Three Families

"Is it to your liking?"

"I guess. I don't know though, this is my first time having real coffee."

"'Real' coffee?"

Jamie cleared his throat, glancing to the side. 

"Well, back in the slums, we didn't have coffee beans, or powder. We would make coffee out of dirt and other flavoring we could find in the trash."

"I see. Well, I hope the real thing is worth it."

It was about 20 minutes since they met. Terry had taken them to a cafe some streets away, and had ordered them all coffee. 

Surprisingly, everyone in the cafe had been staring at them since they entered, with the barista even letting them have their drinks on the house. Some girls even came up and asked for a selfie with Terry, to Jamie's surprise.

It was only natural, though. While the slums were full of people unaware of the rest of the colony and the inner workings of Dynamos, the middle class sector was the exact opposite. Everyone knew the meaning of the all-white coats, and what it meant to be an Agent.

Seeing one come and get a coffee on a regular day was strange enough on its own. Seeing two of them do the exact same thing along with a random teenager was even stranger. Some even began wondering who Jamie was to be able to do casual things with Agents.

Terry took a sip from his own coffee, glancing at Agent Matthews beside him. The man hadn't said a word since they arrived at Jamie's door. It was definitely strange, as he was usually cheery and talkative. 

'Honestly though, I didn't expect this to be the great Jamie that Beck spoke so highly of.'

Terry couldn't really understand it. He scrutinized the boy in front of him once more. Messy black hair, bright red eyes, a youthful face containing naïveté and inexperience, and to top it all off, he was a cripple.

He watched Jamie reach out to pick up his coffee with both hands, only to remember the stump that was his left arm. With embarrassment flashing on his face for just a second, his right hand grasped the cup and brought it to his lips.

'Just how exactly did this kid defeat an Agent? Especially considering who he was up against… unless it wasn't him?'

"So, Jamie."

Jamie looked at him, realizing that they were about to get to business. He glanced at the other Agent, who despite usually being a cheery guy, was looking nervous, avoiding the boy's gaze whenever it turned to him.

Ignoring his fellow Agent's peculiar behavior, he continued.

"As I previously said, Mr. Beck very much praised your skills, claiming that you were indispensable in the takeover of the slum sector. Yes, we know all about it, and no, we aren't going to retaliate."

He quickly reassured Jamie upon seeing his expression harden, softening it once more. 

"From what Mr. Beck told us, things had spiraled out of control in the slum sector without the knowledge of the higher ups, and with Griggs' death, the routine inspectors that reported the status of the sector as completely fine are currently detained and under investigation.

Acknowledging the initiative taken in taking over the sector, we are now working with Beck in the hopes of a mutually fruitful partnership. That leads us to where we are now."

Terry took a breath, noting Jamie's lack of expression. Seeing the boy had no questions, he went on.

"In case you weren't aware, our organization, Dynamos, is run by three Families:

First, there's the Lewis Family, of which I am a part of. We're known for our intelligence and keeping the peace. We run mostly the above-ground operations; law enforcement, the food industry, and more. Lewis family members or those working for it are marked by their uniforms having two blue stripes on them.

Second, there's the Cartus Family. They're known for their cunning and violence, and run things more suited to their skills. Security, predatory money lending, and other forms of controlled crime is their forte. They are marked by their uniforms being white and red instead of the usual blue.

The third and final Family is the Dynamos founding family. Here on Old Orion, they're basically royalty. They rarely leave the high class sector, but any one that does has absolute authority over anyone else. Even the Lewis and Cartus Families combined would be easily crushed by them. 

Their uniforms are blue long coats that symbolize their rank. Anyone wearing that coat or belonging to that Family are known as Dynamos Elites, a rank surpassing even that of Agents."

"How strong are they? The Elites." Jamie asked his first question. 

Terry sipped his coffee, swallowing the hot liquid before answering.

"Every Elite is said to be at the Superior Realm." 

A blonde haired man with electric magic appeared in Jamie's head. Should Victor have won that fight, would he have been promoted to the rank of Elite?

"Well, that's the gist of it. Of course, not every single officer is part of a Family. Some are just your average joe, some prefer to be independent."

"I get the situation, but what does that have to do with me?" Jamie slurped the last of his coffee before setting down the empty cup, smacking his lips.

He had a feeling he was about to be asked to do something, and he wasn't sure he wanted to do it. He looked at Terry, who cleared his throat. The Agent was young, with black hair and piercing blue eyes.

"We're hoping you could help out the Lewis Family with our feud with the Cartus Family." Terry revealed the reason why they came to Jamie. "The past decades, there used to be no more than a fair rivalry between Families, but recently it's come to a head, to a point where even the older generations are getting involved."

Terry put on a serious look, giving Jamie the impression that whatever feud there was affected him deeply. "They're hitting us hard, playing dirty. We worry that the Cartus Family is trying to wipe us out. So, when we heard of the recent takeover of the slums by a few talented people…" 

"I get it." Jamie now understood their intentions. No doubt Beck had suggested his recruitment to them, probably thinking of working together again. 

He'd have to talk to the old mob boss about this whole feud the next time he visited him for Aiden's medicine.

"Is he a part of the Lewis family too?" Jamie gestures towards Agent Matthews, who hadn't said a word since they arrived.

"Yes, but he only joined recently. It was after he got engaged to a direct Family member's daughter. What was her name again? Fina? Fiona?" 

Terry turned to Matthews and tapped his arm. Jamie noticed the man began sweating as the attention turned on him. 

"F-Fiana…" He answered a little too loudly. 

"Yeah, Fiana. So, we're both asking you on behalf of the Lewis Family." Terry looked back to Jamie, noticing the boy wasn't paying attention. 

Jamie's hard gaze was fixed on Matthews as he started suspecting something, studying him carefully.

He looked to be slightly younger than Terry. Black, scruffy hair, a small mustache and beard. Brown eyes. A small tattoo on the side of his neck, mostly covered by his uniform's collar.

"What's your first name again?" Jamie asked, and the Agent's face became even more sweaty. 

"..."

"Come on, it's just your first name." Terry patted his back. 

Gulping, Agent Matthews reluctantly looked into Jamie's eyes and answered. 

"D-David…"