Adrian stepped into Lucas's study and saw the man reading a book, sipping on a glass of port. Looking at him, he chuckled and took his dirty hat off, placing it on his chest and lowering his head, "Is this how you do it?" With a mocking voice, he asked, trying to get a rise out of Lucas. Lucas peeked up and scoffed, shaking his head.
"How has it been getting your people on the metro?" Lucas asked, getting straight to business. Adrian shrugged, seeing his attempt to get a rise fail, and took a seat, signalling a servant to get him a drink. Being handed a drink, he took a sip and made a face, spitting it back into the glass, handing it back to the servant.
"How do you drink that expensive shit?" Lucas impatiently narrowed his eyes and closed his book. Adrian smiled, seeing him slowly lose his composure, but knew that any more and Lucas wouldn't tolerate it. "Xavier made his move. Every metro is under heavy watch by the NPSD. My people can't get close to it, but then again, the homeless have always been disliked down there." Adrian shurgged reaching into his dirty trench coat. Pulling out a flask, he brought it to his lips and took a couple of large sips, letting out a satisfied groan.
"Anything else?" Lucas asked, looking back down at his book and continuing to read.
"The usual when there's a bomb threat. They stop anyone who looks suspicious, which tends to mean homeless, foreigners, and single men. But even then, there's only so much they can do during rush hour. People are already complaining about the delays, and with nothing happening the past four days, they eased up. Public pressure is a scary thing."
Lucas nodded and put his glass down. Opening the drawer on the nightstand next to him, he pulled out a bundle of notes and threw them over to Adrian, handing fifty grand. "For your people." Adrian smiled and pulled out a few of the notes from the stack for himself, pocketing the rest.
"Okay, if you can't get close, I'll deal with it. Your information has been useful."
"When do you plan to act?" Adrian asked, getting a glare from Lucas. Lifting his hands up, he chuckled, "I don't want my people caught up in this."
"I'm waiting for the call from my people in the metro engineers. When they laid the bombs, I'll let you know." Adrian smiled and nodded, getting up. Leaving the room, a few seconds passed, and Alannah came out from behind the side room she was in.
"I hate being near that man. He smells so bad." Lucas nodded in agreement and turned to a servant. They bowed and quickly left, returning with candles, which they sprinkled around the room and lit. Another two grabbed the chair Adrain sat on and took it away. "Why do you keep him? He shows no respect."
Lucas closed the book and rested it on the side, "Because his network is the largest in Newport. Don't look down on the homeless, Alannah. They are people without lives, meaning they can be used for anything. As for why I allow disrespect." Lucas stared at the door Adrian left from with a cold gaze, "He is the only rival I have in this city if he becomes my enemy."
Alannah stared at him in confusion, and, feeling his gaze, he turned and chuckled, "Not in terms of connections but manpower and wealth. Why he pretends to be a bum still baffles me. He is likely richer than most in the Financial District." Alannah opened her mouth in shock, realising Lucas wasn't lying. Looking to where Adrian had previously been, she nervously chuckled.
"He's dangerous then."
"He is, but not because of that." Lucas narrowed his gaze, "An all-out war will be his loss, not mine. I simply have more at my disposal. What's dangerous is that he doesn't care about any of that. He would see everything he has burn on a whim. I fear he may burn all our work as well." Grabbing his cane, Lucas shook his head, knowing it wasn't time yet to move. "I need to make preparations." Lucas paused and turned to Alannah, "Also, Freya got in touch. We have the key."
Alannah's mood instantly sweetened as she smiled happily.
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Xavier and Fredrick sat staring at James as he recounted everything he saw. Once he finished, the two looked at one another and sighed. "If I were to guess, I think you met the boss?" Fredick said without certainty. "Time is a dangerous power that a normal person shouldn't wield. It's why Xavier bleeds every time he uses his power, and that man's body slowly broke down."
Xavier tapped the armrest. "Ruby eyes?" Grabbing his chin and frowned, "The book you saw is also strange."
"Jewels makes snese after I saw the key. With what you said about the one you had, we can assume the five jewels mean five keys. The only issue is that we don't know how many they have. We can be sure it's two at least." James said. Inside the hotel, he realised how out of his depth he was against these enemies.
Before, he felt like he had a chance against the likes of Cain, if he gave himself enough time to prepare, but against a person who could wield time, he didn't even know how to begin his preparations. The three sat in silence, realising how far behind their enemies they were.
"Let's assume they have one left." Xavier said, "We must prepare for the worst case senario. If they have one key then..." Xavier stopped and looked to the ISD agent next to them, who stopped and answered a call. "Is something the matter?"
The ISD agent said nothing and nodded as he listened to the person on the other line. Hanging up, he turned to Fredrick, "I must ask the Elder to leave. We have a visitor." Xavier frowned but said nothing, looking to Fredrick.
"I'm hungry anyway. Those negotiations drain a man." Getting up, he stretched and clicked his tongue, rubbing his back in pain. Leaving, they waited for a minute as Secretary Parker walked in, surrounded by her personal guard.
"Mr Taylor." Turning to James, she nodded, "Mr Graham." With her introduction finished, she sat down on the chair Fredrick had been on and opened the briefcase by her side. "The ISD has made their desicion Mr Graham." Pulling out a contract similar to the one Xavier signed, she slid it across the table between them. "If you refuse, then I will bring you in for the murder of Officer George Porter."
James clicked his tongue and picked up the contract. He had expected them to use the phoney charges against him already, and once more felt the tight hold of the ISD on his throat. Looking at its contents, he carefully read, taking ten minutes.
Once he finished, he put it down, realising it was fairer than he believed. All his charges would be dropped. Although it would be silent, to avoid outrage from the public and NPSD, he would be a free man. Alongside that, the ISD would allow him to continue investigating what he wanted regarding Zoktis, providing assistance when necessary.
What they meant by 'necessary,' he didn't know. The only issue was what it would cost. "I don't get the same freedom as Xavier?" In return for everything, James would have to join the ISD, becoming one of its many people.
"Mr Taylor has earned the right to be an associate. We cannot force him to do anything without incurring significant backlash from New Horizon. Whereas you are nobody." Parker said coldly and looked at Xavier. "I understand you like this man, but the ISD has already given you enough leeway, and we will not budge on allowing you to have such an asset."
Xavier chuckled and shook his head, "To poach a member of New Horizon right in front of me. The ISD is truly brave."
"Do not lie. We know he is on your payroll, not New Horizons. And if you dare try and interrupt this by forcing him to join, our deal is off, by Director Reads orders." Parker stared at Xavier. James looked to him and noticed a hesitation at the mention of Read's name. He wasn't stupid enough not to know who the man was. On the surface, he was the head of the ISD, having held the position for thirty years. If he listened to the conspiracy theories, he was the real President of the Unified States, its hidden King.
James brushed those theories to the side. Even if he wanted to believe them, he knew it was a lie. The ISD may have immense power, but it was kept in check by the military and judicial branches of government.
James looked down at the contract again and weighed it up. At the end of the day, he had lost his place in Newport, even if his crimes were washed away. There was no chance he could ever return to his previous post, and if he could avoid prison, which was near impossible with Parker before him, then he would be relegated to being someone like Chicken Head or Brightsmile, a man fighting his own war by his own rules.
Sighing, James smirked. 'It may not be too bad.' They were still giving him the freedom to do what he wanted regarding Zoktis and giving access only to what the ISD could afford. He didn't think it was a benevolent offer. He knew that the ISD weren't like that. 'They see it as a threat.' Looking at the ISD agent who was always on them, he understood, 'They've been watching us this whole time. They know everything we have done here, which means they know the other side was here and had the power to intervene and beat us.'
Resting his thumb on the contract, he hesitated for a second before letting his aura flow through and marking it. Turning to Xavier, he smiled, "There's no other way." Xavier nodded and sighed in regret.
Parker smiled and looked to Xavier, "You saw. He signed off on his own free will. There can be no complaints."
"I don't think coercion for a result makes it his choice." Parker shook her head and got up, grabbing the contract.
"When you return to Newport, we will be in touch."