The Price of Freedom
by Sapphire
Ace stopped in front of the door. Looking along
the corridor he noticed the litter somebody had thrown away, not caring
if somebody else was living there. He noticed the peeling paint, the water
stains on one wall. Out of the corner of his eye he saw a movement but
was not really eager to find out what it was that had moved. The window
at the end of the corridor was dirty, a long crack running through the
glass, beginning in the upper right corner and ending in a spider web pattern
on the left side. To say the building was run down would have been a compliment.
Dressed in his usual evening wear, Ace looked definitely out of place here.
Unbidden the question rose, who would want to live in
a building like this? And, even more important: who would want to raise
a child here?
The answer was simple.
Those who either didn't care, or didn't have the money
to care.
Somewhere a door slammed, and Ace started. A high pitched
voice screamed something not-understandable one floor below.
No sense on delaying the inevitable. He was here for
a purpose, and by standing here in front of the door, he wouldn't achieve
that purpose.
He sighed, and rose his hand to knock on the door with
the number fifty-nine. There was no label at the door, but the post box
downstairs with the name O'Connor on it had had the same number, so he
knew he was at the right door.
There was one more slight hesitation, then he finally
knocked.
The sound echoed down the corridor, and, as if stopped
by it, the female voice from the other floor fell silent.
Brushing off his sweating palms on his pants as he waited
for an answer from within, he asked himself why he was so nervous. He was
here for a simple business proposition, and he was sure what the outcome
would be.
Still…
The thought of meeting once again Robert O'Connor didn't
really fill him with eager anticipation. Actually, to formulate it more
bluntly, he despised the man. The one time Ace had met him three weeks
ago had been enough, and it would have been a happy day, if he never ever
would have to see him again.
But for the sake of Cosmo and for his future, he had
to.
It seemed to him as if a long time had passed, though
in fact it had been only a few seconds, until a unfriendly voice from inside
called out.
"The door is open."
Taking that as an invitation, Ace turned the handle and
pushed against the door.
"Mr. O'Connor?" he called into the dimly lit room.
"Who's it?" It wasn't so much a question, as it was a
threat.
Hesitantly Ace entered the apartment. The door opened
into a small corridor, a narrow stairways to the right leading to another
room upstairs. There was a small storage room beneath the stairs. As he
closed the apartment door behind him - having to brush off a sudden feeling
of being trapped - he saw that a doorway to the left lead into a narrow,
windowless - and very dirty - kitchen.
"It's Ace Cooper," Ace answered the call from the room
ahead, wondering why he was feeling intimidated by the other man's voice.
Yes, he didn't like the man - though 'didn't like' didn't really match
the feeling he had towards him, when he remembered what this man had done
to Cosmo - but he didn't fear him. Did he?
Robert O'Connor couldn't harm him. After all, Ace was
a grown up man. Unlike Cosmo, he was able to counter any threats, any actions
O'Connor would come up with. Still, he couldn't quite ignore a feeling
of unease that settled like a cold lump of stone in his stomach. If he
reacted to O'Connor like this, how much worse must it have been for Cosmo?
Almost since the day Cosmo had come to live in the Express,
there hadn't been a night when the boy hadn't awaken from a nightmare,
drenched in sweat, shivering in fear. Only Zina's constant presence seemed
to be able to calm the youngster sufficiently down so he could go back
to sleep. Ace, however, wasn't very welcome, as he had learned rather quickly,
when he, after being roused by Angel who was keeping a tap on Cosmo for
him, had decided to ignore the locked door of Cosmo's room, and stormed
inside. Being still half asleep, Cosmo had panicked at the presence of
an adult male in the same room as himself, resulting in an anxiety attack
that had lasted the better part of half an hour and had only ended when
Ace had left the room, feeling worse than ever in his life. Zina's reproachful
look that he had dared to frighten *her* cub, hadn't helped either.
It was then that Ace had decided that no matter what,
Cosmo couldn't go back to his father. O'Connor was responsible for Cosmo's
fears and Ace wouldn't allow him to continue to have any influence on the
bright boy. Even before Cosmo almost had been killed by the members of
his former gang, Ace had thought about taking the boy in, though the idea
of taking over guardianship had risen later, when he had learned what kind
of man Cosmo's father was. Nonetheless once he had made that decision,
he couldn't - wouldn't - let go of it.. However, the legal process would
take time - a very long time. And during that time, there was absolutely
the chance that Cosmo had to go back to his father, whether he wanted or
not. To prevent that, Ace had come here today.
Vega hadn't been thrilled when Ace had told him he wanted
to take over the guardianship for Cosmo, but had relented with time, accepting
that Ace wouldn't change his mind. Thinking about what he was planning
to do right now, Ace could imagine what the elder cop would say. It certainly
wouldn't be: 'Yeah, sure, go and do it!'
He now entered the living room. An empty, worn down couch
stood alongside one wall, facing a cheap TV-set on the other. Empty bottles
and beer cans were scattered everywhere, the smell of spilled alcohol,
cigarette smoke and something else filling the air. Besides the couch,
Robert O'Connor slouched in a not-matching easy chair, the socked feet
resting on a unstable looking table, a cigarette held loosely in one hand,
the remote control of the TV which was set on some action movie in the
other. He wore sweat pants and a stained T-shirt. He was strongly built,
almost the same height as Ace when he was standing. The bright red, unruly
hair was the only similarity he shared with Cosmo, though there was no
telling how much the boy would resemble him, once he had grown up. Ace
hoped, not too much.
Deep blue eyes mustered the visitor coldly.
"What do you want, Cooper?" O'Connor didn't even pretended
to be polite. He didn't offer a seat to Ace, nor did he rise from his,
but at least he took his feet off the table.
"Mr. O'Connor, I'm here on behalf of your son, Cosmo,"
Ace begun.
"Oh," the other man said, raising an eyebrow, mockingly.
"Already tired of the brat? Not that I'm surprised. I could have told you
he's worth nothing."
'He's worth ten thousand times more than you are, that
much is sure,' Ace thought, but didn't voice. Last week Ace had had Cosmo
take an intelligence test, to determine how he could proceed with his education,
and the outcome had been that the young boy was a borderline genius. He
had no idea how this could have been missed before, but with a father who
had suppressed any spark of free will in his son maybe Ace shouldn't be
too surprised.
Ace would have loved to tell O'Connor that, and more,
but he hold himself back, though it wasn't easy. "I have decided to take
over guardianship for Cosmo," he continued, as if O'Connor hadn't spoken.
The other man rose an eyebrow. "Guardianship. My, my,
such a big word. Now you wanna steal my son, then."
Again, Ace ignored O'Connor's comment. "I have a proposition
for you. Let's call it a business offer."
"A business offer?"
"Gaining Cosmo's guardianship can be a lengthy process,
one which can be made much longer, in case you're planning to intervene."
O'Connor snored. "You bet I'm going to intervene, Cooper,"
he said, as he put out the cigarette he had been smoking, flicking the
butt into one corner of the room.
Again Ace reacted as if he hadn't heard O'Connor, though
he was steaming inside. It was obvious O'Connor wasn't going to fight against
Ace because he loved his son so much. No, he did it to cause trouble, aiming
to make the life of others as miserable as his own was.
Ace continued. "It also can be made much faster, if you
cooperate. I'm here to ensure your cooperation."
"Ha! And what reason should I have to cooperate?"
O'Connor still sounded mocking, but Ace could tell he
finally had caught his interest.
"I have here 250.000 reasons."
Ace hefted the briefcase he had brought with him onto
the living room table and opened it. Inside was, orderly stacked, two-hundred-and-fifty
thousand Electro dollar. O'Connor's eyes widened, and he leaned forward,
reaching for the money, but Ace pulled it away.
"This money will be yours, and an additional two-hundred-fifty
thousand after the final court hearing, if you're willing to sign these
papers." Ace pulled out a few sheets which had been stowed in an extra
pocket of the briefcase. It was a legal document that would ensure that
there wouldn't be any problems from O'Connor's side. Andrew McNeil, Ace's
lawyer for the last two years - and a good friend to boot - had seen to
it that the papers were legally water tight, though he hadn't quite agreed
with Ace's plans how to acquire the signature which would turn them into
legal documents.
Greed now shown in O'Connor's eyes.
"You think I would be willing to sell my son to you for
a measly five hundred grand?"
Ace had been prepared for that. He knew that half a million
Electro dollars was more than Robert O'Connor had ever seen in his life.
With that money, O'Connor would be able to start anew, to live a life with
quite a few comforts actually. But, naturally, he would want more. And
for Cosmo's sake Ace probably would give more. But he couldn't. Though
Ace was quite wealthy, there was a limit to what he could liquidate on
short notice. A quarter million now, another quarter in two months. Andrew
had called him crazy to go for so much and told him he should at least
try bargaining with O'Connor, but he hadn't been about to stop him. It
was the price for Cosmo's freedom and this alone was worth every dollar.
He snapped the briefcase shut and pulled it off the table.
"It's this, or nothing. Rest assured that eventually
I will get the guardianship. There are witnesses who know how you have
treaded your son. It might take longer, but in the end there will be only
one outcome."
It also would be much more painful for Cosmo, endless
days in court, his past examined from every angle, his criminal record
on open display. The fact that it was Ace - who after all was a very well
known person - who was asking for the guardianship, would also draw great
interest by the media, something Ace would like to avoid as much as possible.
And on top of this, there was always the chance Cosmo had to go back to
his father, even if only for a short while. Ace threatened what this would
do to the boy. He doubted Cosmo would accept that quietly. He would run
away again and there was no telling what would happen then.
Though his claim that there were witnesses was actually
a bluff, he was sure there had to be people who had noticed how O'Connor
had treaded Cosmo. Only, in this house it was doubtful they would care
enough to come out with what they had seen or heard. Though, with the right
kind of persuasion - that of the monetary kind - they might come forward.
It took only the slightest moment for O'Connor to realize
that Ace actually meant it. Either half a million, or nothing. Another
fraction of a second and he came to a decision.
"All right, I take it. Where do I sign?"
Ace wanted to close his eyes in relief, as a boulder
he hadn't even know had been resting on his heart, crashed down. He had
been sure O'Connor would take the money, but having him admit to it was
a relief. It also confirmed everything he knew about this man. Robert O'Connor
didn't really care about Cosmo, viewing him as a nuisance at best. One
biological coincidence fourteen years ago that made him Cosmo's father
in blood, but in his heart he didn't want him.
Unbidden a thought rose, a thought Ace couldn't quite
suppress. Had he been an unwanted child as well? Created in an act of passion,
and then cast away as soon as he had grown too much of a bother? He had
never known who his parents were. He had been found when he was circa five
years old, with a serious head wound, alone in the outskirts of Electro
City. He had no memories of anything from before, and the police hadn't
found any clues about his past. Even his own name wasn't the one he had
born with, except maybe his initials which had been found stitched into
one piece of his clothing. When the search into his past had been fruitless,
social services had brought him to the St. John's orphanage, and there
he had grown up.
The orphanage hadn't really been too bad, but he would
have liked to know who his parents really were and how he had ended up
wandering alone close to the desert. For all he knew, an UFO could have
dropped him there, so little information had been found.
Forcing himself to brush that thought aside - it had
been a long time ago, after all, and he was over it - he resolved to make
sure that Cosmo always knew that he was wanted. If not by his biological
father, than be a slightly eccentric magician, who lived inside of a train
and kept a tame panther as a pet.
While Ace explained to O'Connor the terms of the contract
- mainly that he had to support Ace in getting the guardianship and keeping
quiet about the deal they've had made - the older man signed the papers
without reading them, his glance all the time fixed on the briefcase with
the money. After Ace made sure O'Connor had placed his signature everywhere
he had to sign, he took the papers and put them into the breast pocket
of his overcoat, leaving one copy to O'Connor. Then he returned the briefcase
to the table.
"You will have to show up at least once in court, giving
testament that you have nothing against me taking over guardianship for
your son. I will keep you informed of the dates as soon as I have them.
The moment everything is concluded, I will send you the rest of the money."
The older man nodded, clearly expecting to be left alone
with his new found wealth. Not for the first time, Ace wondered if he had
made a mistake in giving so much money to O'Connor. Money meant power after
all.
In the end, however, there was only one answer. The five-hundred
thousand Electro dollar meant Cosmo's freedom.
And for that no price was too high.