RAGNAROK. | simon riley/ghost

007: OSPREY, part two

      ALEXEI'S EYES glinted with mischief as he sliced into the steak. "When my contact informed me you were broken out of Red Iron, I must confess, I was quite shocked," he chuckled. "After all, I went through extraordinary lengths to keep you there. But I suppose that bitch Laswell has more resources than I had–"

      "When did you make me?" Zero cut in, words forced through gritted teeth. Her heart pounded rapidly against her chest, and her body was tense with anger, making it hard to keep her composure rather than lash out at the very man who had destroyed her life.

      "The moment you landed this afternoon," he smirked. "You are very impressive, my darling. Clearly I've taught you well. And I hadn't even recognized you on the Embassy staff list, either. But you made the same mistake you always used to make." He scoffed. "The way you hold your purse. Holding it with your left arm, with your thumb tucked under your pointer. Instinctual, always has been."

      Alexei squinted at her, a hint of derision in his voice. "What is it you go by now? Ivana, is it? Well, you've used so many in our time together it's hard to keep track. Anya, Lilith, Maria, Zero." A smirk drew across his face. "Or, as you always did, do you prefer me to call you by your birth name, E–"

      "Zero," She growled, her fingers clenching around her wine glass. "Zero."

      He feigned shock with a taunting gasp. "Oh, they're listening, aren't they? Your friends, your little Task Force 141. No, no, of course. Sharing your name is too... dangerous. Sharing your name reveals all, and I'm certain they'd throw you right back into the hellhole they pulled you from if they knew who you really were."

      Zero could feel the anger bubble more ferociously within her by the second. "What do you want with the prime minister? What do you want with Hassan?"

      "I wonder," Alexei ignored her inquiries. "Which one of them you've replaced me with. Is it John MacTavish? Or is he too kind, too cocky? Perhaps it is Kyle Garrick, someone more hard-headed, more serious. Or is it that masked man that turns you on? Simon Riley?"

      Zero's eye twitched involuntarily, and Alexei's grin widened. "Ah, it's him, isn't it? The man without a face. Simon Riley. Simon... Riley. We've known that name a long time, haven't we?"

      Click.

      With a single swift motion, Zero lunged forward, grasping Alexei's arm with one hand and thrusting the steak knife into the space between his fingers with the other. Her intent was merely to threaten him, however, Alexei retaliated even faster, as he always did against her. Before she had even lifted her hand from the table she could hear the click of a gun from underneath it, and the smirk that emerged on the man's face told her it was carefully trained on her. 

      Deep down, she knew that if he desired to spill blood at that moment, he would do so without hesitation, without a second thought. He even appeared hungry to do so. But the promise of creating greater havoc seemed to be holding him back.

      The sound of Alexei clicking his tongue mockingly echoed in the air, sending chills sprawling across her arms. "There are five liters of blood in the body, your heart pumps two a minute. Gun's on your femoral." He grinned. "You do the math."

      As he pulled his hand away unfazed, Zero's knuckles bled white around the handle of the knife, watching as he nonchalantly picked up his wine glass and took a sip. "What is your end game here? What are you doing tonight? What do you want with Hassan?" She demanded, resentfully plucking the utensil from the table.

      "Hassan brings me reassurance," Alexei replied with a shrug. "He has made quite the name for himself as of late, to the point that he remains virtually untouchable. With his assistance, he brings in the weapons and the extra men I require, and, well, there's really not an easy way to stop him, is there? Now, as for my grand scheme," he chuckled, "you know I'm not one to spoil a surprise."