"Wake up mate!" the man said, slapping an unconscious man in the face.
The middle-aged man woke up moved around hysterically. He didn't realize he was constrained to a metal chair. Ropes were tied to his feet and handcuffs bound his wrists, causing him to fall over on his side the moment he rocked in his seat.
"Agh! Damnit!" he ached. All he saw was a bright light shining in his face. Outside of that there was nothing but darkness. The echo from his voice and the cold damp floor helped the man realize he was in a closed empty space. It didn't take long for his eyes to adjust and discover he was inside the unfinished basement of his own home. He looked up at the man who had woken him but could not see his face. What he could see was the man about him wearing a military grade Kevlar vest and urban camouflage pants, attire that did not sit well with the restrained man.
The man standing over the captive stopped pacing back and forth for a moment, juggling the thought of smashing his boot into the frightened captive's chest. After a long moment of silence he picked the captive up.
The prisoner shook vigorously, failing to keep his composure. "Do you know who I am?" the prisoner tried roaring in a threatening tone, but his voice faltered.
"Brian R. Fraser," his capture said with an Australian accent. "Governor and native of Wisconsin. You got your MA in Political Science from UCLA before attending law School at North Carolina State. You're married to Sarah Fraser, your high school sweetheart. You're a fan of barbeques, hunting, and for some reason that's...fucking beyond me...ranting about international affairs you have no stake in."
"Bravo." Governor Fraser said, trying to keep his voice from cracking. "You googled me. If I wasn't tied up I'd applaud you for being competent with a laptop."
"I also know you cheated on your bar exam."
Keeping a cool head during a crisis was a trait the press had identified with Fraser. He took a breath, and swallowed the fear that occupied him. "So you paid off one of my friends. Am I supposed to be impressed?"
Fraser's kidnapper stood in front of him and pulled out a needle filled with a greenish-yellow liquid. "How about this? You know what this is?"
"Some kind of dope you took to make you think going after me was a good idea?"
The Australian laughed while twirling the needle in hand. "I like that. Calm under pressure. But you see that's how all men like you start." He dangled the needle between his fingers. "It's a heavy sedative. I borrowed it from your doctor. Well, you could say I traded him for it."
"A trade?"
"Yeah. I took this and he took a bullet to the head. Seemed like a fair trade." The Australian said while shrugging his shoulders.
Governor Fraser's eyes widened with horror. "Why? Why am I here? What do you want with me...you little fuck!" he said while straining his hands from the arm rests.
"I'm here to voice my concerns with your policies, Governor!" he shouted, pointing the needle at the governor's face. The man stood back and crossed his arms. "Well, not really. Politics isn't really my flavor. However, my actions have probably been on the news more than yours will ever be. Granted their more violent than your endeavors."
The Australian stepped into the blinding light that lit Fraser's immediate area, revealing the kidnapper's dirty blonde hair, cold blue eyes, and maniacal smile.
"You!" Fraser screamed with a look of terror of on his face. "Anyone but you!" He recognized his culprit in a second. His name was Liam King, a world renowned gun for hire. Fraser struggled to free himself as Liam walked behind him, each step echoed off the walls.
In the past few years highly ranked political officials came to know the name Liam King well. It wasn't a secret that he was on the top of the FBI and Interpol's most wanted list. Fraser knew King had killed men like him for no better reason than the almighty dollar. King had no loyalty to country, no concern with the life of others. Some men in the Bureau have even whispered that he fights only for the thrill of killing men like Fraser. It was rumored that the money King took for each job was only to help him hide from law enforcement agencies and fund his next operation. He was what some called a boogie man for people who were thought to be untouchable among normal men.
"I thought getting my hands on a Governor would be next to impossible. But I guess your home security is as flimsy as the legislations you pass."
Fraser's attempt to free himself was short lived, his goose bumped arms quickly bruised against the ropes. He looked up at King walking back into his sight with a look of frustration and anger.
"You're dead!" Fraser flung a kick his way. "You hear me? Dead! You fucked up kid! And when my team gets here..." King put Fraser's threats to a halt with an open hand across his face.
"You're not a thinker, are you governor? Do you really think I could've broken in your home and drag you down here if all your men weren't dead?"
Frasier's body shook in fear. "You think you can just come in here? Where my family sleeps?"
"Ah ah ah. Correction, where they used to sleep. A graveyard is more fitting for them now."
Fraser shook his head in disbelief. "No! No! No! You didn't!" He rocked his chair back and forth. "Not my wife... my son!"
Liam grabbed Fraser by the neck keeping him still. "This is what happens when you piss off dangerous people Brian. They pay men like me to ruin your life. But your son, he's just a child. I let him live. But he'll grow up an orphan." He smiled at Fraser's tearing, burning eyes. "The way you're having a bitch fit, I'd say I did the little bugger a favor mate."
Fraser jerked his upper body away from Liam's grasp. "Who hired you? Tell me! Who hired you to kill my wife? I'll have you both killed! I swear to God!" Fraser screamed, so loud that neither he nor Liam heard the door open from behind him.
"No you won't." said the Middle Eastern man walking down the stairs from the first floor, wearing a three-piece suit. He was accompanied by four other Middle Eastern men who were armed to the teeth with automatic weapons, ballistic vests and holstered sidearms. King stepped back from Fraser to let his employer take a look at his work.
"Nice job Mr. King!" The well-dressed man said as he walked past him. "And here I thought paying half in advance was just giving money to a dead man." He pulled out the 9mm he kept concealed in his jacket and waved it at Fraser.
"Do you know who I am Governor?" The man said to Fraser in a Middle Eastern accent.
"An asshole!" spat Fraser.
Many Americans would agree to the title Fraser gave the man. But the gray suited man, his guards, and his supporters referred to him as Adir Jafri, leader of some of Israel's most deadly insurgents.
Jafri's men supported Fraser's seat, allowing Jafri to punch him in the face until his knuckles bruised, which didn't take long. "For weeks you've been pushing for your friends in Washington to start a task force to hunt me down. You told them I was a threat that you wanted handled. Here's a lesson for you that you should've learned a long time ago."
Jafri bent down and put the barrel of his gun underneath Fraser's bruised and bloodied jaw. "You want a man dead, you kill him. If you want a man to kill you, you speak about how you want him dead."
"Fuck you." Fraser said as blood sprayed out of his mouth.
"Um, excuse me Mr. Adir," Liam said as he lowered Jafri's weapon gently. "I don't mean to interrupt your lovely exchange of sweet nothings but I'd like to get my money and ship out before things get intimate."
Adir took a good look at Liam and laughed. "I like you Mr. King." He snapped his fingers and in an instant one of his men threw a suitcase at Liam's feet.
Liam picked up the suitcase and weighed it in his hand. "It feels to me like you're a little short here mate..." He brought the suitcase to his ear and shook it again to be certain. "By at least another six million." He threw the case back at Jafri's feet.
"You get one million for your services Mr. King." Jafri said while delivering another punch to Fraser's face.
Liam smiled and laughed lightly. "We had agreed to fourteen million. Half for taking the job, half for when I delivered the governor to you. Now I know your part of the world probably uses pebbles and branches to count but that doesn't excuse for bad business mate."
Jafri walked slowly over to Liam, his gun still in hand. "We agreed to seven million more for delivering him dead. Does he look dead to you?" He looked at one of his men. "Does he look dead to you Micah?"
"He looks alive to me sir."
The rest of his men laughed at Liam. "We agreed to a dead governor before my arrival. You didn't fulfill your agreement Mr. King." Jafri pointed his gun at Liam's solar plexus. His men closed in on them from all four corners, giving Liam almost no room to breathe.
"Now, pick up your money and be glad that I'm letting you walk out with your life."
Liam smiled effortlessly at the General and slowly bent down to pick up his suitcase.
"That's a good boy."
Liam clutched the handle of the suitcase tightly, and to his employer's surprise he swung the full force of the suitcase against Adir's wrist, causing him to drop his weapon. He then threw the suitcase at one of the soldiers behind him, smashing his nose in.
Liam grabbed the barrel of the MP5 before the other soldier behind him could take aim and slammed the man's finger against the trigger. He aimed the gun at the soldier behind Adir, spraying him with bullets from the waist up. Liam then struck the soldier he held in the chest with his elbow and twisted his arm while stepping behind him. As Liam used the soldier as a human shield, he drew his pistol and put four rounds in the man who'd been hit with the suitcase.
Governor Fraser watched helplessly, hoping that he wouldn't be caught in the crossfire. He witnessed Liam taking Adir's men swiftly. Adir dove to the floor for his gun, but Liam reacted in time to fire at Adir's weapon, pushing it out of his reach. Liam kicked his human shield at the only unharmed soldier Jafri had left, disrupting his clear shot of Liam. He then emptied half his clip into the two soldiers until his former shield fell on top of his teammate.
"Don't move!" Liam commanded the General, who was on his knees, with his hands up and facing the ground in terror.
Liam quickly moved over to the soldier who had his dead teammate on top of him. Before he could push him off for a chance to fight back Liam stomped on the dead man, forcing the soldier back to a helpless position and fired a few rounds into his skull.
Adir broke into a frantic crawl for his pistol before a large hole appeared in his back, but not from a bullet.
Governor Fraser couldn't believe his eyes. Liam turned his head to Jafri running for his gun, and while doing so, Liam's eye color had changed. They were no longer cold blue, but sunburst orange. Fraser witnessed the orange light in Liam's eyes escape the corners of his sockets, until the light violently pushed out his skull. The scorching optic laser ripped through Jafri's back and pierced through his chest, ending his life instantly.
"The fuck was that?" Fraser screamed while he shook in his seat.
Liam picked up the suitcase given to him by Jafri. "Compliments of your government's top scientists. Your military has put together teams of soldiers with powers like these," he said, pointing at his smoking eyes as they returned to their normal blue. "My benefactor was kind enough to let me experience a preview of the abilities used by your nation's forces with the help of a serum. I can't wait to get my hands on more of the stuff!"
Fraser did his best to break free of his restraints while listening to Liam's ranting. "You're a fucking monster!"
Liam brushed his hair and laughed. "Thank you Governor! Monster is exactly what I was going for!" He holstered his 9mm pistol and pulled out his cell phone, dialed a number, and put it on speaker phone.
"Boss. Adir Jafri's dead." he said as soon as he heard the line over the phone pick up.
Fraser waited in fear as he listened to Liam. He wished he could hear who he was speaking to, even though he knew it wouldn't help his situation.
"How'd it go?" said the voice on the other line.
"You were spot on about the plan. Offering Fraser's head on a platter brought Adir out in the open."
"Did he pay you before you killed him?"
Liam weighed the suitcase in his hand. "Yeah, he gave me a million for finishing the job, but don't think I'll be counting that towards what you owe me."
"You earned your pay Liam. You're a good soldier and you'll be rewarded accordingly."
Liam shook his head and laughed, "Nah mate, I'm no soldier. No jarhead could've gotten Adir like I did."
"Who is that?" Fraser screamed. "Let me speak to him! We...we can make a deal!"
"Fraser's still alive?" the man on the line asked.
"Yes sir, he's alive. The pollie wants to make a deal." Liam said with a grin.
Without another word Liam's employer hung up. Liam laughed lightly while putting his phone away and headed for the basement stairs.
"What did he say?" Fraser pleaded eagerly.
Liam halted his exit from the room and turned a shoulder towards Fraser. "He said..." and without hesitation, Liam quickly drew his weapon and fired a round straight into Fraser's skull, knocking him back in his seat. Liam holstered his weapon and walked towards the exit. He didn't even reach the door before thinking about how he would spend his bonus.
