Chapter Text
It had been just a few days since the group had returned from Africa, a few days since they uncovered a plot to use the continent’s wildlife as living weapons. Richard and Harry were both sitting in a cell, reflecting over everything that had happened up until then. Neither Arakan, the true mastermind of the plot, or Daniella were with them.
“Where are they?” Richard muttered to himself, standing up and watching as several people walked by, going about their usual routine in the prison, “If Arakan comes back, I’ll kill him.” As if hearing his comment, Arakan appeared in front of the cell door, walking towards them, showing no signs of aggression or rage. It was clear he was there to talk, not to fight.
“Hey, Richard, and Harry,” Arakan said, his voice soft and low. Despite the atrocities he commited, his kindness was genuine; he never wanted to drag either of them into this situation, but knew he had no other option, “I know you might not trust me, but just hear me out, please.”
Richard walked towards the cell door and spat in his face, “What makes you think we can trust you, Arakan?” He growled, gritting his teeth, “You KTG agents are no different from one another; you manipulate others to do your dirty work, commit terrible crimes around the world, and cause suffering to innocent creatures.”
Arakan wiped the spit off his face with the sleeve of his shirt, showing no sign of being offended, “Yes, the KTG did do those things. I never agreed to them, though,” He replied, pacing back-and-to by the cell, his hands behind his back. He stopped pacing, standing just in front of the cell. “I founded the KTG to help nature be in balance, especially after what mankind did to it. Yes, a few animals and people may die, but that’s part of the natural balance.”
Richard glared at Arakan, daggers in his eyes. He tried reaching out to grab Arakan’s shirt, but Arakan moved out of the way, avoiding his grasp. “At least you’re better than Jeremy Goldberg,” Richard snapped, threatening to strangle Arakan, “He didn’t care about anyone. Neither did Terryal, it seems, with the way he treated everyone.”
“Actually, Richard, you’re wrong there,” Arakan responded, as though he were a teacher correcting a student on a test, “Terryal, or rather Nathaniel Lloyd, did care about someone. Two people, in fact; his mother, and his sister.”
Harry, who was still sitting down, looked towards him, “His sister? What do you mean, Arakan?” He asked, having no knowledge of Nathaniel. He knew the two of them had to be related, somehow, though.
“I think you know who I’m talking about, Harry,” Arakan said, seeing the look of guilt and horror in Harry’s eyes. Everything went quiet around them, the light suddenly going dim, “Your own sister: Natasha Lloyd.”
Richard took a step back, the name sending chills down his spine; Natasha was a horrific murderer, with a liking for brutally killing her targets in the most gruesome ways. She was responsible for many deaths, especially those of her friends. “So, Terryal was motivated by his sister’s death?” he said, shaking his head. As much as he hated the two of them, he still felt sorry for Nathaniel, knowing how terrible it can be to lose someone you love.
Arakan was about to speak up when his phone buzzed in his pocket. He took it out and looked at the screen, which displayed the words ‘PRIVATE NUMBER’. He pressed the phone against his ear and spoke. “Hello, how can I help?” He asked. After hearing the caller’s answer, he passed the phone over to Richard, who put it on speaker for the others to hear, “he wants to speak with you,” Arakan said.
“Richard Jackson, what a surprise to see you still alive,” the caller said, his voice deep and distorted. Richard figured he was using some sort of modulator to disguise his voice, “Especially after all that drama in Africa. Yes, I knew all about that. As you can probably guess, my ‘friend’ Arkwright told me before he died.”
Richard looked like he wanted to reach through the phone and punch whoever was on the other end in the face. “Who is this?” he asked, his breathing getting heavier.
“Who I am is of no concern to you, Richard,” the caller answered, clearly offended by Richard’s comment, “I can tell you what I want, however; I’d like to propose a ‘deal’ of sorts.”
Richard looked towards Harry, who seemed just as confused as he did. What was this man talking about?
“What kind of deal are you proposing?” Harry asked, making sure the caller could hear, “Are you asking for help? A trade? What?”
“I guess you could say a trade, Harry,” the caller replied, his voice smug, “But I prefer to call it an exchange. If Richard comes into the main room with his friend Szylvia, I’ll gladly return Daniella to him unharmed. And don’t try and back out of this, it will not go well for anyone. You might sometimes be the one playing the cards, Richard, but the odds will always end up in my favour.”
Harry and Richard both looked towards eachother, both wondering how they could solve this dilemma. “What are you thinking, Richard? You can’t go through with this,” Harry said, knowing Richard agreed to the deal, “For all you know, this could be some kind of trap. He might not bring Daniella to you, unharmed at least. Or, even worse, he might find some way to turn her against you.”
“I’m taking that chance, Harry,” Richard said. With that, he turned around. Arakan unlocked both his cell and Szylvia’s, allowing them both out. He decided to stay behind, figuring it would be good if only Richard and Szylvia went. Richard and Szylvia walked down the hallway towards the main room, where the exchange was to take place.
The room seemed completely empty, with not even a single living thing in sight. They both looked around, trying to figure out what was going on. Was Harry right? Had they both been led into a trap? As if to answer their question, however, Daniella ran straight towards them, a warm smile on her face.
“Daniella, are you alright?” Richard asked, looking around for anyone else, “Where’s the one who made the deal?”
“He told me he’d rather not show his face, so he sent some agents to take Szylvia,” Daniella said, as two guards walked up to Szyliva and grabbed him by the wrists, dragging him away from the others as he struggled against their grasp. “Don’t worry Richard. We’re together now, in life and death. Nothing can hurt us.” Richard felt a sharp pain in his side and looked down; Daniella had forced a long, sharp blade into him. Harry was right; however; the caller did manage to turn Daniella against them. Daniella pulled the blade away, wiping it on her hyena-pelt jacket. Richard struggled to stand, but fell down as he held his wound, trying to stop the bleeding.
“I’m sorry, Richard, but he’ll kill me otherwise,” Daniella said, a single tear trickling down her cheek. She turned and walked away, not wanting to see Richard in such a state.
Back at the cell, Arakan and Harry were waiting for Richard and Daniella to return. Arakan looked at his watch; it was almost half ten in the evening. “What’s taking them so long?” He wondered. Before either of them could say anymore, an explosion echoed somewhere in the hallway, sending several bodies, both intact and dismembered, flying about the place. He looked towards where the explosion came from and saw someone walking towards them, carrying a large energy cannon in hand. Their hearts sank as they saw who it was; Daniella Harrison.
Daniella put her cannon on her back and drew out two long blades from beneath her jacket. The handles were fashioned from the front limbs of a spotted hyena, one Harry assumed was a member of her own clan, the blades made of thin, yet strong metal. Daniella pressed a button on the handle of both weapons, and electricity started surging through the blades.
“We need to go, now!” Arakan said, pulling out his pistol and firing it at Daniella, who managed to dodge and deflect each shot. It was enough to keep her distracted momentarily, however.
“Hang on, where’s Richard?” Harry wondered, knowing something was wrong, “he should be here with her, I thought that was the deal; he gives the caller Szylvia, and the caller gives him Daniella,” His expression changed as relation dawned on him, “Except the called never said anything about Richard coming back.”
“Harry, is something wrong?” Arakan asked, turning to him, seeing the troubled look on his face.
“Arakan, this deal was a setup,” Harry replied, drawing his sword, which Arakan allowed him to keep in case he needed to defend himself, “Whoever called him didn’t plan on Richard returning, only Daniella. I suspect the caller managed to turn Daniella against us, and used the deal as a cover so we didn’t suspect anything until it was too late.”
Daniella swung one of her blades down, aiming to cut Harry half. Harry blocked the blow with his sword, swinging it up to deflect the weapon and the two became engaged in a duel. Daniella managed to maintain the upper hand, getting a few hits on Harry, wounding him several times.
They fought throught the corridors, taking out several guards in the process. Daniella was fueled by pure rage, wanting to cut Harry down then and there. Sparks flew everywhere as their weapons clashed, each hoping to take the other down.
They soon reached a large room filled with several desks, each with a computer monitor sitting atop. The screens were switched off, the room mostly empty with no-one in sight. In the centre of the room was a large, glass oval table surrounded by approximately twenty leather chairs.
Daniella disarmed Harry, throwing him onto the table, which shattered beneath his weight. Harry became dazed for a moment, but managed to get back up to his feet, picking up his sword to continue facing Daniella.
Daniella pushed Harry against the wall, holding one of her blades just an inch away from his neck. Harry could almost feel the spark coming off it as he tried to push her away.
“I’m sorry, I have no choice, Harry,” Daniella said, a tear making its way down her cheek, her blade getting closer to his neck, “but he told me he would kill me if I don’t do what he asked, I even had to kill some of my own clan.”
Harry’s eyes widdened in shock. “Kill your own clan, the ones you love most?” He asked, trying to comprehend everything she said. Tears started streaming from his eyes like rivers, “Why… Why would he force you to do such a thing?”
Before Daniella could say anything, she dropped her blades, clutching her shoulder as blood seeperd from it, soaking her white shirt. She fell to her knees, crawling away from the scene as blood dripped to the floor. After managing to get to her feet, she looked towards Harry for a second, then turned back as a mysterious figure took her away.
Looking up, Harry saw Arakan standing on the balcony, aiming a sniper-rifle down towards him. Arakan put the rifle down, and made his way down the stairs to where Harry was. Richard stood beside him, clutching his stomach where Daniella stabbed him. Arakan had the decency to wrap a bandage around his abdomen so he wouldn’t bleed out.
Harry saw Richard’s injuries and knew instantly what had happened. His mind became clouded, remembering every time he had been betrayed; how Jeremy had manipulated him for several years, how Arkwright used them to achieve his goals. The entire world around him became a blur as he remained frozen on the spot, collapsing to his knees.
Arakan walked by and lifted him to his feet, carrying him outside where a large, black SUV was waiting. He sat Harry down in the back seat alongside Richard, the three of them remaining silent as they departed from the building. Harry sat there, still in shock at everything that had happened, everything he heard, including Daniella’s words which kept echoing in his mind.
The drive took them a few hours, but they soon arrived at a small house in the middle of the countryside. The walls were made from white stone, a wooden door at the front. There was a small garden with a few trees and flowers, with paving stones leading up to the door. The three of them walked up the path towards the door.
Upon reaching the door, Arakan took out a set of keys, finding the right one before using it to unlock the door, letting them inside. Once they entered the house, they made their way into the living room. Harry almost collapsed, resting his hand against the wall to support himself as he started feeling whoozy. Unable to stand any longer, he slumped to the ground, tears streaming down his face as he clutched his head in his hands.
Richard, realising the state his friend was in, went over and rested a hand on his shoulder. “Harry, what happened there?” He asked, knowing Harry was upset about something. He sat by his friend, trying to keep him calm, “This is about Daniella, isn’t it?”
“Yes, and no,” Harry sobbed, wiping tears from his eyes with the back of his sleeve. He looked towards Richard, happy to see his friend there, “It’s just… When Daniella said she had to kill some of her clan, it made me wonder how many of my friends, my family, I let die. And when she said someone told her to do it, it reminded me of all the times we’ve been manipulated, used as a pawn for someone else’s schemes.”
Arakan, listening in on the conversation, spoke up. “What Harry means, Richard, is that Daniella betrayed all of us. We should never have trusted her,” He said, raising his voice, “I mean, what did you expect working with someone named the ‘Savannah Slayer’, huh?”
“No, she did not betray us, Arakan!” Richard snapped, still trying to keep Harry calm. He glared at Arakan, who stood there, giving no reaction, “As I’m sure you heard, she didn’t willingly turn against us, someone using her. And I suspect that the same ‘someone’ is whoever made that false deal in the first place!”
Arakan, realising an argument wouldn’t be worth it, left the room, leaving Harry and Richard alone. Richard turned his attention back to Harry, who managed to calm down.
“Richard, I think you already knew she didn’t willingly betray us, didn’t you?” Harry asked, seeing the lack of surprise in Richard’s face. He stood up, walking over to the corner of the room.
“You’re right, I did,” Richard replied, sitting walking over to a blue fabric sofa and sitting down, “When I went to get her as part of the exchange, she stabbed me in the stomach. At that moment, I could see the conflict on her face, hear it in her voice. I think the same as you, Harry; someone is using her, likely using us all.”
Harry nodded in agreement, “So, we know Daniella didn’t betray us, the real question is who did, and why?”