Cypher

“Fox?”

“I got it, I got it. Don’t sweat, Entrance is covered.”

“Good.” At the doorstep of the hidden building, entrants led down by concrete steps, Raven prepared himself.

“You gonna be okay in there? You should try not to make a scene.”

“I’ll be fine.” Raven assured. It was only a nightclub. Sure, dealing with Cypher was a pain, even outside whatever sort of hive he’d set up for himself in here- but he could do it. He took a breath and walked down to the doorway.

“Good luck…” Fox tried to offer encouragement, but as always, the boy was already gone.

Like it was sinking in freshly-spilled blood, the room was bathed in monotone red.

It was too loud to think. The intruder’s eyes shifted all around himself- immediately he failed to gasp his surroundings. Military training let him down as unexplainable things jumped out of each and every corner of the hellish watering hole.

He couldn’t tell if some of them were alive or dead. The exposed bones of many of the guests made them look like skeletal robots, but their construction was entirely organic. The more “human” ones were even worse. Separating costume from surgical procedure was a fool’s game. An insectoid man was the first to take notice of him, his friend sipping from a cup using what was unmistakably a functioning proboscrius. Soon many more were noticing the lamb in their midst. They were all different- all they had in common was not a single one had a normal mouth and eyes to look at, always hidden by some grotesque mask or malformation. In their own way, each was ruined- something other than human. Then again, Raven wondered if they did this on purpose. For some reason, it shook him to his core.

Before he knew it everyone was looking at him. Maybe where he came from these people would’ve been rejects, but here he was the outsider. The agent tried to keep a straight face, but he was losing track of where he was. The head of a large man in a big black mask followed him whenever he went, and then skeletons to the East of the establishment’s still-remaining eyes bore into him. He couldn’t help but notice the masked person staring at him as they stroked the bulbous head of some giant disturbed fetus. Suddenly he was going in circles. The people all looked at him with neither contempt nor curiosity- they just did it because he was there.

Suddenly he felt a hand on his shoulder.

Instincts rushing up to him he grabbed the hand and threw the body connected to it down on the ground. The Proboscis Man didn’t scream, or couldn’t be heard over the thumping music as when he hit the floor. As soon as he did, and to Raven’s immediate attention, a pistol slid out from his waist. The operative immediately grabbed it, feeling confident in being reminded of his ability to destroy. It was almost enough to cope with the fear of having almost failed if this man were to have shot him. Before he knew it he had the thing at gunpoint. He couldn’t see it, but the violent, crazed expression he bore was more inhuman than the most otherworldly of guests inside the Suit’s formal club. Reflected in the Proboscis Man’s compound eyes, he showed absolutely no empathy whatsoever. Neither him nor his murderous attacker heard the luxuriously dressed collector step out from the shadows or the noisy club. Raven started to pull the trigger.

Cypher’s ringed hand fell upon the gun’s barrel just as the hammer fell on an empty chamber. Shocked for just a moment, he returned to a blank and cold face as the man circled him, almost whispering in his ear.

“Didn’t think this was your kind of scene.”

His topknot and dreads gave the man a distinctly sharp look, both literally and figuratively, with the jagged metal-plated captain’s jacket he wore alongside all his chains and jewelry. A far cry from the kid in all-black armor next to him, little personalization beyond the small emblem of a bird painted in deep purple.

“Cypher.” Raven refused to show any emotion whatsoever.

“Raven. Long time no see.”

The boy said nothing to him even after minutes of having sat him down in his makeshift office in a partially walled-off corner of the club. He could still hear the music from outside, red light beating like a heart on his face from the outline of the curtain.

“It’s been awhile.” Cypher finally spoke.

“Do you know what I’m doing here?” Raven ignored the pleasantries.

“Know what you’re doing here? No, how should I?” As usual, the leader’s speech trailed around aimlessly, toying with the boy in a way that made him want to snap. “…Do you even know what you want?”

He almost thought for a second the kid wasn’t going to respond, but he finally did.

“…The Sarcophagus. Do you know anything?”

“Oh. So you are asking. I’m sorry, I never was one for Egyptian history.” He was ready to mess around all day, but even he couldn’t ignore the dire look on the kid’s face. This was someone capable of anything, let alone murder. He tried to mantain his control on the situation without pushing him off the edge. “…Do you at least know why he wants it?”

Raven shook his head.

“I don’t need to know.”

“So that’s why you’re here. For a… “Sarcophagus.” And… you don’t know a single thing else.”

The agent didn’t have a response for that.

“Well… can’t say I do either. So if that’s all you came here for, then…”

“Business.” Raven held on every word. “Let’s just… call it that.”

“Oh.” Cypher blinked. “Oh I’m sorry, business? You see- wasn’t exactly what I was expecting from a man who came in here pointing a gun at my people. Then again, I guess a kid like you wouldn’t know how any of that works. You just threaten and kill, is that right? It’s all you’ve known-“

“You get to walk away with your life.” Raven suddenly stung. “Okay? How does that sound… for a deal?”

“Again, again- this is the part you just don’t seem to understand. That’s not business. You won’t get me in your corner by-“

“You don’t know what’s inside of it either, do you?”

Cypher blinked.

“No… maybe not. So tell me, do you have any theories? A single idea as to what it could be?”

Raven was silent.

See… that’s just what you had to said last time.” He leaned in, examining the boy. “So am I talking to the same guy… or not?”

Raven sighed, finished with his games.

“I can see you haven’t changed.”

“You still don’t get it, do you?”

“Do you have it or not? I’m done asking.”

“…If it means you get out of my face… my club… out of my life… you know, I could be persuaded.”

“Trust me. I don’t wanna be here any more than you do.”

“You ever wonder where this ends? Once you do this, there’s no coming back. Why don’t you know that already?” The gang leader could already see where this was headed.

“What’s done is already done.”

Pulling it from a larger box, Cypher haphazardly slid the small case over to him with his shoe, Raven stopping it with his own.

Cypher sighed, equally tired of all this as the boy sent here was. “Are we done here?” He asked.

Raven shot him anyway.