Nemesis

XXX - Chess Pieces

Nemesis

Chapter XXX — Chess Pieces

[Hailee Steinfield — Wrong Direction]

[31 November 2023]

[New York City Police Station]

[08:34]

Edward walked into the main building of the police to find something that was vastly different from any police station he had been to in his entire life. There were plenty of individuals in the reception that Edward knew. It was clear he was in the right place. Edward was still quite shaken from his interaction with Dragunov the previous night and his orders could never be more clear: he had to get information. His life depended on it.

Earlier on in the morning, he had surprisingly received a call from the same man that had threatened his life, who wished to know the name of the man who was set to succeed Dain as Ares Tech's CEO. Edward was quite shocked that they were looking to replace the deceased man so soon, but he also understood that they were in the middle of a war. They had to have someone at the helm.

There was also the mild fear that if Edward gave Dragunov the information that he desired, it would mean another innocent life would be lost and the blood would be on his hands. However, Edward was also inclined to protect his own life before others. This life truly was a game of eat or be eaten. Edward walked further into the reception area, greeting the colleagues that he knew up until he was stopped by a black man with greying hair , slightly taller than him.

"Eddie, where the hell were you?" He asked and Edward scratched the back of his neck sheepishly, trying to think of a good excuse to provide. "I'm sorry, sir, I just had some... things to deal with. It won't happen again." He soon apologized and the man nodded in understanding, his face slightly softening. "Aight, just don't do it again, we need you out here." He said and Edward nodded, glad that he was blessed with a perfect track record until now. He could afford to make a few mistakes.

"Now, come with me, you should meet the captain." The man said, beckoning Edward to follow him, who took this as the opportunity to fish for information. "So, Sir, can you give me a brief on what's happened so far?" He asked as they continued to walk away from the bustling reception area and into the halls of the station. "Well, nothing so far, but we're trying to get a few leads that can get us to our killer and we're expecting the arrival of the man that's supposed to take Dain's place to keep the company running, it's our job to protect him." The man explained and Edward nodded in understanding. It seemed that his job was going to much simpler than he had anticipated.

Soon enough, they arrived in Lwazi's office, where the man left Edward who softly knocked on the door before opening it to allow himself in. Inside, he was quite surprised to find Lwazi speaking with a young man that was the spitting image of Dain. Edward could only assume that this was his eldest child, Amari Brock.

"You can't convince me to take you out there with me." Lwazi said in a stern, yet somehow relaxed tone and Amari sighed. He had been allowed to see the captain, given that he was the deceased's child and the only request that he had was to help Lwazi find his father's killer.

"Maybe this can convince you." Amari began as he dug into his hoodie pockets to produce a black flash drive. "This flash drive has all the shit that Miranda and Dad hid from you, and I'll give it to you if you just let me join the investigation." Amari offered and Lwazi raised an eyebrow, admittedly intrigued by the offer. However, he still did not see that as

enough reason to accept Amari's help. In his eyes, children were supposed to remain children, he could not allow what had happened with his own son to happen with Amari. Lwazi would never be able to forgive himself if the young man's life was ever lost.