*******

Gio opened his eyes. It took him a few minutes to regain consciousness after being tased. He was grateful he didn't pee himself. He focused on his hands. They were bound with plastic handcuffs. His legs weren't, and he was sitting on a wooden chair.

He studied his surroundings. Gio was inside a sealed room. More than likely, this was supposed to be a place to hold valuable weapons and equipment, but right now, it was filled with young women who were all sitting as far as possible from them.

“Found them.” Gio smiled.

“They took out our armor and our helicopter. At this rate, we're screwed if they keep pushing towards us." One of the White Water members was panicky. "We still have the girls. That'll be our bargaining chip.”

“You guys are pathetic.” Gio scoffed.

Five White Water mercenaries glared at him. “You’re not Russian. Are you special forces? American or perhaps British? Who are you?" The largest one crossed his arms, and he stood a little over six-three with an AK-107 in his hands.

Gio recalled his military training and whispered the advice that was drilled into his mind out loud. “Always keep the enemy guessing, never show your true self to them. That knowledge can be weaponized against you.”

Solid advice… But then again, this was Gio.

“Oh, where to begin?” Gio took a deep breath. “I'm a weeb, a lost cause, hungry, tired, a sapphire, a libra, a dragon, a monster to some, a hero to others, and above all that… A dedicated Rem fan.”

“More like a smart-ass.” The tall man wasn’t amused. Why was a captive this cocky? Did he have a death wish?

“That too!” Gio cheered, earning him a blow to the face. “Oh… Oh… I guess I deserved that one.”

“Tell us the truth…”

“You want the truth?” Gio licked his teeth where the blow had connected. “I’m an interplanetary traveler, currently living between two worlds and gathering gold, which demi-humans view as worthless, but it’s a means to become filthy rich in our world.”

The large man’s lackey nailed Gio’s chest with his fist. “Stop lying!” The blow did no damage to the heavily muscled man.

Gio gasped, then giggled. "I'm also fucking an elven queen, who wants me to make a harem, so her reputation doesn't fall apart… And she’s pregnant… Fingers crossed for a girl… I’ll name her Rem…”

That earned him a few more strikes. Gio’s head got a cut, and blood went down from his forehead to his cheek. The man took every strike with a smile.

Gasping away for air, the mercenary rubbed his bloody knuckles. Gio’s face was red from the blows, his lip pulsed and had torn when it pushed against his teeth.

“Out of breath after just five minutes?” Gio giggled. “I can only imagine what girls say about you in the sack.”

The mercenary gritted his teeth and struck Gio’s body again, each attack weaker than the last.

“That’s enough.” The largest one stopped the punching session. “He’s getting under your skin.”

“Hey.” Gio smiled with the aftertaste of blood in his mouth. “I didn’t expect your girlfriend to stop you.”

“… You know what.” The large man’s eyes sharpened. “Just keep hitting him.”

Gio’s body was in pain, but it was nothing compared to the rage he had for these men. Gio locked eyes with them, and he kept grinning.

“Why are you smiling?” The large man asked, annoyed. "There is no scenario where you get out of this alive. Just save us the time and tell us who you work for and why you attacked us… If you do, we'll kill you quickly.”

The women around them cuddled together against the side of the room. There were about six hundred of them. All malnourished and terrified of White Water.

Gio giggled. The mercenaries glanced at each other until Gio started laughing obnoxiously. Which only unsettled them more… Gio suddenly stopped abruptly and calmly asked. “Why’d you stop punching me? Do you need a Dorito and code red break?”

Surprisingly the abuser chortled, then that shifted into an all-out laugh.

“You find this funny?” The largest man warned his subordinate.

“He’s an idiot,” The mercenary admitted, “but he’s a funny idiot.”

“Why did you stop hitting him?”

“Yeah,” Gio teased with a cocky gaze. “Why did you stop?”

The man broke out in laughter again. Their leader had enough. He kicked Gio’s chest knocking the chair he was on to its side. As he fell, the wood around his hands snapped, and Gio reached into his sleeve, pulling out a small pocket knife.

Gio glanced up at the cameras. They were CCTV's, and they were all focused on him. "Evaristo… You sly dog." Gio muttered to himself as he carefully cut the rope binding his wrists.

“We’re trapped in here. If even one vehicle survived the battle, then we take one or two hostages with us. After we get far enough, we kill them and make our way back to our base in Kazakhstan.” The large man suggested. “We’ll take the youngest girls with us.”

A vein on Gio's head pulsed. He focused on all the cameras and grasped that they all had a little green light on them. All except one. It was turning on and off rapidly.

Gio focused on its pattern. It was Morse code. "W,I,N,K." Gio whispered to himself. So he did just that.

The single camera turned on and off rapidly again. “S,T,A,N,D A,N,D L,I,G,H,T,S W,I,L,L S,H,U,T O,F,F K,I,L,L T,H,E,M.” Gio smiled and winked at the camera.

His gaze went back to the five mercenaries who were plotting their escape. Unaware that Gio was preparing to face them head-on. The pocket knife cut through the rope, and Gio stood up slowly.

The lights shut off.

Gio charged in, grabbing the two closest men. They moaned in pain, the room was pitch black, and the three remaining mercenaries panicked. "The power went out?" Then the echo of something pounding caught their attention.

Bunk. Bunk. Bunk.

The lights turned back on. In Gio's hands were the heads of two of the mercenaries. He had grabbed them by their hair and slammed their heads together over and over. That was the pounding beat.

He dropped the corpses to his sides.

The two smaller mercenaries charged. The first aimed his Beretta M9 at Gio’s head.

Gio caught the weapon with his strong hand.

The barrel was against his palm. He pulled the slide against the hammer. The mercenary aimed it at Gio’s chest and pulled the trigger.

Nothing happened.

“What the fuck?”

The second one reached for his knife and slashed. Gio grabbed his wrist with his spare hand and tugged down hard, dislocating the man’s shoulder and knocking him on the ground. Gio’s foot stomped against his windpipe.

The second mercenary pulled the trigger over and over, but nothing was happening.

“That’s a safety feature…” Gio’s fingers grabbed the slide lock level and brought it up with his thumb, and his index finger pushed the take-down lever. He pulled his hand back, taking apart the slide from the frame. Gio didn't stop there. He shoved the slide deep into the man's skull. The slider's end was sharp and dug deep into his head, killing him instantly.

With his free hand, he pulled on the arm of the man below him. He was keeping his foot against his neck. Gio's eyes glared at the largest of the mercenaries as he tugged tighter, and his foot crushed the man's throat until he stopped fighting back and died.

Now it was Gio and the largest mercenary.

“So you are special forces." The man unclipped his weapon and let it fall on the ground after witnessing Gio's skills in action. He grasped that he was trained to kill anyone who aimed a weapon at him… Plus, he also wanted to face someone with his skills in hand-to-hand combat. "Let's end this one-on-one."

Gio released the dead man's arm and readied his fists. Behind him, the girls whimpered and cried. But some of them cheered for Gio.

“Here’s the thing… I’m a nice guy…” Gio’s voice rumbled across the makeshift prison. “But if someone hurts women… Or children… A part of me changes… And everyone involved… Well, they end up like your friends…”

The lights flickered, Gio charged in, striking first. The large man parried and countered.

Gio dodged, ducked, dipped, dived, and dodged again.

Being shorter than the mercenary made no difference. Gio’s skills far outweighed his enemy.

The large man lifted his arms up to protect himself as Gio's fists attacked. They were like machine guns. Each blow bruised and fractured the large man's bones and flesh until he found himself stepping backward and regretting the decision of facing Gio one-on-one.

Gio took advantage of his position and jumped, spinning his body in mid-air. The odd attack confused his aggressor. Gio's forearm connected against the large man's face. And he tumbled backward.

“Fuck!" The mercenary panicked. His fingers gripped something hard. He glanced to his side. It was a combat knife. Gio mounted the man, putting his full body weight on his chest.

The mercenary used his newfound weapon and jabbed forward.

Gio caught his wrist by opening his fist and allowing the knife to go between his index and middle fingers. The merc's eyes widened. He was facing a monster.

Gio’s hand squeezed tightly until the bones on the large man’s hands snapped and bent unnaturally.

“Fuck!” The man moaned. “Please stop, I’ll go… Just let me live…”

Gio's eyes became soft. For a second, he pitied his enemy. Gio even considered letting him go. That was until one of the women screamed.

“He's lying! He'll kill you!" Gio's eyes focused on the woman, she was in her early twenties, and sometime during the fight, she had gotten her hands on the AK-107. Her hands were shaking, and her face was covered in tears. "Don't let him live."

Gio's resolve returned with a bitter rage. He punched the man's face over and over. His fist burned after the first five hits as he attacked him, the broken hand that clung to the combat dagger lessened and lessened.

Blow after blow, Gio released his rage and his hate. He hated monsters… But he also accepted long ago that the only way to kill a monster is to become as strong as them. His fists kept beating the man's face until he was no longer recognizable. His face was caved in, his nose was shattered, and all his teeth were broken. The broken man had accidentally swallowed some during the beating session.

“Sir.” The woman spoke meekly. “He’s dead.”

Gio stood up slowly. He was out of breath, and blood dripped down his fists. He studied the girls.

Some of them yelped. Other’s thanked him.

“Are you here to save us?” The woman dared to give herself hope.

“Yes…” Gio's voice shifted to a sweeter tone. "You won't live in a cage anymore…"

The women around him wept for the first time in years. It was tears of joy.

*******

“STORM THE BASE!” Eugene roared into his megaphone. He, along with third and fourth platoon, drove and rushed towards the base. White Water lost all their armored vehicles, their watchtowers were on fire, their C-Ram was destroyed, and the mortar rounds had destroyed the walls and portions of their main base. The militia was even using the snowmobiles that had survived the battle to rush into the base. Carrying two even three people on them. "ONE LAST PUSH, MY BROTHERS!"

Eugene was the first to drive into the burning base. He jumped off the snowmobile and used his MTs255 shotgun, ripping apart his enemies with its five-round revolving cylinder. Then, he quickly swapped to his AK-74M and shot down stragglers who were using the rubble as cover.

The locals advanced into the base from all directions. Quickly ripping apart the forces outside the base, the makeshift army rushed inside the building without missing a beat.

Now that the tide had shifted, Eugene and his soldiers showed no mercy. Not even for the wounded White Water members. Years of oppression and fear were unleashed in the form of violence. White Water deserved no mercy, and they got none.

The militia quickly scanned and cleared every room they passed. Just how Eugene had trained them. "FIND OUR GIRLS!" Eugene pulled out his side-arm and fired at a terrified man. The man fell backward, moaning in pain until Eugene fired again.

*******

XP:32,880

Ashner and Risa rushed through the base. It was littered with cadavers, more than likely from Gio’s group. Once the mortar rounds started raining down, Ashner used his power to collapse the roof, enough for them to escape inside the building, which did nothing to escape the heat of battle.

Risa's mana was just about gone, and Ashner was lightheaded from all the fighting.

Gunfire only increased after the mortar fire stopped. More often than not, the two took cover and hid while White Water members passed by them. They only fought if they had no options or were accidentally caught.

XP:34,500

Oddly, the lights dimmed or shut off completely when they hid. Something that wasn’t a coincidence. Evaristo kept his eyes on them. He was making the battle shift in their favor, even locking doors to prevent White Water from reaching them and prevent them from accidentally running into a trap.

They rushed into a passageway that ran underground. As they passed by, a single shot echoed towards them.

Ashner and Risa readied themselves to fight until the lights above them flickered on and off quickly.

Are you telling me not to engage?

Ashner grabbed Risa's arm. She was about to rush in blind and take down whoever was firing at them. He shook his head and took a deep breath.

“REM IS!” Ashner rolled his eyes as he screamed the call sign Gio insisted on.

“BEST GIRL!” Gio boomed back, completing the call sign. “IS THAT YOU ASHNER!”

“Yes!”

“Get your ass in here!” Gio urged as the gunfire above them started settling.

*******

Battles don’t usually end with a big explosion. They end in mute and empty silence. Gunfire dies out, the wounded usually stay silent, and the fact that you're alive eats away at everyone. War is cruel, filthy, sickening, terrifying, and despite what some argue… Necessary.

The militia entered the prison. They were greeted by the grateful and revealed hugs from their family members and friends.

Eugene smiled and nodded at Ashner and Gio. “Mission complete.” He lowered his weapon.

Around him, some of the children and women asked for the names of men that met their end on the battlefield.

Ashner tried to push away their weeps and bitter outcries when they learned of their fates.

Eugene spoke Russian into his radio then turned to the group. “The base is ours. And Evaristo is safe. Follow me.”

*******

The women stepped out of their prison. For the first time in five years, they embraced the cool night air. Every one of them breathed freely once they walked outside. The destruction was a sight to behold, and the bodies were littered everywhere and stained the pavement crimson.

More militia members arrived, including Wong, Lina, and Alex. As soon as Lina caught eye of Ashner and Risa, she rushed in and kissed them both on their lips.

Alex was struggling to walk, so Wong was lending him his shoulder. He was covered in dried blood and light wounds.

“Wong.” Gio helped him carry Alex. “How did things go on your side?”

“Some parts good, others bad…” The two just about carried Alex. “But I’m glad we’re all okay…”

The group united once more. They all made it out alive.

Some of the women found the bodies of their husbands, father’s and sons. They were carried inside the base. First and second platoon had stayed behind to gather the dead and wounded.

Wounded men were being tended to by some of the militia, and the dead were piled side by side. The ones who had been ripped apart were wrapped up in tarps.

“How many…” One woman spoke decent English. Her eyes were red from crying. “How many died?”

Eugene shook his head. “We lost a little over a quarter of our army.”

The girls glanced at the world around them. Almost like they were staring into the abyss. Guilt ate them up inside. None of them asked to be taken prisoners… And none of them wanted their men to kill or die for them.

Evaristo walked out of the base last. He was still protected by the special squad that came with him. In his hands, he carried multiple computer components. More than his backpack had space for.

“Did you erase our data?” Eugene asked.

“No…” Evaristo’s scorned. “I was so sure that your names would be on it… I checked every nick and cranny of that server… I found detailed information from men in women in South Africa… Which led me to a terrifying conclusion… White Water prepared for this kind of thing… They have your information on another server… Maybe the one in South Africa… Or maybe it’s somewhere else… None of you are safe…”

“FUCK!" Eugene took a few steps away from Evaristo. The local’s gazes became distant, and fear wrapped around.

“I suggest you run and hide… White Water works with NATO and dozens of military and mercenary organizations… Unfortunately, after today… Everyone here will be an international terrorist… I'm sorry…"

“Crow can help us," Eugene spoke to the survivors. "But only if you agree to join his cause… Every one of you experienced the oppressive force of White Water… You lived in fear… And we fought side by side… While our brothers and sisters died… But this was just one base… White Water has over forty… The fight isn’t over… So I’m asking you, not as a freedom fighter, but as the boy who grew up in this town… Will you join me?”

No one volunteered for a few seconds. Then one man stepped up. Then another, and another. Fifty-five men and forty women stepped up. All of them had lost enough to keep fighting. The rest kept their distances. One battle was more than enough for them.

“This is a commitment to the death," Eugene assured them. "You'll fight and die alongside comrades from all corners of the world… This is our first true victory against White Water… But it won't be our last… Throw away your names… Throw away your past… Throw away your fears… And welcome to the resistance… Welcome to the Black Knights…”

The rest of the citizens held their families tightly. They had no future. Nowhere to go.

Ashner grabbed his key and studied it.

“Don’t tell me you’re thinking about taking in more refugees?” Wong asked.

“Everyone we’ve helped has been a refugee… I have the power to help them… What kind of man would I be if I turned a blind eye?”

Wong sighed then nodded.

Ashner stepped up towards a door and tapped it with his key. As the door shifted, he took the megaphone from Eugene and spoke.

“No one has to live in fear… I can give you a new home… One where White Water can never reach you… But it’ll come with one huge downfall… Once you enter this world… You can never leave it…”

As Ashner continued, Wong turned to Eugene. He paced away with him until he was far away from the main group.

“Evaristo… Ashner told me he broke into our former base. The one where he was arrested in. And that he stole a large amount of data for you… I want you to go back a few years… To a very specific night…” Evaristo grasped that he was asking him to review the data from the night Melissa was raped. “The MP’s did a terrible job putting together the truth of that night. One can say they purposely did the complete opposite and even denied Ashner his rights… I want to know who was in charge of that investigation… And why was it pushed so fast? Who bent the law and military regulations? I want to know who fucked my friends over.”

“You want me to investigate Melissa’s rape? You’re aware that I’m not fully convinced Ashner didn’t do it… What if I find something you don’t like?”

Wong crossed his arms. "Do this for me… We risked our lives to get your brother's data… Plus, I've seen how you glare at Ashner… Don't you want to know the truth as well?"

Evaristo sighed heavily. "Say you're right… What will you do with that information? Fighting against White Water is a risk on its own, but if you decide to take on the American military, then we won't last very long."

“Then we just have to be smarter than them…”

The citizens took Ashner's offer. None of them stayed behind, which only increased the newest members of Black Knight's morale.

Before burying the dead became an option, Ashner spoke to the locals and lastly to Lina. Who was being congratulated and thanked by the militia. They surmised that her quick wit and decisive decisions kept them alive in the battle.

“Can you send the bodies away?"

“In front of everyone?” She studied the corpses.

“Yes… These people are lost… Your power is special… Show them a miracle…”

Lina nodded and stood up. Her body started glowing, and her light engulfed the base.

Her light erased all the bodies and all the blood. Then, the clouds above shifted and allowed the moonlight to shine down on the locals.

In front of them stood the spirits of their family members, from brothers, sisters, aunts, uncles, fathers, mothers, sons, daughters, friends, strangers. Their souls found their loved ones.

The locals wept, and some gasped as the ghosts of their loved ones said goodbye… For the last time… Then all together their souls faded away… Leaving behind just the empty and silent night…

SP:20

*******

General Snapple sipped on his iced tea. He had spent most of the day giving orders to his chain of command. It was almost time for the yearly division five-mile run. And he was waiting for his son to get home. He had been gone for some time, going green to gold.

The door opened and in walked a soldier. He wore his pressed uniform and a new accomplishment on his chest.

“You're still up, dad?" The new Officer showed off his new gold bar on his chest, and his father had three stars across his own. And they both shared the same last name.

Snapple.

“That looks good on you. You went from a Sergeant to an Officer, just like your old man." The General smiled and closed his laptop. "I'll make sure you're fast-tracked. Soon you'll catch up to your old man.”

“Thanks, dad."

At the same time, three intruders had snuck into the military base, cloaked themselves in black, and used the cover of darkness to close the distance with their targets.

Strong hands caressed the doorknob, careful not to damage or scratch any part of it. His hands picked the lock. Behind him, a woman with long green hair, lifted and covered under a thick beanie, followed him.

They rushed in quickly, avoiding the pictures on the walls and anything fragile.

Until they were face to face with the two Officers, granted, they were ten feet apart from each other.

“What are you doing?" The Lieutenant-General stood up, enraged.

That’s when the barrel of a Beretta M9 went to his head.

The new Officer reached to his side to draw his pistol. But before his hand reached his holster, a cold blade scratched his neck. Enough for the cold and sharpness to catch him off guard, but not enough to draw blood.

“Give me your weapon.” A feminine voice spoke, a girl with cat ears had entered through a window that they had forgotten to lock, and she held a combat dagger against his jugular vein. Risa wore all black, from her boots to her gloves and a beanie covering her ears.

He complied and handed her his weapon. Risa slid back, blocking their path, in case they planned to run into another room. She aimed her new weapon at the younger Snapple.

“What do you want?" The Lieutenant-General ordered. "You snuck into my home, pull a gun on my son and me… If this is about money.”

Wong shook his head. He, too, had covered his facial features. But his eyes gave away his race. "I'm here to talk…" Wong dropped a heavy document in front of the Officers. Next to the laptop.

“What is that?”

“A detailed report of members currently in White Water… That used to be in this base… Along with a list of their crimes that, for some reason… Got swept under the rug…"

The eyes of the Lieutenant-General widened for a second, but he resolved his composure and cleared his throat. "You can't prove anything…"

“Oh… But I can Lieutenant General Snapple… Let's start with the obvious elephant in the room… A few years ago, your son was a specialist… And he participated in a very horrid act… That involved eight men… And one blonde woman… I also have the recorded conversation you had with the Captain of the MP unit that was investigating the case… Odd how you threatened his career if he didn’t pin it all on one individual…”

“Ah… Ah… Ah…” The older man shuddered his words. “That… That was resolved. It was a specialist who raped that woman…"

“Lieutenant General… We both know you’re lying… So don’t bother…” Wong tapped his handgun with his thumb. Behind him, Lina reached into her bag and pulled out an odd external hard drive with a touch screen. “But it’s not beneath me to torture pieces of shit…”

“Wait.” Lieutenant General Snapple raised his hand. “Nothing has happened so far… I admit that I was involved, but can you blame me? I had to choose between my son and a nobody…”

Lina bared her fangs as she readied her computer equipment. Wong remained calm and spoke.

“I don't blame you… You made a rational decision… But it wasn't just for your son… It was for you and your spotless reputation… Even now, you're on track to get your fourth star… I'm certain if the news that your son raped a soldier on your base were to become public, it would hinder your accomplishments and ambitions.”

“Then you don’t have to go this far. Think of the consequences… If you kill me…”

“I’m not going to kill you.” Wong grabbed something out of his bag and tossed it to Risa. She immediately used her power and disappeared, leaving both the men confused. “You’re going to kill yourself.”

“What?” Both the men glanced at each other. “We can’t do that.”

“Yes, you can… If you don't, then I'll hunt down every single one of your family members and put a bullet in their heads… But not before I thoroughly cut their bodies into little pieces…”

“You’re insane.” The Lieutenant-General took a step back but Wong aimed his M9 at his head.

“No… I'm just the type of man that's willing to do anything and everything to ensure the people I care about are safe…" A noose swung down from above them. The demi-cat had tied it to the metal rail of their staircase. "Ashner… The man you wrongfully put in jail wouldn’t agree with what I'm doing. He would rather put a bullet in you then move on. Or if you sweet talk him, he might let you live… Sometimes he doesn’t grasp the whole picture, and he’s quick to forgive… Then we have Gio… He’s too kindhearted and only kills when he has no options left… He even goes as far as showing sympathy for his enemies… But I'm neither of them… I'm the warrior that's willing to dive headfirst into the filth to keep everyone around me safe…"

“I’m sorry.” The younger Snapple stepped forward. He was an officer now. Not that it mattered anymore. Wong’s weapon turned towards the younger man. “My dad didn’t have anything to do with Melissa…”

“DON’T SAY HER NAME!” Risa snapped from behind him.

The Officer shuttered, and his hands shook.

“Tell me what you did to her… And why…” Wong was calm. He lifted his hand, ordering Risa to calm down, which she did.

The man hesitated but kept his mouth shut. Wong aimed his weapon at his father. “Talk…”

“I… I…” Wong pulled the hammer of his weapon back. The click urged the man to speak. "I raped her… Look, I just got swept up in the moment… I didn't really enjoy it either… And if you want to know why I did it… White Water recruits soldiers who are cold-hearted… You can say that's how you enter their ranks… It’s both to test the potential recruit’s character and to prove to them how untouchable the organization is…”

“Got swept up in the moment?" Wong giggled, and his face shifted from shocked to enraged. "YOU DON'T GET SWEPT INTO THAT BULLSHIT! YOUR COCK GOT HARD, AND YOU FORCED IT INSIDE MY FRIEND!"

“No! I didn’t have a choice!” The man panicked. “When White Water chooses someone you either accept or you end up dead! I did it to survive!”

Beside him, his father, the renowned and proud Lieutenant-General, glanced away and down. His eyes were ashamed. He then spoke to fend Wong's rage away from his son. “I’ll retract what I did… I’ll admit that I hindered the investigation and pinned the blame falsely on that Specialist… But please… Don’t kill him… Don’t kill my son… I’ll do anything…”

“What did Ashner do when he walked in on you raping my friend?" Wong's resolve was unshaken. They were begging for their lives, but Wong didn't care.

“He… That man fought us…" The Lieutenant closed his eyes tightly. The weight of his crime dug deep, like splinters ripping into his very soul.

"You could've fought back too…" Wong studied them. They were petrified. But then again… They were both guilty. "Some people are born monsters. They can't help what they are. I can at least accept that… But others become monsters because they're cowards. They make the conscious choice to become the very thing they hate… And that… Is someone I can never accept.”

Wong aimed his weapon at the head of the new Officer and calmly pulled the trigger.

The Lieutenant held his breath, but the echo of gunfire didn’t roar across their home.

“What was that?”

Wong brought his weapon up. “That was me giving my friend the okay.”

Risa's sword dug deep into the younger Snapple's back, ripping through his ribcage and out of his chest. He took a second to study the blade and coughed up blood.

“A bullet leaves gunpowder residue. A blade doesn’t.”

The demi-cat pulled her sword out of his chest.

The soldier with a bright future collapsed. His blood flowed under his father’s feet. Like water soaked in rose peddles. Only deeper and crimson.

“NOOOO!” Snapple knelt down and grabbed his son’s body. “WHY! I WAS GOING TO DO WHAT YOU WANTED!”

“Why, you ask?” Wong grabbed a chair. “Because he was guilty of raping Melissa… Call it justice.”

“That wasn’t justice… That was murder… It was cold, ruthless, and cruel… This is your revenge…"

“What is justice, and what is revenge?" Wong slid the heavy chair. It stopped under the noose. "It's just an idea, essentially taking action against those who have wronged you. The only difference being, people who claim to do it out of justice sleep better at night, while those who claim it’s for revenge get overwhelmed with guilt… At the end of the day, the act is the same… Justice and revenge are two sides of a coin… But the same coin nonetheless…”

Tears ran down the Lieutenant General’s face. Karma had stormed its way into his home…

And it was there to collect.

“I have to hand it to your son. He ended up denying White Water's offer and, in his own way, tried to forget what he did… But here's the thing… Melissa can't forget… Ashner can’t forget… And neither will I… A quick death for your rapist son was my justice… But you, Lieutenant General Snapple… You’re another story…”

Wong pointed at the thick folder. He spoke a few names he had memorized while he read it... “Private Watt, Sergeant Fitzgerald, Specialist Small, Corporal Holding, Private Emerald… And the names go on and on… These are the men and women who have committed horrendous acts while on this military base… None of them were persecuted, and all of them are currently working for White Water… Do you know what that tells me?"

The General forced his gaze away from his son. His breath's were now becoming sobs. “What does it tell you?”

“That you purposely allowed these atrocities to happen… You didn’t commit any of them personally, but you made damn sure they were covered up… Ashner being the exception… He was the only one who went to jail. I’m presuming Ensley made you arrange that… I was curious why you allowed these things to happen until I caught wind of something… You're on White Water's payroll… You're compensated to keep quiet, scout, and recruit new members for that disgusting organization…”

“So what if I am?” The older man had no fight left after observing his son get murdered. Lina helped herself to his personal laptop. She was wearing gloves, and her ears, face, and body were covered to prevent leaving behind any type of DNA. “It’s not like I can go back and change things…”

“You can’t… This is your legacy… It’ll end with you committing suicide… White Water won’t catch wind that we were here… And your personal computer will help us gather more information on other members… Since you recruited them, I’m assuming you did your research on every single one of them.”

“Yes…” The Lieutenant-General studied his son's corpse again. He wasn't moving, and the air around him was heavy and bitter. “You may call this justice, young man… But going down this path will destroy you… I used to be just like you… I craved justice… But I was too afraid to act… My son even got dragged into the organization I helped grow… If you fight them, you will die… Just let it go after you kill me… You can’t take on the whole world…”

“Craving justice while allowing injustice to occur only makes you an obstacle. You're worse than the men and women you protected…”

“You can’t judge me… You just murdered my boy… I lost my family thanks to you…”

“So what? I never had a family…” Wong’s voice became distant. Like he was reliving a dream. “I was a foster kid, trapped in a system that only pretends to care about children. I’ve faced the worst type of people as I grew up. Those who wanted to use me, those who abused me, those who saw me as just a plaything for their amusement and their lust… I sympathize with Melissa because I was there as a child, more times than I care to remember, and it wasn’t men who committed the crime… Those events shifted everything about me… Every time I have sex, I relive it… I SEE HER OVER AND OVER!… That’s why I have to relive it every time I have sex, because she's always there... Her scent, her touch, even her aura… But things are different now… I’m in control… This time… I’m not helpless… Not that you would know… Or even care… Since you allowed that to happen to Melissa… To who knows how many others…”

Risa and Lina studied Wong. He never talked about his past, and now he was revealing his most painful memories. So much that his eyes were watering, and his hands were shaking. Both girls wanted to hug him and take away his pain… This whole time he focused on everyone else… When he was tormented by his own past… The two found a new level of respect for the man… Even Snapple took in every word, recalling how many men and women he denied justice. Deep down, he wanted to die.

“So I ran away every time things got bad… It didn't take long for me to grasp something… Intellect is deadlier than any bullet… Books became my shield. Fear forced my mind to retrain every little bit of information I learned. Eventually, I became a prized child that everyone wanted to adopt… But none of it was real, they just wanted a brilliant kid as their own, but I can only say no so many times until the system forces a family on me… So as soon as I turned sixteen, I emancipated myself. Then at seventeen, I joined the military, not because I’m patriotic, but because I needed to escape as fast and as far as possible. After the army found out my intellect was on par or above most scientists, they offered a full ride to any college I wanted and a ridiculous high sign-in bonus if I completed a full contract. I accepted, not just to survive but to overcome my past… But surprisingly, while I was in… I found people who accepted me for who I was… A distant, rude, and cold man… They didn’t know my past or my struggles… But they still supported me… I found my family… And slowly but surely, the members of my family grew, and grew… I would walk proudly through the nine gates of hell if it means I can protect them… Your mistake… Was fucking with them…. Cause now you have to deal with me…”

“Family…” The Lieutenant-General smiled. "I lost sight of myself somewhere along the way…" He glanced at Lina. "The password is bemylittlegeneral, all one word, all lowercase."

She raised her eyebrow and typed it in. “It worked.”

“That was unexpected…” Wong studied the man as he stepped up on the chair and grabbed the noose.

“If I'm going to die… I want to leave some good in this world… I wish I had your courage. Maybe things would've ended up differently if I did… And for what it's worth… Don't get yourself killed…" The older man took a deep breath and jumped off the chair. He spasmed and fought back, but it was useless. His eyes just about popped out of his sockets, and his face became as red as a strawberry as his body swung around. Wong stared at him the entire time. With no sympathy in his eyes, he didn’t enjoy what had to be done, but someone had to do it. His eyes didn’t glance away until the older man stopped moving.

“It's over." Wong studied Lina, who was copying all the files on his computer on the external hard drive. It was doing it on its own, but the password helped move things along quicker. "Lina, use your power and erase the son's body But leave the Lieutenant General hanging.”

Lina nodded, and her light reached the man. None of his flesh or blood was left behind, just his clothes which Risa quickly collected and stuffed into her backpack.

Wong grabbed the hard drive as soon as it finished copying the computer. Next, he opened up Word and wrote a suicide note. He had gone out of his way to learn the names of every family member Lieutenant General Snapple had. He halfheartedly wrote a basic suicide letter, blaming stress, depression, and PTSD for his decision.

“Won’t people look for his son?” Lina asked.

“Yes, but after the news of his father’s death, it won't be out of the ordinary for a family member to leave the country… We'll use his credit card to buy a one-way ticket to a developing country…" Wong turned the computer around and studied the room. He now carried a heavy burden on his soul. One he was grateful Ashner or Gio didn’t have to carry.

When the girls left the home, Wong asked his power to form around his fingertips. Water rushed around the crime scene. Erasing every strand of DNA, collecting a few strands of hairs, and erasing their footprints.

This was never going to be a crime scene, just the site where a man ended his own life.

After a few hours, the group drove through an empty side street. Wong had memorized which path to take to avoid major highways. His plan was well executed, but one mistake was enough to lead some suspicion towards them. He had preset scenario's in his head if that happened. As a last resort, the group would cut all ties with their home planet and live in the demi's.

“We’ll ditch this car in a junkyard and crush it when we’re a few states away… All our clothes will be burned and buried a few states after that… And we’ll set out and gather cattle, if Ashner asks about today, only give him half the truth… We were only gathering cattle…”

The girls were silent.

“Wong…” Lina’s head was against the car window. “Do you want to talk about what happened to you?”

Wong didn't say a word. He had never opened up to anyone.

"No."

The girls both cared for him, but he was also a hard man to read. With Gio and Ashner, a hug was more than appropriate, but they didn't have a solution with Wong.

“Do me a favor…” Wong continued. “Don’t tell anyone about my past…”

The girls nodded.

Lina changed the subject. “Wong, why did you want us to help you with this?”

“Isn’t it obvious?” Wong took a second to reply when the girls didn’t say anything back. “You two are the only ones in our group that won’t hesitate or show mercy to our enemies… We might have to do more jobs like these in the future… If it's too much for you to handle, then you can back out."

“No.” Risa shook her head from the backseat. “Ashner and Melissa are both my lovers… Anyone who hurts them will meet the end of my blade.”

Lina was more hesitant, but eventually, she nodded.

“Gio was right. White Water declared war on us… But they're expecting us to face them head-on… In time we will have to, but unlike a game of chess… War doesn't have to be played on the board. A pawn doesn't need to be humble and submit to their death… In this war, we'll make the rules and fight on our terms… The others will be the light that pushes us forward, and we'll be the shade that protects their backs… That will be our role. We'll kill in the darkness… Until we’ve won this war…”