[SEBASTIAN]
Sebastian Berkshire was a man unused to things going any way except what he decreed.
It had almost grown tedious, playing the puppet master to so many situations with so many brainless people. They were too easy to string along.
Everyone had a weakness, of this Sebastian was intimately aware. And for him, finding and utilizing people's weaknesses came as easy as flashing a smile. Sebastian knew his bodyguard would be quick to affirm that his smile certainly contributed to the ease with which he manipulated others, though she would then point out that his looks were hardly the only weapon in his arsenal. Being a man with power had just as many advantages. The two attributes coupled together in one entity rendered him near invincible in most every situation.
But toying with politicians and controlling criminals was no longer enough to entertain him. Truth be told, the power that he had amassed wasn't doing it for him anymore, either. It wasn't enough.
That was why a few days ago he had announced that he was running for Prime Minister of the United Kingdom. It was the only logical next course of action, though the fact that it was a position he could only gain by official channels was an admitted inconvenience. Simultaneously, he recognized the advantage that presented; gaining power through legitimate means would in some situations secure his pre-existing power.
Besides, he had people who could do the bulk of the work for him — campaigning was an inconvenience easily overcome.
His first and greatest priority was still Max Destin.
--
[ROUX]
"Why her?"
Roux watched her boss from where she sat across the room.
Sebastian Berkshire stood in front of floor-to-ceiling windows where he gazed out over London below. His hands were clasped behind his back, his chin was still slightly raised in spite of the fact that his gaze was downward, and his posture was perfect.
Everything about him was perfect — as usual. Perfectly tailored suit, glittering cuff-links, shined shoes, styled hair. Sebastian Berkshire was the dark side of perfection.
He didn't turn when he answered her. "Because," he said slowly, his words a near drawl, "she's caught my attention." He paused, but it was not the kind that invited commentary. It was the kind that suggested he was deciding what else, if anything, he would divulge.
—
It was earlier in the year. Sebastian had one of his more trusted associates, Lucian Basak, carrying out a business transaction in Beijing. Basak was overseeing the delivery of opium to a rising dark force that rivaled the Triad.
Sebastian's ultimate goal had been to muddy the waters in the city and determine which members with authority could be swayed to betray which organizations. But only people who knew that were he and Roux. Otherwise, it was a smaller endeavor, and he saw no reason to make himself vulnerable by attending. He watched the event as it occurred via body-cams and remotely accessed security feeds.
The transaction took place at night, in an isolated area where privacy had been guaranteed. Basak had been in the middle of dissolving an undesired negotiation with the buyers when it happened.
At first, all Sebastian had been able to discern from the footage was a chaotic explosion of movement. Even over the security feeds he saw nothing; a flash grenade had gone off and whited out the image temporarily.
When the video feeds returned, and the initial sounds of gunfire had paused, Sebastian could make out only two sentences.
The first was from Basak. "What are you doing?"
