The Perfect Assassinby little dashieChaptersMy Story...RevelationsThe Few, The Proud, The EliteMy Story...Author's note: I will update this periodically... It does take a while to make large chapters like this one... I don't sit on my ass all day and think of new ideas... Scratch that... I pretty much do that... Anyways... I hope you all enjoy this little trail and error of my mine... I really want some ideas I can put in! Just drop me a PM and let me know what you think should happen... The first three chapters the main charcater won't be in Equestria so don't try to give me ideas before he gets there... I have most of that planned out... Stop the hate... Love and tolereate! (This is my T-shirt slogan and is copy writed!) -Dashie DISCLAIMER: I REGRET NOTHING!!!!! WELL ALMOST NOTHING... Chapter 1 My Story... 3rd of May, 1957 The others have come to believe that the Sect will cancel the program. Myself as an elite refuse to believe this. After nearly nine centuries they wouldn't have any reason to stop something that brings in quite a large sum of money. When I am asked to turn in my amulet and blade, then I will believe the claims. For now, I am not worried in the slightest. Rasfier may be the most calm and collective of the elite, but when he becomes unnerved, then something big is about to happen. The only worry in my mind is on the next big contract. We have received less and less over the years. Jess was rather surprised after the assassination of Hitler. They called it suicide, but we knew the real cause. We are the only cause. -James I idly turned the page. Looking back up and watched as my captive slumped against the wall. She wouldn't dare try to leave if she valued her life. She knew me all too well. "You know you never got me anything for my birthday..." "How did you know? Doesn't matter... I didn't have time..." "I don't plan on celebrating it anyways..." Tomorrow was my third millennia. I planned on killing myself. I've had a good life. Long yes, but good. I don't want to bore you with my story so I could show it to you. Turning the page once more I place my marker and closed the journal. Setting it down I stood up and walked around the bed to my captive. She was pinned to the wall by a few of my knives. She looked me in the eye for just a moment. As I reached out for the first of the knives she tried to bite my arm. "Now, now... Is that any way to treat the holder of your life?" She shook her head. "Good, now I'm going away for a while and I expect you to behave... Do I make myself clear?" She nodded slightly making me smile a little. I raised my hand up to her cheek and gently stroked it. "I'll miss you..." She whispered. "I know..." I leaned in for a quick peck. I removed each knife in quick succession. She wrapped me in a quick embrace and smiled. "Do you have to go?" "Yes... Our grandchildren wanted to know... This life is too good to just let go..." Another quick kiss turned into a slobbering tongue wrestling match. Not the sexiest thing ever but at least it shut her up. "When will you leave?" "After a little fun..." She giggled pulling me closer. She was tall. Taller than myself and I'm close to six feet. I pulled off my pants after she ripped my shirt off which seemed difficult to her at first. She fiddled with my boxers for about a minute before ripping them off as well nearly taking both of my testicles with them. I pinned her to the wall and had her. She was always good to me. I knew her way to well to know she wouldn't let me leave for a long while without a "proper" good-bye. I pulled my pants back on and grabbed a shirt lying on the bed. She gave me one last kiss before sending me off. I traversed the castle until I came upon the gathering room. It wasn't large, only able to fit thirty or so, and had a nice table in the middle with an assortment of delicacies. My mind wasn't on the food rather my family. My son and daughter were the first to greet me. Their spouses dragged along behind them. "Hey dad..." I hadn't spoken to my boy in over forty years. My girl hadn't seen me in just as long. I chatted with them for a little before the barrage of children hit me. "GRANDPA!" They all yelled. Fourteen kids trampled me in a rush. Ten were great-grandkids the others were just grand. I gave each a hug before being able to stand up. "Okay... So who's ready for a story?" All of them jumped around screaming 'ME! ME! ME!' This got the parents laughing and the teenagers to show their disgust. Most of them stood against the wall but some actually walked up to give me the hug I deserved. I sat in my comfy chair and picked up the nearest runt and sat her on my lap. This made a few others protest. I assured them they would get a turn. I motioned for everyone to take a seat and of course they did. No one disobeys grandpa. My eldest grand kids learned this lesson very fast. I looked around the room with a fake smile. On the inside I was breaking down. I hadn't told anyone of my plans yet. I wasn't going to either. "I think it's time you all learn about how I had to live in the old days." "Grandpa you invented the old days." Everyone laughed at my numbskull of a son. He use to be a comedian but I ended that for him after I approved of his wife. "No, I invented the ancient days... You invented the old days..." Everyone laughed harder as his cheeks grew red. "Well mom doesn't think that." My daughter retorted. "Yeah well mom ain't wearing the pants in this relationship." "Mom doesn't wear pants." "Point proven!" She scoffed and picked up a plate full of food. "Now, are we gonna sit here and bicker or do you want to know of the war?" "Oh grandpa don't start with the war... OH! Start with the rift! The radical job!" "Yeah! I remember that! It gets better every time!" "Alright..." I said. I cracked my knuckles and pulled my granddaughter close. "Long ago back when dinosaurs ruled the world!" I said moving my hand around in exaggerated movements. "To far back!" I laughed. "Okay... I use to live in a distant land full of exotic creatures..." My vision faded to white as I remembered my life. I stood in a room that was the ugliest white I had ever seen. A man appeared in front of me was my sensei. "Master." I knelt to the ground at his feet. "Rise oh challenged one!" "HEY! I did not put the stink bomb in the ladies' restroom!" He smirked at me. When I was still in India there was a little incident with some explosives and a skunk. Now I don't want to go into detail but there was some disciplinary action taken. "Are you prepared to reveal ancient customs and secrets?" "Do you have to plague my mind every time I try to tell my story?" "Do you have to be such an arrogant ass?" "Touché." He smiled at me. "You are a very wise man... I trust you will keep some things hidden." "Of course..." "Good. As for your little audience... The universe they reside in doesn't matter. Our customs are safe. Tell it your way. It is your life after all." "Thank you master." Darkness began to take over my vision as the memories finally took over. You will get unlimited access to my life. As for my family... Well something’s are better left unsaid. Our journey begins in Afghanistan. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ "It's just another day on the job." 15:49:23 October 2nd 2007 Sgt. James Sanderson Delta Force 2nd of October, 2007 We finally made the push into deeper territory. Jess thinks we could end the war on our own. I told her she was full of shit. Being hired by the US military was pretty cool in my books. It’s not often you get high tech equipment as your play toy. It was gonna come in real handy with taking out targets. Our gear is much heavier than usual and has weighed the new guy down. I don't expect him to live much longer. He calls himself 'Roach'. I thought it fit. He's an annoying pest that just doesn't know when to quit. Jess already kicked his ass four times. I laughed each and every time. I feel bad for him though. He's lived a rough life. He got fired before his tour. His girlfriend left him because he couldn't pay the bills and he was the target dummy in boot camp. He kind of reminds me of myself before the Sect drew me under their wing. I'll see how long his will to live lasts. -James Jess read over my shoulder the whole time. She was a real nosey one, but I did enjoy her company. She thinks I'm only good for sex but I know deep down she wants me for herself. She could say the same about me, but I had a better reason. Master Odon told us at an early age NOT to make ties. Well he said anything about tangles. Especially not sheets. It didn't matter anyways. Three centuries of discipline taught me to trust in my ability to focus on the task at hand. Sometimes she was the task at hand, but I never called her more than an 'acquaintance'. I am 5' 10" and roughly 165 pounds. Being light makes for easier escapes. I'm of average build and average looks. Well, for my time anyways. Now I'm of 'Macho Man Randy Savage' build and close to drop dead gorgeous when I didn't have mud on my face. There was one downfall to me though. I'm 1004 years old and one of the world's deadliest assassins. I'm proficient in every weapon known to man and some that aren't. I can kill a man ten minutes before he actually falls to the ground dead. I'm fluent in more than 500 languages and 6,000 dialects. Sixty billion men, woman, vampires, werewolves, some frilly fairy man from California and animals have fallen victims to my blades. I have ended some of the most world famous tyrants of all time with flick of my wrist. And Jess says I can make a mean apple pie. Today was like any other day. Travel into enemy territory and kill a bad guy. It's all too easy. I love my job don't get me wrong. It's the only thing that keeps me alive and able to see the world planet and it is a constant reminder of what life could be without assholes running it. I've been on both ends of the stick. Back when we still took jobs from the highest bidder I had my share of jobs I couldn't shake off after we were done with them. The most memorable one was the assassination of J.F.K. He could have been a great man and led the US to greatness. Someone didn't want this to happen and hired me personally. The bullet went clean through and my mind scrambled in an instant along with his. I told Master Odon I was only on tyranny jobs from there on. Most of you remember the twin towers? I hope you do. The plane that crashed way off target was the one I was on. Four people walked away from the crash. I wasn't one of them. Jess had dragged me away and patched me up. She shot the other survivors before we escaped. It wasn't even our job to kill those innocent people. We were being flown out to meet with a client but the plane had been hijacked. Jess and I realized the dangers of the situation long before the other passengers did. We sat in the back formulating a plan of action before everyone was ushered to the front. It wasn't the large amount of people that worried us. It was their dumbasses saying good-bye that did. Most had made calls home or to loved ones to say their final good-byes. We all knew how this situation would end if we let it go on. The terrorist at the front had planned this all along. After all the calls were made there was nothing but murmuring. The fools were planning to take the plane back. None of them had any experience flying so they were screwed. We on the other hand had our 'special' tools hidden away. We just need the right opportunity. We never got it. The others had fought back and caused the plane to crash. Like I said four walked away and not a single one was me. Jess nudged me lightly and pulled me from those dreadful times. It was fine back when I knew the dangers before things happened not moments before my life could end. "You okay?" She asked wrapping her arms around my neck and pulled me close. "No... Reminiscing in old times..." "The plane crash?" I nodded. "Yeah, I hear ya..." Roach just stared at us. He pulled his M4A1 out and checked it for the fourth time in five minutes. I tossed him a suppressor. "Why haven't you kept this on?" I asked in a monotone. It always unnerved him just a bit which was my entertainment. "I like to hear my gun strike fear into their hearts." "Wouldn't you rather hear their screams of pain after being hit?" He shrugged. I pulled out my M21 EBR. It was extremely reliable for a semi-auto. Everyone in training always said the Beret was the best semi, but it was very hard to suppress. This was a stealth mission. Jess favored the ACR. I understood why when she covered my ass back in Iraq. It was very accurate having tight groupings even at fifty meters. I couldn't throw knives that close at that range. We traded guns sometimes after that. She liked to pop heads. There was something about her and brains I just never understood. "Well, keep it on that toy of yours. We don't want to be spotted when you have to lay down covering fire." "Fine, I'll keep it suppressed... You’re lucky you’re Delta Force or I would have told you to shove it up your ass." He snarled. "I would have shoved it up yours." My deathly tone told him I would have too. "Boys! We all know these are just toys... The real fun is with one of those!" She pointed to the chopper's mini-gun. I had almost forgotten we were being flown into Baghdad. Well twenty miles south of Baghdad to a small village suspected of housing some heavy arms. I remembered doing contracts for the Byzantine Empire when they had control of the area. The desolate waste was never my most favorite nor my least place in the world. I'd have to say modern day Brazil is definitely my least favorite. My most favorite is a tie between Russia and Germany. Mainly for the liquor they sell very cheaply and a little for the lawlessness they shared at one point or another. Anyways I'm getting off topic. The only reason I took this job was to get more firearm training. Shamus wanted this job way more than anyone else but I talked Odon into letting me go. He doesn't like when I get 'bored'. I kill servants that are 'willing' to 'help' me train in martial arts. Odon almost revoked my amulet for a killing spree I caused my second time. He suggested I get a hobby. Now growing up more than a millennia ago has it's challenges. Now-a-days every normal teenage boy plays videogames. I have never touched one such device before; a computer yes. Those have very nice uses. Anyways, I went out and bought an Xbox. Took me four weeks just to figure out how to run the damn thing. Then I realized I had to buy games to play. The controls seemed simple enough. The controller was not as easy. It took about three days but soon I felt confident enough to try online play. After dropping some more cash, which is in quite an abundance in my line of work, I got an online account. Let’s just say I was terrible. Six weeks later I couldn't be pulled off the confounded machine. I was still terrible in the online players' eyes. But I scored the top in every game I played. 'Hacker' and something called a 'nube' were frequent labels I got plastered to me. Yeah, I killed that hobby as well when I learned what a real 'hacker' was. Worst 400 Euros I had ever spent. Now our dojo may be in India, but we have multiple hideouts across the world. "MISSLE INCOMING!! BRACE YOURSELVES!!" The crew grabbed the nearest hand hold they could and gripped with all their might. Jess held out a fist which I hit with my own. Something she picked up from the troops and grew fond of. "1,000 Rupees says that I get further away before we black out!" She yelled over the constant beeping from the alarms. "Extra 2,000 if it's double my distance from last time!" She laughed hysterically as the missile hit. Roach was thrown around in his safety harness. One of the gunners was flung out. The other was torn in half and now bounced around the cabin spraying blood everywhere. "WE'RE GOING DOWN!" The pilot screamed into his headset. "NO SHIT SHERLOCK!" Jess yelled back. "Hey! He was a good man!" I teased. "You never met him!" "Neither did you!" We both laughed as the ground grew closer. "You got mags right?" She nodded and primed her weapon. It wouldn't be long before we got contact. "HUNDRED METERS!" "Can we fall any slower?" Jess asked. "Nope..." "FIFTY!" "Hey! Make sure he doesn't die in the first conflict!" I pointed to Roach. "Rog!" "TEN!" "FIVE!" *CRUNCH* I opened my eyes and smiled. I owed Jess some Rupees. She was already wandering away from the crash. "Hey! That's cheating!" "Well, you better get it in gear!" She was dragging Roach a long with her. I yanked my knife out of its sheath and cut my belt. Replacing my blade I moved a large piece of rudder sticking through the cabin. The pilots were unconscious and upon further inspection the co-pilot was dead and the pilot was missing his left arm. He needed first aid he could never get. I'm one for mercy so I grabbed his M9 and shot him. "Hey Jess!" "Yeah?" "We gonna need extra mags?" She just looked my way. "Why would you ask such a dumb question?" "Doth thou needith disciplinary retorts?" "Shut up Shakespeare!" "Hehe... Set up on that dune!" "Rog!" She grabbed Roach's gun and began to dig a trench. We have to get out of here as soon as possible. There truly wasn't much I could scavenge. Maybe the mini-gun but that would just slow us down. I ran up the dune and watched as Jess dug the hole. "Stop... We need to wake him and get out of here... He can't stay out long, or else lives are forfeit..." "Like I said, shut it Shakespeare..." She looked up and wouldn't let her gaze falter. Her emerald eyes were exotic to say the least. She wasn't average in the slightest. In the 739 years I've known her, never once did I misjudge her. Now was not the time either. She didn't like my impersonation and I used it to get on her nerves. I held out her helmet I found in the cabin. She grabbed it and covered her short dirty blonde hair. Her right forearm had a rather large gash running along it. I grabbed her hand and pulled it over to me. I barely touched it when she winced. "Just a flesh wound..." "Yeah, well I can't shoot you and get away with it..." She chuckled. I pulled Roach into the hole and ripped off some cloth. I saw a dribble of blood run down his arm. "Shit..." I mumbled under my breath. Jess looked over at him. "Well shit... Got any bright ideas?" "Yeah... Let me wrap you up real quick." I grabbed her arm and poorly stopped the bleeding. "Hold it..." She didn't argue. "He's wounded somewhere..." I ripped off his Kevlar vest and jacket. He wore a white wife beater. It was soaked in blood. "He has broken ribs... He won't last long without help..." "Don't....I read your journal..." "Yeah I know... It's your call..." She pushed harder on the cloth covering her gash. "Don't kill yourself yet..." "Can you save him?" I tapped on each rib feeling the slight vibrations that ran across the bone. Each has a certain wave length and a time that it takes to resonate through. Countless years in the infirmary taught me what should be what. Luckily it was only one fracture. His third rib stuck out of his chest. "Easy enough... You got that chipper from Italy I told you to keep?" "Somewhere... Why?" "Broken rib... It's bad..." She pulled out a small hammer and a chisel. "Here..." I didn't waste time. I placed the chisel right at the skin and pounded the bone cracking more. Once I had a good hold and a significant crack I gave it another tap. "Put something in his mouth... He ain't gonna like this..." She picked up a roll of cloth and stuck it in his trap. One hard hit was all it took. The bone shattered and he jolted awake. Jess held him down the best she could. "It's all right Roach... Hold still..." He looked at me and I saw a tear run down his eye. "Keep eyes on Jess, Roach!" He's a brave kid. "Up here Roach... Come on buddy... Don't make me flash you..." "Okay Brittney Spears..." She laughed and Roach seemed to calm a little. "Just show him your boobs... You know that a woman's breast can lower a man's blood pressure just by looking at them." "Oh really?" "Yeah, why do you think Rasfeir is so clam?" She couldn't help herself from that one. She fell back and almost screamed. "Hey! Shut it! We are deep in enemy territory close to a crash site..." She stopped in an instant and removed her padding. I've seen her naked many times so it really didn't grab my attention. I was too busy saving Roach from bleeding out. I pulled out a lighter and began to heat up a makeshift needle. Jess played with herself making Roach crack up a bit. Once I knew the needle was ready I burnt the thread from the spool I held. Situations can happen at any moment. Always best to be prepared for anything that might happen. I had him fixed up in a few swift motions running the needle through his skin and pulling the flaps back together to cover his rib cage. He felt the first one sear his skin for sure. I wasn't going to slow down though. I wiped up the blood that had leaked with his wife beater after I was done. "All better... Now if you want more holes in ya we could leave you here..." He shook his head and jumped up. Jess put her gear back on and handed him his precious M4. "Let's go..." We got lucky and extremely unlucky. The good thing was we are just a mile out from the planned LZ. The bad thing was we are just a mile from the LZ. Baghdad was four miles west of us. Roach was in bad shape and we had to move if we wanted to survive. "What time do you think it is Jess?" "No clue... I'd say roughly five or so..." "It's 7:24..." Roach said weakly. "Having breathing problems, Roach?" He nodded. "Here drink..." I handed him a canteen. He drank it greedily. Didn't bother me or Jess. We have trained for low intake situations. The only thing we haven't for is failure. It doesn't exist as far as the Sect is concerned. "Think we can cover another three and a half by nine?" Jess asked poking Roach. "We can do it by eight but you're hurt..." "Carry me?" Jess shrugged and handed me her rifle. I slung mine and readied hers. "Bet still on?" Jess asked. "First to Baghdad... Double or nothing!" "You're on!" She took off like Roach wasn't on her back. I easily kept pace but I was watching for the Taliban. They could be anywhere nearby. "What if we are spotted?" Roach looked back at me. "Don't worry... By the way why aren't you supposed to be screaming in pain?" "BOOBIES!" I almost broke out laughing. Almost. Minutes flew by and the city was within sight. We dropped and checked if it was safe to even approach. "One sniper on the roof tops... Countless militia on the ground... All in all... Five minutes tops." "Is that a challenge?" "No... We need to do this by the books... Improv on the spot as needed... Sniper's first and then we close in best we can... I want a house locked down before sunrise..." Roach gave me a look like I had just told him he was on death row. "Thought it was my call?" "When I say it is..." She slugged me in the shoulder. "When we get back you owe me, big time..." "I'll bring the bull whip..." "WHAT THE FUCK?" Roach looked at us horrified. "Don't worry we were just kidding. She likes being slapped around more than being whipped." Jess slugged me again. "He doesn't need to know about that!" I smiled at her. She hated being abused. Slow and steady was her way. It bothers me sometimes because she would always do something like slapping me or twist my tit to get me to finish early. Weird and rough yes but hey, I like her when she's feisty. Doesn't matter now. We sat on the hill till sunset and even then we needed night fall. Another cool thing about the US military was the use of thermal and night vision scopes on their guns. We had the option and took both but thermal really isn't the best option when you're in a 104 degree desert. Darkness soon overcame the city and lucky for us the dumbasses don't have lights or 'Nods'. The suppressors I had ordered for each of our guns would come in real handy tonight. Sadly the sniper wasn't alone any more. A buddy of his had joined him up there. I had two choices. Wait for a perfect shot or risk them shooting us on the way up. I mulled it over until they sat down next to a fire that was going. Thank god for choosing my option for me! One clean shot and beautiful blood splatters would paint the walls. I didn't want to wait forever though so I judged to the best of my abilities where I should go. Left twenty meters should work. Well when I got over there it wasn't. Still off and this time I needed to be five to the right. And even then I wasn't close. I needed just another smidge to the right. Once I saw the glory of no second person I let the round fly, and fly it did. Perfect through the first guy and the other shall I say got plastered. Hehe, he had a bottle in his hand and now he was pinned to the wall. So I guess my corny joke counted. Now was crunch time. We didn't need them to be spotted before we even got close so I motioned for them to come and Jess grabbed Roach. We booked it to the city which was at least four football fields away. Four hundred yards for you who are really technical. When we got close I had to make a gut call. Two houses stood on the edge of town. Which do we take? I just jumped at one and tried my best to jimmy the lock. Wasn't gonna happen. "Jess... I need a bobby pin." She didn't hand it over immediately. She put it in for me. Sometimes this chick could read my mind. I really was going to owe her when we got back. Jess led Roach upstairs to tend to his poorly mended chest. I turned around and locked the door behind us. I wasn't in the mood for people barging in unannounced and stealing our newly claimed shit. The building itself was a white stone complete with logs running along the ceiling to provide extra support. This place looked like it really needed it. I worked my way up the stairs and tapped on the stone every so often in a beat from one of my favorite artists. I had really grown to like the American's music. "Don't go downstairs and keep away from the windows..." I stated coldly while leaning on the door frame. "Yeah, yeah I got you." Jess said cockily. "I meant Roach... He doesn't know the creed..." "I don't plan on teaching him." "Agreed." "What's the creed?" Roach asked. What a smart ass. "Don't worry about it just follow our orders and you just might make it out alive." "Yes ma'am..." He laid down on a bed and I watched as he slowly drifted off. "Jess... Come..." She followed me out to the hall. "Four days max got it?" She nodded. "We can't afford to stay here to long... If we have to we will just slaughter all hostiles that stand in our way..." "Rog... What about Roach? You think He's gonna make it out of this?" "I haven't decided yet... He knows too much already..." "You aren't seriously planning on killing him are you?" "No... I don't plan on keeping him is what I mean... He fits the bill but it would be a long time for him to even reach apprentice status..." "So? What do you care? It's not like he's gonna kill everyone..." "No, you're right... For once..." "HEY!" I chuckled earning another punch to my arm. "Remember what the Sect always says..." "Rule number four... Do NOT grow attachments to anything..." We both said at the same time. I sighed and looked up at her. Those emerald eyes just stared into my soul as if my body never existed. In this line of work emotions get you killed. "Get some sleep your--" She pulled me into a kiss and held me there until I kissed back. "We will be fine... Come there's only one bed left in that room and it's calling our name..." She grabbed me by the arm and led me into the small bedroom. The only thing really in there was a raised bed laying awkwardly in the middle with Roach sleeping peacefully on it. A dresser stood at another end but it was raided and wiped clean. Jess sat down on a shotty mattress laying in the corner of the room. With one firm tug she pulled me into it and got comfy real quick. "Sleep tight..." She whispered in my ear. She held me really close and snuggled the back of my neck. "If you sleep any tighter I won't be able to sleep myself." "Oh quit whining and being such a baby." We laughed before slowly embracing the darkness and taking the peace and comfort that sleep offered. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ "Grandpa! Why did you start with the war?" "Well the frantic job doesn't make sense if I don't tell them about the Baghdad... Okay! Who's next on my lap?" A bunch of kids began bouncing around like balls. I picked up one of my great grandsons and held him tight. "Grandpa! You're not Jess!" "And you're not me!" I tapped him on the nose and took a quick drink of water my daughter so kindly put on my stand. "Now, while we hid out in our little hut we forgot about the bad guys..." ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ I was forced awake by Jess. It was light out and I cursed myself for sleeping in. How could I have slept in so late? The sun was at least a good four inches in the sky. I looked back to Jess who lifted a finger to her mouth before pointing to the floor. She held up three fingers then made a walking motion with her hand. I nodded and crawled towards my rifle. Roach was still out cold. Good thing too because I guarantee he would have given us away. The door was open and the sound of footsteps rang through the little shack of a home. Every so often voices would accompany those steps. "Hey, Rasheeb... Check upstairs..." "Alright... Don't raid the pantry first... I got dibs on anything sweet..." Heavy footsteps worked their way up the stairs. I sat behind the bed aiming at the door. The night vision scope was still attached. It was ten times harder to shoot at the hip. What I wouldn't give for the thermal at this moment. I could at least turn off the thermal and use it as a regular sight. I saw movement but had to wait. All we need was a body tumbling down the stairs and giving us away. I was still gonna put a bullet next to his pituitary, but this soon to be child won't know what him. That’s when Roach rolled over in the bed making a sound. Yeah his dumbass is loud. "Hey! Who's up here?" "Don't shoot! We are hungry... Please... Help..." I called in my best Arabic. Still was rusty at best. "Come out!" "We can't! Our friend is sick!" Jess answered. He popped his head around. Big mistake. I didn't take the tie to see if I'd get another chance or even a better shot. Time seemed to slow as I lined up my shot. The whole event took less than a second. A blink of the eye and you would have missed it. As his body hit the floor his partners ran up the stairs. Jess flattened to the wall next to the door. I covered Roach and hit the deck and then crawled under the bed An AK-47 poked around the corner. The carrier of the weapon followed soon after. He was terrified and bet he pissed his pants when he heard his buddy drop like a rock. He got four feet in the room before the other walked in. Jess hit his hand knocking the gun to the ground. She chopped his neck and pulled him in front of her before raising her ACR to her hip and putting a bullet in the first man's brain, or at least were his brain should have been if he had one. Tossing her gun to the mattress she grabbed his head and gave it an extremely firm twist. A loud crack resonated in the room and sparked a little excitement in my heart. The man dropped to his knees and Jess round housed his ass to the ground before wiping the dust from her hands. "Disguises?" I asked. "If the blood doesn't ruin them first..." I nodded in agreement. We had each other figured out. We quickly dragged the bodies out of the puddles of blood forming. The man I had shot first was wearing brown and blood was real hard to see on brown. Now, the man Jess shot was wearing white and he was laying in a fast forming pool. His uniform was fucked for our purposes but we still needed one for Roach. I kinda wish I had brought bleach. Or some cola. We woke Roach up. He didn't like the little pile of bodies in the corner. "Okay, so who wants the brown one?" Jess snatched it from my hands. It was thicker and could easily hide her assets from prying eyes. "Understandable... Roach your hurt so you get the blood stained one..." "Wait... Why did you ask if I wanted the brown one if you were gonna give me the bloody one in the first place?" "Because I like being an ass..." I stared at him with a blank expression. "Well, do I got to act shot?" "No, we'll just say you got your ass handed to you on a platter..." "And what about our guns? Won't they notice it's not an AK?" Jess asked. "Easy... We leave our guns here for later and use their own weapons against them... I need my hands on a sniper rifle though..." "Well, we’re wasting daylight standing around like we got our heads in our asses!" Roach chuckled at Jess' comment. I smirked; she had a good sense of humor in my opinion. Well, mine doesn't count for shit now does it? "That’s the spirit..." I helped her get her turban situated just right. She tried to slap my hand away. I just waited for her to stop flailing. "Alright, let’s get over to the square... Act like we're on patrol. Don't fuck this up Roach or I'll put a bullet through your head personally..." I saw him gulp. "Now Jess don't walk like a woman... Men don't flaunt their assets..." "But you love my assets!" Roach was cracking up again. I just punched her in the arm. "OW! Don't you know not to hit woman!" "You're not a woman that’s the point... Any ways, Roach leave all the talking to me and Jess." He nodded and picked up an AK propped against the wall. "Make sure you got spare magazines. We don't want to be SOL in a firefight if it comes to it." "What is SOL?" Roach asked checking his clip. "Shit outta luck..." Jess said pocketing the suppressor for her ACR. "That..." "Oh, I've heard that... Anyways, so we are looking for..." "Good question... I don't know... I just got a picture." I rummaged through my gear and found a color photo. The invention of photography was amazing! "This guy..." I handed Roach the picture and strapped my own weapon on my shoulder. "That's Sudam Hussain... You sure he's here?" "Nope... I never trust intelligence... Only facts... We'll chase him down if we have too..." "Dead or alive?" Jess asked. "Are you waannttedd!?" Roach said in a poor Bon Jovi accent. "Don't even start Roach... Alive if possible..." I said walking out of the bedroom. Roach ran after Jess. The downstairs was rearranged somewhat. They were looking for something. I looked out the window to see if there were any guards mulling around in the streets. "All clear but I want to stay out of the open as long as possible." "Oh! Look a penny!" Roach said picking up a small coin. I just slapped my face and Jess took the coin away. "Hey!" He protested. "What are you? Four?" "No... Can we get on with this?" "Yeah... Let's go..." I pushed the door open and swaggered into the street. Jess helped Roach out playing on the 'We need to teach him a lesson' act. He had a broken rib and a freshly sewn cut so it could easily pass. Jess pushed Roach so he had no more support. He stumbled for a second but regained balance after a few feet. "I want to see if they found those bodies..." "Most likely... They were searching house after house..." I glanced back to make sure we weren't discovered yet. "Use Arabic..." I mumbled. Jess caught it and I had to cover Roach's mouth before he said 'What?' No more than three meters away was another patrol. One man spotted s and called out to his buddies. They soon approached and one of them pointed to Roach. "What's wrong with him?" "Broken rib... He decided to mouth off so I gave him a good one." Two of them laughed while the other looked at him with some concern. "Take him to the infirmary... Stop by the square and pick up a new turban while you’re at it..." He pointed to me. I didn't put on a hat and my dark brown hair shown. It was matted and looked almost like theirs. "It ain't that hot." "Fine..." He motioned for the other two to follow. One was still laughing pretty hard and the other wiped tears from his eyes. I pointed to the square and told them to keep moving. Roach didn't understand until Jess began walking away. "Let's hope that works for the medic of this hell hole..." "No shit..." As we approached the square the first thing that caught my eye was the tent. I was definitely the infirmary. Next to it was a building with probably a stock pile. That’s gonna have to go first. I pointed to it and Jess started off to it, she knew the drill. She swaggered over to the door and closed the door behind her. I pushed Roach along until we reached the tent. "I'll do the talking... You just act wounded as best you can." I whispered into his ear before punching his broken rib. He gasped and I felt a bit of blood trickle from the wound. "Much better... When I tap you on the foot say this... I need pain killers..." I spoke in Arabic. He nodded and repeated it back. "Good. Now just hang in there. We will get you before we leave." "Alright." I opened the tent flap for him and waited until he was fully inside before I followed him in. It was actually pretty large. I didn't realize it from the outside but it connected to a shelled out building. A few beds lay out in the tent and a medium size strange of medical supplies sat inside. I approached the man I assumed was the doctor. He wasn't armed and he was writing something on a clipboard. He wore a red set of clothing probably in case of bloodstains. "We got a bleeder..." I called out. He looked up and motioned for him to come over. Roach laid down on the cot in front of the man. He looked up to me and back to Roach. "What seems to be the problem?" "I broke at least one of his ribs..." "At least?" "Sort of, yes. I sewed him up but it's not working as you see..." "Hmmm... How's your pain?" I tapped Roach on the foot. He groaned. "I... Need pain killers..." The doctor nodded and walked back in the supply room. I gave Roach a nice little 'OK' symbol with my hand. He gave me a thumbs up in reply. I kept my eyes on the doctor. I didn't trust him to well. Roach's Arabic was shit and I bet the doctor could tell. I watched very closely as he picked up a vile and began to draw a small amount of liquid out of it. He returned and lifted Roach's clothing. The patch work was busted on the cut. I knew I shouldn't have hit Roach but he needed to bleed and when I fix someone up they usually are ready to go in a few days. "This is morphine..." He spoke in perfectly clear English. "Excuse me, what the fuck did you say?" He smiled at me and waved me off. "Don't play dumb... No one can sew anything up but myself... Plus your friends’ accent is terrible..." I laughed and nodded. "What you gonna do doc?" He shrugged. "I've pretty much been a prisoner here... I'll hide him out here, but if he gets caught..." He didn't need to continue. "Fine... Give him the meds and fix him up... Also do you know where this guy is?" I pulled out the picture that Roach labeled as Sudam Hussain. "Yes... He is Sudam Hussain..." Two for two. Positive match now just to find his ass. "I'm sorry but he hasn't been near here in at least two months maybe more." Fuck. "Thanks..." I watched as he stuck the needle right next to the now open wound. It was oozing blood and looked infected. "Don't worry Roach he's gonna take of you... I'll pick him up soon..." "Fine by me... And if you are captured... I never said a word to you..." "Agreed..." I walked back outside only to be greeted with a gun to the face. Jess was behind it and laughed as I pushed it aside. "Report?" "It's an armory alright!" "Any plastic explosives?" "Nope... But they have quite a large amount of... What are they... The missle things..." "RPGs? "Yeah those... How's Roach?" "The doc knows but is zip-lip. I got word of the target too..." "Oh yeah?" "Yep, it's a wild goose chase. He hasn't been here in at least two months." "Sooo... We don't even need to check the village anymore?" "No... We're gonna let Roach rest and then work our way back to base." "That’s at least a thirty mile hike." "And?" "And we won't make it with the condition Roach is in..." I sighed. She was right. We could easily make it without him. We needed something to get him back safely. "Let's go back to the armory and see can rig something to give us a window of oppertunity so we can escape." "Good luck..." She said as we walked over to the makeshift armory. Everything wasso different here. In the US' bases everything was organized and easy to find. Here it was all sprawled out. Almost like they didn't have time to designate where an item went before they started acts of terror. It seemed ten times easier to just blow up a building then roll in, take the town and get up. As we walked through the stash of weapons I noticed something that could help out a lot. "No plastic explosives, huh?" "Well it wasn't there earlier..." "She's right... It wasn't..." I looked up and saw three men from the street. Yep we are fucked. "What do you plan on using explosives for?" "Who doesn't love a good boom every now and then?" He shrugged and raised his gun. Not a second later he shot. I felt a burning heat rip through my side. I whipped my gun around and sprayed at them blindly. When my clip was empty and I couldn't hear shots I opened my eyes. All three were dead. So was Jess. She lay in a heap on the floor staring at the ceiling I knelt down and shut her eyes. I reached under the collar of her clothes and felt a cool metal object. I grabbed and gave it a firm tug. It wasn't budging. Reaching my hands behind her neck I unclipped it and pulled it gently away. It was gold band that fit somewhat like a collar. It had a diamond resting in the middle of the circular collar. Rubies surrounded the diamond making it a little more enigmatic. It was beautifully enchanted which allowed prolonged life by stopping the aging process. It couldn't fall into enemy hands. It was way to valuable for anyone to use abusively. My side was on fire. I placed my hand over it and sighed in relief. It was just a graze. It still bled but it could have been worse. I reloaded the gun and ran out the door with a package of C4. Next stop the tent. Two shots sounded and I turned in time to see a flash along with one more *BANG* in the tent. Next stop the house! I wasn't leaving without some better protection. The AK is reliable yes but it is so loud. I tossed the mini-bomb towards the tent and ran. Once I cleared the first street I hit the switch and smiled as a comforting *BOOM* rang through the square. It didn't take long to get to the house. I changed quickly and took off the night vision scope on the EBR and replaced it with thermal. Grabbing the ACR I ran as fast as I could. I needed to get out a Dodge and fast. 19th of October, 2007 Happy birthday to me... I almost wept this morning. Jess had promised me a wonderful dinner as a present but she won't ever get the chance to make it. I regret ever going into that fucking city. We should have tried to head back. I knew it was a lost cause but at least we could have tried. I need to stop. I can't let their deaths slow me down. I still hold the amulet from time to time. It's true what they say. "You don't know what you got to till gone..." -James Author's note: Hope you liked the first chapter of my little trial and error HiE... Expect more soon but not too soon. "The corner of your mouth tuned up is always Pinkie's dream. But if you're kind of worried, and your face has made a frown, I'll do my best to turn that sound frown upside down." -Dashie RevelationsChapter 3 Revelations I walked closely to the wall. The sun was setting and my temper wasn't all too good. This mission was suicide and I was just gonna breeze through it and probably end up dead like the Sect wants. They've given up hope and have moved on to the assassins they know will die, but still get the job done so they can keep the money. That's all its about now. Money. Everywhere I go you can't do anything if you don't have money. I walked through New Delhi the other day and gave a beggar a few thousand rupees. He might be dead now, but for all I care he had a good time beforehand. I reached into my pocket and pulled out a few coins. Good distractions if I need it, but really what kind of castle has poor workers. Fuck that, they are all poor! Stepping up to an overhang I jumped up grabbed it and slid in nice and easy. Well the wall was done. Now the hard part of getting into the castle. The grounds themselves were pretty simple. A large courtyard with a fancy fountain and some pathways leading here and there. Bland yet functional. Guards littered the area, and every so often there was the occasional dog roaming by sniffing. Kind of makes you wonder what someone would be doing if they needed this much security. It doesn’t matter much to me. They’ll all be good as dead when I’m finished with the place. Maybe I’ll leave a little parting gift for those still alive. I’m not sure yet. Silenced weapons have their appeal to the younger generations and sure they are great for close up kills, but I prefer the more traditional route. I slowly, but surely walked up to a guard leaning against a wall and tapped him on the shoulder. Cocky as it may be, I find it rather funny to see their faces of pure confusion. After slicing his throat and disposing of the body I moved on to continue the process until I was inside the castle. I walked through the halls sticking to the shadows. There wasn’t much light in the buildings for some odd reason, but it made my job easier. A patrol was fast approaching towards me and I backed up into a corner with a statue and hid. I heard at least four different voices and that would make for a bad day if it came to blows. As they rounded the corner I had to admire their choice of weaponry. The Famas was light and mobile. The three round burst made it deadly accurate and a pain in my ass. I’m in a castle with twenty knives I can throw around willy-nilly and a combat knife for hand to hand. Two M9 pistols with suppressors hid in my pockets and a grenade adorned my breast padding. C4 charges had my bag supplied and a few spare mags were hidden in my sleeves. It wasn’t the weight of the equipment that bothered me per se. It was the fact that it could get really noisy running through the hall as I was. Turns out trying to sneak away from a four man patrol is harder than normal when two other guys step out from another room into the corridor. Now I’m running for my life down these halls wondering when the next turn will catch me up. I leaned down and rolled before standing back up throwing three blades their way. Two struck true into one of them grounding his ass immediately. The last nicked the soldier next to him. Hopping over a nearby ledge I continued on into a lower floor than the one before. I never remembered climbing stairs so it threw me off when I saw the fountain again. I quickly made for somewhere deeper in the caste, but it was too late. The alarm sounded and there were people yelling about this and that trying to get their grimy little hands on me. I rounded the next corner to find the end blocked off by a bunch of burly men aiming right for me. As I turned to head the other way, three more boxed me in. I’m in some deep shit. It was a simple mistake. Anyone could have made it, but me of all people had to be the one to make it. I quickly threw a blade nailing the middle man’s throat and barreled my way through the other two. A few men with AKs shot at me. One hit my shoulder. The other managed to hit my stomach. I was bleeding and it would definitely slow me down, but nothing will stop me from getting out of here. As I continued down the winding hall, I grew somewhat panicked. I had never been shot before and it hurts. It hurts so bad. I had been tortured for months before, but the burning sensation I felt couldn’t compare. My vision was slowly blurring as I left a trail of blood for them to find me with. I ran on and on. It felt like years, but I knew it was only a matter of minutes. I came to a hall with a balcony and stopped. I heard steps behind me and guns clicking as they were primed. I turned to them all and smiled. I held up a small device and a few flipped. Trying to run. The bag went off behind them knocking all of them forward and killing one or two. It wasn’t much, but it was an escape plan. I ran towards the balcony and felt time slow as three more bullets impacted me. I whirled around throwing five more knives before jumping back pulling out my sidearms. Time just seemed to go on and on and on. In the blur I heard a blast as I saw the edge on the balcony I had vaulted. My guns emptied and two more bullets hit my chest. I closed my eyes a wave seemed to come out of nowhere. I opened my eyes just slightly to see a large mushroom cloud forming. I grinned and let nature take its course. I knew I was sent here to die and now it was time to face that fact. The blast knocked me out and into what seemed like a void. There was a small flame. I could feel the flame. Burning and raging to be set free to light everything ablaze. It sat still like a small lit candle would flickering every so often. *THUMP THUMP* I could hear voices. Faith, but they were there, calling to me. "... out of... can't move... come on!" *THUMP THUMP* Everything was a blur as I opened my eyes just a crack. Someone in a mask was leaning over me saying something, but all I could hear was a constant ringing in my ears. *THUMP THUMP* I blinked. Now I was moving along with lights every so often. I tried my best to focus, but I just couldn't. *THUMP THUMP* I blinked. Large lights pointed at my face and body to an almost blinding level. More faces bent over me. I couldn't feel it, but I knew I got a pat on the shoulder before they vanished. "Quickly I need those holes covered up!" "Yes Doctor!" I balled my hand in a fist and let it loose. I could feel it perfectly fine. "Give him some more Morphine, stat!" I felt a rush through my arm as painkillers ran through my veins. Someone wanted me alive, but I wasn't going to let that happen. My eyes shot open and I was greeted by someone in a white mask with large... Ears? He leaned over me in the gleam of the light and smiled through his mask. "Welcome back." I reached up and grabbed his throat faster than a lightning strike and through him across the room and into something metal. Loud bangs and crashes resounded through the room as he hit something. A few people hollered and ran this way and that. A strap was put on my arm while I wasn't paying attention. I swung my other across my chest and mashed the nurses face sending her sprawling back into a far wall. I ripped the strap off constricting my arm and stood up. The blood rush to my head was almost unbearable as my vision blacked out for a few seconds and my limbs felt like air. Then I realized I was on the ground again. I'm sure my brow was furrowed at the moment, but I was more focused on the searing pain across my chest. I heard the operating rooms doors open and I felt something tingle across my head before I was out again. *THUMP THUMP* I opened my eyes and looked up at the dimly lit room and lifted my arm up and rubbed my eyes. I saw the I.V. they had stuck in my arm. I was stuck now. They saved my life. No prison room, but I didn't need one since I was a wreck. "Good morning," A strong female voice graced my ears. I tried my best to sit up a bit, but something stopped me. "Oh please don't do that. You're very weak." "I know..." My voice sounded was as close to a chalkboard with nails running its length as you could get it without actually annoying a classroom of kids. "I'm sorry about your little escapade in the Operating Room... I must ask though, how do you feel right now?" Her voice was kind, and it confused me how she was apologizing for what I did. "I... I'm fine..." I didn't feel like talking and I guess she picked up on that. "Would you like something to soothe the pain?" "No, could I get some water though?" "Why of course," I felt that tingling along my spine and I closed my eyes as it lifted me up until I sat straight. "How's that?" "Its fine thank you," I opened my eye just slightly as a cup was pressed to my lips and I tilted my head and let the cool liquid run across my cracked lips and down my aching throat. "Thank you." "Celestia, Princess Celestia," A princess? My eyes shot open and I stared at the beast before me. It was a large unicorn sitting next to my bed. It smiled at me. "I'm guessing you've never met an alicorn, have you?" I shook my head. "No," I began to swoon as my head began to pound. My vision blacked out and soon colors swirled. "So you're telling me that mystical creatures actually live out in this jungle?" I asked my traveling companion. "Yes, unicorns and peagasi are very common within these dense forests," My partner was a short man, close to his twenties. To call him brown would be an insult, but I must say he can definitely give people who try to tan a dark color someone to envy over. Rich black hair covered the top of his bronze skin. He was a native to the lands of what is now called India, but was use an older name in the order. "Do you think we'll come across one?" He shrugged and moved on keeping a fast pace for me to keep up. As we moved over the next fallen tree we came to a small clearing where he sat down in the middle and began to meditate. I walked up and sat next to him and took up his form as I too began to meditate. A few hours had passed before the bushes rustled sparking my attention. My partner heard it too, but he remained calm as something approached from behind. I felt a strong nudge and felt the hot breath of something behind me. I turned to see a full grown horse with a large horn strutting out from its skull. "Ah there you are Mumbali, I missed you." He stood up and hugged the beast which stood almost as tall as him. I got to my feet and reached up and ran my hand across his shoulder. Strong and swift is what they told me. I could probably believe them now that I actually met one, but it still surprised me that they even existed. "Thanks for sharing this experience with me." "You are very welcome." He smiled and chuckled before he pointed at the tree line. "Come we have much ground to cover." The alicorn smiled at me as I came back into focus. She looked pastel colored and more ethereal than something I could even conceive. Her mane flowed with a few different colors and it seemed to move on its own, as if there was wind always in her mane. I took a sip of water and tried to clear my throat before continuing. "I've met unicorns and pegasi before, but never an alicorn. I haven't met a mystical creature that even looks remotely like you." She smiled and something close to a blush appeared on her cheeks. "Well, it has been long since I've seen a human myself. Let me be the first to welcome you to Equestria," I gave a half-hearted smile. "Equestria?" I wasn't the best at geography, but I knew that this place didn't exist at all. "Yes, Equestria." "Where is it on the globe?" "It isn't, you see, this land is within another realm separate from yours. Once a long time ago we did have a portal where we could cross realm to realm, but that was destroyed long ago. It has been at least two or three thousand years since that has existed. And if my math is correct that should be only about sixty or seventy for you," She frowned and stared at me her violet eyes seeming to see into my very soul. "I see, well, I don't remember much other than throwing your doctor and nurse... I'm sorry for that." She nodded and stood up. "Well, it was nice to see you awake and recovering. I'm having you watched carefully so please don't hurt anymore of my little ponies," I nodded and she turned and trotted off leaving me with my thoughts. I sighed and leaned back into the pillows that she had propped me up with. Alone, it felt great to be alone. It was confusing to say the least. I wake up in a strange world under the knife of some strange species that our world hasn't made contact with in almost a century and here I am the median between our worlds stuck in theirs. My brain hurts so bad. I can't remember anything from my past, but bits and pieces. I can move so fast and I'm incredibly strong for my size. I just don't get it. I know names of things I've never seen before and yet I have seen them. It's all so confusing. There was a soft knock on the door as another pony walked in. It was much smaller than the alicorn and looked fairly normal other than the large cartoonish eyes and the pastel coloring. It was white, or I should say she because when she spoke it was definitely a feminine voice. "Hello, how's your pain?" She had a red mane and tail that had an orange streak running through them. Seemed simple enough. "Uhm, I feel okay, but my throat is killing me," She let out what sounded like an 'EEEP!' and rushed over. "Let me see!" She looked rather concerned. "Oh it's not actually killing me... It's an expression that we use when something hurts really bad," She sighed and nodded heading to the other side of the bed and hitting a small button with expertise and I felt the numbing effects of the morphine and sighed in relief. "The aching should go away after a while... Uhm, is there anything you would like? Food or a drink?" She smiled at me. "Yes could I get some more water. I don't know what kind of food you all have to offer," I tried my best to be nice, but it just didn't feel natural and I didn't know why. "Oh of course! Well, we have salad, daisies, hay-" "Excuse me, what!?" She shook a little. "I'm sorry for yelling. What was it you said?" "Salad, daisies and hay..." I palmed my face. Ponies are herbivores I'm not going to get things I like. "Uhm, thanks, could I get a salad with some carrots on the side?" She nodded and trotted off. As she passed by I noticed what looked like a tattoo on her flank. Come to mention it didn't the alicorn have one too? Yeah she had a sun on hers and this pony had a red cross. I wonder what they're for. She returned later with a tray and set it on my lap. I thanked her and she smiled again before leaving after checking her instruments. I stared down at the food. She gave me a cup of water, a bowl of lettuce with a few tomatoes, onions and some hardened bread which I think are called croutons. A small container held the carrots with a smaller container holding what I'm guessing to be ranch dressing. If this is my diet while I'm here. Well, let's not go into that. Let's just say I'm not big on being a vegetarian. I enjoy a good steak every so often. I tugged a chain around my neck and sighed. A medallion sat at the end of the chain with a few gems in it. I didn't really care and set it back against my chest. Another knock sounded and the large alicorn returned. She walked up and sat next to me. "I probably shouldn't interrupt you, but they told me you wanted food so I came by," She said cheerily. "Uhm, yeah... So I'm guessing you're in charge around here?" She nodded. "Well, sort of. You see this land is ruled by my sister Luna and I. We are princesses and together we help keep order in the land." "Okay, well I might offend you here, but I might be in trouble." "How is this?" "Well, you see as a human we're omnivor-" "Ah yes, I forgot about that. You need meat. Or at least you need a form of protein. We have peanuts and beans if you're okay with that," She said trying to make the most of the situation. "Yes, I'd be fine with that, but if it's alright with you I'd still like a bit of meat every so often," I gave a very bad poker face. She just laughed, which I guarantee was about my expression, but it still befuddled me. "Uhm, princess?" "I'm sorry. You have a good sense of humor. Don't worry-" "James, sorry." "James, you'll get some every now and then if you wish. We do have a variety of animals and as nature takes it course-" "They pass?" "Yes, so when things like that happen I'll have the animal saved for you." "You don't have to that princess." "Well James, seeing as how you're stuck here in our universe you're technically under my rule. I do take very good care of my subjects!" She smiled at me and made me feel rather okay. "Oh, well in that case." "Don't worry you'll be perfectly cared for while you're staying within my domain," I sighed. "I'll have to ask you to cook and eat it in private of course." "I can do that." "Perfect, any questions about your stay?" "A few yes." "I hope I can clarify things for you," She seemed happy all the time. It kind of bugged me, but I guess she's a princess. "Well could you stop being so nice and princess-like? I know it's who you are, but it gets on my nerves a little," She seemed taken aback by this, but relaxed a bit. "Next I want to ask about the marks on your flank. The nurse had one too, but it was different." "Those are cutie marks, they appear when a pony has found their special talent. Each is a rarity of their own for no two are the same. It depicts their talent in a wide variety, even if they have the same talent as another." "I'm still confused, but okay... Do you know what this necklace is for? I don't remember why I wear it." "I wonder the same thing. It was on your when you came in, but nopony could take it off magically or otherwise. It has magical abilities I can tell you that, but nothing more. There are a few items on you we set aside until you recovered," She spoke softly. "Lastly do you know why I'm injured?" She frowned and nodded. "Yes and no." "What do you mean?" "Well when you came here we found you in the royal courtyard bleeding out in the fountain. As for your actual wounds we weren't sure, but you had bits of metal in some and others that were straight holes through your body," I was shot? This doesn't sound right. "You were quite a mess if I do say so. I almost thought you were going to die," I rolled my eyes. She saw this and huffed. "At least we didn't give up." "Thank you for saving me..." "You're welcome... I'll pass it on to the medical team," She stood and began to walk away. "I'm sorry," Stopping and turning she stared at me for a little. "You're forgiven. Being brutally honest is better than lying about things. I'll be more natural around you as long as you don't act like a complete jackass to me. I don't appreciate it," I chuckled and smiled at her. "I'll do my best," She nodded and left. Alone again, but this time I knew I didn't feel like it. I couldn't wipe the smile away as I ate. After a few weeks in the hospital Celestia finally let me out and we traversed her castle until we reached her private chambers. She calls me her Honored Guest, but I think she hates me. I kind of gotten used to her in a way, but when she throws up her mask around other ponies it annoys me. The guards all nod as I pass, but I think it's more for their princess. I won't get any real respect here. According to Celestia no pony alive today has ever seen a human so it's a new thing, but the guards are trained for not natural things. The other ponies haven't been and they point and murmur as I pass. They've all heard the news and knew I was here, but other than the nurses and the princess I haven't had much company. But once we reach the large double doors to her room silence. She pushes them open with a sigh and walks right on in. I followed her and reached to close the door, but to my surprise she shut it rather quickly with her magic. Her room was large with I would guess an alicorn sized bed which was much larger than the ones we had back home. She had a large rug with her cutie mark and two long dressers that most likely held nothing seeing how she didn't wear any clothing. A large vanity sat over in a corner of the room. It seemed rather empty for a princess, but I guess ponies are different. "Have a seat where ever you like. My sister should arrive any minute now," Just as she got done saying this the door creaked open. "Sister?" A large blue alicorn walked in and looked around. "You wanted to speak with me?" Her coat was a dark blue and her mane was more ethereal than Celestia's as it flowed crystal clear on the outside and what looked to be a perfectly preserved night sky within them. It looked beautiful, but I wasn't much for compliments. "Oh the human is here!" She smiled and walked over to me. She stood just short of me with her horn sticking up over me, but if I tilted my head down I might risk losing an eye. I stiffened my neck and gave another pseudo-grin before turning back to Celestia. "So Tia what have you decided for our friend here?" "Whoa, whoa, whoa! Who said I was your friend?" I said looking at Luna sternly. She frowned. "Well, I would have thought you would be a friend to royalty seeing how you are an honored guest," I laughed and smiled slapping her shoulder lightly. She winced probably never having such a gesture done to her. "I'm just joking with you," Celestia had a smirk on her face when I looked over. She must have found it amusing that Luna went slack jawed from confusion. "Anyways Tia, what are the plans?" I chuckled a bit as Celestia scowled at me. "Well James, you're to stay with my sister here as I take care of Equestria. It's rather hard watching you and taking care of a nation at the same time," Luna growled at her sister. "But what if I can't watch him either? Do you expect me to foalsit him?" "No my dear sister I don't. He, like us, does things during the day. You won't have to do much other than provide space for him in your room. Simple enough am I right?" Luna nodded and sighed. "I'm sure you're okay with this right James?" I shrugged. "It doesn't really matter to me," Celestia pulled out a few glasses and poured something out of a decanter. "Well it will be temporary. Scotch?" I nodded automatically. I love Scotch. I reached out for the glass she levitated over and took a sip. Wait. I'm not even old enough to drink am I? I'm nineteen? I think. I am. I know I drank before so I have to be older. "Temporary sister?" She nodded. "Yes, Twilight may or may not take him out to Ponyville. It's your decision James," I held my glass and thought rather nervously. "When does this Twilight come and get me?" "She'll be here in a few weeks for a check up on her friendship notes," I nodded and looked to Luna who was sipping on her scotch and wallowing in her thoughts. "Uhm, could I decide later?" "Of course, you have until she comes. Now if you two would excuse me I have a few politicians I need to say 'Screw you' nicely too," And with that she walked right out the door without another word. I turned back to Luna who looked up at me sadly. "Are you okay Luna?" She nodded and looked down at her drink. "Hey I'm sure everything will be fine. We may even have a little fun," She perked up a little at that, but levitated her glass over to the counter where the decanter sat. I placed mine next to it and watched her closely. "I'm sure we shall have a little fun as well. I didn't approve of this before she laid the responsibility on my hooves..." "I'm not much trouble I assure you!" She smiled and stood up. "Alright, but you need a bath and a change of bandages," I looked down at my torn clothing and nodded. "And some new clothes," She jumped at the opportunity. "We have a royal tailor who will take care of your clothing if you need it." "That would be nice," She grinned and motioned for me to follow her out the door. We walked through the castle again, but this time to the far side where her room sat and we walked in. It was completely different from Celestia's in almost every way, save a few. Luna had a large four posted bed with a low hanging canopy and a comforter with her cutie mark on it. A closet and what appeared to be a bathroom attached which really didn't surprise me. There was a balcony and stairs in the back. A random assortment of furniture accompanied the bed, but other than that it was plain. "Nice room," I said trying to cheer her up a bit. "Thank you. I really need to get some rest so I may raise the moon later. Feel free to do as you wish just don't be destructive or do anything immoral," Sounds reasonable. I nodded. "If I may ask where do I sleep?" She looked at me curiously. "You are not a creature of the day?" "Well yes, but I-" "Then you shall sleep on my bed for the night. I will not be using it since I guard our beautiful nation with my stunning nights," Seemed legit. "Okay, well what about my clothing?" "All in due time. Please help yourself to my bathing room I'll have a nurse come and clean your wounds." "I can handle myself. Just have some extra bandages and wraps read for when I get out," She nodded and clapped her hooves together. Two ponies rushed in and stood at attention in front of her. "Please take James' clothes and wash them carefully. Have them repaired when you are finished and bring them right back when your task is accomplished," The bowed and waited for me to undress. I felt a little uncomfortable. Taking off bit by bit a gave them my clothes and stripped naked down to my underwear which they waited patiently. "Uhm... I don't want to take these off," Luna raised a brow. "Why is this James? Do you not wish for them to be cleaned?" "Well yes I do, but... I do mind my privacy." Luna chuckled at me. "Don't worry there is nothing wrong with nudity here," I sighed and dropped trou for them which made the two servants gasp and blush. Luna just nodded and crawled on her bed. The ponies collected my boxers and rushed off. "Why weren't you bothered by my... equipment, yet they were?" She rolled over and looked at me. "I've seen humans naked before and know that you have no sheathe. As for them, they think you're slightly aroused and it made them blush. I will straighten it with those two mares that you don't have the same anatomy as we equines do," I nodded and silently thanked her as I walked off to the bathroom and closed the door. There was a large tub set in the floor that made me drop my jaw at. It would be the size of a modern day pool if I had to put it in comparison, but really it was more like a private pool. I judged it about five feet by about seven and a half feet. It had a drain and what I assumed was a little hot tub attached. I filled the hot tub and made sure it wouldn't burn me before stepping in and relaxing on a small slope with a cloth pillow at the end. My bandages soaked and I peeled them off slowly as the adhesive slowly dissolved. As I pulled away the padding the water rushed to my skin burning it and making me wince. I felt light headed again as my vision slowly blurred and faded to black. I felt pain. Extreme pain. "You're gonna have to move faster than that if you want to live James," I held my knees as I panted. My body ached and protested each and every one of my movements. I hadn't even landed one blow on him yet I had bruising all over and I probably wouldn't make it out of bed if it wasn't for them dragging me out. "A fast assassin is a skilled assassin." I took a deep breath as I stood up straight readying my wooden sword. My instructor smirked and stood with his hands behind his back. I took a step forward and he launched out at me. I blocked each blow as it came. *CRACK CRACK CRACK CRACK CRACK* I started to pant again trying to keep focused as he stopped and I began my assault. *CRACK CRACK CRACK CRACK CRACK CRACK* I started an over head swing and he raised ready to block, but as I got close I lowered the blow and swung across hitting him on the side and sending him a few steps back. "Good work, but it's still not enough," He launched at me again and hit me directly each time covering me in welts until I finally blocked a blow and he stopped. "No dishes tonight. You can rest after dinner is finished." "Thank you," He smiled and walked off. I collapsed to the ground with a groan. I hissed at the pain and pulled the rest off. I had no clue what random memory from my past had come up, but it hurt. I could feel the pain and the blows as they struck home. It didn't hurt that much now, but the searing pain across my body did. I huffed and I could feel beads of sweat run down my face. A variety of soaps and shampoos lined the bath and hot tub. I picked one up and gave it a sniff. It smelled close to lavender and I unscrewed the cap and poured a bit into my hands before running it through my short hair. It felt good to get all cleaned up. I stepped out of the tub and let it drain before standing around like an idiot. Where are the towels? I looked all over and just couldn't find them. There was a knock and Luna entered and levitated a towel to me before setting another aside. "I heard you finish so I decided to take one for myself," I gladly took the towel and started to dry off with her watching. "Could you help me out of my attire?" I cocked an eyebrow and looked her dead in the eye. She pointed to her large necklace and I nodded. I looped my towel around me and secured it by rolling the end over the edge and against my body. We met somewhere in the middle and I reached out and pulled it off her carefully and set it on a small table. "Thank you, you can rest now if you'd like." I rubbed my scarring chest and nodded before walking off taking one last glance back at her bent over the tub her rump up in the air. I felt my cheeks flush a bit as I left and closed the door seeing a small pile of my things on a dresser along with another pile of random items. I picked up my clothes and started to dress myself quickly, before examining the other things. I picked up to large items that I quickly labeled as guns. One felt magical in nature and the other just some cold metal and plastic. I set those aside and picked up some gloves and slipped them on. Each finger had a ring on it and I could feel each had magical power. I knew what they were used for, but I had never been able to use them to their full potential in the modern age. It felt natural to have them on. I picked up the next item and frowned. It was body armor that had holes in it. Great job of protecting me it did. I tossed that back on the dresser and picked up another smaller bit of leather. My wallet had a few pictures of me and a group of people that I couldn't name. The top one had me and a woman with a few guys in army gear out in a desert somewhere. I smiled at that one and tucked it back in the pocket. A large sword sat in the pile of padding. I picked it up a unsheathed it just a bit, before slamming it back in its scabbard. No, I don't need a weapon... I strapped it to my back anyways before throwing my cape and hood around me. This felt more natural than running around all natural. Not much else was there other than some ruined things I couldn't use and left there. I sighed and looked over to the bed Luna had offered. I shook my head and walked over to the stairs. Curiosity has the best of some of us and I wanted to know what was above me. Taking a few steps I worked my way up into a private study. A large chair sat behind a desk that had a few stacks of papers on it and a candle. A bookshelf stood behind them both and I crept up to it and looked at the titles. They seemed to be a collection of novels for entertainment, but none of them sparked my interests. I looked at the desk and pulled back the chair. It looked comfy, but I didn't take a seat instead my attention was on the contents of the desk. I slid a drawer back and saw a few quills and some ink. Not much, but it was something worth noting. Closing the drawer I moved topside examining a few papers and the candle. A picture was hidden in between the two that I picked up and looked at. It was the pair of sisters smiling and laughing. I couldn't help, but smile at it. The pair looked rather cute. I startled as someone, or in this case, somepony cleared their throat. I looked up to see Luna leaning against the wall with a brow raised. "I was just curious," She walked over and moved next to me looking at the picture I held. "That was taken many, many years ago. We were but fillies exploring the new world," She smiled at the picture having some fond memories of her own. I could see a tear run down her face as she took the picture and set it down. "Please try and stay out of my study if you will." "Alright," I walked back down the stairs only to be greeted by a nurse who smiled at me. "Ready for new bandages James?" I nodded. "Oh yes please," She motioned for me to sit on the bed and I did as requested taking off my shirt. A bit of blood from a few wounds oozed out, but nothing to serious. She placed a few pads over my stitches and began to run a long wrap around me until I was wound tight. She asked if I could breath and move okay before leaving. I laid down in the bed and stared up at the canopy. Not much to do now other than relax. The Few, The Proud, The EliteAuthor's note: Sorry this chapter took so long to get out. I was fiddling with a lot of ideas and then I deleted it twice because I hated some. Anyways... I based this chapter kind of off real life events... The actual action sequence is close to the truth and the events leading up to it are also pretty close but I put some flare into it to make it more to my style... I'd like to give a shout out to these few: Dark Lighting - Always bubbly and giving me support Ice - Sticking his neck out for me Frostbite - Helping out Hydro Heat - Letting me use their OC ThePhantomAssassin - Editing You - For putting up with my shitty writing... Also I'm hosting another contest... This one is another OC contest for this story but there are some very specific rules... 1) You cannot use any other person's OC 2) Multiple entries are allowed 3) I have the right to veto any OC 4) Entrants must have a vary accurate description of OC 5) Please give a Bio 6) Banned OCs can NOT be used... -Fern (Mine) -Jade (Mine) -Dark Lightning -Summer Dawn -Frostbite -Ice (sorry guys you got your slots in another story...) 7) You cannot complain if you don't get featured immediately otherwise you won't get a slot... 8) all OCs will have their rolls to play 9) Changing 1 charcteristic of an OC does not make it a new one... "Ponies for everyone!" "Bitch you miss pronounced 'everypony'!" -Dashie Chapter Two The Few, The Proud, The Elite 5th of March, 2012 I've got a job here soon and I really don't feel like taking it. The client specifically asked for me. Ever since Jess died I pretty much been devoted to the war just to get those bastards back. It feels so different without her here cracking jokes. Shamus feels sorry that I ended up with the job. I remember when we were a strong and powerful force to be reckoned with. We use to have almost a hundred assassins now we are less than ten. Darwin was right when he said survival of the fittest. Now I know why the Sect wished to cancel the program all those years ago. They are tired of burying their hard work on their 'subjects'. I feel like such a fucking lab rat. Jess didn't even get a proper burial. I almost planned on leaving and dragging the others with me. We would have be hunted and killed one by one if we did that though. We are 'far too dangerous to be set free', yeah more like 'a waste of fucking time'. New recruits come in and even pass primary selection. None grew up back in the time when a sword was a weapon of choice. Hell a rock is better than a gun and yet everyone wants a gun. Sure a gun can kill someone at a distance but you can use a bow and get away without anyone hearing the shot. A suppressor can only do so much. A bow is much quieter and it's still really effective if you've had the proper training. Poison an arrow head and if it hit but didn't do the job with the impact then the poison will definitely do the job. I really hope this new job goes off without a hitch. -James "A STONE'S THROW AWAY" 11:11:11 Lt. James Sanderson Navy SEAL Team Six May 1st, 2011 "James...!" "Huh...?" There was a ringing in my ear and it made it really hard to hear. "James! Get your ass up!" I felt a hard slap across my face. Cpt. Bolen was standing above me lowering his hand. I grabbed on and pulled harder to drag my ass out of the dirt. "Forty meters!" "Right flank!" I looked around in sort of a daze. Bullets whizzed past me as I jumped to a small mound for cover. The ringing in my ears was going away. "Last mag!" "What the fuck is going on?!" I yelled to Bolen. "We're in fucking Disney World! What the fuck do you think is going on! Get to the Humvee and grab the LMG!!" I looked back to the road I was just on. The Humvee was there on its side. Hopefully the hatch was open so I could easily get in. "I'll need some covering!" "You heard him boys! On three! ONE! .... TWO! ... THREE!!!" The group popped up and blazed in the enemy's general local. I ran almost like Forrest Gump only I didn't take a bullet in my ass. "OH FUCK!" A big ditch was not but six strides ahead of me and I was not gonna get enough speed to jump its two yards across. How the fuck did Bolen get me over there so fast? "Fuck whatever!" I tried my best to make the last few strides count but it really didn't matter anyways. I hit the edge with my foot rolling it on impact. I winced. "SON OF A BITCH!" I seriously had to stop swearing. I hobbled the last four feet and got around to see the hatch. "OF FUCKING COURSE IT'S CLOSED!" Well scratch that off my new year’s resolution. It would never happen anyways. I didn't have time for this shit. My 'friends' were dying and here I am fucking around with a Humvee. Am I playing Halo again? Lucky me the window was cracked but sadly it wasn't broken. I stomped on the window trying my best to ignore my foot's protests. Man up you pussy whipped foot. *CRUNCH* *CRUNCH* *CRUNCH* *CRUNCH* *POP!* The window finally gave and I reached in and grabbed the M60 sitting in the driver's side seat. The fucker wasn't loaded of course. Supposedly there was ammo in the trunk but I highly doubted that. The fucking government sent us into shit holes low on ammo every time. I reached down to pop the release for the trunk but I couldn't reach. "Time to take about twenty for the team..." I crawled into the broken window and desperately tried to pull a lever. I couldn't because the door was crushed against the seat. Getting in was easy. Now getting out? Not so much. A fucking latch decided to catch on the window and prevented me from getting out and saving some asses. That was a good minute trying to get unstuck. The rest was just trying to be careful and not kill myself. Once out I rushed to the back. The damn thing was already open and ammo boxes were everywhere. I'm such a fucking idiot. How did I forget I kicked one on the way over? No tie to delay. Slinging the heavy ass gun onto my back I leaned down and picked up as many of the boxes as I could. I stopped when someone called out "I'M HIT!" I had at least four. I didn't count I was on a time crunch. "Fuck me. Fuck me! FUCK ME!" I ran back and this time I just hopped down the two feet if the ditch. Yeah I'm a fucking idiot. I plastered myself against the makeshift wall and began prepping the M60. "Hatch up. Drum on. Bullets in. Slam it down. COCK THE MOTHER FUCKER!" I jumped up and saw a little village with white walled buildings like Baghdad. There were at least eleven of those fuckers running around. I pulled the trigger and listened to the fast paced *THUMP* of the gun as I aimed at those towel headed fuckers. Each dropped in rapid succession. *CLICK* "OH FOR FUCK'S SAKE!" "Clear!" Bolen yelled. "I'm out!" I called over quickly loading a new belt into the receiver. "Guess that defeats the element of surprise..." Cpl. Ward said holding a wounded man down. I didn't know who it was; his face was covered by Ward's arm. He would pull through we're all troopers. "All right boys! We got a hell of a walk ahead of us. Ten clicks to the compound and we got wounded." "Sounds like a Wednesday to me..." We all gathered around Bolen who crouched to the ground. I handed him a stick when he held out a hand. "Okay listen up... Here we are." He pointed to a small 0 he made in the sand. "This is where we need to be..." He dragged the stick to an X not very far away. He drew little blocks around the X. "So why is it ten clicks?" "Good question. According to the shitty intel we got the compound is near the middle of the city with a number of buildings surrounding it and we can't go through them. So we are pretty much SOL." He pointed to the far side of the X. "It's a small complex. Very hard to miss though but it's guarded pretty good." "Kinda like John's dick?" John slugged the guy who spoke. "Shut up..." John said. "Enough..." "Are we gonna have to go around?" "No, but I guarantee that there is some guards on top of the building or on the roofs of nearby buildings just waiting to try out their new rifles. We're going the long way and gonna knock down the front door. We are defiantly not taking the road but we aren't gonna stray too far from it either." "It will take almost the whole day to get there." "Night ops? We didn't bring nods..." "Won't need um. The building will be well lit. We just have to take out the eyes and ears... Sanderson!" "Yeah?" "You're up when we get there. The humvee should have a Barrett in the back. Now I know you don't like them but your gonna have to deal with it." "Fuck my life..." "Let's roll! We are leaving in ten!" We all started gathering supplies to get a move on. I walked over to the Humvee and looked inside. Sure enough a Barrett 50 cal. Layin’ the back seat. This wasn't my Humvee. Ours lay in a burning heap in the ditch about twenty yards behind this one. "Ward!" "I'm right here..." "Good. Get your skinny ass in there and grab that rifle." "Okay... Hold my vest." He dropped his gear and handed me his vest. He crawled in legs first and stood up. "Hey... Isn't this bones' knife?" He yanked a blade out of the seat and held it through the glass. I rolled it in my hand. Then I rolled it over my knuckles. I stopped my fooling around when Ward tapped the unbroken glass. There was a skull and cross bones on the handle. It was a poor carving at best. "Yep..." "Where is he?" "Dead... Poor bastard..." Ward didn't say anything anymore. He hopped the seat and dug around in the back. He pushed the Barrett through the window and went back to digging. "Whatcha looking for?" He didn't reply."Ward?" He crawled back out and held out a small slip of paper. I turned it over to see a picture of Bones and his kids. I felt a little bad for them. I knew what it was like to lose someone close to you. Never again. "Put it on him... He deserves to have it..." He nodded and walked off. Why was that picture even in the back seat if his knife was in the front? "Let's roll! We don't got all day!" Bolen yelled. No time to ponder. I walked back to the pile of ammo. A few Barrett mags laid out and about. Ten should cover me. I'm carrying the two heaviest guns we got up a goddamn mountain that's ten miles away. Sounds like a Wednesday to me. "Yeah!" "Get it in gear!" One last thing. I nabbed the suppressor. I felt like an internet troll. I even walked away with a smug grin on my face. "What are you smiling about?" I held up the suppressor and he chuckled before clasping my shoulder. "Only you man... Only you..." It was getting late. My family was getting a little restless and I knew it. "Alright everybody... Let's get some food and then we can finish up today. Tomorrow we'll have my party and I guess we will... Well I haven't thought that far yet..." At the mention of food thirty little kids jumped up and ran to the table. As the family sat around the table waiters brought in the main courses and began to set them down in the center of the table. The trays were lifted to show a nice array of food that everyone here would enjoy. Sure a few things the younger ones wouldn't like sat here and there. I bet a few would try the steamed asparagus but most won't and that was one of the better dishes. Mashed potatoes were piled mountains high. A giant bowl of gravy sat next to the leaning tower of taters. Corn was on the cob and off the cob in large bowls. I took a large scoop of mashed potatoes and then I took that ladle and got at least four dips of gravy. I stopped counting and went until every little inch was covered. I needed a bigger spoon for the corn if I really wanted to do this. I had to have my fix. I signaled a waiter and a giant fucking spoon was put in my hand. I grinned as I took two scoops. That pretty much was my plate. I took four stalks of asparagus after just to seem a little formal. But I laughed as I saw a little one have pretty much nothing but potatoes just like me. Man I raised them good! There was a curious pile of at least eighty PB&J sandwiches brought in and set in the middle. Half were gone before the plate even was set down asking it easier on the waiters but damn. I had to get one fast. I don't know how big of a tub of Nutella they needed to make this many sandwiches but HOLY SHIT. I got one and took a bite quickly. It tasted amazing at first. There was a giant glob of peanut butter and then there was about an equal amount of jelly. I almost spit out my first bite. I FUCKING HATE STRAWBERRY! I set it down on a little side plate and tried to find one that had grape jelly. If they were all strawberry I was gonna have a fucking cow. Speaking of cows. My glass had been filled with milk. I smiled, yes, this pleases me. I downed the glass just to get the bad taste out of my mouth. I felt like I was four. Man what I wish to be young again. I reached for another sandwich and thankfully it was grape. Now I was satisfied. Well almost. I still haven't eaten my piled up plate. I fucking love mashed potatoes. After dinner I leaned back and rubbed my belly. It was defiantly full now. I just wanted to relax and take a nap after a meal like that. It almost felt like mom's cooking. Then I remembered my mom sucked at cooking. Doesn’t matter had food. I rounded up the mini-me’s and sat down in my chair as the waiters came back and cleaned up the tornado that had ripped through the meal. "So what happened after that? Did you get the bad man?" I chuckled. "Well..." The sun had slowly lowered as we waited for the operation to begin. It wasn't hard to get to a nice little nook. We had a few hours to make sure we had different coverings if we really need them. Ward sat next to me with a scope. It was a hassle to haul around and I had no clue why he did. But if it helped spot the fuckers faster than the more power to him. I laid down and propped the Barrett up on a bi-pod. Very useful but even more of a hassle to set it up when you're on the move. Ward sat next to me with his scope and whispered out targets. I'd spotted most before he even said anything but he had better eyes than me and spotted the sniper in the rocks. I should have seen his scope gleam when I passed over him but I didn't. There was a total of four snipers and two guards. Each were way out of line of sight to the two teams that had split waiting to start the raid. I saw them begin the advance and I readied my first shot. Making sure the second was close enough to get I pulled the trigger and let the first bullet fly. I didn't need to see it hit to know I got him. Ward did that for me. "Great shot!" Pulling the trigger again the second bullet flew and made impact with a beautiful display of red and some pink as his brains splattered along the wall. "Tango down." We hopped up and moved quickly to the other snipers. They still had no clue where we were until that bullet went right to them. Taking them out quickly I scoped in on the few guards on a roof. I doubt they had any idea that there was a trained sniper waiting for them to make the wrong move. They grew alarmed at the sight of our boys moving on the compound. I couldn't wait anymore. I dropped them quickly. Headshots didn't matter in a life and death situation like the one that would have played out. I watched the boys move along the buildings. Children and women ran around and some were caught by our guys just trying to calm them down. I saw a flash out of the corner of my scope. Then a retreating Osama. "Fuck! I could have had him!" "Don't worry about it man... Our guys got it... We need to link up with SEAL team two..." Ward said patting me on the back. "Come on..." I got up and slung the heavy ass rifle onto my back. Just another day on the job right? There wasn't much I could do about it. Hopefully they would get him and we could all go home safe. Well almost all of us. As we were about to leave the building I shot Ward with a M9. He collapsed and laid there. I didn't need to check to know if it was a kill shot. I pulled him into a closet and left a small note in Arabic. Hopefully the pour soul to find him will return him. I left without another word. I walked out to the hills and sat there. Taking off my helmet I ran my fingers through my unkempt hair. I really let myself go over the years. Filled with the outrage of that bastard's men. I finally had my revenge. I just needed to get out now. That was the easy part. The hard part was to shoot a buddy. I had practically lived my life with these guys in the past few years. Now that the job was done I could go home and live my life for a while. Well maybe now a while but a few days is okay with me. I pulled out a satellite phone and flipped it open. Hitting the little green button I redialed the last number I had called. Before we left to get to the city I had called in favor. I probably owed ten times the amount that he thinks I owe him but I don't care. "Yeah?" "Hey, I need that pick up." "Where ya at?" "Outside of the city on a small hill. Think ya can get me in twenty?" "More like thirty but I'll try." "Cool... Take your time man I ain't got anywhere to be any time soon." "I'm rolling out now. Eyes to the sky." "Ight..." *CLICK BEEP* I ended our call ad laid back waiting for my ride home. As I relaxed I thought of all the men and women that wouldn't be going home. The sacrificed themselves for their country. Noble yes but war could have been avoided. It may be human nature to kill one another for resources but at least we could try and make it less violent. Wait. War is violent no matter what. Fuck whatever. I know not of the weapons world war three will be fought with. But world war four will be fought with sticks and stones. There was no doubt in my mind that wasn't true. This world will pretty much just fuck itself over and no one would care because they think it's not their problem. It is their problem because it will be their children or their children's children or even further down than that. No matter what it is a problem. I can't wait to watch this world burn in the pits of hell. It's where it belongs. Then some say God will save them all or that he lets it happen because they deserve it. Well I think like this. If God is suppose to be a higher power that controls out lives wouldn't he try to save all of his 'creations'? Well apparently not. So If they think their higher power will save the world they are wrong. Because we would just fuck it up again. If one man has an imaginary friend he is crazy. If multiple people have the same imaginary friend it's a religion. There is no proof that these higher powers exist. Sure you could say you prayed for a miracle but it wasn't given to you because you prayed. You got it by chance. And every day there is a chance you will die. You don't know it but it is there and it could happen in a flash. I sit here wondering when we will stop killing one another over nothing. They say there are seven deadly sins. I GARUNTEE THAT EVERYONE HAS DONE AT LEAST ONE. It's unavoidable because it's just how we are. If you know someone who hasn't committed a deadly sin then they are lying. Babies don't count. I heard the whirling the helicopter's blades. Ironic. The thing that got me in this mess is gonna get me out of it. As the helo landed I hopped on and patted his shoulder. We weren't on the ground longer than a second and we were off again. Now the long trip home was ahead and I planned on enjoying it. I reached in my pocket and pulled out the amulet and gave it a little rub. We were going home. I didn't hear the steps but I felt the hot breath of someone next to me. "You need to say bye to the family we need to talk in private." The voice was a very sweet and melodic one. I knew it and smiled. "Okay everyone. I have some really important business to attend to sorry." A few kids pouted but the rest just looked at me sadly. The adults rounded up their kids. "Don't worry we can finish up tomorrow." That got them cheered up. "I want to hear about you guys." Some of the girls shied away at that comment. I stood up and walked over to the door. Before I could reach for the handle it burst open and two waiters pushing and enormous cake rush in. Well this is strange. I thought I was supposed to have my cake tomorrow. Wait there will be no tomorrow for me. Does she know? Oh, I am so fucked. "CAKE!!!!!!" Everyone screamed. I think I got tackled by ten. No defiantly twenty of them. "Oh you can't leave now grandpa!" One said jabbing me in the side. "Yeah! Cake just got here!" Another said gripping my leg like an anchor. "Come on stay for a while!" Another said hooking my other leg just like the first. "PLEASE!!!?!!!!?" The rest yelled in unison. "Fine." "YAY!!" MOTHER OF GOD MY FUCKING EARS ARE BLEEDING! I got up and walked over to the large cake. It was a large seven tiered cake. It was round and sort of offset like the Leaning Tower of Pisa. This could feed the whole castle. I probably leftovers go to everyone else. The workers really needed a break. I should really convince her to let them all get a break. Why the fuck do I keep referring to her as 'her'? Why am I talking to myself? Fuck it. A large knife sat next to the stand. It was a nicely curved blade not common for cutting something. Well I could find a few uses for it. I do enjoy a curved blade. Wait. Is this a joke. "Wait! We got to sing 'Happy Birthday'." I fucking regret teaching them that now. "HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU. HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU. HAPPY BIRTHDAY DEAR JAMES. HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU!" Eh, not as bad as normally. "Okay, now you can cut it." "Shut it smart ass." My son chuckled. I lifted the knife up and put a few uneven slices into the rounded cake. Luckily it had multiple tiers. The first pieces were handed out. A few tubs of ice-cream were brought in as soon as I made the first cut. Thankfully the waiters served the ice-cream. We sort of made a line. I gave them cake. Hehe, history joke. Then they walked down and got their favorite flavor of ice-cream. Well one little girl couldn't decide on chocolate or rainbow. Rainbow was my favorite. Well it is when they DON'T PUT FUCKING STRAWBERRY IN IT. I FUCKING HATE STRAWBERRY. Yeah my life is nothing but hating on a fucking berry. After I destroyed half of the cake I set the knife down. I stepped back and admired my handy work. Yeah it was totally fucked up. Next time I don't cut a cake. I can't cook one, eat one or even cut one properly. I picked the knife back up and jiggled it in my hand. It was balanced just right. "Hmmmm..." I rotated the blade into my hand. Oh yes this is just right. A dart board sat in the back of the gathering room. A whole bookshelf of board games sat next to it and a few small tables with chairs set against the wall. Those were for chess. I was great at chess. Not as good as her but still good enough to kick almost anyone's ass. I held the knife up and aimed for the board. It was at least forty feet away. Easy enough. I lowered the blade and sighed. What am I doing? Fuck it! I raised the blade and without thinking or even pausing long enough to aim I let it fly. *THUD* Dead center. Yeah I still got it in me. I wish I didn't but I can't change the past. Everyone looked at the dart board. Yeah I'm that awesome. I walked out the door without saying goodbye. I felt like shit. Once outside I looked around. No one was there so I just decided to head back to my room. Maybe a little reminiscing in my past will do me a little good. Story telling is one thing because you can alter the details but reliving it is completely different. As I opened the door I felt something push it back closed. Weird. I pushed it open and this time it gave way. I looked behind the door. There wasn't anything to block it. The window was open though and a strong gust blew in and forced the door closed. I walked over to the window and slammed it shut. It was one of those double windows. It was expertly built. Very artistic. Scroll work lined the border of the arch window. The latch to hold them together way pure gold and held the royal insignia on it. Turning around I looked at the bed. Four posted bed was pretty cool. The canopy was pretty gay to me so I took it off. I'm not a huge fan of red which is ironic since my job requires spilling blood. Well use to anyways. I miss traveling the world and seeing it change over time. It was nice when it was from my time to about the year 1935 then it was just war machine after war machine. Sure they are useful but it’s pretty stupid making a machine just for killing people. I find myself just like a machine some times. Doing the same things over and over again. I guess I was built like that. Make perfect kill after perfect kill. Huh, I never thought about it. I am a killing machine. Much more sophisticated than what the European powers of WWII built but I was still a killing machine none the less. Is that all I'm good for? Taking lives that didn't need to die? My whole life I was led to believe that humans were created equal. Over the years I learned that it was survival of the fittest. I was ahead of Darwin but I sure and the hell wasn't a writer. He published my thoughts into something that made sense. Sure I met him only a few times and the topic never came up but we still agreed upon the subject. Humans are just more tamed animals. The power hungry ones have their fifteen minutes of fame before crumbling to the ground. The true leaders find themselves wanting less. The poor want money to survive and thrive. The rich don't want the money because it ruins their happiness. I can't find a place where I belong. The beggar belongs on the corner until someone offers him a home. The rich belong in their fancy houses until someone complains about their living conditions. The middle class belong at work until they find their one true love, even then they still have to work to live. The world is a cruel place. It's like that bully on the school ground with a magnifying glass burning the ants. Sure he looks big an’ bad now but one day he will become the bigger threat everyone hates. I wish I knew where I really belonged instead of hiding in a dark corner waiting for my victim. Huh, yeah a dark corner. That's me in one sentence. Lived my life hiding in the shadows. I can pretty much see life as a suicide attempt. We live our lives avoiding death so we can make it safely to it. Risks in life are what makes it worthwhile. I sat down and thought about it for a while. Our lives really are just a suicide attempt. Death is unavoidable. I picked up a guitar that sat in the corner of my room. I use to play a lot but it just got boring after a while. Now seemed like a good time though. Slowly I plucked a rhythm and then I realized what I was playing. (Here you go lazy ass) Send away for a priceless gift One not subtle, one not on the list Send away for a perfect world One not simply, so absurd In these times of doing what you're told You keep these feelings, no one knows What ever happened to the young man's heart Swallowed by pain, as he slowly fell apart And I'm staring down the barrel of a 45. Swimming through the ashes of another life. No real reason to accept the way things have changed. Staring down the barrel of a 45. Send a message to the unborn child Keep your eyes open for a while In a box high up on the shelf Left for you, no one else There’s a piece of a the puzzle known as life Wrapped in guilt, sealed up tight What ever happened to the young man's heart Swallowed by pain, as he slowly fell apart And I'm staring down the barrel of a 45. Swimming through the ashes of another life. No real reason to accept the way things have changed. Staring down the barrel of a 45. Everyone's pointing their fingers Always condemning me Nobody knows what I believe I believe And I'm staring down the barrel of a 45. Swimming through the ashes of another life. No real reason to accept the way things have changed. Staring down the barrel of a 45. And I'm staring down the barrel of a 45. Swimming through the ashes of another life. No real reason to accept the way things have changed. Staring down the barrel of a 45, 45 Staring down the barrel of a 45 I set down the guitar and looked out the window. It looked beautiful yes but there was no real reason to enjoy i if there was no one to enjoy it with. I had my loves but we drifted apart after a while. I sighed and looked down into my lap. I barely noticed the bed dip down. Slowly I felt pressure on my back. I didn't look up. Slowly it reached up to my shoulders and then it relaxed and fell down around my neck. "I haven't heard you play in so long." A very familiar voice whispered into my ear. "I know..." "Do you really wish to leave me here alone?" "What do you mean?" "I read the note..." "I haven't given it to anyone yet." "I know... I still love you..." "I love you to, but..." "What? There was no reason to stop loving me." "We just drifted apart is all." "No. You gave up." "Yeah, that too." She tightened her grip around my neck. "Why are you even here. What did you want to talk about?" "You of course." "And?" "An offer..." "What kind of offer?" "One you can't refuse." "Sure I can..." "Oh shhhsh." I chuckled. "It's not funny." She gripped me tighter and now I could feel her pulling me against her chest. "Could you play another song before we talk?" "No." "Please? For me?" "Depends..." "Getting warmer..." "Fuck whatever..." "Yay..." I picked the guitar back up and though about it for a second. What was a modern song back before the accident. Oh, I got a good one. (lazy way) Define your meaning of war To me it's what we do when we're bored I feel the heat coming off of the blacktop And it makes me want it more Because I'm hyped up, outta control If it's a fight I'm ready to go I wouldn't put my money on the other guy If you know what I know that I know It's been a long time coming And the tables' turned around 'Cause one of us is goin' One of us is goin' down I'm not running It's a little different now 'Cause one of us is goin' One of us is goin' down Define your meaning of fun To me it's when we're getting done I feel the heat coming off of the blacktop So get ready for another one Let's take a trip down memory lane The words circulate in my brain You can treat this like another all the same But don't cry like a bitch when you feel the pain It's been a long time coming And the tables' turned around Cause one of us is goin' One of us is goin' down I'm not running It's a little different now Cause one of us is going One of us is goin' down This is hardly worth fighting for But it's the little petty shit that I can't ignore With my fist in your face And your face on the floor It'll be a long time coming But you got the message now Cause I was never going Yeah, you're the one that's going down One of us is goin' down I'm not running, it's a little different now Cause one of us is goin' One of us is goin' down One of us is goin' down, down, down Yeah that pretty much sums up how we've been over the past six or seven years. I just got bored of our shit. "You should do one for my sister..." "Maybe..." Her sister had died a few hundred years ago. It was a weird relationship between the three of us. "Yeah I got one..." (lazy way) Your words to are just a whisper Your face is so unclear I try to pay attention Your words just disappear Oh oh 'Cause it’s always raining in my head Oh oh Forget all of the things I should have said So I speak to you in riddles 'Cause my words get in my way I smoke the whole to my head And feel it wash away 'Cause I can't take anymore of this I wanna come apart I dig myself a little hole inside your precious heart Oh oh 'Cause it’s always raining in my head Oh oh Forget all of the things I should have said I am nothing more than A little boy inside That cries out for attention Yet I always try to hide Cause I talk to you like children Though I don’t know how I feel But I know I’ll do the right thing If the right thing isn’t revealed 'Cause it’s always raining in my head Forget all of the things I should have said I felt a wet spot along my cheek. I reached up and touched it. Yeah I'm a man and crying. There was a wet spot on my back. Yeah she was crying too. That makes everything more manlier. "I miss her..." She said raggedly. "I do too..." I lifted her off me and put the guitar back in its corner. "I might not make it to tomorrow." "Don't leave me please..." "Give me one good reason." "You love me..." "Not good enough..." "Damn it..." I chuckled. Being a dark and shady figure brought it's perks. I could kill puppies with a laugh. Some where there is a pile of dead puppies with a sign that reads 'WHY WOULD YOU DO THIS ASSHOLE?' Only made me laugh more, adding to the pile. She looked up to me and frowned. "Why isn't that a good enough reason? You have family here. Loved ones. What more could you want?" "To forget... Forget the horrors that the world has forced upon me..." She looked at me for a while. Her mouth opened as if she wanted to say something. It closed immediately. "You can't help me. The things I've seen could even begin to start a horror movie. Nor could it end one." "There is one thing I can do..." "What?" "It's a very dangerous spell..." "And?" "I could send you to an alternate universe with most of your memory erased..." "How would that help?" "Pretty much I would send you back in time to when you came here... All you would know is your name where you grew up and any events before The Sect found you." "I could live with that..." "Here's the thing though... In the alternate universe you wouldn't exist... You shouldn't belong but you're there..." "So?" "You'd have to rebuild... I can't help you do that..." "I can live with a new life..." "Most things that you know to be natural now will still be there... You just won't remember how you learnt them..." "Okay enough!" She shied back a bit. Her wings flared out. She was a beautiful alicorn. "I'm sorry Luna..." The dark alicorn had a tear running down her face. She obviously didn't like the idea but it was kind of forced on her. "It's fine... I'm gonna miss you, you know?" "No... I won't remember..." She nodded. "Where’s the gun?" "Why?" "I'll enchant it with the spell... Then when you 'die' you'll end up in the other universe..." "It's in the drawer..." Her horn glowed with magic as she telepathically reached for the drawer and opened it. A gun floated out of the small compartment. I had kept it clean over the years. I knew it had a full magazine in it but I only needed one bullet for it's true purpose. At first it was for defense against these creatures. But I soon realized I didn't need it so I kept it clean and hidden away from prying eyes. The only really piece of equipment I needed were my gauntlets and my amulet. My gauntlets were black inlaid with gold along the fingers. The fingers themselves didn't exist. I had cut them off and set a ring holder on each finger. On each holder a ring was set. I could remove them at will but these days it was for mere show. Each ring had a special ability. The thumbs could steal magic. The index casts a anti-magic barrier. The middle helped me hide where there wasn't darkness. The ring finger held a signet that trained me to be quieter with my footsteps. When I wasn't trying to be quiet it helped and did it for me. The pinkie was adorned with a diamond jewel that could push or pull objects at will. I never really used the gauntlet anymore. But it seems I was gonna get familiar with it again. If what she said was true then I would come in during the frantic job. Seemed suiting since that was what I was gonna talk about tomorrow. Luna was busy enchanting the piece of metal. I just hope that this really does what she says it does. I don't care if I never wake up. I planned on this anyways. I didn't plan on her offering me a second chance to have a happier life. She was always looking out for me. I never could return the favor. It doesn't matter. She never would accept my favors anyways. Luna set the gun down on the desk and sighed. "Done..." "Thanks." "I don't want to watch... I'll leave you alone..." "I'm sorry..." I said actually meaning it for once in my life. As she exited the room I could see nothing but pure sadness. It was heavy in the air as well. I had pretty much brought this upon myself and yet I was affecting the others around me. I just wanted to forget. Just wanted the pain to stop. Just wanted a happier place. Here it was offered to me. I could leave and have a happier life with no war. No suffering. Nothing that human nature has inflicted upon me. All I had to do was pull the trigger. I picked up the gun and set it against my head. One little movement was all it would take. One little hair pull and I could forget. Something inside me screamed and yelled to 'Do it pussy!' another part was making my hand tremble saying 'No you still have some much to live for.' I silenced the second voice and my hand stopped trembling. I had more to live for this way. I checked the desk again. The note lay there in front of me. The journal next to it with my last entry. I hope they all don't worry too much. I'll be in a happier place. Somewhere were the darkness never comes and the light doesn't show the horrors of the past. Somewhere we all can live in peace and not have to think of the bad things that these worlds have to offer. I will miss them all. I know they will miss me more. I can deal with it. I love you all... -James I pulled the trigger and felt a sharp pain but it soon faded into a dull numbness. My eyes were open and I watched in slow motion as I fell. Blood splattering everywhere as I fell into eternal sleep. I don't know how long I'll wait but my new life awaits pain free. I hit the floor with a dull *THUMP*. Blackness enveloped me as I slowly drifted away. If this is what it is like to die then I will welcome it whole heartedly next time. It felt good to be free of all my pain and suffering. To be a bird on the wind without a care. I am free. Author's note: Again so sorry to take so long... I've been real busy... Chapters won't be as long as these first two but they should be a little more frequent. Maybe I'll do some huge chapters I don't know yet. Just keep waiting... Also: Songs belong to their respective owners and should remain that way. HUGS 4 U! -Dashie
My Story...Author's note: I will update this periodically... It does take a while to make large chapters like this one... I don't sit on my ass all day and think of new ideas... Scratch that... I pretty much do that... Anyways... I hope you all enjoy this little trail and error of my mine... I really want some ideas I can put in! Just drop me a PM and let me know what you think should happen... The first three chapters the main charcater won't be in Equestria so don't try to give me ideas before he gets there... I have most of that planned out... Stop the hate... Love and tolereate! (This is my T-shirt slogan and is copy writed!) -Dashie DISCLAIMER: I REGRET NOTHING!!!!! WELL ALMOST NOTHING... Chapter 1 My Story... 3rd of May, 1957 The others have come to believe that the Sect will cancel the program. Myself as an elite refuse to believe this. After nearly nine centuries they wouldn't have any reason to stop something that brings in quite a large sum of money. When I am asked to turn in my amulet and blade, then I will believe the claims. For now, I am not worried in the slightest. Rasfier may be the most calm and collective of the elite, but when he becomes unnerved, then something big is about to happen. The only worry in my mind is on the next big contract. We have received less and less over the years. Jess was rather surprised after the assassination of Hitler. They called it suicide, but we knew the real cause. We are the only cause. -James I idly turned the page. Looking back up and watched as my captive slumped against the wall. She wouldn't dare try to leave if she valued her life. She knew me all too well. "You know you never got me anything for my birthday..." "How did you know? Doesn't matter... I didn't have time..." "I don't plan on celebrating it anyways..." Tomorrow was my third millennia. I planned on killing myself. I've had a good life. Long yes, but good. I don't want to bore you with my story so I could show it to you. Turning the page once more I place my marker and closed the journal. Setting it down I stood up and walked around the bed to my captive. She was pinned to the wall by a few of my knives. She looked me in the eye for just a moment. As I reached out for the first of the knives she tried to bite my arm. "Now, now... Is that any way to treat the holder of your life?" She shook her head. "Good, now I'm going away for a while and I expect you to behave... Do I make myself clear?" She nodded slightly making me smile a little. I raised my hand up to her cheek and gently stroked it. "I'll miss you..." She whispered. "I know..." I leaned in for a quick peck. I removed each knife in quick succession. She wrapped me in a quick embrace and smiled. "Do you have to go?" "Yes... Our grandchildren wanted to know... This life is too good to just let go..." Another quick kiss turned into a slobbering tongue wrestling match. Not the sexiest thing ever but at least it shut her up. "When will you leave?" "After a little fun..." She giggled pulling me closer. She was tall. Taller than myself and I'm close to six feet. I pulled off my pants after she ripped my shirt off which seemed difficult to her at first. She fiddled with my boxers for about a minute before ripping them off as well nearly taking both of my testicles with them. I pinned her to the wall and had her. She was always good to me. I knew her way to well to know she wouldn't let me leave for a long while without a "proper" good-bye. I pulled my pants back on and grabbed a shirt lying on the bed. She gave me one last kiss before sending me off. I traversed the castle until I came upon the gathering room. It wasn't large, only able to fit thirty or so, and had a nice table in the middle with an assortment of delicacies. My mind wasn't on the food rather my family. My son and daughter were the first to greet me. Their spouses dragged along behind them. "Hey dad..." I hadn't spoken to my boy in over forty years. My girl hadn't seen me in just as long. I chatted with them for a little before the barrage of children hit me. "GRANDPA!" They all yelled. Fourteen kids trampled me in a rush. Ten were great-grandkids the others were just grand. I gave each a hug before being able to stand up. "Okay... So who's ready for a story?" All of them jumped around screaming 'ME! ME! ME!' This got the parents laughing and the teenagers to show their disgust. Most of them stood against the wall but some actually walked up to give me the hug I deserved. I sat in my comfy chair and picked up the nearest runt and sat her on my lap. This made a few others protest. I assured them they would get a turn. I motioned for everyone to take a seat and of course they did. No one disobeys grandpa. My eldest grand kids learned this lesson very fast. I looked around the room with a fake smile. On the inside I was breaking down. I hadn't told anyone of my plans yet. I wasn't going to either. "I think it's time you all learn about how I had to live in the old days." "Grandpa you invented the old days." Everyone laughed at my numbskull of a son. He use to be a comedian but I ended that for him after I approved of his wife. "No, I invented the ancient days... You invented the old days..." Everyone laughed harder as his cheeks grew red. "Well mom doesn't think that." My daughter retorted. "Yeah well mom ain't wearing the pants in this relationship." "Mom doesn't wear pants." "Point proven!" She scoffed and picked up a plate full of food. "Now, are we gonna sit here and bicker or do you want to know of the war?" "Oh grandpa don't start with the war... OH! Start with the rift! The radical job!" "Yeah! I remember that! It gets better every time!" "Alright..." I said. I cracked my knuckles and pulled my granddaughter close. "Long ago back when dinosaurs ruled the world!" I said moving my hand around in exaggerated movements. "To far back!" I laughed. "Okay... I use to live in a distant land full of exotic creatures..." My vision faded to white as I remembered my life. I stood in a room that was the ugliest white I had ever seen. A man appeared in front of me was my sensei. "Master." I knelt to the ground at his feet. "Rise oh challenged one!" "HEY! I did not put the stink bomb in the ladies' restroom!" He smirked at me. When I was still in India there was a little incident with some explosives and a skunk. Now I don't want to go into detail but there was some disciplinary action taken. "Are you prepared to reveal ancient customs and secrets?" "Do you have to plague my mind every time I try to tell my story?" "Do you have to be such an arrogant ass?" "Touché." He smiled at me. "You are a very wise man... I trust you will keep some things hidden." "Of course..." "Good. As for your little audience... The universe they reside in doesn't matter. Our customs are safe. Tell it your way. It is your life after all." "Thank you master." Darkness began to take over my vision as the memories finally took over. You will get unlimited access to my life. As for my family... Well something’s are better left unsaid. Our journey begins in Afghanistan. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ "It's just another day on the job." 15:49:23 October 2nd 2007 Sgt. James Sanderson Delta Force 2nd of October, 2007 We finally made the push into deeper territory. Jess thinks we could end the war on our own. I told her she was full of shit. Being hired by the US military was pretty cool in my books. It’s not often you get high tech equipment as your play toy. It was gonna come in real handy with taking out targets. Our gear is much heavier than usual and has weighed the new guy down. I don't expect him to live much longer. He calls himself 'Roach'. I thought it fit. He's an annoying pest that just doesn't know when to quit. Jess already kicked his ass four times. I laughed each and every time. I feel bad for him though. He's lived a rough life. He got fired before his tour. His girlfriend left him because he couldn't pay the bills and he was the target dummy in boot camp. He kind of reminds me of myself before the Sect drew me under their wing. I'll see how long his will to live lasts. -James Jess read over my shoulder the whole time. She was a real nosey one, but I did enjoy her company. She thinks I'm only good for sex but I know deep down she wants me for herself. She could say the same about me, but I had a better reason. Master Odon told us at an early age NOT to make ties. Well he said anything about tangles. Especially not sheets. It didn't matter anyways. Three centuries of discipline taught me to trust in my ability to focus on the task at hand. Sometimes she was the task at hand, but I never called her more than an 'acquaintance'. I am 5' 10" and roughly 165 pounds. Being light makes for easier escapes. I'm of average build and average looks. Well, for my time anyways. Now I'm of 'Macho Man Randy Savage' build and close to drop dead gorgeous when I didn't have mud on my face. There was one downfall to me though. I'm 1004 years old and one of the world's deadliest assassins. I'm proficient in every weapon known to man and some that aren't. I can kill a man ten minutes before he actually falls to the ground dead. I'm fluent in more than 500 languages and 6,000 dialects. Sixty billion men, woman, vampires, werewolves, some frilly fairy man from California and animals have fallen victims to my blades. I have ended some of the most world famous tyrants of all time with flick of my wrist. And Jess says I can make a mean apple pie. Today was like any other day. Travel into enemy territory and kill a bad guy. It's all too easy. I love my job don't get me wrong. It's the only thing that keeps me alive and able to see the world planet and it is a constant reminder of what life could be without assholes running it. I've been on both ends of the stick. Back when we still took jobs from the highest bidder I had my share of jobs I couldn't shake off after we were done with them. The most memorable one was the assassination of J.F.K. He could have been a great man and led the US to greatness. Someone didn't want this to happen and hired me personally. The bullet went clean through and my mind scrambled in an instant along with his. I told Master Odon I was only on tyranny jobs from there on. Most of you remember the twin towers? I hope you do. The plane that crashed way off target was the one I was on. Four people walked away from the crash. I wasn't one of them. Jess had dragged me away and patched me up. She shot the other survivors before we escaped. It wasn't even our job to kill those innocent people. We were being flown out to meet with a client but the plane had been hijacked. Jess and I realized the dangers of the situation long before the other passengers did. We sat in the back formulating a plan of action before everyone was ushered to the front. It wasn't the large amount of people that worried us. It was their dumbasses saying good-bye that did. Most had made calls home or to loved ones to say their final good-byes. We all knew how this situation would end if we let it go on. The terrorist at the front had planned this all along. After all the calls were made there was nothing but murmuring. The fools were planning to take the plane back. None of them had any experience flying so they were screwed. We on the other hand had our 'special' tools hidden away. We just need the right opportunity. We never got it. The others had fought back and caused the plane to crash. Like I said four walked away and not a single one was me. Jess nudged me lightly and pulled me from those dreadful times. It was fine back when I knew the dangers before things happened not moments before my life could end. "You okay?" She asked wrapping her arms around my neck and pulled me close. "No... Reminiscing in old times..." "The plane crash?" I nodded. "Yeah, I hear ya..." Roach just stared at us. He pulled his M4A1 out and checked it for the fourth time in five minutes. I tossed him a suppressor. "Why haven't you kept this on?" I asked in a monotone. It always unnerved him just a bit which was my entertainment. "I like to hear my gun strike fear into their hearts." "Wouldn't you rather hear their screams of pain after being hit?" He shrugged. I pulled out my M21 EBR. It was extremely reliable for a semi-auto. Everyone in training always said the Beret was the best semi, but it was very hard to suppress. This was a stealth mission. Jess favored the ACR. I understood why when she covered my ass back in Iraq. It was very accurate having tight groupings even at fifty meters. I couldn't throw knives that close at that range. We traded guns sometimes after that. She liked to pop heads. There was something about her and brains I just never understood. "Well, keep it on that toy of yours. We don't want to be spotted when you have to lay down covering fire." "Fine, I'll keep it suppressed... You’re lucky you’re Delta Force or I would have told you to shove it up your ass." He snarled. "I would have shoved it up yours." My deathly tone told him I would have too. "Boys! We all know these are just toys... The real fun is with one of those!" She pointed to the chopper's mini-gun. I had almost forgotten we were being flown into Baghdad. Well twenty miles south of Baghdad to a small village suspected of housing some heavy arms. I remembered doing contracts for the Byzantine Empire when they had control of the area. The desolate waste was never my most favorite nor my least place in the world. I'd have to say modern day Brazil is definitely my least favorite. My most favorite is a tie between Russia and Germany. Mainly for the liquor they sell very cheaply and a little for the lawlessness they shared at one point or another. Anyways I'm getting off topic. The only reason I took this job was to get more firearm training. Shamus wanted this job way more than anyone else but I talked Odon into letting me go. He doesn't like when I get 'bored'. I kill servants that are 'willing' to 'help' me train in martial arts. Odon almost revoked my amulet for a killing spree I caused my second time. He suggested I get a hobby. Now growing up more than a millennia ago has it's challenges. Now-a-days every normal teenage boy plays videogames. I have never touched one such device before; a computer yes. Those have very nice uses. Anyways, I went out and bought an Xbox. Took me four weeks just to figure out how to run the damn thing. Then I realized I had to buy games to play. The controls seemed simple enough. The controller was not as easy. It took about three days but soon I felt confident enough to try online play. After dropping some more cash, which is in quite an abundance in my line of work, I got an online account. Let’s just say I was terrible. Six weeks later I couldn't be pulled off the confounded machine. I was still terrible in the online players' eyes. But I scored the top in every game I played. 'Hacker' and something called a 'nube' were frequent labels I got plastered to me. Yeah, I killed that hobby as well when I learned what a real 'hacker' was. Worst 400 Euros I had ever spent. Now our dojo may be in India, but we have multiple hideouts across the world. "MISSLE INCOMING!! BRACE YOURSELVES!!" The crew grabbed the nearest hand hold they could and gripped with all their might. Jess held out a fist which I hit with my own. Something she picked up from the troops and grew fond of. "1,000 Rupees says that I get further away before we black out!" She yelled over the constant beeping from the alarms. "Extra 2,000 if it's double my distance from last time!" She laughed hysterically as the missile hit. Roach was thrown around in his safety harness. One of the gunners was flung out. The other was torn in half and now bounced around the cabin spraying blood everywhere. "WE'RE GOING DOWN!" The pilot screamed into his headset. "NO SHIT SHERLOCK!" Jess yelled back. "Hey! He was a good man!" I teased. "You never met him!" "Neither did you!" We both laughed as the ground grew closer. "You got mags right?" She nodded and primed her weapon. It wouldn't be long before we got contact. "HUNDRED METERS!" "Can we fall any slower?" Jess asked. "Nope..." "FIFTY!" "Hey! Make sure he doesn't die in the first conflict!" I pointed to Roach. "Rog!" "TEN!" "FIVE!" *CRUNCH* I opened my eyes and smiled. I owed Jess some Rupees. She was already wandering away from the crash. "Hey! That's cheating!" "Well, you better get it in gear!" She was dragging Roach a long with her. I yanked my knife out of its sheath and cut my belt. Replacing my blade I moved a large piece of rudder sticking through the cabin. The pilots were unconscious and upon further inspection the co-pilot was dead and the pilot was missing his left arm. He needed first aid he could never get. I'm one for mercy so I grabbed his M9 and shot him. "Hey Jess!" "Yeah?" "We gonna need extra mags?" She just looked my way. "Why would you ask such a dumb question?" "Doth thou needith disciplinary retorts?" "Shut up Shakespeare!" "Hehe... Set up on that dune!" "Rog!" She grabbed Roach's gun and began to dig a trench. We have to get out of here as soon as possible. There truly wasn't much I could scavenge. Maybe the mini-gun but that would just slow us down. I ran up the dune and watched as Jess dug the hole. "Stop... We need to wake him and get out of here... He can't stay out long, or else lives are forfeit..." "Like I said, shut it Shakespeare..." She looked up and wouldn't let her gaze falter. Her emerald eyes were exotic to say the least. She wasn't average in the slightest. In the 739 years I've known her, never once did I misjudge her. Now was not the time either. She didn't like my impersonation and I used it to get on her nerves. I held out her helmet I found in the cabin. She grabbed it and covered her short dirty blonde hair. Her right forearm had a rather large gash running along it. I grabbed her hand and pulled it over to me. I barely touched it when she winced. "Just a flesh wound..." "Yeah, well I can't shoot you and get away with it..." She chuckled. I pulled Roach into the hole and ripped off some cloth. I saw a dribble of blood run down his arm. "Shit..." I mumbled under my breath. Jess looked over at him. "Well shit... Got any bright ideas?" "Yeah... Let me wrap you up real quick." I grabbed her arm and poorly stopped the bleeding. "Hold it..." She didn't argue. "He's wounded somewhere..." I ripped off his Kevlar vest and jacket. He wore a white wife beater. It was soaked in blood. "He has broken ribs... He won't last long without help..." "Don't....I read your journal..." "Yeah I know... It's your call..." She pushed harder on the cloth covering her gash. "Don't kill yourself yet..." "Can you save him?" I tapped on each rib feeling the slight vibrations that ran across the bone. Each has a certain wave length and a time that it takes to resonate through. Countless years in the infirmary taught me what should be what. Luckily it was only one fracture. His third rib stuck out of his chest. "Easy enough... You got that chipper from Italy I told you to keep?" "Somewhere... Why?" "Broken rib... It's bad..." She pulled out a small hammer and a chisel. "Here..." I didn't waste time. I placed the chisel right at the skin and pounded the bone cracking more. Once I had a good hold and a significant crack I gave it another tap. "Put something in his mouth... He ain't gonna like this..." She picked up a roll of cloth and stuck it in his trap. One hard hit was all it took. The bone shattered and he jolted awake. Jess held him down the best she could. "It's all right Roach... Hold still..." He looked at me and I saw a tear run down his eye. "Keep eyes on Jess, Roach!" He's a brave kid. "Up here Roach... Come on buddy... Don't make me flash you..." "Okay Brittney Spears..." She laughed and Roach seemed to calm a little. "Just show him your boobs... You know that a woman's breast can lower a man's blood pressure just by looking at them." "Oh really?" "Yeah, why do you think Rasfeir is so clam?" She couldn't help herself from that one. She fell back and almost screamed. "Hey! Shut it! We are deep in enemy territory close to a crash site..." She stopped in an instant and removed her padding. I've seen her naked many times so it really didn't grab my attention. I was too busy saving Roach from bleeding out. I pulled out a lighter and began to heat up a makeshift needle. Jess played with herself making Roach crack up a bit. Once I knew the needle was ready I burnt the thread from the spool I held. Situations can happen at any moment. Always best to be prepared for anything that might happen. I had him fixed up in a few swift motions running the needle through his skin and pulling the flaps back together to cover his rib cage. He felt the first one sear his skin for sure. I wasn't going to slow down though. I wiped up the blood that had leaked with his wife beater after I was done. "All better... Now if you want more holes in ya we could leave you here..." He shook his head and jumped up. Jess put her gear back on and handed him his precious M4. "Let's go..." We got lucky and extremely unlucky. The good thing was we are just a mile out from the planned LZ. The bad thing was we are just a mile from the LZ. Baghdad was four miles west of us. Roach was in bad shape and we had to move if we wanted to survive. "What time do you think it is Jess?" "No clue... I'd say roughly five or so..." "It's 7:24..." Roach said weakly. "Having breathing problems, Roach?" He nodded. "Here drink..." I handed him a canteen. He drank it greedily. Didn't bother me or Jess. We have trained for low intake situations. The only thing we haven't for is failure. It doesn't exist as far as the Sect is concerned. "Think we can cover another three and a half by nine?" Jess asked poking Roach. "We can do it by eight but you're hurt..." "Carry me?" Jess shrugged and handed me her rifle. I slung mine and readied hers. "Bet still on?" Jess asked. "First to Baghdad... Double or nothing!" "You're on!" She took off like Roach wasn't on her back. I easily kept pace but I was watching for the Taliban. They could be anywhere nearby. "What if we are spotted?" Roach looked back at me. "Don't worry... By the way why aren't you supposed to be screaming in pain?" "BOOBIES!" I almost broke out laughing. Almost. Minutes flew by and the city was within sight. We dropped and checked if it was safe to even approach. "One sniper on the roof tops... Countless militia on the ground... All in all... Five minutes tops." "Is that a challenge?" "No... We need to do this by the books... Improv on the spot as needed... Sniper's first and then we close in best we can... I want a house locked down before sunrise..." Roach gave me a look like I had just told him he was on death row. "Thought it was my call?" "When I say it is..." She slugged me in the shoulder. "When we get back you owe me, big time..." "I'll bring the bull whip..." "WHAT THE FUCK?" Roach looked at us horrified. "Don't worry we were just kidding. She likes being slapped around more than being whipped." Jess slugged me again. "He doesn't need to know about that!" I smiled at her. She hated being abused. Slow and steady was her way. It bothers me sometimes because she would always do something like slapping me or twist my tit to get me to finish early. Weird and rough yes but hey, I like her when she's feisty. Doesn't matter now. We sat on the hill till sunset and even then we needed night fall. Another cool thing about the US military was the use of thermal and night vision scopes on their guns. We had the option and took both but thermal really isn't the best option when you're in a 104 degree desert. Darkness soon overcame the city and lucky for us the dumbasses don't have lights or 'Nods'. The suppressors I had ordered for each of our guns would come in real handy tonight. Sadly the sniper wasn't alone any more. A buddy of his had joined him up there. I had two choices. Wait for a perfect shot or risk them shooting us on the way up. I mulled it over until they sat down next to a fire that was going. Thank god for choosing my option for me! One clean shot and beautiful blood splatters would paint the walls. I didn't want to wait forever though so I judged to the best of my abilities where I should go. Left twenty meters should work. Well when I got over there it wasn't. Still off and this time I needed to be five to the right. And even then I wasn't close. I needed just another smidge to the right. Once I saw the glory of no second person I let the round fly, and fly it did. Perfect through the first guy and the other shall I say got plastered. Hehe, he had a bottle in his hand and now he was pinned to the wall. So I guess my corny joke counted. Now was crunch time. We didn't need them to be spotted before we even got close so I motioned for them to come and Jess grabbed Roach. We booked it to the city which was at least four football fields away. Four hundred yards for you who are really technical. When we got close I had to make a gut call. Two houses stood on the edge of town. Which do we take? I just jumped at one and tried my best to jimmy the lock. Wasn't gonna happen. "Jess... I need a bobby pin." She didn't hand it over immediately. She put it in for me. Sometimes this chick could read my mind. I really was going to owe her when we got back. Jess led Roach upstairs to tend to his poorly mended chest. I turned around and locked the door behind us. I wasn't in the mood for people barging in unannounced and stealing our newly claimed shit. The building itself was a white stone complete with logs running along the ceiling to provide extra support. This place looked like it really needed it. I worked my way up the stairs and tapped on the stone every so often in a beat from one of my favorite artists. I had really grown to like the American's music. "Don't go downstairs and keep away from the windows..." I stated coldly while leaning on the door frame. "Yeah, yeah I got you." Jess said cockily. "I meant Roach... He doesn't know the creed..." "I don't plan on teaching him." "Agreed." "What's the creed?" Roach asked. What a smart ass. "Don't worry about it just follow our orders and you just might make it out alive." "Yes ma'am..." He laid down on a bed and I watched as he slowly drifted off. "Jess... Come..." She followed me out to the hall. "Four days max got it?" She nodded. "We can't afford to stay here to long... If we have to we will just slaughter all hostiles that stand in our way..." "Rog... What about Roach? You think He's gonna make it out of this?" "I haven't decided yet... He knows too much already..." "You aren't seriously planning on killing him are you?" "No... I don't plan on keeping him is what I mean... He fits the bill but it would be a long time for him to even reach apprentice status..." "So? What do you care? It's not like he's gonna kill everyone..." "No, you're right... For once..." "HEY!" I chuckled earning another punch to my arm. "Remember what the Sect always says..." "Rule number four... Do NOT grow attachments to anything..." We both said at the same time. I sighed and looked up at her. Those emerald eyes just stared into my soul as if my body never existed. In this line of work emotions get you killed. "Get some sleep your--" She pulled me into a kiss and held me there until I kissed back. "We will be fine... Come there's only one bed left in that room and it's calling our name..." She grabbed me by the arm and led me into the small bedroom. The only thing really in there was a raised bed laying awkwardly in the middle with Roach sleeping peacefully on it. A dresser stood at another end but it was raided and wiped clean. Jess sat down on a shotty mattress laying in the corner of the room. With one firm tug she pulled me into it and got comfy real quick. "Sleep tight..." She whispered in my ear. She held me really close and snuggled the back of my neck. "If you sleep any tighter I won't be able to sleep myself." "Oh quit whining and being such a baby." We laughed before slowly embracing the darkness and taking the peace and comfort that sleep offered. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ "Grandpa! Why did you start with the war?" "Well the frantic job doesn't make sense if I don't tell them about the Baghdad... Okay! Who's next on my lap?" A bunch of kids began bouncing around like balls. I picked up one of my great grandsons and held him tight. "Grandpa! You're not Jess!" "And you're not me!" I tapped him on the nose and took a quick drink of water my daughter so kindly put on my stand. "Now, while we hid out in our little hut we forgot about the bad guys..." ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ I was forced awake by Jess. It was light out and I cursed myself for sleeping in. How could I have slept in so late? The sun was at least a good four inches in the sky. I looked back to Jess who lifted a finger to her mouth before pointing to the floor. She held up three fingers then made a walking motion with her hand. I nodded and crawled towards my rifle. Roach was still out cold. Good thing too because I guarantee he would have given us away. The door was open and the sound of footsteps rang through the little shack of a home. Every so often voices would accompany those steps. "Hey, Rasheeb... Check upstairs..." "Alright... Don't raid the pantry first... I got dibs on anything sweet..." Heavy footsteps worked their way up the stairs. I sat behind the bed aiming at the door. The night vision scope was still attached. It was ten times harder to shoot at the hip. What I wouldn't give for the thermal at this moment. I could at least turn off the thermal and use it as a regular sight. I saw movement but had to wait. All we need was a body tumbling down the stairs and giving us away. I was still gonna put a bullet next to his pituitary, but this soon to be child won't know what him. That’s when Roach rolled over in the bed making a sound. Yeah his dumbass is loud. "Hey! Who's up here?" "Don't shoot! We are hungry... Please... Help..." I called in my best Arabic. Still was rusty at best. "Come out!" "We can't! Our friend is sick!" Jess answered. He popped his head around. Big mistake. I didn't take the tie to see if I'd get another chance or even a better shot. Time seemed to slow as I lined up my shot. The whole event took less than a second. A blink of the eye and you would have missed it. As his body hit the floor his partners ran up the stairs. Jess flattened to the wall next to the door. I covered Roach and hit the deck and then crawled under the bed An AK-47 poked around the corner. The carrier of the weapon followed soon after. He was terrified and bet he pissed his pants when he heard his buddy drop like a rock. He got four feet in the room before the other walked in. Jess hit his hand knocking the gun to the ground. She chopped his neck and pulled him in front of her before raising her ACR to her hip and putting a bullet in the first man's brain, or at least were his brain should have been if he had one. Tossing her gun to the mattress she grabbed his head and gave it an extremely firm twist. A loud crack resonated in the room and sparked a little excitement in my heart. The man dropped to his knees and Jess round housed his ass to the ground before wiping the dust from her hands. "Disguises?" I asked. "If the blood doesn't ruin them first..." I nodded in agreement. We had each other figured out. We quickly dragged the bodies out of the puddles of blood forming. The man I had shot first was wearing brown and blood was real hard to see on brown. Now, the man Jess shot was wearing white and he was laying in a fast forming pool. His uniform was fucked for our purposes but we still needed one for Roach. I kinda wish I had brought bleach. Or some cola. We woke Roach up. He didn't like the little pile of bodies in the corner. "Okay, so who wants the brown one?" Jess snatched it from my hands. It was thicker and could easily hide her assets from prying eyes. "Understandable... Roach your hurt so you get the blood stained one..." "Wait... Why did you ask if I wanted the brown one if you were gonna give me the bloody one in the first place?" "Because I like being an ass..." I stared at him with a blank expression. "Well, do I got to act shot?" "No, we'll just say you got your ass handed to you on a platter..." "And what about our guns? Won't they notice it's not an AK?" Jess asked. "Easy... We leave our guns here for later and use their own weapons against them... I need my hands on a sniper rifle though..." "Well, we’re wasting daylight standing around like we got our heads in our asses!" Roach chuckled at Jess' comment. I smirked; she had a good sense of humor in my opinion. Well, mine doesn't count for shit now does it? "That’s the spirit..." I helped her get her turban situated just right. She tried to slap my hand away. I just waited for her to stop flailing. "Alright, let’s get over to the square... Act like we're on patrol. Don't fuck this up Roach or I'll put a bullet through your head personally..." I saw him gulp. "Now Jess don't walk like a woman... Men don't flaunt their assets..." "But you love my assets!" Roach was cracking up again. I just punched her in the arm. "OW! Don't you know not to hit woman!" "You're not a woman that’s the point... Any ways, Roach leave all the talking to me and Jess." He nodded and picked up an AK propped against the wall. "Make sure you got spare magazines. We don't want to be SOL in a firefight if it comes to it." "What is SOL?" Roach asked checking his clip. "Shit outta luck..." Jess said pocketing the suppressor for her ACR. "That..." "Oh, I've heard that... Anyways, so we are looking for..." "Good question... I don't know... I just got a picture." I rummaged through my gear and found a color photo. The invention of photography was amazing! "This guy..." I handed Roach the picture and strapped my own weapon on my shoulder. "That's Sudam Hussain... You sure he's here?" "Nope... I never trust intelligence... Only facts... We'll chase him down if we have too..." "Dead or alive?" Jess asked. "Are you waannttedd!?" Roach said in a poor Bon Jovi accent. "Don't even start Roach... Alive if possible..." I said walking out of the bedroom. Roach ran after Jess. The downstairs was rearranged somewhat. They were looking for something. I looked out the window to see if there were any guards mulling around in the streets. "All clear but I want to stay out of the open as long as possible." "Oh! Look a penny!" Roach said picking up a small coin. I just slapped my face and Jess took the coin away. "Hey!" He protested. "What are you? Four?" "No... Can we get on with this?" "Yeah... Let's go..." I pushed the door open and swaggered into the street. Jess helped Roach out playing on the 'We need to teach him a lesson' act. He had a broken rib and a freshly sewn cut so it could easily pass. Jess pushed Roach so he had no more support. He stumbled for a second but regained balance after a few feet. "I want to see if they found those bodies..." "Most likely... They were searching house after house..." I glanced back to make sure we weren't discovered yet. "Use Arabic..." I mumbled. Jess caught it and I had to cover Roach's mouth before he said 'What?' No more than three meters away was another patrol. One man spotted s and called out to his buddies. They soon approached and one of them pointed to Roach. "What's wrong with him?" "Broken rib... He decided to mouth off so I gave him a good one." Two of them laughed while the other looked at him with some concern. "Take him to the infirmary... Stop by the square and pick up a new turban while you’re at it..." He pointed to me. I didn't put on a hat and my dark brown hair shown. It was matted and looked almost like theirs. "It ain't that hot." "Fine..." He motioned for the other two to follow. One was still laughing pretty hard and the other wiped tears from his eyes. I pointed to the square and told them to keep moving. Roach didn't understand until Jess began walking away. "Let's hope that works for the medic of this hell hole..." "No shit..." As we approached the square the first thing that caught my eye was the tent. I was definitely the infirmary. Next to it was a building with probably a stock pile. That’s gonna have to go first. I pointed to it and Jess started off to it, she knew the drill. She swaggered over to the door and closed the door behind her. I pushed Roach along until we reached the tent. "I'll do the talking... You just act wounded as best you can." I whispered into his ear before punching his broken rib. He gasped and I felt a bit of blood trickle from the wound. "Much better... When I tap you on the foot say this... I need pain killers..." I spoke in Arabic. He nodded and repeated it back. "Good. Now just hang in there. We will get you before we leave." "Alright." I opened the tent flap for him and waited until he was fully inside before I followed him in. It was actually pretty large. I didn't realize it from the outside but it connected to a shelled out building. A few beds lay out in the tent and a medium size strange of medical supplies sat inside. I approached the man I assumed was the doctor. He wasn't armed and he was writing something on a clipboard. He wore a red set of clothing probably in case of bloodstains. "We got a bleeder..." I called out. He looked up and motioned for him to come over. Roach laid down on the cot in front of the man. He looked up to me and back to Roach. "What seems to be the problem?" "I broke at least one of his ribs..." "At least?" "Sort of, yes. I sewed him up but it's not working as you see..." "Hmmm... How's your pain?" I tapped Roach on the foot. He groaned. "I... Need pain killers..." The doctor nodded and walked back in the supply room. I gave Roach a nice little 'OK' symbol with my hand. He gave me a thumbs up in reply. I kept my eyes on the doctor. I didn't trust him to well. Roach's Arabic was shit and I bet the doctor could tell. I watched very closely as he picked up a vile and began to draw a small amount of liquid out of it. He returned and lifted Roach's clothing. The patch work was busted on the cut. I knew I shouldn't have hit Roach but he needed to bleed and when I fix someone up they usually are ready to go in a few days. "This is morphine..." He spoke in perfectly clear English. "Excuse me, what the fuck did you say?" He smiled at me and waved me off. "Don't play dumb... No one can sew anything up but myself... Plus your friends’ accent is terrible..." I laughed and nodded. "What you gonna do doc?" He shrugged. "I've pretty much been a prisoner here... I'll hide him out here, but if he gets caught..." He didn't need to continue. "Fine... Give him the meds and fix him up... Also do you know where this guy is?" I pulled out the picture that Roach labeled as Sudam Hussain. "Yes... He is Sudam Hussain..." Two for two. Positive match now just to find his ass. "I'm sorry but he hasn't been near here in at least two months maybe more." Fuck. "Thanks..." I watched as he stuck the needle right next to the now open wound. It was oozing blood and looked infected. "Don't worry Roach he's gonna take of you... I'll pick him up soon..." "Fine by me... And if you are captured... I never said a word to you..." "Agreed..." I walked back outside only to be greeted with a gun to the face. Jess was behind it and laughed as I pushed it aside. "Report?" "It's an armory alright!" "Any plastic explosives?" "Nope... But they have quite a large amount of... What are they... The missle things..." "RPGs? "Yeah those... How's Roach?" "The doc knows but is zip-lip. I got word of the target too..." "Oh yeah?" "Yep, it's a wild goose chase. He hasn't been here in at least two months." "Sooo... We don't even need to check the village anymore?" "No... We're gonna let Roach rest and then work our way back to base." "That’s at least a thirty mile hike." "And?" "And we won't make it with the condition Roach is in..." I sighed. She was right. We could easily make it without him. We needed something to get him back safely. "Let's go back to the armory and see can rig something to give us a window of oppertunity so we can escape." "Good luck..." She said as we walked over to the makeshift armory. Everything wasso different here. In the US' bases everything was organized and easy to find. Here it was all sprawled out. Almost like they didn't have time to designate where an item went before they started acts of terror. It seemed ten times easier to just blow up a building then roll in, take the town and get up. As we walked through the stash of weapons I noticed something that could help out a lot. "No plastic explosives, huh?" "Well it wasn't there earlier..." "She's right... It wasn't..." I looked up and saw three men from the street. Yep we are fucked. "What do you plan on using explosives for?" "Who doesn't love a good boom every now and then?" He shrugged and raised his gun. Not a second later he shot. I felt a burning heat rip through my side. I whipped my gun around and sprayed at them blindly. When my clip was empty and I couldn't hear shots I opened my eyes. All three were dead. So was Jess. She lay in a heap on the floor staring at the ceiling I knelt down and shut her eyes. I reached under the collar of her clothes and felt a cool metal object. I grabbed and gave it a firm tug. It wasn't budging. Reaching my hands behind her neck I unclipped it and pulled it gently away. It was gold band that fit somewhat like a collar. It had a diamond resting in the middle of the circular collar. Rubies surrounded the diamond making it a little more enigmatic. It was beautifully enchanted which allowed prolonged life by stopping the aging process. It couldn't fall into enemy hands. It was way to valuable for anyone to use abusively. My side was on fire. I placed my hand over it and sighed in relief. It was just a graze. It still bled but it could have been worse. I reloaded the gun and ran out the door with a package of C4. Next stop the tent. Two shots sounded and I turned in time to see a flash along with one more *BANG* in the tent. Next stop the house! I wasn't leaving without some better protection. The AK is reliable yes but it is so loud. I tossed the mini-bomb towards the tent and ran. Once I cleared the first street I hit the switch and smiled as a comforting *BOOM* rang through the square. It didn't take long to get to the house. I changed quickly and took off the night vision scope on the EBR and replaced it with thermal. Grabbing the ACR I ran as fast as I could. I needed to get out a Dodge and fast. 19th of October, 2007 Happy birthday to me... I almost wept this morning. Jess had promised me a wonderful dinner as a present but she won't ever get the chance to make it. I regret ever going into that fucking city. We should have tried to head back. I knew it was a lost cause but at least we could have tried. I need to stop. I can't let their deaths slow me down. I still hold the amulet from time to time. It's true what they say. "You don't know what you got to till gone..." -James Author's note: Hope you liked the first chapter of my little trial and error HiE... Expect more soon but not too soon. "The corner of your mouth tuned up is always Pinkie's dream. But if you're kind of worried, and your face has made a frown, I'll do my best to turn that sound frown upside down." -Dashie
RevelationsChapter 3 Revelations I walked closely to the wall. The sun was setting and my temper wasn't all too good. This mission was suicide and I was just gonna breeze through it and probably end up dead like the Sect wants. They've given up hope and have moved on to the assassins they know will die, but still get the job done so they can keep the money. That's all its about now. Money. Everywhere I go you can't do anything if you don't have money. I walked through New Delhi the other day and gave a beggar a few thousand rupees. He might be dead now, but for all I care he had a good time beforehand. I reached into my pocket and pulled out a few coins. Good distractions if I need it, but really what kind of castle has poor workers. Fuck that, they are all poor! Stepping up to an overhang I jumped up grabbed it and slid in nice and easy. Well the wall was done. Now the hard part of getting into the castle. The grounds themselves were pretty simple. A large courtyard with a fancy fountain and some pathways leading here and there. Bland yet functional. Guards littered the area, and every so often there was the occasional dog roaming by sniffing. Kind of makes you wonder what someone would be doing if they needed this much security. It doesn’t matter much to me. They’ll all be good as dead when I’m finished with the place. Maybe I’ll leave a little parting gift for those still alive. I’m not sure yet. Silenced weapons have their appeal to the younger generations and sure they are great for close up kills, but I prefer the more traditional route. I slowly, but surely walked up to a guard leaning against a wall and tapped him on the shoulder. Cocky as it may be, I find it rather funny to see their faces of pure confusion. After slicing his throat and disposing of the body I moved on to continue the process until I was inside the castle. I walked through the halls sticking to the shadows. There wasn’t much light in the buildings for some odd reason, but it made my job easier. A patrol was fast approaching towards me and I backed up into a corner with a statue and hid. I heard at least four different voices and that would make for a bad day if it came to blows. As they rounded the corner I had to admire their choice of weaponry. The Famas was light and mobile. The three round burst made it deadly accurate and a pain in my ass. I’m in a castle with twenty knives I can throw around willy-nilly and a combat knife for hand to hand. Two M9 pistols with suppressors hid in my pockets and a grenade adorned my breast padding. C4 charges had my bag supplied and a few spare mags were hidden in my sleeves. It wasn’t the weight of the equipment that bothered me per se. It was the fact that it could get really noisy running through the hall as I was. Turns out trying to sneak away from a four man patrol is harder than normal when two other guys step out from another room into the corridor. Now I’m running for my life down these halls wondering when the next turn will catch me up. I leaned down and rolled before standing back up throwing three blades their way. Two struck true into one of them grounding his ass immediately. The last nicked the soldier next to him. Hopping over a nearby ledge I continued on into a lower floor than the one before. I never remembered climbing stairs so it threw me off when I saw the fountain again. I quickly made for somewhere deeper in the caste, but it was too late. The alarm sounded and there were people yelling about this and that trying to get their grimy little hands on me. I rounded the next corner to find the end blocked off by a bunch of burly men aiming right for me. As I turned to head the other way, three more boxed me in. I’m in some deep shit. It was a simple mistake. Anyone could have made it, but me of all people had to be the one to make it. I quickly threw a blade nailing the middle man’s throat and barreled my way through the other two. A few men with AKs shot at me. One hit my shoulder. The other managed to hit my stomach. I was bleeding and it would definitely slow me down, but nothing will stop me from getting out of here. As I continued down the winding hall, I grew somewhat panicked. I had never been shot before and it hurts. It hurts so bad. I had been tortured for months before, but the burning sensation I felt couldn’t compare. My vision was slowly blurring as I left a trail of blood for them to find me with. I ran on and on. It felt like years, but I knew it was only a matter of minutes. I came to a hall with a balcony and stopped. I heard steps behind me and guns clicking as they were primed. I turned to them all and smiled. I held up a small device and a few flipped. Trying to run. The bag went off behind them knocking all of them forward and killing one or two. It wasn’t much, but it was an escape plan. I ran towards the balcony and felt time slow as three more bullets impacted me. I whirled around throwing five more knives before jumping back pulling out my sidearms. Time just seemed to go on and on and on. In the blur I heard a blast as I saw the edge on the balcony I had vaulted. My guns emptied and two more bullets hit my chest. I closed my eyes a wave seemed to come out of nowhere. I opened my eyes just slightly to see a large mushroom cloud forming. I grinned and let nature take its course. I knew I was sent here to die and now it was time to face that fact. The blast knocked me out and into what seemed like a void. There was a small flame. I could feel the flame. Burning and raging to be set free to light everything ablaze. It sat still like a small lit candle would flickering every so often. *THUMP THUMP* I could hear voices. Faith, but they were there, calling to me. "... out of... can't move... come on!" *THUMP THUMP* Everything was a blur as I opened my eyes just a crack. Someone in a mask was leaning over me saying something, but all I could hear was a constant ringing in my ears. *THUMP THUMP* I blinked. Now I was moving along with lights every so often. I tried my best to focus, but I just couldn't. *THUMP THUMP* I blinked. Large lights pointed at my face and body to an almost blinding level. More faces bent over me. I couldn't feel it, but I knew I got a pat on the shoulder before they vanished. "Quickly I need those holes covered up!" "Yes Doctor!" I balled my hand in a fist and let it loose. I could feel it perfectly fine. "Give him some more Morphine, stat!" I felt a rush through my arm as painkillers ran through my veins. Someone wanted me alive, but I wasn't going to let that happen. My eyes shot open and I was greeted by someone in a white mask with large... Ears? He leaned over me in the gleam of the light and smiled through his mask. "Welcome back." I reached up and grabbed his throat faster than a lightning strike and through him across the room and into something metal. Loud bangs and crashes resounded through the room as he hit something. A few people hollered and ran this way and that. A strap was put on my arm while I wasn't paying attention. I swung my other across my chest and mashed the nurses face sending her sprawling back into a far wall. I ripped the strap off constricting my arm and stood up. The blood rush to my head was almost unbearable as my vision blacked out for a few seconds and my limbs felt like air. Then I realized I was on the ground again. I'm sure my brow was furrowed at the moment, but I was more focused on the searing pain across my chest. I heard the operating rooms doors open and I felt something tingle across my head before I was out again. *THUMP THUMP* I opened my eyes and looked up at the dimly lit room and lifted my arm up and rubbed my eyes. I saw the I.V. they had stuck in my arm. I was stuck now. They saved my life. No prison room, but I didn't need one since I was a wreck. "Good morning," A strong female voice graced my ears. I tried my best to sit up a bit, but something stopped me. "Oh please don't do that. You're very weak." "I know..." My voice sounded was as close to a chalkboard with nails running its length as you could get it without actually annoying a classroom of kids. "I'm sorry about your little escapade in the Operating Room... I must ask though, how do you feel right now?" Her voice was kind, and it confused me how she was apologizing for what I did. "I... I'm fine..." I didn't feel like talking and I guess she picked up on that. "Would you like something to soothe the pain?" "No, could I get some water though?" "Why of course," I felt that tingling along my spine and I closed my eyes as it lifted me up until I sat straight. "How's that?" "Its fine thank you," I opened my eye just slightly as a cup was pressed to my lips and I tilted my head and let the cool liquid run across my cracked lips and down my aching throat. "Thank you." "Celestia, Princess Celestia," A princess? My eyes shot open and I stared at the beast before me. It was a large unicorn sitting next to my bed. It smiled at me. "I'm guessing you've never met an alicorn, have you?" I shook my head. "No," I began to swoon as my head began to pound. My vision blacked out and soon colors swirled. "So you're telling me that mystical creatures actually live out in this jungle?" I asked my traveling companion. "Yes, unicorns and peagasi are very common within these dense forests," My partner was a short man, close to his twenties. To call him brown would be an insult, but I must say he can definitely give people who try to tan a dark color someone to envy over. Rich black hair covered the top of his bronze skin. He was a native to the lands of what is now called India, but was use an older name in the order. "Do you think we'll come across one?" He shrugged and moved on keeping a fast pace for me to keep up. As we moved over the next fallen tree we came to a small clearing where he sat down in the middle and began to meditate. I walked up and sat next to him and took up his form as I too began to meditate. A few hours had passed before the bushes rustled sparking my attention. My partner heard it too, but he remained calm as something approached from behind. I felt a strong nudge and felt the hot breath of something behind me. I turned to see a full grown horse with a large horn strutting out from its skull. "Ah there you are Mumbali, I missed you." He stood up and hugged the beast which stood almost as tall as him. I got to my feet and reached up and ran my hand across his shoulder. Strong and swift is what they told me. I could probably believe them now that I actually met one, but it still surprised me that they even existed. "Thanks for sharing this experience with me." "You are very welcome." He smiled and chuckled before he pointed at the tree line. "Come we have much ground to cover." The alicorn smiled at me as I came back into focus. She looked pastel colored and more ethereal than something I could even conceive. Her mane flowed with a few different colors and it seemed to move on its own, as if there was wind always in her mane. I took a sip of water and tried to clear my throat before continuing. "I've met unicorns and pegasi before, but never an alicorn. I haven't met a mystical creature that even looks remotely like you." She smiled and something close to a blush appeared on her cheeks. "Well, it has been long since I've seen a human myself. Let me be the first to welcome you to Equestria," I gave a half-hearted smile. "Equestria?" I wasn't the best at geography, but I knew that this place didn't exist at all. "Yes, Equestria." "Where is it on the globe?" "It isn't, you see, this land is within another realm separate from yours. Once a long time ago we did have a portal where we could cross realm to realm, but that was destroyed long ago. It has been at least two or three thousand years since that has existed. And if my math is correct that should be only about sixty or seventy for you," She frowned and stared at me her violet eyes seeming to see into my very soul. "I see, well, I don't remember much other than throwing your doctor and nurse... I'm sorry for that." She nodded and stood up. "Well, it was nice to see you awake and recovering. I'm having you watched carefully so please don't hurt anymore of my little ponies," I nodded and she turned and trotted off leaving me with my thoughts. I sighed and leaned back into the pillows that she had propped me up with. Alone, it felt great to be alone. It was confusing to say the least. I wake up in a strange world under the knife of some strange species that our world hasn't made contact with in almost a century and here I am the median between our worlds stuck in theirs. My brain hurts so bad. I can't remember anything from my past, but bits and pieces. I can move so fast and I'm incredibly strong for my size. I just don't get it. I know names of things I've never seen before and yet I have seen them. It's all so confusing. There was a soft knock on the door as another pony walked in. It was much smaller than the alicorn and looked fairly normal other than the large cartoonish eyes and the pastel coloring. It was white, or I should say she because when she spoke it was definitely a feminine voice. "Hello, how's your pain?" She had a red mane and tail that had an orange streak running through them. Seemed simple enough. "Uhm, I feel okay, but my throat is killing me," She let out what sounded like an 'EEEP!' and rushed over. "Let me see!" She looked rather concerned. "Oh it's not actually killing me... It's an expression that we use when something hurts really bad," She sighed and nodded heading to the other side of the bed and hitting a small button with expertise and I felt the numbing effects of the morphine and sighed in relief. "The aching should go away after a while... Uhm, is there anything you would like? Food or a drink?" She smiled at me. "Yes could I get some more water. I don't know what kind of food you all have to offer," I tried my best to be nice, but it just didn't feel natural and I didn't know why. "Oh of course! Well, we have salad, daisies, hay-" "Excuse me, what!?" She shook a little. "I'm sorry for yelling. What was it you said?" "Salad, daisies and hay..." I palmed my face. Ponies are herbivores I'm not going to get things I like. "Uhm, thanks, could I get a salad with some carrots on the side?" She nodded and trotted off. As she passed by I noticed what looked like a tattoo on her flank. Come to mention it didn't the alicorn have one too? Yeah she had a sun on hers and this pony had a red cross. I wonder what they're for. She returned later with a tray and set it on my lap. I thanked her and she smiled again before leaving after checking her instruments. I stared down at the food. She gave me a cup of water, a bowl of lettuce with a few tomatoes, onions and some hardened bread which I think are called croutons. A small container held the carrots with a smaller container holding what I'm guessing to be ranch dressing. If this is my diet while I'm here. Well, let's not go into that. Let's just say I'm not big on being a vegetarian. I enjoy a good steak every so often. I tugged a chain around my neck and sighed. A medallion sat at the end of the chain with a few gems in it. I didn't really care and set it back against my chest. Another knock sounded and the large alicorn returned. She walked up and sat next to me. "I probably shouldn't interrupt you, but they told me you wanted food so I came by," She said cheerily. "Uhm, yeah... So I'm guessing you're in charge around here?" She nodded. "Well, sort of. You see this land is ruled by my sister Luna and I. We are princesses and together we help keep order in the land." "Okay, well I might offend you here, but I might be in trouble." "How is this?" "Well, you see as a human we're omnivor-" "Ah yes, I forgot about that. You need meat. Or at least you need a form of protein. We have peanuts and beans if you're okay with that," She said trying to make the most of the situation. "Yes, I'd be fine with that, but if it's alright with you I'd still like a bit of meat every so often," I gave a very bad poker face. She just laughed, which I guarantee was about my expression, but it still befuddled me. "Uhm, princess?" "I'm sorry. You have a good sense of humor. Don't worry-" "James, sorry." "James, you'll get some every now and then if you wish. We do have a variety of animals and as nature takes it course-" "They pass?" "Yes, so when things like that happen I'll have the animal saved for you." "You don't have to that princess." "Well James, seeing as how you're stuck here in our universe you're technically under my rule. I do take very good care of my subjects!" She smiled at me and made me feel rather okay. "Oh, well in that case." "Don't worry you'll be perfectly cared for while you're staying within my domain," I sighed. "I'll have to ask you to cook and eat it in private of course." "I can do that." "Perfect, any questions about your stay?" "A few yes." "I hope I can clarify things for you," She seemed happy all the time. It kind of bugged me, but I guess she's a princess. "Well could you stop being so nice and princess-like? I know it's who you are, but it gets on my nerves a little," She seemed taken aback by this, but relaxed a bit. "Next I want to ask about the marks on your flank. The nurse had one too, but it was different." "Those are cutie marks, they appear when a pony has found their special talent. Each is a rarity of their own for no two are the same. It depicts their talent in a wide variety, even if they have the same talent as another." "I'm still confused, but okay... Do you know what this necklace is for? I don't remember why I wear it." "I wonder the same thing. It was on your when you came in, but nopony could take it off magically or otherwise. It has magical abilities I can tell you that, but nothing more. There are a few items on you we set aside until you recovered," She spoke softly. "Lastly do you know why I'm injured?" She frowned and nodded. "Yes and no." "What do you mean?" "Well when you came here we found you in the royal courtyard bleeding out in the fountain. As for your actual wounds we weren't sure, but you had bits of metal in some and others that were straight holes through your body," I was shot? This doesn't sound right. "You were quite a mess if I do say so. I almost thought you were going to die," I rolled my eyes. She saw this and huffed. "At least we didn't give up." "Thank you for saving me..." "You're welcome... I'll pass it on to the medical team," She stood and began to walk away. "I'm sorry," Stopping and turning she stared at me for a little. "You're forgiven. Being brutally honest is better than lying about things. I'll be more natural around you as long as you don't act like a complete jackass to me. I don't appreciate it," I chuckled and smiled at her. "I'll do my best," She nodded and left. Alone again, but this time I knew I didn't feel like it. I couldn't wipe the smile away as I ate. After a few weeks in the hospital Celestia finally let me out and we traversed her castle until we reached her private chambers. She calls me her Honored Guest, but I think she hates me. I kind of gotten used to her in a way, but when she throws up her mask around other ponies it annoys me. The guards all nod as I pass, but I think it's more for their princess. I won't get any real respect here. According to Celestia no pony alive today has ever seen a human so it's a new thing, but the guards are trained for not natural things. The other ponies haven't been and they point and murmur as I pass. They've all heard the news and knew I was here, but other than the nurses and the princess I haven't had much company. But once we reach the large double doors to her room silence. She pushes them open with a sigh and walks right on in. I followed her and reached to close the door, but to my surprise she shut it rather quickly with her magic. Her room was large with I would guess an alicorn sized bed which was much larger than the ones we had back home. She had a large rug with her cutie mark and two long dressers that most likely held nothing seeing how she didn't wear any clothing. A large vanity sat over in a corner of the room. It seemed rather empty for a princess, but I guess ponies are different. "Have a seat where ever you like. My sister should arrive any minute now," Just as she got done saying this the door creaked open. "Sister?" A large blue alicorn walked in and looked around. "You wanted to speak with me?" Her coat was a dark blue and her mane was more ethereal than Celestia's as it flowed crystal clear on the outside and what looked to be a perfectly preserved night sky within them. It looked beautiful, but I wasn't much for compliments. "Oh the human is here!" She smiled and walked over to me. She stood just short of me with her horn sticking up over me, but if I tilted my head down I might risk losing an eye. I stiffened my neck and gave another pseudo-grin before turning back to Celestia. "So Tia what have you decided for our friend here?" "Whoa, whoa, whoa! Who said I was your friend?" I said looking at Luna sternly. She frowned. "Well, I would have thought you would be a friend to royalty seeing how you are an honored guest," I laughed and smiled slapping her shoulder lightly. She winced probably never having such a gesture done to her. "I'm just joking with you," Celestia had a smirk on her face when I looked over. She must have found it amusing that Luna went slack jawed from confusion. "Anyways Tia, what are the plans?" I chuckled a bit as Celestia scowled at me. "Well James, you're to stay with my sister here as I take care of Equestria. It's rather hard watching you and taking care of a nation at the same time," Luna growled at her sister. "But what if I can't watch him either? Do you expect me to foalsit him?" "No my dear sister I don't. He, like us, does things during the day. You won't have to do much other than provide space for him in your room. Simple enough am I right?" Luna nodded and sighed. "I'm sure you're okay with this right James?" I shrugged. "It doesn't really matter to me," Celestia pulled out a few glasses and poured something out of a decanter. "Well it will be temporary. Scotch?" I nodded automatically. I love Scotch. I reached out for the glass she levitated over and took a sip. Wait. I'm not even old enough to drink am I? I'm nineteen? I think. I am. I know I drank before so I have to be older. "Temporary sister?" She nodded. "Yes, Twilight may or may not take him out to Ponyville. It's your decision James," I held my glass and thought rather nervously. "When does this Twilight come and get me?" "She'll be here in a few weeks for a check up on her friendship notes," I nodded and looked to Luna who was sipping on her scotch and wallowing in her thoughts. "Uhm, could I decide later?" "Of course, you have until she comes. Now if you two would excuse me I have a few politicians I need to say 'Screw you' nicely too," And with that she walked right out the door without another word. I turned back to Luna who looked up at me sadly. "Are you okay Luna?" She nodded and looked down at her drink. "Hey I'm sure everything will be fine. We may even have a little fun," She perked up a little at that, but levitated her glass over to the counter where the decanter sat. I placed mine next to it and watched her closely. "I'm sure we shall have a little fun as well. I didn't approve of this before she laid the responsibility on my hooves..." "I'm not much trouble I assure you!" She smiled and stood up. "Alright, but you need a bath and a change of bandages," I looked down at my torn clothing and nodded. "And some new clothes," She jumped at the opportunity. "We have a royal tailor who will take care of your clothing if you need it." "That would be nice," She grinned and motioned for me to follow her out the door. We walked through the castle again, but this time to the far side where her room sat and we walked in. It was completely different from Celestia's in almost every way, save a few. Luna had a large four posted bed with a low hanging canopy and a comforter with her cutie mark on it. A closet and what appeared to be a bathroom attached which really didn't surprise me. There was a balcony and stairs in the back. A random assortment of furniture accompanied the bed, but other than that it was plain. "Nice room," I said trying to cheer her up a bit. "Thank you. I really need to get some rest so I may raise the moon later. Feel free to do as you wish just don't be destructive or do anything immoral," Sounds reasonable. I nodded. "If I may ask where do I sleep?" She looked at me curiously. "You are not a creature of the day?" "Well yes, but I-" "Then you shall sleep on my bed for the night. I will not be using it since I guard our beautiful nation with my stunning nights," Seemed legit. "Okay, well what about my clothing?" "All in due time. Please help yourself to my bathing room I'll have a nurse come and clean your wounds." "I can handle myself. Just have some extra bandages and wraps read for when I get out," She nodded and clapped her hooves together. Two ponies rushed in and stood at attention in front of her. "Please take James' clothes and wash them carefully. Have them repaired when you are finished and bring them right back when your task is accomplished," The bowed and waited for me to undress. I felt a little uncomfortable. Taking off bit by bit a gave them my clothes and stripped naked down to my underwear which they waited patiently. "Uhm... I don't want to take these off," Luna raised a brow. "Why is this James? Do you not wish for them to be cleaned?" "Well yes I do, but... I do mind my privacy." Luna chuckled at me. "Don't worry there is nothing wrong with nudity here," I sighed and dropped trou for them which made the two servants gasp and blush. Luna just nodded and crawled on her bed. The ponies collected my boxers and rushed off. "Why weren't you bothered by my... equipment, yet they were?" She rolled over and looked at me. "I've seen humans naked before and know that you have no sheathe. As for them, they think you're slightly aroused and it made them blush. I will straighten it with those two mares that you don't have the same anatomy as we equines do," I nodded and silently thanked her as I walked off to the bathroom and closed the door. There was a large tub set in the floor that made me drop my jaw at. It would be the size of a modern day pool if I had to put it in comparison, but really it was more like a private pool. I judged it about five feet by about seven and a half feet. It had a drain and what I assumed was a little hot tub attached. I filled the hot tub and made sure it wouldn't burn me before stepping in and relaxing on a small slope with a cloth pillow at the end. My bandages soaked and I peeled them off slowly as the adhesive slowly dissolved. As I pulled away the padding the water rushed to my skin burning it and making me wince. I felt light headed again as my vision slowly blurred and faded to black. I felt pain. Extreme pain. "You're gonna have to move faster than that if you want to live James," I held my knees as I panted. My body ached and protested each and every one of my movements. I hadn't even landed one blow on him yet I had bruising all over and I probably wouldn't make it out of bed if it wasn't for them dragging me out. "A fast assassin is a skilled assassin." I took a deep breath as I stood up straight readying my wooden sword. My instructor smirked and stood with his hands behind his back. I took a step forward and he launched out at me. I blocked each blow as it came. *CRACK CRACK CRACK CRACK CRACK* I started to pant again trying to keep focused as he stopped and I began my assault. *CRACK CRACK CRACK CRACK CRACK CRACK* I started an over head swing and he raised ready to block, but as I got close I lowered the blow and swung across hitting him on the side and sending him a few steps back. "Good work, but it's still not enough," He launched at me again and hit me directly each time covering me in welts until I finally blocked a blow and he stopped. "No dishes tonight. You can rest after dinner is finished." "Thank you," He smiled and walked off. I collapsed to the ground with a groan. I hissed at the pain and pulled the rest off. I had no clue what random memory from my past had come up, but it hurt. I could feel the pain and the blows as they struck home. It didn't hurt that much now, but the searing pain across my body did. I huffed and I could feel beads of sweat run down my face. A variety of soaps and shampoos lined the bath and hot tub. I picked one up and gave it a sniff. It smelled close to lavender and I unscrewed the cap and poured a bit into my hands before running it through my short hair. It felt good to get all cleaned up. I stepped out of the tub and let it drain before standing around like an idiot. Where are the towels? I looked all over and just couldn't find them. There was a knock and Luna entered and levitated a towel to me before setting another aside. "I heard you finish so I decided to take one for myself," I gladly took the towel and started to dry off with her watching. "Could you help me out of my attire?" I cocked an eyebrow and looked her dead in the eye. She pointed to her large necklace and I nodded. I looped my towel around me and secured it by rolling the end over the edge and against my body. We met somewhere in the middle and I reached out and pulled it off her carefully and set it on a small table. "Thank you, you can rest now if you'd like." I rubbed my scarring chest and nodded before walking off taking one last glance back at her bent over the tub her rump up in the air. I felt my cheeks flush a bit as I left and closed the door seeing a small pile of my things on a dresser along with another pile of random items. I picked up my clothes and started to dress myself quickly, before examining the other things. I picked up to large items that I quickly labeled as guns. One felt magical in nature and the other just some cold metal and plastic. I set those aside and picked up some gloves and slipped them on. Each finger had a ring on it and I could feel each had magical power. I knew what they were used for, but I had never been able to use them to their full potential in the modern age. It felt natural to have them on. I picked up the next item and frowned. It was body armor that had holes in it. Great job of protecting me it did. I tossed that back on the dresser and picked up another smaller bit of leather. My wallet had a few pictures of me and a group of people that I couldn't name. The top one had me and a woman with a few guys in army gear out in a desert somewhere. I smiled at that one and tucked it back in the pocket. A large sword sat in the pile of padding. I picked it up a unsheathed it just a bit, before slamming it back in its scabbard. No, I don't need a weapon... I strapped it to my back anyways before throwing my cape and hood around me. This felt more natural than running around all natural. Not much else was there other than some ruined things I couldn't use and left there. I sighed and looked over to the bed Luna had offered. I shook my head and walked over to the stairs. Curiosity has the best of some of us and I wanted to know what was above me. Taking a few steps I worked my way up into a private study. A large chair sat behind a desk that had a few stacks of papers on it and a candle. A bookshelf stood behind them both and I crept up to it and looked at the titles. They seemed to be a collection of novels for entertainment, but none of them sparked my interests. I looked at the desk and pulled back the chair. It looked comfy, but I didn't take a seat instead my attention was on the contents of the desk. I slid a drawer back and saw a few quills and some ink. Not much, but it was something worth noting. Closing the drawer I moved topside examining a few papers and the candle. A picture was hidden in between the two that I picked up and looked at. It was the pair of sisters smiling and laughing. I couldn't help, but smile at it. The pair looked rather cute. I startled as someone, or in this case, somepony cleared their throat. I looked up to see Luna leaning against the wall with a brow raised. "I was just curious," She walked over and moved next to me looking at the picture I held. "That was taken many, many years ago. We were but fillies exploring the new world," She smiled at the picture having some fond memories of her own. I could see a tear run down her face as she took the picture and set it down. "Please try and stay out of my study if you will." "Alright," I walked back down the stairs only to be greeted by a nurse who smiled at me. "Ready for new bandages James?" I nodded. "Oh yes please," She motioned for me to sit on the bed and I did as requested taking off my shirt. A bit of blood from a few wounds oozed out, but nothing to serious. She placed a few pads over my stitches and began to run a long wrap around me until I was wound tight. She asked if I could breath and move okay before leaving. I laid down in the bed and stared up at the canopy. Not much to do now other than relax.
The Few, The Proud, The EliteAuthor's note: Sorry this chapter took so long to get out. I was fiddling with a lot of ideas and then I deleted it twice because I hated some. Anyways... I based this chapter kind of off real life events... The actual action sequence is close to the truth and the events leading up to it are also pretty close but I put some flare into it to make it more to my style... I'd like to give a shout out to these few: Dark Lighting - Always bubbly and giving me support Ice - Sticking his neck out for me Frostbite - Helping out Hydro Heat - Letting me use their OC ThePhantomAssassin - Editing You - For putting up with my shitty writing... Also I'm hosting another contest... This one is another OC contest for this story but there are some very specific rules... 1) You cannot use any other person's OC 2) Multiple entries are allowed 3) I have the right to veto any OC 4) Entrants must have a vary accurate description of OC 5) Please give a Bio 6) Banned OCs can NOT be used... -Fern (Mine) -Jade (Mine) -Dark Lightning -Summer Dawn -Frostbite -Ice (sorry guys you got your slots in another story...) 7) You cannot complain if you don't get featured immediately otherwise you won't get a slot... 8) all OCs will have their rolls to play 9) Changing 1 charcteristic of an OC does not make it a new one... "Ponies for everyone!" "Bitch you miss pronounced 'everypony'!" -Dashie Chapter Two The Few, The Proud, The Elite 5th of March, 2012 I've got a job here soon and I really don't feel like taking it. The client specifically asked for me. Ever since Jess died I pretty much been devoted to the war just to get those bastards back. It feels so different without her here cracking jokes. Shamus feels sorry that I ended up with the job. I remember when we were a strong and powerful force to be reckoned with. We use to have almost a hundred assassins now we are less than ten. Darwin was right when he said survival of the fittest. Now I know why the Sect wished to cancel the program all those years ago. They are tired of burying their hard work on their 'subjects'. I feel like such a fucking lab rat. Jess didn't even get a proper burial. I almost planned on leaving and dragging the others with me. We would have be hunted and killed one by one if we did that though. We are 'far too dangerous to be set free', yeah more like 'a waste of fucking time'. New recruits come in and even pass primary selection. None grew up back in the time when a sword was a weapon of choice. Hell a rock is better than a gun and yet everyone wants a gun. Sure a gun can kill someone at a distance but you can use a bow and get away without anyone hearing the shot. A suppressor can only do so much. A bow is much quieter and it's still really effective if you've had the proper training. Poison an arrow head and if it hit but didn't do the job with the impact then the poison will definitely do the job. I really hope this new job goes off without a hitch. -James "A STONE'S THROW AWAY" 11:11:11 Lt. James Sanderson Navy SEAL Team Six May 1st, 2011 "James...!" "Huh...?" There was a ringing in my ear and it made it really hard to hear. "James! Get your ass up!" I felt a hard slap across my face. Cpt. Bolen was standing above me lowering his hand. I grabbed on and pulled harder to drag my ass out of the dirt. "Forty meters!" "Right flank!" I looked around in sort of a daze. Bullets whizzed past me as I jumped to a small mound for cover. The ringing in my ears was going away. "Last mag!" "What the fuck is going on?!" I yelled to Bolen. "We're in fucking Disney World! What the fuck do you think is going on! Get to the Humvee and grab the LMG!!" I looked back to the road I was just on. The Humvee was there on its side. Hopefully the hatch was open so I could easily get in. "I'll need some covering!" "You heard him boys! On three! ONE! .... TWO! ... THREE!!!" The group popped up and blazed in the enemy's general local. I ran almost like Forrest Gump only I didn't take a bullet in my ass. "OH FUCK!" A big ditch was not but six strides ahead of me and I was not gonna get enough speed to jump its two yards across. How the fuck did Bolen get me over there so fast? "Fuck whatever!" I tried my best to make the last few strides count but it really didn't matter anyways. I hit the edge with my foot rolling it on impact. I winced. "SON OF A BITCH!" I seriously had to stop swearing. I hobbled the last four feet and got around to see the hatch. "OF FUCKING COURSE IT'S CLOSED!" Well scratch that off my new year’s resolution. It would never happen anyways. I didn't have time for this shit. My 'friends' were dying and here I am fucking around with a Humvee. Am I playing Halo again? Lucky me the window was cracked but sadly it wasn't broken. I stomped on the window trying my best to ignore my foot's protests. Man up you pussy whipped foot. *CRUNCH* *CRUNCH* *CRUNCH* *CRUNCH* *POP!* The window finally gave and I reached in and grabbed the M60 sitting in the driver's side seat. The fucker wasn't loaded of course. Supposedly there was ammo in the trunk but I highly doubted that. The fucking government sent us into shit holes low on ammo every time. I reached down to pop the release for the trunk but I couldn't reach. "Time to take about twenty for the team..." I crawled into the broken window and desperately tried to pull a lever. I couldn't because the door was crushed against the seat. Getting in was easy. Now getting out? Not so much. A fucking latch decided to catch on the window and prevented me from getting out and saving some asses. That was a good minute trying to get unstuck. The rest was just trying to be careful and not kill myself. Once out I rushed to the back. The damn thing was already open and ammo boxes were everywhere. I'm such a fucking idiot. How did I forget I kicked one on the way over? No tie to delay. Slinging the heavy ass gun onto my back I leaned down and picked up as many of the boxes as I could. I stopped when someone called out "I'M HIT!" I had at least four. I didn't count I was on a time crunch. "Fuck me. Fuck me! FUCK ME!" I ran back and this time I just hopped down the two feet if the ditch. Yeah I'm a fucking idiot. I plastered myself against the makeshift wall and began prepping the M60. "Hatch up. Drum on. Bullets in. Slam it down. COCK THE MOTHER FUCKER!" I jumped up and saw a little village with white walled buildings like Baghdad. There were at least eleven of those fuckers running around. I pulled the trigger and listened to the fast paced *THUMP* of the gun as I aimed at those towel headed fuckers. Each dropped in rapid succession. *CLICK* "OH FOR FUCK'S SAKE!" "Clear!" Bolen yelled. "I'm out!" I called over quickly loading a new belt into the receiver. "Guess that defeats the element of surprise..." Cpl. Ward said holding a wounded man down. I didn't know who it was; his face was covered by Ward's arm. He would pull through we're all troopers. "All right boys! We got a hell of a walk ahead of us. Ten clicks to the compound and we got wounded." "Sounds like a Wednesday to me..." We all gathered around Bolen who crouched to the ground. I handed him a stick when he held out a hand. "Okay listen up... Here we are." He pointed to a small 0 he made in the sand. "This is where we need to be..." He dragged the stick to an X not very far away. He drew little blocks around the X. "So why is it ten clicks?" "Good question. According to the shitty intel we got the compound is near the middle of the city with a number of buildings surrounding it and we can't go through them. So we are pretty much SOL." He pointed to the far side of the X. "It's a small complex. Very hard to miss though but it's guarded pretty good." "Kinda like John's dick?" John slugged the guy who spoke. "Shut up..." John said. "Enough..." "Are we gonna have to go around?" "No, but I guarantee that there is some guards on top of the building or on the roofs of nearby buildings just waiting to try out their new rifles. We're going the long way and gonna knock down the front door. We are defiantly not taking the road but we aren't gonna stray too far from it either." "It will take almost the whole day to get there." "Night ops? We didn't bring nods..." "Won't need um. The building will be well lit. We just have to take out the eyes and ears... Sanderson!" "Yeah?" "You're up when we get there. The humvee should have a Barrett in the back. Now I know you don't like them but your gonna have to deal with it." "Fuck my life..." "Let's roll! We are leaving in ten!" We all started gathering supplies to get a move on. I walked over to the Humvee and looked inside. Sure enough a Barrett 50 cal. Layin’ the back seat. This wasn't my Humvee. Ours lay in a burning heap in the ditch about twenty yards behind this one. "Ward!" "I'm right here..." "Good. Get your skinny ass in there and grab that rifle." "Okay... Hold my vest." He dropped his gear and handed me his vest. He crawled in legs first and stood up. "Hey... Isn't this bones' knife?" He yanked a blade out of the seat and held it through the glass. I rolled it in my hand. Then I rolled it over my knuckles. I stopped my fooling around when Ward tapped the unbroken glass. There was a skull and cross bones on the handle. It was a poor carving at best. "Yep..." "Where is he?" "Dead... Poor bastard..." Ward didn't say anything anymore. He hopped the seat and dug around in the back. He pushed the Barrett through the window and went back to digging. "Whatcha looking for?" He didn't reply."Ward?" He crawled back out and held out a small slip of paper. I turned it over to see a picture of Bones and his kids. I felt a little bad for them. I knew what it was like to lose someone close to you. Never again. "Put it on him... He deserves to have it..." He nodded and walked off. Why was that picture even in the back seat if his knife was in the front? "Let's roll! We don't got all day!" Bolen yelled. No time to ponder. I walked back to the pile of ammo. A few Barrett mags laid out and about. Ten should cover me. I'm carrying the two heaviest guns we got up a goddamn mountain that's ten miles away. Sounds like a Wednesday to me. "Yeah!" "Get it in gear!" One last thing. I nabbed the suppressor. I felt like an internet troll. I even walked away with a smug grin on my face. "What are you smiling about?" I held up the suppressor and he chuckled before clasping my shoulder. "Only you man... Only you..." It was getting late. My family was getting a little restless and I knew it. "Alright everybody... Let's get some food and then we can finish up today. Tomorrow we'll have my party and I guess we will... Well I haven't thought that far yet..." At the mention of food thirty little kids jumped up and ran to the table. As the family sat around the table waiters brought in the main courses and began to set them down in the center of the table. The trays were lifted to show a nice array of food that everyone here would enjoy. Sure a few things the younger ones wouldn't like sat here and there. I bet a few would try the steamed asparagus but most won't and that was one of the better dishes. Mashed potatoes were piled mountains high. A giant bowl of gravy sat next to the leaning tower of taters. Corn was on the cob and off the cob in large bowls. I took a large scoop of mashed potatoes and then I took that ladle and got at least four dips of gravy. I stopped counting and went until every little inch was covered. I needed a bigger spoon for the corn if I really wanted to do this. I had to have my fix. I signaled a waiter and a giant fucking spoon was put in my hand. I grinned as I took two scoops. That pretty much was my plate. I took four stalks of asparagus after just to seem a little formal. But I laughed as I saw a little one have pretty much nothing but potatoes just like me. Man I raised them good! There was a curious pile of at least eighty PB&J sandwiches brought in and set in the middle. Half were gone before the plate even was set down asking it easier on the waiters but damn. I had to get one fast. I don't know how big of a tub of Nutella they needed to make this many sandwiches but HOLY SHIT. I got one and took a bite quickly. It tasted amazing at first. There was a giant glob of peanut butter and then there was about an equal amount of jelly. I almost spit out my first bite. I FUCKING HATE STRAWBERRY! I set it down on a little side plate and tried to find one that had grape jelly. If they were all strawberry I was gonna have a fucking cow. Speaking of cows. My glass had been filled with milk. I smiled, yes, this pleases me. I downed the glass just to get the bad taste out of my mouth. I felt like I was four. Man what I wish to be young again. I reached for another sandwich and thankfully it was grape. Now I was satisfied. Well almost. I still haven't eaten my piled up plate. I fucking love mashed potatoes. After dinner I leaned back and rubbed my belly. It was defiantly full now. I just wanted to relax and take a nap after a meal like that. It almost felt like mom's cooking. Then I remembered my mom sucked at cooking. Doesn’t matter had food. I rounded up the mini-me’s and sat down in my chair as the waiters came back and cleaned up the tornado that had ripped through the meal. "So what happened after that? Did you get the bad man?" I chuckled. "Well..." The sun had slowly lowered as we waited for the operation to begin. It wasn't hard to get to a nice little nook. We had a few hours to make sure we had different coverings if we really need them. Ward sat next to me with a scope. It was a hassle to haul around and I had no clue why he did. But if it helped spot the fuckers faster than the more power to him. I laid down and propped the Barrett up on a bi-pod. Very useful but even more of a hassle to set it up when you're on the move. Ward sat next to me with his scope and whispered out targets. I'd spotted most before he even said anything but he had better eyes than me and spotted the sniper in the rocks. I should have seen his scope gleam when I passed over him but I didn't. There was a total of four snipers and two guards. Each were way out of line of sight to the two teams that had split waiting to start the raid. I saw them begin the advance and I readied my first shot. Making sure the second was close enough to get I pulled the trigger and let the first bullet fly. I didn't need to see it hit to know I got him. Ward did that for me. "Great shot!" Pulling the trigger again the second bullet flew and made impact with a beautiful display of red and some pink as his brains splattered along the wall. "Tango down." We hopped up and moved quickly to the other snipers. They still had no clue where we were until that bullet went right to them. Taking them out quickly I scoped in on the few guards on a roof. I doubt they had any idea that there was a trained sniper waiting for them to make the wrong move. They grew alarmed at the sight of our boys moving on the compound. I couldn't wait anymore. I dropped them quickly. Headshots didn't matter in a life and death situation like the one that would have played out. I watched the boys move along the buildings. Children and women ran around and some were caught by our guys just trying to calm them down. I saw a flash out of the corner of my scope. Then a retreating Osama. "Fuck! I could have had him!" "Don't worry about it man... Our guys got it... We need to link up with SEAL team two..." Ward said patting me on the back. "Come on..." I got up and slung the heavy ass rifle onto my back. Just another day on the job right? There wasn't much I could do about it. Hopefully they would get him and we could all go home safe. Well almost all of us. As we were about to leave the building I shot Ward with a M9. He collapsed and laid there. I didn't need to check to know if it was a kill shot. I pulled him into a closet and left a small note in Arabic. Hopefully the pour soul to find him will return him. I left without another word. I walked out to the hills and sat there. Taking off my helmet I ran my fingers through my unkempt hair. I really let myself go over the years. Filled with the outrage of that bastard's men. I finally had my revenge. I just needed to get out now. That was the easy part. The hard part was to shoot a buddy. I had practically lived my life with these guys in the past few years. Now that the job was done I could go home and live my life for a while. Well maybe now a while but a few days is okay with me. I pulled out a satellite phone and flipped it open. Hitting the little green button I redialed the last number I had called. Before we left to get to the city I had called in favor. I probably owed ten times the amount that he thinks I owe him but I don't care. "Yeah?" "Hey, I need that pick up." "Where ya at?" "Outside of the city on a small hill. Think ya can get me in twenty?" "More like thirty but I'll try." "Cool... Take your time man I ain't got anywhere to be any time soon." "I'm rolling out now. Eyes to the sky." "Ight..." *CLICK BEEP* I ended our call ad laid back waiting for my ride home. As I relaxed I thought of all the men and women that wouldn't be going home. The sacrificed themselves for their country. Noble yes but war could have been avoided. It may be human nature to kill one another for resources but at least we could try and make it less violent. Wait. War is violent no matter what. Fuck whatever. I know not of the weapons world war three will be fought with. But world war four will be fought with sticks and stones. There was no doubt in my mind that wasn't true. This world will pretty much just fuck itself over and no one would care because they think it's not their problem. It is their problem because it will be their children or their children's children or even further down than that. No matter what it is a problem. I can't wait to watch this world burn in the pits of hell. It's where it belongs. Then some say God will save them all or that he lets it happen because they deserve it. Well I think like this. If God is suppose to be a higher power that controls out lives wouldn't he try to save all of his 'creations'? Well apparently not. So If they think their higher power will save the world they are wrong. Because we would just fuck it up again. If one man has an imaginary friend he is crazy. If multiple people have the same imaginary friend it's a religion. There is no proof that these higher powers exist. Sure you could say you prayed for a miracle but it wasn't given to you because you prayed. You got it by chance. And every day there is a chance you will die. You don't know it but it is there and it could happen in a flash. I sit here wondering when we will stop killing one another over nothing. They say there are seven deadly sins. I GARUNTEE THAT EVERYONE HAS DONE AT LEAST ONE. It's unavoidable because it's just how we are. If you know someone who hasn't committed a deadly sin then they are lying. Babies don't count. I heard the whirling the helicopter's blades. Ironic. The thing that got me in this mess is gonna get me out of it. As the helo landed I hopped on and patted his shoulder. We weren't on the ground longer than a second and we were off again. Now the long trip home was ahead and I planned on enjoying it. I reached in my pocket and pulled out the amulet and gave it a little rub. We were going home. I didn't hear the steps but I felt the hot breath of someone next to me. "You need to say bye to the family we need to talk in private." The voice was a very sweet and melodic one. I knew it and smiled. "Okay everyone. I have some really important business to attend to sorry." A few kids pouted but the rest just looked at me sadly. The adults rounded up their kids. "Don't worry we can finish up tomorrow." That got them cheered up. "I want to hear about you guys." Some of the girls shied away at that comment. I stood up and walked over to the door. Before I could reach for the handle it burst open and two waiters pushing and enormous cake rush in. Well this is strange. I thought I was supposed to have my cake tomorrow. Wait there will be no tomorrow for me. Does she know? Oh, I am so fucked. "CAKE!!!!!!" Everyone screamed. I think I got tackled by ten. No defiantly twenty of them. "Oh you can't leave now grandpa!" One said jabbing me in the side. "Yeah! Cake just got here!" Another said gripping my leg like an anchor. "Come on stay for a while!" Another said hooking my other leg just like the first. "PLEASE!!!?!!!!?" The rest yelled in unison. "Fine." "YAY!!" MOTHER OF GOD MY FUCKING EARS ARE BLEEDING! I got up and walked over to the large cake. It was a large seven tiered cake. It was round and sort of offset like the Leaning Tower of Pisa. This could feed the whole castle. I probably leftovers go to everyone else. The workers really needed a break. I should really convince her to let them all get a break. Why the fuck do I keep referring to her as 'her'? Why am I talking to myself? Fuck it. A large knife sat next to the stand. It was a nicely curved blade not common for cutting something. Well I could find a few uses for it. I do enjoy a curved blade. Wait. Is this a joke. "Wait! We got to sing 'Happy Birthday'." I fucking regret teaching them that now. "HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU. HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU. HAPPY BIRTHDAY DEAR JAMES. HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU!" Eh, not as bad as normally. "Okay, now you can cut it." "Shut it smart ass." My son chuckled. I lifted the knife up and put a few uneven slices into the rounded cake. Luckily it had multiple tiers. The first pieces were handed out. A few tubs of ice-cream were brought in as soon as I made the first cut. Thankfully the waiters served the ice-cream. We sort of made a line. I gave them cake. Hehe, history joke. Then they walked down and got their favorite flavor of ice-cream. Well one little girl couldn't decide on chocolate or rainbow. Rainbow was my favorite. Well it is when they DON'T PUT FUCKING STRAWBERRY IN IT. I FUCKING HATE STRAWBERRY. Yeah my life is nothing but hating on a fucking berry. After I destroyed half of the cake I set the knife down. I stepped back and admired my handy work. Yeah it was totally fucked up. Next time I don't cut a cake. I can't cook one, eat one or even cut one properly. I picked the knife back up and jiggled it in my hand. It was balanced just right. "Hmmmm..." I rotated the blade into my hand. Oh yes this is just right. A dart board sat in the back of the gathering room. A whole bookshelf of board games sat next to it and a few small tables with chairs set against the wall. Those were for chess. I was great at chess. Not as good as her but still good enough to kick almost anyone's ass. I held the knife up and aimed for the board. It was at least forty feet away. Easy enough. I lowered the blade and sighed. What am I doing? Fuck it! I raised the blade and without thinking or even pausing long enough to aim I let it fly. *THUD* Dead center. Yeah I still got it in me. I wish I didn't but I can't change the past. Everyone looked at the dart board. Yeah I'm that awesome. I walked out the door without saying goodbye. I felt like shit. Once outside I looked around. No one was there so I just decided to head back to my room. Maybe a little reminiscing in my past will do me a little good. Story telling is one thing because you can alter the details but reliving it is completely different. As I opened the door I felt something push it back closed. Weird. I pushed it open and this time it gave way. I looked behind the door. There wasn't anything to block it. The window was open though and a strong gust blew in and forced the door closed. I walked over to the window and slammed it shut. It was one of those double windows. It was expertly built. Very artistic. Scroll work lined the border of the arch window. The latch to hold them together way pure gold and held the royal insignia on it. Turning around I looked at the bed. Four posted bed was pretty cool. The canopy was pretty gay to me so I took it off. I'm not a huge fan of red which is ironic since my job requires spilling blood. Well use to anyways. I miss traveling the world and seeing it change over time. It was nice when it was from my time to about the year 1935 then it was just war machine after war machine. Sure they are useful but it’s pretty stupid making a machine just for killing people. I find myself just like a machine some times. Doing the same things over and over again. I guess I was built like that. Make perfect kill after perfect kill. Huh, I never thought about it. I am a killing machine. Much more sophisticated than what the European powers of WWII built but I was still a killing machine none the less. Is that all I'm good for? Taking lives that didn't need to die? My whole life I was led to believe that humans were created equal. Over the years I learned that it was survival of the fittest. I was ahead of Darwin but I sure and the hell wasn't a writer. He published my thoughts into something that made sense. Sure I met him only a few times and the topic never came up but we still agreed upon the subject. Humans are just more tamed animals. The power hungry ones have their fifteen minutes of fame before crumbling to the ground. The true leaders find themselves wanting less. The poor want money to survive and thrive. The rich don't want the money because it ruins their happiness. I can't find a place where I belong. The beggar belongs on the corner until someone offers him a home. The rich belong in their fancy houses until someone complains about their living conditions. The middle class belong at work until they find their one true love, even then they still have to work to live. The world is a cruel place. It's like that bully on the school ground with a magnifying glass burning the ants. Sure he looks big an’ bad now but one day he will become the bigger threat everyone hates. I wish I knew where I really belonged instead of hiding in a dark corner waiting for my victim. Huh, yeah a dark corner. That's me in one sentence. Lived my life hiding in the shadows. I can pretty much see life as a suicide attempt. We live our lives avoiding death so we can make it safely to it. Risks in life are what makes it worthwhile. I sat down and thought about it for a while. Our lives really are just a suicide attempt. Death is unavoidable. I picked up a guitar that sat in the corner of my room. I use to play a lot but it just got boring after a while. Now seemed like a good time though. Slowly I plucked a rhythm and then I realized what I was playing. (Here you go lazy ass) Send away for a priceless gift One not subtle, one not on the list Send away for a perfect world One not simply, so absurd In these times of doing what you're told You keep these feelings, no one knows What ever happened to the young man's heart Swallowed by pain, as he slowly fell apart And I'm staring down the barrel of a 45. Swimming through the ashes of another life. No real reason to accept the way things have changed. Staring down the barrel of a 45. Send a message to the unborn child Keep your eyes open for a while In a box high up on the shelf Left for you, no one else There’s a piece of a the puzzle known as life Wrapped in guilt, sealed up tight What ever happened to the young man's heart Swallowed by pain, as he slowly fell apart And I'm staring down the barrel of a 45. Swimming through the ashes of another life. No real reason to accept the way things have changed. Staring down the barrel of a 45. Everyone's pointing their fingers Always condemning me Nobody knows what I believe I believe And I'm staring down the barrel of a 45. Swimming through the ashes of another life. No real reason to accept the way things have changed. Staring down the barrel of a 45. And I'm staring down the barrel of a 45. Swimming through the ashes of another life. No real reason to accept the way things have changed. Staring down the barrel of a 45, 45 Staring down the barrel of a 45 I set down the guitar and looked out the window. It looked beautiful yes but there was no real reason to enjoy i if there was no one to enjoy it with. I had my loves but we drifted apart after a while. I sighed and looked down into my lap. I barely noticed the bed dip down. Slowly I felt pressure on my back. I didn't look up. Slowly it reached up to my shoulders and then it relaxed and fell down around my neck. "I haven't heard you play in so long." A very familiar voice whispered into my ear. "I know..." "Do you really wish to leave me here alone?" "What do you mean?" "I read the note..." "I haven't given it to anyone yet." "I know... I still love you..." "I love you to, but..." "What? There was no reason to stop loving me." "We just drifted apart is all." "No. You gave up." "Yeah, that too." She tightened her grip around my neck. "Why are you even here. What did you want to talk about?" "You of course." "And?" "An offer..." "What kind of offer?" "One you can't refuse." "Sure I can..." "Oh shhhsh." I chuckled. "It's not funny." She gripped me tighter and now I could feel her pulling me against her chest. "Could you play another song before we talk?" "No." "Please? For me?" "Depends..." "Getting warmer..." "Fuck whatever..." "Yay..." I picked the guitar back up and though about it for a second. What was a modern song back before the accident. Oh, I got a good one. (lazy way) Define your meaning of war To me it's what we do when we're bored I feel the heat coming off of the blacktop And it makes me want it more Because I'm hyped up, outta control If it's a fight I'm ready to go I wouldn't put my money on the other guy If you know what I know that I know It's been a long time coming And the tables' turned around 'Cause one of us is goin' One of us is goin' down I'm not running It's a little different now 'Cause one of us is goin' One of us is goin' down Define your meaning of fun To me it's when we're getting done I feel the heat coming off of the blacktop So get ready for another one Let's take a trip down memory lane The words circulate in my brain You can treat this like another all the same But don't cry like a bitch when you feel the pain It's been a long time coming And the tables' turned around Cause one of us is goin' One of us is goin' down I'm not running It's a little different now Cause one of us is going One of us is goin' down This is hardly worth fighting for But it's the little petty shit that I can't ignore With my fist in your face And your face on the floor It'll be a long time coming But you got the message now Cause I was never going Yeah, you're the one that's going down One of us is goin' down I'm not running, it's a little different now Cause one of us is goin' One of us is goin' down One of us is goin' down, down, down Yeah that pretty much sums up how we've been over the past six or seven years. I just got bored of our shit. "You should do one for my sister..." "Maybe..." Her sister had died a few hundred years ago. It was a weird relationship between the three of us. "Yeah I got one..." (lazy way) Your words to are just a whisper Your face is so unclear I try to pay attention Your words just disappear Oh oh 'Cause it’s always raining in my head Oh oh Forget all of the things I should have said So I speak to you in riddles 'Cause my words get in my way I smoke the whole to my head And feel it wash away 'Cause I can't take anymore of this I wanna come apart I dig myself a little hole inside your precious heart Oh oh 'Cause it’s always raining in my head Oh oh Forget all of the things I should have said I am nothing more than A little boy inside That cries out for attention Yet I always try to hide Cause I talk to you like children Though I don’t know how I feel But I know I’ll do the right thing If the right thing isn’t revealed 'Cause it’s always raining in my head Forget all of the things I should have said I felt a wet spot along my cheek. I reached up and touched it. Yeah I'm a man and crying. There was a wet spot on my back. Yeah she was crying too. That makes everything more manlier. "I miss her..." She said raggedly. "I do too..." I lifted her off me and put the guitar back in its corner. "I might not make it to tomorrow." "Don't leave me please..." "Give me one good reason." "You love me..." "Not good enough..." "Damn it..." I chuckled. Being a dark and shady figure brought it's perks. I could kill puppies with a laugh. Some where there is a pile of dead puppies with a sign that reads 'WHY WOULD YOU DO THIS ASSHOLE?' Only made me laugh more, adding to the pile. She looked up to me and frowned. "Why isn't that a good enough reason? You have family here. Loved ones. What more could you want?" "To forget... Forget the horrors that the world has forced upon me..." She looked at me for a while. Her mouth opened as if she wanted to say something. It closed immediately. "You can't help me. The things I've seen could even begin to start a horror movie. Nor could it end one." "There is one thing I can do..." "What?" "It's a very dangerous spell..." "And?" "I could send you to an alternate universe with most of your memory erased..." "How would that help?" "Pretty much I would send you back in time to when you came here... All you would know is your name where you grew up and any events before The Sect found you." "I could live with that..." "Here's the thing though... In the alternate universe you wouldn't exist... You shouldn't belong but you're there..." "So?" "You'd have to rebuild... I can't help you do that..." "I can live with a new life..." "Most things that you know to be natural now will still be there... You just won't remember how you learnt them..." "Okay enough!" She shied back a bit. Her wings flared out. She was a beautiful alicorn. "I'm sorry Luna..." The dark alicorn had a tear running down her face. She obviously didn't like the idea but it was kind of forced on her. "It's fine... I'm gonna miss you, you know?" "No... I won't remember..." She nodded. "Where’s the gun?" "Why?" "I'll enchant it with the spell... Then when you 'die' you'll end up in the other universe..." "It's in the drawer..." Her horn glowed with magic as she telepathically reached for the drawer and opened it. A gun floated out of the small compartment. I had kept it clean over the years. I knew it had a full magazine in it but I only needed one bullet for it's true purpose. At first it was for defense against these creatures. But I soon realized I didn't need it so I kept it clean and hidden away from prying eyes. The only really piece of equipment I needed were my gauntlets and my amulet. My gauntlets were black inlaid with gold along the fingers. The fingers themselves didn't exist. I had cut them off and set a ring holder on each finger. On each holder a ring was set. I could remove them at will but these days it was for mere show. Each ring had a special ability. The thumbs could steal magic. The index casts a anti-magic barrier. The middle helped me hide where there wasn't darkness. The ring finger held a signet that trained me to be quieter with my footsteps. When I wasn't trying to be quiet it helped and did it for me. The pinkie was adorned with a diamond jewel that could push or pull objects at will. I never really used the gauntlet anymore. But it seems I was gonna get familiar with it again. If what she said was true then I would come in during the frantic job. Seemed suiting since that was what I was gonna talk about tomorrow. Luna was busy enchanting the piece of metal. I just hope that this really does what she says it does. I don't care if I never wake up. I planned on this anyways. I didn't plan on her offering me a second chance to have a happier life. She was always looking out for me. I never could return the favor. It doesn't matter. She never would accept my favors anyways. Luna set the gun down on the desk and sighed. "Done..." "Thanks." "I don't want to watch... I'll leave you alone..." "I'm sorry..." I said actually meaning it for once in my life. As she exited the room I could see nothing but pure sadness. It was heavy in the air as well. I had pretty much brought this upon myself and yet I was affecting the others around me. I just wanted to forget. Just wanted the pain to stop. Just wanted a happier place. Here it was offered to me. I could leave and have a happier life with no war. No suffering. Nothing that human nature has inflicted upon me. All I had to do was pull the trigger. I picked up the gun and set it against my head. One little movement was all it would take. One little hair pull and I could forget. Something inside me screamed and yelled to 'Do it pussy!' another part was making my hand tremble saying 'No you still have some much to live for.' I silenced the second voice and my hand stopped trembling. I had more to live for this way. I checked the desk again. The note lay there in front of me. The journal next to it with my last entry. I hope they all don't worry too much. I'll be in a happier place. Somewhere were the darkness never comes and the light doesn't show the horrors of the past. Somewhere we all can live in peace and not have to think of the bad things that these worlds have to offer. I will miss them all. I know they will miss me more. I can deal with it. I love you all... -James I pulled the trigger and felt a sharp pain but it soon faded into a dull numbness. My eyes were open and I watched in slow motion as I fell. Blood splattering everywhere as I fell into eternal sleep. I don't know how long I'll wait but my new life awaits pain free. I hit the floor with a dull *THUMP*. Blackness enveloped me as I slowly drifted away. If this is what it is like to die then I will welcome it whole heartedly next time. It felt good to be free of all my pain and suffering. To be a bird on the wind without a care. I am free. Author's note: Again so sorry to take so long... I've been real busy... Chapters won't be as long as these first two but they should be a little more frequent. Maybe I'll do some huge chapters I don't know yet. Just keep waiting... Also: Songs belong to their respective owners and should remain that way. HUGS 4 U! -Dashie
