Growing up in the shadow of Alec Tolin wasn’t easy, he was six foot three and about two hundred and twenty pounds, he was a reserved boy that kept that trait well into him becoming a man and it was that feature I think equipped with his data programming skills that landed him a great candidate in becoming my best friend. I always looked up to Alec as I was a year younger than him and being a height of only five foot ten it was more actually than a metaphor, my demeanour was simple too. Being raised on a farm I held the unique ability to create things out of nothing, helping out my family as best as I could I tried to make the farm work easier for my dad until I could help fully myself. Alec was a city slicker having grown up in the city I lived just outside of…Dublin. We went to the same babysitters and from there on in became the best of friends, Alec had one flaw to his name but we shared many similarities that rolled off one another, he could see something being made in program for and the end result got him what he wanted but the shell was never what he imagined it would be. His parents were always a get help to him having the background to aid him in all that he was into, my farm father had none of the skills I possessed however but had the words to always back my play. My mother died at the hands of a failed dialysis machine when she was getting a transplant for donating part of her organ to save another life and that was the darkest day of my eleven year old life. From that point on Alec was even closer to me becoming the ever watchful older brother I never had and I became deep into my calling as a crafter holding the solemn vow to never let a machine fail again…and that brings me to my name, Rig Stevens…or at least it was until a near miss from the reaper himself forced a change.

The wind was cold; no matter the coat you wore it snap through you like an evil spell. I stood to the left covered by two rows of people in front looking directly to the casket as it was lowered to the cold depths of the dirt, my dear beloved friend lie to its midst. As the words of priest went on I bowed my head on occasion, only to the parts I deemed worthy, looking up only to sight the beauty my friend left to the world and my new job. The next machine that to my eyes was now broken and I needed to fix.

Her chocolate brown hair coated in the veil she wore but appeared to her front as its length drew nearly to the middle of her coat. Her eyes wet from tears but as always were they green and full of a life passion only my friend could handle on occasion. She had a smile that only a temptress carried and that was a feature that even my brother wasn`t immune from. He married her after all, and as far as I was from her, the sweet smell of vanilla curved it`s way to me like a calling of the wild. Alec was always as far as I could recall a man after Asian girls, he had lots of them as girlfriends over his young years, this one held the inner soul he so desperately wanted to match his own but I hardly think he would imagined it coming from the shell of a beauty half Italian and the other half Spanish.

Growing up as we did one spot in time stuck with me, we as kids were always playing spies, him the one to the computer that tell me where to go and how to get in things, being the reserve of the two of us as youth he loved doing that part and I loved the action hero who did the combat. I during the course of the games would get all the damsels in distress and Alec was fine with always pretending he got some new secret tech to figure out. Now as age has solidified our roles we couldn’t have been more reverse as our adolescent years took hold, he had a different girlfriend almost every two or three weeks and as his height sprang up and mine mostly stayed the same little did girls have an interest in me, it hurt a bit to be sure and drew into a resentful status but I gain where that slacked for my focus to my mechanical and tactical extrapolations.

I came on approach to her after the priest was finished his speech, it was nice, clean and organized. Something me and my best friend shared for a life`s pursuit, coming up on her back the wind changed direction as if to tell her I was there, she turned having me sight those intense and raw hurting eyes. Every time my eyes focus to his stone I see images of our past we once had but as my eyes turned to her the only thing that came to mind was the vow of protection to the ones we loved we promised upon each other if the worse should ever come to pass. He was lucky and I guess I was too picky but when it came to the relations of girls for a companion I never found what I was fully looking for, so he got away free of the vow I suppose.

“Maria” I simply said as she scanned me for approval. I wore my usual attire for such an occasion, leather coat that had a double tongue to the front, sunglasses made by Oakley, and to my wrist, she noticed my watch…the one my best friend gave to me as we parted from the country years ago and from each other. It wasn’t anything done by Alec that caused the split off but my choice to join the military and then an early exit at the peak of my performance, my team was slaughtered on the act of a fly by bombing and failing to kill me then did then take the life of my sister and father to make me again come to the surface, I never did find out the assailant that did the attack but rarely do you get any answers when you run a black operation mission. I now take all addresses under a new name Taven Cross.

She gripped me tight in thankfulness that I came, and in wonderment does my mind cradle thoughts of why I did. The work I did for a living and choice couldn`t be done here, but it is the type that could aid my friends further. She peeled from the grasp and looked to my face, smiled at its simplicity wiping away her tears.

“He talked a lot about you Taven, more that I care to admit and almost more than me. God he loved you”

“I`m going to miss him too Maria” I replied and she buried herself again to my coat, squeezing tighter as if to hide from the entire world in it. A small cry brought the world she had built back to her reality releasing again from my hold, she moved to the women by her holding a small child…one I have only seen once, when I was pronounced her godfather. Their dear sweet daughter who will never see the face of her father again, who will only know how great of a man he was through the words and speech of our tongues…I only pray it will be enough.

My mind races with the news of what he had been looking into, he had notes and documents but nothing was concrete, but it was enough to get him killed for apparent fear of what he might fully know. For now my gut was sick and hard, this wasn’t over in my eyes. The murder was too quick seeing the dates of the documents he had were only weeks ahead of his death. They found out somehow and fast on what he knew…but what if they weren’t done, what if they weren’t convinced.

One back from me was their lawyer, a friend to the firm Alec was with and the rich features on him anyone could smell out, accompanied by the always crooked intent.

“Maria” I spoke out seeing her tend to her little one, Nissa was her name. She sparked to me as I spoke “Can we talk somewhere alone”

“I have just need of one signature from her if I may” intruded the lawyer behind me, I turned to him with a hard look, Maria just looked at me with a go on gesture as she noticed me type on my phone, I then show here the screen.

Don’t speak, you are not safe in the house, go to a hotel. I’ll get some of your things; speak to no one about this not even the maid staff. Give me two hours and come alone to your favourite coffee shop, I know where it is.

She was baffled “oh come on, aren’t you being a little paranoid Taven” she muttered under her fall chilled breath

“No” I said back sternly, she rolled her eyes “Please do this for me”

“Why” she questions back to which I again reply on the phone (They may be listening right now for insurance the leak was finished) then I as I see her done with it say aloud

“They can’t know what we found out”, her look slow dripped away replaced by suspicion that lead to her signing nothing that day.

All went like clockwork for the next two hours; I packed things for both of them. Had her walk into the front of the house fully noticed just an hour after that and as the sun set on the day the plan went into play. Her child was safe already at the hotel with a fake look alike to her arms for the show. As the time stretched over to ten thirty and the cover of night was in full bloom, she took to a shaded escape. With an over the top performance she needed much convincing to be done she dressed full in black with a mask to her face, she at my side was smuggled a back unknown way out of her own home.

We rondevued at the hotel for her to again grasp hold of her dear child, crews at her home estate worked as they normally did and she announced her sleep retirement to the maids as she always did…then it happened.

At around two in the morning, emergency responders get a call and launch into action as her once secure home filled with memories of love and life went up a fury scene of flames.

Next Chapter: Chapter One