TWO

“You think that’s enough to take him down?”

Shit!

In a swift move, I got the gun from my pocket and orchestrated a dramatic turn to face the man in the backseat. A tense silence hung in the air as I pressed my lips, the muzzle of the pistol now pointed directly at the intruder’s head.

“What an actual piece of shit!” I cursed out in frustration when I realized who it was.

“Woah… Take it easy, babe.”

 “Take it easy, my ass! You almost got yourself killed, you fcking dupe.”

Asher chuckled. “I’ll take your ass easy, babe. I am gentle.”

I almost choke on my own breath. I can’t believe this guy! He can always make all innocent remarks all sensual.

“No thanks! I like it rough.” I heard both of them laughing at my last remark.

 I took a deep breath before I disassembled the gun and put it back in my pocket. I looked at my laptop again. My face relaxed after seeing the family picture I’ve been keeping. It always brought me a brief respite amid all kinds of tension.

Despite the years of solitary living, I can still feel the deep longing for a family. I still couldn’t remember my past after the accident, but I still wanted to meet them and ask why they never tried to find me or why they did not try to find out if I was still alive. I decline to believe that they abandon me. The family picture served as my only lead to find them, but it has been years, and I still haven’t gotten a lead on who they are and their whereabouts.

“You’ll be able to find them, Jerson. I am sure of that,” Noah declared.

I just nodded my head. As if I will give up all my shots without finding them. I’ll only stop trying to find them if I die.

“Anyway, why are you here?” I asked Asher. “I thought you had a job?”

Asher looked at me and smiled awkwardly. “I need assistance.”

“Go on. Tell us the details.”

“This is easy for you, and I trust that you can do this even with your eyes closed,” Asher declared. “Tracing and hacking are your forte, right? All you have to do is sit on a chair with a coffee on your desk and hack the system of this city.”

“You made it sound like it is a walk in the park,” I pointed out.

“It is a walk in the park for you,” Asher retorted.

Noah, who was busy driving, asked, “What do I do?”

Asher smirked. “You? You’ll be with me. It’s time to do some hunting.”

I massaged my head in frustration. Do I have another choice then? The answer is pretty obvious.

I opened my account again. The video had gone viral, initiating a widespread discussion. Some of the users shared their findings with links and references to support them, while troll accounts garnered attention for their nonsensical logic, which infuriated the readers. Both groups played a pivotal role in disseminating the video until it became a hot topic.

Only a hot topic. Not quite enough to take him down and send him to jail. I shrugged my shoulders. It’s not like I wasn’t aware that the video and articles alone wouldn’t be enough; what I plan to do is to plant a seed and wait for it to sprout.

I opened my account messages and sent my group a message.

BOSS: Good job, everyone. I’ll send your payment later.

TROLL 1: HOLY FUCK. THAT’S WHY I LOVE THIS JOB AND THE BOSS!

USER 3: Thank you so much, boss!

I looked at Asher. “How much are you going to pay me this time?”

He looked at me and smirked. “Hmm. That totally depends on your performance, but if you give me a kiss on my cheeks, I might consider giving thousands.”

“I’ll consider if my palm will be the one giving your cheeks a kiss.”

 “No thanks.”

Noah looked at me with his usual apathetic face. “How about I give you my brother as a compensation? You know what people said? Innocent men are the best in bed. They are usually so rough.”

Asher kicked the seat where Noah was sitting. “What do you mean by that? Are you saying that I am bad at it? You want some piece of me?”

“No thanks.”

“What the fuck?! You aren’t even my type!” Asher declared.

 Shut up, you two! And for fuck’s sake! I am a man.”

Noah laughed. “He’s a man too, but who knows? My baby brother might have a change of heart once he sees you. You are on the pretty side.”              

I raised my hand and gave him a middle finger.

I can’t call myself pretty, and it’s just not right to call a man pretty especially if they show their hate for it.

I possesses a well-built physique, a veiny hands that reflects my rigorous training, and some scars on my body showing the sign of the accident. I don’t recall about the scars on my wrist and what caused it, but there are a lot of it in me that’s why I wear my watch all the time. Trying to remember those only cause me a severe headache. I also have a sharp jawline, and dark hair. None of my features are loveable.

"He would be perfect for you though,” Noah murmured.

 I did not bother to answer again.

  We arrived at Noah’s quarter. There was no one there except for the three of us. I guess they are all sent to a different mission.

 I got to my usual room, my workplace where several computers and monitors are being operated. My team was also there, trying to maintain the uproar of the diplomat’s issue. We are using alias, Troll 1 up to 4, and User 1 up to 3.

“It’s time,” Asher declared. We were using airpods. “Let’s get their asses wipe out.”

“I’ll send you the location,” I declared.