EPISODE 1: GENESIS
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The darkness of night hung like a shroud over New York, the stars above dimmed by the cabal of man-made light that was the Big Apple. The air was filled with the sounds of the city; rowdy nightclub music, police sirens, the audio of billboard adds, and a grand chorus of millions of car horns and engines. Though elsewhere, at a lonesome bridge in the far southern reaches of the city, these sounds of nighttime New York were less flamboyant. Aside from the distant noises of the city itself, only the occasional vehicle pronounced itself into the night here.
A single, shadowy figure stood alone here, not at the bridge, but along the grassy knoll that rose from the edge of the river below. He stood still, looking casually across the river at the buildings on the other side, unmoving and patiently waiting. Unlike most, patience was in fact a virtue of his, a skill he possessed and could maintain for weeks at a time, which was found admirable by many, but tedious by some.
A sudden rustle from behind alerted him, the sound of shoes scraping through tall blades of grass. He turned to face the sound, pleased by what stood before him.
It was a young man in a suit, his dark hair shadowed deeper by the night, his skin slightly darkened in concurrence. From his mouth came the faint red glow of a lit cigarette, small puffs of smoke flowed from his face into the cool night air.
"Thomas," said the shadowy figure, his low voice stern and oily,"I've been waiting."
Thomas, the man in the suit, grunted slightly and took the cigarette from his mouth, releasing a blast of white smoke from his nose as he did so.
"That's your specialty isn't it," he said, "patience."
The shadowy man smiled widely, his white teeth glinting in the darkness, "It is, true enough," he said, "patience is a virtue that few possess, and I pride myself in maintaining such an air. My patience has been a boon through the many years, proving on more than several occasions to land me on top. You and the others might take note of this, if your wise."
"Enough lecturing if you please," Thomas said, resulting in an unseen smirk by the shadowy man, "why did you call me here tonight, and why here instead of your estate?"
The cloaked man turned his back to Thomas and replied,"Because I want on update on the search for Liam, and as for why here and not my estate, well, I like midnight strolls by the river." He said with another smirk. "And besides," he continued, "this is more discreet, less suspicion to be drawn us meeting here. Now, a report please."
Thomas took another hit to his cigarette and casually replied,"We've searched nearly all of Brooklyn and the Bronx, and no signs of Liam anywhere. I suspect he might be in Jersey or maybe inner New York City. We'll begin searching there tomorrow night."
The shrouded man stood silent, his arms relaxed at his sides, his gaze fixated on the row of buildings across the river.
Thomas looked at the man uncomfortably, an unsure grunt slipping from his lips.
The man finally turned back to Thomas and replied,"Very well. Liam is a slippery little snake, but he always leaves a more than obvious trail of blood in his wake. His carelessness will prove his undoing. Take the night to yourself Thomas, and rest easy tomorrow, you'll have your work cut out for you tomorrow night."
"Right." Thomas simply replied, he dropped his cigarette into the grass and ground it to powder with his shoe.
He turned and started down the side of the road, walking at an ever casual pace. The tall, shrouded man still stood in place as he had before Thomas's arrival, his gaze now peeled towards the sky, his eyes squinted in a fashion of hate.
