MARIE-JOY PORT – FAMILY WAREHOUSE – DAY
The warehouse was large, cold, lit by industrial fluorescent lights. Stacked crates. Plans spread out on a folding table. Gray heads around it.
Midas stood at the center, arms crossed. Daek-Bin, Silva, William, Takuya, and a few Black Snake lieutenants surrounded him.
"The Slay Goofy," Midas began. "Where do we attack them?"
Sharky, leaning against a crate, said nothing. Perfecto arrived.
He pushed open the metal door. Everyone turned around.
Takuya squinted.
"Who's this guy?"
Midas raised his hand.
"The guy who saved me yesterday. Everyone, meet Perfecto."
William sneered.
"He looks like he'd get eaten alive."
Perfecto ignored the remark.
Midas observed him.
"What are you doing here? And how did you know I was here?"
Perfecto approached the table.
"I did some research on you. And I found your trail."
Midas showed nothing, but in his head, alarms went off.
I had covered all my tracks. But he still found me. He's dangerous. He could be a spy.
"Alright, my dear Perfecto. Would you mind positioning yourself over there?"
Midas pointed to a corner of the warehouse.
"We're in the middle of planning, so you can…"
"NO."
Silence fell.
Perfecto lifted his chin.
"I want to help you. I want to join the Family. I'm sure I belong here."
William and Takuya burst out laughing.
"This guy is completely out of his mind!"
Daek stood up.
"OK, that's enough, kid. You can stop now. Go home."
"NO."
"What?"
"I said no."
Daek clenched his fists.
"What do you mean, no? You're going to listen to me and…"
"NO."
Perfecto stared at Daek.
"I have a plan to take down the Slay."
Daek was about to hit him. Midas stopped him.
"Wait."
He turned to Perfecto.
"Explain this plan to me. And only if I like it will I agree to let you join us."
Perfecto approached the table. He spread out a map.
"I did my research on them. Their hierarchy. Their dynamics."
He pointed to a diagram.
"They have a big boss. Number one. He's supported by a number two, and so on down to number six. And all six of them are team masters. The largest team is number one's."
He traced arrows.
"But there's a flaw in this system. Two, actually."
He looked up.
"Number two can totally take number one's place. And the only way to take number two's place is to defeat him — only number two can challenge number one. Their hierarchy works like that."
He drew a circle.
"But there's a bigger flaw, one to exploit. External, internal. They base their business on selling fake items online. From fake accounts created on devices stolen from the neighborhood."
He spread his arms.
"These activities can be exposed. But only through an investigation."
He pulled out a USB key.
"And I got a head start on their trafficking. It's all based on this one point — but it's easily retractable. So I linked IP addresses to the message-sending location."
He stabbed his finger on the map.
"All the coordinates lead back to their arcade."
He stepped back.
"The kicker: besides getting arrested by the police, one of the biggest gangs, the Phantom Blood, will no longer have any ties to the district. Leaving the way clear for total control."
Silence.
Midas was stunned.
Perfecto placed his finger on a final point.
"We'd need money to secure the transaction. And for the police to get involved, we can't buy something small."
He looked up.
"I suggest we buy something big. A car."
Everyone was about to shout. Midas raised his hand.
"He's right."
William opened his mouth.
"But what car? A car is worth nothing compared to everything we'll have."
Perfecto smiled.
"The new Toyoma. The brand-new GTR."
Daek slammed the table.
"That's too expensive!"
Midas turned to William.
"It doesn't matter. William will handle it."
William stepped back.
"Hey, why me?"
Midas looked at him.
"If this plan works, you can even keep the car."
---
THE PLAN WORKED – ALMOST
The Slay Goofy fell into the trap. The police arrested the members, seized their devices, traced the networks. The arcade was shut down. The accounts were frozen.
Perfecto had thought of everything.
Except one detail.
Number one wasn't there.
He hadn't been arrested.
---
MIDAS'S APARTMENT – NIGHT
Rain fell. Buckets. The wind howled.
Midas got up. His mouth was dry. He walked through the living room to get a glass of water.
In the rain, in front of the window, a silhouette.
A rabbit. A stuffed animal.
Midas stepped back.
"Fuck…"
CRACK.
The walls around him were vaporized. The apartment partially collapsed. Midas looked up.
The rabbit stared at him. Its enormous, disproportionate paws. Its empty eyes. Its stitched-on smile.
Number one of the Slay Goofy.
"You took my men," he said. His voice was deep. Not a toy's voice.
"You took my territory."
He approached.
"You took my business."
His paws struck the ground. The concrete cracked.
"So now… I'm going to take your life."
Midas clenched his fists.
His body covered itself in gold.
"Try it."
The rabbit leaped.
The shadows of the night stirred.
---
TO BE CONTINUED…