"Newton's first law of motion is that an object at rest stays at rest, or an object in motion stays in motion at the same speed, unless acted on by an external force… Newton's second law…" Scorpan sighed, closed the book in his lap, and rose from his cushioned chair, walking across the large room atop the velvet rug beneath his feet. He reached a large bookcase, taller than him by a factor of five and filled with books recommended far beyond his age.
He put the book away and then moved towards the large window to his side, sitting on the windowsill and gazing through the bars that prevented him from opening it. In the courtyard below, the guards made their rounds, keeping the family safe from would-be intruders. Thieves and assassins tried regularly, but thanks to his parents' elite guard, the family was safe.
"I would like to go out and see the village," he said aloud, knowing what his answer would be.
Two guards stood at his door, their jobs to keep anyone without authorisation out, and to keep Scorpan in.
"We cannot do that, young lord," one of the guards said. "Your parents have requested that you stay inside today."
"And yesterday, and the day before, and the day before." Scorpan wondered if he could set up some elaborate trick to make them move, but nothing came to mind. They were trained soldiers, and Scorpan was no fighter; he knew how to handle a gun and a sword, but without either he was helpless.
His room had an attached bathroom with the vent locked tight, and food was delivered in a dumbwaiter that was too small for him to fit inside. Being a prince in a country that despised the monarchy meant that he had very few rights. Not the glamorous experience one might expect from a boy in his position.
"Just three more days," he said. "In three days, I turn ten, and will make my public debut." Maybe then, things would change. Maybe things would get better after his tenth birthday.
His tenth birthday happened, and then it was over. Just like his previous birthdays, his parents showered him with gifts – books for study, weights at his request for staying fit, a new home tutor for more advanced courses, and fancy clothing for the public events he was to attend in the future. And then, of course, toys. Being their only child, Scorpan was showered with presents from his doting parents. Toys that were meaningless, because he had nobody to share them with. Toys that he would happily trade from even just one friend.
After making his debut, Scorpan returned to his room for further study, and then returned at the end of the party to dance with a noble's daughter around his age. She wasn't very nice; she spoke as though she were a god, as if Scorpan was a treasure to be won, and as though the commoners outside of the palace were an infestation to be contained.
Scorpan had asked what life outside the palace was like, but all that did was invite her to brag about her own mansion for the entirety of their dance. Not once did she mention the town outside, where the 'peasants' lived.
After much insistence, Scorpan finally won a victory from his parents. Though he was still contained to the palace, Scorpan was allowed to walk freely around, even go out into the courtyard, though the Royal Guard was to keep him under stricter surveillance than usual.
Two weeks passed, and Scorpan was once again touring the courtyard, enjoying the fun shapes the gardener had made with the hedges at his request. Various animals he had only ever seen in books. One was a horse, another an elephant.
Scorpan was stopped at one hedge when he noticed something poking out of the leaves. Something round and red. He wondered if he should alert the guards, but before he could, the red thing moved. It had a face, and it looked at him with a curious look. Its face was dirty and its body covered in scratches, and it tilted its head to one side as Scorpan did the same. And then, it barked.
"A dog," Scorpan surmised as he approached the small animal. He looked around and found that the Royal Guard would not be able to see it from their vantage point across the yard. Smiling, he ducked behind the hedge and pet the dog's head gently. It took an immediate liking to him and pressed its head into his hand eagerly, its tail wagging. "No collar. Are you a stray?"
The dog barked again, and Scorpan motioned for it to stay quiet. "Hey, you hungry? Want something to eat?" The dog barked, quieter this time. "Alright, wait right here. I'll go get you a snack."
Scorpan rushed to the kitchen and picked up some biscuits, and then returned to where the dog was waiting for him. He broke them into suitable pieces and held them out in the palm of his hand. The dog sniffed his hand cautiously, and then dug into the snack.
Scorpan laughed, mostly from the tickling of the tongue against his hand. "Let's see, I guess you don't have a name… How about… Spike?" The dog's ears perked, and he looked up into Scorpan's eyes, lolling its head to the side happily. "Then Spike it is. Want to be my friend? You'd be the first I've ever had."
Spike barked merrily, jumping into Scorpan's lap and licking at his face. Scorpan laughed, pushing Spike away. "I'll take that as a yes!" He set Spike down on the ground and hummed in thought. "Okay, come back here tomorrow and I'll bring you something nice! Promise?"
The following day, Scorpan had brought Spike a collar, taken from one of the plush toys that his parents had bought from him. Spike was only a small thing, so he was sure that it would fit, and he was right.
The day after that, Scorpan had taken down a basket for Spike, which he placed deep in the bushes to ensure it wouldn't be found, and the day after that, he had taken a bottle of water so he could wash Spike's fur.
Spike seemed to understand Scorpan's word very well, and knew to stay out of sight of others in the palace, and not to bark too loudly. Scorpan had taken to studying outside, reading aloud so that Spike could hear him, too, and when he got bored of studying, he and Spike would play. Whenever we was stressed or worried, Spike was always a great listener, and whenever he just wanted to sit and mope, Spike would simply nuzzle up close to him, comforting Scorpan until he was feeling better again.
Two months passed. Scorpan was greeted by his parents one day at breakfast, who had a surprise visitor with them. A boy only a few years older than him, dressed in a grey suit and with a distinguished look on his face, with the friendliest smile he had seen from anyone besides his parents. The boy's hair was slicked-back, and an amulet around his neck showed that he was from a noble family, though he wasn't certain which one. He recognised the crest but couldn't quite place the name.
"Say hello to your new brother, Scorpan," his mother said.
"This is Tirek. His parents have recently passed away, and we've agreed to take him in and raise him as our own," his father explained.
Scorpan reasoned that Tirek's family had been big shots. Perhaps his father was the CEO of a large, influential company, or perhaps he was distantly related to the royal family. Regardless, he greeted Scorpan warmly, and as the two shook hands, Scorpan felt happy. Perhaps he would have another friend, now.
Each day, Scorpan would continue to feed and play with Spike in secret, and study outside, claiming that the fresh air was good for him. One day, however, he was caught. Tirek had noticed him moving strangely, and had followed him to his secret spot behind the hedges.
"Please, please, PLEASE don't tell my parents!" Scorpan pleaded, almost in tears over the fear of what might happen if Spike's existence was revealed. A filthy stray, who could be carrying anything, who could belong to a rival family, who could be a distraction to Scorpan's studies… These were surely the things they would have said, and Spike would be taken away and put down.
"Relax, bro," Tirek said, placing a reassuring hand on his shoulder. "I won't tell, but there's just one condition."
Scorpan sniffed, wiping the tears from his eyes. "Y-Yeah?"
Tirek smiled. "You gotta let me play, too."
Scorpan smiled back, and nodded his head. He introduced Spike to Tirek, and Tirek to Spike. She showed Tirek how he and Spike played, how he fed him, how they studied together, the basket he had made, everything…
"You really care for him, huh?"
Scorpan nodded. "He's the only friend I've ever had. Well, before you, I guess. If it wasn't for Spike, I would've been all alone…"
Scorpan was happy that he now had somebody to share Spike with, though one thing bothered him… The entire day, not once did Spike stop growling at Tirek.
Three nights later, Scorpan was awoken to a strange sound. He looked around, and found the guards that were meant to watch him gone. Uneasy, Scorpan got up and left his room, walking through the mansion to find his parents. He stopped at the main hall, however, as he saw something that took him a while to process. Tirek, along with the two guard meant to watch Scorpan, were giving various jewels and weapons to a group of robed strangers. In return, they were given sacks of gold, which the three distributed amongst themselves.
Scorpan gasped, and everybody turned to look at him. "I will handle this," Tirek said, and dismissed the strangers. After they had left, Tirek approached Scorpan, who wasn't sure whether to stay and talk, or to run to his parents.
"W-What's going on?" he asked.
"Oh, just a simple trade," Tirek said nonchalantly. "Nothing serious. We found some trinkets around the house, just gathering dust, and felt that they would be more useful u few sold them to some wealthy 'investors'."
"Y-You were selling Mother and Father's things? After they trusted you?! Why?!"
"Ah, trust is such an easy thing to buy. Your guards were in the moment I showed them a sample of the money they could make, and even your own parents were willing to trust me. A short sob story about how Mommy and Daddy beat me, and they were certain of my loyalty to them."
"What do you mean?" Scorpan asked.
"Simple. I killed my parents, and your parents adopted me. That way, I, the heir to my father's company, could legally pass it on to them when I come of age."
Scorpan narrowed his eyes, tears streaming down his face as his fists shook. "But then you betrayed them. You're selling their possessions for money and bribing their soldiers behind their backs! I'm gonna tell them-"
"Wouldn't it be a shame if they learned of Spike?" Scorpan gasped, his eyes widening suddenly. Tirek simply grinned. "These trinkets, these little baubles, they mean nothing to your parents. They won't even be missed. Spike, however? That is a life that can never be bought back. A friend that you will lose forever." As Tirek passed Scorpan, the two guards following behind him, he whispered, "I trust you know what to do. You're smart, Scorpan."
Scorpan waited until he was alone in the hallway, and then, he fell to his knees, punching the floor in his frustration as he took care not to scream.
Over the months, Scorpan would continue to turn a blind eye to Tirek's deeds. Tirek would continue to sell various trinkets from around the house, and would set up certain high-ranking guards to get them executed and allow those he'd bribed to rise in the ranks.
Then, Tirek started to press Scorpan for sensitive information relating to the family. His parents' weaknesses, the palace's emergency procedures and panic rooms, details on trade partners and the routes they took… Scorpan supplied all of this under the belief that Tirek was simply selling it. He would act as an accomplice to Tirek's schemes, planting evidence to incriminate soldiers and conning information out of nobles, or picking their pockets using the techniques Tirek taught him.
So long as Spike was safe, Scorpan thought that it would be okay. It was too late to turn back, anyway. He had already dirtied his hands too much. The only way forward was to stay on this path, protecting his one and only friend in the world. Nothing else mattered…
Scorpan stood over the bodies of his dead parents, his face pale as a ghost and his hands trembling as he tried to convince himself that they were alright. His face was a mess of sweat and tears, and his sadness could only be trumped by the immense anger directed towards his adopted older brother, who had served the wine that they toasted on only moments before.
"Relax," Tirek said. "Yours was not poisoned. You'll be safe."
"Y-You… No, you-you killed…" Scorpan put a hand to his mouth, holding in the bile rising through his throat. He looked past Tirek, to the five soldiers guarding the only way out of the room. This wasn't a simple robbery anymore. It was a coup d'état.
"Thanks to the funds you helped me to raise," Tirek replied. "You helped me build an army, and I also have many partners ready to trade with me in exchange for pieces of the royal family's wealth. You really helped me a lot, Scorpan."
Scorpan gritted his teeth. "You bastard! You never said anything about this!"
"You did not need to know." Tirek chuckled. "Remember what I told you when you first found me that night? I told you that you were smart. That was a lie, Scorpan. You're not smart, you're simple. Easy to use."
"You-" Scorpan stopped. Tirek reached behind his chair, pulling out a muzzled-Spike. He wasn't moving.
"He's not dead. Merely sedated. Honestly, though, how little faith you had in your own parents and their troops. Did you honestly think they had no idea about your stray?"
"What? B-But they… never said anything…"
"Because they saw how happy you were, and wanted to let you continue believing you had your little secret for a while longer. Such sentiment also made your parents easy to use."
Scorpan fell to his knees, staring at his parents' bodies with a disbelieving look in his eyes. "Then… why did I… all this time?"
"You betrayed them for this mutt. You made your choice, and now, your hands are no cleaner than mine." Tirek pulled a gun out from his jacket and pointed it at Spike's temple. "If I killed him now, what would you have left? No family, no friends, no fortune… No future."
"No, please! Don’t!"
"Of course, I could let the two of you go, but… what then? What kind of future does a boy like you possess? The product of a hated family, who would sell out his fellow man for the life of stray dog."
"Please, don't kill him…"
Tirek grinned. "Whether he lives or he dies, there is no future for you. None… expect with me."
Scorpan gasped. "N-No, please… I-I don't want to do these things anymore…"
"Ah, but your skills have proved useful, Scorpan. So, you see, I would be very upset if you refused. Yes, very… So much so that I might just take it out on your pup here, and believe me, I can keep him alive for a very long time."
"NO!" Scorpan bolted to his feet, but stopped as the soldiers behind Tirek pointed their guns at him.
Tirek raised his hand, and they lowered their weapons. "… You have two choices. You can walk free, but your mutt stays with me. Or, you and your friend can finally live together, as you wished, but under my employment."
Scorpan clenched his hands into fists. His blood boiled, his body felt as though it were on fire. He fell to his knees again, clutching his head as he let out a blood-curdling scream that resonated throughout the entire mansion.
Dexter, who had used his expertise to hack into the FBI's system and send a virus that disabled all security programs for just enough time to break out his comrades. He checked the cameras of the safehouse, ensuring they were not followed.
Cybil, who had broke in FBI confinement and revealed sensitive information. He was chained to a wall with the barrel of a gun pointed at his forehead.
Mute, who had not revealed anything thanks to his inability to speak. He kept the barrel against Cybil's head.
And then Lars, Tirek's contact who had witnessed Scorpan's failure from afar. He was pointing a gun at Scorpan with one hand, whilst his other presented the man with a small wooden box. "A gift from Tirek."
Scorpan took the box, gritting his teeth as he opened it and peeked inside. His face twisted in anger. He knew that this was coming, but he held onto hope. Hope that perhaps Tirek was willing to give him one more chance. Hope that, perhaps, he was still useful to Tirek.
The decapitated head of his beloved pet inside that box told Scorpan that he had outlived his usefulness to Tirek. After these long years of service, Tirek no longer had any need for his skills, and this last failure had sealed his fate…
"Orders from Tirek himself," Lars said. "Your services are no longer required, Scorpan."
Scorpan put down the box, his body regaining its composure as he slowly rose back up, keeping his eyes on Lars the entire time. "Tirek… doesn't even realise, does he? That he has just made the biggest mistake of his life."
Lars simply laughed, and pulled the trigger. Scorpan turned in time to absorb the bullet with his bulking arm, and then rammed Lars, knocking his gun out his hand.
"Tirek sees me as weak because of my softness, and perhaps he's right. But, now that the source of my softness is gone, what does that mean for my weakness?"
Scorpan reached out and grabbed either side of Lars' head, lifting the man off of his feet and squeezing. Lars flailed his feet and demanded Scorpan to stop.
Mute turned his gun to Scorpan, and Cybil took his chance to tackle to sniper.
A shot rang out, passing Scorpan's face and causing him to drop Lars. Lars took the chance to pull out a knife and stabbed it at his assailant, but Scorpan was able to grab his wrist, and he twisted it, forcing the hand to open as Lars howled in pain.
Cybil kept Mute pinned to the floor as the two wrestled for the gun, occasionally throwing punches at each other's faces. Cybil overpowered Mute and managed to get on top of him, but Mute's finger was still on the trigger of his gun. Slowly, he started to inch it towards Cybil. Inch-by-inch, it got closer to its target…
It stopped once Scorpan drove Lars' knife into Mute's throat. A shot rang out, forcing Cybil to climb off of Mute as he held his ear and hissed in pain. Mute grasped at his throat, flailing and gurgling in the blood building up in his mouth. Soon, he stopped, and his body fell limp.
Scorpan and Cybil exchanged glances, both panting and wincing from their wounds. It only lasted for a moment, though, before Dexter came rushing into the room to see if everything was okay.
"I heard a gunshot. What-" He saw Mute's body on the floor, a pool of blood beneath it, and Lars' body thrown over a table, his neck twisted in ways not natural.
Scorpan picked up Mute's gun and pointed it at Dexter, who quickly raised his hands. He looked again at Cybil, and the two nodded to each other.
"From now on," Scorpan said to Dexter, "You work for us, or your life ends here. Understood?"