Daniel Heinrich was driving back with windows down and loud rock music on, he could feel the blood rushing in his veins, he was ready to confront and excited about the first climax of his life after he returned to the field. When he first agreed to collaborate with Velika O'Sullivan, he didn't expect the water would be surprisingly deep, now as he explored further, he realized how terrifying and intricate the relationships among these people were, they were all maniacs, deceiving others for their welfares without considering any support or assistance they used to accept from those who they referred as 'enemies'. But he understood, it was a cruel world, only the strongest would fit, Darwin was right.
Velika O'Sullivan mentioned she owned a small safe house in Seattle as well, he drove along the shore, saw seagulls were flying in the sky, peaceful and serene, he sighed, wondering when his life would be as tranquil as this, maybe never, well, if one day he had a normal life, he would probably have gone insane, since he wasn't made for a normal life.
When he arrived at her small safe house, she was ready to go, he saw her carried two large bags on her shoulder, trying so hard to shove them in the car, he felt pity for her for a second. This woman had too many burdens on her shoulders that she should never have. She suffered overwhelmingly, she deserved more than she had now.
"O'Sullivan." He got out of his car, yelled her name, she shivered, looked back, her eyes were wide open when she discovered it was him.
"Daniel Heinrich?!" She quickly walked up to him, hugged him before he could speak, "How..."
"How the hell I got out of there?" Daniel Heinrich gave her a crafty grin, patted on her back and she let go, "Are you sure you don't know?"
"What do you mean?" The smile on her face froze, instead, she stared at him hesitantly.
"I had a nice chat with Astoria Leontes." He answered coldly.
"Get in the house, we have to talk." Velika O'Sullivan scanned around, ensured no one was overhearing, and they walked back into the house as fast as possible.
"What did she tell you?" She asked nervously when she locked the door behind her.
"Nothing much," He squinted his eyes, "But I have the picture in my head already. Why do you want Romeo Leontes to disappear? You told me yourself he recruited you, offered you this job."
"Did Astoria tell you that?" She frowned.
"We don't have time to play hide and seek," He kept that cold tone, "I know you work for Astoria Leontes like I said so many times before, I'm not stupid, none of us in this game is stupid."
"I have my very own reasons." She finally spoke, "I only work for people who can benefit me m
ost and I don't feel like telling you my reason, it's personal."
"Fine." Daniel Heinrich smirked, "Don't you worried Astoria Leontes is going to get rid of you?"
"You think I can let her control me that easy?" She sneered, "We are bound to each other because we know each other's' dark past."
Astoria Leontes' dark past? Daniel Heinrich stayed silent for several seconds, he knew her past too, directly from the person who was closer to her than anyone else. Earlier he wanted to use this to threaten her, but she intimidated him first, he was shocked when she told him that she was aware of his business. People in this game were all tied to each other, only the one with more strategy could win.
"Heinrich," She dragged him out from his thought, "Since you knew our plan, let's just go with it, we don't have much time before Romeo realized something is off."
"Why do you have to vanish for a while?" He asked.
"Because when Romeo wants to strike back later, I can be the key to topple him." She gave him a foxy smile, "This is just a start, a war can last long."
Velika O'Sullivan's wound was bleeding, it must have stretched open when she was running back when he was stitching up her lesion, he placed in the tracker Astoria Leontes gave to him, Velika O'Sullivan rolled up her eyes when she saw the tracker, old-fashioned, she said dismissively.
"Any ideas of what's your plan to revenge me?" She asked when he was tying up the cloth, "Car accident? "
"Sounds fine to me." He rose his eyebrow.
"Listen, Heinrich," She lowered her voice, "Don't try to go solo, Astoria has a complex intel network. You better stay within the system."
He nodded: "I have one more question."
"Go ahead." She reached to the phone, ready to call.
"Did you know all these things we are going through now two years ago when you let me go?" He bit his lips, ready for an answer.
"Yes," She sighed, "You already had no ally when I encountered you, you were chosen by Astoria, well, technically, Bryce Sanchez introduced you to her."
Daniel Heinrich wasn't as surprised as he thought, of course, it was Bryce Sanchez, how could the sneaky old Bryce Sanchez not offer him to a buyer who would love to pay whatever the price he asked for? His boss also sold him out, his only trustworthy partner Clarabelle Lewis was missing, he had no choice but follow Astoria Leontes' command.
Velika O'Sullivan called Romeo Leontes, told him they were on their way to Astoria Leontes' safe house as they had a reason to believe Dean O'Sullivan was there and could use that as a proof to topple Astoria Leontes' power. Romeo Leontes agreed without asking details, right now everything was ready, the only step they needed to take to create a car accident exclusive for Velika O'Sullivan.
"Alright, let's go." Daniel Heinrich started the truck, Velika O'Sullivan was looking outside the window, "Are you nervous to be hit?"
"That's not a proper question," She glared at him, "Do you want to be hit and lie in the hospital for weeks? And get a death certificate even you are still alive? Oh, wait, I almost forget I don't even exist."
"Good luck." That's all he could say, she sighed and looked away, then he said almost inaudibly, "I'm sorry."
When they reached downtown, they knew the time was up, Velika O'Sullivan took a deep breath and ready to open the door. Daniel Heinrich held her shoulder and kissed her on the cheek.
"I'll see you shortly." Said Daniel Heinrich with a brooding tone.
"I hope it will be shortly," She shrugged, "Now I'm going to get water in the convenience store, you get ready for your business."
For the last time, they exchanged looks, and she got off without saying another word.
He followed her with his sights, she went into the shop and took a bottle of water from the fridge. He had to make his move, now or never, if he failed, Astoria Leontes wouldn't give him a second chance. He deeply breathed and drove away.
When she came out, she couldn't find Daniel Heinrich as they planned, she stood at the doorway and looking around with water in her hands, looked at the surveillance camera intentionally. He wasn't far away from her, only several blocks away, he knew she was anxious, but he had to physically hurt her, with no alternatives.
He smashed the gas pedal, and the truck went forward to Velika O'Sullivan, when the truck hit her, she was more peaceful than he thought, but still, even this was a plan, he still felt sorry. Velika O'Sullivan was a woman who loves to take the risk, even she had to put her life on the edge of death.
She laid on the cold, concrete road, watching the truck getting away, slowly she became unconscious. There was always a price to pay before she got what she wanted, always, and Velika O'Sullivan was the woman who could tolerate any price.
###
"What do you want now?" Daniel Heinrich asked insouciantly when he returned to Astoria Leontes' safe house.
"Don't possess on such sentiment, it will kill you." Astoria Leontes lifted one side of her red lips, she was leaning against the table. "Tell me, Daniel, where did your hatred come from?"
"I'm being manipulated, without knowing the reason to risk my life for," He said sardonically, "Manipulated by you, even by O'Sullivan."
Astoria Leontes narrowed her attractive hazel eyes, she stepped close to him. lifted his chin with her pale index finger. For one second, he almost believed this woman had the power to read human minds.
"But my dear," She paused and acted like she had empathy, "You don't have the right to choose your life track now. Let me open up this, didn't Velika tell you that your escape two years ago was already planned?"
He had to hold the impulse to slap her, this selfish, arrogant, defiant woman took others' life for granted. He gritted his teeth with anger and said:
"You are up too high, I would like to see your downfall one day."
"I'm sorry that isn't something you can decide either." She smiled, he didn't want to believe a woman as charming as she had such malice heart.
As she said, he had no option but to work for her, she took him in control she had everyone in control. Astoria Leontes was very thorough and had a meticulous mind. She already planned how to frame Romeo Leontes, well, it was a frame since the beginning. Daniel Heinrich wondered what brought her so many allies, even Bryce Sanchez, the smartest and most unscrupulous black-market businessman would imperil his life for her, maybe because of her beauty, in some way Daniel Heinrich compared her to Cleopatra.
She faked all the evidence, or perhaps some of them were real but Daniel Heinrich didn't know, she even found a way to prove Velika O'Sullivan's death, all the proofs indicated Romeo Leontes was behind Edmund Leontes' death, he sent Velika O'Sullivan to murder his father, then injected XYZ-2421 to him, tried to frame his innocent sister-in-law, who worked with Companion, devoted herself on inventing a new medicine to prevent aging and brought benefits for mankind, had murdered her father-in-law. She found out Romeo Leontes' conspiracy and when they were in the middle of a fight, Velika O'Sullivan was accidentally killed. Daniel Heinrich acted as an accomplice in her lie, he helped to make her words seemed to be true and defended her no matter what questions people had.
These unexpected series of events formed a mutant in Natural and caused a great disturbance, the agents who were on Romeo Leontes side now all came to Astoria Leontes, even Romeo Leontes tried so hard to clear his name and told people he was the innocent one, all the efforts were useless as he didn't have a witness. He realized all these were her setups, but it was too late for redemption, his suspicion buried his future, and Velika O'Sullivan, who he believed to be a hundred percent loyal to him, everyone thought she was dead, those knew the truth would never talk.
As Romeo Leontes still left with some reputation in Natural, he wasn't discarded, he was demoted to train the recruits, and his place, as the bargain said, was taken by Daniel Heinrich. The day he moved to Romeo Leontes old office, he encountered Romeo Leontes in the hallway, taking his things downstairs, when the had direct eye contact, he saw anger, and disappointment, however, even the situation was such an intense and unendurable, Romeo Leontes still carried on his pride, he said to Daniel Heinrich in an extremely indifferent and nonchalantly tone:
"I wonder how can you live with this, Heinrich."
"That's life, Leontes." He whispered and passed by.
Astoria Leontes was in Romeo Leontes', now Daniel Heinrich's office, along with another man, when she saw him stepped in, she smiled. but he didn't, he looked at her with coldness, the other person didn't turn around, and Daniel Heinrich rose his eyebrow.
"Daniel, don't give me that face," She said with dismay, "You wouldn't hate me after a while, time will heal everything."
"Don't treat me like a child." Said him without any emotions on his face.
"Alright," She nodded and kept going, "You must wonder who will take over our commander position, you know, Romeo's place, now, let me introduce you, Mr. Dean O'Sullivan."
It was Dean O'Sullivan, Velika O'Sullivan's long-gone husband, when he turned back, Daniel Heinrich was more than surprised even he didn't reveal it, he never expected Astoria Leontes could go beyond the border. He thought Dean O'Sullivan was killed, but not trained to replace Romeo Leontes, and why the hell he could agree to this?
"O'Sullivan, how----" Daniel Heinrich couldn't find the right word.
"Relax, Heinrich, take it easy," Dean O'Sullivan winked, "You chose your life, so I made mine."
"I didn't have a choice," Said him sarcastically, "Tell me, O'Sullivan, deep down in your heart, do you feel alright to take over Romeo Leontes' position in this way? When your wife is out there in danger?"
"It has nothing to do with the complicated relationship between me and Velika," Dean O'Sullivan said dryly, Daniel Heinrich could tell his expression changed when Velika O'Sullivan's name was mentioned, "I reserve the right to decide for my career path."
"I feel sorry for Velika O'Sullivan," Daniel Heinrich smiled ironically, "She married such a cold-blooded monster."
"If you wanted to be the winner," Dean O'Sullivan said flatly, "You must choose a priority, your career, or your relationship. Indeed, I love Velika, but when it comes to the game, I have to give her up. Heinrich, I don't know if anyone had mentioned it to you, your useless sentiment will murder you one day."
"Yes, I've heard that before." Daniel Heinrich sneered. He looked at Astoria Leontes, then Dean O'Sullivan, he knew his new chapter had begun, a chapter with more conspiracies and lies, he had to stand tall and fight.
Because there was no way out.
End of Part One