Chapter 11: The Throes of Power
Jerome slicked back his hair as he looked at the man that stood behind the bar with a glass of some sort of alcohol, perhaps whiskey, he assumed from seeing the open bottle.
"What is it that you want?" Hector asked in an exasperated voice.
Jerome chuckled, "Don't get annoyed, you sent assassins after me, they've managed to kill me and then you sent them after me again."
"You came back," said Hector narrowing his eyes, it had been his assumption all this while, he had some thoughts on it such as perhaps the people he sent didn't do their job properly but after the confirmation of the kill from the killed party himself he could now confirm it.
"I did," said Jerome nodding.
He dropped the corpse he was holding and walked over to the counter standing face to face with the man in the monocle. Hector looked at the body and blood on his pristine carpets and floor and he blanched a little.
"Was all that really necessary?" Hector asked.
Jerome grabbed the bottle in front of him, sure enough it was whiskey and he gulped one down, he felt a searing feeling sliding down his throat and was glad that alcohol still did its job, even if momentarily. After taking a large sip he looked up Hector who was waiting for his answer.
"You annoyed me so much, I needed somewhere to vent my anger," said Jerome. "Besides, they're expendable are they not."
Hector winced internally at the thought process of the man in front of him.
"No…why would you assume any men are expendable?" Hector asked.
"Then why did you sent them after me?" asked Jerome.
Hector paused as he came to terms with the sentence, it was a foolish decision in hindsight but then again he wasn't exactly in a state to calmly and properly think through, not when a monster was barreling straight at him with the intention of butchering him.
"What about my other men?" asked Hector. "What did you do to them?"
He needed the answer to a question that was killing him on the inside. His five men had vanished from the face of this planet, these men he had sent out were butchered but his other men, they had all but disappeared.
"I killed them all," said Jerome waving his hand half-heartedly before taking another sip.
Hector's eyes narrowed, "Killed them…how so?"
"I jabbed at them with what they brought me themselves," said Jerome placing down the bottle and pulling out the bag and placing it on the counter then opening it.
"You only killed them?" asked Hector frowning and Jerome paused.
"You assume I've done something else?" asked Jerome and Hector sighed.
"I have a sense for their bio-electricity," said Hector. "It doesn't matter whether they're dead or alive, if dead I should be able to sense their corpses, if alive well, they would return to me and you would not be here but I cannot sense them…it's just silence."
"I have underestimated you," said Jerome smiling. "Slightly…nothing to be concerned off of course but you figured out a lot more than I assumed you would…of course given your nature."
Hector's eyes narrowed as he placed down his glass and leaned on the counter.
"I'm sensing double meanings behind you sentences," said Hector. "What is it that you're trying to say?"
Jerome paused as he looked down a little lost in his thoughts and Hector awaited his answers.
"I'm thinking here," said Jerome looking up suddenly. "If an entire family lost their heads suddenly…what would you think?"
Hector's slight smile disappeared as he looked into Jerome's eyes.
"The full moon decapitations?" asked Hector.
"Yes," said Jerome nodding. "Is it anything special, maybe something else…related to this side?"
Hector kept looking at Jerome until he finally let out a bark of laughter, quite unlike his gentlemanly side.
"If I didn't know about your powers, I'd consider you a greenhorn here," said Hector and Jerome turned away as he gulped.
At this point the man before him believed he had a certain power and stature, it would prove useful in obtaining information so he needed to move forward without dropping the facade.
"How old are you asked?" Hector asked frowning. "You don't look a day over 30?"
"I'm 32," Jerome answered instinctively.
Hector let out a wry smile, "It's fine if you don't want to reveal your real age?"
From those words Jerome inferred something else, people on this side, these magicians, their lifespans exceeded the general humanity. If Hector kept dropping clues in like this, peppered in between conversations then it would be very helpful.
"The full moon decapitations?" asked Jerome pushing the conversation back onto the topic he wanted to know about.
Hector frowned, "Unfortunately I know nothing about it but if you want any other information I'm prepared to give it to you on the promise that you not kill me."
"Promise?" asked Jerome standing up as he downed the last of the whiskey and throwing the bottle away and Hector instinctively stepped back. "I slaughtered the men you sent after me, I slaughtered the men you put here to guard you, it's not going to take much to squeeze your life out and get out."
"You won't get the information you need," Hector argued.
"Fine, as long as I can be freed from your annoyance," said Jerome stepping froward around the side of the counter and Hector took another step back.
"I'm not promising anything Bishop, you'll tell me what I need to know and then hope that I have the mercy to not just end you."
"You-."
But Jerome interrupted him with a look, never before had he been insulted, disrespected so much. He ran the most successful assassination organization here and there was a certain fear and respect associated with his name, now this nameless constable had presumed to threaten him. It was his deep rooted arrogance, it wouldn't go away, he was at the top until a day ago, one mission and he was sent tumbling down but to him Jerome Elliot Hall in his base was a constable, despite the power he wielded but he was also man enough to accept that he was threatened by the great power the man before him wielded. With all his self-control and might Hector took in a deep breath to calm down.
"What do you want to know?" he asked finally sighing. "Apart from the moonlight decapitations?"
Jerome as he jumped onto the counter, sitting down there much to chagrin of Hector.
"Your men killed Jerome Hall," said Jerome and Hector nodded. "My question is, where did the hit come from?"
Hector tapped the counter with his fingers wondering for a moment. It was a great dishonor to give up a client's name after the job had been accepted and especially so now that he couldn't even get the job done.
"How much do you know about me?" asked Hector curiously.
"Enough," said Jerome with a raised eyebrow. "Connections to nobility, owns perhaps half of the land here in Trade City East, stocks in various high companies, a magician with a sufficient information network but above all your business is assassination, someone pays you a small sum of money, you sent your people after their target, you have had a hundred percent success rate."
"You're thoroughly informed," said Hector nodding. "Of course I don't have a hundred percent success rate anymore."
"No you don't," Jerome agreed.
"I can't give you the name of the man who gave out this contract," said Hector. "I've never met him."
Jerome frowned, he could sense a lie and indeed Hector was lying through his teeth. Hector had met the man on two counts prior, even if he didn't want to. The man had barged his way in but he had to preserve a shred of his reputation and also unload some responsibility elsewhere to make sure his own ship didn't shrink. He was an excellent actor and was under the assumption he could fool Jerome and on a normal day, if a normal Jerome presented himself in front of him, he most certainly could but Jerome housed perhaps the most powerful AI in the world and Eckhard could see right through him and his perception had an quantifiable increase as well.
"Eckhard," he mentally called out.
<
"He's lying, about that part where he's never met the contractor?" asked Jerome in his mind.
<
"Thanks for that," he stated mentally again.
He looked up at Hector with a cold smile before taking out a knife suddenly from the bag and throwing it without warning at the shocked man in the monocle. He raised his hand and the knife sparked and dropped to the floor. Despite being shocked Hector was still trained but the next move was more on the nose. Immediately after he had thrown the knife Jerome slid across the counter and grabbed Hector in a position to judo flip but instead of doing the standard move he whipped Hector around like a bag and threw him over the room. He landed with a thunk on top of the glass coffee table, crushing it. Jerome casually walked over cracking his knuckles.
***
"You shouldn't have lied," he said as Hector slowly sat up groaning. "You have met the man before."
Hector's eyes widened in shock, it appeared he had been caught in the lie and by the worst man as well. As Jerome approached he sensed something wrong in the air and suddenly a bolt from the blue hit him and he staggered back. Hector jumped onto his feet before, in a shocking move, drop kicked. That combined with the voltage that Hector emitted sent him flying back and he crashed over the counter on the other side. He coughed as he rolled, that was a hell of a jolt, Jerome really felt it and it seemed so did the electricity because at that point all the lights went out.
"Gah…shit, Eckhard," he called out.
<
There was a slight tremor in his AI's voice.
"What happened?" he asked.
<
Hector groaned again, he felt hot and cold at the same time, a contradiction of his senses and his fingers twitched uncontrollably. The man had got him good, he had been underestimating his enemies and he paid for that with a hell of a jolt. He stood up staggering, his fingers still twitching.
"Eckhard," he called out ignoring the strange look from Hector who had stood up and was now adjusting his monocle and suit. "What the hell?"
<
"Dammit," Jerome cursed as he staggered around the counter, smoke rising off his body. Hector looked at him curiously and then the nubots in his body began their works as he slowly felt a surging power and a calming feeling. His body was responding appropriately, now, to his commands.
"I'm surprised," said Jerome with narrowed eyes. "I wasn't under the impression that I could hurt you."
Jerome let out a string of curses, "Then why the hell did you attack?"
"Even a herbivore would attack back at the end of their life," said Hector with a wry smile. "But now…now I can hurt you."
Jerome took a step back, he had been revealed.
"Eckhard," he called out.
<
Hector rushed at him in a boxer's stance and started jabbing but with Eckhard's prediction lines he managed to dodge and the jabs got faster and faster putting Jerome on the ropes. He took a step back, and another until he found himself up against a wall. He saw a punch coming, a cross and Eckhard finally gave him the timing to attack. He countered with an uppercut and as his fist hit Hector's jaw he felt a stinging sensation as his fist itself broke apart. It did however manage to sent Hector floating up in the air before coming back to the ground and staggering back. He looked at his now charred and skeletal fist which had already begun the process of self-repair. Hector landed back on the ground and looked at him, first curiosity then shock.
"You…you're a carnomancer?" he asked.
Jerome bit back a snarl and a spit.
"How's that possible?" asked Hector continuing. "I assumed you were a necromancer."
"Don't assume so much," said Jerome looking at his fully healed arm.
He blinked and then he saw Hector in front of his eyes reaching out with a sparking fist. He had just enough time to bend back letting it slide over him. What happened next was an unbelievable volley of punches, combos that would put boxers to shame and each punch had the capacity to end a life. Hector kept punching as each punch sparked and Jerome kept narrowly dodging.
"You're not as strong as I thought you were," said Hector with a savage smile.
Jerome took another step back from the pure quantity of what was being dealt to him and if this continued it would not end well for him at all. He was barely squeaking by thanks to Eckhard's prediction lines. He grabbed Hector's hand at the outstretch of a punch and he felt the jolt of a life time again as he was brought to his knees but he grit his teeth as his own electricity coursed through him and momentarily again Hector was surprised. Jerome put all his strength, judo throwing the man onto the ground and floor cracked hard as they crashed through it onto the floor below. Jerome immediately rolled back on Eckhard's advice, his head hitting something hard, not that it hurt him. He was thankful, extremely so for Eckhard's warning because in the next moment a fist landed exactly where he had been, one that proceeded crumble the rocks there. Jerome jumped back up, he needed to go on the offensive. He dodged the electric blasts that Hector suddenly sent at him before pummeling the man in the face using a combination of carnomancy and electromancy sending him tumbling back and turning his own fist into ashes that floated off. He was left with a stump of his right hand but he didn't care as he charged forward and punched Hector in the face again knocking him up against a wall in the corridor. He grit his teeth as he left hand met a similar fate to his right. He didn't even wait for it to heal as he kept pummeling with all he had not allowing Hector time to react. Each fist, he could visibly see was bringing down Hector little by little as the jolts he felt came down in power. Slowly he started bloodying up Hector's face with his stumps. Even as he did, Hector appeared to be saying something but he didn't care as with another punch a heard an audible crack as Jerome finally broke the man's nose. He dropped his arms stumps as he stepped back to view his handiwork, sure enough the man was battered and bloody. His blood streamed down onto the now dusty suit from the concrete they burst though. His hair was a mess, it wasn't just the concrete dust but also blood as well. His eyes were unfocused as he slid onto the floor. Jerome stood back huffing as his hands slowly healed as he sighed in relief. It was looking real grim for him a short while ago.
"Eckhard?" he asked, getting the AI to confirm his opponent's state.
<
It seemed the combination of carnomancy and electromancy had done it in for him. Jerome let out another deep sigh of relief as his hands finally reformed and he checked it out, it felt slightly unfamiliar after unloading on a man with just his arm stumps. He clenched his fists and opened it several times to see their state before crouching down to see Hector, face to bloody face. Hector opened his right eye, the only that functioned properly in his mess of a face and he coughed before groaning.
"Do..dob't kilb bme," Hector said as tears came down his eyes, his monocle was nowhere to be seen.
He understood the man despite the broken nose and teeth affecting his speech.
"You should have answered my question," said Jerome and as he felt Hector fading he tapped the man on the face to keep him awake. "I need a name."
Hector looked at him pitifully before letting out a painful cough, spitting out some teeth and blood. The man was a far cry from the refined self he presented himself as and Jerome had doubts whether this man would look anything like he did previously. He allowed Hector to take in a deep breath before Hector looked at him with that one open eye.
"Dea…Deaconb,,Rober Deaconb," said Hector before closing his eyes and slumping forward.
Jerome stood back up with a sigh, another name added to his last when he suddenly thought of something. Wasn't that man named Robert Deacon, that fat f*ck that berated him at the station, his so called superior officer, Senior Sergeant Robert Deacon. They couldn't be the same men could they, Jerome let out a wild laugh. It seemed the enemies were all around him. Robert Deacon was the one put out the hit on him. He was going to enjoy this, cutting that man's up and the slow roasting him over a goddamn fire as he watched all that fat melt off. He was always suspicious of that other man, Roy Sharpe, Sergeant Roy Sharpe but it turned out the snake wasn't the traitor, rather it was that clown of a man who exemplified toxicity and sloth. He looked down at Hector, he did feel slightly sorry for the man because of the way he was beaten to beyond recognition but still the annoyance was still there. He dragged the man by his collar as he walked to the end of the corridor, dragging him through the rubble before proceeding to shatter the glass window at the end, he then kicked the wall, crushing it and sending it tumbling down several storeys into the carpark below. He then held Hector out of the building confidently. He was too high up for anyone to notice properly anyhow and these neighborhoods weren't particularly nice. Hector opened his still functioning eye once as he felt the air and he looked at Jerome who flashed him an animalistic grin.
"Live or die, it's up to you," said Jerome and Hector tried to shake his head, asking not to do whatever it was Jerome was about to do.
Jerome simply shrugged and let go. Hector fell with a groan, unable to even exert the energy or move his mouth for a scream. As he fell he heard the cold laughter ringing in his ears and his only thought was, he f*cked up bad.