Luther: A Criminal Underword Odyssey

Luca was a ten-year-old, spry, quick-witted son of an Italian Marshall. His bedroom was decorated similar to his social peers, with posters of military and fascism propaganda littered around. He had a pristine case of medals that sat alone on a dresser, and a photo of himself with his father in military uniforms that was placed on his nightstand. The photo is of one of his favorite memories, his first day of academy; it was one of the few days his father set aside work to see him off personally.

Jumping out of bed, Luca sprinted to the bathroom and wets his toothbrush while swishing away at a capful of mouthwash. He got dressed in his school uniform and headed out of his bedroom.

The hallways of the Balero manor were filled with paintings, artwork, vases, displayed weapons, and a singular bust of Mussolini that sat at the end of the hallway, watching over everything in its view. Luca dashes by in a full sprint. It's nearing the end of the school year, and he can't wait for summer. Going to camp with his friends, having time with no homework, and maybe, just maybe, he can finally go to work with his dad.

As Luca is playfully roaming around the estate, Luther approaches the building. They are wearing the uniform of the help, and Anderson's dossier included a fake I.D. card that should get them past any brief security. Blending in with the morning staff who are entering to start their shift of work, Luther doesn't run into any trouble getting in.

Luther begins to move around the estate, observing for their best opportunity to capture Luca and escape without setting the building on a high alert. The easiest opportunities would be to either drug the boy while he was still asleep and take him out in a laundry sack, or perhaps take the role of chauffer for the boy's trip to school.

As Luther began to head to the target's bedroom, Luca turns a corner in the hallway and accidently runs into Luther. Luca is knocked to the ground.

"Oh, my goodness. Master Luca, I'm so sorry. Are you quite alright?" Luther asked helping Luca up to his feet.

"Yeah, I'm okay—." Luca said dusting himself off. He looks at Luther's nametag to see who he is addressing. "Mrs. Kyle."

Luther winces for a split second, but quickly responds, "Please, call me Val."

Luca gives a quick nod and continues to run down the hallway towards the kitchen and dining room. Seeing that the boy is already awake and moving around the house, Luther pivots and follows him back.

As the two pass by the kitchen, the head chef grabs Luther by the shoulder and pulls them in.

"You're the new help, right? You're late. Sir Balero is nearly done with his first cup of coffee and nobody is out there to top him off," The chef informed as he placed a cannister with a pouring spout into Luther's hands. "Now hurry before he gets mad. I don't want to start the morning with another execution."

Luther glances at the chef with a sense of doubt, "You're kidding?"

The chef slams their knife into the nearby cutting board and begins to push Luther out of the kitchen.

"Clearly you are new," he said pushing Luther back into the hallway.

Luther begins to head to the dining room. As they pass by an office, they notice Luca inside. Luca is glancing over his father's medals, photos, and achievements with a sense of awe. In the dining room, Luther takes a spot behind Marshall Balero.

The room is large in size, but mostly empty. An elongated table contains a chair on each end, with candles lined across the center; creating a barrier between the two halves.

Sitting on one end of the table is Marshall Balero. He sits upright with immaculate posture. Taking calculated sips at nearly identical intervals, he reads the morning newspaper. Bodyguards stand attentively on both his left and right should he need anything at the snap of a finger. Luca's footsteps can be heard echoing down the hallway. Marshall Balero makes a slight noise clearing his throat and snapping his newspaper straight. Luther moves in to refill the coffee cup that had just run empty.

As Luca makes his way to the dinning room, his previous run slows to a mild walk. He takes a seat on the opposite end of the table. His mood subtly changes as he scoots his chair in.

"Good morning, Dad," said Luca.

Marshall Balero pauses before lowering the paper to acknowledge the greeting. His eyes pierce over the top edge of the newspaper, "Luca."

Another servant walks into the room. An elderly man in his late 50's or early 60's. Distinguishable amongst the rest of the help, he had an aura of authority around him; masked away by his gentle charm. The butler laid a plate in front of the suddenly starved boy.

Luca looked up to thank his favorite butler, "Thank you Maurice!"

Maurice doesn't break form or give acknowledgement as he takes a step back. He looks towards Balero for permission to speak, which he is given with a small hand gesture.

"My pleasure sir" Maurice stated with a sense of warmth.

Maurice gave a slight bow before exiting the room again. Luca began to eat his breakfast. With his mouth full, his attention is redirected again to his stoic father.

"Some of the kids were saying that school might be suspended. Is that true?" Luca asked.

Balero pauses again, as though he had lost his place on the page. He gives a slight sigh before answering, "You know I can't speak on work."

Balero finds his place and continues to read.

"If school is suspended though, does that mean I can go to work with you?"

Balero doesn't give the question a response.

Luca continued the one-sided conversation with his father, "It wouldn't be good for me to be kept indoors all summer. If school gets suspended, camp would be suspended too. And if I could watch what you do. I could learn even more and become a great leader; just like you."

Balero turns the page of the newspaper. His demeanor remains unfazed. Luca takes another bite. He doesn't want the conversation to die out.

"I know I can do it. All the best Marshalls are older, but with your help, I can become the youngest in history. Wouldn't that make you proud. You and grandpa."

Balero gives a momentary fidget at the utterance of his own father. But he is quick to regain composure.

"My work has no need for a nine—"

"—Ten," Luca corrects.

"As I was saying, there is no need for you to come Luca. You will go to school. You will go to camp. You will do well in your studies, and maybe when you are old enough, we will look into what placement you can be given."

Balero sets his coffee down; and Luther moves in to top it off. Balero takes another sip before speaking again. "But until that day arrives, I don't want to hear about you wanting to see my work. Am I clear?"

There is a tense silence in the air. Luca wants to say more, but he knows when his father has heard enough.

"Clear."

Luca continues to eat his breakfast in silence. Marshall Balero glances at his watch to check the time. He then sets the paper down and takes a final sip of his coffee. As he gets up from his chair, Luca takes notice.

"Time to go?" Luca asked with an air of disappointment in his voice.

Balero readjusts his suit jacket and begins to head out of the room.

"It's a busy time we live in my son." Balero pauses in the doorway. "One day you will understand."

Marshall Balero left the dining room with his security following behind him. As Luca finished his plate, another butler enters the room. The butler tells Luca to finish getting ready, and reaffirmed that Maurice will be out front soon to drive him to school.

Listening in on the information, Luther exited the room and headed back to the kitchen. They set the coffee pot down on the counter. The chef is multitasking between preparing a soup and yelling at his subordinates.

Luther cautiously approached, "Excuse me – I'm trying to find Maurice. Sir Balero requested that I give him some news in regards to master Luca and his school."

The chef pauses in his craft and aims his sights at Luther.

"Maurice takes Luca to school. So he is obviously in the..." The chef said, trying to lead Luther to the answer.

There is an awkward silence as the soup continues to boil.

"The..." Luther said trying to lead the chef to give the answer.

"The garage! I swear you servants are going to be the end of me." The chef yelled grabbing a stock of celery and furiously chopping it for his dish.

Luther slowly backs away from the fiery cook and leaves the kitchen. Walking through the halls of the manor, they eventually reach the garage door. Upon approaching the door, they notice that it is locked, requiring a key to open.

Luther reaches into their pocket to pull out a ring of keys that Anderson included in the dossier.

"Don't let me down Anderson." Luther said to themselves under their breath.

After going through the first two keys, they don't work in unlocking the door. Flipping to the third key, a pair of footsteps approach from behind Luther.

"Is there something you need from the garage? Maurice asked looking over Luther's shoulder.

Luther had to think of something quick before he could draw more attention. "Yeah, I was just asked to fix Master Luca's bike before he get's home from school today."

Maurice glances over Luther, looking at the ring of keys in their hand and examining their uniform.

"You know, I hate hounding on the new workers, but do you mind if I see your ID card really quick?"

Luther reached into their pocket and handed the ID card over to the protective butler. Maurice quickly examined it before handing it back. He raised an eyebrow as Luther kept their composure. He gave a mild shrug and unlocked the door as Luther stepped aside.

"I hadn't realized the bike was broken again. I've mention to Master Balero that we need to get the young boy a new one. Let's head into the garage and get it done." Maurice stated opening the door and gesturing for Luther to head in.

Luther gave a nod and headed in first. As Luther stepped down the stairs into the garage, Maurice's friendly smile disintegrated. The two enter the garage; it's a large open space with two Cadillac vehicles and multiple workbenches for staff and mechanics. Maurice closed the door to the garage and grabbed a hammer off the workbench.

"With how busy Master Bolero has been in his work, I'm surprised fixing the bike was even a priority so early in the morning." Maurice mentioned as the two of them walk across the garage.

Luther can now see the set of bikes in the corner of the garage, with all of them in pristine condition.

"Yeah, mechanics aren't really my thing so hopefully—" Luther began, seeing Maurice holding the hammer in the reflection of the bicycle. "...this won't take too long."

Maurice is the first to take a swing of the hammer towards Luther. Luther is able to easily block the telegraphed attack and kick Maurice back. As Maurice composes himself and charges back at Luther, Luther takes a step back towards the bikes.

"What do you intend to do assassin?" Maurice questioned as he took a few more swings at Luther.

"I think you have the wrong idea old man," Luther responded, dodging his attacker.

Luther reaches back and grabs one of the child-size bikes. They use it as a temporary shield until Maurice's arm breaks through a few of the spokes on the bike's tire. Luther spins the wheel to pinch his arm and disarm him. The hammer falls to the floor and Luther kicks it away.

With Maurice's arm still temporarily lodged in the bike, Luther throws the bike forward so that Maurice falls back.

"It's my job to protect Luca! I can't allow you to bring him harm." Maurice said as he tosses the bike to the side.

Luther places his hands out, "Listen."

Maurice is quick to get back up on his feet and begin attacking Luther. Luther is trying to not injure the elder, but their patience is starting to run thin.

"I'm not here to hurt the kid." Luther assured as they redirect a jab and counter with a quick punch to the nose.

Maurice doesn't slow down, so Luther begins to take a more offensive approach. They land a couple of blows to Maurice's midsection and knock them back against a workbench. Slumped over on the workbench, Maurice reaches for a nail gun. Luther stared down the barrel of the nail gun and pointed at Maurice the same way an owner would point at their pet dog when they wanted them to drop something.

"Hey, no!" Luther said as the butler turns around shooting nails across the garage. Luther dives behind one of the Cadillac vehicles as it gets pelted with nails.

"Why does this job always have to be such a pain in the ass." Luther muttered to themselves.

Luther sees a Mechanic's creeper under the Cadillac and grabs it as a shield. They rise back up from behind the vehicle and charge at Maurice. A couple of nails shoot through the wood, nearly stabbing Luther in the hands, but they reach Maurice and bash into them with their body.

The Nail gun gets knocked back on the workbench and knocks a couple more tools onto the floor. Stumbling to his side, Maurice now reaches for a nearby screwdriver.

"Look I just need to "borrow" the kid for a bit," said Luther.

"Over my dead body."

"Your words."

Maurice attempts to stab Luther with the screwdriver, but Luther ducks under his attack, grabs him by the torso, and tosses him over their shoulder.

Maurice slams to the ground. He withers for a moment in pain. Luther turns to face their opponent and suddenly feels a moment of remorse. Yet before they can feel too bad, Maurice takes a quick move to stab Luther in the foot with the screwdriver. Luther jolts in shock.

Luther exclaims in pain, "You son of a—"

In a brief lapse caused by anger, pain, and adrenaline, Luther grabs Maurice by the legs and swings him across the room. With no holding back, Maurice's body is launched into the damaged Cadillac. His body crashes and dents the car even further. The whiplash alone might've been enough to cripple his spine, if not outright kill him.

Luther snapped out of their brief episode of rage and looked over at the motionless body. They let out a sigh, "shit."

Luther walked over to the body and successfully checked for a pulse. They reach into Maurice's pockets to get the keys to the cars. Luther opens the trunk to the broken Cadillac and places Maurice's body gently inside. They write a note that reads 'Please Open,' and places it on the trunk after closing it.

Luther enters the nondamaged vehicle and opens the garage door. They put on a face mask just to remain a little inconspicuous, even though the windows are heavily tinted black. So much so that the interior can't be seen from the outside. Luther drives around to the front entrance where Luca and a servant are waiting. As Luther pulls up the servant opens the door to the back passenger seat.

Luca, distracted going through his backpack, enters the vehicle. Sorting through his books, the door is closed, and Luther drives off the premises.

"Jeez Maurice, what took you so long today?" Luca asks before looking back up towards the front of the car.

Luther doesn't give a response and continues the drive. Luca is caught off guard by the lack of a response and instantly recognizes that Maurice isn't the one driving. He slowly begins to reach for the handle of the car. Luther catches this action and places his gun on the armrest of the car.

"Don't bother kid," Luther said tapping on his firearm.

There's a brief icy pause between the two of them before Luther continues speaking, "You can either sit still and behave, or I can make you go to sleep."