Rise Of Hades' Hellborn: Trumpets Of The Damned

The Bounty On The Hunter II

“ Sorry kiddo I was forced to! A demon came up to my office and threatened to kill me if I didn't do otherwise” Louise pleaded. 

“ I wasn't in my right mind that Thursday, I and the boys had a drinking marathon. Gin in the morning, four bottles of beer at twelve, a couple shots of whiskey at three—

“ Louise—” Myles started but Louise rattled on. 

“—cocktails at five, whew the cocktails were brutal! I wonder how Sammy got to learn—”

“Louise.” Myles’ voice cut through like a blade. “You’re telling me a demon gave you a job—to set me up—just to steal my watch?” 

“Yeah... pretty much.” Louise muttered and visibly flinched as Myles began to squeeze the trigger.

Myles let the tension hang for a second, then holstered his pistols with a shrug. “Checks out.”

Louise blinked. “Wait, really?” 

 “ What're you doing here?” Myles asked, eyeing him with suspicion.

“ I came to hand over the second half of your f*e, just because the job was fake doesn't mean you don't get paid right?” Louise gave a nervous grin.

 Myles watched Louise out of the corner of his eye while he dropped and opened his briefcase. 

Louise sniffed the interior like a dog to a bone. “ Pure uncut American emeralds nothing beats that look of cold hard cash huh?” 

“ Why are you here seriously?” Myles asked, his tone still hinting dark suspicion. 

Louise threw up his hands.“ Are we still on this again? C'mon pal I take you as the son I never wanted Myles. I'm just saying I'll never set you up like that on purpose” Louise fibbed. 

That got Myles eyebrow up in amusement. “ Really now? So you're trynna tell me there isn't a sound activated bug stuck on that briefcase and possibly in the cash too.” 

Louise froze. “Bug? What bug?”

“ Also while you lie about that you'll also have to tell me why there are multiple teams of mercenaries closing in on our location right now” Myles said calmly while he rummaged through his drawers for pistol magazines and any other thing which could prove useful for the upcoming brawl. 

“ Uhh okay maybe I set you up this one time but trust me, I was forced to. These guys are probably after you and your watch too I'll bet” Louise confessed. 

“ Then my answer's gonna be the same as the one I gave the demon” Myles declared, while reloading his pistols. 

“ Look these guys are a bunch of roughnecks Myles and it's the feds that are paying them. This goes straight to the top, so how about you just give me the watch and… I go hand it over to em, huh?”

“ Not doing it Louise. My mother gave me this watch, It's the last thing of hers I have” Myles said. The grin faded from his face. His voice turned colder.

“ No one is gonna take it from me and I really wish I could go with them and explain but I've got a little business to attend to shortly and therefore won't be available” Myles said. 

“ it was worth a shot… I guess I'd better let you get ready for you big upcoming showdown, I wish I knew how I could make it up to you ” Louise said, scratching his head and turned on his heel. The sound of a pistol cocking made him pause. 

“ I think I've got an idea” Myles said, the pistol in his hand aimed directly at him…

At the Paragon… the general had gone through most of Myles and Louise initial conversation. 

“ A watch” General Sandlers muttered, eyes narrowing. “ Of course, the demon had left a hint in his statement “—remain frozen in time” which means…” 

He turned to their computer specialist. “ Patch me through to our extractors, now!” that was their codename for the mercenaries. 

He drummed his fingers on the arm of his chair while he waited for the computer guy to change frequencies. 

“ Attention all extractors! There's been a slight change in objectives, getting that watch of his is now your main objective. A bonus is still open if you can bring him alive for questioning”

***

The chilly wind whistled through the night while a team of mercenaries leaned atop a rooftop. Apart from the Assault Rifles and machine pistols they sported,  they also had shotgun style gun which fired lengths of rope with grappling hooks. 

“ We get to this motherf- first and share the cash between us, rest can rot,” their leader said, his eyes flashing greed in the darkness.

As if on cue, dark balls of clouds slid quietly over the half moon turning the night inky. 

“ Go!” Their leader hissed. They all fired above the a row of windows.The hooks latched with sharp thunks. One by one, the squad dropped down and crashed through the windows with military precision.

Slipping on a black nose cover over his mouth and mouth, the leader leaped off the rooftop edge. His team all followed suit and crashed through the windows directly a floor below Myles’.

Three minutes met them busting through the door leading into Myles apartment with guns aimed. 

Their leader scanned the darkened room and immediately spotted a figure in a trench coat staring out the windows with it's back to the door. 

“ Myles! Imma need you to put your arms up right now!” He barked. They drew closer to the figure alert for any sudden movements.

“ Hey” the leader said and turned the figure around. It turned out to be Louise gagged.

“ I don't think that's the guy” a team member said. “ Of course it isn't assh-!” Suddenly the lights came on and Myles sprang out, dual pistols flashing in his hands like hungry fangs. 

Myles exploded from a corner of the room, dual pistols flashing like twin serpents. Six clean rounds hit six chests, plastic bullets dropping them with practiced efficiency.

Myles grinned. His eyes glowed faint purple as he moved—unnaturally fast, almost blurred. He weaved through gunfire like smoke through fingers, vaulted up the wall, and backflipped over the mercs.

The trained mercenaries struggled to keep up with him even when he ran up the wall and backflipped over them to the other side of the room, shooting at the lights in the process. 

The room went pitch black again giving Myles some time to catch his breath. “ C'mon guys! You're making this boring!” Myles yelled and emerged from a darkened corner of the room. 

They made another round of futile attempts at shooting him while he dodged and fired his with expert aim. Each bullets of his found their mark downing each man with impunity till it left just their leader. 

Myles receded back into the dark while the guy fired multiple shots in that direction until the assault his held fell silent. “ oh look your heart’s beating faster than your prey's ” Myles mocked. 

A knife swirled in the guy's hand. “ C'mon out if you're no coward bastard!”...Two minutes later, he got his wish.

Just not how he expected.

His body soared out the shattered window like a sack of bricks, landing with a sickening crunch on the alley pavement below…