Chapter Text
The East side of Quesadilla island was a large neighborhood that took up a majority of the grand city, from the outside it looked like every other neglected area the damn city had; piles of trash lined the streets, cracked sidewalks and frequent police sirens. From the outside it looked like nothing but a waste of property space, however from the inside a dignified empire boomed underneath the public’s eye.
The Federation was a powerful umbrella that consisted of many things; illegal gambling, underground fighting rings, sex work. However at the top of the large glorified umbrella was a job that only those who were motivated enough got to see. The Box or better known as an S rank was a job for only the best of the best, the ones who were unafraid of getting their hands dirty even if it meant sacrificing your life for the better of The Federation. If you’re lucky enough to be in The Box you typically helped with the most important tasks as you worked directly with the boss.
Most common civilians who stopped by the luxurious casino to fulfill their unsatisfied fantasies never saw the S rank workers as the job was heavy influenced behind the scenes however the rare chance you were to stumble upon one wandering around you’d hope and pray that they weren’t coming for you and should be worried for why you were seeing one in the first place.
Roier worked in The Box. He was the one you would call to do the the dirty work nobody wanted to deal with, he took out the diseases before it infested the organization. He was The Federations personal hitman. Roier had started working in the underground when he had just turned 17 but left shortly after due to some… personal issues. A good year had passed before he decided to jump back into the money filled world, it started with doing simple low level gambling schemes to gain some extra pocket money however quickly increased once he began to win almost every game he participated in; Blackjack, Poker, Palace, it didn’t matter.
Obviously this unusual string of wins quickly caught the attention of a few higher ups who immediately detained him during a game and brought him up to The bosses private office to discuss his suspicious luck and suggest the more than less threatening options he had going forward. Since that night he’s been a proud agent of The Federation and has worked his ass off to be recruited into The Box and as a personal hitman.
Despite the hidden blood stained side of the golden empire, The Federation strictly focused on the glitz and glamour of the power hungry underworld; they were based in a large white casino that was frequently cleaned and had any luxury you could imagine. The Federation made sure you were happy and because of that it caused some tension in the competing empires, more especially the South side. On the south side of Quesadilla was a place called Purgatory, aka the polar opposite and rival to The Federation. The south side casino was surrounded by uncontrollable chaos and constant riots that infested the local streets, due to the lack of rules people often fled to their unpromised rewards. Purgatory was a place that welcomed all and any sinners that were willing to test their luck even if it meant leaving with less cash than you initially entered with.
Since the neighborhoods were so close to each other it often led to the two empire's clashing.
There was too many times to count where Roier had been called to exterminate one of the many drunk stragglers that somehow stubbled their way out of Purgatory and attempted to make their way into the golden gates. He would sometimes feel bad for the poor bastards, they didn’t know what they were getting themselves into until they had entered the red glowing gates of hell.
Up until this point Roier had no personal problem with the south side, sure it was annoying to waste sweet ammunition on people of unimportance but if the boss wanted it done then it got done. That was however until his most recent assignment were a supposedly simple stake-out had gotten infiltrated and sabotaged by another hitman, one that belonged to Purgatory.
The night started off like it normally, the thin manilla folder Roier was handed before he left briefly stated that the target was a middle aged balding man who had failed to provide his required payment to The Federation in a timely manner. Based on the way the targets old blue Chevy was filled to the brim with various amounts of dark duffel bags and ripped suitcases told him that the dude was clearly guilty of the crime.
It always did make him wonder why people tried to run when they knew they would eventually be found, Roier always finds his targets, no matter what.
Roier silently adjusted his position on the uncomfortable textured rooftop as he watched the target scurry around the truck, the cold night air cooled the concrete he was laying on making his chest start to prickle with numbness. He closed one of his eyes and leaned forward to look through the large scope, his hands held tightly onto the grip of the weapon as he watched the stealing bastard struggle to close the overflowing backseat door.
He lined the shot up perfectly and patiently waited until the man stopped his stressed induced struggling, Roier moved his finger off the grip and hovered it over the trigger getting prepared to feel the recoil of the overpowered sniper rifle when a loud explosion suddenly echoed throughout the air.
Roier startled and whipped his head around to see what could have possible made that sound at three in the fucking morning, he turned back to the target only to see that steaming black smoke was leaking out of the hood of the old Chevy truck. The car was tilted slightly as two of the large tires were forcefully popped with what looked to be two throwing knifes. Almost immediately upon seeing the unsuspecting scene Roier was scrambling onto his feet and scanning the area to see who was interrupting his mission.
A tall shadow loomed behind the bald man as he himself looked around paranoid. Roier was too far away to actually do anything and realistically by the time he reported the interruption to The Federation the asshole would already be dead.. there was nothing he could do but watch. The target must have heard something behind him because in a quick movement he turned around and let out an ear piercing scream, Roier helplessly watched with squinted eyes as a knife was dragged across his neck and the blood that sprayed out from it.
The screams continued for a couple more seconds before silence overtook the neighborhood once again. The sight was gruesome and it took everything in Roier’s power to keep down the loaded Cheeseburger he had previously eaten before coming to the job. He glanced away from the bloodied scene for a quick moment to collect himself and when he turned back the shadowy figure was gone.
Roier let out a frustrated groan and reached into his pocket to grab his data pad, the deed was done but not with his own hands. The air around him felt suffocatingly thick and heavy as if the stench from the rotting body had somehow made it up onto the rooftop, he paused his rapid typing to listen to his surroundings. Something felt off, his skin started to heat up and the feeling of eyes on the back of his head made alarm bells ring in his mind.
He moved to pick the snipper up off the ground when he felt a familiar cool metal be forcefully pushed against the back of his head, Roier froze and quickly processed the situation he somehow found himself in.
“Drop the data pad,” The stranger demanded with a thick Brazilian accent.
Roier sighed and slowly set the data pad onto the cold ground next to him, “You stole my kill.”
The person aggressively kicked the device away, the gadget making a quiet crack sound as it made contact with the pavement below, “You were too slow, move away from the gun.”
As ordered Roier cautiously moved away from the large snipper that was as propped up against the edge of the roof and held his gloved covered hands above his head, mixed scenarios ran throughout his mind as he thought about every situation and their possible outcome. He slowly turned around to face the stranger and automatically felt the burning circle switch from the back of his head onto his front.
The stranger- which turned out to be a man who looked… unique; the bottom of his face was covered by a glowing red gas mask that immediately exposed where the stranger had originally come from. Since it was only half of a mask his piercing blue eyes and the poor excuse of tangled brown and white hair was exposed. He looked attractive and that thought alone made Roier want to hurl up his late night snack.
Roier watched as their eyes examined him just as shamelessly, he wondered what was going through their mind. Maybe they found him attractive at all, “Purgatory workers aren’t allowed in the East,” Roier stated.
The man shrugged, still keeping the gun pressed against his forehead, “I don’t see anybody enforcing this rule.”
He hummed at the response and slowly moved his hand to the earbuds that were silently sitting in his ears. He tapped the side of it once and relaxed as cheerful melodies began to play into his ear, “I really don’t want to do this man, but you leave me no choice.”
“Don’t want to do what?” The Purgatory hitman demanded, his voice sharp.
In a quick movement Roier hit the gun away from his forehead with the side of his wrist and reached for the two pistols that sat securely against his waistband, loud gun shots immediately fired out of the strangers weapon as they suddenly stumbled over due to the unsuspecting attack. Smoke blew out of the concrete floor from where the intruding hitman’s stray bullets had made contact.
Roier smiled as he twirled the two polished blue and red guns in his around his finger, “Impressive huh?”
The man growled as he quickly began firing at him, Roier widened his eyes slightly and he hurriedly moved out of the way from the uncontrolled fire. His eyes frantically scanned the area around him for something to hide behind when he spotted a large air conditioner box, they were currently standing on the roof of some corner shop so it was the best he was going to get.
Roier dove for the air conditioning unit just missing the blazing metal that flew past his body, he peeked his head around the corner whenever the attacks slightly faltered so he could let out his own strategic fire. The battle went on for what felt like hours before the air conditioner suddenly rattled- making Roier look up to see the hitman standing on top of the metal box staring down at him with something akin to hunger.
Past rumors had spread about how Purgatory agents were completely out of their minds and uncontrollably animalistic, every time Roier heard one of the gossipy rumors he also rolled his eyes as he was always convinced that they were fake. However now that he was sitting underneath one of the agents and staring up into their crazed eyes he was starting to believe those rumors may be true… Roier smiled awkwardly up at the man before quickly scrambling off the floor and booking it across the rooftop. Surprisingly no gunfire surrounded him instead replacing it was a second pair of rapid footsteps that sounded way too close for comfort. If this crazy bastard wanted a chase, a chase he was going to get.
Roier dashed over to the rusted ladder he had previously climbed up earlier in the night and landed roughly onto the wet ground of some random alleyway, his heart slammed against his aching chest as he ran out of the alley and looked around the deserted street of the unknown part of the East side neighborhood.
The voice of Queens "Don't Stop Me Know" blasted into his ears making a small grin rest onto his face, it wasn’t uncommon for him to listen to music during fights or missions, the smooth lyrics helped his adrenaline and put him more into the moment. He took in a quick breath and hurried down the empty street, there was a chance the dude wouldn’t fire a gun out where anybody could see but it was a slim chance.
As always, God seemed to be against him today because the bastard clearly didn’t care and began firing uncontrollably at him, whistling bullets flew past as he tried to avoid the attack as best as he possibly could. Unfortunately, nothing could ever go his way.
Burning pain shot through his leg making his knee suddenly buckle and collapse onto the dirty asphalt, staggered breaths escaped his chest as he tried to quickly assess how bad the damage actually was. A ringing silence filtered into his ears as the cheerful music had quickly stopped once he made contact with the ground, he could hear small rocks crunching under the strangers feet as they slowly approached him, almost as if he was being purposefully played with.
The foot fall stopped and Roier hesitantly raised his head up from his bleeding leg to see two black boots standing directly in front of him, Roier swallowed thickly as he stared down the barrel of the gun, “You just don’t stop do you?”
The man smiled and licked his chapped lips, “You were good, I was almost convinced you were actually gonna get away.”
“What can I say, I aim to impress.”
The hitman's manic smile grew as he brought the barrel to his lips and placed a kiss onto the front of it. Roier watched with fascination as it was placed back in front of him, “It’s a shame I won’t see you die, I must admit this was fun.”
Roier held his breath as the other's finger hovered over the trigger, he let out a defeated sigh and closed his eyes. This wasn’t how he expected to go out but he guessed it wasn’t the worst way. A minute passed.. then another. Then a loud ‘bang’ sounded out.. but he was still breathing.
Roier opened his eyes to no longer see two black boots standing in front of him but instead a polished car tire that was still wet from a fresh clean, his eyes widened slightly as an adrenaline filled laugh escaped his lips. The driver side door opened and a new pair of boots came into his vision; only this time they were bright blue.
“What the fuck is wrong with you?” Jaiden scolded as she quickly helped him off the rocky floor.
Roier continued to laugh as he slowly stood up and turned to face where the unwelcome hitman now lay unconscious due to being hit by the expensive car, he raised his hands and flipped off the sleeping body, “¡Que te jodan!”
Jaiden rolled her eyes at his childish antics though carefully guided him over to the passenger side door, satisfaction filled his chest as he sat against the plush white leather seats of the car. He may have not gotten his kill but he did get one thing, he got the satisfaction of looking that asshole in his stupid fucking face and laugh at the fact that he was still alive.
The driver's side door slammed shut as Jaiden quickly put the car into drive and sped down the abandoned road, bright flickering street lamps passed by them while they both sat in a heavy silence. Roier knew she wanted to lecture him but was holding back for the sake that his leg was currently bleeding out onto her clean carpets, he had half a mind to keep it away from the seats so not stain the car more than it already was.
All because of that strange night Roier now had a fucking maggot in his already hectic life that was refusing to leave, when the two agents got back to the Casino news about the Purgatory hitman had quickly flown its way up into The Box. A meeting had been held and he was strictly ordered to kill the Purgatorian on sight , no questions asked.
Initially Roier had scoffed at the mission; he was a professional hitman after all, killing someone would be no problem. However the Purgatory agent was more slippery than he could have ever predicted, it wasn’t on every mission but once in a blue moon Roier would see the tall looming shadow watching his movements from a nearby rooftop, not attempting to attack just carefully observing.
The first couple of interactions he had attempted to fulfill his orders- kill on sight, but after their 5th meeting he had personally decided to choose a different route and have a more calm approach. The bastard was too difficult to kill normally and he felt a piece of him die everytime he wasted ammunition.
Of course the Brazilian quickly picked up on his change of methods, he remained at a good distance though each time they met it felt as if the man had moved an inch closer. Roier didn’t mind having an audience watching him unless they began to interfere with his job which always eventually ended up happening.
Did The Federation know he was having frequent meetings with the Purgatory agent? Hell no, as far as he was aware the image of an intruding hitman was fading from their minds. Although he would be naive to assume his boss had completely forgotten, if anything the information was put into a secure place waiting for a right moment to be used.
The hitman was a thorn embedded into Roier’s side- slowly poisoning him bit by bit until the chance to go for the final kill seemed ideal. Roier wasn’t stupid, he was doing the same thing. So for now he’ll just watch the Purgatory hitmen from afar waiting until his gut told him their silent interactions were over and it was time to plan an attack. For the sake of his sanity he hoped it was soon.