Redistributive Justice: Chapter 1 – To Steal a Country

Chapter 1 – To Steal a Country

“Let’s get this done and get out of here,” I say.

My three friends agree as we exit the bank’s bathrooms. We spread out and check on everything we need to before proceeding with our plan. Looking above at the cameras, I see that the lights on them are off. Checking my phone, I get a message that the police in this city are preoccupied with other crimes happening here. The guards who usually patrol the floor are not here, and the customers and workers are starting to realize that something is up. My friends and I quickly go to the back and put our masks on. Kelly puts on a clown girl mask, Al puts on a grey mask with black stripes around its eyes and mouth, Suzuki wears a tiger mask, and I have a clown mask with the Chimaera States flag on it.

We’re all wearing suits with long jackets; I’m wearing the most basic black-and-white suit with a tie, Al is wearing one with a bow tie that looks like a butler's suit, Suzuki’s suit is like mine and has his golden thorny cross, and Kelly’s suit is bright pink and looks similar to a ringmaster’s. At the vault door, our insiders open it, revealing all the cash, gold, and valuables inside. My friends and I ignore all that, go up to the locked boxes in the back marked with small dragons, pick the locks, move the valuables aside, and pull the levers to reveal a hidden door in the bank. Opening the hidden door, we find a room filled with gold, cash, and cultists wearing dragon masks and black-and-gold vestments who are beheading infants on an altar. Noticing us, the cultists stop their ritual and stare at us.

“Sick bastards,” Kelly says as we take out our compact assault rifles from under our long jackets.

Before the cultists say anything, we open fire, killing the cultists and saving the remaining infants. We put away our compact assault rifles, hand the infants off to our insiders, and take as many of the valuables as we can in large bags. Walking back out on the bank floor with our masks off, nobody seems to be aware of what’s happened, and no one questions any of us as to why we’re carrying a bunch of heavy bags. Outside the bank, I drop a bunch of hundred-dollar bills into the cup of a homeless veteran of the Great War who is drawing pictures and has a cat with him, before we enter our truck in the bank’s parking lot and drive off.

“Smooth as always, guys,” I say.

“We weren’t smooth enough to save all the infants before they could be sacrificed,” Kelly says. “Do these disgusting pagans really have to be so archaic in the way they try to get what they want?”

“It’s how they’ve operated for hundreds of years, and they think it works, so they keep doing it,” Suzuki says.

“I wish I could go back there and shoot them again,” Kelly says.

“We’ll get our chance to punish more of them. They’ll all get what they deserve,” Al says as he crosses himself.

“Amen.”

Looking at each of my friends, I see Kelly’s youthful face, her half-blue, half-blue hair, pale skin, blue eyes, and black lipstick. Al has long black hair, green eyes, and an equally youthful Mediterranean face. Suzuki looks like the spitting image of the tough samurai from Tatsu that he is, with long black hair, brown eyes, and a gruff face. Meanwhile, I’m a slightly old man with a lot of greys in my black hair and goatee, and my dark brown eyes show a lot of what I’ve been through. Just looking at us, I can see that my friends are a bit disturbed by what we saw, but not completely shaken. We’ve seen worse. At least it wasn’t like that pedophile island run by the wealthy and influential elites of the world that we raided not too long ago.

We park the truck we’re in at a church’s parking lot, hand the keys over to some friends, and the truck is driven off again to a safe location. Right now, a presidential rally for Vincenzo Campione is happening here with dozens upon dozens of supporters here for him and his brother, Cesare Campione, who is his choice to be vice president.

Going up to Vincenzo, I say, “The withdrawal and deposit of your political donation is complete.”

Both Vincenzo and Cesare Campione are sharply dressed men and look like real men of status and power, which should be a given since they own casinos, are the secret heads of a syndicate of virtuous criminals called the Hydra Roundtable, and are part of the mafia, or the family, as they like to call it. Vincenzo wears a black-and-gold suit with a red tie and a black-and-red fedora, and has black hair and deep blue eyes. Meanwhile, Cesare has a grey and blue suit, a blue bow tie, a grey and blue fedora, and blonde hair and green eyes.

Vincenzo softly smiles at me, tips his fedora, and says, “Thank you for the kind donation. Let’s head inside the church. I think I need a little rest from all the attention.”

“Thank God. I thought this would be easy, but it can be both boring and exhausting,” Cesare says.

Going inside the church, Vincenzo waves toward the priests and nuns who smile at him and walk away, presumably knowing that he wants to be left alone with us.

“What of the cultists?” Vincenzo asks.

“Filled with holes like Swiss cheese,” Kelly says.

“That’s good to hear. Did you put a bullet in them for me? I wish I could’ve been there myself,” Cesare says.

“Yes, we did,” Al says. “All I’m curious about is whether the tax agency will really turn a blind eye to your newfound wealth in your bank account.”

“We have people within the agency who will help us out with that. Besides, that money was in the invisible account of our foe. No one is going to claim it actually exists. They’ll just take this loss on the chin. It’s not like they don’t have cash and gold reserves in other areas of the country,” Vincenzo says.

“Or other places where they’re sacrificing infants. I say we strike their abortion clinics and the orphanages they run,” I say.

“We can only hope and pray that we eradicate it all and that, when I’m president, I can abolish the great evils of the tax agency and abortion clinics.”

“But is this really the best way to destroy our foe, this Paradox Collective?”

“It is, Ace. They already have too much power in the rest of the world, so we can’t allow their candidate to win the presidency of the United Chimaera States.”

“What about the Malefic? Just because they don’t have the presidency and we flush out the rats from their hiding places doesn’t mean they’ll be completely erased.”

“Let me handle that. Getting rid of them is like getting rid of sin from humanity. We can never completely erase it, or our other foes like the Middle Easterners, Eastern European Slav Federation, and Western European Vorfahren aligned Mediterranean Empire and Zeitloses Imperium.”

“Stop overthinking things like you usually do, Ace,” Kelly says as she slaps my back. “We’ll be fine.”

“We’ll deal with the problems as they come to us. We can’t do it all at once, and if things get more difficult, what are you going to do? That’s life,” Al says.

“Providence will ensure our victory. There’s no need for concern even in turbulent waters,” Suzuki adds.

“Okay, okay.”

“Ace, please stay with us for mass, our rally, and dinner afterward. It’ll do your soul good,” Vincenzo says.

I agree and stay for the mass that they’re holding and dedicating to the country and Vincenzo’s presidential run. Afterward, a dinner is held in the church’s parking lot where Vincenzo gives his speech. When I first joined the Hydra Collective, I wouldn’t have expected to be told by the bosses to support their run for president, but I guess that’s what happens when you get in the innermost circles of an influential and powerful organization.

On the stage, Vincenzo says, “Family and friends, or should I just say, family? We’re all family under God, so let’s not act distant or separate ourselves from the struggles and lives of one another. Thank you so much for your support in my struggle to run for president and for trying to make this country an even better place than it already is. Believe it or not, my first career choice was one in politics, even though I became a car mechanic and casino manager. I’ve always wanted to help our country and wider world from a place where I can do the most, and with your help, we can make that dream a reality, so I can’t thank you enough. From what I’m hearing from the news, it looks like I’m certain to win the Traditionalist pick, and after that, we’ll only have one more hurdle to overcome.

I promise you that I will always listen to your concerns and do what’s best for our country. As you know, I’ve already dedicated my life to bettering this community, and I have done so, so you know I will surely do the same for the wider country. May God help us secure victory if it is His will, and may God forever bless us and the United Chimaera States.”

Everyone claps for Vincenzo and cheers for him. He smiles, bows, and steps down from the stage to talk to them, sign autographs, and take pictures.

My friends and I are sitting at a table in the very corner of the parking lot under the shade and a place where not many can see us.

“Do you think a rally like this could be attacked?” I ask.

“They have to be stupid to do so. Attacking a candidate only gives credence to his cause, and killing him makes him a martyr,” Al says.

“Or sometimes their death is just their death, just like in my country,” Kelly says.

“The United Chimaera States isn’t as backwards as the Slav Federation,” I say.

“You sure about that, Ace? It uses people like us to give illegitimate wealth and power to legitimate people who can also be considered criminals themselves.”

“The systems of politics and business that man builds are imperfect. It needs correction from outside, Kelly,” Suzuki says.

“I know your government is used to it because they use samurai like you without directly saying so, but also, I’m not complaining. I’m just stating facts, and why I prefer the career I have over getting into politics.”

“It’s a noble career path that requires a lot of discipline and the ability to endure the temptations of corruption. Vincenzo and Cesare are probably the only men who can handle the job,” Al says.

“You’re just saying that because you’re in the same “family” as them, but I guess I have to agree with you. They are our bosses and, as long as they don’t tell me to join them in the White House, they have my vote,” Kelly says.

As I look around the parking lot, I see a lot of infectious optimism and happiness. I’m sure the Campione Brothers have their underhanded methods in securing the presidency against the Paradox Collective, who are still a concerning mystery to me. I can only hope and pray that we win, and that their Malefic leaders see justice one day.

My latest short story is done and out today!

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The four thieves, Ace, Kelly, Al, and Suzuki, have risen in the criminal underworld of the virtuous Hydra Roundtable. They'll not only ensure the other groups are doing what they're told but will also investigate a possible hidden rival syndicate that is less honorable than they are, has greater influence, and plans for their country.

Virtue Among Thieves: Chapter 4 – A Far More Experienced Foe

Chapter 4 – A Far More Experienced Foe

“Now, we’re going to be raiding an ancient temple?” I ask the Hydra Roundtable messenger, who is wearing a suit and snake mask.

“To be fair, it shouldn’t be as dangerous as your previous job,” the messenger says.

Right now, my friends and I are sitting in a bar in a small jungle town with no name to it. It’s in the middle of nowhere, and its inhabitants don’t even speak the same kind of English we do, and are having some kind of festive celebration where everyone is wearing a mask, making it perfect for us to wear our masks in public.

“He does have a point there,” Kelly says before lifting her mask to take a sip of her fruity drink.

“That’s true, but it feels like our jobs are just going to keep taking place in more ridiculous locations. What’s next? Are we going to the moon or Antarctica?”

“The Vorfahren are said to be building bases there,” the messenger says.

“Are you serious?”

“Only semi. After what you’ve and the other groups discovered, we think further evidence of our rival, this Paradox Collective and The Malefic, is. Their origins, or at least a base of operations of theirs, is inside the temple we’re sending you to investigate.”

“Can we go to the moon after?” Kelly asks.

“If whatever you find points us to going there. It can be arranged,” the messenger says.

“Yes!”

“Alright, alright. Let’s take this one step at a time and get this done.”

“Thank you. Accomplishing this job will also bring you to the innermost circle of our organization, so be aware that your efforts for us have not gone unnoticed.”

We thank the messenger and go on our way. The Hydra Roundtable has given us disguises of researchers and official government passes to be investigating the ancient temple just in case we are caught. Nevertheless, we have our masks, explosives, and guns in our researcher bags just in case things get violent. From the publicly available knowledge, this temple was built by its native inhabitants and was a place of human sacrifice so that the natives could enjoy a fruitful harvest and favor from their false idols. Whenever I look into the history of places like this, I can’t be thankful enough to the original explorers of this country that they cleared them out or converted them to the one true faith.

The inside of the temple is dark, so we use our flashlights and light the torches with our lighters to better see what’s written on the walls. I’d say the fresh torches are a sign of it being inhabited, but since this place is a tourist destination for tourists, researchers, and explorers, that thought goes out the window. What does count as evidence of who we’re looking for comes in the form of various drawings of the dragon emblem we’ve been seeing, along with drawings of triangles with eyes in them, depictions of devils, and false idols.

“You think this means we’re up against multiple groups or that they’ve had multiple symbols over the years?” Al asks.

“Could be both,” Suzuki says.

“Guys, I think there might be a hidden door here,” Kelly says.

Kelly shows the three of us a bunch of stones that look new and are in the shape of a door.

“What do you think? Do you think we should blow it open or is there some kind of puzzle to solve to open it?” I ask.

“Blow it open. I don’t have the patience for complicated puzzles,” Kelly says.

Al and Suzuki agree, so we take out some explosives, blow the stones away, and blow the metal door that was behind them. There’s no way that no one heard that or we didn’t trigger some alarm, so we put on our masks and arm ourselves with our guns. Carefully going down the secret tunnel, we encounter pressure plates that activate spikes that come out of the floor and wall, make flames come out from the wall, or make the floor fall out from the floor in front of us.

“Of course there’d be stupid traps like these,” Al says.

“I’m surprised we haven’t seen a snake trap yet,” Suzuki adds.

“Easy goes it,” I say as we start to be more careful about our steps.

Unfortunately, we can’t take it easy for long, as a shot comes out from the darkness, hitting Kelly in the face, knocking her down.

“Ah! Why’s it always the face?!” Kelly says as she gets back up on her feet and returns fire.

The four of us are forced to quickly advance and fire into the darkness as we’re being shot at, all the while activating and dodging traps. What makes things even more difficult is that we get shot from behind and have to contend with gunfire coming from both directions. Fortunately, the gunfire from the front stops, allowing us to focus on the attack coming from behind, just as seemingly more people start shooting at us. We walk over the corpses of people dressed in all black gear as we find another hidden doorway, blow it open, and enter a better-lit and more modern-looking area. Before we explore further, we throw explosives behind us, blowing open the floors under our pursuers and seemingly killing them from the sound of falling and dying, and the ceasing of the gunfire.

“What do we have here?” I say out loud.

Looking around, we see modern electrical lighting, altars with human remains on them that look like they’ve had the blood sucked out of them, and various laptops connected to the many wires around the ground.

“Looks like some kind of secret cult sacrificing center,” Suzuki says.

“Look at these papers and stone tablets with their dragon emblem on them,” Al says as he waves around what he’s talking about. “These are written in some weird language I don’t understand.”

“We’ll have them translated when we take them back,” I say.

“This is definitely a sacrificing center of some kind. Look,” Kelly says.

Going over to where Kelly is, we see a dark pit with dozens upon dozens of bodies of blood-drained corpses, some of which are children.

“Yeah, this place needs to be blown back to Hell,” Al says.

“Say no more,” Suzuki says as he starts to plant explosives on the pillars around us.

It’s then that the whole temple starts to shake. Parts of the wall start falling and some of the ways out get blocked by debris.

“Wow. A ye old self-destructing temple,” Kelly says.

“Let’s get out of here!” I say.

The four of us run through the temple, dodging the falling ceiling and advancing against more of the temple’s defenders as they fight against us, even as their people get crushed. Thankfully, the pressure traps aren’t activating anymore, and we have enough explosives left to blow our way out when we have nowhere else to go. As we exit into the fresh air, the temple collapses from the outside, making us sprint as fast as we can down the stairs and away from the temple.

“If anything, we can thank them for doing part of our job for us,” Kelly says.

“They probably had more dark secrets in that temple that they didn’t want to see the light of day,” I say.

“We should have plenty of their secrets with us. Let’s just hope that our friends can translate them,” Al says.

Heading back to the Hydra Roundtable hideout, we give them the files and tablets we found and are told to wait inside the hideout for further instruction. After a bit of waiting, we are invited into a dark room for our promotion and to be informed about what was found through what we retrieved. We sit at a roundtable with two people sitting ahead of us, their faces obscured by the darkness of the room.

“So, what would you like to hear about first?” one of the men in the shadows asks.

“Our promotion,” Kelly says.

At the same time, I say, “What you found on the tablets and files.”

“Heh, which would you like to start with?”

Looking at me, Kelly says, “What Ace said.”

“Good, because that’s marginally more important for you four,” the other man in the shadows says.

“What you found was written in several ancient European and native languages,” the other man in the shadows explains. “They talk about their rituals and the gods they sacrifice to for worldly riches and influence.”

“Some of the notes also mock the people who read them. It seems like they anticipated that the temple would be raided and made notes where they flaunt their influences in criminal, business, military, and political industries, and how they’re a cult older than the founding of the Chimaera States.”

“Do we stand a chance against them?” Suzuki asks.

“If we make the right moves, we do. They don’t care about the fact that we know about them and have ruined their plans in certain areas. They have their sights set on the next presidential election so they can have the Chimaera States for themselves.”

“So, what do you want us to do? Steal the election for you?” Al asks.

“Yes.”

“Heh. Yeah, alright…Are you serious?” Kelly asks.

“Yes, we are.”

“And who will be president instead of their candidate?” I ask.

“We will,” both men in the shadows say.

“And you are?”

“Well, part of your promotion has granted you the information you’ve been seeking, Ace. You will now know who runs the Hydra Roundtable.”

The two figures in the dark are illuminated by the lights turning on in the room, revealing them to be Vincenzo and Cesare Campione, two of the most influential mafia bosses in the country. Vincenzo is dressed in his typical black and gold suit and has blue eyes and black hair. His brother, Cesare, is dressed in a grey and blue suit and has green eyes and blonde hair.

“I should’ve seen this coming.”

“What makes you say that, Ace?” Vincenzo says.

“You two use snakes as your symbol and are sometimes called the Quartiere Cavalieri or Neighborhood Knights; therefore, making it fairly plausible that you’d found an honorable society of criminals we call the Hydra Roundtable.”

“Good job in deducing that, Ace, but what do you think? Knowing who we are and our intentions, does that stop you from continuing your service for the Hydra Roundtable and us?”

I look at my three friends and say, “Since I know that you’re truly men of honor like you say you are, I guess it doesn’t affect me in the slightest.”

“What about the rest of you?” Cesare asks.

“I don’t care who I work for as long as I get to have fun and punish the right people along the way,” Kelly says.

“You’re bosses of my family, and brothers to me, as a result. My loyalty is to God and to you,” Al says.

“If working with you is like working with my family and Al, then I don’t see an issue with it, especially with what’s at stake,” Suzuki says.

“Agreed. So, are you ready to steal a country?” Vincenzo asks with a smile on his face.

The rest of my friends smile at me, and we all say yes.

“Let’s get this done,” I say.

Heh, to think everything we’ve done would lead us to here, taking a country for men of honor. Well, it’s better to be in their hands than those of the cultists we were fighting. God help us in this great task you’ve given us.

 

The End

Virtue Among Thieves: Chapter 3 – Raising the Stakes and Score

Chapter 3 – Raising the Stakes and Score

“What are you saying we should attack Site Seven-Nineteen Forty-Seven?” I ask while trying my best not to yell.

The Hydra Roundtable told us to come all the way out here to a dinner and gas station that’s in the desert in the middle of the United Chimaera States for a top-secret mission. My friends and I already have our masks on, and everyone else at the dinner is dressed up in suits with snake masks on.

“Why shouldn’t you?” the man sitting with us in a snake mask with a voice distorter says.

Taken aback by the question, I think about what to say next before saying, “What do you mean?”

“You joined our organization to make a difference and for the life you once lived, didn’t you, Cowboy?”

“Yes.”

“In light of recent events, we think that you need to steal certain records on the secret organization associated with the one that has the dragon emblem on it.”

“And the information is most likely in Site Seven-Nineteen Forty-Seven?”

“According to our sources, it is.”

“They were inside sources?”

“Insofar as they heard rumors from their official offices.”

“So these sources aren’t insiders of the Site?”

“Nope. Even our friends in the highest places of power can’t get their foot in the door. It’s only for those who are chosen to be there, and even their names are kept off record.”

“And we have no way of getting in other than the front entrance?”

“Yep.”

“So, what are we going to do? Charge the facility and hope no one kills us from point A to B?”

“Yes, but we have military uniforms and a military vehicle for you for that.”

“It’s better than nothing, I guess.”

I look over to my team, who are watching me.

“You seem unsure about doing this, Cowboy.”

“It’s a big step up from what we usually do.”

“Given what you found in the cult of the Pale Green Horse, we need to make a major strike against this rival of ours, expose them, and bring them to justice, and this is our best shot. You and your team are in our top five most trusted teams, so we know you won’t disappoint us. So, what are you waiting for?”

Again, I look over to my team and wave them over.

“Looks like we’re doing this raid on Site Seven-Nineteen Forty-Seven. What do you think?” I ask.

“I think it’s going to be our most exciting heist yet! I don’t know what you’re so worried about, Cowboy. We’ll be fine,” Kelly says.

“If it means getting at this dragon group, then we have to take the chance,” Al says.

“Agreed. We have to go in there and expose the truth and whatever secrets our rival may have,” Suzuki says.

I throw up my hands and say, “Okay. Let’s get this done.”

My friends and I put on our military disguises, keep our masks in our bags, and make sure we’re fully loaded before heading out. Once ready, we get in the heavily armored Humvee and head out to Site Seven-Nineteen Forty-Seven.

Along the way, Kelly asks, “Do you think we’ll find aliens there? This is the secret area where it’s rumored they’re being experimented on after all.”

“I don’t believe in aliens. They’re just demons in the fleshy forms,” Suzuki says.

“Could also just be some government-made creatures or altered humans,” Al suggests.

“They’re going to be the least of our worries. We have no plan or insiders for this job. We’re just flying by the seat of our pants,” I say.

“That’s what makes this the most exciting job of our entire time with the organization. I can’t wait to see what kind of chaos we’ll cause!” Kelly says.

“Keep your temper, Slav. We need to be more on guard than we were in the past,” Suzuki says.

“Yeah, yeah, I will.”

Site Seven-Nineteen Forty-Seven is in sight. It has large concrete walls around it, multiple guard towers, and only one gate. Going up to the gate, we see a guard post that doesn’t even try to check our IDs or listen to our excuse for being there.

Instead, the guard points his gun at me and says, “Turn around, or I will shoot you!”

Kelly shoots the guard with her machine guns loaded with non-lethal rounds, and then says, “Yup. There was no other way this could’ve gone.”

We put on our masks, and then Kelly gets on the mounted gun of the Humvee, filled with anti-tank rounds, and blows a hole in the gate, giving us a way in.

“Woah! Let’s see some aliens, boys!” Kelly yells out.

Leaning out of the window are Suzuki and Al, each armed with light machine guns loaded with non-lethal rounds and having a rocket launcher beside them for heavy armor. Now that we’re past the gate, we see that the area between it and the main facility is a stretch of empty land, a big problem for us since jets and helicopters are being deployed against us. Al and Suzuki switch to rockets as they and Kelly fire at the aircraft to give us cover and take them out of the sky. Another unfortunate part of this road is the mines scattered around it. There is a faint trail of tire marks in the ground, so I try to follow them while avoiding fire from the sky.

“I knew this would be insane from the start,” I say out loud.

“That just means we need to be insane as well!” Kelly says as she kicks the Humvee’s radio to play one of her favorite metal songs loudly.

“This music is just making my ears bleed. This is why I never allow her to play her music in the car,” Suzuki says.

“Shut up, Byakko! You just need to improve your taste!”

A loud shot rings out and hits Kelly in the head, forcing her down into the Humvee.

“You okay, Rosebud?!” I ask.

“Yeah, the asshole grazed me. I’ll send them back a bullet with their name on it,” Kelly says as she grabs the anti-materiel rifle.

Using the rifle, Kelly snipes at snipers in the distance and also hits the pilots of the helicopters. In this case, we’re allowed to switch to lethal rounds, given the intensity of the situation and importance of the job. Getting closer, a squad of four tanks lines up and fires at us from a distance. My friends fire at them with explosives of their own as I continue to try to avoid fire and mines at the same time. Suzuki, Al, and Kelly each manage to blow up a tank after hitting them several times. After they all focus their fire on the last one, we seem to be in the clear until we hit a bunch of mines near the facility, and it seems like no matter where I drive, I’m always hitting a mine.

Our Humvee is all but destroyed now, so I steer it as best I can into the facility, where we are immediately met with small arms fire by guards armed with some kind of laser weaponry that fire red beams of heat at us. Anticipating it, my friends already fire back and use what little cover we have in the Humvee to clear out the guards. Seeing that the Humvee is on fire, I tell them to get out, and we manage to just get out as it blows up.

“There goes our only sure way out of here,” I say.

“I wouldn’t mind using one of the helicopters to get out of here if they have any left,” Kelly says.

“Do you even know how to fly one?” Al asks.

“I can try.”

“We’ll worry about that when the time comes. Let’s head into the underground,” I say.

Going to the elevator, we see that it’s locked down. We blow up the doors and then rappel down.

“Did you see those laser weapons? There have to be aliens here! I just wish I didn’t blow them up so I could take one home with me. I hope they have more below,” Kelly says.

“Focus, Rosebud,” I say.

“Yes, sir. This is the best time I’ve ever had in my life!”

Reaching the bottom, we cut through the elevator, blow open the doors, and are met with more resistance, armed with laser weapons. Not wanting to take half-measures, Kelly and Al use the last of the explosives we have on them, letting us easily clear them out. Moving forward, we’re surprised to not find any more guards and just find scientists running away from us.

“Is that really it? No more guards?” Kelly asks.

“You tell me. We just faced a swarm of aircraft, snipers, tanks, and two groups of guards with laser weapons. I hope that was all of them,” I say.

“Yeah, but where are the…aliens…”

Turning a corner, we find a testing and experimentation area filled with people in cages, restrained patients having surgery done on them by machines, and people in tubes, some of which look like full-fledged stereotypical aliens with big heads, black eyes, and grey skin.

“Woah. Do you know what this means?” Al asks.

“They’re turning people into aliens!” Kelly says.

“No. They’re making people look like aliens. Don’t you see how artificial this all looks?” Suzuki says.

“Eh, kind of. Let’s find proof to see who’s right.”

“There are a lot of shipping manifestos and written journals here out here in the open,” Al says.

“Who can blame them for just leaving it out? We got through a lot of security to get here,” I say.

We fan out and collect all the information we can, much of it having the dragon emblem on them, and mentioning the name Paradox Collective and The Malefic. We also find receipts and agreements with the Slav Federation and Zeitloses Imperium to ship slaves and researchers from their concentration camps over to this facility. Additionally, we find blueprints for different kinds of UFOs and plans to use them and the experimented-on people to make people think aliens are real at certain times to get their minds off of important events in the world. Before we can delve deeper into the files, we hear an alarm saying that the self-destruct sequence has been activated.

“They even have a self-destruct button. These people really are cartoon villains,” Kelly says.

“Let’s hurry and get out of here!” I say.

We run through the facility, going in the direction of the researchers, and find them boarding a subway train. Forcing our way onto the train, the scientists hold up their hands and speak broken English at us.

“You think these people will face justice, given their background and probable government protection?” I ask.

“They won’t, or they’ll be killed anyway,” Al says.

“We’ll be the arm of justice then,” Suzuki says.

“Agreed.”

“Can’t argue with you there,” Kelly says.

The four of us fire into the group of scientists as we make our way to the front. Meanwhile, the facility behind us has exploded. The flames of the explosion are starting to consume the train, so we keep pushing through the scientists, making sure the flames consume them as we make our way to the front. By the time we get to the front, there’s no one left in the train but us, and yet the flames are still catching up to us. To gain more speed, we detach the other trains from us and crank up the acceleration crank.

We hold on as the train escapes the flames, plunges through the concrete wall, hits another train, and then our train flies out of a tunnel and lands on the city streets of the Jewel of the Desert, Sin City.

Stumbling out of the train, I ask, “Is everyone okay?”

“I’m beat up, but I’ll survive,” Suzuki says.

“I could use a drink or several after all that,” Kelly says.

“I second that,” Al says.

“We can’t hang around here. Let’s move.”

My friends and I find a dark alley in the city to change clothes, just as the authorities arrive on the scene. We find a hotel to hide out in and inform the Hydra Roundtable of our success. We pass off the bags of receipts, journals, shipping manifestos, and more to a courier of theirs, receive our payment, and use it to enjoy our time in the city, eating, drinking, and gambling. After all we’ve been through, we more than deserve it.

Virtue Among Thieves: Chapter 2 – Family Over All, but God

Chapter 2 – Family Over All, but God

Today’s job has us in a city that is Suzuki’s home away from home. He takes us to a Tatsu restaurant for breakfast and speaks in his native language to the waiters, which gets us better food and quicker service than the other customers who speak English. Right now, we’re in civilian clothing and just appear to be a group of friends to those who don’t know any better. Scouting moments like this, where we pretend to be normal, are precious to me since I don’t have anything to go back to at my house. I admire the faces of my friends, the youthful appearance of Kelly, who has half blue and black hair, Suzuki’s grizzled face that is a lot like mine, except I have a goatee and grey hairs, while he still looks relatively young, and the always put-together Al with slick black hair and the fires of youth in his eyes.

“Ace, what do you think?” Kelly asks me.

“About what?” I ask.

“About getting better food and service if you speak the language of the natives. It sucks for those who don’t know.”

“I don’t care for it as long as we get good food anyway.”

Al says, “I’m telling you. It’s entirely normal.”

“Does it happen in your Mediterranean restaurants as well?”

“Yes, it happens there and in our marketplaces.”

“Tch. I’ll never understand the discrimination in your cultures.”

“It’s not discrimination. It’s just preference and respect for people who respect our language and way of doing business.”

“Preference is discrimination. They should treat all people the same.”

“Tch. I don’t expect a Slav to understand these things,” Suzuki says.

“I don’t expect hyper-traditional cultures like both of yours to understand my point of view either.”

“This is why I prefer the Chimaera way of doing things. It prevents useless conversations like this from happening,” I say.

“I do prefer them as well,” Kelly says.

The waitress gives Suzuki the paid check and another piece of paper, and he gives her a tip. Suzuki puts away the tip and reads the other piece of paper that’s written in Suzuki’s language.

“What’s it say? Did you get her number or some kind of love letter?” Kelly jokes.

“No. Just information on our targets,” Suzuki says.

“Was she our informer with our organization? I thought we didn’t accept any help from them.”

“Nope. She’s an informer for my family.”

Understanding what he means by “family”, Al says, “Friends of the family are usually better informers than those who are paid to do so.”

“Really?” Kelly asks.

“Yes,” Suzuki says. “Their reward is the preservation of their neighborhood and its safety. For our job, the family and we have the shared goal of getting rid of hostile foreigners.”

“I heard your family helps the Tatsu government a lot in that aspect,” Al says.

“We do, and we heard your family has a hand in that in both your native country of Lupa and the Chimaera States.”

“Okay, okay, boys. We can talk about how good and honorable both your families are yet again some other time. What are we going to do, Suzuki?”

“We’re going to clean some scum out of the neighborhood. Let’s go back to my apartment to get our cleaning tools.”

Going to Suzuki’s apartment, we find it in exquisite condition with not a spec of dust in sight, decorated with both pictures and statues of historical figures of Tatsu and Catholic saints, Mary, and Jesus. Suzuki grabs his revolvers and tanto knives; I grab my long pistols, Al assembles his rifles and puts an underbarrel shotgun on it, and Kelly gets her pink machine pistols. We go out to where Suzuki’s friends instructed him and get there just in time as a Tatsu man is being restrained and about to be publicly beheaded by Middle Eastern men with a curved sword. As we rush to stop it, three other Tatsu men in suits, armed with katanas and pistols, run out from a nearby street and beat us to it. They cut off the hands of the man with the curved sword before cutting off his head while the others gun down the Middle Eastern men.

Picking up the Tatsu man who was almost publicly beheaded, I ask him, “Why were they trying to kill you?”

“I was going after the rape gangs of the Pale Green Horse with a tanto because the authorities won’t protect our sons and daughters, so I have to,” the man says.

“The authorities rarely come down here because of the Tatsu’s relation to the Vorfahren. They don’t want to associate themselves with a race that embraces a hostile ideology to their own,” Suzuki says.

“I can’t blame them for not wanting to associate with you, but I can blame them for not helping you with these situations,” Kelly says. “Why are the members of the Pale Green Horse beefing with you?”

“Who don’t they beef with?” Al asks. “That death cult is hostile to everyone who doesn’t believe in the same things they do.”

“I thought they were mostly hostile toward Israelis.”

“They’re targeting the Tatsu because they’re trying to get us to change and take our children,” the Tatsu man says.

“We have to move and get our job done by taking care of the hostile ones,” Suzuki says.

“We need to do more than that,” the Tatsu man says in a suit with a sword and pistol at his side. “We need to make an example of their men and women and destroy their places of worship like how they’ve done the same to ours.”

“A man of honor doesn’t kill those who can’t defend themselves,” Suzuki says as he squares up with the men in suits, both sides having their guns out.

“You’re weakened by the faith of suffering and mercy that you’ve embraced, brother. They’re all a corrupting force to our country, the men, women, and children, so as far as we’re concerned they’re all threats in one way or another. We’ll handle the dirtier parts of the job that you can’t handle.”

“I won’t let innocent blood be spilled while I’m around. We’re only going to kill those who fight us. Everyone else will get the message when they’re dead and back off.”

“They will, but some may seek revenge. That’s why we need to burn our message into their souls. Stand against us, and you betray the family.”

A few moments of silence pass before Suzuki says, “I have my family behind me, and my God is further above them.”

Staring at each other for five more seconds of silence, both sides back off and put their guns away.

“I can’t argue with a man who will die for what he believes, and I can’t say that he isn’t a man of honor. We’ll do what you want, Suzuki, but if they act up again while you’re gone, then we’re going to have to handle things our way,” the Tatsu man in a suit says.

“Deal.”

“You’re still in the family. You’re still a samurai like us.”

“I am who God made me to be. That’s all I need to be.”

“Okay, okay. Enough with the talk of honor and moral posturing. Let’s get to work!” Kelly says.

The samurai and Suzuki agree, and they lead us to a neighborhood where the people from the Middle East are encroaching on the Tatsu neighborhood. More samurai with pistols and katanas appear from the Tatsu homes, restaurants, and shops and clash with them. The four of us, with four other samurai, go around the chaos and enter the church of the Pale Green Horse. In the church, priests are blessing weapons, explosives, and men and women with explosive vests on.

“Hmm. I think I have the right tool for this,” Kelly whispers as she rummages through a bag she’s brought and then takes out Molotov cocktails. “Haha. It’s a Slav revolutionary special.”

“I like this lady,” one of the samurai says.

“Are you all ready?” I ask everyone as the four of us get our masks on and the samurai get their lighters out. “Let’s get this done.”

We light up the Molotovs and throw them down at the people and explosives below, immediately setting people and fire and blowing up both the suicide bombers and the church. Running out of the church, we escape the scene of our crime to run to an apartment that the samurai says holds the victims and predators of the rape gangs.

One of the samurai says, “Remember. The innocent slaves are the only ones who get to live. The clients and slavers will receive death and nothing more.”

“Fine by me,” Suzuki says, and we all agree.

Suzuki knocks on the locked front door. When someone opens it, Suzuki stabs the man in the balls with his katana, then shoots him in the head with one of his revolvers. Suzuki and the other samurai handle the men and women of the rape gang in much the same way, shooting or stabbing their groins first, then their throats or faces. These men of Tatsu move in unison as if they had already rehearsed the attack. Meanwhile, Al, Kelly, and I are clearing the rooms they don’t charge through. In most of them, we find other Middle Eastern men caught having their way with women of all ages, and we find goats in the rooms for some reason I’d rather not find out.

On the top floor, Suzuki puts away his katana and now dual-wields his revolvers, constantly firing them at everyone who wields a gun against us until they’re empty, only for him to switch to his other revolvers in his jacket. As we go through the rooms, I double back when I see that one of the clients that we shot wasn’t Middle Eastern. It’s a woman of another race, and given her suit on the floor, she’s a woman of wealth. I look through the inside of the woman’s suit is the same dragon emblem that the chief of police from the other job and many others had.

“Cowboy, what’s going on?” Kelly says as she enters the room and sees the dragon emblem in my hand. “You’re kidding me.”

“Does it look like it?” I ask.

“Guys, what’s…no way,” Al says as he comes into the room.

“We have to question whoever is left. Come on! Before the samurai kill everyone!”

Quickly joining Suzuki and the samurai, we help them kill the lesser guards and clients.

“We have to question whoever is important over here. They seem to be connected to a wider plot,” I say to Suzuki.

Taking cover, Suzuki looks over to me, and I show him the dragon emblem.

“Brothers, there’s a greater conspiracy against us. We need to capture the leader of these degenerates for questioning,” Suzuki says.

The samurai surprisingly agree to this as we enter an office where we find more guards and a well-dressed man. We kill the guards, and then the samurai literally disarm the well-dressed man with a slash of their swords and hold him down.

I show who we presume to be a man of importance the dragon emblem and say, “Do you know what this emblem means or what group it’s associated with?”

“No! I don’t know anything!” the man says.

The samurai look at each other, accuse the man of lying, and cut off his toes with their swords.

“Speak the truth!” one of the samurai says.

“Alright, it wasn’t the whole truth! They’re from the city and state government! They offered to look the other way and get more of our people into the country so we can spread our religion through it if we allowed them to have their way with our slaves!”

The samurai and Suzuki then unload their guns into the tortured man, ending his misery.

“It would’ve been better if we took him in alive, but I guess that was never an option,” I say.

Suzuki and the samurai tear through the office and break into the safes and secure cabinets, and tell me to help them look through them.

“These people may be low-IQ, third-world animals, but they aren’t entirely stupid. They have to have backup pictures or files to bribe the officials they’re in league with,” one of the samurai says.

Sure enough, we find the disgusting pictures of the woman who had the dragon emblem that I only look at for a second to confirm it’s her before turning my eyes away.

“You’re right. It’s here,” I say.

“What are we going to do with this and the other compromising pictures of the officials? Anonymously turn them into the authorities?” Kelly asks.

“No,” Suzuki, Al, and the samurai say.

“The authorities were in league with this trash, so they’ll want this evidence erased. We need to put these files into the hands of the people so they’ll become outraged and so that real change can happen, maybe even have the other authorities prosecuted or executed,” Al says.

“I like his thinking. Are you part of a family of your race?” one of the samurai asks.

“I am.”

The samurai smiles at Al, who I have a feeling is smiling back as the two shake hands. Kelly agrees with Al’s idea, and we take all the pictures of the authorities caught in degenerate acts and pictures of screenshots of texts and emails of the agreements between them and the cult of the Pale Green Horse all the way back to the Tatsu neighborhood, where we see them being aided by Mediterranean men and women. We entrust the pictures to a trusted contact of the samurai’s family who is going to make copies of them and distribute them to everyone in the city and on the internet before going out to see what’s going on with this sudden Tatsu and Mediterranean alliance against the Middle Eastern people.

Questioning a man in a suit, he says, “We heard a man in the family needs help, and when a family member needs help, everyone has to chip in.”

Looking to Al, he says, “They were all too eager to help out when I texted them what was going on.”

“Two families from different races working together against a common enemy. I never thought I’d see the Tatsu and Mediterraneans working together like this outside of the old world,” Kelly says.

“Why wouldn’t we? We may have different ideas about what true honor and loyalty look like, but we can at least work together and find common ground, unlike the people of the Pale Green Horse who only want to conquer, corrupt, and enslave,” Suzuki says.

“Are you joining the fight?” the Mediterranean man in a suit says.

“When a family member needs help, we help them. What greater honor is there than to be a servant of love and your family?” Al says.

The samurai and Mediterranean men of honor nod their heads in agreement. The four of us aid the Mediterranean and Tatsu people in pushing against the Middle Easterners until they retreat into their neighborhood. When the cops finally show up, the four of us leave the area and hide out back at Suzuki’s place. Later in the day, our findings are on the news, and the people of the city are rioting against the government and cult of the Pale Green Horse. As this is happening, my friends and I go to a local Tatsu restaurant and toast Sakae in celebration of our success.

“To virtuous counter-revolutionary justice,” Suzuki says.

We toast to it, and despite our victory, I still can’t help but feel unsatisfied and craving more justice. The people with the dragon emblem are not only in the government, but they’re also using criminals to change things in the country; for what purpose? We’ll have to wait to find out. They’re not only a rival criminal organization, but also a disgusting one if their members defile the innocent and associate themselves with a death cult. God, help us to bring justice upon them.