Unfiled II III

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Crossed Paths
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“Knowing you, I think you’ll succeed,” Fox said over the phone.
Before long I found myself aboard the transportation helicopter, flying dead-straight at the heavily-guarded Vatican. I wished that I could have leapt out midway, but the doors were bolted and chained. My only chance was to assassinate the pilot and fly home, but my luck never got me that far. Something wrong would happen. I know it will.
So instead I called Fox to review all of the possible scenarios, which were all impossible. I hired her to assist me on this mission so I wouldn’t have to die alone. But her position was far from the city itself, behind the scope and in front of that scope were the brick walls of a well-positioned sniping site. If I were to fail she would have a good chance to get away.
The mission to assassin the pope. WTF.
A few days ago the Vatican made an addition to its defense systems, obviously because Caleb’s break in. I didn’t really pay attention to this news……until now. Today, breaching the Vatican fortress would be impossible.
Remembering Caleb, I actually liked that guy. Swordmaster as he was, he kept his cool in every interaction I had with him even though I was a newcomer. Literally everyone liked him; he assisted the juniors in combat practice and watched the seniors’ backs when they needed assistance. His style of combat was also unique; he was a left hander. The only left-hander swordsman in our branch; the Den.
That was before I came along. Fluent with both hands I bested him after a long and tiring fight in training, but he never hated me for it.
Focus now. The chopper was closing on the hidden landing pad built for the pope’s chopper. MAR’s solution to my near to impossible infiltration was to drop me off like a drive through without even touching down. Luckily our helicopter was sheathed and complete with silent technology specially built for this purpose, or we wouldn’t have even made it into the ten-mile radius of the city without raising the alarms.
I looked down at the landing pad which was closing in. The Lord’s Landing Pad. The outer perimeter of the white ring more visible now, and so was the pope’s holy ride-a black helicopter used for emergency transport. Around the pad laid the body of four dead guards. Fox’s mission had already begun.
“Now it’s up to us.” her voice said over the phone, followed by an abrupt silence.

The first thing I did after landing was immobilize the pope’s chopper by snapping the blades with my boot. From below my ledge the city square flooded with people as the Christmas cheer overflowed. Warm lights lit up the city as gifts and blessing were exchanged, the feeling of divinity sensible in the air. Now where is this pope?
I leapt off the landing pad and onto a nearby rooftop. Slowly I began strolling through the Vatican canopy, getting used to the terrain. After half an hour the blueprints of the city were carved into my brain. I dropped into a dark alley, then walked into the central square. Cutting through the crowds, I finally made it to the fountain and flicked a penny in for a quick prayer.
Out of the corner of my eye I caught a squad of fully-armed guards watching over the square. It would be stupid for me to kill them now; I’ll deal with them later, or I could ask Fox.
First things first, find out about the other assassins on lockdown at the moment.
I smelt the six of them; their aura a pint too strong to hide in the crowd. It was a thing that I learned to do while I was still training. Five of them were scattered throughout the alleyways, one of them was hiding in a tower. It was obvious who I should meet. But before that, I snuck near every one of them and placed a GPS on them.
Then I ducked into the alley and opened the manhole before I dropping in.

Having escaped from the eyes of public I opened the flap of my military light backpack and assembled Kirasoul, loading the bullets as I went. Through the darkness I saw the sewer path leading into the darkness. Cold blood washed through my veins, clearing my mind. A computerized interface took over my vision.
This was one of my privileges of inheriting the core and skeleton of a mech-doll called Alex, who used to be my best friend. He passed on after leaving me with his dead body as a Christmas gift. The first and last one he gave me. Now inside my body hid a mechanical skeleton that enhanced my abilities to beyond thought. I could store and build any weapon that I installed instantly with future technology (as long as the weapon was linked to my body). It also gave me immediate link to the internet. Not many people know of this secret though. I thought it would make others think that I obtained my strength completely through others, disregarding my efforts and time that I spent to expert my skills.
For now, I spotted the trap-wires and mines set around the floor with sharpened eyesight that came with the Night Vision Lens that covered my pupils. The defenses made it clear that this assassin knew what he was doing. Judging from the traps, they were meant to stop anyone from interfering. I stepped closer to the wire at my ankle then stepped over it. One by one I started to cross the sea of dangers.
At the end of the traps was a ladder, and at the end of the ladder was a door. That was where I stood, listening to the assassin on the other side. By the rustling of long hair I knew it was a girl, and from her voice on the phone I knew she was my age. Could she be another member from the Den? No, I would have known if MAR was sending in another comrade. She’s clearly from another branch. Yes, that was the answer.
“No. I WON’T obey your orders. I don’t care if you’re the leader; you don’t even deserve the post. No. NO! The pope is MINE.”
Her harsh voice quickly grew cold.
“Oh, so you dare? Try and find me first.”
A beep and she hung up. She gave a tired huff.
I raised my left hand and pushed the door open.

She was quick.
In a blur she flew at me, pocketing her mobile and drawing out the dual curved blades that were strapped behind her. Two graceful sapphire lines carved the air as she got closer, her brown hair flying wildly from the spin, her black eyes glowering with disbelief at my existence. The assault was positioned perfectly for my chest and with her speed she could have lopped off even Caleb’s head before he saw her.
Sadly for her, I was faster and luckily, for me, very experienced.
With Kirasoul I parried her attack and flung her backwards, getting a clear view of the surroundings. She landed lightly before the second opening of the room, a small slot which served as a light source and sniping point.
I swung Kirasoul to my side, dangling it loosely.
The girl who stood across from me lowered her dual blades as a faint smile spread across her face.
“Leon…”She spoke wordlessly, looking at me in surprise.
“Rina?” My memory called out. I couldn’t believe that it was her, the girl from my past, now a sinner like me.
Silence bridged between us, then shattered as she gave me a dazzling smile.
“It’s been a while since we last met,” She said “I can’t believe…”
“Me neither. How? No. When? Why did you join the league?” I cut myself off by shaking my head. I was overexcited. Chill out, Leon!!
“It’s a long story, but if you’re here…that means…” She tilted her head in thought, then came to a final conclusion
“You’re here to kill the pope, right?” She said.
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Assistance
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So it turns out that Rina had received the exact same orders as I had, though her branch, Nest, sent a pack of sinners to execute the plan.
“But I have no intentions of working with them,” Rina complained. “It’s not even a team, just a gathering of strongest fighters in Nest.”
I nodded, “Yeah, I overheard the call.”
She shook her head and played with the dual blades beside me. We sat on the compact bench in the sniper mound. Now, I just realized that we were four floors above ground level with a nice view over the city through the light slot. I tapped Kirasoul’s flat side on the ground, ticking a faint rhythm.
“You didn’t activate or destroy any of the traps down there, did you?” Rina stood up and put on her glasses, grabbing a battered up hardback covered book from the ground. She used the light from a candle to make out the title, then flipped open the cover.
“Nope,” I said as I stretched my right arm, pulling every muscle and gear within. “How do you plan to kill the pope? By yourself?”
She flipped to the desired page, then handed me the book. On the left page was a map of the Vatican, filled with her own notes and observations. On the right page listed several tactics and escape routes, completed with a calendar of the Pope’s December plans.
“It’ll be tough if not impossible,” I concluded, knowing that the chances of her plans succeeding were lower than 3 percent, not factoring luck. “It’s a suicide mission.”
“I know it’s risky, but-“
Rina’s voice was cut off as I pulled her urgently away from the slot, where a bullet shot in. Her eyes widened as I pulled her into my arms, then releasing her just as soon as it was over.
Rina patted her sniper coat. Why she would wear that if she was a dualblader? Blushing, she looked up at me and said “Thank you.”
I turned away from her and looked at the bullet on the floor to hide my embarrassment. “I guess I’ll take out your pack then.”
“You don’t have to-” she pulled out her ringing cell, which I snatched from her before she could react.
“No. Whoever wants to hurt my friends will have to get past me. And that includes you.” I opened the door of the only exit and dropped straight down the ladder while answering the phone.
“How do you like that?” A male voice crowed.
I chuckled. “You failed. I suggest you get out of the black van before I catch you.”
The voice on the other side inhaled sharply. “Who is this?”
“Leon. Leon the Killer.” I ended the call and tossed the phone back to Rina.
“You’re going to help me?” Rina brought the dual blades’ hilt together, they locked on contact. A black string dropped out of one of the blade tips, and with a skillful pull, Rina attached it to the other blade tip like a bow. She pressed a hidden button on the bow, and the weapon folded into a wrist guard. I spun and cradled her in my arms before she could react, with a leap we flew pass the walkway of traps.

The tracer dot indicated that the sniper I just snapped at was still on the move, incessantly switching sites. All five tracer dots were heading for the fountain, obviously the pack was gathering for discussion.
I called Fox. “Flatten the tires of vehicle 0143-YS.”
Fox responded with four faint clicks from the other side.
I leapt out of the manhole before the failing van, the metal bumper dragging sparks as it skidded to a stop. With a shot I shattered the windshield as the assassin inside threw himself out of the vehicle, drawing two guns from his belt, springing up to his feet after a forward roll.
“You? Are you THE Killer?” His voice came out cold, but tainted with eagerness. Pedestrians scrambled for cover as the defense guards pooled in, breaking through the crowds. On my left the van exploded as I waved Kirasoul, detonating the tracer on the vehicle.
“There can only be one Killer,” I called out over the blaring sirens. The guards gathering around the two of us raised their firearms. Warnings and orders were shouted at the two of us, to which we promptly ignored. I bent both legs, ready for action.
This is for Rina. I sped past him with extreme speed, pulling out blood with seemingly invisible quick slashes. Several ruby lines leaked from his skin to the tip of Kirasoul, then scattered as I fired the first bullet as a war cry. He spun and unleashed quick, accurate volleys of gunfire that I struck down with precise cuts while taking two steps back. Then, with the gunblade parallel to the ground I let loose a full barrage, forcing him to take cover behind a mailbox.
The two of us reloaded simultaneously; he tossed the empty firearmss across the street and drawing another set as I switched magazines, pulling out the empty metal square and tossing it over his cover. The hidden bomb within the case exploded like a grenade. As he leapt out I broke into a charge, striking down his every bullet.
He watched in awe at my approach. I surged forward in a burst of speed, closing in the last distance and slashed upwards, launching his body into the air. A single arc of blood erupted from his chest where the Kirasoul struck. From above me he aimed both guns, locking on to my head.

“Farewell,” the two of us said at the same time.
Shock filled his face as Rina’s arrow penetrated his heart.
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We left the site as soon as possible, I dropped into the manhole I came from; Rina simply vanished in the wind with some acute archer technique. Sometimes I wished that I could master the sniping arts, but being a mech-doll gave me so many options in physical, close ranged combat that it would have been a waste.
I smiled while detonating the bomb I dropped off at the manhole, killing the guards that followed in pursuit. They should have started shooting when I was above ground, but they lost their chance in the chaos. With a single command I let another bomb off, crumpling the sewer walkway behind me to prevent them from following.
Rina was waiting for me at the next turn. Her hair was now done in a long ponytail and her sharp eyes still cold from the kill. Leaning on the wall she shook her right hand, relieving it from the stress of holding the arrow on the string for too long. I returned Kirasoul to my pack and walked near her.
“Allen Hawk is dead.” She straightened her stance as I got near, her cold voice stating the fact as if she had nothing do with it. Like Fox she had an aftereffect of becoming overly calm after shooting which was the result of them paying pure attention to the target, paralyzing their emotions and thoughts.
I shrugged. “That leaves four targets left. Five. If counting the pope.”
A low vibrating sound rang through the silence. Rina flipped out her cell and opened it to a text message. Her expression hardened, then she turned the screen to me.
We are coming for you. A declaration sent from Rina’s pack leader, Roy Vainsy, to signal her penalty-death. I couldn’t relinquish my urge to smile, despite our dire situation.
Rina’s cold expression shattered. She turned back to the little girl that used I used to protect in our youth, her face full of worry. Her tears shone in the dim light.
“You have to leave. I’ll surrender,” She urged me with a painful look.
“Nonsense,” I shot back, already looking up the rest of the assassins’ position on my GPS. “We’re going to kill all of them, assassinate the pope, and complete this mission alive.”
“You can’t! Hawk was rank seven, but he is the weakest one of all of us. Felix and Amy are eight, Dussel is nine, Roy is eleven. I’m only ten,” Rina countered. She was speaking of the sinner scale, which was an average measure of our strengths in combat. Ranging from one(the strength of an average mortal) to thirteen(which was the highest level one could ever rank on the scale) I never really took this test seriously though. “It’s impossible”
“Nothing is. C’mon.” I spun and cradled her before she could resist, speeding up once more through the darkness.
I was going to bring the backup forces in. Let’s play ball!