------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ The room was dark. Vasco stood in front of massive metal doors that led to the conferance room his brother was in. He was much weary, fearing what could happen if he interrupted his brother's meeting. He was told that an important "business partner" was in the room, and walking in would be improper to say the least, but in face of reacent happenings, Vasco had to notify his brother.
Vasco took a deep breath, and reached for a handle. Upon pushing the wing, a warm interior was made clear. Textured walls were layed with fake bricks, and an electronic fireplace cast a warm glow onto the furniture.
On large velvet armchairs, two figures were sitting. One of them was Vasco's brother and the Boss of the organization. Vasco knocked. When the two figures turned around, he saw utter annoyance on his kin's face. Reluctantly, Vasco asked him to leave the room, as the matter was quite urgent. After excusing himself, the Boss left the room.
- What do you want Vasco? - the Boss uttered through his teeth.
- Two of our smuggling routes were attacked. We lost product. - Vasco responded, his head pointed downwards.
- Which ones?
- One in the West suburbs and one in the docks.
- Okay... And how much money have we lost? - His voice began to rise.
- Around 25 thousand... - Vasco's voice trembled with fear.
- And tell me, who was responsible? - Boss's exterior calm began to crack even more. He took out his knife.
- Lucas Vahvanen in the suburbs, Mitch Connel and Mateo Martinez in the...- Vasco was cut off.
- Wrong you dumbass! YOU! YOU WERE RESPONSIBLE! - The Boss threw his knife. It nearly missed Vasco's left eye. - I PUT YOU IN CHARGE OF COLLECTING AND DISTRIBUTION! 25000 CREDITS GONE? WHAT HAVE YOU DONE EXCEPT FOR WHINING ABOUT IT TO ME, HUH? WHAT!
- I-I sent Duff Galle to take care of this. He is reliable, had already taken care of this sort of things.- Vasco tried to keep calm.
- I have already lost too much time on you. Give me my knife back and get lost. You are lucky that you're my brother, otherwise you'd pay with your arm.
Vasco did as told and ran out the room. Meanwhile, his brother returned to his guest. He apologised for the wait, and went over to a cabinet, where he kept Moët et Chandon. Pouring two glasses of wine, he returned to the conversation previous to the interuption.
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Eden sat on his couch. The familiar setting of his room put his mind at ease. The comfortable seat and snug blankets were a stark contrast to the bleak hospital room he was in just a couple days ago. The wounds, although fully healed, still hurt. Eden could feel his flesh pulling at the sores. His arm regained most of it's motor ability. Everything was starting to look better. Eden's mission however was stagnating. He battled the thoughts of giving up entirely, but his heart was telling him that if he doesn't put an end to this, no one will. The Syndicate and other gangs will rise in power, as the goverment won't care about it's citizens. Eden got up, then sat back down. Then up again. He was walking in circles in his room, trying to figure out the next step he should take.
The decision was hard. Acting low would be the safest option. The gang would think that they got rid of the pest that made them lose money. They would let their guard down. Eden's efforts would be forgotten and The Syndicate would rise in power. On the other hand acting now would be the stupidest thing possible. Eden's body was still fragile, The gang has their members prepared for attacks. But attacking now would show determination, the will to fight, the disagreament towards the injustice in the city.
In wake of both perspectives, Eden chose the latter option. All he needed was a plan. But for that he needed to remember what made him stop in his tracks. All he could remember were gunshots. Not from a gang fight or a cyberpsycho. Those would be accidental, with no rhyme nor reason. Those bullets that Eden faced were calculated. Someone was hunting Eden, but he couldn't remember who it was. He knew he saw the perpetrator's face, but Eden couldn't recreate it in his mind.
![A Murderous Adventure (JJBA X MD) [COMPLETED] by ThanosTGA](https://img.wattpad.com/cover/301354010-80-k936864.jpg)
There also was another person, which Eden didn't know. Some innocent bystander, a samaritan. Eden remembered that man helping him. But nothing much. The student knew that he would be dead if the samaritan wasn't there. He hoped he also survived the encounter.
In order to draw up a new plan, Eden messaged his friends. All of them agreed to meet in "Emerald" Bar in one hour. The student got dressed and headed over to the meeting place. After leaving his dorm, Eden started regreting not having an umbrella with him, as it started raining. Eventually, Eden made his way to the bar. He sat at a table in the corner and hung his soaked vest on the back of the chair. He ordered a fizzy drink to avoid what had happened the last time he was there and waited for his friends.
First came Orion, dressed as always in a green shirt and dark trousers. The sharp features of his face were obscured by a curtain of wet blonde hair with black tips. He shook his head and combed over his hair with his hand. After looking around, he finally located Joden and went over him. His tall and lean frame towered over every customer.
- Hey there! - Orion waved at his friend. - where is everyone?
-You're the first one here - Eden responded. - Iris texted me that she and Ember are on their way. There has been an accident...
- Yeah yeah - Vega yawned. - What is important is that they will be here. Wait here, I'll order myself something.
- Knock yourself out - Joestar said, irritation in his voice was audible.
When Orion left the table, Eden received a text from Iris. The message read "5 minutes". Joden responded that Orion is already there.
After a while, Vega returned, a glass of dark beer in his hand. He took a sip, leaving a mark of white foam on above his lips. That's when Eden noticed something off about them. They weren't their usual colour. They had something on them, like a faint purple lipstick. Orion must've noticed his friend staring at his lips, so he covered them.
As if to dismiss the situation, Eden started talking about the decorations of the bar. New posters meant that new cracks appeared on the walls. New neons were installed, as well as a colorful potted plant by the entrance. The talk didn't go very smoothly, despite both of their best efforts.
As they were sitting quietly, each sipping their drinks, Iris and Ember showed up. Ember's energy filled the room, as he went over to the counter and ordered himself a gin and tonic. Iris meanwhile went to the table and talked to Eden. After asking how is he feeling, looking at his arm and questioning him about his prescriptions, she went to the bar and ordered herself a fizzy drink, as a sign of solidarity with Eden. She would much more like to have a cocktail or a Martini, but she decided not to.
After everyone greeted themselves and finally sat down, they asked about the course of action. They could still attack smugglers, but that wouldn't amount to anything, except for a hit on their heads. Their mission stood dead in its tracks. Ember finally asked about the attack that landed Eden in the hospital.
Joden recalled the events. Bullets, the Samaritan, the perpetrator's face. Everything was blury. The face was blury, the time of day, the place. Everything was a slight mystery.
- Well, now we have a very rough outline at least - said Ember, optimistic as ever.
- Yeah, but we are still standing still - Iris argued back
- Ori, do you know any about that Receiver? - Ember asked.
- Not really. I know that those shitstains in the docks had limited time to hand over the stuff - he rubbed his nose - but the backpack didn't have anything else. This leads me to believe that someone told them beforehand. And they had it memorised.
- Do you remember what that place was? - Eden joined in.
- He said something about the eastern district, the south suburbs, the business IT cluster, the center... And cherry lane. Quite a lot of those places, but nothing very specific.
- A lot of time passed, they definately changed those locations - Iris reminded them.
- We're outta luck - Ember summed up - Big time. I'm not sure if this info that Echo gave us has any merit now.
