"You sound elitist," Declan said, raising an eyebrow.
"I am?"
It wasn’t really a question.
She said it so plainly that Declan was left momentarily speechless.
The woman seemed to notice his reaction.
"See, Declan, the news likes to portray ordinary humans and Nexians as equals, but the truth is that we’re superior in practically every way imaginable."
She took another drag from her cigarette.
"You’ll save yourself a lot of headaches if you accept that reality instead of clinging to some false hope of equality."
Declan remained silent.
’Nexians are superior to humans?’
He thought in silence.
’Why? Because they fused with Nexus Seeds Cores and can now punch a stone into dust?’
’Does possessing greater strength somehow make the inherent value of their lives greater than that of an ordinary human?’
CLINCK!
The sound of her Dupont lighter snapping open pulled him from his thoughts.
Boss Morg ignited another cigarette, inhaled slowly, and turned her crimson eyes back toward him.
"I want to know more about your family."
"Why do you want to know?" Declan asked.
She shrugged.
"If you have a family, then in this line of work, you might want to move them somewhere safer."
Declan’s eyebrows creased slightly, but they soon relaxed.
"They’re dead already."
She stared at him for a moment.
’No family. No ties to any organization.’
’And with Mechnoheart itself recognizing him as deceased, his background is practically perfect.’
She silently noted the information before speaking again.
"You have questions you want to ask, don’t you?"
It almost sounded as though she could read his mind.
"Go ahead. Ask."
"What’s your name?"
It was the first thing he asked, and it made her pause.
"My name is Morgaret Gevueden. Most people call me Boss Morg."
"Morgaret Gevueden..." Declan repeated quietly.
He allowed the name to settle in his mind before continuing.
"What exactly did we come to do in Veyron?"
Huuuuuuu,
"For a sample."
"A sample?"
"There is a secret organization operating in Veyron that has been conducting an experiment."
She took another drag of her cigarette.
"Their ultimate goal is to create an Arcane Serum."
Declan’s ears twitched.
’Arcane Serum...’
’Arcane Serum...’
’Wait, I’ve heard that before.’
"Arcane Serums are hypothetical chemicals believed to contain properties of the Arcane energy wielded by the Ember Race,"
"The theory is that, if the Arcane energy could be contained in a form consumable by humans, it might grant them the ability to wield Arcane themselves."
Boss Morg’s eyebrow twitched, before commenting.
"It’s like you’re reading straight from a book."
"That’s how I store information in my head."
Declan shrugged.
"But Arcane Serums are still nothing more than hypothetical theories from geneticists."
"There’s no legitimate field of study dedicated to creating them, especially after the Government banned humans from touching Ember Race corpses or using their body parts for research."
"I don’t know whether it’s real or not."
Boss Morg sounded completely indifferent.
"And frankly, I don’t care."
She took another puff.
"The mission states that one such serum is hidden somewhere in Veyron. My job is to retrieve it and bring it back to the base."
"That’s all."
It was immediately clear to Declan that the two of them couldn’t be more different.
While his mind was already racing at the mere possibility of an actual Arcane Serum existing, she couldn’t seem to care less about the implications.
Curiosity drove Declan toward anything new and unexplored.
Morg, on the other hand, seemed almost completely indifferent to anything that didn’t directly concern her.
Still, at least he now understood why they had come to Veyron.
But then something else she had said caught his attention.
"So, you do work with an organization."
Morg exhaled another cloud of smoke.
"I do."
She glanced at him.
"But don’t ask for its name."
"Why?"
"As I said, with enough status and money, almost any piece of information can be obtained."
She leaned back into the sofa and raised three fingers.
"To learn the name of the organization I work with, you need three things."
Declan listened carefully.
"The first is a net worth of at least fifty million Nollars."
Declan nearly coughed blood.
Fifty million!?
"The second is a power level of at least Grand Heart Nexian."
His expression stiffened.
’That’s...that’s absurd.’
Declan and the others had been murdered because they created an almost perfected Nexus Seed.
The reward for Sir Tonald slaughtering them had been a Nexus Heart.
Yet apparently, simply learning the name of the organization she belonged to required someone to being a Grand Heart Nexian.
The Highest Level Achievable for someone who had fused with a Nexus Heart.
"And the last?"
He asked.
"You have to be a member of the organization."
She lowered her fingers.
"You fulfill none of those requirements, so I can’t tell you."
Declan hummed quietly, then dropped the subject.
"I’m guessing that if you brought me here, you must be planning to take me along on your mission."
Morg nodded.
"While I want you to work for me, taking you along creates a problem."
She crossed one leg over the other.
"You’d inevitably learn about the organization. And if you’re not a member, you’re not supposed to know it exists."
"What happens if I do?"
"You’ll be killed."
Declan’s heartbeat skipped.
Morg continued as though she hadn’t noticed.
"To avoid that, you’ll need to join."
She raised one finger.
"The first requirement is a background check. Right now, you have a perfect score."
Another finger rose.
"The second is determined by your performance during this mission. If you pass, I’ll recommend you for membership."
She exhaled slowly.
"What if I fail?"
Boss Morg didn’t immediately answer, and Declan continued.
"Would that mean I don’t get to work for you again?"
His question made her eyebrows furrow, then her lips slowly curved upward as a large, wicked grin spread across her face.
Morg shifted from her relaxed position, sitting upright as she looked directly at Declan.
"I understand you, Declan. You want to run, don’t you?"
She tilted her head.
"Or, to put it more accurately, you want to be free."
Declan remained silent.
"You’ve realized that right now, everyone in the world believes you’re dead, and you’d like to keep it that way."
"It gives you the freedom of anonymity. Something beyond rare in this age."
"So, you’re thinking that if you fail this mission, I’ll simply leave you alone, allowing you to disappear and live however you want."
She tapped her finger against the armrest.
"And from your perspective, that would be a victory. After all, that’s what you wanted from the beginning."
To Declan, her words weren’t far from the truth.
"But the truth is..."
She took another slow drag from her cigarette.
"There is no freedom anywhere."
Declan’s eyes narrowed.
"If you want to become something more than ordinary, which I already know you do from those excellent academic records of yours, then eventually, you’ll have to step onto the radar."
She leaned back.
"And once you’re on the radar, nothing is completely free or anonymous."
She slowly exhaled, and sitting upright explained.
"The entire world is one massive chessboard, where almost nothing protects the higher ranked piece from crushing the lower ones."
"The best move you can make is to position yourself somewhere you’re protected. Somewhere that makes it harder for the people above you to simply crush you whenever they feel like it."
She paused.
"And that’s what I’m offering you right now. Even if it seems like I’m forcing your hand."