Lexa woke up to a world of piercing pain that stretched from her chest to her lower body in such a way that it made even breathing a slow torment.
Grunting in pain, she picked up her phone, sent a few files to an unlisted number, then slumped back, gasping for breath.
She stayed like that for a few minutes until she received a call from an unknown number which she forced herself to answer.
"Devochka," a familiar voice growled from the other end, its tone laced with anger as it continued. "Why you not tell me of this? Even fool knows boy has awakened."
The one who had spoken was Vlad, Lexa's father, and of course, the leader of the Viper Family.
In response to her father's scolding, Lexa responded.
"When I saw that he had visited both the Viper gang and the Magentas, I grew suspicious, even more so when he broke his fingers, but I had to make sure before I contacted you, that is why I chose to confront him, but he resisted, I barely survived."
"If you survived it is because he wills you to survive," Vlad intoned before saying. "Subject 01 does not do unfinished business. Can you still operate?"
"I can, argh-" Lexa groaned as she tried to get up but was forced back down by the unbearable pain. She had underestimated the severity of her injuries.
Vlad took her groan as an answer to his question, his voice trailing, "Get yourself treated, but make sure you see me in two months' time, it is time I throw you into the passageway."
"Yes, fa-"
The call cut out before Lexa could reply, leaving only the sounds of her heavy breathing in the large abandoned hall, paired with the faint sounds of police sirens in the distance.
She needed to get out of this place.
---------
Meanwhile, in the central side of the city, one would find the police headquarters of district forty-two.
Within the building, sitting in an office was a familiar dark skinned police officer, Richard who was the chief of police.
At the moment, his expression was rather peaceful, his breath steady as he did some paperwork.
It was at that moment that his phone rang, prompting him to pick up the device, revealing that the number that was calling him was unknown.
Squinting his brows, Richard answered the call and immediately a voice with a thick accent came through. "Richard, it has been difficult to reach you."
The person at the other end became painfully apparent after he spoke, for there was only one man with that accent who could address him in such a way.
"Good morning Sir Vlad," Richard muttered, his fingers tapping his desk. "To what do I owe the pleasure?"
"I am not calling for little games today, I want something, and you give me what I want," Vlad intoned.
Hearing Vlad's words, Chief Richard raised a brow, his voice deepening, "We have had this discussion before Sir Vlad. I'll never be in your pocket—"
"I told you I have no time," Vlad interrupted before adding. "There is a boy who we want, he is criminal who killed some of my men da, a report by your detective should arrive at your desk soon—in the meantime check your computer."
As Vlad spoke, Chief Richard received a file on his computer, which he swiftly opened, his gaze widening slightly as he stared at a picture of Mr. Valen, his mind immediately flashing to the time he had seen him on the road, playing with his curiosity.
"I do not have time for banter, I will send you the details of his location if I find it before you do, just—"
"I'll do it." Chief Richard immediately interrupted Vlad his tone grave as he continued, "but do not think I'm intimidated by you, we've been through this before, you can't touch me."
"I am simply a man who serves the alliance Richard, I even take liberty to report murderer myself," Vald responded to Richard, a hint of curiosity in his tone as to why he had agreed so readily.
Meanwhile, Chief Richard just scoffed and cut the call soon after.
Upon cutting the call, he summoned Detective Harper to his office. Moments later a brown haired woman in a police uniform entered the room.
"You called sir?" Detective Harper asked inquisitively, her form alert.
Chief Richard pondered for a bit, but ultimately spoke, his words light. "Have there been any homicide cases lately?"
His words incited a nod from Harper who spoke, "just now, we received a report that some civilians heard gunshot so we sent some officers their way, but upon arriving at the scene our officers only found a lot of blood, and two dead guys, the site has been secured and they handed the blood samples to forensics."
"I see." Richard nodded before asking, "Do you remember that kid we talked about before, the one from the Skilion case?"
"Yes, I do." Harper nodded then tilted her head. "What about him?"
"Well, there is a high chance that the blood you found in that warehouse also belongs to him, in fact, as of now, he is a prime suspect in the murder of those two men," Richard declared.
Furrowing her brows, Detective Harper hummed, her tone probing as she said, "I'm sorry if I sound disrespectful sir, but on what basis do you have to make that accusation?"
Hearing her words, Chief Richard smiled a bit before saying, "Don't worry about sounding disrespectful, honestly, there is no evidence to back up what I just said, think of it as me abusing my authority, have I ever been wrong before, Harper?"
"No, sir," Detective Harper responded professionally before asking, "What would you have me do?"
Her words incited a small hum from Richard, who began speaking soon after. "Get his photo out to all patrol units and precincts in the city, mark him as a high-priority person of interest."
"Ok," Harper nodded, allowing Richard to continue.
"I also want you to pull surveillance footage from the last 24 hours—traffic cams, store fronts, ATM feeds—anything around the gang territories. Prioritize the Vipers and Magentas, coordinate with SWAT for a rapid response if he's sighted. If we get a location, I want a team moving in within minutes, is that understood?"
"Yes sir," Harper responded immediately.
--------
Meanwhile, around the same time, at the Cathedral where the likes of the brotherhood hung out, a luxury car drove into the compound.
Like before, the compound was a bit rowdy, but it was not a full-blown party; it was just some youths getting high together on one substance or the other.
One of those youths was Dwayne, the one who had confronted Mr. Valen before.
Smoking a joint, Dwayne watched the luxury car as it parked in the compound, his eyes squinting in curiosity.
A luxury car driving into a place like this was like dipping sugar into a den of ants, attracting attention immediately.
But although they stared at this car, no one made a move against it, why?
Because they did not know who was inside, it could be one of their leaders.
The driver seat of the car opened to reveal a large man with a bald head, he was so large that he had the makings of an Olympic bodybuilder.
Covering his huge frame was a suit which surprisingly fit him quite well as he carried himself with finesse, dark sunglasses obstructing his eyes from view.
Upon seeing this man, the youths became excited, like children seeing their father for the first time.
If Mr. Valen was here, he would know this man to be GlockBoss, the first leader of the Brotherhood.
"Boss!"
"Boss-"
The youths began cheering frantically, and in response to these cheers, GlockBoss frowned and raised a palm, giving them a sign to stop.
The group of youths quieted down and watched as GlockBoss opened the back seat of the car for someone, his voice light as he said, "This is the place, Sir Smith."
'GlockBoss opened the door for someone,' Dwayne thought in shock as he watched the spectacle before him.
Similar whispers also flew around him because the sight did seem surprising.
Once the door was opened, the first thing that was noticed was a pair of glowing red eyes, so noticeable that even in the daylight one would see it.
"Shit a Wizard!"
"Don't look at him too much,"
"Are you looking to get killed?"
'What is a Wizard doing here?' Dwayne thought as he stepped back, his expression uncertain.
The Wizard or Smith was a man as robust as GlockBoss, his form defined. Additionally, he wore a fancy-looking robe with an eagle engraving on it, the number on his badge speaking of his affiliation with the Viper Family.
At the next moment, Dwayne noticed that GlockBoss was waving at him, urging him to come closer which he did.
"How are you doing, Sir's?" Dwayne greeted, his lips folded in focus waiting for any further instructions.
GlockBoss, who seemed pleased by his attitude, nodded his head while asking, "Is Dog Head in?"
Dwayne, upon hearing those words, hesitated a little, contemplating a viable answer.
He thought back to how Dog Head had instructed him not to let anyone know where he was or what he was trying to pull off, but he was not in, and if he said no, a follow-up question would be certain.
With that in mind, he answered, not that he had much choice. "No, sir, Dog Head is not in."
At those words, the unknown Wizard beside GlockBoss frowned, his voice bold as he inquired, "Where is he?"
"I don't know, Chief," Dwayne responded immediately, but that was the problem, his response was too quick; he had answered in a fit of fear.
With his response, GlockBoss narrowed his eyes, and so did the red-eyed Wizard before him, their gazes sharp.
Suddenly, the Wizard stepped forward, his voice hushed as he spoke, "I don't have all day, so tell me, kid, are you going to speak or am I going to have to break every bone in your body?"
------------
A few minutes later at a familiar laundry mat, another luxury car could be seen parked in front of it.
Out of said laundry mat, two people could be seen walking out. One was Lucien, who, unlike before, wore a regular grey sweatshirt and a pair of matching pants, his brows relaxed.
The other man of the pair was more eye-catching. He was a slender man with glowing red eyes, speaking of his identity as a Wizard of the Viper Family, and of course, he was garbed in their usual attire.
"I assure you, if Valen comes by here again, I'll let you know." Lucien smiled as he spoke, his tone jovial. "Please do come again Sir Walter."
"Haha, don't be so on edge." Walter laughed, grabbing Lucien's hand in a firm handshake. "With the service your establishment provides I'll be here again, just-"
"Buzz!"
The vibration of Walter's cell phone cut him short his eyes glistening as he picked up. "Smith, my man, you missed out big time, you remember when I said my end would be boring, well no one told me it was a sex-"
"He's at work." Smith suddenly interrupted, his voice grave as he intoned from the other end. "He's attempting to steal something at work."
"What?" Walter asked with raised brows, his brows furrowed in confusion. "I don't get the boss, first he has us and the entire police department searching for a random kid-"
"No I don't think he's any random kid, apparently, he's going after a score of ten million Val," Smith responded before adding. "I've spoken to the boss, he wants us to get there quickly, the police are already on their way."
"Beep!" A long beep signified the end of the call.
Heeding his partner's words, Walter turned to Lucien with an apologetic smile before boarding his car, but just as he drove off, he furrowed his brows in deep thought.
'If Valen is attempting to steal something from work, why did he buy all that strange medical equipment and have it delivered to that abandoned sock factory?'
Shaking his head Walter concluded as he drove off, 'I'm probably overthinking, he's just a normal human.'
Meanwhile, as Lucien watched the luxury car drive off, the look in his eyes became unreadable.
'What is this kid planning?' He thought with narrowed eyes before walking back into the laundry mat, his thoughts running deep.