Would Aria find out? I still think she will somehow get here and help me. As per what I heard from Elias, I just can't let that happen.
A company? A criminal syndicate? Or a group pulling strings of the world from behind? What can O3 really be? Based on the power of them I have observed so far, they are powerful, really powerful.
Assassins, detectives, hackers, they have them all. The high-tech destructive micro-devices have to be considered here too. Oh, about the devices...
"What are you thinking about, Elias?", Lucian asked Elias, who was sitting on the seat opposite to Lucian, inside the long car going through a huge tunnel.
"Are you afraid of that killing device thing? That it might be in you too?", Lucian continued the question.
Elias was holding his head with his hands, visibly stressed. He slowly brought his head up and answered, "No…I am afraid of dying before I can send those people to hell, in the cruelest way possible."
"I get it. They definitely deserve something more than death, don't they?", Lucian said in a quiet voice, looking out the window, from which the outside wasn't even visible. Elias didn't say anything further.
The car kept on going and going, and after around 15 minutes of silence, Elias asked a question.
"Lucian, tell me, if your theory was true and they are truly after you, then why are they bringing me with you this time?"
Lucian immediately looked at Elias, as if he asked a very important question, and said, "I thought about it earlier, and to be very honest, I can't say why for sure."
"No theories this time?"
"That's not it, but some theories should stay in my head until they become practical. You don't have to think about it.."
Elias was silent again for a bit.
"Where's Aria though? Wasn't she like, your partner in crime?", Elias asked.
"Come on, this is not a crime. It is rather anti-crime. And as for the reason…."
The previous night,
"Here, have some.", Lucian pushed the glass of freshly made peg of rum, on the table.
Lucian and Aria were sitting opposite each other, in Lucian's house.
The night was cold. Despite the windows being closed, the cold breeze from outside found its way inside the room. The warm blankets helped them stay motionless in their positions.
"Huh? Don't you know I don't consume alcohol. That's weird, you forgetting that?", Aria was confused.
"Oh, I guess I am already drunk.", Lucian laughed.
Aria smiled slightly seeing Lucian laugh, "Whatever, give me the tea then."
Lucian pushed the cup of tea towards Aria this time, and started drinking his rum.
'You know Aria, I started drinking recently, and I love it. It is one of the only times I get the chance to be myself, to break any filter I have on myself. After putting on so many masks, I have forgotten who I really am. But now, I can enjoy being free, free from myself, free from everyone…", Lucian all of a sudden became much more chalant.
Aria took a sip from her tea and rested her head on her hand, and looked at Lucian with a smile, "Is that so? Are you implying you don't take off your masks even in front of me?"
Lucian let out a little laugh, and continued, "Not exactly, you see I am different when I am with you, I am different when I am with someone else, and it goes on. Which one is the real me? I am confused", Lucian continued drinking and speaking, "I guessed tomorrow they are coming to take me, so I don't know how long I am going to live anymore. It's a dangerous place, Elias said."
"Hey. What happened to you, you are not this underconfident usually. See, I am with you, no way you are going to die while I am alive."
Lucian smiled and took another sip of his rum, "Who cares anyway, I am doing this for money, a life without money is not a life, it is a cage. If I die now, that would be better than living in that cage."
Aria's expression changed all of a sudden, "You don't like living?"
"I hate people, I love luxury. But unfortunately I have to see more people everyday than I earn money. O3, the organization? They definitely have a lot of money, if I am able to go there and steal all of it, I might be able to not live off stealing anymore! I was stupid to donate money to charity all this time, what I have to do for reputation! It disgusts me, truly.", Lucian's eyes were half closed.
Aria was surprised, her cup of hot tea stayed in her hand for a long time, as she was listening to him, her blanket was falling off her. But none of those discomforts bothered her much at this moment.
"You..You hate people? You love money? That's so unusual coming from you, Lucian.", Aria finally placed the cup on the table and leaned towards Lucian, "I knew you didn't like to socialize but you never said you hate people, and…and you were never fond of money were you? What am I hearing now?"
Lucian kept drinking without answering or speaking further, but then all of a sudden mumbled to himself, "Yes. Yes! I hate everyone. I only like myself."
"And…what do you mean you hate everyone? Remember everyone means me as well!", Aria leaned back a bit.
"I know that! I know that. I hate you as well, A..Aria.", Lucian slammed the empty glass on the table and continued, "I hate every time you speak, I hate how you disturb my lone space."
Her heart started beating faster, and her eyes became wide open. The blanket had completely fallen by now.
"But how unfortunate I am! This type of work often needs a physical medium to be executed, my mind isn't enough! I needed a theft partner and your skills were just fitting…But who knew such a skilled person would be so bad to me as a person! I hate you just like how I hate anyone else. You are nothing but a tool for me to use! I suppose you already know that huh.", Lucian slowly put his head on the table, almost closing his eyes.
Tears covered her face, the table was getting wet as well. She kept looking at Lucian as he was half-asleep. Her heartbeat slowly came back to normal but multiple thoughts were running through her mind at the same time.
"So..this is how you truly felt, Lu….", she couldn't continue anymore. Her hands covered her mouth as she was about to weep.
At last she stood up aggressively and threw away the cup of tea far away in the room, causing it to break apart. She approached the door fast and opened it.
Lucian suddenly woke up slightly and screamed, "Never come here again! I don't need you anymore. Tomorrow I am hiring someone else. Haa, the only problem is I probably have to give them money to work, you were a free….", he started coughing and then went back to sleep.
He didn't know if Aria heard him anymore or not, but that didn't seem to bother him, all he could hear was fast footsteps coming far and far away….
Current time
"What happened? What are you thinking?", Elias asked as Lucian seemed to be zoned out.
"Oh, nothing."
"So, what is the reason? Why didn't she come? Wouldn't she be a help to us?"
"Oh yeah. She fell sick, coming here would mean nothing if she can't do anything, and she might die here with that condition."
"By the way, the destination is only 20 minutes away now. See there's a clock on there telling us that", Lucian pointed towards a digital device on the wall of the car.
"Right. Are you telling, we should prepare for something?", Elias asked as he put his hands in his bag.
"No, nothing like that. But how did you bring your bag here? They allowed it?", Lucian looked at the bag.
"Yeah, they did. They checked stuff and they didn't have a problem with this.", Elias said as he brought out a bottle of rum from it, "Wanna have some?"
"Oh, no. I don't like rum, though I never tried it…..