"Merde... that hurts..."
I tried to sit up, but winced again, clamping my hand over the wound at my side. How did it get there? Oh yeah... my fight with Tala... I lifted my shirt up and sighed with relief. It hasn't reopened; just developing another fresh blue and purple bruise, if that was possible under all the old ones... and it hurts like Hell! I tucked the garment into my trousers again and looked around. I was in some sort of holding cell. It was simple and not built for comfort. Some sheet of metal welded into the side of the wall to serve as a bed, a single light behind a grill on the window for light and...
"The ever present one way glass window..."
I couldn't help but smile at it. I always wondered what the point behind it was. Why make the prisoner's side of the window reflective? It's not like they'd expect to get some appearance conscious prisoner trying to do their hair; and why would the captors be interested in that anyway?
I moved to see if movement was still available to me. Nothing tied up; nothing broken... I tried remembering how I arrived here. I remembered sending Enrique and Kenny out my bedroom window... then the goons broke down my door... A struggle. I had managed to grab the first guy's gun and pointed it away from my head, but accidentally shot the other guy in the foot. I guess that was when I was somehow knocked out... I couldn't remember anything after that, except for the now.
I stood up and checked my pockets. All empty. I checked my last pocket... wait! Discreetly, making it look like I was trying to check every corner of my pocket, I found it... In a small little unnoticeable rip on the inside, I had found the one thing they were probably trying to find. The microchip. Happy that I still had it in my possession, I removed my hand from my pocket and ran my hand through my hair. They even took away my beret... Certainly were taking their chances. I didn't have to wait for very long in my cell...
"Agent Shadow. Very nice of you to join us, son."
I let out a smirk at the sure and almost triumphant sounding voice that resounded in my cell. "Like I had a choice, boss."
"Don't take that tone with me, young man. I am your superior and mother."
"I had disowned you the day you made me kill my first. And days ago you had put me down as defected. So really, I can take whatever tone I wish."
"Is that so...? Well then, what if I said that if you didn't cooperate, I would immediately dispose of the ones you care about?"
I grew suspicious and angry. "Really? Such as?"
"Why, innocent Max Tate, or how about your dear Papa or your beloved foster brother, Tala?"
I clenched my fists in anger. "You wouldn't dare..."
"Wouldn't I now? Do you wish to take that chance?"
I let out a frustrated growl. No; I didn't want any more blood on my hands; much less those people. The woman once known as my mother chuckled slightly.
"I thought as much. Now, you would be a good boy and follow these nice gentlemen out, wouldn't you?"
My cell door opened and the gorillas that brought me here appeared. I smiled with satisfaction seeing one of them had a cast on his foot. That man grabbed me roughly by the collar and near dragged me out of the cell. I coughed a little; he was determined to strangle me with my shirt; I'm positive!
It didn't take very long though. He shoved me into a lift, rather unceremoniously. The ride only took around ten seconds. The lift doors parted; the bright light in this new destination causing me to squint. I was pushed through before my eyes had time to adjust. I didn't have to adjust my eyes immediately though. The voice was enough to focus my mind.
"Welcome back, Shadow."
******
Oliver blinked once and stared at the woman in the seat. She had the same shade of hair colour as he did, and was just as pale. However, she had cold steely brown eyes rather than his own violet; a trait he was happy to inherit from his father. She wore an expensive designer deep crimson dress suit with a white blouse, with painted red nails and lips. Oliver's mother hadn't changed very much from the day she left him; the day she took his foster brother to Balkov Abbey in Russia to intensify his training. Oliver stood, fists clenched either side.
"I'm no longer called Shadow. He's dead. I'm Oliver DuBois."
"How touching; you still believe that you can kill off the part of you that will always stay. Didn't you know trying to remove blood stains is far harder than that?"
"Only you would know. You wear the colour of blood everyday." Oliver took a deep breath to calm his nerves. He decided to take on a different approach. "What do you want with me anyway?"
The woman smiled and tapped her fingers on the leather armrest of the chair she sat on.
"I just wanted to see my little boy; my own flesh and blood. Can't a mother indulge herself with that one simple matter?"
"Your reasons are never that simple."
The woman's face fell and turned into a kind of bored frown. "You're right. I'm not one for mere indulgence." Mrs DuBois nodded to another man on the other side of the room. "Let them in."
The lackey opened a door and Tala walked in, pushing a terrified Max in roughly. The blonde landed on his knees and looked up, surprise written all over his face.
"Oliver!? What are you doing here!?"
"Silence him, Cypher."
Tala nodded to his foster mother and grabbed Max, shoving a cloth into his mouth as a gag. Max mumbled a little in protest, but otherwise remained quiet. Oliver looked from Tala, to Max back to his mother.
"Well? Why are they here to hear your reasons?"
"Because they play a rather important part. You see, Shadow..."
"Oliver."
The woman went on, ignoring Oliver's interruption. "... You know Max Tate received a new beyblade from the PBA in America. What you also know is that that fool Douglas had also inserted a microchip into that blade. Tala was sent to retrieve that blade, but young Mr Tate did not have the microchip on him. In fact, he didn't have his beyblade on him when he joined us, full stop."
Oliver stood still, looking his mother in the eye. He tried his best to remain as unyielding as possible. The woman slowly smiled again.
"However, when Jacques and Taylor, the lovely gentlemen who paid you a visit, discovered the remains of the beyblade under your duvet, we immediately put two and two together..." Mrs Dubois said, as she leaned forward slightly, as if to stare Oliver down. "Where is the microchip, Oliver?"
Oliver simply frowned. "How should I know?" he bluffed. " I assumed you already searched me, looking at the availability of space in my pockets and lack of loose items of clothing. If I had it, don't you think I'd have handed it over to the proper authorities by now?"
"Yes, you are smart in that way, Oliver, but I know you. You'd hide the chip and use it in someway to barter for the lives you see before you."
Oliver regulated his breathing, keeping calm. "True, but then again, I didn't find the chip anyway. Max's blade didn't have it."
"Don't lie to me, son. You know how much Mama hates it when you lie."
"My Maman's dead. She died when she decided her sons would make excellent assassins."
The woman sighed and shook her head, as if almost sorry. "If you insist on being difficult, Shadow, then I'm afraid I'm going to have to keep you stewing in a cell for a while..."
"Wha..."
"Jacques, Taylor, Alexandre; take my sons and their friend to a nice little cell."
Oliver tried to struggle, but Tala stared at his foster mother and superior in surprise. "What!?"
"I'm sorry, Cypher, but Shadow is right. Technically, since your mother is 'dead', I hold no responsibility over you. Besides, the taint of defection was already upon you when you failed to kill Shadow..."
"But... but..."
"Didn't I say that those three children must be taken away already!?"
Tala stared and allowed himself to be dragged along to the lift, along with a protesting Oliver and a scared and gagged Max. As the lift door slid shut, Oliver looked back at his foster brother with sad eyes.
"See? She doesn't care. To her, we're simply Shadow and Cypher; defected assassins under her command."
=====================================================
Well... at least I didn't kill Oli-kun... You've gotta give me credit for that, at least! But what's going to happen to the trio now!? Should I kill one of them... *tries to look innocent...*
I tried to sit up, but winced again, clamping my hand over the wound at my side. How did it get there? Oh yeah... my fight with Tala... I lifted my shirt up and sighed with relief. It hasn't reopened; just developing another fresh blue and purple bruise, if that was possible under all the old ones... and it hurts like Hell! I tucked the garment into my trousers again and looked around. I was in some sort of holding cell. It was simple and not built for comfort. Some sheet of metal welded into the side of the wall to serve as a bed, a single light behind a grill on the window for light and...
"The ever present one way glass window..."
I couldn't help but smile at it. I always wondered what the point behind it was. Why make the prisoner's side of the window reflective? It's not like they'd expect to get some appearance conscious prisoner trying to do their hair; and why would the captors be interested in that anyway?
I moved to see if movement was still available to me. Nothing tied up; nothing broken... I tried remembering how I arrived here. I remembered sending Enrique and Kenny out my bedroom window... then the goons broke down my door... A struggle. I had managed to grab the first guy's gun and pointed it away from my head, but accidentally shot the other guy in the foot. I guess that was when I was somehow knocked out... I couldn't remember anything after that, except for the now.
I stood up and checked my pockets. All empty. I checked my last pocket... wait! Discreetly, making it look like I was trying to check every corner of my pocket, I found it... In a small little unnoticeable rip on the inside, I had found the one thing they were probably trying to find. The microchip. Happy that I still had it in my possession, I removed my hand from my pocket and ran my hand through my hair. They even took away my beret... Certainly were taking their chances. I didn't have to wait for very long in my cell...
"Agent Shadow. Very nice of you to join us, son."
I let out a smirk at the sure and almost triumphant sounding voice that resounded in my cell. "Like I had a choice, boss."
"Don't take that tone with me, young man. I am your superior and mother."
"I had disowned you the day you made me kill my first. And days ago you had put me down as defected. So really, I can take whatever tone I wish."
"Is that so...? Well then, what if I said that if you didn't cooperate, I would immediately dispose of the ones you care about?"
I grew suspicious and angry. "Really? Such as?"
"Why, innocent Max Tate, or how about your dear Papa or your beloved foster brother, Tala?"
I clenched my fists in anger. "You wouldn't dare..."
"Wouldn't I now? Do you wish to take that chance?"
I let out a frustrated growl. No; I didn't want any more blood on my hands; much less those people. The woman once known as my mother chuckled slightly.
"I thought as much. Now, you would be a good boy and follow these nice gentlemen out, wouldn't you?"
My cell door opened and the gorillas that brought me here appeared. I smiled with satisfaction seeing one of them had a cast on his foot. That man grabbed me roughly by the collar and near dragged me out of the cell. I coughed a little; he was determined to strangle me with my shirt; I'm positive!
It didn't take very long though. He shoved me into a lift, rather unceremoniously. The ride only took around ten seconds. The lift doors parted; the bright light in this new destination causing me to squint. I was pushed through before my eyes had time to adjust. I didn't have to adjust my eyes immediately though. The voice was enough to focus my mind.
"Welcome back, Shadow."
******
Oliver blinked once and stared at the woman in the seat. She had the same shade of hair colour as he did, and was just as pale. However, she had cold steely brown eyes rather than his own violet; a trait he was happy to inherit from his father. She wore an expensive designer deep crimson dress suit with a white blouse, with painted red nails and lips. Oliver's mother hadn't changed very much from the day she left him; the day she took his foster brother to Balkov Abbey in Russia to intensify his training. Oliver stood, fists clenched either side.
"I'm no longer called Shadow. He's dead. I'm Oliver DuBois."
"How touching; you still believe that you can kill off the part of you that will always stay. Didn't you know trying to remove blood stains is far harder than that?"
"Only you would know. You wear the colour of blood everyday." Oliver took a deep breath to calm his nerves. He decided to take on a different approach. "What do you want with me anyway?"
The woman smiled and tapped her fingers on the leather armrest of the chair she sat on.
"I just wanted to see my little boy; my own flesh and blood. Can't a mother indulge herself with that one simple matter?"
"Your reasons are never that simple."
The woman's face fell and turned into a kind of bored frown. "You're right. I'm not one for mere indulgence." Mrs DuBois nodded to another man on the other side of the room. "Let them in."
The lackey opened a door and Tala walked in, pushing a terrified Max in roughly. The blonde landed on his knees and looked up, surprise written all over his face.
"Oliver!? What are you doing here!?"
"Silence him, Cypher."
Tala nodded to his foster mother and grabbed Max, shoving a cloth into his mouth as a gag. Max mumbled a little in protest, but otherwise remained quiet. Oliver looked from Tala, to Max back to his mother.
"Well? Why are they here to hear your reasons?"
"Because they play a rather important part. You see, Shadow..."
"Oliver."
The woman went on, ignoring Oliver's interruption. "... You know Max Tate received a new beyblade from the PBA in America. What you also know is that that fool Douglas had also inserted a microchip into that blade. Tala was sent to retrieve that blade, but young Mr Tate did not have the microchip on him. In fact, he didn't have his beyblade on him when he joined us, full stop."
Oliver stood still, looking his mother in the eye. He tried his best to remain as unyielding as possible. The woman slowly smiled again.
"However, when Jacques and Taylor, the lovely gentlemen who paid you a visit, discovered the remains of the beyblade under your duvet, we immediately put two and two together..." Mrs Dubois said, as she leaned forward slightly, as if to stare Oliver down. "Where is the microchip, Oliver?"
Oliver simply frowned. "How should I know?" he bluffed. " I assumed you already searched me, looking at the availability of space in my pockets and lack of loose items of clothing. If I had it, don't you think I'd have handed it over to the proper authorities by now?"
"Yes, you are smart in that way, Oliver, but I know you. You'd hide the chip and use it in someway to barter for the lives you see before you."
Oliver regulated his breathing, keeping calm. "True, but then again, I didn't find the chip anyway. Max's blade didn't have it."
"Don't lie to me, son. You know how much Mama hates it when you lie."
"My Maman's dead. She died when she decided her sons would make excellent assassins."
The woman sighed and shook her head, as if almost sorry. "If you insist on being difficult, Shadow, then I'm afraid I'm going to have to keep you stewing in a cell for a while..."
"Wha..."
"Jacques, Taylor, Alexandre; take my sons and their friend to a nice little cell."
Oliver tried to struggle, but Tala stared at his foster mother and superior in surprise. "What!?"
"I'm sorry, Cypher, but Shadow is right. Technically, since your mother is 'dead', I hold no responsibility over you. Besides, the taint of defection was already upon you when you failed to kill Shadow..."
"But... but..."
"Didn't I say that those three children must be taken away already!?"
Tala stared and allowed himself to be dragged along to the lift, along with a protesting Oliver and a scared and gagged Max. As the lift door slid shut, Oliver looked back at his foster brother with sad eyes.
"See? She doesn't care. To her, we're simply Shadow and Cypher; defected assassins under her command."
=====================================================
Well... at least I didn't kill Oli-kun... You've gotta give me credit for that, at least! But what's going to happen to the trio now!? Should I kill one of them... *tries to look innocent...*