Interceptor

[simon]

Seattle, Washington. And unusually brisk night. Simon had been tracking the whereabouts of Draco since their last encounter, but every lead turned up cold. It was becoming clear that he wasn't going to find him, Draco would come to him when the time was right. This troubled Simon, as he still had no real gauge on exactly what Draco's intentions were. He knew all to well however of horrific power he had. Simon walks down a desolate back ally, when he suddenly gets that tingling feeling on the back of his neck. It was the feeling he always got when a fight was coming. Suddenly, 4 men emerge from out of the shadows of this ally.

You know, you guys should really try to be a bit more meticulous when staging an ambush. I swear I was on to you boys 6 blocks down.

The leader of the 4 men obviously would be the one to respond.

Is that so? Then if you're as smart as you think you are, see if you can figure out why we're following you.

The man had a slight Russian accent. That was all Simon needed to know.

I already have. The question is now that I have, what do you intend on doing about it. No...don't answer that. I already know that as well. So let me do you guys a favor...

Simon swiftly moves into action. Before the man to his farthest left could react, Simon was on him. He floors the man with an open plam shot to the bridge of the nose. Not enough to kill, but the man would be needing a good Plastic Surgeon. Two of the other men gasp in horror as Simon moved so fast, they didn't even see him. Before the 1st man even ht the floor, Simon moves in for his next attack. He grabs one of the two men by the arm, and twists it like a Liquorice stick. He howls in agony as the tendons in his arm pop like rubberbands stretched to their limit. Simon release his grip, and drops the the floor. He delivers a legs sweep that flips the man into the air, landing on his neck and shoulders. As Simon rises, the other man was already on the move, just as he anticipated.

Ametuer...

The man lunges forward with a punch, of which Simon catches like a 2nd Baseman catching an infield fly ball. He cocks his free hand back, and delivers a fearsome uppercut that lifts the man almost a foot off the ground. Simon instinctively leaps into the air as the man rose. His speed was so fast it looked like the man was suspend in time. With a downward Axe kick to the man's chest, he came crashing back down to Earth with a sickening thud. 3 men felled by Simon's skill in a mere matter of seconds. Simon looks to the "leader".

You've got two choices. You can join your friends here, or you can tell your boss to show her face...

The alley is suddenly filled with light from several vehicles. Indeed Simon was being followed. A raspy, seductive voice with a Russian drawl comes out from the distance.

The times must really be tough if you're actually back around here, da?

I was just passing through. You're the one who decided to send you good after me, Katerina.

Her name, Katerina Shevchenko. They call her "The Black Plague", because for her enemies, death is pretty much imminent. A statuesque woman. She stood about 6'2" barefoot. Her form was defined, yet feminine. Steel blue eyes. Long blond hair she wore in a ponytail that went well past her waste. A true amazon. Simon knew her from their days in Japan as assassins for the Hanzaki Family. She was a force to be reckoned with. The most noted feature on her was the great scar that reached from her forehead down to her jaw. Of course Simon knew that was only a scratch compared to her other scars.

Well what do you expect when "The Destroyer" happens into my domain?

Can't believe people still call me that.

People still call you many things. Murderer. Monster. The Devil given flesh. It's only been two years since you "turned the corner". There are still plenty of people who still want you dead.

Tell 'em to take a number and get to the back of the line.

Katerina comes in closer to Simon.

The least I can do is treat you to a meal. You are in fact a guest in my city. Consider it a token on my gratitude as a former comrade.

Simon responds with a smirk.

Am I being given a choice?

See looks at him with her soul piercing gaze.

Niet.

Didn't think so...

Simon and Katerina are escorted to her limo. The victims of Simon are all aided into one of the other vehicles, and Katerina's caravn pulls off into the night.

To Be Continued...

[simon]

Their destination would be Walker Street. An unmarked building that many would consider just a run the mill business office. Little did they know what truths lay behind it's doors. Katerina was still in deep with the Hanzaki Yakuza Clan. She also managed over the years to assemble her own force. Made up of mostly former SPETZNAZ and Russian SS, where she herself came from. A veteran of the Russian/Afghani war, she eventually ended up a hired gun to Matsuzaka Hanzaki in the early 90's. She gained his life long favor when she single handed staved off an attempt at his wife Matoko's life. Her relationship with Simon was one that drew many questions, but Simon was a man who was no stranger to charming the opposite sex.

Insider of Katerina's persona chamber, a meal sits already prepared her her and her guest. A meal fit for a king. Katerina despite being a skilled fighter is never without her two most skilled bodyguards at her side, but in this instance, she waves them off. She's left alone with Simon. She folds her fingers together as she begins her "small talk".

So tell me, Simon. Why are you here...really.

I wish I could say, Kat. But it's not something that concerns you, Matsuzaka, or any of the others. It's a personal matter.

I wish it were that simple, babushka. But you know as well as I do that there's a price on your head. A price that many foolish men will try to collect on. And I doon't want blood on my streets. Yours, or anyone else's. So I ask again. Why are you here.

Simon knew he owed her at least as much to tell her the truth. Whether she believed it or not...

I'm hunting.

Hunting? Now there's a surprise. So then, what's your prey might I ask.

What if I were to tell you it was a monster. Something just like I was. But something so far beyond what I was it's incomprehensible. A being that existed solely for the purpose of combat. Destruction. Anarchy. Something that can't be reasoned with. Bargained with. Something that has no reservation for life at any means, and sees it's actions as justifiable, no matter how barbaric?

I would say that's one hell of a prey. But what kind of man is capable of this?

That's just it. He's not a man. He's as far from a man as anything you're ever see. What if I told you that he's one of the last TRUE immortals? I mean 110% the real deal. Beyond anything of Hanzaki's ambition. A living monolith.

That's impossible. There's no such thing as a man who can't be killed. If this is a joke, It's not very funny.

Simon needed to prove this to her. There was no other way.

Looks like I don't have a choice.

Simon takes up a steak knife. He turns the knife to his own wrist, burying it into his flesh. Katerina gasps in horror at his action. He twists the knife into his arm, and brings it up his forearm before pulling it out. He holds his arm up so she can watch as his wound, a wound that a normal man would bleed out and die indefinitely from, healed in a matter of seconds. His open flesh sealed and regenerated to the point where his arm looked like nothing happened to it at all.

My GOD!!! W...wha...what the FUCK have you become, Simon?

Immortal. Just like the being I'm hunting. This is the price I paid for playing with Heaven and Hell. Cursed to live 1000 lifetimes. But I've decided that I'm going to do so protecting this world. Seeing as I'll be on it for a while. But he doesn't see it like I do.

And you say he's even worse then you were? I hardly see that possible.

Imagine if you will a warrior from 1000's of years ago. Unmatched fighting skill. The strength of 1000 men. Centuries of experience. And the ideal that the world as we see it today is unfit to exist. That's the beat I'm hunting. His name is Draco Thanatos.

The name immediately strikes a chord in her mind.

Sabastien Gallas' right hand? How?

Looks like you guys aren't as all knowing as you think. Draco was a member of some Greek cult of warrior priests that date all the way back to Ancient Greece. He's lived for centuries. He just so happened to have ended up with Gallas to see to it that he became for all practical purposes his replacement. But something happened that made Draco go back and kill his cult. Every single one of them. Then he went and killed Sabastien's bride to be, and with her his unborn child. And now he's out to bring forth the New World Order, by way of his fists.

Katerina sighs heavily.

You always did have a way with picking your fights, didn't you? Do you really stand a chance against something like this? I...I don't even begin to know what to say.

Say that you'll help me. I've been tracking him for a month and I've turned up nothing. The last time he appeared he killed damn near 30 men before I was able to stop him. Next time I may not be around to do so. I need resources to help find me him. Resources someone like you have at the ready. Can you help an old friend out?

She shakes her head...

Why is it that even now I can never turn you away?

My winning charm perhaps?

Not a chance. It might just be how good in bed you were. But we were a lot younger then. Tis' a shame I was never able to have your heart though. We could have been wonderful together.

My heart only belonged to one. And I let her die twice. I could never bring myself to allowing someone else into the world I live in now.

A pity. Bit for what it's worth, I never stopped loving you. Even if I never here those words from you myself.

She takes up her fork.

Shall we eat? I'm sure even Immortals must eat still.

It wasn't very often that Simon got to smile. But this battle hardened former Russian SS Soldier always managed to get the job done. Even as she now knew of the burden he now had on his soul, she still embraced him with open arms. It was nice to know he still had allies. Because in due time, his enemy would be sure to resurface.

END