The Story of the Cipher Brothers

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"You're not seriously considering this, are you?"

Bill shrugged. "So what if I am? I can't think of a good reason not to."

The Cipher brothers were all huddled up in their cramped living room, with Kill and Will on the moth-eaten couch and Bill pacing animatedly in front of them. He held Maximilian's business card in his hand, staring at it as if he couldn't believe it was real.

Will scoffed so hard it bordered on a laugh. "I could think of a million reasons not to! I-I just-" He got up and put his hands on Bill's shoulders, meeting his eyes with an intense pleading. "Bill, I know you like to make impulsive decisions, but please think about this."

Kill interjected before Bill could respond. "I think he should do it."

"What?" The two other brothers uttered at the exact same time.

"I got hired by the syndicate because a scout approached me after seeing me work on my target practice. I talked to the bosses, got in, and now I'm making enough income to pay for most of our food. It's about time Bill does something worthwhile."

The youngest Cipher's pursed his lips into a straight line. "I'm going to ignore that insult and just accept your support."

"Listen, I don't want to be rude, but what could Alcor possibly want from you?" Will asked.

"Hey! I have a lot of marketable skills, I'll have you know! There's plenty he could want from me," Bill piped up indignantly. 

"No, he's right," Kill grumbled.

"Listen." Bill closed his eyes hard, thinking. "Selling my perfectly valuable products in the market isn't working anymore now that Leviathan's actually getting out of bed in the morning. Pickpocketing, while always a safe bet, isn't going to make a dent into our expenses. Now I have one of the richest and most prominent figures in Ukrenium offering me what sounds like a job, and I'm supposed to say no?"

"Yes, if it comes at the cost of your life!" Will retorted.

"We'll all be dead anyway if we don't have money!"

"We won't need money if you're dead!"

They both stared at each other, their breath the only sound in the room.  To their surprise, Kill broke the silence. "It's better than getting processed. At least this way we'll earn something." He got up from the sofa and shot Bill an intense glare. "Don't make me regret this."

The he slammed the door to his room.

Will turned to the youngest Cipher and sighed. "Look, I'm just worried, okay? You almost got taken, and you don't even seem fazed. You're not invincible, Bill, no one is." He strode off in the direction of the apartment door.

"You're wrong."

Will froze. "Huh?"

Bill smirked, his eyes sparkling with determination. "You're only invincible if everyone thinks you are. Those on the tip of the pyramid? No one can touch them, because they told everyone they couldn't. Trust me;  one of the days, I'm going to reach the top, and I'll take you up with me."

................................

The next couple of days passed pretty uneventfully, which was absolute torture for Bill's hyperactive mind. He'd stared out the grimy window, trying to see if Leviathin was at the market, and to his dismay, he was doing rounds with his pack of dogs. He wasn't sure what to do with all his leftover products, so he just hid them underneath his bed and hoped Kill wouldn't throw them away.