"We haven’t seen each other in quite a while," said Flintlock. "So why is it that after all this time, your first thought upon seeing me is still about killing me?"
There was a mild exhaustion in his voice as he asked the question. Flintlock was a Unity Affiliate, and had worked with them for a long time. During this period, he had met all sorts of people, but he had scarcely encountered someone so dedicatedly aggressive.
"I’m a lot stronger now than I was before. I’m sure I can do it now," Nero answered, sharing his honest thoughts. "I’m also certain that I can break out of this dream now."
Nero had felt the same last time as well, but Flintlock had informed him that the feeling of being able to control aether was simply a part of his dream. The same should still be true now, but after having undergone a baptism in Vitracil, Nero’s aether control far exceeded that of anyone in his rank. In fact, Nero was fairly certain that his aether control was even better than that of an Arcanist. If that was the case, theoretically he might even be able to use 3 Star cards, for which one normally had to be an Arcanist to use.
But those experiments would have to wait till later. For now, Nero focused his gaze on Flintlock. He stood right in front of Nero in the dream, but his face was obscured from vision.
"Yes, that’s totally a normal response to seeing someone in your dreams," Flintlock said with a hint of sarcasm in his voice.
"My dreams usually do involve a lot of killing," Nero said directly. "But I don’t think the purpose of our meeting today was to discuss my dreams."
"You’re right about that," Flintlock stated, feeling chipper. "Were you able to get your hands on the details of Norman’s innate card?"
"During my mission, I was essentially the team captain," Nero said, his tone direct and professional. "Noman was in my team more than once, and displayed his innate ability multiple times. Furthermore, in our last mission, he even gave me a copy of his innate card to use. So yes, I have the details of Noman’s innate ability memorised."
"Excellent!" Flintlock said, excitement leaking into his voice. "Once you submit the details, I can officially close this mission and consider it complete. At the same time, I will commence your initiation into Unity, officially passing on the designation of affiliate to you. In the future I will remain your handler for the most part, as there will be more missions we wish for you to complete. If, however, you contact Unity on your own to avail its intelligence services, your identity will remain hidden as you will be operating under an alias.
"I must warn you, however, that if the information you provide is proven to be false at a later date, there will be repercussions. Even a failed mission is better than a mission completed with false intel."
Nero made a mental note of that, but didn’t say anything. In fact, he kept looking at Flintlock, his expression completely neutral, his thoughts completely blank. Vanessa’s advice for sincerity and lack of secrets wouldn’t work in this situation. Well, it would, but not at this exact moment, for right now, Nero was about to flip the script.
After about ten seconds of awkward silence, Flintlock couldn’t resist anymore.
"You can transmit the data now. No need for any recording material, you can just tell me the innate ability, and your mission will be marked complete."
Yet even after that, Nero did not speak. Instead, he continued to stare at Flintlock. Nero couldn’t see his face since it was hidden, but he could physically feel the wide grin on Flintlock’s face slowly fading.
"Alright, what is it? You want to change the deal? Don’t act like you’re uninterested - you wouldn’t have called out to me if that were true. Let’s just skip the theatrics and get to the crux of the matter," Flinklock said, his tone noticeably irritated.
"You were right when you said that it’s been a long time, Flintlock," Nero said, slowly. Though Flintlock wanted to skip the theatrics, Nero didn’t. Nero enjoyed the drama, the build up.
"That means I’ve had a long time to think things through," he continued. "I don’t doubt you. You’ve proven Unity is both powerful and resourceful. My issue is... I have no reason to trust you. If I hand over the details of Noman’s ability to you, I will have committed an act of treason. I will have handed over sensitive information to a foreign entity, and not only will that be a burden I will have to carry for ever - thinking of ways of avoiding interrogations or truth tests which might ask me if I’ve ever done anything anti-state - but I will also be handing over a huge piece of leverage to Unity.
"For the remainder of our relationship, I will be forced to do your bidding because if I don’t, Unity need only reveal my actions to Kolar, and my life will effectively be over. Yes, I need the information network of Unity, and I need it direly. Yet if the price of information is a leash, then you should not expect me to hold out my neck willingly."
Flintlock breathed a sigh of relief when he heard Nero’s words.
"Your concerns are... genuine," he said diplomatically. "Yet they are not without a solution. We can work out a way to resolve this issue, contracts and agreements, aetherically bound assuring you that your safety will be assured. We can wipe your record from our files so that none other than I know your details. I assure you, we have many ways to ensure the anonymity and safety of our members."
Nero nodded, as if appreciating that.
"That is my first concern. My second... is not so easily resolved. Noman was a soldier under my command. He was a kid, but he held himself to the highest standards. We fought together, braved danger together, survived hell together. There is no incentive you can give me, no threat you can make, no deal that you can offer that will make me betray one of my men."
This ... to a degree, was in line with what Vanessa said. Nero had indeed thought long and hard about various topics, and came to the conclusion that no matter how vile or evil his enemies were, it would not affect the standards and beliefs he held. It was not like Nero was willing to become a hero and stand in front of the nation, ready to bleed and die for them. But he was most certainly not going to betray a little kid - a kid he had recognised - for some benefits.
Nero could still hear Noman’s declaration that he will surpass Nero when he is the same age - he could still hear the excitement in his voice, and the worship. He... was a good kid.
Flintlock’s mood, however, fell further, and his body language changed entirely, as anger started to seep in, not that Nero was intimidated in the slightest. How could he fear a mere man after facing off the Primal Exarch face to face?
"If you do not intend on completing the mission, then why did you summon me? To mock me? Or maybe you’ve set a trap? Should I expect the Kolari army to hone in on my location any second now?" he sneered, as if disdainful.
"You sure have a lot of attitude for someone working for an organisation that wants world peace," Nero commented sarcastically.
"You do not understand, Nero," Flintlock pressed. "Do you think we mean to harm him? No, not at all. We already know his innate ability is related to sealing. However, we suspect that his ability is special, and if that’s true, it can prevent a major disaster that is about to unleash itself upon Neire. This is bigger than a single kid."
"Are you trying to test my conscience?" Nero asked, amused at the possibility. "I’m sorry, but I don’t care about all of Niere. All I care about is that Noman is someone I recognize. He is a good kid, and he’ll make a better soldier. I will never betray him."
Flintlock groaned in anger and frustration, his mind working to try to figure out a way to complete this mission of his, but Nero had no interest in that.
"Even so, I did not call you here to tease you, or to mock you. There is no trap waiting for you. I am genuinely interested in what Unity has to offer, and so I have an alternate proposal for you."
Flintlock did not speak, but Nero’s words did manage to catch his interest at least.
"While I will not betray any of Noman’s secrets, it just so happens that I also happen to have secrets related to someone else that you might be interested in: Vanessa Abel, from Nova. I know exactly why she was in Kolar, and I know quite a lot about the deals she’s made, and what she’s been doing lately."
Flintlock froze. Was this a coincidence, or did Nero already know that Vanessa Abel was headlining the news in Unity this entire past day?