1

After returning home, nothing more or less than what had been expected happened. Ryan was taken to a slightly more comfortable cell than the previous one, and had it not been for the fact that it was he who had asked for it, they would have put a bullet between his eyes when no one was looking.

Cynthia was also taken away, only for medical attention. Was a hospital bed more comfortable than a cage? Maybe he'd ask that question when she opened her eyes.

Incidentally, Sylvester couldn't stay until she woke up.

Of course, he knew she'd survive the procedure just fine. It was only one arm. Anyone going into this business had to be prepared to lose a limb or two.

Still, it would have been nice to be able to stay by her side and be the first person she saw when she woke up.

They were a team, after all.

Instead, he was in a dark, windowless room, just a door made of several tons of steel. Surrounded by the holograms representing the organization's top brass, whose identities even he didn't know, perhaps for fear that he would one day bite the hand that fed him, so to speak. Because they knew they couldn't control him.

Maybe because they had seen too many movies.

By the way, he said represented because you couldn't see their whole bodies or even their faces. They were nothing but white masks floating in the void with a Roman numeral on their foreheads.

"We have been fighting the Lunar Remnants for years, on the verge of simply destroying the moon and dealing with the consequences. It is no exaggeration at all to say that this is a world-changing event, if true.

They were not in order of importance, or so they liked to say among themselves. They were human beings, so there were always some who felt superior and others who hated them for it and craved their position. It couldn't be helped.

"If true? Are you saying you don't trust Agent Sylvester? Without him, this organization wouldn't exist."

Should he be glad that creepy mask was defending him? Well, in any case he was only thinking of his own interests. Insinuating that he was thinking ill of the 'hero' and 'savior of the world' was one of the many ways to pull at each other on their way up the pyramid.

Even though they had much bigger concerns.

Man, what a pain in the ass. That was all he could think about.

"It's not a matter of trust or not.... But he's always been an idealist. Maybe he's trying to buy time."

On how good he'd be lying in bed. Not sleeping, maybe, but not thinking about anything either.

"It's the same as mistrusting him. Don't start with sophistry."

"In any case, we'll see if it's true or not with our own eyes soon enough. It's not as if we were going to bomb the moon this very week. It would be a very useless lie when it could only buy him a few days."

At last someone with a bit of sense. He had always liked number three slightly better than the others.

"That's right," said number one.

"Let's stop talking as if he weren't right there," number four joined the party. They weren't very talkative. It was impossible to discern whether they were men's or women's voices with so much modulation. Well, not that he cared either.

"Yes... Sylvester, we'll assume it's the absolute truth. The idea of Lunar Remnants that can pass for humans is troubling. It's not a big change just because we could save most of Earth's population. If a large number were to hide among us, we could lose the war before we knew it. So can you keep him under control? Even after he matures and his powers grow, do you think you could lose?"

Sylvester smiled. Everything about him radiated unshakable confidence.

"Nah, I'd win."

It wasn't about arrogance or pride, to him it was as simple and obvious a statement as the sky is blue.

Fortunately for their mental health, the meeting didn't go on much longer, as if that confident declaration had robbed them of the ability to protest.

Stolen story; please report.

So Sylvester left that room drowned in darkness and returned to his own room.

He didn't shower, wash his face or even change his clothes. He was too tired to do anything besides lie on the bed, on the soft sheets and firm mattress, which should make him feel comfortable as usual.

He wasn't succeeding, though.

"I would win. If someone or something doesn't kill me first, of course," he muttered to himself, one arm covering his eyes as if even the light coming into the room through the windows was bothering him too much.

Straight after, he closed his eyes, even though he didn't think there was any way he was going to fall asleep for the whole night. Not with the shit going around in his head. Old shit, too, but mostly new shit.

Ryan's detransformation and what that meant for the world.

The responsibility his superiors had talked about.

There was definitely no way he was going to sleep like that.

Well, it was nothing particularly new.

He fought to live and lived to fight. His lips traced a bitter smile before he realized it.

2

Contrary to what he had expected, he did end up falling asleep, if only a little. In some ways, though, too little sleep was worse than no sleep at all. In his experience, it left you even more exhausted instead of the other way around.

And he had plenty of experience with that.

As soon as the sun came up, Sylvester dragged himself to the shower. He had to do the bare minimum to at least make himself presentable. Then he set about finding Cynthia, they had a lot to talk about, and not just about the arm she'd lost.

Maybe the answers she sought would bother her more than the arm, actually.

It was time to come clean. He had never liked that whole trying to keep his abilities secret from his peers as much as possible anyway.

He found her sitting on a bench. Well, good.

He handed her a can of soda before sitting down next to her. Of course, he had one too. He was more into this or water before alcohol. He needed a clear mind for his work, nay, his duty.

"How are you feeling?" Sylvester asked. Yes, first things first.

"It doesn't hurt. Never did, I woke up when the job was done hours ago. Of course, it moves perfectly," she added, twisting her new arm as if unconsciously testing it. "But..."

The silence stretched long enough for Sylvester to know that he would have to be the one to finish the sentence or no one would.

"Still doesn't feel like it's your arm. "It was obvious and natural enough, but he felt that someone had to say it out loud. For the sake of his partner and the conversation they were trying to have, so it could continue.

"Yes. Does it pass the time?

That wasn't the questions he'd been talking about before, but it was natural for her to want to know that. First things first. When they were done with this, they could talk about him.

"I don't think the discomfort would ever fully go away, but you'd forget about it for longer and longer."

In other words, she'd remember it from time to time, like stab wounds. But it wouldn't be a constant pain at least.

"I see. You don't think so? You've never lost a limb?"

Sylvester chuckled a little. He wished that were true. He was strong, but not invulnerable.

"My arms and legs. I was snapped in two once, too." He'd survived that.... Well, not by luck, but it had been too close.

"What?" Cynthia opened her eyes wide, turning a little paler than she already was.

"But they're my arms and legs, not a replacement. They just grew back."

"Like you're some sort of lizard?"

"Something like that, something like that. But faster. You saw I have all kinds of ridiculous powers." Seconds or minutes, depending. In any case, as he had said, it was time to come clean. He really had no intention of hiding anything else. He would answer any question she asked him and even the ones she didn't.

"Now you're going to tell me the truth? Just like that?"

"It's impossible for a partner of mine not to learn the truth sooner or later." The Lunar Remnants weren't going to play fair and adjust to whatever level of power he pretended to have, of course. "If I was discreet for so long, it's because protocol demands it of me. Anyway, you've heard rumors. Well, I won't say everything, but the important thing is true." He took another sip, more to buy time to think about how to say it than anything else. It was good. Cold and pleasant. "This organization was created around me. At the same time as the Lunar Remnants, my powers awakened. It's not science, but something like magic."

"It's hard to believe, even considering the things we fight with every day."

"I'm not lying to you."

"I didn't say you were. That's not much of an explanation, though."

Good point. He put one hand under his chin, thoughtfully. With the other, he kept drinking, raising and lowering the can. The charge of sugar wasn't bad for him to finish waking up after such a bad night.

"Have you ever tried a roleplaying game?"

Cynthia blushed for some reason. Not much, but it was especially noticeable because of how pale she had been so far.

"That's sexual harassment, boss. Consider yourself lucky because I'm not going to sue you."

Oh.

"Not that. On a console or computer, woman."

"Oh. Well, a little bit. It was never my favorite genre. What's this got to do with anything?"

Everything.

Everything.

"I see a strange interface full of levels and skill names. That's how my powers are represented. Again, I'm not lying to you at all. But I can't explain to you how and why. That's something that many people have been investigating since this mess started, still without answers. I include myself among these people, of course.

He felt like burping from so much soda, but he restrained himself.

"Maybe your brain tried to simplify it and it came out like this."

"It's one of many theories, yes."

One way or another, it was related to the Lunar Remnants, it wasn't a coincidence that his powers had awakened the same day the first Lunar Remnant attacked. That's why he didn't like living with this mysterious power. He felt as if he had something dark inside him, like a tumor.

But, at the same time, it was the only sword he had against those beasts. The only way to postpone as long as possible the governments bombing the moon and destroying like ninety percent of the world, maybe more, just to save themselves.

No. Not postpone.

Thanks to what had happened to Ryan, maybe he could settle this once and for all.

He finished drinking the soda and crushed the can in his hand.