Artificial

Operator Profile: Apex

Author CzervenianWeasel

Apex is currently the top Infiltrator-class Operator in Force Recon, but if you ask him where he picked up his skills, his preferred response is "my ancestors were ninjas." Truth be told, Apex came from very...dark beginnings.

Deep in the heart of New Osaka, the Yakuza is the only way to get contraband. They are generally fair and even-handed in their dealings, but if you are unfortunate enough to draw their anger, you'd better pray you fix things before they send a demon-masked Oni after you.

Oni are far more than just hired guns. They are master assassins in every sense of the word. Oni don't simply kill. They make problems disappear, without a trace. Apex used to be the best of the best, and no mark ever escaped him.

The last mark Apex ever took was a young man who thought he could avoid paying for his shipment by taking it off the deliverer's corpse. Unfortunately for him, the Yakuza has eyes everywhere, and Apex's enraged bosses sent him to clean house.

"Sneaking in was too easy," Apex mused as he crept through the house. "This guy must have the least locks of anyone in New Osaka." He picked the lock into the last room, and saw the young man typing away at a computer, the screens casting light over a small portion of the otherwise dark room. Apex walked up behind his target calmly, and quiet as the grave.
"I've killed a lot of people, but you are the stupidest by far."
The man didn't reply, so Apex continued.
"I mean, c'mon, man, did you really think you could just shoot a deliverer and get 4 kilos of premium slush for free? You didn't think we'd come for you?" He sighed. "I'll make it quick, man."
Still silence.
"Yo, you could at least stop typing-"
He swiped at his target's head with an open palm, but was shocked when it passed through unimpeded, surrounded by digital distortion.
"Knew this shit was too easy."
He reached for his pistol, but a hand seized his wrist and forced it up behind his back.
"I'll be taking that," a rough, male voice said as he removed the pistol from his holster. Apex was already preparing his next move as the man dropped the magazine out before tossing the weapon to a comrade in the darkness. He heard someone rack the slide, and the round in the pistol's chamber fell to the ground. The man holding him kicked the magazine into the corner.
"Now, listen, kid. We-"
Apex put his plan into action, elbowing his captor in the stomach before he flipped him over his shoulder. He landed on the hologram projector, crushing it to pieces and plunging the room into darkness.
"Lights," the man groaned. With a loud thud, the room was bathed in light, revealing Apex using his captor as a human shield, his captor's own gun pointed at the rest of his team. The man laughed.
"Hot damn, you are good. Put the gun down, buddy, it's empty."
Apex moved the gun to his shield's chin.
"You bet your life?"
The man nodded, and Apex pulled the trigger.
Click.
"Told ya. You really think we'd bring loaded guns against you? You really think we didn't see this exact situation happening? C'mon, man, give us a little credit."
"Then how on Earth do you plan on bringing me in?"
"Bringing you in? Kid, we're not here to bring you in!"
"To kill me?"
"No!"
"Then why are you wasting my time?"
"Kid, we're here to offer you a job!"
"Oni aren't for hire."
"Kid, the things you'll do with us will make your Oni days look like child's play. Let me go, and let's talk."
He released the man, and the rest is history.