<span style="font-style: italic">Bang</span><br/><br/>Another victim was claimed by his Desert Eagle, whose soul was sent straight to hell, while Elias spoke up, explaining his thoughts on the situation. What Elias said made sense. He has been in this profession for too long, and trusted whenever Elias thought of something, to even think about making an objection. While Ivan was more the person to rescue people, get them out of these situations, he knew oh too well that people were not willing to give something up so quickly. Especially if there was something like money involved. He didn’t want to think of Shizu being sold… then again, an Oni was a rare find and if sold to the right person, the seller would make a fortune. It was disgusting. There was no way he would allow that to happen to her, she deserved to much better than that. She was not some object people could do whatever they wanted with.<br/><br/>He wondered if something had happened between Levi and these people before he came to try to grab Shizu back at the abandoned building. Levi was a man with possibly one of the shortest fuses he has ever met, in spite of his old self being a little more laid back and reserved. He thought back to a few instances where Cassandra was speaking to him about something and he lost it. The man was a mess, and he was sure, with the evidence laid out before him now, that he has gotten a lot worse over the years. Briefly, he wondered what he might have done. He knew it was probably a distraction to think of these things but he couldn’t help it. This whole thing made him a little emotional, especially since Levi was all he had left of Cassandra. He really hoped Levi would listen to reason.<br/><br/>As much as he could not wait to get his hands on him and get him to spill everything he knew, he hoped it would not come down to them having to kill Levi. Then again, he was not always good at reasoning with people. With the Oni blood in his veins, it was that much harder for him to keep a calm enough state of mind. Not to mention he has never been the most patient person in the world. His recklessness, stubbornness, combined with this new aggression, was already almost like a bomb waiting to go off.  He was well aware of this and was sure that the others were even more concerned. Perhaps once they brought Levi back to Israel, Zachariah would step in and talk some sense into him. He was a lot better at reasoning than anyone he has ever met; it was a talent he was sometimes envious of.<br/><br/>It truly took a special kind of person to reason with others. Zachariah simply had that personality.<br/><br/>He was taken out of his thoughts when Ivan mentioned that the enemy had spotted Shizu. Swearing under his breath, he growled lowly and picked up the pace to the best of his ability. If they caught her… no, he didn’t even want to think about it. He was already pissed off enough; he had to stay in control. The corner of his eye caught another man running down the alley. He raised his gun at them and fired, watching as they dropped to the ground. But they were not dead. As soon as he got close enough to them, they took aim with their own gun and fired right back. Hot pain shot through his thigh. At that moment he was briefly reminded of his shoulder wound, and admittedly regretted not allowing Shizu to take a look at it when she offered. Now he was at even more of a disadvantage.<br/><br/>With two wounds slowing him down, he had to try a little harder to concentrate. If it was the last thing he did, he would make sure he found her. He already knew she was terrified and he could only hope and pray that she did not allow her Oni form to truly come out. The thought also reminded him, speaking of wounds, about that poison. When he was poisoned, it had been an awful feeling. There was a darkness swallowing him, refusing to let him go, he felt like he was drowning in it. He never wanted to go through that ever again. If he was poisoned a second time, he might not be so lucky. From what he understood, they had found that cure by chance. All the more reason for him to be careful, he had to live through this. If he didn’t he knew Shizu would be devastated.<br/><br/>Turning a corner, he fired off a round, taking out another man before he had a chance to take him out. At least the speed at which he fired a gun was not affected. It really was like there was an entire organization out to get Shizu, and that thought continued to drive him forward. He would have some trouble if he was unable to use his firing arm. However, this leg injury was starting to really allow him down. Bullet wounds bled like hell. Refusing to let it hold him up, he simply kept going, looking for Shizu, all he cared about was getting her to safety, nothing was going to slow him down. Over and over he thought to himself, he had to find her, to comfort her, tell her everything was fine. Even if he really was not the most comforting person he would at least try.<br/><br/>He was going to stick by his promise to Shizu. He was going to protect her until she had her freedom. The reality that she might be hunted for the rest of her life was beginning to sink in. No matter how many times he told himself that she could live a life where she was not hunted, he had a feeling it was inevitable. Still, he did not want her to be dragged into this life. He wanted her to life peacefully. He already told himself this was yet another step toward her freedom, and he was going to do everything in his power to make sure that she was completely free from any enemy claws by the time this was over. No matter what it took, even if it cost him his life, he would protect her. Then again, he knew Ivan would be pissed if he did get killed, and probably drag his ass back from the afterlife to kick it a few times, so death was best avoided.<br/><br/>It really bothered him that something so simple was being dragged out far longer than it should.<br/><br/>As he continued to cut down every last person in his way, he was slowly starting to be reminded of the time in Jerusalem. Everything had been so peaceful, and then shit hit the fan before anyone had any time to react.<br/><br/>Since he had been in that murderous state of mind, a lot of it was still fuzzy and he didn’t remember everything, but he remembered enough. He didn’t want to end up in that state of mind again. There was too much at risk, and he didn’t want to endanger anyone. Shizu especially. If he did, he would definitely prove that he was not ready to be out in the field and he didn’t want that. He wanted to show that he was still the same person he always was, despite his aggression. It wasn’t often that he felt the need to prove himself, but in a situation like this he knew it was necessary. He was not going to lose control. Not only could he not afford to endanger anyone, he did not want to end up in the hospital. A chill ran down his back at the thought.<br/><br/>That was the last place he wanted to be, and he was almost positive that would guarantee his dismissal from the organization by Zachariah.<br/><br/>Eventually, he found Shizu. She was running and there was a man chasing her. It looked like they were heading straight for a dead end. Narrowing his eyes a little, he gripped his Desert Eagle and swore under his breath. He watched as the man reached for his pistol, and then fired off his own before he even had a chance.<br/><br/>After that, he ran toward the direction Shizu had gone.<br/><br/>------------------------------<br/><br/>There was a mad grin on his face. The rush that Levi felt from this mission was probably more than he could handle at the moment, but he loved it. Everything, save for Dean’s men showing up, was going a lot smoother than he ever had anticipated. The girl had been spotted, hopefully sedated as well otherwise they would have a huge problem on their hands, and also had an assured getaway. He truly wished that every mission would give him this feeling of excitement.  Ever since he got dragged into his life, he has always lived to feel such a rush. It was addicting. Once he started, he couldn’t stop, and before he knew it here he was chasing down some mythological creature just to get back at the man who had once been a good friend. There have been many times where his life was on the line and this time was no different.<br/><br/>As fast as his legs could carry him, he hurried to where he hoped David and Hank were in hopes of grabbing the girl. He wanted so badly to grab Azrai as well. The thought was there, clawing at him, but he resisted. He didn’t want to get too cocky when he wasn’t even sure if they truly had won yet. It would be a huge disaster if he were to be struck down here, unable to get his revenge. If it was the last thing he did, he would have his revenge. He didn’t care what happened once he had the girl. She could go on a rampage and kill everyone, as long as he was able to get to Azrai and make him suffer. That was all that mattered to him. For years, he has waited for this moment and would not allow it to slip through his fingers.<br/><br/>Levi’s migraine was beginning to get worse. He took a moment to stop, leaning against a building, in the shade. He cursed his old habits and lack of great physical health because of them. If only one was able to possess the ability to go back in time and stop their self from doing something stupid.<br/><br/>The cold barely bothered him. He was so heated up with adrenaline and the rush of this mission that it was almost completely blocked out. It just so happened that winter was also his favorite season. He didn’t always like the bone-chilling cold, but he did like the snow. There was something calming about snow. Not too many people knew that he liked snow, as it was something that he usually just kept it to himself. It was like a guilty pleasure of his. For a moment, he pictured Azrai lying dead in a pool of his own blood, during heavy snowfall, painting the snow red. It was a glorious picture. The only thing that would make it better would be when he finally made that a reality. A new determination was building up inside of him. He would not fail this, he couldn’t fail. He… he just couldn’t. Failure was unacceptable.<br/><br/>Running a hand over his face, he pushed off the building and continued on.<br/><br/>In his mind, he was picturing different ways to go about Azrai’s torture. He already wanted to make the woman suffer. But there had to be more ways for him to really make Azrai feel guilty. For a moment, his mind drifted to the items that Tyler had provided. Perhaps he could keep the mythologist around a little while longer, just to let him have a little fun with her. He had seen it in Tyler’s eyes. The man really wanted to see the Oni woman, and assuming he could be useful Levi might give him that chance.<br/><br/>He still did not trust the mythologist. If he got them out of here alive, he would be surprised. The man looked like he would piss himself if something went wrong. But he needed him in order to keep the Oni woman under control. He did not know what she was capable of. She was a small woman, but he knew that she was a force to be reckoned with especially since she caused David to run away like he had. If she really had that much power then it would need to be suppressed. The thought of controlling it came to him briefly… maybe he could actually use her to help in exacting his revenge. Yes, use her to torment Azrai. That sounded like a wonderful plan, anything was possible with the right materials. Which brought up his next issue: how does one control an Oni and make her dirty her hands, harm someone she is attached to?<br/><br/>Well that would be where Tyler would come in. Levi probably wouldn’t trust him for awhile. If the guy wanted to be trusted, this would be his chance.<br/><br/>------------------------------<br/><br/>Tailing the woman would have been a piece of cake if Dean’s men had not gotten in the way. Hank was starting to become increasingly annoyed by this situation, especially when he lost her thanks to having to take care of one of Dean’s men. He was so close, so fucking close, and now it felt like he was starting all over again. He picked up the pace. They had chased her around for awhile, across a street here and there, through a building, and finally down a fire escape and back into the alley ways.<br/><br/>When at long last he found her again, she had taken out a few men. Well, all but one he noticed. He kept to the shadows, staying as quiet as possible and watched the man closely. As soon as he raised his gun, Hank shot the man. He then slowly began to approach, loading his gun with a tranquilizer dart. When she paused and looked around, he paused as well. He was worried that she had spotted him somehow but judging by her words, she was not. He felt relieved. No response was given when she called out. He didn’t want to let himself be out in the open when Dean’s men might have snipers amongst them. Maybe it was a silly thought, but Hank has been in a few jobs where snipers were present. He was not fond of them at all. Sneaky fuckers could hide anywhere; he truly hated dealing with them.<br/><br/>So he stayed put, hoping that she would stay there long enough for him to get a good shot. He had almost had her, but when he fired, he missed. She was on the move again and just narrowly escaped his bullet. He let out a frustrated growl and ran after her. There was no way he was going to allow her to get away. He might not like how Levi went about things sometimes, but when he worked with him he made damn sure he did his job. The reason Levi kept him around was because he was reliable. Ever since he started working with Levi his life had changed. He started taking on bigger jobs, and was paid well, he would really like to keep that as long as possible. If he were to fail, he was not sure what he would do or where he would go.<br/><br/>He didn’t like kissing Levi’s ass. However, he wanted to show he was loyal and not some ornery thorn in his side.<br/><br/>Hot on the Oni woman’s tail, a smile crept up onto his face. Hank was not one to show his cruel side often, but when he did he was known to bring chills to someone. He was not built the way he was just to show off after all. Killing someone was no problem for him, and was mowing down just about everyone that got him his way. Or… so he was. The enemy was there, and then suddenly just vanished as if their attention was placed elsewhere. It was a little concerning. Who else was here besides them? Maybe what he had thought earlier about Dean’s men having more people in hiding was true. It was plausible after all. The other option was that they had managed to get to the woman before Levi or David could. Either way, something felt wrong. But he did not inform Levi just yet.<br/><br/>Part of it was fear. The last thing he needed was to put Levi even more on edge when he didn’t need to. He needed to be one-hundred percent on things. Otherwise he’d feel he was giving out false information, causing a little confusion. Hank liked to be precise, think things out a little rather than jump right to a conclusion. It was one of the things Levi liked about him.<br/><br/>He almost had her. She was close now, he could see her. He smirked and reached for his gun. The number of darts they had been given was limited; he was going to be careful and make sure he didn’t miss this time.<br/><br/>As soon as he rounded the corner, he heard the sound of a gunshot.<br/><br/>It was the last thing Hank would ever hear.<br/><br/>------------------------------<br/><br/>After running around dodging bullets, finding most if not all of his comrades dead, Marcus found ended up a little lost. He looked around, trying to find another route. He knew the area pretty well, however he was also still pretty new here and every now and then he’d make a wrong turn. It was about two months ago when he moved to Toronto looking for a new outlet. His old boss had been killed back in the States, and he could not stay, so he moved to Canada. The promise of a good pay was an easy temptation to give into. Even though he didn’t know these people, they had treated him well from the start. They had introduced him to Dean, who was a little… eccentric, for the lack of a better word, and crass to boot. But the guy took him under his wing and offered him a new life.<br/><br/>He was not going to fail this mission.<br/><br/>Dean’s death would be avenged, and the girl would be in their hands. He knew that Levi was dangerous, but he was unsure about the other group. They seemed to be just as skilled as Levi, if not better, and it worried him. The moment he lost contact with his group, his worry only intensified. He tried to call out to a few of them, but found nothing. His heart was racing and he started to panic. Marcus was one of those people who was bold in a group but turned cowardly when in a situation where he was completely alone.  This was a big city; surely the group had just gotten a little more spread out. He had to regroup, find the others. How the hell could the fail when they were only up against a few people? He knew they should have prepared more, but this was ridiculous.<br/><br/>Where was everyone? Eventually he spotted someone and started to pursue, wondering if this man would take him to the girl. He grinned. But that grin did not last long as he was suddenly tackled to the ground. He looked over his shoulder to get a better look at his attacker, and realized that it was someone he did not recognize from Levi’s group. Who was this man? He didn’t have time to react as his head was slammed down again. Something clicked, and then before he knew it he had the barrel of a gun at the back of his head. He clenched his jaw. Looks like he was not going to succeed after all.<br/><br/>The trigger was pulled.<br/><br/>The attacker got off of Marcus’s cold body and brushed himself off. “Another one of Dean’s men down. Looks like it was that idiot Marcus from back a few months ago.”<br/><br/>“Really? Small world.” His leader’s voice replied in a calm manner.<br/><br/>“No kidding.”<br/><br/>“I’m actually glad you contacted me. I have new orders. I want everyone to kill all of Dean’s men and leave the other two group alone.”<br/><br/>“Sir..?”<br/><br/>“Are you questioning my decision?”<br/><br/>“Of course not. I’m just a little puzzled. I thought you wanted the girl?”<br/><br/>“I do. But I’ll have her soon enough. For now, just let those two fight over her and let Levi find some closure. The poor guy needs it.”<br/><br/>“Understood.” With that he relayed the message to the rest of the people that were here in hiding. There were only a few of them. Only enough people were brought in to do damage and that was it. There was no use for more people, as more people would only complicate things and risk compromise. Their leader was someone who thought things through thoroughly and he had complete trust in him. Just as his leader trusted his men to get things done. One of them said they had already spotted the girl, but he told them not to act. The boss’s orders were final, and nobody dared to against his orders. To do so meant death; it went along with the whole trust thing. If the boss wanted this to happen this way, so be it, they would only focus on Dean’s men and then get the hell out of there before they were found out.<br/><br/>------------------------------<br/><br/>“Fuck…” Levi stood over Hank’s cold, lifeless body. He felt his hands ball into fists, and he took in a deep breath. This wouldn’t be the first time he had lost someone during a mission, but it still dampened his mood. He was counting on the man to get things done. No matter how many times they would bicker over petty details he knew Hank could be trusted. He was really hoping the man would be around when he tormented Azrai. If there was one person who really knew how to rough someone up, it was Hank. He truly was going to miss that quality. People like him were really hard to come by, and he was not comfortable with the thought of finding a replacement. It was hard for him to connect with others. He knew it would be quite awhile before he found someone who could tolerate him.<br/><br/>He sighed heavily. Turning to walk away, not wanting to stick around for too long in case there were more men lurking nearby, he spoke into his ear piece, “David… Hank has been killed. It’s just us now.” He paused, for a moment. “Be careful.” For the first time in a long time, he actually showed his more caring side. Just because he really did not want to be left alone, and part of the reason he had spoke out was because of that, did not mean he didn’t want David to end up like Hank. He hoped that he would not.<br/><br/>Shaking his head, he picked up the pace, following the footprints in the snow until he heard the shot. He grinned. That had to be David, which meant that he had the Oni woman. His previously dampened mood was suddenly filled back up with excitement. He couldn’t wait to get his hands on her. As he ran, he wondered where David was. The thought to ask him came briefly but he did not want to give away his position or become an easy target by not giving his full attention to what was happening around him. He ended up just following the footprint. Keeping his own movements as quiet as he could, though it was obvious he was not trained for this like Azrai or his partner was, he did eventually find his way to the woman. He looked around briefly before he slipped into an alley way, out of anyone’s line of sight, and searched for David.<br/><br/>He did not want to approach the woman while she was still being sedated. Tyler had said it would take immediate effect, but he wasn’t sure if he wanted to trust that. Just in case, he did still have the talisman, but he was not sure how to use it. Perhaps he should have asked. Whenever he gets confident about something he just kind of… goes… without thinking about it too much. It really got him into trouble sometimes. Not like he really cared about that since he somehow managed to always get out of it. There were days where he really was one lucky bastard. He did believe in good luck charms, it was a kind of fetish, and hey, maybe this was proof that they worked. Levi would never really voice it of course… well, not now. There was a good chance he would if he was in one of his moods where he just feels like going off.<br/><br/>Once he found David, he briefly made eye contact, and then went in for the woman. She should be in a state where he could grab her and head back to the car.<br/><br/>Levi stopped when he heard the click of a gun behind him. He didn’t need to look over his shoulder to know exactly who was there. “Well… I’m either fucked or the luckiest man in the world right now.” There was a smirk on his face. Surprisingly, even though he wanted to just explode, he was somewhat calm.<br/><br/>“I suggest you… take your leave before I plant a bullet in your skull.” Azrai growled.<br/><br/>“I’m afraid I can’t do that, though you are welcome to try to take her from me.” It was a bold move on Levi’s part. If Azrai was here, he was positive his friends wouldn’t be too far behind him. Assuming they were not hiding out already. He knew he was really going to need to play his cards right. Hopefully David would be able to handle himself if things were to go wrong…<br/><br/>As soon as he heard movement behind him, he quickly aimed his gun at the woman and said. “Go ahead. Kill me. But keep in mind, if you try anything, I’ll just kill her right here.”