Rise of The Fallen

Chapter 2

We quickly got our food and I gave every man who dared look at us a death glare. I supposed they had gotten so used to me, that I wasn't even considered a woman anymore. Which was fine by me, but their treatment of Cassi had been abhorrent. And while it had only been a handful of men, it was more than it should have been. Our metal trays clacked as we placed them on the table with the rest of the team who were already almost done. While Liam and I had been together since the start we couldn't say the same for the others.

Devon was 5'11" with black hair, dark brown eyes and olive skin, skinny as a rail despite the amount of food he ate. He was our sniper. He was extremely agile and moved with almost no sound, he reminded me of a cat. He had a very logical nature to him, and had previously done insurance adjustment work. Blessed with a very mathematical mind he was always calculating the odds prior to a mission. Out of all of us he was probably the most rational, stoic one, with the innate ability to out argue any of us no matter the topic. He had joined up with us almost right away and had become an important asset to the team.

Todd was next, the yin to Devon's yang. At 6'1" with shaggy light brown hair and hazel eyes he always wore a smile. When he first joined our team he was thin, but over the years he had put on about 50 pounds of muscle. He was extremely strong, and was great in close combat. As much as he and Devon bickered, they were actually quite close. Todd's weapon of choice was dual sickles, which he wore in a holster similar to my own strapped to his back. He had been in demolition, and not just light demo but exploding buildings demo, so if we ever needed to make anything go BOOM he was our guy. He also had an amazing singing voice, and frequently after a successful mission would break out in song. His voice was deep and gravelly, and somehow soothing. He had made our trio into a quartet several years after Devon came. And Devon notably seemed happier for it.

Jason rounded out our team. The newest besides Cassi, he had joined only a few years ago. Standing at 6'2" with shaggy dark brown hair and blue eyes he was a work of art. And by that I meant it quite literally. Covered in tattoos from head to toe there weren't very many blank spots. He had his ears gauged out as well, a fact we always reminded him of by attempting to toss things through them. Despite his rather harsh appearance he was quite a softie. He always told the truth, even when it hurt; and had a well developed sense of humor. Jason sported a holster on each hip for his double pistols, which were his weapon of choice; and he rivaled Devon in the accuracy of his aim. He had previously been a chef of all things, so whenever something was wrong with the food (which was often) he would grumble about it, and on occasion offer his advice.

"That was a nice show there Ver" Todd grinned at me, "I think some of them even wet themselves."

"She isn't called Shadow Walker for nothing!" Jason said proudly, and to be fair he should be proud. Our team was one of the elite teams, made of some of the best Hunters; he had beat out many others for a spot with us.

"Guys, guys" I said laughing, "all that aside; this is Cassi. I don't know what team she will be with yet, but I hope it's ours" I grinned at the woman.

"What is your weapon?" Devon, ever practical asked. She rummaged in her bag for a moment before pulling out a ball and chain. I heard Devon's intake of breath.

"Now that is cool" Jason said, grinning. "It looks light, but it isn't right?" Cassi nodded.

"The chain is made of a lighter metal, but the ball is solid; so it hits like a bowling ball. I have several, they were specially made for my specificities." She unfurled the chain, exposing the silver ball which glinted under the fluorescent lights.

"May I?' I asked, curious to see what it felt like. She handed it to me and I was amazed to feel the difference. The ball itself was indeed heavy, probably around ten pounds, while the chain felt like feathers in my hand. The handle was solid, with slight grooves that I could see were meant for her hands alone. A very interesting weapon choice, and I wondered what her aptitude was. Many of us had trained with all weapons so we had knowledge of our strengths and weaknesses, which would determine the makeup of the team. Typically you had a mix of close and long range fighters, having a sniper was an added bonus that provided much needed backup for all of us. While Liam, Todd and I were close range fighters Jason and Devon provided long range attacks and support. This dynamic worked well for us, and we relied on each other heavily during fights. I looked up to see Liam eyeing the ball and chain, a question in his eyes. I handed it to him, and he did as I had done; slowly examining it. He let out a low whistle.

"This thing is truly extraordinary" he said, "the detail and time it would take to make this perfect for you is immense. Where did you get this?" She grinned.

"I talked a Nephilim into making some for me" her smile cockeyed and tone light. "They think they can seduce us only? Someone had to turn the tables on them" her nose wrinkled.

"No way!" Jason burst out "how did you manage that? And get out alive?" Cassi tossed her red hair back, and smiled sweetly.

"I killed him."

That was all I needed to know to be convinced she did, indeed, deserve a place on our

team.