Didn't Like It

The woman immediately reacted, looking up and turning back to face me. She probably wanted to get it all over with as soon as possible. Spending time in an empty park in the middle of the night with an enemy might not have been her favorite pastime.

Moreover, she seemed to be feeling cold. She was pressing her arms against her body, and rubbing her fingers together, although she tried to conceal her actions slightly to maintain whatever was left of her stiff and professional appearance.

Well, it was already December, so that was to be expected. The temperature was low enough to make our breaths visible. And she was only wearing a suit. But I at least had my jacket, so I wasn't feeling uncomfortable.

"Ahem, right." She cleared her throat, relaxing slightly, glad to return to the main topic. "The full terms of the deal are still being worked on, but the main goal is to ensure our peaceful coexistence, which of course would require you to stop destroying worlds. On your side, you would need to obey the laws and refrain from using your abilities as much as possible."

As I listened to her, the frown on my face started getting deeper and deeper. She only just gave me a basic overview of what they would expect from me, but I already didn't like it. Refrain from using my abilities? As if I'd ever be willing to do that. Not only my life would get too boring then, but I also would lose my main source of income.

But I stopped myself from interrupting her for now. I wanted to hear what they could offer in return first.

And so, she continued. "We would remain in contact with you, keeping an eye on the world you live in. Once it would start getting unstable, we would contact you and arrange for you to be transferred to a new one. Of course, you would still be unable to lead a normal life, but…"

"Alright, stop right there." I've heard enough. "What made you think that I could ever be interested in such terms?"

The woman went silent for a moment, but she didn't seem to be taken aback or anything. She probably expected it wouldn't be so easy.

"…Those are just the initial terms. If you would like to raise any objections, I am open to negotiations."

I observed her carefully, but still couldn't read her at all.

I leaned back on the bench with a sigh. "First of all, I don't really know your laws, so you need to give me access to them, and some time to familiarize myself with them. Then we can discuss that point further. However…" I turned my head slightly to glance at her sideways. "I have no intention to stop breaking the reality laws. I've been doing it my whole life, it's just the way I live. I don't know any other way, and I'm not interested to learn."

The woman paused once again, thinking things over carefully before speaking. "We could potentially adjust the terms to allow you to continue to use your abilities, as long as they don't cause significant disruptions to any of the worlds… Of course, that would result in the need for you to be transferred more frequently, but I assume that wouldn't be a source of concern for you?"

I raised my eyebrows. I stated my terms because that was the basic requirement on which I would be willing to even consider making a deal with the organization, but I would have never expected her to agree to it so easily.

"Is the organization so desperate to make peace with me that they are willing to be so accommodating to my needs?" I asked with a small smirk on my face. "You think you're going to lose against me?"

"That's not it," the woman immediately denied. She was still calm and confident though, so I don't think that my words provoked her. "I am certain that we can eliminate you soon enough. If you refuse to comply, that is. However, I don't want to waste the lives of our field agents and trainees, who might die in action if the current situation continues."

She seemed to believe in what she was saying, but I was not fully convinced. Not just because I had full confidence in my abilities to at least run away from the organization, but mostly because her words didn't match my prior encounters with them.

I sighed. "Alright. Look, it sounds nice and all, but I'm not buying it. It feels like a trap."

The woman's shoulders flinched slightly, and her brows furrowed. "Trap? What makes you think so? I can assure you…"

"Stop," I interrupted her. "You trying to convince me right now about your sincerity is kinda pointless. You know, I tried to have a chat with one of your colleagues before… Commander Jordan Wright, I believe? And let's just say, it didn't go too well."

When I mentioned Wright's name, her expression turned darker. It was just a minimal change, but I was observing her with full attention, trying to pick up even the smallest clue. Since she was trying her best to maintain a poker face, any emotional responses were likely to be genuine.

"I can only apologize for his behavior. The truth is…" She hesitated for a moment, unsure whether she could be saying it. Eventually though, she slowly continued. "The truth is, not everyone in TROA agrees with this approach. This project is a new initiative… my initiative that I have been working on for a while. It is not… officially approved yet."

She paused for a moment, biting her lip. Then, as if making some sort of resolve, she took a deep breath, raised her chin, and looked me straight in the eye. "Although it is not an official deal from TROA, I hope you will agree to work with me on this project, which can lead us to the future where TROA and rogues can coexist."

…What?