“How was the date yesterday?”

The red palm print on my cheek spoke for itself along with the stormy expression on my face. Unfortunately, Felix couldn’t see my expression over a voice call.

“Anyone who claims that females are relatively fragile creatures should try getting slapped by one. This palm print might become permanent!” I hissed in response, still not completely over the humiliating incident.

The pompadour loving investor guffawed long and loud without consideration to my bruised pride. Good thing I was prepared for such a reaction and held the dialler a distance away before it could cause some serious hearing damage. I stared at the massive pile of paperwork and vaguely remembered the reason for my call. While my plans for the business proposal are nearly finished, the official documentation for it said otherwise. Trust the Parliament to make things difficult…

I managed to look over three pages of contract terms before Felix’s laughter finally died down to hiccups and snorts.

“Do you want to talk about it?”

The answer should have been obvious but tha didn’t seem to stop Felix from expressing his concern. “You wish. That lady was a demon, end of story.”

Cue another round of uncontrollable laughter. Nce again the dialler was placed on the desk and I flipped through a few more pages of contract. When it was finally over, the wealthy investor lowered his voice in seriousness.

“Jokes aside, what’s wrong? You don’t usually call me to talk about your dates.”

Squirming in my seat, the words formed a lump in my throat. This isn’t something I could share easily. I didn’t want to involve Felix initially because of the risks but I was running out of options. I needed a proxy for the plan to work and Nash wasn’t having much luck. The thought of asking Felix for another favour was much too tempting.

“Don’t worry about it. I’m simply a little pent up and haven’t had time to take care of it.”

As soon as the words left my mouth I felt like slamming my useless brain onto the nearest hard surface. Why the hell couldn’t I come up with something better? That must have been the worst excuse anyone has ever come up with. Heck, even Alastair could think of something more believable!

Fortunately, the man left it as it was with only a hint of amusement in his voice. “Well, aren’t you glad you are a healthy young man?”

What a way to be subtle, old man. I rolled my eyes and played along. “Well, then, this healthy young man still has a ton of paperwork to deal with… I hope to be able to give a formal pitch by the end of the month.”

“The end of the month is a good three weeks away, Titus. You better work hard at it then.”

Giving him an affirmative reply, I ended the call with a genuine smile. It was nice chatting with Felix despite feeling as if I had ingested a bucket load of lead.

Feeling my eyelids become heavy, I sighed. Perhaps it was time for a break. The night was still young, and finishing the papers by the end of the week wasn’t a problem. The real issue lay in how I would find my proxy. Nash agreed to help me search for one but I didn’t have high hopes. The proxy must be someone I could trust to carry on my mission should I fail. Betrayal was out of the question.

Standing to stretch, I felt my bones pop in satisfaction. It was only by chance but it was a horrific find. A glance at the mirror had confirmed my worst fears. I was becoming pudgy! Usually I maintained my figure by running around the Inner City. However, being stuck to the desk lately gave me no chance for any exercise. This won’t do! Fortunately, tonight’s schedule was clear and I knew exactly who to visit. I haven’t seen Raoul in a while after all.

“Kevin. Can you pull out an image and audio of what Raoul is doing right now?”

“Roger that, sir.”

A holographic image materialised and I wasn’t expecting to hear the sounds of tortured groans. The image of some beaten up man on the ground caught me by surprise.

The victim was tall and scrawny with a pale complexion. His chestnut coloured hair was tangled long fringe covered his eyes. Raoul kicked the man who was curled up on the floor once more, eliciting another groan of pain. I leaned forward in my chair as Raoul pulled the man up by his collar to meet him at eye level.

Hazel brown eyes greeted me and I hurried to find my mobile device to access Cain’s system for the man’s identity. This could be it!

“Two weeks. I have given you TWO WEEKS and what have you done? Nothing! Absolutely nothing! Is this how you people from the Slums repay kindness?”

The brunet yelped in pain and trembled as Raoul released his shirt in favour of grabbing his hair. Some locks were torn off and I clenched my teeth, seething. The brunet had tears in his eyes and I made sure to record every moment. They were in Raoul’s room and the poor fellow was a Special Pass worker under Raoul’s name. I’ve seen Raoul interact with him before but it was always about ordinary things such as running errands.

“I’m sorry. Please give me one more week, no! Another three days. I promise I can get the new batch stabilized by then…”

The sneer in Raoul’s voice made me want to kick him in the face. “Three days? Who do you think is paying the rental and your salary? You’ve been working on that new batch of Pantiumite for a while now. Tell me, how long has it been since you started researching it?”

The man quivered as Raoul tightened his grip on the chestnut coloured locks. “Two… no, three months…”

With a soft yet dangerous voice, Raoul leaned in and whispered into the brunet’s ear. “That’s right. Three months. The last batch that you had successfully created had been stolen from right under my nose. All you need to do is recreate the formula for it so that I can present it to the lead researchers in Centurion. A week has gone by and you have made no progress at all. Do you know how this could affect my career? Wait, of course you do. You’re doing this to ruin it, aren’t you?”

At the last question, I saw how his eyes widened as the poor man tried to plead innocence, denying vehemently. Raoul paid no heed and slapped him harshly. The sound resounded for a while even after the poor man had fallen over. A new kind of ugly hatred for Raoul brewed silently as I watched on in disgust.

“Ignacio Cross. You have a family to feed on the other side of the walls. I wonder what would happen if I threw you back there. Surely Red Rumble will love to pay you a visit.”

Despite my churning insides, something lit inside of me when I had a name. Finally something useful! “Kevin, search for the name Ignacio Cross and see what you can find in the Patrol Guard’s database.”

“Yes, sir.”

While Kevin worked, I tried to connect the dots. Red Rumble was the biggest gang outside of the Inner City. Rumours were that they had ties with the Inner City and smuggled Pantiumite on a regular basis for the poor who couldn’t afford any. Their leader was Rush Rhodes and according to Nash, that man was famous for being unpredictable. There were many stories about how he forcefully enlisted the people he helped into his group. Women were made to satisfy the needs of men who risked their lives in smuggling operations. Anyone who refused were beaten up and left for dead in the wastelands.

“Sir, the information you requested is ready.”

Just as I was about to leave and check on the report there was another blood-chilling scream of pain from the live footage.

“Kevin, keep me updated about Raoul’s location.”

Without hearing my assistant’s response, I stalked away to grab the closest work tablet. It was slightly disappointing to know that the Patrol Guards didn’t have a lot of records for the people in the Slums. The information was basic but it was all I needed. At twenty-eight, Ignacio Cross was younger than most people I knew in the Inner City.

He had numerous accreditations in the science field, rivalling my personal achievements and maybe even surpassing it. Remarks by the Academy investigators about his personality were mostly positive, claiming that Ignacio was a child prodigy with an innate gift for mathematics and physics. The only thing that stood out was a date indicating his official renouncement for his Inner City rights. The reason was left unspecified, fueling my curiosity.

There was no merit in becoming a Special Pass Worker when you had citizenship. Anyone who did that willingly was probably part of the underground. Although his actions were questionable on paper, the snippets of information from Raoul’s almost one-sided conversation made me think otherwise. It seemed like a baseless assumption to say that this man was the cure to my poison, the light in my darkness.

>>Xxx Destiny Aitsuji xxX<<

Tapping on the window of the fourteenth floor of Ignacio’s room, I waited for the man to respond. After a minute of waiting and still no response, I decided to let myself in.

The room was dark and hardly furnished, to no surprise. To the left was a small desk with a work terminal. To the right was a bed that looked as if someone had slept in it till recently. There were no other doors in the room except the one leading to the main corridor.

I approached the bed silently and found that it felt warm. Someone had been sleeping in it until a moment ago. My hitman senses tingled.

Ducking down out of reflex from my training, I twisted around to catch sight of a silhouette. A rather harmless looking pillow was held high above my attacker’s head and I lunged forward, catching him by surprise.

With our positions switched, I wrestled the fluffy pillow out of very slender hands. A grunt of protest was heard and the assailant struggled beneath me. Pinning both hands above his head with one hand and another over his mouth, I used both legs to keep Ignacio from struggling.

“Stop it! I’m not here to harm you…” I hissed into his ear. It didn’t make the man stop flailing but it did make him calmer.

“Please hear me out. I want to help. I know what is going on with you and Raoul.”

At the mention of Raoul’s name, Ignacio froze. Time stood still for a moment as I observed Ignacio. There was fear in his eyes as well as something else. Our breathing seemed to sync and slowly, I let my hand slide away from his mouth.

The hazel brown eyes seemed to speak volumes and I could only place a few words to what he was trying to express. There was fear and there was suspicion. There was confusion yet there was sorrow. There was a tinge of joy but a hint of anxiety from what I could make out. The tiny sparkle in his eyes was unfamiliar to me but I wanted to know what it was.

“Um… I’m sorry but could you please get off me? It’s slightly difficult to talk like that…”

The timid voice brought me back to reality and I blinked. I wasn’t sure if I heard it correctly but when Ignacio added ‘please’ I became aware of our current position.

There were two very good looking men in bed with one straddling the other who had his hands pinned above his head. The blush on both our faces didn’t help either. Despite wearing a visor that covered my eyes, the heat I felt on my cheeks remained painfully visible. Ignacio’s awkwardness was rolling off in waves as the Night Walker attempted to get off him, not without several face plants along the way in even more awkward positions.

Once we managed to put our hearts and brains back in place, I started introducing myself.

“Sorry for the unannounced visit so late into the night. I’m the Night Walker.”

Ignacio nodded and gave a feeble smile but immediately winced as he did so. The left side of his face was swelling and I was reminded of the purpose of my visit. “Please don’t be alarmed about what I have to say next. I have a few questions that I need you to answer me truthfully as well as much as you can.”

He nodded and I continued. “I had done a background check on you and know who you are. You should be aware of the Pantiumite shortage in the Slums. My purpose is simple. I want to help the Slums.”

There was a pause and I allowed Ignacio time to digest the information. “What do you want?”

I bit my bottom lip. Would he believe me? It was a gamble to have him help me when I knew nothing about him. It would be sad if I had to kill him. “Information. I know about your Pantiumite project since I stole it from Raoul the first time. It was really good. We managed to provide for at least three times the number of people after diluting it and the effects lasted two days longer on average.”

This time Ignacio narrowed his eyes. “Why should I trust you?”

His voice may have been soft but his eyes burned with resolve. Answering the question is a slightly tricky matter. Usually, smiling and demonstrating my capabilities to decapitate a person would work. However, Ignacio was traumatised and the negotiations would be a failure. On the other hand, I could try flattery but it wouldn’t work on him. If going by the book wasn’t going to work I would have to deploy methods out of the box.

The man wanted proof? I’ll show him proof.

A gasp was heard as I removed the visor obscuring my eyes. Ignacio stared at me with slacked jaws. “There,” I told him. “Are there any more reasons to doubt me?”

I smiled when the brunet shook his head dumbly. Not waiting for him to collect his thoughts, I started firing away questions with Ignacio answering without missing a beat.

“Why did you give up citizenship in the Inner City?”

“My family lived in the Slums. There was no way to bring all of them in with me so I moved out.”

That was a valid point but it was hardly heard of.

“You said you needed another three days to get the new batch of Pantiumite ready. Why did you lie to Raoul?”

“I didn’t lie. I needed another three more days to make the new batch. It was a new batch as Raoul wanted but it wasn't the same as the batch you stole. The new batch is said to increase efficiency by 30%. The previous batch had an efficiency rate of 45%, higher than the usual Grade A Pantiumite at 30%. The new batch I’m making should be about 50% efficient. Unfortunately, the molecules become more unstable as the efficiency rate increases. It is hard to achieve an efficiency rate of 60% even if it was theoretically possible.”

I frowned. If molecules became more unstable with the increased efficiency rate, did it mean achieving a 100% efficient Pantiumite was impossible from the start?

“Why did you choose to work for Raoul of all people?”

Ignacio had a sad smile. “It was the only way I could contribute to making Luna a better place. If I can make Pantiumite better for all, the people in the Slums can afford the third class Pantiumite that the Inner City rejects.”

Cringing internally as I pondered over his words, that was the truth to how things worked. Once the Inner City deemed something was newer and better, they would reject the out-dated products and technology to the Slums.

“Last question. What is your relationship with the Red Rumble?”

Ignacio went stiff at the gang’s name. “It’s not something we should talk about.”

“Why?”

“I don’t want to put you in any more danger.”

I snorted. How could he believe a meagre gang would be putting me in danger? “Please, you haven’t seen me do anything yet. The Red Rumble would be nothing when compared to the homing lasers used by the Patrol Guards.”

Still, Ignacio hesitated and I sighed, deciding to back off on the subject for now. “It’s fine if you don’t want to tell me. I’ll have you tell me another day. Last question, would you like to be my partner in crime? I’m going to try to help save the people in the Slums but I can’t do it alone for very long.”

Ignacio blinked twice before chuckling. Despite the pain, there was a wide grin on his face. “I thought you said the previous question was the last?”

I glared at him. “You got a problem with two last questions?”

“No, no! None at all, pleased to make your acquaintance Night Walker. Please take care of me.”

He stuck out a hand with a cheeky smile still plastered to his face. I rolled my eyes. “It’s Titus Crowley to you. I’ll be counting on you too.”

He had a firm handshake and I felt as if another huge part of the puzzle had been resolved for me. I had the proxy I wanted and sooner than I thought was possible.

Fixing the visor back in place, I told Ignacio to pack all the belongings he wanted to take before I left. It would only take an hour or two for me to ‘run an errand’ and I would be back for him.

“Leave the windows open,” I told him. Ignacio nodded and without another word, I was off.

>>Xxx Destiny Aitsuji xxX<<

Slipping into the apartment Raoul slept in was easy. The security system was bypassed as I waltzed in from the window. The man had been asleep according to Kevin but for precautions, I had a sound barrier set up.

“Alert me of any approaching patrol-bots.”

“Yes, sir.”

While Ignacio was packing, I had to ensure Raoul agreed to free the man from his contract. A Special Pass worker cannot be employed by two people and I wanted that brunet to become my proxy by any means possible.

The door slid open and I stepped into Raoul’s bedroom. The lump underneath the duvet lay unmoving, soundly asleep. It was freezing outside and being under warm covers sounded nice.

Just before reaching out to the sleeping figure on the bed, I felt a taser pen point to my jugular and an arm holding me in a chokehold fashion. The movement had been quick with my reflexes dulled from the exhaustion. Nevertheless, it was of no big concern. Nash’s training had ensured a taser pen or two wouldn’t knock me out.

“What is the Night Walker doing in my room in the middle of the night?”

Deciding to play along, I smiled. “Well, it looks like I’ve been found out. I never pegged you to be able to subdue a criminal. I guess you’re not as fragile as you appear to be.”

Snarling, the chokehold tightened and breathing became slightly laborious. The gasping sounds made the scientist behind snort. “Is that the best the most troublesome criminal in the Inner City can do? The Patrol Guards are certainly fooling around.”

When I didn’t rise to his bait, Raoul became livid. The chokehold became tighter but I didn’t try to break out of it. It was for me to turn the tables around but I needed Raoul to let down his guard a little more.

“So… to what do I owe the honour of your visit? Clearly, there is something you want. I’ve heard the rumours. You have been giving Pantiumite to the rats in the Slums. Thanks to you, the last batch of Pantiumite that was meant to convince a client had gone completely wrong.”

Before I could give a snarky reply the painful jolt of electricity shocked me. Body spasming, I had zero control over my muscles and the air from my lungs was forced out. Lying limp in my nemesis' arms, I struggled to recover from the sudden attack.

Lying on the floor, I spotted Raoul from the side of my eyes. He looked slightly impressed and I knew for sure the taser pen had been modified. No ordinary taser pen would have rendered me immobile after my training with Nash. While I had no idea about that crazy ex-hitman’s tolerance level, I had subjected myself to training to withstand up to twice the tolerance of an ordinary person.

The training had been painful but worth it. This would have killed a normal person and Raoul looked nowhere near remorseful.

“Speak. Why are you here?”

There it was… that condescending look again. By now I could feel my fingertips and was able to coordinate my movements but I continued with the drastic intake of air despite the lack of burn in my lungs to keep up appearance.

Displeased with my lack of answer, Raoul went for my neck. Finding the air supply cut abruptly, I stared right into his eyes. “Answer me before I call the Patrol Guards over.”

“Ig-Ignacio…”

The change was immediate as anticipated. The condescending look morphed into one of fury. The grip on my throat tightened and before I could twist my way out of it, a jab from the taser pen reached my side.

The effects were immediate and a yelp tore through my vocal chords at the sudden shock. Despite being less intense than the first attack, it hurt enough to numb the feelings in my fingertips. Taking the momentary drop in Raoul’s guard, I grabbed the opportunity to slam him onto the floor, pinning his arms backwards.

Restraining the man had been a struggle as I had to wrestle the taser pen from his iron-like grip. It didn’t help that he tried to buck me off while one of my hands was preoccupied with getting my gadgets out.

All I needed was for Cain to work out a way to hack Raoul’s authentication on his chip and transfer the credits into Ignacio’s account. The fake documents to say Raoul frees Ignacio as his Special Pass worker had been prepared, courtesy of Kevin.

“Sign here,” I hissed while Raoul continued to struggle and yell.

“Never!”

I rolled my eyes at his stubborn insistence. “Suit yourself.”

Before he could retort, a smacking sound was heard. Head thudding onto the floor, I glanced at my handiwork. That ought to put him out for a while.

Searching for the documents in his system was time-consuming. I celebrated for a while when I finally found it and had Kevin make a copy of Raoul’s signature. In the short celebration, a shadow my vision was suddenly cut off by an unknown attacker from behind.

Years of training had me attempting to flip the assailant over my shoulder. The move was a success and I managed to throw the man off, noticing that it was only Raoul. He had woken up sooner than expected much to my chagrin. However, what neither of us was prepared for was how the visor slipped over my head in retaliation.

The scientist was stupefied and I was no better with feet rooted to the ground as time slowed. My vision followed the movement of his hand while I was still paralysed from shock. Electricity jolted through my body, snapping me out of my paralysis but it was a moment too late while Raoul dialled for the Patrol Guards after I was rendered immobile.

Fear gripped me and I panicked.

Is this how my journey would end? I still had to avenge Mia and do something about Luna’s corrupted system...

Raoul pulled me up by the hood, boring into my eyes. “Hello there, Titus. Never thought you had a wild side to you. I suppose it’s too late now to do anything. The Patrol Guards will be coming soon. Anyway, just before I never see you again I would let you in on a secret. The human experiment that killed that Slum girl was done by my client who wanted to test the Pantiumite Efficiency theory. You thought you could play the hero and destroy this balance? You thought wrong. As long as the Parliament is in power, there is nothing you can do. I’m going to ride this wave of power with Slum boy and you are going to confinement.”

The human experiment that killed Mia was done by the Parliament? The experiment had been about Pantiumite efficiency and Raoul was involved… That was all it took for the last of my rationality to snap.

Moving faster than my mind could, I slammed Raoul against the wall who was too shocked to comprehend any of it happening. “Who is that client of yours?”

With a lead in front of me, I couldn’t help but want to milk what it was worth, consequences be damned! The question came out as an inhuman growl.

Shaking in fear, the scientist refused to relent. He smirked shakily and mocked, “Why do you care so much for the Slum woman? I should have known you didn’t belong in the Inner City. You’re nothing more than a fake.”

There was no room for patience. I needed answers. A blood chilling scream tore from my nemesis' throat as a finger snapped. “Let’s try this again,” I hissed.

“Who was involved?”

Unable to keep up with the false bravado, Raoul spilt.

I smirked and let go of the traumatised scientist. Lilith Malfoy a name I’m putting on the list of people to visit.

Deep in my thoughts, I did not register movements in the room until I felt the familiar electricity flowing in my veins for the third time that night. Only this time, on autopilot instincts, I kicked hard at the source of my attacker and swallowed when I heard an audible crack. The sound of sirens and Kevin’s voice alerted me of my limited time after my horrible deed.

I took one last look at Raoul before leaping off the window ledge.

Frozen in shock with his neck bending at an impossible angle, his eyes that lacked life stared straight at me as if blaming me. Raoul Harper was no more and I was the reason for it. There wasn’t time for regrets. There wasn’t time for grieving. The only thing on my mind was to leave the crime scene as fast as I could.

Grabbing the visor and fleeing, I ordered Kevin to connect me to Nash. The dialler connected and Nash’s grumpy voice echoed in my ear.

“What is it? The night is for sleeping you know?”

I leapt from another roof and apologised. “Sorry about it. It is kind of urgent at this point. I’m going to smuggle someone from the Inner City and I need you to help me house him.”

Puzzled, Nash demanded details.

“Ask him the details yourself. I have a lot to deal with right now. As for the proxy, you don’t need to search anymore. I found him.”

“What do you mean by that?” Nash snapped. Being woken up at two in the morning certainly made him cranky. “Do you know how hard I’ve been searching?”

“Sorry,” I panted as I ran along the wall. “You’ll understand when you meet him.”

Grumbling could be heard but Nash eventually agreed. “I want all the details when you sort out your mess, understood?”

“Yes.” I breathed before ending the call just in time before reaching the ledge of the window. My tongue felt numb and my tone felt lifeless. I was hollow on the inside, only acting as I required but not enjoying any of it.

Tapping twice, I waited. Ignacio slid open the window and I slipped in. “Where are the belongings you have packed?”

The man held a single heavy backpack and I didn’t comment on it. “Ready?”

Ignacio took a look at me and frowned. “He’s dead.”

It wasn’t a question. A simple nod sufficed and it was all Ignacio needed to know. A gentle pat on my back later, the brunet told me he was ready.

“Hold onto it. We’re going to take the shortcut,” I threw the backpack to him while reaching for the charged orb.

Before Ignacio could ask, I had already started the charged orb and locked on a destination. In a flash, we were in front of Nash’s house.

“I’ll leave him to you,” I told Nash who was already awaiting our arrival. He noticed the dead look in my eyes but kept the comments to himself as I teleported back to my office.

Feeling as if the taser pen had sapped all my energy away, I sunk down in the chair and closed my eyes. Those soulless eyes haunted me and I knew there was no sleeping tonight.

There was no way for me to appreciate Sirius’ beauty in the night sky while the images haunted me.