"Luca," Bong whispered. "How far away is their apartment?" Luca now brought up a holographic map of the building, furrowing his brow as he studied the schematics. "I'd say five maybe ten minutes."
"Shouldn't we be useing our call signs and ranks PFC Joon," Setepenre teased. Bong-cha scowled, slowly turning to face the mummy. "If it's just the three of us there's no chance in hell I'm calling you Puma or Private or whatever. Now let's get this over with!"
Set said nothing, already sensing her friends foul mood. The trio found themselves in an unenviable situation, prisoners of a psychotic organization to be used as hired assassins. They had left their homes because they wished to be free. Now, they found themselves on an invisible leash. Failure wasn't an option meaning that in the end either the wizards would lose their lives or they would.
"Why is it so dark? Was the power cut?"
Set paused, Bong-cha had a point. It seemed as if an inky darkness had descended upon the trio. Odder still, communications appeared to be cut. Set had expected Choon Hee to chastise them for not useing their call signs or for talking. Instead, the earpieces they wore appeared dead. A feeling of dread now washing over the mummy. Static could be explained but a complete shut down of communications was worrying. Couple that with the darkness that now seemed to envelope them and Set realized what was happening. They weren't alone.
Realizing the danger they were in the mummy now tried to warn her friends. Before she could utter a word, the shadows seemed to spring to life. Tendrils of pure shadow now wrapped themselves around the trios throats, their grip like iron and making it impossible to speak, let alone draw breath. Gagging they now watched as a female figure wearing a plague mask now emerged from the shadows as if birthed by the darkness.
"Hmm Normal assassins," she said.
"Who are you," Bong gasped, the tendril tightening around her throat. The woman said nothing, slowly circling around them as she studied them carefully. "Vampire, werewolf, mummy," she said softly. "The Normal must be stepping up their game. I guess they got tired of me killing off their assassins." Bong choked, her eyes going wide as she gazed into the reddish lenses of the plague mask. She could already tell the woman was a wizard with a malicious streak. Even though she couldn't see her face, something told the vampire she was enjoying this torture a little too much. Stepping back, the wizard now loosened the grip on the trio, uttering a single word.
Misery.
"Misery," Luca asked in confusion. Misery simply nodded, still studying the three would be assassins carefully. "I can already tell you three don't want to be here," she said. "Looks like they chipped you. That's an easy enough fix." Without another word, Misery flicked her wrist. Bong, Set, and Luca gurgling in pain as three tendrils of darkness now pierced their throats. The trio nearly crying out in pain as they sank to their knees before hearing a series of explosions behind them. "What the fuck was that," Bong gasped.
"The nano bombs in your neck," Misery replied. "I've had some practice removing them. You should thank me, first few times killed the prisoners I was trying to free." Bong, Set, and Luca rubbed their necks, thankful to be free but angered at the fact this wizard could've killed them.
"I'll keep it brief," Misery stated. "I've been keeping tabs on the wizards in this timeline. Those two, their friends...sort of. However, I've operated a bit differently than the other wizards. They think I'm a bit....extreme in how I deal with the Normal and the One Humanity. They don't want to kill unless it's a last resort. Me, I realize that the Normal won't stop unless their dead."
"So you're a killer," Bong-cha replied.
"I prefer the term vigilante," Misery answered. "And in war can you really be called a killer?" The trio was quiet, exchanging glances between one another. They weren't sure what was worse. A dark, murdering wizard or the Normal. "So what do you want from us," they asked.
"A partnership," Misery replied. "I've freed you of the nano bombs and control chips but if you run the Normal will find you. I'm willing to take you to my timeline if you'll help me take them down."
"So instead of killing wizards you want us to kill the people who caught us?"
"I could always just turn you back over to the Normal." Bong-cha, Setepenre, and Luca looked at one another. They weren't the types to join a resistance but if it meant revenge against their jailers it did have some appeal. "We're in."
Misery nodded, the trio noticing a portal now open behind the masked wizard. As it did, the shadowy restraints the three had around them vanished. Cautiously they now followed Misery through.
Stepping through the portal, the trio was confused as they beheld a rather bleak apartment. The home was almost creepy in its normality with a couch and television in the living room they now stood in. "Easy Lilith," Misery stated. The trio turned to see a young teen now pointing a gun at them, a cigarette burning in her mouth. "What the fuck," Bong exclaimed. "You have a pint size assassin living with you?"
"Her name is Lilith Kane," Misey replied. "The Normal were trying to capture her, the same way they captured you. I took out her would be captors and brought her here." The others nodded, wearily watching the young teen as she lowered her weapon.
Misery sighed, slowly removing her mask, allowing her four guests to finally see her face. All were surprised now to behold a young, college age woman with red hair. Lilith's jaw dropping as she recognized the young woman's face. "Ms. McKinnon?"
"Who's Ms. McKinnon," Set exclaimed.
"A teacher at my school," Lilith stammered. "But that's impossible! She's in a wheelchair and a bit older."
"I'm her doppelganger or she's mine," Misery replied. "I brought you four to my timeline. Right now the Normal think you're all dead but they still have a presence here. The wizards that are here have been trying to stop them but Kellie, Jack, and the others are a bit more squeamish about doing what's necessary. I'm hoping you four aren't." The group now tried to take in everything they heard. An alternate timeline? A blood thirsty wizard? It was a bit overwhelming.
"For the time being you guys can stay here," Misery replied. "I just have two rules. Don't trash my place and don't hurt my cat. Other than that we're cool." The group nodded, wearily looking at one another. Whether they liked it or not it seemed they were now part of a larger war.