Don pulls out his phone as they come up to a door locked by a keypad. A semi-transparent pink centipede made of light appears out of nowhere on the door handle. Don watches the insect crawl onto the keypad and buries itself into it. There are no marks on the keys or scratches on the metal, and soon it was as if the bug was never there. The keypad light turns green, unlocking the door, and Don puts his phone back in his pocket.
They enter a custodial closet. It''s large with enough room to hold an assortment of cleaning supplies. Aly pins the man to a wall with one hand. Don looks around and grabs his phone. A few clicks on it and Don speaks.
DON
All clear, no cameras here.
The man squirms on the wall and holds onto Aly''s arm. His feet dangle in the air as Aly''s palm feels like a metal sheet pressing onto his chest, seconds away from caving in.
STALKER
How strong are you?
Why can''t I get down?
When the man says this, Aly''s hand''s skin morphs. Her skin shines and glimmers in a multitude of beautiful colors. They remind the man of stained-glass windows found in old cathedrals.
STALKER
That explains it, there''s no way you could
be this strong. It''s a damn mechstetic.
Aly''s free hand turns to the same stained glass appearance. She presses her finger on his forehead.
ALY
Careful what you say. I would still pin
you to the wall if my arms weren''t metal.
DON
We just want to talk for a moment.
If you answer quickly, you will leave
quickly. Simple, right?
STALKER
I don''t have to tell you anything.
He speaks as if he has the upper hand. Don reaches into the man''s pocket.
STALKER
Wait, what are you doing?!?
Don pulls out the man''s wallet and opens it up. He takes a photo of the man''s driver license with his phone. After a few seconds on his cellphone, a grin forms on Don''s face.
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DON
Berry Stein, 26, born December 9th, 2046,
5''11. Soooo close to six feet.
Lives on Riverside.
BERRY
Wow, you can read my license. Congrats.
DON
Not done. Son of Harriet and Harold Stein.
They both were born in California, then moved here to Texas.
Has a sister is in high school named Shelly.
Decent grades when you were in high school,
nowhere near as good as hers. Few misdemeanors,
nothing large. Currently dating a man
named Everett. You two live together.
Don walks up to the man and flashes him his phone screen.
DON
Can''t find this on a license, can I?
The man stops struggling and stares in disbelief. Aly can feel his heart almost beat out of his chest. Sweat drips from his nose as his eyes dart around the room, desperate to escape.
DON
Let''s get to the point.
Why are you following Ben?
\The past few days I''ve seen you pop up
wherever he is. Once or twice, a coincidence
maybe, but five times, Berry. Five. Explain
to me what''s so fascinating about Ben.
Berry contemplates his next sentence, trying to carefully construct it, hard to do as Aly applies slight pressure to the man''s forehead.
BERRY
He''s the enemy!
Don and Aly shoot a look at each other. Aly presses harder. The back of his head slams on the wall.
DON
Do you have enemies, Berry,
or do you share them with others?
It''s hard to come up with a coherent thought for Berry as brain rattles in his skull.
BERRY
Jesus, man, she almost busted my head.
My enemy, our enemy. The ''Roos, man.
DON
The who?
ALY
Not the pinball wizard.
BERRY
What?
ALY
Uh, forget it. The ''Roos is a gang that has
been gaining traction at the mall. That makes
no sense – from what we can tell
Mr. Olive doesn''t have any ties to gangs.
Unless we are missing something.
Aly presses again on his forehead. Berry feels like her finger would poke right through his skull as if it was made of papier-maché.
BERRY
He runs finance for a rival gang.
Don and Aly give each other a look. Berry can tell they don''t believe him.
BERRY
Look, I swear. I''m tailing him so
I can see who he meets up with.
DON
And?
BERRY
Nothing so far. Dude''s boring.
Just cards, movies, and the
occasional outing with his wife, that''s it.
ALY
Matches up with what we''ve seen.
Can we verify anything he''s
saying about the finance?
DON
All I need is his phone.
What''s the gang''s name?
He''s silent for a moment, but after a few seconds of Aly pressing on his head, he says it. Dynasty.
DON
A bit over the top for a name.
ALY
We should head out – don''t want
the target getting too far.
DON
We know where he will be next,
but you''re right. We''re done here.
Aly flicks his forehead, and his head slams it into the back wall. He drops to the floor, unconscious. The two head out of the room and walk through the mall.