Chapter 15- Deception, Part-II

"What?"

"You heard me right the first time. We have received an ultimatum."

A suggestion of a smile returned to Gregory's face. "Go on."

Alex faked a sigh. "The London Council will declare a Guild War on us if we do not stop with our....recent activities. And with this recent occurrence on Warehouse 15, they are probably going to."

Gregory raised his eyebrows and gave a short laugh. "So what you are trying to say is that the goddamn London Council will fall because they picked a fight with you?". And then he started laughing.

Alex stared at him with cold eyes.

"My apologies," Gregory said, controlling his laughter. "Please, just...go on with whatever you're proposing here."

Alex leaned in again. "Would you like Warehouse 15 back?" He noticed Volkov giving him a look, but ignored it.

Gregory paused. Alex could see the cogs in his mind churning. "At what cost?" he finally said.

Alex stared into his eyes. " Aid us in taking down the London Council. Our combined numbers will force them to surrender. "

Gregory looked at him like he was insane. "Absolutely not! I am not going to war against the London Council over a Warehouse. And our combined numbers mean nothing if they call reinforcements from UGARP. If I wanted the Warehouse that much, I'd take it back myself."

Alex turned his head slightly. " What will it take for you to do it then."

"At least two warehouses and complete control over Stratford and Hornsey."

Alex's eyes turned crimson. "Don't fly too close to the Sun, Gregory. "

"It's the bare minimum, Alex. One warehouse isn't even enough to for me to stay out of your way for a while."

"Fine," Alex said. "I will give you both Warehouse 15 and 12. In return keep the House of the Devil, and yourself, out of my way until I'm done with the London Council."

"You do not even own Warehouse 12. It's Londoners property."

"I'll see to that. You will receive control over it in two days, I can assure you that."

"Alright," Gregory paused for a while. He pinched the bridge of his nose. "but I need one thing more."

"And what is that?"

"Full control over Hornsey

"

Alex sighed. "You old men and your greed never cease to amaze me. I am giving you two Warehouses. That too in enemy territory. And you still need more."

Gregory leaned back. "Do you think it will be easy for me to keep the House of the Devil pacified. You have fifteen of their men captive. They'll be out for blood."

Alex considered the demand.

"Besides," Gregory said in a nonchalant manner. "If you wanted the negotiation to go your way, you should have brought more than just three men."

Alex looked amused. "Fine then. I'll give you Hornsey ."

"Let us shake on it then."

"Warehouse 12 and 15, and complete control of Hornsey in exchange for a cease fire and no interference in our skirmish with the London Council."

The two men reached over and shook their hands, but just before breaking contact Alex reached into his pockets.

Gregory looked skeptically as Alex brought out a pill and placed it carefully on the table.

Gregory raised his eyebrows interrogatively.

"Its a cyanide pill," Alex said as he stood up and began rebuttoning his coat. "That I suggest you consume, should you decide to backstab me and break the terms of our agreement." Alex turned around and motioned to Volkov and Jack to move as he continued, his voice a dangerous low note. "Because trust me Gregory, I do not make pretty corpses out of traitors."

One quick backward glance revealed that Gregory's face was a mask of both rage and amusement.

"Let's go." Alex said.

And the three of them walked out of there unchallenged, while Gregory's chuckles echoed behind them. When they were safely inside the car, Jack was the first one to speak.

"How do you think he'll take it?"

"What do you mean?" asked Alex, feigning ignorance.

"You know what he means. You threatened a Guild Leader in his own den, that too moments after shaking on a deal." Volkov cut in. "And you gave away a territory that we JUST captured, in exchange for a ceasefire which we already had. "

Alex gave Volkov a sharp look. "Do you believe they'll simply sit back and watch, when the fight with the London Council ensues?"

"As long as the Jackals don't wage all-out war we can handle-"

"We are not invincible, Mr. Volkov. " Alex said with a hint of fire in his voice. "Yes,we've been devouring Guilds left and right, but that also means we shouldn't underestimate the lengths our enemies will go to watch us fall. "

"The former Captain would have never gotten us into this mess!" Volkov spat, his voice laced with venom.

Alex matched his tone. "If the former Captain were here, we would still be crawling in the shadows. "

Volkov's brow curled with fury. "You dare insult the man who brought you up from the gutte-!"

"Volkov!" Jack growled from the back seat. "Enough!"

Alex said nothing, but his jaw was set, and his eyes were focused on the road. Volkov sensed the change too, and that along with Jack's warning finally made him shut up.

A few minutes passed in silence, and then Alex spoke up.

"Mr. Volkov."

Volkov said nothing, but turned his head towards Alex to show that he is listening.

Alex continued, still looking ahead, his eyes as hard as slate. "I know, that your respect and loyalty for the former Captain is unquestionable." Alex paused for a bit. "I give you more freedom than everyone else because of your seniority, but I will not have you forget that I am the current Caption of the Order of the Dark Knights. You will remember you position. Am I clear?"

"Yes." Volkov said grugdingly.

Soon they were barely a few minutes away from Alex's apartment. The streets were busy this time, but no one recognised the trio.

Alex killed the engine.

"Carry a message to every Division Leader. Prepare for action. We'll be taking the Londoners down. "

"The Londeners?"

"If the Council has decided to come after if we attack another guild, then why not do for a big fish. Besides, we need Warehouse 12 "

Volkov touched his fingers to his temples. "God, I can't understand your ways, Alex. You are planning to declare war half and hour after negotiating for peace?"

Alex gave a humourless laugh. "Being predictable isn't one of my talents. Now you guys ride on while I go run some errands."

Without wasting another moment, Alex walked out of the car and began walking away. Behind him, he heard the car start and skid away in the opposite direction.

He walked till he reached a street with a relatively small amount of people, and abruptly turned a corner. There, he hid just at the turn of the wall, and waited.

One pair of footsteps. That he had been noticing for quite some time now.

When he hid he could hear the hesitation. The indecision. As if he could hear whoever was following him saying, "Should I follow or fall back?"

At last, the footsteps approached. Alex kept his eyes on the floor. The moment he saw a shadow passing a little too close to the wall, he suddenly rushed out, grabbed whoever it was by the collar with his right hand, and yanked him into the alley and towards the ground, and in one swift motion, brought out his gun and pressed it against his neck.

The hooded figure remained motionless. Quickly, Alex removed the person's hood, his wires at the ready for anything unexpected. It was a woman, maybe in her mid-thirties.

Alex's own heartbeat was elevated.

"London Council, eh?"

The woman didn't reply.

"You better start talking, sweetheart, because I've got things to do, and I don't like my time wasted."

She remained deathly still. Then, without warning, Alex's gun, which had been pressed against her neck, went into her skin, and before Alex could react, she melted into the ground in front of him.

Alex was instantly on his feet, looking around.

The alley was clear, no unusual sounds, not even a shadow out of place.

Carefully, he moved out of the alley, gun still in hand. Absolutely nothing was suspicious.

He thought about calling Rose, but didn't, thinking better of it. If someone has made contact, then nothing was safe. Even going to his own apartment wasn't a good idea, so he headed for a hideout.

Warehouse 4.

Given the state of the world, he wouldn't exactly find a cab easily, so he would have to walk.

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Alex thought maybe luck was on his side when he heard a Division Leader was in Warehouse 4, but quickly regretted the thought when he saw it was Albert.

"Did you hear the news yet?" Alex asked the moment he saw Albert, sitting at the back of the Warehouse with a book in his hand.

Albert sighed and closed his book, cursing under his breath. "Alex, you're not seriously planning to attack the Londeners just to piss off London Council."

"I am. And the stakes have gone up. I was being followed."

Albert was suddenly more alert. "You didn't lead anyone here, did you?"

"No. It was a girl. I had her pinned on the ground. She melted into the ground before I could ask any questions. No sign of her since."

Albert muttered something to himself.

"Do me a favour, Albie. Call all Division Leaders here. We need to get this matter done with as quickly as possible."

Albert gave him a sideways glance, but obeyed.

An hour later, the center of the Warehouse had been turned into a makeshift conference room, and all members except the Division Leaders had been dismissed outside. When everyone was seated around the table, Alex began talking.

"So," Alex said, slowly turning to look everyone in the eyes. "It is of importance that we get started with our preparations, Knights. It's about damn time for the show to begin."