Never Judge

"Hey Hendrick!" Al excitedly greeted as he waved at his cousin's friend and his recruiter to the Mafia.

"Al." Hendrick said in a somber tone and a low voice as he nodded at the young man.

Al couldn't help but notice his sudden odd behavior. It was as if he was distancing himself from Al, treating him more like he would one of the bosses like Al's uncles rather than as a friend.

Al made a mental note to speak to Hendrick later on. He couldn't keep going about like this, people would realize that his own recruiter treated him oddly and soon enough his identity would be revealed.

Aside from that, Al didn't want Herndrick to see him as the boss' son. He was still the same person and they were still friends.

He knew that Hendrick probably needed more time to adjust, especially now that he was suddenly thrust into two very important roles after discovering his best friend's real identity.

"You know the kid?"A man who looked like a bouncer at a club asked as he looked at Hernrick.

"Yeah." Hendrick responded with a nod. "I recruited him."

"He's a minor!" One of the two women in the room gasped as she looked at Al. She was wearing simple jeans and a shirt, but she still looked quite pretty to Al.

It was girls like those that Al learned to be careful of.

He knew that despite their simple demeanor, they could be the most dangerous in the room.

"That's against the King of the Underworld's bottom line." The girl hissed as she glared at Hendrick.

"Calm down Sora." Seth said as he entered the room.

Al was surprised that Seth had joined them. He thought that Hendrick would have to brief everyone on the mission.

"Boss." Everyone greeted him as soon as they saw Seth join them.

"Please, sit." Seth gestured, making the people in the room hesitate.

It was very out of character for the head of a Mafia family to treat their people so kindly. They ruled with intimidation and fear, not with kindness and respect.

Everyone took their place, many clearly worried that they had done something wrong and would be killed and tortured.

Seth chuckled when it registered to him that the people in the room were worried that they were about to be dispatched by Seth himself.

"You're not in trouble." Seth calmly told them as he sat down and crossed his legs. "You are here for a special mission, one that's from up top."

"Like-?" A woman gasped as her eyes went wide with shock.

It took all of Al's self control not to laugh. He could see Seth glare at him, warning him not to react.

"Yes, from the king of the underworld himself." Seth confirmed, nodding as soon as he was sure that Al wouldn't do something stupid.

"So the kid being here is completely legal?" Sora asked as she observed Al. "I don't see anything special about him."

Al rolled his eyes as Sora pointed her observation out.

"Watch your attitude, kid." She scolded. "If you want to last here you'll need to learn that."

Seth laughed, probably because Sora had no idea who she was taking on.

He also knew that Al wouldn't take Sora's comment personally. If he were anyone else it would be completely appropriate.

"You don't look like much either, Sora." Herndrick said as he came to Al's defense. "Sometimes those that we underestimate are the most dangerous."

"Let me explain the mission first, Sora, before you suddenly go off and get pissed at the kid. He's done nothing to you." Seth scolded the woman.

Sora sank back in her seat and frowned. It seemed that only the head of the mafia family could keep her quiet.

"It would be best if you listened to Hernrick, he's in charge of the mission." Seth added as he nodded at the young man.

"M- m- me?" Hendrick asked, shocked that he had been given such an important role.

Seth nodded and smiled.

"For the mission." Seth began as he placed a photo of the traitor on the board. "Luke Lopez, he's not that highly ranked in our organization, but he is high enough to be a threat."

"What is he?" Sora asked as she leaned forward to look at the man.

"A traitor." Henrdick hissed. He already knew why Seth was giving them all the information on the man.

Seth nodded and sighed.

"How did you find him? Did he slip up? Are we supposed to chase him?" The other girl in the group asked, making Al laugh.

She was the total opposite of Sora.

Where Sora was simple and looked like the type that wanted to work alone, this one seemed to be a social butterfly, She reminded Al of his own mother, who was always the center of everyone's attention, whether she liked it or not.

"Calm down Lianne." Seth chuckled. "Let me get through the entire mission before you berate us with questions."

Lianne frowned and pulled her lips to a line. She seemed quite embarrassed that Seth had scolded her.

"A spy managed to figure out for us that this man was passing over information to a group outside the country that wants a complete upheaval of the underworld." Seth explained.

Al wasn't expecting his uncle to tell them all the information, but it seemed that Seth had chosen honesty over discretion, which was usually the opposite in the mafia.

"They're after the kind and his people?" Hendrick asked as he realized how big the issue was at hand. His eyes quickly darted towards Al probably thinking that the last place Al should be was at the center of a mission.

"They are." Seth confirmed. "Not just the king's people, but all of us who have worked for him and who are anyway loyal to him."

"I thought we just got rid of a traitor in our ranks, then this?" Someone hissed. "Have we even caught that one by the way?"

"No, not yet, but we're working on that one. We have a very special team on him now." Seth promised.

"So what's the plan?" Lianne asked as she leaned forward, excited to get started on the mission.

"He'll belong to your unit and you as a group will try to get as much information out of him without him suspecting. This has to go on for at least a year, the other side cannot be informed about this." Seth said in a serious tone.

"Well, I'm in, this will be fun." Lianne said as she smiled at Sora. "You're in too, right?"

"What the heck, a challenge, sure." Sora nodded in agreement.

It seemed that Sora and Lianne were actually good friends despite the contrast in their personalities.

"You'll have to follow Henrdick." Seth warned. "I will not allow you to go rogue on this one. Clear?"

Everyone in the end agreed to work on the mission. No one hesitated, it was clear to Al why his uncle Seth had hand picked this team.

"Oh and before I forget, the pivotal piece in this mission is Al. I'd like to introduce you all to Aldrich Lawrence, Prince of the Underworld." Seth said, making Al's jaw drop. His identity was not supposed to be revealed.