As the sun fell in the evening sky, Thomas sat at his desk pondering his boring, busy life. A bachelor of many years, he had even gone to Prom in high school alone. But there was something about her, perhaps her situation, perhaps her personality- but whatever it may be, it captivated him. Her name was Alice York, and Thomas swore she was his soul mate. In the city of New York, there were millions of women, but she was magic to him. She wasn't some barbie that looked like all the other women he'd seen or been with, she was unique. She made those long locks of beautiful brown hair work, and he loved how her golden eyes would shine out like a fire from under her bangs. Alice. Suddenly, a tap on his shoulder shook him out of his daydream.

"Thomas, my boy. How goes the Samuels case?" James Ashwood was an older fellow, only around because his son didn't desire the position of CEO. He was a hard man, but a good father. The dark streaks of black in his grey hair gave him an air of authority in wisdom that few chose to ignore. "Has he accepted our deal? Erik Samuels owes us a good deal of cash. I'd like to see him pay his debt."

"Father, I have arranged for that to be handled by Tanya and I this evening. I can't understand why you care about Erik's debt. He was all but a son to you when we were kids. Or why you would make me bribe and blackmail my childhood best friend. And after tonight, I doubt you'll be looking for a dime from him. My sister's on her way to make him a deal he can't refuse." Ah, Tanya. She was a firecracker, that one. Thomas took after James, but his twin sister took after their mother. A stunning exotic beauty, with a temper not to be fooled with- She was the family's Wolf in sheep's clothing. Thomas could nail a moving target at a hundred yards with his sidearm, but Tanya's body count far exceeded his own. The woman was a trained killer, having been sent to train at a Korean monastery for twelve years while Thomas trained in a military academy and began college.

However, Tanya was not on her way to kill Erik. No, even she didn't stand a chance against him- trained killer or not. Erik was ruthless, and would do anything to get ahead. Erik and Thomas grew up together in Military School. He and Erik had met, interestingly enough, by getting into a fight over money. A fight that Thomas, who would later become a rather skilled fighter, lost badly. But something prompted Erik to help him to his feet, and the two were from then on inseparable. After High School, Erik moved away to pursue his dream of becoming a pilot, and after borrowing the money for school and a pair of planes from the mob, he found that he could not repay in time; He was bombarded with threats against his life and those he cared about, namely Thomas and his sister, forcing him to borrow the five hundred thousand dollars from James and Thomas Ashwood. However, before he could pay back the mob, he was 'collected' and taken to see Don Cardello, which posed a serious threat to Erik and the Ashwood's money.

The Cardello Family was infamous for killing anyone who ever saw the Don's face, outside of members of the gang of the Family itself. They were also personal enemies of the Ashwood Family. Cecilia Cardello, the Don's youngest child, was Thomas' ex-fiancee. She had left him at the altar upon a single word from her father, Theodore. She proceeded to marry a stock broker two months later. Thomas and Tanya never spoke about that day, but between the two of them, it was understood that Tanya would avenge her brother's broken heart one day. And today was that day. In a matter of hours, the Cardello's meddling in the Ashwood's business and personal lives would come to an end.

"Dad, Tanya intends to accept Erik's proposal after we get him out of the warehouse basement he's in on Industrial Boulevard. And if she does, I'm going to nullify his debt to us as a wedding gift. There's no arguing about this, the decision is final. And the only thing that can keep those two apart is death. You may as well consider that money gone. Besides, a half a million is a decent price to pay to guarantee that your grandchildren will be well taken care of and safe, isn't it?" Smirking, Thomas stood up and began to pack his briefcase. "There is something I'd like to ask you, however."

"Yes, my son?"

"I'm going to kill Don Cardello, and Tanya is going to kill Cecilia. That leaves Anthony and Sean Cardello. Erik will handle one, but the other- Do you think Jacob is ready?" In New York, genocide against an entire family was so common, more often than not the 'warring' families would plan against and for it. Tanya was an assassin. Erik was a force of nature. Thomas, a dead-eye shot. He was interested to see how his father had conditioned his younger brother to be an asset to the business.

Thomas was intelligent to an advanced degree, but Jacob was a genius. The boy had managed to hack Microsoft by the time he was seven, and crash their server. By the time he was twelve, he had built a one seater car that ran on a mixture of electricity, gasoline, and solar power. At age fourteen, Jacob had turned it into a fully functioning AI-Controlled all-terrain amphibious vehicle, capable of comfortably seating 4. Naming it ATAIV, pronounced A-Tave, he moved off to graduate a Master of Aerodynamic Engineering and a Doctor of Physics from Princeton in a matter of three years, after which he married and has been preparing to take over for his father.

"I guess we are out of time. We must test his ability to take over this business. If you are successful, I will sign the documents making him the new CEO of Ashwood Investments. You understand that Jacob will be your boss, right? Oh, I see. I'm sure the two of you have come to an understanding already. You stay after he takes over, and continue to run things like you own the company?"

"Father, now is neither the time nor place for that discussion." Brushing past James, Thomas paused before walking out the door. "But essentially, yes."


~FOUR HOURS LATER~

Sitting beneath a streetlight on a bench, Tanya wondered where her stupid brothers were. Yeah, so they were smarter than her according to tests, so what? She could survive more dangers than they could, Thomas with all of his connections , or Jacob with all of his inventions. Suddenly, a car whipped past her and stopped shortly out of her view in the hazy night surrounding. Was this an enemy? Her hands tightened around her butterfly knife and her gun. Soon, a young man in a hat and long black coat came out into the light. "Jacob! Don't sneak up on me like that!"

Jacob laughed, seeing his mighty sister worried and paranoid. "You can put your weapons away. The only people within a mile radius are you, myself and Thomas. ATAIV told me so already."

Tanya sneered as she put her weapons away. If Jacob said it was safe, she trusted him. But where was Thomas? Looking around for only a moment, she gave up once she realized it was too hazy to see. "Where's our 'Older' brother with our ride and plan, then if Thomas is here?"

"Simple Tanya, just look behind you." Leaning against the back of the bench his sister was just sitting on, Thomas continued, "Jacob here's been working on a project with the Princeton Physics department, and you know how there was all that extra cash leaving our profits? It was being redirected at our Father's request for Jacob to build this." At the mention of his project, Jacob pressed a button and the stealthy black car that had whipped past only moments before pulled up to the middle of the spotlight provided by the streetlight above.

"I'd like to introduce ATAIV Model 4. Utilizing both my own technology and surplus military tech, I was able to develop a vehicle capable of outracing a Lamborghini, and outfighting a tank. Bulletproof, blast-protected, and reinforced against the elements, it can drive in all terrains- water, dirt, asphalt- just like the last model. Unlike the last model, however, ATAIV is now equipped with Radar able to track anything with a human heat signature for up to ten miles, and other vehicles for ten times that. Also, it has a weapons system with a turret, four heat-seeking missiles, and front end flamethrower. That was all Dad's idea. Good way to spend 20 million dollars of the School's cash and over 4 million of Pop's money, huh? Oh, and it has that fresh car smell."

"Here's the plan, Tanya. You're going to enter the warehouse from the back, that's where Cecilia Cardello and her goons are, as well as Anthony Cardello and his men. Jacob will back you up with his... toy. After she and her brother are taken care of, you are to meet me at the storage rooms in the basement. That's where Don Cardello and his eldest son, Sean will have Erik. After losing so many men, old man Cardello will forget about Erik and take to his home, where any survivors of our assault will gather. Do not risk your lives to take another. If you need to escape, our rendezvous place will be Mother's cottage. Understood?"

Tanya, of course, had something to say. "How do I know the kid won't accidentally kill me with that thing? Artificially intelligent machine guns, rockets and flamethrowers sound pretty hazardous to me."

Jacob rushed to his own defense, a clever look on his boyish face. "The weapons aren't artificially intelligent. Just the car. And the car still isn't as smart as I am, so I'll control it personally."

Tanya scoffed at the boy she called her younger brother. Soon, the fighting would begin. For now, the three just got in the car and drove off into the night.