A Loner's Tale

A Quick Limo Ride

*****(Lance's POV)*****

I look down at the ground for a moment with a bit of sadness on my face. I take a deep breath and let it out then start walking down the hallway towards the main entrance of the school. I look up at the lady at the desk and give a friendly nod towards her before I walk out the school doors. Usually most people tend to need to go to the office and wait for approval to leave or parent pick up, but honestly if you're going to just walk out the doors who is going to stop you. So before I open the second set of doors and walk out of the school I look up and see the limo pulled up right next to the entrance sitting there waiting.

"Tch, of course you come here in a limo. I can't go anywhere when it's to go see this guy." I say looking down at the vehicle with mild annoyance. I go to push open the door to walk out the doors and as I take a step out a butler walks out to open the door to the limo for me. "The master can't wait to see you."

"Yea yea, sure he can't. Where are we going to go this time to meet big guy?"

"The master is waiting." as the butler says that last line for a moment to look at him. Well that's unusual. I lean down to enter the limo and I take a seat inside and the butler than instinctively closes the door behind me like the good little boy he is. Well at least some things don't change at least. I put the bag in the seat next to me on cue like I usually do when I enter this thing. This limo may be a bit small on the inside compared to most it definitely makes up for it with the comfortable seats and grate ac. Before I could go help myself to the in ride snacks from the built in fridge I look up from my bag to see the only person in the car sitting right across from me. I slightly jump from surprise and grit my teeth in menace.

"What are you doing here Luceius?" I say through gritted teeth. Luceius with his bright green hair with streaks of orange scattered though out his messy hair. His outfit isn't anything crazy, but it is annoyingly bright colored. He is wearing normal blue jeans with a white t-shirt and an unzipped jacket on top that is orange with a green stripe on each arm a little above the elbows on each arm. I just look at him in silence as I wait for him to respond. He's just sitting there with his left leg crossed over top his other one as he looks out the window with what I assume is a lollipop in his mouth. He always seemed to enjoy them. I hear him snicker and turn his gaze towards me with smile and a strange glint in his eyes.

"Hello Lance good to see you again. I'm glad you still recognize me after all this time"

"Of course I'll recognize you Luceius..." I say as my voice gets a bit quieter. "Wait a second that's beside the point what are you doing here Luceius!" I say nearly shouting.

"Oh well you see Lance every time you've come to see me before I was wearing a mask or had a voice changer of some kind and you never got to see me face to face. Now granted before you had always worn a mask or voice changer too to our little meetings, but I've been hoping that since it's been so long since we last met that as a sign of trust from me to you that we talk without the disguises."

"Wait so you mean to say you've been the one in charge of White Phantom all this time?" I ask with a rushed sense of urgency.

"Why yes I have Lance why does that surprise you? I mean you should know I'm just as capable as Elric after all."

"SHUT UP! YOU HAVE NO RIGHT TO SPEAK ABOUT HIM!" I yell at him with tons of anger in my voice. Before I could question it my right eye's vision changes from normal to nothing but a vision of death where everything looks altered with Luceius dead and blood all over. My right eye doesn't stay like that for much longer than just a couple of moments then it reverts back to normal, but I can still feel the anger and rage building up all over my body. Mild laughter comes from the mouth of Luceius before he continues on with what he was saying.

"Well if you'd rather me not talk about him I can."

"Yes, I would like that very much thanks!" I say pretty loudly emphasizing my disapproval of this whole situation.

"Alright good, now anyways that topic aside. I've called you hear today to continue discussing our..negotiations." He says with a pause and a contempt smile.

"Now Lance I know for a while now I've been warning you that if you gave anything up about White Phantom I would have to turn in all your personal information about you to the other groups of the SIX."

"Yes, I know. It's not like you've said this every opportunity you get. " I say this as plainly as possible as I try to calm my sudden burst of anger. I start to shuffle through the fridge and find a can of Starpop soda, my favorite.

"Yes, now as to our offer have you given it any thought?"

"Yes I have given it thought, and my response to it."

*soda can opening pop*

"I've been loyal to Black Shadows fully for almost a year straight. It's not only the biggest/hardest of the six black market associations to join but also the one in charge of all the others. Why would I ever consider switching to White Phantom, not only the renegade organization but the smallest and least heard of. Before I didn't think it would be a potential option at all due to how stupid a decision of outright switching to it would be, but now. There's no way in hell I'd ever switch to come work under you." I finish that last sentence with a glare at Luceius then lean back and take a sip of my soda.

"Hmm, hmm. Fair enough, I was considering you would make that choice based on our organization, but I'm hoping that maybe we could set what was in the past behind us. Either way, I wasn't hoping for you to work for our organization full time, and nobody had said you had to switch completely to White Phantom." As he said that I began to get quickly interested into the conversation.

"What do you mean by that?"

"What I mean is that you can work for Black Shadows as you normally do. I only ask for you to do a job or two every now and then it's not like I'm asking much of you. Plus I would be willing to pay you and as well allow you to use our database to help assist you for different jobs or for your own pleasure. I doubt that you know this, but we have access to almost every database in the world open and closed. Of course you'll have the lowest clearance on our database but the more work you do for us the more willing I'll be to, say give you higher clearance." As Luceius said that last part he knew he had me right where he wanted me. As much as I hate to think this, but maybe I can use this to my advantage. I may be playing with fire here but I'll be able to get more information in general for me to look at. Way more than I ever could ask for, especially after today's current mission in mind.

*sigh, "Well I'm not doing this for you, but my terms. When I work for you I only do jobs every now and then and none of them can interfere with Black Shadows or my own work. I will not work for you full time, and no matter what happens I don't want you using this against me. Do we have a deal?"

With that Luceius smiles and takes a bite on his lollipop completely breaking it in two then responds. "I do believe we have a deal then. I can't wait to work with you Lance. " He says as he holds out his hand and I reach out and shake it. There's no going back now. I'm now officially working for two parts of the Black Market, this isn't going to end well...