The Enigma's Anomaly

Equalizing Leverage

"H-hello Banks," I say.

"Banks? Frank what's going on?" Gerard's voice says on the other phone.

"I... what did you do? Where's Mikey?"

"Good, you noticed," Banks says.

"I'm not heartless like you, bitch. Obviously I noticed when someone I cared about disappeared."

"And it upsets you I take it?" Banks says.

I can barely keep myself from screaming right now, but I don't have the time to just stand here. Banks knows where this car is, I have to get the fuck away from this place, so I hang up the phone with Gerard, after hearing him screaming at me not to. I send a text after Gerard's voice is silent, and I hope it's received in time.

"Alright Banks, tell me what you want. Tell me where Mikey is."

"Why, isn't it obvious what I want?" Banks asks in a sugary tone, "I want Gerard's head on a platter."

"That's a twisted way of dining," I say, and Banks makes a forced chuckle on the other end.

"It's a metaphor."

"Oh really now? I know that Mikey is a toothpick, but really putting him between your teeth would be a little perverse," I say, and silence on the other end suggests that Banks has never read The Fault in Our Stars.

"Banks, you've been tallying our scores the past few days, you know that I'm not just a little kid waiting to be kicked. I will fight back, and I will not give up. I won't give up anything until you're in prison. I will make sure Mikey is alive if I have to kill you myself," I tell him. My phone buzzes and I look down at it sighing. It's a good thing I have two phones right now.

"How do you know you're not too late?" Banks asks, and my heart gets caught in my throat. Mikey's not dead, he can't be. I put the car in drive, and I get it moving along down the road, trying to gather my thoughts, but it's impossible.

Mikey can't actually be dead. He can't be. I'd know. I'd feel it or something. That's just my imagination speaking though. Oh god, what if I got Mikey killed? That would be my conscience then.

"He's not dead, he can't be. You're just trying to scare me," I state, and Banks makes another sadistic noise. I don't even know if it would be morally unjust to kill this man anymore. He's such an awful human being, so undeserving of life, that it's hard to make myself believe it'd be a bad thing for him to die. There's no real downfall if Banks were to die. Everyone's lives would get infinitely better, especially Gerard's.

"What makes you say that? What reason do I have to keep him alive?"

"You need leverage, that's what you need. You can't kill Gerard, and I think you're starting to realize that. It's impossible for you to even lay a finger on him. Why do you think it's been so hard, Banks? It's because he's defended. He's not any more of a sitting duck then I am, and it kills you to know that you can't get to him."

"And why would that stop me from killing his brother?"

"Because then you'd lose. If you kill Mikey, then we're gone and you know that. Gerard and I will not escape to a far off part of the state, we'll go somewhere you can never find us, and you know that. The game you're playing is not to kill Mikey Way though, it's to kill Gerard Way. If you let him get away, you'll have lost, and we both know you can't have that. You wouldn't sleep ever again, if you let him escape, so that's why I know you haven't killed Mikey. He's the only thing you've got left. Mikey is the only thing keeping you a player in this game, the only piece of power you have, and you wouldn't just kill him."