If there was a benefit for working with the Order, it was access to some fancy cars. That time, Claire took the time to give Neshoba a little treat for working together for so many years. An all black Chevrolet Bel Air, with tinted bulletproof windows while the entire body and frame is reinforced with thick layers of steel nanofiber mats. Giving it an extra layer of protection without sacrificing speed and increasing its weight.

  However, armour wasn’t the only thing added to the car. Under the trunk and hidden between the back seats was an entire arsenal. Top of the art weapons the Order provided. Besides being provided with standard weapons which could be found and purchased anywhere on the planet. The Order made sure to provide rifles, shotguns, pistols, and an RPG that was manufactured for the Order Militant by the luxurious Order Discovery.

  The car was also equipped with state-of-the-art reconnaissance and infiltration equipment. Hidden behind the vintage radio was an SCL directly linked to Omicron and Claire. It also had a police scanner, radar, handset radio, and additional bells and whistles to ensure Neshoba could operate in an open area while being discreet. Well, as discreet as one could be with a retro car. In the end, it was an armoured stealth car with the means to arm an entire platoon.

  Neshoba was also surprised by the suit that went with the car. An all black suit which also had a layer of steel nanofiber mats. All the equipment he was provided screamed expensive and costly. To him, it seemed like the Order was desperate and wanted Jackson dead at any cost. He didn’t expect every bullet to be enchanted to punch through the armour of a tank. That was a new level of desperation.

  ‘So Nes. Enjoying your new car?’ Claire said over the radio.

  ‘It is good, drives smoothly and I feel very safe inside.’ Neshoba responded before putting on his serious voice. ‘So, found anything about Jackson?’

  Claire cleared her throat before answering. ‘It was hard, but I found a few things after hours of digging. The most obvious thing about our target is he changes his name every so often. Before Jackson, he was Johnson, before that he was Uthman, and before that he was Prohor. At times, when he changes a name. He would go into “retirement”, but it seemed like they would never last long.’

  ‘Why is that?’

  ‘There is no reason. Maybe he was never built for a quiet life. Whenever he rejoins the Order, he would always be a part of the Order Horrifica. Knowing his reputation and skills, the Order would always give him a unit to lead. Which, uncreatively, would always be known as Unit 247. I suppose the reptile was never a fan of names.’

  ‘Unit 247 had other names as well. That is just the official name.’ Neshoba responded as he recalled the legends he heard as a kid. ‘I heard the unit was known as the Undying Unit, because it would always come back from the dead. Another name I can vaguely remember is it used to be known as the Undesirables. I doubt Jackson ever gave a name to his unit, but that doesn’t mean it never has a name.’

  ‘An interesting observation.’ Claire paused as she typed on her keyboard over the line. ‘Ah, that makes it easier. I found a few incident reports referring to the other names for Unit 247 that you referenced.’

  ‘So the legends are true?’

  ‘It seems so. Most of it just reads like Jackson… well… our target because they went by a different name from each report. Has a history of getting into fights with other members of the Order Horrifica. All of them were… bloody. No deaths, mind you, just a lot of injuries.’

  Neshoba raised a brow, unsure what she meant. He knew Jackson was violent, but never suspected him to be violent against other members within the Order. ‘How old are those reports and what are the reasons for our target fighting?’

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  ‘“Dispute over perception of fellow Order member’s sexual and gender identity”. Basically, from what I can understand and gather. Our target is nonbinary, going by he/they pronouns and…’ Claire hummed in surprise the more she read the documents. ‘Huh… according to a document from the mid 1800s. It says he…’

  ‘They.’ Neshoba corrected. ‘While the document will refer to them using a masculine pronoun. They don’t see themselves as either. While they are our target, let us still respect who they see themselves as.’

  ‘I didn’t expect you to be the progressive type.’

  ‘I’m not a bigot. So continue, what does it say?’

  ‘Well. It says that he… they… have sexual attraction to members of either sex. In a transcript of an argument, Jackson was reported to not see the sex or gender of a person to be the main factor of attraction. Making them a text book pansexual. Funny, I never expected someone that old to be ahead of their time.’

  ‘Old? How old are we talking? Last I heard, it was believed they were at least 300 years old.’

  ‘Double that. A lot of documents and files referring to Jackson can be dated back to the early 1300s. But the older the document, the more vague everything becomes and harder to dissect. The Order is brilliant with keeping records, even during its exception. However, Jackson seems to be an outlier. The Order Diplomatics tried everything to scrub them from the history books and documents, but they did slip a few times and you could find crumbs of the reptile’s existence.’

  So they were never fans. Neshoba thought to himself while he focused on driving. Thinking about what could cause the Order to do everything in their power to erase Jackson from existence. Typically, the information would be under lock and key. But with Jackson, it seemed overkill at the time.

  ‘Good news.’ Claire announced. ‘I think I found our target. There were reports of murders happening at a farm near Batesville. Five local guys, looking at the reports, were brutally murdered. Most importantly, it matched the description of how Jackson normally fights their opponents. To make things more interesting, there are witnesses. Sending the address now.’

  Without thinking, Neshoba hit the brakes and turned his car around. Moving as fast as he legally could to where the killings had happened. ‘I need a cover story so I could question some people. Got anything for me?’

  ‘You are approximately 45 minutes away, so the police will be there before you. So follow the speed limit and don’t bother rushing. Your glove box has a sophisticated 3D printer. I’ll give you an FBI badge and make it seem like you are legit in their system. Your new badge will be done once you arrive. However, just say you are looking for a target. I’ll give a heads up that you are coming, but remember. There are witnesses. No point in denying what they look like.’

  ‘Will the Order come in and remove their memories?’

  ‘Most likely at a later date, but as of now, use it to your advantage and figure out what happened and where they are heading. In the meantime, I will go through reports of the local area and try to find their location and where they might be heading to.’

  ‘Understood,’ Neshoba responded before turning his earpiece off. He needed to focus on the mission at hand while thinking of any plausible story he could use to gain entry into the crime scene and to interview the witnesses about the target.