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<a class="link link--external" data-proxy-href="/proxy.php?link=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.youtube.com%2Fwatch%3Fv%3DxxcYSEcH8Fk&amp;hash=6aa994632376321c1b914156a3e84725" href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xxcYSEcH8Fk" rel="nofollow ugc noopener" target="_blank">Reckoning</a>​</div><br/><span style="font-family: 'Book Antiqua'"><span class="fixed-color" style="color:#808080">He had conquered her once again. Such was the nature of his being and each time was unique in its own right. The man lay exhausted akin to a King with a woman at his side. Only moments prior had she worshiped his vitality like the hungering lioness that she was. Benjamin both feared and longed for the day when their alter egos would completely consume them and become their consciousness. What they had done to themselves through the operation might have hurried that process along. They had taken a giant leap towards permanently uncaging their beasts within them. Talia had been right. Nothing about the life they had been cast into was practically restful. It probably never would be ever again. Even if they found Shaun, the beasts inside would have devoured them whole by then. They were truly dying and reincarnating at the same time.<br/>
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Their slumber was still. Benjamin was spared the dreadful visions of the starlake and his son. Talia did not disrupt him or herself once, so she must have been at peace as well. Slithers of sunshine eventually penetrated the blinders by reflection of some surface outside. He was the first to wake, rested and completely content with finding his soulmate curled up against him. Arms slowly moved to rise and meet the new day, which brought her back from her dreams. He pressed his lips against her forehead without saying a word, although a rare smile came upon him. The hour they had waited for was finally here. They had drained the lust from the beasts inside, and now only Rage remained.<br/>
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He slithered out of her grasp and made way into the bathroom. Coming upon the mirror by the sink, the man was able to behold his reflection for the first time since the operation. He was stormed and elated at the same time. Fury grew within him due to his son’s disappearance and what he and his wife were forced to do to themselves. However, joy also reigned due to the hope such mechanical atrocities brought with them. They now had the power to fight back. They were no longer the grey and helpless Mr. and Mrs. Joe-Good-Citizen that accepted whatever fate the higher ups chose for them. They were the worst nightmare of the powers that be.<br/>
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Underwear was the only thing he found. Any other clothing was a surplus this day. Benjamin had to contact Stanley again, the man who had set up the meeting with the doctor and found the serial number for the laser cutter used in Shaun’s abduction. Stanley would also arrange a meeting with another contact that could supply any kind of gear that Ben and Lia needed, including appropriate clothes. As the man came into the bedroom again, he reached for his phone by the nightstand. The conversation with Stanley was short and mostly spoken in code in order to avoid tracking and keeping potential listeners in the dark. As they ended the call, Benjamin knew where they had to go. He texted another driving service in the city, so that they would not use the same one as the previous day. They had to be anonymous and invisible for as long as possible. “Lia… three minutes,” Benjamin spoke to his wife. She would know what it meant. Three minutes left until the last mission of their lives.<br/>
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It had begun to rain in that short time between awakening and the present. Day had nearly turned to night again, but it only favored the hunters. They met their ride under cover of hooded raincoats. Benjamin spoke the address that he had received, and the driver acknowledged. He took his wife close to his frame by an arm around her presence. The waiting and worry grew deeper and stronger the closer they got to their goal. He tried to mask his state of mind and state of heart, so as not to burden her with it. However, the neural link between them surely made it impossible to keep such secrets anymore. “Soon, dear….,” Benjamin whispered. “He will be with us again soon.” The reinforcement was comforting for them both. They had to stay strong and believe in their abilities. With the gear and weapons they would acquire shortly, along with all the augmentations, they would be a Hellish force to face.<br/>
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The contact met them as they pulled up to the address. Benjamin paid the driver and told him to wait. The contact appeared to be a rather young man with tattoos all over his body. He led them both throughout a maze of private warehouses that people could rent. As they reached their destination, the man stopped and face the couple. He asked what they needed and what it was for. “Guns… lots of guns with which to send those who have wronged us to the afterlife,” Benjamin said with an arm around Talia. The contact was content with the answer and unlocked the storage door, which rolled up with crackling noises. Everything that they could possibly need was there—tactical clothing, melee weapons, short and long range fire arms, explosives, knives, different kinds of grenades, rocket launchers, laser weapons, medical supplies and apparatuses, protection gear, everything. Benjamin tossed his credit card to the contact. “Give yourself a tip,” he said as the couple walked inside.<br/>
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“Alright, babe, what do you want?” He said and removed the hood of the raincoat from his head. It was all for the taking. They had plenty of credits to spend, but nothing left to lose. It was just a matter of time before they would regain their life, regain paradise. All that stood before them was countless of trained soldiers, artificial intelligence, criminals, and powerful men behind the curtains. However, together they were stronger. They just had to gear up, return to the ride, and be off to that place the serial number lead to.</span></span>