Chapter Two

“NO! I will not allow him out of his cell! How do you know of him!?” Mister R said. With how much he was freaking out, I almost didn’t want to get Natsu out of his cell. I knew it was the right thing to do though. He would be able to help. I don’t know how I knew this but I was sure he was a huge part of our adventure. We need him to survive. I guess you could call it a hunch I had.

“Word gets around quickly here, that’s how I know him. You need me, otherwise you wouldn’t have come to get me, right? I will not go with you unless he comes with. I don’t care if you bind him and he stays bound the whole time, he will join us on this venture.” I was more firm with this then I meant to be. I couldn’t believe I wanted someone like Natsu to join us but there was no changing my mind now. How insane did I have to be to want a murderous lunatic to join us?

“Pack your things and get your young friend Cleavland to as well, I’ll see what I can do about Natsu then.” He grumbled back at me. “If he is to come with he will be completely covered, and then hidden behind a tarp and all of our bags. We will want no one to know he is with us.” His face was stern, I knew that there was no way to make it better than that.

“Will do, as long as you move so I can get into my cell.” I told him. He moved so I could get into my cell and I walked in to grab my pillow and an extra pillow case to carry anything else. “We should also go into the abandoned housing areas and gather what we can. It might be a good idea to look for some forms of entertainment, such as those primitive handheld gaming blocks. What are they called? Nintendo DSIs or something like that, right?” I yelled out to him from under my bed. Those things intrigued me. The  company  they were made by, Nintendo, had went bankrupt a while back, during the year 2163 I think. They were popular before Sony bought the rights to almost all their games. Sony now is the only game company, and that isn’t even their main purpose. They make all the world’s electronics, including all of the governments equipment.

“That would be a good idea, but I’m not sure we’d be able to find anything made by Nintendo here. Maybe a deck of playing card or a board game if we’re lucky. It’d also be good for you and Cleav to find some clothes that’d fit you two.” Well as long as Mr. R was on board with the idea, even if he wasn’t optimistic about it.

“Alright well should we meet back here then after I get Cleav or do you want us to wait by the gates?” If I didn’t know where to go it would probably be a bad thing.

“Meet me back here Rikos. Do not tell anyone else about this, not even young Cleavland. You can tell him when you both get here. I might be a bit longer than you two. Wait until I arrive to do anything.” He told me very sternly. I had a feeling he was gonna be a lot longer than either Cleav or I.

“Alright we will. See you in a bit then.” He then walked off, toward the isolation chambers.

“Well time to go get Cleav.” I mumbled to myself. After I put the few clothes I had found into my pillow case, I set it in-front of my cell and went to go get Cleav.

Once I got out to the courtyard I couldn’t believe what I saw. It was….. um…. I’m not even sure what it was, but whatever it was everyone but two or three people, including Cleav, were piled on-top of it. I walked over to Cleave and he must have seen me staring. His face looked almost as quizzical as mine could. I shrugged and nodded towards the cells, he understood it perfectly and began walking. I followed him to his cell.

“What’s up little demon?” He and all the others here liked to call me that since that Mr. R figure threatened all the inmates with the fire devil himself. He knew I didn’t really like it, but from him it was playful and I could deal with it. “Why’d you pull me away from that... I don’t even know how to put it. You know what I mean.”

“Yeah I know whatcha mean man. I had to. I need you to pack everything you need from your cell.” He opened his mouth as if to ask a question, but I stopped him by talking again. “Don’t ask questions now. I’ll tell you in a bit alright?”

“Fine, give me a couple minutes.” And after about five minutes he came out with a pillow in and and another pillowcase, like what I did but his pillowcase was much more full. I wonder what he stuffed into the thing.

“You might need one more pillow case,” he looked at me with a really frustrated facial expression. “We might have extra stuff to pick up.”

“Okay, I’ll be right back.” And he went back into his cell.

“Hey runt! Whaddya think yer doin there!?” bellowed a large, obviously drunk older man who belched immediately after he finished his sentence. He was walking, or rather trying to walk, towards us. “Why ain'tcha out in the yard enjoying the party?!!! We even got da booze!”

“Why is there a party? I didn’t think it was a holiday of any sort today.” Why would any prisoners even get alcohol? Wouldn’t it just make them more violent than they already were? The guards themselves must be drunk.

“We are celebrating cuz that maniac Natsu something-or-other is getting a transfer, so we aint gotta worry about dyin in our own beds! Or at least not as much as we do now! Even the guards are drinkin tonight!” Figures. Wait did he say Natsu was getting transferred? Way to go Mr. R!

“Alright mister, I’ll get my friend out of here so we can get out to the yard then. Thanks for letting me know!” I gave him a fake smile, and he then stumbled off past us and rounded a corner.

“What did the old fart want?” Cleav asked as he came out of his cell. “And was he saying something about booze?”

“Took ya long enough to get back out here. They’re celebrating a stupid little thing a guard did, they’ve all been drinking in the yard.” I returned nonchalantly. “We don’t have any time to go join them. Lets get to my cell.”

“Why can’t we just go get a mug full to go? What’s so important that we can’t stop for a good drink like that aged Conzo scotch?”  

“I’ll tell you when we get to my cell. Lets go.” I started walking towards the solitary confinement area, expecting Cleav to follow.

“That old man is watching us. I think he was faking being drunk.”  Cleav whispered towards me. “Don’t look back at him, just walk. We’ll lose him at this corner up ahead. Go straight into the wall on the right. Don’t question it just trust me.”

“Alright. I’ll trust you.”
“Stop! Rikos Zander, stop where you are!” The old man yelled at me. “You too Cleaveland Namor!” That got us both to turn around.

“How do you know us? Who are you old man?” I asked him. He was pretty tall for his age. Taller than Cleav was. He also seemed to be in about as good of shape as Cleav. Maybe he wasn’t as old as he seemed. Maybe he only looked old because he was bald and had a large, blotchy scar on the side of his head.

“I was told to come find you by a Mister R. He told me Rikos was the one that got me out. Which one of you is Rikos?” The man was clearly eager to meet me.

“I am. Who are you ya old fart?” Cleav said. What was he thinking? Why would he potentially risk a very dangerous situation for me?

“My name is of no importance young Cleavland, I am supposed to accompany you and,” He pointed straight at me. “young Rikos there.”

“How do you know if I’m Rikos?” I asked him. Cleav had said he was me. Why didn’t this man believe him?

“I was told you were a runt. Cleavland doesn’t look that runtish.” He said with a sly smirk. I was already starting to like this guy. He was way too overconfident, but he had a great personality. He seemed like what a father should be to his kids, playful and loving yet still hardened enough to give a punishment to his children if they needed one. There was something about him that seemed warm and welcoming, but his eyes were cold and distant, like he’d lost something he’d loved a lot.

“That runtish?! I’ll show you what someone who isn’t ‘that runtish’ can do! Let me take a swing at you!” Cleav exclaimed as he started walking towards the old-but-not-so-old man, he got offended way to easily. I suppose that was his “kryptonite” so to speak. I got in his way so they wouldn’t get into a physical confrontation.

“He already knows all about it man, let’s just let him join us okay?” I asked with more pleading in my voice then I hadn’t meant to let slide out.

“Why is it that I’m the only one who doesn’t understand what’s going on here?!” Cleav exclaimed. “Why must you wait to tell me what we’re doing little devil?!” Ouch. He meant that as an insult this time, not in a teasing way. That hurts a lot, especially coming from my only friend as of right now.

“It needs to be told in private, that is why Cleav. We don’t want to risk anyone else hearing about it.” I said to him with a cold voice. Was this why Mister R’s voice was so cold and distant? Had he been hurt to much by people he cared about?

“Woah guys this is getting really serious very quickly. You just need to stop talking and get walking!” The man interjected with a nice hearty chuckle. He starting pushing us forward, trying to get us to where we needed to go. We read about people that used to herd animals the same way, they were called ranchers or something like that. They lived on farms with lots of animals, and sometimes even fields of vegetables and other plants that could be used.

“Okay you don’t have to push us the whole way, we can walk ourselves.” Cleav groaned.

“Well they why don'tcha do it!” He demanded.

“I don’t know. Why haven’t I socked ya in the face yet?!” Cleav really was to quick to anger. His fuse was shorter than a microchip.

“Guys! Stop it! We don’t need to fight right now.” I told them both sternly. Why did I have to be the adult here? They were both older than me, but they were acting like toddlers! If they both have to come on this trip, it’s gonna be a really long drive.

“Well tell this guy to shut up about me!” Cleav exclaimed.

“Stop being sensitive ya big baby.” The man mumbled just loud enough so that it was audible. Cleav looked like he was gonna tear the mans head from his shoulders.

“Stop it now!” Yelled a voice from behind us all. “Walk and shut up, the lot of ya.” I turned back to look at the man who was speaking to us, and it was just who I thought it was.

“Where’ve you been Mr. R?” I asked the man in the long brown overcoat. “Sorry we’re late. This guy joined us on our way. Is he who I think he is?”

“It’s quite alright. I took longer than I thought to try and get a transport ready.” He told me.

“You didn’t answer his other question.” Cleav said with obvious irritation in his voice.

“I will in good time young Cleavland. In good time…” he said almost with some sarcasm in his voice. I knew what that meant. The oldish man that has been with us all this time… it was him. He was the one. He is Natsu.

“Well now that this whole gang is here lets get going shall we?” Asked the man I now know to be Natsu, the most dangerous criminal in this century. That seemed wrong. How could he be this warm and welcoming if he was a horrid person? He seems like a teddy bear almost. Warm and cuddly, but still deadly. Is this really the man I insisted on coming with us?

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[The Lone Wolf Prose]

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~LW