Winter Savior
Member
Awards
AlterOne
Chapter 13
---------------------------------------------
Past Chapters
--------------------------
Chapter 13
---------------------------------------------
Past Chapters
You must be registered for see links
You must be registered for see links
You must be registered for see links
You must be registered for see links
You must be registered for see links
You must be registered for see links
You must be registered for see links
You must be registered for see links
You must be registered for see links
You must be registered for see links
You must be registered for see links
You must be registered for see links
--------------------------
A set of cars came to a screeching into the hospital’s side parking lot as tires skidded to a halt against the asphalt. Polished shoes touched the ground, hurrying about as the men exited the vehicles. A half dozen of them, guns tucked under coats, eyes scanning the perimeter. With a knock to the side of the second vehicle, the nearest man gave the all clear for its occupant to step out.
“I want one of you to go inside and tell Niki to get out here,” Merik stated.
In the wee hours of the morning, the hospital held a calm about it, much removed from the usual clack of shoes against the linoleum, the ringing of phones, and the commotion of staff. Niki stood off in the hallway while the doctor finished up on Akko’s stitches. From what had been told to him, the shot nicked an artery but didn’t sever it. The woman Akko had been with, Ferra Grey, was credited with pinching the vessel shut with a bobby pin until the ambulance arrived. She left shortly after that, but she was still on Niki’s mind. There was something about her. He just couldn’t put his finger on it.
“Sir.”
A man wearing glasses that Niki recognized as one of Merik’s boys brought him out of his trance.
“Mr. Lambert is outside,” the man said. “He wants to see you.”
Niki cut a glance back at Akko, the doctor now applying the salve, before looking back at the gint in front of him, “Does he now?”
With a slight jerk of his neck, Niki called over Dietmar who had busied himself with a female nurse. Dietmar looked from Niki to the Lambert gint and back again.
“He’s out there then?”
“Yeah,” Niki replied. “Come with me.”
Merik’s men stood by attentively as their leader leaned against the car and watched the hospital entrance, the smoke from his cigarette wafting into the night air. At the sight of Niki and Dietmar coming out of the building, he stepped around to the front of the car. Niki took in the lot of Merik’s group.
“Was there a memo I’m not privy to?”
Merik swaggered forward, “Considering what happened tonight, I wouldn’t think you’d scoff at a little extra security.”
“Oh you don’t have to worry about me Merik,” Niki smirked.
Cigarette smoke blew from Merik’s nose, a scowl on his face. “I’m not. My only issue here is that you almost got one of my men killed tonight.”
His tone level, but his words were laced with malice. He glared at Niki while taking a long drag of his cigarette. From behind him, Tadeon spoke up.
“Sir, he seemed fine when I saw him in there. They’re probably wrapping him up as we speak.”
Nearly all eyes were on Tadeon. Merik turned slowly and looked back at Tadeon. His eyes narrowed, but he said nothing, turning his attention to Niki once more.
“To say I’m not happy is putting it lightly Niki,” Merik said through clenched teeth. “That was my man who got shot tonight.”
“Tell me Merik,” Niki said, taking a step closer. “Are you really angry that your man was shot…or are you angry that your other man missed?”
Merik dropped the cigarette on the ground and moved forward, the men now less than two feet from each other.
“Are you insinuating that I ordered the hit?”
“Oh I can’t get anything past you,” Niki said wryly. “This is the second time a member of House Vikaeli has been the target of an assassination in only the past few weeks. Failed attempts though they may be.”
“You mean the Alderman right?” Merik asked. “Funny how after that, he’s strolling the streets hand in hand with a damn Veldt. You’re throwing out these accusations when I can throw one right back at you.” He jabbed a finger into Niki’s chest, “The enemy is sleeping in your bed and you have yet to cut his throat.”
Niki gingerly swaths Merik’s hand away, the two of them near nose to nose, “Let’s make something clear here Merik. Whatever is going on in House Vikaeli is of no concern to you. Our business is just that. You staying in this city is a privilege. This is my city. I want you to remember that.”
He backed away from Merik and gave a quick whistle. The lights of vehicles turned on around the parking lot and four cars filed in behind Niki and Dietmar. Niki made his way to the third car and moved to get in, but paused to look back at Merik.
“Before you go on with whatever scheme you’ve got in mind for our friend in there, you know where you’ve got to come first.”
He ducked his head into the car while Merik and his men moved out of the way. With Merik’s eyes on the departing convoy, Tadeon came up beside him.
“So did you actually order the hit?”
“What?” Merik looked over at Tadeon. “Of course not you idiot, Niki knows that.”
He watched as the cars rolled on down the road and out of view.
“At least he better…For his sake.”
The doctor had just finished wrapping Akko’s arm as he sat on the bed when a knock came from the door. The doctor moved out of Akko’s view to reveal Ferra Grey standing in the doorway. She’d changed from her evening gown to a more casual dress.
“Ferra, what are you doing here?” Akko asked. “I thought you went home.”
“Just to change and let my father know that I’d be back home later,” she answered, going over to sit on the bed next to Akko.
“You didn’t have to come back,” Upon seeing the come over with the sling, “That’ll be alright doctor. I can manage the sling myself.”
The doctor obliged, leaving the arm sling in Akko’s lap before he exited the room. Ferra moved in closer.
She smiled, “Our date isn’t over yet,” she said as she took the arm sling from his lap.
Akko grinned, “Is that what is was then? Seemed more like me getting shot.”
“Here, let me put this thing on you.”
Akko leaned in to allow her to put his arm in the sling. As he did, he saw Merik standing in the doorway. Niki and Dietmar were nowhere to be seen, replaced by Tadeon and a number of other men. Akko rose from the bed to stand as Merik stepped into the room. He looked from Akko to Ferra.
“I’m not interrupting anything am I?”
“Course not,” Akko replied, looking past Merik. “Though I’ll say you wasted no time gathering people for a get well party.”
Merik set his gaze on Ferra, “If you will, I would like to speak to Akko alone.”
Ferra oblidged, getting up from the bed and made to leave, but turned around to face Akko. She leaned in to his ear so that only he could hear her words.
“When I told my father I’d be back home later, I never said how much later,” she said in a seductive voice. “I’ll be waiting outside.”
She gave Akko a ginger kiss on the cheek before walking from the room. The men in the hallway parted to allow her by. Merik watched as she went before turning back to Akko, an appreciative grin upon his face.
“Pretty girl you’ve got there,” he said.
“Not exactly mine but thanks anyways,” Akko replied. “I’m guessing you didn’t come here just to check on my wellbeing at this hour.”
“See that’s where you’re wrong Akko,” Merik said. “I am very invested in your wellbeing. I see great potential in you and I want to use that.”
“How’s that?”
Upon a glancing look back from Merik, Tadeon took the cue to close the door. Merik pulled up and chair and sat in it backwards.
“I’ve got an idea, only an idea, but with you it can be a reality.”
He proceeded to lay out the plan that he had proposed to Juri before while Akko listened intently. As Merik talked, Akko couldn’t help but notice Tadeon looking into the room on occasion. When Merik had finished, he looked back at Akko with an expecting smile.
“Well, you’re in right?”
Akko, having considered the information brought before him, could only shake his head, “I’m sorry, but no.”
The smile dropped from Merik’s face, but he waited for Akko to continue.
“The reason I joined your organization is because you guys said I would be able to kill the Veldt who murdered my brother,” Akko stated. “So far all I’ve been doing is sitting on my hands.”
“Akko, what do you think, we’re just going around fighting Veldt all day?” Merik asked. “After that first week’s initial push, the Veldt have suddenly become a nonfactor. I’m not saying we’ve stopped them, they simply aren’t coming out in force to make raids and assist the police as we first saw. I dunno what the gameplan is on their end, but if you want to go up against Veldt, you’ve got to make enough noise that they’ll come running.”
“So you want me to make enough trouble in these gyms that the Veldt have to get involved?”
“No, I don’t. But for your desired results, that’s what you’re going to have to do,” Merik replied. “You’ll have men under your command and based on your background, an easy case can be made for you to become one of my Barridans. Though your position is Barridan, you’d be acting as one of my captains, and work just as any other of my guys.”
“Barridan Adregi,” Akko, feeling if it rolled off the tongue. “I can’t imagine a guy who only has three days in your organization and suddenly is named a captain is going to be well received by his fellow org members.”
“I’m not saying they will. Heck, I’m going to have a hard time trying to sell that part to Juri. I never told him I wanted you to have guys under you, but really, you can’t do anything without that.”
“I’d imagine not.”
“So does that mean you’ll do it then?”
Akko shrugged, “I’ll do what I have to do to grab the Veldt’s attention. Sooner I can get face to face with one of them, the closer I am to getting one to tell me why they killed my brother. Even still, why are you pushing this? From what I understand, you’ve been living in Alter City under this agreement with Nikita Vikaeli for some time now, why are you suddenly looking to branch out?”
Merik sighed, “Well, if you’re looking for the truth, this whole thing is just to get your foot in the door so you can get to the real problem.”
“Which is what exactly?”
“There’s a mole in House Lambert. Once you’re in the ranks of my branch’s leadership, you’ll get to work finding out exactly who the traitor is.”
“All while still focusing on the cover job of taking over gyms,” Akko said.
Merik nodded, “Yes. You’ll still have to show prowess and skill to win over the other branch leaders, but the gyms will also be an interesting endeavor in itself for the Syndicate to get their hands in.”
“Alright, I got that, but one more question.”
“Shoot.”
“You’ve got lots of men under your employ, men who’d take a bullet for you. Yet you decide to ask me for help. Why?”
“I don’t know if you’ve noticed yet, but I don’t have a lot of friends in this city,” Merik stated. “I’m the heir to the Syndicate, the future Kontikoff of one of the four largest organizations in the country. Everyone who’s anyone knows this. Unlike our Vikaeli counterpart, my family doesn’t descend from a line of kings that reaches far back into the Old Age. The Vikaelis are ancient. So even with all their criminal undertakings, people will still surround themselves among that family. They mean something. But me, my family? We were lowly lord when my ancestors decided to renounce their titles and join the fledging Aduri Syndicate. We would be nothing without this organization, and for that, I’m just considered another gangster big shot with a target on his back. Major players in this city avoid me like the plague. Anyone who dares to be seen with me is pretty much announcing that they’re up to something dirty.” He pointed to the men outside in the hall, “Those men out there, yeah, they’d take a bullet for me, but only because that’s what they’re paid to do. When I met you and we talked, I thought, this is a guy I can relate to. That this is a guy, who maybe, I could become friends with.”
Akko sniffed and made as if to wipe a nonexistent tear from his eye, “You and these stories, you’re making me tear up.” Grinning, he went on in a mocking tone, giving an impersonation of Merik, “I’m rich and powerful but I have no friends to help me spy on people.”
Seeing Akko’s joking nature, Merik couldn’t help but grin as well, “You ass!” He said as he punched Akko in his injured arm.
“Luckily, with all the drugs they gave me, I can’t feel a thing,” Akko replied.
“Oh that doesn’t sound too good for the little lady you’ve got waiting outside.”
Akko rose from the bed, “So I guess we’re done here.”
“That we are,” Merik answered, himself, getting up from the chair. “I’ll let you know when everything is situated and we can start working on developing a plan for all of this.”
The two men shook hands. Merik stepped aside and allowed Akko out of the room first before following right behind.
-------------------------------------
The night air was still as the Aduri stood guard positioned around the warehouse. Inside the warehouse, Malk, arms folded in front of him, had his back to the grunting and off pattern breathing that went on behind him.
“Gaining this Veldt onto my payroll has reiterated something that I’ve always believed. No matter who you are, everyone wants something,” he said. “Money, power, fame, it doesn’t matter. As long as it’s something that’ll make their situation better than it was before.”
He turned around and squatted before the grunting woman that was before him. Evina struggled in vain against the chains that bound her naked body, suspended her in the air, hanging her parallel to the floor. Her eyes glared up at Malk as she clenched her teeth together, fighting back the pain brought on by the Veldt who ran his wand along Evina’s back, each groove along her back slowly opening the skin like a slow blossoming flower. Blood dripped from the deep gashes and flowed down onto the floor, forming a crimson shadow underneath Evina’s hanging body. After making a row of five long gashes down her back, the Veldt would lay his wand flat, and run it down her once more, closing the wounds as he did. Then proceed to start the process over again. Malk placed his hand under Evina’s chin and brought her head so that her eyes could meet his own. When he spoke, his tone was that of sincerity, yet its false nature was all too clear.
“As it stands, your situation isn’t too great right now. And with you in our grasp, your future doesn’t look too bright either. My man there, he can do a lot of things with that wand. He can continue the excruciating pain, or he can make it all go away. Just tell me who you work for, and how you came about technology such as this.”
He held up the flat square metal object that was Evina’s 3-D Holographic Projector. Malk placed it in front of her and waited for her to give a reply. She only glared back at Malk defiantly, not a word spoken. Malk frowned and swung out his hand, striking Evina across the face. He rose up off the ground and gestured for the Veldt to continue. He turned to walk away when he realized that he hadn’t heard the Veldt go back to casting his spells. He whirled around. The Veldt had turned in the direction of the large warehouse doors.
“Is something the matter?” Malk asked.
“I can no longer feel the presence of the men outside.”
No sooner are the words out of his mouth, that the large double doors slowly began to open. His lower attire, the tattered remnants of a worn warrior’s longskirt, while the glint of steel beneath his cloak revealed an array of weapons strapped across his bare chest. Beneath his hood, the X shown against the pale white mask.
“The Xenator…”, Malk’s voice, a mix of awe and fear as he began to back away.
The Xenator walked forward slowly. His footsteps echoing throughout the warehouse as all else was silent. He went over to Evina, hanging in the air, the magically resealed wounds having left scars across her back. Hunter X indicated to the Veldt.
“Your work I presume.”
He reached into his cloak, drawing a sword, and swung it to cut the chains. The clang of steel against steel rang throughout the warehouse as the Veldt’s blade met the Xenator’s.
“It’s my work,” he said from beneath the mask, “and I’m not finished yet.”
The two masked men continue to press their blades together as they draw closer. With his free hand, the Veldt holds his wand by his waist and murmurs a spell, but Hunter X kicks the inside of the Veldt’s leg and pulls back his sword, spinning to move around and getting his foot behind the Veldt’s leg, taking the Veldt to a knee. He swings sword at the back of the Veldt’s head, but the Veldt rolls sideways, sending a spell at Hunter X as he does. The Xenator took that moment to cut the chains suspending Evina and as he turned around, he brought his sword up in time to defend against a downward strike by the Veldt. The magic user pulled back his sword and spun on his heel, sending a kick to the Xenator’s chest and knocking him back. The Xenator grabbed onto the chains that he had just cut and swung on them back towards the Veldt, who ducked low to the ground, avoiding the boots of the Xenator. Hunter X dropped from the chains and drew a knife as he dropped down onto the Veldt, but the Veldt rolled along the floor and out of the way, the knife striking only hard concrete. The Xenator pulled the knife out of the floor and the combatants both slowly rose to their feet. The Xenator sheathed his sword and dagger and began to remove his cloak, his eyes on the Veldt all the while. The Veldt also began to remove his hooded cloak, followed by ripping off the overly long sleeves of his robe and removing the buckled leather waist belt that covered much of his lower torso.
“That entire outfit of yours looks like nothing but a hindrance,” the Xenator observed.
“I was starting to believe that there was no one in this country who could come close to the power of a magiko,” the Veldt said as he dropped the waist belt to the floor. “But you seem to be a match…almost.”
“Make no mistake about it Veldt,” the Xenator said as he adjusted his forearm gauntlets. “I’m going to kill you.”
Something rolled across the floor towards the Veldt. He stopped it with his foot and looked down. Smoke released from metal ball and the Veldt jumped back.
“Smoke screen?” the Veldt said as the smoke began to envelope the area around them. “You’re going to have to do better than that.”
Shots cracked the air and the Veldt brought up his wand to deflect.
“Scutege!”
The bullets dropped harmlessly at his feet, but as they did, he heard the sound of footsteps running towards him from behind. He turned in the direction he had heard it, but then saw the change in wind around him. He looked back and the pommel of the Xenator’s sword struck him in the center of his mask. He took a step back from the blow and was able to avoid the next as the Xenator’s blade cut through the dense smoke. The Veldt kicks at the sword and heard as it clattered across the floor. He felt the Xenator draw in and brought his arms up to protect as the Xenator swung a punch at his head. He knocks the Xenator’s fist away and struck with a straight right that caught its mark. No sooner had he landed the punch did the Xenator grab his arm and heave the Veldt up and over, slamming him hard onto his back. He was fighting blind in the smoke and it seemed the Xenator was not so hindered. The Veldt was on a knee and rising to his feet when he felt the Xenator coming forward. He brought his hands up and caught a kick from the Xenator as he rose fully to his feet. The Xenator, with his free leg, leapt into the air and went for a kick to the side of the Veldt’s head, but the magiko bent low, ducking the blow and the leg going over and around the Veldt’s head. As he did, the Xenator pushed off with both feet going into the Veldt’s chest and spinning in the air. The shots from his dual guns rang out as he fired back at the Veldt from the rolling aerial flip.
“Scutege! Duplicorpus! Scutege!”
The Veldt brought up the protective shield again to defend against the bullets. The smoke had begun to clear and he looked around. The Xenator was not to be seen. He spun on his heel and the knife of the Xenator plunged into his gut. The Xenator glared into the eyes of the Veldt.
“I told you I’d kill you.”
“That remains to be seen.”
The voice came from behind him. The Xenator looked at the Veldt before him and watched as it evaporated into smoke. He ducked in time to avoid the sword swipe of the Veldt as he looked to decapitate the Xenator. Rising up off the ground, the Xenator brought back his leg and struck the Veldt at the knee, taking him off balance. As the Xenator rose, he spun, and brought the knife around. The Veldt fell to the floor, the knife having been thrust into the back of his skull.
The Xenator knelt down beside the body of the Veldt and removed his blade. He scanned the room, but there was no sign of the politician. A hand touched his shoulder. The Xenator looked over to see Evina kneeling beside him. He opened his arms and embraced her, Evina’s head resting against his body, her sorrow wetting his chest.
AUTHOR NOTES
Join the AlterOne Fan Group: Stay up to date on chapter releases for AlterOne by subscribing to [
You must be registered for see links
] in the AlterOne group which can be found [
You must be registered for see links
]. The group also will be home to short stories and brief histories about the world of AlterOne that will be posted in between chapter releases to give you more insight on the world and entertain you all the more as well as concept artwork for a number of characters.Read the AlterOne Information Index: To help readers understand some of the dialogue and the structure of the world, I have created this index which will be regularly updated.Check it out [
You must be registered for see links
]Contest Voting: The FanFiction writers have a monthly contest to choose the best FanFiction. It can be found in this section [
You must be registered for see links
]. If you do not feel mine is the best then vote for the one you favor but we would like your participation and feedback for the contest.
