Nemesis
Chapter XV — Grief
[Dedicated Song: 954mari — Sound Like Death]
[31 October 2023]
[Ares Tech Headquarters]
[09:09]
The remainder of Dain's day had ended in quite the dumpster fire. He had made his way home late at night after spending most of his night in Miranda's home, helping her run the required tests to determine whether these victims had suffered the same fate as his best friend. There were clots present in the blood sample, but there was nothing to trace it back to, but their closest bet was still their only bet. Perhaps it was still the same toxin, but they required far more evidence, something Dain could not acquire since the funerals of the board members were set to take place very soon. The remaining members were now under protection until this assault had ceased. Amari refused to speak with him until he changed his ways, but that would not be possible for quite a while, not while things were this hectic.
Dain was now in his office, preparing to leave for his meeting with Kane. Perhaps this would be one of the better moments in a long time, but he was not exactly optimistic given their history. As he stood up from his desk, the metal doors ahead opened to reveal Tatiana, who — to put it lightly — looked like she had survived a plane crash once again.
"Tatiana? What are you doing here?" Dain asked, a bit confused at her appearance and her different demeanor. Tatiana made her way towards Dain, placing her head on his shoulder. "He's dead... he's fucking dead!" She exclaimed, on the verge of tears. "Who's dead?" Dain asked with a puzzled expression. "Andrei... those bastards killed him!" Tatiana answered. She shuddered as she began to cry and Dain simply stared at her with a raised eyebrow.
He had heard of the matter she was addressing, how a Russian spy attempted an escape and was murdered after taking the lives of several wardens. However, he had no clue it had been Tatiana's ally, or rather, a former ally. Her reaction was what brought upon the confusion. "So? I thought you wanted to burn Russia to the ground, isn't this just a step in the right direction?" Dain asked in an apathetic tone.
Tatiana moved her head from his shoulder to stare at him, wide-eyed. No matter how hard she searched, she could not find even an ounce of empathy for her. Right then, she remembered what Kane had told her not too long ago. They did not care about her, he said, and they would not hesitate to bring her down should the opportunity arise.
"'A step in the right direction'? He was my best friend!" Tatiana argued. She could not believe what she had been told, there was no way that Dain was the same. "Former. You seriously think your Russian associate would've been a fan of you just joining the other side?" Dain asked staring at her with almost soulless eyes, bringing upon a similar attitude that she had brought to him once upon a time. The irony.
"This is war, Tatiana and you chose your side. If you're really about it, start fighting and stop whining." Dain said as he began to walk past her. "You and I ain't friends, I made that clear before. So, don't come crying to me unless you have something important to discuss." He added as he walked out of the office. He had not forgotten how cutthroat she had been the last time they had met, it felt a bit good to return the favor.
[Manhattan, New York]
[09:34]
Following his unexpected conversation with Tatiana, Dain had made his way to his meeting with Kane, but he could not shake the feeling that he had gone a bit too far in his pursuit to one-up Tatiana. However, he still felt that he was correct in the entire matter. She had chosen her side, and crying over a former comrade was no different than mourning a fallen enemy. Dain put such issues aside as he left his car and walked into the chosen restaurant, where he searched for Kane, who he found soon enough. He walked over to the table Kane sat at and plopped down as well.
Kane smiled as he did so and Dain raised an eyebrow, almost cautiously. "It's been a while, hasn't it?" Kane started and Dain nodded. "Yeah, you wanted me in jail only five days ago." He sarcastically uttered and Kane sighed in response. "I wasn't willing to go back on my principles, and I'm still not. I won't make another weapon, not while I'm alive." Kane said as his tone transformed into a more serious one.
"Then what's this middle ground? You and I want different things, and a compromise ain't gonna suddenly appear out of thin air." Dain said. Kane rubbed his eyes for a bit, trying to eliminate the tears that tried to escape. He was in no good place emotionally, not for a meeting of this magnitude following his mission. However, he had to keep his foot on the gas pedal, there was plenty more to do. Too big a sacrifice had been made to simply relax. It was no longer just for his motherland and his redemption, but for his fallen comrade.
"Are you good, man?" Dain finally asked. "Yeah, yeah, I'm great. I'm just thinking about how ironic it all is, y'know?" Kane started as he stopped rubbing his eyes, but he now seemed to be engaged in a staring contest with the menu. "I had a lot of time to calm down and think about the shit you said properly, and I can't believe I'm saying this, but you were right."
Dain now appeared more interested, was he truly on his way to getting Kane to join him once again? "I am an American citizen, and if I really love this country, I gotta help fight for it in any way that I can," Kane stated. Dain was quick to jump the gun, however. "So, you'll come back to Ares Tech?" Dain asked and Kane facepalmed, noticing how Dain had become quite excited.
"Well, you clearly weren't here for the first part of this conversation. I am interested in coming back to Ares Tech to open a covert-ops division. I'm down to make drone technology you can transport to Russia and gather information instead of making weapons." Kane finally finished, leaving Dain quite stunned at the potential that such a division contained. It baffled him as to why he had never thought of it before.
"That's fucking genius," Dain said and Kane lifted his head. "So, do we have a deal? I can't offer you more, but this is the best I can do without ignoring my principles." He said as he held his hand out for Dain to shake. Dain stared at it for a moment, but he did not seem to see any drawback to such a deal, despite the nagging feeling that decided against it. "You have a goddamn deal," Dain replied as he shook Kane's hand, who did his best to force out a smile.
Kane had slithered his way into the walls of Ares Tech once more, this time to do far more damage than before. There was nothing that could truly stop him, not while he was breathing.
[Elordi Residence]
[10:46]
Everything was set in motion. All that was left was for Kane to make the first move, and he had the move planned thoroughly. However, such thoughts were for the next day. He was far too emotionally exhausted by what he had done a mere day ago. Every time he looked at his hands he could not help but see the gun in his hand, aimed at his best friend. It was Kane had taken his life, not Dragunov.
Andrei's blood was on his hands, and he needed time to marinate in that thought. He needed to let it all out before he made a huge mistake on the field, making every sacrifice he had made up until that point worthless. As Kane wheeled himself towards his house, moving up the ramp, he was caught by surprise when he noticed Tatiana on the porch. She was curled up into a ball, crying and Kane could easily guess why. Guilt struck him in the heart once more, but he shook it off. 'I did this for her, for us...' Kane thought as he moved further up the ramp.
Kane stopped right beside Tatiana, casting his shadow over her. Tatiana looked up to see a similarly saddened face — a man on the verge of tears. Tatiana stood to her feet and did her best to calm down while Kane opened the door, allowing the both of them in. They both sat on the couch, staring at each other for a while until Tatiana broke down once more. Kane embraced her, tears streaming down his face.
"T-they killed him! And he... he didn't care..." Tatiana cried and Kane simply rubbed her back. He knew that he had gotten his best friend on his side once more, but a part of him asked; at what cost? "I'm sorry... I'm so, so sorry..." Kane said, well aware of what the apology was for. "But maybe now you can see that these people don't give a shit about us. Those wardens didn't care, and neither does Dain. You know where your true place is, here with me." Kane said. "I thought he was different..." Tatiana choked and Kane only sighed. "Now you k-know the truth, and you know what you have to do." He replied, beginning to cry as well.
[01 November 2023]
[Brooklyn, New York]
[00:42]
It had been quite the night for Kane, most of it spent crying with Tatiana — something that he desperately needed. However, she had eventually calmed down which allowed for more important talks to be had. She now understood her position and the power she had as a double agent. Kane could note the anger she had towards Dain, and he could not help but feel as if his plan could not fail, not while his best friend was at his side.
Despite this positive to come out of the day, Kane had far more work to complete and the first order of business was to complete the first mission that had been left incomplete. He was still not emotionally sound, but there was no time to waste. Dragunov would take over, but he was also devastated. Four members of the board remained, all under intense protection in one facility — a facility that he had designed to protect soldiers in war. It all seemed far too easy. Dragunov found himself right where he needed to be, in a different part of New York where the remaining board members were hiding. He tapped at his wrist, bringing a holographic screen to life that he fiddled with for a bit before the metal gates in front of him opened up.
Inside the facility were a few guards that were swiftly dealt with before Dragunov moved forward. Along the way, he encountered a few more guards that proved to be no threat to him, especially when he was this determined to succeed. Anyone he came across was laid out, he had no care for stealth anymore, he simply wanted to finish what he had started.
Eventually, Dragunov came across a large door, to which he attached an explosive, making quick work of the wall-like entrance. Inside, Dragunov found his prey. The men and women all gasped at Dragunov's sight, the memory of his threat fresh in their minds. "You disobeyed me!" Dragunov exclaimed, sending chills down the spines of everyone in the room. "Calm down, w-we can talk about th—" The man was interrupted by a bullet to the head, killing him immediately.
The three that remained all did their best to negotiate with Dragunov, but he listened to none of them. "You remember our deal..." Dragunov said as he grabbed one of the women, twisting her neck three-hundred and sixty degrees before throwing her to the side. Only two remained. "And you disobeyed me!" He shouted as he grabbed the other woman by the face, slamming her head into the metal floor to leave a mixture of flesh, bone and blood.
Dragunov threw the woman to the side before he made his way toward the final victim. "Listen... I've got family... I've got kids, just... please!" The man pleaded, well aware that his pleas fell on deaf ears. Dragunov grabbed the man and bombarded him with a barrage of punches, all until he was unrecognizable. Dragunov stood over the man, hands bloody and a body lifeless.
His mission was complete, albeit sloppily. He still felt frustrated, however, he still wanted to kill. He wanted to avenge his best friend. Dragunov removed his mask before he fell to the floor, crying once again. "Andrei..." He muttered. Throughout this sequence, Dragunov had not noticed the final man's hand tingle for a fraction of a second.
In truth, the mission had failed.