Edmund owns a Tech Shop, and runs a secret black organ dealing business about his basement.
Terrance, in desperate need for money, has heard rumours about it and wonders if they're true ... Now he's come to find out.
10,000$ cash. That number flashed across Terrance's mind as he wandered slowly around the tech shop.
He would never be able to make so much money in such a short amount of time.
Oh, the things he could do with that money.
He was 6,400$ in debt, which was a lot considering he was just in his first couple of months into his semester at Manhattan University. Even if he paid off his debt immediately, he would still have enough left over to invest into something, maybe even a well deserved vacation.
He always wanted to go to New Zealand and bike across the beautiful landscapes there. Terrance finished his semi-daydream by the cameras section of the tech shop and kept his fingers crossed. He hoped badly that the rumors were true.
Edmund pretended to count inventory as he pulled out a folder listing all the items showcased within the store. While he walked casually up and down the path behind the cashier counter, he would turn his body ever so slightly and watch Terrance browse around the store with the corners of his peripheral vision.
Edmund didn't need to hunt anyone down. He never worried about his business. He was the main source, the sole provider and leading connector of a vital network that allowed valuable transformations to happen. He could sense Terrance's anxiousness and allowed the young man to bide his time.
How am I going to ask him? Terrance thought. Jeff better not have been joking with me.
Terrance dealt with his inner frustrations by fumbling around with a plastic-packaged green hard drive that he pretended to be interested in. Jeff was a close friend of his at the university, who had refused to come along with him to Ed's tech shop due to a literary project he was working on with a group of colleagues.
Terrance placed the package back on the shelf and turned directly to face Edmund who was patiently waiting behind the counter for the conversation to begin* like they always did. *
"Hey, my name is Terrance. I was wondering if I could ask you a question." Terrance asked in a slightly off tone voice, attempting to act natural. I just introduced myself to a strange salesclerk at a tech shop. I'm such an idiot. Terrance tried to ignore his negative thoughts and insecurities.
"Nice to meet you Terrance, I'm Ed. Please, ask away. What have you got for me? I'm all ears."
Edmund replied calmly. He turned to Terrance fully while holding in his smile. He listened intently.
Without much thinking, Terrance had forced the words out as soon as they came to his mind. "Umm... Is this the only tech shop in this area of Manhattan?"
I'm so stupid. Why did I just ask him that?...That's what Google is for...
Terrance doubled back and corrected himself. "Sorry, I mean... Are You strictly only a tech shop?" Terrance's eyes blinked a few times, closing his mouth tightly, not knowing what response Ed would give him.
Edmund's ears perked at the sound of the question and showed his cunning grin.
"Well, whatever you've heard, I am sure I can clarify the specifics. I actually..."
Just at that moment, a scruffy-faced older man wearing a rugged brown coat, black slack pants and scraped boots barged into the store and cut in front of Terrance rudely, interrupting the conversation.
"Mr. Poyair needs that shipment now. How much longer will it take?" The man was unsettled and obviously stressed.
Edmund turned quickly to Terrance and politely said, "Excuse me, I'll be right back."
Terrance replied, "Ok."
He was frustrated with the rude, older man but held his anger in as to not look foolish or say something regrettable in front of Edmund.
"Please. Let's go in here." Edmund said quickly, as he led the rude man through the back door after unlocking it with a red-coated key. As the door was closing, Terrance watched the two men walk down a small corridor, then down a set of stairs to the lower basement level. The door clicked shut.
Terrance wanted to go around the cashier counter and try the door and take a quick peak down the stairs quietly, but avoided being recorded by the three security cameras set up in the corner top walls of the shop. He, in that moment, remembered the stories of what people had heard through the ventilation system opening that was on the side of the alleyway outside of the store.
Without a second of hesitation, he left the store and walked out towards the alley. Seeing the side vent down a little ways up against the building's wall, Terrance crouched down on his knees kneeling and leaning his head down close to the vent. He heard a faint set of voices and leaned in closer, the cold metal now touching his left ear as he pressed.
"You know the policy. After hours only. I don't care how urgent it is, we have a schedule you agreed to. It's in the contract. You are not to jeopardize my business of operations."
"Mister Poyair is putting a lot pressure on us, he wants his men out of critical condition. When can the articles be delivered?" The man sputtered emotionally.
"I see...I'm all for saving lives, but not at the cost of revealing any of my traces to strangers. If I'm shut down, then more people suffer. That means you, Mister Poyair, his men and everybody else who is in dire need of what I provide are out of luck. Please do not do that again. There are plenty of ways to approach this in a professional manner, got it?" Edmund's seriousness vibrated in his voice as Terrance listened carefully.
"Ok, no problem. I understand." The scruffy-faced man replied shortly.
"What Mr. Poyair has asked for for one of his men is actually most common, but in this case quite rare due to the specifics. I'll have to double back and look in my files on what we have in the freezer right now, but for the moment, you can tell him to rest assured, we will have all the rest of the ordered items ready for pick up by today. I'll speak with Luke and Roy and find out what they've stored away. Come back later tonight in 3 hours. I'll be closing up the store soon. That young man upstairs is still waiting for me."
Half-lifted footsteps scraped and slid upon gravel from behind.
"Hey, kid! What you doing over there? You some kind of freak? A pervert? One them peeping toms?! Speak up, or I'll hurt you bad right now!"
Terrance stood up quickly, half shocked, and half hoping that Edmund didn't hear the commotion now happening in the alleyway up above. His heart was beating fast as the voice had startled him and caught him completely off guard.
He was relieved to see that the voice belonged to an elderly drunkard who happened to be walking nearby the alley when he had spotted Terrance eavesdropping near the vent. The old man's dirty grey and brown beard still had droplets of beer trickling down his hairs as he shuffled towards Terrance.
"Back away from me you dirty bum." Terrance said annoyed as he ducked out the way of the drunk man as he stumbled towards him still holding his aluminum steel beer can. He stared at Terrance in a lazy-eyed gaze and lost his train of thought to the dizziness.
As soon as the drunk man's back was turned facing the vent, too slow to react, Terrance rushed quickly back in through the entrance of Ed's Tech Shop.
Just as the door closed behind Terrance and as he rushed over to the computer section in the corner pretending to once again browse casually, the scruffy-faced man and Edmund walked out through the back door behind the counter only a few seconds later. The older rude man rushed out of the store and brushed passed the drunken man still stumbling in the alleyway, mumbling to himself in anger.
Edmund locked eyes once again with Terrance and smiled with a cunning grin and said, "Sorry about that. I believe I know why you're here, so let's just cut to the chase."
Terrance's throat became dry. His mind began to race again. Did he see or hear me in the alleyway after all? Was I too slow?
Edmund had just finished his dialogue in the basement, and knew he had to deliver soon.** Time was never on his side,** yet he needed to handle everything carefully and swiftly as possible. He had no more time for small talk and this young man, Terrance, needed to speak his mind and leave the store so Edmund could get back to his real work immediately. Edmund's reputation was on the line and he never disappointed.
Terrance couldn't wait much longer, he needed to hear it for himself, so he finally asked,
"Is it true that you buy people's organs on the black market?"
Before answering, Edmund walked over to the front store entrance and flicked the off button for the red Open sign that was lit up above the right window. It was now 6pm and the store was officially closed.
Edmund turned around. "That is partially correct, I buy many things from people, but organs are always in circulation. Are you planning to do business with me?"
Terrance wasn't expecting the man to be so forward, but was excited that it was all true. Yes! This is perfect! Now to see what my options are. Terrance thought happily. "Well...what exactly are you looking for? I'm completely healthy. I've been biking my whole life and I don't have any diseases. I don't know what you need, but I can give you one of my kidneys. How does this all work? Is there a test or an examination I have to do before you let me know?"
Terrance was so excited that he started to talk too much and overthink things.
Edmund knew this eagerness all too well and simply said, "Will you please step into the back with me so we can speak in detail. I need to go over some things with you."
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