Richie's situation wasn't anything he volunteered for, yet he found it to be the most relaxing and secure he'd ever felt. Sure, he was locked in a room with no outside contact and he couldn't leave, but since he'd left the only person he'd encountered that was intentionally set on hurting him was Stan after he tried to run away. Even then, Stan was laughing along when he made a joke in the room where he was brought after they arrived at their destination.
Despite the feeling of security, Richie was unable to sleep. He couldn't get Eddie's words out of his head. Nothing Eddie said was wrong, Richie didn't know when to shut his mouth, but it still hurt. The expression on Eddie's face screamed disappointment, and the last thing Richie wanted to do was disappoint one of the few people who hadn't tried to hurt him.
The room he was stuck in had no clock or windows, and Richie didn't have any of his belongings besides his glasses. That meant he didn't know what time it was, where he was, and he couldn't block out the world by listening to music.
He guessed he'd been in there for about twelve hours when a beeping sound filled the room and the door opened.
"Stan?" Richie asked, catching sight of a person with curly hair entering the room.
Sure enough, Stan walked in holding a tray and handed it to Richie. "Yeah, here's breakfast."
When Richie accepted it, Stan stood for a few more minutes in the silence of the room before sitting down and leaning against the wall in the room.
"Didn't sleep?" he asked, noticing how bloodshot Richie's eyes were and how slow he was eating.
Richie shook his head, eating slowly. He seemed like he was in a daze, unsure of what he was doing or what to think.
"Oh." Stan sat awkwardly, not knowing how to keep conversation with someone who looked like a walking zombie.
"Are there cameras in here?" Richie asked quietly. Even though he knew he had no power or control over the situation, Richie hated the idea of people being able to just watch him whenever they felt like it.
Stan shook his head. "No, Eddie told us last night to turn them off. He wanted you to have privacy, so Ben turned them off and assured our superiors that you wouldn't try to get out."
Richie smiled weakly, realizing that Eddie may actually care about him if he went out of his way to make sure he had privacy and wasn't under the constant watch of people he didn't know.
"He cares about you, you know," Stan said.
"Hm?" Richie asked, turning to look at Stan.
"Eddie. He told us he yelled at you for no reason, and he felt really bad. He knows you didn't do anything to deserve it."
Richie laughed dryly. "Then why'd he get all mad? I don't know what it is you guys do, but based on everything I've heard in the van and here, you guys aren't doing anything legal. So, yeah, I get that he might be stressed or whatever, but why the fuck did he have to take it out on me?"
"I don't know. I'm sorry. He'll probably come in later to talk to you, unless you don't want that."
Richie narrowed his eyes, trying to fight off the blush that covered his face. "Why the fuck would he want to talk to me?"
Stan rolled his eyes. "Because Eddie's a dumbass and clearly likes you, but he's not supposed to, so obviously he wants to talk to you but he's going to be a bitch about it."
"Why isn't he supposed to like me?"
"It's part of the job."
Richie sighed and laid back on his bed and ran his hands through his hair. Stan saw this as Richie being done with their conversation so he stood to leave.
"Wait, Stan?" Richie asked as Stan unlocked the door to leave.
"What?"
"What's gonna happen to me?" Richie asked timidly.
Stan sighed. "I'm not sure. Bill and Ben have started going through your records and history.
We all want you to be a member, and you're obviously plenty smart. I mean, you may be dumb enough to walk in front of a moving vehicle, but from what we've seen on your records so far, you'd definitely fit in. It's just a matter of bringing it up to our leaders and them agreeing. Their only reservation is the fact that people are born into this life, not recruited."
"Okay... but what is this life?"
"Can't tell you. Yet."
Richie was surprised that they wanted him to join. Yes, he was smart, but what did they mean by fit in? He definitely would refuse to kill anyone, but what if that was part of the life Stan was referring to? Instead of asking, Richie nodded, refusing to make eye contact, only looking up once the door closed behind Stan.
"What the fuck have I gotten myself into?" he muttered.
•••
Eddie stood in front of the superiors, the same position he had been in the night before. He knew he looked like shit, but didn't really care. All he cared about was resolving the issue and protecting Richie.
"Good morning, Eddie. Did you sleep well?" Leroy asked, smiling softly. Some of the other adults were still annoyed with Eddie, but Leroy was grateful that Eddie was willing to protect Mike from being punished as well.
"As well as I could, sir," Eddie responded in a monotone voice.
"We're here to discuss your punishment, Eddie," Sharon Denbrough said.
If it was a different situation, Eddie would have scoffed. What else would they have gathered to discuss?
"You failed your mission and brought us a hostage that we didn't need. You know that. So, tell us, what do you think the appropriate punishment or response to this situation is?" Zack asked.
It was common protocol, Eddie just had never faced it before. If a mission was failed, the person or group who failed would state what they believed the appropriate punishment was, before the superiors would decide and ultimately enact the punishment.
"I think that my punishment should be that I'm pulled out of the field for a short period of time before I got back and track down the people that I was supposed to trade with and figure out who they are and who they work for."
Zack raised and eyebrow and some of the superiors murmured to each other. Even Frank looked confused by what Eddie was saying.
"I'm not sure I understand. I get being pulled out of the field, but why would we do that only to send you on a mission to track down the people who you failed facing the first time? And what would you do while waiting to return to the field?" Zack asked.
All of the adults who knew Eddie knew he wouldn't just come up with that punishment for no reason. He was among the smartest and most reliable, so they didn't understand why he would choose to take a break before returning to a mission he had failed.
"Sir, the man that I met knew things that confused me. He knew where Bev, Mike, and Stan were hiding. He knew it was my first mission and that they were too far away to back me up. I thought it was a slip that was my fault, but I think he knew it from the start. I want to find him and find out who he's working for, because I feel that they may be an enemy."
Zack looked to Sharon, who was trying to think through the scenario Eddie was putting before them. The other adults seemed torn between agreeing and disagreeing because Eddie did make some good points, even though he failed a mission previously.
After a period of silence in which Zack moved to speak with all of the adults, leaving Eddie to ponder his fate, Zack addressed him.
"That makes sense, but you'll be working with Bill and Ben to find out more about whoever you faced. Now, as much as I wish that this was the end of the conversation, I feel like you had another piece that you wanted to add."
"Yes, sir. It's about Richie."
"Richie?"
"The hostage."
Zack narrowed his eyes, unsure of how to respond. Sharon nodded for Eddie to continue, ignoring the mutters that echoed through the room.
"While I'm not in the field serving my punishment, I want to train him to be one of us."
A silence settled over the room before Donald Uris burst out laughing. "You're joking, right? You can't just bring in a prisoner and make them a member! It's not something you get to sign up for, kid."
"I know, but he'd definitely fit in," Eddie said, ignoring the adult laughing at him.
"Why do you say that?" Sharon asked, intrigued by how Eddie had handled himself through the whole morning.
"He told me his parents kicked him out and that he has no friends. So, he doesn't have anyone to leave behind. He's at the top of his class, has a high GPA, and he's focused. He's from New York City, where we faced the people that I want to track down, so he might have some insight that we don't. And this way, we don't have to kill him or hurt him in any way." Eddie felt that he made a good argument, but couldn't guarantee it would hold up.
They all sat quietly for a second, amazed by Eddie's argument and how well he seemed to have thought the whole situation through. Frank looked pleased with his son, earning a scowl from Donald.
Zack looked around at the members, before he sighed. "Everyone who votes to allow Eddie his decided punishment, raise your hand, please."
Everyone besides Donald raised their hands.
"There you have it. Go get the hostage and have Bill and Ben analyze him and look into his files, alright? I want you to start training him as soon as possible."
"Yes, sir," Eddie said with a grin.
"And Eddie?" Zack said before dismissing him.
"Yes?"
"If he ends up betraying us, that's on you, and we will not show mercy."
Eddie shuddered, knowing what Zack meant by that.
"Understood?"
Eddie nodded eagerly before being dismissed. He immediately sprinted to tell his friends the news.
Wowzas that's another chapter. I'm really enjoying writing this, but please feel free to tell me what you'd like to see in the story :))