Survival is Crucial

Obituary

"Stuck in the Middle with You" by Stealers Wheel started playing again, the man with functioning dancing with the song, before singing it.

"Well, I don't know why I came here tonight

I got the feeling that something ain't right

I'm so scared in case I fall off my chair

And I'm wondering how I'll get down the stairs,

Clowns to the left of me

Jokers to the right,"

He paused, pointing into two directions before continuing his dance.

"Here I am

Stuck in the middle with you.

Yes, I'm stuck in the middle with you

And I'm wondering what it is I should do

It's so hard to keep this smile from my face

Losing control, yeah I'm all over the place.

Clowns to the left of me

Jokers to the right

Here I am

Stuck in the middle with you!"

He paused,

"Well, you started out with nothing

And you're proud that you're a self-made man

And your friends, they all come crawling

Slap you on the back and say

Please!

Please!"

He put his hand on the side of his head every high note before cutting off the music before someone came in. He looked to the door with raised eyebrows before sitting down behind his desk, waiting. The woman from before waltzed in, still in a tight suit with a motorcycle helmet on her head. "I have located Nixon, but it would become difficult to pursue him further."

The man sighed, "Why is that?"

"They've... become more active Manager."

He raised one speculative eyebrow, "What do you mean?"

"We wouldn't be able to have anyone sneak up on them, they've got the best of the best now instead of the basic guards that they had just a few days ago, though there are still some of those left."

"Why not 'JFK' them?"

"We don't have anyone to do that at the moment."

"What do you mean?"

"They're not in the country, they're in Spain."

"So..." He leaned back into his chair, realizing something. "Okay, just call him over for the future and send..." He thought for a bit. "I'll send someone of my own, you go do whatever you can to keep tabs on them."

She nodded, "Manager."

"What?"

"Is there an update from Petrov? I haven't been able to go b-"

"Petrov is dead."

She stopped completely, frozen in place, not even flinching at what the Manager said to her.

"What'll you do about that?"

"I'll kill the boy, then I'll watch Nixon."

"No, you'll watch Nixon, no trying to kill anyone now... only in self-defense."

"What if I defy those orders?"

"Well..." He chuckled, "Whatever, do what you want."

"The sudden change?"

"If you kill the kid, we'll still reach one of our goals, also, before you leave."

She was already almost halfway out the door, "Hm?"

"Tell the Boss that I'll be adding an extra million to the bounty, they're turning out to be more trouble than the 20 billion could even imply."

"20 billion should be enough, yes?"

"No, apparently not, see how many people failed just trying to kill one of those slippery bastards? Not even someone who deserved that fuckin' bounty would survive for this long."

"I actually have a better question now."

"What is it, Shell?"

"Where did we even get money like that anyway?"

"You know, those fruits are worth a lot," He put his hand to his chest before curling his fingers as if grabbing his own heart, "The shape of a heart with a taste that cannot compare to anything another had tasted before it."

"I don't understand why people treat those fruits in such high regard."

"That's not for you to understand, no go, tell the Boss about what I said first before leaving."

She nodded, shutting the doors behind her.

"Those hips," He laughed, "Don't know why she's still wearing that thing but good on her." He paused, "I wonder what the Boss would smell like." A smile crept onto his face, "Oh... I wonder who the boss really is! I have so many questions too!" He jumped onto his desk, "Why doesn't he just make us all subservient to his will... 'tis not a matter of concern though since this lack of subservience left me to such a great decision to be made between myself and me!" He yelled, pridefully placing his fingers onto his chest. He dropped back onto the floor, "What to do, what to do!?" He spun on his heel and kicked his desk, sending it flying into the wall along with his swivel chair.

"If I don't know what he f*****g looks like - If I don't even know where he even is!? What am I gonna do to f*****g kill him once and for all!? He contradicts himself constantly! He's paranoid and once his identity kept secret, but imploys people who f*****g hate him!? I don't even know anymore!" He sighed, spinning on his heel again before ripping a large piece of cloth off of a whiteboard, multiple pictures are strewn across it, held up by magnets as strings run through each and every one of them.

"The biggest problem..." He jammed his finger into a blurry picture of the Balrog, "Is if he's going to get involved. If he gets involved, we're fucked." He sighed, the Manager tearing everything down before pushing the desk into the corner of the room, sitting down on his chair. He started rubbing his eyes with the palms of his hands before dropping both of them onto the armrests of the chair. The Asian man from before entered the room, one hand in his pocket still bruised from last time.

"What are you doing in here?" The Asian man asked, one hand on the doorknob.

The Manager smiled, "Hey, I need to ask you a favor."

"Hm?"

"I want to go around Brazil looking for people with powers, so, could you come with me since you have such a strong nose in all."

The Asian man sighed, "Well... I regained my sense of smell, but..."

"Hm?"

"Whatever, fine. I'll do it, where did this come from anyway?"

"I want to find the Boss."