A Note From Ben: Here, at last, is the long-awaited sequel to RB. I promised you all this would happen if the original hit 200, and I always keep my promises. One note about this one: it takes place between the finale of the original and the wedding. There's a year there completely missing, and this is what happened in that year.

Redeeming Kyle

The Sequel To Raisins Boy

by Ben Barrett and Flabz

Prologue

To say that the man in the black clothes with the scars covering his face was intimidating would be putting it lightly. He stood six foot three, wore an eternal scowl, and had the look of a man who had killed before. His entire aura projected a GET THE FUCK OUT OF THE WAY message, and people were all too happy to oblige. Even hardened criminals who had served decades of their lives in Federal prisons seem to shrink in their very skin whenever he was around. It was definitely not something he ever got sick of.

He moved across the lobby in easy, confident strides, his black military boots clomping against the marble tile with each step. It was definitely a change from the TAP-TAP-TAP of high-heels and dress shoes that usually made up the workday, and it was enough to get the attention of the receptionist, who looked up over her glasses in disapproval at the sound; her expression immediately changed. She knew who he was, knew his reason for being there, and like everyone else, she was terrified of him.

She picked up the phone before he could even get within speaking distance of her and keyed in the number for the top floor. He was here to see Zero, and that would need authorization. The best way to ensure that she was still alive at the end of the day was to get his clearance as quickly as possible.

“Yes?” a strange voice on the other end of the line said impatiently. You didn't call Zero's office unless it was absolutely necessary.

“It's him,” she hissed into the receiver. “It's Alpha.”

“Are you sure?” the other replied quietly. “Can you be certain it is Alpha and not one of the other Sacred Twenty-Four?”

“There's no mistaking Alpha when you see him!” she snapped back. “None of the others are even remotely as creepy as this guy, not even Epsilon with that hideous necklace of human finger bones!”

“Creepy?” a voice growled from above her. She looked up from the phone and saw Alpha staring down at her, listening to every word she was saying. She'd been so eager to get him authorized and out of the lobby that she hadn't noticed him walk up...or maybe he was just that damn good. “That's certainly not the kind of friendly greeting I expect from a receptionist.”

“Oh God, I'm sorry,” she moaned. “Please don't kill me.”

He laughed at this, a twisted, evil chuckle. It was the kind of sound that only someone with demons in their very soul could make. It chilled her to her very core, and in that moment, she was certain that he would take the banana-sized knife from his belt and slice her throat, simply because she had been weak enough to ask him not to.

“Why would I kill one as meaningless as you?” he mocked. “I would get no pleasure out of it.”

“I...” she stuttered. She honestly felt in that moment that she just might piss herself. “I...I...I...”

“Bah,” he barked in disgust. “Just finish authorizing me so that I can get on with this! I have no more time to waste with you!”

She scrambled to fulfill his request, making several mistakes in her haste. Alpha rolled his eyes in annoyance and began running the blade of his knife slowly across his thumbnail. This made her even more nervous, and she knew that her decision to quit smoking had just been eighty-sixed. Fuck it. She couldn't handle the stress of this job without something to calm her nerves.

“Go up,” she finally said, hanging up the phone.

“Finally,” he growled, walking toward the elevator without another word.

Two minutes later, the man stepped into a small room on the top floor. Before him was nothing but a high-backed office chair facing a flat screen television on the wall. He moved forward without so much as a pause and took a seat in the chair. He knew procedure all too well. Once an operative stepped onto Zero's floor, time was of the essence. Zero was a very busy person, and did not tolerate anyone making him wait.

“Well?” a voice from the dark screen queried. A second later, a dark silhouette appeared. Alpha knew that to try and identify the voice, which was obviously deepened and garbled electronically, was as impossible as trying to make out any kind of facial features.

“Mission accomplished,” Alpha said. “The message you sent me to deliver has been received.”

“You were not seen?”

“Sir,” the man said as respectfully as he could without scoffing in disdain, “I am never seen.”

“Of course not,” Zero replied. “You are the best I have.”

“But of course I am.”

There was a pause here, and Alpha could have sworn for just a split second that he saw Zero raise an eyebrow. That was ridiculous, of course. Nobody ever saw any part of Zero's face. It had to be a trick of the light, or perhaps a glitch in the video feed.

“I sense unhappiness in you,” Zero said quietly. “Whatever could be the problem?”

“Sir,” Alpha said again, “I do what I am told, but I cannot deny that this latest mission was less than pleasing to me. I am an assassin, and I am not accustomed to playing the part of a delivery boy, passing notes to nurses in hospital lobbies.”

There was a chuckle then, as if Zero found this news amusing. Alpha ground his teeth at this. He didn't like being laughed at, not even by a person with so much power and influence. Laughter at his expense was like nails on a chalkboard, and it was the easiest way to make him fly off the handle. He was briefly tempted to take his knife and stab the screen over and over again.

“Alpha,” Zero said, a trace of laughter still present in the garbled voice, “do not be upset with me. You are my most trusted operative, the best of The Sacred Twenty-Four. Surely you of all people would understand the importance of such a mission? It may have seemed trivial, the work of a piss-on mail room clerk, but in all honesty, you could not have been trusted with anything more crucial.”

“I do not understand.”

“I know you don't,” the other replied. “That's why I'm going to explain it to you. My representative in South Park broke a sacred vow by revealing my existence. When he did so, Broflovski and his lover became extremely frightened, and frightened people are unpredictable. I could not have them snooping around, trying to find out who I am.”

“Ah,” Alpha said, “now I think I see.”

“No, I DON'T think you do!” Zero barked. Alpha had interrupted. This was never tolerated. Whenever Zero spoke, it was time to shut up and listen. “If you truly understood, I wouldn't need to explain to you what needs to be done now.”

Alpha chose not to reply. It would be best to keep quiet now until prompted to speak again.

“Broflovski and Marsh cannot come looking for me. The note should give them peace of mind and keep them at bay. I promised them that they have nothing to fear from me and that they are free to lead their own lives as they see fit. Should they decide to do the foolish thing, however, we will be forced to take action. I think you know what to do.”

“Yes,” the other replied. “If they choose to act stupidly, I shall order my associates to kill them.”

“NO!” Zero shouted. “They are not to be killed unless it becomes absolutely necessary, and then only by my orders. You and your subordinates are to keep an eye on them until I decide otherwise. If they act against good judgment, do what you must to stop them. You are even authorized to inflict bodily harm upon them, so long as it does not result in their demise.”

This made Alpha smile for the first time in a long time. He could definitely have some fun with this. Pain was a delicious thing.