Let the Darkness In (Abandoned)

Curiosity

No sleep- No sleep till- No sleep till... wait I don't ever get sleep. Shit that doesn't work lol. Oh well, enjoy. Loves!!

Sang

I watch Lynus walk away with his family, our family(?), before facing Phil. "You lied to get away from feelings didn't you Little One?" With a dramatic eye roll I start walking down the hall. Phil follows me with a chuckle. Jerk.

"No I didn't. I actually have to get down to the harbour. I did some digging and found out that the Taylor team spends an afternoon there every week and are scheduled to be there today." Phil looks out a window as we keep walking to his office. "Phil, how bad was it? I know what the files say but there has to be more for you to push this much."

A bone deep sigh leaves him and I swear Phil ages ten years before my eyes. "I was their advisor until the oldest two graduated. After that I remained as a mentor. Those boys were like my own. I had never seen a stronger, more insync team until the last mission. Something happened that fractured them to the core. No matter what they say, none of them are okay. Only the Green portion of the team still talks to me and Jim, Uncle, has it even worse. He raised Luke since he was two and when North came along he raised him as well. Those two don't talk anymore and neither one will tell Jim why."

My heart aches for the man who I've come to care for as a surrogate family member. "Sang, I don't know what went wrong but I fear that if they aren't fixed the Academy will feel large teams shouldn't exist anymore. The council was concerned about the Blackbourne team initially and now they feel justified. Some people need a large family to succeed. Those boys are only a few." More pressure, yay! Not only am I trying to fix a broken family but now I'm also going against a prejudice system to boot.

I nod my head to Phil slowly before saying goodbye. I have to get to the harbour and meet two more members. The drive out there is an easy one with very little traffic. Trying to find which boat the guys were on though? Difficult as hell and boring as well. The amount of boats Silas Korba owns is insane! Who needs fifteen boats? No one! If he didn't loan them to the Academy regularly I'd worry about him being an ass. I still kind of did.\

Finally saying 'fuck it' I text Uncle to get North's number. I can spare a favor for a fake mission just to find him. Once I have his number I make my way back to the car and drive up the street. Might as well grab a milkshake while I call them. They can meet me here hopefully. Now what mission do I use?

*Call*

North: Squid

Sang: Jumprope

North: Who is this and what do you need with my team?

Sang: I do not disclose my name over the phone but you might have heard of me. I go by Phantom to some.

North: Well fuck okay. What is it that the infamous Phantom needs from the Taylor Team?

Sang: A meeting and potentially help on a mission. This mission is very sensitive so I want the person going in with me to fit what will be required. I'm offering a favor for a meeting with you and your teammate.

North: Just a meeting? Okay, when are you available?

Sang: Meet me at the dinner a mile from your current location when you are done for the day.

North: How did you- Nevermind. We'll see you in thirty minutes.

*End Call*

Well that went better than expected. Now what mission could I use either of them for? Maybe on my next Volto stake? No, I would need someone sneakier for that. I do have a mission in about a week at a car and boat show. A look out is always nice. Plus I was going to turn the favors down anyway, I could just give them to the Taylor Team. That works.

With a partial plan in place I order a chocolate banana shake with some sweet potato fries. My food arrives about ten minutes before North and Silas do. Both are looking around the room curiously. I slowly make my way up behind them and listen to them talk for a moment. Foolish boys, you really need to pay attention to what's going on around you.

"Είσαι σίγουρος ότι δεν είναι αστείο, αδερφέ; Θα συναντηθούμε πραγματικά με το Φάντασμα; (Are you sure this isn't some joke, brother? Will we really be meeting with THE Phantom?)" Silas is tall and tan and very muscled. His deep voice is soothing. I smirk silently at his question to North.

"Δεν ξέρω, αλλά θα μπορούσαμε πραγματικά να μην εμφανιστούν; Δεν ξέρω καν πώς μοιάζουν! (I don't know but could we really not show? I don't even know what they look like!)" North runs his hand through his dark, short hair. The sides are a little uneven and the shadows under his eyes make him look even scarier than his gruff features would normally look. I almost feel bad I'm about to scare them. Almost.

In a quiet voice I whisper from right behind them enjoying the way in which they jump. "Πρέπει να προσέχετε. Ποτέ δεν ξέρεις ποιος είναι τριγύρω ή ποιος ακούει. (You boys should be careful. You never know who's around or listening in.)" North recovers slightly faster and spins on me. His dark brown eyes look me over from head toe in disbelief. Yep. That's the normal reaction.

I tilt my head back to my table and start walking that way. Once we all sit down North still hasn't stopped staring. Really dude? Yes I'm short. Yes I look like I could be easily squashed. No I can't. Yes I am Phantom. With an eye roll his way I motion to the menus in front of them and return to munching on my food. Silas's deep brown eyes shine over the top of his own and his smile warms greatly.

After both boys have ordered I lean back and watch them closely. "I will say you two have quite a record with the department." They lock eyes for a moment before turning to me at the same time. Creepy but okay. "I do have a few questions though about why your rates dropped significantly two years ago. I'm curious as to whether this will have an effect on current margins."

Both sets of eyes darken at my mention of the past. Silas studies the table intently while North looks like he would burn a hole through my head if he could. Man am I glad laser vision doesn't exist right now. I kind of like my head hole free. Well besides my mouth and eyes I guess my nostrils and ears as well but besides that, hole free. "Before we answer anything I want your name."

I study North for a moment before nodding my head. I honestly expected him to ask that much sooner. Why he didn't I have no clue. "Sang. My name is Sang." Silas still hasn't stopped checking the grain count of the wood table but North seems to calm slightly now that he has my name. "I expect that will remain between us, yes?"

"Of course. Now what is this prospective opportunity you have for us?"

"I am in need of someone to act as protection detail at a car and boat show. They need to be able to identify the makes and models around us as well as keep others away from me. I have some information I need to obtain and don't want to deal with any potential issues." North gives Silas a long look. With a heavy sigh Silas meets my gaze. His eyes look tired. Not like he hasn't slept in a day, more like his soul is tired. He's weary and beaten down. My heart clenches slightly at the shadows swirling all around.

"What do you need to know about two years ago?" His accent is very light but nice. I attempt to soften my eyes slightly. I know I can come off as kind of a bitch and he doesn't look like he needs that right now. With a casual shrug I take a pull from my shake. Word this carefully Sang.

"I'm a nosey shit so any details would be great but my biggest concern is that something occurred that will affect your concentration on this mission. Can you tell me without a doubt that you can pull this off, no matter what pops up?" I watch both of them carefully out of the corner of my eye. They share a long look before North nods.

"I can do this. Maybe we'll tell you some details later but not today." I wipe my mouth with the napkin beside me and meet both of their eyes. While shadows are evident and very very prominent neither hold any deceit. Nothing that they said was untrue, just not what I wanted to hear. That's okay, I have a bit of time. I warned Phil it would take me a while to do this.

"Deal. I'll call you with more details." Before they can move or say anything else I'm half-way to the door. I've learned that if you leave people curious they're more likely to slip up. It's the same if you get them angry or worried. I don't want to do the last two but I will if I have to. I'll start with curiosity though. Curious doesn't make me feel guilty and it doesn't play into the rumors about me.