The number of sleepless nights for Matthias was mounting. He had always dedicated a significant amount of his time to working on the case, but it was becoming increasingly common for him to go sometimes one or two whole days at a time without sleep. When slumber did eventually catch up to him, usually it was when he was sitting at his desk still in the middle of his work.
"Don't work yourself to death there, kid," Arthur said over a video call.
A small projection of him hovered over Matthias's phone, watching him type away at his computer.
"I'm not. There's just a lot to absorb with this Syndicate stuff you gave me," Matthias responded. "It's not something I've paid much attention to. Syndicate activity in the Rockies isn't as much a problem as it is in other regions of the country. Still, any US city with at least 1 million people living in it is going to have some presence."
"The one that the police and ARES in Denver are really worried about is the Emerald Syndicate. They've really been upping pressure against the gangs and throwing a whole lot of weight around."
"I know. The files from Mr. Holloway that you shared say as much. A lot of interesting details about what's known about the Emeralds operation. And… a lot that's not known. These guys are really good at staying in the shadows, even by Syndicate standards. Like the fact that Torrez, their supposed boss, has almost nothing concrete known about him."
“Yeah. Nobody knows what he looks like, where he came from, or where he currently is. The only thing we know about Torrez is that his name is Torrez… and that might not even be his real name." Arthur shook his head while cracking open a Hawaiian Kick energy drink. "Bastard's a ghost. Just as much of one as the Ripper is."
"What's most fascinating to me is that the Emerald Syndicate wasn't Torrez's originally. Apparently, he stole control of it from the original boss and his circle when it was a much smaller operation in Arizona; the criminal equivalent of a hostile corporate takeover. The Emerald Syndicate has been spreading to other states — California, Nevada, New Mexico, Utah, and now Colorado. Though there’s evidence of lesser activity of theirs as far north as Wyoming, Idaho, and even Montana.”
“Okay, so they've been operating in places where the Ripper's been active before. That doesn’t automatically mean the Ripper’s affiliated with them, Matt. There’s always the possibility of this all just being a string of weird coincidences. Don't forget how Bennett derailed the investigation like he did.”
Matthias snorted. “Fair enough. But this is still the best theory we have at the moment, and we’ve got nothing to lose by continuing to follow it. Hey, do you know anything about the plans ARES has for dealing with the Emerald Syndicate?”
“Yeah. An informant. There was a former Emerald member that 'defected' from the Syndicate and has been sharing information with ARES and the FBI."
"Really? That's a pretty big gain for ARES and the feds. What caused the ex-Syndicate member to have a change of heart?"
"Apparently, a girl he was dating and in love with got caught stealing some of the Syndicate's product. She 'took a trip' afterward. Never even found her body. This guy got so shaken up about the whole thing that he willingly became an asset for the feds. Also… he was kind of spooked about other members of Emerald thinking he was stealing product like his girlfriend had, so he knew he'd have a better chance of not taking a bath in acid if he became an informant and put himself under witness protection."
"Was he?"
"Probably. But an asset's an asset."
"Alright. So, where is he right now?"
"Denver Citadel at the moment. Even without the Hoplites, the amount of security there and the fact that even the regular personnel at ARES have at least basic weapon and combat PEC training means anyone trying to break in to kill someone would be a man on a suicide mission. Whatever dumb bastard who tries to pull that off wouldn't even make it past the front lobby."
"Someone couldn't just teleport in there?"
"C'mon, kid. Someone like you oughta know that places like ARES citadels, federal buildings, military bases, and all that are made damn near teleporter proof."
“What info specifically has this informant been sharing that's not in the files you showed me."
"Well, there's a problem that his memories are distorted. There's a member of ARES, one of Torrez's top enforcers according to this guy who's a Neuroplugger and mind hacker. The guy suspects that this enforcer did something to his mind without him realizing it, and that's the reason his mind is always so scattered and erratic. He thinks it was Torrez's way of making sure that, even if he did become a rat, he could never tell too much. Still, they've been gradually getting the info out of him."
Matthias hummed. "Alright. I guess we’ll just pause for right now then.”
Arthur blinked. “What?”
“Whatever info that guy is going to be giving ARES and the feds could expedite this investigation enough to shave weeks if not months of work off my timetable. Better we wait a little while longer before we go out and start investigating in the field like we did before."
“Huh. Guess that makes sense. But it's still weird for you to just give up the initiative like that.”
“I try to be pragmatic when it comes to stuff like this. Working smart and hard is preferable, but it's always best to go with the former if you can't do both. Though, there is one thing about the Emerald Syndicate that I'm going to keep looking into in the meanwhile," Matthias said while projecting a photo of a syringe with a sinister-looking glowing substance without it. "This Witch Venom thing.”
“Ah, yeah. That experimental Upper of theirs. Apparently, it was developed by Emerald specifically. Shit’s crazy potent, and it’s dangerous too. Not really that surprising considering the name. Bennett took it right before he went Psycho Frenzy and it made his PEC way stronger than it should have been."
“Isn't it the same Upper that Keith Sanchez’s gang was pushing too, right?”
“Yep. Apparently, those Red Crowns wanted it. Their leader, the guy Shives killed during that one operation a while back, was addicted to it. And he became so powerful, that he was capable of taking on Kris, Renée, Sonia, and El all at once.”
Matthias's eyes widened. He had read about this David Smalls person who Arthur was referring to. He knew that Smalls's abilities were perfect for exploiting Uppers, and allowed him to use Witch Venom to push his cognitive abilities far beyond what they should have been capable of, but it was still insane to hear about. This Witch Venom may have been the most potent Upper in America, possibly even the world.
"But how is it getting made, and why does it keep popping it more and more…?" Matthias mumbled.
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“You know, Leon, you don’t have to help me out at the Grove so much. I appreciate you helping like you do, but you should enjoy being a kid a little bit more.”
Leon sighed from the front seat, knowing his grandfather was about to give another one of his classic ‘enjoy your youth while you’re still young!’ speeches that his grandson had grown increasingly tired of listening to on drives back home.
Tom chuckled. "Leon, I'm being serious! Don't you wish you could go hang out with your friends more rather than taking orders, busing tables, or helping out in the kitchen every other night?"
Leon shrugged. "It's not a big deal. And I'd feel awkward not helping out with the family business more."
"Leon, I have adult employees to help me. I don't need to rely on my eleven-year-old grandson. Besides… I'm probably breaking a dozen child labor laws letting you help out at the Grove so much."
Leon continued looking out the car window, hiding the slight smile his face, but Tom still saw it through his reflection in the side-view mirror.
“I’m glad you’ve been able to make friends in Denver at all, Leon. I was afraid when we came here, you'd stay a loner like usual. You’ve always had a bad habit of keeping to yourself.”
“It’s not a ‘bad’ habit when you consider what I’ve got sleeping inside me. It’s better if I keep my distance from everyone else.”
“But you haven’t. You’ve actually made quite a few friends before summer and you’ve kept them. You even went to the arcade with them the other night. I'm proud of you."
"Granddad, cut it out…" Leon muttered, feeling increasingly bashful.
"I'm serious! One of my biggest fears is you not having a proper childhood. Despite everything you've had to go through, I still think you ought to have that. You know?"
Leon said nothing in response, which was fine by Tom. Their conversations were typically one-sided. Leon wasn't very chatty while Tom loved to give his grandson long-winded motivational speeches, so it was a dynamic the pair had long grown used to. So long as his grandfather knew Leon was listening, that was enough.
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They finally pulled into their driveway with Tom parking the car in front of their garage. People who had seen the Shimada household and knew that Tom was the owner of a popular foreign cuisine restaurant in downtown Denver were always surprised at how modest his home was. But Tom preferred keeping his abode lowkey. Spending lavishly on a bigger house would only be a waste when the only dwellers would be himself and his grandson.
It was just as Tom and Leon were approaching the front door that the elder Shimada paused.
Leon looked at him strangely. "Grandad?"
Thomas stared at the door for a moment, his eyes momentarily becoming extremely intense. Then he sighed.
"Damn. I guess I really am getting old," he said while massaging his eyes. "It’s been so long since I had to deal with this type of trick, so I was caught off guard by it. They must have known that too.”
"They? Wait, is this a—"
"Don't get too out of shape about it, Leon. Remember what I've taught you: Maintain clarity when things get messy. If we were going to be attacked, they would done so already. They're doing all this to make sure I'm as cooperative as possible. Just stay cool and keep close to me, okay?"
Leon, still pensive about the whole situation, nodded. Tom finally walked up to the door and waved his hand over its scanner. After it recognized his psy-signature a 'click' of the door unlocking itself was heard, and the door opened itself. The Shimadas entered their dark home. After the door shut behind them, Tom commanded the lights to turn on. Once the house was properly illuminated, Tom could properly see two men in expensive-looking suits seated on the furniture in his living room.
Thomas had noticed their presence earlier, but they had not made any sudden moves before the lights came on. Even now that they were visible, the pair maintained their composure, with the bigger and more sinewy of the duo throwing Thomas and Leon a grin.
"You sure took your sweet time getting back, Shimada. Kept us waiting for a hot minute," he said.
His eyes were dangerous, even behind the aviators he wore, and he didn't bother hiding it either. While Leon was trying his best to keep his expression steely, Tom was completely unphased and walked casually into the room.
“Was breaking into my home and laying a trap like this really necessary? It’s not like I wouldn’t have talked with you guys if you had gave me a simple meet-up place," he said.
“Our boss prefers it this way,” the more slender of the two answered, his legs crossed as he sat. “We were told that dealing with you meant always taking extra precautions when able, even if we're just trying to have a friendly chat.
Tom shook his head. "The infamous Emerald Syndicate is this afraid of a washed-up old man?"
The man wearing aviators snorted. "Don't do that… We all know what you really are, Shimada. You think our boss would force both me and Doyle to be here if you were as harmless as you pretend to be."
"This is how he operates, Murdock," Doyle said while brushing some hair from his face. "He deliberately plays down his threat level to get everyone else to lower their guard. Our boss is too keen on your tactics for that to work here, Mr. Shimada. But don't worry. We promise we're only here to talk business."
“So, where's your boss, then?” Tom asked.
“Raiding your fridge. Just give 'em a moment," Murdock replied.
Thomas snorted. “After all you’ve gone through just to get me in Denver, this is how our first meeting in years goes? Jesus… Nothing's changed about that girl in the least.”
“Too much change is just as bad as too little, Uncle Tom,” a woman’s voice said from the kitchen.
Finally arriving in the living room with a slice of cake she had stolen from the Shimadas’ refrigerator was a gorgeous-looking young woman with eyes so gentle, Leon instinctively knew there had to be something behind them. He even took a step back as they approached, a gesture that made the woman smile a bit.
“It’s been a while, Uncle Tom,” she said while whipping a bit of food from the corner of her mouth.
Thomas sighed. “I really don’t think it’s been long enough, Dorothy. Those tricks of yours have gotten better. I didn't notice what you had done until I had only taken a step inside of it. You've improved a lot… Which is scary. You were already a dangerous girl before you ever adopted that silly fake name of yours."
"What? You don't like 'Torrez?' I think it sounds pretty tough, personally. People hear it and they imagine some big, brawny guy like Craig or some suave mafia type like Phin. I actually have these two play-pretend 'Syndicate boss' for me sometimes to help keep my identity anonymous."
Thomas threw the suited duo a smirk. "She's got you two caught up in her games? That must be fun…"
Doyle and Murdock avoided his eyes. Occasionally putting up with Dorothy's shenanigans was an unpleasant but unavoidable part of their job as her subordinates.
"Ooh! And look at that cute young man standing beside you," Dorothy gushed. "This is the first time I've ever seen him outside of a photo. Leon, did anyone ever tell you that you have your grandmother's eyes?"
"Grandad doesn't like talking about my grandmother and I haven't seen her since I was six… when my parents were still alive."
"Ah, I see. Sorry for your loss," she said while taking another bite of the slice of cake on her plate.
It was odd how such a beautiful woman with such a sweet face was making him so anxious. Doyle and Murdock didn't make him anywhere near as anxious as this Dorothy woman was. Leon wondered if she was really a Syndicate boss, or if he had just heard his grandfather and the suited duo wrong.
"Leon. Head on to your room," Tom instructed. "You should lock the door, but you won't have to worry about anybody coming to bother you."
"You really trust me and my boy that much, Uncle Tom?" Dorothy asked.
"No. But I know you know better than to pick battles you aren't certain you can win. A habit you picked up from Ophelia."
Dorothy smiled at that too. While her enforcers took quiet umbrage with the insinuation that, even while fighting together, they still wouldn't be able to handle Thomas, their boss just seemed pleased she was being compared to her old beloved mentor.
"You comparing me the Madame as the sweetest compliment you could give, Uncle Tom."
"Yeah, I bet."
Leon eyed the Syndicate boss the whole time he headed off toward her room. He had a feeling that ever letting his eyes off such a person would be a grave mistake. After the boy was gone, Tom gestured toward the back of the house.
"If we're going to talk, let's take it outside," he said.
"The living room isn't good enough?" asked Dorothy.
"I don't want my grandson to be able to hear us."
"When he already knows this much about what we are and what you do?"
"It doesn't matter. That's my condition, Dorothy."
Dorothy lightly giggled to herself. "Fine, fine. We'll do things your way. Craig, Phin — you both stay here."
Murdock raised his aviators, having been caught off guard by his boss's order. "You're going outside with him alone? What the hell was the point of bringing us with you then?"
"You both were insurance in case something messy happened. Uncle's being placid enough for that not to be a concern anymore. You two just relax. I'll be back in a minute."
Murdock grumbled while Doyle just watched his boss and Thomas head out together quietly. While the brawnier enforcer had been eager for a chance to fight, Doyle knew better than to think that he, Murdock, and even Dorothy together would come out from a fight with someone like Thomas Shimada unscathed.
"So, is there a reason you decided to come and break into my home to talk instead of just communicating through encrypted DMs like usual?" asked Tom once the two were on the backyard patio.
“You really didn't want to see me again after all these years? Not even a little bit?" Dorothy asked playfully while setting her empty dessert plate down on the railing.
"This game is just as annoying when it's either you or Ophelia who's playing it. The work I've been doing for you in Denver up until now I've done under the assumption you would keep a healthy distance from me, my home, and — most importantly — Leon. I don't want that boy involved in any of this."
"You say that, but he already knows about your dirty, wetwork past Mr. Black Ice. Maybe he doesn't know about the gritty details, but Leon seems like a smart enough kid to piece two and two together. No way he thinks you decided to move to Denver and open up a new restaurant just because you 'felt the Rockies needed some Mediterranean flavor' or whatever you might have told him."
"That's not the point."
"Uncle, you've even been training little Leon in that same crazy style you became infamous for back in your younger hitman days. He's not stupid. There's no way he doesn't know what you get up to on nights you're not at the Aegean Grove. He may not know the specifics, but he knows those old talents of yours are being put to good use again."
Tom blinked at her. He knew he could refute her. Leon was a quiet and introverted boy, but he wasn't dumb. He just knew better than to ask questions he wouldn't get clear answers to.
"…You still haven't answered my question, Dorothy."
Dorothy rolled her eyes. She began digging through her handbag as she approached Tom. She withdrew a pill container, opened it, and showed off the three dozen black-hued tablets within before closing it and handing it off to Tom.
"The reason was to give you this in person. These are the same types of tablets you give to Leon to keep that scary alter-ego of his in check. I know it takes you a good while to manufacture just a month's worth of this medicine, so as a show of goodwill, here's two months' worth I manufactured myself."
Tom looked at the container and then back at Dorothy. "I appreciate it, but… if you're planning on upholding your end of the bargain, two months' worth of medicine won't be necessary for Leon. Is there a hidden clause about our deal I forgot about?"
"Uncle, this is just a show of goodwill. A present to celebrate this long overdue reunion of ours! Don't worry. When I said I would get rid of Leon's alter-ego permanently, I definitely meant it. As long as you keep providing service for Emerald, I swear I'll uphold my end of your bargain. I'm a woman of my word after all."
"So was your 'Madame."
Torrez smirked. "Technically… Madame Ophelia has never broken a promise either."
Tom snorted. "Sure she hasn't. That woman's the 'Queen of Technicalities' if she's nothing else."
“Wow… That 'bitter ex'-energy between you two is still going strong after all these decades. Madame Ophelia asked about you the last time she and I talked, you know.”
“Did you tell her anything?”
“She didn’t care to ask."
"Good. I pray she cares so little she forgets she ever had a family. Nothing good ever came out of her caring. Or at least, from her pretending to. Anyway, are we done here? I already know who my next target is supposed to be."
"No, that's all I came for. Me and my boys will get out your hair now."
Dorothy leaned in and gave Tom a parting kiss on the cheek that he neither fought against nor seemed to take any pleasure in. Just as she was about to head back inside, he called out to her.
"Dorothy, one last thing. If you ever try to 'snack' on my grandson again like you tried to earlier in the living room, I will kill you without hesitation next time."
Dorothy gazed back at him for a moment before a devious expression came over her face.
"I knew I felt a little chill back inside… You really haven't lost your edge one bit, Uncle Tom."
Dorothy headed back inside, leaving Tom alone on the patio. He stared up at the sky, wondering if returning to this old life of his, especially under someone like Dorothy, would be worth it. No matter what she said, a woman like her could not be completely trusted. He knew her old mentor too well and knew that many of her worst traits had rubbed off on the young Syndicate leader. Looking down at the pill container, however, solidified that he didn't really have a choice.
"No. This is for Leon. For him to have a better future. For him to finally have a normal childhood," Thomas told himself. "At least, as normal a childhood as he could have at this point."
He couldn't brush off the fact that he too had a part to bring with the current burdens his grandson had to live with. That guilt along with the duty he knew he had Leon's guardian and grandfather was what continued to compel his trek down this familiar and unsavory road. Thomas Shimada knew what needed to be done, and if taking more lives for the Emerald Syndicate was the only one to do it, then so be it.