Zero didn't like being at the mercy of anyone—especially someone like Alistair. The base of operations the Enforcers used was nothing to write home about, rundown, and an absolute disaster.
"Who lives here? And why?" He asked aloud, unable to believe the dingy room he stayed in was a place for ordinary people. Alistair might be a demanding boss, but Zero was a free bird. His accommodation was always paid for; he never had to worry about money. But now, he was seeing the other side of existence.
He didn't like it one bit.
"Wow, who'd have thought the great Zero is squeamish to poverty?" Zero turned to see Valerie at the doorway, arms folded across her chest.
"Good morning to you too, and this place isn't conducive for living. I saw rats the size of a small dog. Why would anyone think this is a good place to live?" He sounded indignant, but he was past caring.
"You speak like we wanted this. Do you know why I can't even look at you?" Valerie seemed agitated for some reason.
"No, why?" Zero wasn't in the mood for a lesson if he was being honest.
"You are a god here. Okay, I might be exaggerating a little. But Zero? The One Who Consumes? You were born on a battlefield and rose to be the hidden card of the Numbers. You're a legend, can't you see that?"
Zero didn't feel like a legend. He felt like a fraud. And his fellow Numbers didn't treat him like anything extraordinary; he wasn't even seen as a big deal. So, what was the deal with the Enforcers?
"I can't. And frankly, you shouldn't believe in nonsense. I'm human like you, and yes, I've been to my fair share of battlefields. But so have you. You don't have to sell yourself short to prove a point. Here I am before you. You can touch my skin and feel the blood running through my veins. This is me right here. Either you accept the me you see, or you live in the delusions of me you've created. Your choice."
Zero shrugged, wondering why he was trying to make Valerie understand him. He never gave anybody else that luxury before.
"You speak like someone who's seen the world, experienced its madness, and come out on top. I will try to accept you as human because that's infinitely cooler." She grinned, and a small gust of wind illuminated her eyes momentarily, drawing Zero in.
"You're stubborn, but I can do nothing about that. So, I have a proposal," Zero wasn't done talking when Valerie rushed up to him, foreheads almost touching.
"A little space," he murmured, and her eyes widened in alarm as she took several steps back.
"I'm so sorry, I got so excited, and I—" she tried to explain, but Zero just smiled. He could understand her, though; he sometimes got that way whenever he was in the presence of the top three Numbers. They weren't just legends; he'd only seen them once. They didn't get orders from Alistair, and nobody really knew who they were.
When he met them, he noticed Number 1 raise a finger, and he went back to what he was doing. He never spared Zero a look after that.
"I have been in your position before, so it's fine. I have people I idolize, too. Now, on to the proposal. Ready?"
Valerie was as giddy as a schoolgirl, but Zero was shocked to find himself excited, too. He hadn't been able to play for a while, and it was catching up to him. Valarie was his reprieve.
"I'm ready," Valerie said, almost panting.
"I want you to give me a name. I haven't ever had one. Or maybe I don't remember having one. I can't keep using Zero; it's unlike me. So, why not give me a name?"
He came up with the idea after realizing that the Enforcers would ogle him for as long as he was there, and he wouldn't be allowed to belong.
"Me? A name? I can-can't. How can I even do something like that? You are sacred. I can't even reach you, and we're in the same room." Zero noticed that Valarie's obsession went beyond normalcy; she was a fanatic for the one called Zero.
But that wasn't him; it'd never been.
"But you could reach me when you didn't know who I was. Why does my name change the way you see me?" He didn't like bringing logic into it, but he was tired of circumventing the situation. It was best to nip it in the bud before it became a full-blown issue for him.
He enjoyed his quiet life and would rather have that than a life where he was seen as a god or whatever else they described him as.
"Your name isn't a joke; it's an authority. It's a name that rings from one end of the world to another. Zero is seen as immortal, having survived brutal battles without a scratch. He's the hidden ace, the one The Order calls when everything else fails. Zero is you. How can I treat you normally after that?"
Zero looked at her. She raised a salient point, but Zero was the persona the world wanted to see; Zero wasn't the guy who wished to escape it all and have a life without feeling like he was being scrutinized every second. Some would call Zero a fake after that, and they wouldn't be wrong.
What was the point of his life if all he did was follow the rules and never did anything for himself? He wasn't a puppet, contrary to what Alistair thought.
"Well, think about how glorifying it'll be if you give me a name. You're before your idol, aren't you? Your makeshift god. Wouldn't it be a big deal to give me a name?"
Zero knew that he was being manipulative, but he didn't care. Alistair had made him a symbol, diminishing his humanity and bringing him to heel. He was a stray dog without a name, a weapon to incite fear and bring people to their knees.
Not in my life.
"If you say it like that…" Valerie seemed to be deep in thought. Zero was glad that she was taking it more seriously than he intended.
"Don't worry, you have all the time in the world to think up a name; I'm not going anywhere," Zero said, putting her at ease.
I will control my fortune.
"Are you sure?" Valerie gave him sad dog eyes, and he was tempted to laugh. She was cute, but not in a way that made him lustful.
"Positive," Zero gave her the thumbs up, and a bell rang so loudly he was almost deafened.
"That's what you wake up to?" Zero asked, wincing in pain at the unnecessary noise.
"Yes. It's not bad once you get used to it. Okay, I'll see you later. And Zero?" Valerie had a weird smile on her face, one that Zero couldn't decipher.
"Yes?" He looked straight at her, not daring to look away.
"Try to survive," she said with a cheeky grin before she bounded away, all smiles.
I don't think I'll ever understand women. First, Number 9, now Valerie. What's next?
Zero groaned in frustration. He wondered who he could ask what the smile on Valerie's face meant.
I guess I'll never know.
"Well, look who's up," Terry had a strange look on his face, and his voice had an edge that Zero didn't recognize.
"You look tensed. Who pissed you off?" Zero asked good-naturedly, only to see Terry's face contort in rage and his body shaking slightly.
"I don't care who you are; today, we will drill you like one of us. Better keep up," Terry didn't act like he was joking, and Zero could sense a tension growing.
Valerie, I should have known. The idiot has the hots for her and didn't even tell her.
"Let's get going then," Zero said, stretching his body. He was ready to beat Terry to a bloody pulp and then have Terry apologize to him.
"Fucking asexual that I am," he said, staring at the plain ceiling.
"What was that?" Terry asked.
"Nothing. Let's get this show on the road."
This time, Zero needed to teach Terry the fear of God.