"I need a drink."

A man in a suit and tie grumbled to an overworked bartender only to be refused.

"Frank. You need to work tomorrow for the boss. Get yourself together.", the blonde man replied while wiping the glass from leftover residue.

A shadow appeared out of nowhere and the bartender visibly paled in recognition.

"Give this man a drink. You never know if it might be his last."

"Mockingbird.", the bartender whispered as another associate appeared before the first.

"Shh.", the associate whispered while signaling for the bartender to stay quiet.

"Tell your boss we send our regards.", the second man asked.

"Of course, Solicitor.", the bartender quickly attempted to leave the two men alone to their business and exit the bar.

"It's alright. We'll take it from here.", the man known as Mockingbird said as the accountant begrudgingly pleaded with the bartender to let it be.

After the Solicitor lifted the drunk accountant, they headed off to one of the casino's private rooms to have a nice chat with Frank.

Closing the door, the Solicitor simply frowned at the sight of the accountant's state.

He addressed him, saying, "Frank, I didn't know that you drank."

"I do now.", Frank responded in a drunk stupor.

"You know as an occasional drinker myself, I find that water does wonders for your complexion after a few rounds of whiskey."

Dowsing the accountant in a bucket of water, Frank whirled around and saw the face of the most feared man in the world-AoE's current Evil Hand, Mockingbird.

He gulped in terror at the prospect of seeing the Commander in Chief of Evil organizations.

"Frank, do you know why we are here?", Mockingbird inquired.

Frank stayed silent. He had thought for a long time that the tales of Mockingbird were a myth.

There couldn't be a single man capable of all he had done, right?

"Well?", the Solicitor questioned.

"I don't know.", Frank lied.

CRACK! A slap rang out in the otherwise quiet room as the Solicitor paid him for his impertinence.

"How do you address your sworn leader?", he shouted, raising his hand again.

Mockingbird stopped his hand and mumbled something inaudible in his ear.

"Now.", Mockingbird said as he dragged a chair to the middle of the room only to sit in it backwards, "We have a problem."

"A problem?", Frank squeaked.

"Yes. A little birdie told me that a rat was stealing millions from his casino operations and lying about it. Personally, I don't like getting involved in local gang matters, but...in this case, I'll make an exception.", Mockingbird explained with a slight frown on his face.

Frank burst out, "I'm sorry for taking the funds. It's that you have no idea...my wife...she keeps on shopping! She won't stop no matter what I tell her! She's even said she'll take the kids if I don't pay off our debts."

"Why didn't you ask your employer for help? Seems simple enough", the Solicitor postulated.

"I did, but there's only so many loans before the big boss says enough...", Frank commented.

"Frank. Frankly, you have caused me a lot of headache. Tell me, do you know anyone who has seen my face?", Mockingbird crooned.

"No.", Frank uttered.

"Exactly. People like your boss manage things and get a significant cut of the profit. Now here you go and embezzle millions all the while getting the IRS to dig into our coffers and investigate multiple AoE businesses. Do you know the reason why AoE is so effective?"

The Solicitor observed Frank's panicked expression grow a thousandth-fold.

"It's because we make sure to stay in the Shadows and throw rats out the gutter."

A formerly hidden member of the casino gang grabbed Frank's head and thrust it into another bucket of water.

GUH. ACHH. KAFF.

Once released, Frank coughed out the rest of the water and struggled to catch his breath.

Pinning his head against the wall, Mockingbird asked, "How much did you tell the IRS?"

"They offered me witness protection! They promised my family wouldn't get hurt..."

Being let go, Frank swiped his nose from mucus and prayed to God that his family would not be hurt because of his folly.

The Solicitor declared, "You messed with the wrong people, Frank."

Mockingbird and the Solicitor spoke with the casino member and requested they give Frank a good beating and fire him immediately.

They proceeded to turn their backs and walk out of the room.

"Please, I'm just a lowly accountant. I'll do anything, just don't harm my family.", Frank pleaded.

Mockingbird abruptly stopped, and the Solicitor swore under his breath.

"He did not just pull that card out.", the Solicitor mumbled.

"Oh really?", Mockingbird chanted as he faced the accountant once more.

"Your family? Do you think I believe you for one second there? You could have controlled your wife's addiction this whole time, but you let her dominate over you because you are a weakling who deserves to be crushed for his cowardliness."

"Leave me alone with him. No witnesses.", Mockingbird ordered the casino member and the Solicitor.

The door slammed, and Mockingbird serenaded Frank with all of his failures up to this point and everything that he had ever done wrong in his life.

Frank sat there speechless and unable to defend himself from the truth.

"You can't hide, Frank. I'm letting you off with a warning. Disappear with your family within 24 hours and I might let you live."

The accountant snapped, "No. I won't let you, someone who showed up today of all days, who for all I know could be a thug my boss sent to petrify me, scare me senseless. I signed up to do a casino's taxes, not yours."

SPLAT.

"Oh well. I told him."

Mockingbird sidestepped the pool of blood and went outside to inform the casino bodyguard to retrieve a janitor.

"How did it go? Let me guess. You lost control again.", the Solicitor remarked, patting his brother on the back as they left the casino and put on their list to erase the memories of all those here.

In a few hours, no one would remember Mockingbird was ever here.

His anonymity was tantamount to his success at keeping the authorities away.

"I did not. He reminded me of someone I once knew."

The Solicitor sighed and said, "You can't kill everyone who fits your former description."

"I haven't used my power in 10 years...I think I'll be fine. Where are the victim's family members?"

"There you go changing the subject again. What do you advise to do?"

"You're the attorney here, but I think that a neighborhood burglary could do."

"Want me to get the Schuberts on the case?"

"Of course. It has to appear unrelated to his work."

"Why, you dastardly brother sometimes I forget you ever used to be that mousy hermit who liked spending all his free time at the library."

"As opposed to you who would party with his given free time, Alexander."

"I'm a father now, what can I say?"

"Speaking of being a father, any luck with your sons?"

"One doesn't want to speak to me and the other is in the hospital...so no."

"At least your daughter is a top recruit for AoE."

"And what about...you know who?"

"What about him?"

"Have you been keeping track of his whereabouts?"

"Why do you ask?"

"I'm an uncle, right? Why can't I ask?"

"I'd rather you focus on your children right now. Maybe call Marcus for a change?"

"Fine. We can call right now!"

"Alright, it's not like Blackheart will leave him out of his sight."

A few seconds later, "What do you mean you lost Marcus!", Mockingbird shouts.

Blackheart answered, "I don't know. He just escaped through the elevator...

"Why didn't you go after him? We can't let someone like that with his skills and lack of memory go to waste? I was planning to reprogram him!", Mockingbird responded back.

"I'll go after him and find him.", Blackheart replied.

"Alive.", the Solicitor added.

Blackheart said, "As if you would care, I'm his mentor and when have you ever been there for the kid?"

"Blackheart...", Mockingbird cautioned.

"Out of respect to your authority, I will retrieve Marcus and bring him back."

The phone call ended, and the Solicitor angrily postulated, "How dare that ************ talk back to me?"

"He's the head of the Assassin Division and you're the head of the Lawyers Division. In my eyes, you're both equals."

"Says you the almighty Evil Hand."

"Your heir was chosen by the Book of Secrets as my protégé."

"He also destroyed it, remember? At this point, it's going to be some random smuck that ends up in charge instead of one of our own."

Mockingbird turned and calmly stated, "The next time you intrude on my authority again, I'm placing Blackheart as my Right Hand instead of you."

"Aww...Tomas, you don't mean it. Tomas!", Alexander ran after a cackling Tomas in the dark night.

The chase was on.