A^2

         Liu looked at me in surprise, as I stood at the top of the stairs. He was standing in front of his computer, looking up at me, wearing a T-shirt and shorts. The basement was spacious, but cozy. No one would hear him scream. "What do you mean my family is gone? I saw them this morning!" He was still in denial. I shook my head. "It's been 8 hours since then, and they work fast." I explained, leaning on the doorframe. "Who's they? Where'd they take my family? Those niggas are gonna die!" He said angrily, taking a step forward. I put my hands up. "Calm down," I smirked at his anger, but the smile turned more solemn as I continued, "They took my family too."

         Liu quieted down, and he stared at me with worry. "What do they want?" He asked, noticeably calmer. It took a while for me to respond, because even I didn't understand the whole situation. "They want us to do something for them." I finally answered. He furrowed his brow, and quickly adjusted his glasses. "What do they want us to do? And why'd they take our families? I was gonna ride my horse. Is it really this important? Can't we just call the cops?" He shot question after question, and I didn't know how to answer them. I just stood there, unsure of what to say.

         After a long silence looking each other, We finally gave in to our primal instincts and began ripping off our clothes. I finally told him the only thing I knew. "They want us to bring someone to them. The target's being held prisoner, and if we can't get them, our families are dead, and the same will probably happen if we call the cops. All I know is that the target is in California, and that we have as much time as we need. If we're gonna do this, we have to do it together. We can help each other out."

          Liu sat in his chair, and spun around to face his computer. He started typing away, and I walked down to look at his screen. Facebook. "What are you doing?" I questioned. We couldn't risk letting anyone know, they could be monitoring us. He glanced back to me before continuing to log in. "We can get Feng to help us. We can pick him up since it's in California. We just have to pay him with sexual favors."

         I hesitated. "What if they don't want us getting help?" I said, worried. Liu looked back at me, an equally worried expression on his face. "You're right. Let's just go."  He said, as he grabbed a suitcase from the closet beside him. He began packing, when he paused, and looked back at me. "Wait, how'd you get here? Where's your stuff?" He asked. I gestured to the exit. "They flew me in, and gave me a bunch of cool shit to work with. Finish packing, and I'll meet you at the front." I slowly walked out of the room, my footsteps echoing through the silent home.

         I sighed as I closed the front door behind me, and took a seat on the steps leading up to the door. This whole situation was ridiculous, like something out of a movie. Adrenaline had been keeping me from panicking, but now, as I thought about my position, I started to realize what was happening. My family was taken, and if I made a mistake, they would be gone. Their lives were in my hands. These people, this "company," had to be powerful. But if they had so many resources, why would they get a couple of teenagers to do this job for them? Was this some sort of twisted game? I shook my head and sat back, clearing my head. I couldn't worry about the details now. The mission mattered the most. Breathing in the Chicago air, I stood up, and made my way down the steps.

         I turned around to the sound of the door opening, and saw Liu, a forlorn expression on his face. He dragged his suitcase down the steps,