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Gaia NPC Story Contest Entry: Collusion |
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Inspired by a brief conversation with L o s t -x- A b y s s in the Bomber Identification Headquarters after the release of "Condemned".
It was unthinkable.
He, Faris Kale, one of Don Kuro's top enforcers, had been humiliated and forced to do the work of his underlings' underlings. It was temporary, the Don had assured him, that smug look on his face grinding Faris's last nerve. He was on probation for failing to evade capture indefinitely. Of course, he had done the job he was meant to do; quite well, in fact, though sadly none of those pesky shopkeepers were killed. Well, Louie wouldn't get in the way too much for the time being, and Edmund (the world's most threatening menswear salesman, the Don had commented, smirking at some private joke) was away on some airship with the Gambino kid and those weird gods who had coerced Gaians into some sort of cult warfare several years ago. But he had been caught, and for that he was given a warning. A rather painful one, to be sure, but Faris conceded it had at least been necessary to fake his death. But now that pompous little twerp had gone too far.
(He had once had a lot of respect for his employer, but lost it when he found that the Don had no idea of the value of a good employee. That was the story he told himself. It had nothing to do with the grunt work he was relegated to. Personal grudges just weren't his style.)
It wasn't even his fault he was brought in. Gaian police were incompetent; everyone knew that. He had no way of knowing that this time, that damned reporter would decide to do the smart thing and put out a warrant to all the freelance detectives and vigilantes among the Gaian public. He had gone among them and faked an interest in the "mystery" in the hopes of diverting suspicion, but had been pegged as the primary suspect almost instantly. Disappearing at that point would have only made things worse, so he had tried to blend in and deny all claims, but dear gods, those wannabe gumshoes were irritating. He lost his temper more than once, but it never seemed to scare them off. It was amazing how they could be so spot-on in their suspicions -- no matter where he went or what he did, he was constantly hounded that entire weekend -- and yet so idiotic in their methods. Every little detail was picked apart and dissected for clues. (He remembered blowing a gasket at one particular moron who had tried to pinpoint his grammar as "potentially suspicious".) He was almost surprised when he was finally dragged in as the culprit, which had made him furious; caught off guard, not by their genius, but by their stupidity!
Of course, the Don had had a lot to say about his "little infiltration". Faris had listened to it all, about how he should have stayed underground, how he had done nothing but call attention to himself the moment he stepped into that crowd, and how, for the love of the gods, he should have had the brains to take off that damned earring. Oh yes, he had listened. It was all truly delusional. He had done nothing wrong; those Gaians were always one step ahead, and he knew Kuro knew it. (He hadn't dared say so.)
But little did the Don know what really lay within that "conspicuous" earring. To be exact, it was a set of the world's most precise lockpicking tools, which he was now using to rifle through his boss's private study, searching for something that could take him down, once and for--
He froze as he heard the approaching footsteps, quiet but deliberate.
They ceased. Ice filled his veins as he slowly turned to find Cordell standing in the doorway, appraising him impassively.
After an eternity, she spoke. "You always were lousy at stealth," she remarked. Faris's hands clenched around the edge of the drawer he had just opened, but he didn't reply. Contradicting the Don's second-in-command was not wise. He had learned that very quickly. She would shoot him down in her own maddeningly calm way, and that would be the end of it. And crossing her at a moment like this...
But he could not have anticipated her next words. "If you want to ruin my brother," she said, "you'll need my help." She advanced into the room until she stood over him, staring down mirthlessly at his shock.
"But..." he faltered. "You..." He could not even be infuriated at his loss for words. Cordell raised an eyebrow in impatience, and he found his voice. "With all due respect...you would turn on your own brother?"
"He's gone power-mad," she replied sharply. "His head's too big for his shrimpy little body, and it's time he got knocked down a peg or two. Sending a vampire to kill a rich businessman doesn't make him a god." She paused, then muttered, "If anything, Zhivago should get a little more respect around here."
Well, Faris thought. This went better than expected. He had been fully anticipating another "warning" at the very least. Having Cordell on his side would certainly be a boon. "All right," he said at last, standing up and extending his hand. "We'll work together."
She grabbed his hand and shook it firmly. "I'll be calling the shots." When Faris didn't voice any objection, the corner of her mouth twitched. "But yes. I can't believe I'm saying this, but we're going to have to work together."
She knelt down, took a key out from her sleeve, and they set to work.
 LabTech Kestin · Mon Aug 06, 2012 @ 05:39am · 0 Comments |
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