Memoirs - Memory 6

Author's note: This series is may be reaching an end soon. When she left, all my inspiration was lost. However, I would finish writing these last two Installments as a tribute and a reminder to what has happened. Well, these last two Installments are written from the heart, and I hope all reading this would appreciate it :/ Anyway, I'm counting on her to continue the series, and remind me of the Memoirs of the past, and whory cow, this is gonna be a long one.

I stabbed a dice of carrot with my fork, savouring the taste of the lettuce in my mouth.

'You really like vegetables, do you?' ÆlÆNOR commented.

'Well, yeah.' I replied. 'They are tasty, soft and healthy anyway.' I then popped the carrot dice into my mouth.

The situation was quite relaxed now. Dad was at home chatting with Gramps about his younger days while ÆlÆNOR and I were just relaxing, without any stress, for now. 

I brushed up my senses and announced over the dining table. It was a bit melodramatic actually. I stood up with a poised stance, with the chandelier light shining over the table. I just got my point through.

'The Lucchese family has got a bigger threat to deal with now. One which conspires with the law and the underworld at the same time.' I stated, 'Shall we lay out all the plans and strategies ASAP?' 

Dad agreed and ÆlÆNOR started to think, but I gently stopped her. 

'This time, I will be taking charge.' I declared, 'All of us will be fighting, except for ÆlÆNOR of which of course, she has a choice.'

ÆlÆNOR pouted and protested, which of course, did not really look intimidating but quite placating.

'Hey... ÆSEN! Are you kicking me out? Geez.' ÆlÆNOR protested, 'I am part of the Lucchese family as well you know.'

I gave her a weak grin and conceded. She may be a strategist, but she might be a sure hand in combat as well. That was when I realized ÆlÆNOR did not have any weapons. She realized that too and annouced she would be looking into our artillery closet. I called out to her and stopped her in her tracks. I proceeded to my study table and heaved out a chest. I unclasped it and revealed two jade hunting knives, elaborately and elegantly carved, both a metre long each.

'These will be your weapons.' I told ÆlÆNOR. 

She held one up experimentally and was genuinely pleased with the weight and shape. I took out the last weapon in the chest. A spiked jade ring. When she saw the ring, she glanced at it a little longer an averted her eyes from me. She grasped it and slid the ring into her silky long oak brown hair and ran up to her room. I watched as her back was turned on me and wondered if I did anything wrong. Then I realized that ÆlÆNOR, being a strategist, looked at everything from various perspectives. I sighed and polished my shrike knife.

A couple of hours later, Dad called for a briefing.

'Is everyone ready to take down the opposition?' Dad inquired to all of us, 'I done some research myself. We are up against the Inzerillo Famiglia. Their HQ is not that far from here, as it is just round Sicily.' He reported. He handed the spotlight over to me.

'Dad and Gramps would take care of the West wing, while I would take care of the South Wing. ÆlÆNOR would take care of the external security and the final demolition.' I completed.

ÆlÆNOR did not look too happy. It was apparent that she wanted to be engaged in combat a little more.

'ÆlÆNOR,' I tried to reason with her, 'I cannot afford to put you in mortal danger. Anyway, you are a girl so...'

ÆlÆNOR rolled her eyes and complained about sexism being alive and well or something. 

'By the way,' ÆlÆNOR continued, 'What do you mean you can't put me in mortal danger?'

I realized that I said too much and decided to change the subject.

'Meeting ajourned.' I declared, 'The sky is pretty blue now, isn't it?'

ÆlÆNOR rolled her eyes again and got ready. I decided to do the same. I wanted to allow the Lucchese Famiglia to live a peaceful life. However I had a hidden agenda as well... I was doing everything for her.

I vaulted into my Audi R8, fully modified. As a safety precaution, I slide in a different license plate and discarded the old one. It was already slightly illegal that a 14 year old was driving, but I did not really think that the law would take kindly to a 14 year old Mafia member drifting at 285kmph on the streets.

I let my engine roar and boosted my Audi out of the garage. The rest also followed suit. Dad was putting on his seatbelts in the seat of his Nissan 370z, fully modified with an American Corvette engine in place of the Japanese turbine.

ÆlÆNOR was trying to manoeuvre her Maserati GranTurismo out of the garage, in which, of course she did. Since she preferred precision, ÆlÆNOR retracted the Auto Drive and replaced it with a Manual Drivetrain.

Gramps was not too bad with these technical subjects either. He joined us with a BMW M3 and adjusted his seat. Old people can't drive, but my Gramps was only about 50, and he was much more nimble than any 18 year old gymnast.

Now that the whole Famiglia was in formation, I revved up my engines and left the rest in my dust. As I looked in my side mirror, ÆlÆNOR was also beside me. I accepted the challenge graciuosly and left behind my trailing lights which intermerged with hers.

ÆlÆNOR and I pulled up approximately 500 metres away from the Inzerillo HQ. It was quite prominent, and it was cleverly disguised as a textile mill. Dad and Gramps pulled up a few moments later and we began to carry out each of our part of the plans that I had drawn up. This would be one of our last ventures. The full Lucchese Famiglia working as one.

ÆGLÆCA and Ællen stepped into the vicinty of the West wing of the Inzerillo HQ. This was also considered a vital step for the plan. If cronies from both the West wing and East all ganged to protect the boss, ÆSEN would have a hard time as a result. Ællen paused to ask ÆGLÆCA on how to attract the attention of the rest of the mobsters. Obviously they would not be drawn out just by a simple fire alarm. The Inzerillo Famiglia were proven to be professional already. Once was enough. It was a relatively startling experience for ÆGLÆCA previously.

ÆGLÆCA hacked into the alarm system and called up the appropriate alarm wail for a raid emergency. After a few moments, a piercing electronic wail sounded throughout the West wing, and it was obvious a horde of mobster would be panning the West anytime then.

'Run!' ÆGLÆCA hissed.

Ællen complied and leapt into a cell in the basement of the West wing. ÆGLÆCA followed and vaulted into the darkness.

The basement was quite well hidden. It was concealed under the grassy courtyard at the back of the brick warehouse of the West Inzerillo. The senior duo waited for a moment, and ÆGLÆCA barely had time to widen his eyes before a swarm of mobster were seen heading his way.

Imagine a football stadium packed with fans, all hailing their favorite players. Next multiply that volume by two, and replace the cheering sounds with the roar of chainsaws and rumbling footsteps. That was the situation the duo were in, and on a more serious note, they were shorthanded.

'Any ideas?' Ællen whispered.

ÆGLÆCA tugged out his cellphone and push the speed-dial button number 8. 

'Hello?' an electronic voice sounded over the cell.

'Erm... Pierro?' ÆGLÆCA replied, his voice shaking, 'I'm in a little bit of a bind here... so can you please come? ASAP?'

The line went dead and after a couple of minutes of anxiety, more glass got shattered into smithereens, and a butler with the manners of a jester came waltzing in. He heard the noise and turn toward his master.

'Who have you annoyed this time?' Pierro asked, exasperated.

ÆGLÆCA got ready his Hwabi throwing knives while Ællen donned his platinum full clad knuckle dusters. Pierro followed suit and drew his micro-machine guns .41 UZI and the trio got into formation, and readied a combat stance. A gunshot sounded and what followed after was some catastrophe that could very well be described in detail to do the half an hour justice.

Pierro sounded his first gunshot, and a piercing bullet sped through 5 heads of the first wave. What followed after was a raging wave and barrage of ammo being fired in a spraying formation. However, not one bullet missed its mark. However, after a a few moments, Pierro heard a click. His UZIs had to be reloaded, but that was not the pressing issue. A trained Inzerillo grunt leapt, and in mid-air, he raised a thorned club and aimed for Pierro's head...

Pierro closed his eyes to brace himself for certain death. The mobster came down, but that wasn't to mean he hit his mark. Pierro opened his eyes and felt a weight on his shoulder. He glanced to his side and noticed ÆGLÆCA's arm resting on his shoulder, and a knife being held by him. The mobster, who was unable to control the course of gravity, jumped down and put his head through the knife positioned precisely. Wiping the red stains on his face, Pierro thanked ÆGLÆCA and reloaded his artillery. Unable to staned the slopping red drench on his coat, ÆGLÆCA ripped off his Innocenti white cloak to reveal a jet-black tough polyester sleeveless shirt, with an Innocenti white dragon print underneath. His physique was showing through the shirt, as abdominal muscles were showing through the core of his body, near his stomach. He whipped out a dozen of his Hwabi throwing knifes and lashed out at the oppostion. It was 1:12, and you had to feel sorry for the dozen. Each and every head of the twelve were multiplied into two. How? You split it into two of course. Any fool knows that. ÆGLÆCA backflipped and leapt off a wall, and in mid-air lashed out two boomerangs. The two steel curved arcs of fatality razed the battlefield, and what was left over were best used as headless mannequins for target practice or dress up.

Ællen had to play a part too. The opposition closing in from the sides would have over-run the trio. However, Ællen handle the situation well. He rooted himself in the southern middle and shifted his weight. The first pair, which came from both sides were taken down by a giga-impact from and single punch dealt by both of his platinum clad fists. The subsequent raging waves that followed were dispatched as Ællen raged a barrage of fist in a Muay Thai stance, in both directions. Rooted to that single spot, he barraged and panned over the horde that was attempting to overwhelm him. No success to them though. Ællen's torso dodged and twisted, while his platinum blows knocked out every offender.

Within half and hour, five dozens of headless figures, 46 figures with a hole in their heads and 53 figures with dents in their bodies were found splayed on the floor. ÆGLÆCA lit a non-tobacco, pure spearmint cigarette and slid agianst the wall to relax. Now it was all up to his son, ÆSEN.

I ran through the various corridors, taking care not to trigger and security devices. Dodging the thirteenth security laser, I wondered how paranoid these guys could get. I froze. A shiver went down my spine and I got that sensation. The sensation when someone walks over your grave spot. I turned back and saw nothing, nobody. I carried on and checked the blueprint at the same time. I was nearing my destination. Incorrect. I glanced up and saw double doors made of reinforced titanium. My destination was just right in front of me.

Some 20 metres away, ÆlÆNOR leant against an oakwood pillar, relieved that ÆSEN had not spotted her. She steeled her resolve and wielded her two jaded hunting knives.

I whipped out the shrike blade and ripped a tear in the door. Using a techinque, Bloody Prince, that I learnt before, I barraged slashes onto the wal that seperated me from my goal. A gaping hole faced me and I vaulted in, ready for combat. I was right to be prepared. A dozen flamethrower nozzles were trained at me.

I swung the shrike 360 degrees and my offenders did not have any means to hold their flamethrowers anymore. Two dozen hands dropped onto the floor and the flamethrowers dropped as well. The rest of the offenders were trying to clutch their hands in pain. However it's quite hard to do that if you do not have a hand to clutch a hand not attached to your arm in pain.

I rose and more mobsters obstructed my way. I sighed and lashed forward as my Dad would have. 

A little trivia about me. My combat mechanism is a little bit different from my Dad's or Gramp's. As soon as I slash open somebody, I go on a blood frenzy and will not know what I have done from then on. Hence, that was what happened when I slashed open a neck with my fifteen centimetre shrike. My humane nature was submerged under a wave of feral rage, and I rushed forward. I did not know what I was doing, however my subconscious would be the one recounting the following sequence of actions. 

I slid down, under and between the legs of an offender who was attempting to slice me into half with a katana. I boosted myself up and swept my shrike in a 180 degree range, backstabbing my initial target and some marksman in front of me. My black v-neck longsleeve shirt was drenched from fresh red fluid, and not to mention ruined. I did not care though. I rushed forward, slashing my way through, in tripping motions and rushing mannerisms. I reached a wall and planted my left foot on it. I used it as a booster and leapt off. As I was in mid-air, I caught a glance of the leader in a throne seat. I wired my shrike with a fine titanium wire and swept it over the altitude below me. Heads rolled.

After all that, I was in a bind. Some professionals had me trapped, and I the immediate problem was that they were advancing with their assortment of katanas and flaming swords. One false move and I was dead.

A shimmer of green swifted through my vision. A spiked mace rammed into the face of an offender. The spikes pierced right through his pathetic skull and he dropped to the ground, his body limp. I glanced up and realized there was no mace in sight. ÆlÆNOR adjusted her spiked jade ring in her hair and I got the message. We readied a combat stance. However, I was worried. If she faced fatal danger in this combat phase, I would never will be able to forgive myself.

When ÆlÆNOR appeared, I regained my senses. I was then able to attack with calculated precision. I felt much more energized and safer. As I watched her modus operandi of combat, it was elegant and nimble. ÆlÆNOR twirled like a gymnast, her spiked jade ring piercing any offender attempting to backstab her. Her hunting knives were a flurry of slashes, dissecting any opponent in front of her. As I continued with my fight, the last person left behind was the leader of the Inzerillo Famiglia himself.

'Quite pissed after what I did to your leader, eh?' The opposition taunted and chuckled.

'Why did you do that?' I growled.

'Power.' He simply replied, 'I am the leader of one of the greatest Mafia de Famiglia in Sicily, and I plan to take over Europe.' That cocky person replied.

'So you found the need to put my dad in jail and put the Lucchese in potential mortal danger?' I questioned.

'Yes.' Came the reply. With that, he drew a Derringer, aim and fired. 

That action was so sudden that I was caught in the middle of a trance for a brief moment. However I realized the gun was not aimed at me. It was pointing to ÆlÆNOR beside me.

With full adrenaline, I sidestepped into her path, right in front of her. I then threw my shrike. The shrike intercepted the speeding bullet, and sliced it into two. The two small titanium pieces fell harmlessly ahead of us.

'Thanks.' ÆlÆNOR breathed.

I was in a state of worry and urgency. ÆlÆNOR must never be in place of mortal danger. She was special to me. With this newfound resolve, I was determined to take down the leader of the Inzerillo Famiglia once and for all. 

I looked back and noticed ÆlÆNOR fiddling with her jaded knifes. They were curved, and I realized that there were specially modified grooves along the handles, obviously added by ÆlÆNOR herself.

'It would not be favorable in strategic terms if a weapon could only be used for melee purposes,' she explained, 'Hence I added this.'

When she joined the two hunting knives together, it merged to form a two metre boomerang. After she showed me that, ÆlÆNOR pirouetted onto my shoulder and leapt up into the air with a poised position of a graceful moonlight dancer. She flicked her wrist deftly, and allowed the boomerang to fly. The throne seat shattered before the Inzerillo leader could attempt to get out. Seeing him split into two, one part his torso the other from his waist down, I found it a pity I never knew his name. Not that I would be losing any sleep over that though.

As ÆlÆNOR and I exited the fortress of the Inzerillo HQ, Dad and Gramps came to meet us as well. I saw Pierro, our butler for the first time.  He was usually overseas doing underworld tradings et cetera.

As I got into my Audi, I started to race and drift through the streets. ÆlÆNOR, who was at the same speed, called out to me and thanked me for stopping the bullet for her again.

I averted my eyes from her and rushed at a higher speed. I did not want any emotions to affect my judgement and get the better of me. After all, I was convinced that between us, it was just fiction. I hoped it would not be so though. I sincerely hoped not. In this conflict of emotions, I sighed and made my way home, my red back-lights trailing behind me in the moon lit environment.