Villain (Book 1): Villain 1

by Laddusaw, Cole

  Siren rolled her eyes.

  “I suppose.”

  “I hope that your husband understands how lucky he is to have a woman like you. If it were you who I was coming home to every night, I may not have been so preoccupied with work.”

  Siren cringed internally in disgust but maintained a pleasant demeanor.

  “And what is it that you do, Mr. Kiyoshi, that keeps you so preoccupied?” she asked politely.

  “Trade, mostly. Actually, this party is a celebration I organized for my company. We fell into a bit of luck that will hopefully open up new ventures for us.”

  “You have my congratulations,” Siren responded.

  A sudden breeze wafted through the room, chilling Siren. She looked up and spotted an open skylight. When she turned back to Daizo, she noticed an abstract painting hanging behind him that she didn’t see before. Had it been there when the guards entered? She was sure she would have remembered it due to its unique frame, which was thick and limb-like. Her attention was immediately pulled away when Daizo looked sternly back at her.

  “Which brings me to a question I have for you, Mrs. Gennaro. What are you and your friend really doing here?” Daizo asked.

  Siren froze, but only for a moment. She was more accustomed to thinking on her feet than Eve was.

  “Eve was invited. We’re simply here to enjoy the party,” she replied.

  “I find that hard to believe. You see, everyone in attendance tonight either works for me or is related to someone who works for me. That is, everyone except for you two Americans. Judging by my son’s surprise upon seeing your friend, he did not invite her. I also find it hard to believe that his favorite singer would simply show up to our private party unannounced. So I will ask you one more time, what is it you are doing here? Are you CIA? American spies?”

  Daizo reached into his coat. A flash of metal from the hilt of his gun shone through. Siren’s eyes widened, but before she had time to react there was a loud THUMP behind them. They turned in time to see one of the goons fall to the floor on top of the other. Both of them were dead, their throats splayed open and bleeding profusely.

  Daizo instantly drew his gun and pointed it at the empty doorway. On one side of the doorway was the strange painting hanging on the wall, on the other was an odd-looking bird of paradise in a lumpy vase that Siren was certain had not been there a moment ago. She eyed it cautiously.

  Daizo turned and grabbed Siren by the scruff of her neck.

  He shouted furiously at her, “Is this your doing? Tell them to stand down or else I-”

  Daizo froze. He choked and sputtered up a small amount of blood that dribbled down his lips. He fell forward into Siren and she caught him before he hit the ground.

  Siren looked up behind Daizo to see that the odd painting was no longer on the wall. Standing in front of where it had hung was a naked woman. Her body was a jumble of undulating spikes still swirling with the colors of the painting. She stood with her hand outstretched. The tips of her fingers were spiked and dripping with blood. Siren looked down and saw deep holes in the back of Daizo’s neck.

  The woman lowered her arm and looked at Siren with hungry determination. Siren glared back at her and shouted out a high-pitched scream. The woman gripped her ears. Her skin churned in different colors, reacting to the piercing sound. The glass in the room shattered as Siren altered the resonance of her scream. The vase by the door began to shake and change colors much like the naked woman. It too began to take the shape of a person, someone identical to the woman standing in front of Siren.

  Still screaming, Siren ripped the gun from Daizo’s grasp. She pointed it at the woman in the doorway and pulled the trigger. It didn’t budge. Siren fiddled with the safety as the two women bolted out of the room. They ran down the hallway as Siren fired blindly behind them through the wall.

  Siren stopped her scream and turned her attention to Daizo, who laid bleeding in her lap. She tried to move him but he stopped her.

  “You... tried to stop them,” Daizo gasped.

  “I can run and get help,” Siren exasperated.

  “Wait,” Daizo whispered, gripping Siren’s hand. “My son. Aiko. You must tell him where I am. Please.”

  Siren squeezed Daizo’s hand.

  “Of course,” she whispered back.

  She laid Daizo down carefully before taking off down the hall.

  ◊ ◊ ◊

  Deimos stared fixated at the museum from his vantage point. The windows had shattered and Siren’s scream was still echoing in the valley. The music stopped and the guests were in a state of panic. The armed guards outside created a perimeter around the museum, their guns drawn.

  “Still think they are safe?” Yasuke asked.

  “Shut up, twerp,” Captain C hissed. “Deimos, should I make the call?”

  “Not yet,” Deimos replied. “Keep your men where they are. If we come guns blazing there is bound to be someone innocent hurt in the crossfire. More importantly, it would really piss Siren off.”

  Deimos approached Yasuke and bent down to his level.

  “These men, the gangsters, you said you know them?”

  “They have been feuding with my family all my life,” Yasuke replied.

  Deimos turned to Captain C and pulled his sword from his scabbard.

  “Hey!” Captain C shouted.

  Deimos steadied the sword over Yasuke’s bonds.

  “Will you help me?” Deimos asked Yasuke. “If I free you, will you help me get Eve and my wife out of there?”

  Yasuke grimaced. Screams echoed from the party below them and he squirmed angrily in his bindings. He finally nodded and Deimos cut the ropes. Yasuke fell clumsily into the dirt, his arms weak from being tied up for so long. Deimos reached out his hand to help him but Yasuke brushed it away.

  “My sword,” he stated bluntly.

  Deimos turned to the pirate still carrying Yasuke’s sword, who in turn looked to Captain C for approval. Captain C nodded to him and the pirate handed the sword over to Yasuke. As Yasuke reached for it, Deimos stopped his hand.

  “No killing,” Deimos said. “If possible. Please.”

  Yasuke stared back at Deimos. His scowl lessened.

  “We have to move quickly,” Yasuke said. “Try to keep up.”

  Yasuke bolted from his position, leapt over the ridge, and slid down the steep slope.

  “Keep everyone on stand-by,” Deimos said to Captain C. “If shit goes south, I’ll set off one of the fireworks. That will be your signal to come in guns blazing.”

  Captain C nodded. Deimos powered up his robotic legs and gave chase after Yasuke.

  ◊ ◊ ◊

  Inside the museum, panic was overtaking the partygoers. Eve noticed that Aiko and his drinking buddies had all pulled out guns when the windows shattered. She started to believe that they weren’t the awkward businessmen she initially thought they were.

  Eve turned to see Siren rush into the crowd of people with a gun drawn. When Siren made eye contact with Eve, she stuffed the gun into her fake pregnant belly and ran over to her.

  “What the hell was that about?” Eve asked her.

  “I think some of Hans’ supervillains tracked us here. Two women who could change their bodies tried to kill me but I lost sight of them.”

  “Change their bodies? Like Mystique?” Eve asked.

  “Did you just make an X-Men reference?” Siren questioned, impressed.

  “What’s X-Men? Mystique is a model I follow on Instagram. She’s also a contortionist.”

  Siren sighed.

  “Yes, like Mystique. Do you know where the guy is who let you into the party?”

  “Aiko? Yeah, he’s right over there,” Eve replied, pointing to the edge of the stage.

  “He needs to come see his dad. One of the villains got to him before I coul
d stop them,” Siren said.

  Eve relayed the message and Aiko’s eyes widened. He motioned to his armed compatriots and they followed Eve and Siren further into the museum. When they arrived at the room they saw Daizo in the same position Siren left him in, except a large stain of blood was now seeping its way through the carpet beneath him.

  Aiko rushed over to his father while the armed men stood near Eve and Siren, guarding the entrance over their dead counterparts. Aiko gripped his dying father’s hand and leaned in close to him.

  As the father and son talked, Eve whispered to Siren, “So should I go grab that turtle, or is this totally the wrong time?”

  “I think we have bigger things to worry about than that stupid turtle,” Siren replied. “I’m pretty sure this is some sort of mob party. This dying guy was their leader.”

  “Shit,” Eve sighed. “Well that would explain the guns.”

  “We need to find a way out of here so we can warn Deimos and Captain C about Hans’ supervillains,” Siren whispered.

  Aiko let out a short, sorrowful cry. He hunched over his father as the mob boss took his last, haggard breath. After a long, quiet moment, Aiko turned back toward Siren. He wiped away his tears and approached her. Siren stepped back, startled, but Aiko stopped in front of her and bowed deeply.

  “My father said you fought off his attacker. Thank you for attempting to save his life,” Aiko said solemnly.

  “Don’t mention it,” Siren replied.

  Aiko rose, now looking determinedly at Siren.

  “The killer, did you see which way he went?”

  “It was two women, actually,” Siren replied. “They ran back into the party but I lost sight of them.”

  A woman’s scream echoed from the lobby.

  Siren and Eve ran out with Aiko and his men toward the commotion. When they reached the lobby, they were blocked by a sea of party goers attempting to rush the opposite direction. Siren pushed through the throng of panicked guests to reach the front as gunfire resounded ahead of her.

  She peered over the heads of the panicked guests to see flashes of gunfire and bursts of flame blinking outside the museum. Deimos and Yasuke were facing off against the armed guards in a spectacular display of hand to hand combat. As Siren watched, Deimos was able to disarm and knock out two guards simultaneously with one rocket-powered spinning kick. Ahead of him, Yasuke had yet to even draw his sword and was still avoiding a barrage of bullets while incapacitating another two guards.

  One of the guards flew through the already broken windows from a particularly nasty kick by Deimos. Yasuke drew his sword on the last guard, who then dropped his weapon in surrender. He was led into the party by sword-point with his hands raised.

  “Bring me Daizo!” Yasuke shouted in Japanese to the frightened crowd.

  Aiko and his goons rushed forward with their guns drawn. Yasuke pulled the guard close and held his sword to his throat. Aiko and his men shouted angry, incomprehensible slurs at Yasuke but he stood firm.

  Attempting to mitigate the situation, Siren pushed forcefully through the crowd and rushed between the men.

  “Whoa, take it easy!” she shouted at Aiko. “These two are with us.”

  Deimos ran up to Siren and embraced her.

  “Baby! Thank God you’re okay. We’re here to get you and Eve out of here.”

  Siren pushed Deimos away.

  “We don’t need rescuing. Let that man go, we have bigger problems right now.”

  “These men are gang members! You must know that by now, we heard you scream.”

  “We were attacked by two supervillains sent by Hans. It had nothing to do with these guys.”

  Deimos’ face became pale, but Yasuke did not react.

  “I do not understand. Where is Daizo?” Yasuke asked firmly.

  “My father is dead,” Aiko stated with his weapon still pointed at Yasuke. “Now that I see you are here, samurai, I think I understand why.”

  “Yasuke had nothing to do with this!” Siren proclaimed. “The two women were probably sent here to kill my husband. I’m sorry your father got caught in the crossfire, but misplacing the blame isn’t going to help us. The killers might still be in the building.”

  “Why should I believe you? You could be working with this man,” Aiko stated, not taking his eyes off of Yasuke.

  “You don’t have to believe me. Believe your father. Why would I try to save him if I wanted him dead?”

  “Yeah, we didn’t even know you were here,” Deimos interjected. “We only wanted to steal from the museum. Hell, we just met Yasuke earlier tonight and have had him tied up until two minutes ago, so there’s no way he could have done it.”

  Aiko smirked.

  “The protégé of Unmei’s great defender and you were captured by some common thieves? My men must have greatly overestimated your abilities the other night. Maybe it is time I came to Unmei personally and start taking what is rightfully mine.”

  Yasuke fumed. He gripped his sword tighter and pressed it firmly against the guard’s throat. As the two men faced off, Eve stepped forward angrily. She approached Aiko and slapped him across the face. Aiko’s men immediately turned their guns on Eve but she didn’t back down.

  “Listen here, you entitled little shit,” Eve fumed. “I was being nice to you because I thought you were some nerdy Japanese fanboy, but you’re just another douchebag.”

  Tears filled Aiko’s eyes, but they weren’t from the slap. They were tears from a breaking heart.

  “Eve, no. Please-”

  “You know my song ‘Three Types of Douches’?” Eve asked. “You’re a fucking Mike.”

  Aiko burst into tears. He fell to his knees and grasped desperately at Eve, bawling loudly.

  “Oh God! Eve, no!” Aiko sputtered. “Please! I cannot bear for you to think I am a Mike! Mike is the worst kind of douchebag!”

  “You’re a fucking Mike! Mike! Mike! Mike!” Eve shouted at Aiko, who responded with sputtering, snot-filled sobs.

  Siren whispered to Deimos, “This dude’s dad died five minutes ago and he didn’t react even remotely close to this.”

  “It’s a guy thing,” Deimos whispered back.

  “Eve, please, I will do anything you say,” Aiko cried out. “I am not a Mike! I swear!”

  “Prove it!” Eve responded. “Start treating Yasuke with respect. He’s a good guy who wanted to help me even though the people I’m traveling with treated him like shit. I don’t know your history with him, clearly you two have some stuff to work out, but a Mike would never help someone he hates. A Mike would never learn from his mistakes. So don’t be a fucking Mike and help us stop these assassins.”

  Aiko rose to his feet, wiping away his snot and tears. He turned to Yasuke, the hate seemingly drained from his face, and bowed.

  “Eve is right,” Aiko said firmly. “I cannot let our history endanger these people. Forgive me.”

  Yasuke looked bewildered at Aiko. As Aiko rose from his bow, his bewilderment turned into disgust upon seeing the gangster’s snot covered face. Yasuke finally saw Aiko for what he was, a scared child who had never been told no. He looked around at the faces of Aiko’s men and saw more spoiled children with a lifetime of tantrums behind them. Yes, these men were assholes, but only because they hadn’t been raised properly, been given the proper attention, or been told the world doesn’t revolve around them. They hadn’t received the love his grandfather and father had given him.

  Yasuke sighed and lowered his sword from the guard’s throat.

  “Okay,” he said finally. “Let us work together to get these people out of here safely.”

  Suddenly, all of the lights shut off at once, plunging the museum into darkness. There were screams from the crowd but Aiko shouted, “Silence!” in Japanese and they immediately quieted.

  “That must be them,” Sir
en said. She gripped Deimos’ hand in the dark. “I was able to shout them off earlier but these people are too close. I might really hurt someone.”

  “That’s okay,” Deimos said. “I have a plan. If I can get outside and set off a firework to alert Captain C, we’ll have the firepower we need to get out of here safely.”

  Yasuke spoke up, “I will go outside and set off the firework. I should be able to hear them coming.”

  “Not a chance,” Deimos replied. “I need you here to defend everyone. Besides, I’m the fastest. They don’t stand a chance at catching me.”

  Yasuke opened his mouth to protest but Eve caught his eye. He closed his mouth and relented.

  Siren kissed Deimos on the cheek.

  “Be careful,” she whispered.

  “You know me, baby,” Deimos said with a wink. “I’m unstoppable.”

  Without wasting another moment, Deimos was off. Once he was clear of the throng of people, he powered up the microthrusters in his legs. Their orange glow lit his path and he leapt skillfully out of the broken window toward the fireworks.

  The instant Deimos’ feet touched the ground, a throwing star flew out from the dark and embedded deep in the robotics of his right leg. The leg lost power and he fell onto the side of his face, hard.

  “Ah fuck!” Deimos screamed out. “They stopped me immediately!”

  He looked down and saw the throwing star sticking out of a joint in his robotic leg.

  “They found weapons! Oh God, why did Japan make so many sharp things to throw?”

  Deimos felt a strong tug at the back of his shirt. He turned to realize Eve was hoisting him up with a surprising amount of strength and speed. She hefted him over the windowsill and threw him back into the museum. Without a word, she yanked a lighter from the grasp of a red-suited party attendant and leapt out the window.

  As she landed, there was a slight rustle in the bushes ahead of her, followed by a glint of metal in the moonlight. Before Eve had time to realize what was happening, Yasuke was standing in front of her with his blade drawn. There was a loud scraping of metal on metal as Yasuke blocked the throwing star with his sword.

  “Keep moving. I will cover you,” Yasuke said hurriedly.