Vee woke early the next day. After showering, she put on everything that she had laid out the previous night. She stood in front of the mirror as she threw the black cloak over herself; the illusion is complete. From now on, I am Shade. She took a few deep breaths, in and out; he will keep Vee safe.
A taxi dropped Shade and his things off at the abandoned lot. The incredibly nervous driver took the cash Shade handed him and immediately left. Once the cab was out of view, a car pulled up to him. The driver stepped out and addressed him. "Password, please?"
"Nevermore," Shade responded.
"Thank you. I will be checking you and your things for trackers." The man informed him, pulling out a bug detector. He first used it to check Shade's person; this did not require him to touch Shade as he ran the wand up and down around him. Shade held his breath a moment as the wand passed around the crotch region. He had taken a great risk and decided to bring his secret burner phone; even Oliver had been unaware he was in possession of it. In hopes of sneaking it in, he'd powered it off and tucked it inside his underwear, behind the padding, having decided that, if the search got to that point, he'd likely already be in trouble anyway. The wand waved over him without indicating; upon finding nothing, the man laid the device on one of Shade's boxes for a moment then spoke again. "Please get in. I will check and load your things." He opened the back door, holding it for Shade. Shade quickly slid into the car, hoping the man wouldn't notice his lower legs being too long. The man didn't seem to as he closed the door the moment Shade was inside. From inside the car, there was no way to see out; the glass was blacked out, including a pane between the front and back seats. Shade attempted to look through it but even close up he could only see shapes outside; Midas doesn't want people to know where they are going. I wouldn't be able to tell anyone else how to find him. Shade could hear the trunk open and feel as the man loaded his bags and boxes one at a time, checking them as he went. It seemed he was using the detector and giving only a cursory glance. Shade was relieved as that meant the man wasn't likely to notice his prosthetic or his special undergarments. Once the man was satisfied that Shade's things were clear, he closed the trunk and returned to the driver's seat. They then began their journey to Midas. Shade wasn't sure exactly how long the ride took, since he hadn't worn a watch, but it didn't feel unreasonably long.
The driver stepped out and opened Shade's door for him. Shade stepped out of the car, finding himself in a small lot near an embankment. The area seemed secluded; concrete steps led down to a small pier. "This is where the ferry will pick you up and take you to Styx HQ on Hades Island," The driver told him. "I'll take your things down to the dock for you." Rather than head down the steps, Shade followed him to the trunk. When he popped it, Shade took what he could carry himself. The man nodded his appreciation and they carried the things down the stairs, setting them on the pier. "I can get what was left, you stay here." The man offered; Shade nodded and watched him go back up the steps. Shade turned his gaze, looking out over the water. In the distance, there was an island, barely visible from the pier. It was known that Midas had moved his base of operations to a private island but the island's location was a heavily guarded secret; as I suspected, no way anyone would be able to swim that. The island will also have plenty of security; Midas' top men supposedly live there. It would be impossible to kill Midas and then escape alive. Does Oliver think I'm stupid or just desperate? Second one is true enough, I suppose... This would be suicide, is that the point? The driver returned with the rest of Shade's things. He added them to the stack and then said a polite goodbye. Shade turned back to the water where he could now see the ferry approaching. He waited patiently for it to arrive.
As the boat docked, Shade observed the writing on its hull reading 'Acheron' in red paint. Two men stepped off, onto the dock. One appeared to be the captain, judging by his hat. He was an older man, perhaps in his sixties, he was friendly-looking with a gray beard. The other man looked to be in his mid-twenties, he had long caramel-colored hair that he had pulled into a bun and a nice full beard of his own. The younger man began loading Shade's things while the older man approached Shade to speak. "Sir, we'll be taking you to the island. I just need you to confirm the code you were given."
"Wisdom is better than silver and gold," Shade gave him the phrase from Midas' email; I wonder if Midas picks these phrases himself? Shade knew more about Midas than someone who had never met the man generally would but that wasn't a lot. Midas was the most secretive target the assassin had ever been given. He'd already been aware of Midas for years and had collected as much data as he could find, yet the information could probably only fill a few pages at most.
"That checks out, thank you," The man tipped his hat. "Please go ahead and take a seat, we'll head out as soon as we've got you're boxes loaded." Shade nodded and stepped onto the boat. Instead of sitting, he moved to the front and leaned slightly on the railing, still observing the island. After a short time, the ferry began moving with the captain back behind the wheel.
The younger man approached Shade, a bit of hesitancy evident in his movements. It was the exact effect Shade was going for, fear and intimidation were useful tools. "So- You got a name?" The man asked in the friendliest tone he could manage. "Your paperwork is kinda empty, we've just been calling you 'the assassin'."
Shade responded in a calm, even tone that he hoped would put the man more at ease, without breaking the intimidation factor completely, "I go by Shade."
"Alright then. Nice to meet you, Shade, I'm Matt." He held out his hand and Shade shook it. "Let me know if you get seasick or anything, we got stuff for that." Matt gave a small wave as he turned to walk away, pulling out his phone as he did.
Midas sat in his office, leaning back in his chair. His hand was pressed against his forehead; a headache he had medicated earlier was finally fading, but not yet gone. His phone buzzed in his pocket, he pulled it out seeing he had received a message from the ferry. 'We are on our way and we have a name- it's Shade.' Midas rolled his eyes; an incredibly fake name, of course. He was unsure about his latest hire; he had never brought anyone he knew so little about to HQ before. He felt that he had no choice but to chance it this time. While the man's skills were impressive, Midas had a different motive for wanting to hire him. Midas rarely used violence or force, as his empire was built on money. That, however, did not stop others from attempting to use violence on him. When he had seen that The Assassin of Decay was available for hire, he knew he had to seize the opportunity. He feared that, if he did not, someone else may use the assassin against him instead; I need to bring this man under my control. Midas had been vaguely aware of the assassin's existence for years but, more recently, the man's activity had been ramping up. It had Midas feeling the increasing threat he posed and he wanted it neutralized. His phone buzzed again; he opened the message, finding a photo of Shade on the ferry. He scoffed; what a ridiculous get-up. This man, Midas felt, was far too theatrical for his taste. A text message popped up. 'The mask distorts his voice and he's tall, a bit taller than you.' Midas stood at six-foot-three, making him taller than most people; guess I can see how that might be intimidating... Still looks ridiculous though.
The ferry reached its destination half an hour later; Shade and Matt stepped onto the pier as the captain began to unload. The island housed only one building, a high-rise that resembled a cross between an apartment and an office. Shade looked up at it, lost in thought; how long will I be able to stay here, like this, pretending to be Shade? Can I really live as him indefinitely? What will Oliver do if he finds out that both Midas and I continue to live and breathe? Matt's voice broke through Shade's nervous musing. "There are a lot of amenities, like a gym and pool. The boss will give you a tour." The last sentence had surprised Shade; the boss, as in Midas? Midas will personally give a tour? "He wants you brought straight to him, so, please, follow me." Matt led Shade into the building. The main lobby consisted of a security desk and some tables and chairs that were placed around. There were thick double doors on either side and straight ahead was an elevator. Matt nodded to the security guard as they passed. They entered the elevator and Matt selected the top floor.
Shade had expected the top floor to be entirely Midas' residence, so he was surprised when the elevator doors opened, revealing a hallway with multiple doors. There were two on each side and one at the end of the hall, opposite the elevator; the first door on the left was to the stairs. Matt led Shade towards the first door on the right, which swung open. Midas emerged but he didn't notice them. Shade quickly looked him up and down; he looks younger than I imagined. Midas' golden eyes were on his phone which he gripped in his right hand. His right hand was golden in color up to his wrist, the curse of Golden-Touch; that was why the phone case it clutched was made of gold. He ran his left hand through his smooth, slicked-back, espresso-colored hair. A golden band glinted on his ring finger catching Shade's attention; is that from his late wife? I never saw anything that suggested he'd remarried. His wife passed more than a decade ago... Midas was sharply dressed in a steel gray fitted suit vest and black tie. His skin was quite pale. Shade wondered if he was ill; he looks exhausted right now... "Yo, Boss," Matt called, "Got the new guy here."
Midas looked up and, for a brief moment, he was struck with fear, startled by how close Shade was to him; I hope he didn't notice that. I concede, he's fairly terrifying in person. Midas put on a smile, "Welcome; I've been told you go by Shade. I, of course, am Midas but my people call me Boss," Midas extended his left hand. Before taking it, Shade momentarily glanced at his right. Shade shook Midas' hand firmly but not too tightly. Midas noticed Shade's hand was small for such a large man; what's with the glove? Midas glanced at Shade's other hand which was bare, revealing his fair skin; what an odd man.
"Pleasure," Shade bowed his head slightly.
Midas turned to Matt, "Thank you, Matt. I'll take him from here, see to it his belongings get to his room."
"Yes, Sir," Matt exited the hall, taking the stairs.
"Alright, step into my office for a moment and we'll get you your phone and laptop." Midas opened the door he'd exited moments earlier and led Shade into his office. It was smaller than Shade expected and there were no windows. In the middle of the room was a desk, its top golden. A comfortable-looking office chair was on Midas' side of the desk across from two guest chairs on the other. There were bookshelves on either side of the room and a few filing cabinets behind Midas' chair. Beside the door was a tall potted plant. Some sort of palm; Shade guessed. Midas went to one of the bookshelves; reaching up, he pulled down a laptop and phone. He handed them to Shade. "The phone has already been programmed with the most important numbers, myself, my daughter, the heads of various departments- On the laptop, you will find the link to our internal system. That will give you access to everything you need while you are staying here. Just how computer proficient are you?"
"Very," Shade assured him.
"It should be easy enough for you to figure out then. Just be sure to keep an eye on your email, there will be plenty regarding getting you settled here. Let's go ahead and get to the tour then." Midas led him back into the hall and to the second door on the right. "This is the bodyguard's quarters." He pulled a key out of his pocket and opened the door, which he held for Shade. Shade entered a fairly spacious rectangular room, longer than it was wide. Left of the door there was a kitchenette along with a dining table with a bench seat and two chairs. Further down the room, there was a door on either side. "To the right is the bedroom, to the left is the bathroom," Midas informed him. At the end of the room, there was a couch, coffee table, and wall-mounted television. Next to this setup, a set of sliding glass doors led to a small balcony. Midas handed the key to Shade, "Here you are. Leave it unlocked for now so they can bring your things in and follow me." Shade placed the laptop he'd been given on the dining table before following Midas back into the hallway. Shade was warily trying to get a read on Midas, to figure out what kind of man he was going to be working under. Midas had a blend of a commanding and intimidating presence paired with a polite and respectful demeanor that Shade found quite strange; I wonder if some of it comes from him fearing me a bit. Midas pointed to the door at the end of the hall. "That door is mine; do not come calling unless it is very, very important. If I'm not in my office, reach me by phone. Across from you is my daughter Marigold's room; she is away for the time being. That's everything on the top floor, so let's head to the lobby." He led Shade to the elevator.
Midas indicated to the double doors to the right of the main entrance. "Our fitness facilities are on that side. You are free to use them anytime, there is a pool and plenty of gym equipment." He then led Shade to the other set of double doors. "These lead to the club, it's a favorite of most residents." Shade could hear the sound of dance music even before Midas opened the doors, allowing the sound to pour into the lobby momentarily as they passed through. They entered a second, smaller lobby area with access to the stairs on the right. Above the entrance to the club was a neon sign reading 'Kharon's Rest' in yellow. The bar was located in the center of the large room, it was square-shaped with stools all around. To the right of the entrance, in the corner, was the stage and dance floor. Around the walls were booths and scattered throughout were tables and chairs. The place was fairly full, mainly men, most of them watching the stage where women were pole dancing. "The bar is always open but it's not free, you will have to pay," Midas explained. "Now, the entertainment- That is free and it changes night to night." Shade had frozen in place and was staring at the women on stage. He rubbed the side of his neck with his gloved hand while he watched them; they look healthy at least but I guess you wouldn't want the injured ones for this. Midas looked at him; got him. Maybe he will be easy to keep happy. He was determined to keep Shade under his control so keeping the assassin pleased was a top priority. "As fun as it would be to indulge for a bit, we should press on," Midas said in a friendly tone, momentarily putting his hand on Shade's shoulder. Shade subtly recoiled at his touch. Midas pulled his hand away, he was used to people thinking they were going to turn to gold. "Back to the elevator then," He said, leading Shade away from the stage. Once they were on the elevator, Midas pressed the button for the fifth floor.
Shade spoke, his tone even and calm, "Do they get paid?"
"What's that?" Midas was unsure what he meant.
"The women, the dancers, are they paid?"
The question puzzled Midas, "Of course; why wouldn't I pa- Oh..." Midas suddenly understood. "I'm sure, in your line of work, you've had dealings with many organizations. I'm aware some, most even, operate very differently from Styx. Here my women are just as valuable to me as my men, they hold many kinds of positions and I pay them just as well. I do not treat women any way I would not want someone to treat my daughter." Midas regarded Shade; I mistook his gaze as lustful... Seems it was possibly concern? There may be more to him than I thought...
"Your daughter is lucky to have you for her father then..." Shade spoke, not looking at Midas. "Some men do not show even their own children an ounce of kindness." Shade considered what Midas had said; he's claiming to be a good father then. I knew he had a daughter but I was never able to find out anything about her. I have no idea her age or if his late wife is definitely her mother... She has her own living area, separate from his, so probably a teenager, maybe fifteen to eighteen...
"I suppose some don't..." Midas was still looking at him; I thought I was dealing with a killing machine... Seems he may be more of a protector. "In my research, I saw that your female death toll appears to be under twenty, despite you being responsible for the deaths of hundreds of men. I also found no evidence of a single child death. Is this accurate?"
"Yes, that is true," Shade confirmed. Midas nodded in approval as the elevator dinged, doors opening.
