The Briefcase

Dominique opened the door to his apartment and walked in without a word or a glance at Duke to make sure he was following. Duke slowly entered the apartment, scrutinizing the environment.

"I'm going to be honest about what you're about to do," Dominique began, lighting up another cigarette. "This errand ain't gonna be easy, my boy."

Duke had already figured that out. If it was easy, he wouldn't be needed here.

"Same drop-off and pick-ups," Dominique continued. "But when you get in to drop this off," he pointed to a parcel that lay on the wooden table, "you have to get me something from the inside without anyone knowing."

"How do I do that?"

Dominique paused and flicked the dead end of his joint before placing it back in his mouth. "Same way you handled those boys. That was pretty impressive, by the way. How did you learn to do that?"

"Survival." That was all Duke let on. He wasn't in the mood to bond with a random person. He just wanted his pay and to be done with this.

"Yes, but not to those guys. You see, they have tiers beyond your knowledge as a human. And you managed to beat them..."

"Pretty easy if you're desperate to acquire what you want."

"If that was it, then they are desperate beings too. We all are."

"Clearly, there aren't many. How soon can I get you what you want?" Duke questioned, dismissing the topic.

Dominique was taken aback by Duke's attitude. He didn't seem the slightest bit interested in knowing how the tiers worked. Many humans, before they merged, would sell their souls just to get information about it. Sure, only members involved were allowed the information, but many cruel men would take advantage of the knowledge and use it to get money from people. Dominique didn't intend to tell him, but he was more shocked to see how Duke didn't seem interested at all.

He had planned to be one of those cruel people who would lie about informing him about the tiers, just to get what they wanted as a bonus.

Dominique cleared his throat as he turned to face Duke. "Word got to me about a pill belonging to the government, being transmitted in one of the warehouses just down the street. My type can easily be sensed by their technology, given the chip input in my system. But if a delivery man goes there, they would think it's one of the guys having to transmit the pill. The workers there are humans, so you can't get detected unless you make a false move."

As Dominique passed on the necessary information to Duke, the only thing Duke found worrisome was the idea of other humans still active and working for the government. The scheme to get in didn't worry him, nor did the thought of being found out immediately, but the thought that he worked for the government was what bothered him the most.

It was simply the thought of other humans who hadn't joined the race for the tiers, like himself, that bothered him.

Duke listened for further information, and when he was sure Dominique had told him all that he needed to know, he stood up and started to make his way toward the door.

"You can't leave yet. You have to take this parcel with you. It's the only way you can get in. Let's not forget, you need arms too. If you get caught, I can't promise your safety."

Duke's hand paused on the doorknob, his instincts momentarily halting his forward motion. He wasn't sure what lay ahead, but he was confident in his ability to handle it. After all, he had survived the harsh streets, endured the cruelty of his foster father, and even outsmarted a gang that had once cornered him.

With a quiet assurance born from his tumultuous past, Duke tilted his head enough for his peripheral vision to catch a glimpse of Dominique before he spoke. "Have my money ready as soon as I get back." Without waiting for Dominique's response, he exited the house.

---

Duke slowly approached the warehouse with a box in hand. As he reached the gate, he was stopped by the security men situated at the entrance. They checked his ID before asking for the operation code.

"DeCode a Code," Duke answered swiftly. They let him in, and Duke went inside. He smiled to himself at his first success. The young man whose identity he had stripped didn't hesitate to tell Duke what he needed to know. Duke had found him while surveying the environment. He saw him practicing how to say "Decode a Code" in a sing-song manner. Duke had waited until it was late before he went in, knowing it was impossible to detect his face at that hour.

Duke assessed the place as he strolled in, the box still in hand. A machine scrutinized him as he walked. If Duke's theory was right from what Dominique had briefed him on, the government only prepared to attack those in the Tierney system who planned to break in. They expected little to nothing from humans because they were subjugated.

As Duke continued his walk inside, he noticed a few people dressed in pale blue sleeves carrying boxes into a container. He shifted his gaze from their direction to survey elsewhere when he spotted another set of people dressed like him, marching to another room. It was a long shot, but Duke quickly dropped his box and followed them in the same order.

Duke had a hard time mimicking their robotic movement. Sure, they looked human but certainly didn't walk like one. He mentally sighed in relief when they stopped walking, turned left, and halted.

Duke looked around for a corner nearby to hide. He was lucky to spot one before the entrance door opened and two men in black suits strolled in. According to what Dominique had told him, trailing these men was a good way to get to where the pill was, but it wasn't the way to get to the pill, hidden in a briefcase.

"Hey, this section is off-limits," he heard a hoarse voice from behind him. Duke stood straight immediately, alert. He turned to the man with a nervous chuckle, with one notion in mind: to take him down.

But as Duke faced him, the man darted his eyes over to Duke's badge—technically, the one he had stolen—and his face immediately settled, confirming Duke wasn't a threat.

"You're late. You should have been here five minutes earlier. Go in and get the briefcase. I hope you didn't forget the transport location. I am not getting fired because of you."

Duke nodded solemnly, afraid he would say something to give away his fake identity.

As soon as Duke got in, he realized there were two cases left to be picked. Not wanting to pick the fake one, he grabbed both suitcases and made his way out.

As expected, he got stopped by the man who had let him in earlier.

"Do you want to die and lose your family? You can't take another person's briefcase, you are only assigned one," the man snarled as he stepped closer, flexing his well-built body.

Duke did a quick kick, aiming directly at his neck. The man staggered backward, losing his balance. Duke took that as an opportunity to knock him out. He slumped to the ground with a loud thud. Before his consciousness slipped away, Duke answered his initial rant.

"Special orders."