19:45 Downtown Annapolis

Alice had no response, but she was smiling in pride with her suggestion. The couple made their way through the office building. The floor they were on was empty. But not all of them were. They turned heads. Which would surprise no one. It wasn’t an everyday sight to see a dinged-up suit of power armor rumble through office space with a woman in battle armor at their side.

Thankfully, because they were wearing helmets, their identities were hidden. Eventually, they got to the lobby where the couple paused for a moment. John was being exceptionally careful since he wasn’t sure if Vic had repositioned himself. The downside to this plan was even more gawking. Several kids pulled up their tablets and began streaming what they saw.

John shook his head when he saw that. He ordered the suit to blast out a bunch of EM noise. This would temporarily cause any handheld device to lose connection to any Wi-Fi or wireless network. Alice pointed at the main doors

John dashed forward and crashed through the main double doors of the lobby. More eyes were drawn to them while they were on the sidewalk. Adding to the simple absurdity of their situation was when he spotted a flatbed truck driving towards the campus. He grabbed Alice, dashed onto the street, and jumped onto the back end of the truck.

“I presume you have a plan now?” Alice asked.

“I man yeah. I got a plan,” John stammered slightly, “Draw him into the basketball practice facility.”

“Good plan,” Alice nodded as she rolled her eyes at her husband, “I presume there’s more.”

“Yup, you and I will be in stealth suits. I’ll control my armor remotely,” John paused, “Really hoping they have a skeleton in the armory.”

“Do they have any anti-material rifles?”

“So you do know the backup plan, which is I’ll be the bait and you’ll be in a dark corner with a big-ass rifle.”

The couple continued to refine their approach. They were about halfway back to the academy when they felt confident about their locked-in plan. John used that as a cue to ring Vic.

“Hey, asshole. Let’s meet at the Academy main gymnasium at the basketball practice facility. See you soon sweet cheeks,” John ended the call.

The couple jumped off the flatbed and onto another truck when theirs turned away from their destination. Twenty minutes later they were walking into the gym and heading to the armory entrance. It was time to prepare their trap. With any luck, Vic would be on his way there.

7 Years Ago. September 6th. Epsilon Eridani Prime, City of New Hope

John was sitting down outside the coffee café sipping on some bland coffee. His laptop was sitting on the table in front of him. He looked the part of the self-absorbed, overly important, douchebag perfectly. His target was Vic Damon; a small-time arms dealer, and lethal assassin.

He was in the building conducting a business deal across the street. Based on the intel he had received this wasn’t a hit job, but an arms deal to offload some assault rifles. John kept on his douchey appearance writing a garbage story on his laptop.

Agent Kindl laughed, “My god man, you have that look and act down pat.”

John smirked and picked up his tablet, “Look, I don’t care if the cars are the same. I’m not buying the car that was painted in speed red. I told you I wanted atlas blue.”

“Magnificent you two. Seriously stellar work,” Agent Aparjods said, “Deal is over. Target is on the third floor and heading to the front door.”

“Yes, yes I know. Oh wow, that black Mercedes is a fetching car,” John continued to speak in code.

“Confirmed, that is the transport,” Kindl said.

“Fine, I’ll come down to the dealership and look at it,” John said as he threw the coffee cup in the garbage and fetched his things.

John walked onto the sidewalk and headed towards his car. He threw his stuff in the backseat and jumped into the front seat. Kindl looked over at him from the passenger seat.

“Fancy meeting you here.”

“Smartass. Get ready, we’re taking this asshole out,” John said as he climbed into the driver’s seat.

“This isn’t a kill op John, it’s a capture one. His destination is the mayor’s office,” Aparjods corrected the young and impetuous agent.

“That’s another thing, why are we letting that corrupt asshole stay in power and business?”

“I’m with John on this one chief.”

Aparjods rolled his eyes at his two junior agents, “Be that as it may, we have other more important things on the agenda to take care of.”

“Fine, where are we going to grab him?”

“They are going to turn right onto Viking drive. That’s seven or so blocks from here and less than halfway to the mayor’s office.”

“Roger,” John said as he put the car into gear.

He spun the car around on the side street and pulled into the left turn lane. The black Mercedes that Vic was in took off just before their left turn light went green. John kept his vehicle about four cars behind them. Aparjolds and Kindl both made call-outs to the squad. They would act once they hit the bend on Viking drive, which would happen in less than a minute.

Kindl had a finger above a button, “Killing their car… NOW!”

Aparjolds pulled up in a separate car behind them and jumped out of the car. John was already in action and at Vic’s car. He had the door open and a gun in Vic’s face in a flash. Aparjolds knew the junior agent was young and physically gifted, but he was taken aback at the ferociousness of the youth.

“Out of the car or I shoot you. It’s that simple asshole,” John said pointing his pistol at Vic.

“Kid, you have no idea the shitstorm you just started.”

“Big words coming from the guy with a gun in his face. My booger picker just needs to apply four pounds of force on the trigger. Give me a reason to do this asshole.”

Vic smirked and then relented. He got out of the car. Kindl was working on the driver. Aparjolds took Vic to the rear of the car and was frisking him. John scanned the car with his sunglasses, then peeked inside.

“Clear.”

“Driver is secured.”

“Walking around without a gun. I’m surprised an assassin like you would do that,” Aparjolds said in a disappointing tone.

“When your me, then you don’t need to. I’m not doing that kind of work today. Besides, the real reason will be clear to you shortly,” Vic was confident and arrogant when he spoke, “What family are you guys with?”

John flashed his badge, “Family? Nah, man. We’re boogeymen.”

Vic felt surprised for the first time in a long time. He hadn’t expected Naval Intelligence to move on him. It was always a risk in Confederate space, but he didn’t think he was a big enough name to get on one of their more heavily watched lists.

“What did I do to get on your shitlists?”

“You sold arms to a family that shot up a barracks on the agri-world of Carmine 6. Dumb move on your part,” Kindl said from the front of the car.

“Not to mention the assassination of the deputy governor on Euphoria Minor.”

Vic was impressed and a bit stunned, but he could hear sirens in the distance, “Not bad. But it looks like my ride to safety is about here.”

The three agents looked at one another confused, but then several police cars began showing up. Along with a silver government BMW. The officers got out of their vehicles with guns drawn, but not aiming at anyone.

The deputy police chief grabbed his radio and spoke into it, “That’ll be far enough, we’ll take things from here.”

“You can’t claim jurisdiction. We’re with Naval intelligence,” Aparjolds shouted.

“It wasn’t a request.”

John walked to the other side of the car and took off his jacket. He laid his gun on the hood of the Mercedes. John removed both his backup pistols from their holsters, one at his six o’clock and the other on his ankle. He pulled up his shirt, spun around in full view of the police then walked forward.

The leader in charge of the police waived him forward. John walked confidently up to him and the others that were blocking their exit.

“Listen up asshole, this isn’t going to end well for any of you. I will make it my life’s mission to bankrupt and destroy each and everyone one of you corrupt fucks.”

“Nice words, but all you spook-types don’t deal with the private affairs on colony worlds. Your captive will be transferred to us.”

“You very obviously haven’t interacted with us much dumbass. Why isn’t the mayor showing his face?”

John’s question shocked the officers in earshot of him. Even the deputy chief was taken aback at the accusation. He could hear the others talk and ask how he could have known that. The deputy chief then nodded over at another officer by the silver car and then opened the door. The mayor then appeared.

The mayor looked displeased, “We don’t want bloodshed, but if you insist on holding him, we will take you out.”

John shook his head and began walking back to his car, “I told you the consequences of your actions here. If you insist on it, I will personally destroy each and every last one of you.”

The corrupt officers and mayor shrugged off his threats as impotent and vapid. For John, this was personal, and he really was going to find a way to bankrupt and destroy the reputations of every last enemy on the road. John waived at his fellow agents. Vic and the driver had their handcuffs removed and then were released to the corrupt officers. Vic was smiling as he passed John.

“No hard feelings kiddo. That’s just how it goes.”

“Watch your six, I’ll be the one to end you someday. Stay alive long enough so I can savor the feeling of putting you out of your misery.”

The officers behind them had already gotten into their cars and were reversing away. The officers in front of them were largely staying in place. The mayor had already gotten back into his car. His driver closed the door behind Vic. Then the officers began to get back into their cars and drive back the way they came from.

“Fuck this noise,” John said in frustration.

Aparjolds slapped John’s shoulder, “We’ll get him next time. Mayor is on the list now too.”

“God, talk about taking one up the ass. We just got fucked,” Kindl said as he opened his door.

Aparjolds turned around to walk back to his car. John was fixated on the silver BMW. His anger was no longer targeted at Vic, it was the mayor. The man oozed corruption, the power that he had completed went to his head.

John’s eyes flashed a dark blue for the briefest of moments. He had reached out with his mind and pinched every blood vessel around the mayor’s brain. Effectively causing the poor bastard to have a massive stroke. John smiled then turned to get back into his car and drove off to the unknown. It was time for the next mission as this one had ended in failure.

In the coming months, each and every police officer that was present at the road would end up losing their jobs. The most senior members there were charged with crimes. They were then exiled, in shame, from the world once their prison term was finished. Those that evaded criminal charges had a host of problems that befell them until they willingly left the planet. Job interviews were canceled, Money would just vanish from their accounts. Rent, mortgage, and vehicle payments disappeared. Life was made unbearable for every last one of them. Every last one of them propagated the far that Naval Intelligence wanted, despite the fact it was truly a slightly out of control and youthful agent that was hellbent on having his revenge.

22:35 Gymnasium – Basketball Practice Courts

John’s power armor was pacing back and forth. It was an odd sight to see for sure. Alice was more disturbed by it, but she couldn’t put a finger on why. It walked with the same confident strut John had. It would pause at the end of the court, spin around, then tap its fingers on his hips. After waiting a moment then it started walking back across the court.

“What if he’s wearing a suit of power armor? While I do like this stealth suit it doesn’t offer much in the way of protection,” Alice asked from the rafter.

“I like seeing you in that stealth suit too,” John said smiling, “But that’s why I’m lugging around the battle rifle.”

Alice groaned through the communications line, “That was designed to be used with a suit of power armor. You aren’t exactly wearing one now.”

“No, no I’m not,” John said smiling, “This is probably going to hurt.”

“What happened with those knives?”

“Got some theories on that,” John said as he was scanning the arena, “Quiet, we got company.”

John shared the location of the sensor hit. Alice tucked herself into a place with a cover that let her have eyes on the court, John’s suit, and the newcomer. John explicitly told her to not do anything heroic, like exposing herself. Alice, despite John’s protests, was firm and unrelenting in her desire to share in whatever fate had in store for John.

“Till death do us part honey,” John said.

“Let’s make sure we grow old and grey together,” Alice snapped back.

Vic stopped on the opposite side of the basketball courts from John’s power armor. John had it in an aggressive position with both hands over pistols. John squeezed the battle rifle tight to his shoulder. He was already grimacing the hellish recoil this gun was going to impart upon his shoulder.

“You really know how to piss me off, you know that don’t you?” Vic shouted.

John connected to the suit’s external speakers, “Let’s face it, you weren’t going to be able to lay down some pipe with your coworker.”

“She was a tough nut to crack, but I think I would’ve had the chance had we popped you back there.”

“Why’d you pull the pussy card and not back her up in person?”

John touched a nerve. Vic tensed up and got into a stance to draw his sidearm. John noticed that a large anti-material rifle was mounted on his back. That would absolutely shred his suit’s kinetic shielding in no more than three, though more likely two, shots. John’s only chance at stopping that was if Vic’s suit didn’t have rear kinetic shields.

That wasn’t a safe bet to make though. John’s own suit had kinetic shielding everywhere. His hope was that because this was a military suit, to be used in military ops, maybe, just maybe, a civilian wouldn’t put an onus on covering their rear.

“How confident are you of that big plaster, you sure I won’t get through your shielding first?” John said in a mocking tone.

“More confident than you. Those two blasters of yours are an irritant compared to mine.”

“True, but the question you have is whether or not you think you’re going to walk out of here alive. My gut feeling is that I’m going to piss on your rotting corpse before the evening is over. Plus the last one that tried out that equation was split in two then turned into pink mist over a busy street downtown.”

“You think you are going to provoke me with such elementary taunts.”

John started to laugh, “Yes, yes I do. Though my wife would find the standard ‘fuck your mother’ taunts disrespectful. Suppose I am growing up in my old age. But we both know you are just a two-bit assassin and a wannabe gun runner. You would have already been put down, were it not for your ridiculous luck.”

“You never planned far enough ahead. I was always better than you,” Vic said confidently.

John thought on that comment, then tied it into the gym’s sensor array. He overlayed the heat sensors. The confederate suits were able to match the background temperature for an extended period of time. The other nation’s stealth suits weren’t as advanced. A heat signature could be found creeping along the other side of the court.

John switched the comlink back to Alice, “Alice switch to your rifle. When the grenade goes off, fire at the heat signature near you after I open fire.”

“What if…”

John cut her off, “Trust me. If I’m wrong, then we’re both dead. If I’m right, we have a better chance of leaving here alive.”

Alice responded immediately, “I wait for you to shoot then, right?”

“Here goes nothing.”

John reached to the pouch at the small of his back. He pulled out two round grenade-looking devices. They were short burst EMP grenades. If he was right that Vic was also controlling his suit via remote control, then these suits should kill the connection and possibly even shut the suit down. If the suit was hardened, which was likely, then the remote connection would likely be temporarily shut down.

In either case once John through the grenades his suit was programmed to draw its weapons and draw the opposing suit's fire. John didn’t want to be this far away from Alice, especially with a possible hostile closing in on Alice. Getting there without getting caught in the crossfire, from his own suit, was going to be tricky work.

John took a deep breath then tossed the EMP grenades. His throw landed within inches of where he wanted them to land. They bounced against the suit’s right foot and exploded in a burst of green lightning.

The friendly suit of power armor reacted near-instantly and began firing at the opposing suit. John leveled the combat rifle and tugged it tight to his shoulder and pressed the trigger. He was firing in three-round bursts due to the recoil. Alice aimed at the rough area of where the thermal mass was and let loose a barrage of fully automatic fire.

Eight seconds later her magazine was empty, “Empty, reloading.”

John continued with the burst fire. He then targeted the enemy suit and fired several bursts at its temporarily deactivated form. He only managed four bursts at the unprotected suit before it restarted itself, but in that time, he was able to destroy the anti-material gun’s mount on the back. John’s suit closed the distance and punched the other suit and wrestled it to the ground, uncontested.

He then commanded the lights to be turned on. The heat signature was in fact, someone. Though it only looked like a couple of rounds actually struck them. That was all it took to disable Vic. One of John’s high explosive rounds had struck Vic a bit above the knee. His body, sans lower leg was lying in a pool of blood. The lower leg was several yards away dangling on the ledge.

Vic’s rifle and pistol were at least a dozen feet away. John pulled his mask back, dropped the rifle to the ground, and drew his pistol. He walked toward Vic with the pistol always aimed at his target. He signaled to Alice to stay put.

Vic pushed himself up and back to rest on the guard rail. He spat out a mouthful of blood. There was a grim smile on his face. John was walking towards Vic but never let the gun be aimed away from him.

Vic smiled and said, “You finally got me you asshole. You know…”

John fired a single round aimed at his forehead. The round struck just above Vic’s left eye. The bullet broke through the skull into the brain cavity and exited the rear with ease. The temporary would cavity that it caused destroyed his brain, killing Vic instantly.

“Good fucking riddance,” John said as he walked backward from Vic.

Alice walked out of the shadows and deactivated her active camouflage, “Is it over?”

“This fight is, but there’ll be another one sooner or later,” John said as he walked back to his combat rifle.