The Failed Job (Closed)

Red 53 had made it home. He put his tools away and dropped out of his suit. Not even taking the time to put something else on, he fell into bed in only his shorts. Within seconds, Red 53 had fallen asleep.

"You have finally failed. What are you going to do now?" Red 53's mentor said to him. Red 53 was hanging off a small rock handhold, halfway up a cliff. Above him was a storm of vicious clouds sending electricity sparkling throughout the clouds; below him were vicious waves of fire burning everything in sight. Red 53 tried to speak to his mentor, but no sound came out. His mentor slowly drifted away, out into the blazing inferno below. Red 53 reached out to grab his master, save him from a horrible fate, but couldn't reach him. After his master was gone, Red 53 focused on the matter at hand.

Red 53 began to climb up the cliff, toward the boiling storm. Hand over hand, he made slow steady progress toward where there would surely be safe haven from the storm and fire. He reached the lower level of the clouds and could feel an ominous aura in the air, but he ignored it. Looking up, Red 53 saw where the clouds would thin and what looked like a ray of light, the top of the cliff just above the storm. Red 53 hurried his ascent seeing that there.

As Red 53 neared the top though, a figure stepped to the edge. It was The Womb. Instead of being aggressive though, The Womb reached out his hand as though offering to help, a look of horror on his face. He began shouting, and, with his second hand, pointing down. Red 53 looked down behind him and saw spirits forming from the clouds. At closer examination, they were the spirits of those he had killed in his past. They began climbing toward him. Red 53 rushed up the cliff face, hurrying to the outstretched hand of The Womb. Just as he was about to grab the extended hand, Red 53 was grabbed from below. He fought against the hold, but more and more hands grabbed him. Finally, slowly, horribly, they pulled out. Red 53 was pulled from the wall and thrown off the cliff. He fell and fell. He began to feel the heat of the fire as he fell within it's grasp.

Red 53 bolted up into a sitting up position. He had to get a grip on himself. This was getting out of hand, and he knew how to straighten it out. He would have to follow the guide within his dreams. Red 53's mentor was sending him a message from beyond the grave, and Red 53 would have to follow it to find any peace. It was a detestable idea, he really ought to be killing this man, but instead he was going to ask for help. Pulling out his tracker, Red 53 quickly found the red dot indicating his tracking device's location. He geared up and headed out.

Red 53 stood behind a corner, watching as The Womb walked by. Red 53 spoke out to the spectre, "It's kind of funny how we keep running into each other, isn't it?" Red 53 stepped out of the shadowy alley and raised his hands, showing he meant no harm. "I would like to trade you information for your help," he offered his not-too-long ago query.

The Womb was startled, yet, not surprised by this visit. He hadn't expected it so soon but The Womb felt confident it would have happened either way.

"So, my offer did stand. Come, we are not far from my abode walk with em and we can speak together in private." With that The Womb strode away, without even waiting to see if his new partner was in toe, asuming that he was already following. After a few minuets Womb found himself opening the door to his small shack, inside were a table and some chairs, a few cabinets and some drawers. It was simple setup, but one that worked effectively when trying to act under the radar, so to speak.

"Sit, sit. Now, tell me my assassin, what is the help you seek? I can only offer so much, I am after all only a humanoid."

Red 53 was cautious. He had just tried a second attempt on this man's life, but The Womb still acted as though he were a friend that The Womb had just met. Red 53 was speechless as he followed The Womb to his hide-out, where there was thankfully no one there at the time. Red 53 took a chair across from The Womb, only sitting on the thinnest strip of the wood. Red 53 looked around and counted the different living spaces. He could see there was probably a party of six probably stayed here regularly enough to began leaving there mark. Red 53 wondered how they might react if they walked in on the ninja with full gear and face mask in place. It was strange having a conversation with one of his marks that didn't involve asking them to just give up and die, or some stupid message he was paid to deliver before he killed his target.

After stalling this as long as he could, Red 53 finally spoke to The Womb, "I do not know what help I seek. I am currently in a very confused state and am not sure how to answer what assistance I seek, but, if we could say you own me a favor in the future, I want to disclose my contractor to you. You cannot ever tell a soul I told you or my reputation would be ruined and I would never be hired again. Also, if you feel vengeful, I would like to assist you in taking him out. We could then proceed by making it look like something else happened, maybe a a robbery instead of an assassination. Again, all I ask for this information is your confidence and assistance when I finally know what it is you can do for me."

"You have my assistance assassin. In offering me your contractor you may hold me to one favor. That favor will be granted to the best of my ability." Womb paused for a moment, an air of malice about him now. "Now young one, where is this investor? I wish to speak with him."

Red 53 relaxed on the chair ever so slightly. He trusted The Womb at his word and so began telling him, "The man is a priest. He is with the Catholic Church. He felt that your very existence was blasphemous and you needed to be put down. His family had been tracking your movements through the ages, seeing you disappear for a time. They thought you were gone for good, but when you reappeared, this man thought it would be best if he handled the threat against his doctrine a little more directly. He hired the best to get rid of you once and for all. His name is Peter Macoran. He runs a gang that runs around punishing sinners for their evil deeds." Red 53 couldn't help but release a small chuckle at the irony in that last fact.

After divulging that information, Red 53 said, "I can show you the way to where you would normally find him and his gang. He has a pow wow or get together where they all come in and brag about who had punished for what and how they punished the transgressor. Some of them even bring trophies. That will be the only time you can get them all at once. If you don't get every last one of them though, they'll come back to haunt you." He paused a moment before asking, "Are you sure you'll be able to end them? If you don't finish every one of them, the fact that I told you will get out. I may not be able to kill you, but I'm fairly sure I can get to one of your friends. I say not as a threat, but to make sure you are willing to finish what you start."

The Womb laughed abruptly. "HAHAHA, do not worry child. An attempt on my life proves that this mans intentions are not pure and that he, in turn, is an evil man. He and his cohorts have signed their lives away attempting to take mine. It is only fortunate that I am an everlasting creature and so survived the attack. However the principle still remains, they wished to do me harm, an thus they must perish for their actions. With you at my side I have great faith that we can eradicate all of them without much of a fuss at all."

Red 53 stood. Looking about to make sure that no one was hiding and listening, he turned to head out. He approached the doorway and put a hand on the frame, but paused, "Just because I decided to tell you this instead of pursuing you further does not mean that I'm having a change of heart. I simply decided that it would be easier to clean up the rabble that hired me than it would be to find the means of your final destruction. I will be in contact with you soon about when and where we will strike. My only question is if you do or do not want your team to be aware of your activities with a well known assassin. Would you like the message private or should I expedite the receiving of your message?" Taking note of whichever his new accomplice decided, Red 53 jumped high and far, disappearing into the night.

(Red 53 is outta here for now.)

"I do not know if my team should know of this, they may not be thrilled to hear of my exploits..." The Womb trailed off, and watched as the assassin disappeared into the darkness. I think your heart is changing ore than you could ever know. I can sense it, and I believe you do too young one. We shall see what the future has in store for us.

END