Vengeful Storm Ch. 01

Hi All

As I'm having serious writers block with some of my current stories, I have decided to edit my stories already on Lit and re-submit them. A big thank you to amerks29hockey for editing this chapter. All characters taking part in sexual activity are eighteen or over.

*Storm*

They first appeared in Germany, but the government had known of their existence long before that. We called them the Ubel, the German word for evil. They had descended on our planet like a pack of ravenous wolves before we knew what had hit us and turned our world into a living hell. Through humankind's careless ways of living, we had almost completely destroyed our race. But I expect you are wondering what I am talking about. Maybe you don't live on this world. Maybe the world you live on is still as ours was. A place where people live free. I hope so. I hope you will never go though what we went through, what we still go through today. But if they come, if darkness tries to lay claim over your lives, I hope what I tell you will give you the strength to defeat it.

In the year 2095, humans had to find a new way to live; we were so many. As the human population grew and we discovered more and more medical breakthroughs, death was a rare occurrence before the age of 105. We had conquered AIDS, world hunger, cancer and diseases. Nothing could defeat us. When humans conquered space flight in the year 2030, we found a way to overcome population issues. The governments of our world had decided that humanity was doomed to extinction at the current rate of resource consumption and population expansion.

Now that space flight was available, the government underwent a project that would take over a hundred years to see fulfilled. Several large vessels were manufactured that were designed to take mankind on explorative missions around our solar system. As each planet was fully discovered for the first time, it was decided that the planets would be suitable for human life if the atmosphere was changed to mimic Earth's. Each new planet was terraformed, a process taking decades, and as each planet was able to support new life, mankind swarmed to the planet like a plague. Humans lived within our solar system happily for a millennium, until it was decided that the human population had once again reached exponential levels. It seemed that as a race, we were unable to learn from our previous mistakes.

We found a new solar system, with dozens of planets and hundreds of moons. It was named Cryon after the captain of the ship who discovered it. Along with the planets and moons in our own solar system, human kind was about to embark on the conquering of the universe. As we took over planet after planet, we were invincible. Or so we thought. As it turned out, we were not the only intelligent race in the galaxy.

The discovery of a third solar system proved to be our undoing. For it was the domain of the Ubel. A large, ugly race that felt no fear, no pain and no mercy. It is difficult to describe an Ubel. I myself have never seen one without full body armour on. They are considered to be humanoid, similar in anatomy to us yet there are differences. They are almost animalistic in behaviour. All have the power of intelligent thought, speech and the ability to fight, as well as animalistic senses of sight, smell, taste and hearing. And we led these creatures right to us.

In the year 3178 the Trinion galaxy was discovered during a mission to explore the outer edges of Cryon. It was in the Trinion Galaxy where we first discovered other life forms. The Trinion Galaxy had been remarkably like our own once, with different races, some humanoid, some not, but all living together in relative harmony. No one knows where the Ubel came from. A far off place that neither we nor any of the races from the Trinion System had yet discovered. They were like a plague. The Ubel move from planet to planet, using up resources until the planet is barren and of no further use. Our turning up in Trinian alerted them to our presence and to our planets, just ripe for the taking. We don't know how they keep on coming back. It seems like no matter how many we kill, their numbers are always replaced.

Many humans were killed when the Ubel first came to Earth. People were slaughtered where they stood. The Ubel did not care who they were or what they did. They wanted us to realise that it was no use fighting back, that all resistance was futile. The world leaders soon surrendered, hoping that we could come to some sort of agreement. They were deluding themselves. Those who weren't killed instantly were forced into slavery, working eighteen hour days and fed barely enough to keep the human body working. The Ubel treated us worse than cattle. As far as they were concerned, there were plenty of humans to work for them. Whether we lived or died was of no consequence to them. We were simply labour. But believe it or not, slaves like these were considered lucky. For there was a different type of slavery, one that many would consider worse than an eternity in hell. Those the Ubel considered attractive were taken and used in the sex trade.

Many were used in brothels in the inner city areas. Most were lucky if they survived past a year. When the slaves were first taken, they were kept in small rooms but they were free to move around. The captives killed themselves as soon as they could. Soon though, the slaves found themselves in chains and held up against the wall, only let down for the use of a client. The slaves went through excruciating pain every time they were used. What you must understand is that the Ubel are a lot larger than us, in all areas. The human body simply wasn't designed to take so large an intrusion, plus the clients had no consideration for the slave. They were simply taken, ripped open and left to bleed to death. Those that didn't bleed simply gave up the will to live. For other girls, the girls considered having ultimate grace and beauty were sold as personal sex slaves to the highest bidder, usually high ranking officials of the Ubel.

There are resistance fighters out there, ex-army officers or sector police like my father, as well as men and women who were trying to make a difference. At one time I considered joining them. After all, I could definitely hold my own. That was until it happened. You see, one of the women taken for the sex trade was my baby sister Raine. I have been searching for her for three months now, since the Ubel found my family's hide-away. They killed my mother and father when we tried to run. I managed to escape, although I was badly injured, but they got Raine.

By the time I had healed enough to go after her, I found out she had been sold to Craag, second in command to Tarlok, the leader of the Ubel. I have been following him ever since, always waiting, always praying for a chance to go in and save my sister.

* * * *

I stood staring at the mansion from the dark shadows across the road. It was silent, the wind barely a whisper, the night dark as sin. A storm was brewing; I could smell the dampness in the air. We needed a good rainstorm. It flushed away the stench of death, for a time anyway. I couldn't have planned it more perfectly; the light and noise from the storm would help me in my quest. I had found out through my sources that the Ubel were holding a meeting at Craag's residence. How did I get that information? Well, I have my ways.

I'm known as Raven. Maybe you have heard of me, maybe you haven't. If you haven't, well, I know it doesn't sound like a name that would spark fear into a man, but it's the reputation behind the name, rather than the name itself. I'm an assassin for hire. It's amazing isn't it? The world is on the brink of destruction, mankind's existence on this planet is hanging by a thread, and yet we still have the desire to kill one another. Hey, I'm not proud of my work, but I do what's necessary to survive and get closer to my sister. To do that I need information, and information around here costs money. Why do I do this Job? I know you are thinking that there must be something else I could do. I do it for one very simple reason. It's what I'm good at.

My father was the head of security in quadrant sector five, one of the largest and roughest sectors on the planet earth. Although we got on famously as a family, my sister took after my mother, quiet, kind and gentle, while I took after my father, rough and tough, a fighter. Because of this, I basically grew up at security headquarters. From the age of five when my father noticed my excitement watching his men train, he started to privately train me a few times a week. When he realised how much I loved learning martial arts, the training grew to everyday until I was old enough to join the Sector Security Squad and train with the new cadets. My mother of course was not happy about this. She didn't consider it a suitable job for a woman, but she had always encouraged my sister and I to follow our dreams so although it was difficult for her, she encouraged me to be the best I could be.

From there I increased my skills in unarmed combat. I used to feel sorry for my comrades as I was years ahead of them in that skill, but I also learned about weapons like guns and knives, how to drive a car well, how to handle myself in unexpected and volatile situations. I was eventually moved to a specialised department. A department that liked to get rid of problems.... discreetly. I didn't use guns. I was trained to use them of course, but my main weapons of choice are Sais.

I know what you're thinking. In a world as advanced as ours, why would I choose such an ancient weapon? Well, my department was trained after the greatest of assassins. The Shinobi. The Sai is like an extension of my body. I can kill quickly and silently from both long and short range, allowing me to hide my presence. Of course to be able to kill so efficiently I had to learn to behave like a hunter. Silence and stealth were necessary to do my job. Eventually I was transferred to a division classified beyond top secret that had no name, and by the time I had finished my training, my job and connections to the oraganisation wouldn't exist. In all, I was trained as an assassin. And I excelled. In little over a year after my training, I was called in to handle the most difficult and delicate of cases.

Have you ever seen that really old movie Electra? I know, I mean it is really old, but when I was younger, I used to idolise her. She was so tough, so independent. I wanted to grow up to be just like her. And I have. I think that is one of the reasons I chose Sais as my weapons. Of course, what I didn't understand at that age is the loneliness of that job.

You always keep yourself away from normal life, from normal people. In the end I stopped having friends and rarely saw my family. I think my biggest fear of all was making a friend and then having to assassinate them. After a few years I realised that I was being stupid, that the people I could become friends with would never be targeted, but by then I had gotten into such a pattern, such a way of life that I couldn't go back. So I immersed myself in my work, often leaving the planet for long periods of time. I was a killer, no matter how you looked at it and I didn't want to taint my family anymore than I had to.

But even with the loneliness, I was happy with my work. Yes, I killed, and often, but I was in such demand; I could basically choose my jobs. You may not think it makes me any better of a person, but I only killed those who I thought deserved to be killed. War lords, terrorists, drug traffickers. You may think that in my own little way, I was trying to play God, choosing who lived or died. That's not it at all. All the men I refused to do would have gotten killed anyway. I simply took out the ones who were causing harm to mankind. Now I don't have the luxury of picking and choosing. I kill whom I must for my sister.

I was taking a risk, trying to get her tonight. Security would be tight with all the high-ranking Ubels in the one place. But if I could get in, if I could get past the guards then I would be almost guaranteed in finding Raine. The guards would be congregated around the meeting, with few guards looking after the slaves. Those who were would be called to the battle soon enough. I had found out from another of my sources that the resistance fighters were planing a strike tonight. The higher members of the Ubel rarely came together like this. It was a good opportunity to try and take out some of the leaders and break down their regime. All I had to do was wait. I was good at that. After all, one of the keys to being a good assassin is patience.

Hours passed slowly and still I stood there watching as the Ubel arrived. The rain had started to fall in hard torrential sheets. I stayed where I was, watching; waiting for the strike, rain water flowing over by head and down my body, trickling into my eyes and ears. I hoped the strike would happen. I was going to get Raine out tonight regardless of what happened. I wasn't prepared to wait three more months to find Craag again. I would get her out or die trying.

A movement caught my attention over on the roof. I held my breath, waiting to see what would happen. Was it the resistance, or was it a lone wolf like me, waiting for an opportunity to get in unseen.

I could see him there, perched like a statue. He had skills. Silent and swift he jumped from rooftop to rooftop, searching out possible entry points and counting the number of guards. How do I know this? Well, it's exactly what I would have done. I was taking a terrible risk, going in blind, but I couldn't allow the rebels to know of my existence here or my plans. If they caught a whiff of what I was going to do they would call a halt to the raid. By going in for my sister, I was endangering all their lives and there were few enough of them as it was. But I didn't care. I didn't care about anything these days except Raine.

I stood in the shadows as more men silently moved in; some perched on the roof tops, some standing in shadow on the ground. A normal person could walk past them and not notice a thing. They were like ghosts, always on the edge of your vision, but when you turned to look at them they were gone. I could see them, but barely. These men were very good. The Rebellion was better trained than I had originally thought.

At a silent command, the soldiers started to move in. I tensed my body, getting my muscles ready to move. Standing in the same position for so long with freezing rain drilling into your flesh tended to cramp even my muscles. I wanted to go now, wanted to get Raine out. I hated the thought of her having to stay in that hell a moment longer. But I stayed put. I couldn't be her sister now. As her sister, I was emotional, and emotions made you weak, they clouded your judgement and made you take risks you normally wouldn't think about. Being her sister had made me take the risk of coming to get her tonight. Right now, I had to be the assassin. Unfeeling, able to kill at will, the assassin would get the job done as quickly and as safely as possible. The assassin would be able to forget about the good men she was putting at risk tonight.

I started to run across the cold ground, doing my best to stay in the shadows. I could hear the grass crunching beneath my feet as I moved. I didn't know which room my sister was being held, but my sources had told me that the slaves were kept together in a bedroom on the top floor in the west wing. I have no idea where they got this information from but my sources and I have come to an understanding. I don't ask how or where they got their info and to be honest I didn't really care. But they all knew that if they lied to me then I would hunt them down and kill them. It pays to have a reputation in this world as a cold-blooded killer.

I would have to search each bedroom. My sources couldn't pinpoint where the slaves were being held, but the guards would probably tell me which room to look in. As I made my way to the back of the house I kept listening for sounds of battle. The meeting was being held in the boardroom at the front of the house, the bedrooms where my sister should have been were at the back, but anyone who's been in battle knows how quickly it can expand and spill out into other areas.

I climbed up one of the tall oak trees next to the corner of the house, pulling up the satchel of clothes I had brought with me for Rain. Believe it or not, not everything had been destroyed out in the country areas. It was mainly the city areas that had been targeted. The country areas were still green and lush, for the time being anyway. I crouched in the higher branches, having to hold on to prevent slipping. The wind had picked up; blowing at almost gale force and the rain had made the bark slippery. But I was thankful for the rain. Although it would make the ground hard going by turning it to mud, the rain would cover our tracks and get rid of our scent, making it harder for the Ubel to track us.

I lifted my head and strained to hear above the roar of the wind. Was that a gunshot? Yes, there it was again. I could see the light from the laser shots coming through the first floor windows. It was now or never. Standing up in the tree, I started to run across the branch. I was taking a risk coming in this way. I wouldn't meet any soldiers on the ground, obviously, but there was a three-meter gap between the tree and the upper balcony. If I couldn't make it I'd probably end up breaking my neck.

I got to the end of the branch and jumped for all I was worth. It was okay, I was going to make it. Oh shit. I smacked against the balcony hard, just managing to grab hold of the deck before I completely fell off. Jesus that hurt. Inch by inch, I pulled my body up until I could get a good grip onto the balustrade and haul myself up, all the time waiting for a voice to sound the alarm and open fire. But the voice didn't come and the guns weren't fired. I stood on the balcony for a minute getting my breath back. I had bruised my ribs from the crash and was finding it difficult to breath. Looking down at my left hand I saw that one of my fingers was bent in the opposite direction to what was normal. Shit. This was all I needed. Wrapping my hand around it, I held my breath and pulled. I stood there screaming in my head as I put my finger back in place. Regardless of what you may think, assassins are not indestructible and we do feel pain.

I stood there for a few seconds more, making sure every other part of my body was okay. I was in pain, but I could still move. I walked over to the door, about to jimmy it open when I realised someone had beaten me to it. It looked like I wasn't the only one who decided to come in the back way. I opened the door slowly, listening for any possibility of another person in the room. I heard nothing but the howling of the wind and the screams of both man and Ubel as they fought at the front of the house. I dropped the bag on the floor and pulled my Sais out of the sheaths strapped to my back. I wasn't taking any chances.

Opening the door slowly, I looked down the length of the halls. The hall way directly in front of me was empty, but as I looked to my right I stilled. I had found the room Raine was in. Unfortunately, I could tell it was the right room by the two guards standing out the front. Obviously, not everyone had joined in the fight like I thought they would. I would have to try and draw one away in order to fight them. I could take on two Ubel, but not without the element of surprise. Closing the door slowly, I searched the room for something small and heavy. Sitting on one of the desks was a small paperweight made of stone. Perfect.

Opening the door again, I threw the paperweight down the hall. Quickly closing the door behind me, I heard the paperweight thud loudly to the floor. I waited in silence, my muscles tense in case the Ubel figured out what the noise really was. But as I held my breath, I heard the loud, heavy footsteps of the Ubel pass me by and walk down the hall. I put the Sais back in their sheaths and took the knife out of my boot. Opening the door again slightly, I looked to see what the Ubel outside the bedroom was doing. When his head was turned away I ran across the space to the other hallway after the other Ubel.