The Comfy Cartel: Corpse gets 'hired'

All grown up

~ 7 years later ~

Bang

"Ugh!" He slumped to the floor, clutching his chest, stumbling back into the white couch behind him, staining it red in the process.

"Who the hell are you?" His eyes were big, wide with anger and fear, fear for his life. He knew this was the end, and he had to know who was behind the mask, slaughtering him in his own home.

"I work for the Cartel, that's all you need to know."

And with that, the last member of Team Rocket was dead. After Corpse had murdered XQC, the last few members went into hiding. It took him seven whole years.

He got to work, carving the logo on his right cheek, laying his body on the couch, and making a swift exit through the window.

As he leaped into the back alley, walking casually down the street like he was just out for a late-night stroll, he felt the hairs on the back of his neck raise. It was probably just from the cold, but just in case, he clutched the knife given to him by Michael all those years ago.

It was a chilly October night, the moon was not quite full, but it glowed an eerie yellow, faintly illuminating Corpse's face as he took off his mask. Wearing it out in public would raise some suspicions, especially since that Shroud saw him. He was the first and last person to ever best Corpse, but it wasn't long before Toast's guys brought him down.

That feeling was becoming more and more overwhelming, the feeling of eyes analyzing his every move, the feeling of some unknown entity breathing down the back of his neck. The feeling of being followed.

A rustle to his right, a footstep to his rear, Corpse heard it all. He was composed, and ready to take whoever this might be head-on.

He waited, and walked, and waited again. He started flipping the knife in his hand, becoming more and more impatient.

Finally, as he crossed an alley, movement caught his eye. In the darkness, he saw a shadow racing towards him, mere centimeters away from his face. His hand reached out and caught it. His grip was tight, and he wasn't letting go. He didn't know who or what he'd caught, till he heard a quiet, pained squark, so he stepped back into the light.

It was a pidgin. He had it by the throat, it's wing caught, and most likely broken.

Corpse sighed, a deep sigh, as he let go and the poor animal fell to the floor, scurrying away, limply trying to pick up speed by flapping its good wing.

At least his reflexes were still on point, and the feeling that had been haunting him seemed to have disappeared. And so, Corpse continued to walk down the dimly lit street, heading back to the Cartel to turn in for the night.

He was completely oblivious to the presence of a young man sitting on the roof watching over him.

...

Corpse arrived at the Cartel around an hour later, and the floor was loud. He had put his mask back on before he entered the shop, but even then people could sense his dislike for the noise and parted like the red sea as he made his way to the discussion room for a meeting which Capo Lily had mysteriously invited him to.

He didn't expect much, maybe a well done from her and Poki, and his new assignment from Toast, but the atmosphere as he entered the room was heavy.

Lily stood in the corner holding Temmie, Poki and Toast were clearly in a heated argument before he entered the room, both now silent and red in the face, arms crossed over their torsos. Last was a man who Corpse had seen only once before, a man he had a lot of respect for.

Don Scarra was sitting in a large black chair that loomed over him when he sat forward to rest his hands on the desk in front of him, becoming Corpse to take a seat.

By now he was bewildered as to what was going on, but he never revealed that, instead simply taking a seat before the Don, avoiding eye contact with anyone in the room as he did so.

"I'm impressed with your work over the last several years Corpse. You have been a great asset to the Cartel, and we are grateful for your efforts." Corpse simply nodded in response, not daring to look up from a small imperfection he had spotted in the middle of the table. "That is why we trust you, and you only, to carry out this next assignment."

Toast then stepped forward, sliding an envelope across the wooden surface of the table. It landed perfectly in front of Corpse, who took it warily and opened it. As he did so, he took his first look up, but not at Scarra, instead to Lily. He had found that he could tell the severity of a situation by her reaction to it alone, and the fact that Scarra had decided to grace him with his presence personally hit hard when Corpse saw the fear and anxiety in her face.

Whatever this was, it couldn't be good.

The envelope contained photos and reports, some taken by police, others from Poki's division. He read through the information slowly, taking every bit of detail in. There was a new group on the rise. Usually, this wouldn't be a problem, as the Cartel had built up their numbers significantly in recent years.

The problem became apparent though, when he read, 'leading members known to the Cartel as ex-employees'. That was bad. A group with any kind of intel on the Cartel meant that there could be a spy.

Other than that, the case actually looked pretty average. Small group, quickly gaining new members, while taking out the small fries. That was until he read that there hadn't been a single attack on any members of the Cartel. Since they are ex-employees, this was odd.

"Why are there no names? If they are ex-employees of ours, shouldn't we know who they are?" This was the most pressing question to Corpse, one he needed to know the answer to in order to form a strategy.

"Yeah, about that, we thought we should tell you instead of, ya' know, watching you read it on a piece of paper." This time it was Poki who spoke up, giving Corpse a sad glance that immediately made him sick to the stomach.

It was someone he knew. Surely that's why. But who? He hadn't worked with anyone since God knows when, so it's not like he'd care who it is, right?

"There are three main group leaders," Toast started, "One you haven't heard of is Ash. She used to work with Lily in public appearance, using her cutesy voice to win over potential investors. One you may know of is Sean, known better as Jack..." Yes, Corpse had heard that name before. He left the Cartel not long after Felix retired. Everyone thought he just couldn't do the job without his partner in crime. That was fair.

"And who's the last one?" The suspense was killing him, why were they putting him through this? All they needed to do was write the names on the paper so he could be on his merry...

"It's Sykkuno, Corpse." Lily's voice was unfaltering, monotone, and utterly devastated all in one.

"Sykkuno?"