John sniffled, his voice barely above a whisper. "I'm sorry… but it must be done."
"I want to join your team…" Conrad spoke just before the cannon fired.
"What?" Benjamin froze, lowering the weapon.
Tears welled up in Conrad's eyes. "I grew up poor, just like you guys. I watched my mother get killed right in front of me by the very people I currently work for. Every day, the knife digs deeper into my heart. The guilt… the burden… it's overwhelming."
His voice cracked. "We admire you, John. We admire how brave and courageous you are to betray the empire and fight against it. We've always wanted to do the same thing you're doing."
"I was taught by my parents to help the innocent. To always give second chances. My father disappeared mysteriously shortly after my mother was killed…" Tears streamed down his face. "He's probably dead."
"My friends — Duncan and Ethan — they're good people too. I managed to change them. I made them see that what we were doing was wrong… evil. I've always wanted to help people like you — the ones forced to live off the scraps of the rich."
"But I was terrified of the consequences. Terrified of what would happen if I betrayed the empire. Terrified of getting caught." Conrad's shoulders shook as he cried. "But now that I've met your group… I feel hope. You've actually made real progress. You've damaged the empire. Please… let us join you. Let me avenge my parents."
John nodded slowly, his own eyes growing watery. He stepped forward and placed a firm hand on Conrad's shoulder, gently massaging it.
"I understand your pain," John said softly, offering a small smile. "Of course you can join us."
"Says who?" Benjamin challenged.
John turned to him. "Have a human heart, will you?"
"Don't believe everything you hear or see, cunt," Benjamin shot back.
"Then I shouldn't believe anything, right?" John replied. "This group isn't led by one person. We're one compact family that watches each other's backs."
Benjamin scoffed. "You think you're one of us, mate? I made this fucking circle. Who the bloody hell do you think you are?"
Conrad spoke again, still sniffling. "I fell into a deep depression and was going to end my own life… until memories of my parents flashed through my head. The happy moments, the sad ones, the angry ones — every emotion. I thought my life had no purpose, but I was wrong. My purpose is to avenge my parents and take down the empire that destroyed me."
"I never wanted to become the man I am now," he continued. "But I soon learned this was the only way to survive in this cruel world — to become a ruthless monster who feels no remorse for the poor. Every kill, every punch… it was against my will. It hurt me so much, but I had to do it just to live another day."
"No," Benjamin said firmly.
"Yes," John defied him.
Benjamin laughed mockingly. "Good fucking choice, Hannah. I told you we couldn't trust this muppet."
"Like I said, this isn't a matter of trust," Hannah replied, looking at the three prisoners. "They're joining us."
"No, they're not," Benjamin insisted.
"Why not? They just told you their whole story and this is how you respond?" Hannah pressed.
"Absolutely, luv. I don't buy a single word they've said. Besides, they would've killed us if we hadn't won." Benjamin turned to the rest of the group. "Go on, lads. Do we let them in or not?"
One by one, the Maggots agreed to let them join. Benjamin spat on the ground in frustration. "What the fuck has gotten into your bloody heads?"
"Hermano, they could be very useful to us. If anything, we should be thanking them," Diego said.
"Not everyone deserves a second chance," Alfie Sr. added calmly, "but some do. Just like these three… just like John."
"What a bunch of nonsense…" Benjamin muttered, rubbing his beard.
---
"You need to stop being scared…"
"Stop hiding in your little shell…"
Nixon's voice echoed through Knox's mind.
Each day, Knox was becoming weaker than he had ever been. Losing fights. Feeling small. Being scared.
He stared at himself in the mirror, clenching his fists. Disappointment and sadness washed over him. He wanted to punch himself — to let all the anger out on the person staring back.
The door opened. Nixon walked in and found his brother crying quietly.
"You alright, dude?" Nixon asked, sitting down beside him.
Knox shook his head. "Wh-what's wrong with me…?"
He hit himself in the head three times. "Why am I like this?!"
"Woah, calm down, buddy." Nixon gently lowered his hands. "Tell me everything. You know you can trust me."
"I'm not who I am anymore…" Knox said, voice trembling. "People treat me like I'm lower than them now. I'm losing every fight and I keep getting scared! I don't want to be! That's not who I am!"
"But that is you, Knox," Nixon said softly, moving closer. "That's you without your shell. That's the real you — not the fake monster you've been pretending to be your whole life. But that doesn't mean you can't change. You can keep the shell, or you can forge a new one. There are millions of paths ahead of you."
"The best me is whatever the world thinks is best for me." Knox looked back at his reflection. "And look at me now… crying my fucking eyes out like a damn baby every night. It hurts a lot, Nixon… a lot. To lose a fight when you're a man like me. To be scared and terrified of… everything."
"I never wanted to be a monster," Knox sighed. "I simply had no choice but to become what the world saw me as. But now that it's finally happened… why do I feel this way? I'm supposed to be happy."
"What you're feeling is like tasting food you've always sworn you loved — but you've never actually tasted it," Nixon said. "You haven't tasted the real thing yet, Knox. You're still at the appetizer. You haven't become who you truly are."
"Let me change you, Knox. Let me give you a taste of the real food." Nixon reached his hand out.
---
"Sir, I have some information to tell you. It's bad," Ashley said as she entered the room.
Sovereign didn't respond. He simply waited.
"We've lost track of all four of them, sir. But we do have their last known location," Ashley said, forcing her voice to stay steady and bold.
Sovereign chuckled. "That doesn't surprise me one bit."
"You just keep impressing me more every day, John," he murmured to himself.
"What shall we do, sir?" Ashley asked after a tense silence.
"Well, they're probably all dead by now," Sovereign replied casually. "I'll deal with this problem tomorrow or the day after. I want to see how this plays out."
"Understood, sir."
"Don't lose their last known location," Sovereign added as she turned to leave.
Once the door closed, Sovereign smiled faintly. "What could you possibly be planning now, John…?"