Lunar Legacy: Rise Of The Beastlord

A minute later, the neon sign of the old, retro diner came into view. Jayden pushed the glass door open, the bell chiming softly. He scanned the nearly empty establishment and immediately spotted Fred seated in a corner booth, nursing a black coffee. He looked visibly anxious, the dark circles under his eyes more pronounced than usual.

Jayden slid into the vinyl booth across from him. "Hey."

Fred didn't offer a greeting. He leaned over the table, his voice a harsh, hushed whisper. "What the hell were you thinking, Jayden? Saving and harboring a B-Rank beast? That's madness!"

"It was necessary," Jayden replied smoothly, keeping his posture relaxed. "I can't exactly tell you why right now, but you need to trust me. I had to do what I did."

"Trust you?" Fred rubbed his temples, letting out an exhausted sigh. "Kid, your actions just threw a massive wrench into everything. When it was just beating up thugs and offing Black Cobra Pioneers, I was able to keep things in check. But saving a beast? That's a federal violation. You've caused the EVA to take you far more seriously than they ever did before."

"I can handle myself against a few low-level bounty hunters," Jayden scoffed lightly.

"It's not just the bounty," Fred snapped, his eyes locking onto the teenager. "The EVA has resorted to extreme measures. They've restructured the task force, removing me as its leader and recruiting the special ops division, all in efforts to hunt you down."

Jayden raised a brow. "You're no longer leading the task force?"

Fred shook his head. "I'm afraid so. Jenny is the one leading the team now." He said. "And I can't even run interference for you much longer. I'm being promoted and transferred to HQ, all the way in Arcadia."

Jayden frowned, the gravity of the situation finally settling in. Without Fred running local interference, his blind spots would multiply.

"This changes everything," Fred warned grimly. "These special ops teams don't operate on standard capture protocols. They operate on a kill-on-sight mandate. And Jenny... she is incredibly formidable. I've been her partner for years. She is the best tactical agent I've ever known, flawless in combat and strategy alike. If she corners you, it's basically over."

"Sounds like you're giving her too much credit," Jayden said, a confident smirk returning to his face. "I've taken down high ranking pioneers. I'm pretty certain I can defeat her if it comes down to it."

Fred's eyes widened in genuine panic. He leaned closer, grabbing Jayden's wrist. "No. You listen to me, kid. She is off the list," he said sharply. "She isn't another pioneer that you're just gonna cross off."

"She was never on the list to begin with," Jayden stated coldly, pulling his arm back. "But if she stands in my way, I won't hesitate to take her down."

Fred sat in agonizing silence for a moment, staring at the boy. "Look, I'm going to be real with you," he finally pleaded, his voice cracking with desperation. "You have to stop all of this. Aren't you being completely delusional in the long run? You need to quit, Jayden. Right now. If the EVA finds you, they wont hesitate to kill you, or worse. Just give it up. Go home to your family. If it later comes down to the syndicate tracking you down, I will support you and make sure nothing happens to your family. But you've got to stop this killing spree."

"No," Jayden said, his eyes hardening with resolve. "I won't stop until the syndicate is completely dismantled." He paused, his mind picking up on the sudden, intense shift in Fred's demeanor. He frowned. "And why are you suddenly telling me to quit? We've been in this together from the beginning and you never once told me to stop. So why now?"

Fred was silent for a while. Then he exhaled. "I'm asking you to stop because this is getting too dangerous for a kid like you," he said. "I'm trying to save you while I still can. Because if the EVA catches you, I won't be able to stop them from doing what they please to you."

Jayden shook his head. "No, this is more than just the EVA. It's Jenny, isn't it? You don't want her getting hurt in the process of chasing me." He tilted his head, analyzing the older man. "What is your relationship with her, anyway?"

Fred looked away, staring into his black coffee. Then he sighed, a sound that carried years of weight. "She's my wife," he said.

Jayden's eyes widened to the size of saucers. He sat back in the booth, shocked to the absolute core. "Wow," he murmured. "I didn't expect that."

"Yeah," Fred muttered, offering a weak, ironic smile. "I get that a lot. It's why we both decided to keep it strictly private."

"So your work partner is your actual life partner," Jayden breathed, trying to reconcile the information. "I never got that vibe from you two when you came to the academy."

"We always keep our relationship professional while on the clock," Fred explained. "We don't let our courtship affect the mission. And we make a quite the team... it's why the agency kept us paired together for so many years." Fred looked back up, his eyes pleading. "So now you understand why I need you to quit."

Jayden let out a heavy sigh, running a hand over his face. "I can't quit just because of that, Fred."

"I know," Fred nodded softly, his shoulders slumping in defeat. "But I just had to try. If anything were to happen to her..." He paused, not finishing the sentence.

"Okay," Jayden relented, leaning forward. "I can't quit, and I can't promise not to fight her if we ever cross paths. But... I promise I won't kill her."

Fred exhaled a long, shaky breath of relief. "I appreciate that. More than you know." He straightened his posture, slipping back into his agent persona. "I'll see what strings I can pull from HQ to keep assisting you, but you have to be extra cared from now on. It's not just the Black Cobra and the EVA hunting you anymore. Every freelance mercenary and assassin looking for a payday will be gunning for your head."

"I understand," Jayden nodded firmly. "I'll be careful."

Fred hesitated, deciding to try prying one last time. "Why did you really save the Winter Wolf, Jayden? What are you planning?"

Jayden met his gaze, his expression unreadable, and remained completely silent. He didn't say a word.

Fred sighed, realizing he wasn't going to get an answer. He decided to let the matter go for now, and the two spent a few more minutes discussing secure comm channels before preparing to leave.

Meanwhile, just outside the diner, parked discreetly in the shadows of the opposite street, sat a sleek, black hovercar.

To the naked eye, the space was completely empty. The vehicle was equipped with the EVA's latest camouflage feature, bending light to render it entirely invisible.

And inside the vehicle, seated on the driver's seat was Jenny.

She held a pair of advanced, high-magnification binoculars to her eyes, staring directly through the diner's front window. She had a clear view of Fred in the booth, but the person sitting opposite him was wearing a heavy hoodie, their back turned completely to the street, masking their identity.

Jenny hadn't wanted to do this. Spying on her own husband felt like a massive betrayal of trust. But the way Fred had hastily turned off his holographic tab earlier had triggered her investigative instincts. Especially since she managed to catch a brief glimpse of the contact ID before the screen vanished and saw that the line was encrypted. This only raised her suspicion.

So when Fred claimed he was just going out to "see an old friend," she had decided to follow him.

She adjusted the focus on the binoculars, trying to pick up the acoustic vibrations of the window to listen in, but they were too far back in the diner. So she decided to switch to the old-fashioned method of discreetly observing a conversation: Reading lips.

She watched Fred's mouth carefully as he stood up to leave and deciphered his final words perfectly:

"Good luck with the tournament, kid. And if you ever change your mind, the offer still stands to join the EVA cadet program."

Jenny lowered the binoculars slightly, her brow furrowing in confusion. Kid? Offer?

Then, the hooded figure stood up as well, giving a slight nod. And as he turned toward the exit, she was finally able to see who he was.

Jenny froze as she got a glimpse of his face. Her heart hammered against her ribs. It was him. The Starrk boy. The exact same kid she had been relentlessly investigating for weeks.

What the hell was her husband doing holding secret meetings with her case suspect?