[url=http://www.bungie.net/Forums/posts.aspx?postID=11108980]Chapter 9[/url] Halifax held the note he had been given in his hand as he crept through the back alleys of the Flood. [i]If you want to see Dragon alive, come to the plaza.[/i] He and Impurity had left the room for a minute and when they came back, Dragon was gone. Now Halifax was afraid he was going to lose another friend, but more importantly, another ally. He stepped out of the alley and into the empty plaza. He slowly walked forward toward the center. He glanced at the spot where Kritz had been killed, grimacing when he saw the bloodstain that still hadn't been cleaned. "Stop right there." Halifax froze and looked away from the blood. "Fastmatt." He said when he saw the man standing across from him. "I see you've taken to your new role with full heart. You've been a Mod for less than a day an already you're a butcher." "You can judge me all you want, but you know that I am the only one who can bring change." "I wouldn't be so sure about that." Halifax said quietly. "But I didn't come here to talk about our differences. Where's Dragon Eye?" "She's here." Fastmatt said with a smile. "And she's safe for now." Halifax glared at him, "So what do you want?" "Step down. You can't win, even with Dragon's help." Halifax let out a sigh of relief. They didn't know about Obbi or Impurity. "That's it?" He asked. "We've told you from the beginning. We don't want to hurt anyone but the Mods." "Tell that to Dragon." Halifax said coldly. "She was pretty close to Kritz." Fastmatt shook his head, "I'm sorry." "I'll bet you are." Fastmatt shrugged, "Think what you want. But right now, you only have one choice." "Let me see her first." Fastmatt nodded and pointed up to the top of the building. Dragon stood there with Caspian who held a gun to the girl's neck. Halifax let out a low sigh and then nodded. "Alright...but before I accept, I need youto tell me something." "What?" "Why did you kill Kritz?" -------------------- Impurity had seen the signal na dhe quickly ran back to the street and jumped on his motorcycle. He sped down the street, taking a sharp left. People shouted and dove out of the way as he flew down the road, heedless of anything impeding his path. He felt something under his tires and looked back to see Squirrel Dude clutching his leg. Impurity shrugged and kept driving. He reached his destination and skidded to a stop. --------------------- "You can't make change without taking drastic measures Halifax!" Fastmatt shouted. "You, Kritz and Dragon couldn't understand! People had to die or else nothing would happen! When the Overlord gets word that his Mods are dropping like flies, he'll have to come down here." "And then what?" Halifax asked. "Will you kill the Overlord?" Suddenly, there was a shout from the rooftop and both of them looked up. Caspian was hanging from the building and Impurity was running in the other direction with Dragon in tow. "A set up!" Fastmatt shouted just as Halifax's elbow slammed into the back of his neck, knocking him to the ground. Halifax looked up to see Caspian pull himself back onto the roof and quickly ran in the other direction. Fastmatt groaned and looked around. His eyes widened when he saw Pezza standing there, staring at him with wide eyes. "Traitor." Pezza said and pulled out his gun. A shot rang out and Fastmatt flinched. He didn't feel the bullet pierce his body however. When he opened his eyes, he saw Pezza lying on the ground, a pool of blood growing beneath him. He looked up to see Caspian standing on the roof, rifle in hand. ---------------------- Halifax met with Impurity and Dragon back at the abandoned house. He looked at Dragon and asked, "Are you alright?" She nodded and he turned to Impurity, "We can't stay here. They know about this place." "Where are we supposed to go Halifax?" Impurity demanded. "And when are we going to stop hiding and fight back?" "We are fighting back." Halifax assured him, "With Obbi." "I don't mean fighting against the Mods." Impurity said firmly. "I'm talking about Banshee. He isn't just going to let you go. And now he knows about me. It's only a matter of time before Fastmatt gets suspicious of Obbi." Halifax looked at him thoughtfully, "I think I know how we can get rid of Fastmatt." He quickly picked up the phone and dialed Obbi's number. --------------------- Obbi hung up the phone and frowned thoughtfully. This would be difficult, but he knew he had to do it. He quickly exited the room and snuck down the hallway to Fastmatt's room. He peaked his head in, making sure no one was there, and then quietly pushed the door open. Fastmatt's desk was cluttered with dozens of things that held little importance, all in Fastmatt's handwriting.. Obbi stared at them, studying them. When he decided he knew them well enough, he pulled out a blank piece of parchment grabbed one of Fastmatt's pens. Glancing back at the door, Obbi bent over the parchment and began writing, imitating Fastmatt's handwriting perfectly. ---------------------- Fastmatt walked down the hallway, ignoring the nods the other Mods gave him. They would find out about Pezza's death sooner or later. He thought it would be best if he wasn't the one to tell them. Suddenly, Obbi popped out of his room, wearing a tight shirt and leather pants. He smiled when he saw Fastmatt. "It's good to see you Fastmatt." His smile slipped when he saw Fastmatt's disgruntled expression. "You seem a little tense." As Fastmatt walked past him, Obbi grabbed him by the shoulders and started massaging his neck. "Let me loosen you up." "Emma," Fastmatt said, trying to pull away, "I just want some rest." Obbi, who was still going by the name of Emma, just held on to Fastmatt's shoulders firmly, "You can't leave right now." He came in close, his mouth right next to Fastmatt's ear, "I've been alone this whole time. None of the Mods come to visit me. I just hoped you might...keep me company." Fastmatt was surprised by Obbi's strength, but even more so by "her" forward manner. He turned and looked at her closely. "Why are you really here?" Obbi smiled and then wrapped his arms around Fastmatt's waist and pulled him into a kiss. He pulled back after a few seconds and said quietly, "I just want to have some fun. Isn't that what the Flood is all about?" Fastmatt stepped back breathlessly and then said quietly, "I see what you mean. Maybe I'll-I'll talk to you later." "I'm sure you will." Obbi said, still smiling. His smile grew even wider when he saw the piece of paper he had slipped into the man's pocket, clearly addressed to Banshee Barron. --------------------- Yoozel went up the stairs, intent on talking to Emma about leaving. He didn't feel comfortable having anyone from the outside in such close contact with the Mods. He was surprised to see Emma turn the corner and start walking down the stairs. "Emma!" He said loudly. "I wanted to talk to you." "I want to talk to you too." Emma said, looking behind her furtively before coming closer to Yoozel. Yoozel frowned, "What's wrong?" "Well...I'm a little concerned about Fastmatt." "How so?" "He seems a little...suspicious to me. I always see him in that far room, looking at some papers. And just a few minutes ago, I saw a letter in his pocket that was addressed to the Banshee Barron." Yoozel's eyes narrowed. "Why would he want to write to the Banshee Barron." Emma shrugged, "I don't know. I had heard that Banshee had left a long time ago...it seemed suspicious to me." Yoozel nodded, "I'll check it out." "Wait," Emma said as he made his way past her, "What did you want to tell me?" "Nothing important." Yoozel replied, charging up the stairs. Fastmatt was lying on the bed, a hot towel over his eyes, when Yoozel came in. He sat up when he heard the door shut, took of the towel, and smiled at Yoozel, "Hey, what's up?" Yoozel shrugged, "Not much. I just wanted to see how you're doing. First day on the job and you had to perform an execution." "It was my duty." "No it wasn't." Yoozel replied. "Master Moderators are the only ones who can carry out an execution. We call it perma-banning, but that's just a nice way of saying execution." Fastmatt shrugged, "I was the one that caught him." Yoozel nodded, "That's right...and I'm starting wonder why. Several Mods have died and you still come running." Fastmatt laughed, "Someone had to stop that terrorists. It doesn't look any Mods have died since." "Actually, I just got word that Pezza was killed." Fastmatt's eyes widened, "What?" His voice sounded squeaky. And fake. Yoozel shrugged, "We knew there was more than one. It's just a matter of finding them. Something you don't seem too prone to do." He glanced at Fastmatt's pocket. "What's that?" Fastmatt looked down and frowned, "I--I don't know." Yoozel held out his hand. "Give it to me." Fastmatt held it up and looked at it closely, "I'd rather not." He said quietly when he read the name. Yoozel stepped forward and snatched it out of his hands. He opened the letter and read, "Banshee, I have firmly entrenched myself in their ranks. They don't suspect a thing. Pezza started getting suspicious...I had to take him out. It seems like more Mods will have to die if we want to get the Overlord's attention." He finished reading and crumpled the letter in his fist. "You disappoint me." "I didn't--" Suddenly, the hot towel was wrapped around his neck and tightening. Fastmatt gasped for air, clawing at Yoozel's hands. A minute later, he was lying on the ground, face blue and heart still. --------------- Obbi smiled as he walked down the streets of the Flood. He knew who the Mods used to talk to the Overlord. Soon Achronos would know everything. [Edited on 06.10.2007 2:28 PM PDT]