Angelos Odyssey

by J. B. M. Patrick

  The Core-Man Ranking compared an associate to the rest of the members within the ranking system. Based on discrete kills within a limited time frame, it constantly updated itself to reflect the new rankings of various operators within the organization.

  The next rank to be obtained above Core-Man was the highly lucrative “Death Officer 1,” a position offering notoriety as well as a more significant source of income outside of the resources offered by Angelos.

  Angelos began as a military group that transitioned from a rustic contracting agency, originally used by small governments in times of war, to a professional hit association. Over time, they became an invaluable tool for despots and democratic councils alike. After drafting the P.A. (Private Use) 120.1-5: Contract of the Deed, the Citadel government allowed Angelos to: “have their own discretion in dealing with those wrought with incorrigible malice and bearing intent to harm the public.”

  Often, low level police investigations into particular Angelos assassins were known to be halted if a reputable associate invoked the Contract of the Deed. However, were a member of Angelos to become too reckless, they'd be surrendered to the authorities as punishment for a marring the image of Angelos. In utilizing this approach, the Association claimed no responsibility for its assassins, who were encouraged to compete for their own success against all odds.

  Tavon had spent at least a year garnering attention from Angelos while working for another syndicate, and he’d only been initiated at his current rank through demonstrating remarkable talent. He knew of four established ranks within Angelos:

  Foot Soldiers: Members who carried out the most mundane, odd jobs in order to help with the smaller supporting details of the association.

  Students: Aspiring assassins who were assigned to lower ranking Death Officers for instruction and who were then forced through hard, extensive training in order to prove their loyalty to the association.

  Core-Men: assassins who carried out lesser contracts to fulfill a quota-based system.

  And, of course, Death Officers: the strongest members of Angelos who abided by a ranking system ranging from D.O. 1 to D.O. 5.

  As a Core-Man, Tavon was assigned a living area owned by Angelos and, instead of very much in terms of money, was mostly compensated in food, amenities, and hashish. For many Core-Men, it was a career worth pursuing as long as they kept up a required quota of one kill per six months with no extensive legal intervention and, to preserve the association’s image, no one positively identifying them as an assassin for each contract.

  All contracts assigned to Core-Men were generally within a certain radius of their particular branch, but all contracts assigned to Death Officers required travel to foreign lands in order to find the chosen target. Death Officers were rumored to live in well-kept, isolated areas constructed around the world, had no quotas required of them, and also received a regular, hefty stipend—a sum about which Tavon was very curious to discover. He’d already asked to schedule a meeting with his branch's Grandmaster but was told that he would need a total of ten, “confirmed” kills in order to prove himself worthy enough to set up a short interview between the two of them.

  Tavon needed to show them that he was capable of more; that way, he could leave the city and evolve into a stronger fighter through more harrowing challenges.

  He thus switched over to a program set up by Angelos displaying a list of approved contracts—directives approved by an Angel: an unknown messenger who collected the necessary information before making a final decision. The order was then processed by the agency through its own esoteric methods. Tavon’s eyes lit up when he'd discovered a golden opportunity in one of the postings; his heart raced at the thought of this being his tenth definitive mark, and he set about earnestly writing down the details of his next target. He then began mentally prepping himself and considered retrieving something better to wear from his quarters before rejecting the idea altogether as he grabbed a small firearm easily concealable by tucking it into his waist.

  He accepted a new contract.

  Tavon carelessly banged on Brock's door before quickly heading out into the world at five-forty in the morning.

  4

  What Happened To The Sunshine

  DR. HIDEYOSHI KEUNG DESTROYED EVERYTHING…

  Year 2320.

  Documents dating before this time period are scarce. History mostly erased… cultures removed from human memory. During this time, Earth was divided into two different political factions after a long reign of collective peace, a result of the remaining nations of the world forming their own respective coalitions.

  It began with those who declared themselves to be the “Globalists”: influential civil leaders who desired a unified government and a world with only one powerful presence established across all borders. Several major powers had become a collective whole after years of territorial disputes following the collapse of now forgotten empires from days past. Following decades of seemingly endless conflict, the forces which emerged from the fog of war declared their sovereignty. In time, they professed their shared belief that humanity could prosper with one ruling body and sought equal justice that could be enforced to its fullest extent.

  The Isolationists, however, were a smaller group of nations consisting of a sizable percentage of the world's population who adamantly disagreed with this path. They felt their rivals were too conquest-oriented and pursued values interpreted as overly imperialistic. Isolationists believed this type of unification could lead to a potential totalitarian regime and thus insisted that they remain independent for their own benefit, that their sovereignty was their right. The Isolationists retained their national identities while forming an alliance that stood as the only real obstacle to the Globalist movement. While conflict emerged, there existed a few remaining neutral countries which had little to no interest in supporting either side as well as lacking any type of capable army.

  As both major rivals progressively became equipped with devastatingly powerful weaponry at the peak of their development, the Globalists and Isolationists found themselves moving toward potential capable of all but destroying the Earth itself. It was clear that a direct war would assist neither side in their individual goals. Instead, the rival factions transitioned to a technological race which they believed could help them establish enough control by hacking and taking command of the rival coalition's essential facilities. While the Globalists and Isolationists remained locked in a cyber cold war with the very real threat of a nuclear apocalypse looming, scientific and medical communities demanded the right to perform joint research despite the international conflict. To them, it was all in the interests of a “Better World.”

  This resulted in a new resolution made between the two factions that would oversee several new facilities constructed across the globe dedicated to humanity's progress. They pioneered an operation which eventually led to the demise of the human race… most of the world's population was effectively diminished.

  And GAIA was responsible. Dr. Keung was responsible.

  GAIA developed as partnership committed to the idea of innovating new modes of human transportation as well as preventing future viral epidemics. They believed that this was their chance to prove the power of shared knowledge and cooperation over selfish conflict. Although airborne personal vehicles had been invented and implemented, a man known as Doctor Hideyoshi Keung sought to push the boundaries of mankind's abilities by attempting to make teleportation a reality.

  Despite spending more time in his career as a successful physician, Keung transitioned over to the world of Physics to become the Chairman of an organization primed to bring the world to ruin. His ambitions were shared by the Globalists, who believed perfecting teleportation would allow them the opportunity to perform a rapid ambush on the Isolationists worldwide. Globalists decided to hire a private security company to remain on standby and raid the laboratory of GAIA should a new, “mission-essential breakthrough” ever be discovered. After receiving generous f
unding from both factions, the Chairman was ordered by them to appoint a Board of Directors: a legislative body with the power to override him if proved necessary. It was a way of keeping Hideyoshi in check were he to pursue something outside the governments' interests.

  During the conflict, there was a reoccurring moment known as “Crisis Hour”; cyclical periods of time when the public of both sides became anxious and hysterical enough to voice their fears concerning what could be a rapidly approaching war. Any further acts of aggression meant a final confrontation that could end everything we knew. In Isolationist nations, a common anthem used to signal Crisis Hour was Ronnie Foster's “What Happened To The Sunshine.” Following a Crisis Hour, GAIA would be ordered to cease all research so as to observe what had become a universal period of dread.

  Research was often ceased for months, derailing a significant amount of GAIA's original planning. This infuriated Hideyoshi, who—several years after its founding—refused an order to once again commence an indeterminate halt on all ongoing research until the unrest had begun to fade, as it always did. The Chairman violated their agreement and began private research involving furniture he'd taken from his own home. Doctor Keung had developed a method to remove portions of matter from one space but was never able to transfer particles where he wanted; usually, he'd only be able to affect half of the original object. Furthermore, whatever he would try to move using GAIA's prototype of his “Particle Transfiguration System” would always mysteriously disappear.

  Hideyoshi's obsession persisted past legal or reasonable limits, and what he discovered was something abominable.

  Doctor Keung experienced a paranoia that had him convinced that mass destruction was imminent if he didn't cooperate with the Globalists' efforts. It was their final attempt to unify Earth; selling out the secrets of teleportation to the right side meant that the future could be secured… for everyone. Genuine peace seemed on the horizon at last. Humans could put an end to war once and for all.

  Nevertheless, it soon became evident to the Board that Hideyoshi was no longer capable of fulfilling his responsibilities impartially. The Board was a group composed of brilliant minds including Hideyoshi's lover: Camila, a woman already married to someone she often couldn't see due to the Chairman's irregularly long working hours and her spouse’s own busy schedule. Regardless of her relationship with Hideyoshi, the Board of Directors unanimously agreed to petition both factions for the removal of Doctor Keung as Chairman. They sought full authority for the Board, and nearly everyone involved had become suspicious of Hideyoshi's political leanings; after all, he'd been known to rant vehemently against the Isolationists, discouraging a large majority of those who originally supported him.

  But to Hideyoshi, his research had to be completed in spite of the consequences. Were the Isolationists to discover he'd conspired with the other side, it could ignite tension damaging enough for the world to fall into disarray.

  Out of desperation, the doctor decided to use the Particle Transfiguration System on himself in what could be seen as a suicidal attempt at bolstering his own fame. He’d become convinced that it was possible to transfer particles—that particles could be altered and, in effect, teleported into other realities, other planes of existence. And thus, Hideyoshi attempted a venture to another world.

  The doctor did arrive somewhere… but it's not an easy place to understand.

  He'd performed a full transfiguration; however, something not from our own world had been seeking him out for some time. Rather than allow Hideyoshi to perish in an abyss of madness, It grasped the doctor and placed him in a dark, unlit room hovering in a vast, unknown expanse outside of reality.

  It is here that he met with an entity never intended to make contact with our own plane of existence—much less humans themselves. This Being exuded ill intent and possessed a form Hideyoshi couldn't comprehend. Doctor Keung realized that he was unable to gaze upon It without experiencing what he felt was the loss of his sanity, but the Chairman knew that he'd been given unto the realm of a demon; something capable of doing whatever It pleased. There are many of these entities, all varied and manifesting in different forms and species. Thus, humans categorized them under a simplified term as many of our first interactions with these sentient creatures were often disastrous.

  The demon possessed vast knowledge as well as memory transcendent. He recognized Hideyoshi and became increasingly interested in his situation. Because Keung had transfigured himself, a conscious human entity, the barrier between two realities subtly weakened—just enough for this demon to foresee an opportunity that would shatter the divide between our worlds. The first step to the catastrophe that followed consisted of what the demon proclaimed was a “Covenant” between Hideyoshi and the Entity.

  The Chairman, his spirit broken by what he felt was a betrayal by Camila, was promised the power and knowledge normally granted to a demon in exchange for transfiguring himself once more. The Entity was able to open a passage back to our plane of existence, but it was one It was incapable of passing through Itself at that time until the Covenant was honored.

  Hideyoshi had expected this new Gift to make him into something magnanimous; a more powerful, charismatic being. However, the newly-formed deal saw him undergo a transformation which horrified any who happened to look upon him…

  The Chairman had become wedged between two realities, and the resulting image was the broken perversion of a human body wailing eerily rather than speaking. Although he'd been tragically morphed and could no longer form any words, Hideyoshi retained his cognition and was competent enough to begin preparations for the second transfiguration.

  It was at this time that Camila had also arrived to apologize for siding against Keung and had considered offering him a position on the Board of Directors after his resignation was finalized. For support, she'd brought with her two other members of the staff, but they immediately attempted to flee in terror upon viewing the creature he'd become. His new ability allowed him to create an invisible barrier capable of trapping inhabitants within its influence. And therefore, when Camila called for backup, she'd created an even larger trap for the members of GAIA. Inevitably, there was a public response to cries for help.

  Hideyoshi not only entrapped everyone within his sphere, but he possessed the capacity to manipulate the thoughts of others and began a collective, psychological assault on his own associates. In an act of sadistic revenge, Hideyoshi created false memories of experienced traumas, traumas disturbing enough to drive the majority of them into an impenetrable insanity beyond the defenses of their psyches. The ones who actually attempted to confront him directly fell victim to even more distressing visions never intended for the human mind.

  Despite this reign of terror, because Doctor Keung prolonged his completion of the contract, his own psyche was rendered unstable by the workings of the demon—a short-tempered Being who'd grown impatient. Within hours of the hostage situation, Hideyoshi's rational mind degenerated and was reduced to something childlike and incoherent. His lack of self-control caused several of his victims to succumb to their despair and thus many of them ended their own lives while not in possession of their own mental faculties. For the authorities, it was an impossible challenge: a monster who controlled minds.

  Camila remained as one of the few who could still offer what she thought would be a final stand against Hideyoshi's tyranny. She planned to use the Transfiguration System to divide Keung's form instead of teleporting it as a whole unit. Camila’s scheme would focus on removing his head and used Hideyoshi's remaining memories of her as a lover to lure him into the testing chamber where he could be destroyed for the common good. The Chairman, although mostly mentally devastated, caught on to the ploy and responded by simply ordering Camila not to breathe; however, while she suffocated and struggled for life, one of her siblings arrived in time to accomplish the original plan. Hideyoshi was not only transfigured, but the absence created from dividing his form allowed an initial rift to open be
tween dimensions.

  And it wasn't long before the First Rift gave way to several more delivered on a much larger scale. They became passages to be used by the denizens of other worlds, and many of the tears in the fabric of reality forcibly brought other non-human civilizations into Earth. If there's power in belief, it would explain creatures formed with the sole intention of destruction and appearing to possess no other thoughts or feelings outside of their hatred of humanity.

  Beings normally only imagined in myths…

  They came to occupy our world permanently.

  Surviving accounts exist of the cities attacked as consecutive rifts quickly spread to become more than a worldwide catastrophe, the transmutation of the universe itself into a vivid hell. Foreign entities were seen as something dreamlike; it was a surreal experience to be faced with a creature often far deadlier than any human. As a result, widespread panic led to complete chaos within the rival nations and subsequently prevented them from continuing any further contact. Lives were lost at an almost incalculable rate, most of the victims having been several defenseless civilians.

  There were some organized resistances and little to no success against the new enemy; nothing could overcome widespread paranoia about what people believed would be the true apocalypse.

  Not every creature that had entered the world after the rifts began to dissipate was necessarily hostile or thoughtless, but the sheer amount of distortion produced within reality itself was enough to divide world powers into individual territories trying to survive the onslaught. Many of the invaders were no more than savage killers—cannibals, even, proving old tales about monsters and demons true.

  No one was safe.

  -

  The Globalists, before the First Rift, had been divided into four Ministers, each of whom was given dominion over a section of land devoted to its respective cardinal direction. Ministers were elected democratically as a step toward building a new government that would eventually come to encompass the Earth. After the First Rift, the Eastern Minister was specifically targeted by a force; something capable of making him imagine that he was trapped within a bleak dream. He'd once been the owner of a cyber security company before the selling the rights to his moderately profitable business to campaign for his current position and help affect what could be true change.