MM - Chapter 134 - BAPTISM

In the past, there was a tragic day in Carter City that would eventually be referred to as The Baptism. The newly arrived CronGate made their presence known with a splash, taking out dozens of top officials and executives in broad daylight. Their goals were simple and obvious: to announce that they were now in control and that anyone who stepped out of line could, and would, be dealt with.

All this happened before Raine was recruited and forced to relocate to Carter. He had no personal memories of the date or time, and the realization that today was that day came far too late to stop their plans. The stories he’d heard of the baptism came back to him in a rush as movement exploded ahead of him. As always, when facing death, those distracting thoughts faded to nothing under the all-consuming need to move.

A dash-step launched Raine toward the pillar between him and the assassins. They had no idea he was coming. Their attention was on the mousy Alyxson stepping out of his elevator. One of the bodyguards in front was on top of their game; otherwise, the CEO would have died instantly. Seeing several strangers a little close for comfort, the guard interposed between the possible threats and Alyxson.

All five assassins moved in unison, throwing darts from each hand. The deadly projectiles zipped through the air and landed true, sprouting from the bodyguard's chest. Poison shot through his system. He was dead before his eyes rolled up in his skull. The remaining two bodyguards spun and dove at Alyxson, throwing all three of them back into the elevator.

A scream split the air.

Raine was at a full sprint by the time he reached the pillar. His nose was centimeters from the floor, maintaining grip only possible thanks to the very expensive shoes from Shillids. The assassins charged the elevator, each utilizing internal force to boost their speeds beyond normal human limits. Despite their evident martial prowess, they lacked the one thing ZionLine dolled out in spades: combat experience.

Only one saw Raine’s direct intercept course. His mouth opened to warn the others but didn’t manage to release a sound before the interloper crashed into them like a missile. Raine’s hands impacted the floor with a mighty thwack. He gained altitude, simultaneously kicking into a forward flip that had him blasting into the group feet first. Durasteel polymer shoes met the cheek and neck of two separate assassins; sickening crunches drowned out the woman’s screaming.

On his way by, Raine’s hand lashed out, grabbing the collar of another assassin. The woman was chosen due to her lighter weight. She was plucked from her feet and dragged behind Raine. The drag of her weight started his spin, and snapping out his legs in a scissor added to the rotation. With all the internal force his body could provide, he threw her beneath him toward the wall. Choked and suffering severe whiplash, she was utterly silent as she slammed headfirst into the marble wall.

Raine was slowed significantly with the counter-momentum from throwing the woman; his spread feet touched down on the wall above her, knees bending sharply, legs successfully unbroken. Had he missed his grab, he would have been in trouble. Beneath his horizontally poised form, a hefty crack ruptured the stone, announcing to everyone who hadn’t figured it out yet that people were dying. Collective screams drowned everything else.

With internal force blazing through his legs, Raine jumped. He flew through the air, but was unable to close the distance on the last two assassins who had maintained their sprint. They would reach the elevator and their target before Raine could catch up. His peripheral vision sighted a blur of movement, and a wicked grin pulled at his cheeks. Mel's aim was impeccable thanks to her many thrown healing skills in ZionLine. The trashcan she launched crunched into the closest assassin, sending him veering into his partner.

While undamaged, their all-out sprints were interrupted, forcing them to slow and redirect. That was all the time Raine needed. His knees blasted into the back of one, causing the man to jettison forward, blocking the path of the last. To his credit, the assassin spun, finally realizing that Raine needed to be taken out to complete the mission.

Still in the air and falling atop the other assassin with a very shattered spine, Raine was in no position to guard against the internal force-driven knife hand and punch heading his way. Raine had one hand forward, gripping the falling assassin to guide his fall. The other came up in a sharp uppercut that grazed the knife hand strike, barely redirecting it enough to pass over his shoulder.

It was a gutsy move to block an attack powered by internal force, only made possible by the monstrous explosion of bloodlust that slammed into the assassin's brain. The man flinched, interrupting the forces powering his arm. He was thrown off balance, and Raine only needed to torque his head down to the opposite shoulder for the punch to harmlessly sail past.

The assassin threw a follow-up kick at his torso, but Raine rolled backward, avoiding the blow. He came up in a crouch, one hand on the floor. The assassin was on him in a fraction of a heartbeat. From the beginning to now, so few seconds had passed that the first woman was still mid-scream. Internal force users simply moved too fast for normal comprehension. Yet, in ZionLine, such speeds were the norm or even considered slow.

Raine effortlessly wove between another knife hand directed at his throat and a knee strike coming for his groin. Raine’s hand darted forward. The assassin twisted to dodge, not expecting Raine's striking limb to contort like a snake as his muscles warped unnaturally. The strike wove around the hasty guard and landed right above the assassin's sternum. The soft flesh of the man's throat was easily penetrated, Raine’s single extended finger sliding deep enough to puncture the esophagus.

The man stumbled back, a hand coming up to stem the gushing blood. The other flicked out to the side, releasing a dart in a last-ditch attempt to complete his mission. Raine closed the distance, one arm flicking out to tap the assassin's wrist, causing the throw to go wide. His other arm swung around from the opposite direction. The man tried to duck the chop aimed at his temple, but his evasion was far too obvious to Raine's trained senses. The assassin’s skull cracked from the strike, and he crumpled to the floor, dead before arrival.

With the immaculate bodily control only a true class-four expert could achieve, Raine cut the distress signal from his hypothalamus while squeezing the muscles around his adrenal medulla, halting the flow of adrenaline into his bloodstream. His heightened perception of time crashed to a halt as the world jumped back into regular focus with a whoosh.

Cacophonous screeching assaulted his ears, drowning the groans of the only living assassin. Raine’s shoe came down on his neck, cutting off his gurgling attempts to breathe with a broken spine. He bent down, using the man’s jacket to wipe the blood from his finger. At the same time, his eyes drilled into the two stunned bodyguards crowding the elevator and the nearly insensate Alyxson Qorren behind them.

One of the bodyguards smashed his finger on the button to close the door, expression dominated by terror. Raine snorted, a hand landing hard to block the door from closing, “Mel, come.” She darted in behind him, nimbly avoiding the corpses. “Nice shot,” Raine gave her a wink that she wasn’t in the right mindset to appreciate.

The bodyguard, still jamming his finger on the elevator button, stammered, “W-what are you—”

The door slid shut behind them and Raine silenced the trembling man with a burst of bloodlust, “Relax. You’re not going to die today. Make sure we’re going to the right floor. Mr. Qorren, it’s a pleasure to meet you. I’m Mr. KongRu.” Raine’s politely delivered introduction was answered by a geyser of vomit that blasted from the effeminate man’s mouth.

***

In his personal office, Alyxson Qorren threw himself to the floor, hands clasped above his head as if in prayer, “Thank you, Mr. KongRu. I owe you my life.”

Raine noted that usually, such statements were followed by some nonsense about everlasting gratitude or repaying the favor a hundred times over. Since the crafty little bastard was waiting to see how Raine responded, it was clear he was more recovered than he appeared.

Raine pinned the little man with a stern glare, “I’m here for the same reason as those assassins.”

Fresh horror dominated Alyxson’s face, “W-what?!” The man’s bodyguards tensed up but didn’t make a move, knowing it would be pointless.

Raine's following words were punctuated by sirens from the streets far below, “This building. They want it. Check the I.S. Reports should be coming out about now.”

Mel tapped into the AR provided by her earrings, gasping at what she found. “Over fifty confirmed dead! Multiple explosions, hundreds injured? B-but this is Carter. How could something like this happen here?”

Instead of answering, Raine frowned, realizing he'd made a potentially devastating miscalculation in the excitement of the moment. His fingers blazed through the air, navigating his AR to make a call. At the same time, he snapped his fingers at Mel, “Check on Celeste.”

She gasped, nodding emphatically. Raine's call rang three times without an answer. His hand was at his temple.

Just as panic gripped Raine's guts, a pleasant female voice filled his ears. He couldn't actually hear Dr. Pamalaiha. His watch could only manipulate auditory nerves via electrical signals traveling through his nervous system. The end result was basically the same as hearing her speak. “Mr. KongRu. What can I do for you? If you're calling for an update, I don't have one. There isn't anyone I trust enough to reveal the details of the formula to. However, the next batch is almost complete if you wish to pick it up.”

Raine’s shoulders sagged as the tension bled from him, “You're okay. Thank God. CronGate is assassinating half the major executives in the city. Lock your lab down until I arrive.”

The only half of Pamaliaha's face that Raine had ever seen crinkled in displeasure as she frowned behind her surgeon's mask, “I am capable of defending myself.”

“Which is exactly why I'm not racing over there this instant. I'll be there as soon as I… take care of a few minor details,” Raine's gaze punched a hole straight through Alyxson's head. The little man gulped, scooting back a few paces.

Pamalaiha released a dismissive snort, “Very well. See to it that you remain unharmed.”

She ended the call, and Raine chuckled, relieved that neither his precious scientist nor her secrets had made it onto CronGate's list of targets.

Note to self: Don't insult the good doctor's competence.

Mel stepped to the side, speaking in a hushed, alarmed tone. Since she wasn't crying, he assumed Celeste was fine as well. Raine returned his attention to Alyxson, who watched them with calculating eyes masked by fear that was more than a little fake. He stepped toward the man, whose faux emotion instantly became the real thing. Raine veered to the side, relaxing on a comfortable couch. The move left Alyxson swallowing, unsure of what would happen next.

Raine decided to squash any misunderstandings brewing inside the clever man's skull, “You're going to lose this building. Either you sell it to me right now, or I leave and let CronGate kill you. Then, I'll challenge their representative and take the building from them. Choice one, you live and make some credits. Choice two, well, nothing much will matter to you with choice two. So, what's it going to be?”

Alyxson’s eyes darted around the office, attempting to conceal his racing thoughts, “CronGate? The company building the new mega-complex? Why would they want my tower?”

“Well, I tried,” Raine hopped to his feet and beckoned Mel with two fingers, “Let’s go.”

“Wait! I’m sorry! I didn’t mean to pry. Please, I only need a moment to process all this.”

“You’ve had your moment. Right now, this building is a target on your back. So long as you hold the title, you won’t even make it to the airport. The only thing currently standing between them and you is me. Last chance, agree to make a fair deal, and I’ll stay. Otherwise, I’ll let you sort out your own problems.”

Alyxson dreaded the question before it passed through his lips, “Fair deal?”

“Two point five,” The sirens became the loudest sound in the room. Alyxson was unable to breathe after hearing Raine’s generous 'offer,' “B-but, I bought it for nine…” He whimpered, tears building at the corners of his eyes.