“Get up,” the guard banged on the cell Charlie had been originally put in.

  The prince was in his clothes from the day prior, only now they were even more wrinkled from when he rushed to put them on. He let out a groan as he sat up, peeling his body off the hard metal surface they called a bed. Having only eaten a slice of white bread since being arrested, his stomach growled.

  “You’re done being processed. We can take you to your permanent cell.” The guard on the other side of the bars spoke to him again, keeping up his harsh tone.

  It had to have been early in the morning given how tired he was. Though, he figured that it could also be the uncomfortable conditions and the stress of it all. Time got lost down here, he hadn’t seen the sun since he was arrested. Trying to crack his back, Charlie twisted before getting up and heading to the door.

  It creaked open and he was guided out and down the hall. He went without any protest, wanting to be on his best behavior to help his innocence.

  They had taken his pictures and fingerprints yesterday, and the photo was used in a news article he didn’t know about. He was completely unaware that he captivated Cloenia’s attention since the word broke.

  For today, Charlie was stripped down in a room and hosed off. His body recoiled as the cold water hit him so suddenly. By the time his ‘shower’ was finished, he didn’t even mind that his luxurious clothes were packed away and he was handed an orange jumpsuit instead.

  Anything to warm himself up.

  Stepping through the leg holes and pulling up the jumpsuit, he zipped it all the way up to his neck like how it should be properly worn.

  He was led by a man he didn’t recognize to the floor below, it was not the same guard that had woken him up. A scratchy blanket rubbed at his forearms as he held it and a bag of toiletries. His hands were cuffed neatly under the pile of his new, and only, belongings.

  While the two walked in silence, Charlie in front of the guard, the surrounding inmates loudly booed the prince as he walked by. Charlie’s eyes looked at each one of them as he rattled their cases off in his head.

  One by one, he recognized them all.

  “Here,” the guard flung open the cell that Charlie was going to be staying in before he looked over the prince with disgust. Something told Charlie that this ASA officer didn’t believe his innocence at all.

  He stood there, staring down the cell that was smaller than the closet in his penthouse apartment.

  His closet was Lavender’s favorite spot to hide and get him at his ankles once he walked in. He hoped the cat was okay, but he didn’t strangle himself with worry too much. He knew Winnie could never forget his beloved girl. He only hoped, in that moment, that she knew he didn’t just abandon her.

  Light eyes scanned the cell, spotting the other man almost immediately. He was an older gentleman, with dark skin and patchy gray hair. He turned to the guard that was escorting him.

  “I have a cellmate?” Charlie thought he would’ve been alone for his own safety. He preferred to be alone for many reasons besides safety, too.

  “Get in,” the guard took Charlie by the shoulder and shoved him inside. Charlie stumbled slightly before placing down his appointed belongings on the bed. Slowly, he returned to the door to get his cuffs unlocked.

  “Enjoy your stay, Agent Fisher,” the guard let the door slam shut with a bang. He lifted his nose and spat at Charlie’s face. Charlie remained unwavering, he only stood tall and proud. He knew what the truth was, and he believed that the system would follow suit. It was his only option.

  The coarse material of the jumper was all he had to wipe the sprinkle of spit off him. After the guard walked away, Charlie gripped the iron power-dampening bars with one hand and leaned his forehead against them in defeat.

  He knew he would have to face his cellmate sooner rather than later, and he already missed the privacy of the processing cell.

  “Welcome in,” the other man spoke softly, much unlike any hardened criminals Charlie knew. Charlie turned only his head, not taking them off the bars as he looked at the old man from the corner of his eyes. It seemed like he aged right before him the longer Charlie stared at him.

  Like he had been waiting for his arrival, the inmate had his hands on his knees as he sat on the edge of his bed. At least the beds in these cells had a cushion, that was one positive.

  “I didn't expect to ever get a roommate since my last one, but it makes sense why they’d stick someone like you with me.” The old man spoke again once Charlie said nothing.

  Charlie turned fully around now, not taking his eyes off the man. Slowly, with eyes planted on each other, Charlie sat across from him on his own bed. Their knees almost touched.

  “Did you see any familiar faces on your walk down, Fisher?” The old man broke their short silence again. Charlie still didn’t speak, he only looked at the old man with a blank expression.

  “You don’t have to worry much about me. I won’t hurt ya,” he wheezed a small laugh, “people here just call me Rat.”

  Charlie tried to reach back in his memories for the case. It couldn’t have been one he did. Finally, Charlie spoke.

  “I don’t remember your case.”

  “No one really does. People just wanted someone to blame, how they pegged murder on an old man like me, I will never know. Some strong lawyer was running the case, and they didn’t want to waste the serum on me,” but Rat took two fingers and rubbed the back of his dark-skinned hand, “I think I know the reason, though.”

  Charlie didn’t like that. “My team?”

  Rat shook his head. “No, no, not with your sweet boy running that tech.”

  Charlie had to think for a moment as to who he could mean before it dawned on him.

  “Justin?”

  “He came to my courtroom every day,” Rat admitted with a smile. “You hired him?”

  “Yessir,” Charlie nodded, “top of his class.”

  “Then,” Rat wheezed a heavy breath. Charlie was almost concerned it was going to be his last one. “I’ll watch after you. For him.”

  Brightside was that he made an ally, downside was that the man looked like he could be snapped in half with a strong burst wind. Though, he supposed no wind blew this far underground. Maybe he had a shot.

  Rat laughed when Charlie didn’t continue the conversation.

  “I sense you’re a quiet one then, you can relax. I’m way too old and doing way too well with my good behavior. I don’t need some of my favorite privileges being revoked because of you.”

  There was no verbal answer from Charlie, but he did accept the invitation to finally relax. With his mind exhausted, he laid flat on the bed and closed his eyes.

  “After all, if you’re on this side of the bars,” Rat paused and tilted his head, “I can’t imagine you’re the same guy you were out there anymore.”

  Charlie popped one eye open to look at the old man. Rat was smiling, still sitting on the edge of his bed like he hadn’t said what he did.

  “I am the same guy. I’m innocent.” Charlie wanted to set the record straight.

  “That’s what we all say.”

  “Yeah, well, I am,” Charlie closed his eyes again, crossing his arms over his chest.

  “I’ve been framed.”

  “For?” Rat pressed.

  Charlie kept his eyes closed and gave a short sigh at the thought of everything. It was the first time he was going to say it out loud since he had been detained.

  “The murder of an amazing man,” Charlie turned his head to look at Rat, opening his eyes, “the head of the ASA, Aberneth Octavia.”

  The person who mentored him, took him out of Cloenia for the first time, and gave him something to work for when he thought there was no way to move forward, was gone. There would be no more impromptu dinners, quick phone calls, shared laughter over some coffee; nothing. His kids weren’t even old enough to really take over any of this. Until they could, Charlie thought the ASA would rest on his shoulders. Now, what would happen to his precious system? Would it crumble at the hands of whoever put him in here?

  Rat raised his eyebrows and rubbed his knees with both hands.

  “He personally handed you every award you ever got.”

  Charlie scrunched up his face. He sat up on one elbow to look at the guy.

  “How do you know that?”

  “I’m from Fisher.” Rat smiled softly, “I like to keep up on my royals. Besides, when a man like Aberneth, someone who looks like me, sits up that high in such a powerful institution; I pay attention.”

  It saddened Charlie to know that Abe gave hope to someone that was perhaps wrongly incarcerated right under his office. That pit of despair sank deeper in Charlie’s stomach.

  “Though, when it comes to my royals, I’m partial to the banished one. No offense.” Rat looked up at the ceiling in thought, smiling wide.

  A breathy laugh escaped Charlie for the first time since he was arrested. “I didn’t know anyone even remembered Rodgers.”

  “How could I not think of you both,” there was a glimmer in Rat’s eyes at the thought. “I remember the joy that surrounded the day you were born. It was such a happy day in Fisher. Two strong suitors for the throne, would make great soldiers.”

  “Well,” Charlie’s smile faded as he laid back down. “Look how we turned out.”

  Rat shrugged. “You always have the princess. One out of three isn’t terrible; could be worse.”

  “The princess is a fine fit, indeed,” Charlie wondered what she was doing. If she was okay, and how she took the news of his arrest. He hoped she wasn’t annoying Brenner too much.

  Little did Charlie know what was about to occur upstairs. That very princess was signing herself into the ASA to go see Brenner, to do just as Charlie feared she wasn’t. Brenner, having not called the princess in, rushed out and stopped her right in his doorway.

  “Now is not a good time,” Brenner wanted to keep her at bay now that he was considering being involved with Rodgers’ plan.

  “You never called me to go see Charlie and I knew you wouldn’t take your weekend with all this going on, so I figured you’d be here,” Winnie explained her thought process.

  “Yeah, I didn't call you,” Brenner looked confused. “So why did you come?”

  “To see Charlie.” She spoke firmly.

  Brenner scrunched up his face, surely she had to see where she was wrong in all of this. The stories he had heard from Charlie along with his own experiences led him to believe that she didn’t.

  “He has to be checked in by now. I want to see him.” She demanded.

  Brenner nodded his head, towering over her in the doorway. “He is checked in but visiting hours are over, you’ll have to come back tomorrow.”

  She didn’t want to take that as an answer. “Then take me to dinner.”

  If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

  Brenner nearly choked at her words, turning red.

  “What?”

  “Take me to dinner to discuss how much progress you made today.” She clarified.

  He closed his eyes at realizing now what she had meant. His heart still skipped a beat in his chest. Brenner shook his head like he was shaking out the nerves.

  “Princess, please, I’ve had a very long week that’s getting even longer and I would like to go home and get some rest.”

  “If you’re tired then surely you don’t want to cook.” She countered immediately.

  “I actually have leftovers waiting for me,” Brenner retorted.

  Brenner had shot her down to see her brother twice now. She pursed her lips, not liking how she was being withheld from her brother in his time of need.

  “Then I can come first thing tomorrow morning. You better ensure I see him.” She said with full confidence and a hint of demand.

  “I may be tied up in some things but, uh, maybe I can have someone else take you down to see him.” Brenner led the princess back down towards the front desk. Gently, he pointed to her visitor pass and she yanked it off. Their hands brushed as he handed it back.

  “Can I walk you to your car or the subway, your highness?”

  “I drive a motorcycle now.” She crossed her arms.

  His eyebrows dropped. “Charlie allows that?”

  “Charlie doesn’t have to allow me to do anything.” She puffed out her chest a little but she was no match for his six foot three frame.

  “Just, you know, it’s incredibly unsafe and not suited for a woman of your, uh, nobility.”

  She narrowed her eyes at the blond.

  “No, I don’t know.”

  “You may have a kingdom to run one day, is all,” Brenner muttered.

  “Well, a kingdom is a lot harder than a motorcycle.” She countered at her normal volume to outmatch his timid nature. “I will see myself out but, mark my words, I will be back tomorrow and you will take me to see my brother.”

  “Alright, alright; you will see Charlie tomorrow.”

  She walked towards the door before stopping short after a couple of paces, turning back to Brenner who straightened up in his stance. “And please, it’s been years, Brenner. Drop the princess and your highness stuff. You don’t do that to Charlie.”

  “Will do, Winnie.” Brenner looked down in slight shame.

  With a soft breath, her demeanor changed. She did feel bad for him having to work on this so suddenly. His mentor dead, his best friend arrested, she could imagine he was under a great deal of stress, himself.

  “Thank you for working overtime on this. He is innocent, I know he is.”

  “Of course he is. I’m on your side, Winnie. Don’t forget that.” Brenner nodded.

  “Right.” She nodded once.

  Brenner watched her leave, only relaxing once she was out of sight. Though, he couldn’t help but crack a little smile at what she had just done to him. The audacity of such a small woman, he would be lying if he didn’t say he admired it.

  Back down below, Charlie was trying to survive his first dinner in the cafeteria. The food was slightly cold and soggy. It wasn’t anything he was used to eating. He hadn’t known what slop was before this, but he had a good understanding of what it was now.

  Rat and him sat alone, Rat seeming to enjoy not talking to the others. Charlie wished it had been silent when he first got into the cell but he’ll take a meal alone with the guy to make up for it. He didn’t feel like drawing attention to himself in an open common area.

  “All this time you’ve been down here,” Charlie broke their silence after he forcefully swallowed his food, “you didn’t make any friends?”

  “Only friend I needed was my last cellmate. He had enough personalities in his head to make me feel surrounded by people.” Rat laughed softly.

  “Crazy?”

  Rat nodded as he scooped some food into his mouth. “Most likely, he was due for testing but they never got around to it.”

  “Why?” Charlie asked.

  “He got out before they could.” Rat shrugged.

  Confusion washed over Charlie’s face at his answer. “Was he found not guilty in his trial?”

  “I didn’t say he got out the legal way, Charles,” Rat shook his head. “Just said he got out.”

  Charlie thought for a moment before it dawned on him. He looked at Rat and his face must’ve given his thoughts away.

  Rat shook his head. A thin and shaking old finger went up to his chapped lips and Charlie confirmed it in his head.

  Rat’s old cellmate was Zeken Freed.

  “How? Do you know how?” Even down here, Charlie was still desperate to do his job.

  Rat shook his head and went back to his food.

  “Not here.”

  Charlie looked around before returning to his half eaten plate. If he could tug on some strings down here, a place he had never thought to come to ask around, he was going to. If he could find Zeken, he would be fine going to jail for the rest of his life.

  Just one more case closed; that’s all he needed.

  “Then,” Charlie thought, “then tell me more about your case. I won’t be able to eat this garbage without some distraction.”

  “About my case, hm, where to start.” Rat tilted his head and echoed Charlie slightly.

  Charlie genuinely didn’t remember hearing about the case. Maybe he was too wrapped up in something else, probably Zeken, but if it was important for Justin, then it had to have been something good.

  “A friend of mine had been missing for around twenty four hours,” Rat began. “It was very unlike him to stay away from camp that long.”

  “Camp?”

  “My homeless camp.”

  Charlie looked down, while he was missing his bed and lavish life at home, Rat had no home to long for.

  “I had started to worry, so I came down to the local ASA we had, much smaller than the headquarters, of course.” Charlie had been to one of them before, they looked no different than your average police station. Just more hidden in plain sight, you had to know what to look for. Usually, they were those abandoned buildings humans complained about.

  “They told me they’d look into it but I didn’t have much hope that they would. They said my kind,” Charlie looked confused for a moment, knowing that they were the same species before it hit him that Rat had meant his status, “are frequent customers to the addictive substance in a wizard’s brew. He said he was probably holed up somewhere waiting to come down from his high.”

  “That can’t be right, an ASA officer would never.” Charlie shut that down.

  Rat shook his head like he was scolding a little boy instead of a grown man.

  “That is where you have too much faith in your institution. You don’t see what we see. You don’t know what happens out there daily.”

  Rat was right, Charlie was never an ASA cop, he went immediately to agent work. It was a higher case level that he dealt with from the very beginning, never having to pay his dues at the bottom.

  “They did what they thought was easiest when they found his body by the Brooklyn docks,” Rat continued. “That just so happened to be blaming the only one they could link him to. There’s not much tracing when it comes to the homeless, and the community was growing fearful that your serial killer from Manhattan had wandered out to Brooklyn.”

  So Rat was framed too.

  Charlie took a deep breath in and out before he spoke.

  “Why not fight it? Why not go back to court?”

  Those dark eyes found Charlie’s. They looked at each other but all Charlie could find was sadness deep within them. He had seen that very pain in his brother upon his return. That empty look, like you have nothing to fight for.

  “I would be in worse shape going back out there then I would if I just stayed here.”

  Charlie nodded, sinking back in on himself. The two of them didn’t speak again in the cafeteria.

  When dinner was done and it was time for his first shower, Charlie was nervous. He didn’t know who may recognize him and want revenge for him just doing his job.

  However, nothing happened.

  It was like people were avoiding him when he was with Rat. It turned something inside of Charlie’s stomach, but he reasoned that it was just the fact that Rat had once been protected by Zeken. If Charlie had been a prisoner at the same time as him, he wouldn’t have messed with Rat either. He supposed sticking close to the old man was the best way to go, not that he had much of a choice.

  Lathering up, he still kept his face free of any soap. He didn’t want to risk getting anything in his eyes and having to close them. Whether they seemed to avoid him or not, he didn’t want to give anyone an opening.

  The showers shut off and he towel-dried his body quickly. He was eager to get dressed again, even if it was his same orange jumpsuit.

  Once they were back in their cell, Charlie climbed into bed and so did Rat without a word. The lights went out shortly after.

  He didn’t know if he wanted to start talking first, but he was itching to get back to work. Even on vacations, Winnie would have to take his phone and lock it away somewhere just so he was able to be present. Not relaxed, but present. He could never be relaxed if he didn’t know what was going on in the office.

  Thankfully, on his own accord, Rat spoke up in a whisper. “The pole.”

  “What?” Charlie looked over to the man in the darkness.

  “The pole in the corner of the room, that’s how he did it. It brings the electricity through this area of the building. He was able to wire it somehow to connect to the transport pad a couple floors above.”

  Charlie looked beyond his feet and saw the pole Rat was referencing.

  “Is this in everyone’s cell?”

  “No,” Rat shook his head. “Every couple of cells.”

  So the odds of Zeken getting one of these poles by chance wasn’t completely stacked against him.

  “How did he choose where to go from the transport pad?” Charlie questioned Rat further.

  “He couldn’t control where exactly, but he theorized that he could grasp one line that had almost no travel restrictions.”

  “Zease. It helps that he was born there, too.” Charlie instantly put it together.

  Zease was the kingdom right above Fisher on the map. Most parts of their civilization was behind a large wall that wrapped in a circle around the island. All blocked off from the kingdoms except for the 3 access points to the water for ships to come in and out. They had open borders, but you didn’t enter Zease unless you absolutely had to. Filled with outcasts, criminals, and the people who didn’t want to be found, it wasn't really a vacation destination. It was a place for black market deals, goods for cheap, and some went to make a quick buck but never came back to tell anyone how they made said quick buck.

  They were on the Kingdom of Ramon’s side during the Great War, but lost no land to it. They gained nothing, but also didn’t lose anything besides people. When learning about it, Charlie thought it seemed like they almost fought for the fun of it. It disturbed him and kept him up at night.

  This island kingdom was where Zeken was born and raised. He was one of the few actually born in Zease on purpose. Charlie liked to say it was as if he was set up since birth to be the evil mastermind he became.

  “It’s the only place where he could be safe and lay low,” Rat confirmed Charlie’s thoughts.

  “But the cave,” Charlie whispered in the darkness, “did he mention a cave?”

  “He had a lot of his research stashed away there. He said had important items he needed to pick up. Never said what, exactly.” Rat continued after a brief thought, “nothing except that he needed to drop it off to someone in the city before going back home. He didn’t seem to plan on leaving Zease for a long while.”

  It was like Charlie was vibrating with anticipation. Zeken was in one spot, he was obtainable. He just had to figure out the same thing that Zeken did to that pole. If he could get his Kulun magic to work without those gloves, he could revert the pole to the day Zeken escaped or try and mimic what the man did if his powers failed him, which it undoubtedly would. Go, figure out what was going on, and then turn himself in with his prize.

  What was one final arrest before he went away forever? It seemed worth it to him. His prize arrest was within his grasp.

  “Goodnight,” Charlie whispered. He had too much thinking to do to keep up the conversation.

  “Charles?” Rat said after a couple moments of silence.

  “Yeah?”

  “Don’t do it.”

  He thought about it for a moment in the darkness but decided he couldn’t miss this chance. If Zeken was out there, Charlie was going to be the one to bring him in.

  “I have too.”

  Not another word passed between the two of them for the rest of the night.

  Over in the Bronx, Rodgers sat on the floor of his studio apartment. Supplies were thrown about while he spent his night carefully crafting a badge that looked like it was printed at the free clinic. The earpiece and equipment to copy the computer sat on the floor not too far off, Justin having dropped it in his mailbox just as he said he would.

  Thin fingers painstakingly painted gloss over the card to make it shiny. Concentrating only did so much for him, his hands shook like crazy. From nerves and the withdrawals. He had felt on edge almost all day, even though this wouldn’t be his first high-stakes break in. Repeatedly, he spoke to himself in his head about how everything was going to be fine. His plan would work, it had to work. They had no other option to stop whatever plan was in motion. They desperately needed Charlie back on his feet.

  Suddenly, all the hairs on the back of his neck stood up. He recognized the feeling that surrounded him as he had felt it for the first time only a couple nights before. He covered the supplies on the floor with his jean jacket before feeling a breeze come from within his home.

  It was then that he could hear long nails scraping down his window. When he looked, he saw that the window from his fire escape had been opened slightly. It was as if the horseman was calling him to come outside.

  He got up cautiously, looking around as he creeped through his own apartment to the window. He went to shut it before stopping. He wanted more than anything to not answer the call that was coming from the other side of this wall.

  He leaned over, poking his head out slowly like his actions weren’t quite his own. He looked one way, out towards the city, then the other. He had to hold himself back from jumping upon seeing the horseman sitting on the steps of the fire escape.

  It was like all words got sucked out of his throat when Conquest brought his face closer to Rodgers’. The ex-prince became tired instantly as he felt his cheeks hollow, his brain building pressure in his skull like all the blood in his body collected there at once.

  “I come with a warning,” His voice sounded like a hundred screaming soldiers into Rodgers’ head. “She watches you closely, she has high hopes for you.”

  “You must walk down the path that the oracle laid out for you,” He boomed inside of Rodgers’ head. The bartender crumpled to his side, finally managing to bring a hand to his head. While he thought he was screaming, he didn’t hear his own voice. It was only Conquest in his head as he relayed a piece to Sage’s prophecy to him.

  “Devouring their spirit, consuming their soul, falling to your side, once and for all.”

  In no sooner than a blink, he was gone. Rodgers rolled to his stomach from where he was in the fire escape, coughing and drooling from the pain inside his skull. He sat up, wobbly, and wiped the corner of his mouth with one hand before looking around to confirm that he was alone.

  He wondered if Conquest came to deter him away from his plans with Brenner. He wondered if he knew what they were about to do, what he was about to risk to make Charlie a free man again.

  However, that line told him one thing; he was to be consumed before he was to go to her and he had his wits about him still.

  To Rodgers, there was still time for him to change the tide in their favor. Then maybe Charlie could do the humane thing and put him down before things got worse for him.

  Crawling back inside the apartment, he turned and used his entire body to shut the window behind him. He got down off the counter, wobbling his way to the jacket and yanking it off the badge project. Immediately, he got back to work, this time with a bit more determination behind each stroke. Even though his head felt like it had been cut in half.