A few hours pass.
Tonight is the night. The night of the meeting. All 10 of Mr. N's personal elite guards will be in the same room after 3 years. After abducting Liam from their ally Greenland. Mr. N finalizes his plans to overthrow the president and obtain that position for himself through the long awaited "Presidency Battle".
At the gate of Mr. N's tertiary work camp lies a great stone wall. Such a big wall surrounding the compound as if guarding something vastly important. It almost felt out of place… As outside the wall was nothing but ruins and a city of people starving.
No way in hell they could get into these walls. Yet these walls were well maintained and stood high with pride. As if closing itself off from the poverty around it as if it'sdisgusted with the suffering beyond them.
Atop the wall were two guards. Osprey rested his head comfortably in the lap of a young woman, her fingers busy with a handheld video game that beeped and chirped with childish enthusiasm.
These were two of the 10 elite guards.
—
Osprey broke the silence with a whisper, his voice low and casual, as if discussing the weather.
"I'm not a fan of this Liam guy, Aspera. I don't like broken toys. How mad do you think the boss would be if I, you know… accidentally killed him?"
Aspera didn't even look at him. Her eyes stayed glued to the screen, expression flat. She responded in the same tone one might use to comment on a loading screen.
"Killing is wrong, Osprey. We should be good people. Leave Liam alone."
Osprey scoffed. "Well, ex-fucking-scuse me. May I remind you of your body count?"
Aspera didn't flinch. "This is why you'll never get a girlfriend. You live in the past."
His brow twitched. "Bitch? I mean… body count like headcount?"
Without missing a beat, Aespra replied, "Who I use my mouth on is none of your business—"
"I MEANT HEADCOUNT LIKE MURDER COUNT! HOW MANY PEOPLE YOU'VE KILLED!?"
She blinked, then shrugged. "You should've just said that."
"I DID!???"
"Mmmk," she hummed, leveling up in her game as if the conversation had already ended.
Osprey takes a breath, collecting himself, clearing his throat and focusing back on the topic at hand.
He thinks deeply going further than his friendship with Mr. N, realistically speaking if we killed Liam we wouldn't have the strength needed to declare for the presidency battle.
Issak would hate me but I'm saving all of our lives here. We have no shot even with "Liam". He just doesn't understand that. Plus I'm his best friend. He'd forgive me right..
But that's the thing, I'm his best friend. Why would I thwart his plans… I can't betray him like that, I trust him. And I know that but.
As Osprey rolls over uncomfortable he simply sees no future where they can win. He is one of the most skilled fighters in this organization.
He is Elite Guard Rank # _ for Mr. N's Revolution. One of the 10 most capable fighters in Mr. N's army for crying out loud. Yet he knew the truth. To have a direct faceoff with the President's Elite Guard? Its suicide… His elite guard is levels above ours.
'Sigh' As Osprey looks towards the sky he feels hurt. The pain of anxiety swelling in his chest.
Beside him, Aspera paused her game, sensing the shift in Osprey's demeanor. Her voice was soft. "Are you okay, Os?"
She gently stroked his white hair, finally giving him her full attention.
But he didn't answer—not really. She wouldn't understand, he thought. Because she depends on me to keep her safe. I'm the one who's supposed to be unshakable.
What happens when the protector gets scared?
When you're the one everyone relies on, when you're at the top, who do you turn to.
Osprey's heart sinks as he sees a vision of Mr. N.
His body runs cold, weak.
A mask white innocent pure, walking through a dark evil village. Dragging children out of their homes and cutting their throat, before wiping their blood above the door walls. When finished, N lights the village on fire.
"Culling the herd"
Anyone who wants to escape this world can escape it with me. However If you look back on the burning village. "I will turn you into a pillar of salt."
The thought sinks in like a stone in his chest. A quiet, invisible kind of despair. Osprey's eyes darken, the flicker of anxiety twisting into something heavier. Something colder.
No one's coming to carry this for me. I cant look back.
I'll shoulder this myself.
Osprey gets out of her lap, going back into character, "I wanna challenge that Liam guy to a duel. I need to know why the boss brought this guy in. Why he stole him from one of our allies? I heard about him and I've seen footage but. I'm not that impressed. I've seen crazier.'
He raised his binoculars, focusing them on a distant rooftop condo, where Liam lay fast asleep. "Let's watch for ten hours. Then I'll confront him."
Aspera yawned loudly. "No way, man. I'm not staying on this big, BORING-ass wall for the next 10 hours. Let's go get some cream puffs and snacks. It'll be quick."
Osprey blinked. Did she just ignore everything I said...?
"We can't leave," he said, baffled. "We're the only ones with vision like this. We just kidnapped one of the most wanted science experiments in history—this could be the start of World War Three ...."
Osprey was starting to regret his decision to promote Aspera to Elite Guard Rank 10, perhaps she wasn't ready? Her ADHD was always an issue and she hasn't been on a lot of missions, she doesn't understand the danger-
Aspera turned to him with a sly smirk. "If you come with me... I might let you... cream... my puffs…"
A beat of silence.
"That's all you had to say," Osprey replied. He was already gone.
Aspera blinked. Osprey teleported to the stairwell door.
"0.o"
"I'm sure if Liam's so strong," Osprey called back, "he'll be just fine."