Asylum

Plan in Motion

"What did you two have to do in three days?"

Cerberus freezes up. His hands grip the edges of the table with such force that his fingernails become white. His murky eyes harden with disdain and pain. Right now, he looks like a wild animal who's been kept in a cage far too long. I wonder if he's going to turn, or if whatever task they have in three days is so dreadful. "If Reaper and I don't produce results, then backup arrives and takes over."

That doesn't sound so bad. After the bunker situation, it seems they need backup. But why would that plan have Cerberus so on-edge? There's only one person in his life that could incite such a panic in him. "It seems Mr. Elwood isn't done with you just yet, huh?"

Furiously whispering, his raking voice demands, "You shut the hell up!"

Smirking, I shrug, acting like his behavior is nothing but a fly by my ear. "You only need to produce 'results,' right? So, you just need to take one of them. Shouldn't be hard."

"You know how they work," he upbraids. "They travel in packs, like hyenas. I can't isolate one of them. Unless you feel like helping us..."

I snort and shake my head. "My only beef is with Ren. Your problem is yours alone."

Cerberus leans back in his chair, crossing his arms and giving me a contemplative look. A small, triumphant smile takes shape on his lips. "You surprised us when you showed up in that bunker to save Kya. For someone who doesn't care about other people's problems, you sure seemed to care about hers."

Narrowing my eyes, I justify myself. "I was wrong to bring someone like her into a situation like that. I went, I contributed to rectifying the situation, then I left. That's it."

"See, this is where we have something in common," Cerberus pointedly brings up. "Neither of us really want Kya in a position of danger. I have a proposition for you. If Reaper and I enact a full assault on the dojo, then she won't care who she kills – as long as someone dies. Neither of us want Agent Elwood here. However, I'll be too busy protecting Reaper to protect Kya. It would be terrible if she got hurt, when a certain someone with nothing better to do could help her."

Tentatively, I inquire, "Are you threatening me with someone else's life?"

"I am. So now, if she dies, then it is your problem."

In my mind, I decide to cut off these meetings with Cerberus. From now on, I'll only talk to the Reaper. I don't like being pushed around. Especially from a shy guy like Cerberus Severo. It's almost embarrassing that his offer nearly works on me. "Smart man," I acknowledge, standing up. I reach across the table to shake his hand. When he puts his in mine, I give it an extra tight squeeze. "But you've just dug your own grave, Alex."

His face registers shock. "How did you know my name?"

Hardily, I clap his back, which thuds in the vacant restaurant. "You didn't think you were the only one I like to keep in contact with, did you? An old friend of yours reached out to me, recently."

Cerberus's face turns rigid once more, his posture stiff. "I don't have any old friends."

I release his hand then turn away, leaving him curious and worried. Which is what he gets. Who does he think he is to threaten me?

As I exit the sushi place on a full stomach, I reach into my pocket and dial a number. I've only called them once, asking if they've ever ran across a boy in their travels named "Malakai Walker," but nobody has heard about him. They called me again, shortly after the bunker incident, offering me a deal, because we all know how much I love those. The proposition was this: help Reaper bring in the Asylum delinquents, or help them bring in the delinquents. Quite frankly, the them pays a lot better. Not only did I get a lot more money wired into my account, but they have a wider database of information at my disposal.