Chapter Text
Breathing in the cold air, I could only think of one question: What the hell are you doing?
After all, there were certain rules to Brockton Bay that had been ingrained into memory: Stay out of ABB territory at all costs, and make sure to get back home before dusk. I briefly shuddered for a moment. If the rumors were true, death would be a kinder fate than what happened to women caught by the ABB.
Taking a deep breath, I banished the thought, looking at the warehouse again. From the outside, it didn't seem much, looking like most of the abandoned warehouses that dotted the Docks. With windows broken, weeds surrounding the area, and walls that seemed ready to collapse, it was the perfect home for the neighboring drunks, prostitutes, and anyone destitute; in general a place that was worthless in value.
And worthless was something the ABB wanted to keep that way, judging by the number of patrol teams on duty, with two teams patrolling the perimeter of the base. Every five minutes, one of the supposed leaders would talk into a walkie-talkie, say a few words, and continue on.
For the most part, it seemed that the ABB's plan worked. Brockton PD rarely patrolled this area of the Docks, while the PRT were too busy cleaning up the messes the gangs made to investigate the area.
'Too busy being Public Relations. Maybe then, they could hav-'
Wiping away the tears that were threatening to appear on my face, I pushed my grief downwards. I couldn't do anything to change the past now. The future was still in play, however.
For weeks now, I had scouted out this ABB base and the surroundings. Two blocks down south of the base, there was a broken down apartment complex that had a commanding view of the surrounding area. Perfect for both an early warning system, as well as a sniper's booth. If reinforcements came running, any potential sniper could keep them suppressed for long enough for a clean extraction.
Surrounding the base were the debilitated remnants of Brockton's once thriving shipping industry. It had been a risk scouting the storage units, being so close to the actual patrols, but it had been worth it. Being so close to one another, the buildings created specific choke points that would make it very difficult for any potential escapees. At the very least, any potential reinforcements would need to travel down the narrow streets slowly if they didn't want to crash into one another.
Finally, it was the ABB.
On first glance, robbing from the ABB seemed like a death wish. After all, pissing off Lung, who had beaten the entire roster of the Protectorate, was, to put it nicely, a poor choice. His second in command, Oni Lee, wasn't much better, having already racked up a considerable body count.
But out of all the three major gangs that I had been able to research beforehand, the ABB were the best choice to secure the funds I needed.
The Empire 88 were simply too strong, having too many capes on standby. One wrong move, and I would have multiple capes on me, particularly Hookwolf, who would have no problems turning a child into swiss cheese, judging by his previous body counts.
Coil's mercenaries were rarely seen, but the few that were seen Downtown had shown what they were capable of, with news reports of casualties who often had holes burnt through them.
If I was fast enough, both Lung and Oni Lee wouldn't have enough time to respond before the team was gone.
Glancing back, I looked at the aforementioned team.
There were four of them, standing at attention.
Each one wore polo shirts and working pants, ranging from gray to beige, something that wouldn't have looked out of place on Lord Street. It was the rest of the equipment that would cause alarm if they ever went public.
For one, I couldn't really distinguish who they were under the black balaclava ski masks that they wore, revealing only their eyes and mouths. The white kevlar vests that they wore were military grade. Finally, the Tec 9s and Glocks that they had at their belt couldn't even be justified for self defense.
Overall, they looked like classical bank robbers that the cape would come in to beat up. Ironic, considering what I was about to do.
But for all of their appearances, they weren't human.
The best way I could describe them would be semi-autonomous projections, as the PRT called them. They definitely were capable of independent movement and action, but every single action they did, was only by my commands.
Every action they took, was my decision, every bullet they would fire, would be my own. Every life they took, I would have to take responsibility.
'No Taylor. You can't go back now. No turning back'
If I wanted to make a difference and make this damn city change for the better, sacrifices had to be made.
The PRT couldn't help me whatsoever. If they couldn't even protect my Dad. Then they can all go to hell.
'Damn it! I'm actually crying now.'
Emma may have twisted the nail, but Dad had put the nail in the coffin. Even now, the doctors weren't even sure if he was ever going to wake up.
Dad had been a shadow of his former self after Mom had died. I couldn't even have that shadow now!
Wiping the tears away, I could feel the tears dry up on the balaclava that I was currently wearing.
I hadn't even bothered getting a costume. Getting a decent costume would conceal my identity, but as of now, good costumes cost money, and the money I had right now had already been spent on more important equipment. Besides, a balaclava would be enough to conceal my identity.
Shaking my head, I glanced back at the apartment building, where I had ordered my final member to remain. Even if I couldn't see him, I knew he was watching us through the scope of the rifle he had bought. For something that could put down a man in a single shot, it was surprisingly cheap for only seventeen hundred dollars.
Clearing my sore throat, I could barely get the words out as I spoke three words.
"Commence… Operation Phoenix."
"Affirmative."
With little fanfare, the four projections sprang to life, running to their designated positions. If things went according to plan, I would acquire the necessary funds for equipment, and maybe, just maybe, I could rise from the ashes like a Phoenix.
Sun Yu Fang realized that something was wrong the moment the patrols stopped reporting in at the designated time.
The mighty Lung tolerated no insubordination and incompetence, and so examples had been made of those who had, either being burnt to a crisp or having their throats slit in their sleep in the middle of the night for all to see during the day.
As a result, only fools who were suicidal didn't report in, or something had compromised the defenses.
Yu Fang quickly leapt into action. Slamming the button on the board, alarms began to blare out. The depot was supposed to be secret, but even Lung knew the possibility of the depot being found out.
"Wei, dí rén lái le! Start the defenses. Show these intruders the might of the ABB!"
People dropped the packages they were handling and started to move. They knew what to do in case the E88 came in. Tables were overturned to make makeshift barricades, while pistols and shotguns were handed out. The entrances and exits were quickly boarded up, with said weapons pointing at the doors.
Yu Fang nodded at them from the catwalk above, while briskly walking towards the room on the other side.
'That should hold them for fifteen minutes if we're lucky. Five if we're not.'
Yu Fang held no delusions. If the patrols hadn't even been able to get a single alarm off, that meant either a coordinated strike, or cape interference. Being Brockton Bay, Yu Fang knew he wasn't lucky enough to get a coordinated strike team.
Who could it be? The rabid dogs of the E88 weren't known for being subtle, and Coil's mercenaries operated Downtown.
'No matter. We simply hold out, and wait for reinforcements.'
Opening the door to the former office complex, Yu Fang grabbed the flip phone and dialed in.
"Lung, we have a situation."
If there's one thing that I had been able to learn from the ABB, it was that routine would get you killed. A routine made you predictable, and if you were predictable, your enemies could plan around your routines.
It had taken time, but learning the patrol routes had been worth their weight in gold. It seemed that although the ABB had put some precautions in, they weren't really expecting anyone to actually find the base. Meaning that if things went according to plan, the teams wouldn't be a problem in three, two, on-.
Cracking to life, the makeshift walkie-talkie conveyed what I already knew.
"Targets have been neutralized, Madam Leader."
"Good. We have ten minutes before they know that something's up. Get the team into position, and get ready to execute the site take."
"Affirmative."
With a click, the radio went silent.
I could feel my heart beating like a jackhammer now. I really was going to do this. Weeks of planning were going into effect now. The adrenaline pumping through my veins would have overwhelmed me three months ago. Not today however, as I focused it into my actions. Now was not the time to collapse; now was the time for action.
A grimace spread across my face. People were going to get killed because of my actions today. Sure, they were gang members, but even I knew that they were people too.
'Killing, if done righteously, is just another chore.'
No. They made their choice when they joined the ABB. It was now my choice to remove them from ever harming anyone ever again.
It was time.
"Start the execute."
Sun Yu Fang was nervous, to put it mildly. It had been over five minutes since he had rang the alarms, and there still was no activity.
Whoever they were, they should have at least made a move. They had to know they were on a time limit, since reinforcements were arriving.
'Bèn dàn! We'll see who's laughing when we're done with y-'
*Click*
*Click*
At once, the windows near the top floor were shot out, and everything devolved from there. One moment he was in the clear, the next, Sun Yu Fang was inside of the Sun.
White. Blinding white light filled the entire room, as high pitched noise blocked out all audio.
Sun Yu Fang collapsed to the floor instantly, screaming in pain, as he couldn't hear or see anything. All he could do was try to recover from the hell that he had just been thrust into.
As it was, nobody in the building would be able to respond when the doors were breached. The three men looked around, and started to shoot.
Moving as a team, the three swiftly neutralized those nearest to the door, who were still lying on the ground.
By the time the ABB was able to mount retaliatory gunfire, eight members lay in a pool of their own blood, some still gasping like fish.
With precise movement, the four men ducked behind the crates as bullets haphazardly flew by. Judging by the accuracy, the remaining ABB members were still under the effects of the two flashbangs thrown, as some bullets weren't even close to the crates the team was hiding behind, piercing the walls of the base.
However, Madam Leader knew that time was of the essence. Eventually, some of the bullets would find their mark if action wasn't taken soon.
Buzzeye nodded to Cutthroat.
"Just like we practiced!"
"Copy!"
Grabbing at his utility belt, Cutthroat pulled the pin and released the smoke grenade to the ground. Within a few seconds, smoke started to appear to the right of the crates.
"MOVE!"
Standing up, Cutthroat and Buzzard leapt forward and into the smoke. Bullets pierced the smoke, as the ABB members desperately tried to repel the attackers. With a grunt, Cutthroat glanced at his shoulder. A bullet had just grazed it. No matter; he was still able to carry out the mission.
Reaching the support beam, Cutthroat glanced at Buzzard. Buzzard simply held up four fingers, and pointed to the right.
'Four to the right, six to the left then.'
Cutthroat reached to his utility belt again. With a perfect throw, the decoy grenade landed to the left of the building.
Immediately, the bullets flying near the support beams ceased, as the ABB focused on where the supposed gunfire was coming from.
It was time to end this.
Sprinting, Cutthroat and Buzzard reached the overturned tables and laid fire into the still disoriented ABB members with precise fire. Gushing sounds rang across the building as bullets found their way into craniums.
Within ten seconds, the gunfire sharply ceased.
Buzzard and Cutthroat promptly walked past the corpses and looked at the containers the ABB members were previously packing. With little fanfare, they broke open the containers. Opening them up, Buzzard and Cutthroat looked at the bounty they had found.
Weapons. Weapons of every caliber organized neatly. Mac-10s and Glocks in one container, with Kalishnikovs in another. Bullets ranging from 9 mm to 7.62*39 in another container. Thankfully, they hadn't needed to use the Molotov or else things would have been messy.
Buzzeye reached for his radio.
"Madam Leader. All hostiles have been neutralized. Ready for extraction and return to base."
"Perfect, inform Chopper to get the van ready and start loading up the supplies. We'll rendezvous at the base within the hour."
"Understood Madam Leader."
I put the radio back and looked at Dad's watch. The operation had taken just under five minutes. Good time, considering we had been practicing this operation in an abandoned warehouse for the past four weeks.
Still, even with the operation, I still had a sour taste in my mouth. Even though I hadn't pulled the trigger, twenty people had died because of my commands. Shaking my head, I could deal with the ramifications of my actions later.
The local authorities would definitely be on the lookout after this, since killing twenty people in a night was a definite escalation. I always admired the heroes, with Alexandria being my favorite. Shame, since I would probably be of interest to them now.
Then out of nowhere, pain erupted from my skull, and it took all of my willpower to not collapse to the floor yelling in pain.
Something was not right.
Frantically grabbing at the radio, I yelled into it.
"Report, what's going on!"
"Nothing Madam Leader. Has something gone wr-."
I turned off the radio. There was only one possibility of what happened, and I didn't like what that implied.
Closing my eyes, I focused and looked for Bullseye's signature. Except, it wasn't there.
'SHIT!'
Reaching deeper, I looked for Bullseye's force. With a mental twist, I saw what happened.
'So far, so good. Bullseye looked through the scope. No vehicles had been spotted yet. If things went according to plan, they would be in and out within ten minutes. Then, sharp pain erupted from his back. Bullseye couldn't feel his legs anymore. With a twist, Bullseye twisted his body to get one shot off on his attacker. All he could see, before a knife lodged itself into his skull, was a horned demon's face, smiling cruelly.'
Oni Lee was here. Immediately, I sprinted towards the former ABB base.
If Lung was the hammer of the ABB, then Oni Lee was the scalpel. From what I was able to gather, he was a dangerous sociopath, who had already racked up a considerable body count. The only reason why he hadn't been sentenced behind bars was due to his unpredictable nature, and his dangerous applications of his powers, with reports of suicide bombings being prevalent.
If I was to survive the night, I needed to get to the team before it was too late. It was possible for me to unsummon the projections, and cut our losses here, but as it was, we needed those supplies. If I ran, the projections would be out of range and automatically disappear, and I knew Oni Lee was very good at tracking people down.
I quickly turned on the radio again.
"Madam Leader, what's going on?!"
"Bullseye's dead, Oni Lee got to him. You know the protocol. Get your men ready to repel him."
"Affirmative. We'll be ready Madam Leader."
With that, the radio went silent.
Running as quickly as possible, I mentally thanked Buzzeye for his training. Even though he was a projection, he still made sure that every person was capable of performing, including me. A few months ago, I'd probably have been winded from this sprint. Not today, however.
Shutting the door behind me, I nearly barfed. Dear God the smell was horrid. The combination of cordite, along with the metallic scent of blood permeated the entire building. Combined with the numerous shapes that I suspected were the former occupants, and I was nearly overwhelmed.
It was one thing to talk about my actions, it was another to see it directly.
Shaking my head quickly, I pushed my feelings downwards. If I didn't take control quickly, we would be in the same situation as the former ABB members.
Crossing the distance, I could already see the team in position. Buzzard and Cutthroat were already on the catwalk, spread out with new weapons in hand (AK-74s if the model was correct), while Buzzeye was already behind cover. I could see that he had also upgraded, having an M249, for some reason.
Where the ABB got this sort of firepower, was left unstated.
Buzzeye quickly saluted me.
"Chopper will be arriving in two minutes. We've set up as best as we can."
"Good, ensure that none of the equipment is in range. Shoot to kill." I replied swiftly.
For Oni Lee, the key to his success was that he ensured that his opponents were off balance, as he could appear from anyplace, while his clones did the damage. To counter this, I had created a balance of sorts. The positions we were at ensured that even if he came from an unexpected angle, a crossfire ensured that he was always exposed to at least one gun.
Additionally, Oni Lee was a sociopath, not a suicidal moron, so frag grenades were out. With that much ammunition, the blast radius would be enough that even he would be caught in it.
With that out of the way, I went to pick up a weapon. Grabbing an AK, a shiver went down my spine. I had never picked up a firearm before, and yet, the AK felt like a natural extension of my body. If needed, I could fully unload the whole magazine, and have all the bullets aimed at a precise point.
Fortunate too, as I was about to be put through a trial of fire.
With great urgency, I moved to one of the overturned tables. With bated breath, I waited for Oni Lee.