“Sorry about that Caine, you know how I like to play with my food.” Jack shrugged. “Didn’t expect these guys though. I’d have thought they’d still be recovering from Alfred and Quinn.”
Tyrone had a sinking feeling in his stomach. Though the other team were allowed to operate more publicly, their existence was still a secret to all but the Mayor’s office at the moment. They had been betrayed before they even stepped foot in Draekeor he imagined.
“Undercover Sabres no doubt.” Caine turned his attention to the two agents who lay on the ground. “I wonder what they’ve found — if anything.”
He focused on Eva.
“Pardon my rudeness,” Caine spoke, “Eva Diallo, I presume.”
Eva remained silent. Caine’s mask betrayed nothing, but his next action exposed his annoyance instead. Like it had come from nothing, a pike slid out of his sleeve. He grabbed it, forcefully impaling Tyrone in the leg. He did the same to Eva, sliding it through her right leg with enough force to pierce the ground below. Both tried not to scream.
Jack licked his lips at the sight of blood, but Caine removed any thoughts of moving with a glance.
“Let’s try that again. Hopefully, without the unpleasantness.” Caine said. Jack licked his lips at the sight. “I ought to kill you for undermining us in the Four Cities, but you could save yourselves by being useful to me now.”
“You’re wasting your time,” Eva replied defiantly.
Jack’s shit-eating grin was back. Caine paused, appearing to consider her words.
“Fine. You can remain loyal all the way to your graves. There are more of you where that came from. Just remember, we could have had a really productive discussion.”
Another portal opened just under his arms, and a blade slid out. He grabbed it and pointed it at Eva. “I’ll kill you first.”
“No.” Tyrone struggled to get up, “I will not let you lay a finger on my partner.”
Caine cocked his head, then extended his other arm. A blade materialised there too. “I’ll just kill you both together if that’s what you want.”
Eva and Tyrone both closed their eyes and waited for death. It didn’t come.
Instead, shouts and yells assaulted their ears. Opening their eyes, they were surprised to see Jack duelling with Bart and Deidre. Aiden stood between them and Caine, a solid black mass of shadow dancing in front of him.
“It didn’t take you guys long to get into trouble.” He scolded them, “This is why you should leave this sort of work to us.”
Caine started to move, then he noticed a dot in the sky increasing in size as it approached. Tobi’s arm was prepared to strike. Industria covered him from head to toe, taking the form of a wolf. As he approached, he roared.
Wolf Fang Fist Pummel!
His claws missed Caine by the slightest inch, but still shattered the ground around them. Eva raised an industria shield, protecting all the other Sabres. Jack and Caine retreated together, dodging and deflecting rubble. Now they stood, facing off against Tobi. The battle had spilt out from the alleyway by now, into the street. Bystanders had witnessed the man’s audacious entrance and now they all watched from a distance as the Sabres and Centurion faced off against Masquerade in Draekeor.
“Masked man of Draekeor, and Caine. Both of you are under immediate arrest.” Tobi growled as he stood up from his crouch, “You can come with us willingly, or we can beat the crap out of you and bring you here anyway.”
Caine scoffed. “We already had this dance, Tobi. I doubt you can make me do anything.”
The Centurion charged at him, but Caine and Jack quickly vanished into thin air. A portal swallowing them up.
Chapter 18 - Warning
A Day Ago.
Draekeor.
“The Sabre Tyrone Sy is coming here? With a group of friends on vacation?” Caine repeated. “It’s certainly not a coincidence. Keep an eye on them, Jack. Rocky. Peach.”
The trio emerged from the shadows, their masks donned.
“Is that the Tyrone Sy you’ve mentioned before?” Jack asked.
“It’s not relevant at this time,” Caine replied, “If they are here as obstacles, then we can wipe them out as obstacles.”
“Excellent.” Jack grinned.
* * *
Hours Ago.
Brad Davis had been hurrying down the eastern streets of Draekeor. It was dinner time. His favourite restaurant would close in a manner of minutes. He was late to pick up his regular order, but he could get something lighter instead. He’d pick something up for Carol as well. She liked the salads they did. Something about their authenticity. He frowned, remembering a report he’d read about farming produce being delayed due to a disaster somewhere or the other, he hadn’t really been paying much attention.
It was in this self-absorbed haze that Brad blundered into his position as a pawn, as a martyr.
A man bumped into him, knocking him off balance. Then the man turned around and slammed him into the ground before running off.
He struggled, but it happened too fast. Something was on his face. Cold. No. Hot. It felt like burning, and then his body would no longer do as he was told. He lived the next few minutes of his life as a spectator, his mind screaming as his body did horrible things. He almost cheered when he was finally stopped. The angry young man who had struck him over, and over, and over again. Then he felt a sudden pinch. And it all went dark. No one would know his story. To his girlfriend, she would wonder why he had suddenly gone insane. His parents would be confused as to where they had gone wrong. The news would dig into him before they got bored and moved on. No one would consider that he had died powerless, alone and scared.
* * *
Now.
Brad’s real killer was having a hard conversation of his own. Caine and Jack stumbled through a portal, barely evading Tobi’s attack. Jack was still smug, his performance against the Sabres had him on a high. A minute later, the mood in the room shifted.
“Now why did you do that?” Caine said.
“What?” Jack asked, defiantly. “I didn’t do anything you didn’t.”
“We were supposed to observe,” Caine replied, “that’s all. You showed your hand. Everyone knows we know that they’re here now.”
“Like I said, I didn’t do anything you didn’t want me to do.” Jack lit a cigarette, taking a drag on it. “You still haven’t said what this Tyrone character did to you. So far as I can tell, he’s green. His first campaign was the one that took out Alfred, but it’snot about that. Is it?”
“Don’t ask too that question. I give you too much leeway as is.”
“Only because someone has to run the place when you’re not here.” Jack blew smoke in his face. “I need to know what I’m up against, Caine.”
“You’ll know what you need to know.“ Caine’s voice was calm. But his tone brooked no argument. He slid his mask off, revealing his face. It was not a particularly noteworthy face — at least to Jack. He had seen that face so many times. He wasn’t sure if Caine considered the expressionless mask he wore his true face. He never seemed to use it as a beast mask, and wore it where others took their masks off.
“I’m not surprised you want to hate him,” Caine said, “You have a habit of letting my grudges become yours. For now, focus on giving the Sabres just enough to stay — but so much that they leave.”
“I never said I hated him”
“You didn’t have to. it’s apparent.” Caine snatched the cigarette from Jack’s lips, extinguishing it under his feet. He stared into his subordinate’s eyes, enunciating every word. “You will do as I say. The Four Cities was only child play, and if we can keep the Sabres long enough to set off our grand finale, it would be even better.”
“The ultimate humiliation.” Jack drew blood from his lip, tasting it with a smile. “I can’t wait.”
* * *
Cleanup had been quick and efficient. Avery had contacted Mayor Avel, and the place had been put on lockdown while support staff c
ame to pick up any evidence that had been dropped behind. Tyrone and Eva were debriefed then promptly dismissed. Avery remained interested in keeping their presence and identities under wraps for the moment. The rationale was simple. They had been revealed only to the Mayor, and now to Caine and Jack. Anyone else who knew about them would have ties to one or the other, and it would be easy to eliminate Mayoral ties for leads on Caine and Masquerade.
The two headed back to Juniper’s house to pick up their luggage, before making a jaunt over to their motel for the night.
“Lionel’s still with Juniper.” Tyrone broke the silence. “I called him. He politely told me to get lost.”
“Politely.” Eva chuckled at that. “That doesn’t sound like him at all.”
They walked in silence for a few more minutes, before Eva spoke up again.
“I wanted to.”
She didn’t have to elaborate. They both knew she was talking about stopping the attack in the town.
“I know.” Tyrone said, “I couldn’t help myself. it’s as if my body just moved without thinking.”
“Like Tom?” Eva said. “You used to talk about him a lot. ”
“He put his life at risk for me. Even if for him it was just another day, for me it was the most defining moment of my life.” Tyrone stopped to stare at the passing clouds. He could almost smell the smoke if he concentrated. Almost taste the ashes. Tom had saved his life, and then become one of the Legion’s Sentinels. He was Tyrone’s hero. His inspiration. His goal.
* * *
The Sparklebust club was not the kind of place Lionel would often find himself. However, his journeys with Juniper had taken him there. It wasn’t the most efficient form of investigation, but posing as a blogger friend of Tyrone had required he make the most roundabout trip through town. Juniper knew all the seedy places, Lionel was happy to come along. He had a nose for trouble. After five hours though, even he was growing tired.
The music didn’t help. Pulse bounding beats and gyrating bodies only added to his irritation. Usually, he would enjoy this, but he just wanted to go home or hit someone. At the bar, he downed a glass of whiskey. Then ordered another and did the same.
Juniper spoke up from beside him. He had been mired in the mass of bodies for at least half an hour now.
“Found a friend you might be interested in. He knows everything there is to know about everything.”
Lionel looked over to find another man making his way over to Lionel. This man had jet black hair, piercing grey eyes, and a body that looked like it hid more power than it showed. He was taller than Lionel too, which meant he towered over many of the people in the club.
Lionel’s danger sense was piqued. Even as Juniper hugged the man and introduced them, he didn’t let his guard down. Grey eyes went by Rocky, and as Lionel reached out to shake his hand, Juniper excused himself to go to the bathroom.
“Is he breaking the seal?” Rocky said. An easy smile. A firm grip. “He’s a lightweight, we’ve been friends for a while. How do you know him?”
“I know him through a friend of mine.” When his conversation partner stared expectantly, Lionel continued, “We write about travel, places we go, things we see. That sort of thing.”
“Sounds dull,” Rocky said. “Drink?” He held out a glass of whiskey the bartender had just handed to him. Lionel examined the glass in his hand, then shook his head.
“Not my type.”
“You just had two.”
“You know what I meant,” Lionel replied. “Have you been watching me?”
“Of course.” Rocky replied, “I came out here especially to watch you.”
“I’ll take that drink,” Lionel shrugged his shoulders. “But you’re probably barking up the wrong tree.”
“Really?” Rocky downed the whiskey glass in his hand. “I’m rarely wrong about things, Sabre.”
“Excuse me.” Lionel raised an eyebrow. He projected outward calm, inside, his pulse had started racing. “Not sure what you mean.”
“Don’t play dumb.” Rocky leaned against the bar, side to side with Lionel. “To everyone else, we’re having a casual conversation. Juniper will wait for a few minutes before coming back, I’ll tell him you were a bust.”
“And If I refuse?” Lionel asked.
“I probably can’t kill you fast enough. But we’re in a crowd.” Rocky said, “Many people will die. Do you really want to take that chance?“
The Sabre’s eyes glanced around the club again. He almost wouldn’t mind but found himself swallowing his pride and doing the responsible thing. His eyes narrowed.
“What do you want?”
“I want you to leave. All of you. Leave Draekeor and go home. Aslog can send someone else,” Rocky started sipping from another glass. “Juniper likes you guys. He’s my friend. To fulfil my role would hurt him more than I’d like.”
“Fulfil your role?“ Lionel looked at Rocky, “Who exactly do you think you are?”
“Hmph, I don’t know,” Rocky opened his mouth, exposing a few fangs that hadn’t been there before, “Masquerade wants me to fight you. A big guy like you, I reckon it’d be fun. But I’d have to kill you, and my little bro’s not gonna like that.”
“So you work for Masquerade?” Lionel let a small spark of electricity flash from his eyes as he said so.
“You get one chance,” Rocky said. “One.”
Lionel was never going to agree to those terms, Rocky should have known that even without knowing who Lionel was. No self-respecting Sabre would. Yet, he had thrown in a confounding factor. Juniper had now become a factor. He was Tyrone’s childhood friend who had caught up with him after a couple of years break in communication. He was apparently also friends with someone from Masquerade. Someone who was now explaining why it would be in everyone’s best interests to leave Draekeor. He blinked, and the other man was gone.
Swallowed up by the gyrating crowd. Juniper arrived shortly after, full of questions and short of answers. Just like Lionel.
Chapter 19 - Thread
Rocky watched Lionel leave the club from his perch. The young Sabre looked around, likely hoping to catch a glimpse of him. He would not be so lucky. When Rocky entered stealth mode, no one could see or sense him without his assent. Try as he might, Lionel Cisse would never be able to find him. He considered following him, but he dropped the idea. The Centurions might be a different matter, especially Avery and his eyes. It didn’t matter. Lionel cast one final glance before he finally headed off and away.
Rocky smirked. The other man would come to him. And as long as he had his scent memory, he could find him anywhere.
* * *
Lionel finally returned to the apartment to find his partners in a subdued mood. Avery wasn’t present — he and Tobi were working together that night — but the other two were.
Tyrone lay on the bed, bandages covering what appeared to be fresh wounds. Eva looked similarly banged up, but she still remained hard at work, looking through files and writing up a report.
Lionel pulled up a chair and placed some food on the desk. He tossed a box to Tyrone, who caught it. He slid another to Eva. She considered it, shook her head, and popped it open.
“You know I can’t resist dubious street food from god knows where,” Eva joked.
“Nothing a regen pill can’t handle.” Lionel returned.
Tyrone grunted his thanks. He still wasn’t happy about the events of the day, though the food lifted his spirits. That Lionel had to go out of his way to get this wasn’t lost on them.
“How did you guys’ day go?” Lionel asked as he finished the last of the food.
“We ran into one of the beast mask users.” Tyrone pulled up a chair and joined them at the desk. He continued, ” We also ran into Caine. The bastard’s here after all.”
“Didn’t go well did it?” Lionel gave them another once over.
“He handed our asses to us, and the Centurions had to save us.” He grumbled, “It was a mistake.”
They spoke some more about the attack on the city before the conversation turned back to Lionel. Eva was curious about what he had found.
“Tyrone. Your friend has ties to a very dangerous man.” Lionel began, meeting his partner’s eyes. “I had an encounter with one of the beast mask users. From what I could tell, he was a member of Masquerade.”
“How could you tell?” asked a sceptical Eva. “Did he have an ID card?”
“I am struck with laughter. You mentioned that the others weren’t able to control their transformations. This one could. to an extreme degree.” Lionel explained, “He manifested fangs right in front of me without wearing a full mask.”
“Yeah, that’d do it for ID.” Eva conceded.
“He threatened me to back off.” Lionel pulled out a sandwich, “Listen, they knew everything about us.”
“It’s like Avery said, there’s a leak in the mayor’s office,” Tyrone added for the first time. “The Jack guy seemed to already know about us.”
“Wait…you guys didn’t fight?” Eva asked. Lionel’s lack of injury which had seemed normal at first now stuck out.
“No, we didn’t. He seemed to have some interest in me.” Lionel recalled. “I reckon it was also a combination of Juniper being there and the club environment.”
“An interest…” Eva mused, “We could exploit that.”
“That’s not happening. It’s more of a violent ‘let’s see you and me fight later’ kind of interest than whatever you’re thinking.”
“Still though, as long as he’s interested in you—”
“How is he linked to Juniper?” Tyrone interjected again. “I’ve known him for years. He’s not a bad guy.”
“They had some ties going back years. You told us you lost touch with him for a bit. Rocky must have come in around then, picked him off the ground and hit it off.” Lionel hesitated, “Not all bad guys are pure evil.”
“A man who sells beast masks to people who want power for a few minutes. Meanwhile, another one who’s hunting up and sought to deliberately antagonise us.” Eva enumerated, “A mysterious masked man, and a hidden organisation. There’s a lot to swallow here.”
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