Echoing footsteps, whistling breeze of the wind, the sound of waves from afar—those are what completed her morning as the team childishly walk here and there to see the magnificent paradise that Island Dreen has. From the top most floor of their vicinity’s building, they can see how wonderful it is the surrounding view. It is serenely peaceful.
She doesn’t know what made Lux allowed them to get up there but whatever the reason is, she’s grateful that at last, they finally got the chance to see what it’s like to be out there.
“Eve! Come here!” Eula called excitedly and waved her hands, then she pointed at the mountainous side at the East.
“What is it?!” she shouted back as she walked towards the woman. It is her first time to see her as happy as she is at that moment. Even under the 11:00 AM heat of the sun, she’s still lively, filling her eyes’ cravings.
“What are you yelling about?” she asked as she gets near her and glanced at the direction she’s pointing.
“Can you see that hill?! That one next to the one with lots of maroon-roofed houses?!”
“The one at the left side?!”
“The one at the right!”
“Yeah! I can see it! That is beautiful!” Her eyes twinkled. “Eula! I missed this smell!” She breathes in to the fragrance brought by the air—refreshing, verdant!
Eula laughed loudly. “We all did!” She spread her arms in the air, closed her eyes and feel its embrace.
“This is great, Captain. So great,” she then whispered as she glanced at her.
She looked at the others; like Eula, they are facing towards their homelands, too. She looked back from where she was a while ago, hers is lying behind those towering mountains; miles away from the foot of the highest one, there lies the ever verdant and sometimes are seemingly cast of gold farm lands. Somewhere down there, her origin’s haven nestles.
“Don’t worry, Captain. We are just a few days away from going back home.” Someone stood up beside her.
“I’ll be seeing the Boss today.” She turned sideways and smiled at him.
“Don’t let him trick you.” He suddenly warned her.
“I won’t.” She paused and examined the man, only to confirmed that he is indeed serious.
“I’ll be proposing our first favor today. May fate side us,” she then continued, lifting his mood.
“Once we get his approval, the uppers have no choice but to agree as well. That won’t matter even if they are against us.” The man celebrated.
“Death will surely wave at them if they opposed. Your idea is far better than what I have thought of.” She smirked of proudness and toast their glasses.
“What I am afraid of is that Lux might turn it down—all of it.” His jaw clenched, so is his fist.
“If ever that happens, Captain, use one of the favors to secure your safety—”
“Our safety,” she corrected.
“Let’s think about the worst scenario, Eve. He is a cautious man: unreasonably reasonable, reasonably unreasonable. We can’t predict what he is really up to. He is being good to us for weeks now. And that is suspicious.”
She wants to question his certainty about the accuses, but doing it will make him think she’s siding to Lux and turning her back on them; that is something she will never want to happen—misunderstandings.
Every so often she wonders if Lux is really the kind of person they think and were told he is. But, whether he is or he isn’t, their former Heads taught them to trust no one outside the team.
“Okay. What will I ask him then if he declined?”
“You are the most important person now in our team. Compared to us, you are the only one who knows more about the organization. If he don't promise to keep us all safe, then, he might consider keeping you unharmed, Captain. That way, you can do something about the things we can’t.”
“What are you planning to do?” She started to breathe heavily. Once they are out of the organization, surely, they can at least ask for the authorities’ protection—if ever they are not involved with Lux. But, that will certainly make their lives like a sequence of hide-and-seek. They have to run away to stay safe.
If that happens, she knows she can no longer protect them.
“We believe that if only they had sent backups back then, there should be no casualties. Five favors are actually not enough. That mission caused us, the lives of our nine teammates. Three of those are our very own officers; Dr. Fresnon should have not been there in the first place; and the other five, Captain Eve, every woman should be given an equal right as men have. But, their lives are not worthy to be just sacrificed and be not recognized afterwards. No one deserves that…” He stopped to take a deep breath, obviously calming his raging resentments.
“The way the organization moved on easily, it was as if they were saying that those lives never mattered to them.” He tightly closed his eyes and shook his head.
“Captain, don’t let them take another lives again. They have paid us for the services we provide them. That doesn’t include our lives. They can be cautious for as long as they want. Thus, we can be tactical, too.”
“I promise, I will insist what I should insist. But, please, don’t act recklessly. We don’t know them well. We can’t just bluntly turn our backs on them.”
“I understand. We would not make any actions without consulting you first.”
“Thank you.” She glanced at the guards standing by the door.
“Stay here. I will inform the guards to let you stay here ‘til three in the afternoon.”
“Where are you going?” he asked, forehead creases.
She raised her wrist, it is already quarter to twelve. Time to meet the person in their conversation.
“You will be alright, right?”
“Relax, I’ll be—”
Bodyguards composed of four showed up. Being guards, the men stopped them to come in. But being lower than the ones who came, they had no choice but to let them in.
Her member quickly stood up in front of her.
“You might be far superior compared to those two, but I am sure you are far inferior to Captains. How insolent of you to just barge in without asking for our Captain’s permission? I believe the Boss don’t tolerate disrespectfulness just as much he despises disobedience.” He refrained them.
One of them was about to defend themselves when she interfered. They might outnumber them, but she knows how well-trained they are. They can’t just belittle them by just their number.
She tapped his back and smiled. “The next time they’ll do this, I will not go easy on them. Let this one passed. But, I will inform his Excellency for their rudeness.”
She put on her coat and eyed her people. “I will be back.”
With her walking ahead of them, she can see their shadows in front of her since they are a foot and inches taller than her.
“Who ordered you to get me?” she queried casually.
“Him, the boss, Captain.”
“Are you new here?” she followed up and sounded considerate.
Loyalty falters and so is faithfulness. She is sure it is not just them who wants to know the trues of the organization. Gathering personnel who are, will slowly loosen the stability of the association.
“I came here years before you did, Captain,” the one near her right answered.
“And the others?”
“They have just joined recently. Pardon, their nastiness earlier. It is their first time to do this.”
“That’s okay. Just be mindful next time. I am not as inconsiderate as the other Captains, if there is someone who is, but I am not as considerate as the rest as well. Make sure not to do this again here in my vicinity.” She faced them before leaving the building and take the elevator leading to Lux’s office.
Neither of the two is true, but she has to keep on putting up the image of her as a Captain just like what she had shown them. She has to keep her superiority to those inferior to her outside their building.
She believes that was Captain Eulysis’ key for keeping everything in balance. Adapting his ways will do the same, she thought.
“When did they join?” She turned to the oldest man.
“Just months ago, Captain. Days before the mission that your team had successfully completed.”
She can’t help but to glanced at their reflection. If they came along with Ethan, they might know the man. She just wished they had the same pureness as he has.