Panama City, Panama
Thylonius 25
"I'm not asking for forgiveness; I did what I thought I was right. If I could go back in time, I'd do it again"
I awake with a start. I had that dream again. The one where I watch my best friend murder my family. It's takes a while for me to shake off the vision of my son lying dead in my arms. I get up look around. Cnidaria and I are holed up in a little shack in Panama City. It wasn't easy convincing Nala to let me go on the run. Well at least running off and leaving her. It didn't help that I had to leave even before the baby was born.
"What are you talking about Ni?"
"He knows Ty. He just tried to kill me."
"Who just tried to kill you? Who knows?
"Nick!" It was like a cold hand just grabbed my insides. Everything made sense now. I dropped the phone I could still here Cnidaria yelling "Ty?! Ty?!" Nala was resting in bed. Our son the only thing on my mind. I placed my hand on her temple. Nala woke up smiling. Then she took one look at me. Her face contorted.
"No!"
"I have to go Na…
"You are leaving me in this shite Thylonius! He's not even born"
"Which means he can't run. Which means you can't run. It was probably his plan all along. He would have Ni and I cornered. I don't think he was counting on Ni being able to escape and warn me. I set up legitimate accounts for you and the baby from our jobs. The company won't be affected by this. Nothing connects us to it, our other business…" She gave me a look I had never seen on her before it took me a while to place the emotion but when she spoke, I knew it immediately.
"Ty don't leave us love. We can't do this without you. Please don't make me try" It was fear.
"I'm sorry Nala." I kissed her passionately tasting her tears and her fears. I kissed our son. "I love you Zachary. Don't forget that"
"What do you want me to tell them when they come?" I paused.
"Tell them everything. Absolve yourself, you have nothing to do with anything. You were just an ignorant bystander. If Nick is the one chasing us. He already knows it. I love you Nala" With that I was gone. I met up with my sister and we ran. Never staying anywhere longer than a week, we bounced all over the Americas. I tried to let authorities glimpse me every month or so. I was able to set up a secure network connection, so we could be updated with the search for us. It was the largest manhunt in history. Nick's investigation had been small. Need to know but when we ran and Cnidaria killed four of the bureau's men we became the World's worst criminals since Lucius which I guess in the aftermath of everything that had happened was ironic. It was torture watching the world condemn us when we thought we were trying to make the world better. The only solace I found was in the random and very secure video chats I would have with Nala and Zach when he was finally born. I was never a weeper. But the tears would always come fast and strong when I saw them. She was so beautiful in her love for him. Her love for me. He would always reach for me when he saw my face. We could never speak because I was sure she was being bugged so I would always just touch my heart and She would always kiss the screen for me and kiss him for me. I would ask Ni to join us, but she never would. I didn't blame her. After the initial excitement of running wore off it was like she given up. She wasn't the same person. She started drinking more. She started having conversations with herself when she thought I wasn't around. It was like someone else was there but whenever I would enter the room there was never anybody there. I thought that she had finally broke but whenever I asked if she was alright she would just tell me
"I'm fine, kifo is just calling"
She had been told me about her conversations with death but me never seeing him made things weird. I had no idea what triggered this spirit talking to her and just her. I wondered if it was more of a mental illness something that developed after all that happened in life. She used to tell me about her conversations but now she keeps them private and I thought it best that I left her alone. It didn't help that as soon as we were settled, we got into the worst argument we ever had.
"Are we secure Thylonius?" I didn't answer at first. "Ty?!"
"Yeah we are. But why do we have to be?"
We had just got on the run, we managed to hitch on the back of a cargo train just to get out of Sierra Leone. We in the back of one of the cars with a bunch of crated goods I had no idea were for.
"What are you talking about?"
"What do I mean?" I looked at her. She was utterly nonplussed as to what I was saying which just pissed me off. "Cnidaria we are on the run from the best man at my wedding. Your current boyfriend is someone who has been a friend for over a decade. Why?"
"What? You haven't figured it out yet in your infinite wisdom?" She retorted back. Anger was rising to her defense. Which meant she wouldn't be thinking clearly.
"I've figured out that Nick has been the one investigating us. What I don't understand is how he caught on to us."
"He's smart and diligent."
"Agreed but no one is that determined. We have always covered our tracks. Always covered them extremely well. To the point where the only way we could've gotten caught is if someone who had our type of attention to detail would reexamine the crime scenes. But there would be no reason to do so unless something reignited his fire to catch us." She was still angry, but guilt was mixed in her expression now. "So, are you going to tell me the truth or am I going to have figure it out myself..." She said nothing. She just looked off into another direction "Ok. So, stop me if I'm wrong. I'm guessing the intel you got on the secretary was from Nick himself or you saw him while you were with Nick. I'm going to go with… you saw him because Nick was never specific with his job. Am I right so far?' She said nothing. I soldiered on almost as angry as she was right now. "You appealed to me knowing I would want to be done with this. I remembered what I asked you? Huh? I asked you where this intel was from. You didn't tell me because you knew I would not have done it if it came from Nick." She looked around at me.
"I wanted to be out of danger. I wanted you to be out of danger. I wanted Nala to be out of danger." I rose to my feet at that statement
"That's bullshit Ni. You were only thinking of yourself when you did this. Did you stop to think at all why the Secretary was talking to him?" She rose to her feet as well. Her violet aura was visible to my eyes, intense but controlled. We were now up close with each other staring at each other's eyes. I didn't back down and unleashed my aura as well to combat hers. I was taller than her and I looked down with a ferocity only meant to intimidate. I hoped my bigger figure would get her to back down.
"He treated Nick like a subordinate. I thought he was a low-level secretary. He was only two years out of school. The only thing I knew was that the person who had been hunting us, the one that made us leave London, was right there in front of us. He knew us Ty! He was the head of the company we had worked for and against for so many years. You think I was going to let him walk away?"
"But why would he seek out Nick? Huh Ni? It's obvious that he put Nick in charge of the investigation to find us. Which makes sense now and it would've made sense then had you had told me because he's one of the only people who could've boxed us in the way that he did. Why don't you think? You're smart and analytical. You're not reckless! At least you weren't" Her eyes flashed red at those words. Her aura morphed into a blood red I can feel my aura being pushed back. She took my neck and lifted me off of my feet. I was still looking down at her but the intimidation factor had flipped.
"Reckless. RECKLESS! Do YOU hear yourself right now? How does Nick being put in charge of a GLOBAL INVESTIGATION at the fucking age of 25 by the GODDAMN SECRETARY GENERAL OF THE UNITED NATIONS an obvious thing? You got reckless. You settled down. Found love and YOU let your guard down. YOU were the one who wasn't prepared. YOU were acting like the child you've always been. YOU pulled the trigger. YOU put him back on the path. On our path. YOU used his words to justify your actions. So here I am cleaning up after you. LIKE I ALWAYS AM! That's why I did what I did to protect US! LIKE I'VE ALWAYS DONE." Her fingers were closing on my neck, and it finally dawn on me that the assassin, the killing machine, I always thought I was. Is a joke compared to my older sister. Her power by far surpasses mine. I took everything I had to get her fingers loose enough for me to yell my next words.
"YOU DID THIS TO PROTECT YOURSELF! TO STOP RUNNING FROM SOMETHING THAT WASN'T EVEN CHASING YOU! NOW WE HAVE TO RUN! I MAY NOT SEE MY WIFE AND SON AGAIN!" Cnidaria's expression completely changed but I was too angry to see it. "BECAUSE OF YOU I HAD TO LEAVE HER TO FEND FOR HERSELF AND MY SON!"
Her voice was quiet. "Your son?" I realized in that moment I hadn't told her yet. Her aura disappeared that quickly, and she let me drop back down to my feet. I had wanted to tell her, but we had got distracted and then she had left so suddenly. I saw the hurt on her face and I broke down. "I have a nephew?" I just nodded. "So, I've truly lost everything. The love of my life and the trust of my brother. Why didn't you tell me? There is no excuse good enough for you not to have told me about your son. Are we that far gone from one another?"
"I meant to. The time just never presented itself. You were having such a good time with Nick. Before you were so sulky. So far away. Just, in your own mind. I saw the way you would look at us. I didn't want to put my happiness in your face too much. But earlier today before you left I was going to tell you. But you left, and you didn't come back till the middle of the night. I was hoping that what happened to Nala and I would happen to you.
"What? You mean pregnancy?"
"No…. Love" She laughed and shook her head. Tears now running down her face.