01312089 EOD A-Juliett

### **189 [RK] and [AsM]**

[RK]: I hope we can put Aki's desires past us for one moment, I have something you might be interested in.

[AsM]: Alright, what do you have?

[RK]: Unlike the people you have to work with, I can hack. All of this here is info you requested. This *is* what you wanted, yes?

[AsM]: You are a godsend! If it didn't go against my morals, I would kiss you right now.

[RK]: What the, hey! None of this would be an issue if you could do the job yourself as well. But, this is where it gets interesting.

[AsM]: Alright, I'm listening.

[RK]: Let me ask you one thing; how do you think I got this watch?

[AsM]: Could be you got it off a body, gifted or looted.

[RK]: The incompetence of how these other people have been handling this crisis is far ranging; enough to, say, go and definitely steal a watch. But that watch has an owner, yeah? Like an ID card, I can't just use my face with the face of a different person and expect to go off free.

[AsM]: Correct.

[RK]: And do you think I'm stupid to give them my identity? Of course not. But I didn't steal this watch from a current ally like one would think. I stole a rather familiar older ally's watch.

[AsM]: Go on, but do you really believe I think you're stupid? That's why I would have thought you would have done something to the watch and create a new identity with an alias for it. Well, that's what I did.

[RK]: After you and Grace Nam killed one of those older "allies", I took his. But I bet you've got so many questions as to how wrong that is for me, so if you're patient then.

[AsM]: No, please, elaborate.

[RK]: I scrambled it of course, and gave it a new owner: Ty Resium. A little pun off of the lord of the dead, Tiresias.

[AsM]: I see, so you were following us already. But all that aside, what does this have to do with the info you just gave me?

[RK]: I'm getting there, shut up.

[AsM]: Alright, please continue.

[RK]: However when you look at the face given to the watch, it won't show any one face at all. It will look like its signal is being jammed, and that is its fatal flaw. At this point your HVT must have known that my watch's owner was dead, surely. I also think that he's not an idiot, but this watch's owner had ties to this HVT. As soon as I got what I needed, I cut all past ties the watch had to its original owner entirely; leaving no trace of what it used to be or what it is now.

[AsM]: I see.

[RK]: But, well, your HVT isn't done with me.

[AsM]: How do you know?

[RK]: He contacted me.

[AsM]: What did he say?

[RK]: "I'll start off with this: you're not a typical agent. Whoever you are, you're a smart thinker. Outside the box, this one. For once I'm mildly impressed with someone using this kind of tech, maybe you're who I'm looking for. Keep in touch." he said. It reminded me of an old saying, "Know thy enemy". Well, it reminded me of that for the Hunters.

[AsM]: It looks like you have an admirer.

[RK]: I think he took after me, and maybe Simon, before I knew him.

[AsM]: Goes to show that it takes more than just killing everything in sight like me. But, two things bother me.

[RK]: What.

[AsM]: First, why Hunters?

[RK]: Hunters are unknown, highly-skilled combatants using older tech to their advantage. Since I'm not officially with the US government I'm just as much of a target as someone who is, anything but a civilian. I've been around much longer than you'd think, kinda explaining why I hunt the Hunters almost obsessively.

[AsM]: And second, how did you get so much intel? It's almost like he just told you all of this.

[RK]: In a way, he did. When he contacted me.

[AsM]: Are you serious?

[RK]: He opened his book up to me by my getting of his attention, and I just decided to skip around chapters before he realized what he had done. I'm sure he has, but it's too late to do anything. I got what you've been putting days into in a matter of minutes and there's nothing he can do about it.

[AsM]: How can you be so sure?

[RK]: Infrastructure is impossible to transport. If anything, he'll be rushed if he doesn't keep his cool.

[AsM]: Well damn, thank you Ren. I don't know how I can repay you. All I can say is thank you.

[RK]: Further than what I just explained, I cannot say. It's something that only I will know as long as it is remembered. If anything, it could be between him and I.

[AsM]: Something tells me he already has his next five moves planned before us.

[RK]: Then, that private information will help out nicely.

[AsM]: Uh, sure, I guess. Thank you so much again, Ren.

*[AsM] hugs [RK] (very tightly)*
[RK]: Please stop, it hurts.

[AsM]: Oh, sorry.

[RK]: If only the first responders and the government of the United States knew what I knew.

[AsM]: You mind telling Grace Nam if and when she returns?

[RK]: I could just tell everyone, possibly risking my feigned identity I have created, about what I have done. But I'm too smart for that.

[AsM]: If you don't mind me asking, what *are* you going to do?

[RK]: I could walk up there, and if they somehow decide to give a shit about me then they'll see "Ty Resium" in their agent logs upon inspecting my watch. No one will ever know how I came to be, and no one needs to know what I know now. Not even you. The world will never know the truth behind your so-called HVT.

[AsM]: But, why?

[RK]: Do you happen to know the phrase, "Speak now or forever hold your peace"?

[AsM]: Of course I do, I'm married. Have been twice.

[RK]: I have gotten used to making peace with everything, did you really think that when he contacted me that I spoke to him at all?

[AsM]: I didn't know what to expect, Ren.

[RK]: Without further ado, let us fall back to Aki's proposition. I believe now I have an answer, until I must change it.

*end*
### **Epilogue**

[01]: Hmm.

*Gunfire is heard*
[01]: What? What did you just do, shit that hurt.

[02]: I was under the impression you didn't raise sudden outbursts.

[01]: But, I shot you!

[02]: And I'm good at picking up on things.

[01]: Who are you.

[02]: Vanguard.

[01]: Yes, I am.

[02]: Anger.

[01]: You? You're Anger?

[02]: You mentioned me before.

[01]: I didn't know such an influential figure would be so foolish to take their own risks.

[02]: Development exists.

[01]: Who do you represent?

[02]: Myself.

[01]: Even with all that tech?

[02]: Your friend donated them to me.

[01]: You didn't even kill him.

[02]: I didn't have to.

[01]: What are you doing here?

[02]: I'll be back. Move if you like, find out how I know.

[01]: I know you'll be back.

[02]: We are both loners.

[01]: I have to say, if only I had a mask like you.

*[02] aside*
[02]: Did you want at him too? That's a shame. Regroup with me later. Don't get the other one involved yet, leave it to us two.

*end*