The Assassins and the Scorpion

The Assassins and the Scorpion is a new short story that I have written out. It was originally for a school assignment, but I felt as though I ought to share it here. Feel free to comment and give out any tips for future stories.

Thanks!

R.I.P Yuri

Synopsis
Three random strangers-a Russian tourist and two contract killers-find themselves at war against a domestic terrorist group and are forced to work together to save two American college students that have been abducted.

Chapter 1
 Rural Virginia, United States of America 

 February 8, 2017 

 Asset 51 

   

 Nothing in my life is normal. For me, normality consists of me going around taking assignments to murder corrupt officials, complete psychopaths, or infamous criminals. It was my job-bringing death upon others on behalf of those who wished it. In my mind, it was better than my job in the United States military as a Ranger. It was pretty adrenaline-inducing if you ask me. Nothing uneventful happened. Everything was high-octane action, the thrill of the chase, that sort of thing.

 The house was located on 4467 Deer Creek Road, in the countryside of Virginia. The Boss was waiting there, waiting for me, in fact. He had another assignment for me, and it was about time, considering the fact that I’d missed the thrill of the chase. I had spent the past few weeks-which seemed to me like months-lounging around in my rather ornately decorated cottage in the suburbs of Southeast Virginia. It bored me to death, not hearing from the Boss about another assignment. This was what I hated about being a contract killer-I often had times of total anxiety from not killing anybody. For me, the death of another bad guy was an antidote for my boredom.

 When I entered, the Boss was sitting in the rather ornately decorated living room, with a long couch surrounded by potted plants on either side. There was a plasma screen TV on the wall and a stuffed deer head mounted above it. The walls were painted gray and the floor was covered with a brightly colored carpet.

 “This better be good,” I said icily as the Boss grinned at my approach.

 “Believe me,” The Boss said, stroking his dark hair. “It is.”



 The man then took out a laptop and opened it, and I was immediately greeted with a video screen showing some random guy’s neighborhood. It was a typical part of the Virginian suburbs; sidewalks running on either side of a long street with houses lining both ends. The streetlamps were on, indicating that this video was taken at night.

 “Late last night, police were notified of an incident in Sterling County, Virginia,” said the Boss, his voice eerily calm and composed despite the grave situation he was presenting before me. “This was taken at 9:30 PM last night, on February 7.”

 Then he played the footage. It showed a young girl, standing with some other girl in the middle of the sidewalk. They seemed to be talking about something, but the video had no sound so I couldn’t tell what they were speaking about. As the video continued, a black van drove up and the two girls began walking again, although I could see that none of them were feeling comfortable. The van seemed incredibly close to the girls, almost right next to them.

 I immediately understood; this was a kidnapping. About thirty seconds into the video, a man clad in white with what looked like a mask covering his face suddenly burst out of the vehicle, followed by another man, also clad in white with some face covering. The two men knocked the first girl unconscious with blunt weapons, and then grabbed the second girl, the one who had been walking ahead of her friend. While the second girl lay unconscious on the sidewalk, the first girl was forcibly dragged into the vehicle, which then drove off immediately after the men had forced their victim inside.

 “Pretty picture, isn’t it?” The Boss said sarcastically. Then his tone got all-serious again. He showed me a picture of one of the girls from the video, posing as a model in front of a white screen. She looked to be in her late teens with brown hair and dark eyes. Below the picture was a piece of tape with the words VERONICA BARNES written on it.

 “Veronica Barnes…” I repeated the name to myself. “Never heard that name before.”

<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent:.5in;line-height:200%"> “She’s a native of Sterling, Virginia,” said the Boss, after smoking a cigar. “Daughter of some guy who works for a photography company. He and his wife have been pressing the police with information about their daughter’s disappearance. Apparently the police don’t even know she was kidnapped.”

<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent:.5in;line-height:200%"> “The footage…” I said.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent:.5in;line-height:200%"> “The footage was recovered from the lamppost,” said the Boss. “There was a hidden camera in there, which recorded the whole thing. Two minutes after the abduction had taken place, someone had destroyed the camera. I guess the perpetrators didn’t want their dirty deed broadcasted to the public. We are the only ones who know it was a kidnapping, because we have the footage.”

<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent:.5in;line-height:200%"> “But the parents…What’s the story with them?” I asked.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent:.5in;line-height:200%"> “They think the daughter never came home,” said the Boss. “She went out with that other girl, presumably her friend, and never came home. As for her friend, let’s just say she woke up with short term memory loss.”

<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent:.5in;line-height:200%"> “They must’ve hit her pretty hard,” I said.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent:.5in;line-height:200%"> The Boss nodded. “Here’s where you come in. I want you to kill someone.”

<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent:.5in;line-height:200%">

<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent:.5in;line-height:200%"> Hearing the Boss say the word “kill” made my eyes glisten. The thrill of the chase-I could feel it again! At long last, I could go back to what I do best: slaughtering corrupt people and evil criminals on behalf of others.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent:.5in;line-height:200%"> “Just give me the details and it will be done,” I said, smiling.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent:.5in;line-height:200%"> “I want it done immediately,” said the Boss, smoking another cigarette.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent:.5in;line-height:200%"> I smiled again. “Of course. Immediately. I assume you have a photo of the victim.”

<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent:.5in;line-height:200%"> In response, the Boss showed me two more photographs, the first one showing another girl, with dirty blonde hair and blue eyes posing in front of a black background. The second photo showed a man, appearing to be in his late thirties to early forties, with graying black hair, and blue eyes. “This girl is Edith Cash, another girl who was abducted by the same men later that same evening.” The Boss gestured first to the blonde girl posing in front of the helicopter and then to the fortysome year old man. “This guy right here is the man who is behind both kidnappings.”

<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent:.5in;line-height:200%"> “Never seen him,” I said. “Who is the guy?”

<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent:.5in;line-height:200%"> “They call him the Scorpion,” said the Boss. “ No one knows his real name, but they know of his activities. He’s a domestic terrorist, specifically commander of an anti-government militia group known as the White Ghosts.”

<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent:.5in;line-height:200%"> “The White Ghosts,” I repeated. “That’s a mouthful. What are they?”

<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent:.5in;line-height:200%"> “White supremacist movement,” said the Boss. “That, and a domestic terrorist group. They’re seeking to abolish the supposedly ‘corrupt’ ways of the United States government and see themselves as fighting a war against the ‘corrupt’ ways of the federal government. They want a pure government, much like America was when the Founding Fathers lived.”

<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent:.5in;line-height:200%"> “They want a throwback to the colonial era,” I muttered. Then I looked directly into the Boss’s eyes. “You want me to terminate the Scorpion?”

<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent:.5in;line-height:200%"> The Boss nodded. “I want it done before he escapes again. He’s escaped many attempts to either eliminate or arrest him. It’s about time someone put an end to his criminal rampage.”

<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent:.5in;line-height:200%"> “How do you want him dead?” I asked, my eyes dancing with joy at the thought of eliminating someone as dangerous and crazy as the Scorpion.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent:.5in;line-height:200%"> “I want you to give him the most violent, brutal death ever,” said the Boss. “Feel free to torture him before you end his dreadful criminal record. Just one more thing: Make it look like an accident.”

<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent:.5in;line-height:200%"> At first, I didn’t know how to respond. I just looked at the photo of the Scorpion, thinking about how I could possibly eliminate the guy and make it look like an accident. Then I said, “Consider it done, Boss.”

Chapter 2
<p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:center;text-indent:.5in; line-height:200%"> Somewhere in Rural Virginia 

<p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:center;text-indent:.5in; line-height:200%"> February 8, 2017 

<p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:center;text-indent:.5in; line-height:200%"> Edith Cash 

<p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:center;text-indent:.5in; line-height:200%">   

<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent:.5in;line-height:200%"> I could barely see a thing. There was a bag over my head and I couldn’t move my hands, which were tied behind my back. However, I could hear what I thought was water dripping. It terrified me-the fact that I was being held captive in this…whatever this place was.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent:.5in;line-height:200%"> I shut my eyes, trying to forget the events that had unfolded last night; I had been walking with my friend Melanie Stewart from some college party when a van had driven up and two guys with masks and white clothing ambushed us. They knocked Melanie unconscious, grabbed me and forced me into their vehicle, where they tied me up and put a bag over my head so I couldn’t see. We’d driven for what felt like hours before the van stopped somewhere. Then I’d been dragged out of the vehicle and dumped into this dark…basement, maybe?

<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent:.5in;line-height:200%"> Yeah, it definitely sounded like a basement. I could hear what sounded like a ceiling fan running and an electric generator running somewhere in the background. I began shuddering in terror; whoever those guys in white masks were, they definitely wanted something.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent:.5in;line-height:200%"> About five minutes later, I heard screaming and cries of pain. Then rough voices.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent:.5in;line-height:200%"> “No, wait! Please don’t do this,” The voice-another girl-begged. “I’ll give you anything! Just don’t hurt me!”

<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent:.5in;line-height:200%"> “Get her downstairs with the other one,” said one of the men, a Southerner judging from his accent. “Boss wants ‘em in one piece real bad.”

<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent:.5in;line-height:200%"> “Man, I’m fixin’ tuh knock yo’ lights out if ‘ya don’t shut that yapper of yours!” Another man laughed, before I heard a door opening. “This is gonna be the real prize! I’ll definitely enjoy this!”

<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent:.5in;line-height:200%"> “Please stop!” The voice cried out again. “Let me go!”

<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent:.5in;line-height:200%"> Seconds later, I heard a body being dragged across the floor and harsh laughter coming from the two captors-or at least I thought there were two captors. The second girl began crying hysterically while I heard the two men begin beating her.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent:.5in;line-height:200%"> Beating her.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent:.5in;line-height:200%">

<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent:.5in;line-height:200%"> “Man, do it again! Do it again!” One man said.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent:.5in;line-height:200%"> “You want me to kick her, or punch her?” The second man asked.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent:.5in;line-height:200%"> The first man giddily cried, “Punch her! Hit her where it really hurts!”

<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent:.5in;line-height:200%"> “Consider it done,” The second man said, equally giddy, as he began kicking the second girl, who was now hysterical, as she seemed to be writhing on the floor in pain. The second man later said, “All right, hot shot! Your turn!”

<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent:.5in;line-height:200%"> Hot Shot laughed again and began punching the girl, ignoring her frantic and pained pleas. He struck her repeatedly, until I heard him stop and take a step away from the girl. “That good ‘nuff for ‘ya?”

<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent:.5in;line-height:200%"> The first man laughed. “Let’s tell the Boss we’d done it!”

<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent:.5in;line-height:200%"> Hot Shot continued laughing as he turned and ran, his ally following him.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent:.5in;line-height:200%"> Seconds later, the two men were gone.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent:.5in;line-height:200%">

<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent:.5in;line-height:200%"> That left me with the girl, still crying hysterically from the brutal beating she had received. At length, I heard her cry, “Please…Help me!”

<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent:.5in;line-height:200%"> I didn’t reply, at least not right away. I needed to take some time to process my thoughts. In fact, I was already planning on attempting to escape. All I needed was a means of freeing my hands so I could pull this stupid bag off my head and find out where I was being kept. Then I could possibly form a plan to bust the two of us out of this dreadful place.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent:.5in;line-height:200%"> “Help…” The second girl moaned again, writhing in pain on the floor. “Please…Help…My leg…”

<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent:.5in;line-height:200%"> I took a deep breath before speaking. “Are you okay? Did they hit you too bad?”

<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent:.5in;line-height:200%"> The second girl gasped. “Who are you? Can you help me? Please…”

<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent:.5in;line-height:200%"> “I’m Veronica…I can’t-I’m sorry,” I replied shakily. “I’m tied up…I can’t see anything. Can you see where we are?”

<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent:.5in;line-height:200%"> “A basement. I don’t know where exactly. I’m Veronica, by the way.” I felt a leg brush mine.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent:.5in;line-height:200%"> “Did they tie you up?” I asked, dreading the answer.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent:.5in;line-height:200%"> “Yes…” Veronica said. “Those guys-they chained me. I’m handcuffed. I’m sorry, I can’t…”

<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent:.5in;line-height:200%"> “Can you find anything to cut me loose?” I asked. “Can you help me escape?”

<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent:.5in;line-height:200%"> “I-I don’t know…” Veronica started sobbing. “I’ll try.”

<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent:.5in;line-height:200%"> Suddenly, I heard a gunshot-and it sounded really close. Allison and I both tensed. “Who was that?” I whispered.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent:.5in;line-height:200%"> “I don’t know,” Veronica squeaked, suddenly grabbing onto my leg. “Hold on…”

<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent:.5in;line-height:200%"> Then I felt hands on me and within seconds, the bag was off. I had to blink a little before anything became visible, but when I looked around, I cringed. We were both in a basement, which looked all dusty and worn with old wallpaper flaking off from the walls. Dirty furniture lay scattered across the room and I could see a stuffed wild boar head on the wall above me.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent:.5in;line-height:200%"> Eventually, I laid eyes on Veronica for the first time. She looked a bit younger than me-maybe eighteen or seventeen. Her face was all bruised and bloody, indicating that those two thugs hit her face, as well as her body. Her wrists were secured with handcuffs and her T-shirt and sweatpants were torn.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent:.5in;line-height:200%"> As we stared at each other, the gunshot rang out again. This time it sounded farther away, however. But we all knew one thing: gunfire meant people. People possibly meant…

<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent:.5in;line-height:200%"> The police!

<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent:.5in;line-height:200%"> The gunfire continued for about three seconds before they abruptly stopped.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent:.5in;line-height:200%"> Nothing.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent:.5in;line-height:200%"> Absolute silence soon prevailed.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent:.5in;line-height:200%">

<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent:.5in;line-height:200%"> “What happened?” Veronica looked confused.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent:.5in;line-height:200%"> I just stay silent and hoped for the best.

Chapter 3
<p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:center;text-indent:.5in; line-height:200%"> Somewhere in rural Virginia 

<p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:center;text-indent:.5in; line-height:200%"> February 8, 2017 

<p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:center;text-indent:.5in; line-height:200%"> Nikolai Kalinin 

<p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:center;text-indent:.5in; line-height:200%">   

<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent:.5in;line-height:200%"> Rural Virginia didn’t look like much. Nothing but forest. Well, forest and trees, anyway. The area was quiet, with nothing of interest happening around me. I was pretty much alone.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent:.5in;line-height:200%"> Or was I.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent:.5in;line-height:200%"> As I continued down the path, I heard voices clamoring amongst each other. This made me pause. I was about to traverse down a path in the forested area, when a gunshot abruptly rang out. Immediately, I went to hide behind a tree.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent:.5in;line-height:200%"> “What was that?” A voice said.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent:.5in;line-height:200%"> Another voice-one with a Southern US accent-replied, “Probably the wind.”

<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent:.5in;line-height:200%"> “No, I heard somethin’, I swear,” The first voice said.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent:.5in;line-height:200%">

<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent:.5in;line-height:200%"> I immediately froze up, my Spetsnaz training immediately kicking in. The voices got louder as the footsteps got closer. When I peeked out from behind a tree, I caught a glimpse of a man clad in all white clothing, his face concealed behind a white balaclava. He was carrying an M416 assault rifle with an ACOG scope.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent:.5in;line-height:200%"> “What was that?” Another person asked. Soon, another figure emerged, also clad in white with a white mask. This one was armed with an M16A1 assault rifle. Looking closely, I could see she was female; the M16-toting soldier had a feminine looking face, with piercing blue eyes.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent:.5in;line-height:200%"> “Did you see anything, Jill?” I heard one of the male soldiers ask his female partner.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent:.5in;line-height:200%"> “I thought I heard something,” The one named Jill said. “Hey, what is that?”

<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent:.5in;line-height:200%">

<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent:.5in;line-height:200%"> I instantly dove behind a tree, just as Jill opened fire with the M16A1 assault rifle. One of them cried, “Contact! We have an intruder! Call for backup!”

<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent:.5in;line-height:200%"> In an instant, my training really took firm control. Emerging from behind the tree, I laid eyes on the nearest enemy combatant, a male armed with a Kalashnikov AKM assault rifle. I had no weapon, just my fists and my knowledge of Systema, the Spetsnaz fighting style. Jill turned and said to the AKM-toting gunman, “Bruno, behind you!”

<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent:.5in;line-height:200%"> Bruno swung around and aimed his AKM assault rifle at me, just as I came at him. As I sprinted towards Bruno, I could see that the militant didn’t have time to fire his weapon, so he went for the Glock pistol in his leg holster.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent:.5in;line-height:200%"> BAM! In seconds, Bruno smashed the butt of his Glock into my wrist. Then he drove a fist into the spot above my heart. I was in action immediately, despite the fact that I felt an electric jolt running through my body. I pressed my thumb into the side of Bruno’s neck and kneed him in the groin.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent:.5in;line-height:200%"> Jill, shocked, raised her M16, but I was already moving. Taking the Glock from Bruno, I opened fire on the man with the M416 rifle. He dropped dead, just as I dove for cover behind a path of bushes. Jill continued shooting with the M16, but I was still moving.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent:.5in;line-height:200%"> But as I emerged from behind the bush, an explosion suddenly hurled me away from the armed gunmen and sent me careening into another tree. Jill and her allies soon turned around and were soon staring at a propane tank that had gone up in flames.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent:.5in;line-height:200%"> As I looked towards the burning propane tank, I saw movement out of the corner of my eye. I quickly saw a blur of motion as I turned away from the burning propane tank. It looked like a strange black-suited figure. As I looked closely, I saw a woman wearing some kind of dark battle dress uniform armed with a Remington Semiautomatic Sniper System (RSASS), a sniper rifle from the US Army.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent:.5in;line-height:200%"> “Look out! Sniper!” One of the gunmen screamed. Jill turned and opened fire on the new female intruder. Seconds later, the man who spoke dropped dead, a bullet hole in his forehead.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent:.5in;line-height:200%"> “Man down! Man down!” A militant cried, seconds before he also dropped dead from a gunshot wound to the head.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent:.5in;line-height:200%"> “Spread out!” Jill cried. “Get out of the open!”

<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent:.5in;line-height:200%">

<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent:.5in;line-height:200%"> Immediately afterwards, I was in motion. Taking advantage of the abrupt chaotic situation, I jumped Jill, slamming into her from behind. The M16 fell to the forest floor, and Jill soon hit the floor. Jill was immediately in motion, her elbow slammed into my face. I fell backwards, hitting a nearby tree. Jill turned back towards me and said in a Southern accent, “Wrong move, sucka!”

<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent:.5in;line-height:200%"> I just grinned. “Ya mog by sdelat’ eto v techeniye vsego dnya.” I could do this all day.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent:.5in;line-height:200%"> Jill, a murderous look in her eye, rushed me, but I slammed the edge of my hand into her throat. I followed up with a flurry of punches and strikes to Jill’s ribs and chest. “Who are you?” I asked.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent:.5in;line-height:200%"> Jill cursed mightily and pulled out a knife.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent:.5in;line-height:200%"> PPFT! The back of Jill’s head exploded and she collapsed at my feet. Turning to my right, I saw the black-suited female attacker sprinting down a path, now armed with a suppressed Beretta M9A1 pistol. I looked at the assailant, then took off after her, intending to get some answers. Why was she here? What was she doing fighting these people?

<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent:.5in;line-height:200%"> Who was she working with?

<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent:.5in;line-height:200%">

<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent:.5in;line-height:200%"> I was sprinting, keeping track of the black form that was zigzagging through the forest. We leapt over fallen logs, rolled under fallen trees and slid down hillsides, all in some kind of cat and mouse chase.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent:.5in;line-height:200%"> At this rate, my heart was racing. I had to catch her. I just had to catch her.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent:.5in;line-height:200%"> That was when I saw the house-and moving towards the house was a man.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent:.5in;line-height:200%"> Almost immediately, I felt confused. What on Earth was happening?

Chapter 4
<p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:center;text-indent:.5in; line-height:200%"> Somewhere in rural Virginia 

<p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:center;text-indent:.5in; line-height:200%"> February 8, 2017 

<p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:center;text-indent:.5in; line-height:200%"> Third Person POV 

<p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:center;text-indent:.5in; line-height:200%">   

<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent:.5in;line-height:200%"> The assassin codenamed Agent X had jumped over a rock and was now hiding behind a tree. The past few minutes were chaotic; first she blew up a propane tank and engaged in a firefight against the white-masked militants, and now she was being pursued. She never liked being chased while during her mission. For all she knew the Russian was working with the domestic terrorist group named the White Ghosts.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent:.5in;line-height:200%"> The problem was, he wasn’t wearing the official white clothes of the White Ghosts, so what was he doing here?

<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent:.5in;line-height:200%"> Maybe he was here by sheer coincidence?

<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent:.5in;line-height:200%">

<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent:.5in;line-height:200%"> A gunshot rang out behind her and she raised her suppressed RSASS rifle, dropping a nearby militant who had shot at her with an AK-47 assault rifle. When she turned around, the Russian was still closing in. Agent X was getting frustrated.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent:.5in;line-height:200%"> Her heart began racing when she heard another explosion, and then saw another car in flames. Through the smoke, she saw another man-this one armed with a suppressed Colt M1911 pistol.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent:.5in;line-height:200%"> This man was running for the house. Was he going for the White Ghosts leader too? If so, it was imperative that she reached him first. After all, she’d taken a contract from a third party to eliminate him. The last thing she wanted was for a rival contract killer to steal her prize.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent:.5in;line-height:200%"> “Get to the prisoners!” Someone cried. “Get to the prisoners now!”

<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent:.5in;line-height:200%"> Then the Russian man caught up to her and it was all Hell from there.

Chapter 5
<p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:center;text-indent:.5in; line-height:200%"> Somewhere in rural Virginia 

<p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:center;text-indent:.5in; line-height:200%"> February 8, 2017 

<p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:center;text-indent:.5in; line-height:200%"> Nikolai Kalinin 

<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent:.5in;line-height:200%"> The first thing I saw was the black-clad woman running towards a huge house. The second thing I saw was another man off to the side running towards the house, armed with a suppressed Colt .45 handgun. When the woman turned, I suddenly cried, “Stop! Or I will shoot!” In seconds, I drew my rifle out and aimed it at her.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent:.5in;line-height:200%"> BAM! The masked woman kicked out, hitting me in the crotch. The Masked Woman then grabbed the barrel of the rifle and yanked hard, sending the rifle clattering to the dirt floor. “Who are you?” She asked, her voice betraying a Turkish accent.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent:.5in;line-height:200%"> “I was going to ask you the same question,” I said icily.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent:.5in;line-height:200%"> “I asked you first!” The Masked Woman hissed, before she turned and pulled out her suppressed pistol, popping the oncoming militant in the head. Then she turned back to me. “Answer me! Who are you? What are you doing here?”

<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent:.5in;line-height:200%"> I took a step back, hands raised in surrender. “My name is Nikolai Kalinin. I am a former soldier in the Russian military. I heard voices while taking a walk and…all this happened.”

<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent:.5in;line-height:200%"> The Black Woman then stepped forward. “I don’t believe you. I saw you running towards the house.”

<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent:.5in;line-height:200%"> “Was I?” My face turned confused. “I was following you!”

<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent:.5in;line-height:200%"> “Why are you following me?” The woman said. “Are you with the White Ghosts too?”

<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent:.5in;line-height:200%"> I raised an eyebrow. “What?”

<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent:.5in;line-height:200%"> “Don’t play with me!” The Masked Woman hissed. “I saw you with them!”

<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent:.5in;line-height:200%"> “They were attacking me,” I quickly answered. “I’m not with them.”

<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent:.5in;line-height:200%"> A few moments later, I heard footsteps. Then I said, “What’s this house? Who lives here?”

<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent:.5in;line-height:200%"> “The White Ghosts leader,” The masked woman said. “My mission is to terminate him.”

<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent:.5in;line-height:200%"> “What’s in the house?” I asked.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent:.5in;line-height:200%"> The Masked Woman shook her head. “You are wasting my time.”

<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent:.5in;line-height:200%"> BOOM! Another car went up in flames, just as I saw the second man, whose face I could see more clearly now. He had short hair, a crew cut of some kind, and was wearing a pair of black gloves. His face was shaven and he was wearing a gray T-shirt with gray tactical pants.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent:.5in;line-height:200%"> “Who is that?” I asked. “Is he with you?”

<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent:.5in;line-height:200%"> The Masked Woman shook her head. “No. I do not even know him!”

<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent:.5in;line-height:200%"> BAM! Crew Cut opened fire with his Colt .45 pistol and I ducked. “He’s not with you!”

<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent:.5in;line-height:200%"> “You think I don’t know that?!?” The Masked Woman glared at me.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent:.5in;line-height:200%">

<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent:.5in;line-height:200%"> Then I lunged at the man, intent on getting some answers on what the heck was going on here. That was when I heard a third voice, one shouting, “Help! Help us! We’re down here!”

<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent:.5in;line-height:200%"> A girl’s voice, I thought.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent:.5in;line-height:200%"> Was Crew Cut keeping a girl hostage? Was this his house? Was he a member of these White Ghosts? Wait, he wasn’t wearing a white mask, or white clothing. Was he a secret informant for these guys?

<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent:.5in;line-height:200%"> Turning to the house, I sprinted for the nearest door, located on the front porch, while Crew Cut kept firing. I quickly dove through the front door of the house and was immediately greeted with a stairwell headed for the second floor. To the right, I saw a pathway leading to what looked like a kitchen area. To the left, I saw a dining room, and off in the corner I saw an AK-74 assault rifle propped up against the wall.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent:.5in;line-height:200%"> I turned back to the doorway, but the Masked Woman and Crew Cut were both gone.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent:.5in;line-height:200%"> I was alone, for now.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent:.5in;line-height:200%">

Chapter 6
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent:.5in;line-height:200%">

<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">Somewhere in rural Virginia

<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">February 8, 2017

<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">Nikolai Kalinin

<p class="MsoNormal">

<p class="MsoNormal">

<p class="MsoNormal">The house was empty, as far as I could tell. As for the assault rifle propped against the wall in the corner, I had no idea whose gun it was or how long it had been sitting there. Pulling out the Glock pistol I’d taken off of Jill, I searched the building for more threats. As I did, my mind traveled to Crew Cut. Who was he? What was he doing trying to attack a house full of armed gunmen calling themselves the White Ghosts?

<p class="MsoNormal">Who was that masked woman? She wasn’t working for the guy, so what was she doing here? Was she Crew Cut’s rival or something? Or had I stumbled upon something bigger than anything I’d ever seen.

<p class="MsoNormal">“Hey!” I heard a voice crying out from across the room. “Who's out there?”

<p class="MsoNormal">It was that girl again.

<p class="MsoNormal">Before I could turn around and respond, another feminine voice cried, “Hey! HEY! Help us! Please!”

<p class="MsoNormal">The first voice said weakly, “…You’re here for us?” I couldn’t hear her well, but I could barely make out the words.

<p class="MsoNormal">“Thank God…Please, hurry!” The second voice cried. “Call the police!”

<p class="MsoNormal">

<p class="MsoNormal">Suddenly, I was in motion, running down the hall and eventually coming to a flight of stairs going down to some kind of basement. The basement looked all old and decrepit, kind of like the rest of the house. Chances are, this house was probably built during the early 1900s or late 1890s. Either way, it looked really old.

<p class="MsoNormal">I quickly went down the stairs and scanned the room for any remaining enemies.

<p class="MsoNormal">And then, I saw the two girls for the first time. They all looked pretty beat-up, the second one in particular. Girl #1 wore a bloodied T-shirt with torn sweatpants. Her wrists were tied behind her and she was barefoot. I presumed that whoever abducted these two had forcibly removed her shoes after dragging her inside the basement.

<p class="MsoNormal">Girl #2 was all bruised and bloody, with blood staining her Under Armor T-shirt and shorts. She still had her shoes on-she was wearing a pair of running shoes. I immediately surmised that Girl #2 was tortured a bit before being left to die in the basement. Her wrists were secured with manacles.

<p class="MsoNormal">That was when I realized that I didn’t have a key to unlock them.

<p class="MsoNormal">

<p class="MsoNormal">“Help us!” Girl #2 began pleading. “We were kidnapped! They’re going to kill us!”

<p class="MsoNormal">I approached Girl #2 and said, “It’s okay. I’m going to get you out and we’ll call the police. What are your names?”

<p class="MsoNormal">Girl #2 stuttered a bit before replying. “V-Veronica…My name is Veronica.”

<p class="MsoNormal">“I’m Edith,” Girl #1 said, scooting over towards me, and then turned around. “Can you untie me?”

<p class="MsoNormal">I pulled out my machete, which I kept sheathed and clipped to my pants, and sliced through the ropes tying Edith’s hands together. “Not sure about the handcuffs,” I said. “I can’t find anything to break them with, and I didn’t see a key anywhere.”

<p class="MsoNormal">That was when the side door burst open and I quickly went for my Glock.

<p class="MsoNormal">I soon found myself staring into the barrel of a 9mm suppressed Colt .45 handgun.

<p class="MsoNormal">

Chapter 7
<p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:center;line-height:200%"> Rural Virginia, United States of America 

<p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:center;line-height:200%"> February 8, 2017 

<p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:center;line-height:200%"> Asset 51 

<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent:.5in;line-height:200%"> The Russian looked to be in his early to mid thirties, or maybe early forties. I couldn’t really tell, but for all I knew he was a threat to the mission. Heck, he probably was working with the White Ghosts in the first place.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent:.5in;line-height:200%"> “Back away from the girls,” I hissed at him. “Drop your weapon. Identify yourself.”

<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent:.5in;line-height:200%"> “Easy there, tovarich,” The man said. “I mean no harm. I’m just here to rescue the girls.”

<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent:.5in;line-height:200%"> One of the girls spoke up. “He saved us! Please don’t hurt him!”

<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent:.5in;line-height:200%"> “You with the White Ghosts?” I barked at him, ignoring the gal.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent:.5in;line-height:200%"> The Russian then looked confused. “White Ghosts? That is what you call them? No. I am in no way affiliated with them. In fact, if my memory serves they tried to attack me.”

<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent:.5in;line-height:200%"> “Why are you here?” I interrupted him. “Give me one solid reason I shouldn’t blow your head off right now.”

<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent:.5in;line-height:200%"> The Russian was about to reply, when the door behind him burst open and a man entered.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent:.5in;line-height:200%"> I immediately recognized him as the Scorpion, the ringleader behind this kidnapping. I knew him from the photo from the Boss and as I looked closer I could see that his physical description matched his appearance in the photograph to the letter.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent:.5in;line-height:200%"> “Quick, hide!” The Russian squealed as he took off running to hide. The two girls went with him, and I soon found myself sprinting as the Scorpion opened fire with his fully automatic Glock 18 machinepistol.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent:.5in;line-height:200%"> The two girls screamed bloody murder as bullets racked the building. I was following the Russian, who had been my enemy just minutes earlier. Now we had no choice: we were forced to work together against a common enemy.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent:.5in;line-height:200%"> "Dammit!" <span style="font-size:12.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:14.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman";mso-fareast-font-family:Cambria;mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;mso-bidi-font-family:"Helvetica Neue";color:white;mso-ansi-language: EN-US;mso-fareast-language:EN-US">!” <span style="font-size:14.0pt; font-family:"Helvetica Neue";mso-fareast-font-family:Cambria;mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;mso-bidi-font-family:"Helvetica Neue";color:white;mso-ansi-language: EN-US;mso-fareast-language:EN-US"> <span style="font-size:12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size:14.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman";mso-fareast-font-family: Cambria;mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-latin;mso-bidi-font-family:"Helvetica Neue"; color:white;mso-ansi-language:EN-US;mso-fareast-language:EN-US">The Russian cursed aloud as I zigzagged through the room to avoid getting hit by the bullets. “This guy’s good!”

<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent:.5in;line-height:200%">

<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent:.5in;line-height:200%">"Where do we go?" <span style="font-size:12.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:14.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman";mso-fareast-font-family:Cambria;mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;mso-bidi-font-family:"Helvetica Neue";color:white;mso-ansi-language: EN-US;mso-fareast-language:EN-US">One of the girls squealed as she ducked her head dow. "Guys, where do we go?"

"In here!" I cried,directing everyone's attention to a door in the back of the basement.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent:.5in;line-height:200%"><span style="mso-bidi-font-size:14.0pt;line-height:200%;font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-family:"Helvetica Neue";color:white">As we took off in that direction, I heard the Scorpion laughing. “You can’t hide anymore, piggies! I’ll find you! I’m the Scorpion! I’ll always find you!” He then proceeded to laugh maniacally as he sprayed the room, missing us by seconds as we dove through the doorway as I’d previously indicated and slammed the door shut.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent:.5in;line-height:200%"><span style="mso-bidi-font-size:14.0pt;line-height:200%;font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-family:"Helvetica Neue";color:white">What we found inside made us cringe. <p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:center;text-indent:.5in; line-height:200%"> Somewhere in rural Virginia 

<p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:center;text-indent:.5in; line-height:200%"> February 8, 2017 

<p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:center;text-indent:.5in; line-height:200%"> Nikolai Kalinin 

<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent:.5in;line-height:200%"><span style="mso-bidi-font-size:14.0pt;line-height:200%;font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-family:"Helvetica Neue";color:white">The room we’d found ourselves in looked like a torture chamber. I saw torture instruments laid out on a table to my left, and chains hung from the ceiling. Off in the corner was an electric chair, or at least I thought it was an electric chair.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent:.5in;line-height:200%"><span style="mso-bidi-font-size:14.0pt;line-height:200%;font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-family:"Helvetica Neue";color:white">Veronica looked like she was going to burst into hysterics. “My God! He’s-he’s a monster!”

<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent:.5in;line-height:200%"><span style="mso-bidi-font-size:14.0pt;line-height:200%;font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-family:"Helvetica Neue";color:white">I was fighting the urge to fly into a rage. This man calling himself the Scorpion apparently wasn’t just a kidnapper-he was an absolute sadist. He seemed to pleasure himself in inflicting pain and suffering on anyone he captured, and it sickened me to the core. I muttered, “Damn!”

<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent:.5in;line-height:200%"><span style="mso-bidi-font-size:14.0pt;line-height:200%;font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-family:"Helvetica Neue";color:white">Crew Cut felt completely disgusted. Even for a hardcore assassin like him, it seemed that such things got to him too.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent:.5in;line-height:200%"><span style="mso-bidi-font-size:14.0pt;line-height:200%;font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-family:"Helvetica Neue";color:white">From outside, we heard voices shouting, “Bring in the big guns!”

<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent:.5in;line-height:200%"><span style="mso-bidi-font-size:14.0pt;line-height:200%;font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-family:"Helvetica Neue";color:white">Another voice replied, “Roger that!”

<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent:.5in;line-height:200%"><span style="mso-bidi-font-size:14.0pt;line-height:200%;font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-family:"Helvetica Neue";color:white">“We can’t stay here,” Crew Cut said. “We have to leave now.”

<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent:.5in;line-height:200%"><span style="mso-bidi-font-size:14.0pt;line-height:200%;font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-family:"Helvetica Neue";color:white">“But-but w-where do w-w-we go?” Edith stuttered. “There’s n-no where we can go from here!”

<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent:.5in;line-height:200%"><span style="mso-bidi-font-size:14.0pt;line-height:200%;font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-family:"Helvetica Neue";color:white">Veronica soon lost it and began sobbing. “We’re gonna die, are we?”

<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent:.5in;line-height:200%"><span style="mso-bidi-font-size:14.0pt;line-height:200%;font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-family:"Helvetica Neue";color:white">“Shut it!” Crew Cut said. “We’re leaving, all of us!”

<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent:.5in;line-height:200%"><span style="mso-bidi-font-size:14.0pt;line-height:200%;font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-family:"Helvetica Neue";color:white">Rapid footfalls soon approached the door and we quickly looked around for a place to hide. Veronica and Edith followed my lead, taking cover behind the cart of torture instruments.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent:.5in;line-height:200%"><span style="mso-bidi-font-size:14.0pt;line-height:200%;font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-family:"Helvetica Neue";color:white">“Who is that?” Veronica whispered.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent:.5in;line-height:200%"><span style="mso-bidi-font-size:14.0pt;line-height:200%;font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-family:"Helvetica Neue";color:white">Edith clung to Veronica tightly. It was as if she depended on Veronica for survival. “He-he’s coming,” Edith whimpered. “My word, he’s c-coming! E-Edith-!”

<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent:.5in;line-height:200%"><span style="mso-bidi-font-size:14.0pt;line-height:200%;font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-family:"Helvetica Neue";color:white">Before she could finish her sentence, the Scorpion himself emerged in the doorway, armed with his suppressed G18 machine pistol. He seemed to be looking intently, as if he was looking for something-or someone. Veronica looked at us and whispered shakily, “Do something.”

<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent:.5in;line-height:200%"><span style="mso-bidi-font-size:14.0pt;line-height:200%;font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-family:"Helvetica Neue";color:white">Unfortunately, her “whisper” was a bit too loud, because the Scorpion was soon whirling around, aiming his gun in our direction. Edith cursed. “S-sorry…”

<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent:.5in;line-height:200%"><span style="mso-bidi-font-size:14.0pt;line-height:200%;font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-family:"Helvetica Neue";color:white">“Please, please, please-!” Veronica whispered to herself, with Edith clinging tightly to her side. “Please, God!”

<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent:.5in;line-height:200%"><span style="mso-bidi-font-size:14.0pt;line-height:200%;font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-family:"Helvetica Neue";color:white">The Scorpion laughed again. “I know you’re out there! Come out and have fun with me! I can’t be that bad, can I?”

<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent:.5in;line-height:200%"><span style="mso-bidi-font-size:14.0pt;line-height:200%;font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-family:"Helvetica Neue";color:white">I clenched the table tightly as I crouched behind it. When the Scorpion got close enough, Veronica whimpered, “He’s g-going to f-f-find us and we’re all gonna die!”

<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent:.5in;line-height:200%"><span style="mso-bidi-font-size:14.0pt;line-height:200%;font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-family:"Helvetica Neue";color:white">“Come out, little piggies!” The Scorpion called out, laughing again. “I just wanna have fun!”

<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent:.5in;line-height:200%"><span style="mso-bidi-font-size:14.0pt;line-height:200%;font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-family:"Helvetica Neue";color:white">“Oh, God, please!” Veronica started to sob. “Please!”

<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent:.5in;line-height:200%"><span style="mso-bidi-font-size:14.0pt;line-height:200%;font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-family:"Helvetica Neue";color:white">At length, Crew Cut, hidden behind a corner of a wall, grabbed a nearby tin pot he saw hanging off the wall behind him and hurled it across the room, the utensil making a loud CLANG!

<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent:.5in;line-height:200%"><span style="mso-bidi-font-size:14.0pt;line-height:200%;font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-family:"Helvetica Neue";color:white">That got his attention. The Scorpion turned towards the part of the wall where Crew Cut was hidden.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent:.5in;line-height:200%"><span style="mso-bidi-font-size:14.0pt;line-height:200%;font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-family:"Helvetica Neue";color:white">That was when things got wild. Before the Scorpion could see Crew Cut clearly, the Masked Woman lunged at the Scorpion from another dark corner of the room, while almost simultaneously I clenched the handle of the cart of torture utensils tightly and violently rammed it into the Scorpion’s back.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent:.5in;line-height:200%"><span style="mso-bidi-font-size:14.0pt;line-height:200%;font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-family:"Helvetica Neue";color:white">All Hell broke loose.

Chapter 8
<p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:center;text-indent:.5in; line-height:200%"> Somewhere in rural Virginia 

<p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:center;text-indent:.5in; line-height:200%"> February 8, 2017 

<p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:center;text-indent:.5in; line-height:200%"> Edith Cash 

<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent:.5in;line-height:200%"><span style="mso-bidi-font-size:14.0pt;line-height:200%;font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-family:"Helvetica Neue";color:white">Everything was suddenly thrown into chaos. First, a black-suited blurry figure lunged at our captor from across the room, then the Russian calling himself Nikolai violently pushed the cart containing the horrendous torture instruments into the attacker’s back. I screamed as the two men rushed each other, with Nikolai grabbing onto the man’s gun while the man fired blindly. Behind me, Veronica ducked for cover and screamed bloody murder as she scrambled to find another place to hide, before the man with the T-shirt and crew cut rushed from his hideout to get Veronica to safety.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent:.5in;line-height:200%"><span style="mso-bidi-font-size:14.0pt;line-height:200%;font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-family:"Helvetica Neue";color:white">“Edith!” Veronica squealed as I fled towards a different section of the basement. “Edith, come on!”

<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent:.5in;line-height:200%"><span style="mso-bidi-font-size:14.0pt;line-height:200%;font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-family:"Helvetica Neue";color:white">When I turned back to Nikolai, he’d knocked the Kidnapper’s gun out of his hand, only to be struck in the chest. As Nikolai doubled over, the Kidnapper tried to karate chop his neck, but Nikolai swung outwards, hitting the man’s head. My jaw dropped as Nikolai grabbed the back of the man’s head and slammed him into the cart he’d hit the man with.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent:.5in;line-height:200%"><span style="mso-bidi-font-size:14.0pt;line-height:200%;font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-family:"Helvetica Neue";color:white">Nikolai then tried to chop down on the Kidnapper, who evaded his attack and kicked Nikolai in the leg, causing him to scream in pain as he went down on one knee. Before he could react, the kidnapper struck him again in the back, and Nikolai quickly swung around, just in time to block another swing from the kidnapper. He got behind the kidnapper and slammed him into the table again, then reached for one of the torture instruments.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent:.5in;line-height:200%"><span style="mso-bidi-font-size:14.0pt;line-height:200%;font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-family:"Helvetica Neue";color:white">Seeing him standing there and fighting the man made me want to act. I couldn’t just stand there and allow this to happen, so I quickly grabbed a nearby X-Acto knife from the cart of torture weapons and rushed the man while Nikolai was pounding him.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent:.5in;line-height:200%"><span style="mso-bidi-font-size:14.0pt;line-height:200%;font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-family:"Helvetica Neue";color:white">“Nikolai! Nikolai, don’t move,” I screamed. “Hold on!”

<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent:.5in;line-height:200%"><span style="mso-bidi-font-size:14.0pt;line-height:200%;font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-family:"Helvetica Neue";color:white">When Nikolai saw me, concern flashed across his face. “''Nyet, net! Otoydi!''” He shouted, before yelling in English, “Stay back!”

<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent:.5in;line-height:200%"><span style="mso-bidi-font-size:14.0pt;line-height:200%;font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-family:"Helvetica Neue";color:white">Suddenly, the Kidnapper uppercut him and smashed his head into a nearby wall. “No!” I immediately jumped into action, slashing the X-Acto knife at the kidnapper, who shrugged it off and quickly blocked a kick from me towards his groin, a move I’d learned from the numerous self-defense classes I’d taken in high school. The kidnapper struck me twice in the stomach and once in the face before kicking me so hard I fell to the floor, holding my stomach while gasping in pain. The kidnapper stood over me, grinning as he watched me writhe in pain on the floor. He then kicked the X-Acto knife aside before laughing.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent:.5in;line-height:200%"><span style="mso-bidi-font-size:14.0pt;line-height:200%;font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-family:"Helvetica Neue";color:white">“You lose!” He said between cackles, appearing to enjoy this spectacle of pain and misery. I groaned as I thought back to Nikolai’s comment about him being a sadist. He was right. This man was so screwed up in the head.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent:.5in;line-height:200%"><span style="mso-bidi-font-size:14.0pt;line-height:200%;font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-family:"Helvetica Neue";color:white">Behind me, Veronica screamed, “Edith! No!” She then flashed an angry glare at the kidnapper. “Leave her alone!”

<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent:.5in;line-height:200%"><span style="mso-bidi-font-size:14.0pt;line-height:200%;font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-family:"Helvetica Neue";color:white">Before the kidnapper could respond, the black-suited masked lady from earlier picked up the X-Acto knife that I’d dropped and stabbed him in the back with it, causing him to scream and double over in pain. She said something in a language I didn’t recognize, before kicking him to the floor.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent:.5in;line-height:200%"><span style="mso-bidi-font-size:14.0pt;line-height:200%;font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-family:"Helvetica Neue";color:white">In a feat of near-superhuman strength and will, the kidnapper got back up and slammed his fist into the Masked Girl’s kidney, sending her to the floor in pain as well. He reached back, trying to pull the knife out of his back.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent:.5in;line-height:200%"><span style="mso-bidi-font-size:14.0pt;line-height:200%;font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-family:"Helvetica Neue";color:white">Crew Cut walked up to the Kidnapper and violently yanked the knife out of his back, causing him to scream in pain again. The Kidnapper swung out, striking Crew Cut and knocking him into a nearby wall, before he lunged for me.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent:.5in;line-height:200%"><span style="mso-bidi-font-size:14.0pt;line-height:200%;font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-family:"Helvetica Neue";color:white">“No!” I began crying freely as I turned to run, only for the Kidnapper to grab onto my leg and pull me towards him. Behind him, Veronica cried, “No! Leave her alone!”

<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent:.5in;line-height:200%"><span style="mso-bidi-font-size:14.0pt;line-height:200%;font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-family:"Helvetica Neue";color:white">“Time to teach this girl some manners,” I heard the abductor hissing as he violently dragged me across the floor.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent:.5in;line-height:200%"><span style="mso-bidi-font-size:14.0pt;line-height:200%;font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-family:"Helvetica Neue";color:white">“Get off of her!” Veronica was hysterical. “Get off of her!”

<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent:.5in;line-height:200%"><span style="mso-bidi-font-size:14.0pt;line-height:200%;font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-family:"Helvetica Neue";color:white">And then, everything went into chaos. First, Crew Cut grabbed my hand and Nikolai tackled the Kidnapper from behind. In seconds, Nikolai had wrenched the man off of me, allowing Crew Cut to get me to safety. The minute she got the chance, Veronica instantly embraced me in a hug-or at least tried to-while sobbing like crazy.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent:.5in;line-height:200%"><span style="mso-bidi-font-size:14.0pt;line-height:200%;font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-family:"Helvetica Neue";color:white">“What is he doing?” Veronica screamed as I turned around to face Nikolai.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent:.5in;line-height:200%"><span style="mso-bidi-font-size:14.0pt;line-height:200%;font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-family:"Helvetica Neue";color:white">The Kidnapper abruptly whirled around and swung his fist into Nikolai, sending him careening into the opposite wall. Another strike to his face sent Nikolai to the floor, followed by a kick to the ribs.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent:.5in;line-height:200%"><span style="mso-bidi-font-size:14.0pt;line-height:200%;font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-family:"Helvetica Neue";color:white">Then Crew Cut acted. He lunged at the Kidnapper and slammed his fist into the man’s throat, causing the Kidnapper to double over in pain. “So, Scorpion,” Crew Cut muttered.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent:.5in;line-height:200%"><span style="mso-bidi-font-size:14.0pt; line-height:200%;font-family:"Times New Roman";mso-bidi-font-family:"Helvetica Neue"; color:white">So that’s his name <span style="mso-bidi-font-size:14.0pt; line-height:200%;font-family:"Times New Roman";mso-bidi-font-family:"Helvetica Neue"; color:white">, I thought. Scorpion?

<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent:.5in;line-height:200%"><span style="mso-bidi-font-size:14.0pt;line-height:200%;font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-family:"Helvetica Neue";color:white">Scorpion slammed the flat of his hand into Crew Cut, sending him backwards. Suddenly, the Masked Woman, having suddenly recovered from her blow to the kidney, was in a blur of motion, hammering Scorpion in the spot above his heart. For a moment, Scorpion seemed to freeze, until Crew Cut drove his fist into Scorpion, sending him to the floor.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent:.5in;line-height:200%"><span style="mso-bidi-font-size:14.0pt;line-height:200%;font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-family:"Helvetica Neue";color:white">For a moment, he stayed down, groaning in pain as Nikolai soon stood over the man, having snatched the man’s own gun off the ground and was now aiming it at his head. “Not this time,” He growled as Scorpion groaned in pain on the floor. Then he grabbed the man by the back of his head and slammed his fist multiple times into the man’s throat, effectively shattering it.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent:.5in;line-height:200%"><span style="mso-bidi-font-size:14.0pt;line-height:200%;font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-family:"Helvetica Neue";color:white">I heard a sickening ''SNAP! ''Before I knew it, Scorpion was on the floor, gasping for air that was cut off. I recognized that tactic immediately-it was a lethal street-fighting maneuver designed to kill an opponent by destroying the windpipe, leaving him to suffocate from lack of air.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent:.5in;line-height:200%"><span style="mso-bidi-font-size:14.0pt;line-height:200%;font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-family:"Helvetica Neue";color:white">Crew Cut flashed Nikolai a surprised look. “My God, where did you learn that? You former military?”

<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent:.5in;line-height:200%"><span style="mso-bidi-font-size:14.0pt;line-height:200%;font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-family:"Helvetica Neue";color:white">“Spetsnaz,” Nikolai replied. “Russian Special Forces.” Then he kicked Scorpion’s pistol over to him. “It is better that you did this, you got the credit. As far as you are concerned, I was never here.”

<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent:.5in;line-height:200%"><span style="mso-bidi-font-size:14.0pt;line-height:200%;font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-family:"Helvetica Neue";color:white">Crew Cut raised his eyebrows. Then he said, “I have a better idea,” before pulling out his own pistol and, with one hand holding the fully-automatic handgun and the other hand holding the semiautomatic handgun, shot Scorpion in the back of the head with the automatic machinegun while firing his own weapon into the air, putting him out of his misery and killing him. Then he bent down, forced Scorpion’s machine pistol into his hand, and closed his fingers around the butt of the weapon.

Chapter 9
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent:.5in;line-height:200%">

<p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:center;text-indent:.5in; line-height:200%"> Sterling, Virginia 

<p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:center;text-indent:.5in; line-height:200%"> February 9, 2017 

<p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:center;text-indent:.5in; line-height:200%"> Nikolai Kalinin 

<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in; line-height: 200%;">

<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent:.5in;line-height:200%"><span style="mso-bidi-font-size:14.0pt;line-height:200%;font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-family:"Helvetica Neue";color:white">After I’d arrived at the police station for questioning, I testified to the police that I had been the one who had originally stumbled upon the house containing that murderer named the Scorpion. Crew Cut was merely a “good Samaritan” who’d attempted to notify the police about what was going on, but was unable to reach them due to a lack of signal, since we were in the middle of the woods, after all. I’d also claimed that the Masked Woman was also a Good Samaritan who tried to raise the police, but was unable to. After repeated failed attempts to alert the police to the situation, both Crew Cut and the Masked Woman took matters into their own hands and attempted to assist me in subduing the Scorpion, only for me to kill him in self defense when he responded with physical force.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent:.5in;line-height:200%"><span style="mso-bidi-font-size:14.0pt;line-height:200%;font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-family:"Helvetica Neue";color:white">Surprisingly, the police bought it. After all, Crew had been wearing gloves the whole time and I could tell that he wanted to make sure that no fingerprints were found on the gun, for the sake of plausible deniability. Plus, the area was quiet; no one was living in the forested area where the Scorpion had hunkered down, which Crew Cut took to his advantage.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent:.5in;line-height:200%"><span style="mso-bidi-font-size:14.0pt;line-height:200%;font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-family:"Helvetica Neue";color:white">In effect, the “official” story was that I had arrived first and that Crew Cut and the masked woman were attracted to the gunfire and came along to help, but ultimately I killed the Scorpion in the brawl, not Crew Cut.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent:.5in;line-height:200%"><span style="mso-bidi-font-size:14.0pt;line-height:200%;font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-family:"Helvetica Neue";color:white">In the process of pulling off such a crazy rescue mission, we’d gotten to discover the killer’s identity: Horace Green. Horace was former military, having been a member of the United States Navy SEALs, before severe PTSD thanks to traumatic experiences while overseas caused him to become mentally unstable and subsequently discharged. At one point, he snapped and began killing and torturing people as a means of coping with the pain he felt. Police had told us that the man had gotten away with at least fifty murders in the past few years, and that Nikolai’s murderous rampage was what brought the killer’s reign of terror to an end.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent:.5in;line-height:200%"><span style="mso-bidi-font-size:14.0pt;line-height:200%;font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-family:"Helvetica Neue";color:white">Edith Cash and Veronica Barnes were sent to the hospital, being treated for injuries sustained during the kidnapping and the ensuing brawl that followed. They were grateful for us, though Edith expressed interest in knowing Crew Cut and the Masked Woman’s real names.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent:.5in;line-height:200%"><span style="mso-bidi-font-size:14.0pt;line-height:200%;font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-family:"Helvetica Neue";color:white">Fortunately, I kept my mouth shut, for now anyway.

<p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:center;text-indent:.5in; line-height:200%"><span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 14.0pt;line-height:200%;font-family:"Times New Roman";mso-bidi-font-family: "Helvetica Neue";color:white">Sterling, Virginia 

<p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:center;text-indent:.5in; line-height:200%"><span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 14.0pt;line-height:200%;font-family:"Times New Roman";mso-bidi-font-family: "Helvetica Neue";color:white">February 9, 2017 

<p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:center;text-indent:.5in; line-height:200%"><span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 14.0pt;line-height:200%;font-family:"Times New Roman";mso-bidi-font-family: "Helvetica Neue";color:white">Edith Cash 

<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent:.5in;line-height:200%"><span style="mso-bidi-font-size:14.0pt;line-height:200%;font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-family:"Helvetica Neue";color:white">Veronica Barnes was pretty beat up, I was told. I overheard doctors mentioning that she’d broken a rib and her nose during our rather short time in captivity. I was luckier, though. Scorpion didn’t hurt me much, aside from roughly pushing me into the van when I was first taken and dragging me around, as well as kicking me in the stomach. However, my stomach still ached from where Scorpion had struck me. Like I said before, though, it wasn’t as though I had a choice or anything. Nikolai needed help-Scorpion was going to kill him if I didn’t do something.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent:.5in;line-height:200%"><span style="mso-bidi-font-size:14.0pt;line-height:200%;font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-family:"Helvetica Neue";color:white">As I sat there in the hospital, my thoughts traveled to Nikolai, as well as the man with the crew cut. Who was Nikolai, really? He claimed to be a guy from the Russian Army or something, but he didn’t look anything like a Russian. Either that, or he didn’t seem to have an accent, which confused me somewhat.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent:.5in;line-height:200%"><span style="mso-bidi-font-size:14.0pt;line-height:200%;font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-family:"Helvetica Neue";color:white">Who was the guy with the crew cut? Was he merely a guy who, like Nikolai, had stumbled upon that house by random coincidence, or was he there for a reason? I mean, he wasn’t helping Scorpion, judging by the fact that he seemed so focused on getting rid of him.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent:.5in;line-height:200%"><span style="mso-bidi-font-size:14.0pt;line-height:200%;font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-family:"Helvetica Neue";color:white">Was he a vigilante?

<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent:.5in;line-height:200%"><span style="mso-bidi-font-size:14.0pt;line-height:200%;font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-family:"Helvetica Neue";color:white">“Edith?” The words snapped me out of my thoughts as I looked up to see a nurse looking at me. She said, “You have a visitor.”

<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent:.5in;line-height:200%"><span style="mso-bidi-font-size:14.0pt;line-height:200%;font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-family:"Helvetica Neue";color:white">“Who?” I suddenly went rigid. Had Scorpion somehow survived? No-the guy with the crew cut shot him in the head. He was surely dead…

<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent:.5in;line-height:200%"><span style="mso-bidi-font-size:14.0pt;line-height:200%;font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-family:"Helvetica Neue";color:white">“Some guy calling himself Nikolai,” said the nurse, which made me calm down. “Well, him and two other people.”

<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent:.5in;line-height:200%"><span style="mso-bidi-font-size:14.0pt;line-height:200%;font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-family:"Helvetica Neue";color:white">“Send them in,” I said. The nurse grinned and went back outside.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent:.5in;line-height:200%"><span style="mso-bidi-font-size:14.0pt;line-height:200%;font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-family:"Helvetica Neue";color:white">About two minutes later, Nikolai and the other two heroes entered the room.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent:.5in;line-height:200%"><span style="mso-bidi-font-size:14.0pt;line-height:200%;font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-family:"Helvetica Neue";color:white">It was here that I saw the mysterious girl unmasked for the first time. She looked stunningly beautiful, with dark skin and brown eyes. She looked kind of…Arab. The first thought that came to me was that she was from the Middle east, or at least, born in the Middle East.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent:.5in;line-height:200%"><span style="mso-bidi-font-size:14.0pt;line-height:200%;font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-family:"Helvetica Neue";color:white">Crew Cut was wearing a gray T-shirt with no gloves this time. His khakis had been replaced with blue jeans. He was also wearing a pair of sunglasses.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent:.5in;line-height:200%"><span style="mso-bidi-font-size:14.0pt;line-height:200%;font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-family:"Helvetica Neue";color:white">Nikolai was wearing a black biker’s jacket with a green T-shirt and blue jeans, along with a pair of boots. He also had a holstered gun clipped to his waist.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent:.5in;line-height:200%"><span style="mso-bidi-font-size:14.0pt;line-height:200%;font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-family:"Helvetica Neue";color:white">“How are you doing?” Crew Cut asked me, his voice somehow reminding me of the actor Leonardo DiCaprio or something.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent:.5in;line-height:200%"><span style="mso-bidi-font-size:14.0pt;line-height:200%;font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-family:"Helvetica Neue";color:white">“My stomach still hurts from getting hit,” I groaned. “But…I just wanted to thank you guys, f-for everything.”

<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent:.5in;line-height:200%"><span style="mso-bidi-font-size:14.0pt;line-height:200%;font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-family:"Helvetica Neue";color:white">“How is your friend Veronica?” Nikolai asked me.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent:.5in;line-height:200%"><span style="mso-bidi-font-size:14.0pt;line-height:200%;font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-family:"Helvetica Neue";color:white">“She’s going to be fine,” I said. “I overheard the doctors mention that she had broken ribs and a broken nose. But my parents…Do they know anything?”

<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent:.5in;line-height:200%"><span style="mso-bidi-font-size:14.0pt;line-height:200%;font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-family:"Helvetica Neue";color:white">“Edith, your parents have been notified,” said Nikolai. “I am not sure about Veronica’s, but your parents have definitely been notified and they are on their way over.”

<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent:.5in;line-height:200%"><span style="mso-bidi-font-size:14.0pt;line-height:200%;font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-family:"Helvetica Neue";color:white">“Hey, Niko,” said Crew Cut. “Can we, err, talk to Edith privately? There’s something I think she should know and it would be best if we…kept this conversation between the three of us.” He gestured to the now-unmasked woman and Nikolai nodded, stepping outside.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent:.5in;line-height:200%"><span style="mso-bidi-font-size:14.0pt;line-height:200%;font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-family:"Helvetica Neue";color:white">Once Nikolai was gone, Crew Cut looked at me and took a deep breath. “You know, Edith, I can’t believe I’m about to say this, but…I don’t think I was completely honest.”

<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent:.5in;line-height:200%"><span style="mso-bidi-font-size:14.0pt;line-height:200%;font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-family:"Helvetica Neue";color:white">My eyebrows creased. “What do you mean?”

<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent:.5in;line-height:200%"><span style="mso-bidi-font-size:14.0pt;line-height:200%;font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-family:"Helvetica Neue";color:white">“We haven’t had the time to introduce ourselves,” said Crew Cut. Then he stepped closer to the hospital bed. “I’m Ryan Carter.”

<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent:.5in;line-height:200%"><span style="mso-bidi-font-size:14.0pt;line-height:200%;font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-family:"Helvetica Neue";color:white">My eyes widened. “Ryan Carter? Wow. I-I don’t know what to say here! I’m just…shocked.”

<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent:.5in;line-height:200%"><span style="mso-bidi-font-size:14.0pt;line-height:200%;font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-family:"Helvetica Neue";color:white">“I admit,” said the Arab. “I wasn’t completely honest either. My name is Sevim Ak.”

<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent:.5in;line-height:200%"><span style="mso-bidi-font-size:14.0pt;line-height:200%;font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-family:"Helvetica Neue";color:white">“Ak?” I laughed quietly. “That sounds like some exclamation someone would make, not a last name!”

<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent:.5in;line-height:200%"><span style="mso-bidi-font-size:14.0pt;line-height:200%;font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-family:"Helvetica Neue";color:white">Sevim grinned. “I know. I get that a lot. Ryan and I-there’s a dirty little secret I think you should finally know.”

<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent:.5in;line-height:200%"><span style="mso-bidi-font-size:14.0pt;line-height:200%;font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-family:"Helvetica Neue";color:white">“What?” I asked. “What could be more surprising than your crazy name?”

<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent:.5in;line-height:200%"><span style="mso-bidi-font-size:14.0pt;line-height:200%;font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-family:"Helvetica Neue";color:white">Ryan and Sevim looked at each other before turning back towards me. “We must warn you: what we are about to tell you must not leave this room. It’s only between you, Nikolai and the two of us, got it?”

<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent:.5in;line-height:200%"><span style="mso-bidi-font-size:14.0pt;line-height:200%;font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-family:"Helvetica Neue";color:white">I nodded and Ryan took a moment to gather up his thoughts before speaking again. “We’re mercenaries. Assassins-for-hire. Contract killers.”

<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent:.5in;line-height:200%"><span style="mso-bidi-font-size:14.0pt;line-height:200%;font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-family:"Helvetica Neue";color:white">At first, I didn’t know what to say or think. My eyes widened again and I spent a while racking my head in confusion. However, after a while everything began to fall into place: that explained why Ryan was focused on getting rid of Scorpion. Someone had actually paid the guy to kill him. How…disturbing!

<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent:.5in;line-height:200%"><span style="mso-bidi-font-size:14.0pt;line-height:200%;font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-family:"Helvetica Neue";color:white">Another question came up: what about Sevim? Was Sevim his partner?

<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent:.5in;line-height:200%"><span style="mso-bidi-font-size:14.0pt;line-height:200%;font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-family:"Helvetica Neue";color:white">“Sevim, do you…are you Ryan’s partner?” I asked softly.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent:.5in;line-height:200%"><span style="mso-bidi-font-size:14.0pt;line-height:200%;font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-family:"Helvetica Neue";color:white">Sevim shook her head. “No. I don’t even know him. Let’s say I just stumbled upon Ryan by sheer coincidence.”

<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent:.5in;line-height:200%"><span style="mso-bidi-font-size:14.0pt;line-height:200%;font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-family:"Helvetica Neue";color:white">“Did someone pay you to kill Scorpion too?” I asked, suddenly dreading the answer.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent:.5in;line-height:200%"><span style="mso-bidi-font-size:14.0pt;line-height:200%;font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-family:"Helvetica Neue";color:white">There was a moment of silence before Sevim nodded. “Yes, someone did.”

<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent:.5in;line-height:200%"><span style="mso-bidi-font-size:14.0pt;line-height:200%;font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-family:"Helvetica Neue";color:white">It was then that a startling realization hit me: Ryan and Sevim weren’t just good Samaritans-the two of them were actually sent to kill Scorpion on the orders of some unknown third party organization. My next question was, “Who paid you guys?”

<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent:.5in;line-height:200%"><span style="mso-bidi-font-size:14.0pt;line-height:200%;font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-family:"Helvetica Neue";color:white">But then I decided not to ask. Besides, I was probably better off being ignorant as of now.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent:.5in;line-height:200%"><span style="mso-bidi-font-size:14.0pt;line-height:200%;font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-family:"Helvetica Neue";color:white">Before any of the two could say anything else, Ryan’s phone rang. “Excuse me, guys,” He said. “I have to take this.”

<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent:.5in;line-height:200%"><span style="mso-bidi-font-size:14.0pt;line-height:200%;font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-family:"Helvetica Neue";color:white">Then he left the room, leaving me with Sevim. I took this moment to ask her, “Are you an Arab? I’m sorry, I just had to ask.”

<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent:.5in;line-height:200%"><span style="mso-bidi-font-size:14.0pt;line-height:200%;font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-family:"Helvetica Neue";color:white">“Do I look Arab?” Sevim flashed me a weird look. When I nodded, she took a deep breath. “I am actually an Arab-Turkish mix. My father is Algerian and my mother is Turkish, but they immigrated to Turkey when I was a teenager.”

<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent:.5in;line-height:200%"><span style="mso-bidi-font-size:14.0pt;line-height:200%;font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-family:"Helvetica Neue";color:white">“How did you land this job?” I asked her, tightly clenching the blanket covering my hospital gown.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent:.5in;line-height:200%"><span style="mso-bidi-font-size:14.0pt;line-height:200%;font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-family:"Helvetica Neue";color:white">“I was actually former military,” said Sevim. “After high school, I joined the Turkish Air Force as a pilot. I was pretty good at it, actually.”

<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent:.5in;line-height:200%"><span style="mso-bidi-font-size:14.0pt;line-height:200%;font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-family:"Helvetica Neue";color:white">“Did you serve overseas?” I was suddenly curious. “Just wondering?”

<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent:.5in;line-height:200%"><span style="mso-bidi-font-size:14.0pt;line-height:200%;font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-family:"Helvetica Neue";color:white">Sevim nodded. “A couple of times, yes. But…”

<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent:.5in;line-height:200%"><span style="mso-bidi-font-size:14.0pt;line-height:200%;font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-family:"Helvetica Neue";color:white">Abruptly, Ryan re-entered the room, looking awfully pale. It was as if he’d seen a ghost or something. Sevim spoke first. “Ryan, what is it? Is something wrong?”

<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent:.5in;line-height:200%"><span style="mso-bidi-font-size:14.0pt;line-height:200%;font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-family:"Helvetica Neue";color:white">Ryan looked at us all and said, “Guys, I just got word-The guy who hired me-he…” He trailed off.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent:.5in;line-height:200%"><span style="mso-bidi-font-size:14.0pt;line-height:200%;font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-family:"Helvetica Neue";color:white">“What?” I asked, sitting up in the bed.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent:.5in;line-height:200%"><span style="mso-bidi-font-size:14.0pt;line-height:200%;font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-family:"Helvetica Neue";color:white">Ryan said plainly, “He’s dead.”

<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent:.5in;line-height:200%"><span style="mso-bidi-font-size:14.0pt;line-height:200%;font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-family:"Helvetica Neue";color:white">

<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent:.5in;line-height:200%"><span style="mso-bidi-font-size:14.0pt;line-height:200%;font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-family:"Helvetica Neue";color:white">THE END!

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