Writing The Hit: Contracts

[Gavin]

[FONT=Verdana][COLOR=Black][LEFT][SIZE="1"]Immortal. Unyielding. Insane.[/size][/left] [b][CENTER][SIZE="4"]Crusader[/SIZE] [SIZE="3"]Baptism[/SIZE][/CENTER][/b] [left][size=1]He loved it. Fucking loved it. The wait before the kill. Those precious few seconds before the door would open, before they'd spill into the room like a freshly sliced artery, and then, then adrenaline and bloodlust would overpower his fragile sanity, driving him into a frenzy of violence and death. He'd savour it for as long as he could, visualise it, try to guess what positions they'd take up, and how they'd come at him, it never mattered in the end, but it was something of a ritual he'd come to enact as much out of habit as choice. Just a few more seconds... Bang. 3. Bang. 2. He licked his lips. Bang. 1. The door gave a final pained groan of metal before collapsing down against the concrete floor with a solid, deathly thud, and with it, a hail of bullets swept the room seeking the assassin. Two of them found their mark in his upper chest, tiny rivulets of blood flowing slowly out of the open wounds, almost lazily he examined them his finger nails digging in, before plucking them out whole and allowing them to slip between his slick fingers to the floor, breaking the silence with a ding. The corners of his mouth had already been dragged into a sadistic smile, anticipation was now officially over. Two of them entered the room slowly, as if to survey their kill... they never got the chance. He caught the first by the throat with inhuman speed, a yelp the only alert to his companion before the Crusader crushed his larynx along with his windpipe, watching him drop to the ground shaking as he tried to draw in vital oxygen through the ruined passage. The gagging sound ceased after a moment, as the struggling stopped and his fingers fell away to his side. The fear in the eyes of the remaining man was absolute, his hand trembling to the point, the pistol in his hand became little more than an ornament. Crusader gave a derisive breath, slowly bridging the distance between them with deliberate footfalls watching, eyes narrowed as the weapon remained at the man's hip, rather than pointing directly at the Crusader's own heart. "[b]Pathetic...[/b]" He spat the comment, plunging his fist into the man's chest, rending open his ribs and wrapping hold around the delicate primary organ laying within. The gun clattered to the floor, the man's hands fearfully gripping around his intruding wrist. Their eyes met once again, if his fear had been absolute only moments ago, then Crusader would have to develop a new scale by which to measure the emotion. His hand felt hot and wet, the pounding sound of his own bloodlust in his ears as his fingers tensed around the heart, carefully pressuring it until the pericardium split and the muscle tore beneath his nails. The anonymous man's eyes widened as they dulled, his breathing utterly ragged, gasping in final, pointless breaths, until his body too went limp against the wraithlike contract killer's grip. Withdrawing his hand, he gazed slowly at the dribbling trail of blood, and with a flick of his wrist, allowed the majority to decorate the opposite wall. He'd hoped for a challenge and been thoroughly disappointed, still it was early days yet, plenty of security between him and the target, plenty more bodies to add to his count. Shouldering his huge wooden cross, he took two ambling steps into the corridor, casting brief glances left and right to determine his route. One of the first things that had alerted Crusader to the fact the client had been practically ignorant of his methods had been the provision of detailed schematics of the building, and of the target's probably location therein, along with the positioning of security forces. Christ, he hated it when people did that, do you give your fucking kids and X-Ray machine to put their fucking Christmas presents through before they open them huh ? No you fucking don't. This was the same fucking thing, all you had to do was tell Crusader who you wanted dead, and providing you could meet the price he named, then your part in it was done. Jesus fucking Christ. Maps ? Locations ? Where was the fucking fun in it if you tried to avoid everything like a little bitch ? If he could, he'd leave nothing in the building alive by the time he left, but that, unfortunately would give the target probably enough time to escape, and breaking the terms of his own contract was not something Crusader did. When a man gave his word, he should be prepared to die before he broke it. So, only two guards for this corridor ? Pity. Breaking into a dash, he took the passage to his left, primal instinct telling him there was more to kill that way, which meant also, without a doubt, the target, hopefully surrounded by a dozen or so highly trained bodyguards. His insides ached for the sensation of a challenge, and the sight of his own blood. Despite what most would think, his cross never felt heavy, whether that was an indication of his own demonic strength, or the fact God continually smiled on him in his mission to purge the wicked was a up for debate. It didn't matter really, those who saw just how well he could use it never lived to give their opinion on the matter, well, aside from one or two, but they were special cases. And if he ever chose to, that list would go right back to zero. Boss. He smiled at the thought of the name. A genuine challenger. An equal, almost. In time the boy might very well be the one to lay him to rest, that was a genuine possibility, and the thought of it filled him with a sense of delight at the battle they'd share... Unconsciously he traced the scar at his throat the kid had left him with, yeah, it would be fucking awesome, and this time, only one of them would walk away, and whoever did, would truly bear the title of immortal. Voices broke the silence of the hallways after a moment, short, sharp orders, short, sharp acknowledgements. Good, they didn't sound too afraid. Reaching back, he pulled one of the two six shooters concealed within the arms of the holy icon. Engraved with holy writ and loaded with silver bullets, he twirled it gently by the trigger, before cocking the hammer and waiting for something to enter his sights. Five of them rounded the corner to meet him. Perfect. Unloading the first round, one of them slammed back into the exquisite marble wall, quite dead, a large hole still smoking where his right eye used to be. Crusader's pace never slowed, if anything, he got faster. His hand barely moved as the giant weapon released it's ammunition, fresh blood spattering the walls, and leaving the quintet utterly lifeless on the ground before him. They hadn't even managed to hit him before dying. Dismal, absolutely dismal. The gun slid back into it's designated spot with ease, aside from housing the gattling gun, the cross had several other compartments hollowed within it for the remainder of his arsenal. One in particular, he truly wanted to use. Magnificent exotic timber doors provided the final barricade, he could almost hear the thunderous heartbeat of the target holed up behind God knows how many guards. With seven dead, a paltry number compared to what he?d expected, he begged for something more, either thirty or forty more like he?d already dispatched, or even a handful of men or women who knew what they were doing. With a single lunge of his foot, the hinges to the doors buckled and careened, falling uselessly down several feet in front of the hitman. The target sat there, coolly behind an enormous writing desk, gently puffing away at a cigar, before giving Crusader a single, appraising glance. ?[b]So, he sent you after all Gavin.[/b]? The Crusader?s urge to kill was almost irresistible. A howling hunger in his mind for blood. But just the sight of this man was enough to calm it for a moment. Long enough to trade pleasantries. ?[b]Nice to see you after so long, Desbreko. Sorry about your ?security?, you should?ve probably warned them I don?t exactly play nice.[/b]? He gave a wide, murderous grin at the statement. The gang-boss merely seemed to consider the statement with a few more measured drags of the nicotine product. ?[b]Perhaps.[/b]? ?[b]I hope this isn?t it Des, I?d be sorely disappointed if a man of your reputation hadn?t taken the expected levels of precaution.[/b]? ?[b]Indeed.[/b]? Snapping his fingers, Crusader leaped forward as the tiles beneath him exploded from a massive calibre round. As he went to grip the weapon lying just behind the Lord himself, Crusader felt something he hadn?t in quite a while, cold steel against his throat, and the weight of someone on his back. Her smell instantly caused his nostrils to flare, familiarity and recognition coming only moments later. ?[b]Oh. It?s been a while Crys.[/b]? He felt her breath grace his bare neck, before she planted a quick kiss on his cheek and drew the short blade across his throat. ||||| To be continued of course. For those of you wondering, [url=http://fc03.deviantart.com/fs15/f/2006/359/5/b/Inquisitor_by_B13.jpg][b]here's[/b][/url] a roughish idea of what Crusader/Gavin actually looks like. Obviously from it's description and in keeping with Mike's portrayal of the character, the large wooden cross he carries is itself a lot bigger than in the picture.[/LEFT][/COLOR][/SIZE][/FONT]

[Revelation]

[size=1][color=#8B008B]A gentle whisper trailed into my ears. I dug my face deep into something soft and fluffy, mumbling something incoherent. The gentle whisper came closer to my ear and grew just a bit louder. It was a woman?s voice, I knew that much. She had a tender and soothing voice, much like the one a mother used to put her child to sleep. It really was soothing, but at the same time it was just another obnoxious sound in my ear. Thankfully, it went away and I was able to be at peace.

At least, I presumed I?d be at peace. Instead, a rude awakening came to me when something bright hit my face. I dug my face deeper into the soft and fluffy something, wondering who let in the bright light and why everything around me was soft and fluffy. Even though, the bigger question was ?who?, I wanted to know ?what? and ?why?: what was I surrounded by and why it felt like that? It was a possibility I was in a linen closet. But instead of dwelling on that, my mind finally decided it wanted to know ?who?. ?What? and ?why? didn?t matter so much. The only thing that mattered was whose head was going to be served on a platter for letting in such a deathly bright light.

I groaned furiously as I slowly opened my eyes and blinked a few times to adjust to the new light. From what I was able to gather from my blurred vision, there was a woman standing in front of the window. I presumed it was a woman from the feminine silhouetted figure I could make out. I slowly lifted myself up and readied the throwing knife in my hand under my pillow. When I was finally erect, she turned and I loosened the grip on my knife.

[B]?I do hope you weren?t thinking of throwing that knife at me.?[/B] I cocked my head to the side as I reached for my glasses. [B]?The one under your pillow,?[/B] Raiha said as she pointed to the pillow beside me. My head followed her hand and went back to her.

Even though I had just held it seconds ago, I found myself dumbfounded. I blinked a few times and scrunched my face in confusion; while Raiha raised a brow. It took me a while before I realized what she had meant.

With a laugh, I replied, [B]?Hardly. Though, a few strands of your hair would?ve been cut off.?[/B] Raiha kept her brow raised but gave me a scolding look. Quickly I added, [B]?if I didn?t know it was you.?[/B]

She smiled and sat at the edge of the bed. I adjusted my glasses and looked at her with amazement and pride, much like the way a little sister did for an older one. But Raiha?s didn?t match my happy exuberance; instead her face was filled with concern. Despite the way she held herself, I could tell she was worried. In fact, I knew she was from the way she held my hand in hers and the way she pushed my hair behind my ear. It was also what she asked me.

[B]?Eriju, are you having those dreams again??[/B] My face fell. My eyes dropped to our hands and my free hand gripped into a fist. Raiha asked me again, [B]?Are you having them??[/B]

I didn?t know what to say. I didn?t want to talk about it. She always asked me that every day, when I woke up. At least this time she didn?t mention his name.

[B]?Yes. I am.?[/B] I looked into her eyes. This time, my eyes weren?t watering like they did before. [B]?They never actually finish. They always end with my meeting you.?

?I know,?[/B] she said. She held me in her arms for a few moments before letting me go and telling me, [B]?You reek of something disgusting. You need to take a shower.?

?Alright...if you make me breakfast!?[/B] Like a little kid I jumped out of bed with a smile on my face.

That?s what I loved about being with Raiha; I didn?t have to be a stoic person. My choice of career had no meaning. My sadomasochistic nature was nonexistent. I didn?t have to act like an emotionless killer; I could be a normal person with normal feelings. I didn?t have to act professional and serious like I did with everyone else. With Raiha, I was able to be the crazy, wild, rambunctious person I always was. With her, I could be me with no guns attached.[/size][/color]

[Raiha]

[COLOR="DarkOrchid"][FONT="Times New Roman"][i]As Erica smirked over her shoulder before closing the door behind her and Zen, I gave her a quick flash of my bare chest before it slammed shut. Gavin caught me from behind, moving about as slowly as I expected, given that the antidote was still working, albeit very slowly. I leaned down and trailed my fingers over the quickly healing wounds in his forearm. He caught me watching them close themselves and grabbed my wrist away from them.[/i]

"That really did hurt you know. You've gotten faster."

"And you haven't? You're lucky you were quick enough to avoid me getting you in the throat instead."

[i]He pouted a little and I leaned down to kiss his lower lip before nipping it just enough to make him jerk away. But still feeling the after effects of enough poison to drop the entire People's Liberation Army, all 2.3 million of them, his jerk was more of a wriggle. I flashed him a brilliant smile that showed a slightly elongated fang and trailed a finger down his chest, his dress shirt already abandoned on the floor next to my business suit. Why waste time? As soon as their backs were turned, I had started taking off Gavin's shirt, while he managed to mug a sheepish look at his inability to do it for himself. But when I straddled his hips and slowly unbuttoned mine, one small, elusive button at a time, he paused in his self recrimination. The functional and boring, yet well tailored suit had been hiding bright red lace lingerie, and his fingers found the Brazilian cut keyhole panties that matched perfectly, right down to the little ribbon on the front.[/i]

"So you were expecting me? I mean, you're all dressed up down here... And here..."

"I don't know, what do you think? It's been years. I hoped you would find me again, but not quite this way. With people all around."

"If it makes you feel better, I wanted to see you again. But you were awfully hard to find. You never left a trail for me to follow."

"Couldn't help that. Maybe I should make it up to you."

[i]I leaned over and kissed him again, this time on the lips, and in his weakened state, at least temporarily, I felt him shiver under me. He pulled away, my saliva on his lips, and touched it with one finger.[/i]

"That tingles. Is this new?"

"No. You were always in peak condition when we were fucking. You never would've noticed it. Everyone else did."

"Everyone else?"

[i]He raised a curious eyebrow and I laughed at his expression. Truth be told there hadn't been anyone else, discounting Erica. And that was more for the sakes of both our sanity than anything else. You try working for James and keeping a hold of your mind. That's right. It's completely impossible. Especially when you're Erica and Raiha. Gavin put his hands on my hips and I felt his grip tighten up. I looked back down at him and purred low in my throat.[/i]

"Just Erica. But I hear you weren't completely celibate when we were separated."

"Whatever you heard was a total lie... I'm sure of it."

"We can find out."

[i]I drew my wrist to my mouth, the bracelet comprised of mostly poison needles and ran my tongue over the tip of one of the colored beads, tasting the right flavor and drawing it out with my teeth. I plucked it from my mouth and gently pricked Gavin's basilic vein with it, barely going in, just a tiny dose. He smirked at me and I smirked back while he gasped in a sudden jerk of surprise as his spine sent shockwaves through his body. I stroked his cheek, pushing him inside me while his body jerked again, almost uncontrollably as he slid further in. His fingers on my hips tightened and I felt his nails digging into my skin, as he pushed me up and pulled me back down again, forcing me against him.[/i]

"What did you...do?"

"Just a little cocktail, to warm things up. Now tell me, how many between you and me?"

[i]His mouth moved once, no sound coming out, and I lifted myself up, almost to the tip, before slamming back down, forcing him to gasp for air. I saw his lips moving again, and I sped up the pace just a little, letting the drug work its way further through his blood stream. I leaned closer and planted a series of kisses down his throat, feeling his body both simultaneously heal and absorb the sodium penthanol. He pulled me down to him with enough strength to remind me he could still crush me and get out of having to tell me anything incriminating.

I purred at him and let him flip me on my stomach, the sheets twisted underneath us, tangled around our ankles. I pulled one of the pillows to my chest and crushed it against my nipples while he concentrated on impaling me to the point where I'd forget I'd ever asked him anything in the first place. He leaned over after a few seconds and put his lips close to my ear, his chest pressed against my arched back.[/i]

"Just one."

"So we're even then... I guess I should be...happy."

[i]He ground himself against me, slamming into me at odd intervals, putting an odd tempo into my words, forcing me to give that up as a bad job. Instead, I let him do what he did almost as good as murdering people. Turning me around with just his arms, he cradled me against his body, and pushed me down against the comparative softness of the sheets and carpet, feeling my arms around his neck, sweating out the poison, the tingle of my lips on his. And when we were both finally sated, barely decent underneath the same tangle of sheets, Erica and Zen walked in looking about as battered as I'm sure we looked. Just with blood as an added bonus.

And I'm pretty sure Zen caught a flash of one of my nipples before I turned over to look up at him from the crock of Gavin's arm. But no matter, Gavin was infinitely more comfortable than the floor, and inch for inch, came with more floor space than either of the beds in this ridiculous hotel. [/i][/FONT][/COLOR]

[Revelation]

[size=1][color=#8B008B]After a warm shower and a breakfast of Belgian waffles, I made my over to the living room. Raiha was already sitting on the couch and watching some uninteresting show about hills on MTV. I sat beside her and snuggled against her chest as she put an arm over me. The familiar scent of poisons and lavender filled my nose as I shifted my weight closer to her. It was comforting to be able to feel her warmth and smell her scent of poisons and lavender. Though our relaxing time was short, I took that time to inhale deeply and take in as much of the smell as I could.

As nuch as I wanted to sit on the couch with Raiha and have nothing to do, I knew it wasn?t an option. We both had a job to do and unlike her, I had to prepare myself for the day. In the choice of career that Raiha and I took, there was no room for errors. When you worked for a man like James, you couldn?t afford to make even the slightest mistake. One single step out of line meant my life and the lives of those around me. I wasn?t going to allow myself to be troubled with trivial thoughts; I wasn?t going to mess up.

Unlike Raiha, I was still a young girl and somewhat new to the business. My mind was still taking its time to form to the idea. Because it was still forming, I was susceptible to do stupid things, like let my emotions overtake me. If I wanted to do my job well, I had to mentally prepare myself. I didn?t know how Raiha did it, but she did. She had complete control of herself; nearly complete if you didn?t count Gavin the Crusader, but that?s a story all in its own. Even so, it always amazed how she could wake up and do her job yet still remain- I suppose the word would be- human. How could she retain feeling when our occupation strives to strip that way?

[B]?I need to stop thinking,?[/B] I mumbled to myself.

Raiha stopped running her fingers through my hair and looked down at me. From the corner of my eye I saw her famous ?that?ll-never-happen-and-you-know-it? look. She was infamous for throwing them and I was notorious for receiving.

I turned my head to face her. I smiled at her quickly and gave her a soft kiss on the lips. My body shivered ever so slightly- I still wasn?t used to the tingles she gave. In response to her look I said, [B]?Don?t give me that look, Rai. You know thinking is not good for my health; especially if we don?t want to let James? newest be stranded at an airport.?[/B]

Raiha raised a brow at me. [B]?You should have killed him when you had the chance.?[/B]

I shrugged my shoulders and raised my arms behind my head. [B]?I should have, but I didn?t kill Boss.?[/B]

At the sound of his name, Raiha exhaled a sigh of disgust. I chuckled as I flipped myself over the couch and watched her face change into that of sour expression and intense dislike.

[B]?Don?t be so sour, Rai. He did, after all, do exactly what James wanted him to do.?[/B]

Raiha scoffed and walked past me to our bedroom. I followed suit and walked into the walk-in closet. I listened to Raiha grab small duffle bags and rummage through the drawers while I put on a pinstripe blazer over a short-sleeve black button-up shirt and black suit pants. Raiha always welcomed a new challenge to our small entourage but she just couldn?t find it in herself to like anything about Boss. Of course, she never questioned James? decisions but why he was sending Boss after the Black Hand was beyond her and she voiced it often. Even as we left our apartment.

[B]?He?s nothing but a troubled, arrogant kid. I don?t get why James is sending Boss after the Black Hand, Eriju.?

?It?s James? decision, Raiha.?[/B] I reminded her as we stepped out of the elevator. [B]?Boss may be an arrogant and troubled kid but he?s one of few who were able to get within ten feet of James.?[/B] Raiha and I handed our bags to the driver before getting into the backseat of the car. [B]?He?s one of less who?re still standing. You would know how that feels.?

?I still think you should?ve killed him when he was in the hospital,?[/B] she growled in a low, hushed voice.

If there was one thing I was sure of, it was how the day was going to go and this day was just the beginning of something terribly horrible.[/size][/color]