Chronos in DC

I know that people tend to flock together. Some are into sports, some are into reading, and some are into nothing. The usual social outcast who isn't interested in anything and just goes with the flow. After all, it's so easy: don't think about anything, don't do anything, and waste the precious time of your life on useless things. When you finally start to think about the true meaning and value of life, you realise that it's spending time with the people you care about. Why am I thinking about this now? Probably because I've always tried not to think about my past life. I considered it a weakness, because I understood that I couldn't go back and... I didn't want to. Not after everything I've done and not with this body. I wasn't torn apart by guilt or self-hatred. I just wanted to indulge in my memories of those days when I ran carefree with my friends in the streets and lived only for today. I didn't know how evil and terrible people could be if you gave them a simple idea and promises of a better world.

I had to admit to myself that I couldn't achieve anything on my own. At least not now. I'll get stronger, and someone like Super, whose stats I'm afraid to look at, will completely tie me up. I needed, as they say in my neighbourhood... protection! Not necessarily people I could call friends, not necessarily good or bad guys — just people who were interested in having me on their side, not as their enemy. We would use each other by mutual consent.

I can't run away from Amanda Waller forever. This cat-and-mouse game will eventually wear me down, and I might just snap, thereby doing exactly what Waller wants: making me public enemy number one. I was in western New York City, and in a dark alley, I decided to take out a curious rat who had spotted me.

"You can't run forever. Don't you agree, my dear spy #2? How's your surveillance going? Have you found out anything about me that I don't know?" My boot pressed hard against his Adam's apple, and the determination with which he remained silent convinced me that this time they had sent a professional.

"You won't get away from us that easily," I sighed heavily and took the TT pistol from my inside pocket, cocked the trigger and... "Waller will undoubtedly..." A shot to the forehead interrupted his dramatic monologue.

"God, how many pawns do you need to lose before you finally understand that you can't just take me and put me under surveillance. I'll give her a second warning.

I should have changed my location. Soon their agents will quickly notice one of their own missing. And the sound of the shot won't go unnoticed. I go into stealth mode and think: how can I contact the mercenary organisation? Yes, I could call them, give them some grandiose name and ask for a meeting, but smart people don't usually do that. Otherwise, any idiot could turn to them for special work. For starters, they needed a basic idea of who I was and what I was all about. On the one hand, no one would be able to dig up dirt on me and blackmail me with it. On the other hand, few would want to risk dealing with the Nameless Guy with Green Hair. True, only particularly self-confident people. A phone would be very useful right now. Hmmm... there's a young guy walking towards me, as if answering my request.

A couple of seconds and one stolen phone later.

"Were all young people so poor in 2002?" With my newly acquired phone, I dial the number I'm interested in.

"Yes...?" a bored male voice answered.

"I'm interested in a job.

"Name and connections?"

"Alex T. Keeper. I left two mercenaries nicknamed Fang and Shooter alive on the third of June. It was Fang who gave me your number.

"Hmph... can you see a café called 'Tsunami' nearby?" I looked around and was surprised to see the café mentioned. Could they have found my location through my phone in such a short time? It seemed likely.

"Yes, I see it.

"Sit there for about ten minutes. Our agent will approach you. If you pass his test, consider yourself one of us. His greeting will be, 'Nice weather today, isn't it?' You must respond with, 'The weather is what it is. It was the same yesterday." If you answer any differently, you'll lose your chance to prove your worth.

They have serious conditions. And I thought it would be easier. They'll tell you about their meeting... Oh yes, then any double agent could come to their lair. I threw my phone in the trash just in case.

I went into a café, ordered coffee and dessert, and waited. Less than five minutes later, a guy in shorts and a sports shirt with dark rectangular glasses decided to sit down at my table. His chestnut hair was slicked back and, quite remarkably, he had an impressive scar from a cut on his cheek. Not suspicious at all!

"Nice weather today, isn't it? Perfect for jogging.

"The weather is what it is. It was the same yesterday.

"Hmph, you're hard to miss. It's just strange: I was warned that I would be meeting a boy, not a guy. But that's none of my business. You don't need to know my name. The incident on 3 July has aroused some interest from Amanda Waller. She's looking for you. However, she still doesn't have the authority to act openly. This is because her superiors aren't focusing their attention on you. You see, they have more important things to do than catch a boy.

"You're telling me all this because...?"

"To make a good first impression. After all, that's what shapes people's perceptions of you and the organisation as a whole. I've just given you a small but very important piece of information. In return, we expect that our trust in you will be rewarded. Amanda Waller is a real pain in the ass, but if you're under the protection of some influential organisation, it won't be in her or her organisation's best interests to have such powerful enemies...

"And by 'influential organisation', do you mean yourself?

"Of course! No, I'm not insisting that you make such a difficult and responsible decision right here and now. But I must warn you: if you refuse here and now, you can forget about any connection with us.

"What if I decide to kill you?" he smiled sweetly, finishing his coffee.

"And what will you achieve by doing that? You'll just make another influential enemy. How long can you hold out, constantly living with the thought that someone is trying to kill you? If you're constantly paranoid and expecting another stab in the back, you'll soon go mad.

"I can try to kill them all.

"I like how you choose your words. 'Try.' If the information about you is correct, then you really could kill me. Kill the many people who will come after you. But that won't solve your problem. Have you ever heard of a mythical creature called a hydra? In Greek mythology, a hero cut off its head, and several new ones grew in its place. That's exactly what will happen to you. By destroying us, you will create even more enemies for yourself. People will fear you because of your power. Any power needs to be controlled.

"Let's say I join your little... club. What are you guys all about?

"We don't have an official name. We're just where we're needed most. We provide protection, destroy threats, carry out sabotage. In short, we do all the dirty work that these so-called 'heroes' would never agree to do.

"You don't like them very much, do you? Childhood trauma?" I smirked.

"I don't hate them at all. I'm just annoyed by their naivety. Sometimes, following their 'Don't Kill' code, they ignore the fact that their games and confrontations have very... unpleasant consequences. 'Acceptable losses', 'collateral damage' — these words are heard as often as in some kind of war. Ordinary people just have to accept it as a fact. After all, it's all the Villain's fault, and we, the Heroes, did everything we could. I think you understand my point of view.

"Quite. And, to my surprise, I share it.

"So you agree?

"Yes, I agree. Will I have a test or exam? Are there any important rules I should know about? And finally, most importantly, what kind of protection will you provide me against Waller?

"Your abilities have been proven, so there won't be any important tests. We don't have any rules as such. There are conventions: you are given a task based on your abilities, reputation and achievements. You have the right to refuse the work offered for any specific reason. However, you will lose your reputation. The more it falls, the less likely it is that someone will want to give you a task. And if it falls below a certain level, we won't need a mercenary like you anymore. As for "protection," consider it granted. We see you as a promising figure, which is why we are giving you such a nice starting "bonus." This matter will be resolved within our organisation.

"That simple...?

"Yes, it's that simple," he said, spreading his arms carelessly. "We were expecting your call after Fang gave you the number and passed the information on to us. Based on his report, we decided that it would be wasteful not to have someone like you on our side. 

Profession accepted: "Mercenary"!

Reputation [???] Organisation: +100 (Interest)

Main event thread started!!!

Neither friend nor foe

Earn a certain amount of reputation to find out the name of the organisation and who runs it!

Reward: 30 world reputation points. Your overall reputation among Villains will always be between neutral and positive. You can only earn negative reputation by performing negative actions towards certain representatives. Overall reputation among Heroes is neutral or negative. Few champions of justice will be happy to see another mercenary who is not above doing dirty work. However, there will be those who will not mind simply "turning a blind eye" when the time comes. After all, everyone has their own ideas about justice.

Know your enemies, and your friends even better, right? However, they are not my friends, but that goes without saying.

"So what's my first assignment?

"Not here. I'm just a negotiator who happens to be in the right place at the right time," and without another word, he simply took a phone and a bank card out of his shorts pocket and placed them on the table in front of me. "Try not to lose the phone. The bank card is for the reward for the assignments. I have to go. Maybe we'll see each other again, Snake.

Snake...? Is that because I conducted the entire conversation wearing an impenetrable mask? Apparently so. Oh well, never mind. Before I could pick it up, the phone rang, and my interlocutor managed to make a quick getaway.

"A gang of drug dealers has been discovered in New York. They must be eliminated. The location will be sent to your phone. Reward: £10,000. If you do it quietly, your reward will be increased by half.

"Accepted.

In principle, I didn't even need to wait until nightfall, because my ability to stop time did all the work for me. The touchscreen phone, which was quite convenient to use, told me that the target was five kilometres away.

Without going into boring details, just before entering the basement of the building where the drug dealers were located, I stopped time and, in a flash, killed everyone there. When it was over, there was no unnecessary noise. Just me, my bloodstained dagger, and a clear conscience. At moments like this, I felt a little melancholic. There was no excitement or that uncontrollable feeling of fighting a strong opponent. It would be much better to meet someone interesting. To play with them and... the worst thing was that during all this time I hadn't met any normal girls with whom I could chat about life, romance and other nonsense, and perhaps even relieve tension and stress with ordinary sex. Well, that's beside the point, because I'm still completely inexperienced in this area due to a lack of experience. One thing I know for sure: there can be no question of love here. There is sympathy, interest and desire for the image. Love at first sight is nothing more than the latter. And I won't let that feeling manipulate me. Maybe I'm wrong, but I can't open myself up completely to someone just because I feel something close to love for them. I believe that sincere love can only exist with complete trust and understanding between people, and that's extremely difficult to achieve. You can fall in love with an image, but after an hour of talking, for example, you realise that the person inside is just rotten to the core. That's why I don't believe in love at first sight. First, understand who you're dealing with, and only then decide whether you need to spend time on this person.

I've gotten a bit philosophical. It's time to report on the results of my mission. The notebook contained only a number labelled "Work" with a hidden description.

"Done. Your agents can check.

"We'll check.

"Any more assignments?

"There always are. This time, the task will be more complicated. You need to...

Interlude.

Bruce Wayne, aka Batman, was in his Batcave looking for information about two people he was interested in. The first was the boy who was somehow connected to the Joker. The boy knew too much for an ordinary person, and then there was his unexpected attack... he still couldn't understand what it was. Usually, if an enemy is fast, they leave at least some hint of their presence, but there, it was as if everything happened in an instant.

"Too fast even for Flash, and there are no traces of teleportation," he thought silently to himself, watching the same CCTV footage dozens, maybe even hundreds of times. One second he was standing in front of him, and the next he was flying out into the street. Slowing down the camera several times didn't help. 

"It's as if... at that very moment, no one was capable of perceiving anything. Magic? No. I've seen how Zatanna uses magic: you need either activation words, transformation circles or something else to create this kind of distortion. I would definitely have noticed something strange on the camera or in what he said. Maybe it's... just his ability — time control? That would explain everything."

On the one hand, he didn't want this boy to take the law into his own hands in his city. On the other hand, if he didn't do it in this city, what would stop him from doing it in another? However, his reasoning and threats left him with no choice but to let him go. To stop him, he would need to create a weapon or device that would prevent him from using his ability. Without it, the boy wasn't that dangerous and could be neutralised in close combat. At least, that's what he thought.

Batman's impressive analysis gave him the answer he was looking for. If what he said was true, then searching for him by appearance in the database was pointless. People like him had nothing, having been born in a test tube in some laboratory. Perhaps it was because of the terrible living conditions, hatred and resentment that he had taken this wrong path...?

Despite the fact that Batman did not like and openly hated murderers, he always believed that they were capable of redeeming themselves, so he would always give them a chance and never kill anyone. Even if that person was the Joker. The only exception on his list were creatures that did not fall into the category of "intelligent." Monsters are not humans. There are also "god-like" beings that fall into this category. Such as Superman, whose identity has long been no secret to him. He promised himself that if a single piece of kryptonite was not enough to stop him or his kind, he would be willing to use any means necessary to stop this terrifying threat. He, like no one else, saw and knew that his power was far beyond that of a normal human being. Superman was like a god to him, who wanted to play the hero in human form, and for this reason, he would never completely trust him. In an interview with Metropolis, Superman admitted that he was the last of his race, but is that really true? No one but him can confirm these words.

"John... Dow..." he said aloud, the name tormenting him, and opened the biography of a slightly thin and sad man in the passport photo again. His photographic memory, like blinding flashes of photographs, produced a resemblance to this man and, to his surprise, the resemblance was almost 100%.

There was only one person with that name in the database, and all he found about him was a rather short biography of a man who had gone missing about three years ago. It was exactly three years ago that he first met the Joker. He had a family and a rather unstable job as a comedian in some club. The only clue in his biography was that his disappearance coincided with the date of his wife's death.

"Could that be the reason for his madness...?" he said aloud again. But it was impossible to get any information from Doe's neighbours because three years ago, on one fateful day, the house was burned down with all the residents inside, so the only way he thought was right was to simply talk to the Joker. One on one. To awaken John Doe inside him so that together they could find a way out of this...!

He hadn't felt this excited and anxious in a long time. He was thoroughly fed up with this insane game in which the Joker constantly played with human lives. And even though he always defeated him, Batman always ended up losing because of the endless stream of victims of their twisted game.

Night. The cameras at Arkham Asylum are covered with impenetrable glass. The guards and medical staff let him pass with a mixture of fear and respect. They say nothing and accompany him in silence. He stops silently in front of the Joker's cell. He is dressed in a standard white patient's gown and lies on the bed with a slight smile, staring at the ceiling. His smile widens when he turns to his guest. Jumping out of bed, he pulls up a folding chair standing nearby and places it opposite him. Like a gentleman, he even pulls up a second chair for a pleasant conversation between them. It is as if they are not enemies, but friends who have come to talk to each other.

"Leave us alone.

Although it sounded like a request, the cold voice that accompanied it was an order, and they had no choice but to close the door behind them and leave. Sitting down at the table, Bruce waited for the right moment to begin. The silence was killing the Joker, so he took out his deck of cards.

"Bats! Long time no see! Did you miss me so much that you decided to visit? Let's play cards!

"Let's play," the Joker smiled crookedly and raised his eyebrow slightly in surprise. He didn't think his "friend" would agree so quickly.

"You seem gloomier than usual today, little Batsy. Did something happen?" The cards were laid out and the game began.

"Yes. You happened.

"Oh, Batsy. I'm sorry, of course, but I'm interested in you in a different way, I'm not ready for that kind of relationship yet," he interrupts, emphasising his words and giving them the wrong context.

"I want to stop this... game.

"Sorry, but it's just getting started," he points to the cards and chuckles quietly again. Joker understands what he means. And he's either mocking him or simply telling him the truth.

"I want to find someone who can help you.

"Ah-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha! There you go again! Aren't you tired of this nonsense?! It's useless. No doctor can help me. Even an experienced naive psychologist couldn't help me, and what's more, he became my toy. You know how to help me. How to stop me. But you stubbornly refuse to do it. One bullet — one dead man, and hundreds, thousands, maybe even millions of people will thank you.

"If I do this, there will be no turning back.

"Exactly! I will win and prove to you that the world you dream of is impossible to create.

"I can try.

"Ha-ha-ha! Of course you can! No one's stopping you from dreaming! For example, I want to bring real chaos to Earth, and only our game is stopping me from doing so. Reality is a theatre, and you and I, Bats, are silly characters in a dramatic play. You complete me! How many chances do you think I've had to kill you? Dozens, hundreds? I've lost count."We can talk about our worldviews for a long time, but it will all come down to the fact that neither of us wants to stray from our path. But I still want to try, because I know that you were once a good man, John... Dow...

The Joker instantly lost his smile. His gaze changed from crazy to conscious, his hand holding the cards snapped away, throwing them aside, and the folding table flew against the wall in one motion. The grimace of anger and hatred could have frightened anyone who saw him now, but Bruce didn't flinch. He just stood up from his seat with satisfaction to calmly take the blow of his fist to his jaw. He didn't respond for two reasons. This was a conversation between them, not their usual game, and if either of them broke the rules, he would be considered the loser. Those were the rules. And now, the Joker had lost.

"Who...?! How did you find out...?! Tell me his name!

"It doesn't matter.

"Oh-ho! No, no, no! Bru-si! It matters a lot!" he emphasised his real name mockingly, which also did not surprise him. "I have to kill him myself! He broke the main rule of my game! No one ever talks about a dead man!

"He's not dead. I know that somewhere deep inside you, he's still there, and I want him to come out. To atone for your sins, Joker.

The grimace of anger and hatred was replaced by a sad smile, and his palm covered his face. He laughed falsely as he backed away into the depths of his cell. He turned his back to him, as if afraid that he could read something on his face.

"Well, since we're talking about my past, here's a little sad story for you," his voice changed and became more serious. It was as if a completely different person had started speaking. "Once upon a time, there was a little man named John Doe who wanted only one thing: a good life for his wife and unborn child. Every day was like torture for him. The city seemed to kick him around like a ball, from side to side. And then one day, his wife died in childbirth, along with their baby. They were everything to him, and then, on top of that, he was forcibly recruited into some dangerous, stupid business... with that stupid Red Cap.

The puzzle of events from three years ago came together, and he remembered the poor wretch who accidentally fell into a vat of chemicals.

"That's when he realised that his whole life was a joke, and reality was proof of that. John Doe died, and the Joker was born. I accepted reality, and you deny it. That's why I thought we were perfect for each other," there was a short pause between them. "Tell me, Bruce, you had a really bad day, didn't you?

"Yes, but I was helped and saved. I was shown the way. Let me help you. We don't have to keep playing this game anymore.

"I'm sorry, but for me... it's too late.

"It's never too late.

"...The words of a true hero, heh heh heh. I've seen what you haven't seen, and I know what you don't know, and that's why all of this is useless. Even after all this time, you're still trying to save me. It really is like a stupid joke," the Joker shuddered slightly and turned towards him with the same crazy smile on his face.

"Something wrong, Bats?! We were playing, and you didn't like it.

"You... don't remember?

"I remember you suddenly knocked over the table and shouted that you were tired of my games. That's rude, by the way!

"He just replaced his memories with completely different ones," he calmly acknowledged this fact and, tapping on the glass, attracted the attention of the guards. Bruce decided to leave this place.

He had learned everything he wanted to know, and now he was eager to find a way to permanently replace the Joker with John Doe. This scene proved that this man was alive inside him, but refused to accept himself. He refused not only because he was aware of his sins, but also because he had witnessed something... inexplicable. Something that drives a man mad and prevents him from returning.

"I saw what you didn't see, and I know what you don't know. What were you talking about, John?" This thought haunted him all the way back to the Batcave.

Meanwhile, Amanda Waller received a direct order from her superiors to stop pursuing Subject No. 88.

"... but why?!"

"Influential figures have come forward to defend him. I strongly advise you not to take any overt action. Disobedience will be punished by dismissal. Is that clear?

She listened in shock to one of the organisation's leaders and couldn't believe what she was hearing. What's more, she couldn't afford to leave the organisation. She couldn't just leave the organisation, because no one was ever supposed to know about it. If you were fired, it meant that you would soon be killed or have your memories wiped, and all your recent years of work would be a complete blank in your mind.

One month later.

In just one month, I earned myself a good reputation. As a mercenary with the most effective task completion rate. No one could even understand what or who they had encountered. Most of the jobs were to eliminate some kind of trash. Drug dealers who didn't want to work for higher-ups, people who owed a lot of money and were hiding from their creditors in some hole. At times like these, even without using my ability to stop time, I would listen boredly to my victim, holding them at gunpoint. I looked for at least one reason not to do what I was told to do for money. There weren't any. These people were always full of fear and could frantically come up with hundreds of reasons why I shouldn't kill them.

"I-I-I hid the money in my house! I have a child! I'll sell a kidney to pay off the debt, give me more time!

It would have sounded much more convincing if it weren't for the fact that all of this could have been done much earlier, without waiting for me to show up. The fear of imminent death apparently opens up many options for solving their problems. However, I didn't want to wait and waste time on it.

The echo of gunshots. Frame by frame, my memories are interrupted by me pulling the trigger again. 

"I'm sorry, it's just my job," I always wanted to say that phrase. It sounds nice after fulfilling my sacred duty! I'm cleansing the world of useless trash! Bat-Face would be proud of me now! Although... probably not.

Realising that my element is "garbage collection." I was constantly given assignments in this category. My superiors clearly liked the fact that I left virtually no trace behind. Just a single bullet from a TT pistol or a knife wound.

The worst thing is that I couldn't find anyone interesting this month! My organisation doesn't provide information on the whereabouts of famous mercenaries. There was one very clear reason for that. There's a reward for mercenaries too. In Mother Russia, they offer a hundred million Russian rubles for Defstruck's head. I have no idea what he did to them. The same situation is with Deadshot, who killed the president in France, and now the entire government is willing to give five billion to anyone who catches him alive. And that's just in those countries! That is why the organisation values their contribution and tries to protect them from themselves. No, there were mercenaries who tried, according to the latest rumours, to hunt them down, but as far as I know, none of these groups of hunters returned.

I was even thinking about finally going to the next dungeon, but I rejected the idea for several reasons. The first and main reason is that if the Minotaur was a representative of an extinct and defeated race of the continent, what monsters might I encounter in the Outer World? After all, this key is a direct hint that he was going to visit them to take revenge, but as a result, without magical abilities, he had no chance of fulfilling his cherished dream. Whoever was there, they would be enemies at least twice or even three times as strong as the Minotaur. At least, that's what my instincts tell me. 

The second reason was that I wanted to complete my current task in order to become a more influential figure. This would open up good prospects and make life much easier. What prospects? Someone once said, "Knowledge is power." Now that I had obtained some interesting information about the local structure of the world, I would be able to plan my moves in advance. Take Amanda Waller, for example. She was the first figure I wanted to remove from my path so that she would no longer be a thorn in my side. But killing her won't rid me of her organisation's attention, so I need to wipe out the entire organisation, and that's extremely difficult to do alone and without a good informant. Or maybe I can find a suitable alternative. We'll see. I don't see one yet.

Today I was offered a "special" assignment. I was given the location where I was to meet my future client, who would personally explain my future task. I was somewhat intrigued, because all my previous assignments had always been the same.

"We have taken into account your desire to meet some of our influential figures. After completing the task, you will have a meeting with the Head. This will be your last step to move to the next level.

If only he knew how ambiguous that sounded to me, considering that I live with the system.

Regarding my current level, people are not dungeon monsters, so I didn't get much experience for them, but I still managed to gain four levels. In total, I am now at level 28. I have 13 skill points and 120 attribute points. Once again, I have to make difficult decisions about where to allocate my attributes and skills. There is no particular point in distributing them now, but it will be essential before the next dungeon. Although... if necessary in an emergency, I will distribute the attributes directly during the time freeze.

I slightly changed my image and replaced my dark jacket with a dark cloak with long sleeves and a hood.In crowded places, I didn't particularly want to show off my green hair and attract attention, so I used various types of headgear. Sometimes it helped, sometimes it didn't. I liked to listen to the hustle and bustle of the city and watch it silently. I mostly hung out in New York. It's a big and cosy city. It has its criminal side, of course. And I like that quirk about it. That doesn't mean I'm constantly carrying out assignments there, though. That would be unwise. For some assignments, the organisation provided me with the necessary transport to change locations. By the way, I need to make a note to learn how to drive. I'm getting pretty fed up with all this.

The meeting place was a bar called Broken Hoof in a poor part of town. The name perfectly described the appearance of the establishment. The wooden panels on the interior walls were old and had several bullet holes. Next to them, apparently to maintain the image of a local bar, some drunk was lying in an embrace with a fire hydrant.

"Funny. Couldn't my client have chosen a more attractive place than this dump?

Is this some kind of attempt to hide among the local rats? It's not a bad idea, but smart clients usually hold meetings in a prominent place, with lots of witnesses and during daylight hours. Why do they do that? Well, if you're in a normal public place and acting normal and natural, few people will suspect you of anything. On the other hand, that doesn't work if you're being hunted or wanted, in which case the meeting place explains my client's situation.

"Caught a big fish? Hmmm.

I wasn't told who my client was or what he looked like — I was only told that he would approach me himself. I walked into this bar and immediately smelled the disgusting smell of cigarettes. I've never smoked in my life and can't stand the smell, and here some idiot was smoking right at the table, puffing away like a steam engine. The bar was just a bar. Nothing special. However, I found my client right away, which was both wild and funny and stupid at the same time. My client was definitely a teenage girl, somewhere between 16 and 20 years old, with long ash-coloured hair, dressed in some kind of non-standard military uniform with lots of pockets. On her belt was a pistol in a holster and a military knife in a leather sheath. Behind her back, you could clearly see the hilts of two swords. Her left eye was covered with a black patch, like some kind of pirate.

"Stirlitz has never been so close to failure..." I remembered a funny excerpt from a famous film. I tried to hold back the laughter that was bursting out of me with my hand. Still, overcoming myself, I decided to sit down next to her.

"I take it you're the famous Ghost Snake?

The nickname stuck when a friend of mine called me a snake because the tasks I carried out left no trace behind.

"That's me, milady," I took off my hat and bowed slightly in respect. She wasn't impressed, just sighed wearily.

"I need help with something.

"That's why I'm here. First of all, may I ask your name? It's a little awkward that you know me, but I don't know you. All acquaintances, you know, begin with an introduction.

"Let's skip the formalities. No need to be so formal," she frowned, "I'm not old enough to be addressed like that. My name is Rose Wilson, and I want to find my father.

"Interesting, interesting," I rubbed my palms together and smiled my trademark smile, realising that the next assignment was going to be very interesting. "What do you need me to do?

"Escort and protection. Nothing else should bother you.

"Well, I thought my family's problems were insignificant," I said sarcastically, scratching the back of my head.

"No questions. Clear?

"Of course, of course, I was just thinking out loud.

"Then let's go. I can't waste any more time.

No sooner had she said that than a small group of hostile local onlookers rose from their seats. Some grabbed clubs, some grabbed brass knuckles, and the rest used pool cues. Hmm, what's that all about?

"We can't stand people like you here and would like to teach you a lesson.

"Gentlemen, I'm sure there's a better way to resolve this situation. We're civilised people, after all," I spread my arms wide and shrugged. "Isn't that right? Eh, I guess not.

"No weapons. We don't need any unnecessary noise.

"The customer's wish is the law.

I didn't want to show off my abilities, because I found the whole scene in the bar too suspicious and inappropriate. It was like a performance, but for what, or rather... for whom? I glanced at the girl with the nice figure and, placing my hand under my chin, said thoughtfully.

"Hmm... Is he testing me? Move slightly to the side of the blow, trip him with your foot and hit him in the back of the head with your heel. Intercept the next customer's blow and pull him towards you so that he hits the second one squarely in the jaw. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Rose professionally and deliciously kick one of them in the shin, and then, grabbing his arm, deliver a finishing blow to his temple. I couldn't watch her closely because customer No. 3 was bearing down on me.

The third one was trying to hit me with a bat, and in order to somehow calm them down and knock the wind out of them, I decided on a slightly showy and pretentious move. I took the swing of the bat on my fist, shattering it into pieces. Grabbing a middle-aged man by the neck and lifting him slightly off the floor, I said loudly:

"Of course, I'm having fun playing with you, but we have business to attend to, and if you continue, I'll have to resort to extreme measures.

This really sobered them up, and now few dared to openly attack us. I let go of my hostage and went out into the street with Rose.

"Would you really have killed him?

"Maybe. People who gather in packs are like animals. That's why I decided to treat them like animals. The instinct for self-preservation and survival should tell people in difficult situations what they need to do to survive. Of course, there are individuals who simply don't have it, but fortunately, they are few and far between. I showed them an example of my strength and thus gave them a quick idea of their chances of winning.

"An interesting point of view.

The local yellow taxi served as our transport, and I was a little confused by this fact. Did she steal it?!

"Ah-ha-ha-ha!" I laughed heartily at this picture. "You're full of surprises, Rose.

"I had no choice. My target is believed to be somewhere in Madagascar. We'll reach our destination in half a day by aircraft.

Playing detective with a young and attractive lady in search of her most dangerous, terrifying, and best tactician on the planet — Slade Wilson, aka Deafstruck. What could be more interesting than that?! I'll have to try to get her to talk. After all, if she's looking for him, it means her father left her for some reason. The question is: what will happen when she meets him and, more importantly, what role will I play in all this? Well, we'll find out soon enough.

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