"Well, if it isn't Saul Greeniaus and Prosper English. Can't say I expected to see either of you here. Much less entangled with one another." Alias laughed as Saul and Prosper struggled off the dusty floor of the train car.

"Well, we weren't exactly expecting it, either." Saul muttered to himself. He turned to Prosper, asking, "Why do we keep running into your cronies?"

"How should I know?" Prosper snapped. "The criminal world's a small one. Have you got a problem with it?"

"Just asking," Saul said vaguely.

"Well, it's nice to see you two still hate each other as much as you did back in the day," Alias commented. "It makes seeing you together a lot less strange."

"Oh, really?" Saul said drily.

"Oh yeah. Although I suppose it is strange to see you two interacting at all." A pause.

"I'm kind of disappointed to be honest. I expected things to be more heated."

"What the… what's that supposed to mean!?" Prosper sputtered.

Alias let out a hearty laugh in response and clamped both mens' shoulders so hard they almost fell back down again. "Don't worry! I'm only messing with you two! I'm glad you aren't at each other's throats right now. It makes this a lot less awkward. Whatever this is anyway."

"Honestly, I'm not sure myself," Saul deadpanned.

"Mr. Greeniaus and I have a deal," Prosper explained. "That's why we're here together. And once it's fulfilled, we'll go our separate ways."

"Oh, a deal," Alias said intrigued. "What kind of deal have you two struck up?"

"Oh, wouldn't you like to know?" Prosper retorted.

"Yeah, I would actually," Alias said. "I mean, it must be a pretty crazy deal if you two ended up as wanted men because of it."

Saul's mouth felt open. Even Prosper looked surprised, his dark eyebrows were almost lost in his graying hair. "You know about that!?" he asked.

"Of course, I do," Alias said breezily. "Like Prosper said, the criminal world is quite small. Especially if you're as well connected as I am. It also doesn't hurt that I've got a radio with me, dispensing the latest current events 24/7."

Upon saying this, Alias gestured to a small radio sitting on one of the many wooden crates in the train car. It was obviously quite old, for its speakers were caked in dust and its teal paint was chipping off but it was still functional, a fact evident by the McDonald's commercial playing over the airwaves.

This radio wasn't the only piece of memorabilia in the train car. There were also multiple blankets and pillows scattered about, as well as cans of food, a can opener and even the occasional paperback.

"Well, I see you've been busy in here," Saul said as he observed his surroundings.

"Yeah," Alias replied. "Life on the lam is tough but I make do. Helps that my hiding place is constantly on the move."

"I'll say," agreed Prosper in a way that implead he knew exactly what Alias was talking about. But he didn't elaborate. Instead, he asked, "How did you procure such an ingenious hideout?"

"Oh, wouldn't you like to know?" Alias retorted, an evil smile blossoming on his face. Propser visibly bristled and Saul choked out a laugh before stopping himself. With how polite he'd been he'd almost forgotten that Alias had been a criminal too. He couldn't let himself get too friendly with any of Prosper's company.

No matter how charming and admittedly friendly they were.

"You can't talk to me that way!" Prosper spluttered.

But Alias only retorted, "Why not? You're not my boss anymore. Ever since you 'drowned'," Alias made quotation marks with his fingers. "in the Pacific your name's held no stake in the criminal underworld. And it certainly doesn't now that your face is all over tv."

"I-"

"You have no authority over me. In fact…" Alias picked up a can of baked beans and a can opener. "I might just have authority over you." The can of beans opened with a satisfying click. Alias picked up a fork and dug into them as Prosper stood there, his pale cheeks flushed, and his bony hands curled up in tight fists.

Saul, who had watched the whole exchange with interest, noticed that Alia had become a lot more confident than when he'd seen him last. Saul had arrested him before, as he'd been part of Prosper's first attempt to kidnap Cadel and escape Australia after Genius Squad. Alia, while still a criminal had been hardly as dangerous as Prosper was. In fact, he seemed to fear Prosper quite a bit during their first meeting. So, Alias's newfound confidence in the face of his old master was quite interesting. Did he, like Saul, feel a peculiar schadenfreude when it came to Prosper's current predicament. And if so, was it a means of getting revenge or was it merely comical to him to see someone so powerful being knocked down a peg.

Whatever the reason, Alias must have felt at least a little guilty because he relented a little. "Hey. Hey, Prosper. How about I make another deal with you."

"I don't know," Prosper said sullenly. "I feel as if I've had my fair share of deals for one lifetime."

"This one'll be good I promise," Alias said. "So, here's the deal." He shoved a mouthful of beans into his mouth and chewed. "I'll tell you how I got in my current predicament, if you tell me how you got in your current predicament."

"Hmmm…" Prosper thought for a moment. "Not worth it!" He finally called out.

"Aw, Prosper come on." Alias said. "You're not mad about what I said, are you? It's just the truth. Although, we all know how bad you are with the truth."

Saul failed to suppress a snort. Prosper turned away from them both with a "humph!"

"Maybe we need a second opinion," Alias mused, as he absentmindedly twirled his fork in his fingers. He turned to Saul. "What do you think, detective? Would you like to tell me why you're wanted?"

Saul thought about it for a moment. While he didn't know if entirely trusted Alias, he had a feeling that he was at least more trustworthy than Prosper English. And besides, what reason did he have to hurt Cadel? Saul could think of none.

So, he shrugged his shoulders and said, "Sure. I don't see how it could hurt for you to know."

"Alright!" Alias shouted. "Story time!"

Prosper turned back to the detective. "Mr. Greeniaus, you can't be serious! Why on earth should we tell him about the situation! He might try to use it against us!"

"Well, I don't think he will," Saul said. "Especially since weaponizing sensitive information is more of your strong suit, Prosper."

"Mr. Greeniaus-" Prosper began in threatening tones, though he was quickly interrupted by Alias.

"Tick tock, Prosper!" Alias shouted through a mouthful of beans. "Mr. Detective's gonna tell it whether or not you consent anyway! Might as well just give in."

"Grrrrrr… fine!" Prosper shouted. "You want to know why we're wanted. Well, fine. But don't take our testimony as an invitation to become involved. This operation is too crowded already!"

So, the two men told Alias everything. They told him about Cadel's disappearance, about their initial stages of their search, about how they teamed up to find their son (Prosper tried to leave out the part about killing Doug but Saul wouldn't let him) about how they had sought help from Dr. Vee in the GenoMe building and had almost gotten trapped there. Finally, they told Alias about the motel and about how they had seen their faces on the tv screen with no warning and, to them, for no rhyme or reason whatsoever.

The story was so exciting that Alias could only listen intently with wide eyes as they described the horrors both men went through to find their son. Listen and eat beans. Alias got through three and half cans of beans before Saul and Prosper's story was done.

"Christ," Alias said after he had finished chewing a handful of beans. "That's got to be one of the craziest stories I've ever heard. I'm really sorry about Cadel, by the way. I hope you find him. He was such a smart kid."

"Thank you," Saul said.

"Is a smart kid, Prosper corrected, quite testily. The story telling session had had quite a curious effect on the psychologist. Although, he had been telling it in a train car, surrounded by cans of beans to a criminal instead of in a familiar environment with those he loved and trusted, talking about his challenges with finding Cadel had somehow made him feel better. It had felt good to have a way to vent his feelings and worries and his heart had felt lighter afterwards. Already, he could feel his mood improving slightly.

Prosper's mood, meanwhile, had not improved at all. In fact, it had arguably gotten worse. Once again, he had taken on the depressed and tired countenance had often took on when actively discussing Cadel.

"Hey, wait a minute!" Alias shouted. "I just noticed, y'all never got the chance to trace that one guy you were looking for. What was his name again?"

"Doug Dudley," Saul answered hastily.

"Or that's what he claimed it was, anyway," Prosper said. Saul was astonished. He couldn't believe he had forgotten something so important! But then again, it had been a very busy morning. Saul, Prosper and Dr. Vee hadn't found time to follow their new lead.

"Doug Dudley… Doug Dudley…" Alias tapped his chin in thought. "I do feel like I've heard that alias before… but where…"

"Hmmmm," Prosper's face took on a pensive expression. "Perhaps he was originally one of Darkkon's men?" he suggested. "He did have a lot of staff."

But Alias shook his head. "Nah, I feel like I would've remembered if he was one of Darkkon's."

"Yes, you're probably right," Prosper conceded. "Perhaps he was a student of the Axis Institute." But Prosper dismissed this possibility himself. "No, that's not possible. I was chancellor. If he was a student, I would've remembered him. Wouldn't I have?" He turned to Saul for help, but since the detective hadn't been involved with the Phineas Darkkon's old school (aside from investigating its wrongdoings, of course) he could only shrug his shoulders as he didn't have any useful information to supply.

Then Prosper's face lit up. "Oh, I've got it! He's probably one of the people from that whole Yakuza fiasco!"

Saul blinked. "The… the what?"

"Oh, excuse me," Prosper said sheepishly. "It was so long ago, I forgot that was classified information. Well, it's hardly relevant now."

"Hey, wait a minute-" Saul began but he was interrupted by Alias's epiphany.

"Oh, now I've got it!" Alias shouted. "Doug was some freelance grunt who did work for all sorts of greater criminals. I met him in a bar once and never again. That's why I hardly remembered him."

"So, you do remember Doug!" Prosper said.

"Yes, although, as you two have gathered already, Doug is only an alias. His real names is, Barney Singer. And I know where he lives too."

"You do!?" Saul exclaimed, unable to keep the excitement out of his voice.

"Yup! He lives on the outskirts of Brisbane. In a rundown old house on 733 Free Street."

"733 Free Street," Prosper repeated. "That shouldn't be too hard to remember."

"I can't believe you've been such a huge help, Alias," Saul said. "Thank you so much."

"Aw shucks, It's nothing. I mean, what can I say? It makes me happy to see the detective do his detective work. Especially when said detective work involves finding his son."

"See, Mr. Greeniaus," Prosper said with a smug smirk. "We criminals aren't so bad." Saul merely sighed in response. He didn't appreciate being reminded of who exactly he was associating with.

"Speaking of criminals," Alias said. "I think it's time I upheld my end of the deal. Grab some beans boys. This story is one wild ride."


Saul's steps echoed in the darkness as he walked through the narrow hallway. Saul didn't know exactly where he was, where he going or even where he meant to go. All he knew was that his son was here. And he had to find him.

"Cadel!" Saul shouted as he ran up and down the alleys. "Cadel! Where are you!?"

Doors. The hall was lined wall to wall with doors. There were no numbers on them, or anything to distinguish them apart from each other or hint at what rooms they may have lead into. Saul didn't care. He tried the handle on one of them. Locked.

"Dammit!" Saul cursed. "Cadel, where are you!?"

Saul felt his chest constrict, heard his breath grow shallow. He realized he was on the verge of a panic attack. But he couldn't panic! Not now! Not when Cadel was so close. Not when he felt, knew in his gut, that his son was in danger. And time was running out fast.

"Cadel!" Saul cried, on the verge of tears. "Cadel, can you hear me!" Saul choked out a sob. "Cadel, I know you're out there! If you can, please answer!"

Another sob. Saul couldn't seem to stop the tears from flowing as he gradually lost hope. But then he heard it. A faint echo, coming from all the way down the dark hall.

"Saul?"

Saul gasped. Was that his son? Was he really okay?

"Cadel?" he whispered. Saul got no response from the oppressive darkness. So he tried again.

"Cadel!" he called out. Still, no answer. Saul didn't care though. He took off in the direction the voice had come from, careening through the narrow allies, and flying passed the identical unmarked doors. "Cadel! I'm coming, Cadel!"

"Oof!" Saul hit a weight in the darkness, and he tumbled downward. "What the…" he muttered. "Who's there?"

"Oh, Mr. Greeniaus," drawled a familiar British accent. "You know exactly who I am."

The detective gasped as the familiar lank figure of Prosper English came into view. In the dim light, Saul could just make out a head of reddish-brown hair and a tan trench coat. His eyes, however, were still as black as coal and when he leered at him, his yellow canines looked sharper than knives.

"Prosper, please!" Saul begged. "Prosper English, please let me see my son."

The psychologist wouldn't be moved, however. Instead, he smiled a devilish smile as he pulled something bright and silver from his pocket.

The handgun.

"Silly fool," Prosper whispered as he pointed the gun right at Saul's temple. The barrel was ice cold, but it burned like fire against Saul's ivory skin. "We both know we can't allow that. Cadel's mine after all."

"That's not true! Cadel wants to be with me! He needs to be with me!"

"LIAR!" Prosper applied so much pressure that Saul began to lean to the side. "What Cadel needs is for you to get out of the way! Now, don't move! Or I'll shoot your brains out!"

Prosper began to laugh maniacally. "No!" Saul shouted. "I need to see Cadel, I need to see my son!" Saul called out. "Cadel!"

"Cadel!"

"CADEL!"


"SAUL!"

Saul Greeniaus awoke with a start, eyes wide and gasping for breath. He was so cold. Cold and wet.

How much had he been sweating…?

"Jesus, Saul, you had me scared half to death, and I wasn't even the one having the nightmare."

Nightmare?

Saul looked up from his damp blankets to see Alias hovering over him with a concerned expression. Gradually he came to remember he was on the train, although things looked quite different now. Night had fallen and the moon was visible over the ocean as they rode along to Brisbane. A lantern cast a warm orange glow inside the train car. In its light Saul could see many cans of baked beans and the old radio which was now playing old songs from the 60's and 70's.

"Nightmare?" he echoed to Alias.

"Yeah," Alias said, bending down. "You were yelping in your sleep and everything."

"I was?" Saul asked, his face growing hot. "Jesus, I'm sorry If I woke you up-"

"No, no, no, it's fine," Alias said, shaking his head. "I stay up late most nights, anyway. Plus, it gave me an excuse to wake you up. Now I have someone to talk to." Alias pulled out a can of baked beans and handed them to Saul. "Want some beans?" he asked.

Wordlessly, Saul nodded. Alias picked up the can opener and carefully opened up a can of beans for the detective.

"Here." Alias handed him the open can. "I know it's not exactly a five-star meal but…"

"Don't worry about it." Now it was Saul's turn to reassure Alias. "With what I've been through, a lollipop dipped in snot would probably take like a five-star meal." Alias laughed.

Saul hadn't been expecting much from the canned beans Alias gave him. He'd never been a huge fan of baked beans and he kept his expectations for canned food low for a reason. And perhaps it was the intense amount of stress he'd been under the past few days. But when Saul bit into that first mouthful of beans, it seemed as if it was the best thing he ever tasted.

A strange warmth seemed to, coarse through his body as he tasted the sweetness of the beans. The taste was so familiar, so homely, that they made him feel, in spit of everything, that it would all be okay.

"Wow," Saul said, through a mouthful of bean. "These are actually really good."

"Seriously?" Alias asked.

"Seriously!" Saul repeated. "Did you add some sort of secret ingredient or something?"

Alias chuckled. "Saul, you saw me open those beans right in front of you! I didn't touch them up or nothing. Those beans came straight from the can."

"So, why do they taste so good then?" Saul muttered.

Perhaps the reason the beans tasted so good was because they had been offered to Saul when he was so vulnerable, in such a kind manner. The detective was absolutely bewildered at how kind Alias had been. Even though he was a criminal, whom Saul had arrested and Prosper had abandoned he had been more than hospitable to the both of them. He had allowed them to stay in his little hideout, shared stories, and sympathy with them and had even bothered to wake Saul up from his nightmare.

And not to mention, he fed them beans.

Saul wouldn't have thought this level of kindness capable of criminals. Perhaps Alias was just an exception? After all, Saul could hardly imagine Prosper being this nice to a hypothetical stowaway in his hypothetical train car.

Speaking of Prosper English…

"Hey, where's Prosper?" Saul asked.

"Over there," Alias pointed to a corner where Prosper lay snug as a bug, curled under a blanket, head rested on a pillow, snoring away. Saul couldn't help but bristle slightly at his peaceful countenance.

"Well, at least someone's sleeping soundly," Saul said dryly. "I bet he doesn't even know what it's like to have a nightmare."

"Oh, you'd be surprised," Alias said. "Not even someone like Prosper English is immune to night terrors."

Saul sniffed. He stuffed another spoonful of beans into his mouth.

"No, seriously," Alias said. "There were rumors going around Darkkon's empire that Prosper still hadn't gotten over Elspeth. That he still had nightmares about her."

"Elspeth…" Saul muttered. "Wasn't that Cadel's mother who he killed?" When Alias nodded, he said, "Well, serves him right, I suppose. If he's not going to jail for murder the least, he could do is be tormented by what he did."

Alias smirked. "Dang Saul, you are not sympathetic."

"He held a gun to my head. Why would I be?"

"Yeah…," said Alias. "That makes sense."

From there, the two men lapsed into an odd but comfortable silence. Saul finished his beans and set them down next to him. Outside, the reflection of the full moon rippled in the clear ocean waves.

Finally, Alias broke the silence.

"You know Saul… I know you don't believe it. And I don't blame you for it but…"

A pause.

A long pause.

"Don't blame me for what?" Saul finally pressed after moments of waiting. "I don't believe what?"

"Prosper…" Alias murmured. "…he really does care about Cadel."

Saul turned to look at Alias. Study him. His bright gray eyes and average mouth were completely earnest. The eyes especially looked at Saul with a serious he'd never seen in them.

The detective snorted. "Yeah, right," he said, dismissively.

"No, I'm serious!" Alias urged. "Why do you think he heaped all those resources on Cadel when he was young? Why do you think he killed Elspeth? Why do you think he died in the Pacific!?"

"Because Cadel was the heir to the Darkkon criminal empire. Because he's a murderer and a trash human being and he didn't die in the Pacific Ocean."

"If he was dead," Saul said, "we wouldn't be here right now."

"Oh, come on, Saul. He was jealous of you. Don't you think that means something?"

"Yes," Saul said. "It means that Prosper's so evil and bitter that he can't even stand to be in the presence of actual decent people."

"And what makes you such a decent person?" Alias pressed. "Didn't you just break into an abandoned building. Aren't you currently evading the law right now?"

Saul colored. He didn't have a good answer to that. At least not right away. "Well, I don't make a habit of killing people," he finally retorted.

"So, that makes it alright to break into other peoples' property, then?"

"Look, Dean!" Saul began. "I am under some extreme circumstances right now. My son is missing! He's been taken from my home because of him!" Saul pointed to Prosper. "My wife and his friends are counting on me to bring him back alive and healthy! I am not going to let them down!"

"And do I like doing these illegal things! Do I enjoy it!? No! But I need to do it! Because I need to find Cadel! I need to!"

"Ah, I see," Alias said. "In other words, the end justifies the means."

This made Saul stop in his tracks. He realized that, yes, that was what he was saying. It was a justification used by so many criminals and it had just come out of his mouth.

Saul was so ashamed he couldn't even speak.

"Hm," Alias hummed. "You know, maybe you and Prosper aren't so different after all."