Conceal

15. Last Chance

In The Flaming Tongue's lair, one cloaked figure sat on his chair, waiting silently for the meeting to begin. Under the protection of his black hood, no one could've seen the puzzled look on his face. His fingers grazed the glass surface of the watch wrapped around his wrist, while his mind whirred as he pondered the meaning behind this meeting that was held unprecedentedly in the afternoon.

There were so many questions, and the unusual timing was only one of them. He had been sitting here for 10 minutes now, and Flame was never late. At least, he would assume so. But even if Flame was sitting behind the microphone somewhere probably on the other side of the world, he didn't dare to voice out his inquiries. It didn't matter that he was on of the top three most valued members, because everyone knew their leader was not to be questioned.

After 5 more minutes, the heavy oak door creaked open, revealing another similarly cloaked man. The only difference between their outfits was the orange strip on the standing man's right sleeve. He stepped through the doorway and when he saw the man sitting by the letter "t" on the carpet, he smoothed down his creased robes clumsily before bowing 90 degrees. The door, unable to hold its weight, swung shut with a bang so loud both of the men flinched in surprise. He quickly straightened up and turned towards the door, as if that would turn back time so he could close the door properly. The man behind him tutted loud enough for the other to hear it, but didn't have a chance to say anything because the speakers turned on with a deafening screech.

"Sit down, Lazarus." Lazarus did as he was told, walking towards the center of the room and sitting down on the fourth seat to the left of the other member, who must be Teal, if he remembered all the code names correctly.

Teal and Lazarus sat rigidly in their chair, preparing for whatever bad news that was impactful enough to prompt a risky afternoon meeting.

Usually they could bear with the lack of air movement in this room even with their robes on, but something was different today, and they couldn't wait to get out.

"I called you here just to tell you one thing." Flame began. "As you already know, we are encountering some trust issues with our gang members. Teal, proceed with the second part of our plan immediately after you leave." Teal nodded primly, showing no particular opinion towards the order he was given, as if obeying was the automatic and the natural response.

Lazarus was only half paying attention when Flame gave him the instructions. He was too busy worrying about something he shouldn't care about, and too occupied with berating himself for doing the wrong things in front of the most powerful member and under the watch of his boss, to really pay attention to his surroundings. But the piercing audio quality of the speaker forced him to focus, and, luckily for him, he made it in time to catch the important details.

"Go talk to Enigma, and persuade him to come back to our side. It's his last chance, and yours, too." After a pause designed to let the men absorb the instructions, he continued, "You may leave if you have no questions."

Even though that was what Flame said, both Teal and Lazarus knew they weren't supposed to ask any questions. However, the words that came out of the speakers were exactly what Lazarus was worrying about, and he was already imagining the implications and aftermath if he had obliged. But somehow he knew he couldn't just let the leader get his way without trying to negotiate, despite knowing that he was lucky enough to be granted a second chance considering his status in the organisation.

Lazarus wanted to know why Flame was being so unusually generous, especially since there mission had yet to be completed, but all he said was a single "but" before Flame interrupted sternly with an impatient edge in his voice, which implied that he explained everything just now when Lazarus was deep in his own thoughts. "You'll do what I say if you wish to redeem yourself. Do you understand?"