A few minutes passed with Liam and Siegfreed relaxing, watching the TV. Mr. N opened the door without knocking. Thankfully, nothing was happening.
Mr. N leaned against the frame of the door like he owned the air in the room.
"Follow me."
That was all he said.
Liam stood up without questioning it.
Behind him, Siegfreed followed, their small steps sharp with anger, their feminine features scrunched into the most aggressive pout imaginable.
They walked through the hallway in silence.
Solomon eventually caught up, walking beside Mr. N. He glanced over his shoulder at Siegfreed, then looked back at Mr. N with visible concern.
He leaned closer and whispered under his breath.
"…Sir."
Mr. N didn't respond.
Solomon glanced back again.
Siegfreed was still glaring at everyone like they were seconds away from lunging at someone.
Solomon looked forward again.
"Sir…"
Mr. N sighed. "I know. Another day, another problem."
Solomon blinked. "That's not an answer."
Mr. N shrugged slightly. "He insists on following Liam."
"I CAN HEAR YOU."
Siegfreed snapped instantly, their voice loud and cutting.
Solomon facepalmed.
As they entered Mr. N's office, the second half of the room revealed a small clinic that looked like a nurse bay, leading directly into the medical bay. There were Aspera's lieutenants, Vera, Kage, and most importantly,
Osprey.
"HEY, OLD MAN!" Siegfreed shouted, completely exploding. "Why are you acting like you didn't send us on that insane mission?!"
They grabbed Liam's sleeve and yanked it up hard.
The empty fabric hung there.
"LOOK AT HIM!" Siegfreed yelled, voice shaking with fury. "HE'S MISSING HIS ENTIRE ARM!!"
The room went quiet.
Mr. N glanced at the sleeve.
Then back at Siegfreed.
"…Yes," he said calmly. "I noticed."
Siegfreed's eye twitched.
"I ought to drown you in bugs…"
Mr. N sat down and looked up from the papers on his desk, his expression completely unchanged.
"So you're not going to control your pet, Liam?" he asked with a tired sigh.
Siegfreed froze. Completely.
"…Pet?"
The fury collapsed instantly into a flustered blush, their lips puffing out.
"…maybe this N guy isn't so bad…"
They went still.
WAIT.
NO.
HE ALMOST GOT LIAM KILLED.
Siegfreed's face snapped back into pure rage as they pointed straight at Mr. N.
Liam sighed. "Not now, Siegfreed. I'm going to undergo surgery to get my arm reattached. Don't raise my blood pressure."
Solomon quickly grabbed his tools. His light hair gave him a slightly eerie look.
Siegfreed folded their arms tightly. "I'm watching."
Solomon checked his watch, glancing at the conference room capacity.
"Elite Guards Rank 9, 8, 5, and 4 are all ready in the room, sir. Honestly, we can probably begin the meeting in an hour. That way we can brief Liam alongside—"
Aspera entered the medical bay, sweating. "Before you get mad, sir, Rank 3 told me he's roughly 10 minutes away."
Mr. N yawned. "I don't care. We start when Osprey's awake."
Aspera whispered, "They're already arguing…"
Mr. N sighed like this was the most exhausting thing he'd heard all day.
"They're Elite Guards. If they weren't arguing, I'd assume they'd been replaced with robots."
Siegfreed leaned in close to Mr. N, whispering loudly and mockingly.
"Wow. Your workplace sounds terrible. Sounds like you're not in control of things. You know, I can give you tips, but there's a saying. If you're not in control of—"
They kept going. And going. And going.
Mr. N ignored them completely. Mentally, he was facepalming.
Please don't tell me they're developing a crush on me.
Is it because I'm black and handsome? Oh my God, bro.
Aspera glanced at Siegfreed, then at Mr. N.
Is there weird sexual tension here, or am I tripping?
She looked over at Osprey's lifeless body.
Aspera shuddered nervously, hiding her tears as her voice shook. "Will he ever wake up again—"
"BAHAHA!"
Mr. N slapped the ever-living shit out of Osprey's sleeping face.
"Of course he will! He's my most reliable Elite Guard."
"I didn't give Osprey Rank 0 just because he's my friend. I gave it to him because he was my trump card, a sniper with no weakness. His strength and lethality are hailed all around the world. You guys don't know this, but—"
His tone shifted.
Mr. N smiled.
"Osprey already defeated Elite Guard Rank 3 of the President before. I just need him to do it again."
Aspera wiped the tear from her eye.
Liam's mind struggled to remember. He swore he had seen Osprey before somewhere in his mind, but he couldn't place it.
Mr. N continued, "But regardless, Liam, I have a full briefing email to send you and your friend about your duties, your lieutenants, your rights, and what laws don't apply to you. What authority you hold over militaries and police forces, and what land you're in charge of. Being an Elite Guard isn't just about being strong. It's about a good public image."
"Almost like a superhero," Solomon whispered, using a scalpel to cut his fingernails.
Aspera thought to herself, We're going to have to update the letters for the Presidency Battle too.
Mr. N continued, "As we hide underground here, half of America hates us because they think we're trying to overthrow the government. The other half supports us. They need us. They see that we're fixing this country and giving it something it hasn't had in years."
"Hope."
"Improvement."
"Unification of the entire continent under one name."
Islands. Tens of islands in our name.
Hope and power.
"But for now," he said calmly, "let's get that arm fixed first."