Stop and Drop [open]

[Deleted]

Liam took in a deep breath, smelling the scent of urban decay. It smelled of industrial, gas, electricity, oil, sweat, Iron, concrete. The docks along the river were busy, but his target was across the river on an island. He had been bound before being put on a plane and being dropped off at the point. There was someone he had to take out. He had been given the order to kill. His gun had been itching for a shot. Where he would be taking the shot from was in his sights. He kept his hood up, but low over his face, his muzzle was covered with a hospital mask. It would seem suspicious to see a man with a muzzle on, so as many Japanese tourists did, he was wearing a surgical mask. The crowds would be his cover. Security was tight these days, after all America had many threats to her on many fronts. But none quite like this. His target was one Steven Renyolds. He was a son of Mercury, a shipping CEO and quite a troublemaker. From what Liam had observed of his target, someone wanted him dead for simply being a humanitarian. Not that Liam cared about the man's background. The man was holding a conference on his new public welfare program to help his dock workers earn a better wage and to petition for more affordable living in the city.

Liam was about a mile away. The building was empty, no security and no cops. He walked to the roof top, he looked close to the edge of the building where his crate was sitting. He opened it up, staring at a familiar sight. The bolt action TAC-308 was sitting in the crate. Designed for more urban settings, Liam had chosen this rifle for the particular kill. It was suffice to say that he knew he had chosen well for this particular adventure. Then Liam set up shop. He took in a deep breath as he removed the hospital mask, revealing a monstrous black muzzle. His eyes watched the horizon carefully, all was well. He quickly assembled his gun, feeding the bolt action rifle and placing down his wind gauge before looking down the barrel of his gun. The scope magnified the target. From the time he pulled the trigger, he would have ten seconds to assess the confirmation of the target's death, less than a minute to pack up shop and five minuted to make the drop of his weapon at the crate and ten to rendezvous at the spot to show the confirmed kill. That means about sixteen minutes total. It was nothing new. It would be easy to do.

He breathed evenly as he looked down the scope. The Target's head crossed the cross hair's many times. Liam made a mental count down, waiting. That was the part of the game that Liam loved the most. It was almost as if he could see the clock ticking down over the target's head. He squeezed the trigger, feeling the weapon hit against his shoulder as the red splatter appeared on the white back drop behind him. Quickly, Liam stood, pulling a pair of binoculars to assess the situation. The target was lying on the ground, not moving, a pool of blood gathering around his head. He took his knife and scratched a mark into the wood near the shooting site before packing up shop. Liam quickly made it down the stairs, dropping the gun, ammo, binoculars and gauge into a non descript crate, a drop box that had been used for ages, to have someone pick up his weapon. He clicked the electronic device before dropping it in as well, returning the crate to it's normal look.

He replaced the mask before moving on. He could hear the sounds of sirens in the distance as he moved. Manhattan was his destination. He quickly moved as to not be late. It would not do to be late. He found his path was easy. Liam kept his head down and continued to move. Liam had perfected a skill that others liked to call 'hiding in plain sight'. He could blend in well with the crowds and many people were used to strange things in New York City. His long sleeves and leather vest were nothing out of the ordinary. He found the little coffee shop where he was to be and sat down at the appropriated table. He placed the backpack from his back down on the ground facing himself. His hand sat in a pocket as he looked like he was lounging. He would be grateful to finally get out of here. He hated the city.

[Deleted]

“Ah, New York City.” Trivia said with a gaze at the Empire State building. “We all know Los Angeles is better.” Certainly she wasn't a fan of putting children into legionary service before they even hit puberty, but at least they learned how to fight. Found people to count on from an early age. Not to mention the Greek Camp didn't even recognize legacies. It was an atrocity in itself. She loved her grandchildren. Rhiannon would be having one soon, and hopefully Erich would find himself someone to settle down with and give her grandchildren. Now if he chose a male companion that was fine as well, there were surrogate mothers that could aid in giving her a grandchild. In the mean time she'd simply have to look for girls herself to introduce the boy to. Once she got back to New Rome perhaps. Jupiter had been hanging out there recently, and she hated that mans presence. It made her skin crawl.

She wore something business appropriate, her hair curled over her shoulders and a little ways down her back. For a little while she thought about putting it up in a bun, but hated the headaches it gave her. Sometimes small fires would start because of them, and really so few people want that. There was someone who seemed to blend into the background, passed right by her. Perhaps if she wasn't so close with the entire Mercury family he'd pass her by as normal, but those types drew her attention. A sly smile crossed her face as she eyes the trail he was taking. She walked into the cafe, sitting down across from him and looking out the window. “Nice day out.”

She wasn't looking directly at him, but instead causally assessed him out of the corner of her eye. A bit dingy looking. He had a pack earlier, she wondered where that might have gone. Her own purse sat beside her on the table. Leaning her face on her hand as she watched people scurry by outside. She wasn't paying the person across from her much attention, not to the naked eye. “You're so skinny, you should eat more.” Finally she turned to him with a smile, or perhaps a simper would better describe it. Coy, but slightly flirtatious. A mortal who caught her attentions, just for a moment. She was curious, and that mask made her a bit more so.

[Deleted]

Liam furrowed his brow as he hid beneath the hood of his jacket. Whomever it was, well they were late. Had the mission been compromised? Where they in distress? Liam's eyes darted back and forth as he watched the crowd. Then again he didn't know what he was looking for. Or whom he was looking for. His drops were always a surprise. He never knew who he was going to come in contact with. The last one had been with Eve when he was running as the drop. Liam had been kept waiting longer than this before. While he hated waiting, it hadn't actually been that long. His drop could have just been detained, or late, or had a flat tire. It was no excuse for not being punctual though. Maybe it was his training, but showing up late for a drop would earn you a beating. Maybe the drop had been tailed or something, trying to shake whomever was following. There were a thousand and one reasons for why someone would be late in New York city. Though if he had heard the rumers, there were plenty of reason to be late, some tell of the traffic being horrible. He could agree.

A woman had caught his eye, though not in the way that most would say a woman had caught a man's eye. He watched her intently, a cold stare that never left his face. She was different. Not like many other of the females he had seen. But he couldn't quite put a finger on why he thought she was different, she just was. The worst was that she seemed to notice him. She spoke to him, mentioning that it was a rather nice day out. Not that Liam had much of an opinion on the weather. Weather was weather, and it either rained or it didn't, some times it snowed. It didn't matter to him since he wasn't sleeping in it much any more. He shrugged in reply, not able to speak. But he wouldn't offer much more than that as he would rather not give away any sort of defining details if she were to go running to the cops. He'd rather not get that ass beating from his handlers.

He knew that look that she gave. That predatory sort of look, he used it quite often as he marked targets. That hungry look of wanting something more than what there was right now. She spoke. Commenting on how skinny he was. His diet wasn't anything much to sneeze at and only recently he had changed the diet. While he was with his handlers it consisted of a mountain of vitamins and and water and protein bars. It was always such a high protein and carb diet to build muscle and have something that his body broke down for fuel slowly. He shrugged his shoulders again. His eyes darted over and watched out the window, trying to figure out what it was that she wanted or if there was something that might have been keeping his drop.

[Deleted]

Humans scurried along outside, without much notice of the pair that sat at a table in the quaint little coffee shop. Trivia caught a glance or two, perhaps even the boy with a mask. Soon though they went about their way. In such a hurry sometimes. With such short lives it wasn't unusual though. Certainly humans could live until they were over a hundred, which was still horribly short to her, they tended to come into an accident before dying of old age. Accident, or murder. Something that shortened their already short lives, and then there were the ones who ended it themselves. She tended to consider that murder. You murdered yourself, congratulations. Her dear old friend Mors took pity on such people, she did not. Discordia was her best friend after all, and that woman pushed people to their limits. Some overcame the turmoil of their own mind, becoming stronger. Trivia liked those people. While there were those who didn't do so well with their internal strife, well we know what happen to them.

Trivia could not fight. Not in the slightest. She could cast spells with a thought, and chant words foreign to any but her own children because it was the sound of magic. Hand to hand fighting on the other hand she would simply be hurt. She hardly was able to dodge a punch, though she could throw one fairly well and even take them without passing out. Call it the roman in her. She never used swords though, unlike her children. Rhiannon was the strangest daughter she knew. Erich was strange in his friendship with the centurion from first. That son of Jupiter. Strange, but adorable, children. Thank goodness Rhiannon got with a mortal, she almost seemed like the type of girl Mars might like. So fond of weaponry, fighting, and with a strong sense of purpose. Though Joshua was a grandson of Mars, he was a son of Mercury. He was a good boy, though not the smartest tack in the box. He could fight well at least. Tried to keep Rhiannon out of trouble, not that the girl helped her own case much if at all.

He didn't speak, perhaps from the mask over his mouth. She looked at it, turning her head. It seemed to dig just a bit into his chin, threatening pain if he opened his jaws. She leaned closer to him. “Does that mask hurt? Perhaps that's the kind of thing you enjoy? That look in your eyes though, are you dead inside?” She smiled, almost sinisterly, at him. She used an almost kind voice, but her words, her gestures did not show any kindness. Not particularly. “Looking for someone? What if I told you they weren't going to come?” she wondered how exactly she wanted to play with him. She knew one thing, she wanted a reaction. More than that cold stare, and she would play anyway she needed to for those eyes to give her something. Fear, or joy. She didn't care.

[Deleted]

Her eyes. There was just something about that look in her eyes that unnerved him. It sent that figurative shiver down his spine. Not that he would actually show it. Showing such was showing weakness. He couldn't bring weakness to the forefront. Not with a fellow predator in the same area. Liam wouldn't relinquish the territory while he was still in it. But he watched the people moving about. Here and there he could spot a demi-god. There was a bit of a grace that most of them held, a practiced precision and lithe look about them. The business woman who sat with the predatory facial expression was no exception. She had power about her, there was no doubt about it. It washed over Liam, giving him the proverbial chill. This was a deadly woman, no doubt about it. Was she to be his drop? No. Someone that powerful, someone that strong, she wouldn't belittle herself with running drops, she would be the one calling the shots. Liam had never worked with high up brass before, but he knew how to pick them out. Senators, Congressmen, world leaders, he had dealt with them all before. But they didn't hold themselves the way this woman did, nor did they get their hands dirty. If Liam was a betting man, he would put all his money on the fact that not only did this woman call shots, but she would get her hands dirty doing it too. That made her all the more dangerous.

Again she spoke, it was almost as if she was laughing at him. No he didn't deserve the kindness of others. But he simply watched her, his cold and dead expression had not changed as she spoke, leaning in closer to his person. Only he knew the amount of weapons that he held on his person. Not to mention the amount of hand to hand combat that he knew. But this woman, he would put money that he wouldn't last too long against her. Then she mentioned that his drop might not be coming. A slight look of confusion crossed his face for just a second or two, it briefly stayed before it was replaced once again by his usual look of cold and expressionless. He moved his jaw slightly, the jagged teeth rubbing against the underside of his chin and neck, it bit into him, pricking his skin. He felt the warm blood of his own be drawn as he wiped his neck, keeping the crimson trail from staining his skin.

He looked at her, tilting his head to the side as he watched her. His eyes scanning her body, from the spot where he would shoot her in the forehead, to the joints of her shoulders and elbows. Her center mass would easily take her down as well. Though Liam knew he would be hard pressed to draw a firearm against her. Her eyes seemed to hold seemingly countless knowledge, wisdom and brains that would be a good weapon to use against him. For all of his innate knowledge of the human body, the ease of weapons in his hands, he knew little about the world around him or social ques of other people.

[Deleted]

Confusion, that was something. Though it lasted so short a time one might blink and miss it. Perhaps he wasn't waiting for anyone in particular, or that would be her thought if she hadn't known his kind. Cold eyes, dead in all the ways that truly mattered. This man could kill and not feel a thing. The mask on his face was a type of mark of ownership, she knew those all to well. In fact she quite enjoyed putting something similar on people at times. She brushed the thought aside, as this was not one of her toys. It was someone else, for now. He was bound to be waiting for someone, his owner or perhaps someone sent by them. Which might also explain his confusion, you would never think your owner wouldn't come for you. Most likely they take care of him, one way or other. Dead or alive, it was up to them. A bit of an intense play, even for a goddess of the night.

Mother of the Espusa, the scent of blood drew her attentions. She gave a bit of a low chuckle, low for her feminine voice at the very least. Her chin turned up a little as she looked down on him, she leaned back stretching her arms and torso over the back of the chair just a bit. There was not a single weapon on her, she didn't need it. She was willing to bet he had any number on him though. When she returned her hands to the table she flicked her hand and the mask fell to the table. "I don't approve of you bleeding" she picked up the mask and ran a finger to pull some of the blood from the jagged teeth. She rubbed it between her thumb and forefinger, then licked the blood from them. "No good, pathetic and weak blood. Though potential is there." she said with a smirk, anything left she wiped on a napkin before tossing his mask back at him. His blood was thin, as if he was malnourished. It had essential vitamins, but there was much missing. She had excellent taste buds, and sense of smell. It was necessary to mix poisons, and potions alike. You had to know what was good, or bordering on bad, and how much you needed to put it. It wasn't quite a science, the measurements varied from time to time depending on the humidity and such. It was her art.

"Your name." she said, almost like a question but with no alternative options. A demand. She said it cool, with a sense of superiority. That was how she spoke normally though, as if she was above humans. Except for a select few that she quite enjoyed being around. Ones that had proven to her that they weren't beneath her. Granted she often spoke to other gods the same way, but that was because they obviously were beneath her.