𝐅𝐎𝐑 𝐎𝐋𝐃 𝐓𝐈𝐌𝐄'𝐒 𝐒𝐀𝐊𝐄 // 𝐒𝐎𝐋𝐃𝐈𝐄𝐑 𝐁𝐎𝐘

CHAPTER 23, no permanent death

1984, Nicaragua

The music was blasting from outside, and Vi was convinced that this will become the end of them once the enemy opens their ears and hears the music from miles away. Payback was just a bunch of idiots grouped into one place, but this time, in an army base. In Grace Mallory's army base. Seemingly, she liked Payback just as much as Vi. In other words, they shared a hatred for these people. They didn't converse much, but when they did, there was some kind of understanding between the two of them, with Vi being an apology card from the side of Payback as an effort to make up for the bullshit the team commits.

Vi didn't want to have anything to do with them, silently sketching away, far from them. Ben trots up to her, with luckily Crimson Cuntess finally not a step behind him. Lately, she's been too coaxing to Ben, following him around everywhere, maybe a little too caught up in Vought's "boyfriend-girlfriend" popularity campaign.

"Hey there," Ben joyfully exclaims, a smile on his face.

"You seem happy despite being on a mission. What is it?" She plainly asks.

"Can't a man be happy? C'mon, come with us, we're about to drink. The party's just getting started," Ben tries to encourage her, with little to no avail.

"Like I said, this is a mission you're on. Putting on music and getting sleazy will only attract the enemy. Think a bit more next time," she states, fixing her eyes back at the sketchbook.

"Don't be so serious," he scoffs playfully.

"I'm just cautious, Ben. You can drink as much as you want once we get back to New York."

"Ruining the mood, aren't you," he sighs. "I'm just trying to cheer you up. You've been so distant from everybody lately."

"Because," she begins, her tone slightly more agitated than before, "there is something going on. For over two months now, maybe three. With Vought. And you're dismissive about it, which doesn't bother me, the thing that does bother me, is that as if this isn't enough, this whole party you're throwing is stupid and only attracts attention. You're just a tall child, Ben."

Ben did not say anything in reply, he couldn't. For one, he had no idea what to say. Second, right after Vi uttered these words, a loud bang shook the camp. The two share a wide eyed look, eyes scanning the area for any type of attack launched on them.

"Let's go," Ben firmly says.

"Let's fucking go," Vi replies, the two running off into the midst of the fight.

Just as Vi predicted, the noise and stupidity quickly attracted the enemy, right to their doorstep. The rest of Payback was already deep in the action, and by that, I mean that they were all huddled behind a mounted gun operated by Gunpowder. If it wasn't for Vi's ability, she would've been shot dead the second she arrived. It was as if Gunpowder wasn't even aiming, sitting behind the weapon out of his mind. He was aiming at Mallory's men, even though there were no enemies around at that moment. He's causing more casualties than the enemy ever will! Vi storms up to the mounted gun, simply hauling him down with one swift move.

"What the fuck are you doing?!" She screams at him, the rest of Payback watching the scene. "Those people were with us!"

"They were in the way, and-"

"No! Get the fuck out of here if you're just being an obstacle! The rest of you," she says, now turning towards the other Payback members, fury in her eyes, "get out there, and do something for once!"

The others share a shocked look between each other as Vi throws Gunpowder to the ground, the boy landing in the dust with a thud.

"Nobody fucking touches that," she continues, pointing at the momentarily unoccupied mounted gun, "except Mallory's men. You have zero authorization, and if somebody does go there, I'll make sure that they never go anywhere again in the rest of their lives."

"I'd like to see you try," Countess retorts, murmuring to herself under her breath. Vi wanted to argue back, the sound reaching her ears, but they had more important business at that moment. Vi storms off, leaving the team to do as they wish. Just when she thought they couldn't be more stupid, they did something that destroyed that belief. They were unreliable.

Blood dripped from her hands, the corpses of the enemy littering the area around her. The rest of Payback didn't help out. She lost sight of everyone. She stood alone, the sole of her boot in a puddle of blood. From the corner of her eye, she could spot an injured Grace Mallory. With quick steps, Vi walks over to the injured woman, placing Grace's arm over her shoulder. There was a tent with some medical equipment inside, and VI herself was able to do a quick medical checkup for Grace.

Upon arriving near the tent, the sight of bloodied Payback members greeted the two women. Everybody was there, except Ben himself. He should've been around, he should've been close. Crimson Countess comes running towards the two, a panicked look painted over her face.

"Oh God," she exclaims, standing just a few inches away from Vi's face. "They killed Soldier Boy!"

Vi's face dropped immediately. They couldn't. There isn't anything that can kill him.

"What? Who?" Grace asks plainly, removing her hand from Vi's shoulder. She wasn't in the middle of a deadly injury, unlike everybody else.

"The russians! They had some kind of gun or a weapon, or something," she cries desperately. That couldn't be, she had to be lying.

"That's impossible," Vi finally musters up the words out loud.

"No, we saw it! We saw it!"

"I didn't," Vi said irritably. There had to be a body. "Did you check for a pulse, at least?"

"They took his body!" Countess screams back, raising her hand and pointing at the chopper that just took off, maybe a mile from them. The three of them stare at the ascending chopper in unison, Ben's body supposedly up there.

Vi didn't waste a second, running after the chopper in a very, very desperate attempt to get Ben back. Needless to say, all she could do was run after it, but never got to reach Ben in the sky. She sped through the bushes and trees, eyes fixed on the hastily leaving chopper. She comes to a halt as the aircraft leaves her view, now too far to reach for her. Running after a flying object was pointless in the first place.

With mixed feelings, she arrives back at the camp. Anger, denial, fear and anxiety were just a few mentions from said mixed feelings. She storms up to where the remains - with Ben and Swatto gone - sat in a bunch.

"Look, Vienne, we couldn't do much," Countess begins, playing her part well.

"Don't Vienne me you bitch," she retorts immediately, grabbing Countess by her long, orangish hair, and dragging her down from the box she sat on. Letting go of Countess' hair, she begins.

"Why'd you let them take Ben?" Vi hisses out. The other Payback members just watched as the scene unfolded, unsure whether Vi knew about the fact that they were the ones responsible for Ben's departure.

"I swear, we didn't. We put up a good fight," Countess alleges, sitting in the dust with Vivienne towering above her.

"Huh," Vi scoffs, "fuck that. What's the truth?"

"Gosh, you think so lowly of me?" Countess asks, looking up at Vi with an innocent stare.

"Yeah," Vi replies, walking off.

Her theory was confirmed. Vought really was behind all this, and despite Countess resenting the allegations, Vi was sure that Payback was just as deep in this, pulling the strings without her knowing about it.