Ruvick…
He decided to walk Thalia home rather than just teleport her there so as to give her the time to calm her down after what she had heard.
“Are you alright, Thalia? After everything you heard, I’m sure it might be a lot to take in…,” he said gently.
“I…I’m fine,” she lied.
Her tone of voice was unusually quiet and her hands were fidgeting constantly, as if to try and distract herself from thinking too much.
She was very obviously not doing well after hearing about her father and how Marcus knew about him for years and never said anything about it.
“Are you going to ask your brother about this? About your father?” he asked and she paused where she stood.
“I…I need some time to think about this first before...before I ask anyone about this,” she then walked up to him and pulled on his overcoat as she asked, “Will you promise me not to tell my brother about what happened?”
Ruvick held his chin in his hand as he gave it some thought.
“Hmm...I can certainly promise it, yes. However, what of your two guardians? They still remember seeing Julian and attacking him. What do you want me to do about that, erase their memories?”
“Can you do that?” Thalia asked, surprised.
Ruvick’s eyes narrowed as he looked at her.
He then knelt down to look her in the eyes and maintained the silence for half a minute as he took in every detail of how she was acting.
“What do you intend to achieve by having Alta and Fayebel’s memories erased?” he asked with a neutral tone.
“Well...my brother hired Alta to be my bodyguard right? I’d guess that whatever Alta sees, he has to report it to Marcus. If Julian shows up and Marcus finds out that Alta lost but I wasn’t hurt...then he would know that Julian had said something to me. My brother is smart, very smart. He’d know right away that Julian said something about my father.”
“That is true, but you didn’t answer my question. I’ll rephrase it, what do you intend to achieve by hiding the information of Alta and Fayebel engaging Julian from Marcus? If he never finds out about it, then what will you do aside from sit on that information?”
Thalia closed her eyes and took in a deep breath.
When she opened them again, he could see a slight intensity in them.
“I...I don’t want to bother my brother with this and risk hurting him just because I wanted answers. Julian already knows plenty about it, so I guess I’ll just have to find a way to get strong enough so that I can beat the answers out of him myself,” she said firmly.
“You are truly dead set on forcing the answers out of him yourself? With your own power?” Ruvick asked with a crooked smile creeping up on his face.
“Yes. I want to do this myself.”
Hearing that, he then let out a slight chuckle as he stood up.
“You and your brother are so much alike that its almost frightening. I’m...almost curious to imagine what would have happened if the roles between you two were reversed. If you were the elder sister and he were the younger brother,” he said before he looked back down at her and continued, “You both share a strong sense of determination and ferocity.”
He then folded his arms, nodded his head, and said, “Very well. I’ll erase their memories and replace them with something else. Maybe Alta brought you and Fayebel to a restaurant and he consumed too much alcohol trying to ignore his elder sister before she joined him out of her frustration. That could work.”
Her eyes widened and she smiled as she said, “You’ll really do it? Thank you.”
“Yes, I will. I’ve decided to put my faith in you. Be sure never to shirk your training if you really intend to fight Julian for those answers that you seek,” he said and she gave him a look that showed she was more determined now than ever to see things through.
“Now come on, I’m sure your brother is wondering where you are right now. Let’s get you home,” he said as he held out his hand to her and she took it gratefully.
After he had finished taking her back home, he reappeared back in his home in Alken and was greeted to Gomori as she bowed to him before taking his over coat.
“Welcome home,” she said.
“Thank you…,” he said, his voice trailing off as he seemed distracted by what he had heard fro Julian.
“Is there something wrong master? You seem troubled. Was it my poor performance against that man Julian?” she asked.
“No...No, it doesn’t have anything to do with you. As far as I’m concerned, you were right to yield the fight. What I’m troubled by is something I heard Julian say to Thalia before he left. It has to do with Thalia’s family and the complicated connections between Marcus and Julian’s family. For some reason, every time I learn something new about his past, I feel an overwhelming sense of unease around it.”
“Hmm…after the Exodus event took place, over two thousand years passed in that world and it seemed like a world of mundane normalcy compared to how it was before and even compared to this world. If I might ask, why does Marcus’s past make you uneasy?” she asked politely.
He went silent at her question, so much so that she looked at the ground nervously while waiting for his answer.
“M-master?”
“I don’t know. Truly, I don’t have an answer, and that scares me more that I don’t understand the cause of my unease. I know that something is wrong, but I cannot explain it.”
“Do you intend to sleep again today?”
“Yes. Hopefully I can gain some further insight into Marcus’s past and learn why this is bothering me so much,” he said as he dressed himself in more comfortable clothing, climbed into his bed, and went to sleep.
The Bronx, 2018…
Romano had arranged a meeting with the Castellano crime family that oversees Queens to discuss business plans.
It wasn’t all that different from when he would leave for meetings like this, but this time he asked Marcus to come with him as his bodyguard. He claimed that the Russian mob was getting more aggressive with their tactics in trying to claim parts of New York as their turf. The Chinese Triad wasn’t playing nice either but at least they were currently preoccupied with the Chinese New Year parade.
While Romano’s driver was taking them to the Castellano’s meeting place that they agreed upon, Marcus felt nervous over the job. It was the first that he had ever been asked to protect and defend rather than kill.
Romano looked over at him and frowned as he asked, “What the hell’s wrong with you?”
“I’m not used to this kind of job. I feel exposed and I don’t have any of my gear to help me do my job. I’m just wearing this shitty ass suit.”
“Hey! That suit is worth several thousand dollars and I bought it for you to make sure you look worth the amount I’m paying you to protect me. Show your tailor some respect and they’ll stick by you through thick and thin, you got that?” he barked back at him.
Marcus rolled his eyes and looked out the tinted windows of the car.
He looked up at the towering buildings that they passed by and couldn’t help but feel paranoid about how many possible vantage points and sniper positions were out there.
He then felt a hand rest on his shoulder which startled him and made him jump slightly.
“Relax Marcus. These windows are fitted with bulletproof glass. If someone did shoot at us-” he tried to say helpfully but Marcus cut him off.
“It’d be rather stupid for anyone to try shooting us while the car is still driving. Not only are we a moving target, but the windows are tinted out to make it difficult to see us. I’m not worried about that. I’m more concerned about what will happen when we step out of the car and become stationary targets in broad daylight,” he said, staring back at him as if daring him to try and make a clever retort.
Romano stayed silent for a moment before he shrugged and said, “Welp, good luck then. I’ll be counting on you.”
Marcus stared at him with a look of incredulous anger on his face before the car finally came to a stop.
The two of them stepped out and he started looking around at the various buildings to spot a lens flare or anything that might indicate someone with a clear shot on them.
It only took fifteen seconds for the two of them to step into the building, but ever moment was terrifying agony for him to make sure nothing was wrong and that both of them were safe.
As soon as they stepped inside, he let out an audible sigh of relief.
“See? How bad was that?” Romano asked as he held out his arms in a wide arc.
Marcus shook his head as he looked at Romano and said, “I hate this job.”
Romano frowned and said, “Get used to it.”
They then walked down the hall until they reached the meeting room where Falco Castellano was already seated and waiting.
Standing behind him was a man with styled spiky blond hair and blue eyes.
This man was Lucas Witiker, the enforcer for the Castellano crime family.
One of the things that Marcus noticed about him right away was a chain around his neck with the bottom part of it hiding behind the collar of his suit.
Why would he be wearing a chain necklace if not to flaunt it…?
Unless it wasn’t a necklace, but dog tags instead.
He looked Lucas up and down, took in his build and apparent age and realized that he must be a military vet.
Falco raised an eyebrow when he saw Marcus and turned his head to address Lucas.
“Why don’t you two give us a bit of privacy while we discuss business. Go, socialize, do whatever,” he said, making a shooing motion with his right hand.
Lucas nodded and gestured with his head for Marcus to follow him.
“Romano…?” he asked under his breath.
“Go ahead. I’ll be fine.”
Marcus sighed as he followed Lucas back into the hallway and closed the door behind them.
They walked for several feet until Lucas paused, looked behind him, and sighed.
“God, I hate this damn thing. It feels claustrophobic wearing this,” he complained as he tugged at his suit collar and took in a deep breath.
He then eyed Marcus carefully as he asked, “You look pretty young to be a bodyguard for Stefan Romano. How old are you?”
Marcus’s eyes narrowed as he stayed silent.
“Oh come on, I’m not gonna bite. Its just a boring bodyguard job. If anything happens, it’ll be because some Russian shitheads get a big head and rush the place,” he said as he prodded Marcus for information.
Marcus turned his head slightly, as if to give him a side eyed look before saying, “I’m eighteen.”
Lucas laughed as he said, “Shit, you are young. How the hell did you land such a high priority job working for Romano of all people? You must have some really good connections.”
Marcus’s right hand tensed up as he said, “I’d suggest you choose your next words very carefully around me. I’m not well known for my patience.”
“Well known? What’s your name?”
“Marcus Wright.”
Lucas frowned as he was deep in thought.
“Can’t say I’ve heard of you before. Gotta say though, you should really drop that arrogant attitude of yours when addressing your seniors, especially in this line of work.”
“Oh…?” Marcus whistled as he raised his eyebrows mockingly, “Is that so? I noticed that chain around your neck. No idiot in this job would wear a chain out so openly unless they wanted it stolen and it doesn’t look like its made of any precious metals. I’d say that those are dog tags, yeah?”
Lucas tilted his head wild looking mildly impressed before he pulled his dog tags out and said, “You have a good eye. Yeah, I’m a vet. Started serving tours in Iraq back in 2013 before I started working for Mr. Castellano.”
Marcus then smirked as he said, “So you were America’s bitch before you became Falco’s? How amusing.”
Lucas’s face then became twisted in frustration as he said, “I’d lose the attitude if I were you kid. What would your boss think if you spoke to him like that on a regular basis? Show your seniors some fucking respect.”
Marcus dropped the smirk as he said, “I’ve been working for Romano for ten years. You want to have a dick measuring contest over seniority? Trust me, this is not the hill you want to die on.”
Lucas looked at him with confusion before he looked away for a moment as if to do the math in his head.
“Hold on…you’ve been working for Romano since...since you were eight years old? Really?”
He leaned back on the wall and folded his arms but no long had the air of superiority in him that he was trying to push so hard earlier.
“Sorry man…I figured since you were young that you were just being an ass,” he said.
“Don’t sweat it.”
“Gotta say though, if you’ve really been working for Stefan Romano for ten years, then why haven’t I heard of you before? I know quite a few big names, but I’ve not heard of yours before.”
Marcus shook his head dismissively as he said, “No, I’m sure you’ve heard of me, just under a different name. I doubt there’s anyone in the whole state in our line of work that hasn’t heard of me.”
Lucas smirked curiously as he asked, “Oh yeah? You got some kind of title or calling card? Well, lets hear it. What’s yours?”
Marcus looked him in the eyes with a stone cold expression and said, “Enderman.”
Lucas’s smirk faded and was replaced by a look of fear and anxiety as he said, “Oh…shit.”
Lucas then shook his head and said, “Wait, hold on. If you’ve been working for Romano since you were eight and...and you are Enderman, The Enderman, then you…you’re a god damn child soldier.”
“I hadn’t thought about it that way, but yeah. I guess I am,” he replied with a bored tone of voice.
“What the hell could have happened to you to force you into this kind of life at eight years old? Actually, better question is why would you ever want this kind of life to begin with?”
Marcus’s voice became caught in his throat as he wasn’t sure how to answer that right away.
“Well?”
“I didn’t want this life, I was forced into it. I was eight years old and I just lost my mother to some asshole doing a drive by and I needed money. I robbed one of Romano’s warehouses and he found me there; but instead of popping a bullet in my brain, he gave me a card and said that I could either keep the money I stole or work for him. I was too young and stupid to be self sufficient so started working for him.”
“Why didn’t you just keep the money and live with extended family?”
“My mother was the only family I had and she died. Besides...I had other responsibilities at the time,” he said. He didn’t want to mention the fact that he had a sister.
Lucas gritted his teeth as he said, “Shit man… You really got screwed over early.”
Marcus folded his arms and looked away as he said, “Nah…I think I’ll be fine. Pretty soon here the ‘Enderman’ isn’t gonna be seen in New York anymore.”
Lucas tilted his head as he asked, “What are you talking about?”
“Lets just say that I have an agreement with Romano. Just a handful of jobs left to do and I’ll be gone. I’ll leave this whole life be-”
“Hey! Zip it! Don’t mention another word of that here!” Lucas said as he held a finger up to his mouth to quiet him down.
He then looked around as if checking for cameras or hidden microphones.
When he turned his eyes back to Marcus, he had a look of paranoia on his face as he whispered, “Look man, as long as you’ve been in this line of work, its not something you can just get out of by asking nicely. You’ve added so much value and importance to your name that trying to leave would be suicide. Whatever Stefan told you, I wouldn’t trust it for a second.”
“What the hell would you know about working for Romano?” Marcus asked, irritated.
“Assume I don’t know much about him personally, but I’ve had some experience with those who have tried to leave this life behind,” he said before he pulled a card out of his pocket and handed it to him.
Marcus looked down at it and noticed that it was a black card with just a phone number listed and not other details on it.
“Your contact number? Why would I need this?”
“This isn’t the best place to discuss...your situation. After their meeting is over, why not call that number and meet me.”
“Fat chance. What do I get out of talking to you that I can’t learn on my own?” Marcus said mockingly as he ripped the card apart and tossed the shreds back at him.
Lucas stood still as the shredded pieces of his contact card were thrown back at him. He stood with a very serious expression on his face.
“Marcus, as much as I shouldn’t be saying this, you have more to gain by making me your ally than you do by trying to leave this life on your own. Just think about that.”