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Somewhere over Egypt, 3:20 pm EST.

Arne stood atop a moving cargo plane thousands of feet up, having been dropped off by Michael faster than they could've blinked. It was nighttime now. Late evening. Maybe 10 pm? It was difficult to tell. Above, there wasn't a cloud in sight, and the light from the moon illuminated everything.

Across from her was Trevor. He wore a black sleeveless shirt with green chest and abdominal plates designed into them. He had on dark pants and combat boots, an orange dramatic cape that flapped in the wind behind him, and a pair of dark shades across his eyes.

Trevor sat swiping on the holo-screen projected from his holo-bracelet. He seemed too occupied to notice Arne's arrival just yet.

Arne squinted.

Was he playing a video game?

Arne stared at him unenthusiastically, hoping his senses would at least be sharp enough to catch on to her presence eventually. After watching him ignorantly play his video game, Arne's patience ran out after a few moments.

"Ahem," Arne coughed, causing him to jump to his feet in alert.

At least he's spry, Arne thought.

"What? How'd you get here?!" He exclaimed, running a stressed hand through his hair. "Crap, Pops is gonna be furious with me."

"Hm? Oh right," Arne commented as they knelt to a knee and jammed their fist through the plane's exterior.

"What the hell are you doing?!" Trevor screamed.

"Quit whining; if you weren't so incompetent, you would've immediately tried to stop me or prepared yourself for battle the moment you realized I was here," Arne said irritably as they shot stone protrusions through the plane's hull.

The engines and jets on the plane whirred as they ceased to function, and the dead bird began to fall through the sky.

Arne and Trevor continued to stand on the plane's back as it spiraled out of control. Arne had their arms crossed as they stared at Trevor, expectedly.

"What are you waiting for? Aren't you supposed to protect this thing?"

"You're not going to try to stop me?" Trevor asked hesitantly.

Arne sighed and shook their head.

Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.

Why'd I have to get stuck with this one?

"If what I've heard about you is true—and based on our two interactions, I believe they are—you were bound to mess this up on your own. In fact, to prove it, I don't intend to do any further damage to this plane. If the crash doesn't destroy it, you will."

"Why would I..." Trevor looked dumbfounded. Arne found it difficult to believe someone like him possessed a genius-level intellect.

"The ground's approaching quickly..."

Trevor rocketed off the plane in an orange blur. Soon after, the aircraft slowed dramatically, to Arne's delight, as they lowered to the ground.

Arne had to give the kid credit; he had some strength. Based on the size of the plane and the fact that it only carried a supply of JANUS tablets, Arne guessed the total weight was somewhere between 90 and 100 tons.

Arne leaped off the side of the plane and landed on the ground 100 feet below. They observed as Trevor steadily descended and placed the plane on the ground as gently as he could.

Arne clapped encouragingly.

"Well done. Was it heavy?"

Trevor rolled his shoulders loose. He looked at the plane, grinned, and gave it a slap and a subtle nod of accomplishment.

"Nah, I could've lifted more."

Arne raised an eyebrow.

"Really? I'm surprised. See, I didn't get that impression last time we fought. Then again, between the humans' presence and you resorting to suppression cuffs, I suppose I couldn't gauge your actual strength, could I?"

Trevor's smile faded, and Arne's widened.

"No humans or cuffs around this time...I want to see what you can really do," Arne taunted, standing, arms still crossed, as they released an aura of intimidation.

"So you're stronger now, too? I take it each of you somehow gained more power..." Trevor's eyes darted around as beads of sweat trickled down his face.

Arne noticed this and willed the ground beneath his feet closer, pulling Trevor along with it. When it stopped in Arne's face, Arne quickly lifted the shades from Trevor's face and stared him deep in the eyes. To Arne's surprise, there was something there that startled them.

"I see...stay focused," Arne advised him. "I don't expect much from you as is, but it'd leave a bad taste in my mouth if I have to defeat you while you're looking for a way to escape."

Trevor jumped back several dozen feet and lowered his shades, his breath exhaling nervously.

Arne looked at him with disappointment. They disapproved of his lack of enthusiasm. Once a human, now something profoundly more, yet he doesn't boast genuine confidence. Arne decided they'd only have a challenging fight if they got him to view the battle differently. Trevor lacked the necessary component to release his full potential: pride. Arne could practically sense it.

"You're disgraceful," Arne stated, looking at him squarely as they formed a stone throne and boldly sat upon it. Arne knew Trevor didn't have the guts to attack despite this. Not unless their back was turned.

"What are you talking about?" The insult caught his attention. He stopped searching for a way out and met Arne's judgmental gaze.

"Look at you," Arne waved an arm and gestured at him entirely as they leaned back in the seat, "Where's your pride? Before I initially met you, I was told you're a big talker. That you're only confident when you think you've got the upper hand, yet it was also mentioned that you have a strong desire to prove your strength to Avarice. But you ran from Michael during your first encounter with him, and your pusillanimity was also displayed last time we met when you resorted to shameful tactics to avoid being hurt."

"It was a tactical retreat. Even Pops understood that much," Trevor spat back, interrupting. "And you're known for being indestructible..."

"Did he truly?" Arne waved off his second excuse. "Or was it more likely that his fatherly love for you caused him to protect your feelings?"

Trevor remained silent.

"Even if he was genuine, are you okay with that?"

His gaze lowered as Arne's question struck.