Opus Veda

The next day's training was less intense, drilling forms and flexibility. And reality tugged at Kasia throughout.

Tonight, she would take another life. And this time there would be an audience.

Evening fell. They returned to the safe house. Andrez waited in the same dining room he had recruited Kasia in.

He was in uniform. Kasia's nerves rocketed. She had expected time to prepare but Andrez's masked face said they were leaving now.

"Katarzyna, I regret dispelling our impressive image but here comes the inglorious part: undressing and gearing up. Maqbool?"

The team quietly equipped themselves, seemingly indifferent to their dark nature. Maqbool slid Kasia's kit to her and explained each item: the near-black, hooded coveralls; the joint guards for her limbs; the combat boots which - he said with a serious tone - cost as much as the rest of the uniform. With her permission he encased her chest in stiff riot armour.

"You will be too hot in the summer and too cold in the winter, but you will always be flexible and agile," he clipped her shoulder plates down her arms with firm tugs, "you have complete protection from fire, some protection from blades, and no protection from bullets. Ammunition will always be scarce, for everyone. Depending on who finds it first, it will make or break you."

Something unsheathed behind her. She found Sima Ren balancing her katana in his hand, testing its weight and edge. Satisfied, he sheathed it and handed it over with Kasia's knife. She tied both to her waist. Esmé appeared from the living room grinning.

"Zilong, what do you think of her sword?" she swayed childishly. Kasia turned red in an instant.

"Very good! But it needs two hands to use. Fine tonight, but not in full combat."

"Did you know she named it?"

"Oh?" Sima Ren fiddled with his headband and topknot.

"She's called it Esmé."

Sima Ren stopped; stood akimbo between the women. He inhaled sharply through his nose, and looked proud.

Maqbool made an intrigued noise.

"What a coincidence! Ren here calls his weapon 'Big Maq'."

"Will you shut up and die Maqbool!" Sima Ren yelled out in mandarin, "and it's Zilóng to you!"

Maqbool roared with laughter, making his wingman recoil. Esmé pushed them away.

"My Kasia... The final touch," she revealed Kasia's mask. Kasia placed it over her head and pulled her hood down. At last fully dressed, an armed and armoured insurgent of Opus Veda.

A vigilante.

A terrorist.

She loved it. The whole mundane procedure, the frigid pragmatism of each item, alongside the nation's most feared group. An internationally famous cult tied their shoelaces before her. Their faces were fully covered, and they were awe inspiring. Despite Kasia's nerves for the upcoming bloodshed, her main concern was to avoid looking a fool to her section.

"We are ready when you are, my love," Andrez's voice rasped through his avian head, pitched beyond recognition. Kasia saw herself in his eyes. Her fearsome visage gave her strength.

"Let's go then."

They moved underground. The smell of metal and dust told Kasia they were entering a tube line.

A passing train shuttled out of sight. The insurgents leapt across the tunnel, sidestepping through a maintenance hatch and into a mechanic's garage.

Inside was a 4x4 in glistening grey chrome and blackened windows. Andrez and Maqbool sat in front, the rest strapped into an inward-facing arrangement. Kasia lifted her scabbards and nearly fell into her seat, smothered by its upholstery. The vehicle hummed online and rolled outside. It took Kasia back to her assignments with Luca.

And now she served Luca's killer, a man sitting right in front of her. Data slid over the windows around him. A chunky array of analogue radios fizzed and whistling with competing voices. Kasia heard unfamiliar languages, but from the Czech she gleaned that the northern war had paused. Revolutionary movements south were expected.

They drove on.

"It comes down to this Katarzyna," Andrez pulled himself around, "your big test."

Kasia came out of a daze. Andrez's beak was inches from her face. He tapped her window. A loading sign spun on it.

Maqbool turned the engine off.

They had arrived. Already. Kasia's heart lurched. She focussed on the window, where a bank balance materialised.

"This target should be easy for you," said Andrez, "a property manager who ought to feel remorse for the choices she's made. This is one of her bank accounts - the one her salary goes in to. Through various loopholes she's taxed as if she earns 150 thousand a year. Half of your Riese Elektronik salary, no?

Thus her first crime: failing to contribute her fair share to society."

Andrez maximised a white page with a list of bullet points.

"Meeting minutes. Shareholders expecting dividends. And increases have to come from somewhere. Vagrants attack Kendi Estate; a pretext is found. The property manager increases the service charge, her consultants discuss ways to do the same for their other properties.

Thus her second crime: willingly contributing towards inequality."

Kasia's heart settled. The target was clear. Opus Veda was making it easy on her.

A final slide appeared.

"Donations from her foundation going to a limited corporation in Ireland. Said corporation does nothing but accept inbound payments. Money is later withdrawn in euros and shipped to Manchester; a donation to Revolution Britannia.

Thus her third crime: picking the wrong team."

Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.

Andrez deactivated the screen.

"Let your landlord's death symbolise the leaving behind of your old home. She will demand much for it Katarzyna, she will be the type to resist."

Kasia gripped the edge of her seat.

"Damn I hope so."

Andrez's head raised. He pressed a finger to his ear.

"Surveillance. Andrez. Contract live."

A voice chattered into his ear.

The section disembarked.

Recent days had shown Kasia how effortlessly Opus Veda evaded detection. The walk to Ali Hogarth's still shocked her. She had left the car expecting to run, lowering her profile until she saw her allies. Their gait was casual; their speed unhurried despite their appearance. Where they went, alarms cut off, cameras drooped. Andrez rang Ali's door bell and stared into the camera with his mask's eye. The interface said 'welcome Doctor Arazeti' and let him in.

They strolled indoors as if it was their own home.

A dog growled. The terrier; Kasia remembered it accosting Imany during her last visit.

Andrez already knew it was here, and had marked it for elimination.

He flicked two fingers forward. Sima Ren moved forward and dropped his knee on the dog's neck. The barks became squealing, the squealing became hacking gasps. A crunch of snapping bones silenced it.

Andrez's fingers curled into a fist. His eyes flashed red and scanned the house. He motioned for Sima Ren to go upstairs and Maqbool to remain in front. Kasia and Esmé would stay with him. They followed him to the rear, passing a gym and reaching a door with a sliver of light underneath. Something bubbled behind it.

Andrez clicked the door latch.

Only Ali's head could be seen, wrapped in a VR headset and sticking out of a jacuzzi. Esmé walked around it, closed in, caught the rhythm of Ali's breath and the motion of her arm. She looked at Andrez and made a rubbing motion with her fingertip. Andrez understood. A wine bottle rested on the tub. He picked it up and read its label while Esmé scrambled Ali's phone.

She gave him the okay sign. Andrez climbed the tub's edge and opened his hand like a claw.

Kasia saw the moment Ali felt a change in the room, her jolt as Andrez tore her headset off, her terror as his mask opened over her.

He dragged Ali from the tub by her throat. She smacked hard against the floor. Andrez pulled her up again and punched her face. She reeled into the tub, and he pinned her underwater to stop her screaming.

Maqbool reclined on the entrance's chez lounge and put his feet up. His phone played a grid of cameras outside. One screen streamed a football match.

A door upstairs opened.

"Zilong-"

"Yes," Sima Ren whispered into his mouthpiece, "I'm on it."

Ali's daughter was in the upper hall. She saw a masked man lurking in the shadowy staircase. She was too young to understand, but his face frightened her.

He crept forward on his knees. Opal whimpered.

"Opal Hogarth, do not be afraid. I am Sīmǎ Rén - courtesy name, Zilóng. I am here to keep you safe from danger."

"Nǐ hǎo Zilong..."

Sima Ren pointed to Opal's doll.

"They are called Liza, correct? Talk to me about Liza."

Opal took a step forward.

"Opal come here, now."

Another girl's voice. The older daughter. Tiffany put herself between her sister and the invader.

Sima Ren sat cross legged and tipped his head sideways.

"You will be more difficult I believe."

Tiffany raised her phone and tried to record. A message appeared over the phone's screen.

'Don't even think about it Tiffany.'

Sima Ren kept motionless, his hands resting on his knees.

Ali snaked around the floor, retching water from her lungs. She backed against the jacuzzi and faced her attacker with teary but defiant eyes. Blood poured over her body.

Andrez summoned Kasia forward.

"Reveal yourself if you care to. Let her learn why we're doing this to her."

Kasia didn't know if she wanted to but assumed Andrez would, and so obeyed. She dropped her mask at Ali's feet and pulled her hood back. Ali squinted.

"Kasia!? All along... you… the danger you're putting your daughter in…"

"I don't have a daughter anymore."

"I do…" Ali wrapped her arms around her breasts, "my littlest thought the world of you I… I could tell you were good with children... You mustn't let these people take that from you! Don't let them hurt her please… don't hurt my children…"

"Not them, Ms Hogarth. Only you."

Kasia pulled her Katana out. Its point drifted towards Ali's heart. Ali's face scrunched with grief. She pushed back against the tub.

Their eyes met, shared fear, and for all their differences, Kasia still saw a mother.

The katana wobbled. Ali's face paled and streamed tears. Her chest pumped in and out. Kasia wanted to show her mercy. Her grip felt weak.

She went to strike, staggered forward, and stopped. Ali sobbed and hid behind her forearm. Kasia kicked her in agitation, jolting Ali with a squeaky yelp.

Andrez seized Kasia's arm.

"Katarzyna," his mask filled with harsh static, "can you not go further?"

Kasia neither wanted to agree no disagree. Esmé watched her, arms crossed. Andrez pulled Kasia's attention back to him.

"Would you like me to do it for you?"

A way out. Kasia nodded and realised she wasn't breathing. She fell back and gasped for air.

Andrez took her place.

"Alice Hogarth you have spent years engaged in corrupt business practice, profiteering from inequality, and backing a revolution for the reason of - in your own words - 'a prudent investment opportunity to cover ourselves in the event of a Red parliament'."

He knelt beside her, "but there is one more crime I can think of. Something your former tenant here does not know, but you and I, do. Shall we show her, Alice?"

Now Kasia saw her old landlord - the scorn of a superior woman, conniving for a way in which she, as ever, got what she wanted.

"I'm not playing your game you sadistic fuck," Ali smiled with bloodied teeth and patted the side of Andrez's beak, "you haven't managed to indoctrinate her yet then. She's a young girl with a fragile heart and you're wrong to seduce her. You'd better do this yourself; show Kasia what she's letting herself in for."

"Oh I feel I won't have to my dear…" Andrez patted her face in kind and put a phone in Kasia's hand, "again Katarzyna I give you a choice. I can do this or you can, but you must listen to those recordings first."

Kasia played the phone's sound file. Ali's voice spoke from it.

'I'm sick and tired of wasting my time with the police, Mathias, when you could resolve this yourself.'

'We're keen to help you Ali but what you're suggesting goes too far.'

'They turned up to my house and threatened me! My child was physically assaulted! Do you not care about your supporters, sergeant major?'

'Of course I care, and please don't refer to my rank Ali.'

'We wouldn't need any calls if you had the balls to deal with three simple plebs! I cannot have tenants tracking me down and showing up on my doorstep! I want them taken care of now!'

'They didn't do enough Ali- oh she's hung up. Christ what a bitch, you can tell she always gets away with it for being such a treat to look at.'

Soldiers around Pierce laughed. The recording cut out.

Another played.

'…yes Ali. We have Imany in our custody.'

'So you're going to do something about her?'

'We will. But you need to drop this now Ali-'

'You have Kasia and Sermon working for you. Will you not-'

'Not going to happen Ali. I will not turn in members of my own side. I can give you Imany if you let the other two drop.'

'… if you insist. But the next time I have people I need dealing with you'll be resolving it with more enthusiasm or you'll be down one donor.'

'… and she's hung up again. I cannot deal with this woman Pardo I am a sergeant major! It's like being on the fucking Apprentice…'

The phone slid from Kasia's hand and cracked against the floor. Ali saw doubt abandon Kasia, and her sword point steady.

"Kasia it's fake. Kasia!" Ali tried to get up, "Kasia it's not real! They made it using AI you have to believe me!"

"Look at her Kasia," Andrez pointed Ali down, "look at the way her eyes move, how her shoulders rise. The language of a liar."

"You are the liars!"

"Why would we lie!?" Andrez shouted, overpowering his mouthpiece, the first anger Kasia had seen in him. He shook with it.

"Do you think we want this!? That we would make up stories so we could live like this every day!? I never lie woman I don't need to. You all do enough on your own to justify us..."

He kept his gaze on Ali and reached behind him.

"Your sword, Katarzyna."

"Don't worry. I'll kill her myself."

There were so many things Kasia wanted to say to this woman, but in her hatred no words would form.

She replaced her mask.

"Kasia please! We can work something out! Together!"

"I've been waiting for things to work out for 29 years," she brought her hood down, "29 years living under people like you who made my daughter's existence misery. I watched her go through it every. single. day. while you live like this. And you're so fucking petty about being challenged you left Imany - a better woman than either of us - to be murdered in a fighting pit..."

The sword pulled back. Ali held her arms out.

"Please! You'll take my daughters mother from them!"

"Good. Imany was my mother, and you took her from me."

Ali wailed and shook her head.

"Stop… please stop… wait-no!"

Kasia struck. She lanced Ali's ribcage and speared her heart. The katana struck with such force it punctured the jacuzzi. Foamy red poured free.

And Kasia wept.