Xavier Walker
I've stuck to the shadows during the day and the isolated rooftops at night, studying the dojo's residents from afar and leaching intel from Reaper. Our deal still stands strong – I supply them with Kya and they supply me with a small amount of money and any information I need. So far, I've gathered everything I need to know about everyone's past; what makes them tick and how they all get along.
Leo is so clingy and comedic to override his hyper mind and childhood, which fell prey to circumstance. He'll do anything for Sarah, and looks at Kya like his best friend.
Sarah's life was pretty typical; living with a divorced and single mother. She defended herself against bigger kids when she first came to Asylum, and will do anything to avoid using her ability. She's very close with Leo and Kya is her role model – a close friend, if not motherly figure.
Elektra's past is spotty – running away from an orphanage, wreaking havoc in Russia through gangs, and getting sucked into an Asylum escape plot. Undoubtedly, she's hungry for power, which may be filling the void caused by abandonment issues.
Kya has a soft, special place in her heart for everyone. Including me. Leo and Sarah were taken under her wings years ago, and her and Elektra and amicable friends. Her and Ren started as enemies, but became something more. As I watch the two dance from the rooftop, I can see that much.
Ren. He's an asshole who doesn't deserve to breathe, let alone be as happy as he is now. After watching him for all these years, I was sure he would shut everyone out forever. But now, as I watch an ancient ceremony that started 100 years ago, the exact opposite is happening.
The Seekers taught me that long ago, a marriage ritual between two beings of supernatural bloodlines could only be joined together if their energies could fuse. It's this same science that allowed Ren to give Kya some of his energy when they first busted out of Asylum. Back then, if the energies couldn't find a way to get along, then the two people couldn't get married. Over time, the ceremony watered down. From a required success to get married, to an activity between two intimate lovers, to a festivity in which two likeminded energies could participate in, it became less and less meaningful. Still, Father stressed the importance of tradition and to honor their original purposes and creators. Ren knows what he's really doing with Kya, as their fire and water mix together in a gaudy spectacle. I doubt Kya has any idea what this really means, but her power knows how to respond.
"Enjoy it while you can," I growl through gritted teeth, watching them from far away. "Because soon, I plan on taking it all away."
Now that I know Ren has an incredible weak spot for Kya, it will make dominating him all the easier. I don't want to hurt Kya, but if that's what I have to do to make him feel maximum pain, then that's what I'll do. I went to save her at the bunker because I was righting my wrong. But this time, it's Ren's fault that she'll get hurt. He should know better than to let anyone close to him, especially since they all end up getting hurt in the end. Fool.
"Xavier," a tired voice calls from below. "This better be important. I was dead asleep until you called. You almost woke up Reaper, you know?"
"Cerberus," I respond. "Always a pleasure." The meetings I've been having with the Cerberus-Reaper duo have mostly just been with Cerberus. I met with him right when I escaped the bunker, reaching the surface then bringing myself back under, where Cerberus was attacking Reaper and she was doing nothing to fight back. I broke them up, Reaper sedated him, and we got him to the room. Reaper was silent, but she mumbled over and over, "I had three days, I had three days, I had three days." Tonight, I've called Cerberus, who is obviously far more approachable than Reaper, and told him I had important information I needed.
"If we're going to talk, I want to drink something warm and you're paying for it," he snaps.
Sighing, I glance back at the dojo, squinting my eyes to focus my vision better. Ren and Kya look at the cherry blossom trees, which have never bloomed in wintertime. Hesitantly, I slide off the building, landing on my feet like a cat. "Sounds fair enough."
I take Cerberus to an indoors sushi place, where he orders a cup of warm water and I get a sampler platter of their best fish rolls. Cerberus is still sleepy; his hair is a mess, his loose shirt s wrinkled, he's wearing pajama flannel pants, and only had time to slide on flipflops. He's either really exhausted or he just doesn't care what other people think. Probably both. "So," Cerberus starts once his eyes open a bit more and he seems alert. "What is so important right now?"
"A few things," I tell him, using chopsticks to pluck a California roll from my dish. "One, you mentioned in a previous meeting that you discovered your power by accidentally linking to someone in a passing van. You teleported. How long ago was that?"
Cerberus frowns, considering his steaming water for a while. He runs a crooked finger around the rim of his glass cup, chewing on his bottom lip. It's funny: for someone who ruthlessly pounds on the Reaper when his MPD kicks in, he sure is a timid kid. "You want to talk about my past? That's why I'm here at this time?"
"I said I had a few things to talk about. This is just one of them."
He sighs then pushes his drink aside. "That was around six years ago. Sarah and I came into Asylum in the same year. Why?"
I furrow my brows. "Are you sure?"
"Yes, Xavier," he snaps, suddenly defensive. "I'm pretty sure I can remember the day I learned I had supernatural powers. I asked you why."
"Take it easy," I calm him down, giving him a dismissive wave of my hand. "It's just that I thought no two people had the same ability. So, how did you teleport if teleporting was my thing?"
Cerberus shrugs. "You were a late bloomer. Maybe it was someone else's power until, somehow, you took it away. I don't know. It's not really an issue of mine. What else did you want to talk about?"
"My, you're in a rush," I grouch, chewing on another sushi roll.
Evenly, Cerberus stares at me; defeat and boredom swirling in his green-gray eyes. "It's been a long day."
"Why didn't you just take them in when you had the chance? Why bother fighting Ren?"
Cerberus runs his hands through his hair, which makes it even wilder. "Bringing them to the bunker wasn't about that. Reaper didn't need information or to take them all in yet. She needed to push Kya into using her dark powers. She's got a type of lingering hold on the Reaper, and triggering some change in Kya was the only way to do it."
"Did it work?" I ask.
"We got Kya to use it, but Reaper's condition has worsened."
"What kind of condition?"
Cerberus leans over our table, pointing a dysfunctional finger in my transformed face. "Are you our superior in SD? No? I didn't think so. If this is an interrogation on today's events, save your breath. Nothing great happened."
"Fine," I give in, putting my hands up in a surrender position. "I have one more question."
Angrily, Cerberus swipes his water from the table and chugs it down like he's never tasted H2O before. "What is it?" Boy, he's cranky when he's tired.
"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.
The phone rings a few times before being picked up. "I'll agree to your deal," I tell the man on the other line.
Evilly, he chuckles. "Excellent, Xavier. I knew you'd come around."
"I have a few pieces of information for you to get you started."
"Go on," the man urges. "I'm eager to learn."
"The Reaper has a sort of condition that sounds like it's, possibly, debilitating her performance. The only way to help her is for Kya to use her dark strain to a certain extent, until she turns evil. It seems that Kya's influenced Reaper somehow, and by turning, a bond between them will be broken." I pause, letting the big guy on the other line digest the info. I hear typing noises, as if he's pounding the information into a computer right now, as we speak.
"I see."
"I've heard about your little ultimatum from Cerberus," I tell Mr. Elwood. "Neither him nor Reaper want to see you. For Cerberus, I can understand why. One mention of the Therapist and he's gone. But why Reaper?"
There's a long pause, and I almost think Elwood has hung up. "That isn't your business. For now, it's because Reaper has gone on an extensive amount of missions and have completed them all successfully, without help. She doesn't want me there because it would ruin her record."
I roam to the edge of the city again, where I lean on the back of a building wall near a dumpster, watching the lowly lit dojo. "Well, let me tell you: Reaper and Cerberus attempted an attack on our little deviants yesterday. They're going to need the help. Delaying your arrival will only hinder the progress of Supernatural Detaining." In the distance, the sun is rising up; a giant orange glob peaking up like a toddler from the earth's kitchen counter. "I have a rough plan in my head, if you're interested."
Again, Mr. Elwood turns over my words. I know I've already won him over, already. Knowing his greatest agent is failing, and having the fresh perspective of an outsider right in his ear is just too good to turn down. "You have my attention. Speak."
"Reaper's main interest is taking down Elektra," I tell him. "My main interest in this giant game is taking down Ren. With Cerberus providing backup for Reaper, I'm sure he can detain at least Leo. Meanwhile, you bring in some guys for support. Plus, Elektra's got a small posse of gun-runners with them now, if something like that concerns you. I think if we all join together, we can at least wound them, if not take them down completely. And with everyone having their own vendettas, the drive for victory will be all the more powerful."
Like a cliché supervillain, Mr. Elwood chuckles, liking where this is going. "I like how you think. Perhaps one day, I'll be calling you Agent Walker."
"I'd like to be nothing more but an information broker for now, if you don't mind."
"Understandable," Elwood agrees. "You really got me thinking when you mentioned personal vendettas, Xavier. You think if I add my own personal rage then I'll become stronger? More driven?"
"Everyone is different," I answer, the sun blinding now. I turn away, not wanting to risk damaging my second eye in fear of also damaging my power of fabrication. "For me, I know it's been working."
Elwood hums. "Perhaps I'll give it a go, then. So, tell me, Xavier...what is the relationship between my daughter and Cerberus?"
"Your daughter, sir?" I echo, mind churning. The Reaper...is Elwood's daughter? Why does she not want to see him? Why would Elwood have a personal grudge against his own daughter? Well, I guess I shouldn't be shocked about that last part. Ren murdered our father and I want to murder Ren. "You mean the Reaper?"
I remember how Cerberus tried to back me in a corner, leaning in his chair with that cocky grin and winning aura. How dare he think he's better than me. "Yes. Does she show kindness towards Alex? The man we call Cerberus?"
The memory of Cerberus brutally attacking Lana for whatever reason, and her doing nothing to fight against him, surfaces in my mind. The Reaper is ruthless. She's coldblooded and doesn't care for anyone or thing. She was the kid who burned ants under a magnifying glass and laughed when you fell down in P.E. Reaper doesn't spare anyone, yet she accepted Cerberus's attack.
"She seems to treat him differently," I admit. Whether Elwood wants to do something about his daughter for being nice, or about Cerberus for being special, I benefit either way. This will bring Elwood and I closer, which will give me access to all the documented monsters in the world, as well as allow me to keep tabs on my brother, should he get away. If Cerberus gets because of what I just said, I couldn't care less; he poked the bear and that would be his consequence. If Reaper gets hurt, I still don't care; I never knew her very much, anyways.
"Interesting," Elwood lowly notes, voice suddenly primal and agitated. "Thank you for this valuable information, Xavier. I will catch the soonest flight to Japan. I should be there by nightfall. I will regroup with you, Reaper, and Alex. As far as they know, I know nothing of their relationship. Understand?"
"I understand, loud and clear," I confirm.
"We'll make a plan when I get there, then attack the next day. So take it easy, today. Conserve your energy."
I smile, feeling myself get one step closer to making my brother pay. "Will do. Take care yourself, Mr. Elwood."
Without a goodbye or any sort of thanks, he hangs up – so agent-like. There's no part of me that feels remorse for ambushing all of those people just to get to Ren, nor is there any part of me that regrets putting Reaper and Cerberus in potential danger from Supernatural Detaining. As far as I'm concerned, nothing could possibly be going better for me.
I head into town, where I search for an inn for the day so I can rest. I have a big day tomorrow.