Alvin sat in his car in the garage, using a burner phone. It was late and after the man's shift that day. He was tired and the idea of having this conversation did not make him happy, but he also knew what he was getting into when he signed on. So, there he was, exhausted, on edge, and talking with a man he had never seen in-person.
"Admittedly, it's been simpler collecting money since he's joined," he conceded, sighing. "That doesn't change anything to me. We also haven't gotten any new buyers."
"Patience, Alvin," a suave voice over the line suggested. "We did not have new buyers at a consistent rate before. Believing that he is the cause is unfounded. Implications get us nowhere. Facts, however, are useful and those are as you said. He is causing us to have our money faster."
"The money came in quickly enough with just Ryker. We can rely on him."
"We can rely on him to do what is in his best interest and he knows ensuring his usefulness aligns with that."
"Dagur's a liability."
"From what you've told me, he is a feared man in that prison. With Ryker, he would attack anyone who did not pay him. That neither provided me with money nor prevented unwelcome eyes from being directed our way."
"We've gone unnoticed this long."
"If I believed that Ryker was skilled enough to complete the job to the level of proficiency I expect, he would not be where he is today."
"And you think that psycho is the answer?"
"I think he's getting money quietly because people are afraid of what will happen to them if they resist. If there's no scene, there is also no reason for the authorities to get involved. That is why I want him in this position."
Alvin paused, scowling. The pause grew longer and the other man spoke.
"What is your true issue with him? It seems like more than mere distrust."
"I don't like when people aren't scared of me."
"I thought you would have gotten used to that by now."
Smugness. It often found its way to the man's voice and yet it never ceased to boil Alvin's blood. He had not gotten used to that. This man who deemed him undeserving of a face-to-face interaction had no fear of him. He had no fear of anyone according to the others in the operation. It horribly frustrated the brunet.
"I want to hurt him," Alvin said.
He was not sure why he was mentioning this. It was not as if he were asking permission. Saying what he said seemed very irrelevant, but he had been thinking it so deeply that it came out before he even knew what he was saying.
"We're not children, Alvin. This isn't a highschool where you force the unpopular student into a locker. This is an operation. More precisely, this is my operation. I would not suggest doing anything to affect that or I will have to make some new arrangements regarding your role."
The man pulled the phone away from his ear to glare at the item as though the other person were there to see. "Are you threatening me?"
"I do not threaten people. I merely inform them of my plans." This time, he paused. When he spoke again, his voice was colder than the Arctic. "You've overestimated your value. Don't bring this matter to me again. My time is too precious to waste with you."
A click on the line alerted Alvin to the fact that the call had been dropped. He was seething with anger. Alvin hated that man, but he hated how much he needed him. The officer knew he lacked the necessary skills to run that operation alone. Like it or not, and he did not, he had to work for the crime lord. But that did not mean that the man would not find little ways to have his own way. He just had to be creative. If his boss wanted Dagur to stay feared in the prison, fine. That only meant that Alvin would have to do something else. The next morning, Farid met with Dagur again. The inmate looked a little troubled this time. After they spoke for a bit, the redhead thought of something else which had happened the previous day.
"Heather came to visit me," he said, smiling. "Girlnut showed up for Tuff too. I was starting to get worried that Heather had changed her mind, but I'm really glad she still wanted to talk. I found out she and Fishy are together. Seems like she and Hiccup's fiancee are close too." The young man paused. "You know, Doc, I never regretted killing that couple, but something that always bothered me was the fact that Heather was alone. I didn't want that for her. That's why I stayed. I felt like I needed to talk with her–to tell her that she wasn't alone even if she didn't have them. She had me. Then, she didn't have me anymore because the cops showed up before she did. I spent these three years, miserable over how she didn't have anyone. I know that no one would replace who they were for her, but I'm glad that she got a new family. It seems like she's not upset about me being in that either."
"I'm happy to hear that."
Dagur's eyes twinkled. "She said something interesting too. She mentioned me becoming a dad one day."
"Would you want to be?"
"Maybe. I've never thought about parenthood."
"What do you think of kids?"
Dagur shrugged. "They're noisy, but I'm not one to talk. Heather was fun. If I could learn to be a little gentler with them than I was with her, I think I'd like to have one."
His expression became worried and he frowned. Farid regarded him curiously.
"What happened? Something seemed to have just made you dislike the idea."
"Yeah," he said, chuckling scornfully. "Me. What if I have a kid who pops out with a brain like mine?"
The psychologist looked unfazed by the question. "What if you do?"
Dagur gawked at him for a moment. "Then maybe I'll have to bail the baby Daglet out of jail if I even have that type of money. Might grow up to be a serial killer for all I know."
"You didn't."
"Well, no, but…" he trailed off, feeling less sure about his point.
"And you said neither parent thought the way that you do?"
"No. If they did, it didn't show."
"If it's genetic at all, it might have skipped a generation. There's no guarantee that your child would have a mental illness."
"But what if it happens?"
"If it does, that doesn't mean that the child is doomed, Dagur. It just means that the child would have to work on emotional regulation more than others. Mindfulness and self-awareness can help anyone. In addition to that, if this happened, the child would have someone you didn't–someone who understood these challenges and could offer guidance."
"Do you really think I could offer anyone guidance? I'd probably just hire you if you didn't mind."
Farid chuckled. "I wouldn't mind, but I do think you'd be able to help with more things than you're thinking you could." His smile turned warm. "Let's try an example. If your child were getting treated like an outcast at school for the differences and wanted to respond violently, what would you do?"
Dagur laughed and scratched his head. "I probably shouldn't encourage it, so I won't say 'aim for the solar plexus when you punch.' Instead…probably trying to make the kid have more self-confidence would help, right? Can't hurt."
"I like the sound of that plan a lot. When kids have self-esteem, it becomes more difficult for bullies to get to them. So, you're already prepared to help deal with one of the main issues children from any background or with any mental state can face."
The client proudly sat back with a grin. "Daddy Dagur's on his way then!" He laughed at the psychologist's raised eyebrow. "Yeah, Heather didn't like the sound of that name either."
"It's very unique."
"And that's a very polite way of saying you don't like it," the young man stated, smirking.
Soon, the session was over and the inmate returned to the cell. The day was uneventful. It was almost remarkably unremarkable. Excitement was reserved for the night. The officer from before returned to Dagur and Ryker's cell. He tapped the bars, looking at the redhead.
"Dagur," he called quietly.
The inmate dangled his torso off the top bunk, staring at the man upside down. "What is it this time?"
"No questions."
"No fun either," he grumbled.
"Shut up and get down from there."
Dagur glared at him and hopped down. "Fine, I get it. You're not in the mood to talk."
The officer unlocked the door and put the handcuffs on the inmate. They walked until they got to the one room at the back. This time, the officer entered as well. As many officers as could fit in that room were there. Dagur ignored his quickening heart rate and turned to give a smile to Alvin.
"Hey, Al. Haven't talked with you since the last time I was here. Wanna be a pal and unlock these?"
The CO just glared at him. Suddenly, he kneed him in the stomach, making the inmate curl over. Dagur tried to suck in a breath and moved in time to avoid getting grabbed by the head. Behind him was the other officer who started reaching for a taser, so the inmate spun around. He stepped away, but there was nowhere to go and he backed right into Alvin. The larger man tightly grabbed his neck from behind.
"You've gotten accustomed to a new way of life here," Alvin growled. "I'm not fond of that."
"You already agreed to me being in the operation," the redhead said, struggling to speak without ample air. "I'm collecting money. What's the problem?"
"The problem is that you've taken charge in a place you were never meant to run." Alvin's grip tightened. "If Ansson weren't in such a sorry state, I'd shoot you in the back and throw you at his feet. He'd have fun with that."
Dagur snarled at the man. The CO was not dissuaded and just smirked.
"But since you've apparently got a fan who likes you enough to want the other inmates to fear you, we can't have word of something like that getting out. I guess, we'll have to be the ones to hurt you instead." Turning to the other officers, the tall man started talking again. "What do you say, guys? Think we can pick up the slack for our invalid former partner? If Dagur doesn't want a bullet to the head for 'attempting to escape,' I think he'll put up less of a fight than he usually would."
The convict felt his body tense up as the officers started to close in. Alvin's hold was unbreakable and it seemed like the younger man would sooner break his own neck than get free. Abruptly, the officers stopped approaching. There was a noise. It was loud.
"What on earth is going on?" Alvin asked, annoyed.
More noise followed it as officers started going past the room they were in and headed towards a cell.
"Alvin!" someone called.
Several more of the officers' names were called and Alvin huffed.
"Take him back to his cell," he ordered. "We'll finish this later."
He shoved Dagur towards the other officers who roughly grabbed the inmate and began heading back to the cell. With all the commotion, it was a simple task to accomplish. Soon, Dagur was back behind the bars with Ryker. Out of the room, the noise was more easily distinguishable. It was of someone wailing. Workers for the infirmary were bringing down a stretcher.
"What's going on?" Dagur asked, going towards the bars.
"Your entertainment," Ryker answered, smirking. "Guess he can't take it in here. Having a stroke or something it seems like."
Dagur's eyes widened as he tried to get a better look. Tuffnut was flailing about wildly. Despite his size, it took several officers to restrain him. When they finally got him on the stretcher, he still thrashed around. He sounded like he was in agony, but no physical wounds could be seen. Gobber followed him down to the infirmary and as soon as they were there, Tuff tried to pry open his eyelids.
"A-Alvin…"
"What?" Gobber asked, eyebrows lifted.
"G-gave me something," the young man mumbled.
Some of the other officers looked shocked, but others just tried to not look suspicious. Gobber left the infirmary and called for the officer in question. After a few moments, Alvin entered, scowling at the inmate.
"Why am I here? I got him on the stretcher for you. Do I have to do everything?"
"Hold still," Gobber instructed.
"Not without an explanation."
"He said you gave him something."
"Oh, really? And what exactly did I give him?"
"That's what I want to find out. Looks like he's overdosing."
"So? Not like it's a poison, so you don't need to analyze it for an antidote."
"No, but I need confirmation if I want to make sure you don't do this to anyone else."
"You're not searching me, Gobber."
"You're just stalling the inevitable, Alvin, and making yourself look more guilty."
The man let out a grunt and raised his arms. "Fine then. If it'll shut you up, go ahead and check. There's nothing on me."
Glaring, Gobber patted down the officer. A smug smile began forming on Alvin's face that no one could see due to the direction he was turned.
"You could've killed him, Alvin," Gobber stated, a scowling audible.
The dark-haired man lost his smile. "What are…."
He stopped, in Gobber's hands was a small bag containing powder. The officers who were not part of the operation had blank expressions on their faces. They could not believe what they had seen.
"That's not mine," Alvin stated, anger building. "You planted it on me!"
"They all watched. They saw me take it off you."
The corrupt officer looked ready to attack him but restrained himself. "You set me up."
"How?"
"I don't know yet, but I know you did. I'm not going down for this, Gobber. This will never stick."
"I wouldn't be so sure about that. I'm sure we'll figure out some things if we look more into your activity outside of here. Between that, inmates who can testify to having received drugs here, a psychologist who can testify to some of them going through withdrawal symptoms, and you having this on you, I'd say our case isn't looking like an impossible one to win."
Gobber took out restraints and went to attach them to Alvin's wrists. Before he could, the scarred man instinctively reached for his weapon. Just as he did, a taser went into his neck, incapacitating him. Savage had been the one to use it and still had a fearful look in his eyes. Glancing at him curiously, Gobber attached the handcuffs and began leaving with several of the clean cops. Alvin was half-pulled, half-dragged past the cells, causing pale faces for all his partners and queasy stomachs for those who worked for him.
Ryker just shook his head at the man in disappointment. As Dagur saw him go by, he gave him a smile. The man was barely conscious, but he saw that and snarled at the inmate.
"You'll die here," he threatened.
"Seems like you will too, Al."
He laughed at the enraged look on Alvin's face. Dagur was not tired that night. He was too ecstatic. It would not have been possible to sleep anyway. The officers were running around, trying to see who all was involved and in what ways. Things were so mixed up that the inmates were let out into the yard early that morning instead of later just so that the employees would be able to deal with the officers alone. Tuffnut and Dagur were watching the show, both highly amused.
"You could go into acting if you wanted," the redhead complimented quietly.
Tuffnut's face lit up with a happy smile. "I thought so too! Ruff said I wouldn't look good on a big screen, but I think they'd love me." He playfully elbowed the larger inmate. "And you, Mr. Fast Hands could be a pickpocket if you wanted."
"Or a fill pocket in this case," Dagur said, smirking. His smile turned more genuine. "Thanks for the heads up. If you hadn't told Gobber and me…"
He frowned and glanced towards a group of inmates by the workout section. Tuffnut had an understanding smile.
"No problem. I'm glad Alvin's going away. Does this mean you're going to stop collecting money?"
"Nope. Just means that we're getting closer. Al wasn't the one who took the drugs everywhere. He just was the one who distributed them here. He's not a good enough planner for something bigger. This operation has other people, so until I figure out who, I'll stay."
Dagur noticed that they were being approached by Gobber. He had a smile on his face.
"One down, however many to go," the eldest man said. "Speaking of going…"
Gobber had a meaningful look sent towards Tuffnut. Dagur tilted his head in confusion, then understood what that meant.
"You're leaving," he said, realization dawning on him.
"Yeah. I told the judge what I did and since no one actually got hurt from my experiment, they're letting me out early on good behavior and helping out."
"I'm glad you'll be back on the outside."
Dagur did mean it, but he also could not deny the feeling of impending loneliness.
"This will be great," Tuff said excitedly. "You said there aren't any friends here, so when I come to visit, we can start being friends."
The inmate blinked in shock, then smiled. "Yeah, yeah we can."
Gobber started leading Tuffnut out as he waved. "See you soon, buddy!"
Dagur waved back. "See ya…buddy."