"Ed, what've you got for us?" Jet counted inventory and reloaded his guns.
"Ed's got security cameras and pass codes," Radical Ed cheered, " Time to get Eddy?"
Jet sniggered and looked up at the rosy cheeked girl.
"Yeah, it's about time we bring her back home."
"So are you gonna tell him?" pressed Kara as the two strolled the hallways of headquarters.
"Kara, of course I'm going to have to eventually tell him. I mean, you think he'd send me off on a mission with a bloated belly?" Edie croaked.
"Well, you could always make him believe it's his."
Edie stopped in her tracks and pulled on Kara's shoulder, haltering any further movement.
"What are you saying?'
"Sleep with him and make him think it's his."
Edie groaned at such a demoralizing idea, but nonetheless understood the motive behind it. Kara was just trying to help. She, too, knew that there was no way in hell, heaven or earth, that Edie was giving up that baby. Totally dismissing the idea of abortion. And there was no way, even if their life depended on it, she would ever sleep with that monster. She slept with the man that monster once was. She even loved that man and had expecting carrying his child one day. What a web life can spin.
"Edie."
Edie's attention snapped back to Kara and Kara frowned.
"I'm sorry." Kara dawdled with her hands and felt ashamed with herself. Edie rested her hand on Kara's shoulder and leered.
"Allowed her to pass, when she gets here."
"Yes sir, Mr. Leon." his secretary typed away at her desk.
Upon hearing of her arrival and return to the organization, Felix felt jittery. For years, he hated that he'd not been given the opportunity to explain himself to his once fianceé. Of course, La Puerta was unaware of their little arrangement. At the time, he'd couldn't explain it but he felt that their union would have to be behind the backs of the committee lest they feel it could endanger the future of the group. They had forewarned him of her of how she could potentially veer him off track. Which, in many ways, she did. Eddy proved to be very influential to his former youth. She was growing soft and could take him, the original founder, with her. The committee said nothing in regards to his relationship with Carmen. Rather, they even endorsed it. Due to the fact that they didn't see her as a concerning threat.
Felix paced back and forth in his office and puffed at his cigar for some sort of comfort. Why did he even feel the need to confront her about the past? Oh that's right, how is she going to put faith and loyalty in someone who ordered for her execution. Technically, it wasn't him.
The sound of knocking echoed through his office and Felix felt himself hold his breath. The door knob twirled and the door proceeded to open, exposing the young woman behind it. She appeared more colorless than when he had last laid eyes on her. Her eyes were cold and steady, piercing into his. "Eddy," Felix finally managed to breathe. "Come, sit." He gestured to the chair in front of him and watched as she trekked over. Felix eyed her hips as they swayed and he began to teethe his lower lip. Eddy's body was still the same, in fact maybe, a little curvier than before. But he couldn't continue to refer to her as Eddy; she was right, Eddy was gone. She was reborn. And though he could swear to his grave, that it was Eddy when he watched the way she floated by, or by the scars on her body, or even her soothing voice, he was dead wrong. Felix could admit it to himself when she peered into his eyes. They no longer reflected undying love for him. They no longer reflected their life together. They were black and empty. A shudder flew down his spine as he felt her presence. Familiar yet so... dead.
"I trust you've adapted to the circumstances. I see you've completed three successful jobs since you're return. Well done." Felix sat himself at his desk and crossed his legs.
"I assume you didn't just invite me here to pat me on the shoulder for doing my job." Edie's voice was laced with spite and ice.
"And, you'd assume right. Edd...I mean Edie, I understand that there are some things that have not been cleared between you and I. Which hinders productivity," He spoke in a matter-of-fact tone, as if he were speaking of business and finance not of intimate things. "With that in mind, I'd like to start off by..."
"Felix," interceded Edie, raising her hand to waiver off the rest of his statement, or rather admission. Felix blinked at her, precariously watching her and scowled. "There's nothing for you to say." Edie continued. A moment of silence lapsed between the former lovers before Felix coughed to clear his throat and his rising anger.
"There is nothing to explain or understand. This was the life we chose." She interjected, stealing away his words. And these words, she knew in her heart to be true. There was nothing Felix could say to alter that. They decided on this life of crime, fame and power. In fact, they welcomed it. Sure there was hell to pay but who contemplated on that? Why contemplate on repercussions when you'd rather dwell on the many blessings. Which, to say the blessings were plenty would be undermining. Sex, drugs, riches, power. What more could a couple of kids from the streets want? In an instant, Felix jumped up from his chair and slammed his palms against the desk top, startling Edie.
"Fuck you!" roared Felix as he flew to her. She winced slightly as he gripped her throat, fervently squeezing her, but her eye contact never faltered. She consumed him with her eyes. Edie latched on to his grasp as if to dare him, which flared his hatred for her. Her otherwise blank eyes flickered with some sort of emotion and he tossed her aside. Edie gasped for air and coughed frantically on the floor.
"Something is different about you." Felix stated with this back to her limp body.
"Wha...What are you talking about? We haven't seen each other in four years of course, I'm different." She wheezed, clutching on to her inflamed throat.
"No, it's not that." Felix readily assumed as he turned his head to face her. Edie's eyes widened slightly and sought refuge in the office's carpet flooring. She hoped he'd didn't notice, but he did. He noted her hesitation when his fingers began to crush her trachea. He couldn't mistaken it, he knew it was fear. He could see the fear in her eyes. Fear of death, Eddy? The notion was absurd. The Edith Grimes he knew and still resembled in this Edie persona, would never fear death. Death surrounded and followed her. It would follow her to the ends of the earth and send her to the deepest of crevices of Hell itself. All they knew was death, so it was natural for them to welcome it. They welcomed it into their homes and made it their guest. Grimes feared nothing. Felix could contest to that. He'd personally seen her face a gun and not so much as stutter as the gunmen fondled with the trigger. In fact, it appeared as if she wanted it, wanted it more than anything in this wretched world. Yet she cringed below him at this very moment. You feared death when you know you have something to lose. When you realize that there is something beautiful among the stark. Something worth living for.
Edie remained silent and pushed herself up to stand adjacent to Felix. "Seems you can see right through me." She smirked.
"Comes with the territory of knowing you for eight years." He straightened his suit and snagged another cigar from his desk. "So what is it, Edith? What's got you spooked?" Edie's eyes narrowed and her lips quivered as she struggled to find the words to say.
"Felix, I'm..."
The sound of a massive explosion rang throughout the air and the ground rumbled below them.
"What the..." Felix's posture tensed and he sped to his desk.
"Susan, what the hell is going on?"
"Sir! We have a security breach throughout the facility. The cameras are down and there are reports of damages to the eighth and fifth vicinities."
"Any ID on the perpetrators?"
"No but it appears they are highly skilled. We've been hacked out of our security system."
"Damn!" Felix slammed his fists on the desk and frantically scoured through his desk drawers. He hurled a Walkie-Talkie on top of the desk and shoved a 9 millimeter handgun in the back of his trouser pants. He latched onto Edie's hand and tugged her along as he burst through the doors.
