Haymaker: Part 1 of the Hayflick Series

Chapter 19

Isaac couldn't focus. His mind was focused on what he had read in the journal. Every thought he tried to have unrelated to the journal somehow worked its way back to Junpei.

The lunch he had today? Junpei was probably rich enough to enjoy something better. Ripley's hair in a bun on the headrest in front of him? In the picture, Junpei's hair was the same length. The black uniform Isaac was wearing? The same uniform had been worn by the people who had fucked over Junpei.

This obsession was intense. Isaac knew that; Cruz and Ripley knew that. Hell, the president probably knew that. But as much as he told himself that it wasn't pragmatic to be obsessing over a near stranger, he couldn't shake the thoughts from his head despite his best efforts.

A man from his past, who had single-handedly ruined his life, could very well be Junpei. They looked the same. They talked the same. And since that day, that one horrible, traumatic fucking day, Isaac had vowed that he would revenge on that man. Not that he had confirmation the man was an immortal, though.

And he couldn't very well act without proof. Perhaps Junpei was just some upstanding individual who had made a life for himself. He had money. He had his friends. He had his pursuits, his hobbies. He worked on himself. The ideal life.

But ever since Isaac had made that vow, he'd never been able to move on. Life had come to a standstill for him, and he never allowed himself to feel anything other than grief, never allowed anyone else to come close to him lest they get hurt, never let himself get over the guilt of his failure.

He glanced at Cruz, who was rubbing the back of his neck. The man peered out through his window at the streetlights that passed by. Ripley was driving them towards the Ambrose building, and obviously, Cruz's nerves were getting the better of him.

Ripley, meanwhile, was the picture of calm. Of stone-cold determination. That was something Isaac found he liked about Ripley. He'd never seen her overly emotional, and she had a reputation for getting shit done. Isaac knew she'd be their rock for them during this little mission.

Eventually, their truck entered the building's underground parking garage. There was a toll booth with its arm snapped off, as if a wrecking ball had swung straight through it. And naturally, there was no one inside said booth. The garage itself was empty, and half of its lights were out. Ripley made good use of the headlights as she drove onward, and they parked in a reasonable spot. The trio exited the car, the energy between them anxious.

"Alright." Ripley put her hands on her hips. Her uniform was slightly too big for her; Jaeger was the last person to wear it. "We ready?"

Cruz nodded his head slowly, and Isaac shrugged, distracted. Ripley squinted her eyes at the two of them and sighed, pulling out a pair of handcuffs.

"If you guys keep this attitude up, we're all gonna end up caught," she chided as she cuffed Cruz's wrists.

Cruz was incredulous. "'You guys?!' Isaac's the one bringing us down, not me! I'm more ready than the two of you combined!" His voice bounced off the walls of the parking garage, little care paid to their cover.

Isaac shot him a look, and Cruz returned the gaze with a glare of his own that said "watch yourself, asshole."

Ripley tousled Cruz's hair. It didn't do much, though; somehow, Cruz's hair was always perfect. The woman put a finger to her chin in thought, and then turned to Isaac. "Are you angry?"

Isaac shook his head in mild confusion. On edge, but not angry.

"Do you want to punch something?" He shook his head again. Ripley pointed at Cruz. "Punch him," she ordered.