Kill Bill
Title: Kill Bill (5/?)
Pairing: Dom/Billy
Rating: PG - NC17
Warnings: AU, violence, blood, lots of unpleasantness. Character deaths very possible.
Summary: World peace is attained at a cost. The question is whose cost it was.
Note: Aliases/glossary.
JULY 18. SOUTH DAKOTA
The horse breathed hard as he reached the top of the hill, wuffling through his nostrils and chewing the bit. His rider reined to a halt, patting the animal’s neck and dropping the rein to let the horse graze as he surveyed the wide landscape, the massive dome of the world, streaked with clouds of early morning color, stretching over the wide meadows of the valley, peppered with the dark backs of cattle. No fences, at least not as far as the human eye could see. The fences were still out there, however.
The horse’s ears flicked back as the PID in the breast pocket of his shirt vibrated, even that small technological sound an interruption of what was otherwise the closest thing to natural, untouched earth left.
“Damn,” he murmured. Why he even carried the fucking thing around anymore…
He pulled it out, noticing it was the same unrecognized number as it had been the last several days. He’d ignored it. Given the country code, he had an idea who it might be.
With a sigh, he hit the ‘Accept’ button and answered, “How did you find me?”
“Oh, I have my ways,” the warm, British voice answered. “And you’re just as adept at ignoring me as ever, I see. Persistence is an invaluable character trait of mine.”
“Is this online?”
“Oh no. This PID is registered to one Eric Lehnsherr. It has a rather remarkable off-market magnetic hackblock, and it’s on an elderly civilian carrier, so you’ll forgive the quality of the signal. It is wonderful to hear your voice again, Viggo, even for that.” A sigh came over the line, “I need your help.”
“No,” Viggo answered simply, “Whatever it is, it’s not my concern. I want no part of it.”
“Not even for your old friends?”
The horse swished his tail, thumping a hoof against the dirt. A peregrin falcon soared high above, wings sharp as razors as it scanned the hillside for prey. It spotted a ground squirrel, folded its wings and dropped like a knife upon it. A perfect killing machine, borne of nature. Viggo closed his eyes. “I left all that behind.”
“But you do still care for them,” Ian remarked, “You’re only human.”
Viggo didn’t offer words for or against that statement.
“Billy has gone off program. He’s gone so far off, in fact, that he’s got Lee pissing down his leg.”
“It would be Billy, wouldn’t it,” Viggo’s mouth turned up, “If I didn’t know any better, I’d think you sound a bit proud, old man.”
“Well,” Ian intoned a smile himself. “Perhaps a little.”
“So Billy’s off program, and you don’t have the heart to pump him back full of drugs and brain melting hypnoses to control him? You always were soft.”
“Not precisely what I’d do,” Ian said, “But that would be the general idea, if we could find the little bastard in the first place.”
Viggo laughed out loud, his horse turning his head and whickering in interest. “You’ve lost him? Oh, Ian. Scrappy little mongrels should never be allowed off leash.”
“Indeed,” Ian agreed.
“I won’t come in. I won’t find him for you,” Viggo said, “I told you, I’m done with this false utopia you people have brainwashed the world with.”
“Oh no, you’ve found your own, haven’t you?”
“Mine is real, at least. If you’ve lost the world’s best assassin then it’s your own fault if you find yourselves in his crosshairs one day.”
“Hmm,” Ian hummed, and a pause crackled over the line before he spoke again. “Billy has Dominic with him.”
An exhale left Viggo’s lungs as his mouth dropped open, “My God.”
“Yes,” Ian’s voice warmed.
“Do they know?”
“I’ve no idea,” Ian lamented, “All I know is that it was Dominic, of all people, that was sent in after him. And you know Dom.”
“Got trigger happy, did he?” Viggo chuckled.
“He made a mess, for certain. One civilian down, the local police got involved. Billy’s fingerprints and Dominic’s blood there and at a second scene. Now it seems they’re on the lam. Together, as far as we can tell from the trail.”
Viggo’s grin stretched wide. “I can’t believe it. After all this time.”
“Yes,” Ian said, “Which is why I’ve been trying to reach you. They need you. Now more than ever.”
Viggo dismounted, sighing. “I won’t do it. I won’t bring them in for you, Ian. Not back to Melkor.”
“No! Of course not back here,” Ian implored, “I mean for you to help them. You knew them better than anyone. You were there when they were whole, before we broke their minds.”
“I don’t know everything about them,” Viggo shook his head.
“But you were with them during the wars, you heard their stories, you were their family. The first place Billy ran was Manchester, Viggo; it can’t be a coincidence. He’s remembering, consciously or otherwise. Their memories will influence their decisions and that is your advantage.”
Ian paused, his voice lowering, “Help them, my friend. Find them and do what you do best. Vanish, and let them live the lives we stole from them.”
“You’d be violating your entire directive. I don’t think you can get away with it again,” Viggo murmured.
“Not my directive. Not the way I meant it to be; we were all taken in by the idea at first. And no, I don’t believe I will get away with it, as you say. Which is precisely why you must say yes, Viggo.”
“What do you mean?”
“I’ve only maintained my position to watch over those boys, you must know it. And I won't have it for much longer, I’ve already lost any control over how they intend to clean this situation up. It’s only a matter of time before they sniff me out entirely, you know, Lee hasn’t trusted me for years,” Ian told him. “I’m an old man. My secrets will die with me.”
Viggo sighed, his brows pinching, “You don’t mean that.”
“My dear boy, you of all people understand how this world works now. The chances of me escaping this through any other means are negligible,” Ian said, with disturbing acceptance. “The very least I can do to make amends for my sins is to give those young men their freedom. Give them back what they gave up.”
“If I do this, Ian, I want my entire unit. I want my guys back.”
Ian hesitated before he answered, his voice deadly serious. “Then find as many as you can before Melkor does it for you. Orlando’s in London and dumb as a post now with Noble’s poison cocktail in him, should be easy enough. The rest are still active, but they’re being recalled. You don’t have much time.”
“I can manage, if any of my old connections are still reliable,” Viggo sighed. “I suppose I won’t see you, then.”
“There’s something else you should know,” Ian said, “They’ve got a new project. Completely different. Different methods, drugs, everything. I don’t know much beyond that, I was never brought up to that level.”
“Melkor 4.0, eh? Upgrades.”
“Viggo,” Ian sighed, “You remember how Billy was the very best? If they have something better than he was... You must be careful.”
“You know me,” Vig returned.
“Godspeed,” Ian’s voice wavered over the line. “Goodbye.”
The line clicked. Viggo scrubbed at his rough cheek and brought up the call screen, punching in a number from a long ago memory. He could only hope it would still go to the right people.
When the voice on the other side was familiar, he let out his breath and smiled. “Hola mi amigo. Si, desmasiados años. Por fin, te estoy pidiendo ese favor.”
=18712datelog=logsecure
=27522wickerman::login
=attn::4460smith::
::27522wickerman:: What news on our protégé?
::4460smith:: Operating at optimum levels sir. Consistently scoring perfectly across all tests. He is quite a wonder.
::27522wickerman:: Would you consider him ready for activation?
::4460smith:: More than ready sir.
::27522wickerman:: Good. I am sending his first assignment under the standard three part encryption. Quite low level. You may monitor him throughout but no instruction. Testing the merchandise, you understand.
::4460smith:: Of course sir. You will not be disappointed.
CHAPTER SIX
Pairing: Dom/Billy
Rating: PG - NC17
Warnings: AU, violence, blood, lots of unpleasantness. Character deaths very possible.
Summary: World peace is attained at a cost. The question is whose cost it was.
Note: Aliases/glossary.
JULY 18. SOUTH DAKOTA
The horse breathed hard as he reached the top of the hill, wuffling through his nostrils and chewing the bit. His rider reined to a halt, patting the animal’s neck and dropping the rein to let the horse graze as he surveyed the wide landscape, the massive dome of the world, streaked with clouds of early morning color, stretching over the wide meadows of the valley, peppered with the dark backs of cattle. No fences, at least not as far as the human eye could see. The fences were still out there, however.
The horse’s ears flicked back as the PID in the breast pocket of his shirt vibrated, even that small technological sound an interruption of what was otherwise the closest thing to natural, untouched earth left.
“Damn,” he murmured. Why he even carried the fucking thing around anymore…
He pulled it out, noticing it was the same unrecognized number as it had been the last several days. He’d ignored it. Given the country code, he had an idea who it might be.
With a sigh, he hit the ‘Accept’ button and answered, “How did you find me?”
“Oh, I have my ways,” the warm, British voice answered. “And you’re just as adept at ignoring me as ever, I see. Persistence is an invaluable character trait of mine.”
“Is this online?”
“Oh no. This PID is registered to one Eric Lehnsherr. It has a rather remarkable off-market magnetic hackblock, and it’s on an elderly civilian carrier, so you’ll forgive the quality of the signal. It is wonderful to hear your voice again, Viggo, even for that.” A sigh came over the line, “I need your help.”
“No,” Viggo answered simply, “Whatever it is, it’s not my concern. I want no part of it.”
“Not even for your old friends?”
The horse swished his tail, thumping a hoof against the dirt. A peregrin falcon soared high above, wings sharp as razors as it scanned the hillside for prey. It spotted a ground squirrel, folded its wings and dropped like a knife upon it. A perfect killing machine, borne of nature. Viggo closed his eyes. “I left all that behind.”
“But you do still care for them,” Ian remarked, “You’re only human.”
Viggo didn’t offer words for or against that statement.
“Billy has gone off program. He’s gone so far off, in fact, that he’s got Lee pissing down his leg.”
“It would be Billy, wouldn’t it,” Viggo’s mouth turned up, “If I didn’t know any better, I’d think you sound a bit proud, old man.”
“Well,” Ian intoned a smile himself. “Perhaps a little.”
“So Billy’s off program, and you don’t have the heart to pump him back full of drugs and brain melting hypnoses to control him? You always were soft.”
“Not precisely what I’d do,” Ian said, “But that would be the general idea, if we could find the little bastard in the first place.”
Viggo laughed out loud, his horse turning his head and whickering in interest. “You’ve lost him? Oh, Ian. Scrappy little mongrels should never be allowed off leash.”
“Indeed,” Ian agreed.
“I won’t come in. I won’t find him for you,” Viggo said, “I told you, I’m done with this false utopia you people have brainwashed the world with.”
“Oh no, you’ve found your own, haven’t you?”
“Mine is real, at least. If you’ve lost the world’s best assassin then it’s your own fault if you find yourselves in his crosshairs one day.”
“Hmm,” Ian hummed, and a pause crackled over the line before he spoke again. “Billy has Dominic with him.”
An exhale left Viggo’s lungs as his mouth dropped open, “My God.”
“Yes,” Ian’s voice warmed.
“Do they know?”
“I’ve no idea,” Ian lamented, “All I know is that it was Dominic, of all people, that was sent in after him. And you know Dom.”
“Got trigger happy, did he?” Viggo chuckled.
“He made a mess, for certain. One civilian down, the local police got involved. Billy’s fingerprints and Dominic’s blood there and at a second scene. Now it seems they’re on the lam. Together, as far as we can tell from the trail.”
Viggo’s grin stretched wide. “I can’t believe it. After all this time.”
“Yes,” Ian said, “Which is why I’ve been trying to reach you. They need you. Now more than ever.”
Viggo dismounted, sighing. “I won’t do it. I won’t bring them in for you, Ian. Not back to Melkor.”
“No! Of course not back here,” Ian implored, “I mean for you to help them. You knew them better than anyone. You were there when they were whole, before we broke their minds.”
“I don’t know everything about them,” Viggo shook his head.
“But you were with them during the wars, you heard their stories, you were their family. The first place Billy ran was Manchester, Viggo; it can’t be a coincidence. He’s remembering, consciously or otherwise. Their memories will influence their decisions and that is your advantage.”
Ian paused, his voice lowering, “Help them, my friend. Find them and do what you do best. Vanish, and let them live the lives we stole from them.”
“You’d be violating your entire directive. I don’t think you can get away with it again,” Viggo murmured.
“Not my directive. Not the way I meant it to be; we were all taken in by the idea at first. And no, I don’t believe I will get away with it, as you say. Which is precisely why you must say yes, Viggo.”
“What do you mean?”
“I’ve only maintained my position to watch over those boys, you must know it. And I won't have it for much longer, I’ve already lost any control over how they intend to clean this situation up. It’s only a matter of time before they sniff me out entirely, you know, Lee hasn’t trusted me for years,” Ian told him. “I’m an old man. My secrets will die with me.”
Viggo sighed, his brows pinching, “You don’t mean that.”
“My dear boy, you of all people understand how this world works now. The chances of me escaping this through any other means are negligible,” Ian said, with disturbing acceptance. “The very least I can do to make amends for my sins is to give those young men their freedom. Give them back what they gave up.”
“If I do this, Ian, I want my entire unit. I want my guys back.”
Ian hesitated before he answered, his voice deadly serious. “Then find as many as you can before Melkor does it for you. Orlando’s in London and dumb as a post now with Noble’s poison cocktail in him, should be easy enough. The rest are still active, but they’re being recalled. You don’t have much time.”
“I can manage, if any of my old connections are still reliable,” Viggo sighed. “I suppose I won’t see you, then.”
“There’s something else you should know,” Ian said, “They’ve got a new project. Completely different. Different methods, drugs, everything. I don’t know much beyond that, I was never brought up to that level.”
“Melkor 4.0, eh? Upgrades.”
“Viggo,” Ian sighed, “You remember how Billy was the very best? If they have something better than he was... You must be careful.”
“You know me,” Vig returned.
“Godspeed,” Ian’s voice wavered over the line. “Goodbye.”
The line clicked. Viggo scrubbed at his rough cheek and brought up the call screen, punching in a number from a long ago memory. He could only hope it would still go to the right people.
When the voice on the other side was familiar, he let out his breath and smiled. “Hola mi amigo. Si, desmasiados años. Por fin, te estoy pidiendo ese favor.”
=18712datelog=logsecure
=27522wickerman::login
=attn::4460smith::
::27522wickerman:: What news on our protégé?
::4460smith:: Operating at optimum levels sir. Consistently scoring perfectly across all tests. He is quite a wonder.
::27522wickerman:: Would you consider him ready for activation?
::4460smith:: More than ready sir.
::27522wickerman:: Good. I am sending his first assignment under the standard three part encryption. Quite low level. You may monitor him throughout but no instruction. Testing the merchandise, you understand.
::4460smith:: Of course sir. You will not be disappointed.
CHAPTER SIX