Shady business

You lean back in shock, staring at Devin. “You want me to what?!”

Devin holds up his hand and looks around. You realize that you spoke louder than you intended, but your surprise gave you a good reason. Beside you, Emi looks as shocked as you feel. When he sees that your exclamation hasn’t drawn any attention, Devin looks back to you.

“You have to understand my reasoning. The current Hybrid program is just the beginning for him. His next step is working with the military. And once that happens, why would he stop there?”

You shake your head. “So he’s a power hungry rich guy. I don’t see what that has to do with me.”

Devin gestures towards Emi. “What do you think happens to her as he continues? She’s a loose end. All the runaways are. And he knows exactly where to find her.”

Emi looks over at Abby, who has remained silent and sullen this whole time. “What about her? Isn’t she in danger as well?”

Devin shakes his head. “Not as much. He’s not as concerned with the current generation of Hybrids. As I’m sure you’ve noticed, they aren’t generally as intelligent, and are far more docile. More to the point, they didn’t undergo the experimentation and **** that the runaways like yourself have.”

Emi self consciously touches the scars on her face. You reach over and take her hand, gently giving it a squeeze to comfort her. As she calms herself, you look back to Devin.

“All that aside, what do you actually want from me? I’m just a guy. I can’t kill somebody, even if I were willing to!”

Devin nods. “I am aware. We are just reaching out to you as a potential asset.”

You note the language he used there. “We? Who is ‘we’?”

Devin crosses his arms. “Let’s say it like this. The military isn’t the only group interested in the applications for Hybrids, but some aren’t so enthusiastic about the idea of weaponizing them. I work for one such organization.”

You stare at him. “A government organization?”

He nods. “Yes. And I won’t say anything more than that about it. Suffice it to say that we consider Mr. Marceau to be a growing threat. So I ask you, will you work with us?”

You glance at Emi, who looks very nervous, but remains quiet. “I don’t suppose I can safely refuse this?”

Devin shrugs. “Of course you can. But are you willing to risk your Hybrid’s life on the mercy of Jack Marceau?”

You sigh. “Fine. But I’m not going to kill anyone for you.”

He nods. “We wouldn’t ask that if you. For now, all we ask is that you go about your business as usual. We will be in contact. And of course, no one can know.”

You shrug. “I assumed that much. Wonderful.”

Devin smiles, but coldly, the smile never reaching his eyes. “Don’t be so upset. You will be compensated, more than fairly.”

He reaches into a pocket and slides an envelope across the table. “For your cooperation tonight. As I said, we will be in touch. Be safe.”

With that, he stands. Abby stands as well, almost robotically, and the two of them make their way to the exit. You take the envelope and open it, finding a considerable amount of cash inside. You lean back, shaking your head. It’s a good thing this is a bar, you think to yourself.