The man was washing his hands. He came towards them and saw Kael, putting his hand on Kael's chin and lifting it up, looking straight into his eyes.
"So only two left. Any info why they raided us?"
James: "Soy, you didn't give us any permission, so we thought we'd ask them in front of you."
Soy: "Hmm, okay then. We'll start it here. James, take the masks off their faces."
Soy: "My name is Soy." Then he looked at Kael. "You look young, might be in your 20s."
Kael: "21."
Soy: "Hmm, so young man, what's your name?"
Kael: "Leave us. We just came here for our bikes."
Soy: "That's not the answer to my question, Mr. Young Man."
Kael looked shocked. Soy moved to Rayne. Rayne suddenly rushed toward him, shouting, "You son of a bitch! I'll kill you! Where's my bike? Leave us right now or you'll face a big trouble!"
Within seconds, Rayne noticed he was on the ground, something heavy pressing on his back. He looked up and saw Soy sitting on him like a sofa.
Rayne (thinking): l've learned kickboxing and judo. How the hell did he dodge me? I was a damn champion. He was fast.
Even Kael looked shocked.
Soy: "Baby, calm down. Why couldn't you both give a straight answer to a question?"
He stood up and asked Rayne, "What's your name?"
Rayne stood again in anger. "You wanna know my name? Then remove these cuffs and I'll tell you!"
Rayne rushed toward him again. Soy looked at him with disappointment, then kicked him in the face. Rayne was thrown straight into the wall. He got knocked out.
Kael: "Rayne! Rayne! Bro, wake up! Are you alright?!"
Soy: "Oh, so his name is Rayne." He turned his tone deep. "What's your name?"
Kael (gritting teeth): "Ah... Kael. My name is Kael, you asshole."
Soy: "Hmm, didn't your parents teach you manners on how to talk to strangers?"
Kael: "Yeah, they did. But not for some street thug."
Soy smiled. "Hmm, thug huh? Well then what were you doing with guns in this thug base? Didn't mama tell you never to mess with thugs, huh?!"
Kael: "Fuck off. What do you want from us?"
Soy: "Hmm... is there anything you can offer us?"
Kael (thinking): He doesn't know who we are. He probably thinks we're just some thug just like them.
Kael: "I can give you money. Tell me how much you want."
Soy narrowed his eyes and thought for a few minutes.
Soy: "How much can you give?"
Kael: "A million or two. Just leave us. If you want to keep the bike, keep it. We will never tell anyone what happened here."
Soy: "Even if you want to, you can't."
He took James to a corner.
Soy: "Take their IDs and conns (phones). If he can offer 2 million without us asking, he's worth more. And I think I saw this kid somewhere... that one (pointing to Rayne). I just can't remember."
James: "Give me your conns (phones)."
Soy asked Kael to unlock it. Kael refused. Soy forced him and he opened the lock.
As Soy leaned in closer, Kael finally got a clearer look at him. The lights above flickered just enough to reveal the edge of Soy's jaw and Kael's eyes widened.
Kael (thinking): His skin… it's not completely green like a Dra. It's lighter closer to human tone. And his eyes… they're shaped like ours, but the color's off. Something's not right.
His teammates were all human. But Soy? He was something else.
Kael (thinking): No. He's not fully Dra. He's not fully human either… He's one of them.
A half-blood. A hybrid. A Hdh.
Soy scrolled through the albums, social media, browser.
Soy: "Hmm, you're not part of those groups. Why did you come here then? What's your motive? Are you agents of the UN, America, or any other country or group?"
Kael: "I already told you. We just came here for our bikes."
Soy, in anger: "Just for this stupid piece of metal, you came all the way here with those scums!!"
He grabbed Kael's collar and was ready to punch, but Kael shouted:
Kael: "Because it had drugs! Those were very expensive and limited! We can't risk losing them!"
Soy checked the bike. After a few minutes, Tichala said:
Tichala: "Soy, he's right. There are drugs in the bag. Looks expensive. These are new in the market, but not that limited."
Soy: "He's right though. What do you think we should do now?"
James: "I think leaving them will create problems for us. They know our names, faces, and location. If UN or SEAL find out, they'll come after us too."
Tichala: "Just take money from them and leave. It's the best we can do. He's ready to give money, and for our next plan, we need as much money as possible."
Soy: "Right. Tichala, after decades you've said something smart."
Tichala: "Fuck you, I'm smart. You're just jealous."
They all laughed.
Soy: "And what about that guy who's sleeping?"
James: "You hit hard. It's already been an hour and he's still unconscious."
Soy: "Really? I didn't realize. I thought he could take it. I'm sorry for him. Any info about them?"
James: "Yeah, I forgot to tell you something. It's really good for us. The guy you hit is Rayne Vexis, son of Sorius Vexis."
Soy: "Yeah, I remember now. You're talking about Sorius, the political leader of the Republican Front, right?"
James: "Yeah."
Soy: "I saw that guy in his father's political rally. That's why I said I saw him somewhere. And the second one? Kael?"
James: "He is the son of Hadrek Vorinn and Lara Vorinn. Not much info about his father. He runs a private research lab and nuclear energy facility. Everything is about his mother—she was Miss World and a model. They have one daughter and two sons including him."
Soy: "And Rayne? Is he alone or has siblings?"
James: "No, he's alone. Nothing about their families other than their education."
Soy (acting dramatic): "So while she is not here and I am the leader in loud and prideful time, I'll ask her what to do."
Tichala laughed. "You always ask her what to do. You are just her slave."
Soy punched him playfully. "I am here for my people. Whatever it takes, I'll do it."
Then Soy talked to a girl on virtual call. She told him something. Soy gave Tichala and James the responsibility to take money from Kael and scare him so he wouldn't tell anyone.
They asked Kael for 40 million.
Kael: "I don't have that much right now."
James punched him in the stomach.
Kael (screaming in pain): "Give me a few minutes! I'll give it... Just give me my conn (phone)!"
They hesitated but gave it to him.
James: "If you think about calling the police and telling about this, you're making a big mistake."
Kael (thinking): Who could help? Call his father? No. He would eat him alive. His mother? She'd panic. Siya? But she'll tell mom too. Wait...
Kael (thinking): I spent half my pocket money on games and travel. I have a plan. My account has 20 million.
He called his sister Siya.
Kael: "I need your help. 20 million."
Siya: "Why do you need so much money? Is everything okay?"
Kael: "I lost all my money on gambling."
Siya: "Are you serious!!? Do you have any sense? Our father gives us this money as pocket money. Thousands of people's salaries can be paid with this for a year. Many die of hunger and disease. They deserve it more than you. You're just a child."
Kael: "If you want to help people, help them yourself. Don't take money from father."
Siya was silent.
Siya: "Do you even know I run a fucking NGO for orphans?"
Siya: "You said our family never cares. No one checks on me. But the truth is I never tried to make my relationships better."
Kael was embarrassed. He always thought no one cared, but he never tried to reach out.
James: "Hey, you're taking too much time."
Then James pointed a gun at his forehead. By the fear of death, Kael started crying, his face full of tears, helpless.
Tichala: "Hey man, leave him. You scared him."
James: "This is what Soy told us to do. He can't tell anyone about us. Weren't we supposed to follow his orders? I did this for his own good. The faster he leaves us, the safer he'll be."
Kael (crying): "Please, Siya, help me. I'm really sorry. I promise I'll try everything from the start."
Siya was shocked. She hadn't seen Kael cry since he was a kid.
Siya: "Wait. I'll give you the money. But I want it back."
She cut the call. A few minutes later, Kael received 20 million.
They told him to transfer it to an account. He did it quickly.
Then James and Tichala beat him unconscious and took him on his bike. They left him in front of his building. The security guards saw them and tried to stop them, but they shot one in the shoulder and left.
Kael woke up in pain. He asked the guards, "Where is Rayne?"
They replied, "Sir, there's only you. What happened? Who were they?"
They informed his family and rushed him to the hospital.
------
Kael was broken. Rayne was missing. And Soy… had only just begun to show his cards.
Will Rayne wake up in time? Will Kael stay quiet? Or is this just the beginning of something far more dangerous?
We'll find out—very soon.