As Gregory stumbled towards the exit of the dark, cavernous lair of the Oscuros, his heart pounded in his chest, his breath ragged and labored. The echoes of his footsteps reverberated off the walls, a haunting reminder of the horrors he had just endured.
His once pristine shirt was now torn and stained with blood, a stark contrast to his pale, sweat-soaked skin. The pain from his burned hand seared through his body with each step, a constant reminder of Susan's fire spell. The memory of her treacherous attack fueled his anger, but he knew he had to focus on escaping the clutches of the Oscuros first. As the hitman emerged from the secret exit, relieved that the sorcerers hadn't discovered its existence...yet, he found himself back in the organization's lavatory. Swiftly, he strangled an agent who was caught off guard while relieving himself. He looked at himself in the mirror. He was a mess. He saw a reflection of his wounds. His face was littered with cuts and bruises; a huge wound was inflicted on his chest by an Oscuro. It ran from his upper right chest diagonally down to his lower left chest.
With a cold determination, he moved into the storage room, taking care to avoid detection. There he found his exit. A sealed trapdoor that leads to an underground tunnel, if the map was accurate up to date the tunnel will lead him outside. He quickly got to his knees and started unscrewing the bolts using the tip of what's left of his broken knife. Seconds later he heard a click.
"I don't wish to alarm you," Jasper said from behind him. "But I have a gun pointed at your head."
Gregory spun, flailing one arm and managed to knock Jasper's hand to one side just as he fired. He batted at the gun-hand again, sent the pistol flying and Jasper caught him with a right hook that almost sent him to the ground.
"Who are you?" Jasper asked as he kicked him.
"It'll be a lot easier," Gregory spat blood. "If you would let me introduce myself."
He caught the third kick and immediately Jasper sprang into the air, twisting from Gregory's grip. He tried to summon shadows, but Gregory lunged, barreling into him, forcing him back. Jasper elbowed his ear, and Gregory fought a wave of dizziness that threatened to topple him. Jasper snapped two punches to the head, and another one to the ribs. Adding more to his fractures, and Gregory growled. He spat blood and continued.
Jasper swayed away from one punch and blocked the next, but he couldn't stop the kick. Gregory grabbed him and pulled him down to meet his knee, then grabbed his collar and stepped back, throwing him across the room. Jasper hit the table and went over. Gregory got back to the trapdoor quickly, he blasted the last screw with the tip of his finger and opened the trapdoor. Just when he was about to slip in Jasper summoned a big hand made of shadows and grabbed him by his collar. He picked him up and slammed him head first into the wall. He did it once more, until he was sure the hitman was dazed, and then he dropped him. He talked into his earpiece, notifying other agents to arrive. Just before he finished issuing commands. Gregory shot an energy beam that caught Jasper square in the chest. He was thrown back and crashed through the door.
Gregory hurried to the trapdoor and jumped. He landed on the wet ground, he straightened and ran into the tunnel beyond. The tunnel was long and dark, the darkness eventually giving away to an indistinct pale green that became a door. He thought he made it out, but to his dismay he found himself in a room with a lot of discarded artifacts. Where he met a couple, both White-clad agents stripped to their undergarments, making out.
The hitman's eyes gleamed as he faced the two agents, his bloody smile sending shivers down their spines. With a quick gesture, he unleashed a powerful beam of orange energy from his index finger, causing a massive explosion in the organization's archive. The explosion echoed through the metallic confines that sent tremors through the floor. The sterile sheen of the archive was now replaced by a dripping cavern of stone. Panic clawed at his throat, he forgot about the alarms.
He ran into the organization's broad underground corridors. A canopy of piercing wails shattered the silence. Harsh red strobes stabbed at his vision. The corridors ahead were brighter, which meant they led to the exit. He ran on. A few moments later he heard shouts, followed by shuffling footsteps sprinting after him. Bullets whizzed past him at the same time he heard shots, and dodged right. He slid on the floor at the same time twisting to face them. He clasped his hands and pointed both index fingers, then his fingers glowed, forming a very concentrated beam, and he released it. An explosion erupted before him, sending tremors, echoing like a monstrous cough.
Amidst the chaos and destruction, the hitman seized the opportunity to make his escape. He emerged into the cold air of the morning. Dawn had yet to break. He turned a corner and saw a man standing beside a luxurious sports car, a black Ferrari. He ran to the vehicle and knocked out its owner, he got into the Ferrari and hit the gas. He looked at the side mirror at the same time a bullet knocked it off, he was being chased. With a steely resolve, he gripped the steering wheel of the black Ferrari, his eyes scanning the bustling streets of New York for any opportunity to lose his pursuers. As the hitman expertly maneuvered the sleek sports car through the crowded streets, he executed a series of precision drifts and hairpin turns, leaving the pursuing jeep struggling to keep up.
More bullets hit the car, shattering the back window. With a surge of adrenaline, the hitman pushed the Ferrari to its limits, taking advantage of every twist and turn to widen the gap between himself and his relentless pursuers. As he navigated through the labyrinthine streets of the city, he utilized his intimate knowledge of the urban landscape to outmaneuver his foes at every opportunity. He shot an energy beam that hit an electric post, caught the jeep and it toppled over. Finally, as the black jeep fell farther behind, the hitman spotted an alleyway up ahead. Without hesitation, he expertly steered the Ferrari into the narrow passage, deftly navigating through the tight space before emerging onto a different street, leaving his pursuers baffled and defeated. With a sense of triumph, the hitman accelerated into the rising sun, leaving the city lights of New York behind as he vanished.
Now that he is free, he made a decision to take revenge. One day, he'll kill Jacob…and his friends. But for now he need to talk to Samuel, he decided he won't need the extra five million. He wanted revenge, people say that a revenge is a luxury they can't afford. He smiled at that thought.
"Man! I need to go to the hospital first," he said to himself.
"Damn it!" Leonard Moon said as he banged the table. "This is outrageous!"
"Calm down Mr. Moon," Megan Wu said, however she also looked like she wanted to do the same thing.
"How is this possible?" Mr. Windsor asked.
"How did the hitman managed to enter the dark forest?" Tommy Brown asked, his tone normal.
"My only suspicion is," started Mr. Thompson. "Is that Nightshade has an inside man." He continued.
"Preposterous," Megan Wu said. "We made sure of that didn't we? We used the super lie detector when we interviewed all members when they first came in."
"It's possible that one of them sided with the organization after they were employed."
"Then let us order a second test," suggested Leonard.
"Already have," Mr. Thompson said as Lily Collins entered the meeting room and handed out result papers to him.
The others waited while he inspected the paper, his face etched with concern. The other members exchanged worried glances.
"Well?" Leonard said. "What does it say?"
"The tests show that all employees have passed." He gave the papers to his assistant.
The other members were shocked, and relieved at the same time. Silence filled the room as everybody thought to themselves.
"We're dealing with someone who is skilled," Megan said, breaking the silence. "Nightshade…" her voice trailed off.
"And the hitman?" Mr. Windsor asked. "What was he doing in the archives?"
"Reports say that he was sent into the dark forest to assassinate Jacob," said Mr. Thompson.
"The kid who killed two hybrids" Leonard muttered
"Yes, him."
"I knew it," said Megan. "It makes sense, so far he's killed two of their best weapons. He does pose a threat to Nightshade. And?"
"He failed. Jacob and his friends put up a good fight."
"Any injuries?" Leonard asked.
"None were seen on Jacob," said Mr. Windsor. "Alex was critically injured but his life was saved by drinking a potion a forest spirit that gave them."
"Good," Megan said. "And Campbell's daughter?"
"Minimal injuries."
"Good," she repeated. "What's the next plan."
"We need to seal every possible entry wuth more caution than ever before," Tommy said after being silent for a long time.
"Thankfully we had already made that call," said Mr. Thompson as he stood up from his seat. His gleaming blue eyes locked on Tommy Brown. "Now if you excuse me, I need to visit my associate.
Jasper stood at the broken door of the storage room, he was replaying his encounter with the hitman. He tried picturing it, if he tried a kick instead of a punch the outcome would've been different. If he'd stabbed the hitman's leg instead of smashing him against the wall the outcome would be different. Scenes such as that continued to play in his head until he saw the boss. He straightened up as Mr. Thompson arrived, Lily at his side.
"Oh please," he started. "Relax."
But Jasper just stood there. Thompson sighed, then the surveyed the storage room.
"He fought hard didn't he?" he asked
"Yes, wasn't expecting him to pick up a fight," he responded. "He was already beat up."
"What did I tell you about underestimating your opponent?"
"Never underestimate them."
"That's right."
"I'm sorry sir."
"No, no, no need to apologize."
"If I hadn't underestimated him he would've been in custody."
"Maybe." He looked at Jasper with concern. "How are you?"
"I'm fine sir."
"I see that your suit came in handy."
"Yes, magic reinforced fabric," Jasper pats his ruined suit, "real handy."
"Glad to see your alive."
An agent ran up to them. "Sir, we found one of our agents dead in the toilet."
"That's bad," replied Mr. Thompson. "By the look in your eyes you saw something else, correct?"
"Yes sir, we found a hidden path that leads to the dark forest."
Four of them rushed to the toilet, and Mr. Thompson peered into the gap behind the urinal. A couple of agents were kneeling over there, sealing the small entrance to the dark forest, then another agent commanded the earth to seal the wall completely.
Moments later Mr. Thompson and his associates returned to his main office.
"I believe you Mr. Thompson," Lily broke the silence. "We do have a traitor among us." They glanced at each other, sharing a common understanding. Together they will stop at nothing to expose the impostor among the organization.