“Too bad you won’t be able to enjoy him for long,” Strik-9 said. He stepped out of the stairwell. “Who gets to die first?”

 

“You’ll recall I made a remark about variables, Equinox?” Whispering Knife asked.

 

“Funny thing about mathematics and variables - one way to deal with them is to surround them with so many known quantities that the variable has little or no impact on the equation.” Equinox stepped forward. “Strik-9. I volunteer to be the first, but before you turn me into cole slaw, you really, really want to listen to what I have to say first.”

 

Strik-9 paused. “Go on.”

 

“Do you happen to know what an Intruder is?”

 

“Yeah, they’re Big Daddy’s pet project,” he said, indicating Fade.

 

“Exactly. You know when I checked in a while back? Well, I wasn’t lying - I really did have to check in or else they’d come looking for me. Unfortunately, I didn’t tell you that when I input that particular code, it also activated a special program placed there by a couple of hacker friends of mine. It instantaneously downloaded my current location and broadcast it, along with another code, as a text message to every Intruder on the globe.”

 

“So?”

 

“That combination of code and coordinates roughly translates to, ‘Fade is here’ in bright red letters. Given the backgrounds and loyalty of most of the Intruders, I’d say they’ve all been making a beeline for this location since that moment. I’d also say that the odds of you getting out of here alive exponentially decrease with every passing second.”

 

Strik-9’s eyes narrowed.

 

“I’ll offer you a deal. You deserve your vengeance, and one day, you’re going to catch me slipping. If you walk away now, you’ll get that chance. I won’t stop you, nor will anyone here stop you.”

 

Strik-9 stepped backwards. “It’s going to take me days to finish killing you.”

 

“It’s no less than I deserve,” Equinox replied.

 

#

 

*DOOT* *DOOT* *DOOT* *DOOT* *DOOT* *DOOT*

 

“Start shooting the moment he enters the room, and don’t stop until either you run out of ammo or the gun jams,” Reap said.

 

The first volley pinned Villain X against the wall, but he managed to disengage and roll behind a pillar.

 

“What about you? It’s hard to be accurate at full auto.”

 

“Don’t worry about me. You just shoot - I’ll work around you.”

 

Glad that Mouthymerc had chosen to load the machinegun with tracers, Reap rolled beneath the line of fire and came to a stop in a combat crouch. He fired twice with the pistol in his left hand, and brought the broadsword up to intersect the answering arc of lightning that exploded from the armored fist.

 

“He’s going to use the pillars for cover. That’s what I’d do, so I figure that’s what he’ll do.”

 

“Yeah, we were expecting that. When he does, aim for the ceiling above it.”

 

“What happens then?”

 

“I’m not certain. Equinox told me he’d have the area prepped for us.”

 

“That means it’s going to explode.”

 

“Probably.”

 

Mouthymerc paused long enough to re-shift his aim and peppered the ceiling with more 7.62-mm carnage.

 

*DOOT* *DOOT* *DOOT*

 

Villain X leapt away from the pillar just seconds before it broke apart under the timed explosions. Ready for the move, Reap leapt at the same time and ended up within sword reach - exactly where he wanted to be.

 

“Then I guess I start shooting again once the dust settles?.”

 

“Exactly.”

 

*DOOT* *DOOT* *DOOT* *DOOT* *DOOT* *DOOT*

 

Bullets spanged off the armor plates while Reap swung the sword in deadly arcs. Villain X finally had presence of mind to unlimber the fire axe. He caught Reap’s sword in an armored fist and squeezed. The sword broke into three pieces. Reap’s right hand flexed and the other USP popped into place, and he did his best imitation of a John Woo film.

 

“I’m not expecting the sword to last long, but that’s fine since I’ll have more weapons to spare.”

 

“Why are you using it, then?”

 

Reap said nothing, but continued cleaning his gun.

 

We’re a delaying tactic, Mouthymerc thought. Then he said, “Why are we delaying him?”

 

“I’m not sure,” Reap replied, a steely look in his eye. “I didn’t think much on it, and it’s best that you not think on it too much either.”

 

“Didn’t contemplate the long-term implications of your plan - now why is that?” Villain X said. He turned towards Reap and brandished the fire axe. “What do you know, little man?”

 

Two sharp blows resounded behind Villain X, then the wall behind him splintered, cracked and crumpled into dust. When the haze cleared, there stood Leopard.

 

She looked as if she’d been to Hell itself - and that Hell had been all to happy to send her back. The remnants of her wetsuit were something slightly more than pornographic, but definitely less than modest; in other circumstances, they would have been a turn-on. As it was, the look in her eyes made it clear that a sexual encounter was the very last thing on her mind.

 

That is, the look in addition to and the rather large axe-hammer in her right hand.

 

It appeared as if someone had taken a maul and jammed the handle into the hilt of a sword (in this case, that wasn’t too far from the truth) and appeared to be too unwieldy to be used as a weapon. As she took another step into the room, that conclusion became more certain with every step of her awkward gait.

 

The whites of her eyes disappeared behind her expanding iris, and they turned black-red. Her muscles bulged to inhuman proportions, and veins stood out all over her massive arms and legs. She lifted the axe-hammer, now quite easily, and stepped forward again.

 

Villain X’s armor finally locked onto the object, and the pattern recognition software automatically ran through the onboard library until it resolved the object, breaking it down into the component parts.

 

Code:
 
Identification Complete
Classification - Artifact: Mjolnir (Cross-Reference - Operation: POSEIDON)
Classification - Artifact: Beowulf’s Hilt (Cross-Reference - Horsens Museum)
Classification - Avatar: Codename - Leopard (Cross-Reference - Operation: POSEIDON)

 

Correlation found...
 

 

 

 

One’s hyperactive intelligence quickly ran through several permutations, coming to a single conclusion, and for the first time in a long time, Villain X knew true fear. He turned to run, but Leopard was faster, and she brought Mjolnir down with the force of a titan. “‘Nox said you were EMP hardened - time to see how right he was.”

 

When the axe-hammer connected, enough electricity to perpetually light New York City arched through the masterfully crafted armor. Trapped within confines of the rapidly overloading systems, Villain X screamed in impotent rage, One cowered in fear, and John Hunter started to believe that his waking nightmare was, at long last, finally over.

 

 

 

 

 

Aftermath

 

It seemed like there were thousands of Intruders on the castle grounds, but Equinox knew that was false. It was more likely that they were doing what came naturally - sticking to the shadows and scouting out the area despite the fact that they’d pretty much killed everyone who was not affiliated with the Conspiracy who’d been in a fifty mile radius. Equinox walked slowly, one arm on his cane and the other supporting Fade, as they made their way out of the basement.

 

“How much is this going to cost me?” Fade said, finally breaking their silence.

 

Equinox laughed. “Why, whatever do you mean, good sir?”

 

“Let’s get down to brass tacks. You spent a very large amount of time, money, resources, and favors rescuing me; what will it cost me to repay you?”

 

“... Fagin’s Umbrella,” Equinox said, and all trace of humor left his face.

 

“Excuse me?”

 

“I want Fagin’s Umbrella, and before you think I’m crazy, just hear me out. I don’t want to take it from you, I just want to run it. Your organization is starting to gain a public reputation as a collection of thugs and miscreants. I want to bring some legitimacy to the organization, and what better way than to put a public face on it?”

 

“Your face?”

 

“Heavens no - I’m a shadows kind of guy. No, I have no problem staying behind the scenes; I prefer it that way, actually. No, think of me as the Chief Financial Officer. I’ll be there to see that you’re funded and running. You can still be the Chairman of the Board, so to speak.”

 

“Is that what you plan to do with all that Hand of Glory gold you sequestered during that mission when you met Trinity?” To his credit, Equinox managed to suppress the look of surprise that should have washed over his face. “C’mon, son: I’ve been keeping secrets since before you were a twinkle in your father’s eye.”

 

“That’s for a little side project. I’ve been in talks with the Marino family for a while - they are forming some kind of criminal syndicate and I’m supposed to help them buy their way in.”

 

“And how does Marcus Simmons fit into all this?”

 

“That’s the part I’m not sure you’ll like. I want to start an American expansion of the Umbrella and I want Simmons to help me do that.”

 

“Hey, boss,” Trinity said as she came jogging up. “Mouthymerc says they’ve got Hunter secured for the trip. The psi-restraints seem to be working.”

 

“I should hope so. They’re similar in design to the ones used on me,” Fade said. “You know the Shop is going to come after him, don’t you?”

 

“I do. That’s why I was going to ask you for your help. Can you spare some of your guys ride along with Simmons and Done?”

 

“Certainly. Trinity. Track down Alpha and Gamma cells and tell them to tag along.”

 

“No problem.” As they exited the castle, Equinox spotted Leopard. She was leaning against the wall, turning Mjolnir over in her hands and staring at it. Koschei was talking to her softly. Nearby, Clemency embraced Whispering Knife in a father/daughter hug.

 

“I’m not certain what I’ve unleashed here today,” Equinox said wistfully. “I only hope I’ve made the right decision.”

 

Fade smiled. “We can only hope. This is my stop - Mr. Logan, it was a pleasure and an honor. No offence, but I hope we never have to meet under these circumstances again.”

 

“None taken, good sir. Try to stay out of dark alleys from now on.”

 

#

 

Many, many months later...

 

As he ascended the stairs, Brandon sipped on his glass of wine and he perused the paper. The news wasn’t pretty, as he expected. The Conspiracy had been blow wide open and already there were talks of retribution. The Consortium seemed to be faring the worst, as the European Union had all but called for public execution of Gemeinschaft’s leaders.

 

Brandon had cut ties with them long ago, and now his decision was vindicated. He still had enough political clout to be able to shield himself from the worst of the attacks should anyone start pulling at the right strings. Furthermore, ‘E. Quentin Knox’ had not been on the international scene for some time, having all but disappeared from the public eye. Brandon Logan, on the other hand, was starting to become known in philanthropic circles; Elias Graham had taught him well.

 

The Shop had been surprisingly quiet, although Brandon suspected it to be the calm before the storm. They’d only made one attempt to rescue Villain X, during the initial transport from Europe to the United States. Done, Sampson and Simmons made short work of the attackers, although Simmons had reported that Sampson was still treading on the edge of control. She hadn’t let Mjolnir out of her sight since she’d obtained it, and Brandon was starting to worry that they would need to take action.

 

He reached the top of the stairs and entered the study, nodding once to his butler. Something at the edge of his consciousness brought him to full alertness and he looked at the butler more closely. Although he was making a valiant effort at appearing calm, the man was nervous - no, terrified. Intuition ran its course and brought Brandon to one logical conclusion.

 

“You finally caught up with me.”

 

“I did,” Strik-9 said. He was in the corner, staring at one of the pictures on the wall. “Eva Kraus?”

 

“Yes. It was a personal commission that was collecting dust in a vault. I decided to rescue it - it’s a quality piece of art. Ethan, you may leave. Lock the front door on your way out.”

 

“Yes, sir.” The butler bowed curtly and left just as quickly.

 

“Shall we get on with this, then? I’m sure you have all kinds of fun planned for me.”

 

Strik-9 grinned. “I have a list. It got so big, I had to burn it to a CD.”

 

“As much as I hate to ruin the furniture and carpet in here, I guess this room is as good a place as any. As I promised you, you would one day catch me slipping.”

 

Strik-9 stepped forward.

 

“Today is not that day.”

 

Strik-9 paused.

 

“I have a friend I want you to meet. His name is Fade; I think you’ve met before. He wants a rematch - it seems the odds were stacked in your favor last time and he wants a chance to even the score.” Brandon stepped to the side to allow Fade to enter. Strik-9 took a step backwards, too late realizing there was only one entrance and exit to the room, and it was behind Fade.

 

“I’m sure you guys have much to talk about. I’ll leave you two alone.” Brandon backed out of the room and closed the set of double doors.

 

--Fin