With clothes for work ready and weapons and tools too, it was time to leave for work.
Mike still wanted to keep training, but he had a duty like every normal person, and he was fine with getting a rest from the beating he received every day.
After getting better in combat and ability control, he still trailed the android, but he could feel the gap getting close; she was still a league above him.
He reached the company building to get all the info about his mission.
He already had the basics but it was common procedure anyway.
The client's name: Richard Stone.
-This sounds somehow... - He felt like he knew the person, but could not remember.
===
[Basic Information]:
-**Name: Richard Stone **
-** Age: 35 years old **
-** Occupation: Businessman / Marketing coordinator **
-** Registered company: RichManufacturing Inc. **
-** Nationality: Redzen**
-** Current location: Aether **
[Physical Appearance:]
Face photo in the upper right corner for reference.
...
===
-"Ok let's skip that thing, basic info is enough, I remember who this man is now, fuck my luck... right to the important task then"-
It was, without doubt, the brother of Erick Stone.
Both were from Redzen, doing business in a legal way with the public, but everybody knew they were the ones behind the Black Key Group, an illegal company with no good intentions in Aether.
They should be put into investigation by any other country, especially in the current situation with the war.
Just who recommended him for this job? It was sure someone with bad intentions.
If his client was someone like that, may the goddess of luck bless him enough to keep his life after this.
===
[Reason for contracting]:
-** Richard Stones comes from a very well-known family for their impressive business empire; his brother Erick is the CEO of a major corporation (the same Richard works in) that plays a crucial role in the economy and infrastructure of their home country and Aether too.
Given the current circumstances in their home country and the success of their business, he attracted unwanted attention from the enemies of his country, and those in the illegal society.
In his business, he needs to travel from "place to place" constantly, and his recent activities require him to travel to Aotheles. Given the circumstances explained above, he...
...
**
===
-You, Gotta, Be, fucking, kidding me... - Said Mike with a sigh before even finishing reading, nobody was there to hear him.
It was a suicide mission. Aotheles Union was against the war of Redzen in Asgars and is in a political issue to act actively against it.
And most important, it was an enemy nation for the current Aether.
Just his luck was bad enough, now he would need to go on a suicide mission.
-"But still, he is a person of success... success in illegal ways but could have a plan, he cannot just go there without a plan... ok, there are notes about the ones recruited for the job too..."-
In the notes, only his name was written...
-Fuck! - His voice was not high, but enough to attract attention around.
He blushed a little and left the place.
Richard had a personal bodyguard, so he could not be totally alone after all.
For his meeting, he needs to travel to another city, meet Richard, then go to the capital city and take a plane with them to Aotheles for his suicide mission.
He quickly took a taxi and left, he didn't care for the money, not because the android made a lot, but because he had no time to lose.
He needed to meet the client that same day, did his bosses in the company think he had a car? They knew he didn't, but nobody cared for him.
The travel took a few hours, the driver listened to his urgency and accelerated enough to shorten the travel somehow.
The man listened to him after looking at Mike's weapons, He had not only a pistol but also a sword hanging from his back hip.
People like that were either terrorists or special bodyguards. Given Mike's clothing, the latter.
The destination was a luxury hotel, and there was currently a meeting.
Given his identity he stayed outside for some time until finally allowed to pass, the guard outside was the one who guided him towards the location.
Inside, he found many people he could recognize, most important politicians or business people, but business people in Aether were mostly into politics,
It made no difference to start with then.
They reached a table and Mike found his client there, an athletic man in his mid-30s.
Richard looked quite calm for someone that's going to step into dangerous lands.
-Mr. Stone, here is the person you asked me to wait for - Said the guard who guided Mike.
-Mike Blood, finally here, you are in time anyway, but I wanted to meet you, I heard only great things from you-
If Mike was an idiot, he would not know who told those words, after all, he just saw the responsible person of that not far away, Rose Slades.
-I am glad to hear someone thinks highly of me, I will give my all to guarantee your safety, Mr. Stone. - Said Mike while really not meaning his words.
He met not only his client but the other bodyguard too, he was a black muscular man with very cold behavior, the name, Miles, no last name from him.
At least he got his name, it would be hard to talk with him by calling strange names.
-"I thought most politicians in Redzen if not all of them were racist, at least I don't feel like is a bad man at all... if it weren't for his identity" - Mike's mind was recording every piece of useful information,
All while meeting the other people. He had sadly, needed to accompany Stone while meeting the other people around.
Richard Stone talked a lot with people of high stands but talked few with those with lower stands.
If one doesn't pay attention, no one would notice, but Mike concentrated on studying his client, so he found out his conversations turned out differently.
Sometimes he paid more attention to certain people, giving Mike the impression he was looking for something from the other person.
Stone talked with Rose too, he went with the excuse of meeting Mr. Slades, but got to talk more with the daughter,
It was like people recognized Rose had a higher stand than her father.
No surprise for Mike, he knew she was already preparing to start her own ability users mercenary corps, the first in the country.
Nobody knows how she could convince her father and the tyrant president to approve that.
Those politicians were not very fond of separating the military force into those with the ability and those without it like most countries did,
And even not wanting to give more chances to ability users. It was like they thought there was no difference with or without PhySEC around.
But Rose got it, the thing nobody achieved in the country; in Mike's eyes, Rose was not totally evil, maybe just crazy, but not evil.
But all in all, Mike found the situation calm with his client, he was confident that maybe nothing serious would happen.
...
After Richard Stone left, followed by Mike and the other bodyguard, Minister Slades finally spoke to Rose about a different topic.
-Is he the man you told me about? Louis Blood's cousin? - he asked.
-Isn't it interesting? He is the cousin of one of the strongest in the world, why did he say he never trained his ability? - Said Rose, not answering directly.
-And will he be alright? Stone is going to Aotheles after all-
-Don't worry, I made preparations, he will not be chased actively, only Stone will face consequences, and given his cousin being so important, Aotheles won't force him too much-
-Well, it's your plan, I leave it all to you-
Rose's plan, seemed like some conspiration, but they talked so casually that nobody would notice something.
Behind Rose and the minister, were 4 bodyguards, 2 of them, "Male" and "Kat".
Rose then talked to her bodyguards.
-Don't you think he looks somehow different? - she asked with doubt, what if it was just her imagination?
-I see nothing different, my lady. What do you think, brother? - Kat answered first, he really noticed nothing different.
But would her brother "Male" notice something? Probably not, but...
-He is happy, very confident in something, and I understand him, I would be too-
- -Eh?- - Kat and Rose were shocked,
For Rose, what the hell is her laziest bodyguard talking about?
For Kat, how the hell could her brother notice something she didn't?
-His sword, every man's dream is to have an uncommon treasure like that-
-*Sight* Why did I expect something from you? - Kat lowered her head to apologize to Rose.
But the minister had another thing on his mind.
-So he got it recently, I understand now-
-What do you mean, dad? -
-Is a katana, but smaller, maybe some kind of variation? - said the minister.
-Katana? - asked Rose, she knew what it was, she had seen one once.
-Not a Katana, my lady – said Male again –Is shorter, is not a katana, and is called... Wakizashi if I remember correctly.-
-I see now, it is indeed a treasure, maybe he got it from Louis-
Kat and Rose could understand that Mike would be happy for the sword, but was it really the reason?
The truth was that it was the sword, but the main topic was different from anything that any of them could have Imaginate,
Even if Male was right, that was not the reason Rose felt something different about Mike.
And Mike himself would not find out the reason even if listening, until much later.