Virgil crossed his arms. “Something like that, yes.”
“You were wrong.” Dante drew his weapon and fired a bullet right into Mason Draconi’s head. He turned the gun on Virgil next, who had already drawn his own.
“What the hell was that all about?” asked Virgil.
“I stopped caring about Mason Draconi a long, long time ago, Virgil. I kept tabs on him, yes. But more for my own benefit. And when I discovered he’d been kidnapped, plus the news of Julie Kim, I knew someone was trying to get my attention. So I let it play out. Just so I could get close enough for this.”
He pulled the trigger. Virgil jumped to avoid the shot, firing as well. Dante hit the ground, the bullet flying over his head. Dante slid on the floor and jumped to his feet, bringing the gun up to Virgil’s head.
Virgil used his free hand to slam Dante’s arm away as he pulled the trigger, the bullet missing. Virgil aimed his gun at Dante’s side. Dante twisted to avoid the shot, slamming his elbow into Virgil’s face. He kicked Virgil in the chest, sending him falling onto the bed and onto Draconi’s lifeless body.
Dante fired several more shots. Virgil rolled off the bed and moved under it. Dante fired more, trying to score a hit through the mattress. The gun clicked on empty, having fired its last round.
The bed and Draconi’s body, still handcuffed to it, were thrown up from the ground. Virgil shoved the bed at Dante, trying to trap him. Dante spun out of the path, the bed slamming against the wall.
Virgil raised his gun and pointed it right at Dante’s head. He chuckled as he saw the look of fear on his old partner’s face.
“Doesn’t matter whether you cared about Draconi or not,” said Virgil. “Point was, it got your attention. And now it’s all coming crashing down. Tonight is the first step.”
“And what’s your grand plan?” asked Dante.
“Julie Kim has the drive, she’s working with me now,” said Virgil. “Once she decrypts that drive with the key I’ve given her, every dirty secret the Agency and the Cabal have ever kept will be made public.”
“And how will that stop me?” asked Dante.
Virgil smirked. “The drive is tagged. As soon as it decrypts, the Agency will know exactly where to find it. Julie’s gone to your island and once she lands, she’ll begin the decryption, bringing the Agency down upon your head.”
“Quite ingenious, Virgil,” said Dante. “Not only will your plan expose the Cabal, but having Ms. Kim decrypt the drive from my island will guarantee that the Agency destroys my home. Total scorched earth policy. So when exactly is this going down?”
A beeping noise came from Virgil’s pocket. He drew his smartphone out and held it up so Dante could see the screen. The message read, “DECRYPTION COMPLETE.”
“The documents are being uploaded to the Internet as we speak,” said Virgil. “Within the hour, the Agency will have strike teams storming your island.”
“You know that this alone won’t stop the Cabal. Exposed or not, they own the media. They’ll recover.”
“Of course, this was just one part of the plan. But this leak, it’s extremely damaging. It will force them to call an emergency meeting. In person, no less.”
“And you know the location of this meeting?”
Virgil smiled and nodded. “This is our opportunity to destroy them all in one, fell swoop.”
“Our opportunity?” Dante raised an eyebrow. “You’ve declared war on my organization, you put my best operative in the Agency’s clutches, and now you’ve got a gun to my head. What’s all this unity talk?”
“Let’s go back into the sitting room,” said Virgil. “There’s something I want to show you.”
He used his gun to gesture towards the cell door. Dante nodded and held up his hands, stepping into the hall. Virgil stayed behind him and the two men walked down the hall into another room with two chairs facing each other, a table between them with a metal case on the surface.
Virgil lowered the gun and motioned to the case. “Go on. Have a look.”
Dante slowly approached the case. Virgil moved to the other side of the table and sat in the chair. He lit a cigarette as he watched his former partner examine the metal attaché. The fact that Virgil was willing to sit right across from Dante as he opened it meant it wasn’t a bomb. And even if he had stayed at a safe distance, Dante had the sense that Virgil had far grander plans in mind.
His fingers opened the latches and Dante raised the lid. Once he saw the contents of the case, his eyes nearly bulged out of his sockets. Dante closed the lid and sat down. He wouldn’t look at Virgil’s grinning face, just stared at the case. Finally, he did look up.
“Do you have anything to drink?”
Virgil snickered and nodded. He got up to prepare drinks for the two of them. Dante took his cigarette case from his pocket and lit one for himself. He noticed that his hand shook a little as he raised the cigarette to his lips.
When Virgil returned, it was with two glasses filled with scotch and ice. He sat across from Dante and placed one glass next to the case. Virgil settled back into the chair and sipped his own, alternating between the scotch and the cigarette.
Dante took the cigarette from his mouth and picked up the scotch, sniffing it before taking a drink. He savored the taste, then set the glass down and smoked again.
“Seems like you’re stalling, old friend,” said Virgil.
Dante looked at the case. “Where did you get that?”
“Time to talk about that later.”
“What do you want from me?”
“One last ride,” said Virgil. “You’re through after today, Dante. You know it. But the question is, do you want to go out not having accomplished your greatest challenge? Or do you want to do it with a bang?”
Dante set his hand on the case. “You want me to use this against the Cabal.”
Virgil shook his head and ashed the cigarette on the floor. “No. I want us to use it.”
Dante snickered and took a drink. “You always did have an unhealthy obsession with Butch and Sundance.”
CHAPTER 21
Johnny Venom stood on the terrace of the Washington, DC-based Cobra Club, staring at the Capitol Building in the distance. The first and main branch. He took a drink from the glass filled with ice and ruou ran, the signature drink he brought out for esteemed guests. His hand rested on the cobra-topped cane—a replacement as he had to leave the other behind.
“Sir?”
Venom pivoted and saw one of his staff standing behind him. With his one good eye, Venom signaled for the man to continue.
“Your guests have arrived,” he said.
“Excellent.” Venom drained the ruou ran in one, long gulp, then handed over the now-empty glass to his employee.
With a quick stride, Venom made his way from the terrace into the club and approached the staircase leading up. The guards nodded to him as he walked between them, ascending the steps to the next level.
Venom approached a pair of double-doors and opened one of them, stepping inside a conference room overlooking the Cobra Club. The curtains, however, were drawn. None of the men in this room wanted their whereabouts known.
There were twelve men who sat around the long table, each of them nursing a drink. They were from all over the world. Venom took his seat at the end of the long table, the thirteenth man now present. He rested the cane against the table and took a cigarette case from his white jacket. After lighting the cigarette, he addressed the Cabal.
“So. We have a problem.”
“These files that have been released on the Internet, they’ve exposed our operations,” said one of the Cabal, a man with dark skin and an African accent. “Our media outlets have moved to try and contain most of it, cast aspersions on the information, but it’s difficult.”
An older white man with glasses leaned forward. “We have to find out who did this.”
“Easier said than done,” added Venom.
“And who do you think is responsible?”
asked a man from the Middle East.
“Once the information on the drive was decrypted, we received notifications,” said Venom. “The Agency traced the signal to an island owned by our old friend, Dante. Strike teams laid waste to it, but Dante remains unaccounted for.”
“So it was Dante,” said an Asian man.
Venom shook his head. “Not quite.”
“Why can’t the Agency find Dante? For years this man has been plaguing us. What the hell do we pay them for?” asked a man of Indian descent.
“The Agency unfortunately is having problems of their own.” Venom took a long drag on the cigarette. “Chandler is dead. I very nearly died myself, but was able to escape. We are dealing with Dante’s former partner, Virgil. He’s the one who acquired the data and distributed it.”
“But he implicated Dante as well?”
“So it would seem,” said Venom. “He’s trying to cripple both sides. And he’s dealt us a serious blow. We now have to examine our options.”
“What do you suggest, John?”
Venom paused and rubbed his chin, slowly smoking his cigarette. He reached his arm for the tray and tapped the cigarette on the edge, disposing of the excess ash. “We need to throw the spotlight off of ourselves for the time being, give us an opportunity to regroup. Gentlemen, we need a conflict. Something big enough to distract the public for some time.”
“We’ve mercenaries standing by, ready to do as we wish,” said the Middle Eastern man. “Perhaps a terrorist attack? A major European or American city?”
“School shootings always distract people for a while,” said the white man.
Venom was about to open his mouth to state his opinion when he heard the sound of the doors being kicked open. Venom stood from his seat and looked at the two men who stood in the doorway.
Both men were dressed casually, one in a black leather jacket and the other in a burgundy one. They both held guns in their hands and there was blood splattered on their clothing. And then Venom noticed the trail of blood and the bodies that lay in the hallway.
“Good evening, gentlemen,” said Dante. “We’d like to have a bit of a word with you.”
“Dante and Virgil,” said Venom. “Didn’t expect to see the two of you working together.”
“One last job, finish what we started all those years ago,” said Virgil.
“How did you get through? The guards…?”
Dante and Virgil looked down at their bloodied clothes and over their shoulders at the carnage they left outside the doors. They both calmly cast their gaze back to the Cabal.
“What do you think?” asked Dante.
“Gentlemen, let’s be reasonable,” said one of the Cabal, rising to his feet. “We can help each other here. There’s a lot we have to offer you. And now that Chandler’s dead, we need someone to take over the Agency.”
“The Agency, you say?” asked Dante.
“Think about it, Dante.” Venom pointed at Virgil. “He not only crippled our operations, but yours as well. A man who betrayed you.”
“In my defense, he started it,” said Virgil.
Dante cocked his head in Virgil’s direction. “He’s got a solid point. For that matter, Virgil and I have already come to an…understanding of sorts.”
“And what’s that?” asked Venom.
“We’ve decided to put aside our rivalry so we can kill all of you,” said Virgil.
Venom laughed. The rest of the Cabal followed suit, although the laughter of some was more nervous than that of others. Finally, as the laughter subsided, Venom gazed hard at the two men with his one good eye.
“You think you’ve won? Expose us all you want. We control this world. We’ll weather this storm, just as we’ve weathered ones that have come before. The Cabal will survive—it always does.”
“Maybe so,” said Virgil. “But you won’t be there to see it.”
Virgil and Dante both reached into their jackets and pulled out something. Each of them had a vial with a green liquid moving about inside. Venom’s eye widened when he saw those vials.
“What is that?”
“I think you know,” said Dante.
“Im-impossible,” said Venom, stepping back. “The prototype was destroyed…Samarin would never make another…”
“As a matter of fact, there was another sample of it,” said Virgil. “You wanted to use Fury to destabilize nations. How fitting that it will be what kills you all.”
LD-68, also known as Fury, was a lethal biological weapon developed by Viktor Samarin for the Russians. He tried to destroy what he’d created, but he was imprisoned and the weapon ended up in the hands of the Cabal. Until Infernum’s intervention led to its destruction. The weapon increased aggression levels in anyone exposed to it and was highly contagious.
Dante and Virgil threw the vials at the table and they shattered, the compound instantly entering the air and infecting every man in the room.
CHAPTER 22
Johnny Venom’s eye was bloodshot, the pupil contracted almost as much as it could. His lips were curled back, baring his gritted teeth. He slowly rose from his position, gripping the cobra-topped handle of his sword. Blood and gore dripped from the blade, the cane sheath now discarded somewhere in the room. His once-white suit was now stained scarlet.
The members of the Cabal were lying all around the room. Their bodies had been dismembered, flesh torn from their bodies, and not a one of them was able to survive the battle.
Venom glared at the two men who stood across from him. Both Dante and Virgil were covered with as much crimson as their enemy. Where once there were fifteen now only three remained. Dante and Virgil’s eyes were in the same condition as Venom’s remaining one. They had slightly more control over the effects of Fury in their system, but it was still fueling their rage as well.
All three of them wanted to kill the other two.
Dante and Virgil raised their guns and pulled the triggers. They clicked on empty. Venom’s lips formed into a sickly grin and he charged at them, swinging the sword to try and take them both out.
Dante jumped to the side to avoid the strike. Virgil blocked the swing by striking Venom’s arm. Venom recovered from it quickly, elbowing Virgil in the face, then kicking him in the chest. Virgil stumbled, his back pushed up against the wall. He managed to duck just as Venom was about to thrust the sword into his head and he tackled the arms dealer.
While Virgil and Venom kept each other busy, Dante approached a table at the end of the room. On the surface were two sheathed katana blades, given to Venom by one of the yakuza lords he frequently sold weapons to. Dante took both swords from the rack. He whistled and Virgil looked up. Dante tossed one of the swords.
Virgil caught the sword and drew it from its scabbard just in time to defend against Venom’s attack. Their swords cut through the air, clanging against each other with such furious intensity that sparks flew upon contact.
Dante crossed the distance, jumping and sliding across the long conference table. He flew feet-first into Venom, slamming him against the glass window overlooking the terrace. Venom stumbled, grabbing onto the curtain, his weight tearing it from the hooks. Dante and Virgil both thrust their swords, but Venom rolled away. He jumped to his feet, slashing at Dante and cutting into the flesh of his leg.
Virgil stepped forward and slashed downward. Venom guarded against the strike, then recovered to impale Virgil in his abdomen. Virgil’s eyes went wide, frozen for a moment. Venom retracted the blade and grinned savagely.
“Virgil?” asked Dante.
Virgil grunted, reaching a hand for the wound. “D-don’t worry about me. Just a scratch.”
“If I’m dying today, then I take the two of you with me,” said Venom.
“Right, guess that sounds fair.” Dante looked at Virgil. “Shall we?”
Virgil grunted and nodded. He and Dante both gripped their swords tightly and charged at Venom. They gave into the effects of Fury, their savagery now unbound. Their slashes were
too fast and furious for Venom to deflect them this time. Blood flew freely and Venom was quickly disarmed.
They stepped back, watching as Venom struggled to stay standing—to stay alive. Dante and Virgil gave each other a final look and they both charged into Venom, tackling him and slamming him against the window. The force of all three bodies caused the glass to give and it broke under the pressure.
The three men fell, crashing down into the fountain down below on the terrace. The water turned from clear to crimson and after a moment or two, Dante moved. He pulled himself from the fountain and collapsed onto the terrace.
His body screamed in pain, but he still managed to get to his feet. Virgil lay inside the water, his face resting against the edge. He was still alive, albeit just barely. Dante took a few steps back and looked up.
In the center of the fountain was a giant cobra head. And lying atop the cobra head was Johnny Venom. His eye was fixed in the open position, without even a single spark of life left in there.
Dante grinned and reached into his jacket, pulling out the gold cigarette case. He took two cigarettes and placed them between his lips, straining as he did so. Every moment caused some degree of pain that he had to fight off. He lit the cigarettes and approached Virgil, who sat at the edge of the fountain.
Virgil struggled, trying to sit up a little bit. Dante took one of the cigarettes and placed it between Virgil’s lips. He graciously accepted, taking a long drag and then suffered from a coughing fit.
“Fuck it,” said Virgil, dropping the cigarette into the fountain.
Dante looked around at the carnage they’d caused. “I suppose this is it, huh? The end of the road.”
Virgil nodded. “You know we can’t keep this going. Soon, we’ll feel the effects of Fury again.”
“It’s a violent world, and we’ve become active participants in it,” said Dante. “Fitting that it should all end like this.”
“So what are you waiting for?” asked Virgil.
Dante stood, taking one final drag on the cigarette. He took it from his lips and flicked it over the edge of the terrace. Retrieving the two swords, he returned to Virgil and handed him one. Dante raised the other and pointed the tip of the blade at his old friend.
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