Chapter 11: Fall

They returned to the bar without issue and turned the conference room into a bedroom. A temporary home. They weren't sure exactly what to do with the escapees, but Firo had said he would talk to his master and figure out a living situation for them. Medically speaking, they were okay besides some bruising and signs of malnutrition. None of it was fatal, and no one was at death's door. They considered it a victory in their books, if a small one.

Although, their mental health was another story. For now, the biggest worry was their trackers. If they didn't remove them, it would only be a matter of time until the authorities found them. No one knew they were missing yet, but the inevitable would soon come to pass.

"I never thought we were going to get out of there. That place gave me the creeps." Lucky plopped down on a nearby chair, exasperated. Firo leaned against the adjacent wall.

"What are we going to do about their trackers?" asked Keon. That thought was on everyone's mind.

"Normally we would have a surgeon or a qualified doctor remove them, but we don't have the time or the equipment," Firo said. He searched the bag he brought with him, one knee holding it up as he rummaged through it. "I found a temporary solution. I have these jamming devices with me."

He pulled out a handful of what looked to be normal wristbands. Keon had heard of them before, but they were black market items and inaccessible to regular people. The items were thin and silver, made to resemble a bracelet. How did that rat get his hands on them?

"Here." He threw a couple to Lucky, who almost fell off the chair to catch them. "There's an extra one, just in case. You can count that as compensation for that one favor you did for me."

Keon almost opened his mouth to ask, but decided not to. It wasn't the time nor the place.

"Thanks," Lucky muttered, not looking thrilled about it. His mood soured.

"What happened in there?" Keon asked. No one wanted to speak about what they saw. It was like pulling teeth. Honestly, the more he speculated about it, the less he craved to know.

His friend slowly turned, features blank and eyes glazed. "Nothing happened. That's the real problem."

They shut the conference room door and headed downstairs. Firo and his gang left, saying they'd be in touch. Keon felt like he could finally breathe. The empty stool at the bar was calling his name, so he grabbed a beer and sat down.

"This shit is going to be all over the news tomorrow." Lucky sat next to him. It was something they talked about before. To make a difference, sacrifices had to be made.

"I mean—"

"Dude, don't even start."

It's been a while since Keon saw his friend so stressed. He had his head down, hands pulling at fistfuls of hair.

"We did it because we had to." Lucky spoke up after minutes of being quiet, voice wavering. "Someone has to fight."

"It was worth it," said Keon, the questioning 'was it?' kept only for his thoughts.

They had done it to make a dent in the world's flawed system. It was an act of rebellion against the rules and laws that bound them as clones. Without action, it's like they accepted their fate to live and die by human hands. The war against humans was never ending. The recent election had only solidified the clone's reasons to keep fighting, that maybe their efforts would come to fruition. It was all they had to keep going.

Keon had to keep telling himself that, even if he wasn't sure where he stood on any of it, he did the right thing. Those four clones would have died without their intervention. Though he wouldn't say he had picked a side. To do that would mean he was prepared for the consequences of his actions. To stay beside Cassius, to not be a burden to him, he had to stay neutral.

"I'll stay here for the night just in case something goes wrong. You're good to go. I put Blue and Bait up in my office. I don't need Cassius coming in here looking for his pet." He was trying to joke, to seem as normal as possible. As a leader, he couldn't look weak.

"Fuck off, dude." He said it with no fire behind his words. Thet elicited a smirk from Lucky.

"Oh, you can come in late tomorrow. If they don't cover up what we did, the media is going to blast that shit all over. I don't know what the humans will end up doing."

"Are you worrying about me? Real cute." Keon joked and couldn't help but let out a laugh.

"I'm worried about Cassius coming to kick my ass." He flicked his lip ring with his tongue, grinning as he did.

"He doesn't even know how to get here." Keon ran a hand through his hair, frustrated at even the thought of Cassius stepping into the bar. Clones covered the whole of the city where Lucky's establishment rested. A prominent figure like Cassius would be a target.

"If you think that, you really are an idiot." The words were playful, but in the back of his mind, he knew they were true.

He rolled his eyes and finished the last few sips of his beer. The bitter taste soothed him.

Keon got his stuff together and prepared to leave. He gave one last look to Lucky before trudging out the door.

The dark streets with their dim lights kept his thoughts calm. There were only a few people walking out and about.

Although the government authorities that patrolled the areas at night had been lax over the past couple of weeks, he was still wary of being stopped. It was an unspoken rule that clones could not wander around past midnight, even if it wasn't regularly enforced.

Starting tomorrow, that could all shift. A lot of things might, and the rules bearing down on the clones may get even more stringent.

Finally, he turned the corner to Cassius's neighborhood. The relief he felt was a strange one, considering it had more humans than clones.

It was past three am when he walked in. Carefully, trying not to make a sound, Keon gently shut the door behind him. He toed off his shoes at the front entrance, eyes scanning the hallway to see if his master had woken up. He didn't hear anyone, not even his dog. Pom probably fell asleep on the couch waiting for him. The thought made his weakening mood soften. He missed his fluffy runt after an arduous day.

Upon entering the living room, not only was Pom snuggled up to his stuffed bear on the couch, so was Cassius. They both waited up for him. The idea was baffling, a human caring for their clone. He wished Cassius would sleep in his room like a normal human.

Keon paused in front of him, deciding if he should wake him up or not. He looked so peaceful and less mischievous when he slept. His long hair was messy and all over the place. He haphazardly placed a blanket over Pom and himself.

Unsure of what to do, he poked the blond's nose. "Hey, jerk, wake up and go sleep in your own room."

Bleary eyes stared up at him, confusion lacing his features. It wasn't until he blinked a few times that his face lit up with a smile. Cassius grabbed Keon's hand, still hovering in front of his face, and pulled him down into a hug.

Instead of a lecture about being out late, all he got was an almost silent, "welcome home."

It felt so warm, so inviting, that Keon didn't know how to respond. So instead he stood there, body stiff, arms limp at his sides, thoughts blank. For now, he'd allow himself to be weak. He was always showing unfavorable sides of himself in front of his master.

The day's events weren't far from his thoughts and the concerns still clung to him like dirt.

It took everything in him not to shatter.

He was home.

He was safe.