Foreign Justice (AAT, Drifter and Invites)

This is almost over. You and this guy just have to press the advantage. Drifter thought to himself as he watched The Veil throw out a couple gas grenades. His fellow vigilante hadn't asked if he had a gas mask, but perhaps he assumed. That or he was trying to prevent this bastard from getting shot. Regardless though, Drifter indeed had one in his helmet, so he was fine.

AAT was coughing, and overall seemed hurt. That didn't stop the assassin from taking a few more shots at the two vigilantes, however. Drifter had already been in motion to take cover behind Elysium before the bullet came wizzing at his arm, and because of this it only struck the barrel of his shotgun. Drifter threw it to the side, agitated.

"Shit!" Drifter said, on account of his only lethal firearm being useless now. Looks like it was taser darts or nothing.

He needed to lay down some more fire to finish the job, but this guy had a gun too, and would no doubt take him out if he so much as poked his head over Elysium. Drifter had to think fast on what to do, and as if he had no partner in this fight.

He removed two grenades from his pack, then threw them toward the assassin. They were some of the last he had. One, a simple smoke grenade, and the other, an acidic chemical bomb. This thing was basically all the corrosive substances and acids Drifter could find, mixed together and detonated. The result was something that irritated the lungs, eyes, and skin.

This tactic was merely to add to the things they had already thrown at the assassin, and to hopefully irritate his enchanced senses to a degree that Drifter could be relatively safe moving out of his cover.

Once the smoke and gas bombs went off, Drifter would roll out from behind the hearse, and fire a steady stream of his taser darts toward AATs position.

The Veil watched the grass and the shape of the assassin in it intently. The white haze of halothane hung heavy in the air almost immediately after he had tossed the grenades but with the way the assassin was crouched into cover he couldn't be sure if the gas had worked. Come on, stand up. Just move, show me something he commanded, his fingers dancing uneasily on the steering wheel. Then almost in response, he saw the assassin convulse involuntarily, grunting out in pain in the process. It had to have been Drifter and that shotgun of his. So long as he hadn't hit him in a vital area, The Veil could patch him up later. For now his eyes remained laser focused on the figure now moving in the grass. As the assassin stood, Ben caught a glimpse of his face. A gas mask, makes sense he cursed. Just knocking him out with halothane would have been ideal. Quick and painless. No one would have to get hurt, well, no one would have to get hurt in a drawn out fight. The Veil had other plans for what they'd do once they had apprehended this man and none of them were pleasant.

The sound of gunfire snapped The Veil back to the present situation, a series of shots being fired at his fellow vigilante. Don't die he thought quickly of Drifter, hoping that he wouldn't have two people to stitch back together. But his concerns rapidly changed from Drifter to himself as he saw the end of the rifle now pointed at himself. Sinking back into his seat, he raised his forearms to his head in a last ditch effort to protect himself. As he heard the shots fired, eh also picked up on the lack of breaking glass. Peaking out from his arms he saw that the man had...missed? That seemed odd. Even stranger was his coughing and stumbling. You must've hit something important jackass he scolded Drifter in the confines of his mind. But the guy is still standing...

The removal of something from the man's belt was all the The Veil needed to see to be coaxed into more action. That is, until he saw what was in the would be assassin's hand. A pleased smile stretched across his face and he couldn't help chuckle as he saw the man twist the top on a flare. And as the stick shone a brilliant bright red, it lit the thick cloud of halothane surrounding the man. Spreading out from its origin point in the man's hand a fireball erupted in seconds, engulfing the assassin and all of his surroundings in the inferno. HA! The Veil laughed mockingly, slamming his fists onto Elysium's steering wheel in triumph. Adding insult to injury, he watched as two grenades went sailing over the hearse in the direction of now very very unlucky assassin. This is just not your day he smiled as he watched the grenades explode. For good measure, he once more activated Elysium's blinding headlights, replacing the oranges and yellows of the blaze a strange blue color. All they had to do now was wait.

AAT-08317 stood tall as the fire errupted around him. The flames danced around his nanoweave fibre, it burnt and irritated the assassin's skin beneath, but should he stand in it too long, it would eventually catch. We has on the approach, and thus the fumes had dissipated enough so that it wouldn't kill him outright. But for now, the assassin had other priorities. With the rifle in his hands, he threw it between the two vigilantes. The innocence of youth. 08317 thought as the rifle exploded and projectiles spread across the hood of the hearse and toward Drifter and Veil.

Two grenades then sailed toward him as AAT-08317 stepped out of the flames. Catching one, he counted the time since the pin was pulled. 2 seconds, he thought before he hurled it back over to the vigilantes. It exploded in the air over their heads, an acidic bomb from the looks of it as it lobbed its contents over the area. before an electric surge sent his organs in a roll of pain.

Keeling over, AAT-08317 luckily avoided the blue haze of light that blinded him before. The second grenade landed behind him, as the assassin kept his eyes on the ground before stepping up. What he had was an idea, a rather improbable on at that.

But all explosives came with a concussive blast, and this one was no different. Jumping up into the air, the explosion under AAT-08317 threw him in the air with enough force to move him out of the headlights way. Smoke filled the area in front of the fire.

The mass of AAT-08317 rolled toward Drifter, before he attempted to ram his shoulder into the chest of the vigilante as the two rolled around the ground. The assassin was quicker and stronger than expected, as flames danced about his suit slowly started to die down.

He was big, broad shouldered. And he looked ready to kill. Drawing his Cz-45, he fired a series of shots at Drifter as he slowly approached the two vigilantes again, drawing his knife he kept it prepared for another strike.

When the flare was set off, Drifter was certain the assassin was dead. Really, who survives going up in flames like that? Not to mention, it looked like Drifter had caught him with a round or two. Despite all this, and The Veil's blinding lights, AAT somehow managed to come out swinging.

The first issue was the fact the assassin threw his gun into the fire, thus igniting the rounds. The bullets shot out in all directions, though with likely less force then they would have if fired from the weapon. Drifter was hit in the chest with one of them, and he fell to the ground next to Elysium.

Fortunately, the round didn't have the power to penetrate his chest plate. Unfortunately, it still hurt like a bitch, and put him out of commission long enough for AAT to charge him.

Drifter had barely stumbled to his feet before he was tackled, and struck in the chest by a powerful shoulder. The two rolled across the ground, struggling to get an advantage. Grappling, though, was one of the only martial arts Drifter was actually good at.

He managed to slip from the assassins grasp as they rolled down a gentle slope only meters from Elysium, but as soon as the vigilante got to his feet once again, he had another problem.

A bullet tore through his armor, then his leg, and it collapsed instantly, putting Drifter in a one legged kneel.

"Mother....fucker..... Ahhhhhhhhhg! Fuck! I swear to God, i'm gonna kill you!" Drifter said as bleed flowed out from his leg. His eyes were watery, his face red, and his vains were throbing. He blocked the pain out though, or at least as best as he could, then raised both gauntlets to fire his taser darts. He was the closest he had ever been to this guy, maybe only twenty feet. If he couldn't hit with two full auto weapons, then he truly was a terrible shot.

Or maybe its not my lucky day The Veil thought regretfully as he saw the assassin's rifle fly out from the fire. It hit square against his windshield before erupting in a hail of bullets all over the hood. The gun shot every which way as the force from every bullet fired pushed it back in a new direction. Still the less potent bullets peppered Elysium's windshield and armored hood, putting a few dents in her as well as cracking the bulletproof glass. Then an explosion came from above him. Did that guy throw back one of Drifter's grenades? he thought in shock, knowing the man should have been on fire and unable to see at that time. He's the freaking terminator! But even more concerning than that thought was what happened next.

The Veil could hear a hiss above him as holes opened up above him in Elysium. Acid he confirmed to himself as he jumped into Elysium's rear compartment. Helplessly he watched as the material ate through the roof and hood of Elysium, frying electrical components and essential engine parts in its wake. A rage built in The Veil as he watched his precious vehicle torn apart by the acidic cocktail. He'd put so much work into Elysium and now he'd have to do even more to bring her back to her old self. For just a moment he considered option in the back of Elysium to kill the man with, improvised chemical weapons, scalpel shrapnel grenades, a halothane rocket, before coming back to his senses. You don't kill, you don't kill, you don't kill he chanted to himself in his head, trying to bed down the thought. But still he was fuming. he wanted to make this man suffer.

Pulling a halothane grenade from his coat in each hand, The Veil burst from Elysium's rear compartment. The sight in front of him was not pretty. Drifter was on his knees, multiple gun shot wounds riddling his body. And of course the assassin was coming back for more. Hey asshole! he yelled out to the man, fury in his voice you wrecked my fucking car! Then he would lob one of the halothae grenades in the assassin's direction. The thin white tail of halothane arced overhead as The Veil put the second grenade in his right hand and whipped it in a spiral directly for the assassin's chest. Then lifting his right hand he'd activate his wrist lasers, two bright blue lines of light traveling directly to the gas's exit point on the second grenade. The halothane from the gas grenade would ignite, the fire quickly traveling inside the cansiter and causing it to explode in a burst of fire and metal shrapnel. As the first grenade traveled downwards it too would ignite from the fire from the first, creating a shrapnel explosion over the assassin. The Veil did not want to kill the man, but that didn't mean he was against causing him serious bodily harm. The way he saw it, he could patch him up once he had been neutralized.

AAT-08317 stood in a combat stance, ready to evade any move that Drifter could have made. But instead, a veil of white smoke covered the assassin's vision. AAT-08317 tried his best to navigate his way out of it, the shape of a second grenade sailed toward him. The assassin snatched it out of the air, as he looked at the device before he twirled it to throw it to one side. But two bright blue beams errupted, causing the second grenade to explode as the area was covered in flame and shrapnel. AAT-08317 swore, as a piece of metal cut through his right hand, causing him to drop his combat knife. The first grenade exploded in flame, as the assassin quickly tried to remove himself from the situation.

Three tasers collided against his chest, as the amperes of the usually nonlethal device produced the electrical current. AAT-08317's chest exploded with pain, as he fell to the ground. Blood errupted from his nose and mouth, as the assassin struggled to breath and stay conscious. When the taser should have stopped, it continued instead as the assassin felt the organs in his chest stop working. Eventually the tasers exploded, as the assassin fell to the floor. It seemed to be that his lung had collapsed to the two other vigilantes. The eyepieces on his gasmask were painted with blood smears as the assassin laid in the smoke and fire. There were occassional twitches, feedback from the apparent mechanical organs he had, combined with his augmented muscle.

AAT-08317 continued to twitch painfully, long after the effects of a normally tased person should have stopped.

Last things last, by the grace of the fire and the flames..

Drifter's partner had decided that the best course of action now was to blow this assassin up, despite the fact these taser darts were clearly effecting him quite severely. After Lukas had made his connections, he had to run. He didn't exactly want to be close to laser ignited gas.

You're the face of the future, the blood in my veins, oh ooooh.. The blood in my veins, oh ooooh..

Drifter ran, limped, and even crawled at some point. He didn't care what movements he was making, as long as he was moving away from the death inferno. Once the explosion went off, Lukas was sent tumbling into an accelerated, but controlled, roll onto the desert ground. He landed on his back, shot, but not blown to bits.

But they never did, ever lived, ebbing and flowing, Inhibited, limited...

Drifter took a few breaths in, thankful for his life. Even if he did have some major injuries, they were nothing that couldn't be dealt with. The young man's head turned slowly, looking to the assassin who was now convulsing not forty feet from him. He almost felt a familiar tinge of apathy for the guy..... Almost.

Till it broke up and it rained down, It rained down, like....

Drifter pulled himself to his feet, limbing at a steady pace toward the man that had just tried to kill him. There were sparks and the sound of electrical parts struggling. Mechanical Augmentation, apparently. Drifter let his legs collapse, so as to sit over AAT, then he pulled the darts out.

He gave one a look, admiring his handy work. Who would have thought such a thing was this guy's weakness the whole time? The darts were deactivated now, but they had done their job. They were just sharp metal spikes now.

Ooooo, that gives me an idea.

Drifter got a devilish look on his face, then, grasping one of the darts and moving to remove the man's mask, attempted to jam it into the assassin's eye...

Pain!

As the explosions from his grenades cleared from his vision, The Veil looked to see what might be left of the man. What he found was a convulsing heap on the ground. He waited a moment, watched as Drifter approached the man with no repercussions and then in turn did so as well. As he approached, the small metal spikes sticking from the man's chest were evident. Tasers? he questioned as he watched the man's body continue to convulse, the buzzing malfunctioning machinery coming from his body. No freaking way The Veil couldn't help but mutter aloud as he heard the sounds. The man definitely wasn't all machine but at least some part of him was. No wonder he fought like a damn Terminator.

But Terminators of course did not bleed, and this man's gas mask was covered in blood. Internal hemorrhaging The Veil confirmed to himself, noting the convulsions now persisted well after the electrical charge in the darts had subsided. He's dying... The thought gripped his chest as Drifter reached down to pull a spike from his chest. As he pulled the mask back The Veil realized what he was doing.

Stop that! he yelled, reaching out to snatch Drifter's arm at the height of his stabbing motion. I'm not saying we don't make him pay for what he's done but we need him alive first. The positioning himself over the man's torso, he grabbed his shoulders and began to drag the lifeless body towards Elysium. Can that base of yours be sealed for sterilization? I've gotta open this guy up and if we do it out here there's a good chance he gets infected and dies anyway there was urgency in his voice, a tone that said this is what's happening like it or not. Once the man was dragged halfway to Elysium The Veil let him drop and threw open the back doors. Frantically he began throwing things in a medical bag, instruments, medications, gauze, he swept all of it into the bag as fast as he could manage. Then he moved to the medical bed in the back of Elysium. Unlatching it from the floor he heaved the thing out, tossing the medical bag at the foot of the bed. Help me get him on here he instructed as he grabbed the man by the shoulders and heaved him upwards to the bed. As soon as the man's body touched down, The Veil began strapping his limbs into restraints on the table, one restraints strapped tight around the bicep, forearm, thigh and shin and an extra one strapped across the man's neck. A precaution of course, just in case the man can to during his attempt to save his life. All he could hope was that the answer to his previous question was yes. Otherwise he'd be performing surgery out in the middle of the desert, something he seriously did not want to do.

Drifter was about to stab a guy in the eyes with a double pronged taser dart.

Yeah, that's as horrific as it sounds.

If only Veil was a few feet further away, if only Drifter were a bit quicker, he would have gotten that sweet sweet satisfaction retribution brings. But nooooooo.... Mr. Goodie Two Shoes wanted to save him first.

It's not like Lukas was planning to let him live after all the torture, anyway.

Unfortunately, Drifter couldn't exactly challenge his fellow vigilante right now. He kinda had a bullet in his leg, you see. All he could do was cooperate, for now. Maybe even help out, or get this bullet wound treated.

After pulling AAT away from Lukas' grasp, Veil mentioned sterilizing the armory. Drifter chuckled.

"Did you see that place? There isn't a pen out of place. It's probably already sterile, with how i clean....... But, if you insist on me being the one legged maid..... And ah, no. You lift him, i sanitize. If i touch him again it's gonna be violently." Luke said. He then stood up, legs shaking. He withdrew the bottle of pills from before, and swallowed an ambiguous amount, then followed it with a long waterfall from his flask. He shivered, then limped to the armory.

Once inside, he opened a cabinet with medical supplies inside it, and began to wrap his leg. After that, he grabbed what seemed to be a gallon jug of rubbing alcohol.

He was quick, drenching the place with the potent disinfectant. It would mostly dry on it's own, as rubbing alcohol did, but after he had made sure to hit every inch of the place, he would wipe up the excess with some paper towels. The way he did this was diligent, and extremely detailed. Sometimes he cleaned the same spot three times, despite finishing in only around a minute. When he was totally done, he took a long deep breath in.

"Ahhh, smell that? Smells clean." Drifter said as soon as he saw Veil again, likely when he was dragging AAT into the armory. Drifter then cracked his neck, sat in his computer chair, and starting tossing a rubix cube from his desk back and forth between his hands. A smirk crept up on his face as his eyes latched onto AAT, then darted back to Veil.

"You know this is pointless right?" Drifter asked, wondering if Veil was aware of what he meant. Apparently his fellow vigilante was optimistic about the whole AAT living thing, even though he knew who he was dealing with.

"You've done your research on me, hm? That's why you came? You thought you were going to find somebody you had something in common with? Well, i think you did. But I'm not a good person, Veil. He dies." Drifter said, suddenly stopping his throwing of the rubix cube as he stared Veil down, looking for the slightest of reactions in his face. Veil was on Drifter's turf, and he wasn't going to be told how to deal with somebody who attacked him on it.

Fine, don't help Veil thought as Drifter refused to touch the assassin in any way that wasn't harmful. The tone of it just sent an angry quiver crawling across his skin. At least Drifter was going to sanitize the armory. With any luck he'd that'd save this man from dying of infection after what he had planned for him.

Wheeling the man over to the entrance of the armory, The Veil lifted the hatch and tossed his medical bag down inside. Then he'd collapse the medical bed before lowering himself partway into the hole in the ground. Reaching up, he'd pull down on the end of bed, tilting it upwards so that its weight was over the hole. Demonstrating a surprising amount of raw strength he supported the weight of not only the bed but AAT as well he slowly climbed his way down into the armory before letting the bed collapse to the floor. His back screamed at him from the strain, the injury from the bullet earlier clearly being more severe than he'd realized. Immediately he would collapse to his hands and knees, getting as much of his own weight off of his back as possible. A pained gasp escaped him as he reached over to the medical bag, pulling out a syringe and a bottle of morphine.

This is how you get addicted you asshole, overusing this shit like you do he scolded himself as he plunged the needle into the flesh of his arm before depressing it. As the drug hit his heart his pupils dilated and he felt the sweet numbing release. Slowly then he got to his feet, reassembling the bed to about waist height and beginning to lay his various tools out on a nearby surface.

That was when he noticed that Drifter was seated back at his computer desk and speaking. "You know this is pointless right?" he asked, prompting The Veil to cock an eyebrow as he removed his gas mask, keeping his back turned away from him. Slipping off his coat and gloves, he'd reveal a Kamelot concert T-shirt underneath. Listening to Drifter as he worked, he replaced the removed garments with a surgical gown, gloves and mask.

You're right he began, after hearing Drifter finish speaking. I did come here thinking I'd find someone to relate to. Until today I've been completely on my own in this, whatever the hell it is that we do. He'd turn then, facing Drifter and matching his piercing gaze. But you're wrong if you think that sparing his life is just so that I can keep a clear conscience, that its because I'm a "good person". Now as he spoke he'd pick up a pair of large scissors and begin slicing through AAT's clothes from his waistline, slowly making his way to the neckline to give him a clear shot to his chest. The truth is Drifter, I think death is too good for men like this, I think fading into that eternal oblivion is a release from the punishment they have yet to endure. Hovering a hand over the table he'd drop the scissors and grab a bottle of iodine and cloth, proceeding to wipe the brown liquid over AAT's chest. His words and his actions seemed totally separated as though being done by two different people. I keep people like this alive so that I can put upon them the true weight of the things that they've done. Ruin their lives as they so uncaringly ruin the lives of others Dropping the iodine on the table he'd lift a scalpel, pressing it to the unconscious man's chest and cutting a line down the front of his sternum. I make sure that they are reminded for the rest of their lives of the things that they have taken from others, through the things I take from them and hope that eventually that will show them the error of their ways. Inward reflection, that's why I use the lasers, why I blind. With a clean cut now made across his chest, The Veil then took up a small circular saw for cutting through the sternum so that he could gain access to the chest cavity and see just what sort of damage had been done to the man's mechanical organs. So yes, you're right. Part of it is that I cannot bring myself to take a life, its just not in me. Life is potential and just as much as killing someone would be robbing them of punishment here on earth, it would also be robbing them of the possibility to change for the better. I can't be responsible for taking either of those away from someone. But if you think that makes me a good person, unfortunately I don't think it does. The words leaving his lips hung heavy on his heart but were at the same time freeing. Admitting this all aloud somehow made it real, brought the horrific ugly nature of the things he did into the light where not part of it could be hidden. But it was also freeing, to tell someone, confide in someone about just what drove him to vigilantism.

Lukas sighed, breaking eye contact just as he once again started to throw his rubix cube back and forth. He was contemplating his fellow vigilante's words. He understood where Veil was coming from, and at a time he might have even completely agreed. But now? With everything he's seen? No, he couldn't do that. Drifter stopped throwing his cube, then placed it on his desk. He watched Veil's expertise in action. It was like watching a really good artist paint, or maybe it was like watching him using computers. His skill was relaxed, and with purpose in every movement.

Drifter moved to take his gold tinted helmet off, unclasping the buckles that held it to his face. Once removed, Veil would see a young man in his early twenties. He had dirty blonde hair, grey eyes, and a face that seemed to carry a certain smugness no matter the expression. His eyebrows furrowed, and he sat back in his chair while placing his helmet next to the rubix cube.
Hi hand went to his chin, a moment of silence overtaking the area. He hadn't ever revealed himself to be Drifter to anyone. Sure Pat and Matt knew he was a vigilante, he had just never told them he was Drifter. It's hard to take pride in the brutal things he had done under that name.

Drifter cleared his throat, eyes lingering back to the other man. He could respect a well thought out philosophy, but that didn't mean he abandoned his own.

"My name is Lukas W Labour, I'm a Senior Systems Analyst and working on my last year in College. I'm also one of the most demented people you will ever meet, fair warning." Drifter said casually. His eyes lingered over the cut fabric of AATs clothes, and the liquid spilling onto the floor. God, that was annoying.

"I've been through every hardship you can imagine. Mental illness, hunger, homelessness, you name it. Although i have seen some truly good people, I've also seen the absolute worst of humanity. People that think they can impose their will not only over a single other person with supposedly equal rights, but over millions. People who have no apathy. I may be demented, but at least i still feel something when i do this." Drifter said. He was surprised at how open he was being. In all honestly he didn't even talk like this to his family....... Actually, especially not his family.

"But this isn't about who is just, and who is not. This is about stopping the real atrocities that plague this world. This is about real freedom, with every man being the master of his own fate. This is about us going about our lives without upsetting the powers that be, enjoying what little time we have here without fearing for the lives of our childr-." Lukas said, going on a rant now. He stopped mid sentence, cuting himself off. He took a few seconds, then leaned in, lowering his voice.

"My point is, the world will always have bad guys. A person might change, through a miracle, but guilt is irrelevant against the people we're up against as a whole. You think blinding enough of these dudes is going to make the world a better place? No, these fuckers have to be removed from our field of vision. They're cancer on the face of the Earth, who think they have the power to do whatever they want, including sending an assassin after a 24 year old." Drifter said, a tad worked up. He took a few more pain pills, and then another swig from his flask. His eyes watered from the combination of his own passion and the liquor.

".....don't take me as some anti-establishment anarchist, I'm just a guy fed up with the corruption. I'm also fed up with the sunshine and rainbows solution of 'let's make them better!' It doesn't fucking work Veil. You have to get rid of people like that, for the betterment of society. This guy, he has no purpose but to kill. He would probably agree with me, too. When a person only exists to destroy or serve themselves, they're useless!" Lukas said, grabbing the 44 Magnum which sat at his desk. He pointed it at AAT.

"You don't half kill a tumor then leave it there in hopes that it'll just decide to not kill you, you cut it out."

Ben's heart beat hard against his chest as his fellow vigilante reached up to remove his helmet. Don't do it, seriously don't fucking do it! he screamed in his head. His eyes bulged, locked on Drifter as the material that had hidden his identity was lifted away. All movement from him stopped, the blade of his saw hovering over AAT's chest. He was stunned, unsure of what to do with this information, the face of the man who definitely shouldn't be revealing himself to The Veil. Not this early at least, not now. They were arguing about whether or not to keep this man alive and he felt now was the time to trust someone with his face.

Then came the name and Ben's heart beat harder, the anxiety of the situation making his hands shake. Honestly he was worried for Luk- ah, Drifter. Did he give his identity away that freely? How as he so comfortable to do that, just thought thought made a bead of cold sweat drip from Ben's brow. Okay there's gotta be a reason he's telling me this right? he questioned himself, trying to compose himself once more. Background, okay that makes sense he confirmed as he continued on, telling Veil about his life and his experiences. Honestly he could empathize with his situation. It seemed like the guy had seen quite a lot in his day and that brought a twinge of guilt to Ben. He wasn't doing this from a motivation of past wrongs or fix the things that had crushed the innocence out of his own life. Maybe that made him somehow less than. He'd never really thought about it until now, that maybe his reason for doing this was weak, unauthentic compared to someone like his fellow vigilante.

But as he went on, catching himself once before bursting back with a more calculated expression, that Drifter's painful motivation that gave him his "credibility" could also be a weakness. It drove him to violence, a deep-seated hatred that had taken root somewhere deep inside him. It poisoned the man, clouded him with anger at least in Ben's opinion. Not that he wasn't ever guilty of such things, but his own anger was different. It was quiet, patient, contemplative, a sort of festering stew that could sit dormant for years on end, bidding its time.

You see what's happening now as sunshine and rainbows? The Veil cocked an eyebrow, equal parts fear and hatred for the man on the table forcing him back into confidence. With a flick of a switch he activated the handheld saw and pressed it to the top of the man's chest inside of the incision. The blade's whine grew more high pitched as it sliced cleanly through the bone. Speaking over the squeal of the saw he continued. I agree with you, this man is a soldier in a war he probably knows little about, sent to kill men he holds no hatred for. And yes he deserves his justice for indiscriminately taking orders but this man is a weapon. Do you get angry at the gun that someone shot you with or the person pulling the trigger?

The saw continued to whir hungrily as it sheared to the halfway point of the sternum before catching and stopping abruptly. Feeling the resistance and the give in the motor, The Veil gave a few full bodied jerks on the implement, shifting the man's entire body on the table as he did so. After about the third push on the saw it buzzed back to life and continued its gruesome task. And as for your medical analogy, sure, we could treat the symptom, remove a potentially harmful tumor and wipe our hands of it. Or we can biopsy said tumor, learn what we need to from it and let it lead us back to the root cause. Treat the disease if you get what I mean. Ben's eyes grew intense, he knew Drifter would catch on to what he was saying. If they let this man live, he could lead them back to the real problem, the people who controlled him, who sent an assassin after a 24 year old. And just as Veil finished the blade made it the rest of the way through the man's sternum, the tension in his ribs immediately separating the two pieces.

With that part down The Veil placed the saw back on the small table next to him and pulled up two long fork-like instruments with tongs bent inwards at the bottom. Holding them out, he'd offer them to Drifter. I can't do this next part without help he'd say matter of factly. I need you to spread his ribs apart enough with these enough that I can force a Finochietto retractor into the space between his sternum. A sadistic smile spread across his face below his mask. Don't jerk them open, spread them, but trust me when I say that you can not be gentle about this or it won't work. He'd pause for just a moment, reaching with his free hand and grabbing the retractor. Moment of truth, are we gonna lose our cool and kill the only lead we've got back to a clearly well funded and powerful criminal organization or do we catch a big fish by temporarily saving a little one?

As the two vigilantes worked to open AAT-08317's chest, they would find that the bones that made the ribcage already looked as if they were cut and put back together before. And soon they would realise why: a tangle of circuitry, wires and tubes decorated the man's organs. The lungs were covered in what appeared to be composite materials: several kinds of metals, plates and other things. They seemed very intricate in design, as they were very different from typical human lungs. Each lung had a series of three lights: a red, yellow and green. The left lung flashed a red light, and the right lung flashed a green. It seemed as if the left lung wasn't functioning to the capacity of the right lung as AAT-08317 breathed.

The other organs in the body, notably the liver and the heart appeared to have a similar setup, though devices that accounted for the different responsibilities they had in the body. All appeared to be more silvery than the typical red of healthy organs. The tubes that made the system flowed with a luminescent blue, and operated in a way similar to how the cardiac system would operate with the flow of blood. The heart in the centre of the man's chest had a yellow light that glowed from it, as a series of wires that ran from it to the other organs of the body communicated that this was perhaps a very centeralised system. The organs appeared to be a sophisticated computer that all operated and communicated with each other in synch.

Lukas' vision blurred as he held the gun to the downed body of AAT. It could have been the blood loss from his sloppily bandaged leg wound, the eight or so pain pills he swallowed in the last hour, or the alcohol. It was more then likely a combination of all of it really, and to top it off, he was having one of his anger fits.

The 44 Magnum shook. Drifter's arm refused to remain steady, and it wasn't subtle either. He wanted to blow this guy away, then go take a nap or something. But what Veil was saying, it was reasonable. It appealed to Drifter's usual self, ruled by rationality. But not only that, it appealed to his emotion. He remembered now the lyrics to that one Rise Against song, Hero of War.

This guy was just following orders. He was doing his duty to his country, hunting down a man that killed an ambassador. It wasn't right, because said ambassador was a piece of trash, but the assassin probably didn't see it that way. Killing him would be an unfortunate loss of life due to the powers that sent him to fight Drifter. If he put a bullet in this guys head, the people who felt they were above everyone else would win.

Lukas lowered the gun, tossing it back on the desk.

"You really know how to get to me, you know that?" Drifter said, practically crawling out of his chair to assist Veil in any way he could. Yes, not only was he not going to kill this assassin, he was going to help save him.

"This better be worth it." Drifter said, grabbing the spreader device Veil gave him. In truth he had no idea what he was doing, and he was drunk, and high, and had just wanted to kill the same guy he was supposed to be helping.......

What could go wrong?

Slowly, but strongly, he spread the ribcage apart, and was greeted by something he thought was only possible in movies. Veil was right, he was a Terminator. The vigilante would hold it there, trying not to look at the revolting site below him, as Veil did his thing. Drifter even heaved a few times, as if he were going to puke. Seeing the inside of a body was not the most comfortable thing, and smelling it was even worse.

"Gaughhh! How the fuck long is this gonna take? And didn't we burn out his electronics? What's open heart surgery gonna do if those aren't working?" Drifter asked, getting more sick by the minute, and not because of the gross act they were committing in this moment. He looked pale as a ghost, and about ready to die.

The Veil smirked as Drifter lifted himself from the chair and worked his way over to the table in front of him. That's part of our job right? he said confidently, the forks still held out to his fellow vigilante. Reading people, intuition, I'm sure neither you or I would be alive to have this conversation if we didn't possess it. Not doing what we do in the world we live in anyway. There was a knowing fear in his voice as he said that. This was why he had come to meet this man, to feel what he was now as he said the words. He and Drifter were mere men standing among gods and monsters. They did the literal impossible when no on else would. Their methods may differ, their ideologies might be black to white but at the end of the day there was a thread that undeniably bound them together, just the right volatile mixture of smart, crazy and pissed off. But his feelings of elation were soon replaced with a terrified revulsion as he placed the retractor in the man's chest and cranked it open.

Inside his body was a mess of wires and machinery unlike anything Ben had ever seen before. He had some technical know-how but this was something else entirely, an unholy and inefficient forced combination of man and machine. Holy... The Veil muttered as his hands finished cranking open the rib cage, revealing the entirety of his chest cavity. This is...how do we even... he was at a loss for words, unsure of where even to start with this mess. Drifter clearly was feeling similar as he heaved a few times at the site.

Thankfully Ben's medical training quickly overrode his revulsion, focusing in on the parts of the man that he could fix. That's necrosis he thought, his eyes scanning over the silvery grey of the man's organs. He's basically living on the verge of death at all times. We just fried his life support he thought aloud. His head then would snap up from the body to Drifter, eyes once more sharp and focused, a surgeon's gaze. You're right, I don't think there's a lot I can do here, this machinery seems to have done irreparable damage to his internals but its also what's keeping him alive. We fix the system, I have a feeling we get him up and running again. Like you've said, I did my research on you and judging by the layout of this place, you know your way around complex tech. I may have gotten this guy open, but I think his life is in your hands at this point.

The metal and composite material plating that covered the left lung appeared to be dimmed, the red light flashing faster as the what should have been unconscious body of 08317 suddenly jerked to one side. The assassin didn't say a thing, nor did he sound in pain or move his eyes. The wiring that surrounded the left lung appeared to dim as well, small flicks of electricity circuiting through it and its connection to the heart. The blue glowing tubes that ran around the body seemed to freeze at the left lung, notifying that the substance was likely meant to be directed there as well. From what any engineer could understand: the electronic components to the left lung had bee severed and fried, and likely needed to be reconnected or replaced in order to function properly again, and step up the red light to a green one. Therefore, the left lung was in dire need of repair, and would likely end in the assassin's death if it wasn't treated properly.