Smoke blew past his lips and into the wind as GM exhaled into the warm afternoon air. He laid on his back and looked up at the passing white clouds above. The grass under his coat was slightly damp in the thick parts, but it made for a comfortable spot to lay. Small white flowers poked their heads above the green blades and swayed with the breeze. Quiet sounds of a creek below and the occasional passing of people on the paved walking trail above kept him company.
He laid and pondered many thoughts while enjoying the feeling of the sun on his face. Weather’s finally getting nice. Pretty soon it’ll be hot as hell and then comes the rainy season, but days like these are just about perfect. I wonder how MC’s been fairing. It’s been a few months since he went off on his own.
GM spent some time pondering what was in store for the future of The Organization. It was a time of change and the future held many uncertainties. Gil had been making big decisions. He had to, with the political climate between The Organization and the police forces. Gil was trying his hardest to keep business like it's always been, but more arrests were being made. The police force had cracked down on crime. They wanted to set examples for anyone involved in either The Organization or the Black Diamond. It was like a witch hunt for anyone involved with either of the two groups.
The detective force was a part of the city's ecosystem that didn’t see a lot of change during this time. Emi continued to run the detective force with Aiko by her side. For them, it was just more of the same thing. Cleaning up crime scenes, narrowing down suspects, and collecting information.
Aiko sat on the couch in the detective office with an open laptop next to her. She neglected her focus for a short while to daydream. She wondered why it had been so long since she’d heard from MC. When he’d first disappeared, she began to feel a sense of worry in the back of her mind. She tried to stay busy with her usual life of work and hobbies, but couldn't help thinking about him. She’d tried calling him several times, but days went by and there was no response. She did her best to avoid feeling upset about it.
The whole office knew him at this point. He was intertwined with her life. In her efforts to keep her mind busy, she worked overtime, hung out with Emi, and did more than her share of shopping at the mall.
On that particularly sunny day, MC slept in a run down motel. He’d been staying in different places for no more than a few days at a time. He’d become accustomed to mostly being awake at night to fit The Vampire’s schedule. He’d been going on missions with him for a while now. Some were paid missions given out by Gil. Others were for The Vampire’s own business and twisted amusement, but most days were not mission days. In fact it was seldom that they had a legitimate mission from Gil. Some of the days were spent on training. The Vampire referred to training as doing whatever it was that he’d schemed up for that day like the wilderness survival that MC tried to constantly forget.
Despite them spending so much time together, MC still didn’t even know The Vampire’s real name so he just started calling him Vampire.
Slowly, MC began to notice a difference in his abilities. It was more than just physical strength. He learned discipline, patience, stealth, tracking and how to use fear and intimidation against his enemies. That was one of The Vampire’s most powerful traits. The feeling of fear that he was able to instill into a person with his presence alone. Fights that would have given him a hard time before were easier. He was able to learn a different side of power that he never could have from GM.
When the day had long ago turned to night, MC and The Vampire stood at the basement level of a building on the old side of the city. Dead bodies coated the floor around them while the last remaining Black Diamond member of the bunch sat quivering on a dilapidated wooden chair.
Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.
MC raised the barrel of a pistol to the man’s forehead. “So you really don’t know anything? You have no idea where Jin is? And you don’t know anyone who does?”
“I told you I don’t know. None of us knew. All we know is that one day two guys walked right into our building claiming to be in charge. They gave us a task to do and showed us a briefcase with a ton of money. They said it was half of the payment and we’d get the other half once the mission was done,” he said pointing to a briefcase across the room.
“If that’s true, then you’re of no more use to me.”
MC put a bullet in his head to permanently silence the pile of human garbage. “Worthless,” he said out loud, putting his gun away. He’d learned not to let scum like that live after the incident with Moses, the captain of block seventeen. They’d only hold grudges against him and serve as interference in the future. He thought about how his own revenge had potentially spurred the revenge of others against himself. There must have been some sort of life lesson in there somewhere, but he tried not to pay it too much mind.
“Another dead end,” said The Vampire.
“Nothing but dead ends. At this point I’m amazed at how well Jin has been able to remain in hiding. He really covers his tracks and doesn’t leave loose ends behind.”
“Sounds about right for that guy. Always has been a quiet and careful one. I doubt anybody will find him until he wants to be found.”
“Still, I’ve got to keep trying.”
“You’re wasting your time if you ask me, but hey what do I care. Anyway, it’ll be light in a few hours. Let’s call it for tonight.” He turned and walked out of the house and onto the sidewalk. His breath shone in the air in front of him. “Rainy season is coming. I can smell it in the air,” said The Vampire with a sniff.
MC walked next to him. “So what’s next for my training?”
“You’re still going on about that?”
“Yeah, I have to make sure I get as strong as possible.”
The Vampire let out a chuckle. “Realistically, your training is never over. There’s always something a person can learn in this field. However, I think you’ve grown a lot just in the last few months that we’ve been working together.”
“It’s not enough.”
“It is. I just watched you take out a squad of six Black Diamond mercenaries by yourself. I just stood back and watched. It was a beautiful scene.
“That’s nothing new. Those guys were amateurs anyway.”
“True, but it was in the way that you did it. There was a cold ferocity about you. I can tell you are more confident. More precise. Your weakness is still that you’re too empathetic. You go right for the quick kill rather than testing the limits of their humanity.”
“I’m not trying to get myself killed by messing around.”
“That’s for sure. Where’s the fun in that?” said The Vampire, rolling his eyes.
“You always go on about things like this being entertaining. I just can’t see it.”
“Then, there’s where I think you should improve.”
“Not happening.”
“I guess your training is done then. When we started working together I dropped you in the middle of the forest. That tested not only your mental endurance but your ability to adapt with very little resources. Since then, you’ve been tracking people almost as well as I do. You’re able to see, smell, and hear things that you didn't before.”
“Hasn’t done me a lot of good since Jin‘s still nowhere to be found. Shows how far his abilities are above mine.”
“Not necessarily. He’s just been quiet. More cautious than ever. He’s probably planning something big and we won't know what it is until it happens.”
“I don’t like the sound of that,” said MC, squinting his eyes in concentration.
“You’re just going to have to accept it. In fact accepting things is another trait you really lack. Always so impatient and refusing to give up.”
“I’d say that’s a strength. If I gave up on this I’d have nothing to live for,” said MC.
“If you call it that, then it’s a reflection of another area you’ve been able to grow in.”