“It is clear, Adonis,” he said.
Jacob checked the time. The helicopter would be arriving shortly. There were five on his team, including him. Seven with Rin and Alex. That left room for one.
Baji is the logical candidate to bring back. She is a logistics expert, and her vessel is highly ranked. Tao is a rabid wolf, and the two from Vinnick have no value.
“Your will, Chiyva.”
Jacob pulled out his pistol and screwed on the silencer, then casually scanned the faces of the prisoners before shooting Ohr. He watched as Ohr’s Holy One left his slumped body and disappeared into the air. He had pondered using a flame on Ohr’s Holy One, but that was outside his authority. These were technically Genjix Holy Ones after all.
“Come here, girl,” he beckoned to Alexandra, and handed her the pistol. “Show me your worth as a Genjix. Do what must be done.”
She squeezed her eyes shut and nodded. For a second, Jacob thought she was going to refuse, and that he would have to kill her after all. Instead, she inhaled, opened her eyes and pointed the pistol at her father. “I’m sorry, Papa. You and Ladm betrayed the Holy Ones, an unforgivable sin. I will forgive you one day, and may we see each other in the Eternal Sea.”
“Alexandra, my precious girl,” Vladimir said in Russian. “Papa loves -”
She pulled the trigger, and he collapsed onto the ground, blood flowing from his a hole in his chest. She had given him a clean death, at least. She handed the pistol back to Jacob, her face devoid of emotion. He put a hand on her shoulder. He was sympathetic to what she had just had to do. How could he not be? It would have been difficult, even for a weaker Adonis Vessel. The Hatchery in Russia was a pale comparison to the real one in Costa Rica, but he still considered them brothers and sisters, though lesser ones. Now all that was left was the offspring of Roen Tan.
You do not have much time. Make it quick. Your justice and revenge are well deserved, but time need not be wasted. The transport is landing in five minutes.
“Your will, my guardian.”
“I need him to know,” Jacob said aloud, his voice barely louder than a whisper. “I need Roen Tan to know what his treachery and his cowardice have cost him, and he needs to know who exacted justice.”
The two women and the boy exchanged glances, then Jill took a step forward. “I am the one in command. Take me and let the others go. Freeni is just a foot soldier and knows nothing. The boy is just a boy.”
Jacob chuckled. “Not just a boy, woman.”
“Take me and be done with it, Genjix.”
Jacob smacked her again. “Be quiet, betrayer. You are coming with us, but by my say-so.” He looked to his left at Freeni and then shot her in the knee. She howled as she collapsed. Freeni would live, though she would never walk right again. “You will be the messenger to Roen Tan.” He turned to Cameron and holstered his sidearm.
“What do you want?” The boy was wide-eyed, looking enraged and panicked at the same time. His eyes darted back and forth like a caged animal’s. The man holding his arms pushed him forward.
Jacob could see the terror in his eyes as the boy looked at him, and then to his mother, and then surprisingly to the girl. Interesting. Jacob took several steps forward, and the boy retreated. “You remember Taiwan, Tao? I thought twice justice was served, and you eluded me both times. Now we will see the son pay for the sins of the father.”
Before Cameron could open his mouth, Jacob launched himself forward and punched him in the gut, doubling him over. He followed up with a right cross that sent the boy sprawling onto the grass. Behind him, Jill screamed.
“Shut her up,” Jacob ordered.
One of his men came from behind and struck her on the back of the head. When she tried to take a step forward, he chopped her legs from behind and forced her to her knees. Then he grabbed her hair to lift her face up, so she had to see what Jacob was about to do to her son.
“Please, don’t,” she moaned.
Jacob moved casually toward Cameron. “Your first vessel was no match for me, Tao. Let me see how your second fares.”
Cameron picked himself off the ground and attacked. Jacob recognized the same movements that Roen had utilized over ten years ago. The same footwork; similar angled movements. Palming guards, chambered fighting lines; all the same. Those memories were still fresh in his mind. Every second. He had relived and relished them for years after they had happened.
The boy attacked, coming at Jacob from the side: palm strike, swing, side step, low kick, throw. Jacob dodged them all with ease and with a sudden change of direction, slapped the boy across the face with an open palm. The boy fell to the side, rolling on the ground clutching his cheeks.
Do not spend too long playing with him.
He had talent; Jacob gave him that. He was already almost as good as his father was in his prime, though if Roen had stood no chance back then, the boy stood even less of one now. In ten years, once he had grown into his body and had had his fill of battle, he might be formidable, but for now, he was too raw. Too much potential; not enough experience.
Tao’s vessel attacked several more times, throwing combinations, switching up tactics, even once trying to bite Jacob. Every time, the man toyed with the boy, emphasizing how superior he was to Tao’s host.
Jacob didn’t want to seriously injure him. It would be a pity to ruin his fun if Roen’s offspring was to die on him right away. He didn’t know how tough the kid was. No, Jacob wanted to break the boy’s spirit and humiliate Tao as much as possible before killing them both. Every time he slapped the boy and knocked him down, he forced Cameron to get up to try to attack him again. This happened a dozen times until finally, Cameron flinched and hesitated. He stayed down on the ground instead of picking himself up. That was when Jacob knew the boy had no more fight in him.
“Get up,” he smirked. “I haven’t even broken a sweat yet. Get up, or I will finish the beating on your mother.”
The boy got up once more, looking skittish, his legs noodly. His face was purple and swollen from the repeated slaps. Blood dripped down his nose, and he had a cut lip. Other than that, the boy was hardly physically injured. Mentally however, he could see in Cameron’s eyes that he had shattered the boy’s spirit. Jacob lifted his hands and Cameron recoiled in fear. Jacob relished the moment and took a mental picture. It was one he would revisit for years to come.
Then, something peculiar happened. Cameron’s eyes glazed over slightly, and he seemed to have relaxed and gained a second wind. When he approached Jacob again, it wasn’t with the same near-desperate jerking motion of his previous attempts. He seemed more assured and in-control.
The transport is within sight. Finish this now.
“Your will, Chiyva.”
“Get the flamethrower out,” he ordered one of his men.
In the distance, he also heard the faint peal of police sirens. Someone must have seen what was happening and called it in. Jacob glanced up at the approaching black speck in the sky. His team would be long gone before the police arrived. Still, it was time to end the charade.
Jacob turned to Jill, who was still on her knees. Tears were streaming down her face. “Say goodbye to your offspring, betrayer.”
He saw a flicker out of the corner of his eye and raised his guard just in time to block a strike from the boy. Strange, this time he had covered ground faster than before. A flurry of strikes followed: high kick, low punch, spin, sidestep, trip, high punch. All the movements happened in a blur. The last strike hit Jacob on the bridge of the nose, causing it to bend sideways. He felt a sharp pain momentarily as he stumbled backward. How was this possible?