This room oozes superiority. The big shiny desk, the nice office chairs, the expensive rug, the fancy paperweights...it screams I'm better than you. "Take a seat, dear boy." "I'm your age." I grumble as I sit in the chair opposing him. "Yes, but I'm wiser." "What makes you think that?" "Because I've been through and experienced so many things in my short lifespan that I think I've become wiser than I'd otherwise be." I have to admit, it makes sense...I mean, being basically being groomed to be a Patrician ruler ought to be interesting. I could understand that his experiences might've given him life lessons he would've otherwise experienced on his own. "First things first, what's your name?" "Charles, my name is Charles but you can call me Charlie." "Okay, Charlie, what exactly do do you expect I'll do?" "We have it all planned out. You'll be heading to Base Seven in Abuja, Nigeria, and their specialty is combative use of their powers. From there you'll head to Base Eight In Beijing, China, where you'll see all the stuff that'll help you. Just between you and me, that is some 007 shit right there." This guy is hard to figure out. Friendly, casual, even, and then patronizing, then something in between I can't quite figure out. "Why me? Why not send someone older, experienced?" I knew the answer to that one, I just needed to hear it. "Because, Ethan, you're unique. I can find no one else who has quite the power you have. You're dangerous, Ethan. Dangerous to whomever you choose to be. You can easily destroy anyone mentally, and that's something extraordinarily harmful. Which is why we need you to do this, because no one else can." "Wait, you didn't tell me, what happens after Base Eight?" "You'll head to Base Nine and meet a covert agent who'll help you. Your ultimate goal is to track down the Mortem. Get information, stay alive, gain their trust. You have to be convincing...perfect. You have to play the role perfectly. One hiccup and you're almost certain to die." "...I—I'll don't know. I still..." "I know, I know you're scared. And I know you don't want to do this. But you have to. There's no other way...sometimes, you just have to put others before yourself." "I have one last question," "Go ahead, ask." "Will I be doing this by myself?" "No, Ethan, you won't." "Who'll come—" "Why, myself and your cell mates!" ------------End of Part One------------
Part Two: Mission FML "You? But—" "I know, I know, I'm pretty special." "But you're...you're just...aren't you needed here?" "We're each other's mediators. It's fate. You look exactly like me, and you know it, and you have the complete opposite ability to I. It can't be a coincidence, Ethan, you can't just go with your three friends, no one will be able to help you if you somehow loose control but me." his point is somewhat valid, I suppose, but I still don't think it's a good idea. "But...you've had everything handed to you...you're basically a prince" "How do you know that?" "Did you forget Travis's power?" "But how—" "You touched him and that's all that needed to happen." "But—" "When they first got here, remember?" "I didn't—" "Oh, yes you did." He just stares at me. "How do you—" "I know. I know everything about you." "Stop—" "Finishing your sentences? Yeah, it's getting disturbing. But—" "You can't help it." he finishes, his eyes wide. How unsettling. Finishing each other's sentences... "This just keeps getting weirder and weirder," he says aloud, finishing my thought. "This is creepy..." I mutter. "Well, if that's all the questions you have, you'll be returning and telling your friends the good news, won't you?" he mutters hurriedly, as two guards the size of gorillas and gorgeous, bald, dome heads come in on cue. "Good news, right. ****en A."