“What matters most is that we won’t be conditioned when we leave. We will have the memories of our last days here.” Euno consoled but obviously gritting his teeth.
“If not for Epharil’s journal, we will never know about it. However, Lux insisted, conditioning has nothing to do with our memories.” She remembered how hard it was for her to calm them down when they found out what was written on the old woman’s diary.
“Do you trust him?”
“Should I?”
“Did Captain Eulysis had ever trusted the boss?”
“I don’t know.”
“Then you should not—we should not. Like what he had taught us, ne’er trust anyone that aren’t a member of our team.”
She can feel his loathe towards the ones governing them. Who would have thought that a man who once was the kindest, doesn’t seem to be reliable enough for a position, will turn into one that is the opposite of who he was before?
“I will be talking to him again tomorrow,” she informed, wanted to know his thoughts about her private meetings with Lux lately.
“Is that still part of knowing him?”
“Yes.”
“What can you say about him so far, then?”
“He is unpredictable.”
“Do you think the government is siding them?”
“With the risky mission that we have done for the sake of everyone? They will, for sure.”
“Then there is no sense of telling them what is really happening inside here.”
“Not unless the government officials aren’t like them.”
“With a tempting bribe, I doubt that. People have always been a fan of penny.” He put his hands inside his pockets and turned to go.
“Have you already decided what to request for the last favor?”
“Use it to whatever request you’ll think of.” He tapped her shoulder and glanced at the bottle of wine. “Good night, Captain. Don’t drink too much. You’re not good at it.”
“So are you. I won’t.” She laughed silently. “Have a good dream,” she replied and watched him walk away.
—
Her vision is still blurry and if not for the coffee Eula had made for her, she might still not feeling well.
“What time is it already?” She gazed at her.
“Don’t worry. It’s still early for the meeting,” the woman responded as she looked at her schedule.
“Why you didn’t wake me up?”
“I did. We did. But you know how sleepy head you are, Eve. No one can wake you up that easy.”
“Except for you.”
“It takes years! Always!”
She giggled. “How I missed those old gold days!”
Eula just smilingly shaking her head. “What is the meeting about today?”
“Who knows? I have no request to ask yet. We reserved it, right?”
“Oh, the last one.”
“Yes, that one.”
“What does he need from you this time?”
“I don’t know. I have no idea either. But as long as I can observe him, two hours is a favor to us, Eula.”
“Does his schedule always that hectic that he only has two hours to rest?”
“If Captains can rarely take a rest, what more the boss, right?”
“I would rather believe that he and his uppers are just comfortably waiting for our works to get done. Aside from that, I’m pretty sure they have never even been as busy as the guards.”
She put on her coat as she drank up all her coffee while still listening to Eula’s sentiments.
“You’re going already?!”
“I would rather wait than to be waited.”
Her Head eyed her. “Can I something?”
“Is it a praise or not?”
“Can be either of the two, or both.”
“Say it.” She looked at her reflection; a few drops of water fell from the tips of her hair. She smiled as she twirls it, emphasizing its waviness.
“You’re no longer a woman of lateness.”
She laughed and take a mint. “I can’t be the same person I was before anymore.”
“I’m off now,” she bade and leave the room, thinking what would be their last favor.
From where she is, she can already see Lux’s bodyguards outside their building, waiting for her. She lightly shook her head. Having them around makes her feel both secured and being anomaly guarded.
“Is the boss already waiting?”
“He’s early today, Captain Eve,” one of them replied as they accompany her towards the man’s office.
“Is he perhaps in a bad mood?”
The bodyguards smiled, refraining themselves not to laugh.
“He is peculiarly smiling today, Captain.”
Upon hearing the good news, her pace became longer like she’s running after his good state of mood. Her strides get even more lengthy than the two gents.
The elevator opens, and she can already see his door as they stepped out of the confined room.
“Aside for Captain Eulysis, you are the second person—Captain I should say that he has spent his rest hours this frequent, Captain Eve.” The man informed and walked passed by her then stood up right in front of the sensory device installed on the man’s door.
“This is 0863, Sir. Captain Eve is already here.”
It opened and showed the boss seating on his chair, looking at her way. “Get in,” he commanded.
Her footsteps echoed as the entrance closed. “Greetings, Sir!” she saluted.
“Take your seat, Captain. You don’t need to be so formal.”
She chose to use the one five seats away from him, as the table is filled with folders that are seems to be application forms for the organization’s scholarship.
“Did I came earlier today, or you just came late?”
She’s about to answer the query when he decided to do it himself.
“I hate being late and waiting. Let’s pretend both of it has happened.” He glanced at her after closing the one he’s checking on before she comes in.
“I am not against with it, Sir.” She smiled formally.
He massaged his forehead, like he’s remembering something. “About the favors, I have decided to just disregard the one you used for Captain Evan’s Ethan. Thus, you still have two left. Am I right?”
She doesn’t know whether to thank him first or be in awe of his decision.
“Are you sure, Boss?”
“Why shouldn’t I?” he asked seriously.
“Isn’t it unfair, Sir?”
“I don’t think any other team can be as ready as you to take that mission. A little consideration won’t hurt the organization. Your success is everyone’s success. Do you want me to take it back instead?”
She quickly shook her head. “No, Sir! I—my team will be delighted to receive your consideration.”
“So, are you already decided for the fourth one?”
She looked at the man, and expected him to tell her nothing but the truth. Her team had always been wanting to know about it, but neither their late Heads had answered their questions for all the times that they attempted to ask about the matter.
“My team, for a decade, and decades for our previous Heads have been under Dr. Dean’s care. Yet, when he was assigned to another team, no one informed us about it. And since then, no one of us has heard any news about him. Where is he now? In which team he had been assigned to? Can we at least meet him before we leave?”
From having a good temper, the man became pale.
“Sir.”
“He’s already home. The organization had sent him back already months ago.”
“Oh, so his contract has ended ahead of us.” She nodded and felt relieved to know that the doctor no longer have to serve the association longer than they have expected.
“Yes, and you still have your fourth favor, Captain.” He looked away.
“May we know where he lives then?”
“Like what I have told you yesterday, I respect my personnels’ privacy. If I myself have never thought of myself as boss enough to meddle with their private lives, why would I let someone else to do so if I can keep their privacies private?”
She got her tongue. He has a point—not unless he’s lying. But whatever she tried to understand, she can feel it. Something is off.
“Then, is it okay to tell someone about one’s privacy if there is permission from that person?”
As if he was cornered, he nodded like he has no other choices but to agree with her.
Eve smiled, thinking she had persuaded him. “Tell him my address then and my real full name. I want to meet him—”
“Captain Eve, you must have forgotten. Didn’t I told you yesterday, too, that once you leave, the organization won’t be involved with you anymore?” He cut her off.
Her hopes went down. How will they track down someone that they have no idea of who he is or where he came from?
“You still have your fourth favor. Think of something else, Captain,” he ordered. This time, it sounded more like he’s dismissing her.
Offending, but she remained calm.
“Is there no other way for us to know his whereabouts, then?”
“Precisely.”
“But, Sir, you must have forgotten, too—our first favor.”
Again, she got him stunned. She praised herself for enabling to make him feel awkward.
“You can’t say no to any of our favors,” she recited.
The man gulped. “You got me good this time, Eve.”
He stood up and searched for something. “I have no power outside this Island. I—the organization is an outcast. Obviously, we are. But, I assure you, I am different from the person you think you know. Find him.”
He gave her the doctor’s folder with a warning look. “Find him,” he repeated and glanced at the clock and to the door, telling her to leave already.
“I will, Sir.”