Deck of 52: Aces High II

I tossed the phone into the wreckage. I walked over to the bulletproof vest and took the book out of it. It was a ragged composition book with extra papers stapled in it. It had some pictures shoved in the back. The other agents finally arrived and informed me that the Chief was dead. I got in the back of a jeep and they drove me back to the helicopter at the hospital. When we got in the copter and started to fly back to the H.Q in D.C, I looked at the notebook entitled the "Tome of the Deck". I opened it and started to read …

         For centuries, the 52 have been trying to keep a balance of good and evil. The Deck of 52 is the newest installment of the 52 and is now fully intergraded throughout the economic and political world, all aspects, legal and illegal. We have learned from the past that we should never directly control countries, but instead do it from the shadows. 

         The copter landed on top of our H.Q. I slowly walked to my office. When I arrived I turned through the pages and saw pictures of high ranking members of the "Organization". It seems that the Clubs were the leaders of the organization, and were usually the head of government organizations like the F.B.I and C.I.A. The Hearts were corrupt politicians. The Spades were the assassins and leaders of the criminal underground. Lastly, the Diamonds made money any way they could, extortion, embezzlement, money laundering and much more. I continued to look though the book, and then I saw a file with my name on it. It read…

Subject: Steven Woodsworth
Test: Neo Optic System
Results: Moderate success. Subject is able to survive multiple wounds, but the eye starts to work at lower capacity when too grievously wounded. The updated model should rectify this. We are going to keep him alive since he is handling the Spade situation.

I was like a lab rat to these people.


I stumbled across the ranking system of "The Books of the 52". The Aces were the best of the best, how cliché. The King and Queen were usually equal in skill, but the King outranked the Queen. Lastly, the Jack had the most interaction with the numbered minions. I also saw a piece of paper with the names of the Spades' leaders-


Ace of Spades: Alexandria O'Conner Woodsworth-A.W.O.L age (35)-Spouse: Steven Woodsworth Offspring: N/A Parents: Spencer (Father) Sarah Accardo (Mother)-Siblings: Jefferson O'Conner (Brother)

King of Spades: Spencer O'Conner-Deceased age (67)-Spouse: Sarah Accardo O'Conner Offspring: Jefferson (son) Alexandria (daughter) O' Conner-Parents: (Superfluous)-Siblings: (Superfluous)   

Queen of Spades: Sarah Accardo O' Conner-Deceased age (68)-Spouse: Spencer O'Conner Offspring: Jefferson (son) Alexandria (daughter) O'Conner -Parents: (Superfluous)-Siblings: (Superfluous)   

Jack of Spades: Jefferson O'Conner- Deceased age (35) -Spouse: none-Offspring: none-Parents: Spencer (Father) Sarah Accardo (Mother) O'Conner-Siblings: Alexandria O'Conner Woodsworth (sister)
         
I twisted me face in disgust as I read the list. An agent walked my office and asked
"Sir, are you ok?"
"Yeah," I said "How's the clean up going?"
"Almost done sir, we just need to inform the agents' families of their losses." He answered.
"What about the H.Q in New York?" I asked.
"Some agents stayed back to help the clean up there."
"Good. Carry on." I replied.
"Yes sir" he said while saluting. I continued reading the book and found an incomplete list of the leaders of the Clubs. There was only the Queen, the Jack, and a leader of one of the "Books". The Queen was Speaker of the House and the Jack was the Vice President. They weren't kidding when they said they controlled the country from the shadows. The Chief was the leader of the Ten of Clubs. They had the leaders of "The Books" in other countries. I thumbed through them and it seemed to go on for pages. My office's phone wrung.
"Hello" I said, still reading the book.
"If you want to know more about the organization go to your house" said a strange voice.
"Who are-?"  He cut me off saying.
"I'm not telling you who I am, so if want to know go to your house."
"Fine I'm on my way," I said reluctantly. I took the book and started to leave my office. When I walked outside, the street was, more or less, cleared of the debris and wreckage. I got into a jeep and drove home.
When I pulled up to my house I started to think about Alexandria. I got out the car sluggishly, remembering how she acted after our son died at birth. She was never the same after that. Neither was I. To add to that, a few months later is when I killed the King and Queen of Spades. As I reached my door I heard someone behind me, so I turned around, grabbed him, and threw him though my front door. He took out a gun and shot me in the chest. "Damn tranq-gun." I said. My vision started to get blurry and then I collapsed.

         
I heard banging at a door, so I rushed over and opened it. It was my wife with a bullet hole in her head.
"YOU!" she exclaimed "You killed me like you killed the rest of my family! You're not a man! You have no soul!"
"I know" I replied. Then I pulled out a gun, and then shot at her until she fell.
         "Wake up!"
         I jumped out of my sleep.
"It was just a dream." I whispered to myself. I looked around and noticed I was in a helicopter. I looked down at my body and I was tied up. "This shit is getting real old" I said to a man cloaked in black robes. I asked him "Are you the guy that shot me." He gave me no answer so it must have been him. After I woke up, we were flying for a couple of minutes before we landed on an island. The man in the black robes shoved me out of the helicopter and cut the ropes. I stood up and looked around. I was in a massive Club Compound. Agents were moving in and out of loading docks and garages with crates of guns and ammo. Forklifts were carrying giant shipment crates every which way. I looked to the top of the compound.  It was at least seven stories high. The robed man hit me on my back and while pointing at a glass double door. He said,
"Go." As I started to walk I heard planes roaring over head landing near the island. I walked in, and the compound was all white and had a shiny plastic like look to it. A floating white orb with a blue light in the middle came in front of me and said in a female monotone voice,
"Scanning. Steven Woodsworth, right this way please." As I followed the orb I noticed men and women, all with the same black robe covering their bodies, were all staring at me. I passed several rooms, they look like training facilities. The orb led me to an elevator. It then said "Enter 6066 into the consol." I walked into the spacious elevator and did as the robot asked. The elevator was going down for a while before I started to wonder what was going to happen, since I just realized I didn't even have a gun.
         When the elevator finally stopped, I saw I man standing in front of a door down a short hallway. I walked up him assuming it was "Mr. Club". He was Asian, had long jet black hair that hung at the bottom of his neck, he was about 5'5'', and had a very friendly look for a man in charge of one of the most extensive criminal networks in the world.
"Hello. I am Akria Yokoto. Sorry about the first time we talked. I was on a time schedule.
Did you read the book?"
"Most of it, you know, before I was abducted." I replied sarcastically "So are you the leader of this organization?"
"No. I'm just the King of Clubs. The Ace is behind this door." He said humbling himself.
The door slid open and there it was, The Ace of Clubs. I say it because it was a machine. All white, with black wires coming from its chest and back, leading to the ceiling.
"Hello Steven. Does my appearance confuse you?"
"Yes. What are you?"  I said trying to stay calm.
"I guess I'm what society calls a cyborg. My brain is the only thing left from my, mortal coil. The results we got from your eye were extremely helpful." He said in a robotic monotone voice.
"If it's so helpful why are you here, and not out doing what I just did?" I asked.
"A very basic reason actually. I don't have a strong enough energy source to put my body though that kind of stress, but soon I will. But, that is why I need you now. If I wasn't undergoing this procedure, I would have gladly done what you've done."
"So why do you need me exactly?" I asked.
"To be my gun, to kill who I can't at the moment, Akria has too much to worry about with the other Decks realizing we are weakened. He's making sure that they don't try to acquire our "assets", so I need you to be my Joker. My wildcard if you will, to carry out what the Spades or I would normally do, in the respect of assassinations."
"So you want me to kill for you? I'm a F.B.I agent, and you want me to go around the world and kill people. Hell no!" I replied.
"Steven, you won't be killing politicians. You'll be commencing Operation Royal Flush."
"Operation Royal Flush?" I asked.
"The Spades weren't working for us; it has been about three years. They broke away and went to war with us. Now with that chapter almost behind us, we have to rebuild the Books she crippled. " He answered. " Maybe we trained her to well." He muttered to himself.
"Why me? I'm 40 years old and you treat me like I'm a one man army?" I said.
"You are a one man army." He said with what looked like a smile on his face. "And if you do it we will upgrade your eye, and we will talk about what happen to your son."
"My son he died at birth fourteen years ago, what the hell is there to talk about?"  I replied angrily.
"Your son was taken into the organization, like all babies born of high ranking members. He is being trained to be a killer just like Alexandria was. That may have been the reason why she defected." He said in his cold emotionless voice.
Chills ran up my spine as that thing told me my only son is alive, and that these damn people caused me to kill my wife. I ran up to him and tried to punch it, but he move out of the way effortlessly, catching my fist, and throwing me against a wall. I got up quickly then yelled
"You tore my family apart!"
"No your wife did. She knew what she was getting ever since she was born, just like her parents. She had an obligation, and it was her birthright just like it will be your son's birthright to become the Ace of Spades." he replied without raising his voice. "Now, you can join our organization, becoming the second highest ranking member, have unlimited resources, and get to see your son when he is done with his training or you can leave this building and become a giant bullet piñata." He added.
"Fine, I'll join, just tell me? Why do you do this?" I asked.
"Order and balance, without us this world has always plunged in to near anarchy. After WW II we knew government had to be controlled, and we couldn't let petty squabbles break us apart or we might end up in a nuclear war." he said in his monotone voice. In order to scavenge what little family I had, I became "The Joker".

As we quietly walked through the corridors of the compound, he broke the silence and told me, "Your first job is to kill the remaining leaders of the Spades."
"Who's left?" I said trying not to waste any time.
"Don't worry. Your objectives will be uploaded on your new eye." He replied in an assuring tone. We stopped in front of an operating room. I asked the pale cyborg.
"What is your name, if you don't mind me asking?"
"My name…" he sounded as if he didn't remember. "They called me Guthus when I had my body." He looked down and muttered to himself "I've been in that room far too long. Well go in the O.R, my scientists and doctors will prep you for surgery."
I walked into the all white room, bordered with a feint blue light. I saw doctors in white smocks and teal facemasks and scientist in lab coats behind a work station with clipboards.
"Get behind the curtain, and please remove your clothing." The doctor asked.
I did as she said and stripped. I looked at my chest and noticed all the scars from my "glory days"; bullet wounds, knife wounds, and stitches about five inches long. A doctor handed me a hospital gown. I put it on, and walked out from behind the curtain.
"Get on the exam table please." The doctor said dryly.
I proceeded, and the one of the doctors wheeled in a machine. The doctors started to strap me down. One of the doctors put needles in my arms and a mask around my face. As the gas started to take its affect, I started to think what my son looked like, and how many people I would have to kill to see him again. I thought about Alexandria, and why she didn't come to me for help. I thought about when I killed her. How empty I felt afterwards, the look on her face, I thought about what I would tell my son, if I ever see him again, what happened to his mother. Everything started to get black. I didn't know if this was death or sleep, but I welcomed either one.

I opened my eyes, but only could see out of one. I noticed I wasn't dead, but as I recollected my life, I remembered I was in hell. I blinked a couple extra times and activated my new eye. I tried accessing it, but a giant wall of text shot in front of me. The first paragraph read,
         Hello and welcome to the Deck of 52s never ending quest to create balance and fight chaos in this uncertain time: if you had the older model please skip to the 'New Add-ons' part of the text and read what new programs your Neo-Optic System has.
         I skipped ahead and read that this new eye heals me faster, can zoom up to five miles away, can detect people and animal life around me, and can operate more than one program at a time.
"This might not take as long as I thought." I muttered to myself confidently.
"Is everything o.k. sir, are feeling any discomfort?" One of the doctors asked.
"No, I'm fine; do you know where I can find the weapon vault?"
"Yes. It's on the third floor, you can't miss it. Code 3033." He replied.
"Thanks." I said under my breath. I walked out accessing my eye again, trying to find my objectives. When I found them I walked onto the elevator and opened the file. 

Operation Royal Flush initiated.
Location: Spade Compound, off the coast of Italy.
Sam Goodstein Leader of the Spade Remnants - Status – Alive
Derik Smith Second in command of Spade Remnants – Status – Alive
Objective – Terminate Sam and Derik and all remaining Spades loyal to them.
Remaining Defunct Spades – 102