Eli Briggs

It was a calculated risk in choosing the tunnel to the upper boroughs. He was risking having the upper hand if they were hoping to intercept him in a lower borough; they might deem him unworthy of the pursuit for the time being. On the other hand, there was more security in the upper boroughs which meant he could test a theory or two along the way if they gave chase.

He descended the steps calmly and maintained a steady pace as he approached the underground Controller run security check-point. It was the first he had encountered all day. He flashed his ID badge that indicated he worked for the Mayor’s office and was readily waved through without question. Most people wouldn’t expect too much trouble in one of the few lower borough checkpoints but avoiding Controller scrutiny was always helpful.

Eli frowned in disappointment and wondered if they were tailing him or if he was merely engaging in a self-inflicted goose chase. He was just beginning to think about how to best look over his shoulder discreetly when he heard the heavy footfall coming down the stone steps just behind him.

He smirked. Good.

Like he suspected, they didn’t receive any pushback so he slowed his pace only slightly to give them a second to catch up. The footsteps fell into a steady pace just behind him.

Now that he had them hooked it was time to play with them a bit.

He quickened his step slightly and beelined for the tunnel towards the fourth borough. When he heard them speed up accordingly he decided to stop abruptly to check out a newspaper stand. Like a car attempting to avoid a collision he could hear the squeal of rubber sole on brick pathway.

The ensuing chaos was a valid reason to look around. Best to make it look realistic, after all.

He lifted his head to see the blonde woman sharply changing course to veer around the other side of the stand. He politely maintained eye contact and noted how she seemed to recoil at being noticed.

That meant the man must've taken the path behind him. However, now that they were ahead of him, he bent over and rubbed his chin thoughtfully as he perused the publications for sale before selecting a paper and paying for it. He tucked it under his arm and resumed his walk towards the tunnel that would lead to the fourth. As he did so, he noticed they had reconvened and were hanging off the side, desperately avoiding his eyes.

It was a short walk across to the fourth but he relished it nonetheless. As he emerged on the other side he quickly gained his bearings and turned towards the next tunnel junction. It was two blocks over so he hastened his pace but only to a brisk walk. He didn’t want to lose them but he also needed a lead.

This is where he would be able to test his theory.

He once again descended underground and as he approached the checkpoint, badge in hand, the Controllers remained relatively relaxed. They were about to wave him through when one of them stood up in alarm at the apparent commotion brewing behind him.

“Whoa, what’s the big rush?” the Controller said, but it wasn’t directed at him.

He turned around to find that the two had tried to rush on through behind him.

The Controller who had viewed his badge looked at Eli and asked, “Friends of yours?”

He shrugged.

“Never seen them before in my life.”

The Controller waved him through and he passed the checkpoint without effort.

“We need to get through here, now!” the man’s voice ordered.

Eli ducked around the nearest corner and found a sheltered alcove. He made a show of untying and retying up his shoelaces so that he could just peer behind the edge and listen.

“Not until we see some IDs,” a frantic rustling followed, “Donnol? What brings you to these parts?”

“Listen, we’re just here visiting and we need to get through,” the female voice piped up.

“Where are you going?” the Controller pressed.

“To the, uh, the University library?” she improvised weakly.

“And you’re in a rush because…?”

“We have an appointment. Look, I know we shouldn’t have ran up to your gate but it is rather urgent that we get there on time!” the man elaborated.

The back and forth continued for several minutes as the Controllers attempted to get them to show something that supported their claims while they introduced several contradictory statements, like switching library to museum, and then instead stating they were tourists who had tickets for an exhibit which they clearly couldn’t produce.

Idiots. Tourists visiting the first borough weren’t cause for alarm but it was on higher alert in general. Their frantic energy may have better flown under the radar in a lower borough but not up here.

He quickly grew bored and decided didn’t need to see the resolution; he had collected enough insights. He made a mental note to check in with Jayson to see if they showed up again but if they got detained it was of no consequence to him right now.

A third Controller passed by his alcove and something about the way he presented himself gave Eli pause. He was young, likely a recent graduate, and he looked worriedly at the two amateurs still floundering at the checkpoint.

He trusted his gut and watched curiously as the new Controller approached the group. His two would-be followers fell silent at his approach.

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“Hey. I’ve seen these two around. They’re fine, just a bit nervous,” he said in a way that ironically sounded nervous.

Eli took immediate note of him. He had reddish brown hair and freckles and only stood about a few inches taller than Eli.

“Oh, are you sure, Ted?” one of the other Controllers carefully asked.

He nodded. “Yes, positive, I’ve checked their IDs myself.”

The first two Controllers exchanged shrugs. Their IDs were handed back.

“Don’t make such a scene next time,” one of the Controllers warned.

“Yes, absolutely, thank you!” the woman said wildly before grabbing the man’s arm and dragging him through.

Eli slunk as far back into the shadows as he could but he suspected they wouldn’t take notice of him in their current nervous states. As they passed him he decided to follow just within earshot range.

“We lost him,” the man said bitterly.

“We may need to go down lower. That idiot at the jazz bar didn’t tell us anything of use,” the woman said.

“But then we’d be in his turf,” the man grumbled.

Eli considered what this meant. Presumably the twelfth was about as low as they were willing to go up until now. They knew enough about him certainly but there were limitations to their willingness.

They began to bicker about where to go next and he decided their usefulness had once again run out. He slowed right down until they were out of sight and then resumed a pathway that would take him right back down to his turf.

That Controller though… That was slightly more interesting. He had been winding his home-based operations down but it looked like it was time to open up the games room once more.

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Hijinks had been practically closed to the public for so long that the crowds did not hesitate to appear in droves. He hadn't given much notice, only two days, but he had a full house nonetheless. Eli may have once felt shocked by the showing but times had been tough. Wheeling and dealing was a great way to find work even if under the guise of gambling money away. As Eli made his rounds through the tables it seemed to elicit an excitement in the crowd; he had his pick of the litter tonight.

He grabbed a few of his regulars, people he had worked with in the past, and pulled them into his office. “I’ve got a few general labour jobs lined up in the thirteenth. Put together some teams of reliable people and I’ll draft the government contracts on your behalf,” he instructed.

They gleefully accepted and as he re-entered the main room he could see them recruiting from the crowd.

"That ought to brighten up some spirits tonight," he thought to himself as he walked to the bar.

His bartender wordlessly handed him a double of top shelf whiskey and he tipped his glass in thanks.

Nursing his drink, he lounged on his bar stool with his back to the bar and began to scan the crowds. He needed a few very specific types. His eyes landed on a few contenders.

“I need a few people,” he said as he leaned backwards to quietly speak with his bartender.

“What for, boss?”

Eli turned to whisper his request so that it was inaudible to anyone around them.

The bartender raised an eyebrow in surprise.

“No shit. Who?” he asked.

“Not important. But it’s a temporary arrangement; no follow-up needed. How about those ones?” Eli pointed out a few faces in the crowd.

The bartender scanned his picks and offered a few suggestions to narrow down the list to four people.

Eli rubbed his face. “And they’re clean?”

“As a whistle. They’ll do a thorough job.”

Eli gave a shrug of acceptance. His word had always been good enough for Eli.

“Your usual finder’s fee?” he asked as he spun around to face him.

He gave a coy smile. “Sorry boss, times are tough, I'll need to add a twenty-five percent mark-up for each successful connection if I want to put food on the table and protect my interests.”

Eli scanned the choices again.

“Make it a fifty percent mark up but I’ll give you half upfront for each person you tell me to approach. I'll pay the remainder after a successful job.”

“Usually you pay in full up front,” the bartender complained, "And they might not all say yes to you."

Eli shook his head. “My stakes are a bit higher this time. If it's not a 'yes' they're not stepping foot in my office. I’d suggest that you’re absolutely sure about them,” he said casually, sipping his beer, "This isn't something I want being advertised."

The bartender rolled his eyes but he looked into the crowd once more. “Okay, fine, half up front is fine. Skip that one guy near the blackjack table and bring in the remaining three. Tell them I vouched for them, and if they have any issues I'll sort it out. They’ll come through, I promise,” he grumbled.

Eli pulled out his money clip and counted out the deposit before sliding it across the bar. The bartender accepted it and Eli gave him a friendly tap on the hand before throwing back the rest of his drink and departing. He manoeuvred the room gracefully and tapped each on the shoulder, beckoning them to follow as they looked up.

A large man.

A very large man.

And a small woman.

Once he had them in his office he shut the door and sat on the edge of his desk.

“So what’s your going rate for kidnapping?” he asked casually as he withdrew a bundle of hundreds and flicked his thumb over it.

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?

He left his shift from the fourth borough well after dark. The Guilds had always been touted as offering the most respected professions but managing checkpoints wasn’t exactly what he had in mind. Nor was working the late shift. And it didn’t quite pay first borough money. Not yet anyways; the pay wasn’t overly incredible for those on the lower end of the salary scale.

The Guilds hadn’t been fully transparent on that front. He had expected a more lavish lifestyle waiting for him right out of school. But instead, just for now anyways, he had settled into a modest place in the sixth borough that allowed him to save up funds for his grander ambitions.

He walked past a wooded park beside the road that would take him home. It was late and he had scarcely encountered anyone since leaving the tunnel junction. A few cars lined the streets but it was otherwise devoid of life.

“Ted? Is that you?” a female voice called from behind him.

Well, almost.

He startled slightly. “Y-yes?”

He turned around and saw a petite woman walking towards him. She, like him, was alone. It was too dark to see her face from this distance but he didn’t recognize her voice.

“Oh Ted! It’s been so long!” she said as she walked closer towards him.

“Have we m-” he began to ask but was abruptly cut off by something catching him between his teeth and flattening his tongue to his lower jaw. He tried to scream but only choking grunts filled his ears. He tried to escape but his hands were roughly tied behind his back and he found he was held in place by several strong hands belonging to assailants just outside his vision.

The woman continued her approach but before he could make out her face a canvas bag was thrown over his head from behind. Shivering in fear he was stuffed into the back seat of a car.

“Drive!” he heard a man bark and so began his nightmare.