Chapter 1
Talon frowned, the light of his phone illuminated his face as he reread the address on the screen.
Yep he was in the right place, Vex wanted to meet him... here.
He looked down at the apartment block, it was old, graffiti and grime coated the outside, several windows had been smashed in then hastily boarded back up and cement was falling away in places to reveal the red brick underneath.
This wasn't what concerned Talon, in fact at this point he had come to expect decrepit old buildings, slowly falling apart, as prime location to deliver sensitive information to Avalon's most infamous arsonist.
What did concern Talon was the warm light switched on in various windows, from his vantage point atop the opposite building he could see people living, actually living, in these apartments.
Behind one window a couple ate dinner around a small table, behind another an old man sat enjoying the television, an even older dog sleeping at his heels.
As he watched a lady carrying three bags of grocery shopping in one arm and a young child in the other, struggled to open the heavy door of the building without setting down any of the bags or the baby.
Talon raised his eyebrows and nonchalantly sent down a feather to push the door open.
The woman looked at the kid in alarm as the door seemingly opened by itself and she hurried inside.
This was unusual.
Yes this building was in the poorest part of the city, crime in this area ran rampant and from the look of the place Talon was certain several arrest-able offences were happening inside its walls while he perched- freezing his feathers off- outside of it.
But usually when Vex wanted to meet he chose a place less... populated.
Talon's dealings so far with with the villain had taken him to abandoned warehouses, factories, rooftops and alleyways: places so devoid of life even the rats and pigeons scurried hurriedly by, not daring to stop and threaten their privacy.
Average people, families even, lived in this building; it made Talon nervous.
Admittedly he was also slightly irritated, he had had plans this evening before Vex text him an address out of the blue and the Directorate forced him to investigate.
Plans he had been looking forward to.
He'd sent Mira a quick 'Sorry I can't make it - hero business - tell the kids I said Hi' message but knowing her she'd probably already cooked him something that was now going to waste.Shit.
He pulled out his last pathetic and crumbling breakfast bar from deep within his pocket dejectedly.
It would have to do.
He pouted.
He felt restless, infiltrating the Syndicate was far more difficult than he had originally imagined and the slow progress was driving him crazy.
He still hadn't met Kael Dravenfort.
Hell, he hadn't met anyone besides the flame bastard.
It had been months now since he first tracked down the villain and he had nothing to show for it.
Even worse the Directorate was starting to notice, he could feel their suited eyes fixed on the back of his head each time he left a board meeting with no new information.
He needed to catch a break, and if he was going to stay in the higher up's good books, he needed to catch one fast.
Maybe tonight I'll get lucky...
Talon mused, eyeing his phone.
According to the message, Vex wanted to meet him on floor 6 apartment 9.
Oh very lucky!
He smirked.
Then quickly shook the joke and accompanying thoughts from his mind.
This is a very important, serious reconnaissance mission for the Directorate, he chided himself, flying across the street and landing silently on the roof of the apartment block.
There would be no time for... 69. He started his climb down the steep metal staircase that spiralled up the far wall of the building.
A fire escape and back exit for those living on the upper floors.
Talon hugged his wings close to his body as he climbed.
Their large size made the narrow stairway difficult to squeeze through.
Especially without making too much noise.
It wouldn't betoobad for him to be recognised right now, his agency wasn't exactly close to the block but he was sure he was charming enough to come up with some excuse if he did run into a civilian.
Being discovered whilst talking to Vex however?
That was a different matter.
Even he couldn't think of a good, definitely not guilty, reason for that.
The Directorate would not be happy.
In fact this whole thing was incredibly risky and could jeopardise his mission to infiltrate the Syndicate.
Perhaps this was another of Vex's tests?
Or perhaps it was a trap?
His feathers stiffened.
He should turn back.
Give Vex some excuse and leave.
He paused, watched his breath disappear into the cold evening sky, then shrugged and continued the climb.
A heavy looking wooden door prevented him from entering the 6th floor.
He turned the handle.
Locked.
Not a problem.
He called one of his smallest feathers to his hand, hardened it and slid the tip into the keyhole; feeling the shape of the feather and sensing the space around it in his mind, he manipulated the fibres to push against the inside of the lock, feeling the ins and outs of the mechanism.
The lock clicked and he smiled as he turned the feather with the handle and the door opened.
He was number 2 for a reason.
The inside of the block was as gloomy as the outside.
Off white paint peeled slowly down the walls and a large damp stain ate across the ceiling.
Brown doors lined the 6th floor corridor, each had a number from 1 to 10 hammered haphazardly into the wood.
Making as little noise as he could Talon crept through the corridor, this floor seemed just as busy as the others, lights and figures shifted behind closed doors.
Movement flickering in the gap between the wood and the carpet.
Talon counted with the numbers as he walked, the unease in the pit of his stomach climbed with each digit until he was finally stood outside number 9.
The bottom of the door was caved inwards like it had been kicked.
Kicked repeatedly.
He knocked.
No response.
He pushed the handle.
It opened.
The entryway to the apartment was cold, dark and small.
The floorboards creaked as Talon made his first step into the room.
The hairs on his arms and the back of his neck stood on end, he shivered and pulled his wings closer to his body.
It was probably not a good sign that it was so chilly.
Usually any space Vex occupied was just on the hot side of humid, whether he was using his gift or not.
Talon didn't think Vex could help it, the air around him was always just a little warmer than normal.
Like his gift was always on, just a little bit.
Talon reached for the light switch and slowly closed the door behind him.
A dim yellow glow filled the room, there was still no sign of Vex.
"Hey man, shout if you're dead." Talon called out to the emptiness.
He moved further into the apartment.
The entryway spilt off into two main rooms.
One was a bathroom.
The bathroom was about the size of a closet complete with a dripping and unappealing shower.
A layer of dust coated the surfaces.
Talon closed the door and tried again.
"Marco?" No response.
Vex was often late, especially when he himself was the one to plan the meeting, but what had started out as irritation, confusion and mild concern was now turning into a genuine worry that curled like a snake around Talon's heart.Where was he?
"You're meant to say 'Polo'." He continued, walking slowly into the second room.
This appeared to be a combined kitchen, lounge and bedroom, the whole space was about the size of Talon's guest room and it had been utterly ransacked.
The oven had been smashed, a sea of glass sprayed across the kitchen.
The fridge and kitchen cupboards were open and empty.
Various mysterious stains, that Talon didn't want to think too much about, dotted the carpet and walls.
An old wardrobe lay on its side, its doors hung loosely and its contents littered the floor.
The room's one window was blown wide, icy wind shook the frame as it tore through the small apartment.
A lonely mattress sat in the far corner of the room shadowed by a giant black burn that marked the wallpaper and bled onto the ceiling.
Talon stepped cautiously into the centre of the room, he sent out this feathers and started to scan the space.
He heard a grunt from behind him.
"Vex?"