Thawing

It was raining when Ren arrived at Scales's office. The man had been more secretive than usual, stressing that it was important they speak face to face. Personally, Ren thought Scales was more paranoid than was warranted, but with him being the only lead on the eyeball, he wasn't in a position to complain.

"NEON?" Ren frowned. He sighed, then put his hands in his pants pockets, thumbs exposed. "That shit they're talking about on the news?"

"The very same. The eyeball was covered in it," Scales said from the other side of a large chrome table. In the center was the eyeball in question, now floating in a large cylinder filled with an unnamed fluid. Ren didn't care to know what the fluid was. Some sciency thing, he figured.

"What's this NEON shit do?"

"Creates sensations of euphoria," he said, "and removes the need for sleep, for starters." He adjusted his helmet and straightened his back. He seemed to like doing that when he was explaining things. "Truth be told, this is the first time I've had such an opportunity to examine it, so I'll need more time to truly understand what it's capable of."

"You think this is the hot new shit making its rounds on campus?" Ren remembered hearing some of the college students talking about a new way to get high as a kite. Maxis had mentioned it in passing as well, but neither of them had thought much of it at the time. High schools probably love the stuff, too.

"Hard to say," Scales admitted, "but I would wager that it is. If it is, then we have a rare opportunity to unveil its secrets." He shook his head. "I'm getting ahead of myself. What's important right now is that we keep its location here a secret."

Ren gestured the zipping of his lips. "Gotcha covered, Rudy."

Scales nodded, which surprised him. He'd expected a more exaggerated response. "I'm willing to wager it's already lining the pockets of most werestreet stockbrokers and maybe even some politicians. A large enough dose could keep someone going for days." He hummed, though it almost sounded like a hiss. "Some preliminary tests also told me who the eye belonged to."

"I'll do a drumroll for you." At last, Ren provoked the characteristic frown from Scales, and took it as a hint to take this more seriously.

"Vinny."

Ren started. "Wh… what? Vinny? Ain't he one of Bruno's men?"

"I'm afraid so."

"Oh fuck, this sucks," Ren hissed, biting his lower lip. Vinny wasn't a popular man, but he loyally served Bruno Vitriani—the current family head of the Vitriani mafia, and Amber's father—for years. Seeing the man's eyeball floating in the cylinder, it made a bit more sense why he was probably dead. You never crossed Bruno Vitriani. "Amber never mentioned this."

"She probably doesn't know," Scales reasoned. "I can't imagine she is told much."

Ren licked his lips and blinked. When he opened his eyes, he'd appeared on the couch. "Great. Now I'm flashing."

Scales sighed. "Try and relax."

"Easy for you to say," he spat before suddenly appearing behind Scales.

Scales turned around, gently pushing Ren away from him. "In any event, I do have Vinny's address if you want to continue investigating this."

"Man, I don't know," Ren said. He began to pace the room in thought. "I don't even know what the hell I'm looking for. Bruno's ruthless, and I do not want to get between him and whatever the hell he's doing. You know the motherfucker almost beat someone to death because their soup burned Amber's tongue?" He half-laughed, running a hand through his hair to calm down. "Who does that?"

Scales fell silent.

"Seriously. This is not shit you mess around with," Ren continued. "The guy's unhinged."

"I'm aware. But letting anyone know we have access to Vinny's eye or the NEON could put us in hot water." He shrugged. "For all we know, they're already aware."

"Which means they're probably watching us. Unfuckingbelievable."

Scales gently tapped Ren's shoulder, motioning for him to move aside. Ren complied, and Scales pulled open a drawer from the opposite desk against the wall. He plucked a slip of folded paper from the drawer, then closed it before turning around and holding it out to Ren. "Something else is going on here, Ren. I don't want to be a part of it any more than you do, but I don't think we can afford to have them find out we have these. If what you said is true, and the kids were the ones who found this eyeball, then this implies something utterly horrid occurred to our 'friend' here."

Ren took the slip of paper from Scales with a bit of hesitation. He gazed at it for a few seconds before sliding it into his back pocket. "Yeah. Right. I don't even know what the hell I'm looking for."

"Any additional context can help us get a clearer picture."

Ren didn't like Scales when he got like this. It meant something dangerous or awful was about to happen. Scales could barely stand to have Ren around at times. If not for his abilities, Ren wagered the man wouldn't tolerate his presence. Scales was combative, short-tempered, and exceptionally blunt. To see him mellow out and choose his words more carefully was enough to send a chill down his spine.

"Here's hoping." He swallowed. "Thanks."

Ren made his way to the front door, a million thoughts barraging him at once.

"Hey," Scales said just as Ren had pushed open the door, "be careful, all right?"

"I will, Rudy."

Ren shut the door behind him and retrieved the slip of paper from his back pocket. He mumbled off the address, then slipped it back in. If he was going to check this place out, then he was going to need backup.

---

Maxis held a frown the entire time Ren spoke. He seemed just as concerned as he and Scales were earlier, though it didn't seem to shake him up the same way.

"What are you expecting to find there?" Maxis asked.

Ren shrugged. "I don't know. Something? Maybe nothing. But I get the feeling that the NEON is somehow connected to the weird shit that's been happening. Scales said he's going to keep looking into it, but what if Bruno's involved?" He didn't want to say it, but Maxis was one of the few people he felt he could be completely honest with. So he said it. "Shit, what if Amber's somehow involved in this? That'll put June—"

"Whoa, whoa, hold on, bro," Maxis said, gesturing with his hands, "we don't know anything. I trust Amber, and I trust her to take care of June. You do too, right?"

Before, Ren could respond positively without a second thought. Now, though, doubts plagued his mind. "I… I think so."

"You think so." Maxis raised a brow.

"Shit, just come check it out with me."

"All right, all right, I'll do it. If just to give you some peace of mind." Maxis zipped up his hoodie, then started his way past the bar. "Give me just a few minutes to collect a couple things."

"All right." Ren took a spot at a table in a corner of the room while he waited. The glass was still broken from the drive-by shooting, so Sigg had installed wooden boards where the windows used to be. It made an already dark bar even darker, robbing the bar of its usual ambient nature. The thought of what could've happened to June returned to his thoughts, and Maxis returned before his thought process could take a darker turn.

"Hey, man. Ready," Maxis said, slapping the table with his palm. "Let's go."

"What's in the bag?" Ren asked.

Maxis rolled the shoulder carrying the drawstring bag, then smirked. "Just a few supplies in case shit hits the fan."

---

Sunny sat on the couch in June's living room, with her hands wrapped around her legs. As Ren and June had grounded her, she received few opportunities to be alone. June had expressed similar concerns once Ren had brought her home, and although June wasn't thrilled to be taking paid time off from work, she seemed somewhat proud being stuck in the house with her.

"There's just nothing good on, is there?" June lamented as she quickly sifted through the channels on the television. At her wit's end, she threw the remote onto the table, and Sunny quickly retrieved it. "I'm bored."

Sunny went through the channels, looking for anything colorful. She desperately wished to indulge herself for a bit while she waited for the next message from Benji. A show about three different colored rabbits playing keeps for a hoard of vegetables at a table came on, and Sunny allowed herself to breathe easy.

Amber walked into the living room next, carrying three steaming cups. Sunny glanced at her, sniffing the familiar aroma of tea. "I'm sure you'll be back to work in no time, amore," Amber said as she set a cup down in front of June. She set another, smaller cup, in front of Sunny next, then took a spot on the couch beside June with her hands snugly wrapped around her cup.

"It's probably just a bunch of druggies who shot up the place anyway," June groaned.

"Maybe." Amber leaned her head against June's shoulder. "But at least we get to spend time together."

"Yeah, I suppose you're right."

A sudden tapping at the glass caught Sunny and the others' attention. Sunny fought down the urge to look suspicious, but she knew a message must've arrived from G. "Can I go upstairs to get something?"

"Like what?" June asked.

"My journal."

"Yeah, go ahead. I better not catch you sneaking out, though, ya hear?"

Sunny nodded, then jogged to her room, shutting the door behind her. Apprehension in her step, she approached the windowsill and pulled back the curtains to see G standing in the rain.

Sunny frowned, then pulled the window up. "You're going to catch a cold like that," she hissed. G tilted his head, seemingly unaffected by the rain or her words. He silently handed her a folded sheet of paper pocked by raindrops. Sunny snatched it away greedily, eager to hear back from Benji. "T-Thank you."

Suddenly, a knock came at her door. Sunny spun around, then turned back toward G, pushing his head back outside. "Shhh, you need to go," she hissed. "Oh, wait, actually. Stay there, but hide. I'll write you a note in a second." G didn't seem to quite understand, or maybe he did and just didn't understand the gravity of her situation. In any event, she shut the window as quietly as she could, then picked up her journal from her desk before closing the blinds.

With steady paces, she walked up to the door and opened it, surprised to see Amber. She'd expected June.

Amber leaned forward, hands on her knees. "Want to get out of the house?"

Sunny blinked. "Uh, well."

"I think June needs to get out, and we could all use a girl's night out, don't you think?"

But I need to stay here and get messages from Benji.

"I'm not sure I'm feeling well, though."

Amber frowned, then straightened up. "Stomach bothering you?"

"Yeah."

Amber hummed and crossed her arms. "I'll figure something out." She winked and walked away.

Sunny breathed a sigh of relief. She had to make sure she stayed here. Now more than ever.