I'll Be There For You

PHOENIX

Year: 2342

Month: September

Date: 7

Destination: Northern part of Eastern Earth – Earth

Phoenix wanted to eat a bagel. He had flown from Western Earth to Eastern Earth. He was working in a hotel room of the former city of the Queen's nativity. He had tricked his 'best friend'. He had drugged his 'best friend'. And he had just formed an uneasy alliance with a total stranger. All in just one day. He deserved a bagel.

Phoenix subconsciously sneaked a glance towards the bed. A wave of guilt washed over him. He had convinced himself he was doing the right thing. But there was that thing which kept nagging him. Clive had been his friend since the two were babies. They'd even shared the same cots. Phoenix and Clive's parents were both working for the Central Powers. While Clive absolutely loathed that, Phoenix didn't mind. He understood why the Powers did what they had to. He knew that no one could be so demented that they'd just disrupt the geographical nature of earth without a proper reason. It would just take time. Somehow, people were not getting this. And Phoenix had stopped trying to convince them otherwise long ago.

Clive was limp on the bed.

The affects of the drug hadn't worn off yet. And each passing minute an internal war raged inside Phoenix.

Phoenix was sitting on a table beside the bed and was typing away the report of the events that had taken place. He pushed his specs up his nose.

Phoenix had signed in with the Central Powers. They had reached out to him first. And he was sold. They weren't anything he expected.

"We have been watching you Mr. Jake.", a man named Simon had spoken these words to him when they'd walked in on him arranging the books in his library. That was his first hit of shock. No outsider except Clive new that there was an underground floor in their house. In fact, the door to the basement was not a door. It was a cemented wall with the keypad hidden away. It was totally foolproof.

Phoenix had just stood there, dumbstruck.

Simon had smiled and then from behind him came another person. It was a boy. Probably a year or two younger than him with light brown eyes.

Phoenix did a once over of this kid. He was wearing a dark green bodysuit which even covered his hands and knee high boots. The boy watched this.

"I'm Maverick. I haven't yet decided if I'm happy to see you." He had a British accent.

Phoenix didn't know what to say. So he didn't say anything.

Then Simon spoke up, "You have a sweet set up here Phoenix. I have to say, you're probably the only human alive to be in possession of so many books. How many exactly do you have?"

The number had sprung from his mouth, "7943.", he blurted.

Dammit. He was supposed to stay quiet. Simon and Maverick realised, probably feeling triumphant over this silent war.

"That's.....unbelievable.", Maverick had mused.

Phoenix had finally lost patience. "How did you find this place?", he had demanded.

"Never mind how we found it. We have a preposition for you Mr. Jake.", Simon had said.

"What kind of preposition?"

"We want to recruit you to the Central Powers. We have seen no one, I repeat, no one who has the ability to acquire things the way you do. You must know that these books were hidden in the deepest tunnels flowing in the most unspotted locations which are heavily guarded. And yet you have an extraordinary collection of more than 7000 books here. We need that kind of talent."

Phoenix had felt flattered. Then he had snorted. Of course he did that. He had felt shattered when the first stories were taken away from him and this had become an obsession of his.

"Why would I work for you? You people have ruined the lives of millions of people. And you didn't give a damn about it."

Clive had been putting words in his mouth for a long time. He had started speaking like him.

Maverick looked smug, "You and I both know that what you said isn't true. You don't believe a word you just said. Come join us. You will know that we aren't the sadists your friend has convinced you we are."

Phoenix was a relatively smart kid. He could assess the situation. And then an idea came to him. He would pretend to agree to them. If he did, he'd know the insides of this secretive society. And then he'd be able to decide for himself if the Powers were good or not. The was exactly what Vani and he had agreed to do.

The two guys must have seen something shift in his eyes because theirs narrowed.

Phoenix coughed. "If I agree, what will I tell my parents. And, can I tell my friend Clive?"

Maverick sighed, "Ah. Now the complicated part. Are you absolutely certain with your decision. Because once taken, you can't change it."

Phoenix hesitated. But then he thought, this was the only way he could know the truth. And what's the most they would ask him to do?

He never should have thought that.

"Yes. I'm in."

Both of them smiled as though they'd caught a hare in a trap. Phoenix gulped.

"Alright then Mr. Jake. Your first mission is to kill Clive Reston."

***