"Essentially unlimited. Think of it as being sworn brothers. I'm the personal assistant of the Founder. I have effectively the same authority as him. He sends me when he's making the decision himself," Brenda smiled.
"Just the freedom to go between them as I please is fine. What relations do the Founders have in the current war?" Sikhail asked.
The free distribution of rewards was a clutch that led to complacency. Recalling the impulsive brute, he only shook his head. Overconfidence. He thought he was invincible because all he faced were weaklings every day, most likely.
"They are neutral. If you're in trouble, as long as you weren't in the wrong, they'll pull certain strings," Brenda explained.
Another useless privilege. Politics were unnecessary if your opponent didn't know who you were.
"If I accept this Olive Branch, rumors of a student having free access to every Golden Age Academy are prohibited. If such a rumor exists, I'll consider it as nefarious intent and no longer view them in a good light," Sikhail revealed his second request.
"That… it can be done. An unusual request, but the Founders can swallow that pill," Brenda said bitterly.
"They'll just have to decide if entertainment or nobility is more important to them," Sikhail said bluntly.
"Naturally. They have good intentions," Brenda said with a furious nod.
"Show me the process to create my own Golden Age Academy I.D.," Sikhail revealed his third request.
(Pause)
"You want to enter the Academies covertly?" Brenda asked with widened eyes.
Sikhail only smiled.
"Those earlier questions were to probe the Founder's intentions?" Brenda was startled.
"Accepting the invite was to return the kind gesture. I hope Miss. Brenda will relay those intentions. I have my own plans," Sikhail responded.
(Long pause)
"I need to get the Founder's thoughts on this. All of them," Brenda explained.
Sikhail only nodded. Brenda pulled out her phone and typed furiously.
"They said you're an interesting person, and that request trumps all the intricate pieces in their hands. They've also authorized me to tell you the exact mechanism that passes the security verification," Brenda relayed.
Sikhail nodded, shaking Brenda's extended hand.
"Any additional requests?" Brenda asked.
"No special treatment, but," Sikhail commented.
"We'll look over your friend's applications properly," Brenda nodded. "I guarantee a prestigious University of their preference, bare minimum."
Brenda gave her number to Sikhail, but it wasn't reciprocated. She didn't seem to mind. Told him it was open 24/7, figuratively. She shook hands with and bid farewell to Hsuzel before exiting.
"Cadet Sikhail GodFiend, shall we head to my office?" Hsuzel asked.
——|——|—|—|——|——
[Private Office of Major Tommy Hsuzel]
"That went over better than I thought," Hsuzel said.
"Oh?" Sikhail responded.
"I was expecting generous conditions. I've never heard of a blank slate," Hsuzel admitted.
"Blank slate is too eye-catching," Sikhail said straightforwardly.
"In case word of it spreads, it'll be that someone rejected a blank slate," Hsuzel caught on. "But they'll probably still keep the offer there. Are you going to use it?"
"Can you tell me about the feud between the Light Coalition and the Limitless Truth Alliance? Does it relate to the last three missions I heard about?" Sikhail diverted the topic.
"Do you mean the cold site, hot site, and abandoned laboratory?" Hsuzel asked.
"You speak about it so freely?" Sikhail responded with an eyebrow raised.
"Gears are shifting. Doesn't matter," Hsuzel replied.
Sikhail nodded.
I can tell you an interception mission being set up is related to those missions," Hsuzel explained.
"Oh?" Sikhail commented.
"A USB drive is being handed off at a certain location. Supposedly, the drive contains information on a project about turning suggestions into commands. Are you interested?" Hsuzel asked.
"Enemy? Team? Solo?" Sikhail asked.
"Unknown. It would be two others and you if you joined. A seasoned veteran and a Warrior with some field experience," Hsuzel revealed.
"How do you know what's on the USB drive?" Sikhail caught on to the key point.
"My contact. He can see and track information no matter its medium," Hsuzel smiled.
"When's the handoff?" Sikhail asked.
"A few days," Hsuzel replied.
"Where's the handoff? Sikhail asked.
"Targets don't seem too concerned with its importance, close to a printing press. Some authors have weird quirks and pass over a USB drive every month. Doesn't stick out," Hsuzel explained.
"Civilian or battle-suit?" Sikhail asked.
"Battle-suit. The other two will try to intercept the handoff without getting noticed. If they do, they'll immediately switch into the battle-suit. You provide them with support. Some field experience is always nice. Plus, it's not too hard," Hsuzel replied.
Sikhail nodded.
——|——|—|—|——|——
[6 Days Later, Dave's Printing Press]
A car was parked close to the curb. A dragon-fang modified with triple booster engines. A beast. Explosive power combined with sharp turning capabilities made it excellent for chases. Each booster tripled the current, not the initial speed. Useful for catching up to motorbikes and modified vehicles.
It had tinted dark windows to match the cars on the curb. Authors came here a lot. Sometimes they wrote in the car and didn't want anyone else to steal their work before it was published.
There were two civilians in the front and a battle-suit in the back. The seasoned veteran, a youthful man, looked at the passenger in the back.
"Hsuzel explain the mission to you?" the seasoned veteran asked.
The passenger in the back was naturally Sikhail. He nodded.
"Good. This is my partner. She's a Warrior. Very helpful out here. She's working on getting live field experience for a promotion," the seasoned veteran explained.
The Warrior, a young woman, nodded with a smile.
"I'm reminded of cop shows from the past. They didn't look too well on civilian guests," Sikhail joked.
"This is standard military ops. We're a tight-knit group," the seasoned veteran replied.
Sikhail nodded.
"Targets in the brown van over there. Fairly common for authors to bring a lot of equipment. The contact… well… we'll have to watch for whoever makes contact with it. He and I are going to approach it naturally. If things take an unexpected turn, assess the situation and do what you think is appropriate. If it's too dangerous, don't pursue it. Hsuzel would understand," the Warrior explained.
Sikhail nodded.
It took a few hours before the passenger in the brown van got out. Middle-aged man. Decent haircut. A fairly huge stature. Mean eyes. Hands were in his pockets. One of them probably contained a USB drive. His eyes were locked onto a bike. A young boy delivering newspapers? Never stopped.
A sedan parked a few feet away. The man was approaching it, clearly focusing on it. His muscles bulged. Clearly, he was nervous. A low-level lackey, perhaps? Was told to deliver something important but didn't know the contents? Knew that he'd be screwed if he messed things up? Potentially. Maybe it was more important than they assumed?
The two partners were already making their way to the handoff. They acted like two acquaintances hanging out and having fun. The Warrior bumped into the man. He fumbled, and a USB drive dropped from his hands. He bent over to pick it up, not allowing her to touch it. He panicked, looked at the sedan, and walked in another direction with incredible speed.
A door on the sedan opened up. The seasoned veteran got in and quickly closed it. It was natural, smooth like he was meant to get in. The man looked back and saw the lady following him. He panicked and picked up his speed. He entered the alley as a frown appeared on his lips. He rushed through. He turned. The lady was still following him, concern in her eyes. He didn't stop. He turned right towards another alleyway, hoping to lose her.
(Bang) (Bang)
(Bang) (Bang)
Some kind of shootout around the corner? He began to pick up his pace and turned left. He didn't want to get involved. A child ran out, shouting incoherent phrases. Sounded young. Maybe a boy. He wore a hoodie that covered his face. The kid saw the man running, his hand on a gun. He pointed his own gun and fired off a few shots.
The man had a grim expression as he dodged behind a garbage bin. The young lady was startled and also hid. She tried to peek, but stray shots kept her under cover. She calculated what risk to take.
(Splurt)
"I'm dead meat. God damn! Where's the USB drive? Where the f**k did this m*****f****r come from?"
A shout of pain and anger as something hit the wall above her and fell down. It landed near her feet. She looked down and saw the USB drive. Her eyes widened. She poked her gun out, aimed, fired a shot, and quickly stuck her head out. The youngster was gone. The man was holding onto his bleeding wrist, screaming.
He looked everywhere yet yelled in frustration. She ducked back behind the wall before he noticed her. She grabbed the USB drive, hid it, then found a way out.