She worriedly blinked her eyes. ‘Is this how unpredictable this man is?!’ she queried inwardly.
“The—” She was cut off when Program Lux interfered, making the man stood up and left for a moment.
From where she’s seating, she can see him nodding and creasing his forehead; and sometimes disagreeing.
“Wait here,” he then turned to her, eyeing her with disgust that she doesn’t know for what reason.
He passed by her without hearing her reply, but she clearly heard him cuss. All she could do is to stare at the door and feel relieved. Her chest started to be at ease and so is her breathing.
She tried not to overthink yet what she thought will be a smooth dealing again turned out to be a rough one.
Her hopes started to get drained as the time showed he’s gone for more than an hour already. But just when she thought he was really busy to postponed their private discussion, he barged in in so much hurriedness as if he was already late.
“Pardon for what happened earlier. So, where—” He gasped for air and sat down, still catching for his breath.
“Where did we leave again?” he continued.
“About the favor, Sir—”
“The third one, yes. So, what about it? Have you already decided what to request?” He smiled so friendly.
She refrained herself from creasing her forehead. Something good might have happened for his mood to get good.
She prepared herself for his questions as she knows their favor this time is quite offending.
“For the third request, we want you to not spy on us once we leave. Please don’t get us wrong, Sir. We just wanted to make sure that we’re not getting tailed,” she bravely muttered.
He straightened up and placed his hands on the table.
“Didn’t I have already told you that I respect my personnels’ privacy, Captain?”
“I remember nothing about such, Sir. But I do remember you saying that once we leave, we no longer have a connection to the organization and you to us.”
“Oh, right. I forgot.” He hemmed like he didn’t like how their conversation is going.
“So, why are you asking for that, then?” He gazed at her, looking disappointed.
“I requested for it on behalf of my team, Sir. As their Captain, I should hear them out.”
“And that is what they asked you to ask for the third favor? Tell them that you’re already free for once you’re out of this Island.”
“Sir—”
“Think of another favor instead.”
“I have to discuss it with my team first before I could decide then,” she replied and hoped for him to agree.
“But if I may suggest, if I were you, I would have asked me to tell every single truth about the organization. But since I am sure it is not included to any of the favors you came up with, I am now prohibiting you to ask for it.” He confidently rested on his seat.
Speechlessness devoured her. She never even thought that that is possible! Had she known, she would have really asked him to unfold those truths.
“You still have two favors left. Use it wisely, Eve. Not everyone is lucky enough to be as lucky as your team. Discuss it over again with your teammates—”
“I am taking back what I have said earlier, Sir. I have already decided what to ask in replace to it.”
His brows raised, one after another. “Do you think your team will agree with what you think of?”
“I am sure of it, Boss.”
He captured her eyes, making sure that she is really determined to push the favor.
“Spill it out.”
Eve dried her hands and looked at the thing she’s about to say.
“I want us to take home some of the stuffs given to us by the organization.”
He was taken back and gave her a questioning look. “What things exactly do you want to take home?”
“Just our badges, Sir.”
From her face, his eyes go down to her badge. “Why? The organization has never and will never allow that one, Captain Eve. That is something that I can’t say yes.”
He stood up and went to his table, took out a box that is look like a safety box.
“Here are the badges of those who came here before you. They left, leaving these behind.” He opened it and there she saw the lots of badges with different designs for each positions.
“It is strictly implemented to leave everything that was provided by the organization to the personnels once their contract ends. But here are these—one is missing.”
“Someone defied the rule?!”
“I don’t want to think of it that way. That person is so trustworthy, but what happened had shown that he isn’t.”
“If neither of those are to be granted, can I ask something else instead?”
“Sure. Go ahead.”
“My team had discovered something so important to science. What I wanted is for it to be credited to us.”
“What is this important discovery you’re bragging about, hmm? I am curious about it, Captain.”
She smirked but hid it with a smile. She knows how the man loves science, but that discovery doesn’t belong to him, and not to the organization either.
“It will be presented in the presentation, Sir.”
“I am afraid I can’t grant that one, Eve,” he selfishly grins.
“You see, I have let the other two to be turned down without insisting. And that is considerable since like what you’ve said, it is against with your newly implemented rule which I don’t when was declared—”
“Exactly a week after your take off.”
“Oh, okay. That’s understood, Sir. But with this one, I am sure this isn’t included in the organization’s rule.” She stopped and give him more reason to get interested.
“And?”
She is so near to let go of her grins if only not she has to remained serious.
“Remember the favor number one, Sir? You can’t say no to any of our favor—as long as it is not against to the rules of course.”
The man laughed controllably and placed his palms on the table as he excitedly nodded. “Yes, I do remember that.”
“Then, the discovery is ours,” she claimed that took him minutes to conceived his defeat.
“Okay. If you say so. Then be it. Will this discovery be well-known on the field of science?”
“Not just in science, Sir. I am sure of it.”
“Will you used it once you leave the organization?”
“Who knows? But surely, I have already plans what to do with it.”
Lux clapped his hands, congratulating the young Captain.
“How I wish Captain Eulysis had seen this. He will surely be proud of his team. And I am sure few people here will be envy of your achievement again.”
“We don’t care about them. Making something to be proud of is indeed one of our intentions, but making them jealous about it is not. But if that is theirs, then, it is not our fault.”
He sighed and leaned his back on the table. “Do you think there are other teams who can do the missions like you did, Captain Eve?” He then wondered curiously.
“I believe not just to my team, but to others as well. I know they have something to contribute, too. I am sure of it.”
“If there’ll be the same phenomenon to happen again, can I entrust them the same trust that I had given to your team?”
“No doubt about it, Sir!”
“I don’t want to lose another personnels anymore. What do you think the organization has to do with that?”
“Preparations for such missions includes preparation for death, too, Sir. If not, that will be not preparation at all.”
“Were you prepared for that when you did it?”
“Nope.”
“Then why we should prepare for the worse scenario?”
“Because that is what we have learned after the mission. That is what our Captain and Heads have taught us.”
Lux looked away and for the first time since she had ever talked to him, she saw regrets dwelled his orbs.
“I was planning to send another team to the outer space.”
“For what, Sir?”
“To check if they really have gone already.”
She was stunned and sympathetically glimpsed at him. “Do you believe, too, that they’re still out there?”
“Do you?”
She nodded.
He smiled and tapped her shoulder. “I do, too. Your third favor is granted then. Make them proud—your three Heads and the doctor at least.”