Chapter 5 - Hearts And Minds - Phantom

“Do you really think that you have anything to offer, that will remotely interest me,” Phantom replied coolly. The stranger shifted his weight in the armchair and changed the subject slightly, “First of all, it occurs to me that I have not introduced myself officially, I am Janus Denton,” his tone formal, almost like a sales pitch. Phantom raised an eyebrow, “No official rate or rank, no department of office, no government title. Are you a small part of the mankind destroying system or just one of my ‘fans’ hoping to hear a tale from the old days?” This dissection of such a simple statement as his name caught Janus slightly off guard but he kept his calm and almost instinctively replied “That’s classified but if you question my word and have the right contacts I come under the codename ‘Rook’,” Phantom was almost amused by the robotic answer he received but he was already getting bored and this man was just a mindless pawn, there was nothing special about him, the intrigue vanished. He was simply one of the many brainwashed, government clones phantom had dealt with in the past. Having not received any response, be it bodily or verbal Janus continued with his mission. “My employer wants your,” he paused “‘skills’ for a very specific mission, a mission that could inevitably change the world for the better.” Phantoms answer was short and sharp “No.” “But you have a chance to make a difference, to save lives, to actually do some good for the whole of humanity. A selfless act that will allow so many people to live free of corruption and fear” The hearts and minds speech wears a little thin the more times you hear it. Phantom had been given it on numerous occasions and had yet to make any real difference the only thing he’d really changed was the bank balance of a few select individuals. Janus was about to press the matter but was cut off abruptly. “If that’s all you have to say, kindly leave while you still have the legs to walk on!” His anger was back, the hatred he had for the world’s governments, the military, the various agencies… The system as a whole all came bubbling back to the surface, his gloved hands tight in fists. Janus read Phantom like a book and his muscles tensed, not in an aggressive manner but in waiting for an attack that could come at any moment. He had been told, during his briefing that appealing to Phantoms morality, his sense of right, probably wouldn’t work but that was only his faint, and the game was still on. He stood up and slowly reacted into his pocket, he could feel Phantom’s eyes following his hand and saw his feet shift there balance into a more sturdy base, a fighters stance, a cobra ready to strike and removed a small, crumpled piece of paper. “If you change your mind, you can reach me on this number, it’s a secure line.” He placed the number on the table and slowly made his way to the door, never turning his back on the masked man. “We’re not the bad guys, we are only out to make things right,” on that note he left, walking out into the morning glow of Berlin.