Mal retracted his inner blade as his new mark fled the room. This would be an interesting chase. Hunting a man through a pitch black mansion that he did not know’s layout, hunting a man with a small army and at least a vague memory of the building. Malten re-drew his right pistol and started after the hunter. “You two stay there; I’ll be back for you.” He called back to the two hunters left in the bedroom.
Malten walked calmly down the corridor, looking into each doorway as he followed the trail of fallen tables and broken ornaments. A guard stepped out of a doorway, holding no weapons. They were sloppy. The lights go out and instead of getting ready to fight that which they cannot see they put down their guns.
The Karrel smacked the man across the face with his gun and continued on. He found himself at the stair well, Number one could be heard rushing down the three story stair well. Mal looked down the centre and smiled. His visor magnified the human in a small section of his visor screen. Mal clipped a second small grappling hook onto the railing of the stair case and leaped over the edge. The wire that had been clipped to Mal’s belt span out. It unwound to allow the hunter to quickly reach the bottom of the staircase.
Mal landed with his feet firmly on the ground and his right hand pistol aimed at the Human’s head. Malten’s head light flickered on and flashed into Number One’s eyes, blinding him and stopping him in his tracks.
“You should not insult another man’s culture.” The Karrel said, calmly. “I’m not just talking about the Karrel, though insulting my culture… that was an incredibly daft move, you stupid Jevrek.”
“I- I’m sorry.” The man said. Fear was etched into his voice, not apology. “I… I didn’t mean it, I-”
“You’re not sorry, you’re scared… but there’s no need to be… This is business.” Mal fired, burning a hole clean through the human bounty hunters chest. He wasn’t dead. The human fell to the floor, breathing hard. Malten’s Meh-Sal erupted from his palm. “But this… This is personal.” An expression of pure hatred and anger spread across Malten’s face, though the human could not see it. he wouldn’t have even seen it with the helmet off. The expression on the humans face was one of fear, but more so… it was… dread. Mal’s Meh-Sal embedded into the man’s fore head, and brain. The man didn’t die, the Karrel were excellent killers, but just as good doctors and biologists. They knew precisely where to stab a person without killing them. “And personal lasts a while.”
Several minutes passed, and Mal still knelt over the man, though he looked very different. His face was… in a different position. Pieces were where they shouldn’t be, places where other pieces should be… places where nothing should be, like the floor. The Karrel cut the man’s right ear from his head and put it into a pocket on the Karrel armour, that would be worth a quarter of a million to him.
Mal stood up and stretched, retracting the blade into his arm. The blood was cleaned off by Malten’s skin as it returned to its place. He looked back up at the ceiling of the stair well. He had probably taken too long, they were probably gone aswell. Mal pressed a button on his wrist and started climbing back up the building.
Malten stepped back into the bedroom. He was right, Numbers two and three were gone already but Number Five had returned.
“You.” Mal said, grasping his pistol, ready to fight.
“Right back at you.” Number Five said, sitting on the desk, hands resting lazily at his side.
“You’re awfully relaxed considering everything that’s happened.” The apparently human hunter smiled, and leant forwards, looking at Mal. “Aren’t you a little afraid I might kill you?”
“You designated me Number Five. I think I’m pretty safe for now.” He said, looking sideways, at the desk. “Besides, unless I give you a reason to do so, you’re not going to kill me. I didn’t capture you.”
Mal frowned behind his helmet and eyed the familiar face. A target on his screen moved over him and then disappeared, as if confused by something. “None of you captured me, I allowed you to ho-”
“Yeah, yeah, you know what I mean.” The man sighed. “I wasn’t part of that. Therefore you have no reason to kill me, and I’d like to keep it that way. I’m quite fond of life.” It was strange; he had no helmet, yet seemed to be looking directly at him. A Karrel could do that but… why could this boy… Mal looked up. The stars, of course the boy could see, Mal’s night vision was interfering with his eye sight.
“Then enjoy it while it lasts. You’ve been given a designation… only one thing trumps that and you don’t-” Mal was getting a little tired of being interrupted.
“Have the genetics? Oh but I do.” The kid pulled back his sleeve to reveal pale skin and black veins. This boy was Karrel. “I died my hair and skin to hide my genetics. Before you say it, I am proud of my heritage, but it’s easier to infiltrate groups when you look human.” The boy stood up. “Here.” He stepped forward, holding a data chip. “These are documents on all of the members of this group. All the intelligence I’ve gathered.” He released the chip into the Black Wolf’s hand and stepped back. “I’ll go find Feng and holo you his location… just… tell me one thing.”
Mal stared at the chip and then gazed up at the boy. “If I can… and feel like it, I will.”
“Can’t ask fairer.” He said. “Why did you agree that you were the Black Wolf? It’s what you were exiled from Karrel for. You destroyed the alliance for a single bounty… I know you, or at the very least I know of you. Even if everyone believes you to have done it I know that you are only 35 universal standard years old… and you were still in training at the barracks when the academy’s leader was taken down. So why did you say it was you?” |
