This interlude takes place during the events that have not yet been posted. It's also written kind of confusingly, so be cautious.
Warning: Mafia, cruelty, abuse
"We meet at last, Quarry," declares the stranger clad in what Quarry assumes is a pirate costume from a Halloween shop.
They're in the interrogation room in the local police department. Quarry's been here few times before (the quirks of being an ex-Chinese Mafia hitman, you see), but it's never been with this stranger in front of him. An officer stands by the door, looking at the stranger with the most displeased look on his face. Quarry thinks he introduced himself "Cal-" something, but he doesn't care too much to recall it.
"Well, to be honest, I thought you'd be... well... Not you. Because let's be honest. More so than a leader of an organization that doesn't exist, you look... You look like a rock," the stranger says, watching him carefully.
"But don't you see, Quarry? I need a rock like you in my life. Even if everyone else gets swept away by the current, I need someone to be stable enough to hold me," Rex told him once upon a time.
That conversation feels like a life time ago. It was the first time Rex opened up to him. First time that, with a shaky breath, Rex said, "I think I'm losing my mind. I have holes in my memory." And Quarry had no idea what to do, what to say, so he just listened. And it ended with Rex's soft laughter that reaffirmed Quarry's decision to stay by his side.
"I guess it was pretty rude of me to assume, but I just thought that the leader of Providence would be... more geeky looking, if you know what I mean," the stranger continues motioning at Quarry's scars.
"You don't like your scars?" Rex looked amused by the prospect of that. He then laughed as if he wasn't laughing at a hitman, like he was just hanging out with a friend. Quarry doesn't even remember how the conversation arrived at this topic, to be honest.
"But they're part of who you are. It's something that even if your mind forgets, you will forever have." Rex looked wistful then. Almost like he was much older than he appeared, almost like he had seen too much.
Quarry doesn't remember the rest of that conversation, unfortunately.
"After all, it is because of you that I'm here now..." The stranger slams his prosthetic arms in front of Quarry, lips drawn back in a fierce snarl. "You, Quarry, ruined my life!" Then he looks at Quarry, watching him carefully to gauge what kind of response he'll receive. Just as before, Quarry ignores him.
Rex gave him the most baffled look when Quarry brought it up. "Huh?" he asked, and it was the damnedest thing because it's rare to catch Rex off-guard like that. "You want me to use your name?"
It took a bit of convincing on Quarry's part, but in the end, Rex nodded slowly, still looking uncertain. "Are you sure, though? Some of the things I end up doing in your name might be illegal." Like he didn't know that. Like he didn't use to work for the Chinese Mafia.
Quarry shrugged. He hadn't cared. This was just one more way of tying Rex close to him, of making sure that he was useful enough for Rex to stay. And it wasn't until he glanced over and saw the Asian's face (small curving smirk as if he knew something that Quarry didn't) that he realized that this had all been part of Rex's plan. That Rex knew that Quarry would offer.
"No response again?" The stranger sighs before collapsing on the chair across from Quarry. "Jeesh, you're just like a rock!" The stranger rubbed the back of his neck, thinking about it. Then he changed tactics. "So... Rex Salazar."
And damn it, that catches Quarry's attention. The stranger realizes it and he smirks.
"Oh, so that's the key? Rex Salazar?"
Quarry doesn't like the way this guy says Rex's name. Like he has some kind of a plan, like he's going to be using Rex. His fists clench tightly and the stranger notices. He notices and cackles, and just damn it. So much for being a rock, he's giving everything away.
"Well, that's just fine and dandy. Why this kid?"
Quarry looks away, refusing to answer. But that seems to be just what the stranger has been waiting for.
"According to my information, you were a hitman for the Chinese Mafia. Then you got sloppy when you killed the members of the Consortium. You've been in jail until last few years. And the minute you get out of jail, you're spotted with Rex Salazar and you never work for the Chinese Mafia again. So I ask you again, why this kid?"
Faulty information and stupid question, Quarry thinks. But that's just to be expected. Because he suspects that starting even before the first day they met (the day when he was first released from prison), Rex had everything meticulously planned, down to exactly how he was going to use Quarry as a scapegoat to escape without a single stain to his name. And the funny thing is that Quarry saw it coming. He knew that Rex would betray him. He understood it so well that it was painful.
"Friends?" Rex gave him a strange look as if Quarry was the one with a twisted world view. "Are you kidding me? They're my tools, Quarry! If they become dulled or useless, I'll throw them away and get new ones. For a hitman, you sure have a romantic view of the world."
"Even Tuck?" Quarry asked. Because that was important. Because Rex considered the Asian as his right hand. Surely that meant that the Asian was important enough for Rex to keep?
"Don't you mean especially Tuck? The streets are filled with thousands like him."
"... And Circe?"
There was a small pause as if Rex was taken back by the question. Then with a small puff of laughter, he turned to Quarry with an easy smile. "Don't you know how easy it is to manipulate abuse victims?"
Quarry had thought then and there that if Rex wanted, he could probably take over the world. This kid didn't think like a normal human, he thought. That would either be his making or undoing. But if Rex wanted, he could plot his way to the top and everyone would fall at his feet, desperate to please him. That was just the Rex Charm that the kid sometimes bragged about.
"Alright fine. Better question. Why any kid? You used to be at the top of the world. And now you're what? Babysitter? Friend? Aren't you embarrassed?"
It was never embarrassment.
At first it was bafflement and anger that this kid dared to approach him. Then it was curiosity and confusion, because the kid waved wads and wads of hundred-dollar bills, asking Quarry to work for him. Then the confusion and curiosity melted into fear. Because this kid wasn't normal. This kid was the type to order murder with a smile on his face all the while innocently fooling the world. And before he knew it, he was caught, unable to escape from the web that was Rex Salazar. By then, all feelings had transformed into some form of pride. Pride that he helped this kid. Pride that this kid was going to go far in life, because he knew exactly how to not get his hands dirty. He knew exactly how to use the world. He wasn't going to be like Quarry, tricked into going to jail because the Chinese Mafia thought him useless. No, he was going to be like the heads of the Mafia that gave the order for Quarry to murder the Consortium. He was going to be the one throwing people away.
The stranger in front of him is frustrated, but he's doing pretty well keeping himself together. He balls his fists then relaxes them. Then he tries a different tactic. "Why did you start Providence? Why did you surround it in mystery? What was the point? Why fund the Nanite Project after initially destroying the Consortium and shutting them down? Just what the hell is going through that thick skull of yours?"
No answer. Quarry just looks down at his hands, ignoring the man. But his mind is thinking back, remembering. Remembering Rex and his charm and his manipulative little strategies. Remembering that day when he first realized "Oh, you're just a normal human like the rest of us." Remembering that moment when Rex had sighed, and said, "This is Beverly. I want to save her." And Quarry had finally understood then. The reason why Rex kept throwing people away. The reason why Rex kept gathering more and more useful tools. The reason why Rex needed the money, needed Providence, needed him.
Then suddenly, the stranger lets out a loud shout. He kicks the chair and then punches the table. He screams profanities and calls himself an idiot. The officer by the door is shocked at first, but then he rushes over to calm down the stranger. And before it all ends, the stranger turns to Quarry with eyes smoldering with anger and hisses, "You're a scapegoat. You're the frigging scapegoat!"
Quarry's lips curve into a smirk and he meets the stranger's eyes. "That's right," he agrees. "But you figured it out too late. You don't have any evidence to back you up."
The stranger howls with fury again, but Quarry knows that he's won. Because see? Rex's plan worked out. Everything fell into place. Quarry will go to jail (or receive the death sentence, it really doesn't matter which) but Rex is still out there. He has a new tool by his side (that green suit looked like he was pretty capable). And he'll keep living like always, trying to gather more and more money for the sake of saving this girl that Quarry never met.
Quarry's just cleaning up the mess for this time around. But he knows that he's just one of many who'll be tossed for the sake of cleaning more messes in the future.
Because for Rex Salazar, nothing has changed.