My eyes scanned the sky above, clearly displayed in the crystal dome of Commander Lark's office. It was the top of the GIU facility and he reigned like a king with an aerial view of Tor 17 below him.
Only one person reigned higher and that was Grand Master Yulis, the ruler of Tor 17. Though soon even that role would be filled by Lark as his rise continued.
"Admiring the view?" He asked me with a spark in his eye.
I shrugged. "You can see everything from up here," I replied.
"More like control everything from up here," Neron scoffed next to me.
Lark rolled his eyes. "It really is a shame Neron, that you waste your talents in this commitment to your Outlier lifestyle."
Lark stepped passed the two of us, looking down on his empire.
"It's not off the table," he said with his back to us. "Soon I will be replacing Grand Master Yulis and Xan will be taking over my position here as the Commander of the GIU. We could use someone with your skills here, Neron."
Disdain painted Neron's face as he opened his mouth to protest, but Lark quickly cut him off.
"You've already earned yourself a clean record. I'm sure Xan would want you apart of the legacy he is about to build here with my daughter."
I felt the pit in my stomach grow every time he reminded me of the match. It felt like the walls were closing in on me slowly with every breath about it.
"And Being 23," Lark added with a side turn and a smirk. "Her abilities would be treasured here. She would make an excellent addition to the GIU and I could make sure she never left your side."
Neron's eyes lit with red, fuming in a silent rage at the mention of Trish. I didn't blame him. I wouldn't trust them to let Trish simply maintain her freedom unless she did everything she was told and that simply wasn't in her nature. It would strip her of every ounce of individuality she had and Neron would never allow that. That's what he loved about her.
"I would never trust you monsters with her again," he seethed.
Lark was unfazed. "There may come a time when you don't have a choice," he answered darkly. "It would be better to return on your own accord."
The red radiated over Neron's body. "Is that a threat, Lark?" He growled.
I placed my hand on his shoulder, urging him to calm. This is what Lark did; he pushed you to your limits to force you to either control yourself or face the consequences. Neron usually faced the consequences.
"Of course not, Neron," he chuckled calmly, returning his back to us. "One has to be prepared for all possible outcomes though. You should take some time to think about that."
Neron remained silent, the color dissipating from his eyes as he tried to control himself.
"Why did you call us here, Commander?" I asked to change the topic. It wouldn't be hard to get Neron to snap at this rate and that wasn't something I was looking to witness.
Lark continued to stare out across the empire, the shimmering lights of the floating skyscrapers were distinct in the morning horizon as the red sun crept slowly into the sky.
"What you two did, catching the fugitive," he paused for a moment as if searching for his words. "It was an immense step. However, there are still great concerns the empire has."
My eyes met with Neron's. We were very much aware of what he was alluding to.
"Phoenix Rize is still active and we still suspect an attack. I fear it could be of the magnitude of the fate the Ancient Planet met."
Images of Earth breaking a part flashed in my mind as his words set it. Tobias seemed to be a big player, but the fact remained that he wasn't working alone.
"How have you come across this information?" I asked.
"Out intel," he sighed. "We have been trying to infiltrate the organization but we have never been able. We have only received scraps of information from smaller beings who may have done business with them. The buzz is that something big is coming."
The rage in Neron had finally subsided and he took a breath. "And what of the fugitive and his lab technicians? Have you not received any information from them?"
Lark turned to face us now, arms crossed with a pensive expression.
"No," he said bluntly. "The fugitive remains unconscious and his technicians refuse to speak."
Neron scoffed. "Haven't you resorted to your usual methods yet?"
The Torian Empire prided itself on security and intel. Our beings were safe because of the measures our government took to maintain order. This included knowing threats before they ever had the chance to reach our borders.
The GIU had the strongest intel in the galaxies and that's because we spared ethics in terms of finding out what we needed to know. Most beings would speak simply to avoid interrogations.
The Interrogators were the beings in charge of information extraction. It was a department I never wanted to be a part of. Not much could shake me, but even I did not have the will to do the undertakings of the Interrogators.
Lark arched an eyebrow as he looked at Neron. "Ah, yes, I suppose Being 23 did undergo the interrogations, didn't she?"
Neron's face grew dark with loathing again, but he remained silent. When Trish tried to escape, they questioned her. The GIU couldn't figure out how she had done it or what she had done in that brief time of freedom. Needless to say, they never found out.
"Then you understand, these beings resist just as she did. They will not speak. Their bond to the organization holds stronger than fear for their own lives," he looked at both of us sternly. "I think you both understand how serious that is."
Neron kept his cool. "Raeland was the only lead I had. I have nothing else to offer beyond that."
Lark smiled. "But your ability to track information has always been an asset. Why do you think I tolerated such an insubordinate being? You were valuable to this agency and we need your skills again. I need you and Xan to figure out what is going. The fate of this entire empire is at stake."
I looked at Neron who stood perplexed. Even I was unsure if that would move him. He hated Lark and the GIU at this point but he prided himself on justice. He was the one that selflessly decided to keep Aeris safe and figure out what happened to the Ancient Planet. Would he hold the same concern for Tor 17?
"What do you expect me to do?" Neron breathed irritated.
"Help us," Lark responded bluntly. "I want your whole team on this."
I arched a curious eyebrow at Lark. The whole team?
Lark chuckled at my expression. "You can't deny that you all have worked well together. I'll be honest, we are desperate. I don't care what resources we have to use, I will spare no ounce of pride to keep this empire safe."
Neron and I both stood there stunned. It wasn't like Lark to set aside his pride. He truly believed we would be able to stop Phoenix Rize.
I wanted to say "no" and I knew Neron did too. How could we hide Aeris? Could we ensure they wouldn't try to manipulate Trish again? There was so much danger in what he asked of us but at the same time, could we really just say "no" out of our own selfish desires? Could we risk the lives of the entire empire because of the beings we longed to protect at all costs?
I looked at Neron with the questioning in my eyes. I knew he shared these worries and he nodded at me before shooting Lark a confident grin.
"Tell ya what, Lark. Let me run it by my girl. She's the one you need to convince."
Lark's jaw dropped. "Being 23 is calling the shots now?"
Neron chuckled. "She sure is. And don't try any funny business because I have taken every precaution to maintain her safety and if you turn on us, you will pay in ways you never realized you could."
Lark gritted his teeth, struggling to keep his composure with Neron's threat. He answered to no one and Neron dared to turn the tables, it probably killed him inside.
"That won't be necessary, Neron. You have my word. You need to convince Being 23 to join us. The fate of this planet may depend on it."
Neron smirked. "Oh I'm not going to convince her," he said slyly with an evil grin. "You are."
Lark's eyes narrowed in irritation, realizing that if he really wanted Neron and the crew, he would have to play by Neron's rules. Putting the decision in Trish's hands was a brilliant strategy. She would not be easily swayed and power gave her protection. She would keep Aeris safe as well.
Working with Neron would make the job easier but a huge part of me hoped for Trish to reject the idea. The prying eyes of the GIU and Tor17 would never make a safe environment for Aeris. I couldn't risk her safety.
"Then I will make my case to Being 23," Lark replied reluctantly.
The usual glint returned to Neron's eye as he smiled knowingly.
"You better start puckering up, Lark," he chuckled. "You've got some kissing up to do if you want help from Trish."