The High-Stakes Bargain

"What do you want from us?!" Alicia couldn't hold back her tears, and her voice trembled with intensity. "Why did you take May?!"

"Boss, what should we do?" one of the men in black asked the one holding May.

"...Alright, tell her," the boss hesitated for a moment and eventually succumbed to Alicia's tears. He began to explain:

"This girl named May was originally just an ordinary person with no superpowers. She was kidnapped by an experimental organization called SPW and transformed into someone with superpowers. I don't know if she displayed her abilities in front of you, but she is indeed a superpowered individual. Later, she was bought by SHADOW, our organization, and cultivated, but she managed to escape. We've been searching for her and finally found her here."

"SPW? SHADOW? Experiments? Superpowers?" 

Jackson and Alicia, who had been hiding, were stunned. They had never heard these terms before; they had lived their entire lives in these garbage heaps and knew nothing of the outside world.

The boss seemed to sense Alicia's confusion and began to explain, "You're in the dark about many things. In the outside world, one-third of the population are superpowered individuals, while the rest are ordinary people. That experiment aimed to turn ordinary children into superpowered individuals. SPW, as the world's top scientific organization, voluntarily undertook that experiment."

"What does that have to do with us?! Release May!" Alicia couldn't take it anymore. She put down her raised hands and pointed at the boss.

"I know you can't fully understand us, but we're willing to give you a chance," the boss shook his head. Despite his hands being responsible for ending countless lives, he genuinely didn't want to harm children. 

"...a chance?"

Alicia was perplexed again.

  "We're willing to take you out of this junkyard, in exchange for handing May over to us," the boss proposed a deal."

Jackson and Alicia were both astonished. Just hearing the words "outside world" was shocking enough, but they never thought there might be a way to leave this place, which was littered with garbage everywhere. The only catch was that they had to give up their dear friend to this group of unknown individuals.

Jackson wanted to rush forward to help, but he noticed that the men in black before him were tall and formidable, armed with lightweight machine guns, while he was just a defenseless kid. So, this was a game he couldn't win!

"I refuse!" Alicia shouted defiantly, her tone reverting to her queenly demeanor. "Give May back!"

The boss had probably anticipated her refusal and drew a pistol from his waist, pulling the trigger.

BANG!

Jackson, furious, rushed out but was immediately knocked unconscious by one of the men in black who had been hiding behind him. He fell into sudden darkness, as if a black cloth had been placed over his eyes.

Alicia's shoulder wasn't pierced by the gunshot, but it still hurt intensely. She looked down and saw a steel needle embedded in her shoulder, which quickly dissolved. Alicia felt her strength draining away, and she collapsed to her knees, forehead almost touching the ground.

The last thing she saw was May's face, filled with guilt, as she whispered, "I'm sorry." Then she, too, lay motionless in the darkness.

***

The previous night, Jackson and Alicia had returned to their cabin to sleep, the three of them once again together. However, May was awakened by a series of tapping sounds against the wall. She kept her eyes closed and listened carefully to the repetitive tapping, as it sounded like a coded message with its pauses and rhythms.

She spelled out the message one word at a time in her mind: "Get up, I have something to tell you."

She opened her eyes and saw the boss of the men in black standing at the door. "Uncle?" May breathed a sigh of relief; fortunately, it was the boss.

The boss had treated her well within the organization, in fact, he treated every child kindly.

"You sure know how to cause trouble for the organization," the boss sighed, his eyes filled with both concern and reproach.

"Are you here to take me away?" May asked.

"Yes."

"I'm sorry, but I want to stay here."

"Why?"

"Even though this place is dirty, I've found true friends here, not the fake concern from the adults in the organization. And they don't make us kids do all the work like the adults in the organization do. Do they think we're gods? We're just kids!"

"So, you're going to leave organization?"

"...Yes."

The boss sighed and squatted in front of her. "Maybe you're dissatisfied with the organization, but your friends inside the organization are waiting for you."

"I have friends here, I don't need them! They're just a bunch of 'survival of the fittest' hypocrites!"

"...Well, let me be honest with you," the boss suddenly shook his head, revealing this astonishing revelation. "I'm risking my life to take you back."

"What do you mean by risking your life?" May was puzzled.

"The organization has already decided to execute you."

"So what?" May had known all along that escaping the organization meant being silenced – that was the price of betraying SHADOW.

"What about your friends?" The boss's question woke May up. She had forgotten that the organization would make all her friends and family who knew her "accidentally die" to cover their tracks.

What should she do now?

"I made a deal with the organization. They'll spare your friends if I bring you back," the boss pointed at May, ensuring she remembered his words. "You know, no matter how ruthless the organization is, keeping their promises is renowned in the criminal world."

May hesitated. The boss waited quietly for her response.

"Okay."