A Child's Vengenance; Chapter 1
(A break from the war, actually an rp I'm doin' wiht Little_Samantha. *One I need to still finish* Hope you enjoy it!)
The Hot Scale Nightclub was a buzz that particular evening. The patrons crowded the flashing dance floor, all in a massive orgy of music and fluid motion. The bar was equally populated, attracting the variety of characters. All laughed, all sang, and all drank to their hearts content, eventually joining their comrades in party. One however stayed behind, setting his glass hard upon the counter, demanding another round. The bartender would merely grunt, his discontent disguised at the human by the club's music, doing as the generous drinker asked.
The man was simply a mess. His hair unruly, an unshaven face producing an untamed beard, his clothes torn and ruffled (no doubt due to the rough dancing on the floor!), accompanied by a haunted look in his eyes. Those very eyes glued themselves to the approaching glass of alcohol, hand extended to offer payment and receive the bounty.
The glass firmly in his hand, the man paused. Out of the corner of his eye, out of all the patrons in the club, one began an approach. The smooth skinned shark kept her head straight as she proceeded through the crowd, apparently intent on arriving in the human's presence. Unlike all of the other patrons, she was dressed in a modest black dress overlaid with a jacket, displaying quiet the lovely set of legs. He merely chuckled, taking the drink to his lips, closing his eyes at the following sensation.
"Excuse me." Came a rather feminine voice as the bliss passed. The man creaked open his eyes, the shark sitting on the adjacent stool.
"Look," The man began, his voice gruff, "If you want somebody to fuck with, you'd best find someone else. I'm not interested." He deadpanned the matter, finding it the most effective to deal with the patrons of the club. Or so he thought.
The shark merely smiled, undeterred in her efforts. "Well, I thank you for the advice. But, having sex with you was not what I had in mind." The man set the half empty glass upon the counter, a raised eyebrow in her direction.
"Oh? Some crazy kink of your to have a taste of human then?"
She shook her head. "Nope, but you are more than welcome to keep guessing if that is what you wish."
The man scratched his chin, adjusting his tone. "Well then, I've already eliminated the first reasons why people usually approach me in here." Leaning forward, his eyes narrowed slightly, "Alright. I'll bite. What do you want?"
His new counterpart merely chuckled. "Mr. Genira, what I want is not important. What my client wants is." She reached into her jacket, and already the human groaned. Another 'proposition' from some private military corporation; just what he needed. He was greeted by the familiar vanilla folder routine, but as it fell to the counter, the man known as 'Genira' felt his heart skip a beat at the tab labeled 'Lieutenant Michael Genira'.
His right arm shot out to grab for the folder, but only found the shark's hand already protecting it. He glared at the individual, anger, fear and alcohol clouding his mind. "How the hell did you get that?"
With her free hand, the shark only shook a finger. "Tut, that would be telling Mr. Genira. The point is, my client is more than aware of your skills, and would more than willingly hire you for a hefty sum."
"Forget it." Was all that the human said, finishing his drink, "I'm not going for the whole mercenary routine, not even for some 'hefty sum'. I left all that shit behind me when I left the service."
The shark only released another smile, this one appearing to be strained. "Mr. Genira. Coming nicely or not..." She looked over her shoulder, several figures approaching through the crowd towards the pair, "You are going to listen." She leaned forward, her eyes narrowed, that smile gone. "My client NEEDS a man of your skills. I guarantee, what my client has for a proposition has nothing malicious in mind. There are no killings of innocents, no secretive operations, nothing. Just a task for you to complete, Please." Was what she ended with, surprising Genira thoroughly, giving him reason to take this into serious thought.
'Nothing bad eh?' The man thought to himself. 'Evil is a matter of perspective. What may or may not be evil to this 'client' could be viewed differently by me. But.... Bah, of course it can hurt to take a look at this proposition!' He grumbled, looking behind the shark to discover several serious looking big fellows lined up behind her. Stereotypical bodyguards? What else was this shark going to hit him with?
"You called for us Ma'am?" The leader, a Siberian tiger, asked with a glance at Genira. She held up a hand, eyebrow raised. "Well Mr. Genira, what shall it be?" The human sighed, turning away from the shark, then suddenly grabbing the vanilla folder and falling back into the crowd. The stunned shark made a gesture, the fellows behind her in pursuit of the man. Genira madly pushed through the number of bodies in his path, the disgruntled patrons blaming the bodyguards with obscene gestures and curses.
One push too many set one patron against the pursuing bodyguards. Punches were thrown back and forth, gathering more and more into the brawl. On the other side of the growing cluster, the human snickered. Nothing more satisfying then getting others to do the simple work in life, he thought to himself, leaving the door waitress a rather generous tip. Pausing outside the club, entering the nearby alleyway, Genira opened the folder with haste.
Inside was what Genira feared the most. A detailed record of himself, his activities in the service, even including the situations of the greatest secrecy. How that shark got her hands on these documents made him shiver in the mere thought of it. Either that or it was the feeling of something being pressed against his back.
"Don't move." Came an all too familiar voice.
Closing the folder and grasping it firmly in hand, he replied, "Oh. Its good too see you too ma'am."
Turning his head, he faced the shark from earlier, pressing what appeared to be a handgun of sorts against his back. Her face locked in a permanent scowl; she impressed him by handling the weapon with a steady arm, though it might be his back canceling such movement.
"Now, tell me Mr. Genira," the shark woman began, "Still interested?"
"That all depends ma'am," the human replied, "If I say yes, would you remove that gun from my back?" The shark pushed the muzzle of the weapon uncomfortably farther into his back. "And, you'll have to keep your word of course."
Genira would only grumble. This was a situation he could not win easily, and his chances only dimmed as the angered bodyguards came stumbling from the earlier squabble, obviously unhappy.
"Just keep your bodyguards off of me, and call me... interested."
Genira would regret ever mentioning that he was 'interested'. Guided to a vehicle, blindfolded in a rather traditional manner, he felt himself become overtaken by a growing stomach ache. He did regret that sixth glass of beer, the alcohol wasn't doing wonders for him on the bumpy road, and he continued to groan as his headache began to manifest. The annoyed bodyguards rolled their eyes, the Siberian tiger questioning if this was really the guy that was needed.
Genira was at least thankful that he was sitting up instead of lying down, so his situation at least was suitable. He would hear the sound of rainfall hitting the roof of the vehicle, apparently it was raining. Suddenly, all movement stopped as the vehicle came to a stop, and the human had momentary peace and quiet, until being roughly ushered out of the vehicle and into the rain. He groaned, resting his head forward, rubbing his stomach, hearing a gentle gasp from a new voice. Apparently, the thought of Genira throwing up had startled the poor being.
The blindfold was roughly removed from his eyes, causing him to blink rapidly as a bright light was flashed in his face. Expecting to see a mere apartment or a warehouse, his jaw nearly fell completely off at the spectacle in front of him. A mansion of the more gothic décor stood proudly in front of him, towering beyond his wildest imaginations. Above all of the architecture, one statue of a robed angel stood proud, looking directly down upon Genira as he in turn looked up. For a moment, he felt himself uplifted, then doubled over to hurl upon the steps of the manor, much to the butlers utter horror.
After finishing his unpleasant regurgitation, he offered a handkerchief. He sniffled, taking the offering tissue to his mouth, nose, and chin. When he lifted his hand to return the handkerchief, he received a 'You can keep it' from the now disgusted butler. He shrugged, stuffing into his pocket, and regaining his posture. As the butler went about cleaning the mess Genira had so generously donated, the shark departed the transportation, a limo. Had Genira known he would be traveling in such style, he would have dressed nicer.
As the shark exited the limo, the Siberian tiger holding an umbrella politely above her head, the butler stood stiffly, the old wolf's face drawn up in disgust. "Madame Kanya, I must protest this vagrant's entry into the Lady's manor!" He looked over the poor hygiene of Genira, shuddering in disgust. The human shrugged, "Excuse me if I had other plans. I had no idea I'd be in such formal company." He said in a surprisingly sober tone; apparently, all he needed to clear his head was a good emptying of the stomach.
The shark, now 'Madame Kanya', looked embarrassed. "I'm sorry Rolfe, our guest didn't have an easy ride. Car sick you see." Rolfe the butler merely grumbled, opening the door in trained chivalry. "Welcome to Calvadania Manor good sir. Enjoy your stay." A forced smile soon followed, in which Genira returned with a genuine one. "Thank you! I suppose I look forward to it." Patting the wolf on the shoulder as he entered, Genira had the courtesy to wipe his feet on the doormat.
The interior was just as impressive as the exterior. The first room was lined with varying suits of armor, each one varying in style and originality. Genira found it interesting, his interest for history calling for an examination of each individual set, but the thought was disturbed as Kanya spoke up.
"Mr. Genira, if you would?" She asked, beckoning him to follow. The man nodded, shuffling after the shark, his eyes wandering all over the place as they continued onward. Noticing his earlier surprise and apparent interest, Kanya chuckled. "Not exactly what you expected, eh human?"
Genira shrugged, "Well. I wasn't expecting such a wealthy client. One with a nice sense of architecture as well." He laid a hand upon a column, expecting it to be stone, but evidently surprised that it was wood. He apparently had been led to the living room; the homely fireplace surrounded by a massive sofa table and two arm chairs. The walls were decorated with numerous items; antique paintings, stuffed heads of the more primitive furred creatures, a rifle concealed within a case, and most surprising a family portrait. It contained a wolf, a dragoness, and a young human girl, all three evidently happy on a warm summer day. He paused in front of the portrait, scratching his chin as he observed.
"The client will be with you shortly Mr. Genira," Kanya spoke up, interrupting his thoughts, "Please, have a seat." She departed, leaving Genira to do as he wished in the period of time. Rubbing his hands together, he approached the warm fire, gathering in the warmth and observing the rifle above the fireplace mantle. It was an old Kar98K bolt action rifle, perfectly preserved in the glass case, and Genira was curious if it was genuine in age. Instead, he sat down into one of the chairs, looking into the fireplace, and closed his eyes.
He didn't have to wait long. After a few minutes, he heard the sound of feet against the hardwood floor. He sat up in his seat, and turned around, expecting to see Kanya and the wolf from the portrait. Instead, to his great surprise, was that little human girl from the very portrait. She was dressed in a modest night gown, a bathrobe draped like a cloak around her small frame, accompanied by a similarly dressed Kanya.
He smiled, turning to face the shark. "Well, where is the client Madame Kanya? I suppose this is his kid?" He asked, bending down to be able to look face to face with the little girl. Kanya suppressed a giggle, and the girl merely kept a neutral expression, but the twinge of her eyebrow gave an impression of annoyance.
"I am the client, Mr. Genira." The girl spoke, her voice giving off an aura of maturity that caught the ex-soldier off guard. He stood to his full height, coughing in an embarrassed manner. "Now, please, introductions are in order." She took a step backward and gave a polite bow of her head. "My name is Samantha Calvadania, and I am in need of your services, Lieutenant."
Without another word, she sat down in one of the arm chairs, gesturing towards the other. "Now, have a seat, and let us talk business." Genira complied, sitting down and sitting up straight comfortably, but he chose to speak first.
"Before we get into this... I have a couple questions Miss Calvadania." She nodded with a smirk on her face. "Go ahead, Mr. Genira."
The man coughed, "Well, for starters. How in the world did you get a hand on my records?" She raised one of her delicate hands, grasping the vanilla folder from earlier. "What, these? They were a complimentary transaction between me and a former commander of yours Mr. Genira. Does the name General Hank Stateson mean anything to you?" Genira was caught off guard. This little girl bought records from the commanding officer of the Special Forces division? Impossible.
Before he could open his mouth to ask again, "He was retired, of course. Though, he held onto each individual record like a treasure trove. He parted with one, for quiet the price I do admit, but it was worth it." She chuckled, "You were the best candidate for what I had in mind. But, I'm sure you have more questions?"
"Just one," Genira did admit, "How about, where are your parents, if those two happen to be who I assume they are." He pointed at the family portrait to the side, and was startled by the result. Samantha's face melted into.. something else. All trace of amusement or happiness was gone, replaced by a cold and empty appearance.
"That, Mr. Genira, is what I need you for." She leaned onto the sofa table, her hands clasped in one another. "They are dead. Murdered, to be precise." Genira ran a hand over his mouth, ashamed at having invoked a memory out of the girl. "But, like I said, that's where you come in, Mr. Genira."
The girl nodded in Kanya's direction, and the shark slowly approached the two. "I have a proposal for you. Five million dollars upon completing a certain piece of the job, and another five for when the job is complete." Genira gasped softly, recalling earlier Kanya's easy use of 'hefty payment'. "And... what exactly do I have to do?" Genira asked after regaining his breath. "Simple," Samantha began, "I want you to track down my parent's murders, and dispose of them."
An assassination mission; the term ringing so familiar in the mind of a soldier. Immediately his mind went into conflict with itself. He had put killing behind him when he left the life of a warrior. But, the men that this little girl was asking him to remove were naught but murderers. Wait. His entire mind was called to a full stop, and he began to work this piece by piece.
The little girl has documents of the highest level of secrecy; that is a great cause for concern, even if they are from an old friend. She is asking him to kill people, for quiet a large sum of money, and all based on her word alone? His paranoia raced alongside his thoughts giving his mind ache without remorse.
"How do I know you are telling the truth?" The words finally escaped his lips. "Since you've read my files, you know my past, why I might decide not to trust you." Samantha's earlier smirk returned in her reply, "Think about it this way. I'm obviously rich, powerful, and intelligent. So, why on Earth would I risk pulling a drunkard out of a bar to hire him for an assassination of perhaps some of the most dangerous men in the criminal underworld today?" That was indeed a good question; why? There were other willing assassins in the world, so why pick the only unwilling one?
Genira would finally give in. With a sigh, he stood up from the arm chair, made his way over to Kanya and Samantha, and extended his hand. "Consider it done. I accept your proposition."