"What?"
General Norman was about to pop a vein.
"We had a deal to break Hidalgo out of there and your mutants killed him! Don't tell me they acted without your discretion…that's impossible! They wouldn't dare lift a finger without your order, so explain yourself!"
Dr. Ilene shrugged,
"My 'mutants' as you call them, were given a mission to safely retrieve your subordinate from an enemy base, which they accomplished…"
"Accomplished my ass! What part of safely retrieving means killing him?!"
"According to what you said, Hidalgo was safely retrieved from the base, which marked the completion of their mission. But as to why he was killed… General Norman, need I remind you about this place and what we do here is to stay under wraps?"
"You're crazy. Hidalgo knew nothing about this place…"
"Being rescued by my 'mutants' makes that uncertain, and even the slightest bit of suspicion makes him a target to be eliminated. You're a general, and I know you didn't climb to that rank without watching your men die."
"That's not the point. You knew this would be the outcome when I asked for your help, and you said nothing. That makes you an untrustworthy ally…
"Ally?"
Dr. Ilene's expression remained unperturbed.
"I don't need allies… I value test subjects more, and your mission created the perfect environment to further train my creations. Perfecting them is all I want, and I don't care what I have to do to achieve that."
"…the president isn't going to like what you did."
Hearing this, Dr. Ilene smirked and replied,
"Norman, who do you think ordered his execution?"
General Norman's expression quickly changed on realizing what Ilene meant. He was about to say something when Ilene ended the call.
"Fool,"
She said and resumed her work.
~
Nightfall Unit was on a jet returning to the institute; it's now been twenty-four hours since they left Hausen. In one of the cabins, Johan was having trouble sleeping. His clothes were drenched in sweat as he tossed and turned, mumbling incoherent words. At this time, Lucy walked into the cabin, and seeing Johan in such a state, she quickly rushed to him.
"Johan!"
She called out as she pulled his sweaty body into her embrace.
Just then, Johan opened his eyes. His chest heaved fiercely as proof of his strained breathing.
"Another nightmare?"
Lucy asked.
Johan didn't say anything and nodded. Then Lucy handed him a towel,
"I thought the nightmares stopped."
"They did for a while. I guess the assignment triggered it again."
"Have you consulted Curtis?"
Lucy asked, slightly frowning.
"He's not that type of doctor, Lucy. Why bother?"
Before he could finish talking, Lucy harshly flicked his forehead.
"That's not the point. Curtis is in charge of our welfare. Anything, no matter how absurd, should be reported to him. How many times do I have to remind you?"
Johan rolled his eyes.
"There's no need for that; I'll resume my pills and I'll be fine."
"You stopped taking them?"
Lucy asked coldly.
Johan stiffened and didn't dare match Lucy's gaze.
~
The Nightfall Unit arrived at the institute and immediately reported to the president's office.
"You all performed remarkably on your assignment."
"Thank you, ma'am!"
The team echoed in unison.
Ilene nodded,
"Keep up with your training and schoolwork. I'll let you know when another assignment is ready."
"Yes sir!"
They answered and turned to leave when they heard her call out.
"Johan, wait behind."
Everyone exited, leaving Johan behind.
"Is there anything I can help you with?"
He asked.
Ilene didn't reply immediately, tapping her table rhythmically and replying after a short period.
"Your ability… it appears you still have no control over it."
Johan stiffened, before replying.
"This has been how my ability works for as long as I can remember. I know it's not useful on most assignments, but I train to have a better grasp of how to use it on any assignment…"
"You don't have to explain yourself to me, I know how well you train, and the results are remarkable. But I can't help but think you're not utilizing it to its full potential, or maybe you're not being creative enough on how to use it. Some abilities are limited to the constructs of the mind… loosen your mind more, you'll see what I'm talking about eventually."
Dr. Ilene spoke tenderly, as though a mother advising her child.
Johan, on the other hand, had to admit to Dr. Ilene's words.
"Yes ma'am. I'll do better from now on."
"That's fine. Feel free to express yourself more. I noticed you don't say much about the challenges you face, and I have to hear them from Lucy. Remember what we do here… we can't achieve it if you don't cooperate, understand?"
"Yes ma'am!"
"Dismissed."
Johan exited the office feeling slightly depressed after being scolded. He met up with Lucy and his friends in the break room.
Lucy couldn't wait till he was seated before asking,
"What was that all about?"
"Nothing much,"
Johan shrugged.
"She thinks I'm not creative when it comes to using my ability…"
Oh, bummer…"
Lenny said.
"If it's any consolation, I think you're pushing yourself to the limit of what can be done with your power. If you're not creative with it already, then I don't know what else is more creative than that."
Johan's friends consoled him.
Since discovering his ability, Johan has been having difficulties in learning and using his ability. Aside from his basic knowledge of combat, his ability had no way to aid him in assignments where pure combat force was required, and it would have been the same for assignments of other nature if he hadn't trained and practiced every chance he got. To Johan, this had always been a depressing topic for him given there was slight competition within the New Generation.