Lonely Thieves

Intermission 3

Tom Hayasaka paced nervously in his office, burning a circle into his luxurious rug. It had been days since he had allowed the emerald necklace to be stolen from his mansion, yet neither his elite security company Hayasaka Security nor his rivals from the Overman Foundation could manage to retrieve it. He was initially assured due to Amoretto's plan that he could always get back the necklace from the thief if worst came to worst, but it had been days since he had been able to contact whoever it was, and they had gone radio silent since.

Now, he was merely waiting for more reports to come in from below. He had started dreading hearing the sound of his secretary knocking on the door, but he could not bear to not have the newest news either.

He turned back to his desk and glanced at the pictures he had been given. They were the files of all the suspicious figures that had entered the mansion that night. He had the names of two of them; Daryl Haddock and Norah Albert. The third person was a girl who wasn't identified in Twilight's database, but investigations marked her as a simple thief. Supposedly, nobody knew exactly who had the necklace, so none of these could be crossed off the suspect list.

As Tom continued to brood over the investigation, he suddenly heard an alert come from his computer. It was a private call. The moment Tom realized who was calling him, he accepted the call without hesitation.

Two faces appeared on the holographic display. To Tom's left was the head of Overman Foundation, Eliza Neumann. To any bystander, they might have seen a beautiful young woman with sharply-defined European features, but Tom knew that it was all a silicone facade, and that this "young" woman was his elder by at least several decades. A sharp frown developed on his face as he gave her an acknowledging glance.

To his right was someone who did little to improve his sour mood. It was Matteo Innocenti, the boss of the Innocenti family. Like Eliza Neumann, Matteo Innocenti had abandoned much of his natural body for a cybernetic doll that granted him strength and might beyond his normal means. His face, which was still spared synthetic reconstruction, held the same arrogant sneer that Tom had tired of when Matteo was still a young capo.

Tom collected himself and tried to present himself as if he had everything under control. "What's the matter? There shouldn't be any reason for the both of you to contact me like this, is there?"

"Don't act as if you don't know," Eliza Neumann replied with a hint of irritation in her voice. "This farce has been going on for nearly a week. People may be caught up with the scandal of the situation for now, but soon they'll start getting tired of our constant patrols and interrogations."

"That is not anything under my control," Tom Hayasaka growled in response. "If your officers are too incompetent to catch one single thief, I don't see how that's my problem."

"You sure you should take that tone after begging for our help?" Matteo cackled.

"I don't want to hear a word from you. All you have to do is sit right where you are, after all."

"And you think I'm happy having your Hayasaka hall monitors strolling around my district like they own the place? Frankly, the sooner this is all done the better. Or do you plan on spending years hunting this thief down, like last time?"

"Don't speak another word!" Tom Hayasaka roared. Matteo shrugged, but he didn't push further. It was enough to see Tom red from head to toe.

Tom took a moment to collect himself before continuing. "There will be no changes! We keep searching until the emerald necklace is back in my hands! I will hear no complaints!"

Tom huffed as his two peers stared back at him with a mix of irritation and exasperation on their faces. He didn't care; they had as much to lose as he did if the secret behind the necklaces got out. Even if they found him distasteful, they had no choice but to work with him to keep things under wraps.

"Very well," Eliza Neumann finally replied with some reluctance. "We'll keep looking for your rat. Pray that things don't get worse for you before we do."

"You look like you're losing control of things," Matteo sneered. "Well, I said I'd help you, so you'd better be grateful, Hayasaka."

With that, the two of them left the call, leaving Tom Hayasaka alone. Tom gritted his teeth and roared in frustration, scattering the contents of his desk onto the floor. "Howard!" he shouted, his voice dripping with anger.

In almost an instant, a bulky man appeared as if emerging from the shadows. He was wearing a Hayasaka suit, which covered the cybernetic prosthetics that made up a large part of his body. "What need do you have of me?" He asked with a low bow.

Tom Hayasaka glanced at Howard. The man had served as his bodyguard for ten years now, but before that, he was one of the most dangerous freelance assassins in Twilight. His body was destroyed on a job gone wrong, but Tom spent a small fortune to save his life with a cyborg body. Howard was loyal only to him after that.

"This problem has become far more cumbersome than I am willing to permit," Tom remarked coldly. "I want you on the job."

"Master Hayasaka, I have heard tell that the original Night Hunter has made an appearance as well."

"Yes. As I thought, he must know something about the necklace's secret. You have permission to kill him if he interferes."

"That is all I wanted to hear," Howard said with a cold grin on his face.

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Matteo Innocenti sighed as he ended the call between him and the other heads. He glanced back at his son Salvatore, who was standing in front of his desk waiting quietly.

"Sounds like Hayasaka's at his limit," Salvatore observed. "We can make use of this sign of weakness."

Matteo liked Salvatore, and even though he was only his second son, he frequently gave him control of the mafia's affairs. His first son Geraldo was worthless and only cared about partying and drugs, but Salvatore was a business-minded man who could think about the long-term. Most people in the Innocenti family thought the same, and they assumed that Salvatore would be the next boss.

Seeing that, it wouldn't be too bad to see how he'd react to a crisis. "Salvatore, how would you handle this situation? Remember, don't just think about the main objective, but also about how we can get out on top."

Salvatore scratched his chin for a moment before answering. "The most obvious objective is the emerald necklace."

"And why is that?"

"Tom Hayasaka is desperate. He's already lost one necklace, and if he loses another, he'll be that much closer to the edge. If we get that necklace, we'll have leverage over him like never before."

"That's right. The Overman Foundation has already lost face with Hayasaka due to having already lost their necklace. With the emerald and ruby necklaces in our possession, we could make Hayasaka our dog in no time."

"Will it really be that easy, though? I can't imagine he hasn't considered something like this happening."

"Of course he has. But that doesn't mean we can't make the most out of the opportunity."

Salvatore nodded. That was something Matteo also liked about Salvatore; he was someone who always respected his elders' authority.

"Where's Amoretto's report? It should have come in right about now."

"About that... It seems like he's run into a spot of trouble."

"Trouble? What kind of trouble?"

"Markov. He knocked him out when they were trying to capture him, apparently."

Matteo rubbed his chin thoughtfully. Kolya was a problem he was having a hard time dealing with. If he was honest, he didn't want to kill an old comrade, but the man wasn't giving him much choice. He didn't know exactly who he was working for, but it was clear that he was after the necklace, same as the others.

"Where is Markov right now?"

"Give me a moment," Salvatore replied as he checked his tablet. "One of Amoretto's men dropped a tracker on him just in case he got away. So far, it looks like he's headed towards the Morning Star district."

"The Morning Star district? Didn't they lock the place down?"

"They did. Still, we can get in whenever we like."

"Of course. Then lead a group of men into the district and search for him. Take Amoretto with you."

"Yes, sir." Salvatore turned around and walked briskly out of the room. Matteo took a box of cigars out of his desk and lit one. He was sure that Hayasaka and Neumann were both putting together their own plans to get ahead. Right now, however, he held the advantage, and by no means was he going to let go of it.