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“An obvious trap set by oblivious fools.” The Albatross docked at another port, the fees had been waived and the residents were fearful. The assassin sisters decided that it would be wise to kidnap Mira and hold her hostage, the release conditions were that Dante come alone and unarmed to their playroom. Dante, of course, was more than willing.

“This is just dumb.” Titus was shaking his head as he and the others followed Dante, “One of them almost killed you last time!”

“That's because I let it get that far. Now I know everything I need to.”

Victoria was still trying to get him to take a gun, “Please, just a pistol. Anything!”

Dante waved a hand in dismissal, “Nope. Sere's new gadget will be fine. Not like they stand a chance. When Mira is released, question her.”

This port was newer and well kept. Meant for the rich and for merchants, the sterile white floors, walls, and ceilings were covered in luxurious carpets, paintings, and all manner of items to make it feel alive and homey. If it weren't for the assassins, the residents would have been happy and tried to sell everything they could to the infamous Zero Unit. Instead, The Doll Collector and The Keeper had taken over a part of the port, a virtual reality room no less.

The entourage arrived at a facility marked as “VR-01” and Dante rang the bell at the counter.

A terrified woman shuddered, “Y-Yes?”

“I believe I have an appointment with the ladies inside.” Dante put a lollipop into his mouth, “I don't have all day either.”

“You're... you're really crazy...” She hit a button and the main steel door slid open.

Dante turned to the rest of Zero Unit, “I'll be back before you know it.” With that, he entered the room.

Instead of a large blocky room he found himself in a small walled off area, “Dante, so nice of you to arrive. We plan on checking for weapons, as per our arrangement.” The Keeper, the more level headed of the sisters. A red light scanned Dante up and down, “Good, a man of his word.” A room parallel to his own was now visible, no doubt a two-way mirror, which contained Mira, “When you enter the main room, she will be released. Unharmed of course.”

Mira was banging on the mirror and shouting, tears streaming down her cheeks and fear filling her eyes. Dante tapped on the mirror twice and smiled briefly before leaving the scanning room.

“Now this was what I expected.” Large and square, the room was constructed of nothing but white square panels. The Doll Collector and The Keeper were standing at the far end of the room, “Aw, saving me the trouble of hunting you both down.”

The Doll Collector giggled, “Oh, I get to play with my dolly again! Extra rough this time.” Her face was healed, though the mental scars remain from their last meeting.

The Keeper, the more mature of the two, was wary, “I don't see what you can do against both of us. Unarmed and afraid I bet.” Her tone gave away her worry.

“I'm not much for conversation.” He chomped on his candy and tossed the stick aside, “So let's get down to business!” He kicked off the ground and launched himself at the women. Sere's gadget was, in short, a miniature propulsion system attached to the bottom of his boots, allowing him to move at high speed and theoretically allowing him to jump a mile high. The power source was auto-regenerating, like the shielding, so as long as they weren't damaged he could use them as much as he wanted.

In this case, that meant tackling both women into the wall. Just as he landed, they recovered and dashed off to opposite ends of Dante, “What the hell was that?!”

Dante launched himself at The Doll Collector, who was in too much shock to fire off her gravity cannon. He spun around and kicked her in the abdomen, which at high force was enough to make her buckle in half. Her sister could only watch as her lower half and upper half expanded as Dante's foot severed The Doll Collector in half from the inside. Her corpse was launched into the wall, damaging a panel.

The Keeper drew her knife just as Dante turned his attention to her. The savage smile on his face was enough to unnerve her, something no opponent had done before. Unfortunately, she had no time to adapt to the fear because Dante was now barreling towards her. With her elf agility she was just able to dodge a fatal kick, but was unaware at how much control Dante had. He activated his boots and spun around, catching her in the back of the head with his other foot.

She had never felt such pain, nor had she ever felt so dazed. The walls became a blur and the ceiling and floor traded places rapidly as her body spun. How she was alive she would never understand, but it was clear that she had underestimated her opponent. Dante was supposed to have become more mellow as he aged, calmer and more cautious. Those reports were false. He was supposed to have relied on his team rather than himself. Those reports were false. He was supposed to have a soft spot for former teammates. That wasn't false, but it certainly wasn't a weakness. She finally rolled to a stop and was face to face with the wall, 100 yards away from her previous position.

Dante was on top of her, “You have some value to me. Speak and I'll let you live.”

“An assassin...” She tried her best to retain her composure, “Only fails when dead.” The words were right in her head, but they came out a jumbled mess.

Dante leaned over, “I'll keep you alive. You know some things.” His face disappeared for a moment. The Keeper clenched her knife, only to find that her hand wasn't working and her knife was long gone.

Then her leg was cracked in half.

She tried to scream, but couldn't manage it, “An insurance policy. You understand.” The next minutes, hours, or even days were filled with events that she couldn't comprehend. She was sure that Zero Unit was in the room, and that she was in a jail cell. That's about all she could remember.

“Hey.”

A voice in her head, something knocked loose from a previous memory. Childhood maybe. Or a stranger she heard. Either way, it was as real as the other hallucinations. The Keeper did her best to retain her sanity.

“I can see you're conscious. No point in being quiet.”

The Keeper opened her eyes, eyes she had believed were already opened. The dim iron room was lit by the bars of energy keeping her from escaping, “Am I... alive?”

“Yep. As alive as you're gonna get I suppose.”

The Keeper felt exhausted, but was able to investigate a bit more. Her leg was put into a crude plaster cast, her hands were bound behind her, and a cup of steaming liquid was sitting on a small metal box. Opposite of her cell sat a handsome, but older, husky. He was behind bars too, but he was unbound and had a small library of reading material and entertainment, “Who are you?”

“David. Long story. I'm here because I needed the survivors of my team to be able to live their lives. Dante would have me join his team, but he knows I'm done with fighting.” He spoke in a casual manner, but he was indeed wise beyond his years and a veteran of some sort, “So, you're the high end assassin sent to kill him. What a terrible job.”

The Keeper struggled to sit up, “What do you know...”

“I fought along side him a while back, a few times actually. If I didn't know better, I would say that he holds himself back so that the other shine brighter.” The Keeper agreed with that opinion, “He's a master of the battlefield. None better. Not Marie, not Ghoir, not even Ti'Yui.”

The Keeper recognized the names. Marie was of Fallen Sky and considered one of the best tacticians alive. Ghoir was an otter on a mostly aquatic world known for conquering all armies and ruling for a time, before being poisoned by one of his wives. Ti'Yui was a fox on a rather primitive world that fought off invasions from advanced societies with nothing more than an army of bow and spear wielders, “What do they expect of me?”

“Couldn't say. Answers I assume. Oh, that drink was made by Kiya, she's an excellent cook. I'd drink it while it's hot, you'll feel better.”

The encroaching headache was enough to get her to slurp the drink through the provided straw. It was just sweet enough and warming, definitely making her feel better. This Kiya person would have to be thanked. The minty vapors even helped The Keeper retain her attention, “Dante will kill me, I'm sure of it.”

David sat on his bed, “I wouldn't be so sure. He's not an executioner. At worst you'll be stuck here for a while, but even that isn't so bad. Kiya keeps me company now and then. I think she's afraid of some of Dante's companions. Speak of the devil.”

The Keeper panicked, thinking Dante had come to finish the deed, but instead it was a lamia girl. Kiya, if the previous conversation was accurate, “Oh, Mr. David, can I get you anything else?” A soft tone, she clearly didn't belong on a mercenary ship.

“No, thank you though. Our friend is finally awake. Perhaps she needs something.”

The red scales were pretty, but this was still Dante's ship. No doubt this innocent looking girl was a trained killer, “Oh, I'm sorry, but the captain doesn't want me bringing anything unnecessary to this woman. He might get angry again. Sorry miss.” She bowed.

“What in the world...”

“You think I'm a killer like them? How rude! I was asked to come along and see the universe by my queen. I didn't have a choice.” She turned and flicked her tail in the air, “Some people.”

The Keeper was stunned by everything, “Tell Dante to finish me off, I'm not talking.”

Kiya looked sad, “I can't do that. Death is a bad thing. I'll tell him you're awake though.” She slithered down the iron hallway.

“Good kid, a little naive, but good.” David picked up a tablet and started to read something, “I'd relax if I were you. Not like we're going anywhere fast.”

Dante must have been waiting at the door, because he soon marched to the front of The Keeper's cell. She backed against the wall out of instinct, “About time. I have some questions.”

“I won't say a word.”

“Yes you will. Who hired you? And before you answer, know that we already know. If you're honest, it can only help you.”

Was he bluffing? Probably not. Dante knew a lot of people and many owed him favors. Finding out who transferred a small fortune to a single person's account would be easy, “The Black Legion.”

He nodded, “Good. How loyal are you?”

“My contract is only done when the target is killed or I am killed.”

Dante put a lollipop in his mouth, an odd behavior for a man known for his violent tendencies, “And if the money put into your account was removed by the client?”

Dante was trying to get on her nerves, that had to be it. If she was flustered, she was more likely to tell him everything he wanted to hear. It was a common tactic, she had used it before on targets, “I won't fall-” Dante slipped a tablet into the cell. Her bank account was showing, it had been emptied completely, “I don't understand...”

“You were hired by the Black Legion. They don't expect independent contractors to finish their jobs. Hell, haven't you heard? The company hired to build some buildings on their home world vanished overnight. A lot of management was never seen again. You were a distraction, nothing more.”

David snorted, “Sounds about right.”

“I don't care if you tell me your life story, you're here until we can utilize you. Not like you have a home or any credits anyway. I wouldn't be surprised if you were listed as deceased. Believe me or not, doesn't matter.” He began to walk away.

“And if... if what you say is true... then I don't exist anymore...”

“Don't say that.” David looked up, “You exist as long as you feel you exist. A number doesn't mean a thing. Hell, I've been in debt most of my life. I had negative credits. So would that mean that I don't exist even more?”

A wise man, if not too kind, “I have no purpose. What am I supposed to do? I doubt I can even walk after this injury.”

…..................................................

Mira was hugging Dante in the lounge, “They said they were going to kill you! I was so scared! I didn't like being bait!”

Dante patted her on the head and created some distance, “So you say you have no idea what Marie and the blue woman are doing, correct?” Mira nodded, “So why are you at this port?”

“I wanted to leave, but I didn't know where to go. I heard that they could use someone with my talents here, and the woman you captured, she said she was my escort. I was such a fool, but I couldn't stay with Fallen Sky anymore.”

Star was trying to calm her, “Just calm down, okay? We're all safe here! Nobody's gonna hurt us.”

“Mira, we need to know the extent of the Black Legion's influence.”

Mira composed herself and sat down, “Sometime before you left, Marie and the Goddess had been acting strangely. You were always out and about, so I doubt you could have noticed, but they started instituting odd laws that made no sense. Like the military service and class ordeal. I wasn't for it, but since Rachel and Isa weren't there, I was outvoted. Then the strange representative started attending meetings, suggesting even more bizarre things that only benefited his organization. In essence, Fallen Sky became his puppet.”

“I find it odd...” Ratchet mused as she ran her fingers through Dante's hair, “That Marie would allow another to use her like that. You're sure it wasn't blackmail?”

Mira nodded, “They didn't have anything that bad. Maybe they were just stupid.” She sounded spiteful for a moment, “I'm not the one that threw out everything we worked for. Speaking of, what's Isa up to? Does she need a negotiator?”

“No.” Dante said as Quinn brought him a drink, “She's doing fine. I can find you work if you really want, but for now I don't have time to deal with you. We'll drop you off with some friends. Angel, Sere, how are we doing?”

“Ship shape captain!” Came a distant shout from under the lounge.

“All numbers are in range. A small restock will be more than adequate.”

“Good. Everyone get ready. Liasteri's troops will cover the main assault, we'll open the door. I want everyone stocked up with extra armor. We're gonna hit hard and fast.”

Mira was unaware of the plan, “What are you doing?”

“Going after the Black Legion directly. We already have the majority of their soldiers against a corner. All eyes are watching.” He took a sip, “Things are about to change in a big way, little girl.”