"Where is my new arrival?", a feminine voice questioned.
"If they left on schedule, they should be here by now, ma'am", a frail masculine voice responded.
"Well, where are they now?", she asked, trolling down a hall.
"Hey, don't put that there...", she said, admonishing a worker, as she walked past.
"Get me Falcone..", she ordered.
"And track Flint's phone", she added.
"Unlike him to be late.."
"Looks like she beat me to it", she said to herself, chuckling weakly.
"Hey.. Verner told me you called", a tall young man said, walking towards her.
She squinted her eyes in disgust, at his demeanor.
"Honestly, you're helpless Falcone..", she exasperated, with a sigh.
"They're in Beyleed", a voice reported.
"Listen..", she said, cutting to the chase.
"My new parcel is on the road, but it's being delayed by some idiots", she explained.
"Could you please get it for me?", she requested.
"And tell them I said hi", she added with a grin.
"Of course", he replied with a smile, as he left her presence.
"Palmer! Get two jeeps ready", she ordered.
"And don't make him wait", she added.
"Was about time for some action", he said with a chuckle, cracking his neck as he walked.
...
"So Christine, I'm gonna ask you one last time.."
"Where is he?", an obviously muscular male asked.
She spat on his face.
His mistake of squatting to her face level.
Christine and Flint, obviously, have been captured and held in a somewhat large warehouse.
Hers and Flint's face looked a bit roughed up, with bits of red and handprints lingering on them.
And there's Flint, with a bleeding mouth.
"You won't get as much as a whisper from me, not even from my corpse", she said with a grin.
The interrogation took place in the warehouse, as both were forced to assume a kneeling position, with hands bound behind their backs with cuffs; gunmen surrounded them.
"Bitch..", he sighed as he stood up.
"And I thought you were the reasonable ONE..", he said, ending the sentence with a punch on her face.
The impact was strong enough to send her falling sideways.
Sigh..
"..can't say what would happen to you after that", Flint said, with a sorry look on his face.
"You can't walk clean from that one..", he added.
"Shut up!", he said, smacking Flint with the back of his hands.
Christine spat blood, as she once more regained composure.
"Huddle them into the van, they'll answer to him", he said, as both Flint and Christine were dragged to their feet, and pulled towards the van.
"Roll out ladies..", he added.
"Leaving so soon?", a voice said at the entrance to the building; the night, obscuring the full view of the figure.
"Hope you didn't mind adding me to the party", he said, chuckling as he strolled in; stopping some ten meters before them.
The warehouse lights illuminated the figure, showing an averagely tall male in bike gear.
"So where's the parcel?", he asked, looking around; hands in pockets.
"Drop him!", Harvey ordered, as gunshots rang out.
"Oh please..", Falcone spurted, as he rushed into the chaos, giggling.
....
"Looks like our ride is here", Flint said half-heartedly, looking at the new birthed chaos.
"But why did it have to be him..", he frowned.
Clank!
His cuffs drop to the floor, mostly melted.
"What the...", the abductors exclaimed in shock and confusion.
"Yeah, I get that a lot..", he said, rubbing his wrists.
"Those cuffs were damn tight", he said to himself.
"Get him!!"
Five men surrounded Flint.
"Oh c'mon, I'm not an enthusiastic fighter like that psycho", he complained, dodging a jab from one, and returning it with a kick to the tummy; putting him out of commission.
"Bastard", another cried, swinging a left hook at him.
Flint sidestepped to right, as the attack missed its target; kicking the lead foot, he toppled his assailant backwards. The attacker tried to get to his feet; but a kick to the face put him to sleep.
The remaining three exchanged knowing nods, as they aimed their weapons at him; stepping back to keep a safe distance from him.
"We're doing guns now? Really?", he asked, sarcastically.
"Drop the weapons, let's talk things o—", he said, raising his hands up.
Pow!
A bullet travelled its path towards Flint, in a slowed time fashion. The bullet began to sublime from its tip, a meter away from Flint; completely obliterating at ninety centimeters.
"...out? Well nevermind, you've done it now", he said; hanging his head low, as he moved towards them; his hair covering his eyes, as steam visibly emanated from him.
He grabbed his suit with his right hand, as it shriveled into char; he upper ripped body, now visibly exposed; emitting steam.
"Did anyone ever tell you, how much I hate guns..", he said in a low voice, as he raised his head, revealing his eyes, which burned bright orange; as he charged towards them at inhuman speed.
"Shoot him!!"
"He's too quick", one responded, as he failed to get a proper aim.
He darted towards the one at the left; placing his palm on his face, he smashed his head into the ground, leaving him no room to react or resist.
"Monster!!!", the one at the center screamed, as he tried to shoot; but Flint arrived there, sooner than he could think.
Crunch..
He grabbed the barrel, squeezing it like a piece of beverage can; while giving an eerie smile.
He smashed his face in with his head, pulled him in with the held barrel, before sending him tumbling through the air; as a nice hit to the face with the knee, did justice to that.
"Run..", he said to the last man, the latter took to his heels.
"Mendokusē..", he slurred, sighing after the event.
He walked back to Christine, who watched the whole scene, and was too dumbstruck to move.
"Sorry for keeping you waiting", he apologized.
Clink!
He undid her cuffs.
"What just happened?", she asked, her brain finally responding to nerve impulses.
"I don't know, you ask th—"
"Oh they already left", he said, feigning ignorance.
"What are you?", she further asked.
"Calm down, let's get out of here first; then we can talk", he answered.
"Calm down, you're telling me to CALM DOWN!."
"Flint... you just beat the shit out of four guys in three minutes, and what's more; what happened to your injuries, where are they? Cause I obviously can't see them", she babbled, as she struggled to comprehend the just concluded incident.
"I'll explain, first let's—"
"Flint!!", Christine yelled.
Click..
The assault rifle jammed.
"Seriously dude, I told you to run", Flint said, frowning as he turned his head, to take a quick look at the man, pointing a gun at his head.
He turned back to face Christine, ignoring him.
"Argh!", the man screamed, trying to stab him from the back.
"Scram..", Flint said softly.
Bang!
An explosion rocked the vicinity, knocking the man fifteen meters backwards, before hitting a jeep.
"That's our cue to leave", he said, dragging her along with him.
"Moreover, if you have time to complain, then you should know that we're an hour behind schedule", he added.
...
"Don't tell me you've forgotten me, Harvey..", Falcone said, resetting the jaw of another gunman with a punch.
"You little rascal..", Harvey cursed, as more men rushed to attack Falcone.
Crack!
He twisted the right arm of one aiming a pistol at him, in the opposite direction; successfully dislocating the joint, while ducking forward; escaping a swing with a jack knife from behind.
Thud..
He tossed the broken arm guy to the knife dude, as both landed on the fall after bumping into each other.
"Hehe.."
He giggled, as he lunged forward into the air; grabbing another's head, and smashing his knee into it.
Holding the back of the head, he splendidly performed a front flip; executing a landing kick on another, as he fully stepped on his face, as he landed.
Swoosh.. Swish..
Jabbing sounds of a knife whoosed out, as Falcone evaded the frontal attack; ending the assault with a spinning hook kick, drawing saliva from his opponent.
"Haha.. This is fun", he said, running towards Harvey.
He jumped forward, performing a neck scissors takedown on one; bringing him to the ground.
Executing a clean sweep kick, yet another body kissed the floor.
Rolling backwards, he evaded a frontal swing of a baton; while giving an elbow jab to the combatant at his back, in his process of assuming an upright position.
Dragging the arm, he flung him towards the attacker with a baton; causing them to crash into each other, clearing the path to Harvey.
"Ahh!!"
Bam!
A body dropped, as he landed a straight side punch at the assailant rushing at his side.
"So Harvey, shall we play?", he requested, cracking his knuckles; grinning his widest.
"Hey Falcone, we're leaving", a voice said, as a male and female figure walked by.
"Nannii? I just got here", he replied sulkily, as he began to walk away, like one who's been draining of his life force; head hung low, and hands swaying so freely, as he took slow, heavy steps.
"Who said you could leave", Harvey's voice boomed through the arena.
"It would be rude to keep her waiting", Flint replied, as continued his walk, towards the exit.
"What has that got to do with me", Harvey said, obviously nerve struck, as he forced a smile.
"Moreover, you mishandled her property.. told you, you couldn't walk clean from that..", Flint said with a smile, pointing at Harvey.
"Shi-ne", he said with a neutral smile.
BOOM!!
The warehouse was instantly engulfed with explosions, with Harvey caught in the middle of it; the impact tossing him some twenty meters away.
"Fiery bastard..", Falcone cursed aloud.
"Gets to have the fun and the girl, yet still ruins my fun", he complained, continuing his dawdle, ignoring the happenings around him.
"Is that our ride?", Flint inquired, as soon as they came to the entrance of the warehouse; referring to a black muscle cyber bike, parked beside the warehouse.
"Don't even think about it", Falcone snarled.
"Of course, I'm nowhere as dense as you", he said, add a mocking smile to it.
"Wanna start a fight?", Falcone said, storming towards him.
"Wouldn't mind torching you for the fun of it", Flint replied with a sly smile.
"Guys!", Christine screamed.
"Would someone explain to me what in the fucks name is going on?", she spat.
"Err..", Falcone tried to speak, but lost words to say.
"So, where's our ride?", Flint asked again.
"Are you ignoring me?", Christine questioned.
"How should I know, ask Camille", Flint spurted, pouting at the same time.
"Who's Camille ?", Christine asked.
"Could you excuse us for a minute", Falcone requested, dragging Flint along.
"Huh?", Christine responded in perplexed fashion.
"Is she the package?", Falcone asked, pulling Flint aside.
Flint nodded in affirmation.
"My guess.. you didn't tell her what she needed to know", he said, his voice filled with disappointment.
"I didn't feel it was important; moreover, it can all just be a surprise..", he said, chuckling nervously, as gestured with his hands.
"Baka!", he yelled, slapping the back of Flint's neck.
"Seriously..", Falcone muttered to himself, rubbing the back of his head, as he walked towards Christine.
"You asked who's Camille, huh?", he said.
"She's our boss, and your new boss."
"Camilla Doltana..", he said, his face giving a daydreaming look.
"Eh? EEEHHH!!!", Christine screamed in shock.
"What do you mean new boss?", she inquired.
"Even if I wanted a new boss, it wouldn't be her", Christine said, crying at her ill luck.
"Well, this is your mess to clean up; I've helped enough", he said to Flint, jabbing his tummy with his elbow, and nodding his head.
"Christine..", he said in a calm tone, putting one hand on her shoulder.
"You said, you were ready for anything", he said, referencing Christine's earlier words.
"You can't back out now", he added.
"Achoo!!", she sneezed, rubbing her arms.
Crash!
The whole warehouse came down, more as a response to her sneeze.
"Looks like this one has an affinity for destruction", Falcone chipped in jokingly, with a straight face.
"Well, it's a chill night..", Flint remarked at the weather.
"How would you know, you've got steam oozing out of your body", Falcone said, referring to Flint's current condition; folding his hands at his chest, with a pout.
"Is he going to be okay?", Christine asked with a worried look.
"Who? You mean Harvey?"
"Hehe.. That muscle brain has survived worse", Falcone said with a chuckle.
"This is a cheesecake for him", he added, with a satisfied look.
"Looks like our ride is here", Flint said, as two cyber jeeps, in model Cadillac Escalade, came into view.
In a few minutes, the jeeps pulled up in front of them.
"Flint..", a voice cried, rushing out of the vehicle.
"And that's Palmer", Falcone said to Christine.
"Is she the one?", a lady in a black trouser suit asked, referring to Christine, as she withdrew from her hug.
"Yeah, hopefully she gets to her in one piece..", he said, smiling weakly.
"Clothes!", Palmer said, as workers came from the vehicle with new clothes.
"Don't worry, you can change in the vehicle.."
"It has a special back compartment", she added, with a wink.
"The guys have a jeep to themselves", she said to Christine, with a smile.
"Now, let's get you home..", she added, gesturing towards the car.
"So, what do we call this?", Falcone asked Flint, as they walked towards their ride.
"Not again..", Flint sighed, with a hand on his face.
"I know I know, why don't we call it the guys hangout", he said.
"Eh eh eh..", he continued, nudging Flint.
"Arghh", Flint responded in frustration.
Vrr..
The vehicle spurted and came alive, after their respective passengers boarded them.
...
An Hour Later
A hulk-like figure burst out of the warehouse rubble..
"Fliint!! Falcooonne!!!", it screamed.
....
"What exactly are you guys?", Christine asked Palmer.
"We are 'Vassals'", she answered, her eyes glimmering in the sunset.