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The Mercenary is the first arc of The Underground series

Chapter 24 of 32

Eye For An Eye

"Relena, I need you to push back my five o' clock, I probably won't be back from St. Matthews until around six."

A professionally dressed female badger looked up from a PDA she was clicking around on. "What about Senator Bauer?" She asked.

"Shit, I forgot about him. Ah..." A black puma ran his paws through his hair and shut his eyes pensively. "When is he scheduled?"

"He was going to be your six."

"Damn it!" The puma cursed. "Are they're any earlier flights back to Palamont?"

Relena stopped typing and her expression softened. "I really think the Senator will understand why you had to make a trip to St. Matthews."

The puma rested his hands on his desk, scattered with papers and folders. His top button to his button down shirt was undone, and the knot to his tie was hanging down to the center of his chest in exhaustion. "You don't just break a meeting with someone like Bauer. It took six months to get him to meet with me."

"But sir," Relena protested, "no one could have seen this coming."

"What's still open, Relena?" the puma asked, ending the debate.

Relena sighed and went back to her PDA. "I can get you on a flight out of Matthews at five, any earlier and it would cut into the ceremony."

There came an intrusive electronic tone, followed by a voice. "Mr. Noxid? This is Ralf from security. We have a gentleman who'd like to speak to you."

The puma looked down to his desk phone, annoyed. "Who is he, and what does he want? I'm a little busy."

"He wouldn't give us his name, but he said he has information... about your fiancée."

Zias Noxid stopped. It was about five seconds before he could respond feeling an electric jolt reverberating throughout his body. "Show him to the conference room. I'll be there in five."

In a slight trance, Zias walked over to a mirror to straighten his tie. "Relena, see what you can work out. I'll be back in a minute." The black puma pushed the door to his office open, and walked down the hallway to the main conference room. This week had been the worst week of his life. Only a few days ago, his wife, or soon to be wife, had turned up in the harbor with her throat slashed. And it got worse from there...much worse. Now he was trying to piece his shattered life back together, but it wasn't working too well.

The feline rounded the corner and met Ralf, his chief of security. Ralf as an elderly possum who had led ParaDyne's security for years, even back with Zias's father had been CEO.

"I'm sorry, sir." Ralf apologized, "I know you're busy, but when he said he knew something, I figured I should let you know."

Zias shook his head. "Don't worry about it, Ralf. Probably knows more than the Metro Police do..." He said with a hint of sarcasm and agitation entering his voice.

"Should I wait out here?" Ralf asked.

"Please." Zias confirmed. "I'll yell if I need anything."

Ralf nodded and stepped out of the way of the glass conference room door. The puma pushed the door open firmly and entered to find a black fox sitting in the far chair. Zias's brow furrowed. He looked like he had been through more hell than Zias had this week. The fur above his eye was matted in blood from a nasty cut. Even from across the room Zias could tell parts of him were swollen, and probably bruised, but with black fur it was anyone's guess.

Zias crossed his arms. "Can I help you, mister...?"

The black fox rose from his chair. "Yes." He replied. His voice was dark and deep. As he stood up, he held his arm at an angle. Zias figured he must have hurt it when he got bashed up as bad as he did. "I have information you might find interesting."

Zias scoffed. "Do you? More information than the Metro City Police have?"

"I know who killed your fiancée, Mr. Noxid." The fox told him. "It was Xen Hets."

Zias thought for a moment. Then a smile broke over his muzzle as he began to laugh. "You're expecting me to believe Xen Hets killed my fiancée? I guess he must be getting back at me when I stole his fountain pen." The puma shook his head in disgust. "Please, you're wasting my time. Security will show you out."

Zias then turned, almost more aggravated than he was before. These peddlers would try anything for a buck. This asshole probably got beat up during a drug deal.

Fucking animals...

"She knew about Equinox, didn't she?"

Zias stopped dead in his tracks. A cold icy fear swept over him as the fox's words sank in. The puma slowly turned around, inches from the door.

"I..." He spluttered. "I don't know what you're talking about."

The fox began walking toward Zias. "Yes you do." He confirmed. "Weren't you recently nominated as the new leader of the Equinox Division? Or was that another Zias Noxid?" He asked, now standing next to the puma.

Zias's mind raced, trying to think of something. His eyes narrowed as he leaned in closer to the fox. "Who are you and how do you know about this?" He growled under his breath.

"I know more than you think, Mr. Noxid."

Zias crossed his arms. "Oh really? Care to enlighten me?"

"I know that your wife's body was found in the harbor, sexually assaulted." He explained.

"And your point is?" Zias asked. "Anyone who reads the papers could tell you that."

But the fox wasn't finished yet. "I know that they found her with her throat slit; sharp object, signs point to a military issue survival knife. I know that they found bruises around her wrists and ankles, indicating being bound to something metal, mostly likely handcuffs. Lacerations across her back indicate she was struck with-"

"Stop!" Zias cried out, hands gripping his hair in turmoil. He had specifically told the police not to release that information. He had wanted to throw up when he saw her. He had wanted to kill those responsible; he had wanted to murder them. He had wanted to make them suffer before ending their miserable lives. It was because of them he had lost the most important thing in his life. It was because of those bastards someone as beautiful as Melissa had to have a closed casket ceremony.

The puma turned back to the fox, this time in a fit of rage. "The only way you could know this is if you did all that to her!" Zias growled at him, bearing his teeth and getting right up in Alias's face. "Tell me why I shouldn't have you killed right now!"

"Because I'm not the one you want." The fox explained, keeping the same demeanor he had the entire time. "I didn't do that to your fiancée, but I know who did." The black fox moved in closer to Zias, standing his ground to the large feline. "Were you really surprised when I said Hets did it?" He shook his head. "Of course you weren't. It clicked with you right then and there. Your mind was already thinking of how to pitch it to your board of directors, Equinox, not ParaDyne, so it won't sound like a revenge scheme, but a logical push for power."

Zias leaned exasperated against the conference table. Everything the fox had said so far was true. "Who the hell are you?" Zias demanded. "How do you know about my fiancée?"

"I was there." The fox admitted, a slight hesitation in his voice. "I saw it, I know what happened." The fox's head dropped as he turned and walked away. "I was there, and I couldn't-" The fox stopped as if to correct himself. "I didn't do anything when I could have."

"You let Melissa die?" Zias asked, feeling his own voice breaking.

"Mr. Noxid, I'm not here for redemption." The fox explained. "I came here to make a deal. Xen Hets and I have ended our business relationship, however we left a few loose ends that I want to tie up."

"So, what do you want from me?" Zias asked, feeling light headed from everything.

"I'm giving you the opportunity to strike back at Hets, without going through Equinox. I'm volunteering to kill him."

"That's where our interests conflict." Zias rejected. "I don't care if the bastard lives or dies. Fact is his legacy will live on past his death, there will be more to suffer like Melissa."

"Leave that to me. By morning it won't exist. Neither will Hets."

Zias was still doubtful, as "honorable" as the fox's intentions were. "It's a suicide mission. Even if you kill him, you'll never make it out of there alive. Lazarus Plaza is like a fortress."

"That's not my concern."

"Then what is?" Zias asked, growing impatient. "You come in here, tell me you could have saved Melissa, but you didn't. Then dangle Hets in front of me like a toy. What interest do you have?"

The fox's tone changed completely. It softened but still held its dark nature. "What if you could stop what happened to your fiancée?" He asked. "What if you could have prevented it? You have your chance right now. Because right now Hets is holding someone who has nothing to do with the Invisible War. The same thing will happen to her if you don't do something. You can stop all of this."

"If she's important to you, why shouldn't I just let her die?" Zias growled, eyes ablaze. "An eye for an eye."

"Because you want to take Hets down as badly as I do." The fox reminded him. "You want to see him fall from his golden throne over Palamont. I'm giving you the chance to do something it takes decades to do. I can destroy an entire organization in twenty-four hours."

Zias knew everything the fox had just told him was true as well. If the fox was willing to launch a one-man assault on Hets, it was of very little concern of to him. What did Zias have to lose that he hadn't already?

"Alright," Zias replied, quietly nodding his head, "what can I do for you."

"I need supplies, weapons and tools."

"Done" Zias replied. "What do you need?"

The fox reached into his pocket and pulled out a piece of paper. "I made a list."

Zias took the list and glanced over it, then looked up at the fox. "Well, maybe you will have a chance after all. When do you plan to do this?"

The fox just returned the stare.

"Now?"