The Price Of Hatred

Chapter 32 - Episode 2

​Vener didn't say another word. She recognized the wall he was putting up. She turned on her heel and walked straight toward the exit, knowing with absolute certainty that Roman was hiding a deeper motive—something dark that he didn't want her to discover yet. As she reached the threshold and gripped the handle of the door, pulling it open to step out, Roman’s voice called out from the shadows behind her.

​“Keep your eyes wide open on the main game, Vener. Note every single move she makes.”

​Vener didn't offer a reply. She simply stepped out into the hallway and let the door slam shut behind her.

​Hours later, as the digital clocks in the facility rolled forward, Roman walked back into the roaring, brightly lit computer lab. He stood on the upper platform, his eyes scanning rows of technicians until they caught the female operative—Asael—who had come to his office earlier that morning. Roman marched straight down the aisle, stepping up directly behind the ergonomic chair she was sitting in while her fingers flew across a keyboard.

​“Hey. I think I would need your specific help right now,” Roman murmured over her shoulder.

​Asael jumped slightly, spinning around in her chair to look up at him in surprise. “Oh! Okay, sir. What should I help you with?”

​“First... what is your name?” Roman asked smoothly.

​Asael blinked, a small, sheepish smile appearing on her face. “Oh. You don’t know my name?”

​“I don’t know most of the names of the hundreds of people who work beneath my payroll, and it's never been a problem before. But I could know yours,” Roman said casually.

​“Asael,” she responded instantly, straightening her headset. “I’m Asael.”

​“Okay, Asael. I need to initiate a chat with Todd.”

​Asael’s brow furrowed with curiosity. “Oh? You want me to send a secure text message to him through the dark network lines?”

​“Yes. I want you to send a text message directly to his personal device.”

​“Okay, hold on a second,” Asael said, turning back to her terminal and typing a rapid sequence into the main frame. “Alright... I just cracked the proxy and hacked straight into his messenger application. I can relay an anonymous message to him directly through his encrypted feed. So, what exactly do you want me to send him?”

​Roman leaned in closer, his voice dripping with an eerie calm. “It’s a very nice message. Just tell him to meet me at the old shipping docks on the east side at 9:00 PM tonight... if he still wants to see his friend James alive again.”

​Asael let out a soft breath, a curious, sharp smile pulling at the corners of her mouth. “Yeah... that is a really nice message.”

​Her fingers danced over the keys, inputting the coordinates, and she clicked the send command. “It’s done. I just sent it through the secure channel... and, wait. He just viewed it. The receipt just turned green.”

​A line of white text violently popped up on the interface.

​‘Who the hell are u?’ Todd’s text responded instantly.

​“Should I tell him your actual name, boss?” Asael asked, turning her head back to look at Roman.

​“Yes,” Roman replied coldly. “And tell him he should do exactly as I’ve commanded, or he dies.”

​“On it,” Asael said, typing out the threat and hitting the transmit button.

​A few seconds passed in absolute silence before the monitor flickered with a new incoming message from Todd.

​‘Okay. And if he dies, you die.’

​Asael inhaled sharply, staring at the screen. “Okay... what should I send back to him after that?”

​“Nothing,” Roman said, straightening his coat. “Just make absolutely sure nobody else in this network knows about this transmission. I will be leaving the facility soon.”

​“Informed, boss,” Asael said, turning back to clear the log files.

​Roman turned around to leave the hub, completely unaware that across the crowded room, hidden behind the glare of a secondary data pillar, Vener had been standing silently, her eyes locked onto every single movement he made since the moment he stepped into the lab.

​Later that evening, the clock struck 8:30 PM.

​Across the city, at a dark, rain-slicked street corner near the industrial sector, Todd stepped out from the shadows of an abandoned warehouse. He moved with a slight, guarded tension, stopping right in front of a heavy, matte-black parked motorcycle. Todd swung his leg over the frame, settling into the seat, and kicked the ignition. The engine roared to life with a deep, mechanical hum. Without looking back, he twisted the throttle and sped away into the darkness.

​Within twenty minutes, Todd arrived at the desolate east side shipping docks—the exact meeting location Roman had transmitted. The area was completely abandoned, the rusted cranes towering over the water like skeletal giants. Todd cut the bike's engine, staying mounted as he looked around through the gloom. Roman wasn't there yet.

​A few minutes passed before the sweeping headlights of a black luxury sedan cut through the dark. The vehicle rolled slowly across the gravel, coming to a smooth halt yards away. Roman was the only occupant inside. He opened the driver’s door, stepping down gently onto the concrete, his hands shoved casually into his long coat pockets as he walked forward to confront Todd.

​“You’re late,” Todd noted smoothly.

​“Everyone’s always late in this city,” Roman countered, his voice raw and impatient. He stepped off the motorcycle, his boots gripping the asphalt.

“Where is he? You said you have him.”

​“Yes, I did say that, and technically I don’t have him in my physical custody—not yet,” Roman said, his tone infuriatingly calm. “But you will be the one getting him for me. So I could ultimately save him from an impending death.”

​Todd’s expression darkened instantly. “Don’t play fucking jokes with me, Roman. Where is he?”

​Roman looked down at Todd’s posture, his eyes scanning his frame. “How is your leg doing? Because the last time I checked, it wasn't doing too well after that run-in with the acid.”

​Todd’s jaw tightened. “It seems you came out here completely alone tonight.”

​“Yes, because we are here to have a strictly private conversation.”

​At those words, Todd’s arm moved with lightning speed, reaching deep into the interior pocket of his heavy jacket. He pulled out a sleek, black semi-automatic handgun, his grip locking onto the handle as he brought the barrel up, pointing it directly at the center of Roman’s forehead.

​“And you are the absolute foolish man I have ever known,” Todd hissed, his finger tightening slightly on the trigger mechanism. “Tell me exactly where he is right now, or I will blow your fucking head wide open across this dock.”

​Roman didn't flinch. He didn't even take his hands out of his pockets. He stared straight down the barrel of the weapon, his smile remaining completely intact. “We both know you are never going to shoot me, Todd.”

​“Just tell me where he is.”

​“He is currently dying,” Roman lied smoothly, his voice dropping into a tone of synthetic gravity. "He's dying from his injuries. The people holding him aren't giving him water, food, or medical treatment. At the rate he's deteriorating, he'll be dead before sunrise.”

​Todd’s arms remained steady, though his mind raced. “Tell me where he is, and I will find a new antidote myself that can clear is injuries.”

​“You can’t,” Roman countered with a cold sneer. “The compound is highly rare. He will probably die within the next twenty hours, and the pathetic people who actually poisoned him don’t even have the cure in their possession.”

​Todd’s eyes narrowed into slits. “And who exactly is the person who poisoned him?”

​“You already know him very well,” Roman said, leaning forward slightly. “It’s your good friend, Butcher.”

​Todd shook his head, a wave of deep distrust washing over his face. “I don’t trust a single word coming out of your mouth, Roman. How do I honestly know it’s Butcher holding him?”

​“If you truly don’t want James to die a horrific death inside a dark cage, you should go out there and find Butcher yourself,” Roman stated plainly.

​“How am I supposed to find him?” Todd demanded, lowering the gun by a mere fraction of an inch. “You clearly already know his exact coordinates.”

​“Find him yourself, and once you successfully locate the sector,” Roman directed, his voice hardening into an absolute order, “you bring James straight to me.”

​“Where?”

​“You already know exactly where to find me when the time comes,” Roman said.

​Todd watched him, his mind cataloging the variables. “I have one final question for you. What do you really want out of this? Because I know a snake like you always wants something for himself.”

​Roman didn't offer a direct answer. He turned around, walking back toward the idling luxury sedan, and stopped just as he opened the driver’s side door. He looked back over the roof of the car, his eyes reflecting the distant city lights as he locked his gaze onto Todd one last time.

​“You will know...” Roman whispered, his voice disappearing into the wind, “...once he wakes up.”