Invisible Man

There was silence.

"Er," said Claude. "That's all."

Vinny sat back in his seat. His face twisted in displeasure, but his fingers withdrew mercifully from the button. "I have more sins than that, you know."

"Yes, sir," Claude agreed hastily. As an afterthought: "Most of your sins have probably never seen the daylight. There's no way I could recite them all."

"You could have found a lot more than one," Vinny's measured voice rebuked. "You could have researched. You could have spied on me. Or you could have made someone else spy on me for you. You could have walked in to the FBI office in Virginia, faked a memo or two, found their passwords, found their data on me, and destroyed it."

Claude blinked.

"In fact, that's what I'd like you to do," Vinny said, spreading his hands. "How does five grand and another shot at life sound?"

Claude, the Invisible Man, sat down with a wumph in the chair opposite Vinny.

Claude had always counted himself a "good at heart" kind of guy. Though no one in his life had been able to actually see him, somehow his mother and Sunday school teachers had connected enough with him to instill a sort of morality. Before a big decision, he would ask himself, "If the world were to end tomorrow, come Jesus and Satan both, to judge mankind, what's the decision I'd be proud to say I made?"

But this encounter led Claude to discover that his mother and Sunday school teachers had instilled something else deep inside him... something that no fear of mortal judgment could shake.

The moments that passed in heavy thought were short. "I want to be seen," Claude said decisively. "I want you to look me in the eyes and talk to me. So help me God, if you can do that - if you can teach me how and why you can see me - I'll do whatever you want."

Keeping Claude's gaze, Vinny nodded. The rings on his fingers glittered as he moved his hand to the button on his desk, and pressed it.

"Marco," Vinny said into the intercom, never breaking eye contact with the invisible man, "Get the limo ready. Gonna send the new hand to Langley."

• Continued from Part One
• A response to Prompt 5

Invisible Man

The door opened; the door closed. Invisible, silent, Claude was careful not to track mud on Vinny's rug lest the telltale moisture give his physical presence away.

Vinny was snoozing at his desk with his back to the door. No doubt his thugs were working Chicago's not-so-sunny streets for blood money. The crime lord hadn't done his own dirty work in half a decade.

Now for the scare of your life, old man.

"Vincent L. Tobelli Daniel the Third!" Claude boomed forcefully (and, if he would admit it, with a tad too much relish). "I have come to weigh the sins of your sad, sick soul!"

Vinny's chin jerked up from his chest. His chair swiveled a tad wildly. His eyes stopped on Claude, alert, glimmering.

Catlike, Claude stepped to the left in perfect silence, dodging the old man's gaze. Incredibly, Vinny's eyes followed his movement. The two men locked eyes.

Claude's jaw dropped.

"You... you can see me?" the invisible man stammered.

Vinny eyed him silently.

Experimentally, Claude waved his arms around. Obligingly, Vinny's eyes tracked the movement.

"You're unarmed," Vinny observed coolly. "Brave. I've killed men for interrupting my nap." He moved one finger over a button on his desk.

Reluctantly Claude lowered his arms. "Let's not be too hasty," he said, eying the button.

"You're unarmed, so that's bought you some time, luckily," Vinny assured him. "Now then. You were going to weigh the sins of my soul? Speak now, or forever hold your peace." Vinny's eyes glimmered, and Claude knew he was going to die.

The invisible man squared his shoulders. A job was a job, and Mrs. Brinn had paid handsomely in advance.

"Your soul is condemned for your hand in the murder of Charles Brinn," Claude announced, his voice a grave and authoritative weapon once more. "Forever shall he haunt your waking moments."

Claude paused, and the force of his voice deflated once more. "Normally, you aren't supposed to see me. Either you'd be scared into changing your ways or be driven crazy listening to my disembodied voice."

Lamely, he added, "I can see that won't work on you..."

• A response to Prompt 4
• Continued here