Keystone & Caesar
![]()
Location: Past the Rockies, Flight MSS-1
Skills: N/A
Skills: N/A
The Email was shocking, to say the least. Access granted by all parties involved thanks to the use of administrative password and upper level coding. This pointed to a betrayal. Otherwise, this
was a hack job, but a previous one where certain information was lifted and the guilty parties waited until much later, until a key event occurred, to utilize it. What that key event might entail was beyond Caesar at that moment, though it wasn't as if there weren't several from which he could choose. Naturally, the horror of much of this could be explained much more simply: Though he had always trusted the people he brought in, it could exactly be betrayal. Even if it was brought about by means of solid blackmail or the like, it was still an act of betrayal. Someone very well might have violated his loyalty, which was already difficult as hell to come by but as firm as granite once acquired.
"Talk to me, John." Caesar's voice was calm and soft, while still retaining its gravelly, growling quality. And he had used a first name with his junior associate. This was new.
"Yeah, Boss?" Keystone sat forward. He recognized that something was different here.
"If someone turns on you. Sells you out, snitches, whatever... what should you do?" "Depends, I suppose. Somethin's got to get done, and bloody-damn quick, at that. One bloke flips on ya, only time b'fore another does same." "I know. But if this person has been good to you? Loyal? Forced to do it? What if it wasn't their idea. Something has to be done still. More than ever, I think. But not as far as it could go. Do you understand what I mean?" There was something he didn't want to say out loud.
"Riiiight." agreed Keystone cautiously, drawing out the syllable. Did the old man suspect something about him, or was this an old man with a real dilemma that needed a friendly ear?
"You couldn't have nothin' to do with them for a long ways, I'd say. But if you got a party banjaxed by some fuckery or another, it'd be an act of mercy to give'em a way out. Stash them and theirs far away, taken care of, 'til all this sorts out, y'think?" "You would do that? Really?" There was a rasp of disbelief in Caesar's tone. He leaned forward to give the giant Cockney a good eyeballing while waiting for a response.
"Nah. I'd beat 'em bloody and let the 'ospital sort out their particulars." he admitted. Continuing,
"They live, I'd still flip a bloody coin. But begging your pardon, Boss? I ain't you. I never done what you did. You're a bloody fongin' legend, if you don't mind my sayin' so. I'm a bloke what hits people." "What about you, Keystone? I know who your people are. We've been tracking your progress for a long time now, scouting you for our company. Other companies have too, or they should have been. I know what you did in China, too. All of it." Maybe that last part was an exaggeration, but he did know much.
"You could have gone into legitimate prize fighting. MMA has become huge lately. And you were an amazing boxer before. You never tried. The money would have been better, faster. Why?" "I, ah... hell you babblin' 'bout, old man?" He was flustered. This was not how he expected the conversation to go.
"It's because the money isn't the biggest thing for you, is it? It never was. That is why we hired you. Champion quality fighter, knocking in skulls on two continents just to learn more from the masters. That is dedication. That is a man who isn't bought. You accepted our offer because you wanted to learn more, didn't you?" "Yeah... where're you getting off at with this?" "My house is out of order, Keystone. You're as much Familia as you are Outsider, now. When the time comes, I need you to help me put my house back in order. Can you do that? For me, for M'hija? For your son?" A gravely serious look came over Keystone. If Caesar was asking what he thought he was asking, this was massive.
"I'm your man, Boss. You know that. Long as certain lines ain't crossed, I'm at your call." "Si. Okay." It was good enough.
Caesar drafted an Email for Maria, restating the message first sent to him by the Justice P.D. concerning the names of the people responsible for Alicia's death, also reiterating that the Federal Agent, Marc, was reported as possibly still being alive. He further explained that he was not sure how the trip to Indiana was going to help with that in the least, but that he was still willing to give it a look, just in case. Further, until the incident with stolen vehicles was handled to his satisfaction, he was changing the codes and passkeys and making any high Administrative level decisions dependent upon the approval of two business officers of Department Director title or higher. Standard procedure for a compromised system. That should leave four people, including himself and Keystone, capable of approving these decisions in the Justice branch.
Further, he sent a message along to his ex-wife, stating in less obvious wording that if she was in a bind and needed extraction, blink twice. Or the sentiment thereof.
The Email to his new Tech team was mostly just the orders explained to Maria, but in more of an imperative tone. As in: "Do this". Further, he wanted an update on the thefts ASAP.
Meanwhile, Keystone got a touch of good news from a simple online search. In contrast to the very serious talk from before, he perked up a bit with,
"Right! Got me that address on the bookstore you was askin' into... And a bloody biography on the lady what owns it." One name in the blurb about the lady stuck out: David Lawson. It sounded familiar somehow, though he could not place from where.
"Ey, Boss? You know a David Lawson? Military bloke? Can't place the spot I know that name." "Yeah, I do. He's dead. Recently. Lived in Boston Heights." These coincidences kept piling up. Here he just wished that he could grind this Tinder guy into paste and go about his life, too. Things were getting more complicated all the time.
