Death

“ Listen here pal, i ain't selling you any more cocaine! You pay up late,plus I'm starting to think you might’ve developed a slight cocaine addiction problem and I don't want any part of it!” “C’mon old man! Why do you always have to do me like this?” “If I knew you were going to be knocking on my door every 5 days, I wouldn't have sold you anything in the first place! My other clients have been complaining about a certain “junky” hanging outside my apartment and its affecting business! Now scram you little weasel!” “Ill pay you in advance this time.” “Yeah, right. Where’s the money then?” “Here in my pocket. Look. Two Thousand green ones.” “Oh shit, you actually do have the money…” “Of Course I do old man. Now c'mon. You know I wouldn't mess with you like that.” “Yeah yeah. Whatever. I'll be taking that from you. “W-where’s the stuff?” “Can you calm down… jesus.” Grabbing his moist and opaque groin, the old man retrieved a small bag, with 2 grams of coke. “This is it?” “Yeah that's it! Now piss off before I tell my Mexican neighbors, you're the one responsible for stealing their satellite TV. They're going to be pissed when they know you're the reason they can't watch Telemundo!” The chipped off door was slammed against its counterpart and the old man made his way to the filthy corner he called a kitchen. He subconsciously opened the top left cabinet where he stored his cat’s food. “ Let's see. Past due, Past due, Past due… aha! One fresh can of savory Salmontines!” After having to struggle against the tin can, the old man called his fury beast. “Ulises! Come here you decrepit bastard. Found a fresh one for ya.” The cat, or what seemed to be once a cat, crawled through mountains of scum and filth to eat out of an unwashed bowl.” " There you go you silly cat. Little does anyone know, if I could take you down to hell with me when I am done with this life, I would. You would make a swell companion.” Ulises hissed at the old man as if understanding of his spontaneous compliment. “ Now! You have your food. What else was I supposed to do today? Oh yes! Mail. Like a gopher interrupting a silent game of golf, the old man grabbed a stack of unread mail, dropping a few enveloped on the ground. He didn't mind them too much. “Lets see, what unnecessary surprises will I find today. “Foreclosure.” “ Eviction Notice“ “Late Car Note.” “Energy Bill.” “ Well Ulises, it seems like there is nothing new in the mail today. Wait a second. What. Do. We. Have. Here.” 

“For Malone. Urgent.”

 “Woah Ulises! I wasn't expecting this one!” 

Quickly opening the sealed envelope, the old man realized it wasn't but a week old. “Malone…” wrote the correspondence. “... How the hell are you?! I know. It's been a while. You probably forgot about my existence. Quite frankly, Malone, I had forgotten all about yours. That was until last month. See Malone, we both know that in the type of world you and I have influence in, orders are pretty much given to you as spontaneously as this letter you are receiving from me. Subsequently speaking we both know what happened to orders that are not followed. Trust me, I know you are semi-retired and all you probably want to do at this point is to take care of your cat. What was his name? Pericles?” Anyways Malone. Headquarters have invested in me the responsibility of a cadet's foresight. The kid’s name is Peter. They're probably gonna make him the newest Delta 44 team member. In case you haven't erased the long term memory area of your brain. That’s Delta 44, Malone. Forget about trivial stunts like robbing a bank or trace a wire transfer. I'm talking about classified information only. Government infiltrations, political manipulation, international spies, big boy stuff. The boy Peter. He is ready. Solid young man out of Berlin, Germany. Both parents were killed during the War. One of our recruiters rescued him from an orphanage and groomed him until now. Peter has exhibited an incredible ability with weapons. Especially high caliber sniper. A swell polyglot with one of a kind characteristics. Good looking boy that has huge potential. He holds everything but one fundamental thing. We’ve tried sending him with Dr. Rubert, Madame Lavalle and even Dexter Mortimer. None of them could fix him. So, I am sending him to you. I apologize once again for the intrusion but I am giving you an order. You have 10 days to prepare.” “ Well, I'll be damned Ulises. No matter how much I try to get away from them, they always end up sucking me back in!” The cat jumped as the old man finished yelling and exhausted all his frustration out. “ I don't even have a place for Peter to stay. I can't do this. I'm stopping this whole thing before it even begins.” The old man read through the letter once again and decided that it was against his interest to deny the sender of the letter his wishes. After a while of contemplating his future, the old man took a deep breath, followed by a long sigh towards the heavens. “Fuck Ulises. I think we don't have a choice.” 

Like a distant hawk visualizing several possible prays, the old man sat still, staring from afar an old clock that was gifted to him 4 christmases ago by his mother, the doorbell, which was set to ring at any moment that same day and his beloved Ulises. A heavy knock startled the old man’s attention. Slowly, gliding his feet towards the door, he took a small peek outside his window. “Peter is on time” said the old man to his cat. “ Hi. My name is Peter. Did you receive the letter?” “Did I receive the letter?! Of Course I received the letter my boy. Come in!” “ I apologize for my intrusion, sir. I can't seem to get the hang of it and you're practically my only hope.” “ Well my boy. I will teach you, whatever you need to be taught. But there is something you must know before we embark on this little journey of ours. One. you will do chores for me. Any man living under my roof will remain active and will contribute to the wellbeing of this establishment. Second. You will treat this cat as if your life depended on it. And Third. You will do as I say and will not question it. You will obey my words as if God himself is speaking to you. No ifs or buts. Understood?” “ Y-Yes. Anything you say.” “Good man. Now. Get yourself settled in, your room is in the back to your right.” “ W-When do we start?” “ We start after dinner. I hope you can cook.” “I know my way around the kitchen.” “Good man.”  

The pasta al limone was splendid. “Tell me my boy, where did you learn this recipe?” “After graduating, I was sent to Siciily. I stayed with Dr. Garibaldi. I had the pleasure of learning from him. In our free time, he took the liberty of showing me proper Italian cuisine.” “ Ah yes, Dr. Garibaldi. One of the great professors.” “ Great indeed.”

 Moving both finished pasta plates aside, the old man commenced his call upon duties.   

  “Peter my boy, it has come to my attention that you are one of the most outstanding cadets headquarters has ever seen. You've passed all the necessary aptitude and skills tests brought upon you with flying colors and your future with the Delta 44 squadron stands on whether or not you are able to learn that of which you haven't been able to learn, just yet.” correct sir.” “ Now tell me my boy, what's making it so difficult to grasp?” “The silence sir.” “ What about it?” “I-I can't deal with it.” “ Well, you should be able to deal with it, everyone does.” “ I perceive it differently I guess.” “ What do you perceive?” “ A cold winter night. Silenced by layers and layers of snow. An empty room filled with hopes and dreams that no one will unlock or discover. Infinite grains of sand being washed up by the beach with a trivial existence. Unable to fulfill their purpose. I-I am terrified. Of not being anymore. Of my absence. Of my infinite absence.”

 “Peter, my boy. You were sent to me because you are afraid of death. But death is not afraid of you. Death has always been with you. Ever since your first day on Earth, she has been waiting and she won't come until she thinks you are ready. You are looking at yourself as a finite thing. Something with a start and an end. You are not wrong by thinking that way, what you are however is putting yourself on a pedestal. You, me, darn even Ulises, have never actually left. We are infinite energy vibrations that have existed ever since the beginning of time. We didn't start or end. We change. Different forms. Different thoughts. Different ideas but we dont leave my boy. Your perspective is unabling you to see this clearly. See, the very same energy that allowed you to knock on my door so loudly earlier today, is the same energy that will wrap your mind once you are in life and death situations on missions. You must be able to see and think clearly during these difficult time you will eventual find yourself in. You must start to see yourself as a formless, shapeless, emotionless creature guided only by energy vibrations. Once accepting this premise, you will let go of yourself. Burn your ego.

 Eventually you shall embrace death. No matter where you are.

Lesson number one. 

Plato and the shadows.

But before we start, take this acid tab and put it on the tip of your tongue. In 15 minutes i will give you another one”