The next day, on October 28th, we spent 5 hours flying to Montreal, Canada, where the Sadios' HQ was located.
Once we landed there, I was winded, but at least this time, we made it without me needing a break. I think all this traveling was increasing my stamina.
As expected, the Sadios had their own piece of the city in the northwest corner of Montreal. Their base was two or three times larger than ours and even had its own mini forest of primarily evergreen trees with small wildlife near their main building (I'm pretty sure that's just to make them look good).
Although it was autumn, I couldn't find a single fallen leaf, and the bushes and flower beds I saw hadn't withered at all. Compared to the rest of Montreal, it was like the Sadios' territory was stuck in springtime.
For some reason, the visual pleasantness of their estate made my skin crawl. It almost made me wonder, "Why try this hard to appear this perfect?" but I pushed that thought out of my head as soon as it surfaced. I didn't know these people, so I couldn't make any judgments just because they liked their place presentable.
Our destination was a tall, white building at the center of their territory. On it was the name Sadio Power, the country's largest and most preferred energy company. Even more so than TekTra's.
After navigating through the maze that was their base, Naomi, Trik, and I finally arrived at the building.
When we got there, armed men were standing guard at the front doors, which were thick, translucent, and slid horizontally. They said something inaudible into their holo-bracelets, then a drone broke from the wall and hovered over us. After scanning us, it retreated to wherever it came from inside the wall, and the large doors retracted from each other, allowing us to walk through before quickly shutting behind us.
"I see they're big on security here," Trik commented as he surveyed our surroundings.
"Oh wow, this is beautiful," Naomi said, mesmerized by the place.
Their interior designs for the lobby were astounding. There were chandeliers, fire-lit lamps, beautiful portraits and pictures hanging on the walls, expensive furniture, and different spiraling stairwells that led to the next floor.
It felt like I was standing in an ancient castle, not a power company. Even the aroma in the air was pleasant. It was like a light, clean scent that suddenly made me feel like a neat freak. I actually caught myself judging what the three of us were wearing.
When we went to the front desk, the receptionist directed us to a private elevator, telling us we were expected.
We exited the elevator a few floors up; even the trees were still visible out the window in the office we stepped into.
The office was a big and open space that was lacking in technology. Even the lights were created by candles from the hanging chandeliers. The only technology I could see was a triple-monitored digital desktop at the sleek desk in the far-right corner of the office. Most of the light, however, was coming from outside the expansive set of window panels at the opposite end of the office. Beyond the windows was a balcony with a wide array of flowers decorating its edge.
Along the walls to our left and right were tall bookshelves that stretched across the office's borders. Each shelf was filled with a variety of modern and ancient books. Some shelves were filled with different achievements and metals.
"Welcome!" said a guy rising from the seat at the desk and walking over to us. He was short – about the same height as me – a little on the heavy side and smelled of expensive cologne. His suit was dark with intricate sea-green designs. He wore a sea-green tie, a black vest, sea-green shoes, and even wore an expensive-looking sea-green watch.
He wore green-tinted shades, had a nicely edged goatee, and even had oiled-backed hair. This guy's demeanor was giving me ancient mob boss vibes. This was Vicki's dad? He seemed fond of the old world.
"When I received a notification saying my drones detected someone with an EQN of 773,000, I knew it had to be a Primordial," he said with a smile as he addressed Naomi. His tone felt almost as oily as his hair.
Could we really trust this guy?
Then he looked at me and continued.
"Not to mention your exceptionally high EQN of 2,450. You sure you aren't a Sadio," he said jokingly.
The rest of us laughed awkwardly to keep his dead joke from being apparent.
"I don't think I'd fit in here at all," I remarked.
"Hey, we all come from money – although we Sadios have more; we're all exceptional – again, we have a bit more natural talent. So with an EQN like yours, I'm almost certain there's a trace of Sadio lineage in you, but I digress. I'm Custov Sadio, billionaire extraordinaire and head of the best branch of Watchers. What brings you three here today?" He asked us as a quaint sitting area elevated from a hidden floor compartment.
This guy clearly never bothered to look at my family's stats.
"Oh, um, I'm Alissia, and this is Trik and the Joy Primordial, Naomi. We're here to discuss a temporary partnership against a bigger threat than the branches' disdain for each other," I answered.
"Oh?" he responded, surprised. He ushered us to his sitting area.
"What's this threat that even I know nothing about?" he asked.
"Well, first off, there's not just six Primordials. There're eight," I began.
I apprised him about everything we'd discovered about Avarice and Verin and those that follow them. I also told him how much of a threat they pose and the realistically inevitable war that could begin any day. I finished by telling him the best way to prevent this would be for the Watcher branches to team with the Primordials and stop them before they can start.
While explaining, I could've sworn the guy's face took on a devious smirk. He had adjusted it so quickly that I questioned whether it had happened for real.
"I see," he responded, composed. "That sounds truly perilous. And you say you also intend to visit the Russos to recruit them as well?"
"Yes, it's imperative that each branch work together," Trik chimed in.
He looked at Naomi.
"And I can take it this isn't a rouse of some sort," he asked her.
"Everything that's been said is the truth," Naomi said blankly, looking him in the eyes. Judging from the creepy chill we were getting and Naomi's lack of a smile as she spoke, I assumed Naomi's second personality decided to come out.
"R-Right.... In that case, you have the Sadios' full support," he promised nervously.
This surprised me, if I'm being honest. From what Vicki said about her dad, I expected him to be a selfish, heartless jerk. Based on how he spoke and his demeanor, I was starting to think she was right, but he was very understanding and cooperative. Perhaps in the last two centuries, he's changed.
Well, whatever the reason, things were sailing smoothly for a change.
* * * *