Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

There were screams and fire everywhere. I couldn’t focus, my legs hurt from running, my vision blurred with smoke. Dad couldn’t be found anywhere and I got separated from mom.

“Ella! Mom!” I screamed, out of breath.

I stumbled around a bit trying not to fall, fatigue was gaining on me. The area was getting hot, everyone was pushing each other trying to escape.

“Ella!” I screamed out again.

The tears were forming in my eyes, my lungs were burning from soreness. I heard coughs and other people yelling out. The air was full of smoke and haze, I couldn’t think, I couldn’t breath. I needed to get out but I needed to find my family first.

I wobbled before collapsing to my knees and coughing harshly, my vision was doubled, my body heavy. Everything was going dark. Why was this happening?

“Please,” my voice cracked as tears dripped down my cheeks, “Ella, mom. Dad, anyone…”

I fell down fully before curling up in a ball trying to filter what I was breathing. I open my mouth but only a squeak comes out. I tear up more, my eyes closing as the heat rises around me.

It goes quiet for what seems like forever before I’m pulling into someone’s arms. “Lyra for god sake wake up!” They yell, shaking me while running. It was Ella, my sister. I didn’t have enough energy to talk, it only came out as a painful cough.

“Lyra!” She screams again. She notices my coughing and continues running. Her grip tightened on me, I couldn’t tell where we were going.

“Da-d. Mom,” I say regaining a bit of my strength.

“Mom’s safe,” She responds.

I can feel us leaving the area as the heat from the fire starts to lower. She didn’t answer where dad was. I reach out to hold onto Ella but as my hands reach her neck she falls down and drops me. She screams in pain while I fall and dislocate my shoulder. My eyebrow also gets sliced on some metal panels from the building.

I take a sharp breath in agony and look towards my sister. I try to say something, anything but nothing comes out. She was struggling from under fallen debris. I couldn’t think, I couldn’t do anything, I couldn’t stop crying, I needed to do something.

Anything. Anything at all.

I sink my hand into the ground and drag myself over to her.

“Lyra! Lyra, please, get out of here. I need you to find mom! Go, please!” She cried in pain, she could get out with support.

I reach out, blood not allowing me to see out of my one eye and grab her arm. I had to save her, I had to get her out, I had to muster enough strength to drag her out.

“Please listen to me, I beg of you. You have to go,” Her voice strained and cracked under pressure and tears. The marine corp had never trained her for this.

My hand grips her forearm and I stagger to my feet and lean backwards. I pushed my feet into the ground sliding forwards but kept pushing. She grabbed onto the ground pushing off of it before latching onto my hand. With immense effort I fell backwards and got her out.

Ella laid still for a while trying to catch her breath. We both coughed violently, the smoke hurting our lungs. My body was sore, so sore. I was pushing myself too far past my limit but I made my way over to her again. She turned herself facing me while I sat on my knees leaning over her.

“Lyra,” she breathed, “go find mom. She-“ Ella coughed and didn’t finish her sentence.

She reaches out her hand for my face. She brushes against it.

“I’m not going to leave you.” I say locking my hand in hers as it falls back down. Silence follows for a few minutes. My eyes shut tight as more tears stream down my face.

“Mit Rosen bedacht, Mit Näglein besteckt.” She sings with a rough voice. My eyes open and I look at her.
*Covered with roses, studded with nails*

“Schlupf unter die Deck. Morgen früh, wenn Gott will.” Her voice was beautiful like always. She sang me songs when I had trouble going to sleep and this was my favorite one, Wiegenlied.
*Slip under the deck. Tomorrow morning, if God willing.*

“Stop, please you’re not going to die.” I slump down next to her not having enough energy to stay upright. The next part was something that didn’t make our situation look good. She wasn’t going to die, she needed to live. She had to live.

“Von Englein bewacht.” She stopped to breathe then reached for her dog tag. “Take it and please leave.” I shook my head while she took it off. I was losing my vision, I couldn’t stay awake much longer.
*Guarded by angels*

She let go of my hand and put the necklace on me. Her thumb wiped the tears off my face as she smiled at me.

“Ella, you’re not going to die! Swear you’re not going to die.” It was useless of her as more tears swelled in my eyes.

“Take care of mom.” She turned her head looking at the burning building. Her smile stayed present before it went neutral.

“Ella, Ella please.” I coughed not being able to move. I closed my eyes and reached for her hand again, “Wake up.”

The world goes silent as I lose consciousness.

I don’t know how long I had been out but when I started to phase in and out of consciousness I saw a man helping people, he looked like one of the agents from dads job. It wasn’t long before he spotted my sister and I. He picked me up but I couldn’t seem to hold onto any of his facial features and I ended up fully blacking out before I could process anything.

Chapter Text

Ring…

Ring…

Ring…

The noise of a phone goes off. The caller ID was covered up with some random letters and numbers.

Ring…

Ring…

Ring…

The phone goes off again, rattling against the wood of the desk.

Ring-

I yank the phone off my nightstand, answering it. I had a terrible hangover and just wanted to sleep it off. It wasn’t often that I got that drunk either but my last mission went wrong despite me completing it.

“Who the hell is calling at, like, five in the morning?” Silence follows as the person on the other side sighs. I rub my eyes groaning a little, I needed to get some ibuprofen as soon as possible, my side was killing me.

“Nice of you to answer my call, Flying Ace. Firstly it’s eleven in the morning, secondly I have a job for you. Noel, my dear sister's husband, has been cheating on her for a while. We have all the evidence to get her divorced but I want to make him suffer. I want to make him regret the day he was born.” Anthony leaned back in his chair tapping his finger on the armrest in a rhythm. Despite his calmness I could hear the anger in his voice.

“Hello Sir, may I ask why can Lorelei ask you to kill him?” I clear my throat now wide awake as I’m talking to him. “It’s easier for both of us. Not to mention how I almost failed the last mission I was given. You’re not normally giving out new missions after a big mess up like that.” I wasn’t going to complain but it wasn’t like him to give a new mission right after one was messed up. He could be testing me but that was highly unlikely. I had already earned his trust in me.

“She’ll most likely be a suspect for his death and I am not going to let her go to jail. You are also one of my top assassins. Yes, you messed up but I can look past it for now, however you will be working with a partner for this mission just for some extra help.” Boss explained as he looked over the details in his office. I could hear him flipping through the pages on the other end of the call.

Damnit! I don’t like working with partners and he knows this. I doubt I could talk him out of it either.

“So,” I linger on the word, elongating it before sitting up. I was probably going to be shut down even if I tried, “who’s going to be my partner and what exactly am I doing?” I shifted around my weight, I was supposed to assassinate someone in a high power but ended up getting hurt by security and almost didn’t take the guy out.

“Tiger will be your partner. He has the qualifications for a bartender just like you but he’s new to our organization. I’m hoping he could get some training from you or at least pick something up on how agents like us work. As far as the mission details go I will send them to you a little later.”

“Don’t you think it’s a bad idea for someone so new to be partnered with me? Or any top assassin?” I had only been in the exterminator’s for six years but I climbed the rank extremely fast due to how I acted. I was among the top assassins and didn’t go easy on people and my motivations only fueled that fire.

“Yes, he will get first hand experience on how my top assassins work. You will keep him in check and he will make sure you don’t mess up again.” Boss says while I sigh. I was frustrated but wasn’t going to show it, I didn’t like working with partners and I really didn’t like newbies. 

Boss spoke up, continuing his sentence. “Since Lorelei will be singing, you and Tiger will also be on the lookout for people who get too close to her. And be on the lookout for any police or other agents, it's not going to be a private party so anyone could be at the bar. Most of the security will be stationed so Noel doesn’t leave earlier than he’s supposed to.” I stand up but take a sharp breath clutching my side in pain. My stitches hurt like hell. I breath out steadily and lift my shirt up seeing if anything ripped.

Anthony looks straight forward staring at a photo hanging in his office. He pressed his lips into a thin line hearing Ali’s breath.

“Right, I’m basically running down his business, I can do that but can Tiger do the same? I’m worried he’ll ruin everything since he’s new.” I look at the bandages around my side but don’t see any blood and relief washes over me when there's not. However the dark purple and blue bruises seemed to be spreading which was slightly concerning but was probably just part of the healing process. I had gone through injuries before, it was nothing I couldn’t handle.

“You’re not going to get out of partner work if that’s what you’re trying to do. And regardless of who I put you with, this mission is something you should have a partner for.” I sigh not wanting to accept it but do regardless, whatever Boss said was law.

“Got it, well, I’ll make sure everything goes according to plan Sir.”

“You better because you know the consequences.” He says sternly and ends the call. I sit on the edge of my bed looking down at my phone, contemplating, then get up.

I look in the mirror adjusting and smoothing out the bartender uniform I was given. I adjust the cuffs one final time, pull the front of my hair into a ponytail, keeping it out of my eyes, and leave the rest down then walk out of the room. I had already looked over the plans and it was easy to say the least. 

Noel was going to be screwing girls in his office as long as Lorelei sang, which was going to be all night and Boss planned everything based on that information. Surprisingly no one was going to be killed and it was just a plan of revenge. 

I continued walking through the halls, hands in my pockets till I got to the main lobby of the exterminator’s headquarters. Our coverup jobs were simple pest exterminators but of course it was all a facade. The small lobby itself looked bland and sterile but I had gotten used to it, I had gotten used to pain and discomfort from killing people. It was something every assassin went through.

I stopped to look around before Tiger waved to me and walked towards me with a smile on his face. He’s going to snap like a twig. I think to myself as he puts out his hand. His hair was short, messy and dirt orange, his eyes a light green and he was at least 6’0. He stared down at me, his hand still wanting to shake mine.

“How old are you?” I say looking him dead in his eyes. He retracted his hand showing slight nervousness. 

“I’m 23. My name is Rowan and I’m excited to go on a mission with you!” He smiled at me again. He was dressed in the uniform provided for us and looked clean, yet he was already annoying me. I had never liked meeting new people, not after what kept happening to them.

“Right, names’ Alister. You’re new so first things first, don’t fuck up the mission. Secondly, don't distract me while we’re doing our job. I don’t like partners so don’t annoy me.” I glare at him and turn, walking away. He follows and quickly catches up.

“Alister’s a weird name for a girl like you and this job requires us to communicate. Mr. DeCarlo put us as partners for a reason.” He asks while looking down at me. He looked innocent and others might have described him as an upbeat guy who wouldn’t ever hurt a fly.

“Don’t care, just keep your focus on your people and I’ll keep any eye on Lorelei while serving people.” I say but look over to him, he was a young guy. “How many years have you been bartending and how did you even find this place?”

“Oh, I’ve only been bartending for about 2 years now and I found out about this job because I met one of Mr. DeCarlo’s assistants.”

“So you’ve never killed someone before. Don’t you think this job is going to be hard for you? I mean you don’t seem like the type of guy who’s got the gut to even hit someone.”

“That’s not… true. I’m new, I have training to go through. I’m sure I’ll make it up to your position someday.” I abruptly stop before swinging around and grab his collar. He gasps in shock, grabbing my wrist with both his hands. His knees bend and he hits the floor.

“Listen here, you do not fit in with this world. You better have some kind of motivation to even be here because if you don’t you’re going to get killed so fucking fast no one will bat an eye,” My grip tightens as I pull him closer, “your body will rot without a proper funeral. You will never reach anything higher than an amateur.” I shove him away and he stumbles backwards. My eyes narrow at him as he stares at me in disbelief and a hint of fear. He gets up, straightening himself out and fixes his collar while I walk out not waiting for him. 

He’s a rookie and he needs to learn his place.

Chapter Text

I wiped down the tables while Rowan conversed with the customers he was serving. It was early in the night, only being 7:45 but it was packed as expected. Boss had managed to jack down the prices to only 90p or less without Noel noticing but he was an oblivious person either way. Lorelei wasn't scheduled to sing till 8 so no creeps were here, yet.

Rowan didn't exactly follow the simple rule I set for him but I kept my cool like the professional I was around the customers. He was an annoying person with no experience of anything in the assassin world, I knew he wasn't going to survive long. And his personality only made him stand out more, it was like a ball of sunshine and it didn't belong here.

Though it wasn't just Rowan and I running the bar. There were a few more 'lookout' people running as security and making sure Noel didn't come down too early. I accepted them as backup as Boss needed them here and I wasn't in direct contact with them. There were some regulars but they didn't mind or question the sudden change in bartenders. I didn't mind these regulars too much as they knew what they wanted and I didn't have to give them any recommendations.

The bar itself was a medium size and around a corner. It wasn't exactly hidden as it got some good profit. The inside was dark in some areas but was lit up with the larger lights on the sides, a stage was in the front; used by Lorelei while the bar counter was large and on the side. The tables and wood used were a pretty nice type and coated in resin so it didn't dent easily. It was your standard bar and customer, nothing too bad.

"Hey, Alister?" I'm pulled from my thoughts as Rowan speaks up behind the counter.

"What?"

"How do you make a caesar? It's a drink not a salad." I look up from the table I just cleaned off. That wasn't a well known drink around London.

"Do you just want me to make it? It's mostly a Canadian thing. National drink actually." Rowan backs up as I get behind the counter. He looks at me curiously.

"Well, what's in it? I've never heard of it before." I started shuffling through the mixes we had trying to find all the ingredients. He leans over my shoulder looking at what I'm getting and I use my foot to push him away a little. He gets the hint and backs up but still stays leaned over me for the most part. God he was so annoyingly curious.

"Vodka, clam juice, tomato juice, spices and Worcestershire sauce." Rowan's hands immediately cover his mouth as I see him visibly gag from my peripheral vision. It was a thicker drink then most people would ever have so that may have been the thing to tick him off.

"That's fucking disgusting!" He yells in a hushed voice, I roll my eyes and start making the drink.

Rowan decided he didn't want to serve the person anymore so he left to serve a more normal customer as he stated it. He had quite a weak stomach if he couldn't make a simple drink but someone would set him straight; whether it was in a good or bad way.

I let out a breath, noticing a lot more people coming through the door. It was eight at this point and Lorelei was getting onto the stage. I looked at the security as they made sure everything was going smoothly, they stood out a lot but made sure to stay hidden in the shadows of the bar.

OoOoOoOoO

It looked like rush hour in the bar and Rowan was struggling to keep up. The two years of experience wasn't helping him here so I ended up taking most of the harder drinks to make. He tried to make some comments on how good I was but I made him shut up.

Lorelei was singing and going to take a small break soon. Surprisingly not many creeps had come in and the ones that got too close were thrown out. Pretty rough might I add, they were dragged by the arms and tossed like a rag doll. It was funny to watch and no one batted an eye. They were too drunk and having fun to even notice.

Rowan was already tired out because he wasn't used to so many people but he was just making excuses. He passed by me tapping the counter.

"Another two just came in." I looked up from the customer I was just serving and looked at the new group. They sat down and laughed loudly, annoyingly loud. They looked old but somehow young, I knew they were going to be a handful just from looking at them.

"Hey guys, what can I get for ya?" I say sliding over towards their side of the bar counter. The one had slicked back blonde hair and a leather jacket on. His toothy grin that he flashed at me made him look like he was part of a gang which I wouldn't be surprised about. He stopped talking to his partner for a moment looking me up and down still grinning.

"Well, well, well, look what we've got here Jake." He elbowed his friend and they snickered. I would have jumped over the counter and shot them but we were in public.

"I'd like a vodka cranberry missy." The blonde one answered. I looked over to the second one, they both looked scruffy and no good.

"New York sour on the Rocks." I nodded as they got out their ID's and handed them to me. I stared at them almost laughing but kept a straight face as I read them, they were only 35. I would have thought they were at least 60 or older because of their appearance.

I set down their beers and try to walk away but they call after me.

"And how about we get your number?" There it was, I really wasn't going to get a break from these guys.

"No thanks, I'm good." I waved their words away but they persisted.

"Oh come on honey. You're a cute bartender and I bet you know a lot of good drinks, if you know what I mean." The blonde guy nudges his friend again and he nods with a smile. Rowan walks behind me going to another customer but I see him glance over with a worried look.

"I'm not a heavy drinker let alone someone who hooks up. And believe it or not I'm not someone who acts like alcoholic frat boys." The blonde guy slammed his fists against the table pissed off while the friend scowled at me.

"You're not even that attractive! With a chest that flat and short hair you could easily pass as a man!" He stood up and leaned over coming in closer to my face.

"Wow, imagine having such a fragile ego you can't take no for an answer." I cross my arms and smirk at him.

"You're such a bitch!" The second yelled out latching onto my collar pulling me face to face. Rowan slammed down the drinks he was holding and reached for the man but someone else spoke up.

"Let the lady go." The guy wore a suit, glasses and held onto an umbrella. He glared at the man holding onto me while Rowan backed up and went towards security.

"Shut the hell up old man." The blonde man said getting in front of the guy to prevent him from getting to his friend.

"You're one to talk but I do suggest you let go." I say snickering as their faces become more enraged.

"You also need to shut your trap girl. Learn your place and grow out your hair. You'd look much prettier." The friend reached for my hair but I slapped his hand away. His frown slipped upwards into a grin. He was probably getting off at thinking I was struggling.

"You would look prettier with a bullet in your head." I make a finger gun to the center of his head and pretend I was shooting him. If I had a gun and this wasn't a public place I would have actually shot him. The blonde man looks at me confused before his friend yanks me closer and grabs my dog tag that was slightly hidden underneath my shirt. I slide over the counter and punch him square in the noise forcing him to his knees. He groans blood now covering his face and hands.

"What the hell!" The blonde man yells. The guy who spoke up for me reaches for him but I grab his collar first and pull him in close, kneeing his crotch. He falls down next to his friend writhing in pain.

"Don't fuck with the bartenders." I say looking down at them before putting my dog tag back in my shirt. Rowan finally comes over with security and I nod to the door. They grab the men and throw them out.

"Are you okay ma'am?" The guy asks, sitting back down as I walk back behind the counter. I pressed my arm close to my side, I definitely pulled it too much as I slid over the counter.

"Yeah I'm great." Rowan reaches a hand for my shoulder but I push him away. He nods still worried and goes back to serving people.

"Men these days don't know what manners are." The guy sits with a good posture, he was rather refined for someone at a bar. Not to mention he had a suit on which wasn't the normal thing you'd see from a bar customer.

"I'll have to agree with you on that. So what can I get for ya sir?" Fighting people was easy for me, it had become an unconscious thing but holding back when the place was crowded was a bit hard. Especially if they grab my sister's dog tag like that, that just pisses me off.

"Just a guinness." I nod, grabbing a cup filling it.

"Thanks for trying to help me." The drink hits the table and he nods back.

"It was nothing, I am impressed with how you handled it. You're quite skillful." He adjusts his cuffs and slightly moves his umbrella. I looked at it for a moment, it looked off but I didn't question anything.

"Yeah, my pa and sis taught me some skills when I was younger." I say leaning back and observing the bar, it was loud but Lorelei was singing louder. People were having fun and drinking a lot, thankfully those bastards seemed like the only hiccup and hopefully would be.

"So are you here for drinks or Lorelei's singing?" Rowan passes in front of me placing down drinks for the other customers. It had calmed down throughout the night so he was able to catch up and not be so anxious.

"I'm actually here to talk to your boss, Mr. Szwans." He raises the Guinness to his lips but stops as I answer him.

"Oh, he's upstairs in his office fuckin' girls." He sets his drink down staring at me. He looked confused but showed hints of concern. "Lorelei already knows."

"Oh, uh, when is he free?" I shrug my shoulders but rummage through the front desk grabbing a notepad.

"Don't know but here's his number." The paper rips and I slide it towards him.

"Thank you miss...?" He takes the paper and slides it into his front pocket. The watch on his wrist looked familiar, very familiar. I'd seen it before somewhere but I don't remember where.

"My friends call me Ali, at least they would if I had any." I fold my arms together and grin. I'd figure I'd have some fun since it was going to be a long night and this guy seemed interesting.

He chuckles lightly, "You're quite a humorous person." The sound of a shout echoed. "I'm Harry, Harry Hart." I repeat his name, getting it into my head. It had a certain ring to it, a familiar ring.

A person raised their hand making a signal for another shot so I turned to get one. "So what do you do for work? You seem quite refined for someone like yourself." It would have probably been better to pass time with some small talk.

"I'm a Kingsman tailor." He said, my grip on the shot glass tightened fast, shattering it. My smile disintegrated and my shoulders froze up.

A Kingsman agent. That's why he's familiar, he's one of them.

"That sounds quite interesting." I quickly swipe the broken glass into a trash can before getting another one. I was panicking, why the hell was an agent here? I don't recall Noel doing anything bad or any agents knowing of any Exterminators positions. "I think I've passed that establishment before." He glances up at me and smiles a little.

"Well I hope you didn't come all the way here for Szwans." I exhale trying to act as natural as I did before. I would just continue making small talk until he left.

"I did but since he's... busy, I'll get to him later." I could tell he was still a little flustered about how nonchalant I told him about Noel. I wondered what business he had with him and I assumed it wasn't good. Especially since he was a Kingsman agent.

"I saw on the news the Ace-Rider person unfortunately took another person out." I shifted around, I needed a new topic to converse about. The Agent set down his drink looking at me, his eyes narrowed slightly and his brows furrowed but he relaxed a little.

"It's Flying Ace but yes, it was another unfortunate incident."

"I hope the police can find them soon." I audibly sigh hoping to give the illusion I felt sorry for my victim when I didn't.

"He's quite a talented guy and slippery with the police." I pause for a moment, turning away trying not to laugh. Does his organization think I'm a guy? That's fucking hilarious, the throws them off everything about me. When I turn back to Harry, he's looking at me fully concerned.

"Alister, your side is drenched in blood." I turn to my left as Rowan stands there his voice seeping with worry. He had drinks in his hand and his eyes showed a lot of emotions. I step back grabbing my side, I'm suddenly aware of how much pain I'm in. I instinctively drop to my knees but Rowan goes after me and the agent stands up getting ready to hop the counter.

I open my mouth to say something but the sound of glass shattering and screams stops me.

Chapter Text

Glass falls down next to me. I hear security shout and people run out. The agent's attention strays from me and onto the people. Rowan drops to the ground next to me and presses himself against the backside of the counter.

"Well this place is probably going to be burnt down." I chuckle before grabbing a bottle and looking over the counter. People were fighting and I could recognize some of them as our gang enemies. "Got a lighter?" I grab a rag and pop the bottle open, stuffing it inside. I was hoping to make a Molotov cocktail. He stares at me shaking his head.

I rummage through the cabinets, gunshots going off. I didn't expect this to become a turf war. I found cleaning products and other alcohol but nothing that was too useful. I turn around and Rowan pulls me down out of the line of gunshot fire.

"We gotta get out of here!" He yells slipping to the side of the counter.

"Yeah, I know." I take a deep breath and hop over the bar counter but slip off and Land roughly. A bloodily handmark smears the top and leads down to my wound. I quickly rebound and rush towards the door, not looking behind for Rowan, though I could hear his footsteps and panicked breath that turns into a scream. 

I wipe around to look for him but am yanked back by the collar. I slide my leg causing the person to fall and bring me down with them. I fall hitting my wounded side and groan. The guy points a gun at me out of breath and before he can recollect himself I smash the bottle in his face. He screams out and I take his gun. Rowan rushes out the door and I push upwards following him. My hand clutches my side as I regain my breath.

"You gotta drive Tiger-" he slides over the hood of the car and into the passenger side before I can finish. I open the driver side door and slam it as police sirens start blaring in the distance. I look at all the mechanics in front of me. I hesitate before Rowan shoves a key in the ignition and turns it for me. I grab the steering wheel and press on a pedal.

"What are you, an idiot?! You have to put it in drive!" He grabbed the thing next to me and jams it forwards. The car lurched and racked up speed quickly.

"If you'd waited just a few seconds you would have known I've never driven a car. In fact, I don't drive cars." My hands gripped the wheel tightly as not only us but a few others raced out. Some speed off way faster than me but the cops passing by caught on. Rowan looks at me and stares intensely as sirens get to the bar and start following us and the other cars.

"You're fucking however old and you've never driven a car?" 

"I'm called the flying ace because I drive a motorcycle, also, why the fuck are you leaving the injured one to drive?" I say, trying to focus on the road. A police car suddenly drives in front of us and Rowan screams out and I jam the wheel right. The tires screech and I do a full circle before driving the other way. "How do you make this thing go faster?!" Rowan kept shouting but nothing came out coherently. I kept my foot pressed tightly on the pedal looking at the meters in front of me.

"There's fuckin' others drivin after us," Rowan says as bullets hit the ground near us. I looked out the mirror to realize, I was swerving and the police and the enemy gang, The District Holders, or just The District were gaining on us. "Why the-"

"Shut up before I crash." I say and Rowan grits his teeth.

"Turn left, then right at the end of this street." I glance over to him as he holds onto the overhead bar for support. I pause for a moment before making a u-turn and follow his directions. As I make the right turn Rowan points to a small alleyway that leads to the other side. I swerve and just barely make it, a police car crashes into the side of the building. Rowan cheers but as we get out of the alleyway a District car t-bones into the back of ours. I swerve in and out of the lines as Rowan barks some more direction at me. However each turn I made was met with a District car trying to gun us down. After popping one of our tires Rowan talks.

"You really need a driving license Alister, you fuckin suck," he suddenly says with a certain unsettling calmness. "Turn left." I look over to him but he slams his foot into my side pressing me against the door. I scream, my grip loosen from the wheel.

"You shouldn't underestimate a newbie." He reached for his pocket and the car scraped the side of a building, lighting sparks. 

"Don't underestimate someone who don't like newbies... and can't drive," I gasp as I slam the brake pedal sending him into the widow shield. It cracks and he falls back into his seat as the car comes to a rest. He pulls a pistol but I pull mine faster. The bullet pierces his head and his brains splatter all over his side of the car. His head bounces off the now broken window and falls down on the middle part between the seats. 

I take a second to recover before driving off. I still wasn't out of this situation. While starting to drive again another District member slams into the back of the car pushing me forward. Police cars zoom by chasing another car before the back and front window are shot out. I duck, not being able to get out on my side. I press the gas pedal and try steering with the bottom part of the wheel but can't see enough. Bullets from a tommy gun hit my wheels as the members laughed maniacally. I grab Rowan and move him to the side before sliding over to his side. Searching his pockets I found a small lighter.

"This damn, ugh," I breath out and peer over the seat firing my pistol. One drops dead and the other guy cusses me out. He backs up and rams into the car again but this time it starts rolling. It rolls downwards and I lean out the window to shoot my gas tank. The member fires some more, popping my other back tire. A trail of oil starts pouring out as the member follows me. I lean out again but the guy almost shoots me. I cock my gun, one bullet left. I open the lighter and break it so it stays lit before chucking it towards the District member. At the same time I dash out of the car not waiting to see if I hit or not but the scream and explosion told me otherwise.

The nurse finishes stitching up my wounds and sets a bottle down next to me. 

"What's this for? It ain't paintakers." I say as I pick up the pill bottle. It was a simple one and didn't have anything labeling it, just its expiration dates.

"It's an anti-poison pill. Your wound is laced with a mix of poisons so take that pill to clear your system." The nurse pulls up a chart showing it to me. My bruises spread unnaturally and the chart showed my body was poisoned but not severely. I looked down at the bottle again, I didn't want to take them and my wound looked like it was going to heal fine.

"How-" 

"Sir DeCarlo wants to see you too." She takes the chart away before I can read anymore and sends me off. I stumble out of the room and open the elevator that leads to the main lobby. My bandages were comfortable and whatever that nurse used did great with the pain.

Walking into the boss's room I keep my eyes fixed to the ground. It was dark, only a few lights lighting up his desk in the middle of the room. Photos, magazines and guns lined the walls. There were no windows. "You wanted to see me sir?" My hands clasped each other behind my back.

"Yes, I have a very important question for you. Why is Rowan dead?" Boss said with a calm voice. He got up from his seat and circled me.

"I killed him sir, he-" boss stops behind me, our backs facing each other before he wipes around.

"Why?" He leans in with a growl, latching onto my collar. I kept my cool, while I explained.

"He was a traitor, sir. He kept leading me down roads that District members were on, then used my wound to his advantage." His eyes glare like daggers but he lets go of me. He walked around his room before pausing for a long time. "Sir, I think it would be best for me to learn how to drive."

"You already know how to drive." He looked at me still glaring.

"A motorcycle, yes, but not a car. I think it would benefit me if I were to ever do partner work again." My fists clench for a moment before Boss speaks up.

"No. I won't put you with any partners again. I'll let you continue on alone." I glance up with a small smile but keep it hidden from his view. "Dismissed." With a quick nod I speed walk out of his office. And as soon as I'm out I pick up my pace to a sprint. I grab my coat and slip out the backdoors, carefully hop down the flight of stairs. I get onto my motorcycle and start riding away.

Chapter Text

The railing was cool to the touch as I sat balanced on it. The night was dark and also cold but not too cold. The night was still and despite it being half past midnight many lights were still on. I watched as cars drove by, seeming as if they were in their own little world. Like they were unaware of how bad the world was, how bad it was becoming. They were regular people, of course they wouldn't know.

I looked back to my room, I wasn't tired at all and I knew I wasn't going to get any sleep. I go to hop down and a glimpse of something shiny catches my attention. I opened the drawer, I knew it was the photo frame. Holding it gently I stared at it. It was a photo, a photo of me and the youngster that I'd do anything for. The frame and glass were damaged badly. Shards of glass from the left corners were missing showing the cardboard backing that held the photo in place. The cracks from the missing glass spanned across the entire thing. The wood frame was fractured in multiple places and slightly charred.

The photo wasn't in any better condition. The kid in the photo smiled with genuine happiness but the photo was jagged and burnt. I remember the burn marks from the lighter didn't reach him, I put it out before it could.

"I need a new frame." I mumble as I lightly take the photo out of the frame and place it back into the safety of the drawer. I hold the frame a little longer before finally tossing it into the trash bin.

OoOoOoOoO

I sit comfortably on my motorcycle with my gun in my hand. My helmet, installed with various technologies, was on as I waited for my target to pass by. A hologram of my target's location was to my right, his car being escorted by security. Two in front and two in the back. He was a well known man but was involved with crime, from what boss told me his organization was illegally making a variety of products. Other than that, Boss just wanted him out of the way.

I push off the ground and in one swift movement drive onto the road in front of the car. The sudden move from me made them instinctively swerve out of my way. The two front ones crashed into each other as the main one, the one Mr. Daniels is in, stopped. The driver looked at me, the car only being a few feet from me and immediately started freaking out. The two front cars backed up as I aimed my gun and shot out the front window. Daniel's driver turns into the opposite lane and starts driving off, his escorts following him.

My helmet starts showing all the status and locations of the cars and Daniel's. With one hand on my ar-15 and another steering, I raced towards their car. The people in the escort cars shoot towards me but miss horribly. The cars try to get closer to me but can't without crashing into one another. With another push of energy I manage to get to the back window. I put my foot on the side of the car, my magnets attached keeping me stable and bust the window open with the hilt of my gun.

I aim my gun but finding the seat empty, I aim towards the drive before seeing a bomb.

"Scheiße" I unlatch my shoe and the car explodes. My motorcycle falls and jam my gun into the ground pushing me back up. I look around my helmet for status but everything starts glitching out.
*shit/fuck*

"Comms, come in I've got someone messing with my helmet." Nothing. I curse under my breath before slowing down to behind the escort cars. If he wasn't in the one he was supposed to be in, then they were expecting me. Falling back didn't fix my helmet either and I couldn't take out all four cars, not without hurting any innocent. More gunfire caused me to fall farther.

I aimed my gun but suddenly lost all my statuses and communications. My foot hits my pedal and I drive to the front car, smashing the driver's window. The driver yells at me and tries to jam me off the road but I avoid him. I put my motorcycle in auto drive and unlocked the door before pulling the guy out and onto the road. The car, now without a driver, crashes into a light pole before I turn around on my bike and start shooting out their tires. They shoot back but I manage to dodge the bullets and carefully I stand up. But shooting out their windows wasn't enough to cause a crash.

Just as I fall back into my bike I see a black taxicab. The roads were clearing of people and staying clear, this couldn't be a regular taxi. Suddenly a bullet hits my helmet and bounces off. I let my head fall into my hand, the bullet only made a scuff. I switch my motorcycle back to manual and slam my foot into the brake screeching to a stop. I grab a small device and slip it onto my next bullet. With a small flick a scope pops up and I notice my stats coming back. I aim and shoot for the front car's tire, it pops sending it into a full barrel roll and smashing to the ground in flames. The other cars turn to avoid it but get hit by one another and their cars start flaming up. I waited for the explosion and kept one eye on the black cab that was slowing down as it approached me.

I set my foot down ready to shoot and drive off but it just stops. I raise my gun but the window doesn't drop, nothing happens. I sigh and turn my head towards the cab but pause. The guy pulls a gun and I jump out of the way, dropping my gun in the process. My bike drops and I stay near the ground. The guy opens the door and it was the agent from earlier. I couldn't remember his name but I knew he wasn't here to save those men, he was here to fight me.

I press one knee to the ground before kicking with my other and pushing off with my hands. He blocks it and swings his gun towards me. I boost off my feet and grab his arm, flipping him over and knocking his gun from his hand. He kicks my feet out from underneath me but I catch myself with my hands and swing my legs around to kick him in the face. He rolls out of the way and touches his watch, I make a dash for him and grab his hand pinning it to the ground but he was one step ahead of me. He grabs the bottom side of my helmet and yanks it off. I slam my forearm into his glasses covering them from capturing any pictures of my face. He grabs onto my arm and yanks it down but I lunge for my helmet before he can see again.

I hit my head on the top of it but my identity was safe again. I rushed for my bike, however the agent had different plans as he grabbed my ankle and dragged me down. My nose hits my helmet as I fall and it starts to bleed. I grab onto the ground and give one final push, pressing the button on my bike switching it back to auto drive. I twist around and the agent cracks my visor with the hilt of his gun. My motorcycle revs up and I press some commands in my helmet. It starts driving, picking up speed as it circles us.

He points his gun at it but I grab him and flip myself over top. He hits my visor again with his gun and tries to take it back off. I coughed and spit out some blood that seeped into my mouth, some dripped onto his suit as he hit my visor again. I balled my hand into a fist but he moved his head as my fist collided with the road. My hand rebounds, I grab his collar and push up with my feet pulling both of us up. I shoved him away as he almost tumbles into my bike.

He spits, wiping his lip, it was busted and bleeding. "You're a pretty good fighter but you're a terrible person." My bike screeches to a stop behind me.

"I know" I pause exhaling "I have my reasons." My voice comes out muffled and glitchy due to my technology but he still hears me. I open my hand, my gun attaching to the magnets in my gloves. He aims, shooting me but I block the bullets with my gun. I click my shoes together as he rushes towards me but I grab onto my motorcycle as it drives away. He fires off a few more bullets but only one grazes my neck and even then it wasn't a bad shot.

Chapter Text

I sit at my desk, legs up and fidgeting with my bandages I had on. My presence was beginning to become more known to the Kingsman. They were tracking me more easily but I knew I couldn't have had any tracking device on me. And I doubt it would have been a conquincidence. They don't know my true identity nor would they find out who my dad was. I didn't have any connections to anyone anymore.

"The only person who could know would be him," I pause, "but he doesn't..." I mumble, closing my eyes and resting my chin on my hand. He probably thought I was dead anyways, he shot me multiple times then left without checking my pulse. A move no person who's trying to kill someone should do.

"And Boss has been keeping me busy." I mumble again before opening my eyes. Across from me was the picture, I'd moved it into my work room but it felt weird having it out again.

I got up and walked towards the photo. The frame it was in was new and painted red, the kids favorite color. The glass was broken and I'd gotten a smaller frame, folding in the burnt part of the photo. It had been years since I took it out. I grab the frame and walk back to my desk placing it on it.

I grab my jacket and walk out. I needed some fresh air.

OoOoOoOoO

Walking along the London bridge the sun started falling beyond the horizon. My hair was tied into a ponytail to keep it out of my eyes and I kept most of my focus on the water below. I didn't spend much time in my house, I was normally on a mission or walking around. I didn't really like spending time at my house, it was too quiet and made me paranoid.

As a kid I spent a lot of time outside. Climbing things and parkouring around were my favorite activities but I abruptly stopped when the accident happened and we moved to America. There weren't a lot of forests around and if there were they weren't safe.

I never did manage to make any friends, not one looking for John's fame at least. I pause my thinking as I hear tires screech to a stop. I had walked across the whole bridge and was now under the streetlight. Leaning back on it a group of men get out of the car. They were wearing all black and had shades on to keep their faces hidden. Their hands rested at their sides as they stood ominously. One moved amongst them and came to the front.

"So, we hear you killed Rowan. Is that true?" The man said, crossing his arms over one another.

"Depends who's asking?" I cross my legs over each other mirroring him.

"Just answer our question." He rests his weight on his left foot and tilts his head a little.

"Answer mine first." I push off my foot and stand ready to throw hands.

"Are you Flying Ace?" The man steps forwards, hands in a fist and at his thighs.

"I'm not saying till you tell me who you are." The men behind him were getting a little antsy. I can only imagine they are District members.

"Get her." I push off my feet and kick the front man in the shin pushing him to fall down in agony. He screams and the men rush towards me. I smile and roundhouse kick one in the face throwing him into the guy behind him. One draws a gun so I grab the man closest to me and pull him in front of me. He gets shot and falls dead. The man clicks the gun again but quickly realizes he didn't have any bullets. I drop down, grab a guy's knife and swing. The three remaining men dodge my slashes as they try to shoot me.

The sun had gone down and there weren't any bystanders around which made me feel better about killing these guys. As I flip myself over one of the men I stab him in the neck and twist his arm around shooting his friend. The last guy remaining held his knife under his guy. I drop the man I was holding and the guy flinches as he hits the ground, limp. Despite the stupid looking glasses I could tell the remaining guy was young.

"Did you join on freewill?" I say calmly as I point the knife to him. He backed up, he was shaking but trying not to show it.

"Y-You're a monster." He says as he takes a step back, his voice cracks in fear.

"How old are ya?" I lower my knife but make it known I can kill him just as easily as his companions.

"What the hell are you?" His shaking in his hand that held his gun was becoming more noticeable. If his muscle made a sudden movement the gun would go off.

"Answer my question and that'll debate on if I spare you." I take a step forward hoping over the dead member on the ground.

"I'm not answering shit from a monster like you." He steps back again as I come closer.

I sigh pausing, "I'm just defending myself. If you wanna get technical I'm just doing my job. As an assassin you're never off the job, you always have to watch your back." I step forward again and he rushes me. I hop back but he manages to grab my jacket, I plunge the knife towards him but he blows up before I can. I hit the ground roughly and rolled over now covered in blood. I look around with confusion before landing back on the boy again. I cringe from the unsightly scene, he no longer had a head. I couldn't dwindle too much on it as I heard sirens. "Fuck why do the police always come at the worse time?" I exhale, whipping most of the blood off my face. I toss the knife into a trash bin and start walking off.

OoOoOoOoO

I grab some pins and paper, writing on them. I pull my legs up in my chair as I recall everything a few days prior.

"So I'm probably being tracked by the Kingsman but the District also has something on me. They definitely aren't working together." I pause thinking about it. Kingsman is an agency, an agency where manners are part of. There was no way they'd work with the District. Rowan must have been able to send some information about me and maybe the Exterminators.

It didn't make sense though, Rowan somehow got past our security measures and the Kingsman haven't ever been able to find information about me. And technically that information never existed thanks to that asshole of a person, Markus. My hand twirls the pen around.

Markus Bailey.

His death would make the headlines but they wouldn't know what he did. He was the one reason I worked as hard as I did.

Chapter Text

"Sir, are you sure you want me to try and go into a district meeting?" I question, hands held behind my back.

"Yes. If we can get information then we can use it to our advantage. We've been over this," he looks up from his paper and nods.

"Right. On a different topic do you know anything about Kingsman?" I shift my weight, coming a little closer to him.

"The tailorshop?" He looks back up to me in confusion. I fidget around with my fingers before backing off.

"Oh, Nevermind. It's an old tale, I'll be on my way now," I say, turning to walk off.

"Alister," Boss pauses. He reaches for his desk drawer and opens it, he tosses something at me and I quickly catch it. "I hope you're doing better. You still need to take the anti-poison and I want you to stay safe," he says, giving a gentle smile. My grip tightens around the bottle. I hadn't seen him smile in years, not with me at least, not since we first met. I hated it.

"I'll be safe. Don't worry about me," I nod and walk off. As I leave his office I look at the bottle. It was blank again, no indication of what medication it would be. 

I took one out; I hadn't taken any of the first bottle, I was too busy and forgot. I pop it in the middle and dab some on my tongue but immediately cough and spit it out. It tasted like arsenic, for some reason. I drop the pill in a bin and look at the bottle again. It looked real and Boss wouldn't poison me. I felt a little unsettled.

I pocket the pill bottle before grabbing my helmet and walking into the elevator. The tech team managed to fix it and added some protective security against any hackers. The helmet was repainted black with its red accents. I rest it on my knee as I put on my motorcycle jacket. The elevator opens and I walk out the back door. I throw on my helmet and hop on my motorcycle driving towards my objective.

I stay to the side of the street walls making sure to not be seen by any authorities. As I pull up to the warehouse I get a little nervous. I Park my motorcycle and take off my helmet making sure I didn't have any obvious indications I was an enemy. I take a Deep breath and quickly walk towards the place slipping in. 

It was crowded but not packed. I squeeze through everyone making my way to part of the first rows but stay hidden among the people. Everyone was whispering to each other but all the whispering piled up making it loud. I cross my arms waiting for something to happen but a tap on my shoulder startles me. I ball my hand swinging my head around, only to see an older man.

"You seem out of place, are you sure you're meant to be here?" He folds his arms and taps his foot. His clothes blend into the gray of the werehouse making him camouflaged. I relax my hand and nod.

"Yes, I'm new recruit," I say, replying as fast as whatever excuse I could think of. If someone already thought I was out of place then I had to be more careful.

"A new recruit huh? Well, welcome to The District," the man says, putting out his hand. I reluctantly shake it and force a smile. He nods and I see some people hop onto the makeshift stage at the front. The man's hand slipped from mine and he made his way to the front. I stay silent as he gets onto the stage, protruding his voice to the crowd.

In an instant the congregation goes silent.

He was the leader.

My heart sinks, I just shook hands with their leader.

"Welcome, welcome. It's come to my notice that we've got a few new recruits," he said looking down upon the crowd. A few people shift walking forwards, others look at them. "Up," he motions and they walk towards him, I follow hopping up onto the stage. We line up, I stand tall trying to look determined.

The other people looked nervous and kept looking between each other. The man kept talking, "so, all of you need to prove you can be part of this organization. To prove you can kill, sacrifice and take on the jobs and mission you are told to." The old man walks behind us, hand behind his back, military style. He snaps his finger and boxes are pulled out, the members in the crowd start forming a circle. The boxes are tossed into the circle.

"You are going to fight each other while deadly snakes are going after you." I hear someone gasp taking a step back, others turn towards them. But before they can flee the other people on stage grab our arms and push us into the circle. 

Everyone spreads out trying to get away from them, they hold their hands up in defensive positions. They were shoved back if they got too close to the edge, I could see panic but determination in many of the people. With the single word of 'fight' the confident people rushed at the weaker people; snakes released. I messed up, I shouldn't have gone up front, I should've left the moment that old man talked to me.

I rush forward grabbing a bulky man and pulling him back into a small person. The sound of a scream is quickly muffled. A girl swung at the person closest to her, which was me. The crowd yells, laughs and cheers. The old man looked down on us, smiling. Someone trips and ends up getting bitten by a snake, a person reaching for them. It felt like we were dogs in illegal dog fighting, pawns used for entertainment.

Someone swings at me and I grab their arm, shoving them to the circle's edge; the people hit them back into the center. Hard. And for the most part people were avoiding the snakes pretty well. I stay back as someone gets thrown across the circle. I needed to get out but there were too many eyes.

I step forward and jump next to a larger man. I reach up to use him as leverage only to have a hand grab my arm and slam me to the ground. I gasp at the sudden shock, no newbie could have done that. I roll forwards getting to my feet, the high pitch swish of metal swings at me. I duck grabbing the person's arm but get punched in the face. I stumble back and get shoved by the people still in a circle formation. I looked up to see it was a smaller girl with the knife, she continued trying to swing at me.

The man on the stage stood there watching us, enjoying the show that was being put on. The crowd was getting louder, the girl kept swinging. I drop down and slam my foot into her legs. She falls backwards hitting her head and going unconscious. Snickers come from the crowd. The larger man I had tried to attack started walking the perimeter of the people, I mimicked him.

Snakes scurried away from his footsteps. He steps forwards and swings at me, I dodge. But he grabs my collar, throwing me across the circle hitting the ground. I turn over struggling to catch my breath. A snake hisses, ready to lunge but I smash it's head in. I regain my footing as the man rushes me, I manage to move still dazed from the hit.

I inhale sharply and reach for a snake but a hand grabs my wrist. It was someone from the crowd. I hear the click of a pistol. I snatch the snake and throw it to the person holding my hand.

"Mole," someone screams and the sharp pain of a bullet hits my side, reopening my wound. I bit my lip in pain as the snake latched on the person. They scream and I turn, punching them. All eyes were on us. Another gun is pulled and I grab their arm, twisting it around and breaking it. I push them into the crowd and make a run. The leader yells some orders at them but I already slip into the crowd making my way out. My hand clamps down onto my wound as I run through the door.

More shots are fired as I get out of the warehouse. Some of their own members get shot in the crossfire. I take a sharp turn and slide into an alleyway making my way back to my motorcycle.

Snip. The nurses scissors cuff off the remaining sewing of the stitch. I reach for the medical tape but she swats my hand away.

"I can wrap the wound myself, I didn't need you to stitch it up either," I exhale, the cold tape wrapping around my torso.

"Well I'm here for a reason, I'm a medic for a reason," she says, folding her arms giving me a look. "You're good to go," she backs up, motioning me to the door. I hop off the table grabbing my jacket and pulling it back over. Going into the elevator I sigh. I got wounded and didn't get any good information. My hands clamp behind my back in a nervous cold sweat.

Standing off to the left of his office door was a strange girl, instead of feet she had prosthetics, weapon like. The metal bar that was part of the mechanics seemed to be filed down, she was a professional in something. Always being armed like that would be unusual but if she was here, it did make sense. I walk past her and take a deep breath before knocking and entering into Bosses office. He was sitting down discussing something with a black man next to him. They seemed to be deep into conversation as I had to speak up for him to notice my presence.

"Sir?" I stand as tall as my injury allowed me to. Boss looked at me, his eyes always rested into a scowl, an expression that would scare away most people. He nods and I step forwards while the black man gets up and walks past me. His baseball cap was off center and his glasses looked like there were some technical additions to it.

"What news do you have for me?" Boss says kicking his feet up onto the desk and resting his hands in his lap.

"I unfortunately was not able to get a lot of information but maybe we could track down their leader." I walk forwards, placing a drive on his desk. "I wasn't able to get footage but I recorded the full encounter."

Boss picks up the drive and looks at it. He pops it open and sticks it in his computer. "You are dismissed," he grumbles, downloading the files.

Chapter Text

"King of the ocean, he was made to rule the waves across the seven seas." I mumble the lyrics of the song that was playing as I wrote, my legs pulled up in the chair. I was given an off day to heal before going back to work. Unusual, but I didn't complain.

And I wasn't really looking forward to tomorrow. Having to dress up for some gala being hosted by some dude my boss knew. It was stressful for me but being caught by a kingsman was worse. Boss had given me a dress but I hadn't tried on it yet, I could tell it was short. Something I wasn't comfortable with especially since I had noticeable scars on my body. He probably invited me as his plus one but needed me as a bodyguard or something.

I turn around pinning paper to the cork board. No matter what I pinned down, nothing connected to anything but itself. I couldn't imagine Kingsman making a breakthrough with any information on me, and my interactions with the district were mandated by Boss.

I get up, holding my side as I do. Could someone be working against me, against the exterminators?

OoOoOoOoO

"Ali, you look so good," Boss says, a smile plastered across his face. He wore a black suit, tie and rings. Something he always wore to events. It made me feel weird that he smiled. Smiled at me; me. It was weird and weirder that he was wearing our engagement ring like it was nothing.

The dress I wore was red and short, so short, I kept pulling it down and adjusting the straps but at the same time I kept pulling it up. It was an open back too. Boss had been so gracious in giving me long gloves and tights that covered most of my scars. But I still had a large scar on my back that wasn't covered. Boss suggested I straighten my hair but that'd make me look ridiculous.

"Oh, just so you know, you are coming as my girlfriend." Boss smiled, and I looked at him. We hadn't been engaged for years, let alone acted like a couple. What the hell was he planning?

"Right," I manage to get out, I shift as he takes my arm. His smile is still present as we walk to a car.

I tightened up as we arrived, there were already people, it was a large building. Everything was decorated and compared to others I was underdressed. Boss held me close, "don't forget to call me Anthony," he said in my ear.

Suddenly a black man came up to us. He was with the same girl I had encountered earlier. Her legs were weaponized, this man had to have enemies. "Mr. DeCarlo, it's so good to see you. And your girlfriend. I'm Richmond Valentine," he said, reaching out his hand. I glance towards the girl, taking his hand. Her looks could cover up for anything bad she'd done. Yeah, pretty.

"Alister Knight at your service Mr. Valentine," I say with a small bow. His handshake was tight, his accent not being local, he was American. His smile was an open one, showing his teeth. I breathe in looking towards the girl. "May I ask your name, miss?"

"Gazelle," she says, crossing her arms. Sassy... and hot.

"Well, enjoy the party Mr. DeCarlo and Ms. Knight," and just like that, he left. Boss patted my back and separated, making his way upstairs. He was most likely going to flirt with some girls. 

I quickly make my way away from everyone else. I pick a cup up just to hold and face outwards. Many people talked and others danced. Social gatherings set paranoia in me but I could navigate them when I wanted. But unfortunately, despite my antisocial efforts, it wasn't long before I was not only dragged into a conversation but dragged into a group conversation with that damn agent. How he got in, I don't know. What he wanted? No clue. But he stood, right. Next. To. Me.

The quick glances he took told me that he knew I was the same person. And he knew I could blow his cover.

"Mr. DeVere, what do you think?" I snap back into the conversation as I hear the agent's alias. He answers perfectly, typical for a kingsman. My grip tightens on my champagne. I was losing my focus on the conversation already.

"This champagne is quite the taste, hm?" I say, a smile crossing my face. The rest of the guests join in on the change of topics. Mr. DeVere glanced at me again, a slightly annoyed expression crossed his face.

"Ali, right? I must admit you are quite the interesting person." My smile falters a little as he says that. With a sigh I excuse myself to the bathroom before quickly leaving. His eyes follow me as I walk away before he walks away himself.

I ditch my drink and make my way up to the second floor, my heels clicking on the ground. I didn't want to be around Boss but I'd rather be near him than the agent. And maybe, just maybe, being around Boss would deter him from talking to me. Or at least his mission was time restricted. But as I got to the second story I didn't see him around. I saw Mr. Valentine talking with other guests Gazelle at his side. I definitely wasn't going up to talk to him. He wasn't giving off good vibes despite his rather contagious smile.

I felt my heart start beating faster as I looked around for Boss. I wouldn't be surprised if he was flirting with girls somewhere and that didn't bother me anymore. I just wanted to get out of here or at least be someone I trusted. I hated parties, social gatherings, everything. God, I hated this.

A hand grabs mine, I flip around staring at the person. The universe had decided to be hard on me today, "you look lost ma'am, perhaps I could help you?" The man was in a suit with a watch and rings on his finger. His hair was slicked back, his sharp stare sent uneasy waves through me. His fingers slide their way to interlock mine. I pulled away but the man followed, a smirk on his face as he continued to hold my hand tightly.

"Sir, with all due disrespect, you are not my type. And I suggest you leave me alone before I break some bones." His face went slack, quickly displaying a disgusted expression. He snatched his hand away walking off without another word. I pull my hand in, dusting it off. With one more glance to him I noticed a marking on his neck. A tattooed half circle with a single black line running through it, a simply familiar marking. 

A very familiar marking.

Markus had people here, that was his company logo. Markus. Him, of all people, he was here. He had to be. If he had employees here that meant he was here. I could get to him.

I could get revenge.

I watch the man as he makes his way to others, mingling with them. He was good, trained well with the social hierarchy. I slip over to the railing, leaning on it, looking out at the people below. I had a better chance of finding Markus if I was higher up. Unfortunately it had been so many years, I just hoped he would look the same or somewhat similar. His dimples, blue eyes and blonde hair made him recognizable but easy to blend in with a crowd if someone didn't know much about him.

His looks increased his artificial charm, he was a flirt upon many other things he inherited from his father, John Bailey. I guess that's why Elizabeth decided to marry him so quickly. Truly blinded by grief she didn't think twice about dating two months after what happened. I never liked John but I hated Markus more. Seeing the corruption between the father-son duo first hand was truly volatile.

And Markus wasn't one to dirty his hands, he's smart enough to let others do most of the work for him before he comes in and takes the credit. He doesn't like blood on his hands but he's perfectly willing to do whatever it takes to secure what he wants. To destroy the lives of anyone in his way, he knows how to gun down his enemies. He knows how to make a person lose their will to live...

My hands wrap around the railing as I rest my arms on it. There was no practical reason I was at this gala but I could use it to my advantage, at least, I hope I could.

The presence of another person next to me draws me from my thoughts. I was expecting it to be Boss or even Valentine but to my dismay it was the agent. He holds himself high as he looks down at me, the height difference not too notable, half a foot at least. His stance was flawless, something that reminded me of my father. "If you don't mind, I'd like to have a word with you, Ms. Alister." My grip tightens around the railing but I stand up tall, letting go to adjusting my dress.

Chapter Text

Nine.

I sigh, cleaning the cup in my hand. Rush hour had finally come to an end, finally. "Kass, I'm gonna go take my break." I place the cup down as I'm given a thumbs up from my colleague. Though she stops me beforehand, wrapping her hands around my waist and leaning on my shoulder.

"I hope you're not going out to smoke, you should be getting something to eat," she murmurs, nudging into me. I pat her head reassuringly, telling her I will before walking out.

Lies, she knew that, despite her loving self she knew she could change me. I pull a cigarette, lighting it up.

Smoking calmed me. But it was just a habit at this point.

...

My eyes wander as I hear yelling and footsteps. I notice a kid running away from two English speakers. A groan leaves my mouth as I extinguish my cig' and walk towards the three. The kid reaches out and slurs something in French but is pulled back by the two men. I plant my foot, shifting to a menacing stance, grabbing the kids hood. He was no more than nine, but seemed smarter than he looked.

"Let go of him now." The words leave my mouth in a harsher sounding German, the men take a step back, their expressions wavering. But they don't let up yet. I take another step, getting up on their faces and they immediately let go, pulling away and leaving. The poor kid clings to my hip, burying his face as tears seep through the hem of my shirt.

I bring him back to the bar, Kassie is no help, she doesn't know any French and the kid barely knows English. But he was able to say 'Eggs' while pointing to them. Guess it was going to be his nickname for now.

"The kid's been in the corner for a while, you sure you don't want to involve the police?"

"No, he indicated he didn't want them involved." I look back, he was staring blankly at the floor below, knees to his chest. Poor kid looked terrified, his blue and brown eyes not daring to look up. And his olive skin made him look sickly. "I think he's a runaway."

I move away from kassie, grabbing a glass of orange juice and setting it near him. His oversized red hoodie acts like a barrier, he looks absolutely tiny in it. He glances up but makes hesitant moves to actually grab the glass.

He does in the end.

...

"Good job Eggs! Now try it again, you gotta pronounce that pesky 'R'," I say with a laugh. His English was getting better. He was also trying to help out around the bar, he'd been living with me for a while. No one had bothered him since, which was good. My French was getting better too. And he finally got his name across to me, Edward, but wanted to keep his nickname. He said he liked it better; he'd never had one.

He definitely was a runaway. And I couldn't get any information about him, his first name was too broad and he refused to tell me his last name. I wondered if he even knew it.

He fidgeted with his crescent moon necklace as he wrote down his English and pronounced them. He was trying hard on the 'R's, if he kept this pace up he'd become an expert in English in no time.

He was curious about the world. Fool tale for death...

...

"Ali! Ali, look! It's a shooting sta-r," Eggs says, hopping up and down on the railing. His scarf unfolded but he didn't care. He tugged on my jacket, trying to lead me to see the star.

"I see, I see." My fingers run through his hair, detangling whatever knots were still present. His light auburn hair was getting longer but he hadn't complained about it.

He leans into my waist with his mittened hands together, both our breaths visible in the cold air. I lean down a little, adjusting his scarf back onto him. He smiles softly at me, warmth emanates from him, a smile creeps onto my own face. In the playfulness of the moment I flick a piece of his hair out of his face and he pouts, moving it back. He playfully hits me in the side of the shoulder.

I mock a roar, imitating a dinosaur, hands up, formed into claw-like positions. He laughs, pulling away and making a run for the snow. I follow him at a slower pace before pouncing on him. Snow hits his face but he quickly wipes it off, grabbing some to throw back at me. I let it hit, faking death and falling over into it. His footsteps echo as crunches as he approaches me, another snowball in his hand. I smirk, jolting up to cover him more. I grab onto him, pulling him up and spin him around.

I stopped smoking because of him.