Mission Codename: Cannon Fodder (BlisteredBlood & Devxx)

[BlisteredBlood]

In the year 2059, the need for soldiers of another breed and kind was ever growing. Warriors with capabilities beyond the normal myriad of humans to fight ever constant wars in numerous countries all across the globe seemed to increase with alarming frequency. In the United States alone, there was civil unrest within communities like Las Vegas, Nevada, Los Angeles, California, and even as far as New York City, New York. Many of the people were expressing hatred and disgust at the use of such overpowered weaponry against other countries while many more expressed the need for them.

The arguments were often heated and rarely broke out into violence, but when they did, it often lead to brutal confrontations, often resulting in the most severe of injuries, few fatalities, and even more bloodshed was the result thereafter.

Martial law was soon declared in these areas, and massive civil defense forces were sent out to strictly enforce these rules and make sure that every single citizen was following them to the letter. Soon enough, the violence began to recede and the populace began to enjoy times of peace.

In the scientific community, many had feared what would be the outcome with each and every single warrior they produced. Sure, they were highly trained, highly skilled and unique individuals, but the fear of one of them breaking rank and turning traitor on their creators was at an all-time high. But even if one such soldier were to do so, they were soon met with euthanasia in the form of simply putting a bullet between their brains, decapitating them completely and then incinerating them without another word.

In a research facility somewhere in an undisclosed location...​

Thanatos laid dormant inside a suspended animation capsule after a rigorous training exercise, his eyes closed in what appeared to be sleep. Everything seemed to be quiet in the room until a squabble began to break out. Apparently, two scientists had heard from the higher ups that the funding had been cut on one such individual.

"How dare those bastards cut our funding?" Said one. "We've given every single one of our clients every right to put our greatest achievement out there on the front line and this is how they repay us?!"

"You have to understand! We didn't have a choice in the matter!" Said another in a frantic voice. "What are we supposed to do? Put him together in a limited amount of time before presenting him to the clients incomplete?! They understood that things like this takes time, but we ran too short!" The other scientist added.

The first scientist only scoffed angrily as he entered the room, seemingly disgusted with the whole thing. "To hell with those money grubbing bastards! I'm not getting rid of my crowning achievement! I worked too hard on him to let him go!" He growled to himself as he walked up to Thanatos's capsule and stared at him. "I swear, I'll make them pay. They'll ALL pay with their lives! They made me work on him for all of these years and this is what I get?"

"What are you going to do?" Said the other scientist.

"Something I should've done before I got signed onto this damned project." He answered. "Something I should've done a very long time ago." He added before looking over to the other scientist with a crazed smile on his face. "We'll do it later tonight." He said with a grin before leaving the room.

The other scientist looked at him with a look of shock and fear on his face before he looked back to Thanatos's capsule before he ran after his associate.

Later that night...​

A scream pierced the inside of the laboratory before the sound of steel slicing through flesh silenced it, following by blood splattering against a wall. Out from the room came evenly placed footsteps and a blade that shimmered in the hard glow of the luminescent lighting on the ceiling, followed a man that was dressed in black clothing, ranging from his black leather jacket, denim jeans, dress shoes and shirt. Adorned around his neck were a set of crosses, one that appeared to be of the Catholic faith and another that was of the Chirstian faith, all of which was plated in platinum. His black eyes were wide open in what appeared to be listlessness for the time being as he walked down the hallway with the same expression on his face as freshly stained blood dripped off the katana he carried in his right hand.

Alarms began to blare within the facility as people began to back away from the man that was walking in between them all with fear in their eyes. A glance to the right side of the corridor caused the few scientists on that side to move out of the way with sudden fright before Thanatos continued on his way.

Before turning down that hallway, Thanatos was soon met by a squadron of military troops, each of them outfitted with respective weaponry each.

"Alright, Thanatos." A male voice spoke calmly before he walked out from the throng of soldiers. The man was dressed mostly in business attire, complete with a suit, a long tie, dress slacks and wingtip shoes. "That's as far as you can go. You can either surrender yourself now nice and peacefully or my men will kill you right here and now. Which is it, Thanatos?" He asked calmly.

A smirk was on Thanatos's face as he heard the man's request as he gave the katana he wielded a flick of the wrist before he resheated his blade before he closed his eyes thoughtfully. "Let's see. Do I listen to your demands or should I get killed by you and your mongrels?" He asked while his gloved hand was still on the hilt of the blade, tapping it softly. "Let me ask you all this before I make my decision." He said.

"What is it?" The man in the suit asked.

"Do you have any idea," Thanatos answered without missing a beat as his eyes remained closed. "What you and your scientists created?" He then asked before his eyes reopened, this time showcasing a golden hue this time around.

Just as sudden as it happened, the man in the business suit suddenly backed up and extended a hand out to command his soldiers to rush forward and attack him. But even before he uttered a word, Thanatos responded within a split second, his blade already extended outward in a quick gust of wind. In the gust that followed, three soldiers dropped their rifles to the floor before they then fell onto their knees. They then looked towards their still standing comrades before their heads rolled off their neck cleanly.

But before the initial shock wore off, Thanatos had already sprung forward at a frightening quick boost of speed before vaulting over the squad and was soon gone as quick as a phantom in the night. By then, an immediate press blackout was issued to keep the situation quiet for now. The last thing that needed to happen was to get the public in a panic over one single soldier that had gotten free. But what worried them the most was the fact that his prized weapon, the Nightmare Reaver was also taken.

By then, an all out investigation was launched, each branch of the military was soon mobilized and a bounty was placed on Thanatos's head. 300 trillion dollars to the man - or woman - that could take him down. Dead or alive.

 

[Devxx]

The florescent lights flickered an unearthly shade of yellow as they made a feeble attempt to light up the diner in the fading light. One look at the place could easily tell you that the clientele didn’t come here for the ambiance. The stools were practically beaten to death and the red booths were tattered beyond recognition. There were strange stains on all the tables and chairs that appeared to be from some unknown super substance that even the strongest bleach couldn’t get rid of. A loan waitress well past middle age shuffled between the few customers refilling coffee and taking orders from those poor souls brave enough to eat here. The whole thing was dank and minimal like so much of the world outside of the diner had become.

“Reports have been coming in that more bodies have been found on the streets.” A woman on the TV said in an official sounding voice. Her skin had been stretched too tight around her face giving her the perpetual blank face of a mannequin. “Authorities are still not sure who is behind all of it but there have been reports of a serial killer who escaped from one of the local prisons. Police again warn citizens to be careful and not walk alone at night just in….”

The dull voice faded in and out as the old television flickered once again in a halfhearted attempt to work. It didn’t really matter though, not like anyone here was really paying attention to what the newswoman was saying. It seemed like every day something else was going wrong and someone else ended up dead. Just two days ago there had been riots in Pittsburg that had left ten dead and another thirty wounded before authorities intervened. There was nothing safe about the world they lived in so another crazed killed wasn’t really that big of a deal to anyone. Admittedly though, the bodies had been turning up at an alarming rate. In the past week seven different bodies had been discovered all with their heads cut off in one clean swipe or arms and legs missing. Whoever it was didn’t bother with conventional weapons such as guns and instead seemed to favor swords. Everyone just seemed to gobble up that it was an escaped convict and that the police would catch them soon enough before they were executed for their crimes. They’d never know just how much more terrifying the truth was.

“Freshen up your coffee hun?” The grey haired woman asked as she walked over to the table with the lone figure. The figure merely nodded and held out the cup as the woman poured in some more of the steaming black liquid.

The girl winced slightly as she took a big sip of the dark liquid. It burned her tongue and tasted bitter going down her throat but it gave her the extra caffeine kick she needed. There was nothing even remotely sweet about the coffee but it had a kick to it that would wake the dead and that was what she needed now. A sigh escaped her as she slowly watched the sun set over the broken buildings signaling that it was her time to go now. Getting up from her booth she reached into her wallet and threw enough money on the table to cover the coffee and a nice tip before putting on her jacket and heading towards the door. She gave the waitress a quick wave as the ringing bell above the door signaled her departure from this place.

The sound of her echoing footsteps were all that could be heard as she walked down the empty street. As soon as the sun went down it seemed like more and more people hid in the safety of their homes to escape the terrors of the night. Usually you’d be hard pressed to see a lone woman walking by herself this late at night but she was more then capable of taking care of herself. If the holster on her thigh containing the Colt M1900 didn’t deter unwelcomed attention then surely the sheath on her hip holding her prized Saber would make anyone think twice about bothering her.

A ringing noise from her pocket alerted her to an incoming call. Reaching in she took out a small black cell phone and turned it on once she checked the number on the screen.

“Status report Eris.” A gruff sounding voice said from the other line. It was distinctly male and somewhere in their mid fifties with the sort of authority one would find in high ranking military officials who had seen far too many things in the world to ever really be at peace again.

“I’m heading to the warehouse sir.” Eris replied as she took a sharp left into the alleyway. Her voice betrayed her young age even if there was this hint of coldness one wouldn’t find in a girl who had only recently turned twenty-two. Some more directions could be heard from the other side of the conversation before she pressed the red button and turned off the phone before sliding it back into her pocket.

The past two weeks of research had led her to a warehouse at the very edge of town. Apparently that was the most likely location of where he was to the best of their knowledge. All their connections had been hinting that the warehouse had been where Thanatos had been hiding out to avoid capture. The military had apparently tried to make a quick once over of the place and come up empty but chances were that he was hiding out somewhere at the time. All she had to do was finish this job and she would be set for life being 300 trillion dollars richer.

Pale blue eyes looked up at the lumbering shadow of the warehouse as she walked closer. Her blond hair looked white under the night sky as she slowed down her steps to make as little noise as possible. When one was dealing with a super soldier of this sort it was best to take as many precautions as possible. Eris pulled the dark navy jacket closer to her body as she felt a chill run through her though she wasn’t entirely sure it was because of the drop in temperature. She was outfitted in a pair of dark blue jeans and a black top that closely resembled a corset with the jacket on top and a pair of simple sneakers.

Unsheathing her sword she walked around the warehouse trying to find a way in that wouldn’t make too much noise. Luckily there was a broken window on the first floor that she could climb in through without having to risk a major fall and break her leg. Hoisting herself up she put one leg over the other before landing on the floor with a gentle thud. The landing kicked up a pile of dust and sent some rats scurrying in the distance but she could hope that it wasn’t loud enough to alert much attention.

“Now if I was a homicidal genetically altered soldier where would I be” Eris wondered out loud as she snuck around in the shadows trying to see if she could find any clues. Her Saber was firmly in hand as she wasn’t going to take any chances with this one.

 

[BlisteredBlood]

In the weeks that followed after Thanatos's escape from the research facility, he had done everything he could to remain hidden and unseen from any and all prying eyes within whatever city it was he came into being in. One of the very places he ended up in was an old and worn out warehouse that would soon become his home of sorts. But it didn't really matter much to him on night like this. Hiding out in areas like this were what he specialized in and sometimes he wouldn't come out of the place for days or even weeks before he would pop out and move on to somewhere else. He knew there would be someone coming after him sooner or later, but when was the question at this point or another.

He had done much traveling on his way, sometimes being as far out as Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, but once more, it was neither denied nor confirmed that the same man was the direct result of the atrocities committed there as was spoken to the various news reporters that filed in and out of the place. The same also happened in areas like downtown Trenton, New Jersey, but the most that happened there was by far and large one of the most heinous and brutal killings that the police there had ever seen. The one man had been suspended from head to toe on several clotheslines and was left alive long enough for whatever it was sliced open his stomach, watched him bleed like a stuck pig and then strangled him with his own intestines. What was known that at the time of the murders, several men and women alike had either limbs removed from numerous precision placed sword strikes to having their heads removed from their bodies completely, matching up with a modus operandi of some sort of sick and twisted serial killer. But who was it, was the ultimate question most news outlets asked.

But tonight, on the outskirts of town, Thanatos had been hiding out in an alleyway between two warehouses in the industrial district. He had just come back from foraging around to see what food he could use for the time being before something began to strike him as odd. His enhanced hearing picked up on the sound of someone landing on the floor from inside one of the warehouses he often frequented. His eyes of solid ebony narrowed into a look of fury and bitterness for a moment as he slunk back into the shadows of the alleyway. Let me guess... He thought to himself as he closed his eyes in concentration. Yet another one of those weakly skilled and careless assassins have come out all this way to come and get me? I just wanted to get something to eat and then be back here before the crack of dawn.

Then, he heard a woman's voice. This also got Thanatos's attention the most, especally when he could hear the part of wondering where a certain individual would be if they hung out in a place like this. Thanatos remained silent as he decided to scope out his next potential victim as he then stood up onto his well cleaned footwear before he snuck his way back inside by very quietly opening the back door and then slipping inside completely unnoticed save for the door shutting behind him.

 

[Devxx]

Eris took a deep breath as her eyes adjusted to the darkness inside the building. In a minute she could make out basic shapes and objects from the few shards of light that came in from the street. This place looked like it had been abandoned a long time ago and no one had bothered to clean up. There was dust everywhere and bits of old machines here and there. Apparently it had been a storage center at some point but had gone out of business and no one had bothered to do anything about it. A place like this would be a good find if you wanted to lay low without anyone knowing you were there.

It had only been about a month since they had got the job and she was already regretting it. Truth be told she was a mercenary of sorts and whenever the government had a little problem they would rather have taken care of without anyone knowing they usually came to her team. Over the years most of her jobs had either been getting her hands on sensitive information or carrying out assassinations of some high ranking enemies. The assassinations were always the more exciting part when you had to get close to your enemy so you could learn enough about them to know where there weaknesses were and when to strike. It helped that she looked like the kind of arm candy most politicians would be happy to parade around before the media. Funny how many of those men had invested in some of the best security money could buy to keep out threats only to have invited their greatest threat into their house if they showed up wearing a little black dress. Yet all those times were so different from this job right now. Usually they would have a profile about the target to work with so they could get in their mind but she knew so little about Thanatos. All the files they had received about him had been pretty basic with general information on height, weight and all that fun stuff. The only thing that really seemed to stick out was that he was incredibly dangerous and quite the little sadist. Still, with 300 trillion on the line she was willing to deal with that.

A noise to her left caught her attention as she turned quickly in the direction with her Saber pointed out ready to strike. A small squeak could be heard as a rat scurried along the creaky floors and off into the shadows somewhere. Eris gave a sight of relief as she lowered her weapon once more and continued to explore. It was moments like this that were the most dangerous. When you were alone in the shadows your mind could play cruel tricks on you and get you so paranoid that you completely lost focus of what was going on. Pushing back a strand of white-blond hair she knelt down to the floor to get a better look at the dust. There were definite paw prints from rats and other creatures but there were also shoe prints as well. They didn’t look to be that old and from the soles she could tell they definitely weren’t hers. Someone else had been here but whether it was the target or someone else who had followed up on the lead was still a mystery. Dammit, there was still so much that she didn’t know and it was really starting to frustrate her. Being alone at night in an abandoned warehouse where a pathological murderer could be hiding wasn’t exactly a position she would have liked to find herself in. Still, it would be too risky to call for backup now.

Suddenly she heard another noise and this time it definitely wasn’t the sound of a rat running across the floor. No, someone else was definitely here. Eris could feel the hair on the back of her neck stand on edge as she backed away from her spot so her back was to a wall. Blue eyes searched frantically for any sign of an intruder. She still couldn’t see anything but there was a definite feeling like she was being watched. Shit, well this was just the kind of situation she didn’t want to find herself in. “Come out, come out wherever you are.” Eris whispered in a hushed tone as she gripped her Saber tightly in her right hand. Her left went to the holster on her thigh just to make sure she had her gun there just in case. He was an accomplished swordsman, that much could easily be seen from the bodies of the victims. If there was any way she was going to get out of here alive she was going to have to play it smart.

 

[BlisteredBlood]

It was quite apparent that despite Thanatos's sadistic nature was rather present in the times of the murders, but the reason behind them all seemed to rather haphazard at first when word got around that a serial killer was on the loose. But In some instances while a small handful of murders appeared to be that of moderate ranking officials somewhere within the political structure of some sort or another. On one occasion, it was said that a mayor of a small town was found dead in his office with a long gash that went from one ear to another then was just left there from the massive blood loss, but it couldn't be confirmed there either.

Once inside the warehouse, Thanatos knew he was the one that had the advantage here. This was the one place that he knew where all the vantage points was and where he could strike fear into his enemies and where to land the first and final blow on them before they even had a chance to get a shot off in his direction. One of the things that he was "blessed" with was an uncanny moving speed, one that seemed about on par with some of the world's fastest land animals out there but seemed to move even faster than that when he had to kick it into a higher gear with the reflexes to boot. His skill with his keepsake katana was also unheard of, even for a man of his stature alone.

Looking upwards towards the suspension bridge above him, Thanatos thought about taking the higher ground for a moment before he began to rethink his strategy. It could be that a woman was sent here to try and gain his sympathy, but the feeling of aggression in this place was becoming present. Whoever that woman was was sent here to put him "out of his misery" from the looks of things. A dark smile was on his fae as he began to sneak around the building utterly in silence. He needed to get a good look at this woman before he made any decisions about what to do first.

After about several moments of stealthy movements, Thanatos soon came upon the female from around a corner then pressed his back against a pillar then glanced to the side of it, who appeared to be a real stand out than from most women he saw previously. But even as he behgan to look her over, he could easily tell that this was a woman who was more than likely an agent of the same assassination agency that was sent after him. A narrowed eyed gaze was all he gave before attaching the sheathed katana to his back aand then began to ascend up a ladder as quietly as he could without alerting her to his presence.

 

[Devxx]

Eris let out an angry growl as she looked around for some sign that something was going on. She could feel someone there but for the life of her she couldn’t see them in the dark. This whole situation was making her crazy and made her feel like a sitting duck that was waiting for someone to strike and kill. This guy wasn’t known for being compassionate or trying to talk things through and she had absolutely no desire to end up like one of his victims. Sure she had killed more then her share of people in life but the way he did it made it look like he actually took pride in how he handled his sword and the way he used it to hurt others. No, this was someone she really wouldn’t want to meet in a dark ally and the fact that she was in a dark warehouse made it all that much worse. If there was any way to get out of this she was going to have to think on her feet.

“Aren’t you tired of hiding?” Eris called out in the darkness. “You’re supposed to be some super soldier but you’re hiding in the shadows like some scared little kid.” Now anyone with half a brain would have told you that taunting something you can’t see wasn’t a good idea but that wasn’t what she was thinking about right now. If this was all just her paranoia seeping in then no one would answer and she could finally relax. Yet if he was here at least this would be some way to draw him out and she wouldn’t have to keep looking over her shoulder and working herself up. Her voice echoed off of the walls and seemed almost distant when it came back to her ears. Step one was taunt the guy but what the hell was step two? For some reason she really doubted that he would take kindly to being called names.

Nope, it was time for drastic actions. Making sure that her back was always to the wall she walked over to a pile of crates on the left side of the warehouse. The wood was dry and rotting and it would be exactly what she needed. Eris reached into her pocket and pulled out two rectangular objects, one the size of her palm and one about as big as her pointer finger. Fiddling with the cap on the larger objects she suddenly turned it upside down so that liquid poured over the wood. If she couldn’t get him to come out by himself then she would just have to smoke him out. Sheathing her Saber she knelt down to make sure all the wood was properly coated in gasoline and in a position so that it would definitely spread the fire.

Opening the clasp of the lighter she pushed the button on the top so a bright red flame danced in front of her face. “I really hope you’re in the mood for barbeque you bastard.” She muttered as she gently lowered the flame on one of the pieces of wood until it caught fire and started spreading. Suddenly light flooded the warehouse from the small fire and it started consuming more and more of the crates before catching onto the ground. She needed to get out of here right now since this place would probably be completely up in flames in about ten minutes and she’d really rather not be inside when that happened. Gathering her stuff the blond started making her way out the door as the flames engulfed the wood behind her.

 

[BlisteredBlood]

Thanatos continued to watch this female from his hiding place, uninitiated from her taunt. He had heard so many things from people in his lifetime that he honestly couldn't care any less of what they said. As a matter of fact, he was tempted to throw one right back at her, but then again, what was the point of hiding out in the first place? Useless taunts were just useless words, in his estimation. If there was one thing he also knew, those that threw around those useless taunts seemed to have a death wish as they were broadcasting to the target exactly where they were.

Thanatos could see that she was holding two objects in her hands now, one of them being a longer rectangular object and the other wasn't so much bigger than her pointer finger. Just what was she planning on doing here, he wondered to himself before watching her empty out a liquid onto the floor near a palette. It wouldn't be too long before his keen sense of smell picked up on an accelerant of some sort.

But even as he saw flames beginning to dance on the floor and the place starting to brighten up somewhat, Thanatos began to realize that her primary goal was to flush him out. Realizing this, he would then step out from behind the pillar and reach a hand back to his katana and rested his hand on it for a moment as he began to approach her. The way he began to calculate it in his mind, it was all too perfect. He could kill her in this place and then leave her corpse here to be burnt down with this fetid shitpit of a place.

"I don't mind it at all." Thanatos spoke aloud after he took no more than five steps before he leaned forward hard, suddenly dashing right behind her and hooking one of her arms around one of his own then placed the edge of his Nightmare Reaver right onto her jugular vein seemingly all within one fluid move. "How do you want it? I prefer mine well done." He spoke again, emitting a dark laugh of sorts as he held her against him.

 

[Devxx]

Eris froze in place as soon as she heard the voice behind her and felt the cold steel by her neck. Looking down she could see the blade dangerously close to a very vital part of her body. Well she did want to flush him out but this hadn't exactly gone according to plan. The dark laughter echoed in her ears and Eris once again regretted getting up this morning. Getting hacked to pieces by some sword wielding psycho wasn't exactly on her top ten list of ways she would like to die.

"Funny that I literally had to light a fire under your ass to get you out here." It might not have been the best thing to say but right now it was a stall tactic considering she was really running low on options here. There would be no way for her to reach either of her weapons without him taking off her head first and with him right behind her it wasn't like she had much room to maneuver. The fire was creeping over the walls and the crackling noise alerted her that it was getting closer and closer. Soon enough the whole warehouse would be burning and she would really rather not be in the area when that happened.

"They're not going to stop you know." Her voice came out clear and confident even if her heart was racing like crazy. "There's a 300 trillion dollar bounty on your head and the government isn't going to stop until you're dead." So maybe right now wasn't the best time to remind him just what threats he was facing but somewhere in her mind she had a plan. "Sure you might have escaped the lab but you're going to live the rest of your life like some hunted animal. You'll never get a moment's peace and will have to spend every waking moment looking over your shoulder in case someone is after you." With that kind of reward for him there was no way that people were going to give up. Money made people do very foolish things and he would be hunted down for the rest of his life like a wild animal.

"Of course, there is another option." Eris let her words hang in the air as she waited for his reaction. The flames were slowly closing on them and that katana was still in a very dangerous proximity to her person. The way she saw it there were pretty much three options laid out in front of him and two of them involved a very messy death for her. From what she had seen she doubted he was completely stable but even so maybe the chance to protect his own skin would win out over the impending blood lust.

 

[BlisteredBlood]

Thanatos's expression hardly changed much when she spoke to him, informing him that there not only the massive bounty on his head, but there was also the threat of the government coming after him just as well. His ears were also tuned to the sound of the creeping flames that were threateningly closing in on them as well. He thought about just slicing her neck open and just leave her here to die in the impending blaze, but perhaps just this once he could listen to reason. Besides, if she knew all this much, then there was a good chance she could have some information on her that was more valuable than just outright bloodshed.

"I had figured you would. But really, the way you were talking also gave you away." Thanatos said as he then glanced back at the flames once more as he took his katana back from her neck and resheathed the blade carefully, but wasn't really ready to trust her all too soon. She was out for his head, that much was certain.

"I know they won't stop," He continued. "They'll never stop until I'm found. Either by the likes of you or the same scoundrels that set me upon this world and set my head on a pedestal. Once they do, everything will be right back to everyone being all happy and living their lives in peace." Thanatos added. "But that's the problem. No one's ever happy with anything, no matter what it is. War is always brewing in parts of the world you haven't seen with your very eyes. Soldiers are constantly going on the front lines and there will always be a general of some sort or another that is just waiting to give the order." He concluded, knowing full well of what he was speaking of.

But when she spoke of his other option, Thanatos's eyes narrowed. "Choice? What other choice?" He asked, demanding an explanation. "Tell me now and don't you dare lie to me."

 

[Devxx]

Eris breathed a sigh of relief as she felt him remove the blade from her neck and sheath it. Apparently she had managed to buy herself some time even if the fire was creeping in. The flames were already dancing around them and she could feel the heat on her skin. The girl ran her hand over the place where the katana had been to make sure he hadn't nicked her. Finally happy with the fact that her head was still attached to the rest of her body she turned around to finally face him in person.

Her eyes traveled over him taking in what she could. There was a vast difference between what she had seen in the videos and what was standing in front of her. Sure the videos had shown him killing people as if they were bugs but for some reason the sight in front of her was more disturbing then even those images. He was taller then her by at least half a foot and was clothed head to toe in black. Yet the most disturbing part of all were his eyes. There was something very unsettling about the dark orbs and she really would rather not be on the receiving end of the view.

"Fake your death." Eris said simply as she watched for his reaction. "The whole military world wants you dead and soon enough they're going to get in contact with private bounty hunters if their own can't catch you." It stood to reason that the media blackout couldn't last forever and someone would eventually crack it before they told the rest of the world. When that happened he would be the most wanted man on earth. "We tell the world about your existence and show them just what their government has been up to. Then with the whole world watching we fake your death in the most public way possible. You're no longer a hunted man and we split the money and be on our merry ways."

The plan was far fetched but it wasn't impossible. Sure it would take a bit of work but they could pull it off with enough patience and planning. She wasn't dumb enough to think she could take him on by herself and had no plans on being on the receiving end of the katana. Now whether he would go for it or not was a completely up in the air. She had just tried to kill him and he was about a second away from killing her so they really had no reason to trust each other. Still, if they could pull it off then their lives would be better off and they'd never have to see each other again.

"If you could make a decision a little quickly please. I'd really rather not turn into a crisp." She glanced around nervously as the flames kept getting closer. Shit, in another minute or two things would be getting uncomfortably hot.

 

[BlisteredBlood]

As he continued to gaze upon her, Thanatos began to see the cardinal differences between him and the female assassin in front of her. Her outfit didn't seem like the usual garb of those that had been sent after him in recent weeks. She was clearly shorter than he was, by at least a foot or possibly a foot and a half. Those glacier blue eyes of hers despite they were clearly showing fear were also telling him that she was being absolutely truthful. Thanatos still had his doubts, but the impending flames that were creeping closer were telling him to make his decision rather quickly unless if they were both looking forward to being in Hell's barbecue for all eternity.

He glanced back to the flames for a moment and then said nothing for a moment. Rather, he instead quickly lashed a hand out to her wrist suddenly, grasping it tightly before he made a frighteningly quick dash for the exit. "I'll tell you my decision once we're outside, but for your sake you had better be right. Because if you're not, I'll skin you alive and feed you to a pack of dogs." Thanatos answered with a warning tone in his voice.

 

[Devxx]

Eris winced as she felt his hand clamp around her wrist just a bit too tightly for comfort. His reflexes were a lot faster then she had first thought but she guessed that was what happened when you were trained to be a super soldier. The girl could barely keep up with his pace as she felt herself being practically pulled out of the burning warehouse just as the flames consumed the spot they were in a few seconds ago. The cold night air felt good against her skin as the burning building behind them set an eerie orange glow against the black sky. The smell of burning lumber filled the air and there would be no doubt that the blaze would draw unwanted attention.

"People skills weren't a high priority in your training were they?" Eris muttered angrily as she pulled her hand away from his and rubbed her sore wrist. He hadn't killed her yet which was a good sign but that little threat before had left a sour taste in her mouth. Right now she had no doubt that he would happily be willing to carry out his threat if so inclined. She was kicking herself for not just shooting at him in the first place.

Suddenly a sharp noise caught her attention as she heard the wail of sirens closing in. "Shit, the police are coming." She cursed as she looked back at the burning building that would surely be a give away to where they were. No doubt they would be asking a lot of questions and things would be getting really ugly really fast. If there was one thing she hated dealing with it would be the police and right now would be the worst time.

"Tick tock. Make up your mind because they're going to be here soon" Her hand went to her holster as she prepared for the worst.

 

[BlisteredBlood]

The sounds of sirens wailing in the distance also got Thanatos's attention, and from the looks of things, they too like the flames that had began to engulf the inside of the burning warehouse they were inside of previously was threatening to close in. But, at least that was the least of his worries once they were out in the cool night air. However, the one thing that this woman had to go and do was to draw attention towards him; something that could've been averted had she not decided to smoke him out.

"I'm also going to have to say the same thing to you, since you brought it up." Thanatos answered with biting sarcasm in his voice as he then glanced to her with a hint of aggravation. "But consider yourself lucky that I don't intend on killing you if your little plan goes through like you say it will. But if it does go awry and backfires, I'm coming for you and your employer that sent you after me." He added as he then crossed his arms across his chest with a clear look of contempt.

"So, if you want an answer to the choice you've given me, then I guess I'll have to take it with the condition I laid out for you. If it works, fine. I'll take the half of the reward money and then I'll be on my merry way. If it fails, then I will find you and hunt you down to the ends of the earth. Understood?" Thanatos then spoke once more before he glanced over to the approaching squadron of police vehicles.

"In the meantime, I'll leave you to deal with them." He concluded with a smirk. "Ta-ta for now~" He spoke once more before biding her farewell in the form of running off into the night.

 

[Devxx]

"Oh you son of a bitch." Eris said angrily as she watched Thanatos retreating form leave the warehouse. His threat still hung clearly in the air but right now she had bigger problems to worry about. Turning around she could see what appeared to be at least five men in uniform coming towards her with guns drawn. The one in the middle stepped forward with his gun pointed towards her and was telling her to put her hands behind her back and get down on the ground. Eris sighed heavily as she reached into her pocket and pulled out a wallet before flipping it open and revealing a badge and ID. The ID had her picture on it but a completely different name that seemed to identify her as being with the FBI.

"It's ok guys. Apparently this was just some stupid joke by a bunch of teenagers." She explained as she handed over her wallet for the lead man to examine. "They all ran off before I could catch them but it doesn't look like anyone was hurt." Satisfied with her explanation the man handed her back the wallet before the rest of the group started looking around the now smoldering pile of ash. They took her aside and asked her questions for an hour or so as they wrote down a report and went over her story. Seemingly content with what she told them they let her go and told her to come back in the morning so they could go over what they found at the scene. Eris was more then happy to get out of there before the police started doing a check for an Agent Joan Arc of the FBI.

As she walked outside of the building and down the street her cellphone sounded alerting her to a call. Taking the device out she pressed the button before putting it to her ear to listen to the voice on the other end. Her eyes shifted from left to right to make sure she wasn't being followed before the ducked into an empty alleyway. "Yes sir, I have made contact with the target." Her voice was barely more then an audible whisper as she looked over her shoulder to make sure no one followed her.

"So far everything is going according to plan. I did hit a little snag but it should be ironed out." Eris explained in an urgent tone. Right now she was very wary of Thanatos showing up and this would be a very bad moment for him to do so. The plan had been laid out so carefully and for now he seemed to be going along with it. From now on everything would have to be handled delicately if this was going to succeed. Eric listened patiently as the voice on the other end gave her strict orders before turning off the phone and slipping it back into her pocket.

Going back out into the street she walked over to a small diner that was still open and took a seat at one of the booths. It had been a long day and now all she wanted to do was get some food and go to sleep.

 

[BlisteredBlood]

Once Thanatos was out of sight and out of mind, his attention was soon turned towards minding his own business and enjoying the peaceful silence all around him despite there was something plaguing his peaceful mood. Something was bothering him about the whole ordeal. If she wasn't one of the many assassins that were sent out to kill him, then just who was she in accordance to him anyway? She didn't look the type that was just sent out towards him and then not kill him, that much was certain.

But even as he continued to walk on in the quiet night unseen by the human eye, Thanatos's expression was that of pure thought as he came to a stop further into the industrial district, nearing the dockyard. Fortunately for him, there was nothing and no one here save for the empty boats that were moored nearby, so at least he could hole up in one of those for the time being. Soon enough, Thanatos knelt down into a crouch for a moment before exerting enough force to leap his way up onto the roof of one of the large garages here and stood on it, looking out towards the ocean that was partly illuminated by the clear moonlit skies above him.

He began to think over the plan his would be assassin told him about, this being faking his own death. Technically, he could do it, but the chances of it being found out as a hoax would only drive his pursuers into more of a frenzy than he himself could handle. Soon enough, Thanatos soon sat down on the roof in silence to think this over.

 

[Devxx]

Blue eyes opened groggily as sunlight flooded in through the blinds of the window. Stifling a yawn, Eris got up slowly before taking a peek at the clock next to her bed. It was 7 am and she had spent the previous night tossing and turning as she ran through the plan in her head. So many things could go wrong but if it went right then the payout would be unbelievable. Sure the US government might want Thanatos dead but there were others that were more interested in having him alive. All she had to do was get the little sociopath to the designated area without him murdering her. That should be easy enough, right?

Throwing back the covers Eris took a quick shower and put on her clothes before packing up her things. All of her possessions fit neatly in a knapsack just in case she had to leave in a hurry. Taking a quick look around the room to make sure she hadn't forgotten anything she slung the knapsack of her back before closing the door behind her. After dropping off the motel key at the front desk she made her way out into the open air to decide what to do next.

Obviously she would first have to find just where Thanatos was. The warehouse was no longer an option and she hadn't had a chance to slip a tracker on him. He could be anywhere in the city or could have even left it altogether after their little meeting last night. Wearily she rubbed her temples as she tried to get a plan together. If she could even find him she'd still have to convince him to follow her and that was going to be a whole separate pain. The man didn't seem to trust anyone and she doubted he would be very trusting towards her after last night. Still, first she needed to find him.

He'd probably be somewhere where there weren't too many people that he'd have to hide from. That narrowed it down to a handful of other warehouses, the dockyard and two of the old rundown factories in town. Well it looked like she would just have to hit them all and hope that luck was on her side.

 

[BlisteredBlood]

All throughout the night, Thanatos looked down at the wharf where the ships were moored. He saw the occasional lone drifters like himself come in and out of the place, but it was hardly anything worth noting. Even if sleep were to come to him that night, it probably would only be a short catnap of sorts before he would awaken again. After all, when you're conditioned and trained to be a machine in combat, the last luxury you couldn't afford would be sleep. On top of all that, the threat of being snuck up on and caught or killed was also fairly high.

Thanatos remained right where he was until right about 6:30 in the morning before he eventually laid back on the roof of the large garage and closed his eyes not in sleep, but more or less in subconscious thought. There was quite a bit on his mind ever since he ran into that woman from last night, something that was bothering him considerably. By around 7:00 AM, Thanatos's eyes shot open before he kipped back up onto his feet after he moved his hands to the sides of his head and pressed the palms of his hands down onto the roof and lifted his legs up, bending them back and then pushed off his hands.

Once up, Thanatos looked around the dockyard, seeing nothing of interest here. A quick hop off the roof and landed into a crouch once he was down and onto his feet. It was a bit of a rough landing, but that was expected when you jumped off a 15 foot tall building, He would then stand up before he gave another look around in silence before he began to walk through the dockyard pondering where he should go next.

 

[Devxx]

"This is ridiculous." Eris said with a sigh as she opened the door and climbed into the car. She had just spent the last twenty minutes checking up on one of the factories and had found absolutely nothing. Trying to find Thanatos was proving to be a very difficult job and once again she was kicking herself for having not put a tracker on him when she had the chance. If she found him again that was going to be one of the first things she was doing. Of course that all stood to IF she found him.

The screen of her cellphone lit up as a video started playing on the small device. It was a feed of what looked like a man jumping from a frighteningly high distance and landing on the ground with almost no problem. He was dressed head to toe in black and she could get a glimpse of a sheath underneath his coat. The surrounding area looked like the dockyard which was probably where he was hanging out. Unfortunately the time on the video read that it was captured 15 minutes ago. Eris mumbled an angry swear before throwing on her seat belt and pressing her foot heavily on the gas as the car roared to life. No doubt she was violating countless traffic rules as she cut people off and blazed through a red light as the other drivers honked their horns angrily. Probably not the smartest move in the world for someone who wanted to avoid detection and was made even worse by the fact that the car she was driving was stolen but that was the furthest thing from her mind right now. She had to get to the dockyard as soon as she possibly could or else she might never find him again.

Her cellphone beeped and flashed as a message showed up on the screen. Looking down hurriedly her heart started beating faster as she read the text. Three simple words were on the screen but they made her blood run cold.

Sai is coming...

"Fuck fuck fuck my life!" This had all gone from bad to worse. She had thought she would have more time before another agent was sent but it didn't look like it. They must have taken the warehouse fire as a sign that he had killed her and sent another agent after him to finish the job. Sai was renowned for his ruthless behavior and his skill as a hunter. If he made it to Thanatos before she did then the plan would be thrown completely out the window. She needed to find the man and get him out of here if there was any hope of the plan working.

Parking the car haphazardly on the street she got out and started running around the dockyard looking for him. She was tempted to just shout his name but that would get her some unwarranted attention and she had no idea just how close Sai was. No, this would have to be handled the old fashioned way of running around like a chicken without it's head and hoping she bumped into him. It was then that she caught a flash of black out of the corner of her eye and started running towards it. "Hey!" Eris called out as she closed in the gap. "Wait up would you?"

 

[BlisteredBlood]

As fifteen minutes went by, Thanatos eventually came to a stop a little further into the dockyard, pondering where it was he should go next. He thought about heading away from this area and look for somewhere a little less crowded by machinery and the like. Possibly look for something to eat. Besides, not many seemed to care about the recent goings on with the murders and not many even knew who he was.

All of that decision making was soon brought to a halt when he heard a vehicle coming to a halt somewhere close by, causing Thanatos to glance back with the kind of glare that could kill a man provided if he didn't already butcher him with his bare hands. But then, he heard a familiar voice. Narrowing his eyes to the sound of the voice, he could now make out a familiar silhouette, this in the form of that same woman he met last night.

"You again..." Thanatos said as he relaxed his icy glare. "What do you want now?" He demanded outright.

 

[Devxx]

"Nice to see you to." Eris replied sarcastically as she stopped to catch her breath. The man was a little less threatening now in the morning but that didn't mean she wasn't still wary of him. He had made it quite clear last night that he would have no qualms about cutting her up and feeding her to a bunch of dogs. Standing back up she started walking a bit closer to him though making sure there was still enough space that she'd have room to move if he decided to strike.

"You need to get out of here now." Her tone was urgent as she looked him in the eye. Things had gotten very messy in a short amount of time and if there was any chance of the plan working then she would need to get him away from here and to the drop off zone as soon as possible. "They've sent another assassin after you and he means business." She was hoping right now that he wouldn't take it as some kind of challenge for a new fight. Sai was absolutely terrifying and he wasn't like any of the other assassins they had sent after him. If anyone would be able to bring Thanatos down it would be Sai.

"Look, you might not believe me but I'm actually trying to protect you here." There was a definite urgency in her voice as her eyes shifted from side to side on the lookout for anyone suspicious.

 

[BlisteredBlood]

Thanatos only arched a brow as he listened to this woman explaining his current predicament, stating that he needed to get out of this place. He almost wanted to say that that was what he had been doing all this time, but the second part of her comment irked him a bit, mostly because that all assassins and bounty hunters they've sent his way all "meant business" when in reality, a number of swings from him usually reduced them to little more than ground hamburger.

"Protect me?" Thanatos answered as he heard her urgent tone of voice, half wanting to scoff at her. "As much as I find it laughable, I suppose I might as well take your advice for once. But, if this guy you're talking about is who he says he is, then I might finally get a challenge instead of having to send those scrubs back to whatever agency they came from." He added as he crossed his arms over his chest and smirked a bit.

"Alright. I'll follow your words." Thanatos eventually said after a little thought. "However, my warning still stands." He concluded, looking at her with a straightfaced glare.

 

[Devxx]

"Yeah, yeah, if I'm lying you're going to flay me alive." She sounded like she was brushing him off but she was still worried about his threat. If he really did find out just what she was up to then things would end up very painful for her. Though with any luck she would be able to get him to the drop off point before he ever really figured just what was happening. Stepping to the side she gestured for him to get in the car while she walked around to the driver's side.

"My name is Eris by the way." She said as she got in the car and fastened her seat belt. "I figured since I already know so much about you then you might as well know something about me." She figured he would be at least a little more willing to trust her if he actually knew her name instead of thinking of her as some random stranger just passing through his life. Admittedly being in closed quarters with someone who could kill her at any moment wasn't exactly her idea of fun but it would be too dangerous to get on a plane considering he would probably be on a government watch list somewhere. Then again, so was she.

"Since killing you isn't an actual option we have to make it look as real as possible. They will obviously want proof such as a dead body but we can't do that either. Right now the best choice is to make your death as public as possible. Expose the whole super soldier program to the world and have enough people watching you die that the government will have no choice but to declare you dead out of fear of public repercussion." Funny thing about mob mentality was that if enough people believed something was true then even the hard facts wouldn't be enough to sway them. All they would have to do was make sure enough people saw him die and let the media do the rest.

 

[BlisteredBlood]

Thanatos didn't exactly like it when she brushed him off like that, but at least he got to know her name. "Well, since introductions on your part are done, I suppose I might as well introduce myself. That is, if you already know so much about me to begin with. Either way, the name's Thanatos. Thanatos Von Howitzer." He stated in a simple tone of voice. "And it's a pleasure to meet you, Eris." He added in a more steady tone of voice as he then followed her to her car and got into the passenger seat beside her.

Once in, he listened to her plan of action, this being making his death look as public as it possibly could and expose the very program that made him into what he was: A minister of death praying for war. Thanatos lifted a gloved hand up to his chin and itched it for a moment as he began to think about how it could be possibly achieved. "The one way it can be done is if we did this in full view of the public. So possibly in a park or in a major traffic area would suffice." Thanatos answered in a sagely tone of voice as he glanced out the window, going over the plan in his head.

 

[Devxx]

"I was thinking on the very top of the tallest building in America." Eris said with a small smirk as she shifted the car to drive and pulled away from the dockyard. "Think about it, an amazing battle on top of the Sears Tower with the whole world watching as the media broadcasts it on their networks. Then, at the very last moment you're thrown down into the Chicago river where your body gets carried into Lake Michigan never to be seen again." At least that way they would make sure to get all the attention they needed and solve that pesky problem of not having a body as evidence. Of course they would never even make it to that point if everything went off without a hitch but there was no reason for him to know that.

Eris shifted lanes as she merged over onto the highway before cutting off the man in the next lane. He honked angrily at her but she merely scowled in the mirror before flipping him off. There were a lot of things Eris was good at but she did have a little habit of letting road rage take over. "You know, you're not that much of an asshole when you don't have a sword to my neck." The girl chuckled slightly as she looked over at him. She still had to work on gaining his trust and that was going to be hard if they kept this serious attitude the entire time.

 

[BlisteredBlood]

Thanatos listened to her opinion of the matter, finding that there would be a bit of a problem with it all too soon after she spoke it. The first thing that would go wrong with it is that they would send for a frogman team to search the river for his body and if they didn't find it, they would expand the search area further. Even if the search area still turned up nothing, they would only continue to search and search up until they found something, be it an article of clothing to a blood sample. The only way he would be able to combat that would be if he were to get rid of something on his person to throw off the search squad and allow him to get some more breathing room.

His train of thought was soon derailed when she gave him a compliment, something that he hadn't heard from anyone in who knows how long. An arch of a brow and a glance over to Eris was his only reaction he gave her before he spoke. "Thanks." He said in a neutral tone of voice. "You're not so bad yourself." He added.