car was. Another day at the office. And a Monday too. I know the office people hate the Monday blues…
It was almost lunchtime when his phone rang. He had been staring at stacks of reports, making quick orders through his computer. Many of the workers had stared at his bandaged left hand, until he laughed it away by claiming that a stray bullet had hit him.
He was damn lucky none of the reporters picked up on his actions of the night before. No surprise, really. Why report on a mere businessman when there were superheroines involved to boost ratings and sales? Wonder Woman and Wonder Girl were completely credited with stopping the thugs, and he was, frankly speaking, perfectly comfortable with that.
“Phillip Delacroix,” he answered, picking up the phone with his injured hand, wincing again at the tinge of pain.
“Hi, this is Veronica. Have I caught you at a bad time?” Phillip tensed up internally. Now how was he going to handle this?
“Not really.” How the hell do I talk to women? “In fact, I am about to take a break.”
“Are you asking me out for lunch?” Veronica teased. “I know this Italian restaurant that just opened.”
“Uhhhh… okay.” There wasn’t much else he could think of. “Where do we meet?”
“Pick me up at the foyer of my office block in 20 minutes. I’m still busy with some stuff.”
“”Done.” Phillip heard the distinct click of the phone line being cut off, and he stared at his own phone, wondering how he had gotten into this. Then he realized with a sinking feeling that he had no idea where CAP’s offices were.
“Jane!” He shouted for his secretary, “I need some help in here!”
Twenty minutes later he arrived at the foyer
of the CAP building in his car, a sleek black Ferrari. Not for the first time,
he cursed
Nowadays, he turned heads wherever he went. He had learnt that Ferraris were traditionally red, but Ares had ‘suggested’ black in order to make him stand out even more. All the additional interest in him made him very uncomfortable. He was used to staying in the background, being the one observing others, not being the one being observed. The past month had been a complete role reversal.
Veronica Cale was dressed like a typical rich businesswoman, but even Phillip could tell when they had put in a bit of extra effort. Some more makeup here, a bit of skin exposed there. Many men were openly ogling her as they passed by, which made Phillip even more uneasy.
He opened the car door for her. “I’m sorry, Have you been waiting long?” He tried to ignore the looks of hostility thrown his way.
She smiled, “No, I just got down.” She looked at him, “How’s the hand? Are you sure you should be driving? I thought you would have hired a driver or something.”
“No problem,” said Phillip, “Just a flesh wound. Besides, I like to rely on myself.”
She stared at him as they drove off. “You were lucky the bullet went straight through without hitting the bones.”
“Or maybe I knew that and aimed for the spaces?” He had known exactly what he was doing when he had fired that single shot yesterday.
Veronica blinked. “Okayyyy…”
“So where to?”
She pointed, “Okay, turn right here.”
It was a quick drive to the restaurant. They were entering the restaurant when Phillip noticed a familiar woman sitting at a table with two other women.
He groaned. What’re the chances that Wonder Woman would go to the same restaurant as us on the same day at the same time? Worse yet, he could sense Veronica’s anger almost immediately. This is only going to be trouble.
Wonder Woman noticed the two arrivals, just as she was about to start eating with Julia Kapatelis and Helena Sandsmark, after a joint lecture on ancient Greek culture at a local university.
She was surprised to see Phillip Delacroix and Veronica Cale together. Then they saw her as well, and Diana could see worry appear on Phillip’s face. He nodded to her somewhat apologetically, as Cale walked briskly towards her table. Phillip struggled to catch up.
“Well, well, well, what do we have here?” mocked Cale. “A royal princess and a goddess hobnobbing with us poor mortal folk!”
Phillip placed a hand gently on Cale’s shoulder, “Veronica, we’re here to eat, not argue.” He glanced at Diana, and shook his head slightly, an action which Cale could not see. That’s a signal not to reply. He doesn’t want a scene here any more than I do.
Wonder Woman was struck again by the man. On one hand, he was her enemy. He had practically declared himself to be one. Yet his actions were… well, confusing to her. It also didn’t help that she still felt attracted to him.
Julia replied instead, “Well, Diana’s our friend, and friends having a meal together is perfectly ordinary.” She stared at Cale angrily, “I haven’t forgotten what you did to my daughter.”
Diana had told Julia, though not Vanessa about Veronica Cale. At the time, it had been the only way to mollify the angry mother. Wonder Woman had no doubt that if she had a weapon, and clear evidence of Cale’s perfidy, Julia would have been onto the businesswoman like an Amazon.
Thinking of some way to defuse the tension, Wonder Woman was about to speak when she heard a familiar click. She saw a look of surprise on Delacroix’s face as well.
“Everybody get down!” She yelled as gunfire smashed the windows of the restaurant.
Diana, with her enhanced reflexes, could almost see the bullets flying towards them. She realized with a shock that most of them were directed not towards her, but Veronica Cale.
“Watch out!” Phillip pushed Cale away just in time to avoid the stream of bullets heading for them.
Wonder Woman stepped forward, using her invincible bracelets to block the bullets. She saw the shooter, perched on top of a roof, firing away desperately. She flew from inside the restaurant towards him, blocking whatever he sent her way.
She was just about to reach him, and ready to pummel him into a pulp when he looked at her and grinned, “Surprise.” Then he suddenly moved away. At superspeed.
I have to chase him down, Diana thought as she summoned the gifts of speed and flight that Hermes granted her. She took a quick look back at the restaurant where the others were unsteadily recovering from the attack. Phillip Delacroix looked up at her, and then he gestured with his hands. Go, chase the bad guys!
Diana did not know why, but she instinctively knew that she could trust him to protect Julia and Helena until the police arrived. No matter that he was her enemy, was supposed to be her enemy.
She streaked off into the sky, chasing the fleeing shadow.
“Everybody all right?” Phillip asked worriedly. “Veronica? Dr Kapatelis? Dr Sandsmark?” He was tempted to draw his own gun, but figured that the sight of a weapon was the last thing the women needed right now.
“We’re fine.” Helena Sandsmark answered first, followed by similar words from Cale and Julia Kapatelis. “What was that about?”
“Probably somebody out to get Diana again.” Julia replied, looking straight at Veronica Cale as she spoke. “Don’t they ever learn?”
Phillip didn’t understand the hidden meaning, though he did recognize that there was one in Julia’s words.
Then he heard a flurry of footsteps heading their way, from the direction of the kitchen. Probably the police. Strange that they would come this way…
It wasn’t the police. Several black clad men burst from the kitchen doors, aiming guns in their direction.
Phillip cursed himself for his assumption. Stupid, stupid!
“Looks like the bait worked.” One man remarked. “Come on, let’s get it over with. First the target, then the witnesses.” The patrons of the restaurant and the workers all started to shiver with fright as the black clad men spread themselves throughout the dining area.
One man stepped up to Veronica Cale, his weapon leveled at her. “Prepare to die, babe.”
Veronica stepped backwards, stumbling on a vase and onto the floor. “What? No! I can pay you! Please, don’t kill me!”
“Uh uh, a hundred million dollars? I don’t think so.”
Phillip’s mind raced. Veronica was the target, not Wonder Woman. Why? He looked at the men, feeling his pulse quicken as he prepared to draw his gun. Gotta wait until they’re not looking at me. He tried to look as terrified as possible, trying to convey that into the minds of the assassins. Come on guys, I’m not a threat. I’m not a threat. He repeated it like a mantra.
When everybody’s attention were on the terrified woman as she pleaded for her life, Phillip saw his chance. He slipped his right hand inside his jacket, slowly so as not to draw any attention.
His hand closed on the grip of the Berretta, and Phillip burst into motion in that instant, drawing a bead on the man about to kill Veronica, his own motions smooth and deadly.
Gunfire blazed in the wrecked restaurant.
Wonder Woman chased after the speedster, gritting her teeth as she drew on more of Hermes’ power to boost her speed. She was on par with Jesse Quick in terms of speed, but without the speed force to eliminate friction, her speed through air could burn her skin, even with her inherent toughness.
The speedster was visibly tiring now as they
headed towards
Diana caught up with him at the Canadian border, flying over him and landing in his path. “Give up now,” she said.
“Take this!” He yelled as he somehow managed to put on a burst of speed, sending a flurry of blows towards her. Diana managed to block a few, but more punches rained on her, and she stumbled backwards, feeling some blood trickle down the side of her lips. The speedster panted after his attack, tried from the exertion, his fists lacerated from hitting Wonder Woman.
“Is that supposed to hurt me?” snarled Diana, and she charged forward. She hit the speedster with just a fraction of her full power, landing the punch right in his chest. He flew for several meters before hitting a tree, and then falling unconscious to the ground.
Diana picked up the speedster, then bound him up in her lasso. She took to the skies,
flying back to
“Wonder Woman, your friends are still in trouble! There’re assassin running crazy in the area!”
The Amazon Princess felt a chill in her heart, then realized she had fallen for one of the oldest tricks in the book. But that meant she was not the target. It was somebody else.
Veronica
Cale? Diana summoned up her speed again, and flew
as fast as she could back to
“Move! Move!” Phillip yelled as he exchanged fire with a few more assassins, keeping their heads down as the civilians evacuated the restaurant through the shattered windows.
More than half the assassins were dead, victims of Phillip’s deadly shooting. Still, he had been lucky. Julia Kapatelis had saved him from being shot when she had bravely brought a chair down onto a thug just as he was about to fire his shotgun at Phillip.
He fired off the last few rounds of the mini-Uzi, then threw the weapon aside as he threw himself backwards out of the restaurant, landing hard on his back on the hard concrete. He took out his Berretta again.
“Go! Scatter!” He yelled, then grabbed Veronica with his injured hand, which was starting to bleed again. “Veronica, stay close to me!” They started to run down the street.
“Boom!” A shot rang out, and Veronica yelped as the shot hit the concrete in front of them, sending up a dust of asphalt. Sniper on the roof!
Phillip pulled her around a corner into an alley in time to avoid another shot from the sniper above. Then there was more gunfire, and he pulled her down to the ground in time to avoid the bullets flying over their heads.
“The name’s Deadshot, and I never miss!” He looked up to see a figure dressed in gaudy red and whites standing in the narrow alley, along with a red crosshair for one eye. “Time to collect my pay!” He fired again. What a loon for a supervillain, Phillip decided.
Phillip had raised his own Berretta at that instant, his mind automatically calculating the most likely trajectory of Deadshot’s bullet. He fired almost simultaneously with Deadshot.
The bullets hit each other in mid-flight, veering off. Phillip saw his 9mm round hit the wall beside Deadshot, making the assassin flinch away momentarily.
“What!” Deadshot exclaimed as he fired off another round, which Veronica avoided by crouching behind a trashcan.
“Well, looks like you missed once!” Phillip grinned as he fired several shots, forcing Deadshot to dodge for cover. “Don’t worry! Your perfect record’s finished!”
“Fuck you!” Deadshot sprang out of cover, only to find Delacroix waiting for just such a move. He was shot once through his gun hand, and once through his left kneecap. He collapsed to the ground.
Phillip walked over to him, releasing the empty magazine of his Berretta and then snapping in a fresh magazine. Deadshot tried to reach for another weapon with his left hand, but his arm was kicked away.
The assassin looked up to see Phillip pointing the Berretta at his head. It was then he realized that he was about to die. At the hands of a guy who wasn’t even a supervillain!
“You can’t kill me!” Deadshot yelled in denial of his fate, “I’m Deadshot!”
Phillip stroked the trigger of his Berretta once, twice. Double tap to the head. He replied coldly, “Correction. You’re just dead.”
Diana arrived in time to see another sniper angling for a shot into an alley. She descended onto the rooftop rapidly, then kicked the man once, sending him into dreamland.
Below her was chaos as she saw black clad men fighting off the arriving police. She quickly tied up the sniper with the speedster with her lasso, then flew down into the fray.
Moments later, it was all over. The police were handcuffing the assassins, while ambulance services tended to the wounded. Diana paled as she saw the bodybags being carried out of the restaurant, until a cop told her all the dead bodies belonged to the bad guys. Apparently, somebody had decided to play hero and fought off the assassins before they could kill everybody.
“Diana!” Diana sighed in relief to see Julia and Helena approach her. “Thank god you’re safe!”
“Thank Hera.” Diana replied with a smile. Then she frowned, “Where’s Veronica? And where’s Phillip?”
“Then where is he?” Diana asked worriedly. Why am I worried for him? Isn’t he my enemy? Wouldn’t it be simpler if he was dead? Then Diana answered her own questions. He just saved Julia and Helena’ lives, and that of many people, and you would think that of him! These thoughts are not worthy of the Champion of the Amazons!
“Right here.” Diana turned to see a badly shaken Veronica Cale and a battered looking Phillip Delacroix walk up. His clothes were torn with near misses from gunfire. “Are you all right?” He asked.
What Wonder Woman did next surprised everybody. Diana found herself walking up to him and giving him a peck on the cheek. “Thank you. For saving my friends and those people.”
His blue eyes stared at her, and suddenly Diana blushed, while Veronica Cale almost exploded with rage.
What the… Phillip blinked as he felt Diana’s lips on his cheek. He felt an intense warmth in his body, one which he had never felt before.
“Lay your hands off him!” Veronica stepped between him and Diana. Then she turned to him and purred into his ear as she embraced him, “My hero…”
Phillip gulped as he saw the anger on Wonder Woman’s face. Why do I feel as if I’d rather be back in a firefight than between two women?
Then Veronica looked him in the eyes as she faced him. Fire and ice washed through his body as she kissed him gently on the lips. He reveled in the feeling as he kissed back. Something I’ve never felt before…
“Why is it that trouble with a capital T always seems to follow you around?” Jake asked him as Phillip lounged in the empty café, sipping at his coffee. There were reports waiting for him to fill up to inform Ares of the events of the day, but Phillip was determined to clear matters with Jake Kabrinski first.
Besides, he needed the man’s help.
“Bad karma in a past life.” Phillip replied flatly. “The assassins were out for Veronica. We know the why. Somebody put up a hundred million bucks for her head. Only problem is, we don’t know who. And none of the perps knew either.” Veronica Cale was now staying in her estate under tight security.
Her bodyguard Fallon had almost committed suicide when he had realized that she was almost killed, but Wonder Woman had managed to square him away. The last time Phillip had seen Fallon, the bodyguard was camped outside Veronica’s room with a veritable arsenal of weapons.
Jake walked over with some gauze. “And you’re planning to get involved?”
“Papa Bear, I am already involved.” Phillip shook his head. “Can you get Gawain for me to check it out?”
“Why don’t you ask him yourself?” Jake said as another man entered the café by the front door. He was tall, though not as tall as Jake or Phillip, with brown hair and black eyes. He carried a duffel bag, which they all knew contained the tools of his trade.
“Gawain.” Phillip nodded to the new arrival.
“Tom Serra, as I live and breathe.” Gawain Sharpe grinned in delight that his comrade was still alive. “Nothing keeps you down for long, eh?”
“I’m not Tom Serra any more.” Phillip corrected him, “And what are you doing here?”
Gawain shrugged, “My bounty just decided to
go for that 100 million prize on Veronica Cale’s head, and I followed him here to
Phillip considered the offer. The rest of Ares’ servants were all too busy with their own tasks. And Ares did say that he wanted Veronica Cale as a likely ally. Not to mention that Phillip was now concerned about her… on a more personal level. I have never loved before in my life. Is this what love is? Is this how it feels? What I now feel towards Veronica? And just maybe, towards Diana? He put those thoughts aside. They would only distract him when he needed to stay alert. He had already messed up once inside the restaurant. He was determined not to mess up again.
“Okay,” he nodded. “Let’s do this. So let’s start putting together what we know…”
Wonder Woman touched her own lips again, as she pondered over the reports on her desk of the entire incident, as well as Oracle’s preliminary investigations. Or at least, she was supposed to be thinking about the case. Instead, she was thinking about Phillip Delacroix.
She couldn’t stop thinking of Phillip, and the strange sensation that she had felt when she saw him and Veronica Cale kissing each other. Am I jealous? Of that woman? Jealous about somebody who told me to my face that I am his enemy? Somebody who works for Ares?
Diana groaned, holding her head in her hands. Why did I even kiss him at all?
There was a knock on her door. “Come in!”
Julia entered with a steaming pot of coffee, “I thought you’d be working late tonight, especially after what happened, so I asked Ferdinand to brew this for you.”
“Thank you, Julia,” Diana beamed at one of her closest friends, a woman she considered a second mother. “Where is Vanessa?”
Julia sighed in mock exasperation, “Oh, that girl is on a double date with young Cassie. Seems like they’ve picked up some nice boys last night.”
Diana blinked, “You’re not concerned?” More surprising was that Vanessa and Cassie had finally put aside their feud, and grown close as the sisters they never had. Diana was proud of them. Even if she was a bit concerned that the two girls might be a bit… uncontrollable.
“Cassie has enough strength to pick up a truck and throw it if anybody tried anything funny, and Vanessa has learnt enough from you and Artemis to defend herself. I think they’ll be fine.”
“So much has changed…”
Julia nodded, “Yes, much has changed. And for the better. Even if Veronica Cale is still out there, alive and well, relatively speaking.”
“You wish she was dead, don’t you?”
Julia sat down on a chair, “Yes. Am I wrong to think that way?”
Diana walked over to Julia, and held her hands, “I’ll not judge you, Julia. You know that.”
“Thank you, Diana.” Then an impish smile came over the older woman’s face. “Then what about you? I could swear you seem ready to tear Cale apart when she was smooching with Mister Tall, Handsome, and Mysterious.”
Diana fought the blush on her suddenly hot cheeks, “I don’t know.”
“Don’t know?” Julia exclaimed. “A guy like that and you’re letting him off with Veronica Cale? It was so obvious to me and Helena that you like him.”
Sighing, Wonder Woman walked over to the window, staring at the night sky above the embassy. “I wish I could, but there’s something about him you don’t know, Julia.”
“Honey, if you like him, then go after him! It’s the modern age now, and we can’t rely on men for everything.” Julia smiled, “Besides, who could resist a goddess like you?”
Diana turned to Julia, feeling the urge to cry, “Oh Julia, I can’t. I really can’t.” She breathed in deeply, “I can’t because he’s working for Ares.”
Julia sat silently in shock, as Diana continued, “He runs a company named Ares Macrotech. They’re involved in all sorts of research projects for the military, as well as expanding rapidly in the commercial market. Ares hasn’t done anything against me yet, but Phillip said I was in their way, and that they would fight me if I tried to stop them.”
Julia shook her head, “Diana, you’re thinking about this the wrong way. Why should this man work for Ares?”
Diana pursed her lips, “I don’t know.”
“Then go find out! Make him understand what you stand for.” It was Julia’s turn this time to comfort her. “I saw what he did today. I have no doubt he is an honorable man with his own reasons to work for Ares. Dear, he doesn’t have to be your enemy. Don’t let him be one.”
Wonder Woman blinked. Julia is right. The Way of the Amazons also include spreading love in order to avoid conflict. With love, perhaps I can stop Phillip Delacroix from being my enemy.
Diana hugged her friend tightly. “Thank you Julia. For being here. I cannot tell you how grateful I am for somebody to talk to about my problems. Especially after…” Her voice caught for a moment. After I lost my mother and my sister in the space of a few months…
Julia stroked her back gently, “I understand, my dear. I understand. Let it out if you wish. Cry. Don’t bottle it up inside you. It only hurts more.”
Wonder Woman cried softly in the other woman’s arms as they held each other.
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So who’s behind the 100 million reward? Hint: Cale was going to screw him in the comics, figuratively speaking. And Diana and her friends aren’t too far behind on his hit list either… This guy is dangerous! And more than a little, shall we say… PSYCHOTIC.
Next chapter: The Battle of Brooklyn! Anti-feminist Islamic jihadists, assassins from every corner, mobsters, and our heroes(and anti-heroes) get into a colossal conflict in the
heart of