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I'm too lazy to effect any changes at the moment. Meh.

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Chapter 5- The Surface World

The Senate

November 2nd, 2004



Stephen jumped back from Ryan.

“You work for him? You’re a murderer too?”

“Actually, ‘assassin’ would be the correct term, and yes. I do work for him. I’m his second-in-command, in fact.”

“Second-in-command? How many assassins are there working for him?”

“Let’s see… six generals that each have their own battalion, and the battalions are divided up into groups of 10 thousand, so that’s 60,000 soldiers, plus the ones that don’t live and train in the main base, which if you add all the bases up, you’d probably get over seven million, plus the ones that aren’t soldiers, so that’s a rough estimation of ten million.”

Stephen’s jaw dropped.

“Te- te- te- ten- ten mil- mill- milli- million?” he spluttered. Ryan nodded.

“It’s a worldwide thing though, so really, it’s not all that much.”

“But still,” Stephen said. “Ten million well-trained killing machines. And all of them have the Rage? Is this some sort of hidden assassin alliance?”

“All of them, including me, have the Rage at least partially woken. Tyson and his apprentice are the only ones in the whole world with the Rage fully awoken. And yes, it is an alliance, more rather, a calling. It’s known as the Underground, and like I said, the main base is in Antarctica. Tyson leads the whole thing, he is known as the Assassin King. There’s been a long history of Assassin Lords, with physical evidence dating back to before America was an independent nation, but there’s traces of evidence that it existed since Panagea. But the history of it- kept by the residing Assassin Lord in big leather-bound books- is kept in the real Underground, the Tzechlimona, or translated to English, ‘Frozen Hell.’ An earthquake shook the Tzechlimona and most of the books fell to the bottom of it. It’s not even known if there is a bottom to the Tzechlimona. Nobody but Tyson can enter it, as well. That’s why he became the Underground’s leader at such an early age; his predecessor, Raidon Hosokoawa, delved into the Tzechlimona to find all the lost tomes.”

Stephen was dumbfounded again.

“Prove this to me,” he said.

“Easy. Pack a coat. I’ll take you there.”

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Chapter 6- The Underground
November 4th, 2004
Entrance Pass



“It’s cold.”

“You said that twice now.”

“Because it’s cold.”

“What do you want, sympathy? I’ve got none. So shut your mouth before I shut it for you.”

Stephen wrapped his coat around him tighter as Ryan led him through the snow. The farther and farther they walked, the more skeptic about the whole venture Stephen became. The senator had found that Ryan was both a valuable friend and a dangerous one, but he had some eccentric qualities that made Stephen wonder how he could be second-in-command of a worldwide assassin alliance.

“How much-,” Stephen began, but Ryan cut him off.

“Look up,” the assassin said.

Stephen’s jaw dropped. There was a massive ring of ice cliffs they had been walking around for the past twenty minutes, but before them now was a majestic opening in the walls of the valley, the sides carved into the shapes of giant swords with the Underground’s insignia-the same one tattooed on Ryan's arm- carved into the cliffs of ice.

“Entrance Pass,” Ryan said simply. “The only way in and out of the Underground.”

“So we blatantly walk through here to get inside?”

“Snow dunes, moron,” Ryan said, pointing to dug-out trenches on the sides of the opening. “We use those for cover.”

“I’m assuming you know what you’re doing.”

“I’ve lived here since I was thirteen. I know this place fairly well. The only time Tyson posts guards here is when he knows there’s some impending danger. He’s incredibly intelligent- not to mention telekinetic- and has probably figured out where I’ve been the past two days. I don’t see any guards but we need to take precautions anyway.”

Stephen followed Ryan as he slid behind one of the dunes at the edge of the pass. The dunes formed a little valley sheltered from the ridge of the cliff opposite and partially above. The senator found he was shaking with nerves. Although he didn’t believe the Underground existed at first, the sight of the pass had firmly planted doubt in his mind.

He walked straight into Ryan as the assassin stopped at the opposite end of the pass.

“What the-,” Stephen began angrily.

“s**t,” Ryan swore. “He knows.”

Stephen’s heart skipped several beats as he saw hundreds of assassins filling the space between them and the Underground complexes. They were fighting each other, carrying out some sort of training exercise.

“Dammit, Killarney, why do you have to be such a prude?” Ryan said to nothing. “That’s his battalion, because there’s Sedgewicker, his top commander. This is going to be nigh on impossible. Let’s get out of here. Quick, before someone sees me.”

“Too late for that, Tilman,” a harsh rasping voice spat.

Ryan mouthed another curse, his eyes shut tight. Slowly the two turned around to face a tall man with jet-black hair, pale white skin, and fire red eyes. The man took a step forward, and the various knives and swords clinging to his body dressed in black made an ominous clanking sound. His face was set in an expression of mixed anger and amusement.

“I send you off on a simple errand and you return two days later with the very man trying to find and kill me. Hello, Stephen, nice seeing you. Yes, I know exactly who you are. The question is, do you know who I am?”

Stephen shook his head, dumbstruck.

“My name is Tyson Whetlander,” the man said, drawing the sword with a ruby pommelstone on his back.

“This is Kerosine. She’s helped me earn my right to be called the Assassin King.”

Haha. Chain letters make me laugh. Anyway...
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Chapter 7- The Underground
November 4th, 2004
Entrance Pass



Stephen’s face sprang to a look of horror as Tyson leveled Kerosine at them.

“You look scared, Stephen. You didn’t used to be scared of me. What happened?”

The infamous assassin took a step forward. Reflexively, Stephen and Ryan both took a step back, into the open area where Mike’s battalion awaited. They had formed up into neat rows with swords drawn, facing the assassin and senator.

“What are you talking about?” Stephen asked.

“You don’t remember me? Pity. But I’ve no time for distant memories and heartbreaking stories. I’ve got a turncoat to kill. Tilman,” he barked. “I trusted you since I became the Assassin King. More than I ever trusted Killarney or Chadson, or any of the other generals or soldiers. Not even Keira. You know everything about me. I know everything about you. Why, if it’s not bold of me to ask, did you go running to this pathetic fool when I gave you everything you could ever want? A home, soldiers to command, a purpose, a friendship when no one else would because you were lost and confused after your brother was murdered?”

“I was told to,” Ryan squeaked, his voice laden with fear. This unexpected response seemed to throw Tyson off his guard.

“By who?” he said, his brow furrowing, and his sword lowering an inch or two.

“Raidon Hosokoawa,” the terrified assassin replied.

“Liar!” Tyson roared, his sword snapping back into its levelled position. “Raidon is hiding in the Tzechlimona. Raidon has not left it since I took over the Underground fourteen years ago. You did this of your own free will. And I will not let the Underground's existance become known to the Surface World until I see fit.”

The King raised his blade high above his head and lunged all his weight forward. To his surprise, something held Kerosine and stopped his movements.

“Not so fast, young one,” a voice said from behind Tyson. “The boy speaks the truth.”

The Assassin King glanced over his shoulder.

“Raidon?” he said incredulously.

By the way, randomly, I'm well-known for cliffhangers. lol
Edit: WOW that's way longer than I thought.
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Chapter 8- The Underground
November 4th, 2004
Main Complex



“My dear boy, look at how much you’ve grown,” the former Assassin King said, releasing Tyson’s sword. The current Assassin King spun on his heel and bowed low to his former master.

“Raidon, I had no idea you were still alive,” he said, straightening up.

“Ah, the Tzechlimona hides many secrets, Tyson. One of which I have discovered holds great importance to you. If young Tilman- it’s been a while for you too, lad- and your friend here would join me in my- err, your- offices, I will be delighted to explain.”

“Stephen? Any protests?” Tyson said in a suddenly pleasant- well, as pleasant as the raspy-voiced assassin could manage- voice, turning to the senator who was rather shocked by the proceedings, so his response was practically automatic.

“Uh… none. None at all.”

“Right then. Killarney, I want you to come with us and escort Tilman. I won’t trust him again until I hear what Raidon has to say.”

Mike nodded and took firm hold of Ryan’s upper arm. He didn’t protest. The five of them walked to the front of Mike’s battalion.

“Dismissed,” Tyson barked. “Return to your barracks.”

The soldiers sheathed their weapons and the tight formation disintegrated. The group proceeded through the rest of the valley and into the main complex of the Underground. Stephen was amazed at the sophisticated architecture of the building. Many marble pillars carved like those of the Ancient Greeks supported the ornate ceiling, high above his head. Between the rows of pillars, patterned marble tile stretched over the floor. A strip of red carpeting led to a simple yet elegant black metal spiral staircase, with other, narrower strips leading off into the bowels of the Underground. It was to the spiral staircase Tyson and Raidon led them, up to the third level.

Hanging a sharp right, the two Assassin Lords strode in perfect step with each other, side by side, jet-black heads held high, fierce fire red eyes gleaming brightly. It must be a trademark characteristic of the Rage, Stephen thought, those eyes and that hair. Every soldier out there had a red tint to their eyes and black highlights in their hair. Tyson and this Raidon character are the only ones I’ve seen with both signs fully. And that creepy pale white skin.

Stephen shuddered. They reminded him of vampires. What am I getting myself into? He thought as Tyson opened one of the many ornate oak- where in the world did they get oak this far south?- doors they had passed and slipped inside.

Lights flickered on as Stephen, who was trailing behind, entered the room. It was a simple office-like room, with a desk and big leather chair, and a few extra chairs.

“Have a seat, gentlemen. Killarney, keep Tilman standing. As you can see, I don’t have enough seating for all of us and Raidon has a little more importance than him,” Tyson said, taking the large chair behind the desk. Stephen sat down shakily as Ryan and Mike took up a post by the door.

“Raidon. So, first off, is it true you sent Ryan to Stephen? Second, why? What did the Tzechlimona reveal?”

“Yes, I did send Ryan to the senator. And yes, it was necessary. You see, what I discovered is the very first Chronicle of the Underground. The first Assassin Lord’s tome. Or tomes, I should say, for he prophesized the full future of the Underground. And a little factoid you may find interesting, Tyson; his name, translated from the Assassin Language to English, was Tyson Whetlander.”

Tyson’s eyes widened.

“That’s my name,” he said.

“Don’t think I don’t know that, you dolt. Now, listen to me. Don’t interrupt or we’ll have to resort to what we did when you were thirteen,” Raidon warned, making Tyson’s face redden slightly. Ryan and Mike couldn't help but chuckle.

“Anyway, what the first Whetlander wrote was that of a near Armageddon of the first human beings. The Rage, as we predicted, has existed as long as the earth has. Humans, however, existed long before the dinosaurs did. One of Whetlander’s distant ancestors- like I said, it was not complete Armageddon, otherwise we wouldn't be sitting here- lived during this time period. His ancestor passed down a firsthand account of the Armageddon. I translated the account from the Assassin Language and I quote, ‘It dawned as an ordinary day. But as the day progressed I saw around me and found people acting like we had many many years before; wild, uncivilized. Cannibalistic, it was. They killed one another randomly. I saw no pattern nor motive for this strange display of behavior. Strangely enough, I found myself succumbing to the same urges. It was the oddest experience- the urge came, and I forgot everything else, even my own name, until I saw and smelled the spilling of blood. Then it went away and I couldn’t remember my deeds. Soon barely anyone was left, and then the strange urges vanished just as they came. I found it was just me and one other left alive, a female, by lucky chance. Her name was Eve. I think you can imagine the course fate took. Anyway, now the odd rage is gone, but I sometimes still feel its stirrings. Sometimes I want to kill Eve. Cain, our son, has already succumbed to it. He has killed his brother. I fear this rage. I fear its effects. I fear it.’

“His name was Adam, which you can imagine is probably where the Bible began. Written by the first to experience the Rage, how ironic. Anyway, Whetlander made prophesies, like I’ve told you. He predicted that the end of the Underground would come many years later, and end with an Assassin Lord with the same name as him. Which would be you, of course. How it would end is rather puzzling to me, but I think I’ve figured it out. I won’t bother you with the exact wording, but what it says is this: The Rage’s Armageddon is going to happen again. Tyson, you have to find a way to break the Rage’s curse upon yourself. That’ll eliminate it once and for all. There will be a betrayal and change of heart with the Surface World- where you dwell, Stephen- and there will be a massive war. I sent Ryan to Stephen as a way to help instigate this war. It needs to happen. It will help you discover what you need to do to break the Rage. I don’t know exactly how, but revealing yourself and the Underground to the Surface World will do it. You know what trying to break the Rage means, right?”

A now paler than normal Tyson nodded. For the first time that anybody knew of, the Assassin King was scared.

“Good man. I know you don’t want to do it, I know you’ll experience a lot of pain in the process, I know that you hate the very world I am asking you to save, but I know you. Despite the Rage nibbling away at your human emotions, you still have that powerful sense of justice. And you could never live with yourself if you let the world end because you had to be so selfish. Do you accept what I am laying before you? Do you accept the dire consequences it will hold? Can I put the fate of the world in your hands?”

Tyson nodded. His face was set, his jaw locked.

“Wait a minute here, what did I miss? What is he facing? How am I important?” Stephen said, breaking the tense silence.

“Your importance will be helping me find what I need to find to break the Rage, or at least that's what I'm pulling from this. And what I’m facing,” Tyson sighed heavily. “is almost certain death.”

Squee.
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Chapter 9- The Underground
November 4th, 2004
Tyson’s Quarters



There was an ominous silence.

“How?” Stephen squeaked out.

“The Rage doesn’t want to be broken,” Mike said. “It’s part of you, it know what you’re doing and thinking. Similar to a computer virus. It overreacts if you try to find its one weakness. I assume Ryan told you it eats away human emotions. That’s the only power it has. Its only defense system. So it accelerates that process, and it can destroy the rest of your brain, which is why it takes its time, it has to eat away at the emotion control centers, and when thrust into hyperdrive, it’ll sometimes destroy the wrong section and kill you. Or make you think suicidally. Or succeeds in its task and turns you into a killing machine, devoid of any emotion, and eventually you are killed by someone else, or you die in some other fashion.”

“Well, at least someone paid attention in Assassin School,” Raidon remarked. Mike grinned sheepishly.

“Precisely. So, in other words, now that it’s been fed into my head that I need to break the Rage, it won’t be too happy with me and we need to act fast,” Tyson said.

He stared Stephen down who quailed slightly under their harsh red gaze.

“Stephen, are you willing to help me with this?”

Stephen gulped. “I don’t know too much about what’s going on, but my intuition tells me I should help you. So yes. What do I need to do?”

“I’ll get to that. Ryan, Mike, I might need your help too. I want you on standby. If anything happens to me, I want the both of you to share rule over the Underground. Keep the battalions on their toes. We’re going to stage a war. Don’t tell the soldiers we’re staging it, only tell Sarah, Rick, and Marcus. This needs to look real. And we need to move fast. Stephen, I want you to gather everyone you want commanding your army, then I’ll explain everything to them. We’ll need to put on a good façade for this. It needs to look like we’re on different sides. Raidon, if you can, I want you to go back to the Tzechlimona and see if you can find anything else from the first Whetlander that might help us. Also, rifle through mine and see if there’s anything useful in there. I’ll go back to the Surface World with you, Stephen, your generals may want to meet me after all they hear,” Tyson ordered. Stephen had to admit, Tyson was a good leader, what with the way he reeled off orders.

“Well, looks like I’m taking a return trip to Hell,” Raidon said dryly, and he departed. Ryan and Mike saluted Tyson and followed after Raidon.

Tyson looked Stephen in the eye again.

“You honestly don’t recognize me?” he asked in a softer voice. Stephen shook his head.

“Am I supposed to?”

Tyson sighed. “Yes, in fact.” He stood and walked from the room. Stephen chased after him.

“Whetlander, I’ve been pretty lenient with all the questions I want to ask, all the answers I want to demand, but I want this answer at the very least. Why am I supposed to recognize you? Where do I know you from?” Stephen demanded, standing in front of the Australian and blocking his path. In a sudden burst of anger, Tyson seized Stephen by the collar and slammed him against the wall.

“Your eighth grade year, back in Florida. There was a kid who moved to Florida from Australia. He had light brown hair and hazel eyes. You were best friends with him. You were there when his parents were murdered before his eyes. You were there when his life changed forever. You were there when the Rage took over. You know he disappeared. You forgot everything about him. His name was Tyson. Tyson Whetlander. And you didn’t recognize him because you convinced yourself that your former best friend could never be your enemy. Welcome to the Underground, Stephen, courtesy of Memory Express, incorporated.”

With a snarl, Tyson released Stephen and the senator fell in a crumpled heap on the floor. The assassin strode away and slammed the door to his personal quarters, leaving Stephen to his memories.

Former best friend were the three words bouncing throughout his skull. He recognized it now. It had been so long, but Stephen remembered it like it was yesterday. He had been Tyson’s best friend in a past lifetime.

How he got here, he had naught but a slight clue. He had to do something. Tyson would find out, one way or another. And there was no way in hell Stephen was going to be around when he did.

Squee heart

I have two fans. heart heart