He sees me. He knows I’m here. He knows where I’ve been, what I’ve seen. What monster have I awakened?

-From Professor Shokolov’s Journal. Final Entry

AxEl basically stumbled into the house.

“Damn,” he cursed before standing himself upright against the frame. Nook walked up from the basement, eyes sunken in and sweat beading on his forehead. He looked tired, and more importantly, angry.

“Where have yo-“ Nook began to scold but stopped himself. He ran over to AxEl and supported him as he walked.

“Did they….Did they go after you too?” Nook asked. AxEl chuckled.

“Nah, I went after them,” he gloated. Nook brought him over to one of the seats and sat him down.

“Do I really look that bad?” AxEl asked as Nook searched around the lounge for a medical kit of some sort. He took off his coat and realized just then how much he was ignoring his wounds.

Kel had slashed right through the coat and left skin deep cuts around AxEl’s forearms. With Nook’s help, he bandaged both of his arms up and explained himself at the same time.

“Come on, man, did you really need to go after him?” Nook asked. AxEl paused. I….I did, right?

“We needed information on who ambushed Lex, didn’t we? I thought this way…we’d get it,” AxEl explained.

“There were a million other possible paths. Yet you chose the one that places you in the line of danger,” Nook said. AxEl pulled his arms away from him and finished tying the wrappings himself.

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“Kel wouldn’t stop. You don’t know him as well as I do. I needed to show him….show him I’m not weak anymore,” AxEl explained.

“AxEl, you’re the strongest guy I know. You don’t have anything to prove,” Nook said. AxEl understood the sentiment, but it was hard to accept when he’d spent so long under the heel of someone so dominating.

“What’s up with you, then? You look as if you’ve been working…all…day…”

Nook gave him an annoyed stare. “You were supposed to be here hours ago. Since you weren’t, I had to do both of our shares of the work,” he said as he took a seat. He rubbed at his scalp, trying to massage away a headache.

“Sorry, Nook. I just couldn’t stop thinking about the meeting with Kel,” AxEl apologized.

“Gave me time to think, though, AxEl. I don’t think we can support the farms ourselves anymore.”

AxEl balled up his fists. “I don’t know if we can even get anyone else to make the Prophecy,” Nook explained.

“Not as easy as finding a couple junkies to deal for you,” AxEl said. He stopped clenching his fists.

“But you talked about those Revolver people. They seem to want Prophecy, don’t they?” Nook asked.

“Think they might be scared our product’s better? We did take a few dealers from them.”

“Anything that doesn’t turn the body to a heat hazard is better. What if the people working for them think Prophecy is better, too?” Nook asked.

“Then we might be able to bring them over to us too!” AxEl finished Nook’s line of thought.

“So how do we do it, Nook?” AxEl looked to him for answers. Nook seemed to hesitate, which warranted some curiosity from AxEl.

“We don’t have any contacts with them?” AxEl guessed.

“Worse. We do have a contact. It’s the same guy who you kicked into the dirt today,” Nook said. AxEl’s face turned to stone.

“AxEl, it’s the fastest way we could get to them,” Nook reasoned. Or they could stop here, be done with the business and end their drug trade. But AxEl wouldn’t. Those images showed him a future he needed to achieve. It wasn’t just about the money anymore. It was personal.

A ding came from AxEl’s phone as he sent the message.

Tell your boss to meet me. I’ll be waiting on the time and place.