9 Danev

Yeah. Today's just going great. Didn't have shit to eat this morning, got scammed by that damn kid who figured out our only damn secret and now wants to join us. On top of that, our best runner is locked in a cell for unintentionally screwing us over.

"Fuck" I muttered to myself as I made my way through the corners of the Hive to the nearest cell. Riu was specific. He wanted to see Genji before I did anything "permanent" to him. Didn't stop Aden or Meeko. They already made a mark on him. But as Riu said, nothing permanent. Just a few broken bones and some non-permanent flesh wounds. It was hard to keep kids like them in line. They grew up differently than others. I guess it depended on how they were raised. Aden's father was a retired soldier who still remembered fire bending and made sure to demonstrate that whenever his son was out of line. Meeko, he never had parents. He grew up in 3 different gangs before a foster family in the upper district had a moment of sympathy. Meeko stole whatever he could fit in a bag and left them the same night.

The situations you faced growing up defined who you were. It made Aden and Meeko who they are now. And it made me who I am as well. I'll have to thank them one day.

I reached the cell where I was keeping Genji. It was near Luke's, but not close enough where Genji could say anything more than he already gave away. I pulled out the ring of keys and unlocked it. It was no cell. They were old apartment projects made to be ass compact as possible. Stone walls without any windows and one big ass door. It was asking to be a prison cell the day it was built. I let the door creak open to see if he was awake. He wasn't. He was huddled in the corner, chained to the wall, shaking. He wasn't asleep. He was crying. I walked up to him, hoping my footsteps would be enough, but he didn't so much as look. I had to tap him in the back with the tip of my boot before he even acknowledged my presence.

His face went from a soft red to a pale white in a matter of seconds. He had only been here for 4 hours and he was already broken. I felt bad for him. I know that what he did was unintentional, but he had hurt us in a way that, if not properly handled, could ruin us.

I used a different key to unlock the bracelets chaining him to the wall and had to grab him from his armpit to get him to his feet. He was too busy crying to walk on his own and I had to practically drag him to Riu.

I received a few ill looks from other residents of the Hive. There was never a person in the Hive who actually disliked Genji. Not until now. Still, even though his mistake was made aware of, he still managed to gain sympathy. It wouldn't be enough.

"Danev." He muttered, choking on his own tears. "I'm sorry. I really am. It was-it was-an accident. I swear. I swear. Nobody else saw. I swear it. Really. I swear."

"I know you did. I know." I said, trying my best to calm him down.

I didn't work much at all. Genji had seen me do the same thing to others. In fact, he only sobbed louder this time. Before long, I could smell the piss he was dragging along with him across half of the Hive.

I got to the building in the middle. It used to be a lobby of sorts. In the middle of the large rectangle or apartment buildings. I recognized the two guards at the door, Salid and one we called Doormat.

"Danev" Doormat said, nodding his head to let me pass.

"Doormat" I replied.

I could hear him spit after I had gone inside. He hated the name.

Inside the lobby, the furniture had been reorganized to line the wall so in the center, it was completely empty save for a chair pushed up against an inner wall that was supposed to be a throne. I never cared for the arrangement, or for Riu's habit or blocking all doors and windows so the only light sources were 2 candles at the sides of the chair. Perhaps it was poetic in a sense, but it didn't change my mind.

I was surprised to find Aden and Meeko standing tall in front of said throne. They were most likely brought in as witnesses.

And on that thrones sat the man I was sworn to protect. The man who gave me a life more than what I had, Riu.

2 candles lit his torso, but his face was shrouded in darkness. Despite its shrouded nature, one could still make out his pitch-black hair and yellow eyes. An unnatural appearance in Citadel. Or anywhere else for that matter. He had never told me where he came from. I always figured he would tell me when he was ready. Nothing gave off the sign he had an easy childhood either. One thing was for sure, he didn't seem to be from Citadel.

"Danev" he said, his voice unusually soft for the occasion. "May I see him?"

At this point, Genji was on his knees. I wasn't sure if he was still soiling himself. If he was, it would be good for him to ruin Riu's carpeting. Nonetheless, I picked him up and half carried, half dragged him past Aden and Meeko to the foot of the chair. Judging by the smell, it wasn't going to make things easier on him.

Before Riu could even begin talking, Genji was running his mouth saying how he didn't know this, how nobody saw that when Riu did nothing but raise his hand and Aden clubbed Genji in the back of the head, knocking him face down on the soggy carpeting.

"Aden" Riu said. What happened.

Aden stepped forward as though he were accepting a reward for his courageous services and spoke. "I was standing security for the Hive under the eye of Danev as we dealt with Luke, the information broker when Genji came storming inside, blabbing about how well he had done what we asked and retrieved the supplies from the Fire Nation. Before he could continue, Meeko and I restrained him while Danev sent Luke away."

I looked at Aden and gave him a stare that felt cold, even to me. What was he trying to gain? Genji had the same confused expression on his face and was already back to sobbing. "No. No, I didn't. Really. I swear" before, this time, Meeko knocked him to the floor.

"Meeko, is this true?"

He stepped forward somewhat of the same cocky confidence. "Every word."

I wanted to say something, but I couldn't. I just stood there, confused. What were they trying to gain out of this? So, what? They make themselves act like they prevented a further information leak and gain a higher spot in security? I didn't make sense. Was it personal?

Riu just sat there, chin rested on his fist and moved his hand dismissively. Genji was no more than a foot in front of me. I had to be pushed aside so Meeko and Genji could drag him somewhere quiet. The gagged him before he left the room, so his sobbing and shouting wouldn't be heard by the more sympathetic. I watched them exit the room, not sure of what the hell had just happened.

And then Riu chuckled. It felt real and artificial at the same time. Both warm and cold.

"Still trying to make sense of it?" he asked.

"You know they're lying, right?"

"That's not for me to decide. That's for them to decide."

"You know they're going to kill Genji."

"And so they should. It's his fault we're here and his fault we had to pull that grey-eyed shit off the streets. I can't keep diverting our few numbers to pick up 10-year olds off the street."

"But Genji- "

"Has become a loose end."

"I can understand why he needs to go. I do. I'm the one that brought it to you, but why the bullshit from my two guys? What are they after?"

"I can't say. It doesn't involve me and it seems more the thing that should be concerning you."

"Me."

"Yes. You."

There was a pause where we were left to our thoughts and not a single word was spoken until he broke the silence.

"Speaking of that little grey-eyed shit, what did you do with him?"