“Law enforcement?” Spit-Take shot his head back, “Since when?”

  “I’m guessing during our conversation,” Shakar said.

  “Damnit!” he said. “Then we all need to get out before—”

  ‘Knock’ ‘Knock’

  The room went silent. Everyone’s eyes were at the door. Big John carefully moved close to it, opening it as far as the chain would let it. “Dolly?” he said, “What’re you doing up here?”

  “Just came to give you a heads up,” she smiled, “There are two Blue Collared officers in the main lobby requesting a hands-on census check.” She leaned closer to the door. “And they’ve got our original number with pictures before I could add your friends.”

  ‘That would explain the second car outside.’ Mr. Holdover thought glancing out the window again.

  “It’s some new mandate the Head Precinct quickly threw together,” Dolly continued, “So unfortunately for the lot of you, that makes you prime suspects.”

  “Dolly please!” Big John said, “You have to buy us some time! Five minutes—”

  “I’m sorry sweetie but I can’t even get you one,” she said. “And if I don’t hurry back down they might begin to miss me…”

  “Ey, Dolly!” Spit-Take pointed at her from the crack. “You wanna keep getting those checks, you’re gonna do whatever it takes to buy time to get out!”

  “But I told you,” she said, “If I’m caught I’ll lose my job. Not to mention the checks barley support me after last year’s inflation hike.”

  ‘Shit!’ Mr. Holdover thought, ‘Looks like we’re gonna have to fight our way through, starting by knocking this bitch out.’

  Shakar approached the door, looking out at the woman with a smile. “No need to worry, you can easily get us out.”

  The woman giggled at the sight of him, “Oh you. But like I was saying to your friend—”

  “I’m guessing this isn’t the first time you’ve helped these guys out, judging by your banter,” He said, “So what makes today any different? A few extra Collars?”

  The woman stopped smiling, her large eyes on the younger man.

  “Another check…another raise,” Shakar said, “Along with this dead end job, your quite set.”

  Dolly chuckled under her breath, “Oh, don’t be sill—”

  “Your simply making the situation seem more dire to gain an added bonus for yourself when in actuality, you’ve got everything under control.” Shakar narrowed his gaze at her. “You’re simply waiting for the price to be just right to miraculously come up with a last second solution, are you?”

  “Or…” she said. “I could leave and report all of you.”

  “Then why haven’t you?” Shakar asked. He smiled back. “I thought you’d be missed? Or is it that you wouldn’t’ve come up here if you hadn’t already had a way to use the situation so you can have your cake and eat it to.”

  Spit-take and Big John shot each other a slack jawed glance, looking to Mr. Holdover who could only shake his head and shrug.

  “This guy really hates money,” he said.

  Suddenly, Dolly began laughing hysterically. She laughed so hard her face turned red, forcing her to lean against the wall as she gasped for air. “I’m…so sorry!” she panted, her face turning sincere. “I don’t know what came over me!” Calming herself down, she looked into the room. “I have an office behind the front desk. Go in there and carefully move my cubby to the side, you should find your exit way then.”

  Still dumbfounded, Spit-Take quickly joined Shakar’s side at the door again, “We’re gonna need time, Dolly! Five minutes or what?”

  “I can’t do that for you,” she said. She pointed her finger at Shakar, “But I can make an exception for you.”

  …

  This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.

  “I think you’ve killed him.” Patchwork said looking at Xole, who was laid out and unconscious. “If this keeps up, his heart is going to explode.” He took a few needles out of his chest and shook his head. “My Talent can only go so far here.”

  Abbas turned to the doctor. “What do you mean?”

  “You and I both know my Aculty is in healing and medicine through material means. However I can’t replenish his Gi, which is the main issue.”

  “Ha!” Salamander laughed, “Always knew you was a fraud!”

  Patchwork felt his head begin to pound, “What I’m TRYING to explain it—”

  “Haha! I’m just jokin’.”

  “…As I was stating earlier,” Patchwork continued, “This wouldn’t be such a big issue if his body could utilize its Inner-Gi better. It’s making this whole process take a lot longer.”

  Snap scrunched his brow, “Wait, so why didn’t we start with that?”

  “Because Abbas is impatient.” Patchwork shot at glance at the large man, who seemed to be thinking about something.

  “I’m here!” Trix’s cheerful voice rang out. She came running in with her hood and mask down while carrying a medium-sized cardboard box in her arms. “Sorry it took so long but I couldn’t get ahold of my brother.”

  “Bum,” Salamander said, taking a puff.

  “Aw c’mon, again?” Snap shook his head. “You checked all the molehills and our informants, right?”

  She shook her head, “Not even there.”

  “Hmm,” Abbas pondered. “It’s been a week since we’ve last seen him. He was always hard to keep track of…”

  “Do you think the Blues got him?” Trix asked.

  Again, Abbas pondered. “Let’s pray not. Now, did you bring it?”

  “Yup!” she dropped the box on the ground filed with wrapped bars. Patchwork shook his head.

  “No, no, and Nope! You’re not doing that.”

  “Oh, Rivers!” Trix waved to him. “You finally came outside!”

  The doctor looked away, grimacing. Xole sat up, still dizzy. “Whe…when did you get here?” he said to the woman.

  “Just now,” She smiled. “Abbas told me he had a feeling this was gonna be a long night so he had me prepare plenty of these.” She dug into the box and handed him one, “Here, this will fix you right up.”

  Xole took a bite of the chocolate-looking bar. It was mostly bland and chewy with a lumpy texture. Though he could taste some chocolate, the after taste quickly made him forget it.

  ‘Still, it’s not the worst thing in the world.’ He thought.

  Suddenly his shoulders popped up, his vision became clear and focused, and he even stopped breathing as hard. The sudden jolt of energy was so strong he jumped to his feet without even realizing. He looked himself up and down.

  “Hey, I feel good as new!”

  Abbas nodded, “That’s the point. These Inner-Gi bars completely restore a Talented’s Inner-Gi and were once a commodity long ago.”

  Xole stuffed the rest of hit in his mouth, “Den where’d dey go?”

  “The government—”

  “Make sure to chew before you speak, Xole,” Trix said.

  Abbas looked at her.

  “Oh, sorry! Go ahead, Abbas!”

  The government outlawed those years ago,” He said, “So naturally remaking them in any way is highly illegal.”

  She nodded, “All a part of their ‘war on enhancers’ campaign.”

  “Is dat...?” Xole forced the rest of the bar down his throat, “The same thing?”

  She sighed, “Unfortunately,” she sat down next to the box, “Starting in 1971 the government began cracking down on small communities all under the pre-text of them being filled with Talent enhancers. Sort of like what you’re eating.”

  “Wait WHAT—”

  “Of course most of the enhancers found were planted beforehand.” She leaned back, “In the end, it was just a guise for them to heavily monitor poor communities and seize anyone with above normal Gi, levels under the claim they were ‘druggies’.”

  “Hold on, hold on, back up!” Xole said, scratching at his tongue. “Am I gonna get high from this?”

  Snap looked worried, “You’ll get over it tomorrow.”

  Xole’s eyes widened, “What’s wrong with you people—”

  “Snap!” Trix glared.

  He quickly put his hands up, “He knows I’m kidding, right?”

  “No, I DON’T know you were kidding!” Xole said.

  “Salamander,” Abbas said.

  “I didn’t do nothin’!”

  “Not yet,” he said. He tapped his cane to the ground, “Come here. We’re going to go about Xole’s Gi management a different way.”

  Grumbling, the chain smoker made his way to the circle. Xole looked back at Abbas, “So, Abbas, what’s the point of all this? To bring out my Aculty, technique, or my boxing?”

  “The aim of this is to discover what your soul wants your body to do. And the only way to do that is through repetition.” He gestured to Salamander, “He here uses his bad smoking habit to create flames with his body, specifically his lungs.”

  “Ya saw how I was roasting y’all back when we first met, right?” Salamander said to Xole, taking a puff of his cigar. “Dat all comes naturally ‘cause it’s my Aculty! Dats why it’s called Talent.”

  Xole recalled back to when Mr. Holdover was beating him up on the street. “Yeah, someone was getting cooked all right…”

  “Hey!” he snapped, “Pay attention, kid!”

  “Sorry!” Xole shook his head, “I get it, really. But I don’t think hitting Abbas all night is gonna bring out my natural Talent or Aculty…whatever is called.”

  Abbas put his fingers to his chin. He then looked to Salamander, Patchwork, and Snap, motioning a circle around them, to which the three went to the back and took out traffic cones, placing them around the parking lot. Xole looked puzzled, “Uh, what are we doing now?”

  “Your next objective will be to run around this lot was fast as you can while zig zagging past the cones.” Abbas said tracing his cane around the quickly-made obstacle course in the parking lot.

  Um,” Xole looked around. The lot was huge and the cones where closely spaced together, only about half a foot apart from each other. “Are the cones really necessary?”

  “They are the most necessary part of this excessive.” Abbas answered. He motioned for Trix who smiled at them, flashing her blades. “She is going to chase you and attempt to kill you.”

  “…Really?”

  “…” Abbas paused then stepped back. “Whatever motivates you.”

  “But you didn’t answer my—“

  “GO!”

  Xole could only take one step before a knee hit his back, sending him face first into the dirt…