Well, it wasn’t a monster this time but the pay was good.

I decided to make this one look like an accident. Not that dym cared. Call it professional ethic. Actually, I’m quite proud of this set up.

The family was off at church, see. But Charlie Horne don’t go to church no more. He was too busy sleeping in. So the only people in the house was him and his two body guards. The guards were professional enough, I guess but gotten complacent. So I slipped in, avoiding the security system easily. When the one guard went to go potty, I slipped up behind the other and drew his pistol from its holster. I motioned for him to lie down, nice and quiet like and he did. Then I trussed him up like a hog.

Then I went to the bathroom and shot the other guard with the first guard’s pistol, while he was still on the can.

From there I went to the master bedroom. Mr. Horne had heard the shots and was coming to see what was the matter. So he got it in the face with the guard’s gun.

I searched Mr. Horne’s bedroom and found a little pistol in the nightstand. So I dragged the last guard to where I shot his boss and untied him. He didn’t catch on until after he was untied and stood up to see his boss. Then he looked at me and knew his number was up just as I pulled the trigger.

Jobs don’t come along like this very often. When I was done arranging things, it looked like one of the boys had gone bad and done in his partner and then his boss. Only the boss got off a lucky shot just before he bought it.

I had considered making it look like a suicide pack but I figured this way the widow would at least get all the insurance money.

Not that you good folk should be worried about the family. Dym assures me that he’s going to take good care of them, himself.

I love Miami beach, this time of year.

Think I’ll go soak up some rays.

Honestly Nemesis, why are you even posting this little tale? Unless you're suggesting those tactics might be useful against ghosts and bogeymen? Poor taste old man, poor poor taste.

There is something off here. It feels funky.
This posting doesn't fit, unless all of Nemesis' prior commentary of being a pro was just him blowing smoke?

If I bring the smoke...

Will you bring the mirrors?

Well, I guess the cats out of the bag now, eh?

So how’s it feel, dym? To be the one double-crossed? I got the mark to a place you’ll never be able to touch him.

I was hoping you’d try to get close to the family like you were implying but I guess some how you found out the mark wasn’t dead. Guess maybe you saw through all that 'smoke' innuendo. So you thought you’d send some people to lay some hurt on them, didn’t you? Vindictive little shit, aren’t you?

Except I was watching. Sure, I was being optimistic, thinking you’d actually show your face this early in the game. Still, I was ready when your goon squad arrived.

You get what you pay for, Dym. Where’d you get these idiots, right off the street? You sent fucking gang bangers? Really? Why’d you have to cheap out like that, dym? I’m insulted. Here I’ve been using nothing but top professionals (using your money) to get things done and you sent half a dozen two-bits? Gee, I hope you didn’t over extend your resources paying me off.

So now the family is reunited again and you’ll never get to any of them. Unlike the federal witness protection program, our folks are reliable and can’t be bought off. They know that if they squeal, they’re dead, their families dead and most their friends are dead. And I won’t even tell ya what we’d do to their pets.

You must be pretty steamed right now, huh? I can just imagine the impotent rage seething through you at the moment. Can you smell the stink of fail rising up off you? Can your enemies? They’re watching, you know. They’re laughing, you know. They’re getting closer, you know.

It’s pitiable, really. So I’ll toss you a bone. I’m still in the Miami area as this message will confirm if you got geeks to track it. I can’t take a plane with all my hardware so if you hurry, you might still get me! That’s right dym, I got one piece of bait left to bring you out—ME! You know you want me, come and get me! Look for the tall, greasy looking fella with an Italian accent and a scar over his right eye.

That’s why I hate Miami. I always stand out here.

Oh, and Shadowstalker, I'll ask again. If I bring the smoke, are you going to bring the mirrors?

And I guess you've got things figured out by now, eh doc?

I will bring the Mirrors alright, and a few other things as well.

What's the matter, dym? Don't feel like talking? How odd, because I feel like singing!

One, Two,
Buckle my shoe.
Three, Four,
Shut the door.
Five, Six,
Pick up sticks.
Seven, Eight,
Lay them straight.
Nine, ten,
Do it again!

Gee dym, that was fun. Wanna send me some more of your goons for me to count with?

Not that I'm in Miami anymore. Come and catch me if you can.

Hmmm. Well dym, you must've liked my last nursery ryhme since you sent me another ten goons to play with. Let's see if we can keep this one in theme, shall we?

I know, I'll reference a popular childs program. I'm sure this is just the right level for you, dym.

ONE! ONE STUPID GOON!
HAHAHAHA!
TWO! TWO STUPID GOONS!
HAHAHAHA!
THREE! THREE STUPID GOONS!
HAHAHAHA!
FOUR! FOUR STUPID GOONS!
HAHAHAHA!
FIVE! FIVE STUPID GOONS!
HAHAHAHA!
SIX! SIX STUPID GOONS!
HAHAHAHA!
SEVEN! SEVEN STUPID GOONS!
HAHAHAHA!
EIGHT! EIGHT STUPID GOONS!
HAHAHAHA!
NINE! NINE STUPID GOONS!
HAHAHAHA!
TEN! TEN STUPID GOONS!
HAHAHAHA!

Today’s slaughter has been brought to you by the numbers ten and by the letters d, m and the vowel, y.

How long you gonna keep playing games, dym?

What’s the matter dym, getting tired of the number ten? You only sent six of your henchmen after me that time! Oh! You’re not running out, are you? I hope not! They’re, oh so much fun!

While we're on the subject of dym, who has the goods on this guy? I might be getting closer to him, so it might be something filed under the category of "useful information".

You must have been so happy, huh dym? You finally splurged on some professionals and they got the job done, didn’t they, dum, I mean dym? It was just a little queer that after reporting that the man with the scar was dead, that they never came by to collect their bonus, wasn’t it? A bit disappointed you didn’t get the chance to dispose of them?

Well, let me put your mind at ease then, they have been disposed of.

See, while the man with a scar wasn’t a friend of mine, he was a pro. And he was a friend of my fathers. That’s right dym. You’ve gone and killed the only man who knew my face. Tsk. If only you had tried to capture him instead, you might actually have been able to get me.

And that crew you sent, they shouldn’t have done him the way they did. Not to a pro. You’re going to pay for that one, dym. When this is all said and done, your name will be remembered. Because when people do something so stupid that it’s suicidal, they’re going to say, “That guy pulled a dym.” How do you like your immortality, dym?

Still too busy with your playtime, Nemesis? Or are you available? I have an interesting proposition for you, and the account should indicate whether or not I am serious.

I'm afraid that the game is still afoot, Mr. Logan.

Nevertheless, I should soon be available again. I'll let you know when I'm free.

Well, it seems that dym won't be taking the bait on this one.

Too bad, I was really looking forward to it.

On the up side, I have cost dym a great deal when it comes to resources. Especially personel and money. And even more interesting, his latest puppet master has been captured alive (although it was a near thing) and by a strike team that monitors these boards. I'll let those who actually performed the capture have the bragging rights and post what happened at the beginning of last month.

I'll admit, it all shook me up a little bit and I had to take some time off. But I'm back now and I've realized some things.

There is a war going on. There always has been, I just never knew about it before. Now that such knowledge has been thrust upon me, I've had to decide which side I'm going to be on. Well, let's be honest here, which side I'm willing to work for.

The way I see it, the nature of my birth has predetermined which side I'm 'on'. It is very much 'us' and 'them'. Some of 'us' go to 'their' side and some of 'them' come to 'ours'.

I may still be a mercenary, but I don't think I'll be going over to their side anytime soon.

Which reminds me, Mr. Logan. If you still need to hire me, I am available again.

Well Mr. Caliburn, your assistance was greatly appreciated.

I did everything I could to keep your involvement quiet but I am only human and must operate within conventional means. I'm sure you understand such limitations.

Still, if your involvement has led to dym retaliating against you or those close to you, I apologize.

It is unfortunate that he got away this time. And I'll have to be vigilant from now on... but that's nothing new.

And if he ever does gain the courage to reveal himself, there will be plenty here waiting for him.

Some people have received private messages from dym. Some of them weren't very obvious at first, being signed by long dead relatives in some cases and apparently revealing secrets those dead relatives took to their graves.

He's taking great delight in the events that unfolded in the Canadian Rockies, regretting that the guy on the Crucifix didn't die and "take some dipshit Lazlo Society members with him". So I guess that he's kind of gloating.

He's apparently expanding his interests in the realm of human mind control. One of his messages was an essay on the CIA's MK-ULTRA program with some startling levels of details about mind control, although it's unclear if the MK-ULTRA ever actually achieved these things.

And that kind of bothers me. Because for those of you who don't know, dym was running a parapsychological research group in Irkutsk, Russia until Kolya more or less literally burned it down.

dym has a history of torture and torment just for the sake of but also some actual scientific experimentations carried out on humans which have led to some grizzly results.

I'm really looking forward to ending this piece of shit.

When I first read your post, Sasha, I didn't understand what dym would have to gloat about. Which is why I figured he'd been so publicly quiet for a change.

I mean, it seemed as though his failure was pretty epic in scope.

The guy he hired me to kill is still alive.
I'm still alive.
The guy he crucified is still alive.
No one on the strike team bought it.

Then I realized that those must all have been secondary objectives.

This was a test.

I haven't talked about the fight yet. Heck, I had to take a good long vacation afterwards to set my head straight.

Those... things... they didn't die easily. It kind of freaked me out. Because they moved and acted like people. But... well anything that can take a .337 Lapua Magnum round through the chest and keep going is scary. I had to go for head shots only. Even then, I might have run out of ammo before I did targets if the strike team hadn't been more than pulling their weight.

The things that attacked were human at one time Nemesis. But after whatever Dym had done to them, they were something more.
I will try to tell the story soon.

Yes,

But they still die.

For people looking to protect humanity in the shadow war, that's not very comforting.

Natasha,

Them not dying would be much less comforting, I think.

At that stage, yes.

But also comfort level depends from how they don't die, I think.