Casper was working out inside his cell again, doing some squats. His ankle was still hurting a lot, so he could not push it hard. However, maintain a workout routine without training his legs once was a no-go for him.
It has been one day since he talked with Olaf and Alfar. Since then, he passed through the usual schedule from Halden. The rest of the day after his proposal for Alfar was quite monotonous and he just kept rambling around and trying to fix all the potential mistakes that his plan could have.
For Casper, be in idleness, without focusing or working on anything, was just a waste of time in a situation like that. And something that he could not waste anymore was time.
Eventually, he could enter into burnout, but he was planning to accomplish everything before it could happen.
The only new thing that happened was last night when the guards did not come to drag him and Anton to wherever they wanted to at the Dark zone.
Some prisoners were taken, but not them.
Anton tried to explain the better way he could while avoiding the mask's barrier.
As far as Casper understood, they dragged one prisoner for each cell. So the Dark zone was in alternated days for everyone.
He finished that series and sat on his bad looking to the ground. When he was resting after exercising, he would think about what moves he should do next. It was very productive to think while training, his mind was always at full speed these times, and its efficiency increased.
"Now… I think I will need Olaf's help to be able to do what I have in mind to convince Alfar to work with us." He thought, closing his eyes. "I have something quite crazy in mind now, but it will surely work. And I think that it is the only way I can do it."
Casper's thoughts got interrupted when a Ridire appeared in front of his cell.
Anton was pretending to sleep as always, so probably it had nothing to do with him. Casper first thought that he was passing by just to take a look at them, which was something that they did just in Casper's cell since he was the only one that possibly would do something out of the ordinary all of a sudden.
"Hmm, did I make too much noise while exercising, sir?" He asked approaching the cell and furrowing his brows to the man.
He seemed unpleased by that, but took his communicator and started to say something.
The gate in front of Casper opened with a loud sound, making him look to the Ridire with confused eyes.
"Someone is willing to talk with you. They came just to see you. Get ready and come with me."
"I am always ready." He said stepping out of the cell and drying his face with his gray shirt.
The prisoners started a commotion because Casper was walking in the corridor, asking questions that nor the Ridire or Casper bothered in answer.
The man guided him to a room not so far away from Casper's cell block, which made the White Warrior quite sad, since he was hoping to get this opportunity to see more of the prison's structure.
The warrior opened the door slightly and then positioned himself next to it. A sort of protocol that every Ridire did.
Casper entered the room and got shocked when he saw who was inside there.
Vick was with her arms crossed, leaning on a chair. The two Aesirs that seemed to be her most reliable subordinates, Canute and Ari, were there, too, standing beside her.
Once Casper entered the room, she felt the urge to just jump off the chair and run towards him, but she did not. Except for the fact that there were two of her warriors in that room, she could not act all soft with that man who caused her so many troubles.
"Even if you try to hide it from me, I already can read you like a book, Princess. I can see that behind these cold and furious eyes, there is also happiness for seeing me." He thought, walking with a frivolous smile on his face.
One of the Aesirs clicked his tongue seeing Casper acting like that, as though he was just leaving an amusing park or something.
Casper made sure to pay attention to his etiquette, kneeling and bowing in front of the Princess.
She was still unshakable, though.
"Get up, Casper." She ordered, in a rigid tone of voice, narrowing his eyes towards him.
Patiently, he got up and sat on the chair.
One of the Aesirs walked towards him and handcuffed his hands behind the chair.
"Hmm, that's a quite difficult position, huh? I can't get out of this." He looked intently to that man called Ari, who avoided his eyes instead of staring back, which left Casper somewhat curious.
After this, Ari and Canute bowed to the Princess, leaving the room and letting the two of them alone.
They stayed quiet, a strange atmosphere taking over the place. Even Casper felt embarrassed somehow, but he was aware that Vick was just trying to make pressure on him.
"Do you have nothing to say about this, Casper?" She stated, finally.
Casper waited for some seconds before answer.
"No." Then smiled.
He was trying to play the fool there, of course. The less information that the Princess could get from him about all that situation, the better.
Actually, Casper wanted that Vick remained out of that problem. With her intervention, things could get more complicated.
If the soldier wanted to get out of there with his name still clean, he would need more time to work on some things.
"Casper, just answer me a single question: I talked directly with Catrina, and she said everything to me… Can I trust her? Was Catrina saying the truth?"
"Yes. She was saying the truth. I did everything, and maybe even more, of what she told for you."
Vick seemed to have frozen in the same place, looking to him as if she could not believe that Casper was such an idiot.
"How could you do such a thing!? Are you a retard, Casper? What kind of objectives do you have coming in the Third Lab?"
"I was gathering information… Information that you did not tell me beforehand."
Vick faltered for a little while.
"W-what are you implying?"
"I am talking about the masks. And what they are capable of. Also, now I know about the atrocious experiments that are made in this crap of a Laboratory, experiments that even involve humans."
Vick was cornered by Casper's revelations. It was something she was not expecting. Nobody had told her that Casper could go so far in the laboratory. The Princess was aware of the extension and the structure of the Lab's complex overall, so she knew how deep someone needs to infiltrate there to reach the right places to gain that sort of information.
"What about it, Vick? For how long would you still play with me until you finally spoke to me about these things?"
"Casper, you were not prepared to know about all those things. It was too soon." She tried to appease the situation.
"Haha, I know, I was not prepared. What do I need to have to be prepared? Maybe you were trying to alienate me first? Maybe put one of these things on my face and control me as you please!?"
She looked to be furious by Casper's harsh words. Vick was not the type to get bothered or offended because of another meaningless individual, but she could not help to get angry.
"You don't understand the situation of my district, White warrior. So, don't go talking nonsense before you be aware of everything that is going on. You have no idea of half the truth behind anything that's happening here!" She was gesturing like crazy, with pure hate in her eyes.
"And when will you tell me the truth?"
"I think you forgot about what position we are in here, right, White warrior? I don't know if it's clear in your mind, but you are the outsider here, and I rule this entire land, so you better low your head to me!
"You don't know how many things I am needing to pass all day just to prevent them to kill you, idiot! Since you disappeared, I couldn't sleep for more than two hours a day! And since you entered that laboratory and started to plan how to break our deal, I am struggling to keep your head on the neck!"
The Princess seemed to be on the verge of tears, not for sadness, but frustration and exasperation.
"And even after I do so much effort for you, for my district, and for my father, too, you throw everything away because of selfish reasons? Are you trying to give them more motivation to take your life? Sometimes, I really deserved to have killed you the first time we met."
Casper had a lot to say, but he just kept looking at her as if nothing that she said mattered at all.
"I will pass through that door now, White warrior. And when I do it, you will need to make things by yourself. You will clean the mess you did, bear the consequences. Understood?" She pointed to the door.
"Yeah. See you anytime." He shrugged.
Then, Vick just nodded slightly, avoiding her eyes from Casper's and getting out of the room.