APEX - Season 2

Ch. 15: Warwick's Deli

Rhys

In the back room of Warwick's Deli, a pastoral scene depicting rolling hills and grove of pine trees, hung above a heavy oak desk. The Warwicks were distant cousins on my mother's side, and when I was a young boy, she would take me and Aamon to the deli, leave us in this back office with the Warwick's teenage daughter Miranda, while she purchased her meat and chatted with Mrs. Warwick up front. Aamon would glue himself to a video game, but I would instead study this painting. I imagined myself walking along the path that led from a field of wheat to a green pasture where sheep grazed with their heads bent low. I'd say good morning to the sheep, offering them sprays of wheat I'd plucked from the field and then I'd be on my way to explore the tiny woods at the far end of the scene.

I studied it again now. It all seemed tinier than when I was a boy. Back then, I imagined it would take me hours to travel from one side to the other, but now, it only took me minutes. Once I reached the trees, I couldn't imagine anything beyond them. I was trapped. The grazing sheep started to look much more tempting...

"Sorry I'm late." Dev's voice jolted me from my ponderings. "The ferries never run on time."

Ever since the bridge to Neutral Isle had been destroyed, the city had upped their ferry passenger service. But it being the only way to reach the Island from this side of the river, it was still far from adequate to meet daily demand.

"I'm just glad you agreed to come at all," I said, shaking his hand and then offering him the only other chair in the room. "Thank you for making the trek."

"Actually, it's nice to be back in this place. Warwick's hasn't changed much."

That was true. I'd chosen this place because it was familiar, plus Dan and Lorraine Warwick were good people and loyal Apex pack members with an esteemed reputation amongst humans. Still, the events of the last few months had translated into their business taking a hit.

"Sales to humans are down fourteen percent," Dan told me when I'd asked how the deli was fairing. Still, he'd welcomed me with open arms. He and Lorraine hadn't hesitated to allow me to use their back room to meet with Dev. Dev had agreed on the location as well. It was close to the ferry while still well within the bounds of Apex, plus, he had almost as nostalgic an opinion of the store as I did.

Once we'd chatted about a rack of lamb Dev's family had bought from Warwick's every year for the past three decades to serve on Easter Sunday, Dev got right to it. "Did you bring the list I asked for?"

"It's why we're here, isn't it?" I reached into my shirt pocket and brought out a folded piece of notebook paper. Given what was on the list, we'd decided to meet in person rather than have me text or email it to him.

"We need to be much more cautious," Dev said to me. "This is a time when the slightest mistake can lead to calamity."

Humankind First was watching him, his bosses were watching him, city leaders were watching him. And given what I'd learned from our conference call with representatives from other countries, I wouldn't be surprised if foreign operatives weren't watching him too. He had a burner phone, but even that was too risky for this. Knowing that the Kim family had frequented Warwick's Deli for several generations, I told him to meet me at Loraine's and he'd known exactly where I'd meant.

"Were you followed?" I asked him.

"I shook them off before boarding the ferry. Looks like you're not even trying to hide where you are," he said, referring to the four bodyguards flanking the door to the deli.

"Hiding in plain sight," I told him. "But to be honest, no one gives a shit about me today, not with Vicki giving her fucking town hall speech back over in your neck of the woods. I wouldn't be surprised if she doesn't declare her candidacy for mayor."