Sofía, Bulgaria

  After finally arriving at the airport, Nicola made his way to the exit, called a taxi and took a ride to a little storage facility where he had a few things he needed to retrieve. Since he was here on a detour, might as well run some errands and visit some friends. While in the car, he looked at the scenery around him. The capital of the small eastern European country hasn't changed much since he was last here a few years ago. Although he noticed some improvements have been made. The old Soviet style bloks* looked a bit refreshened, the streets, even though still full of cracks at least had some repairs done. But even though there was much to be done, he enjoyed the fact that there was improvement. The taxi stopped at the warehouse on the outskirt of the other side of the city and the driver decided to have a smoke while waiting for Nicola to gather some things. He went inside, went to one of the many containers inside and entered a code on the keypad. The door opened and he took a peek inside. Everything was still in place, which was a good sign. He opened one of the lockers and took a green backpack he had a contractor prepare beforehand, filled with some cash, a few envelopes, two books and a multitool. He then popped the top end of the locker revealing a compartment behind a false wall, from where he took a car key, a medium sized dagger and a glock 18 with 2 extra magazines. He then opened a small cabinet from where he took some clothes and changed. He put on a bej trousers, a white T-shirt and a forest green shirt over it. He tucked the gun in his pants, put the knife in a small pocket of the bottom of his backpack, put the old clothes in the backpack he took, locked everything and went outside to get a ride to his hotel. The taxi driver was a bit surprised and thought the young man before him looked too much like a foreigner, considering he dressed way too well, was tall and had a short, but well maintained hairstyle, unlike most boys around, but then again he did speak the language as good as himself. "A rich kid probably" he thought. After 30 some minutes they arrived at the hotel and before the taxi driver could even tell him the price, Nicola had already handed him a 100 leva* bill and an extra tip of 200 euros for the waiting. The taxi driver laughed, sent off his client with some warm words and then took off.

  NNicola entered the hotel and went to check in, asking for a room closer to the elevators. While waiting for the keys he looked around in the lobby. A small waiting lounge near the front desk with leather chairs and a small coffee table. A few plants scattered around but still placed with care. But his favorite was probably the small deli market with homemade pastries. Or at least they were advertised as such. Either way the hotel was definitely worth the extra bucks he was spending.

  After receiving his keys, he went in his room and left his backpack on the bed, made sure to hide his gun and knife, but still placed them in a place where he could draw quickly if needed. He organized his belongings, left his backpack on the chair in the room and went to try out the restaurant. He was starving, he was thirsty and most of all he was excited to try out the menu, since he read somewhere it's one of the best in town. The only thing he brought with him was one of the books he took from the warehouse. A Russian grammar textbook. Even when travelling for a meeting he had to keep studying and improving himself. He ordered a steak, a fortified red wine and a creme brulee for desert. While waiting for his food he remembered he didn't workout today and was a bit annoyed ta himself. After a few minutes the steak and wine were in front of him and he couldn't wait to enjoy the meal in front of him. The reviews did not disappoint! The food really was good and the desert was just enough to satisfy his craving for sugar. He then paid and went back to his room where he changed into something more sporty and waited a bit for his food to digest. He had to workout before bed, even if the timing wasn't anywhere near good.

  After his short but productive hotel-gym workout he went and took a shower and then checked his schedule for the next day. His meeting was for lunch so he had time to sleep in, have breakfast and even walk there.

  He woke up the next morning and checked the time. It was 9:30am, which meant he overslept by a bit. The bad taste in his mouth reminded him he didn't brush his teeth the night before, so he got up, did just that, got dressed with those same trousers and shirt as yesterday, took his backpack and knife and left the hotel. He opted to leave the gun as he didn't think he would need it. After around a forty minutes walk he was nearing the agreed spot. It was a small local park, pretty, but based in a bad neighbourhood. He arrived about 20 minutes early, so he decided to circle around and enjoy the scenery. As he was walking he heard noises from a nearby restaurant. A small diner style place with some tables on the outside, although no customers in sight. He went to check it out and as he neared, the noises became louder and clearer. It was a beat down! He peeked around the corner and saw two guys with black hoodies beating a guy on the ground and demanding money he supposedly owed. He carefully took off his backpack, taking the knife under it and hiding it in his boot, and placed it on the ground. He regretted going out in a 20 degree weather dressed in a shirt and boots, but he valued safety over comfort.

  The two black hoods were too occupied and didn't even notice the footsteps behind them until it was too late. Nicola charged at the first guy and tackled him to the ground, which also pushed the other guy and disbalanced him. Before the second guy could plant his feet firmly and fight back, Nicola was already charging at him, leaving the first guy on the ground. The black hood tried to swing at Nicola's face but Nicola just ducked, punched him in the stomach and while he was disoriented, used his knee to strike him in the tight, making him colapse on the ground. Just in time, as the first guy was on all four, about to get up, so Nicola low kicked him in the tight as well, making him fall down, and then he kicked him in the side to make him stay down. As it turned out the two black hoods had friends in the diner, who after hearing the excessive ruckus, went out to help. Nicola was surrounded by 3 Black hoods, 2 men and a woman, all of them equipped with spiked brass knuckles, ready to fight him. Just then he was thinking - should he pull out the knife? Or should he fight bare handed to avoid a bigger problem in the long run? One of the guys on the ground managed to get up, and while full of anger, took a small pocket knife, ready to fight alongside his friends.

  - Who the fuck are you? - asked one of the newly arrived men.

  - I passed by and heard a guy screaming. Didn't want to jump your guys, but come on, 2 on 1? Seriously? - Nicola was standing on the tip of his toes, ready to dive at any one of them at a split second notice.

  - Black hood business doesn't concern you dipshit. And we don't like seeing our guys get beat up.

  - Why the excessive swearing man? - replied Nicola, trying to distract them with his words.

  The 4 black hoods made sure their downed friend was safe and one of them helped him sit up, before joining his friend.

  - We have you 4 to 1. Since you wanted to help that guy.. - said the woman while pointing toward the teenager on the ground - you should pay his debt.

  - You are a total of 5 guys to beat up 1 kid over a few bucks? Pathetic!

  - Go fuck yourself - exclaimed one of the men and begun to charge at Nicola.

  - Stop! - a firm voice yelled from behind them.

  The black hoods turned around to see who was barking orders at them and just as one of them was about to start calling him names he froze in place at the sight of the men before him. Right in front of him was a man, in a Black hood uniform with his hood up, covering part of his face. But unlike their own, his had more details on it. The visible extra thickness and incrustations, the more detailed emblem and even the tiny pocket above the chest, the size of a playing card, meant the man before them was a high captain! And behind him his two escorts. The man was standing straight, looking at his inferiors underneath his hood. His height allowed him to be able to see them clearly besides his limited vision from the clothing. The 4 black hoods and even the one sitting on the ground saluted him, one hand behind their backs, the other - palm on their heart and taking a small bow. The high captain nodded, indicating they can be at ease and said.

  - This man behind you is a friend of mine. If he intervened there was probably a reason to do so and I trust his judgement. Whatever money this kid owed you is forgiven. And I will cover his treatment in case you caused any Injury. Now get out! - exclaimed the captain and waved his hand, pointing towards the inside of the park.

  The usually temperamental black hoods reluctantly nodded and walked away. No one dared talk back to the high captain, let alone use words like they do with outsiders.

  Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings.

  Nicola and his the captain's eyes met and the former let our a sigh of relief. They walked towards each other and had a firm handshake. Nicola nodded to the escorts behind his friend and they nodded in return.

  - Hello, Walt. Long time no see!

  - Hey, Nicky, it really has been! - replied the hooded man.

  Walter Dillinger was a Black hood high captain who just hit 30. He is considered a living legend among other Black hoods, both local and international. One of the main reasons is because he is a member of one of the founding families. The Dillingers, the Coopers and the Goliaths. Although the names had slightly changed throughout the years. Behind him were his two assigned escorts - an Indonesian guy named Amri and a Polish gal named Lidya. They were here for an exchange program to train and absorb the best traits of other Black hoods.

  - Shall we go grab some lunch and discuss whatever it is you wanted? - asked Nicola.

  - Yeah, let's go. I know just the place.

  They got in Walter's car and drove off. Amri was the driver, since Walter was usually in the backseat doing some reading of reports. In about 10 minutes they got to the restaurant they wanted to. It was one of the few Mediterranean cuisine establishments, and while it wasn't fine dining it was certainly trying to get there. The environment was certainly welcoming, and the blue sea thematic was calming. Walter walked up to the hostess and asked if they could get a table for 2 that wasn't near a windows. Amri and Lidya got another table a few meters from them to give them privacy, but still be able to help quickly if problems arrised.

  The two men sat down and had a look at the menu and quickly selected the same dish. A red snapper with sautéed vegetables and a bottle of water each. After a minute of a quick look around the restaurant Nicola finally broke the silence.

  - First of all how are you doing Walt? Is everything okay? Is your sister okay?

  - Yes, we are both okay, thank you for asking. And you? Any good discoveries on your travels?

  - I'm good too thanks. And yeah, quite a few actually. Found a ring made of gems that belonged to one of my relatives. Really pretty peace of jewelry I must say. Also congratulations on your promotion!

  - Well that's good to hear and thank you! It has really been a slow process, but I finally made it. And It came with some perks too! - replied Walter and sipped a bit of his water.

  -I still have no idea how your promotions work. I've seen 35 year old commanders and you're a high captain. Also by the way happy late birthday! Sorry I didn't call.

  -Yeah don't worry about it - Walter said while waving his hand - not a big deal. And the promotions are kind of messy, but there are plenty of people to keep track of it. Basically the 2 ways you climb the ladder are by merits or by doing a huge achievement. Now I do have an advantage from being a member of a founder family! But since I don't take down the big targets I rely on merits and hard work to climb up. I was a commander when I was 17 just for being a Dillinger. I became captain at 23 and just became a high captain few months ago just before I turned 30. Who knows maybe in some 8-9 years I can be a general!

  - Let's hope so! Won't you push for high general? You sure got the skill.

  - No. - Walt's expression got serious - Unfortunately it's not that easy. The high generals are trained to be such since birth. And to become one otherwise is almost impossible. I would need to single handedly kill our top 20 most wanted to be one. And we both know that ain't happening.

  - I see. However I don't think this is what you wanted to talk about, even though I started the conversation. So let's get to the point. Must be important if you wanted to meet in person.

  Walter nodded and leaned towards the table.

  - I suppose you heard about what happened in Germany. - he asked.

  - I did. - replied Nicola. - That captain they sent sure knows how to lead.

  - Yeah Heinz is good like that. Now the thing about it is how they got into that situation. One of the captured black hoods mentioned they were set up. - Walter's eyes were staring right at Nicola's. - She said your "friend" was involved.

  - The Hunter?

  - Precisely. She claimed he set them up to be captured by some American PMCs. 26 captured, most of which are now scarred deeply both physically and mentally. What we don't know is why. Maybe you can shed some light?

  - I don't know about much about it, but if I had to guess, I think he was trying to start a conflict.

  - You mean make an existing one even worse? To accomplish what? - asked Walter puzzled.

  - My bet is he expected the Black hoods to send a general. A general gets there, maybe even gets killed, the chain of command needs time to repair itself and in the meantime the enemies seize the opportunity to strike and inflict heavy damage. The end result being a few hundred dead and pressure relieved off himself.

  Walter stood for a moment taking in what he just heard. It made perfect sense. The Hunter was using both sides to divert attention from himself and and take out whoever remained after such a masacre. And it almost worked. Finally Walter asked:

  - Have you been in contact with him recently?

  - Not really, I only send him some Intel every now and then and let him do his magic.

  - Well if you do, please let me know. I'd like to have a word with him.

  - A word? - Nicola raised his eyebrow and was a bit surprised by the response of his friend.

  - He knows some thing and some people and I think we might have a common enemy. "The enemy of my enemy is my friend" type of thing.

  - I see. I doubt he will agree, but I'll see what I can do!

  - Thank you, that's all I ask. But there is one more thing I wanted to talk to you about.

  Walter unzipped his hoodie and took out a folder from the inside. He passed it onto Nicola.

  - Read this.

  After a few minutes Nicola closed the folder and just stared at it for a while. Then he asked:

  - When?

  - In about a year or so at least. There is just too much going on right now for such an operation.

  - But you're sure he will do it?

  - After Vinys put you in that dungeon, even though you escaped, it was considered an achievement and he got promoted to a general. Since then he has gotten a lot bolder and his influence has grown a lot. So I'm sure he will. And I need your help.

  - Whenever it is, just call me. I'll be preparing until then. - Nicola's eyes were filled with fire.

  Walter leaned back in his chair and put the folder back in the inside of his hoodie and zipped it back up. The he looked at his friend sitting in front of him and asked him:

  - Hey man. I know this might be personal, but I gotta ask. Ieva told me about what you went through in there, and said your body was more wounds than flesh for months. What I'm asking is may I see the scars?

  Ieva Dillinger was Walter's younger sister. Currently she operated In Estonia and the Baltic region as a research and development lead. Few years ago when Nicola was locked up and tortured by a man named Vinys Preacher, she was the one that took care of him and made sure he didn't succumb to his wounds. Nicola looked at Walter and nodded, he then unbuttoned his shirt and slowly lifted his a part of his T-shirt. Even from the small portion of his body, Walter could see the scars. Scars that looked like they were caused by so many different methods of torture. Scars from bruising, from deep cuts, from burning, electrocution, syringes, tears and more just on top of the other. But worst ones were the syringes, since Walter knew what those meant.

  - Nicola, did he use-

  - Yes. After beating me for a few months he got bored and decided to use me as a lab rat for their new serums. Truth serums, pain serums, hallucigens.

  - Fucking animal. I swear if could I'd strangle him with my own hands. But so many syringes... So many scars...

  - He injected me with around 40 drugs. The results were an overwhelming of the senses and hallucinations. But what was worse was the withdrawal. It started 2 days after I escaped. I could feel every fiber of my body, every cell hurting. At times I couldn't even walk. And then it hit me. The amount of drugs In My body altered my brain chemistry to the point I couldn't feel emotion like I used to. After withdrawal the feelings I felt were about 85% less. Even though I spent millions trying to repair some of the damage, it barely made a difference. - Nicola's face lost most of its expression. He no longer had to fake feelings in front of his friend. He now knew. He knew the secret he kept from others who tried to get close to him.

  - Dear mother of.. I'm so sorry man. I really am. - Walter was In shock. He knew. He knew Vinys was vile and sadistic. He knew his ambition justified even the most inhumane of acts. But this? This was beyond anything he expected. - Let's change the subject please. So what are you going to do next?

  Nicola understood why Walt wanted to talk about something else. Even a hardened warrior like him had his limits.

  - I'll give a few friends a call and check up on them, then I guess I'll go find another artifact or family heirloom. I got a hot tip on some interesting things in the US. And I'll wait for your call! I'll try to get in contact with The Hunter for you. But I'll also call my other "friend". Oh and send me a copy of that folder.

  - Thank you! And I will!

  The two men sat there and stared into each other for a while, contemplating what they had both just saw and heard. After a few minutes Walter asked for the check, paid and they both left. Nicola insisted to walk to the hotel to clear his mind and Walter completely understood. Nicola went on his way and Walt called his escorts and went in the car. Amri looked at him and noticed the serious expression on his face.

  - So where to boss? - he asked.

  - First send someone to look after that man. Hard times are coming ahead of us guys. We need to be ready. Drive to HQ, I need to make a few calls.

  The young indonesian started the car and drove off, while Lidya arranged for a few informants to keep an eye on Nicola. Walter was deep in though and he could not shake the bad feeling off him.

  300 meters from them, inside one of the tall buildings a man closed with binoculars and turned off his hearing device. He got a call and a woman's voice on the other side simply asked:

  - Well?

  - His torso should be about 90% scars. Now I see why he wears long sleeves. For a human he has an astonishing endurance.

  - Did you manage to asses if he is the one we are looking for?

  - Too soon to tell. There are still no defining factors. I'm also interested in that Walter character.

  - Why is that?

  - He is a spitting image of the void twins.

  - Are you sure?

  - It's not possible to mix him up. I'll keep you in touch.

  He turned off his communication device, deactivated his suit and left the apartment.