Unexpected reunion

Morgan woke up in an unfamiliar room. Cocking his head, he turned to assess his surroundings. The blinds were drawn. The room was shrouded in a gentle darkness. As his gaze swept he room, he realized he was in the hospital. Aside from the rhythmic humming of machines, he was alone. His mind drifted back to the events that had taken place. Everything seemed to have been like some horrible dream: the fire, the monster, and the mysterious stranger who had saved him. It felt like some nightmare from which he would awake any second now. If fate was playing some cruel joke on him, he wasn't having it. As he contemplated his predicament, the door to his room opened, and a woman in a white nurse uniform walked in with a tall red-haired woman in tow.

He sat up in his bed, warily looking at the duo.

" How are you feeling? You've been asleep for two whole days, " the nurse said cheerfully as she examined him. "A little lightheaded, but I feel alright." He replied. She shone a light into his eyes. "Follow the light with your eyes if you can," she said softly. He did.

" Open your mouth and say ah," She took a swab from his mouth. She then proceeded to remove the IV from his arm. He winced slightly in discomfort. She jotted down a few things on her notepad." You'll be right as rain, all you need is a lot of rest, don't push yourself around too much."

"Well, I'll leave you and your aunt to catch up. She arrived as soon as you were admitted. She has been quite worried about you." The nurse quietly exited the room.

He curiously looked at the redhead. " Who are you? What are you doing here? You're my aunt?" he asked hesitantly.

"My name is Rebecca, Rebecca Kingsley. I am one of your uncle Damian's aides. He sent me as soon as he heard the news. He wanted to be here, but he couldn't make it in person. He is worried about you."

"My mum, is she by any chance still alive?" He asked quietly.

Rebecca silently shook her head. " By the time the firefighters got there, there was nothing that could be done to save her. She died in the fire. Miraculously, they found you unharmed, with no wounds to speak of."

"No!" he suddenly shouted. "My mother was murdered in cold blood! I saw it, we were having dinner, when the doorbell rang. She went to answer it. There was an old man, he... " Morgan was suddenly at a loss for words as the image of his mother's body flashed before his eyes. The tears he'd desperately held back streamed from his eyes. "I couldn't save her. I was so weak." He started trembling uncontrollably.

Rebecca's eyes narrowed in confusion.

"Do you mean to say that there was someone else other than the two of you in the apartment?" 

She gently grasped his head in her arms as he sobbed.

"Morgan, I need you to calm down. I want to help you, but to do that I need you to tell me everything."

With a quiet sniffle, Morgan began to recount what had transpired to her.

"I know that it sounds crazy, but you have to believe me. Something or someone killed my mother, and if it weren't for that "man," I'd probably be dead too. You've got to believe me."

Rebecca sat quietly observing Morgan. She suddenly stood up abruptly and made for the door. She paused at the door. " I'll be back shortly. I have a phone call to make." With that, she opened the door and slipped out noiselessly, shutting it behind her.

 ***

Hathgrange Airport. 

A tall, handsome white white-haired man with piercing grey eyes made his way through the VIP terminal, closely followed by a small entourage of guards. He was dressed in an immaculate white two-piece suit. A lion's head embroidered in gold adorned his left breast pocket. His muscular frame strained against the fabric of the suit as he confidently strode through the corridor to the airport entrance for VIPs. His whole appearance emanated wealth and power.

Outside, a group of men similarly dressed in black suits stood at attention, tense and alert, scouring the surroundings for even the tiniest sign of a threat. A lone figure separated from the sea of suits walked forward with a measured pace. His dark hair was stylishly slicked back. He held an elegantly curved cane in his gloved hand, with it ending in the form of an owl.. His striking azure eyes twinkled as he focused on the white clad man making his way toward him.

"Damian, it has been quite a while since you last visited," The man said, holding out his hand. 

"Well, I'm a busy man, Marcus. And you are a hard man to get hold of." He replied with a smile, firmly shaking the man's hand.

"Fair enough, I wouldn't be here if the families had not so conveniently convened this meeting." Marcus grinned.

"To what do I owe the pleasure of being personally received by the venerable patriarch of the renowned Snow group?" Damian asked as they made their way to the convoy of cars that awaited them.

"What's wrong with me wanting to meet an old friend? I just wanted to see how my long-lost friend was doing." Marcus smiled. The motorcade set off in orderly fashion. Marcus Snow, the youngest patriarch of the Snow family of assassins, was an enigmatic and cunning man, as well as one of the deadliest men Damian had met despite his unassuming appearance.

" Things have been a little tense since Alexander disappeared. And for his son to also lose his mother so soon after. It's like some kind of twisted joke." Damian grimaced.

"Well, to be frank, the disappearance of a Maestro is not something to be taken lightly, especially one as talented as Alexander Thane. Recently, a group of novices that were doing a reconnaissance expedition also went missing. I doubt it's a coincidence. " Marcus seriously remarked.

"During this meeting, we plan to negotiate the help of a certain organization that is skilled in such matters, and hopefully, we will get to the bottom of whatever is happening."

"You don't mean you're going to agree to involve those people in a matter as delicate as this? Surely you can't be serious," Damian said, his eyes narrowing.

"At this point, our hands are tied," Marcus sighed.

An awkward silence ensued, but was quickly shattered by the shrill ringing of a phone. 

"Rebecca?... I'm listening."