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A Skeleton Duet
Chapter 3
In an apartment in central Daer, Talon Blackburn was busy at work. He had been sat at the laptop without taking a break all day and midnight was long since gone. He tapped away with a mechanical fervour, his eyes not moving from the screen. He was so engrossed with his work that he hadn’t even got up to turn on the light and his modern, deluxe apartment was drowned in darkness.
Behind him was an unmade bed and a white carved wardrobe, its open doors revealing suits, shirts and ties. To his left, were curtains that had remained closed since that morning. The mahogany desk he sat at was simple yet elegant in its craftwork. And Talon, sat in his office chair, was dressed in a loose, un-tucked shirt and black trousers. One thing that could be told from his room and his appearance was that he certainly wasn’t expecting any visitors.
Around him, he could feel the life of the apartment block. Mostly people were sleeping, but some were still lounging, watching TV. There was a couple lost in the acts of passion roughly four floors below him, some rats rustling through the rubbish bins in the alleyway behind the fourteen story building and a spider making its web in his bathroom.
Talon hadn’t achieved his reputation as the Authorities’ most notorious enemy for no reason. After all - there was virtually no way for an agent to approach him without him knowing about it. They’d tried all sorts of methods in the past and the only one that had come remotely close was the teleport device.
However, magic was just a part of the life essence Talon felt around him and even though they’d trapped it in a digital form, the magic still had a signature, which started writing itself before the agent ever appeared. It was a secret he liked to keep to himself, because it meant he could feel an agent before they appeared and prepare accordingly.
This time, he didn’t have the patience to feign surprise. When he felt the new life’s colour drift to his senses, he immediately reached out with his power and froze the agent where he stood.
Talon didn’t even have to turn around to know that the shocked agent had a gun held to the back of his head. He’d felt it when he’d paralysed every motor muscle in the man’s body. He smiled maliciously; the agent couldn’t even move his mouth to cry out.
“My my, the Authorities have sent me a present? But it’s not even my birthday.” He chuckled. “They are good to me.”
He resumed tapping away at the keypad. “I’m afraid you’ve caught me at a bad time, however, but please give me a moment, I’m nearly finished. I’ll be able to play with you soon.” The light of the laptop emphasized his predatory grin.
He felt the agent’s initial resolve flicker, as he flared with fear. Talon could almost smell it. No doubt it had dawned on him that there was no way out of this situation, not without Talon’s mercy at least.
Kept in a tortuous silence, the agent started to lose his fear to a swirling of frustration and loathing. By the time Talon finally put his laptop to rest, his mouth was watering with excitement. It had been so long since he’d toyed with someone’s mind.
He braced his hands on the desktop and pushed himself up. Slowly, he turned to face the agent, savouring the rush of adrenaline he could feel pumping through the man’s bloodstream.
The room was almost pitch-black now and nothing more than a vague silhouette could be seen, stood at the foot of the bed. Talon’s eyes saw more than the physical form of a person, but it certainly didn’t compare to seeing in the light. He wanted to see the agent and more importantly, he wanted the agent to see him. He moved lazily over to the bedside table and flicked the lamp switch on.
Light exploded into the room. Both agent and wielder squinted in its intensity, but then their eyes met. Talon had inky black eyes, with mauve irises and plum-coloured pupils. They held the agent’s scowl with effortless charisma.
Languidly, Talon stepped towards the agent, his long black hair burning like dark fire with the lamp’s backlight. The man’s eyes, the only part of his face Talon hadn’t bothered to freeze, followed him.
Talon came to stop opposite the agent, taking in his full appearance. He was dressed in black, with wild raven hair falling over his grey eyes that intensified the dark look on his face. It was a young face too; he could only be in his early twenties. Well, of course that made sense; quite often new recruits came after him, desperate to make a name for themselves.
However, this one somehow seemed different. Talon couldn’t help but notice it. There was something about this man that he found… enthralling. There was a quality to his colour, which, for lack of a better description, seemed to sparkle. He couldn’t hide his excitement.
“What’s your name?” he asked, smiling as he removed the invisible hold on the man’s mouth.
The agent gasped, as if taking his first breaths after a long dive. Panting, he replied. “Go to hell.”
Talon couldn’t help but laugh.
“I do believe I asked your name and I sincerely hope that’s not your answer. So would you care to tell me, or shall I take it by force?” he smirked, hand twitching in anticipation.
The agent noticed the movement and spiked with panic, but he stood fast, fixed Talon with a rebel glare and said forcefully, “Go. To. Hell.”
“Ha! You’ve got a serious attitude there. I like it. I like you,” Talon flashed a mocking amorous look. “Most other fledgling agents would be spilling their guts to me by now. How long did I keep you waiting? Half an hour? An hour? And yet you won’t even tell me your name. That, I’m impressed by.”
“What makes you think I’m a ‘fledgling agent’?” the man snarled.
Talon gave the agent a smile that one might to an ignorant child.
“Because, only the newest recruits are foolhardy enough to stumble into me without considerable backup, or a near-decent strategy.”
The agent gave him a very annoyed look.
“Despite the use of my power, no one has appeared to intervene on your behalf. That suggests you’re operating alone. It also suggests you’re conceited enough to ensure no one interrupts you in your supposed triumph over the Authorities’ prize catch. Either that, or someone set you up for this, presuming a meeting with me would evaporate their competition,” Talon continued, as if unaware of the hatred radiating from the agent, but he was obviously hitting a mark somewhere. The man remained silent, glaring up at him.
“You were made aware of my abilities before you came on this suicide mission, I hope?” he said, quite clearly faking concern.
“Of course, I read your profile!” the man snapped.
“Then what exactly did you read? Please tell me, because I’ve read it myself and I’m intrigued to know exactly how suddenly appearing in my bedroom with a single handgun was meant to achieve success.”
The agent continued to glare silently. This time, Talon waited to see if he could outstare the man. It had to be a full minute before he grew bored.
“Well, you force my hand,” he said, with a nonchalant wave. “Tell me, what did you read in my profile?”
The agent gasped as Talon’s invisible power rushed over him and dragged through his mind for the information the wielder sought, pulling it to his lips.
“I read you had the ability to control all life-forms and that you were immortal and if anyone killed you, you’d just wake up a couple of hours later. It’s the way the Authorities try to move you between locations, because you’re too dangerous alive and it’s the way I hoped to detain you,” the Agent gasped helplessly.
Talon smiled.
“Ah, I see. Something that simple, eh? Well,” he said, raising his hand to hover next to the horrified agent’s temple. “That account isn’t quite accurate, as you see, I don’t ‘control all life-forms’, as you said. I, in fact, control life as a force in general. Life that I see in the air, as well as life concentrated in living forms. I see the world for what it really is and I see you, my friend, in more ways than you could imagine. And, with a simple touch, I could see everything you ever were – including your name.”
Gently, Talon tapped the man’s temple. The agent cried out in alarm. A waterfall of information gushed forth, childhood memories, deepest secrets and darkest desires. Talon swam through the pool that had now settled in his own mind and found what he was looking for. Withdrawing his hand, he gave a satisfied grin.
“Hades MacKenzie,” he purred. “What a lovely name.”
The agent stood gasping in shock. There was no way that in a mere second someone could know everything about him so intimately. That he could be robbed so easily of his identity.
“Bastard,” he gasped.
“Ah, come now, what would your parents say if they heard you talking like that?” Talon crowed. “Although, they haven’t heard your voice in quite a while, have they?”
Hades blinked. Could the wielder really have learnt that from a second’s interaction? No, he didn’t want to know. “Shut up,” he muttered.
“You don’t get on too well with your parents; it’s got something to do with your unborn sister, doesn’t it?”
“Shut up,” Hades snapped, louder this time.
“She was killed in a car accident, how very tragic. And, oh dear, since becoming an agent you’ve realized it was probably a wielder that caused her death.”
“Shut up!” Hades roared.
Talon fell silent, although not out of shame, he just wanted to make the agent feel ridiculous for his outburst.
Smiling, Talon continued. “But, what did you find? The case report on the accident is classified – now why on earth would it be classified? Of course there’s only one way to find out and that is to be promoted, so what plan do you concoct? You decide to bring in me, the Authorities’ most wanted and get some attention. Instant promotion. How very short-sighted of you.” Talon smirked.
“SHUT UP!”
Talon gave him a piercing look and leant in close so his face was inches from the agent’s.
“Silly little human, do you know how ridiculous you look shouting orders at a god?” he sneered.
Hades’ lip shook, his tongue stilled by fear. The wielder was right because, for all his shouting, the agent was still in the hold of a creature that had power over everything he did and could exterminate him without moving a muscle. Talon laughed.
“Did you really think you could turn up on HQ’s doorstep with me slumped over your shoulder and get a promotion on no charges? Wake up Hades MacKenzie, before they eat you alive.”
The agent’s eyes stared at the ground, not in shame or humiliation, but frustration. Talon had to admit, this one had an incredible fighting spirit. He knew an excellent specimen when he saw one and there was no way he was letting this one go.
He pulled back to take in the agent once more. “Still,” He said, “You’ve come to the right gentleman if you want information that the Authorities would rather you lived without. You may have noticed when perusing my profile, I am a talented hacker and the Authorities’ system is just another toy to amuse me. So what do you say to a once in a lifetime offer for my assistance on this case of yours?”
“You really think I’d trust you?” Hades scoffed.
Talon chuckled. “Ah, a man of integrity, you see that so little these days. But will you trust the Authorities? An organization that, despite its secret identity, still sees fit to hide information from its hard-working employees?”
Hades didn’t reply he just stared stonily at the wielder.
“Well, trust who you will. You obviously require time to consider my offer and I imagine you’d quite like to leave now,” Talon gestured with his hand and as if on invisible puppet-strings, Hades’ wrist was drawn up.
He looked at it, quite startled, as if indignant that it dared move under anyone’s orders but his own. Strapped to the wrist still supporting his handgun was the teleport device. Unbidden, Hades’ hand hovered over the device and his puppeteer paused.
“I won’t take any more attempts on disrupting my busy schedule lightly, just so you’re aware,” Talon said in mock scorn. “That said, I look forward to seeing you again soon, Hades MacKenzie. Give my regards to the Authorities.”
And with a grin, he released the man from his hold. Before he even knew what he was doing, Hades’ digits punched the screen and the unholy creature before him disintegrated. All of a sudden he was in an alleyway far from the apartment and the sky was a lot lighter than when he went in.
He staggered, his legs were weak and he slammed into the brick wall. He leant there for a while, his head feeling light and dizzy. How could that have just happened? How could he have just let that happen? His insides were a mess and before he could stop himself, he brought on further shame by bending over and emptying his stomach.
The damned bastard! He thought he’d had everything figured out, right down to the exact latitudinal coordinates of the wielder’s bedroom. But no, he’d been made to look like an idiot and now the wielder appeared to know everything about him; it was too humiliating to even consider.
And what about the Authorities? If they found out what had just happened, dismissal was probably the last of his worries.
He shifted to a slightly more upright position and stared, unfocused, at the end of the alley. It had to be about four in the morning now, because traffic was beginning to build up on the main road.
He had to get away from here. How far, he wasn’t sure, but considering the monster he’d just escaped, not even the end of the earth was far enough.
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