Mission Codename: Cannon Fodder (BlisteredBlood & Devxx)

Eris looked over and saw him almost asleep at the steering wheel and couldn't help but smile a bit. Apparently even Thantos had to get tired every once in a while. Getting out of the car she walked over to the front desk and managed to get a room for the night. The man working there gave her a strange look with all her cuts and bruises but he didn't say anything. Hell, he worked at a motel by a truck stop so he probably saw a lot worse then this on a regular basis. Key in hand she walked over to the car and tried to figure out how she was going to get him out of the car and in the room.

Eris opened the driver's door and put her arms under his in a way to try and drag him out. He was obviously taller then her and heavier but she had done enough training that she could feasibly drag/carry him to the room even if it would require quite a bit of effort. Thankful that the room was on the first floor she placed his arm of her shoulder and dragged him over to it. Inside the room was sparse with a bed, dresser, a broken TV and a closet as well as a bathroom. It definitely wasn't anything fancy but at least it looked clean for the most part. She pulled the man over to the bed before dropping him on it.

Walking over to the bathroom she did manage to clean off some of the blood from her face but was too tired to really do anything else. Taking off her jacket and placing it on one of the chairs she managed to kick off her shoes before falling to bed herself. It had been one hell of a night and they really needed to rest.

In truth, Thanatos had hardly ever even noticed that he was dragged out of the car and brought into the motel where the two would be staying. As far as he knew, he was honestly that much out of gas from all of the things he had done to get to this point. As soon as he was brought into the room and dropped onto the bed, Thanatos's head gave a bounce for a moment before it turned to the left, his eyes closed in what appeared to be sleep while his arms had flopped to the sides of his head.

It would be a good thirty minutes before Thanatos awakened, his eyes fluttering open for a moment then looked around his surroundings albeit somewhat confused. How did I get in here...? He thought before he slowly rose onto his rear with his head lowered for a moment and then put a hand onto his face. Looking around once more, he spotted a sleeping Eris beside him, having gotten rid of her jacket and her shoes.

Oh... I get it now... She brought me here. He thought as he glanced over to the only window that was here. Sure, the room itself looked like shit judging from what he could see here, but then again, he had seen much worse than this. Thanatos eventually got up from the bed and took his sheathed katana off of his back and looked it over from side to side for a moment in thought before he placed it near the headrest of the bed before he removed his long jacket and folded it neatly then placed it on the bed near Eris's feet. Following this, he then took the two crosses than hung around his neck and pulled them off before setting them onto the handguard of his katana.

There didn't seem to be much to do here from the looks of things, so he might as well enjoy a somewhat peaceful moment for now. The one thing Thanatos did now was walk back over to the bed and sat down in it, looking outside absentmindedly.

Eris stirred from her sleep as she slowly blinked her eyes taking a moment to shift to the darkness in the room. She could see his shadow moving around the room as he took off his jacket and placed the katana near the headboard. She shifted slightly as he sat back down on the bed and stared out the window as if deep in thought. Sometimes she wished she was telepathic just so she could figure out just what was going on in that mind of his. With all that had happened in the past few days and with his having escaped there was no doubt he had a lot to think about.

"Do you ever sleep?" She asked groggily as she turned over so she was lying on her back with her hands behind her head. Her shoulders still ached and there was a bruise forming on her arm but she would deal with that later. Right now she was just enjoying the soft bed that felt good after spending the past day jostling around in a car, crashing into a tree and fighting to the death. How the hell Thanatos had any energy after the fight he had been through was over her head.

"So question. Are you catholic or what?" She asked as she nodded over to the crosses on the katana. It didn't seem like someone who did what he did would have much faith in humanity let alone god. Hell knows she lost whatever connection she had with religion a long time ago. They always preached about forgiveness and that things happened for a reason but that was never a good enough answer for her. When you spent your life hunting down people you had a habit of not trusting anything you couldn't see in front of you.

Thanatos thought about it for a minute when she asked him if he ever slept. There were times when he did, but those brief moments of rest were far and few. Times like this were very much a rarity for him. "Sometimes, I do." He answered simply. "Sometimes the insomnia wins over, and I go without sleep for days or weeks. Once, I went a whole month without sleep before I conked out for about a week. I have to make sure I'm in someplace safe before I do." He added.

"As for my religion, I don't really know about that to be honest. I just know I was given these." He continued before he went silent and glanced over to the crosses hanging off of the handguard. "How about yourself, eh? What's your faith?"

"Geez, a whole month without sleep?" She said with a low whistle as she looked over at him. His training must have been some kind of hell if he could actually go that long without any sleep. As for herself, she needed at least a couple hours a day or else she was useless. There was always something peaceful about drifting off into a deep sleep and forgetting the world around you for just a few hours.

"Hm? My faith is myself. People and deities have a habit of letting you down and the only person you can really depend on is yourself." She let out a small huff as she pulled herself up in a sitting position behind him. The bed creaked under them and she could have sworn she saw a bug move in the corner. Yep, this really was some kind of dump they had found. At least they had managed to get off the road.

"Thanks by the way." Eris said as she moved over and hugged him quickly. She had already figured that he was one of those no-touchy kind of people but if she was thankful she hugged even if it was just a quick one. "You actually took out Sai even if you did turn evil gold eyed demon to do it." She chuckled slightly at that part though it was true. Thanatos wasn't exactly a happy person to begin with but when he went all gold eyed he got even scarier.

Thanatos nodded once in reaction before he glanced back at her to listen to her talk. "Yeah, it happens. Not much I can do about it, of course." He answered with a shrug of his shoulders. Though in truth, that was only part of the sleeplessness problem he had. It sometimes went further beyond that. The longest he actually went without sleep was approximately three months, 15 days, 20 hours and 30 minutes before he finally came to rest for two months. Needless to say, it was the most peaceful two months he ever had before he was sent out back into the field once more.

"So you're pretty much... Nondenominational?" He asked before he turned over a bit to get a better look at her from over his shoulder. "I can understand that. When you're on your own, there's really only one person you can count on." He added with a nod of his head.

When Thanatos was hugged by Eris, it was a bit surprising for her to even do so, but at this point, it was safe to say that he had gotten used to it by now. Not by much, but the reaction he gave her wasn't like it was before at the diner. He smiled a little bit before he watched Eris back away and lay back down on the bed. "You're welcome." Thanatos answered before he reached over and patted her hand a few times before resting his palm on it.

She was actually surprised by his reaction as he laid down and rested his hand on her's. She would have expected a shrug or an eye roll or even a sarcastic comment but not this. His hand actually felt good on her own and she actually found herself turning to her side and inching closer to him. Funny, just twenty-four hours ago she had tried to set him on fire and he had a sword to her throat and yet here they were now.

"So have you rethought the whole skinning me and feeding me to a pack of dogs?" She teased as she looked over at him. So much had changed in such a short period of time but then again being chased down by people who wanted you dead would probably do that to you. Again she felt an uneasy feeling in the pit of her stomach as she thought about just what she was leading him into but she quickly pushed that aside. This was her job and it wasn't like this was the first time she had ever lied to someone and led them into a trap. As nice as he might seem right now he was still someone very dangerous and couldn't be trusted to out in the world by himself. After all, he had pretty much destroyed Sai beyond recognition and who knew when an innocent person could get hurt. At least, that's how she tried to reason it to herself.

She chuckled slightly as she leaned towards him and blinked slowly. The smart thing would have been to sleep and re-energize from the fight but for some reason she was wide awake now. Maybe the insomnia was starting to catch on in the room.

A chuckle came from Thanatos as he heard her question before he shook his head and smiled at her still. "Nah, probably not. Besides, you seem like you're an OK kind of person, y'know?" He asked as he lightly ran his fingers on her hand for a moment as he saw her inch a little more closely to him. Not once did he move away from her or even flinch. Rather, Thanatos moved his hand up to her wrist and rested his palm on it before he looked at her directly.

Soon enough, Thanatos could see that Eris was getting a little sleepy on him. This made Thanatos tap on her wrist a little bit before he eventually spoke. "Hey. If you're sleepy, then go ahead and get some rest. I'll keep my eye on you." He said.

She chuckled slightly as she felt her eyes get heavy and droopy. The days events were taking a toll on her and everything was fading in and out as her body urged her to just shut her eyes and get some sleep. Thanatos warm presence on her wrist was actually comforting and she felt herself yawning as the pillows started to feel more and more comfortable.

"Mm, good night." She said sleepily as she finally closed her eyes and let the darkness take her. Within minutes the sounds of soft, repetitive breathing could be heard as she fell into a deep sleep.

Thanatos nodded once in reply as he saw the young Eris beginning to fade in and out of sleepiness. He could clearly see that the day had been a bit of a roller coaster for her, complete with all the twists and turns of what went on. From nearly being on the receiving end of having her head cut off after trying to burn him alive, leaving town for Chicago, the impromptu fight and now, here they were. Funny how it all started for him, in his estimation.

Right after she soon fell asleep, Thanatos eventually slid into bed with her after adjusting his body around to where he was laying flat on his back and his hand was still wrapped around her wrist as he then looked up at the ceiling for now before he also fell to sleep about an hour later.

Eris woke as the first streams of sunlight began filtering in through the heavy blinds. It took a moment for her eyes to adjust as her mind was flooded with what had happened yesterday. A road trip, two fights, a bet and they had ended up in a sleazy motel somewhere. Still feeling a pressure on her wrist she looked over to where Thanatos was on his side of the bed. Strange, when he was sleeping he almost looked peaceful. Yet it wasn't the sunshine that had woken her up but instead a small vibration coming from her jean pocket. Slowly sliding her wrist out of his grasp she moved off the bed as quietly as she could and headed out the door while trying not to make a single noise. Looking behind her back to make sure she wasn't being followed she entered the car before daring to pick up the call.

"Yes Sir?" Her voice sounded a little tired from having just woken up but the person on the other end of the line didn't seem to mind. "You were right, I had my doubts but he was able to take down Sai with little problem. His speed is unlike anything I've ever seen before." She relayed back as she waited for the voice on the other end to answer her. "Hm, so the next one has already been sent out huh? Yes, I understand that Abassi will be next. It will be interesting to see how the subject's speed matches up against his strength." She said a few more words before hanging up the phone and getting out of the car.

Eris walked back towards the motel and made sure to enter just as quietly as when she had left. Her jacket was still on the chair and her shoes were lined up neatly against it. Catching sight of herself in the bathroom mirror she figured now would be as good of a time as any to take a shower and get cleaned up. Frankly, a sleazy motel shower wasn't exactly appealing but she really needed to get the dried blood off her skin. Closing the door behind her she turned on the water and let it pour over her wounds.

Throughout the night, Thanatos seemd to lay there on the bed in total revered silence. But the peculiar thing of it was, whenever he slept, it seemed as though that he wasn't even moving the slightest. His chest hardly rose much when he took in a breath then let it out just as quietly. Nothing on his body ever moved. At all. If someone looked at it quick, it would've appeared to someone that he was dead and ready to be buried inside of a coffin. It would sometimes take longer for him to awaken, and when he did, the result would be rather freaky to those that saw him suddenly shoot his eyes open and stare blankly out into space for a little while before he would rise up into a sitting position.

But for now, Thanatos remained right where he was, sleeping perfectly soundly.

Eris got out of the shower and changed into her clothes before running a comb through her hair and brushing her teeth. Sure she still had a couple of bruises here and there but for the most part all the blood had been cleaned off and the cuts were healing. Finally happy with her appearance she exited the bathroom and saw that Thanatos was still sound asleep. If she didn't know any better she would have thought he was dead but she had checked to make sure he was still breathing. Taking this opportunity she ran over to one of the stores in the truck stop to get some breakfast.

After about fifteen minutes she came back with two bags filled with supplies and another one with hot breakfast and some coffee. Placing the contents down on the table she looked at the clock which now read 6:30 am and wondered what to do. Abassi was already on his way and would no doubt reach them soon. It would probably best for all those involved if the fight happened away from an area that contained any sort of gas or a lot of people. If Sai was ruthless then Abassi was reckless and wouldn't give a rats ass who got hurt in the process.

Walking over to the bed she leaned down so her face was just inches away from his. Yep, he was still sleeping even if he did look like a corpse right now. Gingerly she reached out a finger and poked him in the cheek in an effort to wake him up. "Hey sleeping beauty, it's time to get up." She teased as she poked him again.

At the slightest poke, Thanatos would eventually awaken as his eyes shot open suddenly and his breathing stilled just as quickly, seeing that Eris was now looming over him just inches away from his face. His eyes then turned their focus onto hers and quirked a brow for a moment before be blinked them maybe once or twice before he gave a good strong stretch on the bed, moaning a bit as he did so before he let his arms fall to the sides of his body with a flop.

"Don't feel like missing the early bird special, eh?" Thanatos eventually spoke up. "And I was having such a lovely dream, too." He added with a bit of playful sarcasm aimed at her. "Alright, let me get up before I give you another grope." He said in a teasing tone of voice of his own.

"You have a sense of humor? Holy crap, who are you and what have you done to Thanatos?" She asked as she pointed an accusing finger at him. She had to admit she was happy that he had lightened up considerably since their first run in. The man made much better company when he wasn't threatening bodily harm on people.

Grinning, she walked away and sat down at the table and grabbed one of the donuts as well as a breakfast sandwhich. Considering the only thing she'd really eaten yesterday was the patty melt she was more then famished as she chowed down on her food. "So I was looking at the map and if we get on to route 66 we should be in Chicago in no time." Eris said in between bites as she looked over at him. Of course, there was a different reason for taking that specific route but she wasn't about to volunteer that information. "How do you feel after some sleep? You were pretty clonked out from the fight."

"Ugh." Thanatos answered as he sat up on the bed and crossed his arms in front of his chest before emitting a sigh of sorts. "You're telling me. I think I must've been too revved up when I used that move. Serves me right for burning off too much stamina." He said simply. "But, I guess when you're pushed that far, I guess you've got no other choice but to do go for the killing blow." He added, sounding as though he was admitting to something as he looked off to the side in thought.

"I usually don't get that tired, though. I can go for quite a while before I have to stop and take a break. Besides, I told you that last night." He concluded before he looked back at her then stood up onto his feet then walked over to the same table and took a donut for himself then sat down on the opposite side before he began munching on it. After swallowing that bit down, he looked over to Eris and gestured at her with a finger. "How about yourself? You looked like you got pretty roughed up, considering the accident and nearly getting your ass handed to ya."

"Huh, so I guess even you have your limits." She mused as she took another bite before taking a sip of water. He was supposed to be a super soldier but that didn't mean he wasn't human. Everyone had their weaknesses and it was only a matter of time before they were exploited. Soon enough she'd see how well he fared against something that might as well be an impenetrable steel wall.

"Excuse me? Got my ass handed to me?" She asked incredulously as she looked at him. "I took on two guys twice my size and still managed to beat them so there." And with that she stuck out her tongue like a little kid would. Yesterday had been a joke and those two goons wouldn't have stood a chance on a normal day. Then she was more interested in seeing what Thanatos could do as opposed to actually kicking some butt. Besides, she had no intention of showing him what she was capable of just yet.

"True, true." Thanatos answered with a nod of his head. "But that doesn't mean that I don't get Second Winds, either. You'll never know where it comes from, though." He added with a point of a finger and a wave of the same hand at her while winking at her and grinning like a Cheshire Cat. "But hey, I suppose not all of us are blessed with supernatural skills and such. Others have to work hard in order to get what they had. But that's beside the point. The real point of it is is that yes, I do have my limits sometimes, but there are moments when I'm able to push right through it without a moment's hesitation." He concluded with a wave of his hand again but in a more dismissive manner.

"And now that you mentioned it..." Thanatos said as his expression became serious then leaned forward in his seat a bit before he turned his eyes to her. "There's been something I've been meaning to ask you. Something that's been bothering me ever since I came out this way with you."

Eris rolled her eyes when she listened to him talk. "Pft, I think I liked you better when you were all silent and brooding. At least then we wouldn't have to worry about getting that ego of yours through the door." She joked as she took another sip of her water. Admittedly, his skills were nothing to laugh about. The speed with which he attacked was phenomenal and all his cuts were so precise as if the katana might as well just be another extension of his body. It would be interesting to see just what his limits were if he even had any. Then, if you did push him to his limits would he be forced to push back and become even stronger?

"Oh? What's that?" Her tone was still light and friendly even if for just the quickest second a hardness crept in her eyes. She doubted he knew exactly what was going on but he was probably in-tune enough to realize that something was a little off. Even though she was still smiling and eating the doughnut happily her mind was racing a mile a minute trying to figure out what he would ask her and how she would answer him.

"That man I fought yesterday," Thanatos began without missing a beat. "The uniform he wore seemed to have belonged to some sort of organization of some sort or another. It didn't look military issued, though. I was wondering if there was some sort of connection between you and whoever it is that's coming after me." He added as he narrowed his eyes at her slightly. "If you do, you can tell me the truth as to why you want me to head out to Chicago aside from what we have already planned. But if not or you don't know precisely, then I'll understand. I just wanted to ask that is all." Thanatos added as he then leaned back in the chair he sat in and continued to munch on his donut while waiting for her answer.

Eris sighed heavily as she leaned back in her chair and stared at him for a moment before finally opening her mouth to answer. "You know all those conspiracy theories that people have about how large organizations are secretly controlling the world? Well they're not so crazy. Now, I'm not saying the old man on the street corner with the tin foil hat is telling the truth about Freemasons reading his mind. No, it goes a lot deeper then that." She leaned forward a bit so her elbow was resting on the table as she put her hand on her palm.

"Sai was part of an organization separate from any real government entity. They call themselves CROSS and there are six of them in total. Pretty much their whole purpose in the world is that of fixers. Say you want to overthrow a political figure in an opposing country so you call on them and they make sure he has a little accident or they dig up some skeletons in his closet. They have quite a reach and if anyone is hiding a secret you can be sure they'll find it out. Frankly they're not the nicest people in the world and if you get in their way then they have no problem taking you down. Sai was the weakest of the six and no doubt they'll be sending out number 5 soon. Face it Thanatos, you're a hot commodity and you didn't escape their radar." She gave him an appraising look as she watched how he took this information. Everything she told him was completely true so it was up to him to make of it what he would.

"I've had quite a few run ins with them over the years and I'm not exaggerating when I was saying Sai was the weakest. They only get stronger from here on out and their money and influence has given them access to some of the best weapons and armor money can buy. They're all trained fighters in their own chosen styles and we're in for one hell of a trip." Sai had only been an introduction and how he fared against the rest of them was still yet to be seen.

"CROSS?" Thanatos asked. "And there were six of them?" He added before he gave a little bit of a scoff. "If that was really one of the best men they've sent out after me, then I'm afraid to say that the only thing that they're good for at his juncture is possibly to hang up their weapons and just vanish into the night air or go find someone else to haunt." He said once more before he polished off the rest of his donut. "If they choose to come after me one at a time, then I think they'll be in for one hell of a fight. Besides, I'm not some pushover they think they can boss around and once they get a look at what happened to their comrade, they should get a better idea of what they're up against." He added as he gestured a thumb outside.

"Hey, I'm not arguing with you. If you can kick all their butts then all the more power to ya." Eris said as she raised her bottle of water to him. Sai had been cocky and stupid but now that they saw what Thanatos could do then no doubt they would be a lot more cautious. Wiping her hands on a napkin she tapped her foot on the ground as she waited for the food to slowly digest. Yesterday had caused them to fall behind and if they hit the road right now without stopping they could probably make it to Chicago by 7 pm. Sadly, she doubted that they would be so lucky.

"So, you ready to go? I think I saw a cockroach scurrying by just a few minutes ago and I'm really not into the idea of hanging around here longer then we have to." She made a face as she looked around the room in disgust. In the bright morning sun she could clearly see some stains on the carpet and even some on the ceiling. Her sanity was preventing her from even trying to guess what the hell caused them.

Thanatos nodded in agreement before he eventually stood up onto his feet and meandered over to the headrest of the bed and picked up his two crosses and looped them around his neck, his sheathed katana which he strapped it to his back and then moved to the foot of the bed where he picked his jacket up after dusting it off a bit then slid it over his form. "Yeah, we might as well get going. Not for nothing, but we must be at least another couple hundred miles away from Chicago. We might as well gas up the car outside and start the hard push from there." He said as he gestured outside.

"Yes sir." She said with a quick salute as she picked up the two bags of supplies and her own knapsack before heading to the car. She loaded those in the back seat before heading over to the motel front desk and dropping off the key. She was definitely happy to get the hell out of there considering roach infested motel wasn't exactly her idea of a fun place to hang out. Eris did a quick scan of everything and it looked like they had all of the stuff they needed.

There were large trucks outside as truckers from all over got out to stretch their legs or trade stories of what was going on. Some of them sat down to have sandwiches and others were busy filling their trucks up with gas in preparation for the long road to their stops. Everything seemed pretty normal but she couldn't shake the feeling that something was off as her eyes darted around. The feeling crept on her more and more as she saw one vehicle that looked completely out of place among the trucks. In the center there was a very large black SUV that would have seemed more at home in some sort of private corporate parking lot then in a truck stop. Her heart raced as the door opened and she caught sight of the figure stepping out of the car.

"Mother Fucker." Eris cursed under her breath as her blue eyes went to the approaching man. Actually, man was a term to use lightly considering he looked like more a giant then a mere mortal. The man stood at almost 7 feet tall with a shaved head and ebony skin shining in the sunlight. He wore a loose pair of cargo pants and a black t-shirt yet over that it looked like he was wearing something akin to armor. His muscled bulged under the armor and he towered over even the largest of the truckers who were now staring at the man in wonder. Held tightly in his left hand was a mambele as his black eyes looked out at the surrounding.

"Ah. So I found you." The man said as he caught sight of Eris. He had a heavy accent probably from somewhere in west Africa where he originated. "So where is the little man? I've been wanting to have a go at him ever since I saw what he did to Sai." The man let out a loud laugh that almost seemed to shake the ground. It looked like this morning was going to be an interesting one after all. Especially when you had CROSS member number five, Abassi, standing in front of you.