The Revenant: Borei

The Revenant sat on top of a rooftop in The Warrens. It had been a quiet night. He wanted to get out of the hideout and do some, heroing, he guessed, but so far nobody needed him. Which he knew was a good thing, but he admitted he wished he had someone to hurt. He kept replaying the altercation with Quinton in his head over and over again. He shouldnt have said the things he said. He was just so mad. Rightfully so, he thought. How could Quinton understand how he felt? He didn't see what he saw. Feel what he felt, but it still didn't give James the right to say the things he said.

Part of James actually thought he shouldnt even be out here now. Jamal Cruel was all over the news. Rounding up metas left and right. Seeming like a hero, but James knew he was just looking for the Revenant.

After the fight with Quinton, even Connor disappeared. James has a tracker on both Knight and Absolute Zero, but hadn't looked into it, he figured if they wanted to be gone, he would give them their space.

Then, James really noticed the quiet. It wasn't normal. Something was up.

Maybe he was just paranoid, he thought to himself, but either way he stood up from the rooftop, staggered a bit as three empty bottles of whiskey clattered and rolled away from him. Yeah, "heroing"

"The Revenant." A voice said from behind him. He turned around and saw a man in a nice black American Armani Suit with a white tie, and black lens Chopard sunglasses.

"Who are you supposed to be?" Revenant slurred.

"I'm not here for introductions. I simply like my targets to see me before I kill them." The man said. He pulled out a black FN 5.7 and pulled the trigger. The bullet slammed into Revenants c.h.e.s.t. The impact, luckily, didn't pierce the armor in his torso, but it did stagger him, with him being drunk he fell down to his b.u.t.t. He looked up at the man in shock. A hitman? He asked himself. Revenant clumsily pulled out a small orb, and chucked it at the hitman, when it detonated, it blinded and stunned the hitman. Revenant tried to escape off of the rooftop but ended up slipped and falling off of the fire escape he was using. He fell two stories before smashing into a closed dumpster and rolling off and onto the concrete alleyway.

He slowly made his way to one knee, when he caught a heel to back of his head, slamming him back down into his face.

"I did not take into account any sort of new armor you had. My mistake. This will be more painful." The hitman said, standing over him.

He grabbed the cowl, and lifted Revenants head up, pulled a blade around to his throat, and slashed his throat.

"Hey!" Revenant heard another voice yell, but he couldn't look as he was obviously focused on not bleeding out. He grasped as his throat, gasping. He heard a commotion behind him. The sound of a struggle and shattering glass. Then he blacked out.

----

Jimmy opened his eyes and the brightness made it difficult for him to keep them open. He saw a blurry figure in front of him.

"Jimmy, how are you feeling?" He recognized the voice.

"Lieutenant Park?" James said, hoarsley. Making the sound hurt. He slowly brought his fingers to his throat and could feel the long scar across his neck.

"Shit, kid. You're lucky Pike found you when he did." Park said, handing James a cup of water with a straw in it. James sipped some, that made his throat feel a little better, but his neck still felt so hot.

"Pike? He found me?" James asked, speaking in almost a whisper this time. It didn't hurt as bad.

"Yeah kid. I live in The Warrens. I heard a gunshot, then a loud slam. By the time I found you, you already lost a lot of blood." Pike said from the corner of the room.

"Jimmy, did you happen to see the guy?" Park asked.

"Uh, kind of. He had a fancy suit, and expensive sunglasses. He talked fancy too, but had a real gruff voice." James explained. Park didn't say anything, just looked over to Pike and left the room.

Thats when it hit James. He wasn't healing. Then he looked back at Pike, then looked down at himself. He wasn't in his suit. Which means that Pike took the suit off of him. So, Pike knows. Great. The best detective in the ECPD, who also hates the Revenant, now knows James is The Revenant.

The doctor walked into the room.

"Well Mr. McCloud, it seems you're healing nicely. You should be able to go home tomorrow." The doctor explained.

"Tomorrow? That soon?" James asked.

"Well, you've been here for a week. So, yes." The doctor said before leaving the room again.

----

Pike helped James to his car. Then closed the door after James got in. He got into the driver's seat, and began driving without saying a word. James was waiting. For something, anything.

"So, after all this time." Pike said, after what felt like many painful minutes of silence. "After all this time, the mortician in my own precinct is the man I have been looking for, for two years." Pike said. He pulled to the side of the road, stopped the car and then sighed. James was in no condition for a fight, and he knew that Pike knew that.

"I just need to ask." James looked at him, waiting for the question.

"Why? Why did you cut me at Lady Masamusa's wedding?" He asked. James looked down.

"I thought that if I showed you what I was capable of, you would stay away." He answered.

"Really? That's your excuse? To protect me?" Pike said softly, but James could see the anger rising.

"No. Not to protect you, to protect Akina." James explained. Pike looked at him. Stunned.

"You knew my daughter?" He asked.

"Much more than that."

"Wait, so you were-" Pike started.

"The father. Yeah." James interrupted.

Pike gripped the steering wheel, and James could see the internal anger, sadness and confusion all boiling inside of him.

"She saved me. Much like you just did. I hadn't perfected my abilities and skills, and was sloppy. She saved me, taught me self control and patience. I fell in love with her. After I killed Masamusa, I didn't.... I didn't expect for his daughter to take his place, or for her to be worse and even more bloodthirsty than he was." James explained. Tears beginning to well up in his eyes." When I heard, that she came after you and your family, I got to your house as fast as I could. That's when you saw Akina... And what she did to her, and to your wife."

"Then, why didn't you kill her, like you did her father?" Pike asked, tears rolling down his cheeks, still staring at the steering wheel.

"I'm used to rage. It's apart of me, but after I saw what Lady Masamusa did... I didn't feel rage. I felt sick. I've never really been... Sad. Only mad. But in that moment... Sadness was the only emotion I had. So, I ran. I left Japan, and came back here." James continued to explain.

Pike was silent for a minute or two. Then he pulled out a revolver from under his seat, and c.o.c.ked back the hammer.

"I could kill you. Right now. It seems like you can't heal anymore. I could blow your brains out right now." Pike said.

"Yes you could, and I can't fight back, but honestly, I wouldn't anyway. If you want to kill me Joe, I wouldn't blame you." James said. Ready to die.

Pike stared at the revolver for what felt like forever before finally putting it back underneath his seat.

"I think I know who cut your throat." He said. James didn't say anything.

"No one knows who he really is, but the Codename he was given for classified reports is DeadEye, on account of the one witness we had said when his glasses came off, his eyes were dead, almost like he was blind. He the best assassin on the planet." Pike explained.

" I've heard of him, the Russian Mob apparently hired him many times, but I never seen or met him before he cut my throat." James replied.

" What I want to know, is how did he remove your healing ability?" Pike asked.

" No clue. " James answered.

"But, I know I need to find this assassin, before he finds me again. Wait a minute" James suddenly realized "Why didn't he kill you?"

"Probably because he wasn't paid to, and he thought he already had you dead." Pike answered with a shrug.

"One more question: Where is my suit?"

"It's in the trunk. You're not really thinking of going after him are you? You can't heal anymore?"

"Doesn't matter. I can handle myself, with or without it. He got the drop on me last time."

"Not to mention you were drunk. I never knew you to be that sloppy."

"Yeah, well, it's been rough few weeks. Do you think you can take me to my cave?" James asked.

"You have a cave? Like a bat cave? Pike asked, with a slight chuckle.

" It's not a- Forget it. I call it Deaths Door. Ill tell you where to go." James said. Pike turned the car back on, and started driving.

-----

Connor was in the main hall of Deaths Door, looking for James until he noticed the empty mannequin. He sat down at the computer but it required a password to log on to it. He was afraid to try anything, because with his luck, and knowing James, he'd be incorrect too many times and the cave would self destruct or mini guns would pop out of the walls or something.

He heard footsteps behind him, so he got out of the chair and saw James hobble in with some man Connor had never seen before.

"What the hell happened to you?!" Connor asked, seeing the thick scar across James neck.

"Assassin. Good one." He said as he put The Revenant suit back on the mannequin. He then glanced at the computer.

"Good thing you didn't try to log in. Too many misses and there are turrets that would've activated and counted you as an intruder." James explained, before sitting down on the edge of a table. Connor looked around at the walls and rolled his eyes.

"Why do you have a scar? What happened?" Connor asked again. James took a few minutes to explain everything.

"You still want to go after DeadEye? With no healing Factor? All the while, Cruel is out there looking for you too?" Connor asked, dumbfounded. James just nodded. Connor threw his hands into the air.

"You know, you are a real stubborn asshole. You piss of Knight, you disappear and get hammered, almost die, and now you want to go after the apparent greatest assassin in the world, all while FRAG's super monster is hunting you. With no healing Factor, and no allies." Connor ranted.

" Well, I can't just hide here. I'm The Revenant, Connor. I have to do something." James explained. Connor just looked at James, then to Pike.

" Why did you bring him here?" Connor asked.

" Long story. We can trust him."

"Well, I don't know what you plan on doing, but if you are doing something, Id suggest doing something fast." Pike said, looking down at his cell phone. He held it up to show them. A news station was showing live footage of Jamal Cruel holding Knight up by his head, then slamming him into the ground. James walked back over to the mannequin and began putting on the Revenant suit.

"Wait, what are you doing?" Connor asked.

"Knight needs our help. I'm going to help. You want to stay here, then be afraid and stay here. I'm not going to let my friend die, especially not after the last thing I said to him."

Connor stared at James. For a moment, he admired him. He thought this was stupid, as there seemed to be no plan, but he couldn't help but feel motivated by his brave recklessness. He got into his own suit, and froze his skin.

"Let's go save Knight."