“Thanks?”
Tavon was lying on her couch; his body having been wrapped generously despite most his major lacerations from the prior bout having healed.
--
After Tavon’s body had been recovered, Aaliyah was woken by another Bureau Agent who became worried upon viewing blood stains covering a large portion of the surrounding area. She was then taken to see a nurse and ordered to remain home until cleared by a Bureau psych examiner.
Tavon, on the other hand, disappeared back into the hands of Angelos. One carrying quite a bit of influence saw to it that the assassin was properly treated and given over to a team of surgeons. And thus, he seemingly vanished out of everyone's life for a day and night before reawakening back at his apartment with Brock kindly watching over him.
Brock had attempted to speak with Tavon to understand better what happened, but his friend simply left as soon as he was able and went to find Aaliyah before collapsing from fatigue when he'd arrived at her apartment.
--
“So, who was the love of his life?”
Tavon frowned. “Her name's… ‘Kalene,’ I think.” He paused for a moment before continuing. “I don't know if she's even still alive; I haven't seen her in a long time.”
“You two are really that close, huh?” Aaliyah chuckled.
“And what's funny about that? –Tch. Whatever, just put some coffee on.”
“Oh,” she raised an eyebrow. “Well, you came over here with your own grown self, didn't you? So why don't you make it then?”
“If I could, I would. Please?”
“That’s a good point. And okay.” Aaliyah smiled at him before getting up to brew an entire pot.
“But really: I don't get why it's funny to you.”
“I just don't see you as the type of person to open up to… well, anybody, Tavon.”
“Even though I'm giving you my life story.”
She smirked. “That's true—but you're so cold on the outside, like you don't wanna be bothered with people.”
“Likewise.”
“Boy, shut the fuck up. Keep going with Brock's story; I wanna know about ‘Kalene.’”
Tavon laughed. “We might come back to him. Don't you wanna know how what happened to me before we met the second time?”
“If it makes you happy, then tell me.”
“It does.”
--
Tavon
--
After missing my shot at becoming Champion, you can imagine I was pissed. I thought I'd come close to a sure win against Brock, but he’d proven the better fighter in the end. I kept thinking that I could've won if they would've let us keep fighting. Even though Brock didn't possess refined techniques and was often sloppy, he fought with a savagery that persists to this day. That's how he'd come to earn his reputation as The Berserker in the Third Quadrant.
Brock was born with potential, but he decided to use it for Enrec shortly after our fight and essentially gave up the title of Champion. However, that night after the competition I was more than ready to go again and prove myself as the stronger man. I returned home to find Eze passed out on the cot to which he'd taken a liking lately—we changed it up every now and then—and was surprised to find Anubis quietly resting by his side on the floor.
I walked up to Anubis, who stared back while hinting that he was there for the man's protection. The beast wouldn’t allow me to inch any closer without growling in response, and so I hesitated to pet him before going to bed myself and sleeping for a long time.
…So long that I'd overslept on Dfari's watch.
There came a banging on the door to the den followed by Isaac's voice:
“Yo T! They ready for you, bruh; we about to get the real grind on!”
I came to the door as quickly as possible in order to avoid waking up Eze, who still appeared sound asleep. Anubis didn't respond to Isaac's appearance, and I don't think Isaac could see him anyways.
Rise stood at the entrance looking out of breath with a cruiser hovering several feet behind him.
“Ay yo, they jacked a vehicle—and Dfari overrided the console! Vic and Little in the back, but Dfari wants you to ride shotgun! C'mon, man, we ain't got time to fuck around!”
I started speed walking with him to the hijacked cruiser.
“Why does he need me in shotgun?”
“You fired a gun before, right?”
“No! I can—”
“Look, man,” he showed me a glock strapped to his side before pulling out another which he forcefully handed to me. “We both about to partake in this; Dfari’s gonna explain in the car.”
I nervously got in next to Dfari, who appeared much more serious than usual. He didn't bother even glancing at me and simply said: “You didn't show up for work today. I needed you earlier than this.”
“I'm sorr—” I tried to say before he interrupted.
“It's no matter, kid.” He waved me off. “Operation’s still in effect.”
“What are we doing?”
Dfari looked annoyed by my question. “It’s breaking rank to ask me that kinda shit, but I'll humor you this time.” He snorted, “The Cordunion Market is a small, moldy ass building that’s next to a power station built for cruisers trying to pass into the Mid-City. As such, the shit heap actually generates a fine income while making itself appear like it ain't nothin', you feel me?”
“—He understands, D.” Isaac spoke up for me.
“Good.” Dfari grinned smugly. “I looked into it, brothers, and the Market’s in a fuckin’ dead zone; a place I know cops don't usually patrol despite the traffic. But there's a reason for that: Cordunion Market gots paid security making rounds, and there are only a few times when half of them split and go on break.” Dfari looked around at everybody. “The cats they're using are free agents, ya hear; they allowed to clip us if we get in their sights—and that's why we've gotta speed and hand off the money to the boss.”
“Wait… what?” That didn't make sense to me.
Dfari didn't say anything further and angrily stared ahead as he drove. Therefore, I kept pressing him, “Let me get this straight, D: you want us to bust our asses trying to rob these people and then hand off the prize to a guy who didn't do anything—”
“—Kid, I ought to put a fuckin' bullet in your head, you know that!” He finally snapped. “It's not your fuckin' role to question orders—understand?! If you disrespect me one more time…”
“Got you.” I responded.
Dfari sighed with frustration before going on. “Obviously, I'm going to be playing driver—so I'll drop you guys off at the right spot and then wait to be your getaway. Little, because he's the youngest, is going to pull off a trick we went over, and Vic will be standing in as security for Little. You… ‘Knockdown T,’” Dfari said the nickname with disgust. “You’re gonna help Rise cover BOTH Little and Vic whenever the Market's alarms go off—and they will; this place is stacked, my brothers. Trust this.”
Not long after Dfari's roughly thought out brief, he dropped the three of us off in an alley where we prepared to approach the Cordunion Market.
“Ay Knockdown!” Little laughed. “Dfari only puts the people he hates as point man!”
“Point man?!”
Isaac tried to reassure me. “It's nothing big, brother. Look, all we gotta do is watch for that security team they got—”
“And what?!”
“Damn!” Vic exclaimed. “This guy really is full of questions… the big boss don't like that kinda shit, ya know?”
“If something starts to pop off, T… we gonna be on the frontlines. We're here to protect Vic and Little—but if we prove our loyalty to Dfari, then he’ll prove his loyalty to us. And by the way, Little and Vic outrank you in Dfari's eyes; ask THEM your questions, man! You don't question a Lieutenant like D!”
I shook my head, feeling that Dfari was just full of himself. I was stronger than him by a wide margin, but I couldn't rely on my fists for everything—especially
when guns were involved.
“Let's move!” Vic ordered.
“Wait!” Little called out with irritation. “I just rolled one up—we gotta smoke before we make this hit; we'll make it our pact!”
We all agreed and quickly passed around a joint Little had rolled for this exact occasion. In that moment, it helped me focus. The goal was to make it appear like a simple exchange without letting anyone know, and so all I had to do was act calm and pretend to browse the store while keeping an eye out for the security force. Even though we were just teenagers trying to get our names on the scene, we looked not only shady but Isaac and I were bigger than most our age. We were able to stand in as grown men, and people often treated us that way as time passed.
After putting in some work, both in the ring and with Dfari's crew, I'd finally been able to buy clothes that actually fit me. All those advertisements shown in the Citadel—ads for new, brand-name shoes and shirts came to mean something more. At first, I had nothing and had gone to school with other kids who seemed like their family owned the world itself. But now, I was making it a priority to show off what I had. I sported a Yolando t-shirt, cargo shorts, and dark tennis shoes, and I'll admit I was definitely more of a punk in the past than I am now.
Sure. I kill people, but at least I'm not a total prick…
When we ventured into the Market, I didn't really know what would go down. Everyone stared at us. I felt like they knew something. I was anxious and paranoid and didn't want to have to use a gun when I knew I could handle myself fine.
Little approached the clerk by himself and made himself appear gloomy.
“Uh, can I help you, kid?” The older woman at the counter inquired.
He wiped his eyes and complained, “She… she keeps hurting me.”
“Wait… what?!” She leaned in.
“I-I don't know how to make—to make her s-stop.” He faked tears and started to hide his face.
The clerk looked puzzled, and she retained a growing interest. “Who's hurting you? Is it a parent? –Kid, is it someone in your fam—”
“I don't know what I’m doing wrong.” Little looked away. “She makes me… do things for her. It’s bad stuff.”
“Kid, what's wrong? Come here now.”
Little feigned being fearful and backed away. “No! You'll hurt me, too!”
“Nonsense.” She smiled as a protective nature claimed her overall demeanor. “Come over here and let me check you out. NO ONE should dare lay a hand on kid as sweet as you!”
She was a genuinely caring person; it's only that she happened to be in the wrong part of the Citadel and at the wrong time…
Little strode behind the counter and drew his gun before forcing it into her lower body and quietly ordering: “Give it all up, all the money you got—right now, dumbass!”
In an instant, Vic came up to the counter with group of random items he’d gathered from around the store.
“Just start shoving cash in the bag and make it seem like a regular purchase, feel me?” Vic pulled his jacket away to display his own weapon that he'd tucked inside the front of his waistband.
The counter clerk turned visibly distressed, which I knew would be a factor working against us. But my role was an expendable one, and so the most I could do was standby and continue searching the area.
She was starting to sweat as she grew red in the face and took longer than we expected. Vic awkwardly waited at the counter and noticed that some of the other browsers in the store were beginning to watch what was going on due to her unusual expression.
“Yo. Hurry the fuck up, lady!” Little demanded in a hushed tone.
“Okay, okay…” She was out of breath and a little loud as she cleaned out what she could of the Market's income from a series of metallic drawers and containers while scurrying back and forth.
It would be obvious soon. Stores didn't operate around here for long without experiencing a robbery or two. Someone approached from behind Vic and began watching the unfolding events closely, which made our partner tense. Vic glanced impatiently at Little, who was dead set on claiming as much as he could; I had to have respect for his tenacity. Most of the security team was sparse and loosely scattered throughout the area, but they would catch on.
The man behind Vic finally spoke up: “Excuse me, miss, but is—”
Vic pivoted and struck the man across the face with his pistol before anxiously aiming it around the Market and screaming: “GET THE FUCK DOWN!!!”
The rest of us were horrified.
The public wasn't meant to be alerted in this operation. Dfari had specifically told them to keep everything as quiet as possible regardless of the circumstances, and now the two had all but announced their presence to the entire Market! Guards turned to respond but immediately held their hands up as a gesture of surrender when both Isaac and I exposed our own firearms. I felt like a fool, as I had no idea how to work a gun.
Little darted away and shouted: “Let's go! C'mon!”
I started to rush to their aid in an immediate reaction and stopped myself when Isaac pleaded. “Wait, T! We’re the security, remember! We gotta make sure those two don't go down with bullets in their backs!”
“Right…”
I noticed a member of the store’s protection force slowly reaching for a handgun resting in its holster and rapidly directed barrel of my firearm in his direction while shouting: “Stop!”
He shook, sweat forming around his features, and put his hands back up as others in the building began issuing panicked screams.
“SHUT UP!” Vic screamed.
I nervously gripped my weapon and cycled my aim between the people in the Market and waited to see if more guards would show up. It was only a matter of time before we were caught—or worse, gunned down… But it wasn't long before I was hauling my ass behind the rest of the team, running past crowds of onlookers into less populated streets with a keen lookout for Dfari.
Little, struggling to hike the weight in his backpack, kept trying to call the ringleader on his Kom Cell while we fled the scene. Some of the guards were still following us, and so we were forced to take a much more hazardous detour through a construction zone as bullets rang out in the distance to the cries of terrified citizens. With Isaac and I keeping an eye out from the rear, Vic and Littler maneuvered through a narrow alley and led us onto a half-finished walkway formed from dark grating overlooking an elongated patch of synthetic grass.
They were already panting from having sprinted only a short distance, but Little spoke in between bouts of heavy breathing: “T-there’s… a route… we gotta take…”
Close to our location, we heard the voices of adults still on our trail.
“Shit! We can’t shake ‘em!” Vic exclaimed.
One after another, we jumped from the end of the grating and onto the soil below before sprinting as a unit through an open square of concrete and stopping before a fenced gate displaying a locked entrance.
“Fuck it!” Isaac sighed. “We gotta hop this one!” We began climbing to the top while carefully ambling over spikes adorning the top of the barrier. “Use the wall for support!” Isaac added.
Although I’d done as Rise recommended, sharpened blades tore through my shins, causing me to tumble over as the last member before narrowly halting my descent by grabbing onto one of the metallic crevices close to the concrete. Blood leaked onto the ground, and I shuddered for a moment in an attempt to block out the pain.
“T, c’mon!” Little demanded.
I stepped off the fence and began running as our pursuers suddenly emerged from the opposite side and exclaimed upon catching sight of us once again.
“It’s locked!” One of them said when they’d reached the gate.
“Hey!” Another drew his weapon and pressed its muzzle through a cavity in the fence. “Stop or I’ll shoot!”
We didn’t stop.
As we hurried to turn right at an opening onto the following street, a series of rounds penetrated
the wall next to us. Several of them came close to striking me until the Market’s security team finally decided to scale the fence themselves!
The situation became more desperate when we thought Dfari had abandoned us. What a cruel joke it would be for our “boss” to throw us to the wolves…
But Dfari pulled up in his cruiser with rage written starkly across his features. He retrieved a revolver from his side door and aimed it at us. Dfari then bellowed and spit with an unnerving intensity: “Who the FUCK blew it!” He shoved it in my face. “Was it this motherfucker here?! I already know h—”
“It was Vic.” Little interrupted. “Can we get a ride, D? They’re right behind us!”
Dfari glared at Vic, but his features quickly softened as he ordered: “Everybody in the fuckin’ car! You bastards got that place crawling with police!”
Once we'd all clambered to get in, Dfari quickly accelerated his hijacked cruiser and steered us in the direction of the Mid-City in order to blend in with traffic. His anger was soon renewed, however.
“You know what this means, right? Major Sofie is finna be all over that shit you just pulled—do you get what I'm sayin', you dimwitted motherfuckers?!”
“We gotta move now.” Isaac responded.
Dfari pointed at him. “Exactly! We gotta FUCKIN’ MOVE out of the Third Quadrant—and that means my boss has to move! He's not gonna like that shit, Vic!” He glared at the kid again. “Do you realize what this means for the whole business? –Do you, Vic!?”
The kid kept his gaze affixed to the ground in shame.
“It means we have to start the fuck all over! That money you got there? That ain't shit now, thanks to you!”
“I'm sorry…”
Dfari refused to look at any of us while turning the cruiser’s media player to Pete Rock's “Hop, Skip, and Jump.” He peered out from the cruiser window and muttered, “Ya'll done really fucked up this time…”
--
We were to move to the First Quadrant in two days in order to escape unwanted attention on the crew. Dfari dropped us off at our corner and, without a word, drove as far away as he could.
“Ay… I'm sorry, fellas.” Vic looked dejected. “The guy scared me, to be honest. I—”
Angelos Odyssey Page 48
