Chapter 49

Kelly and Sanchez were the ones who had to break the news to the Boss.

"Sir..." Kelly was gentle when waking him. He'd been relocated to a small, nondescript village in Galar, a place no one would suspect. The hospital there was small but functional, just enough to keep him safe and healthy while they went about their business.

It took a bit of prodding before he finally came too, groggy from the medication. When his blurred vision opened, and he saw only two of his four Executives, he knew something had happened. Something awful.

"Where are the others..." He stumbled through his words.

The remaining Executives exchanged glances before Sanchez took it upon himself to explain what happened. The attack, the mansion burning down.

"I'm afraid..." Mentioning Stotler's demise, he spoke with a fear that they may be in trouble for losing one of their colleges. "He didn't make it."

There was a strained silence. Both expected it.

What started out as a group of delinquents causing them minor irritation was now an issue beyond their control. Several dead, including a close friend. Dixon turned not only on them but against his own men. The attacks were growing more prevalent, more organized.

Breaking the silence, The Boss shook his head. "He was a good man."

"And Riker-" Before Kelly could get the rest of the sentence out, she was interrupted.

"What of him? Where is he?" The sentence came as a demand.

"He's fine." Kelly realized her mistake and corrected herself. "We almost lost him but one of his lab assistants stepped in-"

"Where is he now?"

"Back in Aurora, there was an attack in Isador and he wanted to make sure everything was squared away." She didn't bother adding just how difficult he was taking everything.

Truth be told though, it was difficult for everyone.

The entire situation was such a mess that Kelly half expected an unceremonious reaming for her idiocy in trusting Dixon to begin with.

"Who is behind all of this?" The Boss asked, his temper showing (much to the dread of his underlings). "You four were dumb enough to trust Dixon, Stotler's dead, there must be something to show for it."

Kelly started, cautious when continuing. "We're still in contact with them...the police I mean. They're questioning the men as we speak, we should have some information soon."

Perhaps it was the medication, or his condition, but the fight all but left their superior as he closed his eyes, his breath weak.

"Kelly." Sanchez pulled his friend over to the back corner of the room, waiting until the Boss fell asleep before speaking. "This is getting to be too much for him. The stress of it all, it's making things worse."

"What do you expect me to do about it?" Kelly snapped. "We're doing the best we can with what we have. I'm not even sure we can trust Laurent after everything that's happened." She sighed. "We might have to do a little interrogation of our own."

Sanchez crossed his arms. "If either of us make one wrong move, we risk messing things up worse than what they are."

"Then we'll have to take it up with Riker-"

As soon as Riker's name left Kelly's lips, Sanchez's attitude changed, going from cooperative to cold. "I don't see why we have to take everything up with the boy." He exited the hospital room, strolling out into an empty, dimly lit hall, complete with all the usual hospital trappings. "You saw him back there, after the attack, he could hardly control his temper."

Kelly rolled her eyes. "You act as if he has no right to be human."

"Human is one thing, naive is another. He's too hot blooded."

"As would anyone be in that situation." They murmured in hushed tones when they saw a nurse leave another room, strolling past them. "First of all, whether you like it or not, what the boy says is law. You can pout about it all you want, that won't change a damn thing." She continued. "Secondly, even if you don't want to accept that, he's still an Executive. He still has every right to an opinion regardless of your opinion on him." She scraped a set of purple nails through her hair, trying to collect her thoughts. "If you want to debate him, do it when we aren't falling apart at the seams. You said yourself a few minutes ago, we can't afford to make any more mistakes. Turning against each other would be the biggest one."