The Shadow Support Unit, alongside the Nether Elite, arrived at their destination within the outskirts of London, England, the same place where the Holy Mother is holding her emergency sermon. Both teams came in different vehicles as they took their proper stations. Meanwhile, a tall, lanky jackal kemonomimi male was still in the safe house, recalibrating all of the surveillance equipment.

The olive-skinned jackal kemonomimi had light purple eyes, short platinum blonde hair with a dark beard, then went up to the six monitors that he set up himself, three was on the bottom, and three was on top.

He sat in front of the screens Indian style, and began to meditate, Focus, and open thy senses…

Using his powers, he used the Nether to synchronize everyone’s camera to his sight. He later then used his own techno-kinesis to transfer this information to the screens. As he opened his purple eyes, they started to glow. He was able to see multiple angles from multiple locations. The cameras acted as the jackal kemonomimi’s eyes, seeing everything.

“Alastair? This is Jasmine. I’m on the rooftop and giving you now eyes in the sky,” Jasmine said in the jackal kemonomimi’s headset.

“I’m entering the building,” Gideon chiming in.

“Jamie and I are in the back. No one suspicious,” Bethany said.

“This is Kayla. Ayeka and I are in the front.” Kayla announced.

“Brother, I’m on the western side of the building. Near the fire escape,” Cordelia announced.

His surveillance cameras confirmed everything, all of them were in a position having all of their bases covered. Alastair nodded in approval, “How is the situation outside, everyone? Your feelings?”

“Kayla to control room. Everything is quiet on our end--”

“This is Jasmine! I’m spotting six black SUVs heading our way…” She announced.

“Are they blacklisted?” Alastair questioned, as he zooms in on the bottom right corner monitor. Six black SUVs were coinciding with the extraction point. However, a few minutes later, the black SUVs took a right turn away from the museum.

“No. It’s just a police escort.” Alastair confirmed. “They’re heading east, away from us.”

“Not only we have to be worried about Gideon-chan, but I also have a feeling about the police coming down here any minute,” Ayeka said.

“That is why if we see a police uniform, we bail. We are not supposed to be out here as it is,” Cordelia suggested.

“Agreed. Gideon, are you there?” Alastair reached out.

“She just wrapped up the exhibit. Relax. I’ll give you the go-ahead…” Gideon whispered.

It was too risky for Gideon to go inside the museum without any backup. At least she had a pair of camera glasses so Alastair could see what was going on. Quite frankly, his most significant fear was on full display. It was the Holy Mother Maria Boutonnière, standing in front of the crowd.

She looked different with her makeup and signature robe on. It seemed like she took great care of herself. Strong and fit. Someone like Gideon wouldn’t last long in the fistfight with her, especially with all of her followers. Unfortunately, that is why it was a brash and arrogant move to interject in her meeting with the curators of the museum alone without Kayla or Ryoko or even Ayeka.

Still, Gideon was in good company. All of the exits were tapered off by her team members. Even if she had eluded Gideon, she would be in due for a fight outside. There was nowhere to go, considering…

Watching the psychic live feed from Gideon’s glasses, the exhibition was over. Alastair then got on his communication and notified everyone outside, “this is Alastair! The exhibition is now over. Everyone get to your mark. Kayla, Jamie, you go in--”

You couldn’t have seen this coming, even if you had a crystal ball. Also, if you were a clairvoyant, you wouldn’t believe it yourself. Alastair was cut off midsentence by someone putting a plastic bag over his head, suffocating him. Of course, the entire team heard his frantic screams and him desperately gasping for air. The screams would later be snuffed out by a loud and sickening thud. In reality, he was hit over the head with a brick, knocking him out cold.

Lying there lifeless and bleeding inside the industrial plastic bag, stood over his assailant; Natalia Silvestri. Looking down at the man who pretty much ruined her life and career. She walked over to his walkie-talkie; he was desperately grasping his hands. Picking it back up, Natalia turned on the loudspeaker, hearing a worried Cordelia, “Brother, are you there? We all missed that! Come in!”

Natalia wanted to speak to Cordelia, but all the team members could hear there is her loud breathing.

“Alastair, this is Cordelia! Come in!”

“Hello, Cordy…” Natalia spoke into the walkie-talkie.

Cordelia responded, trying to hold back the sheer and utter panic in her voice, “Natalia, you made it… Where’s… Where’s Alastair…?”

Natalia didn’t respond. Cordelia had already known what happened to her brother. But, Cordelia tried her best to talk Natalia out of whatever it is she has planned for him.

“Natalia, please…! Where is Alastair?!” Cordelia’s voice breaking up with fear.

“You know what happened to him…” Natalia responded as she tosses the walkie-talkie to the floor.

She later than focused her attention on the lifeless body Alastair. She could have done so much to him right now. Castration. Electrocute him. Both. But, she had something more sinister in mind. On the way over to the safe house, she wanted to talk to her mentor Adrian one time before heading out. The conversation they both could’ve had never come to be as she found Adrian’s lifeless body with one of her arms and legs twisted like pretzels, bleeding from her stomach. It appeared Adrian had been compromised.

Leading her to come back here, to face another problem. From her pocket, she grabbed a pair of handcuffs and restrained Alastair with them. Handcuffing him behind his back, she later dragged her victim upstairs to the rooftop.

Alastair is indeed a rather slender man, being 6 feet tall and 225 pounds. But some like Natalia, who is smaller than him, you wouldn’t think twice about her strength. Indeed, Natalia was the strongest between the two, and she proves that day by day. But something about Alastair’s presence you can’t really deny. He was a marvel all in itself, him being both strong and intelligent. Of course, there were many attributes that Natalia actually liked about Alastair, but that is as far as it goes.

It took her little to no effort, carrying him out of the control room and to the rooftop. What she had planned, only she knew and knew alone. Finally removing the back from his head, his once free-flowing blonde hair was tattered and stained with his own blood. To Natalia, it looked beautiful. Of course, this was her anger and frustration talking to her. Nothing more, nothing less. There was nothing attractive about someone being bludgeoned and almost bleeding to death.

Alastair’s breathing was shallow, almost coughing up blood and vomit. Without a doubt, he received a concussion from the attack. Trying to come to his senses, Natalia walked up to him and stomped on his chest, breaking a few of his ribs and a process. Alastair lies there, grasping at his ribs, trying his hardest not to scream.

“I guess sleeping beauty is awake,” Natalia scoffs. “Very fitting, don’t you think, Ally? Always knew you were a cream puff… I looked at you as nothing more than a… piece of meat for all the girls to take a bite out of you…”

“I’m… I’m more than that,” Alastair mumbled the words in pain.

“Of course, you are. Trying to outreach your own potential,” Natalia openly mocked.

“At least. I have potential that is real,” Alastair growls in anger.

Seeing this defiance, Natalia raised her hand at Alastair’s head and start to generate electricity from her fingers, “you wouldn’t dare or even dream to even advance on the levels that I have achieved. I should dispatch you utterly for what you’ve done to me.”

Breathing heavily as he slips in and out of consciousness, he tries to make his case, “you… you want to… punish me for telling you the truth? Do it… Prove to me… Just how weak you really are…”

Natalia clenched her fist as she disengaged the electricity, “no. Killing you would be so easy. You said it yourself in Endspiel’s interviews that fat-assed squirrel taped: ‘After the brutal beating I received from her, all I ever wanted to do was to kill her… And not a day goes by I want to subject her to every brand of physical, mental, and emotional torture that I can come up with… And then, end it. If I did that, if I let myself lose control, I know I will never go back to be the way I was.’ Well, I think you can do better than that. You’re pathetic…”

“Natalia… You’re not going to kill me… You don’t have the… guts…” Alastair chokes out the words.

“Like I said before: killing you would be too easy. You are the weakest man I have ever met in my life. To even think that you popped my cherry when we hooked up is insulting. Trust me, I am the best sex you ever had in your life. And you hate me because… You will never get to taste this kind of pleasure ever again. And I’m going to make sure of that.” Natalia teases.

Her victory will be short-lived as she heard police sirens heading to the safe house. “So, what, you brought the cops?”

Lying on the floor defeated, Alastair could care less anymore, “I didn’t call anyone… It’s all over anyway… Just kill me now…”

“Oh, grow up already!” Natalia snapped. “You knew I was coming for you. I wasn’t gonna let you get off so easily. You’ve embarrassed me for the last time--!”

“You have no idea what you’ve just done, Natalia!” A young boy’s voice echoed.

Natalia quickly turned around, pulling out her 45-caliber Magnum revolver and pointed at the shadowy figure who interjected. There stood a little boy with jet black hair that came down to his shoulders, wearing a dark purple lightweight bow hunters jacket with matching tactical pants. He was dressed in a pair of reflecting goggles covering his eyes. He also had a couple of angel wings with a mixture of royal purple and royal blue feathers.

Natalia immediately recognizes the angelic creature for what he is and didn’t mince any words, “It is true… There is another Memento flying around here…” she growled. “And I know exactly what I’ve done! I AM ALIVE! I know I am real! I know I have a past! I’m not fake! You’re the fake one... And this motherfucker right here is the biggest fake of them all. Ruining my career… Ruining my life!”

“Like he would do anything like that! Adrian has filled your head with so much hatred, fear, and pain!” Memento insulted.

“Yeah, look who is calling the kettle black? Being a discounted version of your mommy!” Natalia shot back.

Memento sighs as he shakes his head, “at least, I am real. At least my personality is real. Unlike yours…”

“BUT I AM REAL!” Natalia argued.

“Natalia Silvestri was a lie. What you are is a figment of Adrian’s imagination brought to life. Something that Aurora Rose Novak should have been or could have been, but didn’t want to be,” Memento said.

Natalia, over the years, felt like she was in some dream world. She felt like the whole world around her was real. She felt like living in someone’s body. Only to realize tonight she wasn’t real, to begin with. Even though she discovered the truth, it was still hard for her to understand that “I guess so.”

“I’m sorry, Natalia. Really, I am. To be quite honest, you are another victim of someone else’s outreaching ambitions. But it’s time for you to come to terms with your existence!” Memento urged.

Bewildered, Natalia looked at Memento with sincerity and sadness. She later than loaded three bullets into her revolver and spun the chambers around. She decided to play some Russian roulette.

“You’re right, Memento.” Natalia cocking the hammer of the electric revolver. “You’re absolutely right.”

Without thinking, Natalia aimed the gun at the young boy and pull the trigger. She fired the gun at the little boy, hitting him in the chest. Immediately, Memento fell to the ground. Alastair looked away in shock, as Natalia cocks the hammer of her electric revolver and points the gun at her head.

“My turn,” she said with a stoic look on her face and pulls the trigger.

Nothing happened.

Being spared, she points the gun at Alastair. She then cocks the hammer of her electric revolver one more time and places the gun at his head. With the loss of blood, the loss of consciousness, and maybe the loss of his own life, Alastair lost his sanity. His sobs turned into laughter. Seeing this made Natalia uneasy. It was the first time she ever felt afraid of Alastair. He was not afraid of failure or death anymore. You can’t break anyone who is already broken, and he was the real epitome of that.

“What’s so god damned funny?!” Natalia questioned as Alastair continued to laugh even more. “Shut the hell up!”

Alastair called himself down as he tried to speak rationally, “Is this… What Adrian wanted you to be? A tight body whore. A piece of rape candy for all of the villains to take a bite out of…” Afterward, Alastair started to laugh uncontrollably.

“BE QUIET!” Natalia demanded.

“You are so one-dimensional. Sure, anybody would love to part the holy Moses and take a dip in the Red Sea with you. But when they really get to know you-- when a real man gets to know someone like you… You know the more than a piece of meat for everyone to jerk off to.”

Alastair’s words were thoughtful and honest. Deeply hurt by his words, Natalia was seconds away from the trigger and ending his life.

To such dismay, Alastair didn’t care anymore, “the only thing desirable about you is how you look. Nothing more, nothing less. Why do you think I got drunk? It just made it easier for me to fuck you… Face it, girlie… You’re just a figment of one man’s perverted fetish. One man’s wet dream someone cooked up because of his old lady’s a swamp hog.”

Natalia’s body was trembling and anger. So severely she couldn’t aim the gun straight. Out of sheer frustration, Natalia dropped the weapon. She then walked over to the bleeding Alastair, who was still laughing weakly and hoisted him up by his collar. He is now on his knees and still handcuffed behind his back.

“You’re right. I am all of those things. I am fake.” Natalia clinches her fist, emanating electricity in front of his face. “And what does that make you?”

Natalia cocked back her fist, ready to punch a hole through Alastair’s chest.

Waiting for the inevitable, he gives his last words, “that is an excellent question, Natalia. What does that make me? Answers really simple: at least that makes me real.”

Then out of nowhere, Natalia was shot in the heart with a special arrow. Instinctively, Natalia lets go of Alastair as they collapsed to the ground. Falling flat on her back, Natalia reached for the arrow with a metal cylinder syringe sticking out of her chest and pulled it out. Examining the arrow, it didn’t take much for her to realize what had to be inside of it. She was merely baited by Alastair. She quickly rose to her feet and went over to him. She straddled him and started to choke him as Alastair was laughing while she did it.

Natalia was sick and tired of Alastair. She was going to finish him off once and for all, “YOU MOTHERFUCKER! SHUT UP! SHUT UP! SHUT--! CIERRE LA MIERDA -! ¿Qué? ¿P-por qué estoy h-hablando ...? ¡No! ¡NO!”

It turns out that the tranquilizer dart was filled with a unique blend of anti-psychotics and sleeping medicine. The person who made that beautiful shot is none other than the little boy Memento who recovered quickly. Immediately, the serum was working. Natalia was writhing around in pain as she got off Alastair, thrashing about. Screaming bloody murder, puking up the drugs she just ingested and holding her head. Finally, Aurora Rose was gaining control.

As for Memento, he was okay the entire time. His jacket is not only bulletproof but insulated. He was only playing possum, buying time to get a better shot. He didn’t want to hurt or engage Natalia physically, under special orders dictated by the Royal Nephalem Order.

Even in his battered state, Alastair picked up on this and bought whoever was with Memento some time. Fortunately for him, it worked. Memento got up to his feet to check on Alastair, who is still laughing at Natalia’s pain.

Horrified by this, Memento looked over to Natalia, who has stopped thrashing around and moving altogether. Ten seconds later, Natalia was lifeless on the ground, not moving or responding. Not a moment too soon, as someone arrived on the scene, taking Alastair to safety and Natalia into custody.

With the new Memento had already flown away without a trace as his night was far from over. Whoever arrived were not the Crucis Sentinel as he’d hoped, but someone more vindictive and deadly.