Crimson Red, Cerulean Blue

Argot’s eyes scanned the report, narrowing as they neared the bottom of the page. They’d failed again, as expected. How stupid. He’d warned Fallon not to put the plan in place.

He was surprised, though, to find out that the other members of the Seven had shown up. He hadn’t thought they’d be able to find the place. Obviously, that was a mistake.

Mask would not be pleased.

Argot stood, placing the report to the side. There was only one thing he could tell his master now if he wanted to keep his life. With any luck, the project would be finished. He’d certainly given it enough time.

He walked over to the wall of his room, sliding a hand over the smooth surface. It opened to reveal a keypad, which he inputted a few digits into. After a beep, the entire wall slid away without a sound.

Argot entered the hidden chamber, his eyes fixed on a tube in the very center. A display to the left flashed green, reflecting the assassin’s gaze as he took notice. A smile out of a child’s nightmare appeared on his face as he opened the door of the tube, releasing a billowing cloud of steam.

“Are you awake?” he asked crisply to Phase Three of the Opposite Plan.

Slowly, out of the steam, a person appeared. A boy, with nut-brown hair and bright green eyes.

“Argot?”

Argot smiled. “Fully functional. Mask will be pleased. How are you doing, Reuben?”

The boy was silent for a second, something twisting across his face. “Where’s Red?” he finally asked.

Argot raised an eyebrow. “You already know the answer to that.”

Reuben stared at the ground. In a very soft voice, he whispered, “He replaced me, didn’t he?”

“Correct. I’m glad the information has registered.” Argot’s eyes glittered. “You do know the name of your replacement, don’t you?”

Reuben’s hands clenched into fists, so hard that the knuckles turned white. “Blue.”

“And your mission?”

He looked up, eyes full of rage. In a voice like death, he replied, “I need to kill her.”

“Correct again. But, of course, that’s not going to be easy. Blue’s a smart girl. That’s how come she wiled her way past all Red’s defenses and into your place.” A corner of Argot’s mouth turned upward. “You really can’t blame the poor boy, not with how devious that girl is.”

“Tell me how to do it,” Reuben demanded sharply. “Tell me what to do, and I’ll kill her.”

“Very good!” Argot clapped. “I’m so glad you’re willing to listen to reason. Now, listen close. Here’s the plan…”

Reuben listened as the plan unfolded. Once he’d memorized everything, he nodded.

“Understood?” asked Argot.

“Understood,” Reuben confirmed. A cruel smile that matched Argot’s exactly appeared on his face.

“No one messes with my best friend.”

Book 1 – End