"Callin' the Shots" Chapter 2

Chapter 2
“The Broken Cycle”

Everything was dark. In the abyss of nothingness was only I. My hands were bound, but yet I felt nothing. A glimmer of light appears at a distance I didn’t even know. It begins to flicker and becomes larger until a bright light revealed me, bound to the chair.

“What the hell you want with me?” I yelled out.

There was no immediate reply. The lights begin to dim and eventually, the light disappeared. I felt other people in the vicinity, one somewhere near the source of the light, and the other somewhere close. I heard the slightest sound of a pair of shoes sliding across the floor. When I faced the direction of the noise, there was a pair of sharp yellow eyes, like a cat’s.

“Nothing… we want simply… nothing from you…”

I felt a piece of cold metal touching my neck. I looked at the metal and noticed the red glow at where I stared.

“That’s it… the rumored ‘Red-Eyes’… lights please.”

The room is lit but begins to fade away…



I was awake, but I felt cold while lying on my bed half-naked in a messy manner. The people from the other day still left me feeling awkward about the situation I was currently in. I never contacted the ‘Organization’ about what happened, because what the old man did say was correct, I could never trust anyone that doesn’t even show their face to me. What kept me still feeling confused was how they even got in to the organization’s information network. I was never one to think or stay in deep thought, so I quickly went towards the restroom and washed my face.

After washing, I wiped my face with the towel and stared at the mirror. The shades of my eyes were still their full brown. I looked at the reflection of my hair and noticed some gray streaks. I wasn’t that old, I never even reached past thirty-five yet. Maybe being ‘Altered’ does have a lot of changes, probably with aging faster for one thing. I felt heavier than usual, but I haven’t eaten a thing, probably feeling the pile of burdens on the shoulders weighing me down. Nothing could’ve gotten worse.

The phone vibrates on the table. I can hear it moving on the glass. I leave the restroom and checked the ID on the phone. The name read “Feros”. Who the hell is “Feros” I thought. Thinking back, there was never a person I met with the name. I sighed and left the cell phone alone until it stopped ringing, but immediately after, it starts ringing again. Picking the phone up, I checked the ID again, it was the same person.

I answered the call, “Hello, who is this?”

“The meeting place is at the Maraco Banquet Hall. There’s quite a party going on there. I’ll see you then,” the man replied.

The voice felt nostalgic. I felt like I met the man before. There was no specified time so I went to get ready right away. I opened the closet and picked out a black tuxedo. I straightened and dusted off the coat and slacks, and afterwards, I put on the black bowtie. I felt ready, and left the building, locking the door behind me as I went.

I began to feel uneasy again, sitting in the crowded train. The passengers stared at the way I dress, far different from their casual or usual attires. I went to sleep anyway, knowing that it’s another ten minutes until I reach the Southern Belka District where the banquet hall is at. And slowly, I began to drift away into my slumber.



“I’m not taking him in! HE IS NO SON OF MINE!”

The woman at the reading table smashes the phone into its place. She is breathing heavily with both hands on the table. Everything looked larger to me; I was no taller than the nearby couch. The woman turns to me, staring directly at me as though I was a criminal caught red-handed.

“If only it weren’t for you….I wouldn’t be like this!”

She picks up a wooden stick lying against the wall. I tried to run but I tripped and fell to the floor. I felt the stinging pain from her hits, wishing it would all end as soon as possible. I hated her… so much… I wanted to kill her.

Before I even got up, the door burst open. Several large men in black uniforms rush inside the room and smash the woman’s head into the wall. She was screaming in pain, complaining, saying it wasn’t her fault. One of the men grabbed me by the neck. I couldn’t move. I was in so much pain that I used up all my energy just to withstand the pain. After that, I felt a sudden jerk…



“Celes Station, Southern Belka District,” said the electronic message.

I walked out of the train, slowly ridding myself of the drowsiness. The light-headedness feeling made me dizzy as I walked out of the station. Outside, I can breathe and smell the fresh air. It was soothing to get out of the crowded train where everyone shared the same air. The people of this district of the Belkan Kingdom wore the more “Upper Class” attires, ranging from top hats to suede shoes.

There on along Sylvester Road was the Maraco Banquet Hall. Two of the chauffeurs were waiting outside, guarding the entrance. I walked up the steps and was stopped by the two.

“Your name and party sir?” one of them said.

“I’m Rufus Metris, I’m here for ‘Feros’,” I replied.

The second chauffeur checks a list in his small notepad. He eyeballs a part of the pad for a while and turns to nod at his partner.

“Welcome Mister Rufus Metris, please enjoy your stay.”

And so I waltzed into the building into the large empty guest hall. A waiter stands by on the right side. He sees and greets me with a bow as I passed by, nodding back to him. I entered the banquet room, surprised that it wasn’t as full as I expected it to be.

“Over here!”

I turn to the left and see a man sitting on a small table for two, raising his hand, eying me. He wore a similar outfit to mine; only, he looked more like the kind that wouldn’t wear it, his disheveled hair made me think otherwise. He puts his hands together as I sit down.

“Once again, we finally meet huh? It has been too long since your ‘Alteration’,” he said casually.

“We met before? I don’t remember-,” but I stopped as soon as I saw the pair of yellow cat-like eyes. It was the same person from that time… when I entered the “Erasers”.

“Remember now? I’m your ‘senior’ as part of the ‘Altered’ project,” he says with a wide grin, “the name is Number Zero, but I prefer ‘Feros’. It’s more… catchy.”

There was a long pause. It was a strange silence though. He acted casually, as though nothing happened, and here I am, the only one who feels out of place in this banquet. The cheers and dances echoed throughout the room. I couldn’t have picked a worse place to be.

“Sorry to bring ya here though. I heard you hated crowded places,” he said, chewing on his shrimp ball.

I never made a reply. I didn’t know what to say of course. The guy finishes his meal and begins sipping his wine. After noticing my quietness, he gives a sigh.

“You there man? Jeez, and here I thought I can finally have a decent meal with someone for a change, livin’ up the atmosphere you know.”

I had a lot to talk about. So I started with the first.

“How did you get a hold of me? I thought only my informant and those I selected can only contact me through the ‘Organization’?”

“Easy, I sniffed out that ‘Lurker’ and got the information,” he replied.

“So you caught that Lurker…”

“You knew?”

And here, I definitely screwed up. I forgot that I never mentioned the meetings with the people the other day. I thought up some quick answers and questions to throw him off.

“Tell me, how did you know there was a Lurker when you yourself, haven’t even been within the Organization’s network yet?” Feros asked.

“I remembered the rule to not trust people in the Organization, because you never would know if they could be the enemy. I guessed a few Lurkers leaking out information and that’s why we faced opposition in our missions at times,” I replied quickly.

“Ah, so you ‘thought’ there were Lurkers since you generally faced the enemy at strange times… Good answer, but I can see through you!” he gave a laugh afterwards, “you are….one sly person, Lucifer.”

“And that’s coming from ‘The Cat’?”

“Well, you’re better than the norms. Now tell me, who were those two people you met with yesterday?”

What the hell? I was being watched? Before I knew it, I already had the surprised and stunned expression played in front of him. He changes to a more curious expression, putting his hands together once again, awaiting for my honest reply. What a sly bastard, I too, hated his kind… including his curious personality.

“Well?”

“Guess I’m found…. The first person, I have no idea. The second person claims to be ‘Cecilia Gibbins’, but even that, I don’t think is a real name,” I slowly answered.

“Oh it’s real alright. She’s the head of the Heraldry Designers Factory chains. You don’t look into fashion and news much huh?” he said, chuckling.

“What does this all have to do with me?”

“Since you’re a pretty isolated guy, I’ll have to tell you everything from start. First, there is ALWAYS a rebelling group against any growing organization, knowing that ours is the top, we expect lots of rivals and enemies.”

“That I know already, but why me?”

“Since you’re so isolated, it’s easier to deal with you whom the top brass doesn’t care much for. You are, after all, a well known Eraser in our world, you can deal with any situation without many problems.”

“That must explain why they targeted my ‘Off-day’…”

“Yes, I was told to keep an eye on you in-case if anything was to happen, and something did.”

“Yeah… they got me pinned… twice.”

“And thanks to you, we now know who we’re dealing with.”

The people at the other side of the room begin tapping their wine glasses with their spoons. I suddenly felt sick of being here too long, worse than dealing with the purple witch. Feros stands up from his seat after cleaning himself up from his meal. It is over, I thought.

“Oh, and before I leave, you were told to report to headquarters within the next five days. If not, you will be deemed a traitor for giving away information on us.”

“What the hell? Couldn’t I just have my informant deal with it for me?”

“No, that person is not a part of the problem. You ARE the problem.”

“Wait, since when was it my fault?”

“Not sure,” he says with a shrug, “but it is anyway. Good luck to ya.”

He bows as though acting like a gentleman taking off his hat and proceeds to leave the room. I left a few minutes later along with a few other families from the banquet. The cell phone in my pocket vibrates. I checked it to see only a message, saying:


“Don’t worry, I haven’t told anyone about the talks.
But ya should be more careful,
especially around that ‘Cecilia’,
It’s impossible to erase her.
In this situation, she probably
has something against us in-case she’s ratted out

Feros




He even got my email… that’s just great… now I’m under watch twenty-four seven. This is exactly why I hated dealing with people.