For thirty minutes or so, Eve is just thinking while her eyes are closed. Her supposed to be rest day was spent on pondering what Lux meant to say the other day.
The tip of the pen that she’s been continuously hitting on the bond paper is in beat to the chiming of the clock. Both are tuning in a low tune but was enough to create a melodious and peaceful note, tempting her to sleep, but thoughts do the opposite! They never failed to keep her mind widely awake!
‘Captain.’
“Not now, Anne.”
She is about to dismiss the program when she was stopped and nervously started to read her notes.
“There is no way that I have input a wrong information!” she uttered as she goes over the writings. All details are correct, proper and was written accordingly to when and where it took place.
“Anne…” she whispered. “Please tell me I didn’t input the events wrongly.”
‘That is indeed the truth, Captain. Never did you do wrong with jotting down informations.’
“This is—it is…” she gulped as she stopped and let herself burst in tears.
“I am not dreaming, right?!”
‘You aren’t, Captain.’ The Program smiled.
Her inners begun to feel excited and turmoiled. She never thought that feelings can really come rushing in altogether at once.
Suddenly, she found herself thinking about the days when everything has started. Their sleepless nights, silent cries, and whispered prayers were answered with not just one response of reward.
“The organization doesn’t deserve any of their personnels. Look at this one. If we’ll allow them to get all the credits, no one would know that it weren’t them who has discovered it. Not a single person will know what really happened. They will never know who and what we had to sacrifice for this piece of greatness. Given that the organization has never been appreciative of anyone’s risks, they will surely claim everything without including us in the recognition that they don’t and will never deserve to have. Their wealth might indeed have made this all possible. But without us, I am certain, even their single penny will worth nothing.”
‘My, my. Captain Eve, I do understand how you feel, and I got what you are thinking. Yet, I want to remind you. Your previous Heads might have a few grudges to the organization, but they have never been that resentful. Your Captain Eulysis will be a little less proud if he sees you hating that much the organization that has led you here. They have always been thankful for meeting you all. Loathing the association to the extent that you are already disregarding your wonderful meeting is just another way of saying that you are regretting being with your team.’
As she raised her head, her eyes landed on the frame hanged on the wall. “You don’t understand, Anne. I am mad at them, but I am glad that I joined in. My team is the reason why I have this now.” She holds to her journal.
“If not because of the organization, I should have not met them and I won’t be part of the discovery of this piece of science. For those reasons, I am somehow thankful for the association for bringing me in here.”
Anne just eyed her and uttered no words, and so is she.
The serenity of the moment filled her senses. The very first time that she has finally felt peace since they came back from their mission.
‘So, how’s the fourth favor, Captain?’
She was taken back for a second. “Do you know that Dr. Dean had already sent back home?” she asked, instead of giving her the answer right away.
This time, it was Anne’s turn to be taken back. ‘I do know that the doctor was taken, but I wasn’t informed that he’s already home. Who told you about his state, Captain?’
“The boss himself.”
‘Are you sure he’s already free from the organization?
“What do you mean?”
‘In my data, his contract has already ended last year but was extended for some reason.’
“Lux gave me his information, and I was ordered to find the doctor. Tell me, Anne. Is there something they have done to him that the team doesn’t know?”
‘Dean had always been an obedient man. He has no record of disobedience. I am sure of it, Eve.’
“Do you think he had ever said something against the organization in front of him and his uppers?”
‘If that had ever happened, Captain, I have no access to the system outside our vicinity. But knowing him, that is the least thing that I think he would do.’
“Then why the boss asked me to find him?” she wondered and glanced at his folder.
‘Have you already consulted this with your Heads?’
“Not yet. But I am planning to tell them about it today.”
‘But were you told to do so?’
From the mysterious folder, her eyes shifted to Anne. “I wasn’t.”
‘Then that is something only you should know.’
“Won’t I betray my team if I keep something from them?”
‘That is not betrayal. Captain Eulysis had gone through the same situations—some are even harder than that. Yet, he never considered those as betrayal.’
She got curious about those things that the late Captain had to deal with. But Anne has always been a keeper of secrets. She won’t tell her any of those.
“If this is something entrusted to me alone, should I still be cautious even after leaving the organization?”
‘The boss has so little access to the world outside, Captain. He can’t leave the Island whenever he wanted to. With the organization’s reputation, do you think his hired men will trust him, and he trusts the men? You are actually lucky enough to be trusted by him. However, doing his order is up to you whether to do it or not. Besides, only his eyes and ears can travel that far to tail you.’
“That is another thing! Why can't he leave the island whenever he pleased? I would understand if it is because of his hectic schedule. That would explain why he rarely goes outside. But apart from that, I can’t find any reasons why. Aside from—I mean not unless the organization is under investigation, which is impossible, too.”
‘It is highly possible, Eve. But his true reasons will never be known to anyone of us.’
“Is it because he doesn’t trust his officers, too?”
‘I am not saying that it is ridiculously impossible, but they could not do anything here without his presence. Without him, they can only boss around, but their access to the entirety of the organization’s facility is just a little over than the teams can access.’
“Lux is really a man of cautiousness. So, it means that even the uppers don’t know him that well?”
‘You got it right.’
“Then how did you know those reasons?”
‘That is the reason why there is a program assigned for each building, Captain. To keep everything that must be kept. No one can get in unless we are ordered by him or Program Lux send us a notice.’
“And if and only if someone from the inside allowed someone to come in.”
‘Yes. And that is only if it was the Captain or one of the Heads.’
“And if no one and of those gave you the command, what are you supposed to do?”
‘We tend to keep on guard.’
“I see. What were you programmed to do if someone insisted on infiltrating the area you’re governing?”
‘Dispose the intruder.’
“What do you mean exactly by disposing them?”
‘Kill them, Captain.’
She gasped upon hearing her confession. That only means that there is really no way that anyone of them can just barge in to any team’s facility.
“When was he taken?”
‘The same day that Dr. Fresnon was assigned as our team’s new doctor, Captain.’
“Who ordered it?”
‘That is something I have no knowledge of.’
“But if it was the uppers, they can’t do that without his consent.”
She heaved a frustrated sigh as she thinks. 'Only Lux had the authority to do that.’ She thought.
Just then, one of her members came in. “I am sorry to disturb you, Captain. But the boss is waiting for you at the entrance.”
That made her stood up swiftly. “Why didn’t you let him in?!”
“The Heads are busy doing their tasks at the far end of our building, and I have no position for our system to recognized me, Captain.”
“I’m sorry. I forgot about that.” She looked at the man.
“I’m sorry. I forgot about that.” She looked at the man.
'How come that she, the Captain, wasn’t keen observer enough to know those little details that she’s supposed to know?' she castigated to herself.
“Accompany me then,” she commanded and lead the pace.
“Did we do something against them, Captain?” he asked as they head out of the passage.
“Don’t get nervous over nothing. Our team is one of those that have never been disobeyed—except for the ones that we had done during our early years here.”
As they reached the main door, it opened, letting the visitors come in. Together with the boss are his two bodyguards.
Her man stood up near her, covering her from them.
“That’s okay.” She tapped his back and placed him behind her.
Lux looked at them with so much seriousness. “Your team had always been this protective to their officers, Captain Eve. I have already seen it during Captain Eulysis’ leadership. This is no longer new to me. I am glad to know that you are well guarded.”
Having no idea if the man is being appreciative or sarcastic, she just smiled at him. “Thank you for taking your time to visit us here, Sir. What brought you here?” she queried politely and led him towards their garden.
Still, his guards are following them. Thus, her teammate, too. She can feel him cautiously observing the three. Making the atmosphere feel awkward for her.
Seems like Lux is bothered as well, he raised his hand to halt his men. Keeping the two meters away from them. Hence, her member did the same.
“I was waiting for you to come to my office today.”
“It’s my rest day, Sir.”
He stiffened. “Oh, I have totally forgotten about it. Pardon me.”
“That’s okay. What did you come here for then?”
“The presentation will be tomorrow already. Marking your last days here. Have you already think of what to do with the fifth favor?”
She furtively observed the man, trying to guess what’s running inside his head.
“Can I ask you a question, Sir?”
“Go ahead.”
“This might be offending, though.”
“Do you think I will get offended then?”
“Maybe yes, maybe no.”