The Magpie's Death

Revelations (2)

"How could those men know all that?"

They had spent a half hour sitting in silence, each running the recording over and over through their mind, and Squirrel was still confused by what they saw. They had been with the Rising Suns since the age of eleven. A victim of human trafficking - labeled a runaway from the foster system, but in reality plucked from the streets and then sold for their unique body. But they were as clever as they were cute and had learned everything there was to know about the organization. Or almost everything, since here they were, finding it difficult to understand a simple dinner meeting.

"Do you think they work directly under the Boss?" They were staring at their friend now, blue eyes almost begging him to have an answer. "Maybe they're in charge of spreading his orders?"

"Play the beginning again."

The Magpie thought he knew what the video meant, but he had to be certain. As it played, he tapped at the keyboard, freezing the image. The plain suit had thrown him off the first time, but the face was familiar. He pointed at the screen.

"There. He's a detective for the NYPD." Scanning the men again, another face leapt out at him. "And that one is the Department of Social Services Commissioner."

Squirrel's chin bobbed eagerly, looking closer at the screen. "You're right! I guess we know why they control the foster system..." They hummed, then their finger touched another man in the video. "He's a district attorney."

The two sat in quiet for a moment, eyes fixed on that single frame, before Squirrel took a breath. "So, they work for the Boss? Or were bribed, or..."

"They are the Boss," the Magpie corrected, understanding why this recording was so important to the syndicate. "There is no Boss. Rising Suns is run by a secret group of corrupt officials and businessmen."

He let Squirrel process the information and his friend turned abruptly. "Do you know what this means? Do you know what this could do to the organization?"

"Even if it got out, these men have enough power to make it disappear." Unfortunately, they didn't only control the city's underworld, but also the city itself. Who could fight against that? "I'm not sure why they're so-"

"No, you don't get it!" Squirrel was excited now and the Magpie felt them vibrating as they crawled close. "Mags, they don't care about external issues. Do you know who joins gangs? Who the members of the Suns are? They're people like us. People who were neglected by the system. People whose lives are shit because of business and government. If they found out their 'Boss' was actually the same people they hate..."

"It would destroy them from the inside."

"Exactly!" They were almost giddy, the grin on their face spreading from ear to ear and their eyes shining. "With just this video and a rumor..."

Squirrel cackled with wicked delight. Shaking his head, the Magpie put a hand on his friend's shoulder to calm them.

"We don't know that. We were both members. We had nothing and loyalty is drilled into you from youth. You had chances to escape, but you didn't. I never even thought of leaving until I met you." A flash of a memory made him glance over at Ellie. Indifference under the guise of loyalty. Without giving them a second thought, how many lives had he ruined? "If I realized this back then, I'm not sure I would have cared."

"But not everyone..." Squirrel's excitement faded a bit, knowing he was right.

"I don't think you're wrong, I just don't think it's that easy. And even if it works, it won't help us. The entire Lost Horizon will be after me." The Magpie sighed and slouched back on the bed. "They need to keep this under control right now, limited to their most trusted people. But if we release this, they have nothing left to hide."

"Shit." Squirrel crumpled, curling into a ball and staring at the screen. The men were still frozen in place, wearing disgusting smiles. They shut the laptop. "What do we do? Sooner or later, they'll find you here."

He knew that was true, but this was sensitive and the syndicate would be cautious. They didn't know his past connections with the Suns or Horizon. To them, he was an independent nuisance. He stole jobs and interrupted minor plans, but the Magpie had never gone after them as a group. He only did what was necessary to survive and to stay hidden. There was no reason for him to be concerned with their organization. He might follow Charlotte's path and try to blackmail them. And he would be better at it. But he was far from honorable and didn't care about anyone but himself.

"We have time," he promised, reassuring them both. "For now, we watch and wait."

Squirrel nodded in agreement, then let out a long sigh. "And I was so happy."

"We still have the video." A pat on the shoulder was all the comfort he was capable of giving, but it made Squirrel smile. "You're a genius. You'll find a way to get what you want."

"Damn straight I will."

It was nice to hear some conviction back in that usually cheery voice. He stood and stretched his back.

"The bed isn't big enough for all three of us. You sleep with Ellie and I'll take the chair."

"Liar. You're not going to sleep at all."

His friend knew him too well, but he didn't reply and went to sit in the corner. As Squirrel shifted up next to Ellie, too tired to bother changing, he stared out the window into the dark. The lawn was difficult to see, lit only by the stars and faint sliver of the moon, so his mind drifted instead. He wandered through his past, the journey finally ending with the last few weeks. Now that the situation was clear, he knew what had to be done. It was just a matter of forcing himself to follow through.