Somewhere in the skies of Arizona
A plane slashed through the fluffy cloud; a booming noise from it.
Scott rested his head on one of the seats in the plane, staring at the small television that was hung on the wall in front of him.
A news was being reported, and from the looks in his eyes and the solemn music... It was not a happy one.
"Yesterday, 2 deaths were confirmed; with over 19 injured cases as a result of two madmen chasing each other through the bridge of Shanghai. In addition, our very own king of Wakanda, Chadwick Boseman was announced dead this morning. It's as though, this past few days has been nothing but sorrow as locals and the actor's fans are left to grieve on his departure and the victims of the mad car chase which took out most of the bridge construction. The authorities have claimed to have one of the drivers in custody, who happens to be an Interpol wanted mercenary and assassin..."
Scott had his hand beside his head. The television was just showing blurred videotape of the incident when someone walked in.
Grey with a bandage round her left arm.
Grey sat two seats beside him.
Scott heaved slowly, "I would really miss him you know, he was one of those black guys I...."
"Just stop." She said, before turning, "Because of you, two men died. Innocent men."
"They would have killed me if I didn't pull the trigger, all I did was a bid to save my life and the mission."
"Fuck the mission Scott, you and I know that wasn't the only way to escape. Yet you prefer the bloody, much Scott Steel means," She sighed angrily, "Perhaps you are nothing but the demented maniac they call you."
Scott didn't reply, instead he looked out the of the window.
'She said something about sending a missile at me and me being not scratched, she has no idea how right she is. But that's a topic for later.
Now is the time for redemption... I have kept it in for so long, trying not to be the good guy, trying to be who I think and I know I am. A selfish handsome fool.
All those times I was the good guy, but everything changed and I became what you know me so far as. And probably she is right, I am as selfish as I am; not thinking in any way about those innocent lives. That I have come a long way past just being selfish, but not being what everyone needs, a hero.'
His eyes gazed at the transparent glass of the plane.
'And yet, deep down. I know I was wrong, I knew I could defy the bad void, the very evil that creeps into my mind. I could tarnish it, banish it out of my world.
But I was busy being sorry for myself for not saving them, for not saving her. That I began to imagine myself as the bad guy; no life mattered anymore. It was just Scott Steel for himself.
But now, ever since I got here. Somethings had began to change, going against my inner rule. I have began to care.'
The plane screeched through the clouds, before finally slowing down.
'Care for those that have managed to get into me, get into my soul; I didn't even think I still had one. The female agent, the bartender and more scarier... The people.
All this I know to be my mind tampering with my mentality; telling me to let go... Let go of the pain, the guilt, and my god forsaken remorse. But I don't want to, not now not ever.
But in the end, my purple heart would win.'
•
/F.O.R.C.E headquarters/
The plane was administered into the large building, right after the camouflaging barrier was temporarily left opened.
The barrier closed up around them moments later, as hot gusts of desert wind swept through the barren abode.
The plane landed slowly to the ground, as several agents poured in to receive their members from the plane, the third to arrive precisely.
The officials got down from the plane, one or two of them with a heavy device or machine.
Hott got down last, waving his brown trench coat and walking beside Scott.
"You okay there Steel?" He asked as they walked into the facility itself.
"Other than being accused by my PARTNER of killing and injuring several, yeah I'm good." Scott said, hint of sarcasm clearly indicated.
Hott nodded and looked around, "Listen son, I know you are having a hard time blending in and you know being like them. I mean look at them, all they want is for the betterment of the people but you? You are just one stone cold killer, who can't go for a operation without people dying."
Scott faced him and stopped, "Is that supposed to make me feel better?"
"No no. Look, I don't blame you though, I mean you have been a killer for so long, it was what you were trained to be and then it happened and you no longer wish to be the killer who gets justice for people and saves lives. But the killer who doesn't care for anything anymore, apart for money and all. But look, I've been there already, the guilt, the pain, it's just a test. A way the universe converse with we who are having a hard time finding our own path; but what's left for you is to pick the one right path you think is right. A redemption for yourself.
Don't be what you believe you are, be what you believe you want to be." Hott said, as Scott nodded unsure.
"I trust you make the best decision buddy." Hott tapped his back slowly and walked away.
"We ain't buddies old man!!!" Scott yelled after him, as Hott gave a chuckle.
He sighed and looked back at the plane to see some members pushing his car out via the ramp.
•
"Feeling better now?" Talia asked her, as she looked up from the seat she sat on and nodded.
"Apart from the occasional stings." Grey nodded and then mouthed 'I'm fine'. Talia chuckled and rested her back on the wall.
"You know, you did great back there. Alone."
Grey smiled, "I actually got help, a debt actually from a boy. The mister that drove me to the warehouse."
"Yeah we saw him, a Terror. It's so painful as to how they have managed to curb even teenagers to their will." Talia said regretfully.
"Painful. Not as painful as those victims. The two who lost their lives to our spy's gun."
Talia smiled and nodded, "You hate him now don't you?"
Grey closed her eyes and opened it back, "It's just the tenseness of everything. I mean I am a soldier, securing lives is what I do; seeing him kill the cops was just...."
"Yeah I know." Talia smiled, "You know I used to think him a guy who only cares for himself. But when I dove into his past, atleast the little I could get. I realized what turned him into what you see him as, you'd be surprised how much pain and rage could drive one.
And then I realized how much we had in common, the same thing that turned me into the Black Hawk. Guilt and rue." Talia solemnized, "Look I am not trying to poke into your business and all, but I think maybe you should start seeing people for who they are. Not everyone wants to change, not everyone can. All that matters is the trust."
Grey nodded, "Thanks."
"Yeah, I can't believe I even said that. But noone should hear about this, not even Steel." Talia warned as they both chuckled.
"Come on, let's go find the sonofabitch." Talia said before walking out.
Grey smiled, "Yeah, you both have a lot in common."
•
They had all gathered in the main sector; and by all we mean the real team.
The spy, The agent, The man with the unbearable vision, The BlackHawk.
Jacob plugged in the chip that Grey had returned into the minicomputer and a small scramble, like the same in Vlades' home, appeared on the screen. And then it stopped and a list of hotlines and line numbers appeared.
"Okay, I plugged the chip earlier and ran through the frequent dial, and then I found this number." He tapped a button, a number displayed, "And then I tracked this number through banks accounts, ATMs, hotlines, Internet media and every other lead I could think of. And this name came up dominant." He tapped another button and a twelve letter word displayed above the number.
"Anthony Criux." Hott spelled, as Grey had that familiar look on her face, "But how sure are we that this is our guy, Vlades could have a friend."
"That's where things get interesting, the number is the only line on the phone." Jacob said.
"He can't be wrong, Vlades said the same name before I hit him. He said something about Anthony Criux sending him on the errand." Scott said, arms akimbo.
"Well what does this guy want with a terrorism attack. Run facial scans, anything that could give us a face." Hott said again to Jacob.
"Already got that...." He punched in some buttons until a image of a man was displayed, "Covered."
Grey strained her eyes at the image of the man, a robust bald headed middle-aged fellow. Scott noticed this.
"Anything the problem?" He asked her.
"Yeah, that name and the face seem familiar." She replied.
"Familiar as in military or family?"
"Military. Run reference with the USA military database," She said as Jacob began, hacking into the military database and then running scans on the name.
He frowned, something he rarely does, as he wasn't used to being disappointed.
"I couldn't pick up the name Anthony Criux, but I picked up Corover Criux, head captain of one of the retrieval team's division." He said.
"Bingo. Criux, Corover Criux was our captain, though we were more familiar with his codename Captain Redstone, he always talked about his brother. A successful politician in the north, I never really gave it a good thought. But now that I have, I remember him saying the name Anthony." She said.
"So our guy is the brother to a military captain. But I don't still get how his relation with your mission was, if he isn't a part of the military then he had an inside man that pulled off the setup." Scott said to her, as she took the gesture.
"What? Captain Redstone wouldn't partake in such, I know it for a fact."
"How so?"
"Because I watched him die in Manzanillo, along with the others." She stated.
Hott faced Talia, who also had that confused look on her face, Grey noticed.
"What?"
"This guy you so proclaim dead. Addressed your deaths, a day after the incident. Infact, he himself went with the forensic team to sniff out some clues from the place of the incident." Hott said.
Grey was clearly confused, "I watched him die, there must be a misunderstanding."
"There isn't." They all faced Scott, "I have worked in the underworld for years, and I have seen most fake their deaths with their followers to avoid suspect. This guy made your operation a secret one, obviously. Putting another in his place with his face to assure you guys that he was part of you, verily one with a military experience too.
A seeming response to a flaw in the plan."
"If one of you had managed to survive, none would have suspected him, for you watched him die. A post backup. Meaning this propaganda was developed by two brothers, one with an access to military bodies, the other with an access to political embodiments, quite powerful I would say." Jacob said.
"So what you guys are saying is Captain Redstone faked his death to we, in case one of us survived. He set us up." Grey said infuriated.
"This wasn't a recent plan. This brothers had been planning this probably since day one, that would explain each on the perfect bound to safeguard their plan. We've got a blood business here." Hott said.