THE ASSASSIN - AU/CC/Adult - Epilogue - 11/6/16

[keepsmiling7]

"hacker" is such an ugly word........use "research" instead!
I love that!
Protection is not easy I see.
Thanks,
Carolyn

[Roswelllostcause]

This mystery is getting bigger and bigger! I have an idea now who this female assassin is. No I won't say yet. Great part!

[begonia9508]

Wow! It's getting crazy, with Valkyrie already having the same doubts as Bane had...
I have the feeling that Valkyrie is someone who was not far away from Maria's family!

Waiting for more! EVE

[Earth2Mama]

The plot... THICKENS!!!

Why do I have this awful feeling that the senator knew something was going down at the wedding? But the bigger question is... Why?

[Eva]

Alex was great with Valkyrie - aka Isabel ! The way he stood up to her, made her answer his questions. Loved it completely!

So, Valkyrie has questions too? It's good that she's doubting. It gives Maria & Michael more chances to get out alive.

I so like where this story is going: M&M on the road and most likely Isabel & Alex working together and following them soon!

[L-J-L 76]

Great Chapter!!!! All I can say is you left me speechless and trying to figure things out again.

From:
L-J-L 76

[sarammlover]

How in the world does someone know Michaels coordinates? He knows how the system works, how can he not know someone will find him? Is he chipped and doesn't know? I really liked this interaction between alex and Valkyrie! Excited for more!!

[Alien_Friend]

OMG!!!!! This story is amazing! I cannot believe that Max and Liz work for Maria's uncle. I did not at all see that coming. This story is so thrilling, so many twists and turns already and it's only eight parts in. You two are amazing! Once again you have a hit out of the park with this. I can tell already. I am so glad that Valkyrie is not just blindly following her orders in this situation. I'm a little bit scared for Alex but I am glad that she's investigating the situation with him and hopefully they can provide the resources that Michael and Maria need in order for them all to stay alive. I am relieved that Max and Liz are fired by Maria's uncle. He cannot be trusted anyways. They need to investigate on their own and try and help Maria. She will be so upset with them when she finds out the truth. I hope it doesn't take too long for them to regain her trust because it seems like they all are going to have to work together if everyone's going to stay alive. I love how Michael was acting on instinct and the way how he found the picture of himself that Maria took and now it is working to protect her. I love how this whole Michael kidnapping Maria is kind of like how it was for them in Roswell and the beginning of their relationship originally. I am loving their chemistry wholeheartedly. At times I am on Michael's side with Maria talking during inappropriate times. Though I like that Maria is sticking up to him even though she is scared out of her mind. She is brave!

I have been addicted to reading old completed fics again recently hence my disappearing but I can't say I'm not glad to read so many parts so close together because that was just so exciting and it was only like five chapters. I cannot wait to continue reading this story!

Excellent stuff ladies!

Eagerly awaiting more.

[Double Trouble]

keepsmiling7: Lol, Alex does have an interesting interpretation of the term hacker.

Nope, not at all.

Roswelllostcause: There are going to be quite a few twists and turns to come. Lol, we’ll wait to find out if your suspicion is correct. Thanks!

begonia9508: Valkyrie does have questions, which now puts her in danger as well.

Earth2Mama: Indeed it does!

A good question... and one that has yet to be answered.

Eva: Lol, Alex just isn’t one to back down... even when the person he’s standing up to is armed and obviously dangerous.

Valkyrie’s questions will buy them some time. Question is, how much and will it be enough?

We have a lot of miles to travel and a lot of surprises.

L-J-L 76: Thanks for reading!

sarammlover: That’s a very good question and eventually we’re gonna get to the bottom of it. Alex and Valkyrie play off of each other so well. They’re a lot of fun to write.

Alien_Friend: Thanks for the compliment. As always, we are very glad you like the plot!

Slowly, everyone is taking their role in this fic, lol. M&L have to work to get Maria’s trust back, they’re aware of it and we all know it’s going to happen eventually, right?

Maria is brave and at times she doesn’t think before talking – which is SOOOO annoying for a certain assassin.

Reading completed fics is less frustrating, lol. We’re glad though, that you always find your way back to us.




Part 9

Unknown Residence – Chestnut Hill, PA

Maria was gaping at the elegant home they were breaking into when her captor shoved her through the back door without ceremony. She had watched him pick the lock and then disarm the alarm in a matter of seconds. And it wasn’t some cheap security system. It was a state of the art system that she knew had cost a fortune. A system he had bypassed without the slightest bit of hesitation.

“Quit gawking and get your ass inside.”

“You know this is illegal.” Her eyes roamed over the beautifully decorated interior. Whoever had handled the Christmas decorations really knew how to make the house feel warm and inviting without it being overwhelming. She took a step towards the Christmas tree that dominated the living room. “Just look at that… hey!” she yelped when she was jerked back from the doorway.

“Stay the fuck away from the windows,” he snarled.

She made a face at him when he turned his back. He had been in a mood the whole time he had been casing the neighborhood and she was getting tired of it.

“Get in the kitchen. The windows don’t face the street or the neighbors.” Not to mention he was getting hungry.

“I don’t appreciate – “

“I don’t give a shit, Blondie. Kitchen.”

“You know, you’re an incredibly unpleasant man,” she huffed as she was shoved yet again.

“I know,” he said dryly. Unpleasant was his middle name. He frowned at that thought because he had just learned of his potential first name.

“Not when I knew you.”

He stopped. “How well could you possibly have known me? You were what back then? 11?”

“It didn’t take a genius to get your middle name out of your uncle.”

“A middle name doesn’t mean you have knowledge about the person.”

“You’d hate it anyway.” She looked around the kitchen, taking in everything. “How long are we gonna stay here? It’s so wrong to break into these nice people’s home at Christmastime.” She shrugged. “At anytime really, but especially right now.”

“What’s with you people an’ Christmas? It’s just a commercial holiday, built up by those who make a profit off of it. Oh right, it’s about God and all that bull, right?” Bane asked sarcastically. “YOU of all people should know there isn’t a God.”

“Why? Because I lost my family?”

“Because you lost your family, you ended up with your uncle, and now you’re on the list to be killed.”

“You look at that loss and you see proof that there’s no such thing as God.” She shrugged and opened up the refrigerator, looking inside just to have something to do. “I survived that explosion. I don’t know why and I sure don’t know how, but I know there was a reason for it.”

“You looking for a higher reason?” He snorted while he placed his weapons on the counter checking each of them. “There isn’t one.”

“I’m not looking for one, no. I know there’s one. I may not know what it is, but I know it exists.” Maria turned to look at him. “You’re jaded and cynical, and judging by your job, I guess you’d have to be.” How else could anyone just go around killing people because someone gave them money?

“Yeah, the reason you survived is to drive me nuts,” he muttered under his breath.

She hid a smile at his words. “Well, I’m all about giving and since you’ve so generously taken me on this arctic excursion I fully intend to give you as much grief as I can.”

He narrowed his eyes at her. “If you think this is arctic then you don’t know how cold death is. Because that’s what you’d be if you weren’t here.”

“You spend a lot of time making threats, Michael, and to be honest I’m getting tired of it. If you were gonna kill me I’d already be dead.” She had no idea if that was true, but she sure hoped it was. She didn’t feel nearly as brave as her words sounded. “What’s the point now?”

“I wasn’t talking about me. And don’t call me that!”

“Why not? It’s your name.”

“It was my name ten years ago. That boy doesn’t exist anymore.”

“Maybe, maybe not. How would you know? You don’t even remember who that boy was.”

“Exactly.” He glared at her.

“Doesn’t mean he doesn’t exist any longer.”

The metallic snap of the magazine as he slammed it into the gun caught her attention and they glanced at each other over the counter. No, he thought, no matter who he had been, he was sure there was nothing left of that other person.

“Do you intend to intimidate me the entire time we’re together?” She crossed her arms over her chest. “Because if you do it’s gonna be a long...” she waved a hand erratically, “a long whatever you intend this timeframe to be.”

This woman was the worst he had ever met!

Bane dragged one of the barstools towards him and sat down, face sternly concentrated on her. “I think you take this situation a little too lightly, Maria.” He used her name on purpose, hoping she would for once listen to what he was saying. “A hitman has been set on you. As harsh as it sounds, you’re gonna have to prepare for the worst because these people won’t rest until you draw your last breath.”

“Do you intend to allow them to kill me?”

“No.”

He seemed to be under the misguided impression that she wasn’t scared to death and that she was unaware of the kind of danger she was in. She was terrified and she was painfully aware of the threat she was under. What he didn’t know was she had a tendency to talk excessively when she was nervous.

“But that’s not the point.” He took the shotgun from the counter and checked it. “It would be irrational to think I’ll be able to prevent them carrying out the hit on you forever.”

“What would it take to make them withdraw that... what do you call it? A contract?”

“I haven’t ever seen them do that.”

“Well, that doesn’t mean it can’t be done, right?” She moved to the cabinets and started looking through them, trying to hide the nerves that suddenly felt too close to the surface.

“They have an interest in killing you. At first I thought it was just something to threaten your uncle with, but now I think it has something to do with your little investigation.” It didn’t make a lot of sense though. “Maybe your uncle’s involved.”

“That little investigation as you call it happens to be very important, and if I wasn’t onto something, why would they be threatened by me?”

“There’s obviously something they don’t want you to find.”

“And maybe we need to find out what that is.” She turned around to face him directly. “It might be the only way either of us gets out of this alive.” She swallowed hard. She had no idea if he’d be willing to go out on that limb, but she had to try something.

Bane frowned. He wasn’t sure it was possible to get out of this alive and he had never feared death. “Did you learn anything?”

“I didn’t have time to find out much before you kidnapped me. I do know that according to the police report you were declared dead. There was no evidence to support that claim, but it’s there in black and white.”

“I believe I was injured pretty badly.” He tapped his head. “Question is why they told me lies afterwards.”

“Your family was killed that day, just like mine, so what happened to you after the explosion? I mean, where’d you live? Who’d you live with? You were 16 and with your injuries you wouldn’t have been able to be on your own, so you had to be in someone’s custody.”

“I was in a foster home after being released from the hospital and when I turned 18 I started my SEAL training.”

She pulled out things to make sandwiches without bothering to ask him if he wanted one. “And you had no memory of your past? Nothing in all these years?”

“No, nothing.”

“But how could they tell you lie after lie? What if your memory spontaneously came back? That happens sometimes.” She spread mustard on a slice of bread and paused to look at him as her eyes widened. “Do you think they could somehow control that?”

“Doubtful. I had some bleeding in my brain. When my memory wasn’t back after several months I was told that most likely it wouldn’t come back.”

“But what if it did? Wouldn’t that make you a liability?” She was warming up to her subject as she considered different scenarios.

“Yeah, sure,” he admitted.

She wrinkled her nose. “You say that so nonchalantly, like you couldn’t care less if you were on someone’s hit list.” She finished putting the sandwich together and cut it diagonally before sliding the plate across the counter to him.

He stared at the food in front of him in shock. “When you do this job you know eventually the day will come when things turn against you.” He nodded at her silently before taking the first bite.

“And you just accept that.” She shook her head at him, disgusted by his blasé attitude about death. “Why? Why couldn’t you have gone into something normal? How did you end up in this line of work anyway?”

“That’s easy, Blondie.” She was looking at him like he was a monster. Well, maybe he was. “What should I have lived for? I didn’t have a family or friends. I had nothing to lose.”

“But you... you kill people. People who haven’t done anything to you, people you’ve never met, people you don’t even know, and you do it for money. That’s... it’s just wrong!”

“Right and wrong is like black and white. There’s a grey area.” He didn’t have to listen to her bullshit and accusations. Grabbing his plate, he went to the kitchen table where other weapons and maps were spread out.

“Grey areas are nothing more than an excuse to work between the lines of right and wrong.”

“You know what,” he snapped, “you don’t have to like what I do, but right now at least it’s keeping you alive.”

“Do you like what you do?” she countered. “Do you just kill people without a single ounce of conscience?”

He ignored her question because she wouldn’t like the answer. Did he like it? Not at all. But it was the only thing he knew.

“I don’t think you do. I’m sure there’s a great deal of money to be made in your line of work. People have to be willing to pay a lot to get rid of others, although I can’t see how it’d ease their guilty consciences.”

He pulled at his hair in frustration. “Why don’t you just shut the fuck up? I’m not forcing you to stay with me.”

“Oh, really? So I could just walk out the door at any time and you’d let me go?” She narrowed her eyes as she stared at him, waiting for him to deny it.

“Sure. If you don’t want my protection then go,” he didn’t look at her while he spoke, his eyes fixed on the map of Pennsylvania.

Maria didn’t understand his sudden about-face. She turned her head to look at the door, gauging the distance, and even taking a step in that direction before she focused on him again. Reverse psychology. “You’re just saying that,” she accused him. “You’ll probably beat me if I try to escape.”

His eyes snapped to her. “Beat you?”

“Less than 24 hours ago you were trying to kill me! Now the only reason I’m still breathing is because you want answers. Why would you let me go?”

“You told me what you know, didn’t you?”

“Well... yeah.”

“And you’re still breathing, aren’t you?”

“Just because I told you what I know and that’s all of it, that doesn’t mean you believe it was everything.”

“Whatever,” he said, exhausted by her word games. “You can go if that’s what you want. But if you do don’t expect me to come after you. Leave an’ you’re on your own.”

She didn’t understand him. And she absolutely didn’t understand her reluctance to leave a man who had been sent to kill her, had yelled at her, cursed at her, and dragged her all over the place in the last day or so.

It would be a lot easier to gain information and hide from The Circle without her, he mused. Protecting her was a risk, he couldn’t move as fast as he needed to and she wasn’t used to a life on the run.

She moved to the door and reached out, her hand wrapping around the doorknob and even going so far as to turn it before she turned her head to look at him again. He was eating, his gaze on the map, as if he didn’t care one way or the other if she took off. “You’d just let me go knowing there are people out there who wanna kill me?”

Bane groaned and slammed his head against the surface of the table. “So, what? Now you’re blaming me because I’m not forcing you to stay with me?”

“No, I just can’t believe you don’t care about... about anything!”

He got up, the chair making a loud scraping sound against the floor when it flew backwards. “I’m gonna go take a shower.”

“Well, I hope you don’t think I’m doing your laundry while you’re in there!” she growled under her breath.

Bane didn’t reply immediately, waiting until he started up the stairs to the second level. “What about a blow job, Blondie?” he called when he was out of sight. “That’s the least you could do for sparing your life.”

“Put it on your bucket list, creep!” she shouted back.

*****

Headquarters of The Circle outside of Washington DC – December 2015

Senator Halverson waited to be called into the inner sanctum of The Circle’s offices. He looked up when Rebecca Johnston stood from her desk and motioned for him to follow her to the main conference room. He stepped inside when she opened the door and he looked around at the men seated there. He smoothed his hand over his tie and walked over to the empty chair the head of the organization indicated.

“Do you know where my niece is?” he asked without preamble.

“You had one job where that young woman was concerned,” Baxter said. “How difficult is it to contain an individual, Senator?”

“I’ve contained her for ten years, Baxter! I never asked to be charged with raising a child – “

“A child linked to you by blood.” He pressed his fingertips together and raised an eyebrow as he stared at the senator. “The blood that runs through your veins and the blood on your hands, or have you forgotten the massacre you did nothing to stop?”

“Nothing to stop?!” he echoed incredulously. “What in the name of God could I have done?”

“If you had any honor, any loyalty to your family, you would’ve tried to warn them.”

He snorted. “And end up dead right alongside them?” He shook his head. “I’m not stupid.”

“Nor are you honorable or loyal, Senator.” He smirked. “It’s a good thing your constituents are unaware of the fact that you’re a coward.” He leaned back and reached for the antique pen overlaid by a pair of intertwined snakes with jade eyes. He let it slip through his fingers to tap against the tabletop, holding it in place and sliding his fingers down the barrel before raising his hand and repeating the gesture.

“You failed to carry out your orders so we’ve made provisions to handle the situation ourselves.” He raised the hand holding the pen and motioned for the lights to be dimmed. Once the room was darkened he punched a button on his laptop and the screen on the wall came to life. He smiled viciously when he heard the senator’s sharply indrawn breath.

“You set him on her?”

“It’s rather poetic, don’t you think?”

“You’ve always been a sick sonofabitch, but this’s twisted even for you.”

“We’ve run into a slight snag with our plan,” he went on, not bothering to respond to the senator’s comment. “Somehow she’s managed to draw him out because he’s blown his cover and now he’s on the run with her.” His eyes narrowed to thin slits as he looked at Morris but when he spoke the words were directed at the senator. “Bane is excellent at evasive maneuvers but Valkyrie has been assigned to take both of them out.”

Senator Halverson felt a momentary sense of relief. No, he’d never wanted to raise his niece. He’d made his political career his life and truthfully if he had to choose, well, a lifetime of work shouldn’t be wasted. He didn’t necessarily want to see her dead though, especially at the hands of the only other survivor of the massacre.

He’d never met Bane in person but he was well aware of his reputation within The Circle. He had met other assassins employed by the group, but never him. It was doubtful he’d ever remember their brief encounter at the wedding ten years earlier, and given that there was no indication seeing him in the news had ever sparked any recognition, they had felt fairly confident that his conditioning had sufficiently eradicated those memories.

He pressed his thumb and forefinger against his closed eyes, wanting this madness to be over. “I have to report her missing or people will begin to talk.”

“She’s never been very public,” Welling said from Baxter’s right hand side. “It won’t raise any eyebrows if she stays out of sight for a few days.”

“A few days? Have you also been cloning people without my knowledge? What happens when she doesn’t return at that time?”

“She began her winter break several days early,” Baxter said. “The arrangements have all been made with the university. In the meantime, you’ll stay out of sight, vacationing with your niece for the holidays, and we’ll determine a plausible scenario for her… untimely demise. Something tragic that will elicit the sympathy of your constituents and improve your standing in the polls. You of course will then be called upon to play the role of the grieving uncle.” His eyes were cold as he pinned the other man in place with a look. “And you will play that role to the hilt.”

“And how do you intend to keep her watchdogs silent? She disappeared from their apartment and when they realize she hasn’t been reported missing they’re going to start asking questions.”

“We’ve taken measures to keep them muzzled for the present time.” Baxter leaned back in his chair, his posture deceptively relaxed. “Should they become a problem they also will meet with a tragic accident. Perhaps the same one that will claim your niece’s life.”

Senator Halverson left the building nearly half an hour later, slipping out through a secure exit and hurrying through the underground parking garage where his driver was waiting with the car. He didn’t breathe easy until the car pulled out into the weak sunlight of the late afternoon and he drew a shaking hand down over his face.

His involvement with The Circle went back to the beginning of his political career. They had bought his way into the first office he’d ever held and they’d ensured his future climb to the most powerful seat in the country’s government. He’d had no choice when he’d learned they intended to take his brother out. He’d walked away and let it happen without a word, sacrificing his entire family along with so many others. He’d tried talking to Daniel, warning him that pursuing his case against the phantom organization was only going to get him laughed out of the FBI. But his brother hadn’t listened to him. Instead he’d doggedly continued his investigation and he’d unearthed just enough clues to keep digging for more.

He’d been on the verge of uncovering the organization and proving its existence, linking them to political assassinations, military coups, weapons and drug deals that had funded multiple campaigns and operations, and their involvement in various other illegal activities. He sighed tiredly and rubbed his eyes. He’d discovered their interest in conditioning, mind control, memory erasure and other measures they now employed to control their assassins. And it had cost him his life

Michael Guerin was one of the first in a long line of individuals taken and groomed to become highly trained killers. He had allowed it to happen. He could still remember that day, every detail crystal clear. He almost wished they could erase those memories for him, but his fear that they would take everything from him had kept him silent.

He walked through the debris, trying his best not to see the flesh and blood intermingled with bone and sinew that seemed to coat everything in sight. He looked up, one hand lifted to shield his eyes when the rotors of an approaching helicopter disturbed the air.

Baxter’s cleanup crew had been onsite just minutes after the explosion, well aware that the small emergency department housed on the island was nearly half an hour away. They landed and the team disembarked, making a quick search through what was left of the large backyard. They found the boy’s body covered by a piece of the roof that had collapsed and he watched as they checked him out. He looked like he had been hit by shrapnel from a landmine.

Poetic, he mused when he saw the shredded beer can that had impaled his side. He’d seen him sneaking the drinks on several occasions but it wasn’t his problem and he didn’t need to be bothered. He’d probably been on his way to the refreshment table to steal another when the explosion occurred and as the heavy glass from the house blew outward it had torn through his body.

The falling roof had probably saved his life.

“Kill him,” one of the men said. “No one will look twice at this kid.”

“No,” Janus said as he knelt down next to the boy’s prone body. “He’s barely alive, but he’s a remarkable specimen.” He snapped his fingers and two of the men jumped to do his bidding. “Get him into the chopper.”

“Specimen?” he asked as he grabbed Janus’ arm and jerked him around. “No one said anything about you collecting survivors to experiment on.”

“Halverson,” the man said, his voice eerily calm, “remove your hand from my person or I’ll have you added to my collection.” He nodded when the politician did as he’d ordered. “I have carte blanche when it comes to my experiments. If you have any doubts feel free to contact Baxter.” He turned to watch the men load the young man onto the helicopter. “Be careful with his head!” He looked at Halverson and smiled. “Brain damage would make it difficult to gain full control of the subject. Brain injuries are so unpredictable, you know.”

“He could already have brain injuries.”

“He could, and if the damage is too extensive to work with we’ll start over with a new specimen.”

“You would just kill him like that?”

Janus turned in a slow circle, his gaze pointed as he surveyed the damage. “He would just be a drop in the bucket. But don’t worry, Halverson. If it comes to that we’ll make sure he’s useful to us first.”

He’d stood there as they whisked the young man away. He’d met the emergency crews as they arrived, playing the shell-shocked survivor so well he deserved an Oscar for his performance. He hadn’t had to fake his shock when they pulled his niece out of the rubble. He had been so certain no one else had survived. Baxter had been furious when he’d learned of her survival, but with the number of people that had been there to witness her being found miraculously alive, he’d had to slightly alter the plan.

Baxter had carefully constructed his plan and Halverson had to admit it had been brilliant. His taking his niece in to raise after the tragic loss of their family had brought him overnight fame. He had won the next few political races by a landslide and he’d played his new role of devoted uncle perfectly for his public. It had also put him under careful scrutiny by The Circle because of the possibility that one day Maria would begin to ask questions.

She had to be controlled and it had become his job to do so. It had limited his freedom and it had kept him under constant observation. Over the years he had slowly collected bits and pieces of information, locking it away in different locations for safekeeping. But the organization’s network had grown so widespread and he had no idea how to dismantle it without selling himself out and he just wasn’t that noble or self-sacrificing.

They owned him and there was only one way out.

[Eva]

Whaw! I somehow felt that the senator had to be a part of the circle but to just read it black-white, it still gives me the creeps. This is sick, that's for sure! God knows what they did to Michael! I can only hope that he did have some kind of brain injury which will help him to find himself in time. If that's even possible! What a mess!! And that's even an underestimation!!