The Liberal Assassin

Two months hurtled by and the weather had gone from cold to butt-numbing freezing. No one ventured outside willingly, not even the Night Walker who preferred spending his days cooped up in an office.

Throwing the pen down with a noisy clatter, I threw my hands up and let it flop to my side without a care. The chair g.r.o.a.n.e.d under my weight as if knowing the burden I carried. It was a mind-numbing problem, really. Despite becoming a force to reckon with in the market, Luna Services still hasn't managed to buy the trust of the people in the Slums. Red Rumble continued to elude Nash as they held their regular customers steadily. There was simply too much work to be done in the office and I wanted out.

"I'm thinking of retiring," I sighed.

Ignacio paused his work and looked up from the tall stack of folders on his desk. "I'm sorry, could you say that again?"

I raised an eyebrow at the utter confusion on Ignacio's face. Despite the heavy eye bags beneath the brunet's eyes, I could see them sparkle. The man was still as determined as ever and it was a good sign despite both our deteriorating physical conditions.

"You heard me. I'm going to declare you as the next official Chairperson of Luna Services. I'll step down and take on the less active role as an advisor. Felix is happy with your performance, the public loves you and you're doing fine."

Jaw agape, he stared at me for a full minute, not knowing how or what to say.

"Hold on a second here!" he spluttered. "You can't just abandon me after all that we've been through! I know that things are going well and business is stabilising but this is only the beginning… We still have a long way to go!"

I lasted a grand total of three seconds before I lost it.

"Will you stop laughing and take this seriously? Titus Crowley!" he fumed.

Ignacio's face that was usually pale and pallor was red with anger and something else. The change had been amusing to watch and the laughter from within just couldn't be stopped. It might have been the stress or sleep deprivation but suddenly everything seemed funny to me. It was as if I was cursed because I couldn't seem to stop.

After a good minute of laughing, I vaguely wondered if this was how Felix felt every single time he went into his fits. It wasn't a pleasant feeling as I struggled with breathing. My sides screaming in protest after a minute of violent giggles and I've lost my orientation somewhere along the together with my pride. As unsightly as it was, I was sprawled across the carpet of a very posh office with drool trailing down my chin.

"I'm…" another laughing fit threatened to escape me but I stifled it to only a few inconspicuous giggles. "I'm sorry."

The glare Ignacio gave me certainly reminded me of how cross he was, no pun intended. In my unhinged mind, I found that to be incredibly funny and so the giggles ensued. Screwing my expression to maintain a serious front, I tried to be serious but it failed when Ignacio's eyebrow twitched.

Like a broken dam, tears spilt from their ducts in rivers while the laughter continues. The action of slamming the doc.u.ments and walking out of the room only fueled it. However, it wasn't until I saw his exasperated eye roll that sealed the deal. Curling up on the ground in a drunken state of hilarity, I continued wallowing in the endless pit of insanity.

I barely registered it when Ignacio returned to the office with a bag of something. Still in a semi-dazed state and silly from the laughing fits, I didn't realise what had happened until it was too late. The shock of biting cold being shoved down the back of my shirt brought me back to reality.

Desperately trying to rid of whatever he had put down my shirt, I jumped and tried to take it off only to get tangled in the layers of fabric. It didn't take long to figure out what that substance was. My not-so-innocent employee had collected some fresh snow and decided to snap me out from my possessed state of mind.

"Have mercy, will you? Are you trying to kill a man?" I scowled, still struggling to rid myself of the shirt.

Ignacio scoffed with his signature eye roll. "I don't see a man anywhere, only a scruffy brat."

"Is that how you talk to your boss?" I hissed while removing my top. The jacket shrugged off easily but the shirt clung to my skin uncomfortably. The snow had melted faster than I could get it out and now I have to deal with the aftermath of his generosity. There was a reason why I refused to go outside so my brilliant proxy had a wonderful idea to bring the outside to me. Bravo.

Ignoring me in favour of getting back to his work, the man had the nerve to ignore me while I cursed and swore. Luckily, I had some spare clothes in the office for unexpected overnights that happened more often than I liked.

"Why the sudden urge to retire. You know I won't approve of it if you don't give me a good reason."

I g.r.o.a.n.e.d and got comfortable in my chair again, happy to be wearing dry clothes. "Why can't you just leave it? Doesn't the d.e.s.i.r.e to sleep for a year count as a good reason?"

The smile he had on his face would have put the only hitman I knew to shame.

"I'll take that as a no then…"

Ignacio can be as harmless as a lamb but from time to time, his darker side surfaces. These short episodes can cause severe mental trauma for people who have lived a pampered life. The last time Dark Ignacio appeared was when I accidentally dropped his Orion dialler into the fountain in the main square. The poor device died and Ignacio snapped. It was also the first time I saw that spine-chilling smile. For the next few weeks, it was a whole new world full of pain in the form of meetings and paperwork.

I still remembered the endless days and nights of events, meetings with the most annoying people on Luna so coincidentally arranged on the days Ignacio had an important meeting with some "important" company representative. Just when I thought this was bad, my nightmare did not stop there. 'Urgent' doc.u.ments requiring my immediate attention were brought to my attention just when I was ready to drop dead in bed. I tried to ditch the sky-high pile of doc.u.ments before but the attempt failed miserably. He sniffed me out instantly and dragged me back forcefully, threatening to tie me to my chair if I tried it again. There was no freedom and no escaping Ignacio in his enraged mode.

It took three days of break from work and a free front row ticket to Sable's concert to appease the devil inside of Ignacio. The first night of my freedom, I called Nash up and told him all about it. His wise words to me were to "never wake the sleeping demon" and I totally agreed.

Gulping nervously, I met Ignacio's eyes.

"Well, Luna Services isn't my real motive…"

Ignacio didn't relent and held his gaze steady. If I wanted him off my back, I would have to give him more details.

Sighing, I relented. "I'm the Night Walker. I hope you haven't forgotten."

Relaxing a little bit when Ignacio nodded, I continued. "Are aware of the murder of Mia Elliot?"

"The one they found in the wastelands?"

I nodded.

"I want to find out the truth about it. She was a victim of human experimentation and I'm going to find out the ones responsible for it. I want to make things right but the Parliament is not being fair. In order to achieve my goal, Luna Services is the first step in my plan to close the distance between the Inner City and the Slums."

"Is this all about revenge? Or your sense of justice?"

I bit my bottom lip. In a way it was and in a way, it wasn't. I'll understand if my views are called selfish and arrogant or even childish by Ignacio who has probably suffered more with the unfair system.

However, this cycle will simply continue if nobody starts a change. How could I convince him to see things my way?

As much as I was capable of manipulating Ignacio to do what I want until my true objective has been met, Ignacio wasn't someone I could easily fool. There would be a lot of resistance if my actions didn't match my words. Even after knowing my identity as the Night Walker, even after knowing that I am a murderer, this man still hasn't changed how he looked at me. If I lied now, I could destroy everything we have.

"I'm not very thrilled to have this conversation with you but I guess it was going to happen someday. I didn't think it'll be this soon but now is a time as good as any. As you know, I am the Night Walker and have murdered. You've probably guessed my true motive, I want to right the wrongs of Luna. However, even now, there is still a lot going on that I don't know about. Mia's death is merely the tip of the iceberg."

Ignacio nodded to indicate that he was still with me. Now came the hard part.

"Luna Services was created as a bridge for me to slip in and out of the Inner City as the Night Walker. It is also easier to transport Pantiumite into the Slums. However, my true motive is to find the ones responsible for the human experimentation project and while I have my suspicions that the Parliament is responsible, I have no solid evidence. My only lead was from Raoul before he died. I'm going to weed out all the corrupted parties involved to set Luna free."

Ignacio was scarily solemn he listened. His expression was calm and composed like all the times he was when meeting up with our rivals who tried to pressure us into signing an agreement with endless terms and conditions. It was nerve-wracking waiting for him to speak but even more so when he did.

"What will you do after you've killed all the ones involved with Mia's murder?"

I did not answer… I had no answer.

Upon seeing my reaction, he shook his head. "It won't change anything even if you did find out the truth and kill the ones responsible. This city is sick, Titus. Luna is poisoned. You can't save the people with such a weak resolve."

A yawn escaped Ignacio's stern features and I sighed.

He was right. I couldn't do anything with my current state of mind. However, he's wrong if he thought I would sit back and twiddle my thumbs while everything fell into ruins.

I looked up when I felt a gentle pat on my shoulder. When did he make his way over?

"Don't fret too much for now. You'll be able to find the answers you seek. Just remember that you're not alone."

With that, he left and I sank down in my swivel chair. A bath sounded good right now.