Waking up in a soft and warm bed was one of the most pleasant feelings. I would have given anything for this feeling to last a little longer. Unfortunately, there was no time to be lazing around with so much to do. Slipping into the routine that I’ve become so used to, everything felt perfect until I scrolled through the morning news notifications.

On the very first page was the headlines screaming in bold fonts – Raoul Harper, new promising researcher joins Centurion!

Unable to feel anything more than disappointment, I sighed. Somehow watching that obnoxious poot get ahead of me again lit the fuse of dissatisfaction at how unfair everything was. A new and different kind of fire burned inside of me. Mia’s murderers, Raoul Harper, Luna’s divided society, the income gap… my determination to finish the business proposal and launch Luna into chaos multiplied.

Those were some really tough words for someone who was having trouble putting the finishing touches to the proposal. I grimaced at the prospect of being shot down by Felix with such a half baked idea. I needed more time but that wasn’t possible, the stakes were simply too high this time. Surely it was faster to build a house than an empire. Raoul may have won the fight but definitely not the battle! Fortunately for me, that braggart has no clue of what I’m about to do and honestly I don’t think anyone could think of something as bizarre as what I’m intending to do.

Despite the thoughts buzzing around in my head, my feet had taken me to the bath. Renting an apartment in the worst districts in the inner city meant that luxury wasn’t on the top of the list. The bath was cramped and the heater was something that malfunctioned frequently. My only consolation came in the form of a turquoise duck and I relished in that small comfort as I let the water cover my shoulders.

For the past week, the measly income earned from selling information helped ease the financial burden of paying the rental deposit. Attending many parties in the past paid off even if there was nothing better than the gossips of bored women. A little attention and affection had them spilling their hearts out which often included their husband’s company secrets. Silently thanking Alastair for the referral to the social scene, I promised myself to make it up to him once he graduates.

Tonight’s date was with Jasmine – a woman whose husband paid little attention to and was struggling financially to keep his status in the inner circle. The poor lady had called me out and as usual, everything was paid for. My only job was to show up and keep her happy for the night.

Fortunately for me, I had just the thing to charm a lady. A man must dress for any occasion, regardless of his credit status. That’s a lesson taught by Nash. Hitman or not, the old man was a gentleman through and through.

Tonight I opted for my lilac suit. Lisa once said that it brought out the colour of my hair and enhanced the sharpness of my eye colour. If the best designer in Luna was saying it, better trust it than doubt it.

Glancing at my reflection in the mirror I noticed the length of my hair. What was barely over my shoulders a few months ago now touched the lower half of my back. I should probably get it cut before it gets tangled on something during my Nightly visits. It wouldn’t do to have Spencer to pick up on that and trace it back to his ward.

A ping from Kevin alerted me of a much anticipated mail. For the first time in a while there was a genuine smile on my face. Cain’s report just came in informing me about Raoul’s current location, I could finally set the second plan in motion. His Ugliness had been quick to access his credits and I’ve been keeping tabs on his movements for a few days now.

From Cain’s report, I knew that he lived in the company dormitory that easily outclassed the level of luxury I could afford. Why does Lady Luck favour all the people I hate? I knew that he was working for Centurion even before the tabloid writers caught the wind of it thanks to that virus.

So far, all that happened was some boring lab tours and meetings. The mysterious substance I found in Mia’s samples never surfaced in any of their discussions so it was a little disappointing. Raoul wasn’t making any huge discovery that required my attention so that gave me more time to concentrate on what I had to do.

Felix’s business proposal was in its finalising stage and I found myself making calls, attending social meetings more than I preferred. There hasn’t been much progress on Nash’s side and that was worrying with the number of possibilities narrowing significantly. The Night Walker was quiet with the increasing demand for my attention to work related matters. Everyone seemed to be at ease with less news about that menace’s presence but not Spencer. That man was still as tense and unlovable like how I remembered him to be.

The new Orion dialler rang and I glanced at the unknown number. No, my previous dialler was still functioning. I simply bought a new one. With practised ease, I answered. “Yes, this is T.C. speaking. How may I help you?”

Yes, this was exactly what I needed a new dialler for. Another willing victim has just entered my net making this the fourth business transaction today. Playing with the small fishes may be fun and all but my endgame was something entirely different. With all these directors from smaller companies flocking to me for investment tips, I was able to make a handsome profit while using them as stepping stones to hook a bigger fish.

It all started with Jasmine’s father who was an avid stock player. His recent losses meant that Jasmine had less to spend. Naturally, the girl was upset and complained about it over the dialler two days back. Like the nice person I am, I decided to help her out.

Titus Crowley may not be a rich person but Jasmine’s director daddy might be after some investing tips. With a promise of shopping sprees when her father becomes rich, the lady had kindly agreed to set up a meeting for us. The man, piling in debts, had been more than ready to do as I said. The first investment had been small and the commission he paid was a mere ten per cent for what he profited. I didn’t mind as that wasn’t my main aim. After leaving my contact details that day, I left and simply waited.

Needless to say, Jasmine was ecstatic. The girl had splurged without a moment’s hesitation and was immensely satisfied. Tonight’s date was her way of thanking me. Titus Crowley, being the ladies’ man that he was, couldn’t refuse although the Night Walker would have protested because of the work piling up in the office.

I thanked the other party over the dialler and ended the call. Long story short, those who knew of that director’s situation had eyed his wealth. With a sudden change in fortune, they pounced on him like sharks. Under pressure, the poor man had cracked and revealed to them where he had his investing tips. Since then, calls had been flooding my dialler, all according to plan.

T.C. was an anonymous investor who started dabbling in the stock market about a year back. It was said that T.C. never made an unprofitable investment and all the bigwigs in the financial world kept eyes on the new player with his unusual investing strategies. From then on, T.C. had been a market leader who influenced the market greatly whenever his name appeared. However, T.C. disappeared for months without news or reason, puzzling everyone. His return a week ago to buy all the shares from a company in the red made news spread quicker than the EM Waves during the Great Explosion. Jasmine’s father had been Luna Services’ first external investor and many who caught wind of the news were quick to hop onto the boat.

The company was then made dormant after liquidation of its former assets by T.C., staff were retrenched and the director was replaced. Nothing else was done and that only added to the mystery. However, it didn’t stop the speculations. Shares continued rising and jobs kept coming.

My credit account was starting to look less pathetic with the calls, alleviating my immediate financial worries. Felix was the only one who knew who T.C. was and sent me several mails asking what I was planning.

As much as I wanted to reveal what my plans were, I had to wait. It wasn’t the right time to reveal anything, not when the possibilities of failing were still so high. I refused to let Felix make an unprofitable investment, not after the marvellous office he found me.

The idea was unconventional and completely unheard of in Luna’s history. Even I am unable to foresee how Luna would react to it when it gets to the public. While tying my shoelaces, Kevin announced that Nash was contacting me.

Using the private network, I gave Nash a call. No more than three buzzes later, his gruff voice greeted me.

With a chirpy tone fully intended to annoy him, I returned the greeting. “Hey, old man! How have you been?”

“Cut the small talk brat. I’ve known you long enough. How are things progressing on your end? You haven’t been coming to visit lately.”

I chuckled. “Aww, how sweet… Are you feeling lonely without me around, papa?”

I could almost see Nash cringing at the word ‘papa’. Half expecting him to yell at me and cut the line, I was surprised hearing a heavy sigh from the other side. He didn’t even bother retorting! Is Spxtro going to end tomorrow?

“Whatever. Is it tough over there?”

I got the underlying message and to be honest, I was far from fine. The office was solace but the apartment in Area Thirty could do with some work. The walls are thin and the landlady was always arguing with her husband making it hard to sleep at night. Focussing was an impossible task.

Nash had seen me twice since I left the Academy and the eye bags must be terrible if he was asking about my well-being.

“Don’t worry. I just need some time to settle down although it can get slightly lonely without Mrs Peterman and Alastair breathing down my neck …”

His low chuckle on the other end of the line had me smiling. “Well, you’ve always complained about them. How ironic you would find yourself missing them someday.”

Shrugging, I decided to broach the main topic. “That’s human nature really. In any case, you called me earlier. Was there something you wanted to tell me?”

I sensed the shift from a casual and warm tone to a clipped business one. “It’s about what you wanted me to investigate.”

“Oh?” The news hit me like cold water. I was immediately sober.

“That route does exist. For a while, there wasn’t any movement. I thought it was unused so I went asking around a little. It seems like things are more complicated than just the dealings of the underworld.”

I frowned at the last bit of information. “Parliament?”

There was a pause at the other end. “No, it’s worse. We are talking about Area Forty-One. There is a system within that area related to the underworld in the Slums. I highly doubt Spencer knows of it.”

That was news to me. As far as I was concerned, Spencer was the only man that knew everything happening in the Inner City. Area Forty-One is also under the Patrol Guards’ jurisdiction. He had Helenos Satchel under his control so why would he be unaware of the hidden path? Even the illegal base that I infiltrated as Night Walker had been something Spencer knew. The route was not very difficult to spot either.

“Spencer should know of it. The route was easily spotted with a detailed scan. That man knows better than to overlook something this simple.”

Nash was silent on the other hand. “Titus, do you know what I saw when I made my way to survey the route on the map?”

I was beginning to imagine things like abandoned tunnels and broken doors. It was the only explanation why Spencer would not bother checking it. Before I could answer, Nash was already describing it.

“It was the making of a madman. You should see it for yourself. High walls, laser traps, deadly chemicals and homing lasers for the welcome party. I’m very sure there are deadlier surprises inside.”

“Homing lasers?” I couldn’t believe my ears. “Only the Patrol Guards possess that technology. Those are supposed to be extremely expensive. What are they doing in Area Forty-One?”

There were so many questions growing inside of my head but neither of us had any answers to them now. The heavy sigh on the other end told me what I wanted to know. If Nash was clueless even after digging around for a week, this was something that required serious investigation. Unfortunately, it would have to wait for now.

“I get it, Nash. Leave it to me. For now, I have something else to ask of you.”

The ex-hitman hummed thoughtfully. “Am I getting paid?”

I chuckled. “I’m quite broke right now but I can try. Your next shipment of Pantiumite will be coming soon so I’ll just send it over with that shipment. What is it you would like this time? Another one of those new holographic terminals?”

Eyes rolled at the snort from the other side. As much he denies it, that geezer was absolutely obsessed with the newest technology from the Inner City. He already has the most outstanding house in the Slums and now he was going to have the most technologically advanced house in the Slums. Men and women alike swarmed to his house in the evenings to watch Sable Vogel perform from what they called a ‘floating person in a frame’.

“I’m not that easily bought over you know? Besides, I have not heard your request.”

Usually, it was easier to make a request after knowing the payment demanded from me. Many of my clients offered ridiculous amounts for my information, giving me the upper hand in the negotiation. Nash, unfortunately, was someone I disliked doing business with. He always ensured he had the higher ground when dealing with me. Even after five years, I would always be that little boy desperately chasing to catch up with his shadow.

“Can’t you state what you want first for a change? It scares me to even think about what you are going to want after you know what I am asking for.”

“Ha! You’re still too young to negotiate with me, brat. If you don’t like my offer you can take your business elsewhere.”

The communicator was so close to getting smashed. Calm down, Titus! Nash is trying to provoke you as usual. It’s fine. You can always think about accepting his terms after you’ve heard it. Two can play the game, I smirked.

“Fine but just so you know… I can always find someone else to help me out.”

“Keep telling yourself that, boy.” That smug tone made me consider sharpening my daggers and paying him a visit.

“Well,” I breathed, “I’m looking for a proxy.”

The smug tone vanished into puzzled silence. “Why the Slums? There are many from within the Inner City.”

I smiled, feeling a small sense of superiority. “Are you going to take up this offer or not?”

The sound gritting teeth over the line made me giddy from the adrenaline rush. I could feel the blood pumping through my veins as Nash weighed his options. If Nash had a weakness, I would say it was curiosity.

“So?” That single word seemed to egg him towards what I wanted.

“Fine. What kind of person are you looking for?”

“Aren’t you going to state your price first? Or are you too afraid you can’t do the job?”

The growl was exactly what I wanted to hear.

“Titus Crowley. I am many things but afraid is never one of them. I killed for credits even before you existed.”

“Oh no, I never meant to offend you! I merely wanted to ensure you were the right man for the job.”

Hook, line and sinker.

“Of course, I am the right man! State what you’re looking for. In return, I want to be in on all your plans. I don’t care if you don’t want it revealed too soon or if it is unfinished. I want to know every single thing.”

Once.

Twice.

I blinked again just to be sure I didn’t hear it wrongly. “That’s… not very difficult to agree to. Why would you ask for this though? You could have asked for the Orion glasses you were dying to try.”

There was no reply from Nash and I got worried for a moment. “Nash?”

“No reason, brat! Go to sleep. You’ll probably have to wake up early tomorrow. Good night.”

I wanted to ask more but Nash had already hung up. Kevin ended my call and I allowed myself a moment to withdraw from reality.

What just happened?

As I stepped out from the crappy apartment in a preppy suit, my mind was still reeling from the surrealness of it all. Suddenly I felt apologetic towards Jasmine knowing that she was probably not going to enjoy tonight’s date.