Lonely Thieves

Act V, Part I

Act V: Endgame

Kolya's Side (April 14, 10:00 pm)

Kolya darted awake, face and body covered with sweat. He looked around and found an unfamiliar environment, while a sharp pain reminded him of his injury. He pulled up his shirt to find his bullet wound already bandaged, though somewhat clumsily. As he wondered what had happened during the time he had passed out, he heard someone open the door and enter the room he was in.

"Oh, you're awake," Norah remarked as she entered the room with a tray of food and water. She set the tray aside and sat by the bed to check on Kolya's bandages. "You're not bleeding anywhere, are you? I'm not the best at this emergency aid stuff."

"I'm fine. How did–"

"–I find you?" Norah smirked a bit. "You were lying in an alley near my hotel. I couldn't take you to a hospital, so I had to bring you to an acquaintance's place."

"I don't appreciate you using our office as a hostel, by the way," remarked a young man from outside the room. "I thought our business with each other was done once you canceled your request."

"Don't be like that. I just needed someplace for this guy to hide out at." Norah turned to Kolya. "Don't worry. These guys are sweepers that I've been working with the past few days. They're trustworthy."

Norah grabbed the tray and handed it to Kolya. "Here. You should probably eat something to recover your strength."

Kolya simply nodded and took the tray from her. It was a simple meal consisting of chicken noodle soup and toast, but it did give him some much-needed energy.

As he ate, two more people entered the room, a young girl and an older man with a shaved head. Norah introduced the three of them as Maize, Rob, and David. Kolya took note of their names and faces as he finished off his meal.

"It's been a while since we've met, hasn't it?" Kolya remarked to Norah. "A lot has happened since then. We should probably fill each other in."

"Er, right." Norah seemed nervous. "I guess I can't argue against that."

The two of them spoke at length about what had transpired since they last met. Norah went first, explaining her capture by Hayasaka Security and her eventual change of heart. Then Kolya explained the true significance of the necklaces, including the Hayasaka family's conspiracy and Megumi's connection to the Matsuoka family. Kolya was surprised to hear that Norah was captured by the Hayasakas, but not as surprised as Norah was when she heard what he had to say.

"Sorry, give me a second," Norah requested with a heavy sigh. "That was a lot of information that I didn't know about, and it kind puts a new perspective on everything I've done over the past few days."

"I don't mind," Kolya remarked. "It's not as if I'm going anywhere any time soon."

As Norah sat down and began to stew over the information she just received, the sweeper named Rob suddenly approached Kolya. "I'm sorry if I'm mistaken, but... could you be the assassin they call the Stalker?"

Kolya narrowed his eyes. Not many people knew of his occupation, and those that did usually didn't have a favorable opinion of him. "And what if I am?"

Rob nodded respectfully as if to show he meant no ill will. "My father once worked with you in the past. He was a sweeper, just like me. You might not have remembered him, though."

"I see." Kolya tried to remember the many sweepers he had worked with in the past, but no one in particular came to mind. "What was his name?"

"Er, he might have used an alias rather than his real name, so that might not help. Still, he said you saved his life once, and that he'll always owe you a favor."

"I see. Is he still alive?"

"Unfortunately not."

Kolya nodded sympathetically. It wasn't too odd in this line of work.

"More importantly, sir, what are you planning on doing now?"

"You can just call me Kolya. As for my plans, the only thing I can really do is end things before they get too out of hand."

"That's easier said than done," David remarked wryly. "If the Three Great Families are really all involved in this, what can bit players like us really do?"

"Don't count us out so easily. We have plenty of cards to play. Like the original Night Hunter, for example."

"He's involved with this too?" Maize groaned. "I suppose that explains why he was suddenly so active recently."

"That's right. Besides, it's not like we're starting a coup or anything like that. I can't tell you exactly what the plan is, but rest assured that it's not something like trying to have a desperate shootout with the Innocenti or anything like that."

"Even so, going against the Three Great Families is almost suicide," David cautioned. "Is it really worth the risks we take by getting ourselves involved?"

As he asked this, his eyes turned to Rob, who wore a stern and stoic expression on his face. He was clearly pondering the best way to handle things, and he came to a decision fairly quickly.

"If Kolya says he wants to do this, then we'll help him," he declared resolutely. "My father owed a debt to him, and I'll be the one to repay it."

"That's not what I wanted to hear," David sighed. "Oh well. Guess I better get ready to outrun the entire city."

"You don't need to do this out of obligation," Kolya said worriedly. "This is a dangerous op, no matter what role you play. You shouldn't feel like you must be a part of this."

"Nonsense. My father thought of you as his savior, and my own life could have went on an entirely different track if he had died. Nothing I do could pay that back, but I'm willing to try."

"Very well. If you're absolutely sure."

"I am. And you can use the office as a base as long as you need to."

"I'm grateful the gesture. I won't stay long, though; just need to figure out my next move."

"If you're going to do something, take me along as well," Norah suddenly interjected.

"I don't mind," Kolya remarked, somewhat surprised by her spirited outburst. "Can I ask why?"

"I just want to make it up to Megumi. I caused a lot of trouble for her after all."

"Don't take it too hard. You did what you had to do to keep yourself alive."

"Even so, I want to help in some way."

Kolya hummed thoughtfully to himself. "Alright, then. I can't think of anything I need from you off the top of my head, though."

"Aah!" Maize suddenly screamed, interrupting the conversation. "You guys need to look at this right away!"

Maize gathered the other four and showed the video she was watching on her phone. It was a news broadcast showing live footage of the area around the Florencia building.

"Strange events happening at the mysterious Florencia building today," remarked a female newscaster who was reporting in front of a screen showing a large swarm of people outside of the building. "A crowd of people believed to be employed staff at the secretive building has suddenly emerged. Police on the scene have been trying to get statements from them, but nobody seems to know the reason for their sudden exodus."

"That's not good," Norah muttered as she continued to watch the broadcast. "Megumi and Daryl went there for some reason, so I'm assuming that place has something to do with the necklaces. If something's happening right now, it might not be good for us."

"Then our first destination is settled," Kolya said as he grabbed his jacket. "Let's go to this Florencia building and check things out."