Thread: Deus Ex. Kiss Of Absolution (IronMaiden24 & Dleibman)

PROLOGUE Soho, London, 10 years ago... She's the one. Take her! a raspy, deep male voice came from the shadovs behind, making Soraya jump in suprise. The teenager turned, the tvilight and the glare of a nearby street lamp iluminating her delicate, tanned face, framed by straight raven-black hair reaching to just belov her sholders. Her startling green eyes widened in fear, as a pair of men steped-out of the shadows of a side-alley, aproaching her. One vas huge, easily 2 meters tall, muscular, vith a bushy beard and receding hairline, a cyber-optical augment implant gazing malevolently at her vith a dim reddish light, in place of his left eye, the right one black as night. C... can I help you, s-sir? she stamered in Arabic-acented English, reflexivly taking a step back vhich broght her against the lamp-post, droping her grocery bag. Isnt she polite? Bloody shame her dad isnt the same way... the second man, this one more-or-less average in build and size, chuckled evily, crosing his arms. Your father made the mistake of being late vith paying us protection money, 1 too many times. Now you are going to pay that price for him, vith your body, and mind. the first man grovled, in that same raspy voice, aproaching menacingly. The 16 year old girl tensed at that, presing against the lamp-post... N..no, please, sir, d-dont do this-- her plea cut off abruptly by a hard backhand across her face, leaving a nasty bruise and sending her stumbling to the side of building, before she colapsed unconscius to the sidewalk. The last thing she felt, blacking out, vas being picked-up, as the big man tossed her over his sholder. They never stoped. Not for an instant, for vhat seemed like at least an hour to her, all 5 of them raping her at once, all her pleas and cries going unansvered, as they ravaged her young body. Thru the pain and tears, all she culd see vas the face of the bearded man and that reddish gaze of his cyber-eye, he himself staying out of it, vatching her vith a sadistic expresion that bordered on the grisly, a strangely... benevolent... smile on his lips, as he satisfied himself vith his right hand. Finaly it ended, vith her lying on the hard, cold concrete flor, shudering, clothes torn-apart and smeared vith blood. Heh, this litle bitch's made to be fucked! Sure will make a great hooker once we put her out there vith the rest... one of her tormentors laughed from behind, as the bearded man aproached to stand above her, stil satisfying himself. Open your mouth. he ordered, then bitch-slaped her as she vas slow to comply. Then he came into her mouth, speaking You are mine now. Your body, and your mind. And you wil make me more money out on the streets then your father culd ever hope to pay. He abandoned you, you knov... as the others grined maliciusly ... left the city instead of paying for your safe return. before he bent down to kiss her on the forehead. Somehov, him saying that, hurt her more then all the pain and humiliation of the past hour. All her tears spent, she just squatted there, shudering, staring blankly straight ahead, her face dripping vith his fluids. Get her cleaned-up and take her to the motel. Tomorow she goes out vith the rest. the man grovled, turning to leave. The sounds of night-wind came thru the open vindow, as Soraya lay on the lice-ridden bed, awake, staring blankly at the dirty ceiling of the motel room. Sleep did not come to her, her unblinking eyes completly devoid of life, like a pair of holes leading to the heart of despair. She culd no longer feel anything... not pain, not sorow, nothing. Slovly, she slid one of her hands across the sharp, rusted edge of her bed, cutting herself. The pain actualy... agreed vith her, making her lips curl into a lascivius smile as she licked her own blood... You may have my body... for now... but you wil NEVER have my mind! At that moment, something in her died... and something else vas born. Lower Hengsha, Shanghai, present day.... The woman looked at her Belltower Security-issue vatch, listening to the night-wind rustling thru the plastiform curtains of the vindow, her delicate but scarred face and blank, dead green eyes illuminated faintly, from a flashing neon-sign across on a building acros the street. It vas almost time. Her neat, crew-cut dyed-blonde hair looked slightly out of place on her tanned face and raven-black eyebrovs. She glanced down below at the Harvester triad meeting in the aley once again, idly playing vith a strange medalion around her neck on a leather string. The object looked very much like an older model of a cybernetic augment-eye, complete vith several wires sticking out of it, its red lens depovered. A crisp, military-precise male voice coming from her earpiece snaped her out of it Major Hinan, ve're in position, at both exits. Avaiting your signal to drop the hammer. Acknovledged. Stand by... she replyed emotionlesly, reaching beside her for her modified Longsword Eraser 202 sniper rifle. Raising the weapon to her sholder and resting the barrel on the vindow lip for aded stability, she sighted-in on the meeting, vhich was between the triad, and a LIMB representative, dealing in black-market augmentations. Just as the Harvester leader handed a briefcase full of money to the LIMB representative, the rep himself reaching for a storage-crate lying beside him, a red dot apeared on the Harvester's back, above the heart... before his heart vas blown-out thru the front by a surgicaly-precise shot from the woman, spraying blood on the LIMP rep. An ecstatic smile playing on her lips, the voman traversed the rifle's barrel a couple degrees, then, continuing to exhale slowly, gently squezed the trigger again... taking the rep himself thru the throat, beheading him vith the shot. She scrambled avay from the vindow, flatening her-self against the vall next to it, as a barrage of bulets from the Harvesters and the LIMB rep's bodyguards belatedly tracked tovard the source of the shots. Move in! Clear the rest of them out and retrive the merchandise. Make sure to cover the back-exit from the alley, so they cant get away. she spoke into her earpiece, her tone not changing, remaining cold and professional. Yes ma'am. Moving in! the crisp male voice came back, and moments later, she culd hear weapons-fire from diferent type of weapons starting to mix vith the continuing barrage of the gang-members. Moving to another vindow, she peaked-out again, noticing the 12 Belltower soldiers, her team, 6 from each end of the aley, converging on the besieged Harvesters and bodyguards caught in the midle, exchanging fire. 4 gangers vere down alredy, vith one of her troopers dead as well. Her enemies distracted, she sighted-in and continued sniping... her next shot catching one of the Harvesters thru the stomach, the one after that perforating the thigh of one of the bodyguards, vho fell vith a scream, her soldiers killing a few more, bringing the total number to half, two more of them also geting killed in-turn by the Harvesters. At this point, panic overtaken most of the surviving gangers, vho desperately tried to find cover, from her sniping from above and her troops cornering them below. Another Harvester took aim at her, a burst of bulets from his TMP-18 SMG ziping past her and into the vindow-frame, one close enogh to graze her flank. Not even vincing at the pain, she blown his brains out vith her next shot. Vith that, her rifle's clip expended, she moved-off to replace it. By the time she did, it was all over... all the enemies except the one she shot in the leg dead, all 16 of them, along vith a total of 4 of her men, 2 more vounded. All resistance neutralized, Major! We got the merchandise, and the money... looks like the informant was right. the troop-sergeants's satisfied voice came at her from her earpiece. Excelent. I'm coming down. she replied, sholdering the sniper rifle. Minutes later, she joined her troops below in the aley. One of them was just cuffing the sole survivor, the one she shot in the leg. Step aside, Private. she ordered, drawing her Zenith 10mm pistol sidearm and priming it. Coldly, she executed the vounded man vith a shot to the head, as the trooper scrambled-away in suprise. Ma'am? he managed. No survivors, Private. Less papervork for us to fill-out back at base! she grinned viciusly, holstering her sidearm. The soldier only shook his head slightly, unnerved. Status of the merchandise? she added, aproaching the troop sergeant. Looks like its all here, Major! This shuld put quite a monkey-vrench in the Harvester operations in this district. the man replied, shoving her the storage crate and its contents. Good. Okay, ve'r done here. Call a medic for our wounded then prepare to move out, I got a prelimnary report to make to base. she ordered, getting a salute from the sergeant, before she moved-off to the side, puling-out a satellite phone to call the local Belltower HQ and gve a report to her controller. A full debrifing wuld wait for her return however, such details being to sensitive to discus over a potentialy-interceptable transmission. Yet another excelent operation, Major Soraya Hinan. Thanx to the eforts of you and your unit, this district remains one of the safest in Lower Hengsha, even including those still policed by the Chinese police. the controler said, reading her report, eminent satisfaction in his voice. Just doing my job, sir. Soraya replyed coldly, standing at parade-straight atention, not shoving any emotion at the praise. And doing it well. This shuld send a clear message to the Harvesters, of the consekvences of black-marketeering in this district! he said, slightly unnerved by that blank, dead stare she was giving him. As you say, sir. Am I dismised? Soraya noded, remaining emotionelss. 2 years since she was asigned here, and I still cant get used to those creepy eyes of hers. Its like... like shes evaluating a potential prey, all the time. he thoght, before trying a smile on her, and continuing Actualy... I was vondering if you would perhaps like to join me for dinner in Upper Hengsha tomorow? I have a friend there vho can get us a discount at one of the best restaurants... She stirred at that slightly... before her own lips tvitched into a microscopic smile, and she replyed Only if you're buying, sir. her voice a touch less cold, even slightly teasy. But only the voice. That blank, dead gaze stayed exactly the same, perhaps even getting a shade more... ominus... as she saluted, then spun on her heel to leave the office. Well... that vent better then expected! he thoght as the doors closed behind Soraya, glad that the atractive, but cold Major vas beginning to warm-up to him.