Golden Arrow

Fire

My eyes water, but I fight back the tears and hold my head high as the door opens several agonizing minutes later. Mason struts briskly into the room and takes a seat in a lounge chair in the corner. He leans forward, legs straddling the chair, his elbows on his knees and hands clasped. His fingers rub his lips as he watches me intently.

"What did you do to them?" I spit, unable to handle the silence.

"Ever since I was little, I was groomed to be powerful." Mason completely ignores my question, his eyes unwavering from mine. "I was my father's apprentice, shadowing him at all times, learning how to act and think like he did. He taught me how to handle myself in my professional life, and he taught me how to interact with others in my personal life. I looked up to my father. He was rich, successful, and confident - what boy wouldn't want to be like him?"

"Your father is scum. He is corrupt. What he does is wrong!"

"My father is a smart businessman. Ruthless? Yes. Selfish? Yes. But not even you can deny his insidiousness, his intelligence, and his diligence. He grew up in a poor family and he made his own fortune. He worked hard, starting out with nothing, and never settling for more than what he knew he deserved. And thus, he slowly built his empire. The poor boy now running the city as the most powerful and most wealthy man. That is a story worth telling."

"Mason, your father didn't work his way there. He cheated his way."

Silence stretches between us. I watch the red bloom on Mason's neck, slithering its way up to his cheeks. His lips are pursed and he is unable to mask his frustration. Again, I feel like I am disappointing him. It feels as though this is a lesson and I'm not getting it.

"Enough about my father, though. Do you know anything about my mother?"

I lick my lips. Mrs. Sherwood passed away from cancer a few years ago. Soon after, Mason was absent from conferences and company events for a while. Many attributed it to grieving.

"My late mother's maiden name was Marion - of Marion Farms and Agriculture." Mason tightens his crossed arms. "Or rather, the former Marion Farms and Agriculture, before my father stole it from her family, his own in-laws, and caused them to go bankrupt."

I inhale sharply. Of course I knew that Richard Sherwood acquired the fortune of his late wife's family. But I didn't know the part about the bankruptcy. Another cover up.

"The man didn't even wait a full twenty four hours before he took everything she was worth. Her body was still warm in the ground and my father was too busy adding to his pocketbook and expanding his empire." Mason's eyes burn holes through me and again I see the darkness put in there by blood. But now I see that it's a different darkness than his father's. It's not the corrupt and evil darkness of Richard Sherwood, it's a darkness rooted in revenge that is ignited by familial betrayal.

"It was like a light switch was flipped, illuminating what I already knew was lurking in the shadows. I saw my father for what he was, an uncaring, soulless man with selfish intentions and no morals."

"So why support him still? Why act like him?"

Mason's face turns red and his face contorts. "I'm not like him. I will never be like that man."

"Then what are you doing?"

"I'm taking him down."

I jerk backwards. "You are?"

"Yes, Robin. I've been waiting and watching and planning ever since my mother's death three years ago. I had to maintain his trust and act the way he wanted me. And I was starting to lose hope in figuring out a way to take him down - until you."

"Me?"

"You grew quite a cult following on the internet the past year. I followed you in the news and read about all of your escapades. I saw the pictures of your merry men, helping you as you stole first from sleazy business owners. And I watched as your targets grew more well-known and more powerful. Why do you think you haven't been found out yet even though we have thousands of cameras in the city? I watched the footage and deleted the most incriminating parts to protect you. Eventually, I anticipated that you'd be coming for my father next. That suspicion was confirmed when one of our offices was broken into and you led Nottingham and our security team on a chase through the city. Then I got to see you in person, your red hair standing out in the crowd as you tried to enter our Hackathon, with your green hat tilted downwards as Nottingham almost ruined everything."

I shake my head, confused. "If you were helping us by letting me in, why did you stop us? You didn't let me connect to the server, you dragged me here. You took my friends away. If you wanted us to take down your father, then you seriously messed up."

A harsh bell starts to ring out in the office and a voice crackles over the intercom, directing everyone to remain in their current locations due to the building being in lock down.

I look up to the speaker in the corner of the room. "What is going on?"
Mason stands up and walks towards me. I refuse to shrink away as he approaches. Bending down, he is a mere breath away from my face, but I match his stare. "I finished it, Robin."

My nose wiggles in confusion. "Finished what?"

"It. Your hack, your virus."
I gasp. "Golden Arrow? You sent it?"

As Mason starts to smile slowly, I watch as it gradually reaches from his lips to his eyes. His chocolate eyes gleam proudly and my heart forgets it is supposed to keep me alive as it skips a beat. It also conveniently forgets that the boy in front of me is the enemy. "I sent it, Robin. I connected your drive to the server. I didn't stop your friends until after they finished on their end. Your hack worked."

Now I start to smile and I think for a second how idiotic the two of us must look as we gleam wildly at each other. All while I'm handcuffed to a desk. "It worked?"

"All of my father's stolen money has been distributed into bank accounts across the city, including the titles and ownership contracts of all of the companies he's taken. They all belong to their rightful owners. Sherwood Innovations has nothing."

Before I can stop myself, I wrap an arm around Mason's neck and pull him in for an awkward one-armed hug. I whisper a thank you into his ear.

A loud screeching feedback resounds over the speaker, causing Mason to jerk away from me.

He undoes my handcuffs and I stand up, rubbing my raw wrist that is the shade of lobster. "I have to get my friends."

"They're already gone."

"How? I saw your bodyguard Nottingham lead him away."

"I sent Nottingham back to watch over the Hackathon and I led your friends to a back entrance. They refused to leave without you, but I told them you'd be close behind. It's doubtful they fully trusted me, so I assume they're waiting nearby."

A faint banging echoes down the hallway, followed by footsteps and yelling. "They're searching for us."

"How do they know already?"

Mason starts to pace the room. "My father has cameras everywhere in his building. I deleted the footage I could, but it wouldn't be hard to figure out I was involved."

"Well, let's get out of here!"

"I don't know how. Everything will be powered down and there will be security everywhere. It's impossible."

Grinning wildly, I walk over to my bag that Mason had previously tossed into the corner of the room. I reach in and exhale as my fingers wrap around my phone. "You've forgotten who you are talking to. I'm Robin the Hood. I've got my Arrow. I've got this."