There was that familiar smell lingering in the air. The factory had been closed for renovations some three years ago. But somewhere between the construction and the economy the plan was scrapped and the half-completed project stood looming in a sea of empty warehouses. The factory was once the biggest paper mill in the state but now it is just a distant memory from the glorious past.

When Toberius was still just a young man, he heard the news of his estranged brother's death. They had a falling out around his 18th birthday when his older brother announced he was leaving home to move to America. His brother tried to remain in contact, but Toberius never accepted him back into his life.

Toberius found the letter waiting for him on a small table in the foyer of his family's house. The envelope was blank except for "Toberius" handwritten in black ink. Toberius recognized the writing immediately as his older brother's. Thinking it was just another plea to visit him and his "Oh so fancy paper company." Toberius scoffed at the idea, why would he never want to leave this place? It was perfect. Toberius flipped the small envelope over a few times contemplating whether or not he should open it or not. While flipping the envelope over and over in his hands he began thinking back to the last time he saw his brother.

It was an unusually warm day for early April. The sun was high in the sky with few clouds to ruin the good weather and fun. Toberius enjoyed spending time with his family so birthdays were particularly enjoyable around the household. Any reason to get the family together was reason enough to throw a party.

It wasn't until the party began winding down that Toby spoke up about his intentions to leave the next night. His declaration came as a surprise to everyone who remained. In an instant, a flurry of questions, concerns, and congratulations fill the area. Over the roar of people around him Toberius heard his brother speak up, "Its already settled. My plans have been made and there is nothing that can change my mind. I'm going moving to America to find my own way. I will send a letter with my new address when I figure everything out."

A small noise woke Toberius out of his trance. He found himself staring intently at the back of the envelope when a second noise coming from the kitchen jolted Toberius into an investigation. It was too early for someone to be visiting, and didn’t make much sense to come to the backdoor. Toberius cautiously approached his kitchen listening for any further intrusion on his home.

As he reached the kitchen a large rock came smashing through the large window, bounced off the table and landed on the floor.

“Oi, what the fuck you assholes doing?!” Bounding towards the window Toberius yelled out, “Who the fuck is out there? This isn’t the house to fuck with! You have 5 seconds to get off my property before I call the cops!” Peering out the now open window Toberius watched as two shadows disappear to the side of the house. “What the fuck is this?”

Quickly Toberius ran to the phone on the other side of the room. Picking it up off the hook he quickly dialed Emergency and put the phone to his ear. There was only silence. “What the hell? The phone isn’t working. What the fuck is going on here?” Dropping the phone back onto the hook, Toberius heard a large bang followed by multiple pairs of footsteps rushing into the house.

“Find him. Don’t let him get off the property! Check the kitchen, I’ll look this way.”

Toberius was able to overhear them from the kitchen and quickly made for the back staircase leading to the second floor of the house. Quickly making his way up the stairs he heard a voice coming from the bottom.

“Quick he went upstairs. Get after him! There’s no place to go.”

Toberius ran down the hall and made a quick turn into his bedroom slamming the door shut behind him. He quickly slid his desk in front of the bedroom door blocking it shut.

“Shit, shit, shit. Who the fuck are they? What the fuck do they want me for? I've never done anything in my life.”

Looking around the room Toberius needed to find a way out, he needed to do something.

Almost immediately there was a bang on the door. Someone was trying to force their way in. It wouldn’t be too long before they got in, then what? Then what are you gonna do Toberius? His thoughts whipped around in his head. Then he thought of something. His 18th birthday present from his father; a .38 revolver. Toberius ran to his closet and immediately began tearing open boxes. Toberius had never used it before, he had barely even held the gun. Toberius had never wanted a gun, he never had a use for a gun, but his father insisted he keep it just in case.

Toberius held the gun, very unsteadily, and pointed it towards the door. He thought back to when his father showed him how to use it when he was 18; it was his only experience using a gun. As he sat waiting for someone to burst through the door he went through a mental check list.

"Gun’s loaded, check. Safety is off, check."

Toberius feeling a little more confident now, raised his voice once more. “Whoever is out there you better get out of here. I have a gun, and I know how to use it!”

For a moment the banging on the door stopped. Then was seemed like an instant a barrage of gunfire pierced the silence and splintered the door. Toberius quickly dropped to the ground, his gun hitting the floor next to him. The window on the other side of the room was shattered by the incoming bullets.

After the gunfire ceased a heavy boot to the door, splintered the frame and the men outside began pushing the door open sliding the heavy desk out of the way. Toberius quickly reached for the gun and fired twice at the door. The door stopped moving and something dropped in the hallway. Not waiting to see what came next Toberius quickly jumped to his feet and jumped out the window.

The flight from Chicago to Philadelphia to finally eastern Ireland had taken its toll on Solastalgia's patience, energy and bodyguards as the last two weeks had blurred together in a sea of violence that left the Dunder Mifflin Paper Company in a crippled husk of its former glory; killing the regional manager, the assistant regional manager, and the assistant to the regional manager, the company was left in the hands of Solastalgia; an obscure mobster in his early thirties who wrote the oft-delayed Long Island Enquirer who was long rumored to have died in Peru, Paris, during a political crisis in India and during an art exhibition in New York over disagreements on the stylistic merits of Art Deco - on separate and multiple occasions.  

Yet the rumors of destruction in the four criminal capitals of the United States were accurate; Toby had fallen, and the hastily written warning letter he had penned to his younger brother in an attempt to keep him safe was delivered to his home in Ireland.  After what seemed like a lifetime, the plane finally landed; a truck awaited them outside of the airstrip that would take him and his bodyguards, Hall and Oates, to their final destination.  Solastalgia wasn't quite sure what he would find at the address he was given; by his estimates, he was just two hours ahead of his rivals. 

The frantic drive through the country had left them two blocks out from their destination with little time to spare; Solastalgia leapt out of the truck with the rifle that was arranged to be placed in the truck beforehand as his bodyguards followed suit.  Sprinting through the woods that would place him in front of the house that was his destination, he heard faint yells before the sound of several gunshots; he was too late. His eyes scanned the front of the property before settling on the front door that was riddled with bullets. 

Aiming his scoped Mosin Nagant towards the door, Solastalgia resolved himself to kill the perpetrators as recompense, before he instinctively and instantly aimed towards the window and fired.

A bullet whizzed through the air as it struck a red-haired young man he immediately recognized as Toberius on the side of his leg as he smashed through the window.

"Ah, shit!" Solastalgia said to himself as he peered away from the rifle scope while watching and hearing the loud screams of agony as Toberius attempted to crawl further from the house.  Seeing two poorly dressed assassins approach the window, he pulled the bolt to his rifle back, aimed and quickly dispatched one of them before Oates fired a decisive shot with his .38 revolver that struck the other assassin squarely in the face. 

"Hall, Oates, allons-y!" Solastalgia yelled as his two bodyguards sprang into action along with him as they crossed into the yard and lifted Toberius up.

"Hi! As you can tell, you're in danger." Solastalgia said calmly as he glanced at the leg he had just put a bullet through.  "Looks like they already landed a shot on you, too." he quickly added, glancing at the broken window, as Hall and Oates nodded in agreement.  "Thankfully it's just a graze - let's get you out of here."  As they carried the injured man to a nearby vehicle, Solastalgia sighed in relief.  "We only got word of a move on you a few days ago, and combined with the fact that your door was smashed wide open, we also never got a response to Toby's le.."he quickly stopped himself as he noticed the unopened and bloodied envelope that had Toberius's name written on it hastily tucked in the man's pocket.

"You didn't open the envelope?!" he yelled as Toberius was lifted into the backseat of the truck.

"What the hell does this letter have to do with anything? What the fuck is going on? Who the fuck are you and who the fuck are these guys after me?" 

Toberius gripped the side of his leg in pain. 

"Holy fuck someone shot me! You gotta do something! Am I gonna die?" Toberius immediately passed out after seeing the blood flowing from his leg. 

Solastalgia and his two bodyguards snickered at the novice Toberius. "He'll get use to our lifestyle don't worry boys." Halls and Oates both nod toward Solastalgia as the car speeds away from Toberius' house and towards the airport. 

Several miles down the road Toberius awoke to a sharpe pain in his leg. Oates was sitting next to him tying a tourniquet around his leg. "You're lucky. Its just a flesh wound, no hospital required." Oates smirked and looked back down at Toberius' leg.

"The bleeding should stop by the time we get to the airport. Your flight is tonight, we need you out of the country and in Chicago by tomorrow." 

"Chicago? I've never been to America before. I've only left Ireland once, and that was for holiday. What is this all about? Who the fuck are you guys?" Toberius slightly raised his voice prompting Solastalgia to turn his head and address him. 

"Why don't you go ahead and read that letter Toby sent you. It should clear up a lot of things." 

Toberius slowly removed the bloodstained letter from his pocket and began reading it. 

My dearest Toberius, 

If you are reading this letter than I have been killed, and you are in grave danger. I was never able to fully explain to you the reasons behind my leaving, and it seems that my move was not enough to keep you safe from the reaches of my troubles. I hope that this letter reaches you before they do. I'm sending my associate Solastalgia to escort you to Chicago. Stay with him. He will be able to keep you safe and can explain the finer details of the Paper Mill. 

Your brother always,

~Toby

"So he's really..." Toberius trailed off and sat quietly staring at the letter in his hands. 

After a few minutes of silence Toberius folded the letter up and placed it back into his pocket. 

"So what now? Where do we go from here?"