Getting a new member.

<General perspective>

Ares replied with sign language, "It's okay, I am alright, Lucia." Ares pointed at John and asked in sign language, "Who is that masked man?"

Lucia replied, "He is a superhero; he saved me from bad guys."

John nodded. Ares looked around and saw hundreds of men lying on the ground. She looked at John in horror, wondering how he did it. Nonetheless, Ares signed, "Thanks for saving my sister; she means the world to me."

John nodded, "It's okay. Your sister is adorable. I would like to have a daughter like her."

Ares smiled, and Lucia chuckled, "Then why don't you adopt me, Mr. Superhero?" she said, holding John's hand.

Ares, surprised by Lucia's actions, pulled her back and signed to John, "Sorry for my sister, she is just joking."

John looked at Lucia and patted her head, "I don't mind adopting her as a daughter."

Ares frowned and signed, "But we just met, and you have already helped her a lot. We can't take any more favors from you."

Ava said to John, "Ask her if she knows Santino."

John looked a little confused but still asked Ares, "Do you know Santino D'Antonio?"

Ares was also confused by the change of topic, but she signed, "Yes, I know he is a big shot in Italy, but I don't know him personally."

Ava heard and thought, 'That means Santino didn't meet Ares yet because John killed him.'

Ava said to John, "Ask her if she will work for us in exchange for Lucia getting a better life and future."

John nodded, thinking this was a wise course of action. "Ares, will you work for me in exchange for adopting your sister so she will have a better life and future?"

Ares frowned, while Lucia asked with concern, "You won't give my sister any dangerous jobs, right, Mr. Superhero?"

John chuckled. "No, I won't give your sister any dangerous jobs, and I can also cure her mutism if she accepts my offer."

Both Ares and Lucia were surprised when John said he could cure Ares.

Lucia held John's hand and asked again, "Is it true you can cure my sister, Mr. Superhero?"

John nodded, while Ares looked at John seriously and asked using signs, "What kind of game are you trying to play by manipulating my sister?"

Ava said to John, "John, let me talk to her." John nodded.

Ava spoke, using her changed voice, "A game, you say? What could I gain from a mute assassin and a 10-year-old girl?"

Lucia and Ares were again surprised by the change in the masked man's voice and attitude.

Ava continued, "Think about it. If I wanted to use your sister to make you work for me, I would have taken her hostage, not saved her from your father's loan sharks."

Lucia held John's hand tightly, "Mr. Superhero, you sound like a villain now."

Ava choked at Lucia's remark, while John struggled to hold back his laughter.

Ava pointed at Ares and said, "If I wanted, I could take you down in a second like all those fools on the ground. I will give you one last chance to accept my offer, or you can run all over the world with your sister, searching for a better life."

Ares felt ashamed for not being there when Lucia was kidnapped, and she thought about John's offer.

After a few minutes, Ava said, "Okay, time's up. I am leaving." But Ares hastily signed, "I accept your offer, but I want to know the details."

Ava replied, "Okay, we will discuss it at another place."

Ares nodded. Ava then said to John, "Take her to a safe place, and take care of yourself too, because you will fall asleep for at least 12 hours after three hours of taking that injection. You can offer her anything you want in the deal; I just want her loyalty, and you need to verify it yourself."

John nodded.

Ava took off the goggles and put them back in the box. "She is really easy to manipulate. Is that why she was working for Santino until she was killed by John?" Ava sighed.

Then, Ava went upstairs and slept between Regina and Elena again.

_____

<Ares perspective>

I left my sister in that alley as some people were following us, hoping to distract them while I took care of them and then leave to start a new life. After finishing off the people who were following me, I returned to the place where I had left my sister. When I got there, I saw her bag, her book, and some blood. My heart started beating faster as I thought about what might have happened to her, so I began searching for her. After beating the information out of some people, I found out that my sister had been kidnapped by loan sharks. I went to the old factory outside the city where they had taken her.

When I arrived, I heard two gunshots. I started running inside, fearing the worst, but I stopped as I crossed the gate. I saw my sister on a bike with a man wearing full body armor or a suit. He looked like a superhero from the comics. My sister explained that the masked man had saved her. After talking with him, he told me to take my sister outside and cover her ears. I complied, and as I went outside with my sister, I heard gunshots from inside the factory. After about 130 shots, I lost count. The shooting stopped, and the masked man came out with his bike, totally clean with no blood on it.

The masked man, or "Mr. Superhero" as Lucia called him, took my sister and me and dropped us near the Continental in Rome. He gave me his number and said, "Call me after 12 to 14 hours. I will pick you up, and then we can discuss my offer and your future."

I don't know why, but I felt fear when his voice changed, as if he became a different person altogether. However, working for him might not be worse than my current job as an assassin. He might even teach me to fight like him. I was shocked when I saw all those bodies on the ground—there were at least 100 or more. I had never heard of anyone being able to do that, not even John Wick, whom the High Table fears, or any other human in the world.

I took my sister inside the Continental and booked a room for one day. It's a safe place until we leave the city.

To be Continued....

[Author's note: Please write a review; it motivates me to write.]