Lethal

Chapter 1: Attack

Alexandra

On any other day, Hanson Towers would be crowded, with people briskly walking across its polished marble floors and brightly lit corridors. The continuous ringing of their phones would create a cacophony amidst their rapid conversations, and the phones on the reception would be ringing off the hook.

But today, as I walked in through the doors, only a handful of people came into my sight. Lena and Matthew, the receptionists, sat behind their desk, furiously typing into their respective computers. A few of the other employees were scattered in groups of three or four.

It didn't take me more than a couple of seconds to realize that something bad indeed had happened. The anxious looks on all their faces had me increasing my pace.

Lena heard my heeled boots clicking on the floor and looked up. Shooting me a small, worried smile, she gestured towards the elevators and went back to typing.

This was getting weirder. Lena was the most overenthusiastic and chatty person I've ever met. It was odd not to stand at her desk for a quarter of an hour and collect the daily gossip.

I quietly made my way to the elevator, for once glad of the lack of people present today. I pressed the button for the top floor and leaned back as the cubicle ascended, watching the neon numbers change on the screen with each passing floor.

There was dead silence in the corridor as I exited. I reached the office and went straight in.

My partner, Feroz, stood by the window, hands clasped behind his back.

"This better be important," I announced, "because if you interrupted my Marvel marathon for-"

"Lexi."

I turned upon hearing my name.

"Xavier." I breathed, not even bothering to hide my surprise, "What are you doing here?"

Sitting comfortably on the couch, dressed in a crisp grey suit, was the one person to whom I owed everything in my life and the person who I wanted to kill with my bare hands. Someone I loved and hated at the same time.

Loved, because he helped me at a time when I had nothing. He gave me food and water, provided a roof over my head, and gave me a job. Above all, he cared for me like a brother.

But I hated him too. Because he was the one who turned me into the monster that I am today.

To say I'm surprised to see him here would be an understatement. Shocked would be more like it. Xavier never leaves the comforts of his upstate mansion to come down and mingle with peasants like us. Unless something had happened, which led me to my next question.

"What the hell happened?"

I noticed the change in his demeanor. It wasn't bold and confident today. No, he looked pissed and somehow lost.

Instead of answering my question, he gestured towards my partner, who moved away from his spot by the window.

That's when I noticed that Feroz's compulsively neat desk was scattered with papers and photographs. He rounded it, bunching up a few and handing them to me.

"Last night, one of our houses in Chicago was attacked. Thirty members of the family were present there, along with three cooks and five maids." Xavier explained, pouring himself a drink.

I scanned the images, taking in all the gory details. People shot, stabbed, their blood covering the floor.

"All of them are dead."

Placing the pictures down, I ran a hand through my hair and sighed. His tone indicated that something much worse was coming.

"Aurora was there too."