The wooden stairs creaked under their weight. It led them straight into the conference room. Most of the time, it wasn't in use, but occasionally Lucky used it for meetings. The room was of moderate size and contained a long table that was covered in papers and takeout cartons. Crumbs adorned the surface and Keon thought he had seen ants crawling around more times than he'd like.
Keon, still agitated, brushed past their recent visitor. The bell chimed behind them, a plethora of clones entering the bar and accompanying them in. He could hear their footsteps going up the stairs.
He spotted a few of Lucky's men inside. They were sitting around and chatting. A couple looked familiar, but most of them he'd never encountered before. The low lighting made it impossible to point out who belonged to what gang as the place filled.
Keon found Blue and Bait in a corner of the room minutes later. Her warm smile welcomed him.
"Keon, so glad you're here." Her hand found his and gave it a light squeeze.
"You too, Blue." He squeezed back. She looked good, no dark circles under her eyes and no fake smile to hide behind.
Keon's gaze then landed on Bait. It had been a long time since they last crossed paths. Blue rarely let him tag along anymore.
"Hey, brat," said Keon. Out of habit, he flicked the kid's forehead, smirking.
"Ow! What was that for?" He pouted, arms crossed. Bait was short, even for his age, and the perfect height to pick on. Out of habit, he ruffled his curly brown hair.
"I'm amazed they let you out of your cage." Keon teased him relentlessly about how they babied him. Bait turned his head and ignored him, sulking.
"So, what do you think is going on?" asked Blue. Her concern was apparent as she skimmed the surrounding space. "It's been a while since Lucky called all of us here. I'm worried." She pulled Bait close to her and wrapped her arms around him. His face scrunched up, but he didn't make a move to flee.
Keon agreed with her. Lucky only ever had him help with gang related matters a few times in the past. Bait and Blue helped more often than not. Although it wasn't abnormal for children and teens to join up with the local gangs, it was strange for Lucky. Speaking of, it was unusual for Snap to miss out on a meeting.
"Has anyone heard from Snap?" he asked.
"He's running late," Lucky said, coming up from behind them. "I don't have a lot of time before the briefing starts. Keon, I hate dragging you into this shit, but you trust me, right?"
Keon didn't need to think about it. "Yeah."
"We have an important mission tonight. I called you guys here because I need people I trust in my corner."
"For what, exactly?" asked Keon. The tone of his friend's voice sounded heavy.
Lucky sighed and ran a hand through his hair, stress coming off him in waves. "I'll go over this with everyone in a minute, but we're breaking into an adult foster clone care facility. They plan on executing clones tomorrow. And us? We're going to rescue them."
Keon's heart sunk. His chest sank at those words. Memories came flooding back to him. A room of total blackness, thin air that suffocated you with each breath, indistinct murmurs of those in the surrounding rooms as they prayed to a god that wouldn't help them.
A hand clutched Keon's shoulder. He looked up to see Lucky's eyes boring into him.
"Is that why Firo is here?" asked Keon. He swallowed, adam's apple bobbing. He had to get his thoughts together.
"Yeah, and trust me, I'm not a fan of it either. But he gave us the details and we need more people than I got."
At times like this, Keon wished he wasn't so blind to what went on around him. Being ignorant and choosing to look away are two different things.
"Are you in?" Lucky squeezed him hard before letting go. "I understand if…"
There were unspoken words in his touch. Lucky knew Keon didn't want to get involved in the political battle between clones and humans. With so many elements changing, the clones felt vulnerable. This was the only way for them to feel in control.
Lucky always looked out for him, which made it impossible to turn him away when he asked for a favor. They're akin to brothers. It would be a dick move to walk out on him now.
"I'm in."
Lucky grinned and pat him on the shoulder before stepping away, arms raised. "All right everyone, listen up!"
Keon's inner thoughts drowned out the rest of the mission details. Standing on the sidelines kept him out of harm's way, and he feared the consequences of jumping out of his comfort zone. Those who wanted to make a change surrounded him, yet he stayed stagnant.
The ground below was like quicksand, and with each minute that passed, more and more of him became swallowed up. He wanted to leave, but his legs were heavy, like a ball and chain were tied around his ankles.
There was no hiding that he was a coward.
Blue appeared beside him with Bait holding her hand. She grabbed Keon's too, eyes still forward as Lucky spoke about the details of the mission. The floor, which had swallowed him up, receded as his feet became grounded once again.
Then, around him, voices erupted. Words of those ready to battle for the change they wanted to see in the world yelled out. The clones that filled the room were prepared to fight and die for what they believed in.
Keon clutched Blue's hand harder.
What made him different from them?