Jace and I walked with the sniper into the Flood District, heading to the bookstore he talked about. He walked a little slower than usual, given the beating Kyle gave him, but we kept him standing as he headed into the back alley behind the bookstore. Jace stuck to the shadows of the alley walls, pulling his hood over his head,and I pulled myself up to the fire escape above, staying out of sight until we were needed. After a while, we saw someone turn the corner into the back alley and move toward the sniper. We stayed out of their sight as we watched the scene go down.
"What have you got for me this time?" The person asked as the sniper leaned on the wall for support. Kyle really did a number on him, but he was our only way to the Grand Master at that moment.
"The target's dead. House went up in flames and the target was listed on the dead list," The sniper replied as he even sounded pained in his voice.
"What happened to you?" The other person questioned as they saw the sniper's wounds. The sniper shook his head and held his leg as Jace and I began to move closer.
"Couple of bastards got the jump on me. But it's nothin' to worry about." The sniper kept his body against the wall as he talked. "I got the job done, and I would like to get the payment." The other person nodded and pulled out a fold of cash from his inside pocket. The person told the sniper to turn around and head for the exit, and that he would get his money in a few seconds. Before he handed it to the sniper, he pulled out a Colt M18 revolver and held it to the sniper's back.
"The Grand Master appreciates your cooperation." He sent two shots into the sniper's spine and he collapsed to the ground. Jace saw that the person's back was still turned and he took the opportunity to come out of the shadows and grab him from behind. As Jace did that, I moved to the sniper's body and checked for a pulse.
"He's still alive, but he's bleeding out fast." I looked to Jace and he nodded.
"You get him to a hospital," He told me as I picked the sniper up. "I'll get some information out of this guy." I carried the sniper towards a hospital nearby and checked him in. Once doctors got to him, he was taken to intensive care. Wasn't that long ago we were here for Kyle, but I couldn't let my mind linger on that subject. After he was taken, I left the hospital and made my way back to the warehouse. I told myself I would come back to check on him, once we dealt with the GM's scout.
I made my way to the warehouse, where Jace had already taken the scout and tied him up. The scout did nothing as he had his arms tied behind his back, didn't even look at any of us. Jace was the first to break the silence as he sat in front of the scout and held out an apple.
"Want a bite?" Jace asked the scout, but the scout didn't budge. Jace shrugged and took a bite of it. "Don't say I didn't offer you anything," He said as he chewed the piece of apple. "So, what's the deal with the Grand Master?" The scout still refused to talk, and Jace shook his head. "Some Grand Master. All he's done is send people to their death, probably traumatized that boy in there, and get his ass kicked by us in about ten minutes."
"The Grand Master has not failed!" The scout exclaimed as he stood up. Jace looked at him and smirked, knowing he hit a nerve. "The Grand Master is not defeated. He will return stronger than before, and you will be destroyed Wolfpack," The scout said as he glared at us.
"The Grand Master can try, but he's gonna fail," Jace responded as he stood up and stared down the scout. "What's he planning? Answer, or we let our recently unhinged assassin friend here make you share the same fate as that sniper you gunned down." Kyle looked at the scout and walked over. He shot out a blade and held it to the scout.
"You'll talk either way. Might as well go for the painless option," Kyle told him as he held the blade to the scout's neck.
The scout looked at Jace and nodded. "He's accepting your declaration of war. He plans to turn the city into a battleground. He plans to make this city your final resting place." The scout looked up at Jace specifically and sat down. "He plans to destroy you, Reaper." Jace looked down at the scout and then turned to look at me, Blake, and Kyle. He looked back at the scout and knocked him out.
"We've trained for a while now. It's been months since we've dealt with him, and now he's gonna destroy this city to get to us," Jace told us as we stood around him. "When he gets to this city, we have to stop him. And this time, we can't be so merciful. Last time, he didn't deserve it, but we let him live. Now he's going to turn this city into a battlefield. When we beat him this time, we can't be so nice." Jace looked at us and rolled his shoulders. "We're gonna have to kill the Grand Master."
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We trained for days, waiting for the Grand Master, in an area outside the city as it was the only place that was away from the citizens and it was open enough for us to train. Kyle kept up his basic training routines as he got Jace and Fang in on them as well. I trained as well, but in my own way. I trained my body and wings to push past the limits I had been given since birth. That's what I was created to do: Push past limits and overcome obstacles, and that's all the Grand Master was really. An obstacle to be pushed past, and that's what we'd do. We were strong, fast, skilled, and the GM bit off more than he could chew with us.
I was outside, flying through the clouds as the sun blazed down on me. I folded my wings and dove down towards the ground, gaining speed as I dropped down, then spread my wings out as I flew right above the ground. I moved quickly to avoid hitting the trees nearby our training area, flying around the entire building that the others were in. I flew inside the building and landed, folding my wings in as I stood up straight.
"How are they doing?" I asked Kyle as I walked over to the three who were in the middle of their combat training.
"They're getting better. Much better. their fighting skills before were decent in a fight, but not enough for a war-bound Grand Master," Kyle said as he watched Fang and Jace sparring in the center of a makeshift ring. "Think we're ready for a war, yet?" Kyle turned to me and shook his head.
"Honestly, I don't think we're ready for anything. All I know is, whatever happens, we're never gonna be the same," I sighed as I responded. Kyle only shrugged as he watched Jace and Fang spar.
"After everything that's happened to us, do you really think that any of us ever thought of going back to normal?" Jace groaned as he knocked Fang back onto the floor.
"I feel ready to take this asshole on. How much more training do you think we need?" Jace asked as he grabbed a towel from the pile they bought, wiping the sweat from his forehead.
Fang stood up and cracked his neck, reaching for a towel as well. "I say we could use a bit more training. You can never get too much training in," Fang said as he wiped his face clean of sweat. "One thing I don't have with these parasites? Air conditioning," Face stated as he threw the towel over his shoulder.
Kyle moved to the center of the ring and stretched his shoulders. "We're four teenagers taking on an entire army on a warpath. I think we should get as much training in as we can get," Kyle said as he pulled up a punching bag and began to send a flutter of punches into it. "We barely know our enemy, and he's more than likely made himself stronger as well. He won't underestimate us this time around." Kyle sent another punch to the bag and the bag jolted back. Kyle grabbed it and settled it, keeping it from swinging and swaying.
"Yeah, it's an entire army. But we're not just four normal teens," I told them as I walked to the center of the ring and kept the bag in place for Kyle. "We're a highly trained assassin, a parasitical controller that can make three symbiotic creatures bend to his will, an insanely strong powerhouse with the ability to level a city, and a genetic experiment meant to push past limits and come out on top. The Grand Master has his hands full with us," I said as I felt the bag move as Kyle punched it.
"Has anyone thought of the possibility that we fail?" Fang asked as he looked at us with a concerned look. When no one answered, he laughed and shook his head. "Good. Neither have I. Because that's not a possibility. We're gonna kick the Grand Master's ass, and we're gonna save Silver Streak City from chaos in the process," He said as he took a drink from his water bottle.
As the days went on and we trained, we sent word to the Grand Master through the use of the still captured scout that was sent our way. We sent him back to his leader with one message. "Meet us at the dirt road, right outside the city," we told him, and he took off to his leader. We took nothing with us but the clothes on our back as we walked onto the dirt road heading towards the Grand Master's fortress.
"You guys ready for this?" Kyle asked as he pulled his hood over his head, only his respirator visible as his eyes were completely hidden. He pulled his exo-gauntlets over his forearms and shot the blades out.
"I'm always ready to kick someone's ass," Jace responded as he pulled his trench coat over his body and flipped up the collar.
"You are a very violent person, Jace," Fang replied as he had his parasites surround his body, except for his head. "Makes me wonder if you won't kill one of us by mistake, and I hope that doesn't become a problem."
I smirked as I pulled the goggles I got over my eyes and the bandanna over my mouth. I pulled my combat gloves and arm guards over my arms, ready for a fight.
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The Grand Master had received word that one of his scouts returned in critical condition. He walked over to the scout as he exited his resting room and into the main area of the fortress.
"You have been missing for many days. What is your message?" He asked him as he knelt down before him.
"I-it's the Wolfpack! They request your appearance at the dirt road outside of the city, for a battle." The Grand Master looked at the front doors as he growled. "Very well. We will bring them into the fortress after the battle, I suppose." The Grand Master prepared himself as he removed the civilian shirt he wore and replaced it with a sleeveless shirt to expose his muscled arms and put a syringe of his serum in his back pocket. "Prepare guards to bring their bodies into the fortress. This is where the Wolfpack dies."
Before the Grand Master left, he saw his son at the door. "Don't worry son, I won't be long."
The boy growled and shook his head. "It would be better if you didn't come back." The 16 year old then turned and walked out of the room.
The Grand Master simply sighed and walked outside. As he walked out onto the dirt road, he saw the four figures of the Wolfpack in front of him. And there they stood, just before the fight ensured.