AlterOne #3 - Party's Over

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Winter_Savior

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#1  Edited By Winter_Savior

AlterOne

#1 - Invitation

#2 - Veldt and Vixens

+ + +

He stood in the doorway as she walked forward; the blood splattered across her face gleaming in the night light.

"Why did you take it off?" he asked as she drew near

"So he could see the look on my face as I laughed at the look on his," she answered

“Do you lose yourself?" he asked

“Master,” she said, hastily kneeling before him, "I'm sorry, on all accounts."

He looked around, "The others, have they gone to finish?"

"Yes master," she replied

“To your feet Eurie, we’ve little time,” he replied, motioning her to rise, “the next phase is already behind schedule.”

He started to turn on his heels, but looked back at the woman, a smirk on his face. She did not move as he grabbed her around the chin, bringing her face closer to his own.

“The blood, it suits you.”

The kiss that followed left her on shaky legs.

-------------------------------------------------------------

Noise from the party carried down the block, blending in with the always constant sound of distant sirens and the hum of the airships, as they patrolled along the skyline. His target had finally come outside; the operative they’d placed at the event had done his job. As he looked through the scope, he noticed a few of the guests wore large cloaks and masks; he hadn’t been informed of anything out of the ordinary. Performers perhaps, he thought. The crosshairs centered on the target, his fingers tightened on the trigger. He held his breath.

Many of the guests had taken to continuing the party outside, the host for his part, busied himself among a large group. The laughter, the music, it all jumbled together; perhaps that’s why he didn’t hear the shot. The sudden flash of purple, a woman screamed as Malk was enveloped in fabric as he was forced to the ground, weight pressed against him as his vision remained obscured. The music ended just as another shot rang out, more clearly to Malk now, as he heard the person covering him yell out something, and felt a slight jolt as his protector was pushed further onto him.

A scream from outside caught Akko’s ear; the commotion the followed roused him from his chair and out of intrigue more than anything, rushing to the scene. As guests began rushing back in from outside, he saw the frantic looks in their eyes, the confusion on their face, all the while, he twisted and contorted, moving through the mass going in the opposite direction.

He made it through the crowd in time to see one of the Veldt deflected another bullet with his wand. The Veldt seemed to be covering someone with his body, though Akko couldn’t see who it was due to the large cloak of the Veldt. Pietro came up beside Akko; they exchanged glances, and turned back to the scene. A pair of Veldt leapt over the wall in the direction of the shots, while their leader walked towards the Veldt on the ground, still covering someone.

“Agent One-Fifty-Nine, bring him up,” said Orojin

The Veldt lifted himself up off of the person he had been shielding, and helped him to his feet.

“Thanks for that,” Malk said

Orojin nodded, “It’s what we’re here to do.”

The Commissioner rushed outside, with Mayor Lamia and a trio of policemen in tow.

“What happened here?” he asked as he came forward

“An assassin,” Orojin replied, “two of my Veldt are in pursuit, while the target remains unharmed.”

“Malk, are you alright?” Lamia asked, concern on her face

“What I want to know is why they wanted to attack you in the first place,” Wun cut in, “Do you know who it could have been?”

Malk shook his head, “In my district, the Orgs are making it a war zone. I’ve been getting death threats for some time now, as to who actually tried to make good on them this time, your guess is as good as mine.”

“In any case,” Orojin said, “these criminals are out to kill you, so you must be doing something right. Which means we want to keep people like you alive going forward, so until we get to the bottom of this, and your district is under control, I offer an agent of the Order to be at your side.”

The outside area was nearly empty aside from a few onlookers, Akko, Pietro, and the group talking with Malk; though there were many people still milling around inside continuing the party. Seeing that his friend was no longer in danger, Akko’s thoughts began to wander. He suspected that the attack was Org related, as Malk had told them many times of the problems in his district. Thinking of such, he recalled his recent interaction with the Aduri; the visit from the redhead and as his confrontation with the Vikaeli father-son duo. At the thought of the latter, he remembered the scene that had happened earlier in the night; the late entrants and Niki’s subsequent hasty departure. He whirled around and grabbed Pietro’s arm, pulling him away from those nearest them. His next words come out in rushed fashion.

“We have to leave, now,” Akko said

Seeing the look on Akko’s face, “What’s the matter?” Pietro asked

“I saw Nikita Jr. leave with a group of Aduri almost immediately after Ulrich and Sineca,” Akko said, “I doubt that is a coincidence.”

It was Pietro’s turn to look worried; he nodded in agreement.

They took Pietro’s car, with Akko in the driver’s seat. He floored the gas as the came out of the parking lot and into the street, barely avoiding a collision with another automobile. With every sharp turn, every collision avoided, and every traffic light he rushed through, he hoped that he wasn’t too late for whatever was happening back at his house. He glanced over at Pietro, to see him moving his lips.

“Not worried about my driving are you?”

“I’m hoping you’re just being delusional,” he answered, “I’m thinking up a way to not make the scene as awkward when we burst in on my sister and Ulrich.”

Akko takes his eyes off the road again to look over, “And?”

“I’ve settled on ‘surprise’” he answered dryly

The continued on in silence for a few minutes, before Akko spoke again, “You talk about someone sleeping with your sister so casually.”

There was a moment of pause as they drove under a bridge, “If it was any other guy, I’d kill him. I had my misgivings at first, but Ulrich,” Pietro took to looking out the window, “he’s a good man.”

As he pulled into the driveway, he looked around into the night for someone lying in wait. Though not the least bit assured that they would not be ambushed, the two of them exited the car and walked attentively to the front door. Akko started to put his key in, but noticed that it was already open. Ulrich was not one to leave things open; though he was not afraid to kiss Sineca in public, he was a private person, always locking or closing the doors whenever he entered any room in the house.

“He never leaves the door unlocked,” Akko said, looking to Pietro

Quiet, and unusually dark for two people to already be here, Akko thought. The only light coming from down the hall; it shone against the wall, coming from the bathroom, whose door was ajar. Akko pulled out his gun, and held it at the reader as they went forward. Just outside the door, they threw it open, stopping upon looking at the sight before him. Slumped over the sink was Sineca, blood dripping from a gash in her head into the basin, a splintered mirror attesting to the damage done. Akko lowered the gun, as Pietro pushed past him and to his sister. A groan quilling fears of the worst, Pietro lifted her up gingerly before placing her in a sitting position; propped up against his knee as he used his right forearm sleeve to apply pressure to the wound.

“Sineca..” Pietro said softly, looking down at her as she began to stir.

Her eyes fluttered, reaching her hand up, she ran it across Pietro’s face, “Ul…rich..”

More than worried now, Akko rushed out of the bathroom, “Ulrich!” he called

The silence of the house remained. His thoughts betrayed him, the worst ever prevalent. He turns back to Pietro and Sineca, who was unconscious once more, before rushing down the hallway and to the stairs. He hastily ascended the stairs, calling his brother’s name as he went.

“Ulrich! Ulrich!”

The door of Ulrich’s room was open, the light from the moon shone through the window, down onto the figure that lay on the floor. Akko stood in the doorway, his heart racing as he looked down at the body. He wanted to step forward into the room but his legs were not responding. His feet felt like cinder blocks, as he shakily took a step forward, then another, his eyes remaining on the body before him. His brother was lay sprawled on the floor, his eyes wide open. Unable to maintain himself, Akko’s legs buckled beneath him, falling to his knees beside his brother’s bloodied and battered body.

“Ugck…Ul…”

His throat contracted, as if a ball had formed within it, disallowing him from speaking Ulrich’s name. Tears formed in his eyes as emotion overcame him. Placing his hands on the floor in front of him, he bent over the motionless body, closing his eyes, trying to fight back the tears as he clenched his teeth. Teardrops fell onto Ulrich’s face as they seeped through effortlessly, as Akko’s body heaved up and down in deep muffled sobs.

Akko sat upon the hood of his car as the sirens drew near, watched as the lights drew closer. He saw the dark cloak as a Veldt stepped from one of the three cars that had arrived, accompanying the district police.

A small gathering of neighbors and passerby’s had formed; the neighborhood not being one to attract the police, a genuine curiosity flowed through the crowd. The night was alight as the beams from the police cars jumped from wall to wall, flashing against the faces amongst the gathering. Akko leaned against the side of his car, arms folded and head down. Pietro seemed to make a point of not looking at him as he walked alongside his sister’s stretch, continuing on into the ambulance with her. From his peripheral, Malk came up beside him, leaning against the car as well. They exchange a glance, as an officer in a long trench coat and fedora comes over.

“District Police Captain Ril Ceverza ,” he said, “I’ll be handling this case, and with me, those people you see in masks over there are called Veldt, they’ll be aiding in keeping the peace within the city. If you know your history, you understand that they can use magic. They’ve done some sort of magical once over with your brother and found clotting in the air canals by black soot, as well as a number of burns around bruised areas. I don’t need any magic to know that this was an Org attack and the Syndicate more than likely. I can’t be sure, but that’s my opinion. If you have any information that can help this case, or just want to talk, here’s my number.”

The Captain handed Akko his card and walked away. Upon removing Ulrich’s body from the house, the police taped off the area and dispersed the citizenry, before themselves, departing.

“They killed him Malk,” Akko said at last

“What? What are you talking about?” Malko asked

“The Aduri,” he replied, “they wanted me. I said no. I even threatened them. So they killed my brother.”

He clinched his fist, as he looked down at the ground; he began to tremble in anger.

“Those…bastards,” he said through clenched teeth

Malk reached out, placing a hand on his shoulder, but Akko shrugged it off. He walked away from the front of the house, around to the back, while Malk followed.

“Akko, come on,” Malk said, “We need to leave; you can stay at my house for a while.”

Akko spun around on him. His face contorted in rage.

“The Aduri killed my brother, and now…I’m going to kill them.”

Malk grabbed ahold of Akko’s shoulders and shook him.

“Listen to yourself,” Malk said, “This isn’t you. I can feel the mana in you is imbalanced, you need to calm down, or your emotions will get the better of you.”

He looked away from Malk, his voice calmer now “You’re right.”

Looking relieved, Malk smiled, letting go of Akko, “Come on, you can stay at my place for the—Nghhh!”

Akko’s hand formed a knife-edge, having been thrust into Malk’s abdominal mana point. Caught off guard, Malk’s mana was disrupted by the intrusion of Akko’s into the cycle. He lost consciousness, allowing Akko to place him against the side of the house.

“You don’t have a brother,” he said, “You can’t understand.”

He’d thought the drive to the estate might clear his mind, but to no avail. He parked a few blocks away, and as he got closer to the estate, he saw the same two guards as before, in front of the gate, and just as last time, their police counterparts were posted across the street, sitting inside their squad car. Not too far off, an airship scanned the area, shining its light into the district. Under the cover of darkness, he went over the wall, landing right in front of an Aduri guard. Before the Aduri could make a move, Akko jammed a knife into his jugular, pulling him to the ground as he did. The bushes against the wall were ample enough cover to leave the body, while Akko began to make a beeline to the mansion.

Niki sat in his father’s office, having just retold of the events that had transpired. Nikita Vikaeli clasped his hands together, leaning forward on his desk. His son had returned alone and battered; the assignment had been simple enough.

“Are you sure the brother is dead then?” Nikita pressed, “I need you to be sure.”

“Of course,” Niki replied, “But that’s not—”

His statement was interrupted by a loud thud just outside the door. Nikita and his son exchanged glances. In the next moment, the door burst open, and Akko flew through, diving forward at Niki who had removed his gun and tries to shoot. His shots misdirected as Akko’s came down upon him. He lay on his back, as Akko, mounted atop him held a Beretta 34 firmly placed, under his chin. The other hand occupied holding the same weapon towards Niki’s father, who in similar fashion held his Mauser at Akko’s head.

Meanwhile, the police positioned outside of the estate heard the shots and upon seeing the guards rush back to the mansion, took to their radio, calling in the situation.

“Reporting from District Three, we’ve got shots fired from within the Vikaeli estate. I repeat, shots fired from within the Vikaeli estate.”

The guards of the manor stood just outside the doorway to Nikita’s office.

“You guys come any closer, or make any sort of movement, and one of these Vikaeli’s is going to sporting a gaping hole in his head,” Akko warned

“You’ve made a very stupid decision Adregi,” Nikita said

At the city’s main police station, Commissioner Wun stood outside the door as Orojin exited the interrogation room.

“Did you get much out of him?” he asked

“The information I’ve gotten sheds some light on the situation in that district, but there large chucks of his story missing.”

“What do you mean by that?”

“There are more pieces to the puzzle, and the man in there doesn’t know nearly enough for us to solve it right now.”

“So what do you propose?”

“We wait and watch,” Orojin stated, “we’ve got a skeletal idea of what we’re dealing with, but we need to check the information we have and if it holds up, we can advance from there and work on ending it.”

An officer rushed over to them, “Commissioner, we just got a report in from District Three.”

“And?” Commissioner Wun asked

“Shots fired at the Vikaeli residence,” he answered, “we can go in.”

Akko, still on top of Niki, looked down and noted his tattered clothing and bruises, “My brother didn’t go down without a fight I see.”

Niki laughed, while his father smirked, “You’ll be joining him soon enough.” Nikita said

“Not likely,” Akko said

Before the others could react, Akko knocked Nikita’s arm out of the way and leapt forward at him, the force sending both men over the desk and crashing awkwardly through the window. Any momentum they had was gone, as they fell direction down upon breaking through the glass, landing in the bushes. Nikita was to his feet first, stumbling up out of the bushes, turning around in time to see the sole of Akko’s boot before it smashed into his face. Nikita stumbled sideways from the attack, but was able to avoid Akko’s punch. He grabbed Akko’s arm and pulled him inward, bringing his knee out to strike Akko in the gut. In return, Akko struck out with an elbow to the side of Nikita’s head that had his ears ringing. Akko did a pair of backflips, gaining some distance between the two, before sending out bursts of fire, five times in succession. All of which, Nikita acrobatically weaved through, continuing towards Akko with each movement. As Nikita came upon him, Akko ran forward to meet him, fists raised and aflame. As he did, Nikita, in a single motion, removed his shirt and leapt over Akko, wrapping the shirt around Akko’s neck upon landing behind him; by this time, the Aduri were pouring in onto the lawn. Nikita held the shirt by its sleeves as he tightened it, while at the same time, striking Akko in the kidney with fire-assisted punches, burning Akko with each punch. Akko brought his leg behind him, catching Nikita in the groin, doubling him over. As Akko turned around to strike, Niki rushed forward, and stepping off of his father’s back, lands a dropkick that caught Akko square in the chest, sending him to the ground.

“I am your opponent now!” yelled Niki

Sirens could be heard in the distance, growing closer while the Aduri began to surround Akko.

“Hold, son,” Nikita said, turning to look down at Akko, “Did you plan on doing this every other day? I only just got the window fixed this morning after all.”

He swung his leg out, striking Akko under the chin with a kick as he tried to get to his feet, sending him back to the ground.

“I didn’t tell you to stand,” Nikita said

Niki rushed forward, gun in hand and pointed at Akko.

“Please father, let me do it,” he said through clenched teeth as he shifted his weight on his legs back and forth, “Just say the word.”

“You know how much I’d love to,” Nikita said, his eyes still on Akko

“But you won’t…”

Niki, wide eyed, looked from his father to Akko and back again, before letting out an aggravated yell, and pushing through the Aduri circle to throw his gun across the yard in frustration. As he did this, he froze upon seeing what was coming towards them.

A helicopter was flying in, just as the wailing sirens of police cars, could be heard at the gate and subsequently seen pulling in fast into the estate. Ropes came down from the helicopter, followed by Veldt and police forces, while more policemen jumped from the squad cars.

“Abtono!”

Akko turned, a streak of orangish-red light struck an Aduri and sent him flying across the lawn and crashing into the wall, the gun he had raised was sent from his hands. The owner of the attack was Orojin, the Veldt Akko had seen earlier in the night; beside him, was the Commissioner, both men flanked by around a half dozen Veldt and police officers, who began to surround the Syndicate members.

“Nobody fire!” Nikita ordered of his men, “On either side.” He added as Orojin and the Commissioner came forward.

“Was our party not good enough that you had to go start your own Vikaeli?” the Commissioner asked

Nikita chuckled, “This? This is an average Lunday night for me.”

“We’ve got the right to check your house,” Orojin stated, “Will you comply?”

“By all means,” Nikita said, “I’ve got nothing to hide.”

“We’ll see about that,” the Commissioner said, motioning for his men to move in, “Now what do we have here?”

He looked over at Akko, back on his feet, and a look of vague recognition crossed his face. The Commissioner walked over and stood in front of him.

“I’ve seen you,” he said, “with Alderman Regent Malk Nazore right?”

“Yeah,” Akko said

“What are you doing here then?”

“He was trying to kill me,” Nikita declared

“Quiet,” the Commissioner said, before turning back to Akko

“He’s got it right,” Akko said, “I came to kill the lot of them, because they just did the same thing to my brother.”

“Is that so…,” he replied, looking back at Orojin

“He doesn’t know what he’s talking about,” Nikita yelled, “He came into my house unprovoked to kill me out of some misplaced vendetta!”

“I said quiet!” the Commissioner yelled back

He took a step back from Akko, and raised his gun.

“Hands behind your head, you’re under arrest.”

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mrdecepticonleader

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Nice job so far :)

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dngn4774

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@winter_savior: Just from the opening scene I could tell you were working with great skill. You have a knack for this and I hope you keep writing. I'm still trying to process a lot of info regarding characters and allegiances but so far it seems to be working out great.