"I bet this guy's the future Lark's head - fuuuuckk".

 

Lenny blinks in confusion at his best friend. Sitting across from him as they enjoy their hamburgers, Kai carelessly flips his phone to the table before scowling. "And there's nothing I can do about it".

 

"What are you talking about?" Lenny asks while carefully watching the people near their table. This place is a popular fast food joint - and although it's true that the best place to have a private conversation is in a crowded place where no one will pay attention to you, Lenny would rather stay on the careful side; especially if this involves their night job.

 

"This dude," Kai grabs his phone again to show a picture from Instapost to Lenny. In the picture is a guy seeming like he doesn't even notice the camera as he walks in a popular area in the Fashion District.

 

Lenny squints at the screen. The guy feels familiar. "Have I ever seen this guy before?"

 

"Michelangelo Drake? Son of Gregory and Brianna Drake?"

 

Who hasn't? She is a Hollywood Icon and a beloved figure in this part of Asia. Does he care enough to know if she has a son though? No.

 

Kai rolls his eyes, "He's the lead actor in that movie 'Little Happiness'? You know that movie. I remember seeing you cry watching it!"

 

Red flushes through Lenny's visage. "I did not! I was sleepy!" He huffs, then quickly continues his observation of the picture in front of him, "And you're saying this guy is the next Lark's heir!"

 

"Pffh, he probably is. I mean, the timing is too much of a coincidence. Haven't you heard? Benjamin Larks has been hosting more social functions lately. There are a lot more people talking about his secret dinner party, which means he's been making more connections, probably to prepare for something big. He's going to introduce something to the underworld soon, maybe someone," Kai rambles with one fist under his cheek. He is playing with a piece of his fries, swirling it around in the small plastic container of hot sauce. "And if it's anything big enough to get the most secretive Big Brother out of his cove, it'd be the announcement of his heir, right? If he somehow secured one, he would play his card right, make sure his pieces are in place before he makes that announcement".

 

"Then why did he have to hide a child? Why not announce it when it was a baby? I mean, he hasn’t bothered to hide his three marriages before -,”

 

"What other reason would it be if not for the fact that the woman is probably already married to someone else? Someone who also has the public's eye on them?" Kai bites into his hamburger.

 

Right. Benjamin Larks is a traditional man, at least to the public. Him impregnating a married woman would destroy that image. Whether or not he cares about reputations and the such, most Big Brothers in Buangan City prefer their business out of the public's mouth. Hence, they keep their public reputation pristine.

 

"Larks has kept a low profile for decades and his sudden merge to the surface is coincidentally around the same time this guy," Kai shows him the picture of Michelangelo Drake again, "Moved to Buangan City, building a tiny empire of night clubs, and earning the title of Little Brother over the course of one night".

 

Little Brothers and Big Brothers are the endearing terms Buangan City locals refer to their underground overlords. Yes, this city might have political leaders and law enforcement posing as its rocks and pillars. However, those who know Buangan City would pay close attention to the history of its foundation. After all, Buangan City earns its name, which is Malayan for waste and exile, from the fact that it was the place where all crime gangs and criminals from Angkasa City were kicked out a long time ago.

 

These families of crime then built their own haven in this gloomy town, building it to its current glory. It is no secret that these founding fathers continue to reign over the city from the shadows today. There is an understanding among Buangan citizens; that while they do have the law and a government on a surface and public level, the true rulers of Buangan City are the heads of the first families who were here. These rulers are famously dubbed as Big Brothers.

 

Little Brothers, on the other hand, is the nickname given to the city's new hotshot. And it is implied one can only start afresh with such a bang in this hellhole called Buangan if they're related or have the favor of one of the Big B's. 

 

"No. If he is indeed related to Larks, he wouldn't let him be called a Little Brother in public. He would do anything in his power to shut down those rumors!" Lenny rejects Kai's idea. Anyone accused of being a Little Brother would normally try their best to deny it to avoid attention from the police. Unlike the Big Brothers, Little Brothers do not have the resources to protect themselves completely from the law.

 

"Exactly!" Kai exclaims dramatically, hands waving and head flamboyantly turning side to side almost as though they're gossiping about the latest celebrity scandal. Then again, Michelangelo Drake is a celebrity. "Larks is smarter than that! He's different, y'know, compared to the rest of the B's. Of course, he wouldn't take the normal route the other Brothers would! The smart little bugger," Kai takes a sharp bite on one fat crispy fry then says, "Would you mind passing me the salt? They're undersalted today. The audacity".

 

Lenny, however, is far too stunned by how Kai is running his mouth on the most bizarre things. Kai might come off a little too relaxed and carefree to a lot of people (something he inherited from his sea-loving father), but under that subtle makeup and layers of fetching attire, Kai is incredibly intelligent. It's not the first time he said something that would later prove to be true; a gift that turns out to be useful in the Organization.

 

And it helps that the Organization has always been obsessed with Larks and guessing his next move. The Larks family, despite being in the top 3 richest families in Buangan City, is considered aloof. There are a lot of rumors surrounding the family's involvement with Buangan's darkest businesses, yet no one, not even their Organization, has been able to trace anything back to them. Otherwise, surely this family would've been the target of the Organization's judgments a long time ago.

 

But if what Kai's saying is true, this will not only bring them closer to the Larks'. It will also bring Kai to the throne of the Organization's contested leadership. "Holy Shit," Lenny says under his breath, "This will make you Grim. Holy fucking shit".

 

Kai has magically conjured the salt shaker in his hands, "Hmm?" The guy aggressively shakes the small container over his fries, "I won't though".

 

"Wha - why not!??"

 

"Because I'm taking a long leave! What - you think I'll work for the Organization with Ed there? No way, man! I can't let Ed think I'm a cold-blooded monster!"

 

Lenny is confused. Buangan City is a city where law is a farce. One will have to commit sin to have a semblance of justice in this place. That's why Buangan City needs the Organization; an entity that stalks and performs justice towards its criminals. Without someone like Kai in the Organization, the Organization will not be able to uphold Buangan City's shrewd sense of justice against people like the Brothers. 

 

'But you are, Kai,' Lenny responds mentally, 'you are a cold-blooded monster'. Everyone in the Organization knows this of him. Kai is extremely effective in chasing their targets. He was trained by both the first and second Grim since he was a child. At the age where Lenny would get in fights with other kids and be lectured by cops, Kai had successfully and cleanly committed his first kill.

 

Kai can be the most feared Grim; he'll have the whole city handed to him if only he takes it.

 

And Lenny will make sure Buangan City knows what a vicious Grim Kai can be.

 

***

It's closing into lunchtime in Buangan City's beloved Fashion District which means the Seroja Square, the district's iconic centerpiece, is packed with people; locals and tourists alike. Among them is the tall looming figure of Lenny, scowling at the street musician performing rift after rift across the large fountain. Around the street musician is a circle of people, all aww-ing and ooh-ing over his guitar performance.

 

"Isn't that the viral guitar guy?" Says a woman with pure excitement as she walks past Lenny. From how she dresses, it is clear that she is a tourist.

 

Too bad for Lenny, that same guitarist is also his best friend; the very best friend who quit the Organization and now became some type of must-see attraction in Fashion District.

 

A round of applause can be heard from across the square and Lenny decides it's time to leave Kai to his own accord. Lenny has something to do. He walks past busy shops and restaurants to enter a hidden alleyway. He takes a turn to the second door on his left and opens it with no hesitation. The sign above the door says, "Flash Delivery Service".

 

The building consists of only a front lobby, a bathroom and locker, and a back room filled with chairs, desks, and a whiteboard. The lobby itself only has a desk and a few chairs, with boxes of tiny packages, papers, and a few burner phones loitered on the desk. A staircase leads to the attic in the hallway connecting the lobby to the backroom. On that staircase, sits a young man who is busy watching a video on his phone. The young man stands up the moment he notices Lenny.

 

"Lenny," he greets, "Is Eighth coming?"

 

"No. He's... busy".

 

"Saw him performing by the fountain, is that part of a mission we don't know about?"

 

"... Yeah," this is a lie, but no one in the Organization knows that. Kai might be blindsided now, but later he will want to join in the investigation of Larks' heir and claim his right as the next Grim. And so, Lenny will have to kickstart the mission for him - until Kai comes to his senses.

 

"Okay, so what now? You have more information on the mission for us?" the guy, Kenneth Wu, is a Crow, a title for an agent working for the Organization. Crows' main job is information gathering for Grim and the Top 8. Most of them do not understand the full inner working of the Organization. A lot of them only know one person among the Top 8; the one they're working directly under; and stay oblivious to the identity of the other numbers. In fact, many of them don't even know Grim's real identity.

 

The only thing differentiating Lenny from these Crows, despite being a Crow himself, is the fact that he is Kai's childhood friend. 

 

"I have it right here," Lenny pats his postman bag, "Call everyone to the building now, we're having a meeting".

 

Right at that moment, the door behind him opens. Expecting one of the Crows, Kenneth cranes his head so he can look at the person standing behind Lenny. Lenny watches the younger guy's face turning a little surprised, "Oh, sorry, we're on break now. If you want, you can just book our service online and we'll send someone to you," Kenneth tells the newcomer.

 

Lenny twists around to face what he assumes is a customer.

 

What he sees instead surprises him.

 

Pink hair and large thin-rimmed glasses; that college girl appearance is familiar to Lenny. "I'm here for Eighth," she adds.

 

Lenny can hear the tension in Kenneth's response, "Sorry? I-I think you're lost -"

 

"Shut it, Kenneth," Lenny interrupts before tersely addressing the girl, "What are you doing here?"

 

"Where's Eighth?" She responds instead, making Lenny's blood boil.

 

"Not here. He's busy. So," he takes a deep breath. He needs to remember, this is still someone with a higher position in the Organization, "What are you doing here?"

 

"I'm here for the investigation," is her nonchalant answer, almost as if she's telling him the weather.

 

"This is not your investigation," Lenny bites, "You have no business here".

 

Concerned, Kenneth approaches Lenny and lowly mutters to him, “Who is she, Len?”

 

Lenny swallows thickly, “The Seventh”. He can feel how Kenneth tenses up from the mention of another number besides Kai’s. The Crows are not expected to know more than one of the numbers.

 

She crosses her arms. "It is now,” she responded to Lenny’s previous statement, voice still light and small, almost like that of an absent-minded doll. "The team agrees that this investigation takes priority over all missions, including my previous one. I will, however, conduct my own investigation on this matter but I will stop by from time to time to share my team's findings. I expect your team will return the gesture".

 

Disgruntled, Lenny raises his voice, "Then who is handling that XenTech Investigation??"

 

"Third".

 

How dare they!? How dare they disrespect Kai like this?

 

"We don't need your help. We got everything under control. He is a very capable detective," Lenny says.

 

"And yet he's not even here. Did he even prepare printouts for your team about the mission’s target?"

 

She says this like she knows Kai. Kai is skilled in many things except for paperwork. He doesn't do such formalities. The person who does all that menial work is Lenny. "He did! I have it right here with me!" Lenny smacks the front flap of his postman bag for the second time.

 

"Did he? Or was it you who did the work?" She invites herself further inside and stops by the desk to land her tote bag. Her hand slips inside the bag and ruffles around. "It's common knowledge Eighth doesn’t do his paperwork. As for you, I don't think you know how to handle paperwork for a mission as big as this".

 

Lenny holds back a nasty comment from leaving his mouth. Who does she think she is?

 

"Here, I've provided all the important details we can gather online," she takes out a thick stack of papers from her tote bag and gestures for Lenny to take it. Lenny stares at it incredulously.

 

"How do you even know who the target is?" Lenny questions. After all, that night he deliberately leaves out that information from slipping in fear that someone in Top 8 will try to steal this mission from Kai.

 

"Oh, anyone with a brain can figure it out. Isn't it obvious?" She tilts her head.

 

Is it? Lenny ponders in horror. He thought this information would be secured by his team - Kai's team. If Michelangelo's status as Larks' heir is so obvious, why would they recruit a second Top 8 member into the investigation? Is it to pit her against Kai? So they can see who will get to the target first?

 

"It's Ivanov Phillips," she blurts, “He’s the obvious heir”.

 

And to that, Lenny blinks owlishly at her.

 

'Who?'

 

***

To be Continued