Renegade

Chapter 17

     "Hello brother," Francis wheezed through the mask, Ben immediately rushing to his side.

     He tore off the mask, but all he saw was a scarred and bruised face of a man who only faintly looked like his brother. Years of abuse had left the man a tattered soul, and it was reflected in the sadness in his eyes.

     "Francis?" Ben asked, his eyes suddenly clouding with tears.

     "Surprised to see me?" Francis asked, before he erupted into a fit of coughing.

     The world instantly seemed to freeze as Ben made the connections in his mind. He had been fighting his last surviving family member the entire time, and the thought made Ben sick. Emotion washed over him as he cradled his wounded sibling, and he tried to hold back tears as his world began to tear apart.

     "But...why?" Ben whispered. "Why?"

     "Don't cry over a fallen warrior, when you are one yourself," Francis whispered, spite in his voice.

     "You were dead..." Ben whispered to himself.

     "You let me die," Francis hissed. "You let me be taken, and you never came back!"

     "I thought you were gone..." Ben whispered.

     Francis shook his head, "For years, I blamed you. I blamed you for the years of abuse, and for the pain I suffered..."

     "I'm so sorry...I'm so sorry..." Ben repeated.

     "I donned the mask so I could bring justice to people like the ones who harmed me," Francis continued, it appeared as if talking was a great pain. "But then I was contacted by a group of people saying they could give me information...if I stole an artifact..."

     "Information?" Ben asked.

     Francis faintly pointed to the envelope, which was lying several feet from where they were.

     "They didn't tell me that I was going to find you," Francis whispered, shaking his head. "When I found you in the alley I didn't believe it was you. The fight in San Diego, the second time we met, it was to complete my mission. Once I knew it was you, though, I was consumed by anger..."

     "Please..." Ben whispered.

     Francis shook his head, tears swimming down his face, "I found you in the factory, and I went there to kill you...all those years of abuse...so much pain...it was all your fault..."

     "Francis..." Ben begged.

     "I...hated...you..." Francis whispered, but then the light died from his eyes.

     "No!" Ben screamed. "No!"

     His world was destroyed, and all he could do was cradle the dead body of his brother. Francis, the Silver Assassin, it didn't matter to Ben. He was his brother.

     Ben looked up at the gaping hole in the ceiling where the beam of light had shot through. He shook his head, beginning to cry, as he realized that his brother had died blaming him.  

     Footsteps interrupted his mourning though, and he turned around as three figures walked into the interior of the warehouse.

**

     Ben slowly stood up from his fallen brother's side as two men led by a woman approached him from the far side of the hangar. They were all dressed in heavy-duty combat gear, and all of them had a scowl etched into their faces.